Title: A Brief Interlude

Author: Forged Obsidian

Rating: PG

Category: General

Characters: A whole lot of OC's, with brief appearances by Vader, Luke, and Piett

Disclaimer: I'm just doing this for kicks and giggles and own literally zilch

Setting: Post-ROTJ AU

Summary: A compilation of various points of view as the galaxy changes around their heads. An AU post ROTJ, which happens to include a very much alive Vader.

A Brief Interlude

1./

Treva Taj knew she was watching galactic history.

She was sitting in her quarters on the Executor, currently docked at Coruscant. It was the first time in years - at least during her tenure on board - that the ship had actually landed. And - as if things weren't weird enough - Vader was offboard.

Their commander wasn't on his ship.

In fact, he seemed to be in the center of the Senate Chamber, standing on the tall middle spire reserved for the Emperor. About half the room was filled with government officials and senators who had responded to a call for an emergency session. They were confused, of course. Emperor Palpatine had dissolved the Senate only a few years ago. They hadn't expected to be called on anytime soon.

The image flickered, and Vader could be seen leaning forward onto the dashboard of the pod and gripping the edge of the podium. His deep voice was slightly distorted by the holoprojector. The Senate quieted and Vader spoke, deep baritone echoing in even her small chambers.

"It is with my deepest regrets that I must publicly announce the untimely death of Emperor Palpatine."

The Senate seemed to freeze, and Treva couldn't really blame them. She herself had given a little gasp. Palpatine had been around since before she was born, had been elected Chancellor under the Republic when she was five years old. Now, by the time she was 40, he was gone. It was a little disorienting.

Suddenly the projector screeched, the small microphone unable to handle the sudden uproar from the present Senators. Vader raised his hands, and before long the officials quieted down.

"He was present for the completion of a military project when his group came under attack from rebel forces -"

"Weren't you there, Lord Vader?" one Senator yelled, standing up in their pod and pointing.

Her commander slowly turned his head, the lenses in his mask pointing toward the uppity politician. Blood draining from their face, they sat down.

Turning back to address the room proper, Vader continued. "Yes, I was present. As Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy, it is my duty to supervise projects such as these. Unfortunately, the attack came when I was, by necessity, separated from the Emperor. Before long, the rebels had destroyed the ship Palpatine was on. Even if he had survived the initial explosion, the vacuum of space would soon have done its job."

The entire senate was quiet. Vader himself paused, seeming to gather his breath before launching back into his speech.

"So the question is - what now. As Palpatine's second in command, it would make sense that I step into his place. Before-" here he shot a glance at the politician, who was already standing with his hands raised. "- any of you say anything, I should specify. I have no intention of becoming Emperor. I belong on my ship, not behind a desk dictating policy." The politician swallowed, and sat back down.

"What I propose, senators, is that instead of putting a new Emperor in place, we do away with the Empire."

Treva's mouth fell open. The Senate exploded in argument, and she leaned back in her chair, running her dark hands over her short-cropped hair. She was dimly aware of her door sliding open, two sets of boots walking in.

"Are you hearing this, boss?" Jenci Zatlan said, plopping down in the seat next to her. He quickly palmed off his own personal holoprojector, shoving it into a pocket.

"Bogus. That's what it is," said his companion, Bowen Kara.

Her quarters were small, but as the head of the 501st Medical Division she was allowed private quarters as opposed to Jenci and Bowen. It was something she was often grateful for. With her bunk pressed into the wall, the only other furniture present were two chairs and a small table, which was welded in place. Her holoprojector was sitting on the table, next to flimsi's of patient profiles and clerical work.

Bowen just plopped down onto her bunk, wadding up her pillow under his arm. "I mean - the Empire's been around for a while. What exactly is the commander thinking?"

Treva shushed them with a motion when the hologram began transmitting sound again, having cut it out for the general outburst of the Senate.

