Chapter 39

Epilogue of the Dark Side

It almost felt like a dream, his entire experience on Naboo, meeting his past self, killing Sidious, everything. Being back in the halls of a Star Destroyer made it surreal even to Vader.

But the Force sang out to him as he sensed the wary and troubled souls aboard the ship: crew, officers, and troopers alike. He didn't blame them. This was the past; they had traveled through time itself…an unnerving prospect for most. Unlike him, they had not had the chance to venture out to see the truth and grasp the implications. It took Vader himself confirming it when he first arrived from Coruscant. Anyone that thought Vader was joking about time-traveling was more than welcome to come and discuss it with him, face to face.

So far, none had worked up the courage to do so, for that topic at least.

Vader awoke from his long overdue session in a bacta tank, his yellow eyes narrowed at the door. He could sense it, the swelling of anger and confusion. He eyed his suit, lying on a medical bed in front of his tank. He was going to upgrade it soon, but it would have to do for now. The essentially had been repaired, that was all that mattered for now.

Using the Force on the control, the bacta emptied from the tube, leaving his limbless body hanging. Putting on his own limbs and armor was a routine he was well versed in after all these years. He was dependent on no one. And if he had his way, he wouldn't be dependent on this suit either, one day.

But today had its own complications.

His breathing filled the medical bay as he made sure there were no problems. No serious problems at least, like the risk of his arm falling off in mid-stride, or his life-support short-circuiting. Finding that all was as well as he could expect, he ventured out into the hallway.

He was only mildly surprised to see a small brawl going on between some officers. Considering no one had drawn their blaster pistols, he assumed no one was trying to kill anyone.

Still, this was a terrible display on their part.

With a wave of his hand, half of the officers were pulled off and towards one of the walls. The fighting stopped instantly, his breath echoing ominously as they all turned to face him.

"Lord Vader!"

They quickly move to salute, but several boldly and openly glared at him.

"What is the meaning of this?" he snapped, his ire pouring out like a terrible miasma.

They all shook in their uniforms, down to their boots. One brave man saluted Vader. "Lieutenant Starng, My Lord! Lieutenant Larns-" he paused to glance at the officer in question, directly to his right. "-and others were trying to force their way into the medbay to...speak with you. We were attempting to turn them away, but..."

Starng trailed off, prompting Vader to turn towards Larns. The man's dislike for the Sith Lord was unhidden yet new. If Vader wagered, he'd bet that this officer wanted to give him more than just words. "Well, Lieutenant. You have my attention. Speak."

Larns bristled under the order but otherwise kept his composure. "Sir, I understand everything, to a point. We are in the past, before the Clone Wars. How, I don't even think you know. But we have to be careful about our situation, obviously," he started, as he looked up at Vader before yelling. "So why, by all the stars, did you kill the Emperor!?"

The question echoed in the halls, and in the ears of the officers.

"Why did you kill the Empire before it was even born!? Did you just want power, Sir? Did you-" Larns continued to rattle off until he felt pressure on his throat by an unseen force.

With a great deal of self-control, Vader resisted the urge to choke the officer further and released him. "All will be explained shortly," he promised and warned in the same breath. "You should thank your fellow officers. If they had not stopped you, I would be far less lenient than leaving your fate to Captain Pryl."

Larns continued to glare, however subdued, but did not speak again.

"Dismissed."

They left, quickly, but Vader knew the situation could not last. He already had ships missing; he didn't need a full mutiny.

"Lord Vader," Captain Pryl greeted as the Sith Lord entered the bridge. "All is as you order, but do you believe this is...wise?"

Was it wise? Vader wasn't positive. This kind of manipulation was more Sidious's skill. But he had his own talents for inspiring loyalty. Besides, he needed to direct this narrative before anyone else used the opportunity to spread descent.

"Begin the transmissions," Vader ordered simply, refusing to show his doubts.

The captain nodded, first to him and then to the communications officers.

"This is Darth Vader, addressing every member of the Death Squadron," Vader began, pausing to have their attention. "I understand that this matter has been confusing for all. I will be as clear as possible to you all: Through means and powers unknown, we have been taken back in time over thirty years to before the Clone Wars. I have faced the droids from the Invasion of Naboo and seen the Jedi, unculled by the Clone Wars. And we possess no plausible knowledge or method to return to our reality."

Vader could feel it, many going into shock. Some were angry, and others were making schemes of their own. Most were just uneasy. They had all known, yes, but this was the first time any had formally addressed the entire fleet on the matter. The first time it was said that, yes, they were stuck in this era.

"You have already known this, if disbelieved it. That is not why I address you today," he stated firmly. "Today, I answer a more pressing matter laid at my feet. Sheev Palpatine is dead. His death was not only a result of my actions, but they were my desired intent."

