DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.
He'd been left hanging in the chains all night. His arms had long since gone numb and he couldn't feel anything above his shoulders. Despite the incredible discomfort and agony he was in, Anakin managed to somehow fall into a fitful slumber.
The distinctive sound of the lock disengaging woke him. Anakin lifted his head from his chest and glared at Palpatine. He had bought an IG100 Magnaguard with him who was carrying an electrostaff. Anakin shifted his body in an attempt to prepare himself for what was to come. All he managed to do was send tingles of pins and needles over his shoulder blades and chest. His arms remained unresponsive, which was starting to worry him.
"Sleep well pet?" Palpatine asked with a grin.
Anakin turned to glare at the Sith Lord but the cuff reacted instantly. The agony shot through Anakin, causing him to arc his back and cry out.
"You don't have the right to meet my eye," Palpatine told him with a chuckle. "You are my pet now, and a lowly one at that."
Anakin gritted his teeth as he tried to stop his body's reaction to the electricity. He could feel his stomach starting to revolt and the collar beginning to restrict his breathing. Anakin tried to keep his eyes on Palpatine but he knew he couldn't handle the pain much longer. The previous day's exposure to the cuff had already worn him down considerably. He hated that he wasn't strong enough to resist the pain.
Slowly Anakin looked to the ground and the pain instantly disappeared. He sagged as every muscle in his body relaxed.
"Better," Palpatine nodded. He clasped his hands behind his back and stared at Anakin.
Anakin could feel his gaze but kept his eyes down. He chose to focus on his breathing, keeping it steady and trying to assess his injuries. The least painful of his injuries was the deep lashes on his back. They were still raw but were starting to close over. They would leave scars over time but he couldn't do anything about that. His throat hurt too. It was incredibly dry and every time he swallowed it sent a new wave of pain down his throat. The headache that had started with the first activation of his cuff had only built over time and showed no sign of fading. His stomach and abs burned with every breath he took. Although he was fit and healthy, his muscles had not been prepared for the intensity of the cuff's power.
Suddenly the chains began lowering and Anakin glanced up in surprise. For a second time in minutes, the cuff sprang to life. He cried out again but this time instantly lowered his eyes. The cuff fell silent.
When Anakin's feet touched the ground, he knees instantly gave way and his arms were once again supporting his weight. They didn't ache or scream in pain. They were still too numb to do feel anything.
Palpatine walked forward when Anakin's knees touched the ground. He unlocked the manacles and Anakin's arms dropped to his sides where they hung limp and useless. Anakin didn't move. He was waiting.
He had noticed that Palpatine hadn't fully closed the door behind him. It hung on its hinges, practically begging to be escaped through. Anakin was calculating his chances of escape. His arms were useless and he was wracked with pain but his determination was still strong. If he took out Palpatine before...
The cuff flared to life again, fuelled this time by Anakin's intentions of harming Palpatine. The pain was intense but Anakin knew how to deal with it. He focused his thoughts through the pain and forced himself to get rid of all notions that even hinted towards harming the Sith Lord. As his mind cleared of harming thoughts the cuff died down once more.
Palpatine was laughing. He knelt down in front of his prisoner.
"Escape if you can, but remember that you're not the only Skywalker I have at my disposal."
Anakin scowled and started to raise his head, a sharp retort ready. The cuff cut him short. It took Anakin a few moments to calm down enough before the cuff stopped electrocuting him again. Anakin knew that Palpatine was baiting him but he couldn't help it. He hated that his whole family was at the mercy of this ruthless man.
Anakin, staring steadfastly at the floor once more, ignored Palpatine as he laughed softly.
"I have activated more of your cuff this morning, as you might have noticed," Palpatine said. "Stand up."
Anakin ignored him.
Then the cuff sent a jolt – just a small one, a warning.
Something new, Anakin mused. He stood though, understanding its subtle hinting.
"Take this," he ordered.
By now, his arms had regained some of their mobility, enough that he could use them but not with much strength. Anakin raised his head high enough to see what Palpatine was holding out to him. It was the electrostaff! Confused and more than a little cautious, he took the proffered weapon. The second his hand touched the staff his cuff came alive again. It pushed the pain straight through every vital organ in his body with brutal ferocity. It immobilised his nerve system. It activated his collar.
