Hello readers, I'm pleased to add another chapter to the story for your enjoyment. It's still building up and I hope the action will really come in soon for you all. Let me know what you're thinking as always, I want to see how you feel and I can do better as we move forward. Please follow, favorite, and review so I know you're liking it. I'd like to say in advance that I may not update as often as I have so far due to school activities and college applications, I hope you will understand. Would you all prefer that I try to update frequently or let them spread out a bit? Thanks and have a great day.
Chapter 12:
Darth Vader had made what he considered the ultimate sacrifice for his wife ten years ago by accepting the title of Dark Lord of the Sith from Palpatine, believing it was he who could show him the power to save Padmé from the fate he witnessed in his horrific visions. Yet Sidious had not delivered on this promise, claiming that together they could discover the secret which meant nothing once he killed his Angel. Now though, there were serious doubts floating around in Vader's mind about the death of the former Senator and Queen of Naboo. He had heard of the funeral procession for the beloved Amidala following his reconstruction on Coruscant, but was too broken inside to even think about her other than in his nightmares. If she was truly dead as the Emperor had announced, then he would find the body of Padmé Amidala resting at the royal cemetery on her homeworld. The Force did not give any clear answers, however he felt the pull towards the planet which he had once loved with a passion that reflected his relationship with her. Vader had to know the truth so he could move on and live for his precious children.
'There is great conflict within you, Anakin. I sense the good in you beginning to shine through with the love you have for Rey and the boy. Whether you see it or not, the future you seek is still in front of you. Don't look back.' the familiar, soothing voice spoke to Vader again.
'I am not your Padawan anymore Qui-Gon, nor am I obliged to anyone in the galaxy but myself. Your words are pointless to me.'
'You cannot escape your destiny, Anakin. The Chosen One will bring balance to the Force, and the only question is if he will have anyone left when it's over.'
The Sith Lord felt the presence fade away and could only wonder if the Jedi Master was perhaps right after all.
He walked towards the Admiral who was directing the Executor frequently as of late due to his time spent with Rey. It seemed he would have to entrust Piett with the flagship once more to buy him time for another mission.
"Admiral, I must go to Chommel sector to tie up loose ends. I expect you to proceed along our current trajectory so the Emperor will not be alerted. Slow down just enough to make it possible for me to return before we reach Sullust."
Piett didn't seem fazed despite the fact that he would probably be held responsible for Vader's absence.
"As you wish, Lord Vader. And what if the Emperor should call for you?"
"Tell him I am training the girl myself so she will be ready." he said simply, then heading onto the lower levels to talk with his daughter.
He entered the girl's room, where she was engrossed in playing with her stormtrooper doll on the floor.
"I did not know you had that. Where did you get it, little one?" Vader asked curiously.
Rey looked up in surprise, "It's been with me for as long as I can remember. I don't know why, but it's just stayed with me."
"How far back can you remember?" he wanted to see if she could help him solve the mystery of her origins.
"I can think of pictures, like they're from a different person in a strange place - I was trapped there. Then I got out and had to survive in the desert. I felt I was lost for a long time until… you showed up in my dreams and the next night you were there to rescue me."
He could not figure out where on Jakku she was referring to. Could it be the clandestine Imperial research center built which Palpatine had in fact kept among the most classified locations in the Empire? It didn't seem possible though. How did his daughter come to be there if his Master said that Padmé died? Then again, he had been the one to send him towards Rey in the first place. He may well have known of her existence all along and captured the girl to be used for his own ends. Was this the Emperor's larger scheme: to turn Vader's own offspring against him?
The Dark Lord began fitting together the clues he had gathered, steadily gaining the conviction that it was Sidious behind these events. It brought him back to one perplexing question: what happened to Padmé and their children? Vader had no doubt this would not be resolved unless he went to Naboo.
"You are to continue your studies with the droid I programmed, PROXY. He will guide you through lightsaber combat and instruct you in other areas which will be of use for you. Is that satisfactory?"
He had developed the eccentric PROXY for personal exercises since the droid could simulate various Force users from Obi-Wan Kenobi to Darth Maul, something which helped Vader maintain his form over the years. It would be a demanding challenge for his apprentice, but a necessary one in light of the Emperor's announcement.
"Okay, Father." she nodded, still holding the stormtrooper close to her. "Where are you going?"
"Somewhere I should have been long ago." he replied vaguely.
"I'll miss you Father, be safe." Rey said with concern in her voice.
Vader noted with delight how she addressed him as father, "Do not worry about me, focus on the present and your training. That is what I want for you so you will be fine with my Master."
