The sun was beginning to sink down over the horizon as the Imperial
Citadel came into sight, light reflecting off its tall spared and giving
an eerie blue-greed cast to the landscape. Here lay the true nature
of Byss: Darkness.
I did not even need to look down on the utopian planet to know the
power it held. I could feel it, and its very essence was darkness,
its power fuelling the Dark Side more than anything else in the galaxy.
It was deemed by the Sith as the most sacred of places, and was home to
the only temple left where the ancient ways of the Sith and their magic
was still taught.
It was here that the Emperor Palpatine had built his greatest and favourite refuge. It was here, on this lake-strewn paradise deep in the core that he had decided to establish the model for his ideal society. He had done so to a point, attracting thousands from across the Empire to come and live, unknowingly fuelling the planet's power. It had been his dream, one never fully realized. Now his legacy had been passed on to me, and I already felt that I was failing him.
"Tell me why I have not returned sooner," I asked my long-since chamberlain and now Grand Vizier, Markan Leera. I felt suddenly vibrant, invigorated, filled by the power of this place. I could see why my father had chosen it as his refuge.
The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow. "Well, my Lady," he explained,
"between the Rebel siege and your efforts to maintain the Empire, there
really hasn't been much time for personal retreats, now has there?"
I glared back at him and he all but smirked in reply. He had
developed a good bit of wit over the years, either on his own or from overexposure
to Mara Jade’s constant cynicism.
Yet, he told the truth. There really had been no time. My last visit had been nearly four years ago now, not long after the Emperor's death. His spirit had drawn me here then, to discover and destroy his personal cache of clones and to affirm my position as ruler of the Empire. Of course, this was not taken lightly by many of the Sith, who believed that I was undermining their master's wish to return. Only few understood that I did so at his bidding, and that it was his will that I sat as Empress.
A lot can happen in four years, and a lot had. Now I returned at the call of Byss itself, and to reaffirm my authority.
There was a new Sith Lord at the Temple.
"Let us only hope that things go better than last time," I said, turning away from the viewport, and that this alleged successor to Vader doesn't have an agenda of his own.
A small group of officers and delegates were gathered on the tarmac to greet us when the shuttle touched down outside the Citadel. It was nothing compared to the immense receptions the Emperor had once received, but I had never been one for such unnecessary ceremony. Still, it always gave me hope to see even a few gathered, for it was their loyalty that would keep the Empire strong.
I waited for the guards to descend in formation, following after with Leera in tow. Knelt at the bottom of the ramp was whom I recognized as Regent D'mar, caretaker of the Citadel, one of his assistants, and Governor Donnas of Byss.
It was the latter who stepped forward to greet me, dressed in his best formal attire, and bowed as low as possible without falling over. Life on Byss had apparently treated him well.
"Welcome to Byss, your highness," he greeted, trying to sound as gallant as possible. "It is an honour to have you here again."
I extended a gloved hand, giving the self-important official the pleasure of kissing the hand of the Lady Palpatine. "Thank you, Governor," I replied, my voice smooth, giving no indication that I was -or ever could be- anything less than Empress. "I trust things are well."
"How could they not be?" he replied, though I could tell he would have said the same even if the entire planet had been turning to dust. "Your Grace has supplied us with all we could ever want."
So we have, I thought, though you do not know the price you pay for it. I gave him a well practiced smile. "We would want it no other way."
Donnas beamed as though he would carry that reassurance to his death.
But I was not in the mood to stand around and be swamped by flattery and
favours. I had come to get away from all that, such as it was these
days.
I gave Leera a suggestive glance, and he came forward to gently dismiss
the governor while I turned to the much more conservatively dressed man
waiting aside patiently. "Regent D'mar," I greeted, much more pleased
to see him.
He and his assistant gave a simple bow. "It is a pleasure to see you again, my Lady."
It was a greeting much more to my liking. At a casual wave of my hand, the red-cloaked Imperial Guard formed up around us as we began walking toward the Citadel. The tarmac immediately became filled with activity as the troops marched back to their posts, and my attendants rushed around, consulting on where luggage and such should be sent -an atmosphere much more to my liking as well.
"I should ask whether your outlook on things is as bright as the governor’s," I inquired.
Mehren D'mar tried to suppress a smile. "It's not far off, actually, my Lady," he replied, "though my view is probably somewhat more realistic."
