Morgyn Leri (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
morgynleri) wrote2016-01-07 07:38 pm
morgynleri) wrote2016-01-07 07:38 pm
Entry tags:
Star Wars: Vaderkin AU
And now I've got to figure out how this fight goes, because now the biggest reason I think Vaderkin is going to fight Obi-Wan is because he can't leave Obi-Wan on Mustafar with the shuttle he had been using, because he hasn't wiped the nav computer yet, and he can't have Obi-Wan finding the younglings.
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"It is finished, then. You have restored peace and justice to the galaxy." Palpatine doesn't seem quite as proud as Vader had hoped he might be, and he bows his head, making the right noises in response, and when Palpatine orders the shutting down of all droid units. Droids which Vader might hide away much as he has the younglings, and keep for when he needs them.
The beeping of a console draws his attention, and he frowns at the information, the sight of a ship coming in to the second landing platform. Turning away from the holo-table, he hurries through the corridors, finding the walkway that leads around the outside to the platform where Padmé's ship has landed.
He holds her close, feeling her trembling in his arms, and he feels worry thread through the triumph of earlier. There is something wrong. Terribly wrong.
"I saw your ship." Vader lets Padmé draw back, studying her face for anything that can tell him what's wrong. "What are you doing out here?"
Padmé is rubbing little circles on his shoulders, almost clinging, fear and concern in her eyes. "I was so worried about you. Obi-Wan told me things. Terrible things."
"What things?" Something wrong, indeed, and he hopes Obi-Wan at least has the sense to be far from here. Vader doesn't like that he's worried Padmé for nothing.
"He said. You've turned to the Dark Side. That you. Killed younglings." She can't even meet his eyes as she says the last, sick horror in her face.
"No." Vader brings his hands up to cup her face, coaxing her to look at him. "No, he lies. I would never do that. Not to younglings, not to those who haven't been drawn into the conspiracy of the Jedi." He smiles gently, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "They're safe now. Safe from the Jedi's lies, safe from everyone. I would have told you when I came back."
Padmé searches his face, and she relaxes a little, though she's still clutching at his cloak, still afraid of something. "Then let Obi-Wan help us. He cares about us."
"Us?" Vader is confused, and he knows it shows on his face when Padmé gives him a little smile, encouraging and apologetic.
"He knows." She leans in, and Vader leans down automatically, resting his forehead against hers. "He wants to help you. Anakin. Please. All I want is your love. Nothing else matters."
"Love can't save you, Padmé." Vader wishes it could. Wishes that he could keep her safe without needing the Dark Side. Not Palpatine's teaching, not the information he'd neglected to give Vader, but he'd figure it out. "Only the power I've been given by the Dark Side can do that."
"At what cost?" Padmé brings her hands up, brushing her thumbs over his cheeks before echoing his own stance, cupping his jaw between her hands. "You're a good person, Anakin, don't do this."
"I won't lose you the way I lost my mother." Vader shifts, pressing another kiss against her forehead. "I'm becoming more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of, and I'm doing it for you." He holds her gaze, willing her to understand him. "To protect you."
He can use the same power to protect the rest of them, to keep the younglings safe and their baby safe, give Padmé and him a family that will be all he needs to bring the galaxy under his control. Safety for everyone.
"Come away with me, then." Padmé smiles, stroking his face again. "Help me raise our child. The younglings you saved. Leave everything else behind while we still can. Please, Anakin. Please."
"I can't." It's tempting, but how can he leave now? How can he abandon everyone else to Palpatine, when he knows the Chancellor isn't as ideal as he should be? "We'd never be able to stop running. I can't do that, Padmé. Not when I'm so close. I'll protect you, and our baby, and the younglings, but I can't keep running. I've power, more than Palpatine, more than the Jedi." He slides his hands down her arms as she steps away, holding tightly to her hands. "Please, Padmé, understand. You and I, we can rule the galaxy, make everything the way we want. Make it safe for everyone, not just us, not just our baby."
"Obi-Wan is right. You've changed. Anakin." Padmé draws a shuddering breath, tugging at his hands as she folds her fingers around his. "Please. Come back to me."
