Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to Jackson Hole next week ,so next update might be a couple days late. Anyway, I'll continue to update weekly. If any of you have ideas for chapter titles I would be delighted to hear them. I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter ! - Kiera
CHAPTER 5
Vader was in a dark cell that reeked of fish. He tried to unlock to cell door before noticing the rusty,old handcuff that bound him to that the damn ysalamir. He was helpless, and it bothered him immensely. Vader hated being trapped, it reminded him of his past enslavement. All he could do was plan and reflect. When did his wife become so agile? Sure, he always knew she was a highly capable woman, and he suspected that she was increasing in physical strength. But, he never expected her to best him in a fight, as usual he let his arrogant, prideful nature get the best of him. Deep down, he felt a slight sense of thoughts were interrupted by a dull pain in his side. His gut still ached and his head throbbed. Still, he was determined to break out of here. He had escaped worse prisons. It didn't matter that it was his wife that put him in this hell hole, he had to escape.
So, he just sat there and racked his brain for any means of freedom. Sometimes, his mind would wander and he would remember his old Jedi days. Other days, he would just stare blankly at the ceiling. It was incredibly boring ,but it was better than the little sleep he sustained. All he could dream about were those voices in the shadows. As he awoke sweating from one of his nightmares, he felt the urge to meditate. Perhaps it could relax his mind and he could finally receive some peaceful slumber. His breathing slow and his vision blurred as he was swept away in a distant memory.
The heat was unbearable, and that was coming from someone who lied on a desert planet. He noticed that he as gripping a blue lightsaber. Lava cascaded from cliffs and formed a churning river of molten rock. The droid he was standing on wobbled under his weight. In the distance , he could see another figure illuminated by a blue saber. '"Kenobi.", he snarled as he urged the droid further. The next few moment were a blur of motion and Obi wan let from his platform onto the black rocks. Vader could barely recognize the words Kenobi was saying before he left forward. His opponent gave him a deep wound on his thigh as well as a sharp jab to the shoulder. The lightsaber rolled away from his limp arm. Obi wan used the Force to stir a momentary dust cloud between them. Staggering, Vader groped for his lightsaber, while yelling curses at his adversary. When, the dust cleared Obi wan was gone and Vader was subjected to a grueling hike back to his shuttle.
Vader stirred from his reverie. A new wave of anger swept through him. Refreshed, he returned to sleep hoping for a lapse in his nightmares. This was his routine for an entire week until one night after a storm. Humongous waves had left some salt water puddles down in the steerage. Small droplets constantly dripped onto his face annoying him to no end. Then he remebered a crucial fact. Ysalamirs were extremely sodium intolerant. Just a few small droplets could kill it. Vader shifted so that the droplets were positioned right above the open mouth of the sleeping ysalamir. Like that, his power returned. He bent away the bars and unlocked the cuffs. Finally, he was free from that cell. He had to figure out a way to take Padmé with him though. Just then, he felt something in the Force, the strongest pull to the Dark side he had ever felt. It probably came from an old Sith temple that experimented with the force, tainting the area forever. The call seemed to be coming from a distant island off the port side of the boat. Even though it was at least 8 miles away, he could feel the pure dark energy. Come here. Come to the temple. Here you will find a way to make your wife love you again. The temptation was too much, Vader found a paddle boat hanging from the side of the deck and lowered it into the water. He jumped in and began his trek to the mysterious island.
Ahsoka felt a sense of uneasiness. There was a lot of dark energy near them. It unnerved her. As if on cue, the twins began to bawl, no doubt sensing it too. She could tell it came from an island surrounded by ash clouds. Something else was wrong also. Hopefully, it was just her nerves, but she knew better. As she reached the hold, she found a dead ysalamir and a mangled cell. Dammit! She thought as she raced to find Padmé. Padmé was equally distraught when she heard the news. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. Vader had obviously escaped and was now en route to the island. "Ahsoka, I need you to watch the kids while I go after him."
"No I should go, I should have known he would escape." Padmé put a comforting hand in her shoulder. " No, it's me he wants. I know how to sail better than you and you could be seduced by the Dark side." Ahsoka relented , Padmé could sometimes be very persuasive. She hugged her friend as she disembarked on a small sailboat into the heart of the danger.
Padmé had beached her boat in the black volcanic sand of the island. The air here was putrid and smoky. It hurt her throat just inhaling it. A strange red light came from a cave at the crest of the highest peak of a mountain. Groaning, she began climbing the mountain side. It took her at least two hours to reach the summit. She had minuscule scrapes everywhere and her hair was covered in dust. Warily, she entered the strange cave. Along the wall, there were violent illustrations below some sort of primitive Sith language. The tunnel went on for what seemed to be forever until opening into a strange room with an altar at the center. A glowing crystal was embedded into the altar and a man was hovering over it, his face illuminated by the sickly orange hue it exuded. In his right hand he held an ancient, rusty knife ready to slice his other palm with it. " Why are you doing this?" Padmé inquired. " Don't you see this is the only way. The only way you will ever love me. The temple, its telling me that the powers I will gain will save you." Vader replied angrily. " "Anakin, I'm not the one who needs saving." she retorted. " I already told you, I will never be able to follow you on this path. I told you, before you attacked me and nearly killed Obi wan. The only reason he escaped was because your cockiness overtook your sense of reason. Do you even realize that when you kill, you are destroying a soul? Not a droid, but a living, breathing human."
" Don't call me Anakin! " he screamed and with that, he cut his hand and placed it on top of the crystal. An inky black thing spewed from it, engulfing Vader. This place she realized was so attuned to the Dark side that it personified it. She was paralyzed in disgust and fear as the darkness wrapped itself around her lost husband.