A/N
Hello all. Sorry for the delay. School started up again, so I've had those pesky responsibilities to take care of. I found some time over the weekend to write this. Updates will be less frequent than over the summer, but you should still receive chapters with semi-frequency.

I tried something a bit different for this one. Instead of the usual two POVs, or one POV split about halfway through, I went with one continuous chapter. Let me know what you think.

For the first time in nearly two months, Darth Vader found himself face to face with his master. Not including the times via the holonet, of course, with him being forced to kneel before Sidious's holographically enlarged head. No, this was the real Emperor.

As he stepped out of his quarters, the Dark Lord appraised him, and said, "Come, Lord Vader. Walk with me."

This was a habit of his. Whenever they talked in person, Sidious preferred to walk about, either to throw his apprentice off or to quickly move out of range of listening devices; Vader wasn't sure. Probably both, honestly. He followed the deceptively small man, behind him by a respectful pace as he lead them on a midnight tour of the Imperial Palace.

The Emperor was clearly in a pensive mood, maintaining total silence for the first several minutes of their excursion. This suited Vader just fine. He had his own items to think about. Worry over precisely why he'd received these summons was perhaps at the top of that list.

As the pair were passing a veranda overlooking a residential district, Sidious halted and spoke for the first time since leaving his room nearly ten minutes ago. "Lord Vader," he said, voice silky smooth, "Look down there, at the apartment buildings. Tell me what you see."

Understandably, (in his opinion) Vader was quite confused. He glanced towards the constructs. "My Lord?" he asked.

"Reach out with the Force, Lord Vader," Sidious responded, more than a little impatience tinging his voice. "What do their signatures look like? Are they strong and clean? Pure?"

Vader did as he was asked. Brushing several individual minds, then looking at them collectively, he still didn't understand what Sidious was getting at. "They feel like any other signature, my Lord."

The Emperor shook his head. "No. No, not like 'any other signature.' Feel mine."

Attempting to sense the being next to him, Vader reached out and found... nothing. Where there should have been something for him to sense there, be it the fiery presence of Ventress or the icy signature that was Dooku, the two forms of the Dark Side presence he'd always associated with the Sith, there was simply nothing there for him to touch. A Shadow. A Black Hole in the Force.

But like a black hole, it could still be identified by the effect it had on things around it. Broadening his scope, he found all of the multitude of organisms nearby. And to his morbid fascination, he found all of them bending towards the Shadow standing before him.

The Shadow took a step closer to him. "And now," it spoke, slowly, deliberately, "Look at yourself."

Wrenching his focus away, Vader turned inward. Finding that icy peak within himself, where he could impassively dissect his emotions, that Sidious had described months ago, he examined himself.

He found a swirling, bubbling concoction, mostly dark, with small patches of light. At the forefront were pain and fear, two constant companions in this existence. There was grief, and anger. Sadness. Regret.

"And now, Lord Vader," the Shadow spoke, still using the same slow and deliberate voice, "Look at the apartment complex again."

It took a moment, but at last, Vader saw it. In himself, he could feel a spark, that little something that indicated he was force sensitive. In Sidious, it was masked by his power in the dark side, but could still be seen by looking at the ties he had to people in the force. All of the people in the apartment building were lacking that spark, the connection that made them Force sensitive.

"Yes..." the Shadow practically purred, "You can see it now, I can feel it. Do you now understand Lord Vader? This is why we are destined to rule. We contain in ourselves something special, something only possessed by a few thousand in a galaxy of uncountable trillions. Of those lucky few, we are the greatest. The Jedi thought that by looking outward, they could rule, alongside a corrupt Republic. Look where that got them. They were fools. This is something that can only be truly discovered by looking inward."

Now seemed a more appropriate time than any. Vader kneeled. "My Master is most wise."

"Indeed." He could sense, rather than see, the smirk on Sidious's lips. "In time, as you begin to master the Dark Side, the imperfections you saw in your signature will begin to clear. Only then can you truly be called a Sith Lord. Dooku never mastered it, and Maul was little more than a skilled animal. Of all my apprentices, I believe you have the greatest potential, even after that... unfortunate accident on Mustafar."

Though inwardly seething at the reference to his near-death on the black beaches that lined the lava shorelines all around that hell-hole, Vader kept his anger in check and bowed his head. "Thank you, Master."

"Rise, my friend," Sidious gestured for him to stand. "Walk back to my quarters with me."

Vader did as instructed, falling back into the position a pace back as the Emperor began to stroll towards his rooms. He expected the trip back to be as silent as the one here, but very quickly he was proven wrong.

"A lesson in the Force was not the only reason I called you out with me tonight, Lord Vader. First, I must inform you that Moff Tarkin arrived in the Atrivis Sector this afternoon, and began his search for Grievous only to find a lone Lambda-class containing an ISB agent by the name of Dence. The Governor informs me his information is quite useful. I have every confidence in Tarkin's ability to flush Grievous out."

It pleased Vader to know that Dence had made it out alive, with information, no less. The man was competent, if nothing else. That was sadly a rare trait in an officer corps dominated by cronyism.

"That is good to hear. And the other reason, my Master?"

Sidious let out a sigh. "This ill-advised rebellion. I had expected at least a few years to consolidate power before the insects became too upset. After the executions, support in the core and parts of the mid-rim is at an all-time high. The outer rim, however... they're more radicalised than before the Clone Wars. The sector governors assure me that all possible steps are being taken to prevent major uprisings."

His sneer told Vader exactly how much he trusted the governors' judgement on that. "What would you have me do?"

With an appraising look, Sidious said, "From this moment onward, crushing any revolt is your top priority. Four Star Destroyers, plus support craft, will be placed under your direct command, including the Exactor. The core through the mid-rim is pacified for now. Focus your attention on the more remote and troublesome locations in the Galaxy. Geonosis, Muunilist, and their ilk."

Considering how they were walking, Vader could hardly kneel at the moment. He instead settled for bowing his head. "Yes, my Master."

The Emperor glanced at him. "In this matter, you are my enforcer, Lord Vader. Your authority should be second to only my own. Carry out my will, swiftly and without mercy. I want any signs of insurrection eradicated before it can blossom into something far more dangerous. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master. They will tremble at the mere sight."

Clearly, this trek had been along a far more direct route. They had made it in front of the Emperor's suite in less than half the time it had taken to get all the way to the veranda.

"Farewell, Lord Vader. You will find your task force has been freshly minted and awaits you at Kuat. Take the Exactor, pick the vessels up, and happy hunting." Sparing one last glance, Sidious slipped inside the opened door, closing it behind him with a simple application of the Force.

Vader didn't waste any time. Turning on his heel and striding towards the turbolift, he pulled his comlink from the utility belt around his waist. By the time the doors closed and the lift started moving downwards, the call was active. "Commander, prepare the battalion and load everyone onto the Exactor. Shore leave is over."

The crisp and professional voice of Appo responded. "Yes, sir. I can have everything on my end ready to depart within a couple of hours. Shall I inform the Captain?" he asked, referring to the current ranking officer onboard the Star Destroyer, "He's going to need more time than I am."

"Yes, ensure he's ready to make the jump to hyperspace. He has three hours. I have other business to take care of, though I'll probably be back before that much time has passed."

Appo paused, attempting to decipher what his C.O. was up to. "Do you want me to send a squad, sir? They might be of assistance."

Considering that for the moment, Vader decided against it. "Negative, Commander. By the time they arrived, I'll probably be finished. Just get the men ready to leave and onboard the Exactor. I'll likely be back within the hour."

"Copy that, sir. Good luck. Appo out."