Act 1 Part 4

Kindling

"If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it."

Lucy Larcom

Vader had spent the day requisitioning equipment, droids and of course picking his base, he requested that the deed and necessary papers be left at the estate, he was not in the mood for pleasantries or conversation in general right now… The day had thoroughly drained him, sleep had been beyond him even if he had been awake for nearly 48 hours by this point. He had never worked this much in his life… he realized… why couldn't he have worked both this long and even harder before it all went wrong… anger and self hatred welled up inside him once again like it had done every time he remembered that fateful day…

"Please, just stop… begone, let me rest… let me forget my failure for a second… one blissful second of peace." He muttered these words out loud as if the ghosts haunting his mind would take pity and give him that singular second…

He was done with all the preparation to establish his new base of operations, but something was preventing him from just flying over there and getting things started… looking at the time he saw that it was an hour past midnight… he needed to clear his head… get some fresh air, or rather fresher as all the air passed through this mask's respirator. Stepping out of the ship he walked through the first alley that he found and simply continued onwards with no sense of direction, stopping occasionally to look around and take in the city at nighttime. Having wandered for who knows how long he found himself standing outside Padmé's tomb… why am I here? The faint light from inside the tomb caught his eye, looking inside he saw something that made his heart ache hard… the bouquet that he had placed was still there… Yet, at the foot of the sarcophagus were several more, they covered the steps that led up to where she lay. Looking at the mosaic glass that resembled her during her time as queen he felt a cold bead trace its way down his face… what would she think of seeing him like this, a broken and thoroughly shattered shell of the man he had been…

Having managed to avert his eyes and continue walking, Vader found himself heading down the alleys towards his ship, turning the corner to see his ship pointing directly at him, reminding him of what he had seen earlier. Looking down he saw the person that was slumped against the wall, they were in the same position as he had seen them previously. He was about to keep walking when he was stopped in his tracks by a thought… What would she have done? Would she have walked by someone clearly in need? Would she? The answer to that question was one so utterly simple that it was truly pointless to wonder what the answer would be, of course she wouldn't have, she would have helped them the moment she saw them slumped against the wall. Vader was struck by immense guilt when he thought of what he had done… Firstly he had ignored the person when he first saw them from his ship and now he had almost walked past them if not for the memories of his angel… His course of action was all too clear… he could sense how exhausted this person was… he barely noticed that he had already picked them up and started walking over to the ship.

Laying them down on the couch inside the ship he finally snapped out of the trance-like state that he entered, looking down at the person he finally got an accurate view of them. A mirialan girl, black hair, golden eyes…

He was sitting on the bench in the training hall alongside several other Jedi, all of whom had padawans just like him. Master Yoda had organized a joint training session for padawans and masters who were currently in the temple awaiting new orders. He was not adverse to the idea, in fact he was quite interested in how this would go. Ahsoka was currently dueling with a mirialan, master Harée's padawan… Dalia A'parr was her name, the two padawans had known eachother since their time as younglings.

The match was a very interesting one, Ahsoka was naturally a unique opponent due to her dual wielding in reverse grip but Dalia was not outmatched in terms of uniqueness having a longer handle on her saber than most in the order. They practiced two different forms of lightsaber combat, Ahsoka favored form 5 like himself, while Dalia used a personal form to fit her own style. Naturally he was always happy to see Ahsoka perform well but most of his focus was actually on her opponent during this bout, Dalia was very proficient with her saber and showed good understanding of both her own style and how Ahsoka fought. Wielding a lightsaber in reverse grip often demanded Ahsoka to close the distance and get in close to her opponent to deal a winning blow. Dalia was very aware of this and in a move that Ahsoka was not expecting Dalia countered her by getting in close herself quite often hitting Ahsoka with the end of her lightsaber knocking her off balance more than once. He was very fascinated with this style that Dalia was employing, she would very often close and widen the gap between herself and Ahsoka using the force or the end of her lightsaber to unbalance Ahsoka. The battle would eventually be a win for his apprentice but there had been one more thing that, Dun Möch, a sith technique, although she had clearly developed this by herself. Everytime she hit Ahsoka with either the end of her weapon or a force move he felt that Ahsoka got frustrated, Dalia also possessed a calm demeanor that bordered on infuriating for her opponent. After making a large gap she would often tuck the end of her saber under her arm walking slowly and proudly to split her opponents focus and concentration. In short, she acted superior to manipulate her opponent into doing something drastic or not so well thought out.

