Star Wars: Malignant Metamorphosis

by Forcechild

  “Are you trying to tell me that Padmay is like Darth Vader was before he died? That she has his powers?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. The knowledge Vader’s clone has shared with her has given Padmay even more power than the original Darth Vader had.”

  “This is just too much to comprehend Ben.”

  I don’t know how I can make it any clearer Uncle Lando. Padmay has turned to the Dark Side. She’s more powerful than the original Darth Vader. The army the Sith Lord created is powerful enough to defeat the entire galaxy. You’ve seen the Death Star he constructed. The pilots and all the officers on board the battlestation possessed the full power of the Dark Side. It was born into them. They were Vader’s clones too, although weaker versions. The Jedi got into their heads somehow and controlled them while over Coruscant. That’s the only reason we won that battle, but there’s thousands of Vader’s clones on Geonosis. That’s what we’re up against.”

  “If what you’re saying is true, we’re going to need more than just a single star cruiser to fight them. We’ll need a whole fleet. I’ll have to tell Brant. We have to return to Coruscant and gather at least five dozen full battalions, then come up with a battle plan.”

  “We don’t have time Uncle Lando. Padmay needs our help now. Vader’s control over her gets stronger every minute we delay. We can’t turn back. We have to destroy the Sith Lord, as well as his army right now. If we wait he’ll gain control of the galaxy and too many others will die.”

  “How in the blazes do you propose we do that with one worn-out battleship?”

  “We won’t be fighting this battle alone.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “We’ll have the Jedi and the power of the Force behind us.”

  “The Force. Yeah. I almost forgot about that,” Lando sneered. “Kindly explain how that’s going to help us. Luke used to depend on this supposed Force too, but when it came right down to it we faced our enemies alone. There was never any Jedi or any Force to depend on. It was always us against the opposition.”

  “You don’t really understand the Force Uncle Lando. You can’t see it. It isn’t anything that you can hold on to physically. The Force is a extraordinary power that is inside a person. Believe me. If Uncle Luke told you the Force was with you, it was.”

  “I don’t tend to believe what I can’t see or feel in my grubby, little hands.”

  “The Jedi used the Force to shield the Solaris when the Death Star fired on her. It should’ve been blown apart, yet it wasn’t. How else can you explain what happened?”

  “I can’t.”

  “We don’t need an army Uncle Lando. We already have one. Every Jedi that have ever existed will protect us on Geonosis.”

  Lando shook his head in utter disbelief. How could the lad believe such nonsense? “No Ben. We have to go back to Coruscant and gather troops. Live human beings, not ghosts. The Jedi are all dead.”

  As Ben was trying to convince Lando that the Jedi would protect them he suddenly reeled and covered his ears. Vader had invaded his mind and was scanning his thoughts. He yelled out in rage over his children’s deaths. His voice was so loud, Ben felt as if his head would burst wide open.

  “So, you want to save your sister. Then come. You and whoever is aiding you. The Jedi, I assume. They’ll not defeat me this time. I’m invincible, and so is my army. I’ll heartily enjoy the entertainment you provide while attempting to defeat me.”

  “Don’t be so sure of success Vader,” Ben spat out as he tried to block him.

  Vader laughed sardonically. “You impetuous child. How dare you think you can come out victorious? Why, my apprentice could defeat every one of you without assistance from me. Her powers equal mine. Would you like to know who my apprentice is?”

  “I already know Vader,” Ben said in his heartbreak.

  “Yes. You’re well aware of who my apprentice is, aren’t you?” Vader asked with malice in his voice. That’s all that was said. The connection between them was instantly broken.

  Lando noticed tears forming in Ben’s eyes. “What’s wrong son? Who were you talking to?”

  “Vader just came to me Uncle Lando. He’s assured me that Padmay will protect him with her very life. What are we going to do?”

  “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”

  “You’ve never understood any of this, have you? It’s not your fault. You’re not a Jedi. Even they don’t realize how strong this new Vader has become. His powers have grown tremendously and he’s shared them with Padmay. She’ll die before she lets us get near him. Padmay will try to kill all of us Uncle Lando. How can we possibly save her now?”

