This is a Star Wars Fan Fiction Only.
He took his armor off for what seemed decades, he laid in the bed and smelled it like remembering a scent he knew so well but had forgotten it after not being near it for such a long period, he closed his eyes and silently prayed that this was not all a dream, and he would wake up to see the crying eyes of his son again.
He did something he hadn't done in years, he slept, and he dreamed, of the memories he had been a slave on this planet, of the abuse he endured, of the mocking comments made of him by his fellow racers, especially one. Zebulba, the damn cheater has caused the death of dozens if not more racers to ensure his own victory.
This scumbag's cheating went as far as to hire Tusken Raider Snipers to kill races in the races he participated in, and as a child, he remembered that since he was a favorite of the Hutt who rules the planet, he was practically untouchable. He saw the sad faces of all the people that this racer had killed their fathers, their husbands, and that is when it happened, he saw the faces of the relatives of the people he killed while under the thumb of Palpatine.
Zebulba had killed many, nobody could argue with that, the devastation and misery were impossible to ignore, except that the misery and devastation he created by the orders of Sidious was immensely larger if the horror of Zebulba caused a city full of crying people, his own created a planet that would make Coruscant look like a moon.
For the first time in his life he looked at himself, at his errors, at his actions and the horrors they caused, he spared no mercy for Zebulba when looking at his actions, so he spared none for himself, he saw it all, and in a blinding realization, he realized that the monster that he hated as a child, was nothing compared to the monster he had been.
He learned from his mistakes, he looked at his actions, and instead of refusing or locking away his rage, he fought it like a monster, and after he defeated his own rage, he did something no Sith or Jedi had ever done, he tamed it and took control of his own rage. Rage would no longer try to take control, instead, he would control his anger, his fury, his rage.
After so long Darth Vader as he slept on the bed in the guest room of his mother's house found peace. The meeting with Anakin's supposed half-sisters was not what you call peaceful, or happy. Shmi was doing everything she could to avoid the man, and Vader was glared at during dinner it was easy to see he was being accused of something, either of being Anakin's father or being Shmi's lover.
Both accusations were the reason why he went to bed in such a bad mood, and probably the reason for his dreams. In the end, he managed to learn to control his rage, so it was not all bad. The following morning he got dressed in his armor and did something no one expected, he made breakfast. As he was however he was using the force to tweak and improve the android that was on a workbench. C3-PO needed a lot of work.
So after he finished cooking every person in the house woke up, first was Qui-Gon, who came expecting to see Shmi doing the cooking, and was simply shocked to see Vader of all people cooking breakfast. The second was Shmi who apologized for how he was treated as she helped get the table ready.
Padme just went up to the stove and took a single sip of what he was cooking, "Hmm, actually tastes pretty good, it's a traditional Nubian recipe. One of these days you have to tell me how is it that you know recipes from Naboo, Lord Vader."
Anakin came in as energetic as ever and smiled as he sat on his chair. "Going to eat something new, boy I can't wait to find how it tastes," Padme told him it was a breakfast recipe from her world, and she could tell him it was tasty. This immediately made Qui-Gon relax, since deep down for some odd reason he still didn't trust Vader even though he had shown no reason for it.
Vader brought the soup to the table and served each a portion, "Something nice and healthy, Anakin has that race today, he is going to need all the energy he can get. Have you checked with your Apprentice Qui-Gon? We don't want him thinking the worse and acting rashly now do we."
Qui-Gon smiled and told him he indeed talked with him, seeing that the atmosphere of the table was so friendly, "So tell me, Vader, do you plan to take Anakin as your apprentice? I don't believe I have met yours, even though you have met my padawan."
Vader simply looked at him as he ate his soup, his mask had a small section that allowed him to eat and drink, so they actually saw his smile. "Actually Qui-Gon my apprentice is currently busy, I sent him to do something for me, so he is currently trading with a Tusken Raider tribe and a band of Jawas. But if you must know my apprentice is Zabrak."
Again this made Qui-Gon relax, "A lot of lives will change thanks to the next pod race, I was curious how it would cause your life to change. We have been receiving messages from the official back from Naboo, so tell me Vader what do you think of these messages."
He handed him his communicator terminal and he began reading as he finished his plate of soup. Typical, using messages to urge if not beg that Padme return to Naboo immediately due to some emergency or a made-up natural disaster, written by a person who clearly had no idea of the weather or conditions of Naboo.
"I think these are trying to prevent Queen Amadala from reaching the senate, the tone of these messages scream of desperation, however when taking in the context and how the official spoke when we met him they do not match. It was either the governor is forced to send these, or more likely that there is one from the Trade Federation who took control of all communication channels on Naboo. I say ignore them, and focus on the meeting with the Senate."
