Title: Because the galaxy is cruel. AU

Author: DarkTemplar (LadyVos)

Characters: Vader, Ventress, The Emperor and Obi-Wan in memoriam.

Rating: M mainly for violence.

Feedback: Would be lovely.

Summary: This follows on from my other fic: The wreck of a dissolved dream. Two years have passed since the events in that fic and Vader and Ventress are now very much a team working together for the glory of the Empire.

Disclaimer: I do now own the characters or Star Wars, George Lucas does. This is just for recreational purposes, and I derive no income from it. Captain Strom is mine though.

"Do you need assistance, Lord Vader?"

"Yes Captain Strom, I do." Vader knew exactly whom he had in mind. There was but one who'd serve best at his side for this task.

"Lord Vader?" The Captain chimed in again, reminding Vader that the officer required him to reply.

"Ah, Captain, I will take care of this personally. Lead your men away from here. There is much going on in Sector 7. This rabble is disorganised in their attack, but their numbers are great. Reassemble your troops and make your way there."

"Very good, my Lord. We will deal with them."

"Captain Strom, I will expect a full report afterwards. Good luck and good hunting to you and your men."

"Thank you, Sir!"

"Now Go!"

"Yes my Lord."

Vader considered his man Strom for a moment. He was definitely the outstanding imperial officer of his time, as Vader judged from his dealings with him. He was a most capable officer that would soon make Admiral if Vader had anything to say about it. It felt good to know that some tasks could be given over to people that were smart and well trained; Strom had both his respect and confidence.

Vader terminated the link and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his mind now becoming fully engaged with the upcoming assault on the bunker. He afforded himself a small chuckle as he thought of the poor unfortunate rebel bastards that he would soon be sending to their impending doom. With that sentiment warming its way through him, Vader leapt off the edge of his docked speeder and looked around him cautiously and calculatedly. It seemed quiet, but his Force assisted senses picked up on rebel conversation coming from a building about a mile or so away. He sensed a large enough number of them; a mixture of intelligence operatives and armed soldiers, judging by the parts of the discussion he could pick up. He sensed the fear, yet despite that, their fierce resolution was just as strong. He smiled inwardly and thought, 'perfect'.

He bent his head down slightly, as if about to pray, closed his eyes and focused on the one who would serve him best.

'Asajj, hear me.'

The wind ruffled his hair and with his eyes still closed, he felt the breeze across his face, as he waited for her to respond to him. A short time elapsed before he felt the familiar tingle in his mind that ushered in her reply.

'Lord Vader, what do you require?'

'I need your help.' He could almost envisage those lips of hers curling into a satisfied smirk at that, knowing how much she enjoyed a pithy appeal.

'Where are you?' He mentally sent her the appropriate co-ordinates of his location.

'And waste no time getting here,' he added.

'I'll be there before you can even think about cursing my name for my tardiness,' she piped back.

'You are insolent as always.' But he grinned as he said it, and it must have carried over into her mind because he heard her subtle laughter before their connection petered out.

He began to pace in front of his speeder as he waited for her to join him. He was always excited before a clash; the mounting anticipation for battle was like the surge of an incoming tide that he could not resist. Today, even more so, he looked forward to eradicating these rebels who dared to come to this sacred place; Korriban, resting place of the Sith Lords. And the Master would be pleased also, to have him put a stop to the desecration. Vader afforded himself a moment to contemplate how it would play out afterwards with Sidious. He would make his usual report, kneeling before Lord Sidious respectfully, recounting the victory and Vader would then look up into the Dark Master's face for his reaction, like a proud child to his adoring parent. The Sith Master would bestow that smile upon him; that smile that could be described more accurately as a gloriously sinister pulling back of the lips; in an upturned manner and punctuated by a slight hiss of pleasure.

To serve and to be appreciated was Vader's greatest desire; to be told by his Master that he was strong, heroic and Sidious' most loyal servant was music to his ears. Such worthy deeds were always rewarded handsomely. Sidious had already given him a palace of his own and even more autonomy to handle the defense of the Empire against the rebels in his own way. Yes, Lord Sidious would praise him for this latest conquest, Vader already had that accounted for. Such was his supreme confidence in his own abilities, and those of his soon to join him in association, that victory in his mind had already been assured. Vader needed no incentive other than that supreme self confidence backed by his Master's satisfaction in his work to spur him on.

