Chapter 17 – Fallout

Darth Vader actually shivered from the exhilarating sensations coursing through his being as he was swept up in the unexpected rush of malevolent power that surged out from the billions of instantaneous deaths at Alderaan's destruction. The dark side of the Force actually seemed to open up and sing with the screams of those dying souls, injecting the empty soul of its loyal servant with overwhelming dark glory and reminding him of just what it meant to be a Lord of the Sith. All else was momentarily blocked out of Vader's perception as he savored the remaining moments of dark intoxication.

The near collapse of the Princess before him brought Vader back to the scene on the bridge. He prevented her fall only by virtue of the proximity of his massive form to hers, and grabbed her arm to steady her against him more out of reflex than any desire to prevent her from hitting the floor. Her spirit was shattered by what she had witnessed, her mind going into shock as she tried to fathom the destruction of her planet and all that she held dearest.

Tarkin was gloating, exhilarated by the successful demonstration of his perceived power. Even in his own imaginings, he hadn't anticipated the result being quite so spectacular. "I have finished with Her Former Highness of Alderaan for now," he addressed Lord Vader. "You may return her to Darth Arkus for his pleasure."

Vader braced for the blast of fury sure to come from his son in response to that taunt, but was surprised when he felt no reaction. Turning toward the bridge entrance where he had sensed Arkus' presence earlier, Vader reached out to him through the Force, but found nothing. Somewhat perplexed by his son's absence, he concluded that Arkus was likely off sulking somewhere over Tarkin's success at obtaining an answer from the Princess. A shame the boy had missed such a magnificent display, but youthful pride often interfered with appreciating the accomplishments of others. The boy would learn more temperance with age and maturity.

Vader gestured for two guards to take the Princess from him. Releasing her to their custody, he watched as they guided the dazed princess off of the bridge, curious as to whether she had actually told Tarkin the truth. He would be disappointed in her if she had. His plans to turn Arkus against Palpatine would be greatly facilitated if she continued in her defiance.

***

Obi-Wan was deep in meditation once more, still searching for insight into the cause of the rumblings in the Force, when the shock wave from Alderaan's destruction hit him without warning. He was so immersed in the flow of the Force that he was nearly rendered unconscious by the explosion of screams that burst into his mind and the blast of dark energy that impacted his spirit, physically knocking the breath out of him. Obi-Wan's eyes flew open in shock as he clutched his chest and began gasping for air.

Threepio, who had been in a state of power conservation, noticed the sudden motion across the hold. Hoping someone had finally taken an interest in him, he quickly brought his systems back to full operation and turned his attention toward the source of the movement. His processor immediately registered alarm at the sight of Obi-Wan.

"Oh my! Master Kenobi!" Threepio yelped. "Master Kenobi, are you functional?"

The only response he received from the now slumping man was a labored groan. As panic began to overtake his circuits, Threepio moved toward the Jedi as quickly as his ungraceful form would allow to render what aid he could. "Captain Solo? Chewbacca?" the droid called desperately. "Somebody, help me!!"

Artoo also observed the obviously distressed human and quickly added his own whistling shrieks to Threepio's calls as he sped off in the direction of the cockpit to retrieve the pilot.

**

Han was stretched out contentedly in his pilot's chair, lazily staring out at the mesmerizing light show created by the distortions of hyperspace, when the uproar from the hold echoed up the corridor and rudely interrupted his tranquility. He knew the continued silence of his passengers had been too good to be true. Now it appeared they were making up for their previously sedentary behavior.

Han tried ignoring the commotion, hoping that perhaps the astromech had bested Chewie in the hologame and was now suffering the threatened consequences along with his pompous counterpart. But the screams of the little droid were piercing and growing louder, causing Han to grudgingly realize he would not escape this interruption. Cursing in irritation, he swung about and pushed himself up out of the chair to head for the hold.

"What is it?" Han barked at Artoo when he encountered the droid in the corridor.

Artoo responded with a string of beeps and whistles that managed to communicate his alarm as he wheeled about to lead the pilot to Obi-Wan.

Han followed the little droid and felt of rush of dread when he caught sight of the old man nearly doubled over, pale as a ghost and gasping for air. "Shavit!" he exclaimed as he ran the rest of the way to Obi-Wan. "Chewie! Chewie get up here!" he hollered.

"Easy, there," Han tried comforting Obi-Wan while he waited for Chewbacca. He stared intently at the old man as he knelt before him, trying to discern what the problem might be. "You got a heart problem or something?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Obi-Wan responded weakly.

"Like hell you are," Han quickly countered, then turned to Chewbacca who had just returned from preparing the evening meal in the galley. "Chewie, help me get him to the medical station." He wasn't sure what good could be done with the meager medical supplies he bothered to maintain on the Falcon, but Han was not about to let his passenger die before he reached Alderaan and collected the fare. He doubted whatever source the old man had there would pay that fee for passage of a corpse and two annoying droids.

Grunting in agreement with Han's assessment, Chewie immediately set down the tray of food he had been carrying and quickly moved to help his friend start lifting the old human.

