330 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
330 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
|
|
|
|
Star Wars
|
|
|
|
The Failure of Balanus
|
|
|
|
by Bill Menees
|
|
|
|
Nincohn was long forgotten. A remote planet on the
|
|
farthest regions of the Outer Rim, it had been explored by
|
|
the Republic at the height of their expansion. Now, as
|
|
their influence in the galaxy dwindled, so did their memory
|
|
of the small, unresourceful planet.
|
|
Only one Republic expedition ever contacted Nincohn.
|
|
It carried a single Jedi and four crewmen. The group's only
|
|
report back to the Republic's Exploration division discussed
|
|
the relative lack of life and resources on the planet.
|
|
After this the ship was to leave for another system.
|
|
But the ship failed to report in again, and after
|
|
several weeks the Republic planned a search for the missing
|
|
ship. However, before the mission could commence, the first
|
|
stirrings of the Clone Wars began, and the Republic's
|
|
attention quickly shifted from a few lost men to protecting
|
|
themselves. In the process, Nincohn and it's only link to
|
|
the Republic were forgotten as well.
|
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
"Well, sir, I've sent our findings to Exploration about
|
|
the lovely planet we've found here. They've given us orders
|
|
to proceed to a new system about three weeks away. Shall we
|
|
get going?"
|
|
The Jedi Balanus opened his eyes slowly as if awakening
|
|
from a trance and responded, "No. I have found someone that
|
|
I must contact before we leave."
|
|
"But how, sir? We haven't seen a soul since we got
|
|
here," said the crewman.
|
|
"I have just seen a soul, son. One that is strong with
|
|
the Force and in desperate need of help. He is being drawn
|
|
closer to the Dark Side even as we speak." Balanus paused
|
|
momentarily as if shaken and continued, "Wait here until I
|
|
return. I must seek him out before it is too late."
|
|
"Yes, sir," the crewman half-heartedly called out as
|
|
he watched the Jedi leave.
|
|
|
|
Balanus hurried to the nearby village where he knew he
|
|
would find the soul he was seeking. Or rather the soul that
|
|
was seeking him. As he approached the village he could hear
|
|
shouts and the cry of an angry mob of people. When he
|
|
entered he saw not only the mob but that they were
|
|
surrounding the man he was looking for. The people were
|
|
shouting and circling tighter and tighter around the man.
|
|
"Kill the Wizard!"
|
|
"The Demon must die," the crowd began to scream. "Get
|
|
him!"
|
|
And as the crowd rushed, the man in the middle went
|
|
into action. Huge arcs of electricity erupted from all
|
|
around his body like an exploding sphere. Those closest to
|
|
him died instantly, and those further back suffered only a
|
|
few seconds longer. But like an explosion, the blast only
|
|
lasted a few seconds. The man knew danger still existed,
|
|
and he mentally screamed for Balanus to help him.
|
|
He knew, and Balanus knew, that he couldn't protect himself
|
|
for long.
|
|
The remaining crowd hesitated a moment but then began
|
|
to rush the man again. But before they could reach him,
|
|
Balanus drew his lightsaber and cut the supports out from
|
|
under the hut nearest him. The resulting crash stopped
|
|
everyone in their tracks, including the man in the middle.
|
|
Balanus spoke to the angry crowd and used all his Jedi
|
|
skills to calm them. "Good people! Please do not destroy
|
|
this man! I have seen his soul and..."
|
|
But before he could finish someone in the crowd cried,
|
|
"Then you must be evil as well!"
|
|
"No! I seek only to help you," Balanus said.
|
|
But the mob was not convinced and more people turned on
|
|
Balanus. As he looked into their minds he knew that they
|
|
had only hatred and fear for him. As quickly as the attack
|
|
on the other man had begun, so did the attack on Balanus.
|
|
At first, he tried only to escape, but when it became
|
|
clear that he was surrounded and faced certain death, his
|
|
composure begin to fail and his Jedi training began to be
|
|
forgotten. With each slice of his lightsaber, Balanus'
|
|
anger increased, and he journeyed one step closer to the
|
|
Dark Side. Balanus eventually managed to cut a hole through
|
|
the crowd and run off in a maddened rage towards his ship.
