Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars of Worm. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This story is not created with commercial purpose. I make no money from it.

AN: This part was betaed by cyrileom on the space battles forums. Thank you for the time and effort you put in betaing this story!

The Sith of Brockton Bay

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Prologue

Place Unknown

Time Irrelevant

"This wasn't meant to happen."

A voice cut through the crimson haze which had fallen upon my mind some time ago. It only made my fury grow even further.

"She wasn't supposed to die."

Taking myself under a semblance of control... It was one of the hardest things I'd ever done. The only reason I was able to, was because some part of my fragmenting mind recognized the voice. She was my Patron. The being who had hurled me in this dimension, gave me a second chance.

Or so I had thought, before getting back my memories a short time ago.

"You..." I hissed, my mind grabbing at the echo of power I could feel within myself.

"I... I'm sorry. It's all wrong!" she pleaded.

A trickle of power flowed through me, making my mind a bit clearer and blowing most of the haze away. All I wanted at that moment was to lash out against the woman, using every bit of energy I could grasp. Yet I stayed my hand despite the molten river of rage that fowed through my veins.

I glared at her. All the power I had at my disposal right now... It wouldn't even tickle her. Here and now, in my broken, useless, mere human body... I couldn't touch her.

That did nothing to temper my hatred.

"So that's how it is. I'm a mere plaything for your sick amusement!" I spat.

"Don't be ridiculous, my lost Knight. You are one of my agents." her voice softened. "You did all I asked you to. This... It was supposed to be your reward. A fresh start." she paused.

"A new life?!" I sneered. "A reward?!" I spat the word as if it was made of vinegar. "To bury my wife again! To helplessly watch my daughter suffer and be broken! The Force only knows what would happen to her now! All the while I had no memory of my past lives!" I roared, not caring in the least that the being in front of me made gods tremble in fear.

"I'm sorry, all right! I fucked up! It's all wrong! You should have triggered and remembered!" She looked at me with pity in her eyes. "I'll make it better..." she whispered. "Make it right..."

I snorted in derision.

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January 13, 2011

Saint Mary's Hospital

Brocton Bay

Keeping a lid on my temper, while I watched my daughter sleep in her hospital bed was a tall order. The fact that once again I was remembering multiple lives didn't help all that much, neither the fresh, raw wound of knowing that I had buried my wife two years ago.

My eyes darted to the white ceiling and I glared at it and the sky beyond. I knew it now.

It was all a god damned set up. The whole life I lived on this wretched world. Its sole purpose was to give me an emotional attachment. Not to this so called Earth Bet, but to my now deceased wife. And to my daughter, who was slumbering next to me, hopped up on sleeping pills and antibiotics.

I seethed. I knew precious little about this world, besides whatever I remembered as Danny. The mere basics, what a native inhabitant would know, though they contained a few very useful and deadly pieces of information.

Yet, that didn't matter. It was something to consider at a later time. What was important... My daughter's fate here was to suffer. Her whole life was supposed to be suffering and conflict. And as Daniel Hebert... I did nothing to help her for the past two years since Annette died. I left her to suffer alone... and if my guess was right, the person I was without my other memories would have continued to do so, letting her down.

Which said a lot of things about me, none of which were flattering.

To make things worse, there was a part of me that believed that all this was even a bigger set up that one might thing. That I had never lived Danny's life and was instead dumped in his body and given his memories. Which might very well be true.

Yet... My eyes fell on Taylor's sleeping figure. She was snorting cutely, her face half hidden by the curls of her hair. I remember holding her as a newborn baby. How proud I was. The way I fell in love with this little girl the moment I saw her. How afraid I was that I wouldn't be a good enough father... And I wasn't...

My heart clenched… What she had experienced... The little bit I knew of her future was nearly enough to throw me into a homicidal rage.

As if somehow sensing the state of my mind, Taylor started moving restlessly in her sleep. Exhaling loudly I clamped down on my anger, not letting it direct my thoughts. Using a facet of my power, I sent calming waves to my daughter and smiled when she relaxed in her sleep.

Gently placing a hand upon her right hand which was resting over her blanket I sighed in relief. I needed to keep a lid on my feelings around her right now. She needed all the rest she could get.

It wasn't a hard decision. What to do, now that I had my memories back. When I wasn't powerless any longer. I would protect my little girl even if I had to burn this Force forsaken world to the ground myself.

