Welcome readers, I hope for those of you still interested that this has been a worthwhile for you to look at. I regret that I abandoned my other two stories from before, but I want to begin a new one which is more fulfilling for me and I believe is better material for you all. I would greatly appreciate any reviews, I want to hear your thoughts! Please follow and favorite if you enjoy, and have a nice day wherever you are!
Chapter 2
The overwhelming air of death made Luke feel nauseous as he saw the cruel reality of his worst fears, in the form of the mangled bodies of his aunt and uncle. The boy staggered against the wall, unable to breathe or think anything but a single word: 'How?' How could anyone, even as savage as the Tuskens, do this to a peaceful family? Now, hot anger began to boil in his blood at the thought of the monstrous attackers. He wanted to make them suffer for taking away from him the only people who he ever loved.
He then was shaken from his dark thoughts once Obi-Wan patted his shoulder gently.
"I know what you're feeling right now, young one. It's natural to react with rage and hate when we are victims of such senseless violence. But if we are to deal with tragedy, we have to first let go of the darkness in our hearts or else we risk becoming no better than those who hurt us. Do you understand, Luke?"
Crystal blue eyes that seemed to take him back to his days with another blond boy on Tatooine looked up at him with visible pain and misery, but he nodded in agreement.
"There's a space outside the house where my grandmother is buried. We should wrap them up and lay them next to her." Luke explained, wiping a tear from his cheek.
The two set about the morbid task, hoping to leave the grisly scene before nightfall.
When Obi-Wan noticed the boy was kneeling beside a small marker in the ground, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly had happened to Anakin's mother all those years ago. His Padawan had returned from the planet as a different man, like some event permanently began him down the dark path once Shmi Skywalker died. He would not let the son of Anakin and Padmé be seduced to evil this time. The freedom of the galaxy depended on it.
Power, the lust of ruling the galaxy as a strong, benevolent emperor had driven Vader since his rebirth. Having been betrayed by the Jedi Order along with his closest friend and secret lover, he abandoned the pathetic notions of morality and blind devotion which had cost Anakin dearly. If war was necessary to bring about prosperity and order to the people of the Empire, he had no qualms in ravaging whole worlds to do so. By serving the greater plan to usurp Palpatine's throne, it was easy to justify his actions so that he could break free of the bonds which held him back all his life. When his reign took place, people everywhere would appreciate the stability and growth he brought to the entire Empire. Slavery, crime, and injustice would be rooted out thanks to the actions of one all powerful man.
Today however, he merely sought to teach his first lesson to Rey. After they arrived in Vader's personal hangar, he discreetly went to a hidden training center in the lower levels of the Star Destroyer. Although the girl willingly obeyed Vader thus far, she remained unsure of his real intentions. The Sith Lord was preparing to give her an initial trial until she spoke up herself.
"Are you going to hurt me?"
"No, though I do not promise you will always be safe. I will protect you, but you must prove your commitment to me before I choose to make you my student. Are you ready to start a new life child?"
Feeling more confident that the black-clad figure was giving her a chance to have a better life outside of Jakku, she replied "Yes, I want to learn from you."
"From now, I am your Master. I will show you the power of the dark side, Rey." he proceeded to levitate an idle training probe and bring it to the forefront of the girl's vision. It began to buzz to life, and Rey was startled by the new foreign object that appeared to be targeting her.
"Wait!" she cried before rolling behind a large crate for cover at the last instant. The girl's hands were trembling, and she had to force herself to stay calm. Her Master would not help her unless she could defend herself. She was strong, she had to be to survive alone on Jakku as long as she did. Concentrating her mental energies on the gleaming hilt attached to the Sith's belt, she summoned the huge blade to her open hands. While it was hardly appropriately sized for her to wield, she unconsciously drew on her Force talents to augment her grip. Deciding to confront the droid directly, she stepped out from her hiding spot and attempted to deflect the rapidly incoming blaster fire. One bolt barely missed as it singed a strand of her dark hair while she moved clumsily towards the probe with quick steps. Eventually another shot did hit its mark, burning her fair skin and eliciting a scream of pain from the girl. Nonetheless she stayed steady and lunged forward with stunned fury to cleave through the metal. Finished, she turned around to face the passive Dark Lord and glared at him. She had succeeded in the first test as his apprentice. What Rey didn't notice was the hint of yellow at the corners of her eyes, nor could she see the incredible challenges that lied ahead for both of them.
