Chapter 127

The stars stretched into endless blue lines outside the viewport as the fleet exited hyperspace.

For a brief moment, reality itself seemed distorted. Blue tunnels twisted across the darkness beyond the transparisteel windows before space snapped back into place all at once. Massive warships emerged from hyperspace one after another like ancient predators rising from beneath an invisible ocean.

At the center of the formation traveled the largest vessel of them all.

Dark.

Angular.

Intimidating.

Its hull reflected almost no light from the nearby star, making the enormous command ship resemble a floating wound in space itself.

And standing silently upon the bridge, watching the distant blue planet before him, was Darth Vader.

The world below was called Nitharis.

From orbit, it looked peaceful enough to belong in a senator’s luxury travel archive rather than the hidden ambitions of a Sith Lord. Endless oceans covered nearly the entire planet, reflecting nearby starlight like an enormous sapphire drifting through darkness. Only a single continent existed above the waters—a lonely landmass surrounded by endless seas stretching beyond the horizon in every direction.

There were no visible cities.

No orbital stations.

No signs of industrial civilization.

Only ocean.

Clouds.

Behind Vader’s flagship, several other vessels slowly settled into formation. Military frigates drifted beside heavy transports loaded with supplies and construction equipment. Cargo ships followed behind them carrying prefabricated structures, mining machinery, shield generators, weapons, food supplies, and thousands of carefully selected personnel.

Every single person aboard those ships belonged to Vader.

Not to the Emperor.

That distinction mattered more than anyone outside the fleet could possibly understand.

For years, Vader had built this hidden network quietly and patiently across the galaxy. Officers disillusioned with Imperial corruption disappeared from assignments and quietly resurfaced under his command. Engineers who admired Vader’s efficiency more than Palpatine’s politics accepted secret transfers. Mercenaries, scientists, soldiers, mechanics, pilots—people forgotten or discarded by the Empire slowly gathered around the Dark Lord without fully realizing they were becoming something dangerous.

Most of them had never met each other before now.

Vader ensured that deliberately.

He kept them isolated. Scattered across different sectors of space to avoid suspicion. But secrecy alone could not sustain power forever.

Eventually, foundations had to be built.

And Nitharis would become that foundation.

Inside the command bridge, officers stood silently behind Vader while technicians monitored planetary scans. No one dared interrupt his thoughts unnecessarily. Even after all these years, the atmosphere surrounding Darth Vader remained suffocating.

Heavy.

Like standing too close to something capable of killing you before you finished breathing.

Yet beneath the black armor and mechanical breathing, Anakin Skywalker’s thoughts were far away from the bridge itself.

A small holographic projector near the command console flickered softly.

Darth Zannah appeared beside him in pale blue light.

The ancient Sith woman studied the planet below calmly before speaking. “A beautiful planet.”

Vader remained staring at the world beneath them. “Sidious does not know this place exists.”

That mattered most.

After discovering the Sith holocron on Serenno, Vader stopped trusting ancient Sith worlds entirely. Korriban, Malachor, forgotten temples, hidden tombs—eventually Sidious would search them all personally. The Emperor’s obsession with knowledge bordered on madness. Nothing tied to ancient Sith history remained hidden from him forever.

So Vader abandoned the old paths.

No forgotten Sith ruins.

No worlds already poisoned by history.

Nitharis was untouched.

A world no Sith had ever claimed.

Darth Zannah tilted her head slightly. “An empire cannot rise from shadows forever.”

“I know.”

“Then why hesitate?”

Vader’s mechanical breathing echoed through the bridge for several long seconds before he finally answered.

“Because the moment Sidious discovers this…”

His voice lowered slightly.

“…war becomes inevitable.”

And despite everything—

Vader knew the truth.

He was not ready.

The rival Sith from Tatooine had proven something deeply unsettling. There were powers in the galaxy Vader still did not understand. Abilities beyond traditional Sith teachings. Impossible transformations. Teleportation. Power capable of disrupting entire mechanical systems effortlessly.

The memory still disturbed him.

And Darth Vader did not frighten easily.

He needed more strength.

More knowledge.

More followers loyal to him alone.

Only then could he challenge Sidious openly.

Below them, the fleet slowly descended toward the lone continent. Massive shadows crossed the oceans beneath the clouds while thunder rolled softly through distant storm systems.

And on the surface—

The creatures of Nitharis panicked.

Amphibious beings rushed desperately toward the waters as enormous ships emerged from the skies above them. Some moved on four limbs across rocky shores before diving into the oceans. Others stood upright briefly, staring in terror at the descending vessels before fleeing toward underwater caves.

They had never seen starships.

Never seen outsiders descend from the heavens.

To them, the fleet must have looked like gods arriving from the stars.