Movement behind her draws his attention, and Vader looks up. "What have you done?" He drags Padmé back toward him, grabbing her shoulders to shake her. "Why did you bring him here?"
"What?" Padmé turns her head, confusion and fear on her face, almost convincing. "Who?"
"Let her go, Anakin!"
Surprise blooms across Padmé's face, and Vader wants to believe it. Wants to believe she didn't bring Obi-Wan here, that he fooled her, just as he had lied to her to frighten her.
"You brought him here to kill me!"
"No!" Padmé reaches up to cling to his cloak. "No, Anakin. No."
"Let. Her. Go."
Obi-Wan moves down the ramp, and Vader snarls, pushing Padmé behind him as he turns to face his former Master. He will not let Obi-Wan have her. Will not let him ruin everything Vader has worked for.
"You tried to turn her against me." He turns as Obi-Wan moves around him, keeping between him and Padmé. "You lied to her, like the Jedi have lied to me and to everyone."
"When have I lied, Anakin?" Obi-Wan is still trying to get to Padmé, though now he's put himself so Vader is between Obi-Wan and Padmé's ship. He reaches a hand back, trying to push Padmé back toward the ship without taking his attention off Obi-Wan.
"Younglings, Obi-Wan!"
"I saw the bodies in the Temple, Anakin!" Obi-Wan glares back, and Vader snarls.
"You dare to lie even now! Destroying the Jedi has saved younglings, and I have brought freedom from their dominion, justice for their warmongering. Peace to my new Empire!"
"Your new Empire?" Obi-Wan is staring at him, and Vader can feel Padmé's hand come to rest on his back, though he can't tell if she's supporting him or trying to hold him back. "Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic! To democracy!" He looks past Vader to Padmé. "You used to believe the same, Padmé. How can you listen to him now?"
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Previous Part | Next Part
"It is finished, then. You have restored peace and justice to the galaxy." Palpatine doesn't seem quite as proud as Vader had hoped he might be, and he bows his head, making the right noises in response, and when Palpatine orders the shutting down of all droid units. Droids which Vader might hide away much as he has the younglings, and keep for when he needs them.
The beeping of a console draws his attention, and he frowns at the information, the sight of a ship coming in to the second landing platform. Turning away from the holo-table, he hurries through the corridors, finding the walkway that leads around the outside to the platform where Padmé's ship has landed.
He holds her close, feeling her trembling in his arms, and he feels worry thread through the triumph of earlier. There is something wrong. Terribly wrong.
"I saw your ship." Vader lets Padmé draw back, studying her face for anything that can tell him what's wrong. "What are you doing out here?"
Padmé is rubbing little circles on his shoulders, almost clinging, fear and concern in her eyes. "I was so worried about you. Obi-Wan told me things. Terrible things."
"What things?" Something wrong, indeed, and he hopes Obi-Wan at least has the sense to be far from here. Vader doesn't like that he's worried Padmé for nothing.
"He said. You've turned to the Dark Side. That you. Killed younglings." She can't even meet his eyes as she says the last, sick horror in her face.
"No." Vader brings his hands up to cup her face, coaxing her to look at him. "No, he lies. I would never do that. Not to younglings, not to those who haven't been drawn into the conspiracy of the Jedi." He smiles gently, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "They're safe now. Safe from the Jedi's lies, safe from everyone. I would have told you when I came back."
Padmé searches his face, and she relaxes a little, though she's still clutching at his cloak, still afraid of something. "Then let Obi-Wan help us. He cares about us."
"Us?" Vader is confused, and he knows it shows on his face when Padmé gives him a little smile, encouraging and apologetic.
"He knows." She leans in, and Vader leans down automatically, resting his forehead against hers. "He wants to help you. Anakin. Please. All I want is your love. Nothing else matters."
"Love can't save you, Padmé." Vader wishes it could. Wishes that he could keep her safe without needing the Dark Side. Not Palpatine's teaching, not the information he'd neglected to give Vader, but he'd figure it out. "Only the power I've been given by the Dark Side can do that."
"At what cost?" Padmé brings her hands up, brushing her thumbs over his cheeks before echoing his own stance, cupping his jaw between her hands. "You're a good person, Anakin, don't do this."