  “You’re right Ben. I’ve never understood or believed in this Force Luke praised so highly. I guess I never will understand it, but that’s not important now. Are you saying that Padmay will try to kill us?”

  “Yes. My sister will even die to protect her master if he asks it of her. That’s how much control this new Sith Lord has over Padmay.”

  “Then how in the hell are we going to rescue her?”

  “I don’t think we can,” Ben replied as tears started to stream down his face.

  Lando looked at Ben with tears starting to form in his own eyes. Beautiful, gracious Padmay, who wouldn’t for the life of her harm a living soul, was now as evil as Darth Vader. This just couldn’t be real. It had to be some kind of terrible dream that he couldn’t wake up from. But as Lando looked into the depths of Ben’s eyes, he knew everything the lad claimed was true. An icy chill ran down Lando’s spine knowing this nightmare was very, very real.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  - Preparing for Battle -

  “Yes my love. Advance. Thrust. Do not falter. Don’t let me gain the advantage. To hesitate is to fail. I won’t allow you to fail me Estrus. You’re my insurance that your brother will surrender. Ben shall join us. I assure you of that. He doesn’t have enough willpower to reject us, but just in case he does...,” Vader lunged at the newly named Padmay catching her off guard. “You’ll have to do better than that my angel. Don’t trust anyone, including me.” The Supreme Ruler laughed and continued the lesson.

  Estrus was becoming quite proficient with the lightsaber. The Supreme Ruler was teaching her every tactic of swordsmanship he knew. Padmay told him that her brother trained with their Uncle Luke. He remembered that his son had been a poor adversary when they’d encountered each other in his past life. He could’ve slain him easily if he’d wanted to. If that was the only training Ben received, his new apprentice could easily defeat the boy without much effort on her part. Besides, the obstinate fool was weak minded and loved his sister too much to harm her. Estrus would fight her brother to the death if need be.

  Lord Vader was aware that his grandson was coming to rescue his sister from what he thought was her complete decent into hell. It was of course, but the lad would never be able to save Padmay from that fate. She’d continue to serve him as long as he allowed her to. Estrus was devoted to him. The Sith Lord vowed that he’d turn his grandson too. He knew the Jedi would be there to protect the boy, but though Ben was gathering inner strength through them, his resolve to save his sister would be his undoing.

  There was much Darth Sidious had learned through his tutelage from Darth Plagueis. The old Sith Lord had taught his pupil all he knew about the Dark Side before Sidious murdered him and stole the title from the aged Master. The Jedi feared and could never comprehend the full extent of that talent. Darth Vader’s own abilities increased tremendously since Darth Sidious joined minds with him.

  Lord Vader was aware that this would be the ultimate battle between the Jedi and Sith. This confrontation would decide their fate, as well as his own. Anakin’s midi-chlorian count had been the highest the Jedi ever recorded, but his knowledge of the Dark Side had been limited when first turned. The new Sith Lord assumed that the deceased Jedi Knights would assist Ben in some minor way, but he was certain they’d never defeat him. There was
no way they could leave the Netherworld in order confront the army stationed on Geonosis. How the children on board the Death Star failed him was a mystery to the Sith Lord, but he was certain victory would be attained by the surviving clones.

  “Have I exhausted you already my Master?” Padmay asked.

  “No my love. I was just thinking of events to come. Shall we continue?”

  “Of course, but I would much rather spend our time in a different way,” Padmay teased.

  “Later my beautiful wife. After today’s lesson perhaps.” Vader smiled as he slashed at Estrus with his scarlet lightsaber. She sidestepped his attack proving her skills were improving. “We will have plenty of time to share sensual pleasures when we rule the galaxy together. We must concentrate on other matters now.” He swung on his apprentice again missing her completely.

  “You’ll have to do better than that if you want pleasure tonight my love.”

  “So I shall my dear. So I shall.” Lord Vader laughed in delight as the lesson continued.

  *

  Ben was in his quarters. Threepio was interpreting for Artoo. The little droid had just finished relating Anakin’s life up to the point of his flight to the Senate Building, just before Palpatine turned him to the Dark Side. The next stage of Anakin’s life was about to be revealed. Ben would soon find out if his mother was right about Threepio’s possible meltdown.

