Darth Vader. The First year. Chapter One: Secrets of Mustafar

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Prologue

It seemed like a whole regiment of clones was lined up along the landing strip in two rows. Coruscant, the capital of the former Republic and the current Empire, was preparing to receive a special guest. When the ship finally landed, several officers separated themselves from the main body of soldiers. Unlike the regular troopers, their helmets did not cover their entire face, only the head; their armor was also not continuous, being lightened and dark in color. They were all noticeably nervous, and their anxiety intensified when the ship’s ramp lowered and several high-ranking officers of the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) stepped out. They were escorting only one prisoner, but his mere appearance in the exit aperture caused many soldiers to tremble. With his hands shackled in front of him with strong metal restraints, Darth Vader, the celebrated Jedi killer and former head of the ISB, who had terrorized rebels across the Galaxy, stepped out of the ship. He walked not with his usual confident, quick stride, but with a calm, even dejected, pace. It was unusual to see him like this. He was still clad in his customary armor, which simultaneously served as his life support system. His face was hidden by his black helmet, and the metallic implants on his spine were concealed beneath a long black cape behind his back.

A General stepped forward to meet Darth Vader; the other officers followed him, holding their weapons ready.

- Please, his lightsaber, - the General addressed the ISB personnel.

One of them dutifully handed the General a small metallic object. The General immediately placed it inside a special box brought by one of the soldiers. Even in other hands, a lightsaber was dangerous; a Sith or Jedi could remotely activate the blade using the Force, and if the emitter was pointed toward an enemy, the consequences could be disastrous. But now, the terrifying weapon was carried away in a special box that blocked its activation. Darth Vader, shackled, subdued, and unarmed, was left standing there.

- By order of the Emperor, Darth Vader, you are under arrest, - the General announced. - You will be escorted to a specially equipped cell where droids will maintain your life until the day of decision.

- The day of decision—do you mean my execution? - Vader said in his characteristic raspy, strained baritone.

- I wouldn't want to..."

- Don't trouble yourself, General, you may call things by their names. I led the Imperial Security Bureau for a long time and I know that for what I am accused of, there is only one penalty—death.

- Well, Vader, even if half of what you are accused of is true, you deserve death. Moreover, you resisted the first attempt to arrest you, and only when your subordinates showed conscience were you apprehended. No one is permitted to betray the Emperor or the interests of the Empire. The only thing I can do for you, considering your past service, is to promise that your execution will be swift and painless.

- Thank you, General. Grant me one more courtesy and tell me when I may appear before the Emperor?

- I don't believe that will happen soon, if it happens at all. The Emperor has not arrived on Coruscant and currently deems residing on the planet too dangerous for himself."

- I understand, - Vader said; he seemed completely resigned to his fate. As the soldiers led him away, he offered not the slightest resistance; no one had ever seen him so compliant.

Chapter 1. The Secret of Mustafar

Explosions thundered outside the window, enemy aircraft circled like hungry ravens, shaking the skies with their noise. But Obi-Wan Kenobi seemed oblivious to it all; he was consumed by grief. Lying nearby was Padmé's lifeless body, already washed by her handmaidens and covered with a white shroud. They needed to prepare for a funeral ceremony, but there was no way to perform it now, under constant enemy attack.

Finally, Obi-Wan decided to ask Yoda for advice, and although the connection was very poor, he managed to get a response quickly enough and see the hologram of the short, green Jedi Master.

- Sad tidings you have given me, - Yoda said when he had finished his account. - Mourn Padmé’s passing we all will. But such was the price for victory over the Jedi who became a Dark Lord.

- If we hadn't done it, if we had spared Anakin's life, it's frightening to imagine what would have happened. I saw true darkness in his eyes, the kind I had only seen before in the Sith Darth Maul, whom I killed. But now Imperial forces are arriving; they have captured a significant portion of the planet. I have no doubt that they have already contacted the usurper, and he has ordered them not to let us leave here alive. So, I think there will soon be even more of them, and if we don't break out of here now, it will be much harder later.

