Chapter 25 family
“Son, what have you done,” Alarna Byrne said.
Palpatine turned to the intruder. He ignored the lightsaber in her hand, but studied her face intently. Then he smiled.
“Awww, my little puppet. You’ve grown old?!”
Byrne’s eyes were wide, her breathing becoming shallow, more rapid.
“Did you say this is our son?” Palpatine asked, his hand rising towards the bacta tank.
“Well, done, puppet. You exceeded my expectations!”
Byrne activated her lightsaber. Palpatine laughed.
“Oh, you want to play? Just like old times, eh? You and your mum must have missed me terribly. You remember what I get when I win?” he asked, stepping forwards.
“In solitude, I have found clarity,” Byrne said.
“I will not be the vehicle that allows you passage back into this life.”
“Too late,” Palpatine said, putting both hands up to prove ‘here I am.’ “Even if you strike me down, the fact that I am standing here proves that I will return, and I will be even stronger!”
“Then I will make it my sole purpose to hunt you down, in this life and any others to come,” Byrne said.
“Get use to looking over your shoulders!”
Byrne advanced. Palpatine blasted her with lightening from his fingers, causing her to shrink back in pain and self defense. Her lightsaber was up, but she was using the Force to shield herself as best she could from the lightening.
“Take her!” Palpatine yelled at the Bloodhunters. She had never held him at bay so long, which meant she had grown in strength, or he had not fully recovered his powers.
“Alive.”
It was compulsory for Byrne to fall back as the Bloodhunters advanced on her. Most of the room was dark, which made the eyes of the Droids seem like demons. As she retreated up against an empty bacta tank, the Bloodhunters blocked her in. With a sweeping arch behind her, she cut a gaping hole in one tank, unleashing a torrent of bacta fluid. Two of the Droids were knocked back while another that was advancing tripped on the now slick floor. Byrne severed its head and a leg, before removing the arm of another Droid that tried to come towards her at an angle. The Droid that lost an arm kept coming. She threw herself down on the floor, sliding on her back, in the bacta fluid, severing its leg as she went past. She got up, hiding behind another empty bacta tank, using the Force to dry herself to keep from slipping, while getting her bearing.
Palpatine laughed, taunting her.
“Obviously, I’ve been away too long, Puppet. But you will submit to me once more, and with your son, we will just be one happy family.”
“I will not submit! I will die before I allow you to have me again!” Byrne said, pushing out with a force wind that drove the Bloodhunters back. She used their surprise to target one specific Droid and take it out of the game. Now there was one less.
“Then go ahead and die. I will just have my son here resurrect you, too!” Palpatine said.
“I could never be without my puppet.”
Byrne threw her lightsaber. It took a trip around the room before it came back to her, causing the Emperor to duck, and severing the head from one Droid before it returned to her hand. Palpatine clapped and laughed.
“You missed! You’re getting old, puppet,” Palpatine said.
“You weren’t the target,” Byrne said.
Confused, Palpatine looked around to see what he might have missed. The bacta tank’s air hose had been severed. Preston had drifted to the bottom of the tank, the severed breathing hose filled with bacta fluid. Unable to swim due to being bound and his muscles spasming out of control, unable to remove the regulater which was now drawing water in and forcing it into his lungs, he quickly drowned.
“Ohh, no, no, no,” Papaltine cried, moving towards the tank.
The Bloodhunters turned to him when they heard their master in distress. Byrne took two out, before the remaining decided they had had enough, and came at her with full force. Their escalated attack drew Palpatine’s attention away from Preston.
“Don’t kill her!” Palpatine said, destroying one of the Droids himself.
With Palpatine attacking from behind, the Droid became even more confused as to what to do, which gave Byrne an advantage. She took the remaining out and again advanced on Palpatine.
“You won’t be coming back,” Byrne assured him.
“You mean, I won’t be holding back!” Palpatine said.
Palpatine launched a volley of lightening that drove Byrne to her knees. She was forced to drop her lightsaber to increase her Force block, but it was not enough. Palpatine then picked her up with the Force, slammed her against the wall, and then threw her against an empty bacta tank. She slid to the floor, dazed. He picked up her lightsaber and slowly advanced on her.
“I don’t need your life, just your body,” Palpatine said.
