Star Wars: Infinities – The Apprentice

Chapter 12

By: Christopher W. Blaine (darth_yoshi@yahoo.com)

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are used without permission for non-profit entertainment purposes only and are ©2002 by George Lucas. This story (pertaining to this chapter and all subsequent chapters) is ©2002 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in any form, except hard printouts for personal enjoyment, without the express permission of the author.

"General Vader," the Officer of the Deck said calmly as Vader stepped off of the shuttle and into the hanger bay of the Hammer of the Republic. "Several packages have arrived for you from Tatooine."

Vader looked at him, wanting ask who they were from but he guessed that they must be related to his mother somehow. Obviously, his master had arranged for the shipment. He nodded and started to walk off. Two troopers fell into place behind him and the trio moved out across the hanger bay. Vader noted that several new fighters had been loaded into the ship while he had been down on the planet, supervising the new detention center and communication facilities layout. Several technicians were busy tearing apart an engine nacelle on what was being hailed as the Y-Wing, a new fighter/bomber that the Republic was reviewing.

He did not even need to go over and see it for himself. It was far too big and underpowered. Too many weapons systems and not enough juice. He and his entourage passed by it and Vader had to stop as a small astromech droid rolled up to him.

He saw the large transport that had brought his beloved Padme to him and immediately knew who the droid was. "Artoo; are you here to be my co-pilot again?"

The droid rocked back and forth and whistled. Vader looked over at a technician who was running up. "I'm sorry, General," the tech said as she reached for Artoo.

Vader held up a hand. "Artoo is with me. You may go back to your duties." He waved it and watched the blank stare come over the tech's face. Vader chuckled. The Jedi mind trick did have its advantages.

A short turbolift ride later, he and Artoo were in his massive cabin. He had hated leaving Padme with the ground forces, but he had to make his report to Chancellor Palpatine and coordinate the next set of ship movements before he could continue his…merriment. He grinned at the thought and tried to remember the last time he had ever felt so loved, so needed and so appreciated.

Certainly not with Darth Maul. The closest word to describe the relationship between them was friendship, but that wasn't quite it either. Vader doubted that Maul was even capable of having such emotions, but he did know that he considered Vader an ally. As such, Maul would come to his defense anytime it was required and Vader would do the same.

Wouldn't he?

Artoo beeped and a message scrolled across the desk terminal. "Yes, Artoo, when I go back down to the planet's surface, you can come with me. You might be my co-pilot, but your Padme's droid." He patted the droid on the head, though it meant nothing. The droid lacked emotions. That wasn't such a horrible character flaw he decided. Emotions brought turmoil and pain, but when the thought of what he felt for Padme came to him, he just became confused. Too many new emotions and not enough time to digest them all.

Lately, he had noticed that his relationship was strained with the other dark lords. Too many dark lords could be the problem. In ancient times, the title of Dark Lord was reserved only for the greatest of the Sith, but over the centuries it came to be passed around as easily as Jedi Master. With so many powerful Sith drawing upon the dark side, it stretched the limits of it, as like anything else, the Force was not limitless. He corrected himself, remembering the lessons with Darth Sideous. The Force was endless; the capacity of the mortal form was the limiting factor. So, it was more accurate to say that access to the dark side became more limited with the more Sith there were, like a pack of womprats fighting over a water hole.

That was the reason why Darth Bane instituted the "One Master, One Apprentice" rule. Darth Sideous had been the first to break that edict in over a thousand years and Vader wondered if a price were being paid now. Neither he nor Maul trusted Dooku, and Dooku had ambitions that had nothing to do with the rest of the Sith. The dark side was being stretched and along with it, so were the nerves of the Sith.

A reckoning would be coming.

His terminal indicated several holonet messages and he scrolled through them until he came to one from the office of the Chancellor. Typing in his personal password, r-e-v-e-n-g-e, he waited until it was accepted and the message could be displayed. He visibly paled as he read it, not believing what his eyes were showing him.

It was a standard message sent to all of the commanders in the military and therefore was devoid of emotion. It was a simple, efficient message, almost elegant in its lack of complexity.

Republic security forces have verified a report that Count Dooku, former Jedi Master and political lobbyist for Chancellor Palpatine, has been assassinated by members of the Jedi Order. Security holos obtained by the Republic government from Dooku's private apartment show him engaged in combat with two Jedi Knights who have yet to be identified.

At the same time, Jedi Knights broke into the main detention area under the senate chambers and liberated several members of the Jedi Council who were awaiting sentencing for crimes against the Republic. Among those who did not escape was Jedi Master Yoda; intelligence reports indicate that he died during the break out.

