Chapter 43

'Punishment and Betrayal'

'Caught in Darkness'

'Absolution'

'Guilt and Confession'

Plagueis taunts his new apprentice during the first days of his life as a Sith. Dantius is determined not to suffer the humiliation of being knocked to the floor again. There are a great many things of which Dantius is willing to take; but his pride and dignity refuses to tolerate the daily assaults. He never liked it from his father and he will not stand for it from this Munn.

Dantius has other things to worry about since his return to Naboo. A tribunal is held accusing the young Sith apprentice of the atrocities on Hoth. No one associates the massacre in the Palpatine household to the tragedy on Lnteel Glacier but there are suspicions.

Plagueis waits out the inquiry and decides not to take action. Dantius is held for questioning. The grand inquisitioner visits the tortured young man. Dantius appears physically weak and sleep deprived. The lack of sleep is not so much from his daily torment by his master but lingering guilt over the deaths of his friends. Dantius could use whatever power he possesses to get away but he is tired. Perhaps he will be left alone while he recovers. He has the right to counsel but he is not ready to speak to anyone…yet. Authorities think he should be questioned but not by police. He receives an unexpected visit one morning while under observation.

Dantius has been in a holding facility for several days. He has not been pressured to account for his time on Hoth or for his whereabouts after his return to Naboo. He showers and changes into a clean set of clothes. He spends the early morning gazing out the window looking down on the courtyard of a detention center. He knows someone is coming for him but not sure who it could be.

The door creeks open. An attendant admits someone into the small room. The tall figure is dressed in black. He looks across the room at Dantius. The man has a peaceful look on his face. He is not more than 30 years old. However, his dark hair appears to be thinning. It is a Jedi priest dressed in full clergy attire as if he is about to perform an exorcism. He carries a small book in his right hand. The priest manages to smile as he greets Dantius.

"Good morning, Dantius. I am Father Jan Volker. I was summoned because you have something to confess."

Dantius' eyes widen with surprise. He appears weary and defeated. He shakes his head 'No'.

His demeanor changes to quiet defiance.

"Whoever told you this is mistaken. I have nothing to confess. Go away."

"You seem troubled, my son. The attendants informed me that you are sleep-deprived. Free yourself of your demons so you may be at peace."

Dantius repeats himself.

"I have nothing to confess."

"You feel that your friends have betrayed you. You feel guilty for their untimely demise."

Dantius stares blankly at the young priest. He is almost amused.

"I have nothing to confess."

"There are charges against you. Surely, you wish to clear your conscience and your name. The story is that you killed your friend."

"I don't care to discuss that. You'll have to speak to my lawyer."

"I am not here to judge you, Dantius. I am here to give you the chance to accept what you have done and to ask for forgiveness."

"You're wasting your time, Father."

"You suffered an emotional crisis. You called out your friend's name. The one you claimed to have murdered."

"I never claimed that."

"Apparently you have had trouble sleeping for the past several days. You are talking in your sleep. You have so much as admitted harming people."

"I don't recall. That's impossible."

"What do you want to do? Do you wish to free yourself?"

Dantius sighs heavily and rubs his face. He has no control of his emotions. It has to be Jedi mind trick forcing him to say things he does not mean to say. He secretly knows he is living a tortured hell. He wants the torment and the sleepless nights to cease. Dantius finally reveals something to the priest.

"I want the voices to stop."

The priest is quietly intrigued.

"Voices? Voices crying out? What are they saying to you?"

"Need they say anything at all?"

"I believe they are causing you great distress. Anyone with an ounce of emotional guilt feels something. I believe you still have a conscience, my son."

Suddenly Dantius become quiet.

"This conversation is over, Father. If the authorities can come in here and convict me, then let them try." A strange smile creeps across his face. "Are you prepared to speak in my defense, Father? I don't think you want to see what you expect has happened."

"I want to free you of your demons."

"Take my hand, Father. Let me know if you truly want to battle these so-called 'demons'"

Father Volker has a worried look upon his face. He believes in the all-good Jedi spirit and takes Dantius' hand. A flash of images appear before him. A spasm pulses up his arm and through his body. He immediately releases Dantius' hand. The priest appears stunned and almost frightened. His face turns white with fear. He cannot catch his breath. Something makes a loud sound as it lands on the marble floor.

The priest feels the last bits of humanity draining from this young man. The visions he sees are of blood, death, and pain. Father Volker regains his breath. Dantius smiles softly as he looks at the floor. The prayer book is open to the Jedi Ritual of Exorcism.