In addition to his Master's favour, Vader enjoyed a healthy fearful respect from his legions; respect that he thrived on, one could almost say, that he glutted on. He thrilled especially to the fear factor, especially where the enemy was concerned, for he was known now throughout the galaxy as the Emperor's right hand. He fed off an adversary's fear, like nothing he'd experienced before as a Jedi. With the Dark Side as his ally, humility was not important, and looking back now, he couldn't understand why it ever was. As a Sith, the Dark Side gave him license to let loose these darker passions, tendencies he'd once harbored shamefully, but now with no consequence, it seemed, and it felt like such a freedom and how comforting that was to him. There was a time when he wanted only to be liked and accepted; a naïve ambition that made him wince to even recollect, considering the man that he had become.

He came back to his surroundings and the present situation, rubbing his hands together and looking up to the sky in anticipation. She was near, judging by the ripple in the Force. The dark edges of his mind normally curling and drifting, dispersed suddenly, as if smoke had been stirred by the waving of a hand. The tension built up within him in a most pleasant way as he allowed the Dark Side of the Force to flood him. He was energized, as he would now have her at his back too. Asajj and himself, engaged in face to face combat with the rebel scum, his favourite kind of fight. To see the whites of the eyes of these rebels before him as he cut them down was his anticipatory thrill. To see the fear in the faces of those before him as they faced the wrath of his lightsabre gave him a powerful charge. The Dark Side of the Force poured into him and he felt himself pulse with its energy. He felt her pulse with it too, as her ship drew closer. The Dark Jedi and the Apprentice Sith; together they were unstoppable.

It was a good day for fighting.

His eyes locked onto her approach and tracked her speeder as it arced across the violet sky before it came to land just a short distance away from where he stood. He momentarily dropped his gaze and put an arm over his eyes to shield them from the billowing dust that was thrown up by the craft's descent. The engines soon cut out and the cockpit dome opened. He put down his arm and raised his eyes again, watching as her dark form emerged from the settling dust cloud that had been created by the back thrust of the retro boosters used for landing. She adeptly hopped off the craft, and after a brisk trot was beside him.

"Alright then, I'm here." She placed a hand on her lightsabre clipped to her belt and looked up at him with steely determination; her face all business. He looked down at her with an equal steel of gaze.

"Let's go!" Was all he said, and they raced off together to meet their unfortunate foe.
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They stood back to back and breathing heavily, each with their lightsabre raised in front of them. All around them lay the corpses of the slain; every last man had gone down before them. Whoever was not put to death by the blade had been dispatched by being thrown against a wall, or met with fatal force by flying equipment, made possible by one or both warriors waving a hand to make it so. In any case, bodies were broken fatally while others were force choked till their life had given out. The compound too had not escaped their wrath; it was a testament to Force destruction, with smashed equipment strewn everywhere and beams laying splintered or hanging precariously from the roof. The floor itself was buckled in some places, pitted in others. The power of the Dark Side was evident here as two of its practitioners gradually calmed themselves to a steady state, assimilating the fact that their work was at an end. The rebels were no more then meat now; whatever spirits were harboured in their bodies had taken flight or refuge, to some guessed-at oblivion.

The two warriors lowered their weapons and turned to look at each other, both of them covered in blood spatter, but smiling. To the victors go the spoils, as the old saying went and survival, as well as glory to the Empire, was theirs to bask in.

"It's done then, they are all dead," he said quietly.

"Lord Sidious will be pleased," she bowed her head humbly to him.

He drew close to her and bent his head down to engage her eyes. "He will be pleased with us." She quirked an eyebrow at him, but he continued on.

"You fought well, very well." He looked away from her and surveyed the room, before turning his gaze back to her.

"I felt something extra from you today. You have grown stronger, and I haven't even noticed till now. I like it. I want to be able to call upon it again when I need it."

"I did feel something more…I don't know what it was. I can sense something here. As soon as I had landed I felt a power…" She closed her hand into a fist as she stared off absently in silent contemplation.

"I was most impressed, and I think I know the source of it, at least partially at any rate." Her eyes refocused on him as she looked at him quizzically.

He returned her look with a gleam in his eye. There was something he knew that he was not telling her, she thought to herself. She grew more suspicious as he came closer still and bent his mouth to her ear to whisper something to her. Maybe it was a secret, she thought, perhaps some intell that he was afraid a stray rebel still alive might chance to hear.

