Unhurried footsteps echoed hollowly through the stark hallways of the Executor, and the Stormtroopers and various officers that rushed past ignored the man in the maintenance uniform. He said nothing to anyone as he passed, his engineer jumpsuit oddly spotless for someone who spends most of his time in the bowels of the ship. He turned several corridors, and he approached a nondescript door, much like the others in this section of the ship, it contained mainly minor officer's quarters and offices. It was an unofficial sort of place, and the man waited patiently until a deep voice intoned, "Enter."
The door slid open, and the man stepped inside the nondescript office space. Behind a plain desk - seemingly too large for the room - sat Darth Vader himself. The door slid closed behind the man, locking with a solid click. As soon as the door lock engaged, PROXY dropped the hologram of the engineer whose appearance he had appropriated to meet with the Sith Lord in secrecy. Darth Vader was fond of luxury, especially when it suited his cause - but the vast majority of his planning was done in private, random offices on the Executor, so as better to evade the spies the Emperor sent after him.
Thus it was that PROXY stood before the seated form of the Sith Lord, whose artificial right fingers drummed impatiently on the metal desk, the sound of metal on metal only slightly dulled by the heavy gloves he wore. "You are late." His voice sounded loud in the small space, and had PROXY the ability, he would have been shaking in terror at the anger in his Master's tone. He settled for blinking his photoreceptors in the dimmed light and said, "My apologies, Lord Vader. Young Master required immediate tending after his last injury."
Vader snorted, the sound echoing oddly from his vocoder. "I did not program you to coddle the boy." PROXY hesitated a moment before elaborating. "Had I not stopped the bleeding he would likely have died." Vader was silent for a long moment, and then replied, "If he is weak, he is unworthy to serve me. You will not be tardy to any meeting with me again - for any reason." PROXY bowed his head. "Yes, Lord Vader."
The Dark Lord of the Sith sat back in his chair. "Your report."
PROXY straightened. "Starkiller is growing at a nominal rate for a human male his age, which I estimate to be somewhat less than 8 standard years. He is not showing any signs of physical maturity. His midichlorian count remains stable. He is of a slightly substandard weight for his height, which is in the 80th percentile for males in a similar age group…" Vader waved his hand impatiently. "I care very little for the boy's physical state. Tell me about his mind."
PROXY paused for a moment, then said, "His education is proceeding faster than I had anticipated. It is clear he has had prior instruction in at least Aurebesh and basic mathematics before he came here. His favorite subjects are…"
The droid was startled out of his recitation by Vader's fist slamming onto the desk, which groaned from the impact. He blinked at the Sith Lord as Vader stood up. "Stop wasting my time!" he growled.
PROXY managed to cower a little as Vader closed the space between them in two strides. "I want to know about his fighting potential. Has he improved at all since the last time we dueled?"
PROXY blinked up at the forbidding mask of the Sith Lord. "In my estimation, young Master has improved a great deal. He learned Soresu quickly from my training modules, and his attacks are fast and strong - when he does attack. His endurance is increasing daily." Vader's breathing sounded for a moment before he said, slowly, "'When he does attack?' Explain."
The skinny droid was silent a long moment, then said, "Young Master only attacks if he is attacked first. He does not press his advantage in duels, instead retreating to a distance. His reluctance to take advantage of weakness has resulted in quite a few injuries. When I ask him why he does not take openings in duels, he replies that he does not wish to hurt me."
Vader was silent for several long moments, his anger almost visible. "Very well. You may go."
PROXY bowed, pulling the illusion of the nondescript engineer about himself again. "As you wish, Lord Vader." Vader stared at the closed door of the office for a long time afterward, his mask betraying nothing of the narrowed gaze within.
The boy was older now – almost a full head taller than he had been when he had first been brought to this place. His dark eyes were tired, deep circles under them emphasizing the paleness of his skin. His hands and arms bore countless small wounds, several still fresh and oozing blood. He tried to ignore the pain of the wounds, pulsing like fire with every beat of his heart and tried once more to sink himself into the Force.
