Chapter 10
Memories fills Vader.
Of the time where he worked endlessly and tirelessly for days by Watto, receiving beatings and going on day's ends without food or water, and whatever they could scavenge up was fed to him by his mother.
It angers him.
It is unjustifiable Anakin Skywalker couldn't receive a fair nine years in his life, but Force, his mother! She has been a slave for so many years, suffering betrayals, receiving endless torture among end, and for once, the dark side within him is urging him to release his tirade on not only the slavers on this planet but others as well.
But self-control cut through his thoughts, reminding him that he would be placing his mother in danger. There is also a thin line that warns him the time would come for him to do battle against slavery.
During the pod race, he avoided her presence entirely both with his eyes and through the Force because the presence of his mother is even more painful than his wife. At least his wife survived long enough to conceive Luke and Leia, but his mother received no such pleasantries, for her name might not even be remembered by her own grandchildren, disappearing in the shades of sand.
He deliberately slows his steps, knowing that it would take hours before his mother is commanded to return to the shop whilst also knowing Jinn and Obi-Wan wouldn't order for him to be left behind.
Vader walks in, and it is just as he remembers. For a simple-minded Toydarian like Watto, his shop is a fairly complex building. It stands out from many of the other stores and market booths that infest Mos Espa, which partially accounted for the greedy shopkeeper's success.
But the shop itself isn't what's dwelling on his mind. Instead, his eyes are directed at Shmi Skywalker whose tears are going down her eyes. She misses him-or rather, his younger self, her Force Aura radiating pain and sadness. Vader grimaces at her appearance; has she always been malnourished like that?
Vader visited her grave once in his time as the Dark Lord, the grave appearing to be nothing but a void of a dead woman decades ago. Yet now here she is, alive, but struggling with the loss of her son. She is an innocent woman, someone who didn't deserve to endure as much suffering as she has. First things first, he has to ensure she is removed from this dust ball to start a new and safer life, one full of happiness.
Now Vader could be the one who frees her. Unlike the Republic, he doesn't care about the moral high ground, for he has observed the galaxy not working that way. Where is the mortality in allowing corruption to seed its way into the Republic? Where is the mortality into signing a damn treaty where slavery is practically granted lawful?
But the Jedi are not supporters of attachment. Keeping Anakin's mother near him would feed his attachment to her. He would want to see her, even more than he did. That would be unbecoming for a young Jedi in training in their eyes, as they're usually taken away earlier in life before they've built those bonds so strongly.
She walks over to the other part of the shop and begins to work once more, wincing as she drops one of the parts to one of many Watto's inventions and knowing she would have to pay for it later.
At that thought, his eyes begin to turn orange-gold, and his fists clench. Watto will never lay a hand over his mother ever again. For anyone else, freeing her will be a costly endeavor, particularly given Watto knows a good deal when he sees one and can arbitrarily ask for more, knowing why they'd want her.
The Toydarian glances over at Shmi and then follows her gaze to Vader. "Ah! A customer, welcome welcome!"
Vader walks forward and meets the Toydarian halfway. "Are you selling at the moment? I am looking for a slave who can fend to my every need."
"What kind of slave?" Watto asks, rubbing his hands together calculatingly.
"Someone who is acceptable with mechanics, someone who will follow my orders, and someone who I can bend to my desire. That slave from earlier... is interesting," Vader says, pretending to think as he places his hand on his chin. During his time as Dark Lord, he became an extraordinary actor by placing countless acts of imitation. "Allow me to see her."
Watto sneers and turns to the counter. "Shmi! Get over here!"
The woman walks over, shoulders sagging, but with somewhat of a determined look, ever the fighter. "Does she fit your needs, my dark friend?"
Vader forces himself to touch her, grasping hold of her chin and staring her over, attempting to not sob on her shoulder as he remembers those visions. Why do they have to commence with physical contact? Seeing her solely is killing him inside but touching her is like a living nightmare.
"She's eccentric," Vader speaks, pushing her cheek upward once more and pretending to examine her. "How much are we talking?"
Despite Vader being capable and part of him is tempted to just kill Watto, free his mother, and ransack the shop, he knows that is not a wise idea with her being concerned as that may install the slave mortality within him.
Talking over 20 minutes over a price, Vader still isn't even focusing immensely on the slaver. He can sense Shmi's defeat, her struggle, her sadness, and her conflict. It makes him angry at how afraid of him she is. Hopefully, back on the ship, she would be able to communicate properly.
Watto attempts to bargain more for Shmi when Vader allows himself to snap. The time for potential peace negotiations is over.
Time for aggressive negotiations.
If Watto does not free his mother, Vader would kill him and free her from the spot.
"No," Vader replies precipitously. "Here's how it's going to go; you have immolated that chance to receive money in your cheap endeavors to scam me off. Free her and I will spare you instead of shipping your corpse to the Hutts. Your shop would be destroyed shortly. This shop is a failure, and you offer no use to my companions or me."
Watto wants to argue when he feels something tight pressing down against his neck, cutting off all oxygen from escaping his lungs. The invisible hand tightens to the point where one more push and he would be reduced to a carcass.
"Your choice, bug, you will give her to me or you will die," Vader threatens shrewdly, staring at the now fried Toydarian whose skin is now nearly crimson.
"Fine! Fine! Take her and leave!"
The slave transmitter being handed over to him almost immediately makes him want nothing more but to crush it and scrap it as he had long ago made a mental promise that he kept even in his time as Darth Vader; he would never become a slaver. A promise he broke once before in morphing a son of two powerful Jedi into a weapon but he has seen through the errors of his actions.
