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Paul Edmund Norman's Monthly Online Literary Magazine ~ July 2005 Issue No. 81
STAR WARS: DARK EMPEROR
by Brendan Wahlberg
----------------------------------------------------------------------
After
what felt like a long time to Palpatine, his holocomm received the signal he
had been waiting for. He peered eagerly at the image of one of his red armored
and robed personal guards. "What is your report?" he asked
immediately.
"My
Emperor," the guard said, "a man exactly matching the visual data we
were given has been seen approaching the Palace. He was observed riding a tube
car on line twenty seven. At the fiftieth grid exchange, he boarded a car on
the
"Good,"
replied Palpatine. "The Jedi is on his way to me, as Vader thought. I wish
there to be no impediments to his journey. I am instructing you to have the
Grand Corridor cleared. This will provide a path from the visitor center,
through the Grand Corridor, to the assemblage auditorium throne room where I
will await him. The Jedi is not to be interfered with, provided he follows that
path. From the time he enters the throne room, I will take charge of him. There
are to be no interruptions or communications. That is all."
"Your
orders are clear," the red guard said. "We hear you, and obey."
The transmission terminated, leaving Palpatine to feel pleased at the
efficiency of his guards. The officer had not hesitated for a moment at the
daunting command to clear the Grand Corridor. It was a huge task, but he had no
doubt it would be done before the half hour had elapsed.
The
Emperor was also pleased with his upcoming meeting with the mysterious Jedi. He
hoped Boda would present a challenge. It had been far too long since he had
been given the chance to destroy a Jedi. Thus, he was not overly disturbed that
events had unfolded as they had. Yes, it would have been better if Vader could
have captured the Jedi for him. But Vader's participation had held the
worrisome risk of betrayal. Now, however, the Jedi was going to come directly
to him, as if considerate of Palpatine's inability to personally hunt him down.
It was going to be a very satisfying night, with a Jedi to vanquish, and the
prospect of learning of a way to cheat death itself. It was time to get to the
throne room and prepare to meet the immortal man himself. Palpatine felt hungry
for it.
Vantos'
tube car finally reached its destination at the
Boda
kept walking, trying to look inconspicuous among the other tourists. It was not
easy; the others all appeared more wealthy than Vantos. The crowd he was
following moved onto a transparisteel walkway between two towers of the Palace.
Standing in the middle of this bridge, he could look up at the incredible slope
of the main body of the Palace. He looked high, past level upon level of
blazing lights, to the very top of the pyramid. Up there, open to the sky, was
a row of hanging gardens that went all the way around the perimeter. Several
levels down was another garden, also extending around all four sides of the
Palace. Below that, another garden, and so on down the outside of the
structure. The gardens formed a series of concentric squares when viewed from
above. Each one contained generous amounts of Phelarion moss. These outer
gardens would be the first to explode. From the gardens inward, Boda had grown
his organic weapon on every level, at the bases of statues, around indoor
trees, among stones in decorative natural displays, next to flower beds, and on
multilevel fountains. In addition, there were hidden quantities of the
organism, packed into forgotten storerooms where only Vantos tended them. These
deposits formed the basis for a chain reaction of explosions that would occur
as the fires spread inwards.
Boda
had planned for the destruction to spread downwards as well. One of his
commands to the mirror pilot was to move the energy beam down the side of the
Palace, detonating more garden levels and setting off more chain reactions. If
all went as planned, the Palace was going to fall in on itself like an
imploding wedding cake.
Vantos
squinted as he stared through the lights of the Palace, looking for the beam of
light and heat from the mirror. He couldn't see it, but he knew it was there.
It would be narrowed and trained on the top garden levels, providing the heat
to initiate the exothermic reaction. Vantos imagined the moss beginning to
stiffen and darken to brown, as the heat was concentrated on it.
He
suddenly looked around him, and was disconcerted to find the transparent bridge
empty except for himself. The other tourists had moved on, and Boda felt
vulnerable in his solitude. Uneasy, he hurried along the bridge and down the
hall leading to the Grand Corridor itself. As he moved briskly along, he saw no
other tourists, nor did he see any Palace staff. His discomfort grew when he
realized that he could hear his own footsteps in the silence. The constant
background noise of the complex had dwindled away, and he had not noticed it while
he daydreamed about the explosives. Gone were the murmuring voices, the
intercom calls, and the tramp of feet. A chill settled over Vantos as he walked
the last few steps to the entryway to the Grand Corridor.