He then left the room to get to the hangar bay, knowing each minute that passed was giving Palpatine an opening to reach the fleet before he did. Such an event might spell disaster for the Sith Lord and his daughter, at this critical phase of gathering the strength and resources to wrestle control of the Empire from Sidious. Failure was not simply unacceptable this time, but rather a death sentence.
Leia was an extremely intelligent and motivated girl by any standard, who took immeasurable pride in her mother from whom she derived much of her passion for learning as well as faith in the goodness of people and democracy. This made the suffering she felt all the more real since she looked up to the amazing woman as a role model for everything she did. Whenever Leia had approached her mother about their family it led to a tense situation which pushed the child into dropping the topic. She always had the impression there was more to the past than Padmé let on, and the revelations this morning had confirmed it to her. Leia didn't want to believe her mother was capable of hiding such information that meant as much to her as as anyone. But it was the reality and one that broke Leia's heart at a level she never thought possible.
Then there was Luke… the timid yet adventurous boy who immediately bonded with her like the best friend she often dreamed of. He was the brother she so desperately desired to have in her life, to be with her through all the ups and downs that came along the way. Now that they were together, where would they go? Did Leia and Padmé have a future outside of Cloud City with these people who had traveled across the galaxy to reach them? She could detect a familiar aura around Luke and the enigmatic man named Obi-Wan which she knew was a sign of special powers from the Jedi and Sith, something she sometimes believed she had too. Maybe Obi-Wan and Luke could give her the answers she'd always been searching for. As she pondered these ideas, the Jedi Master and his apprentice knocked on her door from outside.
"Hey Leia, can we talk?" Luke sounded worried.
A few moments passed before she responded, "Alright, come in."
He entered the girl's large bedroom, looking with kind and compassionate eyes at Leia who lay sprawled on the mattress with the covers beneath her.
Walking up to the side of the bed, Luke placed his hand on his sister's and squeezed gently.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Not really, I guess. I'm glad you're here though." she managed to smile briefly.
"Is there anything you need, Leia?"
"Just you being around is all I could hope for, Luke. It could have been under happier circumstances but it's like a miracle to have a brother now."
He felt exactly the same as her about it, "You're an awesome sister by the way. I want to spend time with you so we can be normal siblings. We both deserve that."
"That's a sweet thing for you to say, and I really want us to be close also."
"Children, I hate to interrupt but I'm afraid there is not much time to stay here before the Empire is made aware of our location." Obi-Wan spoke from the entrance.
Luke couldn't hide the fear on his face, "We have to run, Leia. Far from this planet to the Rebel base. It will be better there for all of us, I promise."
She knew subconsciously that it was their only choice and therefore didn't resist the notion of leaving the comfort of her home here. A life on the run was not quite a new experience for her as she and her mother had for much of her childhood jumped from world to world to keep distance from the Empire.
"That's fine. When are we going?"
"As soon as we can. Get your things organized with Luke please." Obi-Wan requested urgently.
"I'll be ready in a little bit. Where's my mother?" Leia demanded.
"She's getting everything sorted out. Excuse me youngling, but I must go assist her." he said, then turning away to find Padmé.
Vader flew down to the pristine surface of Naboo in the cover of nightfall as his menacing TIE Advanced glided over the roaring waterfalls and grassy plains until he found a secluded spot in the magnificent city of Theed. Departing from the craft in haste, he dashed through the nearly empty streets of the capital with the appearance of nothing but a streaking shadow to anyone who might have been watching. Finally arriving at the site of his Angel's resting place, the Dark Lord slowed down to a marching pace as he made his way up the stairs to the building which held her body.
Inside the dark chamber there was a single structure in the center that had a small, transparent holoprojection of Padmé Amidala above it. Written in elegant and bold letters was the following inscription: 'In loving memory of our Senator and Queen, forever remembered.'
Vader stood frozen in front of the display, feeling as though he was violating the sanctity of the cemetery with his presence. A spectre of death coming to see if he had indeed murdered in cold blood the woman he had worshipped as a goddess when they were together.
Summoning his inner will, Vader levitated the lid of the coffin and shifted it to the floor with care. Stepping forward to view the interior, he found himself staring into vessel of marble filled only with roses and other flowers. It was undeniable now: she was alive and had to be with their son.
'I will find you, my Angel. There will be nothing to stop me when I do and we will have the galaxy at our feet.'
