Darth Plagueis (novel)

"Have you ever taken in the tale of Darth Plagueis the Wise? I suspect not. The Jedi wouldn't share it. It's a Sith story. Darth Plagueis was a Sith Dark Lord, immensely powerful and wise, who could use the Force to manipulate midichlorians to generate life… He possessed such profound knowledge of the dark side that he could shield loved ones from death. The dark side offers abilities that some deem unnatural. He grew so powerful… his sole fear was losing his power, which, inevitably, he did. Ironically, he imparted all his knowledge to his apprentice, who then murdered him in his sleep. He could rescue others from death, but not himself."

_—Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, _Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith _ _

Darth Plagueis: A Sith Lord of unparalleled brilliance. His only desire is power; his only fear is its loss. As a learner, he takes on the cruel ways of the Sith. When the opportune moment arrives, he eliminates his Master, yet vows to avoid a similar destiny. Unlike any other follower of the dark side, Darth Plagueis masters the ultimate power . . . the power over life and death.

Darth Sidious: Plagueis's chosen apprentice. He secretly learns the Sith ways under his Master's guidance while openly ascending in galactic politics, from Senator to Chancellor, and eventually, Emperor.

Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, Master and student, aim to dominate the galaxy and eradicate the Jedi Order. But can they defy the ruthless Sith tradition? Or will one's ambition for supreme rule and the other's dream of eternal life lead to their downfall?

Darth Plagueis: Like the Sith Lords that came before him, he has a hunger for unlimited power. But unlike any Sith Lord before, he has the ultimate power—over life and death.

Darth Sidious: In secrecy, he learns the ways of the dark side, while publicly climbing to the highest office in the government.

One is driven to rule above all others; the other seeks to live forever. Together, they will bring about the destruction of the Jedi and take over the galaxy. Unless the merciless Sith ways bring about their end. . . .

Having murdered his master in a cold fashion, Plagueis is now the leading Sith and begins searching for his own apprentice to help him achieve his goal of becoming an immortal Sith Lord. He soon comes across his Master's secret apprentice, who he swiftly defeats and uses to find someone strong in the Force, but none of the people he finds are good enough for his plans. One day, Plagueis is on Naboo and becomes interested in a young Palpatine, who he eventually discovers has powers in the dark side so strong that he was able to hide them until Plagueis was able to bring them out. Soon after, Plagueis takes his new apprentice, now called Sidious, to the planet of Mygeeto to begin his training and, once he is ready, teaches him how to become even more powerful than he is. Plagueis helps Sidious become a senator of Naboo, while Sidious secretly trains an apprentice behind Plagueis's back and begins to create the perfect Sith as a young boy from Tatooine is brought before the Jedi Council to be trained in their ways. However, Plagueis has his own plans for the boy.

The story opens on Coruscant at the Kaldani Spires Residential Apartments, owned by Hego Damask, a Muun who is secretly the Sith's Dark Lord, Darth Plagueis. Darth Sidious, his apprentice, has just killed the Muun. The new Sith Lord then feels a dramatic shift in the Force, which promises him that the dark side will control him as much as he controls it. Sidious notices that Plagueis looks almost exactly as he did decades ago when he first met the Muun on his home planet of Naboo.