Truthfully, Vader wants to test the power of the Force Lightning Palpatine toyed with Vader switching from a Master showing appreciation and then torturing him, crushing him with the power itself a few times but now wielding the power and using it against another, horrible as it is, feels good.
"Come," Vader commands to the woman darkly, orange-gold eyes staring at the slaver underneath the hood. The only planet in the entire galaxy that can make him struggle with the dark side is this planet of course.
Shmi, seeing that she didn't have much, follow behind her new slaver.
After they get a mile away, he checks to see if they are all alone, and once this is confirmed, he clicks the button and she is released, crushing the device immediately beyond repair.
"You are free, Shmi Skywalker," Vader declares, revealing his cylinder hilt to her. "I came with Qui-Gon Jinn."
She is shocked in silence before allowing her thoughts to process more than ever before. Her... free? At long last? Is this some type of sick joke? A cruel joke where she would be shipped off to someone even worse than Watto or abused by him?
At the age of six, Shmi and her parents embarked on a space voyage to the Outer Rim Territories, where they were captured by pirates and sold into slavery.
Shmi had a difficult childhood, taken from one system to another by several masters while serving as a house servant. Upon reaching adulthood, she was dropped from house servant status and forced into cleaning work. While some of these masters were cruel, others were kind—notably, Pi-Lippa, who taught Shmi valuable technical Pi-Lippa had planned to free Shmi, but she'd died before she could, and Shmi instead became the property of one of Pi-Lippa's relatives, who did not want to free her.
Vader deactivates her slave chip and crushes the slave device, assuring her fears that this is a cruel joke to be false, and ultimately creating a new destiny for the young woman. Shortly after Shmi's death, he remembers Sabé telling him that she tried and failed to save her and she apologized, but at the time, Anakin Skywalker was in turmoil so he just simply nodded and didn't acknowledge anyone for days until Padmé forced him to eat.
By the Force, she had to throw her arms around him, making every instinct in himself go stiff as he could only stare at her frame as memories flash through his vision.
Under the pale light of a full moon, Anakin Skywalker pulls the speeder bike to the ridge of a high dune and peered across the desert wastes of Tatooine. Not too far below him, he saw an encampment spread about a small oasis, and he knows at once, even before spotting a figure, that it was a Tusken camp. He could sense his mother down there, could feel her pain.
He creeps closer, studying the straw and skin huts for any anomalies that might clue him into their respective purposes. One especially sturdy hut at the edge of the oasis caught and held his attention: It seems less tended than the others, yet more solidly constructed. As he comes around a bit more, he grows even more intrigued, noting that only one hut is guarded, by a pair of Tuskens flanking the entrance.
"Oh, Mom," Anakin whispers.
Silent as a shadow, the Padawan slips through the encampment, moving hut to hut, flat against walls and belly-crawling across open spaces, working his way gradually toward the hut he felt held his mother. He comes against its side at last, and puts his hands against the soft skin wall, feeling the emotions and pain of the person within. A quick glance around the front shows him the two Tusken guards, sitting a short distance in front of the door.
Anakin draws and ignites his lightsaber, then crouches low, shielding the glow as much as he could. He slides the energy blade through the wall and easily cut the material away, then, without even pausing to see if any Tuskens were inside, he crawled through.
"Mom," he breathes again, and his legs weaken beneath him. The room is lit by dozens of candles, and by a shaft of pale moonlight, streaming through a hole in the roof, illuminating the figure of Shmi, tied facing against a rack to the side of the tent. Her arms were outstretched, bound at bloodied wrists, and her face, when she turned to the side, showed the weeks of beatings.
Anakin quickly cut her free and gently lowers her from the perch, into his arms, and then down to the floor.
"Mom... Mom... Mom," he whispers softly. Anakin knows that she is alive, though she did not immediately respond and comes down so pitifully limp. He can feel her in the Force, though she is a thin, thin sensation.
He cradles her head and kept repeating her name softly, and finally, Shmi's eyelids flutter open as much as she could manage through the swelling and the dried blood.
"Annie?" she whispers back. He can feel her wheezing as she tried to speak, and knows that many of her ribs had been crushed. "Annie? Is it you?"
Gradually her eyes begin to focus on him, and he could see a thin smile of recognition coming to her battered face.
"I'm here, Mom," he tells her. "You're safe now. Hang on. I'm going to get you out of here."
"Annie? Annie?" Shmi replies, and she tilts her head, the way she often had when Anakin was a boy, seeming quite amused by him. "You look so handsome."
"Save your strength, Mom," he says, trying to calm her. "We've got to get away from here."
"My son," Shmi goes on, and she seems to be in a different place than Anakin, a safer place. "My grown-up son. I knew you'd come back to me. I knew it all along."
Anakin tries again to tell her to lie still and save her strength, but the words simply won't come out of his mouth. "I'm so proud of you, Annie. So proud. I missed you so much."
"I missed you, too, Mom, but we can talk later ..."
"Now I am complete," Shmi announces then, and she looks straight up, past Anakin, past the hole in the ceiling, to the shining moon, it seems.
Somewhere deep inside, Anakin understands. "Just stay with me, Mom," he pleads, and he has to work very hard to keep the desperation out of his voice. "I'm going to make you well again. Everything's... going to be fine."
"I love..." Shmi starts to say, but then she goes very still, and Anakin sees the light leave her eyes.
Anakin can hardly draw his breath. Wide-eyed with disbelief, he lifts Shmi to his breast and rocks her there for a long time. She can't be gone! She just can't!
He pulls her back again, staring into her eyes, silently pleading with her to answer him. But there is no light there, no flicker of life. He hugs her close, rocking her.
