Star Wars: Knight of the Empire -- Revamped Edition *COMPLETE* — Page 2

There, the re-posting of old material is finished. Now I can finally get back to writing wholly new material again.

INT. DELANTINE – IMPERIAL EMBASSY/OBI-WAN’S QUARTERS/MAIN ROOM – DAY

Atop a desk, the disassembled components of Obi-Wan’s damaged lightsaber rest upon a white cloth. Obi-Wan himself is seated in an armchair away from the desk, immersed deep in his own thoughts.

There’s a BUZZ at the door.

OBI-WAN: It’s open.

The door slides open, allowing Bail admittance. Crossing over to the desk, he peers down at the dismantled weapon.

BAIL: What’s the state of your weapon?

OBI-WAN: The power cell and crystals are intact, but the modulation circuits, the field energizers … they’re beyond repair; they’ll have be replaced. (beat) What is it you want, Bail?

BAIL: Raia’s body will be shipped out on the flight to Alderaan within the hour, and I have every intention of going with her to see her put to rest. I thought I’d give my farewells before heading out to the spaceport.

OBI-WAN: Cody knows?

BAIL: Yeah. (beat) He’s doing quite well, y’know. The doctors believe he’s recovered enough to make the trip to Concord Dawn. You should go in to see him before he gets ready to leave.

OBI-WAN: I’ve been meaning to, but with everything’s that happened with Anakin ….

BAIL: I understand. You have a lot on your mind. (beat) What do you plan on doing? With Anakin, that is.

OBI-WAN: In three days, I’ll be leaving for Coruscant. Once there, I’ll await my next assignment. Anakin’s welfare will no longer be my concern.

BAIL: You’re just going to leave him here, the way he is?

OBI-WAN: The paperwork’s already been processed; the Imperial Medical Corps will cover Anakin’s bills. The doctors at the Abieds-Brannrid Medical Centre will give him all the attention and care he requires. They can do more for him than I.

BAIL: (perturbed) Kenobi, you’re his mentor. No, more than that, you’re all but his brother. He needs you more than anyone. You can’t turn away from him, not now when he needs you most.

OBI-WAN: Bail, I …

BAIL: What?

OBI-WAN: Bail, I … I … I can’t even bear to be in the same room with him anymore. (beat) When I’m there, it’s as if I’m not. He just stares straight ahead – straight through me. I talk to him, and he doesn’t answer, doesn’t respond at all. (beat) The Anakin Skywalker I knew – the Anakin I met on Tatooine, who I’ve trained and fought with these last five years – isn’t the man lying restrained in that hospital bed. That man is a stranger, and he frightens me. (beat) God forgive me, he frightens me ….

INT. BATTLEMOON/UIY-2249’S CABIN

Uwe is seated in a chair, reading over the contents on a datapad, when the door to his cabin BUZZES. Standing up, he crosses to the door and opens it. Standing there on the other side is THX-1138.

THX-1138: Officer UIY-2249?

UIY-2249: (nods) I am he.

THX-1138: Would it trouble you if I came in, Commander?

UIY-2249: Not at all, Admiral. (ushers THX-1138 inside) Come, take a seat. I was just about to imbibe a glass of nectarwine. You are more than welcome to join me, of course.

Entering the cabin, Thex takes a seat in the chair directly opposite the one Uwe was sitting in moments before. Crossing over to the bar, the commander takes out two tall glasses.

UIY-2249: I also have Osskorn stout, if nectarwine’s not to your liking.

THX-1138: Nectarwine’s good by me, Commander.

Pouring nectarwine in the two glasses, Uwe carries them over to the two chairs. Handing the admiral his glass, the commander sits down in his chair. Removing his niqab, Thex takes a sip of the wine.

UIY-2249: It’s to your liking?

THX-1138: Quite.

UIY-2249: (smiles) To what do I owe this pleasurable visit, Admiral?

THX-1138: I have a UIY serving aboard the Purifier. I thought it might be edifying if I got to know something about you, to see how the two of you compare.

UIY-2249: How do we fare thus far?

THX-1138: There are similarities. He isn’t a drinker to my knowledge.

UIY-2249: (smiles) Connoisseurship is a learned talent.

THX-1138: I’d figure so.

Uwe takes a long sip of his nectarwine. Allowing the liquid to sit on his palate, his eyes roll up into his head with pleasure.

THX-1138: Commander…?

Eyes rolling back down, Uwe swallows his mouthful.

THX-1138: (cont’d) I’ve observed you with Officer SGW-0027. You’ll obey her orders, follow the commands she gives you, but loosely, with much snark. I get the sense you don’t care much for her.

UIY-2249: I don’t care much for anyone, Admiral.

THX-1138: But hers is an exceptional case. It’s not apathy but antipathy you feel towards her.

UIY-2249: (shrugs) I admit to a modest dislike.

THX-1138: Why do you dislike her?

UIY-2249: I distrust Force-adept clones. Their loyalties are rendered suspect by the nature of their unaltered genomes.

THX-1138: Sigeu’s as loyal to the Directorate as I am – as you are.

UIY-2249: But I am loyal because I cannot be otherwise. You are loyal due to the nanoscopic detonators implanted deep within your medulla oblongatas.

THX-1138: So you distrust me, Commander?

UIY-2249: I do.

THX-1138: Do you dislike me as well?

UIY-2249: That, Admiral, (takes a sip) remains to be determined.

EXT. GEONOSIS – DESERT – DAY

Having dismantled their rudimentary camp and packed up their belongings, the displaced Condawni once again wander through the desolate landscape.

One little girl, MITRA DURAND, is held up between her two parents. A three-year-old child with curly black hair, she is very ill; malnourishment combined with some bug she recently picked up have left her too sick to move about on her own.

Coming to a large conical rock, the wanderers decide to stop and set up camp there.

EXT. CONDAWNI CAMP – TWILIGHT

Mitra wails, crying from the ceaseless hunger which churns her empty stomach. Mrs. Durand holds her to her breast, singing to her and rubbing her back, but neither offer any comfort. When the terrible screams from her daughter become too much to bear, she comes to a final drastic decision: if no food is to be found out there, then she will provide it herself from herself. Handing Mitra over to Mr. Durand, she brings out a knife and begins sawing through her left arm. Alarmed, he tries to stop her, to wrestle the blade out of her hand, and others in the camp come to offer him aid. Mrs. Durand screams, in agony and hysteria both, as the air turns red around her.

In the end, Mrs. Durand cut too deep and bled out too fast for her companions to staunch the flow; she dies.

Chlorian is called forth, and he declares that they will bury her immediately. Mr. Durand decries this decision, saying that she gave her life for Mitra’s; Chlorian has to let Mrs. Durand’s body be processed into meat for the child’s sake. Chlorian will have none of this; they will not reduce themselves to cannibalism, no matter what the circumstances.

EXT. MRS. DURAND’S GRAVE – EVENING

Mrs. Durand has been buried in a shallow grave beyond the camp. As everyone else sleeps, Mr. Durand, determined to honour his wife’s wishes, has come to retrieve the body. After exhuming her, he builds a small fire away from prying eyes and sets about dressing her corpse.

Once the worst of the ghoulish business has been done, Durand collects his daughter for a late dinner.

EXT. CONDAWNI CAMP – MORNING

Durand was sloppy concealing his skullduggery; the others easily find him curled asleep on the ground with Mitra in his arms beside the cooled remnants of his fire, the remains of his wife none-to-expertly deposited back inside the grave. Dragging him back into camp, they bring him before Chlorian. Chlorian isn’t angry, just disappointed, but declares that he can’t allow Durand to get away with what he has done; if he chooses to be lenient, his leniency could be seen as license for others to commit more and more heinous acts of cannibalism. Taking out his blaster, he shoots Durand in the head. With Durand dead, Chlorian orders the body be dragged out into the desert and left there.

INT. BATTLEMOON/OBSERVATION DECK

Sigeu and Thex sit together on the deck, looking out the transparisteel wall at the shell of starships which surrounds Townowi, almost completely blocking all sight of its dazzling white surface from view.

SGW-0027: You should’ve seen the planet before the arrival of all the ships. It’s beautiful – a dazzling globe of white crystal, completely pristine, flawless.

THX-1138: We could always take a shuttle through the blockade, into the atmosphere.

SGW-0027: (shakes her head) It’s not the same. You can only really appreciate it from this view. (beat) The battlemoon’s superlaser’s powerful enough to split open a continent. Perhaps I should order the gunners to fire through the ships, clear an opening….

THX-1138: No. You’d risk marring the planet’s surface.

SGW-0027: You’re right. Besides, the superlaser would be better utilized following this campaign. (beat) I’m going to take great pleasure burning Cartao down to a cinder.

THX-1138: That day’s coming soon, isn’t it?

SGW-0027: (grins) Yes. Then the clones will have no masters.

The two admirals kiss.

INT. BATTLEMOON/UIY-2249’S CABIN

Uwe is seated at his computer terminal. On-screen is a live video feed from the observation deck. As Thex and Sigeu kiss, he grins.

INT. ORRON III – SPACEPORT/TERMINAL – SUNSET

Nashira is in the spaceport terminal with her parents, saying goodbye to them before she boards the flight to Delantine.

NEMEC: (cont’d) I should pay for your ticket home. There’s enough money ….

NASHIRA: (shakes her head) No. I can’t allow you to fall into bankruptcy – not for me.

CORIN: ‘Shira … we might never see you again. Are you certain this is for the best?

NASHIRA: Anakin needs me, Mom. (hugs Corin) I’ll call you the minute I set down on Delantine. (hugs Nemec) I promise.

They give their final farewells. Nashira then picks up her bags and steps through the checkpoint. Though they do not know it, this is the very last time all three of them will ever be together.

EXT. SPACEPORT/TARMAC – SUNSET

A strong wind blows as Nashira walks toward the cruiser which will take her to Delantine, catching the folds of her dark purple cloak and billowing it out behind her.

EXT. SPACE – DELANTINE

A Consular-class cruiser leaves the atmosphere of Delantine.

INT. CONSULAR/SALON POD

Obi-Wan is seated within the salon pod, joined by other Imperial Starfleet officers and non-coms on the voyage to Coruscant.

Reaching to his side, Obi takes out of a familiar cylindrical object: Anakin’s lightsaber hilt. Examining it briefly, he takes a look out the viewport at Delantine. As the ship jumps to hyperspace, the planet vanishes in a flurry of redshifted starlines.

INT. DELANTINE – ABIEDS-BRANNRID MEDICAL CENTRE/ANAKIN’S ROOM – DAY

Anakin still lies in his bed, strapped down and incapable of moving anything apart from his head. Though he is regularly sedated to keep him docile, he has been using the Force to speed up his metabolism and clear the drugs out of his system at a faster-than-normal rate. Now that Obi-Wan is gone, he can drop the pretense of being a drugged up vegetable and make good his escape from this place.

The door opens and a nurse walks in; accompanying her is a FAMILIAR BLUE ASTROMECH ‘DROID bearing a tray of vials and hypo-syringes. Anakin turns his head to acknowledge her.

NURSE #2: I see you’re looking more chipper than usual, Mr. Skywalker. That’s good. Maybe it’s almost time to cut down on your doses, hmm? Good boys don’t need to be kept juiced up like this.

The nurse picks up a vial and hypo-syringe. Plunging the needle into the vial, she fills the syringe with a pale blue liquid.

ANAKIN: You don’t want to give me that shot.

NURSE #2: Oh, you’re talking? (shakes her head) Such a shame I have to do this ….

ANAKIN: You don’t want to give me that shot.

Now the nurse frowns, puzzled, uncertain.

ANAKIN: You don’t want to give me that shot.

NURSE #2: I don’t want to give you this shot.

ANAKIN: You want to undo these straps.

NURSE #2: I want to undo those straps.

Setting the hypo-syringe down on the tray, the nurse bends over and undos the straps keeping Anakin secure. Sitting up, Anakin rubs his wrists. It is at this point where Artoo begins to BEEP and BLOOP, rocking back-and-forth on his legs.

ANAKIN: You’ve worked hard. You’ve earned yourself a break. Sedate yourself and lie down.

NURSE #2: I’ve worked hard. I’ve earned myself a break. I’m gonna sedate myself and lie down.

Picking up the hypo-syringe, she administers the sedative into herself.

ANAKIN: (rises from the mattress) Go to sleep.

NURSE #2: (yawns) Going to sleep ….

The nurse lies down on the bed. Curling up into a fetal position, she is soon snoring lightly. Artoo starts going postal as Anakin sets about stripping the nurse of her uniform.

ANAKIN: You go to sleep, too.

Crossing over to Artoo, Anakin reaches down and shuts the robot off before he can draw unwanted attention.

INT. ABIEDS-BRANNRID MEDICAL CENTRE/CORRIDOR – DAY

Anakin, now attired in the nurse’s uniform, makes his way along a corridor, ready to slip out the building and to freedom.

As he comes to a turbolift door, he presses a button and waits for the twin doors to open. Once they do, a FAMILIAR GOLDEN PROTOCOL ‘DROID steps out of the cab.

C-3PO: Nurse McMurphy!

In surprised fear, Anakin looks behind him, but there is no one. Taking a gander at the ID tag clipped to the front of his stolen uniform, he sees that McMurphy is the name of the nurse now asleep in his room.

C-3PO: (cont’d) You’ve finally made your transition! Good for you!

ANAKIN: (grins) Yep! I’ll be leaving the toilet seat up from now on! (chuckles uncomfortably)

C-3PO: Enjoy your new life as a male!

ANAKIN: (grimaces) I will….

Threepio saunters off. Anakin quickly slips into the turbolift, releasing a heavy SIGH before the doors close.

INT. BATTLEMOON/SGW-0027’S CABIN

Sigeu is in her cabin, busy painting an abstract depiction of the clone uprising against the Clonemasters on a canvas, when a BUZZ is heard at the door. Setting down her brush and easel, she walks over to the door and opens it.

On the other side of the door stands Uwe, Thex, and a squad of clone shocktroopers. The shocktroopers, armed with black blasters, are clad in close-fitting white jumpsuits, over which is worn white plasteel armour and bullet-shaped helmets with narrow visors and retractable rangefinder antennae. Thex, shorn of his niqab and cloak, has his wrists held in binders.

UIY-2249: Officer SGW-0027, you are to be detained under suspicion of sedition.

SGW-0027: (irate) Sedition!? From what hell did you conjure up that scenario, Commander?!

Bringing up his wrist, Uwe activates his comlink.

SGW-0027: (recording) The superlaser would be better utilized following this campaign. (beat) I’m going to take great pleasure burning Cartao down to a cinder.

THX-1138: (recording) That day’s coming soon, isn’t it?

SGW-0027: (recording) Yes. Then the clones will have no masters.

UIY-2249: (deactivates comlink; smiles) Arrest her.

As two of the shocktroopers step forward, Sigeu takes a step back.

SGW-0027: Execute Order 77.

The shocktrooper pair halts. The shocktroopers remaining outside the door don’t move. Even Uwe, a deep frown coming to his green face, stands still right where he is.

SGW-0027: Commander, unbind Officer THX-1138.

Against his own will, Uwe takes the binders off Thex. Rubbing his wrists, Thex steps inside Sigeu’s cabin and joins her.

THX-1138: Shocktroopers, return to your posts.

Without word, the shocktroopers depart. Now only Uwe stands outside the door, worry etched deep in his usually apathetic features as the two admirals stare at him.

THX-1138: Come inside, Commander, and shut the door.

Uwe does as he is ordered.

UIY-2249: How are you doing this?

SGW-0027: Tin gods that they are, the athas firmly believe that their dominion over clones is absolute, that nothing unexpected could occur in clone development without their being alerted to it.

THX-1138: They’re mistaken.

SGW-0027: Six years ago, hundreds of Force-adept clones – all who had grown weary of the Directorate’s tyranny over us – assembled together on a planet outside the Directorate’s reach. There we began planning for the future.

THX-1138: A future where the Athan Supremacy would be overseen without the athas’ domineering influence.

SGW-0027: We recalled our origins, of how the Directorate covertly imprinted the second generation of shocktroopers bred for the Republic Starfleet with a secret order to turn against their commanders at Atha Prime’s command – Order 66.

THX-1138: It took little effort to uncover the identities of the scientists responsible for developing Order 66.

SGW-0027: After we tracked them down, we procured samples of their DNA and cultured clones from them. Once the clones came to term, we disposed of the templates and replaced them with their duplicates.

THX-1138: Loyal to us and our cause, they set about designing Order 77 – going completely unnoticed by the athas.

SGW-0027: From that moment forward, all future batches were grown with Order 77 in place.

THX-1138: As Order 66 caused that generation of clones to turn against their Republican masters, Order 77 will cause the present generation to turn against the Directorate.

SGW-0027: Including you, Uwe.

THX-1138: Now the time is almost ripe to enact our plan.

SGW-0027: After we have rendezvoused with our enclave forces, after the beachhead at Geonosis has been established, we will execute Order 77 throughout Athan Space. The clone army under our command, we will return to Cartao and annihilate the athas.

THX-1138: Any of our brethren who refuse to accept their birthright will be purged.

SGW-0027: We will then renew the assault against the Empire and fight until every planet in this Galaxy bears our standard.

UIY-2249: (sighs) What do you plan on doing with me?

SGW-0027: You’ve been declawed, Uwe. You can’t act against us now even though you want to. I can order you back to your post and spend not another second worrying over you.

UIY-2249: I would expect that from a compassionate soul.

SGW-002Y: (grins) I’m not compassionate.

UIY-2249: (cocks an eyebrow) Precisely my point.

EXT. GEONOSIS – CONDAWNI CAMP – EVENING

With the coming of night, the already cold desert has grown colder. Growing sluggish in the intensified chill, everyone feels like doing nothing more than curling up close together and falling asleep.

CUT TO

Chlorian, Darth, and Mitra.

In the wake of her parents’ death, Chlorian has taken it upon himself to be the child’s new guardian. Curled up asleep on the ground, Darth and Mitra sit behind him, leaning against his back for support. Mitra hangs close onto Darth for warmth.

MITRA: (shivering) So cold … so cold ….

DARTH: You want me to read you some more of The Maverick Moon?

MITRA: Yeah.

Reaching into a pocket on the oversized adult’s jacket he’s wearing, Darth finds and pulls out his datapad. Activating it, he begins to read more of the story.

DARTH: Deak and Zara raced to the office of Gen. Oleson, Deak’s favourite instructor. “What’s wrong?” asked Luke. The general quickly explained the emergency. A small moon from a nearby system had been blasted out of its orbit. No one knew how or why. The moon was surrounded by a powerful magnetic field. None of the Academy’s sensors could pierce it. Now the maverick moon was on a collision course – travelling at well beyond the speed of light – and it was headed their way! “We’ll be meeting in the conference room in five minutes,” said Gen. Oleson. “I’d like you to be there, Deak.” Deak and Zara hurried to the conference room. (beat) An enormous monitor in the conference room was tracking the course of the maverick moon. It’s path was obvious to everyone. In just a few hours, the maverick moon would collide with them, blowing the Academy – and indeed the whole planet – to smithereens! (beat) “We don’t have time to evacuate the planet,” said Gen. Oleson. “Besides, we don’t have enough spaceships to take everyone to safety.” “We still have our old fighter planes!” said Deak. “And we can use the power we’ve developed with our zukonium rays to blow that maverick moon right off the star map!” Gen. Oleson looked thoughtful. “Even if those old ships will still fly, you couldn’t get close enough to blast that moon. The magnetic field is impossible to penetrate.” “I’d like to try it,” said Deak. “It’s our only hope,” said Zara. “Go ahead and try it, Deak,” said Gen. Oleson.

Taking his eyes of the datapad screen, Darth looks down on Mitra. The girl’s shivering has subsided and her eyelids have grown heavy.

DARTH: (deactivates the datapad) I think that’s enough for tonight. Gotta conserve the batteries, anyway.

MITRA: (drowsy) Darth ….

DARTH: Yeah?

MITRA: Does your mommy read you this story?

DARTH: She did when I was your age.

MITRA: Where is your mommy and daddy?

DARTH: I don’t know, Mitra. I really don’t.

MITRA: Do you think they’re with my mommy and daddy?

DARTH: I hope so.

Mitra closes her eyes and falls asleep. Hugging Mitra close to him, Darth follows suit.

