Darth Vader Annual 2

VADER desires complete transparency within the Empire, both to and from himself. Therefore, he must investigate the top-secret undertaking of GOVERNOR WILHUFF TARKIN and ORSON KRENNIC: the colossal battle station under construction on GEONOSIS. An opportunity arises when sabotage by unknown entities impedes the project. THE EMPEROR commands his dark enforcer to uncover and eliminate the source of this treachery, which threatens the Empire's galactic dominance.

Accompanied by a contingent of Death troopers, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin journeys to the Imperial security complex located at Citadel Tower on Scarif. When an Imperial officer questions his visit, Tarkin simply states that he has a scheduled meeting and that is all that needs to be known. Tarkin proceeds to the Scarif vault, where he finds Darth Vader present without proper authorization.

Vader disregards Imperial protocol, expressing his interest in Project Stardust. Tarkin counters that he lacks the clearance to view projects of the Tarkin Initiative. Vader retorts that the Force serves as his ultimate authorization, commanding the Governor not to defy its will. When Tarkin demands that he stand down, Vader asserts that he is not merely a beast to be controlled.

Tarkin responds that the Emperor holds a different view, stating that Vader is his to command. Tarkin observes Vader's palpable anger, hatred, and murderous intent, questioning how the Emperor would react if he were to be subjected to a Force choke. Tarkin then communicates with the Emperor via holoprojector. The Emperor informs Lord Vader that he has no recollection of dispatching him to Scarif.

Vader offers his apologies, explaining that he merely sought to study the methods by which the Galactic Empire intends to extend its dominion over the galaxy. The Emperor decides that it is time for Lord Vader to be informed and instructs him to serve under Tarkin's command. He reveals that acts of sabotage have occurred and assigns Vader the task of uncovering the treachery that has disrupted Project Stardust's timeline, ordering him to eradicate it. Furthermore, he cautions Vader against disappointing Tarkin, as the Governor holds complete authority over him.

Lord Vader travels via shuttle to Geonosis, where the incomplete Death Star orbits the planet. After receiving clearance to land, Vader arrives at an Imperial base and is greeted by Commander Orson Krennic. Krennic expresses surprise at Vader's presence, who explains that he is investigating sabotage. Suddenly, explosives detonate, causing a rocky arch to collapse onto Vader's shuttle.

Although Vader and Krennic survive, the shuttle is buried under debris, and several Death troopers sustain injuries. Vader attributes the attack to saboteurs and requests a private meeting with Krennic. In Krennic's office, Krennic suspects that the rock incident was an assassination attempt orchestrated by Tarkin, whom he fears is attempting to seize control of the project. Krennic tells Vader that Tarkin dislikes him because the Sith Lord has the Emperor's favor. Krennic emphasizes that he is a builder and an architect, whereas Tarkin is a mere politician.

Vader dismisses these accusations as "baseless" and inquires about other instances of sabotage. Krennic recalls an accident eight months prior that resulted in the deaths of two dozen Geonosians. Three months later, tests on the enhanced tractor beams malfunctioned, resulting in the deaths of numerous Imperial stormtroopers. Imperial slicers determined that the code had been tampered with. Krennic also mentions that an O0-99 Imperial orbital load-lifter went rogue, killing at least one Geonosian before being destroyed by a TIE fighter. Krennic concludes that the recent assassination attempt indicates that they are both implicated in this conspiracy. Vader pledges to uncover the perpetrator, vowing that the truth will not remain hidden.

While contemplating memories of the First Battle of Geonosis at the Petranaki Arena, Lord Vader is visited by Loyalty officer Sid Uddra. Based on her investigation, Uddra characterizes Tarkin as a manipulative autocrat and Krennic as a narcissist who have employed deceit and death to attain their current positions. However, she believes that they are not responsible for the sabotage because they value the power that the Empire provides them.

Vader considers the two men dangerous, but Uddra disagrees. Using a shah-tezh analogy, she explains that Tarkin and Krennic are attempting to control the project rather than destroy it. Their best course of action is to press forward to victory and claim ownership of that victory. Lord Vader asks Uddra to identify a suspect, and she suggests that he investigate Galen Walton Erso.

Darth Vader travels to Coruscant to investigate Galen Erso's office while Erso is at home. He reflects on Loyalty officer Uddra's briefing, which described Erso as a family man with a wife named Lyra and a daughter named Jyn Erso. Erso was a polymath and genius caught in a power struggle between Tarkin and Krennic, with Krennic ultimately prevailing, securing Erso's freedom and loyalty.

