Wicked Dreams
by epithree

Chapter 10: Splendor of the Last Rainstorm

Coruscant

"Dagobah." The planet's name was spoken with the utmost of certainty. "That's where they are," the dark lord added. His grotesque form shook excitedly with anticipation for the hunt. Of course Darth Sidious would never allow his sheer joy to be seen or detected, especially by his newest apprentice, who was kneeling compliantly before the short staircase that led up to Sidious' throne.

Lightning storms raged outside. Darth Sidious watched them closely through the circular transparisteel viewport behind his palace throne. This type of tempest was rare upon Coruscant, and the dark lord relished the thunderous chaos.

With a crooked grin across his disfigured face, Sidious slowly turned his durasteel chair around to face his darkly clad apprentice.

The eyes of Darth Sidious became thin slits as he relaxed there, his arms stretched out upon each arm of the throne. He allowed the rhythmic breathing of his apprentice to reverberate throughout his own psyche. The former supreme chancellor found the sinister sound to be soothing in a dark way. It reminded him that this mechanical monstrosity known as Darth Vader was his to mold and command. Everything about Vader was brought into existence by Darth Sidious himself. The dark caped menace was his personal creation. He allowed a demented smile at the thought.

There, kneeling upon the polished palace floor, Darth Vader could feel his master's satisfaction. However, he didn't know that it was his own fall from grace that was causing the mirth. It had only been a standard year since the name Darth Vader was bestowed upon this apprentice. He was still in the early stages of apprenticeship and the emperor's machinations were very hard to decipher, even through the use of the force.

Darth Sidious would revel in this a moment longer, thinking back to the time when he oversaw his medical droids putting this apprentice back together piece by piece. The sounds of anguish emanating from upon that operation table had filled Sidious with intense pleasure, both dark and pure. He now savored the memory as if it were finely aged ale.

Adjusting his hood ever so slightly, Darth Sidious now looked upon his apprentice. He positioned the front of the hood so that his eyes would be concealed from Vader's gaze once the apprentice was allowed to stand.

The emperor spoke the planet's name once again. "Dagobah."

"Yes, my master." The deep timbre of the voice resonated throughout the throne room. Thunder roared amongst the clouds of Coruscant as the rare lightning storms began their peak activity. Darth Vader risked no movement as he continued to revere his dark master. He had spoken the words while staring at the floor. He had learned well during the last year that he should not incur the emperor's wrath. And yet, the apprentice still had his own thoughts about Dagobah. Darth Sidious sensed this immediately.

"You wish to say more, my apprentice?" The emperor examined Darth Vader's posture closely, staring at the top of his dark polished helmet. His form was truly static.

The kneeling apprentice thought about how to respond properly. Knowing that Sidious was reading his thoughts anyway, Darth Vader could only muster up a simple answer. "No, Lord Sidious."

The emperor's gnarled hands clenched the arms of his throne. A thin, eerie smile formed upon his spoiled face. "Rise, my friend." This was not a request, and the apprentice knew it. Darth Vader treated the order to rise just like any other command by Sidious. If he did not comply, he would most surely taste a dose of force lightning, a fact that he had learned earlier that year.

Darth Vader stood up, and the rhythm of his mechanical breathing changed ever so slightly. His dark cape billowed around his boots regally, coming to a stop at his ankles. The throne room had an uncanny draft to it, most likely produced by the nearby turbolifts. It accounted for many intimidating permutations of Darth Vader's sleek cape.

"I understand, Lord Vader, you do not want to question my judgment." Emperor Palpatine said this with warmth, intentionally soothing his apprentice. "However, in this instance, I implore you to share your thoughts, for these Jedi must be brought to justice."

Darth Vader's thoughts instantly went to the past. Quick flashes of memories hit him hard, especially recollections of himself as a young padawan looking up to the warm, friendly man whom he now called master. Palpatine was always able to soothe Darth Vader with his pacifying words. Even after he had blasted Mace Windu out the window of his office with force lightning.

And then there was the storm. Darth Vader's thoughts continued soaring to the past. The rapid flashes of memories turned into a solid recollection. It was the last rainstorm he could recall upon Coruscant. The fierce lightning taunted the dark lord as he remembered his trip from Mustafar to this core world. It was Darth Vader's home while Anakin Skywalker still existed. However, he no longer thought of the beauty that this jewel of the core worlds offered him as a Jedi. Instead, he was focused upon rain. Terrible and horrifying, yet glorious rain. The water pelted against what was left of him as he was transferred from Palpatine's shuttle to the medical bay. It was the last time he felt the sensation of natural splendor against his skin. Next came reflections of the operating table and then the suit of armor that would prevent him from ever touching rain again.

Darth Sidious knew where his apprentice's thoughts were dwelling. 'Good,' the dark lord thought to himself. 'Just the way I planned it.'

A devious smile was etched across the emperor's face. His apprentice took notice, which snapped Vader out of his recollection of the past. However, Lord Vader could not read his master's mind. Palpatine's mental shielding was far too powerful to break.

The Sith apprentice struggled to think of an adequate response, and soon realized that he was taking far too long. Another moment longer and Palpatine would surely unleash his fury. So Darth Vader chose what he considered to be a safe reply, before he would share the truth. "As you wish, my master." The booming voice was followed by more heavy breathing.

