But A Freedom Fighter!
A hundred feet away from the Dark Lord of the Sith on the edge of the rustic Twi'lek village Cham began his reckless attack.
Cham aimed his blaster rifle at Vader alongside Isval with her blaster rifle and they both fired at him while Vader was using the Force to redirect RPG fire at him from another direction. In less than a second Vader turned and deflected all the blaster bolts that the couple fired at him from far away. Cham's face lost all of its grit when he saw Vader effortlessly wipe out their well coordinated attack with just his lightsaber.
Isval with a mixture of despair and determination said, "We lost this battle but with you alive there's still hope. You represent hope not me."
"I love you Isval. Don't do this alone. We can fight him together. If we die together so be it." Cham begged
"No we can't fight Vader. You know that," Isval said with a comforting smile, "I learned that it's not just hope that can help us push through even though we lost the battle. It's love. I'm doing this because I love you Cham. I don't want to hold you back from what you were meant to do. You were meant to save our people not just butcher Imperials like I did for so many years."
Isval gave Cham a big kiss and then stabbed him in the arm with a numbing agent and kickes him in the stomach. Disoriented Cham cried out to Isval begging her to stop what she was doing but was too weak to chase after her. Mockingbird pulled up in an outdoor terrain air vehicle and Cham had no choice but to climb up on it. The battle was over and the assassination attempt on Vader failed. Cham was too depressed to notice that 50 out of 200 of his fighters miraculously survived the battle and too depressed to hear from Mockingbird that the evacuation of non combat Free Ryloth Movement members and equipment was successful. Their old bases were destroyed in massive explosions by Mockingbird to prevent Imperial officers from investigating them to gain more information on the movement. Despite these encouraging signs Cham remained distraught.
He saw Isval throw multiple grenades at Vader hurling expletives at the Empire's most powerful enforcer like he was one of the many Imperial officers she brutally murdered. Vader easily manipulated the massive flames from the explosives in a cocoon around himself. Then easily deflected the rapid automated blaster fire from Isval's advanced twin blaster pistols using his lightsaber. Cham weeping saw Isval manage to raise her middle finger at Vader despite Vader holding her helplessly in mid air via the Force while she choked to death. Then Mockingbird drove Cham away and all he could think of was Isval's smiling being the last thing she did before leaving him. Isval hasn't smiled in the 3 years he'd known her until today.
****
Isval slowly came to consciousness and the Emperor stood before her. She realized she wasn't dead and her hands weren't bound. Isval attempted to move to attack the frail old man who stood before her but she couldn't move. She knew Vader's Jedi-like abilities kept her in place unable to move. Vader stood behind the Emperor but Isval didn't notice him because of the Emperor's sneering face. In contrast Isval's face remained stoic while Isval was forced to speculate what Vader's facial expression was as underneath his mechanical armor.
Isval knew she would be killed once it was determined she wouldn't give Vader any information about the movement even under torture. Isval knew of Nomad's plan to fake the deaths of White Wolf and Yelena aka the White Widow to facilitate their infiltration of the Imperial military as loyal enforcers of their Emperor's rule. She regretted lying to Cham about Nomad's plan but it was the only way to protect him. It was all to prevent Vader from hunting Cham throughout the underground cave networks that crisscrossed through Ryloth/Algeria. Isval was happy and content to die for something bigger than herself. She was comforted by the fact she would die for the man she loved with all of her heart.
"Vader senses your determination and for some strange reason he respects it. I find it foolish. Your movement was doomed from the start. Desperate to gain a tactical advantage you brought in former Avengers to aid you and a former Black Widow and Separatist as well. Talk about desperate. That's exactly what Sergeant Barnes claimed to myself and Lord Vader about your little Free Ryloth Movement. Contessa Valentina believes Captain Walker's anger at Steve Rogers made him a liability which allowed Rogers to gain an advantage in their head to head battles.
That's why I used Sergeant Barnes to set up this desperate attempt to kill me and Lord Vader. Barnes manipulated Sam Wilson so that he would die a senseless death in this battle and suggested I allow Rogers to escape so that he could find Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi. Rogers search for Kenobi will result in leading Vader right to Kenobi. Your movement is impressive compared to the other fledging Rebel groups in other nations but it's still proverbial small potatoes to using you and Cham Syndulla to kill Captain America and lure Master Kenobi out of hiding." The Emperor boasted while laughing
"You're wrong. Sam Wilson may be dead," Isval lied knowing Sam was still alive, "but Captain America isn't dead as long as people have hope. In the future someone else will take up that mantle because what Captain America cannot be killed. We are not terrorists. We are freedom fighters. We could have sacrificed the villagers to kill the both of you but we didn't. At the end of the day you failed to kill all of our members and you failed to break our spirit."
