A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews and follows! Again, I read every single one and they are incredibly motivating. Pleased be warned that this chapter will be dark, but it's necessary for the story line. It will include some of Vader's past as a child, which won't be pleasant at all. With that being said, please enjoy the chapter.
Sidious was the bane of Darth Vader's existence. Having stolen him from his mother, stolen his youth, and his innocence made the despot of the galaxy nothing but a monster; even though Vader was considered as a monster. When he was much younger, his master had inflicted all forms of torture and abuse, trying to snuff out anything good within the Dark Lord. He had been cruel to him, used him to satiate his lecherous ways, and when that wasn't enough, he had killed his own mother in front of him. Still, he was Vader's master, and one that even he wouldn't dare to disobey, no matter how much he wanted to at times. There was an old saying in the galaxy, even monsters are afraid of monsters.
While Vader had been forced to tell Sidious that Senator Amidala was incarcerated at his estate, he did not inform his master that they had previously met, nor would the maniacal man ever find out that they were now lovers. It was simply too dangerous for the woman, and him as well. Vader had learned over many years to hide his thoughts from his master by erecting mental shields in his mind, layers upon layers of mental protection that enabled him to keep secrets from his torturer, for a time at least. He was fully aware that if Sidious wanted to, he could destroy the barriers, but that would leave Vader's mind destroyed.
Marching into Sidious throne room was always a fearful thing for Vader, never knowing if his master would lash out and torture him for mere pleasure or for some vague miscalculation that the Dark Lord had made. Either way, the despicable creature's ways frightened even Vader, making him shake with fear inside the darkest recesses of his mind. Vader crisply completed his march before kneeling down in front of his master in the most subservient of ways. "What is they bidding my master?", he asked, wondering what fresh hell this summons would be about.
"Rise, Lord Vader", Sidious commanded in a contemptuous voice that left Vader with no doubt that his master was displeased with him.
"Yes, master", Vader responded, mentally bracing himself for whatever punishment he might endure. There would be no use in fighting it, he would merely have to endure it.
"You have failed me my young apprentice", Sidious said ominously. "There has been a traitor in our midst this entire time that you have been unable to rat out, leaving him with the ability to provide sensitive information to the Rebellion."
Shit, this wasn't good, not by any stretch of the means. Vader had fought tooth and nail to comb through any list of senators or military personnel that may have established a relationship with the terrorist organization, but he apparently had missed one.
"May I ask who this foolish traitor is, master?", Vader said, hoping to turn light away from his failure.
"I suppose you should know, you'll be torturing him and then executing him shortly after you leave here", Sidious said.
That got Vader's attention. He had no aversion to torturing people, nor did he have an issue with executing them, if it was deserved. He didn't slaughter people simply for a mere insult unless it was for gross incompetence. "It would be my honor, master. May I know his name?"
"It's Admiral Dackard, my young apprentice. Someone that you have trusted extensively in the pat with crucial information regarding our tactics during our conquest of the Republic", Sidious snarled.
Dackard? He was a competent officer, one that Vader had apparently been a fool to trust. He would enjoy breaking him to the extent of his abilities, slowly pulling the information from him as before he extinguished his life. "If I may ask, what led to his arrest?", Vader asked, curious as to how the man had been caught.
"It was a serious of events that resulted in my suspicions, one being the assault of our newest installation on a world that you're quite familiar with. Tatooine. The garrison was able to repel the assault, but not without sustaining heavy casualties. Dackard, the fool, had been the one to set up the defenses, and he had passed the information to the Rebellion through none other than Senator Amidala, before you discovered of her treachery", Sidious said with contempt.
Vader felt a pit of dread form in his stomach. If Sidious was to suspect that he would have to torture and murder his Angel, then he would be forced to confront his master in the most brutal way possible, most certainly being killed in the process. But still, Vader felt a sting that the Senator had obtained the information from Dackard after his warnings not to do so.
"I have pacified Senator Amidala to the point where I am close to having her abandon her treasonous ways, master", Vader said, hoping to deflect attention away form his newfound lover. "She will not be bent to the Rebellion's will any longer." At least he hoped.
"So, things have been progressing since her incarceration at your estate?", Sidious asked amusedly.
"They have, master. Much progress has been made", Vader said, letting a little amusement into his voice. "Much progress indeed." That was about the extent that Vader wanted to say, nothing more.
Sidious carefully regarded the young Sith Lord's response, and Vader could feel his master unsuccessfully probe his mind, which if he was in a foul mood, wouldn't end well for the Dark Lord. There were times Sidious would fly into an outright rage for not being able to detect Vader's every thought, which was undoubtedly frustrating.
