Chapter 16: Purpose

Chancellor Palpatine stood in his office, overlooking the wonderful city that stretched farther than the eye could see. There were so many beings out there. They all had something. Each and every one on Coruscant were bustling around, never giving much thought to anything that was not in their immediate vision or thought. They would continue their ways of life without so much as a thought towards the future of something greater than themselves. Palpatine often did not concern himself with beings lower than himself, but he knew when he could use someone for his own purposes.

Despite being Sith, Palpatine was not one to kill those he despised immediately. Sometimes, he could use others for useful things. Merely killing was a waste and should be used when it serves a purpose. Palpatine still took joy in the suffering of others nevertheless, but his position of Chancellor had not offered him the luxury of such pleasures. He had to continually think ahead, planning, waiting, and watching. There would be a time for pain later, lots of it if his foresight was accurate. He would have the whole galaxy in his grip. Countless worlds would be dripping with fear, pain, and perhaps hatred. There would be much to celebrate, but there was still much work to be done.

The Jedi Order was still the only true threat to the Order of the Sith. They were tenacious, careful, and very intelligent. Yet, for all their knowledge and insight, they still had underestimated the power of the Dark Side of the Force. The Jedi Council Masters preached to their knights and padawans about the Dark Side, how its lure becomes irresistible once it entangles a person in its power. There was some truth to that statement, but that was only a partial understanding of the Dark Side. The Jedi, for thousands of years, still remained fearful of the Dark Side because they lacked the will to control and direct it. In many cases, Jedi, when calling upon the Dark Side, found themselves out of control, their powers erratic and chaotic. To Palpatine, they simply were not strong enough to become masters of the Dark Side. Only a handful of Jedi could truly hope to even have a chance against the Sith, and two of them were within the Jedi Order, but all his apprentices thus far had proven to be more than a match for the Jedi.

Ever since Darth Maul's "death", Palpatine was somewhat angry at the loss. Years of training had been seemingly wasted. His once-whole zabrak apprentice was now only half as powerful as he was some thirteen years ago. Maul had become weaker with prosthetic legs. His power in the Force had been cut in half due to the lack of living tissue. Despite the waste, Palpatine was not profoundly affected by the loss. Maul was a mere tool who had served and outlived his usefulness. What he lacked in experience and extensive knowledge he made up with youth, rage, and his erratic nature.

Darth Tyranus was a more practical Sith. Unlike Maul, Tyranus was not so quick to draw upon emotions of the Dark Side so quickly. Being Jedi for most of his life, Tyranus could never truly be powerful with the Dark Side. Still, his skills in the Force were many and proficient. He was more powerful than Maul, and was far more versatile than Maul. Not only was he skilled in the Force, but he was a master duelist. Few could match his caliber, but like Maul, Tyranus would eventually be executed. Tyranus had simply outlived his usefulness as well. His defeat at the hand of the "Jedi Knight" Starkiller had proved that it was time to find a truly worthy apprentice. Palpatine had found two candidates that would make for the most powerful Sith in galactic history.

Anakin Skywalker had the highest midichlorian count in the history of the Jedi and Sith. With training and time, there would be no one that could equal him. Already, he was a master of Djem So, a lightsaber form which matched with his unchecked emotions. Unlike many Jedi, Skywalker was quick to emotions and often went against the Jedi Council's orders. No one knew, but Palpatine often watched whatever video feed there was of General Skywalker in his many numerous battles against the Confederacy of Independent Systems. His concern for his comrades sometime seemed to be more important than the mission at hand. This was something that could easily be changed. If Skywalker were to lose everything that he held dear, he could be driven to the Dark Side in a heartbeat, and the Sith Lord knew how to do it.

Anakin Skywalker's most kept secret was that he had a wife: Senator Padme Amidala. He had become aware of this some time into the war. Quarsh Panaka had made this fact known. Immediately, Palpatine knew that he had something to work with, something to lure Anakin over to the Dark side. Even though that. It amused him to say the least. The mere thought of any Jedi having a spouse was seldom heard of. From what Jedi history he had studied in his time as an apprentice, Jedi were strict with a no attachment policy, and even when a relationship was monitored, there was still much hesitance. Jedi altogether refrained from such relationships, as did the Sith. To both, love was a liability, though for different reasons. Love, to the Jedi, was a way that lead to the Dark side due to use of emotions and feelings, while the Sith thought that love represented weakness. Ironic that the Jedi and Sith were so contradictory, yet could agree that love did not work, though for different reason, but that was where the other candidate came into thought

