This is just a piece about the differences between the Dark and Light sides of the force. The scene takes place between chapters 18 and 19 of Cka3ka's AU Heart of Darkness. Leia is a rather unconventional Sith who is currently a Bounty Hunter. I highly suggest that everyone go read Heart of Darkness. It's what inspired me to get an account not to mention this fic. You can find it in my C2 Dark Skywalker, or under my favorite stories, or Cka3ka under my favorite authors. So I dedicate this to her and to Arianwen P.F. Everett. I bow before my superior and send my complements to another, equally dedicated, fan of Heart of Darkness.
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"Our passions are like fire and water, they are good servants but bad masters." -Aesop
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Light and Dark. Water and Fire. Leia Skywalker understood this concept. She had learned her lessons well.
The Light side of the Force was water. It was gentle, though strong. One could float in it for hours. It surrounded and enveloped. If you trusted it, it would gently take you to its chosen destination. But a flood was a dangerous thing. That was the power of the Jedi. To withhold their power from everyday life, then bring it crashing down with a mighty roar on whoever was foolish enough to break the law. But just as a man could be pulled from the water anytime before drowning, so the Jedi would show mercy up until the last second if their opponent asked for it. Of course, people still died and people still drown. After all, the Jedi fought in wars, and everyone knew people died in wars, that was just the way things were. And even before the clone wars, sanctioned violence was what kept the Jedi in power.
But the water had its dangers. Any experienced ocean swimmer could warn you of the dangers of a rip tide. Drift for too long and you have nothing to anchor you to the real world. The Jedi forgot to be human. Drift for too long and you may not realize you're drowning. They became so self-assured and complacent that they began to drown. The Jedi had lost touch with the force's will and their powers began to fade. But they did not change. The Chosen One showed them the path, the way to become human and regain their powers. But they tried to change him. In the end the law of nature held true, those who will not change with time will be destroyed in time.
The Dark side of the Force was fire. A powerful weapon, it purpose was to destroy. Sith took pleasure in watching their enemies burn, either slowly, in pain, or a quick blast that left behind charred corpses for others to tremble over. A fire brought utter annihilation. But a fire needed fuel to burn. Feed it constantly with your emotions. It would not follow some riverbed; content to never stray from the path it had been set. No. A fire had to be watched and controlled. You could not lose control. A fire needed fuel. And it didn't see any difference in consuming your opponents or you; all your enemies had worked to build or your own house. Let it assume control and all you'll have left is the burned out remains of what might have been.
Vader had learned this lesson. He had let it control him to burn away all the guilt he had felt in the Jedi temple, killing the Jedi, the younglings. Too late he realize it had destroyed his family as well. Palpatine had let the fire burn him so often he believed that it was necessary. He now lived in the fire, letting it slowly destroy him from the inside out. He was driven mad. "Greed and pride, fatal sparks, set the hearts of all on fire." Palpatine's greed for more and more power drove him mad. Vader's own pride had flung him into the fires of Mustafar. The common people too knew these fires. There was darkness in everyone.
The sides of the Force were fire and water. In a battle of Jedi and Sith you needed to have the advantage in numbers or the advantage in brains. A cup of water will do no more against a forest fire than a candle will do against an ocean. But a fire placed under a kettle of water, and a river forged in the path of the blaze; those work well. Enough water could put out a fire, but only because the fire was burning itself out. The Sith Wars before the Republic proved this. Put water in a pot and light a fire beneath. The water may jump and fight, but if it can't reach the fire than it is all for not. Eventually it will all be gone. Someone just needs to feed the fire. The Clone Wars before the Empire proved this. So both could defeat the other. It depended much less on the side than it did on the people. The Vaders would be the turning point in the Force's battle, of this Leia was sure.
After all, they were Chosen.
Leia learned her lessons well. She stood before her mirror. Yellow Sith eyes stared back at her, a bloody knife lay on the counter before her, and the darkness swirled around her. She had just finished a kill, where she had indulged fully in the darkness. It was intoxicating. The darkness caressed its mistress, the young Lady Vader. It whispered to her, promising so many things, longing to again be released upon those foolish enough to make enemies of its mistress. But she had used it enough this evening, so she simply listened, enjoying it presence for a while longer. She would release it on her whim, not its. The darkness was a powerful servant, but a fearsome master, she knew this.
She sighed and reached for the necklace, hidden. As the jaspor touched her skin she was again overwhelmed by the sorrow and betrayal. The love. The darkness pulled back as Leia reminded herself what had happened to her parents, why she couldn't lose control – ever. Soon brown eyes had replaced yellow ones. She cleaned her knife, set D4 on guard duty, and got ready for bed. Hesitating, she decided to sleep with the necklace on. It occasionally gave her glimpses of her mother's memories and, after all, her dark side use had been rather excessive that night, or morning rather. Better safe than sorry. She would not submit to drowning in the light, her emotions fueled the darkness. But she would not be controlled, not be burned and destroyed. She smiled as she fell asleep.
Dark and Light. Fire and Water. Lady Vader understood this concept. She had learned her lessons well.