To the Edge of Darkness: Book 1 - Sequel to "Rise of the Empire" (AU)

[92se-r]

Well, here is the first chapter of the sequel to the story I had written earlier this year.
For those that followed the story, this starts one year after the founding of the Empire.

I am going to post up the first chapter, and will work on the rest as I go. Also, I will jusdge interest in the story first, before I write too much more. So if you want me to continue the story, please let me know.

As for the title of "Book 1", I plan on covering the gap between RotS, and ANH, in two books, each covering a 10 year period. I plan on having the story run all the way until the end of RotJ, following the same AU feel, but tying in the OT as closely as possible.

Anyway, that is the basic jist, so here is the first chapter:

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Chapter 1


Darth Vader stood on the bridge of his flagship, Exactor, hands clasped behind his back, looking out at the night side of Coruscant. Behind him there was nothing but the noise of people working, doing whatever it took to remain busy while their commander was present. Vader did not notice them at the moment, however. He was looking out the bridges spacious windows, as he often did, wearing his standard black outfit. Black boots that went halfway up his calves, black pants that tucked into the boots, a black leather belt, and a black shirt, much like the shirts he wore as a Jedi, and of course his lightsaber dangling from his belt. His hair was about the same length it had been a year prior, and he liked it that way.

One year. Had it been that long already? It seemed like only yesterday that Vader was looking at the skeleton of the massive battle station the Emperor was creating, still shocked that its construction was kept a well-guarded secret. In the year that had passed, he had learned much from the Sith holocrons that were found at the former Jedi Temple. It seemed, though, that Sidious thought he was learning too much. It had been about four months now since he was able to peruse the holocron library, all because Sidious had sent him on several different missions. Most of them trivial, and not something someone of his importance needed to attend to. He knew that his master was starting to worry about how powerful he was becoming, and was trying anything necessary to stifle his progress. It made no difference to Vader. He used his time away from the Emperor to work on his plan even more so, and soon he would be ready to set that plan in motion. He just needed one final piece, and a few more strategic moves.

Lord Vader couldn’t help but smile as he thought of how things were going. The Jedi had not made an appearance in at least 2 months, although Vader could feel a ripple in the Force every now and then, but they were just that, ripples. Nothing to lead him to where, or whom, it was coming from. It seemed as if the Jedi were beginning to realize they had lost, and that it was pointless to try and reestablish the Order somewhere else. His biggest concern was over the location of Yoda, despite what his master thought. If any being in the galaxy posed a threat, it was he.

Yoda was close to 900 when Vader had first met him, and in those centuries Vader could only wonder what all he had learned. Had the Dark Side ever tempted him? And if so, how could he deny its power? It made no difference to Vader. Yoda sent his former master, Obi-Wan, to kill him, and for that Yoda would pay more than Obi-Wan did. His death would not be swift as it was for Obi-Wan. Vader would revel in watching the Emperor slowly drain the life from the little green Jedi Master.

As Vader let his thoughts wander, one of the junior officers walked up behind him.

“Excuse me, Lord Vader,” the man, who was not more than 20 standard years old, stammered, “the Emperor wishes to know when you are going down to the planet, to join in the celebrations.”

Shaken from his thoughts, Vader then realized that the man had been able to come up behind him, and he was not aware of his presence. Too deep in thought, Vader mused. Yet at the same time, it angered him more than anything else. How could someone that had no knowledge of the Force get so close to Vader without sensing him? He would not make the same mistake again.

Vader didn’t turn to look at the officer; he kept looking at the planet. “Tell the Emperor that I will be there when I arrive.”

The man didn’t move, frozen in place by shock about what his message was to be. “Excuse me, my Lord?” was what finally left his lips after stumbling over the first word a few times.

Darth Vader finally turned around, and met the man eye to eye. He could sense fear in him. In fact he could almost smell it, and Vader enjoyed that. He took a few steps closer to the young man, and all eyes in the control room moved with him. The control room became eerily silent.

“Did I stutter, Captain?” Vader said, never breaking eye contact.

The man was obviously no coward, as he didn’t take any steps back, but he was no fool either. He broke eye contact with the Lord of the Sith, looking instead at the ground.

“No, Lord Vader. I was merely concerned that the message would not be well received by his Excellency, the Emperor.” the young man replied.

Vader still stood there looking at the man, trying to get a sense of his feelings. The fear was still there, but it became stronger when he mentioned the Emperor.

“Good.” Vader said, finally breaking the silence.

The young officer looked up at him, puzzled.

“I was testing you Captain. I needed to know where your loyalties are. I now know.”

“Thank you, Lord Vader.” The man looked relieved.

“Tell the Emperor that I will be at his side within the hour.”

“Very well, my lord.” The man snapped to attention, saluted, did a perfect about face, and walked out of the control room.

Vader followed the figure as it went through the doorway, and turned down the hall, heading towards the communications center.

Too bad, thought Vader to himself, he had potential. Still, I will see that he is placed on a good ship.

He then looked down to one of the officers in the control room.

“Tell Commander Cody, and his men, to meet me at my transport. I want to leave within the hour.”

“It shall be done, Lord Vader.” was the curt reply. Immediately, the noise of busy people filled the control room again.

Vader didn’t wait around for the full response from his officer. He knew it would be done. He had engrained in most of the officers that if he wanted something done, it had better get done quickly, and efficiently. Some others did less than stellar, and he made sure they became examples to the rest of the crew. The crew that he had mostly hand picked himself. Sure it was tedious, and monotonous, but he had tested almost every one of them, to see where their loyalties were. It was essential, in the long run, for him to have a crew that not only supported him, but also viewed him as the next in line to the throne of the Empire. People that feared him more than the Emperor, mostly because he was right there on the ship with them, was what Vader searched for. These loyal ones would be greatly rewarded, and he made sure they knew it.

As he walked down the hall of the Imperial class Star Destroyer, he heard the sounds of his feet hitting the floor. As they echoed in the hallway, one step became two. Then two became four, and so on, until the sounds became as a legion of soldiers marching in unison. Sounds of blaster fire, and lightsabers igniting filled his ears. The smell of burnt flesh filled his nostrils, and the sounds of young children dying, echoed.

He stopped in the middle of the hall. Memories of that night at the Temple came rushing back. Faces flashed before his eyes. Vader closed his eyes, pushing the sounds and images from his mind. He needed to focus on the present, and not dwell on the past.

Finally the images stopped, and the only sounds he heard were those of the engines pulsating through the ship. He continued down the hallway, and into his quarters. Once inside, he closed and locked the door.

His quarters were massive, by ship standards. More than one hundred feet long, just as wide, and three decks tall, there was not much Lord Vader could not put into his own private space. Filled with furniture and decorations that cost more than most of the men on the ship saw in a year, he did not deny himself what he wanted. He oversaw the design of his quarters, and made sure that there was only one door that had access. His sleeping quarters were up on the third level, and that’s where he was heading. He walked past the living room, which took up half the space on the lower floor, and was adjacent to the entrance. The elevator that would take him to his room was located on the far side of lowest floor, next to the kitchen area.

Halfway there he was greeted by R2-D2, his faithful companion for many years.

“Hello R2, what have you been up to today?”

The droid went into a series of beeps, and other sounds, that Vader was all too familiar with. He didn’t need a protocol droid to understand what he was saying.

“Another boring day at home, huh? Well, would you like to go with me to Coruscant? I need to meet the Emperor for Empire Day, and I’m sure you could use the planet side interaction, couldn’t you?”

R2 beeped in approval.

“Well, let me get ready, and then we can go.” Vader then continued on his way to the elevator. Getting inside, he pushed the button for the third level. It took almost no time before the doors opened, and he was stepping out into his room. Just as lavish in furnishings as the rest of his living quarters, he headed towards his closet.

More of a room than a closet, it was twenty feet wide, and thirty long. It was well lit, and had several mirrors. The cabinetry was made of wood from Worshyr trees, and trimmed with polished metal. On the far end of the closet sat two doors, different in color than the rest of the room.

These doors were pure metal, made from what was left of his old Jedi star fighter. He had designed it himself, with a locking mechanism that could only be opened by use of the Force. He easily opened the doors, and shining in the interior lights sat his suit. The suit that had been given to him by Cody and his men, and the one that he had worn in numerous engagements with stray factions, and a couple Jedi. Highly polished, the suit looked as if it could get out of the closet, and walk by itself.

“This should do nicely for Empire Day.” Vader said to himself. He stepped closer to the closet, and pulled the suit out.

A few minutes later, Vader walked into the living room downstairs and looked at R2.

“How do I look?” he asked, as he did every time he put the suit on. His voice being converted into the booming mechanical one his men had given the mask. He spread his arms wide and turned around, cape flowing behind him.

R2 whistled in approval.

“Good, I’m glad you like it.”

Just then, the internal communications kicked in.

“Lord Vader, this is Cody.”

“Go ahead, commander.”

“We are at your transport, and awaiting your arrival.”

Vader smiled beneath the mask. Always on time, he thought to himself.

“R2 and I will be there momentarily. Go ahead and warm up the engines.”

“Yes, my lord. Cody out.”

Vader looked down at R2. “Well, let’s get going. We don’t want to miss too much of the nights activities, do we?”

R2 whistled his response.

As they were leaving his quarters, Vader felt a presence in the Force. One that was strong, very strong. It made him stop in his tracks, but as soon as he found it, it was gone. Instantly his happy attitude was gone, replaced by questions.

Surely Sidious will know. I will ask him when I arrive. Vader thought.

When they finally reached the transport, Cody had the engines warming, and when Vader was sitting down, Cody looked back at him.

“All set, my lord?”

“Yes, Cody. Let’s go.”

Expertly, the clone lifted the ship from the hanger bay floor, and guided it into the vacuum of space. Within minutes the shuttle would be landing on the planet, and when it did, Vader would see if his master had the answers he was looking for.

[92se-r]

Well, here is the second chapter. I figured I would post it up early, as I would not get a chance to on Friday.

Enjoy.

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Chapter 2

“We’re going Bail, and that’s all there is to it.”

That was how the discussion had ended, less than a standard week ago. Imperial Senator Bail Organa had informed his wife that all the Senators, and their families, had been requested to come to Coruscant for the Empire Day celebrations. He tried to convince his wife that it was too dangerous for them all to go, that perhaps it would be better if they left Leia on Alderaan. His wife would not have it, though.

“She’s just a baby, Bail. How could the Emperor, or Vader know who she truly is? As far as anyone is concerned, she is ours, and was adopted. We have all the paperwork to prove it.”

It was useless to try and argue with his wife. She reminded him so much of Padme, strong and determined to have her way. He wondered if Leia would be like her mother, either of them.

No doubts there, he thought to himself as he smiled.

He was walking through the corridors of the diplomatic vessel, the same one he had carried Yoda and Obi-Wan to Coruscant on. The floors and walls were a brilliant white, and the crew moved with purpose. Captain Antilles, the ships captain, was one of Bails most trusted confidants, and a good friend. As Bail was rounding the corner, towards his private quarters, he about knocked over C3-PO, who was shuffling very fast in his direction.

“Oh my! I’m so sorry sir!” the gold protocol droid let out excitedly.

“No Threepio, it’s partly my fault, I wasn’t watching where I was going. But where were you going in such a hurry?”

