Lightsaber III

(Vader POV)

I am walking back to my ship. This has been a success, not only in terms of gaining my future lightsaber but also in terms of growth and increase of power. I have grown more powerful, and have gotten proficient in using my suit and moving inside it. I will increase my training once I am finished getting my lightsaber and make sure to be in the best shape possible before going on the next 'errand' the Emperor will put me on. 

I finally reach my ship and see that the droid has fixed it. 

{Lord Vader, I have completed the repairs and we are ready to take flight as soon as you are ready.}

"Good. I am finished here, let us go."

We board the ship and as I sit down, the droid tells me that he has a recorded message from the Emperor for me. 

[Lord Vader. If you are seeing this message, then your quest nears its end. The droid was instructed to take control of the ship once you obtained a Jedi lightsaber. It will bring you to your final destination. This was selected ... by me.], the message says as the ship which has entered the Outer Rim approaches Mustafar. 

As I see the planet every muscle in my remaining body tenses and images enter my mind, which makes the ship shake before I control myself. 

[Deep beneath its surface rests a Locus for the Dark Side of the Force. Here, you will reclaim yourself. From the site of your greatest defeat, you shall rise - strong, unbroken ... powerful.

You have acquired the lightsaber of a Jedi and the Kyber Crystal it contains ... but they are not yet yours. The Crystal is a potent thing, alive in some strange way, pulsing with Light Side energy. You will need great strength to bend it to your will.]

I listen to the recording as we begin to make our descent and finally land close to a lava lake where I can sense the Dark Side energy. 

[When you arrive on Mustafar, find the place where the Dark Side calls to you. Draw upon the energy there, and combine its power with your own. Then ... use it.

Corrupt the Kyber Crystal. Teach it your pain. Teach it your anger. Hear it sing and hymn of darkness. 

... Make it bleed.]

We land in front of a small cave that leaks strong Dark Side energy. I exit and start walking in. I can see symbols on the walls.

[Picture]

In the middle of the cave is the Dark Side Locus. A small stone slab which I will now use. I place the lightsaber on it and begin to open it. My goal is the Kyber Crystal. I pick it up. It is a green crystal. I place it on the locus and begin to use the Force. The Dark Side of the Force to be exact. 

This takes a lot of focus and is very hard but I don't care. I begin to push the Dark Side of the Force into the Crystal when ...

"NNNNNGH!"

*SZZZZCK!*

... the Kyber Crystal pushes back against me and the Dark Side. However, when I attempt to corrupt it, the crystal resists and uses the Force to send me careening into one of the cavern walls, causing the damaged visor to get destroyed and energy to hit me and show me something. 

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(3rd Person POV)

The Crystal shows Darth Vader to see a vision. In this vision, the Crystal shows Vader what would happen, if he'd abandon the Dark Side of the Force and return to the Light Side. 

"What ... what have I ... done?", Vader asks himself as he stands back up. He makes his way to the lightsaber and puts it back together. After that, he boards his ship and makes his way towards Coruscant. There he stands in front of Palpatine.

"My apprentice. You have returned. Were you successful in your quest?", the Emperor asks.

"I was.", Vader answers.

"Show me. I would see your blade.", the Sith Lord says with an eager expression on his face. But that changes fast when Vader ignites the lightsaber. Because instead of the Sith, red coloured lightsaber, he shows the original green one. 

"Ah, so you have made your decision?", Sidious asks. 

"I have."

"Ha!", Sidious jumps into action and attacks Vader with his own lightsaber, "So be it, my friend! You have chosen weakness. So be it!", Sidious says and attacks Vader while the latter defends himself. 

The fight is short but intense and the result is something that seems impossible.

"Such a waste.", Sidious says.

"Yes.", Vader remarks and manages to cut Sidious lethally and kills him, "I agree."

After that the vision changes and shows Vader how he finds Obi-Wan Kenobi on a remote planet and kneels down in front of him. 

"Obi-Wan ... please.", Vader says and takes off his helmet. As he knelt in contrition in front of his former master, Obi-Wan called out to Vader by his former name ... "Anakin"

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(Vader POV)

"HSSSSSSK!", I pull the air into my lungs as the vision stops and I return to the cave on Mustafar. I stand up and approach the Kyber Crystal which sits on the locus. I grab it with my hand and tell him what I think of his trying to get me back to the Light Side.

"No ... I refuse ... This is all there is.", I focus the Dark Side on the Crystal and focus on all the things I experienced. I infuse it and try to corrupt it with my hatred and anger. This causes another reaction and powerful energies are set free. Lighting is released from the Kyber Crystal. But that's not the only thing.

On the entire planet Mustafar, the air changes. Clouds appear in the sky, the lava in the ground begins to erupt and lighting starts to rain down from the sky. 

