Feel free to join my Discord server: . disc ord. gg /3b3B xdHQKG (delete the spaces). You can talk about whatever you want in there. SW and RDR channels are in there as well.

Chapter 14

Jabba's Palace felt as foreboding as ever when both of them arrived on the stolen landspeeder, cloaked and hooded. Jabba and the Black Suns had a long, bad history with the Empire… so both sides would prepare for treachery. Vader had long since wanted to demolish that wretched slug the moment he'd met him as a Sith years ago, one settlement he'd agreed with Skywalker about.

However, his hand was held when he'd been forced to cooperate with the Emperor's demands to stand by the treaty in the post-war galaxy.

"Do you have a plan after this?"

"I have concepts of a plan," his son responded.

Unpleased with that inauthentic response, Vader glared. "If the Republic had concepts of a military, the CIS would have prevailed in the Clone Wars."

"Touché, you'll see when the time comes," Luke shrugged. "Look, I understand you don't look too fondly upon Han, but he is my friend. If you don't want to be involved, you don't have to be." His face scrunched up with controlled fury. "My best friend isn't going to live the rest of his life as a target because of Jabba and the Hutts."

Of course, availability speaking, Vader had no choice. "I won't leave you, Son."

Hooded and cloaked in black, the two approached the main entrance. A dozen bored guards lazed around, blasters held in their hands.

The Commander darted up the stairs as they stepped closer.

"What official business do you have here?" the guard demanded.

"You will let us see Jabba the Hutt," Vader said in his modulated voice, barely containing his ire as he used the Force to mold his mind.

The guard Commander frowned, seemingly falling into a daze.

"You are here to see Jabba," the Weequay repeated automatically.

"Sir, are you sure?" Another guard inquired, proving that he wasn't a complete imbecile.

"He is sure. You will not prevent us from accessing." Vader replied, pushing the commands even further into their minds.

"You're free to enter," the security detail echoed simultaneously.

The doors opened, and the guards stepped aside robotically, allowing the two to walk in without interruption. As anticipated, the Gamorreans stepped up and attempted to block their path with their axes.

Calmly, Vader drove his hand out, snapping their throats without a second thought. Luke kept in step, signifying them as equals.

They moved down the stairs toward the front of the palace without further interruptions.

"You approve of my methods now?" Vader noted, expecting the anticipated protest from a son who was a well-trained Jedi Master.

Luke answered without abhorrence, "I am not opposed to darker means when it comes to certain events, Father, but I do know when not to create a philosophy of evil."

Closer now, Luke subtly nodded his head toward the cameras. The Overseers of Jabba's Palace stood on the other side, fully prepared to activate the slave transmitters on their captives. He pushed into their minds and issued a series of commands: Release all of Jabba's slaves. Deactivate and remove their detonators. Lead them out and kill anyone who gets in your way.

The Overseers immediately followed his commands as if they were born in them to do so.

Yet, that wasn't the only reason.

Luke allowed an illusion to pass over the palace, altering not only their appearances but also their voices entirely. After all, a brief lapse in attention to detail could disrupt the entire Rebellion and endanger all of his friends. With enough time, Force Sensitives could decipher the truth from the Hutts, but by then, it would be far too late. This disgusting art had been bothering Luke for years, but he felt powerless to do anything about it when it came to reforming the Empire into the New Republic. Leia and Mothma wanted to do something but the Vong interfered. Hopefully, this speed up the events.

Vader, yet again, was venerated at the power demonstrated by his son and yet again allowed an explosion of pride to fill his heart, a slight grin falling across his lips. That would be a common occurrence, he'd sensed.

It was short-lived as his eyes narrowed on the small Twi'lek girl resting on the slug, and anger dominated his heart as it did all the other meetings. This time, he was no longer powerless and had Luke Skywalker to thank for that.

"Jabba the Hutt," the Dark Sider's voice echoed proudly, "we are envoys of the Galactic Empire. The Emperor has deemed it necessary to send a message to you."

"Speak, envoys," Jabba permitted.