As he
emerged into the vast thoroughfare, his suspicions were realized. The Grand
Corridor was empty. It was a trap, set for him by the Emperor. Palpatine was
expecting him after all.
Normally,
the Grand Corridor should have been teeming with people. The hour of the day
was irrelevant. One could find, at any time, info-runners, bureaucrats,
advisors, diplomats, ambassadors, droids, administrators, dignitaries,
Stormtroopers, Royal Guards, and tourists filling the enclosed canyon in the
thousands. Now, the kilometers long hall stood vacant. No one moved beneath the
uncounted banners representing every world in the Empire. The promenade balcony
level was deserted, and the gray granite pillars were the only things standing
as far as Vantos could see.
Even
so...he could sense life all around him, hidden and silent. The Emperor's Royal
Guard, perhaps? Boda hesitated in the doorway. He knew it was a giant snare,
but did that matter? He was still going where he wanted to go. In fact, the
Emperor was making it easier for him. Palpatine must want him very badly,
Vantos realized. But for what?
Setting
his jaw, Vantos stepped out into the corridor and began to walk purposefully
along it. His footsteps sent waves of color through the vibration sensitive
Ch'hala trees as he went by them, but each tree settled back to inactivity when
he was past. Vantos marched towards the main public throne room, where he
predicted the Emperor would be. It was a symbol of Palpatine's authority, and
it was a main destination from the Grand Corridor. Up on the balconies, he sensed
the watchful eyes of hidden guards looking down on him. He suspected they would
do nothing, so long as he walked along the intended path, so he took their
noninterference for confirmation of his goal. The guards also meant that there
would be no retreat; he was in the trap, and so be it. The Emperor did not know
that Vantos had set a trap of his own, and by the time he realized it, it would
be too late.
After
walking for several minutes, Vantos reached the ornate entryway to the
assemblage auditorium where the Emperor listened to petitions and made decrees
to large seated gatherings. A quick extension of his Force senses told him what
he needed to know. The Emperor was there. Boda felt his presence like a bloated
black storm cloud gathering in the distance. He winced at the level of power he
sensed there. Why could I not have killed you as a child? he lamented to
himself.
He
knew the throne room was a cavernous auditorium, with the throne on the lowest
level, which was reached by descending in a single turbolift. The spectators
sat on the various levels of audience decks, which were rows above rows of
platforms containing thousands of benches. These decks were entered via a
multitude of doorways, according to rank and social status, with the most
important people sitting on the lowest levels, closest to the Emperor. Vantos
decided to avoid the turbolift, and entered the doorway to the lowest audience
deck; he was, he decided, a very important person on this night. After taking
the stairs and emerging onto the deck, he paused among the marble benches.
About ten meters below him, the Emperor's throne sat at the top of a stepped
platform at the far end of the immense room. Behind the throne, a wheel shaped
Imperial symbol was carved into the wall. Above the Emperor's seat, a prism
poured a rainbow of light down from the ceiling. The throne itself levitated
above the dais, and in it was seated the Galactic Emperor.
Palpatine
was all robed in black, with a hood that hid his face. His voice emerged from
the hood as a sharp near-whisper, but the perfect acoustics of the room carried
it clearly all the way to Vantos. "Welcome, Jedi," said the Emperor.
"I have been expecting you. We have much to discuss, you and I, concerning
your purported immortality."
So, thought Boda,
that is why I am so interesting to the Emperor. It is not every Jedi who
comes back from the dead.
"I've
been looking forward to meeting you also," replied Vantos. "I've
waited a very long time for it, in fact. But I should tell you right now, that
I'm not here to talk. I've come to kill you...Espaa Pestage."
Palpatine
rose from his throne and partly cast back his hood, his teeth clenched in rage.
