Chapter 3: Dark Teachings
"When do you believe Lord Arisin will return, your Majesty?" The Emperor's Grand Vizier, Sate Pestage, sat in the Royal Office.
"I am unsure, my friend," the Emperor said, staring out into Coruscant's busy mid-day traffic. "Korriban has much knowledge to offer and Lord Arisin has much to learn."
"And what of Miss Jade and Princess Leia? They have been gone for nearly two weeks, I believe." The old man sounded genuinely concerned, something that amused Palpatine.
"Do not worry for them." He chuckled. "They are more than capable of looking after themselves. As it happens, they had a few…troubles, but are on their way back to Coruscant as we speak." Despite their setbacks, he had all the confidence in the galaxy that his Hands would not fail him.
"Your Majesty, I do not mean to question your methods, but what if the occasion arises in the future where you will need the assistance of the Black Sun organization?"
"I have taken that into account, and am unconcerned," Palpatine replied, still facing his grand panoramic window. "Though headless," he continued, "the organization will not die after the vigos are removed. They are resilient; I doubt we could ever eradicate them completely. For the time being, however, they will be set back considerably. They will certainly think twice before aiding a terrorist organization again." He turned his attention towards his vizier. "Now, Pestage," he said, giving the other man his full attention. "What news do you bring me today?"
"Well, Your Majesty," began the older man, "There have been several riots protesting the destruction of Naboo. Now, while most have been relatively peaceful, I'm afraid protesting on Corellia has been quite violent." He looked at his datapad for details. The Corellians were known for being hot-blooded. "It looks like twelve sentients confirmed dead; seven protesters, four stormtroopers, and one civilian who was unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"I take it these riots have been quelled?" The Emperor abhorred protesters.
"As we speak, Your Highness." He consulted his datapad again. "It would seem the Imperial Miners' Guild has already tripled their usual profits for this early in the quarter."
"Excellent!" said the Emperor happily.
"Oh!" Pestage suddenly remembered something. "And the Maw Installation is preparing to release their RPD to the military. They'll be patrolling our bases all over the galaxy within weeks."
Palpatine wracked his brain but came up empty. "I'm sorry, my friend. RPD?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Your Highness. It's the Raptor Patrol Droid. Here," he punched something into his datapad and instantly, a holovid appeared above the Emperor's desk. Palpatine watched the footage with great interest.
"This is the security footage of the RPD which attacked Lord Arisin in the Installation," Pestage explained. "As you can plainly see, it held up well against even a warrior of his caliber."
Palpatine smiled. "Yes, very nice," he said, still watching as the Raptor fired its shock net. He watched as Arisin expertly managed to free himself by using the droid's own clawed foot to cleave through the net and gain the upper hand. His apprentice ripped a wall panel free and used it to shield himself from the droid's stunners until he advanced close enough to retrieve his lost lightsaber and relieve the machine of its legs. "Brilliant," he whispered to himself.
"Your Majesty, if one of these droids took this long for a Sith to defeat, imagine two; five; an entire patrol."
"Absolutely," said the Emperor. "I am most pleased with their performance. I want them patrolling our garrisons the moment they are available."
"Alright, Your Highness. And how many—"
"Five thousand units for the Palace and an initial ten million for our garrisons. They're to be fully equipped. I want no expense spared," demanded the Emperor. "If they do well, the order will be tripled."
"At once, Your Highness," Pestage said. He rose from his seat. "If you'll not be needing me further…"
"No," said the Emperor. "You are dismissed."
"Good day to you, sir." Pestage bowed and left without another word.
The moment the sound of Pestage's fluttering robes faded into the distance, the Emperor keyed a comm code into his desk unit.
"Prison sector three-two-two-seven; Captain Ciris."
"Captain Ciris, I wish for the prisoner in cell seven-one-three brought before me immediately," said the Emperor.
"At once, Your Majesty."
Ten minutes later, there came a sound at the door.
"Enter," called Palpatine.
The Rebel prisoner Kyle Katarn, flanked by two menacing Royal Guards, stepped into the office, his hands shackled behind his back.
"You're dismissed," Palpatine said and the guards slipped out silently. "You know," he said to Katarn. "The last two bound prisoners brought before me were freed immediately." He paused a moment. "You, however…I don't believe I am that trusting."
"Then you're smarter than you look," said Katarn. Though starved and sleep deprived, he carried himself well. A little too well. Palpatine wondered how much Kenobi had been able to teach Katarn during their short time together.
With the slightest twitch of a finger, the Emperor sent a spasm of pain through Katarn's body so intense that it very nearly brought the rebel would-be Jedi to his knees. Kyle gritted his teeth against the agony, which ended just as abruptly as it began. He felt nauseous.
"That's rather brave language from someone bound and at the mercy of one capable of causing instant and lasting pain far beyond what you have just experienced."
Breathless, Kyle glared at the Emperor with unbridled fury.
"Good," whispered Palpatine. Katarn's hatred fueled him. "Do you know why you have been brought here? By all rights, I should execute you where you stand." The Emperor stared hard into the young man.
"Hmm, I'd have to say your own sick, sadistic pleasures," answered Katarn defiantly, his voice strained.
"You call bringing order to chaos 'sick'? Or peace to war 'sadistic'?" countered Palpatine.
"No, I call the oppression of a galaxy 'sick' and the deaths of trillions over the course of two wars all for your personal gain 'sadistic'." Kyle showed no fear. He was as good as dead anyhow. "You're an evil man, Palpatine. If you can even still be called a man."
The Emperor took the verbal abuse without so much as blinking. When he finally spoke, it was slow and deliberate. "You really ought not to speak of things you know nothing about, my young Jedi. But," his tone softened, "if you feel that you know so much about me and my motives, by all means, explain them to me."
Katarn looked confused. "Excuse me?"
"I believe I speak Galactic Basic fluently and that your hearing is practically perfect so I will not repeat myself," he said coldly.
"You want me to tell you about your own corrupt rise to power?"
The Emperor smiled. "I do." He then motioned for Katarn to sit, which the Rebel did somewhat uncomfortably, forced to lean forward with his hands still bound behind him.
Kyle cleared his throat. "You were a senator from Naboo. You befriended the young and trusting queen the moment you saw your opportunity to bring doubt to the office of Supreme Chancellor. You managed to convince the Senate that Valorum was weak and needed to be replaced by a stronger Chancellor. You got yourself nominated and won, though rumors had it that you rigged the election. Have I left anything out so far?"
"Only the deeper meaning of things, but please, continue." The Emperor steepled his bony white fingers as he listened.
"The Republic was crumbling," Katarn continued, still unsure as to why he was playing the Emperor's game. "You sparked a war in order to raise an army, which strengthened it over the short term. Then, you convinced the Senate that you alone could see the Republic through the war that you yourself had started. They amended the Constitution in order to keep you in office long after your term was up." He paused. "Anything untrue there?"
The Emperor looked pleased and shook his head. "Not a word. Continue."
"You waited for just the right moment then betrayed the Jedi. You declared them 'enemies of the Republic' and had them all hunted down and destroyed. You declared yourself Emperor, blah, blah, blah, and now, twenty-five years later, here we are."
"Here we are," Palpatine agreed. "So you know the facts, but what was my motivation?" he asked.
"Power," Katarn said simply.
"You know nothing of power," the Emperor said with disgust. "My vie for power wasn't some spur of the moment decision or some vain ambition to hold the galaxy within my grasp. My plan was a thousand years in the making. It was the culmination of a millennium of plotting and planning." Palpatine was irked by Katarn's naïveté.
