The room fell silent, tension in the air.
Then it erupted into chaos.
Rebels jumped to their feet, looks of terror on their faces. Staggering backwards, they stumbled over their own feet in an effort to get away from the feared Sith Lord. They clutched their blasters tightly. Woman clutched their children, and quite a few of them screamed.
"He's your father?!"
"Are you serious?!"
"He-He-He is Darth Vader?"
"Is this a joke?"
"Are you kidding me?"
"Darth Vader would not hesitate to kill every single person in this room!" screeched a woman.
"How could he be Darth Vader?!"
"He is going to kill us all! I'm too young to die!"
Leia stepped in front of Anakin protectively. "He did used to be evil, but he turned in the end. He saved Luke and killed the Emperor! I deem him trustworthy. Besides, if he couldn't be trusted, then why would the famed Jedi Masters accept him, and send him here to save us? I trust Master Yoda and Master Obi-Wan. Anyway, if my father is still evil, why didn't he kill Luke and I when we went down to see him with only a few guards? He is very powerful. He could probably have killed us all!"
Slowly, the rebels eyed one another. The relief on their faces was clear. Deciding that they fully trusted the princess, they sat down. However, some of them still looked at Anakin suspiciously.
Leia cleared her throat. "Anyway, some droids made my father an exact replica of his Darth Vader mask and life support suit, except this one is merely a suit of armor. Since his voice sounds the same, he will easily pass for Lord Vader. He will be a great help to us."
Rebels nodded, agreeing with Princess Leia. She turned to Anakin, who had been silent the entire time. "Can you show them the suit?"
"Of course," Anakin replied. He strode over to his duffel bag(the rebels nearby shrunk away from his menacing figure), and retrieved the black suit and mask, which he held up. "For now, it is just me and Senator Amidala here. However, if needed, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi will join us. I have the means to contact him. After I spend some time with my family, we come up with a detailed plan, and I construct a new Iight saber, will contact the commander of the storm troopers. He will immediately tell me where the Imperial forces are located, I am sure of it." At this, he smirked. "I will then join them, and pretend to help them. Really, I will be passing along information to my wife, and when it is time, I will sabotage the Imperial forces and destroy Sidious's new apprentice." He tucked the suit back into his bag.
The rebels could all see that even though Vader might have changed sides, he was still very imposing. At a height of over six feet, and with a black cloak billowing around him, almost all the rebels were still scared out of their minds.
Han was the only one besides Luke and Leia who was brave enough to speak. "Well, Mr. Vader, what are we going to do while you do all this? Sit around on the couch and sleep?"
"You will attack the Imperial troops, once you know where they are situated." Anakin said, matter of factly. "If you attack randomly, without inside information, it will do you more bad than good. You will lose more troops that way, and your element of surprise. Do you think attacking without my help will be a good idea?"
Everyone shifted uncomfortably in their seats, hoping than Han wouldn't defy the former Lord Vader. They all knew that arguing with him would not help Han in the least. It was probably one of the worst things he could do.
Han didn't argue, to everyone's relief. They couldn't lose a good fighter like Han Solo. "You're right, Lord Vader. I will sit here quietly until you deliver the information." He smirked, but did the smart thing and said no more. This man, Anakin Skywalker, Luke and Leia's father, had frozen him into carbonite without a blink of an eye. He had murdered countless people, completely destroyed Alderaan, and sold him off to Jaba the Hutt without a second thought. He realized that no matter how young this man looked, it would probably not be smart to cross him.
Leia visibly relaxed. "Okay, so that's settled. Now, let's continue on with our meeting. We have estimated that about half of our troops were destroyed in that surprise attack a couple days ago. One-fifth of them were injured, and are still in the hospital, in the care of our best doctors. If a loved one is among the injured, be assured that they are being well cared for." She paused, and a look of sadness came over her face. "Unfortunately, General Lando Calrissian is still badly injured after being shot by that storm trooper. He will not be able to fight for at least another few months. She swallowed. "Let us just hope that the Force is in his favor."
The crowd grew grave at their princess's terrible news. General Calrissian was highly respected among the rebels, as he had done a very good job leading the fighter pilots against the Death Star. No one wanted him to die.
"Now, we have good news. Chewbacca has convinced the Wookiees to help us. This will be a great asset, as they are quite powerful. Still, our greatest hope lies in Anakin Skywalker." She turned to her father, who was still standing behind her, silent. "Father, you may go now and construct your new lightsaber." Anakin strode out of the room. "Meanwhile, this meeting is dismissed. Be careful, be on alert, and don't act suspicious. To be safe, do not do anything rash. There will be a meeting here, tomorrow at dawn, to go over the plan."
Everyone nodded, and began to exit the room, pulling up hoods over their faces. Leia turned to Padme and Luke. "I hope that this plan works."
"So? What is the reason that you required an audience with me? I will remind you that I am very powerful, and have no time for anything that will not benefit me greatly," drawled a icy, masculine voice, which emanated from a tall figure shrouded in a dark cloak, a hood over his features.
The figure in front of him, also in a black cloak bowed. "I have service that might be of great use to you, my Lord. I greatly wish the Senator to be my own, but this is not possible at the moment. She is in love with," he spat on the ground, "Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker. They are married, and he is constantly by her side, protecting her. I cannot take the Senator to be my own until he is out of the picture. I hear that it would, ahem, benefit you as well if he were to be terminated."
The towering figure above him laced his long fingers together, considering his words. "That is true. So? What is your plan? I don't have much time."
The eyes of the kneeling man gleamed. "I have just come from the Force. I sneaked in through the portal, while most of the city was asleep. This means that technically, I cannot die."
"Well, well. Now this might be more worth my time."
He rubbed his hands together excitingly. "The Jedi Master and the Senator both died, did they not? The Jedi, some time in the Clone Wars, and the Senator, in childbirth?"
The tall figure looked very interested now. "Why, yes, they did."
"They must have come through the portal as well. But what for? To help the Rebellion? Remember, during their lifetime, they both supported the Republic. If they have come here to help the rebels, they must be stopped immediately. They both cannot die, either. They will be a very great threat, especially the Jedi Master. He was called 'The Chosen One' and 'The Hero With No Fear,' was he not?"
"Yes." The voice was so cold now that the room temperature seemed to lower about twenty degrees. "So, what are you saying?"
"Since I cannot die, and both the Senator and the Jedi are not aware of my presence, I shall try to eliminate them. I am a rich man. I have the tools. Here is the deal. I will terminate the Jedi Master, and in turn, you will help me capture and break the spirit of the Senator. She will need persuasion to comply with my wishes, I am sure."
The towering figure stood still, contemplating his deal. Finally, he nodded. "Very well. I will submit to the plan. However, know that whatever happens to you when you are trying to kill Skywalker is none of my concern. If you are captured, I will not bargain for your release. If you are killed, then that is not my problem. If you are accused, then the blame is all on you. I will flatly deny everything, and no one will question me. Do you understand?"
"Yes, my Lord."
"I do not want any disturbances, either. You will not contact me for anything else besides Skywalker's death. I don't have time for your petty excuses. Should you try to contact me, I will not answer you. I don't care how you get there- just kill him. Understood?"
The man rose, and gave a short bow. "Yes, my Lord. Thank you, my Lord. I will contact you when Skywalker is dead. The Senator will soon be mine."
The plot twist is here! Hope you guys enjoyed Part 8! Follows, favorites, and reviews are much appreciated!