1 Prologue: A Shadow From The Pas (2/2)

”If my suspicions are correct, I'm with myself ever since earlier today,” I spoke unhelpfully. ”You can consider me as a free agent.” It was all true, from a certain point of view. When all was said and done, right now my only allegiance was to myself.

”Bounty hunter!” spat Skywalker.

”Young Jedi, you don't want me to be something else, trust me about that.” I shot back. Few of my best friends used to be Bounty Hunters and proud of it!

I raised an eyebrow at Skywalker's tone and the waves of anger coming from him. I didn't know why he hated the practitioners of that profession. Didn't particularly care either even if I could figure out some things. Considering that he spent his childhood as a slave on Tatooine, it wasn't a stretch of the imagination that he might have a problem with mercenaries and bounty hunters. Most of those he would have had experience with would have been employed by the Hutts – not necessarily the nicest or most reputable examples of those professions.

”Skywalker, that's enough.” Plo Koon chided the much younger man. ”A mercenary you say?” The Jedi began interrogating me.

”Well, I find myself in a need of work. Well paying one.” I admitted. No need to explain what else I was right now.

”I can sens the Dark Side in you… mercenary.” The Kel Dor continue to stare at me. ”Is that a problem?” I couldn't keep the amusement out of my voice. ”Last I checked it wasn't a crime.”

”He's working with Dooku, I knew it!” Skywalker snapped.

”You should watch your temper, Jedi. Didn't you hear? Anger leads to the Dark Side.” I needled Anakin. ”Who is this Dooku?”

”Count Dooku. The leader of the Confederacy. Your boss.” The little Togruta narrowed her eyes at me as she spoke. ”Stop playing dumb!” She accused.

The kid looked kinda endearing when angry.

”I can honestly say I don't know any Count named Dooku.” It was even true! I knew of him thanks to the movies I've watched so long ago, but I didn't know him. It wasn't like we've been introduced, nor have I seen the man for real.

”I think he's telling the truth.” Plo Koon frowned. It was hard to tell with his species even when they weren't wearing a breather mask.

”He has a name. Please use it, Jedi. It's a common courtesy.” I shot back.

”Delkatar Veil.” The Kel Dor actually said my name. ”Who are you really? I don't buy the mercenary story.” He paused. ”What are you?!” The Jedi asked.

I felt his words being reinforced with the Force as he attempted to compel the truth from me.

”Someone who is a long time from home.” I spoke truthfully ignoring the suggestion. Ah deceiving by telling the truth – that was an art form among us Sith. It was kinda necessary with so many people running around who more often than not could sense deception despite your best efforts thanks to decades of experience.

”Isn't that supposed to be a long way?” The Togruta frowned, making her look cute.

”I'm pretty sure it's time in my case.” I shook my head.

”Answer my question.” Plo Koon insisted.

”I told you the truth. Granted, not all of it. Will we stay here the whole day, exchanging pleasantries or shall we leave before whoever blew up that fleet,” I pointed at the cruiser remains floating outside, ”decides to come back? Don't forget that there are few more pods with survivors out there. Probably more droid kill teams too.”

The Jedi looked at each other for few moments and reached a decision. Apparently I was not the clear and present danger that needed dealing with right now, at least for the moment.

”It's a giant Ion cannon, mounted on a super cruiser,” declared the Kel Dor. ”Getting out of here might be prudent.” He reluctantly agreed.

”So that's what took out your fleet,” I wondered if Grievous was on board. That sounded like a proper super weapon and that was something the cyborg would love.

I thought so anyway. Grievous was the cyborg, right?

A rapid-fire series of beeps and whines came from the cockpit. If I interpreted the droid's speech correctly, a craft was approaching us.

”Just like the giant ship that is coming towards us?” I asked, seemingly without a care in the world. Despite the mountain of weapons and armor that was approaching I was calm. We should have enough time to escape in hyperspace otherwise the Force would have been surely warned us.

The Jedi rushed to the cockpit and I followed them calmly. The Clones tried to stop me, but I waved a hand and told them to stand down and they obeyed.

