The Eternal Wounds

It is a few hours after Luke Skywalker
and his friends have managed to elude
capture at the hands of Darth Vader.
Though their escape was sudden, no
one has yet paid for this latest
failure. All of the officers worry
who will pay next for failing the
Emperor's right hand.

Meanwhile, the Dark Lord of the Sith
has returned to his private chambers.
Here he sits and meditates on the recent
events. And as he does, the curtain
of his mind draws open and reveals
the past...

The man in the black armor sat back after breaking from his meditation. For the first time in years, he could not easily concentrate on his ritualistic endeavors. He looked up at the darkened consoles and in their shine, he saw his reflection. Amazing, he hadn't noticed himself in ages--though he knew every line and scar by memory. How easily we forget what we are when it conveniences us, he thought. But the reality was, it was easier to forget. But the day's events had forced him to do nothing but remember what was and would never again be--beginning with...Amidala.

He thought back to the first time they expressed their love for one another--out on one of the many balconies that looked over the Royal Palace of Naboo. The sun was bright in the afternoon sky, but it wasn't as bright as the light that shone from her. He had just saved her from an attack by various Mandalorian warriors--an action that had sealed his entrance into the Jedi Order. But even then, Obi-Wan and the rest were set against his love for her. Anakin wasn't good enough, not royalty nor powerful. But Anakin was a Jedi--for what little that counted. And he loved her--just as much as she loved him. Though they had forbidden him from seeing her, he had gone to her. Thanks to Chancellor Palpatine, he had realized what truly mattered and gone to her. She had jokingly told him that they should run far away from all the madness after she professed her love for him. Perhaps if she had been serious, he would have considered it.

They spent only a few years together, but enough to become part of one another's soul. That is why it pained him to leave her to search for the Kaiburr crystal. Why would he care for a piece of glass when he had all he wanted right there? The Jedi, however, did not care. They simply ordered him to go search the galaxy and find it. It took Anakin a year to arrive at that mountain temple. Then, Obi-Wan stepped in front of him out of nowhere and ordered him to leave the crystal. He did not want to do that--finding the crystal would allow Anakin to get back to Amidala. This however, he sensed, was what Obi-Wan did not want. He wanted him as far away from Padme as possible. This enraged Anakin and they fought. Well, Anakin fought and Obi-Wan blocked, until the Padawan was able to enrage his Master to the point where he found himself dangling from the guardrail--lava at his feet.

Obi-Wan had stretched his hand and grabbed Anakin's--surely a sign of help. But there was no compassion in Anakin's heart--only hate. So, he used the Force to bring Obi-Wan's lightsaber to him and, enraged at the ease of his defeat, cut off his own hand and fell into the fiery pool. Better to die than to accept any more of Obi-Wan Kenobi's help or his lies. The fire burned, right down into his soul. He felt pain the likes of which, no one should feel. By all accounts, he should have died right there and then, but one thing kept Anakin alive--Amidala. The thought of her hearing of his death was too much of a burden. He realized he was afraid of losing her. So he crawled out with one arm out of the lava pit and tried to move. But there was no feeling in his legs--they laid limp against the rocks. Moving his arm hurt even worse. In fact, his entire body was on fire. It felt like he hadn't stepped out of the pool. As darkness covered him, he only thought of Padme and how much he wished to be with her.

The next thing he saw were the various druids who were attending to him. Through the painkillers' haze, he could distinguish a figure--Chancellor Palpatine. However, he was covered in very dark robes now. He only told him to rest--and that his time would soon come. Darkness swallowed him once again. When next he saw himself, he was different. Covered in black armor and cape, a mask covered his face and the vision that the mirror reflected terrified him. His breathing was marked and slow. He turned and saw Palpatine standing before him--the same, yet different. Power emanated from his dark robes and a dark grin could be seen painted on his face. He had no choice, but bow before the dark figure before him.

"You are now my weapon, my apprentice," Palpatine had said. "With you at my side, the galaxy will be mine." He was grateful, but dreaded these words since they would keep him away from his beautiful Padme. Sensing this, the figure had drawn a small object from within his robes and set it on the table. "Look at this," he had said while baring his teeth. "Then we will talk." With that, he had left.

At first, he had been hesitant. Eventually, he touched the metallic disk and watched a hologram of Padme. Specifically, he saw Padme being attacked by various forces. He was both enraged and fearful. Then, to his shock, Amidala was struck down by an attacker--with a lightsaber!! He saw her limp body pieces fall to the ground and not get back up. From within his mask, he felt Anakin's hot tears. Enraged, he ignited his lightsaber and struck the table down.

"They were nowhere near to help her," he heard from behind. In a flurry, he turned to discover Chancellor Palpatine standing behind him. "They let her die--because she no longer served a purpose to them. They betrayed her, after they betrayed you." The rage inside of him boiled like that volcano. "Patience, my apprentice. They will be yours in a short time. Meanwhile, you should begin your new training."

And, with that, he began to delve into the dark arts. Methods, techniques, and lore that instructed him in the use of the Force like never before. But it wasn't the same. Gone was the self-restraint and the patience. Now, his anger and rage were allowed to flourish. No holding back, none of the rules that Kenobi had demanded from him. He took to it rather easily and, in no time, became a master like no one--except for his own Master. At the end, he was instructed to take a new name to go along with his title. And so, Darth Vader was born.