There was one, this "Starkiller", as Palpatine had come to know, was a mystery. He worked for the Jedi, but had the heart of a Sith. He was certainly not bloodthirsty and cared little for needless bloodshed, but Palpatine had seen that he was more than capable of killing should it serve a purpose of some kind. He was evil not for evil's sake, but more in a utilitarian way. Everything that had potential was of use and once that usefulness expired, dispose of it. The child displayed a controlled rage. His eyes indicated that he was focused, on-guard, and determined. Palpatine had seen much by probing Starkiller's mind, but some parts of his mind were sealed off, particularly memories. While Palpatine was not one to concern himself over the past, it certainly did scream suspicion. Surely, this boy had to have had a master or mentor of some sort. Such control and practice of the Force took many years of training.

The Force was strong within Starkiller. Palpatine could see that this boy could rival his strength in the Force, and that spoke many volumes. If this boy rivaled him in the Force at such a young age, and with relatively small training in the Force, imagine what he could do at his greatest. It simply brought on a vast amount of possibilities.

A choice was not a necessity at this time. There was still a great many deal of events that would come within the coming months, and Darth Sidious would soon be able to shed his facade and lead the Sith and the Galaxy into a new era, and one way or another, he would have an apprentice who would become unstoppable.

In all of his life, Galen Marek had never enjoyed the attention of others, and was extremely uncomfortable in the company of people. The Jedi Council, or what members were within his presence, were no exception. He had good reason to be a bit fearful. If they discovered future knowledge, the results could be...devastating. Knowledge of the future or past could lead to results that tip the balance of everything into uncontrollable chaos. For over two weeks now, Galen had rationalized that this was the reason he had to be weary of the Council, but a small part of his conscious, small but growing, wanted to do everything that he could to make things right, but what was right?

He thought to Ahsoka Tano. She was the whole reason he was in this. More than he wanted to admit it, Galen realized that she was beginning to have a rather substantial impact on his conscious, which deeply annoyed and angered him. He was Sith. He was better than any Jedi could ever be, but with his faith in the Sith wavering due to Darth Vader's betrayal, he was lost. He began to wonder if saving the young Togruta was the wrong thing to do. He might have been better off simply being free of both the Sith and the Jedi. He could have just run off, and let things continue as they should. Why did he save her?

Perhaps Ahsoka reminded him of Juno too much. They shared the same eyes: deep blue. It was the color of his lightsaber now. Starkiller realized that maybe he was beginning to think that Juno was more than just a pilot and a friend. As his denial tried to get the better of him, he laid out all that he knew. Captain Juno Eclipse had been his pilot for a little less than a few months. She had been the first woman pilot to be assigned to the Rogue Shadow. She was the eighth pilot that had served with him. Out of all the pilots that Galen had ever had, she was the most intriguing. She was controlled, dutiful, and loyal, but what set her apart from the others was her curiosity about him. At first, Starkiller ignored and blocked her every attempt to figure out who he was and what his purpose in the Empire was. For the first few days, he had watched and observed her from a distance, suspecting that Darth Vader was testing him. As it turned out, there was no test, but just the same, it made him uneasy. Slowly, but surely, he seeked to know more about her, to gain her attention and her approval.

The feeling of importance that Galen felt from Juno became more important when he sought to face the Jedi Trial of Insight, he had discovered that Juno carried more importance than even he realized.

It is not too late.

Starkiller winced around to discover who was speaking to him, but there was no one in sight.

Do not blind yourself with anger.

That voice. It sounded familiar and alien simultaneously. Who was it? He did not know, nor did he care to know. He was on a mission from Darth Vader, and nothing was going to stop him.

With a huff of annoyance and frustration, he turned to resume his rapid sprint. He was searching for the Jedi Library. It was one of the few chambers that remained somewhat intact. The records were ordered to be protected by the Emperor. The logic made sense. The Sith had, for over a thousand years, had been studying the ways of the Jedi along with the Dark side in order to better combat the Jedi Order, but with the Jedi all but destroyed, would it not be better to just be rid of these...heresies?

Starkiller shook his head. It was not his place to question. It was his place to hear and obey. His master was always right, and questioning would only result in severe punishment.

Without warning, he proceeded to activate his lightsaber, deflecting and reflecting a blaster bolt back to the origin: an Imperial Stormtrooper. Wasting no time, he proceed to Force Speed and cut down another Stormtrooper with little effort. He threw his hand in another direction to grab a large piece of debris and crush it against another. He then proceeded to crush the throat of another with his bare hands.

