A Living Nightmare: A Star Wars SI

A Living Nightmare

Chapter 3: First Painful Steps

"Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."

Location: The Maverick, Medical Wing 1A-2

Darth Vader looked down at the text filling the screen of the data pad he had received, his glossy armor illuminated with a light blue glow, the information on it were simple receipts about the testing that had been done on the young man. Countless tests, from hundreds of different worlds diseases, viruses, rare transmittable ones and common infections. The droid had performed all of them before Alonzo was placed inside of the healing waters of the bacta tank, and now with the results Vader cared not about the tests except one: the midichlorian he was getting slightly annoyed, having to scroll past one negative after another negative, after another, and more negatives to get down to what he needed.

The dark lord of the Sith could have very well asked the droid itself, knowing that more than likely it was within its memory banks. He enjoyed the peace and quiet for the moment. He knew what would be coming next. Finally finding the information he transferred it over to a small data strip that he kept on his person and handed the data pad back to the medical droid.

Vader felt a small jolt not perceivable by most beings and gave a ghost of a smile from underneath his helmet. The Maverick had arrived at its destination, the hyperspace jump was complete. With that realization in tow, he turned his attention to the Droid designated M6-DC2,

"Remove the patient within an hour. Inform the Admiral when you have.", he commanded, turning toward the medical bay's entry door. The droid's legs shuffled in place to turn as Vader moved.

"My Lord, I must protest. The rebel needs at least 4 hours for his wounds to fully recover.", M6's voice modulator sounding gruff and mechanical with a tinge of a hollow echo. The droid was following its' programming. All members aboard the Maverick were to receive full treatment of wounds, trauma and replacement appendages if applicable.

His weighted steps did not falter. Many physical tests awaited the living quandary that floated peacefully in the liquid filled cylinder behind him. Fighting through the pain, an injury was the start. A swipe of his hand, and the door opened.

"Do as you are commanded droid," Vader stated, having halted at the exit that led into a long corridor that spread across the ship. "You are easily replaceable."

And with those parting words, Darth Vader made his way to the bridge, pulling out his commlink.

He had a call to make.

Location: The Maverick, Mess Hall 3C

TK-421 was not in the best shape. He was famished, his feet were tired and sore, and he was pretty sure there was a blister on the back of his ankle where the armor rubbed in a bad way. The climate control in his suit was malfunctioning and he hardly slept last night. Rumors had made their rounds: the Rebel was interrogated by Darth Vader and lived! 421 could hardly believe it, he refused to. He had seen the smallest of mistakes cost the lives of several officers above his pay grade. He knew what kind of man? Machine? That Darth Vader was. Sleep evaded his grasp when he tried to find it, his mind racing of the possibilities. Perhaps the rebel had cut a deal? Maybe it was just a ruse, a drill in disguise. No, Imperial personnel were informed afterwards. Such thoughts raced through his mind, and they did in the moment, until he was brought out of his stupor by a loud screech.

"Next!", the old bat screeched out from behind the counter. She was human, ancient by TK's standards given the creases and folds in the woman's face. He hoped the standard fare of some form of food would help his mood. It certainly wasn't great, but it was better than nothing. TK-421 brought his tray along the line, grabbed a bowl of something that looked okay and had steam coming off it. Then, as with every meal, he grabbed a meiloorun fruit from the bowls at the end of the food line.

"Thanks Maqiora.", he mumbled as he took a small bite from the fruit. It was drier than usual, but had some good flavor. A little twangy with a hint of citrus to counter a mildly bitter aftertaste. He preferred the juice, but he preferred a lot of things right now.

'At least there's something that is real here', the young trooper thought to himself as he turned and looked at the cafeteria. It was mostly empty, given the 'time' of day. A few scant troopers here or there at the edges, one officer with his hat on the table, boots up while drinking some caffe. He spied a chair nearby at the edge of a table, close enough to the line to grab another fruit if he was feeling extra adventurous.

Plopping himself into the metal chair, with said material scraping against the plasteel armor panels, the man removed his helmet and placed it in the chair next to him. Black hair spilled onto his back, and his blue eyes adjusted to the light. His field of vision definitely improved, but the lighting severely worsened his mood as he groaned in annoyance. "Why is it always Atunda's?" he said out loud, bringing the spoon to his lips.

