Chapter 7: The Admirals Collection
With a sigh, she moved to the floor, closed her eyes, and sat cross-legged, letting any unnecessary thoughts slip away. Once her mind was clear, she reached out to the Force to try and gain insight into her situation.
When Rey opened her eyes again, she was looking at an astral world that mirrored reality aside from being bleached of colors and semi-translucent. As she reached out with her power, the scene around her changed from her room to the hall. Looking around, the bustling crowd had not changed, though each person gave off a mix of white and black smoke. She had learned from experience that this smoke represented, in a way, a person's mortality: the more white smoke, the purer the person, while increased dark smoke implied one was more immoral.
From her experience, the amount of white smoke that surrounded a person wasn't limited by the black. Her dearest friend Kylo Ren, or rather Ben Solo, was a stark example of this who, at the end of his life, looked like a raging tornado of white and black mist. Comparatively, her master, Luck Skywalker, was like an ocean of white clouds that stretched endlessly toward the horizon. While the Emperor went beyond just having black clouds and looked more like a black hole. These were all extreme examples but reminded Rey that her ability to use the Force did not make her omnipotent.
After careful observation, no one appeared to have particularly maleficent intentions, so she moved on. A brief scan of the other rooms also left her reassured as there didn't seem to be any lurking villains. She moved onto the East Passage and found it led to a recreation room with a few table games and other entertainments. Next, she moved on to the West Passage but, upon getting close, found a strange anomaly: wind. A continuous blowing pressure prevented her from moving forward. She had experienced this before on Ak-toe and Exugal, both places powerful in the Force.
Both frightened and curious, Rey left her trans and contemplated. She would have liked to explore the rest of the ship, but with her weakened powers, her range of observation had also diminished. In the end, with a final glance at Fama, she left the room and locked the door behind her. It didn't take long to arrive at the food counter and order a drink. Next to her was a rather talkative and drunk Muun, whose drinking partner had just left.
She ordered a drink on his behalf and addressed her, “May I get you a drink.”
The female Muun with lanky features and a cylindrical head took up the new glass and responded, “But of course, my new friend.”
They each drank some before Rey continued, “If I may, how do things fair amongst the Muun.” Although the species was Technically part of the Grand Corporate Alliance as the primary banking clan, they had many friends and few enemies.
Accustomed to such interactions, the woman smiled and waved her hand elegantly, “I, Anaku, shall tell you that the Muun are very good. Markets are being created daily, and people are growing accustomed to New Credits.” With a gesture to the holo-screen projecting stock information, she added with a wink, “The word is the New Republic is trying to acquire a secret loan from us to build up its navy. If you have any spare credits, I'd recommend you invest with the Shipyards of the Mon Calamari.”
Rey had not heard anything like this from any of her allies in the New Republic, but a Muun would almost never give a lousy tip. How this Anaku knew of such a supposedly secret deal while she, a Jedi Master, did not was very troubling. Regardless, she would have to put this matter aside till later. She bowed her head slightly and responded, “Thank you for the advice, my friend. the Muun are truly the wisest investors in the Galaxy.” As a proud expression appeared on Anaku’s face, Rey gestured with her glass to their surroundings and asked, “Though I wonder what are your thoughts on this ship, it is beautiful, isn't it.”
The female Muun took another drink and nodded merrily, “Very beautiful, just as beautiful as my mother described it.” She raised a finger knowledgeably and added, “Did you know this ship was, for a time, one of the Crown Jewels in the Galactic Republic’s fleet during the Clone Wars.” With a noble gesture, she placed a hand on her bosom and added, “My grandfather served the Galactic Senate and was present when the ship was christened.”
As interesting as this was, Rey had been hoping for some more helpful information. She asked plainly, “Any good ways to pass the time.”
Anaku nodded and pointed to the east, “The recreation hall is that way…” Turned to the west, she gestured and added, “And the museum is that way.” With a smile, she then pointed forward and finished, “And the drinks are that way.”
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Rey got the hint and ordered another glass for the Muun, who seemed very accustomed to trading tips for liquor. She then asked with genuine curiosity, “A museum, you say.”
With the conversation drifting away from money or her honorable self, the Muun grew a bit bored, though still answered gracefully, “One of the best museums left in the Galaxy, the personal collection of Admiral Primidian himself.” Rey’s eyes lit up at this while the Muun added another line to her previous explanation, “At least part of his collection. For safety purposes, he only brings out a few exhibits at a time.” With an intentional look, she added, “My friend, you really must take a look.”
