Rating: This is Rated M for Mature Audiences only. If you aren't eighteen and can't or aren't supposed to read descriptive sex scenes or deal with descriptive violent scenes then turn back, otherwise... enjoy!
Empire of Darkness: Chapter 2
Lord Vader's Palace, Imperial City
The alarm sounded at 05:30 the following morning, he needed to get a jump start this morning and that meant that he had to wake up earlier than usual. Monday is the start of the work week for most people and Vader wasn't an exception to that rule although he has no set work schedule and his work consists of overseeing his Sith Army and the Imperial Military. It isn't an easy job but he has gotten used to it over the last decade and he has become a professional at it.
Today however, is unlike all days before it. Luke is to be his Apprentice and now he had to expose his son to the real world and not the guarded secure world that he created for Luke and the rest of his family. He endured the brutality of the real world and he endured the harsh reality of life in order for his children and wife to live like the royalty they are.
The strong rule, the strong lead and he is as strong as they come and even with all of the pressure on his shoulders, training Luke to become like him is overwhelming. He isn't going to be the same child, he isn't going to be the whiny little melodramatic eleven year old boy that he presently is. He will be a Sith Apprentice and one day will be the Dark Lord of the Sith as his father takes over as Emperor of the Galactic Empire.
The Emperor is the Commander-in-Chief of everything, he commands the Sith Army in military operations and he commands the Imperial Military but he delegates those responsibilities to his Dark Lord.
The Emperor is the Head of State and Head of Government, he is the law, he is the Empire, there is no higher power in the universe over the Emperor.
The Emperor is required to be a Sith Lord, the strongest shall lead and that usually is the Dark Lord who rises to become Emperor when the Emperor dies or steps down.
The Dark Lord commands and oversees the Sith Army and the Imperial Military, he answers only to the Emperor and only the Emperor can overrule him but he doesn't, publicly.
The Dark Lord is the Second-in-Command of the Empire and does more than just command and oversee the Sith Army and the Imperial Military, he also enforces the Emperors will.
The Dark Lord is the voice of the Emperor, the hand of the Emperor and the eyes and ears of the Emperor.
The Dark Lord serves the Emperor but also serves the Empire, he wants nothing more than for the Empire to succeed and wants nothing more than to please the Emperor through his service as the Dark Lord.
The Dark Lord serves in negotiations as he is the most feared man in the Empire, possibly only next to the Emperor who himself should be feared but as the Dark Lord is the embodiment of the Dark Side, he speaks for the Empire and can make treaties on behalf of the Empire.
Vader learned this as he was groomed by the then Dark Lord, Darth Sidious. He was tortured and suffered greatly to become the man, the Sith he is, but he didn't complain. He didn't ask for mercy or forgiveness, instead he thrived on the pain and asked for more. The Sith crave pain, crave it even more when they force others to suffer the pain.
Anger, hatred and pain are the ways of the Dark Side and without the three you can't successfully be one with the Dark Side. The trick though is to control it and use it as a tool, if it controls you then you will be killed as it would be determined that you aren't strong enough to become a Sith and therefore aren't worthy to serve as such.
Over the years though, the Imperial Sith Order has learned how to weed out those that wouldn't be able to make it as Sith and instead of becoming Sith Apprentices, they become Dark Side Adepts and serve minor roles and perform menial tasks for the Sith Masters, Sith Lords and the Dark Lord himself.
Very few of the Acolytes are chosen to become Apprentices for this very reason, if they don't pass their trials then they are relocated to another Sith Academy where they learn their assigned role, others have the choice of their role.
Only those that strong in the Dark Side and possess enough raw Force power are chosen to become Apprentices and when they complete their training, if they complete it, they are promoted to Knights.
Knights usually work alone but some work in pairs or small groups depending on their role and function as Sith Knights. Some perform as Warriors where they lead their troops into battle with their troops being human clones in the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps. Some perform as negotiators as they settle disputes between planets and governments with or without aggressive negotiations.
Vader looked at himself once more in the mirror as he sighed and turned away, he made his way out of the refresher and back into his bedroom as he sat on the bed and looked to Padme who was already awake. She smiled and reached her hand out as Vader took it in his and squeezed gently.
"We have to go, I don't know how long we'll be gone." Vader said as a matter-of-fact, the intelligence report that he was informed of yesterday would decide that.
"Just be safe and take care of Luke, be easy on him." Padme replied in her gentle voice that was always soothing to Vader, even when she was angry which only made it more soothing. He nodded.
"I will be safe, as always and you know I will take care of Luke but I can't promise to be easy on him." Vader said as he looked down at Padme's hand; he didn't have to say anything more she knew the turmoil he was going through, only the second time he ever went through this in his lifetime.
