Obi Wan arrived at the Tagge manor house on Tepase early in the evening local time. That seemed the time he would have the strongest likelihood of finding Aeilena at home. Perhaps it was rude to show up unannounced, but he always thought it best to see someone's organic reactions without giving them time to prepare.
He approached the gate. "How may I help you?" a crisp core accent sounded through an invisible speaker.
"Pardon me for showing up unannounced," said Obi Wan, giving his most charming smile. "I am Jedi Knight Obi Wan Kenobi, and I have an urgent matter I need some assistance with. Is Miss Aeilena Tagge home?"
"One moment," the voice responded. Then, "Yes, please come in, Master Kenobi."
"Excellent, thank you," Obi Wan said as the gate opened.
He pulled his speeder in through the gate where he was soon met by a valet. These people were clearly next level rich. Another man, a butler perhaps, appeared to escort Obi Wan inside. He was guided to a rather fancy sitting room. "Miss Tagge will be with you shortly," the man remarked in the same crisp core accent that had greeted Obi Wan at the gate. "Can I get you anything to drink?"
"Some tea would be lovely, thanks," Obi Wan said with a smile.
The man hurried off to get Obi Wan's tea, and reappeared a moment later. Obi Wan was just sipping his tea when Aeilena appeared in the doorway. "Master Jedi, it is an honor to have you as a guest," Aeilena remarked with a courteous smile. "How can I be of service?"
"The honor is all mine," Obi Wan replied. "I was just hoping to ask a few questions about someone you might have known."
"Who do you want to know about?" Aeilena asked, her eyebrows raised ever so slightly. "I'm not sure I know much of anything that could be of use to a Jedi like yourself."
"Perhaps not," Obi Wan admitted. "But there's a certain person of interest who I believe you may have known at one point, and I'm having rather a lot of trouble finding any information on this individual, so anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated."
"Of course," Aeilena replied courteously. "I'm happy to help if I can."
Obi Wan showed her a still shot of Vader's face from the holo. "I think you may have met a couple years ago."
Aeilena stared at the holo for a moment with a confused expression which changed to one of mild indifference as she recognized him. "Oh," she said with a slight shrug. "Well I can tell you what I know, but it's really not much. I'm not really sure why you're asking me about him. We met at a party. That was it. I don't know what I could tell you that would be useful or that you don't already know."
"Well, his name would be good for starters," Obi Wan chuckled as Aeilena raised an eyebrow. "Yes, hard as it is to believe, little as you might know about this person I'm hard pressed to find anyone who knows any more than you do."
"Halston," Aeilena answered.
"Any family name?" Obi Wan asked.
Aeilena shook her head. "If he told me I don't remember."
Obi Wan filed that away, fairly certain it was a fake name. It was certainly a pretentious, core rich kid name if he'd ever heard one. "Did he tell you where he was from?"
"His family is from Alderaan, he said. Or his dad is anyway. I think his family is big in banking or something like that. Halston was at the naval academy on Anaxes."
Obi Wan seriously doubted any of that was true, but he made a note of it regardless. "Did he say where his mom was from?" Obi Wan inquired.
"Somewhere in the outer rim I think," Aeilena said with a shrug. "He had kind of a funny accent and he'd picked it up visiting his mom's family as a kid."
Interesting. A shred of truth to every lie. Obi Wan hadn't quite been able to distinguish Vader's accent from the few words he had spoken in the holos, but it was clear that it wasn't core. "What did you talk about?" Obi Wan asked.
Aeilena shrugged. "Just the usual I guess. He was from out of town of course and there with his cousin, but his cousin had already left with some girl so Halston didn't know anyone."
Convenient, Obi Wan thought.
"And I was there with some of my friends," Aeilena continued, "But I was kind of mad at this one girl, Marina, at the time, so I was sort of avoiding them. So I started talking to Halston since we were both kind of alone there. I asked him about the academy and stuff."
