When Phinian returned to his quarters, he sat heavily in a chair in the corner and put his head in his hands. The sudden weight had returned, and he could so clearly sense something around Darth Sidious... something he'd never before felt, but that was undeniable. It could only be the Dark Side of the Force. But that wasn't all. Accompanying it was something else entirely foreign, some strange presence that he could feel within him, flowing through his veins, something new yet strangely familiar, unnerving but exciting.
He then noticed a blinking light on the message console. Tapping it, he turned on the screen and he could see that a new message from Willyn had been left. It was just a note, some text glowing up at him from the console. It said in clear, bright letters, "If he hasn't asked you yet, he soon will."
Phinian snapped it shut angrily, and tossed it away. Willyn and his foolish arrogance, would it never cease? Phinian was very tired of his wise and superior friend, constantly offering his "guidance". The fact that it was entirely unwanted seemed to conveniently elude Willyn.
Phinian sighed. Although it was early afternoon, he was beginning to feel the traces of some unexplained fatigue. As his muscles slowed, he gradually moved himself back onto the bed, settling underneath the sheets. Within seconds, was completely unconscious. His chest began to rise and fell with deep breaths, and his eyes flickered slightly underneath the lids.
He sat on the elaborately-designed metal bench, heart filled with rage and contained emotion. His head dropped onto his fist and he breathed heavily, eyes aflame. He did not hear the soft steps of his sister behind him as she approached him hesitantly. When he felt her touch at his shoulder, he recoiled slightly. But after seeing who it was, he let out a breath in a loud exhale, giving her a strange look of what was almost annoyance.
She looked back at him with some element of sorrow. "Phinian, what's happening to you?" she asked of the air around him, tingling with hot anger. He stood and took her hand, eyes trying to feign compassion.
"Shmi, you have to understand this before you judge me." His voice was hard, and it gave him away. "Don't you see what they've done to us? We could have died out there on the streets, and they wouldn't have lost a minute of sleep over it. Didn't you see all the kids out there with us? It's happening to little children, too. Children, Shmi."
She pulled her hand away from him. "Of course I saw it. But there's nothing the Republic can do about it. They can't just end poverty." Her face was accusing, and it infuriated him.
"You're being naive. They can do something, something's better than nothing. And they did nothing for us. They're doing nothing for those thousands of other people out there. Those people have no one, not a single person in the world who cares about them. And we came close to losing ourselves to that fate."
Her response snapped back, fueled with pain and fury. "And you really think this foolish, idealistic 'Resistance' can accomplish anything? Can make changes for the better? Don't you know who it's run by?" She demanded suddenly, eyes wide. Phinian just smirked.
"Of course I do," he replied coolly. "It's run by the one force in this galaxy that has the power to make changes. And that's what I want to stand behind."
Her look of horror at his words made him wish immediately he had not spoken them. She grabbed his arm and cried, "You can't say that, Phinian! The Sith are evil, they feel no loyalty... they would destroy you without a second thought!" Her eyes were pleading. "Come with me," she whispered. "Come to Tatooine- we have family there! They can take care of us!"
He looked at her sadly and released his arm. "The world had its chance to take care of me," he said softly. "But it didn't. Now it's up to me to take care of myself."
She stepped back and sighed. "Then I can't follow you on this path. It's something you have to do alone. I'll go to Tatooine myself, and I'll contact you when I get there. You can always come stay with me, regardless what you do. You're my brother, and I love you."
He kissed her cheek. "Thank you," he answered. "I wish you would try to understand... but if that's the way it has to be, then I guess that's it."
"I have to go," she told him, and vanished from his life.
Hours later, Phinian sat alone in the dark of his room. It was silent, except for his steady breathing as he inhaled the stale, cold air of the ship. Glancing at his clock, he saw that it was late evening- he had slept for longer than he had expected to. And now, when he should be sleeping, he could not. So he sat up most of the night, pacing his room, alone with his thoughts.
Some time after midnight, he was startled to hear a beep come from the message console. Glancing at it, he tried to think of who would be contacting him in the middle of the night. Possibly Willyn... but no, even he had more sense than that. When he saw the sender, his blood ran cold. It was from one of the Royal Guards, who served directly under Darth Sidious. And it was a summons to the Sith Lord's chambers.