"Very well", Sidious said. "You will continue to bend her to your will, I believe that she will become of some use to us in the near future. Especially since the two of you will shortly announce your engagement, my young apprentice.
Wait, what! "Our engagement?", Vader asked evenly. As much as the Senator was falling for him, she would be most displeased with this development. To be honest, so was Vader. While marriage to the Senator wasn't a foul thought, Vader had imagined that it would be on his terms, not his master's.
"Don't you believe that it would of great use to us if the Rebellion thought that Senator Amidala had completely and fully betrayed them?", Sidious asked harshly. "They would have to scramble to ensure that secret they told her was abandoned in order to avoid detection."
That was a fairly reasonable point. The Rebellion would be shocked, as would the rest of the galaxy, as the Senator was no lover of the Empire's rule. She had made that fact painfully obvious the day the Republic had been formed into the Empire. Maybe this wouldn't be a poor idea after all, at least from a strategic sense, but he would have a difficult time selling it to the Senator, especially given that she still loathed the Empire.
"It may be an idea worth exploring", Vader admitted, hoping that would be enough of an adequate response.
Sidious lip curled in annoyance. "There will be no exploring, Vader. There will only be action. The engagement will be announced shortly, and the two of you will begin to plan a wedding. That's all I will say on the matter", he said. Shit, Sidious had made up his mind and Vader knew that there would be no convincing him otherwise. He was to obey his master, but he would have to break the news lightly to the Senator, lest it harm their relationship.
"Very well, master. I will do as commanded", Vader bowed.
Sidious laughed cruelly. "Of that, I have no doubt, Lord Vader. No go, torture Dackard and that lovely wife of his."
"His wife?", Vader asked, unable to keep surprise from his voice. "Is she suspected with capitulating with the Rebellion a well?"
"No, but she will be of useful leverage for Dackard to admit his crimes, wouldn't you say, Lord Vader?", Sidious asked, angered that his apprentice would dare to question him.
Vader felt a pit of dread form in the pit of his stomach. He had murdered women before, but it wasn't a task he had relished, unless they were blatant traitors to the Empire, or a hostile threat. "I will do as commanded, my master", Vader said with a bow, before he turned on his heel and marched from Sidious' thrown room. This would be a difficult day.
…
Torturing people was an art. There had to be a psychological component that went along with any physical pain in order to be most effective, with the psychological aspect being the most effective. Most people would say anything to stop physical pain, but true fear would help spur them along to the truth. This was something Vader had learned through years of abducting and torturing people during his intelligence gathering missions he was dispatched on long before he assumed the mantel of Darth Vader, and he was good at it. Very good, indeed.
Bracing himself for what was undoubtedly to be a bloodbath, he strode into the durasteel room, ready to face his captives with ruthlessness that very few individuals saw and lived to tell the tale. Admiral Vermth Dackard and his with, Dalia were both strapped to metal chairs, wearing standard issue prison garb, completely stripping them of their individualism. They had undoubtedly been kept awake for days, breaking down their ability to lie. It was an effective form to prepare them for interrogation, but nothing would be as effective as what was to follow.
Vader drug a metal chair and sat in front of them, staring as they shook in terror. "Do you know why I'm here?", he asked menacingly.
"Y-Yes, Lord Vader. We've been falsely accused of treason, b-but I'm sure that will be something that we can clear up", Dackard said, unwisely. The information had already been confirmed, which would make the his breaking all too sweet "M-My wife doesn't n-need to be a part of this. I b-beg you to let her leave."
Vader laughed sinisterly, needing to sell the part. "Your wife is just as complicit as you are, Admiral Dackard. She will be as much of a part of this as you. In fact, I'm not going to torture you, not yet at least. She'll be the one that I'll focus on first, hopefully spurring you to tell the truth", Vader said in a cold matter of fact tone. "If you care for her, you'll save me the aggravation and speak the truth, immediately. I'm not completely without a heart, but don't pressure me as I will be as ruthless as the rumors of my abilities are quite true."
Dackard looked at his wife and swallowed, and she looked at him in stark terror. "Vermth, please, if you know something, please tell Lord Vader", she said as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Listen to your wife, Admiral. Don't make her suffer needlessly", Vader said in an unnervingly calm voice. "Or things will escalate quite quickly."
Dackard looked at him in a bewildered expression. "Milord, I have nothing to tell. I've been a loyal servant to the Empire. I've set up garrisons in the outer rim, establishing a foothold for the Empire to begin its control and expansion. Please, see that I am nothing but a friend to our cause."
