AN: Hello all, and welcome to my new story. I've been on a bit of a RWBY craze resently, but I've found very few stories on this site that have any great length to them and are also to my liking. So, I decided to pull a Thanos and do it myself.

Hopefully with this chapter, some things should be made clear. Namely: This is absolutely Vader, not Anakin. Though he betrayed the Emperor and saved Luke, I personally refuse to accept that one moment was enough to redeem him completely.

That being said, this *is* a redemption story... of a sort. The path to redemption is a long one and a hard one, full of bumps and pitfalls. Vader is Vader, and likely will never be good, but perhaps a smaller, more honest soul can help him along his journey back from the darkness.

Review Responses for ch. 1 are located at the end of this chapter.

Within a few hours, Vader had managed to set up a rudimentary camp around the gravestone. It had been his best choice for a defendable location, if not a very sheltered one. The cliff was high up and sheer enough that no creature would be able to climb it without making a fair amount of noise and giving him enough time to prepare. Of course, that left him without an escape route as well, but that wasn't much of an issue. As the day had passed by, filled with him gathering dry wood for use in a fire, he had slowly felt himself strengthen with the Force. It seemed whatever had weakened him was indeed wearing off, yet it was far too slow for his liking. Even now, several hours later, could speed himself and strengthen his limbs somewhat, yet nowhere near his previous strength.

Vader sighed as he finally got a spark to catch on the dry tinder that he had been working on for the past half hour. He was no stranger to finding himself in the wilderness, yet it had been decades since he last had to worry about the cold overly much. One of the very few good things about his suit had been its ability to regulate his temperature. Now he was without it, and without clothes for that matter.

As the fire properly started and the warmth began radiating outwards, he let a content sound slip past his lips. Just like it had been decades since he had to worry about the cold, it had also been decades since he could feel the heat from flames without it agitating his scars. Sitting by the fire, the sun slowly beginning to dip in the sky, he thought over his situation and what he could do about it.

It was clear that there were intelligent lifeforms on this planet, the gravestone proved that. If he was to find out where in the galaxy he was, he would have to make contact with them. The markings on the gravestone were likely to be a language or a numbering system, which meant whatever species was in control on this planet had some form of society. Of course, the first hint towards that was the gravestone itself. No species began to respect their dead in such a manner until they had at least a rudimentary society. The marking of a flower was an interesting touch, as from his very rudimentary search of the area there were no similar looking flowers nearby, showing that the society likely had the concept of art as well.

The question was their technology level. If it was space level, he would have no trouble finding his way onto a ship sometime soon. If it wasn't… Well, he could eventually build his own with the right materials and enough time. And once he had returned to the galaxy at large, he could take the throne of the Empire and rule it properly. The mistakes of his former Master could be fixed, returned to how it should be. He would make sure the slave trade was entierly abolished throughout the galaxy, hunting down every last one of the Hutts that refused to give it up. If it weren't for their usefulness in the criminal parts of the galaxy, he would have them all slaughtered. They controlled too much however, and had too much of the economy in their grasp. They would have to be dealt with carefully. If Luke would join him, he could act as his advisor. His son could help rule the galaxy with him, help make it better for everyone. Bring peace and security at last.

While he thought about his plans upon returning to his throne, he very carefully did not think about how he could tell deep down that doing so was likely impossible. He steadfastly refused to consider that the feel of the Force flowing through this world was strange and sluggish, and altogether different from how he had ever felt it before.

Despite his attempts to think about the future, he could not help himself but think about the past as well. For decades his thoughts flowed and centered around his hatred for the old Jedi order and himself, and one day with his body returned to him was not enough to rid him of this habit.

It was no use thinking about the future or the past however. He must look straight ahead and keep himself alive. With a deep breath, he forced such thoughts away and began to meditate, immersing himself in the dark side.

