"The body has accepted a new personality," the Sith said with the mannerisms of an experimenter, studying me. "I'll admit, it's even interesting."
He stood before me—majestic, monolithic, unbreakable. The ideal of power and might. The frozen clones and Jedi around us meant nothing to him. With his entire bearing he made it clear that he was the master of the situation. No one else.
I suddenly felt the pain that had accumulated in me recede, and I could move around the bay with unusual ease.
"Did you do this?" was all I managed to force out. "Did you transfer me into this body?"
With an expression of compassion (or was it boredom?), the Emperor looked at me.
"If you know anyone who still gives a damn about you, speak up. Don't be shy."
I had nothing to answer, I admit. Even in my home world, I wasn't particularly needed by anyone but myself. And in this universe… I doubted anyone even knew I existed.
Noticing my silence, the Sith continued.
"Why me? I died," I reminded him. "And why now? Why this time?"
"Your life or your death means nothing to me, human," Vitiate put the dots on the i's. "But your way of thinking… interests me. Because of me, you are here. And since I have done you a service and granted you the right to a new life, you will serve me."
"I'm grateful for the chance," I hurried to say. Then, catching myself, I added, "For my new life. But what do you need me for? I'm not a Jedi. I'm not trained…"
"That is all unimportant," Valkorion said lazily. "Anything can be achieved. The main thing is to understand clearly that everything has its price." He gestured for me not to interrupt. "This galaxy belongs to those who do not know how to rule it. Neither Jedi nor Sith understand their purpose. It's time to end this."
"Exterminate the Jedi? Is that your plan?" It was clear he hadn't shoved me into the body of a dead Jedi just to chat. And if I thought about it… what else could a Sith dream about? Power, eliminating rivals…
"Don't think so mundanely," the Emperor waved my questions away. "We must fix this galaxy. All these petty wars are nothing but children's games. They were useful while the galaxy was developing. But now it is in a state of stagnation. Neither Jedi nor Sith can prevent that. Therefore…" the Emperor smiled. "You and I will take care of it. Teacher and apprentice. My knowledge and experience will help you break the Jedi and Sith shackles, become the beginning of a new, better world. For everyone. But that is for the future." The Emperor's crimson-orange pupils seemed to cloud over. "Until you gain control of your body, you are useless. With that, I will help you." The Emperor crossed the few steps between us and clasped my head with both hands. In the same instant, a blue-violet veil surrounded me. And it felt as if hundreds of needles pierced my skull.
How long it lasted, I don't know. It felt like an eternity—like the Emperor's power was tearing every molecule of my body apart. I wanted to scream, but couldn't—my voice wouldn't obey.
Hundreds and thousands of images flashed before my eyes. Places, events, rituals, Force techniques, languages and humanoids… My mind was as if downloading new information, so fast I couldn't understand or process it.
At last, the Emperor pulled his hands away from my head. Peering into my tear-filled eyes, he smiled with satisfaction.
"Rest should help you establish the connection between your mind and the body you've been given," the Emperor stepped away. "After that, you will be complete."
"The Jedi…" Through the pain I could barely breathe. "They'll realize I'm not him…"
"Oh, don't be stupid," the dead Sith waved me off. "My Force is more magnificent than any of them can imagine. Soon you will absorb the previous owner's knowledge. It will need to be adapted to you—training will be required. But do not practice it until you restore the basic techniques."
"You destroyed the missile with a dark side technique," I reminded him. "The Jedi won't ignore that."
"Amusing." A smirk appeared on the Emperor's face. "You are still cautious. But it is nothing. On this planet, more sentients die each minute than anyone could notice. The dark side is hidden here as reliably as a Sith in the Republic Senate. Focus on concealment, and your thoughts—your Force—will remain a secret to all."
I understood the hint. Palpatine, Sith Lord, had lived for many years and actively plotted in the galaxy right under the Jedi Council's nose. And until the very end of the Clone Wars—whose beginning was marked by the invasion of Geonosis—the Jedi never learned his true identity.
"Aayla Secura," I pointed at the Twi'lek. "She was two steps from the missile. She should have felt it." Arguing with the Emperor was the height of disregard for self-preservation, but a sixth sense told me he meant to leave me. And being left alone with the Jedi—who would have hundreds of questions—wasn't appealing. At least not without my Teacher's advice.
Valkorion stepped closer to the blue-skinned Twi'lek, studied her carefully, running an appraising look over her from head to toe.
"Kill her, or recruit her if she became a witness," he shrugged. "She is not important."
"As you command, Master," I bowed my head to the ancient Sith.
"After the battle," the Sith continued, "you will go to Coruscant and remain there until you receive new instructions. Acquire a ship. Light, maneuverable, untraceable."
"Why?" The pain from my brain began to fill my spine, and I could barely move, frozen like a post in the gunship—just like the clones around me.
"After that, I will contact you again." The Sith's crimson eyes fixed on me. "Soon you will gain control of this body, and this body's memories should return to you. Not all of them—only those I deemed necessary. And do not argue with me again."
