Chapter 34 | How to skip a loathsome Sith Vocab Quiz: enter a deadly Sith Temple instead
"What a dreary place," Palpatine remarked to himself. Dampness clung to his cloak and wetted the bottoms of his boots. It was horribly disgustingly cold. At this moment he was considering going back but Plagueis had told him it was an order. And if Palpatine was successful, then he would teach him a dandy Force skill or postpone that Sith vocab quiz.
Palpatine hated vocab quizzes, they were so bothersome. Especially those vocab quizzes where one would have to memorize over fifty terms but only twenty would be on the quiz. Worse, they would be in weird characters, or he couldn't get the pronunciation quite right. It was an abomination.
Palpatine stared up at the endless stretch of wall before him. He was very much hoping something wouldn't fall on top of him. Daresay, the mountain collapsed on itself. Now that would be a true terror.
Before him was an engraving. Palpatine placed a hand on the etched stone and peered at it. He muttered to himself, "Lovely." He paused and exhaled again. "Translating..."
"nw kash zo tash. Antai kash tik sh.
Pro sh, nu gauti ty.
Pro ty, nu gauti midwan.
Pro midwan, nu gauti pergaleas.
Pro pergaleas nuyak chains aras svistuis.
Tave qy sekleti uzsit nun."
Palpatine sighed deeply and gave the etched words a look before whipping out his notebook. Plagueis had told him to bring a disposable item such as paper to avoid hackability that a HoloPad would be prone to.
For many long hours he sat against the wall opposite the engravings and scrawled away. He thought his knuckles were going to bleed from all the writing. A few times he shook out his hand and paced around the room but that didn't do much. For a few minutes he stared at it and then sat down again to stare at it some more. Even with a little translating booklet to help him, it was a laborious task. He sat cross-legged against the cold stone wall with his notebook in his lap scrawling away.
Then finally he scribbled out the last translated word and all of it lifted off his shoulders.
"Peace is a lie. There is only Passion.
T_roug_ P_ssio_, I g_i_ Str_gth.
T_roug_ Str_gth, I g_i_ Pow_r.
T_roug_ Pow_r, I g_in Vi_tory.
T_roug_ Vi_tory my _hai_s _r_ Brok_.
Th_ For_ sh_ll fr_ me."
Palpatine scrunched up his brow as he read the words at all angles. It was obviously some sort of saying of the Sith but this was a saying that was unknown to him. And of course still many of the words were unknown to him as well. He had only started his duty of being a Sith Lord's apprentice less than a week ago after all.
Perhaps, it is a passcode of sorts? A key? A guide? He traced the etched letters with his finger.
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Palpatine's head whipped around, and his eyes went wide.
"Sheev! What are you doing?" None other than Predune P. Palpatine skidded into the temple, halfway tumbling down the stairs. His red hair was mussy, and his face was flushed under his mask. He stopped short in front of his little brother. To Palpatine's surprise, Predune wasn't at all out of breath. A bigger question was: what in the world is Predune doing here on this backwater planet?
"Predune. Predune?" Palpatine stared at his older brother and his finger went to his ring as he began to twist it aggressively. "What are you doing here?"
Then something struck him that was far more peculiar and alarming than the baffling appearance of his brother. Well, not exactly it was more like a rustling of his hair and poking in his back. His eyes darted around, and he ever so slightly parted his cloak a bit more. His lightsaber hung discreetly on his belt, tucked against his left hip.
"I didn't mean to be here." Predune paused. "Well, it's a long story. So, you know I got on that scout ship to see how the race was faring, you know, to promote betting and nonsense. Give info back to Hearth over a Comm. Then boom, landed here and I followed the nearest tracked person—which ended up being you, of course-" Predune continued to ramble for a long while as he usually did when he was either nervous, confused, or scared or all in between.
Palpatine's gaze uneasily swept over the room, he was barely listening to his brother's listless words. Something was making his stomach turn but he wasn't sure what. Then a bony finger prodded his shoulder, and he gave a little shudder as his eyes picked out the annoyance.
"Hey, Sheev, what's wrong? You got the look." Predune pointed out. Now it was Palpatine's turn to give him a puzzled look. "The one where you are aware something bad is about to happen and choose not to tell anybody and then everybody has to suffer because you didn't give us a heads-ups before said disaster occurred." he paused. "That time with Mother...for example at Auntie's house...say, five years ago."
Palpatine scoffed, "I mean I just got a funny feeling." He paused and glared at Predune. "Well, I and Mairda were trying to fix it when you sauntered off and told us off to Mother! That didn't exactly help matters did it, Predune?"
