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The landing on Corascant is relatively smooth. We decided while leaving Harrulop that this would be a good place to start looking for Leia, because Palpatine is going to have to be here to run the Senate.
It was surprisingly easy to fool the security systems coming in here. They've been run by droids the past few years because the clones are all out fighting the war. All we had to do was broadcast a radio signal on their wavelength to scramble their codes. Simple.
I'm almost happy to be out here, doing this. Obi-wan and I are working together again. We never should have been split up. If we hadn't...
No. It was all my fault. Always will be.
But if he had been there to stop me...
But he wasn't, and I did it, and I don't want to blame him. Because then I wouldn't have any friends left in the galaxy.
It feels like a lifetime since I've run a mission with Obi-wan, even though it's only been a few weeks. I guess it almost has been a lifetime. I've passed through Vader. And now Anakin is born again.
I reach out to feel him in the Force, and I am amazed at the trust I feel emanating from him. I can't understand why he would still trust me. If I was in his position, I realize unhappily, I would be more likely to kill him than trust my life to him.
But would I kill him? I don't know if I could, even if I had to.
You never thought you would kill younglings, either, I remind myself. Or leave the Jedi. Or hurt Padme. Or a thousand other awful things.
So I don't know what I would do. And I hope I'll never find out.
I step out of the small starship I was piloting and walk over to Obi-wan's and wait for him to disembark. A jedi must be calm. Calm.
But when he steps out, I find myself unable to do that.
"What are we going to do, Master?" I ask quietly, failing miserably in my attempt to conceal the urgency I'm feeling.
"I don't know," he frowns, surprised, "I assumed you had a plan when you suggested coming here."
I moan, and cover my face with my hand. "I'm not good at this strategy stuff," I mumble lamely, "you are. I thought...you would know what to do."
And I did think that. He always has, after all, about anything.
You've been taking him for granted, I tell myself sternly, treating him like he's just a thing there for you to use. Think for yourself!
"I guess we could just run into the Senate while it's in session and grab Palpatine," I suggest doubtfully, gazing around the beautiful Senate Courtyard where we landed, a soft place surrounded by gracefully curving arches and white pillars, "we could make him tell us where Leia is."
He looks as doubtful as I feel. "I don't think so Anakin. You are allowing your fear and anger to cloud your mind. Think. If we ran into a session of Senate a thousand guards would be on top of us instantly."
We could handle a thousand guards, maybe. But not a thousand guards and a Sith Lord.
I close my eyes and breathe deeply, trying to relax enough to be able to save my daughter. I want to expel the fear, but I don't know how.
Even so, as I lead myself through the early stages of meditation, I feel myself calmer.
I take this newfound clarity and re-examine the situation.
He will be expecting a physical attack. He will be ready for that.
But what if...
"Obi-wan, do you think I could trick him into giving me Leia?" I ask, "what if he thought I was still a Sith? Then maybe he would give her to me."
He looks thoughtful for a minute. "It's a good thought," he says, "but I don't think it would work out in the end. He would feel your lightside presence."
"He wouldn't have to. I could use the Dark Side. Then..." I grapple for a handhold, "then, he would have to believe me."
Obi-wan looks sickened. "You would use the Dark Side to get Leia back," he states, so it's not a question, but an accusation.
"It may be the only way I can save her, Master," I respond in a wavering voice, "it wouldn't be for real, anyway. It wouldn't hurt anything. I'd just change, a little, for a little while. I would come back," I say trying to convince myself as much as him.
He doesn't answer me immediately, instead walking across the marble platform we've been standing on to the gardens surrouding us. I do not follow.
"This is a dangerous game you want to play, Anakin," he finally answers softly, "and I cannot allow you to do it."
I walk over to where he's standing. "I am going to do it," I contradict him, "but I'll come back. You can stay here, if you want, or go back to Harrulop. You don't have to come inside with me."
He turns to face me, finally, "I think you're making a terrible mistake, using the Dark Side. I fear it will eventually use you, as Palpatine did. But I'll come with you. I'll hide, so that if you need backup, you'll have it."
I do not acknowlegde him, except to pull all the passionate feelings I've ever felt out of the hidden compartments inside of me and draw them to me and bask in the heat they give off. So nice to have warmess, fire, to escape the cold. All the love and loyalty for all the people I've ever cared for. Hatred of the sand people. Hatred of Palpatine. A longing desperation to find a home.
I feel as though I've just gotten out of an extremely uncomfortable position. Now I test the parts of me I've tried for so long to keep idle. And not it's difficult.
