Authors: James Luceno
Sidious’s eyes bored into the Muun’s.
“How often you said that the old order of Bane had ended with the
death of your Master. An apprentice no longer needs to be stronger, you told me, merely more clever. The era of keeping score, suspicion, and betrayal was over. Strength is not in the flesh but in the Force.”
He laughed. “You lost the game on the very first day you chose to train me to rule by your side—or better still, under your thumb. Teacher, yes, and for that I will be eternally grateful. But Master—
never.
”
Sidious peered at Plagueis through the Force. “Oh, yes, by all means gather your midi-chlorians, Plagueis.” He held his thumb and forefinger close together. “Try to keep yourself alive while I choke the life out of you.”
Plagueis gulped for air and lifted an arm toward him.
“There’s the rub, you see,” Sidious said in a philosophical tone. “All the ones you experimented on, killed, and brought back to life … They were little more than toys. Now, though, you get to experience it from their side, and look what you discover: in a body that is being denied air, in which even the Force is failing, your own midi-chlorians can’t accomplish what you’re asking of them.”
Hatred stained Sidious’s eyes.
“I could save you, of course. Return you from the brink, as you did Venamis. I could retask your body to repair the damage already done to your lungs, your hearts, your aged brain. But I’ll do no such thing. The idea here is not to drag you back at the last moment, but to bring you to death’s door and shove you through to the other side.”
Sidious sighed. “A tragedy, really, for one so wise. One who could oversee the lives and deaths of all beings, except himself.”
The Muun’s eyes had begun to bulge; his pale flesh, to turn cyanotic.
“You may be wondering: when did he begin to change?
“The truth is that I haven’t changed. As we have clouded the minds of the Jedi, I clouded yours. Never once did I have any intention of sharing power with you. I needed to learn from you; no more, no less. To learn all of your secrets, which I trusted you would eventually reveal. But what made you think that I would need you after that? Vanity, perhaps; your sense of self-importance. You’ve been nothing more than a pawn in a game played by a genuine Master.
“The Sith’ari.”
A cruel laugh escaped him.
“Reflect back on even the past few years—assuming you have the
capacity. Yinchorr, Dorvalla, Eriadu, Maul, the Neimoidians, Naboo, an army of clones, the fallen Jedi Dooku … You think these were your ideas, when in fact they were mine, cleverly suggested to you so that you could feed them back to me. You were far too trusting, Plagueis. No true Sith can ever really care about another. This has always been known. There is no way but my way.”
Sidious’s eyes narrowed. “Are you still with me, Plagueis? Yes, I detect that you are—though barely.
“A few final words, then.
“I could have let you die in the Fobosi district, but I couldn’t allow that to happen when there was still so much I didn’t know; so many powers that remained just outside my reach. And as it happened, I acted wisely in rescuing you. Otherwise how could I be standing here and you be dying? I actually thought you would die on Sojourn—and you would have if the Hutt hadn’t tipped you off to Veruna’s scheme.
“And yet that also turned out for the best, for even after all you taught me, I might not have been able to take the final steps to the chancellorship without your help in manipulating the Senate and bringing into play your various and sundry allies. If it’s any consolation, I’m being honest when I say that I could not have succeeded without you. But now that we’ve won the race, I’ve no need for a co-chancellor. Your presence, much less your unnecessary counsel, would only confuse matters. I have Maul to do what the risk of discovery might not allow me to do, while I execute the rest of the Grand Plan: growing an army, fomenting rebellion and fabricating intergalactic war, corralling the Jedi and catching them unawares …
“Rest easy in your grave, Plagueis. In the end, I will be proclaimed Emperor. The Sith will have had their revenge, and I will rule the galaxy.”
Plagueis slid to the floor and rolled facedown. Death rattled his lungs and he died.
OneOne-FourDee started to approach, but Sidious motioned for it to stop.
“We’re going to have to find you a new home and a new body, droid.”
OneOne-FourDee looked once at the Muun, then at Sidious. “Yes, Master Palpatine.”
Sidious moved to the window, then turned to regard the murder
scene. Hego Damask would appear to have died because of a malfunction of the breathing apparatus. He would have the droid alert the medtechs. But no autopsy would be performed, and no inquest would follow. Holos of their appearance at the Galaxies Opera would run on the HoloNet, and pundits would weigh in. Senator Palpatine might garner even greater sympathy; his delight in being elected to the chancellorship diminished by the sudden death of a powerful financial ally.
