Dark Lord: Bride of Vader

Sidestory - Bucketheads: Death or Dishonor

This story is a subplot to 'Dark Lord: Bride of Vader'. It will follow Maxima's cousin, Kristoph, being transferred to a stormtrooper penal unit after the last we see him in the main story, which was in Chapter 8, 'Battle of Rimbor.' There is no current media representation of Kristoph in the DC continuity other than his first and only appearance in 'Superman: Our Worlds at War Secret Files and Origins' Volume 1 Issue 1 out of 2001. Spoiler Alert: he dies on the comic page where he is introduced. Obviously, this is very little character reference of Kristoph so most of the personalities and traits you'll see in this side story and beyond are made up for compensation.

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

Prologue

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Conflict, from what I understand, is a state of being natural to the universe and is ingrained by every single organism that resides in the great ether. Cells fight in the tightest microscopic battles, animals fight over food and mating rights in the wilderness, and countless sentient beings conduct the same struggles but under different pretexts. Okaarans do war because they view the practice as the highest expression. Thanagarians make war out of honor and integrity. The arachnids of the Spider Guild spread warfare due to their expansive conquests like a hungry horde.

I fight out for survival. My agency to decide my fate on the battlefield has been taken, and I am not too sure if I could gain it back.

For those who might not know the person writing this, I will properly introduce myself. I am Kristoph, Duke of Tae Tamarac, a member of the royal House of Almerac, cousin of Lady Maxima. I grew up in Almerac with Maxima and considered her the sister I never had. When our parents tragically died, and she was coronated to the throne, I was in the background, watching Maxima's reign. Sidelined, maybe, but I was fine under my position in the house.

I enlisted and went to the Tae Tamarac Naval Academy when possible and was commissioned as an officer after graduation. For a time, I thought of glory and earning honor for me, my house, and my planet. However, things changed—someone entered the fray.

A man of little words and with great action, Darth Vader, a 'Dark Lord of the Sith' married my dear cousin. The man was a towering figure adorned in black armor and a deep, mechanical voice as if he were stuck in a deep abyssal well. Maxima has always had strange taste in men and worthy husbands, but Darth Vader was undoubtedly the most bizarre and dangerous of them all, out of anyone from my experiences with him.

In an action I still can't understand to this day, the Council of Nobles, lead by Count Vitha, supposedly attempted to coup Maxima out of sheer pettiness and disapproval of the changes of the status quo Darth Vader wanted to change. The Dark Lord swiftly dealt with the accused traitors and dissolved the Council and Almerac's governmental institutions altogether. I knew Vitha and I cannot fathom such a betrayal. Whether an actual coup was real and attempted by him, I cannot say nor could find the evidence to dispute it.

What I do know is that all of Almerac dearly loved the new emperor. They did not say a thing or thought of Vader's character when he married my cousin, they were whipped up into a frenzy when he announced himself as Emperor and a new order will be established by their hands alone.

Why should such a person follow this 'man'? That question is simple. Almeracians had once a thriving empire millennia ago, but over the ages, it fell and our domain only contained a few star systems. Warrior kings of that era led Almerac to glory, the nation however couldn't keep up. Maxima, while a great warrior, I should mind you, is not a great leader in aspects that required the role. Vader did, and to the people of Almerac, he was a mythical warrior king of old, coming out of obscurity like a prophesied champion of death and warfare. In the short time he came into power, he had reawakened the Almeracian zeitgeist that slumbered for too long and was guiding it to a higher purpose....or a higher death. He was a leader who they would gladly fight to the bitter end with all of the things he had done for Almerac ,and they scarcely embraced that mentality to my cousin.

I, on the other hand, did not have these views on my cousin-in-law. The Dark Lord is a cold man, a machine almost, and could very well be one. The only rare emotions he seemed to protrude were contentmentuous and hot anger. I was a victim of the latter, but a victim of my own doing.

I had thought of displaying my views to him, how I thought of him being dishonorable and disrespecting my cousin. He, however, did not like those words one bit.

For those who do not know, I am a psychic. I am blessed by this gift due to the bloodline of my house. When Vader heard my words of disgust, he became a raging storm almost too intense to bear. A thrashing quickly followed after my conversation ended with him. I still have random pains in my back, and my arms had to heal for a month or so.

I understood how I nearly died and was unsure why he spared me. Yes, he said how if he did so, he would break a promise to Maxima, but could he keep a promise that seemed to come from love when he was the very same person to bring near death to his family? I thought it best not to think it through.

He had told me that I would be exiled, never to set foot on Almerac again unless told otherwise. That was already punishment as it was, but more came in the form of my military service. He did not exile me in the general sense, but rather he called for my exilement in a way to serve my penance in a different form. He has not officially demoted me or made an actual punitive action against me, but he has done something that most would consider to be worse.