It was surprising that at least one of the Jedi didn't remain to keep an eye of me, not that I had something against it.

Under the orders of Koon, Anakin and Ahsoka shut down the power of the ship and even the droid but the cruiser continued racing towards our position.

I looked at the back of the transport. I could sense an active power source there.

”Do you have a medical droid or another astromech stashed in the back?” I wondered aloud and made the Jedi whirl around to face me.

The look of Skywalker face was priceless.

”We forgot the medical droid!” Ahsoka exclaimed and began restoring power to the vessel.

I shook my head. And those were the people on whom the galaxy counted on? All right, thanks to being a Sith I am quite biased, but their performance so far was not great. On the other hand I knew a lot of Sith who were much bigger idiots but I digress; most of those didn't last long.

Besides, the Jedi I was familiar with, had been under decades of brutal natural selection that left only the best alive. If I wasn't very much mistaken, this was the first major conflict today's Jedi were facing in centuries, perhaps a thousand years.

I used the comm unit built in my armor to sent an order to my interceptor. Its autopilot took it on a suicide attack run against the dreadnought approaching us. My fighter wouldn't last long but all it needed to do was buy us few moments by providing a brief distraction. That way its destruction would have some use instead of forcing me to activate its self-destruct because I wasn't leaving it behind for the Confederacy to poke at.

The interceptor attacked the behemoth, shooting laser bolts and torpedoes like there was no tomorrow. It was using a pre-programmed evasive pattern which allowed it to survive for fifteen seconds against the awe-inspiring amount of flack that the cruiser was throwing its way.

I frowned. That was a lot of AA fire yet it should have been much more dense coming from such a platform. While mere flack couldn't stop a wing flown by Force Adept it could make their life interesting and enough of it might make an attack from regular pilots suicidal. It was a trade-off. During the war AA defenses weren't uniform. There were different thoughts on the matter with those believing it being a waste of resources given how many trained Force Adepts each side had to deploy being more and more prominent as of late. I wondered if this was the case nowadays too. How many Jedi were there? Sith?

The kamikaze run gave us just enough time to bring back power and head through the debris field before our location was locked in and the enemy raced after us. That combined with the small size of the transport should provide us with enough cover for the nav computer to complete its calculations so we could jump in hyperspace.

Behind us the behemoth tried to shoot us down with its turbolasers, before giving up – we were too small and agile target too far away for the heavy weapons and still out of range of the light stuff. Then it unloaded a truly massive pulse of Ion energy from its main cannon.

A large circle of condensed ionic fury raced after us, but it was too late. We entered hyperspace mere moments before the attack could hit us.

=RK=

Republic Fleet under the command of General Skywalker

Location Classified

It was no wonder that Palpatine was able to fool the whole Jedi council. After spending few hours in a small ship with three of the most powerful Jedi of this generation, they knew nothing about me beside that I felt ”Dark”. Perhaps I should have been grateful that they had not figured what I was yet.

After arriving at Skywalker's fleet and landing on his command carrier/cruiser hybrid, the Jedi went to report to the Council and ordered me to follow. Apparently they wanted a second opinion on what I was and what were they supposed to do with me.

I wondered if I'll have to fight my way out of here and steal a fighter to get away, so I did my best to memorize the way back to the hangars. Hopefully, I would be able to talk my way out of this mess, because fighting Skywalker, Koon and the Togruta, not to mention the ship's crew, well that wasn't a pleasant prospect. Even if I managed to get away, I would have to show too much of my power – something that would inevitably make me a target for everyone – Jedi, Republic, Sith and the Confederacy.

That wouldn't be a good place to be considering I was by myself with no allies or resources besides what I wore on me. Even with the Force, my training and experience there were limits on what was possible. I didn't feel like testing them right now if I could avoid it because it would be glorious but likely suicidal.

Even worse, while the Dark Side felt much stronger at this time, the Force itself… it was somehow lesser. That's the best way to put it. I sensed that I would need to channel more power to get the same results as I would have achieved with much smaller effort before ending up in the future. That didn't bode well for what I could pull off if relying solely upon the Force.

