Chapter 21: Return of a Stranger

The dark night crept through the buildings of Courscant as Vader meditated within his chamber. In his chamber there was only darkness and that was the way he liked it. Inside his meditation trance he dreamed of the day and most importantly, of his former wife, Padme Amidala Skywalker.

His heart always cracked when the name was repeated in front of him. Although the memories of him killing his wife then once again fueled his anger to only solidify his stone heart once more. But today he had a plan and he would get what he wanted. Using the Force he called into the netherworld of the Force for his former wife. He sensed suddenly a presence that he had not sensed for over 20 years, the one of his wife.

Padme stood before him, looking exactly the same as the day she had died. Still young and vibrant before Vader, she was incredibly beautiful even in the afterworld. Yet he face showed no emotion, similar to the one she used to wear in the Senate during the Clone Wars.

"Padme, how have you been?" asked Vader cautiously. Padme narrowed her eyes.

"What do you think? I'm dead after all," replied Padme, which made Vader curse himself for asking such a stupid question.

"I'm sorry, Padme. I still love you and I'm still your husband," pleaded Vader as he looked into her chocolate-colored eyes.

"No, you're not my husband. Anakin Skywalker was, but he has long been dead. He died on that fateful day inside the Chancellor's office," said Padme as he saw tears form into her eyes.

"No, Padme, Vader is better than Anakin ever was," shouted Vader, "I'm more powerful and you deserve someone like me."

"I would rather die then have a husband like you," said Padme with an ironic tone because she knew that she had died rather than live with a husband of pure evil. Vader's eyes suddenly turned fiery yellow-orange as his anger flared and pure disgust came to his face.

"FINE!" shouted Vader with pure anger, "But I have another thing coming, Miss Amidala. You're going to come with me one way or another."

"How? I'm dead remembering," replied Padme with a smirk but suddenly a smile curled over Vader's face as he repeated, "Not for long."

Suddenly he closed his eyes as he called upon the dark side. Padme suddenly felt cold as a black substance suddenly began covering her. Vader just smiled as his eyes were closed and called upon the substance to cover her. Padme couldn't see or hear anything as she was engulfed by the substance and felt she was about to die again.

But suddenly everything changed as the blackness faded as before her was Vader. But something was different. She looked at the place, she was in his room. She then brought her hands to her face and gasped. She was flesh and blood.

She scanned the room in desperation to see if this was just a dream or something. She pinched herself and felt a jolt of pain shoot through her and she disgustingly realized that she was alive. She looked at Vader in surprise who was smirking before her.

"I told you, Padme," said Vader," my powers have grown. I have become powerful enough to bring those dead back to life. I can create and destroy life, Padme."

Padme just backed away as she found herself in a corner in the room. Vader just advanced toward her as he looked into her fear-filled eyes.

"Don't worry, though, I'm only here to help," said Vader as he picked her up and left the meditation room.

Sim watched as the sun set and the day turned into darkness. A gentle breeze came over the hill as it burst at him. He let the breeze pass him and the coldness hit his face. It all felt natural to him, even the bitterest cold and the most humid heat.

Myrenia walked up to him as she hugged him from behind and gently talked into his ear,

"You know, you should not waste so much time up here on this hill," said Myrenia with a clever smile.

"Why? I like it," replied Sim.

"That's because you're a weirdo," huffed Myrenia.

"Fine I'm a weirdo. Why do you love me then?" asked Sim curiously.

"Who said I didn't like weirdoes?" answered Myrenia with a sharp smile.

"Thanks, that makes me feel so much better," said Sim with a sarcastic tongue.

He turned around and embraced Myrenia as the two shared a nice moment. Leia and the others were expected within a couple of standard hours. Suddenly a sharp pain went through Sim as he yelped and fell to the ground as he clutched his head. Myrenia immediately kneeled down and asked Sim urgently,

"What's wrong?" Sim didn't answer as he opened his eyes and took the world in again. He cocked his head back and forth and got up. Myrenia got up as she gave him a caring stare.