He made a soft, frustrated noise. The pain was distracting him. Anger rose within him, familiar and cleansing, and he loosed it with a gesture, sending the tray that had contained his breakfast flying against a wall. The tray made a satisfying clang as it hit the wall, clattering loudly as it fell to the floor.
As the noise from the tray faded, the door to his quarters opened to reveal PROXY. The droid stopped in the doorway, eyeing the boy curiously. "Has something upset you, Master?" he asked. Starkiller sighed heavily. "I just can't seem to meditate PROXY. I try every night for hours, just like Master said I should…but…" The boy hung his head, blinking back tears.
PROXY entered the room, silently picking up the tray, his servomotors whirring. He set the tray aside on the study console and seated himself gingerly beside the forlorn form of the boy dressed in a worn black uniform that was much too big for him.
Awkwardly, PROXY patted the boy on the shoulder. "There, there young Master…I am sure you will be able to meditate eventually. Lord Vader says that meditation requires a degree of calm…and I don't need scans to tell that you are most definitely not calm."
Starkiller growled, but did not move from under PROXY's metal hand. PROXY stood up. "Perhaps some sparring would help your mood, Master." PROXY hopped nimbly off the bunk, and Starkiller slid off as well. "Maybe you're right PROXY…" he said, slowly. PROXY led him out to the training room, activating a program he knew his Master enjoyed.
Starkiller's expression was delighted as the skinny droid shimmered and became a tall, red-haired man in earth-colored robes. His blue eyes were shrewd, and his blue lightsaber cast cool shadows into the dim corners of the training room.
It seemed a terribly uneven match, for the man was solidly built, his shoulders broad and his movements sure. His robes and boots were immaculate. The boy he faced was thin, standing barely to the man's stomach, his face gaunt and showing signs of little rest. The oversized black uniform the boy wore was dirty and worn.
But the boy held his red blade before him with as much surety as the man, his dark eyes narrowed.
The moment lasted for a seeming eternity, and then it was over as the two blades clashed. Sparks flew and the blades hissed as they clashed a second time, and Starkiller ducked swiftly out of the lock, using his smaller stature to his advantage. The man swung again, and the boy rolled, using the Force to propel himself against a wall. His feet touched the wall for a bare instant before he somersaulted over the man's head, intending to decapitate him.
He had misjudged the distance, his lightsaber singeing the man's hair, and a startled cry was wrenched from his lips as the man turned swiftly, his lightsaber grazing the boy's leg. Starkiller saw white as his leg flared with pain. He landed awkwardly, his leg refusing to hold his weight and sending him tumbling.
The man's face was twisted in a snarl as he raised the blue lightsaber for a killing stroke. Desperately, Starkiller called on the Force, pushing the man away from him. The man stumbled back into the wall, momentarily stunned.
"Alright PROXY…" he called, panting. "Enough."
The man shook himself and leapt for the prone form of the boy, and Starkiller swallowed hard. It was clear PROXY wasn't going to listen to him. Again. He set his jaw and as the illusory Jedi swung his lightsaber, Starkiller rolled again, using the Force to augment his strength as he drove his own weapon into the man's chest.
PROXY stumbled back off of his lightsaber. "Very good Master, though I almost had you there."
Starkiller grunted, his mood darker than it had been before the duel. PROXY watched his expression as he helped his young charge to his feet. "I am sorry Master, usually a duel cheers you up…" Starkiller shook his head. "It's not your fault PROXY…"
The door to the training room slid open.
The monotone of Vader's breathing was heard, and without even thinking, Starkiller sank to his knees, bowing his head submissively, the searing pain of his most recent wound drowned in the utter terror of seeing his Master personally for the first time in two years.
Most of the time, Vader did not bother personally training with the boy, choosing instead to observe his many duels with PROXY over security feeds, and rarely, sending a hologram of himself to test the boy's strength.
Vader strode into the training space, his dark cloak swishing. He observed the boy for a moment, then spoke.