Here I am, Anakin Skywalker. For once myself, really. In a way I've never been my entire life. Not even trying to supress the feelings. Just being. Not carrying out Palpatine's sick orders 'on behalf of the Republic.' Just being.
The clarity is gone, and my vision of the world sinks into a foggy greyness. But I don't mind, because these newfound parts of me make it easy to push through the thick air.
I can vaguely feel Palpatine's silhouette. He's above us, about fifty feet.
I walk to the main entrance of the Senate headquaters. Obi-wan has done such an excelent job of masking his presence that I wouldn't realize he was there if I didn't keep turning my head around to look for him.
I saunter through the familiar doors and walk for about 100 feet before encountering a security clone.
"Who are you, and what is your business here?" he asks suspiciously.
"I am Lord Vader," I tell him imperiously, "the Emperor's apprentice. You will contact him immediately and tell him of my arrival." And, as I use the Force instead of allowing to to use me, it's over. It becomes less and less an act.
"I will contact him immediately and tell him of your arrival," he agrees.
He pulls out a commlink and presses a button on it. "Emperor Palpatine," he says through the white armor, "Someone by the name of Lord Vader is here to see you."
The clone seems to be listening to something, then presses another button on the link.
He turns to face me. "He's coming down to see you," he informs me, "right now."
I ignore the comment. "You have somewhere you need to be right now," I alert him.
"If you'll excuse me," he answers, dazed, "I have somewhere I need to be right now." And he wanders off.
There is nothing to do now but wait for Palpatine to come down. I dare not talk to Obi-wan, in case he would try to listen in.
It does not take long. Soon, I can see him sweeping down the great marble staircase that leads off the courtyard into the main senate hall. He is wearing black robes that cast shadow over his scarred white skin. He is a disgusting creature. A foul, baby-killing, Jedi-murdering, family-breaking Sith.
And I kneel before him. "Master," I say, "I have returned."
"Rise, Lord Vader," he commands, "where have you been all these weeks?"
A lie slips easily to the front of my mind. "I was injured battling Kenobi. I was going to die, so I tricked him into thinking I had forsaken you for him. The old fool believed me. He trusts too readily. But I cannot give up the power you have to offer me."
"Very good, my friend," he hisses, "then you can tell me where Kenobi is hidden, and we can crush the last of the attempts to overthrow our Empire before it starts."
"He is on Tatooine, Master."
"Then I shall send you to find him. You can convince him to come here, can't you? Then we can destroy him. But it will be so much more difficult that way. You must be punished for your faliure to kill him as I told you to do."
And with no warning, I see blue lightening shoot out from his fingertips and curve towards me.
Every bone in my body is on fire, every muscle. This is Mustafar all over again. I collapse to the floor and writhe in pain.
Then, as suddenly as it began, it's over. "There, now Vader. Perhaps from now on you will be more competent."
He strides away, gesturing for me to follow him. I clumsily pick myself up from the floor and stumble towards him. I can feel Obi-wan sending me waves of comfort and sympathy through the Force.
The Chancellor--my 'Master'--and I enter his chambers. They are in a small area off his office that I never knew existed. The walls are draped with black and green hangings, giving me the feeling of being underground though I know we are thousands of feet in the air.
"Well, then, Vader. You will continue your apprenticeship. I sense you will become a great Sith. Already you have more power than you did as a Jedi. When you used your anger in the march against the Jedi rebellion you opened up new gateways to your power that were never accesible to you in the past. Starting later today, we will begin to further develop those powers."
He smiles and puts a hand on my shoulder. "It's good to have you back," he says--he lies.
There is a cry from a room somewhere behind us. I tense. It's Leia, it must be Leia--
"What's that?" I wonder aloud, pretending to be only mildly interested.
"That?" he shugs, "it's the Organa child. She was taken from Alderaan when her parents were arrested. She is strong in the Force, and I was considering making her my apprentice...but now that I have you, that won't be necessary. We will dispose of her."
I feel my muscles tense at his suggestion. No, no. This isn't supposed to be happening...
"Unless you would rather not?" he questions softly, "I didn't know you had any particular qualms about killing children, my young apprentice."
I would love so desperately right now to grab my lightsaber and shove it through his chest. But I cannot defeat a Master Sith, even with the element of surprise. I must stick with my plan. I will somehow trick him into giving me Leia.
"It's not that I have any concerns about killing her, Master," I tell him, "but she could be useful. Besides, won't the public be distressed if you--killed her?"
