Supremedalekdunn
Darth Vader - Volume 1 - Heir to the Empire Part 1
18 BBY
(1 year after the events of Revenge of the Sith and 18 years before the events of A New Hope.)
“You still see her, don’t you?”
“Yes. My master.”
“In your dreams?”
“I see her everywhere I go. But I see her most clearly when I close my eyes. What does this mean master?”
“It means that Anakin Skywalker still lives within you my apprentice. So long as he lives within you, she shall continue to torment you.”
“How can we destroy him my master?”
“Skywalker knows that you will never strike him down so long as she defends him. That’s why he uses her to haunt you my apprentice.”
“What if it is her though my master? What if she’s reaching out to me with the force? What if she’s trying to guide me somewhere?”
“Enough! She is dead Lord Vader. It is not her that haunts you, it is the memory of Skywalker seeking to control you. We must eliminate him, and in order for us to achieve this you must purge her from your mind.”
“How?”
“We must return you to your dreams, there you shall strike her down and remove your guilt for her fate. Without her to protect him, you will be able to purge any remainder of Anakin Skywalker from you.”
“How can this be done?”
“We shall use ancient arts used by the Sith long before the rise of Darth Bane.”
“Sith sorcery my master?”
“Indeed. Before Bane created the rule of two and remodelled the Sith order, the old empire he destroyed was experimenting on many new ways to manipulate the force. One such method was the ability to enter people’s minds through the use of sorcery.”
“What do you require of me, my master?”
“Remove your helmet. Show me your face.”
“But what about my life support?”
“Use the force to sustain yourself. This process should not take long.”
“As you wish.”
With that I remove my helmet for the first time since I had first been placed into the suit almost a year ago. It’s been so long since I looked upon Coruscant with my own eyes, but as I remove my helmet and begin to use the force to sustain my bodily functions the sliders are drawn to leave the throne room in darkness.
“Lay yourself down on the table, and open your mind.”
“What are you going to do master?”
“In order for me to help you remove Skywalker from your mind, I must enter it as well.”
“How will you do that master?”
“My master taught me how to grant this power to others, it is how the Sith have been able to sense when they’re about to be discovered and silence the ones who would expose them. It is an old art of the dark side and is believed to be little more than a rumour amongst the ranks of the Jedi order.”
As he says those words my master calls a vial to him from the cabinet hidden within his throne.
“This will unlock your mind, allowing you to see into the minds of others and allow me to journey into your mind as well.”
“But if you can already read peoples minds then why I do require the serum?”
“You are strong with the force my apprentice. Only the weak minded can have their minds entered. Anyone with the force has the ability to resist this technique. Now, open your mind and bring your focus to her.”
I close my eyes and it’s not long before I’m returned to the realm when I last saw her. Though I don’t recognise where I’ve brought myself I can hear her. Clear as day. I can feel her touch. For the longest time the touch of her skin to would bring me great comfort, especially during the Clone Wars where it was so rare that I would get to see her.
“Anakin….”
“She’s here.”
With that my master places a drop of the serum onto my forehead and begins to utter an incantation. I have yet to begin my tutelage in the ancient dialect of the Sith but as he ends his incantation I begin to feel my mind open more to the force, and I begin to feel his presence in the force.
Since I first met him my master had always made a point to conceal his presence in the force. To be able to feel him for the first time was bizarre. It felt as though he was crushing my body beneath him with his presence. The strength of his presence makes me wonder how even Master Yoda was unable to sense his presence. How could power such as this be hidden so well?
“The process is complete. Now open your mind my apprentice. Focus on her. Bring her to the front of your mind, and ignite your blade.”
I follow through with my master’s orders and I bring her to the front of my mind. For months I’ve tried to purge her from my mind, to remove any memory of her. To forget all the atrocities I committed to try and save her.
“Anakin….”
“Padme.”
As I say her name she appears before me. Whilst I’m meant to strike her down I can’t help but embrace her. It’s been almost a year since I last embraced her and everyday that has gone by since I killed her has been torture.
“It’s good to see you Ani.”
“And you.”
