I'd Rather Kiss a Wookie Chapter 9: It just a job with the Empire
Anastasia sighed softly as she waited in the cell. It was odd after so much time separated from the force by Vader that she was almost missing his presence surrounding her and trapping her in her own mind. She sat in the center of her cell and tilted her head back looking at the ceiling seeing nothing but the same color as the rest of the cell. With a sigh Anastasia flopped back lying down in the cell stretching her one arm out to the side.
"I can see again… yet I didn't miss it. Ok Star-farts let's see if you are looking yet." She closed her eyes and cast her mind out through the force, careful to not let her guard down so close to the Emperor. She couldn't be sure about everything he saw within her mind, and she hoped that he had not seen everything. She worried about Tarruffa with the Rebels and about Star-farts. It wasn't that she had been a child when choosing the code name for him, it was mostly a joke at what he had said when they first met. It was too dangerous for Anastasia to even know his real name; the fact that she had found his home had been troubling enough for him.
Anastasia had after Ferras went looking for more Jedi even though Tarruffa had tried to talk her out of it. She of course did not listen to him, Tarruffa had stubbornly followed her as she ran escapades across the galaxy looking for Jedi. It had been only of the only times she had fought with Tarruffa, it was such a loud and long fight that the rebels around were worried that Tarruffa would injure Anastasia, an unfortunate protocol droid had lost its arms in the course of that fight though.
Relaxing further Anastasia left her own memories behind and sought what…what she sought, she didn't know, she was just looking. Letting the force show her what it wanted she followed it through memory and time. Much of what it showed her she could not place, landscapes, buildings, oceans sometimes. It showed her different people, sometimes children other times the elderly. Anastasia did not hold onto any one face past what the force would show her. She didn't need to, the force would return their faces to her if she needed to know them. It was how she found Star-farts, through the force and images of the same place. The force was a tricky thing, if it wanted you to go somewhere it wasn't going to give you a map there. It wasn't long into her unsteady union with the rebels that she learned to look at the stars and remember their placement so she could find the locations later. Her force meditation took her somewhere she had not been in over five years, it took her home. It settled on a memory from Earth, one of her own. It was midsummer in Colorado, the sun blazing a beautiful eighty five degrees and a soft wind came off the mountains through the rolling hills that were the start of the flatlands. Long grass swayed in the wind and throughout the field small wild mountain flowers grew.
"Ani! Come on! Run run run! There you go! Keep going." Anastasia turned to see a five year old version of herself running dragging a kite behind her. Her father jogging along next to her. Anastasia smiled to herself as she watched the memory play out. The kite spun in loops through the air before the wind finally caught it and pulled it high into the sky.
"Daddy I got it! Look!"
"Good job! Give it more string. Hold on the wind is picking up!" the cord for the kite slipped from young Anastasia's hands and the kite whipped through the sky higher and higher it spun till it was little more than a colorful speck in the sky. Once the kite had disappeared from sight something in the air changed. Anastasia looked around finding the child version of herself and her father gone. She was alone in the field, and then the shadow passed over blocking out the sun. Anastasia looked up squinting and saw it, the death star hovering in orbit over the planet. Tears pricked Anastasia's eyes as she looked up at the sky at that doom waiting there. It was then that the laser came great and green; the scream of the laser drowned everything out then the screams of everyone on the planet dying all at once. Anastasia pulled away from the force closing herself off from it and opening her eyes she stared at the ceiling of the cell tears falling freely.
Her emotions turned dark as she cried again for her lost home. She hated the Empire, she hated the Emperor, she hated him, and she hated herself. The Emperor and the Empire were to blame for the death of her planet but more than that it was her own fault. Anastasia couldn't help but feel like Earth would be safe and happy if she hadn't been there if she hadn't been alive they would never have come. Earth had been safe in the outer rim, it had been remote. It was her fault.
Anastasia pushed out with the force, everything she felt her anger and sorrow she put towards the push. The room though it appeared seamless creaked and groaned with the pressure. She breathed out as she gave one final push and heard something metal snap within the room. She didn't push again or get up to see if she had broken the door, she just lay there too disappointed with herself to be bothered with ideas of escape or freedom. This is much how it would go for her, she would work through her emotions and let them go through the force. It was a process for her, a method to retain control. Star-farts hated that she used the force in this way.
He said it was the Sith way to control emotions. He was the one who had reluctantly trained her hoping that proper Jedi training would keep her from going dark. Before he would even train Anastasia he had demanded that she let her emotions go through meditation as it was the Jedi way. She had never been a good student to him, he had tried to get her to believe that the death of her world was not her fault but Anastasia couldn't let it go. Though she constantly was using the dark side of the force he never gave up on her, and for a while he believed he could keep her on the light and save the galaxy from one more dark-sider.