Then he lays her back on the floor and gently closes her eyes. Anakin doesn't know what to do. He sits motionless, staring at his dead mother, then looks up, his blue eyes blazing with hatred and rage. He replayed all of the recent events of his life in his head, wondering what he might have done differently, done better, to keep Shmi alive. He should never have left her here in the first place, he realizes, and should never have let Qui-Gon take him away from Tatooine without bringing his mother along, as well. She said she is proud of him, but how could he deserve her pride if he cannot even save her?
He wants Shmi to be proud of him, wants to tell his mom all about the things that had come into his life, his Jedi training, all the good work he did, and most of all, about Padmé. Oh, how he wants his mom to get to know Padmé! She will love her. How could she not? And Padmé would have loved her.
Now, what is he going to do?
The minutes slip past and Anakin just sits there, immobilized by his confusion, by a budding rage, and the most profound sense of emptiness he had ever known. Only when the pale light begins to grow around him, making the low-burning candles seem even thinner. Did he even remember where he is?
He looks about, wondering how he might get his mother's body out of there—for he certainly wasn't going to leave it to the Tusken Raiders. He could hardly move, though. There seems a profound pointlessness to it all, a series of motions without meaning.
At that time, the only meaning, the only purpose, that Anakin can fathom is that of the rage building within him, an anger at losing someone he did not wish to give up.
Some small part of him warns him not to give in to that anger, warns him that such emotions are of the luring call to the dark side.
Then he looks at his mother lying there, so still, seeming at peace but cover with the clear evidence of all the pain that been inflicted upon her poor body these last days.
The Jedi Padawan climbs to his feet and took up his lightsaber, then boldly strode through the door.
The two Tusken guards give a yelp and lift their staves, rushing for him, but the blue-glowing blade ignites, and in a flash of killing light, Anakin takes them down, left and right.
The rage is not sated.
Vader's eyes slowly fall onto her frame. Except unlike last time, she isn't on the verge of death, she isn't bloody, and she isn't tortured and beaten and raped. She is still alive. Alive, not well, not completely after years of endurance and struggling to survive.
But for once since he has come back here, Vader feels like he actually accomplished something.
Yet, as much as he despises coming back, he would have to... for Kitster once the occupation on Naboo ends. That boy deserves a better life.
Aboard the Queen's transport, Anakin Skywalker sits shivering in a corner of the central chamber, trying to decide what he should do to get warm. Everyone else is asleep, and he had been asleep as well, but only for a short time, troubled by his dreams. He comes awake to the silence and could not make himself move, paralyzed by more than simply the cold.
Jar Jar sleeps to one side, stretches out in a chair, head back, snoring loudly. Nothing keeps the Gungan from sleeping. Or eating, for that matter. The boy smiles briefly. R2-D2 rests close by, upright and mostly silent, his lights blinking softly.
Anakin stares into the darkness, willing himself to move, to overcome his inertia. But his dreams haunt him still. He finds himself thinking of his mother and home, and everything closed down inside. He misses her so much! He thought it will get better once he is away from the town, but it doesn't. Everything reminds him of her, and if he tries to close his eyes against those memories, he finds her face waiting for him, suspended in the darkness of his thoughts, anxious and worn.
Tears come to his eyes, unbidden. Maybe he made a mistake by coming. Maybe he should go home. Except he couldn't now. Maybe not ever again.
A slim figure enters the room, and Anakin watches the light of a viewscreen illuminate Padmé's soft face. Standing as if carved from stone, she clicks on a recording and stood watching the replay of Sio Bibble's plea to Queen Amidala to come home, to save her people from starvation, to help them in their time of need. She watches it all the way through, then shuts it off again and stands staring at nothing, her head bent.
What is she doing?
Suddenly she seems to sense him watching, and turns quickly toward where he crouches. Her beautiful face seems tired and careworn as she approaches and kneels beside him. He stiffens, trying desperately to stop from crying, but he can't hide either the tears or his shivering and leaves to huddle before her, reveal.
"Are you all right, Annie?" she asks him softly.
"It's very cold," he manages to whisper.
She smiles and removes her hold over the jacket, wrapping it around his shoulders and tucking it about him. "You're from a warm planet, Annie. Ships are sometimes cold."
Anakin nods, pulling the jacket tighter. He brushes at his eyes, saying. "You seem sad."
If she sees the irony in his observation, she does not say so. "The Queen is worried. Her people are suffering, dying. She must convince the Senate to intervene, or else..." She trails off, unwilling to speak the words. "I'm not sure what will happen," she finishes, her voice distant, her eyes sliding away from his to fix on something else.
"I'm not sure what's going to happen to me, either," he admits worriedly. "I don't know if I'll ever see-" He stops, his throat tightening, the words fading away into silence. He takes a deep breath, furrows his brow, and reaches into his pocket.
"Here," he says, "I made this for you. So, you'd remember me. I carved it out of a japor snippet. Take it. It will bring you good fortune."
He hands her an intricately carved wooden pendant. She studies it a moment, face lower in shadow, then slips it around her neck.
"It's beautiful. But I don't need this to remember you." Her face lifts to his with a smile before she looks down at the pendant, fingering it thoughtfully. "Many things will change when we reach Coruscant, Annie. My caring for you will not be one of them."
The boy nods, swallowing. "I know. And I won't stop caring for you, either. Only, I miss-"
His voice breaks and the tears spring into his eyes once more.
Obi-Wan emerges and he frowns at the scene, wondering what is it like to have a mother, why is the boy extremely upset. And why in the kriff does he continue feeling sympathy for the boy?
"You miss your mother," the girl finishes quietly.
Anakin nods, wiping at his face, unable to speak a word as Padmé Naberrie draws him against her and holds him close.
That is until the sound of a speeder approach, and Obi-Wan turns to stares out only to see their Sith ally approaching the Nubian with a speeder.
