Chapter 14

The lights flickered off for a moment and then turned back on as an illuminating red glow. A series of the red lights lit up where Mace and the Emperor stood, but left Trent still in the dark, and he did not mind that at all.

"So you have sabotaged the core," Palpatine said. "Now this facility is doomed."

"I didn't think you were actually going to come." Mace said.

"Oh no, Master Windu?" Palpatine said. "Yet another mistake you made. What made you think I was not going to come?"
"Something has been wrong here since I first arrived," Mace said. "Your general telling individual people you were coming instead of notifying the entire facility."

"That was merely to motivate them." General Grund said.

"Now, General, do not play dumb," The Emperor said. "I am sure Master Windu has figured it all out by now."

"When I was looking throughout the facility and reading the files in the computer, I learned that none of the current projects were operational. But I realized that they were never supposed to work."

"Correct, Master Windu they were not." Palpatine said.

"But I do have all the information on all the experiments right here." Grund said holding up a disk. "The experiments may not have been currently operational but with the information I have they can still be carried out in the future. And you were partially incorrect in your beliefs. One experiment was supposed to work: the supersoldier one, which I believe your friend dealt with. Where is he, anyway?"

"He escaped." Mace said.

"So you say." The general sneered.

"Emperor, why don't you tell the General the real truth behind the facility and the experiments here?" Mace said.

Emperor Palpatine remained silent.

"Be quiet, Jedi." The General said.

"You are being deceived, Grund." Mace said. "The Emperor has no interest in your operations here. It has been a lie the entire time. My only question is why?"

Grund laughed at Mace.

"You are most mistaken," General Grund said. "With the information on this disk the Empire can develop the technology needed to crush the Rebellion and ensure control of the galaxy forever. That is why this facility has been set up. What other use could it have been for?"

"General Grund, you are a fool." The Emperor said.

"My lord?" Grund asked surprised.

"Do you really think I would set up an officer who graduated in the bottom of his class in a research facility?" The Emperor said.

"My Emperor, what-" Grund started to say.

"As Master Windu said, this entire facility has merely been a fabrication to lure him out of hiding." Palpatine said.

"But how could you know I would come here?" Mace asked.

"It does not truly matter now for you to know, but I will indulge your interest. For a time, I did think you dead but once in meditation I saw what truly happened. I discovered you had survived our encounter and knew what must be done. I only wondered why I did not realize it sooner. But soon everything was planned to make things right.

I issued the construction of this facility and, under the care of General Grund, ordered the operation of the projects here. Much research was done and many results were produced, but it was all false. The true reason for the entire facility was to lure you here. I knew it would only be a matter of time before you would come. After all, what Jedi could resist the chance of helping others?" The Emperor laughed.

The entire facility shook and the lights flickered.

"And finally, you have let your guard down. You never even guessed that this was all a trap. Just like the Jedi, always thinking you are completely correct. All this time, all your planning, all for nothing."

"My Emperor," General Grund said. "Did you really mean-"

"Silence, General," The Emperor said. "I do not need to hear from you anymore. You have served your purpose and are no longer needed."

"But my Lord the information I have could turn the tide-"

"You understand nothing, General." Blue lightning erupted from the Emperor, engulfing General Grund. Grund screamed in agony. "Your time here has been completely worthless. I never needed the information you have gathered and never will. The plans are already in motion to wipe out the entire Rebellion. Goodbye, General." The lightning stopped. Grund's charred, blackened corpse fell to the ground, smoke still rising from it.

"Leave us." Palpatine said to his two guards, who silently left the building. The facility trembled again.

"You are a monster, Palpatine," Mace said. "You sacrifice your own people, people loyal to you, just to achieve your ends."

"And the Jedi are so different?" Palpatine asked. "You would not sacrifice those under you to achieve a common goal, while you remained safe within your Temple?"

"The Jedi were never like that, and we never used people for our own personal ends. Those who died died in the name of the Republic."

"The Republic is dead, Windu," Palpatine said with a sneer. "Just as you soon will be."

Mace brought up his purple blade.

"Now let us finish what we started twenty years ago," Palpatine said. "I have been waiting for this moment for a long time."

Lightning surged from the Emperor's fingertips straight at Mace, who blocked the attack with his lightsaber. The blade crackled and protected Mace from the assault. It was a torrent of wind and lightning as Mace did all he could to keep the Force lightning at bay. It stopped.

"You have become weak, Master Windu," Palpatine said. "Before you would have easily been able to see that this was all a trap. It seems that old age has weakened you while I have only grown stronger." Another surge of lightning erupted from the Emperor and Mace barely had any time to react. He yelled as the storm momentarily grew stronger and pushed him back.

"You cannot win!" Mace shouted over the lightning.

"No, Master Windu, it is you!" With a grasp of the Force Mace's lightsaber was pulled away and tossed in a darkened corner. But before the lightning could reach Mace he pushed with the Force and knocked the Emperor back.

"It seems the fight has not completely left you," The Emperor said. "But you are still too late. Once you are dead nothing will be able to stop me not even" Palpatine paused and looked like he had gone into a trance. "your apprentice. So you have taken a disciple, to make up for your failure. I will deal with him soon enough."

"No you won't." Mace said. "He will escape and continue the ways of the Jedi. You will never get him."

"Oh, but Master Windu, do you not understand?" Palpatine said with false sorrow. "No matter where you run, no matter where you hide, I will find and destroy you. There is no escape from the Dark Side and the Jedi will finally fall."

The building trembled.

"And now, brave Jedi," The Emperor said. "You will die."

Blue lightning consumed Mace in agonizing pain. He screamed as the lightning coursed throughout his entire body. Smoke began rising from him while Palpatine smiled wickedly at the sight as he continued his attack. And Trent could only watch in horror as his mentor and friend became one with the Force. The lightning stopped and Mace's blackened body fell silently to the floor.

And then the building exploded.