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Chapter two
« Padme, » Darth Vader called.
Adelaide heard a depressurization noise and felt a presence right behind her. She froze because she knew who it was without needing to take a look. But, somehow, he seemed different. His voice seemed more human. She slowly turned around, wary of what she would find. Adelaide's eyes were to the level of his chest plate. It confirmed her suspicions. It was the same armored man, but he was holding his monstrous helmet under his arm. She rose her eyes to look at his face. She couldn't deny the man was handsome with blond curls falling over his neck. His eyes made her take a step back. They were unnaturally golden. He called her Padme. What a strange name.
Palpatine's words had revived Vader. He could – no, he had to take control of this dream to find out where Padme was. Turning his attention away from the constellations he couldn't make out, he focused on the woman in front of him. She seemed afraid of him even if he had taken his helmet off. Furthermore, she didn't react to her name as if she couldn't remember it. Then, his master's words lingered in Vader's mind – a new name, new memories -. Vader pulled himself together. This was going to be more complicated than he expected. He needed to gain her trust again, then make her fall for him again.
« Padme? No, my name is Adelaide, » she said.
Before he could reply, he felt like he was pulled away, like an invisible grip. She was getting farther and farther until he couldn't see her anymore. Then, he heard a ringtone. Suddenly, he was back on his bed aboard the Executor, and the ringtone was his commlink. He reached for it to see who dared to bother him.
« Someone is going to pay for this, « he thought. He turned on his commlink to check who the untimely caller was – Captain Piett informed him that Grand Admiral Thrawn wished to speak with him. He headed toward his office, which was adjacent to his sleeping quarters. He pressed a button on a console in the center of the room, and the holo of the Chiss Admiral appeared.
« What is it, Admiral? » Vader spit
« I may require your… expertise for my campaign on Lothal? » the Admiral replied with a very calm voice
« Why? Can a Grand Admiral not handle a dozen of criminals? » the Sith Lord replied harshly, stressing out the Chiss rank.
« It would seem there are at least three Force users of this backwater planet. An occurrence rare enough to be pointed out, » the Grand Admiral replied, not minding Vader's harsh response.
« Fine. Send me the information, » Darth Vader replied after a short silence before ending the communication. A second later, a report appeared on his datapad. He paced up and down his quarters for a moment before pausing in front of the mirror. Three force users gathered at the same spot could pose a threat, but they were the least of his worries for now.
« Adelaide, » the name rolled on his tongue. He couldn't make out the homeworld where the name came from. The mysterious name and the mysterious constellations only increased his inner confusion. Maybe, interrogating some traitor would help clear his mind. With that, he headed toward the detention center.
« I'm confused. So you dreamt about him, again, » Kate was baffled. « Lucky you, your dream man intrigued me so much that I did some research about dream sense,» Kate kept talking as she and Adelaide walked toward the cafe. She seemed oblivious to her friend's are-you-kidding-me look. After the two girls had ordered their drinks, Kate got out of her bag some women's magazines.
« So, according to this, » Kate flipped through the pages. « For one thing, your subconscious is trying to tell you something. Secondly, you probably met this person somewhere, and your brain took in his face ». Adelaine rolled her eyes at Kate
« For one thing, what is my subconscious trying to tell me? Secondly, if I had met a guy wearing a huge armor, I would have noticed it, wouldn't I, » Adelaide retorted.
« Well, dreams interpretation is not an exact science, » Kate answered back.
« You tell me, » Adelaide replied.
The sky was slowly getting pink-colored – a signal that the sun would soon come down – when Adelaide returned to her small apartment. She threw her bag and shoes in a corner before collapsing on her couch. Her mind began drifting away to the dream man. She couldn't deny that he was handsome, except for the creepy eyes.
Meanwhile, in a galaxy far, far away, Vader brutally interrogated a rebel. The rebel was nothing but a whining mess. Having sensed that the prisoner would not tell any more information, Vader rose his red lightsaber, ready to end his life, when a warming presence engulfed him.
« Padme – or rather Adelaide, » he thought. She was probably unconsciously trying to reach me. « So she thinks about me, » that thought brought some warmth to his cold heart. However, that raised more questions. Could the girl be Force-sensitive? Without warning, memories from a past life returned to the surface.
Eighteen years ago, Mace Windu had just left to arrest Chancellor Palpatine and had ordered Anakin Skywalker to stay inside the Jedi Council Chamber. He was lost. His wife could die in childbirth, and Master Yoda had told him to let it go if it's the Force's will. But, Anakin couldn't let that happen. On top of that, the Council did not trust him despite all he had achieved during the Clone War. He was looking at the sunset through the window. Tears were running along his cheeks. Suddenly, he felt even sadder and more lost before realizing those additional feelings were not his. Meanwhile, across the Senate district, Padme was also looking a the sunset, afraid of what the future would hold for her husband and unborn baby.
Anakin always thought that the child was Force-sensitive and, thus, could have passed this ability to Padme to a certain extent. His master said that their soul and body were the same. But could she be somewhat different from his dead wife? He was back in the holding cell a second later – his lightsaber still ignited. He gripped the handle tighter. On the one hand, he knew he should end the rebel's life.
On the other hand, Padme – or Adelaide – would surely feel his rage, his anger. She would feel when he would take de man's life. No, he failed to protect his wife eighteen years prior. He would not fail this time. Here was the whole point: protecting his – now reincarnated – wife. If she were to live with him, then the Galaxy needed to be pacified, meaning the rebel scum needed
to die. He retracted the blade of his lightsaber, solving his dilemma. The rebel would die, but later when Adelaide could not sense it.
Anger, resentment, rage. Adelaide had never felt anything like this before. At the same time, it felt like she was the one experiencing them, yet it felt like those emotions were someone else's. She was alone on my couch, so there was no reason I would feel such rage. A bright starry night had fallen on New York City. Adelaide got up from her couch and headed toward her balcony. She leaned on the barrier to look at the stars. A thought crossed her mind. She wondered if her dreamy man could see them but quickly dismissed the idea. It was a silly idea. The man was just the fruit of her imagination. Somehow, she felt the stars were linking them. The dreamy man had already appeared in total darkness like a night sky without any moon or stars. The second time, he appeared in Cherry Springs State Park, where she used to go stargazing.
Darth Vader made his way back toward the detention back. On his way, he scanned the Force to ensure Adelaide wasn't around. He had made his decision. He wanted Adelaide, and he wanted her by his side. For this, the Galaxy needed to be pacified. The rebel and all his companions had to die. He reached the cell, ignited his lightsaber, and struck. The rebel never stood a chance. He would crush them all. For years, his only goal had been to serve his master, especially after his numerous failed attempts to bring Padme back. Since then, he had only cared about increasing his powers and connection to the Force. Perhaps, it was a blessing in disguise. His grown powers would allow him to dispose of his master and claim the Galaxy for Padme and him as he had promised almost twenty years ago. His deeper connection to the Force would help him find Padme. It seemed everything had led to this moment. The puzzle was set up piece by piece.
Still standing on her balcony, Adelaide felt some elation, but it was weird as she had no reason to feel something like this. Sure, she had a good life, but she was just an ordinary student.
A few hours later, she was ready to go to bed. Somehow, she wasn't as scared anymore. She had seen the human face of the armored creature. Sure, she didn't know where all of this would lead.
« What the hell? » Adelaide exclaimed.
Author's note: What did you think of it? I'd love to hear your thoughts. I know this story may seem a little bit inconsistent so far. Well, it's just the beginning, and I'm just planting seeds.