Chapter 8: The Lead and Test
A Month Later
Padmé awoke to another usual note from Vader and another green smoothie. This time in an extra large cup. She gulped it all down and ate the fruit. Then she stood up and walked her usual path to the training room. She was now fluent with the Force. She levitate, push, and pull things. She could cast Sith Lightning with some success and she could Force choke people. She knew how to perform mind tricks and to meditate and she had accomplished in months what many had not in years. Though she still had a lot to learn and her abilities needed some fine tuning. She was flawless with a lightsaber. A perfect Makashi stylist.
When she entered the training room a surprise met her eyes. All the mats were gone as well as the obstacles. Instead mounts of dirt and rock littered the room, holographic stalactites hung from the ceiling. The walls were covered in holographic stone. It all had the feeling of a square cave.
Vader sat on his usual place on the floor. He looked up at her and she frowned in disappointment that he was wearing a black shirt and robe. She quickly pushed these thoughts out of her head though, and waited for him to speak.
"Welcome to your surprise test Amidala. And final one." Vader said. He pulled a box out from behind him and dumped out a number of cylinder shaped parts. Padmé didn't get a good look at them as the room went pitch black. She sensed Vader stand. "Your test is to build a lightsaber in darkness, I have one synthetic Sith lightsaber crystal hidden in this room, the rest of the parts are on the floor except for the lens. It is hidden as well. Use everything you have learned and build. When you are done I will inspect your work and we will duel." Vader said.
Padmé distinctly felt him want her to have her shirt off during the fight, this was going to get much more complicated. Already it felt less like a master and apprentice relationship and more like a two people who love each other one. But what was going on with her? And him? Wasn't it the way of the Sith not to love? She was thrown away from her thoughts as the door to the sparring room opened, Vader exited, and it closed. She had to start on a lightsaber, the best thing to do would be to look for the crystal and lens. Reach out into the Force.
Padmé closed her eyes and mentally searched around the room for a crystal or lens.
XxX
Padmé had been in there… wait no, Amidala had been in there five minutes already and Vader sensed she was deeply immersed in the Force. Such as one would be during visions as people usually have while constructing a lightsaber. Vader immersed himself in the Force, trying to probe his way into Padmé's… Amidala's mind to see how far she was. Then it was all ruined when he felt Piett approaching him, he turned around to face the Admiral in irritation. His eyes turned red brimmed yellow for about the seventh time this week.
"What is it Piett?" Vader snapped.
"We believe we have found the rebel base." Piett said. Vader's irritation disappeared so quickly it may not have been there at all, he even forgot about how beautiful Amidala was for a moment.
"Where? How?"
"An Imperial Probe Droid on the planet Hoth has sent us back a signal."
"What sort of signal?"
" It has sent us back a picture of what seems to be a shield generator. We are not quite sure what else it obtained, it is no longer sending information back." Piett answered. He produced a small hologram projector from his pocket and switched it on with a black gloved hand. Instantly a colored hologram sprang up. It was a shield generator, made out of six circular objects all connected and half buried in the snow. That was a shield generator powerful enough to protect the entire planet. The rebels were there.
"That's it, the rebels are there." Vader said.
"Can we be entirely possible milord? There are so many uncharted settlements."
"Your predecessor made the mistake of questioning my judgment Piett, I am sure you are not stupid enough to repeat his mistakes, I would certainly hate to promote Xen Admiral, she is the second highest rank under you."
"Of course no milord. I was merely thinking out loud."
"Keep your thoughts in your head from now on then, set a course for the Hoth system. Have General Veers prepare his men."
"As you wish milord."
XxX
Padmé was no longer conscious, she was going through a series of odd visions and had voices screaming inside her head.
"You cannot win Revan!"
"There must always be a Darth Traya."
"I am Exar Kun!"
"Anakin no!"
" Every single Jedi, including your friend Qui-gon Jinn is now an enemy of the Republic. Do what must be done Lord Vader, do not hesitate show no mercy."
"I am Kreia and I am your rescuer as you are mine."
"Perhaps we should continue this conversation elsewhere out of the presence of imbeciles and fools."
"Is this wise Lord Revan?"
"Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plaguies the wise?"
Then all the voices stopped and Padmé became coherent, or so she thought. She was on a gold black ground in a black room with one shard of light shining on her. She stood up and someone came behind her. She turned, there was a hooded figure.
"Master?"
"I am no Lord Vader." A voice answered. It sounded like one of the voices that used to be screaming in her head. The one that talked about imbeciles and fools.
"Who are you."
"I am Kreia but to you I am known as Darth Traya. I have been sent to guide you."
"Where am I?"
"You are in your body, in your mind. You are building your lightsaber in a trance."
"My lightsaber?"
"Yes, the weapon of a Jedi knight, or a Sith Lord. But it is less of a weapon or a tool than a symbol of who you are."
"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"
"It means you joined the Sith, why?"
"Because the Emperor took my sister!"
"Is that the real reason? Or was it because of hormones and how you feel about your master?"
"No."
"Maybe you didn't make the decision consciously. You love your master, do not lie to yourself, do not pretend you joined the Sith to take revenge. But love can be a powerful distraction, or a wondrous gift. Especially for your Sith master. He is lost, he joined the Emperor for greed at the time, because he was angry, turn him away from that path and kill the Emperor as you intend to!"
"How?"
"The answer is within you. You will not remember me consciously when this vision is over, but eventually you will decide. You will decide on anything. Let your feelings for Vader take control of you, only then will you be able to kill the Emperor."
"What do you mean; let them take control of me?"
"I mean trust your primal instincts and so will he, become pregnant!"
"What!"
"Become pregnant with his child, nothing unites people more than being parents. The Emperor will not be pleased when he learns of it and that is when you will kill him."
"But, how… why… is this the future?"
"Yes, this is what will happen in time, though you will not remember me telling you this."
"So then how will I know, Vader told me once the future is not set in stone."
"This is."
XxX
Padmé opened her eyes. There was something in her hands, it was her lightsaber. It was done, her fingers found the switch and she pressed it activating a blood red blade that sliced through the darkness. Then the lights came back on and Vader stepped in.
"Excellent." He said. "Half your training is complete, you will fill out the other half in your travels with me."
"Can we duel now?" Padmé asked wanting him to say yes so he would take his shirt off.
"No, we have located the rebel base on the planet Hoth." Vader said.
"Rebel base? So we're going to destroy them?"
"Yes."
"But are we not going to kill the Emperor, the rebels may help us."
"Help us? It was their leaders fault your sister was taken! If Organa had not come to meet with her and made her betray Sidious then we would not need revenge. We have to take our first step."
Padmé could sense the truth in this, she knew Vader was right.
"Alright, I'll tell him."
"Good."
"I hate him."
"I know." Vader turned on his heel and left.
"But I love you."
Vader heard his apprentice's last thoughts through the Force and he couldn't help but feel the same way toward her, what was wrong with him?
