Note: Near the end of the chapter, it starts getting a bit depressing/kinda gross. Just a light warning for you guys.
Legacy of the Sith
Chapter 16: The Two Sides of Death
Aboard the Phoenix Luke kept a close eye on Obi-Wan. Both the Jedi Master and his Padawan were aware of the wedge Vader was trying to drive between them. To Luke's thinking, the only one who could mediate things before they got totally out of control was Yoda. So when the Phoenix shifted into realspace near the Dagobah system, Luke felt relieved. Of course, the weather wasn't a relief.
"This is where the fun begins," Luke murmured as he flew towards the wild swamp planet.
"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked as his ship began to sway.
"I promise I'll try to make it as calm a landing as possible, Master," Luke said.
"I'm very glad I have you to pilot this ship, my Padawan. I know I could not manage entering an atmosphere like this one these days," Obi-Wan admitted.
"I think you're just out of practice, Master. This ship does a lot of the flying for you. Not like the X-wing. Or the Falcon," Luke said. Then, he noticed Obi-Wan's odd expression. "Was it something I said, Master? You look kind of upset. I thought being away from my father would help."
Obi-Wan knew better than to answer, so instead he simply patted his Padawan on the shoulder and gripped the seat a bit more tightly. He was not going to continue letting Vader's plan infect his relationship with Luke. Yes, he did feel better once he was away from Vader. To even see the Sith lord was a sharp painful reminder of how he'd failed so miserably. Luke couldn't understand this, since he didn't live it.
But he also had concerns about Han Solo, and that was what he was reacting to. Suddenly, he hated the idea of being so far away from Leia. What if they started rekindling the romance, and he wasn't there? How could he be so stupid? Obi-Wan dared a glance at Luke. His duty to train Luke must not become a burden! Yes, seeing Master Yoda again would help straighten out his priorities. It had to, for all their sakes.
After landing in the familiar swamp, Luke led Obi-Wan to Yoda's small abode. "Maybe you should wait here, Master. I'm not sure if your appearance here will shock Master Yoda more than he could handle, but I don't want to take a chance. I'll signal you?" Luke suggested.
For a moment, Obi-Wan was about to remind Luke that Qui-Gon Jinn's spirit might already have told Yoda about him. But then again, when he'd communed with Qui-Gon last, it might not even have been a communion, but a hallucination. Therefore, he nodded in agreement, to err on the side of caution.
As he watched Luke go on ahead, Obi-Wangot a grand idea. It was time for Luke to meet Qui-Gon! How could they do it? He knew that Luke could contact the netherworld easily; he had been able to hear Obi-Wan's voice in his mind even before he left the Death Star. After that, Luke had seen Obi-Wan's ethereal form many times. So Luke should have no problem seeing Qui-Gon, right? He'd speak to Yoda about it.
Meanwhile, Luke awaited Yoda by the round front door of his home. Anxiously, he watched the door open, and the small form of the Jedi Master fill it. "Master Yoda, I have returned to you as I gave my word I would do," Luke began, smiling hopefully in spite of his trepidation.
"Waited for you a long time, I have," Yoda responded, with a sort of reprimanding tone.
Luke gulped. "I know, Master Yoda. It's just that so many things have happened... Yes, I confronted Vader. And no, I was not truly ready to face him, as you had warned me," Luke conceded.
"That you are here now, shows me that you were more ready than I thought, it does," Yoda pointed out.
"You and Obi-Wan had been worried that I'd turn to the Dark Side and join him. Actually, I'm getting strong signals that Vader doesn't really want me to become a Sith."
"Now believe that, I do not," Yoda said firmly.
Luke drew a deep breath. "Master Yoda, Vader did something that I never thought anyone could ever do. He...Forgive me, I don't know if you're ready for this..."
"Over nine hundred years old, I am. Seen much, heard much, felt much, in those years," Yoda assured Luke.
"Have you seen the dead walk once again?" Luke challenged him.
"Of Obi-Wan you speak," Yoda responded.
Luke gasped. "How did you know?"
"There is another who speaks to me as Obi-Wan had to you. Much to learn of the Force, you have still. Teach you, Obi-Wan and I will," Yoda assured Luke.
"Then I should bring him to you. I came with him; he's been my Jedi Master for a few months now," Luke explained as he stood upright.
"His Padawan, are you?" Yoda asked, with a very faint hint of disapproval. This caught Luke off guard; why would Yoda react that way?
"Yes, Master Yoda, but you're also still my Jedi Master too. Aren't you?" Luke asked back.
