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Kimmy (AKA DarthKemberli)
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CHAPTER 11: VENTURE INTO THE PAST
"The Temple is my home, the Jedi my family."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master
"Goodbye, Drunken Ewoks."
The words barely out of my mouth, I flipped the switch on the explosive activator in my hand. From the lower levels of Coruscant, the dull booms of faraway explosions vibrated the air. I stood on the roof of a skyscraper located a safe distance away from the DE HQ, but from which the doomed building was visible. Behind me Caryoliss, Sarge, and our small company stood in formation.
Unknown to the captives within the DE skyscraper, late last night Caryoliss and his troops had descended in the Star Princess deep into the underbelly of Coruscant. They took the explosives I had packed into my ship's hold and rigged the foundations of the skyscraper with enough firepower to bring the entire building down. The lower levels of Coruscant were not patrolled regularly, and even if they had been, no one would have seen my troops at work; they were equipped with some of the highest calibre cloaking suits in the Empire. Thanks to these cloaks, not even the security cams caught my men.
I had told the captive members of CURS to wait inside the building until I returned within an hour. Then I had met Caryoliss and my troops with the ships and had come to the top of this skyscraper. With the destruction of the main core computer, the computers in all the other CURS stations across Coruscant would be fried as well. The police of Coruscant would never find the perpetrators behind the explosion of the DE Head Factory. Everything was in place, and I had plenty of time before I had to return to Vader.
A loud groan went up from the building of interest. I felt immensely satisfied as the entire edifice shuddered from top to bottom hidden within the hideous smog that coated the lower levels of the planet. Then, as explosions continued to resonate from the depths of the city, the structure sagged downwards. Durasteel bent and snapped. Chunks of permacrete broke off and tumbled down into darkness. A dark cloud of dust rose up into the atmosphere, colouring the single layer of clouds muddy.
Klaxons blared, but their ear-piercing wail was drowned out by the screams that erupted from every building in the sector. The police and fireships would be rushing to the scene soon. I signalled for the troopers behind me to get into the Star Princess, but for a moment I lingered outside. I closed my eyes, feeling the repercussions of death rippling through the fabric of the Force. The sheer amount of death reverberating from the collapsing building was unbelievably powerful. To a Jedi the sensation would have been crippling, but to me it was only invigorating. It fed my bloodlust and proved to me just how powerful I really was. I relished in the feeling of death even as I reopened my eyes and retreated into the Star Princess.
"Mission complete," I told the troopers as I passed through the hall into the cockpit. "You did well. Thanks for your good work."
"No problem, sir," they replied as one, then all grinned. I shared a smiled with them before going to sit in the pilot's seat. The Star Princess was already up and running, so I simply took the controls and lifted her off the permacrete roof. I activated her cloaking system. A hum vibrated the ship as the stygium crystals took effect, hiding the Princess from sight. I flew slowly over the wreckage of the still-crumbling skyscraper. The scanners picked up a few weak traces of life, but I knew from the Force that no one would survive the building's collapse. I turned the Princess away from the damaged structure.
Instead of setting a course off the planet, I steered in the general direction of the Imperial Senatorial Rotunda. It wasn't far.
"If you permit my asking, Kimberlee," Caryoliss ventured tentatively, "where are we headed?"
I didn't take my eyes off the traffic.
"You'll see soon enough, Peter," I replied. "This is... a personal mission."
"Oh."
Over the pointed, utilitarian outline of the horizon appeared the dome of the Rotunda. Despite my outward calm, my heart began to beat a bit faster with excitement. Near this colossal building was the old Jedi temple. I looked forward to seeing the scene of the last battle between the Sith and the Jedi, which, of course, was won by the Sith. I revved the Princess's engines and sped, unseen, nearer to the Rotunda. Finally I could see the angled spires of the Jedi temple. Even in its neglected ruin, it was a majestic structure. I brought the Princess to a stop over an ancient landing platform at the entrance to the temple.
"Wait here for me," I instructed Caryoliss. I left behind all my weapons but my precious blades.
Taking deliberate, precise steps, I walked carefully to the foot of the stairs. There I stopped, and I tilted my head backwards to gaze at the bulk of the temple towering over me. Its sheer size took my breath away. A deep, buried part of me thrilled, in a sad, bittersweet manner, to be standing before the heart of the extinct Jedi Order. Unconsciously I found myself longing wistfully to be standing here with Master Batado. With a snarl, I threw the useless thoughts away. I was no longer a Jedi! I was something far more powerful! All Yurlon had done was hold me back from my true destiny. No, rather than wish for him to stand beside me, I wished to be standing beside Lord Vader and contemplating with him the demise of the Jedi. Indeed, I wished with all my heart that I had been the one to kill him. Such an act would have given me far more power in the dark side than I already had!