"Oh? And what did he have to say about that?" Obi Wan prompted.
"He said he liked it but he really wanted to be a pilot, but his dad wanted him to go into the officer corps, so he kind of had to," Aeilena recounted. "Which I remember just thinking that sucked because I used to get a lot of pressure from my parents to go into the family business… you know… before they died… so I kind of know what it's like," Aeilena flinched slightly at the mention of her parents but continued on bravely. "He seemed really passionate about flying. He was telling me about all the ships he had flown and like the mods he made… and I don't really know anything about that, but it sounded kind of cool."
That actually… kind of tracked. Obi Wan thought of how Vader always seemed to be flying a different ship, always some kind of custom, modded model. Obi Wan had assumed it was just a means of stealth, but perhaps Vader really did just have a passion for ships. And as a pilot… Vader just might be more dangerous in a dogfight than in a lightsaber duel and that was saying something. And Obi Wan knew from his own experience being under cover that it was easier to maintain a lie when there was some element of truth to it.
"So you talked about your families then?" Obi Wan asked.
"Yeah, some. I mean… there were some things going on like with my dad at the time, and Halston just seemed to really get it, you know. We talked for a really long time and he was just a really good listener, I thought."
Well, Obi Wan thought, he supposed force users were empaths, even if the force user in question was a Sith.
"Did he seem very interested in your father?" asked Obi Wan.
"No? I mean… I don't know. Like we talked about my dad a little. Like there was some drama at the time… that was actually why I was upset with Marina… so I was kind of venting, and I think he was just listening to me to be nice."
Obi Wan suppressed a sigh. This girl was painfully naive, and it must have been ridiculously easy for Vader to get information out of her. He wondered if he should tell Aeilena his suspicion that her parents' death had not been an accident, but worried it might cause her to shut down rather than open up. Instead he asked simply, "Do you remember what you told Halston about your father?"
"No, not really… I'd had a couple drinks to be perfectly honest," Aeilena admitted shyly.
Obi Wan gave her a comforting smile. "That's okay. I've been there too." Then asked, "I notice that his right arm is mechanical. Did Halston tell you what happened to it?"
"He said he was in a really bad speeder accident as a kid and they had to amputate it," Aeilena answered.
"I see." Obi Wan was willing to bet a lot of credits he didn't have that wasn't actually what had happened to Vader's arm. "Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything you remember would really help."
"Well that's all really," Aeilena said. "Sorry."
"Oh? So you just talked at the party and that was all?" Obi Wan asked, knowing perfectly well from the security holo that it wasn't. "You didn't leave together?"
Aeilena blushed. A high society girl like her hardly wanted to admit to going home with a stranger. "I mean, yeah. We did, actually. I mean… It's silly, I know, but I really liked him. You're probably judging me."
"No, not at all!" Obi Wan insisted. "What was it you liked about him?"
"I mean, he was different. Like kind of shy, not pushy at all. And he just listened to everything I had to say," Aeilena said. "My parents were off planet, so we came back here. It's dumb of me, I know, but I really liked him and really thought it was something real."
"And what happened?" Obi Wan pushed, carefully keeping his face expressionless.
Aeilena blushed an even darker crimson. "I mean… you know."
Obi Wan gave her an understanding smile. "Yes, quite. But anything else?"
"I mean… I think we broke into my parents' wine cellar," Aeilena laughed slightly at the memory. "Well… I say broke in, but actually I knew my Dad's code so it wasn't really like real breaking in. And there was enough wine down there that he never noticed if a bottle or two went missing."
"Well that does make it easier. I personally had to resort to refilling my Jedi master's liquor bottles with water," Obi Wan remarked with a crooked smile, and Aeilena laughed, seeming more at ease. "Was that all?"
