Star Wars: Child'e
Author's note: An important part of this story is not having Illyana be an over powered character; which concerns LordGrise as he's afraid I'm nerfing Illyana on her magic and everything that make her… her. All I can say is don't worry. The end of this chapter will begin to show details. And yes a slight diversion from Star Wars cannon in that Darth Maul is still alive, I'm sure there will be other diversions as I think Thrawn will be in this as well.
Which of course will make LordGrise grin and state (Oh, so now it's okay not to follow canon) as I am a big believer in such. Well, in my defense this whole story is not canon. I guess I'm using also using this story to examine how Illyana might behave if she had not screwed up her brother by allowing him to be demonically possessed and not ruin the relationship between Peter (her brother) and Kitty (her best friend) as she had not known that they had gotten back together.
Part 3a: Imperial Palace, Coruscant (Former Main Jedi Temple)
The administrative center of the Empire was not the Palace. That was the former Chancellor's office, with many an addendum facility for the Navy, Army, Intelligence, Governance, and the like. The Senate offices had been taken over and repurposed, along with the loyal staff as extensions of the administrative apparatus. Those who had been unloyal, well… they had been repurposed as well.
Palpatine liked his privacy and the Palace was his. Home to only a few administrative functions that Palpatine kept very close. Hence the palace was remarkable empty most of the time. Mass rallies were mostly held elsewhere, one auditorium location was the former senate chambers as Palpatine both loved the acoustics and the massage of such a location. In the palace he had several main bedrooms and formal offices as misdirection was one component to his continued survival from assassination.
Another key component was the Rebellion. Ah… so critical. For having created the Empire, and its vast administrative and military infrastructure, if there was no… call it a foe… then the apparatus would inevitably turn upon itself. Such was the downfall of any Imperial center. Why if Rebellion had not formed then Palpatine would have had to create it. And perhaps he had, indirectly.
Chuckles of cruel mirth as a lone figure strolled the empty hallways of the Palace. Many of the rooms and hallways were still decorated from the Jedi times. Almost like a museum, or a mausoleum as Palpatine liked to view it. A reflection of his complete triumph over the Jedi. One should savor such things, like his conversion of the Jedi Councils chambers into a small throne room, with but one seat, the location being where Yoda's had been. Another item to savor was Yoda's exile. Palpatine did not really know if the Jedi Grandmaster still lived, and did not really care so long as Yoda stayed in exile in whatever hole he had crawled into. Not that he wouldn't savor his death if the Inquisitorius found him. Yes… Savor described Palpatine quite well. He was the Empire and the Galaxy danced to his manipulations.
So much minor damage had taken place when the Jedi had fallen. Repaired and restored afterwards by some of the finest craftspersons in the Galaxy as Palpatine wished to savor the feeling of triumph by having the palace be preserved just as it had looked in the Jedi days. In most situations that is. This particular corridor still bore blaster scars upon the walls, created when the Clone Troupers had forced their way though a defensive line of several Jedi Temple Guards. Forced under the leadership of Vader, before he had gone to Mustafar and had experienced that most unfortunate crippling turn of events. The scars upon the walls and floor served as a reminder to Palpatine the price the Jedi paid for their arrogance and pride. For their destruction was part and parcel to the creation of the Empire.
His laughter turned to a growl of a snarl. Yes, he had planted the seeds of what grew into the Rebellion. He suspected Vader knew, but nobody else. It was critical that the fools motivate themselves, that the Imperial bureaucracy learn what resistance looked like, how to sniff it out, and crush it. The Galaxy was vast and for all his power he was but one man. The Death Star was to have been the employment of the iron fist. Forcing the Rebellion to hid in the shadows, making any world too scared to formally resist, to rebel. Grand Moff Tarkin had been a blunt man and the Death Star had been the blunt embodiment of his doctrine of fear.
Palpatine briefly fingered his two light sabers concealed within his robes. One must always be carful as not all things can be foreseen. And the loss of the Death Star had struck a blow to the Empire's image of power. And thus a blow to Palpatine himself. The future was always in flux, and now things had changed in ways he had not foreseen.
Palpatine's steps had taken him to the entrance of a series of chambers that had been reserved for Jedi Council members only, and since the fall, they were Palpatine's alone. A nod at the red garbed guards then a gesture from his hand as he opened the doors with the Force, then sealed himself within. As with most other parts of the Palace, the original layout and decor was unchanged.
Simple. Stark. Unitarian with but minor adornment. Such had been the Jedi. He stood before a wall with a motif of many Jedi standing with light sabers drawn and lit. Again he reached out with the Force and manipulated a complex series of locks to open a door revealing a secret elevator shaft. He entered, the doors closed, and began the decent to the secret that lay at the base of the Jedi Temple.
Part 3b: Volcanic world of Mustafar
Various locations throughout the Galaxy were nexus Force locations, light and dark. Yoda hid in one on Dagobah, the emanations allowing him to escape any attempt to located him. Mustafar likewise had such a nexus and Vader had built his castle above it.
