Chapter 13: Admonitio

Darth Sidious, dressed in his black, hooded robe, stopped at the foot of the dimly lit stairwell that led up to his throne and turned to face his most treasured creation. After six long weeks of waiting, he finally had him. He finally had his wayward apprentice back and in his grasp. But his excitement evaporated during their shuttle trip from the senate, when a pre-emptive probe along their bond frustratingly confirmed what he had already come to suspect.

He was losing him.

Helmeted head bent low, flowing black cloak draped over the floor, Vader silently knelt before him on the cold marble. His breathing; steady and consistent. The even rasp and hiss of his respirator, belying the inner turmoil he sensed broiling inside the young Sith. It hadn't even been necessary for him to demand that he lower his shields. He had done so on instinct, as if fully aware of what was to come, yet still offering himself.

But Sidious wasn't seeing the armour, or the helmet, or the weighted cloak chained around his neck. He could only see him. The same broken shell of a man he'd seen almost one standard year earlier. The powerful, young Jedi who'd become so desperate and disillusioned with his Order, that he'd turned against them with only the slightest hint of encouragement. Submissively kneeling before him in this exact same state. His frame of mind; detached – a chaotic maelstrom of warring emotions and thoughts. His characteristically blinding presence in the Force; flickering and unstable.

In this state there was no telling which way his apprentice was going to bounce. And Sidious was no fool, he knew he was going to have to tread very carefully. First, it was imperative he assessed how far-gone Vader truly was, then he could go from there.

He stepped closer, stopped just short of a meter away, and narrowed his gaze. "So... my son, you have decided to come back."

"Yes... my master," Vader answered.

"Good. And I trust you have taken care of our little arrangement with your wife? Things seemed quite tense between you when we were discussing her mission."

"Padmè is ..." Vader hesitated; a surge of nervous tension echoing from him through the Force. "She is taking some time to ... come to terms with her current situation," he said finally.

Interesting. A deliberate omission of which situation exactly. How very interesting. He was hiding something.

Sidious reached along their Force-bond and poked a little deeper. "Yes. I imagine she feels quite out of her depth," he snickered, even as he felt one of his shields resist his advance. "Of course, it will be most interesting to see how well she handles spying on Organa, given how close the two of them used to be."

Vader lifted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Come now, Lord Vader. You know as well as I, that they were both covertly working to have my emergency powers revoked during the waning days of the Republic." Sidious stared into Vader's crimson lenses, watching his every movement. "You remember the delegation, and their little... petition?"

"That was different," Vader countered.

"Different?" Sidious repeated in an exacting tone. He lifted his hands and started to circle him. "How so?"

"Circumstances have changed."

Nearing his cloaked back, Sidious raised his brow. "Have they now?"

"Yes..." Vader said, turning his black helmet to the stairs. "The Republic is no longer in power. You are now Emperor, and I stand by your side. She would not betray me —betray us— my master."

"And, were you not standing by my side at that very meeting?" Sidious scowled, loosened his knuckles. "That very same one, where she all but openly declared her betrayal?" He resumed circling, fingers twitching as he rounded Vader's other side. He stopped and spun to glare at him. "Were you not 'by my side', Lord Vader, when she brought Obi-wan to Mustafar to kill you? I fail to see how it is different."

Vader stiffened, jerked his helmet around. "As I said ..." he growled, inclining his chin. "Circumstances have changed."

Wait. Was that defiance?

Sidious bared his teeth, his scowl; deepening. "So, it would seem, my apprentice," he hissed. He held his gaze. Waited for Vader to recognise –and subsequently withdraw– his unspoken challenge.

But nothing. Not a word. Not even a flicker. Vader, fist clenched on his knee, stared straight back. The unrelenting rasp of his respirator now dominating the tension–filled silence.

He wasn't going to back down? Foolish, foolish boy. Very well. That was his choice to make. Just, as it was now his choice, to teach him a valuable lesson on the delicate nature of the Sith master–apprentice relationship. Flexing his fingers, Sidious turned, left his defiant apprentice kneeling behind him on the floor, and silently walked up the stairs.

