“Hang on a sec,” Malik replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Master, what did you mean by the last thing you said? Only what we take with us?”
“Nothing more I will say. The rest you must discover on your own,” Yoda answered, sitting down on a nearby tree stump.
Serra turned to Malik. “You’re right. That has to mean something. But what?”
“Only what we take with us…” Malik pondered this without end for several minutes before thinking of one potential answer. “What if that means we need to leave our weapons here?”
“Walk in there unarmed? I don’t know if that’s wise, Malik.”
“Serra, we are never unarmed. This is a trial meant to test our connection to the Force; that has to be the key to all this.”
Unsheathing her lightsabers from her back, Serra looked at them for several long moments before placing them on the ground near Yoda. Malik then removed his weapon from his boot and did the same. As they turned toward the cave entrance, Yoda smiled to himself. He was quite pleased to see that they had the insight to decipher the meaning of his cryptic clue.
Malik glanced at Serra. “Together?”
“Together,” she agreed, gripping his hand tightly.
Collecting their courage, the pair took their first steps into the cave…
*****
Darth Vader marched through the corridors of his Star Destroyer, a bit unsteady on his feet. Mere weeks ago, he had been at the pinnacle of his skills and abilities, one of the most feared Jedi Knights in the galaxy. That, of course, was before he had pledged himself to the teachings of his master, Darth Sidious. At first, he knew he needed his master’s power for Padme’s sake, until Vader had killed her in his anger.
All this is Obi-Wan’s fault, he thought to himself. Because he would not stand by me, the Council never trusted me. Because of him, Padme turned against me. And to top it all off, he crippled me, cut off all my remaining limbs.
Though Vader had planned all along to kill Sidious once he had what he needed to save Padme’s life, the events on Mustafar had ruined everything. Not only had he lost his wife, but Obi-Wan had also taken away any ability for Vader to ever match the Emperor’s power. He could not betray him if he had wanted to; it would spell instant doom for him. His only purpose now was as the loyal servant to his master. And now his master called to him, needing to discuss an urgent matter with his apprentice. Vader arrived in his communications room and knelt before the holographic projector, an image of the Emperor appearing in front of him.
“What is thy bidding, my Master?”
“Lord Vader. How is the construction of our ultimate solution proceeding?”
“Everything is on schedule, Master. Tarkin’s leadership has been nothing short commendable.”
“Excellent. I knew he was the right man for this task. Now, another matter we must discuss. As I am sure you know, we have confirmed that several Jedi managed to survive Order 66.”
“Yes, Master. They will be hunted down and eliminated. Their betrayal will not go unanswered.”
“Of this I have no doubt. I have news for you of our plans to form a squad of Jedi Hunters. There are two individuals here on Coruscant that I believe may be most useful to our efforts. I wish you to return here at once.”
“It will be done, Master. I will prepare my shuttle without delay.”
As the transmission ended, Vader felt a twinge of excitement that he had not felt since joining Sidious. For the first time, he felt invigorated at the possibilities the future held in forming this team. He would have apprentices once more, and would be able to show them the power of the Dark Side. Yes, perhaps he did still have a purpose in life after all. Entering the hallway, he signaled a nearby officer.
“Prepare my shuttle for immediate departure.”
“Yes, Lord Vader.”
Within the hour, Vader’s transport had departed the Star Destroyer hangar and was headed for Coruscant. As the ship entered hyperspace, Vader felt a strange sense of calm descend upon him. Though the future was uncertain, he knew he would be the one to render justice upon the remaining Jedi.
Soon, my old master… soon…
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