Chapter 3

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"In The Shadows, There Is Power"

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Dantius could hear that 'lubdub' sound again as he reads the opening line of the letter. He bites his bottom lip and continues reading:

'I have reviewed your credentials and considered you along with the other candidates. It has been decided that you are not a match. There is, however another position of which your talents could be put to good use.'

Please see me at the enclosed address at 17,00hrs on Friday.

M. Plagueis, PhD. Extra-Galactic Philosophy

He sneers as he mouths the blaring line in the short 'rejection notice.' 'Another position of which your talents could be put to good use?' What does he expect me to do, work in that dusty research library?

Dantius turns the envelope and a small invitation card falls out onto the food tray. He picks it up and reads it. There is an address on the card. It is not on campus, which is certain. He will need to go to the NABU Transport Desk to map out the location. He tucks the card into his pocket and begins to eat the yogurt as he contemplates his upcoming 'field trip'. A few student pass by the table carrying a banner. It is the Theed University Plasma Ball Committee. They stand on one of the chairs to attach the banner to the wall. Dantius turns for a moment out of curiosity. The school colors of crimson and gold emblazon the banner. The letters 'TABU' stand out in collegiate form near the teal colored royal crest. Various art students prepared it, and it was impressive but not enough to entice young Dantius Palpatine to revel the coming of the championship game. He has other things to champion.

He is finishing his light breakfast. He is about to leave the table when he remembers the other mail. It could not possibly be of much importance. Curiosity gets the best of him or rather his duty to the senders. He does not want to be caught in a lie. If he had indeed opened it, he will be compelled to respond truthfully.

The student dining hall is livelier than usual this morning. It is because of the pending big game. Dantius ignores the other students and opens the parcel. His mother packaged and sealed it herself. All mail in the Palpatine household is a task usually reserved for the servants, but for her only son, this has to be specially done. She wants her son to pine for home and family but is proud that he is on campus. This is her excuse to buy things for him.

His mother looks forward to his calls home to thank her. It is her hope that he will call. Lately the calls have been infrequent, so much so that Mrs. Palpatine is prompted to call her son instead. She hates sounding like a nagging mother but she senses that she is losing him. He gives a number of excuses for responding. He blames his negligence to studying or fatigued after studying.

The parcel yields the typical things, new toothbrushes, and toothpaste, sandalwood and almond soap hand-milled and bears the royal seal of Theed Palace. He pulls out four pairs of bantha cashmere socks, a package of note cards (a not so subtle hint for him to write home sometimes). There is a tin of hard candies and a gift box of Paonga Delights, a sweet fruit-infused confection hailed by food aficionados as the best thing to come from the sea resort.

Early settlers made Paonga their home and discovered that the brackish waters medicinal but also enhanced the flavor of all sorts of foods. The people near the Paonga Sea managed to get along with their water dwelling Gungan neighbors of Otoh Gunga. Dantius could not resist opening this beautifully wrapped teal box with the burgundy grosgrain ribbon. The young man with the detached demeanor has a sweet tooth.

He pops an apricot-flavored treat into his mouth. He closes his eyes. The intense aroma makes him hark back to his childhood when the family would visit the Paonga Spa Resort during the summer. The servants would leave a sample of these chewy sweets on the pillows. Dantius and his sister would return to their hotel room after a day out on the beach and try to be the first to steal the treats. It was like a Naboo Celebration Day egg hunt. He lets the treat slowly melt on his tongue. It was like heaven. He looks in the box like a child selecting a favored toy.

He picks the Blossom wine treat. It was tart and sweet. He remembers his uncle teasing them by saying the blossom wine treats were for adults only and he would be in big trouble if the parents found out he were giving alcohol to minors. There was no truth to it at all. The Blossom wine Delights had no 'punch' at all. They were a rich crimson color with a rich flavor to match. That killed the whole mystique. No one was going to get drunk off these! Bummer.

He spends a few more minutes perusing the candy box. He would take just one more and he should be on his way. There are at least eight flavors from which to choose. He chooses the pera one. This one was both delicate in flavor and sweetness. It was juicy like a pera, in his mind anyway. It tasted fresh as if picked from a tree at that moment. These confections do not come cheap at 12 credits per ½ kilo. The average university student will never see this in a care package from home. This package was about 1 kilo. Just as he stays to savor this last one before closing the box, his eyes drift over to the remaining piece of mail. He does not want to open it but he would never hear the end of it if he does nothing. He takes his data card and tears the envelope open. The paper is unmistakable. He already knows who sent it. The expensive cotton stationery and the fragrant gold lining of the envelope reveal all.