The first was when he gave himself to the Dark Side and lashed out with everything he had and killed hundreds of people in a nearby village, they were slaughtered and never stood a chance. They never saw it coming.
"Right, just keep in mind that he is a little..." Padme stopped after a moment as she thought about the right word to use, she was thinking emotional but that wasn't it. What's the right word? "...fragile." She decided. "You can't expect him to change overnight and if you do expect that then you will be disappointed and you can't take your anger out on him for being the boy we raised. All that I am saying is be patient with him, he will be a mighty Sith Lord one day, but that day won't be tomorrow or the day after that."
Vader smiled as he pulled her hand to his lips as he pressed his lips against the back of her right hand. He let her hand go and stood up, "I know." He walked to the door and turned before opening it, "I love you."
Padme smiled as her emotions ran wild through her, his simple touch sent shivers down her spine, it made her heart melt. His kiss, his gentle, warm, soft lips touching her skin, it made her melt. It took her will and destroyed it, it made her heart burst, it made her mind go blank and she belonged to him. He was all she craved and she would do anything he said, it was almost as if she was under his control but she knew he would never encroach on her mind like that and he knew he didn't have too. Then hearing him say those three words, it made everything inside of her crumble, just like the power of his tender kiss.
"I love you too." She replied with a smile that blinded him, her happiness, her beautiful essence it destroyed the Sith within him. Not the Dark Side, but his will to do what he must, he was weak before her but only around her and if anyone else had that kind of control over him, he would slaughter them without mercy and without thinking twice.
Every Sith is allowed one, one mate and she was his.
She was his lifeboat, she was his to control.
She was his one escape from his veneer as the Dark Lord that kills without thinking, the monster that enslaves the galaxy and commands to do his bidding.
The weak serve, the strong command, there is no other way.
The weak are meant to serve the strong, and if you aren't a Sith then you are weak and must abide by Sith laws and customs or you get shipped off to a slave labor camp, made to become a personal slave, made to become a toy for a Sith to use to hone their abilities or you become nothing more than a corpse.
It depends on the Sith in question.
Vader left his wife and his private Master suite and entered the turbolift as he went down two floors and the door opened to reveal Luke standing in the corridor waiting for his father dressed in his red Sith Acolyte uniform.
Vader smiled upon seeing his son and waved him to approach, Luke stepped forward and joined his father as he entered the turbolift and Vader hit the button to descend to his private shuttle bay, the main bay that holds his Dark Lord shuttle.
"I see you are excited about the new journey you are about to partake in." Vader said with a ghost of a smile and Luke smiled happily, Vader's smile disappeared as he knelt down to look at his son eye to eye. "Luke, this journey isn't going to be easy, nor will it be fun... in the beginning. Many Sith Apprentices don't make it and I only trained one before and she is Knight Ahsoka Tano, she survived but many don't. In order to become a Sith Knight, you have to be able to control your emotions fully, that means you can't allow your emotions to control you.
"In order to do this, you must completely give yourself to the Dark Side, learn to live with it and then learn to control it. The Dark Side craves to be used and it gives you more power than you would think possible but in order to do this you must have hate, you must have anger and you must revel in pain whether it is your own or your enemies." Vader placed his hand on Luke's shoulder as he had to make him understand that this wouldn't be fun and it wouldn't be easy. "You have great power in you, son. You will one day take my position when I become Emperor and then you will become Emperor after me. I am the present, you are the future. I was in your place and I was scared but I didn't give up, I didn't back down and I became who I am now. I wouldn't change it for anything, I know you can do this but you have to forget about who you are now because that person is now dead. You will not be the same person when you become a Knight and you will be an unstoppable force, like me. But I can't take it easy on you and I can't be your father during your Apprenticeship. I am your Master and you are my Apprentice. Once we board my ship, you can't call me dad, I am just Master and you can't question anything I say in front of others or I will have to punish you as I would anyone else. If you are to become the Dark Lord, you can't show mercy and you can't give forgiveness."
Luke looked at his father and looked at his blue eyes and saw the pain in his eyes, he didn't want to train him, Luke saw it. He didn't understand it at first but after what his father said, it was clear. He thought that Luke was weak and Luke was determined to make his father proud, no matter the cost.
"Father, I understand." Luke replied placing his own little hand upon his father's shoulder. "I won't let you down and I won't quit, no matter how much pain I must endure. I may not know what I have to go through yet, but I will face it when the time comes and I will defeat it head on." Luke promised with a smile as he scrutinized his father's reaction and he pulled his father in for a hug, Luke wrapped his little arms around his father as he was determined not to show any weakness.
