So, this one is a little slow, but the days have to pass before he can take Obi-Wan home. Also, i felt i needed to build a little suspense around the Aurren/Vader/Dream scenario. Its going to get interesting, & this isnt that great of a chapter, but we all need lead ins. the next chapter might be more of the same, but expect some excitement when they get back to Alderaan.
Vader returned to the base just a few hours before the sun rose. The hangar was vacant as he entered, and the first thing he wanted to do was return to his quarters and take a long, hot shower.
He scanned ahead of himself for any personnel that might be roaming the halls so he did not have to encounter anyone on his way through the base. He entered his personal quarters and with a sigh, locked the door and made his way to the bathroom. There, he took off his black guise, and his robes, turned on the shower full blast, climbed in and sat cross-legged on the floor as the water tumbled over his body. He hung his head, and tried to relax under the steaming jets, also trying to remove the sand that felt ingrained in his skin. Same as ever, he still hated sand, and it gets everywhere.
He was trying to mentally prepare himself for the coming days. Getting Obi-Wan off the planet with him was something he knew that he could pull off without anyone suspecting anything. Hell, the rogue jedi had been living some few standard miles from this base for so long, and no one even knew he was there.
It was getting back into the act as Vader that was proving difficult. His mood had changed. He couldn't feel the anger anymore that welled into him at the first sight that he disliked. Moreover, he was, in a few short hours, supposed to be this imposing and dangerous being as he, in detail, inspected the base encampment and all of its weapon defense systems.
Vader stayed in the shower until his fingers and toes were wrinkled with moisture and the once blazing hot water began to cool. By that time, he had just enough time to dress himself and get ready for the day. If only he could try to be the man on the inside that he looked on the outside, at least enough as to not give any alarm to the crew. Which meant he had to be brutal. Something he was now beginning to fear.
…
Miles away in the desert, Obi-Wan Kenobi was spending his time meditating. He still had so many questions. The man who was once his former apprentice and was currently known across the galaxy as Sith Lord Darth Vader had invited him to go across a long amount of space and return to civilization on the planet of Alderaan. He had accepted immediately. He hadn't even questioned it, which was what he was doing now. Somehow, he guessed that his first instincts about the trip must have been true, which is why he so readily accepted the invitation. This… man, (he still did not know what to call him), could be putting him in a trap. As much as he tried to ruminate about it being a trap, the force just called back to him that it was not so, that to be one with the living force, as a powerful jedi, one should go with their first strong instinct. And Obi-Wan's instinct was that his former padawan was now struggling with something he never even considered. Turning from light to dark, and then trying to return to the light after living as a Sith Lord.
He simply couldn't imagine the sort of emotional rollercoaster the man was on. As a child, and even young man, he was ruled much by his emotions, but had been helped, by Obi-Wan himself, to try to reign in those emotions and use them purposefully. As a Sith, he had been encouraged to act on these emotions, and not in a good way. When he was angry, he was not only encouraged, but it was expected of him to use his immense power wrathfully, to get his way. Lives were not important to a Sith, getting what you want is what is important to a sith. Technically, he was still a Sith, but there was no doubt the amount of light that was beginning to envelop the darkness.
He also feared for his once-friend. He feared for his life if the Emperor were to find out. He was certain that the Emperor was ready for any kind of failure from his apprentice. He was certain Sidious already had a back up in line for when Vader faultered. A plan of some sort must be made soon, or it could mean certain death for the both of them… that is, if they even made it to Alderaan.
…
The word around the base was that he was in one of his "moods," and rightly so, the advice given out was "stay out of his way and do what he says." All of these assumptions came from one thing, the near refusal of Vader to say close anything while being given a detailed tour of the base. At the end of the long day, Vader was almost pleased that he hadn't had the need to do anything or say anything to betray himself. He had psyched himself out to be a bit gruff, and very silent. In the past years, it was rumored that when he was very quiet he was capable of extreme rage at the flip of a switch. So, everyone tip-toed around him all day.
It would be his plan for the next day as well, until in 2 morning's time, he would be collecting Ob-Wan from the desert and taking him with him back to Alderaan.
Alderaan. He couldn't wait to get back there. It was beautiful there, the home he was living in was perfect, and the home that would be built for him would be even more so.
But it wasn't just the pleasantries of the Alderiaan countryside that was luring him back. A certain young architect was there, just waiting for her master's return. And when he returned to her, he had a lot of explaining to do. Where, though, he did not know to start. How would he even possibly do this.
Vader went to bed that evening after another long shower and then a short amount of meditation. Just enough for him to see those lights that never revealed themselves to him in the darkside, and to reassure him of his future in the light. It was so close, he could almost taste it. There would just be so much to deal with in getting there, and actually obtaining the light of the force wasn't going to be the hard part. Parting from the Emperor would be. And keeping his plans secret.
Lying in bed, it took him a while to fall into a light sleep. He dreamed of Alderaan, and the countryside, and the flowers with their lofty seed heads floating in the breeze like ethereal petals. Soon, his dream began taking him back down a familiar passageway, in a familiar town, towards a familiar alleyway. Something inside of him told him to run. So he ran, and once more his nightmare about Aurren was taking place. This time, he grabbed his saber from his belt and tried to run the man through, but instead of slicing him in half, it simply ran through him like air.
Vader shot up in bed in a deep sweat, panting for breath. He had for a while forgotten about his dream about Aurren. He tried to believe that it wasn't true… even though his dream about his mother way, his dream about Padme was not. As a matter of fact, he didn't even want to accept that this could perhaps be a prophetic dream. But just in case, he was planning on keeping a close eye on Miss Farr when he returned to Alderaan.
…
Aurren sat on the edge of the bed, gazing out the open full-length windows. She would find no sleep tonight either. When she had closed her eyes that night, she had done so without thinking of the horrible things she had dreamt in the previous nights. Tonight's dream was right out of a horror novel. And she was the target of the beast. She was taking a shortcut down the alleyway between the Alderiaan Federal Buildings and the Art Museum, when she was attacked by a man. Aurren always through having being initially trained for the military (she had to go through military basic training to get to her status), that she could hold off an attacker, but this night, in her dream, he completely over powered her.
As she sat on the edge of her bed in a daze, she could smell the man's stale breath, the knife that ripped at her clothes and then her flesh, the strong hands and fingers that held her down, the dirty ragged shoved in her mouth to keep her quiet.
She had never experienced anything like that before. Never had a dream had her so stricken.
Walking to the windows, she looked out at the still empty hangar and wished that her Lord would return soon. For the first time ever, Aurren was afraid of being alone.
