Anakin had somehow survived the near fatal encounter mere eleven years before. It left his left leg damaged, and he now limped when he walked, but even that didn't hinder the fourteen year old as he managed to do what he did next. Escape the Imperial Palace.
I'd been years since the Republic (and the Jedi along with it) had been crushed, leaving former Chancellor Palpatine to declare himself ruler of the whole galaxy. In other words, the bastard was now Emperor. Now, Anakin was his servant of the Force, his minion for all of his evil deeds, and Anakin couldn't take it anymore. His master was one of the most evil men in the galaxy, and now he ruled it all. Well, nearly all of it. He still had to require Allderaan, which had remained to itself the whole time, defending its people from the Empire if necessary. Anakin could stand the evil things he was forced to do without remorse, but he couldn't stand it when his master took on slaves.
He had been there, the day that the Emperor enslaved a new girl. Except, she was more than a girl, she was a beautiful woman. And Anakin had never seen a woman defy his master in such a way, forcing him to leave marks on her after his beatings. Even in the dead of space, she was forced to wear nothing but a revealing bikini, and was made to sit on the deck of the ship, all of the crew staring at her marvelous form. He felt sorry for her, he really did, for having to wear such uncomfortable clothing that offered no warmth. But he was his master's slave himself, and he had no place to object.
So, here he was, escaping the horrible man who had done such horrible things to that woman. But his heart sank as he saw that his ship was compounded, and his master was standing there, an evil grin marring his wrinkled face.
Padme saw what happened from the almost abandoned deck on the ship. She'd seen Vader here and there, and every now and again, but never had she seen his master lash out at him like he did in that moment of time. She looked out of the window and saw the poor boy fall to the ground, jerking around by the effects of Sith lightning. His knees came into contact with the floor as he collapsed roughly to the ground, his eyes wide and his screams laced with agonizing pain. She looked on towards the attack taking place, seeing that Vader's body had stopped surging, and to see that his master was walking towards him, a whip in his hand. She turned away, so as to only hear his terrorized screams.
Anakin couldn't remember being in such terrifying pain before. Electrical surges swept up and down his body, rendering his limbs utterly useless. He tried getting up many times, to move away from the onslaught of pain. But he found that his master was suppressing his access to the Force, binding him to the ground so he could move away. Then it stopped, the pain stopped and Anakin allowed his body to relax against the cold metal floor of the ship. He was surprised when the whip cracked and he could feel his skin break, emitting red blood to ooze from the wounds. Anakin clenched his eyes shut, praying that it would be over soon.
Padme turned back towards the window when his screams were only echoes in the distance. She saw him lying on the floor of the now empty holding area, his form not moving. Her breath hitched in her throat, His master killed him!
She knew that she should be happy; the dark lord's apprentice was supposedly dead. But she couldn't help but feel for the sad boy. He looked to be only two to three years younger than she was. Yet, when he should be out living life to it's fullest, he was here serving the evilest man on the galaxy. He was the commander of countless armies, leading them in the destruction of whatever was left of the Republic. She assumed that he had a family out there somewhere, that he didn't just materialize out of thin air, but would a parent really want something like this for their son's future?
She sighed in relief as she saw him struggling to his feet, and limping up the steps to the deck, his movements strained and restricted. She stood in front of her seat, facing him when he should show himself from the top of the stairs. It would be soon now; she could hear his boots clunking upon the metal stairs. He was the only person she didn't mind being next to, for even in her revealing clothes, he never took his eyes away from hers. His gaze never swept up and down her, imagining what he could do with her to satisfy his own pleasures.
This much surprised her. He was the Dark Lord's Apprentice, she expected him to be more like his master, not to mention older. The way he handled himself, how he spoke, and how he acted, told her at first that he must be at least 17. But to her surprise, one of the kitchen staff had let slip that he was only 14!
She was brought out of her musings, as the injured Vader limped past her, giving her a passing glance just as he always did when they crossed paths. But this time, his hurt, his grief, and any other anger or irritation that he had built up inside of him was showing through his crystal blue eyes, which had now turned a deep golden rod. This look of his eyes gave her a start, making her realize that no matter how nice he seemed compared to the evil ones around him, he was still the Sith Lord's apprentice. And he was trained to have no such emotions for others. He had been doomed to his horrible fate the moment he'd become that man's apprentice.
Anakin walked past his master's slave girl, giving her a sparing glance as he always did. But what he saw in her eyes was not the normal static control of her emotions, but concern that was slowly ebbed away by fear. He smiled to himself as he realized that her fear had occurred as she peered into his eyes, as they had turned yellow from his pain and anger. Normally, he could control his eye color, making his anger apparent by his yellow eyes, but this time was different. Anakin wasn't sure why and that scared him close to insanity.
He stalked down empty halls, only passing a few patrol men every so often. But they never gave him a second glance, for his yellow eyes and his hateful aura told them to keep their distance. He climbed into the turbo lift, and pressed the button for it to take him to his level. The ride was very silent, except for the occasional moans and groans from the turbo lifts' mechanisms, protesting at having to carry yet another person up 15 levels.
Anakin got out of the lift when it slowly came to a stop in front of the door to his apartments. He punched in the code to gain his entrance, and stepped inside, finding his 'home' lonely and quiet as it always was.
Anakin wasn't able to heal his wounds, for his master had restricted him from touching the Force. So the only thing he could do to make sure they didn't become infected, was to do the most painful thing he could think of. Take a hot shower. Anakin softly stepped inside the tub and let the hot water pound on his back and seep into his cuts. He hissed in pain, but kept it all to a minimum. He closed his eyes and allowed his pain to consume him, making the Dark Side of the Force surround him. It buzzed in his pain, making him stronger. And if there were a person with him in the fresher at this moment, the only thing that would be visible through the fog of the shower would be his luminescent, yellow eyes that hid the tragedies of his life.
Padme was dragged to her master's room, and forced to looking into his evil eyes. He smiled wickedly at her emotions that she was broadcasting towards him. His yellow eyes traveled up and down her curvaceous body, taking in her delicious form. Watching him do this make her stomach begin to heave; he was absolutely disgusting.
"So my slave, how has your first week among my crew?"
Padme snorted, "Your Admirals and Lieutenants are absolutely perverted, and the way you treat those below you is disgraceful."
The Lord cackled, "And by those below me, you mean dear Vader?"
Padme froze, she hadn't been expecting for him to say something like that.
"Ahhh, so my suspicions are correct. Let me assure you, Vader will show you no compassion in return. No matter what happens in the near future, his training will remind him of the fact that Sith are allowed none of these emotions."
Before she knew what was happening, an invisible hand grabbed her right wrist and pulled her into him. She put her hands on his shoulders, trying to pull away, but he wrapped his arms around her waist and he used the Force to hold her still. Padme's mind went reeling as she projected one thought to anyone that might hear, 'Please, help me.'
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Lord of the Dull
