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The blue hue of the holo was the only visible light in the room. Everything else had gone out in his outburst, in his rage. The darkness was welcome, the only comfort he currently had.
The Emperor - the great Darth Vader - felt powerless as he watched the holo rewind once more. He could not tear his gaze away, not from the helpless form of his son, strung up like a piece of meat about to be flayed. Even the blueness of the hologram could not hide the amount of blood covering his son, the wounds and bruises littered over him.
Had Vader been a weaker man, he would have thrown up at the sight.
Vader, however, was no weak man. He was a man of action, a man of war. And this, this was a call for it. They wanted a ransom for his son, but they would not get it. No, instead, all they would get would be death and destruction.
Hurting his child would always be an act of war.
Vader straightened his spine as he shut the holo off, letting the room plunge into darkness. It did not bother him, not when the darkness inside of him was far more oppressive.
«Admiral Piett,» Vader spoke into his communicator, his voice deep and menacing. After the surgeries to repair his broken body, his voice had gone deeper than it once was. His vocal chords had nearly been impossible to save, but there was almost nothing that Kix couldn’t fix. «Prepare the Executor for an immediate mission. Ready the battalion and make certain that everything is in order. This mission is of utmost importance.»
«Of course, your Majesty.» Piett’s voice did not waver as he spoke, showcasing one of the many reasons Vader had entrusted this man with the job as Admiral. «We will be ready by 2300 tonight.»
«Good,» Vader said, before he cut off the communication and let the room once more fall into silence. His robes felt heavy on his back, and so did the crown atop of his head. He had not felt agony like this for years, not since…
Not since Sidious had nearly killed his son.
Vader clenched his fists as he slowly rose to his feet. He would need to change into his armour if he were to attack the pirates who had stolen his son. The fury within his chest was unmeasurable, and the Dark Side was swirling around him in waves, like an ocean right before a storm.
If Luke had been here, Vader knew he would withdraw from the coldness of the Dark Side swirling inside of Vader’s core. But that was exactly it, was it not. Luke was not here, instead he was being hurt and tortured and slowly being flayed alive. He was not here, and the Force was reacting violently to its grandchild being hurt.
With a growl Vader began to walk out of the room, the door opening with just a swipe of his hand. He had a mission to do, and it was to save his son . He had to save his son from the horrors done upon him.
And the worst part, their bond in the Force was silent, Luke completely cut off by the horrid collar that was present on the holo. They had taken the Force from Luke, and now Vader did not even know if his son was alive . All he had was hope and the desire to save his son.
Vader truly hoped that was enough.
Standing on the bridge of the Executor once more should have felt liberating, exhilarating. But it did not. All it brought him was fury and anger, and all of the personnel avoided him like the plague.
And why would they not, when Vader was sure to be their doom?
He had showed them great mercy in sparing most of their incompetent lives, but it was not for their sake. No, he knew how his son would react to him killing his own officers. Luke called it “senseless, cruel”, whilst Vader always held the opinion it was to rid his crew of incompetence. But, of course, his son’s thoughts always coloured his opinions, and so, he let his hand stray, let the Force merely warn instead of kill.
«Admiral, prepare the crew for immediate assault as soon as we leave hyperspace. The pirate base is on the south side of the moon, and I do not tolerate ineptness from my crew.» Vader boomed, his voice modulated by the mask now firmly over his face.
He had altered it greatly after regaining his freedom from Sidious. Whilst he had spent quite the few months recovering from his surgeries, he had sworn to never wear that blasted torture device ever again. He could still remember how it felt to have air forced into his lungs, to be unable to draw his own breath. To be forced to live as an attack dog, tied to Sidious and his every whim.
It had been a great relief to finally break free, even if it cost more of his left leg to do so.
Vader sighed deeply, closing his eyes. His mask looked more like a skull than it did that horrid life support suit, several spikes protruding from the top to resemble the crown he wore as the Emperor. The shell of the mask was replaced with a hood that connected to his black cape. It was more regal, and more him , than the other had ever been.
This mask may help him breathe when his lungs fail him, but it helped bring some resemblance of self into it as well. He had chosen the design, he had made it. And it made him feel freer than anything had before.