Making haste, he proceeded to the next room. Security seemed to be increased more than the first time he was in the temple. He supposed that it was just as well. The Emperor wanted the Jedi Temple off limits to all but the most important and those with permission, but now was not a time to be doubting. As he entered the room, he took note of the large data shelves that line the room. Blue and green lights were the indication that they were still operating. These contained hundreds and thousands of years of collected knowledge. As he noticed the troopers and Imperial Senate Sentinels, he realized that he would have to tread lightly in here. If he damaged anything here, it would be problematic to deal with.

With this in mind, Starkiller tempered his anger and rage and adopted a more controlled fighting style. Calling upon the Force, he dashed to the nearest target and gave a quick slash, leaving a lightsaber mark. He tilted his blade enough to meet the blade of a Sentinel. Although these guards were better trained by Stormtroopers, they were still mere insects. Switching to Soresu quickly, he parried each blow. The Sentinel left an opening, and Starkiller impaled the trooper through the abdomen. The body fell quickly. The Force immediately warned him, and he quickly built a lightning shield around him. A sniper round hit the shield from behind, the blast dissipating. Using his senses, Starkiller seized the sniper by the throat and with ease, brought the trooper up close to shock him with Force Lightning. Another body crumpled to the floor.

Up ahead, the clanking of armor, metal, and trooper voices could be heard. More resistance, but nothing that could not be dispatched.

Taking off, he ran quickly through the maze of data archives. Although Starkiller had learned much about the Jedi from Vader, he also wished to read these archives in order to understand the Jedi from their perspective. He wanted to see why Jedi were so resilient and persisting.

His ponderings ended when he found another doorway. Quickly entering, he found himself in a more open room. He could see that the floor opened to another level below, but before he could proceed, he had to defeat the three in front of him.

His first instinct was to initiate a Lightsaber Throw. With great precision, he cut down the Stormtroopers. The Sentinel held his staff to counter the throw. As soon as the red blade returned to his had, Starkiller charged. He unleashed Sith Shien, quickly overpowering his opponent. One arm was severed, followed by a decapitation. Ignoring the mess created, the Sith assassin, leaped to the floor below, where more data shelves rested, active and on standby, but that wasn't what surprised him.

Juno was kneeling in the center of the room, facing the other way.

Worry taking over, he rushed to her to see if she was alright.

"Juno?"

Her head tilted up slightly. She then spoke, but it wasn't her normal voice.

"You have much to learn…"

She leapt up into the air. Starkiller was momentarily confused, but then he noticed a saberstaff in one of her hands. He immediately activated his lightsaber, taking a few strides back. When the feature landed, a new face appeared, one that Starkiller recognized.

It was Darth Phobos.

"The scent of your fear is...intoxicating…" The words were spoken with much venom.

Phobos sprang into action, her lightsaber activated. Starkiller fell back to a Soresu parry. Red met red, their blades in a lock. For a moment, neither moved, then they both retreated a few meters from each other.

"I'm going to enjoy this…" That voice was definitely intent on trying to intimidate him.

The first thirty seconds of the battle were to test each other for strengths and weaknesses. Almost immediately, Starkiller recognized Ataru and Juyo from her form. She was fast, agile, and strong. Starkiller held the blade in a standard position to deflect a blow meant for his side. She then proceeded to use the other blade to try and strike again. With speed, his blade intercepted it before reaching his other side. Deciding to see if he could seize the offensive, he quickly applied a Djem So strike: a counterattack. She was quick to block the blade. Caught in a lock, she began to speak again.

"I can sense your fear. It is exquisite."

Words of confidence. Starkiller retaliated.

"You can't defeat me."

"Ha ha ha ha. I've already won," she answered.

Using Phobos's momentary distraction. Starkiller used the end of his lightsaber hilt her in the face. She screamed, temporarily blinded. He quickly followed up with an underhand strike to put some distance between them. He then tried to shock her with Force lightning, but she vanished in a sphere of her own Force lightning, only to teleport behind him, trying to blindside him. Starkiller dodged to the side as she unleashed a Force push. He then closed the distance and re engage her. As long as she was distracted, forced on the defensive, then he would have to worry less. She seemed to know this as well. After an attempt to decapitate and to relieve a limb, she stepped back.

