Anakin Skywalker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sith_happened) wrote2006-11-29 02:35 pm
sith_happened) wrote2006-11-29 02:35 pm
Galaxy far, far away [NFB]
Vader had always thought that Coruscant was ugly. Too many buildings, too many different beings scurrying through the streets, and under the bright lights, entirely too many secrets.
At least now it had a name as ugly as the planet.
He heard the door of his chambers slide open. He let the admiral of the Executor--the Superstar Destroyer that had been waiting to pick him up from Earth—stand nervously staring at nothing for a few moments before opening his meditation pod and turning around to silently face him.
"We have entered the orbit of Imperial Center, my lord," the man quavered. Internally, Vader sighed. He'd hoped that the higher ranks of the Imperial military were made of sterner stuff. He hadn't even killed that many people in the trip back to their home galaxy.
Of course, Vader didn't count stormtroopers as people. The admiral might've had a different opinion.
"Prepare my shuttle," Vader barked, standing up and stalking towards the hanger bay. The admiral scuttled along behind. "We've been told the Emperor is most anxious to see you, my lord," he said.
"I imagine," Vader said dryly, pointing to a pilot at random and giving him a non-too-gentle Force push towards the shuttle. "Let's not keep him waiting."
"You've been cleared through the planetary shields and directly to the Palace, my lord," the admiral said, pausing for a long moment before asking, "Should we anticipate your return?"
Vader was grateful for the mask. Clearly this admiral wasn't quite as incompetent as he appeared—he hadn't asked when Vader would return. The instructions to the ship must have been…deliberately vague.
Not that he'd expected anything else. The silence he'd been met with when he'd communicated his mission's failure had been rather indicative of the reception he'd been preparing himself for.
The Emperor did not tolerate failure. And he was not particularly subtle about making his displeasure known.
Vader climbed into the shuttle, cape sweeping in behind him, and waiting impatiently for the pilot to commence with the preflight sequence.
His fingers itched to do the flying himself. Vader'd never grown accustomed to the protocol that demanded he be flown places and at this moment he'd rather have something to occupy his mind. The pilot was too afraid to make small talk and so the silence of the trip down to the planet was filled with Rory and Padme's voices in Vader's head.
"I don't know you any more…"
"…you used to help me through nightmares. And now you've become one..."
"…you're breaking my heart!"
"…I'll never, ever stop hating Vader."
And the most unwelcome voice of all: "You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you." He'd been sure that killing Obi-Wan would've been enough to make that voice finally disappear.
He'd been wrong.
Vader swept through the hallways and ignored the various officials leaping out of his way. He never thought he'd be actually looking forward to seeing the Emperor. If it stopped the voices in his head, though, he'd take his punishment.
And be almost grateful for the pain.
He finally stood in front of the closed doors leading the Emperor's throne room.
He didn't take a deep breath. His heart didn't beat faster.
His suit didn't allow for such…human…reactions any longer.
Another lesson he kept needing to relearn lately.
He wasn't human.
He was Sith.
He was Darth Vader.
And Anakin Skywalker was long dead.
He opened the door at the Emperor's sharp "Enter, Lord Vader" and had barely stepped into the room when Palpatine's Force lightning drove him to his knees.
"You have failed me, Lord Vader," the Emperor snarled, lashing out again from his seat at the far end of the room. "You promised me Skywalker. You bring me nothing."
Under the mask, Vader's teeth clicked together at the overwhelming pain. He wouldn't cry out. He'd begged for this man once.
Never again.
The Emperor threw Force lightning and insults until smoke began to curl up from the frying circuits of Vader's suit, then smiled cruelly.
"Rise, Lord Vader," he commanded. "Come closer."
It took almost five minutes for Vader to be able to do as the Emperor demanded.
The Emperor smiled again. Vader hated that smile. "Bring it in," Palpatine barked into the comlink on his throne.
Two silent, red-clad Imperial guards brought the Emperor's prize into the room.
Vader's stomach twisted. He knew what was coming next.
"When I found you on Mustafar," Palpatine began in the tone of someone who has told the story told many, many times, "I wasn't entirely certain you would survive. I had put far too much effort into you, my apprentice, to want to start from scratch again. I took precautions."
His voice turned sharp. "Look at it, Lord Vader."
Vader turned his mask. He knew what he would see, of course. Curling dark blond hair, blue eyes, twenty-three years old. A Jedi to its fingertips.
A clone of himself.
Far more accurately, a clone of what he used to be.
And to his mind, the ultimate proof of the sadistic cruelty of the Sith.
"Kill it," Palpatine snarled at Vader.
Vader reached for his lightsaber, tried to ignore the look of stunned disbelief in his own eyes as they looked up at him, and struck the clone down.
It had been more difficult to do the first time. This time it was merely excruciating.
"Good," the Emperor cackled. "Good."
Vader had never hated someone else so completely in his life.
The Emperor laughed harder, seeming to feed off of Vader's emotions.
"Now, Lord Vader," he said, "you will tell me exactly what happened with young Skywalker. And then you will get back to your original task of destroying the Rebellion. They have been most aggravating while you were off on your wild nerf chase."
An hour later, Vader stalked out of the throne room. Smart beings got out of his way. Beings who were less quick to notice him were physically moved.
"Find me the latest communications intercepted from the Rebellion," he snarled at a cowering officer. "And a list of bounty hunters."
He thought back to his time at Fandom. "I want them to find Han Solo."