He glared at the young man, who sat in silence. "Power is not ruling a galaxy. True power is achieved when you have isolated your weakness and removed it. I think that you confuse power with strength.
"I'm going to tell you a story. It involves a creature born to the Force itself. The Jedi called him the Chosen One; the one being prophesized to bring balance to the Force."
Katarn rolled his eyes and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Is this going somewhere? I didn't know I was brought here to listen to fairy tales."
"Oh, it was no fairy tale. Of that, I can assure you. The Chosen One was very real. The galaxy knew him as Anakin Skywalker."
Skywalker? thought Katarn. As in, Luke Skywalker?
"You knew him," continued Palpatine, "as Darth Vader."
"Vader was a Jedi prophecy?" asked Katarn, unable to hide his confusion.
"Anakin Skywalker was a Jedi Knight, yes," Palpatine confirmed. "He was, in fact, on the Jedi Council itself at the end of the Order's life."
"As fascinating as all this is," Katarn said, "what does this have to do with strength versus power?"
"Absolutely everything," Palpatine said. "Vader was born to the Force. His strength was virtually limitless. Yet he was weak. He wielded no real power. Power is given to you by people. No one respected him. People feared him."
"And you're saying all your power comes from the overwhelming love the galaxy has for you?" asked Katarn smugly.
"To hold power, you must command it. He commanded fear. Do not misunderstand; fear can secure you power, but fear coupled with respect ensures it. Vader killed needlessly, irresponsibly. People hated him for it." Palpatine shook his head. "I am not a loved man, but I am greatly respected. There is a fine line between fear and respect. To wield true power, you must learn to balance that line perfectly."
"Is this conversation going somewhere or are we just gonna keep talking semantics?"
The Emperor smiled. "You said that my motivation all along has been power. That is not an untrue statement. However, what I truly longed for was immortality. And, I believe I have achieved just that."
"Everything you've done, all the people who've died, all of it was so that no one would forget you?" Katarn was stunned
"Once again," the Emperor said, "you have masterfully taken the facts and drawn from them a completely erroneous conclusion." He stood and turned away from Kyle, gazing out at his city. "I strove to change the galaxy, to tear away its crumbling foundations and build it anew. I wished to unite the galaxy into a single, powerful, unwavering entity that would stand ten thousand years in peace."
"The Republic you destroyed lasted longer than that," snapped Katarn. His eyes burned at the back of Palpatine's head.
"In name only, my young Rebel," the Emperor countered. "Since its formation, the Republic experienced multiple civil wars. Every few decades, a new power would rise and a small portion of the Republic would be lost. Some of these wars lasted for centuries." He looked over his shoulder at Katarn. "The Republic never truly united the galaxy. Not before me. I took a dying government and breathed new life into it, a vitality it hadn't seen in millennia. I built our military up to a strength never before seen in this galaxy. I ended two civil wars and brought us through stronger than when we entered them. For the first time in decades, the galaxy is at peace, united. And I did it." He turned to Katarn, glaring. "It is you and your kind who would see this body fall into chaos, the galaxy fall into chaos!" He pounded a fist hard on his desk. "You should be on your knees thanking me for all that I have done for this galaxy and begging me not to kill you right here for your treasonous attempts to disrupt the peace of the Empire!"
"I'll kneel before you the day your rotting corpse is on a slab," spat Katarn.
Before he could utter a sound, Kyle found himself flying upwards out of his seat straight into the ceiling, smashing his back hard against a light fixture. As a spasm of pain radiated out from the impact site, he felt an invisible force pinning him where he was, rendering him unable to move. His hands were still bound behind him and his shoulders, twisted in awkward positions, felt as though they were about to tear out of their sockets.
The Emperor simply looked up at him, his severe features awash with anger. "How long did you think I would put up with your insults?" he asked. "I do not know how patient you believed me to be, but now I suspect you have your answer." He stepped around to the front of his desk. Katarn, struggled in vain against the durasteel grip of the Force. "You cannot fight me and hope to win."
"As long as I'm fighting you, I'm a thorn in your side. I don't need to win. I just need to know that I've irritated you, made your life just a little bit harder." Kyle managed a thin smile through his pain.
The Emperor laughed. "Do not think so highly of yourself. You are hardly a thorn in my side. You barely qualify as an insect beneath my boot heel." Palpatine allowed Katarn to fall to the floor. "As you can see, you are far from a threat to me." He smiled maliciously as he watched Kyle struggle to right himself.
"What exactly do you want with me?" asked Katarn, breathless from his struggle to get to his feet.
Palpatine thought a moment. "I haven't decided yet," he said finally. "However, I promised Grand Admiral Piett that I would execute you and I am a man of my word."
Katarn was instantly shot across the room, smashing into the far wall. Before he could fall to the ground, his body was speared with the Emperor's Dark lightning. Too stunned to utter a sound, Kyle Katarn fell to the carpet dead.
Mara sat in the Jade Saber's pilot seat, her right arm in a makeshift sling. A bacta patch was taped to her shoulder. Leia sat in the co-pilot seat, smirking.
"Oh, shut up," said Mara for what seemed like the hundredth time.
"I'm just glad you're okay," said Leia, stifling a laugh.
"I said shut up!" yelled Mara, though she found herself trying not to smirk as well. "Remind me never to go on vacation with you," she added.
"You just have bad luck with animals, that's all." Leia held nothing back now. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"You call those things animals?" Mara asked. "Those things were monsters!"
"Oh, c'mon. That wampa only had one arm!" Leia said, wiping her eyes. "And that thing on Falucia was just a bug," she added, breaking into another fit of laughter.
Mara gave Leia a shocked look. "A bug? Did you see the size of its teeth? That thing had to be at least five meters tall!"
"Okay," conceded Leia. "So it was a big bug."
"I really wish Imperial Intelligence has let us know about the giant sharp-toothed bugs," steamed Mara.
"Oh, would you stop complaining about the karking bug!" Leia patted Mara on the shoulder, causing her to wince in pain. "It was the wampa that got you!"
"Yes, I know that, Princess." Mara wasn't laughing anymore. "You know, I would think you'd be a little more upset than me about our lack of intel, seeing as how you were the one the bug almost ate. The wampa wasn't trying to eat me. I just stumbled into its den."
"Look at it this way; after that thing, the vigos were nothing," said Leia brightly. The end of their mission was in sight and it put her in a good mood.
Mara scoffed. "Yeah, let's just hope Breyac doesn't have an army of Cthons. Every vigo so far had some kind of nightmarish beings guarding them, why not him?"
"Maybe he'll have a pet rancor. Wouldn't be the first one I've come across," Leia added positively.
Mara glared. "You really need to shut up now," she said, the levity quickly draining out of her voice. Then glancing over at the instrument panel, she said, "Strap in, we're almost there."
Ten minutes later, they were soaring through Coruscant's atmosphere toward the Industrial district. Cloud cover was thick; only the tallest buildings poked through. Lightning flashed below them. This area of the planet was prone to spontaneous thunderstorms. As they lowered below the cloud line, rain spattered heavily against the windscreen.
"Ah, Coruscant in spring," said Leia unenthusiastically. "So Breyac operates this close to the Government district? Brave."
