فصل 24

SITHARI

Their targets were only asteroids, but the chromium-nosed yellow starfighters attacked the microcratered rocks as if they posed a threat to Naboo itself.

Products of the Theed Space Vessel Engineering Corporation and Nubian Design, and King Verunas pet project since his coronation, the sleek, shortwinged craft exemplified Naboos infatuation with classic design and flagrant extravagance. The starfighters engines were said to have set a new standard for emissions control, but for a world that prided itself on environmental awareness, the N-1s seemed entirely out of character and out of place.

Were expected to have two additional squadrons ready for flight by the start of the year, Veruna told Palpatine as they stood at a dorsal viewport in the Kings even more grandiose, mirror-finish Royal Starship. All will feature twin laser cannons, proton torpedo launchers, and deflector shields, along with R-two astromech droids.

A dream come true, Palpatine said. Both for you and for the Nubian Design Collective.

Veruna arched a bushy, gray-and-white eyebrow. Our deal with Nubian Design was mutually beneficial.

Of course it was, Palpatine said, wondering how much Veruna and his cronies had pocketed on a contract most Naboo had opposed.

Palpatine had arrived with Pestage, and had met downside with Janus Greejatus before rendezvousing with Veruna and some of the members of his advisory council at Theed Hangar, including Prime Counselor Kun Lago and the Kings sharp-featured female security chief Maris Magneta. Conspicuously absent was Theeds teenage governor, Padmé Naberrie, whose appointment had been Verunas compromise to an electorate that had been growing more oppositional with each passing year. Veruna, however, looked none the worse for wear. With his flaring eyebrows, long silver hair, and fussily pointed beard, he still cut a fine, swashbuckling figure. Lago and Magneta were considerably younger and more rough-cut, and had made their distaste for Palpatine and his party felt the moment they had boarded the gleaming starship.

Outside the viewport, strafing runs by Bravo Squadron were reducing asteroids to gravel and space dust.

Thats Captain Ric Olié in Bravo One, Veruna said. Battle-hardened at Chommel Minor.

Pestage failed to restrain a short laugh. Against that pirate group whose ships collided with one another?

Veruna glared at Palpatine. Your aide seems to have forgotten his place, Senator.

Palpatine flashed Pestage a look that said nothing and turned back to Veruna.

My apologies, Your Majesty.

If Veruna was unconvinced, he kept it to himself and fixed his gaze on the distant starfighter exercise. I plan to end our partnership with the Trade Federation, he said after a long moment of silence, and without looking at Palpatine.

Palpatine moved slightly to place himself in Verunas peripheral view, his eyes wide in genuine surprise. Is that the purpose of this demonstration? The King turned to him. If I had wanted it to be a show of force, I would have waited until the next scheduled plasma collection. However, since you seem to be asking, both Theed Engineering and Nubian Design assure me that the Federations Lucrehulk freighters would be easy prey for our N-Ones. Palpatine cut his eyes to Pestage and Greejatus and shook his head in dismay.

Then its good you thought to invite me aboard, Your Majesty, because I bring news that may persuade you to rethink your position.

What news? Magneta demanded.

Palpatine ignored her by continuing to speak to Veruna. This matter has yet to reach the Rotunda, but there is every indication that the Republic is eventually going to grant the Trade Federation permission to arm its ships. Verunas jaw dropped and he blinked. With what?

Palpatine pretended to become flustered. I dont know precisely. Turbolasers, certainly, as well as droid starfighters. Whatever combat automata are being produced by Baktoid, Haor Chall, and the hive species. He gestured out the viewport. Weapons that will prove to be a deadly match for those starfighters. Veruna was still trying to make sense of it. Why is the Republic doing this? Because of what happened at Yinchorr. Because of persistent attacks by pirates and would-be insurrectionists. And because the Republic refuses to reverse its position on creating a military.

Veruna stormed away from the viewport, then stopped and whirled on Palpatine. I dont believe it. Valorum was successful at Yinchorr. He would never bow to pressure from the Trade Federation.

He isnt bowing to pressure. His strategy is to enter into a deal with the Federation defensive weaponry in exchange for taxation of the free-trade zones.

Veruna was speechless.

This is why I urge Your Majesty to keep Naboo on the proper side of this. Do tell us, Senator, Lago interrupted, what it means to be on the proper side?

Palpatine glanced from Lago to Veruna. When the matter reaches the Rotunda, Naboo must vote in protest of taxation of the free-trade zones. Veruna swallowed and found his voice. In support of the Trade Federation?