There were many gasps and shocked looks on the bridge were directed at him.

"Killing the Emperor was my plan," he answered ominously. "Some of you may hate me for this. I understand how the Emperor is seen, the one who ended the chaos of the Clones Wars, the Empire reborn from the decaying corpse of the Republic. Now, I reveal a great secret of the Empire."

Vader knew what a Jedi might try. Try to appeal to their decency, revealing that Sidious had been a sadistic monster or that Sidious had been the one to cause his own death by exposing himself. But neither would work, not here. These were imperials. They were accustomed to atrocities being committed in the name of the Empire. That would only form a wedge between the ruthless and idealists. And explaining the interplay that had gone on between Plagueis, Sidious, and the Jedi to those not strong in the Force would be a futile effort. No, he had to give them something simpler, something they could all understand.

Something that justified killing the would-be Emperor to those that would have served him if Vader had allowed him to survive that battle.

"There was no chaos in the Clone Wars," he stated cryptically. "Palpatine controlled both sides in secret, the Separatists and the Republic."

He had them. If only out of overwhelming curiosity and disbelief, everyone was too stunned to even consider forming a move against him.

"I believe the splintering of the Republic was always doomed to begin. But the Emperor saw the chance the unrest provided. He caused the formation of the two greatest military forces in our known history, tore the galaxy in two, and perpetuated the war until both sides were ready to break. Regardless of who won, he would rule over the ashes, rebuilding either into an empire of his image."

"My...lord," Captain Pryl stated, more out of shock than anything else. "Do you...do you have proof of this?"

Vader nodded slowly. "In the coming days, I will depart for Naboo, to aid in ending the Trade Federation invasion. Soon after, the people of Naboo will expose the secrets of their deceased senator. That he conspired with the Trade Federation, to enable the Invasion. To make him Chancellor."

There was a silence, in the Ship and in the Force.

"Soldiers of the Empire," Vader spoke again. "My idealism died long ago. The same is true for many of you. I will not give you false hope of building a better future. The Grand Scheme of Palpatine was a master stroke, granting absolute power over a galactic empire...but it was also the single greatest waste of lives and power the galaxy has ever seen."

He paused and wondered how this would end. In mere moments, he will have either a united fleet or they would start to break apart and turn not only on him but on each other.

"Despite this, I have spent over a decade slaying any and all threats to the Empire. As all of you were trained to do, from without and within. There is never a greater threat, a betrayal more dangerous than from one who feigns loyalty to gain power and authority over those loyal to the Empire. By that, I deemed the greatest threat to the Empire had always been the Emperor himself. All I have done, is what any one of us should do to a traitor within our midst."

End Flashback

It didn't win everyone over. Vader knew it wouldn't. But it worked well enough.

"Sir-Lord Vader, you wanted to see me?"

Vader nodded as he looked the Stormtrooper over. "Commander Vos," Vader acknowledged. He could sense the man's unease, both with the situation and meeting him for the first time. "Remove your helmet."

The man did so, holding his helmet under his orange-covered shoulder, standing fully at attention. He was a young man, but a man nonetheless.

"Officer Tyin of the Stalker is dead," Vader stated, letting those words hang ominously in the air.

"Yes, I executed him, Sir," Vos answered, perhaps a bit quicker than he should have.

"Explain the situation, Commander," Vader ordered swiftly.

Vos nodded briefly, swallowing as he gathered his thoughts. "He had been planning to stage a coup and take the Stalker away from the fleet, to desert the Death Squadron. He had gathered other officers and found the ones willing to go along with it. We got wind of it, the other commanders and I, and put a stop to it after they detained Captain Zed. Officer Tyin tried to send the ship into hyperspace without proper calculations."

A foolish, desperate move. An uncalculated Hyperspace jump was like a human pod racing without Force powers. A very dangerous venture, that would likely end in disaster.

"You misunderstand my inquiry, Commander," Vader stated firmly. "Why did you stop them?"

"...My Lord?" Vos questioned uncertainly.

"I understand why they attempted to dissert. I wish to understand why you acted against them," Vader specified.

Vos seemed to slowly comprehend the question, a bit of unease leaving him as he gained a determined expression. "Lord Vader, I won't pretend to understand how the Emperor could have done what you said. Reading about the Clone Wars, I don't really know how the Republic became the Empire," he stated honestly. "But my time as a Stormtrooper has taught me two things. One is that we have a better chance of surviving anything as a united unit."

A simple but powerful reason; Order had been the theme of the empire, the selling point behind which many fought for. Tyranny or not, many would prefer Order over Chaos.