"Well," said Mara, "in his defense, he still thinks the Empire is turning a blind eye to Black Sun. As far as he knows, he's still safe. The Emperor has used Black Sun many times before," she explained. "Until now, he's chosen to look the other way. But the Imperial Security Bureau discovered that Black Sun was hired to help the Rebels sabotage all those ships. Palpatine rewards allegiance well but punishes treachery with extreme prejudice."
"Yeah," said Leia solemnly. "I know."
"Oh," said Mara, suddenly realizing her mistake. "You're Alderaanian. I forgot. I'm sorry," she said sincerely.
"It's okay," Leia said. "What's done is done. Bad things happen in war."
The rest of the short flight was in silence. Leia stared blankly out the window as Mara expertly navigated the traffic lanes. Before too long, she landed the ship at a hovering pad that, to Leia, seemed somewhat unimportant.
"This is it?" she asked.
"No," said Mara, removing her arm from the sling and testing her shoulder. "Now we go on foot."
Without delay, they exited the ship. Kay and Drey went to follow Leia, but she shook her head. "Not this time, guys. We don't know what's in there. Stay with the ship and make sure no one comes sniffing around. We'll comm you when the mission is done."
Kay bowed his head, "As you wish, Lady Vader."
Drey likewise bowed. "By your command."
Mara sealed up the Saber and the two women headed out in search of their hydra's last head.
Colloquially this sector of the city was referred to as The Works. The ancient buildings in this zone were among the oldest and least populated on the planet. There was almost no maintenance to speak of and anyone who lived here lived in the shadows. The only buildings still used were the scattered functional factories that produced transparisteel, durasteel, and half a dozen other metals used to make everything from datapads to starships.
The air smelled bad. Really bad. Fumes from the hundreds of different ores and minerals being smelted were belched from dozens of three hundred meter tall smoke stacks. The thick black smoke powdered everything with a layer of soot, which served to drink in what little light filtered through the smoke and deepen the shadows. Air scrubbers were continuously flying over the sector, ensuring that none of the toxic gases mixed with the rest of the atmosphere and poisoned the planet.
Most of the sector was flat, a massive plain of factory roofs thirty kilometers in every direction, save for the odd smoke stack jutting up into the sky. Leia's eye, however, was instantly drawn to a building that stood out from the rest. A true Wookiee among Ewoks, it stood easily a kilometer higher than anything in The Works. She decided it was definitely not a factory and that it looked like just the sort of place that a Black Sun vigo might make his home.
Mara caught Leia staring at the building off in the distance and grinned. She had been thoroughly surprised by the princess' performance on this mission. She had to admit to herself that maybe having another Hand around might not be such a bad idea.
"You're right, Princess," she said, nodding her head in the building's direction. "That's the old LiMerge Power building. They went out of business about a hundred years ago. It was empty until Black Sun took it over. Something about their old HQ being destroyed back when Xizor was in charge." She gave Leia a wry smile.
"Yeah," Leia said innocently. "I think I remember something about that." She raised an eyebrow and returned Mara's smile. "Thermal detonator in the basement, wasn't it?"
"You tell me."
Leia laughed. "That building was an eyesore anyway. Prince Xizor always had to have the biggest and best of everything."
"Which included you, if I remember correctly," added Mara. As they talked, they made their way into the lower levels. They'd need to go down and sneak their way up through the building. Breyac would probably be on the top floors, so they had a while before they got there.
"I came at a hefty price," Leia said. "And a knee to the little prince."
Mara made a pained face. "I'll bet that hurt."
"Not for long. He was vaporized right along with his private skyhook. He'd been trying to discredit Vader in the eyes of the Emperor. My father didn't take rivalry very well."
Mara shook her head. "You don't have to tell me that. Vader hated me. He tried to kill me during the Shelkonwa incident because he thought I was after you—"
"You were on Shelkonwa?" asked Leia surprised.
"Yeah. I was there to execute the governor for treason. Vader was there for you, obviously." Mara shrugged. "He tried to have me killed a couple of times. Indirectly, of course. It comes with the job."
"But why didn't the Emperor do anything about it?"
Mara scoffed. "Because if I had allowed myself to get killed, I wouldn't've been much of an Emperor's Hand, would I? It amused the Emperor to see Vader acting so childish so he allowed it."
"So did you know my father well?" Leia asked casually. She wanted to know more about the man who was Anakin Skywalker but she didn't want to sound too desperate for information.
Mara thought about her answer before she responded. "I don't think anyone really knew Darth Vader. I mean, I'd seen him since I was a little girl, worked with him since I was a teenager. He even helped the Emperor train me, though not out of the goodness of his metal heart. All that time, I never really knew anything about him," she said. "In fact, it wasn't even until your brother was identified as Vader's son that I was able to research and find out his real name. I still can't believe he was Anakin Skywalker."
"It came as a bit of a shock to me, too," Leia said sourly. She kept hearing about Anakin Skywalker the hero, but all she'd ever known was Vader.
Mara blushed slightly. "Right," she said. "Sorry. I remember hearing about Anakin Skywalker when I was a kid, though always in hushed tones. They made him sound like the savior of the Clone Wars. The Hero Without Fear, they called him."
"Excuse me?" Leia stopped mid-step. She had of course heard of he famous Anakin Skywalker growing up. She'd heard that he was a hero of the Republic. Her father had told her that Anakin died during the Emperor's Purge. She wondered vaguely now if he ever knew who Vader really was. Probably. I guess Luke wasn't the only one being lied to his whole life.
They had made their way to the base of the building and Mara was leading them to what looked like a small maintenance access tunnel grate. She pulled something off her belt that she used to slice the grate lock. After a few seconds, the grate slid open.
"That's what the galaxy called him," Mara said as she crawled into the tunnel. She waited for Leia to follow, then continued, lighting a glow rod. "During the Wars, I guess he and Kenobi were known to do some pretty impossible things." Her voice echoed in the close confines of the tunnel. Cables were strung along the roof of the tunnel like snakes. The smell was very mechanical, metallic. Every few dozen meters there was a readout screen. Between the screens on the ceiling were more grates, leading to more side tunnels.
"So I've heard," said Leia.
Mara shrugged in the artificial yellow light from the glow rod. "Everyone just assumed he died in the Purge. The Emperor had declared the Jedi enemies of the Republic and those who refused to come peacefully were killed. He didn't seem the type to go quietly, so it makes sense that everyone just figured their Hero had been killed by the Empire."
"So no one ever wondered where Vader came from?" asked Leia. "I mean, the Emperor suddenly has this big guy in black armor following him around, carrying a lightsaber, choking people with the Force, and no one asks who he is?"
"Well," Mara started, "everyone knew he carried a lightsaber and that he had the Force. And they were pretty certain he was human, or at least used to be. I guess people just assumed he was a former Jedi who had joined the Empire. I'm sure some history buffs recognized 'Darth' as a Sith title, but no one ever really seemed to realize what it meant. At least not that I can remember."
"You know," said Leia, who was getting a little tired of her face full of Mara's backside, "I didn't realize how smooth the transition was from Republic to Empire. When I was a little girl, I always imagined some dramatic, violent takeover ending with some overly elaborate coronation ceremony for Palpatine, self-proclaimed ruler of the galaxy."
Mara shook her head. "He was actually voted into the position."
"Really?" Leia had never heard that part before. Her father had always filled her with such hatred for the man. He made it seem like he burst in one day and destroyed the Republic, claiming the galaxy as his own.
