Previously
He closed his eyes and slowly sighed. When would these nightmares stop?
"They need you Ani..." The whisper of a ghost startled him. His skin went pale as he looked all around him, but there was no one in sight. This was no memory like the others. This was her voice. He did something he had not done in years. Reaching out in the force, he looked for her. He felt nothing however. There was an empty space in the place where she should be.
She's gone. He reminded himself.
"Padme.." He whispered back. Who needs me?
Silence...
... Do Angels Die? ...
Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes turned into hours. Life went on, but time... time felt frozen to him. Nothing around him felt the same anymore. There were countless shards of glass spread out throughout the once spotless floor. Pieces of meaningless possessions. Attachments easily broken. Never forgotten. The walls stained with invisible pain. Blood. Holes marking its imperfection.
The shards could easily be removed. They could easily be replaced. The pain would fade away. The blood would dry. The holes would be filled. But none of that, could change the fact that they were once there. No matter how much energy was used to push their memory aside, it would always remain. Staining a darker shade of red. Breaking into smaller, irremovable pieces. Becoming larger. Too large for even the invincible to withstand.
Their ghosts haunting him to remember. There was no escape. With every conscious and unconscious bone, he felt them. All of his mistakes.
He wondered how long this facade would have to last. In the real world, which he had neglected to come back to, he was Darth Vader. He was fear itself, stirring in the hearts of the people. An artificial mask of power worn each time he had to leave the safety of his apartment.
Power. That which his soul had lusted for. He had achieved it. He had all the power he could have ever wished for. So powerful in fact, that he had everybody fooled. His angel's words from once upon a time still resided in his mind. How right she had been when she had told him he was not all powerful. For if he had truly been all powerful, then he could have saved her.
But he couldn't. Failure always surrounded him. No matter how many accomplishments made.. their scars would never fade.
He could see straight through the elegant designs that resided above him. These designs were exquisitely carved into beautiful shapes. Depicting perfection itself. And above them an untainted night covered the skies. It was fake. Much like he himself. Only there to fool everyone into believing everything was still as it had once been. Both an instrument of reassurance and fear at the same time.
Time came spinning back as he laid motionless, entangled in sheets. His azure eyes now focusing on the rough edges of the designs. Some marks wider than others, spread more apart. Even that which was labeled perfection seemed to hold a lie.
He left the destruction that surrounded him. The destruction that he himself had created. Walking out into the cool of the night. The artificial air. In this machine which was called a planet. This machine which he once called his home. Coruscant. It was no more.
The surface of this so called city-planet was covered by beautiful structures. Much larger than the human eye could see. Extending out into the farthest reaches of the regulated atmosphere. Much more complex than anything that existed throughout the galaxy. Even in these late hours of the night the planet was still glistening with life. Rivers of traffic flowing in all directions. Accompanied by hundreds of lost souls walking aimlessly through the streets.
These people continued their jobs each day. They went home to their families, ate, slept, as they normally would. But nothing was the same anymore. Behind their normal exteriors was a layer of fear. Fear of the next thing that could happen at any given moment. None dared to speak what they really thought.
Just like everything else, as he had come to find out, the city was nothing more than a mask to cover the truth. The fiery depths that resided below the skyscrapers. A dark place where sunlight was never able to reach. Much like himself. The difference between night and day were no longer visible to him. At least not on this planet. There always seemed to be a dark cloud hanging over it, blocking the light from reaching him.
In those depths, only corruption existed. The darkness was lit up by thousands of artificial lights. Entertainment for those who had lost everything. Who had no shame. This is where all the lost souls gathered when there was nothing more. Drinking away all of their problems..only to create more. It offered an escape from real life. One that he himself sought after as much as possible.
Hidden by the darkness of his cloak, he was nobody to the swarms of aliens surrounding him. It was around these criminals where the privacy he sought after was respected. It was not many times that he could go unnoticed. What else could he expect? He was second in command only to the Emperor himself. Those who didn't know him were nonexistent. Too many times before had he walked into a room to have all eyes instantly burning through him. It once again gave him power. Power to silence over a thousand souls by just the wave of an arm.
Silence was not what he wanted. The silence of the night seemed to follow him no matter where it was that he went. Becoming a bigger mystery to him each day. All of his questions still going on unanswered. The secrets it held mocking him.
He was asking for too much. The monster he had become did not deserve to have anything answered. He could wish for all of his nightmares to go away. For all of his memories to be forgotten. To be erased. But it would never happen. This monster was cursed for all eternity. And it accepted it. Even though it almost drove him mad. Even though the pain was almost unbearable. He would not let it be forgotten. Forgetting would be just as painful to him as constantly remembering.
