Star Wars - Darth Plagueis

surprise. “And already you’ve been appointed a learner. Qui-Gon must have trained you brilliantly.”
    Again, Obi-Wan nodded. “He was an inspired teacher.”
    Palpatine firmed his lips and shook his head. “Such a waste of a life …” His cut his gaze to Anakin. “I didn’t have an opportunity on Naboo to thank you, young Skywalker. Your actions were nothing less than extraordinary. May the Force ever be as strong with you.”
    “Thank you, sir,” Anakin said in a quiet voice.
    Palpatine interlinked the fingers of his hands. “I’m told that you grew up on Tatooine. I visited there, many years ago.”
    Anakin’s eyes narrowed for the briefest moment. “I did, sir, but I’m not supposed to talk about that.”
    Palpatine watched him glance up at Obi-Wan. “And why is that?”
    “My mother—”
    “Anakin,” Obi-Wan snapped in reprimand.
    Palpatine reclined slightly, studying the two of them. Obi-Wan seemed not to have noticed the fury simmering in the boy, but for an instant Palpatine perceived a touch of his younger self in Skywalker. The need to challenge authority; the gift for masking his emotions. The yet-unrecognized power .
    “I apologize if I’ve stirred something between you,” he said after a moment.
    Clearly uncomfortable, Obi-Wan shifted in place. “The Jedi are trained to live in the moment, Supreme Chancellor. Our upbringings have little to do with our lives in the Force.”
    Palpatine furrowed his brow. “Easy for an infant, I’m certain, but for a young boy …” He interrupted himself with a negligent gesture. “Well, who am I to pass judgment on the tenets of your Order, when the Jedi have kept peace in the Repubic for one thousand years.”
    Obi-Wan said nothing in a definite way.
    “But tell me, Padawan Skywalker, how it feels to have become a member of such a revered group.”
    “It’s like a dream come true, sir,” Anakin said in genuine sincerity.
    “A dream come true … Then you’ve long thought about the Jedi Order and about the Force.”
    Anakin nodded. “I’ve always wanted to bring justice—”
    “It’s not for you to decide your destiny, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said. “The Force will guide you.”
    Palpatine smiled inwardly. Guide you to me, young Skywalker .
    Dooku had talent, and could be a powerful placeholder. But this seemingly guiless pleasant-faced boy, this Forceful boy, was the one he would take as his appretice, and use to execute the final stage of the Grand Plan. Let Obi-Wan instruct him in the ways of the Force, and let Skywalker grow embittered over the next decade as his mother aged in slavery, the galaxy deteriorated around him, and his fellow Jedi fell to inextricable conflicts. He was too young to be trained in the ways of the Sith, in any case, but he was the perfect age to bond with a father figure who would listen to all his troubles and coax him inexorably over to the dark side.
    “As I told you on Naboo, Anakin,” he said finally, “we will continue to follow your career with great interest.”
    And assure that it culminates in the ruination of the Jedi Order and the reascendancy of the Sith!

About the Author
J AMES L UCENO is the New York Times bestselling author of the Star Wars novels Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, Cloak of Deception , and Labyrinth of Evil , as well as the New Jedi Order novels Agents of Chaos I: Hero’s Trial and Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse, The Unifying Force , and the eBook Darth Maul: Saboteur . He lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with his wife and youngest child.

BY JAMES LUCENO
The ROBOTECH series
(as Jack McKinney, with Brian Daley)
The BLACK HOLE TRAVEL AGENCY series
(as Jack McKinney, with Brian Daley)
A Fearful Symmetry
Illegal Alien
The Big Empty
Kaduna Memories
THE YOUNG INDIANA JONES CHRONICLES
The Mata Hari Affair
The Shadow
The Mask of Zorro
Rio Passion
Rainchaser
Rock Bottom
Star Wars: Cloak of Deception
Star Wars: Darth Maul: Saboteur (eBook)
Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos I: Hero’s Trial
Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force
Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil
Star Wars: Dark Lord—The Rise of Darth Vader
Star Wars: Millenium Falcon
Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

STAR WARS —The Expanded Universe
    You saw the movies. You watched the cartoon series, or maybe played some of the video games. But did you know …
    In The Empire Strikes Back , Princess Leia Organa said to Han Solo, “I