Has there ever been a downfall as devastating as Anakin Skywalker’s twisted descent into the most recognizable and lauded villain of all time, Darth Vader? We’ve followed Anakin from being a young slave on Tatooine in 1999’s Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, his years of terrorizing the galaxy as Darth Vader in his very own comics, and even his death in 1983’s Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi. But in the upcoming Master of Evil, a novel from New York Times bestselling author Adam Christopher, we’re getting a look at Darth Vader only a short time after 2005’s Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. The novel will be released on Nov. 11.
In Master of Evil, fans will get to see more of the early days of Darth Vader, his quest to conquer death itself, and the new, burgeoning Galactic Empire. In this exclusive excerpt from Penguin Random House, we take a closer look at the complex relationship between Darth Vader and his all-powerful master, the Emperor Palpatine. After visiting a cave in Mustafar and bleeding his kyber crystal, Vader returns to his master with more questions than answers. He is quickly and painfully reminded of the cost of his own ambitions.
The Emperor’s office at the pinnacle of the Imperial Executive Building was a large, imposing space dominated by the magnificent curve of the floor-to-ceiling window that spanned the far wall, with the angular form of the Emperor’s throne positioned on a raised platform before it so he could, should the mood take him, gaze out on the Coruscant cityscape.
Right now, the Emperor was indeed looking out from the office window. Behind the turned throne, Darth Vader knelt, head bowed, the deep, repeating rhythm of his respirator the only sound in the room. He and the Emperor were alone. The two scarlet-robed Royal Guards that provided customary, if perhaps unnecessary, security had been dismissed as soon as the Emperor’s apprentice had arrived.
Time passed. In the world outside, silent beyond the glass wall, the air traffic was thick and without end, even as the Coruscant night ran well into the small hours.
Finally, the Emperor spoke. He did not turn around, and from Vader’s position before the dais, it seemed like his master’s cracked voice came from everywhere but nowhere.
“I sense something within you, my apprentice.”
Vader’s masked head jerked up at the words, but he did not answer. He just stared at the back of the throne.
“Desire,” said the Emperor. He gave a short, low chuckle as the throne turned around of its own accord until the master faced his apprentice. Only the lower portion of the Emperor’s face was visible beneath his wide cowl, but eyes of yellow glittered from the dark shadow within.
“You have a thirst for power, Lord Vader. This I am pleased with. But it is your thirst for knowledge that I find . . . interesting.” Again, the low chuckle. The Emperor leaned forward, just a little, his voice dropping to a high, sibilant whisper, the voice of an old and wizened man, which he most certainly was not, despite appearances. “Perhaps you saw something in the cave on Mustafar.”
Vader still did not speak, but he lowered his head in supplication to his master once more.
“Or perhaps something in that cave saw into you.”
At this, Vader looked up again. The Emperor’s death-white face was now exposed by the lights, his features pulled back into a rictus grin.
“Power you already have, my apprentice. The more you have, the more you seek. The thirst for it will drive you, as it drives all the Sith. This is good.” The Emperor paused, and his voice dropped again. “But knowledge can be a dangerous thing. There are some aspects of the dark side you will not learn until you are ready to learn, and it is I who will decide when the time is right.”
“I seek only answers, my master.” Lord Vader hesitated, his breathing filling the space again before he continued. “You promised to guide me along the pathways of the dark side.”
“Take care, Lord Vader,” the Emperor snapped. “There are secrets I have shared and secrets yet to be unlocked. Your journey is still in its infancy.”
“Yes, my master.”
“Ambition is good, but it may also be your downfall.”
“Yes, my master.” Vader looked down, then his head snapped up. “But I am ready to learn. You said you could teach me—”
The Emperor stood quickly, his speed belying the apparent frailty of his body. He stepped forward on the dais and looked down at his apprentice, and he laughed, quietly at first before the sound became a bloodcurdling, witchlike cackle.
“You were enamored with that story, were you not?” asked the Emperor. “The tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? Oh yes, the dark side has the power to hold back death, even to venture beyond it.” He stepped closer to Vader, pointing one gnarled finger at him. “That is what you want to know, is it not? The secrets that lie beyond. You think they will allow you to be reunited with her, do you not?”
Vader’s blank gaze did not waver from his master’s glare. “It is what you promised, my master.”
The Emperor dropped his hand, his face twisted with sudden anger. “There is much you must learn, Lord Vader. Including patience.” He walked back to his throne. “Perhaps I should not have let you see the power of the vergence on Mustafar so soon.” He turned back to Vader. “Perhaps you are not as ready as I thought. I have overestimated your ability to understand.”
Vader finally stood. As the Emperor sank slowly into his throne, Vader stepped up onto the dais, his huge frame towering over his master.
“When I bled the kyber crystal in the cave, the dark side showed itself to me in a way I did not think possible. I have seen it, my master.” He raised a fist and clenched it in the air. “I have seen the true power of the Force. What you have taught me is only the beginning.”
A wry smile played over the Emperor’s wizened features. “Good, my apprentice. Good. Your experience on Mustafar was indeed a worthwhile exercise. It is true, there is much to understand about the dark side.” Then his smile dropped, and the Emperor stood. Vader took a step backward as his master held out both hands. “But beware what it promises.”
The Emperor’s hands snapped into claws, and from the tips of his bent fingers burst an onslaught of blue lightning, the forks of which seemed to be drawn to the shape of Vader’s body, embracing him in a cradle of crackling, snapping Force energy. Vader was lifted off his feet and fell backward, carried across the room by the wave of lightning. He hit the floor on his side and rolled over, the power still coursing from the Emperor’s outstretched hands, the Emperor’s face twisted into a grimace of pure hatred.
Then it stopped. The Emperor stepped off the dais and walked slowly over to where Vader lay. Smoke curled from Vader’s armor as he tried to raise himself up, his mechanized breathing regular but now wheezing slightly with effort.
“Remember, Lord Vader,” said the Emperor, standing over his apprentice. “There is no power in the Force that is not mine, for I am the dark side.”