Vader closed his lifeless eyes for just a second. Even such a harmless thing caused him pain. The second they closed, ghosts floated into his memory. Visions of her face. Of her glorious eyes. Her lips. Her hair. Her smile. Everything as vibrant as if she were there in front of him. He could never forget her. Even if he tried. She was gone when he opened his eyes. Creatures of other worlds and machines now taking her place. But her memory had not faded one bit. The scar she had carved in him growing deeper.
The ironic twist of events were too much for him to handle. All he once had was given away for her. His soul sold to the devil himself. Even that which did not belong to him had been given away. All in a pitiful attempt to save a glorious creature. An angel. Reality had crashed down almost too quickly as he realized even angels could not be saved. He could no more cheat death then save others from it.
"You can't stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting."
The Force was something he would never understand. He hadn't believed that it could have taken the life of such an innocent creature. He was sure that she did not have one tainted bone inside of her body. This angel always put the lives of others above all else. The happiness of others before her own. She would give her life away for a complete stranger. She shouldn't have been the one to die. It should have been him.
In a way, he had. The second he watched her small figure fall lifelessly to the ground. Her glow dimming as darkness clouded him from noticing what had happened.
She was the one who had taught him to not fear death. He welcomed it now. Wished for it each day. To reunite with her if she would have him. But he was still paying for his mistakes. Death would not come. And his soul..still belonged to the darkness. Putting duty above all else if just for a few hours to ease the pain.
It took him a few seconds to adjust to the flashing lights of the cantina he had walked inside of. The lights revealed the true faces of those around him only for a moment before shifting away once again. He walked past the entrance with his head held high. Power behind each step. Daring anyone to confront him. Three Twi'lek women blinked at him through long lashes. Their giggles and smiles inviting him to join them. Once the women realized he was paying no attention to them, they moved on to another prey.
Making his way towards the bar, he passed a table where a Quarren was being threatened with a blaster by a Dug. Corruption was no longer a thought, but visible.
Vader sat down in one of the empty seats at the bar. Next to him sat a peculiar looking human. His hair was a dark shade of red. Almost brown. And his eyes were a bright green color. Intoxicated by the darkness of this world. The wrinkles in his face gave away his old age. What caught Vader's attention was the man's attire. His clothes were old and sloppy. Something that only a farmer would wear. Not a man from this city-planet.
He seemed to be engrossed in a conversation with an alien that sat next to him.
"It's your first time away from your home planet you say?" The alien said rather loudly. None of the scum inside of the cantina were interested in anything but their own business however.
Vader ordered a drink as he continued to listen to their conversation.
He saw the farmer nod his head wildly thought the corner of his eye.
"Yes, yes it is. No one back home would believe such a place even exists." The farmer replied as he looked all around the room. He seemed to be astounded by all of the different life forms and machinery everywhere.
The bar tender brought him a blue colored drink in a medium sized cup. As Vader took a drink, he noted how strange the man was. The warm sensation of his drink hurt his throat for just a second before cooling into something pleasurable.
"What!" Exclaimed the alien. "What kind of a planet is that?"
The farmer shrugged.
Vader rolled his eyes and took another drink as both men broke out into laughter.
"Where ya' from anyway?"
"Naveen."
It all of a sudden seemed that all of the endless lessons he had once been put through were for nothing. Vader could name just about every single planet in every single system that existed within this galaxy. This one, however, baffled him. Never in his life had he heard of such a planet. Could it be possible that it existed beyond the galaxy?
"Naveen?" Questioned the alien as he drank a quick shot and slammed it back on the counter. "Never heard of it."
The farmer chuckled. "I don't blame you. Its just a small planet by the end of the galaxy."
So it did exists within the galaxy. Vader's curiosity was growing by the second.
"Ah.." Replied the alien.
"Just a bunch of nuts live there."
The alien snorted.
Vader's enthusiasm was quickly dying down. He had no interest whatsoever in a undeveloped planet which no one had heard of. As he finished his drink, he was about to get up and leave when the next words spoken froze him.
"Theres even this crazy guy there that thinks hes a Jedi. Has a lightsaber and everything."
'A Jedi?' Thought Vader. After the republic had died, he had hunted down all of the remaining Jedi. Each Master and knight falling before him on their knees. Their blood initiating the might of the new Empire. All of them had fallen. All except two.
Both men broke out into laughter at the mention of a Jedi Knight. Both knowing they were extinct by now. The traitors. They would say. Lying to themselves.
He had every reason to believe that it was just some crazy guy. But something told him otherwise. It just didn't make sense. If the planet was as primitive as the man made it out to be..why would they know of Jedi Knights?
