Despite the fact that she hadn't technically been forbidden from accessing the lower levels of Vader's palace, Aphra couldn't help but feel that her caretaker wouldn't exactly be pleased with her current exploration mission.
Especially due to the latest example of her developing technological skills.
In retrospect, she should have ensured that the safety feature of her custom blaster was fully functional before she connected the trigger mechanism to the power source, but to be fair, it was rather hard to concentrate when she had to listen to the constant whining of the (LOOK UP 3P0's plating) droid.
She was lucky that her blaster had been aimed at the wall rather than Vader's personal work station, something which 3P0 continued to glumly point out, otherwise she might have ended up experiencing firsthand what it felt like to be on the opposite end of a light saber.
Luckily for her however, she had more than sufficient time to fix her mistake, for her cape wearing boss had informed her 2 days ago that he would be preoccupied with leading the latest example of Imperial law enforcement.
Of course he had been rather strict in reminding her of her duties, which basically boiled down to keeping up with her training, improving her technological skills, and keeping an eye on the only other human she was currently allowed to interact with.
It still confused her as to why Darth Vader, the public figure of the Empire's military might, would choose to trust his infant daughter in the hands of a 7 going on 8 year old girl, but hey, she wasn't going to complain when her caretaker/employer could kill someone just by pinching 2 fingers together.
Still, despite her somewhat busy schedule, Aphra still found herself getting bored, and in order to alleviate this, she had taken to exploring the areas of the palace that had not been exclusively placed out of bounds.
That meant she couldn't access the armory, Vader's personal archives, along with his chambers, and the underground garage that housed her caretaker's impressive set of vehicles.
However, Vader hadn't said anything about some of the lower levels of his palace, and that was where she had gone after she ensured that Leia's new and improved security system was acting in full accordance with her father's wishes.
So far however, the young girl had discovered nothing of interest.
Oh sure she had rescued some pieces of still useable tech from the incinerator, and had passed many empty rooms that she presumed would be housing the palace's future staff once construction had been completed, but that was about it.
The only room left on this deserted floor laid at the end of a rather long hallway, and as she made her way towards the closed door, she noticed something that was somewhat odd considering the layout of the rest of the palace.
For instance, there was no access panel to this door, which was rather odd since the rest of the palace, especially the restricted places, had the latest security systems installed in order to protect Vader's secrets.
And despite the fact that the door appeared that it could be opened, she doubted that the overly paranoid cyborg would allow anyone to open it without ensuring that only a select few could open it.
Deciding that she would come back another day with the necessary tools to both open the door, and hopefully protect herself from whatever dangers that had been installed courtesy of her caretaker, Aphra directed a single kick towards the door before she made her way back upstairs.
But if she had stayed only a little longer, she would have heard something answer her display of childlike behavior. And though she was not yet proficient in that particular language, she would have nevertheless been able to identify it as the universal langue that was spoken by those mechanical beings who could only verbally communicate with a variety of whistles, beeps, and boops.
…..
Groggily opening his eyes to meet the harsh glare of the overhanging light, the boy could only presume that his latest operation had been a success since the entirety of his body below the neck felt far different than it had before he had been put under.
Though he knew that his primary doctor would eventually come to believe that his genius gave him the right to try and seize control of the Empire for himself, the boy had to admit that Doctor Cylo perhaps had a right to his hubris as he examined the changes that had been made to his body.
While his overall body mass had only been marginally increased, nothing like the procedure that had produced Marvel's latest version of America's most popular super solider, the boy nevertheless possessed a physique that was more athletic than the one he had previously possessed.
But the true nature of his chosen surgery was far harder to detect, for unlike his last procedure, which had left somewhat noticeable scars to remain across his throat and along his chest, this one left no visible signs of what he had undergone.
And even though his body still ached from the procedure, he nevertheless felt quite eager to see what he could now do. He was confident that his blue skinned mistress would also be quite pleased with his latest enhancements. Especially since he was still trying to convince her that he was truly sorry for the previous day's dismissal.