- Leave the planet Mustafar, you must, - Yoda replied.

- But I have the child, Luke, with me; he could be harmed when we try to escape. I cannot risk him, he is too important. And his mother's body is still here; we need to bury her.

- Padmé’s body, freeze you should. Not on volcanic Mustafar should she be buried. Let her rest on Naboo. Reinforcements, send I will try, Master Kenobi, to safely remove the child and Padmé’s body from the planet.

Suddenly, a piercing infant cry sounded. Obi-Wan would be convinced many times later of this child's incredible sensitivity to the Force. Little Luke, surely not understanding the words, seemed to sense that the adults were speaking about him, and now, sensing that his fate and the fate of his deceased mother's body were being decided, he burst into tears. His crying did not subside for quite some time, and Obi-Wan had to interrupt the communication session with Yoda and hurry to the nursery. Guarding officers were inside, trying to calm the child, but they couldn't find clean nappies.

- What is wrong with him? - Obi-Wan yelled. - Why can't anyone do anything?

- Sir, he wet himself, and I believe he is hungry.

- Then give him some milk.

- After all, we are not nannies, we are soldiers, - one of the officers grumbled, but immediately another appeared who took the child in his arms.

- Allow me, this way, come here, little one.

He took little Luke and quickly wrapped him in some warm fabric. The child, from whom all the wet nappies had been removed, now felt warm, was soothed, and quieted down.

- Not bad, soldier, not bad, - praised Obi-Wan. - Your face looks familiar to me. What is your name?

- Sergeant Fett, Sir.

- Alright, Sergeant Fett. I think we will be leaving this planet soon, and then the child will have diapers and experienced nannies. But for now, we must make do with what we have.

These words cheered up the officers, as deep down they, too, were thinking that it was time to leave Mustafar, since the enemy's ring was closing ever tighter. When the child calmed down, he was swaddled again and fed, and when he had fallen asleep, Obi-Wan continued his conversation with the lieutenant.

- I didn't know you, but I've definitely seen your face somewhere before.

- Oh yes, no doubt, Lord Archon, you have seen my face many times, every time one of the clone army removes their helmet.

- So you are a clone? Interesting. I thought all clones had sided with the usurper calling himself Emperor.

- That is true, almost all of them. But with me, they apparently made a mistake. Perhaps they kept me in the incubator one day longer than they should have, or gave me slightly more data during training, and I came out smarter than them. I am certain there are others in the clone army who do not believe the usurper's false propaganda and would gladly switch to our side."

- Yes, I would like to believe that.

- And is it true, Sir, that we will be leaving the planet soon?

- Without fail, right after we figure out how to safely transport the little one.

But days passed, and they could not come up with anything, and soon what was bound to happen sooner or later occurred—the Imperial forces went on the offensive. If before they had conducted strikes from the air or with long-range artillery, now they deployed infantry. Ordinary ground transport could not move across the mountainous terrain of Mustafar, so they utilized technology that was extremely rare at the time—walkers. The enormous machines moved not on wheels or tracks, but on legs that mimicked the limbs of four-legged animals. One such armored walker could carry up to fifty armed infantrymen. The walker was slower than any ground transport and lacked great maneuverability, but it skillfully climbed mountains, stepped over rocks and ravines, overcoming all obstacles of the rugged terrain. When a walker passed through a grove, only the loud cracking of breaking trees could be heard; when it encountered a mountain river, even a powerful mountain current could not knock it down. Walkers also carried artillery weapons, but due to poor maneuverability, they could only fire straight ahead. Therefore, walkers were mostly used for their main purpose: as armored transport delivering infantry.

In the first massive assault alone, Imperial infantrymen managed to drive the Resistance soldiers out of their camp and force them to retreat. Having abandoned their established position, Obi-Wan could only defend now; there was no talk of counterattacks. They had long days ahead of them in this dangerous situation. Every day they moved many kilometers, retreating and defending, and it was a blessing if they managed to set up camp for the night. Sometimes the enemy attacked in the middle of the night or early in the morning. Little Luke slept poorly because of this, and the child's overall well-being deteriorated. Fortunately, Obi-Wan's intuition warned him when the next attack was coming, and he managed to wake up in advance. His officers increasingly urged him to leave the planet, but Obi-Wan refused every time.

