[Chapter Five]

Vader had failed at Yavin, and cost the Empire its most prized creation. He had failed to keep Princess Organa in his clutches twice; the Rebel Alliance lived on as a result. Could the Emperor be blamed for phasing out his once championed minion?

"Lord Vader," A voice came on the shuttle intercom. "I've overridden the access codes. You should now have pseudo-clearance into Blood Shard, but the secondary security systems will activate in roughly five minutes."

"More than enough time to dock. Good work, Captain."

The Eclipse-class Dreadnaught floated in the most nothing of nowhere, a sector of space long forgotten by civilization at large. Somewhere in its bowels rested the Emperor's latest project. A weapon? The answers were restricted to select governors and highest tier officers. Vader intended to steal the answers for himself.

The shuttle swooped past patrols, on alert for hostile activity. Blood Shard was one of only three of its kind, equipped with an axial superlaser, hundreds of turbo and heavy lasers, and a capacity for six hundred TIE fighters.

"Admiral Piett."

"My lord?" He came to attention.

"Are you prepared to take command of this dreadnaught, when and if the time comes?"

"Aye, my lord." His voice had softened, the color draining from his face.

[co-conceived by: DuracellEnergizer]