Growing up

The years past swiftly as they have a habit of doing. Rather than being free of the Trade Federation, the Queen had been forced to flee with the aid of the Jedi evacuating as much of the planet as possible they lived as refugees on Alderaan. Naboo was one of the first to fall to the Trade Federation. They were many others that followed her.

Senator Palpatine was voted in Chancellor too late to help Naboo. As soon as he took office he sent the militia to help the refugees from Naboo as he did all the Core planets. Thus, a war that would have taken ten years to start barely took two. War broke out around the galaxy. The planets fought within themselves and with other planets for dominance in a dying Republic. Qui-Gon fell at the hands of Darth Maul, who left Obi-Wan alive to prove the existence of the Sith while Anakin was in training, too young to be an effective Sith.

The Galaxy lost much without the help of a young Anakin Skywalker on Naboo. As the years past, Palpatine ordered Anakin to commit acts of horror, the next act even more grotesque than the last. Anakin cried to his mother at night, the horrors of those acts. And Shmi stood by helpless to stop him, reminding him of the good that was still there. She knew that even though they wore no restraints, there were no trackers within their bodies; they were as much of a slave as they ever had been. Shmi prayed to the gods she still believed it to help her son, to save him from Sidious evil influence. And so it was inevitable that Padme and Anakin were to meet again.

Sidious fed the anger, and whenever he succeeded he gave him a planet at a whim. Anything material he would give him. What frustrated him to no end was how he always asked for things for his mother never himself. Whenever Anakin failed he didn't punish Anakin but his mother, which kept him in line.

At fifteen, Anakin admitted to himself that he was handsome. He was a good catch if he did say so himself. The Chancellor was ready to take up the mantle of Emperor to officially turn the shambles of a Republic into a Galactic Empire. Vader, as Sidious called him, along with Maul and an army of Clone Troopers who had stayed hidden from the Jedi, arrived at the Temple without a sound and using the Force were able to access the Temple. Anakin and Maul split up as they slid around the Temple. Anakin heard the snap-hiss of a lightsaber and knew that Maul had started on his vengeful task. Anakin was stealthy and he had a different mission in mind. He snuck into the archives and began using his mechanic skills to slice into the terminal. He heard a lightsaber behind him but he didn't look up.

"Are you a Sith?" he heard and he frowned, as he began to access the correct files.

"I am," he replied as he read through the information.

"What do you want from me?" the man persisted. Anakin sighed; he wanted to be left alone so he could figure out how to free himself and his mother.

"I want nothing from you. I would stay away from my partner though."

"He's the one terrorizing the Jedi?"

"Maul, of course, he enjoys it." Anakin replied, frowning. How was he ever going to break a Sith bond with his master. This wasn't any good.

"Did you say Maul?"

"Yeah," Anakin replied. "I thought at least you Jedi would have an answer."

"What are you looking for?" the other man asked.

"A way to break bonds," he replied. The man disengaged his lightsaber.

"You aren't going to kill me?"

"Not at the moment."

"Who are you?" the man asked him.

"My master refers to me as….Darth Vader."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi." Anakin stopped and looked at him. Where had he last heard that name?

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," he repeated slowly.

"Have we met before?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, not directly," Anakin replied. "I see that you did make it off Tattooine," he replied. He moved over and typed in a password.

"I am sorry…." He paused; he could not call him that Sith name, "I am not a Master."

"Neither am I," Anakin replied.

"How do you know about Tattooine?" A ghost of a smile appeared on the young Sith's face.

"You might say I'm responsible for your return to your Temple."

"A Sith?"

"Look Jedi I wasn't born a Sith. Move over," Anakin began slicing through some more security.

"Here it is. You must have a new master, only then can you break the bond."

Anakin frowned. How was he to find another Sith that wouldn't be as bad as the one he served? He wouldn't serve Maul; there was something downright vicious about him.

"You could always find a Jedi."

"After being abandoned by a Jedi, thanks but I'll pass." Anakin frowned. He had shielded his thoughts better than that, hadn't he? Obi-Wan frowned as well, he hadn't intestinally read the Sith's thoughts, it was like they were being projected toward him.

"Well, I guess I had better get down to business. I'll give you a chance. Run. Leave this place."

"No."

"Then you won't be the first Jedi's blood on my hands."

"But I will be the last. You will not kill me. I can help you. I am a Jedi Knight. You could become my apprentice."

"You said it yourself, Obi-Wan, I am a Sith. Good-luck Obi-Wan."

"In my experience there is no such thing as luck." And with that Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi left each other, each a little puzzled. Anakin fought the masters of the order, and defeated them. Then he found himself in a Jedi's room, trying to build barriers around his encounter with Obi-Wan. He had to hide it from his master, but Obi-Wan's words kept resounding in his head. Become my apprentice. Why did he want to do just that? He entered the younglings room and sighed, if he didn't make them disappear, his master would wonder. He knelt down near a young Tortuga. "Hello, young one."

"What's going to happen to us?" Anakin could see the tunnels.

"You will escape. Now! Go!" They fled and Anakin turned on his heel, manipulating the security holos to show him slaughtering the children. He then build barriers around his mind, hoping his master wouldn't probe to deeply he would hate for his mother to suffer for his weakness.

He met back up with Maul and together they helped the temple fall. He hoped that Obi-Wan had escaped.

"How many did you get?" Maul asked him.

"When will you learn?" Anakin asked, "It's not about quantity it's about quality. Slaughtering padawans isn't really a challenge," Anakin taunted.

"Keep it up, Vader, and one day you will find yourself at the wrong end of my lightsaber."

"Or our master will finally get tired of having you for a pet," Anakin snapped as they boarded a starship and prepared for the next destination.