Mustafar… birthplace of Vader for here Anakin had failed.
Where he had killed the one he loved.
Been dismembered.
Burned.
The true birthplace of Vader.
Who, devoid of armor, floated naked in a Banta tank, deep in meditation.
Something had… happened. And he sought for what it might be.
Part 3c: Dagobah
"Something has come." Whispers the voice of Obi-Wan.
"The Force, in flux, it is." Answers Yoda as he stirs the contents of his cooking pot. "The future always changing."
"This could be an opportunity…" Hints the voice of Obi-Wan.
"Risk it is. As are all such opportunities. Think upon it I will." Was Yoda's dismissal of a reply.
He sighed to himself. The Force ghost of Obi-wan, hector he did. Always seeking a way to cause the downfall of Darth Sidious. Long might this Empire last, historically the Sith always sowed the seeds of their own destruction. Conflict within as Sith fought Sith. But now…
This rule of two.
Sidious and Vader.
Master and apprentice.
Grip upon the Galaxy they had.
And now no more mass of Sith infighting.
Yoda had failed before against Sidious, and now he was older and weaker. No more challenge his power could he.
But…
Perhaps…
The ghost of Obi-wan argue always for this son of Skywalker.
Perhaps…
This disturbance in the Force might be of use.
He would meditate upon it.
Part 3d: Ahsoka, aboard her T-6 Jedi Shuttle spaceship
Breath…
Simple breaths…
Empty the mind…
Focus upon nothing…
Let the Force flow through you…
Take you where it, not you, wills…
Part 3e: Coruscant
Only a few Jedi had ever known what lay beneath the Temple. Most such members had been council members, but not all. And not all council members had been in the know.
The Jedi Temple was built upon the top of a mountain. And everything beneath the Temple had been Jedi owned. Jedi controlled. But so very few knew what lay beneath the surface. And just why the Jedi had built here.
The lift door opened and Palpatine exited into one of the most darkest secrets of the Jedi. A Force nexus location. Yes the Jedi had built here, but this nexus was a dark side nexus, and the location of a Sith temple, one in ruins as walls, in fact the foundations of the Temple, rose above it and enclosed it. Contained it.
Or so the fools had thought was his curt and dismissive thought. The Force is not so easily blocked.
But now the Jedi Temple was the Imperial Palace. Home to Palpatine. The center of his power in oh so many ways.
Administratively
Historically
Militarily
Forcibly
He strode forth, the place was lit as Palpatine desired. Red lights, dark shadows, and one red assassin droid repurposed into the custodian and defender of this local.
"Emperor." Was the electronic voice of the droid as it took note of him.
"SIG-P38" Was Palpatine's both acknowledgment and dismissal of the droid. If there had been anything to report the droid would have.
Ahhh… the Jedi had been such a farce. So unwilling to learn. So unwilling to act. So easy to manipulate and track down. Why… they had even deleted themselves.
A chuckle from Palpatine. The Jedi Library, so many thousands of years of accumulation. When the Sith Empire had taken over the Jedi Temple and Coruscant back in the times of the Great Galactic War, they had had not destroyed the Library. Nor had the Jedi. But the Jedi Librarian Jocasta Nu… why… she had deleted the archives rather then let anybody else read the contents. And in so doing destroyed so much of Jedi history.
Humph… there was little in the Jedi archives that the Sith were interested in. But the pleasure of the Jedi themselves deleting themselves from history? Oh so sweet. And yet another crime to lay at the feet of the Jedi. The Senate had been quite shocked at the destruction and at just what other crimes the Jedi were hiding in doing such. And it was not like there not were secret backups of the Jedi archives, archives he now possessed.
So futile.
So… Jedi.
Across the broken stones he strode, then entered through a stone doorway into a roofless chamber. Ah… what stories these old stones could tell, and had told as was he not a Master of the Force. Great he had been before, but greater now that all that the Jedi has hid away was his. Shards of broken black glass covered the floor, causing his footsteps to crunch as he walked up to a single intact black mirror.
Before him was a Force mirror, one of the jewels of Sith Force constructs. Something that allowed a skilled practitioner better insight into Force visions. There were supposedly other uses but they would clouded in myth and mystery. And like all Sith artifacts, ignored by the Jedi, blind to the knowledge before them. Like a blind beggar with jewels.
The mirror cast no reflection as Palpatine stared within, then… after long moments… his eyes slowly faded into view as if the mirror was acknowledging his existence. His yellow eyes, they had been blue once but now the dark side shown forth. Eyes were like windows to the soul, and eyes reflect the emotions harnessed by the Sith. When rage and anger seethe inside a dark side user, their eyes may burn yellow with a fiery-red rim. May as such things can be concealed.
He gazed forth with those eyes.