Qui-Gon simply took the serving spoon and had to have a second serving of the soup and smiled at Vader, "Yes, I concur, the sooner the Senate hearing of the plight of the people of Naboo, the better, Senator Palpatine must be worried sick about the Queen and her handmaidens. I always got the impression that he had a deep love for that planet."
Vader nearly choked on his tea when he said that, "Is there a problem?" Shmi asked, "Nothing to worry about, it is just that I just realized I didn't get a thank you gift for letting us stay in your home Lady Skywalker, I must rectify that as soon as possible." Shmi simply took the empty pan back to the sink and told him seeing her boy happy is present enough.
So after an enjoyable breakfast they each decided to go with Anakin to cheer for him on his last pod race. Vader was looking at the roster of racers participating in this race and was not even surprised to see Zebulba was one of the racers. Little did Vader know that the four Kryat Dragons that were killed in the cave had been an absolute terror to many Tusken Raider tribes, they ate their herds and even attacked them.
So after hearing that a band of men had killed all four of them, the Tusken Raider tribes needed to find immediately who it was, and they sent their best scouts, by the time he was asleep the Tusken Raider chiefs already knew the identity of the men who liberated them from the terror of the four dragons. It goes without saying that over a dozen tribes were exceedingly grateful to Vader and seeing him treat the boy as a little brother made it clear to these tribes not to mess with and in fact protect the boy and his family.
Vader was watching Anakin do the final check on his pod and for some odd reason, Jar Jar was helping him, that was something unexpected, it must have been the Queen to ask him to help Anakin. He used the force and checked the energy flow of the pod racer, and that is when he found his answer, Jar Jar was not an expert on electronics, but somehow he repaired a faulty regulator while pretending to be messing around.
As the pod racers took off, he kept an eye on Zebulba, and his proximity to Anakin, the race happened just as Vader remembered two racers died due to Zebulba pushing them with his larger pod racer into rock formations or against cave walls. "That is absolutely despicable, he killed those two on purpose." Well, this was new, Padme was actually angry to see this.
He must have missed that since in his previous life he was too busy racing, "Zebulba is in many ways a crowd favorite, many of them consider a race without at least two deaths boring if he is racing in it. You have to understand Padme, this world is not subject to Galactic Republic Laws, and the Hutt who rules this world is a major sponsor of Zebulba."
Qui-Gon saw that the handmaiden was still not happy, "Well I still don't like it. Is there any other dangers other than that cheater on the race?" Vader began to count them with the fingers of his right hand, there was the randomness of the wind patterns in the track, the possibility of animals getting sucked into the engines causing them to stall, Tusken Raiders who like to take cheap shots at the pod racers. All in all, it was not exactly safe, but it paid enough to feed a family for at least a year, usually.
Padme looked at him almost like he was talking with her and at the same time, he was focused on the pod racer Anakin was piloting. "You keep getting more and more surprising Vader, you almost talked like you been a pod racer yourself." Vader didn't deny it or try to make excuses about it, he could never do that with Padme. He simply said in a whisper in another life.
Vader was watching the race but for a different reason than most spectators. What he was doing was the reason that Qui-Gon was looking at him every so often, and what Vader was doing was something that made the Jedi Master respect and fears Vader even more. Indeed the Tusken Raiders did take shots at the racers, but not a single one at Anakin.
Even the ones that were paid by Zebulba were avoiding shooting at Anakin that is because they felt this aura flying around his pod racer and this aura had the feel of a massive Krayt Dragon protecting his child, something that Tusken Raiders knew better than to mess with. This invisible aura also crushed and destroyed everything other pod racers threw at Anakin to try and clog his engines.
"To be able to crush debris at such a distance, protecting that pod racer going at such speeds, and still be able to have a casual conversation is a testament to his power with the force, yet he could easily win by causing the other racers to crash if that is his goal, but he has done nothing to harm or hamper them, for a Sith this man is breaking every expectation we ever had about them. There might be some truth in what he said to me."
Qui-Gon tried to get him to focus away from the pod racers by trying something that will catch Vader by surprise, "Since I practically consider you a friend, say Vader how is your love life? Got a lover or a special someone waiting for you to return home?"
That was not a smart thing to ask him, normally this would cause him to be so furious he would force choke the idiot that dared to ask such a thing, but after the dream from the previous night, he took a deep breath and looked at Qui-Gon, "I was once married, in a different life, I even had two children, a boy who loved adventure and learning about the Force, and a daughter that if I must call her anything I would say she was a tomboy."