"They would never know. Are you sure you don't harbor any emotional attachments to the child?"
"Of course not."
"Do not lie to me, Anakin. I can sense your deception. I can always sense your deception. You are aware that the child is your daughter."
I swallow. If he is aware of this, how can I ever fool him into giving her to me? "Yes, my Master," I admit, "I would very much like to see her."
"Oh, you will, Anakin, you will," he chuckles softly. "But not now. Now, you have other work to be doing."
"Excuse me, Master?" he wouldn't ask me to kill people again, would he? No...not so soon--he couldn't--
"There are many skills the Jedi would not have taught you that are essential to a Sith. First and foremost, among these, is, of course, Force Lightening."
"I understand, Master."
"I'm not sure you do, Vader," he says, resuming his use of my Sith name. "Force Lightening is more than just a skill--it's a symbol, really. I will teach it to you, but you must understand when it is most effectively used--or suffer my displeasure."
He steps over to the only window in the room, a wide window covering an entire wall, and draws it closed. The room is thrown almost into complete darkness.
"Now," he instructs me, "what you do is concentrate all the midichlorians in your body towards your fingertips. Then try and thrust them out. They won't, of course, but the reaction will create lightening. I invented the technique myself," he informs me smugly.
Reluctant though I am to give myself any further to the Dark Side, I see no option other than to follow his instructions. Startled to find the blue energy building up in my palms, I abruptly stop.
"No. Continue," he orders.
And so I try again. This time I am expecting the blue elecricity and allow it to build up just above my hand without letting it go.
"Now what?" I ask, worried by the fact that the lightening is not leaving my hands.
"Create a shield between your hands and the electricity, then use a Force push to send it off," he advises.
I do so. But when I try to hold up the shield at the same time as I thrust the cloud of power away from me, the shield breaks.
The lightning sears through my already injured hands, completely burning the thin layer of skin off my right hand. I blink, surprised, at the circuitry I'd almost forgotten was there.
"Again," he orders, "with your left hand. There will be no more mistakes, Lord Vader."
Under his eye, I am made to produce the sith lightening all afternoon, hating him more and more each time I do so. I imagine that instead of simply fizzling away on the metal floor, it burns away his face each time.
Eventually, frustrated, I ask, "When can I see my daughter, Master?"
"Soon, I think," he responds, "do it again."
This time, I throw all my fury and hatred of him into the act. The fire I thow from my palms is hot and consuming.
"Impressive," he says, "I think you are now ready to see your daughter."
The hatred and anger I feel towards him are pushed out by overwhelming relief. I'm coming. Leia.
"She's this way," he says curtly, gesturing for me to follow.
The chamber where my daughter is being kept is dark. The only light comes from a crack in the window hangings. Even in the dim light, however, I can see that it is a gloomy place to be. The floor is hard metal, as is the high barred crib she is being kept in. The pitiful bed is bare of anything soft that might make it bearable. She is awake, and I can feel discomfort and fear flowing from her, but she does not cry.
"Pain will teach her to use her power," explains the demon in a calm voice.
Doesn't he realize that his death is moments away? As soon as I have Leia, he is dead.
I reach down into the sorry excuse for a bed and touch my daughters face.
But he grabs my shoulder and pulls me away.
"We have been practicing all afternoon," he smiles, "it's time to use your new skills."
I pause numbly. What is he saying? I don't understand.
"Use what I have taught you on the girl," he hisses.
My heart beats faster. "No, I can't do that--"
"Then," he sighs, pulling out his lightsaber, "if this child will be no help in training my apprentice"--he ignites it--"then she has served her purpose. She must die."
His blade falls slowly towards her gentle face.
I immediately bring my blue sword out. The beams of energy collide.
"Oh?" he asks, smirking, "so you've changed your mind?"
"I have not," I growl, "changed my mind."
"Neither have I, Anakin. Either this child will assist me in your training, or she will be disposed of. It is your choice. Do not think of trying to duel me; you must be aware that if your 'friend' Obi-wan Kenobi could defeat you in a duel, you would be no match for me. Even if you were," he continues, "this room is hooked up to a chip placed in my heart. The instant my blood stops pumping, these Chambers will be destroyed. Besides," he says, more gently, "this will help you on your quest to the power you so desperately crave."
I lower my lightsaber just a little. I can't think of a way out of this. No matter what I do, Leia will die. Unless I do what he's asked of me.
I turn off my lightsaber, and raise my hands a little in Leia's direction, hating every move I make.
I gaze at Palpatine, trying to kill him with my gaze.
