Chapter 19
(Coruscant, Vaders Palace, Sometime before the Rebel Meeting)
"So…how does it feel to be, hmm, what's the right phrase?" Kun said aloud putting a thoughtful hand upon his own chin in thought.
"Ah yes! How does it feel to be whole again?"
Vader had since his healing process changed out of his suit, and into a loose fitting vest and simple jeans. Allowing himself to once more feel the freedom of fully responsive and non-painful limbs.
While Vader would argue with Kun on the exact 'wholeness' of his person; a brown haired, brown eyed woman coming to mind, he did not honor Kun with that information.
"By whole, I assume you mean how do I feel now that my body is back to its rightful functioning order." Vader replied and loved hearing a normal human voice come from his mouth.
"Then yes, Kun. I am indeed happy to be 'whole.'" Vader replied as he began stretching his legs out once more, as he did feel at least a little stiff.
"Excellent!" Exar continued as he had ever since the process was completed. Berating Vader to no end every other moment with questions, on how 'this' felt, or how 'that' smelled. It was quite annoying, but Vader held his tongue as he was content to actually indulge Kun on how his senses perceived things. Not only that, but Vader was still begrudgingly thankful to his fellow Sith lord, not that he would ever dare say that aloud though.
"I must say, though. The healing process didn't seemingly bring back your limbs, and body in a particularly out of shape form." Kun said as he craned his neck to observe Vaders legs, and Vader cocked a brow.
"A particular interest in my body, Kun?"
"HA!" Kun suddenly laughed with a smirk.
"I suppose I deserved that, but what I meant to imply was that the healing process I figured would return to you that which you wanted in terms of healing, but I did not think it would be to the degree that your muscles weren't limp, or lame. Which if they were would have been problematic in and of itself." Exar explained, and Vader once more mentally agreed, as if his limbs had been returned to him in a weakened state, then bigger problems than a little stiff muscles would have risen up, and greatly impeded him in the coming war.
"The body does feel a bit stiff, but I can handle that Kun." The blonde Sith declared as he rolled his shoulders once more, and worked out the kinks.
Night had long since fallen across Coruscant, and both Sith lords were currently occupying one of Vaders training rooms a floor up from where the alchemy process had taken place. After the healing process, and Vaders initial awe to the success, Kun had his Massassi commander reenter the room, where Vader was assured by Kun that Mattizz would die before revealing his newly healed state to anyone before the time was right. Mattizz had gone to work, arduously disposing of the ten dead Massassi bodies that were still strewn about the floor at the time, and the commander didn't question or do anything that showed discomfort. Indeed Mattizz disposed of the bodies via a garbage furnace, personally hauling the bodies off, one after the other without delay or rest. Afterwards his lord Kun sending him to go rest on the shuttle he had arrived in.
As such the two Sith agreed that rest was not going to come to them this night, and the force could sustain them anyways. They decided to relocate to the current training room they were in. As Vader decided to begin re-training and committing himself to practice. Kun would either stand and pace around the relatively large room, or sit on another metallic bench off to the side. As Vader went about stretching and getting used to his healed body, Kun would bring up matters needing discussion. Concerning the plans and what the next steps were to be in a galaxy at war.
"So, in regards to the Abregado attack." Kun said after watching Vader commit himself to push ups for a while.
"You say these types of random, pointless attacks are something that has been planned?"
"Indeed I did." Vader replied as he continued on exercising with great jubilation practically radiating off himself.
"Is that not a pointless waste of manpower, and ships?"
"It would be, if Vellam was committing up to date ships in great quantities, and were actually manning his ships with skillful, or trustable pilots. The great majority of the fleet Intelligence will confirm, is comprised of experimental Imperial-class droid units that were under development to potentially replace our normal infantry elements. Quite ironic if one takes the Clone Wars into account, and what that war did to the galaxy's outlook on droids."
"What of the ground, invasion forces?" Kun replied, and Vader jerked his head as if this was knowledge Kun should already know.