My heart twisted when I realized what I was thinking. No, I could have never harmed my former Master... I reprimanded myself with a snarl. Clearly I was not yet strong enough to be worthy of Vader's teachings, if the sight of the temple that harboured my sworn enemies revived my memories and my attachment to a foul Jedi knight! I hadn't done a good enough job of ridding myself of my memories... How disappointed Vader would be in me! Now I looked at the temple with something not unlike dread. Could I really do this? Could I really enter the temple and hold true to my new persona with the ancient Jedi Force energies swirling around me? I wasn't strong enough...
"No!" I said aloud. No, I had to enter. If I wasn't strong enough to endure this, then I wasn't strong enough for Vader, and I may as well not return to him. If coming here would revive my memories of Yurlon, I would have to go through the temple and cast away whatever memories I had. Only when I purged my soul of those unclean memories, and only when, would I truly be pure enough in the dark side to be called a true Sith.
I have to do this, I said to myself. I must do this. And so, I steeled myself and ascended the stone stairs into the temple. I passed between the enormous sculptures that adorned the entrance. Ahead, dark in the dying light, lay my path into the temple. Silence hung around me like a curtain as I advanced cautiously, my footsteps echoing out into the empty expanses around me. Fifteen-year-old evidence of a struggle between Jedi and clone trooper was visible everywhere. Burns from blaster bolts were etched into the columns and walls. Statues and benches and curtains were overturned and misplaced. Everything was in disarray, left as a testament to the succumb of the Jedi to the raw, limitless power of the Sith.
All this I saw with my eyes, but my mind focused on the eddying energies that emanated from the shadows. They fed my mind with images of the Jedi that had fought and died here. I saw Jedi fighting back to back, desperately trying to hold off blaster fire. I saw them finally fall, overwhelmed by number. Each death I saw clearly, and felt clearly, and while I relished in the sensation of a Jedi's death, I nonetheless felt a stinging pain accompanied by regret. Rather than fight this regret, I let it flow over me, and then I cast it away forever. I accepted my past, then reconciled myself with my present and my future. No longer was I a Jedi, and no longer would I feel anything other than hatred of the Jedi. Those memories belonged to Kemberli Wan-Oba, and she was no more. She would be no more, for Darth Kemberli would conquer her.
And it was Darth Kemberli that triumphed over Kemberli Wan-Oba as I trooped silently through the temple. I refused to feel any sort of fear as Kemberli Wan-Oba wrestled with Darth Kemberli, trying to regain her future. Yes, I had no desire to return to the world of ignorance that was the Jedi Order, and yet, Kemberli Wan-Oba clawed at the inside of my brain. Look at all this around you, she said. Look at the splendour and light that you abandoned. Let me out and I'll set you free from the fear that Vader has poisoned you with! Whenever her voice became too loud, I would stop and clutch my head. I fought to stay in control, and Darth Kemberli purred back, I have no fear. I know nothing but power! Lord Vader has given it to me. You with your false beliefs only held my power back!
Then her voice faded away and I continued my trek up, up, up through the temple to the High Council. There I knew held the strongest memories of the Jedi, and there only would I truly triumph over Kemberli Wan-Oba and silence her forever. You have it wrong, she whispered. I will triumph over you, and I will destroy the Empire! No, Darth Kemberli shouted her down. Once I leave this temple you will never emerge again. I am the one who will elevate the Empire higher than it already is. I am Vader's apprentice, and I will not fail him!!!
Just listen to yourself rant, said Kemberli Wan-Oba. So very like a Sith. And just listen to you speaking all calmly, spewing Jedi poodoo just like Master Yurlon! Darth Kemberli spat back. Kemberli Wan-Oba fell silent, shocked, and Darth Kemberli - me - smiled. I walked up to a turbolift. It was long dead, of course, but a few tendrils of Sith lightning soon supplied it with enough power to bring me up to the highest level of the Jedi temple - the Council.
I took a few deep breaths. I closed my eyes and fell into the dark side for but a brief moment. Kemberli Wan-Oba stirred in protest, but I came out on top. From behind the closed doors of the Council Chamber, I could feel raw strength emanating. Light side strength, but strength nonetheless.
I placed my palms against the doors. I pushed, and I pushed again when the doors resisted. Hah! laughed Kemberli Wan-Oba. Of course a dark sider cannot enter. I silenced her with a snarl and stepped back. Summoning up my willpower, I threw my hands forward and pushed against the doors with all my might. They flew open, buckling under the strength of my mind.
I gasped.
Rushing out to meet me was a river of Force energy so strong, it literally knocked me over. I fell to my knees. I held my head in my gloved hands, desperately trying to sort out all the images and emotions flooding my soul, but failing in the face of the unbelievable tide of memories. I didn't have to delve into the Force to search the memories of this place: the memories came barging in, searching for a sentient being to impress themselves upon after being locked up for so long.
I saw...
