BATMAN:
DARK SIDE 2 – DARK PRINCE
CHAPTER 3
– DARK THOUGHTS
By C.W. Blaine (darth_yoshi@yahoo.com)
DISCLAIMER (S):
(1) STAR WARS™
and all related characters and situations are © 2001 by LucasFilm, LLC. They
are used in this story without permission for non-profit entertainment purposes
only. Use of these characters without express permission is a violation of the
copyright, but copyright holders may sometimes choose not to exercise their
rights under the law and seek prosecution. Simply because rights are not
exercised should not be construed as an endorsement.
(2) BATMAN™
and all other related characters and situations are © 2001 by DC Comics Inc., a
Time-Warner company. They are used in this story without permission for
non-profit entertainment purposes only. Use of these characters without express
permission is a violation of the copyright, but copyright holders may sometimes
choose not to exercise their rights under the law and seek prosecution. Simply
because rights are not exercised should not be construed as an endorsement.
(3) This
original work of fiction is © 2001 by C.W. Blaine. All questions, comments and
concerns should be directed to the e-mail address above. The author requests
that permission be gained before archiving or posting to a website.
Starlight Arms, Imperial
Center, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away….
Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle, laid on
a couch with a cool rag on his head. His previous set of clothing had been
destroyed in an attack by what they had learned were called armored rats. They
had materialized in a set of sewers that ran through one of the hundreds of
levels of this city-world. Unlike anything any of the assembled group had seen
before, they had emerged after their battle with the feral rodents, in awe of
the spectacle.
Bruce Wayne, the Batman, had
managed to secure them a room in a nearby hotel by bartering with diamonds.
Bruce had guessed correctly that the diamonds would be as valuable here as they
were on their own world. In fact, he had been able to trade many more diamonds
for what was called Imperial Script. It was a form of local currency, and
though they all knew that Wayne was probable giving away a million dollars in
diamonds for a few equivalent thousand dollars, it was what had to be done.
The first thing they had to do was
purchase appropriate clothing. The only people who looked as if they had been
born here were Arsenal and Huntress, and they were referred to as bounty
hunters. But such things did not concern Ted Kord, as he looked up at the
ceiling, which was made of a material he could not identify. No, he was
pondering how to get them back to their home universe.
While Blue Beetle was considered
something of a joke in the super-hero world, Ted Kord was considered a genius
when it came to technology. Even Bruce Wayne had admitted that he was impressed
with Kord's work as an engineer. There had been no mention of his work as Blue
Beetle. That was okay by him, though, since being the Blue Beetle was the only thing
that kept him from going insane as he would sometimes sit for hours daydreaming
of schematics, followed by hundreds of lines of computer code and finally deep
thoughts about metallurgy or chemistry.
He had been picked for this
mission for two reasons. The first was that Ted Kord was a damn good pilot. Not
some kind of jet-riding hot dog, but a really good pilot that could fly almost
anything. The second reason was because next to Steel, he was probably the only
person who could get the dimension hopping technology to work that was needed
to get them home. Steel had to stay back in the JLA Watchtower to monitor the
equipment that had sent them here (and just within inches of having them show
up inside a wall), and Ted was supposed to figure out something on this end.
The Batman had guessed that the
man who had captured Nightwing, the person they were here to rescue, probably
had a ship capable of making the jump through dimensions. Ted hoped he was
right, because he really wasn't sure if he could do this. The time for fun and
games was over, and even his partner, the man from the 25th century,
Booster Gold, was acting a bit more mature than usual. He was here as the heavy
guns, his power suit giving him abilities far beyond normal people. The two of
them were a team, and had learned to rely on each other a lot over the past few
years. Now, Ted was on his own; all of the years of college and developing his
own designs came down to this. If he could do it, he would be the hero of the
day.
If he failed, then they would all
probably die very far from home.