“Actually sir, I was coming to fetch you. Mistress Organa has requested your presence. It appears that your daughter is having quite the fit. Her words sir, not mine.”

Bail smiled at the droid.

“Well, I’m headed in that direction anyway, care to walk with me?”

“If you desire it sir, I would be most happy to.”

“Good.”

As they started down the hall, Bail was counting the seconds until the droid started to talk. It seemed like the droid could not sit still, or keep quiet. It was like having a toddler around. Which, Bail thought, should be fun whenever Leia gets to be that age. The duo had not walked more than fifteen feet before the droid started.

“I really don’t see why your daughter is in such a bad mood. The trip has been smooth, and the exits from hyperspace have been shown to have no ill effects on children of her age. All in all sir, I would guess that maybe she is sick, but I don’t see that as a possibility, as she was cleared by a medical droid prior to us leaving Alderaan. Maybe it was something she ate? Maybe it’s something I did! After all, I had been playing with her only moments before she started her, as Mistress Organa called it, ‘fit’.”

Before the droid could ramble on further, Bail cut him short.

“I’m sure what ever it is, we’ll figure it out soon enough. And I highly doubt it was from something you did.”

“If you say so sir. I really think that it could have been me though.”

Bail looked at the droid and smiled again. He then put his hand on Threepio’s shoulder.

“Threepio, I don’t see Leia going many places without you. She seems to like you quite well, from what I have seen.”

The golden droid swiveled his torso, as best he could while walking, to look at Bail.

“Thank you sir.”

“So, how close are we?”

“Actually sir, we are in orbit around the planet, last I was updated. We are just awaiting our clearance to land.”

“Good.”

As they rounded the next few corners, Bail was getting anxious. He wanted to make sure that everything was all right with his wife and daughter. Mostly because he knew that it might be a huge risk to bring Leia to Coruscant. He hoped that his wife would be right, and that his fear would be all in his head. As they rounded the last corner, he saw the door to his room.

It was ornately decorated, red flowing into white, enough to distinguish it from the other doors, but no so much to distract from the rest of the ship. As he entered through the door, he didn’t hear anything. The entire quarters were quiet. As he walked through the living room and into the hallway, he called for his wife.

“Breha?” he called out in a loud voice as he entered the hall.

Quickly, a head popped out of one of the doors. It was his wife’s.

“Shhh!” she scolded him with a whisper. “Do you want to wake Leia up? I just got her to go back to sleep.”

Bail walked closer to her, trying to keep as quiet as he could.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered back, as he gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, “Threepio told me that she was, how did you put it? Oh yes, that she was having a ‘fit’.”

Breha looked up at her husband.

“It was the strangest thing, Bail.”

Bail was looking at Leia; sound asleep in her crib. It took him a second to register that Breha was talking to him.

“What was that dear?”

Breha motioned for her husband to follow her.

As they came out into the hallway, Breha gently closed the door behind them.

“I said, it was the strangest thing.”

“What was?”

“The way her fit started. It was like it just came out of no where.”

“Well, she has done that before. Isn’t that what children her age do?”

“Not like this she hasn’t. It’s almost like something was hurting her.”

Bail looked at his wife, and he could tell that she was more than just concerned. He moved closer, and embraced her. He held her for a minute, and then started the conversation again.

“Why don’t you tell me what happened.”

Breha gently pulled away from her husband, and walked into the room across the hall. It was the room that they had converted into Leia’s nursery for the trip. There were holopads, stuffed toys, blocks, and other toys strung about the room. Quietly, a droid was cleaning up the mess. Bails wife motioned him towards the windows.

“Threepio was playing with Leia over there,” she said, pointing to where the blocks were strung about, “he was trying to teach her how to build a tower, but she kept knocking it down when he had no more than three or four of them stacked.”

A smile crept over her face.

“I think he was trying to tell her something about the necessity for him to finish building the tower before she knocked it down again, when Captain Antilles let me know that we were coming up to Coruscant. I didn’t want Leia to miss what the planet looked like on the night side from space. So I picked her up, and walked over to the window. The planet is really beautiful when you look at it like that.”

Breha was gazing out towards the planet as she spoke. Bail came up behind her and gave her a reassuring rub on the back. She continued relating the events.

“We had been sitting here looking at the planet, and Leia was quiet, in fact I think she was enjoying it. As we started to pass the Star Destroyers that were set up for security, she started to scream and cry. Bail, it was like nothing I’ve heard before. She was crying as if I were hurting her. I didn’t know what else to do, so I sent Threepio to find you.”
Bail stood there, contemplating what it was that could have upset his daughter so.

“When did she stop crying?”

Breha seemed to be playing back the events in her head, trying to make sure that she was accurate in the time frame.

“It was not long after we went by the Star destroyers,” she said thoughtfully “about the time we started to orbit the planet. You don’t think that the Star Destroyers would have scared her, do you? They weren’t that close.”

“I’m not sure. It is possible I suppose. I’ll schedule her an appointment at the med facility when we land, just to be sure that it’s not something else. Okay?” He looked directly at his wife’s eyes, smiling.

She met his gaze.

“Okay.”

He then bent over, and kissed her on the lips again. He then stood behind her, looking out the window, holding her in his arms.

“It really is beautiful from up here, isn’t it?” he commented, about the planet they were now orbiting.

Bail’s com gave a few tones, letting him know that he was being contacted. He pulled the device from his belt, and turned it on, one hand still holding his wife.

“This is Bail.”

“Senator,” it was Captain Antilles, “We have received clearance instructions, and are about to start landing. I thought I would just give you a heads up.”

“Thank you Captain.” Bail replied. “Can you give us another three minutes above the planet, in our current orbit?”

“Shouldn’t be a problem sir, may I ask why?”

“I’m just enjoying the view with my wife.”

“I see. Enjoy the view Mr. and Mrs. Organa.” Captain Antilles said playfully.

Bail enjoyed the friendship he had with Antilles. He had no doubts that the Captain would sacrifice himself for Bails family, and that thought was reassuring for some reason.

The Organa’s stayed fixed to the window, enjoying the moment for as long as they could. In what seemed like only a few seconds, the ship started its descent towards the planet.

Soon, Bail thought, Leia will be seeing a different side of Coruscant.

[92se-r]

**Authors note***

I may be taking a couple of weeks off the story to get ahead a little bit, that way I can try and update once a week, probably on Fridays.

thanks.

[92se-r]

Long time since the last post, but here is the next chapter.



Chapter 3

“Nothing appears to be wrong with the child.” The medical droid informed the Organa’s.

The droid was no more than two feet tall, and slender. It hovered towards them about five feet off the ground, so it could look them in the face, without having to change its angle to the ground too much. It had come out of one of the examining rooms, where their daughter Leia had been taken. The Organa’s had been sitting patiently in the waiting room for nearly half an hour, and exchanged relieved looks.

“See,” Bail said looking at his wife, “nothing is wrong with her. Maybe something just scared her.”

His wife smiled at him, “Perhaps your right.”

She patted his arm, and looked towards the medical droid.

“Can we go see her now?”

“Of course, your majesty.” The droid curtly replied.

With Breha leading, and Bail following closely behind, the Organa’s walked through the main doors of the waiting room, and into the hall that connected with the other rooms on this wing of the med facility. The facility that the Organa’s had chosen was considered the best on Coruscant, and quite possibly the best of the inner worlds. High profile clients such as Senators, authors, actors, and other high society beings that happened to be planet side used it.

The walk to the room was not far; only seven doors from the main entrance of the hallway. When they entered the room, they saw their daughter sitting and playing with some sort of rattle. The little girl turned as she saw her parents enter the room, and gave a squeal of delight.
“How’s my little princess?” Bail playfully asked her, pushing his way past Breha to hold their daughter first. As he picked her up, he spun her around, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

It was his customary way of greeting Leia, and Breha looked on smiling at the duo. She had always told her friends that Bail was the sort of man every father ought to strive to become. Someone who knows what his duty to his fellow man is, and strive to the best of his ability to do it, yet knows that his family is the most important thing in the galaxy, and would do anything to protect them from harm. Breha smiled at the thought of Leia someday following in her father’s footsteps. Walking into the Senate building, and being able to rally support from even the staunchest opposition. Breha was sure that Leia would have the same charisma her father possessed, and would someday be instrumental in helping beings around the galaxy.

While Breha was smiling, watching the father and daughter, she noticed that the fireworks had started outside. The flash from the explosions lit the room up, and pulled her out of her daydream. Leia clapped when she saw the colors bursting outside, and Bail moved closer to the window. Not more than three kilometers from the med facility, the area around the Senate was bustling with people. Bail looked back at his wife, smiled, and held out his hand. Leia was fixed on the light show outside, and Breha moved closer to her family. She put her hand in her husbands, and stood on the other side of Leia.

“Look at all those colors.” She said to Leia. “They sure are pretty aren’t they?”

Just then another explosion ripped in the air, and sparkling streamers burst from the center, crackling as they dimmed into the night.

Leia giggled, and tried to reach out for them.

About that time, a shuttle flew overhead, on an approach vector to the Senate district. Leia stopped reaching out for the fireworks, instead burying her face and body, as best she could, into her dad.

“What’s wrong Leia?” her father inquired.

Breha traded worried looks with her husband.

“Maybe that’s enough excitement for one night, Bail.” Breha offered.

“Yeah, she’s probably tired still from the hyperspace jumps. It takes me a couple days to get back into the swing of things myself after those. I can’t imagine what it must be like for a little one like her. I’ll let Captain Antilles know that we are going to head back to our apartment.”

Breha shook her head in agreement, and reached out for Leia. Bail gently passed her to his wife’s loving arms, and Leia snuggled in, the same as she had done to her father.

Bail took a few steps away from them and pressed the key to activate his communicator.

“Captain Antilles, this is Senator Organa. We will be heading back to our quarters shortly. I thought I would let you know.”

“Thank you, sir. I will send a detail over to escort you. How is the little one, everything okay?”

“Doctor says that everything is fine. I just think it’s just the hyperspace jumps.”

“Probably. Glad to hear that she’s okay. I’ll see you later then?”

“Of course Captain, I haven’t forgotten about our plans.”

Bail de-activated his COM, with a sly grin on his face.

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The small freighter dropped half a kilometer in a rapid, nearly vertical, decent. The scarred and battered ship groaned throughout, cursing the pilot for the maneuver it was being asked to perform. With expert precision, the pilot pulled the ship out of the dive, and let out a sigh of relief.

By freighter standards, this ship was miniscule. It was designed for small deliveries for local shops. The cargo bay would be able to hold ten humanoids comfortably, without any cargo aboard. The cockpit was big enough for a pilot, co-pilot, and a small astromech droid. This ship in particular though, had been retrofitted with a small hyperspace engine, and plenty of compartments to ‘stow’ items if needed. The current crew had purchased it on a backwater planet, not more than ten standard days before. It was unmarked, and red in color. The captain was a female human, and her co-pilot was a male Iridonian. Stowed in the cargo hold, and hanging on to whatever they could, four humanoids were seated. Once the freighter leveled out, the entire ship seemed a little more at ease.

“See, I told you the ship could handle it.” The captain said to her co-pilot.

“Humph! More like we were fortunate the thing didn’t fall apart coming out of hyperspace, and then through the atmosphere.” The Iridonian offered, not taking his eyes off the console, checking systems to make sure everything was fine.