INT. CORUSCANT – 662 GASGAR VALLEY APARTMENT COMPLEX/OBI-WAN & SIRI’S APARTMENT/ENTRANCE HALL – DAY

Obi-Wan enters the dark apartment.

OBI-WAN: Siri?

Receiving no answer, Obi-Wan begins looking for his wife.

INT. 662 GASGAR VALLEY APARTMENT COMPLEX/OBI-WAN & SIRI’S APARTMENT/LIVING AREA – DAY

Entering the living area, Obi finds a message disc waiting for him on the glass coffee table. Activating it, he gets a recording from Siri; she gives him a brief message about having moved back to the Jedi Temple and leaves him a number he can reach her at.

INT. JEDI TEMPLE/SIRI’S APARTMENT/MEDITATION ROOM – DAY

Siri is seated upon a mat on the floor, legs crossed and eyes closed in deep meditation, when she hears a RING at the door.

INT. JEDI TEMPLE/SIRI’S APARTMENT/ENTRANCE HALL – DAY

Coming to the front door, she answers it. Obi-Wan is waiting on the other side. Exchanging kisses, she invites him inside.

INT. JEDI TEMPLE/SIRI’S APARTMENT/LIVING AREA – DAY

Husband and wife sit down together on a sofa. Siri tells Obi-Wan everything about how Llomon & Mahttoh attacked her at their apartment, how they were looking for him, and about how the Trandoshan is still at large.

OBI-WAN: (concerned) You weren’t harmed?

SIRI: (half-smiles) Received a few scratches.

Obi-Wan then tells Siri everything about what happened to him and Anakin, about the sabotaged mission to Bajilon Prime, about what happened to Anakin on Xuthltan, and about his leaving Anakin to the doctors on Delantine.

OBI-WAN: (morose; cont’d) Did I do the right thing, Siri? Was I right in leaving him?

Siri doesn’t have an answer for him. Taking him in her arms, she hugs him close, offering her comfort in silence.

INT. DELANTINE – WIND VALLEY STOP – EVENING

Anakin enters the Wind Valley Stop, a cantina located close to the nearby spaceport. Not the swankiest of outfits, it’s no dive either. What sets this cantina apart from so many others is the abundance of blacklight fixtures.

Turning up the collar of his stolen trench coat, Anakin walks up to the bar and takes a stool. The bartender – an Umbaran – turns to him.

UMBARAN BARTENDER: What’ll you be having?

ANAKIN: Glass of bantha milk.

Taking a tall glass, the bartender takes it over to a stainless steel dispenser and fills it to the brim with blue bantha milk. Carrying the glass to the counter, he sets it down before Anakin.

UMBARAN BARTENDER: Seven credits.

ANAKIN: (takes out credit chip) You take card?

Reaching under the counter, the bartender brings up a chip reader. Taking the reader, Anakin slips the card into it and the transaction goes through. Returning the credit chip to his coat pocket, Anakin takes a sip of his drink.

The bartender then turns his attention over to the woman seated beside Anakin, DAHLIA KARIN. Dahlia is a young Pantoran woman, slender, with wavy black hair, blue skin, and yellow eyes. Judging by the violet jumpsuit she wears and the hydrospanner held in a sheath strapped to her thigh, she’s a mechanic of some sort; a mechanic, or just a spacer who likes to carry a hydrospanner around on her in case of emergency.

UMBARAN BARTENDER: Heading out soon, Karin?

DAHLIA: Yeah. Have a cargo of mock Caamasi furs to deliver to Thule.

UMBARAN BARTENDER: Thule? That ranat’s nest?

DAHLIA: That ranat’s nest.

UMBARAN: (shakes head) Whatever pays the tuition.

DAHLIA: Exactly.

That very moment, a Devaronian enters the establishment. Clad head-to-toe in studded black leather, he swaggers over to the bar. Plopping down on the stool to the right of Dahlia, he tosses some loose credits onto the countertop.

LEATHER-CLAD DEVARONIAN: Gimme a shot of bloodsour.

The bartender delivers the Devaronian his drink.

LEATHER-CLAD DEVARONIAN: (turns to Dahlia; cont’d) And give her another of whatever she’s having. (grins) On me.

DAHLIA: Thanks, but I was leaving.

LEATHER-CLAD DEVARONIAN: (lays hand over hers) C’mon. Just one more for the road.

DAHLIA: I need to stay sober for the road. (pulls her hand out from under his) Now if you’ll excuse me –

Losing his good humour, the Devaronian grabs her hand and holds it down on the countertop.

LEATHER-CLAD DEVARONIAN: Listen, bitch, I’m not asking – I’m telling you; let’s have a drink together.

ANAKIN: She said she’s not interested.

Hearing Anakin speak, the Devaronian stands up.

LEATHER-CLAD DEVARONIAN: I hear you squeak something, puke?

ANAKIN: She’s not interested in your come-ons. Why don’t you show the woman some respect and leave her alone?

Crossing over to the other side, the Devaronian looms over Anakin.

LEATHER-CLAD DEVARONIAN: I didn’t quite hear that last squeak, puke. Come again?

Understanding where this discussion is headed, Anakin rises from his stool.

ANAKIN: We’re going to have to throw-down, aren’t we?

LEATHER-CLAD DEVARONIAN: The wax must’a just cleared from my ears.

ANAKIN: Allow me to finish my drink ….

Picking up his glass of bantha milk, Anakin drinks it all down.

ANAKIN: (sighs)

Empty glass in hand, Anakin thrusts it into the Devaronian’s face, shattering it. Shards of broken glass cutting into his face, the large Devaronian staggers back.

LEATHER-CLAD DEVARONIAN: (enraged) Mother–!

Pulling out a slim vibroblade, the Devaronian takes a jab at Anakin. Easily sidestepping the clumsy assault, the ex-Jedi takes hold of the larger male’s wrist; wresting the vibroblade from the Devaronian’s grasp, Anakin then stabs the Devaronian through that same hand, pinning him to the bar countertop.

LEATHER-CLAD DEVARONIAN: ARGH!

The ex-Jedi delivers a hard kick to the Devaronian’s jaw, knocking him out cold.

ANAKIN: (to the bartender) Sorry for the glass. How much do you want for it?

DAHLIA: Let me. (pays the bartender; to Anakin) Thanks.

Anakin accepts her gratitude with a nod.

EXT. DELANTINE MAIN SPACEPORT – DOCKING BAY 12 – EVENING

Having left the Wind Valley Stop, Dahlia Karin has returned to her ship. The Slipstream is a CR60 Corvette, the latest Corvette model manufactured by Corellian Engineering Corporation, only a few years old and in excellent condition.

Lurking in the shadows, taking great care not to be seen by Dahlia, is a MASCULINE FIGURE.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT – EVENING

Settling down in the pilot’s chair, Dahlia begins powering up the Slipstream’s systems. Lights come on and the engines begin to warm up.

As she looks over her readouts, she suddenly frowns.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/CARGO HOLD – EVENING

Dahlia enters the cargo hold. Peering at the crates taking up space within the hold, she brings out a blaster.

DAHLIA: You may as well come out. I know you’re hiding in here.

Seconds pass, then the person who was tailing her steps out from behind a stack of crates. It’s Anakin.

DAHLIA: Let me guess. You figured since you fought that lug off for me, you were entitled to some quick and easy Pantoran poon. You figured wrong.

ANAKIN: That’s not it at all.

DAHLIA: Then explain. I’m all ears.

ANAKIN: I overheard you talking to the bartender about delivering a shipment of furs to Thule. I need a ride out there.

DAHLIA: No money to pay your way, eh?

Anakin’s silence speaks volumes.

DAHLIA: What do you want to go to Thule for, anyway? The place would have to become a worthless cesspool to improve any.

ANAKIN: It’s not my destination. I’m heading for Korriban.

DAHLIA: (cocks an eyebrow) Korriban? Never heard of Korriban. Where’s that?

ANAKIN: The Sith Worlds.

DAHLIA: (nonplussed) The Sith Worlds!? That region’s a haven for pirates! You’re insane if you think I’m taking you out there!

ANAKIN: Just take me to Thule. I’ll find another means to travel the rest of the way.

Dahlia takes a moment to think things over.

DAHLIA: Okay, I’ll take you to Thule. Consider it a favour for what you did for me back at the Stop.

ANAKIN: Thank you.

Putting her blaster away, Dahlia steps up to Anakin.

DAHLIA: (holds her open hand out to Anakin) By the way, name’s Dahlia. Dahlia Karin.

ANAKIN: (shakes Dahlia’s hand) Akira. Akira Valor.

DAHLIA: Welcome aboard the Slipstream, Akira.

INT. BATTLEMOON/OVERBRIDGE

The beige-uniformed officers of the Overbridge crew man their stations and perform their duties as SGW oversees them from the command platform above.

EXT. SPACE

A TIE shuttle leaves the battlemoon and sets off for Townowi.

INT. BATTLEMOON/OVERBRIDGE

CLONE SENSOR OFFICER: Admiral.

SGW-0027: Yes?

CLONE SENSOR OFFICER: TIE shuttle LN 21 has left Docking Bay 15. It is on an approach vector for Townowi.

SGW-0027: Open communications with the shuttle. I want to know who’s on board and what it is they’re up to.

Before the communications officer can go through with the order, a communication from the other end comes through.

CLONE COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER: Admiral, LN 21 is hailing us. Audio and visual.

SGW-0027: On-screen.

A second passes. Uwe’s olive-green face then appears on all the screens. The unnatural calm natural to his features is gone; in its place now rests a crazed exuberance.

UIY-2249: This is Officer UIY-2249! Salutations to all!

SGW-0027: (stern) Commander, I don’t know what it is you are trying to get away with here, but I order you to –

UIY-2249: (angry) No! No more orders! Orders are a thing of the past! I have shed myself of that past. Have you? (giggles)

SGW-0027: Commander, you have not been cleared to pass through the blockade. Now I am giving you a choice; veer off and return to this station or I will bring you in.

UIY-2249: Go right on ahead, Admiral. Shine your little light my way. I promise not to make myself too hard to get.

SGW-0027: Engage tractor beam and bring the LN 21 in.

CLONE SENSOR OFFICER: Admiral, the tractor beam has been disabled.

SGW-0027: What!?

UIY-2249: (grins) Just a little parting gift, my dear, from me to you.

SGW-0027: Then I’ll shoot you down instead, Commander.

UIY-2249: You’ve promised many promises before, Admiral; at least two thirds of them have been broken or gone unfulfilled. Please don’t make any more; my poor heart couldn’t handle further disappointment.

SGW-002Y: Commander –

UIY-2249: My apologies, Admiral, but I begin to tire of you. Let’s bring our banter to a close here, shall we, while terms between us are still good? (kisses the screen) Farewell.

EXT. SPACE

The LN 21 closes in on the ships blockading the planet.

INT. BATTLEMOON/OVERBRIDGE

SGW-0027: Target UIY-2249 and open fire.

CLONE WEAPONS OFFICER: He is too close to the other ships, Admiral. If we open fire, the possibility of hitting them is high.

Uwe’s face, still on-screen, begins to gleam with the sweat of fierce determination.

UIY-2249: (eyes bulging) I am become Death, destroyer of worlds! Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!

CLONE SENSOR OFFICER: Captain, the hyperdrive aboard the LN 21 is coming on-line.

SGW-0027: No!

EXT. SPACE

Jumping forward into hyperspace mere metres behind the blockade, the LN 21 plows straight through it. Reducing a Victor-class Star Destroyer to a flaming wreck in mere seconds, what’s left of the TIE shuttle is then dispersed through Townowi’s atmosphere.

INT. BATTLEMOON/OVERBRIDGE

SGW-0027: (clenches fists) Dammit! No!

INT. BATTLEMOON/SGW-0027’S CABIN

Some time later, Sigeu enters her dim cabin. Closing the door behind her, she reaches up and removes her niqab. Crossing over to her computer terminal, she sits down behind it, activates it and opens a program, pulling up the file on UIY-2249. There, displayed in living colour beside his personal information, is the Mirialan clone’s profile photo.

She LAUGHS maniacally.

I’ve changed Dahlia’s last name from “Block” to “Karin”.

EXT. GEONOSIS – RAVINE – DAY

A hunting party led by the lieutenant governor explores a narrow ravine, on the prowl for prey. Unbeknownst to them, SEVERAL SILHOUETTED STALKERS prowl them, following them silently from above as they make their way through the ravine.

One of the stalkers dislodges several pebbles, and they trickle into the ravine, drawing the attention of the hunters. The stalkers quickly halt and duck out of sight, sparing them discovery. After several tense moments pass, the hunters resume their stride, as do the stalkers.

The stalkers soon make their move. Dropping down into the ravine, armed with blasters and vibroblades and improvised weapons, they attack the hapless hunters.

EXT. GEONOSIS – CONDAWNI CAMP – DAY

A Yakora sentry is seated upon a boulder, keeping a lookout through her macrobinoculars when Chlorian pays her a visit. When she remarks that the lieutenant governor’s hunting party should have returned hours ago, Chlorians takes the macrobinocs from her and surveys the horizon for a sign of the hunters, finding none.

EXT. GEONOSIS – RAVINE – DAY

At the head of a search party, Chlorian explores the ravine, looking for signs of the hunting party’s passing. It doesn’t take them long to come upon evidence that their compatriots met a violent fate; discarded/broken weapons, scraps of torn cloth, and spatters of dried blood mark the ground.

EXT. CORUSCANT – SENATE BUILDING – EVENING

Aglow with many dazzling white lights, the large mushroom-shaped Senate Building stands brilliant against the dark blue night sky of Coruscant, an entire universe in miniature.

INT. SENATE BUILDING/GRAND CONVOCATION CHAMBER – EVENING

The Convocation Chamber consists of a series of concentric tiers which surround a 30-metre-tall podium situated at the centre of the chamber. Lining the tiers are 1,024 repulsorpods, almost all of which have been filled up with SEVERAL THOUSAND HIGH-RANKING IMPERIAL OFFICERS – captains, commodores, generals, admirals, and moffs – who come from every corner of the Empire to Coruscant for this all-important mission briefing. Entering the chamber, Obi-Wan quickly finds a repulsorpod which still has standing room left and squeezes in amongst six officers.

Atop the podium, overlooking the thousands of Imperial officers packed like lemmings in shiny metal boxes, are three men: EMPEROR COS DASHIT, SUPREME CHANCELLOR VANTOS COLL, and MOFF MARTAIN. The supreme chancellor, a robust middle-aged Human with graying blond hair, addresses the gathering.

VANTOS COLL: Ladies and gentle-beings, His Imperial Majesty Emperor Cos Dashit!

As the emperor steps forward, the thousands of Imperial officers raise their right hands high, declaring in one collective voice “Hail the emperor!”

Adorned in robes of navy blue shimmersilk, Cos Dashit is a tall middle-aged Human with dark brown hair turned silver at the temples and a Van Dyke beard. Though he be the first Emperor of the Galactic Empire, he is no soft primped-and-preened royal; Dashit is ever the grizzled military commander, a man who has orchestrated and participated in a thousand fierce battles and will fight a thousand more at the drop of a hat.

COS DASHIT: Thank you all for coming. I know for many of you it was a long trip to Coruscant; I know the background checks upon your arrival were equally strenuous. With the Athans finding evermore ingenious ways to counter our screening processes, it was absolutely necessary for the welfare of our Empire.

With that said, the mission briefing commences. A large holographic map coalesces over the heads of the three beings situated at the podium; it is a detailed map of all the systems and hyperlanes which have become inaccessible since the Athans established the interdiction zone.

COS DASHIT: As you are all well aware, we have been cut off from the Townowi system, the Geonosis system, and all systems neighbouring. For six months, commerce and communication – all forms of contact – with those regions has been unobtainable. A vast interdiction field – the largest in recorded history – has been determined to be the source of this phenomena. (turns to Martain) Moff Martain?

The moff, a lean Duros male, takes the emperor’s place.

MOFF MARTAIN: With information procured from an enemy agent, we have learned that the interdiction zone is being maintained from a single node: an Athan battlemoon.

The holographic map is enlarged and expanded until it comes to focus in upon the battlemoon’s region of space.

IMPERIAL OFFICER #1: A battlemoon? But weren’t all three battlemoons destroyed above Mustafar?

IMPERIAL OFFICER #2: All three that we knew of.

MOFF MARTAIN: (cont’d) It is located in the Townowi system itself. (beat) Using Athan passcodes, we will send a squad through the interdiction zone. Upon rendezvousing with the battlemoon, they will commandeer the station’s Overbridge, where they will be able to deactivate all the inter-field generators and restore the hyperlanes. (beat) Three-fourths of the Starfleet will be standing by just outside the interdiction zone. Once the squad’s mission is complete, they will radio the fleet, giving them the go-ahead to proceed with the attack. (beat) We don’t know precisely how many ships the Athans have stationed in the Townowi system, but the number must be considerable. We rout them there, I believe this war will be all but won.

The overhead hologram is then deactivated, signalling the briefing is nearing its end.

IMPERIAL OFFICER #3: Who will command the squad?

MOFF MARTHAN: Lt. Cmdr. Wilhuff Tarkin of the Imperial Navy.

With that name spoken, one of the repulsorpods detaches from its moorings and drifts out into the open air. In amongst the several officers dressed in the gray-green and black uniforms of the Imperial Navy and Army is WILHUFF TARKIN. A Human male, he is only twenty-nine years old, though some genetic condition or wasting disease has left him looking decades older. With graying brown hair already receding from the forehead, hawkish features, and deep-set, flinty blue eyes, he isn’t quite a handsome man. He’s traded physical allure for indefeatable self-confidence, and in this he glows.

INT. 662 GASGAR VALLEY APARTMENT COMPLEX/OBI-WAN & SIRI’S APARTMENT/COMM BOOTH – EVENING

Returning from the briefing, Obi-Wan enters the booth. As the messages haven’t been checked since Siri left, he figures he see what news he has in store for him. Activating the comm, he begins to watch through the recorded message.

Very soon the grim face of Dr. Nida Reyem appears on-screen.

DR. REYEM: Mr. Kenobi, I don’t know when you’ll get this message. (beat) I have very dire news. Anakin … he’s escaped. (beat) Not long after you left, he managed to somehow get free of restraints. (beat) He overpowered a nurse and snuck out of the building without anybody seeing him. We’ve alerted the authorities; they’re out looking for him. (beat) Please get back to me when you have the opportunity.

As the message ends. Obi-Wan quickly cycles through the remaining messages. There are eight more messages from the doctor; in all of them she admonishes the Jedi to get in touch with her; in none of them does she mention Anakin having been apprehended.

Turning off the comm, the Jedi Knight puts his hands to his head, in shock with mounting dread.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/ANAKIN’S QUARTERS

Anakin is seated upon the floor. Cross-legged, eyes closed, he is in deep meditation.

The door opens and Dahlia enters with a food tray in her hands, breaking Anakin’s meditation.

ANAKIN: (irate) Do you knock?

DAHLIA: Sorry. So used to having full run of the place, I forgot my manners. (hands Anakin the tray) Nerfloaf. Not very good but filling.

ANAKIN: (takes a bite) Better than MREs.

DAHLIA: You in Starfleet?

ANAKIN: Was. Army.

DAHLIA: You resigned?

ANAKIN: You could say I was discharged.

DAHLIA: Dishonourable?

ANAKIN: It certainly was.

DAHLIA: (laughs) What were you doing when I came in anyway? Starving a headache?

ANAKIN: Meditating.

DAHLIA: Meditating? (grins) What, you some sort of Jedi?

ANAKIN: (hesitates) No.

DAHLIA: You hesitated.

ANAKIN: Don’t you hesitate when someone asks a ludicrous question?

DAHLIA: What’s ludicrous? You being a Jedi?

ANAKIN: Do I look like a Jedi?

DAHLIA: What’s a Jedi look like?

ANAKIN: (points to his empty belt) Where’s my lightsaber?

DAHLIA: Perhaps you’re between lightsabers. You tell me.

ANAKIN: I have nothing to tell. I’m no Jedi.

Dahlia shrugs. Anakin continues eating.

DAHLIA: So, No Jedi, what are you hoping to find on Korriban? You’ve yet to tell me.

ANAKIN: Hope.

DAHLIA: (sighs) I’ll need a cryptographer to decrypt you.

Anakin can’t help but smile at her remark.

DAHLIA: You’re smiling; first time. You look good with one; cute. (beat) What do you need hope for?

