THE GLOVE OF DARTH VADER - CHAPTER 2: Lightning Power of the Dark Side
(Dusting off his old smuggler skills, Han slipped past the Imperial checkpoints in the Akkadese Maelstrom, the turbulent storm of interstellar gas and ice chunks surrounding Kessel. There were countless Imperial vessels of all sizes, ranging from light cruisers to Imperial Class Star Destroyers lined up, following the space beacons. With such a large gathering, it was easier for him to slip by unnoticed.)
(Upon seeing the Imperial forces first-hand, Han felt a twinge of guilt leaving Leia and the Alliance at this time. Maybe she was right. Maybe he was still needed. But, for better or worse, he had made his decision.)
As the Millennium Falcon came out of hyperdrive and slowed below lightspeed, Han and Chewie deliberately navigated into the heart of a huge electrical storm in Kessel's outer atmosphere. The black lightning clouds were an unsuspecting place from which to eject the meteor pod.
ZHWEEK! The cargo door screeched at it opened.
("Good luck, goldenrod," Han said as warning lights flashed around him. With the meteor pod discharged, the Millennium Falcon made a swift escape before it could be noticed.)
Soon the pod was dropping toward Kessel, buffeted by strong winds, its outer rock-coating struck by lightning, its interior heated by friction. But it kept adjusting its path of descent, taking the droids to where they needed to go.
The worst part for Threepio and Artoo was the landing. The meteor pod (plummeted through the pollution-clouded atmosphere) bounced into a rocky mountainside, rolled into a few bushy Kesselian trees, and finally came to a stop within an easy walk to the hidden entrance of the slaves' escape tunnel.
The pod's hatch door opened and the two disguised droids emerged to face the looming mountains set against an eerie pink sky. The electrical storm had ended.
"I'm certainly glad droids don't get dizzy, or I wouldn't be able to stand up for days," said Threepio. He glanced at their pod. "Look, Artoo, our meteor pod looks just like another boulder against the craggy terrain. It should be safe here until we return. That is if we return."
They found the underground passageway, and Threepio pushed away the rocks that concealed the entrance. Soon they were heading into the tunnel, which had a faint luminous glow from the many spice-covered rocks.
In the semidarkness, Threepio asked Artoo to project Mon Mothma's holographic map of the tunnel interior.
"That's upside down!" Threepio exclaimed. "Honestly, you don't expect me to stand on my head to read that map, do you?"
Artroo flipped his projection so that the map was right-side up. After studying it, Threepio plunged ahead. With each clattering step, he took Artoo closer and closer to Kessendra Stadium, which was at the very edge of the capital city of this Imperial slave planet.
"Hurry-this way, Artoo!" said Threepio. "Mon Mothma's map said the entrance to the stadium is somewhere down here!"
"Dweep boooooweep," beeped Artoo, rolling along as fast as he could.
"No, this isn't my fault that we're here," replied Threepio as he walked even faster. "We do have our orders, you know. Let's just hope that nobody finds out who we really are. Otherwise, they'll take us apart and use us for spare parts- or worse!"
Threepio continued talking without pause, since droids never have to stop to catch their breath the way organic creatures do. "It's positively horrifying. Half the Imperial officers in the galaxy are gathered together, practically right above our heads, and goodness knows what evil plans they're making."
Kessendra Stadium was the frequent site of gladiator games in which slaves (and rebel prisoners) fought to the death, while sportsmen from throughout the galaxy placed bets. (Sometimes victims were even thrown to the planet's giant, carnivorous fefze beetles – much like how Jabba the Hutt fed those who displeased him to his pet rancor). Today, however, there would be no gladiator games.
"Droot boopa zinnn," beeped Artoo.
"I quite agree with you," replied Threepio, nodding his head. "I'd have thought they'd given up the war too, when their second Death Star blew up and when Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader died, an – Oh no!"
Threepio walked into a metal column and clattered to the ground. "Now look what you made me do." He quickly picked himself up and checked his plating for dents. "You're always distracting me, Artoo!"
Artoo gave a singsong series of toots and whistles. "Rewooo dweet? Beeeza zoon?"
"No, there aren't any droid-eating monsters down here. Now stop babbling and help me look for the entrance to the stadium and –Gracious! There it is back there! Why didn't you tell me we'd passed it, you nearsighted hunk of tin(?)!"
"Vrrr BEEEEEP!"
"Well, the same to you!"
Threepio cautiously opened the creaking metal door and sneaked out into the darkness, with Artoo rolling along behind him. The pink sky was so bright it nearly blinded Threepio's eye-sensors.
