章 25: Star Wars : Chapter 25 : Question II
The ship landed at a pad and a ramp opened with a hydraulic steam release. Director Orson Krennic descended the ramp, dressed in a white military uniform with a matching cape over his shoulders.
"He's wearing the same uniform as Admiral Yularen.", Rex remarked. "Anyone recognize him?"
However, no one answered at the Clone trooper's question.
...
Krennic took a breath and walked to the automatic doors in front of him. The doors opened, revealing another layer of doors behind them. It was a way to best control the heat within the castle. After a few turns and halls, he found himself in a large room, the meeting chamber. It was massive, with the only floor being two ramps to two exits and a large circular platform in the center.
Krennic took to a breath to calm his nerves again. He didn't like coming here. He didn't lie meeting with…His thoughts were interrupted as the wall opposite him opened up, allowing the light behind it to fill the room. The camera's angle showed a shadow of the man standing in the opening. He was tall and armored, a cloak over his form. Then, they heard him breath. A mechanical apparatus mixed with the sounds of his breathing. He sounded intimidating on a level few could truly reach.
"That we recognize...", Anakin snarled with a hint of anger as glared at the screen before him. He knew already knew the person in hand by his breathing alone.
The shadow shrunk as he approached Krennic. When he finally met with the man, they saw his black armor, helmet, and a feint red glow within the eyes of his mask. A long black cape hooked at the base of his neck and over his shoulders. He stood over Krennic with an authority and power. He looked down to Krennic, his voice reverbing through his mask.
"Director Krennic…"
Krennic swallowed a lump in his throat. "Lord Vader."
Ahsoka froze up a second, "Vader?"
Obi-Wan sighed, "Unnerving as always…"
Padmé saw something a little different, "But… he looks afraid of him."
"You saw what he did at the first holovid. Of course he has a reason to.", Mace pointed out.
Vader stepped to the side, "You seem troubled." He looked out to the side and through a large opening/window. Before them was a land of magma and fire."No. Just… pressed for time."
"My apologies…" It was clear he wasn't actually sorry. "You do have a great many things to explain." Krennic was getting a bit exasperated at his situation. "I delivered the weapon that the Emperor requested! I deserve an audience to make sure he understands its remarkable…" He was caught off guard as Vader moved toward him. He shook a bit in fear of this man, the Emperor's second in command. "…potential…"
"He is very careful of what he was trying to say...", Shaak Ti observed.
"He knows what he'a capable off.", Anakin observed, frowning. "Just imagine how many officers or people had feared him or were unfortunate enough to cross the line."
Vader's voice cut him down faster than any blade, "Its potential for causing problems has been established. A city destroyed and an Imperial facility attacked?!" Vader moved passed him again.
Krennic turned, trying to explain himself. "It was Governor Tarkin who ordered the test!"
Obi-Wan and Anakin sighed. "Of course, it had to be Tarkin." Their anger towards him had faded after seeing his demise aboard the Death Star, but it still unnerving to hear his name, given to what he did to Alderaan.
Vader turned back to Krennic. "You were not brought here to grovel, Krennic."
"No… I just…"
"There is no Death Star. The Imperial Senate has been informed that Jedha was destroyed in a mining disaster."
"Isn't place known for its kyber crystal mines?", Caleb asked to which Depa nodded in confirmation.
Krennic hung his head. "Yes, my lord."
"I expect you not to rest until you can assure the Emperor that Galen Erso has not compromised this weapon in any way."
"I have the feeling he did...", Ahsoka murmured, resulting to wonder if this 'Galen Erso' was the reason why there was a small thermal exhaust port on the Death Star.
Vader turned again and walked back to his ramp.
But Krennic just had to open his big mouth. "Does… that mean I'm still in command of the project?" Vader stopped, a few steps onto the ramp.
The audience braced themselves, knowing that Krennic had crossed the line.
Krennic continued, "You'll speak to Emperor on my behalf?" They could hear something in the background. It sounded like a build up before suddenly closing shut. Krennic's words suddenly caught in his throat. He pulled at his collar before brushing at his neck, trying to grab something that wasn't there. He fell to his knees, his breathing failing him.
