บท 2: Plans
(Vader POV)
I walk out of the room and towards the place where the Dark Side locus used to be. About 5 years ago, Palpatine granted me a planet to do with what I wanted. I chose this planet, Mustafar. A world ripe with dark side energies, I wished to harness for myself.
But that wasn't the only thing that I was gifted. Palpatine also gifted me the Mask of Lord Momin. A long-dead Sith master who had inhabited the mask and had the power to possess others and replace its host's life force with his own. Momin's spirit offered its unique and formidable expertise in helping me construct the perfect fortress, in which to channel Mustafar's dark side energies and open a portal through the Force.
Momin called it a gateway, which could even reunite me with my deceased wife, Padmé ...
.
(Flashback)
3 years ago on Mustafar
"Do what I cannot, Lord Vader. Reach out with the Force. You should be able to feel how the structure shapes the Dark Side and channels its energies to this central point. Can you feel it?", Momin asks me.
"I can."
"Good. I am pleased. You know I would run these tests myself, but as I said, I am but the mask. The Force is denied to me in this form. But with your assistance, we should achieve significant results. My design is strong."
"So you have said, Momin. Repeatedly."
"This time, my Lord, you will see. Now ... open the door."
[Picture]
I focus on the Force and on my task. I focus on using the focused dark side energies on one point. The entire planet of Mustafar began to rumble and the lava rose dangerously. A thin red lightning descended from the air in front of me. I focused on making it bigger.
[Picture]
"NNNNNGGAH!"
I use my full strength to slowly pull the lightning apart and open the gateway.
[Picture]
But it didn't work ... a blast occurred and I was denied entry to the Force. That was one of the first tries that day. It would take until the 9th try for things to change.
.
"I think it's really something special.", Momin says to me as we both look at the completed 9th version of the Fortress Vader.
[Picture]
"One way or the other, Momin ... there will be no tenth.", I say and we get to the new and improved version of the chamber that collects the dark side energies on one point.
"This new design for the focusing chamber ... it just feels right, doesn't it, Lord Vader?"
"Yes. The power here ... this was its destiny. This was what it was waiting for.", I say and begin the process for the 9th time. I focus on the energies and the red lightning looks different this time.
"Oh, Vader .. even when I could use the Force, my power was nothing compared to yours. Yes, this is right. I know it.", Momin says.
"And now ... the door. Yes, it wants to open. It calls to me.", I say as I watch the door open and transform from the dark red line, into a full red door with intricate design.
"Lord Vader, this is an auspicious moment. But you may not be prepared for what lies beyond that door. This test was designed only to determine if it could be opened. For your safety, your very sanity, I urge you to rest, gather your immense powers... and choose the moment it should be opened.", Momin says and I Force-push him away.
"The moment is now."
[Picture]
Finally, the door opened but it was not yet time for me to go in.
[Lord Vader, this is Captain Junus, Commander of the castle's garrison. I apologize for disturbing you, but ... we may need to evacuate. They're all around us.], I hear the voice over the comms.
"More fleas? Deal with them, Captain. I am occupied.", I answer.
[My Lord, I believe we are facing a serious threat. Perhaps you should just come see for yourself.]
"Bah!"
The door closes again and I turn to Momin.
"You will do nothing until I return."
"What would I possibly want to do? My work here is complete.", Momin says and I walk out to see another attack by the Mustafarians. As I stand there and look down on the approaching Mustafarians, the gateway activates again. Momin activates it. Lighting strikes and the platform on which I stand explodes.
[Picture]
(Flashback end)
.
I stand in the room again and look at the destroyed stone. I touch it and feel that the potential is still there. I will fix it. I will do that and go back. I know that that is the best way for me to practice and grow more powerful. There is an abundance of enemies to fight and practice new Force abilities on and learn new ones. Light or Dark side abilities, won't matter to me anymore. I can learn all of them ... and I will.
I think back to the time. Momin betrayed me, opened his own portal and resurrected himself. He summoned his younger self from the past, through the gateway and placed his mask upon him, thus finally creating his masterpiece; himself. All while my fortress was under assault by the army of the Mustafarians, seeking to crush me.
I place my hands on the stone again. I focus on the Force. The damage I did by inserting my lightsaber, is big, but nothing I can't handle. I feel the connection I have to the Force and did deep. I use it to ... heal. That's right, I use the Force to heal the damage done to the locus point. The tension rises and the stone that is split into five pieces slowly starts to stir and move.