Not good at all.

We reached the communications center, which was built around a big holo-projector. After few minutes of silence, a pair of Jedi who introduced themselves as Mace Windu and Yoda appeared as bluish, transparent holograms. They looked much like the vague recollections from my memories. The former was tall brooding and bald human with dark skin. Next to him stood a small green troll who was the Jedi's grandmaster. I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that such a species could constantly produce a few very powerful Force Adepts.

The human looked at us for a moment then frowned at me and Skywalker.

It was good to know that my presence was appreciated.

”Master Koon, it's good to see you unharmed. And who is this?” The tall man turned his attention to the only Jedi Master who was physically present.

”Master Windu, Master Yoda,” The Kel Dor gave a small bow to his fellow Council members. ”This is Delkatar Veil. He says that he is a mercenary.” Plo introduced me and gave them a brief description of my actions so far. ”He feels Dark through the Force and was somehow able to conceal it until we stood face to face.” The Jedi finished.

”Perhaps...” Yoda had a thoughtful expression on his face. His ears were twitching but I had no idea what, if anything, that action meant for his species. There were just a few of his kind I've met and we didn't have too long to talk.

”Simple mercenary, you are not!” declared the ancient Jedi Master. ”Yet, from you, a threat I feel not! Yet, dangerous you are.”

”What do you sense, master Yoda?” I nearly sneered. Being in the presence of the Jedi's Grandmaster… It stroke some painful memories that better be left forgotten for now, because the alternative as a bloodbath.

The little alien wizard gave me a piercing stare which I returned. It was not hard, with my head hidden under a helmet.

”A Sith, yet not, you are.” Yoda dropped a bombshell.

Perceptive little bugger, isn't he? I gathered the Force around me as a shield and prepared to explode into action as my hand fell over the hilt of my hidden lightsaber.

”WHAT?!” Windu exclaimed. So much for the famed Jedi composure.

Two blue lightsabers hissed to life as Anakin and Plo Koon drew their weapons and pointed them at me.

You got to love the Jedi. Apparently Yoda could sense what I am across half the galaxy, yet Sidious is invisible under his nose. Figures. Bloody Jedi.

”Delkatar Veil, also known as Darth Vael, formerly from the Sith Empire, at your service, master Jedi.” I gave Yoda a small bow.

Ahsoka gasped when she heard my new introduction and had her weapon in hand too, however she didn't activate it.

That didn't stop her from frowning at me something fierce.

”Malice, from you I sense not.” Yoda joined the frowning competition.

I frowned at them too just to feel included.

So far Ahsoka was winning hands down. Plus, she looked cute – like a fluffy kitten. Yoda lost points for impersonating a particularly grumpy goblin. I rolled my eyes and wondered if the first war between Jedi and Sith started because we no longer could stomach their maddening mysticism and word games.

”He is Sith! He admitted it!” exclaimed Mace, disbelief clear in his voice.

”Proud of it too, thank you very much.” I quipped. I wondered how long would it take them to make the first move. I could sense Tano's and Koon's confusion at my actions and the lack of aggression. Sith attacked the Jedi when we met – it was written all over their faces. Yoda on the other hand was looking at me with a curious expression on his face. A self-styled Sith was in the same compartment with them and all we did so far was talking. I have not threatened them a single time yet. Definitely nothing like the usual Sith they were taught to expect I guess.

I smiled. Keeping Jedi off guard by not meeting their expectation was a lot of fun. Almost as good as trolling them on general principle and if this meeting didn't dissolve in a bloodbath I would have the opportunity to troll them a lot.

As we stared at each other, the Force was reacting.

We all could feel a shift within it. It was like the whole galaxy was holding its breath and waiting for something to happen. Time stood still before one moment and the next as Yoda was considering his options.

The Grandmaster reached a decision and opened his mouth to speak.

In that moment, the balance shattered and we could sense a profound disturbance in the Force.