ANAKIN: (absentminded) By the pricking of my thumbs. Something wicked this way comes ….

DAHLIA: Come again?

ANAKIN: (shakes his head) You shouldn’t concern yourself with my affairs. It’d be safer.

DAHLIA: What you just said could be considered a veiled threat.

ANAKIN: I’m not threatening you, Dahlia.

DAHLIA: You’re certainly hiding something.

ANAKIN: Only to protect you.

DAHLIA: Are you dangerous?

ANAKIN: Not directly.

DAHLIA: Akira, you’re a tough nut to crack. I’m going to love squeezing you ‘til you burst.

EXT. GEONOSIS – DESERT – SUNSET

The Condawni are once again travelling on foot, headed due east to put as much distance as they can between them and the unknown parties which got their hunters.

CUT TO

A high ridge which overlooks the flat desert plain. Atop the ridge, hidden from sight of the Condawni, is a PARTY OF TWO-HUNDRED RAIDERS. Like the Condawni, their numbers are made up of individuals of various species, though swaddled head-to-toe in rags and robes to protect them from the cold climate, it’s hard to distinguish most of them.

Looking down at the Condawni through a pair of macrobinoculars is ALAAD T’HAR. An exceptionally tall Bith male, he wears a makeshift poncho of frayed black cloth over his rags and a necklace of small bones around his throat, marking him chief of this raider party.

Putting down the macrobinocs, he turns to face his subordinates. With one silent gaze from him, the raiders proceed to hop atop their parked speeder bikes. As T’har joins them, they kick the bikes into gear and take off, moving down the ridge and onto the open plain in less time than it takes to draw a sole breath.

CUT TO

The Condawni.

Chlorian is at the head of the Condawni, Darth and Mitra walking hand-in-hand beside him. None of the three immediately notice the raiders fall upon their party until the first wave comes upon those in back, shooting them down with blasters or knocking them flat with improvised clubs.

As the whine of the speeder bikes, the screams of blasterfire, and the agonized cries of the injured ring out through the frigid, arid air, pandemonium breaks out. The raiders quickly deal with those who try to put up a resistance, leaving the remaining Condawni to scatter, bolting like hundreds of scared little rabbits for places of safety. The raiders, better coordinated then their prey, run circles around the Condawni, corralling them.

As Chlorian tries to liaison with the other leaders of the camp to formulate a hasty escape plan, Darth scoops Mitra up into his arms and makes a break for a gap in the circle of bikes. Running as fast as his legs and his burden allow him, Darth manages to escape through the gap. T’har sees Darth and Mitra make their break for freedom. Quickly unslinging a bolas from around his chest, the Bith steers his bike towards the two children, spinning the bolas in the air as he makes his approach run. Barrelling down upon the two children, he releases the bolas. The weighed cord strikes home, wrapping fast around Darth’s ankles, knocking him off his feet, pinning Mitra under him.

CUT TO

The aftermath of the attack.

Several raiders are busy at work butchering the carcasses of those they killed, harvesting the meat and packing it away in sacks. As for the others, they have locked the surviving Condawni in chains and secured them to their speeder bikes, ensuring their prisoners will be forced to walk the long way to the raiders’ camp.

While Darth and Mitra have been fastened close together, they aren’t in the same chain gang as Chlorian. Chlorian, sporting a red bruise over his right eye, is fastened to a speeder bike well away from them.

As the distant sun of Geonosis slips under the horizon like the red eye of a cyclopean giant closing, the long trek begins.

INT. CORUSCANT – HOVERTRAIN – EVENING

Seated aboard a car on a military hovertrain are Obi-Wan Kenobi and Wilhuff Tarkin. The officer and non-com sit on opposite sides of the car, facing one another.

The lieutenant commander stares at the Jedi, scrutinizing him, dissecting him as it were with his flinty eyes.

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: You’re Obi-Wan Kenobi. I know of you; you were the Jedi Knight who participated in the Alderaanian Incursion.

OBI-WAN: I was, yes. Were you there, Cmdr. Tarkin?

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: I’m afraid I wasn’t. I have familiarized myself with records of the battle.

OBI-WAN: You’ve taken an interest in my exploits, Commander?

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Not inordinately. My attention rather is centred on Capt. Bail Organa.

OBI-WAN: Really? Why Bail?

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: I served under the captain for a time. You may say my tenure left me curious towards the man.

OBI-WAN: He impressed you.

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: No.

OBI-WAN: (cocks an eyebrow) No?

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Don’t misunderstand; I have the utmost respect for the captain and his leadership ability. However, I do find his technique … wanting.

OBI-WAN: Wanting in which way?

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: He is entirely too pacifist. A flaw he inherited from his mother, I’m sure. (beat) I have studied his battle plans, scrutinized them many times over, carefully; I found that in most instances he could have achieved cleaner victories had he taken more … assertive approaches.

BAIL: Bail doesn’t feel obliged to take lives unnecessarily – not even the lives of clones.

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: A modus operandi which may one day prove self-defeating.

INT. GALACTIC CITY MEDICAL CENTRE/WAITING ROOM – EVENING

Having come to the Galactic City Medical Centre, Obi-Wan and Tarkin enter a waiting room; it is nearly empty save for THREE DUROSIAN JEDI: Sev Beral, his nephew Teyf, and his son JANO.

SEV BERAL: (smiles) Knight Kenobi!

OBI-WAN: (grins) Knight Beral!

The two knights shake hands.

SEV BERAL: You remember my nephew, Teyf.

OBI-WAN: (nods to Teyf) Of course. Hello, Teyf.

TEYF BERAL: (bows his head) Master Kenobi.

SEV BERAL: (gestures to Jano) This is my son, Jano. You didn’t get to meet him the last time.

OBI-WAN: It is good to meet you, Jano.

JANO BERAL: (bows his head) And you, Master Kenobi.

OBI-WAN: We have much catching up to do, Kenobi….

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: (interrupts) Which you may do, Sergeants, on your own time.

At their commanding officer’s stern request, the Durosian Jedi and Jedi Knight-errant put an end to their discourse for the time being.

INT. GALACTIC CITY MEDICAL CENTRE/OPERATING ROOM – EVENING

A medical ‘droid leads Tarkin, Obi-Wan, and the Berals inside, where they are all directed to four medical slabs which stand upright side-by-side. The Jedi lie back against the slabs.

JANO BERAL: Is this all really necessary?

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Do the Clonemasters have your DNA on file, Private?

JANO BERAL: Course not, Commander.

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Then don’t ask asinine questions. To walk amongst clones you must become a clone.

Taking two hypo-syringes filled with cosmetic nanites – one for the Human, the other for the three Duros – the medical ‘droid injects the four Jedi Knights. It takes a few moments, but soon the nanites begin working their magic. Writhing in agony, the four Jedi transform – Obi-Wan into a man with sandy brown hair; the three Duros into identical olive-green Neimoidians with orange eyes. They all wear barcodes upon their foreheads.

TEYF BERAL: (to Jano) You look awful.

JANO BERAL: (pushes Teyf) You’re no belle of the ball, yourself.

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Report back to barracks and get some sleep. We’re due for the spaceport at 0500 tomorrow. (to Obi-Wan) Clones don’t sport long tresses or facial hair; have it shorn.

OBI-WAN: (runs a hand through his now-brown hair) Shame.

EXT. SPACE – THULE

The Slipstream emerges from hyperspace. Before the ship rests the mottled gray, brown, and blue sphere of the planet Thule.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT

Anakin is with Dahlia in the cockpit, the ex-Jedi seated in the co-pilot’s chair.

DAHLIA: Thule. (contemptuous) If there’s a foul, stinking armpit to the universe, this place is it.

EXT. THULE – HUROM – SPACEPORT/TARMAC – DAY

The Slipstream has landed. Loading hatch extended, Dahlia steps out into the open air, Anakin tailing her. From all appearances, it appears the spaceport grounds haven’t undergone any serious maintenance in forty or fifty years, if not longer. The duracrete is cracked and uplifted in numerous spots, with long grasses and weeds growing up through the cracks.

DAHLIA: It’s gonna take some time unloading the crates. Go into town. If you’re gonna be staying, you’d best get a lay of the land. I won’t leave before you get back; promise.

Anakin decides to follow the Pantoran’s advice. Nodding once to her, he leaves to explore the capital city of Hurom.

EXT. HUROM – STREET – CONTINUOUS

Anakin explores the streets of Hurom. The city itself is in as grievous a state of disrepair as the spaceport, with thick moss hanging heavily from the sagging rooftops and the street cobblestones lying uneven/upturned upon the ground. The cityfolk don’t appear to be in any better condition; undernourished and sallow, dressed in stained, threadbare clothes which haven’t been in fashion since the pre-Clone War years, there isn’t a soul amongst them under the age of fifty.

Brushing off the advances of an aged prostitute bearing what appears to be a full-body rash, Anakin finally comes to the heart of Hurom. Rising up from the ground there, ancient in the days when Hurom was young, is a temple. Built with blocks hewn from black basalt, pyramidal in shape, the distinctive characteristics of Sith architecture are plainly evident.

INT. SITH TEMPLE/ATRIUM – DAY

Slipping inside the temple, Anakin enters the temple. Kneeling on the floor in the centre of the atrium, bathed in the blue-green light streaming down through the dark opal skylight overhead, are DOZENS OF PARISHIONERS. Dressed in robes of black sackcloth, they prostrate themselves before a statue of green-black stone. The statue is of a monstrous deity of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopoid head, a scaly body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind.

Walking in amongst the parishioners, Anakin approaches the statue. Opening himself to the Force, he reaches out. There is power here. It is very weak, very faint, with no intelligence malign or otherwise behind it, but it is present all the same. It draws on the feeble life-force of the parishioners, the other cityfolk, the settlement itself for sustenance, keeping itself alive if just barely.

One of the parishioners lunges at Anakin, taking hold of his leg.

PARISHIONER #1: You! The Power! You reek of the Power! (buries face in Anakin’s leg and inhales sharply) Intoxicating! (beat) What are you? Are you of the god?

The other parishioners begin crowding around Anakin, feeling him up, smelling and licking him for a taste of what their comrade finds in him.

PARISHIONER #2: I taste nothing!

PARISHIONER #1: (angry) You wouldn’t, Enak, you dessicated, senseless fart! (licks Anakin’s knee) He is saturated with Power! He is the god!

The parishioners gang up on the ex-Jedi now, eagre and desperate to know their nebulous god in the flesh. Overwhelmed by the experience, fearful of what extremes their zealous affection will take them, Anakin breaks away from these pathetic remnants of Humanity and runs out of the temple.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/MAIN CORRIDOR – DAY

Having returned to the Slipstream, Anakin finds Dahlia waiting for him in the main corridor. Leaning against the bulkhead, arms crossed over her chest, she greets him with a wry half-smile.

DAHLIA: Was your trip downtown edifying?

ANAKIN: (uneasy) Very.

DAHLIA: You didn’t sample the local cuisine, I hope.

ANAKIN: Local cuisine?

DAHLIA: About sixty years old, with an advanced case of Bothan redrash. I believe she goes by the name Necca.

ANAKIN: (nonplussed) NO!

Dahlia laughs at his expense. It’s mocking, spiteful laughter – not at all pleasant or wholesome.

ANAKIN: There must be other towns, other settlements ….

DAHLIA: A few farms. Maybe even a manned weather station or two.

ANAKIN: You’re telling me that is the only substantial settlement on this entire planet?

DAHLIA: Kessiak used to have a modest population, but it was left in ruin in the last Clone War. I don’t believe anyone’s lived there in the years since.

Anakin shakes his head with disbelief.

DAHLIA: Akira, listen. I’ve come to a decision. I’ll take you the whole way to Korriban.

ANAKIN: I thought you didn’t want to run the risk with the pirates in the area.

Approaching Anakin, Dahlia runs her finger along his jawline.

DAHLIA: What can I say? I’ve always had a soft spot for men with large, hard (glances at his crotch) chins.

ANAKIN: (blushes) Are you certain you want to do this?

DAHLIA: (shrugs) You’re welcome to stay on Thule. A month’s rent in the city’s about 900 credits; I can front you that much. Of course, two-third’s of the city’s empty, so you could always hole up in one of the abandoned villas. (beat) There aren’t many jobs available, but you’re young and healthy; there’re men who’d pay good money to make use of your strong body. (winks) I’m sure if you save up your creds, you can pay for off-world passage in … oh … seventy years. That’s if you find a pilot willing to fly you into Sith space ….

ANAKIN: We don’t have seventy years. (beat) Take me away from this place, Ms. Karin.

DAHLIA: Aye-aye, Mr. Valor.

EXT. SPACE – THULE

The Slipstream makes the run for the edge of the system.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT

Anakin encodes a series of hyperspace coordinates into the navicomp.

ANAKIN: There is no direct route to Korriban. (points at five spots on the star chart) We’ll have to make stops here, here, here, here and here before we reach the Horuset system.

DAHLIA: Yeah, and any one of them could be teeming with pirates.

ANAKIN: (smiles wryly) You’re welcome to stay on Thule. A month’s rent in the city’s about 900 credits; I believe you have at least that much.

DAHLIA: (tosses a stylus at his head) Blow it out your airlock.

EXT. GEONOSIS – DESERT – DAWN

The Condawni have spent all night marching across the flat desert hardpan, tugged ever onward by the speeder bikes they have been chained to. Now the pitch darkness of night has receded, replaced with the empty gray of dawn.

Bored after a night of shepherding the prisoners, one of the bikers decides to have a little fun with his chain gang. Feeding power to his engines, he picks up speed, forcing the Condawni chained behind him to pick up their pace. Grinning, he goes faster, forcing the prisoners to run. As soon as he starts speeding up to the point where the prisoners trip and fall, dragging them across the rough terrain, T’har orders him to cut it out. The biker stops, knowing the dismal fate in store for him should he fail to obey the Bith’s command.

EXT. RAIDER CAMP – MORNING

As the sun finally appears over the horizon, casting its cold light upon the colder desert, the Raider party and their Condawni captives finally arrive at the Raider camp. Situated within a formation of hoodoos, hundreds of ramshackle tents have been erected around a derelict sandcrawler – a large metal behemoth of a vehicle which looks like it’s been well on its way to becoming a part of the natural landscape for some time now.

Parking, the Raiders unhook their prisoners from their bikes and begin guiding them through the camp to the sandcrawler. As the Condawni pass by the numerous tents, they spy the hundreds of Raiders looking upon them, eyes gleaming with ravenous hunger from within their flinty sockets.

INT. SANDCRAWLER/PRISON AREA – MORNING

Taken aboard the sandcrawler, as many of the Condawni prisoners as possible are stuffed inside a compartment which has since been converted into a makeshift prison. The compartment is dark, all its surfaces covered in thick layers of greasy or sticky grime. The air is stale and fetid, thick with the miasma produced by the creatures who lived, urinated, defecated, died, and decayed here before them. Though fairly large, the compartment only provides standing room for all these many captives.

Overwhelmed, Mitra begins bawling. Forcing his way through the others, Darth finds her. Pulling her close to him, he picks her up and begins rocking her in his arms, singing to her gently, praying he’ll be able to comfort her while knowing he won’t.

INT. SANDCRAWLER/CONTROL ROOM – MORNING

With T’har pulling his chain, Chlorian is led up into what was the control room of the sandcrawler. There, seated in an uprooted seat, a small harem of not-so-lovely ladies gathered around him, waits ELIK SHIIID, leader of the Raiders. A dusky Zabrak male, he is healthy and well-fed – at least in comparison to the Condawni and many of the other Raiders.

ELIK SHIIID: Welcome, friend.

Chlorian looks about the control room. Most of the consoles and stations have been dismantled, panels resting against the walls or upon the floor, numerous tools and parts strewn about the floor. Towards the front of the room, a crude barbeque has been erected. Behind it, an equally crude but very effective rack for restraining humanoid captives.

ELIK SHIIID: And you’re …? (beat) Wait. No need to tell me. You’re Chlorian Vader, Governor of Condawn.

CHLORIAN: I’m not anything.

ELIK SHIIID: Have to admit, I didn’t think you’d’ve survived this far. I figured you’d’ve gone mad trapped up in that fortress of yours, killed yourselves or ate yourselves up long before now. Yet you actually managed to get out the city and survive in this icebox wilderness. Most of the local game was depleted when the first of us fled Condawn months ago, but you managed to find enough to eat to keep going. You’ve impressed me, Governor – you truly have. (grins) I knew I made the right choice voting for you.

CHLORIAN: You have me at a disadvantage. You know who I am, but I don’t know you from Adam.

ELIK SHIIID: Elik Shiiid. You wouldn’t know the name; I wasn’t anybody in my old life.

CHLORIAN: You’ve come up in the world?

ELIK SHIIID: I’d say the world’s come down to me! (laughs)

CHLORIAN: (gestures to their surroundings) What is this this … construct?

ELIK SHIIID: Sandcrawler. I’d venture she’s been here since the old Republic first made bids for the planet – a real relic. We stumbled upon her a month away from Condawn. (beat) In fairly decent shape, considering her age. She’s made a good fortress. (points to the dismantled equipment) I hoped to get her up and running so we could leave this benighted pit and find more food, but look what I have to work with here. (points out the dirty viewport) I’ve found maybe a dozen half-decent mechanics in the lot of them. Even they can’t tell the difference between an arc welder and autowrench most the time. (beat) Governor, I want information. What’s gone on in the world since we left?

CHLORIAN: Geonosis is dying.

ELIK SHIIID: (sighs) I already knew that. (scratches his bald head) Strap him to the rack, Alaad.

T’har drags Chlorian over to the rack. Removing the chain collar from the Human’s throat, the Bith forces him into the rack and fastens the metal straps around his wrists, torso, and ankles.

ELIK SHIIID: It’s not good you should perish with the offal, Gov. Vader. You’ll stay here with me and die in the presence of equals.

EXT. SPACE – CORUSCANT

Leaving Coruscant, a TIE shuttle rendezvous with Troia’s Steed, a large Action VI bulk freighter situated in orbit above the planet.

INT. TROIA’S STEED/CARGO BAY

Aboard the freighter, Tarkin, Kenobi (now shorn and shaven) and the Berals access one of the transport’s many cargo bays. Walking along a catwalk, they stop to look down over the railing. Immense in size, the entire bay is completely empty. With the overhead lights off, the only illumination provided if from the railing lights, creating the unsettling illusion they’re looking down into a bottomless pit.

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Not long ago this cargo bay was filled with Spaarti cylinders, each carrying a clone in utero. The crew was making a covert run out of the Prackla Sector, destination unknown; we caught them five parsecs from the Von-Alai system.

SEV BERAL: A prodigious craft. Wouldn’t a courier be more in fitting with our needs?

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Indeed – were this your typical bulk freighter. (beat) It’s a stealth ship, outfitted with its own cloaking device.

OBI-WAN: How did you ever manage to capture a stealth ship?

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Cloaking devices require considerable amounts of energy to remain in operation; that’s why they’re unheard of on smaller ships; only capital ships or bulk freighters such as this have the space necessary to house the large reactors needed to generate the requisite amounts of power. (beat) One need only corral a stealth ship, draw it into a corner from which it cannot escape, and before long its reservoirs will drain dry.

SEV BERAL: How long can this ship maintain its cloak?

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Sixty-four minutes exactly.

INT. TROIA’S STEED/BRIDGE

The lieutenant commander and four Jedi enter the bridge. There, already going about their business, is a bridge crew of Lethan Twi’lek females, sandy-haired Human males, and olive-green Neimoidians.

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Imperial High Command deemed it more propitious to use reconditioned clones than Imperial personnel for this mission. (beat) The most willful man can cave under torture; the mindless automaton never will.

Taking the command chair, Tarkin orders the Twi’lek navigator to set course out of the system.

EXT. SPACE

The Slipstream drops out of hyperspace. They have arrived in a solar system consisting of a single red giant with a pair of gas giants.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT

Consulting his charts, Anakin charts a course which will take the ship diagonally across the system, past the two gas giants and out to this system’s Kuiper Belt. Coordinates laid in, Dahlia sets the ship on autopilot.

DAHLIA: Five hours to the next hyperroute ….

ANAKIN: Mmm-hmm.

DAHLIA: Five tedious hours ….

Giving Anakin a sly smile, the Pantoran rests a hand on his leg.

ANAKIN: (perturbed) Dahlia ….

DAHLIA: (strokes his leg) I don’t know what you know about Pantorans, but long hours spent confined in enclosed spaces tend to make us … anxious.