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Phase 01: Setting up the pieces

Part 1

January 13, 2011

Saint Mary's Hospital

Brockton Bay

It took all my willpower not to choke Alan Barnes, someone who as Danny I considered a friend. Not to mention the principal of Taylor's school. We were outside of my daughter's hospital room and those two bastards were faking concern for her well being. All the while trying to "subtly" hint that me suing their assess off would be a terrible idea.

"I understand how you feel, Danny..." Barnes continued to drone on, oblivious to the fact that I was close to snapping his neck. "However, think about it. The medical bills… Involving Taylor in the madhouse such a lawsuit will entail, won't help her recovery and you might not be there for your daughter while dealing with the courts. If you sue Winslow, win or lose I'm not sure you'll have the finances to help her while everything is settled. I'm a divorce lawyer, Danny. While I'm ready to take you case pro bono, I feel representing you against the school will be doing you and your daughter a dis-service. I can get you in contact with the best lawyers in the city but they are very expensive. And, frankly, you'll need it. There appears to be precious little evidence that the police found at the scene."

That utter bastard. The fact that his precious daughter was one of the walking corpses who put my little girl in the hospital had nothing to do with it. Nah. Al had my best interests at heart. Riiight. If you believed that I had a nice seaside resort to sell you. Great climate and beach! Straight in the middle of Tattoine's dune sea. The neighbors were very nigce fellas as well…

Still, he was right about one thing. Right now my resources were rather limited. Oh, they were enough to pay the medical bills for Taylor and whatever else she will need to recover, but a prolonged legal battle was out of the question. Even a short one wasn't something I should be able to pay for.

Well not as Danny Hebert, the Union rep. I smiled thinly at the two… beings standing in front of me. As the bloody Dark Lord of the Sith, I had many options.

"Oh, don't concern yourself with my finances, Alan. I'll manage," I turned my gaze towards the principal, giving her my undivided attention. I let most of the ordinary, middle class persona of Danny bleed off my face. "Principal Blackwell. You want to make a deal. To sweep it all under the rug and avoid bad publicity, counting on the fact that I might be unable to afford the medical bills for Taylor and sue you into the ground at the same time."

She flinched and opened her mouth to rebuke me. I raised a hand and glared at her.

"I'm not done. It's curious, isn't it? How the police found little to no evidence, no witnesses to speak of…" I trailed off. "If I was paranoid I would have wondered if there wasn't some kind of cover up… Besides the obvious little fact that you want to cover your ass." My smile grew vicious.

"Danny I know you've been through a lot lately, but please don't throw such accusations around. It won't help either you or Taylor." Alan pleaded.

"Indeed, Mister Herbert. Such insinuations..."

"Spare me the being offended act, Blackwell. If you had done your job we wouldn't be here. My lawyer will be contacting you. Now get out of my sight." I strode past them and entered Taylor's room.

Kriff it all to hell, I nearly lost it with those two. I took a deep breath trying to calm myself. Letting my anger control me, while I was in the same building with my kid was a very bad idea.

First thing I needed were some resources. Second I needed to decide if I should work through the Protectorate or not. Being an independent cape had its pros and cons, yet in the long term I might be able to do more working within the system instead of clashing headlong with them. Most of the gangs weren't a strategic threat for me. With two exceptions – the ABB, thanks to Lung. Until I faced him I had no idea if I could take him. Once that he was at full power. There was always the option of assassinating him. Then there were the Nazis. They had numbers, both ordinary soldiers and capes, plus the finances. Not to mention a charismatic and powerful leader. A big problem that just crushing by myself will be impractical or even impossible. Yet there was the elephant in the room. Coil. Oh, I needed to deal with the bastard either way. Yet, should I kill him or use him?

Decisions, decisions.

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January 14, 2011

Saint Mary's Hospital

Brockton Bay

It was strange. Taylor felt calm. Safe. There was that nagging thought in the back of her mind that it was somehow wrong, yet she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

Mmm. She was warm, covered with something soft. Her mind was fuzzy, like it was filled with cotton. All she wanted was to stay that way. Safe. Content.

"It's time to awaken, sleeping beauty."

That voice. It was familiar. It took her a moment or two to place it. Ah! Dad. Taylor fought the fog in her head and cracked open an eye. Then she immediately shut it due to the blinding light. She scrunched her face in annoyance, prompting an amused snort from her father. She opened her eyes again and this time the light wasn't blinding. Just too bright for comfort.

"Dad..." Taylor muttered.

Her brain was working so slowly. The room was unfamiliar. White and blurry without her glasses. What was this place? Last thing she remembered… Taylor shuddered. It was cold and dark. Oh god, the smell… The.. the crawling…

"No..." she whispered. "No! I need out! Please!"

