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WORD OF APOLLO'S REBELLION TOWARD THE EMPIRE HAD SPREAD QUICKLY, and naturally, so did the word of Astrid's existence. The many star systems under the Empire's rule were in a frenzy, some joining Apollo on its uprising, others staying neutral for the sake of themselves and fear of the repercussions. It was infuriating to see how one planet could stir up all of the submission that they had achieved.
Palpatine sat on his throne, lips curled to a scowl when things finally began falling in place. He, of course, was aware Astrid was alive, he couldn't kill her because of the Force bond he had created all those years ago.
This could mean good and bad for the Emperor. Seeing as the punishments were clearly not working, he could always threaten Vader's precious Astrid. However, now that he was completely immersed in the Dark Side, Vader was incredibly strong—maybe even more so than him. Vader also had a motive now, to protect Astrid.
But he grew increasingly aware that Vader had already long had those motives. The apprentice wasn't sloppy in catching the mystery general, yes, maybe she did slip away from him a few times, but he did ultimately figure out her identity. Vader had long known that Astrid was alive and, in fact, she was the general the Empire was looking for.
