A Destiny Rewritten

chapter xii: cymoon-1, part ii.

The moment Lord Vader's shuttle entered the atmosphere, his senses were alerted to Padmé's presence. It was like a beacon, reaching all the way from the ground to his ship far into the sky, brilliantly unmistakable. Her Force signature is warm, gentle, and reminds him of home, a concept Vader had almost long forgotten by now.

But that is not all--there are two other Force signatures, each of them teeming with raw, but unmastered power. He has not felt something like that in a very long time... not since he faced Obi-Wan on the Death Star. Who could it be? he wonders. Darth Vader tells himself that he will certainly find out. Perhaps they are lost Jedi, though he thought he had found all of them by now. Only Obi-Wan, Yoda, and a few less notable Jedi still escaped the Purge, hidden somewhere in the deep reaches of space.

He reaches out through the Force as his shuttle nears the surface, but he does not feel Obi-Wan here. But if Padmé is on Cymoon-1, at an imperial arms factory, she must be part of a rebel operation. He has no illusion of why she is here; they must be trying to destroy the factory.

Frustration flares up within him, and he feels the heat of rage flash through his body. The rebels, emboldened by the destruction of the Death Star, are now so confident that they would dare embark on such a dangerous mission. It is no surprise to him that Padmé is on this operation, as she was never one to shy away from action, but it irritates him nonetheless. By actively siding against the Empire, is siding against him, too.

He also considers that Padmé probably also knows that she is nearly invincible when it comes to the Empire. Vader is certain that Padmé knows that even if she gets captured, he would never allow for her to be executed or tortured. He hopes that if their paths cross, she won't expect him to spare her rebel comrades; he is not keen on saving members of the Rebellion, especially after the Death Star, and after Padmé broke their last deal. Vader does not intend on extending his mercy again.

Darth Vader's shuttle lands on the platform to the arms factory, and now that he is closer, he can feel that Padmé, and the two Force-sensitives, must be inside.

He saunters down the ramp of his shuttle and steps onto the platform, which is now surrounded by rows of Stormtroopers, rigid in salute. An officer begins walking to greet him, but Vader speaks before he can get a word out.

"There are rebels here," he informs the officer. "Put the entire factory on alert, now. Make an announcement that I want them alive."

He couldn't increase the risk of Padmé being killed in crossfire, nor would he risk her being mistaken for just another rebel.

"My lord? Rebels, here? How can you be so sure?" the officer questions him, clearly shocked by Vader's knowledge.

"Do not underestimate the Force," Vader replies. "Do as I say, and quickly, before they can escape."

"Yes, my lord," says the officer with a respectful bow of his head. He then immediately marches away and says something into his commlink.

Vader turns to the Stormtroopers, who are still lined up at his shuttle. "Find the rebels," he orders them. "Split up across the factory and then bring them to me."

They do as they are told, and several groups of Stormtroopers hurry into the factory with Vader on their heels.

--✥--

"Chewie! Stand down!" Han yells into his earpiece. "Do not fire! You take a shot at Vader and the whole factory will be on alert!"

"Are you crazy?" snaps Leia. As soon as she speaks, alarms begin to blare and red lights flash in the room and in the adjacent hallways.