A Nightmare Come True
Chapter 1: A Disturbance in the Force
"It is only through interaction, through decision and choice, through confrontation, physical or mental, that the Force can grow within you."
Date: 9 BBY
Location: Imperial Center-Imperial Palace
In the Imperial Palace, Emperor Palpatine sat on his throne, reveling in the dark, the only light coming from the glowing buttons that adorned the arms of his throne. His scarred face hid in the deep blackness of his hood, the hood that now hid his satisfied smile. Eyes closed he basked in the presence of the darkness, its form curling around him like a snake. And like a snake the darkness slowly began to tighten its hold on the old man.
But he knew better than to let the darkness take its hold of him without his knowledge. Spreading out his senses, the Sith Lord known as Darth Sidious gripped the slippery snake of the Dark Side and held on with an iron grip, bending it to his will. Having tamed the Dark Side many decades ago, it obeyed his whims, drenching the entire throne room in the suffocating darkness that was the very essence of Palpatine's existence.
Taking measured breaths, the Emperor allowed his mind to focus on that which strengthened his connection with the dark side of the force. It was the stronger, darker emotions that fueled his power. Spreading his mind to the planet far below his towering palace, he brushed the minds of those who made up his powerful Galactic Empire. He could feel the anger, the hate, the malice, and the fear. Oh..the fear! It was rampant, like a virus that spread with but a whisper. In the streets, his storm-troopers kept order through fear. Nobody dared speak out against his iron rule, not after the destruction of those who attempted to overthrow him. Surely, there had been small pockets of rebellion that would crop up on occasion. He allowed them to exist for a small measure of time, then he would stomp them out with overwhelming force.
His smile widened a fraction of a centimeter when his mind recalled the time he and his apprentice decimated the Twi'lek rebellion on Ryloth a few years ago. The sheer raw physical power of Darth Vader coupled with his mastery of the Dark Side led to the utter obliteration of the repulsive aliens. His disgust with the Twi'lek race added more fuel to the fire of his anger, allowing more control of the darkness to be given to him. Grabbing hold of the darkness, he peered into the minds of his advisers and slithered into their minds like a worm trying to find its way to the core of a fruit. He scoured their minds on a daily basis, browsing through the minds of his 'trusted' advisers to find those who held any thoughts of disloyalty.
While filtering through the minds of his own people, he thought back to one of his early teachings under his own master, a teaching he once revealed to a young Jedi Knight by the name of Anakin Skywalker: All those who gain power fear to lose it. He did fear to lose his power, he did not shy away from that fact. That is why he took care with every move he made, every plan he enacted was calculated to the minute detail. That fear is what gave him his power both in the Force and the Empire.
His power was wholly rooted in fear, and it was through fear that he gained his apprentice. By preying upon Skywalker's fears, and using his weakness against him, Palpatine gained the most powerful Force Sensitive in history as his apprentice. Yet . . . the Force seemed to love to throw a hydrospanner in his plans. What was once a mobile and agile whirlwind of raw power and blazing light had burned and crumbled into a stalwart wall of pure darkness, using pure strength to destroy all that opposed him, all who opposed the rage-filled durasteel wall known as Darth Vader.
The Dark Lord of the Sith and Emperor of the known galaxy opened his eyes, a look of surprise in the sickly yellow irises. And he was hardly surprised. A ripple in the Force occurred, its presence sending out waves of power. Only once had he felt such a disturbance before, two decades ago. Immediately, he searched with the Force to find the source of the disturbance, the echoes in its wake easy to follow.
Traces of both light and darkness could be felt at the source of the disturbance, both sides of the Force swirling in constant war with one another. Sadly, he could not pinpoint precisely where the disturbance occurred but thankfully, he recognized the presence of Darth Vader, lingering close to the disturbance.
The thought crossed his mind that Vader was the cause of the disturbance but he quickly pushed away such a notion, for the light held a grip on the disturbance and Lord Vader had not a trace of light inside him. He was nothing but pure hate and anger, bringing about fear with a glance. Letting out a sigh in dismay, he continued his meditation. Whatever caused the disturbance, he thought, Lord Vader shall deal with it promptly. Little did he know, another powerful Force user felt the disturbance as well. A short and old green Jedi whose mastery of the Force was on par with the Emperor.
