Chapter 10: The Child

Ahsoka stood next to Anakin as they jointly looked out into the maddening swirl of hyperspace, the blues, blacks, and whites mixing with her own perceptions and feelings. This was where she belonged, on the bridge of a Star Destroyer next to Skyguy, off to do battle. It's where she always belonged.

Anakin had his arms crossed, so deep in his thoughts that he was never really aware of what was around him. It was, as she called, his brooding pose. Anakin had not appreciated the label, but had accepted that it was an accurate description of his mindset when he was like this.

"A credit for your thoughts, Vader?"

When they were in public like this, she never called him by his name, though in return he never called her Lady Vader. Despite the title, it just made for confusion if they called each other Vader. Since it was really his title with her as a tagalong, the protocol ended up being rather simple to adopt.

"I don't really need credits, Ahsoka."

So, he was going down the literal path today. Overly serious and broody? Something was definitely going in the land of Skywalker.

He met her questioning look, smiled at her, and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just going over battle plans in my head. Tarkin, as much as we have derided him the past few weeks, is a good military commander. He's no doubt got wind of his fate by now, and he will be planning accordingly."

Ahsoka snorted. "He should be derided. He's got two Imperators. We've got the entirety of the Tenth Fleet with us. We could move in with no tactics at all against him and Kristos's task force combined, and still overwhelm the both of them."

He shook his head. "No. There's something… sitting at the edge of my perceptions. It's not just a feeling. Tarkin is up to something."

The tone of Anakin's voice transmitted his worry to her, and she reached out to force to try to figure out what he was sensing, but it eluded her. Whatever Anakin was sensing, it was subtle, which probably meant it was even more dangerous. Perhaps someone else would brush off his concerns and not believe in a 'feeling', but most people didn't have access to the force. They couldn't understand that feelings were often synonymous with premonition and perception. The force often combined with the subconscious to provide clues to the conscious mind if you knew to look for it.

Ahsoka turned to walk to Admiral's station. The chain of command was clear; the admiral enacted her orders to fleet in his best judgement. Anakin was only here as an observer and advisor. He was not to take direct action in this battle against Tarkin. It was symbolic in nature. They would prove her standing in the eyes of the fleet, and give her credence to the rest of the navy.

Admiral Trambull watched her approach, and his eyes showed that he was expecting her to give some sort of order which would undermine her credibility, but instead she went to the fleet display beside him and pulled up statistics on the Tenth Fleet. Tenth Fleet was composed of eight identical task forces with two irregular groups which respectively consisted of ground forces and logistical support. Each combat group consisted of two Imperators, five Victories, and four Venerators to act as ships of the line. Each battle group also had an escort of twelve Acclamator cruisers. The makeup wasn't quite what Vader had envisioned and which Ahsoka had relayed, but until fleet production moved into full swing, the leftovers of the Clone Wars would make do when combined with what new construction they did have.

It also meant that Ahsoka had one hundred and seven ships to deal with both Tarkin's pair of destroyers and Kristos's small task force. It was overkill, but it was also there to make a point.

"Do you have new orders, Milady?"

"Perhaps." She highlighted the lead battle group. TF 10.1 had more ARC fighters in its bays than any other group, and it was intended to act a detached force recon group. The three men heavy craft were a versatile craft for long range deployment. "Did you ever serve with the Jedi during the Wars, admiral?"

He nodded. That was good, as it would make this easy to explain.

"Then you know that sometimes individuals highly attuned to the force, like Lord Vader can sense things before they happen." She nodded towards her master, who still stood with his back to them. Somehow, she had no doubt that he was able to hear everything they were talking about.

She highlighted the series of systems Takin was supposed to be in. Then she highlighted a point short of sector. "I'm ordering prudence, Admiral. Signal the fleet to drop out of hyperspace early at this point. We'll be in the depths of space, and it will be more difficult to calculate our subsequent jumps without the standard reference points, but I'm confident in our people."

She then tapped on the display to indicate that TF 10.1 would move independently into the sector. "We'll scout in force, hopefully springing any traps the traitor has planned." It was strange. She was one of the few people that knew that the man was actually innocent, but she also derived a sense of pleasure at calling him a traitor when he wasn't. In fact, she hadn't spoken his name to any of the serving officers. It was important to emphasize that the man was no longer a Moff.