When he emerged from the darkness, he came into a much different galaxy. Gone were the hope and the dreams of the future. Instead, everyone worried about themselves only. The Senators were taking the riches of the Republic and hiding in their mansions. The Jedi had gone into hiding--leaving the galaxy open for plunder. To this universe, Palpatine brought Vader into and gave him his first command--hunt down and destroy the Jedi. To do this quickly and quietly, he put Vader in charge of a small force of stormtroopers. Another force was placed under the command of a formar military leader-- a man named Tarkin. Palpatine also gave Vader a hunting dog--a bounty hunter that wore Mandalorian armor. He called himself Boba Fett. To complete this dark alliance, the notorious gangster Jabba the Hutt provided other bounty hunters to hunt the Jedi who had long dissapeared. And so, they set out to find the remnants of the Jedi. But Vader searched for one man and only one man--Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The Jedi had dissapeared from public site, but he was once one of them and had no trouble hunting them down. In Bespin, he found an old friend, Kane and his family. They ran through the alleys and streets--hoping to outrun the small troupe gunning for them. Unfortunately, they ran out of alleys and had no choice but fight. Kane faced him, but was unable to compete with Vader's rage. Vader struck him down with ease, then turned to his wife and children. Rather than face them, he allowed the stormtroopers to shoot them down. This scene was repeated in many worlds--Coruscant, Alderaan, Ord Mandell. No mercy whatsoever was spared for the Jedi. In Kessel, he found Ki-Adi Mundi. It took Vader a lot of his power to take him down, but he did it--by taking his head. Some of the Jedi fought-- some actually valiantly--but they all fell before Vader and his army. Those who had gone to the far reaches of the galaxy were tracked by Boba Fett and by Jabba's bounty hunters. They took all sorts of trinkets to keep tally, but Vader had none of it. He simply murdered them and moved along and hoped that the next site would bring him to Obi-Wan.

But he never found him. Obi-Wan simply dissapeared. And Vader began to care less and less. Eventually, his rage was replaced by apathy. He cared little for anyone, except how they could be used for his purposes. And this is how he had lived his life for the past twenty years. Then, out of nowhere, Obi-Wan re-entered his life. Finally, revenge was to be his! The fight was impressive. Though he had aged, his skills were still strong. Neither one asked for a break and the fight could probably have continued had the old fool not decided to let up and stand still. With one sweep of his lightsaber, Kenobi fell. But instead of dying, he dematerialized. What was going on? Had he fallen prey to a ruse? No. He had killed Kenobi--but something was going on. Soon, he found out what.

A strong Force pilot did the unthinkable and destroyed the Death Star! For this loss--as well as the loss of Grand Moff Tarkin--Palpatine was enraged. He tortured Vader to the point where his mechanical hand was lost. Vader went on a rampage, trying to find this pilot. Yet, the pilot found him as he neared the Kaiburr crystal once again. And another shock awaited him--the pilot's name was Luke Skywalker. And he was his son!

He had no idea that Amidala had given birth before her death. Then again, he had never questioned. He hadn't known. Yet here he was--almost a mirror image of him, except for his height. But in him, he saw the same strength and power as his mother. For the first time in decades, his faith in Palpatine faltered. He knew he needed to speak to this Luke Skywalker, but Kenobi had once again betrayed him. He had told the boy that Vader had killed Anakin. Kenobi's shame had prevented him from speaking the truth--and the boy hated him. He needed to speak to him, but as soon as Palpatine learned of his presence, the order was sent--kill him. Vader could not do this, so he hid his desire under the guise of bringing Luke to Palpatine. He knew his Master had plans for the boy, but those plans would have to wait.

At Bespin, he was able to speak to the boy--after a tough fight. Though he was strong in the Force, he was no match for someone who had years of training. He began to taunt him and play with him, until the boy struck back to his shoulder. He had actually hurt him! Vader's fury struck back by striking his boy and cutting off his hand. He would have killed him had he not crawled back into the rail. This gave him the chance to talk to the boy and tell him the truth. His face turned somber and melancholic. He tried to bring the boy to the light--to forget Kenobi and his friends and embrace the destiny he was meant to have. Together, they would rule the galaxy! Alas, he chose to fall and would have died were it not for his friends.

Someone had failed him and, for the first time in a while, he did not care. The way his friends saved him--against the odds--amused him. It brought back the memories of his close shaves and how Jar Jar, Padme, Obi-Wan and R2 would save him. Those were carefree, loving times. Something deep inside ached for him to return to those times and he knew that with Luke at his side, he could regain at least a piece of Amidala. He would not betray his Master, but he would choose his son over all others.

The Dark Lord bowed again. What he was thinking was heresy, but he didn't care. Luke was finally the chance to light the fuse long dormant. With him at his side, he could become the one he was before--the one Obi-Wan had killed so long ago with his envy. He set the buttons to place his mask on again. That done, he turned on the controls that connected him to the Destroyer's command deck. Here, Admiral Piett and his subordinates turned to attention.

"How long before you've calculated the Falcon's trajectory?" asked Vader.

"It will take a while, sir," replied Piett.

"Stop then," replied Vader. "Set course for the Forest Moon of Endor. The Emperor has just sent me an order. We are to commence clearing out sections to build a shield generator."

"Very well, milord," said Piett rather nervously. Vader shut off his controls and looked down. His son would seek him out--this he knew. Hopefully, he would be able to convice him to join him. He was all he had left in the universe.

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