Thirty-five years before, Darth Plagueis and his Bith Sith Master, Darth Tenebrous, are in a cave on the Outer Rim planet Bal'demnic to examine its natural cortosis deposits, which are being mined without the knowledge of either the Republic or the Jedi Order. Tenebrous intends to use cortosis' natural resistance to lightsaber blades in his future attempts to overthrow the Jedi and replace the Republic with a Sith-controlled Empire in accordance with Darth Bane's Grand Plan. During the investigation, the mining EM-Two probe droid, against Tenebrous' orders, begins digging for an explosive lethane pocket next to a cortosis vein, prompting the two Sith to rush back to their ship and escape the resulting explosion. Ultimately, the explosion occurs before they make it back to the ship. Tenebrous is able to use the Force to contain the blast so that it does not kill the two Sith, while Plagueis makes sure that their ship is not destroyed by the impact of the blast. As a result, Tenebrous is severely weakened, and Plagueis seizes the opportunity to end his Master's life and become the Sith Master. He betrays his master by using the Force to hurl falling debris on top of Tenebrous; then, attempting to deceive him into believing it looks as it was a natural event, he rushes to his Master's side. The Bith tells his apprentice that the mining droids were supplied to him by Subtext Mining. Plagueis, however, cannot resist revealing to Tenebrous what his true plans are and what they mean for the future of the Sith. The Muun tells his Bith Master that he will put an end to the old order of the Rule of Two before breaking Tenebrous' neck and observing his dying body through the Force in an attempt to manipulate midi-chlorians. However, Tenebrous dies before Plagueis is even able to at least prolong his Master's life for the sake of his experimentation. The ship designed by Tenebrous has been destroyed by the debris, and the wounded Muun sets off for the nearest city on the planet. Hiding aboard the LS-447-3 ship Woebegone, the Muun make it off the planet. The ship's crew, all non-humans, discover Plagueis in a cooling container and confront him. They do not trust him and want to return to Bal'demnic to give him to the local authorities. After Ellin Lah, the Togruta captain of the Woebegone, tells him this, he goes on a killing spree, killing every member of the crew except the four-armed medical droid 11-4D, who tends to the Muun's wounded back. The two travel to the Deep Space Demolition and Removal Space Station, where the Woebegone is slagged and 11-4D's memory core is erased without erasing the droid's medical protocols. The Muun and his new droid then return to his homeworld of Muunilinst, where Plagueis appears in his public persona as Hego Damask, CEO of Damask Holdings. The two are greeted by Larsh Hill, Chief Operating Officer of Damask Holdings. After a brief confrontation between Damask and the Chairman of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, Tonith, the two travel to Aborah, where the Muun instructs the droid to study Sith history and shows him his laboratory. On Sojourn, also known as the Hunter's Moon in the Carrion sector, Damask Holdings holds an annual secret meeting with several leaders of various corporations and cartels. One of these guests is Gardulla the Hutt, who seeks Damask's financial support to take control of Tatooine and escape the influence of her enemies, particularly Jabba Desilijic Tiure and the Desilijic clan. Gardulla offers to develop a new Podrace track on Tatooine and take Damask on as a silent partner. In return, Damask demands that Gardulla allow Boss Cabra, a Black Sun Vigo and partner of the Muun, to operate freely on Nar Shaddaa. After some hesitation, Gardulla agrees to the terms, promising Damask that he will not be disappointed. Senator Pax Teem, representing the Gran Protectorate, expresses anger and concern at the rumors of Gardulla's plans. Teem is upset about the potential competition for Malastare's own Podracing events, which could negatively affect his interests. Damask and Hill assure Teem that their dealings with the Hutt will remain confidential. They suggest offsetting any losses from Podracing by raising the cost of Malastare's fuel exports, which Teem reluctantly accepts as a starting point for discussion. The Gran also accuses Damask of favoring the Trade Federation, complaining that the Federation's full representation in the Senate benefits Damask Holdings more than Malastare, and leaves in anger. After the Gran leaves, Plagueis confronts representatives of the Subtext Mining Corporation, who have been invited by Hill on Damask's instructions. Damask threatens their lives, and in response they tell the Muuns of a plasma vein on the Mid Rim planet Naboo. Plagueis spares their lives and has them relocated to the most remote world on the Tingel Arm so they would be in reserve in case he needs them again—he has them killed later on when it becomes clear that he cannot have anymore dealings with Pax Teem, who is a supporter of Subtext. After the meeting ends and the guests leave, a member of the Sunguards informs Plagueis that the intrusion alarm has been activated. The Muun heads into the forest surrounding the castle, knowing that only Tenebrous had the access codes, indicating that something is not right. He is confronted by Darth Venamis, a Bith Sith whom Tenebrous had secretly trained as a contingency plan in case Plagueis failed to live up to Tenebrous's expectations. Plagueis defeats Venamis in battle, forcing him to swear allegiance before poisoning the lesser Sith. Plagueis then uses Venamis in his experiments of manipulating midi-chlorians in an attempt to achieve immortality and conquer death. The Sunguard discovers a list of Force-users on the ship's computer. Like Plagueis, Tenebrous has ordered Venamis to look out for potential Force-sensitive beings to use in the Sith's schemes. Plagueis sets out to locate these individuals to determine if they pose a threat to his plans. Accompanied by 11-4D, he travels to Lianna City. At a casino, they identify a Shi'ido, a shapeshifter, who is using his Force abilities to cheat. They follow the Shi'ido and discover that he is transferring money to Kerred Santhe the Second. Perplexed, Plagueis confronts the shapeshifter and learns that Santhe is heavily in debt and threatened by Vigos of the Black Sun. According to the shapeshifter, Santhe has lost all his money since the murder of his father, an act committed by Plagueis approximately twenty-five years into his apprenticeship. Plagueis gives the shapeshifter one last chance to make money before reporting him to the Galactic Gaming Commission, allowing him to leave. On Saleucami, Plagueis observes a gathering led by the next person on Venamis' list, an Iktotchi prophet. He witnesses her predictions of impending galactic turmoil and the rise of a ruthless dictator. Realizing the potential danger her message poses to his plans, Plagueis decides to intervene. Approaching her, he subtly channels Force lightning into her body as he touches her arm. The Prophet dies in front of her followers, and Plagueis leaves in the chaos that ensues. Plagueis and 11-4D travel to Bedlam to locate Naat Lare, a Nautolan and last on Venamis' list. Upon arrival, they discover that Lare has disappeared from the Bedlam Institution for the Criminally Demented where he was confined, possibly with the help of Venamis, who has been posing as a physician. Learning of Lare's troubled past and potential danger, Plagueis searches for clues to his whereabouts. They discover that Lare may have fled to Felucia, Caluula, or Abraxin. After hearing of recent murders on Abraxin that resemble Lare's work, they head there. Plagueis encounters Jedi Master Ni-Cada and his Padawan Lo Bukk investigating the murders and senses Lare's presence. He urges Lare to prove himself by attacking the Jedi before slipping away as the conflict unfolds. Plagueis briefly considers taking Naat Lare as an apprentice, as Venamis had promised the Nautolan. This thought is abandoned when Naat Lare is killed by the Jedi and his Padawan. In exchange for the plasma located beneath the surface of Naboo, Damask Holdings and the Trade Federation begin a bid to support Bon Tapalo as king of the planet. They are invited by Ars Veruna, one of Tapalos advisors, to Naboo. During this visit, Damask Holdings presents an economic development plan to Bon Tapalo's faction, proposing to exploit the planet's plasma resources in exchange for support in Tapalo's bid for the throne. Tapalo's faction, initially wary of foreign involvement, ultimately agrees to the partnership. Through Veruna, Plagueis learns of a young man's pivotal role in leaking information that benefited Bon Tapalo's faction. This man's name is Palpatine, whose motivations and actions go against those of his father, Cosinga, who wants Naboo to remain an isolationist world. Seeing potential in Palpatine in terms of ambitions and even actual power in the Force, Plagueis begins using him as a source of information regarding the campaign of Tapalo and his opponents. Palpatine, meanwhile, sees in Hego Damask the father figure he never had, even as he knows that he is being manipulated. Naturally, this attracts Cosinga's attention, who tries to separate his son from Plagueis. After a meeting between the Muun and the young Naboo royal on Chandrila, Palpatine is forced to meet with his father on the family starship. Cosinga wants to send his son to Chommell Minor to live with the Greejatus family. In a burst of rage, Palpatine kills his entire family and their honor guard by using his full, unbridled power in the dark side of the Force. He later informs Plagueis of the deed, who then congratulates Palpatine on "emancipating" himself. Soon, Plagueis takes Palpatine under his wing as his Sith apprentice after revealing to the young man the nature of himself and of the Sith, promptly naming him Darth Sidious.