I nodded, believing him. D'mar had been at the Citadel since its construction, and was appointed as the official caretaker of the premises a few years before the Emperor’s death. He knew the entire place inside out, and kept up to date with local happenings. He did an excellent job of managing the place, especially considering that it was adjacent to the temple, where the largest remaining fellowship of the Sith resided most of the time, as did several Dark Jedi -two parties who did not always get along handsomely, with each other and amongst themselves. It was no simple task to keep such powerful rivals from destroying each other -or a wall along with it.
“Then things must be going rather well,” I commented, quite impressed, considering the state things had been in on my previous visit.
“Better than expected,” he agreed, “as far as the operation of the Citadel, at least.”
I caught a hint of unease in his tone. “You mean to say that there are problems elsewhere?” I inquired.
The older man shook his head, afraid he had been misunderstood. “Oh, no,” he assured me. “Not necessarily. There have been no evident problems otherwise, but I am not entitled to speak on the matters of the Sith.”
There was concern in his voice, and it troubled me somewhat as well. “There has been no quarrelling as of late, I hope.”
“Nothing of any note,” he said, though considering past events. “And anything that has arisen, Lord Kardann has handled quite well.”
The Sith Lord... “And how have the Sith taken to the presence of this Lord Kardann?” I asked, curious and wary at the same time.
“They were sceptical at first, I think,” he told me, “But it seems that
most have come to see him as their leader.”
I made no comment, but added this to the little information I had received
on this Exar Kardann, self-proclaimed Sith Lord and alleged successor to
Darth Vader. If he was not who he claimed, I would soon know.
But if he was...
D’mar was obviously an intelligent man, and it did not take him long to realize the true purpose of my visit. “But I am certain you would rather judge for yourself, my Lady,” he inquired. “I believe he is anxious to meet you.”
That caught me by surprise for some reason, but of course he would be.
I was Palpatine’s daughter, after all.
“Yes,” I replied, suddenly sensing a distinction of power in the Force.
“Yes, I suppose I would.”
We began to climb the wide stone steps leading to the massive carved doors of the Citadel, and it was only after we came under the shadow of the arches overhead that we noticed the two figures standing beside the doors, until now simply observing in silence. Their black robes clearly denoted them as Sith -which was not unusual to see around here.
One of them, at least, was not ordinary, dark power emanating from him with such intensity as I had not felt in a long time, so much so that I had to pause for a moment to catch my breath and raise my defences. My entourage halted behind me, and the taller of the two men, lowered his hood onto broad shoulders, and I caught a hint of steel eyes before he knelt, bowing low with a fist over his heart, his companion following suit. I stood there for a moment, taking in the long raven hair bound at the nape of his neck, the gloved fist, and the dark pendant hanging in the shadows of his cloak.
So this is the Sith Lord they speak of, I thought, projecting through
the Force as well, with a certain amount of 
cynicism,
though I was beginning to believe that his claims were not unfounded.
I walked across the terrace toward him, silence save for the clicking of my boots against the stone, and came to stand before him. “Rise, Exar Kardann,” I ordered, using his name and not his assumed title, making it clear from the beginning that I was the highest authority, and I was not afraid to show it.
He bowed his head almost to the ground. “My Lady,” he spoke, his voice deep and rich, then rose to his feet, coming to stand nearly a head taller than myself, holding complete confidence in his power and ability though, from the dark crystal hanging from his neck, I knew that he treated that with respect and honour.
I smiled slightly, meeting his steel grey eyes with my own of piercing green. “I hear they call you Lord of the Sith,” I said, letting him know that I would not believe it until it was proven to me.
Kardann inclined his head. “You would hear right then, my Lady,” he told me, quite certain of himself.
Not about to let him get away that easily, I lifted my head, not letting my eyes off him. “And do they speak the truth?”
“They do,” he replied, not backing down, “if you would believe it, that is.”
Taking a step forward, I could almost feel the power rippling through the Force between us. Indeed I had not felt such like it since Vader. It was disciplined, that I could tell. And tempting. If I wanted, I could take him by my side, use him for my own purposes. But I was not about to let my guard down so quickly. I may have known only one other Sith Lord in my time, but the Maker knew my opinion of Vader was not an exceptional one, and if this Kardann was truly who he claimed, then I would have to be exceptionally cautious. The Emperor had leaned that the hard way, and I was not about to let that happen again. Yet, he was obviously too valuable to discard. I would simply have to test him out, show him his place, and then decide whether he was worthy of my favour.
“We shall see,” I said, not giving him the satisfaction of acknowledgment just yet.
He bowed again, seeming to understand my meaning, and was obviously up to the challenge. “Of course, my Lady.”
I said nothing for a moment, making sure we had come to an understanding. This would certainly be interesting, and I was actually quite anxious to find out who this man really was.