«Yes, your Majesty. The troops will be ready for when we exit hyperspace.» Admiral Piett answered, his back ramrod straight as he stood beside Vader. Vader had to admit, he admired the other man for sticking with him for so long. Many still cowered at the mere presence of him, but Piett did not. In fact, he seemed to have grown bolder over the years, standing up for himself and his own opinions. It was something Vader admired greatly, and Piett had proven himself a worthy ally.
And it had nothing to do with the fact that Firmius Piett had shown himself to be protective of Luke, nor that the man had protected his son from many dangers.
No, it was certainly not the reason. Or at least, not something Vader would admit out loud.
«Good. I expect them to be ready, both with their weapons and the cargo. I cannot risk the life of the Prince, so the pirates will get their…transaction…so we may retrieve him unharmed. But after the Prince is safe… I want that base obliterated. Do I make myself clear, Admiral?” Vader finally turned his gaze to the Admiral, his yellow eyes glowing beneath the helmet. His fury could be felt by the whole bridge, and he knew his crew was terrified of the consequences of it.
“Of course, my Lord. We will make certain that the pirates will pay for what they have done,» Piett said, his voice steady as ever. Vader could feel the twinge of fury coming off of Piett as he talked, the protective rage just under the surface. It was a reassurance to know he had a crew loyal to his son, as well. It meant that, if he were to ever step down, his son would be safe in their hands.
Piett had always been loyal to Luke, ever since he had met Luke as a tiny toddler hiding behind Vader’s cloak. And Luke had adored Piett, waddled after him and happy to be babysat by the Admiral. It was...reassuring...to know that his Admiral could be trustworthy enough to take care of his son.
«That will be all, Admiral. I will prepare my ship for when we leave, as I will be the one... negotiating ...with the pirates.» With that, Vader turned around and headed out of the bridge. «And I trust, Admiral, that you will be capable of taking care of the rest here?»
«As always, my Lord. I will make certain the plan goes smoothly,» Piett answered without hesitation, and Vader could sense the truth in the statement. Yes, Piett was loyal and trustworthy. Perhaps one of the few people he truly trusted.
With a sharp nod, Vader exited the room and walked briskly towards the bay.
He would not let this mission fail. He would save his son, no matter the cost.
«So, the great and all important Emperor himself has shown up!» The pirate leader exclaimed as Vader and a dozen of his men entered the main chamber. The place stunk of all matter of substances, and it was not the first time Vader was glad his mask filtered out odors. «To such a place, no less. To roll around with us low-lives, see what we’re forced to do.»
Vader growled deeply at the words, his eyes roaming around the people within the chamber. It was cleaner than he expected, but that did not mean much. It was still filthy, full of people and booze and spice. His eyes drifted to the servers and beings mulling around the room, and he could not help but clench his fist.
Slaves. These pirates were slavers , and if Vader was a betting man, he would say these beings worked for the remaining skeleton that was the Hutt clan. Despicable . It made Vader’s blood boil, especially since his son was kneeling behind the leader, his eyes bound by cloth.
«I do not meddle with pirates and slavers, Captain. You and your filth have no place in the Galaxy, and I will not hesitate to rid it of you.» The Force hummed with the truth of his words, craving blood and violence for what they had done to its creatures and its children. «But, as you have the Prince, I am willing to...trade...with you, to ensure his safety.»
The words felt like ash in his mouth, but there was no other way. There were several pirates with blasters pointed at Luke, and other possible threats surrounding them. It made trade the only viable option, even if it made Vader feel sick to his core.
«Ah. Of course. Couldn’t have your precious little Prince get killed, now could we?» The human said, rising from his seat and patting Luke on the head. The action made Vader growl, but the pirate didn’t seem to notice or care. «Would be a shame, wouldn’t it, for the Emperor to be without an heir? Like the last one, hm? Would be absolutely tragic, the whole world turning upside down.»
There’s something with the way the Captain spoke, the glint in his eye. Something curled within Vader, the Force humming with a slight warning. There was a reason this pirate targeted his son, and not just for the spice.
