Collision

8. Seduction

"Master... can I ask you something?" Azam said.

It was a weird day, no Sith Ethernals had been there all day and the lightning storm from allways was somehow less noisy.

The air wasn't as cold as always either, or maybe Azam had been so bothered by what was going on on her mind that the other things seemed less important.

For some reason... she wanted to believe that maybe there was hope again.

"What is it?" Palpatine asked.

Azam clasped her hands behind her back.

"I... I was wondering if maybe we could send a message to my parents, to let them know I'm here, since... you know, I'm okay and they're somewhere out there hiding..."

Although her master didn't make many facil expressions, she could see that he disliked the question very much.

Azam asked about her parents at least once every year, and it was always like this, out of the blue.

Palpatine thought that she would have forgotten about them since last time he told her that they had actually abandoned her and went away, not wanting anything with her. She was so mad and sad that she had threatened to get away.

The little girl had packed some clothes on a sack and walked around Exegol until she collapsed from fatigue.

Palpatine then send troopers to get her and punished her for a week for being so stupid, anyways, she wouldn't be able to go anywhere.

"Azam..." his deep voice said.

"Master, I know you've told me that they don't care about me and we don't know where they are but-"

"They're dead!"

Azam felt her eyes and nose sting and her breath got stuck in her lungs for a moment.

"What?" she murmured.

Palpatine lowered himself so the girl heard clearly what he had to say and hoped that he only had to say it once and never again talk about this.

"Azam-"

"You're lying!" she interrupted him.

As it was usual in Palpatine, he used the force to bring Azam to her knees and make her stay quiet.

"You were too young, and I didn't want to tell you this but, it's time for you to learn the truth." Azam could only shake her head.

"The resistance... Luke Skywalker, they feared my son and his family, they feared anyone who was related to me so... they send everyone out to get them, to finish them. It was terrible Azam, for years they chased after my beloved Sith Ethernals and killed them, remaining only the ones that you've seen through the years and your parents..."

Azam was feeling dizzy.

Luke Skywalker... she had heard that name before. A cursed name of a man that her grandfather hated, because he had gotten betwen him and Darth Vader, ruined his Empire and destined the Sith to live in shame. Hidden in Exegol and apparently... he was also guilty of her parents deaths.

"They knew it was a matter of time before they found them so, they decided that selling you would be their best chance at saving you, and saving themselves but... Skywalker found them and killed them." Azam closed her eyes and wished she could move her hands to cover her ears.

"You've asked so much about this, you're now fifteen years old Azam, you're old enough to know that they're not out there. They're not coming back and I'm the only one who has ever cared for you" She suddenly felt his cold hand brushing her cheek.