Star Wars The Failure of Balanus by Bill Menees Nincohn was long forgotten. A remote planet on the farthest regions of the Outer Rim, it had been explored by the Republic at the height of their expansion. Now, as their influence in the galaxy dwindled, so did their memory of the small, unresourceful planet. Only one Republic expedition ever contacted Nincohn. It carried a single Jedi and four crewmen. The group's only report back to the Republic's Exploration division discussed the relative lack of life and resources on the planet. After this the ship was to leave for another system. But the ship failed to report in again, and after several weeks the Republic planned a search for the missing ship. However, before the mission could commence, the first stirrings of the Clone Wars began, and the Republic's attention quickly shifted from a few lost men to protecting themselves. In the process, Nincohn and it's only link to the Republic were forgotten as well. ------------------------------------------------------------ "Well, sir, I've sent our findings to Exploration about the lovely planet we've found here. They've given us orders to proceed to a new system about three weeks away. Shall we get going?" The Jedi Balanus opened his eyes slowly as if awakening from a trance and responded, "No. I have found someone that I must contact before we leave." "But how, sir? We haven't seen a soul since we got here," said the crewman. "I have just seen a soul, son. One that is strong with the Force and in desperate need of help. He is being drawn closer to the Dark Side even as we speak." Balanus paused momentarily as if shaken and continued, "Wait here until I return. I must seek him out before it is too late." "Yes, sir," the crewman half-heartedly called out as he watched the Jedi leave. Balanus hurried to the nearby village where he knew he would find the soul he was seeking. Or rather the soul that was seeking him. As he approached the village he could hear shouts and the cry of an angry mob of people. When he entered he saw not only the mob but that they were surrounding the man he was looking for. The people were shouting and circling tighter and tighter around the man. "Kill the Wizard!" "The Demon must die," the crowd began to scream. "Get him!" And as the crowd rushed, the man in the middle went into action. Huge arcs of electricity erupted from all around his body like an exploding sphere. Those closest to him died instantly, and those further back suffered only a few seconds longer. But like an explosion, the blast only lasted a few seconds. The man knew danger still existed, and he mentally screamed for Balanus to help him. He knew, and Balanus knew, that he couldn't protect himself for long. The remaining crowd hesitated a moment but then began to rush the man again. But before they could reach him, Balanus drew his lightsaber and cut the supports out from under the hut nearest him. The resulting crash stopped everyone in their tracks, including the man in the middle. Balanus spoke to the angry crowd and used all his Jedi skills to calm them. "Good people! Please do not destroy this man! I have seen his soul and..." But before he could finish someone in the crowd cried, "Then you must be evil as well!" "No! I seek only to help you," Balanus said. But the mob was not convinced and more people turned on Balanus. As he looked into their minds he knew that they had only hatred and fear for him. As quickly as the attack on the other man had begun, so did the attack on Balanus. At first, he tried only to escape, but when it became clear that he was surrounded and faced certain death, his composure begin to fail and his Jedi training began to be forgotten. With each slice of his lightsaber, Balanus' anger increased, and he journeyed one step closer to the Dark Side. Balanus eventually managed to cut a hole through the crowd and run off in a maddened rage towards his ship. As he ran he could feel that the other man had also escaped the wrath of the crowd but that he too had killed many of them to do it. When Balanus arrived at the ship, he saw that the townspeople had beaten him there and had already killed its crew. This was the last mistake they ever made. His rage now at its limits and all Jedi values abandoned, Balanus disposed of his attackers in the swift, elegant, and lethal way that only a Jedi could. Or rather, the way that only a Dark Jedi could. When the fight was over and all the townspeople were destroyed, Balanus fell to his knees and cursed all that he knew for bringing him to this destiny. And just before he collapsed from exhaustion, Balanus became aware that the man who had gotten him into this in the first place was watching him from a distance. And Balanus cursed him as well. ------------------------------------------------------------ When he awoke, Balanus was inside his ship. And so was the other man. "My name is Palpatine," the other man began. "Welcome to the 'former' village of Nincohn-Agosha." "I am the Jedi Balanus. As I slept I saw many things, many possible futures. I saw that our destinies are intertwined. You are strong in the Force, and I will train you to use your power. In time we will achieve the greatest of power." Palpatine thought for