"All that I remember," Aeilena said with a shrug. "We fell asleep at some point and then in the morning he was gone. He left a note on my datapad that said he was sorry and he'd had a nice time but he had to meet his grandparents for breakfast. I'd given him my comm frequency, so I figured I'd hear from him soon." Aeilena frowned, "That was right before my parents died, so I guess I kind of forgot about it. Now that I think about it though… he totally ghosted me."
Ghosted, Obi Wan thought. What an apt word. He supposed that was what Vader did best.
He hadn't learned too much of consequence. Obi Wan was fairly certain there were a great many young men named "Halston" at the naval academy on Anaxes, but he was equally certain Vader was not one of them (he would verify this nonetheless). It was obvious that Vader's interest in Aeilena Tagge was entirely for the purpose of gaining intel on her father - a prospect that would have been entirely too easy considering that she invited him onto her family's estate and probably good as gave him her father's personal access code by the sound of it. It was an interesting look into how the Sith Lord operated if not particularly useful to the mission of identifying and finding him.
But he had learned a few things, hadn't he? Vader was most likely from the outer rim, with an accent he couldn't quite hide. He liked tinkering with ships and flying.
One more thing that bothered him; Why had Vader left a note? Clearly he had already achieved his purpose. Had he actually cared to spare Aeilena's feelings in some small way? Surely he couldn't have cared when he was even then plotting her parents' death… but it was again this odd sense of morality from a completely amoral monster.
Perhaps Vader really would rather spend his days as a pilot instead of whatever his father (or master, Obi Wan's brain supplied) expects of him.
Then - Eight Weeks After the Invasion of Naboo
Anakin closed his eyes and tried to shut out the sound of the anoobas barking and whining. The noise was constant now. He briefly considered just finding a spot outside to sleep away from the noise, but he quickly remembered that he wasn't allowed to wander the grounds at night. He likely wouldn't get caught, but it wasn't worth the risk. Master Sidious had not yet found cause to punish him, but Anakin had no doubt that his new master's punishments would be harsh. He had no desire to find out any time soon.
They were hungry. That much was obvious. Krayt had nearly taken a bite out of Anakin's hand today, desperate as he was to get his single inadequate meal. Whenever SV37 brought Anakin's meals, the Anoobas jumped and clawed at their cages, salivating with jealousy.
Anakin understood. He really did. He'd been young at the time but could still remember what it had been like at Gardulla's - never having quite enough food, always going to bed a little hungry. Watto on the other hand had generally given them just enough weekly allowance so they never went hungry, but he would occasionally withhold it as a form of punishment. Those days were always the worst. It was hard to sleep through the clawing pangs of hunger. He far preferred it when Watto would just hit him a few times and be done with it.
And now here he was inflicting that same punishment on others. Anakin hated himself for it. He hated that he was too much of a coward to disobey and risk his master's wrath.
The whining did not stop. If anything it got louder. Anakin groaned. "Please hush. You'll only make it worse if you don't sleep." But of course the anoobas didn't understand. They were only animals after all.
It was a rather sleepless night. Anakin drifted off for no more than a few minutes at a time. Neither the anoobas nor his racing thoughts would let him sleep.
He wondered what his mother was up to right now. The second sun was probably still up and she might still be finishing up some chores at this time… Only no, that wasn't right. The day night cycle was entirely different here. Anakin glanced through the transparisteel window in the ceiling above him and looked up at the stars that were entirely different then the ones he'd grown up with. He'd once been so eager to get off Tatooine, to travel the galaxy and see different stars, but now… Anakin had never felt smaller or more alone than he did in this moment.
When the sky began to turn blue, Anakin got up and began going about refilling the water troughs. The anoobas all glared at him as he walked past. "I'm sorry," he muttered uselessly.
Once he was done, there was nothing to do but sit around and wait. Anakin absentmindedly picked up a piece of straw and began pulling it apart. Boredom too he was used to. He could deal with it easily enough.
Perhaps a half hour later, the door swung open, and C3G8 appeared. "Good morning, Master Vader. Master Sidious is back and requests that you join him for breakfast."