"I never doubted that, Luke." Vader said, but Luke didn't believe him. "I know you are strong, I just hate having to be the one to break you, I just don't want you to hate me for what I have to put you through. It will be tough and you will have to endure more than a regular Apprentice since you will be the Dark Lord and the Dark Lord has to be the strongest and has to strike fear in not only the denizens of the galaxy but also the Imperial Sith Order itself. I began my Apprenticeship when I was seven because of who I am and I succeeded and became a Knight at thirteen. I went to the nine Corellian hells and back, I suffered greatly but in the end, it was worth it. The scars on my body, prove that. My family proves that. You prove that and you will be me and one day you will raise your own children and train your own first born son to be your successor just as I am.
"Right now, you are weak." Vader continued with a smile on his face, Luke's smile disappeared. "You are, not physically but in the Force. I will teach you everything I know during your time as my Apprentice and that knowledge is more immense than any other Apprentice, Knight, Master or Lord will ever learn. The Emperor and I know more than the rest of them do and our raw Force power is greater than all of theirs. Your raw Force power is also greater than theirs which is why you will take over as the Dark Lord when the time is right. Just don't give up, like you promised you wouldn't and that knowledge and that power will be yours to command. You will hold the galaxy in your hands, like I do. The fate of the galaxy will lay in your hands and that power is the power of the Dark Side."
Luke let out a deep breath that he didn't even know he was holding, he looked at his father and nodded. He was more scared now than he ever was but he was looking forward to overcoming his fear and never feeling like this again. "Let's do this."
Vader stood as the turbolift came to a stop and placed his hand on Luke's head as he ruffled his blond moppy hair and exited as the Imperial Guards stood at attention, Vader and Luke passed them without acknowledging their existence as they made their way to the shuttle, the most luxurious private shuttle next to the Emperor's.
"Let's do this." Vader finally replied as he smiled to his son as they entered the shuttle and sat in the Pilot and Co-Pilot seats.
Imperial Super Star Destroyer, Executor
In orbit above Imperial Center was the Executor, the ship that sent chills down any enemies spine. The massive nineteen thousand meter ship never traveled alone, it traveled as part of a Squadron, the Death Squadron. The name was apt as it always brought death, or worse in some cases and the people that were assigned to the Squadron were the most ruthless in the whole Empire.
The shuttle touched down as Vader unbuckled his seat belt, Luke did the same. He powered the ship down, lowered the landing ramp and stood up to disembark. Luke followed his father down the landing ramp and stopped in fear and awe as he saw the various uniforms of men and women sprawled out flanking both sides of the landing ramp. They clearly both respected and feared Vader, Luke observed and he looked around as his father was already a good distance ahead of him. Luke had to run to catch up and run just to stay next to his father who wasn't slowing down just because his son was with him.
Vader felt his son's location through the Force without looking at him or showing how much he truly cares about him, he can't display any weakness and that means he can't show how much he truly cares about his eldest son or any of his children. The Dark Lord has no weaknesses and if anyone wishes to exploit him, he may have to sacrifice his kin to do just that, he wouldn't allow it to happen but he would have to play along and hope for the best, should that ever happen.
The Senior Officers followed behind their Commanding Officer as they awaited orders but they knew better than to ask, it wasn't uncommon for them to just float there in the vacuum of space since there may be no mission but that could change at any moment.
Luke was amazed by the size of the ship and the number of people onboard, he saw numerous people, some Sith, some Stormtroopers, some Naval Officers, some Army Officers and some he didn't even know. He never realized how big the ship was or how many people his father commanded but what he didn't know was that this was just one ship and not even point one percent of the total number of people under his father's command. No eleven year old could fully grasp the size and power of the Imperial Military and the Galactic Empire.
Vader reached the turbolift after a few moments and waited for Luke to catch up, the Senior Officers were already there in the turbolift with him and waited... and waited... until Luke's red uniform and blond hair appeared and joined them. Luke was already out of breath as he stepped into the turbolift and they ascended to the bridge level.
Luke looked to his father and the Senior Officers, he noticed one was an Imperial Army Officer, a General and the other two were Imperial Naval Officers, an Admiral and a Captain. They looked to Luke with an unreadable expression and Vader did as well.
Vader looked at his son as he turned to face the door, still panting lightly and smiled but didn't let anyone see. He knew his little legs would take time to catch up but he is a Sith Apprentice and he needs to learn discipline and he will, in time. He also needs to learn how to use the Force to enhance his natural abilities, such as Force enhanced speed.