"My own counsel will I keep on whether you are my Padawan or his," Yoda answered. He sounded a bit peeved. Luke watched Yoda as he walked out of his small home and limped forth. He felt a twinge of guilt. Yoda was probably offended that Luke had a more able-bodied Jedi Master now.
While he waited for Luke, Obi-Wan wandered a bit. Then he found a large rock, so he decided to sit down and meditate. Dagobah was a much different place to him since he was in a living body now. It was warm and extremely damp. Insects buzzed around his head, and when one landed on his hand, Obi-Wan unexpectedly experienced a panic. What if he died before Vader freed him? Flies just like that one would invade his cadaver, lay their eggs in his rotting flesh... The thought made his heart race and his head spin dangerously. It was in this state that Luke and Yoda came upon him.
"Master Obi-Wan, there you are! What is it?" Luke asked as he raced to Obi-Wan's side.
"Luke, get Obi-Wan away from this place you must! Remeber what is nearby, you do?" Yoda said.
Of course! The tree and the cave! But surely Obi-Wan should have been able to handle being near that place of evil; he was a Jedi Master! Luke was just sure that it was his father's evilcurse on Obi-Wan that had been magnified by the cave.If only he'd been able to speak to him! Luke just sighed and led Obi-Wan away. His master was shaking and barely able to stand.
"There, how do you feel now?" Luke asked.
"Much better. I just let my mind run away from me. I sensed a terrible presence in that area. What was it?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Know you what the Jedi used to do on Dagobah, Obi-Wan?" Yoda asked.
"Well, yes! The Jedi faced their Trials on Dagobah. So what?" Obi-Wan responded.
"The testing area, that was," Yoda answered simply.
"You mean..that cave is where the Jedi were tested?" Luke gasped. "But I went in there! It didn't turn out like you'd hoped! What does that mean?"
"Speak not of what you saw in there. No Jedi is to speak of the Trials," Yoda warned Luke.
"Well, I'm sure Master Obi-Wan went in there..." Luke began.
"No Luke, I haven't," Obi-Wan corrected him.
"Why not?"
"Fought and killed a Sith lord, Obi-Wan did, as a Padawan. Conferred the title of Jedi Knight, the Council did. Earned it, we felt he did. Also, to teach your father the Ways of the Force, to be a Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan needed to be," Yoda explained.
Luke gulped. Obi-Wan was just a Padawan learner himself when he took Anakin on? Inevitably, Luke did a comparison. With all the talk between Obi-Wan, his father, and even Yoda, they all felt that he was very close to earning the title of Jedi Knight. But there was so much he didn't know! He didn't think he was in any shape to take on a learner of his own! Suddenly, things started getting much clearer. Poor Obi-Wan! He must have been overwhelmed! Then again, if he defeated a Sith lord...
His father was a Sith lord. His poor father!
Yoda keenly observed, "Depressing, this news is to you?"
He glanced at Yoda, then at Obi-Wan. He felt the resolve coming back to him once again, that resolve that wouldn't leave Luke, but sometimes waned if he wasn't careful. Luke stood up a bit straighter. He held his head up a bit higher, squared his shoulders a bit more. "No, Master Yoda. But if we are truly serious about bringing the Jedi back from virtual extinction, we all need to have a plan. If we're going to undo some of the vast damage that my father and his Sith master have done, we need to stick with that plan once we've got one."
"Your responsibility, that is not," Yoda pointed out. "To bring back the Jedi Order is not possible. Not wise, either."
"Master Yoda, perhaps not as the Jedi once were, but as a presence in a galaxy that needs us desperately," Obi-Wan countered.
"Now you, he has convinced?" Yoda asked incredulously. "Know you better than most, what Luke wishes to do is foolish!"
"Master Yoda, why would Vader of all people bring Master Obi-Wan back if he didn't intend for me to help restore the Jedi Order?" Luke blurted out.
"For twisted revenge, Vader did this to Obi-Wan! Gave you a younger body, he did! Hmph," Yoda said.
"Master Yoda!" Obi-Wan gasped in outrage. "You can't possibly be jealous!"
"Jealous of you! I am not!" Yoda protested, though to Luke's ears it was a bit too loudly.
Apparently, to Obi-Wan, Yoda's protests were not convincing either. "You envy me? That is only because for all your wisdom, Master Yoda, you still have yet to experience the netherworld of the Force. If you only knew how it was, you would pity me."
"As you pity yourself," Yoda huffed.
Obi-Wan's jaw dropped. Luke felt a twist in his gut. Yoda's ears twitched. And just then, Luke's holopad buzzed. Instead of responding to Yoda's comment, Obi-Wan snapped, "I thought I told you to shut that off once we got here, my Padawan."
