Chapter 7
For the first time in a long time, Darth Vader was free of the contraption that enslaved him to the Empire's whim for twenty years.
His respirator was still a feature, but it wasn't as loud, opening the door of possibility of him being allowed to sleeping he so wished. Not that the lack of basic human qualities upset him, but Skywalker's foolishness led to Vader becoming stronger.
The reason why Vader chose to remove the suit was not simply because he'd wanted Leia to look into his own eyes. Though, that did play a factor, the Sith Lord admitted to himself. It was simply because the suit possessed too many weaknesses that hindered Vader from being an active threat.
He knew all too well about Sidious programming his suit with electrical weaknesses.
The suit also had a weakness in which it could be deactivated as if he was a drone and nothing else. The many drugs that came would no longer be a necessity.
The suit often broke. With the assistance of his droids, he was fragmented into more comfortable, as well as more durable, condition. An in-depth analysis of his cybernetics revealed several dubious fail-saves that the Sith Lord long since suspected to be present. His cybernetics were replaced by more flexible ones, loosened up to allow him to move more freely as he did twenty years ago.
He never had cared much to remove those exploitations, but that was before when he was Sidious's mindless pawn with no thoughts of his own. When he discovered his connection to Leia, that mentality perished.
He'd ordered his personal droids to remove that weakness. The next time they met, Vader and the Emperor would be firm rivals with his powerful daughter reinforcing him from the sidelines.
The medical droids layered his body in bacta. If not for the Dark Side being strong with him and his devotion to show his daughter reality, he could die. His skin was covered with pieces of silk-like cloth that was lined with the exterior of bacta. Placed around his neck was a respirator which stretched up and covered his mouth as well, guaranteeing he could breathe as well.
In short, he'd shared a striking resemblance to one of the Juggernaut Sith of History. Darth Malgus.
While the droids worked on him, Vader contemplated. Thoughts of him holding her as a baby, the opportunity that would never come, plagued Vader as he sat there, throughout his updates. He mourned the first steps she would have taken with her mother at her side, smiling, and embracing the family they'd always wanted. Leading her off to an educational program...
Thoughts of another life. If not for the Jedi's interference, he could have had his daughter at his side. The Sith too, he recognized.
It should have been him throughout her growth, not the Organas.
The concept of converting her was a double-edged sword. He not only needed to turn her, but needed to be the man she could look up to. Not just a Sith's Master and Apprentice, with the girl seeking to overthrow him, but father and daughter.
Between power and his daughter, he knew which one he would choose.
But both could still be an occurrence...
Vjun was terrifying.
That had been the only way to describe the planet.
The acidic rain aside, Leia wondered what purpose did Vader have bringing her here. A big, dead rock was all that Leia could summon up to describe the surface.
Surprisingly, when they landed, the Sith didn't said anything. He walked inside of the fortress, and Leia was immediately taken by his aides to give a... redressing.
There were only a few people here.
Thus, Leia had her own peace for a while. Vader took the whole Sith thing literally or something because all of the rooms and corridors were dark. Seriously, had the Sith Lord ever heard of lights, or some lamp? She could still see, but barely.
At least, she had time to think. Throughout the rush of a few days, she barely could process everything.
She was related to one of the evillest man in the galaxy.
Making a deal with him was somewhat of the hope that she could last in his presence for long without barfing at what he did, what he could make her do. Her father taught her all about the Jedi, the Sith, and how the latter could do terrible things to both body and soul.
She was unwilling to become like that monster.
At least, Leia was provided with black robes. While not her favorite overalls especially in a place so dark, she had been wearing her gown for days, and there were starting to smell so she complied with the clothes demand for now, even though she knew she was basically his prisoner.
Part of her wished that she was more selfish and just waited for another opportunity to escape. Leaving Vader behind on the Death Star as it was sucked into a black hole was another possibility. At the very least, the Rebellion would have one less threat to worry about, but knowing the Dark Lord, he would have found a way to survive, saw right through whatever attempt she was doing, and would have come back to her, killing or critical injuring everyone and everything that got into his way.
In hindsight, there was little choice.
