Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.

Excerpt from the memoirs of Commandant Sion Thule, warden of the Spire.

I remember the first time I met the Emperor. It seems it was only yesterday when I was called into his throne room in order to receive my orders as I was to be posted to one of the most famous prisons in the empire: the Spire. As I walked into the Throne room my knees almost buckled in his presence.

While we have never revealed it to the public, my family, the Thules, were slightly force sensitive. We were never powerful enough to manipulate the force in the way of the Jedi, but we prided ourselves in our ability to sense the force in other beings. This was one of the reasons I had been selected for my appointment, or so I was told by my commander. I had never truly interacted with many force users in my life, so it was no surprise the Emperor's mere presence terrified me.

A dark presence in the form of a man sat on the throne hooded and cloaked; his gnarled fingers gently wrapped around an ornate black walking stick. As I knelt before him, I could understand why most of the Empire had deemed him a wise, old, and harmless leader. However, what I saw shocked me to my very bones.

The aura of every force user looks different to my family. My father had met the old grandmaster of the Jedi order and told me that looking at him was like looking at a star. Palpatine was the opposite. Dark red and black miasma curled around the man, blue lightning flickering from it as its reach extended tendrils far across the room. The only word to truly describe the man, no monster, before me is power.

"My dear boy, I cannot tell you how happy I am to meet you," the Emperor stated, his smooth voice immediately soothing my worries. "You have risen through the ranks of this empire quickly and honorably. This, in addition to your rather unique talent, is why I have decided to grant you the title of Commandant, as well as appoint you warden of our greatest prison: The Spire."

"Your highness, it would be my honor to accept this post."

Palpatine grinned, his wrinkled face stretching slightly as he stood up from his throne and ambled down the dais to where I knelt. He slowly reached his hand forward and I grasped it. I have often wondered what would have occurred had I not accepted his hand, but to regret the past is futile.

The Emperor told me to follow him as he began to walk out of the throne room onto a balcony observing the lower levels of Coruscant. He left his guards behind and held a glass of wine as he looked out over the city. I stood beside him, too apprehensive to say a word. He was silent for a time, but as his voice cut through the noise of the air traffic, I snapped to attention.

"Tell me, my boy, what do you know of the Jedi, and what do think about them?" Palpatine asked calmly, taking a sip of his wine. Looking back, I wonder what would have happened to me had I not answered

to his satisfaction. Luckily for me, my answer was sufficient.

"The Jedi were the guardians of the Republic for generations my lord. However, the latest Jedi council decided that the Jedi needed more power and tried to assassinate you in order to take control of the senate."

"Do you believe this to be true?" he asked. The smell of ozone wafted over me as if the area had been struck by lightning. I thought no more of such a thing and began to formulate my answer.

"In my opinion, your highness, if this is not true it still would have eventually occurred." Palpatine raised an eyebrow and gestured for me to continue. "My lord, despite the fact that my family was never powerful in the force, we were invited to join the Jedi on more than one occasion. However, every time they asked for one of our force-sensitive children, they were refused. My family was of the opinion that while the idea of protectors of the Republic was a satisfactory idea on paper, the Jedi were far from the custodians they claimed to be."

"How so? Do not worry my boy, speak your mind freely."

"It has been a thousand years since the removal of the enemy of the Jedi, the Sith. When they were defeated, the Jedi should have removed themselves from under the Republic's control. By placing even more restrictions upon themselves and further submitting to a government that has been inefficient at best and corrupt at worst, they slowly but irrefutably became corrupt themselves. You yourself, sir, saw the interference and inefficiency of the Senate while we were fighting the Separatists." I briefly imagined that a ghost of a smile crossed the old man's face, but no, I must have been mistaken. As he made no move to interrupt me, I decided to continue.

"Moreover, I thought they were hypocrites of the highest order…" A loud noise disturbed my train of thought. Kuuuuuuh Kerr. Kuuuuuuh Ker. I froze as I sensed sheer and unmasked hate appear behind me. I slowly turned and was face to face with a giant hulking mass of metal and flesh. Plated metal and black leather-covered what might have been a man's body as he moved forwards. The glint of a lightsaber's hilt winked at his side as he took each step. There was no doubt in my mind of the identity of the figure that stood before me: The enforcer of the Emperor, Darth Vader.

