V.2-C.85│Interlude II│

"So, you wanted to talk did you?" Anakin asked as he allowed Ahsoka into his room, given that this was a day they were supposed to be doing meditation practice. Something that she very much disliked, especially since he had done this as a way to counteract whatever advances she may be trying to do.

"Y-Yeah... About that..." Ahsoka started off, not really sure what she was going to say to Anakin now that she had him all alone, to herself. 'No! Bad thoughts Ahsoka! Naughty!' She quickly brought herself back to reality as Anakin didn't SEEM to notice what had just happened, but Ahsoka knew better as he was quite the sneaky person.

Anakin may be pretty honest, but that doesn't mean he wasn't able to hide some things. "I get the feeling you are insulting me somehow?" Anakin asked her as she approached him.

"What makes you think that?" Ahsoka questioned him, curious as to why he knew that.

"The look on your face, of course." Anakin answered nonchalantly.

"Huh!? You dont even have your eyes open." Ahsoka was confused as Anakin did in fact have his eyes closed, unable to see her. "Also, that is true. I do hide things, just as others hide things from me as well. That doesn't mean I am necessarily a sneaky-"

"Oh! But you are totally the sneaky type trying to go around and then striking when the iron is hot. I can see it. It happened with the recent war and even when it comes to the Republic." Ahsoka was actually quite intelligent, and she seemed to be the only one really paying attention to Anakin's actions the most out of everyone.

'I guess she does have the most free time...' It wasn't like Anakin got her to do anything much accept do some basic training and when it came to schooling, he instead focused on private tutoring instead.

It was much better than having the apprentice of the Emperor go to some public educational facility within the Empyrean. Everyone would absolutely freak out about her arrival, and there would most certainly be some chaos as well.

"... I dont lie." Anakin replied as she finally sat down opposite of him. "At least, I dont lie to anyone of you, do I?"

"... I guess not..." Ahsoka couldn't really recall herself, a time that Anakin had lied to any of them but he did hide things. One such thing was him doing experiments on himself, which they were so graciously brought in on this subject because it had accidently been leaked.

They probably would have never known and he would have kept it to himself otherwise.

Just like how he had kept to himself his identity as Vader and his participation in events that would shape the future of the Empyrean, years before it became a proper empire.

"You do hide things however." Ahsoka said as she wasn't starting to meditate just yet and instead waited there, staring intensely at Anakin.

"I concede." Anakin replied as he still had his eyes closed. "Why dont you start meditating as well, or do you want to talk about some things first."

"Vader."

"Yes? What about him? Or should I say, what about myself?" Anakin asked her as he also had a small smirk develop having fun with himself, and this only irritated Ahsoka.

"Can you explain yourself... you know what I have seen, and for you to do that..." Ahsoka left off not needing to say anything more knowing that Anakin got the point.

"If you are worried about me being like Vader, it is fine. I only used this Vader persona for a specific purpose, and that was to do some sneaky activities that you seem to have figured out I have been doing." Anakin replied.

Ahsoka believed him, just as she had believed in him years ago as well. Believed in him as they left the Jedi as well, and there was never a moment where her faith in Anakin was shaken, that was until it was exposed that he took on the mantle of Vader at some point.

Even if he had retired this mantle, it was obvious it was something that existed within himself. "I wont lie and tell you that Vader isn't a part of me, because Vader and myself are the same but different. There is a reason for existence here, and he isn't the same being you have had visions of." Anakin further explained as he wanted to assure her and take away her doubts or worries.

"Well, obviously." Ahsoka responded, but deep down she was feeling better just from Anakin's words.

"I can sense you rolling your eyes." Anakin stated and she just gave a big huff before closing her own eyes and deciding to meditate on things herself. She was scared to see those same very eyes that Darth Vader had looking at her, and much preferred Anakin's eyes now as they were.

Not that she would say this out loud.

[]

Within some Empyrean citizens home, one could see that they were watching something before being rudely interrupted by adds.

"Damn these adverts to the Emperor's void!" A man roared as he had come back from a days hard work.

Generic Country Music starts to play in the background as the advertisement starts.

"Hey... isn't that..." The man seems to be surprised at what was happening on his screen.

The camera pans to a fishing pond where a genetically engineered super force user with dirty blond hair and glowing purple eyes is sitting in a boat opening a cold one with the boys.

The man tips his cowboy hat looks at the camera and says "When I'm not being a space emperor..." The screen quickly switches to a him in his full battle armor t-bagging some figure that was within some sort of robe, and had quite the pasty, baggy skin while Empyrean star ships are destroying the enemy combatants from the sky.

The screen switches back to Anakin in the boat, "I'm just a regular guy, who loves his family. I love to sit back and relax and grab a cold one with the boys... And the best drink for that is Sky-Light". The camera pans to the beer in his hand, the logo being prominently shown with tiny droplets of cool water dripping from the brand.

The camera pans out to the sky where the sky-light logo is shown in a big font and a narrators voice says. "Sky-light, the drink that brings the home to you, no matter where in the sky you are."

"Well, I'll be." The man was now sitting up, thinking he had just come across some prime real estate. "I got to get me some of that. I mean... the God-Emperor approves of it, so that must mean that everyone is going to get it..."

Realizing that he may be late. "Oh no! I need to phone up now and see if I could get some of that nice looking Sky-Light!"

Of course the man fails to notice the next advertisement that rolls around, that would no doubt intrigue him some more. This same man was an avid Basketball player as well within his free time, especially when hanging out with his friends and they played off against each other in friendly games.