"I want to show you something." He said in a reverent tone, as though it deserved all the gravity he could muster. He had her intrigued.

"You are indeed mysterious my Dark Lord. What is it?"

"Come." Was all he said in reply as he extended his hand to her, the look on his face giving her no hint as to what this puzzle might exactly be.

"As you wish." She said in turn, and with a flurry of her hand she bade him lead her on, though he stood his ground, his hand still stretched out towards her. She relented with a sigh and took his proffered hand in hers, allowing him to pull her through the now destroyed exit of the building.

"Lead me to see this 'something' you speak of." He looked down at her as they linked arms and he smiled in a knowing fashion.

"You'll see."

They walked arm in arm until they reached Vader's speeder where she let go of his arm to clip her lightsabre to her belt, as he did the same. Once on board, strapped in and waiting for take off, Asajj could not help but feel the strange energy emanating from Vader. She watched him ready the craft for flight; he was in fine spirits, she surmised, probably still buzzing from the high of the battle.
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Asajj walked silently behind Vader, taking in with wonder the sights around her. Cobbled stones under her feet felt smooth from ancient wear and tear and statues were scattered everywhere she cared to roam. Meandering pathways leading to geometric structures, some covered in overgrown creeper plants that dripped from railings above them, filled her vision. She felt awe about this place. This was no ordinary gravesite, she thought to herself; this was consecrated ground, steeped in the Dark Side of the Force. It had a chill to it as well that she could not explain due to the weather, for the sun beamed down from above. The air was warm around her, and the sky was as blue and clear as ever, though there was a definite coldness to the site that felt unnatural; a coldness she felt internally.

"What is this place?" she breathed.

"A sacred Sith site, a Sith graveyard. Dark Masters from the long distant past have all been brought to rest here. They are entombed here, all of them." He looked up and around and took in deep breaths as he stood at the steps of a pyramid-like structure that was capped off by a statue of a hooded figure posed in contemplation. The figure stooped as if weighed down by both knowledge and the ravages of old age, with a hand on its chin and its head bent down in a focused fashion.

"I can still feel their presence," he said softly, as he turned towards her.

"And you must feel it too. You must have sensed it, for it was what spurred you to greater things, beyond your normal capabilities today. I could feel the power in you; I could feel you drawing on it." He looked down as if deep in thought.

"I could feel it in me," he whispered breathily.

They walked up the steps which led to an expansive courtyard, and beyond the wall was a great garden into which they passed. It was overgrown with weeds, but in the centre was a splendid fountain that still held water; some of it trickled from a spout in the middle of it. They stopped at the rim of this fountain and each dipped a hand into the cool water to stir their fingers in it. Vader scooped up a handful of it and brought it to his lips to drink and she followed him in this action.

"It tastes sweet," she said.

"The power of the Sith," he whispered as he looked off into the distance taking in the extent of the gravesite, looking as if he sought something from it, such was the questioning look on his face. She found herself studying his countenance, in fact she had been doing it for some time now. She followed his surveying eyes as they raked over the stone paths, the statues, and the walls that went for miles around; vast, ancient and still. A sad pensive look crossed his features that spoke of one who searched futilely. It took her by surprise momentarily, but just as she thought to make sense of it, the look disappeared and he turned to her suddenly, as if lifted from a trance.

"You were a sight to behold today Asajj." He spoke quietly as he lifted a gloved hand to her head and ran his fingers lightly down her cheek before they came to rest on her chin. She met his eyes, smiling slightly.

"You provide me with the example I need…To strive, to want to excel. I embrace the darkness. I want all it can give me."

"Indeed," he whispered back to her wistfully before continuing.

"Keep it that simple, my Dark Lady Ventress. That focus is what keeps us all going…" His voice was carried away by the wind that whipped up suddenly, as if the interruption was necessary to avoid a deeper philosophical discussion arising between them.

"…Black or white, night or day…" More words spilled from his lips that she managed to hear over the roar of the wind, though she did not understand them. And then, just as suddenly, the wind was gone.

"Vader?" She peered into his eyes questioningly.

He gave a slight chuckle as he looked down at her. "Asajj, you're goals are clear. You have no nightly thoughts of doubt, do you? I can see this quite plainly. I admire it very much."