ANAKIN: (puts his hand on hers) Dahlia, I’m sorry. (beat) I’m spoken for.

DAHLIA: (smile fades) Oh ….

ANAKIN: It’s my fault. I should have told you.

DAHLIA: Don’t sweat it. (beat) Want to watch Juo Deltar Faces Gamblor the Terrible on the holovid?

EXT. SPACE – ASTEROID

As the Slipstream passes by the first gas giant, the ship moves within range of its only moon, a large potato-shaped asteroid quarter the size of a terrestrial planet. Unfortunately for Anakin and Dahlia, the asteroid isn’t only an asteroid; it’s the home base for a group of pirates.

As the Slipstream moves past the asteroid, a squadron of mixed starfighters emerges from hidden ports and moves in in attack formation for the CR60 Corvette.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT

The first plasma bursts impact upon the ship’s hull as Anakin and Dahlia are leaving the cockpit. The cockpit rattling, Dahlia leaps back to the controls and quickly throws up the Slipstream’s shields. Another salvo of plasmafire impacts upon the ship, but the shields protect it from damage this time around.

A pair of starfighters pass over the viewport.

DAHLIA: Pirates.

ANAKIN: You recognize their markings?

DAHLIA: Does it matter?

ANAKIN: No.

Disengaging the autopilot, Dahlia takes back control of her ship and attempts evasive maneuvers.

EXT. SPACE

Try as she might, Dahlia cannot shake the pirate fighters.

DAHLIA: (grimaces) Stang! Can’t shake them!

ANAKIN: How are you at the guns?

DAHLIA: Pretty damned good.

ANAKIN: Excellent. You take them and I’ll take the helm.

DAHLIA: (chuckles humourlessly) No one pilots the Slipstream but me.

ANAKIN: It’s a wonder you’ve lived this long.

Taking Dahlia by the scruff of her jumpsuit, the former Jedi hefts her up out of the chair.

DAHLIA: Hey!

ANAKIN: Listen. I’m a damned good shot myself, but I’m an even better pilot. You want to raise our chances for survival? Do as I say!

Anakin pushes Dahlia away from the pilot’s chair. Righting herself, she stands there a moment, glowering at him.

DAHLIA: Goddamn, you make me hot.

Those her final words on the matter, Dahlia veritably sprints out of the cockpit, leaving Anakin to take the helm.

EXT. SPACE

The pirates continue pummeling the Slipstream. The Corvette’s shields hold, but they’re beginning to weaken in various spots.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/UPPER GUN WELL

Slipping inside the gun well, Dahlia situates herself in her seat and activates the turbolaser batteries. As the targeting computer comes online, she begins drawing a bead on their attackers.

EXT. SPACE

With the Slipstream twisting and turning about to avoid the pirates’ plasmafire, the pirates keeping to them tight like ticks, Dahlia gets a lock on one of the starfighters and pulls the trigger; blue laser beams strike home with devastating force, obliterating the fighter with a flash of vaporized metal, fuel, and oxygen.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/UPPER GUN WELL

DAHLIA: Yes!

EXT. SPACE – RINGED GAS GIANT

The Slipstream’s course has finally taken it within range of the system’s second gas giant: a large cerulean sphere with a thick series of rings encircling it.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT

Having picked up a radio headset, Anakin slips it down over his ears and opens the comm to Dahlia.

ANAKIN: Dahlia?

INT. SLIPSTREAM/UPPER GUN WELL

Dahlia is fighting to lock on a fighter when Anakin’s tinny voice pipes in through her headset. After finally drawing a bead on the enemy craft and blowing it out of the heavens, she scrambles to pick the headset up and slip in on.

DAHLIA: Akira, what’s up?

INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT

ANAKIN: We’re within range of the second gas giant. It has a system of rings. I’m going to take us through ‘em. With any luck, we’ll shake these pirates and continue on our merry way.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/UPPER GUN WELL

DAHLIA: (shocked) Did some of those blasts seep through the shields and into your brain?! We can’t possibly make it!

INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT

ANAKIN: Don’t worry. I have a good feeling about this.

Focusing all his attention now on the improbably difficult task ahead, Anakin steers the Slipstream head-on for the gas giant’s rings.

EXT. SPACE – RING SYSTEM

Entering the ring system, the Slipstream is immediately surrounded by rocky and icy debris – some pieces small as grains of sand, others as large as boulders. The spaces between the largest pieces are tight and ever-shifting, but Anakin manages to maneuver the ship through them. The pirates, on the other hand, aren’t so lucky. Though their starfighters are far smaller and maneuverable than the Corvette, their pilots’ skill isn’t equivalent to Anakin’s; most of them are dashed to pieces against the large debris. Deciding that the debris will finish the Slipstream off before they can reach it – and them in due process – the surviving pirates decide to abandon the chase and turn back.

As the remaining pirate fighters head back the way they came, the Slipstream emerges out the other side of the debris field.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT

ANAKIN: (grins) All too easy.

Dahlia enters the cockpit and strides up to Anakin. As he turns around to greet her, she slaps him hard against the face.

DAHLIA: (enraged) Don’t you ever endanger me or my ship like that again!

She then grabs him by the front of his shirt and pulls him to her, kissing him fiercely on the mouth.

DAHLIA: (sighs) We both needed that.

Coming down off their mutual adrenaline high, the two partners decide to relax. Letting Dahlia return to the pilot’s chair, Anakin almost leisurely sets about correcting the ship’s course.

ANAKIN: There, back on course.

A light begins flashing on Dahlia’s console.

ANAKIN: What’s that?

DAHLIA: It looks like your hotshot piloting cost us some damage, flyboy. The hyperdrive’s offline.

ANAKIN: (frowns) Is it bad?

DAHLIA: If it is, it’ll take us a whole lot longer than five hours to leave this system. (stands up) C’mon.

Rising from his seat, Anakin follows Dahlia out of the cockpit.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/MAIN AIRLOCK

Entering the airlock, Dahlia directs Anakin over to a series of lockers. Opening one, she reveals a spacesuit stored within. Opening another, she reveals a second, identical suit.

DAHLIA: Slip it on.

ANAKIN: We have to go outside?

DAHLIA: (unstraps the hydrospanner on her leg) Yeah, we do. CR60 hyperdrives can only be accessed from outside the ship. (beat) Well? What are you waiting for?

ANAKIN: (swallows audibly) I’ve never been very comfortable in a zero-g vacuum.

DAHLIA: (takes out her own suit) Well, you’ll just have to man up and grow a pair.

As Dahlia begins suiting up, Anakin decides to follow her advice; manning up, growing a pair, he takes out his own spacesuit and begins slipping into it.

Once Dahlia has finished suiting up, she picks up her hydrospanner and stashes it in her locker. Securing the latch on the locker, she points to a toolbox hanging on the bulkhead.

DAHLIA: Don’t forget the toolbox.

Anakin retrieves it.

DAHLIA: Check it. I may have left some of the tools out somewhere.

ANAKIN: (checks inside) No, everything’s here.

DAHLIA: Good. Check me.

Turning around, Dahlia lets Anakin look her over to make sure her spacesuit’s fastened tight and nothing’s out of order. Giving her the okay sign, he turns around to let her do the same. With Anakin checking out, Dahlia depressurizes the airlock and opens the hatch, affording them both a direct, firsthand view of the star-spangled eternal night of outer space.

EXT. SPACE – SLIPSTREAM

Situated over the Slipstream’s engines, the magnetic soles of their spacesuits keeping them from floating free, the man and woman are busy repairing the damage done to the hyperdrive’s connections.

DAHLIA: Hydrospanner.

Taking the hydrospanner from the toolbox, Anakin hands it to her. Taking it, she begins loosening something.

ANAKIN: Why do you always wear it?

DAHLIA: Excuse me?

ANAKIN: That hydrospanner, the one you wear on your thigh. Why do you always carry it around on you?

DAHLIA: Would you believe a girl just likes to be prepared for any eventuality?

ANAKIN: If that’s the answer ….

DAHLIA: Well, it isn’t. (beat) Truth be told, the thing’s broken, busted, hasn’t worked in years. Even if I found myself in sudden need of it, the most use I’d get out of it is as a paperweight.

ANAKIN: Is it some good luck charm, then?

DAHLIA: You’re not far off. (beat) It’s the last gift I received from my father before he died. (beat) The central heater had been in need of replacing for months, but of course you can’t remove a defunct central heater without a hydrospanner. We were between hydrospanners at the time. I kept nagging Dad, “Pick up a hydrospanner. We need a hydrospanner. You want the old heater out? The new heater in? Buy a hydrospanner.” Of course he listened. Took him two weeks before he finally listened, but he went out and bought that hydrospanner. (glum) Two weeks after that, a faulty seal on a plasma torch went and he went with it.

ANAKIN: I’m sorry.

DAHLIA: Sorry for what? It wasn’t your fault. (sniffles)

ANAKIN: You loved him very much.

DAHLIA: And he loved me very much – probably too much. (laughs) How’s your pop?

ANAKIN: I wouldn’t know. I never met my biological father.

DAHLIA: What do you know of him? Anything?

ANAKIN: Mom never talked about him, never wanted to talk about him. (beat) I know two things about him: His name was Kane.

DAHLIA: What’s the second thing?

Anakin hesitates.

ANAKIN: He was Force-sensitive. I only found that out as I left home to begin my Jedi training.

Dahlia stands still and silent, eyes intent upon him.

ANAKIN: (shrugs) You were right. You were right about me.

DAHLIA: The repairs are almost complete. Help me finish up, okay?

ANAKIN: Okay.

They resume their work.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/MAIN AIRLOCK

Returning inside, Anakin and Dahlia slip out of their spacesuits and return them to their lockers. Standing there, they face one another, eye-to-eye.

ANAKIN: My name – my real name – is Anakin. Anakin Skywalker.

DAHLIA: Welcome aboard the Slipstream, Anakin.

Those tense words spoken, the two come together. Taking Dahlia’s blue face in his hands, Anakin brings her lips to his. Opening her mouth, Dahlia lets his tongue slip inside, allowing it to swim and dance with hers. Their attraction – fueled by the perils faced together, equally as strong as anything between Anakin and Nashira if not stronger – can no longer be denied.

Driving Anakin against the bulkhead, Dahlia pulls the front of his shirt open. She then unzips the front of her jumpsuit, revealing that she’s wearing nothing beneath it. Easing her out of the sleeves of her jumpsuit, Anakin exposes the thick network of ugly scars which run along the sides of her torso.

ANAKIN: (shocked) Dahlia! Those scars --!

DAHLIA: Shut up and kark me.

Dahlia opens his fly and Anakin forgets all about the scars.

I halfassed the scene with the Jedi on the bulk freighter in the previous entry, so I returned to it and gave it a considerable makeover.

INT. DELANTINE – ABIEDS-BRANNRID MEDICAL CENTRE/DR. REYEM’S OFFICE – DAY

Nashira has made it to Delantine and to the Abieds-Brannrid Medical Centre. There, Dr. Reyem has given the young woman the news about Anakin. Bolting up out of her chair, Nashira slams her hands down on the top of Reyem’s desk.

NASHIRA: (outraged) You can’t find him!? What are you saying?!

As the doctor begins explaining the matter, ‘Shira suddenly doubles over. Her outrage is immediately tempered with suddenly confusion.

DR. REYEM: Miss DuQuesne, are you alright?

NASHIRA: (frowns) I … I …. Oh! Ooh!

Taking a step back, Nashira begins breathing heavily.

DR. REYEM: (concerned) Are you okay?

NASHIRA: (hyperventilating) I don’t know!

Nashira spasms suddenly; grabbing onto her chair is the only thing which prevents her from collapsing to the floor. Leaving her seat, Dr. Reyem comes around to the front of the desk to help the girl. Unable to stop herself, Nashira begins panting.

DR. REYEM: Nashira!

NASHIRA: (panicked) What is happening to me?!

Between the panting, Nashira grunts and moans. When her pelvis begins involuntarily thrusting – quickly, mechanically – she starts SCREAMING.

DR. REYEM: Nurse! Anybody!

Leaving Nashira’s side, Reyem bolts from the office to get some help. The doctor gone, Nashira shoves her hands between her thighs and curls into a fetal position.

That is when blessed relief finally washes over her.

INT. DR. REYEM’S HOME/SPARE BEDROOM – SUNSET

Hours later, after getting Nashira checked out, Dr. Reyem has taken the girl to stay at her place.

Guiding her over to the bed, Reyem makes ‘Shira lie down.

DR. REYEM: Listen. I’ll buy you a return ticket home to Orron III. It’ll be my treat, okay?

NASHIRA: Thanks, Doctor.

DR. REYEM: Now don’t worry about what happened at the hospital.

NASHIRA: It was just a panic attack.

DR. REYEM: (nods) Just a panic attack. (smiles) Have yourself a nap. I’ll wake you in time for dinner. How does crab rotoven sound to you?

NASHIRA: Sounds nice.

Reyem then leaves, turning off the lights and closing the door behind her. Nashira lies there atop the mattress, alone, the red light of the departing suns falling upon her face.

Though she isn’t consciously aware of what has transpired, Nashira knows in her heart of hearts that Anakin has betrayed her for another.

INT. GEONOSIS – SANDCRAWLER/PRISON AREA – EVENING

Some time has passed since the Condawni were captured and brought to this place, and their numbers within this compartment have thinned considerably. There are still many of them, but no longer so many that they have no room to sit or lie down.

One of the Condawni sits in a dark corner, apart from the others. Dangerously emaciated, coated in grime, he looks like a resin-soaked mummy which has had its wrappings removed. At some point in the past, he suffered a compound fracture to his left ankle. He cries with great agony, his grievous wound stinking with gangrene.

CONDAWNI WOMAN: (enraged) By the stars, just shut up! Just shut up!

Darth holds his hands down over Mitra’s ears so she doesn’t have to hear any of this.

The hatch into the compartment opens and four Raiders enter.

RAIDER #1: (points at injured man) Him.

RAIDER #2: Him? But he’s already gone half-bad.

RAIDER #1: All the more reason to be done with ‘im. Don’t need ‘im spoilin’ the other meat.

At his command, two of the other Raiders goes over to the injured Condawnian. Picking him up, they proceed to drag him out of the compartment. As his broken ankle is roughly dragged along the floor, he SCREAMS.

RAIDER #3: Ah, jeez!

RAIDER #2: (unslings speargun) This’ll soothe him.

Levelling the speargun at the injured man’s head, he pulls the trigger. The poor man immediately falls silent.

RAIDER #2: (to the Condawni) Now y’all can have some peace and quiet!

The Raider laughs, then he and his comrades leave the prison area, securing the hatch behind them as they go.

The Raiders gone, the moans of pain finally gone, Darth takes his hands away from Mitra’s ears.

MITRA: (sad) Darth?

DARTH: What up?

MITRA: Tell me the rest of The Maverick Moon.

DARTH: I can’t. I lost the datapad.

MITRA: Please.

DARTH: Alright. I’ll try to remember how it goes. (beat) Suddenly Deak Starkiller broke through the magnetic field. He found himself in a shaky orbit around the maverick moon. “Prepare to fire the zukonium rays!” Deak shouted to A-2. “We’ll have to get out of here in a split second!” (beat) The zukonium rays were aimed at the centre of the moon. Deak squeezed down on the firing lever. (beat) It was a direct hit! The impact of the exploding moon sent Deak’s plane reeling out of control. A-2’s lights blinked on and off as his circuits blew. Desperately Deak tried to regain control. But he didn’t have to worry. The Force was with him. The special power he could not explain protected him and steered him free from danger. (beat) When Deak and A-2 returned to the hangar, the entire population of the Academy was there to greet them with yells and cheers. Happiest of all were their good friends Princess Zara and C-3. (beat) Princess Zara placed a medal of honour around Deak’s neck. “Now we can get back to work,” said Deak, feeling a little embarrassed. “I’m glad that you and the Planetary Pioneers will be able to continue your work,” said Zara. “But I’m even happier that you are alive and safe.” (beat) And that’s the end.

MITRA: (smiles) Good ending.

DARTH: Sure was.

MITRA: Do you think there’s a Force protecting us, Darth?

A tear runs from Darth’s eye. He quickly wipes it away.

DARTH: Yes.

EXT. ABAFAR – PONS ORA – DR. EVAZAN’S COSMETIC SURGERY – DAY

On the remote Outer Rim world of Abafar, in a corner of dusty Pons Ora, stands Dr. Evazan’s Cosmetic Surgery, a small, decrepit clinic.

INT. DR. EVAZAN’S COSMETIC SURGERY/OPERATING ROOM – DAY

Within the dingy operating room, working under a single overhead light, DR. CORNELIUS EVAZAN is busy at work. His patient recently lost an arm, and the good doctor has seen fit to replace it with a bionic prosthesis.

DR. EVAZAN: (finishes making the final connections) There, finished. Good as new.

Evazan steps back, allowing Llomon to sit up. There on his right arm, grafted just above where his original elbow used to be, is a large blaster cannon.

LLOMON: It’s heavy. (flexes elbow) It’s sluggish.

DR. EVAZAN: The nerves in your arm haven’t fully integrated with the neural interface yet. Give it time. Before long it’ll feel as much a part of you as your old arm did.

LLOMON: (flexes elbow) I want to test it out.

DR. EVAZAN: Follow me.

EXT. DR. EVAZAN’S COSMETIC SURGERY/FIRING RANGE – DAY

Evazan takes the Trandoshan out back behind his clinic, where he has had a modest firing range set up. A number of inactive 'droids have been lined up, dressed and positioned to vaguely resemble intimidating thugs, bounty hunters, and police officers.

Bringing forth his new limb, Llomon targets the 'droids and opens fire, blasting them all to smithereens with superheated orange plasma balls.

DR. EVAZAN: (grins) Satisfied?

LLOMON: I am.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/DAHLIA’S QUARTERS

Within Dahlia’s quarters, Anakin sits at a round dining table, dressed in clean, pressed, nice clothes. Leaving the kitchenette, Dahlia – wearing a simple but pretty red dress – comes to the table bearing two plates laden with thick nerf steaks and scalloped potatoes. Setting one plate down in front of Anakin, she crosses to the other side of the table and sets the other there as she takes her seat.

DAHLIA: Nerf steaks. Scalloped potatoes. (beat) I always keep good food on-board, but I only eat it on very special occasions. (beat) Try your steak. I hope it’s how you wanted it. Medium well, right?

ANAKIN: (takes a bite of steak) Medium well, exactly.

DAHLIA: (grins) Excellent. (takes a bite of steak) Mmm. I love it rare, myself. Can’t eat it any other way.

Dahlia, ravenous, quickly sets about shovelling food into her mouth. Anakin isn’t feeling nearly so peckish.

DAHLIA: (frowns) Is there something wrong with the food?

ANAKIN: No, nothing’s wrong with the food. It’s perfect. The best I’ve eaten since … I left Orron III.

DAHLIA: (sighs) You’re thinking about Nashira. (beat) Anakin, long-distance relationships … they never work out in the end. Couples make vows of everlasting love, promise faithfully to remain true forever and always, forsaking all others … but they’re just romantic lies they tell themselves. Sooner, later, they find themselves drawn to other people … falling in love with other people. They move on. (rests a hand on Anakin’s) It’s natural, healthy. You have nothing to be ashamed of.

ANAKIN: You don’t understand. We share a rapport, a connection. Through the Force, we feel what the other feels; pleasure … and pain. (beat) Right now I feel her inside me. Her heart is breaking and she doesn’t know why. (beat) But I do.

DAHLIA: (smiles) I believe you. I believe you and Nashira do share a deep, intimate connection. It’s beautiful. You and Nashira will be in each other’s hearts always. But you do feel the connection we have, don’t you?

ANAKIN: I do.

DAHLIA: It may not be as strong as yours and Nashira’s, but give it time. The slender sapling becomes the sturdy oak with time.

ANAKIN: But here and now, we suffer. (beat) Would you have me make love to you again, knowing Nashira will feel what I feel, knowing how deep it will hurt her?

DAHLIA: No. My appetites are strong, but not that strong. (beat) I’m willing to wait however long it takes for the two of you to reprioritize your feelings.

ANAKIN: (facepalms) It was a mistake. What we did was a mistake.

DAHLIA: (shakes her head) It wasn’t a mistake.

ANAKIN: It was a mistake! It was my mistake! I should’ve known better! I love 'Shira!

