Star Wars_ Darth Bane 02_ Rule of Two - Drew Karpyshyn [65]
The ground was littered with debris and marred by dozens of still-smoldering black scorch marks Zannah recognized as the remnants of a terrible storm of unnatural lightning. The air still crackled with the power and energy of the dark side that made her tingle in fear and anticipation.
It was easy enough to guess what had happened. Bane had failed yet again in his attempt to create a Holocron, then in a blind rage lashed out at the world around him with all the power of the Force.
If she had been here when it happened, Zannah wondered, could she have stopped him? Would she even have been able to survive?
She saw Bane seated on the far side of the camp, his back to her as he stared out to the horizon, meditating on his failure. He turned to face her as she approached, rising up to his full two-meter height so that he towered above her. His clothes had been torn and burned away, revealing the full scope of the orbalisk infestation. Hundreds of the creatures clung to him; except for his face and hands, his body was now completely covered. He looked as if he were wearing a suit of armor fashioned from the hard, oblong shells of dead crustaceans. Yet she knew that beneath the shells, the parasites were still alive, feeding on him.
Bane claimed the orbalisks enhanced his power, granting him unnatural strength and healing abilities. Yet witnessing the aftermath of his failure with the Holocron, Zannah wondered at what cost those abilities came. What use was greater power if it could not be controlled?
To her relief the fury seemed to have passed, and Zannah knew better than to ask him about it. Instead she offered news of her mission.
“It’s done. When Chancellor Valorum’s shuttle lands, Kel and his followers will be waiting for him.”
“You have done well,” Bane answered.
As always, she felt a surge of pride and accomplishment at her Master’s praise. But her satisfaction was tempered by memories of Kel, and the knowledge that he was lost to her forever.
“Is there any chance they will succeed?” she asked.
“No,” Bane said after a moment’s consideration.
“Then what purpose do they serve?” she demanded, finally giving in to her frustration. “I don’t understand why you send me on missions like this! Why waste all this time and effort if we know they’re going to fail!”
“They don’t need to succeed to be of value to us,” Bane answered. “The separatists are only a distraction. They draw the attention of the Senate, and blind the eyes of the Jedi Council.”
“Blind them?”
“The Jedi have surrendered themselves to the will of the Senate. They have let themselves sink into the morass of politics and bureaucracy. The Republic seeks a single, unified government to maintain peace throughout the galaxy, and the Jedi have been reduced to nothing more than a tool to make it happen.
“Each time radicals strike against the Republic, the Jedi Council is called upon to take action. Resources are wasted on quelling rebellions and uprisings, keeping their focus away from us.”
“But why must the separatists always fail?” Zannah asked. “We could help them succeed without risking exposure!”
“If they succeed, they will gain support,” Bane explained. “Their power and influence will grow. They will become harder to manipulate and control. It is possible they might even become strong enough to bring down the Republic itself.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Zannah asked.
“The Republic keeps the Jedi in check. It maintains control and imposes order across thousands of worlds. But if the Republic falls, a score of new interstellar governments and galactic organizations will rise. It is far easier to manipulate and control a single enemy than twenty.
“That is why we must seek out radical separatist groups, identify the ones that have the potential to become true threats, then encourage them to strike before they are ready. We must exploit them, playing them off against the Republic. We must let our enemies weaken one another while we stay hidden and grow strong.
“One day the Republic will fall