The largest transport vessels landed heavily atop a giant hill overlooking nearly the entire continent. Dust exploded outward beneath the engines while waves crashed violently against the cliffs far below. From the elevated plateau, the oceans stretched endlessly in every direction beneath darkening skies.

The landing ramps lowered slowly.

Darth Vader stepped out first.

Wind immediately struck against his dark cape while armored stormtroopers emerged behind him in disciplined formation. Workers and engineers followed afterward, unloading crates and machinery with practiced efficiency.

Building materials.

Generators.

Weapons.

Mining equipment.

Portable shield systems.

Communication arrays.

This was not a temporary military camp.

It was the birth of something that's going to last.

One officer approached nervously holding a datapad. “My Lord, atmospheric readings remain stable.”

Another officer spoke quickly afterward. “No signs of civilization anywhere on the continent.”

A third added, “Defensive positioning is favorable. The continent’s isolation limits infiltration routes significantly.”

Vader silently studied the horizon.

The smaller the continent, the easier it would be to defend. Oceans created natural barriers impossible for ground armies to cross easily, and hidden shield systems would eventually conceal the entire installation from orbital scans.

Nearby, engineers deployed probe droids across the terrain while workers assembled temporary structures with rapid precision. Cargo cranes unloaded armored vehicles while soldiers established perimeter defenses around the landing zones.

Nobody wasted movement.

Every person here understood the importance of secrecy.

If Sidious discovered this operation before Vader was prepared—

Every single one of them would die.

A younger officer approached carefully once the initial unloading operations began stabilizing. “My Lord…”

Vader turned slightly toward him.

“The men are asking what this place will become.”

For several seconds, Vader simply stared across the endless oceans below.

Then finally—

“A beginning of future.”

The officer straightened instantly. “Yes, my Lord.”

He left immediately afterward.

But privately—

Even Vader himself did not fully know what Nitharis would become yet.

A hidden fortress.

A military world.

A Sith academy.

Perhaps all of them.

The hologram of Darth Zannah appeared beside him once more after the officers moved away.

“You understand now,” she said softly. “Power alone is not enough.”

Vader remained silent.

“A true Sith does not merely destroy enemies,” Zannah continued. “A true Sith builds.”

Below them, thousands of soldiers and workers continued transforming the lonely hilltop into the foundation of a hidden civilization. Towers slowly rose beneath the blue skies while defensive walls expanded outward from the landing zones. Probe droids vanished into forests and coastlines mapping the continent in precise detail.

A hidden army was taking shape at the edge of the galaxy.

The deeper regions of Nitharis were strangely peaceful.

Far behind Darth Vader, thousands of workers and soldiers continued building the hidden settlement beneath the blue skies of the ocean world. Massive transport vessels unloaded generators, weapons, prefabricated structures, and mining equipment while engineers directed droids across the cliffs overlooking the endless sea. From a distance, the construction site resembled a living machine slowly spreading across the continent.

But Vader walked away from all of it.

Beside him floated the holographic image of Darth Zannah as the two moved deeper into the untouched golden wilderness, far from the eyes of officers and loyalists alike. Tall golden grass swayed endlessly beneath the evening wind while strange alien creatures observed them carefully from hidden burrows scattered throughout the plains.

Vader still had no idea what most of the creatures on Nitharis actually were.

Some resembled long-necked amphibians with smooth blue skin and oversized black eyes. Others looked almost eel-like, their thin bodies disappearing quickly beneath the earth whenever the Sith Lord glanced toward them. Small heads slowly emerged from tiny holes in the ground as Vader passed, curiosity overpowering caution.

For many of them, this was likely the first time they had ever seen a human being.

One small creature chirped softly while tilting its head toward Vader’s black armor before retreating nervously into the grass when his helmet turned slightly in its direction.

The Sith Lord ignored them entirely.

His focus remained on Darth Zannah.

Eventually they stopped near the edge of a massive cliff overlooking the endless oceans below. Waves crashed violently against black rocks far beneath them while the wind struck hard against Vader’s cape, causing the heavy fabric to ripple behind him like a living shadow.

For several moments neither of them spoke. The silence stretched comfortably between the ancient Sith and her soon to be apprentice while storm clouds gathered slowly across the distant horizon.

Then finally Vader broke the silence.

“As you commanded,” he said quietly, his mechanical voice echoing across the empty cliffs, “I built an army for myself.”

Darth Zannah looked back toward the settlement behind them where thousands of workers continued laboring beneath the fading sunlight. Ships rested upon the cliffs like enormous metal beasts while columns of smoke rose from newly activated generators.

“Yes,” she replied calmly. “You did.”

Vader crossed his arms behind his back. “You never specified numbers,” he continued. “You only said the first condition required followers loyal to me rather than Sidious.”

The holographic Sith woman nodded once. “The first condition is complete.”

Naturally, Vader immediately asked the next question.