"He wishes for you to surrender all of your supplies to the Empire and allow us to move without your approval from now on," Vader continued the farce.

The palace went quiet for a moment, followed by shock and astonishment.

The mighty slug looked at him, his eyes sharpening. "Well, if the Emperor wishes for me to cease my operations, he should have met me in person, not sent some pathetic messengers."

"You forget one thing, Hutt. The entire galaxy belongs to the Emperor," Vader declared coldly. "The Imperial Senate has been dismantled. If you do not surrender your resources and supplies, you will be eliminated. An example of for all who dare defy us."

It was a legitimate statement. Both Luke and Vader could agree on that.

His face remained unmoved. Impressive for a Hutt, Vader would admit. "We have a treaty firmly in place."

"A treaty that is no longer necessary," Vader continued nonchalantly. "The Old Republic is dead. It was wiped away. This includes several treaties and deals of old. You're to surrender now. Final warning..."

The Hutt snarled, "If the Emperor wishes to go to war with us, we shall send your bodies back to him as an example! You're in Hutt Space! You will not revolt against us like this!"

"Is that a refusal?" Vader asked, increasing the temperature around them.

The Hutt glared at him before replying slowly, "...Yes."

"Hmmm, very well then."

Vader reached out through the Force and balled his hand up into a fist, pressing down on the Hutt's throat, causing him to gasp for air. Everyone was shocked. The Hutt was levitated above the throne, his small hands falling over his throat as he struggled for breath.

Alas, Vader ended the miserable slug's life by snapping his windpipe and allowing him to collapse onto his throne.

"The Hutts are no longer in control," Vader declared.

Horror followed the next seconds, shock gasps and shaking hands fell over their weapons and sidearms.

Then, the guards reacted, firing their blasters. Luke and Vader both activated their lightsabers and parried the bolts, dropping the minions onto the floor.

Quickly, the palace became a bloodbath. Slavers, mercenaries, and bounty hunters gathered around at the might of the powerful Force Adepts. None of them even damaged them. Bombs came flying at them, and their impacts flowed harmlessly, billowing only their robes as they gripped at the Force to protect themselves.

Vader's strikes were crippling, brutal, and merciless. Luke's strikes were composed of a lot more finesse. Whenever one reached out with the Force and pushed one of the minions in either direction, the other would deliver a fatal strike at either side of their abdomen, dropping them onto the carpeted floor. Neither spared anyone who crossed their paths. Two deadly mights. Unfathomable gods.

But they defied nature itself. Jedi and Sith were enemies in the past era, yet when they combined, they became unstoppable. History would forever mark this moment as The First Collapse of The Hutt's Empire.

All at the work of the Skywalkers...

When the final bounty hunter collapsed to the metallic floor at Luke's blade, the two Force Adepts stared around before deactivating their lightsabers and placing them on their belts.

Luke nodded and closed his eyes, reaching out through the Force to the cameras and ending the recording right there. Nothing else would be seen. For all the Hutts would know, or any of their people, they were enforcers of the Empire who were now taking a more direct action. It was most certainly an action that would be disastrous for many in the present, but not for the future. The Empire was far stronger and more stable than the Galactic Republic, able to sustain itself in a war. If anything else, it would avoid the suffering of more people.

Why did that relieve Vader exactly? Why did his mask dissolve, allowing peace and happiness for those beings? The Emperor believed slavery was a necessity and advised him multiple times. Vader always knew he was wrong. It was a pathetic weakness to know that the slaves would have a chance. They weren't able to even wield their sidearms.

Luke walked over to the female slave who was a shivering mess by now, her teeth gritted as she looked up at him in barely contained fright. He mourned the fact that this was what the Republic and Jedi Order of old so evidently allowed. Her transmitter had avoided detonation and would have to be removed, but she was safe for the time being.

"Hello there," Luke said politely, bowing before the girl who trembled. Vader placed his hilt on his belt and folded his arms across his chest. "We're not going to hurt you. Our grievances were with Jabba, not you. My name is Luke. What's yours?"

She shivered a few seconds longer before answering, "Voani."