Because of the Jedi's ability to influence minds and melt into general populace, Chancellor Palpatine has declared martial law throughout the Republic. All Jedi are to be apprehended upon sight. Any resistance is to be met with deadly force. Repeat…All Jedi are to be arrested, not only suspected terrorists. All reports concerning Jedi are to be conveyed to General Maul of the Special Operations Group.

Vader could not believe it; the time had finally arrived. Today was the day his final vengeance on the Jedi would begin. He smiled and then remembered that Lord Tyrannus was now dead. He would have thought he would have felt his passing, but he supposed that he was too engaged in other…activities to notice.

The death of Dooku was something he would get over. The man was always too self-absorbed anyway and wasn't even a true Sith. Just another fallen Jedi with no other place to go. He turned and moved over to his closet to get out a new uniform when his feet kicked a box. He stooped down and saw several packages, all marked as having come from his home world.

Shrugging, he lifted them with the Force and sorted them in the air by size. It had been something he loved to do since Maul had first taught him the ability to levitate with the mind. Forgoing the smallest packages, he moved to the largest of them. It smelled of the desert and briefly he was taken back to a simpler time of pod races and droid repairs.

Sighing and choking back the more painful memories that threatened to burst through his defenses, he opened the box and peered inside. He reached in, saying a quick curse word. "Artoo, you are not going to believe this," he said as he pulled out a droid head.

It was from a standard protocol droid but was missing the outer skin. "You remember Threepio, don't you? We left him with mom…" His voice trailed off and Artoo's lights dimmed. Before the blackness of despair could overtake him, he suddenly had a thought. "I bet he can tell me all about mom and the things she did while I was gone."

He set Threepio's head on the bed and went to look for his tool kit. Old habits died hard and he had never lost his passion for rebuilding things. He could not count how many assassin droids he had rebuilt blindfolded in an effort to impress his master. It had never worked, but it had still been fun.

See-Threepio was the first "real" droid Vader had ever built. He had repaired many, but he had actually brought the protocol droid to life. In essence, he was his father. That had special meaning for him since Vader never actually knew who his father was. He often wondered about it, but he would get easily frustrated as the answer was never forthcoming. Darth Maul had no interest in being a father and Count Dooku could care less.

Darth Sideous, surprisingly, had a fatherly streak that ran deep. Then again, Vader understood it that the supreme Sith had once been very much in love with a woman and Maul had mentioned once or twice about a child that was born from that union.

"Children…" he said aloud. He liked the sound of that and the idea even more. The creation held the most interest for him he thought with a mischievous smile. That required getting married, though.

Well, why not, he thought. He and Padme could get married and have children. Raise them as true Sith, a new generation of leaders for a galaxy free of the Jedi. A galaxy of order and forced peace, where those who would cause anarchy were swept away like sand on the dunes.

Unlike the rumors the liberal media were spreading about him, Vader did not want to destroy the galaxy. Just as a  surgeon did not want to kill the patient, the Sith were here to save the galaxy by removing the cancerous tumors from the body. Tumors that either were incapable of being treated or resisted the treatment given.

If he did ask Padme to marry him, what would his master say? He imagined Darth Maul's disapproval. Anger shot through Vaders mind and the terminal screen cracked. "If he thinks he can tell me…"

He caught his reflection in the mirror. He looked so much older and so angry. The beard was causing the effect he reasoned. It was dark black, not like his lighter top hair. Like a suit of armor he thought, it made him look more frightening, colder and darker. Padme had liked it, running a finger through it when they had finished their…merriment.

The thought brought a smile to his face and the spell was broken. His dark moods were coming more often, he realized; those times when he started to come more in sync with the dark side, when the Force was almost palatable. Darth Sideous had told him to be attentive of these times because they were a signal that his powers were becoming greater. It was even said that the future could be glimpsed.

He told Artoo to go find another terminal for him so he could send his report in and then set down to try and repair Threepio. He shook his head. "Some family I've got, eh, Artoo? An elected queen as a mom, two droid for kids and grandpa Maul."

Artoo did not see the humor and rolled out without an electronic comment.

"I was told that you had information I would find useful, Doctor," Bail Organna said. He sat across from a far-too heavy man in standard medical scrubs. The physician sweated profusely and the cooling system was running at full capacity, but it appeared to do nothing to alleviate the man's profound perspiring. Bail pulled his cloak around his shoulders as the man labored to explain.

"Ah, yes, senator…it has come to my attention that Alderaan does not support Chancellor Palpatine's latest proclamations from his castle." The man winked and was acting as if they were two conspirators discussing a crime.

"My planet's position, as well as several others, is a matter of public record, Dr. Ateck, so why we are even discussing this?" Bail started to get up but Ateck beat him in rising and began to walk around the desk.