And then her lips went slack at the look she recognised in his eyes. The contented admiration conveyed in them was hard to deny. How quickly his mood could change, she thought. She felt the power he spoke of though, here in this place it was palpable. The Dark Side flowed both within her and within him and it surged between them. She took a step closer towards him as he continued to gaze into her eyes.

"You think too much, you and the Emperor both with your theories on the Dark Force. To me it's something to use, no more, no less, it's just how I live."

He ventured nothing in reply to this, just a simple nod of agreement, tacit approval of the simplicity of the philosophy which she lived by. They stared at one another for a moment or two, and after he drew in a very deep breath he said quietly, "You're right, Asajj. It should be that simple."

With her eyes remaining fixed upon him, she pulled off her glove with her teeth and reaching up to his face, ran her naked fingers along the scar that ran above and below his right eye; the scar that she had given him once, long ago, when they were enemies. He closed his eyes upon her touch and drew in a slow shuddering breath. Oh, but he was beautiful in his response to her caress, this young Sith before her. Some two years ago, one of the strangest days of her existence, was marked by the realization that a Sith could indeed cry. He had opened up and showed her his pain. Much had transpired since then. He was hard now, ruthless, ambitious, dedicated to the Empire, and his Emperor. And yet, the way Vader hung on Sidious' every word, not like a sycophant exactly, but like someone who's very sanity depended on it, made her wonder if he was still haunted by his chosen path. He still had his questioning nature, though he clearly enjoyed his command and duties. He seemed to revel in his own manufactured mental self-torture. She found it all intriguing. He was her mystery to solve.

Now they stood together in a Sith graveyard, the blood of their enemies caked upon their clothes and dried upon their skin. And though his face was dotted with specks of this rebel blood, and her scar was not the only one that marked his visage anymore, he was still utterly handsome. Indeed it was a pleasure to look upon him, with his golden skin, yellow-rimmed deep blue eyes, pillow soft lips that frequently pulled back in a snarl, and statuesque physique. He'd put away his Jedi robes and was clad in his now trademark leather, as was she, and the black of the synth-leather set off his gorgeous hair wonderfully. It was now quite long, almost past his shoulders; a fitting crown, appreciated by one who had none at all. She sighed softly in a casual lament.

He picked up on her thoughts. "You don't need that. You please me just as you are." He whispered such reassurances in her ear, as his words and his proximity, sent shivers down her back. She suddenly realised that all the while as she was contemplating him, his hand had been at the base of her neck, tenderly rubbing the skin, just above her spine, and this had been the source of the tingle, the strange seductive throb that she felt. His touch was electric, but it had nothing to do with the electrostatic fingertips of his mechanical hand. She thrilled at the touch of it anyway; a droid-like appendage, but wielded by a humanoid being. She found it utterly fascinating; a cyborg limb fused to flesh, controlled by an entity that had a real beating heart belonging to the second most powerful being in the galaxy. He was one of a kind to say the least.

They looked away from each other momentarily as he let his hand drop away from her. She turned to the fountain and plunged her hand into the water once more, scooping a handful of the cool clear liquid to pour over his head. He stood before her calmly, letting her do this. Droplets covered his hair and face. Those in his hair caught the sunlight at just the right angles to make them shimmer like crystals over his golden locks, as the droplets on his face, collected downward by gravity, became tinged with red as the water mixed with the blood on his forehead and cheeks. Asajj dipped her hand into the water again and yet again, running her hand over his face, washing away the enemies' blood in a methodical, reverent fashion. When she was finished, he returned the favour. He swept his large, wet hand over her smooth white skin as she closed her eyes and remained utterly still. Anyone that would have dared to have spied on the dark couple by the fountain would have been struck by the ritualistic nature of the scene before them. But then, this Sith haven was deserted and the two black leather clad figures were alone to pay homage to the Dark Lords of the Sith as they saw fit, if indeed that was what they were doing.

And then it was finished. They were both cleansed of the dirty blood of the enemy. They stared into one another's eyes once more before Vader wrapped his mechanical arm firmly around her waist and pulled her in close to him. Without missing a beat, and still looking up at him, she molded herself to his body, winding both her arms around him in turn. Together they sighed in unison just before doing something they'd never done before.

They kissed.

