THE GLOVE OF DARTH VADER - CHAPTER 3: The Seven Words of Trioculus
Trioculus, surrounded by stormtrooper bodyguards, departed from Kessendra Stadium with Grand Moff Hissa. He was also accompanied by Emdee-Five (MD-5), his (medical) droid, with a narrow head and shining eyes. (Emdee-Five had long cared for Trioculus. He was one of the mutant's few, trusted friends and they shared a bond similar to Luke Skywalker and Threepio.)
They rode in an armored landspeeder limousine to the large, black metal palace where Trioculus had lived since his promotion to Lord Overseer and Supreme Slavelord of the Spice Mines. (Numerous speeders followed him in a procession. On the way, they passed through streets lined with stormtroopers and Imperials standing at attention. Any slaves among them were made to cheer for him as the Imperial anthem blared from speakers throughout Kessendra City.)
(Trioculus smirked as he looked out the darkly-tinted transparisteel windows. He had cultivated a fearsome reputation as Supreme Slavelord. But, now, he was practically worshipped by his followers.)
("Look at them Emdee," Trioculus said. "All of this is for me. Soon, the entire Empire will celebrate my ascension. It won't be long before we leave this planet behind and I sit in Palpatine's throne room in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant.)
("Yes my Lord," the droid replied. "Try not to get too excited. After that lightning in the stadium-")
("You worry too much Emdee," Trioculus replied, waving off his concern. "I've never felt better in my life.)
Upon their arrival, Emdee went directly to the huge kitchen to warn Trioculus' chef to complete the preparations for the celebration banquet.
("Make sure to use that special Munka seasoning the Pyke Syndicate brought as a gift from Tatooine," he said.)
(The Pyke Syndicate was a powerful crime family which was known to distribute Kessel spice throughout the galaxy. Trioculus had long held an agreement with them. He would provide them with spice, military-grade weapons and protection against incursions from their neighbors in Hutt space. In return, he would receive a generous portion of their profits from drug sales. The Pykes would also act as his spies in the underworld and in Ysanne Isard's territory in the galactic core.)
Soon, Trioculus and Grand Moff Hissa were joined by a small, select group of grand moffs loyal to Trioculus and a (certain) grand admiral from the planet Gargon. (Following Miltin Takel's earlier outburst in Kessendra stadium, he was on thin-ice with the Central Committee of Grand Moffs and Trioculus.) Together they sat at a very long banquet table while a servant brought in trays filled with Whaladon meat, a delicacy reserved only for the Imperial ruling class that was forbidden to stormtroopers and slaves. Whaladon meat was especially prized because it was thought to be a source of strength.
Whaladons were huge whale-like creatures, mammals that lived on the watery planet (Mon) Calamari. They were highly intelligent and wise, and it was against the laws of (Mon) Calamari (and the New Republic) to kill them. Still, a huge illegal Whaladon hunting operation existed in Calamari's waters. (The Empire saw them as nothing but fish and couldn't care less about the harm that poachers over-hunting caused to the planet's ecosystem. Mon Calamari was, after all, the home planet of Admiral Ackbar and where the Rebel Alliance's largest ships were manufactured.) In fact, even though Whaladons were an endangered species, there were (now) more Whaladon hunters on Calamari than ever before, led by Captain Dunwell, a trusted friend of the Central Committee of Grand Moffs.
(The dinner passed with silence from Trioculus, who seemed lost in thought as flattery was heaped upon him from the grand moffs. They praised his speech at Kessendra Stadium and ensured him that his reign would be long and glorious. Miltin Takel also remained silent as he sensed the dislike that the grand moffs felt toward him for his earlier outburst. None of them spoke to him or met his gaze.) After Trioculus and his guests finished their dinner and while dessert was being served, Grand Moff Hissa announced that the new Emperor had something important to tell them. The guests became silent as Trioculus, who was in the place of honor at the head of the table, stood and drew himself up to his full, towering height.
He spoke seven words.
"Find me the glove of Darth Vader!" he said in a booming voice. Then, he stared at them with his third eye, causing (many of) his loyal officers to shudder.
Grand Moff Hissa understood the difficult task before them. The Central Committee of Grand Moffs had declared Trioculus to be the new Emperor. But if someone else found the glove and wore it, then Kadaan, the Supreme Prophet of the Dark Side, might declare that Trioculus was not the rightful heir to the throne and should be deposed.