"Admiral, Captain, General meet my Apprentice, Luke Skywalker." Vader introduced them to each other as the turbolift reached the bridge level and disembarked. "He is also my son, however as he is a Sith Apprentice, he will get no special treatment and shouldn't be treated as the next Dark Lord nor should he be treated as the third in the line of secession for the Throne. You will treat him as you would any Apprentice, he needs to earn respect and trust, it isn't his birthright. I had to earn it and he does too." That wasn't entirely accurate, Vader knew. The throne was his son's birthright as the first born but that didn't mean he had to secede the throne to him, he could choose anyone as long as they were a Sith Lord or his blood. "However, you will help him learn his way around the ship and you will take him under your wing to guide him in the Navy and Army ways. He needs to learn and you are all good teachers or you wouldn't have reached the rank that I bestowed upon each of you, he is still my blood and as he is the next Dark Lord he needs to understand the Imperial Military just as he needs to understand what it takes to be a Sith. He needs to learn how this ship operates, he needs to learn leadership and he needs to learn discipline. I will teach him that as well but during his time as my Apprentice, starting today, he will be assigned to each of you and you will teach him as you would teach any Junior Officer assigned under your command."
No one said a word as expected, Vader continued. "As of this moment, we have no mission. We will remain here but be ready to depart, I have to look at the intelligence report on my desk then we will most likely be departing. Luke with me, the rest of you are dismissed."
Vader left without saying another word as Luke jogged to keep up with the Dark Lord as they reached the bridge and walked passed it as Luke looked around amazed at the way he saw the Naval Officers working then jump to attention as the Dark Lord passed. He sensed their fear but he also sensed respect and their loyalty to their Commanding Officer, Luke wondered how they could fear the man yet respect him and remain loyal. It was a weird mix of emotions, Luke only hoped that he could earn that as well.
They reached the Dark Lord's massive office and it was totally different than the architecture and design of the rest of the ship. The ship was majestic, grey and spotless. The Dark Lord's office was definitely clean but it was dark, the room was barely lit, the light was red compared to the bright white lights in the corridors and every other room in the ship. The room was also black, not grey but it was still majestic and endearing for the Dark Lord of the Imperial Sith Order.
Luke thought the room suited his father, perfectly.
"Luke meet Proxy, Proxy meet Luke." Vader said after he activated the humanoid holodroid, it was almost Vader's height with glowing orange eyes and a glowing orange chest piece. The holodroid was grey and it had purple lights in circular designs around the arms, legs and neck as they were the parts that activated the holographic interface allowing it to take appearances of others that were programmed into it or anyone that has a picture in the Imperial database.
"It is nice to meet you, Master Luke." Proxy said happily, for a droid as he looked down at the boy.
Luke smiled and nodded in acknowledging his existence.
"You two will train together and accompany each other everywhere." Vader informed the pair as he looked to Luke, Proxy already knew as that was in his programming. "Proxy will train with you as he is programmed to fight in lightsaber combat using his holographic interface and the tactics that I programmed into him. He is capable of replicating the tactics of over a thousand different Jedi and Sith that I have personally accounted or that have been recorded by a holocamera. His primary objective is to kill you, Luke but you can't let him succeed. If you do then, well you're dead and will never achieve your destiny. His second objective is to serve you and he will just as any droid, except better than Threepio and isn't as annoying, I made sure to change his voice so it isn't as grainy. He is programmed to be random and when you're not on a mission he may strike at you at anytime which means you better keep your lightsaber on you at all times."
Luke nodded as he looked at the holodroid, he saw them before but never one like this. The Imperial City Sith Academy had many training droids and some that even looked similar but they were never this sophisticated or advanced and they were never programmed to kill you as their primary objective.
"Sounds like fun, I always like to sleep with one eye open." Luke remarked sarcastically, Vader smiled as he left them alone as he walked to his desk to look at the report.
"You will need to sleep with one eye open, Master." Proxy said looking down at his Master. "You will never see me coming, until I want you to see me coming."
"Right..." Luke said rolling his eyes as he left the droid be as he walked towards his father's desk and sat across from him as he watched his father reading a datapad.
"Looks like we have our first mission," Vader said as he put the datapad down and tapped a button on his desk and a moment later a voice spoke from somewhere Luke couldn't see.
"My Lord?" The male voice said, Luke couldn't tell who it was.
"Admiral, set course for Dantooine." The Dark Lord replied as he faced Luke with a smile. "And let's not be discovered."
"Understood, My Lord." Admiral Ozzel replied. "I will inform the Fleet."
Vader nodded in acknowledgement as he ended the transmission by pressing the button again. He then stood and walked to a hidden compartment just to the left of his desk built into the wall and a door slid open, he crept in and came out with red clothes in his hands and placed it on his desk.