Location: The Swamps of Dagobah
Ex-Grandmaster Yoda sat on a large stone in the middle of an expansive lake that stretched on for miles. Mist from the bog swirled around him as he meditated, clearing his mind of all emotion. He was the epitome of peace as his wrinkled green face slackened as his breathing slowed. He too reached out with the Force and began to perceive the sentients around him. Wild animals such as lizards and snakes along with larger animals lived on the swamps of Dagobah. But it was not these lesser life forms that caused him to come to Dagobah, rather it was the planet's natural connection to the Force.
The Jedi had once called such a planet, a Force Nexus. A place where the Force could be felt stronger than in other areas of the galaxy. The now destroyed Jedi Temple was one such place. His ears drooped just a tad at remembering the sight of the old home of the Jedi. The last time he saw it, it was in flames with smoke rolling off it like a smokestack in the industrial sector on Coruscant. Shaking his head to clear away such antiquated memories, the small being began to draw on the Force, or rather what the Jedi called the Light Side. Instantly, he felt peace wash over him, the chorus of guttural noise the many animals of the swamp bellowed into the air vanished as his mind became one with the Force.
Through meditation, Yoda learned of ways to commune with those long dead, or rather a certain Jedi who retained his sense of self after becoming one with the Force: Qui-Gon Jinn. His body still on Dagobah, Yoda's spirit came into a realm of endless space. It was here that the realm of the dead and the realm of the living converged, creating a space for the two to converse and meet without Qui-Gon having to visit Yoda in person. Yoda stood patiently, his gimmer stick placed in front of him. Thankfully, he did not have to wait long as he soon saw Qui-Gon shimmer into existence, the faint blue glow that usually surrounded him in the living world around him was absent in this realm.
Yoda bowed his head in respect to the powerful being before him. "A while it has been, Master Jinn," he said in his odd backward speech.
The bearded Jedi smiled warmly. "That it has, my old friend. I was thinking of visiting you earlier but I was preoccupied with my former apprentice."
A look of understanding washed over Yoda's aged face as he said the name of Qui-Gons' old apprentice."Obi-Wan . . . Well he is?" asked Yoda.
Qui-gon nodded in confirmation. "Yes, and from what he told me, young Skywalker is as reckless as his father was at his age. Nearly wrecked one of his uncles' speeders the other day in a race," he said with a knowing smile. Being a part of the Force, Qui-Gon had seen the event for himself and he thought it was quite humorous seeing Owen Lars chew out Luke for such a reckless act. It reminded him of Obi-Wan and Anakin a little bit.
Yoda gave a small chuckle,for he had a similar thought. "Skywalkers, always reckless they are," he said, a pained look in his eye. 'Too reckless, perhaps', he thought.
Qui-gon cleared his throat, bringing Yoda's thoughtful gaze back to him. "I visited Obi-Wan not too long ago," he stated as he put his hands behind his back. "And he is very close to achieving our goal. I fear though, that his grief will be the roadblock that will stop him from gaining immortality through death."
"Guilt you say? A troubled mind Obi-Wan must not have, if to keep watch over Luke he is," said Yoda, his lips pursed together in a frown.
Qui-Gon opened his mouth to say something else but a warm yet cool gust of wind blew through the endless space. All color drained from Qui-Gon's face as it passed through his body with the whispers of the light and dark riding on the currents. Yoda too felt the odd sensation as it passed through him, a look of surprise rather than dread adorned his face.
Yoda looked to Qui-Gon for answers as to what just happened, his stare said everything.
"There has been a disturbance in the Force," Jinn informed him, a serious look on his face. "Not of death, but of rebirth. One that I knew would come but . . . now of all the times? I still fail to understand the Force's reasons. Even in death, I still learn its mysteries only to find more questions than answers."
"Hmmm...trust in the Force, we must." was Yoda's grave reply.
Qui-gon nodded and looked off in the distance. "This . . . disturbance is not unlike the one at the start of the Clone War . . . Surely you recall what happened?"
The shorter of the two rubbed the top of his gimmer stick with one of his three fingers, its smooth wood grain helped him focus. Just like how some beings rubbed their chin or folded their arms to think, Yoda had his walking stick.
Slowly, his memories were illuminated with realization. It seemed like ages ago the Clone War began yet there was one event that stuck out in particular. One he kept secret from everyone he knew.