Casting his thoughts aside he found himself in quite the predicament… What was he going to do now?

Enter Dawnbreaker

Peace is a lie, there is only Passion
Through Passion, I gain Strength

First and second passage of the Sith Code

It felt as though the weight of the entire galaxy was bearing down on her, there was no energy left to fight, no will to motivate… nothing. To wallow in this darkness for the rest of eternity? Was that to be her fate? It would be preferable to the world beyond that dark veil… a thousand times more preferable…

Her eyelids struggled to lift themselves… something felt strange… there was no more wind, no cold stone… her eyes managed to open ever so slightly to try to understand what was happening. Through the haze she glimpsed one small moment of clarity… she was in the arms of a dark hooded figure… she could see the mask that he wore… she felt the two large arms carrying her without issue. Maybe it was the fatigue but she felt no alarm at this… she felt… relaxed.

There was something special about this dark figure, something that made the weight lift… she did not understand why, but in reality she did not care.

Feeling herself drift away once more she could only think one thing… this felt like pure bliss compared to recent days.

Once again regaining awareness she heard something… birds… the gentle rustling of levees and the unmistakable sound of running water. She was rather confused, looking around she saw that she was in a fancy room.

"How did I get here?" she asked out loud, now sitting upright in the bed. A bed? What was going on? Last she had remembered she was slumped over in an alley, how did she get here? Then she heard a voice…

"Good morning, you were brought here by Lord Vader." Looking over to her left she saw a droid, a medical droid by the look of it.

"Who?" Lord Vader, who was that, more importantly why had he brought her here?

"Lord Vader, the owner of this estate." The droid replied to her question. "You were brought here in a deplorable condition, if not for Lord Vader you would have most likely perished." The cold and unfeeling tone that almost all droids possessed made her feel no more calm.

"I would have died?" Asking in a disbelieving tone.

"Yes, you were suffering from extreme fatigue and mental distress, complete body failure would have been the cause of death. By my estimates you've been in a coma-like state for at least 40 hours due to your body shutting down."

"40 hours!?" She exclaimed, unable to believe her current situation.

"Yes, now if you do not mind I need to run some diagnostics and remove your IV."

She only managed a nod, she was preoccupied in her own mind. She had almost died, been in a coma for around 40 hours and now she found herself in an extravagant estate owned by her mysterious savior. She couldn't make sense of anything right now, all the things that have occurred in these past days were simply too much.

Then on the other side of the room a door opened and another droid came in, this one carrying a tray with food on it. This "Lord Vader" was seemingly very generous not only having saved her from certain death but also having taken care of her during her "coma-like" state and now she was given food too, she felt like this was almost too good to be true…

She had remained in bed for 2 hours now, she'd tried several times to get up out of the bed yet she hadn't moved. She felt paralyzed… after the initial shock from her new situation was when all the memories started flooding back to her, it took all of her strength to not break into an unsightly mess of sorrow and confusion. The droid had performed its tests and scans and concluded that except for her mental state everything was "satisfactory" as it aptly put it, internally she was vehemently disagreeing with that statement. Nothing was fine right now… nothing… Her body felt as heavy as a hundred speeders and she had barely been able to eat the food that they'd brought her, not due to the quality of the food but mostly due to how she felt. She had actually been starving for some real food and there had been nothing to complain about with that which she'd been brought, yet there was still an immense feeling of emptiness deep inside her. Everything she knew had been ripped up in a matter of seconds, everything around her was a dark abyss, there was no place where she could look where she didn't see that abyss…

She brought up her hands to her face when she felt the oncoming tears… sitting upright and frozen simply letting the flood of tears find its way down her face and hands. Why did this happen? Why had her entire life been ripped from the earth and thrown into the cold, dark ocean? Why?