"The second is that you are not someone anyone should want as an enemy, Lord Vader," he added with a small smirk.

Vader allowed those words to hang in the air before nodding. "You are dismissed, Commander. You may return to the Stalker."

"Lord Vader," Vos saluted before taking his leave.

The officers were a mixed bag. Some were plotting against him, and others were placing their bets and futures on Vader- if only because he seemed like the only sound choice in this mad situation. The crew, the technicians, and such that kept the ships going; they were primarily going with the flow. The path of survival

But Vader had always been a popular figure among the troopers. Terrifying and respected, but popular. Tales of him walking into the battlefields, being on the frontlines with his men had that effect on his reputation. The fact that he was a mighty Force warrior only added to that image.

The Stormtroopers were not creatures of politics but soldiers of war. The intrigue of the officers did not interest them. So, they had willingly and unwittingly become deterrents against any more of the Star Destroyers going rogue. Because in this time and era, there was no Empire; Just the Death Squadron. The only thing that could punish entire groups of soldiers was Vader himself.

"Having the most blasters does help in keeping your followers in line, Lord Vader."

The Dark Lord turned to the corner of his quarters, eyeing his guest knowingly. "You finally speak, Lord Plagueis."

Plagueis smiled disarmingly as he allowed his illusions to fall in full. "You knew I was onboard this entire time, didn't you?"

Vader nodded. "I am impressed. Casting an illusion wide enough to affect everyone on the ship while you boarded."

"It would have been simpler if I knew where the surveillance officers were," Plagueis mused as he strolled through the room. "Making soldiers think my ship is one of their own while it is in your hangar? Child's play. Making sure those watching a live feed of my docking see the same thing? Now that is always more difficult."

Silence came over the Sith Lords, both waiting for the other to begin this conversation on a more serious note.

"I take it you know of my true origins," Vader stated.

"That you are from the future?" Plagueis asked with a chuckle. "Vader, I have suspected that since Coruscant."

Vader could not hide his shock, and Plagueis did not hide his amusement at the cyborg's reaction. Vader narrowed his eyes behind his lenses, wondering what gave him away. "How?"

"It was nothing you said, Lord Vader. Nothing the Jedi would have noticed. Sidious should have, but, well," Plagueis shrugged his shoulders. "Obviously he didn't."

Vader's glare was a palpable presence now.

It didn't intimidate Plagueis, but he did acknowledge the unspoken question. "When you stopped the Force Storm."

Vader tilted his head. "Was that such a feat that time travel was the only answer you could conjure up?"

Now Plagueis glared. "Despite my appearance, my patience is much thinner than I'd like, Darth Vader," he warned as recent events obviously had tired him on a psychological level.

Vader was not afraid of the Muun, but he had no desire to antagonize him all the same. "The body?"

Plagueis waved him off, knowing exactly who he meant and why. "Disposed of. That virus died with him," he assured with a scowl. "It was too perfect."

Vader remained silent, unsure what he meant.

"When you were closing the rift. It was too perfect," Plagueis explained. "When a Sith creates a Force Storm, they create a tear in space and time. And that tear is unique to each Sith. When you closed it, it wasn't as if you had just done that before, Lord Vader. It was like you knew how to do it specifically with Sidious."

No words were said at that, its own implications ringing in the ear.

"I did not fight him in the future," Vader clarified.

Plagueis raised an eyebrow. "You were helping him. He was training his powers, and you were there to help him if he lost control of a storm," Plagueis deduced, eyes narrowing as he confirmed something else. "You were Sidious's apprentice."

Vader nodded slowly.

Plagueis frowned as he looked him up and down. "Did he do this to you?"

Vader felt old rage simmer in him but pushed it aside. "He did not dismember or burn me. My own hubris led to that. This armor was a "gift" from him…to keep me alive and to gain power through my suffering."

"And to make you easy to subdue if you rose against him," Plagueis remarked. "Your suit wasn't fully protected from his Force Lightning, back on Coruscant; Unwise to confront him at the time, but clever to conceal your weakness for that entire battle."

"A weakness I've since dealt with," Vader countered swiftly. "How long shall we dance around this topic, Darth Plagueis?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just appreciating the magnitude of your existence," Plagueis answered, stroking his chin with interest. "Time travel. And you obviously do not need the timeline to remain unchanged to any degree to avoid ceasing to be. Did you know that, when this began?"

"Not at all," Vader answered bluntly.

"You wagered everything," Plagueis said before sighing with a shake of his head. "Very well, let us cut to the matter at hand. You have made peace with the Jedi, disrupted the Grand Plan, and dealt a blow to the Trade Federation. Tell me, Vader, what is your goal in all of this?"

