Dark Lord: Bride of Vader

Chapter 15: In Brightest Day...

I do not own any Star Wars and DC characters and ideas represented in this work.

"You may think I am evil. I am not. I am efficient." - Darth Maul

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In the main chamber of Vader's castle, where he contemplated on this black throne for many hours or gazed alone through the room's long window that showed the dark jungle outside, the Dark Lord was at the center where a series of holo-schematics cycled through. He wasn't the only one gazing at the ghostly blue images; there were others, Thanagarians, in fact.

The first and most important was Paran Dul, the Thanagarian liaison to Vader. Formerly a senior Lieutenant just last week, but after their first meeting and Commander Talak relying on Vader's proposal of an alliance to his ruling council, they somewhat accepted the thought of Paran Dul being an attache, and she was promptly promoted to Captain. Vader could tell since then, she was pleased in her position. She was an intelligent woman; he could see that; she set herself apart from her fellow Hawkish kinsmen with acts of careful deliberations, cold and precise calculations, and strategies that might as well be alien to the Thanagarian mentality.

Darth Vader was satisfied to have Captain Dul as his emissary from Thanagar. During their encounter and eventual meeting, he was intentionally worried that the Hawks and their council would assign a lesser Thangarian to be his advisor. But after finding out that Dul would be his attache, that worry fell away. The woman was highly gifted in the engineering arts and sciences. While not comforting, it was reassuring in a strange sense to him that he saw another being just as highly motivated and skilled in starship engineering as he was. The woman valuing efficient methods had also improved Vader's opinion of her. It would be wise to keep her close.

The two other Thangarians were her deputy liaisons, also from the crew under Commander Talak. One was Wing Commander Sh'ri Valkyr, the Warhawk's fighter squadron commander. An ordinary female Thangarian of average height and build, with armor in blue and gold instead of the usual red and gold, with the inclusion of natural yellow eyes and short white hair, she was in the rank of Lieutenant. Valkyr did not impress Vader, unlike Dul did, except that Vader noted interest in Valkyr had on him.

[Note: Sh'ri Valkyr, better known for her role as leader of the Cult of the Seven Devils in the DC continuity, has her first appearance in Adam Strange Vol 2 Issue #3 out of 2005]​[Note: Stormtrooper Commander Radek is a nod to the character of Colonel Mael Radec from the game Killzone 2]​

As the leading officer of the stormtrooper unit in the castle, the commander knows better than to disturb Vader's personnel meditation sessions, talks between officials and high command, and other times when Vader would not like to be bothered. In this case, the Sith Emperor could tell that this must be important.

Commander Radek went up to his emperor and performed a dignified bow as he relayed major news. "My apologies, my liege, but Lady Angelicus' shuttle has just exited hyperspace near Almerac's orbit, and she had sent a message detailing that her task is complete."

Vader uncrossed his arms, finding it somewhat surprising that no problems had risen in his apprentice's mission to the Dominion, at least none he could sense or tell. Finding it extremely dangerous and sensitive to discuss cloning amongst the Thanagarians, not even taking a look at them, Vader pointed at the door of the throne and told Radek, "Take the Thanagarians to their quarters and leave them there until I need their presence again."

The trio of Thanagarians were taken aback by the sudden change of demeanor and the lack of courtesy from Vader's words. He didn't see their comfort as his priority at the moment; his true priority right now was the possibility of repairing his body. His apologies, if it even comes up at all, will come later. Vader whirled around, making his back face the hawks and paced away from them to gaze at the window of this throne room.

Stuck in a stupor, the Thanagarians were speechless. Captain Dul's mouth hangs open but then tightens in protest and tries to question why he audciscouly waved them off. Commander Radek, however, stopped her from speaking her mind. He went in front of her and gestured to the throneroom's doors, "My sincere apologies, Captain, but my Lord is quite busy, and the Thanagarian delegation must return to your designated quarters at this time."

While Vader may have begun a sort of diplomatic incident that could sour relations that just started, the force relaxation of Paran Dul suggested that she wasn't willing to pursue the argument. She nodded to her subordinates and looked over to her shoulder in Vader's direction, "I hope then, Lord Vader, that whatever situation has been brought up to your attention is resolved or finished in your favor." She begrudgingly bowed, and the other three Thangarians, with Valkyr giving a curious side look while exiting left the throne room.

Now alone in his throne chamber, eyes from his helmet aimlessly gazing down onto the Almeracian forbidden dark jungles, Vader had a mixture of fear and excitement come upon him that he wasn't able to quell.

He had taught his apprentice the very meaning of consequences if she ever failed him, and he had done such punishments in the past as corrections. She knows very well what would happen if her actions would lead to that and would be better off not coming back if that were the case. Lying will serve no good for anyone, especially her. If she said she had completed her mission, then it must be true.

Sensing her arrival within the castle's docking bay, he wondered in a staring manner. Would this scientist be actually capable of cloning Vader's body? If not, then they would need to find another researcher, and all of the time before would have been wasted. But if they do, is it finally possible that he could regain his body?