Sidious moved back into the room to take a closer look at Plagueis. Then, after a long moment, he returned to the window and pulled the drapes aside.
His spirit soared, but briefly.
Something was shading his sense of triumph: a vague awareness of a power greater than himself. Was it Plagueis reaching out from the far side of death to vex him? Or was the feeling a mere consequence of apotheosis?
Outside, the summits of the tallest buildings were gilded by the first rays of daylight.
EPILOGUE
Palpatine’s election to the chancellorship dominated the HoloNet. It was far from a landslide victory, but he won by a wider margin than even the oddsmakers had predicted, due in part to the unexplained absence of several of his key opponents. With two Supreme Court judges and Vice Chancellor Mas Amedda presiding, he took the oath of office atop the Senate Podium, after Valorum had shaken his hand and disappeared down the turbolift that led to the preparation room far below. In his address he pledged to return the Republic to its former glory and to purge the Senate of corrupt practices. No one paid much attention, since every Supreme Chancellor for the past two hundred years had made the same promises.
Pundits, however, were quick to weigh in on what the election might mean for the immediate future. The fact that Naboo had managed to defeat the Trade Federation without the aid of mercenaries or Republic intervention had many beings wondering whether planets might follow Naboo in establishing their own militaries and challenging the power of the galactic consortiums. How might the events of Naboo shape the new Supreme Chancellor’s policies toward the Corporate Alliance and other cartels? Would legislation regarding taxation of the free-trade zones and the legality of droid armies be reexamined? Would harsher enforcement lead eventually to the cartels’ secession from the Republic? And might entire systems end up joining the exodus?
With so much attention being focused on the election, stories that
might otherwise have been viewed as significant escaped notice. One such story was the unexpected death of reclusive Muun financier Hego Damask. Hastily prepared obituaries contained the few facts about his life that were public knowledge but scarcely touched on the behind-the-scenes role he had played in shaping the history of the Republic. Members of the InterGalactic Banking Clan were refusing to release any information about the funeral or about the disposition of Damask’s substantial holdings on Muunilinst and dozens of other worlds. Off the record, beings remarked that the intricacies of the Muun’s business concerns might take decades to unravel.
With the Battle of Naboo concluded—
lost
, in his estimation—Palpatine had no time to bask in adulation or celebrate his win. His first order of business, indeed his first official duty, was to travel to his homeworld to congratulate Queen Amidala and her new allies, the Gungans, on their surprise victory.
It wasn’t until he arrived in Theed and learned of Darth Maul’s defeat at the hands of the Jedi in a power-generator station that he understood in part the reason for the sense of loss and profound solitude he had experienced following the murder of Plagueis. He could have pressed one of the other Jedi who had arrived on Naboo for information as to how Maul had managed to kill a master sword fighter only to be overcome by a lesser one, but he didn’t want to know, and as a result be able to imagine the contest. Still, it gave him great pleasure to stand among Yoda, Mace Windu, and other Masters and watch Qui-Gon Jinn’s body reduced to ash, knowing that the Jedi was just the first casualty in a war that had been declared but not yet begun; one in which ten thousand Jedi would follow Qui-Gon to the grave …
That Plagueis’s death and Maul’s defeat had occurred in relative simultaneity could only have been the will of the dark side of the Force, as was the fact that, until such time as he took and trained a new apprentice, Palpatine was now the galaxy’s sole Sith Lord.
Disappointment also attended the fact that the droid army of the Trade Federation had been so easily vanquished by a handful of Naboo and an army of primitives. But Anakin Skywalker was the larger issue.
No one could argue that he had shown remarkable courage and Force ability in destroying the Trade Federation’s Droid Control Ship.
As Plagueis had said:
Already his actions begin to echo across the stars
.
“What is this place?” Dooku asked after Palpatine had welcomed him into the LiMerge Building.
“An old factory. It was owned by Hego Damask, but he deeded it to me before he died.”
Dooku’s brow wrinkled. “For what purpose?”
“He thought I might have some use for it in jump-starting a plan of urban revitalization.”
