Chapter 6

For the next five years Cestus and Tala Rau moved from planet to planet, city to city until finally settling on Mon Calamari in the same city as Cestus's birth parents who had ridden the transition from Republic to Empire by keeping their mouths shut and doing their jobs as if a changeover in government was an everyday event.

Eight years after the initial death of the Jedi Order, Tala gave birth to a son named Armis. He had inherited his mother's eyes and his father's hair and both of his parents' force sensitivity. Though it pained both Cestus and his wife, they chose not to pass on their Jedi training to their son except in the simple advice of "trust your feelings" and "go with your gut, it will usually guide you correctly."

Two years after that, a Force vision came to Cestus again and he bade his wife and young son to go with his parents who by this time had retired from the civil service and met their grown son's family. When they left for points unknown, it was with a heavy heart Cestus watched them leave. He knew who was coming for him and he was determined to keep his family safe.

Three days after his family left, Cestus sat in a chair behind a desk in a small office waiting for the emissary of darkness to come to him. He didn't have long to wait when the door opened and Darth Vader stood in the doorway. Save for the rasp of his respirator, he was silent. Cestus took his measure in the Force and said: "I sense the little boy I met many years ago in the form standing before me. What do you want?"

Vader's enhanced bass tone replied: "That little boy is long since dead now. I'll not waste more time. I've come for your head." Cestus's voice dropped a little and his eyes took on a hollow din as he said: "I am an old man now Vader. I have nothing more to say except that I'm not done with my head yet, and that you don't want to fight me. I can sense that you are powerful but as with your Sith predecessor, Dooku, you are blind to the total Force. You only use one side of it and don't stand much chance of victory."

Vader said no more as he stepped forward and ignited his red blade. With a hand motion, Cestus sent Vader back through the door he entered by. A loud crash could be heard as Vader collided with the wall on the far side of the corridor. Cestus walked out with both sabers in hand as Vader got back to his feet. The wall was visibly dented where he had hit and Cestus felt through the Force that Vader was well and truly angry now.

Vader attacked first and their battle was joined. Longer than the fight with Dooku but ending much the same, Cestus had Vader against the wall with both sabers in a scissor-lock around Vader's neck. Looking up into the midnight black eye lenses, Cestus could just barely see the outline of Vader's eyes through them as he said: "I will not take your head this day Vader. Should you come for me again, then I will, but not today. I can sense a conflict within you. I feel the contempt for the mercy I show you now but I also sense an infinitesimal mote of relief. I daresay that there is still good in you. Yes, even in you."

Vader said: "I will never stop until you are dead at my feet. My Master and I will hunt you until you are dead." Cestus opened himself fully to the Force and said: "I see your end Vader, you and your Master's both. For now though, you will believe me dead, you will believe me cut down and my body thrown to the predators of Mon Calamari, my lightsabers on the bottom of the oceans."

With this command, Cestus gave Vader the illusion that he had pushed Cestus away with the Force, called his red bladed saber back to his hand and fought Cestus to an exterior balcony far above the surface of the water in a complicated flurry of attacks. With a flick of the wrist, Vader saw Cestus's head come away from his shoulders and his body fall over the railing trailed quietly by the shiny handles of his lightsabers.

As Vader emerged from the illusion, he found himself on an exterior balcony, far above the surface of the water. "So ends another useless relic of the Jedi." With a whirl of his cape, Vader turned around, reentered the city corridor itself and made his way back to his personal shuttle.