He had come to the depths of the planet to get away from everything. From the corruption of the present. From the betrayals of the past. But it seemed there was no escape once again.
Vader had hunted down the two remaining Jedi for years. He was chasing the tracks of ghosts. There was never any trace of them. Never any mention of them. It was as if they had just vanished into the Force. He knew they had to be somewhere. Somewhere beyond his reach. This was his only chance to finally find them.
It was rather simple to probe through the mind of the farmer. He had no defenses what so ever stopping him from doing so. Truly a primitive species. He saw memories of the mans life. His family. His home. That was not what he was looking for however. No.
He stopped as he found the image of a middle aged man in the farmers mind. The man wore a plain tan tunic, brown pants and boots. His eyes were a light shade of blue, almost a gray. The chestnut hair and beard all too familiar to Vader. He finally found his next target. One that he had long wished dead. Obi-Wan. The name angered him. He would soon pay.
The darkness in him no longer wanted to rest.
He kept a close eye on his only chance for the remainder of the night. Watching closely as the farmer drank one too many drinks. Stumbling through the streets of the city. Making his way back to the top as dawn greeted him. It always astounded him how just a drink could turn even the most gentle into offscourings of society.
He watched from the shadows as the man stumbled up the ramp of his ship. When he was sure no one was watching, Vader quickly strode by the ship. Placing a homing beacon on it as he did so. He would not let him get away. Obi-Wan would soon be at his knees just like all the others.
If not for him.. then his angel would still be alive. She would be by his side. Ruling by him. They would be a family along with his child. No. A part of him screamed. He knew she would have never agreed to what he had done. She would have rather died. But he refused to admit it. He'd rather live in his own dreams.
It was his fault she died.
Ilianus kept a close eye on her target as she slithered from shadow to shadow. The setting sun making it all the easier for her to remain unnoticed in the grand metropolitan. Although she was anything but alone..she knew well how easily he could pick her out from a hundred if he felt her presence.
She wasn't quite sure whether he knew of her existence or not. Her Master did everything in his power to make her existence invisible. Telling her she was a secret weapon. That she was special. That soon she would be the one ruling by his side. But soon wasn't soon enough for her. Year after year she waited and waited. But her wait would soon be over. Vader would fall at her feet.
It was rather easy to see straight through his mask of terror. His stance was always strong. His head held up high radiating authority. His dark eyes unyielding. He could easily take down an army with just a glance. That was his only power. Fear. She did not fear him. She would soon show everyone the truth behind the monster that was Vader.
Ilianus tried to creep into the mind of the dark shadow before her. Her tries were useless however. She had noted many times before that the shadow never let anyone in. He never let anyone even get near him. His defenses always held high. As if the next breath he took would be the end of his life. Hiding something dark from all prying eyes.
She would not give up. She could not live in peace until all of his secrets were uncovered. Until he was no more.
There was a hunger burning deep inside of her. It blinded her. Tying her down with shackles of fear. Knowing she would never be strong enough to feed her hunger. She would never be good enough. Yet still believing all the lies. Blinded by arrogance.
"Faster! Faster! Get up!" Always being pushed until she could not move.
"You'll never make it!" Taunting her. "Just give up. Just let yourself die. You'll never be strong enough. You'll never be anything except a bastard child!"
What little sanity she had left did not want to fail. It wanted to rise above all else. She had been pushed too far. She would continue to struggle feeding the hunger within her.
She let the wind hungrily feed upon her flowing hair as she stood atop the massive structure. Opposite to that of her adversary. The setting sun gave her gray orbs a reddish tint. Marking them appear something darker than what they really were.
She concentrated souly on him. Watching his every move as he resided within the gigantic apartment complex. Ilianus cried out for him to mess up. To give her something to bring him down with. But so far, there was nothing. He was still hiding everything behind an unbreakable wall. She didn't care how long she would have to wait. How high she would have to climb. She would soon break through.
She wondered what it was that could have caused her Master to worry so much about his apprentice. Was it the fear of betrayal? He had to know that she would never betray him. He who saved her. Who was like a father to her. He was always strict to her. Showing no compassion. But nonetheless, she would remain obedient.
The dim light of the day soon left her surrounded by darkness. The wind still blowing against her. Much colder than any normal human would be able to resist. She remained unfazed. She felt him as he slept. Still as strong as ever. Still hiding beneath layers of the Force.
But she felt him troubled. A certain unease in his sleep. Was it a dream? She did not know it was possible for Sith to have dreams. She felt his restlessness. His grumbles and wails. Wails of something she had never before felt in the Sith. Wails of pain.
