Chapter 10: A New Dilemma

Imperial Castle, Mobotropolis, 15:30pm…

"Well done, Grand Inquisitor." Darth Vader said as he spoke to Elias via hologram. "With the capture of the Jedi Seth Kerran, you have rid the Freedom Fighters of one of their key members, and rid the Empire of one of the many Jedi that threaten its stability."

Elias nodded. "Thank you Lord Vader. But regardless, two Jedi still remain." He replied.

"Two Jedi who will also share Kerran's fate once they too are captured." Vader replied harshly. "One is no Jedi, and the other, while your equal in terms of skill, will be easily dispatched when you and your brethren are able to fight as one against him."

Elias nodded. "There is still the issue of Dr Eggman's replacement." He remarked.

Vader's breathing conveyed the Dark Lord's indifference to the issue. "Doctor Eggman was a dim-witted fool, even though brilliant of mind, was too myopic to realise just how bold the Freedom Fighters have become." Another short period of breathing followed before Vader continued: "Until a replacement can be sent, Governor Tarkin will assume temporary governance of Mobius. Perhaps he will succeed where Doctor Eggman failed."

Elias nodded. Tarkin was more than worthy of the position, especially since his reputation preceded him. Tarkin was one of the best battle tacticians the Galactic Empire had, having always believed that the ends justified the means. "Knowing the Governor as we do, that will likely be the case."

"Indeed." Vader replied. "As for the Jedi, Kerran, bring him to me at my fortress on Mustafar. I would have words with him before he dies."

Elias frowned. "With respect my lord, might we be allowed to try and discover the location of the Freedom Fighter base, in order to send the Freedom Fighters to their doom?"

Darth Vader's breathing once again filled the silence as the Sith Lord considered the idea.

With every breath that Vader took, Elias grew ever more nervous. It was not common for one to suggest an alternative idea to one suggested by Darth Vader himself. Such thinking could easily result in the death of the one who had made the suggestion.

Eventually, Vader's silence was broken with an angry reply: "I can easily do that myself, Inquisitor!" Vader snarled.

Elias' breath caught in his throat as he attempted to placate Vader. "I didn't mean to offend." He squeaked.

Vader was silent for a brief few more minutes before saying: "Regardless, you have your orders, Inquisitor. See to it that they are followed. Bring the Jedi to me." With that, Vader's image disappeared.

Elias finally stood up, wiping his brow free of perspiration. That could have been worse, Elias thought to himself.

"And?" Asked a voice.

Elias almost jumped when he heard the voice, turning around to face Tarkin. "You could have knocked." Elias growled, folding his arms.

"Apologies. I've never been one to follow common courtesy." Tarkin replied. "But as I was saying, what did Lord Vader have to say?"

"He congratulated me on the capture of the Jedi and asked me to bring them to Lord Vader as soon as I could. He also nominated you as Dr Eggman's temporary stand-in."

Tarkin nodded. "All in good taste, though I am curious as to why Lord Vader would wish to waste his time with a Jedi such as the one you captured."

"He wishes to have words with him." Elias said. "It's not my business to pry further."

Tarkin nodded. "And where are you to present the Jedi to Lord Vader?" He asked.

"To his castle on Mustafar." Elias replied. "Where else?"

"Well, there is Coruscant, and he could meet us in orbit here if it please him."

"Well, he said Mustafar." Elias said. "And I'm not one to refuse Vader, so that is where I will take the Jedi."

Tarkin nodded. "Very well." He said. "Well, I had best go and prepare a statement on yesterday's events, and assume governorship of this planet." With that, Tarkin left, passing Colonel Aryn on the way in.

Once Tarkin was out of earshot, Cersei shot in, closed the door, and rushed to Elias. "Are you alright? You seem shaken."

Elias nodded. "I am fine, Cersei." He replied. "But it appears that I will need to make preparations to leave for Mustafar."

Cersei frowned. "For what reason?"

"Lord Vader has requested I bring him the Jedi." Elias replied. "He wishes to have words with the Jedi and discern the location of the Freedom Fighter base."

Cersei folded her own arms. "That should be our job!" She snapped.

Elias raised a hand to steady her, saying: "Regardless, it is the will of Lord Vader."

Cersei's face took on a worried appearance. "Then I won't be able to accompany you, unfortunately. If Lord Vader discovered our relationship, who knows what he would do!"

Elias frowned. "Why would that be the case?" He asked. "We've kept it a secret from everyone else. Vader will be no different."

Cersei shook her head. "It's different now, Elias! I'm at the stage now that Vader will notice!"

"Notice what? And what are you talking about?" Elias demanded.

Cersei looked about worriedly and said: "It's what I was trying to tell you yesterday before you headed out to battle the Jedi: I'm pregnant."

Elias' eyes widened as he felt the weight of the announcement fall upon him. Pregnant. The word provoked a plethora of emotions and thoughts, coursing through his mind. Joy, surprise, worry, he named them all. But the emotion he felt most was fear. If Cersei's pregnancy was discovered by someone like Tarkin, it could possibly expose Elias and Cersei's affair, and ruin both their careers. Vader would no doubt kill Elias and Cersei if he discovered this. Frowning, he turned away from Cersei, deep in thought. And then the solution came. Turning to Cersei, Elias smiled. "Not if I deliver the Jedi to Vader personally." He replied. "You can remain on the Star Destroyer we take, while I head down to the planet with the Jedi. You can still come with me."

