Chapter 7
A few days later, after coming home from another Jedi slaying, Bane landed his galactic cruiser in the hangar of his fortress on Korriban and entered his throne room. Sitting down on the large Obsidian chair, he stretched. Setting his dual staffs in a stand next to the chair he pulled his hood down. He yawned and began plotting his next move to destroy the Jedi. Just as he had been thinking about the gorier details of torture, Ventress walked into the room holding Via and quietly singing a lullaby to her. Ventress got close to her husband and gently handed the baby over, Bane awkwardly positioned himself and took her. Cradling her, he saw she had her mother's eyes and his nose. He chuckled softly. Suddenly, Via began to cry loudly, Ventress said, "I sense that she's hungry. You'd better feed her Bane." Bane looked surprised and said, "Me? You're the one with the milk on your chest. It would be a better task for you to do. I was plotting." Ventress pursed her lips and took Via back. The baby wailed and started to wave her little arms. Suddenly small pieces of stone broke off from the wall and started flying around haphazardly. Ventress looked at Bane and said, "I'm not doing it." Bane looked and said, "Me neither, so it must be…her." Ventress looked at Via excitedly, nobody had ever shown such force power at a 3 days old!. Both parents knew what this meant, if trained properly, Via would grow to be one of the most powerful force users of all time.
Ventress left Bane to go and feed Via in privacy. While she was gone, Bane began plotting again, but this time it was not against Jedi. It was about his daughter. She had shown such aptitude for the force so early that if she ended up being pushed to the light, she would be able to destroy the Sith. Bane could not let that happen, he did not know anywhere else to send Via to learn the ways of the force, except the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. A Sith had purged the Jedi but they had slowly been able to come back, and Bane could not lead an attack there because it was so well guarded. He considered teaching her himself but he knew he would not have the time. He began to ponder deeply about who was to be her teacher. After a few minutes an idea came to him, one of the greatest Sith lords of all time had died in the light. But he now was a force spirit, able to go and come as he pleased. Just maybe…he could help. Reaching into the everlasting force, Bane began to search for the person he needed.
Ventress pulled her shirt back up and rocked Via. The little girl burbled and burped. Ventress said, "That's right, get comfortable. I'll read you a story in a little while and then put you down for your nap. That sounds good?" Via giggled in response. Ventress leaned over the crib and placed her daughter down gently. She leaned over and pulled 'The Little Wookie' from a nearby shelf and opened it. She began to read in a singsong voice about all the adventures of a little Wookie. But before she got midway, she heard gentle breathing and looked over at Via. The little girl was fast asleep, drooling onto the sheets of her crib. Ventress chuckled quietly and covered Via with a red blanket. It had small rabbits covering it. Ventress walked quietly out of the room and closed to door silently with the force. Walking through some passages, she found Bane again in his throne room. This time he was sitting straight upright and his eyes glowed white. Shocked for a moment, Ventress realized he was reaching into the force itself. She waited until he returned to find out why.
After about 30 minutes of waiting, Ventress saw Bane's eyes begin to fade back their normal color. After he was back, she said, "Why were you reaching into the everlasting? What were you looking for?" Bane said, "A trainer for Via, you saw her performance with those stones. Already she has such a command of the force. I've found the perfect person, and we don't have to pay him either. He also doesn't ever get hungry or tired." Ventress raised her eyebrows and said, "Who would this be?" Bane winked at her and said, "You'll see Ventress. You'll see." Bane and Ventress looked at each other for a few minutes and suddenly a blue glow began to appear next to bane. It got brighter until it started to fade and form into a human shape. The light continued to for until it went out altogether. Ventress gasped at the force spirit that stood there before her. Bane smiled at the spirit. A young Anakin Skywalker stood before them, wearing his Jedi Master robes. He grinned and said, "So where's the fighting and destruction?"
Ventress said breathlessly, "By the force! Anakin Skywalker I didn't know you preserved yourself in the force! After your son Luke killed you…" Anakin waved her quiet and said, "I chose to stay like this, but I died in the light. Now I understand that you two are Sith, and you want me to train your daughter in the ways of the force?" Bane nodded and said, "She is much the same as you Anakin, when you were younger. I have heard stories that you would sometimes unknowingly use the force." Anakin nodded thoughtfully. He said, "True, but the fact that she has shown such power so young means that she will need the power to control herself." Bane said, "Now that's where we need you. To teach her control." Anakin laughed. He said, "So you're telling me a Sith lord want's his daughter to learn control. It sounds to me as if you two are actually Jedi." Bane stared at him for a moment and then looked at Ventress. Ventress said, "We still consider ourselves Sith. But we are not as destructive as we were. You have to understand that now we strive to kill the Jedi because they put the force out of balance with their narrow minded ways." Anakin nodded and said, "I can understand that. Alright I'll take on Via as my apprentice. But seeing as I'm ethereal I need a body to transfigure and take on, at least for her training period."
Ventress jumped from her awestruck state and said, "I killed a medic the other day while giving birth, I believe his body is still on the upper floors, can you use it?" Anakin looked up, through the floor and said, "It seems okay, I'll be back in a minute." He floated up and away through the ceiling and out of sight. Bane beamed at Ventress. He said, "Well, it seems that we've got the greatest force user of all time to teach our little girl. Are you happy?" Ventress ran forward and through her arms around Bane. She kissed him and said, "Do you have a lightsaber? Of course I'm happy!" The two lovers kissed again and broke apart, each beaming at the other. A few minutes later they heard footsteps and looked up. There in full black robes stood Anakin Skywalker. He grinned and said, "Oh it feels good to actually breathe again. Now, when do it begin?"