I feel a tear run down my left cheek as we slowly release our embrace over one another. She places her right hand on my left cheek and wipes away my tear. Her touch feels really. I then follow up by placing my right hand on her cheek. It’s then I realise that my hand is flesh once more. It hasn’t been like that since the beginning of the Clone War.
“Strike her down.”
For a few moments I consider sparing her. Her memory may haunt me but it’s not a memory I wish to lose. She meant everything to me. I loved her. She was going to be the mother of my children had I not lashed out with the force. Had I not allowed myself to be consumed by the dark side of the force.
“Strike her down Lord Vader!”
I remove my saber from my belt and ignite it. The blade is red just as it has been for the last year. I raise the blade above my head and prepare to strike her down.
“Anakin please…..”
“I’m sorry Padme.”
“This isn't who you are and you know it.”
“Stop it!”
I close my eyes as another tear begins to slide down my left cheek.
“I know you Ani. You don’t want to do this. This isn't who you are.”
“Anakin is dead! He died on Mustafar."
With that I open my eyes and prepare to strike her down just as my master wants before she says those four words.
“What about our child.”
I stop short of striking her.
“Our….child?”
“Yes Anakin. Our child is alive. We can raise him. Together. All you need do is come back to me.”
“No, it's not true. I killed you! You’re dead! This is just an illusion!”
“If this is an illusion then why can’t you bring yourself to strike me down.”
She's right and before I know it I find myself lowering the hilt of my blade as I deactivate my lightsaber.
“What’s his name?”
“This is nothing more than an illusion my apprentice. Strike her down!”
“He’s not your apprentice anymore. He's my husband. He’s the father to my child and his name is Anakin Skywalker!”
“He is Darth Vader. Dark lord of the Sith. Strike her down Lord Vader. Now!”
“He’s Anakin Skywalker. The greatest Jedi I know, and he will never be your slave!”
“Kill her now Lord Vader. That is an order!”
I pause for a moment, uncertain who to side with. Despite how much I try to deceive myself I know that Padme is nothing more than illusion created by my own subconscious as part of my guilt for killing her. Yet I still choose to take her side.
I turn to defend Padme and ignite my blade, this time it's blue just as it was before I was put in this suit. She was taken from me once, I won’t let her be taken again.
“You see? He is Anakin Skywalker. If that doesn’t prove it then look who he imagines himself to be when he closes his eyes.”
It’s at that point I look at my body. Instead of the black robotic suit I’ve grown accustomed to, I see my old Jedi robes instead. It’s true. Everything Padme said. I’m not Darth Vader. I am Anakin Skywalker.
“Most disappointing.”
As I hear the Emperor utter those words, his figure appears in the shape of several black clouds. His face is concealed from view, all I see is his hand reach out to me and before I realise what’s going on, pieces of my suit begin to fly at me.
NO.
I won’t go back.
Not to the suit!
Though I attempt to resist my master’s powers to awaken me I’m unsuccessful, and before I know it Padme fades into dust once more and I awaken from my dream.
“You have failed, my apprentice.”
“Forgive me master, I allowed her to get into my...”
Before I can finish my sentence I feel my master reach out with the force and grip my throat in anger.
“This is unacceptable Lord Vader. I dedicated years to moulding you into my apprentice. I saved you after Kenobi discarded you and this how you repay me?”
“For…..give…….me…..master…..”
The Emperor does not relent. I fear he would of killed me that day for my failure were it not for Tarkin’s arrival into his throne room.
"Perhaps I should have left you to perish on Mustafar."
“Your majesty. He is here.”
With those brief few words my master releases and I call my helmet to me, quickly covering my face from Tarkin’s view. Oddly though when my master felt those words I sensed fear in him….I’ve never known my master to feel fear at any point in his life.
“Leave us Lord Vader.”
“As you command, my master.”
As I lift myself up off the floor and begin to leave the throne room a young boy enters the room accompanied by two royal guards. Upon the boy entering the room I sensed even more fear from my master. Interesting. I’m not sure who this boy is but his ability to unnerve the Emperor is fascinating. I will need to learn the identity of this body and why the Emperor appears to be afraid of him.
