Defeat. It had been a long time since that word could be used in relation to anyone of his campaigns. Yet there it stood, undeniable, irrefutable, and unchanging. There was no other way to sum up what had happened earlier. He, Darth Vader, had been defeated.
Of course there was also the fact that the Death Star had been destroyed. An unfortunate loss, but one that could be dealt with quickly and efficiently. The Rebellion would soon learn the cost of defying the Empire. They may have gained a new ally, and a powerful one at that, but no one could be everywhere at once. That was a quality possessed only by the very Force itself. No, the Rebellion would soon pay.
What truly weighed upon the Dark Lord's mind was the complete defeat he had suffered from that young girl, Lina was her name? The blade that she had used, and the power that she had called upon, these things were unfamiliar to him. He who had traveled from corner to corner of the galaxy, conquering worlds and subjugating countless people to the Empire. Never before had he ever encountered anything like this before. But he had heard of such things before, hadn't he?
Whispered stories among the huddled masses, hushed conversations within the prison ships, things that he and others had simply overlooked as the last feeble strands of hope from the condemned. Could there be some truth somewhere within the mad rantings and whimsical legends of the damned? These were things to reflect upon. But for now facts needed to be analyzed, the battle re-looked, everything needed to be detailed and studied. Lord Vader did not get to his place by not learning from his mistakes, nor by being careless. The average life of a Sith Lord tended to be measured in months. He had been serving the Emperor for well over a decade. There was a very good reason for this, for he was a professional, and no set back, no matter how great would deter him from his goal.
First to consider was her origins. Where was she from, and more importantly were there more like her? Doubtful as if there were the Jedi would have has SOME records of such a race. As well as the fact that such a species would have most likely have made an appearance by now to help shape the history of the galaxy. Such power could not have gone un-noticed, or un-abused within the 25,000 years of Jedi history. No, she must have either been a natural oddity, or from somewhere else, far outside the galaxy perhaps. If so, then at least he would not have to worry for now about re-enforcements showing up.
Next then was the question, how to fight it? While the Force encompassed all things living and inanimate, all of reality in fact, this new power seemed to be equally matched to the Force, if not superior in many ways. How was this possible? How to counter such awesome power?
Stop. Do not let emotions cloud ones judgment. Calm down, when one is a Sith Lord, one uses emotions to cloud the minds of others, not oneself. Review the battle; look at it from all angles. Where was everyone? What were they doing? Take it all in, step by step. Before that dark blade had descended, hadn't there been something there? Something like........... yes, there it was, chanting. In fact, all that power seemed to rely upon the utterance of certain words and incantations.
Sometimes a Jedi would use a mantra to focus his mind, but this power seemed to rely upon these words as more than mere mental exercises. A weakness perhaps then? In nature there is always some sort of balance, a state of give and take. This power was great, but much slower to the Force. Was it possible to stop this threat simply by interrupting the caster? Was it really as simple as using the Force Choke to silence this Lina? More options to consider.
But there was one more thing to consider. The fight itself. Obi wan and Lina had joined together to defeat him. Inexcusable. He had fought greater numbers and come forth victorious, was it possible? Had all these years devoid of any real Jedi, of any real threats caused him, Lord Vader, to become compliant? Could it be? In his youth he certainly would not have had such problems. In his youth..... in the days gone by, in the days when all seemed simpler, when his loyalty and devotion belonged to another. A being of soft dark hair and amber eyes, a being who's soul shown with such compassion, with whom he had spent so many days and nights together with until that day.......
NO!!! Such things were not him! Those memories belonged to another man, those feelings from another time, those actions from another life. HE was Lord Vader, He was Dark Lord of the Sith, He was conqueror and faithful servant to the Emperor. Such thoughts did not belong with the man he was now! A Dark Lord did not subcome to these emotions, he wielded them. He would not be controlled; he would instead embody the very powers of the Dark Side. He would be Terror and Destruction if need be. He would not give in to the impotence of the Light.
No, now was not the time to think of such things. Back to the problem, work the problem. As the years had gone by, he had removed a little bit more of himself, replacing it with cold, unfeeling machines. Bit by bit he had been slowly converting himself into a being incapable of feeling remorse or mercy. A stronger being. But now, it was clear. By relying solely upon his new body, he had fallen behind in his physical training. Saber techniques had given way to brute strength, mobility and agility to overwhelming brutality. It was obvious that such tactics would not work as well with this girl. It was time, time to re-look at himself. It was laziness and arrogance that had caused him to stop trying to improve himself. It was his own fault that he had lost. But never again. He was Lord Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, he would deal with this new threat, and this time, no one, not even himself, would deter him from his goal.
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(Posted Thu, 04 Aug 2005 18:18)
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