The captain rolled her eyes at him. 'Always the optimist,' she thought to herself. She then pushed the button to engage the autopilot, and unstrapped herself. Sliding her way out of the cramped cockpit, she was ready to stretch a little in the cargo hold. She walked the short distance of about a meter to the door, and opened it. Instantly she was greeted by the smiles and scowls of her passengers.

“See?” She said with a grin.

“Oh yeah! Let’s do that again!” Came the sarcastic response from a younger male, around twenty standard years of age.

She looked at him and was sure that if they hit the smallest bump, he was going to vomit. His face was greenish and he didn’t look well.

“Look,” she paused for a moment, trying to remember what his name was supposed to be, “Ireneus, we all knew that we were taking a risk just coming to Coruscant. We bought this ship from pirates, so who knows if this things data records are even legit.” She let out an audible sigh. “We just need to get to our designated landing area, park this thing, and it will be a little bit easier to avoid detection. Trust me.”

Ireneus looked at her and nodded, still looking like he had been shoved into the armpit of a Wookie, who had just sprinted for a kilometer, and forced to inhale deeply.

She looked at the remaining passengers, and memorized their names; Jirair, a human male who was twenty three standard years of age; Anwen, a human female about eighteen standard years old; Erol, a Twi’Lek male, who wouldn’t give his age. The captain thought about them all for a moment, remembering their bravery just coming together, and offering their assistance to her. A slight bump jostled her, and she looked towards the cockpit.

Lorccan, the Iridonian co-pilot, looked back towards her.

“You may want to come up here.”

“I’ll be there in a second.” She called back to him.

“Jirair, Anwen, Erol,” she called, looking at each one of them, “make sure our cargo is secured. I don’t want anything coming loose, in case we need to make a run for it.”

She turned, walked out of the cargo hold, and shut the door behind her. She had no doubts that her crew would do as instructed. All their lives depended on cooperation from everyone in the group. She was comfortable in this setting, and felt more at home now than she had in past few months, always running, dodging, staying in the shadows. Finally she was doing something other than reacting to her surroundings, and it felt good.

She slipped into her chair, and glanced around.

“What was that?” she asked Lorccan.

“My best guess would be some sort service droid that was hovering a little to high.”

The freighter was skimming the tops of the buildings in the area about twenty kilometers to the south of the Senate district. Busy enough to disappear in, but not so slow that they would be noticed easily.

“Try to be a little more careful next time, okay?”

“I’ll try, but it’s not easy flying this thing at night you know. It was made for smuggling, not lighting up the night.”

The captain smiled a little. It was clear that Lorccan was feeling more like himself as well. She needed his help on this mission more than he possibly realized, and having him relaxed and ready was something she was counting on for its success.

He looked over at her, serious.

“Look, Si…”

The instant look from her stopped the word from flowing completely from his mouth.

“I mean, Asherah. This plan of yours is very risky. Do you think they,” he thumbed towards the cargo area, “can handle it? Most of them fought in the Clone Wars, but this is something totally different. Do you really think that any of us can do this?”

She knew he was right. It was something that she was always thinking of, but never let the others know it. She had to be strong, and take the lead. She pressed some buttons on the controls, correcting their course, and didn’t look at him when she responded.

“As long as they follow directions, they should be fine. The alternative is not something any of us should be thinking about.”

He glanced back out the windows of the freighter.

“I suppose your right.”

A beeping resounded through the cabin, and a light began flashing.

“We’ll be a the landing area in less than a minute.” He informed her.

She clicked on the inter-ship com, “We’ll be landing in less than a minute. Is everything secure?”

“About as good as it’s going to get.” Was the reply from Jirair.

She looked over at Lorccan.

“Now the fun part begins.”

She pressed a sequence of buttons, and started the landing procedures.

[92se-r]

Well, here is the next chapter.


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Chapter 4


Bail accompanied his wife and daughter back home from the medical facility. Just as Bail thought, Leia had fallen asleep on the way home. He stood above her crib, just watching her sleep. He watched as her little chest rose and fell with each breath. Her hair had grown quite a bit in the past six months, and as he watched her, he could see quite a bit of Padme in her. At the same time though, he could see a lot of Anakin in her as well. He had made a promise to Padme, one that he would make good on no matter what. He would raise her as his own, and she would never know who her real father was. At least he would never tell her. He would never tell her that her father was a hero to the Old Republic. He would never tell how he was able to rescue then-Supreme Chancellor Palpatine from the grasp of the CIS. Nor would he tell her how her father turned on the only family he had on Coruscant, and brutally killed them all; even his own wife.

While there was no formal confirmation that she had been killed; a person who had been listed as ‘missing’ for over a year rarely came back alive. Padme was not the sort of person who would disappear without a trace and leave her children behind. She would have contacted him in some way, he was sure of it.

Although he had no proof, something in his gut told him that Padme had died at the hands of her lover and husband. If Skywalker was capable of killing his own wife, whom he loved more than anything else, from what Bail could tell, what would stop him from doing the same thing to his own children? The mere thought sent a chill down Bail’s spine.

Skywalker had changed somehow over the past year. Bail was able to monitor his missions quite easily; given the extensive network Bail had succeeding in building. After his public name change to Darth Vader, Skywalker seemed more aggressive in his dealings with people. Rumors were starting to spread throughout the Imperial Navy of Vader’s short temper, and the mysterious deaths of many young officers that served under him.

There wasn’t much that anyone could do about it either. It seemed that the Emperor was letting Vader get away with it, as he would often override any attempts at setting up a committee to investigate the deaths. While there was still a Senate, it was becoming clear to Bail and a few other Senators, that the Emperor was doing what he wished. He did not seem to care what the Senate thought as a whole, and would pass bills, or veto them, at his own discretion.

Then there was the new development that had just been brought to Bail’s attention; it appeared that huge amounts of money were being diverted to a project that no one seemed to know about. Not much had been done about it yet, as it had just been discovered a few weeks before Empire Day, but Bail was certain to find out where that money was going and for what purpose.

His evening plans with Captain Antilles would take him down a path he would not be able to deviate from. It was a dangerous road that he was about to take, but one that he felt needed to be traveled, if the values he cherished were to survive in the new Empire. In a way he was turning his back on the very values he was fighting for, but the outcome would no doubt be for the good of the entire galaxy.

“Excuse me, Sir,” came the whisper of Captain Antilles, breaking Bail away from his thoughts.

He turned to look at the Captain and had to squint at the light that was coming into the room.

“Yes Captain, what is it?”

“Our guests have arrived. They have landed and are prepared to meet with us at an area they will designate.”

Bail could feel his heart pumping faster. His decision tonight would not only endanger the lives of his family, but also the lives of other Senators and their families. The outcome, though, could save thousands of lives, perhaps more.

“Good. Did you obtain the clothes we were going to need?”

“Yep.”

“Alright then, let’s get going.”

Bail turned again towards Leia, leaned over, and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

“Sleep well, my Princess,” he whispered into her ear.

He then turned and headed for the door. Once he exited the room, he started down the hallway.

“Is she feeling better?” asked Antilles.

“I think so. She seems to be sleeping better at least.”

“Good. So about this meeting you have setup, why did you have to pick such a place to have it? Security will not be able to monitor us while we are there.”

“And that’s why I set it up there. No one to eavesdrop on our conversation.”

“And you’re sure that you can trust these people?”

Bail stopped and turned to Captain Antilles.

“With my life, Captain.”

Antilles said nothing in response. If Bail trusted these people that much, that was good enough for him.

They started down the hall again, and entered a room where Antilles had laid out the clothes they were going to change into.

“I think it would be best to change on the way, don’t you Captain?”

“Yes Sir. If the guards in the building saw us wearing these clothes, they’d arrest us, or worse, in a matter of seconds.”

“Go ahead and put them in a bag. I’m going to let Breha know I have a meeting to go to. I will probably have to meet you in the speeder.”

Antilles chuckled at Bail’s last comment. He knew that Breha supported her husband like no other wife he had known, but she did have her limits. Late night meetings usually sparked more of a resistance in her and she did not back down easily. As he thought about it, he reasoned that’s what made their marriage special, compared to the other Senators. She was allowed to speak her mind, and Bail listened. Sometimes she was able to change his mind, or he just agreed to her arguments, but if Bail ever felt resentment for it, Antilles had never caught it. It seemed that the Senator encouraged his wife to speak her mind, and that seemed to draw them closer. The Captain couldn’t imagine Bail without Breha.

As he finished packing the bags, he could hear Breha’s voice coming from the living room.

And so the fun begins, Captain Antilles thought to himself, with a smile.


-------------------------------------------------


“Take only blasters.” Asherah told her companions.

It had only been about thirty minutes since they had set down, but the crew of the freighter had since cleared the cargo hold of everything they had brought. They were able to arrange for lodging before their arrival, and secured an entire level of an abandoned building. The bay for the level was large enough to accommodate their ship, and easily move around the freight they had on board. Being about twenty-five meters wide, and not much more than fifty in length, the bay was not what most businesses would consider spacious. For what the group needed though, it was perfect.

The building they were in was older and had once served as low-income residences and small businesses. Since the formation of the Empire, however, most businesses moved towards the center of the business districts for protection, moved off world, or simply shut down. Their contact on Coruscant was able to obtain the property rights to this building quite easily, as it was in a section of the planet that most people tried to avoid.

Upon landing, the group had methodically swept the entire 66th floor, where they were staying. They went room-by-room; thirty-five in all, making sure that there were no unwanted guests. They also checked to make sure that the turbo lifts worked and that there was more than one escape route.

Lorccan had been in charge of placing perimeter sensors around the floors below and above them. Ireneus, who had since recovered from his nausea, went with Jirair and Anwen to inspect the power grid of the building and set up the make shift command center in one of the rooms. Erol decided that he should go out and see what the populous in that area were like and if there were any good places to eat. Asherah had been inspecting her ship to make sure that nothing was damaged on the way to the building and then turned her attention to the speeder that was sitting in the bay.

It was no doubt placed there by her contact to help them blend better, but she was checking all systems to ensure it worked properly. It was a small speeder, and would only hold four beings. That was just fine with her, as she would not need to take more than that with her whenever she left.

Lorccan came walking up to the speeder as she was running a diagnostic on the guidance systems.

“The sensors have been placed. Ireneus, Jirair, and Anwen are almost done with their inspection of the power grid, and all seems to be good. They have also set up the computers, and let our contact know we’re here. Erol has not checked in yet, but he is scheduled to in a few minutes.”

Asherah looked up from the display towards the Zabrak.

“Good. So far it seems to be going as planned. It seems like you’re nervous, though, Lorccan.”

“I’m not nervous, you should know that. I’m anxious. If we succeed in our plan…” his voice trailed off before he could finish his sentence.

“It would be a great victory.” She finished.

He looked at her quizzically.

“We may be outlaws, Lorccan, but we still need to hold on to what we have been taught.” She looked away from the monitor, clearly in pain. “We have seen what happens when you don’t.”

Lorccan wasn’t sure but he thought he caught a glimmer of a tear in her eye. This was one conversation he knew was over, or at least this avenue of it.

“We will not fail, Asherah. We can’t.”

She didn’t look back up at him, but instead ran another barrage of diagnostics on the speeder.

“Is there anything else you need me to do?” he asked her in a more sympathetic voice.