Bruce Wayne looked over at Ted
Kord and then returned his attention to his utility belt. He had brought along
a Batman costume, stored away in his special knapsack, just in case he needed
it. This mission had been important enough for him to reveal his identity to
the others, and even though it would be erased from their minds when they got
back, it still bothered him. It left him vulnerable because most of them knew
Bruce Wayne only by his reputation, especially the Huntress. She had already
whispered in his ear that they were going to have a long talk before this was
over, and he knew he couldn't avoid it.
That was unimportant right now,
though, as he checked his mini-torch. He had come here to rescue Nightwing…Dick…and
that was what he was going to do. He knew that Darth Maul was behind all of
this; he could almost feel the stench of evil in this entire plot. Capture
Nightwing, and the Batman was sure to follow. True enough, but he was hoping he
had thrown enough monkey wrenches in the works to foul up Maul's plans.
Maul was the ultimate combatant,
and Bruce Wayne was not looking forward to a rematch. The reason was simple; he
couldn't win. He did not have the time to analyze all of Maul's weaknesses, to
study his habits as the Batman did when he was pursuing prey. No, Darth Maul
was too much like him and his ability to use the Force, as he had called it,
gave him a distinct edge over Batman. Not that a challenge wasn't enjoyable;
Bruce Wayne had spent his entire life testing his abilities, pushing his
limits, but this time an innocent boy's life was on the line.
Boy? Bruce shook his head and laid
down the tools. Dick was a full-grown man; did he really need him to come
crashing in to save the day every time there was a problem? Son or not, didn't
he have a responsibility to let him handle things his way? Maybe, but not
today, not against someone like Darth Maul. After reading Maul's mind, the
Martian Manhunter had described his thought processes to Batman. Maul
represented a way of life devoted to the acquisition of power, by any means.
Life was nothing to him, and that was the major difference between the two of
them.
Dick Grayson represented Bruce
Wayne's legacy, while Nightwing represented Batman's. Long ago, he had resigned
himself to the fact that he would never have his own children for that would
require, at the very least, a woman willing to have his child. The candidates
for such an "honor" were few and far between. Besides, he felt he was getting
too old to begin starting a family.
Finishing his check of his
equipment, he set it aside and reached for the bottled water he had purchased
from a type of servant robot. The water tasted overly filtered and a check of
the first container with his portable chemical kit indicated it no impurities
whatsoever. As he took a drink, he briefly wondered how the Huntress and
Arsenal were coming along in their mission.
The Mynock's Revenge, 38th
sub-level, Imperial Center…
Helena Bertinelli cast a wary
glance at the two furry aliens sitting in the corner booth, and then did
another visual once-over of the entire bar. Roy Harper was talking to the
bartender, who appeared to be a robot, but in this strange world, it could have
been a man in armor. She had caught snippets of conversations as she came in,
none of it in the Basic language J'onn had plugged into their brains. From the
high-pitched whistles and rapping on various tables, she got the idea her
appearance was causing quite a stir.
The black leather and Lycra of her
battle suit hugged her form, making her seem firmer than was actually possible.
There were no other women in this bar, not even prostitutes. Then again, she
had no idea if some of the creatures before her even had genders.
Harper had suggested coming in
here, stating that places like this were always full of people willing to sell
information. In a secret pocket in her costume, Helena had thousands of dollars
worth of precious gems. It was worth more than she would make in ten years as a
high school teacher and barely a drop in the bucket for Bruce Wayne.
She felt the anger rising up
inside of her as she pondered the Batman's true identity. Bad enough that the
Batman had rejected the Huntress, had made her a virtual outcast in the
super-hero world, but to find out he didn't even have to work for a living! No
wonder he was a control freak; money made you that way. Harper had acted like
it was nothing, but then he had always known who was behind the cape and cowl
of Gotham's protector. In fact, Harper had money of his own and had even lived
the rich boy's life when he was the ward of Oliver Queen.
The part that truly infuriated her
was that the knowledge was going to be taken away from her when they got back.
