In the medical centre, Vader has his helmet off as medical droids work on him:
Next:p. 122 wrote:Glacing at him, Vader gestured to his face and black-cloaked body, then gestured in similar fashion to Sidious. "Look at us. Are these the faces of victory?"
Sidious was careful to keep himself from becoming too angry, or too sickened by his pupil's self-pity.
"We are not this crude stuff, Lord Vader. Have you not heard that before?"
"Yes," Vader said. "Yes, I've heard it before. Too often."
"But from me you will learn the truth of it."
andp.133 wrote:Now that the galaxy was his to rule, there was nothin to prevent Sidious, too, from unlocking that mystery [ability to survive death].
Then he and his crippled apprentice might hold sway over the galaxy for ten thousand years, and live eternally.
More to come as I go. I bought the book today and I'll likely be finished tommorow, it's great.p.134 wrote:Even if she had survived Mustafar, their love would have died- Padme might even have lost the will to live- and their child would have become Sidious's [sic] and Vader's to raise.
Might that child have been the first memeber of a new Sith order of thousands or millions? Hardly. The idea of a Sith order was a corruption of the intent of the ancient Dark Lords. Fortunately, Darth Bane had understood that, and had insisted that only in rare instances should there exist more than two lords, Master and apprentice, at any given time.
But two were necessary for the perpetuation of the Sith Order.
And so it fell to Sidious to complete Vader's convalescence ...
Yes, Vader was not precisely what he had bargained for. Vader's legs and arms were artificial, and he would never be able to summon lightning or leap about like the Jedi had been fond of doing. His dark side training was just beginning. But Sith power resided not in the flesh but in the will ...
Vader's real weaknesses were psychological rather than physical, and for Vader to overcome them he would need to be driven deeper into himself, to confront all his choices and disappointments.
Powered by treachery, the Sith Master-apprentice relationship was always a dangerous game. Trust was encouraged even while being sabotaged; loyalty was demanded even while betrayal was prized; suspicion was nourished even while honesty was praised.
Fundamental to Vader's growth was the desire to overthrow his Master.
Had Vader killed Obi-Wan on Mustafar, he might have attempted to kill Sidious, as well. In fact, Sidious would've been surprised if Anakin hadn't made an attempt. Now, however, incapable of so much as breathing on his own, Vader could not rise to the challenge, and Sidious understood he would need to do everything in his power to shake Vader out of his despair, and reawaken the incredible power within him.
Even at Sidious's own peril ...