But before he put his new abilities to the test, of which the most important, to him at least, would be his increased stamina in the bedroom, the boy's solitude was interrupted by both his unorthodox doctor, as well as the man who had decided that his most unique asset needed additional layers of protection.
"Ah my boy. It's good to see that you've regained consciousness. I trust that you are satisfied with the results of your latest bit of corrective surgery"?
Nodding his head in agreement with the Emperor's inquiry, the boy was greeted with a yellow toothed smile as the Sith Lord voiced his approval with his answer.
"Excellent. Doctor Cylo informs me that the operation was a complete success, and that you will be able to perform your new duties within the next 24 hours".
Sending a nod of gratitude towards the doctor, who as always seemed to be content to remain silent until he was directly asked a question, the boy proceeded to voice his confusion with the last bit of the Emperor's sentence.
"Apologies your majesty, but what new duties would those be"?
Motioning for the doctor to leave the room, who left without a word after giving him the customary bow of respect, the Emperor turned his attention towards his bed laden servant.
"Surely you haven't forgotten the upcoming military campaign my boy? It was your idea after all. And I would have you play an active role in its implementation".
Eye's widening in realization of what it was the Emperor was speaking about, and ignoring the fact that his body still ached from his chosen procedure, the boy managed to push himself up into a straighter sitting position.
"Not that I am unwilling to do my part your majesty, and indeed nothing would please me more than to be placed in command of an Imperial Naval force, but I have to ask if part of my campaign against my planetary target will include a more…personal competent to it"?
Knowing full well what the boy was alluding to, and having decided on what the fate of Vader's male progeny would be after some careful contemplation, the Emperor delivered his verdict.
…..
Despite the best efforts of both himself and his master to purge himself of the idealistic naivety that characterized much of Skywalker's ineffectual attempts to change the galaxy for the better, Darth Vader could regretfully feel that the attempts had only been marginally successful.
While he was no longer held back by an outdated code that had ironically led to the downfall of Jedi Order, and indeed was encouraged to make the use of his newly obtained 'freedom', the cyborgic Sith was reminded that his current actions were greatly influenced by the thoughts and desires he had held ever since he was a recently freed slave from Tatooine.
Though somewhat warped due to his increasing connection to the Dark Side, he still possessed a fierce desire to do everything in his power keep his family safe. And while he did not dare to dwell overly long on his past failures to keep his mother and wife safe from harm, they nevertheless motivated him to ensure that would Leia be safe guarded until she proved herself fully capable of acting without his direct supervision.
He rightfully suspected that his master was already formulating plans in which Leia would replace him as the ideal apprentice, and that he too planned to use his daughter as a means to steal the mantle of Sith master once she had been sufficiently trained. Of course such an event wouldn't happen for many years to come since the Emperor currently needed his strong right hand to both expand and consolidate the Empire's grip on the rest of the galaxy, and that until that time, the two Sith Lords would continue to adhere to the principles set down by the founder of their order.
One to hold the power, and one to crave it.
"My lord. All ships of Death Squadron have reported that they are ready to depart, and we need only your word to make the jump to light speed".
Slowly turning his heavily armored body until his helmet was directly facing the nervous, yet capable young Imperial naval office, Lord Vader gave one word of approval before issuing the necessary orders.
"Good. Relay to all ships that the operation is to begin at once".
Receiving a sharp, but no less respectful nod from the young lieutenant, the Sith Lord returned his attention back to the viewport as he beheld the massed instrument that would allow him to achieve the dream he had once spoken of all those years ago.
From his personal flag ship the Exactor, the Sith Lord commanded a fleet of 16 star destroyers, 5 of which where the new Imperial class, 3 carriers, 12 light cruisers, and 6 corvettes. Added to this impressive display of Imperial might were over 1000 newly produced TIE Fighters, 150,000 troopers, of which 10,000 of them were near equal to the 8000 members of the 501st legion, 140 walkers, nearly 400 assault gunships, and 300 pieces of largely stationary artillery.