"Yep, definetly Vader.", Ahsoka said in a low tone.
Vader turned slightly back to him, his hand held up a bit with his hand seemingly clutching around something.
"Careful not to choke on your aspirations, Director."
He dropped his hand and Krennic took in a very needed breath. Vader turned and walked away to let him pick himself up off the ground.
Padmé tugged at her own collar, "Oh dear…"
As Vader walked back to his side of the room, the wall closed behind him. A man in a black robe kneeled down as he walked passed, "My lord, the Emperor has requested your presence in the Scarif system."
"No doubt to clean up Krennic's mess."
"He,… didn't say."
"Ready the fleet. And alert the 501st."
"Yes, my lord." The man bowed his head low before the Sith Lord.
"Wait, the 501st?!", Rex suddenly spoke up in complete outrage. He couldn't imagine that this...monster controlled the rest of his brothers after murdering the true leader of the Legion and those present were taken back at the revelation. "What has he has done to them?!"
"I don't know, Rex...", Anakin replied, gritting his teeth and clenching his fist in complete anger. "But I promise we will change things the way they are..."
Vader walked on as his soldiers scrambled about to prepare for their next mission. Many were in Imperial military uniforms. While the others were in white full-body armor.
"I couldn't imagine the Clones that we all fought alongside would become tools in enforcing their tyranny...", Plo Koon grimly said with a frown behind his mask.
As Vader approached a smaller transport ship, several of the armored soldiers lined up on either side with weapons leaned up against one shoulder each. At the ramp were two guards in red cloaks with strange helmets, the Imperial Guard meant to defend his castle.
Technically they were to defend his person, but he didn't actually need them for that. As he walked inside, his soldiers began to march in from the end up to the ramp. As the ramp closed, the ship started to fly up into the air and toward a massive ship in the upper atmosphere. The camera caught a lens flare from the nearby sun that blinded the scene.
This allowed for a transfer to another planet in the galaxy, the world of Scarif. Floating in its orbit was a large dark grey moon. A large circular crater seemed to be formed on a large section of the surface.
Obi-Wan felt a shiver run up his spine. It was too spherical to be a natural creation. "That's no moon…"
Sure enough, it was a space station. Project Stardust, commonly known as the Death Star. The 'crater' started to glow slightly green. After a moment, the green energy focused through the outside area of the crater. All the energy gathered in the center before a large bolt of energy fired into the planet below it. The explosion was massive, dust and earth flying into space.
The audience grimaced at the sight, as it revealed that Alderaan wasn't the first planet to be destroyed by this monstrosity. And that is when the hologram of the man appeared before them, as if by qeue.
"Take note that this takes hours before the first holovid.", the man explained, with the others being shocked at the overall revelation.
But the Empire was too little too late. A nearby cruiser had received a transmission from the planet of Scarif. Within were the plans for the Death Star. If they got out, either the Imperial Senate could attempt to overthrow the Emperor, or the rebellion forces could attempt an assault on the base. And then, Vader's transport appeared from the side as it approached the cruiser, flanked by fighters.
Ahsoka groaned, "I have a bad feeling about this…"
The scene transferred to the inside as soldiers in blue and black uniforms with white helmets. One ran up next to the man at the console, "Hurry!"
"Got it!" Once the download was down, the soldier grabbed the disk and started to run down the hall to a faster transport docked nearby. The soldiers reached a large blast door and tried to open it, only to have it jam without enough space for them to escape through. A few tried to open the doors, but to no avail. The power was cut into the hall and they had no way to get through. One of them tried to pound on the window to get someone's attention. Then, they heard something off.
They all turned to the darkened end of the hall. The alarms were the only thing they heard. Metal strained before them. Then… breathing. Mechanical and imposing. With a twisted hiss, a red blade formed before them, washing the hall in its glow. It revealed Vader as its wielder
"This cannot be good...", Ki-Adi said in complete fear and grimace, knowing that these rebels had no chance against a Sith Lord in a corridor. All Jedi present closed their eyes, uneasy at what they are going to witness.
