Star Wars: The Ghost Prison - Part III

16 BBY - "The Prism"

Inside the corridors of The Prism, Jedi Master Amilyn Skein would be meditating in her quarters. For the past sixteen years, she and her colleagues had been guarding the Jedi Council's secret prison, away from the prying eyes of the wider galaxy. Yet rarely, if ever, had she seen any fellow Jedi outside The Prism; the most recent exception had been Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had visited The Prism to conduct a survey of it's living conditions, as per the Council's protocol. Skein never admitted it, but she began to grow lonely from her constant duties. After all, her only known purpose was with the Jedi. And without that, she couldn't help but feel hollow, inside and out.

Just then, the doors to Skein's quarters hissed open. "Master Skein?" One of the Jedi Knights onboard asked her. Skein kept her eyes closed, yet answered the younger Jedi anyway. "Yes?" She asked. "Our scanners have detected an incoming ship." The other Jedi replied. "It appears to be that of a Republic vessel. A sleek one, at that." Only then did Skein open her eyes; immediately, several questions began flooding through her mind like a storm. A Republic vessel? Skein asked herself. How would the Republic have found out where this place is? Did the Jedi finally reveal it's existence to the galaxy without informing me...? Skein rose to her feet, turning around to look at the Jedi Knight opposite her. "Make contact with this ship at once." She ordered.

16 BBY - "The Scimitar II"

"There it is..." Trachea announced, as he continued flying the ship towards the facility he knew to be The Prism, the secret prison that The Jedi Order had been running for..      Whoever knows how long. "Wow..." Tohm whispered under his breath. "The fact that the Jedi have kept a secret like this still amazes me." He added on. Just then, the dashboard of the ship began to beep, and Trachta pressed a button, activating the intercom. "This is Master Amilyn Skein of The Jedi Order. State your purpose, unknown craft." A female voice ordered over the intercom. "This is Moff Trachta of The Galactic Republic." Trachta replied. "Supreme Chancellor Palpatine has sent me and two others to visit this facility. He personally wants to see what it was that the Jedi had recently revealed to the wider galaxy." He continued.

Silence briefly fell upon the cockpit, broken only by Vader's mechanical breathing. "Very well, Moff Trachta." Skein finally replied. "You may have our permission to land." The intercom shut off, and Trachta accelerated the ship's speed just a touch more, flying towards the nearest open hanger. Laurita pulled out his pistol almost immediately. "Great..." He muttered to himself. "There's still Jedi guarding that hellforesaken place." "They won't live long enough to learn what happened to their brothers and sisters elsewhere." Trachta swiftly replied, touching down inside the hanger. Outside the cockpit window, he could see a myriad of Jedi. Although, they did not wear the sand-colored robes that Trachta and Laurita both remembered; instead, they wore white robes, with golden patterns. Robes that the Jedi haven't worn in centuries.

Immediately, Tohm heard a snapping noise, and looked at Vader, seeing that the Dark Lord already had his Lightsaber in hand. He didn't need to say anything more for Tohm and Trachta both to know what his intentions were; today, these Jedi were to die, like the rest of their Order. Standing up, Trachta followed Tohm and Vader outside the ship, greeting Master Skein and the strike force of Jedi outside. "I see what Master Kenobi told me four years ago was true..." Skein began. "The Republic has become more militarized in my absence." Vader kept his Lightsaber hilt at his side, walking towards Skein slowly. Skein looked at Vader in confusion; she didn't know why, but something about the individual standing before her felt...       Off. He was a Force-wielder, but not a Jedi either, it seemed.

"Who might you be...?" Skein asked, making eye-contact with Vader. "I am the Chancellor's personal representative for this excursion." Vader replied. "I sense you are strong with the Force..." Skein acknowledged. "But you're no Jedi." Laurita looked at Vader, then back at the strike force. His grip on his pistol tightened more and more with every second that passed. "If you're no Jedi, what are you?" Skein finally asked. Vader did not respond, only staring at Skein, while his breathing bounced off the walls of the hanger. Laurita then looked at Skein. "He was, uh, a Jedi once..." He nervously announced. "But he had a falling out with the Order and decided to become the Chancellor's right hand man instead.." Tohm continued, almost stammering over his own words. Skein looked at Tohm first, then back at Vader. "So you are one of The Lost, I see..."