"So, do you still wish to offer me absolution, Father? Your time will be better spent elsewhere. You cannot help. Goodbye, Father."

A week passes. The tribunal ends without a conviction. The chairperson is outraged and wants to know what has happened. The expert witnesses are unable to help. Dean Kingsfield mysteriously comes down with an illness and is unable to testify. Other witnesses suddenly are unable to confirm stories attesting to Dantius' behavior during the years he attended the university.

Dantius leaves the hearing with his attorney who is retained by the Sith Order.

Plagueis waits at the monastery as Dantius returns. Their meeting in the chapel is not a victorious one. Their encounter is met with swift punishment. The master is not pleased that Dantius has called attention to himself. The impact of the force-hit sends Dantius sailing across the room. His body slams against the stone wall like a ragdoll. Plagueis takes great joy in hearing his apprentice's bones hit the dingy stone.

Dantius manages to lift himself from the floor. He stands, almost hopping, and faces his master. He hides the pain cruising through his body as Plagueis chastises him.

"You fool! You allow them to question you?"

"I had no choice. I did it to distract any attention from the Sith Order."

Plagueis does not believe him.

"Did you now?"

"Yes…I did." Dantius is defiant and boastful. He feels almost nauseated as a salty taste lingers on his tongue. It is his blood.

Plagueis snarls at him.

"How magnanimous of you. You were provided counsel to avoid such entanglements. They were summoned to speak on your behalf."

"They were incompetent. I can defend myself!"

Plagueis has had enough form his new apprentice for one day. He dismisses Dantius.

One of the Sith attendants walks out of the shadows into the chapel. He stands behind Plagueis. The attendant senses the humiliation that the Sith Lord must feel.

"Shall I send someone to follow him, Master?"

"No. Let him go. He has no one. He will return…his arrogance will follow."

Dantius leaves without apology. He returns to his family home.

The Palpatine estate is a desolate place. All of the bodies have since been removed but the place has the feeling of death.

Dantius makes his way through the main floor towards the dining room and past the kitchen. He opens the refrigerator. There is no food suitable for consumption except for some quince and apricot marmalade. He notices something in the back of the refrigerator; It is a bottle of preserved muja juice and a bonus of sort, some Byss cheese. He removes the stopper from the bottle takes a gulp. It is refreshing for the moment. All of the bread on the counter is stale but he does find some water crackers on the counter. He carries his provisions up the wide staircase. He passes the gallery, determined not to look at the family portraits hanging from the walls. The images appear to float slowly into one another as if they are lost and seeking other relations.

Dantius continues his walk through the gallery until he arrives at his mother's suite. He enters the room and lies on the claret velvet chaise that his mother loved so much. This is as far as he could walk considering the pain he is feeling. He glances up at the ceiling. The cherubs and whirl around, almost spinning. Suddenly their cheeks puff and eyes become black voids. Dantius gulps down more of the muja juice and takes a bite out of the cheese wedge. The ceiling begins to rotate. The pace picks up. He does not know what is happening.

Dantius wakes up the next morning. He is face down on the floor in the suite and his face is covered with vomit. The cheese and the muja juice were rancid but he could not tell the difference the previous day. He staggers to the bathroom and washes his face. His mother, had she been alive, would have been horrified that here beautiful room had been defiled. The pain from his beating by Plagueis is coursing through his body. There is no way he will make it out of the house or across the courtyard without collapsing.

After making his way down the stairs, Dantius steps outside to the fresh morning air. He lurches forward and vomits again on the side of the courtyard steps. After regaining his composure, he ventures out onto the main road and hails a taxi to take him to the campus of his alma mater. After paying the fare to the driver, Dantius makes his way to the medical center.

The medical center is a bit different from the last time he visited. It is quiet. There is no one there whom he recognizes. He takes a chance visiting this place. He could have gone across town to Naboo General Hospital but this place has a soothing familiarity.

A triage attendant appears at the front desk. She sees him wandering in the waiting area.

"May I help you sir?"

"Uhm…no…I'm fine."

The triage attendant can tell that he is not fine. His pale skin is dotted with perspiration. He appears to be near collapsing.

"Are you sure? You should sit down and I'll have an attending look at you."

"I'll be fine. I just need to sit for a while."

Dantius struggles to sit in the waiting area. He closes his eyes.

The next thing he hears is a familiar voice. It is not the woman at the triage window. It is a voice long forgotten. He never expected to hear from this person.

"Ah, yes…I know who he is."

"You do?"

"Yes. Don't worry about this one. I will take care of the paperwork."