- Look at the map of our movements, - he said one day before his staff officers. - Aren't you surprised by the trajectory along which the enemy seems to be deliberately driving us? In all the time we have been here, they have never tried to surround us, but seem to be herding us along a specific route. It feels as though they don't want to capture us at all; they are trying to force us to leave the planet, as if driving us away from something.

- And what could that be?

- I intend to find out. When we mapped all our movement points, it became roughly clear where the thing we are not supposed to find might be located. I will go on a reconnaissance mission; I will only take a few trusted people with me. Until I know what secret of the Trade Federation these usurper lackeys are protecting, I will not leave the planet.

The trusted individuals included several battle-tested officers, and Junior Officer Fett, whom Obi-Wan had recently met, was also on the team. The clone had already proven his loyalty many times; in particular, he cared for little Luke like no one else, feeding him and putting him to sleep at night. When he learned about the planned sortie, he immediately announced his desire to participate.

- We are running out of synthetic milk, - he said as they made their way through the mountain outcrops. - In two weeks, we will have nothing to feed little Luke.

- Thank you for your concern, - the Archon replied. He was not very talkative, but while the enemy was far away, they could chat.

- You have a strange name, Fett.

- It's not a name, - the clone replied, - it's a nickname from the military academy. Many of us there gave each other nicknames so as not to call ourselves by numbers. And later, they allowed us to use these nicknames as official call signs.

- It's probably very unfair that the Republic didn't allow you to have your own names.

- Names are given by parents, and we didn't have parents. More precisely, other clones were family to us, so it's no wonder we gave each other names.

- And what does the nickname 'Fett' mean? I feel like I've heard it somewhere.

But before the clone could answer, the sound of a flying aircraft was heard, and all the scouts had to quickly engage their camouflage and fall silent. Everything indicated that they were close, and what they were looking for was in the valley directly ahead. And their premonition did not deceive them. Right in the valley, hidden by mountains on three sides, stood enormous structures and smoky chimneys, surrounded by a concrete fence. There was no doubt that these buildings had been erected not by the newly arrived Imperial soldiers, but by the Trade Federation. These premises resembled industrial buildings; one could assume that some kind of factory was located here. But this information needed to be verified. The entrances to the territory were guarded by several Imperial clones; blaster towers rose above the fence, and the backs of some walkers could even be seen. At the same time, there was no way to guess how many enemy soldiers were there, but it was clear that there were many.

A plan immediately crystallized in Obi-Wan's mind. That very night, several hundred soldiers, along with various pieces of military equipment, set out on a combat sortie. They acted swiftly and decisively, quickly breaching the gates and entering the territory. Using explosives, they broke through one gate after another, passed through one door after another, destroying everyone who stood in their way, and soon reached the production facilities.

- Gentlemen, I congratulate you, - Obi-Wan said joyfully. - Now we have the weapon to destroy the usurper.

Indeed, before their eyes stood thousands of ready Trade Federation battle droids, tens of thousands of blanks which, given the necessary components, could be assembled and put into action within a matter of weeks. This was an entire army; with this, they could capture planets.

But before the Resistance soldiers could begin to cheer, they were informed of the approaching enemy forces. A whole regiment of clones was advancing towards them through the valley and over the mountains. They understood that they needed to act quickly, as it would take only a few hours to activate and configure the battle droids. Obi-Wan's position was not the best, as all the gates leading into the factory territory had been blown up; all paths were open. The Archon immediately contacted his forces and summoned all the available air support; meanwhile, enemy aircraft had already begun actively bombarding the factory grounds. In such chaos, it was difficult to keep track of anything, and Obi-Wan was not surprised that he lost sight of Fett for several hours, and despite trying to call out to him, could not locate him.

