Chapter 6
Anakin awoke.
He was seeing red. What was going on? His head pounded, everything was dark, except the two familiar circular lenses with digital displays on them ...
Everything was silent. And then he heard it. Those dreaded sounds. The pooooooohh khhhhhhhh of his old suit. What was going on? Anakin looked around. He was lying on a med table. He spoke, "What's going on?" His horrifying old mechanical voice had returned. Utterly confused, Anakin reached at the table at his bedside, finding a lightsaber. He ignited it, watching as it burned a sheer blue light. His left hand trailed down to his belt, where he found another lightsaber. The old Sith lightsaber that he had used for two years. The one he refused to destroy.
"Anakin! Anakin, thank the Force you're awake."
"What is happening, master?"
Obi-Wan looked down. "Your circuits were fried. We had to put you in the suit to keep you alive. What happened, Anakin? Why were you on the ground all burnt?"
"Tarra ... she couldn't be turned back to the light," Anakin said, his booming voice resounding in the room.
Obi-Wan nodded. "Well, she wasn't there when I got there," he shrugged. "We found your suit in your ship just in time. You were right to keep it around."
Anakin looked at his chest, flipped a few switches, and spoke, in his normal voice, "That's better. I always hated that voice." He was undoubtedly glad his voice was repaired well enough not to need the vocabulator.
Obi-Wan almost smiled. "Almost lost you there."
"I've still saved you ten times to your one."
"Nine, I told you, that business at Cato Neimoidia doesn't count."
"But I think slicing my limbs off automatically gets me another point." Obi-Wan fell silent. There was no response to that.
"So, where am I, Obi-Wan?" said Anakin, changing the topic. Obi-Wan was always sensitive about Mustafar.
"We're at Hoth."
"Hoth? What the blazes are we doing at Hoth?"
"Erm, we ran from the Imperials."
Anakin sat in silence. They were supposed to rescue Naboo, damn it. "Master. Padme's family. The Naberries. Did they –"
Obi-Wan shook his head. "Yes, they're alive. But you can't see them. Not yet."
Anakin almost shouted. What kind of logic was this? "What do you MEAN I can't –"
Obi-Wan stifled a laugh. "You're wearing Vader's suit, obviously. They'll tear you apart once they see you.
"HAH! I'd like to see Jobal try to tear me apart."
"Well, seeing that you did kill Padme ..."
"Shut up." Anakin, like Obi-Wan was sensitive about maining Anakin, was sensitive to the fact that he killed his own wife during his fall to darkness. "So, what's going on?"
"Well, seeing our luck, the Imperials are probably going to find us here within the hour ..."
"You're kidding."
"Yes. Yes, I'm kidding. Relax, Anakin." Said Obi-Wan. It felt strange to tell a man who outwardly could display no emotions to relax. He was about to comment on the mask when an explosion rocked the room.
"Guess you weren't kidding?"
Obi-Wan looked grimly at Vader's mask, and nodded.
"C'mon, Obi-Wan! We got a battle to win!"
"Anakin, wait!"
Anakin stopped. "What now?"
"You're forgetting you're in your suit! The rebels will blast you to pieces once you step outside that door."
"HAH! I'd like to see them..."
"Right. But I don't want to see them try to kill you. So I'll contact Captain Friese and let them know that Darth Vader has defected from the Empire."
"You mean nobody knows? And besides, did the Rebels help me into the ... ah ... suit?"
"Nobody knows, Anakin. The Empire had kept quiet about it ... well, until the Emperor's new apprentice was announced. But not many know much about the Sith's dealings, so I need to tell them. And no, the Rebels didn't help you into the suit. They helped you into the room. I brought the suit in. The droids put you in the suit. I wiped the droid's memory."
"Why would you –" Anakin began to retort, but Obi-Wan put a hand up to stop him. "I'm contacting Captain Friese. Turn on that voice enhancer ... whatever you call it."
Anakin glared at Obi-Wan through the mask. "You've gotta be kidding me."
"Do it. They believe you are Darth Vader. I promise, we'll clear this up soon. But wait until the battle!"
Anakin breathed in and out, in his mechanical suit. "I hate that voice," he said shortly, but he turned on the vocabulator. "Microphone testing. One, Two Three." He nodded to Obi-Wan, who activated the hologram connection.
The transmitter blinked, then Captain Friese appeared on the screen. "Obi-Wan, is young Anakin awake?"
Obi-Wan kept his cool, but inside his mind was whirling. What was he supposed to tell him? "Ah... we'll discuss that later. I am going to join the battle."
"Very well, Obi-Wan. I'll see you at the ..." Captain Friese froze. The only sound in the room was Vader, or rather, Anakin's heavy mechanical breathing.
"Obi-Wan," said Captain Friese cautiously, "Is Darth Vader ... there?"
Obi-Wan smiled, "Yes," he said good-naturedly.
"Isn't that ... er ... dangerous?"
"Darth Vader has defected from the Empire and is now fighting for the Rebel Alliance."
"Can you ... ah ... be sure of that ... master Jedi? Not to question your judgement, of course, but you've always told me that..."
"Treachery is the way of the Sith. Yes, that is true. But I trust Vader. Kindly relay this information to all the troops – yes, all of them," he added, seeing Captain Friese's perplexed look. "When you have finished, contact me, and Vader and I will join the fight against the Imperials," he stressed the last three words to ensure the Captain that Vader did indeed defect from the empire.
--
Fifteen standard minutes later, rebels watched in awe as Obi-Wan Kenobi strode out of the medical room with Darth Vader by his side. Obi-Wan smiled a bit, then said happily, "So where's the battle?"
The troops snapped out of their trance. "Oh, right, sir! Right here, sir. Follow me, please, sir!"
Anakin, or rather, Vader, boomed, "They're polite," to which the soldier stuttered, "Y-yes, sir ... if you would follow me ... sirs."
--
As soon as Anakin stepped outside into the swirling blizzard, into the middle of the battle, he recognized the huge looming shadow that sat above the clouds.
"Executor," he growled. Then he turned to the young soldier beside him. "Soldier! Prepare me a fighter!"
"S-sir, we're all out of ..."
"NOW."
"Y-yes sir."
"Really, Anakin," said Obi-Wan as soon as the young fighter was out of earshot. "Do you have to be so cruel to our own troops?"
Anakin looked at Obi-Wan through his mask. "That was my flagship."
Obi-Wan stared. "The Executor was your flagship?" Everyone had heard how the Executor destroyed pretty much everything in her path.
Anakin nodded. "Many of those men on that ship are still loyal to me. They all hate the emperor, I'm sure of that. I'm much more ... merciful."
Obi-Wan snorted. "I'm sure of that, Anakin. After all, there are only reports that you killed just about every officer who served under you."
"I only kill the dim-witted ones. The Emperor kills them all."
The young soldier returned. "Lord Vader, the fighter is prepared, sir," he said, with a trace of shaking in his voice.
Anakin looked at the young rebel, who was shaking out of his boots. "You have done well, young one. I'll see to it that you are promoted." The soldier turned beet red upon being complimented by the infamous Dark Lord himself, then said quietly, "Thank you, sir," turned on his heel, and marched off.
Anakin stepped into his prepared ship. "You're welcome to join me, if you wish."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "I have some business to do. Good luck on re-taking the Executor, my friend."
Anakin regarded his former master. "Where are you going?"
"Dagobah."
Anakin had no idea why Obi-Wan wanted to go to a planet enshrouded in darkness, but he nodded. "May the Force be with you. I'll contact you once I have control of the Executor."
"May the Force be with you."
--
A/N : END CHAPTER 6! Read and Review.