In the eleven years that follow of Plagueis teaching Sidious the nature of the dark side and the ways of the Sith, Palpatine, as the last of House Palpatine, climbs his way up the political ladder of Naboo to become its ambassador throughout the galaxy. And with the help of new friends like Kinman Doriana and Sate Pestage, Palpatine arranges for the successful assassination of his former mentor and Naboo's representative Senator to the Republic, Vidar Kim. As a result, Palpatine becomes the new Senator of Naboo, taking a seat in the Republic Senate as Plagueis continues his plans of manipulating midi-chlorians to prolong his own life indefinitely. One such plan involves the cloning industry on the backwater world of Kamino, inadvertently setting the stage for the eventual Clone Wars. Meanwhile, amidst his own political machinations, Palpatine, in his urge to know more about the dark side than what Plagueis teaches him, manages to make a visit to the world of Dathomir, where he encounters a Dathomirian woman who gives him a Zabrak infant simply known as Maul. Palpatine later has Maul sent to Mustafar, where he could be nurtured at his young age in the dark side of the Force. As Sidious and Plagueis promptly proceed to eliminate their political opponents, Plagueis is attacked during an Order of the Canted Circle ceremony for his assistant Larsh Hill by Maladian assassins. Hill and the other members of the Order of the Canted Circle are killed, but Plagueis, albeit severely wounded, is able to fight off and kill several of the assassins before Palpatine and Sate Pestage arrive to assist the superior Sith Lord. Palpatine had previously discerned that a powerful political opponent of his, Pax Teem, had outwitted Plagueis and had sent the assassins to kill him and his partners during the Canted Circle ceremony. In retaliation, Palpatine personally attacks Teem during a celebratory feast, killing him and all of his guests, leaving no survivors or evidence. In the aftermath of the attack at the botched ceremony, as Plagueis is forced to wear a transpirator to survive, he becomes more alert than ever about his surroundings, even going so far as forever renouncing sleep, and is even more obsessed with finding a way to live forever. As Damask, he trains Hill's son, San, to become the new head of the InterGalactic Banking Clan. Meanwhile, Plagueis managed to kill and then resurrect Darth Venamis in one of his experiments, he successfully did this numerous times until the Bith’s organs had given out and Plagueis grants him everlasting death.