It was only towards the end of this terrifying bombardment, when the Resistance air support managed to repel the Imperial planes and halt the advancement of the ground army somewhat, that the Archon met his loyal clone again. Fett was safe and sound, only looking gloomier than a thundercloud, as if something was weighing him down. At the time, this was attributed to a concussion he might have suffered from the enemy shelling. Regardless, the Resistance managed to hold out for several hours, after which the captured droids were activated and finished the fight by routing the enemy forces.

Now it was time to go on the offensive, and the very next day, Obi-Wan gave the corresponding order, and the droids inflicted the first major defeat on the enemy forces, forcing them to retreat. That night, the Archon slept soundly for the first time in many days, not expecting an attack or shelling from the sky.

But his sleep was short-lived; soon, he was overcome by an uneasy premonition, much stronger than during the enemy attacks. It was as if infant Luke was crying out to him, pleading for help; he was crying and clearly indicating that he was in danger. Obi-Wan woke up in a cold sweat and rushed like a bullet to the boy's room. The guarding officers were not at their posts; no one was guarding the room. When Obi-Wan burst inside, he saw a terrible scene. Sergeant Fett was holding a blaster in his outstretched hand, aimed directly at the baby in the cradle. Obi-Wan used the Force to wrench the weapon from his grip and threw him to the floor, then rushed to the crib. Fortunately, the baby was alive and unharmed.

- I couldn't do it, - Fett said. - I had an order; I was supposed to do it, but I guess I got too attached to the child.

An hour later, Obi-Wan was interrogating him in his office. Fett looked subdued; he was as upset by what had happened as the Archon was.

- How long have you been working for the usurper? - Obi-Wan asked.

- Are you referring to the Emperor? No, I am not working for him. Clones fought for the Republic, not the Empire, and I was with you even before the proclamation of the Empire; I joined you on Kashyyyk; I was in Master Yoda's detachment. I falsified the documents; no one even noticed the substitution. They easily accepted me as a clone.

- So you are not a clone? Then who are you?

- Formally, I am also a clone, but not like the others. Jango Fett—the prototype of all clones—raised me as his own son; my development was not accelerated; I developed like a normal person, and received an education. And then my father was killed right before my eyes. The Jedi did it. I was just a boy then.

- So that's where I heard that name, - Obi-Wan recalled. - And you expect me to believe you planned this operation yourself? You said you were ordered to kill Luke; who gave the order?

- The one who sent me here. His name is Klemans.

- I have never heard of him. What is his rank?

- I don't know now, but when I met him, he didn't have any rank. After you killed my father, the authorities sent me to detention. Formally, it was a special orphanage for the children of the Republic's enemies. I met all sorts of people there. They tried to re-educate us; that's where I learned to pretend to be a friend of the Republic. When I came of age, they tested my loyalty, issued me a passport, and specified a planet in the Outer Rim where I was supposed to go to live. It was strictly forbidden to leave the planet. They even found me some job, but everyone understood it was exile. On the way, I escaped and landed on a completely different planet—Plembau, where I met Klemans. I don't know who he was before, but when we met, he was an exile like me, only he had his own palace and a whole squad of battle droids as personal guards. He knew things that only a person with the highest level of security clearance could know. He was among the first to learn about all events in the Republic. He told me that the Republic would soon fall and would be led by an Emperor; he said that the Republic was already being ruled by a Sith, but secretly, and soon that power would become apparent. He also said that the Emperor would definitely remember him and call him into service after destroying the Republic. I learned a lot from Klemans, and then he sent me to Kashyyyk with the goal of infiltrating Yoda's forces. He believed that the infiltration needed to happen now; later would be too late. He knew in advance about your war against the Emperor; he knew that all clones would become Imperial soldiers; it was as if he could see the future. Klemans was sure that when the Emperor learned he had a spy within the Resistance, he would give Klemans a high position and reward him handsomely.

- So, all this time you were secretly reporting to this Klemans?

- Yes, although there wasn't much to report; I was just a soldier; I didn't have access to your general staff. But recently, I gave them truly important information: I told them that Anakin Skywalker's son is alive and is here with you.

