[Short Stories] - Dark Emperor 1(23)

There were terrible difficulties in store for the Son of the Suns. Besides the vision of the Emperor, Vantos had also foreseen his fight with his own brother, Ashka. Worse than that, he had hazily foreseen his own death at Ashka’s hands. If that happened, Vantos could never alter the future. And so, he had delved deep into the lore of the Jedi for a way to prevent his own death, all in the name of fulfilling his destiny. He had to find a way—otherwise, why had he been shown the vision? Boda began to believe that perhaps it was part of the fate of the Son of the Suns to overcome death itself in order to be the galaxy’s savior.

In the depths of the Holocron, Vantos had discovered the secret of lingering after death by using a spirit anchor. A spirit anchor was someone familiar to become attached to, in order to avoid the natural passage into the next realm. It was a power used by a few ancient Jedi to complete their unfinished business before passing on. He hoped against hope that he would not have to use it, but to his dismay, everything had unfolded just as in the vision. As soon as Vantos had tried to change the future by killing the boy, Espaa, his brother Ashka had opposed him. Suddenly, Vantos had found himself acting out the events of his vision. The duel unfolded, and at the end, Vantos died by his brother’s sword. But he was not extinguished. At the moment of his death, he attached his essence to his brother’s life, lingering with him, watching him for decades as an invisible energy form.

It had been a prolonged limbo, an unfeeling suspension between physical life and the spiritual oneness with all life that a true Jedi passed into. Then finally, the chance he had waited for had come. Darth Vader came for Ashka. When the Sith Lord stopped Ashka’s heart, Vantos’ spirit had returned to life by inhabiting the body and restarting the heart. Ashka’s troubled soul had departed forever, leaving the body free for the Son of the Suns to take it and make his triumph over death. The key had been another power recorded in the Holocron—the ability to transfer a life from one body to another. It had been presented in the record as an act of questionable morality, but what choice did he have? In combination with the power of taking a spirit anchor, the skill of life transfer had saved him.

Vantos had arisen in his new body, retrieved the Holocron and his lightsaber, and fled Ashka’s burning apartment. When he emerged into the world, he found his worst nightmares realized. Just as the vision of his fight with Ashka had come true, so had his vision of the dark Emperor. Vantos had nearly despaired, then. Why show him the future at all, if he couldn’t change it? He overcame his severe doubts by convincing himself that he was still chosen, still a savior. He was still meant to destroy the Emperor before he could fulfill all of his evil, such as the building of a machine able to destroy planets. Vantos moved to Coruscant, right to the home of his enemy, and took a job as a humble Palace gardener. While maintaining greenery throughout the immense structure, Vantos had patiently laid his plans. He placed the Phelarion moss wherever he could, and slowly, he made ready the Emperor’s doom. But years followed years, and somehow, Boda did not act. He had come to love life, after so many years of being effectively dead. The plants gave him peace, and he became less and less interested in bringing it all to an end.

Only one thing tormented him—the loss of the light side. When Vantos had awakened in his new body, the only part of the Force he could touch was the dark side. Where once serenity had resided in him, a core of anger now burned. He resisted it, using it only when he had to. Boda knew what price the dark side exacted, and he did not want to become ensnared in it beyond hope of redemption. But to achieve victory over Palpatine, Vantos knew he would have to use the dark side…and use it well. He practiced his new powers reluctantly, gaining skill in them year by year.

Vantos smiled sadly as he continued his ride in the tube car. It was so very ironic to him that the Sith Lord had thought he was Ashka. Yes, he outwardly looked like Ashka, but his brother could never have done what Vantos had done. Ashka was too weak. He had died in his weakness, unwilling to go on. It took strength to achieve great things, and Vantos was strong…strong enough to defeat Palpatine now, using the hateful dark powers against him. He would only have to immerse himself in the darkness for a short time, to keep the Emperor occupied until the Palace came crashing down onto both of them. He would give his final service on behalf of the light, and he knew his reward would be acceptance back into its embrace in the end.

For now, it was time to take the next step. His Phelarion moss needed heat, and there was an excellent source of heat floating serenely in orbit around the planet. Boda peered out the window of the speeding tube car at the starry sky. Up there, unseen, was one of the huge climate control mirrors that focused sunlight on the poles, making them more habitable for humans. It was piloted, Vantos knew, by a low ranking naval trooper who had made an error punishable with the lonely, tedious assignment. The mirror was a kilometers-wide reflector with a very small control station attached. The latter contained a few entertainment systems, an autochef, and a cramped observation bubble for the pilot to squeeze into among the computers. Vantos was expecting the man to be bored, unhappy, and a little tired, thus easily manipulated by the Force.