Vader's second chance
A Star wars story
Chapter 26
Disclaimer: Disney owns everything except my plot.
Hello there everyone and welcome to chapter 26! Force it's been so long since I've said that! Anyways, I'd like to quickly catch everyone up with what's happening, so I'll just summarize all recent events in the paragraph below before we get into the summary of today's chapter.
So…in the last few chapters things have began to escalate. A new relationship was formed between the brave Commander Bly of the 372nd battalion and his Jedi General, Aayla Secura. Meanwhile, some commanders of the GAR have began looking into a mysterious woman that visited Kamino a few days before Obi Wan Kenobi and have informed their Generals about the incident, so the Jedi will also be searching for the culprit. These actions allow the final pieces of the puzzle to fall into place and now it's only a matter of time before our heroes discover Darth Vader's true identity.
There you have it everyone! The summary of the last few chapters. I'm now going to move on to the prologue of today's chapter, but I hope you appreciated the refresher.
Preparations for the battle of Ryloth have began. As Republic forces led by Mace Windu, Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker embark on a mission to liberate the world from the Separatist Alliance, Darth Vader's apprentice returns from a mission in the Unknown Regions with information that forces her Master to throw his plans for victory against the menacing Darth Sidious out of the window and reveals an new enemy that could destroy everything the two time travelers have been trying to save. Now desperate to annihilate the threat before it can become a problem, Lord Vader is forced to make a game-changing decision that could irreversibly change the galaxy's history.
Providence-class carrier, Darth Vader's point of view:
I knew that the Republic would be coming soon and that so would both Kenobi and Skywalker. My forces had already captured Master Ima-Gun Di and Commander Keeli, along with a significant amount of clones and Freedom Fighters alike. The Separatist Council had already sent Wat Tambor to the capital and he was competent enough to keep Syndulla and the other Twi'lek's at bay for the time being. Fortunately, there was one major change. I had taken command of the blockade and was determined to give both Anakin and Yullaren a run for their money when they tried to break through it. I had even taken a droid as a temporary assistant, who was supposed to deliver all major reports directly to me. Speaking off the droid, he was coming towards me in what barely qualified as a run cycle. Force, I would have to put this one through some upgrades wouldn't I?
RO2187-Sir! I was just notified that Lady Reaper has returned from her recent assignment!
Vader-Is she here?
RO2187-Yes sir! I saw her earlier; she was going to your quarters.
Vader-You have done well. I will speak to her personally. Inform me when the Republic attacks us.
RO2187-Roger roger!
I left the droid behind and headed towards my quarters. When I entered I saw Ahsoka sitting on the bed, looking disturbed. She waved at me weakly when I entered, something that was never a good sign. I sat down next to her and took of my helmet after making sure that the door was locked.
Vader-Hey Snips.
Ahsoka-Hi Ani.
Vader-What's wrong?
Ahsoka-Your hunch was right. I found it. I found them.
Vader-Force…the one time I wish I was wrong…
Ahsoka smiled weakly at my remark and I couldn't stop myself from cracking a smile as well. I move my hand on hers and she visibly relaxed for a moment, at least until she answered me with the snippiness she's known for.
Ahsoka-Huh. You wishing you were wrong? I'd pay good money to see that.
Vader-So…what's the status of their weapons?
Ahsoka-Nearly complete and so is that damned fleet. Tactical droid said it would be done in two years at most.
Vader-And we have no weapon that can counter them. *sigh* Damn you Sidious!
Ahsoka-You know what the best part is?
Vader-I didn't know there was a good part.
Ahsoka-There are millions of them. Millions of soldiers loyal to Sidious and Sidious alone. Worst of all, their fleet is nearly as big as ours Master. We may still have bigger numbers in terms of droids…
Vader-But they stand no chance against an army of well equipped Stormtroopers.
Both of us sat in silence for a moment, frowns visible on our faces. Ahsoka moved, seemingly trying to get up, but simply sat on my lap instead.
Ahsoka-What are we going to do?
Vader-The plan has changed. I will discuss this with Qui Gon before proceeding. Perhaps he and the others have some advice.
Ahsoka looked at me, curiosity clear in her blue eyes. I took a deep breath, knowing that this explanation would take a long, long time.
Ahsoka-You never mentioned any others.
Vader-I came in to contact with them very recently. Revan and Bastila wish to help us and I am not one to turn down such an offer. Besides, they even taught me a new Force ability that will come in handy very soon.
Ahsoka-A new one?
Vader-Yes. Revan invented it after his death. He hasn't decided on the name, but the idea is intriguing.
Ahsoka-What does it do?
