Hero of Naboo Chapter 25 Preview

AN Good news, nearly halfway through the chapter now. Expect Chapter 25 next week at the latest.

Neither Sith were surprised: Plagueis by Vader's arrival or Vader by Plagueis's question. One might even think they expected one another, that they planned to meet here all along.

Darth Vader approached from the otherside of the tower, a hovercar parked behind him. He said nothing as he drew closer, watching as Sidious landed on the surface of the Flats, putting as much distance between himself and his persuers as possible. "Should I assume you haven't retracted your offer, Plagueis?"  Vader inquired idly.

"What? After you played my student and upset our plans? Sent the Jedi to our doorstep? Tore a assunder the Veil of the Darkside?" Plagueis listed off, seeming more amused than angry. "Sidious was a fool to fall for your trap. If I couldn't sense that genuine hatred for Sidious, I might suspect you were just trying to make the Order of Bane destroy itself."

"As I told the Jedi, both sides need to clean house," Vader remarked coolly.

"Clean house?" Plagueis repeated curiously.

"You disagree?" Vader inquired.

"Perhaps with your choice of words. I'd perfer the term "Pruning" if anything," Plagueis observed, glancing upward with interest. "The Veil, I can't help but be impressed. And intrigued. It has been many, many ages since the shrouding nature of the Dark Side was pulled back. I wonder, just what effects this will have on the Jedi. Especially the younger ones. Still, it is a temporary thing in the end."

"In the name of transparency, it merely felt like the most irrefutable manner to prove to the Jedi that I was never the sole Sith walking among them," Vader explained simply.

"Hm. I suppose if you're still considering an alliance, my identity has not been revealed?" Plagueis deduced knowingly.

"For now. I'm certain you will fall under suspicion, along with everyone else that had any business with Sheev Palpatine," Vader pointed out.

Plagueis nodded in agreement. Even without being named, Hego Damask would inevitably become a suspect in the hunt for Darth Plagueis. After all, their public personas were known to have ties. But so long as he was not named specifically, he had enough time and space to work around the fallout of this. "I'm not oppose to working with you, Vader, once this matter is settled and we have a proper discussion on our goals."

"A valid reasoning," Vader conceded before the air around them grew thick and cold with his ire. "You let Sidious live."

It wasn't a question, and might have even been an accusation. Plagueis merely hummed. "No, I merely allowed him to, how does the phrase go? Go out in a blaze of glory," he explained, sounding as if they were having a pleasant conversation.

Vader's ire simmered, but remained leashed by his will. "Surely you know how foolish that is?" Vader asked as he watched Sidious use the force to rip away the metal ground beneath them, making it lurch and bend backward to at least slow the Jedi down. There were a dozen of them, and all were incredibly warry of Sidious's abilities now. The Naboo-born sith would not be able to slay many more, especially with Yoda and Mace Windu so nearby, not to mention Dooku. "You know very well that if Sidious has a chance to slip away, he will seize it and be a threat to any future plans either of us create."

"Than it is fortunate that there is no chance that Sidious will escape," Plagueis mused with a smile behind his breathing mask.

Vader remained silent for an instnat before turning to the Sith Lord fully. "And how have you insured that?"

"Hm? Have you not noticed it?" Plagueis asked wryly. "I know you're accustom to being the center of attention, Lord Vader, but you should not forget to take note of others."

Vader grew annoyed by that, but his curiousity and suspicious overruled that. He reached out, taking sense of things in the Dark Side. He could feel much, of course. Anger, rage, sorrrow, fear, sadism, and so much more. But there was something else. Something Vader relished to feel yet found baffling all the same.

Despair. More specifially, Sidious's despair.

The scheming senator, the man that would have manipulated the entire galaxy into playing his tune, was in utter and total despair on the inside. The Jedi would never sense it throughthe rage and twisted delight Sidious radiated, but it was there, truly. 

Sidious had no hope of getting out of this situaiton, no hope of seeing tomorrow. He was fighting, not to survive, but to do as much damage as possible. But why? Surely Plagueis's pressence wouldn't be enough to prevent Sidious from at least trying to force a path out of these circumstances. Sidious was an oppurtunist, he never admitted defeat and, as weird as it was to think about, always had hope that things could work out to his desire. With enough plotting, killing, torture, visions of the future, and mindcontrol.

So, what could make Sidious feel like there was nothing he cou-?

Vader stilled and Plagueis chuckled knowingly. "I'm pleased to know I can surprise you, Lord Vader," the Muun remarked in amusement. Dark, horrible amusement.

"What have you done?" Vader questioned ominously, almost unable to believe what he was sensing.

Meanwhile

The Dark Side delighted in his own anguish, and the fury it created in his very bones, fueling and powering him on. Without it, he could never have held out this long after an extended conflict with Plagueis. But without the virus eating away at the one thing he clung to the most, he wouldn't be here at all. He'd be dead. Plagueis only allowed him to live because he knew Sidious was already a walking corpse for all intents and purposes. Jedi or Sith, it didn't matter, one them would kill him.

That said, he still planned to scar the Jedi Order as much as he could before finally falling to their sabers.

Who knows, if he was feeling spiteful enough, he might reveal Plagueis's identity with his dying breath.

But right now, he was barely holding off Dooku as he ran across the Works. The noble-born Jedi was able to distract and slow him down just enough as other Jedi began to outflank him. From the sides, at this distance, they could dodge his Force Lightning. And if he tried sending it at Dooku, that would prompt Yoda or Windu to rush forth and take over for him, both very capable at defending against Sidious's favored form of attack.

Unless something fortunate happened, he would have to attempt a desperate manuver.

The Dark Lord and his Jedi persueres came to a halt as sheet of industrial platting came raining down like metalic hail. It came down all around Sidious, who managed to divert them at the last moment to impale arouind him. Blocking his exit, but also forcing the Jedi to halt for an instance.

Both sides looking off to the side at a looming tower where in all his dark glory, stood Vader.