How to Take an Empire

Chapter Forty-Eight: Anchor

Vader had been doing everything he could to categorically ignore Obi-wan for the most part. Just because Ahsoka brought him along and asked him not to kill him didn't mean Vader had to acknowledge him. But at the man's suggestion, he turned directly to the Jedi and deadpanned, "Are you insane? And potentially expose ourselves and ruin all our plans against Palpatine? Contingency already throws a spanner in everything."

"I have to agree with Vader on this one," Ahsoka said. "No offense—"

"What she means is that we mean every offense," Vader clarified.

Ahsoka continued without addressing him, "But the Jedi's idea of dealing with Palpatine was going right up to the Senate to assassinate the sitting head of state with no proof of his crimes except one of your knight's word, regardless of the fact that it was true. After playing politics for the better part of three years of war, you all really didn't think the politics and repercussions of that one through. So excuse us both if we're skeptical of anything you're going to suggest. Especially when your suggestion is to show Palpatine our hand."

"I was not consulted about that decision. I would have argued against it," Obi-wan replied.

Vader scoffed and rolled his eyes. Hard. "Yeah. Just like you argued with the High Council about letting your friends think you were dead. Or like you argued against Ahsoka's expulsion and trial. And like you argued against getting my former self to spy on Palpatine."

Vader sensed the Jedi's control over his emotions falter, hurt and guilt flashing across his expression and briefly permeating the Force. Vader silently reveled in his accomplishment as silence fell between them. Not even Ahsoka reprimanded him for his cruel remarks. She was too kind to admit it, not liking to encourage his cruelty, but she knew he wasn't wrong. There was a reason she hadn't been willing to talk to Obi-wan before the Clone War's end. In his former life, in his weakness and vain attempts at trying to be the person and Jedi that everyone wanted him to be, he tried to get her to talk to her grandmaster. But Ahsoka had never been the type to willingly or easily acquiesce to anything before she was ready to do it herself. She'd brushed off his attempts, threatening to put him in the same category as the rest of the Jedi if he didn't back off.

Now they had reversed roles. And just like Ahsoka had no intention of forgiving him back then, Vader had no intention of letting any bygones be bygones or making this chance she wanted him to give Obi-wan easy. Obi-wan's betrayal started long before he arrived on Mustafar to kill him. Mustafar had just been the inevitable culmination.

"That," Obi-wan finally replied after a few moments of tense silence, "isn't fair."

"I wasn't trying to be," Vader stated firmly.

Ahsoka finally looked at Obi-wan and chimed in. "I've done all I can. He hasn't killed you yet. He's even willing to end his crusade against the Jedi under the right circumstances."

There was no circumstance under which he'd end his crusade against the Jedi. Ahsoka was just delaying the inevitable. Ahsoka sensed his thought because she sent, Be quiet, across the bond before continuing.

"But you have to earn our trust again. So go ahead. Explain your plan. Prove our reservations wrong."

"Think about it. The real goal here shouldn't be to hide anything from the emperor. It's impossible. Rax is going to miss a report, or someone's going to find these dead bodies, and he'll know anyway. You could hide your involvement, but all that would do is put the Emperor on high alert to a new enemy and force him to revise his plans. To abandon this base in favor of another, and then we'll be back where we started before we knew about Contingency," Obi-wan explained. "Your real goal is for him not to become suspicious. And the best way to do that is to just inform him of what you found. The sooner, the better. Right now would be optimal."