Predune huffed loudly and scuffed his boot on the dusty floor, "It actually did. Because of my evasive action, I saved the living room from total annihilation. The roof would have been unrepairable if you two kept on hammering at it!"
All at once the floor and the walls and everything within the room jolted. Predune barely held his balance and the only thing that kept Palpatine standing was his stubborn Forceness.
Palpatine's brows furrowed as something stirred within him. A blaring sign of caution, warning. Something more than the shaking room. His neck snapped up towards the ceiling, split seconds away from inevitable disaster, right above Predune.
"PREDUNE!" Palpatine outstretched his arms and bolted towards his brother. Predune simply stared at him. He hadn't the slightest clue what was occurring overhead. "WATCH OUT!"
Predune was about to step out of the way, but he wasn't quite fast enough. As the slate came hurtling down towards his brother, Palpatine saw only one other option. It was risky but risk was sometimes necessary. It was either he would very likely lose his oldest brother forever or he could expose himself for a brief period of time. Young Palpatine didn't have to think twice about his family, even if these relations were strained, he still cared.
Fear sparked in his heart, spreading fire under his skin and to the tips of his finger. Force sparked forward from his fingers, colliding with his brother and pushing his brother out of harm's way. The slate came crashing down where his brother had been, and his brother was now a complete heap on the ground.
"Ugh." Predune sputtered and coughed, propping himself on his elbows. "Eugh...what happened?"
"You almost died." Palpatine said flatly.
"Oh." Predune stared at the slate and then back at his brother. "Oh. Well, um, that would have been unpleasant."
"Indeed, it would be." Palpatine agreed as he extended a helping hand to his brother. They clasped hands and with an effort Palpatine pulled his brother up to his feet.
Screeech. Creaaaaak.
Palpatine's neck snapped towards the ground as another sound erupted from underneath him. The floor. He looked up towards the walls. The walls are moving? How is that possible? The walls stretched up like a rack tearing apart a poor victim's body limb by limb to pry vain pleas from their lips.
Predune stared at the ground and then back up at Palpatine, "Uh...what's that?"
Palpatine looked up slowly to his brother. His heart was practically hammering out of his chest, "Nothing good. I can tell you that." He turned towards the entrance from whence he had come. "Oh dear." Palpatine uttered.
"Oh, dear what, Sheev?" Perfume asked.
Palpatine planted his boot on the shaking ground and turned to his brother. He spat. "This was a terrible mistake, and we will both die kind of "oh dear'."
"Oh dear."
Palpatine didn't know how long they descended into the depths of the planet for, but he knew it was a long time. They were both sitting against the wall side by side, trying to restrain their shaking. Pretending not to be frightened in the slightest despite all of it. With a great thud the floor stilled. The brothers looked up to see a new entrance present itself, a slot in the wall which led the way into a dimly lit room.
Fierce crimson light sprout up from the ground. Palpatine jumped back while Predune let out a yelp. It was as though an invisible lightsaber had been etched into the stone by a hand. It shined brightly, the color of glowing blood. The laser light drew out a message: Before you lies Five Trials. The Code of the Sith will guide you. May the best Sith claim the reward. Palpatine whispered the words back to himself and scrawled it down in his notebook. "Code of the Sith..." he muttered.
Predune stared at the letters then at his brother and then at his letters, "Sheev." He paused and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "What have you gotten yourself into?"
Palpatine gritted his teeth, his mind scrambling for a reply but thankfully he was saved. "We beckon you forward, young tributes of the Sith." A voice echoed from the great darkness up ahead and the brothers were dragged forward by an invisible force. Palpatine hissed and tried to grope for these unseen hands, but it was all vain.
The brothers were thrown to their knees in the darkness. All at once, the room blazed with searing light shining down upon them. Palpatine's eyes darted from the floor to what stood before him: three hooded figures. Pasty white hands were clasped before their robes, hoods drawn low over their faces, and they stood waiting with no reply. Palpatine scrambled away from them, backing into a wall, the way out had been sealed silently once more.
Dim light grazed the outlines of gleaming blades lined up on the wall. Standing at attention, ready to sear through flesh and draw out entrails on its glimmering steel. Palpatine gulped as his eyes shifted to the figures blocking the way and he stood up slowly. He peered around them, standing on the tips of his toes attempting to see the way beyond. Double doors stood at the end of the hall, one door half open and anticipating new guests.
