Reflections Over a Broken Apprentice
Darth Sidious stared thoughtfully out the window as Mustafar began to shrink into the distance. From the neighboring cabin, he heard the screams of Darth Vader as a team of medical droids began their work, most likely having commed their counterparts on Coruscant to be ready to receive the severely injured man. The pain and anger coming from Vader resonated through the Force to become an almost tangible presence on the ship, and a smile crept across Sidious' face.
The injuries Vader sustained provided Sidious with only a mild setback in an otherwise flawless success in ascending the throne of the galaxy. Still, Sidious now needed perhaps to reconsider Vader as a true apprentice. Vader would most likely need to be encased in some sort of mechanical suit, perhaps not as extensive as General Grievous, but constricting of using some Force techniques nonetheless. Sidious shook his head, trying to imagine the duel that occurred leaving the young man in such a state. He'd never given much thought to Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, always along the periphery vision of Sidious in his quest to bring Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side and ultimately destroy the Jedi Order. To leave his friend a burnt crisp on the shores of a river of lava…Sidious chuckled to himself. Perhaps he seduced the wrong Jedi.
But no, Anakin's journey to the Dark Side began before his birth, as orchestrated by Sidious and his master. In fact, Sidious had a millennium of Sith to thank for his ultimate rise to power. Lurking in the shadows for centuries before moving out into the open to hold ever increasing positions of power, accumulating funds, bribing the right sentients, slowing gaining possession of the banks, the military, the senate. Patient and intelligent, the Sith finally ruled the galaxy.
Sidious momentarily thought of the Jedi, two of the most powerful on the Council, Kenobi and Yoda, remaining alive. But that seemed of little consequence now. Sidious defeated Yoda, and both Jedi would most likely go into hiding, a wise decision considering the resources now at Sidious' disposal. He anticipated uprisings anyway, Jedi led or not, and currently had plans in motion of quelling opposition.
A sharp scream from Vader brought Sidious to his feet, and he moved toward the door of his chamber, curious to see his apprentice, experience his pain, encourage his hatred toward the Jedi, toward Kenobi, toward the galaxy. He needed to make Vader see that what were assuredly debilitating injuries could fuel his journey to the Dark Side.
Moving out of the room and to the medical bay, his black cloak pulled up over his own damaged face, he entered the room and breathed in the air thick with rage. The smells of the room, the acrid stench of burnt flesh, did not deter Sidious from moving right up to stand beside Vader. The man seemed asleep, Sidious guessing the medical droids, which moved up and down Vader's body, removing pieces of burnt clothing and charred flesh, sedated Vader. Sidious reached out and touched Vader's Force signature.
Sidious involuntarily gasped aloud. He expected a feeble spirit, humbled a bit, in pain. However, Vader emitted a storm of emotions so strong, had they been real elements swirling around the room, a black hole of galaxy-ending proportion would form. He felt deep torment alongside obsessive love, the latter of which Sidious expertly used to his advantage. Confusion, betrayal, sadness. Underneath these, Sidious found eagerness as well, a sense of moving on, a determination to take the path of the Dark Side, to embrace his destiny. Sidious smiled warmly upon this discovery. Vader would become an excellent apprentice.
But not one to hide in the shadows, play the game of politics, as Sidious had for his master, and afterwards. As he watched Anakin Skywalker grow into manhood, Sidious knew he dealt with a man who could not keep his talents hidden, and Sidious already had plans on how to use this trait, which the Sith of eons ago celebrated but Bane put an end to as they slid into shadows. Vanity and arrogance could not be the guiding forces of the Sith; in fact, they led to the end of the Jedi.
The last thought gave Sidious pause as he studied Vader. Now he was out in the open, the main player on the galactic stage. Things would need to change, things Bane and others had not planned for, as this level of dominance remained unheard of in their time. Perhaps Sith should become legion again, Sidious as the general. He already employed several Dark Side users, and perhaps with Vader now incapacitated to quite a severe degree, he'd need to invest further in training more. Snickering to himself, Sidious felt comfort in the thought that Vader would not be able to perform the shifting of the Rule of Two, as Sidious and more than a dozen before had accomplished. No, Sidious should thank Kenobi for making sure Vader would never reach his full potential as a Sith. A sad thought, but true nonetheless, and Sidious allowed himself a little shrug and a smile.
"Master?" came a rasping voice, and Sidious looked up from his study of Vader's missing limbs to see the young man's eyes open. Red and yellow, they just about glowed with the Dark Side, pleasing Sidious further.
"Yes, my apprentice?"
"Where…am…I…" Vader got out before descending into hacking coughs and wheezing, desperate breathes.
"No speaking, my friend," Sidious said in a soothing voice, the same he'd used on Vader for years, the man Anakin always came to for emotional support, to vent about the Jedi. Sidious almost laughed out loud when the phrase father figure came into his head.
Vader coughed more, Sidious realizing he'd most likely need breathing support for the rest of his life. A shade of disappointment clouded his thoughts briefly…such a waste, but there would be others. Onward, upward.
"We are heading back to Coruscant," Sidious continued. "You will get the proper medical care, and then we shall move on with our plans. But you will need to help yourself heal. Use the Force, think about what the Jedi have done to the galaxy, what Obi-Wan Kenobi did to you. Your hatred will assist in making you stronger."
Vader's pained eyes blinked slowly, and he gave a small nod before slipping back into semi-consciousness.
Rising and heading back to the hall, to fresher air, Sidious bypassed his room and entered the mess deck, nobody else about, everyone on the minimally staffed ship busy. Standing in front of the view portal, he saw they'd entered hyperspace during his sojourn into the med bay. The waves of blue flowed by, whipping the ship past hundreds of stars and planets and moons, all now under Sidious' control. A wide grin spread across Sidious' face; he'd done it, the grand accomplishment. He'd taken the galaxy for himself, for the Sith. And he intended to keep it, the thousands of systems, the trillions of sentients, forever in the grip of the Dark Side.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading this little Sidious one-shot. I'm planning on writing a longer story using Sidious, a companion tale to my Tatooine trilogy. However, I find Sidious a daunting and difficult character to write from, although he is one of my all-time favorites. Thus, this piece is a little experiment in his POV, and I really hope to get feedback from readers. Please review and let me know what you think.
Thanks so much again, and please check out my other work. Take care, and may the Force be with you.