a moment and spoke, "So it is the Force that I control, is it? I have heard of this Force from others, and I suspected that it might be the source of my unusual powers." "You are referring to your ability to create electric fields. That is only one power that a Jedi has." "I am referring to many other abilities I have besides that," Palpatine said. "At times, I can move objects with a thought, read other people's minds, or even go for months without eating or drinking. I am by no means an ordinary man," he said with a grin. "You said 'at times'. I will teach you the ways of the Force, and through discipline and training, you will in time master those abilities and gain many others. From this time forth, Palpatine, you will call me Master Balanus." "And if I choose not to follow you," Palpatine asked, "What then?" "Then I will destroy you and fulfill my destiny alone," Balanus said. "So be it, Master Balanus. Let us begin." As the months passed, Palpatine grew stronger and stronger with the Dark Side of the Force. He quickly mastered the skills he had previously been able to use only momentarily, and he learned others with equal speed and ability. It soon became apparent to both men that the student would eventually outgrow the master. "Your training is almost complete, Palpatine," began Balanus. "You have only one skill left to master." "And what skill is that, Master Balanus?" "The lightsaber. I have spent the last few months constructing you one, and we shall begin your training now." "Master, I do not wish to use such a clumsy and inelegant weapon as your lightsaber. It's power is insignificant to my abilities, and I will not be burdened or weakened by depending on technology to fight my battles." "An arrogant opinion, as always, Palpatine. When your training is complete, you may decide which skills you wish to use. For now, I will be the judge of what you learn or do not learn. If we are to be successful in my plans, we will both need to master all the skills of the Jedi." "For now then, Master Balanus. But for now only." One month later, Palpatine's training was complete, and the two men were ready to leave Nincohn. On the night of their departure, Balanus finally explained his plans to Palpatine. "I was a well known Jedi in the Republic. I had many friends in high-level positions, and more importantly, I kept many secrets. At one time, I was the personal guardian to the First Speaker of the Senate, and in that post I saw much deceit and betrayal. He was a corrupt man, and I collected the evidence to expose him. Unfortunately, he found out what I was doing. "Since I was a Jedi Knight, he couldn't just have me quietly killed off, so he did the next best thing. He transferred me to the Exploration division and sent me as far away from him and the Republic as possible. I have little doubt that he's the reason no search party was ever sent to look for our vessel. "The first thing we'll do when we return is get control of him. I still have the evidence, and we'll use it to put him in our pocket. He will help us get you a place in the Senate. From there you and I will be able to control more Senators in time. Many are corrupt, but few would suspect that one of their own ranks would betray them. But you will betray them. In a short time, I will control the Senate and you will be placed as its leader under my supervision. "Are you prepared to leave, Palpatine?" "Yes, Balanus. Under one condition." "And that is?" "I will follow you, but I will no longer call you Master. We have both foreseen that I can destroy you, but I do not wish to at this time. As such, I feel it is inappropriate to call you Master any longer." "As you wish, Palpatine. But remember, that is only one possible future. I have seen others where I destroy you and still others where we are both destroyed. What is important is that we fulfill our destiny and succeed in overthrowing the Republic." "So be it, Balanus." ------------------------------------------------------------ The voyage back to the Imperial Senate in the heart of the Republic took almost a month from the remote planet Nincohn. This time was used to educate Palpatine on some of the finer points of Imperial Senate politics. Also during the voyage, the two Dark Jedi perfected mental fronts that would conceal their true purposes from any Jedi Knights they might encounter when they reached their destination. But these fronts also served the dual purpose of allowing them to keep their thoughts from each other. Thus the two Dark Jedi were reduced to verbal communication. One night, after several days without either one saying a word to the other, they began to discuss some of the things that had happened to them on Nincohn. Eventually Palpatine began to retell what had been happening to him when Balanus had discovered him in the village. "It was the time for choosing a new leader for the village. Although I had never been much a part of the village, I always knew that I would rule someday. So I went to the festival where the new leader would be chosen. "When I arrived I told them why I was there, and the crowd mocked me. They called me 'outcast', 'crazy', all sorts of things. This, of course, angered me, so I challenged their newly selected leader