Vader's second chance

A Star wars story

Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Disney owns everything except my plot.

Hello there everyone and welcome to chapter 27! So, as I said in the newest author's note (which has now been replaced by this chapter) the focus of today's episode will be the Battle of Ryloth. Now, I should remind everyone that Vader's presence in the battle will change things, so I kindly ask to forgive any inaccuracies regarding lines of dialogue that are different from the ones in the actual episode of the show, as well as appearances from people that aren't supposed to be there, like Captain Keeli and Master Ima-Gun Di, who was dead in the original timeline. I'll also be adding a whole new and separate segment of the Battle, which will be the main focus of today. Today's chapter will also be featuring Luke's perspective of his first naval battle as a Jedi Commander for the Republic and may include a segment which reveals Vader's thoughts throughout their encounter, but I don't make any promises. I should also mention that after this chapter there will be another time skip that will take us to the episode that comes directly after the Republic victory on Ryloth, but I can't spoil anything now can I? Alright, I've probably bored you enough with the prologue already, so without further ado, let's begin chapter 27!

Ryloth's Orbit, the Redeemer, Luke's point of view:

After the death of Admiral Dao and the disappearance of Master Ima-Gun Di the Jedi Council had sent Anakin Ahsoka and I to break the blockade above Ryloth and allow Master Windu and Ben to land with Republic reinforcements. When I first boarded the Redeemer I was a bit disappointed to find out that Admiral Wullf Yularen was in command of the ship, something that Anakin seemed to notice, but didn't comment on. The trip itself was relatively short and uneventful, unlike the battle that awaited us when we exited hyperspace. I knew that father was in command of the enemy fleet, seeing as the Separatists waited for us to make the first move. Father's strategy confused both Yularen and Anakin, which seemed to be the desired effect. When Anakin realized this, he took a great risk and sent all our fighters out at once, a move that would have paid off against anyone but father. After that, the two of us got in our own fighters and joined the battle, followed closely by Ahsoka and blue squadron. Father must have been expecting this however, because he launched a full offensive on our cruisers and the Redeemer ended up taking most of the damage. At some point during the fight Vader and I got locked in a naval duel, which lasted longer that the ones we had during the Empire. During said duel he and I both ordered all others to back off, claiming that we could handle the situation by ourselves. Heck, the only reason I had to break away from the fight was that Ahsoka was about to rush in and attempt an attack, blue squadron following her gracefully. As soon as I broke away and tried to help Anakin ordered her to retreat, but she was reluctant to do so. Father decided to move towards her and try to scare her away, but his move ended up motivating her more, making her think that he realized he was in trouble, at least according to his estimation. She eventually decided to follow orders and back off, but three of her pilots were killed by that time. The remaining seven tried to comfort her as soon as they all landed in the Resolute's hangar, but their words didn't have much off an effect on her. In the meantime, one of the Vulture droids suicide-bombed the Redeemer's bridge, forcing all personnel to evacuate to the Resolute, which had also taken high damage. I managed to land my fighter in the Venator's hangar safely and we all made the jump to light speed with no further problems. In fact, I could practically hear Father's voice telling his Commanders to not break formation. He had told me that he would try to keep from going to hell, as much as he could anyways, and I knew that this was a step in the right direction, even if it didn't quite seem like it. A briefing was ordered soon after our retreat and Anakin came up with the same plan as he had done last time, at least according to Father. Speaking of him, he told me that he would be heading towards the place where Master Di and his troops were being held and that he wanted me to free them, something that was easier said than done. After Anakin and Yularen destroyed the Separatist blockade I told Ben about what Vader had told me, without mentioning that he was the one that informed me of Master Di's location. In turn, both he and Master Windu sent Anakin and myself to defeat Vader and free Master Di and Captain Keeli, as well as the rest of the clone troopers that served under the two. Anakin and I immediately left for Ryloth's surface and both of us knew that the encounter with Vader was going to be interesting, although I can't claim to know what Anakin thinks about my Father. The only one who does is Anakin himself.