"Ah, Lord Vader, you have arrived." The Emperor smiled and beckoned the creature forward. The figure slowly walked to Palpatine's right side, his silence unnerving me. "You have come at the most opportune moment. Allow me to introduce you to Commandant Sion Thule, the new commander of The Spiral. He is your newest subordinate.

As the helmet turned towards me, I tried to stand as tall despite the fact that I was shaking worse than a lost explorer on Hoth. While the Emperor was indeed the more powerful of the two, I confess I was more terrified of Vader. Was he looking at me? Or elsewhere? I stared into the abyss that was the eyeholes of his helmet and swallowed audibly. Eventually, he turned back towards the Emperor, giving me the time to recover myself. "Commandant Thule, continue your analysis of the Jedi and their beliefs, you are beginning to interest me."

"Of course, sir. My family, myself in particular, did not care for the teachings of the Jedi because, well, they didn't make much sense."

"Elaborate."

"Well sir, I believe that the Jedi order was a breeding ground for the Dark Side, even though the order wished to eradicate it. They, as an institution, not only have their code but abide by a few more teachings that in my opinion are dangerous. My father once told me that one of the masters of the order would often quote (you're not quoting so either change the word or put the saying in quotes) that the Dark Side of the force was a pathway that damns a person. While I do not know enough about the Sith as a religion, the fact that the Jedi decided to prevent their students from the possibility of falling to the Dark Side by forbidding attachments proves to me that perhaps the Sith were not as horrific and terrible as the Jedi claimed them to be."

As I spoke those words, Lord Vader turned to me with what I can only assume was interest. He was silent for a moment, but I could see he wanted to say something as he began to slowly clench and unclench his right fist. "You disagree with the Jedi orders' ideas of attachments Commandant?"

I swallowed thickly as I shifted in place, my hands nervously grasping my pockets, as I had no blaster at my side. Summoning up my courage, I replied. "Yes, my lord. I believe that forbidding attachments, particularly from species like humans, is far more detrimental than the possibility of one falling to the Dark Side. Raising children in such a way would undoubtedly create beings that lack the ability to care about others, which is contradictory to the so-called mission of the Jedi. They slowly but surely throughout the generations after the battle of Russan began to remove themselves from the dealings with the rest of the galaxy. Eventually staying in their high towers passing judgment over force users who disagree with them. Furthermore, while they say they do not wish for attachments, there is one attachment that they cultivate and even encourage."

"And what is that my boy? Please continue, it has been far too long since Lord Vader and I have heard such an excellent argument against the Jedi order." Palpatine said, draining what was left of his wine.

"The Jedi Order breeds an attachment with the order itself." As I continued, I found myself interrupted by the Emperor throwing his head back in laughter. It was a laugh devoid of humor but was loud, long, and mocking.

"Well done my boy, I haven't heard such a reason in ages! If only I had you under my command during the Clone Wars I would have won the war much sooner with your type of thinking in my cabinet."

"Thank you, your highness. There is a reason why, while there have been hundreds of Dark Jedi created in the thousand years since the Sith were defeated, there have only been twenty Jedi, including Count Dooku who left the order. The reason why those twenty managed to leave the Jedi order was due to the fact they managed to not only find either a stable job outside the Republic or found they had some form of family wealth. Dooku, for instance, found he was the son of a Count on Serenno, and through this, was able to leave the order. Normal Jedi do not have this option, particularly ones that have little hope of ascending to the higher ranks of the Jedi Knights, let alone the Jedi Masters. They have no place to go if they are cast out or choose to leave the order. So, an attachment is formed. This attachment to the Jedi temple begins their journey to the Dark Side. It begins with fear, as they desperately do not wish to lose the only home they have ever known. Even those who wish to leave the temple despite this have nowhere to go, so they remain. This leads to anger. Anger at the code and anger at the ruling council of the Jedi for forcing them into this predicament. That anger festers and becomes hatred. Eventually, they will turn to the Dark Side and the Jedi will make them suffer for it."

