A/N: Vader and Sidious.
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Vader's first instinct had, of course, been to just do it all himself. Handle Dooku, handle Palpatine, subdue the Jedi Order, take over the galaxy… it all sounded so simple, right? But no, of course not. Even with all of his foreknowledge, even with the surety of his own power, Vader knew that this was a situation that had to be approached the right way, lest it end in disaster.
He had done everything possible to neuter Sidious' plans of course. Order Sixty-Six had been disabled, the contingencies on Byss were handled, and in the event of the Supreme Chancellor's disappearance, Padme would become Acting Supreme Chancellor, allowing them to pave the way for the ultimate ascension of their Galactic Empire.
However, until the Banite Sith were destroyed, completely and utterly, things were far from set in stone. The likes of Tyrannus couldn't move the needle of course, nor could he hope to ever defeat Vader in battle… but the likes of Sidious was something else entirely.
And as they said, forewarned was forearmed. As much as Count Dooku was nothing more than a pawn in his Master's plans, the fact remained that Sidious was his Sith Master. And that came with a Master-Apprentice connection.
Put bluntly, if either of them died before the other, they would know something was wrong and move accordingly. This left Vader with only two options. Either he brought them both together and took them down together… or he split them up and had them dealt with simultaneously in different parts of the galaxy.
Neither option was perfect, of course. In the first case, just the work of bringing Banite Sith to the same location would almost certainly alert them to the trap. He could get them together, but at the cost of having them ready for the ensuing battle… and fighting side by side.
And while Vader was decidedly confident in his ability to defeat either of them one on one, facing them together was more of a risk than he was willing to take. Losing at this juncture, dying to Sidious and his patsy… was not just a humiliating idea, but frankly unacceptable.
Of course, the problem with the other option was that it meant he had to rely on others to deal with Dooku. He himself could not be present when the Count was finally killed, because he would be busy dealing with Sidious. And that… that was difficult to accept, simply because Vader had a hard time giving up control.
But then, what was the point of everything he'd done if not for this moment? Recruiting Grievous, recruiting Ventress, all of it… if he wasn't willing to give them their chance at vengeance, then none of it was worth anything. In the end, Vader had already taken his own vengeance on another version of Count Dooku. He'd slain the man aboard Grievous' flagship in a different timeline, removing his head from his shoulders.
He had no burning need to avenge himself and his lost arm on the old Sith again… so this time, he would leave it to those who burned with passion and wanted to bring Dooku to his knees for their own reasons.
That in turn led to Vader being where he was now… on Byss, waiting for Sidious to arrive. After dealing with the first few scouts, the silence from the Sith Lord's would-be throne world had finally become deafening enough for Sidious himself to decide he needed to investigate.
Now, the Sith Lord was arriving to find the work force of Byss in active rebellion, his palace not just unfinished, but actively dismantled so they could create villages and towns from which they were all starting to make a life for themselves.
Darth Sidious' anger, when he finally realizes he's dealing with a slave revolt, is truly something to behold. Vader feels it, even as he remains hidden. Hell, he's pretty sure even the former slaves feel it despite most of them not being Force Sensitive.
It washes over the planet like a tidal wave of Darkness, choking the very air and putting weaker souls into a coma. Vader… does nothing, however. He gave them their freedom, but he will not sacrifice his secrecy to save them. He's no hero… and his purpose here is greater than their lives.
But also, Sidious doesn't waste time killing all of the rebellious slaves anyways. After that initial temper tantrum, the Sith Lord immediately flies down to the planet's surface and heads for one specific place in particular… the 'hidden' cloning lab buried under the dismantled palace's foundations, still undiscovered by the former slaves making new lives for themselves up above.
Vader smiles as he feels Sidious approach. He waits patiently as the deceptively decrepit old man makes his way down to the laboratory, arriving with a scowl on his aged features. Finally… Palpatine steps out of the turbolift and into the scene of a massacre.
