Chapter 6

I kneel behind Vader and wait. Despite how in reality world I have very little patience, I'm trying to live thank you very much! The Sith Lord can crush me like an insect and cast me aside, something I didn't fancy.

Reaching out slightly with the Force, I can feel Juno, having to contain my anger before I can risk Vader discovering what she is doing.

If I remember the novelization, it has been an accident, but the fact that Juno didn't instantly sever the connection is very risky. I wonder if the Sith Lord feels her too or just disregards her in way to focus on his future missions.

Without turning, Lord Vader asks with contempt, "Master Kota is dead?"

I raise my head slightly and respond: "Yes."

"His lightsaber."

I unclip the second weapon from my belt. The Sith turns just enough to reach out with one hand. The fallen Jedi's lightsaber is snatched into Lord Vader's grasp with the Force.

Damn, I'm really going to have to get use to that. He turns back to the viewport and examines the lightsaber in his hands.

Vader speaks again.

"My spies have been watching another Jedi. Kazdan Paratus is hiding on the junk world of Raxus Prime."

"I'll deal with him as I dealt with Kota," I reply, forcing ambitiousness in my tone just as Vader expects.

This seems to appease the Sith Lord. Vader looks up from the lightsaber and turns to face me kneeling before him.

"Kazdan Paratus is far more powerful than you," the Dark Lord states. "I do not expect you to survive. But should you succeed, you will be one step closer to your destiny."

"The Emperor will die."

I hear a small gasp, no doubt from my favorite pilot.

"Good, my apprentice, take that ambition with you and you'll be invincible."

I fight a grin as he has no idea I'm already on him and the Emperor's plan. I have already found out ways to counter them, and when Vader learned his spies have been dispatched, that will throw him off slightly - yet he is not Darth Vader for no reason.

For now...

I continue playing the act.

"Only together can we defeat him."

I feel the moment the connection severs.

"Yes, Master," I reply, and that should have been the end of it, but I wouldn't allow the conversation to linger. "If I may be so bold..."

"Speak."

"Is something wrong, master? You seem different than normal."

Vader remains quiet, and I wonder if I just gotten myself kill, given the instant tightening around my neck.

"Your insight serves you well, my apprentice. Alas, an old connection has made itself known."

"If I may ask, who?"

"That is not relevant for you, apprentice," Vader almost snarls, pressing down on the last word as the feeling around my throat increases.

"Master, if we are to overthrow the Emperor together, there must be some trust. Otherwise, what is the point of our partnership?"

Vader breathes for several seconds before he acquiesces.

"I believe you would not know of Ahsoka Tano..."

"Who?" I play dumb. Little does he know in another life I grew up with her, him, and Obi-Wan.

"She was the apprentice of Anakin Skywalker. I thought she perished in Order 66."

"And she survived..." I finish, briefly surprised he is relying this much information to me. Perhaps I can gain some influence over him.

"Perhaps we could turn her. She could also stand against the Emperor."

"Perhaps..." Vader acknowledges, allowing what feels like hours to draw out with long breaths, "but you have another objective to fulfill. Leave."

"Yes, master," I reply, standing up and walking out, feeling an instant weight being removed from my chest.

I move my way through the Star Destroyer, clenching my hands into fists. Another matter to consider...

"Juno Eclipse, I want you at the Rogue Shadow now," I say, recalling how petty I use to be.

I can feel her attempting to chew back on a smart response and instead say, "I'll be right there."

Oh and behold, Juno Eclipse is at the hanger ramp of the Rogue Shadow, and I storm up to her.

I grip her by the arm, pull her into the ship, and move to the back quarters.

I glare at her, inwardly hoping I didn't bruise her too roughly.

"What the fuck were you thinking hacking into Vader's personal quarters? He could have felt you!" I snap, placing my hands on my hips.

Juno seems shocked about me knowing what she was doing.

"I didn't mean to! It just happened!" Juno shoots back defensively.

"Yeah, imagine trying to explain that to Vader if he felt you!" I snap, snarling as I turn around. "You are not to do that again! Vader wants absolute obedience! To go behind his back is a death sentence!"

"Well, I'm not! Okay?!" Juno shoots back, looking at me pointedly before turning around. "And I'm not the one going against the damn Emperor." She points out calmly, staring accusingly into my eyes.