Though the mindset was easy enough to fall into, the sluggishness of the Force itself made him uncomfortable. No matter how much of his emotions he poured into the Force, his full strength continued to elude him. As the frustration continued to mount he used it to his advantage, relentlessly fueling his connection to the dark side. Anger and hatred were his weapons, but now they felt dulled, as if he were grasping at shadows instead of the power he once commanded. Still, he pressed on, refusing to accept weakness, forcing the dark side to bend to his will.

The more he pushed, the more he realized that time was his greatest enemy. It would take patience to reclaim his strength, but patience was something he despised. Still, it was growing late and he would be able to do more in the light than in the darkness. He couldn't afford to let his guard down, so he would meditate throughout the night instead of sleeping.

He heard it before he felt it in the Force, that was the most disturbing thing.

Several hours deep in meditation though he was, his situational awareness and reflexes were honed from countless battles. Though he would never admit it, in his weakened state that was likely the only thing that had saved him.

It came suddenly, the breaking of small twigs at the edge of the clearing being the only warning he had. He threw himself to the side, feeling the rush of air as something heavy landed next to him, sending up a few embers from the dying fire. As he rolled to his feet, taking a low stance with one hand on the ground, he opened his eyes to see the creature that had attacked him.

It was an odd one, standing on two legs but hunched forward like a beast. Its body was covered in black, matted fur, darker than the night itself, save for the bone-like white mask that covered its snarling face. Red, glowing eyes pierced through the mask, locking onto him with animalistic rage. Long, jagged claws extended from its hands, and its body rippled with raw muscle and predatory intent. The creature looked like a twisted amalgamation of a wolf and a man.

Only now, once he had it firmly in his sights, did the Force scream in danger. He could feel it then, a rolling mass of… something.

Vader's eyes narrowed as he faced the creature. The sensation it gave off in the Force was unlike anything he had encountered before. It wasn't a sentient being, nor did it have the cunning of a predator he was familiar with. It was pure rage and destruction, an embodiment of the dark emotions he had long learned to control and wield. And yet, it lacked purpose, driven solely by an instinct to kill.

The creature lunged at him again, its claws slashing toward his head. Vader, despite his weakened state, was faster. He ducked under the swing, feeling the air crackle as the beast's claws narrowly missed him. In a fluid motion, he rolled to the side, grabbing a nearby stone and hurling it with all his strength at the creature's head. The stone cracked against its mask but didn't slow it down.

The beast charged again, its massive form barreling toward him with reckless abandon. Vader's mind raced, calculating his options. His connection to the Force was growing, but it was still too weak to stop the creature outright. He needed to be strategic, use the environment to his advantage.

As the creature closed in, Vader reached out with the Force, weak as it was, and grabbed hold of the smoldering embers from the fire pit. With a flick of his hand, he sent the glowing coals flying into the creature's face. The beast snarled and recoiled, momentarily blinded by the heat and light. That hesitation was all Vader needed.

He surged forward, his fists striking hard against the creature's exposed ribs and jaw, each blow aimed with precision to inflict maximum damage. But the beast was resilient, more so than anything he had fought before. His fists landed solidly, reinforced with all the strength his meager connection to the Force currently allowed, but it seemed to feel no pain, only becoming angrier with every strike.

The beast swiped at him, and this time, its claws found their mark, tearing across Vader's bare chest. He stumbled back, pain flaring as blood trickled down from the shallow wounds. Rage flared inside him.

Vader reached deeper into the Force, his connection still weak but growing stronger by the moment. He raised his hand, palm outstretched, and focused on the ground beneath the beast's feet. With a grunt of effort, he pulled, yanking the earth from under the creature and sending it stumbling.

Before the creature could recover, Vader leapt onto its back, grabbing hold of its mask with both hands. His grip tightened, and with a surge of raw physical strength—enhanced by the dark emotions roiling inside him—he twisted, ripping the mask clean off its face. The creature howled in pain, its body convulsing as black, tar-like smoke poured from the wound where its mask had been.