"Please, senator, I meant no disrespect…" he said as he wiped his neck with a soiled cloth. "I suppose I should come to the point. I also oppose the changes that are going on here." He took Bail by the arm and pulled him to one of the doors leading out of the office. Bail sensed no direct malice on the part of the doctor, just nervous desperation. He decided to hear him out.

"Where are we going?" he asked as the entered a long, windowless passageway.

"I have something to show you, something that I hope will gain me your patronage," the doctor said, looking around them. Bail saw that there were no security cameras or droids, not even a posted guard and he found that odd. This was one of the most exclusive research clinics on Coruscant. It not only conducted ground-breaking research in genetics, but it also happened to house a special rehabilitation section that catered to the very well-connected. Surely it would be prudent to have only the best in security.

"My patronage?" Bail asked suddenly curious. "I do not see how I can help you," he said, suddenly craving a drink. It had been nearly two months since Padme had left for Dathomir and he felt so out of place. How could a man ten years her senior, a born pacifist and politician compare to the young, handsome dark warrior?

"I was hoping to get a posting to the Alderaan Royal Medical Institute," the doctor replied as they pushed through a swinging double door.

Bail nodded. It was within his power to make such a thing happen. The ARMI was one of the premier learning institutions in the galaxy. Only the top medical and scientific minds in the galaxy were ever asked to join the staff. "You must have something incredible to show me," Bail said aloud.

The doctor turned and smiled. "Oh, yes, quite, quite…but I must tell you I need to be on a transport tonight."

That caused Bail to raise his eyebrows but he said nothing for the moment. They continued to walk through several more passages, all of them the same sterile white color and windowless. Every other passage would have four sets of doors with small windows in them. The pace they were moving at prevented Bail from looking inside.

Finally, they stopped before a door that was marked P-12 and Ateck looked inside. He stepped back and wiped the back of his neck again and patted his forehead. He indicated that Bail should look inside.

Stepping up, Bail looked through the window and saw a young boy, no more than five years of age. He was handsome for such a young boy and somehow familiar. Then something caught his eye and he did a double-take. "Don't worry, he can't see you," Ateck said.

Bail stepped away. He was ashen in color. "He has a third eye…"

"Yes; he is a mutant," the physician said. "His name is Trioculus and he is to be shipped out to Kessel later this week."

"Kessel? The mines? What in the name of the Force for?" Bail asked, disbelieving that a child was being sent to such a horrid place. "What sort of mutation is it?"

"Well, the mother wasn't human, but it doesn't account for the mutation."

Bail looked back into the window again. "What does?"

"Midichlorian Genetic Alteration."

Bail's jaw hung open and he started to go cold. Midichlorians were bacterium like materials that were found in Force-talented individuals. It was theorized that the midichlorians were actually what made the contact with the Force and gave a Jedi their power, not the Jedi themselves. A more popular idea was that the midichlorians lived in a symbiotic relationship with the Jedi. "Caused by what?"

"I'm no expert on the Jedi, but my research indicates prolonged exposure of the father to the dark side of the Force. Early Republic records indicate that the Sith were known to sire many deformed children. That is why Sith families were so rare and apprentices had to be adopted." The doctor pulled on his arm and started leading back to the office.

"It's Vader's child, isn't it?" Bail asked, suddenly excited. Here was the evidence he needed to show Padme what a cad her lover was. She would see that a future with him would be impossible and he, Bail Organna, would be there to ensure she found out the whole truth. Regardless of his credentials, Bail was going to ensure that Dr. Ateck was given a very nice position on Alderaan.

Ateck stopped, suddenly appearing very nervous. "No…no…Trioculus is the son of Chancellor Palpatine."

"Palpatine? He's not a Jedi…" Bail said before the truth started to flood into his mind and he realized that everything that had been happening in the Republic for the past year, no, the past ten years had not been just a series of random events. It had been a staged performance, a symphony of imperialism and Palpatine, a man he had considered a friend and a colleague, was the conductor.

His desire to be with Padme suddenly seemed to be so insignificant.

Vader stared at the hunk of metal and wires that had once been a protocol droid and frowned. The damage done to Threepio was inconsistent with that of an attack by the Sand People. His master had explained that the Lars family had been murdered by the Tusken Raiders. The score marks and melted components indicated not a gaffi stick, the weapon of choice of the Raiders.

It indicated a lightsaber.

Voices whispered to Vader as he worked the wires and boards of the droid, voices that had been speaking to him since that first night that Dooku had turned him over to Maul. It had been the voices that had told him Maul had lied before when he had told the tale of the death of Anakin Skywalker's mother. It had been the voices that had told him to try and probe his master's mind for the truth.

