Saga In This Armor- A Vader vignette (The Chosen One dons the armor for the first time) Artwork Added

Title: In This Armor
Character: Darth Vader
Time: ROTS
Genre: Angst

A plot bunny that struck while watching the bonus DVD of the OT set. When I saw Hayden in the armor, walking up the steps with someone holding his cloak I wondered what those first days in the armor might have been like. Thanks for reading.

And of course, after seeing ROTS this is not quite how it happened! I wonder why George didn't call me?


[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/VadersLover/Armor.jpg]

A big thank you to DCWiz00 for this lovely artwork!



In This Armor

He ordered the medics from the room. There would be no audience for his humiliation. If they chose to laugh at the machine that once had a human heart, they would do so far away from him.

This would be the first time he had attempted to move about in the armor that Palpatine had given him to replace the broken body that had been transported back to Imperial City. The medics had all voiced their concerns about him being alone at such a time. But he had quieted their protests with a simple wave of his hand. Their silence had been gratifyingly immediate and complete. Absolute power was no small compensation for the loss of some flesh and bone.

As he came awkwardly to his feet (were they his feet now, these booted objects that seemed so heavy?) he grunted with the effort. He swayed for a moment on the foreign foundation.

He finally surrendered and grabbed onto the edge of the table, though he resented the weakness that this action represented. He cursed the mechanical augmentation of his body.

It suddenly struck him as oddly funny that the little boy who had so loved machines would grow up to become one. He would have laughed, but the helmet did not make accommodations for the very human action of laughter. Machines had no need to laugh.

After he gained some stability, he let go of the table. He tottered for a moment uncertainly before he felt the legs make adjustments. It was an odd feeling, to be aware of the actions of those legs but not really feel them.

He felt enough to be aware, but it was not like?before.

He thought of moving his right foot forward and it did so. The movement was hardly flawless but it did propel his body one pace ahead. Serviceable, certainly.

The young Sith Lord moved his left foot forward with the same ungainly motion and then stood there, trying to feel as if he had achieved something of importance, but failing.

Vader let himself yearn for the fluid strength his muscles had once enjoyed.

He growled within the dark mask, ruthlessly crushing the useless longing. It was better this way, much better to be stripped of the weakness of the flesh. There was nothing to him now but darkness and power and the utterly predictable mechanics of his body.

And why would he need anything else?

He heard the leather creak as he moved. It was new, and did not have the suppleness that long use would give it. He had a lifetime to make the leather soft. It would not take long before he no longer heard the leather sound a protest. But he wondered how long it would take his mind to remain quiet on the subject.

He twisted experimentally, trying to determine the limits of his movement. He would have given a sigh of relief at the range of motion, but again the helmet did not make allowances for such weaknesses. He had to be content with a satisfied nod of his head.

Now there was a new sensation.

The helmet felt heavy and much too large when he nodded his head. He felt as if the weight of that dark mask would propel him forward until he toppled over like an abandoned child?s toy. This would take some getting used to, in the privacy of his quarters, of course. He would not diminish the fear his men held for him by appearing foolish or ungainly.

He took a few more steps forward and then turned, waiting for a moment while he wobbled a bit unsteadily. He would have to work on that, falling over would simply not do.

There would be no dancing in this mechanical prison, he reflec

 

Masterfully written. It really puts you into the scene, and what Vader's world is like around him.

 

He felt a pang as he remembered the freedom of simply running. He could almost feel the breeze that kissed his face as he ran; his young body strong and full of boundless energy. He could feel the sun shining down on him; hear the soft pad of his feet hitting the ground. They seemed to barely touch down, a fleeting weight that passed almost without sound. His feet had been swift and sure.

That was incredibly sad. Well written and poignant, good work.

 

This was very poignant. I especially loved this passage:

It suddenly struck him as oddly funny that the little boy who had so loved machines would grow up to become one. He would have laughed, but the helmet did not make accommodations for the very human action of laughter. Machines had no need to laugh.

How ironic, and I never thought of it that way.

Anyway, you captured the sense of hopelessness so very well. I have to imagine that, if he were still able to cry, he would have spent a lot of time crying those first few days.

 

You got me crying..
Yes, this will be forever. Losing your body like that must be such a shock, he didn't really seem to believe it at first. *sniff* And that's about as coherent my thoughts can get now.

 

I think I am going to cry. That was terrific. The last line is very powerful, and really sums up Vader's character.

 

This was forever. There would be no more mornings spent running; testing and pushing his endurance. There would be no more graceful katas that made his muscles scream in protest after the endless repetitions that led to perfection. The days of grace and speed were over, replaced by sheer power and indestructibility.

He pushed the unbearable thought away and concentrated on smoothing out his motions. Running was only for those who knew fear; he had no need to run anymore.

There was nothing left to fear when the worst has already come to pass.

Whoa! Very powerful look into what he might have been feeling at that time. Great!

 

Wonderfully done!

I liked the way Anakin made himself come up with positive aspects of being in the armour to compensate for the stuff he could no longer do.

 

That was so sad!

Great stuff, but sad! Why do you do that to me?

 

I had tears in my eyes reading this. I just feel terrible for Anakin/Vader at this point in time.

You've captured the hopelessness of the situation perfectly. The armor may have saved his life, but it was a prison more than anything else. He was denied the ability to do so many things that most people take for granted, like running, laughing, sighing. I love the way you brought that out.