Seeing how the conversation had ended for her, Rey nodded respectfully and left so Anaku could get drinks from more interesting people. Less concerned about the West Passage, she now walked towards it with a trace of excitement in her eyes. The imperials had pillaged countless words for anything of value. The collection of a Force-obsessed Admiral must undoubtedly hold a number of relics.
She passed the two armored guards at the entrance without issue, though once inside, a shiver ran down her spine. The air had grown cold and eerie. She felt lonely and intimidated by the room ahead of her. To her shock, the space was saturated in the aura of the Dark Side, and she hadn't been able to sense it till just now. Another passenger entered to her left and also shivered from the presence, then dawned a goofy smile before continuing on. To an average person, the change in the atmosphere wouldn't be as severe and could be written off as some sort of special effect.
Rey took in a breath and walked forward, her every nerve on end. Her lightsaber was still holstered at the small of her back, and she was ready to withdraw it at a moment’s notice. At the end of a short hall, she saw a large holo-screen projecting a short series of sculpted text: “The Life and Death of Emperor Palpatine.”
Below the holo-screen was a life-sized, hand-drawn portrait of a grey-haired man in his 50s. He had pointy features, wise eyes, and a kind complexion. On the frame of the painting was a plaque that read Supreme Chancellor Sheeva Palpatine. A small huddle of people stood before the portrait, gazing in awe at the man most had only heard about in legends. To Rey, the man looked utterly foreign, nothing like the dried-up corpse he had become back on Exogal. She considered turning back, but her curiosity got the better of her.
Rey walked past the portrait and merged with a small group led by a wobbling protocol droid. The floor of the museum was even smaller than the passenger mess hall, though it still held a number of exhibits locked behind energy fields. They arrived at the first exhibit, which showed a hologram of a young, red-haired boy standing before two regal-looking adults. There were also a few pictures, artifacts, and informational plaques. The droid spoke neatly, gesturing to the exhibit, and began, “The Great Emperor was born in 84 BBY on the Planet of Naboo to the heir aristocratic House Palpatine…”
As the droid rambled on, she was stunned to learn of her grandfather's surprisingly human background. He had loving parents and several siblings and grew up very respectable. The young Sheev Palpatine loved history, though he also felt destined for something more. As a youth, he was quite the troublemaker, hopping from one renowned Academy to the next. His favorite pastime was speeder racing, a passion he shared with his father. He helped his family rise in status, always putting the needs of the people first, and eventually was appointed as Naboo’s Senator. Rey didn't know how much of this was true and what was just propaganda, but the artifacts on display, without a doubt, were connected with the deceased Emperor. His presence lingered on them like ink so vividly she could almost see him in the Force.
The following display talked about his rising political career and the various works of legislature he worked towards. There were old documents, his chancellor seal, and a few photos of diplomatic engagements. Looking back, even Rey couldn't see how a man who seemed so kind and benevolent was, in fact, a Sith. For the first time, she understood how even a thousand Jedi wernt enough to see through the depths of his disguise.
Following this, they arrived at the main exhibit. Rey was course as to what it would be, but what she saw almost caused her to fall over backward. This display was dedicated to his life as a Sith and contains a dark cloak, several books, a few artifacts, a miniature portrait of a Muun male, and a black lightsaber. The sheer maleficence of the Dark Side radiating from these objects was what had made the room impossible to inspect while in meditation. Rey desperately wanted to break open the energy field and burn these evil relics, but that would be impossible. All she could do was stomach her disgust and endure.
Despite her distaste for the exhibit, she could not turn away from the knowledge it had to offer. The protocol droid gestured as usual and began, “As most people know, Emperor Palpatine was also a Force User. He was the heir to the Legacy of Darth Bane and was given the name Darth Sidious. His Sith Master was a prominent politician and businessman by the name of Ego Demas, who bore the title Darth Plague. While a Sith Lord, the Emperor trained three apprentices, Darth Maul, Darth Tyranus, and Darth Vader. It is the view of many historians that Emperor Palpatine was, in fact, the most powerful Sith in history.”
After observing the items for a few more moments, Rey turned away, ready to leave the museum. As she did, a chill went down her spine, and she could almost hear the Emperor’s laughter. For a moment, she wanted to look back and see if there indeed was a ghost taunting her, but in the end, she just walked away. The day she killed her grandfather was one of the happiest and saddest days of her life, and Rey had long decided to leave it in the past where it belonged.
She was just about to exit when a final exhibit appeared in the corner of her eyes, causing her to freeze; its title was simple: “The Lineage of Palpatine.”