Chapter 10 : To Serve the Empire
Darth Vader walked out of the Emperor Palpatine Surgical Reconstruction Center, intending to fly his speeder back to his apartment in Imperial City. It would seem to be a simple thing, walking, but he no longer took it for granted, having just completed several weeks of physical therapy to regain that ability. Following surgery to repair his fractured neck, he had to retrain his nervous system to communicate with his prosthetic limbs, again, and had worked to regain voluntary respiratory control as well.Synthetic vertebrae had been added to the list of things within himself that were not himself. His two stays in the rehab center had left him with the desire to never see its pale green walls again.
He also no longer took for granted that he was the Chosen One.Gone was the unswerving sense of destiny that had carried him through the hard decisions in his life. Recovery from spinal surgery had given him plenty of time to think over Palpatine's tale of his origin. A lie. The truth. He had not been able to decide which, but he had concluded that he must be fighting the will of the Force. Nothing else would explain his catastrophic defeats at the hands of Obi-Wan and Palpatine. He doubted he would survive a third error in judgement on his part.
Though he might dream of being Emperor, of ruling the Galaxy with his son at his side, it appeared the Force did not flow in that direction. He would stop trying to create his own future, and accept his destiny, bring what it may. He had been born a slave, and if Palpatine was to be believed, had been designed for that role as a Sith manipulated conceptus, meant to be a Force gifted apprentice, but never a master. He could not deny that his efforts to put himself in a ruling position had brought only disastrous consequences.
Much as he could resign himself to awaiting the destiny the Force meant for him, he had difficulty letting go of his dreams for Luke. He would not bring him out of hiding to become another prize for Palpatine, but he could also not bear to think of him wasting his life away as a moisture farmer in the barrens of Tatooine. The Force shone too brightly in the boy to let such gifts go to waste. Maybe next year he would be stronger, maybe next year the Force would show him how to rescue Luke. Maybe next year.
------
Today was a good day. Darth Vader was returning to duty, and the Emperor Palpatine found he was eager to see him.
From his office in his private residence, Palpatine gazed out upon the Imperial City skyline. He had constructed the office so that it was possible to watch both the expansive window and the entry door at the same time, allowing him to sit in the position of power without denying himself the pleasure of the horizon. As he awaited Vader's arrival, his mood became increasingly triumphant. The weight of nearly twenty years of doubt and tension had lifted from his mind. The Chosen One was vanquished.
He should have killed him in the beginning, that hated child that Plagueis had designed. He had killed Plagueis over the matter, when he learned of his master's treacherous plan to replace him. He had suffered much, given up much, to achieve the position of Plagueis' apprentice, and he would not be discarded like so much garbage. But the project fascinated him, and he could not deny that it was a remarkable achievement to create a child with the power of the Force.
He had allowed the child to be born, knowing he could halt the experiment any time he wished. A supernatural glow of the Force enveloped the boy from the beginning, more than Palpatine had ever encountered in a being. It vexed him, the idea that the boy could grow to be more powerful than himself. Still, it was only a child, and who would be afraid of a child ? It was intolerable to him to think that he would back down from a challenge, and so he had let the boy be, and watched him from afar.
Back then he entertained no thought of taking the boy as his own apprentice, as he had already invested considerable time and energy into raising his own protege, the Iridonian Darth Maul. Maul was a laundry list of Sith qualities : intense, focused, Force powerful, and as trustworthy as a Sith could be expected to be. With Maul nearly fully trained, he had no need to take the evidence of Plagueis' disloyalty under his wing.
He would have left the boy, Force talented, but untrained, in the forgotten town of Mos Espa, but for the unfortunate arrival of Qui-Gon Jinn on Tatooine. Only a renegade like Jinn would have ever considered training a child as old as Anakin in the ways of the Jedi. He cursed himself for dismissing this possibility; how could he have not forseen this event ? The Chosen One, Jinn declared the boy, and took him under his guidance.
Even though Palpatine knew the boy's origin to be of Plagueis' design, there was no denying that the child had not been conceived in the usual way, that he was a product of the Force. It pained him to think that the boy might hold special status, that he still could be the result of the will of the Force.
When the Jedi accepted the boy into their order, Palpatine knew he would have to turn Anakin to ensure his own survival.With training, doubtless the boy would become more powerful than himself, and that was simply unacceptable. From that day forward, his life was marred by a twinge of fear that he could not eliminate.