"As I said. Vellam is under strict command to throw those who cannot be explicitly trusted by he and the Moffs into the frontlines of these essentially suicidal runs."
"Will that not cement distrust amongst the other troops that have gone along with the Moffs? The Stormtrooper Corps that are still with the Moffs must be feeling more and more at odds with their leaders, right?"
"Have you not heard or read any of the initial reports?" Vader asked as he leapt to a stand and took in a couple of breaths, as Kun could see the blonde Sith before him was sweating quite a bit already.
"The attack on Bestine, Abregado-rae, and in the battles they are waging inside their own borders, they are committing what is left of their Stormtrooper Corps to these attacks. The Stormtroopers cant be trusted by the Moffs, or by us for that matter. They are trained from either birth out of the cloning pods, or selection from recruits to be utterly loyal to the Emperor. So you may see the dilemma we and Vellam share?"
"Yes you're right. We do indeed have a problem in that regard." Exar replied, once more placing a hand to his mouth in thought.
"So, as a consequence, lord Vader, you are suggesting that the Stormtrooper Corps needs to be…-"
"Eliminated? Exterminated? Liquidated perhaps? All these things or any other word of same description Kun, yes." Vader replied as he picked up his saber hilt from a table next to Kun and his bench.
"We must then come up with a means I which they are most likely to be killed." Kun replied after a moment and more thought.
"Have the regular infantry units been mobilized yet?"
"Several dozen defensive divisions across the Core, Colonies, and Inner-Rim have been activated and mobilized. However, my master does not trust the regular ground army forces. Deems them to easily broken by war and battle, unlike the Trooper Corps which hardly ever retreat due to their conditioning." Vader explained with a level of irritation about his voice, as his blue eyes became hard as they looked upon his saber hilt.
"Then we must make it seem necessary to the old man, that the troopers will not be able to withstand the tide."
"It is good then, that I ordered Vellam to mobilize any and all men who would fight for him and his cause. You would be surprised how many people he may gain sympathy from simply because he is fighting my master."
Exar nodded slowly as he began realizing the full extent of Vaders planning concerning Vellam.
"What if Vellam needs to actually conduct war without your tactical approval, my lord Vader?"
Vader chuckled deeply. "He is more than able to conduct war himself. I merely laid forth a path that would seem him more adequately retain command amongst the Moffs. He is in the presence of other Moffs who would try to seize command from him. I will admit, I may have pointed to several key worlds, and systems that would prolong the war a little, but otherwise he has free reign to conduct war so long as I don't take issues with it, and before you ask, yes he and I will remain in contact throughout the war."
Exar nodded in understanding.
"Well then," Kun added with a sigh. "I suppose we'll just have to allow the trooper corps to sustain such losses, be a part of such great defeats, and dishonor themselves so wonderfully that your master will have no choice but to activate the regular infantry forces."
"That may work, but will be made moot, if the cloning facilities are not shut down, or destroyed." Kun growled in annoyance as he rolled his grey eyes.
"How may of those are there exactly?"
"Two, and only one is primarily used. The first one on Kamino long since taken direct command of by Imperial forces from the Kaminoans. The other is on one of the moons above this very world. Centax-2. This facility creates clones in a year at most, and are highly substandard from normal troops, but as I said they are far too stupid and ineffectual to betray my master, and they have false memories implanted into their blank slate of a mind to make them able to point and pull a trigger."
"Most intriguing." Kun responded with annoyance clear in his voice.
"It wont be easy, nothing really is at this point, but we will find a way to shut down those facilities."
"Indeed. Let us not be so hasty to destroy what may very well be the center of the Empires future armies."
"Right you are." Kun replied with a smirk.
"Now that business is concluded for now. How about we put your healed body to the test lord Vader? A good, and shall we say…clean sparring round, much like our two apprentices participated in?" The blonde haired, and blue eyed Sith lord slowly cast a critical look of Kun, before seemingly thinking the proposal over.
"Very well, Kun. Let us, indeed, see if this body is adequate. If I remember my old skills as well as I imagine I do." Vader responded with his chin line hardening as did his eyes.
