Heinsnake plot

For countless generations, a sect of dark side practitioners existed, wielding magical abilities comparable to those of a Sith Lord. The Sith had presumed them extinct by the time the Clone Wars erupted many years later.

Following the Declaration of a New Order and the establishment of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY, Darth Vader perpetrated the death of the son belonging to a wealthy industrialist. This act spurred the industrialist to orchestrate a retaliatory strike against Darth Vader, deploying nine assassins to eliminate him. Vader successfully neutralized all but one of these assassins.

The conspiracy commenced when Darth Vader intervened to prevent an assassination attempt targeting Emperor Palpatine. Upon being summoned by the Emperor, the Sith commander unexpectedly used the Force to push Palpatine away and then propelled his throne out of a window, revealing a concealed bomb beneath it. The resulting explosion inflicted severe damage on the office, even at a considerable distance.

Subsequently, Vader executed the two Royal Guards positioned near the throne for their failure to safeguard the Emperor. He hurled them out of the window, emphasizing that they deserved a slow demise but that he lacked the time for such an approach. He then reprimanded the remaining guards upon their arrival. After the guards acknowledged their responsibility for the Emperor's safety, Vader beheaded two for failing to kneel, assigned two to guard Palpatine, two to accompany him, and one to conceal the assassination attempt from the public eye.

Later, the group identified the Heinsnake cult as the perpetrators after encountering a member in an off-world tavern who detonated himself to prevent the disclosure of their motives. This action also prevented the ninth assassin from approaching Vader. Palpatine, recognizing the threat the cult posed to both his reign and the Sith Order, ordered Vader to locate and eliminate the cult. Vader, accompanied by two Royal Guards in a Theta-class shuttle, was dispatched to find the cult near a moon. Meanwhile, a cultist saboteur, equipped with a homing beacon, infiltrated an Imperial Venator-class Star Destroyer orbiting an unidentified moon and used a powerful energy beam from the moon to destroy the Star Destroyer.

Upon reaching the designated coordinates, Vader and the Royal Guards were stunned to discover the wreckage of the Venator-class Star Destroyer in orbit. Vader requested to be brought closer to the destroyed vessel, but the Royal Guards objected, citing the danger of landing the shuttle on the wreckage. Undeterred, Vader exited the ship through the airlock, using his magnetic boots to navigate the ship. Upon inspecting the ship, he concluded that a massive blast had destroyed it, but surprisingly few bodies were found, suggesting that most of the crew had evacuated.

After further searching through the ship's remains, he located the datalog terminal and transmitted the logs to the Royal Guards, requesting to be picked up "where he was dropped off." Upon reviewing the logs, the Royal Guards were astonished by the power of the blast, noting that it exceeded the output of any Imperial Army weapon. They traced the blast's origin to the moon and identified the Heinsnake cult as responsible, based on the Captain's entry. Vader and the Royal Guards then sought out the evacuation landing point, hoping to find surviving crew members who could provide information about the Heinsnake Cult's plot against the Emperor. However, upon arriving at the landing point, they found only abandoned vessels, leading Vader to suspect that the crew had been consumed by local wildlife.

Suddenly, Vader and the Royal Guards were ambushed by a giant beast. One of the guards was crushed by the creature, but Vader killed it with his lightsaber. Vader and the remaining Royal Guard then reached the temple believed to be the source of the blast. However, they were followed by the ninth assassin, who silently killed the guard. Vader entered the temple, sensing that he was being watched.

Darth Vader eventually confronted the Heinsnake cultists on the moon, uncovering their history and motivations. The elder cultist then led Vader to the basis, stating that it was only enough for him to peer into it. Vines then enveloped Vader, and he envisioned himself effortlessly defeating Obi-Wan Kenobi and Palpatine, as well as bearing the Heinsnake cult's logo on his chest box computer of his life-support armor. The elder recounted their history and beliefs, including the prophesied arrival of a black-armored leader who would guide the cult to glory. The elder explained that they believed Vader was this warrior and that the entire plot was designed to lure Vader to their temple, where they offered their allegiance in overthrowing Palpatine and destroying the Empire. However, Vader refused and slaughtered all the cultists, effectively ending the cult.

Later, as Vader left the temple, he encountered and defeated the assassin in a duel. Sometime later, he paid a "visit" to the assassin's associate, delivered the crystal to Grand Moff Tarkin for the Death Star project, and visited the industrialist. In the end, Palpatine revealed to Vader that he was aware of everything that had transpired and had orchestrated it all as a test of Vader's loyalty, even permitting the tentative assassination attempt on himself.