With my reelection approaching? You must be mad, Palpatine. Naboo has been under the yoke of the Federation for more than thirty years. The people would never forgive me.

Your base remains strong, Palpatine said. The people will gradually come to understand that you made the correct decision.

Veruna smoldered. I dont like being put in this position, Palpatine. Palpatine adopted a pensive pose, then looked at the King. There may yet be a way … Im certain that Hego Damask would be willing to broker a renegotiated deal with the Neimoidian bloc of the Trade Federation— I dont need Damask to broker anything, Veruna snapped. The Muuns time has come and gone. Hes an anachronism. His enemies did us all a favor by forcing him into early retirement.

Palpatines eyes narrowed imperceptibly. And so, with a nudge, he reveals himself.

If I recall correctly, Damasks enemies paid dearly. He fell silent for a moment, repositioning himself in front of the viewport, so that Veruna would have the strafing starfighters in direct view while he listened. Granted, Sojourn isnt the impregnable fortress it once was. But Damasks reach is as long as it ever was, and his ties to the Banking Clan have never been stronger. In case you havent noticed, Senator, Magneta interjected, Naboos reach is now long, as well.

Palpatine glanced over his shoulder at the starfighters, then fixed his eyes on Veruna. Your Majesty, Damask will not take kindly to being cut out of our dealings with the Trade Federation. He can make trouble. Verunas gaze wandered back to him. Let him try. Naboo isnt the only world he has exploited. We would not want for allies. Im more concerned about how the Senate would react to our voting against taxation of the trade zones. Palpatine forced a breath. Its a hopeless situation. The Rim Faction worlds rely on the Trade Federation for goods, so they will likely vote in the negative.

The Core Worlds, on the other hand, will vote in favor of taxation, if only to bring revenue to the Republic and avoid having to support the outlying systems.

Occupying the middle ground, the Trade Federation stands to win no matter what, in that it will finally be allowed to defend itself, and will force its clients to shoulder the increased costs that will result from taxation. What does all this mean for Valorum? Lago said.

I fear that he may not complete his term of office.

Who will succeed him? Veruna asked.

Thats difficult to say, Your Majesty. Ainlee Teem, I think. Though Bail Antilles enjoys some support.

Veruna thought about it. What are the implications for Naboo should the Gran win over the Alderaanian?

Then, of course, you would have a friend in the chancellorship. Veruna tugged at his beard. Ill take your recommendations into account. But be forewarned, Palpatine, I will brook no deception. From you—he fixed Pestage and Greejatus with a gimlet stare—or any of your cabal. Remember I know where the bodies are buried.

Time is short.

Vines and creepers had clawed their way up the walls and towers of the old fort, and lianas linked the crenellated parapets to the leafy crowns of nearby trees. Insects scurried underfoot, foraging for food or laden with bits of vegetation or scraps of splintered wood. The previous nights storms had left puddles ankle-deep on the walkway, and runoff cascaded through firing holes.

The forest Plagueis had planted and stocked with rare and exotic game seemed determined to rid Sojourn of the fortress that had been erected in its midst.

From the tallest of the towers, he gazed over the treetops at the rim of the moons parent world and the distant star they shared. Sojourn was running fast and the last light was fading. The air was balmy and riotous with the drone and stridulation of insects, the territorial cries of avians, the mournful waking howls of creatures of the night. Clouds of bats spilled from caves in the escarpment, devouring bloodsuckers born by the strong rains. A breeze rose out of nowhere.

Time is short.

Still in safekeeping on Aborah were texts and holocrons that recounted the deeds and abilities of Sith Masters who, so it was said and written, had been able to summon wind or rain or fracture the skies with conjured lightning. In their own words or those of their disciples, a few Dark Lords claimed to have had the ability to fly, become invisible, or transport themselves through space and time.

But Plagueis had never succeeded in duplicating any of those phenomena.

From the start Tenebrous had told him that he lacked the talent for Sith sorcery, even though the inability hadnt owed to a deficiency of midi-chlorians.

