Chapter IX: Countdown
PRINCESS ADORA'S JOURNAL
UNKNOWN DATE
I was almost to Dantooine and nothing had happened until I was within a parsec of the planet when an alarm went off.
I turned on the view screen and the comlink to see who it was, I saw a giant starcruiser with smaller one man fighters swarming around it like flies, "Attention rebel ship, prepare to be boarded!" a voice coming from one of the ships commanded.
I knew it was the Empire and that I had to get out of here before they could recapture me. I set my ship in reverse and tried to escape but I was unable to move, I looked behind me and saw that I was being pulled into the ship's hangar bay.
Once my ship was in the hangar, I saw that I was in a massive ship, all around there ships, troops, and equipment all in a flurry of activity that resembled a colony of Etherian ants.
Soon thousands of troopers swarmed around my ship, "Freeze Rebel, Hands up stand up and vacate the ship," one of them ordered as he pointed a blaster at my forehead.
Not wanting to risk my life without my sword, I opened the hatch and exited the ship, the troopers came beside me shackled me and searched me, they found no weapons as I was trying to appear to be on a peace mission.
They lead me to a prison cell where they attached a collar and chain around my neck and secured it to the floor, "This will make you don't go anywhere and alert your rebel allies," one trooper gloated as he and his comrades left the area.
I fear all hope is lost now, I am doomed never to see those who I love ever again, I will spend the rest of my life here in this cell and to make matters worse I have doomed this galaxy by my failure to retrieve these plans.
BAIL ORGANA'S JOURNAL
20 YEARS AFTER THE END OF THE CLONE WARS
Hours had passed and we had not heard from Adora, I was starting to worry about her.
I decided to contact her, I dialed in the Hope of Alderaan's comlink channel, "Adora, this Senator Organa do you read me?" I asked through the comlink all I got was static.
I feared the worse had happened, I decided to contact Senator Mothma hoping Adora was there.
I punched in her secret holonet channel and soon her image was on my desk.
"Senator Organa is something wrong?" she asked as she adjusted her controls to make the signal clearer.
"Senator Mothma has my ship, The Hope of Alderaan landed on Dantooine?" I asked her with my fingers, crossed.
"I'm sorry Senator, your ship hasn't come yet," she informed me seriously.
"Thank you Senator, that is all," I said as signed off and left the room.
I knew what happened, Adora had been captured and I need to rescue her. I headed back to my office and called for Captain Antilles report in.
A few minutes later Antilles appeared in the doorway, "You wished to see me sir?" he asked as he saluted me.
"Yes, Princess Adora has been captured, my instincts tell me she being held prisoner in the Devastator I want you to put together a rescue party to save her, report back as soon as possible," I told him frankly.
"Is that all sir?" he asked me before he left.
"One more thing, did you retrieve her sword yet?" I asked him curious as to the outcome of that mission.
"Yes sir, I have in my possession if you want to see it?" he asked me as he opened a knapsack he had with him and took out a silver colored sword.
I went over to him and studied the sword.
Upon closer inspection I could tell it wasn't silver but Xanthanium, a naturally occurring alloy, it's rare in the galaxy, but from legends I heard it's abundant elsewhere in the universe. In the center of the sword was a crystal that appeared to be Corsium but I wasn't certain.
The most startling thing about the sword was the inscription on it, it was written in some foreign language but from what Captain Antilles told me that from he learned from a high ranking Imperial they intercepted it had something to do with honor.
Instantly memories flooded back to me especially about the Jedi whose motto was:
For the Honor of the Force and the Glory of the Republic.
Could Adora have some connection to the Jedi and if so what is this connection, suddenly I realized that I didn't have time for philosophy, Adora was in danger so dismissed Captain Antilles so he could conduct his mission.
I pray to the Force that she is alive and will return safely and I pray that she succeeded in her mission.
PRINCESS ADORA'S DIARY
UNKNOWN DATE
I have sat in this cell for hours, it's cold and I have no way of keeping warm save for my clothes on my back.
While I was sitting in there, Lord Vader came to my cell, in the dark he looked even more frightening his black form shrouded in the blackness of the cell with only the lights on his chestplate and his mechanical rhythmic breathing betraying his presence.
He had two troopers with him who he had dismissed before entering the cell.
"We meet again at last your highness, maybe now we can have a talk" he said in his deep voice. He looked at my neck and placed my charm Kowl gave me, I shuddered at the cold touch of his leather glove, a coldness that betrayed the fact that he had lost his hand and replaced with a prosthetic one.
"Like I would tell you anything!" I spat him as turned my head away from him.
He took the chain around my neck, removed it from the fastener on the ground and ran it across the ceiling and pulled it till my feet were dangling above the ground.
"Now let us try this again your highness, I have a question and you will answer it or else, do I make myself clear?" he said as he looked at my body dangling like a windsock on porch.
I nodded in agreement as I tried to removed the collar; my legs were swinging and kicking I fought for air and freedom.
"Good" he said as he released the chain sending me on my knees, he looked down at me and asked, "Where did you get that charm?" pointing to my necklace around my neck.
My heart was pounding, what do I tell hi? That I got it from the keeper of the Crystal Castle nestled high on Mount Consecro in the Mountains of Immortality on Etheria? No, I knew I had to twist the truth.
"A friend gave that to me before I left, and that's the truth I swear" I told him resolutely secretly praying to Light Hope that he would buy it.
"Very well" he said as he looked at me, "What did the Rebels do with the stolen plans?" he asked me.
"I don't know what you're talking about" I told him, I knew where they were but I was not going to tell him.