"The Jedi"

There was a voice in her head… the voice of a man, it was cold… yet comforting somehow…

"The Jedi, that is why."

"What?, What do you mean?" She replied inside her mind, what was this voice trying to tell her?

"The Jedi deceived you… they told you lie upon lie until you believed them."

"Lies? What lies?" She did not understand, Jedi did not lie… she'd lived her whole life as a Jedi, what were the supposed lies she'd been told.

"They took you from your family… They forced their way of life on you… They used you for their corrupt purposes."

She was aware that she had been taken from her family but that had been so that she could learn the ways of the force. The other two things she wasn't as sure of anymore…

"Were you ever given a real choice? To choose how you wanted to live your life? Were you forced to fight in a galaxy wide conflict? One that the Jedi should have tried to stop instead of perpetuating.

The words cut deep into Dalia… she had no answer to give… had it been her choice to be a Jedi? There had always been the option of leaving the Order but how would she have survived, had they made her dependent on the Order so that she wouldn't leave? Jedi were peacekeepers, we were fighting in the war to put an end to it, but why did we not try to use peaceful means to do that instead of war? All of this was adding to her already fragile state of mind… was her entire life a lie? Had she been forced to do everything that the Order wanted because she was reliant on it? Abruptly cutting her train of thought were more words…

"They denied you your right to be a person… they denied you your chance due to their own fears and paranoia. The clones loved you as a sister, but were you allowed to reciprocate that trust and affection? No, you had to hide it from the Order due to their fear of attachments."

Once again the voice struck at the core of her soul, no more than two days before her world shattered she had experienced what it told her. The Order had not cared for her, yet the clones had cared, she'd felt more at home with them than she had with the Order. Then the memories flooded in once again… yet they stopped… she felt a warm coat hang over her mind, shielding her from the pain and sorrow that the memories caused.

"Go to the garden"

She could finally feel the life return to her body finally letting her move, she got up out of the bed with her newfound vigor. The droids had left her a change of clothes for her seeing as the only large piece of clothing she had on was a shirt. When she'd got the clothes on she found a mirror and admired herself for a moment, these clothes were actually quite luxurious compared to what she was used to wearing. Dark gray pants, a pair of tall black leather boots, and a long coat with cloak sleeves reaching down towards her knees. Doing a small twirl in front of the mirror she felt very happy, fashion and jewelry was always something she had been interested in… she remembered all the times she had been up late in the temple browsing the extranet looking at all types of clothes. She had never gotten the chance to do much with her interest due to being a jedi… due to being a jedi? Was this what the voice had been talking about? "To choose how you want to live your life?" That was one of the things he'd said…

Garden of Destiny

Through Strength, I gain Victory. Through Victory, my chains are Broken

The Force shall free me

The Third , fourth and the fifth passage of the Sith Code

Having found her way to the estate's garden with the help of a droid she found herself sitting at a table in the garden. The garden had a perfect view of the lake which she couldn't help but admire, it was a very calming sight for her… Everything that has happened still felt exceptionally heavy on her, but she could still feel the warm coat-like feeling around her easing the pain and emotions she was experiencing.

What was going on in her life? Why was all of this happening? Once again she found herself contemplating everything that had transpired since that day. She was just seventeen… how was she supposed to deal with all of this? The entire world she'd believed in had been uprooted in just a few seconds… taking a deep breath and exhaling she tried to calm her stormy mind. That same sentence is the one she had been repeating to herself for days now… she just wanted it gone… why couldn't this just be one big nightmare, if she closed her eyes hard enough maybe the nightmare would end… maybe…

"This is reality, even if we wish that it was simply a nightmare." The voice startled her, it was not in her head this time. Looking around she found a tall dark figure looking at her, a hazy memory was brought back of the same figure carrying her. Although there were some differences, the cloak had been replaced by a cape which also revealed a jet black mirror mask that covered the entire head along with a large skirt that covered the legs. She felt a hint of fear in her mind… his height… the all black coloration and not to mention the mask that simply unsettled anyone who would look at it.