Its an innate gift, the Bith would say when pressed, and one that he had lacked, as well. Sorcery paled in comparison with Bith science, regardless. But Plagueis now understood that Tenebrous had been wrong about sorcery, as he had been wrong about so many things. Yes, the gift was strongest in those who, with scant effort, could allow themselves to be subsumed by the currents of the Force and become conduits for the powers of the dark side. But there was an alternative path to those abilities, and it led from a place where the circle closed on itself and sheer will substituted for selflessness. Plagueis understood, too, that there were no powers beyond his reach none he couldnt master through an effort of will. If a Sith of equal power had preceded him, then that one had taken his or her secrets to the grave, or had locked them away in holocrons that had been destroyed or had yet to surface.

The question of whether he and Sidious had discovered something new or rediscovered something ancient was beside the point. All that mattered was that, almost a decade earlier, they had succeeded in willing the Force to shift and tip irrevocably to the dark side. Not a mere paradigm shift, but a tangible alteration that could be felt by anyone strong in the Force, and whether or not trained in the Sith or Jedi arts.

The shift had been the outcome of months of intense meditation, during which Plagueis and Sidious had sought to challenge the Force for sovereignty and suffuse the galaxy with the power of the dark side. Brazen and shameless, and at their own mortal peril, they had waged etheric war, anticipating that their own midi-chlorians, the Forces proxy army, might marshal to boil their blood or stop the beating of their hearts. Risen out of themselves, discorporate and as a single entity, they had brought the power of their will to bear, asserting their sovereignty over the Force. No counterforce had risen against them. In what amounted to a state of rapture they knew that the Force had yielded, as if some deity had been tipped from its throne. On the fulcrum they had fashioned, the light side had dipped and the dark side had ascended.

On the same day they had allowed Venamis to die.

Then, by manipulating the Biths midi-chlorians, which should have been inert and unresponsive, Plagueis had resurrected him. The enormity of the event had stunned Sidious into silence and overwhelmed and addled 11-4Ds processors, but Plagueis had carried on without assistance, again and again allowing Venamis to die and be returned to life, until the Biths organs had given out and Plagueis had finally granted him everlasting death.

But having gained the power to keep another alive hadnt been enough for him. And so after Sidious had returned to Coruscant, he had devoted himself to internalizing that ability, by manipulating the midi-chlorians that animated him.

For several months he made no progress, but ultimately he began to perceive a measured change. The scars that had grown over his wounds had abruptly begun to soften and fade, and he had begun to breathe more freely than he had in twenty years. He began to sense that not only were his damaged tissues healing, but his entire body was rejuvinating itself. Beneath the transpirator, areas of his skin were smooth and youthful, and he knew that eventually he would cease to age altogether.

Drunk on newfound power, then, he had attempted an even more unthinkable act to bring into being a creation of his own. Not merely the impregnation of some hapless, mindless creature, but the birth of a Forceful being. The ability to dominate death had been a step in the right direction, but it wasnt equivalent to pure creation. And so he had stretched out—indeed, as if invisible, transubstantiated—to inform every being of his existence, and impact all of them Muunoid or insectoid, secure or dispossessed, free or enslaved. A warrior waving a banner in triumph on a battlefield. A ghost infiltrating a dream.

But ultimately to no end.

The Force grew silent, as if in flight from him, and many of the animals in his laboratory succumbed to horrifying diseases.

Regardless, eight long years later, Plagueis remained convinced that he was on the verge of absolute success. The evidence was in his own increased midichlorian count and in the power he sensed in Sidious when he had finally returned to Sojourn. The dark side of the Force was theirs to command, and in partnership they would someday be able to keep each other alive, and to rule the galaxy for as long as they saw fit.

But he had yet to inform Sidious of this.

It was more important that Sidious remain as focused on manipulating events in the profane world as Plagueis was intent on dominating the realm of the Force, of which the mundane was only a gross and distorted reflection.

To be sure, the light had been extinguished, but for how long and at what cost?

He recalled a stellar eclipse he had witnessed on a long-forgotten world, whose single moon was of perfect size and distance to blot out the light of the systems primary. The result hadnt been total darkness but illumination of a different sort, singular and diffuse, that had confused the birds and had permitted the stars to be seen in what would have been broad daylight. Even totally blocked, the primary had shone from behind the satellites disk, and when the moon moved on there had been a moment of light almost too intense to bear.

Gazing into Sojourns darkening sky, he wondered what calamity the Force was planning in retreat to visit upon him or Sidious or both of them for willfully tipping the balance. Was retribution merely waiting in the wings as it had been on Coruscant twenty years earlier? It was a dangerous time more dangerous than his earliest years as an apprentice when the dark side might have consumed him at any moment.