Dear Dantius,

It has been weeks since I have heard from you. I hope you received my last letter. I know you have been studying very diligently this semester. I was thinking that we spend too much time apart and fear that we will become strangers. Your mother has encouraged me to take the first step to help. She is a wise woman and, above all, knows you more than anyone. I am ready to take the first step.

With all my devotion,

Contessa Vernu of Theed

The letter irritates young Palpatine. The thought of his mother getting involved in this matter annoys him. It is best to ignore it for now. He gathers his mail and food tray then prepares to exit the dining hall. The students with the banner are still there as well as a few other students having breakfast before the servers close to prepare lunch.

It is a brisk morning as he makes his way across campus. He has two classes today. The morning has been somewhat of a disappointment but Dantius is full of anticipation. Friday seems a long way off. He takes out the note card and reads the address once more:

17 Bassa Bridge Way

Theeddorf Canton

It is dusk on Friday. Dantius Palpatine sets out on his appointment. He keeps the note card handy. He knows the city of Theed well but is not familiar with this part of town. He takes his rucksack, packs a bottle of water, a notebook and a pullover in the event there is a change in the weather. He takes some of the Paonga Delights with him and stuffs them into a small tin. He cannot imagine a professor living in such a strange part of town.

He takes the Naboo Metro to the Bassa Bridge. Only foot traffic is permitted to cross. He looks over his shoulder as the tram continues back to Theed University and Palace Square. Only two other passengers get out at this stop. One is a domestic worker who immediately hops into a waiting speeder. The other is a middle-aged man who brushes pass him on the gravel-ridden bridge.

As he arrives on the other side, people seem to disappear into their houses or down cobblestone alleyways. He looks around for someone to give him some direction. He is alone. He looks up and sees the street sign. Olde Bassa Ridge and Selsdorf. He forgot to do one important thing. He forgot to look up the directions. He only looked up the transportation to the general area.

It is growing dark and he figured he had better start walking. He stays with Olde Bassa Ridge, which is not the same as the street name on the note card. He follows the signs until he arrives at Bassa Ridge Way. It was a twenty-minute walk but he is finally there. The address belongs to a non-descript structure, not a house or an office. It reminds him of an old monastery. It looks as if someone had drawn it on a sheet of newsprint out of charcoal. Curiosity makes him wonder if it looks as ominous in the daylight hours. It is in no way dilapidated. It just looked like a black dust storm hit it. It is sandwiched between a garden full of overgrowth and a used bookstore. The buildings across the narrow street appear uninhabited. It is a quiet area. It seems as if all pedestrian traffic flows in the opposite direction.

Dantius looks up at the cathedral-type doors. Above the archway is the address No.17. It is barely readable in the dimly lit street but the brass numbers are polished. There is a doorknocker located at eye-level. He reaches for it.

The door swings open. A figure in a dark hooded cloak holds it. Dantius steps across the threshold. the door greeter points directly ahead to another set of doors in the foyer. There is enough illumination for the student to make out the black granite floor and the burgundy runner. No words are exchanged between him and the figure standing at the door. He looks over his shoulder as he reaches the cathedral-shaped doors. The hooded figure nods for him to continue onward. The door opens easily but once he steps inside, it slams shut like a stone wall. He is beginning to have second thoughts about this journey. What if something happens to him? He never informed anyone about his evening sojourn to this strange part of town. What if it is a ruse? Perhaps the good professor never sent him a message to meet him. What if it is a fraternity prank? No fraternity had ever invited him to pledge. It is just as well, he s never interested. 'Lubdub'. His heart starts to race. His eyes dart around the room. Candles attached to the two rows of pillars offers some light but not enough to figure out what sort of place this is. He starts to relax. A cool blast of air fills the room. A hand touches his shoulder.

"Good evening, Dantius."

The surprised student regains his calm and follows Plagueis like an obedient dog. Plagueis appears different. He is wearing a floor-length dark cloak. His face is hidden but the voice is still recognizable.

"What is this?" He looks around as he trails behind the philosophy professor. Plagueis ignores him.

"Sit."

Dantius Palpatine slips the rucksack from his back and places it on the floor beside a bench. Plagueis circles the young man. Dantius follows him with his eyes.

