Darth Vader sat with his lightsaber on his lap, his eyes closed in meditation. Inside his mind, his body was a maelstrom of power closely held in the shape of a man, shadow and blood covering his entire form and swirling around in aggressive patterns.
Below him, an ocean of dark red blood rested, its waters placid, contained. Above him, clouds of ash as far as his senses could perceive, swirling around him like a hurricane of which he was the eye. Rays of crimson light sometimes pierced through the clouds, representations of the Force as it showed him new paths.
His mindscape was not a pleasant location. His connection to the Force was too tainted by his years of slaughter and hate to be easily restored. In truth, it had taken him a week just to calm the churning waters and manage to contain his power, but now he felt more in control, not as likely to strike out in anger.
On his chest, there was a bright spot of brilliant white, like a flame that had been ignited when he first looked upon his son, it had grown, enough that he managed to use it against the shackles of his master.
Vader didn't think it would be enough to cleanse himself, nothing would, but he would nurture it, preserve it, never let it go out again.
Opening his eyes, he took a slow breath and held it in for a few seconds, forcing himself to change his focus, to become Anakin again, to think of himself as Anakin again.
Finally, he moved, his hand bringing the card to his face as he considered the future.
Ever since receiving the invitation yesterday, Anakin had felt a sense of danger in the Force, a warning of things to come. He had tried to meditate on a way of avoiding said danger, but he had not found one.
To be more precise, he had not found an acceptable one. The Dark Side had eagerly presented itself, promising all the power he needed. The answer he sought was one he already knew.
If he walked into the meeting as Darth Vader and not Anakin, the danger would be gone, for a time, his enemy too cowed to do anything as he slaughtered anyone who did not submit. Like a rat, the mastermind would flee, but there would be no escape.
No, he would not be taking the easy way out. Anakin was not a Jedi anymore, he didn't fear the Dark Side, but he understood it. The Dark Side could be used, but it should never be embraced, not fully and without reservations at least.
He had considered not going at all, but the danger wasn't in attending, it wasn't in any single action he took, of that he was certain. He did wish to meet with the villains in the city and a show of force may not be able to drive the danger away, but it could postpone it.
In his life, he had met a vast assortment of criminals, from those who took joy in causing misery, to those indifferent and even a few that believed in a cause, using crime as a way to achieve a higher goal.
Looking at the information available on the internet, the gangs seemed to represent the worst aspects of sentient life, but the PRT appeared to have an extremely good grasp over public relationships and Anakin wasn't a stranger to information control.
The label of villain was a subjective one, he had represented the law for the vast majority of his life, from the time he was a Jedi to the day he died, but he had still been a villain, as most sentients understood it at least.
So he wanted to meet them, to be present himself and judge the ones who worked outside the law in the city. Maybe a few were not completely selfish and would be able to rise to the occasion. Anakin himself had seen that happen with Han Solo.
Before, he used to utterly despise the damned smuggler for keeping his son from joining him, for preventing Luke from falling to the Dark Side. Now… Well, he still really disliked him, Leia could do much better, but he had to admit the man had risen to the occasion.
The only reason to avoid going into the meeting was his reputation and he didn't know if he cared to maintain it.
His first meeting with the equivalent of a Jedi on the planet had not gone well. The woman had acted on orders and seemed to genuinely wish for the best outcome, but he was long tired of such things.
The Jedi had done the same, letting themselves be slowly guided away from their true calling and the guidance of the Force by the law, following orders had not ended well for them.
Even he had followed orders, from the Republic, from the Jedi Council, from his Master… No, he already knew he would not be joining the government, but this was a sign that even cooperation would be hard.
This planet put such harsh restrictions on their parahumans they were virtually neutered, even the Jedi at the height of their subordination to the Senate hadn't had to work under such limitations.
Anakin had thought parahumans were law enforcement and they did sometimes act in that capacity but, upon a deeper look, that was only a part of their job, the rest was a mixture of holovid performer and local celebrity. Worse, the government seemed to actively be trying to make life outside such molds harder for those with power.
