Saga By a Route Obscure and Lonely - Suitless Vader, OC .... Missing Moment posted 4/5

Title: By a Route Obscure and Lonely
Author: VaderLVR64
Characters: Lord Vader, OC
Timeframe: Five years post ROTS
Summary: The galaxy has gone mad, and one young woman is caught up in the schemes of an Empire.
Notes: Some of you may have read this under a different title on a less family-friendly board. It has been altered for the purposes of posting on this board.
This is almost completely written but I still haven't decided how many posts it will be. Expect an update every Wednesday. Thank you for reading!

My good friend and co-author was kind enough to do this cover for me! Thank you!


[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/VadersLover/route4copy.jpg]


By a Route Obscure and Lonely



Prologue:


It has been five years since the senator from the tiny, bucolic planet of Naboo ascended the Imperial throne and declared himself Emperor. In that time, he has crushed the remnants of the proud Republic he once served.

Emperor Palpatine rules his Empire with a durasteel fist. Systems are subdued by any means necessary, and any hint of rebellion is swiftly routed with brutal ferocity. All who oppose the new order forfeit their lives and freedom.

None are left to guard the freedoms of the those who live under Palpatine?s rule.

The once mighty Jedi Order has been destroyed, its members dead or scattered to the winds. The Jedi Temple, which had stood for centuries as the symbol of those guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, has been burned to the ground, along with all who dwelled within it.

The Jedi have been destroyed or neutralized ? save for one. But he is twisted and warped by the Dark Side of the Force. He is Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith.

The galaxy stands poised on the edge, breath held, waiting for something to change?


*****************************************************

Chapter 1: In the Grip of the Empire



The raid on her village had come just before dawn. It had been a cold morning, the land caught between winter and spring. Samri Foretsall had been reluctant to leave her warm bed, even though she knew her father would soon be rousing her from her cozy nest, scolding her gently.

Her brother, Yantir, had been moving around in the next room, getting ready to feed the livestock and he had stuck his head in through her door. ?Samri,? he called softly. ?Best get that fire going or Da will have your hide.?

With a groan, she had rolled over and buried her head under the covers. A distant roar of sound had only gradually intruded on her consciousness, but then Yantir had given a yell and the door to their small home had been reduced to splinters in a matter of seconds.

House by house, the inhabitants had been led out, confused and frightened by the abrupt tilting of their world.

The villagers had been gathered up and then separated by the white armored figures, who kept blasters trained on the frightened, huddled groups.

The young women had been put into one cluster, the young men in another and the elders and children in a third. Each of the assembled muttering groups had been carefully guarded by the anonymous and menacing figures in white armor.

Her brother Yantir stood beside their cousin, Lamtas, who was newly married. His bride, Ylez, was crouched by Samri, her hair hanging wildly about her face. Her clothing was torn from where a trooper had ripped her from Lamtas? protective arms. Samri?s father was stone-faced, standing by the elders.

Then a painfully thin man in a crisp gray uniform had stood in the center of the village and read from a data pad.

?Citizens of the village of Harrko: All residents of this village are hereby charged with treason for the harboring of an outlaw Jedi by your shaman, Illo Meskinir. As traitors to the Empire, all properties, including sentient beings and their belongings, are hereby confiscated to be distributed according to the will and mercy of our great Emperor.?

They all stood, staring dumbly at the man who wore such a coldly pleased expression. Th

 

That was a nice start! The Empire is one cold bunch, that's for sure. I thought the prologue was incredibly well written. Any chance to use the word "bucolic" should be taken, I say

I'll be sure to check back next Wednesday.

 

Oh wow.. what a unique and interesting perspective, Kimberely -- I'll look for updates for sure on this one

 

Excellent beginning, K! Looking forward to reading more of this. You always create such intriguing and believable OCs.

 

'twil be interesting to see how this goes.

Great beginning!

 

Hmm, methinks I have some ideas where this might be headed. I'll just have to wait and see...

I'm looking forward to your next update. Or perhaps I could hunt down the original. I have a feeling I'd enjoy the unedited version.

 

Exeter Yeah, I like the word, too!

Layren Thank you! I hope you like what's coming...

Gina I got really close to this OC in a hurry!

Jedi Trace Yeah, the editing is exhausting!

Elana You're probably right, we'll see together!

 

I've seen this before... but I can't wait to see how you lay this out! Looking forward to the next installment!

 

Yeah, I can imagine.


*cough* It's Wednesday. *cough*

 

Holy cow this has the potential to be one heck of a drama! The Empire is truly evil when they'll come take over a village years after a crime's (dubious crime) been committed and they just need some warm bodies. Looking forward to more of this!

 

Jedi Trace You know my pain!

Shadowolf Thanks! I hope you like it. It's very different for me.









[b]Chapter 2: A New Life[/b]


The pale man came to her small room ? cell? His frame filled the doorway.