I can't help but think that the armor and mask had a lot to do with keeping Vader on the dark side for so long--how can he empathize with people when he's forever cut off from them?

Kristeh

 

Great insight into Anakin's thoughts.

Good work, VaderLVR.

 

He pushed the unbearable thought away and concentrated on smoothing out his motions. Running was only for those who knew fear; he had no need to run anymore.

There was nothing left to fear when the worst has already come to pass.

The best closing lines I have ever read!

This was both eerie and sad, the way he remembers his old life, the simple things like dancing, running, even laughing, and how he can no longer do those things. Yet, at the same time, his only concerns now are about power, intimidation, not appearing weak in front of his men. This captures the tragedy of his character so well.

Another brilliant viggie!

 

You are killing me here! Remember back when ANH first came out and we all thought Vader was a robot because it was just too horrible to think that there was actually a person in there?

Good LORD, I'm gonna need prozac before ROTS...

It was better this way, much better to be stripped of the weakness of the flesh. There was nothing to him now but darkness and power and the utterly predictable mechanics of his body.

And why would he need anything else?

Wow. Great insight there.


It would not take long before he no longer heard the leather sound a protest. But he wondered how long it would take his mind to remain quiet on the subject.




Excellent vig! And now, to quote my favorite line from Galaxy Quest: "I'm going to find a pub!"

 

Wow! That was amazing my dear. You truly have a gift for vignettes. I'm speechless.

 

Wow, that was amazing! Really put me in Anakin's mind and from now on I will watch Vader with a new appreciation for what he's going through and what he's lost.

 

Sara_Kenobi Thank you so much!

Jedi_Chani Thank you very much for reading!

stacysatrip I was feeling sorry for Vader that day. Thank you for reading.

Ana_Labris I did borrow some of Vader's thoughts from things my son and I shared when he went into a wheelchair. Thank you for reading!

Dally Thanks! I love my Vader, you know.

AnakinsHeir Thank you!

Bekah_K I thought as Vader he would try to tell himself that the power made up for the loss of his body. Of course, we all know it didn't! THank you for reading.

VadersMistress I do it to torment you personally, my dear! Thanks for reading, okay I made you read it, but thanks anyway.

kristeh Excellent point! He could hide behind the armor in more than one way and it completely cut him off from all the good things. Thanks for reading.

JediMaster_Jen Thank you!

Gina Aww shucks! Thank you so much, you know how much I value your opinion!

Jedi Trace I'll join you at that pub! Like I said, I was feeling really sorry for my Vader and this was the result. Thank you for reading!

obi_ew Thank you! I admire your work so much that I take that as a great compliment! (I'm reading Standing on Broken Dreams AGAIN!)

Arwyn_Whitesun Thank you so much! What a nice thing to say!

 

I have but two two-word responses:

Poor Ani!!!

and

YOU ROCK!

 

Great Vader portrayal. Everybody knows that he chokes people he doesn't like.

 

You made me feel sorry for the guy! I think that's a first. Great vignette. Very raw and powerful. I had never really thought about what he must have felt during those first days in the suit.

 

JalendaviLadyWOW! Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!

SilSolo Well, choking is very effective in shutting them up, permanently! Thanks for reading.

Odd-Thomas I'm glad I inspired feelings of sympathy for The Chosen One! Thanks for reading.

 

He growled within the dark mask, ruthlessly crushing the useless longing. It was better this way, much better to be stripped of the weakness of the flesh. There was nothing to him now but darkness and power and the utterly predictable mechanics of his body.

And why would he need anything else?

Incredibly sad! What torture that must have been, especially at the beginning when he was still adjusting. Of course, does one ever really adjust to such a thing?

 

What a wonderful vignette!

I had never considered what it would be like for vader to be in his suit for the first time. What an incredible awkward experience for someone so used to be so physically fit.

You've captured him very well here. I think you can still hear echoes of Anakin, but he's mostly Vader right now.

Also, I like the comment at the end about having nothing to fear because the worst had already happened. It just makes him seem so lonely, so lost, like he has nothing left, not even his fear. It makes you realise just how empty his life would have been.

 

LukesTheMan I don't think you really could adjust, and of course, his past physical abilities would have made that even more difficult. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for reading!

Kazzy Thank you! I've always thought his life must have been incredibly empty, no matter what he tried to tell himself otherwise.

 

Beautifully written, m'lady. Well done.

 

You know, I was flipping through the ROTS junior novel today in a bookstore and when I got to that part where he wakes up in the suit, I almost started crying. In a bookstore. Yeah, that sobered me up really quickly. And then I almst started crying with this.

Your last two sentences are amazing. I love them- they really sum up the situation and his feelings and his...despair, really. The worst has already happened...yes it has. Indeed, it has...

I loved the ackwardness. No one ever really takes the time to think what it must have been like for him at first, learning how to move with the suit. And I don't think many have ever really thought what it much be like for him to be in the suit in the first place. Like it or not, he did at least once have a human heart, as you mentioned. And now he's reduced to this...

Which reminds me of another line I loved- the one about how as a boy he loved machines, but never had any idea that he was about to become one. The fact that he doesn't really consider himself human anymore is amazing, preceptive and telling. It really shows what he's going through- that he doesn't even consider himself a person anymore. Once, as a child, being called a person so important to him and now he's been turned into a machine...

Excellent. Absolutely brilliant, really. I love the emotions and insight in this and- just a really wonderful job you have done.