Chapter 18 - The Power of the Force
Time slowed to a crawl as Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, watched the fetal Death Star's main weapon charge up to unleash annihilation upon First Fleet. Through the Force, Vader knew with certainty it was targeting the Imperious. Tarkin's flagship.
Although the Empire would survive, it would be a crippling blow. A generation, perhaps more, in the recovery from the loss of not only the Grand Moff, but many promising officers. Vader could hold his empire together, by the power of his own iron will, if necessary, but his rule would inevitably be weaker for the distraction of doing so.
"You are uncertain, boy? That hesitation may be lethal."
There was the mysterious voice again.
-sssssst
"I am conscious."
"And yet, here we are. What will you do, Dark Lord? What can the Chosen One accomplish in the face of such despair?
Watching the beams slowly coalesce to a single point, the flow of time moved ever onward, slow, but inexorable. Vader looked back and forth between the fleet and Death Star, mind racing. He had enough time for a single action, but precious little else.
He opened his cockpit and climbed out, ripping a bit of metal plating from the instrument panel as he did. "Move us into the path of the beam," he ordered Ceezee.
Holding the metal in his good hand, he slammed it over the broken gap of his helmet. Dented, it held and he activated his saber. Pressing it close, he melted the scrap to his durasteel faceplate, granting him a serviceable seal. The hiss of air escaping through gaps in the haphazard patch job was audible, but he lacked the time for anything else. Dozens of cracks, holes, and tears in his armor, what was a few more at this juncture?
"What are you planning, boy?" the voice asked and the question echoed in Vader's mind.
-sssssst
Vader felt the rush of time surge towards him like a crashing wave. The pinpoint where the three active emitters met grew brighter and brighter.
-sssssst
He extended both arms forward and recalled that far off barren wasteland. He remembered the feeling. The way mist curled around him, the sounds, the dry crack of parched earth beneath his feet.
-sssssst
The feeling of striding forward on his own two legs.
-sssssst
The strength in his own two hands. The power when he summoned a blade from the very aether that swirled around him. Metal plate stuck over his left eye, Vader couldn't see his left arm, but as he delved deep into the Force, he felt the fingers of that long gone hand flex and stretch, ready.
Kshhhhhht
"The power to destroy a planet is insignificant, next to the Power of the Force."
The beam fired.
###
"Primary weapon charging!" Major Gaunt screamed. "I don't care if we burn out every last circuit and wire aboard this ship! Get more power to those deflectors!"
Tarkin stood, silently watching. His subordinates were doing their jobs well enough. There was little for him to do other than watch and wait. If this was to be the end, so be it. He'd seen his share of battles. At times he himself was rather surprised he'd lived this long.
"Lord Vader's ship just registered on our scans, Sir! He's clear of the shields!" A moments confusion on the young officer's face. Then he said, "his ship is moving into the path of the beam, Sir. Why would he-"
The beam fired.
###
The green light filled Vader's vision as it raced to meet him. Centering himself, he reached out and grabbed it. The Force flowed through him as though he were a mere conduit for its terrible power. From that barren place, the mists, both white and black, twisted and tangled together. Surging at his call, they wrapped themselves around him, like vines knotted about a giant tree rooted deep, deep into the soil.
The beam hit Vader's impossible Force Push and slammed through it. The Sith was never going to stop it, but that wasn't his goal. As the green light arced onwards, Vader twisted and turned, pushing to the side. The strain shattered metal in his right arm and the black gauntlet on his synthetic hand fell apart in tatters. Every fiber of his being, at the edge of ruin, turned against the laser as it closed in on him. Looming larger and larger, Vader's right hand exploded in a shower of metal, but his hands, the hands from that place, remained.
In some far off way, the Sith Lord knew his legs were gone as well. Yet he stood, rooted in place far more surely than any prosthetic might manage.
Vader turned even further, grabbing the beam and dragging it aside.