[OOC: As a warning, the Emperor is not especially pleased with Vader at the moment. Graphic imagery behind the cut.]
Stranger Inside - Shinedown
At least now it had a name as ugly as the planet.
He heard the door of his chambers slide open. He let the admiral of the Executor--the Superstar Destroyer that had been waiting to pick him up from Earth—stand nervously staring at nothing for a few moments before opening his meditation pod and turning around to silently face him.
"We have entered the orbit of Imperial Center, my lord," the man quavered. Internally, Vader sighed. He'd hoped that the higher ranks of the Imperial military were made of sterner stuff. He hadn't even killed that many people in the trip back to their home galaxy.
Of course, Vader didn't count stormtroopers as people. The admiral might've had a different opinion.
"Prepare my shuttle," Vader barked, standing up and stalking towards the hanger bay. The admiral scuttled along behind. "We've been told the Emperor is most anxious to see you, my lord," he said.
"I imagine," Vader said dryly, pointing to a pilot at random and giving him a non-too-gentle Force push towards the shuttle. "Let's not keep him waiting."
"You've been cleared through the planetary shields and directly to the Palace, my lord," the admiral said, pausing for a long moment before asking, "Should we anticipate your return?"
Vader was grateful for the mask. Clearly this admiral wasn't quite as incompetent as he appeared—he hadn't asked when Vader would return. The instructions to the ship must have been…deliberately vague.
Not that he'd expected anything else. The silence he'd been met with when he'd communicated his mission's failure had been rather indicative of the reception he'd been preparing himself for.
The Emperor did not tolerate failure. And he was not particularly subtle about making his displeasure known.
Vader climbed into the shuttle, cape sweeping in behind him, and waiting impatiently for the pilot to commence with the preflight sequence.
His fingers itched to do the flying himself. Vader'd never grown accustomed to the protocol that demanded he be flown places and at this moment he'd rather have something to occupy his mind. The pilot was too afraid to make small talk and so the silence of the trip down to the planet was filled with Rory and Padme's voices in Vader's head.
"I don't know you any more…"
"…you used to help me through nightmares. And now you've become one..."
"…you're breaking my heart!"
"…I'll never, ever stop hating Vader."
And the most unwelcome voice of all: "You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you." He'd been sure that killing Obi-Wan would've been enough to make that voice finally disappear.
He'd been wrong.
Vader swept through the hallways and ignored the various officials leaping out of his way. He never thought he'd be actually looking forward to seeing the Emperor. If it stopped the voices in his head, though, he'd take his punishment.
And be almost grateful for the pain.
He finally stood in front of the closed doors leading the Emperor's throne room.
He didn't take a deep breath. His heart didn't beat faster.
His suit didn't allow for such…human…reactions any longer.
Another lesson he kept needing to relearn lately.
He wasn't human.
He was Sith.
He was Darth Vader.
And Anakin Skywalker was long dead.
He opened the door at the Emperor's sharp "Enter, Lord Vader" and had barely stepped into the room when Palpatine's Force lightning drove him to his knees.
"You have failed me, Lord Vader," the Emperor snarled, lashing out again from his seat at the far end of the room. "You promised me Skywalker. You bring me nothing."
Under the mask, Vader's teeth clicked together at the overwhelming pain. He wouldn't cry out. He'd begged for this man once.
Never again.
The Emperor threw Force lightning and insults until smoke began to curl up from the frying circuits of Vader's suit, then smiled cruelly.
"Rise, Lord Vader," he commanded. "Come closer."
It took almost five minutes for Vader to be able to do as the Emperor demanded.
The Emperor smiled again. Vader hated that smile. "Bring it in," Palpatine barked into the comlink on his throne.
Two silent, red-clad Imperial guards brought the Emperor's prize into the room.
Vader's stomach twisted. He knew what was coming next.
"When I found you on Mustafar," Palpatine began in the tone of someone who has told the story told many, many times, "I wasn't entirely certain you would survive. I had put far too much effort into you, my apprentice, to want to start from scratch again. I took precautions."
His voice turned sharp. "Look at it, Lord Vader."
Vader turned his mask. He knew what he would see, of course. Curling dark blond hair, blue eyes, twenty-three years old. A Jedi to its fingertips.
A clone of himself.
Far more accurately, a clone of what he used to be.
And to his mind, the ultimate proof of the sadistic cruelty of the Sith.
"Kill it," Palpatine snarled at Vader.
Vader reached for his lightsaber, tried to ignore the look of stunned disbelief in his own eyes as they looked up at him, and struck the clone down.
It had been more difficult to do the first time. This time it was merely excruciating.
"Good," the Emperor cackled. "Good."
Vader had never hated someone else so completely in his life.
The Emperor laughed harder, seeming to feed off of Vader's emotions.
"Now, Lord Vader," he said, "you will tell me exactly what happened with young Skywalker. And then you will get back to your original task of destroying the Rebellion. They have been most aggravating while you were off on your wild nerf chase."
An hour later, Vader stalked out of the throne room. Smart beings got out of his way. Beings who were less quick to notice him were physically moved.
"Find me the latest communications intercepted from the Rebellion," he snarled at a cowering officer. "And a list of bounty hunters."
He thought back to his time at Fandom. "I want them to find Han Solo."
[OOC: As a warning, the Emperor is not especially pleased with Vader at the moment. Graphic imagery behind the cut.]
Stranger Inside - Shinedown