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

Chapter 17

Athara felt numb inside as she stood in the carbon-freeze chamber, waiting for the three Rebel prisoners to arrive from their holding cell. It was the only way she could conceive of getting through what she knew was coming.

Vader was going to carbon-freeze Han. Her friend. She had scarcely a hope that he would survive. And after Han? Her Master was going to try it on Luke. The roiling nausea that Vader's callous pronouncement had caused in her gut had only intensified. It was unfathomable. But that didn't seem to deter Vader.

It was a means to an end for him. A desperate means. She couldn't wrap her head around what he was doing. He had refused to bring her before the Emperor. But then, she was a threat to Palpatine. She was loyal to Vader, and the Emperor knew that. She would never betray her Master for him. Yet Vader was so eager to bring him Luke, and she couldn't fathom why. Was it to distract the Emperor? To appease him? She knew she shouldn't be surprised that Palpatine wanted to get his hands on her Farmboy. Even though he was too old to be molded the way The Emperor preferred, Luke was far more powerful than anyone else she had encountered, save Palpatine himself and Vader.

It stood to reason, then, that Luke was intended to be more than a Hand to the Emperor. But Vader had to realize Palpatine meant to replace him with Luke! Almost the instant Athara had considered why the Emperor must want Luke, the realization that he was meant to replace her Master at Palpatine's side hit her like a physical blow. How could Vader not see it? Even though her tenuous faith in her Master had been explosively shaken yet again, she couldn't turn from him completely. There had to be something more! Something she was missing. There was no logic to what Vader was doing. After years of thinking she knew Vader better than anyone, Athara was beginning to realize she had barely known him at all. There was more to this than just delivering the Emperor a prize, and it was driving her mad.

Thankfully, Qui-gon's presence had stayed with her since she found out the true extent of Vader's plan. Never had she been more grateful for his support than in the underbelly of Cloud City. It was all she could do to keep from screaming, shaking, or crying by keeping the numbness in place. On one hand, her rage was beginning to simmer just below the surface, fuelled by the helplessness that seemed to press against her chest, making it hard to breathe. On the other her pain threatened to cripple her, as it seemed to physically cause her body to ache with it. But with the Force-spirit's steady calm, she was able to keep it all below the surface. On the outside, she was cool and unaffected. Inside, she was on the verge of falling apart. She had run out of time. She had failed to save her friends. It was only Qui-gon's presence and his reminder that she had a purpose that gave her the means to stay strong. Though she wasn't able to shed any of her fears or her anger, his presence was a constant reminder that she had to at least keep it under control. If she didn't let herself feel anything, she could get through this.

If only her hands would stop shaking beneath her cloak...

Her first test came when the prisoners were escorted into the carbon-freeze chamber. She almost didn't pass, feeling faint as they entered the hazy, sour-smelling room. At her sides, her fists clenched tighter, the pain of her nails digging into her flesh clearing her mind ever so slightly. It was enough. Around them, the Ugnaughts were busy bustling around, seeing to last minute preparations. Behind her, Vader entered the chamber the same time as her friends, coming to stand beside her. His armour gleamed dully as he stared ahead to the machinery before him. He was so deep in thought Athara wasn't quite sure if he had even noticed Fett approaching them. She noticed.

She saw every detail; the stricken look on Calrissian's face when Han sidled up next to him; the almost comical way the dismembered Threepio was strapped to Chewie's back; the murderous way Leia was staring at her. It was actually that stare that almost undid the Sith apprentice. She recognized the loathing in the Princess's eyes; in that moment, she felt the same way about herself. As the troopers had brought the small group to a stop, Fett stopped at Vader's side, stepping in front of Athara, his hands on his blaster. It was likely an unconscious gesture, but a little part of Athara hoped Vader would take offense and remove the bounty hunter, preferably permanently. Unfortunately, he was too focused on the impending procedure to care about the bounty hunter's aggression.