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“It’s his.”
Looking up, Veers watched as Vader tossed the spartan dagger onto the small table before them, the weapon clattering.
“All of it?” He asked.
Vader folded his arms. “Yes.”
Veers inhaled deeply.
It had been an hour till Vader felt comfortable enough to leave Piett alone to sleep, heading off to his own room, calling BD to follow where he remained for another hour doing Force knows what. Veers and the boy had sat in the den silently waiting. Once in a while, he would catch Luke wiping his eyes, sniffling quietly. Currently, all three were sitting, glaring at the dagger.
“I suspect that blade is responsible for the infected wound.” Veers nodded to the offending object. “The million credit question is-”
“How and why.” Vader’s tone bordered on murderous.
The Sith turned to regard his son, who was still staring at the dagger, complexion pale.
“Luke.” Jumping slightly, the boy looked at his father.
After a moment of silence, the boy seemed to understand what was being asked.
“I’ve never seen that thing before.” Luke rattled off, his voice quivering. “I-I’ve never seen those wounds before either! His ankle was broken…” The boy’s tone heightened. “He was walking on it! He wasn’t limping, but he was walking on a broken ankle and he wasn’t limping!”
“Son-” Vader raised his hands in a placating gesture.
“He had all those-I didn’t know. I didn’t notice! He-Piett went out like that! How old are those-how long was he like this and I didn’t notice!? I did nothing I did noth-”
Vader knelt before the panicked child and grabbed the boy’s shoulders. “Luke! Calm yourself.”
Luke shook his head, tears beginning to stream down his red, blotchy face. “I-I didn’t know…”
Vader’s grip tightened, “No one is blaming you, son.”
“How old are they? How long has Piett been like that?” The boy asked desperately, his voice bordering on a whine.
Veers wondered if whatever tests the Sith did on the dagger to discover whose blood it was covered in, could also tell how old it was. He glanced between father and son as the dark lord seemed to struggle with himself. The general fought not to roll his eyes. Shielding the boy was pointless and bothersome.
“I’m no doctor, but the wounds look to be a week old.” Veers cut in, having enough of the pussy-footing Vader was performing around his son.
The temperature in the room became cold, much like Vader’s gaze toward the general.
Fighting a shudder, Veers continued, “Unless your tests state otherwise-that is if you were able to discover that bit of information from them.”
“The blood on the dagger is a week, two days, and 11 hours old,” Vader answered, robotic voice acidic.
“A week? He’s been like this for a week?” Luke shook in his father’s hold, the man having not let go. “How-how could I not-”
“Piett’s always been good at hiding things.” Veers cut in. “He’s stubborn and prideful. You didn’t notice Luke, because Piett didn’t want you to.”
“I-but why?”
Veers shrugged. “Like I said. Prideful.”
Vader turned back toward his son, speaking as quietly as the mask would allow. “He was doing his job, son.”
Luke fought back a sob and lowered his head.
“Job. The Job he’s been performing for the past six years?” Veers leaned forward in his seat, elbows on his knees. “Mind if we talk about that, My Lord?”
Vader stood, turning to face the general. “If we must. Ask your questions, General.”
“You said you gave Piett a task, to protect your son. What I don’t understand is, is why.”
There were a few cycles of respirations before the Sith replied. “The Emperor had plans for Luke, plans I did not agree with.”
Veers frowned. That’s it? That’s all he was going to get? ‘Plans’? Before Veers could voice his displeasure, he felt a pressure at the back of his skull, a voice suddenly seeming to boom loudly, yet also whisper in his mind.
“My son does not need to hear this. My Master intended to allow my son to ascend to the throne when he was of age, but he would no longer be himself. Palpatine grows old, and his mortality burdens him. Through the Force, he planned to forcefully inhabit Luke’s mind till my son would cease to exist and only My Master remained.”
Veers rubbed the back of his neck. The voice in his head sounded draconic, a gravely, deep sound with a whispery echo. He found himself not liking this form of communication.
Comprehending what Vader had said, he thought, So like a slow… possession?
“Yes. The voice answered.
Veers knew of The Force, he knew it existed, he’d seen it in use enough times by the man in front of him, but this? Possession? That was something way beyond choking someone without touching them. How could something like that even be possible?
Most likely catching his thoughts, Vader replied, “I am not at liberty to discuss the capabilities of the Dark Side. It can be done General, and I will not allow it.”
“And you found this out how, exactly? I doubt The Emperor merely told you of his plans.” Veers said out loud.
Vader remained silent and merely stared at the general. Veers felt as if the man was smirking at him.
“That’s what he did, isn’t it?” He already knew the answer.
Veers knew little to nothing about the Emperor besides that he was…well…The Emperor. He supposed the man was intelligent as many leaders should be in their position, but for the man to tell the father that he was going to possess his son? How foolish. Did The Emperor truly think Vader would take that lying down? Judging by the fact that Vader’s mental voice remained silent told him all he needed to know.
The Emperor was an idiot.
A sudden low rumble came from Vader’s vocoder-a repetitive short sound and the general had the feeling that man just chuckled. Now he knew why Luke was sent away, but why Piett? Piett had not been close to the young prince. Some would say he very much detested the child. He knew the Captain was less than thrilled by a young child running about the Super Star Destroyer. Luke, like most children, had an abundance of energy with a curious mind and thirst for exploration. These traits landed him quite frequently in hot water with young Firmus. As such, Piett had been the sole reason why Luke was never allowed on the bridge unless his father was present and the boy was given strict instructions to steer clear of the captain.
