Chapter 10
Vader thought about creating a new armor, something that could have defined him as the suit did during his time of the Empire. Yet, doing so would be just a waste of time. Indeed, the mask of surprise could prevent him from being discovered, but if Sidious could hide in plain sight before the Jedi, a bunch of lowlife thugs wouldn't be able to catch him, even if he was discovered.
Jabba was a fool and so was his insolent bands of blind followers.
In some sort of twist of fate, it would be similar to Sidious's takeover. At day, he would be none other than the shop owner. At twilight, he would be a vigilante, striking out against slave operations, and taking a bit of Jabba's power one by one.
Sidious was a intelligent bastard, and he had taught Vader much.
By controlling the media published about the war, the Supreme Chancellor made many comments to remind the public that the Jedi started the war, but on the other hand, promoted heroic tales of Anakin, and reported on many of his accomplishments. This was two birds, one stone situation. Palpatine had the opportunity to paint the Jedi as warmongers, and give a prodigious, grandiose public perception of Anakin Skywalker.
When Anakin "died" on Mustafar, Palpatine's plans were changed drastically. Instead of exhibiting Anakin as a new hero of the Empire, he reported that Anakin died fighting for the Republic at the Jedi Temple, murdered by the Jedi. Darth Vader wasn't viewed by the public and was only known as the Emperor's Enforcer until the Galactic Civil War and word of Vader's mere existence spread.
Had Vader not received the lacerations, Palpatine anticipated Anakin's immense potential to help him achieve many things. However, in reality, Anakin was beginning to be blinded by his "new power", craving increasingly, and would have overthrown Palpatine, seeking to gain power and succeeding Sidious all the while gaining control of the Empire without any complications.
That was the simple-minded thought of himself at the time, of how he would foolishly take over with Padmé and their child at his side. Yet, Vader had learned much since then. He had time to gain control over the Dark Side, to not allow the fog to blind him as much.
For all his faults Palpatine was an incredibly competent leader. He was a master politician and master manipulator who had tons of political experiences and who ruled the galaxy for decades both as Supreme Chancellor and as Emperor.
At the time, however, Anakin on the other hand was an exceptionally good general and fighter but not a politician. Additionally, he wasn't even interested in politics. And while his Empire wouldn't have been jingoistic as Palpatine's, his political naivety and barbaric methods would ultimately have led to the decentralization of the Empire.
One good attribute about being around Sidious in his meetings in the Imperial senate was that it taught him how to be a proper ruler, albeit unintentionally. Vader would have to use many lessons on a later.
He had been in the game long enough to know that when Vader overthrow Jabba there would be many complications and competitors for him to have to deal with - ironically like Sidious during the Dark Times Era up until he had installed enough power to abolish the Dark Council, and like Luke and Leia with the New Republic.
Sickening as it was, Vader would have to get involved with illegal dealings for quite some time even after he attained power. Allowing another Hutt to take over and continue with Jabba's operations wasn't happening.
Oh, how frustrating yet relieving it felt to be him this time around.
His destiny was his own for the making.
It only took so long for him to begin carving the way to his own freedom, not feeling inclined to answer to the whims of the Jedi or the Sith. Luke and Starkiller both granted him chances of freedom, being loyal to him for varied reasons, yet desiring to overthrow the Emperor even though the former was too light to have sworn himself to the Dark Side.
He remembered being a Jedi acolyte when the masters used the tales of the Jedi such as Naga Sadow, the Great Hyperspace War, and Exar Kun - a cautious tale to their young about what would happen when touching the Dark Side. Admittedly, the Jedi had some points. The Dark Side required much control to prevent himself from falling to the temptations, even though their overall views were incorrect. Try as he may have to convince himself, Darth Vader was never a true Sith, never a true Banite. Just a broken minion and slave to a greater master. His potential was always held back - contained like a rapid animal who needed controlling - like a slave...
This time around, the Light nor Dark no longer defined him. Sidious wasn't the only threat at large, for others that could pose a threat against humanity in the galaxy would have be dealt with. He would kill who he must, harm who he has to... but he would not sacrifice those close to him without thought, and unless someone he cared for was, he would try to elevate blood on his hands...
Such being the two girls who were now in the back of his shop and have been nursing their health.
