Because the Galaxy is Cruel

*Once again, a big thanks to my beta Jen! Such an ally to have at my side :)*

Because the Galaxy is Cruel: Part 4

“This will do nicely.” His voice echoed softly through the vaulted space, as he stood looking around for a moment, leaving her to her own reverie for a spell. This cave high up on the mountain top was the perfect spot for the two of them to set up camp. It was a terrific vantage point from which to survey the land below and would serve as shelter as well. The entrance was wide, leading out to a flat ledge that served as a platform of sorts; in fact it looked very much like an altar of some kind. Vader suspected the cave was once used ceremonially, in fact there seemed to be evidence of worship throughout the place. Paintings on the walls featured images of beings timelessly frozen in regal states; if they had not been gods then perhaps they had been rulers of some kind. There were pots of ancient incense and oils tucked into various nooks, and pebbles on the floor were carefully arranged in patterns of lines and swirls like some kind of code. There was further evidence in the numerous mounds of wax all around the cave, positioned as candles would have been long ago, lit and melted down for holy purpose, but now almost buried under the dust of ages past. The platform just outside was covered in complex markings etched into the bare rock; ancient symbols he doubted anyone knew the meaning of anymore, least of all him. On top of all of that, the cave itself looked out over the entire coastal plain below. He thought back to his early teachings about civilisations and their rituals. The oracles always chose places high up away from the masses so they could be both inaccessible and mysterious to the average being while they passed down their religious judgments and decrees. For now, it would serve as their base camp while they prepared for tomorrow. Rebels in the abandoned city below needed to be hunted down and eliminated, but that was for tomorrow.

The sun was just dipping below the horizon and soon it would be dark. Already there was a biting chill to the air, reminding him that the nights on this planet were bitterly cold. His plans to build a fire as soon as possible retreated to the back of his mind as instead his thoughts turned back towards the woman still standing by the entrance. He looked to his companion surveying the vista below; Lady Ventress. She was unmoved still, her silhouette dark against the fading light. She might have been a goddess herself, he thought to himself, with her beauty, strength and commanding presence. He simply gazed at her for a moment; the one he called his Captress. She must have felt the heat of his gaze for she bowed her head, turned slightly askance and smiled, her back still turned toward him, as if indifferent. He advanced upon her, seizing her in his arms with a tender ferocity as she in turn molded into his embrace. It was all very natural to them even after weeks of separation, coming together like this again. She reveled in the feel of his hair spilling forward down one side of her neck and shoulders, caressing her skin, making her feel alive. As his hold tightened around her he realized he was just glad to hold her again.

“I have you now.” He whispered into her ear.

“Only because I let you…” She replied, throwing her arm behind her to clasp his head closer to her own.

“Alone at last…” He breathed against her neck as his hands began to roam across her breasts.

“Ahhh…” was all she said as she turned in his embrace, grasped his shoulders with strong, capable hands and hooked her legs around his waist tightly, so that she was completely off the ground and plastered to him like a starfish to a coral.

“Wonderfully alone…” She murmured fervently as she pressed into him further, her tongue darting out to tease at his ear before her teeth clamped on the same spot for a small bite and then release.

He loved the feel of her against his body like this and as he raised his head to look up into her brown eyed loveliness she took hold of his head quite forcefully and pulled him into a fierce kiss that almost tore the air from his lungs. Moments went by, and though he was strong with the Force, his lust for her had a way of bringing him to his knees, and indeed he felt himself sink to the floor along with his companion. Now sprawled atop him, she inexplicably deepened the kiss as their bodies repositioned horizontally. Impossible, he thought to himself hazily, he knew not how, but it felt even more intense then before. And then there was reprieve as she pulled back slightly to nibble on the lips that she told him she adored. He let her have her fill of them as he breathed in her precious scent, enjoying the press of her body against his own as he ran his hands over her face, her neck and down her gorgeous frame, while she gently savaged his lips.

“I will have my way now.” She said rather dramatically as she whipped off her cloak and spread it out next to them before they rolled on top of it as one and proceeded to take off only what was deemed necessary. Urgency was writ large on their faces and in their movements, as hands worked feverishly to undo and unfasten and then…Bliss. They moaned as her muscles clenched around his cock, hard from the moment he spotted her ship flying in over the horizon some twenty minutes ago. At last he was filling her again, moving within her once more, driving them both towards longed for release.