- And they ordered you to kill the child?

- Yes, during our attack on the droid factory, I contacted Klemans, and he passed on the Emperor's will to me. But I couldn't do it; I got too attached to the child. Klemans thought my appearance made me the perfect spy, but I suppose he was wrong, and I am the worst spy there could be.

- No, you are an excellent spy, - Obi-Wan countered, - you are just not a murderer, and that is commendable. But since the Emperor knows that Anakin's son is alive, he will not rest until he kills him; he will send new assassins, and if one of them achieves their goal, it will be your fault.

Fett sighed heavily and looked even more distressed than before; it was clear that his situation tormented him greatly.

- What will happen to me? - he suddenly asked. - Will I be executed?

Obi-Wan pondered; for a moment, he did try to think up a punishment for this hater of the Jedi, consumed by the thirst for revenge. But the next moment, a better idea occurred to him.

- There is nothing to execute you for, - he said. - You haven't committed any crime. We will give you a starship; you will leave the planet shortly. You didn't carry out your Emperor's order, so you'll be dismissed from his service. Besides, you won't be able to use your appearance to spy anymore, so you are useless to them and harmless to us.

The original text:

Взрывы гремели за окном, вражеская авиация кружила, подобно голодным воронам, сотрясая небеса своим шумом. Но Оби-Ван Кеноби словно не замечал всего этого, он был поглощён горем. Рядом лежало бездыханное тело Падме, уже омытое её прислугой и укрытое белым саванном. Нужно было готовиться к траурной церемонии, но не было никакой возможности совершить её сейчас, под постоянными вражескими атаками. В конце концов, Оби-Ван решил спросить совета у Йоды, и, хотя связь была очень плохой, ему всё-таки довольно быстро удалось добиться ответа и увидеть голограмму низкорослого зелёного джедая. - Грустные вести сообщил ты мне, - произнёс Йода, когда выслушал его рассказ, - о кончине Падме все скорбеть мы будем. Но такова была плата за победу над джедаем, ставшим тёмным лордом. - Если бы мы не сделали это, если бы мы сохранили Энакину жизнь, страшно представить, что бы было. Я видел в его глазах настоящую тьму, какую до этого видел лишь у ситха Дарта Мола, убитого мной. Но сейчас силы империи прибывают, они захватили значительную часть планеты. Я не сомневаюсь, что они уже связались с узурпатором, и он приказал им не выпускать нас отсюда живыми. Так что думаю, скоро их будет ещё больше, и, если мы не вырвемся отсюда сейчас, потом это будет сделать намного сложнее. - Покидать планету Мустафар вам нужно, - отвечал ему Йода. - Но со мной ребёнок, Люк, он может быть ранен, когда мы попытаемся вырваться. Я не могу рисковать им, он очень важен. И тело его матери ещё здесь, нужно похоронить его. - Тело Падме заморозить тебе следует. Не должна быть она на вулканическом Мустафаре похоронена. Пусть упокоится она на Набу. Подмогу прислать тебе я попробую, магистр Кеноби, чтобы ребёнка и тело Падме безопасно вывезти с планеты. Внезапно раздался пронзительный детский плач. Оби-Ван ещё много раз потом убедится в невероятной чувствительности к Силе этого ребёнка. Маленький Люк, безусловно, не понимая слов, словно будет чувствовать, что взрослые говорят о нём, и вот сейчас он словно почувствовал, что решается его судьба и судьба тела его покойной матери, и он расплакался. Плач его не утихал довольно долго, и Оби-Вану пришлось прервать сеанс связи с Йодой и отправиться в детскую комнату. Караульные офицеры находились внутри, они пытались успокоить ребёнка, но никак не могли найти чистые пелёнки. - Что с ним такое? – прокричал Оби-Ван, - почему никто не может ничего сделать? - Сэр, он обмочился и, кажется, он