"We need to have a talk," Vader stated, folding his hands behind his back. "I want to free more slaves, but I cannot do this alone. Your wounds have been healed, and you are slowly recovering from malnourishment, yet there are others."
"But Vader, what if the slavers get us?" Tann protested. He could feel through the Force deep down they both wanted to help, but they feared the consequence of Jabba enslaving them again or worse, losing another.
"I would make sure that does not happen," Vader responded. "You saw the things of what I could do when I rescued you. I was..." he hesitated briefly before continuing, "a Jedi."
He hadn't been one for a long time, but he rather not go into a deep explanation about himself, not now...
"A Jedi?!" Ann recoiled in shock, placing her right hand on her forehead. "I-I can't remember that night to be honest. It was quite a blur."
"I killed the Zygerrian who was going to beat you for your defiance with the Force," Vader informed them. "Do you really believe I would allow you to be brought back into slavery?"
"No but..." Ann began before closing her mouth again and looking down, "but we just began enjoying freedom. If anyone recognizes us, we could be killed."
"I know. Those weeks that went by, I saw you two enjoying the freedom of it all. Think about all the others who want the same but can't get it because no one is willing to come to save them." Vader replied. "You two are strong within. Do you want to live the rest of your life like this: on a dust ball in hiding because a Hutt and a bunch of his minions can't value your worth?"
"Our worth was being dancers and sex slaves for them," Tann emptily protested. "That is what Twi'leks are made for."
Vader's thoughts go to the Captain of the Ghost Crew as well as the other Twi'leks who joined the Rebel Alliance.
Anger flourished at those words, but he couldn't fault the girl.
"Wrong. I too was once shackled by the chains of slavery," he continued, his voice carrying a weight of empathy. "I know the pain you've endured, the fear and agony that still lingers in your hearts. But you must remember that you are no longer bound by those chains. You have been given a precious gift — the chance to live a life far removed from the clutches of Jabba and his ilk. Think about all the others."
Tann's voice quivered with a mix of curiosity and trepidation. "But how can we fight against someone as powerful as Jabba? We are just two former slaves."
Vader's gaze turned resolute, his voice steady and unwavering. "Strength lies not only in power, but in unity and determination. Together, we can stand against the darkness that plagues this world. I offer you my guidance, my training, and my support. We shall no longer allow Jabba and the slavers to torment innocent lives just for the hell out of it."
"We don't have power," Ann said.
"You don't have to have powers to make a difference. You can train in physical exercises as I do every morning and you can grow."
Tann ventured. "But what can we do? How can we make a difference?"
Vader's presence emanated a quiet intensity as he replied, his voice carrying the weight of his conviction. "We shall expose the truth, rally others to our cause, and shine a light on the atrocities committed in the dark corners of this galaxy: it won't be just on this planet but on others. We will provide aid to those still trapped, freeing them from the chains of oppression. With time, we shall build an army of justice."
Ann's voice trembled with a mix of determination and uncertainty. "And what if we fail? What if we can't make a difference?"
Vader's voice softened, infused with a gentle reassurance. "Failure is only a step towards success, a lesson to learn from. But I have confidence in your strength, your resilience. I have seen the power of redemption, the transformative force it carries within. Together, we can rewrite the narrative of this planet, replacing the darkness with hope."
As the weight of Vader's words settled upon them, Ann and Tann exchanged glances, their hearts aligned in a shared purpose. Even though they carried their doubts, they saw in this man a potential for change. The road ahead would be rough, but eventually it could happen. They may see more deaths before they reach that change, more gruesome violence... but if they make it, they will never again have to live in fear, nor would anyone else.
Vader offered them. "Will you stand with me? Will you fight for a brighter tomorrow?"
"Yes." Ann replied for both of them.
"Follow me."
It was with that determination that Vader took them out with a large bag containing four staffs and two blasters, allowing them to embrace the night sky for the first time in weeks. The wind passing through their body did give them chills, and instead of taking his speeder as usually do, they walked, avoiding any individual that may have been walking in the streets.
If pressured, Vader could use the Force to wipe the fools of any memory of them should they recognize the two Twi'lek girls who have officially became his charge. If they were strong minded or species known for not being mind trick, he could dispatch of them.
Likely, they were just drunken fools who were stumbling about, not even knowing where they were going.
Placing the bag on the ground with the Force, Vader picked up the brown staffs, watching them look at him. Answering their unspoken question, he began to speak. "You are to fight one another."