Thirty minutes later, Separatist prison camp, Darth Vader's point of view:

Everything was going according to the plan. The Clones and Master Di were secured and in position to be easily rescued and this confrontation proved to be the perfect opportunity to test Revan's force ability in combat with real Jedi and not droids in a training room. All in all, I had created a perfect little battle scenario for the Phantoms. Now the only thing I needed were the Jedi themselves. Thankfully, Luke had told me that his ETA was about a minute or two, so he and my younger self would be here soon. Speaking off my younger self, here he comes. The two Skywalkers entered the little prison camp I had created and immediately began hacking at the droids. The machines never stood a chance, but it didn't matter. They began walking towards me half way through the battle, with Luke crushing droids with the Force while he walked and Anakin deflecting the blaster bolts without even looking, the same way I had done on Mustafar all those years ago. The Jedi stopped in front of me and Luke used the Force to free the prisoners, while Anakin instructed them to move to the rendezvous point he had set up with Captain Rex. When I heard the name of my old friend a memory tried to resurface, but I wouldn't allow myself to dwell on past mistakes, at least not now off all times. Both Skywalkers approached me and Luke quickly took down a droid that had survived their small massacre, as if it was an afterthought. Their sapphire and emerald blades ignited as soon as the mechanical soldier had fallen.

Anakin-Lord Vader. We meet again at last.

Vader-Skywalker. It was foretold that you would be here.

Luke-Hello there Vader.

Vader-Luke Skywalker. I've been looking forward to our rematch.

Luke-I beat you on Endor. I'll do it again if I have to.

Vader-Why so certain? Perhaps because your father is here?

Anakin-You underestimate my power.

Vader-Funny. I said the same thing once.

I stretched my right arm in the air and both Jedi grounded their feet in place, expecting a Force-Push or something similar. Both Skywalkers were surprised to see six Purge Troopers appear from behind me, their black and crimson armor shining in the bright daylight. They all took their places next to me and gripped their electrostaffs, ready for battle. Luke was clearly surprised by the look of the troopers and I sent him a mental message, telling him that I would explain later and that he should focus on the battle. The six Phantoms moved towards the two Jedi, both factions spinning their weapons around before locking in a duel with their enemies. Luke had adapted to basic version of Soresu and Anakin had fallen back into his Form V stance, parrying and countering any and all incoming attacks. I decided to take a step back and see the fight for what it was, two Jedi fighting against Jedi killers, father and son fighting as one against their enemies. I continued to watch and started feeling proud of Luke and what he had accomplished. Qui Gon had showed me how he started out, as well as both his duels with the evil version of myself, but it was obvious that I had been holding back in both encounters and that Luke was afraid of hurting me in the second, so I never really had a chance to see him properly duel someone until right now and Force he was good! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to watch for much longer as both my son and my younger self had finished with their opponents and the Purge Troopers were lying on the ground, defeated. I took a step forward and ignited my crimson blade, expecting them to attack first, but they did not. They simply stood there, unmoving, with determination clearly visible on both their faces.

Luke-We need not fight Vader. We can end this without bloodshed.

Vader-Indeed we can. See, lightsabers don't make one bleed.

Anakin-That may be true, but I don't want anyone losing another limb. Surrender now and I promise that we'll show mercy.

Vader-No! Luke, you have seen what the Emperor is capable off. He has to die!

Anakin-Waging a war is not the way to deal with him. He can look for evidence and arrest him!

Vader-The War is the only thing keeping all of us alive! He has a Sith fleet, thousands of ships just waiting to strike. Until they and the Eternals are destroyed the war must go on!

Luke-Eternals?

Vader-Damned Sith loyalists! There are millions of them on Exegol and I won't allow them to destroy the Republic!

Anakin-We can take them together! All you have to do is stop!

Vader-Causing mayhem isn't my intention Skywalker. Protecting those I care about is. No one will stand in my way. Not the Jedi, not the Sith and certainly not you!

Luke-We can destroy him together! You said so yourself!