Reaching the top, he moved past the elongated window to the command desk and pulled the small remote from his drawer. He ran his fingers over the buttons, gently –purposefully– caressing the larger, red one at the centre. "Tell me, my son... do you take me for a fool?"

"No, my master."

He caressed the button again, imagined the possibilities and contemplated pressing it. "Do you think I don't know, when you are trying to hide something from me? Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

"No... master."

"No?" Sidious repeated. Deciding not to reveal its existence at present, he slid the remote into his pocket and tapped it securely in place. He regarded his apprentice, still kneeling at the foot of the stairs. "Then why do it? Why not state your accusations? Why not openly declare your feelings?"

The young Sith hesitated, his black mask lifting to meet his master's discerning glare. Across their bond, he sensed his restraint loosen, his chaotic thoughts running rampant, spiralling off into all directions. Sidious gave him a moment. He took note of every emotion; anger, resentment, distrust, confusion, fear, despair; and catalogued them all. He patiently waited for him to settle on one.

Vader lowered his head, his armoured shoulders slumping forward. "How long..." he rumbled, the words barely escaping his annunciator. "How long... had you planned on taking me... as your apprentice?"

He'd been expecting this question. And hearing it now, only served to better cement his suspicion. By saying this, Vader had just confirmed he was conflicted, that he was failing to banish the defiant light of Skywalker left lingering inside him. Now, to see how much damage it had done.

"My dear boy..." he said calmly, making his way down the stairs. "For thirteen years, I guided you; mentored you. Watched you grow into one of the youngest, most powerful Jedi I had ever met."

He stopped before him, and with a subtle wave, gestured for Vader to stand. When he was back on his feet, he dropped his hand onto his polished black shoulder pauldron and stared into his masked eyes. "And since then, I have transformed you into one of the most powerful Sith Lords of all time — second only to myself."

Pulling his hand from his shoulder, he stepped away and continued onward as if heading for the doors. "But your transformation has not come without disappointment," he said bitterly, stopping and turning to glare at his back.

Vader whirled around, his long cloak drifting on the air. Before he could say a word, Sidious hurled a belt of Force lightning at him, striking him hard in the chest. Dazzling white-blue energy engulfed him and Vader howled in agony, powerless to stop the electric sparks as they effortlessly tore straight through his armoured suit and overloaded the circuits in his delicate life-support system.

Sidious paused his attack, watching as Vader fell forward onto his hands and knees, the residual electricity still gambolling across him. His damaged respirator was screeching, clicking and thumping awkwardly with his every ragged breath. He loomed over him, stared down at his hunched over body and sneered in disgust.

"I have generously permitted you keeping your wife," he snarled. "I have given you time to sort yourself out. I have even agreed to hand the Esstran Sector over to you, upholding my promise. And this is how you repay me? By returning to me in this state? So conflicted and riddled with light, that I now question your very commitment?"Clawing his fingers into position, he bared his teeth and hit him again with the lightning.

Another howl ripped from Vader's mask and he collapsed, hitting the floor face first. He started to convulse, his smouldering body jerking and thrashing and forcing him onto his back.

Stopping his assault, Sidious stepped closer, staring down at Vader as he laid still with ribbons of smoke curling up from his suit. Relaxing his stance, he reached across their Force bond and felt for his presence.

Vader weakly nudged back.

Good, he was still awake. Submissive and fearful — but awake. However, things were evidently much worse than he'd initially suspected. His internal conflict had crippled him, blinded his foresight and taken his focus. Not once had he actively tried to defend himself. Not with his lightsaber, not with the Force. His young apprentice was stuck between worlds again, dangerously drifting between both the Dark and the Light. The same as on Mustafar, when he'd been so overwhelmed and confused, that he'd failed to control himself and fallen to Kenobi.