Starkiller's vision became a blur. He could see nothing at all. Phobos was trying to distract him. He needed to refocus. Concentrating on the Force, he began to rid himself of the negative influence on himself. As his vision cleared, he was forced to take the brunt of a Force Push. He felt himself slide to the ground. A sharp pain was felt through his body, which quickly subsided. Jumping back onto his feet, he tried to mirror her move. He expected that she would block his Force Push, but she didn't expect a Force Grip to surround her, lifting Phobos into the air. Before Starkiller could do anything else, she disappeared again. Once again, his vision clouded, but he was faster this time, clearing his vision, then able to fire Force lightning, which intercepted her own. Caught in a lock, Starkiller threw more power into his to overcome Phobos. She stumbled to the floor, appearing angered.

Her appearance changed to Juno once more. Starkiller hesitated. The double-bladed lightsaber was thrown at him. He stumbled back as he tried to refocus, forcing himself to realized that this was not Juno, only a copy.

With a Force dash, he quickly seized Phobos by the throat and threw hew to the ground hard. She reverted back to her original form. She proceeded to get up and launch Force energy his way. He was quick to counter it.

"Ah, there it is, you buried fear. The death of someone close."

That sentence filled him with anger, rage, and determination.

"NO," he shouted definitely

With his emotions rising, his power did as well. His energy overwhelmed Phobos and she was cast into the wall. Starkiller tried to stab her, but he only stabbed the ground she was once on. Enraged and growing impatient, Starkiller began to amp up his strikes. His use of Juyo was beginning to become more randomized and chaotic, which he could see that Phobos was having difficulty countering. She was not adept in either Djem So or Soresu, so she would have relatively weak defenses. His blade was everywhere at once. He began to lapse into a trance-light state, executing his form by instinct, never stopping the flow and grace of his form. Phobos was forced to defend herself by whatever means possible. She infiused her lightsaber with lightning and launched it at Starkiller, but he simply caught it with his blade and deflected it into a wall. He was once again caught in another lock.

"Look inside yourself. You do know fear."

Starkiller knew that she was growing desperate, trying to distract him, but he utterly ignored her rambling, and head-butted her, followed by a shock of lightning, and a Force push. The hologram began to rely more on Force ability to counter him. He was somewhat exhausted, but he still remained posted and alert.

While focused so much on the battle, he had complete disregard for the data shelves. Using a Force push, Phobos crashed through several cases and into the wall. Starkiller ran to the center of the room, eyes watching for anything suspicious. From a corner of the upper level, her saberstaff came flying towards. He ducked slightly to avoid the blade of plasma. He then jumped straight up into the air, and Phobos was jumping towards him, intending to strike. He simply Force pushed her again into loose debris. She landed on her feet, though staggered. Starkiller closed the space, exchanging a few blows, then knocked the blade from her grasp. He then used Force grip to smash her against one rail, then to the other side, then up to the ceiling, then down to the ground, where she lay, weakened and defeated. Slowing getting to her knees, with her back to Starkiller, he marched forward, intent on dealing the fatal blow. The hologram seemed defiant to the end. The form of Juno appeared again.

"Please..." The voice was pleading.

"Don't…"

This was not Juno. Juno was alive and elsewhere. With no feelings of hesitation, he proceeded to impale Phobos. Phobos's form appeared once more before collapsing, never to rise again.

Starkiller then sensed someone behind him. He turned to face his master, Darth Vader.

He quickly submitted to his knees as his master began to access the trial...

That memory was the one that forced him to face the bleak and exciting reality: he cared for Juno more than just a friend and his pilot. He would not say that they had any sort of relationship, but if given the chance, he was willing to do so, if she was. He knew that if Darth Vader were to ever discover this, Juno would be reassigned, or perhaps killed, in order to ensure that his apprentice did not grow weak.

Now that he thought of it, Ahsoka, he came to understand, carried some similarities to Juno. They both cared for life, and absolutely despised unnecessary cruelty. He had seen it many times. Juno had once talked about the Battle of Callos, how Vader had ordered her on a bombing run that would ultimately destroy an entire planet full of life. At the time, Starkiller assured her that she had done the right thing. Duty to the Empire care before anything else. Although he had yet to ask Ahsoka about her experiences during the Clone Wars, he was more than certain that she lacked that experience that made one question their own beliefs and convictions. Starkiller had done it more times than he cared to count. When those times happened, he didn't dwell on those thoughts. What was done was done, and the past was written in stone. ALthough he was questioning many things, he had no regrets about anything that he had done. Galen remembered the past, but didn't reminisce on it.

