Darth Vader was staring out into space, his blank helmet reflecting the light from the stars which were scattered across his view of sight.
Nothing was going well today. He already had to kill two of his officers this morning. The first one - Colonel Jon was slacking off his duties and the second one - Lieutenant Hebsly fell asleep on the job. He sometimes couldn't believe how these people even got on the Executor in the first place.
So this is the great Empire, he thought bitterly. Moron officers and stormtroopers who can't shoot. He laughed, but it sounded more like a cough through his voice modulator.
This was for sure not what he'd dreamed of when he had imagined the great empire that he would rule over. If it wasn't for his injuries, he would have overthrown the Emperor by now and then he would have built an empire so great and powerful that there wouldn't even be a rebellion. But that is impossible now. Thanks to Kenobi, Vader thought and clenched his fist as he thought of his old master.
He could still feel the melting heat from the lava scorching his skin, the ashes flowing into his lungs with every breath and the pain of his severed limbs. He disrupted the images playing in his head. I deserve the pain. For what I did to her. Even thinking her name felt like a dagger through his cold and seemingly impenetrable heart.
He had tried to shut her out of his thoughts. And it had worked, for a while. Luckily, there weren't so many reminders of her warmth and beauty on a weaponized ship floating through space. Here, everything was cold and dark. Devoid of warmth. It was the opposite of the blinding light she radiated to everyone in her presence.
And that light was gone. Forever. And with it - his own light.
How ironic wasn't it that he was the one who killed her in the end? He, who had so desperately tried to save her, ended up being her murderer. The dagger twisted in his heart.
And the child she was carrying, a voice whispered in his mind.
The pain he felt because of what he did to her and their child was even worse than the pain from his injuries. One couldn't be compared with the other. That pain haunted him all day and night. He rarely slept and when he did - he always had nightmares of the events on Mustafar. But after their deaths, he had accepted the pain as a form of punishment for his actions.
Anakin Skywalker was weak. He was the one who couldn't save Padme - not me. And I destroyed him on that day on the lava banks of Mustafar. That's what he told himself every day to make sure that the memories of Anakin Skywalker were just that - memories. Fragments of another life - a life of another man.
He suddenly remembered that one of the officers had informed him earlier that the Emperor wanted him to contact him as soon as possible, which shook him out of his thoughts.
Decisively, he turned around so fast that the officers walking down the isle froze and held their breaths. But he couldn't care less, he had a job to do and they were irrelevant - like bugs that he could squash any moment he wished to. Expendable.
But there was one bug Vader couldn't smash, or more accurately, wasn't allowed to smash - Grand Moff Tarkin. His mere existence was like an itch waiting to be scratched. As soon as the emperor stopped treating him like his pet, he would get rid of him - in the most painful way possible.
Vader walked towards the hologram projection pod and put himself in a kneeling position. Ignoring the ache spreading through his knees, he pressed the button and waited. The pain was familiar to him by now. And, he knew that the pain would only make his connection to the dark side stronger.
A large holographic image of the emperor appeared and Vader tried to bury any remnant of the feelings he had felt earlier when thinking about his dead wife and their child. He didn't want another punishment for thinking about matters concerning Anakin Skywalker.
"What is thy bidding, my Master?", he said.
"I have a mission for you, Lord Vader. An important mission that will secure the Empire's rule and make sure that no one will stop us - not even the rebels", the Emperor said, his voice booming out.
"What is the mission, Master?", Vader asked and tried to keep the growing impatience he felt, out of his voice. His Master was nothing but patient and would gladly drag things out even more - just to irritate him.
"You shall go to the planet Alderaan. Bail and Breha Organa of the Royal House of Organa have been suspected of having ties with the rebels. This must be sorted out immediately - in order to eliminate the rebels once and for all."
"You want me to investigate?", Vader said incredulously, completely astounded that he - the enforcer of the Empire and its secret weapon - was sent there to simply investigate. He could hardly believe it, especially since the Emperor very well knew how much he despised politics.
"No. I want you to use any means necessary to find proof of their ties with the Rebellion.", the Emperor said, smiling at how easy it was to unnerve his apprentice.
Vader reigned in his anger and frustration. Not wanting to give the Emperor any more power over him.
"Of course, my Master. I shall see to it immediately", Vader said not betraying anything from the robotic voice coming from his voice modulator. But he knew that the Emperor was trying to read his thoughts when he felt a subtle nudge on his mind from a dark and cold presence. He quickly shut the walls surrounding his mind and stood up from his kneeling position, ready to walk away.
"One more thing", the Emperor said and Vader froze in his step.
"If the rumours are discovered to be true, I want you to procure the information as to where the Rebel Base is located."
"I shall see to it", Vader answered as he broke the connection and turned around to walk towards the control centre once more. Once he got there he placed himself at the front of the windows and gazed out on the stars.
Then, an officer came up to him and Vader could feel the fear radiating of off him.
"Where to?", the officer asked with an unexpectedly calm voice. Vader found himself astounded by the emotional control the officer portrayed and found him more likeable.
"Alderaan.", Vader responded and looked out of the window once more.
Toys were scattered across the floor and a small 5-year-old sat in the middle of the mess. Her brown hair was split into two small buns on the sides of her head which her mother had helped her do. Her chocolate-brown eyes completely focused on the task at hand, which at the moment was putting together two pieces of building blocks.
Two knocks on the door, then Bail Organa stepped into the room.
"Leia, it's time for dinner now."
"But I don't want to", she whined, crossing her arms and pouting while looking up at him with a frown on her face.
Bail Organa sighed. She's got her stubbornness from her father, he thought. I hope she hasn't gotten anything else from him.
However, he still found it very hard to believe that this sweet innocent child was the daughter of Anakin Skywalker, despite her stubbornness. Her kindness and unselfishness were unlike that of any other child at her age. Something she inherited from her mother, as Padme always had a very kind spirit and was always putting the well-being of others before her own.
He remembered the time when the teacher at kindergarten had called him to tell him that Leia had refused to eat saying that "It's unfair that I get to eat when other children are starving." At first, he had tried arguing with her saying that "You have to eat, even if it's unfair. There will always be children who are starving.", to which she had responded with "But shouldn't all children have food? Why can't they have food when I have it.". He knew he couldn't argue with her any further so he had simply smiled and said "Okay let's compromise, if you finish your lunch, we can go to one of the help centres and donate some food. Now how does that sound?", to which she excitedly agreed upon.
From that moment on, he knew that she would become a great politician. Just like her mother, he thought.
Suddenly, a crashing sound interrupted him from his thoughts. The tower that Leia had been building with her building blocks had collapsed. Leia's eyes started watering and soon sniffles could be heard from behind her hands which she was covering her face with. But that wasn't what had caught his attention. No. It was the sight in front of his eyes.
No blocks were on the ground. In the middle of it all, sat Leia and the building blocks were floating around her as if caught in an invisible net.
He blinked twice. No, this could not have happened. Please, say that this didn't happen.
But he already knew the truth, deep down. In fact, he had known it for a while and had only waited for the first sign to appear. Of course, she had inherited his Force sensitivity, there was no other option.
But it happened so early, he thought exasperatedly. Deep down, he had hoped that she would at least have a normal childhood, away from anything Jedi-related. Which should have been easy - since all Jedi were gone.
I just hope that she won't be tempted by the darkness and follow her father's footsteps.
His heart was clenching in his chest and he felt the need to hug her - so he did. And as soon as he put her arms around her, all the building blocks fell to the ground.
I won't let her. Not while I'm still alive.
But that was a promise he didn't know if he could hold...