Vader leaned forward, and his voice seemed to become more intense. "The Empire was in existence long before the Jedi Rebellion and the end of the Clone Wars. The powers of the Chancellor had been steadily increasing in response to the extended war, it only needed to be named and Imperial power. Since then, there has been constant conflict. Yes, it wasn't near to the level of destruction and loss of life that the Clone Wars achieved, but there was no peace. And in recent years - since the destruction of Palpatine's military project the Death Star - the Rebellion has only gained traction. The galaxy is at war. The old Republic didn't work, but this Empire hasn't achieved the necessary goal of any functional government - that of peace. There needs to be a change."

The entire Senate was quiet, and in Treva's quarters the only sound was the constant background hum of the ship and the quiet breathing of the three inhabitants.

"I will not presume to tell you how to create a new government. However, if any of you have common sense, you will make contact with Mon Mothma and bring the Rebellion into the discussion. If the Rebellion in turn wishes to get involved, they will not be detained. I will maintain control of the Navy for some semblance of stability. The Executor will hold position above the planet, if only to act as a deterrent for attacks. If Mothma wishes to be a player in the creation of an entirely new system of government, she and all with her will be allowed to pass."

The Senate was completely silent. The holofeed fizzed out as the Emperor's pod descended to the floor and the senators began talking among themselves.

"Well. That was certainly . . . something," Treva remarked, swiveling in her chair to look at her two companions. Jenci was just holding his chin in his hands, thinking. Bowen looked like he wanted to hit something.

"Did you see the people with him?" Jenci asked, breaking the momentary silence. "One looked like Piett, which makes sense. He hasn't been on board since we landed. The other though . . ."

"Looked like that Skywalker kid we've been chasing around," Bowen supplied, dark brows scowling over his brown eyes.

"I didn't even notice," Treva said.

"Why would Skywalker be there, though?" Bowen continued. "It's not like Vader would get along with a rebel, right?"

"At this point, no one really has any idea what's going on," Jenci said, slanted eyes blinking in thought. "For all we know, well, Vader or that boy could have been the one to kill Palpatine."

"Doubt it. Vader's never been really ambitious, at least when it comes to climbing a rank or two. I mean - it's gotta be pretty cushy being the Supreme Commander and everything," Bowen said. "Not very many places to go from there. Skywalker, though. He's a known rebel. Highest bounty out of the entire Rebellion and everything. He'd have a lot to gain from taking out the Emperor."

"Please, tell me how one man would be able to get past those Imperial Guards?"

"He's a Jedi, smart one. Why else would Vader hunt him down the way he has been? Remember the purges?"

Treva tapped the table. "You barely remember the Purges, Bowen. You were pretty young."

He glared at her. "That hardly matters. We've all heard the stories."

"Yeah, and those stories are never exaggerated, am I right?" Treva gave a thin smile at her coworker. "What I want to know is if the Rebels will go for it. The chance to make a new government. I mean - that's pretty big stuff."

Jenci leaned back in his chair. "Well, what exactly have they been fighting for? I know that a few of them want to bring back the Republic, but I don't see how that'll do anyone any good. It wasn't like it was a functional government."

"They did get some things done. It was just really corrupt."

The room was quiet. Bowen turned his large frame over in Treva's bed, cupping his hands behind his head and staring at the metal above his head. Jenci crossed his arms and closed his eyes. Treva just sighed and stretched.

She was the oldest in the room, Bowen being 8 years her younger. While she had only been 18 when the Republic fell, she could remember the chaos. Suddenly, the Clone Wars were declared over and there was a new Empire. The Jedi had rebelled, and been killed in retaliation. For a while, it had been insane. Then, things had settled down. She had finished medical school, then was drafted into the local militia. She was good at what she did, making her way up the ranks until she gained the attention of a member of Vader's personal squadron.

The 501st Legion was legendary, a mixture of the smartest, the most talented, the best of any in the entire Imperial Navy. And they wanted her. Their last Head Surgeon had taken a hit on some planet or another, working in the field. Having no surviving family, she said yes without hesitation. It had taken surprisingly little time to form connections, both with her fellow healers and some of the actual soldiers. She had even gone so far as to earn the praise of Darth Vader himself, after managing to successfully withdraw several ounces of shrapnel from a high ranking soldier who had later gone on to become one of her closest friends. She met Jenci and Bowen around the same time, both of them deciding to sit with her in the mess hall. They'd had to push aside multiple data pads and flimsis, all the while declaring that she worked too hard and needed a break.

