Lineage

Chapter 3 - Chaos Unfolds

Author's Note: Basically, just what the chapter title says. xD

~ Amina Gila

Anakin was less than happy with the fact that Vader was adamant they not take him when they go to destroy Sidious. He was furious for much the same reason Vader remembers he himself was in another lifetime: because it's what he's always thought his purpose was.

As if they could have a purpose other than destruction. (They don't.)

Vader knows, now, looking back, how much control Palpatine had over him. He also knows Anakin will react very, very badly to discovering the truth about who his friend really is. Vader will not risk the possibility of Anakin betraying them for Sidious. It would be too dangerous; he remembers how much damage the boy could cause. So, they leave him at the Temple with... their children and strict orders not to set foot outside.

Somehow, Vader doesn't think they'll listen anymore this time than they ever have, but he tries not to worry about it, because they must focus on Sidious.

Especially since Anakin seems especially unhappy that Obi-Wan will be going there when he has to stay here.

"See? I knew he's your best friend," Luke whispers loudly. They do not need to have another conversation about this right now.

"He is not," Vader retorts.

"But... you keep him in your closet! If he were really so dangerous, then you would keep him in prison."

"He is dangerous, and he is in prison," the Sith insists.

"... Why do you have a prison connected to your bedroom?" Luke asks innocently.

"I keep him there because he's dangerous. Why are we having this discussion again?!" Vader has talked about this to the twins repeatedly over the years. After he got back to Coruscant and was reassembled, and made sure the Empire wasn't about to fall apart completely, he went back to Tatooine for Obi-Wan. They fought briefly and he won, and... He's kept him imprisoned near him ever since. (Maybe for more than one reason, but it matters little. Obi-Wan hates him and he always will. He probably should.) He found Luke on Tatooine, confirming that he was his child, and Leia not long later. He's been raising them ever since. Eventually, he got into contact with Ahsoka and Rex too, and they... spend much time around each other.

"See?" Luke whispers loudly to Leia. "Best friends!"

She nods cheerfully in affirmative.

Vader opts to ignore the comment entirely – and the look Anakin's giving him as though he... really wants some details – because they do have a Sith Lord to be dealing with. They leave it at that, and Vader goes to join the others.

He's there with Obi-Wan (who he is pointedly ignoring), Yoda, Windu, Mundi, Plo, and Tiin. They were all the same Jedi Masters he remembers from Ahsoka's trial, and they needed to collect as many people as possible. Vader truthfully doesn't know how good Sidious was with a lightsaber. Master Yoda fought and failed to defeat him. That's the only thing he has to go by. Sidious fought Windu, Tiin, Kolar, and Fisto, and came out on top. Vader doesn't know whether the Sith was feigning to have been defeated in the end – he probably was, the same way he feigned everything else.

Their plan is simple enough: lure Sidious to the Works where they can eliminate him undisturbed. No one will find his body until they destroy all incriminating evidence.

Vader already told them everything he knew about Sidious' fighting style which is... admittedly, almost nothing.

Their entire plan counted on Sidious coming to find them, and Vader can only be relieved he knows his master well enough to be that predictable. (He usually isn't.)