Hello, everybody! I'm sorry it's been so long since my last update. I've been helping my brother build his new house, but he's in Las Vegas for the week (getting rich, hopefully). So, I should have enough time to write at least a few chapters. Hope you enjoy…
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or anything Star Wars related.

PART TEN

Things Held Sacred

Padme impatiently tapped her foot against the durasteel floor while several assistant droids meticulously worked to strip the Black Knight of his armor. It was a lengthy process, she knew, but she was anxious to learn the functions of the suit once it had been removed. Although, she now had a feeling that it was some type of life-support system. All of her life she had wondered if the threatening black armor had been to merely frighten and intimidate foes or prey, but after seeing the burnt body of Darth Vader she thought better of that assumption…clearly it was something that he must have relied on to live.

Padme found herself focusing more on the charred skin of the ancient Sith Lord as the droids peeled back layers of the thick armor. How his corpse had survived the years without decomposing was beyond her. It was so well preserved that it looked as if he could have died the day before, and the burn scars appeared just as fresh.

"How much longer do you think they'll be?" Sabe asked from beside her friend.

"I don't know," Padme answered. "You should turn in for the night. Go and get some rest; I'll see you in the morning."

"Alright," Sabe replied as she turned to leave. "Don't stay up too late. Believe it or not, you need sleep too."

Sabe had only taken a few steps when Padme suddenly called out her name. "Sabe, wait!"

"What is it?" she questioned, returning to the other woman's side.

"Look, there," Padme said as she pointed at the chest-plate of the Black Knight's armor. "There's something engraved beneath the armor."

"Well, let's have a look," Sabe replied, doing her best to stifle a yawn.

Approaching the table that Vader lay on, Padme signaled for the droids to cease their work. They obediently obliged and moved aside; allowing Padme and Sabe enough room to inspect the corpse for themselves. Padme carefully pulled the chest-plate up far enough for Sabe to see the strange markings that she herself had spotted.

"Well?" she asked expectantly.

"It says…Peace is a lie. There is only passion," Sabe started. "Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory…"

"Through victory my chains are broken," Padme finished. "The Force shall free me."

"How did you know…" Sabe trailed off.

"It's the Sith code," Padme sighed in disappointment, lowering the chest-plate. "Not quite what I was expecting."

"That's some philosophy to live by," Sabe said sarcastically. "With that kind of – "

Padme glanced over at Sabe, only to find her staring wide-eyed off in the distance. She curiously turned to see what had caught her friends' attention; something obviously having spooked her. Her eyes widened as well when she spotted a familiar blue figure standing in the far corner of the room. With its hood drawn, the cloaked apparition seemed to pierce her with its stare.

"It's you!" she gasped.

"You see it too?" Sabe questioned, not able to tear her gaze away. "What…what is it?"

"A Jedi," Padme replied.

"Why have you brought Vader here?" the ghost asked.

"To study him," Padme answered.

Pulling back its hood, the figure revealed itself for the first time. Padme watched in stunned silence as the spirit took a step forward. He was tall. Taller than most. His hair was long and shaggy; hanging down and touching his broad shoulders; and his features were hard, almost angry.

"You have made a mistake," he stated.

"I-it's talking," Sabe stuttered.

"I have questions, Anakin," Padme said, remembering the Jedi's name. Beyond fear or shock, she felt curiosity. She was not going to pass up another opportunity to learn from this guardian. "Why does this Vader have a padawan braid? And what is the jewel we found in his tomb?"

"The jewel is called an Adegan crystal," he answered. "They are used to power lightsabers."

Padme furrowed a brow. "And the braid?"

"There is much you don't know," Anakin replied after a short hesitation. "Vader was once a powerful Jedi...before he fell."

"A Jedi!" Padme exclaimed, hardly believing her ears. How had a monster like the Black Knight ever been a Knight of the Old Republic? It was hard to believe. "How can that be?"

"The dark side is very strong," he stated simply.

"The dark side?" Padme repeated.

"The dark side of the Force," he elaborated.

"The ancient religion of the Sith Order," Padme added. "I must admit, I don't entirely understand what the Force is."

"No matter," Anakin replied. "It is not important. What is important is that you return Vader to where you found him."

"Why?" Padme questioned.

"There are things at work here that you cannot comprehend," he retorted shortly. "Take him back."

Suddenly, the Jedi's image began to fade. Afraid to lose what could be her only chance to speak with the spirit, Padme quickly called out to him. "Wait!" Much to her relief, the ghost heeded her call and stopped. "Will I see you again?"

"Do what I have asked…and perhaps you will."

Then, without so much as another word, he was gone.

Sabe turned to her friend; mouth still gaping open in disbelief. "I think you have a lot of explaining to do."