If that happened, the Central Committee of Grand Moffs would lose their credibility and would probably also lose their influence and power in running the Empire. Grand Moff Hissa was determined, at any cost, not to let that happen. In fact, all friends and allies of the Central Committee of Grand Moffs were being notified immediately that if any of them found the glove, he or she should notify Trioculus and turn it over to him at once.
To the other grand moffs, Hissa said: "We have heard our leader's words, and we shall do as he says. From each of your planets you will send out probe droids to search for the glove of Darth Vader. I shall send probes to search the forest moon of Endor and the space that surrounds it, scanning the area where the Death Star exploded."
(While there, Hissa planned to make contact with any survivors of Palpatine's elite Tempest Force who were still stranded on Endor and pick them up with his strike cruiser.)
Grand Moff Muzzer, who was the plumpest and most round-faced of the grand moffs, spoke his mind. (Muzzer was brash and excitable, but he spoke with the experience of a practical, level-headed naval commander. Before the disaster at Endor, he had been clashing with the defense fleet of Mon Calamari, hoping to destroy the Rebel Alliance's shipyards.
"Space is vast and the glove is very small. Perhaps you expect too much of the Empire's probe droids."
(Muzzer wanted to direct the conversation away from what he felt was nothing but a wild Bantha chase. He placed far less stock in the Prophets of the Dark Side and their Prophecies than the others. A decisive military victory was all that they needed to win the support of any doubting warlords.)
"Probe droids can find a bomb that's no bigger than a man's hand," replied Grand Moff Hissa (with annoyance), "so they should have no trouble finding a glove. Especially one that is indestructible."
(Hissa valued Muzzer's input on military matters. But, he felt that his fellow grand moff at times lacked vision. Having personally met with Emperor Palpatine regularly, he knew that the Dark Side was very real and could grant great insight.)
"We will need a new, secret home base," said Trioculus, turning his attention to another matter of business. "I have yet to decide where. I will now hear your suggestions."
(Trioculus considered himself a pragmatist. He knew from studying the Clone Wars that it was sometimes wise to listen to the counsel of one's advisors before making a major strategic decision.)
Several of the grand moffs squirmed in their seats. This was new to them, entirely new. Emperor Palpatine had never asked them for suggestions.
A few moments passed before one of the grand moffs grew bold enough to speak. "I suggest the planet Tatooine," said Grand Moff Dunhausen, who wore earrings, little ornaments shaped like laser pistols. "We can take the Mos Eisley space-port!"
(The lean, crafty grand moff was Trioculus' liaison to the Pyke Syndicate. He oversaw the Central Committee of Grand Moffs' underworld dealings. His bulk cruisers had long patrolled the sector, which was a major point along the so-called Spice Triangle. It was why Jabba the Hutt had chosen to run his criminal empire from there. Before the destruction of the first Death Star, Dunhausen had been charged with trying to catch smugglers. Now, with Jabba the Hutt dead, he hoped to expand the Pyke Syndicate's influence on Tatooine and thus funnel more profits into Trioculus' war machine.)
Trioculus dismissed the idea immediately. "That useless planet where Jabba the Hutt died? Do you think I want the Empire to waste its time eliminating sand people like the Tusken Raiders and those two-bit traders, the jawas?"
(Between the Tuskens attacking offworlders on sight and jawas' reputation for thievery, a military base on Tatooine would be faced with too many distractions. In addition, Mos Eisley space-port was far too well-known and word of a new Imperial base there would circulate far too quickly.)
There was a longer silence before the next suggestion came. "Bespin!" said Grand Moff Thistleborn, whose bushy eyebrows touched each other in the middle and curled up at the ends. "Let's take over Cloud City!"
(The authoritative, loyal Grand Moff Thistleborn was a veteran of the Clone Wars. He had overseen the development of new weapons for the Republic's efforts to counter General Grievous' ruthless Outer Rim sieges. Fully controlling the planet, and having uncontested access to Bespin's metal-rich core would allow them to swiftly ramp-up warship production.)
Trioculus sneered. "We already have a barge full of factories for building weapons and mining tibanna gas on Bespin. Besides, Cloud City isn't a fit place to train our troops."
(Trioculus had previously come to a secret, uneasy agreement with Lando Calrissian. As long as Lando did not call in the New Republic, and he was allowed to continue to mine the core, he promised to leave Cloud City in peace and forgive Lando's role in destroying the second Death Star. However, the moment that Lando tried to interfere with his operation, he threatened, he would destroy Cloud City with an orbital bombardment. Not to mention, with all of the casinos, hotels and restaurants, Cloud City was more like a vacation spot. He did not want his troops to become gambling-addicted tourists.)