He could understand wanting to control individuals with such power. A parahuman seemed to be just as dangerous as a Force Sensitive that fell to the Dark Side, but the laws didn't seem designed to offer support so much as oppress any parahuman until they were forced to choose a side, without much care for which one it was.
Everything seemed maliciously designed to guide Parahumans away from jobs, force them into using their powers until they were left with no choice but to join the Protectorate for support or escalate and be labeled a villain.
This battle between heroes and villains, where only the unimportant seemed to die, only those who were intractable arrested for any amount of time, it reminded him far too much of the Galaxy during the Clone Wars, only at a much smaller scale.
That was another of the reasons he had been going out recently, Anakin wanted to see the other side. To bypass what the internet told him and go directly to the source. He also wanted to see for himself the state of the gangs.
"Are we going?" Dinah asked, adjusting her sitting position on the bed.
"You should be meditating," Anakin glanced down at the girl.
"You aren't." Dinah shrugged, stretching her legs. "So, are we going?"
"Yes," getting up, Anakin put on his cape and grabbed his mask, looking down at it.
"You know you don't have to wear it, right?" Dinah said, her own mask already perfectly fixed in place as she activated TRD - 1. "You can get a half mask or something."
"I am aware," he answered, putting the helmet on and securing it to his head. "It does not bother me, although I wish it did."
"Huh? Well, I'll try to design something else anyway," Dinah shrugged, turning towards the floating droid. "Hal, remind me to design it later."
The droid beeped in affirmation, its lens briefly focusing on the girl but, seeing as she had no further instructions, went back to watching the room entrances in wait for any intruders.
"Is that your name for it?" Anakin considered the droid, he wasn't used to giving the pieces of equipment their own sentient name, but he supposed she needed a companion.
"He… and yeah," she looked up at the droid, giving it a small smile. "Dad loves this movie with a robot. I didn't really remember his name, but Hal found it on the internet."
Looking down at her, Anakin felt her missing her family, an empty feeling in her chest that he knew would eventually diminish, the entire situation reminding him far too much of his entrance into the Jedi order.
Activating the building's passive defenses, he motioned for the girl to follow him and left.
.
.
.
.
.
Somer's Rock was a small place, nondescript, the windows were barred with iron and it looked almost abandoned, with an air of depression and ruination around it, Anakin had been in worse places, but not by much.
At his side, Dinah twisted her nose, her steps growing hesitant as she regarded the building. "I thought it would be cooler, it was supposed to be a villain meeting, where's the goons?" she asked, the eagerness draining from her voice.
"As a rule, illegal activities are hidden away from the law," Anakin commented with amusement. "I suspect visible goons would defeat that purpose."
"… Yeah, I guess," Dinah put her droid on a pouch she had been carrying and they continued walking.
He would have preferred to have left the girl back at their temporary home, but neither the Force nor her own power considered that a good option despite all the defenses he had installed.
In truth, he did not have the equipment necessary to make the location truly unassailable, so he had done the next best thing, the weapons being there to delay any attackers until he could come back, not stop them completely.
Approaching the door, Anakin gathered the Force around himself, he was lacking the usual air of fear and oppression that accompanied him for decades now but, once he stopped holding in his presence, it flooded the area, causing even the youngling to straighten her back.
"… I believe this is everyone?" he heard an arrogant male voice from inside.
"No, there is one more," Trickster answered. "Another newcomer in the city."
Stepping inside, Anakin held the door open for the youngling before walking inside, his senses flooding the dark and depressing place, the parahuman groups were clearly separated, teams sitting together in different booths, with a central table where the leaders sat.
What he sensed was both better and worse than he expected. Greed, bigotry, hate, anger, defiance, fear, all the usual feelings for those sorts of meetings, but it seemed like not every villain was equal.
Anakin had been afraid that, like the Dark Side, without the proper training and knowledge, parahuman powers would draw their users into a downward spiral of anger, fear and rage. That didn't seem to be the case, not fully at least.
"Who the fuck are you?" One of the drug addicts asked, Anakin immediately dismissing the man as unimportant.
