"A moment passed as the Dark side, always present but always in a slumber, awakened inside of me and every question was answered. Where the abyss had been mere moments ago, steady ground now revealed itself, erasing every particle of the paralysing...
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R2 was fussing about how strange this was the whole trip but I blocked him out. It was easy. There was still a lot on my mind.
I wondered how Obi-Wan was doing, whether he had surrendered, fled or... been destroyed. I forced myself to taste the words, consider the possibility. It was surprisingly easy. I could deal with that, maybe even see it as inevitable. Another part of the true pathway I had been unable to see before.
I thought of Ashoka. She knew the devious ways of the Order and surely, she would be on the right side, not on the side of the Jedis? She had seen their true colours ahead of me, leaving before I did. Now she would never have to return to the Order. I hoped she wasn't stupid enough to even try, putting herself in harms way for nothing.
I thought about Padmé and her friends in the Senate, hoping she was sensible enough to distance herself from them and find solace in the fact that the war was over now, there was no reason for plotting anymore. Maybe it would even be for the best if Sidious kept his emergency powers, at least until the whole situation with the Jedi had calmed down. I wished she could trust him like I did.
Sooner than I had expected we arrived, heading towards the coordinates the Chancellor had provided me with. A small mining facility, surely Grievous choice - the master of running away. This was the perfect hiding place but I realised, to my pleasure, that it was also the ultimate dead-end. The ultimate trap. They wouldn't have a chance.
The volcanic planet perfectly resembled the boiling darkness inside of me. Rivers of lava ran amongst the black mountains and the ash formed a fog over the surface, making the sky into a darker, heavier version of the cover of clouds over Coruscant. Even sitting in my ship I could feel the unforgivable heat rising from the ground. If hell existed, this was it. The perfect scene for the death of the Separatists.
We landed the ship and I jumped out, drawing a big breath as I moved towards the building. R2 had also jumped out of the ship and went after me, beeping distressed; "Where are we going? What are we doing? What is this place?"
"R2", I interrupted as I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head. "Stay with the ship."
He whistled again, equally disappointed and worried, but I didn't respond.
Two battle droids were stationed at the entrance. I handled them within the blink of an eye, and then proceeded into the building. The Separatists were gathered inside the control center, overwatching the current strategies of their droids. Fools. I walked into the room, registering a handful of droids and a couple of guards - piece of cake.
The Separatists noticed me and turned to face me.
"Welcome, Lord Vader. We've been expecting you", Viceroy Gunray said politely.
I'll save you for last, I thought. I want to watch you suffer.
But I didn't say anything, didn't show any emotion. Instead I simply lifted my hand and shut the doors, one at the time - wanting to draw this out, wanting to enjoy this fully, wanting to savour the rising confusion in their faces.