=RK=

Part 3

Republic Fleet under the command of General Skywalker

Location Classified

”Hmm.” rumbled the tiny Jedi Master. ”Hard to see, the future is.”

He stared at me with his huge eyes as if it was my fault. I grimaced. Jedi! Everything had to be blamed on the obvious Dark Side wielder! Bloody wankers!

”Fear in your heart I sense. Something that you seek, there is?” Yoda asked.

My mind wandered to the one thing that kept me sane during the war. My eyes darted from the Jedi Master to Skywalker and I felt one of the few things that are taboo for the Sith. Pity. The fools, warding themselves from any emotions. Being afraid to feel, to be people. Living with no one to act as an anchor to keep them sane. It was easy to lose oneself to the darkness that way, especially when most if not all of them did their best to keep the ones they might fall in love away. Was it any wonder why when the Sith went active so many Jedi fell upon our words when we promised them the freedom to revel in their emotions? To be whom they truly were?

All but Skywalker, though he managed to somehow kriff it all up.

I smiled. A woman's laughter was ringing in my ears. I almost saw a brilliant smile on a face framed by blinding yet comforting light as I remembered one of the two women that ultimately kept me sane as a Sith.

I owed it to both of them not to let the Dark Side control me. It was the one promise I intended to keep. It was for their sake as much as for the vengeance I craved that I donned the mask I currently wore.

Remembering Ashara and Vette – it hurt. The Dark Side whispered promises to soothe my pain if I surrendered, but I simply disregarded it. I almost fell after Ashara was murdered, yet I found my way back in control. I wasn't releasing it any time soon.

My attention snapped back to the present as I felt the Jedi getting restless.

”Unless you've learned how to bring back the death once they've become one with the Force, what I seek isn't going to happen.” I sighed.

”Mmm.” rumbled Yoda and looked down. His ears slumped. ”A tapestry of possibilities paints the Force. Around you it gathers. Both Light and Dark.”

He looked me in the eyes. My helmet was no obstacle to his piercing gaze.

”The Chosen One, you are not. Yet the future shrouds you like a cloak.”

'Past, present and future you've seen, have you not?' His voice sounded in my mind.

He fucking knew! Somehow he knew, damn it, I was a soldier! There was a reason that I avoided Dromund Kaas like the plague when I could! I hated all the intrigues and political games that dealing with the highest echelons of Sith and Jedi leadership guaranteed, even if I had to become quite good in order to survive as long as I did.

When all was said and done what was happening right now was such a game from the highest order.

I reinforced my mind shields and chose my next words very carefully.

”I've seen possible futures. I've had visions of this war you're busy fighting. It does not bode well for the Jedi. I believe you suspected it when the first battle of the war was joined.” I paused, wondering how to go on. ”It didn't really make sense at the time. What I saw… the galaxy was different. There was nothing of the Empire I knew. Just a Republic tearing itself apart, Jedi stumbling in the dark and a few Darksiders shrouded by shadows.”

I waved my left arm around, while being careful not to cut it on one of the two lightsabers pointed at me. My right hand never left the hidden hilt of my blade.

”It is hard to trap a Jedi or Sith. Yet, here we are – in the middle of the greatest trap for Jedi that this galaxy has ever known. But you suspect that, don't you, Master Yoda?” I asked the tiny Jedi.

”What are you talking about?!” Anakin snapped at me in confusion and anger.

”The Clone Wars the trap are.” Yoda clarified.

”The Republic or these Separatists. It does not matter who wins. It is irrelevant. In either case the Jedi lose. That is the point of the war.” I added. I remembered the teachings of an ancient Sith, who once upon a time used to be a Jedi. According to her, the real war had never been between the Sith and the Republic. The latter was merely a shell around the Jedi which had to be attacked to draw them out. Just like the Jedi teachings were shells around the hearts of the men and women practicing them.

The conflict between the Jedi and the Sith has always been an ideological one. It was a battle of ideals. In the end there was no greater victory than to make the enemy one of you… unless you were in it for the vengeance but that was another matter. Or perhaps not. War… it gave people many slights to avenge…

”Yes,” Yoda nodded.