He took the chain ran up the ceiling again yanking up in the air like a party decoration, "Maybe if you hang out for awhile it will come to you," he said as he left me there.
My end is near I fear, Light Hope forgive my evils and let my soul ascend to the Unknowable One's palace.
THE LOG OF DARTH VADER, DARK LORD OF THE SITH
20 YEARS AFTER THE END OF THE CLONE WARS
That girl and her Japor Snippet haunt me like nothing else, while I was interrogating using the old Korribanese hanging torture, I while I was interrogating her I had a vision.
I saw myself as a young man on Mustafar, I also saw Padmè and Obi-Wan, it was after she had betrayed I saw myself choke my wife, I wanted to stop myself but it was then the vision I snapped back to the present.
I looked at this girl hanging there and as I did, I heard Padmè's voice, "Anakin how could you do this you're better than this; look at what you've become! Ani I love you" she told me. If the heat of the hellish Mustafarian fires hadn't burned and destroyed my tear ducts I would have cried.
I stood for what seemed an eternity in silence until I heard my master's voice say to me "Anakin Skywalker is no more, he was killed by his wife and the Jedi, now there is only Darth Vader," and with those words I snapped back to the task at hand.
The girl told me that a friend of hers gave her the Japor Snippet and I was for the moment satisfied with that answer and went on the location of the stolen plans. She said she didn't know what I meant.
I decided some more hanging torture would open her up and give me the information so strung her up and left the cell.
I returned to my meditation chamber, I looked at my scared countenance in the chamber's mirror and saw the pale eyes of the ghosts of my past.
Once again I heard Padmè's voice, she was crying because she had become ashamed at what I had become, a machine and monster; she told me that I was better than this, and I knew it.
I removed my gloves, I looked at the circuitry and matrices that fuse metal to flesh and wires to nerves, she was right I was a machine, a soulless monster who had lost all he loved because his need to protect those same loved ones mad him lust for power to the point where it destroyed.
The thought of losing Padmè and even worse the horrible truth that I was one who killed her drove me into a bitter rage, "CURSE YOU OBI-WAN! CURSE YOU AND ALL THE JEDI! CURSE YOU TO HELLFIRE AND TORMENT FOR ETERNITY!" I screamed and smashed and destroyed anything I could my hands on. I was so mad that even ripped my helmet off, a decision I soon regretted.
The moment I removed it I collapsed to the ground gasping for air, every breath I took send searing pain arcing across my body, I knew if I didn't get my helmet on soon I would die.
I stretched out my hand and used the force to summon my helmet to me and crawled back to the chamber.
Once I was in the chamber I closed the hatch and took a deep breath of the life giving pressurized air and felt the pains subside.
I sat in my chamber for awhile, "I will find the stolen plans and I will decode the mystery of who is this woman, this I swear" I thought to myself and I would too if it was last thing I ever do!
PRINCESS ADORA'S DIARY
UNKNOWN DATE
I managed to prolong life, I found if grab onto the wall the pressure around my neck lessens allowing me to breathe, but I am unsure how long I can hold on, my feet a slipping and my arms legs are tiring, tears run down my face as I think of my death.
I could feel my feet slide down the smooth surface of the walls and the pressure around my throat get worse, finally my feet slip off, but before they fall off, I grab onto the chain, hoping to climb up to release the pressure the collar exerts on my throat allowing me to breath.
The weight of my body caused the chain to break sending me to the ground with a thud, I got up on my knees for second to collect my bearings before standing up. I was a bit sore, but right now I was just thankful to be alive.
Even though I was free the collar still around my throat, it icy grip made me shiver but at it least with the chain broken it no pressed against my throat. I also knew that I was still a prisoner and would never get out of alive, the consolation is that Vader would never know my secret!
As I stood there, I heard the sound of blasters outside, a fight had broken out.
I stood on my toes hoping to see a crack in the door so I could find out what was going on, just then the door exploded.
The force of the force of the blast sent me flying across the cell, I felt my back hit the wall after that all was darkness.
THE LOG OF DARTH VADER, DARK LORD OF THE SITH
20 YEARS AFTER THE END OF THE CLONE WARS
My tantrum had worn me out and I decided to rest for awhile, I adjust the chair in my chamber to recline, removed my helmet and slept.
About three hours later, the sound of the com alert woke me; I returned the chair to its original position; put my mask back on and opened the chamber.
"L…Lor...Lord Vader, we have a situation" the voice of Lt. Piett informed me as he snapped into attention as he saw my chair to face him.
"What kind of situation, Lieutenant?" I asked him, if he has failed me he will pay dearly.
"Our prisoner has escaped, my lord and our sources say that Rebels have invaded the ship and the Imperial Museum and they have stolen her sword," Piett said as his throat ran dry.
I clenched my fist and focused my anger on Piett, he began to pull at his collar and gasp for air.
"You have failed me for the fi…" I began to say, but I was cut off mid sentence as I heard the voice of my mother, "Ani how could you, how could you waste your gift on hiurting this man who has tried his best to help you," she told me.
At the sound of her voice, I released the Lieutenant and dismissed him with orders to find the girl and recapture her and the sword.
Once he left I closed the chamber and removed my helmet, a flood of thoughts and memories had invaded my mind, had I made the right choices? Was Obi-Wan right? Is Palpatine the one man who has helped and saved me really evil?
Just then my mind snapped back, this was sort of trick, Obi-Wan was the evil one, Palpatine is my friend he saved me, he was not only my savior but the savior of the galaxy and he and I shall give birth to a new age of peace and crush those who dare to stop us, this I swear!