When his sensors cleared, Threepio could see that they were in the lower level of the stadium, where slaves and droids were gathered to listen to the speeches. All around them were green humanoid droids with menacing heads and barrel-shaped spice-mining droids, who looked just like Threepio and Artoo did in their disguises.
Above them, in the comfortable bleacher seats that surrounded the pit of slaves were so many Imperial officers and stormtroopers that at first they all seemed to blur together. Artoo raised a long-distance sensor to get a close-up view. Then the barrel-shaped droid began matching the faces he saw with the faces and names of the Imperial officers in his data banks.
The crowd became quiet as a grand moff, one of the Empire's regional governors, began to speak. The beady-eyed grand moff was bald and his teeth had been filed into sharp, spear-like points.
"I am Grand Moff Hissa," he announced, just as Artoo figured out who he was. "And to my fellow grand moffs, and to the grand admirals, other officers, stormtroopers, bounty hunters, slavelords and slaves, I bid you all Dark Greetings!"
(Bertroff Hissa had assumed control of the Outer Rim Oversector following the death of Grand Moff Tarkin and then Grand Moff Ardus Kaine breaking off to form the isolationist Pentastar Alignment warlord state. Hissa was half-human and half-Sephi, one of the few near-humans to rise to such a high station in the traditionally humanocentric Empire. He'd achieved his power thanks to his fanatical loyalty, scheming nature and the support of Moff Quarsh Panaka of Naboo, which was Emperor Palpatine's home planet. He had introduced himself with the standard greeting of adherents to the Church of the Dark Side.)
"We have gathered here today to mark a new beginning," he continued, puffing out his chest proudly to display his brown uniform. "The destruction of our latest Death Stat was but a temporary setback. The Rebels have yet to see the full fury of our power and our might. We are developing even more advanced weapons, and when we are done, we shall rule the entire galaxy and crush the Rebel Alliance."
(Hissa was one of few beings left alive privy to the existence of the secret Maw Installation Imperial Research Center, which was hidden in a region of the Akkadese Maelstrom that was nearly impossible to navigate due to the dense clustering of black holes.)
As he listened, Threepio whispered to Artoo. "Oh, dear, I certainly don't like the sound of this. No, I don't like the sound of this at all."
"The Central Committee of Grand Moffs has summoned you all here for this meeting to announce our new leader," said Grand Moff Hissa in a bellowing voice. "Even though Emperor Palpatine is dead, his line continues. For many years, you have heard rumors that the Emperor had a son. But our departed Emperor and the Central Committee of Grand Moffs always denied those rumors, for reasons of Imperial security. However, today I am authorized to inform you that the Emperor did indeed have a son – a son who will be our new chosen one!"
The stadium was filled with gasps of shock and surprise at this revelation.
"The Emperor's son has lived among you on Kessel for many years now, keeping his true identity a carefully guarded secret," Grand Moff Hissa continued. "And now at last the time has come for the Emperor's son to take his rightful place as heir to the Empire."
"Who is the Emperor's son?" shouted a grand admiral. (Grand Admiral Miltin Takel had recently been ousted from his holdings by another Grand Admiral, Josef Grunger. Grunger had been aiding his forces in combat against a group of albino-skinned marauders. When word reached them of Palpatine's death, Grunger suddenly opened fire on Takel's forces and seized his territories in a bid to carve out his own warlord territory. Takel was forced to flee. He first sought the help of Ysanne Isard, but his attempt to reclaim his holdings had ended in a sound defeat. Isard then threatened to execute Takel for his failure. In desperation, Takel and his forces fled once again to Kessel, where he hoped to enlist the new Emperor's aid in taking back that which was rightfully his.)
There was a suspenseful moment of silence (as Takel nervously twitched).
Then, a huge, black door slowly opened, and a tall mutant dressed in black came out to face the gathering.
"Friends of the Empire," Grand Moff Hissa announced, "I present to you the son of Emperor Palpatine – Trioculus, the Supreme Slavelord of Kessel!"
But, instead of cheering, a frightened hush crept through the crowd at the sight of the new ruler. Trioculus was known to be a ruthless and merciless slavelord, one who had sent many slaves to their deaths.
Threepio could see that Trioculus looked powerful and threatening. But he was surprised that he wasn't ugly like Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine had been. In fact, Trioculus was almost handsome. Except for one thing –
Two of Trioculus' eyes were right where Threepio expected them to be, on either side of his nose. However, it was Trioculus' third eye, right in the middle of his forehead that made him look rather unusual.