“What is the second condition?”

To his surprise, Darth Zannah smiled.

And then she spoke the last words Darth Vader expected to hear.

“I want you to be happy.”

Even the wind itself seemed quieter for a moment.

Vader slowly turned toward her hologram. “…What?”

“You heard me,” Zannah replied calmly.

For several seconds Vader simply stared at her, unable to understand whether she was testing him or mocking him. The idea itself felt absurd.

Impossible.

Happy?

The Sith taught rage. Pain. Fear. Hatred. Power through suffering. Every lesson Vader learned beneath Sidious revolved around turning agony into strength.

And the Jedi—

The Jedi taught suppression. Detachment. Control. They feared emotion entirely.

But happiness?

Neither side had ever treated such emotions seriously.

Vader’s breathing deepened slightly behind the mask. “You speak nonsense.”

“No,” Darth Zannah answered immediately. “I speak truth forgotten by both Jedi and Sith.”

She floated slightly closer while the oceans crashed endlessly beneath the cliffs below. “The Jedi cripple themselves by suppressing emotion,” she continued calmly. “The Sith cripple themselves by obsessing over only the darkest emotions.”

Her glowing eyes sharpened slightly.

“Both paths are incomplete.”

Vader remained silent, but internally he listened very carefully. Unlike Sidious, Darth Zannah actually explained things rather than merely demanding obedience. She taught concepts instead of simply weaponizing suffering.

“The Force flows through all emotion,” she continued. “Not merely anger. Not merely pain. Joy. Love. Wonder. Curiosity. Peace.”

Vader’s fists slowly tightened beneath his gloves.

“Those emotions make one weak.”

“That,” Zannah replied immediately, “is exactly what a sith wants you to believe.”

The statement struck harder than Vader expected.

Sidious constantly encouraged hatred. Fed fear. Manipulated pain. Every failure became suffering. Every memory became fuel for rage. But never once had the Emperor taught him how to exist as anything other than a weapon.

Darth Zannah slowly drifted through the air beside him while continuing her explanation.

“The Jedi use the Force. The Sith dominate the Force. But magic…” Her voice lowered slightly. “…magic understands the Force.”

Vader frowned slightly. “Magic.”

“Yes.”

“The Nightsisters understood this long before most Sith ever did.”

For the first time since beginning her lessons, Zannah’s expression softened faintly with memory.

“I learned such teachings from childhood among my Nightsister family.”

That surprised Vader slightly. He had never imagined one of Darth Bane’s successors originating from Dathomir. Imperial records spoke of the Nightsisters as primitive witches and ritualists, dangerous in strange ways but ultimately inferior to the Sith.

Now he wondered how much of that information had been deliberate ignorance.

Zannah extended one translucent hand toward the endless wilderness surrounding them. “The thing I am teaching you is not merely the Force,” she said quietly. “You will learn illusions. Rituals. Enchantments. You will learn how emotion itself shapes reality.”

The oceans below crashed violently against the cliffs while storm clouds rolled slowly across the horizon. Vader listened silently.

“To create convincing illusions,” Zannah continued, “you must understand emotion deeply. To perform rituals safely, you must understand intention clearly. To wield true magic…”

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“…you must understand yourself.”

Vader looked away toward the distant horizon because already he understood why this lesson terrified him more than battle ever had.

Anger came naturally.

Pain came naturally.

Hatred surrounded him constantly.

But happiness?

That word felt ancient now. Like something belonging to another life. Another person.

Zannah seemed to sense exactly where his thoughts drifted.

“You still remember fragments of him,” she said quietly.

Vader’s breathing sharpened dangerously. “There is no Anakin Skywalker.”

The Sith Lady looked entirely unimpressed.

“Lies are unnecessary before me.”

That irritated him instantly, but unlike Sidious, she neither feared his anger nor encouraged it. Instead she simply continued calmly.

“Your task is simple.”

Vader almost laughed bitterly at that. Nothing about this sounded simple.

“You must genuinely feel an emotion beyond pain or rage,” she explained. “A real emotion. Not imitation. Not memory alone.”

“And if I fail?”

Zannah’s expression remained calm. “Then you remain incomplete.”

The hologram flickered slightly as the holocron’s energy shifted, but before disappearing completely, Darth Zannah added one final warning.

“I can sense emotions, Vader.”

The mechanical breathing beneath his mask paused briefly.

“And when next we speak…” Her glowing eyes locked onto him one final time. “…I will know whether you still feel anything other than fear and suffering.”

Then the hologram vanished entirely.

Leaving Darth Vader alone beneath the darkening skies of Nitharis.

For a very long time he did not move.

Because this challenge frightened him more than any Jedi ever had.

How does a man broken for decades learn happiness again?

And distant memories he tried very hard not to remember.

Author's Note:

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