A/N: I came up for the idea of this story while writing Purge, another Star Wars fan fic starring Anakin Skywalker. The Terror Of Lord Vader is a sequel to Purge (even though I posted this one before it) and with this story I just wanted to have lots of fun with everything. I wanted to do things with the different planets and characters that I haven't really seen much before, namely Anakin Skywalker not being Darth Vader and stuff like that. So, anyway, enough of me talking... enjoy!
The Terror Of Lord Vader
It was hot.
Funny. One would think that after living there for so many years this aspect of life on the dust ball Tatooine would be the first to change for him. A minute or two with him there, however, and it would become painfully obvious that no amount of time on that planet would allow him to get used to the absolute heat of the dune sea.
"Sit down, old friend." A smile that rivaled the warmth of Tatooine shone up at him, a head of graying hair nudged slightly towards a seat near him in the process.
"I'm fine." Anakin Skywalker, former Jedi Master responded solemnly, crossing his robed arms and leaning against the doorway leading out of the hut.
It had been exactly twenty years since he had last been here, on the planet where he had been born some forty-odd standard years ago. He came to Tatooine on his twenty third birthday to visit his mother, Shmi Skywalker. Funny, seeing as though on that day he had to watch her slowly die in front of his eyes…
Life was just one hilarity after another.
"Is everything all right?" The originator of the smile rose to his feet and took a place in the doorway beside Anakin, his eyes peering off into the vast desert that laid before them. "Beautiful isn't it? In a sandy, deserty kind of way."
Anakin turned his gaze over at his old friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi and exhaled slightly. The years had always been kind on old Ben, the hairs on his head graying only recently and his eyes still flickering with that youthful energy that always had been a trademark of his.
"I suppose." Anakin finally responded, bringing himself into a full standing position. "I was never one for scenery, anyway."
Obi-Wan nodded in acknowledgement, understanding the fact that his old friend would rather find himself admiring the beauty of a finely crafted starship than the beauty of the more organic aspects of life. He honestly couldn't blame him. If Obi-Wan had lost all that Anakin had, he wouldn't care much for landscapes, either
"Anakin…" Obi-Wan cut directly to the chase. "Why have you come here? You know the danger this poses for the both of us, and I daresay it's because you wanted to celebrate your birthday."
The two shared a slight smirk, one that had faded almost too quickly from Anakin's face. The younger Jedi Master broke his gaze from Obi-Wan's and took his time to turn and enter the hut fully, making his way to the table in the center of the room.
"Obi-Wan, you know why I'm here.." He reached down and picked up a random object that lay towards the edge of the table and tinkered with it for a few seconds before putting it down once again. "you've felt it, I'm sure. The nightmares… that feeling in the pit of your stomach…"
Obi-Wan's own smile faded from his face and he too turned inside, taking his time to sit in the same seat he had been in previously. The look of well being that he wore melting away and for the first time since Anakin had arrived on Tatooine Obi-Wan truly looked his age.
"So, it's official then," Ben Kenobi crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked down at the table in front of him intently. "he knows where we are."
"It was only a matter of time, my master." Anakin crossed his arms, taking his own seat next to Obi-Wan.
An eyebrow was raised towards Anakin when the words 'my master' reached his ears. "Well. We can't obviously stay here, then. We have to do something. Split up again, go farther into the outer rim, anything."
"No. I'm tired of running. You can stay here if you want, but I'm going to Dantooine to join the rebellion." Anakin planted his hands on the blue table and rose to his feet… only to be stopped by Obi-Wan who simply held a hand up in front of him.
"Anakin, use your senses. We are wanted by the Empire! Vader knows of our location, surely he has spies tracking our every move."
Tpt…
"Impossible," He moved Obi-Wan's hand out of his way and walked around the table, facing him now. "I made sure that I wasn't followed. They.. If we are being spied on they would have to be very good."
dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee…
"And what makes you believe they aren't?" Obi-Wan rose this time and the two Jedi Masters exchanged a curious look across the table.
dee dee dee dee dee dee deedeedeedeedeedee…
"If Vader is employing them, I seriously doubt their abilities." Anakin gave Obi-Wan a slight nod which was returned instantly. It was obvious there was more going on here than a simple discussion.
deedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedee…
The next few actions happened so fast it made everything else appear to be moving in slow motion. Just as the slightly audible noise reached a certain point outside both Jedi Masters planted a hand on the underside of the table and lifted it, flinging it across the room towards the door way. It soared through the air, random pieces of junk crashing to the floor in the process. Then, something shimmered in the door way.
Something circular and round had reflected the intense sunlight outside as it momentarily entered the hut…
And it had the unmistakable traits of a thermal detonator.
deedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedee…
CLACK.
deedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeeDEEDEEDEEDEED…
The detonator ricocheted off the cheap furniture and soared back outside. The small metallic ball kicking up a cloud of sand and dust as it slammed into the ground.
"What the?"
DEEDEEDEE… CLICK
"It's best we move." Obi-Wan said hurriedly, ducking into the next room. Anakin nodded and promptly followed.
BOOM.
The explosion rocked the area with it's absolute might, debris, sand and a better part of Obi-Wan's living room were thrown up in the ball of flame and expulsion of shrapnel that covered the area. The flames were so hot that sections of the sandy ground where the detonator landed turned to sheets of glass in the process.
When the smoke cleared near minutes later a small group of three soldiers entered what was left of the living room. Clad in dirty, white armor these men appeared barely wounded (not counting the two soldiers that lay sprawled out like door mats in the front of the building and a third that had completely cleared the area and fell off the hill) and raised their standard-issue battle rifles while inspecting the living room. As they passed the darkened room where Obi-Wan and Anakin lay in wait it became apparent that these men were, in fact, storm troopers.
"You were saying?" Obi-Wan whispered, giving Anakin an 'I told you so' look.
"Be quiet." Anakin snapped back, this caused one of the troopers to turn in their direction.. But after a moment or two of silence the trooper shook his head, turned and made his way to the center of the room where the other two stood.
"Sir. There are no sign of any bodies." One of the three said in a deep, almost synthetic sounding voice.
"Look for them." The flash of a green colored cloak, matted with sand and miscellaneous dirt caught Obi-Wan's eyes as a fourth man stepped onto old Ben's threshold. When the emergence of a similar-colored armor and a green and red helmet came into view Obi-Wan knew at once who the fourth one, the obvious leader, had been. "Leave no stone unturned."
"Boba Fett." The older Jedi Master whispered at once, rising to his feet in the darkness.
"Who?" Anakin followed Obi-Wan's lead, his durasteel hand brushing up against something hanging from his belt.
"You could say an old friend…" Obi-Wan reached for his belt, unlatching the cylindrical hilt of a lightsaber. "or an enemy."
"On my count." Obi-Wan lifted the hilt of his lightsaber, Anakin did the same.
"One…"
Before either man could decide, the decision had been made for them. Together they would fight as Jedi, as best friends, as brothers one more time.
"Two…"
Here, for the first time in ten years their blades would be drawn and the beginning of the end would be set into motion. And it would all begin on..
"THREE!" Obi-Wan shouted, two blades the color of Naboo's perfect blue sky cut through the darkness simultaneously as the two robed figures of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi rushed into the living room to meet the spies head on..
The time for waiting was over, and the time for action was now…
To Be Continued…