#6 in #DarthVader (6/20/24)
This story will not be a straight forward romance journey, as Vader is a dynamically difficult character. I intend to keep him as in-character as I possibly can, meaning this story will not be all butterflies and rainbow...
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Chapter 20: The Tides of Battle
Swiftly, I drained the water and exited the bacta tank. Hurrying into Vader's chambers, I put on my robe and grabbed my lightsaber. Fetching my comlink, I quickly reached out to Commander Karlson, "LT-002, this is Reina. What's happened?"
After what felt like an eternity, I finally received a response from him: "Lady Reina, all units have been stationed to defend against a horde of lava fleas set on destroying the fortress." The connection began to cut out, his voice coming through a barrage of static, "Mustafari... —may cause elevated fluctuations in the lava... —sanctum may not be safe... ...go down to your quarters... ...will be safe there."
"Martin, do you copy? You're breaking up! Let Lord Vader know if you haven't already! I am willing to join the fight!" My heart raced with panic and adrenaline, nearly feeling it burst from my chest.
"Lady Reina... ...too dangerous. Lord Vader had been informed... ...seek shelter." Martin spoke sternly, his message barely clear enough for me to understand.
"Yes sir..." I was anxiously biting my lip as I glanced down at Blip. "I know they told me to stay put, but this could be the perfect opportunity to show myself how much I've truly learned from Vader."
Blip cowered in fear as she reiterated the orders I had been given, clearly disturbed by my idea.
Slipping into Vader's wardrobe, I quickly looked around for anything I could wear that wouldn't be too hot. Unfortunately, the only clothing I had stored in these chambers were lounge clothes. There was nothing that could protect me from the heat beyond the fortress. I let out a heavy sigh, "Well, I guess I'm going to have to obey orders and go down to my own quarters this time... unless I can find something better there. Because I'm not going out there in nothing more than panties, a bra, and my robe... I'm not that suicidal."
Blip let out the electronic equivalent of a sigh of relief, jumping up to perch herself on my shoulder. I quickly left Vader's quarters, hurrying through the sanctum to take the lift down. Descending a floor, I slipped out of the lift once it came to a stop and the doors opened.
Making my way down the hall, I kept my eye out for any numbers, spotting them to count up to 329. Finding the room, I approached the doors in hopes that, unlike the rest upon this floor, they would open. Despite my anticipation, they did not. The room required an access code to gain entry, and no matter how hard I attempted to recall Vader informing me of a passcode of any kind, nothing came to me. Sighing out of frustration, I used my com to once again reach out to Martin despite his current situation. My com had been automatically set onto his garrison's channel, my voice muffled beneath the mask, "Reina to LT-002, or Captain Junus. I require the access code to quarters 329, floor 77."
While awaiting a response, a chill crept its way down my spine the instant the doors to the lift opened down the corridor from me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and my head slowly lifted while my eyes shifted away from the keypad. The cold sensation reminded me so strongly of Vader, but not quite.
