Act 2 Part 1
Lives set Aflame
"We must fight terrorism as if there's no peace process and work to achieve peace as if there's no terror."
Yitzhak Rabin
If you wish for something to occur, for example, say you wish for 1000 credits. If this wish comes true, then you have absolutely no idea how that wish will come to be true. You might get one credit a day for a thousand days and so your wish would have come true, you might find two thousand credits on the sidewalk but on the way home you've been pickpocketed for half of it. Either way, your wish would have come true, you wished for a thousand credits and you got them.
Well, one man wished for a family of his own… and he would receive one but not in the way he imagined…
—
Theed was always a beautiful city, a perfect blend of appealing architecture and verdant greenery. Yet on this day that peaceful image of verdance and serenity would be marred by a deep scar like a time 15 years ago. This should've been a day of celebration for its people, one which had been celebrated for 850 years… the festival of light. But instead it would send a message to the galaxy, a message to signal the start of resistance… to ignite the flame of rebellion.
Light a match, no matter how small, if used to burn a single blade of dry grass, that one small match could start an endless sea of flames… be it a sea of vengeance or one of rebellion only time can tell.
Coruscant
"Lord Vader, the emperor demands that you depart for Naboo immediately." Said the young officer after he'd entered the office of the highest ranked man in the Imperial military.
He only received a minute movement of Vader's masked head as a confirmation that he even knew the young officer had entered his office. Then a deep robotic voice filled the silence.
"Did a reason accompany this command?" Vader asked, clearly showing his disdain for wasting time with a venomous emphasis on the word reason.
The officer quickly relayed the information he'd been given. "Y-yes my lord, there has been a terrorist bombing in the capital of Theed, the death toll is not yet confirmed but the preliminary estimates are reaching over a hundred dead and even more wounded." There was no time for the officer to wait with baited breath, in a second after saying the last word Vader was already up and moving towards the door which the officer had come through moments earlier. He quickly sidestepped to make way for Vader then quickly fell into step beside him.
"This datapad holds all the relevant data we have right now, including a preliminary suspect list drawn up by the ISB and Imperial Intelligence. They are already sending agents to apprehend some of those suspected." He extended the datapad towards Vader who wordlessly and without looking snatched it out of his hands and started going through it.
Since the officer hadn't been dismissed by Vader he still followed him fearing that if he left without permission that he would meet with a similar fate as those who had displeased the supreme commander in the past. Eventually they came to the hangar and almost as soon as they had arrived Vader was already shooting out of the hangar in his infamous starfighter which had come to be known as "The Black Dread". Releasing a deep sigh of relief the young officer went back to perform his normal duties far away from the possibility of being summarily executed for perceived incompetence.
Naboo, Theed Palace
Darth Vader, Supreme Commander of the Imperial Military was livid to say the least, and everyone in the palace knew it. Most of the court was staring in abject horror at each other, the horrid sound of screaming rang out across the halls unabashedly. Vader was slowly and painfully going through and torturing the prisoners that had been captured from the terrorist attack. And he seemingly did not care for the fact that you could probably hear the screams echoing throughout the entire palace.
The last scream rang out and soon after Vader came marching into the throne room.
"All the terrorists are accounted for…" Everyone could feel how the atmosphere grew immensely cold. "All of you except the queen, leave now."
His command was followed swiftly and the room emptied in less than a minute. Now there were only two people in the room, Darth Vader and Queen Apailana.
"What I am about to tell you is something that shall never leave this room, and know that if this information gets out there is an extremely small list of people for me to go through to find who let it slip." Apailana simply nodded in response.
"Two children were injured, Ryoo and Pooja Naberrie… they are my nieces from my late wife's part of the family. All of their family here on Naboo is now dead… you will add them to the list of the dead and have them transferred discreetly into my custody. Is this understood?" Once again Apailana only nodded to the terrifying man before her then Vader spoke again.
"I will be expecting them in the hangar within the hour." Vader stated coldly and headed out of the throne room. Leaving Apailana to finally breathe somewhat calmly.
