answers to reviewers questions or statements:

Fenrir44: Betty will do her best to show the Galaxy that Peter isn't some one dimensional Sith.

Mr Guest: I feel the only kinds of news Palpatine watches is his servants inflicting horror on the Galaxy.

Starlord Master: A lot.

QuantumShatter: It wont be Carol that replaces Takel in the event of his death.

Kalvernus: Republic as bad as it could get back than, wasn't that horrible. But they would've praised her demise given the valuable 'pieces of art' and other cultural items she's stolen and the Jedi and Republic citizens/soldiers she's butchered over the years. Nah, it's just a happy coincidence that Peter and Laura operate on a similar wave length, Parker Luck and all that.

Guest: I'm going to assume you didn't read the actual fight between Peter, Vader and Mara. If you did than you would've seen that Peter didn't lose to Vader and to Mara, their fight was interrupted by the arrival of the Death Troopers who used Peter's brief lapse in situational awareness to incapacitate him. Literally Sidious's two most powerful agents were being pushed to their very limits by a single person, and Peter had physically overpowered Vader and outright crushed one of his cybernetic hands when the man tired to strangle him. You also forget that Sidious is still considered one of the most powerful Sith Lords that's ever lived, a blast of Force Lightning from him isn't gonna be something that can just be walked off, especially if said person being blasted is a rogue Sith with no allegiance to him and thus needs to be met with even greater force than say a reliable, somewhat obedient servant whose extremely vulnerable to electrical based attacks on his life support suit. Sith from the Old Republic era are inherently more attuned to the Dark Side of the Force and capable of much more powerful abilities, where's the more 'modern Sith' are more sophisticated and well versed in other areas outside of Dark Side knowledge, most of which has been lost by that time because of a Sith that went cray when he began to experiment with the Light Side, and Lightsaber skill.

Guest: Yeah, he'll start to grow more reserved and patient in his actions, not so eager to pick a fight. Peter will pick up a few things from some of the various military commanders he'll work with. Some of his plans wont always work out, but he'll be in the percentile of Imperial commanders that usually don't lose very often and when they do, it's not too severe. The Thrawn campaign will be very different compared to how it went down in the books but it'll largely have many familiar attributes to it like the race to find the Katana Fleet, a Clone army of sorts, a cloned Dark Jedi, the works. Peter's hate for the Jedi stared off as simple dislike and loathing for what the Jedi had done to the Sith in the past, like the Great Hyperspace War, but it deepened and darkened not long after the great Galactic War for reasons that'll be revealed soon. I don't think Revan's dark half was so much strategically brilliant as he was extremely powerful. I mean he was still smart and tactical don't get me wrong, but Revan was kind of a powerhouse in his own right and there weren't many Jedi or Sith if at all baring Vitiate that could take him head on in a fight. Revan is a controversial figure to Peter, he respects what he was able to accomplish as a Sith Lord, but he despises the fact the man was a Jedi and even went back to being a Jedi and tried to kill his Lord Emperor. If given the chance, Peter wouldn't hesitate to cut the man down.

Guest: Peter will meet and work with Thrawn many times. Emma Frost isn't evil, more of she's a cold hearted bitch with brief moments of warmth to those she feels have earned it, like Riyo and to some extant, Thrawn and even Mara. She isn't quite fond of the Empire's Xenophobia given she's in a intimate relationship with a non-human. It'll be a long while until Emma develops any genuine feelings for Peter outside base lust. Like post Battle of Endor maybe and into the New Republic's Campaign against a fractured Empire.

Disclaimer: I don't own any Marvel or Star Wars characters seen, mentioned or used.


Several days into the journey to the Outer Rim found Peter wandering the halls of the Wrath, flanked by Grand Admiral Takel and a literal squad of aides, performing 'inspections' of the Dreadnaught's crews, systems and other mundane things that keep a ship the size of the Wrath running.

Honestly Peter could really care less for the inspection of personnel aboard the warship. The inspections of the ship's engines, weapons systems and shielding were a great interest to Peter, but he was forced to cut his time giving them an more in-depth look short but made a point to return later on. As Peter and Takel made their way from one point of the ship to another, the Admiral seemed to be under the impression that Peter wanted to hear him go on and on about pointless topics that held no interest for Peter.

'I swear to the entity that created the Force, I will rip this man's head off if I have to hear him talk about whatever grand battle he was in during the Clone Wars one more fraking time' Peter thought as he and the Admiral neared one of the main hangers for the Wrath's contingent of Starfighters.