"Luke, this is your new uniform." The Dark Lord informed him as he walked back and grabbed something else but Luke was too focused on his Sith Apprentice uniform to see. "Here is your uniform and your new crystal for your lightsaber. This is an official Sith lightsaber crystal instead of the weak one that is given to Acolytes. I will have you brought to your quarters, you will change and switch out the crystals and you will train with Proxy to make sure your lightsaber functions. Proxy is set on easy for now but he will automatically become tougher to duel as you improve in dueling with him."
"Thanks da-" Luke said excitedly as he coughed and corrected himself. "Master."
Vader nodded and dismissed Luke as he ran off and was met by an Naval Officer outside the Dark Lord's office.
Early the next morning they exited hyperspace in the Dantooine system as the eight Star Destroyers and the Executor converged slowly around the planet. Luke was sleeping but Vader sent for him to be woken up as he stood on the observation deck and clasped his hands behind his back as he observed the dark blue and brown planet grow closer and bigger as the sun was shining on the other side of the planet which hopefully left them to surprise the Rebel Alliance Base on the surface.
"My Lord, comscan has detected an energy field protecting the area around the Rebel base." The General informed the Dark Lord who was tired of incompetence at the hands of his Admiral, he dealt with him long enough. "It is strong enough to deflect any bombardment."
"The Rebels were alerted to our presence." The Dark Lord sneered, "Admiral Ozzel came out of lightspeed too close to the system."
"He felt surprise was wiser-" The General shut up as the Dark Lord continued.
"He is as clumsy as he is stupid." The Dark Lord sneered again. "General, prepare your forces for a surface attack."
"Yes, My Lord." The General replied with a slight bow as he turned and went to carry out his orders, he no doubt knew he wouldn't see the Admiral again.
The Dark Lord turned around and walked back towards the Officer's bridge deck as he saw the Captain and Admiral talking while looking at one of the consoles as his son came into view rubbing his eyes, it was time he learned a lesson about failures.
He walked by his son and approached the Admiral and Captain, who finally noticed that he was less than three meters away.
"My Lord, the fleet has moved out of lightspeed and we're-"
The Admiral didn't get to finish his sentence as the Dark Lord cut the distance between them and with his gloved right hand he squeezed the Admiral's neck and the Admiral gasped for air as the Dark Lord easily lifted him off the ground with just his right hand.
"You have failed me for the last time, Admiral." The Dark Lord spat out at the Admiral as he turned his attention to Captain Piett. "Piett make ready to land our troops just beyond their energy field and deploy the Fleet to ensure nobody gets off the system. You are in command now, Admiral Piett."
The Dark Lord turned his attention back to the choking Admiral and simply twitched his hand and the Admiral's neck snapped and he threw him as he turned to his son and walked back to the observation deck. Everyone was stunned and the Dark Lord felt it, even his son was stunned but he paid that no mind as he watched his Fleet move closer to the planet.
"Failure isn't tolerated." He spoke to no one in particular but felt his son lurking behind him, he knew he was shocked by what he saw his father do since he never did that in front of him but he would have to get used to it. "I gave an order not to be discovered and he superseded my order and decided to try and surprise them by exiting lightspeed too close to the planet and he blew my plan."
"Did you really have to kill him, though?" Luke asked confused, Vader knew he was being too naive and young for his own good.
"Yes, infact I did." Vader replied as he turned to face his Apprentice as he knelt down to look him in the eye. "Luke, we're Sith. If someone disobeys our orders, they suffer whether we decide to keep them alive or not is our choice but the Admiral had it coming for a long time now. He screwed up too many times and I let it slide because he was the Admiral in charge of my Fleet but then he superseded my order and had to learn that actions have consequences. I don't kill everyone that angers me but when I am angry everyone knows and they know better than to get on my bad side. What you saw just now though, that is nothing compared to what I normally do and it is nothing compared to what we're about to do. In less than an hour, you will take your first life and learn the first lessons of what it takes to be a Sith and learn what sets us apart from the weak."
Vader said nothing to his son after his little speech on the observation deck as they made their way to the Dark Lord's shuttle when he received confirmation that the shield generator was knocked out and the invasion of the Rebel base has begun.
Vader is too important to attack a Rebel base as that would give them credit and status, none of which they deserve. He likes to interrogate them though and the Imperial's know to keep them alive but they all know that the Rebels won't live long as they will die once they're no longer useful but the Dark Lord knows that they most likely won't be able to tell him much since they like to compartmentalize their information.
