The New Code? by faithdaria
Title: The New Code?
Rating: Teen
Spoilers: Just the movies.
Genre: Angst
Summary: A peek into what Vader might be thinking as the Death Star approaches Yavin.
I should have felt satisfaction. I have been picturing the death of Obi-Wan Kenobi every day since I woke up in this monstrosity of a suit, and each death of my former master was more fulfilling than the last. I’ve devised tortures for him that would last for months, taken him apart piece by piece with a lightsaber, and killed him with my bare hands. The real thing should be ten times better.
It is worse. In my mind I pictured strong, calloused hands holding a lightsaber like it was a part of him; the man I fought today had hands swollen and twisted with arthritis. I imagined quick, graceful motions; he moved slowly, his limbs stiff and awkward. My thoughts were dominated with the face of a man that the Queen’s handmaidens once gushed over when Anakin Skywalker was a child. This man’s face was weathered and creased, and his hair and beard were white and thin.
Obi-Wan Kenobi was a master swordsman, one of the best the Jedi Order had ever had. A fight with him should have been difficult, should have exhausted me completely. I haven’t fought a living opponent in years, let alone one as strong in the Force as my old master. Instead, the duel was over in minutes. A part of my mind kept wondering why Obi-Wan had given this old man his lightsaber. It wasn’t until that last smile that I was convinced of his identity. A lifetime ago, that smile had meant trouble for whoever opposed him, often the only outward sign before he executed some brilliant strategy.
And then he vanished as I struck the killing blow.
His death should feel like a victory, but it does not. Obi-Wan Kenobi is dead at my hand. The Rebellion will soon give way to peace and security. So why do I hear his voice whispering in the back of my mind?
There is no death, there is the Force.
I heard it over and over as Anakin Skywalker, but I haven’t thought of the Code in years. Why can’t I shake it from my head now?
There is no death, there is the Force.
Those words and Kenobi’s final expression come to my mind whenever I allow it to relax. I banish them angrily, only to have them return the instant I am distracted.
There is no death, there is the Force.
The answers rush into me with a flood of memories, Anakin Skywalker’s memories. Obi-Wan was never one for pointless sacrifice and always one for loose, layered plans. He had given himself up on purpose. Something had been set into motion with the long-awaited death of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Something hidden from me in the Force. Something that might bring about my own death.
There is no death, there is the Force.