Up ahead he could hear the clamoring of various manually and remotely operated lifters and movers and dozens of voices and shouts from the various pilots, mechanics and crewmen that operate within the hanger. The growing noise somewhat drowned out Takel's voice, giving some small comfort to Peter as they entered the massive space, dozens of meters wide and high to hold various Fighters, bombers and shuttles. A almost silent, brief hush, filled the hanger as Peter stepped into view before it resumed it's usual day to day operations.

Though Peter did notice that a number of men and women were now moving faster, looking at whatever work they had before them with greater intensity. He didn't know if they were simply finding a way to look busy so he wouldn't notice them or perhaps felt they needed to put even more effort into their work as some sort of appeasement. Peter didn't care in the slightest, long as they didn't bother him, they could go about whatever it was they were doing.

'Not my job to discipline them if they screw up or not anyhow' Peter thought as he and his entourage passed a few bombers under going repairs and modifications of some sort.

Takel took this opportunity to point out various squadrons, the ships they piloted and what they were used for in any sort of interstellar engagement, despite the fact that Peter knew what they were supposed to accomplish just by looking at them. A fast moving star craft big enough for one person and moderately armed, a starfighter, a larger, less maneuverable looking version, a bomber of sorts.

The fact the Admiral thought Peter was that ignorant and was in need of some sort of education was almost enough for Peter to simply cut the man in half.

'But than I'd have to take over his duties as the actual commander of this damn ship' Peter thought with a depressed sigh.

That was a bit, well a lot of responsibility, something he wasn't eager to take on.

As Peter continued his way through the hanger, watching various crews work on their craft or droids bustling around, he noticed they were approaching a section of the hanger that seemed reserved for more specialized craft. The ships here weren't the typical TIE Fighters or their Bomber cousins, but something else entirely. They were longer in the body, lacked the solar array panels that all the TIE craft seemed to favor. They weren't attached to racks like many of the TIE craft behind him were, instead they were hovering a few inches off the ground, likely from anti-gravity tech built into either the ship or the fighters themselves.

Peter stared at the unknown fighter with a thoughtful look on his face, his eyes trailing over the design of the craft. It very vaguely reminded him of the now ancient Liberator-class starfighter, the Republic's primary starfighter during the Great Galactic War, though the fighter before Peter was much larger in comparison.

He took a few steps towards the craft and reached out to run a hand along it's hull.

"What's this called?" Peter asked as he began to walk the fighter's length, taking in every detail of the spacecraft.

Takel blinked at this before he cleared his throat and answered "It's a... it's called the Aggressive ReConnaissance-170 starfighter my lord. It's older than our TIE's, but it's still quite a formidable fighter. I dare say, a single one of these is every bit as capable as several TIE Fighters. Greater armor, firepower and capable of Hyperspace travel, allowing it to be sent into enemy space or ahead of battlegroups"

Peter hummed at this "If that's the case, why aren't these more widespread?"

"Well my lord, these craft were built for open war. Since 'Peace' reigns across the Galaxy there's very little need for such a craft, though a large number are kept for special occasions" Takel responded as he watched Peter make a full circle of the starfighter "Occasions that demand the Empire remind those that stand against us that we are not weak. That we will harbor no quarter for treachery or uncalled for aggression"

Peter nodded as he came to a stop in front of the ARC-170's nose and quirked his head to the side as he folded his arms across his chest. He's never found starfighters very interesting from a technical or engineering viewpoint like some of his fellow Guardsmen, his interests being mainly focused on perfecting his knowledge of the Dark Side, his skill with his Lightsabers and his late beloved, Felicia.

'Felicia was really never interested in vehicles, but I know for a fact she'd love to have this added to her collection' Peter thought with a faint grin as he imagined Felicia drooling over such a fighter and imagining hanging it up somewhere for all to admire.

After a few moments, Peter turned towards Takel as he pointed towards the fighter "This is mine now"

"Yes my lord" the Admiral said with a nod while mentally he was already dreading having to tell this fighter's pilot, Captain Danvers, that their new commander has taken possession of her craft.

"Also schedule me flight lessons" Peter said.

"I'll have a few instructors from our Wings of Fighters pulled aside to provide private lessons for you my lord" Takel responded.

"And bring me schematics for this craft along with an operators manual" Peter said as he turned back towards the fighter "I want to know how this thing works so I can fly it better"

"Of course my lord, right away" Takel nodded towards one of his aides who began to download the relevant information to a datapad.