So he knew it from the beginning. If I was a betting man I would have said that he saw himself without good options. If the Jedi declined to take part in the war, when one of their own was the face of the Separatists, the Order would have lost what credibility it still had. Not to mention that some Jedi would have disregarded the orders to remain neutral, just as Revan and his followers did centuries before my own time. I wondered if Skywalker would have played Revan's role if that had happened and if it would have been for the best.

Still, it was a very dangerous game Yoda played. The war created great opportunities to tarnish the Jedi's image in the media. Win-win situation for Sidious. He had a good plan – one that worked in the future painted by the movies I knew.

”You can't fulfill your purpose as guardians of the Republic without being a part of the war. Yet the moment you joined, the Jedi as a whole lost.” I stated the obvious.

The only saving grace for the Order was the nature of the conventional enemy – the bulk of the CIS forces were made of droids. That lessened the chance of the Jedi being warped as they fought and cut down countless, living, feeling beings. It bought them time before more and more of their number would be tempted by the Dark Side even without the Sith actively trying to turn them.

The other thing that 'saved' them was that unless I was very much mistaken the current so-called Sith planned to simply exterminate their enemies instead of turning whoever they could.

Windu gave me a dark glare but said nothing. He, as well as all of us sensed that this was Yoda's, show. Besides for a brief instant the swirling vortex of the Force pushed aside the shadow blocking the Jedi's vision. They knew that I was right. That revelation would have some interesting consequences down the line.

I just hoped it wouldn't come back to bite me in the ass.

The ball was in Yoda's court. I decided to poor more fuel to the fire.

”You are the one who mentioned the prophecy of the Chosen One. We Sith, know of it as well. Do you not wonder what 'brings back balance to the Force' means?” I smiled maliciously – it was a good thing they couldn't see my face.

Prophecies. Bah. They were a tool for the Force to guide the weak-willed. We Sith forged our own future even when the Force itself had other ideas.

”Skywalker is supposed to destroy the Sith! He should start with you!” Windu glared at me.

”Is he now? How many Sith are there in the galaxy today? This Dooku you've mentioned? His Master, or is he a Master and not an apprentice? How many Sith does the Confederacy employ? How many Jedi are there in the galaxy today? Please, answer me, Master Jedi and then think about whose side might need pruning so there would be 'balance' in the Force.”

If their gob smacked expressions were anything to go by, none of them ever looked at the prophecy in that light. From a certain point of view, Anakin brought balance back to the force when he helped destroy the Jedi order. Twenty-odd years later he fulfilled the last part of the prophecy by offing Sidious and at least for a time getting rid of the Sith. With Luke being a barely trained novice, Anakin wiped the slate clean.

In the end, there were thousands of Sith holocrons spread around the galaxy, just waiting for someone willing to learn.

In time new Sith would emerge again even if the last of us died. Unfortunately the same was likely true for the Jedi.

Talking about Sith, I tried to remember what I knew about Sidious and his little group. If I wasn't mixing thing up, they weren't true Sith – just a sect of Dark Jedi with delusions of grandeur trying to emulate the real thing.

Just a single Master and apprentice? That was simply begging for knowledge to be lost every time the Master died before he could teach their student everything they knew. What were the odds that an apprentice would wait until their Master had taught them all they know before the final confrontation? Every single such cycle had the potential to lose knowledge. Further, just a pair of Sith – there was a limit on new research on the nature of the Force and how to manipulate it two people could carry on and thus weakening the Sith further.

I chased those thoughts out of my mind and looked at Skywalker.

Anakin was looking positively ill. Wouldn't you know it? He was starting to think for himself, and probably didn't like my interpretation of the prophecy. Roughly speaking there were three ways to ensure there was a ”balance”, depending on your preconceptions about the Force. Or how much you've been indoctrinated by the Jedi or Sith, but that was another story.