Cersei frowned. "I wouldn't be so sure. Vader might sense your fear."

"He won't." Elias assured her. "By the time we've arrived, it should be no problem for me to put up a façade."

Cersei rubbed her shoulders. "I hope you're right, Elias." She said. "For us and the baby's sake."

Elias nodded, and placed his hand over Cersei's womb. "It will be alright in the end, Cersei. All you need to do is take a temporary leave of absence. Then, once the child is born, you can entrust its care to your parents on Coruscant. They will do the rest."

Cersei frowned. "It might look suspicious, though." She remarked.

"I will ensure no-one bats an eyelid." Elias replied. "Any that do will… mysteriously disappear."

Cersei frowned. "I assume you're going to entrust this information to Frederick, then?"

Elias nodded. "I trust him. We have a… special relationship, to say the least."

Cersei sighed. "Well, at least I've managed to tell you." She said.

Elias nodded. "At least." He repeated. "Now, you'd best leave. I'd rather you weren't penalised for neglecting your duties."

Cersei nodded, and made to leave, but not before planting a gentle kiss on Elias' cheek. Then, she turned and left.

Elias waited a few moments, before leaving the room as well. He needed to talk to Frederick about this fresh dilemma.

Frederick's Office, Later…

"Oh dear…" Frederick remarked as Elias made his confession known. "You are in trouble."

"I won't be if you agree to keep this secret for me." Elias replied. "I can't have rumours beginning to spread about this."

Frederick sat back in his seat and folded his arms. "Well, Cersei will inevitably begin to show, Grand Inquisitor. The rumours will no doubt begin then."

"I've asked Cersei to take a leave of absence before that happens." Elias replied. "With luck, she can have the child, give it to her family to raise, and continue with her duties."

Frederick frowned and sat forward. "The length of absence will surely be noted and look suspicious."

"I'm relying on you to make sure that doesn't happen, Frederick." Elias said. Taking on a menacing tone, Elias stood up and leaned forward in an intimidating manner. "Because if it does, I won't hesitate to hunt you down and kill you."

Frederick sat back and tented his hands, smirking. "There is another option, if I may."

Sitting down, Elias said: "Yes?"

Frederick leaned forward, darkness falling over his face. "You could always kill the Colonel." He said.

Elias' face darkened as well. "You would have me kill the mother of my child, and the child with her?" Elias said.

"I would have you remove a liability." Frederick replied. "I know you care for the Colonel deeply, but your love for her will only weaken your resolve. By killing her, and the child you know she carries, you restore the strength of your resolve, and ensure you continue the work you've done for the Empire with the same zeal I saw you with when I first met you two years ago."

Elias looked away, deep in thought. It was true he did care for Cersei a great deal. It was also true that she could potentially be the cause of his undoing, being as close to him as she was, and especially now she was with child. His child.

He had learned from Lord Vader during his training that Jedi had perceived attachment as a pathway to the Dark Side. Elias used the Dark Side of the Force every day, so he found this teaching a problem. But he now wondered: Could attachment be a weakness of the Dark Side as well? He recalled a story that Vader had told him, of the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Malgus, who had taken a lover of his own, but found himself forced to kill her when he realised she had become a liability. Elias scowled as he wondered: Could I do the same to Cersei, knowing how much I love her, as well as knowing that my child would perish with her? Shaking his head, Elias looked up at Frederick and said: "I'll consider it." With that, he rose from his seat, and left the room.

Once he had left, Frederick made to light a deathstick, before he remembered the presence of another in the room. With a wave of his hand, Frederick said: "You can come out of the shadows now. He's gone."

With that, a figure emerged from the shadows, revealing the complexion of the Third Brother. "Finally." The Third Brother said. "I finally have confirmation of my suspicions."

"As well as a prime opportunity for revenge." Frederick replied, his mouth curling into a sly catlike grin. Which was funny, since he was a cat. Sorry, Grand Inquisitor, he thought. But even you should know better than to trust me.

Ah, Frederick. There's a reason he's currently the most dangerous person on the Imperial government on Mobius. No-one can trust him, not even Elias, who views the man as a friend.

Small note: I will be taking a few days off from daily updates, as with the onset of school, I will have a fresh lot of homework to be getting on with. Plus, I have almost finished writing the remaining chapters of the story, so I can finish those whilst on said break without worrying about veering away from my current daily schedule. After I've finished the remaining chapters, I will resume my current schedule.

With that now said, thank you all very much for taking the time to read this fanfiction. If you enjoyed it, then please leave a review in the appropriate section, telling me what you enjoyed and what you think I can do to improve my writing. In the case that you really enjoyed it, then please favourite and follow this fanfiction, so that you will be informed of any new chapters I upload.

Again, thank you for reading, and I will see you soon (Hopefully!) with the next chapter, which sees Roman make his plans known to those that supported him... only to discover that there are some that oppose his plans.

T-Rock 14