Sidious walked down the hall to where he knew Vader was waiting. He still couldn't quite keep the smile off his face. He was more convinced then ever about wanting Obi-Wan at his side. As he got near Vader's location, he schooled his features and locked his mental shields in place.
When he walked into the room, he couldn't help but notice that it was pretty well destroyed. Sidious rolled his eyes. If Vader keeps this up, we won't have any equipment left! He decided not to address the mess. Vader was in the middle of the room brooding, back towards the door.
Sidious waited patiently for his apprentice to address him. The only sound in the room was Vader's mechanical breathing.
Vader finally spoke up. "I did not deliberately defy you, Master." He turned around to face Sidious. "I did not mean to inflict a possibly fatal wound."
Sidious kept his features neutral. "What happened then, my apprentice?" Sidious decided to play ignorant.
"Obi-Wan said some things that…surprised me, Master." Vader paused, trying to think of how to word the rest of what he wanted to say.
Sidious raised an eyebrow at that. "Such as?"
"He knew that there's been some, uh, tension between us recently."
"Vader, it wouldn't take a Force Sensitive to know that."
"It isn't just that. He…he said that you're dissatisfied with me as your apprentice. He indicated that you have important plans for him."
Sidious folded his arms over his chest and gave Vader a stern look. "And you believed him?"
Vader suddenly looked uncomfortable. He shifted his weight from one leg to another. "Well, I…He…He seemed to voice my thoughts. I have been feeling lately that I've been disappointing you."
"In other words, he used your own thoughts against you. He did to you what you should have been doing to him!"
Vader hated feeling this uncomfortable! He wished he were anywhere else but here at this moment! He wondered if he was going to make matters worse by voicing his next question, but he still felt the need to ask. "So, everything he was saying was him just trying to bait me?"
Sidious knew what Vader was trying in not so many words to ask. Of course, he had no intention of being honest."Yes. He decided to play the only card he had. Think about it, Lord Vader. You know him better than I." Yeah, right!
Vader did think about it. He's right! Obi-Wan played me for a fool! The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He found himself hoping that the wound he inflicted on his former master would indeed turn out to be fatal!
Sidious hardened his expression even more. "Kenobi used your lack of emotional control to his own advantage. Did I not warn you about that?"
"Yes, Master."
"He also used your lack of focus to his advantage. Your focus was supposed to be the get him over to the dark side. You were not there for amusement. You were not there for revenge. You were there on an assignment, given by me. You should have focused on that and not allowed yourself to be distracted by anything he had to say."
Vader tried to control his anger. He decided against protesting his master's words. "Yes, Master."
"That assignment, therefore, is no longer yours."
Anger and humiliation coursed through Vader. "Master, you can trust me to fulfill my assignment!"
"I already did!" Sidious' eyes were flashing. "Kenobi is still very much on the light side and is right now just barely clinging to life. No, Vader, I will handle Kenobi from here on out."
Vader knew better than to argue. "Yes, Master."
Sidious closely studied Vader's reaction at his next words. "In fact, from now on, if there's anyone else we want to join the dark side, I will do the convincing."
Vader threw up stronger mental shields to cover his hate-filled thoughts. He could not tolerate much more humiliation. He deserved better than this! He was the Chosen One! He quickly pushed aside a vision of killing his master and taking his place.
Sidious caught some of those hate-filled thoughts before Vader threw up his mental shields. Just as I thought, my emotional apprentice. Sidious kept his expression neutral. "I've received some messages about a Jedi being spotted on Dantooine. You will go there, seek out this Jedi and destroy him. I will have those communiqués transmitted to your ship. They contain all the information you will need. You will depart as soon as I have done so."
Vader channeled his anger into steely determination. "As you wish, Master."
Sidious added pointedly, "Do not fail me again, Lord Vader."
"I won't, my master." Vader walked out of the room quickly and made his way out of the building. His mind was racing. It seemed his master was enjoying his humiliation! I am going to succeed at this mission! He will not be given the opportunity to humiliate me again! Vader decided to bide his time. If his master could not appreciate having the Chosen One as an apprentice, then maybe an opportunity would present itself for the Chosen One to become the master!
Even as Vader consoled himself with those thoughts, another thought came to him unbidden. Obi-Wan. He was the source of all Vader's troubles! All of Vader's hatred and anger focused on one source – Obi-Wan Kenobi.
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Sidious watched Vader leave. When he had concocted this whole plan to snare Obi-Wan, he'd had the desire to have both him and Vader be his apprentices. He had wanted to use both their talents to solidify his power throughout the galaxy. He had also wanted to test them both to find which he trusted the most.
Now his plans had changed. He already knew which one he trusted the most, even though he hadn't even been turned to the dark side yet. That would come. It was inevitable. By the time Vader returned from Dantooine, Obi-Wan would be his new full-fledged apprentice. Then Vader would have outlived his usefulness. He fingered Obi-Wan's lightsaber, which was in his pocket. Soon, Obi-Wan would make a new lightsaber – one with a red blade!
Sidious left the room to get the communiqués sent to Vader's ship. He resisted the urge to go back and check on Obi-Wan's condition. He was still alive. He would have felt him die. His first priority was getting Vader away on his mission. He wanted Vader out of his sight and out of his way.