Realizing that he was in a deep meditative state, Galen tried to refocus his attention on the Force. He was thinking too much about what he could not control. With much effort, he forced himself to calm down.

Ahsoka Tano quickly moved her head so that Proxy's blade would hit the air. He was not assuming any Jedi, just a training droid with a lightsaber, but still a challenging foe nonetheless. Ahsoka actually enjoyed sparring with Proxy almost as much as with Starkiller. The droid knew all the lightsaber forms and was seemingly able to use them all very effectively. It was stunning to know that Proxy could even mimic some Force abilities through the marvels of his technology, though at this time, he was only using his lightsaber.

She was currently using both her lightsaber and Shoto. She was focusing on Ataru, one or her main forms. She moved with pace and much energy. Proxy was using Djem So to match her. Although she was hesitant, Proxy told her that she could inflict a blow. He only needed repairs. This did not stop her from the battle. She she was force on the defensive when Proxy followed up with a quick and strong blow overhead. She was forced on the defensive, something that she needed more practice on. Falling back on some Shien defenses that Starkiller taught her, she was able to parry the blows, but they were still difficult. Seeking to regain the offensive, she began to switch back to Ataru when she realized that perhaps she needed to take this battle another way. Recalling how Starkiller's form was random and unpredictable, she began to do an experiment. She began to mix-match Ataru with some Juyo that Starkiller taught her. It was a gamble, and she knew that if she slipped up once, Proxy would find a way to exploit it and end the battle. Proxy was quick to fall back to Soresu. Proxy was a droid, and as such, she wouldn't win by wearing the droid out, so she had to pierce his defenses. She began to experiment even further by launching fake strikes, shifting the angle of her blade at the last second and seeing if she could blindside Proxy. Soon, she found the droid beginning to falter. This was her chance. With the last of her strength, she crossed her lightsaber, catching Proxy blade in a lock, and then used the moment to relinquish the lightsaber from Proxy. She then inflicted a slight blow to Proxy.

"An excellent duel, Miss Tano. I can see you have improved."

She merely gave a smile.

"You are one tough training droid, I'll give you that," she said. " I am worn out."

"The master spent nearly his whole life training. He certainly doesn't expect you to become better in an instant."

Ahsoka had been from Starkiller for at least a week now. She wondered how he was, what he was doing. More than anything, she wanted to know why he seemed to committed the Jedi Order, the same Jedi Order that expelled her. Against her better judgement, her anger for the order had not extinguished. She could not forgive them that easily, even if wanted to. Starkiller had once told her that the Jedi were blind to the Dark side, that they understood only a little of what they denied. At any other time, she would have defended the masters of the Jedi Council, claiming that what they did was for the good of everyone, but now? It was even more unsettling that Starkiller had resorted to study within the Jedi Temple, and had yet to contact her. That irked her a lot.

Although having known Starkiller for a little under two months, Ahsoka had gotten to know quite a lot about him. He was serious, focused, and made no effort to hide anything. Whether it was polite or not, he spoke his mind, sparing no details. Buried beneath all that was a softer side that she had seen perhaps once or twice. She could say that they were friends, but she wondered if it was becoming something more. Whenever that conversation came up, he was quick to change the subject, and Ahsoka noticed he began to act uncomfortably. Another thing she saw was that he was careful to maintain a physical distance from her, unless they sparred. The few times that they had physically come together accidentally was met with uncertainty.

"What troubles you, Miss Tano," Proxy inquired.

She scowled a bit at his calling.

"Just thinking about Starkiller," she answered quickly.

Proxy tilted his head in curiosity. Ahsoka decided to elaborate.

"I'm not sure what our relationship is. I don't know why, but I want his approval, and just want to help him, but he seems to push help away, especially me. We haven't spoken for a bit."

"Perhaps the master too might be in a similar state."

"I wouldn't think that was him."

"Even the master can be uncertain. Even now, he has found a new calling. Despite what his former master has done to him, master still respects him in a fatherly way."

Ahsoka frowned. Starkiller showed so much dedication to his former master, Darth Vader. She then realized something. He had never really spoke much about what his master wished of him, only about his master and their training. Now that she thought about it, he was being very evasive for some time.

He was hiding something, and her curiosity was piqued…

Hope this chapter gives you some remedy from my lack of updates. I'm not going to bother making up excuses, but thanks to those that stick around. Peace!