Darth Vader - Volume 1 - Heir to the Empire Part 1
18 BBY
(1 year after the events of Revenge of the Sith and 18 years before the events of A New Hope.)
“You still see her, don’t you?”
“Yes. My master.”
“In your dreams?”
“I see her everywhere I go. But I see her most clearly when I close my eyes. What does this mean master?”
“It means that Anakin Skywalker still lives within you my apprentice. So long as he lives within you, she shall continue to torment you.”
“How can we destroy him my master?”
“Skywalker knows that you will never strike him down so long as she defends him. That’s why he uses her to haunt you my apprentice.”
“What if it is her though my master? What if she’s reaching out to me with the force? What if she’s trying to guide me somewhere?”
“Enough! She is dead Lord Vader. It is not her that haunts you, it is the memory of Skywalker seeking to control you. We must eliminate him, and in order for us to achieve this you must purge her from your mind.”
“How?”
“We must return you to your dreams, there you shall strike her down and remove your guilt for her fate. Without her to protect him, you will be able to purge any remainder of Anakin Skywalker from you.”
“How can this be done?”
“We shall use ancient arts used by the Sith long before the rise of Darth Bane.”
“Sith sorcery my master?”
“Indeed. Before Bane created the rule of two and remodelled the Sith order, the old empire he destroyed was experimenting on many new ways to manipulate the force. One such method was the ability to enter people’s minds through the use of sorcery.”
“What do you require of me, my master?”
“Remove your helmet. Show me your face.”
“But what about my life support?”
“Use the force to sustain yourself. This process should not take long.”
“As you wish.”
With that I remove my helmet for the first time since I had first been placed into the suit almost a year ago. It’s been so long since I looked upon Coruscant with my own eyes, but as I remove my helmet and begin to use the force to sustain my bodily functions the sliders are drawn to leave the throne room in darkness.
“Lay yourself down on the table, and open your mind.”
“What are you going to do master?”
“In order for me to help you remove Skywalker from your mind, I must enter it as well.”
“How will you do that master?”
“My master taught me how to grant this power to others, it is how the Sith have been able to sense when they’re about to be discovered and silence the ones who would expose them. It is an old art of the dark side and is believed to be little more than a rumour amongst the ranks of the Jedi order.”
As he says those words my master calls a vial to him from the cabinet hidden within his throne.
“This will unlock your mind, allowing you to see into the minds of others and allow me to journey into your mind as well.”
“But if you can already read peoples minds then why I do require the serum?”
“You are strong with the force my apprentice. Only the weak minded can have their minds entered. Anyone with the force has the ability to resist this technique. Now, open your mind and bring your focus to her.”
I close my eyes and it’s not long before I’m returned to the realm when I last saw her. Though I don’t recognise where I’ve brought myself I can hear her. Clear as day. I can feel her touch. For the longest time the touch of her skin to would bring me great comfort, especially during the Clone Wars where it was so rare that I would get to see her.
“Anakin….”
“She’s here.”
With that my master places a drop of the serum onto my forehead and begins to utter an incantation. I have yet to begin my tutelage in the ancient dialect of the Sith but as he ends his incantation I begin to feel my mind open more to the force, and I begin to feel his presence in the force.
Since I first met him my master had always made a point to conceal his presence in the force. To be able to feel him for the first time was bizarre. It felt as though he was crushing my body beneath him with his presence. The strength of his presence makes me wonder how even Master Yoda was unable to sense his presence. How could power such as this be hidden so well?
“The process is complete. Now open your mind my apprentice. Focus on her. Bring her to the front of your mind, and ignite your blade.”
I follow through with my master’s orders and I bring her to the front of my mind. For months I’ve tried to purge her from my mind, to remove any memory of her. To forget all the atrocities I committed to try and save her.
“Anakin….”
“Padme.”
As I say her name she appears before me. Whilst I’m meant to strike her down I can’t help but embrace her. It’s been almost a year since I last embraced her and everyday that has gone by since I killed her has been torture.
“It’s good to see you Ani.”
“And you.”
