Star Wars: Balance of the Force (Anakin Skywalker Redemption)

7 - Strike

'The Third Brother did not know anything about Vader's past,' Ezac confirmed as he stood before the council of Jedi Master's and leaders of the Rebellion. 'The Inquisitor himself was a fallen Jedi, a new Padawan at the time of the fall of the Republic. He assumes that Vader was a fallen Jedi as well, due to his incredible training and ability, but there is also a belief that he was trained by the Emperor himself in hiding. Again, no one knows for sure what the truth is. There are twenty Inquisitors in total, many of whom were Jedi that after being captured, turned to join the Inquisitorius after their torture.'

Ezac continued, 'They are named in order of their arrival, but it is also their rank within their system. They are led by the Grand Inquisitor, who was previously a temple guard. Each trained by Vader, they are Force-sensitive and lethal, the only ones to have actually survived their brutal training. Vader is the Emperor's second-in-command, though he holds no official title or rank, and many of the other officers despise him. It seems he is able to act without consequences at all times.' Ezac sucked in a breath, 'He...executes those he suspects of treason at random. He kills indiscriminately. He is not to be denied.'

The silence in the room was deafening, and Padmé felt her own mouth go dry as she thought of the reports, she had been reading from Ahsoka, each one more dreadful than the last.

'Did you learn about why he hunts the Jedi so ruthlessly?' Master Velaya asked, her usually bright blue skin now pale.

'No, Master,' Ezac shook his head. 'The Inquisitors have learned to hate the Jedi as well. They have orders to kill any of them immediately, all except...' He looked to Obi-Wan, then Ahsoka. 'Except a select few. No one is sure why, but there are some that Lord Vader is interested in capturing alive.'

Ahsoka and Obi-Wan exchanged a knowing glance and Padmé made a mental note to ask them about it later on. For now, she had work to do.

'Now that Vader is on our tails, it'll be harder to work,' Padmé thought aloud, the assembled leaders turning to look at her. 'We can't have the Emperor's second in command hunting us at every point, especially not if he's as dangerous as he seems.'

'So let's spring a trap,' Ahsoka said, then her eyes widened as she realised everyone was watching her now, with varying degrees of interest or terror. 'There's no way we can fight him if he catches us unaware, but if we force him to come to us, somewhere he can't attack us with backup from the Empire, maybe we can kill him.'

'Do you have any ideas?' Master Velaya leaned forward.

'Tatooine,' Obi-Wan whispered, then cleared his throat. 'Tatooine. It's a planet in Hutt Space, the Empire can't risk bringing a large force out there, no matter how dangerous the threat. We'll force Vader to come alone, or with a small force, and we'll be ready for him. If he fights anything like the Inquisitors, we'll finish him off quickly enough.'

'There is also the matter of the Inquisitors,' Master Plo said thoughtfully. 'Will they attempt to avenge their fallen leader?'

'Definitely not,' Ezac shook his head and chuckled slightly. 'They'll probably fall at our feet thanking us.'

'Alright,' Padmé said tentatively. 'Killing Vader will mean we still have the Empire on our tails, but it may go a long way in proving our competence as a rebellion. What do you need from us?'

'It shouldn't take too much,' Ahsoka thought, rubbing her chin. 'We'll need to get to Tatooine, and probably spread a few rumours around on the other planets that the rebels are working there. We should also set up another ship to watch from space, for any arriving Imperial ships and to help get us out of there if things go south.'