|
The Greatest Sith... That
Never Lived
Posted by: Darth Danno
06.27.07 12:01am
Previously:
CHAPTER XXIII: CONCLUSIONS…AND
COMPARISONS
The Emperor paced around the
room, concluding the tale.
“Not having much time, Lord
Ruin used Force lightning, but wrapped things up nicely by using
his Dark Side powers to break every bone in Contagion’s
body.”
“Impressive,” was Vader’s
only reply.
“I thought so,” Palpatine
nodded slightly. “He then returned to his speeder and was
on his way back to his craft before the Jedi arrived. I often
wondered how this was viewed from the Jedi’s perspective.
Once I became Chancellor, I had authorization to view their files.”
“And what did you discover,
Master?” Vader queried.
“Their findings were as
Ruin had thought. The Sith had discovered the traitor in their
midst, trailed him here to Tatooine where they engaged in a battle
that neither survived. The Jedi burned the corpses right there
in the Pass, returned to their ship, left the planet, returned
home to Coruscant, and considered the case closed.” The
Emperor chuckled slightly, “One interesting fact in their
records, that was never told to me by my Master, was that none
of the Jedi were able to locate Danno’s head.”
“Did it ever turn up?”
Vader asked.
Palpatine turned and flashed
his apprentice an evil grin. “It is of no consequence to
us. You now know the tale of Lords Danno and Mortis. He allowed
the Dark Side to drive him to madness. I want you to remember
this, Lord Vader. Keep this in mind when the time comes for you
to choose an apprentice of your own. Study them, know them and
their command of the Dark Side inside and out, let nothing about
them be a surprise to you. Know them better than they know themselves.
The Force should control your actions…but it should never
control you!”
“Yes, my Master.” Vader
nodded and rose to leave.
“One moment, Lord Vader.
Your time of study is at an end, at least for now. Tomorrow you
leave to oversee the construction of our…special project.”
Vader straightened up and crossed
his arms over his chest. “I thought Tarkin was seeing to
that?”
“He is, and I’m sure
he’s doing an admirable job. I just want you to go and…make
sure that these reports I’m receiving from him are fact,
and not fantasy. We cannot afford any more setbacks, my apprentice.
Every effort must be made to assure this project stays…ahead
of schedule.”
“It will be done as you
command, Master.” Vader bowed slightly, “Is that all?”
“Do not be afraid to make
examples of those under my…and now, YOUR command, Lord Vader.
I’ve given them more than ample funds and resources, now
I demand results. Do what must be done, do not disappoint me.”
Vader nodded, turned, and left.
Before the door closed behind him, he heard his Master make one
final statement.
“Do not become like Darth
Danno, Lord Vader…”
“What did he mean by that?”
He wondered, and as he sat in his rejuvenation chamber, he pondered
those very words. As he thought about it, multiple comparisons
came to mind: Danno started out a simple bounty hunter, himself
a humble slave. Both rose to prominence in their prospective
orders, only to turn on them and…wipe them out. Danno disappeared
for some time, and then returned, both Master and Apprentice,
with neither able to gain control over the other, which brought
about their downfall. Anakin disappeared, and then returned,
both man and machine. Now who controlled whom? Or did it really
matter considering the Emperor controlled them both?
Darth Danno
|