Both became horrified.
"One another?" Tann repeated, her voice a squeal.
Vader comforted. "It is merely a training segment. Those staffs would at most graze you for an abbreviated time."
"But..."
Ann gripped her shoulder. "Tann, we can trust him."
They took the staffs and looked at one another, clearly not wanting to do this, but having had made their word to Vader.
Tann and Ann began their spar, their fluid movements a mesmerizing display of synchronized grace. They exchange lightning-fast strikes, kicks, and blocks, their bodies in perfect harmony.
Vader maintained his composure as he stared at the twins, intrigued by the sisters skill and potential.
Tann and Ann's spar continued, their movements flowing with increasing skill and precision. They push each other to the limits, their weapons clashing with controlled intensity.
Vader, recognizing their attributes, stepped forward, his presence commanding authority as always.
Their fight reached a crescendo, the combatants pushing themselves to their limits. Their determination and shared purpose resonated through their every move.
The spar ended with a final clash of their staffs, the room filled with a momentary pause. They had been evidently holding back, not wanting to risk harming one another. This had been one of the many reasons why the Jedi advised their students to not embrace attachments, for it prevented them from training in a clear mind.
Yet, that does not make their methods correct, and both were obviously exhausted.
"None of us won," Ann said, eyeing her sister for several seconds.
Vader looked at her. "You need not be concerned about hurting one another. I will not allow that."
"We have been with each other for so long," Tann replied simply.
Vader nodded in understanding as he levitated a spar staffs from his bag to his hand before walking closer.
"Spar with me then."
"With you?" Ann and Tann chorused, eyes widening at the thought. They both undoubtedly knew about the things that he was capable of.
"I would go easy on you," Vader assured softly, knowing that he could easily harm them if he goes too far.
He fell into a battle-stance position.
"Attack at your pace. I would remain on the defense."
The two girls looked at one another before nodding and charging forward. Upon seeing that Tann was quicker than her twin, Vader swung his staff down to block her attack.
He praised. "Your speed is impressive."
They pressed against each other, but Vader hadn't intended on giving this his all.
Ann quickly charged to her sister's defense, and Vader disengaged from the Twi'lek, to block a blow from her sister, actually with a strength that briefly caught the man off-guard.
"Ah, your advantage relies in strength. Impressive..."
Even though they were painfully malnourished and weakened from their times as slaves as he was when he began his training as a Jedi - it had tested even Obi-Wan's patience - it was before long that Vader could see them beginning to get use to this.
Although Vader had many opportunities to take advantage of their holes in combat, he knew that ridiculing them would make them feel discouraged from persisting in any future sparring. Obviously this, they never forced Vader on the back foot, but their teamwork was to be admired. Of course, sibling bonds were far more powerful than the strengths of regular humans.
Perhaps in the future, they could be one of the best fighters in Vader's visions for his own army. The Stormtrooper program quickly became incompetent despite knowing how to serve their duty well.
However, for now, their experience was limited, and they have much left to be desired.
In a quick movement, Vader disarmed both of them at once, their staffs flying across the air in the same direction, next to one another.
Fortunately, he knew even as a Sith Lord putting the one who he was training down wasn't the way to teach. Even Obi-Wan had to learn that lesson eventually.
"You have done well," he congratulated, ceasing before he could have gone further. "How do you feel?"
"Like hell," Tann quipped, gripping her arm as she have obviously never fought like that before.
Ann's legs were shaking but she found her balance as she stood before him. "Seriously, what is that? I have never felt like that before."
"That is only a slimmer of the potential that you both don't know you have yet. You have gifts and talents dormant waiting to be manifested. You have the ability which may be just underdeveloped. Living out your potential is in the striving, in the trying, or at least vowing to. It lies in following your heart, in daring to fight your own personal battles, in striving to bring your own personal dream to life." Vader spoke, removing the glove on his left hand and holding his flesh hand out for all to see.
Ann and Tann stood behind him, clueing in his every word, listening attentively.
Vader sighed and turned around, holding his hand out to the darkened sky. "Perhaps that is not all. Perhaps it is simply having the confidence to live out one's personal dreams; perhaps an inconceivable one that one shall never attain but still a dream dreamed with courage. It is a dream that one endeavors to bring to reality, no matter how likely it is to be unsuccessful. Many people live their lives and die with potential. If we are aware of the potential that is contained within each one of us crying out for publication and prepared to be fulfilled, how do we liberate it?"