"Come with me."
The Sith Lord turned on his heel, striding from the room, and Starkiller wasted no time in hurrying after him. Vader led him out into the storage area, then into the hangar proper. It was empty at current, save for a large durasteel cage that had been erected in the center. Starkiller's eyes went immediately to the bursts of color that occupied the cage.
Three vaguely avian-looking creatures with bright blue and orange plumage occupied the cage, perched on artificial branches that had been placed inside. Their eyes were bright yellow, ringed in blue, and their beaks were sharply pointed, like needles. They were perhaps each as large as the boy's own head, and Starkiller shivered as all three turned to stare at him. He could feel their hunger.
Vader's voice chilled in his blood as he spoke. "These birds are quite rare and prized as pets of various nobility. Do you know why?" Starkiller swallowed. "No, Master."
He gasped as something obscured his vision, feeling a strap tighten under his chin. "What…?"
Instinctively he reached up to remove the blast helmet that had been placed on his head. "You will remove that at cost of your hand, boy." He felt a heavy hand on his shoulders, pushing him forward.
His Master's voice echoed in his head as he said, "They are used for executions."
Starkiller heard a heavy door open and close, and he realized his Master had pushed him into the cage.
In an instant, the birds were on him, their beaks clattering uselessly against the blast helmet that covered his head and face completely. The sound of their pecking echoed in the helmet's space, and for a brief instant Starkiller was grateful to his Master for providing its protection.
That moment faded as the birds quickly realized the helmet made his head inaccessible. Their beaks began to stab at him everywhere, piercing his skin. He screamed, his hand going for his lightsaber, only to find his belt loop empty. To his horror, he realized that his Master had also disarmed him.
The birds pecked relentlessly at the boy, and Starkiller felt warm blood trickle from each wound. He cowered, trying in vain to bat the birds away. "Master!" PROXY's voice called. "Their saliva is poisonous…if you do not destroy them, it will paralyze you!" Starkiller flailed at them, the Force hitting the bars of the cage more often than it did the birds. "I can't see them!" he cried, and his hands went to remove the helmet.
He froze in the act of undoing the strap as PROXY called again, "Master! Do not remove that helmet or they will peck out your eyes!"
Starkiller shuddered at the thought. He couldn't see. Blind and helpless, he already felt the effects of the poison numbing his arms. How did his Master expect him to fight if he couldn't see? The Force thrummed around him, and despite the pain, he forced his mind to focus on the birds. For a moment there was nothing, and then out of the darkness, he saw a glowing aura.
It flitted past his "vision" and he brought up a hand, swatting it firmly away from him. His hand connected with the body of one of the birds, and it flew away from him with a squawk. That was the secret then. Grimly, he poured all his focus into the Force, and as clearly as if his eyes were not covered, he saw them flitting about him, almost able to anticipate the stings before they came.
He knocked the birds away for seemingly hours, but they kept coming back, refusing to be dissuaded from a meal, no matter how hard it was won. Starkiller realized then that his Master intended to leave him here with the creatures until they – or he – died.
Starkiller could barely move his arms now, and he felt numbness creeping rapidly up his legs. He was running out of time. He focused all his anger and hate on one of the birds, and the Force responded to his call. He heard the creature scream once before its heart was crushed by an invisible hand. The second dropped from mid-air, landing heavily at his feet, and by the time the numbness had reached his torso, he sensed no more of the birds in the Force.
They were dead, and he lived.
He managed to take one step towards his Master before he fell to the ground, unconscious.
Vader watched impassively as the skinny droid rushed into the cage, anxiously checking the boy's vitals before picking him up with an odd sort of tenderness and carrying him swiftly back into the rooms that served as both training room and prison.
The Sith Lord stared at the corpses of the birds that lay on the floor of the cage for a moment before he turned and left the hangar, the heavy doors closing silently behind him.
A/N: This took longer than I had expected, for lots of reasons. Expect revisions, since this entire story is an experiment in stringing together what amounts to vague back story references from the novels.