The admiral looked at the display a while before speaking. "It's doable, but it will delay us several hours. It could give Tarkin more time to prepare…" He caught her look of disapproval at Tarkin's name. "Apologies, Milady. It could give the adversary more time to prepare whatever it is that Lord Vader has sensed."

"Better for both sides to be prepared than only our enemy." Only a small grunt of agreement met her proclamation, but it indicated that he was on board with her train of thought.

"Will you shift your command to task force one?"

"Politically, it's necessary. Vader will remain here, however. There's no sense risking the both of us in the jaws of a trap." The admiral considered everything she said before coming to a nonverbal agreement.

"Not a fan of politics, Milday, but I understand. I'll have a shuttle prepped to transfer you over once we drop out of hyper. I'll make the necessary arrangements for redeploying the fleet as well."

"One last thing, Admiral. Vader will remain here, but I'm going to delegate command of the rest of Tenth Fleet to you. I'll keep you informed with updates, and if you see at any point where it becomes necessary for you to take initiative to bring the rest of the fleet in, do it."

Through the force, she felt a sense of satisfaction in him to be given the authority to dictate the fleet's actions, and it also told her that she was winning a bit of his approval. "By your command, Milady."

Trambull went back to updating the rest of the fleet on her latest commands while Ahsoka made her way back to Vader's side.

"You're going alone." His statement of fact carried a weight of disapproval with it that reminded her of her early padawan days.

"I am."

Neither said anything else, the silence between them a reflection of the unease he had sensed earlier. It was moments like these she was unable to judge as comfortable or disconcerting. As much as she liked the brooding look, she didn't care for the attitude which came with it.

"Keep an eye out for surprises, Snips."

"Even with a single task force, I still have enough forces to smash him in a straight fight, Anakin."

"It's the indirect fight I'm concerned about in the first place, Ahsoka. Tarkin won't try to take you in a straight fight. He'll be sneaky about it, and that's where you're vulnerable. We're always vulnerable to the things we can't see. When he sets off whatever he plans, take control in that moment."

She met his eyes, and there was same concern in them she had always seen in them when they were simply master and padawan. He so rarely showed that to her anymore. It was always tinged with something else. "You want me to take direct command of the task force? Override my officers?"

He shook his head.

"No, take control of the Force. Don't trust in it. Seize it!" His voice became huskier. Darker and deeper than she usually heard from. "Make the force do your bidding. Once you have control, it will tell you what you need to do and how to do it. When you seize the force, there's no need to trust in it anymore, because it's a part of you."

She swallowed away a bit of nervousness.

"Anakin," she whispered. "That sounds a lot like the things you aren't supposed to be talking about with me." She didn't explicitly bring up the Emperor's forbidding command to him that he was not to teach her the ways of the Sith, but if Anakin had ever stated something that sounded Sith-like, this certainly qualified. Whatever Anakin felt about the dictate given to them, she had a healthy amount of fear for the Emperor, and disobeying that command felt like a step closer to her own grave.

Anakin's only response was to smile at her and return to staring back at the twisting vortex of hyperspace. They remained that way in silence until the fleet dropped to normal space, not a single planet, star, or piece of dust nearby. In many regards, the void filled with glittering stars was beyond beautiful, but it was also foreboding. Little was as fear inducing as a never ending abyss.

Ahsoka turned to make her way off the bridge, he next task clear before her. It was time to bring Tarkin to 'justice'. She was only a step into her task when Anakin caught the sleeve of her shirt in his hand.

She had asked him before if he loved her, and while he implied deeply that he did, he had never outright stated it. His caring, appreciation, and affection were all deeply rooted and unmistakable, but romantic love for the girl he had once called his student? That seemed to evade the both of them. However, the feeling she felt through the bond between them as he gripped the fabric of her shirt was enough to erase her doubts. It was there, just muted in all the turmoil around him.

"You're my calm, Ahsoka. I can't..." he paused. "I…"

For an unknowable reason, he did not finish his thought. Anakin Skywalker, she thought in humor and sarcasm, master of understanding his own emotions. But if he was unable to express himself, she at least had grown adept at understanding him.

She placed her own hand on his and smiled at him, making his eyes grow gentle. "I know, Anakin."