Kun smirked. "Come now Vader, don't get so defensive. A good spar for the moment when we really are trying to kill one another." Kun said, as he unclasped his long draping cloak, and shook it off.
"Besides. If I wanted to kill you easily, would I not have done so while healing you?"
"Point taken." Vader declared as he set about stretching himself once more, and quickly got into his preferred saber stance. Kun recognized it as the Shien/Djem So variant of saber dueling.
"Ah, form five, a very effective, if domination oriented form of dueling, very good choice Vader." Kun said in a slightly mocking manner, but it was to be expected as two arrogant Sith were about to spar.
As such, Kun pulled his double bladed saber from his belt, and activated the blue blade, to which Vader responded by activating his crimson one, a smirk forming on his features.
"I see Niman is your style Kun. No doubt you are why your apprentice focused on that form earlier. Though he favored the Artaru style within Niman."
"Indeed, Viathan is a dual blade wielder, it is good for him to know this variant and not focus so much on the crazed Jar'kai stances when dealing with a single saber. Me however," Kun went on returning Vaders smirk. "I have a double-bladed saber, but rarely use both sides unless necessary. So Niman it is."
With that Exar twirled his hilt about and plunged towards Vader. His blue blade was easily and fluidly slashed at Vaders midsection, left to right, left to right, and over again, with great strength that Vader found annoyingly hard to block off.
Vader angled his red saber and brought the two sabers into a stand off, before he through off Kun and his saber. Quickly Vader followed up by throwing his saber behind his head, and slamming it down on Kun and brining them into a series of flurries that both men secretly believed the other to be strangely strong.
Vader swung his saber from his far left and slammed it into the blue saber causing a clash that produced sparks, before Kun pushed Vader off and spun around landing a series of hard right slashes aimed at Vaders head, then knee, then back to head.
Vader committed a 360 degree turn, and angled his saber to strike Kun at eye angle, forcing the long haired Sith to block. Seeing his opening Vader threw a kick into Kun knee from the side and sent the Sith buckling forward. Kun used the momentum to roll away from Vader as he brought his red saber down upon him, and Kun only made it back to a knee before Vader was upon him again and slamming down three successive strikes that kept kun fighting to remain even on his knee.
Exar with gritted teeth, surged the force through him and connected his saber with Vaders as the blonde Sith brought it down upon him again. This forced Vader to stumble back and regain his footing by twirling around, just as kun attempted a sideways slash, but Vader met it, and quickly threw kun off, before boldly grabbing a hold of Exar's right wrist before clashing against the saber being held by the grey eyed Sith's left hand.
Vader twisted the wrist and forced Kun to cry in pain as Vader; using the force, brought Kun to the floor and slammed him onto his back, but kun sent a kick into Vaders still stiff left leg, and forced Vader to hiss as he now went to a knee, allowing Kun to jump to a stand in recovery.
Vader, whose eyes were now yellow in the dark side, sent Kun a growl and with great ferocity twirled his body about and slammed a connecting boot covered foot into Kun's right cheek. Kun howled in anger and pain before stumbling to his left. Vader came to a stand brought a swinging slash over his shoulder aimed at kun's neck, but kun carried his momentum and twirled around to meet the oncoming saber.
Vader pushed Kun back with another flurry of successive attacks with his saber aimed down at Kun's abdomen.
Using the force Kun forcefully threw Vader off him, and outstretched both hands, sending a massive boom of force energy at Vader, and tossed Vader some feet away, but Vader rolled across the floor, and still managed to land on his feet, where Kun was already there to meet him after running after him with a maddening flash of energy coursing through him. Vader was only using one hand to hold his hilt and faltered slightly when Kun pounded his saber into his, but Vader used his free hand to return Kun's push and sent him stumbling backward, as Kun feebly attempted to stop a fall from occurring.
