Alive: Star Wars (#Wattys2014)

Part Five

Anakin strolled along the ship’s docking bay and moved to a fighter ship that had the right “speed capabilities” for him.  The ladder descending with a whooshing motion down onto the docking floor and Anakin gripped the rungs tightly as he went up two steps.  He glanced back at Padmé, her anxious chocolate colored eyes staring at him from the corner of the entrance into the bay.  Anakin smiled gently at her and she managed to have the corner’s of her lips tug up.  

“Padmé, don’t worry.  No harm will come to me, I will restore order to the destruction I have caused.  And I will come back for you, I promise.” He told her in an earnest tone.  Padmé bit her lip and looked down, unsure if he could really make such a promise.

“Padmé,” Anakin voice softly flowed from his lips, she looked back up. “I need you to stay here on the ship and make sure the stormtroopers stay in the rear of the ship.  Do not let them know I have gone and stay only in the cockpit, do not wander anywhere else around the ship.” She nodded and fingered with the snippet on her necklace. He waved her goodbye and climbed the rest of the ladder into his fighter cockpit.  The engine roared to life and as the clear cockpit hood came down, he uttered two words before the shields were lowered, and he blasted off through the Naboo atmosphere into space.

“I promise.”

And that reiteration, meant the galaxy to Padmé.

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Anakin pushed the button next to his steering yoke to end his transmission.  He now fixed his eyes on the enormous spaceship in front of him, the Death Star.  He sighed and recalled how he used to call this place home, but all it caused was death and destruction.  Disgusting.   As he pushed his yoke forward to the docking bay of this enormous death trap, his promise to Padmé haunted his mind.

“And I will come back for you, I promise.”

But the doubt of not being able to fulfill that promise was eminent, all his life, he made nothing but empty promises.  He had to keep this one, or he would never forgive himself. And Anakin Skywalker had a list of things to forgive himself for, starting with Darth Vader.

Anakin gave the clearance code to enter the docking bay and the blue shield flicked on and off until they were fully lowered, allowing him to dock his ship.  He landed swiftly, as he has so many times and lowered his ladder which hit the floor with a loud metal echo.  As the engines sluggishly powered down, the cockpit whooshed opened.  Anakin pushed himself out of the pilot seat and decided to ignored the ladder to his right and instead, swing over the side of the ship, landing hard.  Anakin showed no sign of pain and straightened his cloak over his head, covering his piercing blue eyes.  All noise stopped in the hangar, no one dared to speak a word and all sets of eyes were glued to Anakin as he walked towards the automatic door hatch that led to the inside of the Death Star.   Anakin didn’t even look at any of them, he looked down, leaving all of these people that he used to work with behind.  

As he exited the hangar bay into the bright hallway, the echoes of approaching footsteps from the left caused Anakin’s force senses to perk up.  Storm Troopers.  Did they know?  If he ran, he would automatically give his intentions away, he had to stay in character… for now.  

In a matter of seconds, two stormtroopers rounded the left corner and walked up to Anakin.  They saluted him and the stormtrooper to his left spoke up.

“Lord Vader, Emperor Palpatine was notified of your return from your mission to Naboo.  But he is concerned with the lack of troopers that you brought back so he wants to speak with you immediately with us as your escorts.”  Anakin almost smiled giddily, this was working out better than he expected.