"You don't have a last one?" he arched an eyebrow.

"No," she whimpered, "I can't remember. I... I was taken by the slavers when I was very young. I think I was one week old."

Disgust flashed across Luke's face. "Come on, we might need your help."

The Twi'lek, looking only 14 or 15, nodded nervously as she sat up, following Luke and Vader. The Overseers roamed about brainlessly, now with baffled slaves led from the various dungeons and cells that Jabba placed them in, blasters still gripped in their hands.

"Remove this girl's slave detonator," Luke ordered, allowing them to motion lifelessly for her to follow behind them. The Twi'lek stared at him for a moment before nodding and following. "You're all freed now."

The humanoids collapsed onto the ground in elation, sobbing slightly in relief. Their chips being removed was certainly a surprise, but all of them thought it was going to be a relocation or something similar. The fact that they were all released from their dungeons at once, from their perspective, abruptly, gave them pause.

Vader looked at his son. "You're aware that the Hutts may orbital bombard the place, rendering our entire operation useless when Jabba's demise is discovered?"

"Not likely," Luke dismissed calmly. "The Hutts are selfish and want to keep their power. They will be more urgent in discovering why the Empire assassinated Jabba and gathering up their forces to make sure it doesn't happen to them either. The Empire is not the same as the Republic. Targeting Tatooine would be a suicidal endeavor when that recording spreads. However, I don't disagree that things will fall into disarray."

"What's your next plan?" Vader asked, concurring that much.

"We secure Bestine," Luke answered. "We gain control of their towers and deactivate any possibility for them to trigger the transmitter."

It was a suicidal move. At any rate, word could reach the ears of the other Hutts for a power grab or to come after the two assassins who dispatched Jabba, but strategically, it was an intelligent move. It was one of the reasons why Vader didn't protest against his son when the idea of killing the mighty slug presented itself.

"I know you're all happy but we need your help, please," Luke used the Force slightly to give them motivation.

The slaves have recovered from the shock and are now standing back up.

"Do any of you know how to pilot ships?" Luke asked.

"No," echoed throughout the crowd.

"Very well, plan b, it is," Luke answered, tapping his communicator. "Han, Jabba's dead. We need you to come and pick us up, along with his slaves."

"Damn, you're still alive?" Solo asked, his surprise audible in his voice. "Guess luck happens to some folks."

"Not luck, buddy," Luke smiled.

"Well, a deal's a deal, kid, I'm coming."

True to his word, Solo met with them soon, taking note of the carnage left behind. He wasn't alone. Leia followed suit, looking between the devastation with terror, before the clearly terrified slaves.

"Damn, did quite a number on the place," Han stated nonchalantly.

The minions of the Hutt came out with Vonai, allowing her to follow into the arms of a Togruta slave, who was barely holding himself up after such an operation.

The smuggler produced his blaster and fired, dropping the minions within a span of seconds. Vader rolled his eyes and scoffed, Vader huffed, though he'd agreed with the decision; while Luke looked at Solo and his smoking blaster, disappointed. The slaves gasped, fearful. Leia, on the other hand, seemed outraged.

"What was that about?!" Leia snarled. "Do you have no regard for sentient's life?!"

"She's right. They were subdued by the Force, Captain," Luke stated.

"My blaster provides all the assurance I need," Solo replied, shrugging. "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid. It ain't like they were goin' see the error in their ways."

"Of course, you don't believe in the Force," Luke answered solemnly.

He rolled his eyes, "Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other; you may have some powerful weapons after killin' Jabba. Trust me, I've seen a lot of strange stuff. But I've never seen anything that would make me believe in an all-powerful Force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny. It's all just simple tricks and nonsense."

"The Force is more powerful than you can comprehend!" Vader snarled, angered at his impudence. He knew nothing, and yet he presumed to taunt the Force. Anyone else would have been dead for such insolence.

"The Force doesn't control your destiny, Captain," Luke continued, placing his hand on his father's shoulder in a symbol of calm. "It allows you to make your own decisions. The Force will mentor you. It won't control you. You won't suddenly fall to the Dark Side if you deny its will. You're not a slave."