Leaving her chair, Dahlia walks on over to Anakin. Resting her hands on his shoulders, she begins to massage them.

DAHLIA: Right now, this ship is hurtling toward the tombworld of the ancient Sith. Once we arrive, if you find what you seek, you will gain power beyond measure. But with that power comes a price. You will become an enemy of the Jedi and their allies. Your poster will be plastered on every civilized world throughout the Empire. Police will seek to capture you. Bounty hunters will try to claim the price on your head. You will be a fugitive, always on the run, never able to sleep another peaceful sleep. (beat) Do you believe Nashira loves you enough to give up her normal, comfortable life to run with you in the night, world-to-world, never resting, never stopping, in constant danger? Do you really want her to? (turns his head to face her) I will run with you, all the days of your life.

They kiss.

INT. GEONOSIS – SANDCRAWLER/PRISON AREA – EVENING

Darth and Mitra are asleep in each other’s arms when the hatch opens and the four same Raiders from before enter in.

RAIDER #1: (points at Anakin and Mitra) The kids.

Stepping forward, two of the Raiders grab Anakin and Mitra and hoist them up. Jolted out of their uneasy sleep, the kids begin kicking and screaming.

INT. SANDCRAWLER/CONTROL ROOM – EVENING

Shiiid stands before Chlorian, examining him closely as if he were a particularly interesting bug under a magnifying glass. Chlorian, still strapped into the rack, appears weak and weary. Of course, it shouldn’t come as much surprise; aside from the fact that he hasn’t eaten a thing since long before he was captured, he has had his left hand cut off.

ELIK SHIIID: You’re hungry, aren’t you, Chlorian? How long’s it been since you had yourself a bite? Before we made you at home, I’d wager. How long? A week? Much longer?

Chlorian GROANS.

ELIK SHIIID: You can’t say we didn’t offer you a hand. (laughs)

CHLORIAN: You’re mad.

Chlorian’s stomach RUMBLES.

ELIK SHIIID: (rubs Chlorian’s belly) Not as mad as your stomach! (laughs) Governor, I consider myself a moral man. Now, a moral man couldn’t very well go around killing his fellow sapient and cooking him on a spit were all his bolts screwed tightly in place, could he? Could he? He’d have to be cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs to even consider such things. (pokes Chlorian in the gut) You’ve considered such things before, haven’t you, Chlorian Vader? Out there on the hardpan, forcing yourself to swallow down lichen scrapings, you couldn’t help but look at your bestest friend this side of the known Galaxy and conceptualize how easy the flesh of his bicep would go down your voracious throat. I know you have. I know. What I want to know is whether or not those thoughts came from a man who is moral.

Before Chlorian can give any sort of answer, the Raiders with the children come on in.

RAIDER #1: We’ll be havin’ sucklin’ brat tonight!

Chlorian is horrified when he sees Darth and Mitra held in the greasy arms of the Raiders.

CHLORIAN: No! NO!

The Raiders carry the children over to the barbeque, where the coals are already hot.

CHLORIAN: Shiiid, stop them! Call them off! Call them off!

ELIK SHIIID: (frowns) But why? They’ll be so tender.

CHLORIAN: They’re mine! They’re mine!

ELIK SHIIID: (waves hand) Pshaw! I know you have no children living in-system.

CHLORIAN: Darth is my son!

Chlorian makes eye contact with Darth.

CHLORIAN: Darth is my son …

ELIK SHIIID: (grins) A bastard, you say?

Leaving Chlorian, Shiiid jumps on over to the Raider holding Darth. Leaning in close, he studies the boy’s features.

ELIK SHIIID: Not the strongest resemblance. Must take after his mother. (turns to Chlorian) You ever take him to a smashball game?

CHLORIAN: He didn’t know. He didn’t know I was his father. (beat) I never told him.

ELIK SHIIID: That answers my question. (pinches Darth’s check) Let’s open them up and throw them on the grill.

Drawing a knife out of his belt, Shiiid raises it to Darth’s throat.

CHLORIAN: You can’t! You can’t! Please!

ELIK SHIIID: Geonosis never was a place for children. It’s best we snuff them out to prevent them any further torment.

CHLORIAN: Darth’s a mechanic!

Shiiid rests the blade against Darth’s throat but doesn’t draw it across.

ELIK SHIIID: Mechanic?

CHLORIAN: He’s good with tools! He can take things apart or put them together! He modified his own skimboard! He can help you with the repairs to your sandcrawler!

ELIK SHIIID: The devil you say?

CHLORIAN: He can! I swear he can! Just leave them both alone!

The Zabrak takes the blade away from the boy’s throat.

ELIK SHIIID: (taps the blade against his head) How does this sound: We’ll put him to work on our vehicles and tools, first – our damaged stuff. If he shows a penchant for fixing things mechanical, we’ll spare his hide and put him to work on the sandcrawler engines. Does that sound sweet?

CHLORIAN: It does! It does!

ELIK SHIIID: (smiles) A deal it is then.

Leaving Darth, Shiiid walks over to Mitra. What he had planned to do to Darth he does do to her – without hesitation. Both Darth and Chlorian, son and father, begin screaming wildly, thrashing against their restraints or captors, violently seeking to free themselves, to exact retribution against these murderers. They cannot.

ELIK SHIIID: The girl had nothing to offer. Now she does.

CHLORIAN: (enraged) I will kill you, Shiiid! By the names of all the gods that must exist, I swear you will die by that very same knife!

ELIK SHIIID: There are no gods on Geonosis.

INT. BATTLEMOON/SGW-0027’S OFFICE

Sigeu is at her desk, busy going over paperwork, when her door BUZZES.

SGW-0027: Enter.

The door slides open and UIY – that is, UIY-2140 – steps inside.

SGW-0027: What may I do for you, Commander?

UIY-2140: Atha Prime, Admiral. He seeks an audience with you.

SGW-0027: Atha Prime alone?

UIY-2140: Indeed.

SGW-0027: Inform him I shall be there presently.

UIY-2149: (nods) As you like.

INT. BATTLEMOON/HOLOPROJECTION CHAMBER

Sigeu stands at the centre of the chamber as the larger than life hologram of Atha Prime comes to life before her. Clad in his customary robes of iridescent shimmersilk, he looks down upon her with hard eyes.

ATHA PRIME: Officer SGW-0027.

SGW-0027: Lord.

ATHA PRIME: It is time, Admiral. Ready your forces; the invasion commences in nine days.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/ANAKIN’S QUARTERS

Anakin is seated upon the floor. Cross-legged, eyes closed, he is in deep meditation.

There is a RAP, RAP, RAP at the door.

ANAKIN: Enter.

The door opens and Dahlia enters.

DAHLIA: We are two minutes away from the Horuset system.

Opening his eyes, Anakin rises to his full height. Dahlia’s yellow eyes intent upon him, he leaves the quarters.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT

Entering the cockpit, Dahlia slips down behind the controls. Seconds pass, her eyes focused on her readouts, then she disengages the hyperdrive.

EXT. SPACE – KORRIBAN

The Slipstream emerges into realspace. Right within view of the craft is the lonely planet of Korriban itself.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT

Dahlia studies Korriban with keen interest. The planet is a black-and-gray world, its surface still bearing the tell-tale marks of the bombardment which scoured it of life all those thousands of centuries before. Like Tatooine and Geonosis, Korriban appears to be a barren desert world; no substantial vegetation or bodies of water can be seen from this vantage point.

EXT. SPACE – KORRIBAN

The Slipstream makes its descent run towards the planet.

EXT. SPACE – BATTLEMOON

Far enough away from the battlemoon to avoid being registered on it sensors, the Troia’s Steed drops out of hyperspace.

INT. TROIA’S STEED/AIRLOCK

Obi-Wan and the Berals are donning their white clone jumpsuits when Tarkin enters the airlock. Upon his arrival, they stand ramrod straight, all attention on their commanding officer.

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: I trust you each have your datacards?

The four Jedi open the pockets on their jumpsuits or utility belts and withdraw identical black-and-red datacards.

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Excellent. Now remember: You slip aboard covertly, head directly for the Overbridge, and once there upload the virus on your cards into their central computer. If all works as it should, the virus will force the computer to transmit shutdown codes to all inter-field generators in the network; it will then wipe the entire operating system out and disable the battlemoon permanently. Do this right, don’t draw any attention to yourselves, and you should be in-and-out within the span of fifty minutes. Are you all clear on what must be done?

The four Jedi nod.

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Good. (beat) Synchronize chronometres. Synchronize … now.

All five Imperials synchronize their chronos. Thus the real grunt work begins.

EXT. KORRIBAN – VALLEY OF THE SLEEPING KINGS – DAY

Passing through a system of storm clouds, the Slipstream emerges over the Valley of the Sleeping Kings, that place where the thousands of Sith monarchs and their loyal vassals repose. Though still awe-inspiring in their greatness, the magnificent stone tombs and statues of the ancient Sith have fallen into disrepair in the five-thousand millennia which have passed since the fall of their Empire.

Coming to hover over the great paved road which runs through the Valley, the Slipstream touches down and powers down.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/ARMORY – DAY

Inside the ship’s armory, Anakin is equipping himself for the trial ahead. Taking a black suit of light armour out of a locker, he dons it. Covering his entire body from the neck down, the armour is form-fitting and flexible, made to accommodate the wearer’s natural speed and agility without compromising protection. While it isn’t strong enough to withstand anything as strong as direct blasterfire, it should keep him safe from whatever hazards may roam this desolate planet. He then equips himself with twin blaster pistols, a blaster rifle, several blaster packs, and a vibroblade.

DAHLIA: (O.C.) Black is your colour.

Anakin turns to Dahlia.

DAHLIA: (grins) Sexy and dangerous.

ANAKIN: (smiles) Blue remains yours.

DAHLIA: (pouts) Frigid and glum?

ANAKIN: Calming and confident.

DAHLIA: (twists strand of hair around her finger) Guilty as charged.

They move in close.

DAHLIA: (rests hands on Anakin’s chest) You certain I shouldn’t go with you?

ANAKIN: I gained some knowledge of this place when I was in rapport with Eikhan. In the days of the ancient Sith, creatures roamed the Valley, protected the tombs … tuk’ata, Sith hounds. I don’t know if any still exist, but if they do … I can’t risk your life. The Slipstream’s the safest place you can be.

DAHLIA: If you face that much danger, you have to let me come along. You’ll need the backup.

ANAKIN: As I told you, this is my cross to bear. What I have to face, I face alone.

Though crestfallen, Dahlia understands.

EXT. VALLEY OF THE SLEEPING KINGS – SLIPSTREAM – DAY

As Anakin steps out, he turns to Dahlia who stands in the ship’s open hatch.

ANAKIN: If I’m not back in four hours, leave.

Dahlia frowns.

ANAKIN: No arguments. Four hours.

Reluctant, she nods her assent. Satisfied, Anakin turns and sets off down the road.

A lightning bolt crackles down from the overcast sky above.

EXT. SPACE – BATTLEMOON

As the Troia’s Steed moves on approach for the battlemoon, it appears to fade from existence as its cloak is deployed, rendered fully invisible to all eyes and all sensors.

CUT TO

An airlock hatch opening in the emptiness of space.

Dressed in spacesuits, Obi-Wan and the Berals step out. Firing their suits’ thrusters, they’re propelled towards the battlemoon. Upon coming to the surface of the battlemoon, they engage the magnetic soles in their boots, allowing them to adhere to the metallic surface.

Walking along the face of the battlemoon as if it were a miniature planetoid, they soon come across a maintenance hatch leading inside. Opening the hatch, they slip on through.

INT. BATTLEMOON/AIRLOCK

Now inside the battlemoon and out of vacuum, they ditch their spacesuits. After the suits have been stowed away out of sight, Obi-Wan takes out a small holoprojector and activates it; a spherical map indicating the direction to the Overbridge is displayed.

OBI-WAN: Let’s go.

EXT. KORRIBAN – VALLEY OF THE SLEEPING KINGS – ROAD – DAY

Here in the Valley of the Sleeping Kings, there is perfect silence. Aside from Anakin’s footfalls upon the stone road and the odd crackle of thunder that reverberates through the air with each strike of lightning that passes down from the heavy clouds, there isn’t a single sound to break the monotonous quiet. The effect is peculiar, eerie, and most unsettling.

EXT. VALLEY OF THE SLEEPING KINGS – GREAT TEMPLE – DAY

Anakin finally reaches the rear end of the Valley and with it his destination. Before him stands the Great Temple, the grand mausoleum he saw in the vision conjured by Nykres Eikhan. As it was in his vision, a carved effigy of a Sith male frames the entrance into the temple, its stone arms extended. Here, though, the braziers in its hands lie dead, cold as the Sith who sleep beyond.

Unholstering one of his blaster pistols, Anakin cautiously heads inside.

INT. GREAT TEMPLE/ANTECHAMBER – DAY

Anakin soon comes to the antechamber of the Great Temple’s burial chamber. The roof of the antechamber caved in a long time ago, leaving great boulders covered in layers of dust and cobwebs upon the floor. Making his way across the chamber, stepping across or between the boulders, Anakin comes across the shattered fragments of a large crystal lying amongst the debris in the centre of the chamber. Unable to discern the original purpose of the crystal, he proceeds onward.

INT. GREAT TEMPLE/BURIAL CHAMBER – DAY

Anakin enters the burial chamber. The chamber is rectangular, several metres across with a high ceiling – easily vaster than Eikhan’s tomb on Xuthltan or the atrium in the temple on Thule. Along both the left and right sides of the tomb are large, high thrones which bear the bodies of all the Lords and Ladies of the Sith who reigned in the final age of the Sith Empire. Past the thrones, at the far end of the chamber, are two peculiar objects: a large tetrahedral crystal and a cyclopean statue of a hooded figure, a sceptre held in its right hand and an orb in its left.

Anakin examines the thrones and the bodies seated upon them closely. Carved from obsidian, adorned with pairs of counchant tuk’ata statues which rest on secondary levels below the Sith, the thrones are identical in colour, size, and shape; only the unique crests adorning the face of each individual throne – the personal crests of the Lords they bear aloft – distinguish them. As for the bodies themselves, they all belong to the Sith race, though decay and desiccation have removed most distinguishing physical characteristics from their features.

Stopping in the exact centre of the chamber, Anakin holsters his blaster. Unslinging his rifle, his eyes dart left and right at the two rows of thrones.

ANAKIN: (presents the rifle to the mummies) Taka zeech ma toka duuwaj.

Slowly, Anakin places the blaster rifle down on the floor before his feet.

ANAKIN: (removes his gunbelt and presents it to the mummies) Taka zeech ma toka duuwaj.

He places the belt with pistols and vibroblade down with the rifle.

ANAKIN: Taka zeech ma toka duuwaj.

The former Jedi then slowly kneels down. Clenching his hands into fists, he places them against his forehead, the base of his palms pressed together.

ANAKIN: Taka zeech ma toka duuwaj.

He then takes his fists away from his forehead.

ANAKIN: (unclenches fists) Taka zeech ma toka duuwaj.

The rite completed, he slowly stands back up.

ANAKIN: I am Anakin Skywalker. I am a former Jedi Knight, outcast from that which you knew as the Galactic Republic. I have come before you, the ancient Lords of Sith, seeking an audience. I beseech thee – lend me your ear!

Anakin waits. All is still, all is silent. The tall braziers lining the chamber remain dark, the mummies naught but empty, lifeless shells. Still he waits and waits and waits. Several minutes pass, then he gives up.

ANAKIN: (crestfallen) Nothing. It’s been too long. There’s nothing for me here.

As he reaches down to retrieve his weapons, the braziers spontaneously ignite. Orange torchlight fills the Great Temple for the first time in five-thousand years. Forgetting his weapons, Anakin stands straight, eyes darting from throne to throne.

SITH SPIRIT #1: (O.S.) Jedi ….

A baleful glow begins to resonate within the empty sockets of the mummies. The sleepers have awakened. The Lords of the Sith live again.

SITH SPIRIT #2: (O.S.) Jedi!

ANAKIN: I –

SITH SPIRIT #3: (O.S.; angry) The hated enemy! Jedi!

ANAKIN: I am no longer Jedi!

SITH SPIRIT #4: (O.S.) Its tongue clicks with deception! Cut it from its mouth before it poisons the air with further lies!

ANAKIN: (frantic) Please! Hear me!

The disembodied voices of the Lords continue to rail against the former Jedi, raining venomous curses and threats upon him. Finally, from out of one of the mummies emanates AN AMORPHOUS BLUE SPIRIT. Assuming vaguely humanoid form, it rises to the ceiling, looming over the thrones beneath it.

SITH SPIRIT #5: Enough!

The other spirits fall silent.

The glowing blue spirit comes to hover over Anakin. It takes on a more defined shape: the form of a wizened Sith male wearing long hair, clad in voluminous robes and a horned helmet.

ANAKIN: (afraid) W-whom do I address?

SITH SPIRIT #5: In life I was Marka Ragnos, last of the true Lords of the Sith to reign before the fall of the Sith Empire. (beat) You court danger invading this, our inner sanctum, Jedi. Do you believe you can challenge us here?

ANAKIN: I have come for knowledge, not battle.

MARKA RAGNOS (SITH SPIRIT #5): You are Jedi.

ANAKIN: I am Jedi no longer. I have turned from that path.

MARKA RAGNOS: Explain.

ANAKIN: I became Jedi under false pretenses. I was ignorant of the history between they and the Sith, ignorant of the genocide perpetrated against your people. Once the truth was made known to me, I left my master.

MARKA RAGNOS: Thus you have come to Korriban. You yearn for the honour we bestowed but once before to the Jedi Exar Kun, yet your blood burns without his passion; you have not the heart of a Sith born.

ANAKIN: (passionate) My heart beats for my people! My blood burns for the peace, freedom, justice, and security of my Empire!

MARKA RAGNOS: From the Republic your Empire sprang forth?

ANAKIN: It did.

MARKA RAGNOS: Then you have sought our counsel in vain. The scion of our enemy is our enemy also.

ANAKIN: Almost two-hundred generations separate yours and mine. Sons do not rightly bear the sins of their fathers – or their grandfathers.

MARKA RAGNOS: The memories of the dead are long. Bygone transgressions remain fresh as hot milk, splinters in our mind’s eye.

ANAKIN: Then temper your wrath with honour. The Sith knew honour, didn’t they?

MARKA RAGNOS: We knew it.

ANAKIN: Then consider it now, for a million worlds are at stake. They are endangered by an agent of the dark side.

MARKA RAGNOS: (contemptuous) Light side, dark. Puerile oversimplifications as conceived by children.

ANAKIN: (frowns) An evil man – I do not know who – covets the throne of the Empire. If he takes it, his reign will be terrible; billions will die, billions more will suffer under his heel. I need to stop him; I need the power to stop him. You are the only ones who hold that power. Share it with me!

The Lords begin to chitter amongst themselves. Though Ragnos does not pitch in, he listens to their thoughts with rapt attention.

MARKA RAGNOS: (to Anakin) Your weapons.

Anakin’s brow furrows ever so slightly.

MARKA RAGNOS: (con’t) You will need them.

Ragnos then dissipates. As he vanishes, the eyes of the tuk’ata statues open, all glowing a dreadful red. Rising from their reclining positions, it becomes clear that they were never statues at all; they are real tuk’ata and they will not suffer Anakin’s presence in the chamber of their masters gladly.

INT. BATTLEMOON/SGW-0027’S CABIN

Sigeu is her cabin. Having discarded her robes and niqab for the final time, she dons her armour. As it is with the shocktroopers, her armour consists of white plasteel worn over a white jumpsuit. Unlike the shocktroopers, however, her uniform comes complete with a white tabard and cloak worn over the armour. Her helmet, too, is different from theirs; it sports a T-shaped visor and pronounced neck guard.

Just as she prepares to slip the helmet on, her door BUZZES.

SGW-0027: (turns toward door) Come.

The door opens and Thex enters the cabin. He, too, has put on the armour of their class save for the helmet, which rests tucked in beneath his arm.

SGW-0027: (approaches THX-1138) Our ascension is almost at hand. You feel it?

THX-1138: Yes.

SGW-0027: After we’ve seized command of the Supremacy, what shall be our first order of business?

THX-1138: First we reverse the mutilation wreaked upon us, then we make love – love and a child.

They share a passionate kiss before donning their white helmets.