He looked at Qui-Gon before he continued, "But that was as I said in another life, my wife is dead, my children are gone, and I am all alone, so no, even if I had a home nobody is waiting for me to return. The only exception is my apprentice but currently, he is doing things around the galaxy. Does that answer your question, friend?"
Qui-Gon regretted asking that question after he heard the answer, Padme put her hand on his to provide some emotional support but that is when something fell on her hand that she never expected from Vader, a tear, a single tear had fallen from his face.
Zebulba did the same thing as he remembered he used his racer to push others near stone formations or hit the stone walls of massive arches, in the current race he had killed no less than four racers, or caused four accidents that caused those deaths or so inexperienced observers thought.
The course went through a rocky canyon and the entire race they had to go through it two times, animals and other pests loved to go there because they might get a hot meal from the remains of the racers that died. Anakin was close to finishing the second lap.
That is when Zebulba pretended to lose control and bumped into the pod racer that Anakin was piloting. "Die stupid human, DIE! YOU SHALL NOT TAKE MY VICTORY FROM ME!" the only reason he said that is because nobody on Naboo knew his native tongue so he felt safe in saying or screaming anything while speaking in it.
Anakin did something however he was not expecting, "Then earn it, stop trying to make me crash or you will be the one to crash. Yes, Zebulba I heard you loud and clear. I have a recording of it, and of everything you screamed in our previous races. Wouldn't the Hutt that favors you like to hear your real opinion of him? If you don't want him to find out, BACK OFF!"
Zebulba was in shock, he backed off the kid's pod racer almost from the sheer shock at finding that the kid not only understood what he said but he was clearly fluent in his native language. The thing is Anakin did not say this as a threat but as a warning, and he was not angry. Even if he didn't want to expose him, if he crashed the pod racer would be inspected and the data from it would be taken, and so people would find the recordings and tell the Hutt Ruler.
He never had any ill intent in recording his races, he could watch them and hear them when he was fixing his pod and learn from his mistakes and relive exciting moments from previous races. That is why the pod racer did that in the first place. Watto was always deep down a merchant and being able to understand many native languages was in fact one thing that made him such a success. He had datapads on learning languages lying everywhere in his shop.
And since Anakin was the one that cleaned the place, he picked up and read them, so Anakin had learned quite a few languages while doing his work. This included the language of the racers, which means he knew and understood what Zebulba was screaming even when others didn't. One day when he won he screamed in his native tongue that one day he would be richer, more famous, and live in a house even better than the fat slug that ruled Tatooine calling it a dump of a world. This is what made him back off.
As he saw Anakin cross the finish line, he was cursing under his breath about the stupid human who got him and got him good. As the pod race ended and he parked his pod racer in the assigned place his mother ran towards him helped him get off the racer and gave him a big hug. She was clearly proud of her son.
As Vader saw Zebulba walking towards Anakin he knew exactly what he planned to do, so he stood in the way of the cheating pod racer. He called him a stupid-looking idiot, that is when he shocked Zebulba by telling him that a cheating pod racer's opinion of his looks didn't matter, except he did say it in Zebulba's native language, a language that even Hutt translators had a tough time understanding.
"So you understand everything I say, why are you standing in my way?" Vader looked at him and his eyes turned into a glare, so cold that the temperature around the two of them dropped enough to make the racer sweat. "Because I know what you plan to do, take your frustrations of losing out on the kid. I decided to speak with you since I know what you want to do. Leave the kid alone, harm him, and I will harm you thousand times even worse. I don't make threats I make promises."
Zebulba felt the most fear he ever felt in his entire life, so he decided to do something he never once did. He walked calmly to Anakin, he was expecting the racer to hit him hard enough to fall down on the ground, instead, he looked at him, and expecting the hit he closed his eyes, and put up his hands in a defensive posture.
For a second Zebulba didn't hit him, and instead, he felt someone grab his hand and began shaking it, "Congratulation human, you gave me one hell of a race, unlike these other racers you actually are worthy of this victory. I heard that you are going to go away from this planet, but do remember this Anakin, yes I know your name, if you ever need my help once you become a big-time Jedi, just send me a message through the intranet, and I will help you."
Anakin was shocked as he heard that, "Why are you being so nice to me?" Zebulba said that if he was being mean was to motivate him, to become a better racer, and why was he being so nice? It was simple he considered him, his equal and friend.
This cause Anakin to laugh as he let go of all of his pent up anger he didn't even know he had, instead he decided to believe his fellow racer, years of fear, anger, and resentment were gone, the two talked like they had been friends for years, causing Shmi to cry tears of happiness as he saw her son for the first time being recognized as a champion quality pod racer.
