Mass Effect: Legend of Vader

PROLOGUE

Darth Vader stood on the bounds of his castle on the planet Mustafar, gloved hands tensed into fists as the beam of unnatural light emanated from the metal altar he had constructed.

It swerved around the Sith Lord, beckoning him to embrace its eminence, and he desperately reached out towards the source with untold confliction. His breath hitched in his scarred, burnt throat when it reshaped into something familiar.

Vader could see it -- a woman. Her eyes a beautiful field of stars that stretched into forever, pale skin a startling contrast to the dark brown hair that spun around her head into a twisted bun. Two locks fell down the sides and pressed against her cheeks.

The Sith Lord found himself kneeling, although he could not recall when, and raised both hands into what could be assumed to be a sign of worship.

"Padme..."

Too lost in his revere was the Dark Lord, that he did not sense the presence of another looming behind. Their stolen lightsaber readied at their side when a second beam of light exploded from the altar.

Darth Vader continued watching Padme with hope and admiration for the elegance she continued to emit despite her slumbering state.

He could almost touch her. The altar was nearing completion, and she would return to him. He felt as if everything he had endured since becoming a slave to the Emperor -the torture, the loneliness, the sleepless nights- had all been leading to this.

However, before the armoured man could finally reach out and hold Padme, feel her soft skin with his admittedly-leathery hands, there was a crash behind him accompanied by a thunderous blast.

Darth Vader was thrown across the room, his back arching against the metal pillar that held the walls up in position and knocking them down.

"Aargh!"

The sensation of pain running through him proved inconsequential to the Sith as he straightened his back and stumbled to his feet, eyeing the chamber with unhidden resentment for the cause.

However, the moment of rage quickly shifted to an unspeakable horror at the scene before him; both the altar and light-beam had bent and twisted into uncertain shapes, leaving behind a distorted form of Padme that slowly began to fade into nothing.

"NO!!!"

Without thinking, Darth Vader reached out with a metallic hand and tried to reshape the altar using the force. His panicked mind struggled to remain in tune with his abilities, however, and the beams of light continued reshaping in worsening forms.

The man's fears overtook him once more, and he twisted the device within itself.

He watched in utter horror as the light vanished into the centre of the machine, expanding within the battered shell until it exploded with immense power and force.

In desperation, he rushed towards the altar.

"PADME!!!"

He was too late.

With one final, ferocious roar the machine began to shatter into millions of pieces. The light forced its way out into the world and expanded out, the results being a tremendous wave of energy hitting both Vader and the saber-wielding stranger who had been watching from the back of the chamber.

The two of them crashed into the ground, hurting from the intense impact. He groaned to himself as metal shards fell down from the walls and caught him in the shoulder and arm.

Darth Vader remained motionless, his mind dark and muddied, but the remembrance of his wife's form pulled the Sith Lord back to reality.

He ignored the sudden pain in his side and stood with confliction as he rushed back towards the altar to survey the damage. The scene that met his eyes proved utterly soul-crushing: