Chapter 2: Pax est Mendacium

Peace is a lie. There is only passion.

Through passion, I gain strength.

Through strength, I gain power.

Through power, I gain victory.

Through victory, my chains are broken.

Darth Vader, former Jedi Knight and Hero Without Fear, Anakin Skywalker, descended the steep steps of the secret passage that connected his grandiose royal suite to the matrix of tunnels and walkways of Kaas City's lower levels. At just over two meters tall, his towering form filled the dimly-lit corridor; his flowing, black armour-weave cloak grazing the duracrete walls either side.

His head, dipped forward slightly, was encased in a glossy, black helmet and mask; designed as both a means of protection and life-support system, sustaining his battle-scarred face and hairless scalp. Two curved crimson lenses covered his scorched eyes, serving to protect his damaged retinas, and act as a heads-up display that relayed information on both his immediate surroundings and his own suit's vital systems. A triangular grill, positioned over his nose and mouth filtered the air, before an artificial ventilator forced it down into his ruined lungs. It gave off a loud eerie rasp with each inhale and exhale, making any effort at a stealthy approach impossible unless he used the Force to silence it.

That's if they didn't hear the weighted down thump of his armoured combat boots first. Losing both legs in the ferocious duel against his former best friend and Jedi Master, Obi-wan Kenobi, on the molten lava planet of Mustafar, he was now having to adjust to heavy and awkward cybernetic prosthetics. Something that, even after eleven traumatic months since being entombed in this walking prison of a life-support suit, he was still struggling to get used to.

It was beyond frustrating. Not only had he needed to learn how to simply walk again, but he'd also had to tweak and adjust his fighting style to compensate. With his pectoral plating and shoulder armour limiting his movement, he could no longer easily raise his arms above his head, meaning his lightsaber form had also needed to change. Another thing he was still working on.

But all of this paled in comparison to his personal limitations. Contrary to the heinous lies that had poured from his new Master's mouth as he was reborn on the operating table back on Coruscant, his beloved wife had survived. He had not killed her. Not only that, but she had successfully given birth to their two miraculous children.

And despite his horrendous physical appearance and chaotic state of mind, somehow, she still loved him. Although, as glorious and freeing as this revelation had been, it had only frustrated and highlighted to the young Sith Lord, just how badly broken and destroyed his body had become. Unable to survive without the suit outside of a purpose-built hyperbaric chamber, he was unable to be intimate with her in any way other than a brief kiss or awkward embrace. A brief kiss, because he couldn't breathe unaided for any long period of time, and awkward embrace, because the very make-up and design of his suit; armoured plating, chest control panel, cod-piece and multi-boxed utility belt; prevented such acts of closeness. Even something as deceptively simple as sleeping proved to be a challenge – one that he had long since given up on.

Thudding down the last few steps, he gritted his teeth and forced his melancholic thoughts to the back of his mind, harvesting his festering frustration and storing it away for later use. Reaching the first landing, he turned and waved open the blast door to his private comm-room and strode inside.

The circular chamber swept out around him. To the right was a Command desk littered with flashing red and green diodes, complete with holo-display and central control screen. Off to its left was the transmission pod and main holo-projector. At the rear was a restraining bench and supply trolley which sat just in front of the caged cell doors embedded into the far wall.

And knelt on the floor in the centre of it all, was his new Apprentice, former Jedi padawan, Jaina Trevashan, now known as Darth Syrennè. Her yellow-blonde hair hung freely over her robed shoulders and cascaded down her back, the luxurious thick tresses finishing just short of the heels of her boots. Being only young, not quite sixteen years of age, she was still very naive and inexperienced. Yet, the young woman remained fearlessly still, not moving a muscle as he made his way toward her. She had unexpected strength and distinctive abilities in the Force, which is one of the main reasons he decided to finally agree to taking her on as his Apprentice.

As a Jedi, Vader had developed incredible mental shielding abilities, and now as a Sith, he knew they were near on impenetrable. But somehow, this feeble looking young padawan had managed to break through them. As annoyed as he had been with her sudden unwelcome intrusion, he had also been impressed. If she could penetrate his shields with her limited Jedi training, what powers and abilities could she potentially achieve with a little guidance and training in the Dark Side of the Force?

But she was resisting, clinging to the close-minded and dogmatic teachings of the Jedi Order. So successfully brainwashed by their short-sighted and arrogant principles, that she was failing to fully surrender herself to the Dark Side. After their brief sparring session in the chamber, it quickly became apparent, that he had a lot of work to do if he was to get her to understand what it truly meant to be a Sith. Something that he hoped the leather-bound journal he now carried with him, would help with.