Let me explain my dilemma with context so that whoever reads this may not be confused. The Stormtrooper Corps was a branch under the royal guard, now the Imperial Guard. Doctrines and training were made under General Sh'Kirry, a man I knew for a very long time as he was the captain of the Royal Guard. Though their training cannot be considered equal to that of an Imperial Guardsman, they were far above that of any Imperial Army soldier and sailor and were up to the task of any situation.

In this Corps, there was one division whose reputation precedes itself. The 60th Stormtrooper division, 'the Imperial Fists'. A unit of men and a few women who are known for their fanaticism and commitment to the New Galactic Order. It was a COMPNOR-sponsored unit and was categorized under its armed branch, CompForce. If one wanted to join this elite and highly dedicated unit, one would need to be a member of COMPNOR, embrace its values, and embody the Imperial spirit that new order required the self. More often than not, it was more of an Almeracian-centric spirit rather than the multi-racial band of arms the propaganda claims.

Stormtroopers were known to be highly loyal, as they were trained under the Imperial guard, but the Imperial Fists were an extreme example of that. As the New Galactic Empire formed, not all Almeracians really adapted into the new order. Some believed this to be the rebirth of a new Almeracian empire and saw it as just that. Then others fully believed in the new order of bringing peace and security to not only Almerac, but to the galaxy by any means. The Imperial Fists were the latter.

From what I can ascertain, they have earned victories in obscure battlefields and in worlds few could point out. They were, for sure, the most motivated and successful Imperial units out there. But, as I have stated before, not everyone fully developed good feelings about the new order. There were those who, of course, spoke out against the changes, politically or otherwise; there were criminals and degenerates who still committed crimes; and military individuals who may have made a few mistakes. While a good portion could have been deported to some work facility or camp for their penances, others had the chance to redeem themselves by military service.

Probation battalions were what they were called. They were units in the Imperial Army and sometimes the navy, which consisted of condemned citizens, soldiers, and criminals who could pay their sentences through military services and actions. From that, I know, to the other normal units, they are viewed as cannon fodder sometimes, sent to suicidal missions that other units wouldn't even think of performing. However, most of the soldiers that are in these penal units are thieves, unruly individuals, and other people whose crimes might have been forgiven in a different society.

But there was one special penal unit that was like no other. Stormtroopers were regarded as highly loyal and not known to break Imperial laws, but we are all flesh and blood and make mistakes regardless of context. However, it depends on the severity of the crime, whether treason, insubordination, or other high charges; the stormtrooper that committed the crime, if high enough, could either be executed or sent to this one unit. This unit also happens to be the recipient of criminals who were deemed too dangerous to facilitate or sent to a normal penal unit.

Murderers, arsonists, rapists, and other criminals that, if not downright executed and command thought the possibility of redemption there, would be sent to this unit. Stormtroopers with milder crimes were also brought in, for their failure of not meeting the high standards of an Imperial would land them in this Penal Brigade. It is also the same unit that I will have to report to.

The Third Special Probation Heavy Infantry brigade of the 60th Stormtrooper Division. This unit of Stormtroopers is my next station. This is my punishment to have a sound mind. Technically, I have been promoted to 1st Lieutenant as my commission as a starfighter pilot was considered. But this is just salt in the wound.

I am still bitter and defiant about this crime. I will be put in a unit and command a platoon of soldiers whose pasts would make normal men shiver. It is a stain on my family's legacy to be with a gang of lowlifes and bottom feeders that society bunched up as attack dogs. It was insulting and disgraceful in the highest regard, and I wanted blood.

I have thought of getting retribution by fleeing the Empire and reaching Oa, the home and base of the Guardians of the Universe, to report Vader to them. This was so that they could send Green Lanterns and perhaps depose Vader. But as time passed, I was disgusted by the thought and thought it dishonorable. This may have been a personal feud between Vader and me, but bringing the Green Lanterns involved would have created more significant consequences for which Almerac would pay.

To tell everything I knew to the Green Lanterns would have been treacherous and dishonorable. If I were to report to Vader, then the Lanterns would have no choice to fight him and the New Galatic Empire. To betray Vader, I would betray my cousin, my family lineage, and my country.

So I kept that thought to myself and never did perform it.

This is a burden that I put on myself. Was it fate that destined me and men of my caliber to enter moments of ultimate struggle? Was it my own destiny that I chose myself? Or was it a simple happenstance in a universe teaming with them?

Dear reader, I cannot say. I only wish to survive and be the man my parents wanted me to be. Looking back on all the pains and rigorous work, I'm not sure what I've become.