Looking at everything, he focused on the table where the leaders were gathered. Trickster was resting with his feet up the central table, but there were several others. From the pictures on the internet, he recognized all the others.
Kaiser, Faultline, Grue, Coil, the table was filled with the city's underground leaders, contrary to popular belief, it seems like the Merchants were even more pathetic than he expected, not even earning themselves a spot on the main table.
The Empire 88 was disappointing, filled with hate and pride and anger, it was closer to his own Empire than he had first thought, a mixture of true believers, those who were only using the ideology and everything in between.
The Undersiders were kids, arrogant kids, but not evil. In truth, they were the hardest to read, one had his mind covered as if from behind a curtain while the other had dispersed her intent, spreading her feelings all around the room and becoming muted herself.
Faultline's crew was better, more professional and secure, more trustworthy. Walking by their table, he left Dinah close by, knowing that they would at least make an effort to help her if the meeting turned sour.
They were not heroes, far from it, but they also weren't without sympathy.
Pulling a chair, he started to drag it towards the central table when one of the merchants screamed, getting up and starting to walk towards him. "What the fuck? Why does this motherfucker get a seat on the table? I'm not taking this shit anymore!"
Even without his armor, Anakin towered over the man. Looking down as the villain attempted to push a finger at his chest, he spoke. "Be quiet. Don't make me waste my time."
Skidmark looked up at his mask, swallowing hard as he felt the full weight of Anakin's attention being turned towards him. Slowly, he retreated, going back to his booth, but his anger grew with each step.
Finally, Anakin sat at the table, his back straight, in front of him, a thin man wearing a skintight suit leaned forward. "We frown on the use of powers here."
"I did not use any power."
"Heh, I said he's intimidating," Trickster snorted, adjusting his place on the chair.
"And who are you?" Grue asked. "I don't recognize the costume and I like to keep informed about capes in the city."
"Polaris, at least that's what the PRT are calling him," Coil said, taking the chance to showcase his knowledge, but Anakin sensed the man hadn't recognized him, interesting. "He's the one who destroyed 6th street and defeated Miss Militia earlier this week."
That raised a few eyebrows, both Faultline and Grue giving him a new look as they gave him a little more space. Finally, it was Kaiser who asked. "I take it that explaining the rules will be unnecessary?"
Anakin nodded, causing almost everyone to relax and Coil to steeple his fingers. "I believe this is everyone now?" when there wasn't any other interruption, he continued. "Obviously, Lung will not be attending, though I doubt any of us are surprised, given the subject of tonight's discussion."
"The ABB," Kaiser replied.
Anakin remained quiet as the leaders of the underworld discussed things, Bakuda's attacks had been less devastating than he had first believed, probably because he was used to much harder efforts by the Rebel alliance.
The intentions behind this meeting were not noble, even Faultline, the one he felt had the most integrity between those present, only slightly cared about the destruction and loss of life and was more concerned with the resulting chaos. The only reason they were even gathering was because of the attention the bombs were drawing to the city.
Anakin watched a recording of the bomber in action, saw how unhinged she was, the desperation the Undersiders were doing their best to hide but, more than that, he saw the reactions around the table.
Self-serving crime lords, that was what he was dealing with, hypocrites that would trade everything they had for more power, it was not unexpected, but he couldn't help being disappointed.
He watched them bicker about some attack against a dog fighting ring, and finally came to a decision. No, he wouldn't be killing them today, but he also wouldn't be working with them.
"What do you say?" Grue asked Kaiser, "Set this aside for now?"
Kaiser nodded, once. "Fair. We'll discuss the matter further at our next meeting."
"That's settled then. Anything else?" Coil asked, "Issues, negotiations, requests?"
"Who controls the resulting territory? When the ABB are gone, who will be left in control of the resulting unaligned… 'Asian' population?" Anakin asked, speaking for the first time since he sat down.
There wasn't an answer, but Anakin didn't expect one, he knew they would fall upon the territory like wolves, causing chaos and oppressing the people there while starting gang wars against each other. Less violent than what the ABB was currently doing, yes, but no less damaging.