As it closed in, the whole universe fell away. Would his body survive the strain? Would the Empire remain? All of it receded. Now it was only Darth Vader, the Chosen One, Sith Lord, Child of Prophecy.
The copper tang of blood filled his mouth.
Tendrils of mist stretched past his hands and tangled around the green beam of light, wrapping it, strangling and choking it, twisting it.
His vision faded and grew dark.
"Rrrrraaaaaggggghhhh!"
A primal roar, one to bring even krayt dragons to heel, and Vader's entire body twisted, tearing muscle and cracking bone. As he faded away, Vader watched the planet killing beam curve away into the darkness.
His heart stopped.
###
Little Annie sat on the ground, arms around his legs, chin resting on his knees. That sensation of static in the air remained. Something was still coming. The ground, dry as ever, felt neither comfortable or uncomfortable. It simply was.
"This time, boy, you are not merely unconscious, but dead."
Anakin Skywalker rose, dusting off his pants. A phantom voice no more, the figure in dark robes stood still, looking off into the same distance at the nameless something that approached. "What next?" Anakin asked.
"Next? You died, boy. There is no next."
Kshhhhhht
"No," Darth Vader said. "I will not fall."
The figure smiled. "Seek me out." As he spoke he faded away into the mist and in some far off place said, "You will be a most fascinating apprentice." The last thing Vader heard was a name.
###
Vader's eyes opened and he watched bubbles drift up through the bacta tank. He was in his private chambers within the Imperial Palace. Limbless once more, the sensations of the strange wasteland were now a distant, dreamlike recollection.
"How long?" he asked.
Near the door, at a temporary desk, Tarkin was buried in paperwork. Ceezee stood motionless in the corner, only the dim glow of its optical sensors giving away the fact it was still active.
At the sound of the Emperor's voice, Tarkin jumped up and almost ran to the tank, quickly standing at attention. "Lord Vader, we didn't know how long you would be-"
"How long?" Vader repeated.
Composing himself, Tarkin said, "We returned one month ago. You've been in that tank ever since we found you floating in space after… did you really redirect that beam? I know what our monitors and sensors picked up, but did you really?"
"I defeated an enemy of my Empire," Vader answered. "Summon the Grand Inquisitor and make preparations for an audience in the Senate. For now, I must learn what has transpired."
Once he was gone, Vader activated the tank and it lifted him out of the bacta. Force guiding his limbs, they drifted up from the work table and Vader scowled as the familiar pain of nerves connecting to prosthetic limbs flashed through his body. He ripped the respirator off his face and took a breath.
"Hmm," he thought. It seemed Vader brought back a souvenir from his time in that wasteland. It wasn't ideal, but for at least a few moments, his lungs could function on their own. As he took in several more breathes, a dull ache spread through his chest.
"So, it isn't healed, however…" thoughts raced through his mind and he assembled his black armor. As the face plate lowered into place, Vader flexed his fingers. "Not so good as they were," he commented, remembering the feeling of grappling with the Death Star's beam. Whatever happened, it was a zenith of power he would not soon reach again. As clear as his sense that some great thing was coming, Vader understood this was part of the Will of the Force. It helped its Chosen One. Not the Dark Side or the Light Side. The Force itself. The whole Force.
He considered the far off wasteland and wondered at that great and terrible nothingness that he knew would come for him and the rest of the galaxy.
Beyond that, there was still Sheyvan. He survived, of that Vader had no doubt. So what was this? A backup set in place by Sidious? The Force itself, in case Vader fell? Questions rose unbidden in his mind, and the answers were few and far between. Whatever the future held, it would be a fight, every step of the way.
"As it should be," Vader said. "The Dark Side nurtures with challenges to be overcome."
Accepting things for the moment, the Emperor activated his secure communications.
"Cad Bane."
"Lord Vader, Good to hear you've woken up," the durosian's rough voice replied after a moment.