Even though she was necessary for this mission, for a variety of reasons, she
still couldn't be trusted with the knowledge of the Batman's identity.
"The bartender said that the guy
in the picture is called Boba Fett," Roy said, sliding up next to her. They
were speaking English, to keep people from hearing what they were talking
about. "Strange thing is that the bartender about went nuts…if a robot can do
that…over the photograph. Started asking me how I got an ancient…get
this…flimsy-photo of Boba Fett."
Helena wrinkled her face. "It's
never seen a photograph before?"
Roy shrugged. "They probably use
holograms or something. But, hey, we got a name!"
"Did your little tin friend know
where we could find Bubba?"
"Boba…not Bubba…and no, in
response to your question." He moved a little closer so that his hand was
barely touching her arm. Helena had to refrain from laughing in his face. "It
seems that this guy is bad news. He's a bounty hunter. Mercenary. Bodyguard.
All-around bad-ass." He started to stretch and flex his biceps. "Kind of like me."
Helena was about to respond when
she felt a presence before them. Turning from Roy, she found herself confronted
by a tall, pasty-looking humanoid, armed with two pistols slung in hip
holsters. It barked at them in Basic. "You!" he said, poking a slender finger
into Roy's chest. "How much for your woman?"
"I'm not for sale, jerk!" Helena
said, pushing the alien back. There were hoots and jeers from the tables.
The alien smiled, showing
glistening blue teeth. "Know your place or else Shugate will teach you
manners." He reached out and grabbed the crucifix that hung at Helena's neck.
"What is this? Your collar?" The joke brought a wave of laughter from the
patrons.
"It represents my faith, so get
your slimy hands off of it!" She grabbed the alien's hand and squeezed a
pressure point. It had no effect.
"Hah! Must be a weak god for such
a weak symbol!"
Helena squeezed harder and with
her other hand, pulled out her crossbow and put a shot into the alien's thigh.
The creature roared as yellow blood gushed out. "Don't make fun of Jesus!" she
cried, pushing the alien down. It writhed in apparent agony, much more than
what either Helena or Roy expected.
The bartender moved in behind
them. "You shot him in a sexual organ! What were you thinking? I knew better than
to allow humans in here! You must leave now!"
Helena realized that the bartender
was probably right, as she saw several hands begin to drift towards laser
pistols. Helena had hoped to get one, but she knew the Batman would never allow
it. Like it or not, he was in charge right now and she agreed that rescuing
Nightwing was of the most importance.
As they left, they failed to
notice the small, cloaked figure that began to trail them.
The head of Black Sun listened
intently as one of his operatives detailed the report of one of their
underworld spies. When it was over, Xizor dismissed the man with a wave of his
long, elegant hand. He pondered the information briefly and then turned to
Guri, who stood behind him as always. "Opinion?"
She spoke without moving from her
parade rest position. "We have no idea who these people are, though the woman
does appear to be similar to the Dark Knight's bride that Darth Maul had
reported encountering." The famed Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Maul, had
traveled to a parallel world some thirty years before. In his time there, he
had encountered a human called the Batman who managed to combat him to a near
standstill. The remarkable thing was that this Batman did it without the benefit
of the Force.
"Do you believe that this is the
very same woman?" Xizor said, rising from his seat. "If it is, then that could
present a very interesting problem."
"Yes, it could mean that the
Batman is alive and found a way here. It is not totally out of the realm of
reason. From the secret files we have obtained that Lord Maul recorded before
his untimely death, the doorway between our world and the Batman's was
generated from there and not here. That, therefore, indicates that the ability
to travel here is more than likely easier for them."
"Meaning that they would not
require a ship, like the one we supplied Hunter Fett. But it has been thirty
years, my dear Guri, and it is well known that mammals," he said the
word with disgust, "do not have elongated life spans. The warm blood is what
does them in. If this Batman were still alive, then he would be ancient in
age…no threat at all."