"Yeah. He'd been Chancellor for nearly thirteen years. He had complete control of the Republic. His appointment to the position of Emperor never actually boosted his power much." They stopped at a nondescript section of tunnel. Mara removed one of the ceiling grates and climbed up into the intersecting tunnel. The tunnel wall was lined with hand and footholds like a ladder. Now they would have to climb. She clipped her glow rod to her belt and waited until Leia had started climbing behind her before she continued.
"When he announced the formation of the Empire, the change was purely in name only. The Republic had already become an Empire thanks to his machinations." Mara used the Force to keep her muscles fresh. Their climb would take a while. "But when he announced the change, he allowed the Senate to nominate its own Imperial candidates and put it to a vote. He won by a landslide."
"Huh."
"Hmm?"
"I guess it's true what they say," mused Leia.
Mara chuckled. "And what's that, Princess?"
Leia smiled. "You learn something new every day."
"Just keep climbing, Princess," Mara laughed.
"I'm sorry, but you're who?" asked Arisin. Before him stood the spirit of a Sith Lord in full combat armor, complete with battle scarred full-face helmet. The Sith Lord raised his hands and removed it, revealing a surprisingly young human.
"I am called Revan," he said. "I was once a Jedi Knight for the Republic. I led the Jedi forces to victory in the Mandalorian War. When I lived, the Sith were many. A great academy was located on the other side of these very mountains. The Jedi were in a civil war. The Republic was in shambles."
Arisin studied Revan's face. It was pale, rough with stubble. His head was close shaven. A scar snaked its way down his left cheek. To Arisin, he looked more like a smuggler or a pirate than a powerful Sith Lord.
"It has been a great while since this tomb has seen a visitor. Tell me the state of the galaxy," Revan demanded.
"I thought you all were able to, you know, observe," said Arisin, confused.
"No," said Revan. "We are anchored to very specific places, namely this planet and the Realm beyond. A scant few of us have managed to inhabit more than one location, but it's rare."
Arisin didn't question the explanation. "Okay, what is it you want to know?"
"It has been, by my estimation, almost four thousand years since my death," Revan said. "At the time of my death, the Jedi were all but extinct. I have learned that they have rebuilt since then, only to face extinction again three thousand years later. Then a thousand years ago, they reorganized even stronger than before. That is the extent of my knowledge. It has been sixty years since I have come across new information. My knowledge is somewhat out dated."
Arisin saw this as an opportunity. "In exchange for your holocron, I will gladly update you on the condition of the galaxy."
Revan seemed to ponder this a moment before answering. "That is a fair deal. You have already proven yourself worthy of the mantle 'Darth'."
Arisin bowed his head slightly. "Well," he began, "very little happened in the last sixty years until about three decades ago. That was when my master, Lord Sidious, was elected Supreme Chancellor of the Republic."
Revan nodded. "Yes, Sidious. I know of him. A very powerful Lord. I felt his power when he was here all those years ago. It is rumored that he is the Sith'ari."
"Sith'ari?" asked Arisin.
"The Chosen One of the Sith. Said to be the most powerful Sith Lord the Order has ever seen," explained Revan.
Arisin nodded in agreement. "Yes, he's very powerful. He maneuvered himself into the highest office right under the Jedi's noses. They had no idea of who he really was until it was too late to do anything but die." He grinned. "He destroyed the Order with one swift stroke."
"Well that is certainly very impressive," acknowledged Revan. "For a single man to do what an army of millions before him could not is certainly worthy of recognition. The Jedi, however, seem very adept at surviving. How sure is he that they are all gone?"
"While it's true many did survive his Purge, Darth Vader personally tracked down and destroyed all remaining Jedi," said Arisin. "All save two. But they have both since died. The Jedi are extinct."
Revan smiled. "Good, good. The Jedi were blind. I was once a part of their order. I saw first hand how narrow-minded they were, afraid to use the power that the Force granted them. I knew my destiny was not to serve the Force as a Jedi, but to command it. As a Sith." He spoke like a general, his tone powerful, commanding your attention.
Darth Arisin raised his eyebrows in question. "Lord Revan, you mentioned the Sith'ari. I wonder if you might expand on exactly what that is."
"Have you heard of the Jedi prophecy of the Chosen One?" asked Revan. "One born to the Force itself who is said to bring about Balance."
Arisin smirked. "As a matter of fact, I have. You are speaking to his son."
"What?" The Sith spirit narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"I am Luke Skywalker, son of Darth Vader; formerly Anakin Skywalker; formerly a Knight of the Jedi Order and the Chosen One of the prophecy."
Revan looked at Arisin, an eyebrow raised in surprise. "Well that certainly wasn't the answer I was expecting." He allowed an impressed smile to form on his lips. "However, as I was saying; the Sith'ari is the equivalent of the Jedi Chosen One. It had even been rumored that they were one and the same. It is unknown who it was, is, or will be. It is unknown whether it is an individual or if one will rise every few generations. As with most prophecy, it is vague at best and open to a myriad of interpretations. It was thought that Lord Bane was the Sith'ari. Or at least the most recent one."
"And you think my master may be your Sith'ari?" Arisin asked.
"I don't presume to be an expert on ancient Sith philosophy. According to legend, as most of these prophecies begin, the Sith'ari is a powerful Sith Lord, the most powerful the Order will ever see. This Lord would defeat the Jedi and become the greatest Sith of all time. Both Bane and Sidious appear to match the description, though Sidious seems to win by the smallest margin."
"That sounds right," said Arisin. "There's really not much to tell after that. He reformed the Republic into the Empire and has just ended a nearly decade-long civil war. Was there anything else you wanted to know?" he asked.
"No," said Revan firmly. "I think we've had enough stories for today. You have been very informative, thank you."
Lord Arisin bowed. "Of course, Lord Revan. Now about your holocron."
Revan gave him a smile. "You are welcome to access my holocron at your leisure." With a hand gesture, a section of the stone floor beside the overturned sarcophagus slid open, revealing a stairway leading down into the rock. "My vault," Revan explained.
"Are there any stipulations as to the use of your holocron?" Arisin asked.
Revan tilted his head slightly to one side. "I'm not sure I understand."
Arisin explained Lord Malloc's rule that he may not leave the tomb and how he was forced to return day after day.
"Malloc is a kreffing fool," Revan said upon hearing this. "He had all the wisdom of a half-dead Gamorrean morrt. As long as you return it before your departure from this planet, you may take the holocron for as long as you like. The idea is to learn. You cannot learn if you are restricted."
"Thank you, Master Revan." Arisin bowed his head in respect. "I hope to learn much from my time here." He stepped over to the opening of the vault and descended the stairs. When he returned, holocron in hand, he saw that everything had been righted. The mess had been cleaned, the sarcophagus once again sat on its dais. It looked as though nothing had stirred in a thousand years. Even the stone vornskyrs had been repaired and were once again at their stations, guarding the entrance. Revan saw the look of confusion on the other Lord's face.
"A single-use security system wouldn't be overly effective when guarding something as valuable as this, would it?" He smiled. "Do not fear, you have free reign of this place, now."
Arisin was relieved. He did not enjoy the prospect of having to fight those monsters again. "Again, I thank you, Lord Revan."
"Not at all." He paused a moment. "If I might ask, what exactly is it that you seek here? I know it is not just advancement in the Force. You have a specific purpose for coming to this planet. I sense the drive within you."
Arisin started slowly. "I'm looking for anything, really. I've been Sith for only a few months. I am trying to learn their history, their power, their knowledge. I'm looking for anything to help me to reach my full potential." He began to walk towards the entrance but was stopped by Revan.
