Saga Fear - Vader ESB vignette

Title: Fear
Author: AngelQueen
Timeframe: ESB
Characters: Vader, a little Palpatine
Genre: angst, introspection
Keywords: Vader, fear
Summary: 'The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi.'
Notes: It's rather strange, really. I sat down to write a Sabé/Obi story, and this pops into my head instead. DV decided to speak. Either that, or I'm really mixed up!



The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi.

He fears him. My master fears the son of the Chosen One. As I reflect on that conversation, I cannot help but be amused. My master did not flinch when he faced four of the greatest swordsmen of the Jedi Order, or even when the Chosen One himself was in the perfect position to strike him down.

But he fears the boy. Why?

The answer is complex, and yet so simple all the same. The Chosen One is no more, having buckled beneath the weight of his own weaknesses and failures. The prophecy that so many once clung to is forgotten by all but a few. With the Chosen One gone, it goes unfulfilled. However, the blood of the Chosen One still remains, carrying the seeds of completion.

And so, my master fears.

Strangely, I do not. I think of the son of Skywalker and his wife and I feel exhilarated. The boy has already demonstrated that he has at least a fraction of his father's power. My power. If he has even the slightest bit of his mother's strength, he will - with proper guidance and training - be unstoppable. Rulers will kneel before him; the masses will revere and venerate him, as their predecessors did his parents before him.

This is what my master truly fears. It is ironic that he should fear her legacy more than that of Skywalker's. My master fears she who put him into power in the first place more than the one who sealed his place in the government. He fears the shadow of Padmé Amidala, even if he chooses to hide behind concerns over the boy's showing of Jedi tendencies.

I do not fear. And because I do not fear, I shall claim and mold that which the Force has chosen to place on my path.

The Sith creed has always been that there should only be two at any given time, the master and the apprentice. The line continues when the apprentice slays his master, and then takes on an apprentice of his own. My apprentice has been found at last, born of a union forbidden by all in its time. Soon, my master's time will come, and he shall be replaced by those who represent the future.

Perhaps he fears this as well. For all of his words to the Chosen One about Darth Plagueis and his ability to cheat death, my master has never yet been able to reproduce this talent. Death still looms before him like a cunning beast. Silent, watching. Waiting for the right moment.

Death inspires no fear in me. Another irony. The Chosen One's chief terror was death. His death, and the death of his wife, a massive phobia brought upon by the vicious end his mother suffered. I hover close to death each day, and have done so for more than two decades. After all that I suffered to come to this point, death would be a blessing. A release.

But I do not desire to die just yet. The son of Skywalker and Amidala still roams the galaxy, the only evidence remaining that they ever existed. That is, besides myself. The two of us carry shadows of a forgotten age. And with that and the power we both possess, we can reshape the galaxy into something great.

My master fears the boy because he knows what he and I can do together. Ours is a bond that cannot be broken, no matter what action he takes. But I do not fear. I will find the son of Skywalker and he will not become a Jedi. The Jedi failed many years ago. Their mistakes will be rectified and wiped off the slate. Eventually.

My master knows and fears this. Fear shall be his undoing.

 

Very in-character and interesting

 

Simply riveting. Perfect. It's like you see into his mind. Excellent work, AQ.

 

Ish: Very in-character and interesting.

Thank you, Ish!

Sara_Kenobi: Simply riveting. Perfect. It's like you see into his mind. Excellent work, AQ.

Thanks, Sara! Seeing into his mind is almost what it felt like when I wrote that about 1:30am this morning! I was hoping to write a bit of Sabé/Obi-Wan mush/angst, and instead DV shows up and commands my muse to write about him. He's so demanding! *giggles*

AQ

 

Nice! Loved the trip into Vader's mind. Interesting to see Luke suceeding because of both his parents and not just his father...

Well done!

_PSK_

 

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant

 

He fears him. My master fears the son of the Chosen One. As I reflect on that conversation, I cannot help but feel somewhat amused. My master did not flinch when he faced four of the greatest swordsmen of the Jedi Order, or even when the Chosen One himself was in the perfect position to strike him down. But he fears the boy. Why?
Great paragraph!! (great observation too)


This is what my master truly fears. It is ironic that he should fear her legacy more than that of Skywalker?s. He fears she who put him into power in the first place more than the one who sealed his place in the government. He fears the shadow of Padmé Amidala.
I loved that, right there. It was fantastic!

Death still looms before him like a cunning beast. Silent, watching. Waiting for the right moment.
Great personification of death.

In short (before I copy and paste the entire vig!) I loved this fic...it was written really well and I enjoyed reading it very much. Awesome job!!

