"We haven't found a single planet capable of housing life outside the galaxy, this is a waste of time, Lord Vader," said the hesitant voice of Captain Veers.
He had been demoted after letting the key leaders of the Rebel Alliance off of Hoth. "I can feel we are going to find something," Vader's voice echoed throughout the room.
He looked out toward the stars. "We feel many things milord, but what do we actually find?"
Darth Vader did not like Veers questioning him like he had been the past few days, but he remained calm. "If you question me again…." his voice trailed off.
Veers had seen him Force-choke many captains and commanders. "I haven't hurt you because I know that you are able," he added. "Or are you just like Sergeant Palak?"
"I understand," said Veers, not wanting to speak to him anymore.
Veers did not want to check if that droid had found anything. He felt sleepy. "Tell me what you have found when I return," said Vader.
"What if I don't –
"You will!" Vader said.
At that moment Captain Veers knew he had to find something, even if it was another false alarm.
Later, Veers went to the control booth and punched in a secret code. "No more procrastinating," he thought. It then brought up a black screen, and then a rock swiftly went past. "Blast!" said Veers.
"You cannot get too close to asteroids, you'll crash."
"I'm sorry, Master," stated the droid's mechanical voice.
"I am headed to a planet that might support life."
The captain's eyes lit up. "Direct me to it, let me see on screen."
The droid's camera scanned the black sky, and focused on a white spot. "Adjust," Veers stated.
The droid gave an almost clear view of Venus. "That planet..."
Venus had a sickly yellow colored atmosphere. "How far is it..."
Data quickly emerged on the planet. "That planet would never be able to support life!" Veers said angrily.
"Master, my power level is lowering," it stated.
"Sweep the sky again," he commanded coldly.
It scanned, and a red planet emerged. The data that emerged was not satisfying; no way could it support life. "Keep going," Veers stated.
Then, a blue planet emerged. It was hard to see, but blue and green were obvious from the camera viewer. "Ah, what do we have here…," Veers said with a wicked smile.
The expression on his face and his location in the booth quickly told the lower ranked soldiers he had found something. He was on the second Death Star, still being built. Vader was in his room, thinking. He walked briskly to the outside galaxy droid detectors command center, or OGDD. OGDD was the operation he had been running, just to impress his master. Vader strode in, two stormtrooper guards at his right and left. He had wanted to catch Veers not doing his job, he didn't know why. "What do you have for me Captain?"
"A planet!"
Vader hadn't seen this much delight from any of his advisors in a long while. Vader looked, it had blue and green features, it was like Alderaan. "I will tell the Emperor, General," said Vader with no emotion.
Veers delight doubled when he realized he had been promoted. "Have the droid detect atmosphere content, moons, and other things necessary."
"Yes sir," Veers said.
The Emperor waited for his apprentice for a report on searching. "What do you have for me?" He asked.
"A planet, that very well may support life," said Vader. One of the stormtroopers to Vader's right and left holocoms rung. The trooper promptly opened it. "Turn this over to Lord Vader," Veers said.
The stormtrooper gave the holo to Vader, who held it. "Atmosphere content is a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen, much more, liquid water is present." "Good good!" said Palpatine.
"Set the course to this planet, I want the whole fleet."
Vader turned to Palpatine.
"We cannot take the whole fleet, how do we know intelligent life is on it?" Palpatine looked at him hardly, "I can feel it."
Vader nodded. "Be delighted," said Palpatine. "I will ready the troops, we set out your command."
"Good good, I sense a challenge."
The north 'pole' of the Death Star was dead quiet. Its two most important people were asleep. Well, one wasn't asleep. Palpatine lay awake in bed. He remembered when he said 'challenge' to Vader and Veers. At first, he had been trying to motivate them. Now, he really sensed a challenge. He felt...uncertainty. "This won't be just any challenge," he thought.
Words entered his mind. "Determination" "Heroism".
He deployed his armies with these words, and many more. He didn't know why, but they seemed to be working against him at that moment. Palpatine hated feeling unconfident, and he dumped his anger into the dark side and eliminated this useless feeling. Palpatine worked anger with his body, to have this feeling gone.
