Summary: In An Alternate Universe (one were Anakin did not kill the younglings) Vader turns on Palpatine upon learning of his wife's fate. Alone with nowhere to turn, Anakin hides in the shadows as a bodyguard and as a mercenary striking against the empire. Luckily for him, he's not as alone as he thinks.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, easy enough to say.
Lord Vader's breathing echoed inside his head, the pain was just starting to dissipate as the mask fitted over him. He could hear his Master's voice calling to him.
"Lord vader, can you hear me?"
"Yes master."
Awarness finally set in as his mind started to settle, still something felt like it was missing. It could only be described as some kind of void. It then hit him.
"Where is Padme? Is she safe?"
Palpatine let out a sigh, though in truth it seemed more like a rattle from something like a zombie.
"It seems like in your anger, you killed her."
Those words cut like a knife. Padme was dead. His children were dead. Everything he had worked for, the people he betrayed the bounds were broken, the bridges burned,. Vader was at best only half a man if not more machine then man and all for what? What did he learn? It was then something inside him flipped like a switch. Anger, no this was rage. Something inside him was fueling his power like coal firing a furnace. Vader closed his eyes and with a grunt that sounded like a snarl, busting out of his restraints, he used the force to shove his master into the wall, or should he say his former master.
"You manipulated me. You never intended for me to save her. You knew I was suffering and confused and used me like a puppet."
A blood cracked smile came over Palpatine's face. "You have no one to blame for that but yourself. Your inpatients for greatness that made you so easy to control and you fell for it. Did you think I was ever going to let Padme live. I knew only when she was dead would you be eternally loyal to me. Now look at you, more machine than man reduced to my minion as I control your strings."
"Your overconfidence is your weakness my lord."
Vader ripped off his mask revealing his burned and scared face, his bloodshot eyes more read than Sidious's own lightsaber. Sidious began to cackle.
"No my former Jedi friend, It is you who are overconfident."
Vader felt himself kneal to the floor as a torrent of purple lighting began to engulfed his body, it licked his skin like a the lava he fell into mere days ago, but this time he didn't feel it. His anger made him numb to it like a painkiller. Not even noticing the lightning, he reached out to the force and yanked one of Palpatine's lightsaber from his robe. He then activated the saber letting it take the bulk of the rest of the lightning and then redirecting it at Palpatine. The Sith Lord found himself falling flat on his back but then getting up and laughing.
"Impressive, most impressive.
"I am every bit your equal."
Sidious began to cackle. "Foolish boy. You may be my equal in power, but you are only a learner, and there is only one master."
With lightning speed, the dark lord drew a lightsaber the blade looked as a crimson tornado as Palpatine spun charging at his former apprentice. The two began to fight like titans in an arena, an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. Vader found himself in awe in truth. Despite the Sith Lord's frail appearance, the Dark Lord still found with a kind of ferocity that Vader had never seen before Jedi or sith. It took every bit of concentration he had just to keep up with Sidious's strikes, what his lightsaber couldn't block, his armor could tank but only just and not for long. However a smile came over his face when he realized something. Palpatine's fighting style was fierce yes, but only because his speed with augmented by the force. Otherwise, it was wild sloppy and lacking a defense. It left Sidious open for attacks, and when Vader found an opening, he reached out with the force and took it.
Sidious crumpled to the floor as he felt the air getting chocked out of him eyes rolling to the back of his head. Vader lifted him up to the air slamming him to a wall and then to the floor. The former apprentice began to laugh.
''you are beaten. It is useless to resist. Now I will destroy you as I destroyed your apprentice.'
'Don't triumph in victory yet, my friend."
In an instant, a burst of lightning began to engulf the cyborg like tiny spiders and this time he found himself falling to his knees in pain. Sidious began to cackle walking closer and closer.
Young fool. Only now, at the end, do you understand. Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the dark side! You have paid the price for your lack of vision! Now, young Skywalker... you will die.
Vader felt himself began to fade, he was dying he wasn't strong enough. He was weak. No he was not weak. He wouldn't tie he refused to die. With one last primal scream Vader reached out with the force causing blades and scalpels from the surgeon table to fly at palpatine with blinding speed hiitng him directly in the eye. Blinded, Palpaitine screamed in pain blood streaming from his eyes. He then reached out to a comlink.
"All available medical droids, assist me on the lower levels.
"Lower levels?" Vader thought.
BWAMM!
Fire engulfed the room causing the steel below to melt with an incredible heat. Vader felt himself falling hitting rubble on the way down. Still with help from the force, he managed to land on his feet. The Walls finally caved separating him from Sidious. Whether by luck or by design Sidious had managed to escape him for now. As he began to walk away, Vader turned around to notice both his mask and Sidious's cloak fall to the ground. The upper part of the mask was completely gone. Leaving only the lower respirator, thankfully that was just enough. Without so much as a word, Vader put on the respirator and wrapped the hood around his head and left. The question was what now
A/N: well there you have it. Tell me what you think. Also straight up, Vader in this story pretty much is Darth Malgus. Just google Darth Malgus and that is what Vader looks like. Remember to review.