"I'm okay, it was just... the Force," said Sim with a more stern face. He looked into the distance as his eyes showed great concentration.

"I feel a presence that I have not felt in a long time," responded Sim before Myrenia could ask.

"Who?" asked Myrenia who was yet to feel this new presence, though, she knew only someone extremely strong with the Force could feel a single person in the galaxy.

"Padme Amidala," responded Sim as his eyes showed great confusion, "I'm not sure but I think Vader has learned to bring people back from the dead using the Force."

"WHAT!" asked Myrenia who was clearly taken aback, "How? That's impossible."

"Well, it doesn't seem to be," said Sim as he turned and walked down the hill, "Stay here Myrenia; I'm going to go see if this is true. I'll be back soon."

"Let me come along," said Myrenia.

"No, I need someone here," said Sim as he jumped into his star fighter and closed the canopy. Myrenia just nodded as the fighter's engines roared to life and it whizzed up. He blasted into space as he left Icylian and headed for Courscant.

Padme shook her head in disbelief as she looked around the room. Vader had left her here after taking her from the meditation room. She still didn't understand how she was here but she knew that she was definitely alive. But only if she could see how. Suddenly the door to the room sprang open as a figure came in, but Padme knew instantly it wasn't Vader. He was much shorter, though, he had blue eyes and sandy hair like Vader. It was Luke.

Padme rushed to him as she embraced her son and tears rushed down her cheek. Her hands fumbled in his hair as she looked at her son, and then realized something was wrong.

"Luke," said Padme but instantly Annihilator's eyes turned darker.

"No, mother, my name is Darth Annihilator. I'm no longer Luke Skywalker," said Annihilator as he still embraced his mother but she pulled away, more tears forming into her eyes. Her head shook in disbelief.

"You turned to the dark side like Vader," cried Padme, "He took my son away from me."

"No, the dark side has brought me to you, I'm..." said Annihilator before he was cut off by Padme.

"Get away from me, you Sith," said Padme with pure anger, "You're not my son. Just leave me."

Suddenly, Annihilator's heart broke in half as his own mother rejected him. His eyes were filled with sorrow as his own mother looked away from him in disgust. He gently nodded as tears formed at his eyes and left the room leaving Padme sobbing on her bed.

A lone figure traveled through the streets of Courscant that were deserted. Rain poured down on the streets as the figure seemed unfazed. The streets were no longer busy as the were in the Old Republic, partially because of the fear of the empire coming down and shooting them all.

Sim watched as he passed building after building. The entire place was covered in darkness as he approached the building that was all too familiar to him, even if it had been 20 years since he had seen it. He had been raised here, it was the Jedi Temple. No longer a beacon of hope and peace, it was just an old building that the empire kept as a symbol of defeating the so-called "traitors."

Sim ran up the stares as he reached the top he suddenly noticed two Storm Troopers guarding the entrance. Using the Force, he cloaked himself and walked right by them, without them even noticing. He wasn't in the mood to cause havoc at the moment. Right now, all he wanted to do was find Padme and see if his abilities were right and not aging on him.

Sim stepped into the Great Jedi Hallway as memories flooded into his mind, causing a slight smile to form that instantly disappeared as he remembered how deserted it looked. Storm Troopers were everywhere, but triggering off one would cause them all to come after him. He smiled at the idea instantly Force-pulling his lightsaber to his hand as he walked up to one of the Storm Troopers with his hood on his head, concealing his face. The Storm Trooper immediately turned to the cloaked figure and brought his gun up. The lightsaber hilt activated with a hiss as a black blade came out. Before he could do anything, Sim thrust at the soldier, instantly killing him.

Suddenly shots began to fire at him as he leaped and deflected all the shots back at the firer. As he landed he Force-leaped in front of a group of troopers and cut them down with two swipes of his lightsaber at their midsection. He did a flip over the last one as he saber-threw his lightsaber into the chest of one of the troopers.