Vader-If one is strong in the Light or the Dark they can summon long gone warriors from the Living Force. Well…replica's of them. Basically, by using either the Light or Dark Side of the Force I am able to summon them to fight for me, as long as I am familiar with their abilities and styles.
Ahsoka-So…if you use the Light Side you can do it for dead Jedi and if you use the Dark you can do it for Sith?
Vader-Yes, but it is not limited to Force users. Soldiers of each respective side can also be summoned, as well as other individuals. The best part is that only I know how to use this power and Palpatine doesn't even know that it exists.
Ahsoka-Say…on what kind of scale are we talking about?
Vader-Theoretically, there is no limit to the amount of Phantoms you can summon, but it is very tiring. Heck, I tried it with a couple Purge Troopers earlier and I was only able to keep them "alive" for a few minutes.
Ahsoka-Keep them alive? Can these things die? Like, if I stab them in the chest with a lightsaber will they go down?
Vader-Yes. They will be defeated and will disappear after a couple seconds. They are nothing but phantoms; they can't exist without someone fueling their power.
Ahsoka-You keep calling them Phantoms. What's up with that?
Vader-It is the name Revan gave them.
Ahsoka-You are teaching me that.
Vader-Yes, milady. I do as you command.
I had told Ahsoka about the (admittedly awkward) conversations I had with Padme before the war, thinking that we could look back at them and laugh it off. Nowadays, I wish I hadn't been so foolish. One may ask why, but the reason is quite simple. She has never stopped mocking me about those damned pickup lines I had used back then. I mean, looking back I realize how bad they were, but that isn't a reason to mock me every time they come up! Is it? Nah, it isn't…
Ahsoka-I told you, I don't like it when you call me that!
Vader-What should I call you then?
Ahsoka-How about "beautiful"?
Vader-Huh. And I thought you were way past that mark.
Ahsoka blushed when I said that and I couldn't keep the smile from my face any longer. I had been worried sick about her while she was gone on her mission to find Exegol, but there truly wasn't able to do anything about it and I was simply glad that she was back safe and sound. While I was lost in my thoughts she leaned into me and pulled me into warm kiss.
Ahsoka-Have any other suggestions?
Vader-Perhaps extraordinary is a better word. Or maybe, irresistible.
Ahsoka-Oh, come on! Can't you do any better?
Vader-We both know that I prefer action to words Snips…
Ahsoka-Speaking of action…do we have time for any "aggressive negotiations" milord?
Vader-Depends on how aggressive they are.
Ahsoka-You'll find out soon.
Vader-So, everything is indeed going as I foreseen.
Ahsoka-Oh Ani, cut the crap.
Vader-Fine fine. Now, where were we?
I was about to pull her into another kiss, but one of the droids interrupted me. As usual, my Skywalker luck got the better of me and I was being called for something that would split me and Snips apart…again! After taking a moment to collect myself and actually pay attention to the droid I was mildly surprised by how quickly time seemed to pass when I was with Snips.
RO2187-Uh, sir? The Republic is attacking! We need you on the bridge!
Vader-*sigh* Very well. I will be there soon.
RO2187-Roger roger!
Ahsoka sat up and told me that she'd tell the droids to prep our fighters for the battle while I followed the B1 to the ship's bridge and readied myself for the upcoming battle, knowing that it wouldn't be an easy one, especially when Anakin and Luke are leading the naval forces.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and the nice moment between Vader and Ahsoka. Speaking of this chapter, I'd like to tell you guys that in canon, Palpatine was fully aware of Exegol's existence and had access to it and all it's crazy Sith Cultists, but thought the Clone Wars were a less complicated and generally better idea than leading an army of Sith into battle, at least according to the new novels. I'd also like to quickly clear up something from chapter 7. I've previously explained that Ahsoka (from the future) will not use the Dark Side in this fanfic, but I didn't address the fact that her eyes were yellow in that chapter. For the sake of consistency, she any other characters that are pretending to be darksiders will be using Force Projection to fool the Jedi into believing that they are real Sith, even when they're not.Now, about the next chapter. The battle of Ryloth is coming and it brings a whole lot of action with it. The entire battle will be split into either two or three chapters, in order to address each phase of the battle separately. Before I go, I'd like to ask you guys what you think about the new Force ability I put into the story. I should probably also mention that it isn't in Cannon or Legends and is something I've created for reasons that I can't explain without spoiling things. Again, to my knowledge no one else as thought of this before and the ability is my creation (that I'd like feedback on). Anyways, that's all for now everyone. I'll see you guys in the next one, but until then, May the Force be with you.