Chapter 2 - Empire
"No more, Anakin Skywalker is," Yoda said. "Remain, only Darth Vader does."
"But he killed Palpatine!" Obi-Wan argued. "Surely that means he turned back. I- I know what he did! I saw the holovids! But if Anakin has killed his Sith master then he must have come back to the light at the end!" He was arguing more from personal desire than any truth he could feel through the Force. Obi-Wan wanted it to be true. Wanted to believe that Anakin was coming back. The Chosen One foretold, picked out by Master Qui-Gon.
"Kill his Master he did," Yoda agreed. "Turn back to the light, he did not." Before Obi-Wan could argue further Yoda held up a hand to cut off the debate. "Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader has become. Why, know not do I. No matter it is, for now. Keep safe the children, you must. Falling into Vader's hands, disastrous it would be."
"How did he even manage to take down Palpatine? He was powerful enough to hide from you for decades."
"Weakened after our battle, Sidious was. Renewed, Vader became, by Sith powers and technology. Strong in the Dark Side. Stronger than even during your battle, Vader was." Yoda struck the stone floor with his walking stick, declaring a finality to the discussion.
Taking a steadying breath Obi-Wan focused on the here and now. "What should we do?"
"Take the children, you must," Yoda said and motioned to Luke and Leia. They were sleeping peacefully in their little hover crib, holding on to one another as if they knew how alone in the galaxy they truly were. Raise them, train them, teach them, you will."
"Surely you should be the one to-" Obi-Wan started.
"No," Yoda interrupted. "Try to guide the lost and scattered, I must. Father and Master, you will be."
"Master Yoda, you saw what happened when I tried to teach Anakin! The Sith are back and the Republic is gone!"
"Gone, the Jedi are not. Survive, we did. Hide, some did. Your failure alone, Darth Vader is not. Blind we were, to the machinations of Sidious."
Obi-Wan slouched in his chair in the small hut. Apparently Yoda prepared it years ago and occasionally came to meditate and center himself in the Force. Now it acted as his hideout and sanctuary while the forces Palpatine spent so long preparing went about ravaging what was left of the Republic.
"Where should I even go?"
"To Naboo, you must travel. Return to his wife's home, Vader will not. Sense this, I do."
Within the hour, Obi-Wan Kenobi bid farewell to the Grand Master of the Jedi order and left the swamp planet of Dagobah. And he no more knew what the future held for him and his charges than for the galaxy at large.
# # #
A week. It had been one week since anyone had seen or heard from Palpatine. Now the senators and various other politicians and functionaries were being dragged out of bed. Told there was someone named Darth Vader who claimed to be the head of the entire Galactic Empire.
And why were they giving this lunatic an audience? Many asked variations of such a question. By the standards of the assembly it was late into the night. Although Coruscant itself never slept, its people, no matter the species, most certainly did. And given the masses of humans spread throughout the galaxy and their biological habit of spending ten or so out of every twenty five to thirty hours asleep, it became something of a standard. Now they were called from their homes to listen to a figure none ever heard of before tell them he was in charge.
More than a few politicians asked their guards about it, and the answers they gave were far from comforting.
Because no one could stop him. More than a few units of clone troopers tried, but they were all wiped out. Worse, this 'Vader' seemed to be intimately familiar with the tactics employed by the armies of the former republic. Even now, forces were amassing to overtake the mysterious stranger in the assembly, but they held off, waiting to see what the politicians said. If there was even a hint of truth in what the mostly silent warrior spoke of, it would be up to the senators to decide the future course of the newly formed Galactic Empire.
As the hours passed, guards kept an eye on the cameras, yet Vader never moved. He stood, a solitary monolith in the center of the assembly. If the Jedi were still extant on Coruscant, they would have felt his presence in the Force and known he was in a meditative state. Thanks to his new cybernetic limbs, he was fully capable of something akin to rest while standing upright. Sleep was another matter. Since the moment he awoke from the medical procedure Sidious imposed upon him he knew no release from the pain. His skin still felt the burn of fire upon it. But in the Dark Side, there was something akin to peace. Not the peace offered by the Jedi. A false peace that would see him ignore the travesty visited upon his mother by the Tusken. No, there was no justice to be found there. The Jedi claimed to be keepers of peace and upholders of order, but Anakin Skywalker watched them ignore a galaxy full of savagery and a planet full of corrupt politicians. Even now, Vader delved into the Dark Side of the Force, letting his emotions, his rage and inner turmoil, carry him forward. It was here he found his answers. The proper response to injustice was wrath. Something the Jedi abhorred. The proper response to crime was punishment. And punishment could only be delivered by the powerful. For all their talk of fear leading to the Dark Side, Vader now realized the Jedi had been full of it. Overflowing with fear. Fear of themselves and their own power. It was a mistake he would not fall to.
He was the Chosen One, as Qui-Gon predicted. He would take his proper place.
The Sith Lord sensed those watching him. Waiting for a chance to strike. Only through his own absolute self control was he able to forestall a desire to crush their throats. The distance between them and the comfort of sitting behind a security monitor was nothing to him, but he would hold off, for now.
No, if he was to forge this new Empire into something worthwhile he would employ other means. Overwhelming violence had its uses, but only when the time was right.
But it wouldn't serve his purposes now. He needed to wait. The former Jedi knew full well the faults, corruption, and rot within the republic. Anakin Skywalker had been there to see it unfold, after all. Even if Palpatine did nothing, it would have collapsed underneath its own internal contradictions sooner or later.
