Anakin Skywalker | Wookieepedia | Fandom powered by Wikia
―Darth Vader [src]
Several weeks after the Battle of Yavin, Darth Vader was called to Weapons Factory Alpha on Cymoon 1 . He was to negotiate , or rather force, an arrangement with an envoy of Jabba the Hutt about supplying raw materials through Hutt-controlled space to the factory. Vader arrived shortly after the envoy (secretly the Millennium Falcon’s captain, Han Solo ) and landed on a platform. As he was about to enter the facility, Vader was shot at by a sniper , Chewbacca , but he deflected the blaster bolt and used two stormtroopers as human shields as the Wookiee rained down dozens of shots upon him. Unscathed, Vader located Chewbacca's position, and used to the Force to collapse his vantage point, but the Wookiee survived. [139]
Vader easily bests Luke Skywalker in combat.
Vader then ordered the arriving stormtrooper reinforcements to hunt him down. One of them informed the Dark Lord that Overseer Aggadeen was out of contact and the factory's main reactor was on meltdown. As he surmised these occurrences were the work of Rebels, Vader put the entire moon on alert, but also felt the presence of the pilot who had destroyed the Death Star, Skywalker. Although unaware of the boy's identity, Vader made his way into the factory at once and came face-to-face with the Jedi apprentice to engage him in combat. [139] Vader soon realized had been cursorily trained by Kenobi, and snatched Skywalker's lightsaber. As he prepared to execute Skywalker for his refusal to disclose information about the Rebellion, he realized that the boy's lightsaber had once been his own. Thereupon, the foot of a Rebel-hijacked AT-AT walker came hurdling down into the middle of their standoff, knocking the two apart. [140]
In the ensuing chaos, Vader sought to prevent the Rebels' escape, and mowed down the factory's runaway slaves, commanding his stormtroopers to execute all the escapees. Once Skywalker got away on a stolen 74-Z speeder bike and attacked Vader's troops (leading the Dark Lord to reconsider his initial dismissal of the boy and wonder exactly what Kenobi had been up to before his death), Vader personally saw to the walker's defeat. Solo and Organa, commanding the AT-AT, tried to step on him, but the Vader used the Force to hold the walker's descending foot several meters above his head, and almost tore it apart. [140]
Vader brings the AT-AT to its knees.
He was foiled, however, when Solo and Organa unleashed a barrage of the AT-AT’s laser fire upon him, causing him to lose Skywalker's lightsaber (which the current owner retrieved), and his mask and helmet. As he emerged from under a pile of rubble, a stormtrooper approached; upon seeing Vader's scarred face, he tried to apologize. However, Vader killed him by twisting his head around using the Force, right before Aggadeen reached him via comlink and asked for the facility's evacuation. Vader vetoed his request, had him repair the core, and ordered to kill all the Rebel invaders, except for the boy, whom Vader would deal with personally. [140] As Aggadeen informed him that they had successfully defused the reactor, Vader personally fell the Rebel walker by slashing its legs with his lightsaber. [141]
As reinforcements arrived, Vader sent them after the Rebels on the trash fields, while he pursued the lone rebel who was returning to the factory, Skywalker. Aboard a combat speeder , Vader chased Skywalker into the facility, but the Rebel managed to destroy the power core with the speeder bike, leaving Vader as the only survivor among the factory's rubble following its explosion. The Sith Lord then saw Skywalker's abandoned speeder and the fleeing Millennium Falcon; as the Adjudicator ’s captain, Kronn , informed him that they had been unable to catch the freighter, Vader Force choked the captain to death. Then, as if he were talking to Kenobi, Vader vowed to find the boy's identity and to turn him to the dark side, so that the boy became his weapon, and not Kenobi's. [141]
Yavin's aftermath
"But you are the only one living to suffer my anger. You, an isolated survivor of the greatest military disaster in all my Empire's history? Oh, you are truly the Chosen One Lord Vader. Chosen to be the one responsible. "
"I will make it right. I will crush the Rebels."
"No. I think not."
―Sidious and Vader discuss Vader's failings. [src]
Thereupon, Vader returned to the Imperial Palace on Coruscant to report to the Emperor, bringing Aggadeen with him. Sidious bid Vader to explain the events of Weapons Factory Alpha, which along the Death Star's destruction, had put the Empire very near disaster. Although Vader considered Aggadeen to be responsible for the failure on Cymoon 1 (and the Overseer was tortured accordingly), Palpatine claimed much of the responsibility lay in Vader's head, as he reminded him that he was the sole survivor of the greatest disaster in the Empire's history—one partially caused by his idea to tag the Falcon with a homing beacon and let it escape with the Death Star plans. He then informed Vader that Cassio Tagge, now Grand General of the Imperial Army , would be his commanding officer for some time. [137]
Vader angrily leaves his master and the agent, Cylo-IV.