No matter how high he rose to power within the Republic, he could not rid himself of the nagging voice that asked him, "Will this boy be more powerful than you ?"
Even when the Republic fell, and he became Emperor, his doubt ate at him.
Even when the Jedi became no more, and the Sith resurfaced to victory after 1000 years, the voice mocked him.
Even when the boy knelt at his feet, and pledged his loyalty, he wondered if he could control him.
He had shepherded the boy most of his life, knew how strongly the Force was with him, but that had not prepared him for the pipeline of Force energy that poured from Anakin, then overwhelmed by desperation and fear, as he made his choice to follow Palpatine.If the boy had not been so dangerous, he would have been a thing of beauty.
When he found Anakin butchered and burned on the rocks of Mustafar, he had been angry, angry at Kenobi for once again taking something of value from him. But he had also been flooded with relief, because he knew that Anakin, reborn as Vader, would now never be able to reach his full potential.
When it all played out, and the reconstructed Darth Vader stood at his side, the voice had still not been silenced. He had been reasonably, but not completely, sure that he could control Vader in the wake of his injuries. Still, he knew a challenge would be forthcoming from Vader, both because it was the way of the Sith, and because Vader had proven to be more headstrong than he had known.
Now it was over. He had beaten his rival, his nemesis, his apprentice. Never again would he worry that he would be unable to defeat the Chosen One. The relief was so delicious, he laughed. He had been confirmed; the Galaxy had never known a stronger ruler. The name of Palpatine would be remembered across all time.
------
Darth Vader was surprised to find himself walking down the long corridor that lead to the main office of Palpatine's private residence. He was even more surprised that he walked unflanked by Imperial Guards. After nearly succeeding at killing the Emperor, he had thought Palpatine would have relegated him to "hologram only" status, rather than inviting him to a private meeting.
He hesitated a moment at the doorway, watching the face of his master. He had not seen Palpatine since the day he had tried to kill him.That day he had been filled with hate and outrage and promise, but that fire had been smothered by his own failure. Now when he looked at Palpatine, he felt nothing but despair. He was Darth Vader, who lived not once, but twice, by the grace of Palpatine's favor.
When he had received the summons to appear at Palpatine's residence, he didn't know what fate awaited him.Surely Palpatine would not have repaired him only to turn around and destroy him. A warning, a demotion, a punishment - all those scenarios had played through his mind, but he hadn't thought he'd be walking down that long hallway solo, like an old friend.
Palpatine looked up from his desk. "Ah, Lord Vader, please come in. I must say you are looking quite fit."
Vader saw that the Emperor's face bore its typical controlled expression of repose, rather than the contorted grimace of rage that had been present at their last encounter. Beneath that practiced mask of complete self-confidence, Vader sensed something different in the Emperor. Somehow, Palpatine seemed more relaxed, as if a great burden had been lifted.
It was such an odd feeling that it took Vader a moment to comprehend what he was sensing. He knitted his brow as he confirmed his perceptions. For the first time in his experience, the barrier across Palpatine's mind had cracked open, and Vader could feel inside.
He felt Palpatine's exaltation, his mad triumph, his rampant sense of superiority.The deeply furrowed face gave cover to a drunken celebration of domination and confidence. Not a trace of fear sullied the Emperor's mind as he faced the man who had almost killed him.
The subtlest of smiles flitted across Palpatine's face as he acknowledged the emotions he revealed to Vader.
He now understood. If Palpatine had danced atop the chest plate of his life support suit it would not have been a more effective display of victory than this mental revelation. Palpatine saw him as a beaten man, who would never again pose a threat to his master.
He couldn't argue with that assessment.Unless the Emperor weakened with infirmity or age, he held no edge over his master. He didn't have to like it, though. He stabbed a probe deeper into Palpatine's mind.
No, came the answer, and the barrier was once more impenetrable.
So many times he had wished that his masters did not fear him, that they would not place restrictions on him in their efforts to contain his power. Now as bitter bile rose in his throat at the thought of Palpatine's elation, he found that this was worse, to be considered harmless and of no concern. This must be the prelude to his demotion.
"The medics tell me you are well recovered from your...accident, Lord Vader," Palpatine said.
"Everything functions as it did before," he said. The subject of assassination would apparently not be broached.
"The Center does provide the finest medicine credits can buy," the Emperor said. "Tell me, Lord Vader, do you still think Chandrila presents a real threat to the Empire, beyond the chatterings of Senator Mothma ?"
