Chapter 2 - A New Journey
Meetings were becoming an interminable part of Emperor Vader's day-to-day life. Ever since putting the plan to crush one of the rebel factions into motion, the planning stages of his up coming tour of the Core Worlds expanded to take up the greater part of his time. Fortunately he'd allotted a single planetary rotation for those plans to be made, limiting the amount of time dignitaries could attempt to weasel their own world into the schedule. Obviously, Senators wanted to ensure he visited their planets, seeing specialties, greeting the movers and shakers of society and mingling in certain social circles. The actual reasons for the visits were, by and large, irrelevant. The official line could have been an inspection of a rivet factory for all it mattered. In truth, the important part of this escapade was that Darth Vader, ruler of the Galactic Empire, set foot on these planets. Walking their soil meant something. A sort of claim, further cementing his rule.
As for the given reasons, Vader would be inaugurating a series of Imperial outposts. Functioning as academies for prospective officers, Storm Trooper training grounds, and viable locations for the Inquisitorius to seek out potential recruits to itself or the new Dark Trooper program. Anyone with even a hint of Force-sensitivity who set foot in the training centers would soon be offered excellent terms to join the elite spec-ops units.
Black Squadron's presence alongside Vader, and the implication that joining the program might net you such a prestigious appointment, would be more than enough to secure the loyalty of the ruling class on each world. After all, being able to say your planet provided men and women to the Imperial machine would be the sort of bragging rights these politicians loved to hang over each others heads.
"Ah, Lord Vader!" a voice called as the Emperor stalked down an empty hallway between yet more audiences with yet more politicians. Whoever it was that desired Vader's attention didn't know how close to death he came. If he did, he never would have stepped closer. "Lord Vader, I hope it isn't out of place to ask you about the itinerary for your upcoming trip?"
It was very much out of place. Vader's travel plans, minus a secret trip to Tatooine, were already public. Changes were not going to be made at this date. He would be leaving in mere hours, after all.
Kshhhhhh
"Senator," Vader greeted. "There are, I trust, no concerns involving Ruan." Programming his helmet's heads up display to provide instant details on known faces proved immensely useful. In this case, Ruan, the agricultural world directly to the galactic south of Coruscant, sourced a great deal of produce.
"I'm honored to be remembered, my lord," the politician lied. If Vader professed ignorance to the man or his planet, another diplomatic headache would be in the Sith's future. "I hoped you would consider adding Ruan to your schedule?"
More than once, Vader wondered about the survival instincts of the political class. Even the destitute in Coruscant's lower levels possessed the basic ability to avoid danger. Such were evidently beyond the members of the Senate. A sure sign of the bloated carcass the Republic became in these last decades. All the same, there would be utility in having more politicians on side.
Kshhhhhh
"This excursion will take me along the Perlimian and Commenor hyper lanes. Rest assured, Senator. Ruan has not erred so egregiously as to require my personal attention. Unless you know of recent events that would indicate otherwise?"
Quickly catching on, the Senator gave a hurried denial that anything untoward might be brewing on the farm world. He gave a bow and excused himself, running off. No doubt to brag about his own planet's success and attempt to discover what missteps others made and ensure his standing was boosted in whatever social shuffles were to come.
Vader began to realize why Sidious so enjoyed his political games. There was an undeniable intoxication in successfully navigating the intrigue in the Senate and bending others to one's will. Subtle pushes through the Force, unnoticed by most, more than assured the outcomes a Sith preferred with minimal notice. Of course, without Jedi around to interfere, the Dark Lord was far freer with his manipulations than Palpatine ever enjoyed.
All that said, Vader's habits, tempered by his own personality and inclination towards direct action meant he wouldn't fall to playing these games as he imagined his late master did. After all, those same machinations cost Sidious at least two apprentices. And his own life at the end.
Far better to avoid such follies and bring the galaxy under control his way.
After all, whatever was coming, that nameless thing he saw in the Barren far away place, would not bend to whispers or courtiers. Only the true might of the Dark Side and a galaxy forged into a razors edge.
Setting aside the future, Vader moved on, one last appointment before he could attend to the final modifications his star fighter required.
###
Kshhhhhh
"Have you passed on the information as I ordered?"