The intensity of pain and paralysis vanished at once, and I dropped to my knees before the Sith.
He took my chin in his hand and looked into my eyes, and goosebumps crawled over my whole body.
"You don't think your soul is the first in this body, human?" In the Emperor's eyes, I could see endless darkness encircled by the hellfire of his iris—the darkness from which my consciousness had been torn into this universe. "That other one… proved less useful than I expected. He disappointed me again. But no one is indispensable to me. Disappoint me—and I will replace the rider in this body. But do you want to sink into oblivion, my child?" With those words, the Emperor dissolved into the air.
At the same time, the world started moving again.
"Knight Dougan!" The Twi'lek rushed to me, helping me stand. "Are you all right?"
"The missile…" The pain in my head still made speech difficult. "Took all my strength…"
"You did that, sir?" The nearest clone helped me get to my feet. "I thought we were all done for. Then there was that light—and it just vanished!"
"Don't thank me," I said through a cough. The planet's scorching atmosphere made my throat raw. They helped me sit on the floor at the far end of the cabin. Leaning my back and the back of my head against the gunship's hull, I looked into Secura's anxious, concerned eyes.
"You truly are an astonishing Jedi, Knight Dougan," the sexy alien said, shaking her head. "And do you know many such unusual techniques?"
"A few," I nodded. "You're impressive too, Knight Secura!"
"Oh!" was all the Twi'lek said, thoughtfully furrowing her brow.
I felt her reach toward me through the Force, and I instinctively pulled away. At the same time, I felt an invisible barrier form around me, instantly rising in the path of the Force currents coming from Secura. In that same second, the girl stopped probing me, said something hurriedly, and moved to the other end of the bay.
"We're approaching the command center," the pilot reported over the comm.
With my head splitting, I got up, ready to face the next episode of a grand Sith plan.
***
WHAT THE HELL?!
I opened my eyes in irritation and sat up on my bunk.
The memory of my first—and so far only—contact with Valkorion awakened real anger in me. My pride screamed that I shouldn't let him treat me like that. By force of will, I made my ego quiet down. You can't charge a tank with your bare ass. That's a good way to get yourself killed. And in my case—very brutally.
But the anger still demanded an outlet. Thanks to the mental shields I'd thrown up instinctively during the conversation with Secura, I could shut myself off from others without worrying that the Jedi would sense something wrong in me.
What the hell was wrong with this fucked-up galaxy, where every murdered—but sufficiently strong and cunning—Force adept could come back to the world of the living? And the biggest question—what was the point of all this?
What goal was Valkorion pursuing if he needed an accomplice from among the Jedi? And not just anyone—me? What could an ordinary man, not sensitive to the Force, offer a powerful dark side adept? Why such a complicated symbiosis: a Jedi body and the mind of a normal human? Mysteries, mysteries—mysteries everywhere…
Valkorion had made it clear: either I'm with him, or he replaces me. Considering that in my own universe I definitely died, and that my desire to live isn't something you can take away from me, the suicidal option would have to be shelved. And I would have to bend the knee before the Emperor. Though it seems to me I'd already done that.
But why he wouldn't just take a new apprentice instead of the real Dougan remained a mystery to me. Afraid the Jedi would expose him? Unlikely.
Afraid of the Sith? Don't make me laugh.
I spent the remaining time before Coruscant in my cabin, occasionally stepping out to the mess hall for food. Seeing anyone—or showing my face in my frankly wrecked condition—wasn't appealing.
The more I rested, the more I "remembered." My consciousness seemed to grow into my predecessor's mind. Our memories intertwined, taking on the qualities of a monolith.
Flashes of memories surfaced—training in the Temple on Coruscant. Meditations, exercises with a training saber… Reliving these moments of the past again and again, I discovered with surprise that I could consciously repeat some of the Force techniques I "remembered." Not like it happened with the mental barrier—when I'd simply yanked the first thing I found out of memory in panic. No—now I understood how exactly to direct the Force to use one technique or another.
After a few hours aboard the Acclamator, I could already move objects around the room without any effort at all!
And my joy had no limits. To hell with my past problems! To hell with Valkorion and his plans!
I was in Star Wars!
A fool's dream had come true. Every fan of this universe would want to be in my place! Feel the Force, move a couple of objects… Ah, too bad these positive moments wouldn't last long.
As far as I remembered, all Jedi who survived Geonosis were going to be assigned to the Grand Army of the Republic. And Valkorion had mentioned that too… Which meant I'd have to take command of clones…
Why couldn't I have ended up in a time when there wasn't a grand Jedi purge on the horizon—one of the Jedi being me, by the whim of some ancient maniac? No, I could've accepted the very fact of getting here without psychological trauma, but to understand that I owed it to Vitiate… No, thank you. The logic is clearly broken here!
The fact alone that the Emperor had been killed twice, created empires twice—empires that brought the GFFA to its knees—and still existed now, lurking somewhere close… wasn't that proof that he knew more than the entire Jedi Order combined? Maybe I should hold back my disgust and paranoia and actually listen to him?