But he is not alone.
A woman who Obi-Wan soon recognizes is not far behind him. It is Shmi Skywalker, wearing tattered clothes as she always did, and he inhales sharply as he approaches Vader. Why would Vader out of all people just happen to have a slave at his back if he didn't crave to bend her for his own uses?
"What did you do to her?" Obi-Wan asks sharply and confrontationally, but Vader appears not to be listening, moving pass him until he steps in his way again.
"You answer me," the Jedi Padawan declares.
"Are you trying to stop me from bringing her to her son or is there something else that you require?" Vader declares coolly, but Obi-Wan can sense it is not targeted at him. "I don't have the time nor patience to explain what is happening as of now, nor shall I harm you if need be. Now step aside, Jedi."
Obi-Wan sneers, sensing the truth in his words despite not believing them, before stepping aside and clears the path for the former Sith and the young woman, eyeing Vader and part of him couldn't help but wonder if he is judging Vader too harshly, but why would he be with a slave if he does not intend to use her for his own acts?
Anakin stares up at the looming figure as he walks onboard and is shocked into silence. It is... him! The man from his vision! How?! What?!
But then his eyes fall upon someone beside him and he clears his eyes as he stares at his mother. She is there in the fresh. At first, he'd believed it was just a delusion, but he knows it is not, the thought about the man erasing from his thoughts as joy fills his heart.
She also had his unfinished droid in her grasp along with other materials of her own - little as there is - in a bag.
"Mom!"
He rushes forward and wraps his arms around her, and the woman returns the embrace. Padmé smiles. His former Master from another timeline attempts to hide it but he sees a glint of happiness for Anakin's state.
In order to leave the residence of his younger self and his mother that he'd wished was him, the former Sith walks down the hall and enters quarters, staring out at nothing in particular.
The reason why he finds himself alone. His mother will be alright. She is on board. And memories of that night continuously insult him.
Anakin hears a voice, imploring him to restrain himself, to deny the rage. He doesn't recognize it, though, for he is too full of pain and anger. He spots a Tusken woman to the side, in front of another of the tents, carrying a pail of dirty water, and sees a Tusken child in the shadows of another nearby hut, staring at him with an incredulous expression.
Then he is moving, though he is hardly aware of his actions. His blade flashes and he run on. The Tusken woman screams and is impaled.
Now all the camp seems in motion, Tuskens rushing out of every hut, many with weapons in hand. But Anakin is into the dance of death then, into the energy of the Force. He leaps far and long, clearing one hut and coming down before another, his blade flashing even before he lands, even before the two Tuskens recognize that he jumps between them.
A third comes at him, thrusting forth a spear, but Anakin lifts an empty hand and sets up a wall of Force energy as solid as stone. Then he shoves out with that hand, and the Tusken spearman flies away, fully thirty meters, smashing through the wall of yet another hut.
Anakin is off and running, off and leaping, his blade spinning left and right in a blur, every stab taking a Tusken down, writhing to the ground, every slash putting a piece of a Tusken on the ground.
Soon none are standing against him, all trying to flee, but Anakin would have none of that. He saw one group rush into a hut and reached out across the way, to a large boulder in the distance. It flew to his call, soaring across the sand, smashing one fleeing Tusken down and flying on.
Anakin drops it on the hut full of Tuskens, crushing them all.
And then he is running, his strides enhanced by the Force, overcoming the fleeing creatures, slaughtering them, everyone.
He didn't feel empty any longer. He feels a surge of energy and strength beyond anything he has ever known, feels full of the Force, full of power, full of life.
And then it is over, suddenly, it seems, and Anakin stand among the ruins of the encampment, dozens and dozens of dead Tusken Raiders all about him, and only a single hut still standing.
He put his lightsaber away and walks back to that hut, where he gently and reverently scoops his mother's body into his arms.
Vader remains quiet as he stiffens before his body movements soften. Tears threaten to fall; even after all this time, he believes wiping out the Tuskens is still justifiable.
Having found his mother after years and having her die like that would be enough to push most people over the edge. Adding to that fact that he has great power just waiting to be unleashed makes it worse.
By the Force, he can forgive the Jedi despite what they have to do to him by not allowing him to save his mother or casting out Ahsoka; he can forgive Obi-Wan for what mutilating him and raising his child to be a weapon; he can forgive Organa for raising his daughter to hate him and also raising her as a weapon.
But he cannot forgive the Tuskens for torturing and killing his mother. Perhaps the grievance itself will never pass him. Would anyone ever be able to forgive the murderers of their guardian or their parents?
Vader blinks once and then twice. Why did he think it is wise to allow her to hug him?! Why is he horrible at feelings and unable to stop being emotional when she is involved?! The thing is Vader would never be able to stop feeling attachments! He naturally cares for everyone in his life because of his former lifestyle!
Attempting to sway his thought elsewhere, Vader is uncertain how the meeting between him and the Jedi Council is going to occur. The Jedi Council is emotionless, training their students to not feel attachments, and how attachments lead to the dark side so they probably would view him as a threat for learning different sides of the Force and believing his fate is sealed.
What the Jedi fail to understand is that they are people. They have hopes and dreams and fears and wants and needs. They have emotions because they are sentient and human(oid). However, Jedi have magical space powers that are extremely dangerous and claim that they learned that with great power comes great responsibility. They claim that they know that emotions can get the better of them and when emotions run high, people can do some crazy things they shouldn't do.
So ever the flawed Order they are, the Jedi claim they learn to control their emotions. They learn ways to do what needs to be done without letting fear or anger or sadness get in the way of what needs to be done.
