This story is set approximately five years after Revenge of the Sith. Anakin was injured at Mustafar, but did not lose his limbs in the battle. Padme survived and her and Obi wan went into hiding with her twins. Vader believes his wife and children are dead by his own hands, and struggles with his guilt on a daily basis. Rated M, for future chapters (seriously). This is my first fanfic, so please no hate, constructive criticism is welcome however. Please enjoy and review. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. (AFTER RE-READING SOME OF THE EARLY CHAPTERS, I HAVE COME TO REALISE HOW MUCH MY WRITING HAS EVOLVED SINCE STARTING THIS PROJECT. THANK YOU TO ALL HAVE READ PAST THIS. AS A RESULT I AM NOW IN THE PROCESS OF RE-WRITING AND EDITING THE EARLY PIECES TO BETTER REFLECT THE LATTER HALF.)
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS/CONCEPTS IN THIS STORY, THEY ARE THE PROPERTY OF GEORGE LUCAS, THE LEGEND.
CHAPTER ONE: The Battle for Sullust
The bridge was abuzz with commotion as Imperial officers were calling out from their stations. Laser beams shot past the oppressive Star Destroyer Devastator as TIE fighters were screaming around the planet of Sullust. Darth Vader stood at the viewport watching the battle unfold around him. This was a bold move by the rebellion, one that neither his master nor he had foreseen. He spun on his heel, his long black cape flowing behind him and strode to the command centre. Captain Needa, a tall skinny man in a stark grey military uniform and Lieutenant Piett, a slightly shorter man wearing a similar grey uniform were monitoring a communications panel.
"Captain Needa report," he boomed, hooking his hands into his utility belt. The bridge falling silent at the sound of his voice, only his respirator hissing in and out could be heard amongst the beeps and alarms sounding.
Captain Needa looked apprehensively towards his Supreme Commander, his glossy black mask covering his head giving no clues as to his current mood, who was now only inches away looming over the command centre. "There are reports coming in from the mine sir. It seems that a small rebel force has infiltrated the facility and stolen several data tapes containing the fuel transportation routes to the death star, my lord," he stated pointing to the communication panel.
"Have the troopers at the facility managed to detain the intruders?" the dark lord asked.
"No my lord, their search has so far yielded no information as to their current whereabouts."
The communication panel crackled to life with a transmission from the surface, "Lord Vader do you copy?" the voice asked, crackling in and out amongst the static.
"I copy Commander Rex, what is the situation?" Vader barked, growing irritated.
"My Lord, the mining facility has been compromised, I have reports of our forces being pushed back into the lower levels near the security sector. Commander Cody and his squad had to retreat to the inner storage facility undertaking heavy blaster fire. Sir, whatever they are after, they seem bloody determined," Rex responded.
A loud explosion rocketed through the transmission, audibly crackling the speakers in the comm panel on board the Devastator. "FALL BACK! FALL BACK!" Rex ordered to his squad. Another explosion rumbled through the transmission, followed by a deafening crash of what sounded like metal on metal.
"WHAT IS GOING ON DOWN THERE COMMANDER?" Vader demanded, his hands balling into fists by his sides.
The transmission hissed, as it came back online, "My lord…there are explosives…blasted rebels…There they are! Blast them!" Rex commanded.
"Commander Rex!" the sith boomed, his frustration beginning to take hold.
"My lord, the rebels are still in the facility, they haven't managed to escape yet, however the structure is critically unstable, a few more explosions and it could self-destruct, sir," Rex replied, short of breath.
The dark lord roared in frustration, causing the instrument panels on the bridge to go haywire. Sparks began to shoot across the controls, and alarms screamed throughout the bridge. Pounding his fist into the comm panel he barked at the Captain, "Ready my fighter, I'm going in." He sharply turned and charged from the bridge, leaving a wake of destruction behind him.
Vader leapt into the cock pit of his TIE advanced, the flashing lights on his suit clashing with those on the instrument panels of the small craft. The engines roared into life, and he gripped the yoke, screaming from the hangar at breakneck speed. Other fighters were flashing past him, laser fire streaming through the stark blackness of space surrounding the glowing planet.
