Vader's Battle
The voices echoed in the large, dark, and hot room. The muffled sounds of begging, the thrust of motion as he saw them cut down with a blue blade. The feeling of white-hot rage that nearly blinded him. He didn't hear their pleas; he only saw weakness that had brought evil to the galaxy and it was his duty to cleanse it. The warm feeling of rage surrounding him as his vision focuses. He feels everything in the room, the fear practically has its own stench. These were the notorious rulers of the Separatists. Weak and fallible excuses for leaders that are only strong behind an army of battle droids and field of dead. They'd see no mercy from him, they were already dead.
Vader steps out of the room and onto one of the external causeways, the sudden blast of warmth from the lava flows beneath him almost exhilarating. The smell of sulfur, brimstone; the lack of droids or any other soul; for a moment Vader felt a new sense of calm. He would go and walk the facility, learn more of this planet and claim it for his new Empire. A retreat, his own personal stronghold. The thought almost brought a smile to the darkened face, though at this point Vader had resigned to doing what he must no matter his personal views. The Emperor controlled everything, and he was far too powerful. In time, Vader knew he would defeat the Emperor and claim the title. He knew it. The Jedi were dead. The Republic was dead. Now only the strong survive.
As Vader begins to walk the causeway, the sound of an alert on the terminal in the operation room draws his attention. The doorway still open, he looks back in and sees that sensors have picked up a starship that has just jumped out of hyperspace. A Naboo starship; Padme. Vader was overcome with confusion. Not only because it was Padme's ship, but because he could feel the ripple in the force. It was familiar but new and powerful, Vader couldn't place the feeling or why. He's sensed a resonance from Padme since her late stages but nothing like this. He had only been gone a week, two at most; what changed. His eyes narrowed as he gripped his lightsaber before properly holstering it. He would find out why Padme was here and what he was sensing.
By the time the ship lands, Vader is standing on the landing platform, and he can sense it as the ship opens. His lips twitch as he feels his vision blur. He's felt this before, and why it felt so familiar is because he wasn't just sensing Padme. He was sensing Yoda, the small Jedi Master standing at the bottom of the ramp. Padme nowhere to be seen. Vader rolls his shoulder as he approaches the small Jedi, Yoda fully able to feel the aura of anger emanating from Vader. He was still so young and so angry, and much of it fell on Yoda; it broke the old master's heart to see his ultimate failings at properly helping Skywalker.
"You shouldn't have come here, Yoda. Now, you're going to die here." Vader says bluntly, approaching and drawing his lightsaber though not igniting it yet.
"Come for you, I have. Here to help you, I am." Yoda says, pausing as he feels an eruption from Vader.
"LIAR!" Vader yells, his explosion of anger actually rocking the starship enough to make Padme disobey Yoda's request to remain on the ship. She wouldn't sit by and let the fate of her husband be decided without her.
"Deceive you, Sideous has. Using you, he is. Using your anger, using our neglect. See this, you must, Skywalker." Yoda says solemnly as Vader ignites his blue blade and holds it towards Yoda.
"Skywalker is dead." Vader replies stoically before beginning to lunge towards Yoda only to see Padme standing at the top of the ramp.
"Anakin?" She whispers
"Padme?" Vader pauses before turning to Yoda with a new focused vision. "You think you can use her against me!?" Vader shouts and continues his lunge towards Yoda.
The green Jedi Master had been prepared for Anakin's assault; he knew a fight would happen. Yoda knew Padme wouldn't listen to him but it was important that she not be first; Yoda had to ensure he was the focus of Vader's Wrath. And the focus, he was. Vader unleashes a brutal and vicious assault on Yoda, forcing Yoda to rely on the force to help evade some of the more powerful blows. Yoda could not deny the sheer power of Vader, nor could he deny the milestones that lead to this fall and how many of them could've been prevented. He had failed Skywalker then, he would not fail him now.
Yoda successfully blocks a blow as Vader roars out in growing frustration; the little jedi making a mockery of his efforts to kill him only making him push more. "Survive your padawan has." Yoda says in a passing parry. "Defeated Maul, she did. Coming back to us, she was." Yoda says. Though he had never had the opportunity, it was Yoda's full intention to again attempt to reinduce Ashoka into the as a full Jedi Knight. New thoughts were brewing in the mind of the old jedi that didn't involve him leading a saved Order. Those thoughts were cut short by Vader's powerful burst of force that knocked the Jedi back.
"Then she will suffer the same fate as all the Jedi, for betraying the Chancellor and the Republic." Vader states.
"Skywalker speaking, that is not. Good in you, I still feel. Betrayed you feel, you are. Wrong of the Jedi Council it was to leave your mother on Tatooine. " Yoda states. "Many mistakes. Understand, I do. Been where you are, I have. The Dark Side of the Force is powerful, potent, corrupting. Defeat it together, we can." Yoda says, his lightsaber lowering as Vader stands ready to strike him again.
"Anikan!" Vader hears Padme's voice echo behind him from a hallway. His vision blurs as he blinks at Yoda and turns to look towards Padme running towards him. The hallway she was running in was seared with lightsaber cuts he doesn't hardly remember. His head is pounding so much that he doesn't notice Padme hug him at first, and he's not sure when his lightsaber fell out of his hand.
"I-I can't" Anikan begins and suddenly collapses on the ground and screams in pain, clutching his head.
"ANIKAN! Yoda! Do Something!" Padme pleads but before any effort can be made, Anikan falls unconscious. Padme fights tears of fear as she looks at Yoda who has a smile. "Wha- What are you smiling at?" Padme asks
"Reached him, we have. A chance there still is." Yoda declares softly. "Come, back to the ship we must take him" Yoda says and the two work on getting Anikan back to the Naboo starship.