But how is this possible with someone such as him or Anakin Skywalker? While controlling emotions is beneficial, they are still overly flawed and incomplete about how attachments lead to the dark side. With someone such as Anakin Skywalker, controlling attachments is utterly and simply impossible.
"So, there you are?"
Vader reaches out with his senses and detects the presence of his old Master and brother behind him. He didn't offer a response, for it is a rhetorical question.
"So why did you free the boy's mother and remain ally with us?" The Jedi Padawan asks, approaching beside him and raising his eyebrows in confusion. "Why do you call upon the light if you are Sith?"
"Haven't we talk about this before, Padawan?" Vader demands, beyond irritated at Obi-Wan's attitude. He feels like tearing his hair out and become as bald as he has been for over two decades. "I am not truly a Sith."
"Well, you have to be something," Obi-Wan grounds out. "You wield a crimson lightsaber, calls off the dark side, and obviously possess attachments so you have to be a Sith."
Deciding that it would be best to answer his question, Vader answers. "Don't delude yourself with who I am. Individuals can be misled. Perhaps I am a Gray Jedi."
"Gray Jedi does not exist. There are two sides, the light or the darkness. You cannot follow one with the other. It is not possible." Obi-Wan responds bluntly, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Well, the light and dark sides have been clashing for many millennia. While it comes with trial and struggle, particularly on the dark side, it is possible to achieve with proper training and guidance. Your Order shuns the dark side and ignores it entirely, seeking to wipe out the users of it throughout the galaxy." Vader retorts, fixating him with a glare momentarily before staring elsewhere.
"We are not slavers," Kenobi counters defensively.
"I never said you were. I merely implied it. I know what you have all done to those who wield the dark side and the light. You judged them as judge, jury, and executioner and either labels them to death in extreme cases or ostracize and excommunicate them. The Jedi are not evil but are overly flawed and some are borderline corrupt, seeking to fulfill their own ambitions and wanting to apprehend anyone who doesn't follow their beliefs. You wiped out an entire bloodline thousands of years ago that became known as the Sith Holocaust."
"An entire bloodline of Sith."
"So, children should be wiped out for something that is not their fault?" He cringes. Well, that is something he did during his raid on the Jedi Temple, but he harbors remorse and sadness. The Jedi is thriving, at least in their view, and doesn't appear to regret their actions.
"I never-" he begins to exclaim in defense of his Order, "say that." He calms somewhat, realizing he is luring himself into Vader's trap in manners of speaking.
"Like it or not, Kenobi, blood is on your ancestors' hands. Blood of children and millions of innocents. While your intentions are pure, your Order is mostly ill at concluding with the correct choice when it comes to certain conflicts or dilemmas which usually lead to sacrifice. You justify by claiming it is the will of the Force." Vader retorts, unmoving.
Obi-Wan stops speaking for a second, dwelling on who he still believes is a Sith's words.
"Shmi Skywalker brings you terrible pain," Obi-Wan says, Vader remains static but he can see the clenching of his fist. "I can sense the anger, remorse, pain, and fury at me by you for even mentioning her name or her presence on board. She means something to you-"
"That is no concern of yours," Vader snaps in a cold forced collected tone, for the first time, losing his patience.
"Vader, are you the boy's father?"
That nearly catches him off guard but Vader catches himself. "No, but again that is of no concern to you, Kenobi. Just because the boy and I are linked doesn't mean we share a kindred connection."
"If you wish not to answer me that question, answer me this. You harbor personal resentment for the Jedi. Why?"
It is a question that Vader doesn't expect his Master from the other timeline to come up with. Obi-Wan always was cryptic and still is.
"For many years, I was a slave. I lost my mother, lost close friends of mine, all because your Jedi either enact erroneous choices or didn't incorporate themselves until it was too late. Indisputably, there are laws in the Republic, but the Republic doesn't exist everywhere. Your Order wields the sabers that are capable of self-defense whoever have Force abilities, yet they did absolutely nothing. To them, we are just pathetic lifeforms." He growls.
Obi-Wan can't believe there is some merit in his words, biting his lip. "That is untrue. We do care. But the Republic has a treaty-"
"A treaty that intentionally legalizes slavery in order for peace to be brought to your Republic?" Vader raises his eyebrows. "This is why I dislike the Jedi and the Republic. All they do is sit in their fancy chairs in their Temple or at their fancy couches or beds at their wealthy homes that are full of wealth, believing they know everything when in reality they know nothing. The Jedi Order has been sinking deep in the dark side for thousands of years and they don't even realize it. The same can be applied for the Republic."
"You are twisting my words!"
"Like your Order has been twisting the words of the Je'daii and Gray Jedi in ancient times?" Vader queries, arching a right eyebrow at Obi-Wan, though although the Jedi is on the back burner, he continues to release a tirade. "If your Republic had maintained a military, learning of the consequences of lack of inability from what occurred in the Jedi Civil War, Naboo would have never been taken by the Trade Federation. It wouldn't have been a possibility. It is laughable that the Republic is able to survive this long."
Obi-Wan scowls. "The Republic doesn't stand for corruption, Vader. Such a military is not necessary after thousands of years of not facing such a threat. Though I'm afraid you would become one against our Order. We encountered no corruption though your intentions are... unquestionable."
"No corruption. If that was the case, Jedi, the attack on Naboo would never be happening. I am sympathetic with the Trade Federation because all they ask is for some benefits to being shared in the outer rim. The Galactic Senate had actually imposed taxes on trade routes to various star systems in the Outer Rim to curb the growth of the Trade Federation which was getting too big. The Trade Federation, furious, wanted to strike back, put a blockade around this planet. Because your Republic can't admit to their faults, the Trade Federation wishes to test their recently developed Droid Army. Millions of innocents across the galaxy are suffering because of your Republic. This is precisely why I don't trust the Senate. If I was the Queen, I would have disassociated myself with the Republic long ago. Your Republic did this. It is their responsibility to assure the safety of their people, but as always, the Republic and Jedi make decisions all too late. There were multiple warning signs of this invasion for months if not years and you could have avoided it. Just like the Mandalorian Wars." Vader replies sharply.