He looked straight into Palpatine's yellow eyes. The Emperor rarely asked for his opinion; surely this was the set-up to a trap. "Yes, Master, I do."
"I've decided you may be right. I want you to take a platoon of the 501st along with agents from the Imperial Security Bureau into the Raioballu sector. There have been odd reports of commercial ships being unable to make orbit on some worlds because of hostile activity. I want you to find the truth of the matter."
"Yes, Master," he said. It appeared that Palpatine was willing to forgive his trespass.
"Lord Vader, there is one more thing," the Emperor said.
Or not.
"As a reminder of the outcome of the incident a few weeks ago, you will kneel before me whenever we meet," Palpatine said.
Inside his helmet he closed his eyes. For a moment his anger threatened to grab hold of him, but he recalled his promise to accept his destiny. "As you wish, Master."
------
Being short of stature and wiry of frame, Special Agent Tsova of the Imperial Security Bureau was used to being towered over by stormtroopers. Standing in the shadow of Darth Vader upped that ante some, but Tsova had long ago consoled himself that what he lacked in physical presence was well compensated by his quick intellect.
"So, Lord Vader, you are the muscle on this mission ?" Tsova said.
"The 501st is your muscle. I'm here to track down the secret navy Chandrila is building," Vader replied.
"Conspiracy theorist, eh? That's usually the realm of my department. But do make sure that you keep the stormtroopers in line. Intelligence work is all about subtlety, which they are known to lack," Tsova said.
"The 501st is nothing if not disciplined. They keep themselves in line," Vader said.
"So what makes you think Chandrila is building a navy ? Mothma has quite a mouth on her, but the ISB has no information that it is any more than talk," Tsova said.
"More than two years ago I discovered Exarga was selling doonium ore to Chandrila on the black market," Vader said.
"Doonium ? The metal for ship hulls ? Why haven't I heard anything about this ? " Tsova said.
"Perhaps you should ask the Emperor himself.He decides what information will be shared," Vader said.
"That's a pretty significant fact to withhold from your own intelligence forces. How am I supposed to do my job without good information ?"
"Are you questioning the Emperor's wisdom ? "
"Um, no. Wouldn't dream of it. But obviously you think there's a connection between your discovery and our mission to Verkai," Tsova said.
"The Emperor believes there is a connection. He is rarely wrong about the future," Vader said.
"Well, he must have more information than I have. Complaints from commercial freighters that they are being chased out of orbit does demand investigation, but I could hardly draw any conclusions from that situation, " Tsova said.
"When we arrive at Verkai, it will all become clear, I am sure of it," Vader said.
------
To the casual eye the Omega class freighter Illusion looked like all the other vessels of its type, boxy and practical, the commercial draft beast of the shipping trade. That much of its cargo hold had been converted to house troops, or that the ship was property of the ISB was left unrevealed by its plain exterior. In the recesses of its hull, its battery of laser cannons remained hidden, as did the fact that the ship also carried Darth Vader and a platoon of the 501st.
To the commander of the Clone Wars vintage war frigate that stood guard in orbit over the planet Verkai, the Illusion must have appeared ordinary as well. The ship bristled forwards towards the Illusion when it exited hyperspace and attempted to approach Verkai.
"You are entering restricted space. Please identify yourself," came the message over the comlink.
Agent Tsova thought a minute before replying. "Send this message, Ensign. 'We are carrying supplies from Chandrila. It is necessary for us to deliver them planetside.'"
Tsova glanced at Darth Vader when a reply from the frigate was not forthcoming. "They weren't prepared for that response."
"That ship is old, but it is of Alderaanian design. That may be of significance," Vader said.
"Are you sure ? It doesn't carry any governmental insignia," Tsova replied.
"Spacecraft are a personal interest of mine. It may have been since sold, but that ship began life as Alderaanian property," Vader said.
The frigate in question finally sent a reply. "You are not on our schedule of supply ships. Please transmit your entry code."
"Code, eh ? I think we're on to something," Tsova said.
"We need to raise our shields," Vader said.
"That will tip our hand. Right now they're not sure about us," Tsova said.
"You would prefer that the ship take a direct hit ?" Vader said.
"They're too far away for an effective strike. We'll never get more clues from them if we don't act like civilians.Ensign, tell then we're trying to contact our consignor, that we weren't advised of needing a clearance code."
"If you don't want the ship damaged, the shields need to be raised now," Vader repeated.
In the bridge viewing window, the frigate was abruptly larger.