Her heart was hammering within her chest, doing its best to break free too. She needed to get away. To break free.

"Shh… princess. It's all right. You are safe now."

A wave of emotions washed over Taylor chasing the panic away. She felt hands embracing her and holding her tightly. Somehow she could feel her dad's emotions. His concern. As he continued to hold her she relaxed in his hands. Taylor could feel that he loved her more than anything else in this world. It wasn't a self delusion of a scared little girl. She actually knew that Danny cared for her. That he loved her.

She sniffed and returned his embrace gripping him as if he was her lifeline. And for a moment she allowed herself to believe that everything might be all right after all…

They stayed that way a long time, content from the contact.

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January 14, 2011

Docks

Brockton Bay

I stalked through the night using the Force to cloak myself in shadows. I knew this district like the back of my hand. It came with the territory, being a Union rep and all. Which meant that I was roughly aware what parts of the Docs were claimed by the different gangs.

A few hours ago I left the hospital after Taylor finally dozed off. The fact that I had to use the Force to calm her down and keep her from panicking when she started to remember what happened to her was infuriating. For the time being my control was rather frayed and the fact that I wholeheartedly agreed with the whispers of the Dark side in the back of my head didn't help me much. I needed to vent my bubbling rage onto something…

So I was here. Searching for a suitable target. One that would not only give me satisfaction but also some needed resources. I smiled coldly when I turned around a corner and saw a warehouse which I knew to be abandoned. However, there were dull lights coming from a few of its broken windows. At its main entrance I could make out two figures leaning on the wall near the rusty gate. They looked frayed in their black leather clothes. I could clearly see dots of light in front of their faces.

How foolish. The sorry excuses for sentries, because it was obvious what their purpose for being there tonight was, were smoking. Probably weed or something more exotic. Which had the nice side effect of ruining their night vision. And that was quite important, because the street was mostly dark. All but a few of the lamps were shattered and no one had bothered to replace them.

Splendid. I stalked from shadow to shadow, extending my senses. You've got to love the Force. It took me moments to figure out that there were ten people in the warehouse, counting the so called sentries. All Merchants to boot.

Did I mention that I really didn't like drug dealers?

Dealing with that many gang-bangers in the body of Danny Hebert, even now that I had my memories and skills back would have been a tall task. Especially considering that I had no equipment to speak of. However, I had the Force. Which made all the difference in the world.

I used the Force to put one of the guards in stasis while I grabbed the other one in a telekinetic grip. He tried to scream but found his throat clenched by invisible fingers. I clenched my right hand in a fist and smiled hearing the unmistakable sound of breaking bones. Moment later I laid the corpse on the ground and turned to my next victim. Striding next to him I looked the Merchant in the eyes and pressed into his mind.

As expected, he had no defenses to speak off. Whatever natural resistance he might once had had been eroded by years of taking all drugs known to man and then some. I browsed through his memories, paying no heed to being careful. It wasn't like I was going to let him live.

Before his mind shattered I found some interesting information. I had hit the jackpot. Indeed, there was a stash of money and drugs in the warehouse. No Merchant capes in the district as far as the man knew, which was good. Further, right now the gang had only two parahumans. I vague remembered that they should/will have another one, a woman tinker, but they obviously hadn't recruited her yet. I make a note about that. Considering what was commonly known about the Merchants MO, which was confirmed by this piece of trash, she very well might be forced to join them under duress. Or not. Time will tell. At any rate I wasn't here to save everyone.

I let the brain dead man slide to the ground and went inside. Just another shadow in the night.

A few minutes later it was all over, leaving me disappointed. The Merchants were all dead. What I found was enough to make me sick and that's saying something, considering that I was a Sith Lord who had burned whole worlds without losing any sleep over it.

That left me to decide what to do with the spoils of war. The money was a lot. Let me tell you, about a million bucks, mostly in small bills, takes up a lot of volume. Not to mention the crates filled with various drugs.

I filled the backpack I had taken from home before heading this way with stacks of fifties and hundreds before searching the place for some flammable materials. A couple of minutes later, I levitated barrels with chemicals which I found in a nearby storage room. A bit of improvisation and the warehouse was ready to go up in flames half an hour from now.

I smiled at a work well done and melted in the night.