"Our cause?", Vader seethed. "You mean your cause, your treasonous cause. You passed along information on the Tatooine garrison to a senator who in turned passed the information on to Rebel operatives. For your lie, your wife will now begin to feel pain." He waived his hand, causing the bones in Dalia's left arm to shatter. She screamed out in pain, struggling against her restraints.
Dackard looked at her, astounded that Vader had made good on his threat.
"That is just a taste of what is to come if you continue to lie to me, Admiral", Vader said as he struggled to contain his anger. If the coward wanted his wife to suffer for his crimes, then he deserved no pity.
"Milord, please, this is merely a misunderstanding. I may have made a remark to Senator Amidala in passing at the gala about our plans, but I had no idea that she was a traitorous bitch", Dackard said.
"Wrong answer", Vader seethed as he twisted his hand, causing Dalia's right hand to twist at the wrist at an unnatural angle. She kicked her feet in pain, screeching at the top of her lungs for several minutes. Vader let her continue as long as possible, watching as the horror in Dackard's face slowly increase as much as possible. "Now do you understand how fucked you are, Admiral? We both know that it wasn't just a harmless conversation that you had. You were specifically informed that Senator Amidala was an operative, but I wish to know who you communicated with that informed you of this information. I won't leave here without it."
"I tell you, Lord Vader, I have no idea of what you're talking about. Please, spare my wife. If your issue is with me, then let her go", Dackard said as forcefully as possible.
"Admiral", Vader began. "We all know that you're trained to resist torture, so emotional pain will be the only way for you to truly open up. I implore you, don't make this any more difficult than it needs to be, or her suffering will increase with every lie that you utter." Just tell the fucking truth and finish this, he thought, disgusted that he would allow his wife to be tortured. Had the situation been reversed and Padmé was in the hot seat, he would speak whatever truths necessary to avoid her torture, even if it meant his damnation.
"I can't admit to something I didn't do", Dackard said.
"Vermth, please", Dalia begged. "Please, Vader wouldn't be doing this if he wasn't certain. Please just fucking tell him what you know." Dalia had teers pouring from her eyes and her voice was cracked, unable to bear the pain much longer.
Vader held up his hand and made a fist, crushing the bones in her right foot. The shards protruded, causing a pool of blood to slowly form at her feet. She rolled her eyes to the back of her head and tried to scream, but was unable to, the pain was that unbearable.
"I can do much worse, Admiral. This is only the beginning, for both of you", Vader warned. "Make this easier on her, admit to the fucking treason and tell me who your contact was in the Rebellion. I know you didn't have a conversation in passing, I know this was deliberate."
Dackard said nothing, at a loss for words.
"Very well", Vader said. In a flash, he stood up and his lightsaber snapped to life, severing Dalia's right leg at the knee. Her leg dropped to the floor at an angle, the foot still affixed to the chair. This time she was able to scream, and the shrill of her voice unnerved Vader along with her husband.
"Gods dammit, stop this at once!", Dackard shouted. "I can't tell you what I don't know, you sociopath!"
Vader didn't respond. He slowly drove his blade into Dalia's right shoulder. The smoldering flesh causing a horrendous stink that made both Dalia and her husband gag. This wouldn't end well; Vader could already tell. He would be forced to murder Dalia, and then focus his attention on her husband. It was a shame, all Dackard had to do was tell the truth and their deaths would've been swift and painless.
"Stop this! I beg of you, stop this!", Dackard pleaded. Unable to watch his wife be tormented any further.
Vader extinguished his blade and then sat back down. "Then tell me what I wish to know, or this will continue. I'll know if you're lying, Admiral. There's no point in any further subterfuge. Just answer the gods damned questions and you'll both be freed of this torment", he said.
Dalia said nothing, she was withering in too much pain to speak. Vader could tell that she had reached her limit and then some. There would be no more cries of pain and terror from her, just emotional pain that would be inflicted upon her husband. Pain of seeing his wife be systematically torn apart until there was nothing left. What a coward to not say anything. What a betrayer to every oath he had taken, even his oath to his wife.
Of course, Vader knew he wasn't blameless. As much as it displeased him to admit, he knew this also fell squarely on his shoulders. He was Sidious' enforcer, his rancor. As much as it displeased him to admit, this torture was a brutal reflection of the monster he had become.
"Do we really need to continue this much longer?", Vader asked, growing unusually tired of the prolonged torture. Normally individuals would've cracked by now, so much that even Vader was beginning to have small doubt of the Dackard's complicities in the Rebellion's schemes, but the facts made entirely too much sense for that to be the case.