"What is this place?"

"You are quite talented, my dear boy. I wanted to give you an opportunity that others never had. I trust you read my note."

"But, I don't understand. Why did you summon me here? What is the difference between this and the position for which I interviewed?"

"Precisely. I truly believe you have a different calling. Your ambitious nature lends itself to what I am considering to offer you…if you so desire it."

"And what is that?"

"There are things you yearn for which cannot be gained by being merely a servant in academia. I can offer you more. I know you crave more. I feel your angst. I feel your desire for vindication of everything you suffered and lost in order to make your mark on the galactic empire. You want that do you not?"

"Yes…yes, I do."

"I have observed you for a long time, young Palpatine. You want these things. The question is, at what price are you willing to pay?"

"Anything." He has no idea why he says this. His answers come too quickly. He cannot help himself. He does not know what he is walking into right now.

Plagueis slowing circles Dantius.

"Have you heard of the Order of the Sith?"

"I-I have heard things but I must admit I do not know much. It is a secret sect, I believe. My father once referred to them as heretics. It is a forbidden topic at my house. I have never known a Sith Lord."

Plagueis calmly walks the floor. At one point, he stops with his back towards young Palpatine.

"Ohh, I think you do."

"I do?"

Plagueis turns. He is holding something in the palm of his hand. The object emits a vaporous red haze. It is illuminated. The student shields he eyes from the swirling light. He starts to turn away but he cannot resist. He slowly lowers his lands. The object is in the shape of a pyramid. Plagueis continues to speak, caressing the vapor all the while as if to invoke some unseen spirit.

"There is the Force and then there is the dark side of the Force." He then regards the pyramid and 'talks to it in a whispered chant, "In umbris potestas est." He glances over at Dantius then returns his attention to the object. "What I hold is a holocron. It contains a wealth of information. It contains everything that helps me retain my powers. One can say that it is alive with the Force. I possess many. I am its Gatekeeper.

"Gatekeeper?"

Young Palpatine is mesmerized as he continues to gaze at the holocron. Plagueis tells him about the Sith Order and the philosophy behind it. It sounds both terrifying and intriguing. He listens to the tales of Sith long gone. Plagueis shows his student holo images emitted by the holocron. After he reveals many of the mysteries behind the Sith history, he smiles.

"In the shadows there is power."

Dantius suddenly questions this new information.

"How is this so?"

"Why the sudden doubt, young Palpatine?" He looks away.

"If you have so much power why do you teach?"

"Universities are an easy way to find an apprentice."

"You were looking for me?"

"You need someone to nurture your gifts. You have had to suppress your talents because you have a mother who tries to make you docile and a father who has nothing but contempt for you."

"That cannot be true. He is hard on me but I do not believe he feels contempt for his own son."

"You want to succeed, don't you, Dantius?" Plagueis continues to focus on the holocron as he walks around the room. Dantius remains seated.

"Yes, of course I do…"

"Tell me." He turns abruptly. He is face to face with Dantius who at first confused.

"What?"

"Tell me…"Tell me what you regard as your greatest strength, so I will know how best to undermine you; tell me of your greatest fear, so I will know which I must force you to face; tell me what you cherish most, so I will know what to take from you; and tell me what you crave, so that I might deny you."

"Why would I tell you such things?"

Without warning, the Muun Sith Lord is looking up at Dantius. Dantius is gasping for air. He does not realize that he is being held against one of the pillars, 3 meters above the floor. Darth Plagueis has his hand outstretched but it is not touching his student. The holocron has disappeared.

Dantius is struggling to break free of the dark Force pinning him against the granite pillar. His legs are flailing and his arms swing like a ragdoll. He manages to bring his right hand to his throat. His pale skin is turning a shade of blue-gray. He cannot make a sound. No one is coming to rescue him. Plagueis seems to be speaking but there is no sound. Dantius cannot hear. It is as if he is in a slow-motion dream state. Could he be dying? The vise-like grip on his throat is unrelenting. Something else is happening. Pressure is building up from within him. It feels like an explosion. Plagueis falls back onto the floor across the room. Dantius slides down the pillar onto the granite floor in a loud clump.

Perhaps he should have answered his teacher's request. Somehow, he is able to make out the words Plagueis was saying to him during the struggle, "The Force is strong with this one. You will make a good apprentice."

If he survives this dream….maybe.