STAR WARS JEDI: THE DARK TIMES

Chapter 8. The Sith

In Bakkou's Camp...

   The Padawan himself is currently sitting in the middle of the encampment; completely unaware as the clone forces under him receive new orders from Chancellor Palpatine via holo-comm. "Execute Order 66," says the Chancellor. Soon, the clone forces prepare to draw their weapons against Bakkou, when suddenly the Padawan himself ignites his purple saber, and throws it at one of the Clones; cutting off one of their heads.

   "So it's mutiny then?" the boy asks as he force pulls the lightsaber back into his hand. He takes a breath. "Very well." Bakkou then stands up from where he was sitting before. "It was inevitable I guess." Bakkou slowly turns toward the group of clones gathering up behind him. With a livid look in his eyes, he tells them "You are all going to pay for what you are doing!"

   As the clones begin firing their blasters, Padawan Bakkou uses his saber to deflect the blaster bolts. He then uses the force to jump right behind the group of clones before lopping off three of the clones' heads in one calculated swipe of his lightsaber. Afterwards, he uses force push on the other clones, which sends them flying through tents and slamming against the surrounding trees. "Backup!" shouts one of the clones into their comms. "We need backup!"

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Back on the Uncharted Planet...

   Clodd leaves his quarters with his own R3 Unit waiting outside. The boy asks "That you, R3?" R3 beeps happily upon hearing Clodd's voice. "Glad to see you too, old friend. Still...it's a good thing we didn't take you with us. You could've been...destroyed or damaged..."

   Suddenly, the boy hears the voice of Merv calling out "Clodd? You're awake?!" Merv runs over. "Damn, kid. You're a lot more resilient than I thought. You feelin alright?"

   "I-I'm fine...but I need to find my uncle. Need to talk to him. It's important."

   "Alright. If you say so. Follow me then." Merv starts walking and Clodd follows him along with R3. "Been a few days since your uncle brought you back here. Right now he's overseeing the construction of the beacon."

   "The Beacon? You're working on that?"

   "Yeah. That's right. The ores you gathered helped us quite a bit. Just a few more nights of hard work...you and your uncle will be out of here in no time."

   Clodd lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank Goodness."

   "Uh...by the way, kiddo. While you were out, I've uh...I've spoken to the others about possibly setting up a permanent residence here."

   Clodd is stunned. "Wha-? Are you serious? Y-You mean...you're not coming with us?"

   "Hell. We made it this far, and it's not as if we didn't think about other possibilities. The galaxy is a pretty dangerous place with dangerous people runnin about. Obviously the pirates are still out there, but...with this settlement...we made a lot of progress since you two jedi arrived here. I'm feelin pretty confident in our ability to survive without you. And besides, we all like it here. It's grown on us. As for...you and your uncle...you need off this rock more than we do."

   "What about the monster? Can you deal with that?"

   Merv takes a breath. "Well, if worst comes to worst, there are traps we can set up for it."

   "...And you're sure about this?"

   Merv nods. "Yeah. Sure. We can handle it."

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   Clodd, Merv, and R3 arrive at where the comm beacon is being worked on. The boy's uncle is standing nearby. "Master Cann!' the boy calls out as Merv walks away.

   Clodd's uncle turns around and smiles contently, stating "My nephew...thank goodness you are awake."

   "I owe you for saving my life, Uncle. I wanted to thank you."

   "No thanks necessary. At least not yet. We still need to get off this planet. You can thank me then."

   After a short pause, Clodd says "There is one other thing. Did you sense something in the force a minute ago?"

   Cann looks at Clodd with a troubled expression. "You felt something?"

   "Yes. It was something dark...sinister...I don't know how, but I think it was Palpatine."

   Clodd's uncle nods. "Yes, I feel it too. Only a Sithlord can possess this kind of aura."

   "Which means...Palpatine is a Sith? He hid this aura for all these years and we didn't notice?"

   "We would have to see it to be sure but...Yes. It would seem so."

   Clodd takes a breath. "Why do you think he's revealing himself now, Uncle? He could've done it at any time."

   "I can think of two possibilities, Nephew. Either he's desperate, or he's feeling invincible. Given what we know, I fear the latter is more likely."

   "All the more reason to get off this planet."

   "I agree. Continue gathering resources. I will wait here."

   The boy nods with his hand over his heart. "Yes, Master."

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Several Days Later...

   On the planet where Padawan Bakkou was stationed, the Clone Squadron that use to be under his command is looking for him. As Bakkou is hiding behind one of the trees near the squadron, his R3 unit beeps worriedly. "Shh...don't make a sound," the boy whispers. "We need to wait for an opening." Soon the flowing wind starts to pick up. A shuttle can be seen preparing to land somewhere nearby.

   Still hiding behind the tree, Bakkou can only watch as the vehicle lands. As the door opens, a black-suited figure exits the vehicle. Even from Padawan Bakkou's location, deep slow filtered breaths can be heard from the black-suited person. "The Jedi is here," the figure says. "I sense it. He is strong with the dark side of the force."

   "We have orders to exterminate the Jedi, Lord Vader," says one of the clones.

   "Lord Sidious is willing to make an exception," says Lord Vader. "With this one he sees much potential."