How to Take an Empire

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Declaration

As much as Ahsoka enjoyed the brief respite of the last two days, even with the cloud of grief and trauma looming over, she had to get back to the Rebellion. And Vader had to get back to the Empire. She sat on the steps of the safe house, enjoying the last moments of quiet while waiting for Vader's escort to get here. Eventually, Vader came to join her. She reached over without looking from the ocean and grabbed his hand, holding it in the space between them.

"I've been thinking," Vader began.

"So have I," Ahsoka said. "But you first."

"The reason Palpatine's been so frustratingly successful and hard to depose of is that he has people willing to help him enforce his rule. People who will try to enforce his will even when he's dead. No doubt that without them, his power is still great. But if defeating him and taking his empire was as easy as getting strong enough to best him in a duel, we could do that tomorrow if we wanted."

There was no cocky arrogance to his tone. Vader was simply stating a fact he believed to be true. The truth of which vibrated in the Force.

"Yeah. We could," she replied.

"But if someone defeats one or both of us, who is there left behind to make sure Palpatine is not only killed but can't continue to rule from the grave?"

Ahsoka sensed Vader didn't believe that would happen. But there was a lot of stuff they'd believed wouldn't happen that did. The fall of the Jedi. Vader turning to the dark side. Padmé's death. Her and Vader sitting here holding hands.

"Don't ever tell her that I said this," Vader warned, "but Diya's loyalty to you and her involvement with the Liberty Resistance proved advantageous to our ambitions. Without her laying the groundwork on our behalf, we never would have defeated Jabba, nor had the people in place to deal with his underlings and fill the power vacuum. I've experienced the same advantages bringing Sabé into our plan."

"What are you saying?"

"We need our own contingency. We're powerful in the Force. But our power means nothing if we don't have people who know what to do if we're not there to give the orders. We can't do this alone."

That Vader could admit something like that was a testament to the fact that he was no longer the young man he'd been from before the Empire. Not in the way Vader tried and failed to distinguish and disassociate himself from Anakin Skywalker like he wasn't still Anakin Skywalker with a name change, the dark side, and a lot less kriffs to give. But in a way that showed how much he'd matured over the years, let go of some of his old insecurities. Even a couple of years after the Empire's rise, he would have been loath to admit that he couldn't do something alone. He'd hardly wanted to admit that he needed her help. The old him would have just lit his lightsaber, charged full speed ahead, and hoped everything worked out. But he'd done that to disastrous results once. It made Ahsoka wonder if he would have eventually talked himself out of killing Sidious a couple of days ago himself even if she hadn't.

"You're right. We can't," Ahsoka finally said.

Now wasn't enough time to work out the details, though. They would do that later.

"What about you?" he asked.

"You're not going to like it. I don't like it but... Palpatine's going to know anyway. And you've got a part to play," Ahsoka said evenly. "When the Emperor tells you about Tarkin's mission, when he shows you that he found me and the twins, don't try to steer him away. Don't try to convince him they don't belong to you. Even if he acts like he doesn't believe they're yours, don't let him. Claim them."

Vader paused. "You want me to convince him that the twins are my children?"

"Yours and Padmé's," Ahsoka corrected.