"Sorry, Master Obi-Wan. I'll just see who it is, then I'll shut it down," Luke promised uncomfortably. The last thing he wanted to do was piss off Obi-Wan. So Luke stalked off to read the text message left on the holopad.
It was by someone he didn't recognize: Netherworldjedi. Very intrigued, Luke read the message. "I've been very eager to introduce myself to you, but I realized that Obi-Wan and Yoda would not be able to help you communicate with me."
Luke texted a quick, "HU R U?"
The answer appeared almost instantly (it occurred to Luke that it was too quickly for it to have been actually typed in), "I was once Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Master. My name, when I was in your realm, was Qui-Gon Jinn."
A chill coursed through Luke. A dead man was texting him! Unless... "R U DED?"
"Yes, later, you can reassure Obi-Wan that I'm still dead. Or, at least, I'm not in the living realm that you are in. I accidentally discovered the way to retain your identity in the netherworld of the Force. I have taught Yoda and Obi-Wan how to do it. I will teach you this as well, since you seem quite adept at communication with spirits. Like your father."
Luke drew a deep breath. "Y CANT I C U?" he texted.
"Because you don't know me. I have managed to hack into your holopad to communicate with you temporarily, but I can't do this too much longer. Go back to your ship and get Obi-Wan's holopad. Open it with the password 'mitragle,' who was his all-time favorite author. Very dry stuff, but I digress. Find the file 'podrace17' which is a holographic picture. I think you'll find it intriguing." Wide eyed, Luke stole back onto the Phoenix. He kept Qui-Gon's message from beyond in view while he opened Obi-Wan's files.
At the same time, Luke's comlink chimed. Temporarily out of his trance, Luke answered with a dazed, "Yes, Master?"
"Luke, where are you?" Obi-Wan growled. "I thought you were finished with your conversation by now!"
"Are you done arguing with Master Yoda yet?" Luke countered.
"One does not argue with Master Yoda for very long, you must know that by now," Obi-Wan sighed. "I'd love to know what was so important."
"Master Obi-Wan, once I've found out, you'll be the first to know," Luke assured him, then switched off. He found the file "podrace17" in Obi-Wan's holograms folder. Well, at least his Jedi master kept his computer files very organized. As if he wouldn't. Luke thought with a jolt that Obi-Wan must have a treasure trove of holograms on this holopad! Pictures of his father, maybe even his mother...
"Podrace17" opened to reveal a holographic image of a group of people. If Luke wasn't crazy, he thought it might have been taken on Tatooine. At first, Luke didn't recognize anyone in the picture, since Obi-Wan wasn't in it. His own holopad buzzed with a new text message: "This picture was the last one ever taken when I was 'alive.' The little boy in the middle is your father, by the way. Anakin had just won a very grueling podrace. His master, Watto, made him do it, but Ani loved to do it anyway. But it was extremely dangerous. Do you recognize your grandmother?"
"Yes," Luke answered aloud, forgetting to text in his response. There was Grandma Shmi, looking as worn out as ever, but a bit younger than in the subsequent holos that Uncle Owen had of her from when she was married to Klee Lars. A younger woman, very beautiful and reminding Luke very much of Leia, had her arms around little Anakin. That must have been his mother! Though young, she was still older than his father! For some reason, that surprised Luke.
"Yes, that is Padmé, and at the time, she was disguised as her own handmaiden. But she was really already the Queen of Naboo. Ani had no idea when this picture was taken that Padmé was really Queen Amidala. Neither did the Gungan--the tall alien on the other end. His name is Jar-Jar Binks. He later became a senator for Naboo, though when this picture was taken, one would never know he had the potential. By the way, recognize the R2 unit there? You should," Qui-Gon's message asked.
"Artoo?" Luke gasped. "And what about that unfinished droid? No, it couldn't be..."
"Your father built that protocol droid all by himself, except for the coverings. He was very proud of it," Qui-Gon's texted message responded. "Now, you see one more person in the picture, right? That's me."
Luke examined the picture one more time. Sure enough, a tall, somewhat rumpled looking bearded man with long hair past his shoulders loomed behind all of them. His Jedi robes were dusty, and blended in with everything except the startling blue of the sky over his head. Obi-Wan's Jedi Master... Luke never pictured someone like Qui-Gon Jinn as Obi-Wan's Jedi Master; surely he should have been tighter, more compact, more precise. Not someone so wild looking...