He released her, and she made her way to her waiting shuttle. He had yet to say the words to her, but they were there and she heard them anyway.

Unlike other labs which tended to mark sterility with the color white, this one was designed with lots of dark tones, and despite the bright light, just did not pull off the same sense of cleanliness a brighter color pallette conveyed. Palpatine simply liked the darker aesthetic, and so while the place maintained the same qualities and high standards of other medical labs, this one felt a little more homely to him. After all, what was the point of being Emperor if you couldn't influence every single detail, no matter how minute it might seem.

There were four geneticists assigned to this lab, each of them being chosen not only for their abilities, but also their amenability to power. Sheev had guaranteed their loyalty himself, and while that was harder to do with individuals when you wanted to maintain their ingenuity and creativity, it was not impossible. Normal pressure tactics did not work, so he had to rely on both incentives and pride to make the group before him compliant.

They gave him the usual general platitudes of greeting, but he quickly waved them away and had them lead him deeper into the lab where a singular isolation vat held a small form, appearing no older than a few years old. This of course was not true, for the forced growth techniques used by the cloners of Kamino had been improved upon and applied here. He examined the male child whose eyes were closed and unconscious.

"Have you been able to meet all of my requirements with this creature?" He tried to keep the genuine distaste out of the sound of his voice, but he knew that he had failed. If not for the bout of inspiration he had undergone, he probably wouldn't have bothered with the concept in the first place.

The scientists were hesitant to answer, which in fact gave him the answer he was looking for, but he waited for their explanation. With as much effort he had put into cultivating this small group of scientists, he did not want to replicate the task.

"Based on the data you have provided, the hybrid does seem to be extremely 'force-sensitive', as you call it. It is developing at a proper rate, and physically, we have been able to enhance the abilities that the base genotypes provided to extremes. We can't confirm its aggression without fully releasing it, but genetic markers give it an extreme predisposition towards it. It fills all of the criteria you gave us."

Still there was hesitation from the lead scientists, and Palpatine waited for the man to seem to grapple with the best way to phrase his doubts.

"Frankly, sir it could be used as is, but another concern has come up. May I?" The lead geneticist indicated a readout panel which was currently blank, and Palpatine waved his hand to indicate that the man had permission to continue.

"I was thinking about your build requirements, and I must admit hybridizing a human and a togruta was all together intriguing. Creating a child of two different species is always a difficult task, so while we were doing the initial simulations and examining the genetic samples you provided, I decided to do a deep dive into the genetic histories of each species. I felt it was necessary to help me establish a base line."

He hit a few key commands and a series of graphs appeared. "It's long been theorized that aggression is linked to intelligence. Based on centuries of study, we know that to only be partially true. It is known that increased predator behavior is linked to sensory processing. Basically, the quicker an entity can process sensory information, the better of a predator it is. It's not a matter of intelligence, but ability to react. Some highly aggressive predators, are without a doubt, exceedingly stupid, but with a few tweaks to that sensory processing, we can increase the intelligence of even the stupidest predator by several levels of significance."

He then hit a key which brought up genetic histories of both humans and togruta, which also had a few baseline scores for intelligence below them.

"Togruta are highly evolved predators. Their evolutionary line is quite clear. Humans are a little more complicated due to their omnivorous nature. They are a lot more than simple predators, and over time have even evolved certain limiters that tamper down their predatory instincts. This was of course accompanied by other distinct advantages. In fact, it could even be argued that the core of human intelligence comes from the fact that they have been able to leave behind solely predatory instincts." The man was clearly diverging from his initial point, and Palpatine waved at him to continue with his point.

The scientist keyed up another readout, this time of the hybrid creature in the vat. "All of this leads me to the current subject. Frankly, while average on most scales of galactic sapience and sentience, I can't help but feel that it's rather dumb. Neural stimulations over the past week have only been partially received, and when I looked into it, I realized that though the inclusion of togruta DNA should complement the human DNA. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. The human side of things isn't reacting to the more predatory instincts of the togruta. There is still some conflict, and I think we can fix it and make a better hybrid."

Palpatine took the time to examine the data the geneticist was presenting to him. The hybrid was everything he had required, but the argument the man was presenting him indicated that it could be even stronger. A more intelligent creature, while more difficult to control and manipulate, would have infinitely more potential than something 'average'.

"Are there any other issues?"

