Author's Note: Hey guys. Sorry it's been so long. I've been keeping busy writing and recently got into some great television programs like 24 and American Idol. It also snowed here for the first time this winter to much disappointment from me as I was enjoying the spring like weather we've been enduring. Oh well.
Episode VI: The Golden Age of the Empire
Chapter 21: The Apprentice Becomes the Master
It took a week for the Supreme Commander and his fleet to reach the capital from the Outer Rim. During which time, Andrea still had not awaken. Anakin visited the girl every day in the medical wing, a few times attempting to either break her out of the coma via the Force or speak to her telepathically. Alas, neither of the two worked so he merely found himself in the wing with her, holding one of her clammy, pale hands and telling himself she'd wake eventually.
As soon as the Executor arrived in orbit around Coruscant, Anakin, with the comatose Andrea in tow, took a shuttle down onto the planet. Andrea was immediately transferred to Hospital Plaza, an area of the Senate District, and the Galactic Senate Medcenter, located near the Imperial Senate Building and IEB. The Emperor met them there. However, after Andrea was connected to an I.V. and Anakin received assurance that she would be treated well, he and the Empire's supreme ruler left the facility for the Imperial Palace upon the emperor's insistence that his apprentice see it.
Anakin had to admit he was amazingly impressed with the acropolis, and more than ever couldn't help thinking about how wonderful it would be to live inside these walls once he himself was emperor. Though these thoughts were kept shielded from Palpatine, for it was Anakin's wish to take the old man by surprise with his betrayal.
As the palace was far too large to view all in one tour, Anakin only saw the main points of interest it had to offer – the Grand Corridor, the Senate Chamber, the Emperor's Guest Floor, the Royal Residential Levels, and the Emperor's throne room to name a few. Their final stop was in the lookalike to the Grand Corridor, the Empress' throne room, complete with a magnificent golden, yet cushion seated throne that H.R.H was presently sitting atop, where the two found an audience of Palpatine's inner circle – assistants and loyalists to the Empire, which included the Empress' Hand Iolana and a great many Moffs – loosely discussing with the empress how it'd been nearly six months since the rebels had done any known activity in the empire.
The Emperor's presence within the vast and majestic room was greeted with bows all round, while Vader's was with that of respectful nods. It didn't take long before they were joining the present conversation.
Zeltron Senator Gael Cauron's death, following the Senate meeting announcement of what was known galaxy-wide as the "Polis Massa Massacre", didn't start nearly as much an uproar as the Emperor may have hoped. Though it was known by the general public that his death had been assassination, nothing was found concerning who the killer could've been, and after two months the case was dropped and the Senator buried. The Emperor than choose a successor to Zeltron's political post and that was the end of it.
In fact, the only recent news among the rebels of late was that Senator Organa and his wife Queen Breha had adopted an infant Human female from an underprivileged orphanage in a backwater planet of the Outer Rim. Leia, the girl's name, was crowned Alderaan's Royal Princess upon adoption and heir to its throne.
The Emperor knew quite well about the Organas difficulties in producing a child and heir. The Queen had endured at least two miscarriages, the last of which being three years previous during the Clone War's second year, and learned after this from her doctors that another attempt to conceive a child could kill her. It was because of this that he, nor anyone else for that matter, wasn't the slightest bit surprised or suspicious over the Alderaanians adopting an infant child.
All was quiet with the rebels, but that would soon change. The emperor was seeing to this personally. A full-fledged plan was in the works and would be scheduled for launch sometime within the year. Its main purpose being to lure the secret opposition against his government out of hiding.
The Human High Culture Policy, otherwise known as the No Alien Act – a law that would be passed directly by he and the empress, instead of through the Senate. It would state that no non-Humans would be allowed to work in Imperial worlds or even exist inside the Galactic Empire's reign of the galaxy. Through this act, chaos would be spread once more across the galaxy. Alien inhabited planets and systems would declare their independence of the Empire, and as such they would be slaughtered for their perfidy. The democracy loving rebels wouldn't like any of this violence, and so would reveal themselves, walking straight into the empire's outstretched claws.
As twisted as this 'No Alien Act' sounded, Anakin couldn't help but be impressed by it. It was a great plan.
As the Emperor continued to explain how he and the empress would present this act to congress, Anakin abruptly felt a strong surge in the Force. And before he could think anything of it, his comlink suddenly started to beep loudly within his robes.
