Lady Obscura: Vader's Shadow [Star Wars | Luke Skywalker]

Chapter 2

Meditation was usually a peaceful time for Athara. However, as the Devastator hurled through hyperspace towards the Death Star, she found little peace. A sense of foreboding coloured the visions she saw through the Force. It was a strange feeling but one she recognized immediately. It took her longer to recognize the stirring of hope and promise beneath the oppressive feeling she picked up first. The feelings weren't the only things she sensed. An elusive presence always accompanied these visions, as though someone wanted her to see them and understand.

True visions were rare for Athara. Her Master was much more prone to experiencing those sorts of visions, both of present and future events. Athara only got this strange montage. Visions flashed before her mind's eye, images of a young, sandy haired boy, a little older than herself, and an old man. Sometimes they were together, sometimes apart. Other times there were more people and droids with them. The messes of visions were made of flashes only, lasting seconds at most. However, the boy carried a sense of destiny about him, as did a girl close to him, or at least, who would be. Her Master, and even the Emperor appeared sporadically. But it was not the boy, or the girl that truly caught her interest. She could feel the touch of the future and the present on those images. It was the images of the past that kept her riveted. A Master and Apprentice were the focus, both men that were important in her life. She could feel the connection, like a tangible cord that stretched between them. Each and every vision was connected to the others, yet Athara couldn't figure out why.

She was jolted out of her trance when she felt the ship drop out of hyperspace. The visions fled her mind instantly, as though her mind's eye had blinked and they vanished. She could never remember faces or even images, only feelings. This irritated her. Athara had been having the same set of visions on and off for years. She knew the visions were important events, both of the past and of events that were even now being put into motion. Everything was starting to come together. Previously, the collection of micro-visions had the touch of the past and the future on them only. Now it had shifted. Many were now touched by the feel of the present. Things were starting to happen, and it made the Sith apprentice feel uneasy.

However, the ambiguous presence lingered, something that had never happened before. It was calm and collected and wise, reassuring her restless mind. Reaching out, she tried to touch the presence, curious about the familiarity of it. She wanted to know why the visions she couldn't remember were so important.

On and off for as long as she could remember, in times of loneliness, doubt and emotional strain, a feeling of comfort and calm had often come over her, as if she was never quite alone. She had never given the feeling much thought before, having always taken it for granted. As she reached for the presence that accompanied the visions, a vague idea that they might be one and the same occurred to her. The presence didn't retreat from her probing, but it remained elusive, as though shrouded in mist.

The comm device near the door to her quarters buzzed quietly, pulling Athara's attention away from the presence. Standing slowly, she walked over to the station, strapping her utility belt, complete with lightsaber, to her waist as she went.

Lightsaber training had always been a favourite part of her lessons. There was a kind of serenity and clarity of mind that she reached whenever she danced and moved in complex combat formations, her red blade whirling in intricate patterns as it sliced through the air. The only drawback was that while she was so calm and relaxed with her saber, her ability to tap into the darker side of the Force was somewhat diminished. Personally, Athara didn't mind. In certain situations, she preferred the lighter side of the Force. Vader was not always pleased. Strength was paramount in the world of the Sith, and the Light Side of the Force was weak. Passion, anger and rage were stronger. They enhanced the Sith's link to the Force and so, in turn, made them stronger. In the universe they lived in, Athara would need all the strength she could get.