"It has begun. The cycle has started." said Qui-Gon, walking away into the space between realms."I will go to Obi-Wan immediately. I am certain he felt the disturbance as well."
Once Qui-gon dissipated into the white expanse, Yoda began to fade as well. His spirit was being recalled back into his physical body. Before he dissipated entirely, Yoda thought for a moment.
Every time the name Obi-Wan was mentioned, another name came up hiding in its shadow: Darth Vader. Fear made of the coldest snow from Hoth entered his veins, sending a shiver through his aging body. To think, if Vader was anywhere near the disturbance . . . It would be disastrous. Unbeknownst to him, Darth Vader had felt the disturbance and more strongly than anyone else. It originated on his own vessel after all.
Location: Outer Rim- The Maverick, Imperator class Star Destroyer
Yet another body fell onto the dull metal gray floor of the bridge, the heavy thud catching the attention of all the techs who sat at their monitors in the comm pits. Lord Vader stood not but thirty feet away from the cooling body of what was once the Admiral of the Maverick. He turned his attention to the officer standing a few inches away from the corpse, fear covered his features as the skull-like mask of his superior stared at him for a brief moment.
"Commander Veritts, you are now in command of this vessel," he said, his voice booming in the silence. "Find the source of the temporary systems failure and send a detachment to the area it emanated from. I have reason to believe a rebel saboteur attempted to cripple this vessel. Find them and detain them.."
The newly promoted Admiral Verrits swallowed hard, his sandy blonde bangs underneath his gray hat stuck to his forehead due to the sweat that seeped from his pores.
"Y-yes my Lord! It will be done," he said, saluting the Dark Lord. But the seven foot monstrosity of flesh and cybernetics was already stomping past him over the body of his predecessor.
Darth Vader could faintly hear the new Admiral bark out orders to the techs that sat in their areas, ordering them to do the bidding of their superior.
Truth be told, Vader knew the source of the systems failure that sent the ship adrift in space. It was offline for a few minutes until the ship roared back to life. He could sense the waves that were sent out from the disturbance in the Force taken physical form as electrical pulses. He remembered feeling the Force wash over him before the pulses hit him. Thankfully, the electrical charge was minor, only shortening his life giving respirator for but a minute until his suit booted it back up.
In the winding halls of the Maverick, the Sith Lord moved past lines of stormtroopers, their white armor polished to reflect the overhead white lights. The ship was a hive of activity, all the men were on edge after the sudden power outage. Whispers already started to fill the groups of maintenance crews and troopers with gossip of a rebel attempt to kill Darth Vader himself. there was also talk of a failed attempt of a coup, leading to the death of the former admiral.
'Let them think what they will, it matters not. A little lie to keep them from knowing what really happened will hurt nobody'.
The reason why he killed the old admiral was due to the miscalculated jump to hyperspace, landing them in the system of Tatoo. Far too close to Tatooine for his taste. The miscalculation could have been attributed to the disturbance itself Vader realized. It may not have been the Admira'ls fault for the error, but someone had to pay for the failure either way. Going down one corridor, Vader noticed some of the lights overhead were flickering, one even throwing sparks onto the grey floor. Despite the ship recovering quickly, minor systems still had yet to come back online, along with some physical systems being short circuited.
Stalking the hallways, Vader made his way to his quarters, taking the many twists and turns to come up to the large blast door of the entrance to his quarters. Two stormtroopers stood guard on either side of the blast door standing straighter and more alert when they saw the Sith round the corner.
"Lord Vader." they said in unison as the door opened for him. Entering his quarters, Vader passed by the workbench at his left and made way to the hyperbaric medical chamber in the center of the large room. The chamber reminded himself of the jaws of a metal beast, the top and bottom clamps that latched together were like square metal teeth. Sitting in the chair, the chamber automatically registered his presence and proceeded to close slowly. The clamps were close to being completely shut when the comlink on his belt chimed.
Pressing a button on his chair, the hyperbolic chamber reversed its actions as Vader's gloved hand brought the comlink up to his face. Pressing the side of the disk shaped holoprojector, the comlink synced with the projector and brought up a blue miniature of Admiral Veritts.
"Admiral, pray for your sake that you are not wasting my time," Vader growled. If the Admiral was frightened, he did a good job at hiding it.