Most of those present, standing at attention before the Empress' throne and the Emperor whom stood next to it, turned sharply to see what the noise was, but in genuine curiosity. The empress however was far was curious, but irritated, though said nothing as Anakin excused himself and darted to a side corner of the room, near the several pillars that lined it, to take the call.
Retrieving the device from his robes, he clicked it on and said into it from his distant spot, "Vader here."
"Lord Vader hello, this is Nurse Aida," the voice inside the comm said. "I'm in charge of Andrea while she stays with us at the Medcenter and I have wonderful news to share. Andrea's awake!"
This comment seemed to transmit faster than it was actually said, for just as the words left the nurse's mouth via comm, the emperor's eyes a lightened with a strange kind of hunger next to his daughter's throne.
"She woke up about a minute ago," Nurse Aida continued. "I was entering the room to refill her I.V. unit when she suddenly jerked into an upright position on the bed. That's where she's at now. You wished to be let known if something happened."
"Thank you Nurse Aida," Anakin said, his voice full of happiness. "Tell Andrea I'll be there shortly."
"Will do."
"Vader out."
"We are in the middle of a meeting Vader," the empress snarled in disdain from the other side of the room, seated comfortably on her throne.
That whom was spoken to brought his eyes over towards her in a glare.
"You can not simply leave because some orphan girl you found in the Unknown Regions has awoken from a coma you probably put her in to begin with."
If Padme was expecting some sort of angered reaction to her comments, she would've been mildly surprised to see her ex-husband simply smiling at her. A twisted smile, but it was a smile nonetheless.
"I can and I will." He gave a mock bow. "Your highness."
Turning to the emperor, he said, "If you'll excuse me master, I really must be off."
"Of course my boy," the emperor said, his eyes still blazing with that strange hunger. "And I think I'll be coming with you. I'm very much interested in meeting this girl for myself."
"Of course," Vader said with a bow.
The emperor turned to his audience. "My fellows, that concludes tonight's meeting. It will be resumed at a later time. You shall be let known of its time sometime tomorrow."
Leaving his daughter's side, the emperor made towards his apprentice and the two exited the room together, walking down the Grand Corridor and ultimately a private palace entrance. After a few moments they were alone. Just the two of them. Something the Sith master and apprentice hadn't had in some time.
As they continued on in silence, the emperor decided to break it.
"My Empire is flourishing quite wondrously Lord Vader," he said. "While you've been away in the Mid Rim and Unknown Regions much has happened."
Vader nodded. "Of that I am aware my master."
The emperor stared at a golden artifact they were passing that was shaped like a dragon before looking back up at Vader with a sly curl of his lips.
"So, what of you and Lady Zenevieva?" he asked. "Are you thinking about giving marriage another try?"
Vader simply looked at his master as he thought over a response.
Though he knew that it was on the emperor's orders that he and Padme had married, Vader never said anything to his master about it. It simply never came to mind when he was around him. Or if it did, he'd brush it off, telling himself Padme was feeding him lies about that. After all, it wouldn't have been the first time. The thought of Arica however...
Vader wasn't sure what Palpatine's true intentions were to knowing this information, but decided to go along with it and answer truthfully.
"Yes. Regularly. I do intend on building a family with her someday."
"Hmm." His master appeared to be in thought. "And what role, might I ask, would this family of yours play in the Empire?"
Vader's immediate response was "Heirs to my throne," but bit his tongue just in time to stop himself from saying this aloud. He merely shrugged. "It's can't be known at the present. But I'm sure some use could be found of them."
Another moment of silence went by as they exited the palace and boarded a Royal Guard infested shuttle that would take them to the medical facility.
"Do you ever think of overthrowing me and my empire?" the Emperor asked of his apprentice once they were both seated.
Again, Vader's immediate response would've been to lie but than thought against it, figuring what was the point?
"Yes," he said at length. "The idea has been entertained in my mind a number of times. Why wouldn't it? Every apprentice yearns to be the master when they're in the position of being in lesser power than their leader." He gave a chuckle. "Why, I'd be utterly shocked if your daughter didn't entertain the idea at times as well. Empress though she may be."
"Yes. I'm quite sure Padme has entertained the idea on occasion," the emperor confirmed. "All minions do. They crave the power of the almighty. But just as Darth Bane, during the times of the legendary Sith Empire, I will not stand for such atrocity. You have been fairly warned Lord Vader. Do not attempt to throw away your life so rationally."
