It had been one week since he had left Tatooine.
Chinnatah was still glad of the change. While Vader continued pushing him to his limits, the Sith Lord never tried to force him to do something he absolutely did not want to do, as the Tuskens had tried to do. He had the feeling that might one day change, but he was willing to enjoy the slice of freedom for as long as it lasted.
Other than when he had to send images, Chinnatah was rarely required to touch the strange energy field Vader had spoken of. He suspected that the Sith Lord wanted him to become more familiar with his new life before trying to jump that particular chasm, which was fine with him, as he was always finding new things to learn.
Still, he felt a glimmer of curiosity toward the mysterious force. How did it work? What were the different ways to use it? Did he even really want to find out?
He padded quietly toward Vader's practice room as only Tusken Raiders could, but he somehow sensed that the dark man didn't need to hear him to know he was coming. The energy field must be very powerful indeed...
Chinnatah entered the practice room and stood still in the doorway, gazing in front of him.
Vader was standing in one place while silently turning a sleek, shiny metal object over in his gloved hands. He seemed to almost revere the object, though Chinnatah did not know what it was.
At last, the dark man began to talk. "This is called a lightsaber, and it is a very important weapon to the Sith. Its blade slices through nearly anything, except for the blade of another lightsaber." To emphasize his point, Darth Vader flicked its switch, and a long red beam of energy protruded from the handle. The lightsaber hummed, the noise serving as a quiet testament to its power.
The youth stared at the saber, feeling as if an inevitable part of his life had finally slid into place.
****
Obi-Wan stared into space, startled to suddenly find his index finger lightly stroking his lightsaber. A frown creased his brow.
He was worried again, which made it harder to split his concentration. He had been following Leia's presence, hiding her light in the Force from Vader and Palpatine once again, when suddenly concern for the well-being of her twin had jumped into his mind.
Where was Luke? Had Vader already twisted him? If so, why did he rarely feel any ripples from the Force?
The boy was strong, that Obi-Wan knew. And as much as Obi-Wan hated to admit it, Luke possessed a lot more Force potential than Obi-Wan and Leia did.
Should Vader succeed in thoroughly wiping the boy's mind of good—which, Obi-Wan reflected with a grimace, probably wouldn't be that much of a challenge since Luke had been raised by Tusken Raiders—then there would not be much hope for the Jedi's rise. Leia, while skilled in combat, was not meant for the battlefield. And Obi-Wan did not think he could face Anakin—no, Vader—again. Certainly, he didn't think he could defeat the Sith Lord.
Obi-Wan sighed, trying to let the Force come over him and quell his ever-present doubts.
****
Leia felt her breath catch in her throat. She was about to be introduced to the Emperor. Strangely, his second-in-command was not with him, but she counted that as a blessing. Meeting both of them at the same time might prove to be a little too much for her to handle.
"My daughter, Princess Leia Organa," Bail offered.
Palpatine's evil yellow eyes stared at her, and she could not help but feel yet again that he was trying to see into her soul. She thought she saw a small frown crinkle his forehead, but it was quickly covered up, and Palpatine muttered, "Yes..."
Soon, the moment was over, and she was moved on by her father to greet other people. She wanted to heave a sigh of relief, but she was certain she could feel the tyrant's gaze watching her every move.
****
Chinnatah stared at the lightsaber in his hands, delicately moving his wrist, testing the perfect balance of the weapon. It hummed and buzzed with every movement, singing the song he chose to orchestrate.
Tusken Raiders had never possessed any weapons remotely similar to this...
The dark human was full of surprises.
He felt a faint flicker of something from Vader. He frowned. Had he been accidentally projecting images towards the dark man? He hadn't been thinking about anything that should have caught Vader's attention. Slightly confused, he sent a curious probe toward the Sith Lord.
At last, the dark man spoke. "You are human, too, you know."
A jolt went through Chinnatah, and he stared incredulously at Vader. What was he talking about? Chinnatah sent a feeling toward Vader that was both demanding and questioning.
"You were not born of a Tusken Raider; you are human. You were probably kidnapped from your true family as a child."
Chinnatah made an adamant Tusken signal of denial. Vader was wrong. Arr't'ni was his mother, Xyd'rr'u his father. He had been born into the Tusken clan. He belonged with the Tuskens. Why would Vader think otherwise?
"You do not belong with the Tusken Raiders," Vader said, seeming to sense his thoughts. "You are human, as am I."
Chinnatah threw the dark man a Force rejection, backing up a few steps and suddenly dreading how he had thrown off his Tusken garb so quickly upon meeting him.
Uneasily, the youth noticed that the Dark Lord was quiet for a moment, as if dredging up a long-forgotten part of his past.
At last, however, the dark man spoke. "I have seen the faces they possess beneath the rags. Yours is not like theirs." To emphasize his point, Vader conjured up an image in Chinnatah's head. The face that gazed at him in his mind's eyes was slackened and lifeless, with hardly any resemblance to a human's.
No! the youth's whole being shouted. That couldn't be the face of a Tusken Raider. He was one of the Sand People. Vader was trying to trick him.
Wasn't he?
What did the dark man gain from deceit? Why was he telling him this?
Confusion spiraling through his system, Chinnatah made the hand signal of denial. No! His was the face of a Tusken Raider. That image was not!
Darth Vader put another image into his mind. "That is an example of a typical human male, a man who could be very well be like your father."
Chinnatah made the defiant gesture again. He was sired by Xyd'rr'u, one of the Sand People...
Wasn't he?
With a quick flicker of fear, he realized he had done something utterly wrong. He had allowed himself to be blinded by this powerful dark man who brought nothing but deceit, this human who had encouraged his doubts about everything he'd ever known.
Fear flitting through his system, Chinnatah shot out the door and then out into the corridor. He felt Vader reach out toward him for a second before giving up, apparently deciding that he needed some time alone to ponder what he'd been told.
Oh, he would have time alone, all right, Chinnatah promised himself. He headed straight toward Vader's area of the hangar, jumping into the TIE/Advanced fighter that Vader had designed and taught him to fly.
A human technician nearby recognized him and thought nothing of his appearance, not even questioning his take-off. He was granted clearance without having to say a word.
Vader had never let him take the TIE into hyperspace, but he knew how.
Fingering the rock collection in the pouch at his side, Chinnatah hurried to start the hyperspace sequence before the dark man knew what he was doing.
It was only when the stars blurred into hyperspace that he gave himself the luxury of releasing the breath he'd been holding. He was going home.
****
Darth Vader could have kicked himself. Or perhaps I should find someone to chop off one of my hands again, he thought darkly.
All the youth had needed was time alone, he had thought.
He should have realized the thrice-cursed child was more slippery than that. When Vader entered the docking bay, he did so with anger so great that even the few technicians nearby, who were giving him a wide berth, could feel it. It was with blind rage that he Force-swept a slow hyperdrive mechanic out of the way, slamming him into the wall and into unconsciousness.
As he took off in his personal TIE/Advanced fighter, which was warmed up as it always was (one day, the technicians had found out what happened when it was not ready to leave at any moment, and he was certain they would never make that mistake again), he prayed to the Force that he could somehow turn this event to his advantage.
The Emperor certainly wouldn't be happy if he found out Vader let the boy out of his grasp. But if all went well, Palpatine would never find out.