Star Wars_ Darth Bane 01_ Path of Destruction - Drew Karpyshyn [150]
The endless war was over!
But as he walked through the milling throngs, accepting the salutes and congratulations of his followers, he realized something was wrong. The battlefield was full of placid, unarmed Sith … but he saw not a single Dark Lord among their numbers.
The sight of Master Farfalla running at full speed toward him from the far side of the field did little to soothe his unease.
“General,” Farfalla said, sliding to a stop and gasping for breath. He snapped off a quick salute. The lack of his typical over-the-top bow further fueled Hoth’s mounting concern.
“I must have taken longer to assemble my forces than I thought,” the general joked, hoping his disquiet was simply misplaced paranoia. “It seems you’ve already won the war.”
Farfalla shook his head. “The war isn’t over. Not yet. Kaan and the Brotherhood—the true Sith—have taken refuge in the caves. They’re going to unleash some kind of Sith weapon. Something called a thought bomb.”
A thought bomb? Hoth had heard mention of such a weapon long ago, studying at the feet of his Master back at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. According to legendary accounts, the ancient Sith had the ability to forge the dark side into a concentrated sphere of power and then unleash its energy in a single, devastating blast. All those sensitive to the Force—Sith and Jedi alike—would be consumed by the explosion, their spirits trapped in the great vacuum created at the epicenter of the detonation.
“Is Kaan mad?” he said aloud, though the very question was answer enough.
“We have to evacuate, General,” Farfalla insisted. “Get everyone away as fast as possible.”
“No,” Hoth answered. “That won’t work. If we retreat, Kaan and the Brotherhood will escape. It won’t take them long to rally support and begin this war all over again.”
“But what about the thought bomb?” Valenthyne demanded.
“If Kaan has such a weapon,” the general explained grimly, “then he will use it. If not here, then somewhere else. Maybe in the Core Worlds. Maybe on Coruscant itself. I can’t allow that.
“Kaan wants to witness my death. I have to go into the cave to face him. I have to force him to detonate the bomb here on Ruusan. It’s the only way to truly end this.”
Farfalla dropped to one knee. “Then I will go by your side, General. As will all who follow me.”
Reaching out with his strong, weathered hands, General Hoth took Farfalla by the shoulders and hauled him to his feet. “No, my friend,” he said with a sigh, “you cannot walk this journey with me.”
When the other started to protest he held up a hand for silence and continued. “When Kaan unleashes his weapon, all within that cave will die. The Sith will be wiped out, but I won’t let that happen to our entire order. The galaxy will have need of Jedi to rebuild once this war is over. You and the other Masters must live so that you may guide them and defend the Republic as we have done since its foundation.”
There was no real argument against the wisdom of his words, and after a moment’s deliberation Master Farfalla dropped his head in mute acceptance. When he looked up again there were tears in his eyes.
“Surely you’re not going in alone?” he protested.
“I wish I could,” Hoth replied. “But if I do the Dark Lords will simply take me down with their lightsabers. That would solve nothing. Kaan has to see that his only choice is to surrender or …” He left the thought unspoken.
“You’ll need enough Jedi to convince the Brotherhood that a physical battle would be hopeless. At least a hundred. Any less and he won’t detonate the thought bomb.”
Hoth nodded. “Nobody will be ordered to go in with me. Ask for volunteers. And make sure they understand none of us will ever be coming out.”
Despite the danger, virtually every single member of the Army of Light volunteered for the mission. General