For now, at least, his full convalescence was near complete. Sidious was continuing to become more powerful as a Sith and as a politician, his most intricate schemes meeting with little or no resistance. And the Jedi Order was foundering …

Time would tell, and time was short.

The Dathomirian Zabrak sat cross-legged on the duracrete floor, recounting for Sidious the surveillance mission he had completed at the Jedi Temple, weeks earlier, at the height of the Yinchorri Crisis.

It sickened me to see how easily the reptilian infiltrators were deceived, Master, even by the fair-haired human female sentry they thought they had taken by surprise outside the Temple. From where I watched I knew that she had feigned surprise when her lightsaber failed to penetrate her assailants cortosis shield, and that she had merely been faking unconsciousness when the Yinchorri had yanked her to her feet and she impaled him on her activated blade. Maul snarled, revealing sharply filed teeth. Their stupidity allowed me to revel in the fact that their mission had been compromised—that the Jedi were simply luring them into a trap.

The abandoned LiMerge Building had become the assassins home and training center The Works and the fringes of the nearby Fobosi district, his nocturnal haunts. Circling him with the cowl of his robe raised over his head, Sidious asked, The Jedi gained your respect?

They might have, had the infiltrators showed any skill. Had I been leading them …

Sidious stopped. The mission would have been successful? Jedi Knights and Padawans killed younglings slaughtered.

Im certain of it, Master.

Just you, against the Masters who make up the High Council. By hiding and striking I could have killed many.

Plagueis was right, Sidious thought. I have made him prideful.

The Yinchorri stratagem had failed, in any case. Additional Jedi had died, but Jedi deaths had never been the primary reason for instigating the crisis. What mattered was that Valorum had triumphed, with some help from Palpatine, it was true, but mostly on his own, by managing to bring Senators Yarua, Tikkes, Farr, and others over to his side and establishing an embargo. But with his political currency spent, Valorums position was more tenuous than ever. Even a hint of scandal and the Senate would lose what little confidence they had in him.

You are formidable, Sidious said at last, but you are not a one-being army, and Ive not spent years training you only to have you sacrifice yourself. When I bestowed upon you the title of Darth, it was not in reward for your having survived dangerous missions, starvation, and assassin droids, but for your obedience and loyalty. No doubt you will have ample opportunities to demonstrate your superior skill to the Jedi, but bringing down the Order is not your mandate, your hatred of them notwithstanding.

Maul lowered his head, displaying his crown of sharp-tipped horns in their red-and-black field. Master. As long as those who do derive the joy and satisfaction I would.

We shall see, my apprentice. But until then, there are matters we need to attend to.

He motioned for Maul to stand and follow him to the holoprojector table and transmission grid—the same ones the Gran had left behind decades before, but fully modernized and enhanced.

Stand out of view of the cams, Sidious said, indicating a place. For now, we want to keep you in reserve.

But—

Be patient. You will have a part to play in this.

Sidious settled into a high-backed chair that wrapped around him like a throne and had a remote control built into one of the arms, his thoughts set aswirl by what he was about to do. Had Plagueis felt the enormity of the moment on Naboo all those years before when he had revealed his true self removed, for the first time, the mask he wore in public? As empowering as it might have been, had the moment also been tainted by a kind of nostalgia the loss of something so personal, so defining? What had been secret would never be secret again … The comm caught Viceroy Nute Gunray in the midst of eating, and without the ear-flapped tiara and ornate azurestone collar that made him look like a jester. Greetings, Viceroy, Sidious said.

The nictitating membranes of the Neimoidians crimson eyes went into spasm, and his mottled muzzle twitched. What? What? This is a secure address. How did you—

Dont bother attempting to trace the origin of this communication, Sidious said, while Gunrays tapered gray fingers flew across the keypad of his holotable. A trace will only lead you in circles and waste what limited time we have.

How dare you intrude—

Recently, I sent you a gift. A red-spotted pylat.

Gunray stared. You? You sent it?

I trust you had sense enough to have it scanned for monitoring devices. Gunray whirled to look at something off cam probably the crested bird itself.

Of course I did. What was your purpose in sending it? His accent elongated the words and softened the T sounds.

Consider it a token of my appreciation for the unrewarded work you have done for the Trade Federation. The directorate fails to recognize your contributions.

They—that is, I … Why are you hiding inside the cowl of your cloak? It is the clothing of my Order, Viceroy.

You are a cleric?

Do I seem a holy man to you?

Gunrays expression soured. I demand to see your face. You have yet to earn the privilege of seeing me.

