AN: A big thanks to all of those who reviewed the prologue. I really appreciate your kind words and encouragements. That said I will hope to continue to update this on (hopefully) a regular basis. Although with school and work and family I may be somewhat sporadic in my uploads. Bear with me though, I promise I will do my best to upload at least once per week. With that out of the way, enjoy the first chapter.
Disclaimer: all rights to Star Wars and its characters belong to Disney and George Lucas not me.
Ch. 1: a presence I have not felt since….
"The happiest day of my life….."
Darth Vader awoke with a gasp, his words from that day so long ago ringing in his mind.
The Dark Lord scanned his surroundings, finding the now familiar metallic walls of his hyperbolic chamber.
Vader brought his hand to his face. He had dreamed of her. Again. Even after four years she still haunted his every waking moment.
His beloved. His Angel. His Padme….
He let out a ragged breath from his ruined lungs, his breath becoming mist in the cold confines of the chamber. How could he have been so foolish? Everything he'd done, everything he'd sacrificed, had all been for HER. To save HER! And he had killed her. He had killed Padme and their precious baby. For what? A half-life as a cybertronic monster?
If only he'd been able to speak to her. Shown her that he had done everything to save her and their child, shown her that every atrocity had been on her behalf, and explained that what he'd done had brought peace. She would have understood. He knew she would have. His wife was nothing if not an intelligent woman. Vader was sure he could have convinced her, if not for the appearance of Kenobi.
Kenobi…. Just the name was enough to send a tidal wave of rage coursing through his veins.
Yes, Kenobi. It was all his fault that it had happened. If he had just stayed away, if he hadn't made Padme turn against him, none of it would have ever happened. Vader would still be human. He would have his wife and child by his side. He would be ruling the Galaxy! He would have had it all if not for his treacherous former master.
Realizing that he would get no more sleep this night, Vader reached out with the force and activated the mechanisms which lowered his deathshead helmet back onto his scarred and deformed head and opened the pressurized chamber.
Stepping out of his sanctum, the Dark Lord of the Sith walked purposefully out of his personal quarters and made his way to the bridge.
'I may as well make sure those asinine fools haven't managed to bungle anything important while I've been gone.' Vader thought sourly.
Exiting the turbolift, Vader stepped onto the bridge of his flagship, the super star destroyer Executor. As the intimidating hiss of his mechanical breathing filled the bridge, the room went silent. The various officers and crew members all halted their activity and conversations and crisply saluted their commander. They all knew better than to fail to show proper respect to the dark clad Sith Lord.
"At ease." Vader snapped dismissively as he marched to the head of the bridge. The various imperial personal let out a collective mental sigh of relief and continued to go about their duties.
The Sith Lord made his way to the head of the bridge to stand beside Admiral Piett, his trusted and competent second in command. Unlike most imperial officers, Piett had been one of the few Imperial officers to earn Vader's respect as both a competent subordinate and a true warrior. The Admiral did not play politics, nor did he put personal glory or pride ahead of the mission as many of the other members of the higher echelons of the Imperial military did. He was also one of the few who showed Vader genuine respect, rather than simply licking his boots for a promotion. For these reasons the Dark Lord viewed Piett not only as a valued ally, but also a friend.
"My lord." Piett greeted Vader. "Admiral." Vader replied. "How much longer till we enter the Alderaan system?" He questioned.
A few days prior, the Emperor had instructed Vader to pay the viceroy of Alderaan a "visit" and remind him of where his loyalties should rightfully lie. On the surface Organa appeared a loyal, if somewhat dissident, member of the Imperial Senate. However both Vader and the Emperor knew that this was simply a front for the wealthy viceroy's other activities. Namely the funding of several growing rebel cells in various systems across the empire. It was Vader's task to remind Bail Organa of the consequences of opposing the Empire.
"We shall arrive in orbit above Alderaan in precisely three standard hours Lord Vader." Piett informed him tactfully.
Vader gave a nod of approval. "Good, ensure that Viceroy Organa is not informed of our arrival until my shuttle has left the Executor." The Sith Lord instructed. " I do not wish the good Viceroy to be granted any time to conceal any traitorous activities on his part."
Piett gave a firm nod. "Yes my lord. Shall I instruct the 501st to prepare for landing?"
"No Piett, the emperor was clear in his orders. We are to remind the Senator of his allegiances, but no harm is to come to him or the planet. Organa still has significant influence in the senate and harming him or his planet would only grant the rebels further credibility." Vader explained.