"Alright, alright", Dackard capitulated. "I learned that Senator Amidala was a contact from Bail Organa. Once she disappeared, I began communicating with Bail directly via a secured comms. That's all I know."
Vader felt a moment of relief as his rage began to subside. "Now, tell me why, Admiral. Tell me why that you decided to betray the Empire."
Dackard swallowed. "The Republic was the rightful government of the people, not the Empire", he said, as he tried to inflect his tone with pride, but failed. "Please, kill me, but spar my wife."
Vader felt his rage burble up inside of him. His rage that Dackard could've easily communicated this without his wife having been tortured. Rage that there were likely more traitors within the Empire. And Rage that Bail Organa continued to act unchecked.
He sprung to his feet and ignited his lightsaber again, severing the heads of Dackard and his wife with one cling swing. He stood, trying to control his breathing as their head impacted the durasteel floor. One that was now pooled with blood.
Without giving them a second look, Vader exited the room, having completed his task.
…
As much as Vader wanted to see Padmé when he returned to his estate, he needed to wash the stink of blood and burned flesh from his body. Thankfully, the object of his affection must have been in the courtyard, performing her evening stroll around the perimeter of the garden, which allowed him to ascend to the fifth floor and to his bedchambers undetected. He slipped off his garments, throwing them in his closet and turned on the hot water, letting it turn his flesh red. He placed his arms against the shower wall, allowing the water to beat down in between his shoulder blades to relief some of his tension.
He quickly soaped himself up, washing the stink away as he contemplated what he would say to his Angel. Obviously, he couldn't lie, he had made it abundantly clear that he detested lying, especially given the difficulties he had withholding his true identity from her for so long. She would undoubtedly be upset, possibly even becoming enraged at him for what he had done, which would be understandable. She detested what he did, all that he had done, which was a reasonable stance given how staunchly she had believed in the Republic.
Then there was the engagement that he would be forced to disclose. Would she even want to be married to him, especially given who he was? For the reason why Sidious had commanded? She was a woman of principle, one that undoubtedly believed that marriage was a promise between two people that cared for one another greatly. They cared for one another, but that care hadn't reached to the extent where she would be able to allow herself to become his wife, not yet at least.
There would be no easy way about it, he would simply have to tell the truth and allow her to vent her anger. That was the proper thing to do, the right thing to do. Still, the thought of being married to her intrigued him. Obviously, he would be able to let her roam freely, no longer being a prisoner at his estate, nor requiring that her handmaiden only be allowed to leave the premises under heavy guard. This would be a benefit in itself, one that she would surely appreciate.
Grumbling to himself over the situation, he toweled off and dressed in his comfortable sleep pants. He didn't have an appetite, not after today, and laid down to take a nap. Hopefully Padmé would come to his room later in the evening to see him as he didn't have the heart to see her just yet, not while he was lost in thought. Obviously, there would be no sex, not after what he had to tell her, but that was also to be expected, not that he was in the mood anyway.
Putting all that aside, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
…
Anakin was in a dark room, like always. Waiting for his tormentor to come and inflict punishment on him in the most grotesque ways. He had quickly learned that crying and screaming would do nothing to prevent the thing that had abducted him from inflicting pain on him, so even at the tender age of five, he learned to endure and to be silent. Sometimes this would cause the man to be pleased with him, other times, it would him to be enraged further, torturing him until he finally broke and cried out for his mother. A mother that would never come, one that probably didn't even know if he was alive.
His body was covered with burns and sores from his torment, each one emitting pain that made it hurt to breathe, much less do anything else. He was exhausted, hungry, and cold. The room kept at a temperature that he wasn't used to, completely unlike the harsh heat that he had endured on Tatooine. He vaguely remembered being on a ship, but not much more than that. He wasn't told where he was going or why, just that he would be taught to obey. Taught to be afraid.
He gladly accepted the usual punishments over the eviler ones that this man seemed to take perverse pleasure in inflicting upon him. He was too young to understand the acts that were inflicted upon him, other than they hurt. That they were disgusting. That they made him feel dirty and unclean. The old man would inflict them upon him with even more pleasure than physically hurting him, which would make him completely confused. He would be stripped naked and forced to endure them, sometimes for hours at end. It was terrible, and made him want to cry, but he knew that he couldn't. It would only make his tormentor laugh as he did those hurtful things to him. He didn't know what word to call these acts, other than they were terrible.