to a dual for the title. He agreed and instantly charged at me. When he hit me it felt like I exploded, and when I looked at him I realized that in a way I had. "I had been so startled that I had instinctively electrocuted him. For several minutes no one said anything. In that time I reached out with my feelings for someone to help me, and I found you. Shortly after, the crowd's anger began to swell, you arrived, and the rest is history. "But now I see that I was correct in my knowledge that I would rule someday. With my seat in the Senate, I will rule far more than I had ever dreamed of back on Nincohn. For that chance I am grateful." Balanus corrected him, "'We will rule far more than you had ever dreamed of' is what I'm sure you meant to say. And that much is true. Your gratitude, however, is unnecessary. I need your loyalty only, just as you need mine." 'But I only need you for a time,' thought Palpatine. 'For a short time.' After that the two talked even less. When they arrived at their destination they were shocked to learn that the Clone Wars were already ravaging the Republic. They were welcomed home by only a small greeting party and were almost immediately forgotten by the bureaucracy. This only made it easier for them to execute their plans. Within days they had used the evidence of the First Speaker's corruption to blackmail him, and a few short weeks later the First Speaker was able to secure a seat in the Senate for Palpatine. He was at first passed off as a 'temporary' replacement for the missing Senator from the remote and minor planet Epibionta. When no 'permanent' replacement showed up for him, he was allowed to take the title himself. By very subtly using his Dark powers, over time Palpatine was able to not only secure more and more power for himself in the Senate, he was also able to draw more attention and control away from the First Speaker. Eventually, when the First Speaker was at his weakest, Palpatine stole Balanus' evidence against him and used it to expose the man and to exalt himself into an even more powerful position. Palpatine was finally ready to show his hand and take his place as Master over Balanus. "Palpatine! I'll have your head!" screamed Balanus as he stormed into the Senator's office. "After all I've done for you, you betray me just so you can gain more power for yourself in the Senate! You are a fool! You could never rule this Republic without me!" "My short-sighted old friend, I do not want to rule this Republic," began Palpatine. "I will build a new empire with me as its sole ruler. I will not answer to governors or senators. I am only a few steps away from my goal as it is. Why do I need you?" "You are not as powerful as you think. The Clone Wars are almost over, and you will not have such an easy time securing power once the strong leaders and the Jedi return to the Senate. You will need my influence more than you believe. I have foreseen it!" Palpatine stared at Balanus with cold eyes for a few seconds and then responded, "I do need you, but not here. Not in my way, where you can mettle in my affairs and make pitiful attempts to gain power from me. "You know that you would never have been anything without me," Palpatine continued. "Your destiny is to serve me. As I see it, you owe me your allegiance. In time you will call me Master," he finished with a grin. "Never," said Balanus coldly. "Your destiny ends here. Now." Then Balanus ignited his lightsaber and stalked towards Palpatine. "So be it, my old friend. You will call me Master, but apparently you will do it the hard way." In the next moment, Palpatine raised his hands and filled the room with a ball of electric fire the likes of which Balanus had never seen nor heard of. For a few seconds, Balanus was able to channel the electricity away from him through careful oscillation of his light saber. But when he looked into the mind of his former student, he knew that his effort was wasted. Palpatine was only growing stronger, and he was only getting weaker. Finally, he succumbed to the inevitable and allowed the electricity to reach him. Palpatine continued his barrage of electric fire until Balanus was almost at the point of death. And then he abruptly stopped. "My old friend, it will take many weeks for you to heal. In that time I will be in your mind day and night. I will extract every bit of your knowledge, your hope, and your independence. When I am finished and I allow you to heal, you will call me Master and will single- mindedly dedicate your life to serving only me. You will be my Guardian and will live out your life protecting that which is important to me. Do you agree?" Balanus used all his strength to look up at Palpatine. In a whisper, he cursed Palpatine and everything that had brought him to this destiny. But as before, his fear of death forced him to do anything he could to stay alive. He finally answered, "Yes..." "So be it," Palpatine concluded. ------------------------------------------------------------ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Well, that's the way I think it happened anyway. Feel free to e-mail and comment, flame, critique, or better yet praise. For a few more weeks I can be reached at menees@utkvx.utk.edu. Bill Menees