Threepio bent down to quietly talk to Artoo. "A mutant –part human, part alien," he said. "Quite surprising. I've certainly never heard any gossip that Emperor Palpatine had a son by a three-eyed alien woman. Have you?"
From Artoo's beeps and buzzes, Threepio quickly learned many things he had never known before. For instance, Artoo's data banks revealed that some old Imperial stormtroopers did believe that the Emperor had a son with three eyes, a son who lived on Kessel. However, when he Rebel Alliance had investigated that story, no evidence had ever been found. Now, the Alliance would have to investigate the situation again.
Artoo's rapid beeps revealed more about Trioculus, information from Mon Mothma's secret Alliance files on the slavelords of the Kessel spice mines.
Trioculus had a reputation for being among the most evil and cruel of the Kessel slavelords, personality traits that had developed when Trioculus was just a child. (His mother, Niobi, had been a slave worker in the Spice Mines herself. She died in a mining accident when Trioculus was only five years old. He was taken in by the former Lord Overseer, Reskell Twane, who recognized his intelligence and enrolled in the Imperial Academy.)
As the only mutant in his school on Kessel, he was teased and hit constantly by the other students who made fun of his third eye. (Although he'd insisted that he was a human with a mutation, his peers did not believe him. They abused him for his suspected alien origins. He was a victim of the prejudices of the very system that he was being raised to serve. But, he did not hate the Empire, for he saw it was the reason he was elevated from slavery.) Trioculus became obsessed with fighting back and taking revenge. (He'd once gouged out the eyes of another student, telling him that 'three eyes are better than none.') He became the schoolyard bully, and he learned how to make his classmates fear him, by spying on them and reporting those who didn't follow the rules.
(He would later collaborate with the ISB to root out a rebel cell which had formed at the academy. And, which conveniently included several of his former bullies whom he had gone to great lengths to frame. He'd even pretended to forgive and befriend some of them. But, once Trioculus swore revenge on someone, he would never, ever forgive them.)
As Trioculus grew older, he studied the history of warfare and Imperial military tactics. (He was obsessed with watching the Clone Wars as they unfolded. The war instilled within him a fierce sense of patriotism and a deep hatred for enemies of the state.) That was when he had first become devoted to gaining total control over both his enemies and his friends. (He soon ran a gang of thugs and sycophants who enforced his will among his peers. He considered it practice for future military command.)
Trioculus had few friends. But, it was the quality of his allies that counted, not the quantity. Through his study of warfare he had won friends among important Imperial officers – especially the spike-toothed Grand Moff Hissa, who respected Trioculus' total loyalty to the Imperial cause. (Hissa also empathized with Trioculus for the prejudice that he'd faced. He, too, had endured years of disrespect. And, like Trioculus, it had ultimately hardened him and made him stronger. He saw the three-eyed youth as something of a son.)
And, so, as one of Grand Moff Hissa's pets, Trioculus had come up from the ranks of overseers of the spice mines. Soon afterward, again with Grand Moff Hissa's help, Trioculus had been appointed Lord Overseer and Supreme Slavelord.
(Twane's prisoners had revolted after the death of Jabba the Hutt. Spice Mine Administrator, the rybet Moruth Doole, held Twane hostage and attempted to use him as a bargaining chip. He would be released on the condition that Trioculus turned over control of Kessel to Doole. Under Hissa's guidance, Trioculus refused, abandoning his first 'father' figure for a new, more powerful one. Doole fed Twane spice grubs and froze him in carbonite, preserved in a state of permanent agony. It was only through Trioculus' sheer brutality that Doole was kept in line.)
The crowd continued to watch in hushed silence, as Trioculus began to speak in a cold, throaty voice. "My father, the Emperor, had many powers of the Dark Side. But without three eyes he could never achieve perfection. It was known to the ancients that a Dark Lord with three eyes has a secret strength possessed by none other. And so it is my destiny to rule over my father's Empire and bring us the glory that he never achieved!"
(The Prophets of the Dark Side were established by an ancient, three-eyed Sith, Darth Millennial, more than a thousand years ago. He had disagreed with Darth Bane's rule of two and so started the Prophets of the Dark Side as his own, splinter order. Palpatine had brought the Prophets of the Dark Side under his control. But, the Prophets of the Dark Side and their Church of the Dark Side religion continued to revere Darth Millennial's memory. To the faithful, Trioculus would not only be seen as Palpatine's heir, but as the second coming of their founder.)
Grand Moff Hissa came forward (and stretched out his arms before the assembled masses). "We have heard from Trioculus, the Emperor's son, and we shall obey him, one and all! Prepare to bow and accept your new Emperor!"