"What the hell is an Atunda?", questioned a voice nearby. The trooper looked to his side, his left, and his right. There was nobody there. The voice was young, maybe younger than him. Blue eyes darted around, but the area was empty for at least a hundred yards. TK knew the effects of limited sleep, he had experienced them before when he used to stay up all night watching holo-vids but this was…unusual. The voice was everywhere and also in his own head. He rubbed his left eye with his free hand, let out a sigh and tallied it up to sleep deprivation. He hoped his next assignment would allow for a better rotation schedule. And with one reluctant hand, he began to eat whatever passed for food among the Imperial ranks.

Location: Tatooine, The Dune Sea

"Obi-Wan."

That was his name, though it was missing the 'Kenobi' to the end of it. The Force called out to him, as it had many times before. It took the shape of his old master, manifesting itself in voice and visage. It, no he- was a comforting sight.

"You are late master.". Ben spoke in a matter of fact tone. Ben. The name he gave himself when he failed and fled the rising Empire. It was the name of a ghost, a resolute protector and to his long dead master: a friend.

The apparition of Qui-Gon Jinn gave a little laugh. Of course his new perspective on things made time irrelevant, distances became meaningless, and his understanding of the Force even deeper than before. And the lines etched in the forehead of his former pupils were far deeper than he remembered, and the hair on his head was fully white. Yet far removed from the worldly tethers, Qui-Gon sees past the linear degradation that time burdened Obi-Wan with. The man had been a general, a student, a master and a son, to him but Qui-Gon never had the chance to truly say it. Even with the words he could use, he felt it best to wait for Obi-Wan to join him, where the crude manner of communication was null and void, and their wills diffused within the Force. Such a time was not far off, he hoped. However, he was here for another matter entirely.

"You felt it.", Qui-Gon stated, avoiding the other man's dry humor. There was no use asking if Kenobi felt the disturbance, yet a line of communication and a starting point for discussion was needed.

Blue eyes flickered up from a small machine in Ben's hands. The world around the apparition began to clear, as his form centered itself more clearly in the physical realm. They were inside Ben's home, the man sitting on a pillow in the center, surrounded by parts of a machine and a toolbox next to him.

"I did."

An old hand twisted two wires together as the other brought a plasma torch to it, igniting and fusing the copper ends within the soft rubber tubing.

"And you are not curious as to where it was given shape?"

"I have a duty to watch over Luke, and if I don't fix this blasted moisture evaporator soon…then I will not be alive long enough to be curious of any lifeform.", Obi-Wan said as one of the parts he inserted into another gave a shocking spark of feedback.

"You have no inclination as to know what your former apprentice is doing?"

"Anakin is dead, Darth Vader told me years ago." replied the younger of the two.

What he said was true, from a certain point of view. Even speaking that statement brought so many memories and feelings. That broken, distorted voice of his brother mixed with that of a monster, confirming his worst fears and yet it was a comforting thing. He had at the time believed he failed the entire Jedi Order, his student and the promise he made to Qui-Gon.

'Anakin is gone.', whispered the monster. Ben felt his bones freeze, his finger letting go of the trigger connected to the plasma torch. 'I am what remains.'

The monster whispers again.

'I am not your failure Obi-Wan. You didn't kill Anakin Skywalker. I did.' It smiles from within the blackened shell that was Darth Vader, the monster that was Anakin Skywalker. His face was burned horrifically, the red glow of the saber gave him a vile presence.

The memory still haunts him, even after he felt he made piece. It was a struggle, some days were easier than others. And today was difficult. He was never the best with machines, he had contemplated packing the parts up and taking them to Lars, or junk it to Jawa's for a half working replacement. He sighed and closed his eyes, centering his mind on the present, his hovel and the Force being that his old master now was.

"I meant, your other apprentice."

Location: Unknown

I could feel it. I could sense it. Everywhere, all at once. I remembered things. I knew I was somewhere on a ship. I knew I was alive, unconscious. Everything was dark, but that seemed to be my constant predicament. It was a strange thing, knowing that there was something beyond what I could feel, touch and smell. Now, with all of those sensations gone I felt it, earnestly for the first time. As if all the boundaries were ripped away, and an overwhelming flood rushed down to drown me. It surrounded me. And I reached out to it.