Anakin thanked the droid and followed him outside to where a small table had been set up in the garden. Sidious was already seated. He gave Anakin a wide smile. "Vader, excellent. I hope you slept well."
"Yes, master," Anakin said automatically.
"Do not lie to me."
Anakin looked down. "Sorry, master." It wasn't the first time Master Sidious had said something of the sort, and a suspicion was starting to form in his mind.
Anakin had always been able to tell when people were lying. It wasn't hard. As a young child he had assumed everyone could and had never understood why people constantly let each other get away with it.
He'd been maybe five or six when he'd first learned that wasn't the case. His mother had paid two wupiupi to a vendor who claimed that she didn't have any jogan fruits left today but would keep some for them tomorrow if they paid upfront.
"But why did you give her the money?" Anakin had asked, frowning. "She lied about the jogan fruits."
His mother had frowned too. "How do you know she was lying?"
Anakin stared at her, confused. "Because…" he wasn't sure how to explain it. Was she tricking him? "She wasn't telling the truth."
"Yes, you said. But how could you possibly know that?" His mother's frown deepened.
Anakin was baffled by the question. You might as well ask how he knew that the sky was blue or that the suns were hot. How could she not know? But try as he might to explain, he couldn't get his mother or anyone else for that matter to understand it.
He thought maybe he was insane. Because it was like… it felt like everyone else around him was blind and he was trying to explain what it is to see. In time Anakin had just come to accept it though it still didn't make sense.
But maybe… was Master Sidious like him?
"Ask what you want to ask, Vader," Sidious said, which practically confirmed Anakin's suspicion in of itself.
Anakin studied his master. He'd never been sure of how to explain the thing he wanted to ask about. "Are you…" he began, "I mean, do you…" he trailed off, not sure how to complete the sentence. Instead he asked simply, "You know when people are lying?"
"I do," his master answered.
"How?" Anakin asked.
Sidious smiled. "I'm sure you understand how. What you really want to know is why other people can't."
Anakin nodded, eager to finally understand this thing that had been plaguing him his whole life.
"That thing you are feeling, that sixth sense if you will, that is what is most commonly known as the force. Technically it exists within all beings, but only a very small fraction have heightened enough sensitivity to be aware of it."
"But I thought the force was a Jedi power?" Anakin asked, confused.
Sidious chuckled. "That is a common misconception propagated by those who are utterly ignorant of the true nature of the force. The Jedi are merely a religion of people who like you and I have heightened awareness of the force. The force is not a power they have. In fact, they are utterly insignificant in the face of the eternal entity that is the force. They merely use their awareness of the force to occasionally redirect its flow to accomplish certain tasks - a phenomenon that ignorant fools describe as 'Jedi powers'."
Anakin frowned. He didn't want to be an ignorant fool, but he wasn't sure he really understood the distinction. Then he added the other thing he had been curious about. "I can't tell with you though."
"Yes. There are certain ways one can learn to mask or alter what they project into the force."
Anakin wondered if he could do that. He was beginning to understand that with Sidious his own thoughts were not the sanctuary they had once been.
Sidious smirked knowingly. "All in good time, Vader. You will learn. But you will not hide anything from me. Not ever."
The meal that followed was uncharacteristically silent. Anakin kept thinking about what Sidious had explained about the force and for once his master seemed content just to sit in silence.
When a server droid had taken away the last of the plates, Sidious said, "I believe, Vader, that it is time for you to clean the anooba pens again."
"Yes, master," Anakin answered. He stood, in a hurry to go and do it before Sidious could have cause to think him disobedient. He was not entirely surprised when Sidious stood too and followed him to the stable.
The anoobas were still barking and growling when Anakin stepped through the door. He was a little worried if they would even let him in to clean.
"Here you are, Vader," said Sidious, once again passing him the bantha prod.