?You should feel honored, girl,? he said in a haughty tone.

?Excuse my lack of gratitude, but I don?t feel particularly honored,? she replied through clenched teeth.

Quicker than a blink, he had crossed the room and his hand had connected with her face in a stinging slap. She tasted blood and her cheek burned.

?You?d better learn some manners if you want to survive very long,? he said.

?I?d rather be dead than to be with you,? Samri hissed.

He laughed and she shivered. ?Oh, you?re not for me, girl,? he told her with an odd and gleeful smile on his face. ?You?re intended for someone much more important than me!? His hand squeezed her arm cruelly. Samri glared at him, but would not give him the satisfaction of begging him to release his grip on her. This one had the look of one who would like to hear a woman beg for mercy.

She grew still and his other hand closed around her jaw. ?And if you don?t learn to behave yourself, it will be your family that suffers.?

Samri paled. ?No, you can?t do-?

?I can do whatever I please to your family, and more importantly, so can he. You would do well to remember that.?

The tall man threw her on the bunk.

He stopped in the doorway and turned to her once more. ?The one you?ll be serving wants only your unquestioning obedience,? he said. ?Give him that and you may even survive.?

************************************


She had been deposited with no ceremony and given over to another servant and two guards, who had escorted her immediately to a castle. Bast, they called it when the guards escorted her there. It seemed as dark and forbidding as her future.

Unable to take in the sights and still follow the servant, Samri had found herself stumbling on the way.

With a nod, the servant had thrust her into this room, which was dim and full of shadows, as though the sun outside could not burn away the darkness within. She thought herself alone until the voice broke through the silence and the shadows.

?You were told why you are here?? The voice came from a murky corner, frightening the girl even further.

She whirled around as she heard the ring of boot heels on the marble floor. A tall, cloaked figure stepped into the dim light, but was so heavily concealed that she could only guess at his gender and species from his voice, though he could be any type of humanoid.

One slim hand reached out to her. Human then. ?Sit,? the voice ordered.

?Thank you, milord,? she said politely, the tall man?s warnings ringing in her ears.

[i]Do as he says, do not argue. What your tasks will be I am not sure.[/i] His voice had grown ugly and suggestive at the word. [i]But to displease him has proven fatal for more than one being.[/i]

?You were told why I required your services??

From her seat, she looked up at the dark figure. Her fingers began to pluck at her skirt. ?I was told only that I must obey milord in all things,? she murmured.

A grunt issued from the hood of the cloak.

?True enough, I suppose,? the voice said. ?You are prepared to do exactly as you?re told and not ask questions??

For just a moment, anger flashed in her brown eyes. Then she slowly lowered her lashes. ?I will do what I must do, milord,? she answered carefully.

There was silence from the figure. ?Yes, I am sure you will,? he said at last.

She stood up abruptly, unable to sit still any longer. ?Very well, milord. If you?ll just give me my orders, I?ll be on my way. My name is-?

The elegant hand came up once again and both her breath and her name were blocked in her throat. A momentary squeeze and the pressure was removed as the hand fell back into the shadows of the cloak once more. ?I don?t need or want to know your name,? the voice informed her coldly.

Her eyes wide with fear, she nodded mutely.
>

 

Oooooooooooooooooooh interesting....So Anakin has taken her... but he's not Anakin anymore ... but he's not masked either.. wonder what happened..


I can't wait for more!


Yay first review!

 

I'm with Layren. I'm very curious as to what has happened to Vader - that's assuming it is Vader.

Poor Samri, her life is now in upheavel.

Excellent update, K!

 

*shivers at unsuited Vader* But I wonder for whom he is searching?

I love this title, BTW! It sounds....haunted.

 

Ooooohhhhh this sent chills down my spine. I'm hooked, though

Excellent job!!

 

OOh, I could picture that hard look on Anakin's face--the one where he's appraising her to see if she will meet his needs. He really is ruthless, isn't he. I hope she at least enjoys his company though! (I love it!)

 

Both PG and R versions are outstanding. I myself have a great weakness for suitless Vader stories, because in them he is vulnerable and can be reached -- also because a conflict between exterior appearance and interior motivation generates much dramatic tension.

 

How am I going to wait until next Wednesday for an update?

This story has a way of drawing the reader in.
Is there anyway you could send me a link to the R version of this chapter? Not that the Pg version wasn't good, I just want to compare.

If you have a pm list, please add me to it.

 

Layren It is Anakin. He is not in the suit. All will be revealed...

Gina It's the Vader we all know and love!

Jedi Trace I forgot to make a note of it, but the title comes from Edgar Allen Poe. Thanks for reading!

KELIA Thanks! I hope you like the rest of it, too.

Anakins_Force Well, if she doesn't enjoy his company, he knows where to find me.