“Just make sure the communication gear is working properly. We need to be sure that our contact is able to reach us when he arrives.”

Lorccan gave a slight nod of his head, and turned to leave the bay. As he was exiting through the doors, he could have sworn he heard crying.


------------------------------------


Erol had been strolling through the community and found it to be pleasant, despite its bad reputation. It seemed that the outcasts of the Old Republic, and now the Empire, had gathered in sections like this around the planet. Most of the beings he met were not very talkative, but for the most part they were helpful. One of the benefits of being in this section was that not many people asked him what he did for a living. He figured that most people liked to keep to themselves, and asking too many questions was a good way to end up missing. He had asked a few business owners around the area about the best place to eat. It seemed that one place in particular kept being mentioned, The Black Hole. Once he had obtained clear directions to the establishment, he was on his way.
At a normal walking pace, he figured that it was about twenty minutes from the building he was currently calling home. That seemed to be a safe enough distance in case any troubles were to arise. As he came up to the entrance, he noticed a sign in Galactic Basic:

‘No Droids! No Exceptions!’

“Well, I’m sure that keeps down on the amount of surveillance within. Good.”

As he walked through the door, he noticed the abrupt darkness that enveloped him. It was logical to assume that not many people wanted to be recognized while they were eating and this could prove beneficial as well. It was not too large, but had plenty of booths around a bar in the center. It reminded him of countless Cantinas he had visited and he started to feel more relaxed. He found a booth that was vacant and sat down. It wasn’t long before a very attractive Twi’Lek female came up to him.

“What can I get for you?” she asked him in their native tongue.

“What’s good?” he replied in Basic, with a smile.

“Well, the Chefs special is always good, and changes by the hour.” She then leaned a little closer, “I would suggest getting something to drink with it though,” she whispered with a smile.

He returned the smile “I’ll take that then, and surprise me on the drink.”

“You got it.” She then punched some info on her data-pad, and walked away.

As Erol sat in his booth, he let his eyes wander around the room, careful not to make eye contact with anyone. Most of the patrons seemed to be in close-knit groups, and didn’t seem to talk to anyone except those at their table. If he had to take a guess, which wouldn’t have been hard, he figured that this was a pretty good place to obtain information for a price, and numerous other things. He noticed a heated discussion, taking place on the other side of the room. While the individuals were not shouting, their slightly raised voices drew a couple of eyes their way. He tried to make out what species they were, but in the dim light, it made it almost impossible to tell. Instead he focused, and listened.

“And I’m telling you, the shipment was due to arrive yesterday. My boss does not like to be kept waiting,” came the husky voice of the larger of the two figures.

“I don’t know what could have happened. These guys came highly recommended, and are sure to be at the top in a matter of years.”
“Well, how about you get in touch with this group and ask them where my shipment is. My boss does not take kindly to delays, as I’m sure you’ve heard.”

There was an audible swallow from the smaller figure.

“Yes, yes I’ve heard. I don’t understand what he wants with old Super Battle droid parts anyways. Those things were useless. About as good in a fight as a Jedi I would figure.”

The larger one growled.

“You better watch your tongue. Why my boss wants these parts is his business, not mine, and certainly not yours. As for the SBD’s being useless, did you ever get to see them in action?”

“Well, no, I just…”

“I have. They could cut down a large number of Clones before being overrun. As for comparing them to a Jedi, lets just hope that no one else heard that comment. You know that merely mentioning a Jedi could get us both arrested and interrogated. Now, I’m only going to say this once. Get the shipment today, or else. Are we clear?”

“Yes, quite clear.”

About that time, the waitress had come back with Erol’s order.

“Here you go, Chef’s Special with a Corellian Ale.”

He looked at the food for a second, and glanced up at the waitress.

“Chef’s Special, huh? What is it?”

She laughed a little, “Not sure, that’s what makes it special. It is the best food in a five-kilometer radius though so don’t worry. Try it, I’m sure you’ll like it.”

He reached over and picked up a fork. The food on the plate was steaming and smelled good but it looked like something that was scraped off the windshield of a star fighter. He scooped some of it onto his fork and looked at the waitress again. She smiled and gave a slight nod of her head.

He didn’t want to insult her or the chef, besides, he had eaten things that were still alive and so he put it in his mouth. At first it was a little tough and had a hint of coal but within a second the flavor had changed, and he could have sworn he was eating food from a fine dining establishment.

“This is really good,” he commented. “What does he use?”

“I can’t tell you that, it’s his secret and he’s never told anyone,” she said with a shrug, “not even me. Believe me, I tried to find out too.”

He was reaching down for another bite when his eye caught a glimpse of his chronometer. He was supposed to check in five minutes ago. He set the fork down, took a drink, and scooted out of the booth.

“Is there a refresher I can use?”

“Sure, towards the back there, and take a right.”

“Thanks and please give my compliments to the chef.”

He started to head in the direction that she had pointed and carefully glanced around to make sure that no one was following him. He passed a few doors that looked like storage closets and probably a janitor’s closet and finally came to a set of doors that were clearly marked ‘Male’ and ‘Female’. He made his way through the door and found that the entire room was empty. Quickly he blocked the door with a steel pole that was lying on the floor, and turned on his communicator.

“This is Erol to home base, do you copy home base?”

There was a moment of silence, then static, and finally a voice came over the speaker.

“This is Lorccan, Erol, you’re five minutes late for your check-in. What is your status?”

“Sorry for the delay, I was… scouting the area and lost track of time. I have found the perfect place to set up our meeting. It’s called ‘The Black Hole’.”

“Sounds inviting.”

“Actually, it should be perfect. Droids are not allowed and the lighting makes it hard to see faces. Think of most of the cantinas on Tatooine, and you will have an idea. I am sending you the coordinates now.” He then pushed a transmit button on the com.

“Got them. I will let our contact know. I will also let Asherah know you finally checked in.”

“Thanks. I will be back after I finish something here, so not more than an hour or so.”

“I will expect to hear from you in an hour then. This time, check-in on time.”

“You got it.”

He turned the communicator off and removed the pole that was blocking the door. He went back to his seat and finished his meal. In fact, it was the best meal he had in months and he wasn’t going to waste it. When he had finished, he paid the waitress, gave her a generous tip, and left the building.

As he was walking down the street towards his temporary home, he felt like he was being followed. He cautiously looked over his shoulder and saw two hooded figure moving quickly towards him. In the blink of an eye he ran down the nearest alley, easily putting a huge gap between him and them. After he rounded a few corners, he stopped, looked around, and jumped straight up. He landed on a ledge about five stories up, and was peering over the edge as the two figures ran into the alleyway. He could tell they were out of shape, as he could hear them panting all the way on the ledge. They stopped and put their hands on their knees, trying to catch their breath.

“Man he’s fast!” One of them let out between breaths.

“Oh well, let’s go back. I’m sure we’ll find others. Too bad though, he was perfect.”

They both stood up, and started back down the way they had come, except with a little limp from the strain they put on their bodies to try and catch him.

Once he was sure they were gone, he jumped down from the ledge, and more discreetly made his way back home.

[Emalin]

Wow, this is really good! :wtg: I'll admit, I haven't read "Rise of the Empire," but you give enough background info to make up for that. I find it interesting to see what changes you've made. And doubly interesting to see what will happen next!

As far as grammar and punctuation go, there were a few things I noticed. Do you have a beta-reader who edits your work? No writer should be without one! :D

All in all, a very good piece of work. If you keep posting, I'll keep reading. :read:

[sharyntyre]

this is a cool piece! if you find that beta reader she is speaking of, please let me know. my grammer and spelling need help too, Word only does so much. Keep up the good work.

[92se-r]

Wow, this is really good! :wtg: I'll admit, I haven't read "Rise of the Empire," but you give enough background info to make up for that. I find it interesting to see what changes you've made. And doubly interesting to see what will happen next!

As far as grammar and punctuation go, there were a few things I noticed. Do you have a beta-reader who edits your work? No writer should be without one! :D

All in all, a very good piece of work. If you keep posting, I'll keep reading. :read:

You've not read the Prequel? :nono: j/k

Yes, I have a beta, and she has caught quite a few mistakes I keep making. It's a work in progress.

I have up to chapter 6 written so far, and plan on posting them every Friday, if possible.

Thanks for reading!

[92se-r]

this is a cool piece! if you find that beta reader she is speaking of, please let me know. my grammer and spelling need help too, Word only does so much. Keep up the good work.

As stated above, I have a beta.

I am glad you're liking the stroy as well.

The fun is just beginning! :evil:

[92se-r]

Chapter 5


“Are you sure that no one saw you?” Asherah asked.

“Positive. I made sure that no one was around,” Erol responded.

“Try not to use your abilities, if you can help it. They might attract attention to us.”

The rest of the party seemed to still be contemplating what had happened, and why. Lorccan stood with his arms crossed, a frown on his face.

“If I had to make an assumption,” Lorccan spoke up, “I would almost say that they were trying to kidnap you, perhaps to become a slave of some sort. No offense, but Twi’Leks aren’t known for their loyalty, even after becoming a slave.”

Erol nodded his head in agreement.

“True, but if they were going to kidnap me, why were there only two of them? What would they do with me when, or rather if, they subdued me?”

“Given the part of Coruscant we are in right now,” Asherah offered, “I don’t think that many people would do anything. Turning their heads is probably how most of them just stay alive. We need to be careful while we are here. We can only trust ourselves and our contact. From now on no one leaves by themselves, everyone clear?”

The group all nodded their heads.

“Good, now about our meeting. Lorccan, did you forward the time and coordinates?”

“Sure did. One-way transmission, bounced across a dozen different relays. Just like you asked.”

“Thanks. Now, as for who will be going with me. Erol, given the circumstances tonight, I think it would be best for you to stay here a while.”

Erol nodded his head in agreement.

“Lorccan and Anwen will accompany me. Having three would be better than just two, I figure, and having more than that might gain some unwanted attention. I want the rest of you to do perimeter sweeps every hour. We don’t know when we might have some company, but I want to be ready if we do.”

As the group started to move off into their own rooms, Asherah pulled Ireneus off to the side.

“Are you feeling better?” she asked him.

“Lots. I feel more comfortable on solid ground, you know?”

She smiled.

“Yes, I can relate to that. I need you to do something for me.”

“What is it?”

“I’m going to give you this data disc.” She pulled a small disc out from her coat and lifted it in front of his face. “Do not activate this disc until I tell you to. Understood?”

He nodded and reached out for it. He looked at it as he held it, like he wasn’t sure it was just a disc.

“What’s so special about it?”

“It’s a key to one part of our plan. I want to be sure that it’s safe, in case anything happens to me.”

He looked her in the eyes.

“Why do you think something is going to happen to you?”

She shrugged.

“I don’t, but I want to be sure that nothing happens to this disc if it does. If something does happen to me, activate the disc. Then you will understand what to do next.”

She patted him on the shoulder and headed towards her room.


------------------------------------


Anwen was in her room changing and going over the plans that Asherah had given her and Lorccan. She was pretty, by human standards, standing roughly 2 meters tall, and had jet-black hair that went to the middle of her back, which she kept braided. She had an athletic figure and was well known for being able to hold her own against an equally sized man. Her skin was dark and had numerous tattoos, all of which were significant. She was half dressed when she heard a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

As the door opened, Jirair walked in. He was about to say something, when he noticed her standing there with no top. He quickly averted his eyes into another corner of the room and shut the door behind him.