Back on Coruscant for a little over a month, Palpatine was wearing a cowled cloak closed at the neck by a Sith clasp, ostensibly as protection against acid-laden rain that was falling in The Works. Dooku was dressed as a civilian, in tight-fitting trousers and a smart cape.
The former Jedi regarded the factory’s enormous main room. “No Senate Guards?”
“They’re within comm range should I need them.”
“I would have thought you at least wanted me to see your new office,” Dooku said, brushing beads of water from his shoulder. “Then I recalled what you said last time we spoke, about our not being seen together in public.”
Palpatine waved negligently. “The office is temporary. One more suited to the position is already in the planning stages.”
Side by side, they began to walk through the room. “So you’ve hooked them already,” Dooku said.
Palpatine feigned a look of innocence. “Not at all. The Appropriations Committee approached me with the idea of constructing a dome near the Senate Building that will also serve as a docking facility.”
“You appear to be very pleased with the idea.”
“Most pleased.”
Dooku stopped to study him. “Your truer nature begins to reveal itself, I think.” When Palpatine made no response, he added, “Congratulations, by the way, on Naboo’s defeat of the Trade Federation. An odd series of events, wouldn’t you agree?”
Palpatine nodded and resumed a measured pace. “Everyone involved—including me—underestimated the abilities of our Queen. It pained me to learn that Master Qui-Gon had been killed.” He paused momentarily. “Was it his death that firmed your decision to leave the Order?”
“To a degree,” Dooku said, scowling. “I’ve learned recently that another of my Padawans—Komari Vosa—is alive.”
“I hope that’s some consolation,” Palpatine started to say.
“It isn’t, as she is said to be leading the Bando Gora.” Dooku looked at him. “She could be a danger to the Republic, Supreme Chancellor.”
“Then thank you for the warning. How did the Council react to your departure?”
“Not well. They demanded more explanation than I was willing to provide.”
“And Master Sifo-Dyas?”
Dooku frowned. “He knew that my leaving was simply a matter of time. Although he did say something I found to be rather curious. He said that if I had any designs on instigating dissent, he would be one step ahead of me.”
Palpatine shook his head in confusion. “Are you planning to instigate dissent?”
Dooku smiled faintly. “My first order of business is to reclaim my title.”
“Count Dooku,” Palpatine said, assessing the sound of it. “Somehow it suits you better than Master Dooku.”
“I’m tempted to adopt a new name altogether.”
“A new beginning.”
“Perhaps I should do as you’ve done.”
“As I’ve done?” Palpatine said.
“Call myself Dooku, as you retitled yourself Palpatine.”
“I see. Well, what meaning is conveyed by a name, in any case?” Again, he paused for a long moment. “I understand that Qui-Gon fell to a lightsaber.”
Dooku’s head snapped around. “The same Sith he confronted on Tatooine. The Council is hoping that Gunray can shed some light on the matter once the trial is under way.”
“I wouldn’t put much faith in that. Does the Council know anything at all?”
“Not even his Sith name,” Dooku said. “But they know that there is another.”
“How could they?”
“In theory, when the Sith went into hiding one thousand years ago, they vowed that there should be only two of them at any given time—one Master, one apprentice, through the generations.”
“Was this one who killed Qui-Gon the apprentice or the Master?”
Dooku looked at him as they walked. “My every instinct tells me that he was the apprentice. Obi-Wan suspects as much, as well, based on the Zabrak’s behavior. The Council is being more circumspect, but naturally they want the other one found.” He fell silent, then added, “The Sith deliberately revealed himself on Tatooine and on Naboo. More than disclosing their alliance with the Trade Federation, he did so to send a message to the Jedi. It amounts to a declaration of war.”
Palpatine came to a stop at a broken window that overlooked the rain-drenched Works. “How would one even begin to know where to look for this other Sith?”
“I’m not sure,” Dooku said, coming abreast of him. “Several crises of the past decade bear the signature of a more sinister intelligence than those who planned and perpetrated the events. Yinchorr, for example; but especially Eriadu and the assassination of the Trade Federation leadership. Clearly, certain beings have dealt with the Sith—perhaps without realizing it—and some may be dealing with the surviving one currently. Now that I’m no longer a Jedi, there may be a way for me to extract information from the crime cartels and other organizations. Eventually I will find him—or her—and with any fortune before the Jedi do.”