“Sargent,” Vader commanded. “Bring the box.”
One of the white armored commandos pulled a flat grey square from his pack and pushed a button. As Luna watched, it unfolded out into a cube that promptly popped open to reveal a soft blue interior. Gingerly, the man reached down and picked up the Jedi’s severed head. Holding it delicately, he lowered it into the container, which promptly slammed shut. He hit another button, and there was a hiss of escaping air as the cube vacuum sealed.
“We will ensure that the unruly elements of the population find this. Let them see for themselves what it means to defy the Empire,” the black cyborg continued.
“Her lightsaber makes a fine addition to my collection,” Luna added. “Perhaps we should display it in battle somewhere?”
“A worthy suggestion.” Vader nodded. “Sargent, take your men and hunt down the survivors before they spread too far. Kill most, but allow at least a few to escape. Let the Wookiees hear of this from the terrified lips of their own kind.”
“It will be done, my lord,” said the man. He turned to his men and nodded. “All units, with me.”
All eleven surviving commandos activated their jet packs simultaneously, lifting off from the smoldering village and vanishing quickly into the surrounding darkness. Their advanced helmets would provide them with all the sight they needed, while the survivors would be virtually blind. Luna watched them go with a neutral expression and once they were out of sight, turned her gaze back to Vader.
“We didn’t come here because she was a threat,” the alicorn said.
“No,” Vader answered. “We did not. Jelee Almar was an undistinguished general, a mediocre duelist, and an abysmal pilot at best. Her only real skill lay in the healing arts. She spent the Clone Wars defending secure worlds and medical stations in the Inner Rim from Separatist raiders. Little more than a glorified nurse with a few skirmishes to her name.”
“Then why?”
“To make certain.”
“That I would kill for you?”
“That you would kill someone that you did not know, who had never raised a finger against you, simply because I commanded it. Even when what I told you was a lie.” He paused. “Your vendetta against Cia could simply have been a purely personal affair, your survival against Maul demonstrated nothing beyond the capacity for self-defense. I needed to make certain you could call on your hatred without hesitation or restraint, no matter the target or circumstances. And you have passed that test.”
“But…why? What was the point?”
“You are not an unintelligent woman, Inquisitor. Perhaps you might explain the reasons we came so far.”
“We’re… alone,” Luna said, looking around as if noticing the endless gloom for the first time. “Far from any prying eyes or technological surveillance.”
“Correct.”
“We have an excuse to be here for a time, and proof to offer.”
Vader gave a small nod.
“But that is still avoiding the central question. We have an excuse to be here, and we are safe from anyone who might wish to spy on us, but how does that benefit you? What could you possibly have to say to me that you could not say somewhere… else…” The alicorn stared up at the cyborg, eyes wide.
Vader stared down at her for a moment, still and silent but for his breathing, as if considering a moment longer.
“The Emperor,” he began, “is a blight on the galaxy. In his arrogance he fails to see dissent building under his very nose. In his conviction that he has already triumphed for all time, he sows the seeds for a bloody and destructive conflict to wrack this galaxy yet again. I would see those seeds uprooted, and true order brought to the Empire.”
“And you… want my help?”
“Your fighting skills are raw, but your potential is great. Enduring the Valley of the Dark Lords and coming back alive, surviving against swordsmen on the level of Darth Maul and General Grievous.” Vader looked at her. “Don’t look so surprised, princess. Did you think I had not learned of your little planet’s history? Your history? Your potential has long gone to waste, but with proper training you could make a powerful warrior in service to the dark side.”
“And in service to you?”
“Now you begin to see clearly. I have need of an apprentice, Inquisitor. An agent of the dark side to hone and to shape,” here he paused. “And one day, to thrust through the Emperor’s heart.”
“I’ll do it,” Luna declared without hesitation.
“So eager, Inquisitor?” Vader paused. “Yes, I can sense your hatred. Your hunger to plunge your blade into my master’s flesh. If he were here, now, you would cut him down without flinching. That is good. But it is not enough.”
“My lord?”
“It is not enough that you simply possess the will to end him. You must be willing to end his life on my behalf. And it is here that I find you… lacking.”
The alicorn could feel sweat tricking down her face, and not just from the heat of the fire. How much could Vader sense? What did he know?
“Bonds of loyalty must be forged, joined, and put to the test. All that you were and are must be broken down and remade into a vessel for the dark side. In order to triumph, even your name will be forfeit. In my service, you will learn to hunt down what remains of your old self and murder it.” Vader paused again. “As Anakin Skywalker was murdered. Only then will you bet fit to join me against the Emperor.”
Luna’s eyes were wide as dinner plates. She may not have been involved in wider galactic affairs for long, but even she had heard of the legendary Hero With No Fear. A great Jedi war hero, some said the greatest of them all. He had vanished during the chaotic aftermath of the Jedi’s attempt on Palpatine’s life, and was presumed dead. To think that he was standing here before her, right now…
“He is not.” Vader interrupted her thoughts. “Anakin Skywalker is dead. I killed him.”
“As you say, my lord,” Luna hastily bowed her head.
“Perhaps right now you do not fully understand what that means. In time, and with training, you will. You still cling to something of the weak, broken creature that you were. Do not deny this, I can sense it. Your feelings for home… for friends… for sister… all of these must be destroyed. Only then will you truly come into the power of the dark side, and only then will you be ready. Do you understand?”
“I…” Luna hesitated.
Her helmeted head turn first to look at the ground, blue eyes staring at the ash-choked earth at her hooves. Next, she looked the smoldering homes and the broken corpses of those the Jedi had tried, so nobly, to defend. She beheld the futility of the light. And she made her choice.
“I understand.” Luna knelt amidst the ashes. “Master.”
“Good. Then before we kill the Emperor,” Vader crimson blade flared to life, held merest centimeters from the alicorn’s neck. “We will kill all that is left of Princess Luna.”