Vader - Dark Visions 4

DON'T EVER ANGER THE BEST! Everyone is familiar with DARTH VADER as THE EMPEROR'S enforcer, but as any rebel will tell you, he's also a menace when piloting a TIE Fighter. What sensations arise within that X-WING cockpit when you find yourself face-to-face with the EMPIRE'S most lethal pilot? Will you even survive to share the story, rookie?

A young boy observes from the sewers on Coruscant as stormtroopers interrogate his father, who was found to be in possession of several blasters. As the troopers mention taking him to a detention center, the father attempts to escape. The boy in the sewers is prepared to shoot the troopers but cannot fire the blaster as his father is shot down. He witnesses the Imperials dragging his father away to the morgue.

In the vastness of space, years later, a group of Rebel Alliance pilots are feigning death, their systems powered down, as a squadron of TIE fighters flies past, believing the battle is concluded. They are escorting an Imperial minister as the X-wings tail them, flying low and slow, utilizing only auxiliary power.

Years prior, the young boy is now a teenager at a rebel outpost on Jamiri. After eavesdropping on the introduction of new X-wing pilots to their starfighter, the teenager interrupts, inquiring when he will receive his own X-wing. The Rebel Commander informs the young rebel that it will be approximately five years. The commander is interrupted when the teenager enters an X-wing and takes off, hovering around the hangar, astonishing the other rebels.

Years later, the Imperial minister lands on the designated moon. He is greeted by another Imperial who informs him that Darth Vader is present at the base, overseeing modifications to his TIE fighter. The minister approaches Lord Vader and greets him. Before he can elaborate, Vader interjects, stating that the minister was followed by rebel pilots. The X-wing pilots destroy several TIE fighters, and the debris crashes into the hangar, killing the minister and other Imperials on the moon.

Vader evacuates and enters his TIE fighter, launching immediately. One of the X-wings is targeted, and the other moves to distract Vader. He barely succeeds, forcing Vader to maneuver his TIE out of danger.

Prior to the battle, the rebel commander is outlining her plan to attack the starfighter factory to the General. The general expresses concern about the mission's risk, but the commander responds that with their best pilots, it would be worthwhile, as the war minister is in the area, and they want to prevent the factory from becoming fully operational.

The teenage pilot, now a young adult, enters the room, asserting that he is their best pilot. The commander argues that simulator experience and real battle experience are vastly different. The young pilot argues his case, recounting his and his father's gun-running on Coruscant, stating that he is no longer afraid and is ready to confront the Empire. The general intervenes, instructing the commander to deploy all of the best pilots, which the commander confirms.

Returning to the mission, Vader's flying is disorienting the rebel pilots. The young rebel gets a hit, but Vader quickly retaliates, shooting down one of the other star pilots, Radley. Shortly after, Vader destroys another X-wing, and the commander and the young pilot attempt to regroup and coordinate their efforts.

The young pilot fires at Vader, intentionally missing, believing he is meant to be the bait. The commander thought otherwise since the kid wanted a 'shot at the Empire'. The commander is shot down and killed as Vader passes them again. The young pilot panics as Vader's TIE attempts to lock onto the last X-Wing. The young pilot flees the fight as Vader calls to the Leviathan.

Back in the hangar on Jamiri, the young pilot lands, nearly falling out of his X-wing. He mumbles about Darth Vader, confusing the other pilots in the hangar. He vomits in his helmet and attempts to compose himself with water. When questioned by the other pilots, who followed him, he simply states that they are all dead. The young pilot is in shock, as he didn't take the shot again, and the hangar is destroyed as the other pilots panic around him, trying to save themselves to no avail.

• UPC 759606094004; May 29 , 2019 ; Marvel Comics [1] 00411; Cover A; Greg Smallwood 00421; Cover B; Riccardo Federici