Discord: YT Memberships: What if Darth Vader KEPT The 501st? Let’s explore the depths of it in the video. Vader stares at the lightsaber in his hand, rolling it on the palm of his hand as he inspects the design, trying to make sure that it is what he thinks it is. Its appearance is unmistakable. He had modified this weapon at what felt like a lifetime ago. Ahsoka. Though his armor betrays nothing, there is a strange pang within himself, an emotion he had not thought himself capable of feeling anymore. Shame. Guilt. She had died, and though not directly by him, Vader had helped pull the trigger. He grips the weapon tightly and looks over the landscape. Though the snow obscures most of the landscape, he can see the tops of clone trooper helmets. Some with blue markings, many with orange ones, others with no markings, and one or two with red ones. His men. Those he had sent with Ahsoka to help her liberate Mandalore. Those whom he had served with for four long years. He bled and laughed and cried with them. Those who followed him without question, not because they hated him or feared him, but because they loved him and truly believed he knew what was best. Vader then turns to his new men, the troops Palpatine had just assigned to him. Stormtroopers, he calls them, but to Vader, they are fools. Many claim to be soldiers, some had fought alongside him when he was still Anakin during the Clone Wars. A few certainly had spirit, but they were too few. Most were fools who were sent simply to fill up the ranks. No. This would never happen. If he were to be the Emperor’s strong fist, he would need real soldiers. Those with steel in their backs and those who would follow him, not just because they feared someone. He curtly tells the officers to finish up salvaging the ship and warns them not to damage the graves left behind as Vader returns to his ship. He begins researching where the remains of the 501st might be. Most remain in Coruscant having remained under his service, but other scattered units are scheduled for decommissioning along with the rest of the clone army. Vader puts out a message, requesting that they be transferred to his new army. This is met with surprise, but none dare question him, simply raising some of the issues with what is to happen to these clones. Vader’s only response is that he will decide what shall happen to them. As the first units arrive, Vader greets them personally, and the clones are surprised to see a change in his demeanor. While it would be an exaggeration to say he was happy, the normally cold Sith seems almost pleased. He treats the clones with respect, referring to them as fellow soldiers. Vader: Greetings, men of the clone army. I have brought you here because I intend to reconstitute the 501st. In its prime, this unit was feared across the galaxy, as we’ve won battles across a hundred systems. Now the Empire has provided me with new soldiers, but one whose lack of skills I find disturbing. No, if the 501st is to continue its role as the most respected and feared unit of the Empire, it must only be made up of the best. That means you. Hearing this, the troops all sit up a bit straighter. The men snap to attention and salute the Sith, many just happy to be doing what they love. But as the units begin to organize themselves, Vader hears some unusual stories. The reports of the clones being decommissioned were widespread, but just how it was done was not. He had expected the clones would be allowed to relocate in the Outer Rim with lands allotted to them or perhaps find jobs as planetary defense forces. Some of their most experienced officers have already been tasked with training the new stormtroopers. Instead, the reports he finds are of clones simply being left out in the streets, left to fend for themselves. Worse still is that others are reportedly being imprisoned for minor infractions or expressing dissatisfaction with their positions. This takes Vader off guard as it is an act of cruelty that stuns even him. He approaches Commander Appo and talks to him about it. Vader: Surely these rumors are exaggerated. Appo: I certainly wish it were, sir. But they aren’t exaggerated, and they aren’t rumors. Some smaller units within the 501st, those stationed away from the main unit, have already been disbanded. Vader: How do you know about this?