Piett nodded his understanding and Vader dismissed him with a wave of his hand.
Three hours later, Vader boarded his personal shuttle and descended to the planet below with tie fighter escort.
As the ship neared the ornate palace of the royal family of Alderaan, Vader allowed himself a momentary lapse in character to appreciate Alderaan's beauty. It truly was the jewel of the Mid Rim…
A pity he may have to burn it to the ground one day if the Viceroy failed to cooperate.
The shuttle began it's to the palace and settled on the landing pad with a soft thud. Vader exited the ship with a squad of Stormtroopers flanking him as he made his way into the palace.
As he marched through the palace towards Organa's force signature, Vader allowed himself a smug smile behind his mask. He had clearly caught the traitorous Senator by surprise. Palace guards and staff whom he passed through the ornate halls gazed upon him and his retinue with a mixture of surprise and terror before quickly removing themselves from his path and averting their gaze.
Vader reveled in their fear, satisfied with his ability intimidate them with his mere presence. He allowed those emotions to fuel the darkness within him and by extension, his power.
As he was beginning to immerse himself in the Dark Side however, he was rocked from his reverie by a sudden disturbance in the Force. A pulse of light so sudden and powerful that it caused the Dark Lord to falter in his step, if only for a moment. Then, as quickly as it had come, the disturbance faded, leaving Vader to ponder what it could have been.
He did not have long to dwell on it however, as he came to a pair of large, gold laden doors. Behind which he sensed the presence e of Senator Organa and several other beings. Using the force, he flung the large doors open wide with a loud thud.
The flustered occupants of the throne room turned from their conversations and looked on the Dark Lord's entrance with a mixture of shock and fear.
'Good.' He thought smugly. 'Fear will keep Organa in line and remind him of exactly what is at stake.'
Standing in the middle of the spacious but much decorated room was Viceroy Bail Organa, bedecked in his senatorial finery and wearing an expression of pure terror, though he tried to disguise it. Vader sensed the man's fear was more so for his family and perhaps his cause than his own safety. A fact Vader made certain to note.
Beside Organa was his wife, Breha and several of her handmaidens. As with every other being he had encountered thus far, each of the women oozed fear into the Force. All of them except…
Vader was taken aback for a moment as he looked downwards from his considerable height to look upon the one being in the room that seemed unafraid of him. A small child clinging to the Queen's skirts.
The child was a girl, appearing to be perhaps four or five years old, wearing a small blue dress which mirrored that of the queen. And whose dark chocolate colored hair was tied into a bun at the back of her head. She was staring up at the Dark Lord of the Sith with an expression nor of fear, but merely curiosity at the tall, dark clad stranger.
Yet it was more than the child's lack of fear which took Vader by surprise. It was her striking resemblance to his long dead wife. Her piercing brown eyes, chocolate curls, complete lack of fear and curious expression all reminded him painfully of his beloved Padme. In fact… the little girl looked exactly as he had always imagined their child would have. For he had beens certain that Padme was carrying a daughter. It was as if…
'NO!' he thought angrily. 'These are the weak thoughts of Anakin Skywalker. This child is nothing!'
And yet…
"Lord Vader," Organa greeted cordially, if coldly, breaking Vader out of his thoughts and shifting his attention back to the primary goal of his mission. The "education" of the treacherous Viceroy.
"This is a great honor." the Senator continued, though his tone and force signature suggested it was anything but. "Had we been informed of your arrival, we would have prepared a proper…"
"Spare me the theatrics Viceroy" Vader interjected roughly. " The Emperor is more than aware of your treasonous affiliations."
"I don't know what you are speaking of Lord Vader, I am a member of the imperial senate and…"
"You are a part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor!"
"I assure you Lord Vader I have always been loyal to-"
The Viceroy suddenly stopped mid-sentence, his face frozen in horror. At first Vader thought the Senator's change in demeanor was out of fear for himself. However he soon noticed that Organa's terrified gaze was not fixed on the Emperor's enforcer, but rather something below him.
It was then that Vader noticed that the small child, the one whom had caught his attention before, was now standing directly in front of him. Fixing the Sith Lord with a curious gaze.
The Queen, who had been to enraptured by the exchange between her husband and Vader to notice that the little girl had left her side, let out a gasp of horror.
The child, seemingly unfazed by distress she had caused her caretakers, continued to fix Vader with her unflinching gaze before saying in a soft voice which held confidence beyond her years, "hello."
