Darth Vader: Hero of Naboo

Chapter 25

Neither Sith were surprised: Plagueis by Vader's arrival or Vader by Plagueis's question. One might even think they expected one another, that they planned to meet here all along.

Darth Vader approached from the other side of the tower, a hovercar parked behind him. He said nothing as he drew closer, watching as Sidious landed on the surface of the Flats, putting as much distance between himself and his pursuers as possible. "Should I assume you haven't retracted your offer, Plagueis?" Vader inquired idly.

"What? After you played my student and upset our plans? Sent the Jedi to our doorstep? Tore asunder the Veil of the Dark Side?" Plagueis listed off, seeming more amused than angry. "Sidious was a fool to fall for your trap. If I couldn't sense that genuine hatred for Sidious, I might suspect you were just trying to make the Order of Bane destroy itself."

"As I told the Jedi, both sides need to clean house," Vader remarked coolly.

"Clean house?" Plagueis repeated curiously.

"You disagree?" Vader inquired.

"Perhaps with your choice of words. I'd prefer the term "Pruning" if anything," Plagueis mused, glancing upward with interest. "The Veil, I can't help but be impressed. And intrigued. It has been many, many ages since the Dark Side has been present with its shrouding nature pulled back. I wonder, just what effects this will have on the Jedi. Especially the younger ones. Still, it is a temporary thing in the end."

"In the name of transparency, it merely felt like the most irrefutable manner to prove to the Jedi that I was never the sole Sith walking among them," Vader explained simply.

"Hm. I suppose if you're still considering an alliance, my identity has not been revealed?" Plagueis deduced knowingly.

"For now. I'm certain you will fall under suspicion, along with everyone else that had any business with Sheev Palpatine," Vader pointed out.

Plagueis nodded in agreement. Even without being named, Hego Damask would inevitably become a suspect in the hunt for Darth Plagueis. After all, their public personas were known to have ties. But so long as he was not named specifically, he had enough time and space to work around the fallout of this. "I'm not opposed to working with you, Vader, once this matter is settled and we have a proper discussion on our goals."

"A valid reasoning," Vader conceded before the air around them grew thick and cold with his ire. "You let Sidious live."

It wasn't a question, and might have even been an accusation. Plagueis merely hummed. "No, I merely allowed him to, how does the phrase go? Go out in a blaze of glory," he explained, sounding as if they were having a pleasant conversation.

Vader's ire simmered, but remained all the same. "Surely you know how foolish that is?" Vader asked as he watched Sidious use the force to rip away the metal ground beneath himself, making it lurch and bend backward to at least slow the Jedi down. There were a dozen of them, and all were incredibly wary of Sidious's abilities now. The Naboo-born Sith would not be able to slay many more, especially with Yoda and Mace Windu so nearby, not to mention Dooku. "You know very well that if Sidious has a chance to slip away, he will seize it and be a threat to any future plans either of us create."

"Then it is fortunate that there is no chance that Sidious will escape," Plagueis mused with a smile behind his breathing mask.

Vader remained silent for an instant before turning to the Sith Lord fully. "And how have you insured that?"

"Hm? Have you not noticed it?" Plagueis asked wryly. "I know you're accustomed to being the center of attention, Lord Vader, but you should not forget to take note of others."