Sim instantly jumped to the next level as he force-called his lightsaber back to his hand, activating it again right before he landed. The storm troopers fired but Sim just watched as the shots froze in midair. With a mere glance, the shots rang back at the storm troopers, instantly killing all of them. He walked down the body littered floors as he made his way to a room he knew all too familiar.

Padme lay on her bed as she continued to sob uncontrollably. Suddenly she heard something shake the room. She jolted up, instantly, as she looked at the door. She heard blaster bolts firing as she watched lights flaring through the crack in the door. There were yells, whelps, and grunts as she could hear people falling. She looked around the room as the noise began to get closer. She scanned the room for any weapons but could see none so she went into the corner.

The place went quiet as the shots quieted down. Padme swallowed hard as she saw the door open. A figure covered in black with a hood on stood at the wall. She saw a cylinder at his/her hand, instantly recognizing it as a lightsaber. She turned her gaze at the figure that stood at the door, still concealing his/her face.

"Who are you?" asked Padme as she got up from the corner. She could see that the person wasn't Vader or Luke. She could sense kindness flowing off of him, even if she wasn't Force-sensitive.

"Someone that you met back in the day during the Clone Wars," said the figure in a voice that Padme knew even if she hadn't heard it for a long time. The figure pulled back his hood and revealed a man with a turban. He was young, looking only to be in his early 20s, with black eyes and hair. He smiled as Padme walked up to him. She smiled as tears formed again in her puffy eyes as she ran up to him and embraced him.

"Hello, Sim," said Padme, "I thought I would never see you."

"What? You thought I was dead? Thanks for the encouragement," replied Sim sarcastically. Padme ended the embrace as Sim smiled at his old friend. He suddenly cocked his head the other way as he sensed something.

"Padme, we need to leave. We can talk later," said Sim as he guided her out into the hallway as the two figures walked out. They made it into the hallway before another black covered figure stopped their path as Sim motioned for Padme to get behind him.

Annihilator peered at Sim with yellow-orange eyes as he looked at his mother behind Sim, instantly sparking more anger in him.

"GET AWAY FROM MY MOM!" shouted Annihilator with great anger as he let his robe fall to the ground. He pulled out a lightsaber hilt as he ignited his red blade. Sim motioned for Padme to take the other way out of the Temple. He let his robe fall to the ground as he ignited his own lightsaber. Padme watched a black blade came out, a blade that she remembered. It was the only black blade that was the symbol of freedom in the times of the Clone Wars. Today it would be once more.

Annihilator attacked Sim as he thrust at him and turned it into swipe, instantly going for the Jedi Master who blocked it swiftly and twirled his lightsaber to match another blow, another blow, and another blow. The two danced around each other as their blade collided and sparks flew. Padme rushed to the pillar as she watched Sim and her son duel.

The two blades locked as Sim looked into the formerly blue eyes of Annihilator.

"I sense much hatred, something you should let go," said Sim as he looked into Luke's eyes.

"I'm not letting you leave," answered Luke with a raspy voice.

"My young enemy, your no match for me. You have far too much to learn," said Sim as Luke disengaged and attacked Sim who did a simple back flip to miss the blade. He brought his blade up as he blocked another thrust as he turned and cut at Luke who barely blocked it. Using the Force, Sim threw Sim to the top of the ceiling and let him fall to the ground, unconscious. Padme gasped as she ran to her son. Sim kneeled down and checked his pulse and nodded for them to leave. But Padme wouldn't budge.

"We need to leave before more people come, Padme," said Sim as his spacecraft landed to the pad.

"No, we must take Luke with us," said Padme, "I know there is still good in him."

Sim looked at Padme and realized she would not be swayed. He sighed as he picked up Luke's body and they walked to the ship, escaping into the darkness of space.

Author's Note: Sorry for not posting a chapter for a while but been busy. I hope you guys like this and the direction this story is going, so read and review! Thank You.