"Report."
"Figured you'd be after something like that. Have one all ready. I'll send it through the usual channels. Be in your hands before twilight. Better watch your back, folks get uppity when a ruler is napping for too long."
Cutting the comm, Vader turned on his heel and made a quick gesture with one hand. His cape fluttered off its hanger and landed on his shoulders, where it quickly secured itself.
Picking his lightsaber up and checking it, Vader secured it on his belt "The Inquisitor is on his way, my lord," Tarkin said as Vader left his private chambers. "He will arrive shortly. I assume you'd like to meet him in your office?"
With a nod, Vader marched towards the lift, Tarkin at his side and Ceezee following behind.
As they walked, Vader keyed his comms. "Black Squadron, report."
"L-Lord Vader! You- Are you- Wh-What do you need, my lord?" A startled Mithel stumbled over his words.
"The Grand Inquisitor is on his way. Black Squadron will also attend this meeting."
Vader cut the link without bothering to wait for an answer.
Down below, in the hangar, Captain Mithel was in a frenzy, kicking the other members of the wing awake from wherever they'd fallen asleep during their personal retrofits and customizations of their Interceptors.
With little to do since returning, they'd busied themselves between training with High Inquisitor Tenth and the little Katarn boy, the upgrades they were making to their fighters, and advanced spec-ops training with the Storm Troopers.
Groggy from odd hours, Mithel practically shoved them into the showers.
###
Alone in the lift for the few moments it would take to ascend to the top of the former Jedi Temple, Vader spoke.
Kshhhhhh
"I do not yet know what, but something is coming. Some great threat to the Empire. We must prepare."
"What do you think it is, Lord Vader?"
"A great and terrible nothingness."
Giving up on understanding whatever the Force allowed Vader to perceive, Tarkin moved on to what he could do. "What are your order, my lord."
"We will begin diplomatic negotiations."
"Understood, I would recommend several alliances to the galactic east. Perhaps even as far as The Outer Rim, if resources permit. Loathe as I am to admit it, the Hutt clans would make valuable allies. Assuming we can convince them to stop fighting each other long enough. Beyond that, more than a few trade routes may be of use."
Kshhhhhh
"Good, but insufficient. We need more than mere subjects of the Empire. We require the build up of a unified galaxy. One prepared to wage a war, the likes of which have never been seen before."
"My lord, we only just finished a galactic civil war, I-" Tarkin started before Vader cut him off.
"This will be worse, I foresee."
Tarkin waited as the lift neared the bridge.
Kshhhhhh
Vader pulled a Sith Holocron out from beneath his cape. Holding it out, he manipulated the puzzle box through the Force and opened it. A hologram, a galactic map, flickered to life above the Sith's palm.
Tarkin tilted his head and asked, "The Unknown Regions?"
"Sidious had designs on this area," Vader explained. "Long ago, during the Sith Wars, the race holding sway over these stars made contact with my order. They call themselves the Chiss Ascendancy. The data will be made available to you, and then the Senate."
Tarkin nodded and Vader continued. "That is, however, a longer term plan. For the moment, four things present themselves as necessary goals for the continued success of the Galactic Empire."
The lift reached the top and the two men stepped off, entering the Imperial office where Vader attended the day-to-day business of running the fledgling Empire. As they entered, the Sith motioned to a side table where tea, a particular favorite of the Grand Moff, awaited him on a small side table. Palace attendants ensured it was always available. Vader kept walking, coming to stand before the window overlooking Coruscant. He crossed his arms.
"I take it these goals," Tarkin said as he poured a cup for himself, "are not easily achieved?"
Kshhhhhh
"They are varied, but all must be accomplished if we are to set the ground work for a truly united galaxy. One prepared to face whatever threat is approaching. Closest at hand, the Senate."
"They seemed appropriately cowed during your speech at the dinner before we left to deal with the Death Star, my lord."