Wipe out either sect, or both and start with a clean sheet. The latter was what was supposed to happen in the next few decades. How many trained Jedi and Sith were there at the end of the sixth film? It was obvious really – for the Jedi balance meant that their evil enemies were gone. For us Sith – it was similar – it meant victory with the Jedi either finally dying off or being freed by their chains. The Force… well I thought I knew what she wanted too.

Well, that is if you believed in fate. I am pretty sure that my presence here was not ordained by the Force or something like that. Nope. Couple of entities like my patron made a deal and the future of a galaxy was going to change.

Unless I got myself killed again but I didn't plan on it.

I could feel the Force swirling around me and Yoda. It was stiff. Like a snake coiled for a strike. The Jedi Master was about to make an important decision.

”Hard it is. Against all I was taught by my own Master it is. Done nothing against the Jedi of this age you have. Enemy you are not. Perhaps too much in the prophecy we have believed. Other ways to balance might there be.”

”I'm not your enemy, Master Yoda. Unless you turn me into one.” I told him the truth. For the time being I was content with live and let live arrangement.

I smiled broadly. The knot of energy centered around us started dissipating and it sent a shock-wave through the Force. What would have been was no more set up in stone. The future was there, waiting to be shaped by the present.

Now, there were two shadows looming within the Force – Sidious and me. A new game was afoot.

”This is a mistake we may not live to regret!” Mace Windu snapped. He cut off his connection and his hologram winked out.

”I feel that I'll have a lot of headaches with that fella.” I muttered. I didn't need the Force to figure it out either.

Ahsoka snorted in amusement.

”That's not a nice thing to say about Master Windu.” said the little Togruta but she could not hide the edge of mirth in her tone.

”A Jedi with a sense of humor! You are not hopeless after all!” I exclaimed. Tano was a little gem that needed polishing.

”Snips, behave!” Skywalker admonished his Padawan but I sensed that he agreed with her.

Ah! Now I remembered. Windu was not one of Anakin's fans either, was he?

Master Koon shut down his weapon and placed its hilt on his belt. He turned his head towards me.

”What do you intend to do now?” The Jedi Master asked.

”Well, while I am stuck here I may give you a hand with that oversized cruiser. It's your next target, isn't it? I do not believe that your Grandmaster would let me on my way without supervision. Who knows? I may go and corrupt someone with my insidious ways?” I quipped.

”Indeed.” Yoda made his opinion clear. ”For the best it will be, if a Jedi go with you. From a different age, you are. The Galaxy changed is from the time you knew. Hmm... I wonder... A cruiser to hunt you have. Speak of this later, we will.” Yoda turned his attention at Anakin.

”Knight Skywalker. Problem, understanding orders, you have...”

It was amusing to listen how Yoda berated the ”Chosen one” for disobeying orders and saving us.

”You are correct, Master Jedi. It is a strange new world. The last time I checked, leaving survivors of your fleet to fend for themselves and concentrating on the objective, well, it was a practical thing to do. An action worthy of any self-respecting Sith.” Or a dedicated military commander who was doing what he had to in order to win the bloody war as soon as possible. To be a good officer you had to care about those under your command because otherwise you would end up wasting them. Nevertheless you had to be able to send them to die or leave them to their fate when the situation called for it.

Yoda's ears slumped.

”This war. Clouds ones judgment, it does.” Muttered the small Jedi. ”Meditate I will on a lot of things. May the Force be with you.”

With that he cut the connection.

Anakin looked at me with a confused expression. A Sith lecturing a bunch of Jedi about morality. It sent their minds for a spin. What I was sensing from them was hilarious.

”It was something that Dooku would do, wasn't it?” asked Anakin with a hollow voice.

”It was the practical thing to do.” I interjected. Expediency was a slippery slope that was often fatal for the Jedi. It was one thing for someone not a Force Sensitive to make such a decision. For a Jedi however... ”And to answer your question, if Dooku really is a Sith, that's something he would cheerfully do.” It would be even better if he cared for the people who he might leave to die – the emotions caused by such an act would make great fuel for the Dark Side.

