Master and Padawan/Chapter 2

Chapter 2
The starfighter entered the atmosphere leaving a trail of light exhaust gas. Lord Vader re-checked the coordinates fed into the computer and turned off the automatic tracking. He pulled the throttle open and darted fast over the plant coverage of the small planet. Nowhere within sight or in the range of instruments he could spot anything extraordinary, yet his hunch was now far stronger than onboard the star destroyer.

He took a slight turn and lowered the fighter observing the surrounding jungle for any place convenient to ground it without making too much mess, wanting to avoid premature revelation of his presence. He decided to do it the cunning way this time instead of brute force so popular in imperial undertakings. Something told him that if this was a survivor Jedi, this one will be special and different than all the other Purge refugees he has slain over the years.

Nearing the coordinates the fleet gained from the probe droids he spotted a little clearing by the shore of a small, dark lake. Almost completely shutting down the engines he lowered the craft, folded the wings and set it down on the soft soil. The maneuver went through without a slightest problem. It was for a reason that he was once called the best pilot of the Republic. Back then when the corrupted and diseased institution still existed. Back before he was betrayed and tormented. Lord Vader rose and left the fighter without further ado.

The jungle was a cacophony of voices. Among the flourishing undergrowth local fauna lived their life only slightly disturbed by the appearance of a stellar ship and this strange black clad figure. Some of the animals sensed the angry feelings of the arriving human and retreated to their hideouts but for most this guest from space come unnoticed like rain or wind. He listened to the voices of the forest filtered through the helmets audio systems and scanned the trees and bushes with through the cybernetic lens. Nothing drew his attention so far.

He estimated the distance and direction and entered the jungle. He slowly but steadily worked his way through the undergrowing bushes and midget trees startling herbivorous animals hiding on the ground and on the branches of tall deciduous trees. His powerful artificial body pushed forward like a bulldozer and where he needed he carved out his path with a lightsabre.

Although the march was almost effortless thanks to his cybernetic limbs, the dark lord got nervous as he walked. He started to suspect he made an error calculating the route and the distance to the structures supposedly created by an intelligent life.

There was also the opportunity that his officers failed and it was all in all only a false alarm. But even though the instrument could be fooled, his senses could not. The Force told him someone was there. Someone well shielded, defensive, in hiding. A Force user that didn't want to be noticed, didn't want to be felt.

It was the sole explanation to what he felt, that strange tingle that was not a disturbance and not a response. A mere static, one erroneous note in the great symphony of the Force. Not even a note, more like an omission. A lack of sound where there should be one. If it was a Force user but he tried to shield himself, hide his legacy - it had to be a survivor Jedi knight. Probably the last one that got alive from the Great Jedi Purge. And soon enough he won't be a survivor anymore.

Lord Vader breathed in heavily. The helmets filters deprived the air of anything that belonged to this small planet. For sure it reeked. A vegetation like this one unavoidably had to rot and that sure did stink. He didn't, however, miss the old days when he could so easily feel all the stink. Not that much anyway. Maybe the thoughts of the old days would be more welcome if they brought anything more than pain.

The "good old days" were long gone. His mentor and friend a traitor. His only love reportedly dead. His mother dead. All he ever cherished corrupted and falling apart. Had there not been Emperor Palpatine, he might have fallen. The Chosen One of the ancient prophecy and yet fallen.

He breathed heavily again and shook his head. Something was wrong. Something disturbed him greatly on this forgotten rock full of rotting plants. He lurched forward and stepped into a sudden clearing. In an instant he stepped back and remained in the shadows.

There was a hut in front of his eyes.