"Now, look up," the last text message read. Luke looked up, and nearly bumped his head on the console above him, since he jumped back in shock. There was Qui-Gon Jinn's ethereal form, grinning back at him. "Can you hear me?" Qui-Gon asked Luke.
With a gulp, Luke answered, "Uh-huh."
"Ah, good. Now, before Obi-Wan gets annoyed with you, you'd better tell him what's going on. After that, I think I shall have to have a conversation with Master Yoda. It's amazing how much more he listens to me now that I'm dead," Qui-Gon said, broadening his grin.
Luke smiled as he switched on his comlink. "Master Obi-Wan, do you copy?"
"Yes, my Padawan. Are you done?" Obi-Wan huffed.
"I think so. I just wanted to pass along a message, from Master Qui-Gon. He just wanted to let you know he's still dead. Did I just say that?" Luke said as he switched off.
"Welcome to the Jedi's life, Luke Skywalker. Full of strange, even crazy stuff, and if you live your life right, you'll never get bored," Qui-Gon's spirit answered with that sparkle of mischief in his eyes.
Nope, Luke thought, he's definitely not what I'd pictured. But this is going to be fun!
Sometimes, it came out in a rush, noisy and fetid. Other times, it seeped out, as though simply toxic air, but actually more solid. Well, perhaps not much more solid... The medics had warned him some time ago that if it stopped coming out one end, it could start coming out the other. Endless vomiting, stinking and vile. So, Palpatine supposed he should be grateful for the seepage.
Palpatine's health troubles began when, during one of the more humiliating tests those of advanced age were doomed to endure, cancerous cells were detected in his colon. The few cells that had been detected were removed. Or so they thought. More were discovered. More were removed. Eventually, using stem cells, the medics grew him a new colon to replace his cancerous one, and they performed the surgery.
However, one does not live as long as Palpatine had without learning that sometimes, when an imbalance is allowed to, it takes over. The stronger, more malevolent cells took over his body. The cancer had metasized, spread to his liver. His stomach. His lungs. And of course, back to his colon. His medics were baffled and alarmed. How could cancer have completely ravaged the Emperor's body like that? It was a scandal! Naturally, no one was to be told of his impending death.
Not even Darth Vader.
No, especially not his Sith apprentice. He needed now to get his own apprentice. Palpatine sent Vader off to Tatooine some time ago, with his blessing to get Luke Skywalker and bring him as soon as he could. But Palpatine worried, between his miserable treatments that left him even weaker than he had been before, that Vader was dragging his feet.
Deep down, Palpatine had always been a bit wary of Vader, who had once been Jedi Anakin Skywalker. What if the Jedi Order had been right all along? What if Anakin was supposed to bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith? It did not matter that he himself was now in his deathbed. It only mattered that the Sith survived what possibly was the greatest peril they have ever faced. What if he had been wrong to take Anakin as his apprentice? What if Vader decided to simply discontinue the Sith tradition?
Luke Skywalker must not become a Jedi Knight! No Jedi may draw breath without a Sith there to counter him! Vader must not fail!
How it could have come to this was beyond him.
Palpatine now had a private, live-in nurse to help take care of him. An especially lovely human female, but quite empty-headed. She supervised droids that served him. She coordinated his visits from the team of medical specialists. She prepared his meals, such as they were these days. She was also the one who came to change him. Palpatine hated the look on his nurse's face when she performed this particular task. She spoke to him in a baby voice. As though he were a small child who had just had an accident.
Palpatine thought wickedly that one of these days, maybe he'd try to get over to his medicine cabinet and swallow down a few of the little blue pills. Then, the next time she came to change him, she'd get quite a surprise! Just a thought. And a foolish one, at that. If she started to scream, or worse, laugh, he didn't think he'd be able to bear it.
So he squelched that notion, as well as any others he had of strangling the bitch. He needed her, as much as it bruised his battered ego. It must have shown on his face when she arrived early that afternoon.
"Ooh, now, now, sweetie, you mustn't get yourself so upset. I'll bet you're due for your sponge bath..." his foolish, lovely nurse cooed as she came into his private sanctum with a tray.
"No, I want to do it myself!" he said peevishly. To illustrate his point, Palpatine struggled to get out of his huge bed.
"Of course you do," she smiled, lifting his withering body up, ignoring his pout as she undressed him. He seethed; he should have taken the little blue pills at least. She was way too sure of herself!
Just as were those who thought they had defeated Darth Sidious. As long as he had breath left in his decaying carcass, he would fight.
Hope that wasn't too bad for you. But Palps is the epitome of decayed to me, and I just thought this kind of treatment reflects that well. Let me know what you think!