“I can clone you and your son to get my army of Sith, but I do so enjoy your company, puppet. I guess with your arms broken, you won’t be able to resist me…”
♫♪►
Alyth put her hand near the engine of the A-wing. It wasn’t necessary to touch the engine to know it was still to hot to touch. She signaled her angels to increase their sight vigelence.
Daphne caught up to her.
“There is a building just over this rise. Two destroyed Bloodhunters are at the door, and they’re still smoking,” Daphne said.
“Alright, Angels, let’s secure that building,” Alyth said.
Troopers approached the building, blaster riffles at ready. Alyth and Daphne simply strode right up behind them. They entered the building together, one by one, Troopers first. There were more deactivated Bloodhunters just inside the door. There was open trapdoor and a stairwell leading down. Troopers went down two by two. The first two split at the bottom while the next two pushed forwards to what looked like pillars in the limited light. The pillars turned out to be bacta tanks. On the far side of the room one bacta tank was illuminated, with a person slumped at the bottom of the tank. There was a Sith lifting a woman by the Force, laughing as he choked her, taunting her.
Daphne charged.
“Go, go, go,” Alyth said.
The Sith dropped the woman and turned to greet the attack. The closest Trooper got tossed. Daphne slid in, her lightsaber baring down. The Sith parried with Byrne’s blade, and pushed her back with the Force.
“Coordinate the attack, all together!” Alyth yelled.
All the Troopers fired their weaposn simultaneously, advancing. Palpatine deflected with the lightsaber, and Daphne and Alyth reflected those ricochets back. One blast hit his arm. He began to retreat. Byrne drove a boot knife into Palpatine’s leg, and he stumbled, crying out. The troopers finished him off, but kept advancing, kept shooting until they were pummeling him with energy at point blank range. When they were certain he was dead, they turned their weapons to the wounded female.
Daphne cut a hole in the tank with her lightsaber, allowing its content to drain. Bacta fluid flowed around their boots. Alyth didn’t wait. Using the Force, she lifted Preston’s body up and out of the tank, and then set him gently on the floor. She fell to her knees beside him, taking off the mask. She turned his head sideways so bacta fluid could drain from his mouth, and then she started giving him mouth to mouth.
“Paolo, go get the med kit,” Harolds ordered.
“Arms, make sure Trent is okay.” Paolo took off on a run. Arms went to check on the Trooper that got flung.
“Don’t revive him,” Byrne begged.
“Shut up!” Zaira said.
“He’s your son. How could you say that?!”
“Because he’s evil! I had to kill him,” Byrne said.
“He brought the Emperor back to life.” Harolds looked to the dead Sith.
“He does kind of resemble Palpatine.”
“Your son is not evil,” Daphne said.
“How could you think that? You don’t even know him!”
“I was raised by Palpatine. I am evil. By extension, anything I create is equally evil,” Zaia explained.
“You’d be doing the galaxy a favor if you just kill us both.”
Alyth stopped to feel for a pulse.
“Harolds, chest compression,” she said, giving more breath.
Harolds and Alyth synchronized their efforts. As Harolds performed chest compressions, Alyth encouraged Preston to return.
Byrne was in tears.
“Please, don’t. He is too powerful. We won’t be able to resist the darkness that will come, that always comes,” she said.
Paolo dashed back in, hit the bacta slick floor and fell on his ass. He recovered and joined Harolds. He opened the kit and pulled out the pads for the defib.
“No, wait,” Harolds said.
“We got to take these tech pins out. We hit him the the defib and those things kick back, we’re likely to kill him permanently.”
“How long was he out?” Zaira asked Byrnes.
Byrnes mumbled something incoherent: “I needed him out. I can’t let the Emperor find out.”
“Doesn’t matter, we’re not giving up,” Daphne told Alyth.
“We’re not giving up,” Harolds said.
“We’ve all done this at least once. The bacta water may have bought us a few extra minutes.”
Daphne tested the halo before taking it straight off, in case it was pinned into place. Paolo was using a tool to remove the pins that were imbedded into the flesh.
“I think I got him all, but we need to flip him over,” Paolo said.
After Harolds did a round of compressions, they flipped him. There were a dozen more tech pins needing to be extracted. Alyth used the Force to retrieve the one from Preston’s neck. Harolds took one out with his knife, but the consequential cut was much deeper than it needed to be if the proper tool was used. Alyth took one more out, while Paolo removed the final four. They flipped Preston back, and Alyth gave him air while Paolo hooked him up.
“Okay, clear,” Paolo said.