Tohm's one good eye darted to his left, past Vader's shoulder. Trachta was beginning to reach for his own blasters, ready to gun down the Jedi at any moment. "The Jedi Order has joined The Lost." Vader suddenly declared. "They fell to my blade on the eve of the Empire's rise, for which you and your allies never saw." He continued. At that moment, fear crossed Skein's face; only then did she sense the Dark Side in Vader. Not only that, but who it was underneath all that armor. Someone who Master Kenobi had told her about during his visit to The Prism years ago. "Skywalker..." Skein whispered under her breath. At that moment, Trachta pulled out his twin pistols, instantly gunning down two of the Jedi behind Skein.

Reaching out with the Force, Vader blasted Skein and the other Jedi backwards, igniting his own Lightsaber in front of his shoulder. "You would be wise to surrender." He declared. Acting quickly, Tohm fired upon one of the Jedi, instantly gunning them down, before he and Trachta both started running. Getting back up, Skein ignited her green-bladed Lightsaber, rushing towards Vader. The Dark Lord thrusted his free arm forward, this time seizing Skein by the throat and choking her. "Master Skein!" One of the Jedi in the hanger bay exclaimed, charging Vader from the right. Vader, however, acted faster, slicing the Jedi's hand clean from her wrist, and then stabbing her thought the heart, instantly killing her.

Vader soon turned his head again, seeing a large container flying towards him. Thrusting his arm outward, Vader blasted Skein backwards, before slicing the crate in half. "Why, Skywalker!?" Skein demanded. "Why could you betray your brothers and sisters like this!?!??" Vader marched towards Skein slowly. "Anakin Skywalker was weak...       I destroyed him." Vader replied, flicking his wrist and hurling his Lightsaber towards Skein. Reigniting her Lightsaber, Skein deflected Vader's blade, sending it right back at him. Catching his own weapon, Vader gripped the hilt with both hands, right when Skein leaped towards him and locked blades. "You'll pay for what you have done!" Skein exclaimed, her Lightsaber a whirlwind of emerald flashes as they fought.

The two of them soon entered into a blade-lock, with Skein jamming her weapon up against Vader's hilt. Breaking the blade-lock, Vader blasted three Jedi backwards into a group of containers, and then drove his Lightsaber across the abdomen of another, before pressing his attack on Skein. Acting quickly, Skein Force Pushed Vader back towards the ramp of the ship, hearing his boots skid across the metal floor violently as she did so. "I expected more from a Jedi Master of your calibre." Vader acknowledged, shaping his charred left hand into a pincer. Then, balling it up into a fist, Vader ripped a huge pipe out of the wall, hurling it towards Skein from behind. Skein turned around and cut the pipe in half, before looking at one of her fellow Jedi. "Do not let the intruders any further into the facility!" She ordered.

"Yes, Master Skein!" The Jedi Knight replied, soon rushing away from the fight to chase after Tohm and Trachta. Vader grabbed Skein by the wrist, hoisting her high in the air, before hucking her into another group of containers. Turning his head, Vader reached out with the Force, pinning one of the Jedi against the wall. "Your Master has deceived you..." Vader began, slowly pushing the Jedi's Lightsaber towards their throat. "...Into believing you can become a Jedi." He finished, flicking his wrist to the side. In an instant, the Jedi dropped to the floor, his head rolling to the side. "NO!" Skein yelled, violently Force Pushing Vader against that same wall. Vader looked over Skein's shoulder, seeing more Jedi behind her. Rising back to his feet, Vader reached out to the Lightsaber of the Jedi he had just killed, igniting the blue blade and pulling it towards himself, watching it spin in midair in cut down the Jedi behind Skein.