"No," Obi-Wan protested more forcefully as the two pilots started dragging him up. Sensing the powerfully dark disruption had settled out somewhat, the Jedi reached out to draw strength from the Force and managed to regain some composure. "I'm fine. I just need to sit for a moment," he insisted, pushing away the offered aid.

Noting the sudden improvement in the old man's condition, Han reluctantly backed off. Whatever it was, the worst seemed to have passed. "Chewie, get him some water," Han gestured to the tray now sitting on the engineering console.

As the Wookie complied, Han turned back to Obi-Wan. "So what the hell was that?" he asked, wondering if he should expect another spell to strike his passenger in short order.

"The Force…," Obi-Wan replied, still catching his breath. "There's been a great disturbance in the Force. Something terrible has happened," he explained. That was one thing Obi-Wan knew to be true, but he couldn't begin to fathom what that something was. The screams had been like millions of voices crying out in terror only to be suddenly silenced; the shock wave of dark energy had been of such proportion as to defy description. There had been an incredible surge of protest, of tormented anguish spurring powerful emotions strong enough to tear a rift in the Force. It seemed as though the very structure of the Force balance had just been violently shifted. Things were not as they had been. "I'll be fine," he added, sensing the pilot's continued concern.

Han looked skeptically at the man before him. The geezer was definitely recovering, though. Now it looked more like he'd just taken a gut punch. "Yeah right," Han scoffed, affecting his aloof attitude to quickly divert the subject away from more of this Force gibberish. "Just don't die on me. I don't want to have to stuff your corpse in the airlock for the rest of this trip then spend a week scrubbing it out."

Obi-Wan disregard the pilot's sarcastic comments. "How long before we reach Alderaan?" he asked, more concerned than ever about reaching his destination.

Han had been all but counting the minutes and knew the answer without having to look. "'Bout twelve hours still," he responded, hoping his passenger's anxiety about reaching Alderaan did not revolve around having enough time to make his own funeral arrangements.

Obi-Wan nodded gravely at the answer and waved the pilot off. "You'd best go back to the cockpit," he suggested after gratefully accepting the water from Chewie.

Han was put-off by the almost commanding tone in the old man's voice. Who was this geezer who thought he could order him around on his own ship? Still, Han was all too willing to escape his presence. Swearing he would find a way to squeeze more speed out of the Falcon before ever taking passengers again, he turned abruptly to grab up one of the dinner plates Chewie had prepared and strode off toward the cockpit. A quick review of what would pass as rations that night turned his mood more sour yet.

"The Force, like hell," Han muttered to himself. "More likely a disturbance from Chewie's cooking."

***

Leia just stood dazed for a moment in the center of the front room of Arkus' quarters. She was vaguely aware that the guards had escorted her there and then left her alone once more, truly alone this time it seemed. Her life had just been destroyed. Everyone and everything that she had truly cared for were now just gone. How could she begin to comprehend this? The death of her father and her family was unbearable enough, but not only were the people gone, not only was her home destroyed. Each and every living creature that she had shared her world with, the very ground she had walked on, the air she use to breathe, all were inconceivably gone. She was absolutely numb from trying to grasp the enormity of this loss.

There was no support, no comfort, to be found anywhere. Everything she had previously used for strength, all of her memories, now only compounded the pain. She couldn't allow herself to succumb to these feelings though. If she did, there would be no way she would be able to resist another interrogation, and there would likely be another interrogation just as soon as Tarkin discovered that Dantooine was a dead end.

Leia did find strength in that thought. Alderaan was dead but the Alliance still lived. Her father and all that Alderaan had stood for still lived on in that hope for the galaxy. The death of her world would not be without purpose as long as the spark of rebellion against tyranny lived on. This was her life now, and she would die to protect it.

The declaration brought back some of the strength of her resolve and offered enough solace to her shocked emotions for her begin a healing grieving. Pulling the wrap of her dress closer about her to try to find some warmth in its soft touch, she collapsed onto the couch and began to softly cry.

***

Arkus leaned back against the bulkhead where he had collapsed, thoroughly drained by a violent bout of retching. Trembling uncontrollably from the physical shock of this episode, he was now hesitant to draw on the Force for re-enforcement. His mind was still reeling from the overwhelming punishment his once reliable source of energy had just wrought upon him.

It had not been the Force shock wave from all of those instantaneous deaths that had affected him so. He had already retreated behind his old fortified mental barriers to hide from the agony of his own painful memories long before the planet had been destroyed. Those barriers had provided a substantial shield against the burst of tormented screams, and had left him relatively unscathed by its passing. However, the old barriers had not been constructed to block out the Force connection that he had always shared with his father. Nor did they serve to suppress the empathetic connection that had developed between him and Leia.

Arkus had been too absorbed with fending off the images from his past for the thought of insulating himself against Leia's and his father's reactions to Alderaan's destruction to even enter his mind. Those two diametrically opposed reactions had impacted him simultaneously with almost equal force, each demanding a sympathetic response from him. His father's overpowering exultation had called to Arkus' Sith nature, sweeping him up in the victorious surge of dark energies as Vader reveled in the unbelievable rush of malevolent power. Leia's overwhelming agony at the shocking loss of all she loved had cried woefully out to the spirit of a long lost boy who could understand that loss, capturing his wounded soul and dragging it with her as she passed through a hellish wave intense of anguish.