I laugh bitterly. "Touché, Juno, but let me fill you in on a little secret: Vader would not kill the Emperor."

Juno pauses and blinks. "But he said-"

"I know what he said. Do you really think someone would be able to break free of years of manipulation and brainwashing?" I query. At this point, Vader lacks a proper spine.

"He has been playing us as a fool the whole time," I say with only the slightest of spite. He really had something going with the original Starkiller and wasted his potential. "The Emperor is in on it. He knows of my existence. They only want to lure out their enemies under Vader playing me as an apprentice and you as my loyal pilot. After our uses come to an end..."

Juno's eyes widen as it takes seconds for her to find her voice. "We would be sacrificed," she finishes. "How... I have been loyal to the Empire for years!"

Oh fuck, is she crying? Damn, now I feel regretful for yelling at her earlier and dropping the truth terribly on her shoulders as nobody can take this, yet I have been resolved that she has to know before seeing it.

There is still a chance to help her rebuild herself. She deserves to know that she is more than a pawn, just like me at this point in time.

I wrap my arms around her and hold her tightly close to me, allowing her tears to escape her eyes with my comfort. "Easy now, Juno, I'm here. If I was to abandon you to the Empire, I would have done so already. That was the reason why I came back after confronting Kota when I could have bailed."

I decide not to clue her in about what really happened in the facility. She may not be ready for that type of information. Regardless, the point still stood at the time because I wasn't going to leave Juno to suffer under Vader's nonexistent mercy.

Yes, the man has been a slave his whole life, but there is nothing to give him the strength to come back to reality anytime soon.

"We are nothing to them. We never have been." I continue almost sadly. "Yet you are my friend and for now we shall wait to fix this Empire from within. I don't want you to end up dead out of curiosity. You don't understand the things he could do."

"But I gave my life for the Empire! The Imperial Navy was my family since I disowned my father?!" Juno exclaims, cheeks turning a hot red as she buries her head in my chest. "How could they do that to us?! I committed genocide on Callos just for this Empire under Vader's orders!"

I know Vader didn't agree with genocide, but he did commit them frequently.

"That's what the Empire currently is. The stagnation in the system must be rooted out, and that worm - Palpatine - would have to be removed from power. Yet, doing so can end in disaster as well, for the Empire was designed to fall without him." I reply, my frustration palpable. "He morphed Vader into a weapon to utilize like a dog."

I push away slightly and touch her cheek with genuine understanding and affection, giving her an ultimatum:

"Do you want to live like that, Juno, where we have to live with the threat of the remnants always looming over us or do you want to survive? Do you want to be another body bag to this autocrat? He cares about no one but himself and that includes Vader. We don't have to answer to the puppeteers of this conspiracy."

I didn't need the Force to know that I have touched something deep in her core. "You care?"

I calm down. "Why would I want you dead, Juno? You are not just another pilot to me."

Juno's teeth ground together as she seems uncertain about what to do now. "But why do you care about me so much? I'm just another pilot of the Imperial. You have had seven pilots before me."

"They were nothing. They had no willpower of their own aside from being emotionless soldiers." I respond grimly, knowing that the original Starkiller didn't even care about them, and would have probably killed them if they'd tipped his mood to the negative.

"What can we do now?" Juno asks.

"For now, we have to plan things out. Set coordinates for Agamar. There, all the answers would be solved." I will trust Kota and his men to deal with the situation on Raxus Prime and Felucia. After all, it's not like Vader's spies is discreet.

For now, I'll have to build my forces. Despite how we agreed about me being a double agent, that doesn't mean that will be indefinitely as time isn't on my side.

Poor Juno is so vulnerable right now. While I do find her beautiful and would definitely enjoy having a night with her at least, I have standards to never seep so low and force myself on her. Any entanglements between us will be consensual.

She obviously finds me charming, but she also doesn't want any relationship at this point, despite her feelings but as the original timeline Star Wars shows, she can be broken free of the brainwashing and embrace her own life. Her and Galen never got their happier ever after, but I will not put her through the same pain of losing me this time around.

Leaving her to ponder over things, I turn around and make my way. I can feel her distressed emotions, something that is about to come undone; yet me staying there would only fuel her reasonable anger.

