Chapter Text
The Imperial shuttle lowered itself slowly into the hangar bay on Dantooine. They had finally made it to their destination, but not as they had hoped. When they stepped out of the shuttle, they were greeted by a group of resistance soldiers, led by princess Leia Organa herself.
"Master Kota. Juno. PROXY. What did you do with your... guest?" Leia asked.
"A deal was a deal. We dropped him off on the way." Kota told her. "I am sorry. I know how major capturing the right hand of the Emperor would have been for the Resistance." He added.
"It's alright. You did everything you could. I'm just glad you got out unscathed." Leia said.
In response, PROXY held up his arms, still without hands.
"We'll see what we have to help you fix that." Leia said and waved for several Resistance officers to guide PROXY away for repairs.
"We didn't all make it out..." Juno said glumly.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." Leia said, unsure of how to continue.
***
The remaining members of the Rogue Shadow sat silently around a table, unsure of what to say. It was Rahm Kota who shattered the uneasy silence.
"We will find him again. Of that, I am certain." Kota said, placing his hand on her shoulder for comfort.
Nearby, PROXY was admiring his new hands, constructed from spare parts scavenged from around the rebel base.
"My master- um, uh, Galen... is quite formidable." PROXY told her.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say even you were trying to comfort me, PROX." Juno said with a small smile.
"I am trying to... understand the intricacies of human emotion. While it may not be quite the same as your grief... I miss him too." PROXY confessed, causing Juno to look momentarily surprised at the admission.
"We haven't given up hope." Kota said.
"What if he's... dead?" Juno asked.
"He's not. I can feel it. I'm unsure of where he's being kept but, for whatever reason, Darth Vader has yet to kill Galen Marek. That means it's not too late." Rahm Kota declared.
***
Darth Vader sat atop his throne on the planet Mustafar, when the holotable before him began to receive a transmission. Vader hit a button and suddenly, a holographic visage of Darth Sidious appeared before him.
"Hello, Lord Vader." Sidious let out in a low growl.
"Hello, my master." Vader responded.
"I trust your trip proved fruitful." Sidious asked.
"I didn't find what I was looking for. But I have gained... insight." Vader answered.
"Knowledge can sometimes be more powerful than any weapon. If one knows how to apply it properly." Sidious told him. "But such pleasantries aside, I have a mission for you, Lord Vader." He added.
"What is it, master?" Vader asked.
"We have had a... breach of security. Vital information regarding our newest weapon has been stolen. I believe the perpetrator intends on handing off the information to the Rebels. You are to take the Devastator out of orbit and await further commands. Should you be needed, you are to show the Rebels no mercy." The Emperor commanded.
"As you wish, my master." At Vader's parting words, the Emperor's image vanished.
Darth Vader got out of his throne and began walking with purpose down the halls of his Mustafar fortress. Each heavy footfall echoed down the long, winding corridors. When Darth Vader came to a stop, he stood before the green armor clad Boba Fett.
"Did you have any issues securing the parcel?" Vader asked.
"None. He was most cooperative. Eventually." Boba Fett responded simply.
"Good." Vader said as he withdrew a small metal case from his belt and handed it to Boba Fett.
Boba Fett opened the case to see it held fifty thousand credits.
"As agreed. I hope you can be of service to the Empire again in the future." Vader exclaimed.
"For the right price." Boba Fett answered, before walking away, down the hall.
Darth Vader turned to face the door in front of which he now stood and entered a code into the number pad. In an instant, the door slid open, revealing a shackled Galen Marek within. Galen looked up and smiled at his former master.
"Here to torture me again? I told you, you're wasting your time. Anakin." Galen Marek taunted.
"That will have to wait. I have been given a mission of vital importance. The Rebels will soon be dead. And you will no longer be of use to me." Vader shot back.
"You're still working for a man who tried to have you killed?" Galen asked.
"It is the way of the Sith. Darth Sidious' failure to kill me will be his undoing." Darth Vader's final words hung in the air, as the door once more slid shut.
Darth Vader marched through his facility, until he arrived at a waiting Imperial shuttle. The shuttle took him into orbit around Mustafar, where his ship, the Imperial Star Destroyer known as the Devastator, waited. He walked calmly onto the ship and continued moving through its metal corridors, until he took his place on the bridge.
"What are your orders, Lord Vader?" An imperial officer asked.
"We are to standby and wait for further instructions." Darth Vader ordered.
"Yes, sir."
And so he waited, a dragon in the darkness, ready to strike. He felt it, through the force: he would be the one to kill Emperor Palpatine. Then he would become the Emperor of the galaxy. This was his mission; this was his destiny.