“What you do to me…” He gasped, as she rotated her hips and ground down on him with all her strength. He clutched desperately at those wonderfully treacherous hips, urging her on, each squeeze of his hand, each finger digging into her flesh an entreaty to ride him hard and fast into ecstasy. At least that’s what his body was saying to hers. Looking down at his closed eyes, she smiled triumphantly; lusty thoughts in the dark away from him had been no substitute for the real thing. He was beneath her now, wonderfully real and gorgeous, thrusting in and out of her. She felt primal and in a way, victorious, as she moved to add a smart retort to his words.

“All too easy…” But she stuttered on her words. They were meant to come out playfully boastful, but the shakiness in her voice startled even her own ears. She was caught off guard by his eyes that suddenly opened to look into hers right at the moment she spoke. The expression within those blue depths was almost too much to behold, revealing such devotion and passion and something else that did not yet bear description. It brought things to a halt momentarily, as she looked away from the raw intensity of his gaze, but he took hold of her face gently and directed her lips down to his own. His response was a kiss that could only be described as reverent, even as their bodies were still so intimately engaged. His sweet mouth simply pressed lightly to hers in an act that was more about conveying the depth of his commitment to her then his lust. He wanted her to understand the level of his respect and esteem for her and that their bond was so much more than just this wonderful passion they shared. He felt her hand come up to caress his face just as he broke the kiss. She traced his lips with her fingers, his mouth mere millimetres from her own, so close to whisper softly into her open mouthed wonder.

“Did you think I didn’t care?” Her purple lips began to quiver as she gazed down at him allowing his words to hang in the air. She was not ready to speak yet, but her eyes were already filling with an emotion that he thought perhaps she’d never really allowed herself to experience in too much depth before.

“Asajj…I wanted to tell you, just once…”

He pulled her in for another kiss, this time a deeper kiss, wet, slow, but much more passionate than before. And as it continued the lady did not protest too much. In fact she felt as though she was falling, really falling this time, into territory that scared her even as she kissed him back with everything that she had. Her heart should not be so open; the voice of reason kept chanting this in the back of her mind, and yet this man kissing her now, baring himself emotionally like this was no mere toy. She had seen him before like this, with his old Master, long ago. Now, here in the cave, she was regaled atop this remarkable man herself. This was Vader’s hair in her hands now, silky soft through her fingers as she stroked his head, Vader’s luscious mouth moving upon her own, his precious words still reverberating softly in her ear and his glorious cock still thrust up into her depths. She realised just how much she had come to adore the man as well as covet the Sith within. Of course, watching him fight was one of her great pleasures for there was little in her universe that could match the beauty of this blond assassin in action. The contrast between this belligerent side and his gentle one could not be starker though and increasingly, as time went on, this gentleness was directed in her favour and she loved this side of him all the more; she’d never really had such a thing before. Long ago there was only the affection between a Master and an apprentice, and then she’d lost that little she’d had. Now there was Vader in her life and in her embrace; Vader who could not be more beautiful to her than he was right at this moment and his words, deeply moving as well. What did that say about her?

She opened her eyes just as he pulled his lips away from hers and they looked at one another with pupils that were huge, dark and intoxicated with both lust and perhaps it was safer to simply use the word fondness for such beings, though a more appropriate word would have dawned on any observer. His chest heaved mightily as he breathed in deeply and she felt his cock twitch inside her again. His breath hitched then quickened when he in turn felt her clench around him in response; so much pleasure around him and above him as he gazed up into her face. Her eyes were soft, womanly, unraveled, even as he knew in the back of his mind that the lady would kill for him, would sink her twin blades into anything that even dared to be a threat to him, and he would do the same for her, crush them with all the dark force he could muster. It made him ache suddenly, for the beauty of her expression, for her loyalty, and for her lovely body he was deeply buried within. His hand went to cup her cheek tenderly; his fingers splayed against the dark markings on her face, as he looked into her eyes earnestly.

“Asajj…I care for you very much.” There he said it again. Her hands were in his hair again, stroking his golden locks to stay the trembling that was beginning to spread through her entire body. He felt it too. Her beautiful lips beckoned tantalizingly closer to his own as she whispered back to him in the quiet of the cave.