Being trapped within this suit, his senses and memory of touch and sensations had been lost to him. Now, the future of regaling those feelings being somewhat closer, he swore he could feel those bodily perceptions return to him. Almost like the phantom pains when his limbs were torn from him, he felt the ghostly feeling of being a man again. He felt the melancholic experiences bombard him; he remorsed the feeling of the breeze around him, feet on the earthy ground, and the...warmth from the touch of a woman.

Could he really have those feelings again?

The Sith was so caught up in his nostalgic feelings that he almost failed to sense Angelicus entering his throne room. He quickly recomposed himself, shaking those memories from his head, and let the dominating presence of his aura that had intimated so many beings enter him.

The throne room doors opened; Angelicus, in her black assassin's suit, along with 11-4E entered the chamber, escorting a yellow-skinned Dominator dressed in fine green robes. The Dominator looked frightened over his entrance, and Vader sensed his fear since the moment he stepped foot on the castle as though he was walking into his doom.

Angelicus genuflected towards her master, then in a humble tone, "My master," she made a one-arm gesture to the frightful Dominator, "Your prize."

Vader turned around and studied the yellow alien from head to toe. He drew his eyes to his Havanian apprentice, "Return to your chambers, apprentice, your mission is not complete until I value this being to be worthy of my attention."

She moved to her feet and bowed her head, "Of course, master." Before she left, she momentarily stopped by the Dominator and adopted a glare that was part meaningful, part warning. The Dominator made a gulp that made his neck bulge a bit. After her death stare, Angelicus left the throne room to Darth Vader, 11-4E, and this scientist.

The Dark Lord questioned, "Is this the Dominator I have requested?"

Marshaling the courage, the Dominator unsurely said, "I-um, y-yes, I—,"

"I was not speaking to you." Vader bluntly shot down the Dominator's words and trained his head to 11-4E. The alien closed his trembling lips.

"Of course, Master." 11-4E answered. "His name is Gunther, one of the top caste scientists of the Dominion. His records show that he had experience with gene editing and cloning." The droid paused then added with important emphasis, "From his previous experiments, it would appear that he has knowledge of midichlorians."

Shocked, Vader craned his head at the Dominator. Suspicion rose in him while fear of the implications. It can't be a mere coincidence that he sent out his apprentice to find a cloner who just so happened to have knowledge of the forceful organelles. Angelicus would know about them but still be ignorant of the true purposes of her mission. He didn't sense any semblance of betrayal or scheming when she entered his domain, nothing surface level at least.

Perhaps, he countered himself, this wasn't a coincidence. Maybe, just maybe, the force orchestrated this meeting, so it could be a building block to help gain Vader back his potential.

Though wearily, Vader strides towards the Dominator. The yellow alien barely moved as if he were an animal caught by the eyes of a predator, hoping not to be seen. An arm's length away, Vader's form towered over the scientist, his mechanical breathing seeming to suck the air around this Gunther, who barely took any breaths next to the Sith Lord.

"Is this true, Dominator?" Vader inquired, "Are you this competent, as my droid explained?"

The dominator slowly tilted his hairless head up and down, "Y-yes."

"And..." Vader, in the mentality that no one else was in the room, eyed the throne room without moving his head and felt through the force that they were the only ones in that section of the fortress. It wouldn't be good to have Angelicus, the Thanagarians, or worse, someone under his wife's command to hear this talk. "...You understand midichlorians?"

"If-if mean by Organelle X, my lord, then yes, Yes!" Gunther tried to please Vader with a quick answer.

"Has Lady Angelicus offered my proposal?"

"Y-yes! My lord!"

"And?"

"I humbly accept."

Vader stared down at the alien, the Dominator squirmed at the suffocating gaze. "Let me be clear," he jabbed a finger from his black-gloved hand to Gunther's chest, it was just enough strength to stagger the skinny alien just a bit, but Gunter dared not to move. "If you dare to speak with anyone besides myself and my droid on this matter," he lifted his other hand to bail it into a fist, "Then your punishment will not be so easily quick or merciful."

Gunther barely raised his hands up to his hip in a placating way, "Yes, yes! Of course, you have my word that no one will know anything. I was just told that you wanted a clone army and my reward would be my ascension to rule the Dominion."

Vader dropped both hands, "If Lady Angelicus had offered those to be your compensation for your commission, I see no obstacle to stop me from granting them to you." He put one pointing finger at Gunter, "If you can provide the service I want."

"The clone army?" Gunther asked.

"That is part of it," Vader gestured 11-4E to come, "Show him the hologram, 4E."

11-4E did what he was told; he shuffled towards Vader and Gunther. Dunking his head a bit, a blue holographic form of Vader's anatomy—suit and body—pictured out of 4E's eye. From the cybernetic limbs like his arms and legs to artificial organs. Implants in his ears to the breathing tube that replaced his trachea and the multiple cybernetic vertebrae painfully inserted in his spine were shown, plus many more. He had upgraded his artificial limbs in the past, but the organs and bone replacements have been a nigh impossible task to repair, not if he would risk a demise from the surgery or gain the attention of Palpatine.