The Sith Lord barely pauses at the sight of the slaughtered Kaminoans. His frown simply grows, even as he ventures deeper in. He does not hesitate. He does not reconsider. He does not retreat. So sure of his power, so secure in his strength… he doesn't for one second consider fleeing.
Just as he's coming to the storage area where his clones are kept, it happens. Vader feels it in the Force and he knows Sidious does as well because the other Sith Lord staggers for half a step, an actual grunt forced from his lips.
Yan Dooku, Count of Serenno, Leader of the Confederacy, and Darth Tyrannus of the Banite Sith… dies.
Vader feels it by way of the triumph of those he's connected to… however, he also feels that not everything has gone perfectly. There's an anguish from Darth Shar that tells Vader something has gone… awry. However, he cannot focus on that now. Indeed, Sidious is already turning to leave.
Unfortunately for him, Vader has stepped out of hiding and placed himself between the Banite Sith and the turbolift doors. With a simple snap-hiss, he reveals his blood red blade.
Sidious stops, pausing as he narrows his eyes for a moment.
"An interloper. Curious… someone of such power… a late gift from my Master, perhaps?"
It's a reasonable deduction. After all, where else would a fully realized Sith Lord come from? The Banite Sith have held dominion over the Sith Order for a thousand years, keeping themselves secret and safe in the shadows but also keeping any sign of their continued existence from the Jedi. They would not allow a rival Order to exist because that would risk the Jedi learning that the Sith persisted in some fashion.
Vader smiles and reaches up, pulling back his hood. He sees no point in hiding anymore… and the way Sidious' eyes widen at the sight of him is… entertaining to say the least.
"Impossible."
Chuckling darkly, Vader shakes his head.
"I've waited for this moment for quite a long time, Sidious."
Wide eyes immediately narrow again… and Darth Sidious lets out a hiss as his own saber flies to his hand.
"So then… my Master faked his death and has been training you in secret all this time. He stole you from me."
Again, it's not an unreasonable explanation. Vader knows all about Darth Plagueis after all, and not just in the context of that little 'Tragedy' that Sidious used to get him to fall to the Dark Side. He knows Plagueis was Sidious' Master… and more than that, he knows Sidious killed him in his sleep the very same night that Sheev Palpatine rose to the position of Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.
Just as he also knows that Sidious killed Plagueis too early. Plagueis truly had figured out the secret to immortality… but Sidious' impatience, ambition, and lust for power had ultimately caused him to move on his Master before the other Sith Lord had shared his secrets.
From Sidious' perspective, it would make perfect sense for Plagueis to have survived that assassination, faking his death and going into hiding. And then, over the last ten years, he would have somehow slipped his way into Anakin's life and turned him into the perfect weapon through which to have his revenge.
"What has he promised you? He will never be able to deliver. I can give you more, Anakin. I can give you everything your heart desires."
Even as they circle one another, blades humming with power, Sidious still tries. Frankly, Vader thinks he sounds a little desperate. But then, clearly the Sith Lord thinks that Plagueis truly has figured out eternal life, and since Sidious hasn't… he knows he can't actually offer Vader anything that Plagueis couldn't.
"… Padme is my creature, you know. If you kill me here, she will never forgive you."
Ah… and here Vader was almost enjoying himself. Letting out an explosive breath, he finally moves. His steps are sure, his speed lightning fast… and his blade is still deflected by Sidious', though its certainly a near thing. That's alright though… that's by design.
"You love her, Anakin. You think I don't know that? Plagueis could never understand… he's too inhuman for such things. But I do. I know your heart… and your heart belongs with Padme… with me."
Vader's anger fuels his strikes, every mention of Padme's name causing him to strike at Sidious with a greater fervor. A glimmer of delight appears in the aged Sith Lord's eyes as he picks up on this and though he keeps the smile from his decrepit face, there's still satisfaction oozing into his next words.
"Together, we would be unstoppable. Together, we would be more than my simpering fool of a Master could ever hope to be!"
With a roar, Vader batters at Sidious' defenses… to seemingly no avail. He strikes with all his power and all his might, enough strength to defeat even a Wookiee behind his blows. And yet, Sidious is always able to block or deflect or slip aside. He's taking control of the duel, dominating the fight, running circles around Vader.