"I have wondered the same thing
myself, but I found that my memory banks lacked sufficient knowledge of
hyperspace physics to explain such a thing. I therefore consulted with the
Imperial network and accessed the Kuat Drive Yards Research and Development
Group library. As builders of hyperspace-capable vehicles, many of their
scientists are experts in the field. I believe the answer may be that while
thirty years have passed here, a shorter length of time may have passed there."
Xizor considered telling his
android assistant that he had already consulted with other scientists about the
very same thing, but was waiting for a second opinion on the subject. It
appeared that he had that and more. If what Guri was explaining were true, then
a great opportunity was about to present itself. He decided to test her some
more. "Perhaps we should turn the apprentice over to the Emperor now…"
"I strongly advise against doing
so, my prince. Right now, the Emperor believes you to be nothing more than a
member of Falleen royalty, just another courtier. Perhaps an exceptional one
that he sees great potential in, but no more than that. If he were to learn
your true position, that of head of Black Sun, a thorn in his side, it would
mean your death. It has only been a few weeks since the Emperor charged you
with this task, and if you came through so quickly, it would raise suspicion.
After all, how could an ordinary prince gain the services of Boba Fett so
quickly?"
Xizor nodded but said nothing. It
was important that Guri be able to anticipate his motives and moves, so that
she could always be ready to serve him to her fullest capability. She
continued, unaware of his thoughts. "However, if this woman does prove to be
the mate, and therefore the mother-figure of the apprentice, then the so-called
father cannot be far behind if he still lives. The apprentice would grant you
favor; the Dark Knight will gain you influence."
Xizor smiled. "How, then, do you
propose we capture this Dark Knight, the Batman. It appears he has allies with
him and some of them may even be Jedi, if Maul's reports are to believed."
Guri nodded. "There is no reason to
disbelieve the reports." She paused and cocked her head slightly, a human
characteristic added to her basic programming. "Which brings up the question
about those reports; how did you get them?"
The Falleen thought about not
telling her, but dismissed it. The android's loyalty to him was absolute, of
that there was no question. Still, he found it difficult to completely trust
her. If he was going to survive with all of the games of chess he was playing,
he would need her help. "Jedi knights, even those who follow the ways of the
Sith, often record their thoughts to either digital file or to a Jedi holocron.
Lord Maul chose the former to the latter and I was able to obtain them from the
Imperial archives."
"Such things would only be
available to the Emperor himself," Guri said, a hint of astonishment in her
voice. It was another unique aspect of her programming.
"You would be surprised, my dear,
what the right amount of credits will get you." The Dark prince was not going
to elaborate any further. "Has the other project started?"
Guri referred to her datapad. "The
sample has been mapped and cultivation has begun. Final product is expected to
be ready in a few weeks."
Xizor looked out at the city that
was a planet and smiled. His luck was definitely changing for the better. He
was slowly climbing the stairs of power and when he got to the top, he would
hurl Darth Vader to the bottom.
"Lord Vader, this is quite a
surprise," the Officer of the Deck said, saluting. The Dark Lord of the Sith
ignored him and moved from the hanger deck where he had landed his personal TIE
Fighter. His wingmen were already busy going over his craft and it will have
been inspected at least 3 more times before he returned to fly it off planet to
the Star Destroyer Avenger in orbit above.
A protectorate guard of four
stormtroopers, alerted beforehand of the Dark Lord's arrival, fell in behind
him. There was no need to be in front, for few beings in the galaxy could hope
to even begin to be a threat to the man who had almost single-handedly
destroyed the Jedi. The stormtroopers were mainly there for show and to keep
away the occasional curious onlooker.
Darth Vader did not concern
himself with appearances. The Force would allow him to know immediately if
anyone meant him any harm and he would have plenty of time to react. Without
changing his stride, he exited the spaceport and moved toward the awaiting
military transport that would take him to his personal castle on Imperial
Center.