“What’s the matter?” she said to him.

“You did that on purpose,” he let her know.

“Well of course I did,” she said jokingly, “how else would I keep you on your toes?”

He didn’t look back at her, but instead focused out the window in her room.

She stood there, taking him in. He was not very tall, in fact he was close to six centimeters shorter than her. He stood there, standing perfectly straight, as he always had. He was well built and outweighed her by close to ten kilograms. He was slightly tanned and had light brown hair down to his shoulders. She realized that she was focusing on him too much and quickly put her top on.

“Are you dressed yet?” he asked, sounding irritated.

“Yes, I am.” She took a few steps closer to him. “Am I so ugly that you can’t stand to look at me?”

He turned and looked up at her.

“You know that’s not it. We can’t go there and you know it. Why do you keep insisting to try and lure me to you?”

She put a hand on his shoulder and let it gently glide down his arm until they were holding hands. She took another step closer, their bodies less than three centimeters apart.

“Because I think that you…” she leaned closer to his ear, “look funny when your face is red!”

She let go of his hand and slapped him on the arm.

“Hey! Ouch!” he reached up and started rubbing the side of his arm where she had hit him.

She was laughing, walked to the other side of the room and grabbed a pair of boots.

“You’re lucky you’re leaving soon,” he growled at her.

She was sitting on the bed and looked back at him, smiling.

“Oh really? And why is that?”

He returned the smile.

“Because otherwise I would have to teach you a lesson in manners. You know, about respecting your elders.”

“Elders!” she shot back, “You’re like, what, two standard days older than me? I hardly think that makes you my elder.”

She finished tying up her boots and stood to face him.

“Besides, if I recall correctly, I finished ahead of you in our class.”

She didn’t realize what she had said until it was too late.

Jirair, though, felt like he had just been stabbed in the heart. He dropped his head, and looked at the floor.

There was silence in the room, as the both of them tried to regain their composure.

Finally, he looked up at her.

“I want you to be careful tonight, Anwen. I don’t know if I could stand to lose another friend.”

“You won’t.” she said solemnly.

“So,” she said in a more cheerful tone, “what brings you here, anyway?”

“Well, not a whole lot really. Just wanted to talk a little.” He turned and looked out the window again.

“Come on, I can tell when you’re lying.” She stood next to him and began looking out the window as well.

In the distance, they could see the fireworks still being shot off. It appeared as though the celebration for Empire Day was going to last days.

“Funny, I never thought I would be here for this day.” Jirair commented.

“I feel the same way,” Anwen agreed, “Now, are you going to actually tell me what you came to talk about?”

“I guess.” He finally gave in with a sigh. “Have you noticed anything different about Asherah?”

“What do you mean? She’s never exactly been the image of normal.” She let out with a slight grin.

“Ha Ha,” he replied, “I’m serious. She’s been acting strange for a while now but as soon as she set us up for this mission, it’s gotten worse. I mean, I know that there is a lot riding on this, perhaps too much, but it still concerns me. I think that she’s harboring a lot of resentment and hatred and it’s going to put us all in danger. I can feel it.”

Anwen stood silent for a minute.

“I know how you feel, I’ve been there many times but we need to trust what she is doing, and will do the right thing. This mission is personal to all of us on some level. Perhaps more to her than the rest of us and you know why. I can’t say that I could act with her poise, if I were in her position. However, I think that she is trying everything in her power to ensure our safety and a victory. This meeting tonight will go a long way in our plan and information from our contact could prove to be more useful than we realize.”

Jirair stood at the window, hands behind his back.

“I hope I’m wrong about her, but this place, this planet, has not been the same since the Empire was established. We all need to be very careful.”

“I agree.”

Their conversation was interrupted when her communicator went off.

“Anwen, this is Lorccan. We are ready to depart. Meet us in the bay in two minutes.”

She pulled the com out from her belt.

“I’ll be there. Go ahead and warm up the engines.”

She looked back at Jirair.

“We’ll talk some more when I come back.”

She then turned, and was heading towards the door.

“Anwen,” he called out.

“Yes?” she said, standing at the door, looking back at him.

“May the Force be with you.”

She smiled and continued walking down the hall.

[92se-r]

Here is the next chapter, and as always, your feedback is welcome. You can even PM it to me if you don't want to post it up here. thanks for reading.


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Chapter 6


Darth Vader marched with purpose as he came into the room. He then stopped and dropped to one knee.

“I have come as you requested, Master.”

“Ah, Lord Vader,” the Emperor said with a crack. “I see that you have worn your armor for the festivities, good. Come out here and stand at my side.”

Vader stood and made his way out to the balcony. It was not very high up, perhaps only ten stories above the square in front of the Senate. The Emperor had commissioned the building to be constructed not more than ten standard months before. Its sole purpose had been for this day, Empire Day. From the balcony, the Emperor could look down on the troops and people, and they at him. He told Vader that it showed the people he was not afraid. That despite what the Jedi had done to him, he would still step out in public.

As Vader walked up to the edge of the balcony, he grabbed the railing and looked at the formation of troops that were marching past. All of them were in perfect unison, set in groups of two hundred fifty. Fighters were flying in the air, dropping streamers, and wowing the crowds with their precision maneuvers. Buildings all around the square were launching fireworks into the air, lighting up the night sky. Reds, purples, yellows, and a vast array of other colors, exploded into shapes and designs.

There were announcers on a stage giving live holo feeds to the billions of beings that were watching the Empire Day festivities throughout the galaxy. One of the announcers noticed a new figure on the balcony and pointed up. Within seconds, a droid came hovering up to the balcony, its camera fixed on the figure clothed in black armor. Vader’s image was instantly displayed on one of the gargantuan view screens. The crowd erupted into cheers at the site of him. Vader gave a slight wave to the crowds. He enjoyed the adoration of the thousands present and it filled him with pride. After a few more seconds, the droid swooped back down to the processions.

“Master, I need to ask you about something,” Vader said through the helmets amplifier.

Sidious stretched his arm out and gestured inside.

“Come, let’s go inside for a few minutes. We can talk more freely then.”

Vader led the way through the glass doors and Sidious followed. As soon as they had entered the room, the Red Guards of the Emperor closed the doors and stood at attention. Vader sat in a chair across from the Emperor, who had his own specially designed chair. It was a modified version of the one he had in his other chambers and seemed to enjoy the position it gave him. Slightly reclined, his face seemed to sink further into his cowl. The arms of his robes hung down either side of the armrests and nearly touched the floor.

“Now, my apprentice, what is it that you wish ask me?”

“I have felt a disturbance in the Force, Master. I first felt it on my Star Destroyer, yet, when I tried to locate it, it disappeared. I felt it again while I was on the shuttle, on approach to the landing pad.”

“I know, I have felt it as well.”

“Do you know where it is coming from?”

Sidious frowned.

“I have not been able to locate that disturbance, but I have found another one. One that is more deserving of our attention.”

“Master?”

“We will discover the source of the disturbance you felt, my apprentice. The one I refer to is more elusive. It is as if a Jedi were trying to hide his presence from me.”

Vader shot up.

“A Jedi! Here?”

Sidious smiled.

“Yes, Lord Vader. It appears that there is a Jedi on Coruscant. At the very least, it is a being that is strong in the Force. One that must be found.”

“How is it that I have not felt its presence?”

“Lord Vader, if you search hard enough, you will find it. For me, it is like seeing a tiny speck of light in the infinite darkness I have created. Immerse yourself in the Dark Side, my apprentice, let it guide you and you will discover it.”

Vader sat back down and closed his eyes. He focused on the Dark Side, something that was getting easier day-by-day. Slowly he began to immerse himself in the dark embrace.

He was standing in front of a red veil with a split running down the middle. He reached out, pulled it aside, and stepped through. Instantly he was swept away, caught in a storm. He fought to control it, to harness it. He was being thrown around in the storm, heat beating on his face and pain coursing through his body. Finally, he was able to stand, and held his ground against the onslaught. As the storm died down, he could feel the rage, jealousy, hatred, and numerous other emotions. He was able to channel them, and in them he was becoming one with the Dark Side. It was here that he began his search.

He could see specks of light spread through out the darkness, not many, but they were there. He noticed one speck that seemed to be slightly brighter, and closer than the others. He focused on that one and it seemed to move closer to him. As it came closer, he found that it was not one light, but several grouped closely together. They were close to him. As he reached out for them, he could see Coruscant, it’s signature view hanging in space. He pulled it closer and came through the atmosphere.

He was looking at the Senate district, with it’s Empire Day celebrations in full swing, and the Force guided him past it, onto the horizon, and as he was getting closer, he felt an abrupt wall in his path. Something was preventing him from getting closer. He tried to break through it, but he was unable. He tried numerous times, each time being rejected. He finally let go of it and pulled back into the center of darkness he had found. He then came out of his meditative state and found himself back in his Masters presence.

“There is more than one, Master.”

“You were able to determine that?”

Sidious sat there for a moment, finally letting a slight smile cross his face.

“Excellent, my young apprentice. You are becoming stronger in the Dark Side, as I have foreseen. Were you able to locate them?"

“No Master. There was something blocking me. I tried to get past it, but I failed.”

“Do not worry, Lord Vader. Soon there will be nothing to stop you from breaking down those walls. You’re hunt for the Jedi will continue and with the help of the Dark Side, you will be able to find and exterminate them all.”

“Yes, my Master.”

“Now Lord Vader, I suggest that you start preparing your troops. Send them out in search of these beings. If they are found to be Jedi, have them terminated at once. If not, bring them here before me.”

“Shall I accompany my men, Master?”

“If you wish, Lord Vader. It is up to you.”

“Thank you Master. I will not fail.”

“Of that, Lord Vader, I have no doubt.”

Vader stood and bowed before his Master. He turned swiftly, his cape flowing behind him and marched out of the room.

Sidious watched as his apprentice left. As soon as Vader had left the room, he stood and walked towards the balcony once again. The guards opened the glass doors for him and he walked towards the ledge. He watched as the parade was going by. The people were cheering and fireworks were exploding.

Sidious had made sure that the first Empire Day would be something everyone would remember for a long time to come. It was the official ushering in of a new era, one where the Sith had control of the galaxy and the Jedi were viewed as outlaws.

As Sidious thought about that, he let out an evil cackle.


--------------------------


As Bail and Captain Antilles climbed into their speeder after changing their clothes, Antilles felt his com vibrate. He reached down and flipped a switch, showing him the communiqué.

“They sent us rendezvous coordinates, your Majesty. They want to meet in an hour.”

“Alright then. Where is this place at?”

“Someplace called ‘The Black Hole’. They sent us exact coordinates, so it will be very easy to find.”

“Good. About how long will it take to get there assuming we take the ‘scenic’ route?”

Antilles plugged the coordinates into the nav computer and waited as it processed the details.

“Well, with a scenic route, it would take us about forty-five minutes from here. With the extra time, we could scout the area. Just to make sure that we have an exit route planned.”

“Always thinking ahead. I knew there was a reason that I’ve kept you around all these years.” Bail said jokingly.

“That’s the only reason? I thought it was because of my stunning personality and good looks.” The Captain turned his head a little and lifted his chin, straightening his collar as he did so.

Bail laughed and elbowed Antilles in the arm.