They let the defib kit take over. Preston’s body convulsed with each spike.
“Come on,” Daphne said.
“You can’t just bring us all together just so you can check out. Preston G Waycaster! If I have to live with this indiginity, you can sure as hell live with it, too.”
The defib stopped the procedure and announced that a faint, but steadily sinus rhythm had been detected. Preston couphed, trying to clear the rest of the bacta from his lungs. Alyth rolled him over, while Harolds hit his back. Preston gagged, vommitted clear liquid, gasped, and collapsed back to the floor.
“Can you stand up?” Alyth asked.
“Help me,” Preston asked.
Preston was shaking and nearly fell when he tried to stand, but Harolds and Alyth had him. He looked down at Palpatine. Preston sighed.
“Stand up, Sheev. I know your feigning death, hoping to escape, but you’re done,” Preston said.
Palpatine rose from his horizontal position to vertical as stiff as a board, his arms coming up, and lightening firing from his fingertips, screaming. Preston pulled free of Alyth while she was going for her lightsaber. Preston managed to grab the Emperor’s wrist, channeling a burst of energy into him even as he himself was illuminated to the bone with lightening. Even Harold was being bombarded by lightening, but he did not drop Preston. The Emperor collapsed into a ball of light. A red diamond fell to the floor.
Harolds and Preston both went to their knees. Preston put his hands out to the floor, to keep from going all the way down. Alyth went to pick him up. He waved her off. His hands were shaking when he picked up the diamond and handed to Alyth to hold. He crawled over to his mom and sat down, taking her hand.
“The galaxy is not safe with us in it,” Byrne said.
Preston thought about how he should respond to such a statement. This was not the conversation he expected to have the first time he met his mother.
“Maybe you didn’t find me to kill me. Maybe you found me, so I can help heal us,” Preston said.
“There is no healing from this,” Byrne said.
“Intelectually, I can imagine why you think this way, how you came to be where you are, but emotionally, I have some abandonment issues, and I would like you to be in my life because I think we can help each other,” Preston said.
“If I heal you, will you promise not to kill me?”
“No,” Byrne said.
Preston laughed.
“I love your honesty. Would you promise not to kill me today?”
“Okay,” Byrne said.
“With a promise to renew the option each subsequent new day?” Preston added.
“I already accepted the prior deal,” Byrne said.
“I know, I’m sorry, but I thought the addendum necessary,” Preston said.
“I will consider the addendum tomorrow,” Byrne said.
“My friends are off limits,” Preston added another.
“Oh, just kill me now and be done with it,” Byrne snapped.
“Thank you,” Preston said, and healed her.
“What just happened?” Daphne asked.
“I thought he needed her permission to heal her.”
“She gave it,” Alyth said.
Byrne seemed surprised.
“You healed me, for real?”
“I love you,” Preston said.
“You don’t even know me, or the things I’ve done,” Byrne said. Preston nodded.
“You’re just going to let me walk out of here?” Byrne said.
“You could come home with us,” Preston said.
“No,” Byrne said.
“I’m keeping the Immanence and the Dragon’s Wake,” Preston told her.
“I’m done with those things,” Byrne said, standing.
Preston used the wall for support, made it to full standing, but his knees gave. His mother didn’t reach out to help, but Harolds was there. Alyth picked up the Byrne’s lightsaber and offered it to her.
“I’m done with those things,” Byrne said, and departed.
As soon as she was out of sight, Harolds had to support Preston’s full weight.
“You alright?” Daphne said.
“Everything is cramping and I’m tired,” Preston said.
“Let’s get him home,” Alyth said.
♫♪►
With the help of Engineers from the Deterrent and the survivors from the Kilmore, the bridges connecting the three sisters were well on their way to being up and running. It had been a good evening for watching, as Preston could view the operation without clouds obstructing his view. As the sun set, the construction process began to wind down. The Immanence rested on the pylons that jutted out from the three sisters. Looking down on it from his vantage point, the Star Destroyer looked like a flaw in the Diamond Lake. A bridge extended from the Immanence to the Second Sister, allowing the crew that was now assigned to the ship to return to their posts or quarters. Many had taken up residence at the Three Sisters.
Preston sat on the edge of the mountain, looking down. He had already tucked in Ten, using a doppleganger, and then withdrew back to his summit, the place he was considering making his permanent resident. Until the trams were up and running, he was not likely to have much company, unless someone arrived by flying car.