Vader made no bones about what he wanted done, and Organa flinched under the Emperor's gaze. Mothma shuddered as the temperature dropped a few degrees. An uncomfortably familiar feeling when in Vader's presence. One that only seemed to grow stronger of late. She considered keeping a heavier shawl available for these occasions, but for the moment, shoved the thoughts aside and focused on the here and now.
"We have, Lord Vader." Mothma said.
"And the results?"
Bail Organa and Mon Mothma shared a look and both said, "Our families are safe."
"No doubt," Vader began, "these rebels will begin their plans to set whatever trap they mistakenly believe I am walking into."
Darth Vader paced back and forth as he spoke, rather than sit at the head of the conference table. The room, normally used as a clandestine meeting place for the Moderate Faction, was long since known to the Emperor. Now it served as chosen location to speak to its members when the Imperial Palace was unnecessary. At first, their deeds being brought into the light of day worried the various members. Fearing reprisals, they attempted to distance themselves, but over the last few months, they'd all accepted the utility of being able to speak with the Emperor outside of the Senate itself or a trip to the Imperial Palace, which the other factions and news reporters always took note of.
"For the moment, at least, our families are safe," Organa said. "You have my thanks."
Kshhhhhh
"If they wish to take my head, they can face me directly. And their chance will come, soon enough."
The initial leg of Vader's journey, Alsakan, Grizmallt, Corulag, Chandrila, and Brentaal IV, would have the Sith meeting and greeting a number of potential allies in the Core. Of more interest, at least one world hosted a contingent of malcontents planning to strike him down.
"What do you know of their plans, Senator?" Vader asked Mon Mothma.
"Nothing, I'm afraid. They acknowledged receipt of your itinerary when I sent it, but nothing more."
"No matter," Vader said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "What they plan is meaningless. I will crush them."
"Lord Vader," Mothma said, "perhaps these dissidents could be-"
"Spared?" Vader interrupted. "If you wish to use your friends and family as bait, so be it."
"That wasn't what I meant!"
Kshhhhhh
"No? You would have me save your kin, and also leave these rebels unharmed?" Vader stared, burning a hole into Mothma's very center as he watched her. "I said before, he continued, "that the Republic enjoyed a comfortable, but ignorant, peace. That option is now denied, Mon Mothma. The fate of your friends and family is in your hands. I will wield the Force, I will swing my saber. But it will be your choice, your will. Chose."
The room grew even colder, if it were possible. Mon Mothma shifted uncomfortably, trying to avoid the inevitable. In truth, she sympathized with the rebel goals, if not their methods. But thinking of her friends and family, her husband and children, she felt herself pulled towards an inevitable conclusion. She could not turn from them, no matter her distaste for the Empire and its methods. No matter how great the need for a counter to Darth Vader, the thought of abandoning her own flesh and blood to their fate, to rebels who were all too willing to shed innocent blood in service to their goal, was a bridge too far.
With the weight of the galaxy on her shoulders, Mon Mothma, Senator of Chandrila, bowed to the Galactic Emperor and said, "Please, Lord Vader, protect them."
Few would ever know it, but this became the moment. The one slice of time, when the fate of this first rebellion against the Empire would be sealed. Mon Mothma made the bargain for her family.
Kshhhhhh
"As you will, Senator," Vader said.
Bail Organa looked on, Unsure how to feel, and unsure of the choice he was about to make himself.
###
Kshhhhhh
"Captain."
"Lord Vader," Mithel said. In the Imperial Palace hangar, Black Squadron was finalizing flight preparations. They, led by Lord Vader, would soon be heading towards the fleet taking them on a tour of the Core. The assault carrier, designated Dominance, would act as flagship and house Vader, his Royal Guards, Black Squadron, and Major Gaunt, the young officer in charge. His actions during the Death Star ordeal earned him a favorable rating from Tarkin and now he was being given the chance to prove himself to Vader.
"The modifications are finished?" Vader asked.
Mithel wasn't stupid enough to lie, but he didn't want to deliver anything other than good news either. "Ada would like some better bombardment capabilities, and Neel complains about the limits of the Actis Interceptor's agility, but Black Squadron is far more capable than we were during our last assignment, my lord."