Over twenty years pass as Palpatine amasses greater influence in the Senate, coinciding with the decline of Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum's leadership. The remainder of the narrative aligns with events portrayed in established Star Wars tales, including _Jedi Council: Acts of War, Cloak of Deception, Star Wars: Darth Maul, and Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, culminating in the timeline of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. Throughout these events, it is revealed that Plagueis orchestrated the demise of former Naboo King Ars Veruna (paving the way for Palpatine to manipulate a teenage Padmé Amidala into becoming the planet's Queen), and that Plagueis also prompted Sifo-Dyas to authorize a clone army on Kamino. Palpatine, who had also secretly named Maul Darth without Plagueis's knowledge, identifies a potential ally in the former Jedi Count Dooku. As the novel concludes during the events of The Phantom Menace, Sidious and Plagueis discover that a young boy named Anakin Skywalker, a former slave found by Qui-Gon Jinn on Tatooine, had been born of the Force. They deduce that this is likely a result of Plagueis's experiments to create life through the Force, which he began about a decade earlier. The narrative reaches its climax where it began—as the Battle of Naboo unfolds, Palpatine tricks Plagueis into falling asleep by promising to make him co-chancellor of the Republic, echoing Plagueis's demand from decades prior, now that Palpatine seems poised to win the election to succeed Finis Valorum as Chancellor. At that moment, Sidious attacks Plagueis, revealing as he kills him that he had been manipulating Plagueis all along, citing deals like the clone army as examples. Ultimately, Sidious extinguishes Plagueis's life using the dark side of the Force, though his triumph is marred by an unsettling feeling. He initially attributes this to the supposed death of Darth Maul, but suspects it might be Plagueis himself reaching out from beyond the Force. With Palpatine's official appointment as Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, he initiates his solo plan to seize control of the galaxy through the impending Clone Wars, including recruiting Dooku as a temporary Sith apprentice and ally in the conflict. However, the central figure in Darth Sidious's scheme is young Anakin Skywalker, now a Padawan to Obi-Wan Kenobi, whom the Sith believes will be easily manipulated into becoming his true apprentice and a symbol of Palpatine's own power.