  “What was that you said Artoo?” Threepio asked.

  The little droid beeped in reply.

  “It isn’t possible. I don’t believe you.”

  Here it comes, Ben thought. “What did Artoo say?”

  “This old bucket of rusted nuts and bolts is trying to tell me that my creator was Darth Vader. It’s ridiculous. I don’t believe a word of it. He’s just trying to upset me. He’s jealous of the attention I’ve been receiving since he’s no longer used as an astromech. He’s aware that his usefulness has been fulfilled and that he’ll never navigate a ship again. It’s a boldfaced lie.”

  “I’m sorry to have to tell you this Threepio, but Artoo isn’t trying to deceive you. Anakin Skywalker was turned to the Dark Side. He was Darth Vader.”

  “It isn’t possible. It’s inconceivable. Oh my. Oh my!” Threepio started muttering to himself.

  Ben had never heard the protocol droid say “oh my” so much in his life. If it was possible for him to turn white as a sheet, he would have, Ben thought. When he finally settled down a bit, Ben asked if he was alright. Threepio didn’t respond. He just kept mumbling and said, “oh my” once again. Ben then heard the distinctive beep that signaled he’d gone into shut down mode. He was afraid that his mother had been right about his circuits not being able to handle the information. He quickly asked, “Can you hear me Threepio? Are you alright? Respond Threepio.”

  Once again, the golden droid didn’t respond. Artoo rolled over to him and extended one of the appendages stored in his barrel-like body. He hit the switch to reactivate his companion.

  “What..., um..., Oh my!” Threepio sputtered again. “Where am I? Artoo buzzed a reply, but Threepio ignored it. What do you think you’re doing? Don’t touch me with your spidery appendages you pint-sized, trash can. You might harm my delicate circuitry.”

  The flustered droid suddenly realized that they weren’t alone. “Oh. Master Ben. You’re back. Where have you been for so long? I thought you were searching for Miss Padmay. Did you find her? Is she here with you? Wait a minute. We’re not on Coruscant. I’m on board your ship, aren’t I sir? You were speaking to me about something important, but I can’t seem to recall what it was about. What were you saying? I think it was about the maker. What was it now? It’s right on the tip of my..., OH MY! Now I remember. Darth Vader is my creator!”

  “Don’t go into shut down mode again. That’s an order,” Ben commanded.

  “What? Oh. It’s you Master Ben. What were you saying?”

  “I asked if you were all right. You are, aren’t you?”

  “Why of course Master Ben. Thank you for asking.”

  “Threepio. Do you remember what we were talking about?”

  “Yes Master Ben. We were talking about. Oh...,”

  “Don’t say “oh my” again. Please!”

  Threepio sat quietly for the longest time. Ben wondered if the droid shut down again. “Can you hear me Threepio? If you can, please respond.”

  “I’m sorry Master Ben. I didn’t mean to cause you alarm. Everything is in perfect working order now. All data that was wiped from my memory has been fully restored. You see, our vast store of knowledge is never eradicated from our system entirely. We have a built in recycle area that we can activate in order to retrieve information that has been erased from our conscious mind. It’s a little complicated to retrieve the data. Unless there’s a specific need to recall important documentation, it’s suppressed deep in our memories. It was necessary to reroute my thought processors. That’s why I appeared to be ignoring you.”

  “Considering what you just learned, I didn’t know if your circuits could handle this information. I knew you’d be upset.”

  “Upset? Of course I’m upset! You would be too if you found out your maker was Darth Vader.”

  “Anakin Skywalker is my grandfather. It’s kind of the same thing. Don’t you think?”

  “Yes sir. I suppose you’re right. I didn’t think of it in that respect. I am sorry Master Ben. This must be quite upsetting for you too.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ve known about it for quite some time. I’ve gotten used to it.”

  “Used to it? I can’t understand how humans adjust to bad news so easily. It’s extremely difficult for us to process disruptive information.”

  “Believe me Threepio. Humans don’t adjust so easily either. It takes us quite a while to get over a tragic event. We tend to keep these things buried deep inside us. Some humans never get over a traumatic experience.”

  “It takes a long time for us as well Master Ben.”

