An incident on Malachor sends Darth Vader through time and on the path of redemption. Will he use this chance to bring true balance to the force, or will he bring a blanket of darkness over the galaxy? Read to find out.
The effects of Talzin's spell was steadily wearing off throughout Vader's trip to Mandalore, so by the time he landed he was at the tail end of it, respirator up, tense and ready for an ambush. Vader had opted to leave Maul and Ventress to their own duties - can't take the same people everywhere- and brought two different individuals. The first was the Third Brother, a human he had found on Ryloth when the Empire had repelled the Separatists. He was adopted into a twi'Lek family there, before pirates ravaged their cavern and killed everyone bar him and his sister. He had killed all of them. In a way, he reminded Vader of himself at that age. Misguided, scared, and alone. But that's not where the resemblance ended. Evidently he also had a talent for engineering, making his own mask when he was made an inquisitor.
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The boy had even customized his own lightsaber to have the same capabilities as a blaster. While a bit clunky looking in its square appearance, the premise was very promising. He was glad he had sensed his presence on the planet before he went rogue. His sister now lives at the temple on Dathomir, although she was left blind by a stray blaster bolt and needed a droid companion to help her, she was happy enough to be near her adopted brother and the feeling was mutual. Although the temple could go with a few less pranks and tricks. Ventress often butted heads with him over his laid back attitude and mischievous nature. Many Acolytes quickly found out that the Third Brother had a very special affinity for mind tricks.
The second individual was equally as promising. The Fifth Brother. This one bore a deeper resemblance to Vader than even he cared to admit. Born as a slave alongside his mother, where they both lived a life of cruelty and punishment. A life where his mother died after one too many of those punishments. He managed to escape, which is when he was picked up by a low level bounty hunter by the name of Daniel Cross, who trained him in the basics of combat and weaponry, the boy's affinity for the force giving him a natural edge. Unfortunately, one of Cross's jobs was caught in the crossfire of a Republic/Separatist skirmish, the Jedi Knight leading the charge quickly dispatched him. The Jedi, having sensed the fledgling hunter's presence in the force, attempted to recruit him into the Order, although that effort was futile for two reasons. The first was the boys' advanced age. If Anakin was only barely accepted at the age of eight, then someone old enough to fly a starship had no chance. The second, was that the hoy had found he had acquired a very strong distaste for Jedi. Hearing rumors of the Empire's presence in the galaxy, he quickly found himself rising through the ranks of the students before graduating as an Inquisitor. His experience as a bounty hunter left very little to be desired for his combat ability, proving himself to be a ruthless and opportunistic fighter in the face of challenges. The combined skills of these Inquisitors would prove essential in dealing with any rogue Mandalorians that thought crossing the Sith Empire was smart.
A Mandalorian greets them as they exit their ship. "The Duchess awaits you, Lord Vader." "I'd be disappointed if she wasn't." After the many incidents on Mandalore during the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker had made sure to know every intimate detail of every event that transpired leading up to the Death Watch. If his estimated timeline was right, he was very early.