A member of the Imperial Royal Guard stood up and shouted out a troublesome question in a booming voice.
"Just a moment, Grand Moff Hissa!" said the bold and foolhardy Royal Guard member. "Lord Trioculus, are you aware that there are others who claim to be the new ruler of the Empire? I have been to the planet Gargon. There, Grand Admiral Grunger says he is our new leader. And he has a fleet of thirty star destroyers!"
(Grand Admiral Miltin Takel looked to the Royal Guard with hate filled eyes.)
"I shall deal with him when I am ready," Trioculus said (sternly). "He will learn who is the rightful Emperor!"
Then, an admiral stood to speak. (It was Takel. He was addicted to glitterstim, a potent variety of spice found exclusively on Kessel. It supposedly gave users a heightened mental state and a boost in psychic awareness. However, it also degenerated the nerves of the brain, resulting in nervousness and paranoia. Takel was struck by a sudden fear that Trioculus would fail to secure the support he needed to defeat Grand Admiral Grunger.)
"How can you claim to be the new chosen one when you do not wear Darth Vader's glove? The Prophets of the Dark Side have said that the next Emperor shall wear-"
"As the Emperor's son," shouted Trioculus, (cowing Takel into silence) "it is through my blood that I rule, not with some glove!"
"But the Prophets of the Dark Side are powerful!" declared the member of the Imperial Royal Guard. "They foretold that the Rebels would blow up both Death Stars- and they even knew when they would be destroyed. They saw the future. Therefore they must know our destiny!"
"Only I know the destiny of the Empire," thundered Trioculus (who was done being questioned). "And only I have the power of my father and more – including the lightning power of the Dark Side!"
Trioculus raised his arms and bolts of lightning shot from his fingertips. The lightning crackled in two directions, striking both the member of the Imperial Royal Guard and the grand admiral who dared to question him.
The men fell to their knees, pleading with Trioculus to stop as they quaked and thrashed on the ground, moaning (in pain) while the electricity sizzled all around them.
At last Trioculus showed mercy on them and lowered his hands. "Now who is the first officer to step forward and pledge his loyalty to me?" he demanded.
(The Royal Guard and Grand Admiral Miltin Takel clenched their teeth as they weakly crawled to their knees, smoke rising from their singed uniforms. Both of them had expected to die. Neither Palpatine nor Vader had been known for being particularly forgiving. But, Trioculus had felt that he'd made his point. In the Empire's fractured state, he could not afford to throw away potential supporters so casually. If their behavior could be corrected, a painful lesson would suffice.)
"I will!" shouted a general.
"No, let it be me!" shouted a grand moff. He rushed forward to be the first to bow down before Trioculus and Trioculus accepted him.
(It was Vilim Disra, who had already thrown in his lot with Hissa and the Central Committee, and was now simply putting on a dramatic show to encourage others to bend the knee.)
(Disra and Hissa had already conspired to eliminate Grand Admiral Rufaan Tigellinus and seize his assets. Tigellinus had been a vicious, anti-alien bigot and staunch supporter of 'human high culture.' He claimed responsibility for Grand Admiral Thrawn's exile to the Unknown Regions and had been a hated rival of Hissa's for years. Disra had gained Tigellinus' trust in helping him to take control of the Imperial Center Oversector. But, when Isard declared this holdings invalid, Tigellinus wanted to throw in his lot with the Central Committee.)
(The only problem was that Tigellinus had no intention of serving under Hissa and Trioculus. He wanted to assume control. Disra advised Tigellinus to refuse Hissa's invitation to join him. He informed Tigellinus that the other grand moffs would expel Hissa in order to gain the favor of the 'far preferable' choice of the Grand Admiral as their leader. But, in actuality, it just gave Hissa and Trioculus the excuse they needed to declare Tigellinus a traitor and have him executed.)
After Trioculus listened to the officers pledge their vows of loyalty, Takel included, he raised his arms, turned his back, and left through the huge black door. Grand Moff Hissa followed him.
Throughout the stadium, everyone was talking about what they had just seen. (After seeing Trioculus wielding the power of the Dark Side, there were few among them who questioned the authenticity of his lineage.)
"I think we'd better get out of her, Artoo." Threepio turned back to look for the little droid. "Hey, wait for me!" he said, noticing that Artoo was already heading back toward the entrance to the underground passageway.
Threepio hurried to catch up with Artoo. As they approached the door to the tunnel, they saw that it was surrounded by stormtroopers- and that the stormtroopers were bolting it shut!