Palpatine and Predune studied these strange figures before him. He dared to think they were statues. Yet he could see their sunken chests rise and fall ever so slightly. They drew in dying air through blue lips yet not a word passed through them.
"Follow me." Palpatine whispered to his brother and he tugged his brother's arm along.
They moved swiftly, Palpatine's eyes never tearing away from the figures. He shuddered. Even as he traversed around them, their bodies didn't move but rather their necks. Their necks twisted towards them, beyond what was humanely possible, beyond what should be possible. They kept turning and turning, the neck straining unnaturally to look upon them under hoods.
What in-
Palpatine didn't say a thing neither did his brother either. Then they both took a synchronized step past the hooded figures. Dark blurs moved about and then materialized before them, it was the same three figures again, staring down at the duo.
"You may not pass." A long gravelly voice spoke and then coughed; it came from the one at the center of the trio. Dark soil was expelled from his lips and the thin hands, void of life outstretched towards him: a warning.
Palpatine's nose shriveled in disgust. Is it...? Is he...? Palpatine didn't want to question it. He cleared his throat and spoke loud and clear, "We must pass."
"As the Guardians of this Temple, we commend you...you may not pass." The same figure spoke again, drawling a low voice that sent shivers down Palpatine's spine.
"Sheev." Predune said quietly behind him. "I think-"
Palpatine held up a hand. "Predune, please." Predune gave his brother a weary look before throwing the figures a dubious look. He directed his question towards the center one, "How may we pass?"
"You may not." The Guardian said stiffly. "Go back from whence you came, boy."
Palpatine's face redden, "We're stuck here. There is no way to go but forward."
"That is quite unfortunate." The Guardian said. Palpatine swore he could see the blue lips curl ever so slightly under the hood.
Palpatine could hear Predune's panicked breathing behind him.
Palpatine knew that with the Sith, they loved puzzles. That had to be a way forward. But what was it? He wasn't quite sure. His eyes scanned the near bare room for a way. Cracks in the ceilings, torn battered banners on the walls, broken glass swept in a corner, the cloaks of the guardians were torn and burned. The cloaks of the guardians are torn and burned. He repeated in his head.
He studied their bodies...bodies with decaying skin, dead lips, and loose limbs. Bodies he assumed were animated, bodies that had died but were somehow revived again. Certainly not themselves but mindless soldiers for whatever entity lay slumbering in this place. The Sith chose things precisely with reason. These Guardians were undead for a reason. What reason? He didn't know.
Palpatine turned his eyes to them once more and he asked, "This is all a puzzle, correct? There is a way to get pass?"
The center Guardian simply smirked, "We are Guardians. We are only told what we are instructed to do. To keep the unworthy out."
Palpatine arched an eyebrow, "Am I unworthy?"
The Guardian replied, "That is to be determined."
Predune poked his brother's shoulder, "Would you mind explaining what all this nonsense is?"
"Later." Palpatine waved it off. He heard Predune huff. The Force whispered in his ear, coaxing him to open his notebook. And so, he obeyed and flipped through it to the translations. The riddle was before him. Palpatine repeated, "Peace is a lie."
"Incorrect." The Guardian said, "Peace is the only way. That is why we don't carry weapons"
Palpatine scoffed. "You are Guardians of the Sith Temple, are you not?"
"One type of Guardian." The Guardian replied.
Palpatine furrowed his brows at this. What were these Guardians on about? Peace is a lie. But why were they insisting otherwise. And they don't carry weapons? A part of the puzzle. It had to be.
"I'm sure we can reach an agreement through peace." The Guardian said.
"I believe that has long passed." Palpatine spat, "You have exhausted my patience, and I most certainly don't want to quarrel long enough to end up like you." The Guardian fiddled with his decaying hands.
Peace is a lie. His mind whispered. Peace. Is. A. Lie.
Peace is the calm before the storm. Peace has been a cause for thousands upon thousands of years, yet it remains temporary. Peace is a lie crafted for a fleeting breath before war must start again. Peace is a word of hope rather than truth. Peace is a star that will always be out of reach. Peace is a futile goal that staves off the ending of the galaxy for a bit longer, simply prolonging the inevitable. Peace is not meant for this world, and it never will be.
Peace is a lie.
"Predune..."
"What?"
Palpatine outstretched a hand to his brother, "Hand me a weapon."
Palpatine couldn't see Predune's face, but he knew what the look was already. "What did you say, Sheev?"