"And make sure whoever was the pilot for this craft is compensated" Peter said as he leaped up on to one of the ARC's wings' and used the Force to unlock and open the cockpit "Be kind of rude of me to take their ship and not give them some sort of apology"

"I'll be sure she receives it my lord" Takel said with a small bow 'And make sure she gets over such a loss'

It'd be a shame if one of the top five pilots in the entirety of the Imperial Starfighter Corps was executed because she was too vocal in her complaints at losing her prized starfighter.

...

In the days since Betty Brant was granted permission to stay aboard the Wrath and document it's commander and crew, the reporter wasted no time in getting to working. Within the first day alone she'd been able to speak with over a hundred of the ship's contingent of Stormtroopers, both commissioned and enlisted, about life aboard the warship and it's social environment.

The answers were rather typical in her opinion, the Officers thought it was a grand command to be a part of and the enlisted hated how often they got screwed over one thing or another.

The next several days after that, Betty turned her focus to the various Pilots that were stationed aboard the massive Dreadnaught with their Squadron. Most didn't seem to mind the Wrath and found it's massive hanger bays adequate, especially since many hangers were reserved for the Squadrons themselves. She also recorded a number of stories from the Pilots on their past deployments, some entertaining, some bone dry boring and some that rubbed the famed reporter the wrong way because of the sheer brutality these Pilots saw and inflicted on some of these operations.

Presently, she was speaking with one of the officers of the TIE Squadrons, a young handsome Lieutenant that was a bit shorter than average height and possessed fair colored blonde hair that struck Betty as unruly. He was currently dressed in the typical black pilot suit with his helmet held in the crook of his arm as he gave betty a small friendly grin.

"So tell me Lieutenant Phennir, how have you found life aboard the Wrath?" Betty asked as she had her datapad out at the ready to write down some of pilot's responses while Artoo-Zero Four recorded the whole interview.

"Not too bad" Phennir answered with a shrug as he ran a hand through his hair "Better than the last ship me and my Squadron were on. Have our own hanger for our ships"

"Is that not common on other ships?" Betty asked.

"Not unless the ship's a carrier or something of this size" Phennir gestured around them "Most Star Destroyers we share hangers with other Squadrons and we're sometimes spread over different ones in a ship"

"I suppose that can make things difficult?" Betty asked.

"Sometimes" Phennir chuckled "Kinda annoying to have to link up during a engagement where everyone's shooting at you almost"

Betty hummed as she looked down at her notes and a few questions she had written down "Tell me Lieutenant, have you met the Wrath's new commander? The Executor?"

"No, but I've heard of him" Phennir said with a shake of his head before he grinned "Saw the recordings of him in action on Anaxes. Have to say, if there was ever a person that had the lethality of a TIE, it's him. He went through those Rebels as easy as my fighter goes through Space. I really hope those skills transition to space combat, I really want to see how he does in zero gee combat"

Betty snorted at this and typed the man's response, so far this was a near common response in regards to Betty's questioning on the Executioner, Peter.

Most of the men and women on this ship had never heard of him until the Emperor's reveal and even than, never saw the man in action until Anaxes. To most, he struck an impressive profile and so far has proven to be a good commander to serve under, in that he hasn't outright executed any of his subordinates like Vader has nor taken his people into some near suicidal mission. Granted, it's been acknowledged that he hasn't been in command long enough nor has the fleet been sent on any serious deployments until now for such things to be put to the test, but many were optimistic that Peter would be a good commanding officer.

Once more, many of them seem to have figured out that so long as you were respectful and dint call him a Jedi, you'd be fine.

'So far, many aboard the Wrath see Peter in a favorable light despite his execution of Moff Ghadi and are curious to see what else he can do' Betty thought as she typed in the last of Phennir's response before she looked back up at the man "One final question Lieutenant, if you don't mind?"

"Shoot" Phennir said with a shrug.

"What made you join the Imperial Navy, the Starfighter Corps specifically?" Betty asked "A man with your background could've easily gotten into any of the Officer's Academies"

The question seemed to somewhat surprise Phennir as he raised a brow at the question before he bit on his lip and thought over his response "Well... I suppose for the glory of the Empire. To face and destroy it's enemies head on instead of behind a few legions"

"So you joined for Patriotic reasons?" Betty inquired, it was a rather typical answer many servicemen and women gave for their reasonings of taking a profession where'd they experience much more direct combat.

She wasn't sure what to expect, maybe something real blood thirsty, maybe something admirable like wanting to provide for their family. Still, it was a good enough answer in her book and she quickly typed it down.