His failure there had been as much his own fault as it had been Vader's. He'd sent his new apprentice to Mustafar for two reasons: one; to wipe out those pathetic separatists, and two; to keep him isolated from everything and everyone else, whilst he completed the transition.

Sidious had personally overlooked Kenobi's abilities then, and as a result, had failed to plan for his unexpected counter-strike. And as much as Vader, since that day, had desperately wanted to find his former master and exact his revenge; Sidious was quietly wary of their reunion. He'd mistakenly underestimated that Jedi once; he had absolutely no intention of doing so again.

With an exhausted sigh, he looked down upon his debilitated apprentice and listened to the uneven rasp of his respirator as he struggled to breathe. It was time for him to get up, his lesson was far from over. "Rise, my apprentice," he commanded. "I have something I wish for you to see."

Vader's helmeted head lulled to the side; his tinted lenses angled toward him. Groaning, he bent his legs at the knees and tried to push himself up. It was clearly a struggle, with both elbows visibly trembling under the strain. Just as his right arm locked in place, his left suddenly gave way, dropping him back to the floor like a dead-weight.

Enough was enough, he knew he was stronger than this. Sidious, using the Force, yanked him from the floor by his throat, suspending him mid-air in a choke hold. The respirator screamed under the pressure and Vader's gloved hands immediately flew to his neck, his fingers clawing around the base of the mask's armoured collar.

"I told you to get up!"

A brief flash of anger channelled across their bond. "Good... good, much better." That was what he wanted; to wake up the fury sleeping inside him. He held on a moment longer then let go, watching as he stumbled about and fought desperately to stay upright.

"Now that you're back on your feet, my apprentice..." he said calmly, gesturing for the exit. "Come, walk with me."

Vader lowered his head. "Y—yes... my... master," he replied, slowly staggering forward and following him through the door.

The trip to the turbo-lift had been slow going. Vader had struggled to keep up, and he'd had to periodically stop and wait, while he leant on the walls, battling to try and catch his breath. When they'd finally reached the lift doors, he'd all but stumbled inside, losing his footing and grabbing hold of the rear railing for support.

Now, with the doors closed and the lift steadily descending, it had become a battle of wills between the two of them. Vader stood at the back; arms folded and mutilated respirator cycling, while Sidious stood upfront, hands resting at his waist and his senses stretched out into the Force.

Since his punishment, Vader had stubbornly re-established his mental shields, flat out refusing to permit any entry. Not that he was surprised, or concerned for that matter. Shielding his thoughts had always been his apprentice's way of disguising his anger, right from the very beginning of their partnership. It was probably some long-ingrained habit he'd developed to hide his emotion during his time with the Jedi. Which, for the purpose of this exercise, actually suited him perfectly.

Shields up, meant he was angry. Good. That was the point. Now he just needed to drag him down again. To take his anger and turn it back into fear.

The turbo-lift slowed to a stop, thumping when it arrived at their level. Behind him, Vader remained deathly silent; no doubt already fully aware of their new location. It was hardly surprising. The Jedi Temple had been his home, after all. Of course, he would know precisely where they were.

Sidious waved the doors open and smiled, feasting his eyes on the desolate wasteland of a chamber spread out before him. He walked from the lift, allowing his gaze to wander. Listened to every sound. Paid attention to every detail.

The leaves of dried and dead shrubbery crunched under his boots. Stale dust particles lingered on the dank air. Hundred-year-old trees stood in clusters; their twisted trunks and branches, charred and deformed. Towering rock walls, once glistening and covered in rushing water, now sat barren and dry.

Sidious stopped in a dusty creek bed and kicked at one of the loose pebbles. It skittered and bounced off, landing amongst the withered leaves of another petrified bush. He spun in place, looked back at the turbo-lift, to where Vader stood frozen inside.

"Come, my apprentice," he called, waving him over. "Join me."