Vader-I still believe that Luke, but now is not the time. Palpatine will strive for more power after the war is over, power supposedly necessary to deal with the remaining Separatists and will then leave the Republic defenseless against the Sith threat. He must die before his plans are complete and I can't trust the Jedi to deal with it!

Anakin-I know, but we can help.

Vader-You can and you will, in time. For now, let us be a bit more uncivilized about this.

Luke-I don't want to fight you.

Vader-How unfortunate. And I thought that your skills were complete.

In that moment Clones started appearing from all directions and I knew that Anakin had tried to trap me. Had it been anyone else, he would have been successful, but in this case, he would have to accept defeat.

Captain Rex-Go go go!

Ima Gun Di-You are surrounded Vader!

Captain Keeli-Drop your weapons!

Vader-All I am surrounded by is fear. And dead men.

Raising my blade in front of me I began deflecting blaster bolts from all directions, something that was harder than it looked. After a few minutes of defense, I went on the offensive, jumping off the small ledge I was standing on and making my way towards Master Di and the two Skywalkers. The Clones continued firing, but I used the Force to send their bolts away from me and into the ground. The Jedi noticed this and ordered their troops to change positions in order to block my escape and soon enough a team of Clones had filled the ledge I was previously standing on. I then attacked the Jedi, sending both Luke and Anakin flying outside the encampment and choking Master Di with the Force. I wasn't going to kill any off them, but I had to play my part in the battle. After the Jedi Master had been incapacitated the Clones resumed firing and managed to land most of their hits, as I had planned. I keeled on the ground and Rex cautiously approached me, thinking I was injured. He looked down on me and I spoke to him, trying to warn him that I would soon attack him and his brothers.

Vader-Do you truly believe you can defeat me?

Rex-We just did.

Vader-You do not know the power of the Dark Side.

Rex-The Force can't help you now Lord Vader. You are beaten.

Vader-The Republic is lost. Do not die with it Rex. Join me and together we can destroy the incompetent fools that lead this corrupt government!

Rex-I'd never abandon the Republic and I know my brothers wouldn't either.

Vader-So be it, Captain. So. Be. It.

I immediately got up and pushed Rex away with the Force, causing him to land near the still unconscious Jedi Master. The Clones tried to fire once again, but I stopped their bolts mid air, causing some mild shock among their ranks. One was brave enough to throw a detonator at me, not knowing that it would have no effect on someone like me. The explosion consumed me, but caused no damage thanks to the Force push I used to keep it at bay. I then proceeded to use an ability similar to Force Storm and create a lighting storm above all of us, just like the Bendu in some of my many visions Qui Gon had shown me. Crimson lighting began raining down on the Clones, but I was careful enough to not kill anyone by accident. The armored soldiers abandoned their positions and began looking for cover that wasn't there. By the time Anakin and Luke returned to the battlefront everything was utter chaos. While trying to play the part of a Sith, I resorted to laughing maniacally while the Clones scrambled for cover and occasionally directed a lighting beam near one in order to scare them away. I only stopped when Anakin yelled at me from across the camp, while Luke took that time to ignite his blade and give Anakin his own, that the boy had presumably lost somewhere while trying to return here. I suppressed a chuckle, knowing that it must have been the eighth time my younger self had lost a saber like that. For better or worse, I didn't have much time to think about the situation as Anakin immediately rushed me, his blade ready to strike from above. Instead of locking blades with him, I decided to resort to the use of my lighting to send him back. The sky thundered once the electricity hit the ground, an event that proved to be enough for Anakin to want to back off. Luke caught up to him and raised his own blade, ready for battle.

Vader-Be careful Skywalker. I won't miss next time.

Anakin-There won't be a next time Vader.

I stopped myself from laughing at my own stupidity and sent another strike of energy to Anakin's left, successfully proving my point. Luke seemed like he was about to laugh, but restrained himself instead.

Vader-You were saying?

Luke-We can still beat him!

Anakin-Luke wait! We'll attack together!