"Yes" Phennir nodded before he smirked "Plus flying TIEs are great. I'd marry one if I could with how this beauty handles"

Betty made a humming sound as she gestured for Zero Four to cease his recordings and held a hand out for the Lieutenant to shake "Well, I think that'll be all I need today Lieutenant, thank you"

"My pleasure ma'am" Phennir said as he shook Betty's hand before he released it and came to attention and turned on his heel and head back down towards the lower levels of the hanger where his fighter, and the fighters of other members of his Squadron, were located.

Betty watched him go for a minute before she gestured for Zero Four to follow her "Come on little guy, lets see if we can get an interview with one of the crewmen on the bridge before calling it a day"

The astro-mech beeped in affirmative and followed Betty through the gray, sparse halls of the Wrath.

She flashed a number of crewmen and troopers she passed a friendly enough smile and most returned it barring the few helmet covered Stormtrooper she passed though she had a hunch they returned it. It was refreshing to be on a Imperial warship where the crews were actually tolerable and even social to a degree. The last Star Destroyer Betty was on was Tarkin's personal warship when she was doing a article on him and found the atmosphere cold, cut throat, hostile and left Betty wondering how such a man could run a ship like that.

'Than again, Tarkin wasn't much better' Betty thought with a sigh 'Honestly, it's no wonder the Rebels have gained such support, when you have someone like Tarkin in charge of such a large chunk of the Empire's territory'

And don't even get her started on Vader, good with the troops in a pitched battle of any sort, but a literal nightmare for everyone else in anything but a warzone.

It was than that Zero Four beeped at Betty and drew her attention to the little astro mech "What is it?"

The Droid made a few more beeps before he projected a hologram of the Wrath and highlighted a hanger that was a few kilometers away from them. Betty quirked a brow at this before Zero Four showed another image of the Executor both holding the two images side by side. It finally clicked in the reporter's mind what her droid was trying to tell her.

"Oh, you found the Executor?" she asked, causing the Droid to beep an affirmative sound.

Betty nodded at this and was just about to have her droid lead her to the hanger before something occurred to her and she froze.

"Wait, how'd you know he was there?" Betty asked with some unease, she really hoped that her smart, sometimes daring little Droid, hadn't gone and hacked the ship's sensors to track the mysterious man.

Prison for such a security breach was something she'd like to avoid if possible.

Zero Four made a beeping sound that could be viewed as a sly smile followed by a 'I have my ways'. Betty frowned at the droid before it shut the projections off and turned it's body in the direction that led to the hanger the Executor was in and looked at the brunette. The award winning reporter warred with the pros and cons of following the Droid to see if she could snag a quick interview, or at the very least see the man interact with the crew.

It didn't take long for the pair to reach the hanger that the Executor was located in, having taken the ship's internal tram system nor did it take long to locate the man in said hanger once they arrived. All she had to do was ask for the Executioner's location and Betty was pointed to an area of the hanger that had been cleared for the Empire's third most powerful man and his latest project.

The study and apparent deconstruction of a ARC-170 starfighter.

'Not exactly what I thought a guy like him would be interested in doing' Betty thought as she jotted a few notes down and watched.

She doubted her presence was unnoticed by the man, if he possessed the same powers as a Jedi, than he likely knows not only her position, but where everyone in the hanger is at any given point. She's heard plenty of rumors of Jedi during the Clone Wars that seemed to know where people were, even when they were out of sight.

"The Force" Peter said from his place under the main body of the starfighter, several panels lying around him as he looked up into it's undercarriage.

Betty blinked at this before she looked around to see who it was that the Executor was talking to before realizing that she was the only one close enough for him to address. Though given he had a helmet on, it was entirely possible he was communicating with someone-

"No, I'm speaking to you Miss Brant" Peter said with amusement in his tone as he crawled out from underneath the starfighter and looked right at the reporter and her droid.

"I'm sorry my lord" Betty said with some embarrassment "I didn't realize-"

"It's fine" Peter waved off her apology "Least you considered that I wasn't talking to you simply because I made a vocal response to something. It's not like I could've been in a private communiqué with someone and simply forgot to mute my responses"

"Does that happen often my lord?" Betty asked.

"Too often" Peter said with a laugh.

Betty nodded at this before she glanced at the partially disassembled starfighter with curiosity "What are you doing?"

Peter shrugged as he began to loosen the bolts around the vessels nose "Tinkering... keeping myself occupied"

"I would've thought that such a highly important individual, commander of a Dreadnaught no less, would be on his ship's bridge" Betty said as she looked down at her datapad and typed in a few more notes.