At the very least, the Rebellion wouldn't have to deal with him anymore. That would have been a victory if not for Leia's own voice being taken away, leaving a void that hopefully her parents or someone else would be able to fill.
Leia still couldn't fall asleep.
Every noise made her fight a jump. The faint echo down the hallway, the sounds of marching...
Eventually, recognition became a distant thing.
She breathed.
Would he kill her regardless?
Was all of this an act just to get her hopes up, before her uses expired, and he killed her? She felt fear, not at her death... well maybe a little... but more at the things Vader could do to her. There were plenty of torture methods to go around. The very few survivors who crossed him of the Rebellion apparently never slept at night the same again without hearing that raspy breathing.
Was that Leia's destiny?
She felt a small urge to run, but she knew that there was no escaping from that monster. Taking whatever ship on planet simply wasn't possible.
More questions...
What was she thinking about making a deal with that monster?
Why did time felt so endless?
Why did she want nothing more than to just run into a place, make sure no one, especially the Sith with her, would be able to find her so she could straighten herself out and find justifications within herself to make it all feel so much better?!
There was no running.
There was no escape.
Nothing but the dark place, and the faint hope that she kept her conscience intact.
Eventually, the door opened.
She launched her head up and reached for a blaster.
In front of her, he stood, as if a devil casting judgment to his victim.
When she finally locked contact with his now exposed eyes, she couldn't bear the urge to barf. In some ways, the lenses were better compared to those yellow eyes staring through her soul.
His skin had so many scars of different sizes. Some small scars on different sides of his forehead. Some hinted at larger injuries such as a line of scars on the left side of his head and cheek. He was bald with pale skin. The nose, cheekbones, and chin. In front of his nose was a respirator of some sort. The respirator was quieter than the last one.
The three buttons on his chest plate were gone now. His long arms and legs appeared to have been updated as well. They seemed to gift him with more freedom and mobility.
Surprisingly, the first thing he did was roll his yellow eyes. "Would you cease acting like I'm going to harm you?"
"I still find that part hard to believe," she spat back.
"Defiant one," the monster said with some bitter pride. "You truly are my daughter."
"Ugh, please don't make that comparisons..." she replied, leaning back. "Why did this have to happen to me?"
"It was a miracle."
"In your dreams."
Vader didn't grow angry again. "Do you forget if not for my interference, Tarkin would have decimated Alderaan?"
"Yes, and I'm unsure if I should appreciate that or curse the moment you discover our connection."
"I'm more than likely to keep you safe here than your Rebel friends would have ever done."
"I doubt so." Before he could have responded, she continued. "What made you..." she bit her lip, "removed the suit?"
"The respirator being a necessity aside," Vader stated in his deep baritone, "the suit was no longer required."
"Who did this to you?" Leia asked, slightly horrified. He looked more like a corpse than anything else.
The atmosphere became darker, if that was somehow possible.
"Kenobi..."
"General Kenobi?" she asked, horror flashing across her expression. "But the Jedi were..."
"The Jedi were not peacekeepers," the Dark Lord replied abruptly. "Leia, your parents have a bias point of view, the one-sided interpretation that Chancellor Palpatine caused all of the problems in the Republic, and that the Jedi were victims. I was a slave before the Jedi came to "rescue" me and they did nothing before walking among a nest of slavers, mercenaries, and victims of the slavers wrath. Simple being, the Jedi were not the paragons of virtue that your Rebel friends attempt to manufactured them into being. The Jedi was a dogmatic Order, destined to fall due to sheer hubris and foolishness. They allowed slavery to foster in the Outer Rim and did nothing. They were not "peacekeepers of the galaxy". They were peacekeepers of the Republic, and that's the difference."
Leia didn't know what to say. Vader was once a Jedi. He was speaking out of sheer experience, or at least his twisted own. It was possible that he could be deceiving her, that he'd wanted her to feel worms of disgust about the Jedi... but that small voice inside of her told her that wasn't the case, that Vader was being sincere. Manipulation was something she knew she had to watch out in around him, but she couldn't just dismiss him as a liar, not when he did chose to sacrifice the Death Star, proving that he had some form of humanity, at least she hoped.
"But is needless violence really the answer?" She asked. "The Empire slaughtered populations. There are so many deaths on your hands. How can you sleep at night?"