The Force. It had been described in so many different ways, interpreted by so many Jedi, Sith and everything in between. If I were to describe it I would simply be mixing all their interpretations into one to fit what I would say. Yet to me, I only had one word and it was beautiful. A soothing rhythm of life, echoing from every being I could feel on this ship. The heart of the Force melded with the lives around it, influencing itself and within them as though it were an ever expansive echochamber. From some, it was rebounding louder, allowing me to see small portions of the ship we were inside. It was all touched by the Force, even if it wasn't a structure made of organic tissue, it still had a whisper of it on the surface. To me, it looked to be rays of golden light reverberating all around, mixed with blues, reds and shades of a white-ish gray. I could sense the emotions, actually see their dispositions change in tune with the vibrancy of color.

It took a moment to realize what was going on. I was seeing everything through the Force. It wasn't perfect vision, but it was different. And I decided to push this sight a little further. I took my first tentative step into this place while I could. I would wake up sooner or later, best to explore while I had the time.

I was like a specter, a ghost drifting through the walls of the starship, able to spectate the coming and goings of those aboard but never able to interact with them directly. Or, at least I dared not try to. The mental images conjured by the idea of Imperials thinking one of their ships being haunted was certainly amusing, given the body count Darth Vader wracks up on a weekly basis. That man would undoubtedly be hounded by restless ghosts if they were a thing in this universe.

Vader…the name elicits a small droplet of fear in me. Truthfully, I should not be afraid of him. Weary, cautious at best, but I'm not dead after that first encounter. That has to count for something, as long as I am of use to him and the Empire, I shouldn't be absolutely terrified of him. If anything I would pity him, but he made his own disastrous choices long ago, and he'll make one in the future that will at least redeem his soul. And then, another thought came to me.

But with me here, would I change any of that? Or am I just a nameless nobody meant to die in the backdrop? Such questions wracked my mind as I 'walked' the halls of the ship, taking note of the way the Force permeated in the forms of organics. Some of the echoes brought glimpses of color, and shape to the armor many in my current surroundings wore. That was when I noticed something amiss.

A current of energy. Not unlike the Force and its pathways through the beings in this ship, this energy was consolidated to a central section and siphoned into the rest of the machine. It moved, it calculated, it worked. It was a droid, I came to realize. A machine that was dead to the Force, but I could still feel and sense the power source that gave it 'life' so to speak. I watched it for quite some time, amazed at this. In that moment, everything began to catch up to me, in this ethereal space of quiet solitude. No longer in that cell, no longer bantering words with an officer or whatever he was, no longer trying to keep Darth Vader from ripping memories out of my head. It was just me.

I was alone. I am alone. Alone in a world that is familiar to me, at the surface level. The granular details of the universe I was in, I do not know. All I have is the Force, and my own knowledge of what will happen. But here I was, staring at the energy sparking through a droid in a fit of wonder. The energy was stark white at the core, where I assumed its battery was located. But in transferring to the limbs or its central processor, it changed in color. My own personal little light show, it slightly reminded me of squids when they change their color rapidly.

I should be using the Force to find my way around yet I guess I'm still a kid that likes watching odd things at heart.

A few more seconds passed by and I finally looked away from the droid, and wandered the halls again. I tried to focus more, to see if I could actively hear or maybe even read the thoughts of those I was near. I used to wonder what it would be like to have such a power, the Force that is. How would it feel to use it? How difficult would it be to lift a rock, a bag or even a car? What are its limits? Now I could finally get those answers, if I survived long enough. Being put onto the Empire's payroll is the least ideal situation to be in, but I have to admit that it beats waking up on Nar Shadda or another shady planet. It's almost a bit too coincidental that I happened to be on Vader's ship. Yet the same could be argued that R2 and C-3P0 coincidentally landed in the hands of Owen. I would chalk it up to more Force nonsense and call it a day.

I stopped my 'Force Walk' as I had decided to call it, in an area that had roughly fifteen or twenty life forms around. Some were sitting, a few were standing shoulder to shoulder in a line. And I began to focus in earnest, sensing the Force within these people, and the power that shifted around me. I deduced that if I could see vaguely through this method, I wanted to try to listen as well. The biggest hurdle was how? I was untrained, inexperienced and bumbling my way through this.