"My Lord, we found the source of the system failure. We traced the point of origin for the pulse to engineering, in the cooling room for the ion engines. The scanners also picked up a heat signature, one that does not belong. The rebel is still inside. . . I am about to send a squad from the bridge down there to investigate."
Vader gave a small nod in acceptance. The plan was good but the amount of time it would take for a squad to arrive at the engine cooling room would allow the rebel time to escape, if he hadn't already.
"Well done Verrits. However, send the two guards who are posted closest to the room. The ones by the turbolift connecting all the levels of engineering."
"Very well. I will see to it immediately," said the Admiral, breaking eye contact with Darth Vader for a second to look out of the projection's field of view. "Ensign, call up engineering and find out who those guards are."
Looking back at the helmeted face of Vader, the blonde man nodded and bowed slightly before canceling the call.
Lord Vader sat in silence for a moment. His helmet allowing no emotion to show through.
Inside, he was a calm yet simmering volcano of anger. He touched the fire that was his anger and embraced it into his hand, directing it to obey him. With the fire that was the Dark Side, Vader let himself go. He had always hated to meditate as a Jedi, but now his thoughts did not have to be cleared, rather they had to be focused onto singular things and using his emotions to fuel the Force. Reaching out to the disturbance's point of origin, all he could sense was swirling waves of both the light and the darkness of the Force. All aspects of the Force, surrounding a person. Someone who held the Force inside of them, a conduit of power not unlike the now dead Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker.
Yet it was untrained, and unfocused hence the waves rolling off the life form. The Force particularly favored this person, the Dark Lord realized as he moved his mind to intrude upon the thoughts of the 'disturbance,' because when he went to worm his way into the mind, the Force shoved him out and ripped free from the Sith's grasp. In the first time in eleven years, the Dark Side failed to obey its self-proclaimed master. Anger began to surround Vader, anger at the Force for having a will of its own and at this person. This person that had caused such a large disturbance both on his ship and the Force, who was an unknown variable in the grand scheme of things. One that, Vader hoped, would help bring further order to the Empire.
Location: The Maverick-Engine Cooling Room Entrance
The Imperial Stormtrooper designated TK-421 had his armored back against the wall, his E-11 blaster held up in both hands as he looked to his fellow stormtrooper across from him. They both had gotten commed from the Admiral that they had located the origin point of the electric pulse. He had informed them that the techs up on the bridge ran a heat scan on the room and due to the cold temperatures in the room, a single heat signature was found. Which meant the rebel scum was still inside, probably lying in wait to ambush whoever came to find him. Oddly enough, Verrits ordered them to set their blasters for stun.
When TK-421 objected, the Admiral gave him a cold glare and said: "I am acting on Lord Vader's orders. Would you like to voice your opinion, trooper? I am certain he would not bat an eyelash killing you for disobedience. Now, do it."
Now, they were ready to breach the room that held the rebel scum inside. His fellow guard nodded quickly before turning even quicker into the room, its sliding door already opening by the time the muzzle of his blaster came to point at the room. The room itself was bathed in an eerie green glow as green coolant flowed in clear tubes along the walls and ceiling. There were a few crates in the room, each one holding a means of repair in case of a leak. TK-421 was glad his suit had its own air conditioning system, otherwise he was certain he would turn into a shivering icicle the moment he stepped a foot in the room. Looking around, he spotted a body on the floor, the torso leaning against one of the blue crates. His buddy was kneeling down on one knee, getting a closer look at the rebel, his hand pressed against the side of his helmet as he placed his blaster down.
"Admiral, this is DY-1138 reporting in from the cooling room..." said TK-421s fellow guard, his conversation getting blocked out as TK switched his internal comm off.
Now bathed in the green light, the stormtrooper took a good hard look at the rebel. 'Boy more like' he corrected, observing his features. The boy, no older than twenty, had brown hair, spiked up in an odd way with his hair all pointed upwards but at different angles. His attire was a black jacket made to ward off the rain yet stylish in its look. Underneath the jacket was a shirt that had no sort of markings, just a simple shirt. He wore rugged pants that were baggy, its color blending into the light of the coolant.
His shoes had no laces, they were just black form fitting boots. The kid's face was just like his attire, nothing really noteworthy. His skin was a light tan, his cheekbones were quite prominent and his jawline seemed to have been drawn at a forty five degree angle. Observation over, he saw his friend pick up the rebel, throwing his unconscious form over his shoulder.