Veers remembered the deep scowls and looks of disdain Piett had regarded Vader’s child with. Of course, he never voiced his issues with the boy, but Piett was not the only one who didn’t like Luke. Admiral Ozzel hated him. Perhaps more than Piett had and Ozzel was foolishly more vocal of his disdain and contempt. He complained daily.
What was remarkable to Veers was that despite the clear dislike Piett had for Luke, the young prince oddly enough liked the captain. He tried and failed regularly to engage the captain in a game of Luke’s choosing. While this amused most of the crew, and he’d go on a limb and say it amused Vader as well- Piett was rather vexed by the child's constant attempts at friendship.
So Vader choosing Piett to protect a child he didn’t even like was odd, to say the least.
“Why Piett? He never was child friendly.”
Vader nodded as if he too was remembering the same things as him.
“He was chosen due to his skillset and background.” The Sith replied.
Veers suspected there was more, but chose not to push.
“Piett was once a pirate hunter and is familiar with crime syndicates- such as the Hutt Cartel, and knew the means of going off-grid and remaining there.” Vader continued, “With meticulous planning, I faked both of their deaths in a manner in which their remains would be impossible to come by.”
Veers rubbed his fingers on his hand together. So the Citadel was Vader’s doing. ISB had stated that it was a terrorist attack-a double suicide bombing performed by members of Saw Guerra’s extremist group. How Vader managed to pin it on them, the general couldn’t figure.
“Son, go check on Captain Piett.” Vader suddenly advised his son.
The boy, having been lost in his own thoughts, flinched but eagerly rushed to Piett’s room.
Once the doors shut, Vader turned back to him. “The ISB were correct in their report. An extremist group, led by Saw Gerrera was responsible for the Citadel attack. They would not have succeeded if I hadn’t tipped off the right people. I then ensured that it was on record that both my son and Piett were in attendance and that their location was closest to the blast.”
“Ensuring the deaths of hundreds to fake the deaths of two, my lord.” Veers glared up at the man.
“Billions of more lives will perish if my Master is to continue his reign.” The Sith fired back.
“So, what’s the end goal?” Veers threw his arms out, gesturing to their surroundings.
Vader took the spot where his son had previously been sitting and crossed his legs over one another. It was so disgustingly casual.
“My son will become Emperor. This is essential.”
“And how exactly do you plan to overthrow the current one? Ask nicely?”
Vader snorted, the vocoder spitting static. “No. Palpatine will not give up his power so easily. I have every intention of killing him.”
Veers nodded. “Let me guess. You’re going to train your son, and perform one hell of a father-son bonding exercise and kill The Emperor?”
“Not in the way you put it, but the idea is the same, yes. At the current moment, it is unsafe to train Luke. There will be no point in killing Palpatine if his Empire turns on us. Over the past years, I have been gathering allies.” The dark lord explained.
“How so?” He leaned forward, intrigued. Are there others who would want to see Palpatine removed?
“Palpatine has been losing favor with the Empire’s military. Many have grown tired of doing his dirty work and seeing nothing come from it. Imperials, who have been loyal are finding themselves disenfranchised, and their homeworlds abandoned or strip-mined. This Empire is abandoning and abusing its own out of greed.”
Vader adjusted his gloves as he spoke, “As a result, with words said carefully and at the right time, I have begun- to put it plainly, turn the Empire’s military against my Master.”
Veers let out a long breath. What floored the general was the fact that this could very well work. Many of his fellow soldiers have started to detest the Emperor. They saw him as a faceless man, who cared not for the people dying for his Empire. And what did they get in thanks? Taxes. Over the past several years, planets have been taxed into poverty, many of them being mid-rim.
Then there were the Hutts. Veers recalls the absolute fit Piett had thrown when he discovered that the Empire had allied with the slug crime lords. The man was practically foaming at the mouth, but behind all the rage, Veers knew Piett felt utterly betrayed. He had considered resigning, stating, “I will not die for a tainted Empire.”
In the end, Piett remained after seeing Lord Vader carve up one of the bastard slugs when it remarked on the physique of the bridge crew and how much credits they would be worth as slaves. Took a week to get all of the remains off the bridge.
“And have you been successful in your endeavors, my lord?”
“Minus a select few, Death Squadron no longer holds any faith in my Master, and I have managed to gain the full support of the Chimera and her crew.”
“Thrawn?” Veers blinked, eyes wide.
Vader merely nodded. “They are unaware of Piett and Luke’s survival.”
Leaning back, Veers rubbed at his face. “Alright, guess I’m part of a coup. Grandma Veers will be so proud.”
He continued to rub at his face, suddenly feeling too tired to sit up properly. All of what Vader said made sense. The Empire had been falling into disarray for quite some time. The dark lord hiding his son away to protect him was something Veers found himself willing to do for his own son. Piett being chosen as the boy’s protector checked out in a logical sense. Answers as they were, they did not solve the mystery of Piett’s current condition.
“Hey, guys?” Luke quietly called, poking his head out through the door.
Peeking from under his hands Veers looked to the small voice. As the tone was not in distress, he didn’t feel too eager to get up.
Vader stood, “What is it?”
Luke shifted his feet, “I think Piett’s waking up.”
Veer straightened up so fast he gave himself whiplash. Well, his energy was back, but before he could rise from his seat, Vader raised a hand to halt him.
“Remain here General.” The Sith ordered.
With a huff, the general flopped back into his seat, a deep groan escaping him. Blasted energy leaving him yet again.