He quickly, with trembling fingers, dressed and made himself to look decently presentable. Suddenly, he stopped, and watched the tremors go through his hands. What was wrong with him? Then, a second later... no, it wasn't him. It was Sidious. He had somehow made a remarkable impression on Phinian, something not many people had been able to accomplish. And now... Phinian held not only respect for the Sith, but also fear. Phinian never feared men. And now here he was, overdoing his hair, watching his hands shake.
When he arrived in the corridoor about ten minutes later, the tremors had barely left him, and now he was just swarmed with anxiousness, overwhelmed with the suspicion Willyn had planted in his head- Darth Sidious might ask him to be his apprentice.
And what could he say? He certainly could not say no. And that left only one option. But did he want to be the man's apprentice, become a Sith, or not? He had no idea. The swirling emotions were confusing the thoughts in his mind, making it difficult to concetrate on any specific item. Somehow he got it through his bedraggled head to signal his presence to the guards standing outside the door. They let him enter.
The room before him was very different than when he had seen it earlier that day. It was darkened significantly, so the beautiful art on the walls was practically invisible. All that could be seen reletively easily was the even darker shadow of Sidious as he moved about the room. When Phinian entered, the Sith Lord saw him and smiled broadly.
"Hello to you, my boy," he said jovially. Phinian did not move, but stood frozen by the door. "You sent for me, sir?" he asked, struggling to keep his voice steady. Sidious smiled and walked over to him.
"Yes, I wanted to discuss some things with you," he said smoothly. He glanced briefly at Phinian and added, "Come, walk with me." Phinian had no choice but to comply.
As they began their slow progression around the cirumference of the room, Lord Sidious spoke easily and calmly, as if it was not the dead middle of the night. "So, Phinian... do you have anything on your mind?" Phinian blinked and cleared hs throat uneasily.
"No sir, not really," he answered, knowing the Sith could see through his lie, but Sidious did not pursue it. Instead, he said quietly, "I should like to follow up on the conversation we were having earlier today... it intrigued me greatly. Something tells me the current path of the Resistance movement no longer corresponds with your purposes, those you had in mind when you joined. Is this the case?"
Phinian swallowed. "It is," he said shortly, but Lord Sidious sighed. "I want you to trust me, son," he said then, and Phinian was truly taken aback.
"I- I... of course, I-" but Sidious waved it away with a smile. "No," he interrupted. "You don't have to yet, but some day I hope you'll be able to be more honest with me. I can help you, you know. Of course, then there's the fact that I rule the Resistance. It will do anything I wish it to." His voice lowered here, tainted by a dark sort of smirk. "So talk to me," he said.
Phinian was at a loss for words. "Well..." But then he began to gain momentum, realizing that, after months of ranting to his deaf comrades, he had finally found someone who would understand. "These last several months, I've noticed the Resistance beginning to go in a different direction. When I first joined, it was because of the Republic. It let me down. I knew it wasn't right... it wasn't an adequate government. I first joined in hopes of gaining a power to help bring it down, and install a new, better system for people. But..." He hesitated, and Sidious motioned for him to continue. "But recently I've begun to see sort of a negative trend with the Resistance. It's not about the Republic anymore. It's about the Jedi."
Lord Sidious raised an eyebrow, rather surprised. But still he said nothing. Phinian continued, "I don't care about the Jedi. As far as I'm concerned, they're just some lunatics chasing after an ancient cult, religion... what I care about is the security of the galaxy, that which is not ensured by our current government. But the Resistance has changed its ways, and it doesn't have the same purpose it once did," he finished. He heard a small noise coming from somewhere above him, but the low lamps on the wall did not shine to the ceiling, so he couldn't see anything. He ignored it and looked fleetingly to Lord Sidious, who was still smiling.
"You are very wise, my boy," he said then. "You don't get lost in the wandering ideals of an incompetant society, you know what it is you believe in. And I respect that. However, something you should bear in mind... have you ever considered the possibility that the Resistance has not changed its goals, but rather changed how it intends to go about getting to them?"
"No, sir... I don't think I understand," responded Phinian, and indeed he did not. Sidious continued.
"The Jedi bear more power than I think you realize. They have been regarded as the Peacekeepers of the galaxy for thousands of years. The Republic was built with their guidance, and regardless of whether it has gone astray in its purpose, that does not change the fact that from the beginning, it was the Jedi who held true power and authority."