"That's what Takel is for. Besides, we're in hypserspace, nothing every really fun happens in hypersapce" Peter said as he loosened the last of the bolts and pulled the panel off and began to examine the circuitry within before he made a clicking sound "Shoddy... very shoddy"

"What is?" Betty said as she looked up from her datapad.

"The circuitry on this" Peter said before he turned his attention to a small holoprojector and switched it on.

Betty watched as a detailed schematic of the ARC-170 that boasted several highlighted areas, one of them being the place that Peter was currently at. He stared at the image for a few moments before he reached up and began to manipulate the image, pushing certain sections away and enlarging others before he turned his attention back to the Starfighter and resumed reaching into it's hull.

It was an impressive ship, Peter will admit, far more advance than the fighters he piloted during the reign of the Sith Empire, but he quickly discovered that it was overly designed. It had far more to it than needed, such as the need for a co-pilot, an droid, and a tail gunner that would operate two rear guns. Peter's goal was to find a way to remove the need for two extra crew members and the droid itself. Droids, in Peter's opinion while valuable, shouldn't be as interictal to a starfighter as many in this day and age were. After all, should the droid be destroyed or too heavily damaged to be of any use, the fighter's pilot will find himself in a difficult position.

'Hmm, at the very least, I can maybe find a way to redesign this thing so the Droid is perhaps internal, built into the fighter itself rather than have it installed in some socket that leaves it exposed to a degree and therefore vulnerable to enemy fire or debris' Peter thought as the gears in his head began to turn.

"Your a regular old grease monkey I see" Betty said with a small laugh as she watched the Sith continue to remove and re-install different components before it died as Peter's gaze flickered towards her.

A few passing pilots stopped dead in their tracks at the reporters words and watched the silent stare down between their commander and the civilian woman. Time seemed to have come to a complete stand still in Betty's opinion as she realized that she may have over stepped her bounds. From what she's been able to gather from a number of crewmen the past few days, The Executioner seemed to be insistent on proper manners and protocol in terms of social interactions when it comes to him. Finally the growing tension died as Peter let out a snort and returned to tinkering with the fighter's long range scanners and sensor relays.

"I suppose... had a lot of down time in the past to tinker" Peter said as he studied how the sensors were set up "And even more time now come to think of it"

Betty let out a breath she didn't realize she was even holding while the group of pilots who stopped to watch quickly departed before their commander noticed them. She returned her attention back to her datapad and typed in a few more notes before she decided that she's collected enough information at the moment.

"My lord, if there's nothing you wish to discuss, I shall take my leave" Betty said with a polite bow.

Peter's response was a dismissive grunt as he moved on now to the fighter's fuselage, curious to see if he might be able to find a way to increase it's capacity or at the very least make it so that the craft utilizes it in a more economic manner.

He'd rather not have to refuel the damn thing halfway through a pitched space battle because he used up half the fuel just getting to the fight.

...

Several days later Peter's fleet finally arrived at the rendezvous point that Vader had set.

The Executioner's Fleet was met with Vader's infamous 'Black Squadron', a force that surpassed Peter's in both firepower and ships several times over. The most prominent warship being Vader's current flagship, the Spear, a Vengeance-class Dreadnaught and the first of it's line issued into service.

Peter studied Vader's warship with narrowed eyes, it was a few thousand meters longer than his warship though it was more slender and narrow in hull design. It also lacked the ridges that the Wrath sported and it's height was also shorter than Peter's Dreadnaught, as was the width. It didn't look as heavily armed compared to the Wrath until Peter's warship drew closer and, with help from his helmet's magnification lenses he could make out scores of point defense batteries and turbo lasers on just the topside portion of the nineteen kilometer long warship.

'A firefight with that thing should be interesting' Peter thought with a grim smile as Peter also noted over a dozen Star Destroyers belonging to Vader's fleet seemingly orbiting the massive flagship and twice as many Victory-class Star Destroyers around them.

Takel approached Peter and came to a stop a few feet from the Sith assassin "My lord, we've received word from the Spear that Lord Vader is currently indisposed and we're to await fu-"

"Is Vader aboard that ship" Peter nodded towards the now identified Dreadnaught.

Takel nodded "Yes my lord, but he's-"

"Ready a shuttle" Peter said as he turned on his heel and brushed pass the stuttering Admiral "I didn't come all this way just to be told 'wait' by some walking health hazard"

"But my lord-" Takel began before an unseen force ceased him by the throat and lifted him into the air a few inches before slamming him into the ground.

