A Rumor Confirmed

The man approached the Imperial station alone. His legs were rubber and his heart raged like an animal desperate to escape its cage.

'Why am I doing this? You know he will kill you.'

Fighting the impulse to run in the opposite direction, he approached the door and entered. A young Lieutenant monitored his movements and approached.

"You cannot be here civilian. Leave now or you'll be arrested," the young man warned, relishing the authority of his position.

'Six months ago I outranked you,' the man bitterly thought with a hint of annoyance.

"I'm here to see Darth Vader. I was told I could find him here."

The Lieutenant looked him up and down with a hint of mild amusement. "Lord Vader does not talk to people just because they demand it; he is too important. If he hasn't requested your presence, than I suggest you leave."

"I'm sure he'll be interested in talking to me," he said with a tone of confidence. "Tell him his old master is here to see him."

The young man began to laugh. "You were his master? You must be joking! Vader only answers to the Emperor."

"So I've heard," the man acknowledged with bitter resignation. "However, the fact remains, his old master is requesting to see him. I can assure you, if you relay the message, he will find the time to see me."

"Very well, I can see you are determined to die here today," the Lieutenant warned. Turning to a pair of storm troopers, he instructed, "Take him into custody while I contact Lord Vader. Make sure he is unarmed."

He turned back to the man and sneered. "Oh, and if I find out you're lying, I will execute you myself."

The troopers stepped forward and held him in place. A few moments later the Lieutenant returned, looking quite pale.

"Let him go," he commanded.

"Lord Vader will see you now. This way."

He followed the Lieutenant to a turbo lift. The doors opened and they both stepped in. He noticed with mild amusement that the officer seemed quiet annoyed. The turbo lift stopped and the doors opened. He stepped out, alone, the doors closing behind him.

The room was empty save for a lone figure, hands clasp behind his back, standing by a window. The figure was tall, much taller than he should have been, and was also completely encased in dark armor. Rhythmic breathing, loud and hollow, echoed through the empty room.

"You should not have come here," the dark figure said without turning.

"I had to see if the rumors were true. I had to see if you were still alive."

The dark figured turned to regard the man.

…I hate you!

He watched as his former apprentice pushed his cape back to reveal his lightsaber. Though recently built, he could not help but notice it bore a strong resemblance to the hilt of his former weapon. A gloved hand rested on it, fingers lightly caressing the grip. "You're foolish for coming here. I should kill you, but since you were brave enough to come, I will listen to what you have to say first."

"I…" He paused, trying to compose himself. A wave of emotion swept through him as he viewed the dark visage that was once his friend. The once handsome face was now hidden behind a dark and skeletal mask. A life support system flashed on his once proud chest. His voice, once calm and commanding, was now a mechanical replica. All humanity had been erased.

…You were my brother… I loved you!

"I'm sorry, I should have been more supportive towards your situation. If I had known what you were going through..."

"You could never understand what I went through!" The dark man interrupted, unclasping his weapon but not igniting it. "You were blind like the rest of them!"

"How could I have known?" The man pleaded. "You hid so much from the council, you hid so much from me! We were supposed to be friends..."

"You were too concerned with your duties on the council to see anything going on around you. I tried following your rules. I approached you, I even counseled with that fool Yoda, only to be lectured about the danger of my attachments! The council was quick to judge while never once attempting to see things through my eyes, never understanding the burden I had to carry as their 'chosen one'!"

"You're right," he admitted, his voice quivering with the deep sadness he felt. "Had we only seen the pain you were in, only understood how difficult the pressures we placed on you were. We knew from the beginning your situation was different, given your age and background when you started your training. You had emotional attachments; and instead of helping you control them, we tried to purge them from your system. I understand now how impossible that is. Once an attachment sets in as deep as yours, they can't be purged without a price. Qui-Gon understood that when he first discovered you as a boy. I too, have come to understand."

"The council shunned me, made me feel like an outcast," Vader spat with bitter hatred. "You may not approve of the Dark Side my old master, but at least it lets me be who I really am."

"But this isn't you, not the real you! You're bitter and angry now. Instead of being free to do what you want, you're imprisoned by the oppressive emotions you've unleashed. They are more confining than this new armor you wear! Surly you must see that?"

"And the Jedi Order didn't imprison me within myself? I wasn't forced to keep all that truly made me who I was inside?" Vader asked, stepping closer.

"You're right," he admitted. "The Order fell because it refused to acknowledge emotions as a vital part of a living being. The Order misunderstood their importance, and that misunderstanding turned to a fear of the Dark Side. A being should never be forced to purge themselves of emotion, but they should be taught to control them. If only they had listened to Qui-Gon. If only I had."

"It's too late to preach about the faults of an extinct religion," Vader scoffed.

"But it's not too late. You don't have to be this… this thing you've become," the man pleaded. "You can still change. There's always a way back. I know the man you once were is still in there. Look at all you've lost since choosing this path. Come with me, together there's still a chance to reverse this. We can rebuild the Order in a way that will make it stronger than before; an Order that embraces those like yourself. I can see we agree that neither the Sith, nor the old ways of the Jedi offers freedom. Together, we can change that."

"There is no going back for me now," his former apprentice replied with a sad tone. He returned his lightsaber to his belt. "Leave now and I'll let you live."

"Anakin," he pleaded.

"That name no longer has any meaning for me," Vader retorted, his voice growing colder.

"It meant a lot to me. It meant a lot to many people; your mother, Padame..."

"You will never mention that name in my presence! This is your last chance, leave now in peace or die where you stand."

He sighed in clear resignation. "I'm sorry you won't change your mind."

Turning to leave, he quickly walked away.

"Obi-Wan!" The dark man called.

He paused, turning to his former padawan.

"May the Force be with you."

Obi-Wan nodded and left. As the doors to the lift closed behind him, he whispered, "You too Anakin… you too."