Cylo Hijacking

During the War on Shu-Torun, Doctor Cylo conspired with the rebellious ore-dukes in a plot to assassinate the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader. However, the Sith Lord survived the attempt and led the Empire to a victorious outcome. Morit Astarte murdered his sister, Aiolin Astarte, because she was a rival for Vader's position. Morit then escaped alongside Cylo and Tulon Voidgazer. Following these events, Vader was tasked by his master to hunt them down. Simultaneously, Vader dispatched his two assassin droids, 0-0-0 and BT-1, with orders to capture Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra and deliver her to the Executor, as she possessed knowledge of his schemes against the Emperor. Vader, aboard the Devastator, traveled to the Crushank Nebulae and spearheaded an assault with TIE fighters on the renegade scientist's fleet. Cylo managed to escape, but Vader first boarded his flagship. He navigated through the labs and eventually encountered Voidgazer, who unleashed her cybernetically enhanced rancor against him. This creature proved to be no match for Vader, who swiftly killed the beast before eliminating Voidgazer herself.

As Vader engaged Voidgazer in combat, Cylo's fleet materialized from hyperspace. On the bridge of the Executor, Grand General Cassio Tagge gave the order to fire the ship's weapons. However, they discovered that the weapons systems, doors, and control panels were non-functional. To their dismay, sleeping gas began to flood the bridge through the ventilation system, rendering them unconscious. In the Emperor's throne room, a Royal Guard informed him that they were operating solely on their individual life-support systems. In a final desperate move, Cylo and Morit abandoned their flagship and directed it on a collision course with the Executor. Vader reached the bridge of the Executor in an attempt to avert the impending collision, but he found that the ship's course could not be altered.

Once aboard the Executor, Cylo's forces discovered the crew incapacitated and promptly took control of the bridge. They proceeded to activate ion charges to disable any pursuing vessels. However, before they could make their escape, the ship's power systems failed. The Dark Lord of the Sith then contacted them, revealing that he had intentionally cut off the power and was coming to confront them. Morit departed to confront Vader, while Cylo's troops were dispatched to capture Palpatine.

Meanwhile, Aphra exploited the programming of BT-1 and 0-0-0 to secure their assistance in her escape. Vader's primary directive to both droids was solely to bring her aboard the ship. With that objective accomplished, she was able to issue new commands, instructing them to assist her. She decided that to remove Vader as a threat, she needed to inform Palpatine of Vader's plot. Accompanied by the droids and the Wookiee bounty hunter Krrsantan, who was present due to a significant money debt she owed him, she set out to defend the Emperor from Cylo's forces. Morit confronted Vader on the hull of the ship, where they engaged in a duel. Vader used the Force-pushed his opponent onto a ledge, where he regained his balance, only for Vader to use the Force to destroy the ledge, resulting in Morit's death.

As the Emperor's Fist approached the bridge, the troops tasked with capturing the Emperor retreated and pursued the cyborg, who swiftly eliminated them all. Upon Vader's arrival at the bridge, Cylo reminded him that he was his creation, and then deactivated him with a simple button press. Rendered unconscious, Vader experienced a vision in which he returned to Mustafar and killed Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin, then choked Padmé Amidala. Upon awakening, he declared that Skywalker was dead, shocking Cylo. Vader then impaled Cylo-V, killing him. Aboard Cylo's whale fleet, Cylo-VI awoke, desperate to escape. Vader departed in his TIE Advanced x1 and informed his master that the ship was under Imperial control as he raced to prevent the scientist's escape. At that moment, Aphra burst into Palpatine's chambers to reveal Vader's plot.

Vader pursued Cylo, while Cylo's fleet attempted to prevent him from reaching the flagship. The vessel managed to escape, but not before Vader had boarded it. He swiftly dispatched all of Cylo's marines. As he traversed the cloning chamber, he was confronted by the clones of Cylo. Despite their taunts, he effortlessly killed them all. Vader then confronted Cylo-VI on the bridge, who continued to boast about his immortality. However, Vader used the Force to direct the ship into a nearby sun, and then departed as the ship was destroyed, permanently ending the turncoat scientist.

Vader returned to the Executor to report his success. Palpatine revealed that Aphra had informed him of Vader's treachery. Instead of expressing anger, he congratulated his apprentice and left him to deal with the "delightful girl". Vader ejected Aphra out of the airlock, and then went to meet Tagge and Palpatine on the bridge. Citing Tagge's errors and misplaced trust as reasons for relieving him of his Supreme Commander duties, the Emperor instead granted his apprentice absolute command of both Death Squadron and the entire Military. As soon as Palpatine left, Tagge attempted to reason with Vader, but he was interrupted and met his end at the hands of his new superior's grip. The Emperor's Fist gave Admiral Kendal Ozzel two weeks to prepare the Executor for action. Aphra was eventually rescued by Krrsantan, with Vader no longer pursuing her, believing her to be dead.