Why was all of this happening to him? Yes, he and his mother were slaves, but that was the only life he knew. Had he done something wrong to be forced into this new life? Had he made Watto so angry with him that he had sold him to this evil man? No, it couldn't have been that. Watto was a mean being himself, but nothing like this. This man was so much more different, so much more wretched.
Suddenly, he heard the keys to his cell door open and he curled up into a ball in the corner. Fearful of what punishment he would endure today, a whimper escaped from his lips, fearful when he saw that his tormentor didn't have any clothes on. No, not this, not today. "Anakin", the man said. "Anakin. Anakin! Anakin, wake up!"
Vader bolted upright, his chest slick with sweat. Padmé was beside him, her hand on his shoulder. He looked to her with fear still in his heart. Her expression was one of concern, but her angelic face was soothing to him. Helping bring him from the hellish memory that he had been dreaming of.
"Anakin, what happened?", she asked, her voice dripping with concern.
"It's nothing", Vader replied. Not wanting to go into the details of his memory. Those nightmares were so haunting, so real as if they had happened yesterday. He swallowed bile as it threatened to make him vomit. No matter how hard he meditated, those memories would never escape him. He supposed that it was only fitting that he would have a nightmare of being tortured after what he had done today, that's when they normally came. Even though he had enjoyed killing Dackard, he supposed that it was the Force's way of reminding him that he himself had been brutalized.
"No, don't tell me nothing happened. You were crying out and thrashing in your sleep", Padmé said as she brushed a sweaty lock of hair from his face. "Please, you can tell me."
"I can't", he said as he tried to keep his voice from shaking. "It was just a nightmare."
"Sith Lord's get nightmares?", Padmé asked with a frown.
Vader looked at her in her eyes, unsure if she was telling a joke, but deciding that she wasn't. "This one does", he said. "Bad ones."
Padmé was silent for a moment and he could feel anxiety and concern from her aura. Genuine concern. "I've had nightmares, ever since Kashyyyk. Ever since I came here", she said quietly.
"I'm sure you have", he mumbled, feeling a pang of guilt that she had to have been subjugated to her captivity. Her continued captivity, much like he had been, except without the torture. Without the rape.
"Well, I'm getting over it. Especially since I now know that it's you that I'm with", she replied. "But let's not get sidetracked. I want to hear what your nightmare was about. It sounded so real."
Vader gave a mirthless chuckle. "That's because it was." He let his eyes wonder the room for a bit, trying to figure out what to say. "When I was young, maybe five years old, I was abducted from my mother by the Emperor. I didn't know until much later that he had taken me from home because he sensed that I was strong in the Force. At first, I was beaten, tortured, and subjugated to horrors that no child should face", he said with a swallow, letting it sink into Padmé's mind for a moment.
Her face turned from shock, to dread, and then to horror.
"He never spoke to me, just did whatever he wanted without even an explanation. I was so confused. He kept me locked in a dark cell, without even a blanket to keep me warm. He would show up randomly, letting to do whatever was on his agenda for the day. It made the terror all the more real. I didn't understand, I was just a boy", he said as he cleared his throat. He looked at her and saw her that a few tears had escaped from her eyes. He gently wiped them away. "Don't cry for me, Padmé. I turned into a monster as well. I've never forced myself onto a child, but I've done terrible things."
Padmé wrapped her arms around his neck. "You may take pleasure in some of the things that you do, Anakin. But that's just how you were made to do. I don't know what it was that triggered the memory tonight, but it must've been bad", she whispered. "I think I understand just a little more about why you've turned into the man you have, and while I still hate it, I can't entirely fault you for it. Not after hearing that."
Vader wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her closer. "It's alright, you don't have to feel pity for me. What happened was simply my fate", he said. "Besides, you're right. I did do something today that must've triggered the memory."
She didn't move her arms from her neck. "What was it?", she whispered.
"The Emperor found out that Admiral Dackard had been your informant. I was commanded to torture him and his wife until I was given a confession. Then, I killed them both", he said bluntly. Bracing himself for her to withdraw her arms. She didn't.
"That saddens me, Anakin, but that's not surprising. He was an officer after all", she whispered. "I don't like it, but I understand why it triggered the memory. We don't have to talk about it now. We don't have to talk about anything else now. Let's just get you some sleep. I'll stay right here with you and wake you if any more nightmares come to you."
Vader turned his face to her and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips in thanks. Without saying another word, they laid down and Padmé slipped an arm around his chest. Holding him until they both fell asleep.
Life was a bitch.
A/N: This was a difficult chapter to write, but I needed to give Vader a little bit more back story to his brutality. If you liked what you've read, consider dropping a review and following!