Vader's second chance

Chapter 34

The Purge troopers all fell to their knees in synch, gripping their heads in pain as their minds were flooded with information. When it stopped, they all looked at Vader in shock. One of the troopers at the front was the first to speak. "The Chancellor is playing both sides?"
Vader nods. "He is."
Thankfully Vader included decision making and planning in the troopers training, so the next one to speak kept a level head. "And he doesn't know that we know?"
Vader shakes his head with a smile. "No, he doesn't."
"But, how do we know?"

Vader's victorious smile falls. "All clones made on Kamino have a control chip installed, meant to activate after certain key words are used. The original use was to exterminate the Jedi, but after discovering that little detail, I had my apprentice sneak something into the systems and reprogram them. Now, the order that would result in mass genocide is now the one that tells the troopers everything they need to know and deactivates the chip entirely."

The troopers digest that information, and were decidedly pissed off. They were going to be used by some lunatic to kill a lot of innocent people. Not a fun thing to know. This new information gave them a new level of genuine respect for Darth Vader, more potent than the mantra of "good soldiers follow order". No. This was genuine, absolute respect. After gathering themselves, the Purge Troopers swear to themselves to uphold the values of the Empire, no matter the cost.
They get back into formation, determined features hiding under their helmets. "What are your orders, sir?"

Tatooine. A desert planet with two suns, run by the Hutt clan. The staple of their economy? Slavery. Something Vader was keen to rectify with his slowly growing army. It would take time to match the Republic, but that was time Vader had. But for now, this was most important. To him at least.

Here's the thing about a desert planet in the outer rim. The Republic didn't really care about it, so it was too easy to simply land there and start arresting slavers. The slaves were returned to their homes and families to live out their lives. It was a beautiful thing to Vader, a simple thing he had wanted for a long time. The troopers were all too eager to prove themselves. Very few casualties on the Empires side, less than a dozen troops. But it was a sad loss none the less. Their bodies were taken to Dathomir after the raid for a proper burial.

Vader marches up to Jabba, the disgusting creature having a slave at his side in chains. He speaks Huttese. "What do you think you are doing here, false Jedi?"
The protocol droid goes to translate. "The mighty Jabba asks-"
Vader cuts it off, speaking perfect Huttese. "I know what he said." He turns to the slug creature. "Your slave trade is over. This planet belongs to the Empire, and you will be tried for your crimes." Jabba simply laughs in his face. Vader scowls. "Don't make me destroy you."
Finishing his laugh, Jabba looks at the Sith Lord with contempt. "You will not be leaving here alive. No-one attacks the Hutt clans. Kill him."

All the bounty hunters in the room (which is to say a majority of the patrons) leap to their feet, blasters ready and heads filled with the idea of how much this guy would be worth after attacking Jabba. They were too easy. Many were killed very quickly, but those were the ones that lunged at him only to meet his saber. The smarter ones tried to shoot him from a distance, only to receive that same blaster bolt to their own face.

Vader hears a blaster bolt, and he turns to see Jango standing over the body of an assassin droid. "I'm only doing this because you reminded me of why I still do this job."
Vader shrugs. "I'll take it." He turns to the trembling Jabba and looks at the terrified slave on the end of the chain. "Can you take care of that?" Jango blasts the chain, letting the slave free. "There are ships on the edge of town. Go there, and go home." The slave runs out, thanking the armoured individuals as she leaves.

Jabba goes to say something that was probably going to be offensive in some way, but Vader uses the Force to wrap the remaining chain around his neck and keep him quite while he talks to Jango. "This place is a little below your pay grade, isn't it?"
The bounty hunter shrugs. "When word got out that I betrayed Dooku, it got a lot harder to get a decent employer."
With the slug choking in the background Vader extends an offer. "You could always work for me. Your son would be safe on Naboo."
Jango is shocked. "Naboo? I tried to kill their senator. Twice."
Vader shrugs. "You'd be surprised how forgiving Padme is when she knows the full story." He extends a hand. After a short hesitation, Jango takes it. "Welcome to the Empire, General Fett."