Though they were filled with the Dark Side, driven by passion, ambition and hate, with brutality and unflinching cruelty their calling cards, in this intimate act, they were initially gentle with each other. It was their first time after all. His own soft lips pressed lightly, almost tentatively, against her supple and willing ones; just long enough for both of them to become familiar in this new way with one another. Soon their blood drove ever quicker and more forcibly through their hearts. Their lips remained locked and the heat grew between them all the while, his arms stealing around her as hers remained clutched to his frame. The initial gentleness gave way to passionate urgency in very quick time, as he opened his mouth to her just as she went to sweep her tongue along his lower lip, beckoning for permission to enter, permission that was already granted. In an instant, their tongues were dueling for supremacy, parrying to tease and feign, then encircling and entwining as the tease gave way to the lightning feel of closeness, of the sensual pleasure of flesh upon flesh.

With his mechanical hand tight around her waist and his other hand clamped to the back of her hairless head, Vader drove the kiss ever deeper. She obligingly melted into him, pressing her body into his as her hands plunged into his glorious hair; stroking and combing it and pulling at it in turn as she returned his ardent favours.

"My sweet Dark Lord, so lovely…" was the thought that ran through her head.

"Ahh, so loyal and strong, my bold Asajj…" was his.

The kiss finally ended and they disengaged their lips to take in deep breaths to recover. They remained in each others arms though, looking at one another intensely, both feeling the flame licks of passion draw close once more. Vader bent his head down to close in on her again, but Asajj staid him with a hand to his chest. There was something she had to do first, and without further ceremony, she placed her palms on either side of his face, to draw his head down to her level. She wanted to taste it finally; skim her lips over that tender flesh of her own making. She slowly raised her lips to his scar, her scar, and traced the line of it with her mouth, blowing tiny breaths across the puckered line of skin, teasing both herself and him, judging by the trembled breaths he puffed out at her neck, before darting out her tongue to lick all along the length of it. She thrilled to the sound of his gasp, followed by his soft moan in her ear; she'd wanted to do that for a long time. She placed a tender kiss on that fine brow of his, just as his arms stole around her, to pull her closer to him.

"More…I want more…" he whispered into her mouth, as she drew her head back slightly allowing him to skim his lips over hers.

He held her so tightly, that she found it a little difficult to breathe, but what did that matter to her as she felt his strapping body quiver, felt his strong heart thump rhythmically, between their closely pressed chests. It set her off, like a switch that had been flicked, as she claimed that sweet mouth of his, this time almost drunk with a need that required her to plunder him with her lips, teeth and tongue. She savaged his mouth and took fistfuls of his hair in her hands as if to take possession of him in this way. She must have hurt him, pulling on his hair so viciously, and biting on those succulent lips, but his cries were fuelled by passion and not pain as he pulled her up and against a cobble stone wall, before gloriously pressing himself to her again. They both moaned at the intense contact and she opened her eyes to see a Sith Lord whose eyes were dark with passion and yet, as he returned her gaze, his tremblingly tender whisper of her name sent shivers through her body in a way that touched her more than the frenzy could ever have done. She returned his look intently, all the while smoothing back his hair from his face and caressing his cheek lightly as she did so, as he continued to hold her slightly above him against the stone wall. She knew what she was doing, but she didn't think he did. He was still in love with a dead Jedi, she was sure of it. She sensed a flicker of a distant memory in him; His eyes were glazed over, and she picked up on a stray lament. He was still mourning for the lost Jedi, a Jedi that surely would have been devastated by the turn of events his former apprentice had helped to forge; the Jedi that became a Sith, whose heart still yearned for his good Master. Such was the contradictions and star-crossed passion in this one.

Oh but she enjoyed her times with him. The battle earlier was a prime example. This sensual being in her arms now had been all vengeance and fury just a short while ago. They had ambushed the rebel base, storming in with their lightsabres, primed for mayhem. They covered each others backs all the way, slashing and parrying as the rebels went down in the fight, as they uselessly tried to defend themselves with blasters. Bodies were thrown against equipment as they both combined their force waves to crush the rebels quite literally at times, reveling in the sound of snapping bone and the sight of torn flesh. In the ensuing chaos, there was a brief moment when they were separated by a falling beam from the roof above them. In the settling dust, she sought him out, to make sure he had not come to any harm, only to find him some distance away, with one of the rebels kneeling in front of him. He looked very much in command of the situation, towering over the young, clearly terrified soldier who pleaded for mercy, judging by his outstretched hands towards Vader. She felt nothing but contempt for the young rebel and she looked for a confirmatory expression of that same contempt in Vader's face. She saw his hard, unforgiving look of resolve. There would be no mercy given today, as Vader's blade swept from left to right quite suddenly, severing the rebel's head from his body instantly. Vader kicked away the head for good measure, as if its proximity to its body would have made any difference to the fact that the young man was well and truly dead, absolutely and irreversibly. Just as quickly, Vader leapt back to her side, parrying and deflecting blaster bolts as before. She realised with a pang, how she had missed the feel of that strong muscular back against her own. Somehow, she had come to mourn its absence.

