The Returning Knight: A Star Wars Story

Chapter 18: Breaking Point

The Trial siblings' joining of the imperial senate of the galactic republic and later the rebel alliance created cracks in their durasteel bond. Sigil grew cold and disheartened, emotionally indifferent and his warm and kind heart took a backseat to a factually driven mind with very little emotions ever shown.

Revan's growth didn't change course however. She grew clingy to her brother but receiving nothing back, made her distance herself from him. It was emotionally devastating to her at first. All their life, they had relied upon each other and nobody else but themselves and now that had changed. She was in foreign waters without guidance and becoming a teenager didn't help her case. Her body had changed as was evident by the stares she was getting from her peers at the Coruscant martial academy. If senators wanted to keep their children or people under their guardianship on Coruscant, they had to be enrolled, homeschooled or sent off world. Sigil, not wanting her back with hostile nobles, kept her on Coruscant and away from trouble. She had voiced her concerns to him so he rolled her out and brought in tutors for her and she was homeschooled which isolated her further and threatened to bring about depression.

To help her combat her growing depression, she tried to build a love life to some success but mostly her relationships never progressed that far and after feeling stuck in a loop, she gave up on it entirely.

Orlean took the role of the elder brother and or uncle in her life with him leaning into the latter. But Orlean grew old and eventually retired from guard duty but for his dutiful service, Sigil allowed him to live with them as normal only now, he didn't have to be on full alert all the time. He could finally relax and enjoy his retirement.
Their situation in the alliance was just magnified. Sigil was an admiral directing campaigns. Revan was a spy and spent her time under cover while Orlean was a training instructor for ground forces keeping occupied between different squadrons with her keeping 5cn for added disguise.

All of the events of the last two decades flashed through her as she was being escorted by stormtroopers following her attempt to collect intelligence about imperial dreadnoughts off of imperial intelligence. She was caught due the surprise arrival of Ysanne Isard, the director of imperial intelligence. She was caught by the sharp eye of the director.

And now she was being taken to the chambers of the emperor himself. What would happen to her? Why would the emperor want her for? The different thoughts made her sick to her stomach. Finally outside his throne room, she was transferred into the custody of a pair of red royal guards standing outside.

The door leading to the throne room opened, revealing the throne of the emperor in the far end of the room turned to the window. She, along with the guards, made their way to the other side of the throne room and stopped at the right side of the emperor. "Leave us alone." The emperor's raspy voice commanded. The guards turned in an instant and headed outside the room yet again.

Finally the emperor turned his chair to his right to face her. "Ah isn't this Revan Trial?" Palpatine questioned. She remained silent with fear. The emperor cackled at that. "Why did the rebels send you here?" He questioned. "You know it!" She spat defiantly. Palpatine turned back to the window while shaking his head "Poor souls like you have been manipulated by the rebels. They want to restore the republic. The republic who exploited the outer-rim and its people to no end until I stopped it. You want to help oppression?" He inquired. "You are the oppressor!" She continued. "What has the republic done to better any region but the core? For millennia they harvested the resources and people while destroying their planets and just leaving after they didn't have anything to give and the Jedi council just watched this happen from within their ivory tower while not bothering to use their seat in the senate to raise concerns. I, on the other hand, have built up worlds and industrialized many while guaranteeing their safety with garrisons of troops on the ground and protection via the navy. How can I be the oppressor?" He asked in an innocent tone. "Those garrisons are there to keep the people in check." She pointed out. "Every government needs policing, else there is no need for the government itself. Total anarchy." He countered. "There is a line between policing and subjugation." She pressed. "Depends on the world. The outer-rim has been lawless for so many millennia that it needs heavier policing to become civilized." he stated. "You took away liberty." Was her next argument. "The day I declared the creation of the empire, the entire senate was cheering and as such your "liberty" was taken by approval of your representatives with thunderous applause." He pointed out. "So I ask if you miss, how can I possibly be the bad guy in this situation?" He asked. "You are a Sith. Evil isn't a byproduct of your regime's autocracy rather the autocracy is a byproduct of your regime's evil governing religion." She spat. He scoffed at that. "So you believe the lies of the Jedi? The same Jedi who did nothing to stop the hutt cartel and other criminal elements. What about the genocide of the Sith race? The destruction of Mandalore? The Zygerian slave empire and it still goes further. The republic was corrupt. It was hopeless to intervene against the trade federation's occupation of our homeworld 35-34 years ago. Ask your brother later. He will remember. That is when I was elected to bring change and I did." He pointed out. "The entire galaxy can't be monitored." She defended. "But the empire has taken more steps towards improving the livelihood of the galactic populace. More jobs, less crime, stronger economy, welfare as well as the subjugation of organized crime and large criminal elements." He countered. She couldn't formulate a response and began murmuring in an attempt to come up with something. "You are living in denial, miss. Your brain has accepted it already. I have created a superior system which limits the power of criminals and have created a safer society for all." He continued. "So do you see the truth now?" He asked in the end. "I am still not sure." She hesitated. "It is your emotions blocking your vision. Although a powerful tool, they are also a roadblock. You must master them and not be enslaved by them." He explained. "How?" She questioned. "Through the dark side of course. Not something the Jedi offer but I and lord Vader do." Was the reply. "So you now understand that emotion is human nature. Suppressing it leads to pressure building up and eventually exploding. Unlike the Jedi, we don't ignore but subjugate these emotions to further ourselves as people." He continued. "The rebellion, they have killed so many imperial troops and naval personnel. They were people you know. They weren't automatons. They had families looking for their return home. Kids eagerly waiting for their parents. Parents anxiously waiting for their children to come home but it wasn't meant to be due to the terror attacks of the alliance." He elaborated further, sowing doubt even more. She didn't speak a single word during this exchange. "So do you see the truth now? Are you ready to help the true just cause in this galaxy?" He asked. "I accept." She replied with hesitation still present. "From now on, you shall be known as my hand. The emperor's hand." He declared loud enough for his guard to hear.

