After quite a bit of groaning, Anakin stepped out of the bathroom, decked out in his Vader armor. He clipped his light saber to his belt, which he had been sure to make red so that no one would suspect a thing. "Your lack of faith is disturbing," he grumbled.
Padme laughed. "Oh, Anakin. You'll never convince anyone that you're Darth Vader if you speak like that. Not even the voice box can hide your enthusiasm," she teased. "Or should I say, lack of enthusiasm."
Anakin groaned. "Fine." He stood up straight. "You will die if you keep on annoying me!"
Padme giggled, unshaken by the menacing figure that would have caused every other person in the world to cower and grovel in terror. "That's better. Make sure that you always act your part. And make sure that you immediately show Darth Maul who's the boss. Do some of the things Sidious did to you to him."
Padme couldn't read Anakin's emotions behind the black mask, but she knew him so well that she could have sworn he smirked. "He'll enjoy that," he said sarcastically. "As did I."
He unclipped his comlink from his belt and typed in a number. He pressed the red button, and then waited impatiently for an answer. There was a bunch of static, and then it cleared up.
"This is Admiral Piett. How can I help you?"
"Where is the new Imperial base?" Anakin demanded in his slow, robotic voice(A/N: I said this all in Darth Vader's voice to make sure the words sounded like him; it will be more interesting if you do the same XD If you don't know what it sounds like, go listen to it and prepare to laugh and be terrified at the same time)
"L-L-Lord Vader!" stuttered Admiral Piett, almost speechless with surprise. "S-So you did survive the explosion after all!"
"Obviously. Did you think that I could be destroyed by a mere explosion?"
"O-O-Of course not, Lord Vader. I-I didn't mean to imply-"
"I tire of your impudence, Admiral. If you do not wish to meet the same fate as Admiral Ozzel, answer me. Now that Lord Sidious is dead, I am the new emperor of the Galactic Empire. I am Lord Sidious's oldest apprentice, and the most powerful one. Now, where is the new Imperial base?"
"I-It is near the planet Hoth, sir. Our Stardestroyers are stationed behind the enormous planet, nearby some of its neighbors. It shouldn't be too hard to find, now that you know where it is. And, of course you know that to enter the main Stardestroyer, the code is 5197," rambled on the nervous admiral.
"Of course. I will be arriving soon. Darth Maul will learn his place for trying to take the control of the galaxy away from me."
Anakin shut off his comlink. Padme was beaming in admiration. "I knew you could do it!" she said.
"Your lack of faith is disturbing," he repeated.
Anakin had just bought a space shuttle when Padme, Luke, and Leia ran up to him. Leia threw her arms around him. "Please stay safe."
Anakin put his arm around her. "I will, princess. You as well. Promise me?"
"I promise."
Luke gave him a hug. "Please protect your mom as best you can."
"I will."
Padme rushed into his arms. Luke and Leia drew back, as if to give them space, and smiled at each other.
Anakin held her tightly. "I'll miss you, angel. So, so much. Please promise that you'll be safe."
"I promise. And, Ani, promise me that you'll do the same."
"I promise."
"Anakin," she buried her head into his chest, "please come back to me. I can't lose you again. I love you."
"I will, Padme. I swear on the Force that I will come back to you." He drew back and looked at her. "I love you all the way to the end of the galaxy and back. Every day I'll be thinking of you, my angel. Don't forget how much I love you." He kissed her, slowly. They held each other like the world was going to end.
Finally, they reluctantly broke apart. Anakin rushed over to the space shuttle carrying his Vader helmet. Before he stepped in, he turned back and looked at Padme. "I love you."
"I love you, Ani."
Two hours and a long jump into hyperspace later, Anakin was sitting in the cockpit of his shuttle, staring at his Stardestroyer from afar. It brought back bad memories; ones that made him shutter. He didn't want to go back there. He hoped, with everything in him, that he wouldn't have to go back there. But he knew that he did. He was the Republic's only hope. Taking a deep breath, he put his mask on and steered the shuttle towards the huge battleship.
"Name your identity and your purpose."
Anakin pressed a button on the dashboard. "This is Darth Vader. I have come to claim the Empire and show Darth Maul who is in charge." He paused. "Keep in mind that even if he refuses me, I will still find a way to enter. And if I am forced to do so, then be assured that he will regret it."
"T-The access code, sir?"
"5197."
"Come right in, sir." A hatch opened in the main Stardestroyer. Anakin steered his shuttle inside, and stepped out. A line of stormtroopers were waiting for him. The leader stepped forward. "Welcome back, Lord Vader. Your chambers are just as you left them. Lord Maul would like to see you."