They were engaging the handful of X-Wing fighters that had accompanied the Corellian freighter they tracked from Tatooine. Beams of green and red flashed everywhere like a dazzling light show. He veered the fighter hard to the left and into a barrel roll, avoiding the crossfire, as one of the X-Wings exploded in front of him, narrowly avoiding impact.
The polluted red planet of Sullust was growing in size before him, as he pushed the TIE to its' limits. Engines screaming, the fighter broke through the smoggy atmosphere, tall pyres and smoke stacks littering the landscape. The surface was truly inhospitable, thanks to the hundreds of factories pillaging the planet of its' natural resources. A thick yellow-brown haze blanketed the planet, a by-product of the heavy industrialization needed to transform the planet's minerals into the priceless fuel, pivotal to the construction of the death star. He couldn't allow the rebels to escape with the coordinates for the planet levelling weapon. Due to the critical stage in its completion, the battle station was highly vulnerable to any attack.
Landing the TIE Advanced on a platform at the outskirts of the Imperial Refinery, Vader swiftly exited the cockpit, igniting his lightsabre. It hummed to life, the eerie blood red blade glowing in the smoggy atmosphere. He charged down the durasteel gangplank into the upper levels of the facility, drawing the darkness into him. The lights flickered in and out on the upper levels, with red flashing beacons glowing in the ceiling, illuminating the masses of duracrete pillars with a sinister glow. His boots clanged on the mesh floors beneath him with each step, the metal railings vibrating with every footfall. Pulling out his comm unit, Vader signalled Commander Rex, "Rex what is your location?" he boomed.
The comm unit hissed in response, "We are trapped on level two, sir. Cody and his squad are bunkered down on level one, the rebels have blocked their only exit. I am trying to make my way down there now to assist."
A siren started to blast deafening warning alarms that resonated within his helmet, causing the dark lord to shirk back in protest. "I am on my way Commander, hold your ground," he ordered.
"Yes sir."
The force screamed at Vader as he approached the turbo lift, and he lifted his lightsabre just in time to deflect the incoming blaster shots destined for his chest. He parried the bolts back towards their origin, hearing the scream as they reached their intended target. Continuing on his rampage he stepped into the lift, slicing through the unsuspecting droid that was inconveniently blocking his entry, the silver carcass sparking as it collapsed to the floor.
Selecting the second level on the control panel, he impatiently waited for the turbo lift to stop, focussing on the force. It stopped abruptly and the door opened, another round of blaster bolts whizzed past him, scorching the rear panels of the lift. Raising his mechanical hand, Vader force choked the first rebel infiltrator, watching him grip the side of his neck in a futile attempt to relieve the pressure. A loud snapping sound came from the man, followed by his head falling limply to the side, moments before the dark lord launched him across the room into a steel ladder. The body crashed to the floor motionless.
He didn't have time to relish in his handiwork as another round of blaster fire assaulted him. Parrying the bolts away, he strode down the platform following Rex's tracking signal on his comm unit. The floor vibrated beneath his heavy black boots, as another explosion ripped through the facility, sending a suspended footbridge plummeting down the centre of the floor, the building shaking from the blast. Vader lost his footing, and grabbed onto a railing for support, chancing a glance down the cavernous chasm it separated him from. Anger rose within his breast, bringing with it a deeper connection to the dark side of the force. He welcomed it, drinking in the cold hatred that it festered.
"In here Lord Vader!" Rex yelled out.
The sith stared at his Commander, huddled behind a partially opened blast door, which had clearly taken a beating, judging by the number of scorch marks littering its dull grey surface. "Commander, what is the situation?" the dark lord boomed.
"We are down to forty percent, my lord," Rex replied.
"How did this happen, Commander?"
The floor shook once again, causing the panels in the control room to vibrate. "The rebels took the ground level by surprise. None of the officers saw them coming. Zero survivors, sir," he stated flatly.