As I stopped my answer, breathing heavily, the Emperor turned to his right hand. "What do you think Lord Vader," he asked, "do you think he will be a good warden for the Spire?"

"Yes, my master. Before he takes up his appointment, however, I wish for him to accompany me for a hunt. His skills in sensing force users would be invaluable in tracking Jedi Master Luminara Unduli."

"Very well Lord Vader, you may proceed. Commandant Thule, I look forward to seeing where your career will go." With those words, the Emperor turned and walked back into the throne room leaving Darth Vader and I standing on the balcony. I waited for my orders for a time while Vader said nothing and simply stared over the rail, looking up at the stars. Despite his fearsome appearance in person as well as in the force, there was something I saw that I hadn't picked up on before. I never spoke of it to Vader, nor anyone else for that matter. But deep in the force, underneath all the layers of hate and anger, the core of Darth Vader screamed in pain and anguish, almost as if it was begging someone to forgive him.

Two months later, Mustafar.

Darth Vader floated aimlessly in his bacta tank, the cooling liquid seeping into his injured body. He closed his eyes as he breathed deeply from the oxygen mask strapped to his burnt lips, sending air into his deeply injured lungs. Aside from killing Jedi, this truly was his favorite pastime, as it was one of the only moments that he was not in constant agony. However, despite the calming effect the medicine had on him, Darth Vader was unhappy.

In further consideration, he was more irritated than unhappy since he was usually in constant pain and anguish. What made him particularly displeased at the moment, however, was the lack of progress on his current hunt. He was hunting a Jedi master, and as most had been killed in Order Sixty-six, they were extremely rare. Hunting Jedi was one of the few things that brought the injured man pleasure these days, and as the empire expanded, Vader was forced to delegate most of the Jedi acquisition to the Inquisitors. However, now he had a chance to fight and capture a truly powerful Jedi, one that he had a personal grudge against. The mere thought of fighting Luminara and driving his lightsaber into her heart as she choked from the force caused the Dark Side within him to howl in approval.

However, she was nowhere to be found! He and his subordinates had been scouring the furthest reaches of the galaxy in order to find her, but they had found little. Only rarely did they find information on her whereabouts, and it was always outdated. Vader gnashed his teeth together in frustration. What was the Jedi up to? Little did he know that shortly his questions would soon be answered.

Vader looked up from his bacta tank as he heard the faint sound of running footsteps coming towards him. He stared through the one-way glass that comprised his tank to see the running form of Commandant Sion Thule as he came in barreling into his chambers.

"I thought I said I was not to be disturbed, Commandant," Vader uttered slowly as he used the force to halt the man and hold him in place. Despite this, Vader had no real inclination to harm the Commandant as he would most other officers. After working with Thule for some time, he knew the man would have waited if it was not urgent.

"Apologies my lord," the man gasped out of breath. "But I felt you needed to know. I believe we've found her." At those words, Vader began to slowly grin in anticipation. Finally, he thought, she is in my grasp.

An hour later, after Vader was placed in his armor and walked to the bridge of his Star Destroyer, he asked for the findings. "Are you sure Commandant? Where is the Jedi hiding?"

Thule emerged from his position behind the navicomputer. "My lord, For the past two weeks I have, with your permission, been scouring the Jedi archives as well as using the data found in Luminara's old hideaways to attempt to discover who or what she was looking for. Originally, I thought that she would be looking for other Jedi survivors, but apparently, this is not the case. My lord, what do you know of the planet Tython?" the young man asked, as he furiously typed on a datapad.

Vader thought for a moment before he responded. "Very little. I have heard it mentioned in passing, but nothing more."

Thule nodded before he responded to the Sith Lord. "I would be very surprised if you did my lord, it is a very remote planet located in the deep core. I found it when I was looking through the archives of an old Jedi master. The format was so old I was surprised I was even able to retrieve the information from it."

"Luminara was looking for this place. Why?" Even having been a Jedi himself, Vader had never heard of such a place. More thing the Jedi Council hid from the rest of the order no doubt.

