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Ch14
Xanatos was ecstatic! Finally he would prove his worth to his master! He would be chosen as the first Darth in his master's new order! But first there was a simple task he would have to do. He had already sent a holo to Darth Plagues. The fool would think he wished to celebrate his master's success. All else would be simple. He had seen the buffoon wield a light saber. His Makashi was mediocre at best. How did such a weak man even acquire such a strong apprentice? How did his master live under such a weak decrepit worm.
He identified himself through the security system and taking the hidden staircase to the left appeared in a museum of sorts. The room was dark. There was no artificial light. Torches blazing purple flames adorned the book cased walls and shelves filled with dark relics. How the Jedi did not sense this darkness cofounded him. Jedi were weak however so perhaps he had overestimated them.
He kneeled in front of the desk where a hooded figure sat hideous visage obscured by the hood and shadows. The figure chuckled. "Rise apprentice of my servant. Today a victory has been won by the Sith! The dark side has never been stronger!"
"You are right, old man; I come burdened with a message from my master. Die!" He did an Ataru flip bearing down on the ancient Sith Lord with a down word strike. This would be the end!
He was blasted back by a dark wave of energy hitting the wall and the desk missing his head by centimeters only a force push saving him. He absorbed the lightning into his light saber. "I see you have grown somewhat better at deception acolyte!" The cackle of Darth Plagues resounded in the large hall.
Xanatos snarled. "Good that you know your place! An old man should make way for his betters! On your knees."
He bore down with his light saber cutting through the various books the sith lord sent at him. "You are a fool!" Darth Plagues hissed. "I shall teach you why it is your master so easily disposes of you!"
Xanatos rolled out of a falling bookcase in the nick of time only to be attacked by a dark acolyte. "Looks like you've been plotting against my master after all." He slashed at the acolyte sidestepping a blow and burying his light saber in the female's chest. Two more attacked him using double blades similar to Maul's. "Come and face me! Old man!"
"You still have much to learn apprentice!" A voice came from behind him. He force leapt back only to be slicing through a mirror image of the old Darth. One of the apprentices shot out lightning. He switched into a Makashi stance absorbing what he could. He switched on his spare light saber and throwing it at the second figure parted the unfortunate acolyte with his head.
"Face me you coward!" he yelled in rage slicing the first acolyte in half. "Persistent! Indeed." Came the reply. "A shame your master underestimated me…" The tone turned apologetic. Coming from not only the ceiling but the walls "It seems that Darth Sideous thinks he can eliminate me with a pathetic street urchin like you. Perhaps if Kenobi had come along you would have had a chance…"
Xanatos turned his head this way and that trying to angrily determine where the cowardly sith was hiding. "Oh wait.." The voice drawled. "Kenobi would have most likely never found himself in such a situation he is after all a far more intelligent man then you…"
Do not compare me to that wretch! Xanatos yelled. The voice laughed infuriating him even more. He sliced a dark relic and another and another. The laughing only grew it was everywhere! "He is dust! Second best! Even Jin did not want to train him!"
The voice laughed. "Come out or I shall put your precious books on fire you dotard!" The anger was pure in him painful all-consuming and beautiful putting him in a wild ecstasy. He grabbed a torch bringing it to the books. The laughing suddenly stopped. "Got your attention did it?" He snarled. "Come out and face me!"
A shadow emerged. "I had hoped you would prove more entertaining." Darth Plagues sighed. "Ah well, we take what we can."
Xanatos ran at him gathering the eddying force around him and propelling him toward the dark lord. Foolish man! He didn't even draw his light saber! A hand was raised shooting lightning. He absorbed it mid leap bearing down on the old figure once more. A light saber was drawn and suddenly he was in a deadlock. The nose less mauled face bore down on him. Two pieces of flesh serving as the mouth moved to smile. Xantos's smirked as he pushed the sith back cutting through the folds of clothes only to realize it was an illusion. From behind he felt a searing heat. The agony was incomparable. He collapsed in a trembling heap. Cursing the force for failing him.
And as his vision blurred he heard the terrible hisses of the syllables. "A message to your master, my last lesson. Overconfidence will lead to failure." And as the retreating figure walked it turned. "Oh and do not send a boy to do a man's job." The darkness took him as he heard another sickening laugh resound in the now empty hall.
Palpatine sat in his new quarters. He had the entirety of the previous Chancellors blue fetish removed and replaced with red carpets. He had also added to the plain and unadorned chambers marble statues and paintings he himself picked out. The new redecorations made him feel more like the Chancellor of the now his puppet to be republic then any of his Sith hideouts.
He had just received word that the Queen of Naboo was personally inviting him to celebrate the victory of Naboo and his own election at a party she was hosting here on Coruscant.
He would go of course. He would also need to make a few changes. Namely request that Kenobi be assigned to one of his own guards. His job on Naboo was currently finished no need in wasting valuable assets there was much work to be done. Yes Kenobi was truly a lucky find. Who would have thought that on his visit to Jaguada the force would send him such a fine apprentice? Granted Kenobi wasn't fully immersed in the dark as he would have liked, however Kenobi's cause was adamant enough that he didn't fear betrayal from his person.
Suddenly he felt a sharp disturbance in the force. It felt like something had shifted, something major had occurred. He probed the force only to discover a scene that grimly met him. His apprentice utterly defeated by the hands of his master! This was… He rose rapidly punching in a secure channel. It seemed his plans would have to unfold faster than he had initially intended. This angered him to no end! He focused on but to things to calm him. Xanatose would regret failing. And his master would regret not dying!