Vader flew out of the hangar bay as he and his son sat in the cockpit as the squad of Stormtroopers sat in the rear compartment. Being the Supreme Commander and Second-in-Command of the Empire is a huge responsibility and the Rebels being as stealthy and organized as they are, pose a significant risk against the Empire yet they aren't capable of destroying it. They can definitely try to undermine their power and bring more people to their cause but the law abiding denizens don't have a problem, it is those that are enslaved or imprisoned that do and the Alliance likes to recruit them.
The Alliance used to be more noble but they've been getting more rash and bold and the Dark Lord took it among himself, Vader's First and the Death Squadron to put an end to the Rebel scum and to crush the galaxies hope of ever seeing the pathetic Republic that ruled hundreds of years ago to rest, once and for all.
The shuttle landed where the AT-AT's were parked and Vader and Luke disembarked the shuttle after the Stormtroopers stormed off to help lockdown and secure the base.
Vader and Luke strode past the AT-AT's and numerous Stormtroopers and numerous Imperial Military vehicles and entered the main compound. They entered a building and the General met them inside as he led them to where the prisoners are being held.
"Lord Vader, we have secured the base. We killed over fifty Rebels and apprehended just over two hundred." General Veers stated as a matter-of-fact as he was impressed as was Vader, most bases only hold a fraction of that. "They were successful in their attempt to wipe their hard drives, we have no useful information to obtain from their computers."
"That Luke, was the reason why I killed him." The Dark Lord said referring to the now deceased Admiral as he looked at a roomful of Rebels, there were many rooms full of Rebel prisoners.
"Luke, what do you see here?" The Dark Lord asked his Apprentice as they stood in the first room they entered and looked around at the Rebels.
"I see people that have been defeated, their pitiful attempt at overthrowing the Empire has failed and now they must pay the consequences for their actions." Luke replied as he knew what was expected of him.
"If they refuse to talk, we'll force them too." The Dark Lord said as he looked around the room and chose a Rebel at random and a Stormtrooper grabbed the Rebel and pulled him into the middle of the room and forced him onto his knees as his hands were bound before him. "What do you say, Rebel? Who is the leader here?"
The Rebel didn't answer, he didn't even look at the Dark Lord but that is what he expected.
The Dark Lord smiled as he looked back to where the man was seated and beside him was a child, a little girl, Vader nodded to the child and the Stormtrooper grabbed her and placed her next to her father or grandfather and forced her to her knees as well.
"I will only ask you one more time, who is the leader here?" Vader asked again, he wasn't used to asking questions more than once but he tended to do just that with these Rebels. "Very well, your daughter or whoever she is will face the consequences for your inaction."
Luke felt the Dark Side consume his father as the room instantly became cold and sent chills through Luke's spine as he felt the power, it was intense. Luke looked at his father's face and he looked into his eyes and they were dangerous, they were yellow rimmed with red. What happened next, Luke wasn't expecting.
Vader reached out and blue lightning flew out from his fingertips and the little girl was consumed by lightning. It penetrated her body, she shook violently as she screamed in agony but Vader didn't react, it was as if nothing was happening at all.
"STOP!" The man shouted as tears sprang from his eyes and ran down his face as Vader didn't stop, moments later the girl stopped screaming and stopped shaking as all life was drained from her body.
She was dead, Luke had to agree she did look like fried bantha steak and his father was right, she didn't smell like it.
"I asked you a simple question and you refused to answer, you refused to even recognize me." Vader spoke coldly, without looking at the vile creature in front of him. "Actions or inaction's have consequences and in time you will all learn that refusal to cooperate will result in watching your friends and family members die like the Rebel scum that you are. You try to take down what we worked to build over the last few centuries and you try to tell me what to do?" Vader grasped the mans neck with the Force and watched as he gasped for air and Vader sneered at his attempt and allowed a grim smile to appear on his face as he squeezed his hand into fist and snapped his neck and let his corpse fall to the floor. "Nobody tells me what to do."
The Stormtroopers stepped in and removed the corpses from the room as Luke looked on and he wasn't sure what he was feeling but he kept his feelings hidden and wouldn't let his father or anyone else see.
The Dark Lord looked around the room and strut around as he looked at each of the individuals in the room and then he spoke to his Apprentice, "Apprentice, its your turn."
Luke was pulled from his thoughts as he wasn't sure he could do this but he didn't want to look weak in front of his father. He looked around the room and chose an younger male, he was about thirty or so and the Stormtrooper grabbed him from his seat and brought him to the middle of the room and brought him to his knees as Vader stood behind the man and Luke stood in front of him staring him down.
"Tell me Rebel, who is the leader here." Luke asked in his best manly voice he could muster while clasping his hands behind him, Vader decided to watch how he deals with the Rebel and to test his power in the Dark Side.
"You don't scare me, kid." The man replied cockily with a smile as he looked to Vader, "is he supposed to scare me?"