"Navigator- shields up !" Vader ordered. A flash of light brightened the bridge window as a laser cannon blow struck the Illusion.
"Good call. Combat instincts ?" Tsova asked.
"The Force," Vader answered."Gunner, return fire."
The Illusion maneuvered sideways to reveal its banks of laser cannons. What had appeared to be a lumbering slorth became a roaring Rythii beast as the Illusion directed blasts at the Alderaanian frigate. Outgunned, the frigate returned futile shots before disappearing into hyperspace.
"Not much of a fight," Tsova said. "I'm sure they're on their way home to report this little incident."
"Perhaps their ship was more valuable than what they left behind on the planet," Vader said.
"Lord Vader, the ship sent a coded signal to the planet surface before it entered hyperspace," the ensign said.
"Bring us closer to the signal destination. Have their been any transmissions from a planetary authority ?" Vader said.
"No, sir," the ensign replied.
"Then take us down to the planet surface.The solution to this puzzle is waiting there," Vader said.
------
Reina Neiff bit into her last slice of jasp, savoring the sweetness of the fruit. She closed her mouth around it to minimize how much juice ran down her hand. With the current embargo against Imperial traders, she didn't know when she might taste jasp again. Not that Verkai didn't have its own fruits, but it seemed that the exotic flavor of jasp was a symbol of everything her planet couldn't have, now that the Resistance had come to Verkai.
For her parents' generation, it made no difference that the Resistance controlled the import and export of products on Verkai. They had grown up in the time when Verkai had been isolated from the rest of the Galaxy, too far off the trade routes to be worth the bother. Only the wealthiest Verkains could afford the fares for passenger travel offplanet back then. For the older generation everything had returned to how it had always been.
When the Empire had come to power several years ago, Verkai had been given a regional governor to represent them, whereas they had no Senator under the Republic.The Empire had opened the Galaxy to Verkai, and the new generation of Verkains had embraced what the Empire had to offer : foods, customs, music, clothing.It felt like half of her friends had fled into the Core Worlds, fulfilling dreams not available to them on Verkai.
Reina had hoped to go, too, one day, but now that dream was buried. She had taken this job instead, working in the Resistance led factory, producing mechanical parts under their direction. They told her the skills she used here would be valuable throughout the Resistance, and that someday she might be moved to a Resistance plant on another world. So far, the job had given her only eye strain from reading countless digital x-ray scans. She wasn't sure what the parts would be used for, but she could spot a bad one, no problem.
She must have a few more minutes left on her lunch break, she thought. The sun felt so warm and luxurious on her skin. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the table. Her reverie was interrupted by a background drone that was growing louder. She peeked open one eye towards the source of the sound, and saw a spacecraft still high in the sky, but obviously descending.She frowned; that didn't make sense. They had just picked up a load from the factory, and there was no reason for the Resistance ship to be back so soon.
The drone grew to a roar as the ship approached the ground. Even Reina's untrained eye could tell that this ship was different from any she had seen before. She found it strange that her supervisor had not come on to the open field that paralleled the factory. Weren't the Resistance staff on the com announcing their arrival ?
When the ship touched ground, Reina found herself surrounded by not only her supervisor, Yan Kozur, but by several of her coworkers, all drawn by the unexpected sound and vibration. Yan looked at her quizzically, but she could only shrug her shoulders. They moved as a group onto the open field, to greet the Resistance leaders.
A small man was the first occupant off the ship, his clothing somehow different from the other Resistance members they had met, but then it could hardly be said that the Resistance was uniform. Reina had to surpress a laugh; the man was short, but he walked with the confident stride of a giant.
Yan stepped forward to distinguish himself. "Hi. We didn't expect you back so soon. That last load of parts was our total production for the month. We don't really have anything else to give you."
The small man appeared to consider that information for a moment. "Then why don't you show me what work you have in progress."
Yan frowned . The Resistance knew what they were building; they had provided all the plans and tooling for the parts. They had never been interested in anything but the finished product before. "Sure. Reina, the parts at your station are closest to completion. Come show them what you have."
Inside the factory, Reina handed the individual components one at a time to the short man, who had still not identified himself. While he considered them carefully, it struck Reina that he seemed unsure of what he was looking at. She didn't know what they were used for either, but at least she knew which end was up.With a smile, she turned the piece in his hand so that it was oriented correctly.
He looked up at her abruptly, but then returned the smile."These look quite satisfactory," he said."Can you show me the actual production line ?"
Yan nodded. "Of course. Come this way."