Peter didn't bother to look back at the coughing Admiral or acknowledge his claim that a shuttle will be ready for Peter when he arrives at one of the hangers. Instead, he focused his attention, his senses, on the Spear some miles away from his own ship, searching for Vader's tell-tell Force Signature. It didn't take long for Peter to locate it, Vader wasn't even trying to be discreet on his whereabouts aboard the Dreadnaught.

The young Sith couldn't help but shake his head at this.

'Why in the Hells is this man practically broadcasting where he is on that damn thing? If I wanted him dead, all I'd have to do is order the Wrath to concentrate fire on the section of the ship I sense him on' Peter thought as he made his way through the halls of the Wrath towards the nearest hanger.

Peter couldn't help but wonder if since there was so few Jedi left in the galaxy, Vader and his master were beginning to grow complacent in their power and positions. In Peter's opinion, until the very last Jedi has been hunted down and all their knowledge has been destroyed to prevent the rise of more in the future, the Sith can never, ever grow lazy. It didnt matter if there ends up being one left in all of existanc, all it takes is one very determined individual to alter the very fate of the Galaxy.

'It's how Sidious came to power' Peter thought as he neared one of the Wrath's hangers 'One man brought the Galaxy to the brink before completely upending it and reshaping it to his whim. Man wants things to stay that way, he better not make the same mistake the Jedi did and get too comfortable'

As Peter entered the hanger, he noticed a Imperial shuttle being loaded while the pilots went through their final pre-stage checks before switching the engines on. Peter didn't even bother to acknowledge the various crewmen around him as he approached the shuttle's ramp and just began to climb it when he sensed Laura and Jixton approaching.

The Sith paused and glanced back down to see Vader's two agents come to a stop at the base of the ramp.

"Mind if we tag along?" Jixton asked with a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his head while Laura simply brushed passed him and began to make her way up the shuttle's ramp.

Peter quirked a brow as the lethal woman made her way inside and selected a seat to occupy for the flight. She noticed his gaze on her and responded to it with a blank expression on her face, her feelings radiated calm and a hint of annoyance.

"Yes?" she said.

"...Nothing" Peter responded dryly as Jixton slowly maneuvered around him and took a seat opposite of Laura's.

"I'm just gonna... sit here than" the ex-Stormtrooper said as he strapped himself in.

"You do that" Peter said as he made his way to the shuttle's cockpit and order the pilots to take off "You know how turbulent the empty vacuum of space can be"

Ten minutes later Peter was aboard the Spear, marching through the halls towards Vader's location while several of his officers struggled to keep up with Peter's pace. Laura and Jixton had vanished the moment Peter had cleared the hall but the Sith couldn't help but wonder if they were following him. He could've reached out to see if they were, but decided against it, he'd rather have his full focus on he presence of Vader.

"My lord, I'm afraid that Lord Vader has specifically ordered any and all personnel barring the Emperor himself from disturbing him while he-" the Captain of the Spear was pleading before Peter cut him off with a dismissive wave.

"Don't care. I didn't fly halfway across this damned Galaxy to be put on hold. Your master will see me Captain" Peter said with a hint of a growl as he neared what he assumed was Vader's assigned area.

It was strong with the Dark Side of the Force, and Vader seemed to be at the very center of it, brooding-

Peter stopped dead in his tracks as he for a brief moment sensed another individual in Vader's proximity. They were strong in the Dark Side of the Force and they seemed to be using Vader's overwhelming presence as a sort of cover, to remain hidden. Peter's brow furrowed at this before he resumed his approach, his pace having sped up a bit while the various Imperials around him all but begged for him to await Vader's summons.

'Their not some assassin, Vader's too calm and so is the other' Peter thought as he turned down the hall that led straight to the entrance to Vader's portion of the ship 'And it's too powerful or dark to be Mara's. Hell, I sincerely doubt it's even an Inquisitor. This is someone else... an Apprentice perhaps? Eh, I'll see who it is soon enough'

And with that, Peter flared his Force-Signature so that Vader and whoever his companion were knew exactly where Peter was and that he was coming right towards him. A brief spike of anger and annoyance radiated from Vader's signature while the other remained mostly calm though a sense of unease began to creep in before it was quickly smothered under hasty yet adequate mental sheilds that Peter knew he wouldnt be able to break without alerting them. When Peter was only a few meters from the doors to Vader's rooms, the Imperial Officers around him came to a halt while Peter himself used the Force to force open the door mechanism and step right on in without breaking his stride. He didn't bother to look back at the stunned faces of the Officers as the hatch slid shut and Peter found himself in a dark room, Vader's breathing echoing all around him.

"I made it clear that I do not wish to be disturbed" Vader growled from his place in the room, just a few meters ahead of Peter.

