Saga This Bitter Cup (ROTS AU dark viggie; Vader, Vong, Vjun ...)

A/N: This is a short bit, something from my vaults, that assumes that instead of a droid army led by a corporate menace, the Yuuzhan Vong attacked in 22 BBY ... but like Lord Sidious, they made a young Jedi Knight an offer he couldn't refuse ... mods, if this is too dark for here, please let me know and I'll take it down.

DISCLAIMER: LFL's are LFL's. This is a work of fiction. No money is being made off of this. Please don't sue.

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19 BBY, Vjun:
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They had thought to intimidate - shape - him.

And, the Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong Empire supposed, his benefactors - no, intercessors, never "benefactors" - had succeeded.

Just not in the way they intended, Daarth Va'ader - Aa'hnekin Szky'walk'r, were one to run his birth name through a tizowyrm - mused, watching the acid rain from the uppermost tower of Bast Damutek.

Vjun was, quite honestly, a planet the Yuuzhan Vong could fall in love with. Acid rain, flesh-eating moss, cunning vulpinoid pre-sentients, a slightly-insane surviving local populace still rich with midi-chlorians ...

Oh yes, the shapers had practically danced with joy at their new Overlord's kindness when he'd devoted this twisted world to Yun-Ne'shel.

They'd been almost as delighted as they'd been when Onimi had delivered Aa'hnekin to their table on board the Sunulok.

Obi-Wan ...

Molten rage was replaced by pain - pain Va'ader guided and shaped, as much as it shaped him.

Yes, Va'ader understood pain. He was as much coral and vonduun crab now as man - both a powerful Force-user, and a living instrument of the will of the Y'uno, the priests had hailed him as when he'd been unveiled after his "purification."

But I know the truth, don't I? I learned the real truth behind my survival and remaking. I killed Shimmrra; Obi-Wan killed Czulkang Lah; Onimi approached me with an offer to save Padme', if only I ... Va'ader remembered.

It'd been so easy to kill Palpatine - Sidious. The old fool had failed the galaxy, prepared to enslave billions for what - genocide?

A slow death with his teeth at their throats ... or a more honest testing at the hands of the Yuuzhan Vong. The strongest will survive, Va'ader thought, approving.

Oh, the priests weren't happy with receiving only political prisoners and the occasional Rebel for sacrifice. But Va'ader had - quite plainly - made clear the cost if any of them proposed slavery and mass sacrifices.

Jeedai, on the other hand - at least Jeedai who refused to accept the True Way, either the raving fanaticism of the Lahs and Shais or the more subtle guidance of the Praetorite Vong - now, Jeedai, Va'ader had no problem giving to the priests.

It had been Jeedai who had kept him from Padme.' And then she'd learned what he'd done in the Chancellor's office, and she'd confronted him, and ...

And then Obi-Wan had gotten in the way. And now Aa'hnekin was no more, because Padme' ... he couldn't sense her.

Unbidden tears flowed from eyes shielded by a command mask, and the lungworm clinging to his chest quickened to keep pace with his heart.

And the in-out, in-out rasp of the Supreme Overlord's breath echoed the acid rain.

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finis ...

 

Very unique take on ROTS! It fits so well with the canon story if you twist it around. And of course Anakin would be okay with the Jedi going to the sacrifices, but not general slavery. Oh, Anakin. Great, creepy vignette.

 

Tganks. This came about out of the idea that Palpatine's excuse (or at least one of his excuses) for becoming Emperor was that he knew about the "Far Outsiders;" from there, I wondered what might happen if the Vong decided to strike early ...

- Thanks again,
Onderon1