The Emperor
Chapter 7: Εγγονός του αυτοκράτορα
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SWs, if I did, then everyone would have either talked in a british accent, or the Stormtroopers would have been better shots...one of the two.
A/N: due to some recent life stuff, I have switched to a smaller font, let me know if it's too small or if it's fine as it is. And good news has come at last, I found a way to get line breaks to work on FF!
The training room's lights had been set to a low setting and both combatants were blindfolded as they circled each other.
Moving almost too fast to see, the two forms sprang forward, their blades flaring to life as they flew towards each other. Mere moments after they had flung themselves at each other, their weapons collided together in a spectacular display of sparks and energy.
However they had scarcely faced off before they spun away from each other. And then they jumped back into it.
Clash. Hiss. Clash. Hiss. Clash.
Back and forth the energy swords swung, elegant and graceful as they collided in a deadly dance. The two combatants continued swinging at each other for several more moments before flying back to opposite sides of the training room, which was circular in design.
They rested, breathing only slightly heavier then normal, before shooting forward again, stabbing, jumping and slicing at the other, hoping for the killing stroke. The battle raged for several more moments before one of the two warriors crouched low, almost sitting on the ground, and swung their blade at the others legs.
A mere second before the razor quick slash hit its legs, the figure jumped up and did a complicated twist in the middle of the air; while at the same time, they brought their blade down towards the first figure, the second figure's attack was blocked however when the first figure brought their blade into a horizontal position over themselves, causing the opponent in the air to bounce back up, before doing a flip and landing several paces away from the first figure.
"Ashoka will kill us if she catches us down here" The first figure said, having a distinctively feminine voice.
"Then we'll be very careful to not be caught" The second figure said, a more masculine voice.
"Are you two sparing again! Confined to your quarters means confined to your quarters!" A loud, also female, voice shouted at the top of her lungs from outside the sparing room.
"Figures" The female combatant spat before flying into the shadows with her companion a mere second before the double doors made of Alderaani wood slid open.
A figure in the robes of an Imperial Knight, with the extra armor and red sash to indicate she held the rank of Master, strode into the chamber and scanned the room, looking vehemently for the two knights who had just a minute ago been fighting. She made a gesture with her hand and the lights turned up significantly, allowing her to see every inch of the medium sized room.
"Master Tano-" Luke began, only to be thrown across the room by the use of Ashoka's honed force abilities, wherein he crashed into one of the training room's walls.
"If The Emperor himself did not need you in his chambers in the next five minutes, you would be a dead, dead, dead, DEAD corpse! Did I get it into your thick head that you are dead when your done talking to his Majesty?" Ashoka shouted as Luke rose to his feet slightly dazed. She was obviously angry about some other event that had the unfortunate timing of happening right before she had come to catch the two of them sparing.
"Yes Master Tano..." Luke said, sighing in defeat, realizing that the Togruta was not in the mood for negotiating and he should just accept his fate and pray it wasn't that bad. Or at the very least it would be bad enough that Ashoka wouldn't mention it to his father when he returned home.
"And YOU!" Ashoka snapped as she rounded on Mara. "You don't have any excuse, so we're going to have a nice long chat until he-" She paused and pointed at Luke with one hand while she glared at the red haired human female. "Gets back...got it?"
Mara winced at the implications of having to listen to Asokha rant at her for hours on end before she nodded slowly to the Master Knight and sent a quick glare at Luke. "Of course..." She said weakly, mentally thinking of ways to kill Luke later without leaving evidence of it being her doing.
Luke took in a breath as he and Han stood inside the elevator that was rapidly rising up the central spire of the Imperial Palace. Han was decked out in his full uniform, with all it's medals and ribbons proudly pinned on. Luke was also dressed lavishly, wearing a magnificent gray robe with red and gold lining and with black and green emeralds dangling off silver and gold chains from the upper portion of his robe. Both were however wearing identical black boots that had been polished to an almost blinding shine.
The two exited the turbo lift once they reached their destination, the top floor of the Emperor's Chambers as well as the top floor of the highest building on the planet. Even compared to the rest of the Imperial Palace, the top floor of the Emperor's Chambers were beyond stunning.
Cream colored marble floors and pillars stood out brightly against the black painted wooden walls and ceiling of the hallways that ran through the top floor. There were huge windows that let the barest hints of sunrise filter in. Large, exotic statues and paintings were scattered around and through several of the archways that led outside that they passed they could see parts of the Emperor's private gardens.
One of the other things that were easily picked up on was the army of guards. Every shadow behind the pillars that lined the sides of the hallway seemed to have a red robed Imperial Guardsmen. All of the doors had a pair of them, one on each side. And to top it all off there were guards doing extensive patrols throughout the place. The Emperor would not be assassinated within these walls, that much was certain.