"How fortunate then, that this mission will allow them the opportunity to test those limits," Vader said. No one in the flight group knew the full story behind their current jaunt. Certainly they understood it was, in some way, a diplomatic mission to a number of allied worlds, but given the Dark Lord's orders on supplying them with whatever they needed to upgrade their fighters as they saw fit, the whole team was on edge, waiting for something to go sideways.
"Are we expecting trouble, Lord Vader?"
Kshhhhhh
"Only a fool would plan for anything else."
Not exactly what Mithel wanted to hear, but he had little choice in the matter. Jogging back to his own fighter, he relayed his conversation to the others'
"So we're gonna see action?" Ada said, a little too interested.
"What do you think?" Neel said. "Everyone wants us dead."
"They'll only kill us if they can hit us," Rosh the merc offered. "Just dodge."
"Remember," Mithel cautioned, "We'll be dirt-side an awful lot. Don't expect to fight the rebels from the comfort of our fighters."
Knowing they'd be on the ground, Black Squadron had, in addition to personal upgrades they'd made to their star fighters, outfitted themselves with a much heavier compliment of small arms and explosives than they wielded on the Death Star. Jedi weren't expected, but with a little help from Ceezee, all of them now carried a slug thrower on their hips in addition to their preferred blasters. Facing Force users once was more than enough to teach them that lesson.
As they loaded their personal duffel bags into the Interceptor's storage, a claxon went off overhead and the hangar doors slid open.
"Time's up," Mithel announced and hauled himself into the cockpit of his ship. At the center of the hangar, he spied Vader climbing in and Ceezee folding up into the droid socket of the Sith's custom fighter.
"All ships form up," he ordered his squad mates. Watching Vader lift off and zip out into the open sky, Mithel and the rest of Black Squadron followed suit. They were up in the air once again, off to a new battlefield. Between days of training with the Inquisitorius and modifying their ships, the team hadn't enjoyed much time off. However, being treated as visiting dignitaries might make up for it, assuming this wasn't a fight from the word go. Force only knew what each planet held in store, but Mithel found himself hoping for a least a few days of peace.
###
Kshhhhhh
"Inform me of any changes," Vader ordered Tarkin over the comms.
"Understood, Lord Vader, Tarkin out."
Cutting the link, Vader turned to major Gaunt. Taking the hint, Gaunt sent his bridge crew to work prepping for the jump to hyper space. As the other ships in the detail linked up to Dominance, the engines burned hot and hummed in time to the countdown.
Gaunt called out the orders, saying, "Jump in three, two, one… Mark!"
The stars stretched out into long lines of light through the viewing window before Gaunt and Vader. The thunderclap of their ship entering the hyper lane and shooting off towards their first destination made a few of the rookie members flinch, but Gaunt stood as still as the Sith lord.
"Summon me when we make orbit," Vader ordered. He turned away and left the bridge, much to the relief of the men and women serving. The emperor's very presence could be unsettling. Especially when you'd seen the holo-vids. On the other hand, some of those very vids featured more than a few Storm Troopers living to see another sunrise only because Darth Vader was there to cut down an enemy at the right time.
A conundrum none of them were eager to participate in.
###
Back in his private quarters aboard the Dominance, Vader settled into a meditation. Ever since his return from the Death Star, he'd found it possible to drift into the Barren World, free from the shackles of his suit and body. In the far off distance, the nothingness still came. Although it seemed as remote as before, Vader knew full well it grew closer every moment. Eventually, and sooner than he wished, it would be upon the galaxy.
"You have yet to find me, boy," A voice called out from the aether.
"Other tasks require my attention."
"And while they do, the threat comes closer."
Vader said nothing. A united galaxy was required to face the threat. Anything less invited failure. Although, beyond that concern, it was true Vader's current attempts to find his new Master in the Dark Side was one of constant failure. He'd been given nothing but a name, and that proved less than useless thus far. Even searching through all of Palpatine's Holocrons, writings, and the many examples of ancient Sith artifacts rendered nothing into his hands.
"I will kill a Krayt," Vader said bluntly. It wasn't a brag. It certainly wasn't a request for approval. A simple statement of his future plans. The voice could think whatever he wanted on the matter.
"A new lightsaber? Yes, it will serve you well."
Surfacing from the depths of the Dark Side, Vader stood and walked to the holographic map of the many planets he would soon visit. He wondered if they may possess some morsel of information on the mysterious Sith he sought.
Kshhhhhh
"Vectivus."