Thule typed at his datapad for a moment before beginning to punch coordinates into the navicomputer. After a moment he began to speak once more. "From what we found on Illum; she had been going through some of the archives in the destroyed temple. While I was unable to retrieve much, I was able to retrieve the subject she was searching for. Lord Valenthyne Farfalla, who from what was written in his last journal entry, left with an expedition of four other Jedi to confront a supposed Sith on the planet Tython. Tython is rumored to be the planet that has the original Jedi temple on it. The planet was abandoned over three thousand years ago."

Vader looked at the datapad Thul put in front of him. "If what you say is true, the planet and the temple would have been abandoned for generations. What could possibly be so important to Luminara that she would risk going to Illum in order to retrieve information about this planet?"

"From what I can gather, the only thing that she might be after is a device called the Forge. It was a powerful machine that could create lightsabers for any Jedi padawan who meditated there. With the information about it scarce, it is not impossible that this forge could serve another purpose. Creation of a weapon perhaps?"

As the two began to discuss the plan of entry into the planet, a lieutenant approached the Commandant and saluted. "My lord, Commandant, we have a ship on our scopes. It is about to approach the target planet."

Vader grinned under his mask. One way or another, he would be fighting a Jedi today. He nodded to the Commandant as he requested to be allowed to retrieve his armor and equipment. Vader began to slowly prepare himself for a potential battle on the planet. He, for a moment, began to relax the carefully applied power he used to soothe the wounds he received on Mustafar. Immediately he stifled a groan and the pain hit him, as fresh as the day he was burned. The Dark Side sang in response as he began to use his pain to fuel his power. The Dark Side bubbled up from inside him, frothing like a fountain of boiling black blood. He removed his lightsaber from his belt and began to perform any last-minute checks. While he was confident in his ability to kill the Jedi, he wasn't stupid enough not to check to see if his weapons were in working order. A few moments passed before a thought came to mind. The ship they were chasing was far slower than the Star Destroyer. It was quite possible they would catch up with it before it landed on the planet. What to do…

"Lieutenant, how close are we to catching the ship? Will it land upon the planet before we are able to fire upon it?" The last thing Vader wanted was to be deprived of his fight. However, these thoughts were driven out of his mind when the Lieutenant responded.

"Well sir, I do not believe we have the ability to catch them. They're much faster than the Devastator."

"How?" ground out the question. Vader's tone was ice. They were in a Star Destroyer, the apex of current ships. The fact that a light freighter could outstrip them in speed was ridiculous.

"Well sir, their ship is smaller and lighter sir." The man continued before he was cut off by a blue blaster bolt in the chest. He slammed into the console and fell to the ground motionless. Vader turned to Thule, who was clad in old blue and white pattered Mandalorian armor holding a DE-10 blaster pistol, the tip still smoking. The man holstered the weapon and walked to the console.

"What the hell did he mean by the ship's lighter?" the man asked, exasperated, seemingly unconcerned he was standing next to the still smoking body of the man he killed. Vader nodded in approval. He had warned Tarkin that the standards at the imperial academy were slipping. Even Vader himself never thought it was this inefficient.

"Mandalorian armor?"

"Won it off an old clansman after the Siege of Mandalore. The clan was less than pleased to see this go. It's a Hydra type, from the old republic. Figured if I was going to go against a Jedi, I might need some form of protection."

The two walked to the shuttle and descended into the planet's atmosphere. They were quickly able to identify the old shuttle landing on the outskirts of a ruined temple. They landed and Vader strode out of the shuttle, the force swirling around him.

Thule followed Vader as close as he could, as the two ran through grass plains towards a large mountain on the horizon. Before they reached the mountain, Thule had one question. "What are my orders, sir?"

"I sense there are several others with the Jedi. You may deal with them. The Jedi, however, is mine." Vader ground out, the Dark Side raging at the man for restraining it.

Eventually, the two reached a small valley at the base of the mountain. There they finally saw the one they had searched for. A Jedi master, wrapped in a simple black robe, meditating next to a large metal object: The Forge. Alongside her were two females, one a Wookie and the other a Twi'lek, both with blasters raised.

"So, you have come Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith," Luminara said, gracefully rising from her meditative position. "However, I am surprised you have brought another with you. No matter. I have achieved what I have set out to do. Lure you to this planet that is rich with the power of the light side of the force. I will deprive Sidious of his favored apprentice and bring the Jedi back from extinction." With those words, she drew her green lightsaber and leaped at the Dark Lord.