Not being able to angle his saber at Kun just yet, Vader sent a very hard punch into Exar's stomach with his left hand, and Kun doubled over slightly with a grunt before sending a glare up to Vader. Kun blocked Vader as he brought his saber down in another hard overhead downward slash, and in retaliation Exar bended both knees and used the force to lift himself and the two blade up, as he connected an upwards punch back into Vaders chin and he heard a brutal connecting of teeth from Vader and Kun doubted that didn't hurt, but Vader with blazing yellow eyes seemingly shrugged it off, and forced Kun to fly off to the left as vaster sent a massive wave of power through their connected blades.
Kun rolled on the floor before jumping to his feet and met Vader who attempted another sideways slash, before he began another side to side flurry attack.
When the two Sith connected the sabers once more, Kun flashed Vader a grin, causing him to glower in confusion. Kun then activated the other side of his saber, and Vader looked mildly shocked at the sight as if he had forgotten about it. SO Kun forced him off and quickly twirled the hilt about in his hand and in a a fats motion kept hitting Vader's saber, forcing the red saber to continuously bump with every strike of the blue blades.
Kun spun it around in front of himself and forced Vader to back off as he assessed kun's action, but Exar suddenly stopped and practically threw himself around and connected one side of his saber against Vader's crimson saber, before he spun again and connected the other with Vader, before spinning the double bladed weapon again and spun it from side to side against Vader hoping to force him to fall back.
However, suddenly Vader jerked his crimson blade out and stopped Kun from twirling his blade anymore, and forced it up before connecting a kick into Kun's chest. As Kun reeled, Vader rammed his right shoulder into Exar's chest with a run. Exar fell back with his saber in front of him, but before he could tell what happened Vader held his crimson saber at Kun's throat as Exar lay on the ground. Vader, panting, and out of breath, sent Kun a smirk.
"It would seem, lord Kun. That I am the victor this day. Stiff muscles and all." Vader declared as his yellow eyes began to recede back to blue, and Kun gave a curt nod, though his anger was evident.
"I seem to have underestimated your skills…my lord." Exar finally intoned as he picked himself off the floor, and deactivated his saber, Vader following his example.
"Just remember this Vader, you have given me an insightful look into your style, I will be better prepared next time, and I shall not underestimate you ever again."
"The same to you, lord Kun." Vader replied smirking and looking ever so pleased with himself.
Kun's pride so utterly hurt at the moment his anger blazing the dark lord sought for a way to get back at Vader without going overboard, and as such his mind raced with thoughts. Then as if it were obvious kun smiled a brilliantly wicked smile as Vader had his back to him and made his way over to the bench from earlier.
"My dear lord Vader. What would you say if I told you, you had a daughter?"
Immediately after that statement by Kun. Vader stopped right where he stood. Not moving, not shuffling, not even seemingly breathing. Kun for a moment grew slightly concerned at lord Vaders drastic change in demeanor, but retraced all the information Bail Organa had told him weeks ago. Vader slowly turned his head toward Kun, his eyes once more the yellow common of Sith lords and he hared a snarling look upon his face as anger and rage radiated off him.
"What did you just say?"
Kun crossed his arms, daring Vader to get physical with him once more.
"I asked you what you would say if I told you, you ha a daughter born of your late wife?"
"How do you know about my wife?! I told you nothing! No one knows a DAMN thing about her, save for me and perhaps two others in the whole of the blasted universe!" Vader bellowed as he slowly re-approached Kun, whom stood tall and defiant.
"I would first tell you that there are more people who know about your marriage than you first thought my dear Vader." Kun declared a chuckle just barely escaping him.
"Your daughter is very much real, and very much of your late wife who I believe is named….ah yes, Padmé-" Before Kun could go on he flew across the room as the force slammed into him and threw him into the metallic wall on the far opposite side from where Vader stood. Kun groaned as he lay on the floor, however a wide grin forming upon his face as he moved to a stand as the fuming Vader took long and deadly quick strides towards him, a snarl upon his face.