 

_PSK_: Thank you! I rather thought that Vader would find some sort of connection between Padmé and Luke, since he did not know of Leia at the time.

Lord_Moordenaar: *blushes* Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

ZekksGoddess: *grins* I'm glad so many of the various passages of this little ficlet caught you attention! Personally, the whole 'shadow of Padmé Amidala' passage was one of my favorites as well!

AQ

 

I'm glad so many of the various passages of this little ficlet caught you attention!
They most certainly did...there were plent of amazing passages...*grins sheepishly* but of course, I restrained myself from reposting the entire thing to comment on...

Personally, the whole 'shadow of Padmé Amidala' passage was one of my favorites as well!
That was a great paragraph. It really showed what a great diplomat Padmé had been and what a formidable opponent. It also showed slight hints of Anakin's love for her and Vader's respect. Amazing job!

 

ZekksGoddess: They most certainly did...there were plent of amazing passages...*grins sheepishly* but of course, I restrained myself from reposting the entire thing to comment on...

*giggles* I've come close to doing that in the past...

That was a great paragraph. It really showed what a great diplomat Padmé had been and what a formidable opponent. It also showed slight hints of Anakin's love for her and Vader's respect. Amazing job!

Personally, I think Palpatine's greatest fear was Padmé. She was Anakin's chief anchor to the light, not to mention perhaps his greatest opponent in the Senate.

ROTS SPOILER

Also, if you watch the scene where Palpatine tells Vader that Padmé is dead and Vader goes berserk, Palpatine stands in the background grinning his ruined head off. This could just mean that he is pleased at Vader's release of his anger, but I also think he is inwardly jumping up and down with glee over Padmé's death. Sith *******. *sulks*

 

Fantastic viggie, AngelQueen! I loved this:

This is what my master truly fears. It is ironic that he should fear her legacy more than that of Skywalker?s. He fears she who put him into power in the first place more than the one who sealed his place in the government. He fears the shadow of Padmé Amidala. Even if he chooses to hide behind concerns over the boy?s showing of Jedi tendencies.

I'd never thought of it that way, but it makes a huge amount of sense that Palpatine should fear Padmé's legacy. I love the insight into Vader's thoughts that you give in this vignette as well. Excellent work!

 

Knight_Aragorn: Fantastic viggie, AngelQueen!

*blushes* Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I'd never thought of it that way, but it makes a huge amount of sense that Palpatine should fear Padmé's legacy. I love the insight into Vader's thoughts that you give in this vignette as well. Excellent work!

*nods* I personally think that Padmé was perhaps his greatest fear because of what she had the ability to do: to sway Anakin. I rather think that, with twenty years to think about it, Vader would come to recognize that.

Thanks again!

AQ

 

I like this very much. You've written Vader very well.

 

Vaders_Angel: I like this very much. You've written Vader very well.

Thank you, VA! To keep myself from taking Vader out of character, I did my best to recall his tone from the communication scene between him and the Emperor. It really helped me. Thanks again!

AQ

 

Very nice. I realy like the way you portrayed Datrh Vader.

 

Darthana: Very nice. I really like the way you portrayed Darth Vader.

*bows* Thank you, Darthana!

AQ

 

Reopening thread...

 

This is great! I love the disassociation between Vader and Anakin, and his insight into Palpatine.

 

It was a good decision of yours to reopen this fanfic thread here. Otherwise I would have no chance to tell you that I liked the way you wrote your Vader!

 

Superb! Intense and on-target characterization and insights into motivations.

 

JadeLotus - Thank you! That disassociation was something I really wanted to play on. He kept denying that he was Anakin Skywalker, and yet he was more than willing to seize any advantage that Anakin Skywalker's identity brought him. In this case, the biological relationship between him and Luke. Of course, Luke spent most of ROTJ stomping on that disassociation, and in the end won out.

AzureAngel2 - Thanks! I was delighted that some seemed to enjoy the reappearance of these old gems. I'm thrilled you liked this peek into Vader's head.

Nyota's Heart - Thank you! *beams*

 

Hi, I really enjoyed this. It's too bad that Vader didn't have a moment like this within the film itself. It would have really given Vader another dimension. Instead, you did it and did it well!

 

Darth_Furio, thank you! I'm delighted you enjoyed this glimpse into Vader's head.

 

You're welcome.

 

This is a very, very interesting way to look at how Vader feels about his son, his wife and his master. I never thought that Sidious would be afraid of Padmé, but when I think of her diplomatic and moral strengths, it makes a lot of sense.

And, of course, it's nice to see how his mind works while he still wants power, as opposed to redemption.