Mustafar, Fortress Vader
Again…
It happened again…
Once more you lost it…
What good have you ever done? You've brought nothing but pain and death to the people you've held so dear to your cold and empty husk of a heart…
And now it's only you left… and hopefully Ryoo and Pooja won't join their parents and grandparents in the afterlife, at least not while I can do something about it…
Why? Why must life torture me so, and in such a brutal, callous and monstrous way. Can you answer me that destiny? Why? Why did you tear the warmth from my heart and carve an echoing chamber of hatred, pain and suffering in its place, only to then fill it with some pitying embers before repeating the same thing again? Only this time you're prolonging my suffering by having let the two of them survive, both in a coma… completely unaware of what has happened… blissfully asleep in the raging inferno that their lives have been devoured by in such a heinous way.
I have no one else to blame for my empty heart except myself, they on the other hand… self righteous and blindly idealistic terrorists. I may be a monster in my own right but not even I, a member of the highest order of monsters… would claim that killing hundreds of innocent people on a joyous occasion is righteous, justified or even a necessary price to pay.
What did the two of them ever do to deserve this? Losing the only family they'd known their entire life, the one that raised them for all of it… and to be left with what, a both mentally and physically scarred uncle who killed their aunt, and a loss so painful it will never, ever truly subside…
They deserved better… they all did… Padmé… not a day goes by that I do not regret everything… but please know, that I will do anything to save them… to let them at least live a life which isn't completely devoid of happiness.
Vader hadn't actually spent much time with Padmé's family except for some visits here and there. But there were two times since Mustafar that Ryoo and Pooja came to Coruscant, even if he'd not gotten to spend much time with them during those two visits he could still say that they were among the happiest memories from his new life. The memories he had from those two visits filled his heart with smouldering embers of warmth. Their amazed faces after he'd shown them his training routine with his lightsabers, how they excitedly showed off their purchases from the malls and shopping centers they'd been to…
Would he ever get to see them smile with such pure happiness ever again? Maybe not… but alongside that burning pain was an even brighter flame that was slowly searing away the hurt and pain. A flame that told him to stop wallowing and forge the path ahead, to let this part of his two nieces' life be one where he stood by their side… always there for them when they needed him.
Your pain and suffering is something you brought upon yourself, their pain wasn't their own doing, it was brought upon them by those whose callous hearts could justify leaving children who'd done nothing but smile as orphans. Even if they cannot walk another step nor even lift their feet off the ground, you will be there to encourage them and help them… and if you need to, carry them. When they need a shoulder to cry on you'll be there, when they need someone to take their frustrations out on you'll be there… do for them what you would've your own child… do what you failed to do for your family… protect them… be their guardian.
Fate and Destiny
"For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been'."
John Greenleaf Whittier
Fate is fated to be unchangeable, destiny is destined to be changeable… they are by definition and all measures the complete opposite of eachother, yet they are exactly the same… there is only one course which time can take, and that is the one that happens. Therefore, everything is fated to happen, but it is not undeterminable nor unchangeable… therefore everything is fated to be decided by our choices and is therefore both unchangeable and changeable.
Her whole body felt heavy and rigid… what's going on? Last thing she remembered was that she was with her family out celebrating the festival of light, she was talking with her mother about how it was sad that their uncle couldn't be there to enjoy it as well… and then nothing. She began trying to force her eyelids open, her vision was blurry at first but slowly she began blinking the haziness away. What greeted her was not what she'd expected.
Black stone with a mix of white crack-like lines spreading out across its entirety. She turned her head looking around trying to figure out where she is. The room was empty except for some lamps, what seemed like a window with its shutters closed, a simple door and then also a bed, which she was laying in. Everything was either that same stone or black metal, even the blanket of the bed was black. She began moving trying to sit upright when that rigidness focused itself in her right arm.
Her left arm still felt slightly more normal than her right one so she used it to remove the blanket that was over her. When she saw her right arm though, she froze…
This isn't my arm… that's a prosthetic, I don't have a prosthetic arm… she blinked several more times and even rubbed her eyes until they hurt, but it was still there… what's going on? Where am I? Why do I have a prosthetic arm? What's happening? Her mind began to spiral into panic trying to make sense of everything, but just as she felt like she was beginning to lose herself the door hissed open. Revealing her uncle…
"Uncle? Wh-what's going on?" She began to feel tears beginning to form in her eyes, if she was with uncle Vader then… where were her parents? Where is Pooja?