The man continued to look at Vader as Luke felt embarrassed and he removed his lightsaber and whacked the man in the side of the head with the hilt of the blade and sent him down on his face as the crimson blood became visible and his skull cracked showing brain matter.
Vader was pleasantly caught off guard as he felt the anger and hatred in his son, he even had pain but he didn't know what to do with it. He watched him as Luke realized that he just killed for the first time, he was no doubt feeling remorse for what happened, regardless of how he felt for the man.
The Stormtrooper came and removed the man and Vader looked down at his Apprentice, "Luke, take that pain and transform it into anger and hatred then use that anger and hatred to tap further into the Dark Side. Become one with the Dark Side and let it guide you, let it become you. Now pick someone else and try again, this time you are in control and if they try to make you feel like a kid, do what you just did except use the Dark Side. Use the Force."
Luke nodded as he tried to do as his father said and he took the pain he felt from watching the man fall to the floor, the skull cracking and the brain matter he saw. He took the pain and transformed it into anger and hatred, anger for the way the man treated him and hatred for what he stands for, what they all stand for. They got themselves into this mess and as a Sith he is the consequence of their actions, they brought this upon themselves and he kept reminding himself of that as he looked around the room and chose his next victim.
"You." He said pointing to a woman who looked horrified and he would use that to make him stronger and to use his strength, his Force and break her will and make her talk even if he had to make her suffer which would only make himself stronger.
The Stormtrooper grabbed the woman and like the three victims before, he brought her to the middle of the room and she got down on her knees on her own as she looked horrified between the two Sith standing in front of her and her brown eyes reminded Luke of his mother and sister and he lost his anger and hatred and Vader felt it but said nothing.
"Who is the leader?" Luke gently asked as his blue eyes penetrated her brown eyes and saw inside her soul as he tried to peruse her mind, he was still learning this from the Academy but he figured he'd try now but he couldn't break in.
"I don't know." She replied as she started to cry and she looked to the ground as she brought her hands to her face, "I am new here. I only joined the Alliance last week."
"Who recruited you into the Alliance?" Luke asked as Vader stood back and allowed him to take the reins.
"The one you killed, he was from the same planet as me." The woman said continuing to cry which was having an impact on Luke but Vader was more than used to it and it didn't tug at his heart like it did when he was just seven years old. "We were childhood friends and his family was killed by the Empire as was mine and we joined to fight back against the oppression and tyranny."
"Luke, she obviously has nothing useful therefore she is of no use to us." Vader told his Apprentice, Luke agreed but he couldn't find the will to execute her and he knew his father felt it. "Kill her." He demanded.
Luke nodded as he pulled out his lightsaber and ignited the crimson blade as he held it to the woman's neck as he tried to find the will to swing it through her neck and end her miserable existence but he couldn't and she knew it and kept her brown eyes on him.
"Luke, she is playing you." Vader told him as he stood behind him and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Sith are strong, we don't think twice, we don't let the weak manipulate us and control our actions. She is weak, she is nothing. She has no useful information and she is a terrorist, use your anger and hatred for them just like you did that man and swing your blade or use the Force."
Luke did as his father told him and he went back to what the man did in disrespecting him and he tapped into that anger and hatred for their kind and it consumed him as he opened himself up to the Dark Side and his eyes turned yellow. Vader smiled as he watched his son become one with the Force and Luke lost his sympathy for her and swung the blade as her head fell and hit the floor as the body fell backwards and the steam came off the decapitation after being cauterized from the lightsaber.
"Now training can begin," Vader said happily as he felt the Force inside his son and the weak being he was before was gone, as long as he didn't feel the remorse and let it eat him alive like it does some Apprentices. Once that happens, they are retrained if it doesn't work then they are executed since you can't allow a Sith that isn't an Imperial Sith to roam free and possibly become a captive of the Jedi.
Imperial Sith are trained and they are taught not to be taken prisoner, they would rather die than be captured alive unless that was their mission. However, if they are captured alive, they are trained not to break and they are brutally beaten to ensure they're loyal to the Sith and not the Jedi but this part of training is kept from the Sith since they don't want the Apprentices to know and expect to be captured by their own people. The Jedi also don't torture, same can't be said about the Rebel's, not all of them are noble but most of the leaders are too noble and righteous for their own good.
"I am offering you all one last chance, tell me who the leader is or you will all die a very unpleasant and slow death." Vader asked while crossing his arms and looking around, no one spoke up and he smiled. "Luke, do you know how to use Force lightning?"
Luke shook his head as his eyes were still yellow and the Dark Side was flowing through him dangerously.