Uddra does not believe that Erso is the saboteur, but Vader is troubled by Erso's pacifism. Vader dismisses pacifists as fools who are oblivious to the necessity of violence in establishing order. Vader observes a hologram of Erso and his family. Erso is stationed offworld on Coruscant, while his wife cares for their daughter Jyn and conducts research on crystals for him on Alpinn.

Acting on Uddra's information that Erso receives shipments of Geonosian technology, the Sith Lord discovers several kyber crystals and a Geonosian egg, known as an Ootheca. Returning to Geonosis, Vader confronts Krennic and smashes the Ootheca on his table. Vader recalls that Geonosians are a servant species prohibited from breeding freely and demands to know why Erso possesses one.

Krennic explains that Erso receives shipments of Geonosian technology and blueprints for his research. Krennic dismisses the egg as a rogue infestation. He believes that the Geonosians dispatched the egg to Erso in an attempt to enlist his assistance. Lord Vader immediately demands a contingent of death troopers.

Lord Vader leads a contingent of death troopers to the Korakanni Mound. The Imperials are ambushed by a rogue Geonosian hive armed with sonic blasters. Storming the nest, they discover it inhabited by a rogue queen and her offspring. Wielding his lightsaber, Lord Vader slays numerous Geonosians. His Death troopers gun down several of the aliens. Accusing the queen of unsanctioned breeding and sabotage, he brutally kills her with his lightsaber.

Later, Darth Vader meets with Governor Tarkin aboard the Carrion Spike, informing him that he has apprehended the saboteurs. Vader explains that he uncovered evidence in the brood chamber and that the Geonosians dispatched an egg case to an Imperial scientist in the hope of swaying him to their cause. Vader concludes that the scientist was not complicit in their treachery.

Vader informs Tarkin that Imperial slicers have confirmed that the rogue Geonosian hive introduced corrupted technology into production, resulting in accidents. They also discovered detonite charges whose accelerant configurations matched those found on the rubble that nearly killed him and Krennic. When Tarkin inquires about his actions, Lord Vader responds that the Geonosians were "animals" and that he slaughtered them as such, evoking memories of Anakin Skywalker's massacre of the Tusken Raiders for the murder of his mother, Shmi Skywalker.

Tarkin expresses his satisfaction and asks if further action is required. Vader replies that the true scope of the Death Star project remains concealed for now, deducing that it is not merely a battle station but a planet-destroying weapon. When Tarkin asks what revealed this, Vader states that he is aware of the kyber crystals, which can be weaponized. Sensing Vader's unease, the Sith Lord responds that he distrusts his reliance on this "technological aberration" and that he places his faith solely in the Force.

Tarkin reminds Vader that he is also a "technological aberration" and suggests that Vader desires to be the Emperor's sole "technological aberration." He believes that Vader fears that the battle station will deprive him of that distinction. When he asks Vader what he is, Lord Vader warns him not to invest too heavily in the battle station, as it may become his tomb. When Tarkin questions whether this is a threat, Vader informs the Governor that it is merely a prediction.

Later, on the Outer Rim world of Alpinn, Lyra is excavating crystals in a cave, hoping to find a suitable specimen for her husband, Galen. Her droid, Dee-dee-nine, detects an intruder, who turns out to be an RA-7 protocol droid bearing a message for her. Lyra asks who sent the droid, but it responds that it is irrelevant.

The droid informs her that she and her husband are working on a superweapon of "unparalleled magnitude" and that if she continues this work, she will bear responsibility for the deaths of countless galactic citizens. The droid urges her to consider her daughter Jyn's perspective before self-destructing.

Lyra instructs Nari Sable to prepare the shuttle for departure. When Nari asks what is amiss, Lyra responds that it is something significant. While she remains uncertain of the specifics, she asserts that she must retrieve Jyn and reach her husband.

Darth Vader Annual 2 shares a timeline with Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel, although the comic book's conclusion appears to contradict certain elements of the novel. In Darth Vader Annual 2, Lyra Erso is eager to depart Alpinn and rejoin her husband, Galen, on Coruscant. However, prior to returning to Coruscant in Catalyst, she attends a party and visits the Western Reaches.

The comic book presents the first visual representation of Sid Uddra, a character conceived for Chuck Wendig's 2017 novel Aftermath: Empire's End.

Star Wars: Timelines assigns Darth Vader Annual 2 to both 18 BBY and 17 BBY on different pages. Given that 18 BBY aligns with Lyra's departure from Alpinn in Catalyst, this article assumes that the 17 BBY date is erroneous.

• UPC 759606083695; July 18 , 2018 ; Marvel Comics [1] 00211; Cover A; Mike Deodato, Jr., Arif Prianto 00221; Cover B; Rahzzah