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Part 2

January 15

Saint Mary's Hospital

Brockton Bay

Making Taylor's room reasonably secure against unwanted evasdroppers was surprisingly easy. First step was using a low level electromagnetic field, just in case, produced by fine tuning a trickle of Force lighting. Next, dampening the sound around us and using shadows to prevent someone reading our lips just in case that there was a hidden camera, though I checked for both surveillance and bugs, finding nothing.

What can I say? I'm paranoid.

On the bright side, Taylor had an adorable expression on her face when she saw me manipulate the shadows around us. I grinned cheekily at her.

"What? How?! When?!" she spluttered, frowning cutely. "Dad! You are a Cape!" she squealed. Taylor pointed an accusing finger at my chest. "You mister are in big trouble! Give! I want to know everything!" She sat up in her bead and leaned towards me.

"Well, sweetie, that's a very long story..." Obviously, that was the wrong thing to say, because Taylor decided to strike preemptively, making puppy dog eyes at me. I don't know how she managed to pull it off, but she looked like a little angel.

Nope! I will not be revealing any deep dark secrets tonight!

"Daddy! Pleeease!" she drawled.

I blame Annette for this. When she made this exact expression, combined with that tone of voice… I couldn't deny her anything. And Taylor was like a younger copy of her mother. So much for Sith courage.

I slumped back in my chair and theatrically face-palmed. "Vanquished by a teenager!" I moaned.

My daughter giggled at my antics.

"I got my powers few days ago." I started in a serious tone. "As to how..." I shrugged. I wasn't about to tell her about my Patron and all I've been doing in other dimensions. My kid had more than enough on her plate without knowing that her dad was possibly the greatest mass murderer on the face of this planet with the possible exception of the Endbringers… "That's not something I'm ready to talk about."

"Ah..." Taylor pouted but let the topic rest. She had a faraway look for few moments, then her eyes brightened. "Oh my god! My dad is going to be a Hero!"

I could clearly hear the capital "H". I couldn't stop a sad expression from creeping up my face. Hero. Outside my side's propaganda in the various conflict's I've been part of, there were precious few instances in which I could be called such. Indeed, barring a miracle, in order to keep Taylor reasonably safe, more often than not I would have to be a monster in this world too. It couldn't be helped. Earth Bet was a fucked up place, where high ideals and morals would see you dead. That wasn't something I could afford.

I looked at my little girl. I had too much to lose to do anything less but my best.

Instead I changed the topic. "Is that what you want, kiddo? To be a Hero?"

For a moment Taylor beamed at me. "Sure!" she exclaimed, before her expression dropped. She stared at her bedsheets. "I'm just ordinary old Taylor. Nothing special..." she muttered, biting her bottom lip.

As Danny I've been a kriffin clueless moron. I should have noticed. Her low self esteem and everything else… I got up from my chair and embraced her gently.

"Shhh...Taylor, as your father I have the luxury of telling you when you are wrong. You aren't ordinary, love." I released her from my hug and gently picked up her chin so she could look me in the eyes. "You are Taylor Hebert. And you are awesome!"

She sniffed and gave me a small smile. "Thanks, daddy."

Going back to my chair, I schooled my face in a pleasant smile. Taylor's sudden mood changes were concerning, but considering that she was not only filled with various drugs but only days from her trigger event, she was acting relatively "normal". Nevertheless, I knew that it will be a long time before she could be considered to be anywhere near being fine. She would need help and not only from me, but from a professional who deals with Capes and trigger events. Doing anything less would be irresponsible. Which meant either the Protectorate or New Wave. Though the former might be able better to help Taylor. Besides keeping her away from Glory Girl and her aura would be good. Coil notwithstanding, with him actually being a member of the Protectorate in this city.

"Taylor, thanks to one of my powers, I have a pretty good reason to believe that you are now a Cape too."

"What? Me?!" she shrieked.

Yeah, the sound dampening around us was a very good idea. There wasn't a reason to give someone a heart attack.

"Yep. My little girl is a heroine! I'm so proud!" I exclaimed, shedding a tear. To be fair there was a pretty big part of me that wished for Taylor to be an ordinary teenager on a safe world.

Fuck Brockton Bay.

"Dad! Please, tell me you aren't joking!"

My expression grew serious.

"No. You are a parahuman too," I said with a resignation.

"I can be a Hero!?" she half stated, half asked, before noticing my expression.

Her cheer was dashed, making me feel awful for it.

"You aren't happy for me."

"Taylor… All I've ever wanted was for you to be happy. To become everything you could be. And to be safe." I took a deep breath.