Privilege? Who do you think you are?

Are you certain you want to know?

I demand to know.

Sidiouss smile barely escaped the cowl. Even better, then. I am a Sith Lord. There. I said it.

I said it …

Sith Lord? Gunray repeated.

The response came from deep inside him, from the center of his true being.

You have permission to refer to me as Darth Sidious. Ive not heard of Darth Sidious.

Ah, but now that you have, our partnership is forged. Gunray shook his head. I am not looking for a partner. Sidious showed some of his face. Dont pretend to be content with your position in the Trade Federation, or that you are without aspirations. We are now partners in the future.

Gunray made a hissing sound. This is a joke. The Sith have been extinct for a thousand years.

Thats precisely what the Republic and the Jedi Order would like you to believe, but we never disappeared. Through the centuries we have taken up just causes and revealed ourselves to select beings like yourself. Gunray sat back in his chair. I dont understand. Why me? You and I share an avid interest in where the Republic is headed, and I have deemed it time that we begin to work in concert.

I wont be part of any covert schemes.

Truly? Sidious said. Do you think that out of millions of influential beings I would choose you without knowing you inside and out? I realize that your voracious desires stem from the cruel conditions of your upbringing—you and your fellow grubs in ruthless competition for limited supplies of fungus. But I understand. We are all shaped by our infantile desires, our longing for affection and attention, our fears of death. And judging by how far you have come, its clear that you were unrivaled and continue to be. Your years in the Senate, for example. The clandestine meetings in the Claus Building, the Follin Restaurant in the Crimson Corridor, the funds you diverted to Pax Teem and Aks Moe, the secret dealings with Damask Holdings, the assassination of Vidar Kim— Enough! Enough! Do you mean to blackmail me?

Sidious delayed his reply. Perhaps you didnt hear me when I spoke of a partnership.

I heard you. Now tell me what you want of me.

Nothing more than your cooperation. I will bring about great changes for you, and in exchange you will do the same for me.

Gunray looked worried. You claim to be a Dark Lord. But how do I know that you are? How do I know you have any ability to help me? I found you a rare bird.

That hardly validates your claim.

Sidious nodded. I understand your skepticism. I could, of course, demonstrate my powers. But Im reluctant to convince you in that way. Gunray sniffed. I havent time for this—

Is the pylat nearby?

Just behind me, Gunray allowed.

Show me.

Gunray widened the scope of the holotables cams to include the bird, perched in a cage that was little more than a circle of precious metal, crowned with a stasis field generator.

I was concerned, when I extracted him from the jungle habitat, that he would die, Sidious said. And yet he appears to be at home in his new environment. His songs suggest as much, Gunray replied.

What if I told you that I could reach across space and time and strangle him where he perches?

Gunray was aghast. You couldnt. I doubt that even a Jedi— Are you challenging me, Viceroy?

Yes, he said abruptly then, just as quickly No—wait! Sidious shifted in the chair. You value the bird—this symbol of wealth. I am the envy of my peers for possessing it.

Would not actual wealth generate even greater envy?

Gunray grew flustered. How can I answer, when I know that you might strangle me should I refuse you?

Sidious loosed an elaborate sigh. Partners dont strangle each other, Viceroy.

I would prefer to earn your trust. Are you agreeable to that? I might be.

Then here is my first gift to you the Trade Federation is going to be betrayed. By Naboo, by the Republic, by the members of the directorate. Only you can provide the leadership that will be needed to keep the Federation from splintering. But first we must see to it that you are promoted to the directorate. The current directorate would never welcome a Neimoidian. Tell me what it would take— Sidious started, then cut himself off. No.

Never mind. Let me surprise you by arranging a promotion. You would do that and ask nothing in return?

For the time being. If and when Ive earned your full trust, I will expect you to take my suggestions to heart.

I will. Darth Sidious.

Then we will speak again soon.

Sidious deactivated the holoprojector and sat in silence.

There is a world in the Videnda sector called Dorvalla, he said to Maul a long moment later. You will not have heard of it, but it is a source of lommite ore, which is essential to the production of transparisteel. Two companies— Lommite Limited and InterGalactic Ore—currently control the mining and shipping operations. But for some time the Trade Federation has had its sights on overseeing Dorvalla.

What is thy bidding, Master? Maul asked.

For now, only that you acquaint yourself with Dorvalla, for it may prove the key to ensnaring Gunray in our grasp.