A shock silence passes through for a moment. The Mandalorian Wars is said to be one of the darkest eras in Republic history. Because of the ineffectiveness of the Jedi Council and the utter incompetence of the Republic, the Mandalorians nearly won.
Obi-Wan quickly finds himself. "With no enemies that stand against the Jedi Order and the Republic, the Republic doesn't need an army - all it needed was a basic defense force which member states could provide themselves... After the last war with the Sith, the Republic disbanded their military as they did not see a need for it," Obi-Wan replies coldly. "When the Galactic Republic was formed, it was born out of the aftermath of a conflict that left everyone else who could want to oppose them completely ruined. The Sith were gone. The Hutts don't care. The Zygerrians don't care. The Mandalorians had their homeworld glassed. Pacifism is required."
Vader chuckles humorlessly and mockingly. "Pure pacifism is failing the Republic. While I would admit it is a great benefit to perform pacifism to sort out negotiations, there should be a brute force to combat such darkness should one attack with brute force. Once your Republic dies, you would see my point as to why complete pacifism is never going to work."
"Oh, and do you follow pacifism?" the Jedi Padawan presses.
"Yes, but I follow different manners of pacifism if you will. I follow conditional pacifism. I am against war and violence in principle, but I accept that there may be circumstances when war will be less horrible than the alternative. Those who oppose pacifism say that because the galaxy is not perfect, war is not always wrong. I have a duty to protect any citizen I come across from, and that citizens have a duty to carry out certain tasks in a Just War. It doesn't matter that pacifists are motivated by respect for human life and a love of peace which I do commend. The pacifists' refusal to participate in war does not make them noble idealists, but people who are failing to carry out an important moral obligation." Vader retorts.
"I see... I must thank you for answering at least a few questions. You may not be an enemy to Naboo but you would do right to remember your boundaries. The Jedi will not hesitate to stop you." Obi-Wan declares coldheartedly, sighing upon realizing he has no reply before he turns to leave.
"Oh, come on," Vader calls out, his exasperation clear. "You aren't that good at concealing your feelings. I can sense the love and son bond you wish you can develop with Jinn. Following the code standards, you are a horrible Jedi, but as a good person, you're top at."
"Attachments are dangerous."
"When not controlled, yes, but a Padawan and Master must form a connection. It is impossible for one not to feel. Just accept your attachments, for you will never be able to severe them."
Vader remains standing across the room at the wall, and Obi-Wan stares at his back with conflict now in his eyes. As much as he won't admit it, Vader is right. So right it is startling. There are so many times where Obi-Wan wish he could've become closer to his Master like several of his classmates but the rules and the codes have been taught to them endlessly and they were warned of attachments, and there is the fact he would be booted out by the Council if he gives in to such feelings so he trains himself to not dwell on them.
They wouldn't be at Coruscant for a day, given the pilots are cautious about flying this shuttle, given that it had just been repaired, however, no one offered an argument as they want to proceed with freeing the Naboo and the last thing they need is this shuttle to be dismantled amid space and drowning in space.
Anakin and Shmi are talking about the interesting fact that they are actually leaving Tatooine and possibly never returning again.
Obi-Wan has been with Qui-Gon, planning to report to the Council, pondering how they could explain Vader is not a threat, despite him knowing and utilizing the dark side.
So, Vader, in all honesty, wants to do something. He can attempt meditation but he finds himself not wishing to stay in the quarters. He is energized. His mental wounds have disappeared once they departed from the atmosphere of Tatooine and he is laying to peace the fact that he is seeing his mother and that she isn't battered and tortured, at least not as horribly as she was under the Tuskens.
To be blunt, he is bored. During the era of the Empire, Vader had multiple tasks to do with hunting down Jedi or traitors to the Empire.
Those tasks would mostly come from the Emperor. Sometimes he had to work alone, sometimes in small groups, sometimes he commanded fleets and armies... Palpatine often tested him by pitting him against other Imperials, Vader tried to clandestinely work for his own interests, but Palpatine mostly foresaw this. Vader acted according to Palpatine's plans even if he didn't know that. Vader did have some time for himself; for example, to build his castle on Mustafar, and this is what he used to better understand the Dark Side of the Force.
He practiced with battle droids of various levels of ability and speed, even upgrading to 2 at once, but pursuing Luke was the only real entertainment he had for the first time in many years. He also practiced healing his scarred tissue, keeping time outside of a stasis unit as long as he could hold it.
He had various meetings with Imperials as well as criminal organizations, discussing troop movements or shipping orders. He was also tasked with specific missions deemed more important by the Emperor, such as the destruction of a rebel shipyard, leading the attack, and even going into his own ship for some dogfights for the fun of it...though Vader would never admit it.
Yet, that time has long passed.
Vader paces the hallways before deciding to approach the Queen's Chambers, deciding to check on his wife from another time, and open the door. He sees Eirtaé and Sabé clashing with Padmé and Rabé watching with interest, knowing clearly who will be the victor in this mini-battle.
'Children.'
Sabé pushes Eirtaé back with staff, making her, in all honesty, make pathetic swipes with the double-bladed staff. He is aware that Eirtaé does better with a blaster but she had never been able to fight with staff or physical combat as good as her fellow handmaidens.
