14

“Lord Vader, we are closing on the Rebel asteroid.”

Vader turned away from the viewport to behold the junior officer who had drawn the duty this time.

“Good. Have Admiral Okins meet me on the bridge.”

“At once, Lord Vader.”

Vader adjusted the controls on his armor for an increased supply of oxygen and started for the bridge. It was not his choice of chores, this surprise attack on helpless vessels, but he would do it well.

“Ah, Prince Xizor,” the Emperor said. “How good to see you again.”

Xizor nodded and bowed low. “The pleasure is mine, my Emperor.”

“Do come in. What brings you to my chambers?”

“I was just curious, my master, as to the progress of Lord Vader’s attack upon the Rebel shipyard in the Baji Sector.”

The Emperor’s ravaged face revealed nothing, but Xizor was certain his comment had come as a surprise.

“I really must see about hiring your spies away from you,” the Emperor said. “Especially after you stole my best horticulturist. A pity the man had that fatal lift accident before he could start working for you.”

“Yes, a pity,” Xizor replied. If ever there was a poor loser, it was the Emperor. “However, it was not my spies who gave me this information.”

“Tell me, then, how did you come to know of it?”

“I’m surprised Lord Vader didn’t mention it to you, but what my spies did discover was the location of the Rebel shipyard. I, of course, immediately offered this information to Lord Vader.”

“Of course,” the Emperor said, his voice as smooth as lube on transparisteel plate. “I am expecting a report from the fleet shortly. Perhaps you would join in some refreshments and wait with me?”

“I would be honored.”

Xizor kept his smile in check. Vader had not told the Emperor who had given him the Rebel shipyard. No surprise. More, he had somehow gleaned the recordings from the Emperor’s own skyhook to keep him from finding out. Xizor himself would have done the same in Vader’s position. Which was, of course, why he was here. To make certain the Emperor knew whom to credit for this bit of business.

And whom to blame for his not knowing that, too.

Ah, but he was going to enjoy watching Vader become aware that his little game had gone awry.

He was going to enjoy it greatly.

“Admiral?”

“We will be in range shortly, Lord Vader,” Okins said.

“Good. Commence firing as soon as we reach optimum distance. I want no mistakes.”

Vader stood in front of his vessel’s main viewport, looking out at the large asteroid looming ahead of them. Big as a small moon, the rock was pocked with craters from collisions with its smaller brothers, and looked to be nickel-iron, very common in this region.

Suddenly a pair of ships came around from the opposite side of the asteroid.

“Two Nebulon-B Escort Frigates,” an officer said to his left.

Vader looked at the pair of ships. The frigates were long and lean, with control and weapons pods in the front connected to the massive drives and TIE decks at the rear by a long and relatively slender tube. “Our own ships,” he said, angry.

Nobody spoke to that.

Early in the Rebellion, a number of the frigates had been captured or had defected to the Alliance.

“At least they won’t have any operable TIE fighters,” the admiral said.

As if his words had been a signal, a dozen X-wing fighters boiled out of the frigate and began accelerating toward the Imperial fleet.

“I see they have been modified to carry X-wings,” Vader said. His tone was very dry. “It seems the shipyard will not be such an easy target after all.”

Okins turned to his TIE operations officer. “Scramble our fighters. I don’t want to waste firepower swatting these annoying … flies with our big guns.”

“At once, Admiral.”

Vader saw a third ship round the asteroid, much faster than the frigates. He identified it as the officer spoke: “Here comes a Corellian corvette.”

Inside his mask, Vader smiled. Good. Better a fight than a slaughter of crippled, roosting birds. He turned to the operations officer. “Have my Interceptor readied.”

The admiral glanced at the TIE OpOff, then at Vader. “My lord, do you think that is—?”

“—wise?” Vader finished. “It has been too long since I flew in combat, Admiral. I need to flex those muscles. You can handle the shipyard. I will clear the vacuum of the fighters.”

The admiral inclined his head in a military bow.

As if the admiral could do anything else.

Vader had forgotten how much he enjoyed piloting his Interceptor, it had been so long. It came back quickly.

The enjoyment did not last. Almost effortlessly, he blew three, four, five of the Rebel ships into smoking pieces.

It was … disappointing. The Force was not strong in any of them; it was no real challenge. Some were skilled, true, but mere skill could not defeat the dark side. He had hoped for better competition.

Any competition.

An X-wing in a hard power climb tried to attack him from below, but he looped away and came around fast, punched it with his lasers, turned it into scrap.

He was aware of the destroyers firing at the frigates, disabling one and holding the other at bay. A frigate was no match for the pride of the Imperial Navy.

