The Sith's Heir

Prologue 1 - The Vision

43 BBY

            On the surface level of the bustling planet of Coruscant, in a dark secluded room, a hooded figure sat in meditation. The bare room in which he sat was completely dark save for one small candle burning in in his hands. The hot wax dripped down onto his skin, burning him, but he didn't let go. The pain fueled him, made his powers grow and gave him clarity. Darth Sidious closed his eyes and lowered his head, chanting softly.

            For weeks he had been consumed by a strange sense of dread, had lucid nightmares filled with tortured screams, thousands of marching troops, and the constant piercing wailing of an infant. In these dreams he saw a flashing pair of brilliant eyes, the blinding light of a lightsaber, and a dark figure emerging from the shadows, their bright yellow eyes filled with fury and murder. They stalked toward Sidious, who was on his knees, and they said something, but their words came out as unintelligible hissing that made Sidious' heart pound and his ears ring. They raised their saber, the color flashing from a bright blue to a dark red then they plunged the saber into his heart. Every night when Sidious had these visions he would wake up in a cold sweat, grabbing at his chest where the dark figure's lightsaber had stabbed him, his skin burning.

       "Who is this?" Sidious asked, gripping the candle tighter as his anger rose, desperately searching through the Force for some answers, "Are they to defeat me? Are they to defeat my enemies? I must know!" The flame trembled as Sidious' hands began to shake, his grip so tight the stick threatened to snap in half. "I must get control of this child. I must shackle this monster and make it my own. I must know who this is!"

            The candle snapped and the top fell to the floor, the flame snuffing out and plunging the small room into total darkness. Sidious sat there, panting, his hands burning and his heart pounding.

            Outside the closed window the faint sounds of the city could be heard. Speeders rushing past and civilians shouting to one another. Coruscant was a loud planet but in the middle of the night it became quite peaceful, allowing Sidious to be fairly alone with his thoughts. Sitting on the cold hard floor of the room Sidious allowed a small smile to creep across his pale lips.

            "With the plan I already have in motion," he whispered to himself, "this child is insignificant. Either they will prove an asset, or an obstacle, but either way, they will not stop me."