Anastasia wasn't sure if Star-farts still believed he could keep her on the straight and true but Anastasia assumed he had given up hope for her. It had been almost three years since she had seen him. Yet she could always tell he was keeping an eye on her through the force, much like the feeling that occurred when someone came into her range of awareness she could just sense when Star-farts was checking up on her.
A few hours later Anastasia had yet to move from her spot on the floor. It wasn't until the door made a grinding sound followed by some metallic clanking that she sat up. Anastasia didn't expect the door to still be shut or for the cursing that came from the other side to be so loud. Looking at the door Anastasia almost laughed, the interior of the door was oddly bent and she suspected that it was causing the door to jam. She didn't laugh only because it was the only way in or out of the room and she had just trapped herself in the room.
Outside the room the red guard who was trying to open the door cursed again as it did not budge. He glared at the door through his helmet visor, the rebel must have done something to the door locking herself in. Another red guard came over in a hurry.
"What are you doing? Open this door the Emperor wants to see the rebel."
"It wont open." The second red guard pushed the first out of the way and hit the key pad to open the door again. It made the same grinding and clanking sound as before and just as before it did not move an inch.
"What the… Get a droid over here that will get the door open." The first guard keyed a different code onto a wall panel and after a moment a little droid came rolling its way down the hall. It beeped several times as it stopped in front of a wall port and connected. This time when the door tried to open the grating was louder and a visible tremor went through the door. Such a strain was put on the door to open by the droid that there was the sound of metal tearing followed by a pop as the door shuddered to a stop and fell silent.
The droid made several beeps and boops and tried to open the door again yet this time it wouldn't make a sound. It detached from the wall and rolled away.
"It broke it completely…" one of the guards said is disbelief as he watched the droid roll away.
"There is no other option, we have to cut the door open."
Twenty minutes later and two droids were only a third of the way through cutting the door open. Darth Vader walked up to the guards and droids. The Emperor was getting impatient waiting for the two guards to bring Anastasia before him.
"What are you doing? The Emperor is tired of waiting because of your incompetence." Vader said making himself known to the two guards. The snapped to attention and said.
"Lord Vader! The rebel has done something to the door and we cant get it open. We are cutting her out now." If the guards could see Vaders face they would have been terrified.
Vader gestured at the door ripping it free where the droids had partly cut it and bending out where it was still attached. As he did this several pieces of broken metal fell from the interior of the door onto the floor.
"Get out here now." Vader said to Anastasia who was looking out from the bottom portion of the door that was now open. She didn't wait long to listen to him, she crawled out under the partly open door and stood once in the hall. The Red guards made to take hold of her arm but stopped when Vader spoke.
"I will deliver her to the Emperor, clean up this mess and change rotation. The Emperor will not be forgiving of this inconvenience."
"Yes Lord Vader." The two guards said in unison as Vader began to walk away, Anastasia followed after him. Anastasia looked at Vader after walking next to him in silence before she asked.
"Is the Emperor going to kill those men?" Vader looked down at her but did not respond, in fact he did not say a single thing to her the entire time they walked. Vader did not lead Anastasia to the throne room but further into the palace, not that she would know which way was out. The place was so large that she wondered if multiple buildings hadnt been made into one for the purpose of the palace. They ended up at some private rooms and upon entering Anastasia was assaulted by the unrestricted force of the Emperor. Anastasia staggered still but felt almost more accustomed to the sheer amount of power the Emperor held now. It wasn't so disabling as last time.
"Lord Vader, what trouble was our rebel jedi creating that took so long?"
"She broke the door to her cell Master." Vader stated simply moving to stand to the side of the room. Anastasia remained relatively in place unsure what to do in the presence of the Emperor. As it was she did not need to worry about what to do as the Emperor spoke directly to her.
"You are rather rash with your connection to the force. Whatever Jedi taught you they couldn't have been strong at all. You already rely so much on your emotion for your strength. My apprentice did not tell me that you were from that pitiful planet we tested my battle station's crowning glory on. It is almost a pity, that planet showed some promise to be useful. It would have progressed rapidly if it had survived I think. So content to stay on one rock, how a jedi came from that planet I will never understand."
"How do you know so much about Earth?"
"You are not the only one who can hear the echoes of a dead planet through the force. That isn't really what you are concerned about is it?" Anastasia took a few more steps towards both the Emperor and Vader refusing to get within ten feet of either of them she said.
"No, I want to know what will happen to me now."
"Lord Vader, remind me how this rebel was captured." The Emperor said ignoring Anastasia.