And this was only a fraction of the strength that had been marshalled to remove the taint of those corpulent slugs from the rest of the galaxy.
He knew that his master cared little for the lives of those unfortunate enough to live under the rule, and indeed if his plans could be better served in keeping the slaves of Hutt Space in bondage he would have done so.
However, his master's young advisor had pointed out that a war against the Hutts would be well received from amongst almost all sections the Empire. The leaders of the industrial military complex would receive greater influx of resources as the Imperial Military needed to expand its rate of production in order to support both the war effort as well as continuing efforts to consolidate Imperial territory. And the average civilian would easily support any action taken by the government to put an end to the criminal activities of an organization that was known to practice slavery.
Such an act would also serve to weaken the credibility of those politicians who spoke out against the Emperor's policies, who regrettably could not all be weeded out through the use of Imperial controlled droid commandos, or public show trials.
But those thoughts were far from Vader's mind as his personal star destroyer entered the swirling blue vortex of light speed. For his thoughts were currently on the cruelty his mother and him had experienced before being sold to the gambling junk owner.
And as his current master knew all too well, he always enjoyed in exacting vengeance from those who had wronged him.
…..…
Despite the fact that fate had decreed that he was to bring the long awaited goal of the Sith to fruition, there were times when the Emperor believed that had Plagueis not instructed him in the ways of the force, he would have made enjoyed a successful career as an actor.
He reveled in his ability to make his audience experience whatever it was he wanted them to feel. And while this speech was somewhat unnecessary since his past performances had already wrested control of the galaxy from these ineffectual politicians, not to mention the fact that the more vocal irritants to his rule had been dealt with, he nevertheless felt that this speech would have cemented his image as a strong, capable candidate for political power.
"Citizens of the Empire. I stand before you today to speak of a continuing threat to our society's attempts to recover from the horrific bloodletting of the Clone Wars. While our growing military might has proven itself worthy of the task of protecting our loyal citizens from the lingering elements of the Separatist Alliance, I am afraid that we are simply combating the symptoms as they appear, rather than striking at the true source of this cancer.
While I whole heartedly believe that our forces will once again prove to the galaxy that our society will inevitably triumphant over an enemy who continues to rely on soulless machines, I have discovered that our great society has been infected with yet another disease.
For centuries, if not millennia, this cancer has acted with almost full immunity, all the while doing its best to corrupt the very soul and body of our great galactic community.
You all know of what I speak.
Enslaving entire populations, encouraging innocent women and children to partake in destructive substances, and executing those who dared to dream of the freedom that is possessed by every citizen of this great empire.
But despite knowing of their crimes, the Republic was prevented from dealing with this problem thanks to the corrupt nature of certain senators, the lack of any substantial information that could be directly linked to their activities, and the underwhelming capability of our previous governments to ensure that these crimes would not go unpunished.
But our Empire is no longer burdened with these chains that prevented us from ensuring our security. We now have a government that is both willing and able to put the needs of its citizens above the interests of easily bribed politicians. Our ever expanding forces are more than capable of delivering the full weight of Imperial justice. And most important of all, we now have undeniable proof of their unlawful activities.
For you see good citizens of the Empire, the Separatist Remnant, who is at least honest enough to publicly declare their hatred for our way of life, has found a willing sponsor for their activities within the ranks of the criminal organization known as the Hutt Cartels".
As expected, his captive audience greeted this news with both shock, and a rising sense of anger. Something which the Emperor was fully prepared to exploit for his own ends.
"Yes it is true my friends. Having profited from the chaos that was the Clone Wars, the Hutts, rather than accepting the results of our hard won victory, have decided to fund or enemies so that they can continue to reap the rewards of their treacherous misdeeds.
And their villainous deeds do not stop there. For in their efforts to conceal their alliance with our enemies, they have eliminated numerous individuals who sought to warn us of their misdeeds, which to this government's great disgust includes the lives of innocent families with children".