Master Yoda sitting upon his seating pod in a state of deep meditation. His small green face radiated peace. A gimer stick lay crossed over his knees. His ears, long and pointy, twitched occasionally. The Council room was empty, but as a Jedi, he felt no loneliness. Rather the silence enhanced his unity with the Force.
I saw...
The entire Jedi Council assembled to discuss the apprenticeship of a nine-year-old boy. Yoda and Mace Windu eyed the boy with obvious apprehension and disapproval. On each side of the boy stood a Jedi, one a Knight and the other a Padawan. The Padawan was Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the Knight was Qui-Gon Jinn. Jinn explained that he found the boy on Tatooine, and that he believed that the boy was the Chosen One.
I saw...
Master Shaak Ti urging the council to postpone her Padawan's entry to the Jedi trials. She said that her Padawan was too unstable and was not yet ready to become a Knight.
I saw...
An urgent meeting to discuss an unexpected difficulty during the Clone Wars. Obi-Wan Kenobi requested more troops and hoped for at least another Jedi knight. Mace Windu wanted to decline; they were stretched thin as it was. But the Council voted against him, and while he hid his anger, it was obvious in the Force.
And I saw...
Yurlon Batado kneeling before Mace Windu. Windu severed Yurlon's Padawan braid and gravely handed it to him, signalling his graduation from apprenticeship to knighthood. Yurlon's face lit up, brighter than stars in his delight, and he stood to take his place among the Knights. Though his features were younger, his eyes burned with that same confident light that I remember so well.
A wrenching pain took hold in my gut. I wasn't even aware of Kemberli Wan-Oba and Darth Kemberli anymore. There was only me, and I hurt. I fell down, clutching my stomach. A wordless moan escaped my lips as the pain of loss bombarded my heart. I no longer thought about right or wrong, light side or dark side, Jedi or Sith. All I thought about was Yurlon, the closest thing I had ever known to a father. His gentle face filled my eyes. His voice, his kindly voice rang in my ears. I felt his hand on my shoulder, his encompassing warmth around me when he hugged me. I mourned him, though no tears rose to my eyes; my grief was of the most purest kind there was.
In the back of my mind I knew that I had to best this grief, or I could never return to Vader, but I didn't want to fight. I wanted to see Yurlon. I wanted to feel the calming presence of his Force aura washing over me. I wanted to erase the memories of Yurlon's death from my mind and go back to my life on Aetheria. I wanted to see Yurlon waiting for me in our little hut, holocron in hand and beckoning me over for a lesson in history. I wanted to wrestle with him playfully, and when he let me pin him down, see in his eyes his undying affection for me. I wanted to train in lightsaber techniques with him. Most of all, I wanted to see in his actions and his love the certainty of his disregard of the Jedi principle of releasing all attachment. Oh Yurlon! Even if he had never said it aloud, I knew that he loved me like a daughter. And I knew that he never regretted his breaking of the Jedi Code. He had never let that sort of poodoo get in between us.
I laid there motionless for so long that the shadows of night shrouded my surroundings in blackness. You've finished mourning, hissed Darth Kemberli. You can let go of Yurlon now. Embrace me! Truly become Darth Kemberli, a Sith lord, the bringer of death! I stirred. No! cried Kemberli Wan-Oba. How can you just let go of Master Yurlon? How can you even think about continuing to scorn his memory? I sighed, and Darth Kemberli murmured, Don't lose the power that you paid so much for. Don't lose it! This isn't about Yurlon, or Vader, or anyone else. It's about you. Your power. Don't throw it away!
No. I would not throw away my power! I forced myself to my feet, fighting down Kemberli Wan-Oba's desperate pleas. No, I had defeated myself. Never again would I regret my chosen path.
"Goodbye, Yurlon," I said softly, then turned away from the Council chamber. I made my way easily through the darkened building, no longer plagued by the bickering between my past self and my present self. Free! I was free now, free to follow my destiny in the dark side. Freed from my useless feelings for Yurlon.
Kemberli Wan-Oba made one last attempt to change my mind. You're a slave, she whispered sadly within ten strides of the temple's exit. You're nothing but a slave to Vader and a slave to the dark side. You will never be free.
"No!" Darth Kemberli and I said aloud. I broke into a sprint for the open air. "We are free, and Lord Vader gives us power!"
Kemberli Wan-Oba's wail of despair was silenced as I emerged from the stale air of the long-dead temple. Perfect, said Darth Kemberli, only she was me thinking. Darth Kemberli and I were now one and the same, no longer tainted by Kemberli Wan-Oba's filthy Jedi ways. I took a deep breath of air, and then hurried down the last few stairs. It was almost completely dark. The only light came from the Star Princess's open hatch. I figured that since this area of Coruscant was abandoned, they no longer supplied power to the streetlamps.
I sighed. Then, without a backwards glance at the Jedi temple, I entered my ship.