CHAPTER 9: THE DARK SUNRISE
Morning broke over Coorascant. The Sun seemed a bright scarlet as it broke through the clouds and over the horizon. It's light gleamed off of the countless towering buildings which marked the planet's skyline. Another day had come. The miracle that is life would continue.and it made him sick.
Darth Sidious stood in the hanger of an abandoned building in the bowels of Coorascant's industrial sector watching the sunrise. Hate coursed through him, as it always did. He hated the morning. It reminded him that there were beings out there going about their lives. being happy.
The Jedi say they fight for justice yet they let the scum of the galaxy live and work and love. If the galaxy were truly just, as the Jedi claim they make it, everyone would be miserable. just. like. him. Then they would all be equal. For they would all be filled with hate and despair.
Ordinarily, he would not be out to witness the sunrise, the bitter reminder of the injustices of the galaxy, but on this morning he awaited the return of his apprentice from Naboo. What seemed like hours passed until finally a ship he recognized broke through the clouds and headed for his building.
Mere moments later, the blast doors opened and a Sith interceptor entered the hanger. After a smooth landing, the ship's ramp activated and Darth Maul strode down with his head hung low. He tried to walk as normally as possible. He tried to conceal the wound on his leg. However, he knew his master would notice. his master always noticed.
"Lord Maul. you have been wounded." Sidious said with not a hint of surprise in his voice.
"Yes, master. only slightly." Maul said, dropping to one knee. "Kenobi has betrayed us." He continued, hoping to take some of the focus off of his failure.
"Yes, I know." The Sith master said casually. "You'll find that I know a great many things about the events of yesterday."
"Don't you need to be going? It is your home planet? They will be suspicious if you do not arrive." Maul tried suggesting the postponement of his punishment.
"Oh, don't you worry about that, apprentice. I will go. But first, I have some unfinished business to attend to." The Dark Lord sneered.
Maul felt his heart jump into his throat, he knew exactly what that meant. His Master gave him a disapproving gaze and then turned his attention toward the direction of the ship.
"Assassin!" Sidious called to the Sith Interceptor. "Come forth. You have earned the right to look upon me."
Dooku emerged from the ship with his head bowed as a sign of respect. He then dropped to a knee beside Maul. He felt honored that he had been given this right, yet was still disappointed that because of his master's hood, Dooku really couldn't see his face anyway.
"You have done well, assassin. Congratulations on the killing of your first Jedi. What reward can I bestow upon the slayer of the great Sypho-Dias?" Sidious asked.
"I only ask for the opportunity to serve you Lord." Dooku said, humbly.
"And so you shall receive it. Very soon you will have the opportunity to serve me greatly." Sidious said with a sinister smile breaking over his face. His gaze then shifted to Darth Maul and his expression turned to a scowl. "Rise, Lord Maul." He commanded.
Maul rose to his feet. His yellow-colored eyes searched his master's face for a hint of forgiveness. He could not find it.
"You have failed me!" Sidious sneered.
"Yes, master." Maul said, apologetically.
"You're pathetic! A mere assassin had the strength to kill a member of the Jedi council and you couldn't even dispose of a padawan." The old man scorned.
"He was a Jedi Knight." Maul said in his defense.
"Silence!" Palpatine ordered, and then sent a wave of force lightning coursing through Maul's body. The tattooed Sith winced in pain and fell to the floor.
"You will speak only when I command you to. Look at you, cowering like a child. Have you no shame?" Dooku could hear his master mocking his peer. He could not see them, for Maul had backed away and they were now behind Dooku, on the other side of the hanger. Dooku remained in where he was. He tried not to draw attention to himself.
"You have failed me for the last time!" Sidous said continuing both his verbal and physical onslaught.
"Master. Please!" Maul pleaded as he thrashed about violently on the ground.
"Do not beg! It makes me sick to think I ever put faith into a weakling like you." Sidious scorned as he continued to electrocute his apprentice. Dooku could hear the helpless screams of Maul and smell the burning of his friend's flesh.
"You call yourself a Sith Lord!? There is no pain where strength lies!" How appropriate, Dooku thought, that the last words Maul would hear would be the ones his master had uttered to him his whole life.
"There is no pain where strength lies," was an old Sith saying. It most likely had it's origins linked to the origins of the order itself. Maul had heard this phrase countless times throughout his life, and he heard it during his transition to death.
Maul's screaming, his yelps of pain, his pleads were all very terrifying to Dooku. Dooku was very familiar with death but never before had he witnessed one of his companions murder another one of his companions. But even more terrifying than the screams of pain and the sizzle of electricity was the silence. the awful silence.
"And as for you." Sidious said, breaking said silence as he approached Dooku. "You ask for the opportunity to serve me and so it is yours. You are my new apprentice. Henceforth you shall be known as Darth Tyranus."
Dooku rose and turned to face his master. "I'm honored." He said simply with a bow. The truth was, he was honored yet still felt a bit disappointed. He had wanted for some time to become the apprentice, one of the two, yet he had always expected that when he finally did obtain this, there would be a ceremony of sorts. His acquisition of this prestigious position seemed a bit anticlimactic. Still he kept quiet and respectful.
"Come, Lord Tyranus. We have much work to do." Sidious said. "Kenobi will undoubtedly lead the Jedi here and when they arrive, we'll be ready for them."