Turning his internal com back on, he asked: "Well, what did the Admiral say?"
"He said to put him in the brig. I ran a med test on him and sent the data back to 'im. The rebels' blind, probably from the pulse bomb he used." replied DY-1138, shifting the so-called rebel that was slung over his shoulder. TK walked out of the room in silence, followed by his comrade.
There was an important tidbit of information he left out, there was no bomb to be found in the room. The scanners in his helmet couldn't find any trace evidence of such a device. Which left the question in DY-1138s' mind, what happened in that room? But he was expected to be a voiceless grunt of a trooper who did not question authority. Following orders was his job, so he planned to do it. Stopping at the lift, the door opened and the two men went into the lift. TK punched the button inside the turbolift to head up to the detention center, where the Admiral was waiting to question the brown haired rebel.
Location: Unknown
I felt nothing. I saw nothing. I smelt nothing. My senses were void, my thoughts were blank. I felt like I did not exist yet I retained a small amount of consciousness. In truth, I shouldn't exist. Not anymore, after what happened. But what exactly did happen? I could not tell you, even if I knew I probably would not wish to talk about it or think about it. Is that why I could not recall what had transpired to leave me in this state of limbo? Perhaps this feeling of being nothing is a way of punishment, for some unspeakable sin I had committed.
Yet I know something had occurred, something important. So, my entire existence is whittled down to nothing, end of story right? Fate seemed to have other plans. One moment I'm in complete bliss, the next all of my senses explode.
My lungs gasped for air while my body felt its chilly sting. I breathed in and out rapidly as I shot up from whatever I was laying on. My hands latched onto the side of what I realized was a metal bench that I had substituted for a bed, the material felt slick under my touch. After a few moments, my body returned to its normal breathing pattern along with my heart, who had felt the need to try to thump over a million times a minute.
Silence followed my awakening for only a few minutes, I was lost in my thoughts. I was unsure as to where I was. I could not see, the room was as black as could be, there was not a speck of light to be seen. Perhaps I had been kidnapped? No, I was of no importance although there were those who would say otherwise. Most of those being my family. I thought about them for a second.
I knew in a way that I had a family, and I loved them. I knew I had aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins but...I knew nothing else about them. It was like there was something preventing me from recalling anything about my past. At least anything specific about my past. It is the past that defines who you are in the present after all, but without a past I have no sense of self. In a way, I am the same way I was before awakening in this dark place: an empty husk. I inhaled and exhaled out of my lungs, the cool air almost choking me where I sat. I needed answers, but more importantly I had to find a way out of here. I knew I was in a room due to the fact the bench-bed was welded to the wall but other than that I could not tell how big it was or where the exit was due to the darkness.
I blinked a few times to keep my eyes from drying out in the cold room, the air drying out the edges of the eyeballs. I brought my hand up to my eye and closed it, rubbing my eye to try to help get whatever was in it out. In the silent darkness I stopped what I was doing, I could swear the was someone watching me. I could just...feel it. I could not explain it but I could somehow tell there was someone out of this room, waiting to act. A shiver ran down my spine and my palms got sweaty. I could tell whoever was outside of these walls had a small vendetta against me, their anger was kept in control under strict discipline. The logical side of my brain reeled back in surprise, what I just learned should be impossible.
Being able to tell others emotions without even knowing they are in the room with you, let alone without seeing them and getting the vibe from the posture and language of the subject. But the other side of me was simply in awe, almost in childlike wonder. The impossible just became possible within the span of a few seconds.
I let out a short breath and tried to concentrate on the person outside the walls of my little room but my mind hardly took a step in that direction when an odd sound filled the room. It sounded mechanical, like metal clamping down onto another piece of metal but with a cushion of air so that there was not too loud of bang. I simply figured a door had opened. Puzzling enough, I did not see any light that would come from an opening nor see the person that I felt enter the room.
Is this entire place built for people that can see in the dark? Or maybe they are blind so that they can see through hearing I thought to myself.
My ears picked up the sound of boots hitting the metal floor, each pace measured to keep in rhythm with the next. It was at that moment that I realized, when the person stopped right in front of me, that I had every single one of my senses back.