They spoke to him more often now and he thought he knew who they were. The ancient Dark Lords of the Sith, their restless spirits resided in the Force, alongside with their hated Jedi counterparts, were rumored to choose those who would assume their place in the world of the living. Vader was convinced that they had chosen him over Lord Maul and they were trying to get him to kill Maul.

If his suspicions panned out, Vader thought, then they would get their wish.

One master, one apprentice.

Over and over they chanted it in his mind. Perhaps all of the Dark Lords heard them and they just ignored it. He couldn't right now as he looked at the pieces of Threepio. A master was supposed to protect his apprentice; the apprentice protected the master.

There was a knock at his door and Artoo wheeled over to answer it. It opened and Padme stepped in. She was wearing a black flightsuit that hugged her form. "You're late for dinner…oh!" she said as she saw the mangled droid. "Isn't that…?"

Vader nodded and used the Force to pull a chair over for her. "It was sent to me from Tatooine. My master said the Sand People had killed everyone."

Padme picked up a piece of an arm. "He looks like he's been shot."

"Lightsaber," he said, tightening a screw.

"Oh," she said, standing up and walking around the room. She found his lightsaber sitting on a table and picked it up. She didn't know what to say because the implications were beyond her. She simply didn't understand the relationship between master and apprentice. "Anakin?"

He stopped and looked up at her. His eyes told the story of the conflicting emotions within him. His gaze reached out to her, begging her to be his anchor. "Padme?"

She held the lightsaber. "You said I have Force ability. Could I ever learn to use a lightsaber?"

He nodded. "You won't be throwing starfighters across the hanger bay with your mind…yet, but it is possible. The dark side can give you power beyond your dreams."

"What would I do with such power?" she asked, examining the lightsaber closer. It felt cool in her hand, but she felt excited at the same time. Here was a weapon that few could wield, that could deflect blaster bolts and cut through ship hulls. She held death in her hand. "Who wants to be associated with something called the dark side?"

He chuckled. "The Jedi named it, not the Sith. Think of it as a way of drawing the darkness out of the galaxy and focusing it into something orderly. Remove the chaos, replace with order." He held out his hand and the lightsaber started to float to him.

She gasped, suddenly frightened and it happened. She did not immediately notice, but Vader sensed it at once. The lightsaber hesitated in midair, but then relented to Vader's superior ability. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"I want to be your apprentice," she said, determination set in her eyes.

"Then you'll have to marry me," he said, matching her gaze.

Every little girl dreams of the day her knight comes up and goes down on bended knee. Padme looked over at her champion, cross-legged on a bed in a wrinkled uniform, working on a broken droid and trying his best not to shake. His fear was radiating in the room and she remembered that first night after they had escaped from Tatooine years before. Little Anakin had shivered in the cold darkness of the ship and Padme had come to bring him a blanket. It was there he had confided in her that he knew that one day, they would be married.

"Is that allowed?" she asked, taking a step forward.

"I don't care if it's allowed," he said, putting down the torso of Threepio. He hooked his lightsaber to his belt and stood up. "I've lost my mother even while I gain my revenge on the Jedi who abandoned me, but then I suspect that my own master was behind my mother's death. I'm angry, Padme, I'm hurt and I'm confused. You've ask to be my apprentice, but I want more than that."

"I want more, too," she said. Then she looked down at the deck. "I'm tired of seeing the suffering that is occurring in the galaxy and waiting for someone to come up with a political solution. You've shown me that action produces more results than speeches. I want to be part of that. I want to be part of you." She looked back up. "What if your master was responsible for…"

Vader turned to Threepio. "I will rebuild him and he will tell me what happened. If he can't answer all of my questions, then I'll ask my master myself."

"And what if he says yes? What then Anakin?"

"I'll kill him."

She nodded. "Then I'll help you. You helped me all of those years ago."

He smiled. "You still didn't answer my question."

She moved over and put her arms around him. She squeezed him hard. "Yes, I will marry you. Together, you and I will help Chancellor Palpatine fix what is broken."

Pulling back his hood, Darth Sideous inhaled deeply. Sate Pestage remained silent, but the Dark Lord could sense the shock and the utter joy at the revelation. "I am so happy to see you are pleased, Pestage."

"Had I known, Chancellor," Pestage said as he bowed in respect. The Dark Side Adepts were standing away in a corner, guarded by crimson-armored warriors. "Alas, words escape me."

"Your plan with Count Dooku has elevated your position greatly with me," Sideous said. "I will be instituting even more changes over the coming weeks and your services will be required."

"I live to serve," Pestage responded. "If I may ask?"

"You worry about my apprentices, but you need not. All is going according to my plans. In fact, it is going better than expected, so you will need to contact the weapons designers I told you about."

"Of course, my lord."

Sideous laughed. "Call me by my proper title…Emperor…Emperor Palpatine."