Fragments of the Dark

Chapter Forty-One

The surface of Exegol was eternally dark.

A fact Celene had assumed was due to the nature of the Darkside that resided within the planet. Even a non-Force user could sense the power here, the energy. It did well to keep any unwanted visitors away, one look at the lightning skittered across the ancient Sith ruins and one assumed landing was not safe.

Celene piloted the Falcon down to the surface, using the Force to avoid the random electric charges in the air. The ship touched down on the desert floor and she paused, staring out the cockpit window. Before her rose the massive remains of a Sith Temple, the point reaching far into the sky.

She rose from her seat and made her way to the back of the ship, bypassing Din's quarters. She opened the door to her own and shrugged off her bounty hunter's jacket. Piece by piece the lies she'd constructed fell away as each knife and blaster dropped to the floor, followed by the vambraces on her forearms and her heavy boots.

Yanking the Sith robes from their hiding place, she ran a finger across the black fabric. The secret she'd kept all these years. Once the power was a burden but now she would use it to end this. She slipped the robes on, relishing the feeling of the light tunic and thin pants that enabled her to move more freely. She pulled the hood over her head, feeling suddenly lighter than she had in years.

No more lies. She secured her lightsaber to her belt and then left her quarters without a backward glance. Celene punched the button on the wall, the ramp slowly lowering. The dry and dusty air of Exegol greeted her, the darkness around her suddenly all-consuming. Flashes of lightning illuminated the way as she stepped onto the rocky surface.

Power hummed through her and voices ancient and old floated around her. There was no disguising her intentions of coming here, not with this many of the ancient Sith's spirits still residing on the planet.

They knew and they awaited it eagerly.

She crossed the desert plain quickly, disappearing beneath the surface of the pyramid. A few hundred meters in front of her, the ground opened up in a yawning pit. She approached the edge and crouched down, peering in. The cavern below held the ancient remains of the Sith arena.

How fitting.

Apprentice. You've returned.

She tried to not shudder as his voice sounded both in her mind and floating in the empty space around her.

Do not hide from me, apprentice. Your presence is unmistakable.

Celene gritted her teeth. Then she leaped from the ledge, plummeting down into the cavernous space below. She landed, the rocky floor cracking as she slammed into it. She straightened and let out a breath, facing the scene before her.

The Emperor reclined on the throne, the ledges of rock jutting out from behind him like spires on a crown. Heavily shrouded in darkness and his robes, his milky white eyes appeared to be unseeing but Celene knew better. And she knew the mechanical apparatus that allowed him to move, floating above the ground, was just behind him. If she could destroy that-

"Apprentice." His voice was raspy, stone grating on stone. Rage shot through her, the phantom pain of a saber slicing her skin dancing down her face.

"Master."

"You've returned. After all this time, only to kill me it would seem."

She tilted her head. "It is my right as an apprentice. To kill the master and take the throne."

"Mmm. Perhaps I underestimated you. Perhaps your grandfather and mother's Sith blood run truer than I thought."

"I am only here to stop you and the Empire. You have ruled in terror long enough."

The Emperor emitted a wheezing sound Celene realized to be a laugh. "My dear apprentice, tell me that is not what you truly believe."

She fell silent, long used to the manipulation and deceit of her master.

He continued, "You are here to take this power for yourself. You want it. You want to rule- I can sense it. They can sense it." He raised his arms and the whispers around Celene intensified. Shadows flickered at the edge of her vision but she didn't give the ancient Sith ghosts the satisfaction of turning to face them.

"You are a true Sith, through and through. Chaos runs in your veins. The Darkside lives within you. Tell yourself what you wish but know the Sith know your true intentions for being here."

Celene swallowed and opened her mouth to deny his accusations but... she hesitated. A small piece of her relished in the power and thrills of the Darkside, the unchecked chaos and passion. And she always yearned for it but had learned to suppress it. Was it possible to remain like that forever? Or would her power consume her? Had it already?

"Unsure of yourself, it would seem, apprentice. Are you sure you are ready to take the throne? Or are you unworthy and ill-prepared?"

The murmurings of the Sith around her grew harsher, indignant. Celene growled. "I am here to end this. To finish what my grandfather and my father started. The Skywalker line will end you."

"Yes, your grandfather. Disappointing. He was the same as you, convincing himself he only wanted to learn the ways of the Darkside to save your grandmother but I knew the truth. He longed for power, just the same as you. Perhaps you will succeed where he failed then." The Emperor rose from his throne, floating through the air until he was mere feet from Celene.

She could see the milky white of his eyes, the pale and dying skin of his weathered face. "Perhaps you will be true to yourself, embrace yourself for what you truly are. Lord Keres, Empress of the Sith."

He was so close. All she had to do was reach for her saber, and strike him down. The throne, the Empire, the power would be hers. She could be free... she could embrace her power. Celene reached for her saber but her Master suddenly retreated out of reach. "Foolish child," he hissed. "You did not believe I'd simply let you take the throne as you are, after all you have done to betray me?" A crumpled imitation of a smile crossed his lips. "No. I shall finish what I started with you and once I am sure you are loyal and obedient to me, then you will take my throne."

Celene backed away a step. Just one. "You will never let me rule."

"True." The Emperor waved his hand. Hooded guards approached her from all sides. "That is why your cybernetic implants will be finished. We will stage my death and you will rule in my place while I conduct from the shadows."

"I will not allow it," Celene said. Her lightsaber ignited the crimson glow illuminating the darkness. The answering sounds of six sabers igniting in a ring around her broke the calm.

"It is inevitable." He leaned back on the throne. "As powerful as you are, the only way I can allow you to live is completely loyal to me. Your will will not be your own. And with your help, I will hunt down every remaining Jedi, every person you know and love, and slaughter them all."

Din and Grogu flashed in her mind, along with the mind-numbing terror as she realized her fate. She was nothing but a mere pawn in his game. A puppet. And with her power, he would destroy the galaxy and everyone she ever cared for.

Celene raised her saber. "I will never be your slave again," she breathed.

And drove the lightsaber through her body.