"I won't lose you the way I lost my mother." Vader shifts, pressing another kiss against her forehead. "I'm becoming more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of, and I'm doing it for you." He holds her gaze, willing her to understand him. "To protect you."
He can use the same power to protect the rest of them, to keep the younglings safe and their baby safe, give Padmé and him a family that will be all he needs to bring the galaxy under his control. Safety for everyone.
"Come away with me, then." Padmé smiles, stroking his face again. "Help me raise our child. The younglings you saved. Leave everything else behind while we still can. Please, Anakin. Please."
"I can't." It's tempting, but how can he leave now? How can he abandon everyone else to Palpatine, when he knows the Chancellor isn't as ideal as he should be? "We'd never be able to stop running. I can't do that, Padmé. Not when I'm so close. I'll protect you, and our baby, and the younglings, but I can't keep running. I've power, more than Palpatine, more than the Jedi." He slides his hands down her arms as she steps away, holding tightly to her hands. "Please, Padmé, understand. You and I, we can rule the galaxy, make everything the way we want. Make it safe for everyone, not just us, not just our baby."
"Obi-Wan is right. You've changed. Anakin." Padmé draws a shuddering breath, tugging at his hands as she folds her fingers around his. "Please. Come back to me."
Movement behind her draws his attention, and Vader looks up. "What have you done?" He drags Padmé back toward him, grabbing her shoulders to shake her. "Why did you bring him here?"
"What?" Padmé turns her head, confusion and fear on her face, almost convincing. "Who?"
"Let her go, Anakin!"
Surprise blooms across Padmé's face, and Vader wants to believe it. Wants to believe she didn't bring Obi-Wan here, that he fooled her, just as he had lied to her to frighten her.
"You brought him here to kill me!"
"No!" Padmé reaches up to cling to his cloak. "No, Anakin. No."
"Let. Her. Go."
Obi-Wan moves down the ramp, and Vader snarls, pushing Padmé behind him as he turns to face his former Master. He will not let Obi-Wan have her. Will not let him ruin everything Vader has worked for.
"You tried to turn her against me." He turns as Obi-Wan moves around him, keeping between him and Padmé. "You lied to her, like the Jedi have lied to me and to everyone."
"When have I lied, Anakin?" Obi-Wan is still trying to get to Padmé, though now he's put himself so Vader is between Obi-Wan and Padmé's ship. He reaches a hand back, trying to push Padmé back toward the ship without taking his attention off Obi-Wan.
"Younglings, Obi-Wan!"
"I saw the bodies in the Temple, Anakin!" Obi-Wan glares back, and Vader snarls.
"You dare to lie even now! Destroying the Jedi has saved younglings, and I have brought freedom from their dominion, justice for their warmongering. Peace to my new Empire!"
"Your new Empire?" Obi-Wan is staring at him, and Vader can feel Padmé's hand come to rest on his back, though he can't tell if she's supporting him or trying to hold him back. "Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic! To democracy!" He looks past Vader to Padmé. "You used to believe the same, Padmé. How can you listen to him now?"
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*grabs at fic* AND PADMÉ. PADMÉ. GAH.
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I have another paragraph of the scene, with Padmé's reaction to Obi-Wan, but Obi-Wan's question there felt like a better place to end the snippet, so. :)
More later today, I hope. After the trip to the vet with Jessamine to make sure she is a healthy catten, and that stress is out of the way. And then on to the rest of this, which is going to be mostly, I think, Vaderkin getting Padmé to get on her ship and close it up, then him getting to the shuttle he used, while keeping Obi-Wan from getting on board, and then abandoning Obi-Wan on Mustafar. (Which he justifies to himself as he didn't kill Obi-Wan, and he can always go back for him later.)
Of course, by the time Vader might go back for him, either Sidious might have been and gone, collecting Obi-Wan on the way, or Obi-Wan might be driven perilously close to or over the edge himself by being trapped in that facility with all the rage and hate and death echoing in the Force. And while the latter would be dangerous to Vaderkin, it's also less likely.
Or I could leave him there, but with a working communications array, and then he just has to contact Bail for a ride. I shall see what I do with Obi-Wan later.