"How did you learn that name?!" he demanded. The colors of the
spectrum played on his pale face and tight fists. He was suddenly off balance,
his former confidence marred. No one was supposed to know of his childhood
name. The Emperor himself only vaguely remembered his origins, because they
meant little to him as the chosen servant of the dark side. His true origin had
come at the moment of that choosing. Yet, somehow this Jedi had intimate
knowledge of him, and sounded certain of what he knew. Palpatine didn't even
allow his own biological father to be so certain. When, as a Senator of the
Republic, Palpatine was approached by the aging Sate Pestage, he had accepted
Pestage's offer of service to him. He had never expected anyone to discover his
origins, but because Pestage had, it was important to keep him close by.
Unexpectedly, the old man had no motivation aside from service, and he
eventually became Palpatine's trusted Grand Vizier. But their relationship was
never acknowledged. There was no place for it in Palpatine's life. The old man
had unobtrusively tried to find proof that Palpatine was his son, but he had
failed utterly. The Emperor had buried his past too well.
The
intruder seemed calm. "I'll explain it to you, Highness," he said.
"We have time."
"You
have only as much time as I decide!" snapped the Emperor. "You were a
fool to come here. Now your life is in my hands, and I have already personally
destroyed a hundred like you."
"Oh,
surely not exactly like me, Espaa. I'm not a simple Jedi like they were,"
replied the intruder slowly. He was keeping his distance at the far side of the
room, one level above. Palpatine sensed that the man might be playing for time.
He decided to allow that. He wanted to converse with the man for as long as
possible. If matters erupted into a fight, the intruder might not survive to be
interrogated. Any information he could extract without torture was desirable to
the Emperor.
"Then
tell me, Ashka Boda," said Palpatine in a low voice, "what kind of
Jedi are you?"
"Let's
start with my name, Highness. It's not Ashka, it's Vantos. Ashka was my
brother."
"And
my name, Vantos Boda, is Palpatine. You may call me Master for the time that
remains to you."
"I
beg to differ, Highness, because I know otherwise. You see, I've come close to
destroying you in the past, when you were just a child. Your name was Espaa
then, no matter what you changed it to." Vantos strolled closer, moving
slowly, keeping a row of solid marble chair backs in front of him. He was
peering down at Palpatine. "I also think, Emperor, that time has not been
kind to you. You are a long way from the boy I tried to kill. I wonder if your
health is satisfactory?"
Anger
boiled up within the Emperor, but he contained it. He refused to be manipulated
by this old Jedi. "I can see that your youth is gone too, old man,"
he said calmly. "And do not take my apparent age for a sign of weakness.
It is merely the price I have paid for my power. Against that power, you cannot
stand, and your advanced years will merely bring your end more quickly.
Now...why don't you come down here, where we can talk more closely. Do not be
afraid. I will not destroy you until I have satisfied my curiosity."
"I'm
quite content to be up here for now," Vantos said, sitting down on a
bench. "But I do want you to know why I am here to kill you. I was chosen
by the Force to fulfill a special destiny...to be a savior...to be the Son of
the Suns."
"I
am sure I have never heard of that title," said Palpatine, "and Lord
Vader described you merely as a victim, one he disposed of easily years
ago."
"He
has me confused with my brother, I think," said Vantos. "I'm not at
all sure why," he smiled slyly. "I was always meant for greater
things than Ashka. A long time ago, I had a vision that concerned you. Yes,
you. I foresaw...all this." Vantos indicated the throne room. "All
the evil you've done. I tried to kill you as a child, but I failed. My brother
stopped me. He...killed me in cold blood. Otherwise, all this...would never
have come to be. No Emperor, no Empire. I would have been the Galaxy's unknown
savior. But, thanks to Ashka...
"Still,
I never gave up. I even came back from the dead to keep on trying, because I
can still make a difference. I can still be a savior. Today, after all these
years, I have another chance to end your evil reign."
Palpatine
listened intently, scowling. He was deeply disturbed that this man had come so
close to killing him as a child. It disgusted him that he had been
so...vulnerable. But that was the past, and right now, he needed Boda's secrets
in order to save his own life for the Empire's future.
"You
returned from the dead?" prompted Palpatine. "Are you immortal then,
as Lord Vader believes?"
"I'm
afraid I cannot be of much help to you there," said Vantos. "I only
came back once, and it is by no means certain I could do so again. Does the
subject interest you...personally?"