"Enjoying the view?" he asked her, probably sensing her shock.

"Uhh... Yes, I am, it's very beautiful" Managing a short answer she was very confused by this whole situation, what was she supposed to do?

"I believe this belongs to you." The man unclipped something from the back of his belt, with an offering gesture he revealed the object in his hand.

"Your lightsaber… padawan" The robotic voice was very bad at conveying his tone yet she was able to at least make out that there were no bad intentions in his voice or gesture with the force. Reaching out with her hand and taking her lightsaber she simply held it in her hand… looking at it…

"It only reminds you of what has happened, doesn't it?" Now she could make out the sincerity in his voice, there was understanding in it, he understood her pain, her sorrow. Barely able to hold back her tears, there was simply something so uplifting about knowing that someone understood what she was going through.

"There is no point in wallowing in that pain and sorrow, use them instead." She heard the conviction in those three last words, it almost sounded like a challenge.

"What do you mean?" She said rather timidly "Use them? How could she do that when they only made her crumble.

"The Jedi have taught you many things, yet out of fear they have forced you to hinder yourself." He spoke with experience… he knew things about the Order that she didn't, just like before when he spoke to her telepathically, but what was it that he knew?

"I don't understand… they've hindered me?" she asked, wanting to understand what he was telling her.

The man moved his head to look out at the water, or that was at least what she thought it was. She followed his gaze and looked once more at the water… the small waves making their way towards the shore made her feel calm. There was a simple beauty in it… nature running its endless course.

"The Order has taught you to restrain yourself, to not form bonds with others… They've told you that emotions and passion lead to the darkside, that much is true. Yet by doing this they robbed you of everything that could have been, they took from you the most important thing of all… your choice…"

"My choice… that is what they took from me?"

"Yes… they took you from your parents and molded you to become a tool for them. They used you like a pawn to further their corrupted goals."

"I… I don't… I don't know what to say…" She stated

"Of course, you don't know because they took that from you… your choice… your freedom."

"Freedom?" This was so much for her… what he's saying… my entire life…

"With falsehoods they cover your eyes from the obvious… that you were a slave to them… a simple tool to further their goals…"

A slave… no, the Order fought against that reviled institution… they did not treat her like a slave… or…

"I know what slavery is like… and I… I wish I could have seen the Order for what it was a long time ago…" She felt the air grow heavy… she felt the sadness, the pain… she finally understood… he had been a Jedi… that is why the things he said weaved their way through all of her counters to what he was telling her. He was sincere… he spoke no lie… only the heavy truth… this all made her see with a new light. She finally understood why she felt so alienated in the temple during her latest visits… they did not treat her like an individual… they did not congratulate her nor acknowledge her for who she was… a person. The clones had treated her like a person, an individual… not a tool…

The man stretched out his hand towards her…

"I am Darth Vader, former Jedi, now a Sith Lord. You have escaped from the clutches of the Jedi Order, but you have yet to gain your freedom, I can show you the way… if that is what you want." He said it so casually yet it was still in a serious manner, he had been a Jedi but now he was a Sith… the enemy of the Jedi… she was a Jedi… but, he held no ill will towards her, there was no hatred towards her. This offer that he made was not one out of manipulation, it came from compassion… She sat in silence looking at his stretched out arm… then she came to a conclusion…

"Show me" She placed her hand in his and stood up from the chair, this was her decision not anyone else's… Hers.

Revelations

To light a path you need but a lit match, but to see where the path leads you require a lighthouse, something very few have.