Mace Windu appeared out of thin air, semi transparent, aglow with a purple aura.
“Your friends are worried about you,” Windu said.
“Interesting,” Preston said.
“Interesting?” Windu questioned.
“I’ve been worried about them. There is clearly a giant ranchor in the room, but no one wishes to address it,” Preston said.
Windu sat next to him and looked down at the ship. He smiled seeing the Emmanence.
“I told you those were landing pylons. I remember when the precursors to the Super Star Destroyers would land on planets,” Windu said… Without looking to Preston, he changed the topic.
“Would you like to address the ranchor?”
“Sleeping with my sisters, or raising the Emperor?” Preston asked.
“Yeah, lets start with the Emperor,” Windu said.
“What the hell were you thinking?!”
“I admit, that didn’t quite go the way I expected…”
“The galaxy is just now starting to mend and you wanted bring back Palpatine?!” Windu demanded.
“I was hoping if my mother had an opportunity to confront the evil that subdued her, perhaps she could heal enough that we could spend time together,” Preston said.
“Fixit warned you about trying to heal her,” Windu said.
“I still had to try,” Preston said.
“I don’t know why you’re so angry. I don’t rememrber you ever ranting about how Luke nearly threw away the galaxy trying to redeem his father.”
Windu sighed.
“You love your mother, I see that, but even Luke wasn’t bringing something back from the dead. He was confronting that which already existed.”
“Evil always exists. Maybe if we stop tap dancing around it, talk about it, revisit it, we can reduce its impact. Maybe that why society sells Vader masks to kids?” Preston asked.
“Maybe,” Windu said.
“But really, bringing back Palpatine?”
“We bring him back everytime we think about him, or discuss him, or are reminded of him. You say his name and he is as good as with you. The only difference was I gave him a body,” Preston said.
“And it’s not like he was going to return to the life he had. Even as charismatic as he was, he would never be able to sway that many people to join him a second time round. Not starting from scratch.”
“Let’s change the subject,” Windu said.
“Because you don’t have an argument, or because you find me unrepentant?” Preston asked.
“Both?” Windu said, angry but with a touch of humor.
“Maybe we should talk about your friends.”
“I would really like to talk to you about relationships,” Preston said.
Windu rubbed his forehead.
“Obi Wan, did you have this much trouble with Luke?” Windu asked no one in general.
“No, really Windu.”
“It’s a bit late to have the sex talk,” Windu said.
“Windu,” Preston pleaded.
“I am serious. I love Corissa, but she can’t be with me because I will always remind her of my father,” Preston said.
“She told you this?” Windu asked.
“No, that’s the ranchor no ones speaking about, and she already thinks I’m clingy, so how do you talk about a feeling that only reinforces the other persons belief that you’re something that you not, or at least, I don’t think I am. At least, not as clingy as some folks suspect, cause if someone says ‘no’ I don’t stalk them. Except for Alyth. Okay, and maybe Leselle Re. Alright, and Daphne, but that really wasn’t stalking, cause they’re like family, right? But, take Isho, for example. I could easily love Isho and she’s not related,” Preston said.
“And, yet, you aren’t engaging her because…” Windu said.
“Because, she doesn’t want to be runner up. She knows I didn’t choose her,” Preston said.
“She told you this?”
“No, that’s the ranchor,” Preston said.
“Or maybe you’re avoiding because you know you didn’t choose her and the reason is you would never really choose her,” Windu said.
“Or, you’re avoiding her because she is willing to be with you, and you can’t be with her because she’s not related?”
“Nonsense. I love Keena, too, and she isn’t related,” Preston said.
“But again, she won’t be with me out deference to Daphne.”
“Um, so you’re attracted to people who don’t want you?” Windu said.
“So it’s not about them, it’s about you, and probably relating back to the initial abandonment of your parents. You’re trying to engage the initial nurturing bond.”
“Exactly. I had the wire monkey, Fixit. I wonder if fixit had come in flesh tones and human shape, like Freya, would I better adjusted? Hell, I have even thought about just being with Freya, seeing how I am partial to Droids anyway. I am happy with her, but there is conflict there, too. I’m concern that maybe I am chosing her to avoid the pain of rejection with a biological person, which again, takes me back to this clinginess and when I think of that, I want to run to my mountain and hide, because that would prove I’m not clingy. I could disappear for years without wanting to be with people. I probably wouldn’t even be missed! Irony! I am afraid of being alone, but, I also don’t want to be around others.”