Then Vader mentally braced himself and spoke his mind. "The three Jedi are not all together. During my rendezvous with the bounty hunters, I sensed that Obi-Wan was not upon Dagobah."

As the electric storms raged outside, the light reflected strongly against Darth Vader's suit of armor.

The emperor stood up with a rare puzzled look across his face. "It is strange that I have not sensed this." Thunder rolled powerfully in the distance and the palace walls lightly rumbled. "Are you certain?"

"Absolutely," Darth Vader said truthfully. Though he was standing now, the Sith apprentice kept his head bowed, and stared at the palace flooring.

Darth Sidious raised his head slightly, and peered out from behind his dark hood. The apprentice wasn't looking at his master, but Sidious' gaze penetrated the dark lord's soul nonetheless. "How have you come to be so sure?" The question was snickered.

This time, Darth Vader didn't hesitate to reply. "Obi-Wan's force signature allows me to detect his presence. If he were upon Dagobah, I would have felt it through the force due to my close proximity to the planet when I retrieved the holocron."

The emperor seemed agitated. "How can you know this?" He took a few steps towards the small staircase between the pair of Sith.

Darth Vader became slightly alarmed as he realized that his master was drawing near. "The last time I sensed the signature was in the presence of my... former master." The dark lord made sure not to refer to Obi-Wan as his present master. And even though he took the precaution, he wasn't entirely sure if it would keep the emperor's rage at bay. Regardless, he continued with his explanation. "It's a presence I have not felt since..." The dark lord paused, for it was a struggle to get the next word out. "Mustafar."

Now Darth Vader looked at his master, and was surprised to see his eyes. As lightning flashed against them, Vader thought they looked reptilian. The quick glimpse was over instantly, as the emperor returned his head to its previous position. Once more, that accursed hood blocked the dark lord Vader from gazing into the windows of Palpatine's soul.

"Ah yes," Palpatine said, all traces of anger gone. "Your confrontation at Mustafar."

Sidious knew that his apprentice's mind was now dwelling upon recollections of the lava world. The fires that altered Darth Vader's fate reignited within his head, and the horrible flames burned through his consciousness without mercy. Darth Sidious drank the feelings into himself, enraptured by the torment of his apprentice.

The emperor was smiling again. His thoughts were focused upon the fact that his apprentice was now a mechanical puppet. He threw another question at Darth Vader. "How do you know Kenobi hasn't traveled to Dagobah since your dealings with the bounty hunter?"

With his confidence much improved since the start of the prattle, Darth Vader answered his master. "The force tells me so. I sense that Kenobi is still elsewhere."

"Where?" Thunder echoed through the palace halls as the emperor made his inquiry.

"The force has not afforded me the exact location, but I can assure you that we won't find him at Dagobah." Darth Vader ascended the small staircase and stood next to his master. This bold action gave the height advantage to the apprentice.

The stairs were only created so that the emperor could look upon his servants from above. It was an intimidation strategy. Now Darth Vader had climbed those stairs and approached his master without permission.

Palpatine glared up at his apprentice, but the glower quickly changed into a manic smile accompanied by intense cackling. He placed a knobby hand upon his apprentice's shoulder armor. "I am most satisfied with your perceptions on the Jedi matter."

The laughter slowed now, as did the flashes of lightning through the circular viewport. The Coruscant electrical storm was subsiding.

Palpatine knew that Darth Vader's strengthened resolve was being caused by the Jedi. As his adversaries flirted with the dark side of the force, they were making Vader stronger.

Darth Vader was unaware that Yoda had pummeled the image of Anakin Skywalker with force lightning when the Jedi master had warped to Mustafar. Nevertheless, the strange force-induced effects were starting to take shape, and Darth Sidious welcomed them with open arms. His apprentice's boldness had not angered Palpatine, but had pleased the dark lord instead. Darth Vader already proved to be a valuable asset, but this would take things to the next level.

Then, Darth Vader suddenly realized what he had done. It had been as if he were in a trance. He could not explain his actions, even to himself.

Lord Sidious, overcome with deranged glee, took his contorted hand off of Vader's shoulder. He then proceeded to stare at his apprentice, who was just inches away.

As the reality of the situation became obvious to Darth Vader, he acted quickly and decisively. Dropping to one knee, the dark lord bowed his head once more. "Please... forgive me master." The booming voice pleased the emperor, whose smile had become sadistic and twisted.

Once again, Sidious absorbed the sound of his apprentice breathing through the dark mask. The deep exhalations sounded louder than usual. "It is of no consequence, my apprentice."

Darth Vader had braced himself for the worst. Palpatine's reaction to the boldness was shocking. Both relieved and dumbfounded, the apprentice did not move.

The emperor slinked back upon his throne. "Rise." His command never sounded so satisfying. Darth Vader obeyed instantly, and retraced his steps back to the appropriate level. "Report to your flagship and await my orders."

"Yes, master." Darth Vader paused, and then continued with a question. "Am I to proceed towards Dagobah?"

"No," the dark lord answered resolutely. "The Jedi are being dealt with." The emperor's voice was calm, yet authoritative. "I have other plans for you. Now go."

~to be continued