Eclipse

Chapter 4- Promise of Return

  The door to the supreme Chancellor's maroon office slid open with a swift hiss, a few short nights, following Count Dooku's unexplained demise. 

Palpatine saw no point to renew the guard that would usually stand vigilantly outside his office to halt any intruders or annoying nocturnal senators. He knew they would just be slaughtered like Amedda before them. 

The Chancellor himself did not bother to move a single muscle as he sat down at his large, ornate desk that was turned around to observe the glorious planet of Coruscant. The neon lights flashed wildly from late night bars and traffic buzzing past, living up to it's label of the city that never sleeps. 

The Sith in disguise folding his hands together with a thoughtful brow furrowing over his wrinkled features. Contemplating. Until Lord Vader had completely purged Skywalker from his system, and he was no longer an unpredictable variable he had to alter into his plans to work around, it would remain that way. Besides, he thought with a smirk. No one would be able to even come close to harming him. Seperatist, bounty hunter, or miscreant, their title would be irrelevant when they faced his newest security.

Finally, the Sith Lord faced the door that had opened a few delayed seconds ago, a placid expression present on his face as he watched his protegé stealthily glide inside with just a hint of declining grace in his sure stride. Waves crashing like a tsunami in Kaminos fiercest turbulence of storms, rolled off the dark Lord with only sprinkles of pesky light to candle the dark consumed soul. 

Darth Sidious smirked with rotting yellow teeth underneath his hood matching the darkness of space, molten eyes followed the apprentice with sick joy as he lost himself in reverie once more. His apprentice was not permitted to complain anyhow. This would teach him discipline.

Murdering his predecessor and various other colonies spread throughout Anakin Skywalker lengthy disappearance had done him well. It has been two weeks or so since his little experiment had been launched to wreak havoc over the galaxy and remind them all whole controlled it. Then one solid week since the Hero With No Fear had been deemed missing in action and only days since he had given the order to end the frantic search. 

The Republic had lost more ground from their adversaries in that short amount of time than twice that in double the time. It would be worrisome if he cared. Most, especially the lovely Amidala and level-headed, Master Kenobi had done all but get down on their knees and beg for him to find the beloved knight. He smiled benevolently at each pair and the city as a whole, promising with grieving eyes as he told them he believed someday, the boy would return. He authentically trusted that he was alright... 

Ignorant, they all were. Their precious hero was perfectly fine. Well, the Chosen one was. His aura was a sweet blood-lust, overflowing with sadistic pleasure that exuded from the dark being that blended into the blackness of night. He had done his master proud. 

While on the other hand, Skywalker was struck blind, deaf and dumb, cast down to all nine levels of Corellian Hells and dragged back up through them again. He was enclosed by the thick stench of rotting flesh, doom despair, and death. All were icy over his skin, deliberately executed, each and every soul was a victim of vicious intent. His precious Jedi principles, the foundation of who he had grown to become, were violated many time over during weeks away. His spirit dripped with overwhelming guilt and exhaustion, no longer bright as the sun that had fallen away from the sky to allow darkness to reign. The boy had been locked away in a poisonous cage to sob and beg for freedom, the night stretched longer and the days grew shorter for him. The days were becoming numbered. His master, would be appalled.

It disappointed the Sith a great deal that he would soon awake, and recall none of the atrocities he has committed. He wanted the arrogant child that was Skywalker to suffer. To drown in his loss and miseries until he rued the day he was conceived by the almighty force. By daybreak, the Jedi would wake up with nothing but a cold sense of crippling guilt. The murder of Count Dooku would be lost to him, but at least the man's blood would never be washed away from his sinful hands.