Phinian listened with rapt attention, breath caught in his chest. He was beginning to understand. Lord Sidious spoke again. "Even now. The Jedi have guided the Republic in all of its dealings. And the Republic has grown to rely on their counsel. It is dependent on them. Do you see what I am saying?" he asked him then. Phinian did understand.
"Yes," he said. "You're saying that if the Resistance crushes the Jedi, the Republic will fall."
Sidious smiled. "I am indeed. It would be inevitable. This government would be lost and hopeless without the Jedi. And you say you want to bring down the Republic? Yes. That is still the purpose of the Resistance. But the government is vast and holds much power, sustains many supporters. It would take an eternity to destroy it entirely. And there would still be stragglers who remain loyal to the old government, and would band together and fight us. It would be... complicated.
"But the Jedi are relatively weak. Their society is miniscule in comparison, and the council is made up of a handful of Jedi. It would be easy to crush in one swift stroke," he finished, eyes glinting.
"Then why not?" Phinian asked. "Why don't you just destroy the Jedi now? If it would make such quick work of the Republic, then why aren't we doing that?" Lord Sidious paused slightly.
"Let me put it this way," he replied, speaking carefully. "You were not alone in your doubts of the Resistance. I know there are many others who have noticed the subtle change in priorities, the increasing number of Jedi assaults, and they have grown suspicious. Now how do you think it would look to them, and every other member of this society, if we suddenly led an all-out attack on the Jedi Temple, no seeming connection to the Republic? Until now, Lord Plagus and I had tried to make the change gradual. We could not simply attack the Jedi without drawing great suspicion. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I do," Phinian breathed with sudden comprehension. "It makes perfect sense." He heard a noise again above him, louder than before. It was a straining sound, the snapping and ripping of tiny pieces of metal. Then there was a huge crack and a rush of air, and a gigantic crystal chandelier entered his vision from above, plummeting from the lofty ceiling, with frightening speed. Without a moment's hesitation, Phinian shot out his hand and caught the chandelier in midair- his fingers did not touch it, but he could still feel its weight on him, as it hung suspended just two feet above him. Gasping for air and sudden confusion, he carefully guided it down to the floor between himself and the Sith Lord. Then it was silent.
Phinian was staring in shock at the broken lamp before him, wondering at what had happened. He was completely speechless. He looked up at Sidious, expecting to be met by some awestruck astonishment, but their eyes met and Lord Sidious was smiling with triumph. Phinian did not know what to think. He stared at his hands for several seconds, but his gaze was drawn up again by a faraway voice as Lord Sidious spoke.
"The Force," he said, voice trembling with a quiet, barely contained excitement, "is strong with you."
Phinian's mouth was open, and he looked on in bewilderment. He was frozen in place, completely stunned. Finally, at length, he spoke. "It's impossible. Nobody in my family... it's never happened before... how could it be?" But the Sith Lord's voice came to him, whispering the words it had spoken earlier that day- "...I believe it chooses whom it wants to be with. And so... anyone could be strong with the Force."
Phinian just looked to Sidious in desperation, confused and afraid. Needing some sort of explanation. It was offered, somewhat cryptically, to him.
"I could feel it with you from the beginning," Lord Sidious said to Phinian, beginning to slowly circle him, like a cat, all the time keeping his eyes locked onto him. He continued, "You have great power. I can sense it. You want to reform the government, destroy the Jedi? I can help you do it. You have the power, but only through me can you develop it, and hone it into a lethal weapon. And you, Phinian, can bring order and peace to the galaxy. But only I can help you. No other knows the secrets of the Force as I do- I can train you to use the Dark Side of the Force, and you will accomplish everything you ever wished to and more."
He moved directly in front of Phinian to stare into his eyes. Phinian looked up at him, fear written on his face. Lord Sidious's eyes asked the silent question, made the unheard demand. Phinian took a trembling breath and spoke softly, as if in a trance. "I dedicate myself to your teachings... my Master. I want to know the ways of the Dark Side. I will be your apprentice."
Lord Sidious smiled with unmistakable triumph. He stepped back. "My apprentice you shall be. From this point on, you will be known as a Sith Lord, and shall help me lead the Resistance Movement to destroy the Jedi. From this point on, you, my apprentice, shall be known as Darth Revus. And together, we will lead the galaxy out of darkness, and ring in a new era of prosperity... and peace."