|
|
As he ran he could feel that the other man had also escaped
|
|
the wrath of the crowd but that he too had killed many of
|
|
them to do it.
|
|
When Balanus arrived at the ship, he saw that the
|
|
townspeople had beaten him there and had already killed its
|
|
crew. This was the last mistake they ever made. His rage
|
|
now at its limits and all Jedi values abandoned, Balanus
|
|
disposed of his attackers in the swift, elegant, and lethal
|
|
way that only a Jedi could. Or rather, the way that only a
|
|
Dark Jedi could.
|
|
When the fight was over and all the townspeople were
|
|
destroyed, Balanus fell to his knees and cursed all that he
|
|
knew for bringing him to this destiny. And just before he
|
|
collapsed from exhaustion, Balanus became aware that the man
|
|
who had gotten him into this in the first place was watching
|
|
him from a distance. And Balanus cursed him as well.
|
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
When he awoke, Balanus was inside his ship. And so was
|
|
the other man.
|
|
"My name is Palpatine," the other man began. "Welcome
|
|
to the 'former' village of Nincohn-Agosha."
|
|
"I am the Jedi Balanus. As I slept I saw many things,
|
|
many possible futures. I saw that our destinies are
|
|
intertwined. You are strong in the Force, and I will train
|
|
you to use your power. In time we will achieve the greatest
|
|
of power."
|
|
Palpatine thought for a moment and spoke, "So it is the
|
|
Force that I control, is it? I have heard of this Force
|
|
from others, and I suspected that it might be the source of
|
|
my unusual powers."
|
|
"You are referring to your ability to create electric
|
|
fields. That is only one power that a Jedi has."
|
|
"I am referring to many other abilities I have besides
|
|
that," Palpatine said. "At times, I can move objects with a
|
|
thought, read other people's minds, or even go for months
|
|
without eating or drinking. I am by no means an ordinary
|
|
man," he said with a grin.
|
|
"You said 'at times'. I will teach you the ways of the
|
|
Force, and through discipline and training, you will in time
|
|
master those abilities and gain many others. From this time
|
|
forth, Palpatine, you will call me Master Balanus."
|
|
"And if I choose not to follow you," Palpatine asked,
|
|
"What then?"
|
|
"Then I will destroy you and fulfill my destiny alone,"
|
|
Balanus said.
|
|
"So be it, Master Balanus. Let us begin."
|
|
|
|
As the months passed, Palpatine grew stronger and
|
|
stronger with the Dark Side of the Force. He quickly
|
|
mastered the skills he had previously been able to use only
|
|
momentarily, and he learned others with equal speed and
|
|
ability. It soon became apparent to both men that the
|
|
student would eventually outgrow the master.
|
|
"Your training is almost complete, Palpatine," began
|
|
Balanus. "You have only one skill left to master."
|
|
"And what skill is that, Master Balanus?"
|
|
"The lightsaber. I have spent the last few months
|
|
constructing you one, and we shall begin your training now."
|
|
"Master, I do not wish to use such a clumsy and
|
|
inelegant weapon as your lightsaber. It's power is
|
|
insignificant to my abilities, and I will not be burdened or
|
|
weakened by depending on technology to fight my battles."
|
|
"An arrogant opinion, as always, Palpatine. When your
|
|
training is complete, you may decide which skills you wish
|
|
to use. For now, I will be the judge of what you learn or
|
|
do not learn. If we are to be successful in my plans, we
|
|
will both need to master all the skills of the Jedi."
|
|
"For now then, Master Balanus. But for now only."
|
|
|
|
One month later, Palpatine's training was complete, and
|
|
the two men were ready to leave Nincohn. On the night of
|
|
their departure, Balanus finally explained his plans to
|
|
Palpatine.
|
|
"I was a well known Jedi in the Republic. I had many
|
|
friends in high-level positions, and more importantly, I
|
|
kept many secrets. At one time, I was the personal guardian
|
|
to the First Speaker of the Senate, and in that post I saw
|
|
much deceit and betrayal. He was a corrupt man, and I
|
|
collected the evidence to expose him. Unfortunately, he
|
|
found out what I was doing.