«You see, oh your precious Excellency. Whilst many may love your rule...we don’t . Palpatine may have been a massive dick, but there was one thing he did right .» The Captain pulled out a knife from his belt, twirling it in his hands as he paced the little podium where his chair sat. «You see...he ignored us. Hells, he even encouraged us to do what we were doing. Profited mighty from it too. Let us keep shuffling our wares, in favour of bringing him some when they proved...useful.»
The younglings, the Inquisitors… Some had been taken by their own, but…
Sidious had used slavers to do his bidding, and let them profit off of it.
His fury grew stronger as the words sunk into his mind, his fists tightened as his bloodthirst grew. Of course Sidious had enabled slavery. It brought too much value for the dead Sith, too many playthings, tools, power .
And now, because of Sidious, his own son had been targeted by slavers.
«You see, we don’t really care all that much with the spice. Not really. We just needed an excuse, to get you here. The Emperor himself, known to go wherever his son goes. Really, you make it too easy.» The Captain grinned darkly before with a quick action, he threw his knife at Vader. Vader was too lost in his own thoughts to care about the knife, but as soon as the pain registered, the fury took over.
It was like a lightning strike had hit him, the thunder booming and making the room shake. Vader lunged forward, his vision red as he summoned the Force around him. The blasters held by the pirates melted in their grip, turning into nothing more but useless scrap. His own men did not hesitate to gun down the pirates, the blue bolts embedding into every single one of the slavers.
But Vader’s sole focus was on the Captain. The Force hummed as Vader used it to hold the pirate suspended in the air, before he grabbed him by the throat with his right hand. «No child of mine will suffer from slavery.» Vader’s voice was booming, inhuman and fueled by the Force. He was a true child of the Force, and it listened to him and his every whim. It was his parent, and his guide. It would aid him in his revenge.
He let the Force crush the man in Vader’s hold, let the Force slowly crumble his bones. It felt satisfying, to feel this useless waste of air suffer a slow and painful death. His being craved blood and death for what had been done unto his son, for what pain had been brought upon him.
With a loud snap, the Captain hung lifeless in Vader’s grip, and Vader did not hesitate to throw the body away. The room had grown quiet, every slaver now either dead or held captured by his men. The slaves themselves were slowly being tended to by one of his field medics, who presumably had been summoned by one of his troopers.
Good.
Now, with the threats gone, his sole focus was now once more his son. He walked up to Luke, before kneeling before him. In contrast to his previous violence, his movements were now slow and gentle as he untied the cloth in front of Luke’s face. «Oh, Luke…»
Luke’s eyes were glazed over, presumably from pain and whatever drug they had used to keep him docile. There was a nasty cut over his cheek, and a mottled purple bruise on his chin and jaw. He looked terrible, and the rage within Vader once more rose forth. But this time, he shoved it down, knowing his son did not need his rage. Not now.
With a quick motion of his hand, the Force collar slid from Luke’s neck. The moment it left his son’s skin, Luke let out a gasp of air as the Force rushed back to him. It was a cruel thing, to cut someone as powerful as Luke from the Force, and Vader once again had to shove down his rage.
«I will bring you home, little one. We will go home…» Vader gently placed his hand on Luke’s head, stroking away a few of the stray locks. Luke desperately leaned into the touch, and Vader could feel his son’s Force presence lazily cling to his own. It was a reassurance, to feel Luke once more. To know his son was alive, that he was with him .
When Luke had first been cut off...Vader had nearly lost himself to the rage and misery and sorrow.
«Father… I knew you’d...come…» Luke’s voice was hoarse, his words barely comprehensible. But it made something in Vader ache, and he carefully gathered Luke in his arms. «You…always save me…»
Vader looked down at the exhausted expression on Luke’s face, and he felt emotion squeeze his throat. The faith his son had in him… How did he ever deserve someone as amazing as Luke?
«I will always be there for you, my son. No matter the distance, no matter the time… I am always there when you need me…» The Force hummed with the truth of the statement, of the truth in the fact Vader would always protect his son.
No matter what, his son was always the most important thing to Vader.
And he would do anything to save him.
Anything.