In truth, only 1 family had been eliminated in order to give truth to this fiction, but the Emperor highly doubted that the image of the slain Bridger family would be insufficient enough to convince the ignorant masses that firm action must be taken in order to ensure their own security.
"Due to the undeniable evidence of their guilt, and the fact this Empire was founded on the belief that the safety and security of its citizens is to be the highest priority of our government, I declare that a state of war now exists between the Galactic Empire and the territories that lay under the control of the Hutt Clans".
Fighting the urge to cackle as his proclamation once again caused the easily manipulated fools of the senate to enthusiastically support his decision, Palpatine allowed the thunderous applause to continue as he thought of the future rewards that this little public relations campaign would bring to him.
The last credible hope of the Jedi would forever be denied to them, his Empire would gain access to immeasurable levels of manpower and resources that had long been denied to the Republic, his remaining opponents would once again find support for their plans decreased thanks to increased support for his policies.
And perhaps the most important of all, he would gain control of region of space that could potentially grow to be as important as the restricted region of the Deep Core.
It would be a simple thing really, to declare a region of Hutt Space off limits due to the reasons of security. And behind this newly establish border, heavily patrolled by his most loyal servants, the brightest, not to mention the most open minded members of the Empire's scientific community would begin the process of determining whether or not it would be possible to create the unique technological terrors that had been described by the future adopted member of the Tarkin Family.
For despite the skepticism of his Grand Moff towards the more ambitious examples of the boy's ideas, the Sith Lord found himself fully intrigued with the concept of a planet sized space station that could not only destroy worlds, but also ensure that the Empire could profit from the doomed planet.
Complete destruction had its place of course, but it was far more efficient, not to mention amusing, to have those who defied him to increase the power of the very thing they had so foolishly sacrificed their lives to bring down.
….
AND Once again, I surprise myself by proving to be more productive than I had originally thought I would be :P.
Hopefully you all enjoyed the way this chapter was divided into 4 segments, but I believe that such a thing was necessary lol.
As a bit of a recap/to explain my thoughts:
First part of the chapter saw more of a 7 year old Aphra and how she is coping with her situation. Also…to those who are wondering what has happened to a certain Astromech…believe it was time to remind you all, and to motivate myself to devote more time towards his fate (whatever it will be)
The second part….the boy had once again subjected himself to the wonders of enhancement surgery. Only unlike last time (where he received below the skin armor to protect himself from force chokes (at least those designed to crush muscles, pretty sure that a skilled sith lord overcome this) and laser blasts/light saber stabs to the heart) this time he received something to increase his physical skills.
Third Part….We have Vader at the head of an Imperial fleet, thinking over the relationship of his master, while eagerly waiting for the command to go to war.
And then finally the 4th part…where the Emperor FINALLY gives a speech to the Imperial Senate (which has been purged of its more competent members opposed to his rule) declaring that the Empire is now at WAR with the Hutts.
Again I say this…since I am not 100% certain if the next chapter will be finished quickly or slowly….but look forward to the next chapter, where I will FINALLY decide what happens to the boy who grows up to become a terrorist :P.
Seriously…I know that this view point might be influenced by other sources...but has no one else wondered if Obi Wan PURPOSEFULLY allowed Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru to get killed just so he could mold a grieving youth to his own ideology?
I mean seriously, Obi Wan should have known as soon as the "Help Me Your My Only Hope" message was played that the Empire would track down the droids to Luke's home.
But then…we wouldn't get a radicalized youth who seemed to care more about the fate of his mentor (who he only really knew for a short amount of time) rather than his deceased family members. Anyone else get the sense that he's a bit glad at their deaths too? "There's nothing here for me now". Luke always wanted to leave the planet, and immediately jumped at the first chance to leave once his protective family members were out of the way.
Say what you want about Uncle Owen….but at least he did his best to keep his nephew safe from harm. Once he's gone…his nephew ends up killing over 1 million Imperial personnel with his fighter.
ANWAYS…my little rant aside :P….hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter.
Reviews are a must.
And as always…Hail the Empire.