Part 3e: Visions
Palpatine sought…
Vader sought…
Yoda sought…
Ahsoka sought…
Sought what had happened.
What had caused the sudden disturbance, in the Force.
Visions were… reluctant.
The Force was non responsive.
Uncooperative.
Something was in the way.
The future now… unknowable?
Blocked?
Blocked by…
A pair of eyes.
Eyes that flashed through various expressions
Surprised eyes.
Angry eyes.
Happy eyes.
Narrowed eyes as if engaged in some task.
But always same eyes.
They were blue, with eyebrows of yellow hair.
Eyes that suddenly locked upon the seeker's gaze.
Eyes that suddenly burned a hot yellow, not just the iris, both eyeballs were just an angry yellow glow.
With that the visions were done.
Part 3f: Outcomes
All were concerned.
Perhaps some contemplated opportunity in those eyes.
While others contemplated threats.
And others mused that the eyes needed to be ended.
But all desired to know where the eyes were.
And just who they belonged to.
Part 3g: Awakening, several weeks hence
White.
Such a nice white. Must by cloudy was her thought as she stared at the sky as she shifted on the bed.
Bed.
Hmm, comfy bed. Nice and soft.
White… not… not clouds. Just a white sky.
Endless white.
Wait…
White?
Since when is a sky white?
With that her eyes tried to focus more and… a sky that had… curves and angles? Small conduits for things?
A shift as her eyes and then a slight movement of her head to the right.
Walls.
Equipment with blinking lights.
A… robot? Not sure. Looks like a robot missing any skin and just a frame with bits of wires. Looks… turned off.
A glance down, to discover white sheets. A shifting of her arms, hmmm no bindings, as she pulled her right hand out from under the sheets to…
Okay…
Not good.
A hand revealed. Missing three fingers, a thumb, and most of the palm, just a pinkie was left. The skin at the missing parts looking healed but still pink.
Gently pulled her left arm and hand from under the covers.
Intact.
Healthy.
No pain at all.
Not in the hand.
Not… anywhere.
She wiggled her toes then pulled up the cover with her left hand to take a peek. White gown, she could see her legs, and no bomb jacket. She dropped the covers.
Everything felt… like it was all there which was surprising after…
After…
After how it had all ended. She had been rather sure it had been her last act. A death blow that would be her end as well. But she was dead either way so why not take him with her.
Yeah… Him.
That one eyed bastard of a god Odin.
That had been… Good.
Fun even.
Hells… it had been great. To answer a tormenter who meant her death with some of his own medicine.
But that did not answer what this place was. It was quiet and very white.
Could it be…?
Nah… not for her. Not possible. Demon's don't get to go to… to… that place when they died.
The White City would not open its gates for one such as her.
Guess… guess I'm not dead. Was her thought.
So… some kind of medical facility?
A shiver of trepidation. Or a different kind of hell?
Some thinking… she remembered… nothing after… after… thrusting her broken soul sword into Odin's missing eye.
But now, things were… odd.
Different.
Looked… normal?
Normal?
Is this what normal is?
If so then… the before time… had been so…
Not normal.
Umm… She thought upon her actions that had lead up to her regaining her soul and her incarceration.
Stabs of sudden…
An emption she hadn't felt…
Felt?
Crap…
I don't think… I was… What the heck was I doing? Then she thought upon her memories of before she'd died, before she'd lost her soul. Something that had always brought her pain.
The before times.
The her she'd been rather than the she that she'd been reduced to.
The her she wished she could be.
But now… no pain.
Just… memories. Good and bad. Her memories.
My memories?
Did that mean that…?
She whispered. "I'm…" before pausing.
Her?
Me?
Um… I feel…
Feel.
Feeling…
That's… um… new.
This is weird. I think… I think… I'm.
"Me?" Was her somewhat surprised statement.
"Excellent." Announced a satisfied unseen voice to her left and behind her. "And might I inquire just who she is?"
She froze, and then slowly turned her head to look.
A red and black face will yellow eyes.
Bald head with boney spikes, like claws.
Wearing black leather armor.
Sitting in a chair, a cup beside the figure.
It felt… male? Yes male.
Wreathed in black magical vapors like all magical users she'd gazed upon once she had first come into her true power. Black wisps of vapors of malice and power, yet there was also some grayish and white wisps as well.
The face had what looked like an attempt at a friendly smile.
A sigh from her, and a tone of slight sadness and resignation. "A demon, so what Hell is it this time?"
Maul gazed back upon this blue eyed blonde woman child with some internal irritation as so many creatures did think him a demon when first meeting him, based simply upon his appearance. Quite racist, even though his physical type did match the description of many races belief in demons.
Sigh…
Such lovely blue eyes. Blue just like Palpatine's eyes had once been blue.
Likewise Anakin Skywalker's before he fell and became Vader.
And Ahsoka… ah… such regret he had regarding Ahsoka.
And unbeknownst to him, Luke Skywalker as well.