Bowen Kara was a large light-skinned male human, someone who Treva would have usually avoided. Their resident cybernetics and prosthetics expert, he was often seen pouring over the latest editions of medical journals. He was broad shouldered, kept his brown hair at regulation length, and was rather stubborn. Treva didn't really connect with him until crossing paths after a severe battle that had resulted in hundreds of fatalities, both on the field and on their operating tables. His dark eyes had been red with tears. She could remember gently reaching up and gripping his shoulder, leading him to the mess, and grabbing them both hot drinks. They didn't speak to each other until the next shift. From then on, they understood each other.

Jenci Zatlan, on the other hand, was much easier to get along with. Dark skinned and slight of frame, he was generally gentle and thoughtful. His small hands were a boon on the operating table, which combined with his skill earned him the station as Assistant Head, essentially Treva's second. She had gotten along with him from when they first met, appreciating his willingness to see things from another point of view. Unfortunately, he could be extremely arrogant on occasion.

It was Bowen who broke the silence. "He stopped by to get a replacement, you know."

Jenci shot a glance at his friend. "What?"

"Vader. He stopped by. Right hand amputation. Secondary. Needed a replacement."

Treva looked at him in shock "Vader has a prosthetic hand? And you replaced it? And you're still alive?"

"No. He just picked up a replacement and left. Didn't say much, just gave me a list for parts. It was weird."

Treva gestured at the holoprojector. "He looked fine for that whole, uh, thing."

"Still. Shows that we have no idea what's going on."

They went quiet again. Everything felt strange, momentary. Suddenly, Treva was aware of just how big the events of the day were. Everything was changing, and their commander was right in the middle of it. She smiled to herself. Vader's distaste of anything having to do with politics was well known on his ship. No wonder he got out of the Senate room as soon as possible.

The fact that the Rebellion might get involved gave her pause, though. She had lost too many patients and friends to their blasters and fighters. If they did get involved, did that mean that their organization would dissolve? Would the fighting be over? Would the two groups merge, or would the Navy itself be dismissed? At this point, she couldn't see her being able to move past being excused. She loved her job, the work she did, the people she worked with. She loved this ship, the people who manned it, her tiny room. There was even a certain affection for her superiors, people who did what they could to make sure as many soldiers as possible made it back to the Executor. She couldn't imagine leaving.

"Things are going to change, aren't they?" Jenci's voice seemed loud.

Treva looked at her companions, keeping her expression blank. "Yes. And no one knows how things are going to turn out."

Bowen sat up, swinging his feet over the edge of her bunk. "It's in the Rebel's field, now."

Jenci sighed. "Let's just hope they know what they're doing."

Author's Note

You're going to need a little explanation about where this came from and where it's going.

When I was going through my Star Wars tag on my tumblr, I got an idea.

A fic idea.

I wanted to explore both the idea of what would have happened if Vader survived ROTJ, as well as what exactly happened to him physically post-Mustafar. I mean, that scene where he's getting his artificial limbs welded to his body while he is still awake is enough to give me ideas of what Palpatine's view of healthcare for maimed Sith apprentices is, and it's not healthy in the slightest. So, I decided to write that.

And it quickly got out of hand.

I needed OC's, political plotlines that made sense, and suddenly something I was planning on only having 4 or 5 chapters is gonna need, like, 15. And already I have ideas for sequels. For, you know, this thing I still need to write.

So I decided the best way to do this would be to get the majority of my OC's cemented while simultaneously having them react to things post ROTJ. It will save both me and you the tedium of having to read about it in a pure exposition. So, really, this is just going to be a sort of prequel for the real project that I'm working hardest on.

So far, I'm planning for this prequel-thing to have about 4 chapters. This first one is about a medical unit for the 501st Imperial Naval division. The second, about some 501st soldiers. This one will be a few months after this first one-shot. The third will be about a year after the second Death Star, and will take the point of view from some former Rebellion soldiers. The fourth will be a brief epilogue.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a review! If you spot any typos, feel free to bring my attention to them. I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but I'm planning for sometime next weekend.