Losing control of his own body, Anakin fell to the ground, his hand leaving the weapon with Palpatine. The pain stopped as suddenly as it had arrived. Shaking, Anakin raised himself onto his hands and knees, panting at the exertion. He kept his eyes carefully down.
"You will never hold a weapon again," Palpatine said. His voice had once again adopted the tones of a teacher. "This includes anything that can be used as a weapon, be that a dinner knife or a stone. If the intention behind holding the instrument leads to harm that I have not ordered you to inflict, then you shall not be permitted to hold it."
Palpatine handed the droid back its weapon.
"Stand," he ordered.
Gritting his teeth, Anakin stood.
"Take the staff."
Anakin refused. He kept his hands by his side. A warning tingle escaped the cuff and Anakin clenched his fists but raised his hand again to reach for the weapon. Again, the cuff flared to life the moment he touched its steel shaft. He fell flat again, floored by the pain and its intensity. He groaned softly.
"You contradict yourself Sith," Anakin spat. His voice was hoarse through disuse.
"What was that?" Palpatine demanded.
Anakin pushed himself to his knees and sat back on his haunches. His fists were clenched as they rested on the respective leg.
"You say I cannot touch a weapon unless you order me too. You just ordered me and yet I still pay for the effort. Surely this is ruining all of your conditioning?" Because that is what it was. Palpatine was conditioning Anakin to do as he wanted.
Palpatine smiled. "You misunderstand me pet. An instrument that was designed to be a weapon is something you cannot touch at all, orders or no. Something you want to be a weapon that was not designed with that function in mind is something you can touch as long as you have my permission. That electrostaff was designed as a weapon and as such you cannot hold it."
Anakin nodded his head slowly. Things just continued to get worse. Even if he did manage to find a way to escape, it was unlikely he would be able to rescue Padme and himself without the use of a weapon of some kind. If he couldn't touch one without the cuff knocking him out with pain then he would not be able to rescue Padme. Let alone the kids.
For the rest of the day, Palpatine bought in different droids, all holding different things. Every time, the Sith Lord would order Anakin to take the weapon from the droid if he could. The Emperor would switch between ordering Anakin to take the offered weapon or simply giving it to him and then watching as the young ex-Jedi writhed in agony. Occasionally he would bring in a normal household item like the dinner knife he had suggested earlier, just to give Anakin a wider understanding.
Anakin, who was exhausted from the constant on-off pain from the cuff, was wearing down. He had understood Palpatine's point about weapons from the start but the Emperor seemed determined to make Anakin endure the pain of the cuff again and again.
Palpatine didn't leave Anakin until early the next morning. The last droid to come was holding a walking cane. By now Anakin knew the drill. He reached out to take it from the droid, tensing in anticipation of the pain. The moment he touched the wooden shaft, he gritted his teeth.
Nothing happened.
Opening his eyes in surprise, Anakin stared at the staff. He took the cane in his hands and the droid stepped back. Anakin gazed at it in wonder.
"Why...?"
"You are not thinking of it as a weapon. To your mind it is simply a device to aid a man's walk," Palpatine explained.
Anakin gripped the cane tightly and was about to lift his head to look at Palpatine when he remembered. He dropped his eyes – he'd had enough pain for one day. He held out the cane to the droid who took it back.
The moment was a triumphant one for Palpatine who was struggling to disguise his smile. He could sense that Anakin was breaking. He also knew that Anakin needed to be shown some kindness when he did something right. It was similar to training an animal.
So he motioned for the droid who hovered outside the door to enter. He carried a tray with a pitcher of water, an empty glass and a small meal.
Anakin's eyes glowed when he saw the food. It had been a long time since he'd last eaten. The droid set the tray on the ground and left them. Palpatine chose to wait.
He watched as Anakin gulped down half the pitcher of water before starting on the food. He had also been provided with a knife and fork, a test Palpatine wanted to observe.
But Anakin didn't even think to use the knife and fork as a weapon. He picked them up with only the intention of stabbing the food and inserting it into his mouth. Palpatine smiled slightly.
When he was finished eating and drinking, Palpatine left, taking the tray with him. He locked the door behind him, knowing he was affording Anakin another luxury – that of rest. But Palpatine had other matters to attend to and he couldn't be training Anakin all day and night. So he left the young man to rest while he, ignoring his own fatigue, made his way to the command room at the aft of the ship.