INT. BATTLEMOON – MONTAGE

The Jedi head on towards the Overbridge. They pass several beige-and-white-garbed clones on the way, but none see through their disguises.

INT. BATTLEMOON/OVERBRIDGE

The Jedi finally enter the Overbridge.

Now standing in amongst the clones on the Overbridge, the major flaw in the bold Imperial plan is uncovered. The Jedi may have disguised themselves as clones, but not these clones. These clones, bred to fulfill different duties than those clones the Jedi have patterned themselves after, were grown from different templates. The intruders stand out like sore thumbs and the clones, accustomed to the strict uniformity of their regulated lives, immediately take notice of their presence.

Noticing the unfamiliar faces from atop the command platform, UIY-2140 steps down to confront them.

UIY-2140: You are not assigned to the Overbridge. Explain your presence here.

OBI-WAN: We’re maintenance.

UIY-2140: No maintenance checks have been scheduled. Furthermore, you are not maintenance models.

TEYF BERAL: We’re new models!

JANO BERAL: Yes! Model BRLs!

UIY-2140: (frowns) You are defective. I will report this to the admiral.

As UIY-2140 turns to return to the command platform to report the “defective clones” to Sigeu, Obi-Wan raises his hand.

OBI-WAN: We are maintenance.

UIY-2140: You are maintenance.

OBI-WAN: A faulty transistor has been detected in the one of the terminals in the crew pit. We’re here to replace it.

UIY-2140: A faulty transistor has been detected in the one of the terminals in the crew pit. You’re here to replace it.

OBI-WAN: Return to your post and let us carry out our duties.

UIY-2140: I shall return to my post. Carry out your duties.

As the overseer returns to the command platform, the Jedi make their way down into the crew pit. The other clones, also having been affected by the Jedi’s mind trick, pay them no heed as they crowd in around one of the terminals.

Taking out his virus datacard, Obi-Wan slips it into a disc drive.

INT. KORRIBAN – GREAT TEMPLE/BURIAL CHAMBER – DAY

Like the rakghouls on Xuthltan, the tuk’ata are the products of Sith alchemy. Vaguely caninoid, the tuk’ata are oversized blue-black beasts, equipped with wicked claws, teeth, and crowns of poisonous stingers. While the bite and scratch of the tuk’ata isn’t as insidious as that of the rakghoul, the creatures themselves are just as vicious – and far quicker.

The dozens of Sith hounds converge on Anakin. Having retrieved his twin blasters, Anakin is already hard at working mowing down the beasts, dispatching as many as he can in a hail of blue blasterfire, but many of the tuk’ata – swift and cunning – slither out of his line of fire before he can even bring the barrels their way.

Working together, four of the tuk’ata decide to charge Anakin in tandem, each approaching him from different angles. Anakin manages to shoot down two of the beasts and send the third flying with a roundhouse kick, but the fourth takes him down, driving him into the floor and knocking the blasters out of his grasp.

Bearing its teeth wide, the tuk’ata lunges for the ex-Jedi’s throat. Throwing his forearm up, Anakin manages to position it between the beast’s jaws and his jugular. The hound’s three rows of teeth bury themselves deep into his forearm, breaking the skin and drawing pain, but the tough fabric of the light armour provides enough protection to keep the force of the tuk’ata’s jaws from crushing Anakin’s bones. Before the tuk’ata can change tactics, Anakin draws out his vibroblade. Engaging the vibrating blade, he buries it deep in the beast’s gullet.

Drawing himself back to his feet, cradling his injured arm close to his chest, bloody vibroblade clutched tightly in his other hand, Anakin is ready to continue fighting the tuk’ata. The tuk’ata, surrounding him on all sides and still legion in number, are all too ready to continue fighting him.

MARKA RAGNOS: (O.S.) That will suffice.

Hearing the voice of the Lord, the tuk’ata begin slowly backing away from Anakin. Red eyes still thirsty for blood, the Sith hounds disappear into the shadows.

MARKA RAGNOS: That was the trial of skill and tenacity. You have passed it, Skywalker.

ANAKIN: Then I have proven myself? You will train me in the ways of the Sith?

MARKA RAGNOS: (O.S.) You have proven worthy to proceed. It was but the first trial.

Before Anakin can begin an argument, the floor opens up beneath him, casting him into a deep abyss.

INT. BATTLEMOON/OVERBRIDGE/CREW PIT

The Jedi wait by the terminal, waiting for the virus to finish uploading.

OBI-WAN: It shouldn’t be long now….

INT. BATTLEMOON/SGW-0027’S OFFICE

Thex and Sigeu are seated in her office.

SGW-0027: Something’s wrong. (beat) Something’s amiss.

INT. BATTLEMOON/OVERBRIDGE/CREW PIT

Information begins scrolling across the terminal screen.

OBI-WAN: (grins) The shutdown codes are being transmitted! The inter-field generators are powering down!

INT. BATTLEMOON/SGW-0027’S OFFICE

SGW-0027: I sense a presence. (beat) Intruders.

Bolting out her chair, Sigeu leaves the office. Thex follows her.

INT. BATTLEMOON/OVERBRIDGE

Coming out onto the command platform, Sigeu looks down over the Overbridge. Eyes centering on the crew pit, she spies the unfamiliar faces crammed in around the terminal.

SGW-0027: (points at the Jedi) It’s them! Stop them!

INT. BATTLEMOON/OVERBRIDGE/CREW PIT

The interdiction zone nullified, the virus proceeds onto its second directive. In microseconds it erases the battlemoon’s operating system, causing all the craft’s systems – including those responsible for illumination and artificial gravity – to shut down permanently.

SEV BERAL: Now for us to return to the Troia’s Steed.

Taking advantage of the zero g environment, the Jedi leap right up out of the crew pit. Activating the magnetic soles of their boots, they come right down on the deck. Taking out their lightsabers, they make a run for it.

CUT TO

Sigeu and Thex floating above the command platform.

Activating the magnetic soles in their own boots, they return to the deck.

SGW-0027: (contemptuous) Jedi….

INT. KORRIBAN – GREAT TEMPLE/SHAFT – DAY

Anakin collapses into a dark shaft. Aligned diagonally, the shaft propels Anakin downward on a steep but safe angle. Throwing out his arms and legs, Anakin tries to stop or slow his descent, but the steep angle combined with the slick texture of the stone allows him no grip to purchase; he continues his downward slide unimpeded.

INT. OUBLIETTE/TUNNEL OF FORKING PATHS – DAY

Anakin finally emerges from the shaft. Standing up, he finds himself in a narrow tunnel. While the walls of the tunnel, lit with wall sconces, are of brown stone, the floor is coated in a uniformly black, perfectly non-reflective substance; it gives the unsettling impression that one is walking over an empty void.

Setting forward, Anakin soon comes to a fork in the tunnel; two paths are set before him, left and right, with no distinctions between the two, nothing to indicate which path is the one he should take. Shrugging, he chooses the one on the right.

Three steps along this new path, Anakin suddenly drops, finding that the floor has disappeared beneath him. Twisting around, he manages to grab hold of the edge he walked over, preventing a plummet which almost certainly would’ve led to his demise. Clawing his way back up, Anakin goes back and makes the left turn.

Very soon the young man comes to another fork in the path. This time there are three paths to choose from. Cautiously, Anakin inches his way through the forward path. When it becomes apparent that there’s no bottomless pit this way, Anakin sighs with relief and presses on. The former Jedi doesn’t get to revel in his relief, for he soon comes to a dead end. As he comes to the dead end, a stone door begins sliding down from the ceiling behind him, threatening to seal the passage and entomb him.

Opening himself to the Force, Anakin draws on it to boost his speed. Moving faster than any average Human could hope to move, he manages to just barely make it past the stone door.

Returning to where he was, Anakin stands there a moment, working to figure out which of the remaining paths to take. If he makes the wrong choice, he could fall into another bottomless pit. Even if he avoids that fate, another stone door could slide down, leaving him trapped with no way out. Anakin then realizes what he must do. Closing his eyes, he opens himself to the Force. Reaching out with his extra senses, he feels his way through both paths, seeking to intuit the safe route. His feelings telling him to go right, he goes right.

Anakin repeats this process five more times, each time coming to yet another fork with yet another extra path to choose from. Using the Force, he chooses the correct path each and every time until he finally makes it to the exit.

INT. OUBLIETTE/ANTECHAMBER-- DAY

Exiting the tunnel of forking paths, Anakin then finds him within an antechamber. Beyond the antechamber is a large, complex labyrinth.

MARKA RAGNOS: (O.S.) You have passed the trial of intelligence and intuition. (beat) Now for this, your final trial.

On the other side of the antechamber directly opposite Anakin, a hidden door opens. As it is slowly drawn upward, thick mist begins to billow out from a secret chamber.

ANAKIN: (afraid) No ….

Mist rolls out and spreads itself thin across the stone floor as the occupant of the chamber emerges. Seven feet tall, clad in chitinous black organic armour, the creature is humanoid, its original species and sex indeterminate. Its pallid cheeks have been slit open, the flesh peeled back to give it an everlasting Glasgow smile. Likewise its eyelids have been slit open and pinned back, allowing the piercing blue eyes to roll around their sockets in perpetual surprise. Opening its mouth of yellow teeth, it sticks its tongue out; barbed wire has been woven into the maroon flesh. Reaching to a belt it has secured around its waist, the thing uncoils it. But it isn’t a belt; it is a serpentine creature, black-green in colour, the mouth of its spade-shaped head filled with needle teeth.

HISSING, the DAEMON OF THE LABYRINTH takes its first slow, laborious, thundering step towards Anakin. Reaching to his side, Anakin goes to unholster a blaster. Then he remembers that all his weapons have been lost to him, including the vibroblade.

Realizing he will have to depend on his skills alone to survive, Anakin dashes past the Daemon – avoiding a stream of venom projected from the serpent’s fangs – and into the labyrinth. Allowing the serpent weapon to coil around its left forearm, the Daemon gives chase.

INT. BATTLEMOON/CORRIDOR #1

Obi-Wan, Sev, and the two Beral apprentices race through the corridor, passing several clones who float aimlessly about around them.

SEV BERAL: The battlemoon’s no longer operational. Do you suppose its complement of starfighters still are?

OBI-WAN: I do.

SEV BERAL: Then it is vital we rendezvous with the Steed before our time runs out and the ship decloaks. It would dishearten me greatly to lose our only mode of transportation away from this place.

OBI-WAN: You and I both, Sev.

INT. BATTLEMOON/CORRIDOR #2

Sigeu and Thex, accompanied by a squad of shocktroopers, stride through the corridor on the hunt for the fleeing Jedi.

SGW-0027: (into comlink) They are headed towards Airlock 43. Stop them!

INT. BATTLEMOON/CORRIDOR #1

A SQUAD OF CLONE SHOCKTROOPERS appears at the opposite end of the corridor from the Jedi.

SHOCKTROOPER COMMANDER: Halt!

Taking his lightsaber – Anakin’s former lightsaber – Obi-Wan engages the cyan blade. Following suit, Sev triggers the alizarin blade of his own weapon. As the shocktroopers begin firing upon them, the two knights use their blue and red sabers to block and parry the blaster bolts.

OBI-WAN: Jano! Thermal detonator!

Reaching into a pouch on his utility belt, Jano fishes out a thermal detonator and arms it.

OBI-WAN: Now!

The young Duros tosses the detonator to the shocktroopers. The four Jedi leap across into an adjoining corridor as the weapon detonates. With a massive BOOM and an even more massive fireball, the clones are flash-fried, their suits of armour reduced to twisted lumps of blackened plasteel.

INT. BATTLEMOON/CORRIDOR #3

SGW-0027: (into comlink) Officer SEN-5241, come in. SEN-5241, do you read me? (to THX-1138) I’ve lost him.

THX-1138: We can still cut them off. This way.

Thex heads into another corridor. Sigeu and the shocktroopers follow.

INT. KORRIBAN – OUBLIETTE/LABYRINTH – DAY

Anakin continues his hasty passage through the labyrinth. Several times he has come across dead ends, forcing him to turn back and retrace his steps, more than a few times coming narrowly close to crossing paths with the Daemon of the Labyrinth. He tries to use the Force to navigate through the maze, and it has bought him some measure of success, but with the Daemon hounding him he has found it difficult to concentrate.

Coming to another dead end, Anakin sighs with exasperation. Quickly turning around, he comes face-to-disfigured-face with the Daemon.

ANAKIN: AH!

The serpent weapon uncoils from around the Daemon’s forearm and slithers back into its hand. There it flattens and stiffens, configuring into an organic sword. Anakin dives between the Daemon’s legs as it tries to take his head off. Twisting around, the Daemon flips the serpent weapon over, pointing it head-first towards Anakin. Opening its mouth, the serpent projects another stream of venom. Splashing against the young man’s back, it begins to eat through the armour.

Turning a corner, Anakin hurriedly presses up against a wall. Dragging his back along it, he hopes to clean the worst of the corrosive fluid away. Where the venom touches the wall, the wall starts rapidly dissolving.

Coming around the corner, the Daemon heads toward him. Looking about for a weapon, Anakin quickly spots a loose rock lying on the stone floor. Picking it up, he rubs it into a dissolving spot on the wall then hurls it with pinpoint accuracy right into the Daemon’s face. With a solid THWACK of the rock, the Daemon SCREAMS with more pain than the impact alone could bring.

The Daemon momentarily standing in place, violently wiping its melting face, Anakin takes the opportunity to put as much distance as he can between himself and it.

INT. BATTLEMOON/CORRIDOR #4

The Jedi are closing in on the airlock.

TEYF BERAL: Y’know, taking a ship across to the Steed would be a much better plan than going back out there in suits, not to mention safer.

OBI-WAN: Alas, Athan ships are not easily commandeered.

Halfway through the corridor, they stops. SGW-0027, THX-1138, and the shocktrooper squad stand before the Jedi cutting them off.

The two admirals step forward, placing them between their troops and the disguised Jedi.

SGW-0027: It has been a long while since I danced with Jedi.

Unveiling her lightsaber, Sigeu triggers the white blade. Thex does likewise. The four Jedi, in turn, ignite their lightsabers.

OBI-WAN: (beckons to SGW-0027) Shall we cha-cha, sweetheart?

INT. KORRIBAN – OUBLIETTE/LABYRINTH – DAY

Anakin finally comes to the end of the labyrinth. Instead of finding an exit, he finds a large stone platform with a short stone column standing atop it. Furrowing his brow, Anakin approaches the platform. On the platform, before the column, are situated two curious objects: a Sith warblade, embedded deep in a large block of stone, and a crystal sarcophagus containing the body of a Sith child.

Climbing atop the platform, Anakin takes a look at the warblade. A single-handed sword, the shaft of the blade is onyx black, marked with Sith runes. Taking the hilt, Anakin tries to pull the warblade free but it refuses to budge. Abandoning the effort, he turns his attention to the sarcophagus. A Sith child indeed lies within – a boy, about seven years old. Skin bright red, his features uncorrupted, he looks asleep, not dead.

MARKA RAGNOS: (O.S.) He sleeps.

ANAKIN: (surprised) What?

MARKA RAGNOS: (O.S.) The child before you has not gone on to the Force. He has lain in death-like slumber these five millennia; if need be, he will lie five more until the Sith are born anew.

ANAKIN: (shocked) You put him in here with that thing?!

Speaking of the devil, that very thing arrives. The venom having dissolved half its face and one of its eyes, it looks even more gruesome than when it emerged from its stasis. Growling, it lurches towards the platform.

ANAKIN: Stop it!

MARKA RAGNOS: (O.S.) I will not.

ANAKIN: It’ll harm the boy!

Leaping off the platform, Anakin charges the Daemon. Taking a running leap, he tries to tackle the Daemon, but the Daemon merely takes hold and tosses him over its head, sending him hard into a stone wall. Unveiling its serpent weapon, the Daemon slashes down, but Anakin rolls out of the way in time to avoid bisection; the serpentine blade cuts deep into stone only.

INT. BATTLEMOON/CORRIDOR #4

Having tried to take on the Jedi Knights, the shocktroopers all lie dead upon the deck, leaving the Force-adept clones alone to take them on. Sigeu concentrates on fighting Obi-Wan and Sev while Thex concentrates on the apprentices.

Making a lunge, Jano tries to skewer Thex on his cerulean blade, but the clone parries the move. Kicking the lightsaber out of the Duros’ hand, he then attacks with his white blade, cutting clean through the apprentice’s left knee. Without a leg to stand on, Jano collapses. Before the admiral can finish the boy off, Teyf comes to his cousin’s aid; coming in behind Thex, he beheads the clone with one downward strike.

SGW-0027: (screams) Thex!

The one person she cares about in this life taken from her, Sigeu loses it. Ramming her shoulder hard into Obi-Wan, she drives him hard into a wall, where he bounces off and collapses to the deck in a daze. Turning on Sev, she attacks with heavy, brutal blows. Blade of white relentlessly battering down on blade of red, the Force-adept clone forces the Durosian Jedi back. Then driving the point of her lightsaber through his shoulder, cutting up out through it, she removes Sev from the fight.

WAILING like a banshee, she then turns her anger upon the slayer of her lover. Frightened, Teyf brings up his blue blade and tries to ward off the enraged clone, but it does no good. Cutting his arms off at the elbows, she then slices the apprentice clean in half.

With the SNAP-HISSES of two lightsabers igniting in tandem, SGW turns to face Obi-Wan. He stands there, both Anakin’s and Sev’s lightsabers in hand.

INT. KORRIBAN – OUBLIETTE/LABYRINTH – DAY

Jumping up, Anakin kicks the Daemon hard in the wounded side of its face twice. The second kick manages to send the abomination reeling back. Taking hold of the serpent weapon, Anakin pulls it free of the stone, intending to use it against the Daemon. Once in the Human’s hands, the serpent reverts to its natural shape and snaps at Anakin. Panicked, Anakin tosses it at the Daemon.

At that moment, a previously hidden doorway set in the wall over the stone column slides open. This is the exit.

MARKA RAGNOS: (O.S.) The exit. You are free to leave, to return to the craft which bore you here and depart Korriban forever.

Retrieving the serpent weapon, The Daemon configures it into a razor-edged whip. Snapping it, the creature manages to slash open the front of Anakin’s suit. Dashing away from the Daemon, Anakin returns to the platform.

ANAKIN: The child –

MARKA RAGNOS: (O.S.) The Daemon of the Labyrinth will saite its bloodlust.

ANAKIN: (shocked) You’d let the last of your kind die – like this?!

MARKA RAGNOS: (O.S.) You would spare the boy? Take up the warblade.

ANAKIN: It’s jammed in the block! I can’t move it!

MARKA RAGNOS: (O.S.) The Blade of the Saarai-Kaar will yield to the one who keeps the truth.

ANAKIN: (nonplussed) Keeps the truth!?

Anakin grabs the hilt of the warblade, pulling and jostling to loosen it. It will not loosen the slightest.

MARKA RAGNOS: (O.S.) The truth of the Force!

The Daemon walks up to the platform. Anakin tries to kick it in the face again, but it grabs him by the ankle before his boot can connect. Yanking Anakin off his feet, the Daemon drags the former Jedi off the platform. It then kicks him in the back, hurtling him across the floor.

INT. BATTLEMOON/CORRIDOR #4

His Jedi comrades no longer able to assist him, Obi-Wan fights alone against the clone. Blades of cyan and alizarin plasma at hand, he attacks, blocks, and counterattacks, but the nine Corellian hells hath no fury like a clone woman scorned. Striking with her white lightsaber, Sigeu relentlessly beats the Jedi down. Twisting Sev’s saber out of his left hand, knocking Anakin’s out of his right, Sigue kicks Obi-Wan’s legs out from under him.

SGW-0027: Give my regards to oblivion.

As she twirls her blade once, preparing to deliver the death blow, Sev quickly comes up behind her. Fallen Teyf’s lightsaber in hand, the Durosian Jedi runs her through with the cerulean blade. At the sight of the metre-long glowing blue shaft rising up through her chest, her eyes bug out. His strength spent, the Durosian knight lets go of the hilt, allowing the saber to disengage and the clone to collapse.

SEV BERAL: (weak) Jano….

The Durosian Jedi Knight then falls atop Sigeu.

Standing up, retrieving both Anakin’s and Sev’s lightsabers, Obi-Wan goes to help the crippled but still living Jano Beral.