Skein just barely ducked underneath the Lightsaber, when Vader caught it in his other hand, getting into a blade-lock with Skein. For a moment, however, he wasn't inside The Prism, facing Skein; instead, he was onboard The Invisible Hand, with Dooku at his feet. Like with Skein, two Lightsabers were crossed over his neck. One red, and one blue. Snapping back to reality, Vader broke the blade-lock and attempted to stab Skein, only for the fallen Jedi's Lightsaber to be knocked straight from his hand. Jamming his charred, cybernetic hand into the floor, Vader sent a shockwave that instantly knocked Skein off her feet. Getting up, Skein attempted to bisect Vader, but Vader acted faster, freezing her in place with the Force. 

Out of nowhere, Vader heard a rattling noise, and turned his head at the last second, narrowly avoiding one of the nearby containers and allowing it to hit Skein instead. Switching his attention back to the Jedi Master, Vader hurled his Lightsaber towards her, watching the crimson blade lodge itself straight into her chest. Skein staggered backwards, dropping her Lightsaber. She looked down at Vader's Lightsaber, burning a hole through her heart, and then back at the Dark Lord. Vader reached out with the Force, pulling his Lightsaber back to his hand and watching Skein fall to the ground, lifeless. Looking back across one end of the hanger, Vader threw his Lightsaber towards all the remaining Jedi inside, cutting them down within seconds.

Retrieving his Lightsaber once more, Vader watched, as the Jedi collapsed, their heads and limbs separated from their corpses. Marching out of the hanger, Vader looked all around, seeing the corpses of more and more Jedi appear. Either their necks had been snapped, or a myriad of scorched holes were seen in their torsos. Within a few minutes, Vader entered the command center and saw Trachta and Tohm standing over a group of dead Jedi, their blasters billowing with smoke. "Well done, Moff Trachta." Vader said. "Same to you, Lieutenant Tohm." "T-Thank you..     M-M-My Lord." Tohm nervously replied, bowing his head. Suddenly, without even looking, Trachta aimed his blaster towards one of the control panels and fired a single shot, instantly destroying it.

 "What was that!?" Laurita demanded, caught completely off-guard by the sudden move. "Now that we've dealt with the Jedi security force, their prisoners are now free." Trachta replied. Looking towards the panel, Tohm saw a holographic image, depicting that of multiple prison cells opening up. "In any case, we may just have the perfect army to use against Gentis." Trachta said. "If they choose to side with us." Laurita replied. "Oh, they will, Lieutenant." Trachta said, placing his pistols back into their holsters. "I have my way of showing others what it means to be Imperial." He added on, turning around and walking away towards the nearby turbolift. Tohm placed his blaster back inside it's holster as well, following Trachta and Vader into the lift.

Vader soon deactivated his Lightsaber, placing the hilt back on his belt. Silence fell upon the lift, broken only by the sounds of Vader's mechanical breathing. The lift then opened, and the three of them stepped outside, seeing hundreds of thousands of prisoners walking out of their cells, all looking at each other in confusion. One of the prisoners suddenly caught Tohm's eye; it was a female Zeltron, with pink skin and dark blue hair. "Who's that one?" Laurita asked, pointing to the Zeltron. "That would be Shonn Volta." Trachta replied. "One of Count Dooku's most dangerous of assassins during The Clone Wars..          She was captured by Masters Skywalker and Fisto both, and apparently wound up in this hellhole." He continued. Laurita nodded his head slowly, unable to take his eyes off of Volta, who appeared about as confused as the other prisoners.

"Now, Moff Trachta...." Vader began. "Show these prisoners what it means to be Imperial." Trachta nodded, taking one of his pistols out of the holster and firing at the ceiling, instantly securing the attention of all the prisoners inside the corridor. "Inmates of The Prism..." Trachta began, placing his blaster back into the holster. "I am Moff Trachta of The Galactic Empire. These here are my accomplices: Lord Vader, the Emperor's second in command. And Lieutenant Laurita Tohm." He added on, gesturing to both Tohm and Vader as he said this. "During The Clone Wars, all of you were rounded up by the Jedi, and thrown into these cells, never to return to the wider galaxy. But you need not live here in solitude any longer; the Republic has fallen. As have the Jedi, who have since been revealed to be the true enemy keeping us from achieving peace.." Trachta continued. "Although, as of recently, a traitor turned the Empire against itself, even going so far as to wound the Emperor. Because of this setback, me and my allies could only run and hide..        Until now."