хочет есть. - Так дайте ему молока. - В конце концов, мы ведь не няньки, мы солдаты, - возмутился один из офицеров, но тут же появился другой, который взял ребёнка на руки. - Позвольте мне, вот так, иди сюда, малыш. Он взял маленького Люка на руки и быстро замотал его в какую-то тёплую ткань. Ребёнок, с которого уже сняли все мокрые пелёнки, теперь почувствовал себя в тепле, согрелся и успокоился. - Неплохо, солдат, неплохо, - похвалил его Оби-Ван, - твоё лицо как будто мне знакомо. Как твоё имя? - Сержант Фет, сэр. - Хорошо, сержант Фэт. Думаю, скоро мы покинем эту планету, и тогда у ребёнка появится подгузники и опытные няньки. Но сейчас мы вынуждены обходиться тем, что есть. Эти слова взбодрили офицеров, поскольку в глубине души они тоже подумывали о том, что пора бы уже покинуть Мустафар, поскольку вражеское кольцо сжимается всё плотнее. Когда ребёнок успокоился, его снова спеленали и покормили, и когда он уже заснул, Оби-Ван продолжил разговор с лейтенантом. - Я не знал тебя, но определённо раньше тебя где-то видел. - О да, не сомневаюсь, лорд архонт, вы видели моё лицо много раз, каждый раз, когда кто-то из армии клонов снимал свой шлем. - Так ты клон? Интересно, я думал, все клоны перешли на сторону узурпатора, именующего себя императором. - Так и есть, почти все. Но со мной они, видимо, допустили ошибку. Возможно, на один день дольше положенного продержали в инкубаторе или чуть больше дали мне данных во время обучения, и я вышел умнее, чем они. Уверен, в армии клонов есть и другие, кто не верят в лживую пропаганду узурпатора и охотно перешли бы на нашу сторону. - Да, хотелось бы верить. - А это правда, сэр, что скоро мы покинем планету? - Непременно, сразу после того, как придумаем, как безопасно переправить малыша. Но дни шли, а придумать ничего не удавалось, а вскоре свершилось то, что рано или поздно должно было случиться – силы империи пошли в атаку. Если до этого они вели обстрелы с воздуха или из дальнобойной артиллерии, то теперь пустили в ход пехоту. Обычный наземный транспорт не мог передвигаться по горной местности Мустафара, поэтому были использованы крайне редкие на тот момент технологии – шагоходы. Огромные машины передвигались не на колёсах и не на гусеницах, а на ногах, имитирующих лапы четвероногих животных. В одном таком бронированном шагоходе умещалось до пятидесяти вооружённых пехотинцев. Шагоход уступал в скорости любому наземному транспорту, да и большой манёвренностью он не отличался, зато очень ловко поднимался в горы, перешагивал через камни и расщелины, преодолевал все препятствия непересечённой местности. Когда шагоход шёл через какую-нибудь рощу, то был слышен лишь громкий треск от ломающихся деревьев, когда он встречал горную реку, то даже очень мощное горное течение не могло сбить его с ног. Шагоходы имели при себе также артиллерийское вооружение, но из-за плохой манёвренности могли стрелять только вперёд, поэтому чаще шагоходы использовались лишь по своему главному назначению, как бронированный транспорт, доставляющий пехоту. Уже в первую массированную атаку имперские пехотинцы смогли выбить солдат Сопротивления из их лагеря и заставить отступать. Покинув насиженное место, Оби-Ван теперь мог только защищаться, ни о каких ответных атаках не могло быть и речи. Долгие дни им предстояло провести в таком опасном положении. Каждый день они перемещались на много километров, отступая и защищаясь, и счастьем было, если удавалось расположиться лагерем на ночь. Случалось, что враг нападал посреди ночи или рано утром. Маленький Люк от этого плохо спал, общее самочувствие ребёнка ухудшалось. Благо, чутьё Оби-Вана подсказывало ему, когда наступит следующая атака, и он успевал проснуться заранее. Его офицеры всё настойчивее уговаривали его убраться с планеты, но Оби-Ван каждый раз отказывался.