"You are still strong in the Dark Side, its powers are open to you and we'll do this together." The Dark Lord said as he held his hands out in front of him with his hands open and he summoned Force lightning and electrocuted one of the prisoners for a simple moment showing Luke. "Summon the Force, tell the Force what you want and it will give it to you. Summon the lightning, just focus on one person."
The Dark Lord watched as his Apprentice was flowing with the Dark Side and he watched as he saw the Force building up and discharge through his right hand's finger tips and it penetrated one of the male prisoners and Vader watched as his son showed a lot of potential power just after his first real day of training. He had to admit he was impressed, this wasn't the same kid he was with just two days prior when he was whining and complaining the whole time. This was a true Sith Apprentice, he just had to make sure he didn't teach him too much too fast or he will break as the Dark Side will drive him mad. Someone with this much raw Force power is dangerous and if you don't teach them to harness the power and their emotions then they could lose control of themselves and that is far too dangerous.
Luke didn't seem scared, he had hate and anger seething through his pores and any Force sensitive being could feel it and Vader most definitely did.
Vader placed his hand on Luke's shoulder as he called back the lightning and the corpse was toast, literally.
"Well done, my young Apprentice." Vader praised his Apprentice as he continued. "Soon enough you'll be able to do this."
He pushed Luke aside so he could release the electricity without accidentally electrocuting his son. Luke could feel his power and it was way more than he could handle without getting the chills and he watched as his father had lightning spring from his fathers hands and the lightning hit two targets and it quickly spread until all of the Rebels were penetrated and engulfed in the blue electricity. The noise was loud as they screamed in agony but he and his father drew on that pain and used it to make them stronger and Vader used it to intensify his attack and within just a couple of moments they were nothing more than fried human steak.
"Wow, that hurt." Luke said as his father withdrew his attack and from the Force as his blue eyes came back into play and Luke was amazed by his control over the Force.
"What hurt?" Vader asked as he looked to his son as they exited the room, there was nothing left there for either of them.
"Your Force power, its overwhelming." Luke replied and Vader smiled as he guided his son to the corridor and towards the next room.
"You are growing in the Dark Side, my Apprentice." Vader told him. "You may never be stronger than me, or you may become stronger than me, only time will tell but in the meantime you can't let them cloud your judgement. You have to control the anger and hatred and you have to learn to let go. In time, you will be able to summon the Force, summon the Dark Side within you and it'll protect you and guide you and the Light Side will never win. The Jedi are weak, they are strong willed and strong minded but they aren't as strong as us in the Force, they are afraid of their true potential, they are afraid of the Dark Side. More than that, they don't have our potential, they are weak in the Force."
"Do you really believe that I could ever take over as the Dark Lord?" Luke honestly asked as he felt the power of his father in the Force compared to his own, and it wasn't even close.
"No," Luke looked up at his father as he crouched down and looked at him. "I know you will, just don't give up and learn to live as we do and you will be an unstoppable force. I was in your place and I was seven, it was harder for me but I also didn't live the life of luxury that you did. I grew up in the Academy and didn't have a family besides my brothers and sisters in the Imperial Sith Order, then I had my Master who was a cruel man. He wasn't cruel just to be cruel but he didn't have any kids and he didn't take me as his Apprentice to raise me, he took me as his Apprentice to make me who I am now. I won't be that cruel on you, I won't whip you with a vibro-whip but I also won't take it easy on you. Being a Sith is a hard life but I know you can secede me and I know you will make me proud and this is only the beginning as you are just now tapping into your full potential. You just can't let your actions cloud your mind, don't feel sorry for your victims, they are terrorists and they would kill you if they had the chance. Just remember that when you think about what you did today and you will think that, you always remember your first and you will remember her as well as the other guy you killed."
"I understand, Master." Luke said after a moment of silence and released the anger and hatred as his eyes returned to their natural state, returned to match his fathers eyes as his father smiled and nodded as he led him down the corridor.
"General, we had our fun for the day." The Dark Lord informed the General. "Ask them once who the leader is, if they don't cooperate then kill them without prejudice. Once you're done here, destroy the base. We'll be on the Executor, return when your finished here."
The Dark Lord turned and walked back to the exit with his young Apprentice at his side and he was satisfied with how this trip went and he knew that he could've mind probed the people here but he knew that he wouldn't find anything useful and he didn't want to mind probe everyone. That would have to wait for another day but for now he was happy that he shut down another base and an obviously important one considering its size and he was happy that his son already took his first step in becoming the next Dark Lord of the Sith!
Did you see that coming? Definitely not the same kid we saw in the last chapter, but this is only just beginning and you are only beginning to see what Luke may eventually become.
Chapter 3 will be up by Sunday!
Please review! Thanks for reading!
