An expensive bounty has been put on Vader's head! Who would dare try to challenge the Dark Lord's place in the Empire?
While Vader's starship travels through hyperspace, Darth Vader's droid informs Darth Vader that his analysis has found that the kill contract originated in the highest levels of the Imperial Executive Building, which includes the offices of Emperor Palpatine. He estimates that there is a 97% probability that the signal originated there and that there is no evidence of slicing. While Lord Vader assembles his new lightsaber, Lord Vader requests a list of all individuals with access codes to Imperial systems at Level 1A1 and above. The droid identifies seven individuals: Corin Ferro, Wilhuff Tarkin, Jer Croteau, Cassio Tagge, Joon Strephi, Tomas Azoras, and Zorta Bingan. Vader thanks the droid before igniting his new lightsaber.
The Ninth Sister brings Vader's starship out of hyperspace above Coruscant. She is relieved that their journey is coming to an end since she cannot stand Vader's presence. However, they encounter a new problem when they are unable to transmit their authorization codes to orbital defense. Vader's droid informs them that Coruscant Security has tagged them as an active threat and that the ship's transponder has been identified as part of a Separatist separatist cell.
Unable to confirm their ship's identity as an Imperial ship, Coruscant orbital defense fires missiles at Vader's ship. Realizing they are in imminent danger, Vader takes control of his starship. With Vader at the helm, they are able to dodge the missiles. Using his piloting skills, Lord Vader is able to crash-land the ship into the streets of Coruscant. Upon landing, Vader emerges with the Ninth Sister and his floating droid, and exclaims that he has had enough.
At the ruined former Jedi Temple, the Emperor tells Vader that while he cannot regard his battle with Jocasta Nu a victory, he accepts that it is far from a defeat since he has managed to obtain her hoard of Jedi and Sith tools including a blue mask. Getting straight to business, Lord Vader informs the Emperor that he was the subject of an assassination attempt while on a mission with the Ninth Sister to Cabarria. He tells Vader that the contract originated from the highest levels of Imperial government.
Palpatine takes an interest in Lord Vader's lightsaber, which he regards as an improvement. The Emperor reassures Lord Vader that he did not issue the kill order since he would not require such indirect methods. When Vader asks if it was a test, the Emperor replies that he teaches rather than tests. Lord Vader tells the Emperor about the second attempt made on his life while returning to Coruscant. Vader opines that Lord Vader should not worry too much about the assassination attempt since men like them will always find enemies wanting to kill them.
At a private room in the Uscru District's "The Room of Masks," two masked assassins discuss their failed assassination attempts against Lord Vader. A red-clad conspirator wearing a horned mask asks his co-conspirator who is dressed in blue and wearing a brown hood, about the identity of their target. His colleague doesn't know. The horned conspirator grumbles that setting up the mercenary contract in the Emperor's office failed to drive a wedge between Lord Vader and the Emperor.
The hooded conspirator confirms this is the case, saying that Vader and the Emperor appear to have reach an accommodation. The horned conspirator is curious about the relationship between Vader and the Emperor. The hooded conspirator is equally perplexed, complaining that the Emperor elevates Vader out of nowhere and lets him act without any restraints. He wonders whether Vader is a servant or a bodyguard.
The horned conspirator thinks that Vader is more than a servant or bodyguard since the Emperor gave him control of the Inquisitorius program. He adds that Lord Vader has to go and believes that the Emperor will be easier to manage once Vader is gone. When the hooded conspirator who is missing two fingers asks how they can eliminate such a formidable opponent, the horned conspirator thinks that Vader is merely good or lucky. He resolves to make more attempts until Vader is killed.
Unknown to the conspirators, Lord Vader is meditating through the dark side of the Force and gleans through a Force vision that one of the conspirators is Colonel Barokki, the officer he had Force choked earlier. Vader voices his suspicions about Colonel Barokki to the Emperor. Vader believes that the Imperial officers do not understand his strength and power. While Vader accepts that the Sith cannot rule over an "Empire of the dead," he believes there must be consequences. The Emperor relents, allowing Lord Vader to punish several officers but warns him to spare Tarkin since he needs him.
The Emperor summons the top members of the Imperial Officer Corps to an auditorium where he gives a speech about his vision for the Empire. Palpatine ends his speech by clarifying Lord Vader's place in the Imperial hierarchy. He explains that Vader speaks with his voice and that a command from him is the equivalent of a command from the Emperor. He orders the officers to pass this information down to their subordinates before giving Lord Vader the floor.
Lord Vader summons the Imperial officers Ferro, Bingan, Strephi, Azoras and Barokki to the front of the assembly. He tells the assembled Imperial Officer Corps that two attempts have been made on his life. While he has been unable to track down the conspirators, Vader warns that he will always survive. As punishment, he has summoned five Imperial officers at random to be executed by snapping their necks with the Force. The assembled officers watch in horror and awe at the summary executions of their colleagues. After killing the officers, Lord Vader walks off the stage. The sole remaining conspirator, who has two missing fingers, watches among the assembly.
Later, while meditating through the dark side, Lord Vader breaks a transparisteel window.
- UPC 759606086665; February 28, 2018; Marvel Comics
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- Star Wars: Darth Vader - Dark Lord of the Sith Vol. 1
- Star Wars: Darth Vader by Charles Soule Omnibus