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Chapter Fifty Four
The Smiling Victor
A few moments later...
"Aventra," Darth Vader's respirator clicked as it hid his astonishment. He put his hands on his hips. "You survived."
Lord Aventra was once known as Jedi apprentice Ahsoka Tano. She was the former secret apprentice of Darth Vader.
Was.
The Torguta was until had come to the conclusion that Vader's new wife, Padmé would be the undoing of them, the Sith. She then tried to assassinate her, until Vader intervened.
She and Vader then dueled. Leaving the Vader the natural victor. While Vader had to admit she had an edge with her youth, quick pace, she was no match for his power and experience.
"Surprised?" Aventra's eyes golden eyes glowing even more brighter than Vader's.
"I shouldn't be," Vader said.
"But you are." Aventra smirked arrogantly. Oh, this was going better than she anticipated.
Deep down Vader was a little.
On the other hand, Vader had felt that short chapter in his life, his apprentice Aventra was over. Then again, the Clone Troopers had never found a body, but on Coruscant, that was anything but a surprise. While the upper levels were full of glamor and wealth, the lower levels may have been the Outer Rim. Full of crime, drugs, or anything a being wanted. Corspes found by security were often picked clean, even thrown in the trash compactors. Any security cameras troopers and security personnel tried to install were gone within a day. Picked clean and sold at the nearest loan shop.
He supposed this was the epilogue.
Darth Sidious gestured his hands to explain. "Much like you and Lord Tyranus, you will duel Lord Aventra. The winner will be my apprentice." The plan was clean and simple.
Vader wanted to roll his eyes. Had they not been through this before? He also began to wonder if Sidious and Aventra might team up...but decided against that. Sidious would only leave the comfort of his Throne if he had to and Aventra lost.
"I will no longer serve you." Vader said. Again. "I will die before I kneel before you again."
Sidious's glare clearly stated, that can be arranged.
Vader eyed Sidious right back, "I have beaten her before." Was this really necessary? Were they both simply hoping Vader had fallen that far? Were that truly that niave and blinded by power? ...Or had they fallen themselves? While Vader hoped and prayed to the Dark Side that this all went smoothly, he at least wanted something of challenge.
While Aventra seemed to accept those terms. "My powers had doubled since the last time we fought!" She boasted.
Vader supposed she and Sidious had talked this over long ago.
Sidious leaned in, curiously anticipating how this would go.
Vader could have laughed. "I once said the same thing to Count Dooku." It did not end so end well...and he not told her story? As something of a soft warning to her.
Aventra sneered, "We'll see." She activated her twin blood red lightsabers. Feeling the cool, but warming hilts in her fingers.
She could do this.
She would do this.
She would be Palpatine's rightful apprentice and heir.
Though in Aventra's mind, she already was.
Her former Master, Vader was merely some interloper. Much like Maul, he had overstayed his welcome.
Aventra screamed in rage as she ran towards man she once called Master. The man who locked her up for nearly a year. The man who killed her friend. The entire Jedi Order. Her friend, Asajj Ventress.
How many more times were they going to go through this? Yes, she was quicker. But he was far more powerful and more experienced. But she had learned much more since their previous encounter. Another thing that worked towards her advantage, Vader had suffered another grevious injury. He was becoming more machine by the day, no wonder Sidious longed to replace his powerful Apprentice.
Still, Vader deepened his breathes as he ignited his single blade.
And the battle began.
Vader blocked all of Aventra's swings, kicks, and parries. All defensive, little offense. Not because he was weak. He supposed he wanted them to think that. Also he was taking his time to study her and to allow her to tire.
He had to admit she had grown more in the Force and physical strength since their previous battle.
But she was still no match for him.
Really it was such a shame Aventra had tried to kill his wife, otherwise she would have remained his Apprentice. Yes, his son or possibly his daughter would have become his Apprentice or one of Apprentices when they were older. But his heirs would need servants.
Between her swings and kicks, he brutually swung and knocked the hilt out of her right hand.
Aventra gritted her teeth as he scooped the hilt up before it could even touch the floor.
Finally... Vader thought.
Vader spun the blades like aircraft wings.