Reina watched the pair walk further into the factory. She wanted to sneak another look at the ship, to imagine for a moment what it would be like to walk on board and take off to another world, one more exciting than her own. Yan ought to busy for awhile; he'd never know if she took a few minutes before she went back to work.
She was almost outside the building when she heard an odd noise, like breathing, but much louder. A man-she guessed it was a man- wearing some sort of space suit was entering the front doors. Tall, imposing, all in black, she knew a stranger like that ought to frighten her, but, like jasp, he was so exotic, so obviously not of this world, that she was intrigued instead.
"My colleague, he came this way ?" the stranger asked.
She nodded. "They looked at the parts at my station first. Did you want to see them, too?"
"Yes. Show me," he said.
She led him to the components she had been x-raying before lunch.When he picked them up, she noticed that he at least knew enough to hold them the right way.
He set the parts down. "Now take me to my colleague."
They came upon Yan and the short man in discussion at the end of the casting line, examining the different parts the factory manufactured. Both registered a look of surprise at the helmeted man.
"Ah...Vader, we were just going over the production line. Everything appears to be functioning well," the small man said.
"Agent Tsova, do you...," Vader started to say, but Tsova interrupted him.
"Tsst ! Mister Tsova, if you must," he said, while making a slicing gesture across his neck.
Vader sighed. "Agent Tsova there is no need to maintain a ruse. The Empire will not be leaving this planet anytime soon."
"You're from the Empire ?" Reina said with excitement.
"These various pieces are components of a hyperdrive system. Further, they are of Kuati design," Vader said.
"Are you sure ? Kuat is a loyal vendor to the Empire," Tsova said.
"I have been to KDY many times. These parts are not stamped as such, but the detailing is quite characteristic. KDY would not be the first merchant to play both sides of the market," Vader said.
"Both sides ? So you think this is part of an opposition force ?" Tsova said.
"Chandrila buying doonium.An Alderaanian frigate guarding a hidden factory making hyperdrive parts. What conclusion would you draw ?" Vader asked.
"That the protestors may be building ships to begin a fortified rebellion. I agree it looks that way," Tsova said.
"No, they don't call themselves the Rebellion. They're the Resistance," Reina said.
"Whoever they are they'll be surprised when they return and find the 501st waiting for them," Vader said.
"Mr. Kozur did you receive a message shortly before we arrived ?" Tsova asked.
"No. We had no idea another ship was coming in," Yan said.
Tsova nodded. "Then some of the... Resistance is still nearby. We need to bring out the 501st and track them down. Lord Vader, can I leave you in charge of that ? I want to see if I can dig up other clues inside this factory."
Reina saw that the discussion was over and that the Imperial strangers would be going on about their business. Now was her last chance. She took hold of the black suited man's right arm, meaning to catch his attention. The leather of his suit felt soft and thick underneath her fingers, but the arm inside felt unnaturally hard.
The man in black took a sharp intake of breath, and pulled his arm out of her hand.
"Sorry," she said," I just wanted to ask you if you've ever been to Coruscant ?"
Vader was unprepared for the electric jolt that coursed through his body at her touch. The last time another human had intentionally touched him, he had not been in this suit. The last time, it had been Padme'. He looked over at the girl; she had an expectant look on her face.She must have asked him a question, but he hadn't even heard it.
"What did you say ?" he said, struggling to regain his composure.
"Have you ever been to Coruscant ? I hear it's beautiful," she said.
"I have an apartment there, and yes, it has its own beauty. But the sky is so bright you can't see even a single star at night," he said.
"I wanted to go there, but the the Resistance came, and I gave up hope," she said.
"The Empire is here now. We will restore your planet's freedom," Vader said."You will still see Coruscant, I can feel it."
Reina flashed a broad smile. "Thanks. I'd better get back to work."
------
Darth Vader began to make his way back to the Illusion, formulating his plan for directing the 501st in their search for the Resistance members on this world, and for the ambush they would make when the Resistance ship returned to Verkai. His heart rate had dropped back to normal, now that the adrenalin the girl's touch had brought had subsided. Maybe he was just a man, not the Chosen One.
Still, he had been right about Chandrila's threat to the Empire. The Force still whispered to him, and answered his call. Perhaps great purpose was not solely the property of the Chosen One.In time, it would be revealed to him what role the Force intended for him. Until then he would work for the stability of the Empire, follow the will of the Force. And , if he was strong enough, next year he would take back Luke.