Kele-en Me, too. Sigh... I love suitless Vader.

Amidala66 I'm glad you like it!

 

R version?? May I have a PM of that verson? Hmmm?

Loving this btw Mama Vader!! Another outstanding piece of art! Poor thing...she has no idea...none.

 

Kynstar We'll see





[b]Chapter 3: Possibilities[/b]


Weeks passed and Samri?s days became routine. She would find a servant hovering over in the morning, a tray of delicious food waiting. In many ways, she was the ?lady? of the manor, yet she could never forget that the guards who stood so silently about the palace were there not only to protect the inhabitants, but to keep her from leaving.

They did not wear the white armor of the troopers who had destroyed her village, but they seemed inhuman nonetheless. Their eyes were cold and distant, never meeting hers, even when they gave her an order.

The girl became friends with the cook, who let her try her hand in the well-appointed kitchen. It was a way to pass the time and fill the boring hours. The cook, an older human female named Lira, welcomed the young woman gladly. Lira was happy to share what she knew of the mysterious Lord Vader with Samri, though it was not much.

?I?ve heard he was once a Jedi,? Lira whispered as they kneaded some bread dough.

Samri stopped what she was doing. ?I can?t believe that!? She exclaimed. ?Jedi were good?? Samri lowered her voice, looking around her. It was not a safe thing to speak well of the Jedi anymore. Not safe at all. She lowered her voice further. ?But all the Jedi are dead.?

Lira glanced around before answering. ?Lord Vader killed ?em all,? she murmured. ?Least that?s what I heard.? The cook studied the young girl. ?What do you think of his lordship??

?He frightens me,? Samri said. ?It?s as if he isn?t human, not really.?

?He?s a cold one, that?s for sure,? Lira answered as she shivered. ?Those eyes of his ? they just look right through you as if you were a piece of furniture or something.?

?Or something?? Samri answered bitterly.

Lira paused. ?Is it true, then??

Samri nodded and her cheeks grew pink. ?He is not?unkind,? she whispered.

The cook put a motherly arm around Samri. ?Ah, you poor thing??

The dam holding back the weeks of tears suddenly burst, and Samri cried for her lost family and freedom. She sobbed out her pain and fear in Lira?s soft arms. At last, her tears were spent and she shuddered as Lira brushed back her hair. ?It?ll be all right,? Lira whispered.

Samri pulled away and wiped off her face angrily. She hated feeling weak and helpless, almost as much as she hated the fact that the enigmatic Lord Vader [i]owned[/i] her.

?How often does he come back??

Lira shrugged and went back to kneading the dough, recognizing that the girl needed time to regain her composure. ?Never can tell,? she replied. ?Sometimes he?s here for weeks on end and sometimes we don?t see him for months.?

?What do you know about him? I mean, personally,? Samri asked, for she was curious despite herself.

?Not much,? Lira admitted. ?He doesn?t talk much to us, except to give orders, that is,? she said. ?I?ve heard tell that he keeps a locked box in his bed chamber.? Lira began to look worried. ?A servant from the village pulled it out once, thought she?d take a peek,? the cook began to tremble. ?But he caught her??

?What happened??

Lira glanced around her apprehensively. ?No one really knows,? she replied. ?But milord called in some men to take out her body.?

?What did he do to her??

?They said it looked like he choked her to death.?

Samri remembered the ghostly feeling of invisible hands around her throat, and suddenly she thought she knew exactly how the unfortunate woman had died. She also knew how easily he could take her life, should he chose to do so.

Suddenly, she was too weary to concentrate any more. ?I think I?ll go lie down, Lira,? she said. ?I?m tired.?

?Go on then, you?ve been keeping your self too busy,? Lira scolded.

?I did much more work at home,? Samri replied defensively, but allowing Lira to push her out of the kitchen.

?But you weren?t worrying about milord coming home then either, ?Lira said shrewdly. ?Go, sleep!?

Samri went up to her bedchamber and settled into her soft bed. The warmth of the ch>

 

So he's been with Padme in the past in this AU, hence the word 'replacement.' I was wondering about that--she does seem to resemble her in some ways. I want to know what's in the box too!

Very nice update--I don't want to wait until next week!

 

Having read your uncut story, I want you to know that I really enjoy this version.

It is well written and leaves you to imagine what is going on. That is more sexy than writing out word for word what is happening.

Great job.

 

Obscure indeed... I enjoy the story, very well told. Have exactly no clue where it is going, but eagerly await the path to finding out!

It is very sad to see Anakin "giving in" to his baser lusts. This, more than nearly anything else I have read, portrays just how far Anakin has fallen. Pre-Vader would not have even conceived of thinking of a woman other than Padme as a bed partner. And this is not even a bed partner - he is using her and degrading both of them. Entirely sad - for both.

 

Almost time for.... what?

This is good, patiently waiting for more!