She closed her eyes and concentrated harder than before. Searching for any breaches in his defenses. This seemed like her only chance. She gasped when she found what she had been searching for. Fighting to keep her eyes shut and keep going. To keep standing strong on two feet as she felt all he felt.
All of his pain spread through her like a virus leaving her breathless. Frozen by the night. She could not move. She saw faces of people she did not know inside of her mind. Crying out to a name she was not familiar with.
"I'm not afraid to die..." The voice of a woman rang through her mind. Hurting her eardrums every time. She brought her hands up to her ears, pushing tightly against them but the voice only became louder. The womans brown eyes piercing through her. Breaking her apart.
She fell to her knees as Vader slid on the wall to the floor. She felt the cuts on her skin he had received from fallen glass. His agony becoming her own.
"Stop. Stop now. Come back. I love you!" She must have been going mad. Her skin no longer felt the cool breeze of the night, but instead fire. Burning through her soul. Tearing her limb from limb. It was unbearable. She tried to open her eyes but they refused to obey.
"What have I done..." She saw Vader himself. Spiraling down in darkness along with him. Seeing death all around her. Broken glass. The stench of blood. The light in the young man slowly dying out until he was no longer the name she was not familiar with.
She didn't know how much longer she could stand it. Was this what he always hid from everyone around him? So much pain and heartache unmatched by any other human being. She hadn't even though it was possible for the monster she knew to have a heart. Was this what her Master had seen?
The sound of her gasps for air were drowned out by screams of pain. Screams for help. Screams to be left alone.
Her eyes clenched tighter together as the pace of the rising and falling of her chest quickened. Speeds unmatched. Faster and faster until it all of a sudden stopped. The weight on her back lifting off. Giving her body back to herself again. Leaving it shaken and numb. Alien to herself. Her vision was blurry as she finally opened her eyes. The darkness of the night not able to compare to the darkness within Vader.
She looked towards his apartment in disbelief. Asking herself the same question over and over again. Who is he? Something did not feel right to her. She felt there was something out of place.
Time remained still for her as she stood atop the building. Still on her knees and gasping for air. What only felt like a second to her had been hours. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt Vader leave his apartment. Coming back to reality she stood on unstable legs. Making sure to follow him. The mystery that was Vader becoming all the more complicated.
This rain was not like any other she had experienced. It had something darker to it. While the rain she had known always seemed to wash away troubles, leaving everything anew, this one only brought more troubles. Bathing the world with its impure liquid. Drowning her in invisible tears.
It continued to fall throughout the night. Become thicker by the hour. The thunder becoming louder. Making her ears bleed from its music. The lightning becoming brighter. Blinding her from seeing everything which was around her. Making her all the more vulnerable.
She had been unable to sleep that night. The rain making her uncomfortable. It threatened her with every new drop. It warned her as every hour went by. Her breathing eased as morning came and the rain stopped. Unlike other times, clear blue skies did not greet her. There was no sun to bring light into her life. The sky was covered with a layer of darkness. Blocking anything and everything from entering.
Padme slowly crept through the hallways of her home. She stopped in front of her children's room and gently opened the door. They seemed to be immune from anything going on around them. Neither knowing of a storm. The thunder not reaching their ears. The lighting not springing them awake. And she smiled. Thankful that they were not in pain like she. Constantly worrying for their safety. Constantly lying.
She tiptoed over to where her son slept. The innocence he held radiating off to her. Pulling her closer to him. She laid a soft hand on his head as she placed a quick kiss on his forehead. Her son. Who worried for his father. Not knowing the truth of what was actually happening. Of who his father actually was. Breaking her heart every time she saw him frown, knowing what was going on through his mind.
As she turned from him, Luke's small figure stirred in bed. As he did so, a small flap of paper slid out from under his pillow. It gracefully glided down to the floor as if it were a feather. Lighting up the darkness of the room as two ghosts held each other.
Padme quickly walked over to where her daughter slept and repeated the process. She was indeed grown up for her young age. A little more than Padme would have wished her to be. Leia was always strong. No matter what happened. She always looked fear in the eye and brought it down to its knees.
Padme watched her as she slept for a second before leaving her angels once again. They would wakeup unaware of anything that had happened.
A new day. A new lie.
End Chapter 6
I should probably warn you guys now. I wont be able to update again until after august third.. or fifth. Who knows :( (don't kill me..lol) ...
anyways.. I would have probably been done with this earlier had i not been procrastinating. It was like.. I wrote a paragraph and then I went to do something else, listen to a song or watch tv. or something... then went back and wrote another paragraph.. lol.. and so on. But I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and all. Lemme know what you guys think as always :)