I focus on my will. I want to redo the locus point and fix what was damaged. Rewind to the time when the locus wasn't damaged. The stone slowly moves closer together. The Force follows my will but it is very difficult. I push as hard as I can and feel that it is working. I continue to do that and feel my proficiency in using the force rise, ever so slightly.
But before I manage to finish what I am doing, I get a message from one of the Inquisitors. The Third Sister to be exact. I remember her, from when she was a youngling. I commend her for her dedication and the length to which she is willing to go, for her revenge. But I use her to hunt down Kenobi.
.
I stop the restoration and move to my throne room. When I arrive there, I sit down and then activate the hologram. The figure of the Third Sister is seen and I don't say anything for the moment. I try to feel her emotions. Sidious is a master at that and I also want to master that power. It gives you a lot of power and insight over your subordinates.
"Lord Vader.", the Third Sister is the first to say something.
"What happend, Third Sister?"
"My Lord, the Grand Inquisitor is dead."
"..."
"He was killed by Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi.", she continues.
"How did that happen?"
"It was on the planet Daiyu. We devised a plan to lure the Jedi Master Kenobi out of hiding. After we learned of his relationship with Senator Bail Organa, I had Vect Nokru and his gang kidnap Organa's daughter Leia. When I was about to capture him, I was stopped by a con artist, Haja Estree, who pretended to be a Jedi in order to stall me and aid in Kenobi's and Organa's escape.
I probed the charlatan's mind and discovered that Kenobi would be making his escape from Daiyu via a cargo shipyard. When the Grand Inquisitor and I arrived there, a fight broke out. The Jedi Master was able to stab the Grand Inquisitor through the abdomen and then escape on a cargo ship with Organa.", the Third Sister told me the events.
"..."
"..."
"Where is he?", I ask finally.
"We have Probe Droids out and are tracking all possible exits. He will pay for the Grand Inquisitor's-"
"The Grand Inquisitor means nothing! Kenobi is all that matters now. Is that understood?"
"Yes, my Lord."
I lean back a bit and feel her emotions. It is ever so slowly coming to me. But not just yet.
"I have been watching you ... Third Sister. I know what it is you seek. Prove yourself and the position of Grand Inquisitor ... is yours."
"..."
"Fail me ... and you will not live to regret it.", I say and deactivate the hologram. I can tell that she is obviously lying. There is no way that Obi-Wan could defeat the Grand Inquisitor and the Third Sister at the same time when he has been out of practice for 10 years now. Had he been at his peak, then yes, but now ... no.
I wish I had seen the series of 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' when it came out. I don't know why I didn't. It doesn't matter now. My plans are clear and the way forward is obvious. Power is what matters now. My useless quest for revenge will get me nowhere. But it is important to keep appearances and even though I unlocked my memories, I am still the same person. I still hate Obi-Wan and myself for what happened 10 years ago on this planet. But I am smart enough to set my priorities.
.
I move to my training room. I will repair the dark side locus at a later time, after I have dealt with the Obi-Wan problem. I activate the first training droid. I remember changing and improving on their designs to make them stronger, faster and also deadlier. I used them to practice my movement and adapt to a new style of lightsaber combat.
The droid comes to life and activates his very own lightsaber. He jumps into action and attacks me. I block his fast strike and wait for him to attack again. The droid repositions himself and strikes again. I block again and move to the side. I try to focus on defence right now. I do this, so that I cam notice mistakes or weaknesses and improve them. Now that I have no limits anymore, I will abuse my abilities and won't accept weaknesses.
This goes on for a while and I change my style slowly. Every micro movement that was unnecessary or wrong was removed and improved. I was totally focused and there was nothing that could break that concentration.
After 30 minutes, I activated another droid and had him attack me together with the first one. The pressure increased and it got harder. I had both of them operate at 100% capacity and they were set to kill. I was getting into my focused state again and could feel how my movements grew smoother and faster. It was a rush to feel and see my progress as it happened. I delved deeper into the Force and augmented my speed and cognitive abilities.
After another 30 minutes, I added another droid. And after getting accustomed to the difficulty and pressure, I added another and another and another …
This process went on until I was defending myself against 14 droids that were set to kill. My training was cut short though when a notification rang in my helmet, telling me that one of my Inquisitors had probably found the location of Obi-Wan.
Good. Let's see how weak my former master has become.
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