Vader could see that this was for the better, this way Anakin would not have the fear and anger Yoda once sensed and nearly caused him not to be accepted for Jedi training, having his mother nearby as one of the handmaidens of the Queen of Naboo, also means that she would still have access to and see her son from time to time.
Vader knew this would be for the better, this other version of himself would have his mother ask advice about what he should do during the very hard times in the future, something Vader always had wished he too had. All in all, the engine was installed, a small tracking device was found and Qui-Gon decided to place the tracking device on a garbage hauler. This would make the people that we're checking the device transmissions that the ship had never left Tattooine.
Vader simply walked towards the now repaired ship and said goodbye to the planet that had both been his home and place of great sorrow. He saw Anakin try and carry the droid he was building towards the droid bay and watching this Vader decided to help him carry the droid, as he congratulated him for winning the race.
"Thank you for the help, hey, do you know much about droid construction?" Vader looked at him and smiled, "I am know something about droids, what do you have in mind young Skywalker?" Anakin looked nervous and told him that he wanted to finish constructing the droid that would help his mother, and asked him with a big smile if he would be willing to help him do that.
Vader looked at him and smiled, "It would be my honor to help you in such a noble goal." This made Anakin happy that he had someone else to help him, Vader suggested that the astromech near him would also be great at helping them. So, Vader, Anakin, and R2D2 began to work together on the droid that Vader once knew as C3PO.
They worked for a few hours, they were so focused they didn't even notice when the ship took off. After a few hours, his mother told him he could continue to work on the droid later, but right now he needed to go to sleep. He whined that he was not tired until Vader smiled at him and simply asked him if he wanted to grow up big and strong? Anakin of course said he did, "Well sleeping properly and allowing your body to rest is important so that your body can become big and strong. So if you want that, I would say you better listen to your mother and go to sleep."
Shmi said a silent thank you before she guided the young boy towards the place where he would sleep. That is when Vader felt the presence of the two Jedi walking towards the droid bay. "Qui-Gon you and your apprentice really need to learn better stealth and concealment techniques, I could feel your doubt even before you got to this maintenance bay." Obi-wan simply said that he was not attacking them why would they need to hide at all?
Vader told him not all Sith would be like he was, "Good point, the element of surprise is vital in combat, I already have begun to teach him a force cloak technique. Now if you felt our doubt mind if I ask you a question, after everything that you have done for the boy, I imagine it would be simple for you to turn that gratitude and accept being your apprentice, so again why didn't you?"
Vader simply sat on the chair and looked at Qui-Gon, "Because I already found one, and I told you Qui-Gon the boy needs you as his future master, not the Jedi Order, you." Qui-Gon sat on the chair near the workbench and looked at Vader, "That still does not make sense, after discovering how strong Anakin's connection to the force is, why do you insist that I am the one he needs and not the Jedi Masters?"
Vader took a deep breath and began to shake his head, "Because I know of the prophecy, and because he is the chosen one, the one to bring balance to the force, if another Jedi became his master, he would fail in fulfilling the prophecy, they are focused on the light so much so they have no balance themselves. Only you who know about the dark side of the force and can guide him thanks to your understanding of the living force, can guide him to fulfill his destiny."
That is when Obi-Wan looked at him, "And so all this talk about stealth and having me learn to conceal my presence has been?" Vader simply told him to complete his training so that he can pass the Knight Trials. "So when you say that I should teach Anakin, you were saying that because?" Vader simply turned around and asked Qui-Gon a question, how could the one bring balance to the force succeed if he had no balance in the force himself?
This made Qui-Gon realize that he indeed was right. Obi-Wan didn't understand what this had to do with the boy, so he decided to change the topic, "Let's say I believe you, that you found an apprentice, why are you here instead of being with your apprentice and teaching him?"
Vader simply answered with three little words, True Force Bond. Qui-Gon understood what Vader said but his padawan apparently didn't understand, "If a Master and padawan truly trust each other, and forge a bond through the force, they share a connection that allows each to communicate and help each other regardless of distance. Obi-Wan he is telling us that since he has formed that bond he is teaching his apprentice, regardless of the distance between them."
This made the young man look at his master with this look of shock and awe that he never felt before. "I gather your apprentice is doing some important work. Thank you for answering our questions. I do feel a lot better after hearing this. So Vader what do you feel about young Anakin? If you don't want him as your apprentice what do you consider him?"
Vader simply relaxed and told him, a baby brother. As the two Jedi saw him seated on the very chair that the astromech droid had initially offered him, for the first time since meeting him, they realized that Vader was not like any Sith they ever read about, he was being painfully honest, he clearly wanted the very best for Anakin, even if Anakin was not aware of it. Indeed, he behaved like a very caring big brother looking out for the best interest of his little brother.