"I take it you have a suggestion?" Kaiser asked.
He closed his eyes, considering the situation. In truth, he was still filled with anger and hate, but that more than anything was why he had to interfere.
He knew what his old self would have done, what his son would have done, it was what he needed to do if he did not wish to slowly slide back to his old habits. For a moment, he glanced back at Dinah who was watching the exchange while loudly drinking from a straw.
In the end, it was not that hard a decision, he had always hated being manipulated, being used in games of politics and that was what this meeting was all about, a huge play for power as every villain in the city saw a chance to grab something from the ABB's corpse.
With a more stable mindset, it was about time he made a show of power, after all, despite all the unwritten rules and laws, that was what most sentients respected, both in this Planet and in the Galaxy as a whole.
"This alliance is unnecessary, I will deal with the ABB myself," he answered, getting up from the table and starting to walk back towards Dinah. "From tomorrow on, its territory will be beyond your grasp."
"Or what?" Hookwolf growled from his place at one of the booths, his eyes narrowed.
Before Anakin could answer, Kaiser lifted a hand. Pointing at Skidmark, he continued. "I have accepted your presence in this table because at least you're better than that waste of space over there, but that doesn't mean I can just let this arrogance slide."
"That is not my problem," he answered.
"Kaiser, we did agree to a truce," Coil reminded, causing the Empire leader to nod.
"Yes, the truce stands," he nodded, tapping a finger against the table. "But it won't last forever."
Anakin ignored further discussion, his business here was concluded, he had found out what he wanted, who he could tolerate and anything they agreed here would be meaningless until he proved himself.
When he reached Dinah's table, Anakin put a hand on top of the youngling's chair and took a moment to look around the room, finally glanced at the growing fear he had been feeling and sensed it turn into terror. One of the Undersiders was staring at him, complete dread radiating from her entire body as she did her absolute best to avoid his glance.
As he prepared to leave, he was reminded of the warning he had received in the Force. Instead, he sat down beside her, he believed he had a good grasp of the situation, but he still looked at the girl and asked. "What are the chances you'll remain safe on your own today?"
"Twelve point seven, seven, nine, two percent chance, why?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I intend to deal with the ABB before morning, taking you with me represents both considerable risk and a restriction on mobility," he answered, perfectly aware that he was being overheard by everyone.
Dinah squeezed her fists, her mind in conflict as she faced the thought of being left alone. Still, she could understand the necessity and nodded, even if she didn't like it.
"What are the chances you'll remain safe until morning if Faultline's crew protects you?"
"Seventy four point five, five percent chances," she grumbled, equal parts happy and disappointed with the high number. She didn't want to be left behind, but she was prepared for it.
Around him, the gathered parahumans had started to leave, their truce established. Many were giving him odd looks, but the consensus seemed to be they were going to wait for him to show his hand before acting, something he was not opposed to.
He had been hiding himself, but it had not accomplished any of his goals. Now, it was time to change his approach.
"Faultline, I wish to speak with you."
"I heard," the woman answered, some hesitation in her voice as she watched the remaining capes slowly leave the place.
The mercenary glanced from him to Coil before her eyes settled on Dinah. Anakin felt some sympathy for the girl tainted her consideration, but it was only a small part of it, the final decision coming from a personal desire, she wanted something from them.
Finally, she nodded once towards Coil and got up. The snake themed supervillain turned his head to watch her, a resigned feeling radiating from him for a few seconds. Finally, he got up and prepared to leave.
The woman sat down at their table, her team turning to watch them with interest. Slowly, the others left the building, the Undersiders being pushed out by the terrified blonde who gave Faultline a pitying look.
From her chair, Dinah glared at the woman the entire time, having finished her drink, she continued to slurp obnoxiously from the straw, doing her best to make her displeasure clear.
Anakin sighed, it seemed like the girl understood the need, but he had underestimated her dislike for it. Finally, they were left alone with the servants, Faultline's crew joining them at the table.
She honestly reminded him of Boba Fett, calm, efficient and productive, it remained to be seen if she would be as effective.
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