I feel a tear run down my left cheek as we slowly release our embrace over one another. She places her right hand on my left cheek and wipes away my tear. Her touch feels really. I then follow up by placing my right hand on her cheek. It’s then I realise that my hand is flesh once more. It hasn’t been like that since the beginning of the Clone War.
“Strike her down.”
For a few moments I consider sparing her. Her memory may haunt me but it’s not a memory I wish to lose. She meant everything to me. I loved her. She was going to be the mother of my children had I not lashed out with the force. Had I not allowed myself to be consumed by the dark side of the force.
“Strike her down Lord Vader!”
I remove my saber from my belt and ignite it. The blade is red just as it has been for the last year. I raise the blade above my head and prepare to strike her down.
“Anakin please…..”
“I’m sorry Padme.”
“This isn't who you are and you know it.”
“Stop it!”
I close my eyes as another tear begins to slide down my left cheek.
“I know you Ani. You don’t want to do this. This isn't who you are.”
“Anakin is dead! He died on Mustafar."
With that I open my eyes and prepare to strike her down just as my master wants before she says those four words.
“What about our child.”
I stop short of striking her.
“Our….child?”
“Yes Anakin. Our child is alive. We can raise him. Together. All you need do is come back to me.”
“No, it's not true. I killed you! You’re dead! This is just an illusion!”
“If this is an illusion then why can’t you bring yourself to strike me down.”
She's right and before I know it I find myself lowering the hilt of my blade as I deactivate my lightsaber.
“What’s his name?”
“This is nothing more than an illusion my apprentice. Strike her down!”
“He’s not your apprentice anymore. He's my husband. He’s the father to my child and his name is Anakin Skywalker!”
“He is Darth Vader. Dark lord of the Sith. Strike her down Lord Vader. Now!”
“He’s Anakin Skywalker. The greatest Jedi I know, and he will never be your slave!”
“Kill her now Lord Vader. That is an order!”
I pause for a moment, uncertain who to side with. Despite how much I try to deceive myself I know that Padme is nothing more than illusion created by my own subconscious as part of my guilt for killing her. Yet I still choose to take her side.
I turn to defend Padme and ignite my blade, this time it's blue just as it was before I was put in this suit. She was taken from me once, I won’t let her be taken again.
“You see? He is Anakin Skywalker. If that doesn’t prove it then look who he imagines himself to be when he closes his eyes.”
It’s at that point I look at my body. Instead of the black robotic suit I’ve grown accustomed to, I see my old Jedi robes instead. It’s true. Everything Padme said. I’m not Darth Vader. I am Anakin Skywalker.
“Most disappointing.”
As I hear the Emperor utter those words, his figure appears in the shape of several black clouds. His face is concealed from view, all I see is his hand reach out to me and before I realise what’s going on, pieces of my suit begin to fly at me.
NO.
I won’t go back.
Not to the suit!
Though I attempt to resist my master’s powers to awaken me I’m unsuccessful, and before I know it Padme fades into dust once more and I awaken from my dream.
“You have failed, my apprentice.”
“Forgive me master, I allowed her to get into my...”
Before I can finish my sentence I feel my master reach out with the force and grip my throat in anger.
“This is unacceptable Lord Vader. I dedicated years to moulding you into my apprentice. I saved you after Kenobi discarded you and this how you repay me?”
“For…..give…….me…..master…..”
The Emperor does not relent. I fear he would of killed me that day for my failure were it not for Tarkin’s arrival into his throne room.
"Perhaps I should have left you to perish on Mustafar."
“Your majesty. He is here.”
With those brief few words my master releases and I call my helmet to me, quickly covering my face from Tarkin’s view. Oddly though when my master felt those words I sensed fear in him….I’ve never known my master to feel fear at any point in his life.
“Leave us Lord Vader.”
“As you command, my master.”
As I lift myself up off the floor and begin to leave the throne room a young boy enters the room accompanied by two royal guards. Upon the boy entering the room I sensed even more fear from my master. Interesting. I’m not sure who this boy is but his ability to unnerve the Emperor is fascinating. I will need to learn the identity of this body and why the Emperor appears to be afraid of him.