Chapter 10: Vader's Fist
Starkiller sat in the grass with his face buried in his palms. Juno remained in the rubble, bleeding and wincing in pain. Marek lied on the table lifeless, his broken left arm at his side and his handless right arm dangling from the edge of the table.
Proxy looked down upon his old master in sorrow.
"I'm sorry master... I have failed my only duty. I have failed to kill you." Proxy muttered with lament.
"I can't believe this..." Starkiller said with sorrow and shame, "Vader just took full control of me. I'm just a danger to all of you. Juno... I'm so sorry..."
Starkiller stood up, ran to the forest and disappeared in the trees.
Darth Vader returned to his landed, personal tie fighter and started to fly back to the star destroyer. Soon after he embarked the tie fighter, he felt something in the force that he hasn't felt for a long time.
He returned to the star destroyer, landed in his personal hangar bay, and walked to the control room. He returned to the amazement of the Admiral.
"Lord Vader!" The Admiral exclaimed with surprise, "You've returned. Did you kill Galen Marek?"
"Do you think I would come back if I didn't? Do you doubt my power!?" Vader asked with disgust.
"Forgive me m-my Lord..." The Admiral stuttered, "My intentions were not to offend you."
"Offended me you have. Unfortunately, you are the best of my past Admirals so I cannot kill you unless someone can prove themselves to be more competent than yourself. Pray that person doesn't exist, for your death will not come swiftly!" Vader's voice boomed and echoed within the Admiral's ears, causing him to shutter with overwhelming fear.
The Admiral stood in silence trying to keep his face confident as Vader's dark, expressionless helm gave him a final glare. Vader marched out of the control room and down into the hallway to his personal chambers.
Vader rarely had moments just to himself, however when he did, he never thought of anything pleasant. He usually imagined the ways in which he would kill Palpatine, most of which were very painful and would be considered harsh to anyone else. To Vader, nothing was too extreme. For what Palpatine made him do to Padme he would kill him any chance he'd get. Ill suspend him in the air while I continuously impale him with my lightsaber, he thought, I'll make him wish he never met me. When he's done begging for mercy and can't talk anymore due to the loss of his breathing, I will beat him with my own hands and…
A loud rumbling in his brain erupted and he heard a familiar heartbeat through the force.
"No… It can't be." He said aloud in disbelief. "I left you to die!"
He felt the life of Galen Marek awaken and his rage surged. His helmet reapplied itself to his head and he stormed out of his personal chambers. An unlucky stormtrooper was walking down his side of the hallway, and without slowing his pace Vader lifted the stormtrooper, crushed his spine, and threw him into the wall on the other side of hall creating a large entered the control room ferociously and although the people within the room couldn't see his face, they knew he was livid.
"Send in all the stormtroopers and fighter pilots on this cursed ship NOW! We will destroy the rebels and their new friend Galen Marek immediately!" Vader's demands and his unusual level of rage must have caught the control room workers off guard because they stared at him blankly. "Was that not clear enough for you!? SEND ALL OF OUR AVAILABLE UNITS TO ALDERAAN AND DESTROY THE REBEL SCUM!" To further emphasize his point, he grabbed the nearest worker and pummeled him into the walls, ceiling, and ground until he was dead.
Everyone seemed to get the idea. Nobody wanted to end up like that worker. They all got to work calling in troops, initializing pilots, and setting up the Tie Fighters for battle. The rebels had no idea what was coming.
Marek's eyes burst open and he sat up, but as soon as he sat up, pain shot through his whole body and his missing hand. He'd lost so much blood already and he was way past light-headed. Proxy helped him back down.
"Easy master, I'll find you some help soon." Proxy promised, "Juno is alright. You require rest now. Please, shut your eyes it will be alright."
Unfortunately, Proxy was a droid primarily made for training Marek and not for medical treatment. However, Proxy managed to wrap the stump left on his forearm with a bandage he found in the remnants of the kitchen.
After Starkiller disappeared into the forest, Proxy helped Juno out of the rubble and onto the table next to Marek. She cried as she grasped her side in pain. She wasn't crying because of the pain though, she cried for Marek. She rested her head on his shoulder and gently kissed his forehead. Proxy's neck sparked and he grabbed a knife from the kitchen and started to fiddle around with his wiring. When he got the sparking to stop, he left the building in the direction of the town.
"I'll look for help," Proxy stated, "You stay here."
Proxy left them lying on the table, but before he even entered the forest, Princess Leia rushed out.
"Oh no," Leia said, "I knew I heard some commotion from here, but I just thought it was Marek and Starkiller sparring again. Was it -"
"Vader." Proxy interrupted grimly.
"I hoped it wouldn't be that bad. It is worse than I thought. He's going to start a war now if he knows the Rebel base is here. I just hope he doesn't use that horrible Death Star of his." Leia stated worryingly.
They rushed back to Marek and Juno's side. Luckily for Juno and Marek, Leia had prepared for the worst case scenario. She had a full medical kit that was equipped to at least help with most injuries. Unfortunately she didn't have a splint for Marek's broken arm.
"Hold still." Leia insisted, applying bacta tank liquid into her torso with a syringe and wrapping Juno's broken ribs with bandages. "With hope, you'll be better soon. Proxy. Bring her to her bedroom please and lay her in her bed. Be gentle. She really damaged her ribs."
"Affirmative." Proxy replied.
Proxy carried her through the rubble and up the stairs of the building. Juno's eyes trained on Marek as he rested upon the table. She wondered if he would ever be the same.
"What did Vader do to you?" Leia asked, in awe of the brutality Marek had faced, "Ok focus. You're still asleep so hopefully you'll stay that way because this is going to hurt… badly."
Leia started with her bacta liquid in her syringe on Marek's injured body parts: his broken arm, his severed arm, and his multiple cuts. Marek awoke to intense pain surging through his body. Even though the bacta was a healing agent, it didn't suppress the pain associated with intense medical treatment.
"AAAAHHH!" Marek yelled in agony as he tried to remain still. If he made too many drastic movements, it would have been crippling.
"It's ok", Leia insured, "Please. Try to stay still."
"Sorry…" Marek winced.
Leia continued, wrapping his body with bandages and applying more bacta to his wounds. "We need to do something about that arm of yours." She stated, "Maybe I can get something done about it at the headquarters of this place."
When she was finally finished, Proxy made his way back down into the kitchen. Both him and Leia helped Marek off the table.
"Thanks." Marek said, "I would've been very dead if it wasn't for you."
He tried to stand, but once he did he collapsed. Proxy and Leia caught him before he hit the floor.
"You lost a lot of blood." Leia stated with a worried look, "You won't be walking for quite a while."
A stinging sensation sparked in the back of Marek's mind and soon became more of a burning flame. "Vader's coming back", he said looking up at the Star Destroyer, "He knows I'm still alive. He's going to kill us all."
A/N: I know I said this before, but I'm sorry again for sending this chapter out extremely late. Forgive me for my inconsistency. Also if you're interested, and a Batman fan, stay tuned for the new chapter of my story Legacy Of The Batman. I will make an attempt to be more consistent with my stories and release more chapters, but in the meantime thanks and stay tuned for more!