She came back to the moment, her reflective journey so fleetingly brief that she didn't think he would have registered that she had been anywhere but right here with him just now. He couldn't have noticed, because he was looking sullenly off in the distance, lost in his own recollections she surmised. He had set her down again through the course of their mutual musings, because she came to realise that her feet were on the ground again. She let go of his face and stole her arms around him once more, her hands now pressed against his sturdy back. She liked the way he felt in her arms. He was solid and strong, and it felt comforting when he came back into the moment to lean into her and rest his chin on top of her head with a sigh. Physical proximity was something she'd almost forgotten; how lovely it was just to touch someone again, not just to kill. A deep sigh escaped from him again however and this time his sigh was of a more despondent nature, rather then a contented exhalation. She lifted her head to meet his eyes and saw that all the passion had been extinguished within them; they had taken on a more haunted look.

"I know Vader," she said as she ran a hand through his hair.

"What do you know?" he asked softly, allowing the contact.

She placed a hand on his chest. "I know you still think of him."

He placed a hand lightly over her mouth. "Please, please don't mention his name. Not here."

She nodded slowly, as she wrapped her nimble fingers around his hand at her mouth, drew it away from her just enough to turn it palm upward, before drawing it to her lips again in a soft kiss.

"Alright…" And then her demeanor changed, and so did his as they sensed a change in the Force around them. They disentangled themselves from one another.

"The Emperor is here." Was all Vader said as she looked off towards the cobbled steps they had ascended earlier to get to the garden in which they now stood.

Sure enough, the familiar figure of the Supreme Leader came up those same steps. He was wrapped in the ample folds of his black cloak, his head covered by his hood, concealed for the most part, as if incognito, yet he was well and truly the Emperor, and no one else. With his voluminous robes it seemed as if he floated up the steps, like a dark apparition, such was the grace and fluidity of his movements.

Vader moved forward a few meters in his direction and went down on his knee. Asajj did the same, though she remained a slight distance behind and to the side of Vader. They bent their heads down as the Emperor came up the last step and he greeted them both with a sweeping gesture.

"I beg you to rise my dark ones, my victorious children."

"My Master, we did not expect you to come all the way here". Vader began as he went to rise from his position.

"Ahh, my young apprentice… Why would I not be here to rejoice in the crushing of the vile rebels? And here of all places, our most cherished monument? I came to pay homage and to see my children safe, as you both appear to be." He smiled at them both, though his face settled on Vader's for a long moment, and the moment stretched even longer as they both held one another's gaze to the point that Asajj herself began to grow uncomfortable. She coughed, to ease the tension.

"Ah, Lady Ventress, I am pleased to see you here." The Emperor chimed in as he dragged his eyes reluctantly back away from Vader to acknowledge Asajj personally. She merely nodded respectfully in response.

Lord Sidious felt an unease that surprised him. He expected to simply come to hail the victory and showcase the site to his triumphant servants, but now there was something else that vied for his attentions. There was conflict stirring within his young apprentice, conflict, Sidious assumed had been long forgotten, yet he could feel the rumblings of it again, and he wanted to study it. But for now, he smiled at his two dark servants and raised a hand to sweep over the view before them.

"Magnificent isn't it? The rebels are no more. They had no right to be here above all places." He turned to Vader and Ventress.

"These rebels are no match for you two. The Empire is secure as long as I have you both. All glory to the Empire." Both Vader and Ventress bowed before the Emperor in acknowledgement. He made a wave of his hand again before continuing.

"The enemy will keep coming, but for now, let us all take a turn about the grounds, shall we?" And with that, he bade them go forth before him, making to follow behind them as his eyes settled on the back of Vader's head. Vader felt those eyes fixed upon him, but he remained calm as he proceeded down the steps to the central courtyard below. One thing was certain though, Vader did not like his mental shields breached, not even by the Emperor himself.

To be continued…