"She and three others were trying to infiltrate the Death Star when they were found out. She was fighting and when she saw me she surrendered her lightsaber. Upon interrogation she offered herself to the service of the Empire."
"It is a very curious way to join the Empire. Now why after being a thorn in our side for five years would you suddenly betray the rebels and ask to join us?"
"I want to have a chance at surviving and the rebels have put me in more danger away from the Empire than I have ever been when surrounded by the Empires forces. I don't need to change the galaxy or be a revolutionary, I just want to be able to survive. For the sake of the home that isn't there anymore." The Emperor laughed at Anastasia who just looked down at the floor.
"Surviving for the sake of your destroyed planet by serving those who destroyed it. Why would you come to us instead of just hide away on some uncivilized planet like the other jedi who still live?"
"The first jedi I came across cut my arm off, the second was killed by a bounty hunter who was working for the empire. I don't want to be hunted."
"I can't be bothered with someone as weak as you are, yet you might prove useful. Lord Vader I leave this rebel in your charge, if she becomes too much of a pain kill her." The Emperor said then turned his chair around and left the room. Vader walked towards Anastasia ushering her towards the door. Once in the hall Anastasia waited to let Vader lead as she had no idea where she was going in this place.
"So does this mean that I am your apprentice officially?" Anastasia asked when Vader responded he did not slow his pace or turn to look at her.
"Officially no you are not. Being the Emperor's apprentice I myself cannot have an apprentice of my own. If the Emperor wanted he could take you on as a second apprentice though I doubt he would bother. He does not concern himself with anything but power. You would only be an interest to him if you were at least on my level."
"That's not conceded at all." Anastasia muttered as she followed after Vader. He paused and turned towards her.
"You think that you could beat me in a battle?"
"I never said that, only that it is a bit conceded of you to assume that someone less powerful than you isn't in some way on your level."
"How are you on my level then?"
"Well I have more of my body intact than you do."
"Want me to remedy that?" Vader shot back with a menacing tone. Anastasia held up her hand waving it lightly and said.
"No No, I don't think I want to try fighting with you for real. I have no illusions that I would be missing pieces if we fought."
"If you want to keep your remaining limbs I suggest you don't boast about it."
"I am curious however, what is my place if I am no one's apprentice yet a jedi with the empire." Vader continued walking before answering.
"You are no different from an officer in the imperial army. You follow orders and aren't familiar with your superiors."
"No one aside from the Emperor is familiar with you, no one else has a rank that comes close to yours."
"You are forgetting your place already."
"Honestly I don't plan on following orders from anyone who is lower than me. Just as you don't listen to anyone weaker than you."
"I don't see how you ended up with the rebels with that mentality."
"I was paying off a debt to them that is all. Now I have cause to fight them."
"I don't really care. This is where you are staying tonight. In the morning, wait for me at the front entrance." Vader said stopping next to a door, Anastasia pushed the switch and it slid open smoothly. Inside was a room that could for the palace be called modest. It was still nicer than anywhere she had stayed before.
"Alright… and thank you." Vader didn't say anything but turned quickly and walked off. Anastasia watched after him for a moment watching him walk away with purpose in his step. To her he never seemed to relax, even when he had been lounging in his quarters on the Death Star he was still tense. She was beginning to wonder if he ever did allow himself to relax. When Vader turned the corner she was left alone in the hall and she finally entered the room that she had been given for the night.
"Hmm I guess I shouldn't expect anything less in the imperial palace. How did things turn out this way? I guess I did ask for this, but I never expected to be taken before the Emperor himself. Though I guess I shouldn't have expected anything else being the rebel jedi and all… I hope Tarruffa is doing well." Anastasia mused to herself as she sat on the edge of the bed, it was so soft that she practically sank into it.
Anastasia thought back to the moment she realized that she was not free with the rebellion. She had just returned from another failed attempt to find more jedi. The rebel leaders had requested she return to help with a mission. Tarruffa was of course with her, she rarely left the rebel base without him. Mostly because she couldn't pilot the starships with one arm. When she had landed she was met by one of the rebels who was in charge, his name was Cimon. Cimon had pulled Anastasia off to the side away from Tarruffa and the others.
'Anastasia, we need you here.'
'I come every time you ask me to, what do you need me to do this time?'
'We need you to stop running around the galaxy hunting for dead jedi. You are too important to the rebellion to lose on one of these rough planets. If the jedi want to find you wouldn't they come to us?'
'Not necessarily. After the destruction of the jedi order when the empire came into power they have all gone into hiding. There have been a lot of false calls for them to regroup, those that responded were killed and those that didn't found out and went deeper into hiding. I cant expect them to come to us just because of a rumor. I need to go find them and show them that I am no threat.'
'That is what lost you your arm. You have only found one jedi and he was a lunatic who tried to kill you. Anastasia you owe it to us to be here.' Anastasia frowned at this as Cimon had gone from concerned to serious.
'I have repaid that debt ten times over now. I think I am entitled to go looking for other jedi if I want.'
'And that Starship? Have you repaid that? Everything you have is because of us. We need you here and you owe us your allegiance.'
'Cimon I am warning you, if you push this I will push back. I may have only one arm but that is more than enough to cripple the rebellion beyond repair.'
'And I am warning you Anastasia, one word from me and you can lose everything that you have become accustomed to. Including your friends. Stay and help us and everything can stay as it is now. Tarruffa can follow you between bases like he always has and you can still be free of the empire.' Anastasia put on a fake smile and said.
'Perhaps you are right, maybe it is too dangerous looking for jedi. Besides after we reinstate the republic the remaining jedi will have no reason to hide and I can find then a lot easier that way.'
'I'm glad you see it that way, as for your next mission. We will be infiltrating the Death Star to steal its schematics. Once we have those we can destroy it and save other planets from the fate of yours.'
'Sneaking on the Death Star. I guess that I don't need to ask if Tarruffa would be coming with me. So who is leading our rag tag band of rebels this time?' Cimon smiled at Anastasia and she smiled back, this was how it was. They had always tried to tie her down to the rebellion, and for a time the debt she owed for their help was enough. Yet after a time she had resumed her search for more jedi. She never told them about Star-farts, indeed they only knew about Ferras. When she had started her search for more jedi she would disappear for months at a time and often only returned because they had sent her a request. They had been trying to keep her with them each time she would return and only now had they resorted to threatening her. She knew that she would be able to make it out if she wanted but when they had threatened Tarruffa Anastasia wasn't so sure. She wasn't sure if she could protect both herself and her only friend. Now with the threat out in the open she couldn't do anything rash and she was sure that they wouldn't let her leave. Now that she knew they would stop her she felt more trapped than she had on the Death Star, she had no choice but to stay. For the sake of her only friend.
The day before she was set to try and sneak onto the Death Star Anastasia was sitting with Tarruffa. They were sitting under an overhang outside the open hanger to the rebel base. It was raining on the planet that they were stationed and the sound of it drowned out much of the noise the came from the base. Anastasia was leaning against Tarruffa as he flipped through her sketchbook. It had taken a long time but she had taught him to read and write in the English language. She wrote in English in her sketchbook. While the language itself wasn't too different from the common language there were just enough differences that it was confusing for those who did not know it. That and the writing was completely different from that of common. Anastasia had taught it to Tarruffa as a means of being able to pass messages in private. Right now Tarruffa was just reading what was in her sketchbook for the purpose of practice. He flipped through several of the pages that were filled with sketches and paused on a page that Anastasia had written just before giving it to him. He gave a series of low growls and Anastasia opened her eyes looking up at Tarruffa's face. She nodded slightly and said.
'Yea, we are going to be staying with the rebellion for a while.' Tarruffa snorted slightly then spoke again.
'I know what I said. But they need our help. Besides this next mission is to steal the plans for the Death Star so we can destroy it.' Tarruffa's tone became frustrated and he growled out his thoughts about the plan.
'Yea it is stupid but I have to go. Keep reading, its good practice.' Tarruffa gave another snort understanding that she wasn't going to speak about this. As it was Anastasia had written it down in the sketchbook for him, scrawled across one of the pages it explained all that had happened and what their current situation was. Leaning against Tarruffa as she was Anastasia could tell when he tensed up after reading it. She spoke quickly and softly.
'Remain calm. I know that things were bad for us before we came to the rebellion but I think there is a way we can go back and retain our freedom. We have to give them the offer in the right way. If they accept I can come and get you, but I need you to pretend to be ignorant to what is happening.' Tarruffa gave another low growl at Anastasia's plan.
'I promise you won't become a slave. If that is to be your fate I will get you out of here and we can run from them all. I don't like it much either, but what choice do we have? This plan the rebellion has come up with wont work but it is the perfect opportunity for us.' Tarruffa gave another series of growls and Anastasia sat up giving him a critical look.
'I don't want to go back because of him. It is for our own sake that we need to go back. If we go back to them then we can secure a deal in which we wont be hunted.' Tarruffa commented again as he flipped the page of the sketch book and Anastasia sighed and leaned against him again.
'No I haven't forgotten what he is really like. I don't plan on ever telling him how I feel anyway. He would probably kill me if he knew.'
( Yea I don't know how long it is going to take me to update again. Just know that I do work on these stories when I have time. Life is a pain right now, two schools and a job is hard to balance.)