Saga Nothing personal--Vader's thoughts on his trench run adversary--Vignette 16

The first time he had killed, Anakin Skywalker had been sickened. After all, he was barely beginning his adolescence and thought the Jedi habit of preserving justice would have kept him from becoming a killer for another few years.

It had become easier, of course. It had become too easy by the time he was asked to serve in the Clone Wars and by the time his allegiances demanded the purge of the Jedi Order, it had hardly required a second thought.

Today, however, he had found himself faltering.

It had not been a matter of killing--he had obliterated other pilots--but there had been something different about this pilot who destroyed the Death Star.

It had been clear enough from the start that the boy either had great skill or great potential for the Force, because his flying was nothing short of exceptional. Of course, it had to be to best the Imperial pilots, but when Vader had touched his mind out of curiosity, there had been a thrill of familiarity at the contact.

Perhaps it was the act of finding the one who got away or, more likely, one that had just realized his power, but he had recognized too much of himself in the way the Force had pulsed through that mind. His hand had faltered on the trigger for a moment as if he were afraid of destroying some kind of kindred spirit.

Then he had remembered that the Jedi had once been kindred spirits as well and the ship had come into his sights once more with great ease.

That moment had cost him, however, and his wingman's uncontrolled spin had knocked him clear of the trench just minutes before the Death Star and all the criminals still on it had been obliterated.

It had been too many and too few hours since that hesitation and he still had not identified his reasons for failing the Empire in that moment.

He had not found himself hesitating at an opportunity to kill since, well, Obi-Wan, but this obviously untrained youth had sparked something unfamiliar in him.

No, that was not right. It was familiar. Too familiar.

Maybe that was why he felt remorse that he had wanted to make the kill in the first place.

 

Cool, Ish. Loved the peek into his mind and why he hesitated. A kindred spirit indeed. heh.

 

Nice viggie!

 

It is a wondeful Vig. I am sure it would have given him cause to stop and think.


On the other hand I had to laugh about the line with how Luke had to have been exceptional to best the Imperial Pilots. I couldn't stop thinking. .yeah... pilots are great.. storm troopers as sharp shooters leave a lot to be desired.. LOL I don't even know why that came to mind with what was a wonderful, thought provoking Vig about Vader being faced with the fact that his past life wasn't all dead.