Sabé, not too surprisingly, forces Eirtaé onto her knees after several seconds, putting her in a submissive position. Padmé is the only one who could best Sabé to be realistic due to her Queen training going beyond expertise. Even Skywalker had complications facing her in their sparring.
"Beat you again," Sabé quips.
"I will get you one day," Eirtaé declares with a proud smirk, showing that she isn't taking her defeat too hard.
"You said that last year," Sabé quips, smirking in jest.
Eirtaé playfully scowls. "Oh, I'll get you soon. You'll see, Sabé."
"Yeah. Yeah."
"Wait," Padmé says, noticing the creak in the door and approaching before opening it, revealing him.
The handmaidens tense imperceptibly before softening, upon seeing it is Vader. Padmé, Sabé, Rabé, and Eirtaé smirk in welcome.
Vader curses slightly. He knows they would have caught him, even if he ran down the hall because him merely walking can be marching and they will follow in his footsteps until they found him. Now, if he has been extra careful, they may have never caught him, but now he is in an extremely embarrassing circumstance. He cannot dwell on mere what ifs when this is reality.
"Vader."
And fear is obvious in Padmé's eyes. The thought of what he did to Selbuba rings through the Force.
For the first time in a long while, he feels awkward at being caught instead of coldly dismissing the matter as entirely as he would have done to those fools in his time under the Empire, but the case and being, each person here is far from incompetent nor are they beneath him. In fact, in matters of authority, they rank higher than him.
"Easy now," Vader responds. "I have no intentions to bringing harm to you, Queen of Naboo."
"Oh, um," Padmé staggers for a response. "Why are you here?" A mischievous glint is evident in her eyes. "Was it because you are bored?"
Vader straightens slightly. "Who's to say I am fatigued? Perhaps I overheard your sparring match and am intrigued to how your handmaidens' spar."
They note that their ally tends to drop into speech patterns whenever he grows defensive.
Padmé rolls her eyes, the smirk on her lips never fading. "Yeah, and I'm a Trandoshan's kin."
Vader enters past Padmé, the teenager closing the door before approaching next to Sabé.
"I hope you each know that improvement can be meliorated," Vader says as if he is still a teacher.
"We were taught to be skilled," Eirtaé counters. "We do not require any more teachings."
"You each are strong but prideful and somewhat arrogant," he replies, uncrossing his arms while earning scowls for the prideful and arrogant. "I can best you all at once though you have the potential to be as strong as Jedi."
Vader turns and walks out when one speaks.
"Oh, is that so?" Rabé inquires challengingly, a smirk replacing her earlier scowl. "You may be skill with a lightsaber but not a staff, Vader." The 17-year-old remembers Kenobi's sparring with Sabé and the humiliation of the Jedi, but that was merely fun, but now they just wish to teach Vader a lesson.
Vader chuckles somewhat, surprising even himself in some terms, deciding to be a teacher once more before throwing his lightsaber to the bed's pillow. "Humor me. Do remember I am not Kenobi."
"Both of you are Jedi," Sabé counters. "So, you must be equals given what he knows you must know."
"Do not assume I am a Jedi, handmaiden," he replies. "Okay, I shall arrange a negotiation, if you each get one hit on me with your staffs and show me you are not egocentric, I will amend my comments."
Padmé stares at her handmaidens, and they each nod. Not like they have anything to do anyway.
"If we win," Padmé declares, "you will have to reveal to us how you know our names. And we will tell if you are lying so, please make life easier and prepare for an explanation."
Vader grins, despite his identity being at risk. "You each have a deal though I ensure you it would be a long while before either of you learn how I acquire my knowledge in simple terms."
"Give the smug bastard a staff," Padmé orders with a smirk, grabbing a staff of her own from the corner and twirling it in her hand.
Rabé tosses a staff to his direction that he catches without a struggle, gripping the handle until he is comfortable. Sabé, Rabé, and Eirtaé also get in fighting salutes, much to the amusement of Vader.
"Attempting to defeat me simultaneously? Unethical." Vader chides somewhat coyly, walking back to the middle of the room while they are circling him in all directions.
"You said you can defeat all of us at once. Free for all, overzealous one." Sabé declares with a challenging scowl though one full of smugness. "Let's see."
Eirtaé, ever the most overbearing, dashes forward first. Vader twirls his body, countering the blow she sends in his direction in blinding speed one can argue they have never seen it come up. In a millisecond, Vader sends a strike in her direction which catches her in the hip and they interlock blades.
At that moment, Sabé attacks from behind to assist her fellow handmaiden, and Vader knocks Eirtaé away before flipping around and meeting her staff. Sabé feels like she is being run over by ten thousand S-130 Shelter speeders as the offensive blow itself staggers her.
Rabé advances at Vader at the same time as Padmé. Sabé is knocked to the side before the two lock blades.
He pulls away and catches Eirtaé in the shun and sends a quick strike at her shoulder before sending a harsh blow that throws her to a nearby wall, dazing her but not injuring her permanently, her groaning upon impact and clutching her ringing head.
Vader harshly swipes his blade at Padmé's leg; however, she manages to parry the strike. He knocks her away into the wall, dazing her but she does not allow herself to surrender.
The former Sith blocks Rabé's assaults before he knocks her staff out of her hand. He finishes her with a lunge to her knee which causes her to collapse with a groan.
Sabé attempts to jump at him from behind, which he blocks before he swipes with a downward arc to parry the strikes from Sabé's weapon. She begins to hack away at him, noting he does better as an offensive individual than defense and is not willing to allow him to regain the advantage. Despite her attempt to land a pincer, Vader catches her in the thigh, pushes against her, and slams her across the wall. Before she is able to get up, Vader sends a final strike to her chin which knocks her permanently sprawled onto the floor, but he reaches out with the Force to assure she is unharmed, relieving the blow hasn't damaged her horribly because her with bruises will not exactly be a good sight for her to be in on Coruscant and the Jedi might use this as an excuse to stop him which means the Republic and the Jedi Order will be after him and he would have no allies.