"Save the speech for someone else, kid," Han huffed.

"As you wish," Luke conceded, beginning to move in the direction of the crowd of liberated.

Leia's eyes snapped to him. "Are you gonna just allow him to get away with this?!"

Solo scoffed. "Don't get your hair tied into knots, Princess."

"Leia," Luke started slowly, "war comes at a sacrifice. I know that all too well. At the end of the day, while unfortunate, we cannot dwell here for long. We have work to do. These people," he motioned, "were slaves, and if you don't put aside your morality until later, you're going to see a lot more cruel things on Tatooine."

Leia wanted to argue back but held her tongue momentarily, and allowed resignation to cross her face. "Very well," she pointedly stared at each of them, "this isn't over. I want to talk to both of you especially."

Even Vader felt slight trepidation at the lashing that was to come from his daughter. If she was anything like her mother, it wouldn't end well for either of them.

Han smiled. "Well, now, we can get goin'. Would love to be off this dustball anyway." he turned around, waiting for them to follow, only to see that none took a step. "Come on, let's go."

"We can't leave yet," Luke sighed.

Solo grunted, "And why not?"

"We have more slaves to liberate on the planet."

Solo grew frustrated. He was starting to miss Jabba. The feeling was mutual. "My ship isn't a taxi, kid, I ain't got nothing goin' in my favor aside from that miserable bastard bein' dead."

Luke looked at him, "You want to get one last dig at Jabba, do you? What better way than to free his slaves, sever his network, and give who we could better lives?"

Solo placed a hand over his eyes, and it actually amused Vader deep down. Finally, the scoundrel looked between the two and managed, "You two are fools. And I am too for considerin' this."

Vader interjected, "Who's the more foolish? The fool or the fool who follows him?"

Why did Luke smile at him almost knowingly when he'd said that?

"Well, I have my own tricks to rely on, Scarface," Solo sniped back, producing something from within his vest and placing it in front of the Hutt's former throne...

Almost humorously, each of the Skywalkers' eyes lit up in realization.

Even Mara knew to respect the Clones on board Vader's Star Destroyer. They were Clone Wars veterans and tossed aside their camaraderie to the Jedi when they'd committed a Jedi Coup and betrayed the Republic. After all, the Clones seemed perfectly confused (and she confirmed through the Force they didn't know about Vader's treachery prematurely) about how he suddenly went AWOL, and Mara was determined to keep it that way. She wasn't like the Imperial Inquisitors or those pathetic band of Dark Side Adepts trained by Vader himself. She had more class than most of the brutes, including that Dark Lord.

It wasn't long before she was on board, she had been spectacularly distracted by a slight stirring in the Force. What was that? Why did it feel so... familiar? Why did it make her heart stop and her entire body convulse with an emotion foreign to her? Desire? Who was that...

Someone she'd recognized? Someone she'd needed but never met?

She shook her head and expelled the thought from her mind, storing it away for later.

Mara concluded quickly that Vader was indeed not alone. Another Force Sensitive was on board and had left an echo, either intentionally or not.

"Commander Bly," she addressed one of the ship's Commanders who had accompanied her, "what was your last assignment?"

The Commander answered without issue, "Lord Vader captured the Princess of Alderaan."

"And where was she located?"

"In cell block 2187," the trooper continued.

"Did she ever make it to the Death Star?" she asked.

"No, Lord Vader informed us that the Princess escaped." She likely went to Alderaan then...

That narrowed the search for candidates to where the Princess may have gone, but if the Princess escaped in this deliberate scheme, it was only a matter of time before Aldeeran's leadership would have to be removed.

She did what her first instinct was when she came on board: investigate the security cameras. Of course, they were scrambled, deliberately cut irreparably, likely by the traitor and the echo. It only slowed things down, not stopped them altogether. The only problem was who would subdue Vader and how. Who would be the face of the Empire?

She'd hoped it would be her, but she knew that the Emperor had his reasons.

Speaking of which, it was time to contact the Emperor...