"I can ask you the same thing." he replied.
"What are you talking about?"
"A terrorist organization is one which uses "force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives." The Rebel Alliance fits that definition quite well. Many leaders within the Alliance also joined due to their extreme tendencies - Senators disgruntled by the Emperor's power, guerilla fighters aiming to topple the established government, and others of a similar sort. You may say that the Empire was the one which committed war crimes - and yes, that is partially true, as exemplified well by the destruction of Jedha City. We can also expect similar acts done by the Rebellion, if not ones with the same magnitude as the former. Some members of the Alliance are no better than delinquents set upon revenge, such as the late Saw Gerrera. We both know militants would do when faced with the Empire - attack military facilities in the middle of a civilian population center to further their goals, the civilian casualties being referred to as necessary collateral damage. Overall, the art of war involves both sides as the faulty. There is no true good or bad."
"You are saying that the Empire should be allowed to slaughter massive amount of people without repercussions?" Leia felt her lips curling up into a sneer. "The Rebel Alliance is not a terrorist group. Do we share some similarities with some terrorist organizations? Sure, but that's because they're insurgencies. A terrorist group, as the name suggests, uses violence and intimidation, almost always against civilians, to push a political agenda. The Alliance to Restore the Republic, while having political aims, does not use terrorism. Saw Gerrera and his partisans were not a part of the Alliance and were kicked from it because of their extremist views and actions. Therefore, the Rebel Alliance is not a terrorist organization. The Galactic Empire is, as a whole, at least moderately evil. It is led by a manipulative kind face."
"Would you tell that to people who the Rebels slaughtered for inevitably getting into the way? Their families? Their friends?" The Sith Lord asked. "You claim we are evil, follow the black and white doctrine, but to common people, the Rebels are terrorists who is unable to accept the new status quo and so is causing instability the galaxy. No system is ever entirely clean, Leia. If your Rebel friends successfully restore order to the galaxy, it is very likely in the next war against an unknown entity they will waver because of their lack of foresight. The Empire is a miracle to plenty of the people."
Certain thing, there were some Stormtroopers that she killed throughout the years, but there was nothing... oh great, now she was thinking about them as well! No, she didn't regret those deaths! Those Stormtroopers were willing to serve an evil cause that enslaved and massacred entire populations! So why did her heart felt remorse? Why did she wonder how those men and women must have felt before they were gunned down by her allies?
She grounded her teeth. "No war is bloodless, but it's better to allow the people to have a voice instead of the rich. The Empire serves its own interests. You have decimated Kashyyyk, Geonosis, and so many other worlds. The Alliance's blood toll isn't nearly as high."
"You know your history, Leia," he acknowledged, some pride in his voice, "unfortunately it's tainted by propaganda and foolish notions of morality."
"Oh, really, why did my ex-boyfriend's father have been found guilty for embezzlement and abuse of office, and the rest of his family has come to be seen as co-conspirators? How was that allowed to slide for so long?"
"Boyfriend?" he repeated the word icily, abandoning the other root of conversation for now.
Leia's right eyebrow shot up. "Yes, boyfriend."
"I see it now, the flaws in your growth," he asserted, pointing an index digit at her direction. "Organa should have been stricter."
"Who the kriff do you think you are?!" She shouted.
"Leia, as your father, I have a responsibility to protect y-"
She exploded. "Well, sorrryyy," she sneered, "but I have a life outside of politics! At least I had one before you came along! I don't need your protection! I know what I'm doing. I can take care of myself!"
"What is his name?" he inquired sharply.
"You are NOT going to kill him!"
"I have to ensure that he doesn't attempt to lure you back into a relationship should you two ever reunite."
"He didn't lure me into anything! It was mutual!" she exclaimed. "And besides it was only a kiss and a brief make out session! Nothing more!"
"Don't play with me, child." Was he seriously treating her like an insolent brat?
"I'm not a child, and you have no right in interfering with my personal life!"
"Tell me his name now," he growled.
"That's none of your business!"
"I see you intend to make this difficult."
"I'm an adult!"
Who the kriff did he think he was, getting involved with her love life?