7: Darth Varius
A/N: I'm so sorry for the inactivity these past few months – I've been so busy with all my exams and stuff. Here's chapter the seventh!
"What is your wish?" asked Sidious, eyeing the young Fett kneeling before him. He had not sensed this much power since Anakin Skywalker, but he knew that Boba Fett was no Force Sensitive. His powers, although not nearly as good as Skywalker's, were fueled by anger and hate—so much that Sidious knew that Fett could be a very strong apprentice. Though he would have preferred Anakin Skywalker, Sidious was willing to use Boba Fett first.
Boba looked up and stared at Sidious right in the eye. "I want to kill someone," he told the older Sith Lord, "who killed my father years ago."
Sidious chuckled. "Mace Windu," he stated with a smirk, "A good choice."
"I didn't choose him," Boba growled, "He chose his own fate by killing my father on Geonosis."
"And so, he never expected the son of Jango Fett to rise as the enemy of the Jedi," Sidious said, "Will you pledge yourself as my apprentice, as my student, Boba Fett?"
"Yes," Boba answered confidently, "I will." He could feel opportunity at his very fingertips as he said those words, looking up into the cold eyes of his new master. Master, the word echoed in his head. How long was it since Plo Koon's death? Boba could feel the pain erupt in him again as he glanced at Dooku. Though he joined the dark side, he could not forget how he felt as his former Master fell to the ground, killed by Dooku's hands. He looked back at Sidious again, not wanting to raise any suspicion. He hid his inner feelings well, and no one felt his thirst for revenge. He would kill Dooku when the time came, Boba promised himself.
"Good," Sidious said, standing up, "From now on, you will be known only by one name: Darth Varius. You may rise."
Boba, or rather, Varius, stood up, still clutching his lightsaber—the one he had constructed with Plo Koon at his side. He felt Sidious' eyes slide down to his weapon, and his grip tightened.
"You will need a new one," Sidious said, "I won't take no for an answer."
"I'd like to keep it," Varius replied, "But not use it. Is that okay, Master?" Sidious nodded promptly.
"I have been saving this for a new apprentice… and since Dooku has so graciously declined previously, you can have this lightsaber. The crystal is a special one—one that reacts to your darker feelings in combat. It will strengthen you, Varius." Sidious stepped down from his throne and handed Varius the lightsaber, who accepted it without comment. He then kept away his old lightsaber, next to another one hidden from even Sidious himself. Varius had taken Plo Koon's lightsaber when no one was looking—not as a trophy, but rather, a keepsake. He felt obliged to remember his former Master, and not bury him away in the past like any other cold-blooded man would do. But aren't I cold-blooded enough?
"Your troubled thoughts plague you," Sidious stated, indicating that Varius had let his guard down, "About your dead Master."
"My only Master is you now," Varius replied, looking past Sidious and out into space, "No one else."
"That had better be true," Sidious growled, "Now, you must train to become stronger—is that what you want, so that you can kill Mace Windu… your father's murderer?"
Anger boiled within Varius as he nodded solemnly. "I trust Darth Tyrannus will give you the training you need," Sidious said, glancing at Dooku, "I must attend to other matters now. The end of the Republic is at hand, Varius, and you, along with Tyrannus, will be by my side when it happens." Without further words, Sidious left the dark chamber.
Varius could hear the hiss of the lightsaber being activated, and now the only thing that disrupted the silence was the humming of Dooku's lightsaber.
"You hold three lightsabers," Dooku said darkly, "One of which is your dead Master's. Why do you keep his weapon still, Varius?"
"That is, honestly, none of your business. You're here to train me. To give me more power," Varius said, turning around, "Do it." He ignited his lightsaber and prepared himself for the spar ahead.
"That is a question I want answered," Dooku said, taking one step forward, "next time."
Tatooine
"How are we going to find them?" Anakin asked, while surveying the crowd. He hadn't been here in years, and it felt like a trip into the past as he stood here in the middle of Mos Eisley, remembering how he used to head from home to work in Watto's junk shop when he was little. Home. The word rang strangely in his head as he glanced in the direction of Watto's old shop, and then to his old home. No one was occupying that house anymore, he presumed, not since the Skywalkers were there. And then he remembered his mother again. Her kind and caring face appeared in his mind, images of his past with her flashed in his head and played like a movie. Eventually, his thoughts landed on Padme, and how he had met her. He remembered how he felt about her the very first time he saw her.
Wonder. Amazement.
Curiosity.
"Anakin?" Obi-Wan said, nudging his apprentice, "Are you listening?"
Anakin cleared his throat. "Sorry, Master. I was too caught up in this place."
"I know," Obi-Wan said with a fatherly sort of smile, "I remember how I met you. Do you?"