I have a call to make to Kota before he goes to Raxus Prime. He would have to know about Vader's spies and dispatch of them before moving to Paratus.

I make it to the other side of the ship touch my comlink.

"This is Kota; I'm assuming this is the boy claiming to be going against the Empire," The grumpy Jedi Master responds.

"Knowing as always, Kota, but you're right," I reply. "Vader's agents would be watching. Before you apprehend Paratus, you have to find each of them and neutralize them." The unspoken implication about what can happen if they see him alive and well is clear, especially since I reported to Vader that Kota has died on the facility.

"Kark all," Kota replies, grimacing. "We might see each other soon after all."

"No, Kota, I have other matters to attend to because I have a feeling Vader is going to betray me soon." Two more Jedi to apparently kill before that to be exact.

At the very least, I can form an army, and I know exactly where to go.

"Give me some good information, boy..."

"Err, Vader still thinks to me as his slave," I reply, grinning. "Forlorn warning, Paratus has gone mad and will make life a lot harder for you. I don't think the senile Jedi wants to leave the planet."

"How do you know this?"

Damn, I need an excuse.

"I have been keeping watch over you all," I lie.

Kota's frown is obvious, but thankfully he seems to buy it. "You didn't mention that back in the facility..."

"Time was not on our side," I reply. "How are your soldiers?"

"Recovering," Kota scoffs, "many would be inaction for weeks. I wonder why."

I feel the urge to become sheepish. "Well, to be fair, they were shooting at me when it became clear I was not the enemy. Trying to bring down a user of the Force without proper strategy would end in disaster for anyone."

"Hmmm..." That has been the dismissal from Kota as I roll my eyes. The Jedi is certainly far from the most positive individual I have ever met, but he knows how to become warrior.

I move to my quarters, leaving behind Juno for a while. I will have time to sharpen my skills as playing the good guy does tend to get boring.

I would have perhaps remained loyal to the Empire had I not have a reminder of what Vader, Maul, and many others became in this franchise.

Still...

Fortunately, after finding my favorite droid, I will have the chance to vent just a little bit. This body does have much contained strength that my other self would have envied to have.

Before I left, I had worked out a lot, but I had flawed genetics for damn sure. Despite missing my loved ones, in a way this body is better.

I felt more courageous and less insecure.

"PROXY," I state, earning my droid's attention. "Come now, follow me."

The droid does as command, moving to my quarters which Juno now left.

My lightsaber is in my hand and lit in seconds. "Certainly, your programming being altered hasn't decreased your skills. Are you worthy of keeping around? Can you still match me or do I have to just scrap you?"

It is an empty threat, but PROXY being almost as bloodthirsty as HK-47 will want to challenge me on that and prove himself worth it.

PROXY's voice is filled with amusement. "I ensure you, master, while my programming is no longer intending to kill you, I would be able to beat and possibly maim you at best."

"Prove it then," I say smartly, angling my lightsaber in his direction. Being in the franchise is fun, and I can't wait until I have proper enemies. There are many Emperor's loyalists after all.

He manifests into Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, earning my smirk. This droid is more competitive than I give him credit for. I will have to give him more alternations to turn into. There is a Darth Maul module in there, but currently I will not call him out for not revealing that secretive seminar.

Looking back, it is extremely intelligent on Vader's part to give him all the data on warriors that he could possibly turn into.

PROXY activates the lightsaber and charges at me. I retaliate the gesture, our blades interlocking as we attack one another incredibly fast.

Several times I am admittedly staggering, finding myself thankful for the years of experience born in my mind as PROXY isn't pulling any punches, perhaps almost as good as the real thing.

Sharpening my skills with Vader's form will take time, but to take advantage of every chance I get, fighting against the Jedi of old increases the chance of having a probable chance to stand against the Sith Lord is something that I will have to do when the time comes.

The sparring session will go on for hours.

Arthur's note: Not going to lie, I have been toying with writing a lemon between Galen and Juno. This story and its plot would already be centered around an older audience as I'm going to be using a lot of dark implications soon and I'm a different type of writer who goes against the happy ending and innocent stereotypes. I would usually not write them over but have read a lot of stories with them. Voice yay or nay for this idea. I read all reviews!

May the Force be with you all always.