Heyo, human beings from outer space!
Okie Dokie, time for another gut punch! If you don't know what KIA means, it means Killed In Action. I'm guessing everyone else knew that. Everyone except me🥲. I didn't know for a long time.
Anyways, don't worry, no one is actually going to die. Or are they?
Read on if you dare.
Darth Vader sifted through the files of Jedi and clones. He was looking for a specific legion of troopers and a specific, young Jedi. He'd been searching for hours each day and had yet to find what he was looking for.
No matter. He would find exactly what he was looking for, and all in good time. The files were abundant. They would take time to sort through completely.
Vader had felt a nagging at him for a while. Since he'd destroyed Anakin Skywalker (or mostly so), he'd become incredibly more powerful. Because of this, he'd been able to sense a small, possibly unimportant detail. Yet it was so familiar, causing Anakin inside of him to get a little too hopeful and a little too cocky.
Anakin reached up, stretching to a speck of light. Darth Vader fumed and stuffed Anakin deeper down inside of him. Vader growled threateningly at Anakin and told him to shut up. Then Vader crushed the light beneath his iron fist.
Vader reminded himself that he wasn't familiar with this nagging and that he hated it. It was Anakin who was familiar with it. Vader hated it with a passion. He had no space in him for compassion or any other mushy, gushy waste of time. He only had room for passion and hate. He shoved Anakin a bit deeper, and then went back to the files.
High Council Members:
Minch Yoda: Missing
Ki-Adi-Mundi: KIA
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Missing
Depa Bilaba: KIA
Mace Windu: KIA
Shaak Ti: KIA
Nothing. Vader passed the list of the high-council members and moved on.
Battalions:
Vader skipped through the battalion files and stopped at a random one close to the ones he was looking for.
436th:
Thea Humphery: KIA
Eislyn Ferrinton: Missing
CT-7772: KIA
CT-3268: KIA
CT-3269: KIA
Nothing.
Vader skimmed past a few more, then slowed down and stopped.
501st:
Anakin Skywalker: KIA
Ahsoka Tano: Missing
CT-7567: Missing
CT-5555: KIA
The list went on to mention every clone trooper in the battalion and almost everyone was listed as "missing." Vader stood, pleased that he'd found what he was looking for, and lifted his comm. He allowed the nagging to prod him freely.
"Prepare my shuttle," Vader ordered into his comm.
"Yes, Lord Vader," came the immediate reply.
It wasn't long after that when Vader sat on his shuttle, calling on the Force to direct him to the correct coordinates to plug into the hyperdrive. Space around the shuttle smeared into white and blue. For a while, the low whirr of the ship filled the air.
Then the ship dropped out of hyperspace. The pilot flew down to the surface of the snow-covered planet. Lines of troopers gathered at the hull doors. Vader stood in front of them.
The large door hissed and lowered. Vader stood tall and marched down the ramp to the snowy ground awaiting him, the clones following behind.
Vader scanned the land. The Force had undoubtedly led him to a crash site, and the clones had already begun searching. Many graves were dug with helmets on sticks at the bases.
They were all dead.
Vader walked forward, listening to the annoying nagging. He stooped to one knee. Half visible and half-buried by snow was a far too familiar lightsaber. Vader dug it out and brushed away the snow. It definitely belonged to her, but Vader was still in a sort of disbelief. He stood and ignited it, taking a moment to stare at the blue hue.
Anakin inside of him screamed. Gathering all his strength, Anakin forced himself upward and surfaced from the evil hatred Vader plunged him in. And for a moment, Vader didn't stop him.
He turned his head upward to see a convor circling in the sky above him. Anakin knew that bird: she correlated with the Daughter, the one who saved Ahsoka from death brought upon her by the Son.
Then Vader's will returned. His iron fist slammed down on Anakin. Anakin sank into the dark, evil hatred once again.
Vader turned, broken and aching, and stalked back to the ship.
Deep down inside, Anakin screamed in agony. He'd lost everything.
Ahsoka Tano was dead. KIA.
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Word Count: 800
Published: Jun. 2, 2022
Remember the Frog? I read it to him and he was just like 'uuuhhh, and?' so now I'm convinced that this gut-punch story wasn't a real gut punch.
Not everything in this story is entirely accurate, either, but we'll just ignore all of that.
Requests are open, feel free to message me or make a comment if you have any ideas.
Bye, peoples!