Chapter 7
Nightmare

Familiar stars shone high overhead, distant and cold. Three moons, waning, hung up above, illuminating a sea of colorless sand with light that lacked any warmth. Bordering the endless sand dunes were the wastes, plains of rock riddled with deep craggy canyons. It was near midnight and it was very cold.

Within the rocky wasteland was a camp of primitives, the sand people, the Tusken Raiders. Tents made of skins and bone huddled around small, flickering campfires. The women and children huddled out of sight, in the tents where it was warm and safe. The men sat around the fires, clutching their weapons tightly. On the fringes of the camp, mighty Banthas lounged, comfortable in the chill night due to their thick fur coats.

Inside one particular tent on the edge of the camp a single human woman sat. Her arms were tied apart and over her head, cutting off circulation to her hands and making it difficult to breathe, impossible to rest. She was trapped kneeling in the sand, waiting.

Several Tusken warriors abruptly ducked into the tent. They barked and snarled in their violent crude language for a few minutes. And then the beating started. They hit and kicked and cursed her. Each blow drew a hoarse cry from her raw dry throat and while she struggled, she was simply too weak to escape. Then, just as suddenly as they had appeared, the Tuskens vanished back into the nigh, leaving the woman to gasp and moan in renewed pain.

"Oh why…why won't anyone help me?" She wheezed hoarsely. "Ani…my Ani… Where are you?"

Vader snapped upright in his bed, soaked in sweat and gasping for air. Trembling and disoriented, he fought his way free of his tangled sheets and almost fell to the floor. Once he realized that he was in his room deep in the Jedi Temple, he settled himself on the cool floor and worked to calm himself. Thankfully, it seemed, Obi-Wan was deep enough in sleep to have not been disturbed by the nightmare.

Frowning in concentration (and some annoyance) he thought back on the disturbing dream. Already the details were melting away. But what remained was frightening enough. He had seen his mother, in great pain, suffering torture, and she had called for him. Where she was and who was responsible, he didn't know, but now, more than ever before, he was sure that this wasn't just a dream. It was real.

For just over a week he'd suffered this exact same dream. Every time he drifted off to sleep, he would see her suffering, being beaten, and she would beg for help. There was no other explanation for such a recurring dream, it could only be real, a warning from the Force. And if he didn't act, she would die.

He wasn't going to let that happen. Mind made up, he got up off the floor, gathered up his clothes, and headed for the refresher. After a very quick, very quiet shower and shave, he got dressed and gathered up a few essentials.

As he stuffed his tools, a spare med-kit, and a stash of credits into his bag, he was very careful to mask his activity from Knight Kenobi. He didn't want to deal with Obi-Wan right now. After all, the man was a Jedi, and he'd never go along with Vader on this. The Jedi Order forbade attachment, they had no families, they were practically raised in a bubble in the heart the Temple. Obi-Wan would never understand, or support, Vader's choice in this.

Stealthily he crept out of their shared apartment and through the halls of the Jedi Temple. There were a few people awake, but not many, and they were easily avoided. Not a soul saw him as he slunk his way into the Temple Hanger.

He selected a Jedi Starfighter. The wedge-shaped craft was beautiful and highly maneuverable, but it was, in his opinion, deeply flawed. It had no internal hyperdrive and instead relied on a booster ring to make the jump to hyperspace. Also, its shielding and firepower were not as great as they could've been. But for a quick trip to Tatooine, it would do just fine.

Now to find a ship with a good astromech, a distinctive short, squat, cylindrical droids whose primary function was to repair. Many one or two-man fighters had slots for the droids so that they could repair damaged ships mid-battle to improve the pilot's chance of survival. In the Jedi Starfighter, the space for an astromech was limited, so the droids had their lower halves removed and were permanently wired into the ships. Vader found this feature to also be a major flaw, not to mention annoying.

In the end, he decided to borrow Obi-Wan's. R4-P17 was a decent droid. The red-domed droid was very obedient and loyal. It shouldn't take much to persuade the robot to help him out, especially if he told a little white lie. Droids couldn't feel the Force, couldn't be Jedi, and so there was no way for it to know that he was lying. And if he took this ship, Obi-Wan would be delayed in chasing him down, which was a definite plus.

He lightly sprung up on the top of the fighter and opened the canopy. This activity awoke the dozing astromech and Arfour let out a surprised string of binary warbles and chirps. The translation of the droid's cries flashed up on a screen inside the cockpit which, as Vader began flipping switches and turning on systems, glowed to life.

WHAT'S GOING ON PADAWAN VADER? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHERE IS KNIGHT KENOBI? The droid wanted to know.

"Master is still sleeping. I'm going out for a quick little flight. Care to join me?" Vader snorted, as he began to strap himself in.

WHERE WILL YOU FLY TO? Arfour asked curiously.

"A short hop out to the Outer Rim and back. It shouldn't take more than a day or so." Vader shrugged as he keyed up the engines.

THE OUTER RIM? Arfour squeaked. DOES THE COUNCIL APROVE OF THIS?

"Yes," Vader lied.

AND KNIGHT KENOBI ISN'T COMING?

"Nope, he trusts me." Vader lied again.

WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THIS TRIP?

"I'm investigating a vision." Vader replied truthfully.

The Starfighter was now completely warmed up and Vader entered the codes to open the hanger. The door in the side of one of the massive spires of the Temple opened and the platform on which the ship rested was thrust outward into the night air of Coruscant. With practiced ease, he lifted the fighter up from the platform and through the atmosphere towards the planetary hyper-limit. As he went, aiming for an orbiting booster ring, he started pulling up the coordinates he needed for his jump.

WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO PLOT THE COURSE? Arfour offered.

"No thanks, I'm not lazy like Obi-Wan." Vader scoffed, disgusted at his Master's attitude concerning flying. He skillfully guided the pointed nose of his ship into the link-up with the hyperspace booster ring.

ALRIGHT THEN, DON'T HESITATE TO ASK ME IF YOU NEED ANYTHING. Arfour chirped cheerful.

"Don't worry, I will." Vader muttered, locking in the coordinates and pulling the lever that triggered the jump. In a fraction of a second the pinpoints of starlight lengthened into white lines and then melded together into the white-blue mists of hyperspace. Then Vader sat back and slipped into a light Force-trance while he waited to arrive over Tatooine.

As the sun began to rise over Coruscant, Obi-Wan got up to begin his day. He rose, showered, and set a pot of water to boil for the morning tea. And then it was off to make sure that his 'Padawan' was conscious and on his way to being truly awake.

He knocked on Vader's door and listened carefully for a response. When he got none, he knocked harder and called out to him. "It's morning, time to get up." Still nothing. "Vader, get up." Utter silence.

Obi-Wan sighed before stretching out his Force-senses to check on the boy. He sensed nothing. Not a sulking Padawan, not a sleeping one either, just nothing. The only explanation for that was that Vader had mysteriously died, or wasn't in there. Since he hadn't detected the boy's death, Vader simply wasn't inside. A quick peek through the door confirmed that. So…where was he?

I have a bad feeling about this…