Memories flash in my mind. I see the back of Obi-Wan as he walks away from me, leaving me on the ground to burn and die. 

'You were my brother Anakin ... I loved you.' and then he walks away, leaving me to die ...

I see myself as I carry my dead mother in my hands after she was killed on Tatooine. I feel the weight on my shoulders as my heart breaks at that moment and I lose myself for the first time. 

And then I see the hardest picture. I see Padmé ... I see her smiling at me with ... love and care. I see her smile change from happiness and love ... to despair and fear as she gets choked. 

And finally, I see Sidious, the one who orchestrated all of this and made me who I am in the end. But that is not the person I hate the most. The last picture I see ... is the face of Anakin Skywalker as he bends and breaks to his weakness. 

[Picture]

"ARRRRGH!"

I scream as the final moment arrives and the corruption is coming to its climax. And then ... 

*BOOOOOOM*

Another explosion happens and I am shot back, once again. But this time, the explosion does more damage and my suit is destroyed for the most part. Thankfully I used the Force to protect myself in the last moment and managed to protect the chest piece, holding my breathing apparatus.

I lie there on the ground and feel the Force around me. I feel the Dark Side and I use Force Healing to heal myself and make sure that I don't die. I close my eyes for a moment and try something new. I use telekinesis to levitate and then do the same thing, I did in Al'doleem after I was thrown off the mountain. 

I begin to put myself back together. There are a lot of parts missing as they were destroyed in the blast. But that doesn't bother me at all. I will use the Force to move and just not care about the electronics. I use the Force to take hold of the droid inside my ship and pull it towards me. 

{Lord Vader, wha-}, the droid tries to say something but has no chance as he breaks into all of its components. I don't care about the droid at all and use what it has to offer me. 

There isn't that much to work with, but it will suffice. 

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Finally, I am finished. I look like a terrible puzzle but it is the last time that I will be content with such a terrible suit. As soon as I am finished here, I will make sure to rebuild my suit with much better materials ... on my own!

I look at the locus where a blood-red Kyber Crystal lies and pulsates with the Dark Side, calling me and telling me who it belongs to. I will use Kirak Infil'a's lightsaber in conjunction with my corrupted, red Kyber Crystal for now until I can remake the lightsaber later on. But that is not a priority.

I place the corrupted red Kyber Crystal in the lightsaber and then take it in my hands. I can feel the connection immediately and know that this is indeed my Kyber Crystal. Then for the first time, I activate the lightsaber and look at the blood-red colour and feel its familiarity and power. 

I deactivate it again and place it on my hip. It is time to return to Coruscant and present my work to Sidious. So I walk back to my ship and then take off. The droid is now gone but that doesn't matter. I don't need it to find my way back to Coruscant. 

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(3rd Person POV)

Vader returns to Coruscant and storms into the Emperor's office during the middle of a discussion between Tarkin, Mas Amedda, and the Emperor himself. They are currently talking about the construction of some form of ... weapon ... who knows what that could be.

"Construction continues apace, your Excellency. I believe we will meet or surpass all targets.", Tarkin says.

"And the weapon, Tarkin? Does that move forward on schedule as well?", Mas Amedda asks from the other side.

"The latest reports are promising, Mas Amedda. I believe that-", Tarkin starts but is interrupted by a big black-suited individual making his way into the Emperor's office. 

As Vader was completely unknown to anyone other than Palpatine at this time, the Royal Guards, in their full red garments, in the Emperor's office attempted to intercept him. But that doesn't go as planned. 

A powerful force is unleashed from Darth Vader and the two guards shoot back hitting the big window. But that isn't all. A crushing sound is heard and a small fountain of blood spurts out of the visors of the two guards, showing that their skulls have been completely crushed and exploded. 

"Both of you leave.", Palpatine says to Tarking and Mas Amedda.

"But, Emperor ... your safety ...", Tarkin remarks as he is about to contact troopers.

"I am perfectly safe, Tarkin. Leave me.", Palpatine says and the two reluctantly leave the office, leaving the Master and Darth Vader alone in the office. 

Palpatine has an excited and ecstatic look on his face. Vader can feel his excitement about his progress. During the journey, Vader has made tremendous progress in both the Force and lightsaber skills. He stands proud and powerful in front of the Sith Lord. 

"Apprentice.", is all that Emperor Palpatine says and since Vader already saw the vision of what he wants, he doesn't need to hear it again. 

"Master.", Vader says and ignites his lightsaber. He holds his lightsaber in front of him and presents it to Palpatine. 

[Picture]

"I see, you were successful, Lord Vader. I can feel the hard work which you put into it, as well as your feelings towards it. Don't mistake the lightsaber though. It is not your friend. The lightsaber is nothing more than a symbol for the true power that anyone who stands against the dark side will face."