Instead of listening to Anakin, Luke rushed me in the same way that I had foolishly rushed Dooku on Geonosis and I sent my crimson Force Lighting his way. My son fell to the ground, pretending to be hurt, while in reality, the attack did little more that tickle the boy, but of course Anakin didn't know that.

Anakin-Luke! You scum! I'll kill you for that!

Vader-You underestimate the power of the Dark Side.

Anakin-And you underestimate mine!

My younger self attacked with a fury that even Sidious would never be able to match and we locked blades once again. I attacked cautiously, just as I had with Obi Wan on the first Death Star and went on the defensive. Anakin continued his assault and I switched to Soresu in hopes of testing my skill in the Form because, as Obi Wan had once said, "When fighting someone like Anakin, you need to have a perfect defense if you wish to win". To his credit, Anakin nearly destroyed my defense and was able to recognize the fake openings I created in hopes of beating him. Thankfully Luke got up at the exact time I started having trouble and took over, trading weak strikes with me in an attempt to let me rest without alerting my younger self. Anakin asked Luke if he could handle me and when the latter responded in affirmative went to check on Rex and Master Di. Luke and I backed away from each other, giving both of us space to work with and a cooldown period until Anakin rejoined the battle. My true intention was to lose and be at the Temple when Cad Bane would attempt to sneak inside, in order to stop him from getting away with the Jedi Holocron as he had done last time, and Luke was fully aware of this. Wishing to be even more thorough, we had both agreed that we should teach Anakin a thing or two about teamwork during duels, which was something that could have saved my arm in the battle against Dooku when I was still a Jedi. Luke took a moment to check on Anakin and the latter rejoined the battle seconds later, resuming the offensive that was cut off short. Luke assumed the role of the defender, parrying my (intentionally) weak strikes and always having Anakin's back. Had I been an outsider looking in, I wouldn't be able to describe the amount of tension that was in the air. The two Jedi were perfectly in sync with one another and I, a true Master of the Force, was giving this duel everything I had. Heck, I even made lighting appear in the sky every time one of the Jedi clashed blades with me. Eventually I made my "crucial mistake" and Luke disarmed me with Force Push that sent my saber flying in the air. Anakin called it to him and visibly flinched for a moment before regaining his composure. He quickly placed it on his belt before turning back to me and kicking me in the chest, which made me fall to the ground.

Anakin-That's enough Vader. You are beaten. It is useless to resist.

Luke-Yes, it's over.

Vader-Huh. I suppose that from a certain point of view, you even have the High Ground. Obi Wan has taught you well.

Anakin-He has.

Luke-We're going to bring you to before the Jedi Council.

Vader-A wise choice young Skywalker. A wise choice indeed.

Anakin-Something tells me you were expecting to lose.

Vader-Even if I didn't, would this duel not have taught you that teamwork is better than going in alone?

Luke-Huh. I guess it would have.

Anakin-So this was all another lesson?

Vader-You are correct, my friend. Now, I would like to give you some answers, if I may.

Anakin-Answers?

Vader-Is there not a question would like to ask me?

Anakin-There is. Who are you, Lord Vader?

Vader-I sense that you will soon discover that on your own.

Luke-Has the Emperor foreseen this by any chance?

Vader-I hope not.

Luke-You? Hope?

Vader-Luke, rebellions are built on hope. Don't you know that?

Luke-I do, but this isn't a Rebellion.

Vader-I am now fighting for what you and your friends fought for, even if my methods are unconventional at times. Then again, have I not always been even a little unconventional?

Anakin-Luke?

Luke-I wouldn't know.

Anakin-Sure you wouldn't.

Vader-Skywalker?

Luke-Which one?

Vader-Anakin.

Anakin-What is it?

Vader-I should tell you that the answer to your question is something that you've been staring at for a while now.

Anakin-Anything else you want to say?

Vader-No. I have said enough.