As he chased another X-wing into oblivion, he felt the disturbance in the Force as the fleet pounded the Rebel shipyard apart, pouring destruction upon the helpless grounded ships, pilots, and troops. Multicolored streams of light burned all they touched.

Another X-wing darted and twisted and turned, tried to avoid his fire. The Rebel pilot was good, but he had no chance of escaping.

Vader let the dark side guide his aim. Felt his weapons lock on …

Held his fire.

Disgusted, he broke off his attack and allowed the X-wing to escape. This was beneath him. Since he had fought Luke on the balcony of the city in the clouds, no other opponent had been any real competition. Well. Perhaps the criminal Xizor offered something, but that was different, that was not a warrior’s challenge. Xizor was merely duplicitous and devious; he would never dare stand eye-to-eye with the Dark Lord of the Sith.

Vader watched the X-wing scurry away. The battle was over, such as it was. The Rebel shipyard burned, its own air and fuel feeding the conflagration. Hundreds of ships gone, thousands of troops wiped away, a great victory for the Empire.

Vader shook his head. A great victory. Once that would have been something to make him proud. Now? Now it was as hollow as smashing these weak X-wing pilots.

A warrior needed to contend with equals. Obi-Wan was gone, and the other Jedi were all extinct, save one, who was the strongest of them all. His own son.

He had told the Emperor that Luke Skywalker would join them or die. The real truth was only slightly different: Luke would join Darth Vader or die.

It would be something to look forward to.

That would be the duel of a lifetime. This wasn’t even exercise.

He headed his fighter back to the ship.

Vader stepped onto the holocam field and initiated the transmission. The holonet made its shortcut through hyperspace and achieved its considerably faster-than-light connections. The air shivered and shimmered as the Emperor appeared from nothingness.

Vader lowered himself to one knee. “My master,” he said.

“Ah, Lord Vader. Your report?”

“The Rebel shipyard is no more. They put up a fight, but it was of brief duration. We destroyed hundreds of vessels and thousands of the enemy within them.”

“Good, good.” The Emperor waved his hand, and his image became smaller as the holocam on his end adjusted to a wider angle.

The new angle revealed Xizor standing a couple of meters away.

Vader’s involuntary reaction overrode his mechanical breather. He realized the Emperor would be able to hear his breathing. He forced himself to allow the breather to resume its normal function.

“Prince Xizor was just telling me how happy he was to provide the Empire with the location of the Rebel base. It seems we owe him much gratitude, don’t you think?”

Vader gritted his teeth. He would rather bite off his own tongue and swallow it than offer such gratitude, especially in front of the Emperor, but he had no choice. The Emperor did like to crack the whip now and again, to show that he still held it and was not averse to using it.

Vader looked at Xizor. It was good that they could not see his face when he spoke. “The Empire owes you thanks, Prince Xizor.”

The Emperor smiled.

Xizor smiled even more widely. Said, “Oh, think nothing of it, Lord Vader. I am always happy to serve.”

Had the man been any more self-effacing and servile in his tone he would have had to look up from licking the Emperor’s boots. It was good that he was light-years away; Vader’s anger was such that he wasn’t sure he could have stopped himself from destroying Xizor had he been within reach, despite the Emperor’s admonitions.

“I expect to see you soon, Lord Vader.”

“Yes, my master. We are returning even as we speak.”

“Good.”

The image swirled and faded.

Vader stood. Turned to leave the holo chamber.

A junior officer approached him as he exited. “Lord Vader, I—”

That was as far as he got. Vader clenched his fist and called upon the dark side.

The officer fell, clutching his throat.

“I do not wish to be disturbed,” he said to the man lying on the deck. “Is that clear?”

Vader opened his fist.

The officer inhaled noisily. When he could manage it, he said, “C-C-Clear, L-Lord Vader!”

With that, the Dark Lord of the Sith stormed away to his own chamber to brood.

Xizor felt the glory of his triumph over Vader almost as a tangible thing, a shower of pleasure that rinsed him and filled him with a warm glow.

“You must come and visit me more often,” the Emperor said. “I do enjoy our conversations. I’m sure Lord Vader would also enjoy seeing you when he returns.”

Xizor bowed. Most unlikely that Vader would enjoy that. “My master.”

He left, and the feeling of power was unabated. The Emperor was, of course, aware of what Xizor had just done to Vader; indeed, he had enjoyed being a part of the process, of pitting his two servants against each other and watching to see how the play would go. He was like a man who owned a pack of semitame wolf cats. He enjoyed throwing a single bone into the pack to see which would outfight the others to claim it. He was as devious as any man, the Emperor was, and Xizor resolved to take extreme care during the remainder of this endeavor.

Extreme care.