"That is why you came here. But why were you sent here?"
The Sith Lord slowly turned around. "My master wanted me to learn everything that I could." He paused. "And he seeks immortality. His master learned the secret, but never taught him. He feels that if we work together, we can discover the power."
"Immortality is a tricky thing, Lord Arisin. I advise you to be careful in your journey. Booby traps and hssiss aren't the only dangers of this place. The knowledge contained in these tombs can consume you if you aren't prepared." He bowed to Arisin and replaced his scarred helmet. "Mind what I have told you. It may just save you." He raised his hood and slowly dissolved into nothing and Arisin was alone, as though he had dreamed the whole thing.
He glanced down at the holocron clutched in his hand; it was a multi-faceted black crystal pyramid, no larger than his fist. Ancient symbols of power were scrolled down each face. In its core smoldered a faint red light like a hot ember. He very much wanted to return to his ship to study it further. Taking one last look around the empty tomb, Arisin began the trek back.
For the next several hours, he pored over the contents of the holocron, engrossed in the ancient wisdom contained within.
"I am Darth Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith," said a small grainy hologram of the Sith Lord.
"All those who use the infinite power of the Dark Side are inevitably bound to serve it. This is the most basic philosophy of the Sith. The Dark Side relinquishes power only to those who crave it. To wield it, you must seek power over all with no hesitation.
"The Force will change you, transform you. This is feared by some. The Jedi train to resist this change. But those who do not embrace the transformation, those who serve the Light, will forever be limited in what they accomplish.
"Through embracing the transformation comes true power. Compromise is not an option. Mercy, compassion, and loyalty are obstacles that prevent you from claiming what is rightfully yours.
"Once you have harnessed the Dark Side, the next challenge is maintaining your hold on it. The Dark Side inherently manifests rivalry and strife. This is its greatest strength. Through this, the Dark Side is cleansed and refined, the weak falling to the strong. The strong, however, must be wary, for even the weak can defeat them with enough ambition and numbers. With this regard, a Master who trains more than one apprentice is a fool. For in time, the apprentices will unite to overthrow the Master. It is inevitable. That is why each Master should take but one student.
"This, too, is why there can be only one Dark Lord. To function, the Sith must be ruled by a single leader, one who embodies the Dark Side itself. And at the first sign of weakness, this Dark Lord must be removed, replaced. The strong rule, the weak serve; such is the way of the Dark Side. This is how it must be.
"My time here has ended," said the holographic figure. "Take what I have taught you and use it well." The holocron deactivated, leaving Arisin in complete silence.
For days, Arisin learned from the holocron. It was packed with detailed instructions on meditation, advanced healing trances, and how to sap strength from the inherent Force of your surroundings. He learned new techniques that allowed him to maximize his power without draining himself of energy.
On his fourth day with the holocron, he came across a set of ancient hyperspace coordinates. The Unknown Planet. The holocron had spoken of a great weapon, built by a long extinct race, which was said to be in the same system as this Unknown Planet. He couldn't imagine what else the coordinates would be for. He felt a tug in the Force urging him to investigate these coordinates further.
An hour later, after having returned the holocron to Lord Revan's tomb, he pointed the shuttle skyward and blasted away from Korriban. As the ship exited the planet's gravity well, Arisin punched the coordinates from the holocron into the navicomputer. The destination was an area deep in the Unknown Regions, a violent and mostly uncharted region of space along the furthest reaches of the galactic plane. With all the course adjusting he would have to do, the flight would take at least a week. That gave him plenty of time to work on all of the new techniques he'd just learned. He initiated the hyperdrive and settled back to meditate.
"Wake up, Katarn." The voice sounded faint to Kyle, as if it was coming to him through a long tunnel. He opened his eyes and was instantly blinded by the painfully harsh light. As his vision cleared, he began to make out basic shapes. He could tell that he was lying on his back, staring up at a large dark blur. The blur spoke to him in the voice he'd heard moments before.
"Your vision will return in a few moments," it said. "I'm told it is something akin to being revived from carbonite hibernation."
As sensations began to return to him one by one, Kyle realized that he was bound at the wrists and ankles, with a strap across his bare chest. His vision continued to clear and he was able to start making out the finer details of the room around him. He seemed to be in a medical lab of some kind. He looked back at the dark blur. His eyes suddenly focused. The Emperor was staring down at him.
"What-what happened?" he asked groggily. "Where am I?"
"I killed you," said the Emperor. "Then I transferred your consciousness into a clone body." The Emperor smiled down at him wickedly. "You should know that there is no limit to how many times I can do this to you, nor do you possess the power to resist me. Your first execution was quick and painless, but I promise you, if you refuse to cooperate, they will rapidly become more and more—unpleasant. Unless, that is, you decide to join me."
Kyle wasn't sure he heard correctly. "A—clone? Wh-what do you mean?" His head was still foggy.
"Perhaps you should direct your attention to your left," said the Emperor, pointing with a bony finger.
Kyle turned his head slowly, his muscles aching. What he saw nearly made him scream. Lying on an identical slab just a meter away was him. The body was wearing the clothes he himself had worn during his meeting with the Emperor. Only now, they were heavily charred in the chest. The body's arms and face were likewise burned extensively. It was him. And it was definitely dead.
"You mean to tell me that that corpse is me?" he asked, turning back to face the Emperor. "And that this body is a clone body?"
"I mean to tell you nothing," Palpatine said sharply. "That is precisely what I have told you. As a body dies, it is possible, through the Force, to capture its living consciousness and transfer it to another body. In your case, a clone of your original body had already been prepared."
"So my mind, my memories, all of them are original? I'm not just—a copy?"
"Your physical body is new but your mind is very much the original," the Emperor confirmed. "This clone never reached consciousness."
"And you are going to keep killing me and cloning me until I join you?" Kyle clarified.
"You told Lord Arisin that you would die for your cause," answered the Emperor. "I would see how many times you choose to die before it is no longer your cause. Consider it a psychological experiment."
"Yeah," said Katarn, turning his gaze to the ceiling. "Well, Your Highness, it's gonna take a few more times before I start calling your ugly mug 'Master'." Kyle maintained his defiance.
Palpatine simply smiled. "So be it. Your second execution has been scheduled for tomorrow. Grand Admiral Piett will be present. We'll be sure to make it a good one; this one will be official." He left the room, leaving Kyle to contemplate his impending second death.
Arisin brought the shuttle out of hyperspace. In all, the trip had taken just over six Standard days, time he had spent meditating on the wise words of Darth Revan. But now he had arrived at this strange planet, hoping to find answers to questions he hadn't even thought to ask.
The planet was average sized, dominated by massive oceans. What little land there was appeared to be blanketed with dense jungles. Gravity was seven percent above standard, so there wouldn't be much spring in his step. According to his sensors, the planet was littered with literally hundreds—maybe even thousands—of crashed starships. The downed vessels ranged in size from snubfighters and shuttles to huge capital ships and everything in between. From what he could tell, the oldest ships predated the Empire by tens of thousands of years. Even the youngest ships appeared to be millennia old. It was as if a gigantic magnet had just pulled them down to the surface.
When he had first entered the system, he immediately sense a significant dark aura surrounding the world. He reached out further, feeling a high concentration of Dark Side energy at a point on the southern coast of the largest continent. He decided to begin his search there.
He orbited the planet several times, surveying it visually and with various sensor scans. Almost ninety percent of the planet was covered in water. The ship's sensors didn't detect any sentient life. That will simplify things. Curiously, he was able to locate a clearly artificial structure. It was small, but located in the center of the Dark Side concentration he felt. That settles it, then.