Anakin laughed. "Yes," he said, "The strangest way possible, but I am grateful for that. And Qui-Gon…" He stopped. "I'm sorry," he said hastily, when he saw Obi-Wan's smile fade immediately upon the mention of his dead Master.
"No, it's fine," Obi-Wan said, "I… I just have to get used to his name again. I still haven't… accepted it very well."
"Right…" Anakin muttered, feeling tension rise. He hadn't meant to mention Qui-Gon's name again, but all the memories had come rushing back to him.
"Hey! You Jedi?" grunted a Toydarian from behind. Anakin and Obi-Wan turned around to face an old Toydarian—old, yet familiar: Watto. He squinted his eyes at Anakin for a split second more, before breaking out into a surprised grin.
"Ani!" exclaimed Watto, "I never thought I'd see you again!"
"Watto," Anakin greeted with a small smile, "What a small world."
"A small settlement, that's what," Watto corrected him, coughing slightly, "So how are you, boy? Still being the great Jedi out there, eh?"
"If you say so," Anakin said, folding his arms, "We're here on a mission, Watto… so if you'll excuse us…"
"I know, I know!" Watto said, going closer to the two Jedi, "I think I could help… if you're looking for the Kel Dor and the boy."
"You saw them?" Obi-Wan asked, stepping forward, "Where were they headed?"
"Bay 57," Watto told them, "Waved off two mercenaries, too. You and your Jedi mind tricks, eh?"
"Did they ever come out again?" pressed Obi-Wan, feeling anxious.
Watto thought for a long while, before shrugging. "I can't say I remember, but I don't think that bay was supposed to be in use anyway… No, they never really did come out again." Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin, who merely held a solemn expression. If they never came out of Bay 57, then that must mean that Dooku stopped them somehow…
"Anakin, we're going," Obi-Wan said darkly.
Anakin nodded and glanced back at Watto for the last time. He handed the old Toydarian some money, and said, "Thank you for your help, Watto."
"May the, uh, Force be with you, Ani!" Watto yelled after their retreating backs.
Bay 57 was empty, as Obi-Wan and Anakin stepped inside. Though it had no trace of Plo Koon or Boba, Obi-Wan could feel a strong presence within the Force. Brother, Plo Koon's voice echoed in his head, Obi-Wan.
A sudden realization dawned upon Obi-Wan then: Plo Koon was dead. Boba has joined the dark side in a desperate attempt for power, Plo Koon told him, his Force ghost suddenly appearing before the two of them. I'm afraid he desires Master Windu's death.
"Plo Koon," Obi-Wan muttered, feeling the pain of loss rise within him as he looked at Plo Koon, "What happened to him?"
He has fallen, Plo Koon replied, but he still has good in him. Not very much, but just enough to be able to be turned back. Don't kill him, Obi-Wan… this is my last wish. Boba can have a life greater than this. He is like Anakin, and he will be a valued member of the Jedi Order. I just know it. Trust me, Obi-Wan.
"Where… where did Dooku take Boba?" Obi-Wan asked.
I do not know, Plo Koon said solemnly, Boba has… cut his connection off from me. I would have been able to know his location if he hadn't cut off his bond…
There was a long, unwavering silence as Plo Koon stared into the eyes of Obi-Wan. "We'll find him," Anakin said quietly, "and bring him back."
Thank you, Plo Koon said, almost peacefully, I… I will be watching. May the Force be with you.
The Force ghost faded away into the surrounding, leaving Anakin and Obi-Wan alone. "Now what?" Anakin asked.
"We report back to the Council and we improvise from there," Obi-Wan answered, "For now, we have no leads at all."
"The Council will take a long time," Anakin protested, "Besides, we… promised him. What if the Council decides to order us to kill Boba Fett?"
Obi-Wan let out a troubled sigh. "We must… follow the Council's wishes, Anakin," he told his apprentice, "If they want us to kill him… we will."
"That's against Master Plo Koon's wishes," growled the younger Jedi, "You can't betray your friend like this!"
"What am I to do, Anakin?" Obi-Wan countered, his eyes filled with sadness, "I must obey the Council. Plo Koon would have, if he were in my position, accepted the order. Even if he did promise… he cannot betray…"
Anakin folded his arms. "Obi-Wan," Anakin said darkly, "Boba still has a chance. If we tell the Council that he turned to the dark side, they wouldn't even give him another try at this. He means something to Plo Koon."
"And what can we do now, Anakin? Sit around and wait for him to just magically appear before us?" Obi-Wan said impatiently, "The fact of the matter is that we are without a clue now. We cannot possibly track Boba down ourselves, much less Count Dooku."
This time, Anakin had nothing to say. He, too, was stumped.
"I say we return to the Council and listen to their advice," Obi-Wan said, "If they want us to kill Boba… I… I would try to persuade them out of it."
"And if they refuse to listen?"
Obi-Wan looked away. "Then I have no choice."