“And I care for you, Vader…very deeply.” Her fingers gently traced a path down the side of his face before coming to rest against his lips. She always did this when she was being emotional with him he now realised. He kissed each finger, one by one, desire driving him to touch her in every way possible; gratitude tempering his actions now that she had spoken at last, and spoken so sweetly.

“You are like no other…my sweet Sith.” She followed up her words with delicate kisses to his eyes, his nose and his cheeks as his own hands went to hold her face tenderly.

“I don’t want to be without you Asajj…” He whispered in the growing darkness of the cave. He could still look upon her lovely face though, for that there was still enough light to see.

“You won’t be…” Her last breath was for him as her mouth descended upon his in a manner that brokered no more conversation. Their lips locked in passionate frenzy now, tenderness giving way to open slathered desire as they wrapped their limbs around each other and rolled about on her modest cloak atop the floor of the cave. The lovers’ sighs and moans echoed in the cavernous space as bodies pressed closer and tongues entwined again and the pace of their rocking accelerated once more…

………………………………….

Meanwhile, a few light years away…

The dark figure sighed gravely and pulled away from the large window in his luxuriously appointed chamber. A clenched fist closed tightly over his mouth was the only outward sign that the man was disturbed somewhat, preoccupied with thoughts that led him to much anxiety. But, was it anxiety for the other, or for himself that he was trying to dispel? The answer eluded him for the moment.

“Vader…” The cloak garbed figure whispered.

“Vader, you are becoming distracted again…” The figure said out loud to no one for he was quite alone as he turned and stared out through his view port again.

“…and I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all.” He snarled out, revealing teeth that had seen better days. Looking at himself in the window, the reflection did not lie and he was somewhat troubled by that. Normally such a thing would not have bothered him at all; it never had in the past. What did a powerful Sith Lord such as himself have any need for flashy white teeth or the good looks that brought others undone for that matter? That seemed so important to everyone else; plebeians, all of them. Heaving a sigh regardless of that fact, his thoughts turned back to Vader. He’d seen the way others looked at him from time to time. Had he not had that look pass across his own face a few times when he fixed his eyes upon his apprentice?

“I have given that boy everything...” Sidious whispered to himself.

“…a home, responsibility, purpose…” He looked into his own reflection once more. For some reason, tonight it kept taunting him, niggling at him, the sight of his own withered flesh contrasted against his immense power. He forgot his apprentice for the moment.

He rubbed his hands together as a way of trying to clear his mind, but instead it only served to highlight the fact that they felt rather dry. He pulled back the sleeve of his cloak to reveal the pasty, wrinkled skin of one who had aged prematurely, been scarred by his own Force-lightning. He pinched the skin at his wrist and watched rather forlornly, as very slowly, the skin retreated back into its normal position.

“I am old…but what of it?” He said to himself pensively.

He bent closer to the window to look at his face more in depth. He pulled back the hood of his cloak just enough to expose the craggy features that were his face. He touched his fingers to the pliant skin; the damage had not been as severe as it could have been. He could still pull back his lips to smile, laugh, snarl or retract them tightly as the need or inclination arose. He thought he had become detached from his old senatorial persona long ago. What need did he now have for suave aesthetics? When he shed his colourful, bombastic robes for the monastic simplicity of black garb, the transition was for keeps, along with his appearance. There had been no more need for a congenial face just as there was no need anymore for charm and diplomacy, simply iron-fisted and absolute rule.

“I am the Emperor of an entire Galaxy.” He uttered quietly.

The dark side of the Force coursed through him and its power was so much more than this corporeal flesh. He could be emaciated bones and skin and still have immense power, because he was of the Force. He was the Master and no one stood in his way. He smiled at his reflection in the dark.

“I am all powerful.” He said resolutely to himself.

And yet, something did tug at this assurance, lessened that conviction somewhat. A different face came into view to fill his vision, belonging to one who was both valuable to him and the bane of his existence at the same time; Vader. The young Sith Lord, Sidious had turned into a powerful figure in his own right. Here was a creature young, beautiful and talented, and under Sidious’ influence and tutelage, as his apprentice, his to mould to whatever end and completely enslaved to him in almost every way.