At that moment, a part of Vader wished to strike down the arrogant old man from where he sat. But he didn't. He merely looked over at him with a twisted smile and said, "Of course Lord Sidious."
The remainder of the short journey to the Galactic Senate Medcenter was spent with the emperor speaking of various things among the empire, preferably the matter of the present, not as effective, stormtroopers.
Vader sat in silence as he spoke, hardly even paying attention to what he was saying. His main thought through all this was seeing Andrea again. Awake and well.
Once arriving at the facility, Vader proceeded in at a brisk walk, nodding in acknowledgment to the various doctors who glanced at him.
He was halfway down the white-walled entrance hall, across from the first level gift shop, heading towards its termination point where the elevator laid when Nurse Aida suddenly came strolling out of the shop just as Vader was passing it. He slowed to a normal pace when she spotted him.
"Lord Vader, hello. Andrea will be most pleased when I come back up with you. She sent me down to buy her some things." She lifted the large bag and shook it in emphasis.
Vader gave an amused nod and Nurse Aida than acknowledged the Emperor and his guards with an overly done bow. She than, forgetting about the emperor, continued to chatter about how Andrea was doing as they rode the elevator to the crown level of fifteen where Andrea was located.
The special thing about the top level was that it was VIP-only. Only people of importance were allowed to be treated and come up here. Because of this, there were no other patients on this level besides Andrea.
Heading to the spacious room on their third left, Vader went in to find Andrea sitting up in bed watching a shockboxing match on the HV screen that hung above her bed. Just as he was entering, Andrea yelled, "Punch him harder than that! What's the matter with you?!" at the top of her voice. He couldn't help but allow an enormous grin at the sight of her clutching a pillow as if it were a stuffed toy to her chest.
It was than that she noticed she had an audience. "Anakin!" Andrea beamed. "It's about damn time you showed up. I was beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten about me."
She made to get out of the bed and meet him halfway, but he was quick to stop her. Just as the words, "Andrea, no!" left his mouth, she'd gotten out of the bed, only to fall hard onto the floor.
Anakin was quickly by her side. He knelt down and helped her to her feet before placing her back on the bed. He than waved a reproving finger in her face.
"Shame on you. You could've broken your legs or something. You've been in a coma for heaven's sake. Give your body a chance to get back to normal."
Andrea gave an irritated huff. "You sound just like Nurse Aida." She looked around the room. "Where is she anyway?"
Spotting her, she added, "Ah, there she is. Give me the bag Aida. I want my goodies."
Nurse Aida did as instructed and than bowed herself out of the room.
As Andrea began to ravage through her bag, Anakin laid the blankets back on top of her and gave her a pat on the head. She gave no notice of this though. She was far too occupied with her bag of delicacies.
"Wonderful! Blob candy! Namana! Doughtnuts! Oh my! Blah, what's this? Peanut Dew Cake! Yuck! I hate it!" She tossed the small, unopened package of delicious bread away.
Before it could reach the trash can however, Anakin caught them with the Force and, after opening the parcel, began to eat some of it.
Andrea raised an eyebrow. "Like it ah? Than you can have the bag of peanuts too." She tossed them and he caught the package in hand. "I'm allergic to peanuts. But even before I was, I didn't like 'em. Taste strange."
"I'm not so sure I like the idea of you eating junk food so soon after waking from your coma," Anakin said.
"Oh come on!" she complained. "I haven't eaten in like," she stopped a moment to think before her eyes widened, "two years! Because when I woke from my two year coma on Elderin I didn't eat anything."
She pointed an accusing finger at him. "You and Arica didn't offer me anything. And not long after that, that stupid crystal put me in yet another coma. I deserve to eat whatever I want. Where is Arica anyway?"
She looked around the room once more and Anakin ignored her question about Arica to continue his point.
"But that's just what I mean Andrea. Your body hasn't taken in any real food for the past two and a half years. You've got to eat something more productive than junk food. You there!" He turned to one of the Emperor's Royal guards. "Go tell Nurse Aida to bring some real food in here for this patient."
With a nod of its helmeted head, the guard left the room.
Andrea gave a brief glance at the Emperor and his entourage before looking back at Anakin. "But this is real food," she protested. "I absolutely refuse to eat that disgusting trash Nurse Aida was trying to shove at me earlier. And where's Arica? You never answered."