"Ryoo, calm down, take a breath." His robotic voice and presence made her slightly more calm, he walked briskly towards her and knelt beside the bed and gently grabbed her shoulders. "You're safe, relax."
She began feeling like a warm blanket was cast over her mind, a warm and soothing feeling coursed through her originating from her shoulders where her uncle was holding her. His featureless mask was staring right at her and she could swear that she saw a comforting smile in the dark reflection. After a minute of trying to breathe slowly and calming down she asked her previous question again.
"What's going on uncle? Where are we?" She was desperate for the answer and that carried itself through to her tone as well. Where are her parents? Where's Pooja? Why does she have a prosthetic arm now? So many questions searing her mind, followed by the dread of the potential answer that could follow them.
There was an audible sigh from Vader, his shoulders slumped ever so slightly and his hands squeezed ever so slightly more on her shoulders…
—
"I understand… more than you know, the pain that tears at your very being. I've been plagued by it for the last 5 years, ever since my mother died in my arms… the only true comfort I found was your aunt. And I lost that as well not long after…
…
"I understand… that in this moment, there is no greater wish you can imagine than to simply open your eyes and be greeted with reality… one which no longer exists… there hasn't gone by a day that I have not wished for that to happen, that I might simply open my eyes one day and find that it was just a horrible nightmare… but it never happens…"
…
"I understand… the hollowness in your heart, that echoing reverberation of pained anger and sorrowful silence… it will follow you forever, to the ends of the universe. The only way to rid yourself of that emptiness is to forget who you are, who you were… but that would mean forsaking everything… the good… the bad… and everything in between…"
…
"But know this… as long as I am able, I will be here… and know that I understand, that I share your pain… Always remember this, your parents, your grandparents, your aunt… and I… want nothing but to see you live a happy life… the pain and sadness will feel like it roots you to the ground, makes you unable to lift a muscle or even open your eyes. But always know, that whenever I can, I will help lighten that pain… I will help you take that next step… it will hurt… it will be hard… but remember, that is what they would've wanted you to do. They would've wanted to see you continue on, showing clearly to the entire universe… the strength which they gave you blaze brightly…"
…
…
…
"I love you… uncle…" Her cheeks were soaked in tears and her eyes were swollen. Her voice, hoarse and pained, carried with it a genuine sense of hope, in a small show of defiance against the sorrow carving itself into her heart. She couldn't remember for how long she'd been crying, how long she'd had her head buried in the crook of her uncle's neck, how long she'd been clutching and squeezing his cloak. Though she could clearly remember two things, her uncle's steadfast warmth and his rhythmic breathing in her ear… and it gave her such a small but incredible feeling of pure bliss.
His words painted such an accurate picture of how she was feeling, the overwhelming pain coursing through her entire being. To know that someone understood… that they knew what she was going through and feeling in this moment. The feeling was indescribable, happiness? Bliss? Relief? It felt like all of those and much more.
"I cannot promise that I will always be there when you need me, I have a lot of responsibilities after all." He said jokingly, a light chuckle escaped his vocoder as well. "But I will always make the effort to be there as much as I can… and know this, I will always love you."
"T-thank you… uncle, for everything." She couldn't properly convey how grateful she was right in this moment, but something told her that he knew, that he could feel it.
"You never need to thank me for doing this, there is nothing that I would rather be doing right now. But there is one thing I want to see… I want to see you smile, in defiance of the pain, in defiance of the sorrow, in defiance of everything keeping you down… a pure smile of defiance."
She couldn't help but do just that… smile… smile in defiance of everything weighing her down. To show her strength, and prove that she was capable. Once again she swore that she could see a smile in the dark reflection of his mask, no matter what anyone told her… she could see him smiling back at her.
"So Ryoo, what do you think of my handiwork?" Again, she couldn't stop herself from both smiling and chuckling a little. But it still reminded her of… well, everything. From the elbow and down on her right arm, so essentially half of it, was now a metal prosthetic. She flexed her fingers, turned her hand around, it was really weird but she guessed she'd get used to it eventually.