He brought the ship out of orbit. Soon, he was navigating through a thick layer of clouds. Abruptly, he broke through the cover and saw the surface up close. The planet was beautiful, unspoiled by civilization. It wasn't long, however, before the first crashed ship came into view. It was a medium-sized Hammerhead-class Republic cruiser half-buried in the floor of a shallow lagoon. The model was old, at least a couple thousand years retired by the rise of the Empire. Its age was confirmed when Arisin ran its serial number through the Empire's ship registry, which included an archive of all vessels serving the Old Republic going back nearly seven thousand years. This particular vessel was called the Heart of Taris and supposedly vanished while on a scouting mission four thousand two hundred and seven years ago. Several even larger hulks, which seemed to predate even the Hammerhead could be seen far off in the distance, sticking up out of the water at odd angles. Both land and sea were peppered with the debris from the thousands of fallen starships. As he neared his destination, however, the wreckage began to change noticeably.
He brought the ship to a stationary hover about a hundred meters above one particularly large piece of the strange new debris. Whatever it came from had been made from a dark metal that the scanners could not identify. It also, Arisin noticed, gave off a strange sensation in the Force. It had a presence like that of a living being. It was completely saturated with the Dark Side, like it had the ability to actually store the Force within its metallic structure. Sensors placed its age at well over thirty thousand standard years, making it older than the Old Republic by many thousands of years. He made a mental note to investigate the strange debris further during his trip.
He accelerated again towards the lone structure on the planet and the center of the Dark nexus that he felt. The structure soon came into view. It appeared to be a simply constructed stone temple, perhaps fifty or sixty meters tall and easily as old as the oldest wreckage he'd surveyed elsewhere on the planet. The temple was in bad shape; its spires had long since crumbled, leaving jagged stumps and piles of stone blocks strewn about the grass at its base. Its entrance had been heavily caved in. But that damage was not as old as the rest, nor did it appear to be the result of natural erosion. Curiously, it looked like impact damage, though from what, Arisin had no idea; he saw no evidence from the air of what might have hit it. The temple sat in a large grassy clearing, something that struck Arisin as an odd thing to find in the middle of a thick jungle. It was as if the dense vegetation didn't want to encroach any closer to the structure than it had to. He continued to sense a strong dark aura surrounding the site.
He set the shuttle down in front of the temple's weathered steps, which were flanked on either side by a large obelisk. Though toppled and broken now, they appeared to have stood at least ten meters tall when intact. He lowered the boarding ramp from the cockpit and set the ship on standby mode should he need to leave in a hurry. Even before he had exited the cockpit into the passenger area, the smells of the jungle invaded his nostrils. It was the sickly sweet smell of damp soil and a thousand species of vegetation rotting together in the humid wet heat, not unlike the jungles of Yavin IV. Something disturbed him as he started down the ramp to the planet's surface; the jungle was completely silent. There were no animals screeching, no insects buzzing, not even a breeze to speak of. Everything was dead still. Was the animal life of this world, like the heavier vegetation, hesitant to come too close to this beacon of Dark Side energy?
He reached out with the Force as he marched across the wide grassy clearing to the temple, searching for any sign of life in the vicinity. He felt nothing but the never-ending jungle. Odd. Satisfied that he was alone and in no danger of being attacked by some horrific jungle monster, he focused his attention on the temple before him. As he ascended the stairs, he could see the destruction of the entrance in greater detail. It appeared as though his previous hypothesis had been correct; this damage was definitely not natural weathering. It had been collapsed on purpose. He wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but one thing was for certain; the debris would have to be moved before he could attempt to enter the ancient temple. He immediately set to work moving the stones.
Using the Force, he cast aside the larger hunks of rock. He didn't care about removing it all, just enough to allow him access to whatever might be inside. As he cleared the last piece of masonry out of the way, a glint of metal caught his eye. He dropped down to his knees and began sifting through the rubble by hand, carefully revealing, to his surprise, a very old corpse. The body, its flesh long since decayed off its dirty brown bones, was clutching two lightsabers.
He loosened the skeleton's grip and slid the lightsabers out. They were identical and appeared to connect at their base, forming a double-bladed weapon. Arisin had seen a similar double-bladed design before, at the hip of Lord Kun on Korriban. He thumbed one of the lightsabers' activators. A crimson blade erupted from the emitter before sputtering out a moment later. He tried the other one with the same result. But he'd just made a very interesting find. This man had been a Sith.
Arisin inspected what was left of the body. The bones were severely crushed. If he hadn't died in the cave in, he certainly didn't survive for long afterward. The species appeared humanoid, but not quite Human. It had small, sharp teeth and slight cranial protuberances. Some bits of mummified bluish skin were still attached to the body's skull and appeared to resemble lekku, leading Arisin to conclude that this had once been a Twi'lek male. His tattered clothing was nondescript and wouldn't help him place the being's time period. Arisin checked the Twi'lek's pockets. Anything organic would be long gone, but he discovered a personal communicator and a few ancient Old Republic credits. He left the credits but pocketed the comm. He should be able to plug it into the shuttle's comm unit and listen to its last few messages if its memory core hadn't corroded.
Satisfied that he'd learned all he could from the body, he clipped the Twi'lek's lightsabers to his belt and set off into the temple. He wasn't surprised to see that none of the interior glow lamps were functioning. He hadn't detected any kind of power source in the area when he'd done a sensor sweep. He took a small glow rod from his belt and switched it on. He had expected to see spider webs, rodent nests, something to show that time had progressed, but there was nothing. The only indicator of the temple's age was a thick layer of dust that coated the stone floor.
Wait, he though as something caught his eye.
He knelt down and brought the glow rod close to the ground. In the dust, he could make out footprints. Lots of them. In fact, if he had to guess, he'd say they were left over from a confrontation of some kind, which certainly could explain the caved in entrance and the dead Twi'lek outside. Amazed that they had been preserved for all this time, he examined them further, an image forming in his head. He saw that there were definitely two separate sets of prints. The boot treads were distinct from one another. One of the prints was very large; its owner had to have been two meters tall at least, a real monster of a man. Strangely, it looked as though the larger man was being forced backward, toward the entrance, as if he had been losing the duel. The Twi'lek hadn't appeared to be as large as this man had been, so Arisin surmised that he had actually been winning at this point. Though he obviously had the superior lightsaber skills, the tide had clearly turned at some point as the larger man ultimately walked away victorious and the Twi'lek had ended up dead.
He pushed further into the temple and was disappointed to see the extent of the internal damage. Based on the pattern of cracks that radiated out from the ruined entryway throughout the entire temple interior, it looked to have collapsed around the same time as the front entrance. He knew he'd never be able to clear out all the rubble without causing the temple to become dangerously unstable, likely collapsing completely. Besides, anything of value would have been destroyed in the initial collapse. And that was assuming the temple still contained anything of value anyway. He was clearly not the first to tread these ancient halls.
He turned back and left the crumbling structure. Marching back up into the shuttle, he was disappointed but not ready to leave this planet behind just yet. The Force still told him he was meant to be there. At the very least, he could see if he could identify the mystery Sith. He took the communicator from his pocket and inspected it closely. It seemed in fairly good shape given its extreme age. It wasn't a design he was familiar with, but the shuttle had a universal port that accepted almost any type of input. Cleaning off the dirt and grime as best he could, he slid the comm into the port and powered up the unit.