The Emperor
cursed silently. Vantos was coming too close to understanding too much. The
damnable Jedi was too crafty, much more so than Palpatine had expected. Whoever
he was, he was also clearly a fool with delusions of grandeur. He was too
mysterious as well. Vader had sworn that this man was Ashka Boda, but now the
Jedi claimed to be Ashka's unheard-of brother. And did he have the secret of
immortality or not? Palpatine forced himself to reason it out. Perhaps there
was a way of taking a new body after one's death. If that was true, then this
Vantos might have taken over his own brother's form. The theory explained Lord
Vader's assertions, and more - it might offer Palpatine some real hope for his
own affliction. However, it was becoming clear that Vantos was not going to
divulge anything important voluntarily. It was time to end their conversation,
take the Jedi down, and proceed with a more efficient form of questioning.
"It
is such a pity, Vantos Boda," he said with mock sadness, "that your
life's work has to come to nothing." Palpatine walked steadily closer to
the Jedi. His voice was laden with sarcasm. "I have enjoyed our
conversation. It is an uncommon pleasure to speak with a Jedi in these times.
However..." His withered hands slowly lifted. "This audience is at an
end."
Palpatine
allowed all his fear for his own mortality and all his anger at this mocking
interloper to ignite the power of the dark side within him. The raging energy
burst forth from his hands and sprayed out as searing blue-tinged Force
Lightning. The surging bolts climbed instantly up to the defenseless Vantos
Boda, hungry to rip the life energy from him. What happened next stunned the
galactic ruler. Boda spread his arms wide, and seemingly absorbed the Force
Lightning. Then he thrust his arms forward and hurled his own stream of
writhing energy down at the Emperor. Frozen in surprise, Palpatine almost
failed to defend himself. His reflexes saved him, as the power of the Force
formed an energy shield to shunt away Boda's attack.
"Dark
Jedi!" hissed the Emperor, raging. "A dark side adept! I should have
known a Jedi would not approach me like this. But I am deceived no longer! Now
you will meet your true Master, old fool!"
Without
warning, a severe tremor shook the throne room. A deep rumbling filled the air.
As the floor and walls continued to shake, Palpatine fought to keep his
footing.
Vantos
had ducked out of sight among the benches above, but his voice could still be
heard over the muffled booming. "It's the end!" he cried triumphantly.
"The end at last, for both of us 'old fools'!" The fallen Jedi
laughed coldly, and in that moment, the Emperor realized Vantos Boda was
insane.
In
one area of the gardens of the Palace summit, directly under the beam of
concentrated sunlight, the overheated Phelarion moss exploded with sufficient
force to crack the polished stone. The explosion raced around the entire
garden, as more and more moss ignited. Those looking at the structure from a
distance saw a fireball swell up and engulf the entire peak. Great sections of
marble, crystal, and gray-green rock shuddered and fell away from the eruption,
cascading like an avalanche into the tapered spires and stylized towers below.
As the flames penetrated inwards, more of the organic explosive reached the critical
temperature and blew up before it could burn. A deep, rumbling concussion
flowed over
Imperial
citizens died by the thousands in the space of a minute. Entire residential
towers were smashed at their bases, and tipped ponderously over to fall down
the Palace slope. Advisors and military personnel alike were crushed as
ceilings came down, one upon the other, like a collapsing house of cards.
Flaming debris dropped into the next several rows of gardens open to the sky,
and touched off more explosions. The destruction of the upper levels of the
Palace proceeded vigorously, but so far, the great bulk of the complex was
untouched. The effects, however, were felt all through the Palace. Walls and
floors shook, banners fell, statues tipped over, glass shattered, and all types
of administrators and staff scurried bewildered, looking for cover.
Multiple
levels below the center of the destruction, The Emperor listened in shock as
his world was assaulted. Fine dust fell all around him, as the shaking throne
room's roof began to feel the strain. He looked up for Vantos Boda, and saw
that the man had vanished or hidden. He hesitated, then decided to be cautious,
and started for the turbolift across the floor.
And
there was Boda, blocking the way, hands raised aggressively, his face stretched
by his bared, clenched teeth.
Palpatine
readied himself for a battle, ignoring the explosions and tremors filtering
down from above. He opened himself completely to the Force, and it leaped at
his call. Relentless and hateful, the power of the dark side was with him.
Pulling destructive energy into himself like a black hole, the Emperor advanced
on his new enemy.
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