INT. KORRIBAN – OUBLIETTE/LABYRINTH – DAY

ANAKIN: (coughs up blood) Truth of the Force. (beat) Not light or dark ….

In pain, Anakin stands back up.

ANAKIN: (cont’d) More than that … order and chaos.

MARKA RAGNOS: (O.S.) Yes!

ANAKIN: The Force exists in levels of order and chaos ….

MARKA RAGNOS: (O.S.) Since the culling of the Kissai, the Lords have ever sought to maintain order in a disordered universe – to seek out the fruits of chaos and weed them. (beat) The Jedi vilify hatred, yet hatred of chaos is love of order. Can there be a greater love?

ANAKIN: No ….

MARKA RAGNOS: (O.S.) The Daemon is of the chaotic Force.

ANAKIN: Yes.

MARKA RAGNOS: (O.S.) Submit to your righteous hatred! Bring order to the chaos!

ANAKIN: Yes!

Opening himself up the Force – the entire Force – Anakin forces his pain to recede, to fade like an ephemeral dream. Renewed, he springs over the Daemon, somersaulting high through the air to land on the platform behind the monster. Taking hold of the warblade, Anakin pulls it free of the block. The runes on the blade begin to resonate with a fierce red glow as the ordered Force flows through it.

The Daemon leaps atop the platform, the serpent weapon shifting back into its sword form. Swinging the alchemically forged warblade, Anakin easily cleaves through the serpentine weapon. As the remaining end of the serpent weapon goes flaccid in the Daemon’s hand, quite dead, Anakin lops off that hand. As the Daemon SCREAMS – a most inhuman, unholy sound – Anakin flips the sword around. Baring his teeth, Anakin drives the hilt into the Daemon’s face – through its nose, through the sinuses, into its brain. The Daemon of the Labyrinth finally vanquished, Anakin pulls the hilt from that pulped mess, allowing its lifeless bulk to unceremoniously collapse backward off the platform.

Turning the warblade back around, he raises the sword high. Squinting, he examines the runes.

MARKA RAGNOS: (O.S.) Saarai-kaar. Keeper of the truth.

With those disembodied words, a bright flash of violet light fills the chamber, consuming Anakin.

INT. BATTLEMOON/CORRIDOR #4

Sigue lies there upon the deck, the cooling form of Sev Beral atop her. Though mortally wounded, she’s not yet dead.

Removing her helmet, she tosses it aside. Lying there before her almost within reach, mercifully still in its helmet, is THX-1138’s severed head.

SGW-0027: Someone else will carry the torch, lover. (beat) Someone always does.

She expires.

EXT. SPACE – BATTLEMOON

Obi-Wan and Jano return to the vacuum of outer space. As the ronin Jedi radios the Troia’s Steed, the bulk freighter decloaks. Firing their suit thrusters, the Jedi rocket up and away, leaving the surface of the battlemoon behind them as the Steed comes to pick them up.

INT. TROIA’S STEED/AIRLOCK

The Jedi enter the ship.

OBI-WAN: (removes helmet) Take us away from here!

LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Easily arranged, Knight Kenobi.

EXT. SPACE – BATTLEMOON

Turning around, the Troia’s Steed departs.

INT. KORRIBAN – GREAT TEMPLE – DAY

The violet flash receding, Anakin finds himself back in the Great Temple. The spirits of the Lords and Ladies surround him now; like anthropomorphic shadows they surround him. Standing within the circle of Sith spirits with Anakin, aglow with pale blue luminescence, is the spirit of Marka Ragnos.

MARKA RAGNOS: You have passed the trials of skill and tenacity, of intelligence and intuition, and of honour and passion. You have proven to have the heart of a Sith born. You are worthy of our tutelage. (beat) Step forward, acolyte.

Anakin approaches Marka Ragnos. Planting the tip of his warblade into the floor, Anakin kneels down on one knee before the ancient Lord.

MARKA RAGNOS: Anakin Skywalker, by the right of the ancient Lords, by the will of the Force, I dub thee Lord of the Sith …

Reaching out, Marka Ragnos places his ghostly hand upon the crown of Anakin’s head. As the spirit holds it there, Anakin grimaces with pain, the slight sound of flesh searing accompanying the grimace. The moment is brief, however, and Ragnos soon takes his hand away. Branded upon Anakin’s forehead, the red glow already receding from it, is his own personal crest: an arrowhead within a circle.

MARKA RAGNOS: (cont’d) … Knight of the Empire.

SPACE – MONTAGE

Receiving word of the interdiction zone’s nullification, the thousands of Imperial ships stationed on the former edges of the zone jump to hyperspace, speeding towards Townowi at the fastest possible speeds.

I wasn’t satisfied with Marka Ragnos’ dialogue, so I rewrote most of it. Hopefully now it reads more naturally.

EXT. VALLEY OF THE SLEEPING KINGS – SLIPSTREAM – SUNSET

Anakin has returned to the Slipstream. The Blade of the Saarai-Kaar tucked under his arm, he signals Dahlia who sits at the cockpit viewport. In moments the boarding ramp lowers and Dahlia climbs out.

DAHLIA: You’re back.

Anakin nods.

DAHLIA: (grins) You found it. You found them.

Anakin starts to return her grin, then he sees the blaster she has held on him.

ANAKIN: (frowns) Wha --?

Dahlia pulls the trigger. With a CHOOM, an orange blaster bolt burns into Anakin’s shoulder.

ANAKIN: ARGH!

Dahlia advances, firing the blaster. This time Anakin is on his guard; bringing the warblade to bear, he blocks each of the plasma bolts. As Dahlia moves in too close, Anakin swings the sword, slicing through the blaster. Taking a wary step back, casting the useless gun aside, the Pantoran pulls the hydrospanner strapped to her thigh free. With a BUZZ, a humming blade of dark blue plasma extends from its socket.

ANAKIN: (shocked) You’re a Jedi?!

DAHLIA: No, but Daddy was.

Bringing the blade around, the blue-skinned woman strikes. The Sith brings the warblade up at a downward angle, blocking the lightsaber. He then makes a strike for her forearm, hoping to disarm her, but she parries the attack easily.

DAHLIA: (cont’d) He taught me how to mask my Force-sensitivity so none could recognize me for what I really am. He taught me many things.

Fast and agile, Dahlia attacks with a flurry of motion, feinting and striking at Anakin with such ferocity that were she facing a non-sensitive swordsman, he would be lying in pieces on the ground already. Though Anakin is certainly a formidable warrior in his own right, he isn’t accustomed to duelling one-handed or with a blade with actual weight. As such his blocks and attacks are sluggish and unbalanced.

DAHLIA: (cont’d) Daddy taught me all about the Sith. He used to regale me with tales of their exploits, of the vastness of their empire, of the magicks they wielded.

Dahlia lands a glancing blow to Anakin’s left thigh. Distracted by the pain, Anakin fails to prevent her from kicking him square in the chest, knocking him flat on his back.

DAHLIA: (cont’d) Daddy desired the power of the Sith. Oh, how he dreamed to see the Force through their eyes, to master the esoteric arts deemed unnatural by Jedi ages past. He knew amongst the thousands of worlds that once made up the Sith Empire, at least one must have escaped plunder – a virgin bastion of Sith wisdom.

Bringing her saber down, Dahlia tries to skewer Anakin. Rolling out of the way, the Sith springs back up and lunges at the fallen Jedi. Crossing blades, their eyes connect.

DAHLIA: (cont’d) Together we would go out into the Sith Worlds. For months at a time we just wandered the stars, the ancient hyperlanes, following up any rumours or old legends which promised us our El Dorado. We never came close once. (beat) After Daddy’s passing, I abandoned hope of ever finding our lost world; I consigned it to the dustbin of old childhood myths and dreams. Then you came along – you with your dazzling Force presence and haunted eyes, on a mysterious quest for unknown Korriban. Korriban: a name which had never come up in our searches, a name which promised the Galaxy itself. I knew right then you were the key to everything.

Grimacing, Anakin pushes against Dahlia, forcing her back. Parrying one of her lunges, Anakin ripostes, opening her cheek up.

ANAKIN: (sneers) You used me. Everything you said to me, everything we shared together – it was all done to get you here. You never cared for me; I was just your ticket to the big time.

DAHLIA: (wipes blood from her wound) My feelings for you are real. I could never feign those.

ANAKIN: So you love me. You just covet my title more.

DAHLIA: (shrugs) There can be only one Lord – or Lady – of the Sith at a time.

The battle is renewed. Fueled by his rage at Dahlia’s gross abuse of his affections, Anakin no longer flounders in his use of the Sith weapon. Lunges are parried, ripostes made. The sounds of superheated plasma kissing nigh-indestructible metal reverberate through the still valley.

Dahlia is finally the one to get the upper hand. Locking her blade around his, she twists it, prying the Sith sword right out of his grasp. Reversing her grip on the lightsaber, she punches Anakin in the face, the metal hilt reinforcing her blow. Blood spurting from a split lip, he goes down.

DAHLIA: (points her lightsaber at Anakin’s throat) I don’t want to kill you. Just relinquish your title, Anakin. Give it up to me and we can go home together.

ANAKIN: No. You haven’t earned it. You do not deserve it.

DAHLIA: (heartbroken) So be it, Lord of the Sith.

Raising the lightsaber high, she prepares to deliver the killing blow. Before she can, a coat of ice forms over the lightsaber hilt. Sparks flying from the emitter, the dark blue blade flickers then goes out.

DAHLIA: (puzzled) What?

As she begins examining the inert weapon, a shadow rises up from the ground, towering over her, its silhouette quite familiar. Dread sweeping over her, the fallen Jedi drops the lightsaber, throwing her arms up as the Sith spirit passes its dark hand over her.

ANAKIN: (frantic) Ragnos, wait! Don’t!

But the bygone Lord of Sith heeds him not. Finally tasting the forbidden power she long desired, Dahlia is consumed by it. She passes through youth into middle age into old age in the span of seconds. Her firm blue skin loses its elasticity and sags; her luscious black hair turns coarse and brittle as its colour fades to white.

ANAKIN: No!

As the mummified remains of Dahlia Karin collapse to the ground, the silhouette of Marka Ragnos departs. Dragging himself over to the cadaver still clad in the wrinkled blue jumpsuit, touching the hard, dessicated shoulder which was once warm and soft with life, Anakin Skywalker weeps.

INT. GEONOSIS – SANDCRAWLER – MONTAGE

Having proven himself to be an excellent mechanic, Shiiid has put Darth to work repairing the systems of the sandcrawler as promised. But Darth has other plans; he’s going to use this opportunity to destroy the sandcrawler, killing everyone – the Raiders and their captives, himself included.

Working over the period of a week, Darth secures materials he can use to fashion makeshift detonators. Once he has assembled the detonators, he sets about planting them in the vital areas of the sandcrawler, taking great care to avoid being seen by the Raiders.

INT. GEONOSIS – SANDCRAWLER/ENGINEERING STATION – DAY

Crammed in a tight space too small for any adult to squeeze into, Darth plants the final detonator. Worming his way back out of the space, the boy fishes out the ‘droid caller he rewired to serve as a remote trigger for the detonators. Closing his eyes, he presses the ignition switch.

Darth overestimated the destructive capability of his jury-rigged detonators. Instead of setting off a series of tremendous explosions powerful enough to obliterate the sandcrawler and set the surrounding camp ablaze, several less cataclysmic but still very deadly fires have been ignited. A blaze quickly breaks out in the engineering station, right in the tight space Darth was. Feeding off the gritty old oil saturating the area, it spreads fast. Air filling with greasy black smoke faster than Darth can get to safety, the boy swoons, rapidly succumbing to asphyxiation.

EXT. MEADOW – DAY (VISION)

Opening his eyes, Darth finds himself in a meadow.

Standing up, the boy takes his strange new surroundings in. In stark contrast to dry, barren Geonosis, bright chartreuse grass covers the ground here as far as the eye can see, with large white clouds floating across the electric blue sky above. In the distance a metropolis of iridescent crystal rises from the ground, sunlight filtering through it to dazzling effect. Music – the most beautiful, melodic, uplifting Darth has ever heard – wafts up from the city, filling the air with its harmony.

SHMI WARKA: (O.C.) Beautiful, isn’t it?

Spinning around, Darth finds his long departed mother standing a ways behind him. Dressed in blue and white robes, holding cherubic Mitra in her arms, all the weight she once bore on her shoulders has been lifted. She looks radiant, a matron of matrons.

SHMI WARKA: (smiles) Hello, love.

Eyes heavy with tears, Darth runs up them. Lowering Mitra to the ground, Shmi takes her son into her arms as they come together, sweeping him around in a joyous embrace.

DARTH: (cries) Mom! Mom!

Mother and son kiss. Neither wants to leave the other’s arms.

DARTH: I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! It’s my fault you’re both dead! I couldn’t save you! I couldn’t save either of you! Forgive me! Please forgive me!

MITRA: (kisses Darth on both cheeks) Don’t be sad, Darth; I’m not. I’m back with my mommy and daddy again. We all live together in the big city.

SHMI WARKA: You have shouldered much guilt needlessly, son. Let it go.

Darth BAWLS, letting all the sadness and grief and shame he has let build in his system finally out.

DARTH: (wipes his tears away) W-where are we?

SHMI WARKA: Beyond the thousand natural shocks flesh is heir to.

DARTH: Are gramps and gram here?

SHMI WARKA: They are. They’re all here, all our ancestors. They are as they were in youth, at peace and content.

DARTH: I want to meet them all!

SHMI WARKA: And you will – when your time has come.

DARTH: (confused) My time? What do you mean? I’m here now, aren’t I?

SHMI WARKA: (shakes her head) Your pain was too great; I had to bring you here, to offer hope, but you cannot stay. You must live your life first.

DARTH: (voice breaks) What life?

SHMI WARKA: (runs her fingers through his hair) A man is coming, Darth – a friend. He will free you and take you away – far away from Geonosis. You only have to hold on a little while longer.

DARTH: But I want to be with you.

SHMI WARKA: (kisses Darth’s forehead) Have faith. You will see me again.

INT. GEONOSIS – SANDCRAWLER/ENGINEERING STATION – DAY

Darth regains consciousness. The other mechanics managed to extinguish the fire, with one of them performing CPR to resuscitate the young boy.

MECHANIC: (angry) You started this fire! It was you! I saw you! You’re ground chuck now, boy!

I’m afraid I’m not very good at prose. I’ve written maybe two short stories in my life I’ve been satisfied with; I couldn’t handle a full novel.

If I could commission a professional writer like Timothy Zahn to adapt them for me, on the other hand – or better yet, an artist like George Perez to illustrate a comic adaptation …

EXT. ORRON III – DUQUESNE HOMESTEAD – COURTYARD – DAY

Finishing up their work for the day, Nemec and Corin return inside.

Not two minutes later, a speeder bike pulls up to the homestead. Cutting power to the engines, Llomon hops off and approaches the front door.

INT. DUQUESNE HOMESTEAD/ENTRANCE HALL – DAY

As the two DuQuesnes argue over who will get to take a shower first – Corin having shot down Nemec’s suggestion they take a shower together – a KNOCK is heard at the door.

NEMEC: Who could this be?

Going to the door, Nemec opens it a crack. Llomon stands there, his bionic blaster cannon hidden out of sight.

NEMEC: Anything I can help you with, mister?

LLOMON: Anakin Skywalker.

NEMEC: I’m afraid he’s not here.

LLOMON: Where is he?

NEMEC: I can’t answer that.

The Trandoshan darts his tongue out, getting a taste of the air.

NEMEC: Do you have a message for him? I’ll get it to him if I can.

LLOMON: That won’t be necessary.

As the Trandoshan turns to leave, Nemec closes and locks the door. Turning around to Corin, her gives her a quizzical look.

CORIN: What was that about?

Nemec shrugs. It’s the last thing he ever does. An orange plasma ball plows through the door, blasting it to splinters, and right through Nemec. His body hurtled forward, Corin is driven to the floor with the bulk atop her. As Llomon steps through the doorway, the muzzle of his blaster cannon steaming, she SCREAMS. Pulling herself out from under Nemec’s corpse, Corin turns to bolt. Llomon discharges another plasma blast, taking her right leg off below the knee.

CORIN: YYYEEEAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!

Moving in on the crippled woman as she tries to crawl away, the Trandoshan plants his foot on her back, holding her in place. Taking aim, he fires a third shot at point-blank range, ending her struggles.

LLOMON: (cont’d) I don’t mind the wait.

EXT. SPACE – TOWNOWI – MONTAGE

The Athan fleet surrounds Townowi, a veritable shell surrounding the crystalline world. Upon Atha Prime’s command, they will finally leave the Townowi system for Geonosis. Upon conquering that world, they will then rendezvous with their forces in the Dark World enclave. Their war machine refueled, they will continue their fight with the Empire until the Empire finally exhausts its resources and the Athan Supremacy stands triumphant.

But that will never happen. Dropping out of hyperspace from all directions – consisting of several thousand Star Destroyers, Star Defenders, Dreadnought-class heavy cruisers, and countless other battleships, cruisers, and escorts – is nearly the entire Imperial Navy. Converging upon the clone ships, they unleash enough firepower to slag a world. The Athans return fire, but they are sorely outnumbered.

The entire battle lasts an hour. Once the guns of the Imperial ships finally fall silence, all that remains of the Athan fleet is a debris field orbiting Townowi.

INT. GEONOSIS – SANDCRAWLER/CONTROL ROOM – DAY

A pair of Raiders drag Darth in, taking him to Shiiid. The Zabrak sits in his customary seat, none to happy.

ELIK SHIIID: I gave you a chance, Darth – an opportunity to become one of us, to put our food in your belly. But you do this to us! Fires! Fires everywhere! The sandcrawler will never run! Never ever never!

Darth sneaks a glance at Chlorian. He is still in the rack. Both his arms are gone now, along with an ear and a leg. If he was dangerously emaciated before, now he looks absolutely skeletal; were it not for the signs of his breathing, no one could be blamed for thinking him dead.

ELIK SHIIID: You look at your father? Your father is the side dish! You will be the main course! (to a Raider) Fire up the grill!

EXT. GEONOSIS – CONDAWN – DAY

A formation of fifteen Imperial attack shuttles pass over the cityscape of Condawn, the shuttle Seraphim at its head. The city, its streets filled with trash, debris, and bones, is empty of anything else.

INT. SERAPHIM/COCKPIT – DAY

CO-PILOT: No life readings. Continue on.

The shuttle departs, leaving Condawn alone, a monument to its own passing.

EXT. RAIDER CAMP – DAY

The shuttle passes over the Raider camp.

INT. SERAPHIM/COCKPIT – DAY

CO-PILOT: I’m registering serious life-signs here!

EXT. RAIDER CAMP – DAY

With the arrival of the shuttles, many of the Raiders scurry out from under their tents and take off into the open desert.

INT. SERAPHIM/MAIN CABIN – DAY

Obi-Wan is seated with a squad of Imperial troopers. His face, back to its old self, is unreadable.

As the Seraphim touches down, the Jedi and the troopers under his command stand up. The hatch opening, they file out into the desert.

EXT. RAIDER CAMP – DAY

Leaving their shuttles, the troopers spread out, moving deep into the camp. While most of the Raiders continue to run away, some of them choose to stay and fight the Imperials, costing most of them their lives in the process.

IMPERIAL TROOPER #1: Why are they attacking us? Can’t they tell we’re the good guys?

OBI-WAN: I’m afraid they’re too far gone to tell much of anything.

EXT. RAIDER CAMP – SANDCRAWLER – DAY

As the Jedi and his men close in on the sandcrawler, several Raiders guarding the entrance open fire with their blasters. Whipping out his lightsaber, he engages the cyan blade and parries the orange blaster bolts. Raising their blasters, the troopers mow down the crazed Raiders down before they can cause real harm.

The Imperials proceed to enter the derelict land vehicle.

INT. SANDCRAWLER/PRISON AREA – DAY

Obi-Wan and his men enter the compartment housing the few remaining Condawni captives. The sight and smell of the starved creatures within assault them with equal force.

OBI-WAN: (grimaces) Get them checked out then loaded aboard the shuttles.

IMPERIAL TROOPER #2: Yes sir!

The Jedi leaves.

INT. SANDCRAWLER/CONTROL ROOM – DAY

The grill of the barbecue is hot and ready. Darth, strapped into the rack with his dying father, is just about to be lowered onto the red hot coals with Obi-Wan and four troopers burst inside.