“Come on, let’s go.”

Antilles lifted the speeder into the air and began following the ‘scenic’ route the computer had chosen.


---------------------------


Darth Vader had given Cody advanced information about what needed to be done. As he walked into the hangar, the troops snapped to attention in unison.

“As you were,” he boomed into the hangar bay.

He walked directly up to Cody who was helping another trooper load a cargo container on board a troop transport.

“Status-report Commander.”

The Clone turned and looked at Vader.

“All requested equipment is either currently on board or will be within the next minute. I have split the troops up into two groups as you requested my lord.”

“Excellent work Commander. We will need to work quickly if we are to find these traitors. Make sure the men know to shoot first and ask questions later.”

“I have already told them, Lord Vader.”

“It’s a shame you’re a Clone, Commander.”

“Sir?”

“You would have made an excellent apprentice.”

“Yes, Sir.” Cody agreed, although sounding a bit confused.

Vader looked down at the Commander.

“That’s a compliment Commander.”

“Ah, well thank you, my lord. If you’ll excuse me, I need to help the men finish loading up.”

“Yes, Commander, yes of course.” Vader stepped aside and watched his men work. They would soon be under way and within an hour they would be back on the ground, searching for the traitorous Jedi.

The Force will not be in balance, so long as there are Jedi still roaming the galaxy, he told himself.


----------------------------


Asherah, Lorccan and Anwen piled into the speeder.

“Aren’t we leaving a little soon?” Anwen asked.

“Lorccan wants to scout the place for a bit before we go into the building. He also wants to make sure that our contact comes with only one other person, as he said he would.” Asherah replied.

“I feel that it would be best to be prepared, rather than rushing into something. Besides, I have a feeling that something, or someone, knows we’re here. I can’t quite place it, but I just have a feeling.” Lorccan offered.

Asherah had come to trust his feelings and although she didn’t say it, she had felt it too. Something trying to reach out for them, searching for them. It had not succeeded yet, but she could tell that it was moving and that they needed to act fast.

“We will be cautious. We’ll scout the area and wait for our contact to arrive. If anything seems out of place, we meet back here. Is that understood?”

Both Lorccan and Anwen nodded in agreement.

She then fired up the engines, and lifted the speeder off the bay floor. She rotated it on its axis and headed out the bay doors into the Coruscant night.

[92se-r]

Chapter 7


Asherah circled the area three times before settling down on a rooftop about a quarter kilometer from the restaurant. From what she had seen in the air, there were plenty of side streets and alleys to run into if there was the need. The restaurant was situated on a side street from the main road but the pedestrian traffic was relatively heavy. From where she had parked the speeder, she had a good view of the front door of the restaurant.

The three climbed out of the speeder and each grabbed for a bag that was strapped in next to Anwen.

“Okay, here’s the plan,” Asherah started, “Anwen, you go a quarter kilometer to the northwest and scout the area over there. Lorccan, go to the northeast about the same distance and scout the area over there. I’ll stay here and wait for our contact to arrive. Any questions?”

“I have one,” Anwen offered, “What should the call sign be if our contact arrives as scheduled and with only one escort?”

Asherah thought for a minute.

“I’ll say that the Empire Day present has arrived and you need to come open it.”

“Sounds okay with me,” Lorccan responded.

“All right then, let’s get going. We only have another,” Asherah looked at the chronometer, “thirty minutes.”

She watched as both Lorccan and Anwen went towards their separate destinations. She felt a cold shiver and quickly put on her pack. She looked up at the sky and could see clouds on a fast approach. They were dark, ominous and she could hear thunder in the distance.

“Well, those should put a damper on the Emperor’s celebration,” she said mostly to herself.

She walked towards the edge of the roof and lay down flat. She pulled out a set of binoculars and scanned the street in front of The Black Hole. As she scanned, she noticed that people seemed to be in more of a hurry now that the storm was approaching. Shops that were setup on the streets were closing or pulling their goods inside in preparation of the storm. Within a few minutes, the once bustling side street was nothing more than a trickle. She turned her attention to the main avenue and saw the scene repeating, although with less of a drop in traffic.

She lay there and watched for close to fifteen minutes until a particular speeder caught her attention. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she had seen it pass just a few moments before. As it passed in front of her field of vision, she focused on it. Inside there were two humanoids and they seemed to be checking the area out. They found a place to set the speeder down and exited the craft. She kept her focus on them as they roamed the street, going from business to business and looking the buildings up and down. As they made their way down a side alley, she lost them for a second only to see them emerge on the street where she was to meet her contact.

She looked at her chronometer. Only five minutes remained. She pulled the com from her belt and keyed it.

“Anwen, what is your status?”

“Everything appears to be clear in this area. I think I have found a few alternative routes out from the building as well.”

“Good. About how many do you think?”

“Let’s see,” she paused for a moment, “looks like it could be as many as four or as few as two. It’s hard to tell where the doors go, but I have seen some patrons coming out a few of the back doors into an alleyway. From there it’s a few simple jumps and a short run back to the speeder.”

“Excellent. Good work. Lorccan, how about you?”

“Pretty much the same thing. I didn’t find any alternative exits, but there are plenty of side streets and small alleyways. My main concern is about the weather.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, when it was clear out, at least there was more pedestrian traffic. That would have provided ample cover, if it were needed. With the storm coming, more people will be heading indoors. Less people to blend in with.”

“Well we’ll just have to make do. Hold on a second.”

She had been watching the two people while she was talking to her companions. One of the two knelt down on the ground, as if to tighten his boot straps and the other one put his arms out to his side and spun in a circle once. When he had finished spinning, the other man stood up and they both made their way into the restaurant. As they were walking towards the door, other beings that had watched the display were laughing and pointing at the two. She watched as they finally disappeared into the doorway.

“That’s it,” she whispered.

“Lorccan, Anwen, our Empire Day present has arrived. Come on over and help open it up.”

She turned the com off and headed for the nearest turbo lift. She looked down at her chronometer again. He was right on schedule. She took that as a good sign and rode the turbo lift to street level. She made her way through the thinning crowds and looked at the sky again. The stars were starting to disappear behind the oncoming clouds and the wind was starting to pick up. There was a definite drop in the air temperature and she knew that soon it would begin to rain. She picked up the pace and finally made it to the doorway of The Black Hole. She didn’t go in but instead waited for Lorccan and Anwen to arrive. She didn’t have to wait long as they both rounded different corners at about the same time. When they walked up to her, they simply gave her a nod as all three of them entered the building.


------------------------------------


As the transports lifted off the platforms, Darth Vader sat back and relaxed. He was situated between Commander Cody and another clone. Clothed in battle armor he felt the calmness that his men possessed. They were bred for this. They were bred for war. They were efficient at their individual assignments and worked as a team like a clan of Tusken Raiders.
As Vader closed his eyes, memories flashed forth like a torrent.

His mother strapped to a crude wooden brace.

His hands gently yet fervently untying the bands that held her.

The look in his mothers eyes as she looked at him for the first time in years.

The touch of her hand gently caressing his face.

Her last words to him, ‘I’m so proud of you. I love you.’

Watching as the life drained from her and knowing who was responsible.

The feelings of rage, hatred and grief as he saw past the walls of the hut that held her, towards the things that had done this to her. Taken her from him.

Pushing the door of the hut open and looking at them. Vowing that they would pay, all of them.

The feel of his lightsaber as it came to life. It was an extension of his body, the instrument that would repay these creatures for the ‘hospitality’ they showed his mother.

The sound of the camp as they realized that they were being slaughtered from within and there was nothing they could do to stop it. The females and young running into a hut to try and hide.

Fools!

The weight of the boulder as he lifted if from the ridge and brought it down on the very hut they had taken shelter in.

A voice from the past, ‘Anakin! No!’

The winds picked up and the sky darkened. As he looked at the dead bodies he noticed that they were different. They were no longer the dead bodies of his mother’s captors. He was no longer on Tatooine. The bodies were now those of the Jedi he had killed. He was standing in the black expanse of the Dark Side. He could feel its power calling him. It begged for him to harness it and use it for his will. As he looked around, the bodies were gone. In the blackness he saw specks of light, much like when he was in his masters presence. They were clearer now though.

Again he reached out for the brightest speck closest to him. The scene had changed on Coruscant. People were leaving the square and he could see the clouds approaching the heart of the Senate District. On the horizon he could see the light again. Yet again though he found the same wall blocking his path. This time, however, he was closer. He was better able to discern the area of where it was coming from.

He opened his eyes. He knew where he needed to go so he commed the pilot of the transport.

“Trooper, head towards these coordinates.” His voice boomed and typed the information into the data pad he had been holding.

The pilot reached for it and gave a single nod in response. When he had entered in the new coordinates into the nav computer, the transport made a slow arc towards the east. The other transport that was flying along side followed the same flight path.

Thunder boomed outside and lighting soon followed. With the transports current speed it would be another fifteen minutes before they reached the general search area. The head winds of the storm were getting stronger and Vader could feel the ship slow down with each gust. It made no difference to him though; soon he would find and eliminate at least one more Jedi from the galaxy.


--------------------------------------


Jirair had been watching the view screen for the better part of half an hour, making sure that the traffic in the area had been flowing smoothly and that there were no deviations that could mark trouble for his friends. He rubbed his eyes and let out a little sigh. He was getting tired and Erol noticed it.

“You should go and stretch your legs,” Erol suggested.

“Thanks, I’ve been thinking about doing that for a little while. I just need to relax my eyes for a… wait a second,” Jirair focused again on the screen.

“What, what is it?”

“This craft,” he pointed at a dot on the edge of the screen, “just a second ago it was heading in a westerly direction. Granted it was not using a lane for its flight path, but it was heading in that direction. It just changed direction.”

“Where’s it heading?” the Twi’Lek asked.

Jirair ran some numbers through the computer and looked up at Erol with some concern on his face.

“If my numbers are right, which I’m pretty sure they are, then the current flight path would be heading towards the area that The Black Hole is located.”

“Is there a way to find out where it came from?”

“I’m not sure, it would take a lot of assumptions.”

“Work on it.”

“Already doing that.”

“Ireneus!” Erol shouted.

Ireneus came running from the hallway.

“What?” he asked visibly flustered.

“We need you in here right now. We need to identify a craft, if we can.”

Ireneus briskly walked to the nearest console.

“Which one?”

Erol walked over to the young man and pointed at his screen.

“This one.”

“I’m on it,” he responded and fervently typed on the keypad.

Erol walked over to one of the windows that faced the north and peered out as if he were trying to see the craft on its approach. He stood there for a minute then turned back towards the other two in the room.

“Anything yet?” he asked both of them.

“Still trying to project a flight path and any installations that might be on or near it.” Jirair replied.

Erol looked over at Ireneus.

“What have you got?”

He stopped typing and stared at his screen. His face turned a little pale and he has shaking his head.

“What is it?” Erol asked and started to walk over to him.

“Bad news, very bad news.”

Jirair stood from his console and began walking over towards Ireneus as well.

When both of them came up behind Ireneus they both began looking at his view screen.

“Why is it bad news?” Jirair asked.

Ireneus seemed to snap out of what ever trance he had been in.

“You see that dot?”

Both of them nodded their heads.

“Well that’s not just one ship. It’s actually two. They’re flying very close together. So close that it is safe to assume they have experts piloting them. They are in perfect tandem with each other, although one is slightly ahead of the other.”