Immediately the speakers crackled to life.
"This is the personal log of Lord Kas'im of the Brotherhood of Darkness. I am recording this in the unlikely event that I am killed on this most important mission for the Brotherhood.
"Even now as I speak, Lord Kaan gathers our forces on Ruusan, awaiting Jedi Master Hoth and his Army of Light. Lord Kaan has personally assigned me to this mission due to my unique relationship with the subject.
"My mission is to hunt down a rogue Sith by the name of Bane and convince him to join the Brotherhood against the Jedi. If he refuses, I am to kill him."
Kas'im gave a short sigh. "On a personal note, Lord Bane is the finest student I have ever instructed. I sincerely hope he does not force me to kill him. He is very powerful, a great warrior, and an asset to the Sith ranks. He is perhaps one of the greatest swordsmen in the galaxy. I have taught him myself. It is my old master's blade that he wields. I truly do not desire to strike down its owner for a second time.
"Bane is the most powerful pupil I have ever taught, but I haven't taught him everything. He is stubborn and independent, but his loss would be tragic. I will kill him if I must, but I will take no pleasure in it."
There was some slight static then another recording:
"I have just exited hyperspace in orbit around Lehon, the Rakatan homeworld. How Lord Kaan knew Bane would be here I do not know. But he is here. The Valcyn appears to be landed on a beach ten kilometers from the Rakatan Temple of the Ancients. I believe he may be seeking the knowledge of Revan and the Star Force. Its wreckage litters the jungle and may still contain what he perceives as important information.
"Whatever his motivations, they are misguided. Revan and Malak failed and the Star Forge was destroyed. Bane must be made to see reason. There is an undeniable presence in the Dark Side on this world, but there is nothing to be learned here!" There was a sound like Kas'im pounding his fist on his instrument panel. "I will end this transmission until I have Bane, alive or dead. Kas'im, out." The speakers went silent.
Arisin sat quiet a moment, going over in his head everything he'd just heard. He was making of list of new information:
This planet is called Lehon and was the homeworld to something called the Rakata.
That strange debris is the wreckage of something called the Star Forge, which was commanded by Darth Revan and Malak, presumably another Sith Lord.
The dead Twi'lek was a member of the Brotherhood of Darkness, placing his death at approximately one thousand years ago.
The dead Sith had been a teacher of and was killed by Darth Bane himself.
It was a lot to be learned in such short recordings. Arisin's next step would be to figure out what exactly he would do with this new information and decide which pieces, if any, were actually important. Lord Bane had come here seeking information. Something about this planet was important. He needed more information. After a few moments deep in thought, he decided to give something a try.
"Ah, Firmus! Please, come in and be seated." Sate Pestage greeted Grand Admiral Piett and ushered him to his seat.
"Thank you, Master Pestage." The Grand Admiral sat. "I trust His Majesty will be joining us soon?"
He and Pestage were alone in the execution chamber. It was a large circular room with seats arranged in a raised ring around the floor. At one end of the ring, a single seat stood higher than the rest. That was the Emperor's personal observation box. In the center of the floor was a small circular platform which would lower down into the holding cell below and raise the condemned up into the chamber. Today, Kyle Katarn was that condemned. And Grand Admiral Firmus Piett was there to watch the man who sent his crew to their deaths pay for his crimes.
The Emperor had allowed him this private audience. Only he, Palpatine, and Pestage would be present to see the Rebel die. Good, Piett thought bitterly. Katarn doesn't deserve an audience. He's not worth it. He'll not die a martyr, just a traitor and a murderer.
"Firmus," the Emperor's voice sounded from beside him, breaking the silence. "I hope this brings you some measure of closure." He looked down at the seated Grand Admiral, who had worn his best whites for the occasion, every crease razor sharp. Though Palpatine seldom felt any measure of pity for anyone, Piett had lost his entire crew and his ship after the war had ended. Their deaths had meant nothing. It was truly tragic. Even Palpatine could see that.
Piett stood and bowed respectfully. "Yes, sir. I do hope so," he said. "I mentored Katarn, you know. He had a promising career ahead of him. I can't help but feel that this whole thing was personal, his being assigned to my ship." He shook his head. "All those men died for nothing."
The Emperor nodded. "Justice shall be served today, Admiral. And remaining rebels will be caught. They have a great deal to pay for." He turned and ascended the steps to his seat. He took his throne and signaled the holding cell. Immediately, the center lift dipped below the floor, returning moments later with Katarn stand upon it, glaring up at the Emperor. He looked haggard and weak, his plain prison garb dirty and wrinkled.
"You wanted to see me, Your Majesty?" he called out, ever defiant.
"Kyle Katarn," the Emperor's voice projected out from his box. "You have been found guilty of treason and crimes against the Empire and its citizens. The penalty for such crimes is death. Have you anything to say before you are executed?"
Katarn scoffed. "Well, I didn't have anything prepared," he quipped. "Just make it a good one, Palpatine. You'll never get what you want from me." He turned to Piett. "Admiral, it was nothing personal. That was just the ship I was assigned to."
Piett rose from his seat. "Those were good men you murdered, Katarn." Piett said sharply. "The war was over and you killed them in an act of pure terrorism. This will not be an honorable death, Kyle, and I wish that you could experience it once for every life you ended that day." He sat down again and nodded to the Emperor, signaling that he was finished.
"Kyle Katarn," the Emperor spoke again, "For your actions and participation in the terrorist organization known as the Alliance to Restore the Republic, you will hereby be executed by way of lethal gas." He pressed a button and suddenly, Katarn was encased within a containment field.
Inside the shimmering energy field, Katarn stared up at the Emperor. There was no look of appeal on his face. No sorrow, no fear, just seething, unadulterated hatred for the old man staring down at him, who appeared to bask in it.
Kyle glared up at the Emperor. The buzzing of the containment field filled his hears. Then a low hissing sound worked its way into his ears. He glanced around for the source and found several small nozzles imbedded in the floor that were spewing a barely visible vapor that slowly wafted upwards. He began to notice a slightly metallic taste in his mouth. Then it became difficult to breath. He equated it to trying to breathe in a sauna, somewhere with high humidity and thick, wet air. Then his breathing became painful. Just an ache at first, then slowly worsening. Soon, each breath was agony. His lungs felt as it they were on fire.
He dropped to his knees in a spasm of pain, clutching his heaving chest. Gasping for breath, he began to make gurgling sounds until finally he started to cough. Thick, dark blood sprayed the floor. His lungs were dissolving. He coughed harder and harder, gouts of blood pouring out from his mouth. Flecks of his ruined lungs littered the floor. Collapsing now to his back, he writhed and seized with pain until finally laying still.
Piett had forced himself to watch the entire gruesome display. He owed his men that much. Never one for wishing pain on anyone, he couldn't help but feel Katarn deserved much more. However, the deed was done. The man was dead. Piett's mind could finally be at peace.
The three men sat in silence for a few moments, their gazes fixed on the bloody mess before them. The containment field was deactivated when the expanding puddle of blood reached the edges of the energy barrier and began to vaporize, adding a sick sizzle to the scene.
"Rest your mind now, Admiral," the Emperor said at last. "He is dead and your burden has been lifted."
"Yes. Thank you, Your Majesty." Piett rose and straightened his white dress jacket. "I must return to the Manticore." He turned to look up at Palpatine. "Thank you again, Your Majesty."
