I'm here, in front of the conference room. Fire dances inside my limbs, every step puts me in so much pain I can't even see. The most dangerous enemies I will have to face are on the other side of that door, Tarkin, Geebz, Maloff, Hendrif, Pusfu, and Thrawn. Thrawn is a bit of a surprise, he's young, lacks experience. The battles he fought in were nothing short of artistic, but he is 20 years younger than everyone else in the room. The stage is set, and I've no choice but to play my part.
I push the doors open, all six heads turn to me. Aklee is already running analysis, giving me stats on mood, nervousness, even hydration levels. Which is all good, since I'm using every bit of my concentration to keep from screaming. The Force is a powerful ally, but this suit I'm in is a powerful enemy.
"Lord Vader, what an unexpected surprise." Tarkin says, a glance at my screen tells me he is the oldest, and apparently the most senior, as no one else speaks up. "We were all summoned by the Emperor, I assume you were as well?"
Readying myself for any unpleasantness, I lay my cards on the table. "Palpatine is dead, I am now the Emperor."
I wish I had a camera, though as soon as I thought of it, a little red light appeared on my HUD with the word 'recording' beside it. This suit would be pretty interesting, if I wasn't in complete pain.
"This is an outrage!" Maloff said, my HUD helpfully provided me with the fools name, since I couldn't even be bothered to remember it. Ah well, now no one would remember it. "What gives you the right to assassinate the Emperor?!"
Reaching into the fun part of the Force, I focus on the bits of muscle surrounding the throat. So fragile, the throat. Incredible how species with such a weak point managed to survive. I didn't need to do it, but shock and awe was required for this. I lifted my arm, hand open as if to grasp a cup. Then I applied the slightest bit of Force, amazing the control you have when you can feed on your own pain, I didn't crush his throat outright, that was too good for him. Just a little pressure, enough that he couldn't get the air he needed on each breath, a little less each time, till he finally suffocated.
He looked uncomfortable at first, then red, then purple. Grasping at his throat, loosening his collar, all to no avail. I'm in pain, I'm mad, and this fool presented himself as a target. His loss, my gain. With morbid curiosity, Maloff's remaining contemporaries watched in morbid fascination as the man finally turned a fatal blue. Time to drive the point home.
"Palpatine corrupted himself on power, he was unfit to rule. Maloff proved himself incapable of the demands of office as well. Will you join me in creating a just Empire? Or will you join Maloff?" I said, hoping the pain I was in didn't show through my voice.
The remaining five exchanged glances, but surprisingly, Tarkin was not the first to speak.
"I pledge my loyalty to you, Lord Vader." Thrawn said, standing as he did so.
One by one, the other Moffs joined Thrawn. None of them gave off any indication of lying, and I don't have a reason to distrust them, yet. "Excellent, you all will get your assignments tomorrow, dismissed."
Turning around, I managed to make it out of the conference room without stumbling. "Aklee." I whispered. "Can you take control of the suit?"
For limited functions, yes.
"Get me to the Doctor, now."
The sensation of being an observer in your own body is a disturbing one, but I can't hardly see at this point, anything beyond basic reasoning was beyond me. No matter how hard I tried, how much I channeled my pain, I can't even touch the Force. For all I know, I'm dying. The short walk takes ages, though I see a blurred word on my HUD that I think says 'sprint'.
"Back so soon? What's wrong?" A voice says, I hope it's the Doctor.
"Lord Vader is in severe pain, Doctor. He is unable to respond currently." I assume that's Aklee, or my voice suddenly is a whole lot more feminine.
"Are you the suit's AI?"
"Affirmative, I am Aklee."
"Ok Aklee, get Lord Vader onto the table, I'm going to need to knock some sense into him."
A figure appeared above me, the colorful feathers unmistakeable. "Lord Vader, if you can hear me, I need to put you under, you've overexerted yourself, and your organs are failing, possibly from shock. I'm going to try to save you, but I need aides. I can promise their confidentiality, but I need your permission to bring them in. Do. I. Have. Your. Permission?" She shouts.
"Yes." I say, as loud as I can, but it doesn't sound audible to me. It doesn't matter at this point, I can't stay awake. The blackness is peaceful.