My Side of the Story

The Rebel Alliance was gaining strength, and they were starting to win victories here and there against our Imperial troops. In the interest of keeping track of the Rebel’s activities, and ensuring their cause would not face undue difficulties, I took over intelligence operations for the Empire. There was a traitor amongst the Rebels who was feeding me information. He was an officer on a Rebel blockade runner starship. It was the ship of Princess Leia. He assured me that he had several other crew members under his control who would serve the Empire as saboteurs or assassins if called upon to do so. I told him that intelligence was more useful to the Empire, but he had become increasingly anxious to take action. I could sense he would soon become uncontrollable. I could not allow it.

I had passed Princess Leia from time to time in the halls of the Imperial Senate before the Emperor decided to dissolve the institution. She was a truly impressive individual. She always met me with narrowed eyes, a solid jaw and lips pursed in a cold frown. Her stern countenance sent a shiver through me. That look, for some reason, reminded me of the disgust Padme showed the last time I saw her. Leia didn’t seem to know it, but the force was with her. The force that flowed through her was only from the Light Side. It was unaffected by her anger, so her presence was at once soothing and unsettling. The few times I encountered her, I was affected in this same unusual way. For this reason, I felt that she was one of the most promising of the Rebel Alliance’s top leaders, and probably their best hope of winning the war against the Empire.

A band of Rebels had been successful in intercepting an Imperial transmission that included an entire technical readout of the Death Star. I feared what the Emperor would do with the weapon once it was operational. He had dissolved the Senate and would soon have a weapon capable of destroying an entire planet. I knew if a Rebel attack to destroy the Death Star was successful, it would shift the balance of power in the galaxy. This shift would be significantly to my benefit. I learned through my informant that the plans had been given to Princess Leia. The traitors were very concerned about this development and I could sense that they were plotting against the Princess. I would have to act fast. I ordered my Star Destroyer to intercept the blockade runner.

I boarded the ship and found my informant. You should have seen the shock on his face when I grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the floor. The one benefit of the menacing appearance of my mask and the way it affected my voice was I could be as intimidating as fuck. I really let the informant have it; gave him the full treatment. I yelled, “What have you done with those plans?”

Not wanting his deceit to be known to the Rebels, he played along. He croaked, “We intercepted no transmissions. This is a consular ship. We’re on a diplomatic mission.”

“If this is a consular ship, then where is the Ambassador?” I barked back. I crushed his windpipe and threw him against the wall. I had to get the Princess off the ship and ensure that the death star plans stayed out in the open. I could sense that Leia had a plan to take care of the plans, and was grateful for her forethought. I just need to see to it that she wasn’t harmed. I ordered, “Commander, tear this ship apart until you’ve found those plans and bring me the passengers. I want them alive!”

With Princes Leia a prisoner of the Empire, I could watch over her. I handled every detail of her incarceration; down to administering the mind probe and asking the questions during interrogation. It was the only way I could be sure that she was not harmed, and that she didn’t say anything that would compromise the rebellion. I did so in such a way as to not arouse either her suspicions or those of my boss Grand Moff Tarkin.

It was one of many endless meetings of the Imperial Commanders that tore me away from my interrogation of the Princess. It was one of those meetings that promise to be mind-bendingly dull, and would likely serve no purpose but take you away from what it is that you are supposed to be doing that day. You just know that you’re going to have to work overtime for the rest of the week just to get caught up from the downtime spent in this meeting. As usual, General Tagge, the alarmist, was talking about how much of a threat the Rebels had become. He was going on and on, “If the Rebels have obtained a complete technical readout of this station–“ this, and “–they might find a weakness and exploit it,” that. Oh, the incessant whining!

He was especially adamant today, and I didn’t like where he was heading. I thought I’d have to stop him before he requested a chance to interrogate the Princess himself, but Motti interrupted him before I had to intervene. “Any attack made by the Rebels against this station would be a useless gesture, no matter what technical data they’ve obtained. This station is now the ultimate power in the universe. I suggest we use it!”

The fool! I was glad for the change of subject though. “Don’t be too proud of this technological terror you’ve constructed,” I warned. “The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.”

