Salvation

Author: Fraoch A'Ronaigh

Summary: AU, Semi-Cannon. It's been five years since the birth of Darth Vader. Believing his wife and unborn child were murdered by his own hand, Vader willingly cast aside the last connections of his humanity and, along side the Emperor, he became one of the most feared beings of the Galactic Empire. Will he stay this way, or are forces beyond his control about to change his destiny once again?

Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to the creative genius of George Lucas.

Rating: M. It may eventually go down to an M rating, so it's best to just rate the whole thing M..

A/N: Heavy spoilers for Episode III. Anakin/Padmè pairing. I've never actually written a fan fiction before, mainly articles about real life situations, so this is new to me. Think of this as Episode III ½ J

Chapter 1

Standing along the bank of windows in the former Jedi Council chambers, Darth Vader, heir apparent to the ruler of the Galactic Empire, surveyed the latest refugee reports handed to him by the leader of the Coruscant Guard. Despite his best efforts to remain focused on the task at hand he couldn't stop himself from remembering the former occupants of the room.

It had bee five years to the day that he had been told that he would not gain the rank of Master among the Jedi and he found himself reliving the old anger he felt on the momentous day.

The Chambers had been fully occupied by the Masters while he stood in the center of the room, expecting to be given the goal he had been working towards for over ten years. Master Windu succeeded in gaining himself an enemy that day when he told Anakin in no uncertain terms that he will not make the rank of Master.

Is it any wonder I killed the bootlicking coward, he mused as he tried again to focus on the reports in his hand. Despite his best efforts, the old thoughts lingered, rendering him incapable of being able to concentrate.

Now images of Obi-wan forced their way into his mind and Vader crumpled the papers in his hand giving himself over completely to the hate that filled his being. No one, not even the most fearless of the rebels trying to usurp the Emperor, had the power to anger Vader as easily as the memories of Obi-wan did. His former trainer was the bane of his existence. Vader consciously regretted nothing of his turn to the Dark Side, except for his inability to kill Obi-wan as his former friend seemingly ceased to exist.

Pulled out of his dangerous thoughts by an announcement from his com link that there were guests on the way to his chambers, Vader quickly brought himself under control. While the Emperor enjoyed his giving himself over to his hate, he grew tired of killing those who stumbled upon him while he was reliving old memories and he had recently begun to create a more civilized persona among his men. He remembered the impotence he felt at having to follow orders blindly and felt that being fair to those closest to him was a better option than creating enemies that would turn on him in the future. Of course, he still destroyed those who questioned him, but it was becoming a rare occurrence for him to kill for no reason. The door to his chambers opened, revealing his most trusted advisor.

"Master," Coruscant Guardsman Walthal said as he walked into the room. "A ship from Naboo has requested the right enter our air space. I brought the information to you as soon as it was requested of us, per your orders."

Memories of his trips to the former peaceful planet filled him when Walthal mentioned Naboo. Images of the lakeside retreat, the palace and his wife crashed upon him and he struggled to suppress them while Walthal waited for his reply.

"Allow them to enter," he finally replied. "Have them land and begin preparations for the ship to be boarded." Wilthal nodded and left the room to carry out his orders while Vader still struggled to compose himself. He refused to give into the feelings that were filling him, as they did each time he thought of Padmè. Sometime he grew weary of the struggle, but the happiness of the old days had no place in his new life. Padmè had been dead for five years and he still loathed himself for having killed her while consumed with hatred for Obi-wan. Yet another black mark against his former Master.

Refusing to allow himself to wallow any longer, Lord Vader left his chambers to began the search of the ship.