"Dagobah?" offered the grand admiral from Gargon (suddenly). (As the glitterstim hit his system, Takel received a brief, psychic vision of a twisted tree, a place of great darkness. If Trioculus was the son of Emperor Palpatine, then perhaps he could use such a place to grow his powers and become strong enough to defeat Luke Skywalker where Darth Vader and his father failed.)
"You're wasting my time!" Trioculus shouted, slamming his fist down on the table. The dishes rattled and a serving flask of zoochberry cream fell on its side.
(Takel again fell silent, but he now found himself beginning to question coming to Kessel if Trioculus would not listen to a word that he, or any of the others, had to say.)
(To Trioculus, Dagobah was just a worthless, muddy swamp-world with no infrastructure and no valuable resources. Imperial military equipment would become bogged down and it would take far too much time to clear the land and build up a base from scratch. He was beginning to wonder if Takel had come here just to get easier access to spice, which he attributed to this latest absurd suggestion.)
"Hoth?" Grand Moff Hissa said hesitantly.
Trioculus' scowl changed to a sly smile. "Very good, Grand Moff Hissa," he said. "You suggest the coldest, most miserable of all the frozen ice planets. Give me your reasoning."
"The new base should be located on a world that the Rebel Alliance wouldn't consider important," Grand Moff Hissa began. "Preferably a world where Imperial stormtroopers won't be too comfortable – comfortable men grow lazy and rebellious. There are still bases and military bunkers on Hoth that the rebels once used before our four-legged AT-AT walkers chased them off the planet," he continued. "All we have to do is move in!"
(As usual, his trusted mentor had the best advice. Not only could they rebuild Echo Base's turret defenses, but they could also repair its massive ion cannon and take control of any snow speeders and downed rebel transports that they could salvage. Hoth would be an ideal fortress world that would be very difficult for the New Republic or rival warlords to siege without deploying an army even stronger than Darth Vader's Blizzard Force. There was even rumored to be lumni-spice deposits in the planet's core that they could mine and trade to their underworld allies.)
Trioculus gave the order.
All loyal warlords would transport their imperial military equipment to Hoth – the strike cruisers, frigates, and shuttles; the star galleons and star destroyers; the torpedo spheres and mobile command bases; the four-legged AT-AT snow-walkers, probe droids and hoverscouts! Everything!
The grand admiral from Gargon suddenly rose to his feet. "You can't do this, Trioculus!" he shouted (tired of being ignored. All of these preparations were meaningless if another claimant to the throne found the glove of Darth Vader first.). "You're being too hasty. Until you find the glove of Darth Vader, you won't be accepted as the new Emperor. What if Grand Admiral Grunger finds it first and-"
ZING!
The grand admiral fell forward onto the banquet table and spoke no more.
The grand moffs looked from one to the other with raised eyebrows. Most of them had expected the lightning power from Trioculus' fingertips to kill the grand admiral (who had twice made the foolish mistake of disrespectfully doubting him). But it wasn't Trioculus' style to exert himself to execute just anyone. He had instructed Grand Moff Hissa to take care of that kind of dirty work, especially in the case of a traitor interfering with a high-level Imperial conference.
And so (with a subtle glance and a nod from the Emperor) the deed was done by Hissa with one short blast from his sidearm laser pistol.
(Trioculus never had any intention of assisting the twice-defeated Miltin Takel. Nor, did he intend to go to war with Grand Admiral Grunger. He wanted instead to recruit Grunger, his thirty star destroyers, and his Super Star Destroyer, Aggressor. With it, he could challenge Ysanne Isard's Lusankya and gain the naval might to ultimately claim Coruscant. As with Grand Admiral Tigellinus before him, Takel's assassination would allow the Central Committee of Grand Moffs to seize all of his ships and assets. And, after his outburst at Kessendra Stadium, none would even question his judgment in labeling the Takel a traitor. He hadn't forgiven that offense at all – the only reason that Takel was even invited to this Moffrence was to get him alone, away from his bodyguards.)
("Dispose of that fool," Trioculus commands as the meeting comes to a grim close.)
Threepio and Artoo were lost on the streets of Kessendra. Unable to exit the stadium the same way they had entered it, they quickly joined the flow of droids streaming away from the event, hoping they wouldn't be noticed. Walking around the city, they hadn't found one street sign that matched the information in Artoo's data banks.
"Tzoooooot gniiiiizba!" Artoo beeped in frustration.