Padmé frowns but chooses to be more careful than her friends. She grabs Eirtaé's staff and charges him which he parries until he is laying against the wall, staring at Padmé before feigning a downer strike, making her grin in believing she won, but she is surprised when his staff comes up once more, knocking her right staff out of her hand before catching her in the thigh. This causes her to fall to the ground but she didn't give up that easily; she is holding up her sword against the wall, preventing him from finishing the battle.
She knows this would be futile, however, as Vader's staff twirls her staff away, he pushes his knee against her stomach for a moment before releasing her.
Due to the spar being free for all, Vader had the chance to use his physical martial combat, but instead, he used only his weapon and fought fairly while they give it their all.
"You are strong," Sabé admits between breaths, struggling to stand up. "Who taught you to fight with staffs of Naboo? They are not easy to grip."
"My wife and older sisters taught me."
The irony of that statement.
The Queen and the other handmaidens stand up as well with similar difficulty.
"Interesting handmaidens indeed. I have combat Jedi before and they lost in a shorter time," Vader praises them. He chooses to divert the subject. "Enough combat, I can bestow you all impressive tricks that you have never seen before."
"For what?" Eirtaé asks.
"For gratification," Vader replies. "We are all stultified. Time for some entertainment."
"Are you supposed to be a Jedi?" Sabé inquires, furrowing her left eyebrow and wrinkling up her face. "In ancient history, it is said that Force Users cannot use their ability off the battlefield."
"I am not a traditionalist," he replies. "Even I have a way to gladden my own satisfaction."
"Even so, there are holograms to how Jedi fight or use the Force everywhere these days," Rabé declares, rolling her eyes with a roguish smirk. "You probably can't show us anything new."
"Grab your blasters, ladies." They did, intrigued to see what Vader would do. Perhaps he would pull them out of their hands. "Get in front of me and shoot me."
"What?!" They all cry concurrently, pondering if Vader is suicidal.
Vader sighs and rolls his right eye. Do they really think he would kill himself?
"I am far from suicidal, handmaidens, Queen. Just shoot me. I have it all under control."
Slowly, hesitantly, the handmaidens and real Queen did as he commands and raises their guns before pressing the triggers. He reacts instantly, the former Dark Lord quickly raising his hand, effortlessly diverging them so they explode against the wall in a harmless spray of flying white shards. They stop firing and stare at Vader in awe, never seeing anything like it. The fact that he is still alive or not in critical condition is remarkable and something that should be noted at a later date, but he just blocks rounds of blaster bolts with his bare hand!
"Woah!" Rabé hollers, describing the mood in the room.
"How did... you do that?" Padmé inquires speechlessly, making a mental note never to doubt Vader again. Perhaps the Jedi but not Vader.
The others in the room have similar thoughts.
A startling squeal of astonishment escapes Eirtaé. "That is awesome!" she exclaims, giving him a look fringing on awe.
"That is so cool!" Sabé exclaims, her voice cracking slightly. She is embarrassed and corrects herself, placing on her handmaiden's expression while not looking sheepish.
"Yané and Saché will never believe it when we tell them," Eirtaé remarks, her mouth open in admiration. "You will have to show them this after the occupation ends!"
"Again!" Rabé exclaims, leaping up eagerly. There is rarely a time when the calm teenager would lose her calm composer but witnessing his power intrigues the handmaiden and she craves to see more of what he can do.
Vader nods, permitting them to fire once again, and they do, expecting him to pull off the same ability as last time; but instead of extracting the same ability as last time, a purple plasma emerges from his hand, and it rolls up into a shield, shielding himself from the blaster bolts before Vader pulls the shield in, along with the blaster bolts, the short blue plasma eventually vaporizing all together and curling up in his hand. It creates a mini-explosion and transmits a shock wave through the Force, but he ensures that it doesn't harm the ladies as such an ability could greatly harm opponents.
They stop firing, unable to believe what they just saw as they stare at the former Dark Lord with admiration. Again, he remains impassive, his hand outstretched.
"How?!" Eirtaé shouts in awe.
"Want to see me suspend blaster bolts in mid-air with my bare hand?"
The girls jump up simultaneously. Yep, definitely children.
"Yes!"
Arthur's note: I forgot to mention this chapters back, I follow Canon in some categories but when it comes to Canon, I frown at how Sabé and the handmaidens treated Anakin because either out of outright misunderstanding or jealousy that Padmé loves Anakin (in Sabé's case). Anakin didn't do anything to them but they just view him as careless without understanding him. In Legends, I feel like their acquaintanceship with Anakin is better handled. So, in this, it would be a mixture of both, they would view Anakin as reckless and careless at times but they would also like him and support Anakin in times of need and not coldly dismiss him. No Sabé x Padmé moments because I hate that ship so much so in this that section where Sabé attempts to make a move on Padmé in the novel never happens nor will be referenced. Can we just have simple friends without shipping?! First Obi-Wan x Anakin, Anakin x Ahsoka, and now Sabé x Padmé. Now, I'm not above making Sabé like a bigger sister to Padmé because I enjoy Padmé and handmaidens' friendship. I'm sorry for people who support these ships but I am extremely uncomfortable with them.
I'm seeking to take this story in a unique direction and provide twists and turns so I want to make light moments right now for what is to come. And if I reveal anything more, I would spoil the story. ;D
We also got a brief nod to a certain Togruta's quote in this chapter with Vader, Padmé, and handmaidens. ;D
May the Force be with you all always.