Striding around the young woman, he stopped before her kneeling figure and dropped the book to the floor in front of her. It landed with a heavy thump. She lifted her head, her crystal blue eyes staring up at him.

Vader folded his arms. "Open it," he ordered, his deep robotic voice booming.

She turned her attention to the book and slowly drew the cover back. With a puzzled look, she gazed up at him. "What is this, Master?" she asked.

Unfolding his arms, he waved his hand and turned the pages with the Force. "There," he said, pointing toward the open page. "Read it. Out loud."

With a huff, she shuffled into a sitting position and crossed her legs. Her eyes moved across the page, as if skimming over the ancient words like they were nothing more than a holo-report on her datapad.

He growled. "I said out loud. I want to hear you recite it."

She huffed again and took a deep breath. "Peace is a lie," she started, leaning forward, "there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken." The puzzled expression returned to her face. She stared up at him, questions clearly dancing in her young mind. "What does it all mean, Master?" she asked.

"It is the Code of the Sith, my young apprentice," Vader answered.

She shook her head and glanced back to the book. "I don't understand."

"That much is clear." He clasped his gloved hands at his back and started to pace. "If you are serious about being my apprentice, you will need to not only understand the Sith Code ... but fully embrace it."

"But how can I embrace something that I don't understand, Master?"

He continued to pace. "What is it about the code that so bemuses you, Syrennè?"

She scratched her head, her eyes nervously darting between him and the journal. "But peace isn't a lie, Master."

He suddenly stopped and spun to face her. "Is it not?"

"No. We Jedi, were the keepers of the peace. That was what we were trained for."

"No..." he growled, jabbing his finger. "That is what the Jedi conditioned you into believing. Tell me, my young apprentice, as to how would you define peace?"

"I would define peace as being the absence of conflict," she said, staring up at him defiantly. "To feel comfortable in following one's own feelings and beliefs without fear of persecution or oppression."

"And yet still you believe that is not a lie?" he demanded, not attempting to disguise the indignation in his tone. "The Jedi claim to be servants of the Force, yet the very nature of the Force is conflict. That a Dark Side and Light Side exist is proof in itself. How is that peace?"

Vader grew agitated and started to pace around the comm-room. "As for feelings ... Jedi weren't allowed them. They only permitted their existence so they could be used as tools in interpreting the so-called will of the Force. Fear, anger, aggression, love, joy ... they are all emotional responses to such ... feelings. Yet they were frowned upon, and the user condemned."

He stopped by the transmission pod and whirled on his heel. His anger was building, growing stronger the longer he debated this matter with her. "Why do you think the Jedi Council were so quick to try and remove the Chancellor when they learned he was a Sith?"

Syrennè shrugged. "Because he was the Sith Lord they'd been looking for?"

"No. It was because of fear."

"Fear?"

He had her now, he felt her emotions start to swirl around her. It was time to ram the point home. "Yes, fear. They were afraid of losing their power. Afraid of losing it to the Sith. All who gain power are afraid to lose it, Syrennè ... even the Jedi."

He almost felt dirty using those same words against her, like just by employing them he was becoming more and more like his Master. The thought suddenly didn't sit well. A prickling shiver racked down his spine.

Vader's wrist comm chimed. He glanced at it. He had received a new message from his Master. The rest of the lesson would have to wait. "I need to go," he said, moving for the door. "I want you to stay here and study that journal. It will help to answer some of your questions. If you finish before my return, you are to practice your meditation techniques, as I showed you yesterday. Focus on what it is that you want. I will know if you drift to the light, let that be clear." He punctuated his warning with another violent stab of his gloved finger.

"Yes, My Master," Syrennè answered with an obedient nod.

With a dramatic flourish of his cloak, Vader turned and left for the stairs. His Master had messaged him, which he knew could mean only one thing.

Things … were about to change. And not for the better.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello there...

( Don't leave me hanging XD )

Wow, 9 followers and 6 favourites in just a week since publishing, you guys are amazing.

Thank you so much for your reviews. I am really looking forward to getting deep into this Episode, with so many variables, agendas and characters it promises to be a bumpy ride. Keep your eyes out as the story progresses for some new, but familiar faces.

I probably should have called chapter one a prologue, but hey, it was fun. Some of you may have remembered Haxen from Episode 1, he was one of the Massassi members that greeted Bail, Ferus and Caleb when they arrived at Yavin 4.

Opening song for the chapter: Human (Rag'n'Bone Man) I think it describes Vader quite well.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

MTFBWY