|
|
"Since I was a Jedi Knight, he couldn't just have me
|
|
quietly killed off, so he did the next best thing. He
|
|
transferred me to the Exploration division and sent me as
|
|
far away from him and the Republic as possible. I have
|
|
little doubt that he's the reason no search party was ever
|
|
sent to look for our vessel.
|
|
"The first thing we'll do when we return is get control
|
|
of him. I still have the evidence, and we'll use it to put
|
|
him in our pocket. He will help us get you a place in the
|
|
Senate. From there you and I will be able to control more
|
|
Senators in time. Many are corrupt, but few would suspect
|
|
that one of their own ranks would betray them. But you will
|
|
betray them. In a short time, I will control the Senate and
|
|
you will be placed as its leader under my supervision.
|
|
"Are you prepared to leave, Palpatine?"
|
|
"Yes, Balanus. Under one condition."
|
|
"And that is?"
|
|
"I will follow you, but I will no longer call you
|
|
Master. We have both foreseen that I can destroy you, but I
|
|
do not wish to at this time. As such, I feel it is
|
|
inappropriate to call you Master any longer."
|
|
"As you wish, Palpatine. But remember, that is only
|
|
one possible future. I have seen others where I destroy you
|
|
and still others where we are both destroyed. What is
|
|
important is that we fulfill our destiny and succeed in
|
|
overthrowing the Republic."
|
|
"So be it, Balanus."
|
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
The voyage back to the Imperial Senate in the heart of
|
|
the Republic took almost a month from the remote planet
|
|
Nincohn. This time was used to educate Palpatine on some of
|
|
the finer points of Imperial Senate politics. Also during
|
|
the voyage, the two Dark Jedi perfected mental fronts that
|
|
would conceal their true purposes from any Jedi Knights they
|
|
might encounter when they reached their destination. But
|
|
these fronts also served the dual purpose of allowing them
|
|
to keep their thoughts from each other. Thus the two Dark
|
|
Jedi were reduced to verbal communication.
|
|
One night, after several days without either one saying
|
|
a word to the other, they began to discuss some of the
|
|
things that had happened to them on Nincohn. Eventually
|
|
Palpatine began to retell what had been happening to him
|
|
when Balanus had discovered him in the village.
|
|
"It was the time for choosing a new leader for the
|
|
village. Although I had never been much a part of the
|
|
village, I always knew that I would rule someday. So I went
|
|
to the festival where the new leader would be chosen.
|
|
"When I arrived I told them why I was there, and the
|
|
crowd mocked me. They called me 'outcast', 'crazy', all
|
|
sorts of things. This, of course, angered me, so I
|
|
challenged their newly selected leader to a dual for the
|
|
title. He agreed and instantly charged at me. When he hit
|
|
me it felt like I exploded, and when I looked at him I
|
|
realized that in a way I had.
|
|
"I had been so startled that I had instinctively
|
|
electrocuted him. For several minutes no one said anything.
|
|
In that time I reached out with my feelings for someone to
|
|
help me, and I found you. Shortly after, the crowd's anger
|
|
began to swell, you arrived, and the rest is history.
|
|
"But now I see that I was correct in my knowledge that
|
|
I would rule someday. With my seat in the Senate, I will
|
|
rule far more than I had ever dreamed of back on Nincohn.
|
|
For that chance I am grateful."
|
|
Balanus corrected him, "'We will rule far more than
|
|
you had ever dreamed of' is what I'm sure you meant to say.
|
|
And that much is true. Your gratitude, however, is
|
|
unnecessary. I need your loyalty only, just as you need
|
|
mine."
|
|
'But I only need you for a time,' thought Palpatine.
|
|
'For a short time.'
|
|
After that the two talked even less.
