On his way to where his Master was, he passed one room, where he could see Velia training some of the Force Wraiths in lightsaber combat. He liked Velia. She had been the one who rescued him from his traitor parents years ago, and brought him back to the Empire, and to his Master, where he had learned to harness the dark power within him. He smiled and watched for a moment as the younger Force Wraiths fought each other with their training sabers, lightsabers specially made for training Force Wraiths. They emitted an electrical current whenever they were held, which got stronger whenever the blade of the saber hit anything. Unlike lightsabers, the training sabers had a very unfocused beam, so that, if they hit you, you only suffered third-degree burns, instead of getting sliced in half. His Master had trained him with the training sabers before he had been allowed to make a real one. Sometimes he dueled with Velia, when she wasn't busy. Velia was older and stronger, and made a powerful opponent, but Shadow was stronger in the Force, so they were pretty much even. He learned a lot from sparring with her.
One girl got hit in the face with a training saber, and Shadow could smell her burning flesh before the blade was drawn back. The girl cried out. Soon, the new burn on her face was met by the back of Velia's hand as she back-slapped her. The girl bit her lip to keep from crying out again. Blood trickled from it, she had bitten so hard, but she remained silent. "Begin again," Velia told them, and the initiates resumed their battle.
Shadow continued to walk down the corridor, wondering in the back of his mind why the Force Wraiths were trained easier than he had been.
'Because you are destined for greater things,' a voice said in his head. It was the voice of his Master, Lady Sera. She awaited him at the end of the corridor.
Shadow smiled at the sight of his Master, and ran the rest of the way, stopping to bow his head before her. 'I learned something from the rebel's mind,' he thought to her along their bond.
Lady Sera smiled down at her apprentice, and ruffled his hair, so that he looked up. "And what did you find, my apprentice?" she asked him.
Shadow blinked up at her, smiling his cold, pale smile. 'His daughter is a Jedi youngling. She is being trained on the forest moon of Endor, by a Jedi named Logargh,' he replied.
Lady Sera's eyes went wide. "This is very important information, my apprentice," she said, smiling down at him. "How did you pry it out of him?" she wondered.
Shadow grinned. 'He thought I was his daughter,' he replied, taking the hand of his Master as they walked, who didn't mind the blood that was covering her apprentice's hands. 'He wanted to know why I wasn't with Knight Logargh, and if I could help him find his insides,' he continued, eliciting a laugh from Lady Sera as they made their way to the throne room.
When they arrived, they bowed before the Emperor before he gestured for them to rise. Three others were there already. Shadow didn't know who they were, but two were men, and one was a girl not much older than him. They all were strong in the Force, one of the men more than the other two.
"My Master, Shadow has uncovered information as to the whereabouts of one of the Jedi training camps," Lady Sera began, her eyes lowered reverently. "A Jedi named Logargh is training younglings on the forest moon of Endor," she explained. She supressed a grimace. She remembered Logargh... the female Wookiee had evaded her grasp once before, on the planet Kashyyyk. Now she hoped she would have the chance to capture her once and for all. There was a lovely coat she planned to make out of her fur...
“How interesting.” Xarkun remarked evenly as though he was not eager to capture this Jedi. “A Jedi training younglings… ingenious, really… I assume this Logargh had been hiding her youngling’s presences; there are undoubtedly more Jedi around the galaxy in league with her. I believe it is safe to assume they have constructed a mobile Jedi Temple… perhaps there are other training facilities for Padawans? Very interesting, capture the Jedi Logargh, kill the younglings if they cannot be turned to our cause, leave their bodies strewn across the forest… it is time the Jedi take more losses.”
"Yes, my Master," Lady Sera replied, bowing, then turned to her apprentice. "Remain here with Emperor Xarkun, Shadow," she told him. "Be constantly vigilant. Learn all that you can while in his presence," she instructed, and cocked her head as she listened to something no one else could hear. "And stay away from the siren, Shadow. Notes can be deadlier than knives. Remember where your loyalties lie," she told him, and turned and left.
Shadow blinked. He did not always understand his Master, but knew that, the things he did not already understand, he would come to understand in time. He turned his big dark eyes on Emperor Xarkun.
"Come, Shadow, stand beside me, at my feet," he commanded the boy, and Shadow quickly stood where he indicated. "Watch attentively, Shadow. You will likely learn many things Lady Sera cannot teach you."
The End!
