Chapter 18: Starkiller the Jedi Order
Starkiller, or Galen Marek. He did not know which one was more appropriate. Both were important to him in some manner. This would not be the first time that he had come across this particular dilemma. This would not be the first time that he was now under much doubt with the decisions he had made as of late.
Firstly, he slowly came to realize why it was that his old master, Darth Vader, taught him about how weak the Jedi Order was. Even with his interactions with the Jedi High Council, he could see it in their eyes, their expressions. They were not exactly eager to be in war. It was clear. Nearly a thousand years of no war had returned the Jedi to the peacekeepers, diplomats, and healers that they were now, not to say that they were weak. Far from it. They were anything but.
Being Sith was like breathing to Starkiller. Starkiller was the embodyment of everything that the Jedi refused to acknowledge. He had access to powers that the Jedi forsook because they failed to comprehend its meaning, how to control it. To them, the only solution was to simply shut it out, to simply cut all possibilities of use, and ultimately failing to understand the nature of the Sith, only understanding partially what the Force could offer. The Sith, by contrast, after thousands of years of errors and mistakes and failures, had greatly adapted. The Sith had learned that in order to truly destroy the Jedi Order, they had to learn about the Jedi's ways of the Force. By teaching themselves the ways of the Jedi, by actually acknowledging that they only way to defeat the Jedi was to learn their ways, they had gained an advantage over the Jedi. While the Sith still focused on the art of the Dark Side of the Force, they were more open to the idea of learning their enemy's tactics to combat. The Sith Order was stronger, persistent, and far more cunning than in years gone by.
But for all the advantages that the Sith now held, Starkiller could not deny the fact that the Jedi had, for almost as long as the Republic existed, been the sole guardians and protectors of the galaxy, outlasting all incarnations of the Sith Order, at least to this point. The Jedi, while spotty and changing in accordance to the changing galaxy, they still stood and they still stood for selflessness, hope, and justice, at least that was what they perceived their actions and doings to be. They were warriors when they needed to be, but they also knew how to be diplomats, healers, teachers, and much more. The Jedi were versatile, some more than others. While they did not embrace the Dark Side of the Force, the light side was still a powerful tool in the hands of the experienced and the especially Force-sensitive.
The Jedi Galen Marek and the Sith Starkiller still battled, both the light and the dark vying for his consent and his power. One offered peace, the other offered passion. One offered control, the other offered freedom. One offered emotion, the other offered serenity. One offered the Force, the other offered victory, but for all of the differences between Jedi and Sith, the Jedi and Sith were the same when it came to finding greater power, clarity, and understanding of the Force. Essentially, it was a race to see who could become the greater Force user. The ultimate goal was the same, even if the motives varied.
He could go on for a long time about who he was, but it did not help him to understand who he was. He was at a loss.
His musings were interrupted when the door to his stark room opened. The Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, entered, with a furrowed look before becoming neutral again. He turned around to face the fellow Jedi Knight.
"I have just got word that both of us have been called forward by Chancellor Palpatine," he said in a calm way.
In that moment, he decided that he was the Sith Starkiller, so the Sith stood up, with his eyes narrowed.
"For what purpose," Starkiller demanded.
"The details aren't known to me," Skywalker replied.
With a slight grit in his teeth, he brushed past Skywalker and began to make his way towards the hangar bays, with Skywalker in tow. They walked in silence, neither wanting to exchange conversation, not that they knew each other that well to begin with. When they had found a ship to the Chancellor's office, they rode in silence, the tension slowly rising, with Skywalker agitated by Starkiller's change of mood from the serene Jedi to the cold and calculating Sith, but Starkiller had no intention of letting him on. Skywalker had absolutely no idea that he had essentially become a pawn in the Jedi and Sith's game of galactic dominance. If Starkiller was a normal Sith, he might laugh maniacally, but Starkiller was not a Sith of humor, or of selfishness, or of feeling. He was a Sith of loyalty, dedication, and cold intelligence and analysis, built and trained to serve the Sith Order and to a Sith master.
Was Darth Sidious really a master? In a way, Starkiller would think he was given that by serving Darth Vader, he served the Emperor, albeit from the shadows. Perhaps he had played this game the wrong way. These Jedi were proving to be more trouble than they were worth. More importantly, the Galactic Repbulic , as far as Starkiller could see it, was in a state of corruption. The Galactic Senate were comprised of many figures who seemed more interested in their own interests rather than uniting the galaxy against those who would try to uproot it. The Galactic Empire, on the other hand, embodied power, strength, and unity. It was true that all did not agree with the rather restrictive and critical ways it responded to disloyalty and contempt, but the Empire was about worshipping a superior individual with the lesser masses following. The Republic worshipped freedom, but the Empire worshipped control. Freedom was an invitation to corruption, to chaos, to in-fighting. Order and control made sure that all people under its tenant would remain true to the rules and regulations meant to protect the people.
Starkiller began to temper his emotions. They served him as long they did not blind him as well.
As they began approaching their destination, Skywalker finally decided to speak.
"Where is Ahsoka," he half inquired and half demanded.
He is blunt at least, Starkiller thought.
"She is well," Starkiller answered neutrally, "and she is recuperating emotionally and spiritually from her ordeal. I have not spoken with her today, but my droid PROXY keeps me appraised of her."
"But you swore to protect and help her," Skywalker retorted, "but yet you're here."