Skywalker deactivated his lightsaber and rubbed his face with his left hand. He was starting to see the Jedi in a different light, I think. It was a small step to make, but significant one. It would be interesting to see where it would take him.

The discussion was effectively ended by the rumble of my stomach.

With the time jumping that sent me here I had no idea how long it was since I ate for the last time. I was sure it was nearly a day by now.

”I'll show you to the mess hall.” said Anakin. ”Snips, are you coming?”

=RK=

Chancellor's office

Senate Building

Coruscant

Palpatine, the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic sat slumped in his comfortable chair. He was dealing with the bane of every ruler – mountains of paperwork. He had plans to deal with a lot of that nonsense once he was Emperor but for now, it was an inevitable evil.

The former senator from Naboo was reading a pad filled with various laws which would be proposed on the next Senate session. He or his sympathizers had made few of those. The rest, he had to check them to see if there was something that could be turned to his use or if there was something that would be a problem for one of his plans. It was boring but necessary work. It would not do for one of his enemies to sneak in something troublesome without his knowledge. After all, even for someone like him it was impossible to know everything. It was a big galaxy.

He was reading about a law that should have resolved the disputes between few minor worlds on the edge of Republic space. So far he had no plans for those planets. They were tiny fishes in a very big ocean. Palpatine snarled. This was waste of his precious time!

The boredom of the Sith Lord was abruptly ended by a tremor in the Force. It's deliciously, dark currents were disrupted by something unseen. There was a... change in the air. He frowned, concentrated and sent his mind searching for the cause of the disturbance. The Dark side was stronger than ever and was throwing huge shadows which would blind any Jedi trying to divine what was happening. It was one of the many advantage Sidious had.

He was not a man easily surprised. However that day he was. And it was not pleasant. For the first time in his memory, the shroud of the Dark side obscured his vision too. The Force was in turmoil and he sensed that it was waiting for something to happen. For minutes he searched for the reason of this confusion. It was futile. Which infuriated Sidious. He was the Dark Lord of the Sith! What was happening should have been beyond the skills of any Jedi. For a moment he thought that Dooku was up to something but disregarded that idea. That did not felt like his apprentice.

A senate functionary entered the Chancellor's office without announcing himself. It was a shifty looking male Rodian who was out of luck. The man saw the livid Palpatine, whose eyes were blazing with sick yellow light. With a wave of his hand, Sidious vented some of his frustration on the unfortunate being. The Rodian was gripped by invisible hand which started squeezing. He tried to scream as his bones snapped and his flesh was rent apart.

The Sith Lord discarded the body to a dark corner of his office. He was now a bit calmer and was almost thankful for the unfortunate creature. This was not the place to lose one's temper, yet this was the third time it had happened in as many years. He should have controlled himself better, yet the sudden potency of the Dark Side had left him drunk with power for some time. Not to mention the toll thins Force damned useless paperwork that took so much of his time every accursed day! Slowly but surely the sheer boring stupidity of what he had to deal with was taking a toll upon his sanity.

The Force shifted. It was still shrouded by darkness but there was a significant difference. It was a dance of Dark and Light currents. It was the birth of a new future.

Sidious was no longer the absolute master of the Dark side and if it was not for his arrogance and pride he would have seen the signs. What he knew was that now his sight within the Force was as bad as the one those foolish Jedi had. There was a new shadow which was obscuring even his vision! He vowed vengeance on whoever was casting it! That person would feel his boundless wrath! The Dark Lord of the Sith was not someone to be crossed! The Dark side was his to command!

Palpatine shook himself from the short-lived power-trip and frowned at the corpse. It was days like this when he wondered if all the years spent suck as a Chancellor were worth it becoming Emperor and finally achieving vengeance upon the Jedi. He sighed and raised a hand, gathering the Force withing his palm and shaping it with an idle thought. A sphere of swirling darkness appeared and he threw it at the corpse. When it hit the Rodian shook then was consumed by the Dark Side technique until there was no trace left of him.

Now Palpatine had to ensure there were records showing his aide leaving the building before vanishing. What a bother.

Was it really worth it?