"Yes well, I chose to ignore said order" Peter said with a shrug as he looked around the room "So, whose your friend? The one your trying to mask under your presence?"

A brief spike of surprise radiated from Vader before it quickly vanished "What are you talking about?"

"The other presence I sense in this room with us" Peter said as he looked around, reaching out to see if he could locate the other individual now that they were in the same room "Their strong with the Force, whoever they are"

Vader's response was silence as Peter searched the room before his gaze flickered to a spot of the darkened room where he could sense the barest flickers of someone's Force-Signature. They were good, whoever they were, but Peter's long since mastered finding a Jedi or Sith that wishes to remain hidden. No matter how hard they try to smother their presence in the Force, the faintest wisps could still be felt if one knew how to look for them.

"Look, either you call them out or I'll drag them out" Peter said as he stared right at where he could sense the unknown individual who was now feeling surprise at being discovered.

Anger radiated off Vader's from in waves, causing Peter to snicker as the room began to lighten until it was as bright as any other area in the warship.

And before Peter was a young human male, just on the cusp of adulthood, standing rigid and still, his hand on the hilt of a Lightsaber hanging from his waist. Peter quirked his head at the sight of the youth before glancing at Vader.

"Whose he, your son?"

"No" Vader snapped, causing Peter to nod in understanding.

"Oh my mistake" Peter said before he glanced back at the boy and hummed "He's a bit young for my tastes, and the complete and utter opposite gender of what I prefer, but I guess he's adequate for you. Force knows you wont be attracting any women anytime soon with your bedside manner"

Vader let out a snarl as he took several steps forward and aimed a finger at Peter "Depart this ship now or I'll-"

"What?" Peter snapped as he turned towards Vader with a growl, his hidden eyes flickering yellow as the Dark Side began to channel itself through him "What could you do that hasn't been done to me?"

"I'll carve you in half before loading you into the trash compactor and ejecting you and the waste into the nearest star" Vader threatened.

Peter snorted at this "I'd be shaking in my boots if I knew you'd be unable to touch me. Your little red headed helper and squad of troopers aren't here to bail you out this time"

It was than the youth stepped forward, a snarl on his face as he gripped his lightsaber tightly "Touch him and you answer to me"

"Oh, he speaks" Peter said with mock astonishment "And here I thought you were simply a simple Force-Sensitive stooge that does your master bidding. You know, like how Vader is with Sidious? So that'd make you what, the Stooge's Stooge"

The boy's eyes narrowed in anger at this as he switched on his lightsaber, a crimson red as the Dark Side seemed to gather around the impulsive youth. Peter's brow quirked as he could sense the power in the boy, he was strong there was no denying that, but he seemed to have a short temper... something that Peter loves to exploit.

'Lets see how far I can push this brat' Peter thought with a dark grin as he purposely turned his back on the youth and addressed Vader "So what's this boys name?"

"That is none of your concern" Vader growled "Leave, now!"

"Now hold on, there" Peter said as he raised his hand to calm the Sith Lord "This is a bit of a mystery for me. I mean, I've been brought all the way out here to help your incompetent ass hunt down Jedi and I find myself confronted with an unknown Force user with a Lightsaber. For all I know, he's the Jedi I've been sent to deal with and I just happened to find you with him... in absolutelty no rush to kill him"

"What are you implying?" Vader demanded as he rested his hand on his armor's belt, his finger idly tapping the hilt of his lightsaber.

"Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were collaborating with him" Peter said with a simple shrug as he glanced over his shoulder at the youth "Is that what you two were doing kid? Plotting?"

"I am no Jedi" the youth hissed "I am Si-"

"Be silent" Vader snapped.

"Ooh, your what?" Peter said as he turned towards the boy "Come on boy, what are you? What are you?"

The teen growled at Peter as he made to lunge at him when Vader stepped forward.

"Starkiller, stand down, now!" Vader snapped, his anger so palpable that Peter swore the room was shaking from the sheer potency of it.

The now identified Starkiller froze, his eyes wide with fear as he stared at Vader's shaking form before he deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it back to his belt while Peter continued to stare at the teen.

'Not a blood relative and not a lover, but a student?' Peter thought as his gaze flickered back and forth between Vader and Starkiller 'I don't know whether to feel sorry for this kid or not. He's got potential, no denying that, but he's far too easily aggravated'

And with some like Vader whose as equally aggravated, the teen might not live long enough to ascend to the title of Sith, let alone Sith Lord or even Darth.

