CHAPTER EIGHT
Darth Nemesis sat in the alleyway between an apartment complex and whatever was left of Thrawn's home. As the rain poured heavily onto his raised hood, the Sith Lord contemplated on how he was going to get into the Crimson Emperor's palace, and, once that was done, how he was going to kill the Emperor.
Nemesis was determined not to fail. If he did, he knew the punishment would be death. But, as he found out ever since he became Vorath's apprentice, he had already received that punishment many times before....
* * *
The young man exhaled heavily as he observed the scattered remains of the combat droids he had just fought and defeated. Nearby, his cloaked master watched on. The man could not tell if he was impressed or not, for his master's face was concealed by his hood.
As the man deactivated his double-bladed lightsaber, his master finally spoke. "Impressive. Although you still have not mastered the skills one must have to wield the weapon of Exar Kun."
"I am a slow learner," the man said.
The cloaked master let out a small chuckle. "I'm not surprised to be honest..."
The Sith Master walked past the man and summoned a holodroid. The robot stepped before the man and, through its holographic shapeshifting abilities, took on the form of a young woman.
The man glanced at his master. "Who is she?" he asked.
"Her identity is of no importance," the Sith Master replied. "Strike her down. Now."
The man turned on his double-bladed weapon again and rose it high over his head, ready to strike down the false woman, and brought the lightsaber down. It had only reached two inches from 'her' face when the man stopped and looked into the woman's eyes. For some reason, she felt vaguely familiar, as if he had seen her before.
"What are you waiting for?" he heard his master ask impatiently. "Kill her."
With one last gaze into the woman's eyes, the man brought his weapon down, cleaving the holodroid in half. A long silence followed, the man simply staring into the darkness before him.
"Very good," his master finally said, approaching him. "You have finally ridden the bane of your existence."
"What do you mean?" the man asked. "Who was that supposed to be?"
"She was once Queen of Naboo," the Sith Master replied. "During the Clone Wars, she represented her people in the Senate and was later killed by the man she loved."
"So how is she the 'bane of my existence'?" the man asked.
His master turned to him, and, for a split-second, the man could see a pair of scarlet eyes from beneath the hood that concealed the Sith Lord's face. His voice cold as ice, Darth Vorath said, "You are the man who loved and killed Padme Amidala."
* * *
The trip from the Jedi Praxeum to the Temple of Exar Kun did not take long, though the large forest that stood between the two buildings did delay Toah and his master. Eventually, the two Jedi Knights reached a temple that looked not unlike the Jedi Praxeum, though it looked more triangular and a lot more ancient.
The two of them came up to a stone entrance, with ancient markings inscribed on it. Toah reached for his lightsaber so that he could carve an opnening, but Luke stopped him.
"I doubt it's that simple," Luke said. "Exar Kun was said to be one of the most feared Dark Lords of the Sith. I think he would make sure his tomb would not be that easy to get into."
Toah nodded and allowed his master to step forward and analyzed the stone-made entrance. The Jedi Master ran his fingers across the imprinted writing, looking as if he felt something strange about them. After a minute or two, Luke spoke again to Toah.
"Turn on your lightsaber."
Toah gave his master a confused look. "But, you said-"
"Please do as I say," Luke insisted, activating his own lightsaber.
Hesitantly, Toah did the same, and he and Luke simultaneously pierced the stone door. The ground shook slightly as the door slowly slid down, revealing a dimly lit hallway leading into the temple.
"I thought you said that wouldn't work," Toah said after a moment of silence had passed.
"I thought so too," Luke said. "Apparently, Exar Kun knew it was so simple, that anyone would be smart enough not to try it. Which is why he made his tomb accessible that way."
"I see..." Toah muttered as he and Luke headed down the hallway. "How clever."
* * *
The man was on the brink of insanity. "I don't believe you..." he murmured, slowly backing up against a wall. "I've never known anyone named Padme Amidala in my whole life!"
"But did she not look familiar?" his master asked. "True, you may have never met her, but have you ever seen her in your dreams?"
The man though for a moment. "Yes..." he finally said. "I have seen her...many times, in fact. Sometimes on a beautiful planet...or a world of fire."
"Those dreams are memories," Darth Vorath explained. "Memories of a man who now rules the galaxy alongside his master. There are the memories of Darth Vader, who was once known as Anakin Skywalker."
"Why do I have his memories then?" the man asked. "Who...who am I?"
For the longest time, the Sith Master simply stood in silence. When he finally did speak, his words were enough to chill the man to the very core. "You are a clone of Anakin Skywalker. You are not the first, and if you fail the tasks I will appoint you, you won't be the last."
* * *
A loud noise broke Nemesis away from his thoughts. He looked up to see a shuttle of an unidentified model fly overhead, though the man easily recognized it.
It was the ship of Darth Ravage.
Nemesis growled. So, he thought, the Zabrak had come to steal his kill. He would make sure the Crimson Emperor would die by the blade of Vorath's greatest apprentice.
And, if necessary, Ravage would share the same fate.
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