Everyone in the room, including the Dark Lord himself, stood shocked at the girl's simple greeting to the most dangerous and feared being in the galaxy.
'Hello?' Thought Vader in shock. 'When was the last time anyone said something as simple as hello to me?"
Ordinarily, if anyone had dared to address the Sith in such a casual way, they would have promptly had their necks snapped. However for some reason that he himself could not comprehend, Vader did not find the child's casual greeting infuriating. Even stranger, the very thought of harming the little girl standing before him was abhorrent to Vader, and made him feel physically sick to his stomach.
'But why?' He questioned himself. ' it's not as if she would be the first child I had killed.'
He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt an abrupt tug on his cape from the little girl.
Continuing to hold him in a steady gaze, the girl spoke again in a now slightly annoyed tone, "Excuse me. Didn't you hear me? I said hello. Mama told me its rude not to say hello back to someone after they've greeted you."
The Queen and Viceroy's eyes bulged in even further horror and the Queen let out another terrified gasp at hearing the girl's bold words to the Sith.
But again, Vader did not feel anger at the girl's lack of respect and fear towards him. To his own shock, he felt pure amusement at the child's precociousness.
"Hello to you as well my lady, my apologies for not greeting you earlier." The dreaded lord of the Sith quipped, accentuating his words with a small bow to the little girl.
The girl, seemingly unaware that the dark clad man was not being completely serious, gave a firm nod and curtsied in return before gracing Vader with a small smile.
Vader could feel the shock of the room's other occupants at the bewildering exchange between the small child and one of the most dreaded beings in the entire Galaxy through the Force. Truth be told, he himself was equally as shocked by his actions. These were not the words and actions of Darth Vader, the Emperor's right hand and Lord of the Sith. It was as if the child, for just a split second, had brought back Anakin Skywalker.
The moment ended however as the Queen regained her wits and quickly rushed forward to take the child into her arms.
"I apologize for my daughter's behavior my lord." The woman squeaked. Fear evident in every facet of her being. "I assure you it will not happen again. Come Leia, let us leave your father and Lord Vader to their…. Business."
The Viceroy's wife quickly retreated from the throne room with her daughter and handmaidens in tow before the Sith could respond.
'There is something about that girl.' Vader thought. 'It is as if I have met her before, somehow.'
He quickly dismissed these thoughts however. He was a Dark Lord of the Sith, the destroyer of the Jedi, he should not be concerning himself with anything to do with a child. The child of a traitor no less. He must focus on the task at hand, bringing the rebellious Viceroy to heel.
"You have a very outspoken daughter Senator." He said in an offhand manner.
Bail looked back to Vader, his face once again frozen in pure horror at the Sith's mention of his daughter.
"Perhaps a child with such a bright disposition and distinguished lineage would do well at the Imperial court on Coruscant." He continued casually.
Vader felt the Senator's fear spike once again through the Force. In the past, the Emperor had made a habit of taking the children of particularly troublesome rulers and politicians into the Imperial court as "wards of the court". Hostages in all but name. These children were often taken when they were young, separated from their parents for many years, and when finally returned to their homes, utterly loyal to the Emperor. He knew that to Organa, such a fate being leveled on his daughter would be worse for him than his own death by Vader's hand.
"Perhaps." Organa replied nervously. "however I believe that she will do best to stay here, in her home."
"So long as Alderaan remains loyal, that shall be the case Viceroy." The Dark Lord replied bluntly.
The Senator merely nodded, having been sufficiently cowed by the Sith's thinly veiled threats towards his planet and family.
Vader turned to leave the throne room, satisfied that he had repressed the Viceroy's rebellious tendencies at least for the moment. Before he left however, he turned one last time to the Viceroy.
"I and my ship shall remain on Alderaan for the next week Senator, until Admiral Dinjit's fleet arrives in the system."
Organa's face changed from an image of fear to one of indignation and anger.
"The Empire is placing a fleet within Alderaan's borders!? Why?"
"To protect the planet and its people from any… rebel attacks, of course. That will not be an issue will it?" the Dark Lord challenged.
The Senator stood his ground, masking his fear and anger with a well-practiced act of composure.
"No, Lord Vader, Alderaan is…. Grateful for the Empire's…. protection."
With that, Vader exited the throne room without another word. Making his way back towards the shuttle and his flagship, all the time unaware of a pair of brown eyes watching him from one of the balconies above.