Obi-Wan once believed he had been a good father to Anakin just as Qui-Gon had been the caring parent for him, only to have those images of harmony and love shattered by Anakin's fall to the dark side. He realized soon after he had never been enough for the boy, too critical and dogmatic when it came to his training and the Jedi Code. It was clear that Anakin had unique needs compared to most Padawans, craving attention and affection from his Master for whatever he did. Unfortunately, by often neglecting to praise him more and trying to contain his burgeoning arrogance, he created a sort of distance between himself and Anakin that made the young man feel like he could not confide in the Jedi Master on his personal life. Whatever sins Anakin was guilty of, he played an important role in pushing him towards becoming Darth Vader and then erased any hopes of saving his brother on Mustafar by following Padmé there.
It was Luke who found the nerve to finally talk as they sat together in Kenobi's sparsely furnished living quarters.
"Ben, how did you know where to find me? Did you hear my voice?"
The older man regarded the boy carefully, wondering whether it was the right moment to reveal his true identity.
"Luke, I must confess that you do not know much about me and you now have the right to understand what our connection is." he began, stroking his graying beard pensively. "During the Clone Wars, I knew your father as a brave warrior and a good man. We fought beside each other on numerous occasions as Jedi Knights, guardians of the Republic for over a thousand generations."
"A Jedi? I thought they were just a myth, Uncle - my uncle told me you were just a crazy old wizard who followed their religion." Luke asked, confused by the conflicting views.
"I assure you, young one, the Jedi are very much real. It was likely your uncle did not want you to pursue the life of one, like your father before you." Obi-Wan's tone at the end sounded strangely mournful.
"What happened to my father then? Did he die in battle?" his eyes were lit with curiosity.
"The last I saw of him, your father was mortally wounded and I fled the planet before it was too late for all of us. I do not think it is possible he survived." Obi-Wan resolved to keep the fate of Anakin hidden from the boy.
Luke's brief excitement was deflated, as he tried to imagine what he would do now without the moisture farm or parents to watch over him.
"What is the Force?" he asked.
"The Force is what gives a Jedi his powers, it is his guide through the darkness, his connection to all other living things in the universe. You have an amazing affinity with the Force, and I am able to help you harness that ability for good. It is a great thing to ask of you, Luke, but I wish for you to accept my mentorship in the ways of the Jedi." he offered the steps to becoming like the father he had always dreamed about. There was no doubt what he would do.
"Yes Ben, I would like that. I will do this for my aunt and uncle, so I can do right by them. I think they would have wanted me to do this."
"You have heart, son. I will do my best to instruct you while we travel to find someone from the past… someone I should have seen a long time ago."
Still full of questions, Luke sensed the man was tired and not eager to answer more of his queries.
Obi-Wan stood up and waved his hand to the bedroom, "Get some rest, Luke. We have a long day ahead of us."
Luke too was exhausted and complied, "Good night Ben." before closing the door behind him.
Darth Vader had a lot on his mind, even for the supreme commander of the Imperial military as he moved through the corridors of the Executor in a significantly better mood than when he departed earlier. The raw power on display from the girl was immensely pleasing to see, she would indeed be a brilliant apprentice. He could already imagine the terror they would inspire in the fledgling Rebellion, even if the traitors grew in numbers by a hundredfold they would be doomed at the hands of Vader and the girl. The Emperor would be hard pressed to refuse Vader permission to train Rey with more systems turning from the Empire every day. Still, it was an imminent conversation he was not looking forward to.
