"A Two-Edged Sword," erroneously printed as "Two-Edged Sword,"[3] is a short story in Star Wars Insider 85 written by Karen Traviss. It is the sequel to "In His Image." Both were included in the paperback version of Legacy of the Force: Betrayal.
It follows Darth Vader and Palpatine training clones for the stormtrooper corps and explores Vader's thoughts of betrayal and paranoia. It is set in about 18 BBY.
Plot summary
Vader is on Yinchorr training clones of Sa Cuis in lightsaber combat, with the Emperor and Imperial lieutenant Erv Lekauf. In addition various Dark Jedi were cloned and trained, particularly the Emperor's Hand Sheyvan. Returning to Coruscant, Sheyvan and the Cuis clones revolt on Palpatine's shuttle.
Darth Vader engages the stormtroopers.
Vader makes his way to the revolt and overhears Sheyvan yelling that Palpatine will betray them all. Vader disregards this and plans with Lekauf, Pepin, and Nele to storm the bulkhead with flamethrowers before Vader enters to finish them off. In the chaos Lekauf is burned by a backlash of fire, and is subsequently given bacta. After entering the bulkhead, Vader fights with Sheyvan and kills him. Lekauf survives and returns to his family on Coruscant; his injuries remind Vader of his former self.
Vader is so impressed by Lekauf's actions that he orders more Lekauf clones be created.
Media
Collected in
Appearances
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
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Events
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Locations
Organizations and titles
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Sentient species
Vehicles and vessels
Weapons and technology
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Miscellanea
Notes and references
- ↑
More Vader in Star Wars Insider #85 on StarWars.com (original site is defunct)
- ↑ The Essential Reader's Companion
- ↑ Welcome some BCaT VIPs on the StarWars.com Message Boards (December 3, 2005): "A Two-Edged Sword. With an A. I haven't even seen the magazine so I don't know what happened there. Things slip out sometimes. Like the intro to In His Image got moved and ended up as an anchor on the illustration page and people didn't realise it was part of the story. (The quote from Palpatine about it being inevitable and natural that Vader will try to overthrow him one day.) If it ever gets reprinted, I hope we can sort that." (original site is defunct)