"Is that so? Your group has managed to kill half the Imperials on this planet including a dozen high ranking officers. I would say most impressive but most of these Imperials were as weak and corrupt as Colonel Belkor Dray especially the high ranking officers. Vader and I along with a high level operative in Imperial intelligence set up Belkor to fail so that you would succumb to the temptation of attacking the Whirlwind with myself and Vader onboard this massive airship. We were bait.
If you didn't fall for the bait then your movement would have continued to grow under the neglectful eye of selfish or incompetent or apathetic Imperial military leaders. Now it's exposed and it's secrets known by Sergeant Barnes. In mere hours a massive armada of Imperial airships will arrive on Ryloth/Algeria with more effective and skilled Imperial personnel. You foolish girl. You led your own comrades into a worse situation because of your bloodthirsty desire for revenge." The Emperor taunted and scolded
Isval almost retorted that Cham gave Sergeant Barnes fake evacuation plans and purposely kept Mockingbird away from Barnes and his allies on purpose. Thus protecting the evacuation plans in case the assassination attempt on Vader and the Emperor failed. But Isval knew better. She learned from Cham that sometimes a polite conversation with an Imperial could be beneficial to salvaging a tactical advantage. It's why Cham and Belkor always had pleasant conversations even though they loathed each other. So Isval controlled her temper and managed to smile. She knew as feeble an advantage as this act was...she still one upped the Emperor and Vader by concealing Cham's secret of false Intel to Bucky Barnes. In addition to this secret Isval concealed the secret that Bucky Barnes was a triple agent on the side of the Rebellion and it could be many many years before he would be exposed Isval assumed.
"Why are you smiling? Is all of the bad news too much for you to handle child?" The Emperor asked in false concern
"Your enforcer isn't like you. The way he fought. It was as if he was protecting the villagers. Like he was killing my comrades for them. That's why I kill your Imperials Emperor. It's why I've personally murdered hundreds of them slowly and painfully over the course of three years. It's why I smile when I do it. I kill them because I know it allows me to spend time with the ones I love. I thought for a second there was a human inside that black armor Vader wears but I was wrong. You don't know anything about killing for those you love Vader." Isval said to the Emperor's right shoulder where Vader stood
Vader snorted with amusement.
"I actually used to believe in what you just said. I actually do know the feeling of brutally killing enemies for the one you love. However that is ancient history and doesn't matter anymore. At the end of the day your plan to kill me and my master failed and it's time for your punishment." Vader said dismissively
Vader raised his red lightsaber.
"For a Free Ryloth!" Isval shouted defiantly before the blade fatally sliced her neck
Isval body lay still beheaded alongside the more than 100 Free Ryloth soldiers that Vader slaughtered in the earlier. The villagers started cheering in celebration for their protector Lord Vader. Vader felt pity for them. They were too weak to survive in a world ruled by the Emperor. Perhaps people as weak as this could have a chance in an Empire ruled by him? Vader dismissed such thoughts because even though the Sith rule of two established by Darth Bane required the Sith protege to challenge his master...Vader wasn't interested in such challenges now. He gained a very important lead in finding Obi Wan Kenobi. It would be a beautiful but ironic twist of fate that Kenobi's accomplice in his defeat on Mustafar Steve Rogers would expose Kenobi's location. Thus allowing Vader the chance for revenge on both of them for defeating him and Tony Stark.
The dancing Twi'lek villagers made Vader hesitate for a moment but only for a moment. The memories of the Jedi didn't interrupt his slamming of his hands on the ground causing the Twi'lek villagers to levitate in the air wiggling around helplessly in confusion. These memories of the past didn't prevent Vader from using his lightsaber to slice the young Twi'lek girl he bonded with earlier in half. Nor did the reflections of the past that caused him to struggle in his meditations a few days ago stop him from stabbing the young girl's crying parents in the heart. He didn't care that the Emperor joined in on the slaughter by using his Force lightning on some of the helpless villagers wriggling in the air. The Emperor laughed as he relished a rare opportunity to use his Force powers with no witnesses present. By the time Vader sliced the final members of the village in half he ordered High Governor Mors to perform a full orbital bombardment to reduce the village to ashes.
"Let us go Lord Vader. For now High Governor Mors can oversee getting this backwater nation back in order. If Mors has any further struggles due to the death of her wife then Contessa Valentina the newly promoted Head Judge of the recently formed Imperial Military tribunal will send Barnes to investigate her. Though I'm not worried about High Governor Mors because you Lord Vader are an example of an individual who has done an impressive job overcoming the death of their wife due to failing to protect them." The Emperor said with a malicious grin