Emboldened by how Palpatine received the news on the previous issue, the scientist launched into his other concerns. "There seems to be a strange mutation where the hybrid has an allergic reaction to bacta. We've managed to test against old strains of kolto, an ancient precursor to bacta, and that works well on the subject, but relying on kolto, especially once we go into large scale production could be problematic. If we can solve the allergy, it would mean that the existing bacta industry can handle most issues."

Palpatine nodded. "That would be more economical for the Empire. Make it a priority to solve that issue."

"It might help if we could have the donors visit the lab. New samples of DNA would go a long way to solving the issue."

Palpatine shook his head. "I'm afraid that won't be possible. The needs of secrecy on this project preclude them from visiting. If the enemies of the Empire were to suspect what we are doing, they would make targeting this facility a priority. As it is, I prefer to maintain that secrecy for the next several months." Plus, it would ruin the surprise for his apprentice. As powerful of a Sith Vader had the potential of becoming, Sidious had to take precautions.

"What's the status on the next generation of bio-control chip?"

A different geneticist stepped forward, that aspect of the project apparently under his purview. "Sir, I'm quite pleased to say we have had quite a success building upon the kaminoan research in this regard. The original clone chips were ingenious in many regards, and will continue to serve until the clone reach end of service. The second-generation chips were really only slight modifications of the original, except that they were refactored to be implanted in fully grown adults. But these third-gen chips?" The man broke into a wide grin. He pulled out a data-pad, bringing up the schematics which he then projected on a nearby display different from the one which currently held the critical data on the current subject. The currently displayed image was of the original clone chip.

"I'm proud to say the third-generation chips are beyond anything envisioned by the kaminoans. The original chips are effectively a series of pre-programmed batch scripts which do not account for the learned experiences of the individual clone." The image changed to one of the new chips, which instead of a simple mass, was actually a tangled web of thousands of neurons.

"The new chips are much more integrated, and in fact, will act as secondary processing for the those we implant with it. Unfortunately, this has to be done at production, and cannot be installed on adults like the second-gen chips. The third-gens actually need time to fully integrate as the body matures. However, once that happens, the chips will act as a redundant check on behavior and decision making. Any act a subject takes while under control of the new chips will be one taken without any cognitive strain. It will be so integrated with the subject's decision making that they will not even realize it's an order, but will actually believe that such actions are their own innate decision making. And those decisions won't be limited to preset orders. We can program an override command which will allow the effective 'reprogramming' of the entire chip. You'll be able to issue new orders at any time."

The Emperor allowed himself a wide smile in return to the scientist. This was indeed welcome news. Not only would this help with future batches of subjects, it had far reaching implications. In fact, with a little development, it could be introduced to the general public to newborns, and over time the entire galaxy could fall under his direct will. He wouldn't need fear or even adulation to rule, it would just exist and appear natural to everyone, as if it were his divine right. He could wait for that day. He was a patient man.

"This is most pleasing. Continue your work on the control chips, see if you can also tie in additional benefits to them. This entire branch of technology is revolutionary! Such chips could be used for things other than control. Perhaps we could use them to reduce stress or some other neural-chemical management. If they could be repurposed to maintain a person's well-being, the entire Empire could benefit from such technology."

Palpatine sensed the immense pride gather in the man before him at his praise. Under the proper guise, even the most sinister of acts could seem proper.

The lead scientist took that moment to speak up.

"There is one other issue we could solve. Normally hybrids are completely sterile. However, we have enough information that would could make it possible for each to interbreed with either humans or togruta."

"No!" Palpatine let some bile leak into his tone before he recollected himself. "No," he repeated in much calmer tones as he shook his head. "The entire point of this project is to create something which will be able to do the dirty work of the Empire. Fight on the front lines and keep those at home safe. Have you ever met any of the clones?"

All of the geneticists shook their heads.

"Despite everything, those are still men. They are honor-bound to their duty, and their lives are ultimately shortened for it, but they are still men." And that made them flawed tools, though he had no intention of voicing that thought. "Gentlemen, you goal here is to create a perfect soldier that won't just be held up by honor and duty, but who genuinely craves to be on the battlefield. It is a necessary evil, but ultimately sad and tragic. Would you compound that tragedy with by giving these men families?"