Vader's mind surfaced from the depths of the Force once more. Turning to the here and now, he understood what he'd need to do. Those loyal to Emperor Palpatine would need to be brought to heel. If they could not be persuaded, Vader would be forced to confront them himself. Beyond that, he'd need to deal with the clones. What fail safes Sidious placed within them, only the late chancellor knew. And that meant they couldn't be trusted. Not fully. After all, they turned on the Jedi they'd fought beside. Who could say they wouldn't do the same to other Force-sensitives?
The Lord of the Sith still didn't know what it was he intended. The rage and turmoil within him was barely settled after his encounter with Obi-Wan. He still felt a disquiet, perhaps an after affect of his recent transformation. He would also need to see about those Jedi who survived the purge. If they could be made to see reason, fine. If not…
Vader uncrossed his arms and rested both fists upon his belt. The senators had arrived.
Kshhhhhh
Vader might be unsure of what words to use, but he knew the message he'd need to craft. After all, he'd spent the better part of his young life with Padme, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Sheev Palpatine. Two were skilled politicians, fending off the trade federation and orchestrating the downfall of the republic, respectively. And his old friend and master took after the near renegade, Jinn. Dealing with Grand Master Yoda and the council was no easy feat, but Kenobi learned well. He'd practically strong armed them into letting the recently promoted Jedi Knight train a young, but not young enough, Skywalker.
And the Sith Lord hadn't been asleep at the wheel the whole time. It would have been harder not picking up something here and there.
As the Senators cautiously shuffled into their own repulsor pods, clone troopers by their side with blasters aimed at Vader, he worked out what he'd need to say.
Kshhhhhh
More than a few politicians shuddered when the amplifiers picked up Vader's breathing.
"Sheev Palpatine," the black-clad giant began, "the man you chose as Emperor of the reorganized Galactic Empire, has been murdered. The very Jedi who turned against us tracked him to the planet Mustafar. There they assassinated him and very nearly killed myself as well. It is only thanks to Palpatine's final act that I stand before you. This suit keeps me alive."
"And who are you," one Senator asked as his pod floated up. "Why should anyone acknowledge you as leader of anything, let alone the Republic!?"
"Bail Organa," Vader said, recognizing one of many who tried to hamper Palpatine. Padme respected him, he recalled. It wasn't lost on him that Organa used the term 'republic' rather than calling it The Empire. "I am Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith." He watched impassively as Bail flinched. The Senator from Alderaan found it hard to look into those black lenses.
"What is 'the Sith' and why are you the lord of it?"
"Despite what the traitorous Jedi would have you believe, they did not hold dominion over the Power of the Force. Many groups across the galaxy can claim a connection, and my order is one of them." During his time as a Jedi, Anakin Skywalker certainly had his fair share of encounters with other Force users. "And my master, Palapatine, the former Supreme Chancellor and Emperor, was Sith."
That drew a few shocked gasps. The notion that Palpatine himself was a Force user would be in the news, of that no one doubted.
"The Jedi had grown complacent. Lazy. That is why they were unaware of the Emperor's abilities. And when they realized their monopoly on power was threatened? They came for his life. The first time, they failed, but they did not give up."
The entire assembly exploded into arguments. Dozens of repulsors lifted from their docks to yell at one another and more than a few made for Vader. Chief among them was Mas Amedda. As a close aide to Sidious, he was privy, far more than most, to the once and future Emperor's plans. "I was not informed of this!" he shouted. "If you truly were the apprentice of Sheev," he shouted using the Sith's first name as a sign of closeness, "why have I never heard of you?"
A murmur of assent echoed around the chamber.
"Grand Vizier," Vader said. Although his voice was amplified and electronically carried throughout the Senate, he spoke quietly and the rush of voices died as everyone present strained to hear him. "How surprising to see you. You were ever at the Emperor's side. Except for the two occasions when the traitorous Jedi attacked. How odd."
Amedda's eyes boggled as Vader made the subtle accusation of being in on Palpatine's assassination. "Now hold on! How do we know you didn't kill him to take his place!?"
For a moment, all eyes were on Vader. Instead of answering, he lifted his arm and held out a hand as if he were griping something invisible. Ever so slightly, such that without cameras no one would notice, he tightened his grip. The Grand Vizier pulled at his collar and sweat beaded on his forehead. "Do not be over enamored of your political power, Grand Vizier. This Empire you sought to claim as your own, to use and abuse for your own appetites, is nothing next to the power of the Force." With a flick of Vader's wrist, Mas Amedda suddenly spasmed as his head snapped sideways. It echoed throughout the silent chamber. "As you all see, I do not need political power and I will not tolerate treason."
The Senate was not alone in watching this self proclaimed Lord of the Sith. All across Coruscant and soon enough throughout the sector and beyond, trillions of souls looked on as Lord Vader took action, very visible and direct action, against political corruption. Whether or not Mas Amedda happened to be guilty was irrelevant. The galaxy at large just watched a warrior-king execute a traitor with his own hands, so to speak. Centuries of politics on the central world of republic government birthed generations of disillusionment. Hemming and hawing politicians who never managed to get anything done, but somehow always manage to build a tidy nest egg for themselves.
And now, along comes an imposing titan who kills those politicians.
Across the galaxy, news spread, and every Jedi who survived the purge shuddered as they realized how far gone their hopes were.