A Hero Lost: A Star Wars AU

Chapter 37: Investigation

Darth Vader stood amidst the charred wreckage of the fuel depot on Onderon. This is the last place where First Sister had been seen.

A Purge Trooper captain came up to him.

"My Lord," he said, "We have been unable to find First Sister, dead or alive. We've looked all over the base, and if she was in Rebel captivity she probably would have escaped by now."

"Are you certain you cannot find her here?" Vader asked.

"My Lord, we've looked all over, even a few klicks into the jungle. No signs of her but a few pieces of tattered armor... mainly this."

He handed Vader the cracked and burned mask of First Sister.

Vader examined it carefully.

"It was badly damaged," the Purge Trooper continued. "Barely held together from the blast. If I had to guess, that means First Sister was very close to the blast when it happened, maybe even point-blank, meaning she could have been vaporized. Maybe her body caught fire and burnt to a crisp or is still buried under some debris."

"Well, if you can't find her, comb the jungle." 

"Sir, there's no way she would have fled into the jungle and not returned by now, and you know she won't get lost-"

"You hear me!? Comb the Jungle!" He beckoned.

There was nothing.

No sign of her, no trace.

It felt as if they had searched Onderon three times over, and not only did they not find her, but they had only found few traces of Rebel activity.

Vader looked at the map of Onderon in the Command Center.

The Purge Trooper came up from behind him again.

"Do you have any news on-"

"No, Lord Vader," The trooper interrupted him. "I have no idea why you even thought she was hiding in the wreckage of the dominix, but-"

Vader grabbed him with the Force and shoved him against the wall as he frantically grasped his neck, trying to get air.

"You will not speak to me in that manner," he said. "You will-"

The door opened, and Grand Moff Tarkin walked through.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

Vader dropped the trooper, who fell to the floor and gasped for air.

"I was not informed you would arrive," Vader said.

"I heard of First Sister's... less-than-optimal job here," Tarkin replied. "So I thought I would come take a visit with my armada. I was unaware you had taken up the operation yourself. Is the Emperor aware of this?"

"I am certain he would not mind," Vader replied. "Let me guess: you have come to lay waste to Onderon with the turbolaser cannons of your Armada?"

"I'm considering the possibility," Tarkin replied. "The jungle is too treacherous to traverse, and several sectors of urban areas have been hosts to rebel sympathizers. If we must lay waste to this planet, then so be it."

"Not yet," Vader said. "I cannot risk having any evidence of First Sister's whereabouts be blown to smithereens. And... I cannot sense her. Either she is dead, or she is hiding from us."

"To be quite frank, I do not care," Tarkin continued. "Dead or alive, she has failed. She is of no more use to us."

"Consider that she may have betrayed us. There may be some evidence as to where she could have gone."

"First Sister? Betray us?" Tarkin asked

"Ironic for you to think her treason would be inconceivable, Tarkin. We all know you wanted her dead for that very reason."

"I have the planet under full blockade, Vader. If she has betrayed us, she will not leave this world. I suggest we evacuate Imperial forces and bombard the planet from orbit immediately."

"And if she has left the planet?" Vader asked.

"Then we will find her. But right now, the desruction of this rebellion is a more achievable goal, one that is well within our reach."

"There may yet be some evidence as to her whereabouts here," Vader continued.

"How long have you been looking for her?"

Vader fell silent.

"She will show herself eventually. It's not like her to stay hidden. Sooner or later, she'll have the urge to take action. Then, she will show herself, and you can kill her. But right now, military force is clearly not working when it comes to uprooting this rebellion. We must not let Onderon become an example of defiance against the Empire to other worlds. Instead, we must let it become an example of the consequences of doing so."

"Very well," Vader said.

Vader watched from the bridge of his Star Destroyer as the fleet rained fire upon the surface of Onderon. Cities exploded, jungles burned, and within hours, vast stretches of flame engulfed the planet. Such was the inevitable consequence of defying the Empire.

Anything that wasn't under the control of the Empire was a target, from dense urban areas, to hazardous jungles, all of which could have housed rebel sympathizers.

First Sister, along with General Akenathen Tandin, King Dendup, and Lux Bonteri, had yet to be found. But if any of them remained on Onderon, they would certainly be dead, or demoralized to the point of giving up.

Not everyone would die. Sentient life forms had a habit of rebuilding from the lowliest of rubble, surviving against all odds. Such was what happened on other worlds, like Mon Cala. But Onderon had learned it's lesson: Submit to the Empire or die.

He knew that something like this would almost certainly draw out Ahsoka Tano if she lived, even if it took a while for her to show herself. Because he knew that Ahsoka would never back down from supporting this cause, even if it was utterly hopeless.

"Ahsoka..." Vader said to himself. "If you live... I will find you... and I will destroy you."