21. No Escape

He was surrounded by the inky blackness of space. As stars streaked past his ship at light-speed, he tried to focus his mind, tried to come up with some form of idea as to where he should go, what he should do. Lord Vader guided his vessel aimlessly for several hours, until he was called out of his distraction by a soft beep and a flashing orange light on the console. It was his holo-communicator, and the only person who would be contacting him on it would be his master, Lord Sidious. With a flick of his wrist, he switched on the communicating device, and instantly an eerie blue glow filled the cockpit of the ship as the holographic image of the Emperor appeared.

"Yes Master," he said, as he lowered his head in respectful deference to Sidious.

"Lord Vader," the Emperor started, "I see you have left Alderaan, and without the accompaniment of your Architect."

Vaders eyes snapped up at that, as he slammed down his mental shields as fast as he could. He did not want the Emperor to know the nature of his recent thoughts, his confusion, his recent revelations, and most importantly, his voyage into the light. Anxiety began to well in his stomach as he considered the notion that perhaps the Emperor already knew of his indiscretions.

Quickly, he answered his master, replying with the ready-made excuse that he had prepared in case he was faced with this situation. "Yes Master, I have left Miss Farr on Alderaan with explicit instructions to stay at the villa and continue on her work. I have decided to make visits to several of the Empire's newest strongholds to get better acquainted with her work and her weapons and security systems."

It was a good excuse; a valid excuse. His master often urged him to take a more hands on roll, to visit the military establishments on various planets and familiarize himself with them. Mostly, he knew that his master wanted to use his dark presence as a way to keep his subjects- the entire galaxy- in fear of the wrath of the Empire.

What Vader did not know, was that Sidious had an inkling as to what was going through the young Sith Lord's mind. He did not know exactly what the thoughts were, or even have an idea as to where they came from, but through the black recesses of the dark side, he could feel that his young apprentice was beginning to loose some of his fire, his arrogance, his anger. The Emperor knew that it was imperative that he find a way to manipulate his pupil back into the harness of the dark, and if he did not soon, he might be forced to not only search out a new apprentice, but also strike down his current one before he had a chance to get struck down himself.

The air around Vader seemed electrified as he felt the holographic gaze of the most powerful man in the galaxy level on him.

At that time, a thought struck Lord Sidious. His apprentice claimed to be on his way to visit military establishments that Miss Farr had created. Here he found his opportunity. He would send his apprentice to the place where it all started. To the place where he would be forced to face things from his past that shaped him into the angry young Sith he was now.

As Vader watched the luminous form of his Master, he felt a surge of unease, as if he knew that a task he was ultimately unwilling to perform would be the next command of his master.

A smug grin slid over the Emperors hideously marred features, and then he began to speak.

"That is an excellent idea my apprentice. I am enthused to see that you are coming around to my way of thinking. One day, my boy, you shall stand in my stead to rule… but before you do, you must make them fear you; make them all fear you."

Vader's eyes were glued to the image, and his blood pounded through his veins as he waited for whatever deception his master was about to pull on him. He knew that he would have to do whatever his master asked, with no questions, and without hesitation. He could sense that the Emperor knew that something was different about him, and the words that would follow would be ones laced with an unspoken test. A test that could have dire outcome if by chance he should fail.

"Since you have chosen this course of action, Lord Vader, I have a particular base in mind of which it would be most insightful for you to familiarize yourself with when it comes to the Architect's work."

A tingling sensation erupted across his flesh, and heavy nausea dropped to the pit of his stomach as the words left his master's lips. "You will go to Tattooine."