Stopping before a set of mechanized, wooden double doors, flanked on each side by six guardsman, Luke waited until the doors slid open and then entered the Emperor's Quarters while Han stayed outside, moving closer to a pillar nearby to wait. The double doors sealed shut and Luke was alone with the Emperor.
"For all your potential, you have continued to prove to be of the same stock as your father" The Emperor said quietly as Luke approached the Emperor, who was sitting in a simple plush chair by a large window that was no doubt reinforced and ray shielded. Luke said nothing, knowing from experience that the Emperor would signal him when he was ready for him to speak.
"You were unfairly punished, yes" Palpatine stated, matter-of-factly. "And to honor your punishment...you escaped from your lock-down, went out into the lower levels with another knight and spent the night partying and drinking with that knight" Palpatine continued, purposely refusing to mention Mara Jade's name. "And then, after we pardon you and simply put you back in your lockdown, you sneak off and spar in the mornings with that same knight" Palpatine finished, looking at luke.
"I-I am sorry your Majesty" Luke said and was rebuked with a scoff.
"You of all people know that you may speak freely with me here" Palpatine said with the slightest of grins.
"Of course Grandfather" Luke said. "What is it that you summoned me for?" Luke asked.
"Well there is the matter of you causing trouble while under probation, and with a fellow knight as well...you could be demoted or even put on a more extended probation" The older man said. "You should know better..." He added, sounding slightly sad and also disappointed.
Luke winced, knowing that both would result in a lot of screaming and suffering, while he also knew that his grandfather had a way out, which would be almost perdurable to the former punishment.
"As you know, the Empire's nineteenth birthday ball will be coming up in a few months..." Palpatine began as Luke groaned, already knowing what would be expected of him. "...and a man by the name of Devon G'Dor plans to unvail a new statue honoring the Empire...you will be assisting him."
Luke could tell by the tone in his voice that it was non-negotiable. He sighed and nodded to the Emperor. It made sense, in a way. To Palpatine's great annoyance, Luke had a natural gift for architecture, however he hated it.
"Good" Palpatine said, seeing that he had gotten his point through. "Now return to the temple, you and your...friend will be overseeing the project tomorrow morning."
"Yes Grandfather" Luke said, trying to keep the glee out of his voice now that he knew his grandfather planned to let him spend time with Mara still, while also escaping Ashoka's wrath for a small amount of time.
"Milord" Major General Frall said as he bowed low to the Imperial High Lord. He had just arrived from Cakkiiwo II, postponing his report only long enough to shower and change into a fresh uniform.
"General" Anakin said as he nodded to the man. He turned back to face the viewport that showed the front of his flagship, the Devastator, as well as the watery world of Cakkiiwo II.
"My men have secured all but a small handful of islands on the planet, and are now being rotated with fresh occupation units" Frall reported. "Piia is the only major resistance left on the planet and we estimate that only a couple of days, a week at most really, is all that it will take to finish off any organized resistance there."
"Good."
Luke and Mara, with Han and Slick acting as their 'Guards' exited the Royal Imperial Speeder the next day and looked around at the construction site. Speeders moved all around the structure; some flew overhead, some moved around it on the ground and more were just arriving with supplies and personal for the construction sight, and it was quite a site to behold.
In honor of the Emperor and his Empire, Devon G'Dor had begun building a massive, sprawling pyramid of pure black stone. However about halfway up the parts of the pyramid that were already built, glass was beginning to take the place of the stone, with an obvious plan to make the upper half of the structure completely, or almost entirely, of glass.
Due to the partially unfinished walls, Luke could see that the inside was hollow and that a procession of men and women were moving varoius objects ranging from tables and chairs to glow lights and soap dispensers. Seeing a tent set up nearby, they walked over to it and entered, where they found G'Dor looking over a holographic design of the temple, including a floor plan, several statistics and some measurements.
He had wild orange hair with a green streak starting near the center and ending near his left cheek. His eyes were a vivid gray with orange scattered around the iris. Looking to be in his late twenties or mid thirties, he was slightly overweight, but still had an air of youth about him as he excitedly made changes to the plans with a stylus and muttered to himself about new possible additions to the structure. But once he heard and sensed the presence of Luke and Mara, with their small entourage, enter his humble abode.
"Sire!" The man all but shrieked in surprise and bowed low to the Imperial knights and the two Imperial soldiers accompanying them.
Luke grinned slightly, but nodded for the man to rise. Devon then energetically made gestures for them to approach the holo table he had been working at. "Come, come, come! I just finished the measurements for the archway and I have almost finished working out how the support beams will be woven into the building's interior!" The architect went on exitedly. Luke and Mara put on their best facades of looking extremely interested in the project as D'Gor went further into detail of the monument and it's interior, including the throne room, reception chamber, museum and banquet hall. Han and Slick, luckily, were able to retreat to near the door and escape the conversation.
Palpatine sat upon his throne in the Imperial Court Chambers. The massive room was empty, it's many seats, both on the ground floor and on the upper levels in the tiered balconies that surrounded the central floor, were vacant. The huge glass window that his throne was placed before showed the majority of Imperial City, as well as the Imperial Knight Headquarters.