Vader silently walked forward, helmeted head hung low, his heavy stride; slow and laboured. When he stopped beside him, Sidious turned his gaze back to the chamber; his lips twisting into a sinister smile. "What was it, the Jedi called this room again?" he asked, feeling for the remote tucked in his pocket.

Vader took a long moment to answer. "The room of a thousand fountains," he muttered.

"Ah, yes... and what was its purpose?"

"Jedi would come here in search of peace," Vader said, ever-so-carefully guarding his emotions. "Primarily for meditation, some believed the quiet aided their connection to the Force."

Sidious couldn't help but laugh. "Well, it certainly is quiet now, isn't it, my apprentice?"

Vader hesitated, swung his mask to the side as if spotting something. He sighed and turned back, his posture suddenly going rigid. "If you say so... my master."

That was fear in his voice. Sidious glanced sidelong at him. His apprentice was on edge; his fists tightly clenched at his sides, his shoulders squared and back stiff. Even his breathing – as out of rhythm as it was – had suddenly sped up. He chuckled inwardly. It was time to finish this. He gripped hold of the remote still concealed in his robe and cleared his throat.

"I wonder... do you recall my order for you, when I first sent you here?"

"You told me to kill all the Jedi in the Temple. That we would catch them off balance."

"Yes... that is what I said," Sidious said, turning to him. He pulled the remote from his pocket and moved his finger over the button.

"So, tell me, Skywalker..." he hissed, glaring at Vader as he immediately whirled around upon hearing his old Jedi name. "Did I ever once stipulate to you, that that order ... excluded yourself?"

"No, you..." Vader growled, letting his words trail off. Then suddenly it dawned, a pulse of fear slamming across their bond. "Wait! What?" he yelled, reaching for his lightsaber.

Sidious cackled triumphantly. "You foolish boy, your response only proves my point!"

The scarlet blade hummed into life in Vader's hand. Sidious only laughed harder. For as much as he was pleased to see Vader now alert enough to try and defend himself, he knew it would not help him this time. He raised the remote between them, high enough so that Vader would see.

It had the desired effect. His apprentice, tilting his mask slightly, looked to his hand.

"What ... what is that?" he demanded, lifting his gloved finger to point at the small device.

"Come now, Lord Vader. Surely, you didn't think I wouldn't be ready for the day you finally decided to challenge me, did you?" He pressed down on the button and waited.

The lights on Vader's suit went dark. His respirator stalled and fell silent. The still ignited lightsaber slipped from his grasp, the blade extinguishing as it clanged to the floor. Then finally, he went down; dropped to his knees; his cybernetic legs folding beneath him like two pieces of worn paper.

Sidious stepped closer and knelt before him. He placed both hands on his shoulders and brought his face directly in-line with his mask, staring through the lenses, into his eyes hidden behind them. "You of all people, should know by now... that I always have a plan."

Vader; his suit completely deactivated; remained silent.

He smiled, affectionately tapped his armoured shoulder and rose to his feet. "Now... I know you do not like to come down here, Lord Vader. For the very same reason you abstain from using the Force in this room."

He bent down, picked up a dried leaf and studied it. "You are affected by ghosts of dead Jedi who now haunt this temple. I know you hear them ... taunting you ... calling to you ... reminding you of your betrayal."

With a snarl, he crushed the leaf in his fist and dramatically threw the shattered pieces to the floor. "They affect you because you allow them to. Because you refuse to confront and accept the traumatic events of your past."

He jabbed his finger. "Now ... I am forcing you to. Since my remote has deactivated your suit, you must now find your own way to reanimate it. Use the Force if you wish, but keep in mind... your dead Jedi friends will be right there waiting for you."

Sidious adjusted the hooded cowl of his robe and appraised his still silent and kneeling apprentice. "When you are up and moving and feel ready to return, I want you to go to the archives. Select a holocron that best represents your renewed commitment, then bring it to me."

He turned to face the turbo-lift and started to walk away, pausing only briefly to call out over his shoulder. "I will be waiting."