Anakin nodded curtly and followed the Imperial soldiers down several corridors, until they reached a heavily barred door, which opened upon their arrival. A figure stood inside, wearing a long, black cloak, its back facing them. At their entrance, it turned and removed its hood.
It was a tall man with a pale face and a pointed nose. There was no expression in his face at all. He was wearing all black, and was holding a light saber, not yet ignited.
"You are dismissed," he told the stormtroopers, who bowed and left. The door slid closed behind Anakin.
"I see you have come to try to claim your 'throne'," drawled the man in a voice as cold as ice. "Unfortunately, I don't think you'll be getting it." He ignited his light saber. Anakin unclipped his and did the same.
"You think you can defeat me, Lord Vader? I don't think so. My powers far exceed yours."
Anakin smirked under the mask. "We will see about that, Lord Maul. Now, are you going to stand there like all the other cowards I've faced, or are you going to fight like a man?"
Darth Maul growled and somersaulted over the table in front of him. He madly attacked Anakin, who easily deflected his blow. Growling again, Darth Maul began to wildly strike at Anakin, who was finding with disappointment that although he was much younger, and with his limbs intact, it was still harder to fight in the armor than without it. They began to duel fiercely, with Maul on the offense and Vader on the defense. With every block, Anakin's opponent seemed to get more and more angry. Anakin sidestepped Darth Maul and brought his light saber down towards his chest, but he evaded the deadly blade and continued his strikes with a furious gleam in his eyes. Anakin realized that his opponent had a very short temper, and could not take being put down or criticized. He decided to put this to his advantage.
"Well, Lord Maul," he mocked. "I expected more from you than this. However, I guess I shouldn't expect that much from a mere captive."
"You don't know anything about me!" he shrieked, getting dangerously close to Vader. "I am more powerful than you! Even more powerful than Lord Sidious!"
Vader chuckled. "Well, I have yet to get evidence of that." He quickened his strikes, and soon sparks were flying every which way from the intense battle. Anakin realized that Darth Maul was actually more powerful than he thought. If only he didn't have this stupid armor on!
Soon, they were battling on the table, both switching from offense to defense in a matter of seconds. Vader put out his hand and Force pushed Darth Maul off the table, onto the ground. He strode over, but Maul jumped to his feet just in time to block Vader's blow. Objects were flying all around the room, and the chairs were smashed and cut into pieces by the furious onslaught of light sabers.
Suddenly, the Vader's light saber was hit to the floor by one of Maul's wild strikes. Just in time, Vader grabbed Maul with the Force and suspended him in the air. Maul hissed and shot Sith lightning at his opponent. Vader barely dodged it. Angry, he began to choke Maul. "You will learn your place," he hissed, as Maul choked, and shot Sith lightning at the walls. "I will let you live, but you must obey my every command. And if you dare to defy me, I swear by the Force that you will regret it dearly."
He releashed Maul, who crumpled to the ground and lay on the floor, gasping. Glaring at Darth Vader, he retrieved his light saber and stalked out of the room.
Anakin warily watched him leave, and then did the same, sighing in relief. Now that the big battle was over, he just had to keep Darth Maul under control. You never knew what a Sith Lord would do for power...
The cloaked man was crouched by the same bush, staring hungrily at Padme through the layer of glass. He had been there for the past hour, ever since she had come back to the apartment. She had been sitting on the couch, staring silently at a hologram of her and Anakin. Had there been a breakup? Had they gotten divorced? Had she or Anakin made the other angry? He wondered desperately what had happened. Unfortunately, even if they had gotten into a fight, it seemed as if Anakin had initiated it, because Padme didn't look in the least bit angry. In fact, she looked on the verge of tears. He fumed silently, keeping his eyes on the beautiful senator, and decided to stay there for the rest of the day.
Thirteen hours later, Anakin still hadn't returned to the apartment! It was already twelve midnight! He rubbed his hands together, very excited. Either Anakin and Padme had gotten into a very big fight, which was awesome for him, or the Jedi had gone out on a mission. He desperately hoped that it was the first reason. However, whichever one it was, there was one thing clear to him: the Jedi was not there to save Padme. He was a bit worried about Luke and Leia Skywalker, whom he had seen in the apartment, but he was quite sure that a tranquilizer gun would effectively get them out of the way. With Anakin gone,he would be able to capture Padme, and she would finally be his...
I made this chapter a little longer than usual! Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Follows, favorites, and reviews much appreciated!