Relaxing somewhat, I indicated discreetly to Leera that we would be continuing, leaving my hand in the air before me. “I look forward to learning more about you, Lord Kardann,” I said, though using the title tentatively.
“As do I, my Lady Palpatine,” he replied, taking my hand in his and leaning down to kiss it respectfully. Still, I felt a rush of power pass over me, tantalizing me. It could all be yours, it seemed to say, and I nearly shuddered. “Call on me whenever you wish.”
I did not give him an answer, but we both knew it would be soon. I had much to ask, and he seemed more than willing to answer.
Then Leera and the guard caught up with me, and the doors opened wide to admit us into my father’s most precious sanctuary. Kardann bowed again before I continued, his gaze and his presence following after me.
I spent the rest of the afternoon being toured around the Citadel and filled in on the current situations. I had been here several times during my life so it was all familiar enough to me. Still, somehow I could never be completely at ease here. The presence of the Sith was so strong that I had to be wary of my thoughts, especially after meeting Kardann.
One thing I realized as soon as I arrived: The situation was much
better than it had been when I had last been here. Things had seemed
so much darker then, the air filed with suspicion and hostility, as I had
been rushed down to see the Emperor's clones for myself. The sight
still haunted me at times, his face so young and strong...
I sometimes wonder what would have happened had I not ordered them
destroyed, if one of them had been allowed to take the place of its genetic
predecessor. Still, I know that I did the right thing, aside from
following my father's orders. He would have become dependent
on them, growing old and dying twenty-times faster than he should.
I could not have been able to bear seeing him die over and over again,
and I don't think he would have either. He had always dreamt of immortality,
I knew, but he had chosen to suffice with living through me and the
Empire. I only hoped that I was living up to his expectations.
The Citadel had always been rather sombre, but now, with the strange light of sunset streaming in through the windows I could feel that life was returning to this place when I had felt it so cold and empty before. Even the lake seemed clearer, the light brighter than it had been since the Emperor had permeated these halls with his presence, occasional as it had been. The Dark Side had grown strong again, bringing with it hope that my father's dreams could be realized that everything would be alright.
I stood now within the Emperor's audience chamber, one somewhat smaller
yet nearly identical to that on Coruscant. It was not used now, and rarely
entered for fear that they would be driven out by Palpatine's spirit.
Indeed, I could feel his presence here, coming to me not in warning
but in approval. I was meant to enter here, sit in his place and reside
over all. Yet this was not Coruscant, and the true throne was there still.
I would not call myself Empress again until I had returned to the palace
in victory.
The strange light of sunset shone across the upper platform. I stood at the bottom of the stairs for a long moment, looking up at the replica of his throne. When he was in power, it had been the throne, no matter where it was, but I could not bring myself to treat it as such.
I could almost see him sitting there, dark robes and frail hands laying on the armrests. He looked down at me, his daughter in spirit if not by blood.
Come, my child, he beckoned and I obeyed, ascending the stone steps. There was no one else in the room. I had left Leera and the guards outside. I knelt at his feet, let myself be filled by the comfort of his presence. Yet there was a reason why he was her. There was always a reason.
"Father" I whispered my voice echoing through the empty chamber. I had to resist the urge to lay my head on his lap, give into the comfort only I had ever felt from him. But he was but a spectre of the dark side now, his corporeal body lost forever. His spirit was always with me, guiding me, but seeing him like this was somewhat overwhelming. "I have returned."
He passed a ghostly hand over my head. "The lure of this place is strong,” he said, the voice that had once resounded throughout the galaxy now only heard through the Force. "But it was not I, but someone else that drew you here." I looked past the throne for a moment, to the Sith Temple that stood across the courtyard. I could feel his presence there. "Kardann," I said, realising that indeed he was the reason I had come, though had not known it. "Is he truly who he claims?" I asked.
"His power is great,” he replied, “and his ambition equally so." He looked me in the eye. "He would be a valuable ally, and a worthy partner," he said, seeing that I was already being affected by his power, a thought that somehow disturbed me.
The emperor leaned forward, his sunken eyes filled with concern and grave warning. "But be wary, my child,” he said. "Do not let him come too close, or he may become too much for you to handle."
That could have been taken many ways, but I knew that he spoke out of knowledge, possibly of things that had not yet come to pass. Yet, I understood his worry. He had put too much trust in his apprentice and it had been the death of him.
I was Palpatine’s daughter after all, taught to rule and adept in the arts of the Sith. But my power was only so great, and my will only so strong. I only hoped that they would be strong enough.
Will continue soon...