I only had snippets of lessons on using the Force that I could pull from my memory. Yoda, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Luke, Plo Koon and others came to mind as I tried to understand where to start. Feel, don't think, concentrate and be open to the Force to allow it to guide your actions. Luke was able to deflect a few blaster bolts when blinded by a blast shield, I could say this is similar enough. I just had to try.

First came the creaking and groaning of metal, followed by the hum of the ships engines decks away. If I had ears, they would be bleeding. The engines were fine but the ship definitely needs a tune up. I instinctively recoiled and stopped my attempt. My senses were farther stretched than I had expected, and I adjusted as needed. Concentrate, I told myself, narrowing my senses as best I could. I had no accurate way of knowing how far I had pushed them previously. The din of metal melted away as the murmurs of conversations grew louder, the tapping and scrapping of eating utensils against teeth, I could hear one person eating loudly while trying to have a conversation. I concentrated on listening, attempting to pick up any conversations that were interesting. I was excited at this newfound ability, I just didn't want to let this opportunity go to waste, nor let my emotions ruin the concentration I held.

"Did you hear that the T-46's are getting recalled?"

Nope, boring.

"So there I was, two Correllian whiskeys in and this Twilek slides up next to me right-"

Nah, I do not want to hear about some Imps night time escapades.

"Oh really? I'm glad that Ozzik got promoted! Good for him, I knew his wookie hunting would pay off."

That's….morally reprehensible and I'll try not to get stationed on Kashyyyk any time soon., I thought to myself. I recognized the name, and it made me wonder what version of the Star Wars universe I was in.

Screeeeeeee! That grating, irritating, high pitched twisting of the ship's metal underbelly hammered itself into my periphery yet again. I got distracted for just a fraction of a second and my focus was shifting already.

I decided to go with one person for my next trick, to see how far I can push myself and these new abilities. I'm sure with proper training I could do some cool shit, but I don't want to push too hard and cause anything bad to happen.

I selected my target, a lone trooper at the end of the line. The Force flickered within the trooper, shifting between a deep blue and white. What that meant, I had no idea but given that most of the colors are red and blues, I'd assume it has to relate to how they're feeling? Maybe? I heard the woman behind the counter yell for the trooper to step up, and to my surprise he spoke her name and thanked her. He turned and sat down at the nearest table, and he stayed still for a few seconds.

I took that as an opportunity to try and focus further at him, try to connect with The Force and get into his head. I saw the swirling blue and white murky form of his person stretch and a strand of it snaked towards me as I tried. It was an interesting visualization of The Force to be sure, and one I was bewildered by. Nonetheless I connected with it, and this trooper in an attempt to sift through his surface thoughts.

Nothing. It was blank, void of any commentary. I could sense him remove his helmet, hear the plastic gently tap the metal chair next to him. The man let out a slight sigh, and complained, "Why is it always Atunda's?"

What the hell is an Atunda?, I wondered to myself. I didn't manage to philosophize any further when I noticed I heard that echo in my own head. And it dawned on me as the trooper sat a bit straighter, looking to his left and right.

I panicked, and disconnected immediately. Fuck. I didn't enter his mind, I linked it with mine.

What the fuck? How did I-? Further pondering would have to occur later as I felt myself being pulled away, back to where I was in the physical space. It was time to wake up. I got a glimpse of a droid and another person next to it before I re-merged with my body that was floating in a tank. I guess it was time I stopped messing around and figured out what's next.

Location: The Maverick, Medical Wing 1A-2

It had been almost half an hour before I was finally ready to exit the med-bay. One thing, one odd and strange unexpected thing stemmed from being within the bacta tank. That was the awful smell staining the durasteel walls. Imagine bleach, mixed with a small hint of wet dog and there you have it. Strong and pungent and the worst of it: it lingered in your nose. The smell was burned into my nostrils. It was nauseating to the point of barely being able to pay attention to what instructions the medical droid was giving me.

"One stim injection every three hours for the next five standard rotations will ease the pain," said the medical droid. "Lord Vader gave specific instructions and I intend to follow them to the letter. You will be outfitted with a standard brace to set any complications with the kneecap shifting due to improper bacta saturation."

