Next part. I've not written the next part yet, so next week's upload may be delayed, so apologies for that.

Hopefully this gives some idea of where I'm going with this...Shadow has more of Padme' she can lose yet.

STAR WARS: THE EMPEROR'S SHADOW

WILL OF THE EMPEROR

CHAPTER SIX: CHANGING FACES

My master was waiting for me when I returned.

As I entered the Throne Room, I bowed before the Emperor.

"Thy will is done, my Master…" I replied.

"Excellent, my servant…most diligent. I have prepared your next assignment, though it will require some different skills from you. If you will follow me to your quarters…?"

Dutifully, I obeyed.

Once in my quarters, I found an Imperial scientist standing nervously with a small case next to her.

"Is this Agent Shadow, your Highness?" she said, after bowing to the Emperor.

"Very perceptive…now if you would explain the device?" he asked.

The scientist gathered her nerves and opened the case. Inside was what looked like a balaclava. It was augmented with microcircuitry and covered the eyes, as well as the entirety of the head. And yet it was utterly smooth…it looked sinister, but it also looked very useful too. I wondered what the purpose of such a device was…Alongside it was a small strip of microcircuitry attached to a black collar. It appeared to be flexible, but also hinted at a purpose.

"This mask is designed for the purposes of infiltration. Your existing holographic imaging device, which we designed, conceals your armour very well, but it can do nothing to conceal the physical reality that you are wearing armour, resulting in a need for the user to avoid actions such as bumping into people, as that would give the game away. This device is designed to offer a similar function, except this can be worn without the armour. As a result, it gives far better options for disguise, as well as allowing you to pursue other missions for His Imperial Highness that would require you to step out of your armour. As for the collar, it is designed to keep the mask secure and also to connect to the throat in order to change the wearer's voice. As the Emperor is very keen for your true identity to be kept a closely guarded secret…" she explained.

"…As that woman is no longer alive" I cut in. The Emperor silently raised his hand and I stopped.

The scientist recovered, and carried on with her briefing.

"…As I said, since your past identity is a closely guarded secret, this covers the need to hide your face to prevent anybody recognising you without the need of your armour. I hope that this device will prove very useful in your ongoing Imperial services."

She held out her hand. "I'll require your Holographic Imaging Device access…?"

I held out my arm, showing the wrist computer. She simply inserted a holochip into a small slot at the back, and tweaked a couple of commands. Finally, she smiled and replied "Done! All ready to go. Simply remove your armour, and I have a uniform for you to try on. In here…" She then pressed a button to open the door behind her, and there stood two mannequin stands. One contained a black dress in the standard Imperial court style, complete with gloves and boots-it would effectively shroud my body as well as my armour would, with the exception of my face. The other held a leather Imperial uniform that I could tell was modified especially for me. It reminded me of that worn by the Second Sister, as well as my own uniform as The Royal Inquisitor back home on Naboo. Again, the uniform was all-shrouding, with tall black sturdy boots and black leather gloves.

There was also the ever-present stand for my Shadow armour.

I looked to my Master for guidance. This woman had not been part of the scientist team responsible for turning me into the Shadow-that team had been mindwiped of their part of my creation and put onto other projects. No doubt this one would be too…

The Emperor nodded, and took the scientist out of the room.

Padme' Amidala stood in the room with me. Her face was haunted.

"As you remove your armour, take a look at yourself…" she simply said.

I tried to ignore her as I moved to remove my helmet.

Padme', however, wasn't quite finished talking.

"You've become shrouded in your armour. You use your armour to contain me, and to maintain your Shadow identity. While you're clad in your armour, you feel you have purpose, a mission, a Master…when did you start calling Palpatine Master? How far did you fall before that happened?"

I ignored her, and removed my helmet, exposing my true face. Padme's horror was visible on her own face, her eyes telling the whole story.

"That face…that cannot be my face. It's too pale, no doubt from a lack of sunlight. You-I-look like a walking corpse…and as for that hair, you shaved it off…all of it. Was that some attempt to expel me?" Her tone was a mixture of sadness and horror.