"Calm down, Artoo, there must be some mistake," said Threepio. "We'll find out way."
"Chpeeeeeeez phooooooch!" tooted Artoo.
"Then let's go down to the next street and check that one," replied Threepio, heading south.
"Pchoook ftiiiiz mebiiiiiing kniiiiish!" Artoo beeped noisily when they came to the next sign.
Threepio shook his head in dismay. "Slavelord Boulevard. No, this definitely isn't Spice Mines Avenue. It seems that all these streets have been renamed since Mon Mothma got that data."
The two droids wandered along the twisting streets of the city. The boulevards were bustling with stormtroopers and spice transport vehicles went bouncing past. As Threepio and Artoo crossed an avenue, they were almost run over by some Imperial officers who were riding in a landspeeder limousine.
After hours of going around in circles, Threepio and Artoo finally made their way out of the capital city to the very edge of the mountains that were filled with spice mines.
"I wasn't cut out to be a spy" Threepio declared as he finally located a path through the Kesselian trees. "I should go back to working with binary lifters. That was my first job. I'm still not sure why I left."
"Deeeeewooop broooop!" tooted Artoo. A tiny radar screen popped out of the little droid's head and began swiftly spinning around.
"I certainly hope we get back to Yavin Four," replied Threepio. "Master Luke is going to blow a short circuit when he hears the news about the Emperor's son!"
"Tzoooooch briiiiiiib!"
"Now what are you beeping about, you hysterical bag of bolts?"
SHIBOOOOOM!
Threepio looked up at the pink sky to see an Imperial command speeder that looked just like the one that was supposed to pick them up. But Artoo confirmed its number was not 714-D, so there was no reason to assume it was friendly.
And soon there wasn't just one command speeder, there were three – then four of them!
They seemed to be flying close to the mountains, looking for something.
Threepio began calculating the odds that they were searching for a certain meteor pod and two particular droids. He shook his head in dismay when he realized the chances were 1,245 to 1 that the Imperials had figured out they were there.
Threepio led Artoo behind a giant boulder, where they could peek out at the craggy, rocky, meteor pod that had brought them to Kessel. But no sooner had the droids begun looking at their pod than a command speeder began shooting laserblasts at the surrounding boulders.
"I have a very bad feeling about this, Artoo," Threepio said grimly.
A blast suddenly struck the pod, exploding it into scrap metal right in front of the droids' eye-sensors.
"Oh nooooooo!" said Threepio frantically (clutching his face).
Within moments, Threepio's bad feeling got worse, as he watched an Imperial command speeder land near the exploded pod. Stormtroopers got out and began to inspect the debris.
("Look sir, droid tracks, heading in the direction of the escape tunnel we found," one trooper says to his commander.)
("Search the area! I'll inform Emperor Trioculus!" the commander replies as he takes out his comlink.)
"We're doomed," said Threepio.
"Get down you two!" said a familiar-sounding voice.
Threepio turned and nearly stumbled in shock as a man in a green slave robe pulled back his hood and revealed his face.
"Master Luke! You found us. Oh, thank goodness! But what are you doing here?"
("Whrhiiiir whriiiir dzweeet dziiit!" Artoo beeped happily.)
"Looking for you two. When there was no sign of your pod taking off, Admiral Ackbar and I figured you droids might be in need of some help. We took a big gamble by landing. Quick – this way!"
The droids followed Luke Skywalker into the Kesselian mountain forest. Moments later they arrived at the Imperial command speeder that the Alliance had captured –Command Speeder 714-D – which was waiting for them.
Once they were safely inside, they greeted Admiral Ackbar, who was at the controls, and quickly blasted off.
("Mission complete," said Skywalker as he dashed into the pilot seat and strapped in.)
("No time for chatter, launch!" said the Admiral.)
The other Imperial command speeders followed them, firing at them from behind.
("Oh no!" Threepio cried. "They're closing in!"
Ackbar and Luke (skillfully evaded and, after spinning the ship to maneuver behind their pursuers,) returned the fire. They made a series of spectacular direct hits. One after another, their enemies made crash dives, spinning out of control, back to the surface of Kessel.
As their spaceship soared away from the outer atmosphere of Kessel, Artoo's radar screen popped up and spun around quickly. "Bzzz tzzzt gniiiz bzheeep dzz dzoop!" he beeped urgently.
"Oh, dear," said Threepio. "Artoo definitely doesn't advise that we chart a direct course back to Yavin Four. He's spotted Imperial probe droids directly in our path!"