"So you've taken an Apprentice. I'd ask if Sidious knows about him but given how unhappy you are about me knowing about him and the fact this is the first time I'm hearing and seeing the boy, I'm gonna assume he doesn't…" Peter said as he studied the youth before him "Have to say, it's probably a good idea you haven't told him. I know he'd be as disappointed as I am with this brat"

"And why is that?" Vader demanded with anger and annoyance while Starkiller stood silently, his emotions tightly bound behind the best of his mental defenses.

"Well, I assumed that any student you take would be like you" Peter glanced at Vader and nodded at the life support armor he wore "Walking around in a glorified pacemaker of some sort and sounding like he's suffering a never ending asthma attack"

Vader took a threatening step forward, his hand drifting to the hilt of his blade while Peter remained still, his arms still crossed as he glanced back at Starkiller and quirked his head to the side.

"So tell me Starkiller, also worst codename ever, have you ever hunted a Jedi?" Peter asked.

Starkiller blinked at this, as did Vader as his hand fell away from his hilt and he watched. The young would be Sith glanced towards his master for a brief moment before his gaze flickered back to Peter's and he shook his head. Peter made some sort of clicking sound that was slightly muffled by his helm as he began to slowly circle the young Dark sider user. Taking note of his stance, his Lightsaber, even the potency of his Force Signature while the youth stared straight ahead, never once fidgeting under the intense gaze of the ancient Sith.

"Never hunted a Jedi... hmm..." Peter sounded as he came to a stop in front of Starkiller and quirked his head "Ever face a fellow Force user in combat? Not sparring, but actual combat? Either you walk away alive or they do?"

Starkiller had opened his mouth to respond before Peter asked his second question, causing him pause before shaking his head. Peter hummed again before he glanced at Vader and nodded towards the youth before them.

"How old is he?" Peter asked, though the tone clearly marked it as a demand.

Vader bristled at this and took a menacing step forward as he raised a hand and pointed it towards Peter "That is none of your-"

"Younger than eighteen isn't he?" Peter snapped with obvious annoyance as he glanced back at Starkiller "How long have you been training under Vader here?"

Starkiller hesitated for a brief moment before he took a deep breath and answered "Twelve years"

"Twelve" Peter said with a snort of disbelief as he glanced at Vader again "So this is your answer to these Jedi? Send a wet behind the ear youth with at best a dozen years of training to kill them?"

"Starkiller is more than adequate-" Vader began before Peter cut an arm through the air.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Peter said in a raised voice that caused Starkiller to flinch while Vader remained unfazed "He's still a kid!"

"I fail to see why that is an issue" Vader said with a scoffing like sound "The Force is strong with him-"

Peter cut Vader off by quickly turning towards Starkiller and shot an arm out where lines of psi-webbing erupted from his wrist and sent the startled teen flying back until he slammed into the bulkhead. The glowing webs secured the teen tightly and began to lap at his strength, weakening him all the while Peter stared into Vader's dark lenses with his own.

"Strong in the Force hmm?" Peter mocked "Yes, clearly he's without equal here"

Vader let out a growl as he drew his lightsaber and activated the blade, aiming it's crimson tip at Peter's throat while the young Sith remained unmoved.

"You are not sending this child to hunt Jedi Vader" Peter hissed in a low tone, the Dark Side collecting around him like a maelstrom with himself at the very center.

"Why would you care if I do or not?" Vader demanded with a hiss "He's my Apprentice to do as I see fit. If that means sending him to hunt down rouge Jedi, I will send him and either he'll succeed or he will fail"

"Is this really how the Sith operate in this day and age?" Peter asked as he gestured towards the restrained and struggling Starkiller "Sending kids that are way out of their depth into life or death situations with Jedi? No wonder there's only two of you left, your getting all the others killed"

"If I recall correctly, many students that attended the Sith Academies on Korriban and Dromund Kaas were children as well" Vader pointed out with anger.

"Yes, but they were never sent out into warzones or to hunt Jedi" Peter said with a pointed gaze.

"They were hindered" Vader scoffed.

"No, we just didn't feel like killing of the future of our Order simply to flood our front lines with inexperienced warriors" Peter snapped with a glare aimed right towards Vader.

Starkiller had to resist a shiver as the two men stared one another down, the room dark and tense as the two Sith warriors sized one another up.

'Starting to wish we brought Proxy along' Galen thought with a sigh.

If nothing else, the Droid would keep him company as his master and a Sith lost out time looked to be on the verge of ripping one another apart.

...


And done.

Next chapter, Mara Jade is dispatched by the Emperor to the Maw Installation to oversee the creation of a new super wepon...