They were all back except one. Now I knew why everything was so dark, why I did not see the light streaming out from the opening and closing door and why I did not see the being standing before me now. I couldn't. I just couldn't see.
I...I'm blind. I realized, too afraid to speak the words out loud lest they reinforce this new reality. I felt my heart begin to race as an amalgamation of emotion poured through me. Fear was chief among them, followed by a mix of anger and sadness along with a tiny pinch of disbelief to add flavor. But before I could allow the most basic of emotions to rule me, I stowed them away and compartmentalized. That was one aspect from my past that I had kept, I was focused. I knew what had to be done to achieve a goal. Did I always do it? No, of course not. But the times I did, was when I shined the brightest. Or, I'd like to think sp. And now was one of those times. Looking up to what I hoped was the face of the person in front of me, I opened my mouth to speak but I was cut off before even a vibration left my vocal chords.
"Young man, it is good to see you have finally awoken.", came the voice from the abysmal darkness.
Instantly I evaluated the voice's accent and tone. The speaker was male, his heavy accent had given him a well mannered air about him.
Most likely in charge of wherever I am, I figured. The man was disciplined, from the way he spoke each of his words in a calculated way to the way he kept his own anger at me under control. The man continued to speak while I had thought up my assessment.
"Now that you are able to be coherent, could you inform me as to how you arrived here?" he asked, his tone calm and even.
I smirked and gave a small chuckle, thinking of the irony of what he just asked me.
"Is something funny child?" he questioned, most likely quirking up an eyebrow.
I could tell he was slightly flustered with my deflection of his question, so I answered him plainly.
"Well, yeah. I mean, I would tell you how I got here if I knew exactly where I was!" I said, a little bit of bite added to the end of my sentence to add credibility that I truthfully did not know where I was. Because, well, I had no damn clue.
The man stayed silent for a second, pondering what I said and how to reply correctly. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he answered.
"Very well. I should have figured there would be further complications aside from the blindness. We are currently aboard the Maverick, an Imperator class Star Destroyer, in cell-block 7156." he informed me, "And you, are the rebel saboteur who attempted to cripple my vessel."
"I don't remember doing such a thing." I said, ignoring his comments about my lack of sight.
"Admiral." I added it as an afterthought. I may as well give the guy the respect he deserves, it might just help my standing since I am labeled a freaking terrorist for all intents and purposes.
The unnamed, faceless admiral let out a heavy sigh.
"That is likely due to the...electromagnetic ion pulse you used to scramble the Mavericks electronics. The ion radiation emitted from the device you used may be the cause for your lack of memory, given that you were in the small room you set it off in. There have been accounts of such things before. The high electrical currents can do quite a number as you can see..or not in your case." he said, a bit too smugly. I could practically feel the little smile on his over confident face. I returned one of my own, with a little flame of agitation in my voice I asked yet another question.
"Do you have any evidence to support your claims, Admiral?"
I was curious to be honest, that was why I let my mouth widen a little in shock when the high ranking naval officer gave the clipped reply that started with a n and ended with an o.
I opened my mouth to say some smart remark but the man beat me to the punch, just like when this conversation started.
"We found you in the same room the pulse originated from. You were unconscious with no identification, no markings, no chain is hardly a solid foundation to label you a rebel terrorist. I understand that perfectly, so in a way we have no hard evidence against you. However, you are here without proper authorization or clearance, therefore you will remain a prisoner until we can determine your identity."
With that he spun on his boots heel and made the walk back to the metal door, talking as the thuds bounced off the walls.
"Oh, do not believe yourself victorious. My..superior has means of prying information from even the strongest minds. He will unlock your befuddled memory and will learn the truth about you." he said, stopping once the door opened but did not walk out into the rest of the brig. Rather, he turned his neck to look at me over his shoulder, I had no idea I knew, I just...could tell.
"And you, rebel scum, shall beg for death by the end."
With that, the Admiral of the Maverick left me in the darkness of my cell.
I shuddered at the thought of who his superior was, I could practically smell the fear pouring off of him when he mentioned the person who was over him. I shoved those thoughts away, I'd rather not think about my obviously upcoming interrogation. I knew it would not be a simple Q&A like what had just happened between me and the nameless Admiral. I was afraid of what would come next but at the same time, I knew it could not be the worst thing I would endure in my life.