"You know my dear, I knew your father. You remind me of him." He opened up again trying to ease her worries. "You did?" She asked with skepticism. "Of course I did. I was the senator of Naboo." He reminded. "Oh how much of a shame it was that you didn't get to know him. Truly a tragedy. He was a great man who wanted nothing more for you to prosper but marrying into aristocracy was his unfortunate undoing." He reminisced. "What was he like?" Revan asked with uncertainty. Palpatine grinned under his hood; she was hooked. "He was as charismatic and nice as they come. A wealthy businessman who had established a trade empire in the mid-rim. He was always with your brother. Almost as an extension of himself; never letting go of him for reasons I was oblivious to. But after working with your mother, I saw why." He said, not lying however. She sighed.

"Well let us not get too ahead my apprentice. Guards!" He called. Immediately the pair of guards rushed in and held their staffs to her throat. "No." Palpatine commanded. The guards lowered their staffs in response. "Give her one." He ordered and one obliged immediately. "Begin!" He exclaimed and the other guard immediately lunged at her. She brought up the staff and blocked the incoming strike. The man in red, followed up by a series of quick flurries, which she parried without effort after adjusting to the vibrostaff.

Now was her time to go on the offensive. Drawing upon 19 years of Jedi training, she bested the royal guard in short order via disarming him of his blade. "Dew it." Palpatine commanded quietly. "Unworthy!" He shouted in anger, causing the room to shake. "Do what you must to prove yourself!" He demanded. She tightened her grip on the hilt before plunging it into the red guard's chest. "The weak shall not protect me. Leave." He commanded the second guard. He snatched his weapon from her hand and headed back to the door to stand guard yet again. "Follow me." Palpatine commanded getting up from his seat. She followed the instructions of her new master which led them to the rooftop of the imperial palace.

"Draw your lightsaber." Palpatine commanded. "She drew hers quickly enough to catch the weaker torrents of force lightning coming from him. "Do you feel the power?!" He shouted. "I do!" She yelled over the sound of the lightning bolts. "So let this be our first lesson!" He yelled, raising the intensity of his force lightning to the point where it flung her lightsaber away from her and the bolts hit her.

She fell on the floor, screaming in agony as Palpatine pressisted through his onslaught until he decided enough was enough and paused his attacks. She laid there, a weeping mess. She recovered after a few seconds and mustering all her strength, she lunged at him with her saber. Palpatine stepped aside with no effort. "You fight like a Jedi!" He mocked. "Use your anger towards me! Let it fuel you! Do it!" He encouraged. Her onslaught continued in the form of crude swings of the lightsaber as her body was weakened from the force lightning.
She made one last lunge at Palpatine to which he side stepped again but this time, he grabbed her lightsaber and took it out of her grasp while tripping her. He held the blade to her throat as she rolled onto her back after hitting the ground. "Lesson 1. Give into your emotions! Don't let them be wasted! They are power! Unleash your emotions and obtain power!" Her anger at being humiliated like this finally boiled over as her eyes changed their shade to that of yellow while unleashing a force scream which made the emperor skid back slightly. Palpatine parted the grin on his lips and opened his mouth "Good... Good... Now you are truly worthy of my teachings, apprentice."

Elsewhere in the galaxy, Sigil felt a part of him die as if he were two candles and one was blown out and his body became colder out of the blue. The force bond he shared with Revan was altered greatly. This was a sign.