"Ah, that's the spirit lord Vader! Get angry! Show me what that body of yours can REALLY do!" Exar in what some would call a crazed voice shouted, and laughed, as Vader growled and slammed his hand into Kun and clutched him by the shoulder before slamming him against the wall with their faces inches apart. Any lesser man would have soiled themselves by now, just by the mere look upon the dark lord, Vaders face.
"How…do…you…know…that…NAME!" Vader demanded in a shout that rumbled the entire room, and the force sizzled about Vader as the rage coming off him passed in waves.
"And here I thought we were partners. One not being able to go on with the grand plan without the other." Exar said with his grin still apparent and wide.
"Or does this new body perhaps arrogantly blind you into thinking you can do it ALL on your own now?!" Kun asked as he boldly inched his face closer to Vaders to seethe his words at him. Vader re-slammed Kun into the wall, his eyes ever hard.
"I want to know how you of all people know what you do! I knew you had an idea, but I never thought you had specifics, and who do you think you are making such….such….obnoxious, no, FOOLISH claims of me having a child?!" Vader demanded as he forced Kun forward only to slam him back into the wall once more, where Kun grunted but then laughed as if he had the whole situation under control.
"Ha ha!" Kun laughed a deep almost mocking laugh. "You know for a man so strong, so cunning and ambitious you can not see that which is right under your nose! Think Vader! Really think!" Kun demanded snapping one of his hands to his own head.
"Who in this palace does not belong?! Who is out of place here, hmm?! Your apprentice? My apprentice? Or is there someone else here, and think on this Vader." Kun coolly demanded.
"Whose hair did I use to heal you hmm, where did I get it? Who wasn't here when you left for Abregado-rae, and was when you returned where I then conveniently had the capability to heal you?!" Kun asked and Vaders eyes darted from left to right and his snarl faded ever so slowly as the realization became so very clear to him, and shock began to sink in.
"The Alderaanian princess…Leia-"
"Daughter of Bail Organa, or so he said, and his 'adopted' daughter no less." Kun affirmed as he pushed Vaders bruising hand off his shoulder and shrugged off the pain inflicted upon his person.
"Leia…."
Vader said in but a whisper, as if he was remembering something important about that name.
"Trust me Vader she is your daughter." Kun said crossing his arms, an air of smugness about him. "Firstly you would not be healed if she did not share at least blood relation with you. By that I mean I used the purity of her relation to your person to heal your body." Kun explained and Vader dumbly nodded his understanding.
"Secondly, the man himself, Bail Organa, told me himself about he was there for the birth of your daughter." Kun informed and Vaders eyes snapped open again and his rage returned fully.
"I believe he said that there were several others involved. A one Obi-Wan Kenobi, and a Jedi master Yoda, I believe he said."
"Kenobi! How dare they have the.…the…GALL, the inkling that they should witness the birth of MY daughter! Whom do they honestly think they are?!" Vader demanded from no one as the force cried out at his rage.
Kun lifted a hand into the air and shrugged.
"I don't know them, save for what Bail Organa told me. Your old master was Obi-Wan, that he was the reason you ended up in your health predicament, that you and him dueled brutally on some world I've never heard of called Mustafar, or something like that." Kun rambled on.
"Your wife….she died after the birth of your daughter." Exar finally declared and Vader looked stunned about that revelation, and Kun didn't exactly know why.
"He said I killed her…." Vader trailed off as he placed a hand on his head which looked like he was suffering from a headache or something of the like.
"He told me I killed her, in my anger, that I….." Vader once more trailed off and Kun raised a brow in interest.
"Your master? Palpatine told you that?"
"After he put me into that Force forsaken suit, yes." The blonde Sith explained as he seemed more and more dizzy. Indeed Vader felt more dizzy then he ever had.
"Well nonetheless." Kun finally spoke up with his arms crossed and a surprising air of anger about him.
"I have essentially delivered onto you, your daughter to do with as you please. You will be happy to know my apprentice has informed me she is impatient to learn, but is highly powerful in the force. She prefers to wield a lightsaber though." Kun said, and Vader cast him a suspicious glare.
"What is the nature of your apprentices relation to her?" Vader demanded suddenly taking a protective stance and tone that Kun honestly could have shook his head at.
