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STAR WARSLAST OF THE JEDI #6RETURN OF THE DARK SIDEby JUDE WATSONChapter OneAlmost there.Ferus Olin ran through the last check on Platform-7, the BRT druid computer that ran the capital city of Sath. It had taken over two days of constant monitoring, but most systems were back to full function. And, most important to Ferus, any information that could lead to the discovery of the identities of the Samarian resistance was gone.Now what?He wasn't sure what he was doing here on Samaria. It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision; he'd sent off his friends to safety, but he had remained. He felt an obligation to help the Samarians straighten out their immediate problems, and make sure that the computer sabotage hadn't endangered any members of the resistance.But this wasn't his battle. He had set his own mission � to find every Jedi who had managed to escape Imperial Order 66, who had survived the Empire's slaughter. He'd set up a secret base for them on an unmapped asteroid. But it seemed as though every time he was about to focus on his mission, he was knocked off course.Obi-Wan would never let this happen to him. Why does it keep happening to me?It was true that since he'd started, he'd found two Jedi. He'd been through high-speed chases, a trip to the ruined Jedi Temple, and a stay in an Imperial prison. He'd been pursued by a bounty hunter and an Inquisitor. He'd been to the Outer Rim and under the crust of Coruscant. He was starting to get the feeling that surviving Jedi were few and far between.There has to be a better way to do this.The Emperor had offered him amnesty in exchange for fixing the computer-sabotage problem in Sath, adding almost as an afterthought that Ferus's partner and best friend might die if Ferus didn't do it. Ferus had taken the job.And so, Ferus Olin, double agent, was born.He wore the label uneasily. He didn't like working for the Empire, even though he was trying to undermine it at the same time. He didn't like being this close to the dark side.Ferus felt a sudden lurch in his stomach, a feeling close to nausea. Darth Vader was near. One of the things he'd learned staying here in Imperial headquarters was that the Sith could be hard on the digestion.The door slid open in the darkened room. Darth Vader stood in the doorway. He never entered a room unless he had to. He was a busy . . . man? Humanoid? Machine?"You should be done with this by now."Ferus spun around in his chair. "Hey, don't you ever say hello?""Emperor Palpatine has requested your presence."Ferus frowned, surprised. "My presence where?""He is arriving at the landing platform at the Hall of Ministers in fifteen minutes. Then we are to proceed to the reception hall. Bog Divinian is receiving a tribute from the Samarian ministers of state.""The Emperor is coming here? Why?" Palpatine rarely left Coruscant now."That is not for you to question. Be there." Vader stalked out."Nice to see you, too," Ferus muttered under his breath.Darth Vader was in charge of all of the Empire's operations on Samaria, which meant that he was technically Ferus's boss. Vader treated him with thinly veiled boredom or contempt, depending on his mood. Ferus wasn't insulted. He was happy not to have to pretend to be buddies.Ferus closed the program he was running on the amazingly tweaked Platform-7 and headed out. The building he was in was part of a vast government complex, so he could walk to the ministers' hall through a series of turbolifts and connecting hallways.Samaria was a desert planet, and Sath was its major city. In the past century, city planners had created a vast artificial bay that curved around two-thirds of the city. The most exclusive neighborhoods were spread out on a series of land extensions into the bay in a pattern of many-petaled flowers. Government buildings, as well as homes for the wealthy and the palace of the prime minister, were located here.Ferus noted the extra buzz in the hallways. Some of the ministers, dressed in their sky-blue official robes, were also heading to the landing platform. Although there was a healthy opposition to the Empire in Sath, ministers were canny politicians. They'd curry favor with the Emperor if they had to.But why had the Emperor asked for his presence at a purely ceremonial affair?Ferus had let the saboteur of the Sathan computer go, but there was no way for Palpatine to know that.Or was there?And why was Palpatine so interested in Samaria? It was a technologically sophisticated planet, true. But Lemurtoo was a small system, with only the neighboring planet of Rosha orbiting the same sun.The Emperor had told Ferus he wanted to help Samaria thrive . . . but Ferus would believe that the day he believed in space angels.Ferus hopped on the turbolift to the landing platform. He wanted to be gone. He wanted to return to the asteroid base and see