Vader didn't answer for a moment. "Peace is a lie," he started. "But for the sake of it, let us just define Peace as the time between wars."

"A valid definition," Plagueis stated patiently.

"There was never any peace for the Empire," Vader answered bluntly. "From the moment Sidious named himself Emperor, there were those plotting to undo him."

"As is the way of power, others always covet it," Plagueis reminded him.

"Undo, Lord Plagueis, not overthrow," Vader restated with emphasis.

The Muun paused in consideration. "You speak of the rebellion to restore the republic."

"Indeed," Vader confirmed, not surprised that he knew of that. Who knew what the Master of Sidious had been able to pry out of the Star Destroyer's crew while under his illusions. "From the beginning, there were those that looked to the past with far more favorable eyes than the Republic deserved. I believe that was the fatal flaw in Sidious's plan and yours as well."

"Oh? Do explain," Plagueis requested, wondering just where this was going.

"By creating the war as it was, and how it ended, there was a sense in many that the Republic somehow had NOT failed. That it had been corrupted or stolen. Thus, to them, it needed to be restored and fixed," Vader elaborated.

"I see. Then what is your desire? Just stand back and let the Republic die?" Plagueis asked skeptically.

"Yes."

Plagueis blinked at the answer. "You...you want this civil war to have more than just two sides, don't you?"

"More than two?" Vader repeated while glancing back at the Sith Lord, as if it was a foolish question to begin with. "I expect there will be a great many factions."

The Muun's pupils were moving ever so slightly as pieces began to form together. "Naboo, the Queen, the Anti-Federationists. They're your foothold."

"Among other things," Vader agreed vaguely. "I intend to let the Republic fall into chaos and crumble into pieces. Not by the manipulations of the Order of Bane, but by its own failings and corruption. And as all the systems fall apart-"

"They will be disillusioned with the Republic, even before you arrive. Arrive to bring order and protection," Plagueis finished. "Did you not make a speech about Sidious being the biggest threat to the Empire?"

"I'm not making a plan to make the Republic fall myself, Darth Plagueis, I am planning for when it falls under its own weight," Vader countered. "I am in no position to stop it. And I am doubting you have the inclination to try yourself."

"Peace, by any definition, cannot last. Besides, your idea has merits," Plagueis admitted simply. "Sometimes, making a new start is better than transforming something old."

Vader waited, knowing there was more to be said.

"You need my help," Plagueis realized with satisfaction.

Vader neither confirmed nor denied that statement, knowing it was obvious.

"These ships are masterfully efficient in many ways," Plagueis mused. "By all I have discovered, your crews could survive for at least a year without needing to dock."

"Two," Vader corrected.

"Ideally two," Plagueis accepted, albeit with a hint of mocking. They both knew that one year was more realistic. "But eventually, you will need to dock. Resupply, refuel, repair, recalibrate, and etcetera. But even if you gained access to shipyards great enough to handle these marvels from the future, there would be questions. Many, many questions. So many tracks to cover, so much evidence of your true origins."

"You desire a trade," Vader ventured.

"You spent much of my goodwill with the death of my Apprentice," Plagueis remarked forcefully before a strange look came over him. "What was different, last time?"

Vader paused. It was a morbid question, but it felt like one Plagueis deserved an answer to. "He killed you in your sleep, the night he became Chancellor."

Plagueis stared at him for a moment. "I can only think of one scenario in which that would succeed, and it involves my own blindness. To Sidious and my limitations," he remarked softly. Vader's silence was confirmation enough. "That is the only reason we're not enemies, Darth Vader. I know it, I feel it; Sidious would have never accepted my abandonment of the Rule of Two."

"Not your way of abandoning it, no," Vader said knowingly.

Plagueis shook his head, not caring to broach more of what Sidious would have and had done in another lifetime. "Be that as may, I'm not willing to invest more time and energy into anything of yours, Vader, without anything to gain."

Vader remained silent for an instant, as if contemplating Plagueis's words. "Do you believe Sidious would be content and idle, as Emperor of the Galaxy?" he asked rhetorically. They both knew the answer was no. "What do you believe he and I were doing for nearly two decades between rebellions and coup attempts?"

Plagueis raised an eyebrow. "...Oh, you clever Sarlacc," he said in suspicion. "You know where to find a great many things belonging to the Sith. Temples, artifacts, tomes. All lost to time."

"Such information is more valuable to you than the value of this entire fleet," Vader said knowingly. "I take it I have your attention?"

"No, Vader, you have a very interested business partner," Plagueis answered as he stuck out his hand.

Vader studied the hand but sensed no danger.

With that, the Dark Lords shook on it.