"For years, you've been torn with grief, not to mention the horror story that was your school life, yet I was a self absorbed fool who didn't notice. Now… you are a Cape… and I'm not sure I can keep you safe."

She looked softly at me. "Dad. It\s fine."

"I know its selfish of me, but I simply can't stand the thought of you getting hurt again, Taylor. I've failed you so much already, yet I can't keep you in a gilded cage in order to protect you from the world. It will be an even greater betrayal from my side. No matter how much I want to." I muttered.

"I see..." Taylor whispered. Her lips curled in a gentle smile. "Thank you for caring. "Thank you for not treating me like a frail little thing that can't care for herself." she muttered with a faraway look in her eyes.

I could see that it was her hellish experience at school that spoke right now, rekindling my fury. I vowed that I would make the life of those three bitches a living hell. Theirs and whoever within the Protectorate that was responsible for letting Hess do whatever she wanted.

As for Principal Blackwell, I was going to bury her and her accursed school.

"Taylor, we have some decisions to make."

"Hmm?" she shook her head and looked at me.

"Basically, there are three ways we can go. Being independent, trying to join New Wave or the Protectorate. Each has its pros and cons."

"New Wave?" Taylor asked in such a way I almost saw stars in her eyes.

Teenagers…

"There is the obvious problem with them. Joining would mean revealing our identities to the world. Reporters, paparazzi and everyone else knowing who we are."

So much for being star crossed. "Nu-huh." Taylor shook her head. "Nope. No. No way."

I chuckled at her antics, glad that after everything she's been through, my daughter still could act her age.

"Let's see. Next, being by ourselves. No rules or paperwork..." the last was a great point in my personal opinion. "No one will know our names. However we will be alone, without support and frankly, being a Cape, could be quite expensive."

Taylor was silent for few minutes, thinking it over. "Dad, you've put a lot of thought in all this. But I feel that you are giving me only the highlights."

"Smart girl. Last but not the least, the Protectorate. At least in theory they might be our best option, though I do have few concerns." More than a few.

"Uhuh. What do you think would be best, dad?"

"That once you are better we go to have a chat with the PRT and see what proposition they make us, before making any decision."

"Then why tell me about the other choices right now?"

"Being a Cape is a serious job. You deserve to know our realistic options. Besides no matter how much I wish, I can't continue treating you like a little girl forever, sweetie."

=SBB=

January 15

Vance's Restaurant

Downtown

Brockton Bay

Arranging a meeting for a consultation with Carol Dallon, once I gave her a few hints about our situation, proved to be surprisingly easy. What took me off guard was where we were supposed to meet. In my opinion, a restaurant wasn't an especially low profile place. On the other hand, a lawyer meeting a client in such an establishment was something reasonably normal.

To my pleasant surprise, once I entered I was led to a secluded table in the back of the main hall of the restaurant, where Mrs. Dallon was already waiting for me, so she was either somewhere nearby or just had someone from her family bring here here. We exchanged brief pleasantries and a bit of small talk until the waiter was always with our orders.

"Mister Hebert, what you told me over the phone was in many ways concerning."

"Indeed. Just to be clear, from this moment on, we are under lawyer – client confidentiality, right?" I asked after handing her a check for the agreed upon consulting fee.

"Naturally."

So I told her. What I knew for sure about what happened to my daughter. That I strongly suspected that a Ward was involved, insinuating that I've gleamed it thanks to a minor thinker power that I now had.

"Ah. Mister Hebert, you didn't mention that you might be a Cape." my lawyer whispered.

"It slipped my mind." I said and nodded towards the napkin in front of her, carefully picking it up with my telekinesis.

"And you believe that your daughter, Taylor has triggered in the locker."

"Almost a hundred percent sure."

"When all is said and done, your are correct. The Protectorate does have both the specialists and experience to help her cope. Being a part of the Wards will allow her to mingle with her peers, which will help her heal. On the other hand..." she shook her head. "If one of the girls responsible for her ordeal is in there..."

She didn't need to finish up that sentence.

"Of course, I will check the facts first, but if what you said is true, Mister Hebert, I will gladly represent you in both dealing with Winston and the Protectorate if it comes to that."

"Thank you. May I ask a theoretical question? I've always wondered what happens when one of the so called Independent Capes bust a bunch of criminals and for once decides do help herself from some of their spoils. Money for example."

Considering that she wasn't an idiot, Carol knew exactly what and why I was asking. She gave me a disapproving frown. "While technically illegal, as long as we are talking about money, from the gangs for example, the Protectorate tends to turn a blind eye."

"What about the IRS?"