Almost…

Vader’s power was impressive and Lord Sidious was enthused with it. Even back during the Republican Era, when the young man had still been a Jedi and he had still been Supreme Chancellor, the abilities had called to him like a siren song. He’d always hoped for the moment when their destinies merged, he’d carefully arranged and shaped things for years to make it so. A lot had occurred since the fall of the Republic and the Jedi and now Lord Sidious had for himself a powerful ally in Vader. There was much pride in this, an almost creator’s pride in his shaping of Lord Vader as his right hand and loyal servant. He was all these things to Sidious, except the one thing that Sidious now felt he lacked; a true companion. Sidious had never needed for anything like that before, had not understood or realised till now, that he wanted Vader all to himself. Of course, he was still a confidant of sorts. Vader was always on hand to listen to his complaints about rebellions, insubordination and the gravity of his tasks to maintain hold over the galaxy. In addition, they had plotted together many times and the young man was tireless in his efforts to carry out his commands and duties on top of that. Vader was also at his side for the Emperor’s triumphant speeches, at his knee for lessons and instructions on the ways of the Force too, but there was something in the boy that also placed him at arms length despite all this and Sidious didn’t like it. The young Sith railed against the older Sith in his head, he still craved autonomy, and judging by the waves of what he had felt earlier, his apprentice still craved for other things too. The Ventress woman had her uses but she was becoming a problem and Sidious wanted his Vader to be focused…

Lord Sidious sighed wearily as he thought about the lateness of the hour. He should retire soon, but his thoughts drifted back to Lady Ventress for a moment and then quite suddenly, a powerful bolt of jealousy struck him as she crossed his mind again and it unsettled the elder Sith greatly. He hadn’t expected this feeling at all. He walked back to his desk and dropped heavily into his chair. He placed his head on the desk wearily and closed his eyes against the gloomy emptiness of the chamber. Though he was surrounded by all manner of tasteful décor and furnishings, it meant nothing to him as he settled against the desk to try to catch up on some rest. The desk and chair were just as good as his bed and he simply didn’t feel like leaving his post, as it were. As the Emperor, he’d become accustomed to remaining at the ready and truth be told, he felt the most comfortable seated at his place of authority. Thoughts of Ventress led him back to Vader again. Vader would not be reporting to him tonight, that was a given. Again there was a vestige of jealousy that bit into him, but this time Sidious reasoned internally that it was just insomnia making him feel edgy tonight. He wasn’t lonely or unsettled, he simply couldn’t sleep and this was irritating to him. Even a Sith Lord can second guess himself though; especially when he sits alone in the dark, lamenting for things he cannot have…

Had he drifted off for a moment? He raised his head slowly and looked up and around again. There was no handsome face to chase away the long hours without sleep, just as there was no promise of the touch of a well-muscled arm across his bent shoulders to sooth his utter exhaustion either. He closed his eyes again and dropped his head to the desk once more. He thought of the Force this time, the purity and strength of it, how it was never meant to be philosophised into darkness versus light. It was simply there to be harnessed, reward the strongest, the most ambitious. He drew the self satisfaction of his past and present triumphs like a blanket around himself and he began to relax, his eyes were closing of their own accord this time; as ever, the Force was his ally, he could lack for nothing else.

A strange and wonderful dream awaited him in his unconscious state. In his slumber the elderly Sith did smile as his eyelids began to twitch in deep REM sleep…

“The hope of Future’s promise…” He whispered drowsily, just as the dream began to unfold like a flower before him…

…Vader stood next to Sidious, his head bent down in sorrow. Sidious had seen this demeanor before. He raised an eyebrow as he noticed that someone else’s blood was all over the young man. He had not been injured, but someone else had been and Sidious knew exactly who it was before Vader even uttered the name. All Vader did was murmur dull, unintelligible words over and over softly to himself as he looked out at the blackness of space. Sidious put out a hand to the forlorn man and clasped his shoulder in a placating manner.

“A terrible loss my friend…terrible loss…” He said quietly.

“Dead…why does everybody die…?” Vader whimpered brokenly just as his legs gave out under him and he sank to his knees. He dropped his head into his hands, still bloody from staunching the flow of numerous wounds that didn’t stop her passing from this world. His hair also speckled with flecks of hemoglobin, looked strangely beautiful, as the blood had dried among the strands to look like macabre shards of ruby crystal. Sidious went to stroke it, just as a small almost inaudible whisper emanated from the distraught young man. Sidious all but strained to hear it.

“Help me…please…help me.” It was a plea that was almost drowned out by a desperate moan.

Sidious bit his lip for he could hardly contain himself, but he made his face a solemn mask as he bent down carefully to look deep into the eyes of his apprentice. He took hold of the younger man’s chin and raised his face up to meet his own eyes.