He remembered the look of hurt on the child's face as she dropped the lightsaber to the floor and fell against the wall, helpless and not knowing what her Master was about to do. He had stepped in front of the girl and congratulated her on earning a place at his side. Rey felt a new emotion coursing through her at his words: pride. She had never known appreciation in any way before, and it filled her with joy that such an important person had taken her under his wing. Whoever her Master was, she could feel the respect he held for her and trusted him to take care of her even if it meant struggling. After all, her entire existence had been empty and harsh until this man gave her dreams of something greater than she knew. So she let Vader carry her to his own private apartment before she went straight to sleep when he tenderly laid her small form on the firm mattress. The Dark Lord had genuinely surprised himself at the level of care he handled the little girl with, almost as though she were the daughter he had predicted Padmé was carrying.
'No, you killed that unborn child just like you killed her. And if you let Rey become anything more than an apprentice, you will lose her too.' he reminded himself bitterly.
Frustrated by his line of thinking, Vader considered what were the implications of being the girl's Master. Would he conceal her presence from the Imperial forces until she was ready to enter combat with him? And how would he develop her talents without gaining the Emperor's suspicions? He was so tuned in to his mind that he hardly realized he had found his way back to the command bridge, where Admiral Ozzel was directing operations from in the Sith's absence.
"Milord, we're ready to move on your orders. I take it your mission went according to plan?" the man agitated Vader greatly with his stupid behavior at times.
"That is irrelevant Admiral. Is there anything urgent I should be aware of?" clearly demanding a fast response.
"Oh yes, the Emperor sent a priority signal to communicate with you immediately." he blurted out anxiously, knowing Vader loathed the reports to Palpatine.
Vader didn't bother to reply, heading with haste to the specialized holo-communications chamber built for his use.
Bracing himself for an unpleasant call, he keyed in to contact Sidious from his throne room on Coruscant. He kneeled in supplication as the larger than life projection of the ancient, ghastly face framed by his cowl appeared over him within seconds.
"Lord Vader, how kind of you to finally entertain my summons. I sincerely hope you have an adequate explanation for your insolence." his sickly voice carried the not so subtle hint of upcoming punishment.
"Forgive me, my Master. I was doing as you commanded of me, and your intuitions were accurate."
"Tell me then, a child of the Force?" Sidious' eyes glowing yellow with anticipation.
"Yes, I found a young girl with tremendous potential. She is with me now as my apprentice." he elected not to inform him that her connection perhaps even surpassed his.
"An apprentice…" his Master commented, "Did you expect I would tolerate such a treacherous act, my friend?" the sarcasm dripping from him like poison.
"Master, the rebels are -"
"SILENCE! The rebellion is an insignificant uprising which you have yet to find the answer to, as I seem to recall. You are making me wonder how much your heart is into this battle Vader, considering how zealous you were in pursuing the last of the Jedi and your former Master." he punctuated his rant with a blast of Force lightning that staggered the Dark Lord who put his hands on the floor to stay up.
"My allegiance is to you alone, and I will end the Rebel Alliance myself once their cells are located. The girl can be my weapon just as you have the Hands to serve you, she will not interfere with the Rule of Two. She is not a threat to your rule under my tutelage, but we cannot waste her power when the Jedi may wait patiently for another child to challenge us."
The Emperor watched Vader silently for a while, contemplating the idea of giving his apprentice the instrument by which he could overthrow him. Sidious was reluctant to let Vader, now more machine than man, take control ever since the reconstruction which rendered him forever inferior to himself. He would have to remain wary and play the long game as always to counteract the possibility for now until he was certain of a proper heir.
"So be it, Darth Vader. The girl is yours to train as you see fit. Return to Imperial Center at once for Empire Day, we will discuss future plans there."
"As you wish." his breathing was ragged and the pain excruciating in his limbs from his Master's assault.
The hologram faded away, leaving Vader once more to his ruminations.