The screen cuts to another advertisment and it starts to play some generic Hip-Hop music within its background.

The very same man from before, dirty blond hair and purple eyes was on a court bouncing the ball all around that very same old man, with pasty white, baggy and wrinkly skin and with a robe on.

Why would this old man play against the Emperor and why would he also do so while wearing robes is anyone's guess.

The God-Emperor of the Empyrean went straight for a dunk, and smashes the glass! The old man has a heart attack from the cool factor, and multiple, various girls, whether they were human or alien, all were good looking, started to shake their bums for the camera, because sex sells.

The God-Emperor looks towards the camera, smiles, then winks. "You can dunk just like me with Sky-Shoes. They make you feel like you're walking on air." The God-Emperor is then surrounded by the girls before his wives now come into the shot and kick those whores away from their husband as they were in skimpy cheerleader outfits.

The God-Emperor gives his advice. "Oh! And dont forget to be loyal now." They all start to walk away as the skimpily dressed girls pushed and pulled away from the Emperor by his wives just stared at him leaving and sighed.

The camera then fades to black, as the man that was just ordering the drink just saw the ending part of the advertisement. "Noooo! I need to get those as well!"

This same thing would happen throughout many, many homes within the Empyrean and Skywalker Industries subsidiary companies that produced these products would be inundated with requests and orders for these very things advertised.

Husbands, father, brothers, nephews, all men were probably in some way hassled by the females that lived with them, that were either their mothers, wives, daughters, or nieces about their overwhelming desire to get that stuff.

They wouldn't stop them, no. In fact they would have liked to support the Emperor as well, but it was just that they didn't want their men to suddenly just go all crazy over some silly pairs of shoes or some alcohol.

Given that the shoes and alcohol were endorsed by the God-Emperor however, they knew that it would allow them to finally become drunk again.

The super serum was super effective after all and it near completely disabled the peoples ability to poison themselves, but now there was an alternative to that problem, which was the Super Serum and now a replacement for something they had lost.

Anakin had created a problem through the Super Serum and then was selling the solution as well.

It was certainly a dastardly prospect for something like this to happen, but no one within the Empyrean cared at all. Their Emperor wouldn't just do this to harm them or take advantage of them, and even if he did, he deserved something in return for his efforts in bettering their lives.

It was something they would gladly look away from and accept it.

Again, Anakin was taking advantage of the situation some people within the Empyrean is in, and because of this others would try to look into this as well.

Skywalker Industries could still grow, but so could its competitors try to grow as well, given that the business world is like that.

Its better if he gives some encouragement in the form monopolizing the market for a short while, then does other companies created from within the Empyrean would do something similar. He also didn't just make these things at a high price either, as that would just be silly.

He didn't want other businesses to get the great idea of trying to scam their customers for more money.

That was something that he was already aware of within his previous life and it even happened within the Galactic Republic as well. Making you brand exclusive, increasing the the price, which would also increase ones accumulative wealth built on the backs of their workers and customers.

It was a dangerous game, but Anakin would try and manipulate everything so it doesn't get out of hand, because at the end of the day, companies still needed to make a profit.

[]

While the Empyrean was now officially the true ruler over the Arkanis Sector, which Anakin would promptly get requests to change the name of, into the Skywalker Sector, they would start looking at their other areas.

Chommell, where Naboo is and Quelii, where Dathomir is.

From Naboo, alot of reinforcements were sent through them to start occupying planets and taking over sectors from their system.

Unfortunately they couldn't take over the one other system within the Chommell sector because it is under the Republic, however, Anakin didn't mind this.

First was Enarc, a major trade world located at the confluence of several hyperlanes that connected Mid Rim worlds between the Hydian Way and the Corellian Run It was an endpoint of the Enarc Run and a jumping-off point of trade and travel to the Outer Rim Territories.

No one currently held any sway over this system, so the Empyrean would gladly take it for themselves.

Then came the Alui system was a star system located within the Mid Rim region of the galaxy. It didn't have much, but it could be used for some things since it was on the trade route.

Within the Quelii Sector, that of which Talzin is in charge of, the Empyrean had been helping the Dathomirian Queen named Talzin and took over Cathar, the homeworld of the Cathar species, filled with many ecological niches and huge insect predators.

This place had quite the place and Cathar would be turned into something similar to what Dathomir is like.

Then the last place for takeover was Vinsoth, the home planet of the Chevin and Chev species in the Quelii sector of the Outer Rim Territories. It was a temperate planet with zones of grasslands and prairies, arctic ice, and deserts.

It was here that there may have been some contention with the Separatists movement, since this planet did come under their space, however it wasn't occupied or under their control, so Anakin thought it prudent to grab to increase the influence the Empyrean has over the Quelii Sector.

After all of this is settled however, Anakin waited to have some downtime, so some downtime he would have, meaning that he would be doing nothing much. He had after all just been doing some advertisements, that if Sidious was smart enough would see the message.

Of course, Sidious may not actually see the message within those advertisements because it wasn't like he was interested in stuff like that and most of his time was taken up by other things.

Anakin did however want to reveal to them that he knew about Sidious being a Sith Lord. If only to make him be even more cautious as Anakin had just shown the might of his Empyrean through the actions taken, and now he has an even larger army now.

It would certainly be interesting, but he would be focusing on his family for a small bit now.

'I think that is enough for now, I can start expanding again once the refugees from Hutt space start making their way over to the Empyrean.' Anakin thought to himself.