He does not even acknowledge my death glare except to move his own lightsaber so that the blade is directly above Leia's head. Any closer and the heat will burn her.
"If you try at all to stop before I tell you to," he warns in a poisonous voice, "your daughter will be dead. The same if you try to attack me. Even if by some miracle of chance you should happen to succeed, your daughter will be dead. Now. Use what you have learned."
I remember his instuctions from earlier. He must have been planning this all along. To either make me be his apprentice or to kill Leia.
He obviously knew which I would choose.
"I'm sorry, Leia," I murmer softly to the small child, "I love you. This hurts me too."
I feel the power growing inside my palms. Quickly, before it can grow to its full extent, I release it. I close my eyes rather than watch it hit my small girl's body, but I cannot prevent her cries of suffering from reaching me, the first time I've ever heard her cry.
I open my eyes before she's stopped writhing in pain. Her small body lies curled in a fetal position on the hard metal surface she is surrounded by.
It's too much. I stop shocking her and begin to advance on Palpatine. But before I've taken two steps his lightsaber falls closer to Leia's head. A gash appears on her forehead where it touches her as she screams.
"Stop!" I shriek in an inhuman voice, "Stop!" Where's Obi-wan? What happened to backup? He must not have been able to sneak into the apartments, and because the rooms are soundproofed, no doubt he is completely oblivious as to what's happening in here.
Palpatine is as cool and calm as he always is. "I will give you one more chance, Skywalker," he breathes through clenched teeth, "I will give you one more chance to demonstrate your skills on this child. If you fail, she must be unworthy to be a test subject, and I will dispose of her."
I step back to my original position on the side of the crib opposite Palpatine. He raises his saber to its original position above her forehead. "This is your last chance."
I close my eyes again and let the power build a little, but release it before it can do her any real harm--aside from pain. Once again, her wails cause my eyes to fly open and stop shooting the lightening.
"Did I tell you to stop?" he cackles, "continue, Lord Vader, or your daughter will die."
I close my eyes again, and repeat the gesture of building the power to the tiniest possible amount, over and over. It becomes a meaningless gesture, in times with my breathing. Even her shrieks seem dull and far away.
"Use your power, Vader!" cries the demon, "until you show me what you are capable of, we stay here, doing this. You are hurting your daughter more by continuing to hold this gate up against your power."
I understand what he intends me to do, but I will not do it. I will not make her suffer more than this. I continue the small blasts of lightening.
"This is your last chance," he warns, "show me your full power, or your daughter will die."
And so I do it. I destory the dam I've built and use all my hatred of this foul excuse for a man before me to push the water out into lightening. I push the full brunt of it into Leia.
What finally stops me is not the Emperor's voice. It is Leia's silence.
When I reach down into the crib frantically to check her, he does not stop me. He merely watches in silence as I feel her chest and place my hand just above her mouth.
She is alive.
"You have done well, Lord Vader," he says slowly, "by your willingness to sacrifice your daughter you have proved yourself worthy of the title 'Dark Lord of the Sith.' Now. Take this child to your ship. She has an interesting connection with the Force that I would like to follow. Wait for me in your ship. I will be there shortly."
He pulls Leia roughly out of the crib and shoves her into my hands, where she immediately breaks into sobs.
I can't believe it. I have Leia.
I cradle her gently in my arms and rubs her back rhythmatically, sending her waves of energy and love through our bond.
I walk to the front of the chambers, careful not to touch the deep gash in her forehead.
I exit the chambers and exhale a breath I did not realize I was holding.
Obi-wan is there, waiting anxiously. "You have her!" he gasps, moving quickly toward us. "But what happened to her?"
I shake my head and thrust him into her arms. "Take her. Take her back to Padme on Harrulop."
He looks confused. "Why don't you hold her, Anakin?" he suggests, "surely she's more comfortable around her father."
I shake my head bitterly with a humorless laugh. "Just take her back. Now. We both have to get away as soon as possible."
I break into a jog, heading in the direction of the starfighters, Obi-wan following me at a slightly slower pace.
We reach them soon, and I hop into mine and watch as he does the same. "Take off, now, Obi-wan," I command through gritted teeth.
I follow soon behind him. Our courses are similar in the beginning. Then I break off to the West to head for Tatooine and he continues North.
I don't know if he even realizes that I've gone.
A/N:
If you decide to review, please tell me if you think Anakin is acting out of character. I think he is, slightly. If enough people agree with me I will do a rewrite of the second half of this chapter.