his friends. But for now, he'd better stick around.He had a feeling his work here wasn't quite done.Chapter TwoThe Legislators' private landing platform was a large one, protruding from the fiftieth floor of the Hall of Ministers. Because it was open to the sky, a cooling system was installed in the overhang in an attempt to regulate the hot, dry climate. The cool air helped, but standing out here for so long was making everyone wilt. Emperor Palpatine was late. No one dared activate the transparisteel canopy bubble, for fear of offending him.The top ministers ringed the platform. Perched on their shoulders or attached to specially designed holsters were personal droids, all customized with different colors and jeweled insets. All Samarians wore these small, lightweight droids, which had been developed exclusively on the planet from a prototype design from LeisureMech Industries. Each droid had a sleek design that combined the personal-servant features of a luxury droid and the hardwiring of a tech droid. They were about the size of a lightweight mouse droid. Known as Personal Droid Helpers, most Samarians called them PDs, or the more affectionate Peteys.Samarians didn't use credits. Everything from their taste in tea to the fuel level in their speeders was kept track of by their PDs. All they had to do was walk into a caf� or fueling station and the purchase would be automatically deleted from a central account. Everything in Samarians' lives was contained in their droids, from their transit records to the boot sizes of their children.Aaren Larker, the prime minister of Samaria, stood waiting, his aide by his side. Bog Divinian, the Imperial advisor, kept near the cooling jets, holding his arms out so that perspiration wouldn't stain his royal-blue tunic.Across the platform, Darth Vader stood in the hot sun, a black presence that seemed to suck all the air and light into his shiny black boots and helmet. Was Vader sweltering underneath all that black plastoid and armor? Ferus got a certain amount of pleasure out of the idea.What was under that helmet, anyway? There was not a trace of skin to be seen, nothing to indicate what species Darth Vader was. Humanoid, certainly. Once again Ferus wondered where Vader had come from. If only he knew that, he might hold the key to defeating Palpatine. Or not. At any rate, it would satisfy his curiosity.At last Ferus glimpsed the flash of the Emperor's personal shuttle. Everyone followed its path as the ship glided downward and landed. Ferus could feel the relief bouncing off the ferrocrete with the heat. After this they could all get back to climate control.The ramp extended until it touched the ground. The Emperor appeared at the top, his Red Guards behind him. Ferus couldn't see his face. His hood, as usual, covered his scarred and furrowed skin, his yellowed eyes. He held out his arms to the waiting ministers, in the odd greeting Ferus had noted he'd adopted. As though he were so busy gathering in all that worship that he couldn't be bothered to say hello. The ministers bowed in greeting.The Emperor slowly descended. His head turned to one side, seeing Darth Vader, and then toward Ferus, who could feel the flash of the Emperor's regard. It sent a shiver through him. Ferus could never show how being around him was like being slammed with bad frequencies. He kept his expression neutral as his throat constricted.Bog Divinian started forward, but the Emperor ignored him. To Ferus's surprise, the Emperor moved instead in Ferus's direction, turning his back on Vader and leaving Bog looking foolish, striding toward an empty ramp.If this was intended to demonstrate Ferus's growing influence, Ferus could have done without it. He didn't want to be a rival to Darth Vader. He wanted to keep his head down, gather all the information he could on the Empire, and get out.The Emperor approached him. The Red Guards stayed a discreet distance away. The ministers hesitantly moved toward the turbolifts. Darth Vader had not moved."Ferus Olin, you have done well," the Emperor said. "I asked you to restore Samaria to a functioning power again, and you did so.""The saboteur escaped." The saboteur had turned out to be Astri Oddo, an old friend of Obi-Wan Kenobi's whom Ferus had known only slightly. He had let her and her son Lune escape with the help of his friends."Yes, but that was not your responsibility," the Emperor said with a glance at Darth Vader across the platform. "It belonged to someone else. You did what was required and you did it quickly. Your efficiency has been noted. We value efficiency in the Empire. It can be more valuable than strength.""Or perhaps it's a necessary component of strength.""Very true. Now," the Emperor said, turning to walk toward the turbolift, "come and walk with me. I have something to discuss with you. I'm glad you re...
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