“Do you know why Jedi’s are supposed to be celibate?” Windu asked.
“Because it’s a rule,” Preston said.
“Yes, it’s a rule, but why?” Windu pushed.
“Enlighten me.”
“Because when it comes to sex, it’s very difficult to sort out if a person is serving themselves, or others, as opposed to the act being implicitly wrong,” Windu said.
“So far, everything I’ve heard from you is how their perceived reactions are going to affect you and how they relate to you. Love has to be mutually rewarding for it to not be selfish.”
“You’re saying I’m being selfish?”
“In the last month, you’ve been intimate with how many people?” Windu asked.
Preston returned his gaze to the horizon. The first stars were pushing through the sky. A moving light caught his attention. It was CU2 bringing up a hot beverage, which it delivered with a courteous whistle, explaining Jordeen insists that he drink it. He took the drink and thanked the droid. Windu pursed his lips.
“Gresh tea,” he mused.
“It’s been awhile since I had any of that.”
“Master Windu,” Preston said shortly.
“I don’t think I have it in me to be celebate, unless I go live on a deserted planet, like Yoda did.”
“Or a mountain top?” Windu asked. Preston smiled.
“I do like it here.”
“I wasn’t asking you to become celebate. I’m just asking you to slow down and be aware of your interactions,” Windu said.
“As a Jedi Knght, you will need to be aware of your vulnerability, because others will try to exploit it. Take Doya for example.”
“Oh, I forgot about her,” Preston said.
“She was fun.”
“That’s the way she sells it, but there is always a price with her,” Windu said.
“Did you just label me a Knight?” Preston said, backing up.
“Yeno wants to declare you a Jedi Master, but we’ve convinced him to make you spend some time as a Knight,” Windu said.
“I don’t want to be Knighted,” Preston said.
“You have to be. We need you to perform a task for us,” Windu said.
“Oh, no, no, no,” Preston said.
“That’s how these wars start. This is my home. I’m not leaving this mountain again. Not for anything.”
“You may not have a choice,” Windu said.
“Why? Because of the Bloodhunters? I’ve devastated them. The few that remain are isolated and hiding, and they know I’ve made it my life’s mission to eradicate them,” Preston said.
“The Sith Lord that raised Lord Kilmore to Sith-hood is still alive,” Windu said.
“Pfft. Not likely. Kilmore must have been pushing what, a hundred? He was barely able to keep his body going. Whoever taught him must be dead and gone by now.”
“Unless they weren’t human,” Windu said.
“We know very little about this Sith, but what we do know frightens us, even over here, from where I’m sitting. Even the Emperor was afraid of this Sith.”
“Really. The Emperor was afraid of another Sith?”
“This Sith was always stronger than the Emperor, but fortunately for Palpatine, this Sith was much more self absorbed, pursuing more academic pursuits than seeking to consolidate power,” Windu explained.
“There was evidence that this Sith was allowing the Emperor to do all the leg work and then would take over in his absence. This was the real reason the Emperor created the Bloodhunters. They were looking for this Sith. Thanks to you, there will be little incentive for this Sith to stay hidden.”
“You keep saying this Sith. What’s his name?” Preston asked.
“We don’t have a name. We don’t even know if it’s a he,” Windu said.
“And you want me to find him, or her, and do what?”
“Take him out of the game,” Windu said.
“If the Jedi couldn’t find him, if the Emperor and all his Bloodhunters couldn’t find him, what makes you think I can?” Preston asked.
“When Lord Kilmore touched yor mind, he may have passed on enough information for you to intuit your way to him,” Windu said.
“If you can’t go straight to him we want you to find his current apprentice, kill the apprentice, and then wait for this Sith to recruit you. We suspect you will actually have to become an apprentice and journey a dark path before you get close enough to this Sith to take him out.”
“I doubt I will be able to impress a Sith Lord into making me an apprentice,” Preston said.
“There will be rumors that you raised the Emperor from the grave for your own pleasure, and killed him when you tired of the sport. There will also be rumors linking you to the destruction of the Chiliad. This may be all you need to entice the apprentice into finding you,” Windu said.”That and the Force.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I might think the Force is conspiring against me,” Preston said.
“Get some rest, Preston. Yeno will be visitng you tomorrow. Good night,” Windu said, away faded away.
Preston lay back. Looking up, he contemplated the stars.