As the two powerhouses clashed, Thule immediately began to retreat. He knew better than to interfere, and it would be better to simply stay out of the crossfire. He ducked behind a boulder as blaster shots began to ring out. Luminara's two companions began to fire at him, giving him little chance to retaliate. He swiftly returned fire, blue and red bolts flashing across the valley in the shadow of the mountain overhead.

Soon, however, Thule began to silently lower his targeting interface as he prepared his final assault. The interface worked quickly, and the missile attached to his jetpack rose and slammed into the ground in front of his opponents, exploding and knocking them to the ground. He bolted out from his cover, both blasters drawn. The two must be eliminated before they got back up. However, when he reached them, there was little need for it.

It was obvious to Thule that the Twi'lek was dead. Her once deep purple skin was now black and charred, her Lekku half-destroyed and laying a few feet from the rest of the body. Thule closed his eyes for a moment, honoring his opponents, and went to check on the final victim. Seeing the Wookie was still moving despite her injuries, he put four shots into the creature's head. He began to walk up to the forge, simply waiting for the inevitable ending to the confrontation below he knew would occur.

Vader was in his element, his lightsaber flashing and crashing down on the much smaller opponent. Luminara was barely able to counter as he smashed his blade against hers in a devastating overhand. Even strengthened by the force, the Jedi master felt her knees buckle. She jumped back and began to use the force to her furthest capabilities, lifting massive chunks of stone from the surroundings and hurling them at him. Vader smirked as with simply a gesture, the rocks were turned to powder.

Luminara closed in again, her saber held high. This was going to be a battle of attrition as they were eventually matched with a blade. Vader's strength vs Luminara's speed, power vs strength. Again and again, they clashed, neither gaining an advantage over the other. Soon enough they disengaged again.

"We are evenly matched Sith. But I will win a battle of attrition. Surrender now." Luminara stated, reaching deep within the force and raising her hands. As sweat began to bead from her brow, she ripped the mountain from the ground and threw it at the Dark Lord. Thule's eyes widened as he saw what Luminara was planning and began to bolt for cover.

If Luminara had expected Vader to surrender, or even falter, she was sorely mistaken. Vader responded with a laugh. A deep and dark laugh, booming with a mocking tone as Luminara faltered. Vader finally loosed his power, the Dark Side roaring like an inferno as it was released from Vader's submission and brought to force against the mountain.

Thule shook in fear as he stared at the man. He had never truly believed some of the stories his grandfather had told him that were passed down from generation to generation in his family. True masters of the force were almost akin to gods in the old republic and one of such power had not been seen for millennia. But here was one now in the form of Darth Vader. The planet beneath them trembled and cracked as the full power of the Sith lord was brought to bear on the now helpless Jedi who stood trembling.

The mountain was ripped from Luminara's force grip and exploded, sending shards in every direction. Vader stood in the middle of what looked to Thule like a force-made tornado, Vader's power whipping up dust and debris as he stood before the now kneeling Jedi master. Vader snorted in disappointment. All it took for the Jedi's will to break was for him to release his true might? And she was an acclaimed master. With a simple gesture, the Jedi master was knocked out and Vader beckoned his subordinate near him.

"We have succeeded in the Emperor's mission. I assume the others were taken care of Commandant?"

"Yes, my lord, they are dead. Shall I call for the shuttle?" Vader nodded and Thule contacted the shuttle to pick them up.

"You have done well Commandant. I am…pleased with your performance. You will take the Jedi to the prison and take up your position as warden. However, at some point, I may have a need for your services again." With those words, Vader strode off towards the now landing ship. Thule grinned for a moment and then saluted.

"Yes, my lord, thank you very much!" Thule said, grinning. He was looking forward to working with the Sith again, but his new position awaited!

This is the end of the one-shot. I have no real idea if I will write a sequel, but who knows? All credit to both current Canon Star Wars material as well as Legends. Shout out as well to AkumaKami64, he gave me the idea for Thule's rant against the order in his fantastic fanfiction Darth Vader: Hero of Naboo. Fantastic read, really recommend it.