"Yeah, it's good uncle." She said wistfully while giving him a pained smile.
"I'll teach you how to change it and all that later, right now you have a younger sister who wants to eat lunch and you probably want food as well."
How did she get so lucky? How did she end up with such a great uncle? Well guess I have auntie Mé to thank for it… thank you…
The rest of the day was eventful to say the least. Getting the biggest hug from Pooja that she'd ever received, finding out that she was in uncle Vader's fortress on a planet called Mustafar which is entirely made up of black rocks and lava.
It only hit her when she was once again laying down in the bed that was now hers… their entire lives just changed, her and her sister's, in a completely irreparable way to the point that she could barely recognize her life. Pooja and uncle Vader… that's what's left from her former life. They hadn't talked about it today, but she knew that the question was an inevitability… sooner or later she and her sister need to confront it…
What happens now?
Once Upon a Time
"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how."
Friedrich Nietzsche
Once upon a time, a man wished for a family… destiny obliged several times, and every time in a different way. But such is the nature of time, that something will always be the last… be it your last glass of water or your last smile, there will always be the final time.
And for this man, this family would be the final, the last one…
The scene was one plucked straight out of a holodrama, a dim evening with the constant hail of barely perceivable raindrops turning the air fresh and the ground wet. Cold stone with an inscription, the last place of rest for the departed, a place where tears fall and memories are kept. On this day it is no different…
Ryoo and Pooja stood with their gazes peering down towards the ground, now that they found themselves standing here in front of the evidence… it was impossible to deny, their lives would never be the same, ever again.
But they still had the reassuring rock that was uncle Vader in this stormy part of their life. Vader had one hand on Ryoo's shoulder and the other one on Pooja's head since she wasn't quite tall enough just yet. Or maybe it's just that uncle Vader is really tall…
"It's time…" Vader's voice spread out across the silent graveyard in its robotic modulation… time to leave… they didn't want to, but they knew they had to.
They'd missed both their parent's and grandparent's funeral, not that they could've really attended since as far as people knew they were also dead… uncle Vader had explained that it had to be done. The feelings were mixed, on one hand they wanted to keep their family's name and on the other they saw the upside to putting that part of their life to rest… it didn't hurt any less either way, which their uncle understood.
"Goodbye… Mom and Dad…"
The walk back to the shuttle was a quiet one, only filled by the quiet pattering of the rain against roof tiles, the uneven rush of the small streaks of running water along the streets and their methodical footsteps. The two sisters could only remember one other time when they'd felt this atmosphere in Theed… auntie Mé's funeral. It hadn't been raining then but the rain was honestly preferable to the amount of people that had gathered for her funeral. Their faces filled with sadness and pity… comparatively the rain was so much better.
They'd been in a coma for a couple of weeks, Pooja who'd not lost any limbs had awoken 4 days before Ryoo had. Neither of them wanted to think about the reason for why they'd been in that coma. Pooja had it easier to push the thoughts out but Ryoo had the constant reminder… the cold metallic reminder of that day… but it reminded her of something else as well. Uncle Vader… he'd made the arm entirely from scratch, adjusted it to be as mechanically seamless to an actual arm as possible.
Among the few things they could be glad over in all of this was that they could spend more time with their uncle now… a small comfort, a small bright flame of hope in the all encompassing darkness…
Author's Notes:
One and a half years (in the story) since chapter 13 roughly, as said in the previous note. 1 year and 8-9 months since Mustafar.
Congratulations dear reader, you have now reached the part where this story first came to exist. The 13 previous chapters (Act 1) have essentially served as both introductory and character forming so that I could make this entire scenario. Padmé lives, Leia survived, Luke died and (crucial story detail that will be important later), Vader has handled his loss in a somewhat "positive" way, as best as he could.
I could've begun writing this story at this point in the AU but I wanted to make all the personality changes I have and will introduce "plausible" where you are able to see why they have changed. So now we have Papa bear Darth Vader and Mama bear Padmé Amidala :)
How's this going to turn out, hmmmm?