Until finally, Sidious' blade slips past Vader's guard and cuts right through his saber's hilt, slicing off one of Vader's mechanical fingers in the process. The red blade fizzles out as the hilt is destroyed, falling to the ground in remnants. Vader, meanwhile, drops to his knees in seeming despair… but Sidious makes no move to finish him off.
Stepping forward, the Banite Sith chuckles.
"Ah, Anakin… now you see the truth. You were never strong enough to defeat me… my former Master set you up for failure. He should have come himself, but he's always been more of an academic than a fighter. Not to worry though… I can show you true power. I can show you what he lacked."
As he speaks, Sidious steps forward, humming red blade held at his side. He reaches out and places his free hand on Vader's shoulder.
"Padme would want thi-urk!"
Snap-Hiss!
Which is of course when Vader brings out his second saber and puts a bar of blue plasma through Sidious' heart. The Jedi Lightsaber burns through Sidious' chest in a single second, removing that most vital of organs. But of course, Vader is well aware that it won't be the end. He immediately slides the blade to the side, exiting out of the Sith Lord's body and cutting through his dangling arm… the arm holding his saber so loosely.
It flops to the ground before Sidious can even react, leaving the disarmed and heartless Banite Sith to stumble back in disbelief. Vader smiles grimly as he rises to his feet, his yellow-orange eyes bathed in blue light. He will never be a Jedi again… but there's something fitting about killing Sidious with Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber. Fitting enough that he had gone ahead and engineered the entire battle, lulling Sidious into a false sense of security, just to make this moment happen.
"Don't you know, Sidious? Treachery is the way of the Sith."
"You… you foolish boy… I will make you pay for this…"
As Sidious drops back, already dying, Vader feels what he means. He feels the other Sith reaching out through the Force… towards Padme. Of course, there's just one problem with Sidious' plan, whatever it is… his connection to Padme was suborned by Vader months ago.
Reaching out through his own connection with his wife, Vader intercepts Sidious' last little spiteful attack. He feels the man's voice enter his head, a Force Shout that would have driven almost anyone else insane.
KILL ANAKIN SKYWALKER! KILL ANAKIN SKYWALKER! KILL ANAKIN SKYWALKER!
Adorable. Vader takes the mental command and crushes it in his grasp, squeezing it until there's nothing left. Padme never even feels a single bit of it; her mind entirely protected from Sidious' influence.
Looking down at the dying Sith Lord, Vader smiles softly.
"Sorry. But the missus is going to be too busy ruling the galaxy, I'm afraid. She doesn't need the distraction."
The light in Sidious' eyes goes out at long last… but of course, even that is not the end. Almost immediately, power begins to flow out of him… and it seeks the most appropriate vessels, which are of course all around them in the clones that Vader has left in their storage tanks.
Vader smiles thinly as the first clone of Sheev Palpatine, looking quite young and fit, opens its eyes. Then, he reaches out with the Force and drains the life from it, killing Sidious again on the spot. Not that the other Sith Lord had much of a chance to fight back… after all, none of his clones are innately Force Sensitive anymore.
The Sith Lord's power flows into the next clone and Vader drains that one too. And the next. And the next. Slowly but surely, Sidious' immense presence in the Force diminishes as Vader drains him body after body, enjoying killing the other man again and again and again.
No revenge will ever be enough to truly make up for what Sidious did to him. The lies. The destruction. The suit. But Vader would be lying to himself if he said he didn't take a vicious sort of satisfaction in this all the same.
Eventually… it's done. Darth Sidious is well and truly dead, his every attempt at surviving and living on having failed. And all of his power now belongs to Vader, leaving him feeling more powerful than ever before.
Standing there in the darkness of the destroyed cloning lab, Vader lets out a pleased breath. It was over, at long last.
Of course… it was also just beginning.
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The Vote:
[X] Head to Dathomir to handle what went wrong there - 88%
[ ] Head to Coruscant to make sure Padme has his support - 12%
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