Hi everyone! Thanks for the support I received from the last chapter. Be sure to give feedback and reviews, I read them all! If you have any suggestions, tell me and if I like it I'll write a chapter on it.
Dragon-Bowl: I think Vader didn't hate the Death Star, I think he hated what it stood for. The Death Star was built to instil fear in the Empire's vassals, and to crush the Rebellion, and I think some part of Anakin left in Vader abhorred this, what the Death Star stood for and its purpose. As for Tarkin, Vader hated him. He respected him as a commander, but not as an individual. Tarkin was cruel and power hungry, and his brutal tactics were more ruthless and cruel than even Vader's. In A New Hope, Tarkin was also shown as being very arrogant, not dispatching fighters to destroy the X-Wings, and that in the end was his downfall. As for Padme's funeral, well, here you go!
Vader sat in his decompression chamber aboard the Devastator meditating. He remembered how much he hated it as a Jedi, but now as a Sith, his meditation was a time to brood, to think of the hate he felt toward the Jedi, to Obi-Wan. But not Padme. Never Padme. He couldn't bear to think of her, how he'd killed her. No. don't think of that. Don't think of her.
With a flick of a switch, the holonet appeared in front of him. He felt a lump in his throat as Padme's funeral appeared on the screen. She looked so beautiful, the dress she was wearing the day they were married a deep white, her skin a sickly pale, the colour of death. Vader watched as the transparent casket carrying Padme's body disappeared into the tower on Naboo that was to be her final resting place. The lump in his throat turned into a rush of tears as cameras cut to a close up of the japor snippet, the wood carving he had given her on Tatooine. She never took it off, even in death.
He had operatives on the ground to confirm if it was her. Padme was dead, he knew that much. He had felt her passing in the Force, the black hole left in his heart consuming every spark of what he once was. DNA tests would confirm if the body was legitimate. His communicator beeped, a hologram of the operative appearing before him.
"Lord Vader. DNA tests have confirmed that this is the body of Senator Amidala."
He was afraid. Vader could feel it, even from here. Good. He had reason to be afraid.
"Very good. You will be rewarded generously for your service."
In reality, the operative's reward would be a hail of blaster bolts when he returned to the Devastator. No one must know of this. No one must know of his interest in Padme, because knowledge would breed curiosity, and curiosity would create suspicion.
He had to see her. He had to see her with his own eyes, to see if it was truly her. If he had killed her. He didn't care what anyone else said, what the data confirmed. He of all people would truly know if it was her. As Vader's personal shuttle left the main hangar bay of the Devastator, the single occupant plotted the shuttle's course to Naboo's moon. What no one else saw was a black delta-wing fighter leaving one of the secondary bays of the Star Destroyer.
The black fighter touched down on the landing pad nearest to the tall tower that housed the grave of Senator Padme Amidala. No one asked any questions, spared a second glance, at the ominous black figure walking along the stone-paved path. No-one saw as the figure climbed the stairs two at a time, no one saw Darth Vader enter his wife's tomb.
Vader walked slowly to the grave, kneeling down before it. His shoulders slumped as he realised that his wife was dead. Dead by his hand.
For a moment, it seemed that Vader was gone, and Anakin had returned. At that single moment, he forgave him. He forgave Obi-Wan for the crippling injuries he had sustained. He forgave Obi-Wan for standing against him, realising that he fought him to stop him hurting Padme. But he had failed, just as he had failed Anakin, as the Jedi had failed him as well.
You didn't kill her.
Those few words, echoing into his mind through the Force. And, despite the words of his master Palpatine, he knew they were true. The words comforted him, releasing the guilt he had felt. The guilt was replaced with rage, rage that Palpatine, the man he had trusted unconditionally, that he had killed for, had lied. Had lied to make him hate Obi-Wan, had the Jedi, hate himself, for the twisted old man's personal gain.
One day, Anakin promised himself. One day I shall kill him. I shall avenge Padme. When I am strong enough I will kill him.
Then Anakin became Vader again, but the seed in his brain remained.
A spark flickered inside Vader, a spark that would become a flame, and would be snuffed out only when his words became actions.
A/N: And there we go! Sorry for the wait, I had exams last week and have been working my butt off to do well. Chapters will come out whenever I have time to spare. I would like to be more consistent, but unfortunately there's the small obstacle of life. Anyway, this chapter was from an idea from Dragon-Bowl. If you have ideas, don't hesitate to let me know in the reviews or PM me. It helps a lot, and means that chapters will come out faster. Thanks, and until next time, goodbye.