The Emperor then ordered Vader to continue the unfinished Cymoon 1 negotiations with Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine, right before going to Tagge. As they returned to his office, Sidious greeted one of his agents, Cylo, and Vader asked for his identity, but the Emperor denied him the knowledge. Instead, he asked Vader if there was anything else to report, but Vader chose not to tell him about Kenobi's mysterious disappearance, nor the Force-sensitive Rebel pilot who had destroyed the Death Star, and left the office and palace altogether. He boarded an Imperial Star Destroyer and immediately left for Tatooine, sending the Imperial vessel back to collect the trade goods for the meeting. [137]
Tatooine negotiations
«Hmmm. I see you know enough to tread carefully. But tell me... are you brave or foolish.»
"That is not the question, Hutt. The question is: Are you?"
«Oh, Jedi... always making everything so difficult.»
―Jabba the Hutt and Darth Vader [src]
Vader soon arrived at Jabba's Palace where, during the meeting, he had the Hutt dismiss his court. However, Jabba would rather claim the bounty on Vader's head and had his people shoot at him, but Vader killed them and forced Jabba to reconsider his position. After being Force choked, the Hutt admitted he found it hard not to respect him. The two then came to an agreement: Jabba would provide Vader with two of his best bounty hunters. Vader left the Hutt's palace and sought out a Tusken Raider camp, wherein he mercilessly slaughtered his inhabitants. He was then approached by Jabba's envoys: Boba Fett and Black Krrsantan . While he sent Fett to find and the Rebel pilot from Yavin alive, Vader assigned the Wookiee to bring Sidious's agent to him. Both mercenaries agreed, and Vader departed Tatooine for his Star Destroyer. [137]
Vader and Jabba on the latter's sail barge
The following day, Vader returned in his official capacity as the Emperor's envoy to negotiate, as if nothing had happened the day before. Jabba welcomed Vader and claimed that his resources belonged to the Empire as long as he was paid. Vader then turned to leave, leaving his stormtroopers to tell Jabba what was required, but the Hutt invited him to a feast and entertainment in his honor, for he liked to seal his business ventures by watching someone die. Aboard the sail barge Khetanna , Vader and Jabba watched as the latter's guards killed wild banthas for sport until Jabba's court jester , Salacious B. Crumb , let out a loud cackle. Vader warned the Hutt to not let the Kowakian monkey-lizard do that again in his presence if he valued Crumb's life; Jabba merely laughed and told Vader he now regarded him as a "good friend." The Hutt then inquired whether his bounty hunters were adequately serving his needs; though Vader berated him for bringing up the private matter, he also told the Hutt that their missions were simple enough: to capture an Imperial agent, and a boy. Jabba argued that the 'boy' had destroyed the Death Star, and had possibly been trained by Kenobi. The name prompted Vader to request that Jabba tell him all he knew of Kenobi's exile on Tatooine. [142]
Jabba first required someone screaming though, so he ordered his guards to pilot the Khetanna to the Great Pit of Carkoon . He expected Vader to be impressed by the sarlacc , which he believed was one of the few treasures that Tatooine had to offer, and said he found it hard to believe that anyone of note (like the Yavin pilot) could have ever been born on Tatooine. In silence, Vader watched his homeworld's sunset. [142]
Servitude unto Tagge
"You should think of yourself as your lightsaber. A singular weapon from an older time—and one that is dangerous to everyone around them without a skilled hand to wield it. In time you will understand that I am the skilled hand you've been waiting for."
―Cassio Tagge to Darth Vader [src]
Vader under Cassio Tagge's administration.
After leaving Tatooine, Vader met with Tagge aboard his Executor-class Star Dreadnought , Annihilator . During a time of many raids against ships carrying Jabba's weapons and equipment supplies, Vader was sent to protect an Imperial shuttle, CZ-246 , from a pirate attack . With his TIE Advanced, Vader went to their aid, alongside Black 2 and Black 3 , and successfully disabled the automated CR90 corvette attacking the shuttle. Upon returning to the Annihilator, Vader reported to Tagge that the pirate vessel had been captured, and that he suspected a security breach. [143]
As he said so, Tagge disagreed, believing the raids to be predictable piracy, and admitted to seeing the Death Star as "Tarkin's folly". Vader noted that Tarkin at least had vision, prompting Tagge to admit his plans were not as grand as Tarkin's or Vader's, but they still were effective; he believed that the Empire could not be based around a single asset, like the Death Star or Vader himself. Tagge then informed Vader that he intended to repair the corvette and use it to attack its base of origin , sending Vader to head the attack, although with an adjutant , Lieutenant Oon-ai . [143]
Vader left to prepare for the mission and oversee the repairs on the corvette. Oon-ai followed, asking permission to look into Vader's personal communications to provide information to Tagge. Although it annoyed Vader, as was the Emperor's command that he served under Tagge, he allowed it and left. He then planted treasonable evidence into a black astromech so as to incriminate Oon-ai during the mission. Soon thereafter, Vader, Oon-ai and six stormtroopers boarded the corvette and found the pirate base, docking with the station. Greeted by a Twi'lek pirate , whom he killed, Vader ordered the troopers to secure the core, while his astromech made his way to the command center to plant the false evidence. [143]
Vader turns Oon-ai in.