Maintaining my composure, I removed my armour, piece by piece. As I did so, Padme' kept talking.

"How much of you even remains? You've been augmented beyond anything that exists in our worst nightmares…first, and most obviously, there's the serum injector device that gives you your strength and agility but at the cost of your free will. With that device, you're effectively a leashed dog acting out her master's will. Add into that fact that the serum's addictive properties mean that you'll kill yourself if you withdraw from that stuff…can't you see the trap that you're in!?" Her tone turned accusatory as she finished the statement.

"I am stronger than you ever were in this state. My master also gives me a purpose…what place could you have had in his Empire? A rebel and a traitor would have been your fate…" I told Padme' in no uncertain terms. "I serve him, carrying out whatever he asks, no questions asked."

Padme' pointed at the mechanical apparatus where my stomach used to be; to the slot that I inserted cylinders containing all that I needed to function at optimum efficiency…

"He took out half of your insides and replaced them with machinery, just to make you a more efficient killer! How can you say that he's improved you? You can't go back from this…"

I stared her in the face.

"Why would I want to go back to Padme' Amidala? She couldn't survive…I could…"

My phantom didn't have an answer. She instead stared silently, then vanished again.

Feeling my mind at peace again as I thought of my Master, I donned the uniform. It had filled Padme' with dread, but it gave me a faint taste of pride as I imagined serving my Master wearing it. It didn't take long to don the uniform, pull on the sturdy boots and the snug fitting gloves…The leather tunic reminded me very much of those worn by the Inquisitors, and even contained a rank insignia.

I then picked up the mask…It would fit snugly beneath the collar of my tunic, and would cling tightly to my face. At the same time, it also completely covered my head, and had evidence of advanced technology within it. My old face would disappear completely…

I pulled on the mask, zipping it up at the back before applying the collar. There was a hole for the circuitry to connect to my throat-the collar was evidently meant to keep the mask on my head. It was tight, but not restrictive-I could still nod my head. I finished by closing up my tunic. Feeling that I was suitably anonymous, as my conditioning had instilled in me, I walked out to face my Master and this scientist.

The scientist raised a datapad.

"I've set up a remote link to your wrist computer, so that I can show you what you can do. Now, here I'm going into the command 'Mask Control'…this is linked in with your Holographic Imager so it can now project any face stored in there…and here's one particular face. Now…watch." Her tone was now more steady, as if she was suddenly in her element. For his part, the Emperor merely watched.

I watched my masked face in the mirror morph digitally and change. Hair grew from the mask's scalp inexplicably, and my blank featureless mask turned into clearly defined facial features. Before I knew it, I had turned into one of my cover identities-the ISB operative that had sought out Tarkin…

The Emperor looked impassive, then touched my face and ran his gnarled fingers through my hair.

"It feels real…unlike a mask…" he finally said after his examination. "The possibilities…"

I simply stood silently, as was my role.

The Emperor looked at me.

"How do you feel, my Shadow?" he asked.

"Strange, Master…I still feel anonymous but I also feel able to mingle within crowds better. I feel that I will be even deadlier with this technology…"

To my surprise, my voice came out in a completely different sound to the machine voice that I was used to, or the voice that Padme' Amidala had. It was deeper, huskier, more menacing. The Emperor was right, the possibilities for infiltration and stealth were indeed endless…

The scientist was now in her element as she explained the technology.

"Nanotechnology, your Highness…now your agent has a much better means of disguise at her disposal…she can literally assume identities as opposed to merely holographically projecting a false identity over her. The nanomachines will work to create a face on the atomic level, and this face will feel as real as we can manage. As for the voice changer, that can be connected to facial identities to create a full identity with every facial change. This is the best technology that the Imperial Scientific Corps have to offer, and I am sure that it will prove its usefulness several times over."

"Thank you, your work here is finished. Shadow, you may re-don your armour. Keep the mask and collar safe, however. I will explain the next stage to you…" he explained. I bowed to him in response.

"Yes, my Master…"