He paused, allowing them to dwell over his words.
"Do you know what your potential in life is? What prevents us from accomplishing our potential? It could be lack of seeking, of knowledge, or fear of failure - I believe they all apply to you like they do to a lot of others. It could be holding on to internal excuses. It could be goals are small and don't test our resolve. We must be willing to distinguish it, own it, design it, begin it, encourage it, educate it, and have admiration for it. In order to reach that potential, there is a transformation that we as people must endure."
"We want to reach our potential but it's just so difficult, Vader," Ann said weakly, looking down in youthful shame. "How can we reach our potential when we have been slaves for so long? We are nothing."
"Such things cannot be decided in a day," he declared. "You must go through trial and error. To be flawless when you begin training would in truth be worrisome. You will have imperfections." He breathed back a sigh, put his glove back on his left hand, and removed the glove of his right as well. "They are part of what makes us living and breathing people." He flexed his prosthetic hand, aware of how... revealing that felt. "Every individual in the galaxy would go through error, would make flawed decisions... yet despite this you can outmatch the best of the Jedi."
He knew that from personal experience. He'd kriffed up by the numbers multiple times, as did Obi-Wan, as did Padmé, and on rare occasions as did someone clever like Sidious.
"We are not Jedi," Tann protested, gripping her somewhat pained arm. "We could never be something special. Maybe you should just find others to help overthrow Jabba. We might be better off getting off Tatooine."
"Attuning with the Force do not make one special. If every sentient being in the galaxy could obtain the Force, the Jedi would have been idiots to expand their orders." Vader responded somewhat pointedly.
He looked down.
"Specialty comes off in what you could do. Strength is homed in one's abilities, not by powers. Regardless of whether you touch the Force or not, training is a requirement for all. You have to mark your way to accomplishments."
As if spurred on by his words, both looked at his prosthetic hand before staring him in the eyes.
Tann asked after a moment. "Will you keep showing us? What if we continue to fail you?"
Vader nodded, placing the glove back on. "A failed student makes for a incompetent mentor. Any shortcomings that you may have going forward would be where I help you improve, not on you overexerting yourself."
They glanced at the staffs before staring at each other in the eyes, vocally communicating about the choices laid out between them. They could walk away with this willingly, and Vader would not protest, but he sensed the moment where their loyalties to knowledge of fighting were affirmed.
It did left a slight moment of pride of how much he must sound like the Jedi Master he could have been in another life, at least in all but name.
Vader's hand tightened over his staff. The two girls said nothing else aside from picking up their weapons and charging forward, and he blocked as they commenced with their training.
At that moment, they forged a bond, one that transcended their shared pain. A new alliance was formed — one fueled by the desire to vanquish the shadows of Jabba's reign and offer hope to those still suffering.
Arthur's note: I am going to clear up something. They are NOT Force sensitive. This is something I hate about Disney Star Wars and early EU where everyone can touch the Force. I'm leaning to the late EU where someone is born with the amount of midi-chlorian in their blood or someone is not. If everyone had the ability to learn to use the Force, essentially everyone in the galaxy could have been trained to fight against Sidious and the Empire, and Obi-Wan and Yoda could have trained an army of random new Jedi. The reason why Luke and Leia were considered the last hope by the time of the OT was that due to them being direct offspring of Anakin, the child of the prophecy; there would be no doubt that one or both of them would have a high enough midi-chlorian count to be trained as Jedi. Sure you can argue that someone could remain undetected but the Jedi have been around for centuries and would have expanded their numbers if everyone in the galaxy shown signs of Force sensitivity and the Sith would have likely heard about this and make moves to stop this so in this and all my other stories either someone is born Force sensitive or someone is not. That's what made people wielding the Force special. Also, one can wield a lightsaber and still not be Force sensitive. To abandon many hours of character developments to pointlessly reboot them as a whole is stupid. *Cough Cough* Sabine.
Also, just because they are females doesn't mean that Vader and any other male is going to look like idiots just for them to look good. I'm only using them because I admittedly have a guilty pleasure for using underrated characters.
Next chapter there will be a mini time skip. The built up action has been coming for a while.
May the Force be with you all always.