Rex's comm unit buzzed, he held it up watching as Commander Cody's image appeared.
"Rex, how's that back up coming along?" Cody asked, sounding flustered.
Vader stared at him, "Hold tight Commander, we will be there momentarily," he barked.
"Yes sir."
The sith turned to Rex, motioning for him to follow, before charging from the room. The dark lord marched down the corridor, flanked by his Commander and remaining troopers, heading back to the turbo lift. The party filed in behind him as the door closed. Once the lift stopped, the chaos could be heard echoing from outside the blast doors. Blaster bolts flying through the air, and loud bangs followed by copious amounts of yelling filled the sector. Vader turned to his Commander, "get to Cody, and return to the shuttle, I will deal with this myself," he growled.
"Yes my lord," Rex replied with a salute.
Vader charged from the turbo lift into the darkness, deflecting the steady stream of blaster bolts heading for him. Rex led his troopers down the adjacent corridor towards Cody's tracking signal, blasting their way through the onslaught.
Reaching the hangar, the sith watched in disgust as the rebel ship ascended into the atmosphere, retrieving his comm unit, he contacted the Devastator. "Captain, do not allow that ship to escape!" he boomed, turning to storm back into the facility.
"Right away sir," Captain Needa acknowledged.
Commander Rex and his team made short work of the remaining rebels that were keeping his comrades trapped, ploughing through them, stepping over the bodies that littered the floor. "Cody, all clear," he yelled, as the facility shook once again. Relief filling him as Cody exited the storeroom.
"Rex, am I glad to see you," he said, turning to usher his remaining troopers out of hiding.
"Couldn't let you have all the fun now could we?" Rex replied, staring at the severely diminished number of troopers scrambling from the room.
"We were ambushed Rex, thirty of us went in only seven came out. They are getting smarter," he said quietly.
"Did any of the officers on this level survive?"
"Zero survivors, and yours?"
"Same with level two," Rex replied, glancing around the sector, "do you hear that Cody?"
"Hear what, Rex?"
"GET DOWN SHE'S GONNA BLOW!" Rex yelled pushing Cody to the floor, their troopers diving for cover.
The blast sent debris flying everywhere, the light temporarily blinding the entire squad. Loud cracks and groans of durasteel succumbing to the heat filled the air, as the floor began to shake violently. Cody reached over to his comrade, tapping him on the helmet, "we have to get out of here," he yelled, as Rex's head tipped in acknowledgement. Scrambling up from the floor, the troopers hurried from the storeroom, fearing the facility's imminent collapse. Running down the corridor, they ducked past the falling beams, watching as the refinery began to cave in.
"Do you think our Commander made it out?" Rex asked, mid step.
Cody pulled out his comm unit once they reached the level one landing platform, breathing a sigh of relief when he spotted their undamaged shuttle. "Lord Vader, come in sir," he called out.
There was no response.
The squad watched on in disbelief as the facility started to crumble, the large smoke stack crashing down into the molten rock below. "Lord Vader, do you copy?" he tried again.
"GET OUT OF THERE NOW COMMANDER!" Vader bellowed, running for his TIE fighter, as the walls behind him began to crumble.
"Right away sir," Cody replied, relieved to hear his commander respond.
The party ran onto the shuttle, closing the ramp. The moment they were inside Rex pulled the ship from the platform into the atmosphere, finally allowing himself to breathe. Cody stared out the viewport, watching desperately for the TIE Advanced to scream past them.
Vader jumped into his ship and lurched the craft from the landing platform, blasting into the skies, rapidly gaining on the lambda class shuttle in front of him. He shot past and hurtled towards the Devastator, his anger simmering away beneath the mask. Nearing his flagship, the dark lord observed it firing on the small freighter desperately attempting to outrun them. Several TIEs were in pursuit trying to chaperone it into the Devastator's tractor beam. Just as he was about to join the pursuit, the freighter's engines lit up and disappeared into hyperspace. He had failed again.