Ahsoka, Caleb and Padmé looked away from the scene, not bearing to see the fate that befell these poor men.
The soldiers were face to faces the Emperor right hand. The only appropriate reaction was desperation. "Open fire!" They fired blaster bolts toward the Sith Lord.
Vader just swung his blade, each action was deliberate and controlled. Every bolt that got close to him was deflected away from him into the walls around him. As he marched forward, he sent two bolts back into the soldiers, killing two of them with their own blaster fire.
Everyone was silent, unable to speak as a result of the scene. They were all taken back by the Sith Lord's brutal rampage, as if he was crushing mere bugs or was an everyday routine. Even Yoda and Mace felt as if the Dark Side had overtaken the scene itself.
"This isn't a battle...", Luminara spoke up with her mouth covered with her hands.
"...this is a slaughter.", Shaak Ti finished, feeling with both sadness and dread for the poor rebels.
As Vader approached, one of the soldiers pounded on the window of the door even harder, "HELP US!", he shouted desperately.
Those present felt helpless, at seeing the Sith Lord tearing his way that reminded them that this was an example of the Empire's wrath to those who were against the regime. If this man was the one who wiped out the Jedi Order and murdered Skywalker, they hoped that the Force would guide Luke in his journey.
Padmé felt like crying at the scene, Anakin barely held off his anger, the Council grimaced, Ahsoka and Caleb were mortified at the sight. Rex, being a soldier himself, was horrified at the Sith Lord.
Vader deflected another bolt and held his hand out toward one of the other soldiers in front of him. The man was now held by his power over the force, dropping his gun and unable to move. Vader slammed his hand into a fist and the soldier rose up to the ceiling.
As he passed the man on the ceiling, he swung back and into the man's gut, leaving a sickening burn along with his death. Vader thrust his hand back out and ricocheted a bolt back and killing another soldier. Bringing his hand back, he disarmed what was now the front line.
He marched forward, decapitating the first soldier he passed. When another tried to grab a dead soldier's gun to fight back, he raised his hand and choked the man, lifting him into the air with the Force. Vader slammed the man into the wall, leaving only one soldier live in the hall.
The soldier was able to get someone on the other side of the door. He passed the disk through. "Take it! GO!"
The disk caught the eye of everyone present, recognizing it from the first holovid. "Those were the plans!", Ahsoka pointed out.
As the disk passed, Vader impaled the man and the door in front of him. As the door finally unjammed, the blade melted through the metal as the soldier ran to the other side of the short pressure lock. The door closed and the ship forced a launch into space. Vader stood in the hanger with blade still ignited. He disengaged the sword and he watched as the ship started to fly off.
A militaristic march playing in the background, causing the audience to feel a chill on their spines at hearing it. Then, the music and the scene cut out and to black. The last thing they heard was Vader's mechanical breath.
Everyone was silent, since they had figured that the hope for the Rebellion had barely escaped Vader's grasp. They had seen a portion of this future, with more questions raised at their minds on what was going to happen.
"To know that this takes place hours before the first holovid is very unsettling.", Obi-Wan spoke with relative unease, a feeling shared by everyone present.
"It was a miracle that they had escaped the Empire. Who knows what would have happened had Vader and the Empire succeeded?", Luminara seconded, finding relief that they had watched the first holovid, thus their sacrifice was not pointless.
Yoda hummed in deep thought. The revelations were heavy to say the least for him. He also knew that everyone needed to rest and perhaps reflect on what lies before them. "Meditate on this, I must. A break, everyone would need. Meet back in an hour, we should."
The audience present agreed with Anakin hurrying out the Chambers with Ahsoka, Padmé and Rex tailing him from behind while Obi-Wan walked off at the opposite direction, with Luminara following him in concern of what was happening.
The rest lowered their heads, needing an answer to where they went wrong. But for now, they have to clear their thoughts, and trust in the Force on what to do next...
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