Palpatine let his most solemn tone fill the room as adjusted his body language while he met each of their eyes. "Their fate is already a doomed one. We need to be honest and upfront with this new group. Let's not fill it with false promises of something more."

Perhaps he laid it on a little thickly, but soon each of the men were nodding their heads in agreement which delighted the Emperor. Sometimes there was no better thing than a little manipulation. No matter what, he would not have another group diluting the purity of the human species. It was important that the soldiers never developed the ability to reproduce and build genuine lives. The inability of a hybrid to reproduce was the one aspect of a hybrid 'species' which genuinely appealed to Palpatine.

It was at that moment when Palpatine felt the slightest disturbance in the force. It was a whisper upon a tiny ripple in the force, made barely noticeable due to the great distance involved, but which Palpatine had been waiting for.

Maul was dead, then. If not for the somber mood he had just inspired in the men around him, he would have laughed at the thought, but instead he was forced to restrain himself. A one time apprentice and rival had died, giving proof that Palpatine was the superior Sith. With that death, Maul had been tasked with an important mission.

Kenobi should now have his wedding invitation. It was just one more piece of the puzzle which was coming together in this new game. While still not up to the standards of the intrigue during the height of the Clone Wars, Palpatine had to admit that he was enjoying himself in the early unfolding of the current nexus of deceit and manipulation.

"If we are in agreement," Palpatine continued, "it seems that while this subject is viable, he is not the template we are searching for, but I have enough confidence that your next subject will be a grand success. Do you have a time table for the next prototype?"

"We've already mapped out several of the milestones for the next prototype. Including development time, time to grow the hybrid, and induce skills training, we are optimistic that the template will be ready for deployment in a year."

Palpatine considered that fact. "What can you do by the time of Lord and Lady Vader's wedding? For political reasons, it would be advantageous to make an announcement at the same time."

The men looked at each other as they considered it. "At the rate of expected growth, the next prototype will probably be equivalent to being in their late teens or very early adulthood. Not quite fully mature, but the difference will hardly be noticeable by media."

"Good. In fact, very good. I can't wait to introduce the Tano Clone Initiative to the galaxy." Palpatine smiled to himself over the name. It would be more emotional tie of control for his apprentice. Besides, the girl had helped to inspire the original idea by proposing Imperial controlled cloning facilities. "That said, I will allocate more resources to you. This singular prototype was a failure, but with a hard time frame, we cannot afford failure. Produce as many prototypes as you can in time for the Empire's first anniversary. We will make Lord and Lady Vader's wedding one to be remembered for all time."

A general cheer went up amongst the men, and their spirits were roused by his declaration. It however, was time to move to the next order of business.

"Unfortunately, that brings us to the sad implications of my visit. We are in agreement that the prototype before us is a failure then?"

The men gave their affirmation. They were ready to move on to their next challenge.

"Then I will ask you gentleman to leave the room. No matter how clinical you might try to be, I will assume the responsibility of disposing the subject for you. If I can't bear the trauma for you, then I never should have ordered its creation."

There were some grateful expressions on their faces as they each gathered up their materials and data on the way out the room. When they were gone, he sealed the door with a push of the force. The laboratory seals kicking in to ensure that he would have privacy for the next few moments.

He moved to the kolto vat which held the creature. He stared at it a moment, barely refraining from keeping a sneer off of his face. As many hopes as he had pinned on the thing, he was hard pressed from keeping the almost instinctual revulsion for it oppressed. Then he got control of himself. It would be much easier once they were in full production and under his control. The Imperial Order, ostensibly under the command of his apprentice, would dominate the galaxy as an army of dark side force-trained clones. The Jedi had held sway with ten thousand.

Palpatine would have millions.

The first-'born' child of Skywalker would truly be a child which cause the very Force to pivot and tremble. His elderly hand reached out to toggle the small release on the console. Two injectors moved towards the boy, filling him with drugs which would soon bring him to consciousness. Then the tank began to drain, the various probes and hookups ejecting themselves from its body. As the tank almost drained, the boy finally opened his eyes, and looked around frantically and confused. It must have been cold, for it huddled at the back of the tack as the fluid drained around him, shivering at the air which replaced it.

Palpatine hit another button, raising a door in the glass, and giving him access. He stepped around the console before him, doing his best to look calm and kind as he climbed the steps to the creature in the vat.