He had been in thought, paying his guards no mind as he mentally brooded. His thoughts had been centralized around his grandson. The boy was a prodigy, mastering the arts of the force at an impressive speed. He was also as headstrong as his mother and as rebellious as his father. His anger was strong, but his passion and wisdom were growing and countering it, however he still had far to go before he could rule as one of Palpatine's Viziers.*
"Are you sure about this General?" Lieutenant-Colonel Stryok asked the hologram of Major General Frall, who was aboard the Devastator at the moment. "Mount Pylos is still a heavily defended area..." He said, gesturing to the holotable next to him, which was showing the island of Piia and the mountainous region designated Mount Pylos. The area was covered in red and blue lines, with almost all of the lines flashing, indicating they were in an engagement.
"While I agree with you that an air assault would not be the best way to finish Mount Pylos off, it will be the fastest way" Frall said. "Get it done Stryok, I know you will get this final patch of resistance finished off in no time at all."
Yes, Stryok thought, but how many men must die before we finish off all resistance?
"Gear up! Gear up! We Jump* in twenty seconds!"
Staff Sergeant Tryce Iosla slid a back up battery for his rifle into a ammo slot on his armor before gripping said rifle in his hand and sliding his helmet over his head. He then moved closer to the back of the Imperial transport where the rest of his platoon was preparing to make The Jump*.
The Imperial Jumper Division* of the Stormtrooper Corps was among the most dangerous and hair raising jobs in the galaxy. Put in light weight armor, even for regular infantry standards, and given eighty five pounds of combat gear and then shoved out of a transport moving at near sonic speed was enough to keep the enlistment numbers for the select group low. That number shrank even more after the Jumper Boot Camp, which was after the Stormtrooper Corps Boot Camp.
"We Jump in five, four, three, two, one! Go! Go! Go!" The Jumpmaster shouted over the roar of the wind as the ramp lowered and the Jumpers began to start exiting the craft.
Iosla felt the wind whip at his armored body as he fell closer and closer to the ground. The battlefield they were falling into was filled with laser fire and explosions from mortars, artillery pieces and grenades alike. White ranks of Imperial soldiers merged with the green ranks of Imperial Army soldiers as they fought against the multi colored ranks of rebel soldiers.
The fall lasted only for a few short seconds before his boosters kicked in and landed him safely in the combat zone. Yanking his rifle up, he ran at the rebel lines that the 66th Imperial Jumper Regiment had landed so close to and let loose a stream of green bolts that cut down a handful of rebels hiding in a network of foxholes. The rest turned to fire at him, but the rest of Iosla's comrades had quicker trigger fingers and the remaining band of rebels quickly fell to the might of the Empire's blasters. Having cleared those few foxholes, Iosla led his platoon across the rocky battlefield towards another series of defenses, these consisting of trenches and heavy turrets.
Explosions rocked the ground as friendly and enemy fire filled the air and several flares went up in more oppressed areas in need of reinforcements. The laser fire intensified and bodies began to fall. After nearly two and a half hours of continuous fighting, Mount Pylos fell. But the cost was nearly two thousand Imperial soldiers.
CFM Commander Flanders had been taken alive, badly wounded and still fighting madly against his Imperial captors, but his pitiful attempts were easily blocked by their armor and he was dragged out of the repetitively bombed command center on Piia. CFM Lieutenant Frost had been shot in the chest upon the Imperial's charge into the base and several other higher ups had fallen in the battle for the control room; but Flanders had the unfortunate luck to be shot in the leg and a few other non-vital areas before they had gotten the room secured enough to actually get binders on him.
Major Aleon Rai grinned grimly at the rebel as he began to cease his struggles. He then turned to the Imperial Jumpers who had captured him. "Staff Sergeant" He said. "Take that man aboard my shuttle and have him prepped for Lord Vader, he wants to speak with this man...alive" He said pointedly, indicating the man's blood soaked uniform and face.
"Yes sir!"
Well this finishes Chapter 7, let me know what you think. Do you guys like or hate the smaller font and any new characters, OC or otherwise to ad? Plot ideas? Seriously im pretty much winging this fic right now, a plot idea would be awesome.
* The title of Imperial Vizier is, as far as i know, completely made up by my mind. I blame reading too much Egyptian stuff in history class. It is basically a rank that is on par with Grand Moff, but for civilian/people outside of the military directly. It is used mostly to people that Palpatine gives to those that work directly under him. A Grand Vizier would be the third most powerful person in the Empire (hint hint, nudge nudge, wink wink), since the High Lord is second to the Emperor.
Also, i would like to take the time to make it official that Redlight King (a new band i found) is the sole reason i was able to finish this chapter, well, the core reason anyways. Motivate with reviewss and go check out Redlight King (This is not an advertisement, i just really like the band).