I had nothing to do, no memories to think about since I had no way to access them. Just facts without feeling. I was on a ship, labeled a terrorist and a stowaway. The commanding officer was a man to be feared and his subordinate Admiral has a bone to pick with me since I supposedly damaged his beloved Star Destroyer. For some odd reason, every time I thought those two words, I had a feeling I should know what it is but my mind was unable to recall just why it seemed familiar.
Soon enough though, my brief memory block would be crushed when I felt a dark presence embrace the room I was in. I could feel the unrelenting rage and anger kept under a cool and unfeeling demeanor. This presence was cold and calculating, easy to anger but hard to please.
When the door slid open, the noise that met my ears told me everything I needed to know. The deep, rasping breaths of a built in respirator. The measured breaths spelt death for hundreds and thousands of life forms. My mind's eye brought an image to the front, the embodiment of death itself. The black cape that absorbed all light that hit it, the skull like helmet that sent fear with but a glance. The black suit and control box was just as iconic, with those who saw this being left with the question if he was a man, or a machine. I knew who had just entered the room, the lock on my memories was shaken, letting loose a small droplet before the dam finally gushed forth in a torrential tidal wave. All it took was the whisper of a single word to return them, the whisper that came out of my mouth.
"Vader." I whispered. The dam broke in that instance, the block on my mind crumbling under the flood of memories. A great fear welled up inside of me, my body running cold as images flashed by.
Images of my childhood at home, with my siblings in the yard, plastic swords of green, blue and red in our hands as we pretended to be in one of our most favorite movies of all time: Star Wars.
Realization hit me like a flying car with jet engines on its hood, those toys were not swords but toy lightsabers. Another image flashed by as I remembered all the scenes in the movies, shows and video games based on Star Wars that I imprinted into my memory. Obi-Wan blocked a flurry of strikes from Darth Maul's saber staff, rage fueling his defense. Yaddle confronting a young Count Dooku after the death of his beloved Padawan. Anakin and his master facing Dooku on the Invisible Hand, the yet to be Emperor smiling with satisfaction. Ahsoka standing amongst the ashes of the Clone Wars. Starkiller getting stabbed from behind and betrayed by Darth Vader. Kanan Jarrus facing down the Grand Inquisitor, a blue bladed saber in each hand. Luke Skywalker railing blow after blow on a weakened Vader, anger apparent in his face. Finishing it off, a red cross guarded saber and a legendary blue one intersecting in a snowy forest.
I remembered watching these scenes at my home, some times with my friends at their house. I always wondered what it would be like to live in a galaxy far far away and experience it for myself. It would be a dream come true. Yet, now that I am here. It's more like a nightmare now, considering what era I'm in. An era of darkness and fear where good is stamped out and burned away. My hands clench up as I try to steady my breathing, noting the cold sticky sweat that is coalescing in my palms.
The automatic door shut behind the Sith Lord as he walked into the cell I occupied. His seven foot asthmatic body had to duck his cranium into my cell, considering he had to do the same to enter Leia's cell on the Death Star. My eyes widened slightly when I realized a very important fact. I had all this information to use to either help or harm this universe. I knew what happened here in this room could change the course of the entire galaxy. It could be for the better or worse, and I did not want to take that chance..
Vader cannot find out what I know. He just can't. I thought, and instantly I clamped my mind shut. Gathering all the flooded memories and throwing them back into the dam that was the block to those memories. I could still access them but I had to make sure to keep from doing so. Already I could feel Vader trying to poke around in my mind, skimming my surface thoughts. Another thought hit me.
How can I even tell that he is in my mind? I just could not explain it. It was the same way how I could sense the Admiral outside of my room and his hidden feelings. I could just...feel it, it was hard to explain.
I gulped when the Dark Lord's presence encompassed the entire room, the temperature dropping even further. Goosebumps riddled my skin the moment his booming voice rang out into the room.
"It is the Force." he stated, answering my unsaid question. His unforgettable voice reverberated through the room with a light echo, the modulation adding the hint of a synthetic mask to it. He took a step toward my sitting form, the Dark Lord's presence resembling a controlled hurricane of raging emotions.
"I sense fear. Fear of me. And yet you told Admiral Verrits that you have no memory. Why did you lie to the Admiral?" he demanded, his voice getting dangerously low like a rumbling of rocks down a mountain side. A near inaudible click was heard, followed by the iconic snap-hiss of a lightsaber. The blade hummed.