"Do you understand me, child?" There was no response from the boy, but Palpatine was not surprised. There was only so much which could be taught while one was unconscious. It was good that the thing didn't speak basic. It would make this more enjoyable.

The Emperor reached out a hand, but the boy growled, and Palpatine was sure that behind its breath mask, it was baring its fangs at him. The child was instinctual, and he was pleased to note, aggressive in its naked, confused vulnerability. He would have to pass that piece of information on to his researchers. They would be pleased to hear that the markers for aggressiveness were holding true in the subject.

Palpatine drew his hand back and into his pocket. Before even coming here, he had known, and half hoped for this possibility. It would give him a chance test the one thing that he could not ask his researchers to test. It would raise too many questions, and they wouldn't know how to test for it, anyway. When he brought his hand back out again, he had within it a ration bar, which he opened before the boy. He broke a piece off, and ate it.

Palpatine then placed his hand over his mouth in imitation of the boy's breath mask, and then pointed at the actual device on the child. He held out the bar in one hand while motioning the child towards him with his other.

In the gentlest voice he could manage, Palpatine spoke. "Come take the food, you despicable thing. Come here."

With his hunger overtaking caution, the boy got up, sliding forward on some of the draining kolto towards Palpatine, trusting the tone which would have warned him of the danger if he could have understood the words.

Palpatine gave the boy the rest of the ration bar and worked to remove the mask. Free from the device, the boy happily began to eat as the older man pulled him close this kneeling form.

Drawing deeply on the dark side of the force, Palpatine began to assess the potential for using the force in the other. It was indeed strong. Not as strong as Vader, but definitely stronger than Tano. This initiative would definitely yield the parts he required.

The boy finished eating, but he was now close enough that Palpatine could easily reach out and grasp his head with both hands. As he did so, the child tried to escape, but found the older man's grip was stronger than such a physique would suggest. The child was trapped, and Palpatine smiled as he spoke.

"I almost envy the experience you are about to endure. The pain you are about to feel is one I never plan to experience myself." Then delving to the darkest parts of the Force, Palpatine began to draw on the life in the creature. His powers encased and imprisoned it in the boy before him, paralyzing the hybrid so that it could not resist.

Then Palpatine began to feast. He drew that power of the force from the child, rending apart what should never be sundered. He pulled that power into himself, the energy filling him and replenishing him. He consumed the Force from the boy, who was frozen still by the power. The hybrid couldn't even scream in pain as his very essence was ripped from him.

It took several minutes to completely drain the hybrid child, and when he was done, there was nothing but a desiccated, withered corpse that collapsed to the ground when Palpatine released its skull.

Palpatine's own hands were actually less wrinkled, and had a vibrancy to them as if he had regained a decade of life. He raised that hand, and with it, the corpse lifted into the air. With another wave, it moved over to the laboratory incinerator.

As it burned, Palpaitne felt his anticipation build. Vader was bound by his attachments. The loss of one was enough to induce his fall to the dark side, which is why Palpatine allowed him to form a second attachment. As distraught as the man had been at losing his wife, he would be rendered even more pliable when Tano met her fate. Palpatine would use that moment to give Vader the first batch of new clones as a reminder and continual tie. It would bind the man so deeply to the dark side of the force, that not even he could foresee what would happen to the man.

Palpatine stood and straightened his appearance a bit, making himself a little more presentable when he met the scientists once more. As he walked out to meet them, he realized he felt genuine gratitude to the girl he planned to sacrifice. Her 'children' would sustain him for millennia. After all, what was the point of ruling the galaxy if you didn't have time to enjoy it?

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

My writing process involves very little proof-reading. I generally go through each chapter once or twice, but I haven't really spent time editing them. Honestly, while I know where this story is going (I've had the epilogue written since Chapter 3), what I produce is very much stream of consciousness. I know my last chapter definitely wasn't up to par when it comes to errors. In the next few days, I'm probably going to spend some more time to go back and update those and remove previous Author's notes. I don't know how exactly this site's algorithm works for updates, but if you get a notice about one, but there isn't a new chapter, just know that I'm tweaking a few things here and there. There might be a few content changes, but they won't be anything big.

Also, I was half tempted to call this chapter Stranger Danger… Instead I took inspiration from the Mandalorian.