"Perhaps, but dissent remains. And there are those with contacts amongst the survivors of Palpatine's Jedi purge."
Tarkin took a sip of his tea and asked, "You would have them finished off?"
"No, I would have them brought into the fold. I do not care what they once were. I care that they can be of use to my Empire."
The Grand Moff couldn't hide the surprise from spreading across his face as his eyes widened. Given Vader's penchant for dealing with enemies directly, the idea he might ally with Jedi, whether former or current hadn't occurred to the military man. Probably not to anyone else, either. However, it went a long way to illustrating how serious this unknown threat the Emperor spoke of truly was. If a Sith Lord would side with his order's ancient enemies, whatever he sensed was a true danger, not some little itch felt through Vader's connection with the Force.
"Vader's helmet turned away from the window and towards Tarkin. "Once the Senate is ours, we must expand our hold, gaining firm control over all Core Worlds. This much, above all else, will be necessary if we are to deal with the Chiss. From the Holocrons left by Sidious, this much is clear. They value strength and scorn weakness. They will not treat with us if they view the Empire as on unsure footing. To that end, I will expand the Inquisitorius and Dark Trooper Project. Black Squadron proved it successful, so it is time."
As he mentioned them, the Grand Inquisitor stepped into the room with a bow. "You wish to accelerate the program?" he asked.
Kshhhhhh
"As we secure our grip on the core, more candidates will reveal themselves, in addition to the targets revealed by the Holocrons."
"All of these," Tarkin said as he rose from the table to stand beside the Pau'un, "will increase the stance of the Empire, but you mentioned four things, Lord Vader?"
"The last two relate to me, personally. My battle against the Hand has proven this suit… inefficient to my needs." He glanced down, looking at his left hand. "Sidious designed it. Although my abilities in the Force continue to grow, my movements, my skill with a saber, my agility, they all suffer for this system which is both prison and life support."
For a long moment, Vader stared out of the mask at Tarkin and the Grand Inquisitor. What thoughts passed across his mind, only he knew, but after a time he reached some internal conclusion and continued speaking. "When Coruscant was still green, this temple was once a mountain. And in the caverns deep beneath our feet, there existed a Vergence. It is there, still, to this day. A place where the Force flows. I can sense it now, because I too, am a Vergence. I am the Chosen One, destined to bring balance. It is there, in the depth of the Will of the Force I must rebuild myself. Redesign this armor and do away with the weakness suffusing me."
Kshhhhhh
Both Tarkin and the Inquisitor looked at each other and back to Vader. This was far more than he'd ever revealed to anyone about who and what he was, along with his future plans. "My lord, Tarkin began, "what would this entail?"
"Even now," Vader said, turning back to the window, "I am a compromise. This suit, for all its upgrades, is a compromise of what I once was. Although I delve deeper into the Force, into the Dark Side, my body remains broken. If I can rebuild myself, I will stand at the peak of my abilities. And that must begin with my lightsaber."
"Lightsaber, master?" the Grand Inquisitor questioned? Were you not referencing to your armor?"
Kshhhhhh
"Vader returned to his desk and the fingers of his right hand brushed the hilt of his saber on its stand. "Like my armor, this too is a compromise. I do not wield it with one hand solely as a matter of personal combat style. This suit, this armor, restricts my movements."
The Inquisitor and Tarkin, both familiar with Vader's exploits, swallowed as they considered that he had been fighting at a disadvantage this entire time.
"When I was still Anakin Skywalker, I favored Form Five, known as The Way of the Krayt Dragon. I would reclaim that, and supersede it."
"If I may ask, Lord Vader," the Inquisitor began, "how is such a thing possible?"
Kshhhhhh
"I will travel to Tatooine, the home of the Krayts. There, I will slay one of their number and claim its pearl. It will be the heart of a new lightsaber and the sign of my rebirth."
Author notes:
Thus ends Act One of Imperial Dawn.