Morning broke over Coorascant. The Sun seemed a bright scarlet as it broke through the clouds and over the horizon. It's light gleamed off of the countless towering buildings which marked the planet's skyline. Another day had come. The miracle that is life would continue.and it made him sick.
Darth Sidious stood in the hanger of an abandoned building in the bowels of Coorascant's industrial sector watching the sunrise. Hate coursed through him, as it always did. He hated the morning. It reminded him that there were beings out there going about their lives. being happy.
The Jedi say they fight for justice yet they let the scum of the galaxy live and work and love. If the galaxy were truly just, as the Jedi claim they make it, everyone would be miserable. just. like. him. Then they would all be equal. For they would all be filled with hate and despair.
Ordinarily, he would not be out to witness the sunrise, the bitter reminder of the injustices of the galaxy, but on this morning he awaited the return of his apprentice from Naboo. What seemed like hours passed until finally a ship he recognized broke through the clouds and headed for his building.
Mere moments later, the blast doors opened and a Sith interceptor entered the hanger. After a smooth landing, the ship's ramp activated and Darth Maul strode down with his head hung low. He tried to walk as normally as possible. He tried to conceal the wound on his leg. However, he knew his master would notice. his master always noticed.
"Lord Maul. you have been wounded." Sidious said with not a hint of surprise in his voice.
"Yes, master. only slightly." Maul said, dropping to one knee. "Kenobi has betrayed us." He continued, hoping to take some of the focus off of his failure.
"Yes, I know." The Sith master said casually. "You'll find that I know a great many things about the events of yesterday."
"Don't you need to be going? It is your home planet? They will be suspicious if you do not arrive." Maul tried suggesting the postponement of his punishment.
"Oh, don't you worry about that, apprentice. I will go. But first, I have some unfinished business to attend to." The Dark Lord sneered.
Maul felt his heart jump into his throat, he knew exactly what that meant. His Master gave him a disapproving gaze and then turned his attention toward the direction of the ship.
"Assassin!" Sidious called to the Sith Interceptor. "Come forth. You have earned the right to look upon me."
Dooku emerged from the ship with his head bowed as a sign of respect. He then dropped to a knee beside Maul. He felt honored that he had been given this right, yet was still disappointed that because of his master's hood, Dooku really couldn't see his face anyway.
"You have done well, assassin. Congratulations on the killing of your first Jedi. What reward can I bestow upon the slayer of the great Sypho-Dias?" Sidious asked.
"I only ask for the opportunity to serve you Lord." Dooku said, humbly.
"And so you shall receive it. Very soon you will have the opportunity to serve me greatly." Sidious said with a sinister smile breaking over his face. His gaze then shifted to Darth Maul and his expression turned to a scowl. "Rise, Lord Maul." He commanded.
Maul rose to his feet. His yellow-colored eyes searched his master's face for a hint of forgiveness. He could not find it.
"You have failed me!" Sidious sneered.
"Yes, master." Maul said, apologetically.
"You're pathetic! A mere assassin had the strength to kill a member of the Jedi council and you couldn't even dispose of a padawan." The old man scorned.
"He was a Jedi Knight." Maul said in his defense.
"Silence!" Palpatine ordered, and then sent a wave of force lightning coursing through Maul's body. The tattooed Sith winced in pain and fell to the floor.
"You will speak only when I command you to. Look at you, cowering like a child. Have you no shame?" Dooku could hear his master mocking his peer. He could not see them, for Maul had backed away and they were now behind Dooku, on the other side of the hanger. Dooku remained in where he was. He tried not to draw attention to himself.
"You have failed me for the last time!" Sidous said continuing both his verbal and physical onslaught.
"Master. Please!" Maul pleaded as he thrashed about violently on the ground.
"Do not beg! It makes me sick to think I ever put faith into a weakling like you." Sidious scorned as he continued to electrocute his apprentice. Dooku could hear the helpless screams of Maul and smell the burning of his friend's flesh.
"You call yourself a Sith Lord!? There is no pain where strength lies!" How appropriate, Dooku thought, that the last words Maul would hear would be the ones his master had uttered to him his whole life.
"There is no pain where strength lies," was an old Sith saying. It most likely had it's origins linked to the origins of the order itself. Maul had heard this phrase countless times throughout his life, and he heard it during his transition to death.
Maul's screaming, his yelps of pain, his pleads were all very terrifying to Dooku. Dooku was very familiar with death but never before had he witnessed one of his companions murder another one of his companions. But even more terrifying than the screams of pain and the sizzle of electricity was the silence. the awful silence.
"And as for you." Sidious said, breaking said silence as he approached Dooku. "You ask for the opportunity to serve me and so it is yours. You are my new apprentice. Henceforth you shall be known as Darth Tyranus."
Dooku rose and turned to face his master. "I'm honored." He said simply with a bow. The truth was, he was honored yet still felt a bit disappointed. He had wanted for some time to become the apprentice, one of the two, yet he had always expected that when he finally did obtain this, there would be a ceremony of sorts. His acquisition of this prestigious position seemed a bit anticlimactic. Still he kept quiet and respectful.
"Come, Lord Tyranus. We have much work to do." Sidious said. "Kenobi will undoubtedly lead the Jedi here and when they arrive, we'll be ready for them."