Waiting next to the shuttle was a
man in an army colonel's uniform. "My lord," he said, bowing his head slightly.
"Colonel Junz," the Dark Lord
said, moving past him. The army officer followed him into the transport, while
the stormtroopers remained outside of it. The pilot did not wait for the order
to lift-off, and soon the craft was flying into the military-only air path
above the city-world.
"Lord Vader, I must confess that
not only is your presence here…unusual, but refusing to see the Emperor will
certainly not bode well."
The Dark Lord stood at the rear
viewport, looking at the air traffic. "My master understands that there are
times I must attend to matters on my own. When I am done with my mission, I
will explain all to the Emperor."
"Of course, my lord, it is only
that you were scheduled to complete the project trials for the TIE Avenger, and
your decision to come to Imperial Center has put the project behind by at least
three standard weeks." The colonel paused, and when the Dark Lord refused to speak,
he continued. "As your admin liaison, I must warn you that the naval high
command…"
The colonel began to make a slight
choking noise and soon was gasping for air. Darth Vader did not even turn
around as the military officer sank to his knees. "It is foolish to try and
warn a Sith, colonel; take that knowledge with you as you join the living
Force."
The colonel fell dead to the floor
and Lord Vader pondered the reasons for his trip to Imperial Center. An unknown
ship type had come out of hyperspace in a restricted military testing ground.
Imperial Intelligence believed it to be a new type of smuggler's vessel,
possibly used to transport weapons or personnel to unknown locations. The ship
had returned to hyperspace before any attempts could be made to capture it. The
jump point corresponded to a course leading back to Imperial Center.
Normally, the appearance of a
craft in military space would be turned over to the Intelligence Section, but
something about the strange vessel caused a stirring in the Force. Though he
had no proof of it, Lord Vader was afraid that the rebel hero, Luke Skywalker,
had been captured and was being taken to the Emperor.
The mere mention of the name
Skywalker, even in the depths of his mind, was enough to bring up painful memories
from a time long before. Luke Skywalker had been within his grasp and he had
not even known it. For all of his power in the Force, he had been unable to
sense the presence of his own son.
In the years since Anakin
Skywalker became Darth Vader, he had worked hard to keep the memories of the
more innocent times buried far underneath the black armor he wore. Days of
cleaning work shelves and racing pods through Beggar's Canyon were far behind
him, just as were the times of laying next to wife, his hand running through
her dark hair. His path to the Dark Side had robbed him of many things, but he
had been content with the few moments he allowed himself to bask in his
memories.
None of those memories involved
having a son. He had never known, but then, he had to consider the possibility
that maybe the dark Side had robbed him of that memory. The idea that Obi-Wan,
his former master, could have hidden such a thing from him for so long was hard
to contemplate. None of it mattered now anyway.
When he had finally gotten the
information that Luke Skywalker existed, something had stirred inside the Dark
Lord and after long meditation deep in the Force; he realized that it was
parental instinct. For the first time since he had surrendered the life of
Anakin Skywalker in favor of Darth Vader, he felt regret.
It was no secret among the upper
echelon of the Imperial government that the Emperor was particularly interested
in Luke Skywalker, though he had yet to speak to his apprentice about it.
Instead, he had been sent to supervise testing of new star fighter designs
while the Super-Star Destroyer Executor was being fitted for the search
for the rebel base. That had begun to raise his suspicions about his master's
intentions for the young rebel. If he were truly the son of Lord Vader,
then he had the potential to become a very powerful Jedi.
In the Emperor's plan, Lord Vader
had no doubt that he would try to turn young Skywalker to the Dark Side. It
only made sense, as there were no living Jedi masters to train the boy…
The transport settled in on the
personal landing pad at the Dark Lord's castle and the Sith turned as the hatch
began to slowly open. He stepped over the body of his former admin liaison and
exited the transport. Four stormtroopers, the insignia of the personal
bodyguard of Lord Vader on their chests, stood at the ready. As the Dark Lord
passed them, two stepped inside to retrieve the body of the dead officer.
