A Sith's Second Chance

Chapter 1: A Turn of Events

The Force was a mystical entity no one person could explain or understand no matter how hard one tried or attempted to unlock its secrets. Many had tried. Jedi. Sith. Some unlock a few. Others? Not so much. Some could wield its power at incredible levels and others could barely make a data pad twitch. But many agreed that the Force, for those who believed in it, was a power beyond measure. It had a Will, a drive, a purpose, and a method to its madness. Everything it did, was done with a reason. Whether it was known or unknown to those who heard its call or felt its presence.

So when Darth Vader found himself alive after sacrificing his life to save his son and kill the Emperor, he was confused as to what had happened. He should be dead. Dead from his injuries finally catching up with him. Dead after being bombarded by Sith lightning and letting go of the Dark Side that had long since sustained his crippled body for over 20 agonizing years.

Only to find his body was no longer crippled. In fact, his body was different from the massive armored cyborg who once terrorized the Galaxy. For one, only half of his mask covered his face. Namely the bottom half. Why? He had no idea. But something told him it was necessary. To hide his face and identity perhaps? Raising his right hand to touch the bottom half of the mask, he stopped when he realized his right hand was like the one he had as Anakin Skywalker. Further inspection for the rest of his body revealed his left arm, his legs, and the rest of his body were that of Anakin Skywalker in his prime during the Clone Wars.

His eyes widening in realization and the fact he was breathing on his own, the Sith Lord looked nearby to see a lake filled with water. Moving toward it, Darth Vader looked into it like he would a mirror and saw even his face behind the dark hood that covered his head. The bottom half of his mask could not hide the face of Anakin Skywalker behind it and pushed his hood back to see the wild hair Anakin Skywalker had during his youth, the scar going down his eye.

Speaking of eyes, they were not the intense shade of blue like Anakin Skywalker. No. They were the eyes of a Sith. A powerful Sith. One who had seen and done much in his time and glowed with a strength few in the Galaxy could match.

Why was he like this? Why was he here? Where was here? It seemed so familiar and yet...Vader knew if this was the planet he thought it was...had the Force sent him here to be his Hell? Or rather what the Force's version of what Hell would be like for him?

Hearing noise in the distance, Vader moved from the small lake of water to the sounds that were happening nearby. When the Sith Lord made his way closer to the sounds, his once damaged, and now restored heart nearly collapsed on itself. For before Vader was a moment in time he did not see, but heard about from during the time when he was just a nine year old child.

The invasion of Naboo. The droid army of the Trade Federation marching into the city of Theed and oppressing the people within. He remembered Padme telling him about this when on Coruscant shortly after they had just arrived on the planet before the Jedi had him tested. How the army marched on the capital. How the people were frightened and unsure what to do. How the Viceroy gloated and acted like he won a great victory over Naboo with his superior number of mindless cheap droids.

It wasn't much of a victory in Vader's mind. Naboo had no real defense force or fleet to repel such an invasion. They didn't need it. They were a civilized society that had law and order in perfect harmony.

It was surprising such a planet could produce woman like Padme. Or a man like Darth Sidious for that matter.

As for Vader, he wondered why the Force in its infinite wisdom and power decided to bring him here? To this spot. This moment in time. Could it have something to do with the damn prophecy the Jedi went on about? Could the Force have felt it had not been fulfilled like it had designed and brought him here to alter the timeline so it did happen?