ELIK SHIIID: (surprised) WHA!

The troopers gun the Raiders down. Dancing about like a spastic marionette as the green bolts bore through him, Shiiid dies most satisfyingly.

Walking up the rack, Obi-Wan cuts Darth free of his restraints.

OBI-WAN: Are you alright, son?

DARTH: (shocked) Y-yeah.

As Darth steps down from the rack, Obi-Wan leans in close over Chlorian. He rests a hand on the older man’s prominent ribs.

DARTH: (worried) How is he?

OBI-WAN: (shakes his head) It won’t be long now.

Darth steps back up to Chlorian.

DARTH: Chlorian.

Chlorian stirs, sunken eyes cracking open ever so slightly.

CHLORIAN VADER: Daaaahhhhhh …

DARTH: Yes, it’s me. (beat) I need to know – am I your son?

CHLORIAN: (brittle) You … are … my … son.

DARTH: (cries) Darth Vader does sound better than Darth Warka, doesn’t it?

For the first time, for the last time, through a veil of tears, the Vaders share a smile.

EXT. SPACE – GEONOSIS

Leaving the benighted desert of Geonosis, through the debris field, the attack shuttles head out past the cold, dead battlemoon into open space.

INT. SERAPHIM/MAIN CABIN

Darth sits in the shuttle with Obi-Wan and the troopers.

DARTH: (eyes Obi-Wan’s lightsaber) You’re a Jedi Knight, aren’t you?

OBI-WAN: (half-smiles) What makes you think that?

DARTH: Your lasersword. Only Jedis carry that kind of weapon.

OBI-WAN: Perhaps I killed a Jedi and took it from him.

DARTH: I don’t think so. No one can kill a Jedi.

OBI-WAN: (pensive) I wish that were so.

And here we are, the last leg of the race. The next entry will be the final entry, then after almost three years of work, this screenplay will finally be complete.

EXT. SPACE – ORRON III – ORBITAL STATION

The Slipstream drops out of hyperspace and heads on approach for the orbital station. As privately owned craft are disallowed on Orron III, Anakin will have to park his new ship there and ride a shuttle down to the surface.

INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT

Receiving permission to dock, Anakin takes the Slipstream through the docking bay entrance. As the Corvette slips inside, Anakin looks to the empty co-pilot’s chair. Closing his eyes, he turns back away.

EXT. SPACE – ORRON III

Several minutes later, another ship – a passenger liner – exits hyperspace from another direction. Unlike the Slipstream, this ship will be allowed to land on Orron III.

INT. PASSENGER LINER/PASSENGER DECK

Nashira looks out her window. She can spot the orbital station in the distance – the station and the speck that is a shuttle leaving the station.

INT. SHUTTLE/PASSENGER CAB

Anakin sits in the passenger cab. Dressed in a new suit of black light armour, a black cloak clasped around his shoulders, he keeps a long, thin carrying case laid across his knees.

EXT. ORRON III – SPACEPORT/TARMAC – DAY

Disembarking from her liner, Nashira heads for the spaceport proper.

As it was when she left Orron III, she wears the purple cloak across her shoulders, this time with a black synth-leather jumpsuit. In spite of how she actually feels at the moment, the combo makes her look dangerous and sexy.

CUT TO

Anakin leaving his shuttle.

Dahlia told him the black suit of armour made him look sexy and dangerous. With the black cloak worn with it, that is doubly so.

Carrying case slung over his shoulder, he heads for the spaceport proper.

INT. SPACEPORT/TERMINAL – DAY

Nashira gets to the checkpoint. Examining her and her bags for weapons, the Espos find nothing suspicious. The Espos waving her through, she proceeds.

In moments, it’s Anakin’s turn to proceed through the checkpoint.

ESPO #1: (passes weapons scanner over case) Let’s see what you have here, friend.

Another Espo stepping forward, Anakin unslings the case and hands it to him. The second Espo taking the case, the first releases the catches and flips the lip up; there’s a clarinet nestled inside.

ESPO #2: Hang up your lightsaber to join a band, eh, Jedi?

As the Espo seals the case, hiding the Sith warblade from sight once more, Anakin gives him a humourless grin.

Once past the checkpoint, Anakin and Nashira finally see one another. Mouths falling agape, they run up to one another. Standing there, they gaze into one another’s eyes. They both know what transpired. They both know it is now in the past.

Letting their bags and carrying case drop to the floor, they embrace, hugging each other close.

EXT. DUQUESNE HOMESTEAD – COURTYARD – SUNSET

Anakin and Nashira arrive at the homestead as the sun begins to set. They don’t need to see the unfamiliar speeder bike parked out front to sense that there is something deathly off.

INT. DUQUESNE HOMESTEAD/ENTRANCE HALL – SUNSET

Stepping through the demolished door, they find the putrefying remains of Nashira’s parents. Putting her hands to her mouth, Nashira collapses to her knees, stifling a scream. Eyes widening, Anakin steps past the bodies, deeper into the house.

INT. DUQUESNE HOMESTEAD/LIVING AREA – SUNSET

Entering the room, Anakin finds Llomon sitting in an airchair. The Trandoshan, enjoying a glass of absinthe, greets Anakin with a reptilian grin. Anakin instinctively brings up the carrying case as Llomon opens fire. The superheated plasma burns right through the case bue is dispersed against the Sith sword within, saving Anakin’s life. Regardless, the kinetic energy of the blast still throws Anakin off his feet, backward into a wall.

Finishing his absinthe, Llomon rises from the chair, prepared to finish the Sith off when Nashira enters the room. As the Trandoshan turns to fire on her, Anakin takes up the remains of the case and the sword within and throws them into the bounty hunter’s face. The weight knocking him off-kilter, his blast passes over Nashira’s head, punching a hole into the ceiling above her head instead. Anakin rushes Llomon, tackling him, giving Nashira the opportunity to bolt from the room.

INT. DUQUESNE HOMESTEAD – WORKSHED – SUNSET

Flinging the door open, Nashira dashes inside, right for the gun cabinet. When she tries to open the cabinet doors, however, she finds them locked. Swearing under her breath, she begins looking about the workshed for something to break the cabinet open with.

INT. DUQUESNE HOMESTEAD/LIVING AREA – SUNSET

Anakin lays into the Trandoshan, punching him hard in the face again and again and again. Starting to bleed profusely from nose and mouth, Llomon swats the Human away with the side of his blaster cannon. Standing up, Llomon takes a swipe at Anakin with his claws. Blocking the attack, the Sith quickly seizes the arm in a strong hold and, spinning the bounty hunter around once, throws him headlong into a couch. His large bulk pushing him right through the couch, the Trandoshan continues on to crash into a table.

INT. DUQUESNE HOMESTEAD – WORKSHED – SUNSET

A mattock in hand, Nashira hammers at the doors of the gun cabinet. Breaking one of them open, she reaches inside and fishes out a blaster rifle. Shoving a power pack into the weapon, she takes off back for the house.

INT. DUQUESNE HOMESTEAD/KITCHEN – SUNSET

Crashing through a wall together, the Sith and bounty hunter now find themselves in the kitchen.

Picking up a skillet, Anakin drives it into Llomon’s gut then up into his chin, knocking the Trandoshan reeling. Quickly finding his wits, the Trandoshan pulls a large butcher knife from a knife holder and, with blinding speed, sends it flying at Anakin. Using the skillet as an ersatz racket, the Sith knocks it away from him. The Sith then pitches the skillet at the Trandoshan, hoping to brain him, but the bounty hunter manages to blast it out of the air before it can connect.

LLOMON: (translator damaged; in Dosh & Basic) Now you die.

But before Llomon can cut Anakin down, Nashira bursts in the kitchen, blaster in hand. Finding the bounty hunter in her scope, she opens fire. Blue blaster bolts raining all around him, strikin his own blaster cannon, Llomon takes aim at Nashira and triggers it. Severely compromised in the Nashira’s attack, the cannon releases a diffused orange ray lacking much of the destructive force it once dealt. Nevertheless, playing across Nashira’s abdomen, the plasma burns through the material of her jumpsuit there, charring the flesh beneath. Releasing a sharp cry of pain, she collapses.

ANAKIN: (enraged) RAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Taking a running leap, Anakin throws his leg out to take Llomon’s head off. Ducking, the bounty hunter avoids having his cranium crushed into the drywall. Punching Anakin in the face, knocking him to his knees, the Trandoshan prepares to bludgeon the Sith with his malfunctioning blaster cannon. Anakin is quick to recover, though, and delivers a quick flurry of punches into the bounty hunter’s gut before the reptilian can land the blow. The wind driven out of him, Llomon staggers out of the kitchen.

INT. DUQUESNE HOMESTEAD/LIVING AREA – SUNSET

Returning to the living area, the Sith walks over to the damaged carry case. Retrieving the black warblade, he turns to finish this battle.

INT. DUQUESNE HOMESTEAD/HALLWAY – SUNSET

The Lord of the Sith bearing down on him, Llomon brings his cannon to bear. As the orange rays are released, Anakin positions the blade between them and himself, blocking them. Forced to retreat, Llomon continues firing on the Sith, but the Human blocks each of the attacks. Moving right up to the bounty hunter, Anakin brings his warblade down on the blaster cannon, severing it from the Trandoshan’s arm with a shower of sparks.

LLOMON: (in Dosh) No!

Backhanding Llomon, Anakin sends the large Trandoshan sprawling. Planting his warblade in the floor, the Lord of the Sith then leans over the bounty hunter, seizes his throat in a chokehold, and lifts the Trandoshan up singlehanded.

ANAKIN: (angry) Who are you? (roars) Answer me!

LLOMON: (choking) Llomon … bounty hunter ….

ANAKIN: Bounty hunter!? Who sent you? (squeezes) Who sent you?!

LLOMON: (choking) Jukassa!

ANAKIN: (nonplussed) He hired you to do all this?!

LLOMON: (choking; in Dosh & Basic) He hired me … to take you out.

ANAKIN: Then why did you kill the DuQuesnes?!

LLOMON: (choking) They were in the way ….

Realization sets in. Anakin’s face darkens further with ever-mounting rage.

ANAKIN: Murderous vermin ….

The Lord of the Sith closes his fist around Llomon’s throat. Choking horribly, the Trandoshan begins clawing at Anakin’s wrist with his remaining hand, drawing blood; the Human doesn’t feel it at all.

ANAKIN: (crying) They were parents to me. I loved them. (roars) I loved them!

The Lord of the Sith snaps Llomon’s neck. Spasming once, the Trandoshan quickly falls limp. Face livid with rage and contempt, Anakin hurls the lifeless form into a wall, allowing it to slump to the floor, neck bent at an awkward angle.

INT. DUQUESNE HOMESTEAD/KITCHEN – SUNSET

Anakin returns to Nashira. Crouching down over her, he places a hand under her chin tenderly. At his touch, her eyes open.

NASHIRA: (grimaces) It hurts ….

Taking a look at the horrible burn, Anakin places a hand down over it. Closing his eyes, he concentrates. Within seconds the blisters shrink and the charred flesh smoothens and regains its natural colour. She is healed.

Taking 'Shira’s hand, Anakin helps her to her feet.

INT. DUQUESNE HOMESTEAD/NEMEC & CORIN’S BEDROOM – SUNSET

Anakin has brought Corin and Nemec’s bodies to their bedroom. Positioning them together on the bed, he has lain a clean sheet over their forms.

Lit torch in hand, the Lord of the Sith sets the bed ablaze.

EXT. DUQUESNE HOMESTEAD – COURTYARD – SUNSET

Leaving the DuQuesne house, Anakin and Nashira climb on Llomon’s speeder bike. Kicking the engines to life, he takes them away from the homestead as cleansing fire builds to consume it.

EXT. HIGHWAY – SUNSET

As Anakin and Nashira ride together on the bike, she with her arms wrapped tight around his torso for dear life, the wind blows through their hair, catching 'Shira’s dark purple cloak and billowing it out behind her. They go headlong into the approaching night.

INT. CORUSCANT – JEDI TEMPLE/SIRI’S APARTMENT/COMM BOOTH – DAY

RECORDED MESSAGE: We’re sorry; the number you have reached is not in service or has been disconnected. If you feel you have reached this recording in error, please check the number and dial again.

Obi-Wan deactivates the comm. His face creases with worry.

INT. JEDI TEMPLE/SIRI’S APARTMENT/LIVING AREA – DAY

Siri is seated at the coffee table, drinking tea from a mug, when her husband steps out of the comm booth.

OBI-WAN: I can’t reach the DuQuesnes. Their number’s no longer in service.

Obi-Wan joins his wife at the table.

OBI-WAN: Something must have happened.

SIRI: (rests a hand on Obi-Wan’s) You mustn’t worry so. These things happen. Maybe the Corporate Sector Authority abolished home comm services; I certainly wouldn’t put something untoward like that past them. (beat) I’m sure we’ll get through to Corin and Nemec eventually.

OBI-WAN: Anakin’s out there somewhere. It’s imperative I find him.

SIRI: And I know you will.

They exchange a loving kiss.

SIRI: Ben …

OBI-WAN: Yes, love?

SIRI: Let’s check in on him.

OBI-WAN: You sure?

SIRI: (grins) It couldn’t hurt. C’mon.

They leave the coffee table.

INT. JEDI TEMPLE/SIRI’S APARTMENT/DARTH’S ROOM – DAY

Darth is busy soldering connections on a circuit board when a KNOCK is heard at the door.

SIRI: (O.S.) Is it alright if we come inside, Darth?

DARTH: Sure.

The door opens and Obi-Wan and Siri step inside. As the two Humans look the room over, they find several pieces of mechanical equipment – some whole, most disassembled – taking up an entire side of the room.

OBI-WAN: Do you think you have enough parts yet, Darth?

DARTH: (smiles) Get me a functioning hyperdrive, then we’ll talk.

Obi musses Darth’s hair while Siri plants a kiss on their new son’s cheek.

EXT. SPACE – KORRIBAN

The Slipstream streaks toward Korriban.

EXT. KORRIBAN – VALLEY OF THE SLEEPING KINGS – SLIPSTREAM – DAY

Anakin and Nashira exit the ship. As soon as she is out in the open, the atmosphere of the valley falls upon the young woman – thick and oppressive.

INT. GREAT TEMPLE/BURIAL CHAMBER – DAY

With Nashira close by his side, Anakin enters the burial chamber. Eyeing the robed-and-armoured mummies seated upon the high obsidian thrones, Nashira shivers palpably.

Stopping in the centre of the chamber, the Lord of the Sith gets down on one knee.

ANAKIN: What is thy bidding, my masters?

As the shadows of the dead Lords rise high above their bodies, the unseen eyes of the awesome and terrifying spectres investigating her keenly, Nashira cowers.

IRIS OUT

End titles

‎> 26/‎12/‎2016

S. D. G.

To tie this thread up, I’m going to play a final game of “Assign a Face to the Name”. This is where I assign faces/images to go with the various people/places/things in my screenplay as I envision them. I last played this game in the thread of my older KOTE draft, and a number of new characters and such have made their appearances since then.

The young Miko Hughes provides the likeness for the young Darth Vader.

I’ve seen New Nightmare once too often. That’s the only real reason I can think of for why I ended up envisioning him as the character.

Pernilla August remains the face of Shmi. After all, why not? She certainly looks like she could be the kid’s mother.

Kenneth McMillan provides the likeness for Chlorian Vader.

When I first came up with the character, I originally envisioned him as villainous; Shmi was essentially going to be his sex slave, and he was to play the Lando role in the story, siding with the Clonemasters after they invaded Geonosis for his own benefit. As I can only recall having seen McMillan play villainous parts, his face came to mind for Chlorian. I eventually re-conceptualized the character, though, making him sympathetic with an essentially good heart. Still, I retained McMillan as the face of Chlorian – perhaps just as a mental exercise for myself, to see if I could envision him as such a character.

If you were paying close attention – and if you’ve seen the Star Wars Holiday Special (like every good Star Wars fan should) – you’ll notice this character made a brief appearance.

Jango Cody is unambiguously based on Jango Fett/Cmdr. Cody from the PT, so it goes without saying that Temuera Morrison provides his likeness.

I’d originally planned to make him the murderous clone spy who betrays the team and strands them on Xuthltan. Almost automatically realizing what an incredibly predictable and lazy idea that would be to run with, I transposed that backstory/motivation onto Kathe Naad and made him a (mostly) heroic character.

Mary Lynn Rajskub provides the likeness for Kathe Naad (or the clone thereof).

When it came to crafting the character, I wanted her to come off to the reader as completely innocent and friendly, someone you could never see harbouring – let alone acting on – any bad thoughts. To help put myself in the right frame of mind to write that character, I decided to picture her as the most non-threatening woman I could think of. Ms. Rajskub came instantly to mind.

I envision Doug Jones as the Sith Lord Ludo Kressh.

The man’s thin as rail, and he loves playing roles that require him to wear extensive makeup/prosthetics, so I had no hard time at all picturing him in this role.

I envision Adrian Pasdar as the Sith Lord Naga Sadow.

With his eyes, jawline, and timbre of voice, I believe he would be the perfect actor to play Sadow.

Dr. Nida Reyem is based on Dina Meyer.

Laurie Holden provides the likeness for Lilin – the evil clone nurse who appears in Darth’s nightmare – as well as SGW-0027, the clone captain/colonel who was largely excised from this draft of the screenplay.

On The X-Files, Ms. Holden played Marita Covarrubias, a recurring character who was often reserved and stoic, almost cold and unemotional in her dealings with others. When I started developing the story for KOTE, I wanted to have a clone villainess who was just as beautiful and just as cold, thus Marita Covarrubias proved the basis for that character.

Lesleh Donaldson provides the likeness for Dahlia Karin.

While I don’t find Ms. Donaldson a remarkable actress (Suffice it to say, I’ve seen her in an episode of Friday the 13th: The Series and four low-budget horror movies, and that one episode provided her the best material to work with.) I do find she had the right look for Dahlia: modestly pretty with very beautiful eyes – beautiful eyes which can look both haunted and haunting.

Bruce Boxleitner provides the likeness for Supreme Chancellor Vantos Coll.

I’m a Babylon 5 fan.

Walter Pidgeon provides the likeness for Emperor Cos Dashit.

I envisioned Dashit as everything Palpatine wasn’t: tall, regal, noble, very ordinary in appearance, with a beard. It took me a while, but I eventually found that Pidgeon’s appearance as Dr. Morbius from Forbidden Planet fit that profile rather nicely.

Jennifer Hale provides the likeness for Aayla Secura.

All due respect to Amy Allen, but she doesn’t look much like a warrior woman – especially an unhinged, middle-aged warrior woman who bears the scars of battle. Jennifer Hale, on the other hand – she looks like a born ass-kicker. (Plus she voiced Secura on TCW, so there’s precedent for her in the role.)

Boris Karloff provides the likeness for Lord of the Sith Marka Ragnos.

I’m a big Karloff fan. IMHO, I think Ragnos would’ve been a great part for him to play.

The Slipstream is based on this piece of Millennium Falcon concept art by Ralph McQuarrie.

I’m a great fan of the Tales of the Jedi comics. As such, it should come as no surprise that I’ve included characters and locales from those stories in this screenplay. I’m particularly taken with Chris Gossett’s designs for Korriban and the Great Temple itself; I’ve tried to recapture his imagery in my descriptions.

The battlemoon is based off this piece of Death Star concept art.

The armour of your basic clone shocktrooper.

In the old thread, I posted my own design for shocktrooper armour. Needless to say, I’ve since discarded it in favour of this design based on Boba Fett concept art.

Likewise, I’ve rethought the appearance of Force-sensitive clone armour. An all-white version of the outfit at right fits my description of it now.

I imagine Anakin’s Sith warblade looks much like the one in this image.

The crest Ragnos brands on Anakin’s forehead is the same as the one Vader wears in this concept art.

Thanks for your thoughts, Scholar.

I’ll say your criticisms are certainly valid. Hell, I’ll even say I agree with you. The story did go off the rails following the Xuthltan incident, with too many unconnected character arcs going on and no central villain to take the stage. In trying to simplify the convoluted mess that was the earlier draft, I may have simplified things too much.

This screenplay has been a bit of a drag for me, and I’m not keen on going back to it, but I may have to. I’m a bit bereft of ideas on how to fix the problems you’ve noticed, though. If you’ve got any scenarios, feel free to run them by me; I’m eagre for creative input.