Plagueis granted the Sun Guards a night off, leaving only him, Sidious, and 11-4D present. As the Sith Lords removed their cloaks, 11-4D served them Sullustan wine in expensive glassware. Plagueis commented on the wine's age and proposed a toast to honor the culmination of decades of planning and execution, and to the new meaning they would "give" the Rule of Two. Both beings emptied their glasses, which 11-4D immediately refilled. Sidious complimented Plagueis on his role in the plan and pledged to meet Plagueis' expectations and fulfill his duty. Sidious then began the speech he would give the next day—following Damask's request—starting by noting that the Republic had remained intact for a millennium, largely due to unseen individuals whose achievements deserved recognition. Plagueis expressed his satisfaction, and Sidious continued. He stated that Hego Damask was one of these individuals, the one who had overseen the development of the Republic Reserve Administration and provided financial support for the Resettlement Acts that allowed beings to colonize distant worlds. He added that Hego Damask was the one who transformed the Trade Federation, but Damask interrupted, deeming it inappropriate to mention such a controversial organization at that time. Plagueis advised him to take a different approach, which he did. As the night progressed, Sidious continued to revise and improvise, mentioning Damask's childhood on Mygeeto and the elder Damask's contributions to the InterGalactic Banking Clan during his tenure as co-chair. As he spoke, the droid brought a third, and then a fourth, bottle of wine. Plagueis, now pleasantly drunk, only wanted to sleep and dream of his grand entrance into the Senate Rotunda, envisioning the surprised and astonished faces of the gathered senators. Plagueis tried to end the drinking, but Sidious, using Plagueis' own words against him, refused. Their glasses were refilled, and Plagueis' eyelids began to flicker and close… Plagueis fell asleep, and Sidious prepared to leave—but the dark side intervened, assuring Sidious of his assured victory and the absence of the Sun Guards… Plagueis was unsuspecting and asleep. Sidious turned back and betrayed his master, unleashing a web of Force lightning into Plagueis' breathing device. Plagueis awoke, alarmed and struggling to breathe. The Force began to gather within Plagueis like a storm. Plagueis, who had survived assassinations and killed countless opponents, didn't fight back, but simply gazed at his apprentice, realizing he was being challenged! Confident in his supposed immortality, Plagueis remained still, denying his slow suffocation. Sidious paused and stood equally still. The question lingered for a moment, then Sidious unleashed

A fresh surge of Force lightning crackled, with Palpatine channeling the dark side more intensely than ever before. He then reiterated the "second part of the speech," branding Plagueis a fool. Subsequently, he recounted all of Plagueis' actions since his arrival on Naboo: the draining of the planet's plasma, the installation of the Trade Federation as overseers, and the targeting of a seemingly bewildered young man whom he meticulously manipulated into committing patricide, matricide, and fratricide. Plagueis, who had taken him as an apprentice, shared some knowledge but kept his most potent secrets concealed, thus denying his apprentice's desires, much like Tenebrous before him. Plagueis, who orchestrated the hiring of an incompetent assassin to eliminate Senator Vidar Kim, yet allowed himself to be deceived by a Gran and nearly killed. Plagueis, who deviated from the Grand Plan to fixate solely on his own quest for immortality.