“So how is this bad?” Erol wondered with a hint of irritation in his voice.

“I checked the signatures they were giving off,” he continued unfazed by Erol “and this is why it’s bad news.” He pressed a button on the keypad and on the holo-projector next to him a ship flickered to life.

“By the Force…” Jirair whispered.

On the projector a 3D image of a Clone Transport was rotating. It had been slightly modified but the core design was unmistakable.

“Are you sure that a private party doesn’t own them?” Erol inquired.

“Pretty sure. I tried to obtain their frequency but it was a coded channel. Not many people can afford to have a dedicated private channel, let alone have it coded. If I had to make a guess I would say it’s an Imperial transport. The pilots are very good so that would only mean that they are either Clones or well trained Storm Troopers.”

“We can’t take any chances. We need to contact Asherah and let her know the situation.”

Erol pulled out his com and keyed it.

“Asherah, this is Erol, do you copy?”

He waited a couple of seconds and repeated his message.

“Where can she be?”


---------------------------


In the cockpit of a speeder, a Twi’Leks voice came to life.

“Asherah, this is Erol, do you copy?”

It repeated again.

Across the street, Asherah made her way through the pedestrian traffic, towards the Black Hole.

[92se-r]

Chapter 8

In The Black Hole, the group found the two people they were supposed to meet. Nestled in a dark corner of the restaurant, Asherah walked up to the edge of the table they were sitting at.

“I’ve heard that Coruscant is going to be celebrating Empire Day for the better part of a week,” she told the two.

One of them looked up at her. He was slightly tanned and well built.

“Only if the Senate approves it, which they probably will,” he responded.

She nodded and motioned for the others in her group to slide into the booth. She looked over at the two men.

“Senator,” she began in a whisper.

He held up his hand to stop her.

“Please, first name basis,” he looked around the room, “just in case. Call me Bail and this,” he motioned to his left, “is Raymus.”

The man on his left nodded.

“I am Asherah and to my left is Lorccan and Anwen.”

“It’s good to see you again Asherah,” Bail said with a smile, “I had thought you were dead.”

“As you can see, I’m not,” she said smiling back.

“I’m sorry about what happened to him. I know how close you two were.” Bail dropped his gaze and his smile disappeared.

“I don’t mourn for him,” she said bravely, “I don’t mourn for any of them. I know that they have become one, as we all eventually do.”

Bail noticed as she shut her eyes, obviously trying not to let a tear escape.

“I can’t imagine what it must be like to lose that many family and friends in one day. I hope that I would be as strong as you are right now. I know that if something ever happened to my wife…” his voice trailed off.

“We need to focus on the present Bail,” Lorccan interrupted, “dwelling on the past or the future will not do us any good.”

“You’re right, I apologize. So let’s get down to business then. You had contacted me about a plan to help out the citizens across the galaxy.”

“Yes, we did.” Asherah confirmed.

“Is it something that we can discuss here or do we need to go to a more private venue?”

“We can try and discuss it here but it would be very cryptic and I’m not sure you would get the idea of what we have planned. Although,” thunder outside boomed loud enough to drown her out, “I could tell you better.” She finished off.

“What was that? I didn’t quite catch that last part.”

“Sorry. I said that if we went…” she seemed distracted, like someone had tapped her on the shoulder. Her facial expression changed. She felt… something.

“Did you feel that?” She asked.

“Well, not really, but I’m…” Bail started.

“No, not you,” she politely stated, then turned to her companions, “Did you feel that?”

“Like something was approaching and it’s not the storm.” Anwen answered.

“Should we leave?” Bail asked looking at Raymus.

“I think we should follow the lead of our guests.”

“Very well then, what do you advise?” he asked Asherah.

“We don’t want to arouse any suspicion, so I think it’s best that we wait, at least for a few more minutes. Perhaps we should order some drinks.”

Bail raised his hand and looked in the direction of the waitress. When he had caught her attention he waved her over.

As she stood next to the booth, Lorccan recognized her as the one Erol had described.

“What can I get for you?” she asked as she leaned over the table.

“I think we’ll just have a round drinks for now,” Bail answered for the group.

“What kind do you want?”

“I heard that the Corellian Ale is good here, lets have a round of that.” Lorccan spoke up.

“One round coming up.” She smiled at Lorccan and walked over to the bar and placed the order.


------------------------------------


“You sure that’s him?” the bartender asked the Twi’Lek as he was pouring the ales.

“Of course I am!” she whispered harshly, “Don’t you ever watch the holo-news? He’s a favorite in the Senate. Always appears to be good and what not. Humph! Politicians are all alike.”

“Great, so we have a Senator in our presence. What do you want me to do about it?”

“You know there are people who are always trying to get dirt on these guys. Someone would probably pay at least a little bit for this information.”

“Alright,” he sighed, “I’ll make a call, but I’m not promising anything.”
He put the glasses on her tray.

“Thanks Rahz. We’ll get a big payout for this, you’ll see.” She smiled at the bartender and strutted a bit as she walked back towards the table.
Rahz shook his head.

“Crazy Twi’Leks, always out to make a credit,” he mumbled to himself, “Oh well, what could it hurt.”

He walked towards the back of the restaurant, into a small office. He closed the door behind him and locked it. Rahz sat in front of a holo-transmitter, and pushed a sequence of buttons.

“Hey, it’s Rahz,” he started “Remember a while back you told me to call you if anything interesting came up? Well, I got something here you might be interested in.”


------------------------------------


“We need to proceed cautiously.” Bail was finishing up as the waitress came back.

She put the tray on the table and gave a glass to each.

“Thanks,” Bail said with a grin.

“No problem. Can I get you anything else?”

“I think we’re fine for now.”

“Alright, just let me know if you need anything.”

As she was walking away, Asherah watched as Raymus and Lorccan eyed the waitress.

“Can we focus, please?” She finally interrupted.

“I am focused,” Lorccan shot back. “Something seemed different about her when she came back. She seemed more…greedy.”

“Aren’t most Twi’Leks?” Raymus stated.

“I know of at least one that isn’t,” Anwen retorted.

“Enough,” Asherah said forcefully in a hushed voice.

“She is right,” Bail supported, “Please Asherah, continue.”

“Like I was saying before, the celebrations on the planet are perfect for the cover we will need. Everyone will be busy in the celebrations and the patrols will be more routine. If you were able to get us the exact times and routes of those patrols around the area that I specified earlier, it would go a long way in helping us.”

“If we get caught there is no telling what the Emperor would do to us.”

“I know exactly what would happen to us,” she said gesturing at herself and her companions, “we would be killed instantly. I’m not sure what would happen to you though.”

“I see.”

“Bail, we don’t have a choice. We can’t live in secret forever. Sooner or later the rule of the Sith must end. Personally I would prefer sooner. You have seen the changes in just the first year, imagine what it would be like if it continued for another decade or more.”

Bail sat back and rubbed his eyes. He let his hands sit over his eyes for a second before he brought them down his face and to the back of his neck. He let out a sigh.

“I think that there are people who would fight before they let that happen,” he finally stated.

“I agree, but I would rather try to end it now than involve numerous worlds in the conflict. We saw what happened during the Clone Wars.”
He nodded his head in agreement.

“You’re right. I will do what I can to aid you. It shouldn’t be too difficult to get the information you’re asking for.”

“Thank you. Your help is greatly appreciated.”

Bail lifted his glass and held it in the center of the table.

“To our alliance.”

Everyone else lifted their glasses and followed suit.


-------------------------------------


The intelligence officer ran the name he had been given through his computer. On the screen came a picture of a tanned individual, and below the picture the words:

‘Contact Emperors Office immediately!’

Without hesitating he went to his other terminal and sent a message to the Emperor’s Office and marked it as Priority 1:


To the office of the Emperor,

It has come to our attention that a Senator has been spotted to the south of the Senate district, in the old industrial area. I have included the exact coordinates. Upon running the name of the Senator, Bail Organa, we were flagged to contact your office immediately.

We are complying with that directive and wish to know how to proceed further in this manner.

Intelligence Officer Stark


As he pressed the ‘send’ key, he wondered why it was so important that the Emperor be contacted. He thought better of asking that question though and kept it to himself.


------------------------------------


Sate Pestage was going about his normal duties of the day when he noticed a priority 1 message had been sent to him. He quickly opened the message and read it.

As soon as he had finished, he downloaded the information into his data-pad and hurried towards the Emperors chambers. As he opened the doors to the chambers he noticed Grand Moff Tarkin talking to the Emperor. Outside the fireworks were still going, but they were dwindling with the oncoming storm. He walked across the room and stood behind the Emperor, waiting for him to finish with Tarkin.

“Our schedule is proceeding as you have requested.” Tarkin told the Emperor.

“Good. I feel that soon we will need another place to build our new projects, Grand Moff. Perhaps someplace a little more secluded?”

“I know of at least one place, my lord. I will have my most trusted crew scout the area and report back.”

“Excellent. I want you to stay in orbit for a while longer, but go ahead and send one ship. That should be sufficient, should it not?”

“Yes, more than enough.”

Palpatine grinned, turned the chair and looked behind him.

“Ah, Sate, what brings you here so late in the night?”

He bowed before the Emperor and handed him the data-pad.

“This, my Emperor.”

As Sidious looked at the information scrolling across the screen, he started to glare.

“What is it, my lord?” came Tarkins inquiry.

“Everyone, leave me. Now!” the Emperor barked.

Both Sate and Tarkin bowed and walked towards the doors. The red guards stood like statues around the room, knowing that they were to stay no matter what.

As soon as the room was cleared, he switched on the holo-transmitter and sent a confirmation to Vader’s transport.


------------------------------------


“Lord Vader,” the trooper said turning to look at him, “We have an incoming transmission from the Emperor. He says that it’s urgent.”

Now what does he want? Vader thought to himself.

“Very well, set down on one of the buildings so I can talk to him uninterrupted.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The trooper commed over to the other ship and they began a rapid decent to the rooftops nearby. Within moments the transports were touching down and the engines were winding down. As soon as they had touched ground, the troopers in Vader’s transport exited the craft as per his instructions. When they had all vacated it, he closed the doors, turned on the holo-transmitter and knelt down on one knee.

“You called, my master?”

“Yes Lord Vader. I have another task for you, one that is more important than finding the Jedi on Coruscant.”

“More important! How?”

“Mind your tone, my young apprentice. The Jedi are still a concern but this new development is one that I have been wanting to deal with for quite some time.”

“What is thy bidding, my master?”

“Senator Bail Organa has been spotted at a less than reputable establishment. I want you to go and find out why.”

“Why is this of major concern, master?”

“This Senator was one of the two thousand who signed the petition a little over a year ago for me to step down. As I recall, your wife was also one of those people. I want to determine if he still has these ‘feelings’ about me. Find him and bring him before me.”

“How will I know where to find him?”

Sidious let out a chuckle.

“My dear Lord Vader, do you think that I would send you on a wild bantha chase? I am sending you the last know location of him right now.”

Vader looked at the data-pad that was still hooked up to the ships computer. As he read the coordinates, he crosschecked them with their destination.

“Are you certain these are correct?” Vader asked.

“They were given to me by Sate Pestage, so I would certainly hope so. I sense some concern in your voice my apprentice.”