"Doctor, you're too good. He was wandering around and would not complete the forms."

"I'll take over from here. Thank you."

Dantius opens his eyes to see someone in a white physician's coat holding a light to his eyes. It is Markus, Sigi's friend. He does not know if he should be glad, guilty, or fearful. He tries to sit up but a streak of pain sends him back onto the emergency room bed.

"Markus…I didn't expect to see you."

"Yes, I'm here. I decided to continue my residency here on Naboo. Now, I'm on the late shift. You caught me just as I was about to go off duty. Looks like you have a couple of cracked ribs and some internal bleeding."

"But I just got here."

"It's late. You have been unconscious for several hours. Care to tell me what happened?"

"It's nothing."

"'Nothing' could have you bleed to death."

"I'm fine. I fell."

Markus' tone is a bit somber now.

"Seems like a lot of that has been going on lately."

"What do you mean?"

Dantius appears defensive for no apparent reason.

"You know, a few of my friends died recently."

"I…I…It's a tragedy."

"It is. I recall that you and Sigrid were friendly, weren't you?"

"Of course. I was heartbroken when it happened. Did you attend the funeral?"

"Unfortunately, I was away when it all transpired. I was a volunteer for refugees arriving on Tatooine. The communication facilities are primitive at best. Not much news got through. I was heartbroken to find out that the funeral services for my friends had already taken place. I heard that you were there…around the time of the accident I mean. Is it true?"

"I was there, but only for a short time. I had to return to Naboo. I did here about poor sweet Sigi. I am deeply saddened by her death. What have you heard?"

""I don't know the whole story but rumor has it, there was a row between you and Boone,"

"No! Boone was my friend. He was like a brother to me. Both Sigi and Boone meant lot to me."

"Why did you come here? Why didn't you go to Naboo General?"

"This is the only place where I knew someone."

"You're not going to tell me how you became injured but you came all the way to Naboo University Medical instead of Naboo General Hospital?"

"Trust me…you don't want to know."

"If someone threatened you, perhaps I can help."

"No, you're better off not knowing."

"You're willing to keep this a secret? "

"It is best for both of us."

"Well, you can stay. I do recommend that someone come pick you up once you're well enough to go home."

"I can manage on my own."

"How? You have two cracked ribs and other injuries."

"I'll be fine…thank you for your concern. You've been very helpful."

Markus leaves him. Dantius regrets his terse reply. Markus was a good friend to Sigrid and went out of his way to take Dantius as a patient when they met the first time as students. He does not want Markus to know any more information. He uses what power he has to cloud Markus' memory about the events resulting in Boone and Sigrid's deaths. Markus does not mention the massacre at the Palpatine mansion. It was news across the homeworld and beyond.

Dantius uses his powers, not because he liked Markus, but he still loved Sigrid enough to respect her memory and to save her friends. He does not want Plagueis toying with the lives of the people left behind. Dantius may need them later. Dantius still has some compassion and he wants to keep it alive for as long as he can.

He is alone now. His family is gone. All of his friends are dead. The ones who survived have disavowed him. The only one he has for protection is the one who could destroy him. He must learn what he can from Darth Plagueis.

Dantius uses his powers to heal himself. He will need to regain his strength if he is to conquer his master. For now, Dantius will return to the Palpatine family estate to heal and plan his future.

The next evening he has time to look through the house. He remains in his mother's suite. He notices something on a small table near the chaise. It is a blue silk box with a crystal inside. He sits on the edge of the chaise and runs his pale fingers across the outside of the box. He never truly paid attention to all of his mother's collectibles. For some reason this one item has a great force power. He studies the box and the crystal for several minutes in the dark room. The sun is going down and it is now dusk. All is eerily quiet in this house, even though no one is here. Dantius senses something is not right. He lies back on the tassled pillow at the head of the chaise. As the last sliver of sunlight disappears, Dantius realizes that he is not alone.

A shadowy figure appears at the window near the velvet drapes.

"Feeling better, I trust my young apprentice."

Dantius bolts upright. He does not have time to process the pain he feels from his remaining injuries. He is more fearful than angry as he speaks to his intruder.

"How did you get in here?"

"You have no family…no security…your guards are gone…There is no one here to look out for you. And I…I have ways of getting in the most impenetrable places."

"What do you want?"

"I am here to help you."

"I think you should leave."

"You are in no position to tell me what to do, you murderous little brat."

"You still have no right to be in my home."

"You need to continue your training."

"Screw you!"

"My boy, after all you have done in the past month…you are already screwed. I suggest you rethink your past deeds. It is time to get back to work."