Vader threw the mask aside and stood over the creature as it writhed on the ground, its body twitching violently. With a final, forceful stomp to its chest, the creature fell still, the last of its life force dissipating into the night.

Breathing heavily as he stepped back from the corpse, he watched with caution as the smoke from the creature's face began to spread over its body. Through the thick plumes, he watched as the body began to fall apart, disintegrating before his very eyes. Soon enough, it was gone. A quick glance towards where he had tossed the white mask showed that it, too, was missing.

His chest still bleeding from the creature's attack, he sighed. His body was exhausted, but the darkness within him swelled. He had won. Even in this weakened state, stripped of his suit, his lightsaber, and his full power, he was still stronger than any lowly beast.

Vader glanced down at the shallow but persistent wounds the creature had inflicted. The blood was drying, but it was clear that the cuts were deep enough to warrant immediate attention. In his current state, his connection to the Force was too weak to rely on healing through sheer will. He couldn't afford to lose any more blood, nor could he let himself be compromised by infection. Survival demanded action.

Though he was no stranger to pain, Vader knew that this body—while restored—was still vulnerable. The cold, calculating part of his mind overrode any sense of pride. He needed to stabilize his condition.

He knelt near the remnants of the dying fire and quickly assessed his surroundings for any natural resources. By dim light of the fire, he spotted some wide leaves growing on a nearby plant, the edges rough but intact. He tore them free and inspected their texture, finding them sturdy enough to serve as crude bandages. Ripping one up in his hand, he lifted it towards his nose. The smell was pungent, but vaguely reminded him of medicine. He also found a vine that would suffice for binding.

Vader moved with practiced efficiency. He pressed the leaves against the wounds, wincing as they adhered to his skin, sticky with blood. He then wrapped the vine tightly around his torso, securing the makeshift bandages in place. It wasn't elegant, but it would do for now.

Once the immediate danger of blood loss was dealt with, Vader sat back, feeling the ache in his muscles from the battle and the strain of the night. His body, though restored, was not accustomed to fighting without his suit and the Force as his primary defenses. The physical toll was real, and the rational side of him knew rest was necessary.

He closed his eyes, breathing steadily as he began to calm his mind. The dark side still pulsed within him, feeding off the anger and frustration of his earlier fight. He allowed that energy to simmer, but did not act on it. He needed focus now, not blind rage.

Despite his instincts to push forward, Vader allowed himself a brief reprieve. His meditation shifted into a state of guarded rest. He did not sleep, but he let his body recover, sitting upright with his back against the cold gravestone, his senses alert to any changes in the forest around him.

The night continued, the wind rustling through the trees, carrying with it the first hints of autumn. Vader's breathing slowed, though his mind remained sharp, calculating what his next steps would be. His immediate survival was secured, but the longer-term questions gnawed at him: Where was he? What was that creature?

For now, he allowed the dark side to continue healing him, fueling the slow restoration of his connection to the Force. Each hour brought a little more strength back to him. He could feel the bond between him and the dark side beginning to deepen again, like a black tide slowly rising. His strength would return fully in time, and when it did, he would dominate this world just as he had dominated others.

Chapter 2 completed! I shall be trying to expand the length if my chapters. Chapter 1 was about 2k words, and this is around the same length (a little longer). The next chapter im hoping to have about double the length.

Review Reaponses for Chapter 1!

Noob6: "Redeemed 2nd chance vader stories are always nice, but will this vader make a new suit or just be anakin again? The suit is so iconic"

It absolutely is iconic. Don't you worry, the suit will eventually make its return, though it might be a while. I already have the moment planned however.

Grand Chaos Master:"Please show a god-like Darth Vader. He must reach his full potential by now."

While Vader is starting out weakned by his situation, he shall not stay that way for long. You'll have your Vader who was capable of holding up an entire ocean again eventually. I hope I balanced it well: While the Force shall be a fantastic ally to him in this world, having the Grimm be a blind spot to him at the moment just makes sense to me.

See you all again soon, likely within 2 weeks.