Don't get me wrong—I'm not a bloodthirsty monster and I'm not going to conquer the galaxy here. I'm more of a Unifying Force kind of guy; Revan's path is closer and more appealing to me than the dark side. But refusing a free source of information on the dark side? No chance. I won't refuse. Decided. Especially since, from the Emperor's words, it seemed he had some other view of the Force—one that didn't fit Jedi or Sith dogma.
In my head, the puzzle of a preliminary plan had already formed.
I needed to seek knowledge—about the Force, about the world in general, about people, and especially about the key figures of this galaxy. Information is power. And handled correctly, it can grant authority no less than a fleet of ships or a legion of clones. I needed to make myself a significant figure in the galaxy, so getting rid of me wouldn't be so easy. Palpatine, for example, playing both sides, had set his nets so deftly and courted politicians, the military, and ordinary people so skillfully that no one even suspected that the destruction of the Jedi was a premeditated plan.
My knowledge of the Expanded Universe of the GFFA suggested that you won't go missing in this galaxy if you're smart and cunning enough. And the right connections and the right position would help ensure you don't come out empty-handed.
For now, I shouldn't make hasty conclusions about how events would unfold—canon-like, or along a different path. The bet on Valkorion had already been made. And I should stick to the course I'd chosen, as long as it aligned with my goals.
After all, the path of the dark side is deception.
***
Sitting in a taxi taking me to the Temple, I admired the views of Coruscant, which I'd previously known only from pictures and videos.
What can I say about Coruscant?
That it's huge? That it's breathtaking?
I think you already know.
What impressed me much more was the fact that this city felt like a bog—sucking you in, enveloping you, dragging you down… The initial joy of touching a legend began to press on me like a weight…
But even with that disgusting feeling, it was impossible not to admit that the capital commanded respect—first and foremost toward those who, millennium after millennium, built this city up with monumental structures.
I refused Secura's offer to get to the Temple on Jedi transport, citing that I needed to be alone.
In truth, I needed to sort out my thoughts. Or rather, the memories that had become available to me thanks to the synchronization of my mind with the host body—one I had already gotten used to thinking of as mine. After all, if I move this body's arms and legs, isn't it mine?
Valkorion's advice helped. By the end of the trip, my consciousness had rooted itself deep in the host's mind, and I could no longer perceive myself separately from the body. Though the full picture of the previous life still hadn't come together—memories came in fragments, in waves, not always in chronological order—I still managed to piece together some understanding of the former owner of my body.
I am Rik Dougan, Jedi Knight. Human. Born in the Unknown Regions, on a remote little planet that doesn't really even have a name. Found and brought to the Temple on Coruscant by Master Dowd Abhir. I am twenty-seven years old, an ordinary sentient, without any oddities like six fingers, three nipples, crooked ears, and two… hm. Though who knows—maybe the last option wouldn't be so bad. Right. That's not where my mind should be going.
All in all, I'm a completely ordinary Jedi explorer, whose lot is to roam the galaxy far, far away in search of new planets, species, hyperspace routes, and everything else unknown and unstudied. More precisely, I was the Padawan of a Jedi explorer. But after the latter's death, I arrived at the Temple, passed the rite of knighthood, and joined the ranks of Jedi Knights in hopes of continuing my mentor's exploratory mission.
And still—what the hell am I doing on Geonosis? you might ask. And you'd be right. I think the same.
The Jedi Temple on Coruscant… didn't impress me…
Not even a little.
I thought that right now I'd feel the Force, catch my breath, feel reverence…
But no.
Well, there was reverence. A kind of dim, cooled, unpleasant reverence. Like you're looking at a weathered monument to some prominent figure. And you can't remember who it is…
In the past, the Temple was filled with hundreds and thousands of Knights, Masters, and powerful Force-wielders. Their Force soaked into the Temple for thousands of years, filling it with a peculiar aura—an aura that had now faded against the level of modern Knights and Masters. You could say the Jedi of the past created a halo of greatness around the Temple; it still held its outlines, but the "filling" was poor.
Slowly climbing the ancient steps of the Temple, I approached the monumental structure at an unhurried pace. Just think—I was walking the same path Vader would one day walk with his 501st Legion…
Step by step, I climbed, digging around in the back alleys of my memory. The main entrance to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant was built about 4,000 years before the Battle of Yavin.
The steps of the main entrance ended on a broad plaza, flanked on both sides by two pairs of Jedi statues: two Jedi Consulars and two Jedi Guardians. Passing them, I came right up to four monumental supports, three rows of which separated me from the Temple's interior.
Two Jedi Temple Guards approached me. Encased in snow-white and cream-colored armor, with lightsaber pikes on their belts, their faces hidden behind identical metal masks, they stepped up and politely asked whether I needed assistance.
"Thank you," I said as politely as I could. "I'll manage on my own. A wound from Geonosis—you understand."
Nodding, the guards hurried off, just as prim and composed as when they'd approached.
Exhaling, I checked once again that my mental protection was holding, and stepped beneath the Temple's vaults.