"Arica's not here Andrea," Anakin started.
"Well I can see that," Andrea said with an eye roll. "But where is she?"
"She went back to the Unknown Regions to retrieve any remnants of the crystal that might be left after it exploded."
"Exploded?! This must have happened after the sacrifice. But why did it explode? And why did Arica return there to retrieve any remnants of it? It's just a stupid, lying crystal that'll stop at nothing to get what it wants from its so-called 'sacrifice."
"What do you mean, Andrea?" Anakin asked. He than sat down next to her on the bed. "What happened when the crystal took you up within it?"
And so she explained.
"When we entered the temple chamber, I really didn't know what to expect. I mean, I'd known what you and Arica had told me about the crystal but still I wasn't sure what to think of it all. As we neared the glowing lights, after they flashed over you and Arica they fell onto me. A lot of it was a blur after that. I remember the light crystal calling to me, telling me to present myself. It took over my mind; I didn't have a choice. I lost my will. I attempted to fight it but it didn't work. It was far too powerful to be fought off by a mere girl. It began to tell me it'd show me my mother and father again, but at the bargain that I must sacrifice myself. I reluctantly agreed, but than I really didn't have a choice to begin with. It would've taken me rather I wanted to go or not. As I proceeded forward, onto the water, all the crystal continued to tell me was seeing my parents again and sacrificing myself. As I was lifted into the air and became one with the Crystal, that's all that ran through my mind. The Crystal, the Crystal, the Crystal. I was inside it I don't know how long when suddenly I felt like I was being pulled away from it. All became dark. It was the same dark isolation I'd experienced while in my first coma. Over the time in the second coma, I heard voices." She looked Anakin in the eye at this. "Yours and Arica's voices. Trying, unsuccessfully, to break me out of the coma. I woke up here about an hour ago. Nurse Aida was coming in at the time. I asked her where I was and where you and Arica were. And that's it," she ended dramatically.
While Andrea had been talking, Nurse Aida and the guard returned. While the guard took up its previous position at the door, Nurse Aida came inside, delivered a tray of hot 'real' food before Andrea on the bed, and bowed herself out again.
So once Andrea finished talking, she turned her attention downwards, towards the food. Her once smiling face turned to disgust at the sight of it. On the tray below her was dried liver meat, what appeared to be rice though it was slightly burnt, and a green mixture of vegetables that reminded Andrea of spinach and green peas. A small jug of fruit juice also sat on the tray along with an equally small carton of nerfmilk pudding.
Andrea's face brightened instantly when she saw the pudding and made a quick grab for it. But not quick enough, for just as she was about to grasp it Anakin snatched it away with a semi-serious reprimand.
"Now, now Andrea. Everyone knows that when pudding is placed with a meal, the person eating is supposed to eat the meal first, and pudding later.
Andrea gave Anakin a playful glare, but than shrugged as she glanced down at the tray again. Picking up the plastic fork that came with it, she began to pick away the mass of green, eating the spinach, but leaving behind the peas. Once done, she looked up again expectantly at the carton of pudding Anakin was still holding.
"The rest of the food Andrea," he instructed. "Eat it."
"This is garbage!" she pronounced. "I hate liver and this rice looks like it's been through a war."
"And the peas?" he asked.
"Don't like them either," she replied.
"I've eaten worse," he commented.
With a sigh, he picked up Andrea's abandoned fork and began to force-feed her the trays contents. All the trays contents. Andrea protested, but Anakin gave a death ear to them.
Once the tray was empty of all food, he handed the carton of pudding to the still sulking teenager. She snatched the carton out of his hands and within ten seconds had eaten all its fillings.
"Happy now?" Anakin teased.
"Yes quite," Andrea replied.
"I'll take you out to dinner tomorrow or the next day, depending on when you're released," he said. "It'll be a little 'all you can eat' treat from me."
"Splendid!" Andrea exclaimed before than turning her attention over to the silent, seated form of Emperor Palpatine. She knew it was him, for she recognized him slightly. In spite of the fact that he looked at least a hundred years older from the last time she'd seen him on television 2 ½ years ago during the war.
His gaze was set of her and she abruptly became overcome with embarrassment at the fact that he'd been sitting there as long as Anakin had and she hadn't shown so much as a nod to his acknowledgment.