"You are most welcome, Admiral," the Emperor responded, descending from his box. "Now go, your ship needs you." He nodded his head in dismissal. Piett bowed, acknowledged Pestage, and left the execution chamber.
As soon as Piett had gone, Sate Pestage looked to the Emperor. "Do you believe he is ready to join you now, Your Highness?"
"No," said the Emperor, still staring at the bloody corpse in the middle of the floor. "Katarn is still defiant. His will is too strong to be broken so easily. I sensed it just now as I shuffled his consciousness into a fresh body."
"Easily?" Pestage wondered to himself quietly. "My goodness." He rose and left his master alone to his thoughts.
Arisin was surprised at just how much the world's eerie silence was getting to him. Maybe because everywhere I go, something tries to kill me, he thought cynically. I'm getting used to it.
He stood once again in front of the temple, the Sith Lord Kas'im's lightsabers clutched in his fists at his side. He closed his eyes and drew upon the Dark Side, using the abundant dark energy around him to fuel his experiment. He concentrated on the lightsabers.
Just as with the Emperor's vision back on the Death Star and later his and Leia's in her cell, disembodied sound was the first thing to manifest. He heard the unmistakable clash of lightsabers, boots scraping stone, someone breathing heavily.
Arisin felt a cool breeze brush his cheek, despite the breathless jungle around him. Slowly, the image began to work its way into the Sith Lord's mind. He opened his eyes and was no longer on Lehon. It was night. He was standing atop a large plateau of reddish stone, the apex of another temple of some kind. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he was back on Korriban. In the center of the large flat surface, two men faced each other in battle, one large, one small. Both of their chests were bare, robes thrown outside the ring. One of them was a blue-skinned Twi'lek, no doubt Kas'im. And the other, the giant, was unquestionably Darth Bane. Kas'im brandished a dual-bladed lightsaber, the same lightsaber that was now in two pieces clasped in Arisin's hands. Bane fought with a lightsaber of a design Arisin had never seen before. The hilt was curved. It looked awkward in his massive hands, but he wielded it expertly. As they sparred, Kas'im spoke to Bane.
"Excellent!" he said in the same voice Arisin had heard on the ancient comm's recordings. Kas'im had just defending himself from a particularly brutal assault from Bane.
He returned the attack in kind. Kas'im was impressed. Though Bane hadn't come particularly close to hitting him, he had forced the more experienced Kas'im to take a step backwards and really focus defend himself. Suddenly, Arisin saw Kas'im leap over Bane's head, twisting in midair to slash at the larger Sith from a new angle. Bane easily blocked both blades, ducking and rolling away as Kas'im landed. Bane jumped quickly to his feet and spun round to face the blademaster, saber at the ready. Kas'im, however, had his blades lowered; the lesson was over.
Arisin stood watching from a far corner of the makeshift arena on the temple roof. The Twi'lek's voice carried loud and clear across the night.
"That was very good, Bane." He offered his pupil a nod of respect. "I am impressed. I thought that you would be caught off guard by my last move, but you were able to predict it and defend yourself with almost perfect form." He smiled slightly in the dark, his sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight. "You are progressing quickly."
Arisin could see Bane's shoulders heaving up and down, breathing hard. His bare torso glistened with sweat. Kas'im tossed him a towel. He, too, was sweating, though only slightly.
Bane caught his breath. "Do you have anything for me to work on for tomorrow night? New forms, sequences?"
Kas'im shook his head, a lekku sliding off his shoulder. "You have moved beyond sequences and forms, Bane," he said. "In my last pass, you flawlessly broke your attack sequence and came at me from a completely different angle."
"I did?" Bane's deep voice echoed over the rooftop. Arisin could see his posture change in surprise. "I-I didn't mean to."
"That," said Kas'im, "is what makes you so dangerous. You have surrendered yourself to the Force. You allow it to guide your blade now. You fight with your passion, your anger, your hatred. You act without thought. Your blade has become an extension of the Force, of the Dark Side."
"I still couldn't get past your defenses, though," said Bane, a note of pride in his voice nonetheless. "Your lightsaber," he said, pointing. "Do two blades give you the advantage?"
Kas'im nodded. "But not for the reason you believe."
Bane waited for an explanation.
Kas'im obliged. "You already know that the Force is the true key to victory in any confrontation. However, it is not as simple as that. Someone well-trained in lightsaber combat can defeat an opponent who is stronger in the Force. The Force allows you to predict your opponent's moves so that you may counter them with your own. However, the more options your enemy has available, the more difficult it becomes to anticipate their next move."
"So a double-bladed weapon gives you more options?" asked Bane.
"No," said Kas'im. "But, there lies the advantage. It makes you think it does. In the end, the effect is the same."
Arisin saw Bane mull over this a moment. "I still don't understand, Master."
"You wield the single-bladed lightsaber well; you use it and your fellow students use it. My double-bladed weapon seems alien to you. Unfamiliar. You are unaware of its capabilities." He stopped, allowing Bane to understand.
"In combat," he continued, "your mind keeps track of each blade, doubling their options. But the two blades are connected. By knowing the location of one, you automatically know the location of the other. So you see, in practice, the double-bladed weapon is more limited than the traditional lightsaber. In the wrong hands, it is far more dangerous for the one wielding it than for their opponent. As it is so difficult to master, very few Jedi or Sith understand it, and thereby do not know how to attack or defend against it. That is my advantage."
"Master, by telling me this, you've given up your advantage," Bane said.
Kas'im smiled. "I am never without an advantage."
Suddenly, Arisin was inside a large room, its stone walls were old and worn. In the middle of the floor sat a large figure. Darth Bane. He sat in contemplation, no doubt meditating on the direction in which he would take the Sith Order. Behind him, in a doorway, stood Lord Kas'im.
"Bane!" Kas'im's voice reverberated around the rock walls. "I bring an invitation from Lord Kaan."
Bane's eyes flashed with anger as he jumped to his feet, lightsaber in hand.
"How did you find me?" the massive Sith Lord bellowed.
"Lord Kaan told me you had come to this world. Once I reached orbit, it was as simple as following the Valcyn's beacon," said Kas'im. "Though how Lord Kaan knew you would come here I cannot say."
"Were you sent to kill me?"
"If you will not join the Brotherhood, I am to leave your corpse on this barren and forgotten world."
"Barren? How can you say that?" Bane raged. "The Dark Side is as strong here as it ever was on Korriban. It is here that we will find the power to destroy the Jedi, not in Kaan's Brotherhood!"
Kas'im ignited his blades. "It is time to end this foolish quest, Bane. The old ways have failed. The Jedi defeated those who followed them: Kun, Revan, they all lost! Our only hope is to find a new philosophy."
Bane seemed hopeful for a moment, as if Kas'im were saying exactly what he wanted to hear. However, as Kas'im spoke again, disappointment washed over his face.
"Kaan understands this need," said Kas'im. "That is why he founded the Brotherhood. It is the future of the Dark Side."
Bane shook his head slowly, deliberately. "Kaan is wrong, Kas'im. I'll not join him or his Brotherhood."
Kas'im sight in what could have been deep despair. "Then your life ends here."
Arisin blinked and was instantly returned to the present. He stared up at the ruined temple. He still gripped Kas'im's lightsabers. Why had the Force shown him this? The Force was not random; there was a reason he had been shown what we saw.
He joined the two lightsabers together and clipped the resulting extra-long hilt to his belt. There was still much to be learned here. He drew a deep breath and disappeared into the jungle, searching for the strange Force-imbued wreckage and more answers.