Vader wanted me out and about within the hour after arriving at wherever we were. That also meant my wounded knee wasn't healed all the way, and it assuredly hurt like it was half-way fixed up. Even sitting on the side of a medbay bed, it was aching and tender at the slightest sensation. I'd dare not think of how it would feel without some form of painkillers or stims similar to the ones being prescribed to me.

My thumb brushed up and down, moving against the smooth metallic casing of the med kit on my lap. All of the vital stim doses were inside of the case. It would have to be something I had to either carry by hand or find a bag to put it in. There was no way I was lugging it around everywhere I went, too much of an inconvenience. But I would have to deal with it, because well- being blind was more of the current issue.

I still felt and sensed the world around me through the Force, but with all of the distractions of being in the waking world, it all 'looked' a little fuzzy, buzzing with static of golden hues and shifting colored auras. All noise drowned out for a few brief seconds as one of these auras far away crept into my senses. It was somewhere past the ship itself. Far beyond the motion of the planet below, beyond the billions of beings living their lives resided the singular leech that drowned out their collective light.

I did not fear Vader, which I admit was something that I realized was against my better judgment…but that thing below, that monster…It's mere proximity had me recoiling back, away from even attempting to reach out any closer to that snake. The Emperor, there was no way I would be meeting him so soon. Vader can't bring me to him. I drew further inwards, returning my 'sight' to my current surroundings and the synthetic voice finished filling me in.

"-may return in time. You will now be released from my medical care, and will be escorted to the bridge. Have a pleasant day." A swift turn of the neck was followed by a question coming from my mouth.

"My what may return in time?", I asked, following up with, "Sorry, but I just uh, was spacing out. Not used to stims I guess." An excuse with a light coat of the truth painted and bolted onto it. I had never done any drugs in this universe before. That was the truth.

"Full functionality of your leg may return in time. Reconstructive surgery may be required if it does not heal correctly. That is all.", the droid spoke in as clipped a tone as it could get. I got the message easily enough: get the fuck out ignorant meatbag.

There was a nod of understanding, a little mix of a slide and a hop off the bed and my boots impacted onto the durasteel floors with a satisfying thump. The knee-high boots and current stuffy attire was just a spare Imperial uniform given to me when I first woke up, which is a little itchy and the arms feel a little too short. Though, truthfully I have no right to complain.

In my right hand was the case holding my medical supplies, and my eyes turned towards the other being in the room. A singular stormtrooper.

"Take me to Lord Vader." I commanded, putting on my best performance. Chin high, with the back straight as can be drawn to my top height. I knew with the extra height from the boots it helped with increasing my stature, that's why I would almost always try to buy some kind of footwear with extra inches to them: I was short dammit. Being five feet and five inches tall was not fun when you had to train or have co-workers taller than you. At least now, I could choke someone when they didn't listen rather than have to kindly reiterate what was previously requested.

"This way.", crackled the trooper's voice from within the cheap armored helmet. He tapped a few buttons on the side panel next to the doors. They opened with such a satisfying sound I could never get tired of it, a mix between a heavy metal clamp and the high pitched release of hydraulic steam.

I made my way to the bridge, passing by dozens of troopers, officers and a smattering of noisy droids. All the while, following this lone trooper. It was awkward, and we came up to the doors of an elevator. He pressed the button, and the doors opened. He gestured for me to enter first, and he followed suite, blaster still in both hands, finger off the trigger. I could tell he was confused, but dutiful in sticking to orders.

My stomach pulled upwards, as my legs felt weightless for a second. The elevator began moving. It was quiet. Too quiet.

"What's your name?", I had asked the other occupant of the metal tube we were inside of.

He did not miss a beat, barking back with a sharp, "Not your concern".

I wasn't so easily dissuaded with such a poultry attempt of shutting me down.

"Oh come on, what's your operating number? You can at least tell me that." I pushed.

"This blaster has a stun."

I heard a faint click of a tactile button getting pressed. Smart move. I can give him that.

A little chuckle echoed against the elevator walls. Hands raised, I feigned surrender. "Fine, fine. You wouldn't want to bring me to Vader all knocked out would you?"

As if on que, or just my dumb luck, the elevator door opened. I felt cold again. I heard that all too familiar breathing. Reality hit me, there and then.

I have a meeting with Vader.