Chapter 9: Bast Castle
"Wake up," said Vader.
Padme opened her eyes. She saw Vader lightly shaking her. She rose up from the bed, and then remembered that she came into his bedroom last night.
"Come on. We're going into Bast Castle. It is one of my strongholds where no one is likely to find us," Vader told her.
Padme went to the bedrooms, and got the twins, then, she turned toward outside, but Vader stopped her.
"Hold on. It is very cold outside," he said.
He took off his cloak, and wrapped it around Padme and the twins.
"Thanks," she said, smiling.
When she got outside, she noticed it was very cold. She shivered even with Vader's dark and warm cloak around her. They got up to the door of the castle. Vader entered the code and the door to the castle opened.
A maid stood up from behind the coach. She walked over to the family.
"Is there anything any of you would like?" the maid asked.
Vader glanced at Padme, who shook her head.
"No," said Vader.
Vader led Padme up the stairs to the fifth floor. He walked over to a door, and opened it. Inside was a huge room. It had a nice black chair in the corner; a black bed had two mattresses and three layers of black sheets was against the wall. On a shelf were many holomovies. For a guess, Padme would say there were about one hundred. There was a chronoclock on the wall, and a closet in the corner. Padme smiled, and said thank you.
Vader opened a door on the left side, which led into a room almost exactly the same, except there were two small beds and two closets, instead of one large bed and one closet.
"That door leads to the hall that we came from, but I had a door into your room, too," said Vader.
Padme thanked him again as she laid the twins on the beds, and then went into her own room. She opened the closet, and it was a walk-in closet, and had five nightgowns, and uncountable dresses, most of them black. She smiled as she thoughts of Vader. He really was nicer than everyone, including her, thought he was.
*{[]}*
Vader walked up the stairs to the sixth floor, where his room was. He walked to his room, and thought about Padme and the twins. He hoped that they would like it here. He lay down in bed, then noticed how hungry he was. He rushed back to the bottom floor, and got to the maid that had greeted them earlier.
"Actually, I just remembered something I would like you to do for me. I am hungry, so I would like you to cook some breakfast," he told her.
She walked into the kitchen, and started to cook bacon, eggs, toast, and fruit. He couldn't wait to eat it. He was very hungry, and Seartè, the maid, was a very good chef. He walked back to his room, and lay down on the bed.
*{[]}*
About thirty minutes later, the maid came up to Vader's room, and told him that it was ready. He opened the door, and went down to the fourth floor. He knocked on the door, and Padme answered.
"Would you like to join me for breakfast?" asked Vader.
Padme nodded, and followed Vader down the stairs, and to the bottom floor. When they stepped down the last step, the wonderful aroma of bacon and eggs filled the air. Vader led Padme into the kitchen. He slid a chair back, and let Padme sit in it. Then he sat in the chair opposite her. They ate the breakfast, and they both loved it.
"That was good," Padmè said.
"Well, Seartè is a very good cook," said Vader.
"Who's Seartè?" asked Padmè.
"She is the maid that you saw earlier," said Vader. Vader followed Padme to the fourth floor, where she went to her bedroom, and Vader moved up to the fifth floor and went in his bedroom.
Vader fell asleep. He woke up around twelve, noon. He sat up in his bed, and looked outside the only window in his room. It had stopped raining. It rained in Vjun a lot. It stormed a lot, too. Vader got out of bed, and put on another cloak that was in his closet. He went up to the eighth floor, and went into a spherical room. The only thing it had in it was a small closet, and a droid.
Vader went toward the closet, and opened it, revealing many training lightsabers. He took two of them, and activated the droid, and gave it one. The both ignited the blades. He always used this room as a training room.
He set the droid lightsaber duel difficulty to level ten, which was the highest. The training lightsabers would not wound a man, or kill a droid. They were very unique. If you were a man, it would just sting you, and if you were a droid, it would only deactivate you.
Vader swung down, and the droid blocked, spun, and took the offensive. Vader blocked a couple of strikes, and then lunged forward at the droid's stomach. The droid's lightsaber made contact with Vader's lightsaber, and pushed it aside. Then, he struck high, and low and then spun again, and took a fierce strike to the side. Then, he lunged toward Vader's feet.
Vader leapt into the air, and came down to the droid, lightsaber in front of his head. The lightsaber made contact with the droid, and it deactivated. Vader grinned, and turned off his training lightsaber, and Force Pulled the droids into his hand, and laid them back into the closet. These lightsabers would be used in the other three's training.
He knew that the rest of his family was strong in The Force, but not as strong as he was. Last time he counted his minichlorians, he had fifty thousand, three hundred thirty one. He took the other three's minichlorian count when they were asleep the recent night. Luke's was thirty-six thousand, four hundred ninety-one. Leia's was fourteen thousand, three hundred nine. Padmè's was ten thousand, three hundred sixty- eight.
He would train them in The Force, and he could even help them raise their minichlorian count. He had learned that every standard hour you meditated, you gained fifty minichlorians. When he was just a little boy, when Qui-Gon took his minichlorian count, he had thirty thousand, nine hundred, seventeen. He meditated a lot since then, and he decided to meditate now, too.