  “I know. Well, are you alright now? I know this was a shock.”

  “Of course it’s a shock. I had no idea that Master Anakin was Darth Vader. It’s extremely hard to believe that someone as kind as Master Anakin could be turned into such an evil monster. It’s unbelievable. I suppose I’ll get used to it as you did. Humans are so complex. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to understand you.”

  “Some humans find it hard to understand droids too Threepio. Now, if you are quite sure you’re functioning properly, could you continue translating for Artoo?”

  “Yes Master Ben.”

  Ben was surprised that Threepio handled the news so well. Of course, he thought the droid was fusing circuits when he kept repeating “oh my.” Thankfully, he was working fine now.

  *

  Ben kept the droids at it for quite a long time before Artoo was finished relating all he know of Anakin Skywalker. They young man didn’t know if the sketchy information would help in his upcoming battle, but it did give him more of an insight of how and why his grandfather turned to the Dark Side. Ben finally understood the full amount of inner turmoil his grandfather suffered when he’d foreseen Padme’s death. Anakin failed to save his mother’s life and it had broken his heart. He vowed that he wouldn’t lose the only other person that truly loved him. Unfortunately, his attempt to save her life failed too.

  Anakin Skywalker’s love for Padme Amidala, and his inability to live without her, had been the main reason he’d turned to the Dark Side. There were other factors that aided Darth Sidious’ ability to turn him as well. Anakin’s lack of sleep due to the visions of his wife’s death kept him on the verge of a mental breakdown. His devotion to the Jedi suffered due to the Council’s failure to recognize his continual efforts to please them, which they ignored.

  Obi-Wan’s indifference to their friendship caused Anakin a considerable amount of distress. He thought of him as a father, but Obi-Wan never returned his affection. Anakin never understood why the man he considered h
is best friend appeared to be so shallow. His Master’s lack of interest hurt Anakin deeply. The young man his true feelings while continuing his effort to receive Obi-Wan’s love. The man never praised him. He never showed Anakin the respect he felt he’d deserved. Neither did the Jedi. The Clone War added to his worries as well.

  Anakin also felt mistrust from both Obi-Wan and the Jedi Council. He felt an exaggerated amount of mistrust from Mace Windu. The lies Palpatine implanted in his mind through the years made him doubt the Jedi in return. They’d never trusted him fully. He’d felt that the Council betrayed him, and in a way they had. All of these things were a contributing factor to Anakin turning against what he’d always believed in, the Jedi Order, and his faith in mankind.

  Learning that Palpatine was really a Sith Lord, Anakin reported him to the Council. He’d been extremely upset when Mace Windu went to arrest the Chancellor. The man claimed he could save Padme’s life. Anakin believed him assuming, that if arrested, there’d be no way to prevent her death. He disobeyed Mace’s orders to wait at the Temple, chasing after him instead. When he saw Palpatine use Forced lightning on Windu he’d been seduced by the power his mentor possessed.

  That had been the moment Anakin turned from his duty to the Jedi Order. That had been his breaking point, but he’d sacrificed his soul in vain. Palpatine had lied when he told Anakin he could save Padme. No one person had the ability to recreate life. At least, that’s what Ben once believed.

  *

  When Artoo and Threepio finally left, Ben went to his locker and took out a small, wooden box he’d retrieved while on Coruscant. It contained his inheritance from his uncle. Carefully wrapped inside the box was Luke’s lightsaber. This was the weapon of a true Jedi Knight. It was the weapon Luke used when he’d faced Darth Vader on the second Death Star. Ben couldn’t think of a better weapon to use against the new Sith Lord.

  Luke Skywalker had trained Ben in the art of swordsmanship to the best of his ability. The youth knew he had enough experience to handle a lightsaber, but wondered if he’d learned enough to defeat such a powerful opponent. The only experience he’d had wielding a lightsaber was during practice sessions. He’d never actually used one in a true battle. While Ben was in the process of making a practice orb to refresh his skill, he remembered the first time he’d constructed one. A padawan learner was required to make their own weaponry in order to pass the Trials. Ben had never been so proud when he’d completed his assigned tasks to his uncle’s satisfaction.