Then Motti started talking trash about me and the Jedi. “Don’t try to frighten us with your sorcerer’s ways, Lord Vader.” Can you believe that shit? He actually said that. Then he had the incredible insolence to continue, “Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen data tapes, or given you clairvoyance enough to find the Rebel’s hidden fort– ” I started to strangle him using the force. What I had first done involuntarily to Padme, I could now exercise at will. It was a useful method for my madness. It took Motti down a couple of notches, anyway. He wasn’t running his mouth anymore. Just as I could feel the life escaping him, Tarkin ordered me to release him. Oh, how I lusted to finish him off right then –but I couldn’t risk charges of insubordination at that critical time.

Tarkin settled the issue declaring, “This bickering is pointless. Lord Vader will provide us with the location of the Rebel fortress by the time this station is operational. We will then crush the Rebellion with one swift stroke.” Thus, I escaped the meeting unscathed. I returned to Leia’s cell and her oddly comforting presence. Unfortunately, it was not long before Tarkin summoned us to the Death Star’s main control room. Like the battle at the Jedi temple, this would become one of my darkest days.

That day we witnessed the power that the Emperor was to wield over every system in the Galaxy— the power to destroy an entire planet. I felt Leia’s heart break as the tremor of millions of voices suddenly crying out in terror and being suddenly silenced pummeled those of us who were privy to the force. She watched her home explode under the firepower of the Death Star and I saw the terror on her face. That expression reminded me again of Padme, like a light saber through the chest.

Tarkin ordered Leia’s immediate execution. I had a panic attack. I realized that my bringing Leia here had caused all of this, and that once again my rash actions had made matters worse rather than better. I saw the opportunity to put off the order temporarily when a ship approached the remains of Alderaan. I said, “They must be trying to return the stolen plans to the princess. She may yet be of some use to us.”

As it would turn out, the approaching ship was the Millennium Falcon bringing Obi-Wan Kenobi to finally rescue the Princess, and to confront me. I destroyed him. It was not as fulfilling as I had dreamed it would be, because with Qui-Gon’s training he was able to dissipate into the Force before I could cleave him apart. Some kid tried to shoot me with one of those ridiculous hand-held blasters.

If Obi-Wan was ever right about anything, it was his disdain for those absurd weapons. Usually when attacked in this manner I would cut the attacker in half with my light saber, or deflect the laser bolts back at him, or raise a hand and shield myself with the force, or take him prisoner and encase him in carbonite, I could go on for hours discussing means and methods of dispensing with blaster wielders. But this boy was different. In Kenobi’s absence, I could feel the force flowing through this boy. If he was with the rebellion he could be useful. I was under zealous in my attempts to stop him absconding with the Princess. Besides, I had placed a tracking device on the Millennium Falcon as a fall-back reason for allowing the ship to escape.

The plans were now sure to reach the Alliance. I could only hope that when the data was analyzed, a weakness could be found.

I flew in the battle against the Rebel x-wing fighters attacking the Death Star. The purpose of this was two-fold.

1. I could tip the battle in favor of the Rebels by covertly providing cover for the attackers.
2. I foresaw the destruction of the Death Star and had to escape certain death.

It would be a trick to pull off my first objective without arousing suspicion amongst my Imperial peers. I engaged in the battle in earnest, for when a ball player is asked to throw the game he does not miss every opportunity, or his intentions would be made clear. Instead, he only misses the one or two key opportunities that tip the balance of the game.

I destroyed quite a few Rebel ships that were obviously not going to be the ones to deal the death blow. I was zeroing in on one of the remaining ships when I sensed the pilot was the boy who shot at me during the Millennium Falcon’s escape from the Death Star. The force was strong with him. I admired his considerable piloting skills as I followed his fighter down into one of the trenches dividing the surface of the battle station. His skills might even rival my own. With this observation, I came to realize that he was the child Padme was carrying when she left me: my son. It was he who would destroy the Death Star. I followed closely, but not too closely. It came time for me to make a pretense of shooting at the Rebel x-wing, but my TIE fighter was hit with a glancing blow from another ship diving down from above. What was it with the Millennium Falcon?! That ship was everywhere! My TIE fighter spun out of control. I was fortunate to clear the trench without crashing in a ball of fire. Frantically, I got my stabilizers working again, and hit the burners, I was barely clear before the whole thing exploded. Being the only Imperial pilot with the forethought to fly a long-range fighter, I escaped into hyperspace to rejoin my Star Destroyer.

I was overjoyed at having found my son, although briefly. From that day on I felt driven–and was encouraged by Qui-Gon–to seek Boy Skywalker out and make contact. I had sensed his raw talent with the force. I realized that he had probably already begun his training with Obi-Wan. I knew with more training he and I could defeat Sidious together. Things were starting to look up.

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