They found themselves under the attack of two customized droidekas who brandished missile launchers, prompting Vader to use the Force to throw the incoming missiles back at the attackers, destroying the droids and fatally injuring the pirates. A Mon Calamari pirate survived long enough to activate the self-destruct, and Vader ordered the surviving troopers to return to the corvette and prepare to launch as soon as he returned. Followed by Oon-ai, Vader went deeper into the station to retrieve the false evidence. They returned to the corvette just before the station exploded. [143]
Back on the Annihilator, Vader reported to Tagge, telling him that he was impressed with the results of his plan (the intelligence he had gathered confirmed the raiders were being backed by the Crymorah syndicate ), but also claimed Oon-ai was the leak, noting that Tagge should be more careful of those who were close to him. Shortly after, Vader talked with the black astromech in private; the Dark Lord insured the droid had deleted all records of its data uploads on the station, before venting the droid through an airlock and into space, where it exploded. [143]
Following a Imperial-Rebel confrontation , Vader went to the Palace of Grakkus the Hutt to meet with Sergeant Kreel . A covert operative of his battalion "Vader's Fist", Kreel informed him that his mission to end Grakkus' operations was a success, but that the Yavin Rebel pilot had escaped them yet again. Vader inquired if he had mentioned his name (which he did not), and asked him to tell him everything he had learned of the boy. [128]
A droid army
"There was a time I had armies at my beck and call. That time has passed. I need resources of my own. Private resources."
―Darth Vader to Dr. Aphra, on why he needed her services. [src]
From the information he gathered from the pirate base, Vader learned that a Doctor Aphra had supplied the pirates with the customized droidekas. As he wished similarly effective units in the personal army he sought to build, Vader set out to find Aphra, conducting a manhunt for her on many locations, gathering information and killing the witnesses, until he finally learned of her presence on Quarantine World III in Kallidahin Space . He landed there just as Aphra was arrested by Utani Xane and a squad of B2 super battle droids; although Xane warned him that he was violating treaties, Vader began destroying her droids and saved Aphra as she tumbled over a ledge. Vader stabbed Xane through the back with his saber before telling the doctor he needed her services. He helped her up and she agreed. [144]
Aphra discovers Vader is what she has unknowingly been searching for.
Together, they boarded Aphra's ship, the Ark Angel , where she admitted to being a fan of him. The rogue archaeologist also introduced Vader to the Triple-Zero personality matrix and estimated it would take hours to unlock the matrix's codes that were restricting it. It took Vader a few seconds to unlock it, which let Aphra install the personality matrix into a protocol droid's body right away. As the droid introduced himself as 0-0-0 , she imprinted herself and Vader as his masters, and used him to wake up BT-1 , a blastomech prototype . But as it took hostility towards his new masters, 0-0-0 shut it down before he could do any harm. [144]
Vader then let her know the reason he had sought her out was to secure his own private resources, ones only she could help him procure. Aphra (who had originally acquired the two droids for the Gotra ) instead gave them to Vader after realizing Vader was probably going to be her employer for the foreseeable future. She also asked what else he needed, and he answered that he wanted troops of unquestionable loyalty: battle droids. Aphra then suggested that they acquire an unusual droid foundry on Geonosis, [144] one in possession of Queen Karina the Great , who had survived the Clone Wars and the planet's sterilization . As they landed the Ark Angel, and she sent 0-0-0 and BT-1 to map the cave route to the queen so that she and Vader could follow, Aphra asked Vader if he had ever been to Geonosis before. Her questioning brought up the memory of his first kiss with Amidala [145] , shortly before the First Battle of Geonosis. [7]
Vader cuts the Queen from her womb factory.
Vader ordered Aphra to cease her probing, and entered the catacombs; she followed him. They reunited with BT-1 and 0-0-0 and encountered the queen. Vader immediately amputated her from the womb droid factory. The queen, injured but alive, ordered her "children" to stop the intruders; at Vader's command, BT-1 opened fire on the droids, and he and Vader began to overwhelm her forces. Meanwhile, Aphra set a beacon on the ceiling with Vader's help, and ordered her Ark Angel to barrage the locator to make a hole in the roof. Vader protected himself and Aphra by creating a Force barrier. His J-Type 327 Nubian then lowered a crane-platform, which Aphra attached to the factory while Vader fought off the advancing droids, and the ship carried them and the factory to the skies. [145]
They would later board the Ark Angel, where Aphra successfully activated the factory and told him he would have his private droid army. She then asked Vader if he would kill her then or later, and said that if he did, she wanted a lightsaber right through the neck, with no warning. Vader finally told her she had proved resourceful and would be safe as long as he had use for her, unless she tried to blackmail him. It was then that 0-0-0 interrupted them to inform Vader that he had a signal from Black Krrsantan: he was bringing the Emperor's agent to him. [145]
Cylo's enforcers