Trachta then balled his right hand up into a fist, hoisting it high in the air. "Now, I will give every single one of you a choice...      Join us, and fight back against the rule of Saul Gentis, or stay here and rot for the rest of eternity." He declared. For a moment, the prisoners looked at each other with confusion, as if they couldn't understand what Trachta had just said. Finally, Volta raised her fist high in the air, followed by another prisoner; and then another, another. One by one, all the prisoners raised their fists high in the air, until there was not a single prisoner left who didn't do so. "Let this fight change you..." Trachta began. "Let it make you loyal. Let it make you brave. Let it make you fierce and unrelenting. And above all else..          Let it make you Imperial!" He declared, clenching his fist even tighter. "Long live the Empire!" He yelled.

"Long live the Empire!" All the prisoners yelled back, repeating throwing their fists in the air and chanting the phrase. Tohm's eye widened as he watched the chanting unfold; now they had an army to fight back against Gentis with, and it happened to be comprised of dangerous Force-sensitives that once fought for the Separatists. Vader soon turned around, heading back inside the lift. Tohm did the same, leaving Trachta behind in the prison block with their new allies. "I can't believe it..." Laurita said softly. "We now have our own army." He continued. "Indeed we do, Lieutenant." Vader replied. "Soon, Gentis and his followers will be crushed. And with them, any more attempts to usurp the Imperial throne."

16 BBY - "The Successor"

From the bridge of The Successor, Emperor Saul Gentis stared off into the distance, as construction of a large, metallic sphere orbiting Narkina Five continued it's constructing outside. The sphere, which he had learned was known as the 'Death Star' had begun construction during The Clone Wars, behind the closed doors of the Republic. Now that his predecessor, Emperor Palpatine, was dead and Commander Orson Krennic, the original head of the project, was stashed away on the world of Narkina, the Death Star was under Gentis's complete control. The Headmaster smiled, thinking about the purpose of the Death Star itself. It wasn't just a sphere out in the middle of space...         No. It was a superweapon; one capable of vaporizing an entire planet upon it's inevitable completion.

Suddenly, the doors to the bridge hissed open, and Gentis heard footsteps approaching. Through a faint reflection in the bridge, he could see his only remaining son, Caul, walking towards him. "I spoke with Governor Tarkin, as you had instructed, father." Caul said, joining Gentis by the window. "He is on his way to this construction site now...         Completely oblivious to our betrayal, like most of the Imperial High Command we've rounded up." He continued. The smile on Gentis's face grew even wider. "Excellent." He replied. "Go round up the men in the hanger bay, Caul." Gentis then ordered. "Yes, father." Caul replied, turning his back towards the bridge window and beginning to walk away. He soon stopped dead in his tracks, however, turning his head towards Gentis. "Should I bring the prisoners back up to the ship as well...?" Caul asked.

"That will not be necessary." Gentis replied. "Just ensure that all troops and Officers are stationed in orderly fashion, and inform me of when Tarkin's shuttle arrives." Caul bowed his head. "Of course, father." He replied, finally exiting the bridge. Gentis, meanwhile, continued to gaze upon the incomplete Death Star; he hated the first Emperor for many things, including the deaths of Caul's siblings. But if there was one thing he had to thank him for, it was the weapon that lay dormant outside the window to his ship. Gentis began to chuckle to himself. Governor Tarkin will be here at any moment, and his ascension as Emperor will be complete once Tarkin is in cuffs. "What a swell party this is." He muttered to himself, marveling at the sight of what will be the greatest weapon the galaxy will ever know.