"Answer truthfully, and you will be left with your life."
A sudden burst of confidence filled me as I stood up from my bench, looking straight up at where I guessed his helmeted mug was.
"Make me." I said, narrowing my blinded eyes with a tone that said I was not up for this bantha shit.
Yeah, big mistake.
The next thing I knew, I was slammed into the wall by an unseen force, the pressure around my body felt like it was trying to indent me into the wall. The pressure was intense, I swore I could feel my bones begin to crack.
The now furious Sith held his arm forward, his prosthetic gloved hand now forming a fist. My eyes widened when I felt the air begin to leave my lungs followed by my windpipe forcefully start to close.
My vision began to fill with green, blue and yellow spots, a near welcomed change from the constant darkness. Too bad it was due to the asphyxiation I was in the process of experiencing.
"Give me the answers I seek!" he demanded, loosening his grip on my throat.
I swallowed as the air returned to my lungs, my breathing slightly faster than it should be.
I let out a sigh before answering.
"I did not lie, Vader." I said, my previous attempt at defiance instilling a slight sense of fear. This man will kill me, and I sure as hell don't want to die. "I had no memory until you got here! You sort of...unlocked them somehow?...I dunno anything else other than my name." Yet again I lied. I held memories but I did not think about them, in fear of him searching my mind and finding them, altering the course of history.
Vader said nothing for a second or two, his blade humming at his side.
"I swear, I know nothing else." I said, feeling a chill run down my spine as I felt him enter my mind yet again.
He was like a predator, looking for prey in a dead snowy forest in the midst of winter. And like a wolf he let out a growl of rage and brought his blade up and stabbed it into my kneecap. The pain was blinding as it stayed in my leg, burning the bone and flesh, searing it together with the energy of the laser. I let out a cry of pain, hissing as the burn seemed to affect my entire leg. I could feel the pain through my entire body. It hurt, bad. Imagine putting hot coals into a bullet wound then add some salt and pepper. I'm sure to a cannibal the thought would be tasty but it fucking hurt like nobody's business.
"I will learn the truth that you continue to hide in the recesses of your mind. I already know what you are. You are no rebel. In fact, you do not even belong in this galaxy. I peered into your mind after you caused a disturbance in the Force. The disturbance that crippled this ship briefly, and the disturbance swirls around you even now. The Force itself protects you, shielding you from my attempts to enter your mind. I was able to gleam one lone fact about just who you are..." he told me, much to my surprise. Hell, today was just full of surprises! Oh, and here is another one: he began to choke me yet again. Yeah...not much of a surprise but honestly, the pain from the laser sword in my knee made me want to focus on rambling and anything but the pain...yeah not much luck there. My vision began to get invaded by blobs of various colors, My senses started to dim, Darth Vader's breathing began to get quieter as my body slowly lost all feeling. Before I lost all connection to the waking world, Vader finished his revelation.
"You are Alonzo Revani, and now a servant of the Empire." he stated in a matter-of-fact tone, wrenching his blade free of my knee and allowing my body to fall straight onto the floor. I could feel the floor rushing up to meet my head and my last thought before I smacked into it was: I freaking hate Mondays.
Up next
Chapter 2: Trials within the Darkness
With the sudden appearance of Alonzo Revani, Lord Vader reroutes his course towards the Imperial Center on Coruscant. Due to the young man's unusual connection with the Force, an idea forms within Vader's mind: to turn Alonzo to the dark side and make him a puppet within the Inquisitorius. But in order to induct the boy, he must pass many trials that will be laid before him. Will he rise to the challenge? Or fall like many of those before him?
Author's Note: I have not written anything in a long time, so I hope this was up to snuff! I've been debating on posting this or not, but I figured, what the hell.
I pray you all enjoyed chapter one, and if you did a review, follow, and fave really helps me out. Feedback is the lifeblood of a writer, and speaking of: I have been debating on whether or not to have the story told in a first person PoV or a third person.
My initial concept was for it all to be in third person, but now I am thinking of just keeping Alonzo's first few minutes in this new world to be first person and have key moments be a delve into his mindset. What do you lovely people think?
Anywho, toodles!
- Wizard Pikachu