Curtsying as much as she could on the bed, Andrea bowed her head to him. "Forgive me your majesty for not acknowledging you sooner. I guess I was too caught up in seeing Anakin again. I know that's no excuse but..."
"Say no more child," he said in a much eerier voice than Andrea even remembered him having. "I quite understand."
"Andrea this is Emperor Palpatine," Anakin introduced. "Emperor Palpatine this is Andrea-" He abruptly stopped and looked to her questioningly. "What is your last name?"
"Cavallaria," Andrea responded. "Andrea Cavallaria."
She held her hand out to the slowly rising emperor. He accepted it once fully risen and she said, "It's an honor to meet you sir."
"The honor is mine child," he said with what looked to be a twisted smile. "I have heard so much about you from Lord Vader and Lady Zenevieva. I'd expect I practically know you already."
Andrea appeared confused. "'Lord Vader and Lady Zenevieva? Who are they?"
"Anakin and Arica's official names within the Empire," the emperor explained. "Not may refer to them as Anakin or Arica anymore."
"But you may continue calling us that," Anakin quickly added. "We don't mind."
"Well okay," Andrea said a bit hesitantly. "If you're sure. I don't want to call you something that makes you feel uncomfortable."
"No, no," Anakin assured. "I don't mind being called 'Anakin' by you. The others in the empire however refer to me as Lord Vader."
Andrea nodded, but looked confused again. "So than are all Jedi referred to as Lords and Ladies now instead of Generals?"
The Emperor's eyes flashed briefly at the mention of the Jedi and Anakin was quick to set her straight.
"There are no longer any Jedi in existence Andrea...with the exception of a few anyway."
Andrea looked shocked. "No more Jedi! But-I don't understand. You are a Jedi! Anakin Skywalker – "The Hero with No Fear." You and your master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, were quite the heroes during the war."
Anakin offered a wry smile. "Well, that was during the war. Things...change. And have drastically since you've been away in the Unknown Regions."
The explanation Arica gave Andrea about how the New Republic became an Empire hadn't been a fully detailed version. The explanation she'd given her left out the parts concerning the Jedi and Siths' involvement in the war. She'd deliberately left those parts out, in fear that Andrea may not trust them right away if she'd known they were Sith, and as such helped to obviate an entire order of peacemakers.
However, when Andrea received the whole truth of the Republic's transformation she did not distrust them. Though shocked at first, she applauded them for eliminating an order of murdering beasts.
"I'm glad my dad denied me to the temple when I was a baby," Andrea stated. "They would've turned me into a monster. But hopefully I would've seen the light before everything went to worst."
"Yes, hopefully you would've," the emperor drawled. "But that then leads to the matter of your training."
Again Andrea looked confused. "Training?"
"But of course." The emperor spoke as if it were quite obvious. "You have great potential child. You are an untrained 14-year-old Force sensitive with raw ability who, once your powers are honed correctly, will become a great Sith. Is that something you'd want Andrea?"
"Well, yeah. Okay. Sure." Andrea had hesitated at first, but than figured what the heck?
"Than meet your new master," the emperor said, gesturing towards Anakin. "You are now Lord Vader's apprentice. Kneel child."
Andrea did so, lying the front of herself down on the bed.
"Do you, Andrea Cavallaria, swear everlasting loyalty, now and forever, to the elite Order of the Sith?"
"I do," she answered without hesitation.
"And do you swear upon death and grave that never, ever will you turn your back on it? Even if a time came that opposers rose again and attempted to make the galaxy the way it once was with corrupt leaders and ruthless Jedi, that you Andrea Cavallaria would remain true forever and always to the ways of the Sith?"
"Yes master," Andrea said.
"Than rise Darth Lady Da-xia. You are now one of us. Your training will commence as soon as you're released from this facility."
And indeed it did. Two days later, Nurse Aida deemed Andrea ready to go. After Anakin fulfilled his promise of taking her, his apprentice, out to dinner and allow her to eat to her heart's content, after which they went shopping for clothing that fit her now, Andrea's training began.
It was a wonderful feeling having an apprentice of his own, Vader mused. But at the same time, it also brought back memories of Antellica and his semi-apprenticeship with her.
He even told Andrea about Antellica one day, but forbade her from ever saying anything to Arica about it. Anakin didn't know how Arica felt about her deceased sister. It's a subject she absolutely refused to speak of. But Anakin sensed she missed her, as he did also.