Colliding violently in his already tormented mind, the Force enhanced conflicting emotions had torn through Arkus' exposed heart and viciously wrenched his spirit in two. His body too had been wracked by the physical manifestations of the mental battle, his head exploding in a roar of blinding pain and his gut churning in revolt to the turbulent storm of contradictory sensations. Too overwhelmed to fight against the rivaling demands on his own emotions, Arkus had fled from the bridge in an attempt to escape the torture, and had some how managed to find this secluded alcove before collapsing in shock.

Now he was finally regaining some physical composure, though he was still quite dizzy and disoriented. He would recover from this mentally too, he knew, and emerge stronger for it just as he had done with every adverse development in his life. But Leia, she had lied. Tarkin would discover it all too soon and demand the only punishment his ego would accept - termination. Vader would likely agree with that sentence. There was no way she would ever willingly give up the Rebel base now, no matter what argument was presented to her, and both Vader and Tarkin knew the interrogations to be worthless. She was of no use to the Empire now, and the Emperor would not permit the continued existence of one so capable of revolt. Leia would be destroyed. There was nothing Arkus could do to prevent it.

He could feel her now, crying out in misery and seeking any solid foundation upon which to fasten her shattered spirit that she might be able to cope with the magnitude of her loss. His spirit so longed to answer to her cry, to offer what comfort he could. What a strange feeling this was. He could vaguely remember feeling it before, oh so long ago before his epiphany. Such pain this feeling brought - not physical pain that could be turned into dark power, but a debilitating mental anguish. It weakened him and clouded his judgement. No wonder he had turned his back on such emotions. They brought nothing but heart wrenching pain.

And why should he care about the fate of this princess? She had done this to herself, rejecting all attempts at reason and fighting the call that would lead her to true power. Despite her potential, she would never be a Sith. Even now, when she had such justifiable reasons to hate, she chose to cling too tightly to the weaker emotions of grieving and consolation. She deserved to die for her stubborn impudence and most especially for her weakness.

Yet Arkus couldn't shut off this need to hold Leia and attempt to console her battered spirit. But how could he comfort her? By telling her that she would soon be joining her lost family in death? By saying that this was a necessary consequence of her rebellious deeds?

Moaning in misery, Arkus closed his mind in on itself to hide from all of the universe and covered himself physically with his cloak as he slunk deeper into the recess in which he had found refuge. He had nothing to offer Leia, and he certainly couldn't face her, couldn't watch as such a treasured companion was destroyed. He could not live through that again. Wrapping his arms around his knees and burying his face, Arkus prayed it would all be over before he had to emerge.

***

Palpatine hissed in indulgent satisfaction as the last of the tormented screams died out in his mind. Governor Tarkin had obviously chosen to test his new creation on a populated planet, a rather densely one it seemed, with magnificent results. The Emperor's only complaint was that he had not been given notice prior to the destruction. He would have to speak with the Governor about that oversight. While this little bit of delicious dark ecstasy had been a most gratifying occurrence in an otherwise dull day, Palpatine desired time to prepare himself to enjoy the experience more thoroughly the next time such glorious death was brought down upon his subjects.

The Emperor wondered in idle curiosity which planet Tarkin had chosen. It would have been a worthy target, the Emperor was sure; he had complete trust in Tarkin's judgement in that regard. However, he was interested to know which Rebel nuisance had been eliminated. A quick tendril of inquiry sent through the Force provided the answer – Alderaan, a worthy target indeed. The destruction of that prominent planet and the sickening, peace-loving peoples that had dwelled there would send a most powerful message to other systems contemplating voicing such open objections to his leadership. And it just happened to be the home planet of Arkus' Rebel princess.

Most interesting, that; it certainly wasn't a very likely coincidence. Most probably this had been a consequence of the girl not cooperating in her interrogation, as Arkus had predicted she would not. The building tension the Emperor sensed between father and son provided adequate confirmation for this. Their clashing of wills was generating quite a disturbance in the Force, the rift between them having grown far too wide for any reconciliation to be possible. It wouldn't be long at all before the matter came to blows. Only two Siths would survive the coming power struggle, and the Emperor had no doubt which two those would be.

These contented thoughts of the Emperor were abruptly interrupted by a concerned query from his dearest subject. Mara Jade was checking on his well-being and seeking insight into the disturbance she had just felt. Her limited training had only allowed her to sense the most peripheral edge of that power surge, and in her naivete she had interpreted it as a threat. She was looking to protect him as she had been trained to do.

A pity the girl could not be trained to fully enjoy such pleasures. In another time perhaps, she would have been a most worthy apprentice, but her power was nothing compared to the Skywalkers'. Still, Mara Jade would hold a most prestigious place in Sith history as the first mother and protector of the immortal master.

~It is nothing to concern yourself with, My Dear,~ the Emperor reassured his future guardian. ~Merely a small step toward a grand and promising future for the Empire.~