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There had been a disturbance on Canyon. Vader was called to deal with the issue.
It had been months since Vader’s temporary departure. He had yet to regain Sidious’ full confidence since then, and he was eager to prove to his Master that his loyalty remained Sidious’. Anakin Skywalker’s ghosts held no sway on his psyche. Vader wouldn’t be tricked again. Not that their paths would ever cross. Kenobi and Tano hid better than womp rats. There had not been a peep from them in months.
Vader froze as the so-called ‘Jedi’ he was supposed to defeat came within sight. Vader would have to punish the informant for this fault. That particular rebel was no Jedi. She had made that part clear.
His troopers had cornered her near the wall, both figuratively and literally. The Togruta was bloody and bruised, likely injured in her previous fight. A wave of protection surged in Vader’s heart, but he suppressed it quickly. Third Sister was dead at her feet. A waste. But not one he would miss.
Regaining control of his frozen limbs, Vader spoke.
“We meet again.”
“Anakin.” He gritted his teeth. That was not his name. “Why?”
“Because I am Darth Vader.”
How he had put up with them for the weeks they had held him prisoner for, he didn’t know.
Denial doubled by profound confusion echoed from the Togruta. She banged on his shields. He kept them tightly closed. The Dark protective bites must have felt like agony to her, but she persisted.
“We saved you. Healed you!”
“You tried to weaken me,” he snarled. “But you failed.” He advanced, menacing. He had a nice surprise for her. “Anakin Skywalker is gone. I am stronger than ever!”
Vader let his metallic wings unfold, enjoying the gasp it provokued from his opponent. Tano’s posture went guarded.
“Was this all a lie, then? A Sith plot to trick us?”
It hadn’t been.
Vader didn’t understand, didn’t remember, but he knew this. It hadn’t been. Skywalker’s ghost were a hindrance to his duties however, and so he stood still and proud in face of the accusation. Let her believe it had all been a ploy and let his weaknesses stay hidden.
“I refuse to believe it.”
Ever so stubborn.
“Then you will die.”
He charged.
✯ ✯ ✯ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ✯ ✯ ✯
They fought.
She had grown, he noticed. Her technique had improved much, and she was now able to stand on equal footing with him.
Pride bloomed within his chest. Vader ignored it.
They danced on the edge of the canyon. The blue tit and the mechanical bird. For each cut he gave, she gave back threefold. Dodging, spinning, looping— all the movements he had once favored. All the movements he was now forbidden. And yet… what clenched his chest so tightly was not envy, but admiration.
It was love.
It was weakness. Vader blocked another blow. His own became stronger, powered by renewed determination. The cliff trembled under the strength of their exchange.
For Darth Vader to live, Anakin Skywalker’s ghosts must die.
✯ ✯ ✯ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ✯ ✯ ✯
Flock.
The Force was howling in his ears.
One of his Flock members was in danger. He needed to save them.
He looked around, made dizzy by the low rumble echoing all around. A fog of dust hid most of the landscape. Rocks were falling everywhere. Like everything he saw, they were red.
A movement attracted his eyes.
Suddenly, he understood the Force’s warning.
“Ahsoka.”
Anakin threw himself up, catching the falling rock one second before it crushed the crouched Togruta.
Blocked memories suddenly rushed into his mind. He flinched under the assault. One second of distraction was enough for the rock to lower an inch. Only the sudden rush of adrenaline allowed Vader to regain his focus. Had his wings and arms not been artificial, they would have trembled.
“Anakin?”
Ahsoka was staring at him, eyes wide. The rock was suspended so near her it brushed her montrals. Decided to get rid of the danger to his Flock once and for all, he moved it to the side. The rock fell heavily on the ground.
Vader needed to act fast. Sidious would soon notice the disturbance in their Master-Apprentice bond and investigate. Taking in Ahsoka’s worry, he opened himself to the bond they shared and sent a wave of guilty love through it. He would allow himself this one weakness.
Then, before the Togruta could stand back up and ask difficult questions, Vader shut their bond and lowered more rocks around her. She wouldn’t appreciate what he would have to do. If Vader came back ‘changed’ again, Sidious would force Anakin’s ghosts to go himself. For him to think Vader had truly and well crushed every affective link with them… his fond memories had to go.
Soon enough, there were enough rocks around the Togruta to form a small cage. Vader tested the structure. It was solid enough not to crush the person inside, but still breakable if given enough times. His heart clenched as he denied the panicked Togruta access to his mind. She was strong. She would escape.
He would have to trust her to do so.
“Anakin!”
The cry of worry and anger echoed within the canyon. Her blow shook the structure that trapped her, but the pile stayed sturdy.
He left.
✯ ✯ ✯ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ✯ ✯ ✯
He let the memories go.