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[Short Stories] - Dark Emperor 3(7)

By:Brendon Wahlberg


The Constable was in his element. “Yes, your majesty. If you don’t need the clones to be stable long term, the standard growth term of one year can be shortened to as little as two months. The clones should remain sane for long enough to test them. Of course, they won’t really be this Skywalker, but we can do better than we did with Bevel Lemelisk’s clones. We’ll have to implant them with very detailed false memories if they are to behave realistically. Recent advances in memory conditioning allow coherent experience construction to be carried out while the clone is still in the tertiary growth phase, so that the decanted product is already identity established. The margin for error depends on the quality of the information we possess on the subject-” Rollo Mon realized he had left his seat and was pacing. Embarrassed, he took his seat and concluded quietly, “What background do we have available?”

The Emperor turned to Ars Dangor, who held up a datapad. “Here are the ISB reports on Luke Skywalker, collected from the battle of Yavin to the present. Our agents have been busy, and there is much information here. But the basic outline of what we know may be summarized as follows. Dangor activated a holographic display above the table. The identimage of Luke Skywalker, a moisture farmer of the rim world, Tatooine, shimmered into view. “The subject grew up on Tatooine, in the care of Owen and Beru Lars. Records are poor on such worlds, but we are sure they were not really related to him. It is very likely that the old Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, was also in hiding on Tatooine, and that he helped to raise Skywalker. Kenobi must have instructed the boy in the ways of the Force. Skywalker is not a common name, and it is believed that his actual father was the famed Jedi, Anakin Skywalker. Since Kenobi and Anakin were close friends, it is easy to imagine Anakin giving Luke into Kenobi’s care before his death some twenty years ago. The subject would then have an inborn aptitude for the Force, which must have been nurtured over the years by Kenobi.”

Dangor looked at Palpatine, whose face was unreadable. He suspected that the Emperor already knew far more about Skywalker than the ISB ever would. “Shortly before the Battle of Yavin,” Dangor continued, “two events occurred that may have strongly impacted the subject’s personality and motivations. First, Lord Vader’s search team killed the Lars family. Second, Vader killed Kenobi right in front of Skywalker. Therefore the subject is probably revenge motivated, especially if you take into account an unverified report that the subject’s childhood friend, one Biggs Darklighter, was killed during the Battle of Yavin. After the battle, Skywalker was a hero in the Rebellion. His feat in destroying the Death Star probably gives him an exaggerated view of his own abilities. The death of the Jedi, Kenobi, left the subject without a mentor, so it is probable that his skills have not greatly improved since then. It is well known that Lord Vader has an obsession with hunting Skywalker down, probably to avenge his defeat at the Death Star. It was Lord Vader’s conviction that Skywalker was present on Hoth, but his whereabouts were not confirmed until several months later, when Lord Vader confronted him on Cloud City. The subject escaped and remains at large. He is viewed as a significant threat due to his Force skills and his probable vengeance goals. Personally, I think his importance is exaggerated. With all due respect, your majesty, you and Lord Vader have destroyed Jedi Masters in the past. Why is so much attention being devoted to this young man?”

The Emperor’s frown was like a knife edge. “I know him to be a threat, Ars Dangor. You know nothing of the workings of the Force. Events are in motion which have been predestined. Where the Force is concerned, a man’s own power is as nothing. When I face Skywalker, he will be a Jedi. So long as the Force is with him, he is not to be underestimated.”

Dangor stood and bowed. “Your majesty, I ask your forgiveness. I do not presume to question your judgment.”

“It is given.” Palpatine turned to Sate Pestage. “Lord Vader is to be a part of the confrontation with Skywalker, but I do not wish to involve him at this point. You will recruit an actor to play his part. Outfit him convincingly, and prepare the throne room for the encounters. Only a single guard need be present. The clone and the actor are to be armed with specially modified lightsabers that I shall provide.” Palpatine paused, then looked at Dangor. “Leave that report with the Constable. He will find it most useful. The real confrontation will occur on the new Death Star, where we shall destroy the cursed Rebel fleet and their Mon Calamari allies once and for all. Make certain that the throne room is completed there, and ensure that its view of the battle area will be unobstructed. As for the trap itself, information about a large Imperial construction project will be leaked to the Rebels. The Death Star plans will be copied and transferred from our secure vaults to Imperial Intelligence on Bothawui, via a seemingly defenseless freighter. The Rebels will take this freighter, and pay a convincing price for capturing the plans. Information concerning the shield generator and my own presence on the battle station has also been planted, and within a month, it will be ‘discovered’ by a Rebel cell we have identified on Aargau. Lord Vader is currently assembling a large fleet at Endor, in secret. The Rebels will suspect nothing. The trap will close around them, and they will realize that the bait is beyond their grasp. Then the Alliance will die.” Palpatine gave a little laugh. “That is all for now. You are dismissed.”