CHAPTER FIVE
Within the Crimson Emperor's palace, the throne room was adorned with scarlet-colored walls, draped by curtains that bore the Imperial insignia. A similarly scarlet carpet carried down the hall, leading to a throne which was occupied by the Emperor himself. At his side was a bearded man clad in crimson armor, glowering at Thrawn, who had just entered the room. However, it wasn't until he was a few feet way did the Emperor notice him.
"Ah, Grand Admiral Thrawn," the new Imperial rule greeted him. "What brings you here before me?"
"Your Highness," Thrawn said, saying the title with slight disdain, "I wish to speak with you on your plans for bringing down the Republic and Palpatine."
The Emperor eyed Thrawn from beneath his helmet. "I've never spoken of my plans..."
"That's exactly why I am here," Thrawn said. "We've been sitting in the shadows for a year now with no idea on how to attack the Republic. We can not just sit here doing nothing."
"Oh?" the Emperor said. "You say you wish to have Palpatine use you as bantha fodder and send you head-on into your own demise?"
When Thrawn did not reply, the Emperor chuckled. "I understand your doubt in me, Grand Admiral. But don't worry, we will soon see the Republic fall."
He turned to the armored man next to him. "As I was saying, Master Ven, I want you and your apprentice to go to Dathomir." He looked back at Thrawn. "And, while you're at it, take an Imperial squad with you as well."
* * *
Borrowing a two-passenger landspeeder from a nearby merchant in Thani, Toah and Kyle headed out of the city and into Telos' grasslands. The two Jedi Knights spent what felt like all day asking local farmers about Sen-Axe Valan, with no luck at all.
It's as if Valan doesn't even exist, Toah thought.
Just as the two Jedi were about to give up, Toah came across a datapad lying out on the open field.
"How convenient," Kyle muttered as Toah picked up the datapad. "I'm gonna guess it belongs to Valan and explains why we can't find him on this planet..."
Toah turned on the datapad and viewed its contents. "No luck," he said eventually. "It belongs to someone called Xanatos. Seems like he was a Jedi at some point..."
"Great," Kyle grunted. "Just ditch the thing."
Toah sighed. "All right. We should find a place to rest. It's getting dark."
"Well, we're too far from Thani," Kyle said, gazing out towards the city. "I guess we can just rest...right here."
Toah glared at his friend. "Yeah. Sleeping out in the middle of nowhere, out in the wild. Smart."
Kyle frowned. "If you have a better idea, let me know," he said as he laid upon the ground and quickly fell asleep.
Toah simply sat down, staring at the starry night sky. He wondered if, somewhere out there, Luke was still alive, trying to find a way to return to the known galaxy...
* * *
Luke and his father remained silent as Nek-Ros led them into the chamber of Lord Ra-Sal. The Sith God's throne room was decorated with silver-plated walls, with an ebony floor and ceiling which made Luke feel as if he was falling through space.
They finally came to a stop, and Nek-Ros knelt before the dark-cloaked Sith God. "My lord, I bring to you two imposters who somehow have learned the secret of the Whills."
Ra-Sal glanced at Luke and Anakin. When his slightly obscured eyes fell upon the latter, the Sith God stiffened. With an echoing voice, he said, "What is he doing in my fortress?"
Nek-Ros looked up at his master. "M-my lord?"
The Lord of Darkness rose from his featureless throne and walked up to Anakin. This time, Luke could see him fully. The Sith God wore black robes that covered his whole body, and a dark silver helmet went over his hooded head. As he approached Anakin, Luke felt some sort of...emptiness from him, as if he was not exactly there.
Ra-Sal's echoing voice certainly fitted that emptiness. "So the Chosen One has found his way here. Doesn't surprise me, actually, that you managed to achieve the ability discovered by the Whills."
He then turned to Luke. "And I take it that this is your son? Yes, yes...he has that 'hero' stench."
Luke gritted his teeth but said nothing. Ra-Sal stepped back and turned to Nek-Ros. "Take the son to the arena and have him executed."
"What of the Chosen One, my lord?" Nek-Ros asked.
"I'll take care of him myself," Ra-Sal said. "Now go."
Nek-Ros seized Luke by the arm and dragged him away. The last he saw of his father was a look of reassurance...
* * *
"You called for me, my lord?" Admiral Klev asked as he entered Darth Sidious' chamber.
"Indeed," the Emperor replied. "I simply wished to hear our progress on the new weapon."
"It is going well, my lord," Klev replied. "In fact, it should be fully operational in two days."
Sidious chuckled. "Excellent, admiral. You have done well."
Klev smirked smugly. "I am the son of the Clone Wars veteran Vintus Klev."
"Yes, yes, very true," Sidious said, obviously not impressed. "Now, prepare my fleet and set a course for the Empress Teta system."
Klev rose an eyebrow. Weren't we going to attack Abanol? he thought. He decided not to ask Sidious.
"I take it we are going to use the weapon to intimidate the system?" he asked out loud.
The Emperor laughed quietly. "Actually," he said, "we are going to show the world of Empress Teta just how operational our weapon is..."
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