"Damn it, Predune!" Palpatine stalked over to the shelf of weapons and snatched a vibro-blade up. His hand lingered near his concealed lightsaber, but he resisted. Palpatine couldn't have his brother knowing. The Vibro-blade hummed in his hand, vibrating with deadly violet electricity and he held it forth towards the Guardians. "Get yourself a weapon, Predune."
"What in blazes are you doing?" Predune simply stared at his brother as he held his stance before the Guardians.
The Guardians didn't speak, didn't move, in fact they did nothing at all. They simply stood there in front of him, blocking him. Lips were curled, staring at a homicidal teenager before them wielding a blade crackling with electricity.
"Peace is a lie" Palpatine said aloud under his breath.
Predune didn't know what to do so he fiddled with his clothes and watched. His eyes shifted to the weapons nearby, but he resisted. Anyone could see it in his eyes, he had no idea what was occurring, why they were there or honestly anything about this entire encounter-Poor Predune.
Palpatine let out an atrocious guttural yell before charging at the Guardians. Predune simply blinked a few times as he watched his baby brother mow down three undead creatures. They weren't exactly trying that hard to fight back surprisingly but either way, it was fine. After there were three crumpled bodies on the ground, Palpatine spun around and beamed a smile at his older brother.
He let out a laugh as he looked at the zombie nuisances on the ground, "And now...we shall have peace." he said in a semi-sarcastic tone.
Palpatine stepped over a Guardians body and marched on. Predune walked around the bodies and joined his brother as they traversed the hall to the other entrance. Just as the brothers pushed open the double doors and stepped over the threshold, a horrific creaking noise came from behind. Like bones cracking and clattering, a squish of human flesh.
They both turned slowly around to see the three hooded Guardians behind...rebuilding themselves? They slowly grew in height as they picked up the cut-up pieces of themselves and they somehow pieced it together with their body. They spun on their heels and stared at the brothers.
"You may not return." The center Guardian sneered, simply staring at them. Then they began to run, directly at them. Shadows cast upon their faces, skeletal limbs clattering at every step. Determined, unwaveringly running towards them.
"PREDUNE! QUICK!" Palpatine said as he fumbled about for a way to prevent them.
Predune took the handles and slammed the double doors shut. He felt around the handle before he realized there was a lock and with a satisfying click, it was locked. The two brothers held their breaths. Then came the banging of skeletal knuckles upon the stone. They were rapid at first then they grew slower and more deliberate, never ceasing. When they were sure the door wouldn't break down, they assessed the surroundings behind them. "Oh, lovely." Predune remarked.
"Oh, lovely, what?" Palpatine arched an eyebrow.
"A maze." Predune scoffed. "Another puzzle that will surely kill us. A classic if I must say."
"Pfft. Don't be that arrogant. It could be simply a genuine maze in a Sith Temple."
Predune nodded then snapped his neck to Palpatine, "A Sith Temple? That's where we are? A SITH TEMPLE?"
"Its a long story." Palpatine waved it off. He stared at the maze and shrugged. "Well, there's no way to go but forward." He hummed to himself as he saw words blazed into the ceiling, "Ah, it says Remain calm"
"Oh, even lovelier."
So, they proceeded into the maze and disaster instantly struck. As expected, it was a maze destined to do one thing because of course, a Sith Temple would have such a thing as this: to kill them. At first it was quiet, a little rumbling, still concerning but not that much so. Then the next second, the maze started to collapse on itself because of course, it did.
Palpatine and Predune rounded another corner barely missing a tile falling away into the very horrifying abyss that lay underneath them. Predune screamed, "WHY IN THE BLAZES WOULD YOU EVER WANT TO GO IN HERE, SHEEV?"
Palpatine didn't respond but rather kept on running about, trying to keep calm. If Predune wasn't calm, Palpatine certainly had to keep his calm, for the sake of his brother. He had learned in his many years of having siblings that if one was about to explode like a proton bomb, the other had to remain calm, at all costs. Or else raw chaos would consume everything.
Palpatine didn't know if he could keep up any longer, he was terribly out of shape. Now, Predune was doing just fine. Palpatine was sure Predune could keep on running until he reached the end of the universe for all he knew. I need to find a way out now. Predune will find a way out just fine. But I...it won't end well.
Palpatine fumbled around in his pocket for his notebook and he withdrew it. The Code...I have to decipher the Code. Decipher it now. However, the pages were blurry, he couldn't keep a steady hand and the floor of the maze kept crumbling on.
Palpatine looked back to see the walls were still collapsing at a slower speed than before surprisingly, but it was still encroaching. He cursed himself. He should've deciphered it all back at the beginning. Too late, now.