Luke helped me get up and put binders on my wrists, officially rendering me as a Republic "prisoner". Anakin went to check on Rex again and I soon saw my old friend quickly get up and start tending to one of his brothers, who had fallen unconscious after being blasted into a wall because of the lighting, which had stopped raining down on us as soon as I was defeated, signifying that the battle was over. Soon after that the rest of the Clones had emerged from their cover and had helped any of their (lightly) injured brothers to the gunships that awaited all of us. Once everyone was on board the transports took all of us to the Resolute and I sent a mental message to Ahsoka, telling her that everything was going according to plan and that Luke and Anakin had "defeated" me. Soon after that I was "forced" to demand our forces to give up Ryloth, but I gave a message in Geonosian about my capture being planned and that mustn't intervene, knowing that Wat Tambor would show it to the other Separatist leaders. After that was over, Luke stayed with me during the entire trip, claiming that he knew most of my tricks and that he could recapture me if need be, which gave us plenty of time to (telepathically) talk about everything that was going on, including Palpatine's Sith fleet and Ahsoka's other discoveries regarding Exegol and the Sith Eternals. We arrived on Coruscant almost a day later and Palpatine was waiting for us at the landing platform. I started Force choking him as soon as I saw him and Luke raised his lightsaber to my throat, telling me to release him. I complied and the Jedi sent the Chancellor away to "avoid other attacks". The true reason was that Palpatine was a Sith Lord, but he didn't need to know that we were all aware of that. After being given a cell at the Jedi Temple, which the Jedi thought would be more than enough to hold me until my meeting with the Jedi Council, I sat on the cot, knowing that all I had to do now was wait until then.

As you guys can see, this chapter was very long and that is actually the reason for the delay. Before we move on to discuss what's going to happen in the next part of the story I'd like to quickly ask you guys to imagine what the duel between Luke, Anakin and Vader would have looking like in a Star Wars movie. Red lighting crashing down from the heavens with every lightsaber strike and a mix of Duel of the Fates and Battle of the Heroes playing in the background. I'll give you all a second…Okay; I think you guys understand what I was going for with that entire scene. Speaking of said duel, I made a reference to the Vader Comics in the dialogue and I hope you can get it. Another thing I'd like to address is the situation with the Sith Eternals. In case you don't them, they are the Sith Cultists from TRoS. I should also emphasize that the numbers I chose regarding the amount of Sith ships and troopers in the last chapter are correct, at least according to the novelization of TRos and that these guys did actually exist during the Clone Wars. If you have any questions about them or the story feel free to ask me. Anyways, enough about the current chapter. On to the next one! Chapter 28 will feature Vader racing against time to find and recover the stolen Jedi Holocron from Cad Bane before he can deliver it to Sidious, while dodging all the Jedi that will be on his tail! I hope that sounds exciting to you because it certainly does to me! One more thing I'd like to say before I go is that I put a lot work into this chapter and that I really hope you enjoyed reading it. It is thelongest chapter I've ever written on the site and I'm very proud of how it turned out, so I'd love to get feedback or even hear what you all think is going to happen next in the story. With that, I don't just mean immediately after chapter 28, but in the story as a whole. I'd also like to say a big thank you to everyone that has followed me or the story, as well as everyone that has left a review, because I always love reading them! Seriously, you guys are the absolute be-

Luke-Uh, man?

Luke! I'm in the middle of the outro! What are you doing here?

Luke-Father says that you're getting way too sappy for his liking, so he sent me to stop you from getting carried away.

…Fine. Again, thanks to all of you wonderful readers of the story! I really appreciate each and every one of you and-

Luke-What did I just say?

Alright! I get it! Now go talk to Vader and tell him that if he wants to start building that damned battle station he better not forget the karking exhaust port this time...I've said too much haven't I?

Luke-Yeah, you have. Look, I'll excuse it, but can you just end the chapter already?

Fine, fine. Jeez, you don't have to yell at me…Okay, I think he's gone. I swear I'm going to kill him off someday if he keeps on bugging me like that…Anyways, I'll see you all in chapter 28, but until then, May the Force be with you!