"The Force has told me to be here," Starkiller growls back, "I am more use here. Besides, I do not require Ahsoka to be within physical distance in order to help her."
"But a promise is a promise," Skywalker said, an underlying tone of anger.
"And I have kept my promise. I do not promise things I cannot deliver," Starkiller finished. He would not continue this discussion, not when the fate of the galaxy could be decided with this talk with Chancellor Palpatine.
Both he and Skywalker disembarked from their vessel and made their way into the building. They were greeted by one of the Chancellor's aids. Starkiller did not give the alien a glance and simply walked in, Skywalker close behind. When they entered, Starkiller could feel the Dark Side, could feel the contained emotions. He could feel the energies of the Force surround them, the power of the Dark Lord of the Sith. It was both exhilarating, intimidating, and illuminating. If Skywalker was suppose to be far more powerful than Sidious, then Starkiller could not imagine what Vader's power could extend to.
"Welcome, Starkiller and Anakin. I have been expecting you," Palpatine said.
"You summoned us," Starkiller asked calmly.
"Yes," the Chancellor began, "but I wish to speak to you both separately."
"Who would care to speak to first," Starkiller asked.
"Perhaps you, Starkiller," Palpatine pointed out. "Anakin, would you mind waiting for us outside?"
"Of course, your excellency," Anakin said and then turned to leave.
As soon as Starkiller and Palpatine knew that Anakin Skywalker was out of hearing distance and was certain that he could not feel their presence, all facades and acts were dropped. They would be blunt with each other. There was no other way either of them would have it.
"Fools the Jedi are," Starkiller spoke. "Powerful, but blinded by their own power."
"Indeed," the Dark Lord said. "I sense that you are conflicted about how to go about your duties to the Jedi Order."
"I never wanted this," Starkiller said, "All of this is beneath me. I am Sith. My hatred, my wrath, my power, is what I need. I must free myself from the chains that these Jedi have bestowed upon me."
"I understand," Sidious said calmly. "Being within the Jedi's proximity can be taxing on the Dark Side, but have no fear, the Jedi fear the Sith, and rightfully so. You hide from them, as do I."
Starkiller, for the first time in months, let his emotions out more. He was angry, he was seething, he was beyond control. The Jedi had reduced him to Galen Marek, a name that represented the Jedi he once was. That time was long gone, a past that had no place in the Empire, and that had no place here. The Jedi stood still, but they would be put to rest soon. Their rule was over because their time in believing that they held the galaxy together blinded them to the reality of the galaxy around them.
"I know, but first I must ask," Starkiller continued. "I am not your apprentice, but you have a choice between Skywalker and me."
"Both of you are a viable choice for becoming my apprentice," Palpatine explained. "However, Skywalker is saddled with a weakness."
Starkiller thought about it. Ever since he had become part of the Jedi Order, he had made it his business to watch Skywalker. He was potentially the future of the galaxy. For a Jedi, Skywalker was far more open and emotional than most. Furthermore, he expressed a desire to help others that were close to him more than anything else. Starkiller knew that Skywalker had a close relationship with the Senator of Naboo, Padme Amidala. The two worked well together and seemed to understand each other better than anyone else. To anyone normal, they would think nothing of it, and merely dismiss it as good teamwork, but Starkiller knew there was something more to it. There had to be. This made him reflect on his growing relationship with Ahsoka and that with his former pilot, Juno Eclipse.
"I suspect that Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padme Amidala are more than just close friends," Starkiller mused.
"You are correct," Sidious concluded, "they are married."
Married. That made sense.
"As long as Skywalker has her," Starkiller spoke, "he will never reach his true potential. She is a detriment."
"Yes," the Sith Lord agreed, "that is why that you are different. You do indeed have friends, but they do not hold you back."
Starkiller nodded his head, but his thoughts turned to Ashoka. What was she to him? He was a friend, but she was also an annoyance, something that could prove to be difficult to deal with, but then, a thought came to mind. Since Ahsoka had been a Jedi before and was Skywalker's former apprentice, there was a chance he could use that to his advantage.
"Ahsoka Tano, the former padawan of Skywalker," Starkiller began, "she and him still have a strong connection. I thought her to be a problem, but her usefulness just increased."
"Of course. Anakin has faced losing loved and cared ones his whole life. First his mother, now his padawan. Now, he is fearful of losing his wife."
"Your work, no doubt," Starkiller inquired.
"It was rather simple to do," Palpatine commented. "It will force him to choose between the Jedi and the Sith."
"He will be forced to come to you," Starkiller realized.
"If he cannot, then he will have to die," Sidious said.
Starkiller's expression remained still, but he now had been enlightened.
"For now," Sidious said, "he will play the game, but he will have to choose a side, and if he does, then you two will do battle. There can only be one apprentice."
Starkiller had heard everything that he wanted to hear. Without so much as a word, he turned to leave. Skywalker still remained outside, and he signalled for him to enter.
As soon as Skywalker was out of sight, the Jedi Galen Marek began to mull over these future events to come. Something had to be done.
Long wait, I know, and a short chapter, but I just made this story more interesting. The Sith Starkiller is far gone. If you're disappointed that Ashoka is not here, she will be back soon.
Been busy updating my Halo/Mass Effect Crossover, "Leader and Warrior". If you want to check that out, do so, and give me feedback.
In the meantime, REVIEW. Tell me what went good and bad. Mind the grammar and mistakes wherever you see them.
Hope you enjoyed. Peace!