As Darth Vader entered his castle,
he detected the presence of another Force-adept nearby. It took less than a
heartbeat for him to identify Mara Jade, the Emperor's Hand, hidden
approximately a quarter of a kilometer away. No doubt the dead colonel had
betrayed the Dark Lord and reported his arrival to the Emperor, who in turn
sent the young woman to observe him. The stripling was not a threat, but it did
indicate an increase in local security. Normally, the Emperor's "pet", as he
referred to her was reserved for more exotic duties such as assassinations.
The Dark Lord made his way inside
and was met by his personal protocol droid. The droid, a one-of-a-kind model
designed by Vader himself, stood erect as it reported on the status of the
various systems within the castles. "Report on the results of the search I
ordered," he said, interrupting the droid.
"The ship design does not match
any within the recorded records, though it does have similarity to one. The
similarity only goes as far as the physical construction and not any of the
energy signatures."
The Dark Lord continued to move
through his castle, heading towards his meditation chamber. "What ship class
does it have similarity to?"
"Spydor Engine Works Darlutt-Class
personal shuttle."
"What information have you
gathered about Spydor Engine Works?" He had never heard of the company, but that
was not surprising. Though he was one of the most accomplished pilots in the
galaxy and familiar with many star fighter and star ship designs, he was not
omniscient. There were literally thousands of small companies putting out
"one-ship-wonder" designs.
The droid, keeping pace with his
master, accessed the files deep in his cybernetic brain. "Spydor Engine Works
was a small company that was formed two hundred standard years ago on Alderaan.
The company specialized in high-speed personal craft for the rich and elite.
However, the engine design they developed was found to be defective and
resulted in several lawsuits. The company was then bought out by a private
investor."
"Do we know who the investor was?"
"Records indicate an obscure
member of the Falleen royal family."
The Dark Lord pondered the meaning
of the information he now had. He knew that Prince Xizor, a minor member of the
Emperor's court, coveted moving up to a position of power. He had previously
detected the hatred that Xizor directed towards him, but he had always
dismissed it. Many members of the court hated the Dark Lord. He often found it
amusing how they would fester in their desires to remove him from power.
However, if the prince had somehow
managed to capture Luke Skywalker, famed hero of the rebellion, destroyer of
the Death Star, then he would be elevated to an advantageous position. "I want
a general order sent out to the entire Empire. Any rumors or sightings of any
rebel matching Luke Skywalker's description are to be reported to me
immediately, no matter how remote."
The droid acknowledged the order
and left the Dark Lord to his thoughts.
Bruce Wayne, the Batman, clad in a
simple standard issue flight suit, stood on the street corner, trying his best
to blend in. In Gotham City, his skills allowed to become one with the shadows,
here he could not be sure that the shadows did not hold creatures hiding from
him. Since their battle with the armored rats, he had tried to find out all he
could about this city-planet, this place that someone like Lex Luthor would
consider a personal Disney Land. Unfortunately, there was simply too much
information to take in.
The Huntress and Arsenal had found
information pointing to a bounty hunter named Boba Fett as the person who had
kidnapped Nightwing. An informant they had come across had indicated that while
Fett remained free from the Bounty Hunter's Guild, they would probably know how
to contact him if he was on-planet. The problem was that they were considered
to be pretty rough customers and the Huntress's antic in the bar had no doubt
reached their ears by now.
Booster Gold and the Blue Beetle
were scouting local landing bays to try and find a ship that would be adequate
for the equipment they would have to install on it to get back to their
universe. Steel had given the Blue Beetle exact plans on how to build a smaller
version of the teleportation device that had originally brought Darth Maul to
the JLA Watchtower.
He took a deep breath and summoned
the acting skills he had perfected over the years and stepped onto the street,
heading towards the dark doors