“These coordinates are in the middle of the search area I had set for my troops, my master. We were on our way there when you called me.”
Sidious said nothing for a minute. Vader could tell his master was thinking and devising, as he always was.

“If this Senator still wishes for me to step down and ruin the peace we are establishing, by consorting with Jedi, then he is to be labeled a traitor.” Sidious said mostly to himself.

He looked again at Vader, with a burning in his eyes the hologram could not quite decipher.

“Find this Senator Lord Vader. If he is in the company of Jedi, I want you to kill them all! Traitors to the Empire do not deserve the satisfaction of a trial through the courts. Notify me when you have either killed them all or captured this traitorous Senator.”

Instantly the hologram flickered off.

Vader looked again at the coordinates. Could it be true? Could the Senator, whom his wife had trusted and socialized with be a traitor? It didn’t matter; he knew he must obey his master. He turned on the team com for his troopers.

“Troopers, assemble back in the transports at once! We have a new mission.”

Within seconds the troops had reentered the transports and were getting secured. While they were doing this Vader briefed them on their new mission.

“Are there any questions?” he asked them.

“So basically we find this Senator and escort him back to the Emperor. If we find him with Jedi we kill them all because traitors to the Empire do not deserve to live. What happens if he is not there, but we do find Jedi?” Commander Cody asked.

“The Jedi will be mine to deal with.” Vader said raising his hand and balling it into a fist.

“All right troops,” he continued, “Move out!”

The ships lifted off the building and sped to their destination.


-------------------------------------


“Well, they stopped.” Jirair plainly stated.

“Where?” Erol asked.

“Right here,” he said pointing just south of where they had started their turn.

“Maybe they reached their destination.”

“Maybe, but it still seems weird that they would fly in that direction only to make a sudden change in course.”

“I’m picking up something.” Ireneus called out.

“What is it?” Erol asked him.

“I can’t really make it out. It’s heavily encrypted. I can try to break at least a little bit of it though.”

“Do it.”

Ireneus typed on the keypad for what seemed like an eternity. Finally he stopped and looked up at Erol.

“Anything?” asked Erol.

“Not much, but I was able to break a section of it. It had something to do with a Senator, but I couldn’t get much more than that.

“We have movement!” Jirair shouted.

“Where?” Erol asked, turning towards him.

“Same ships, only their course has changed slightly. More towards the south now and they are moving faster than they were before.”

“Can you figure out where they’re going?” the Twi’Lek inquired.

“Give me a second,” Jirair said as he concentrated on calculating the numbers.

A look of horror came over his face when he was finished typing.

“What is it?” Ireneus asked.

“Based on speed and the lack of deviation in course, their path puts them right in line with The Black Hole.”

“Senator Organa.” Erol let out.

“What?”

“That’s who Asherah went to meet. She’s known him for a long time and that’s probably who they were talking about in the communication. Someone has tipped off the Empire.”

“Well, what are we going to do?” Jirair asked him.

“We need to get down there and warn the others. How long until the Empire reaches them?”

“At current speed,” Jirair looked back at the display, “less than fifteen minutes.”

“We don’t have a moment to spare then. Ireneus, you stay here and monitor the situation. Contact me if anything, and I mean anything, seems wrong or out of place. We may need your help, so keep your communicator on.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Jirair, you’re with me. I know we’re supposed to keep a low profile here, but we can’t risk getting to the group later than the Empire. We will need to put all we have into getting there. Grab a bag and get everyone’s lightsabers, they may need them.”

“Already on it,” he replied as he ran out of the room.

“May the Force be with us,” Erol let out as he followed Jirair down the hall.

[sharyntyre]

good work. I just caught up on the last few posts. This is moving along nicely :)

[92se-r]

good work. I just caught up on the last few posts. This is moving along nicely :)

Glad you're enjoying the ride. :bye:

[92se-r]

Chapter 9

As the transports grew closer to their destination, Vader leaned out the side. The rush of air hit him hard but he was able to brace himself against the bulkhead and the floor. He took in the landscape that was racing below and looked in the distance towards their destination. He could feel the Force getting stronger as they raced ever closer. His master’s words still burned like a fire within.

‘As I recall, you wife was also one of these people.’

How dare he even mention her in that context! She would never intentionally betray the Republic. She was lied to by the Jedi and swayed into their line of reasoning. Her love for him was unconditional, he knew that deep down.

“Is that really so?” came the voice of the inner monster he had unleashed a year prior.

He stepped back from the edge and sat down. He closed his eyes in order to confront the monster yet again.

“She loved me! The Jedi were responsible for her death!” He shouted in the darkness.

Laughter filled the void.

“You are still a fool, Lord Vader. Shall we relive the events that led up to her death?”

“I remember them quite well!”

“Do you? Or do you remember a twisted version of the truth? Let’s see.”


A bright light instantly filled his vision. As the light dimmed he realized that he was not looking through the viewers of his helmet. He was back at Padme’s apartment. He was watching and hearing, but unable to freely move his body.

She was just there, floating about two feet above the ground, grasping at her throat again. But she said nothing.

“Tell me!” he screamed with hatred.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Anakin. I didn’t go anywhere important, I didn’t see any Jedi.”

Anakin probed her mind, she was weakening, and it was easier than he had thought. Then his eyes shot open.

“Liar! You saw Yoda. Where is he hiding!?”

“I would never tell you, even if I did know.”

“Then perhaps you need a little more persuasion.”

He moved towards the ledge of the balcony, and she was still floating in the air in front of him. When he finally stopped, she strained to look down. Nothing was below her but thousands of feet of open air and traffic.

Anakin let his grip on her throat slip a little, as she motioned to talk.

“I see now that Yoda was right, my husband is dead. If this is the person you have become, this Darth Vader, then I could never love you.”

He responded after a second, “I love you, Padme. Why can’t you see that the Jedi are evil? They tried to separate us, to keep us from being a family. Tell me where Yoda is hiding, Padme.” Then he growled out, “Don’t make me destroy you.”

He tightened his grip again.

As tears started to fall from her eyes, she let out, “I will never betray what I know to be good.”

He howled out, in a guttural voice, “I am just! I am good! I am the only hope for this galaxy! I am the Chosen One!” He took a step closer to her.

“Anakin…”

“If you cannot see that, then you are no better than Obi-Wan!” As he finished his statement, he let go of her.


Within an instant he was back in the darkness.

“It appears that she didn’t love you after all, Lord Vader.”

“She did! I know she did.”

“If she loved you, then why didn’t she give you the information you asked for? Why would she rather die than tell you where the Jedi were hiding?”

Vader said nothing.

“She was a traitor to the Republic even before the Empire was formed.”

“That’s not true.”

“Oh, but it is. If it weren’t then why would she go behind your back and talk to the Jedi about where you were going, about what you were going to do? She joined them in their fight against the rise of your Empire. She refused to see past the lies of the Jedi, choosing to believe them rather than her own husband.”

Again, Vader was silent.

“This Senator Organa is the same. He is a traitor to the Empire and should be dealt with in the same manner. You showed your wife no mercy, why should this Senator be any different?”

“My master commanded me to bring Organa before him.”

“Your master,” was the sarcastic response, “Your master is an old fool. Has he taught you anything of value? No. He is holding you back and he will pay for his treachery. I know of the plans you are currently working on in secret.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Did you think that you would have thought of them by yourself? You forget, I am the one who gave you the strength to do you masters bidding. It was I who showed you the potential you possessed. I have been around longer than your master and I will be around for many more years. I created you and will help you obtain that which you desire.”

“How?”

“I will help blind your master to your plans. When the time is right, we will strike him down and you can ascend to your rightful place as Lord of the Sith. For now though, we will bide our time, follow your master’s instructions and let him become complacent. Be alert Lord Vader, your future is starting now.”

As Vader opened his eyes, he realized that the transports were beginning their descent. He looked out the starboard hatch and saw that it was raining. The lighting was closer, and as it lit the night sky the following thunder rolled through the craft. Vader could feel it in his feet.
The second craft broke formation and headed to a roof less than an eighth of a kilometer away. Both ships simultaneously touched down and the troops disembarked into the torrent. As Vader left the ship, he was instantly bombarded by rain. It was hard to see in the current weather, so he adjusted his viewers for spectral enhancement. His troops followed their leader’s action and awaited his signal.

“Commander Cody.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“Have the troops break into teams of three. No one is to go anywhere by themselves, is that understood?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“If they come in contact with Senator Organa they are to subdue him, but not harm him.”

“And if they encounter any Jedi?”

“They should refrain from attacking them, unless they are stopping them from escaping. They should radio me at once to give me their location.”

“It shall be done, my lord.”

As Cody forwarded his commands to the troops, Vader knew there were Jedi close. He peered down a street and saw the sign of The Black Hole illuminating the night. The traffic in the streets was now down to nothing, as the torrent had forced most sane beings indoors.

“The troops have all acknowledged and are awaiting your final word, Lord Vader.”

“Good, thank you Commander.”

He switched over to his team com.

“Troopers, move out.”


---------------------------


As Erol and Jirair ran from rooftop to rooftop, Erol noticed that the rain was about to hit them. It was a visible wall that he could see and he watched helplessly as it enveloped Jirair and himself. The sound the rain made was louder than it had been a minute ago so he had to yell to communicate.

“We’re almost there. Just a few more blocks and we should be able to go to the street level.”

As they leapt across another gap he noticed as Jirair stopped and cocked his head.

“What is it?”

Jirair lifted his head and squinted his eyes.

“There!” he said pointing towards the north.

As Erol looked in the general direction he saw them. Two transports were coming fast, perhaps another minute out. He concentrated and could hear their signature engine whine. By the sounds of the engines, the pilots were pushing them. No doubt to negate the effects of the storm, but to also get to the Senator faster.

“We need to hurry!” he called out to Jirair.

With a splash they ran across the roof and jumped to the next. They both ran and leapt faster than they had up to that point and within mere seconds seemed to be at the cross street that went to The Black Hole.

They both looked up at the oncoming ships.

“Maybe another thirty seconds,” Jirair called out.

“Plenty of time to get there.” Erol replied with a grin.

They looked over the edge and saw a few catwalks that zigzagged over the street.

“We’ll use those,” Erol said pointing to them, “If we hurry, we can make our way down to the street and into the restaurant by the time the transports land.”

Jirair looked down at the catwalks. The closest one was five meters down and the next one was at least that far down. He estimated that, in all, using those would save them from trying to land a thirty-meter jump. Instead it would be about a ten-meter drop after they used the last catwalk. By the time he had calculated the distance he looked over to see Erol jump down to the first catwalk. Jirair didn’t hesitate to follow him, but had to play a little catch-up as he jumped to the second catwalk.

When the two finally landed on the streets they looked up to see the transports zoom overhead. They didn’t waste a moment and ran towards The Black Hole. They both felt a dark presence very close, but focused on making it to their friends. As they finally reached the entrance to the restaurant Erol turned to Jirair.

“We need to act as casual as possible. We don’t want to draw any attention to ourselves.”

“Right.”

“And guard that bag with your life.”

Erol opened the door and entered, with Jirair following closely behind. It took him a second to locate the group, but when he did he quickly walked over to them.

“Erol, what are you doing here?” Asherah said in an agitated voice.

He leaned over to her and whispered in her ear.

“We are in danger here. The Empire has sent two