Plagueis attempted to rise but collapsed back onto the couch. The lightning intensified, and before long, Plagueis was losing his midi-chlorians. Palpatine informed him that his midi-chlorians were powerless without breath, that his research could have saved him, and that he could save him, but declared he would do no such thing. As Plagueis slumped onto the couch, lifeless, the Force receding from him, Palpatine detected a significant disturbance in the Force. He pondered whether Plagueis had achieved immortality or if the disturbance signified Plagueis' demise. However, realizing it was neither, Palpatine understood that Maul had perished, though this was untrue. Palpatine felt a tremor grip the planet, and he sensed himself at its center, with a chorus of voices celebrating his act and the dawn of a new order. He swiftly dismissed the voices, focusing inward.

Palpatine gasped for air, surveying the room: paintings, tapestries, carpets, and shattered furniture, along with Plagueis' dead body. The fallen Dark Lord lay motionless on the couch, yet Sidious momentarily entertained the notion that his master had attained immortality, a thought he soon rejected. He also reflected on Damask's ego, questioning if Plagueis had become so consumed by his ambition that he neglected his own security. Sidious rolled Plagueis' body over to expose the Muun's back, revealing a pose reminiscent of their first encounter. His doubts dissipated as he witnessed the Muun's features relax in death.

Palpatine concluded that the will of the dark side had been fulfilled and turned towards the window of Plagueis' suite. Palpatine mused that together, they had reshaped the galaxy for trillions of beings, and with the rise of Darth Sidious, the transformation was already underway. Sidious gazed at the planets and stars, aligned in patterns predating their existence, yet altered by their actions. Palpatine felt something surge within him, confident in his mastery of the dark side, he resolved that the entity within him—a monster—would soon be unleashed. He then contemplated the death of Plagueis' master, a topic Plagueis had always avoided, and wondered if Tenebrous had suffered a similar fate. He glanced one last time at the window before departing.

A novel centered on Darth Plagueis, exploring his backstory, was initially planned for release in October 2008 by Del Rey, with James Luceno as the author. Luceno expressed in an interview with Star Wars Insider magazine his desire to pen a future novel delving into the separate quests for immortality undertaken by both Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Plagueis. However, during a talk show appearance on February 5, 2007, he revealed that the novel was temporarily shelved due to concerns regarding the revelation of Palpatine's backstory and Expanded Universe continuity.

On March 27, 2007, Sue Rostoni announced in her blog, within an updated publishing schedule, that the novel had been canceled. Announcements for the novel identified Plagueis as a Muun. Leland Chee has affirmed that, since Plagueis' species was not first established in the novel, it remains his canonical species according to Lucas Licensing. The novel was substituted with Darth Bane: Rule of Two; however, Luceno voiced his continued hope of persuading LucasFilm to allow him to write the novel, suggesting that strong sales of Millennium Falcon could influence that decision.

On July 27, 2010, Sue Rostoni announced the book was back in development, with a release date set for February 28, 2012. This announcement followed a sales database leak, which was published by the fan site New Jedi Order Encyclopedia. Mistaking it as a replacement for the canceled Imperial Commando 2, fans sought clarification. Rostoni confirmed the book's 2012 publication but clarified that it was not intended as a replacement for Imperial Commando 2. The release date was subsequently shifted to December 27, 2011, and then again to January 10, 2012. On August 22, 2011, the Star Wars Books Facebook page announced that Matthew Stover would contribute a short story, titled The Tenebrous Way, to complement the book. It was featured in Star Wars Insider 130 on December 13, 2011.

Darth Plagueis was initially conceived as a first-person narrative. Sidious would have discovered Plagueis' holocron shortly after murdering his master, which would have recounted Plagueis' recorded life story. Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles served as a source of inspiration for the storyline.

On page 407 of the paperback edition of Darth Plagueis, "Xizor" is incorrectly spelled "Xixor." The novel's back cover was later incorporated into the Canon Emperor Palpatine issue of the Star Wars Encyclopedia by De Agostini.

• ISBN 9780345511287 — January 10 , 2012 ; Del Rey ; US hardcover [1]
• ISBN 9780345532558 — January 10, 2012; Del Rey; US eBook [1]
• ISBN 9780593358801 — April 5 , 2022 ; Del Rey; US paperback, The Essential Legends Collection edition [11]