Aventra's strength seemed to disappear as Vader was hurled powerful strikes at her.
Somewhere in the endless spins, she found an opening.
Chopping the hilt of her old lightsaber in half. The two halves dropped to the floor.
Pity it wasn't his other hand.
Using a trick that the Mother taught him.
Vader ducked and parried.
Knocking her remaining blade from her hand and into his.
Instead of panicking, Aventra pulled the ace out of her sleep.
For half a moment, Vader thought he had triumphed. He was nearly ready to strike her down when something sprang from Aventra's fingertips.
Blue and white electricity.
Force Lightning.
Perhaps Vader's greatest weakness.
Sidious had shown it to him. Nor could Vader truly learn. Vader also suspected it was one of the many things Sidious was saving for himself, should Vader ever turn on him. Yet he had it to Aventra? Then again, Sidious probably felt he could defeat in Aventra in lightsaber combat.
Force lightning had always harmed him and his respirator.
It knocked him back several paces onto his backside.
Vader did his best to contain a scream.
But he managed to the lightning back from his flesh with the lightsabers. He also managed to tilt the lightsabers into an x.
Then he got to his knees and began taking large paces towards her.
Closer.
Closer.
Aventra screamed in the Force. Pouring everything she had into her Force Lightning.
Vader almost thought he was going to go deaf listening to her scream into the Force.
Inching closer, he got right in front of her and...
He reached.
The Sith Lighting abruptly stopped.
Grabbing her flesh.
Her throat.
Aventra tried to breathe.
He wrapped his fingers around her slender neck.
Aventra made a few smalls noises.
Gasps.
She clawed at his face, his chest, his clothes, anything she grab onto.
And moments later, there was silence as Vader let her limp body fall to the floor.
Darth Sidious shook his head.
What a pity.
What a waste.
While Sidious had not foreseen the young Torguta winning, he was hoping she would at least slow down Lord Vader. He had almost...he searched for the right word, hope? Not really a word the Sith used often, but he had hoped Vader would only severely injure the girl. She could serve as his apprentice until Vader's offspring came of age.
But unfortunately, Vader had triumphed and finished the Torguta off.
Sidious studied Vader a bit more, from head to the end of his boots.
He seemed a bit tired but not as tired as Sidious had hoped.
Finally Vader turned to face Sidious.
Sidious rose from the Throne.
No matter.
Sidious wingled his arm and the metal hilt fell down his sleeve and into his fingers.
He would deal with this...this pretender.
Sidious's eyes narrowed.
Anger and frustration washed over him.
So much potential.
And Vader continued to throw it away. Everything he had taught him.
Again, no matter.
Vader had not one, but two offspring sleeping only blocks away. This time, Sidious would train them and this time he would do it himself.
And he do it right.
However, until Vader's offspring were of proper age he would have to find someone to fill in as his Apprentice. Not to mention the matter of a Grand Vizier? Or would he keep her around awhile longer and simply appoint her officially as the Vizier? He would have to ponder more on this later.
Sidious supposed one of his Inquisitors as his new Sith Apprentice and Supreme Commander. Certainly not he wannabe Sith, Malorum. Perhaps the fallen Jedi, Jerec. The Grand Inquisitor? Granted, he was non human, but nothing that could not be solved with a respirator and hood like Vader. Sidious would have to see which one showed the most potential. Then one day in the future, the Inquisitor and Vader's offspring would duel. Winner would become his apprentice.
Yes, it all seemed so...
Sidious' train of thought had stopped when Vader began to do something.
Vader had known what Sidious had been thinking. That this was going to be easy. That he would take his children. Then kill or simply continue to torment his wife.
Wrong.
Vader then reached up and ripped off his respirator.
It hurt.
But it felt good.
Really good.
The fool had not seen it coming.
Vader smiled...a crooked smile, but still a smile.
Revealing his face to someone besides his medical droids, his wife, or children.
Sidious still could not speak.
"You underestimate me, my Master. You always have." The respirator fell to the floor with a single thump. "Now's let's end this."
*gulp* It is on!
Coming up: Okay, it looks like there are two more chapters, plus an epilogue.
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