Dalia had become familiar with the estate and the surrounding grounds now, it felt incredible. Finally… finally she could call a place home and this time truly mean it. She'd only ever felt like this during her time at the temple… she felt a twinge of hatred poke her… no that was simply an illusion… a lie… a massive one…

Instinctively she tried to repress the feeling but she stopped herself…

"You can hide your emotions, but never repress them. This is the difference between Sith and Jedi, we do not cower before nature, we harness it and bend it to our will." This was the first lesson her new master had taught her… store that feeling and unleash it when the time is right.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me." She repeated the sith code out loud to remind her of what she was training to achieve… Freedom.

"It will be a long road ahead yet at the end you will find freedom, my apprentice." She had not been his apprentice for very long but to her it felt as though in this short time he had done more for her than her former master ever had… he understood her… unlike her former master, another twinge of hatred poked at her. Did you ever care for me or was I just a tool… where you just a tool like me? You were all blind to the truth… what happened was only natural…

"The fall of the Order was determined as soon as they joined the war, that was the last nail in the coffin. At that moment they betrayed all that they supposedly stood for, they betrayed the people of the galaxy." Everything that her master had told her made sense when she thought about it, the Jedi were supposed to be peacekeepers yet she had been nothing but a soldier, a warmonger.

"I am your new master, you are no slave and never will be again, you are my apprentice. I will teach you the way so that you never again have to suffer from weakness, so that you can achieve that which you want." Never again… I will attain the strength I need… my chains will be broken. With my new master I shall reach for the heights the Order would allow, I have already felt the power I can harness… now your true life begins Dalia… the new beginning.

"The force shall free me."

Sidious the Insidious

Among the many things we will never be able to understand, the one we so often believe we can understand is the intentions of those around us.

Coruscant, Imperial Palace

Sidious was sitting at his personal desk, he had just spoken to his apprentice, Vader. Right now he was grinning ear to ear, when he had rescued Vader from Mustafar his plans had gone up in flames… just like his apprentice funnily enough. But for all his scheming and manipulation he could never have anticipated what a perfect thing his apprentice's failure against his former master would become. Not only had Vader fully committed himself to the darkside, he was also actively digging himself deeper and deeper in the hole of hatred, pain and sorrow that would give him even greater strength. Sidious was experiencing something close to bliss, he had needed to do so utterly little to truly entrench his apprentice in the dark side. Vader had practically seen the shovel and started digging it without encouragement from Sidious.

This conversation that he had had with Vader just a moment ago was the true icing on the cake for Sidious, Vader had asked to train an apprentice. At first Sidious had been skeptical to the idea but after Vader had further explained both who it was he wished to take on and why he thought it was possible Sidious could not help but marvel at the foresight of his apprentice. Barely a month had gone by since his adoption of the darkside and he was already taking after Sidious himself.

This would work out perfectly, this Sidious was sure of. Even if it were to backfire, Vader was more than capable to dispose of any issues that could come from it, it could possibly also be a good test in the future depending on how things play out. Sidious was thinking of what he had had Dooku do during the war…

Yes… yes, everything was lining up perfectly with his plans…

Twilight over the Sands

"The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living"

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Another twin sunset, one going under before the other…

On a moisture farm in the middle of nowhere a lightsaber was flashing through the burning air, sweat dripping down the brow of a grizzled warrior… With one last swing the man stood up straight and looked towards the sunset before him…

Why did it have to come to this? What did I do wrong? Where was it I went wrong? It had been two days since that day… he silently cursed at the sunset in front of him, why did it have to remind him of that day… Why? His muscles ached from the strain of the exercise he had put himself through… this pain was nothing, it was nothing like the hole in his heart… the absolute destruction of a part of himself… Why was he wallowing here when so many people in the galaxy needed his help right now… help against the Empire… Lifting his hand to rub his eyes he felt a slight cold, looking to his fingers he saw the wet spots… he quickly brushed aside the thoughts welling up in his mind. And then he heard the cry of a child… that was the reminder… that is why I am here… to protect the small legacy of good you left behind…

"I hope you've found peace… Brother…"