“Did I not promise that I would take care of you?” Sidious asked of Vader, seeing the beautiful face of the younger man still pained by loss but nodding once before dropping his head down again. But the older man didn’t let Vader go as he kept his hand to his chin and made Vader look up into his eyes again.

“I am all you will need from now on, my young apprentice.” Sidious said to the man before him. Vader simply nodded again and then after a moment of silence he answered his Master.

“My Lord, you are all I have. The only one…” He couldn’t say anymore and Sidious dropped his hand from the man’s chin and put his hand to the blonde head again. This time, it was a soothing gesture, infused with as much convincing sincerity as Sidious could muster, though deep down he was practically singing with relief. His touch changed as the hand began to stroke the head of the grieving Lord Vader who began to relax into it somewhat. And then, Vader looked up with his tear filled eyes to his Emperor and the older man smiled down at him.

“I want to be like you, Master.” Sidious’ smile widened at hearing those words from the young man’s lips. He took hold of Vader’s face with both hands and looked deeply into his eyes.

“I will fill your heart with such hate and ambition that you will never need for anything else, my friend.” Lord Sidious then let his hands drop from Vader’s face to the man’s shoulders as he raised himself up encouraging Vader to do the same. They both stood up together. Two Sith Lords, one the Master, the other, his devoted apprentice, reminded once again that his Lord Sidious was his one constant, his one source of strength and counsel…

“As it should be, my young friend…” Sidious spoke out in his sleep.

“I will always be there Vader, always…” They were his last fleeting words before the trance like state of his dream evaporated and Lord Sidious abruptly woke up. Somewhat groggily, he raised his head and looked about him, still somewhat fuzzily, though he felt a wonderful euphoria within him. The room was still dark, empty and he was still alone, but he felt a delicious thrill run through him as he let those images settle into his memories. The Dark Side was all knowing; such an ally. He smiled to himself. He had caught Vader once and his quarry was for keeps. Now he knew with better clarity that Lord Vader was still his, would always be his...

............................

Meanwhile, in a place somewhere uncharted, its existence debated by both philosophers and astronomers alike, a place the Jedi once called The Nether World…

A once lost soul emerged and a Jedi Master and Knight became fully sentient once again. Who was this being reborn? Obi-Wan Kenobi, humble servant of the Force, once a Master to an Anakin Skywalker, back from the brink of oblivion at last to look upon all that had transpired in his absence. And the crushing despair that awaited him was mourned in anticipation by others who were already in full knowledge of the facts that he would soon come to know himself. But for a precious moment, he was as if just a new born, taking his first breath, getting his bearings. He had been dead and now he just…was.

His first thoughts were for Anakin…Beautiful Anakin…

He had the gift of a moment’s peace and innocence; perhaps wonder as well at his own self-realisation, before the images began to come to him unannounced. Scenes and visions began to assail him, some too quickly for him to assimilate; all of it shocking and disturbing. A Funeral pyre, a mechanical fist pounding against the trunk of a tree repeatedly, a solitary figure cloaked in darkest green, head raised to the heavens before a roar of pain and the splintering of trees made a sound so deafening, that even in his non corporeal state, Obi-Wan could almost feel the pain of it in his ears. And then the falling of his Jedi brethren assaulted him, rocked him until the ultimate crushing realisation came unbidden to him, without warning, the one he’d never have suspected of such cruelty.

His beloved Anakin had turned to the Dark Side.

And so he had been his first thought; his Anakin…and it had led to these horrible things. And the scenes rolled on for Obi-Wan, unending as he saw other dark deeds by which his former apprentice came to define himself.

“Oh Anakin, what have you become?” Obi-Wan watched in disbelieving despair as the man that he had loved above all others kneeled before a black cloaked figure and pledged himself to the Dark Side.

“Who…Who is Vader?” Obi-Wan choked on his suspicions. He knew what true despair was. It was better to be dead, ignorant and dead.

And then he heard the words of his dear one, a plea to the same black cloaked figure of evil.

“Help me…please...help me.”

That just broke his non corporeal heart.

“Anakin, no…” A desperate moan escaped him. How was this all possible? The Force could not have allowed this. The world of knowing was cruel in the extreme, but he knew it all now, by Force he knew and he was sentient and there had to be a reason…


To be cont…