|
|
|
|
When they arrived at their destination they were
|
|
shocked to learn that the Clone Wars were already ravaging
|
|
the Republic. They were welcomed home by only a small
|
|
greeting party and were almost immediately forgotten by the
|
|
bureaucracy. This only made it easier for them to execute
|
|
their plans. Within days they had used the evidence of the
|
|
First Speaker's corruption to blackmail him, and a few short
|
|
weeks later the First Speaker was able to secure a seat in
|
|
the Senate for Palpatine. He was at first passed off as a
|
|
'temporary' replacement for the missing Senator from the
|
|
remote and minor planet Epibionta. When no 'permanent'
|
|
replacement showed up for him, he was allowed to take the
|
|
title himself.
|
|
By very subtly using his Dark powers, over time
|
|
Palpatine was able to not only secure more and more power
|
|
for himself in the Senate, he was also able to draw more
|
|
attention and control away from the First Speaker.
|
|
Eventually, when the First Speaker was at his weakest,
|
|
Palpatine stole Balanus' evidence against him and used it to
|
|
expose the man and to exalt himself into an even more
|
|
powerful position. Palpatine was finally ready to show his
|
|
hand and take his place as Master over Balanus.
|
|
|
|
"Palpatine! I'll have your head!" screamed Balanus as
|
|
he stormed into the Senator's office. "After all I've done
|
|
for you, you betray me just so you can gain more power for
|
|
yourself in the Senate! You are a fool! You could never
|
|
rule this Republic without me!"
|
|
"My short-sighted old friend, I do not want to rule
|
|
this Republic," began Palpatine. "I will build a new empire
|
|
with me as its sole ruler. I will not answer to governors
|
|
or senators. I am only a few steps away from my goal as it
|
|
is. Why do I need you?"
|
|
"You are not as powerful as you think. The Clone Wars
|
|
are almost over, and you will not have such an easy time
|
|
securing power once the strong leaders and the Jedi return
|
|
to the Senate. You will need my influence more than you
|
|
believe. I have foreseen it!"
|
|
Palpatine stared at Balanus with cold eyes for a few
|
|
seconds and then responded, "I do need you, but not here.
|
|
Not in my way, where you can mettle in my affairs and make
|
|
pitiful attempts to gain power from me.
|
|
"You know that you would never have been anything
|
|
without me," Palpatine continued. "Your destiny is to serve
|
|
me. As I see it, you owe me your allegiance. In time you
|
|
will call me Master," he finished with a grin.
|
|
"Never," said Balanus coldly. "Your destiny ends here.
|
|
Now." Then Balanus ignited his lightsaber and stalked
|
|
towards Palpatine.
|
|
"So be it, my old friend. You will call me Master,
|
|
but apparently you will do it the hard way."
|
|
In the next moment, Palpatine raised his hands and filled
|
|
the room with a ball of electric fire the likes of which
|
|
Balanus had never seen nor heard of. For a few seconds,
|
|
Balanus was able to channel the electricity away from him
|
|
through careful oscillation of his light saber. But when he
|
|
looked into the mind of his former student, he knew that his
|
|
effort was wasted. Palpatine was only growing stronger, and
|
|
he was only getting weaker. Finally, he succumbed to the
|
|
inevitable and allowed the electricity to reach him.
|
|
Palpatine continued his barrage of electric fire until
|
|
Balanus was almost at the point of death. And then he
|
|
abruptly stopped. "My old friend, it will take many weeks
|
|
for you to heal. In that time I will be in your mind day
|
|
and night. I will extract every bit of your knowledge, your
|
|
hope, and your independence. When I am finished and I allow
|
|
you to heal, you will call me Master and will single-
|
|
mindedly dedicate your life to serving only me. You will be
|
|
my Guardian and will live out your life protecting that
|
|
which is important to me. Do you agree?"
|
|
Balanus used all his strength to look up at Palpatine.
|
|
In a whisper, he cursed Palpatine and everything that had
|
|
brought him to this destiny. But as before, his fear of
|
|
death forced him to do anything he could to stay alive. He
|
|
finally answered, "Yes..."
|
|
"So be it," Palpatine concluded.
|
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
|
|
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
|
|
|
|
Well, that's the way I think it happened anyway. Feel free to e-mail
|
|
and comment, flame, critique, or better yet praise. For a few more
|
|
weeks I can be reached at menees@utkvx.utk.edu.
|
|
|
|
Bill Menees
|