"Wake up," said Vader.
Padme opened her eyes. She saw Vader lightly shaking her. She rose up from the bed, and then remembered that she came into his bedroom last night.
"Come on. We're going into Bast Castle. It is one of my strongholds where no one is likely to find us," Vader told her.
Padme went to the bedrooms, and got the twins, then, she turned toward outside, but Vader stopped her.
"Hold on. It is very cold outside," he said.
He took off his cloak, and wrapped it around Padme and the twins.
"Thanks," she said, smiling.
When she got outside, she noticed it was very cold. She shivered even with Vader's dark and warm cloak around her. They got up to the door of the castle. Vader entered the code and the door to the castle opened.
A maid stood up from behind the coach. She walked over to the family.
"Is there anything any of you would like?" the maid asked.
Vader glanced at Padme, who shook her head.
"No," said Vader.
Vader led Padme up the stairs to the fifth floor. He walked over to a door, and opened it. Inside was a huge room. It had a nice black chair in the corner; a black bed had two mattresses and three layers of black sheets was against the wall. On a shelf were many holomovies. For a guess, Padme would say there were about one hundred. There was a chronoclock on the wall, and a closet in the corner. Padme smiled, and said thank you.
Vader opened a door on the left side, which led into a room almost exactly the same, except there were two small beds and two closets, instead of one large bed and one closet.
"That door leads to the hall that we came from, but I had a door into your room, too," said Vader.
Padme thanked him again as she laid the twins on the beds, and then went into her own room. She opened the closet, and it was a walk-in closet, and had five nightgowns, and uncountable dresses, most of them black. She smiled as she thoughts of Vader. He really was nicer than everyone, including her, thought he was.
*{[]}*
Vader walked up the stairs to the sixth floor, where his room was. He walked to his room, and thought about Padme and the twins. He hoped that they would like it here. He lay down in bed, then noticed how hungry he was. He rushed back to the bottom floor, and got to the maid that had greeted them earlier.
"Actually, I just remembered something I would like you to do for me. I am hungry, so I would like you to cook some breakfast," he told her.
She walked into the kitchen, and started to cook bacon, eggs, toast, and fruit. He couldn't wait to eat it. He was very hungry, and Seartè, the maid, was a very good chef. He walked back to his room, and lay down on the bed.
*{[]}*
About thirty minutes later, the maid came up to Vader's room, and told him that it was ready. He opened the door, and went down to the fourth floor. He knocked on the door, and Padme answered.
"Would you like to join me for breakfast?" asked Vader.
Padme nodded, and followed Vader down the stairs, and to the bottom floor. When they stepped down the last step, the wonderful aroma of bacon and eggs filled the air. Vader led Padme into the kitchen. He slid a chair back, and let Padme sit in it. Then he sat in the chair opposite her. They ate the breakfast, and they both loved it.
"That was good," Padmè said.
"Well, Seartè is a very good cook," said Vader.
"Who's Seartè?" asked Padmè.
"She is the maid that you saw earlier," said Vader. Vader followed Padme to the fourth floor, where she went to her bedroom, and Vader moved up to the fifth floor and went in his bedroom.
Vader fell asleep. He woke up around twelve, noon. He sat up in his bed, and looked outside the only window in his room. It had stopped raining. It rained in Vjun a lot. It stormed a lot, too. Vader got out of bed, and put on another cloak that was in his closet. He went up to the eighth floor, and went into a spherical room. The only thing it had in it was a small closet, and a droid.
Vader went toward the closet, and opened it, revealing many training lightsabers. He took two of them, and activated the droid, and gave it one. The both ignited the blades. He always used this room as a training room.
He set the droid lightsaber duel difficulty to level ten, which was the highest. The training lightsabers would not wound a man, or kill a droid. They were very unique. If you were a man, it would just sting you, and if you were a droid, it would only deactivate you.
Vader swung down, and the droid blocked, spun, and took the offensive. Vader blocked a couple of strikes, and then lunged forward at the droid's stomach. The droid's lightsaber made contact with Vader's lightsaber, and pushed it aside. Then, he struck high, and low and then spun again, and took a fierce strike to the side. Then, he lunged toward Vader's feet.
Vader leapt into the air, and came down to the droid, lightsaber in front of his head. The lightsaber made contact with the droid, and it deactivated. Vader grinned, and turned off his training lightsaber, and Force Pulled the droids into his hand, and laid them back into the closet. These lightsabers would be used in the other three's training.
He knew that the rest of his family was strong in The Force, but not as strong as he was. Last time he counted his minichlorians, he had fifty thousand, three hundred thirty one. He took the other three's minichlorian count when they were asleep the recent night. Luke's was thirty-six thousand, four hundred ninety-one. Leia's was fourteen thousand, three hundred nine. Padmè's was ten thousand, three hundred sixty- eight.
He would train them in The Force, and he could even help them raise their minichlorian count. He had learned that every standard hour you meditated, you gained fifty minichlorians. When he was just a little boy, when Qui-Gon took his minichlorian count, he had thirty thousand, nine hundred, seventeen. He meditated a lot since then, and he decided to meditate now, too.