Rey was still not over the fact that she was the daughter of Darth Vader, the man who had taken her on as his apprentice and had a connection to her which formed the love between them. It was incredible and frightening for the girl at the same time, knowing she could be as powerful and righteous as him or otherwise become a servant of evil for the Emperor. She held very different perspectives on each of them: Vader was the dark knight trying to enforce what he believed was right for the galaxy whereas Sidious took cruel pleasure in subjugating and punishing his own people. From what little she had found out on her own, the Empire was an instrument of domination over the galaxy which her Master fought for under the belief it would maintain order and stability which were hard to come by. While she did not wholly agree with the authoritarian nature of the regime which depended on spreading fear to discourage opposition, the purpose behind it was respectable as Vader tried to explain to her during their sessions. So she continued to train under his direction, in hopes that if she proved herself worthy as his child she might be able to reach through to his lighter side. Maybe the Sith Lord would be willing listen to her and find a way to end this terrible war. Rey did not like the thought of all the innocent children who were either losing their homes, families, and even lives. The Force she was learning to hear from made her feel that she had to something.
PROXY spoke after the first sparring between the droid and fast adapting girl, "You are excelling in martial arts and lightsaber combat for your age and stature. You possess the agility and strength to be quite an opponent, perhaps in the vain of Master Vader. Now you must use your connection to the Force to last longer than you did last time."
"Yes, sir." she told him, imagining the way Palpatine had hurt her father for no reason. She could feel the seething anger in her body, giving her newfound determination to keep fighting.
Suddenly she was met by the image of Sidious wielding two blood-red sabers, flourishing them in anticipation. Rey, unable to control her emotions, rushed at the enemy to deliver the opening blow. Deflecting the initial strike, the Emperor danced away from the furious child as though she wasn't there.
After a few seconds, the girl saw that her blind offensive was going nowhere and would only leave her defenseless. Shifting her focus to the light side, she located a TIE fighter hanging on the roof of the expansive training center from the corner of her eye. Stretching her hand out, Rey detached the starfighter with brute force and helped guide it at the unsuspecting Sidious. He just noticed the projectile in time to slice through the incoming object and roll to the side.
Knowing she would be an uncontrollable threat with the Force as her ally, he charged forward with his lightsabers to meet the girl in a decisive bladelock. Using his leverage, he eventually pushed her off and then followed up with an acrobatic kick to the abdomen which threw her to the floor.
Rey groaned in pain, her vision clouded as she tried to see where the all too real apparition of Sidious was. She didn't have to wait long as a cowled face appeared above which was gazing at her with haunting golden eyes, and the Sith sneered in contempt.
"Did you truly believe you could defeat me, girl? You have much to learn from me still…"
The Emperor vanished, leaving the droid PROXY in his place. Rey felt the fear within her dissipate as the confrontation ended, knowing she had failed to stay composed enough in his presence. She had to keep going until this weakness was subdued, or else what chance did she stand against the most notorious master of the Dark Side in galactic history?
"You are improving, young one. But we will continue to the evening if that is what it takes for you to be best prepared for Lord Sidious."
Rey nodded, for she was too strong-willed to let down her Master in any way. Vader had taught her well in containing the dragon in her heart that tried to hold her back. It was in their blood to fight to the end.
Han was never really the idealistic or high-minded type, but he had no love for the Empire which had left many of his old friends from Corellia in the dirt after they failed to handle the rigorous life of an Imperial cadet going through the system. He deserted the ranks of the prestigious piloting academy on Coruscant when he discovered the final mission would require him to attack civilian targets suspected of harboring rebels on a small planet in the Outer Rim. It was something the then sixteen year old prodigy could not accept, and he did not compromise on getting in bed with the Imperials or hurting the innocent when he began working for Jabba as a smuggler. Four years later, he wondered where this quest was leading him and the Wookiee companion he had rescued from captivity.
Ben Kenobi was a strange old man with alot of bad baggage from his days as a Jedi Master while Luke was a lost farmboy in the middle of the vast ocean that was the galaxy. Nonetheless, he gave Ben credit for staying cool in the midst of great pressure and he saw an unshakeable good in Luke which was refreshing for someone who had to deal with criminals and deplorables for a living. Then he came back to find Lando Calrissian as a successful businessman with a noble pursuit on this stunning world, not to mention the incredible woman who happened to be Luke's mother and his sister. Now they were supposed to join the ragtag bunch of freedom fighters in the Rebel Alliance, as Darth Vader was searching relentlessly for his wife and by extension their children. No one could have convinced Han this was going to be the situation he was put in when he took on the job at the cantina, yet his instincts told him it was a new beginning for the man who was missing out on the sort of action that made him feel like he was a part of something meaningful.
'Yeah Solo, this is what you got to do. Have some optimism, right?'
It was time to bring everyone on the Falcon for the big mission impossible that was on the horizon.