"Friendship I believe. Camaraderie perhaps. She didn't like him when they first met, and he has since been trying to get on her good side, and convince her to come with him to Coruscant, and obviously he was successful. Otherwise I would probably have to deal with you running off to Alderaan and causing one hell of a scene." Exar began pacing as he spoke, growing mildly uncomfortable by continuing to stand around.
"Despite this let me just speak my mind here and now." Kun demanded as he continued to pace with his face forming a tight, and anger laden expression.
"I have done nothing but act in the best interests of our partnership to topple Palpatine, and see to it that we will have our own chance to claim the throne. Yes, you and I will settle our scores when the old man is gone and dead. However, I have made it explicitly clear that I throw my full support into our agreement until the time when Sidious is dead. However what have I been met with?!" Kun demanded pointing a finger to himself, Vader meanwhile was staring at him with a cocked brow, and confusion addled expression.
"Anger, distrust, continued attacks against my loyalty, spoken or unspoken. Your anger shows through just how much trust you actually place in this alliance of necessity. Your body, who healed it at no price save for your trust and partnership until the agreement is void?! Who has served your daughter to you on a silver platter, once more without any charge, without any hidden meaning? I see nothing but what she can bring to our alliance, and indeed some would say I am improving and empowering your personal powerbase far more than I should!" Kun declared in exasperation, and cut Vader off as he was about to respond.
"I have not once since our mutual agreement plotted to kill or deceive you while we share common enemies. Yet now it is my turn to accuse you of slowing progress, of ultimately bringing about our downfall, or at the very least my downfall!" Exar spat and once more Vader tried to speak but was cut off.
"If you don't want our partnership to work anymore, if you cant handle working with me that is just fine with me. I can take my apprentice and go run off to some Outer-Rim world far off and impossible to find! I can live as long as I have devoted followers, and I will wait for you, your master, this war, for all you know to rot and die, and then fade away while I reap the rewards of a galaxy without you or Sidious. I have waited four-thousand plus years, I can wait a couple dozen or even hundred more! I grow tired of this near contemptuous attitude I am constantly met with, and yes Sith are not supposed to be friends or best buddies. However, I believe that a modicum of mutual respect would not hurt our partnership. So if that's all I suppose I will end our agreement and leave you and your master, and your daughter to your own-"
"OKAY!" Vader finally bellowed as he held a hand back to his head as he felt a migraine coming on.
"Okay." he repeated more quietly.
"I get it, I have not been the most…easy to work with as a partner. I however will not apologize for my actions or personality, Sith do not apologize to other Sith not their master."
"I expect no apology." Kun responded in agreement.
"An apology would demean a Sith more than I would ever care to do." Kun continued on waving a hand about in a matter-of-fact manner.
Vader curtly nodded before continuing.
"I do…appreciate your efforts to broaden, and strengthen our position, and your ideas have been most bold and helpful to destroying my master. I shall…." Vader seemed to visibly struggle with saying what he was about to say causing Kun to cock a brow in interest.
"Try harder to place more trust in our partnership in the future. I will lay off more I guess the term would be." Vader said as he looked honestly embarrassed, and uncomfortable as he said such, and much to Vaders annoyance and Kun's enjoyment, Exar suddenly grew happy again.
"Excellent! Then I hold faith in our partnership for the time being!" Kun said clapping his hands together in joy, and Vader visibly shook his head, but an honest small smirk came to his face.
"With you in top shape, or at least you will be, and your daughter soon added to our growing team of anti-Sidious collaborators, I see nothing but good things for the future of our partnership!" Exar declared and Vader only shook his head again with a chuckle.
For Exar and Vader made an odd and unorthodox alliance, but one that needed to be feared throughout the galaxy.
Authors Note: Haha! So Vader knows he has a daughter, and she's in the same palace as he! Let's see what happens next eh? So please tell me your thoughts, comments, ideas, anything please! As usual please point out or excuse all grammatical errors, and enjoy! :)