"Thank you, master," Anakin answered, clipping the prod to his belt. He picked up the shovel and bucket hanging on the wall and cautiously opened the gate to the first pen. Lexi growled and bared her fangs the moment he entered. "Easy, girl," Anakin said, reaching a hand out. He very carefully tiptoed in. Very cautiously, making no sudden movements, he went about cleaning up the droppings from around the pen then spreading new straw. At one point, when he got too close to the corner in which she lay, Lexi snapped at him. Anakin managed to back up fast enough not to get bit though.
The other anoobas were no better. Anakin tried to give them as wide a berth as possible, but he still was growled at and snapped at repeatedly. He couldn't blame them. The hunger they felt was intense at this point, and they didn't understand that there was anyone to blame other than Anakin.
He made it to the final pen which housed Krayt. The largest anooba already stood at the gate barking. That didn't bode well. Ever so slowly, Anakin opened the gate. The anooba stood blocking the gate, now emitting only a long, low growl. Anakin didn't even know how he was going to get into the pen. "Come on boy, back up," he pleaded.
Krayt didn't budge. Recognizing no other option, Anakin detached the bantha prod from his belt. He really didn't want to use it. He knew all too well how painful it was, and Krayt was just hungry and miserable after all. Maybe if he just held it though… Anakin held the prod out in front of him, a sick feeling in his stomach as he did it. Krayt whimpered slightly and took a few steps back.
Guilt clawed at Anakin, but he took two steps forward, until he was standing just inside the threshold of Krayt's pen. The anooba stared at him and let out another low growl, the hairs on his back raised.
Anakin saw it the moment before Krayt lunged. He looked down at the bantha prod in his hand. But no, he couldn't… he wouldn't. He backed away, trying to shut the pen, but before he could Anakin felt sharp jaws close around his arm.
He screamed in pain, flailing, trying with all his might to get out of the anooba's grasp. But all his efforts were useless. Krayt was simply too strong. After what felt like a painful eternity, the jaws let up, but there was no time to be relieved. Anakin saw the bright white canine teeth inches from his face, and without thinking, on pure self preservation instinct, he jabbed the bantha prod into the beast's side.
Krayt cried out before retreating back into the far corner of his pen and curling up into a shaking ball.
Also trembling and with some trouble, Anakin stood, shutting the gate. He looked down at his arm and knew it must be bad. He was covered in blood.
"You hesitated."
Anakin turned slowly to face his master. In all honesty, he'd forgotten Sidious was even there.
"Why did you hesitate?" his master demanded.
"I'm sorry, master," Anakin said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I asked you a question and I expect an answer, not groveling."
"I… I didn't want to hurt him." Anakin bowed his head, recognizing how stupid it sounded once he said it. "He's just hungry."
Master Sidious studied him intently in a way that Anakin found far more terrifying than Krayt's fangs. "That is weakness, Lord Vader. I told you that you are never to be weak."
"I'm sorry, master," Anakin repeated. His arm was throbbing now, but somehow that seemed entirely insignificant next to his master's disappointment.
Sidious stared at him. "You are a fool, Vader. These are nothing but animals. They care nothing for you. The fool who cares gets bitten."
Anakin bowed his head in shame.
"But you will learn in time," Sidious continued. "Now, finish cleaning."
With hands that were shaking and against his better judgement, Anakin unlatched the gate, the bantha prod held out in front of him. Krayt looked at him as he stepped inside but only curled up tighter. 'I'm sorry,' he wanted to say, but he knew that was precisely the foolish thinking his master was referring to. As quickly as he could, Anakin deposited the droppings into the bucket and spread a new layer of straw. He let out a sigh of relief as stepped out of the pen and shut the gate.
"Very good," Sidious stated. "I'll have a droid bring you some bacta for that bite."
"Thank you, master," Anakin said. That was actually far more generous than he had expected Sidious to be.
Sidious waved a hand dismissively. "It's no matter. But there is one other thing. From now on, you are not to feed the anoobas at all."
Anakin gaped at Sidious in horror.