"Now I don't know about this but I doubt I will find a place that I can sleep here." That is when the astromech droids all began to turn on and in a matter of minutes they had finished putting together a very comfortable makeshift bed in the bay, R2D2 helped him walk over to it and waited for him to sit on it.
They even had a place where to place his lightsabers, helm, and gauntlets. "Now if you two will excuse me, much like Anakin, I am dead beat tired, and while I would love to continue our passionate philosophical discussion, I for one would thank you if we can delay it so that I can sleep."
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan understood what his intentions were and simply walked out of the bay as Qui-Gon to have pleasant dreams. Vader closed his eyes on the makeshift bed and could only hope that Anakin indeed had pleasant dreams, for he actually doubted that he would ever have those kinds of dreams ever again.
That was when without him knowing it, someone he never expected came and put a blanket on him, to make sure he would not catch sleeping in such a cold place. It was Shmi, who smiled at the sleeping man and look at his sleeping face, which reminded him of Anakin. "You can hide your identity from the entire galaxy, but you will never be able to hide it from me. Pleasant dreams, son."
As she walked out she felt the gaze of one of the droids and it was R2D2, and he looked as she knew he was looking at her, "You are still his friend, even after all these years, keep my boy safe R2, he needs all the friends that he can get." The astromech droid sensors turned to watch the sleeping man everyone else knew as Vader.
When she finally returned to Anakin he asked her what was she doing? She simply laughed and asked him if he likes being near Vader? Anakin still in his bed nodded, "Yea, he is cool. He managed to do things I had been trying to do for years. He even got those raiders to stop shooting at my racing pod, that is why I could win."
Shmi looked at her son and began to smile a knowing smile, "Well Vader is something like your long-lost missing brother, but you already know that. So try and be nice to each other boys, a family should help each other."
As he fell asleep Shmi could tell that Vader had done many things to help her and Anakin, and the way her heart, her feelings called out to him, making her feel such motherly love towards him, made her realize who Vader actually was. He could hide his memories, his thoughts from everyone, but never to his mother.
Years of training and keeping said training hidden had made her able to detect practically everything that attempts to hide. She could see his face as clear as day when he first met her and knew the way he moved around in her kitchen showed familiarity, not even her former husband had.
She decided to go to the young queen and talk with her. As she approached the private chambers of Padme, she kneeled to show proper respect to the monarch but was stooped immediately by telling her that she was informal with her handmaidens as if they were at least part of her family. "So Shmi I guess Anakin is asleep, and from the look on your face, you want to discuss something. Please tell me what is the matter, and rest assured that I will do my best to help you."
That is when Shmi sat down on the cushioned seat near her, "Very well, I never told this to anyone but I was trained in the force since I was young, I can see what people attempt to hide, shadows and lies can not hide anything from me. So I will be honest. First I know for instance that you are the body double of the Queen, so where is her majesty?"
The woman began to laugh and a small smile appeared on her face, "Thank you for telling me this, be sure that I will keep your secret, however, you are wrong, I am Queen Padme Amidala, just as the young woman that I am protecting, the only difference is I am a version of her that died in the future and was reborn as her body double. This is why I can act like her so perfectly because in a sense I am her."
Shmi then looked at her with this shocked look on her face, "Then you must know who Vader is?" A sad smile appeared on the woman who was acting as the body double of Padme, the sadness was easy for Shmi to see, and so did all the handmaidens near her trying to comfort her to prevent her from crying.
"He is my Anakin, the man who was the love of my life, the father of our children, and due to him being corrupted and tricked by a man who I once trusted also the man who caused my death. I am the reincarnation of his wife, the woman who loved him as much as you, the mother of his two children, and the woman who felt that her husband was squeezing the very breath from my body on burning lava-covered world."
Shmi looked at her, she wondered if this resentment was the reason why she never revealed any of this to the one she came to know as Vader, "And you are wrong, I don't hate your son, my husband, I followed him as a spirit for years after my death, and saw the pain and misery my absence caused him. I am merely waiting to see which Anakin is before me, the valiant knight, or the corrupt executioner."
Shmi looked at her and understood what she had explained, she was also sad to hear of the things her son had done long after her death at the hands of the Tusken Raiders. "He wanted to take me away from that planet and this makes sense why, he wanted to prevent my death in a raider attack. My poor boy, no wonder he was so desperate to accomplish this."
The body double looked at her and nodded, "Yes, my husband would do that, I was there when he returned after your burial and having avenged your murder. The more you talk about him, the more you make me think this Vader is very much the man who won my heart and became my husband, but I need to be sure."
