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

Chapter 1.

The Secret of Mustafar

Explosions thundered outside the window, enemy aircraft circled like hungry crows, shaking the skies with their noise. But Obi-Wan Kenobi seemed not to notice all this, he was consumed by grief. Nearby lay the lifeless body of Padmé, already washed by her servants and covered with a white shroud. It was necessary to prepare for the mourning ceremony, but there was no way to do it now, under constant enemy attacks. In the end, Obi-Wan decided to ask Yoda for advice, and although the connection was very poor, he still managed to get an answer quite quickly and see a hologram of a short green Jedi.

- Sad news you have brought me, - Yoda said when he had heard his story, - Padme's death will be mourned by all of us Padme's death will be. But such was the price for defeating the Jedi who became a dark lord.

- If we hadn't done this, if we had kept Anakin alive, it's scary to imagine what would have happened. I saw real darkness in his eyes, the kind I'd only seen in the Sith Darth Maul, whom I killed. But now the Empire's forces are arriving, they've captured a significant portion of the planet. I have no doubt that they've already contacted the usurper, and he's ordered them not to let us out of here alive. So I think there will be even more of them soon, and if we don't get out of here now, it will be much harder to do later.

- To leave the planet Mustafar you need, - Yoda answered him.

- But I have a child with me, Luke, he could be hurt when we try to break out. I can't risk him, he's very important. And his mother's body is still here, we need to bury him.

- Freeze Padme's body you should freeze. Buried on volcanic Mustafar she shouldn't be. Let her rest on Naboo. I'll try to send you help, Master Kenobi, so that the child and Padme's body can be safely removed from the planet.

Suddenly, a child's shrill cry was heard. Obi-Wan would later be convinced many times of this child's incredible sensitivity to the Force. Little Luke, certainly not understanding the words, would feel as if the adults were talking about him, and now he seemed to sense that his fate and the fate of his dead mother's body were being decided, and he burst into tears. His crying did not subside for quite a long time, and Obi-Wan had to interrupt the communication session with Yoda and go to the children's room. The guard officers were inside, they were trying to calm the child, but they could not find clean diapers.

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

- Sir, he wet himself and he seems to be hungry.

- Then give him some milk.

- After all, we’re not nannies, we’re soldiers, - one of the officers was indignant, but another one immediately appeared and took the child in his arms.

- Let me, like this, come here, baby.

He picked up little Luke and quickly wrapped him in some warm cloth. The child, from whom all the wet diapers had already been removed, now felt warm, warmed up and calmed down.

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

- Sergeant Fet, sir.

- Okay, Sergeant Fat. I think we'll be leaving this planet soon, and then the baby will have diapers and experienced nannies. But for now, we have to make do with what we have.

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

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

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

- So you're a clone? Interesting, I thought all the clones went over to the side of the usurper who calls himself the emperor.

- That's true, almost all of them. But they must have made a mistake with me. Maybe they kept me in the incubator for a day longer than they were supposed to, or gave me a little more data during training, and I came out smarter than them. I'm sure there are others in the clone army who don't believe the usurper's lying propaganda and would gladly come over to our side.

- Yes, I would like to believe it.

- Is it true, sir, that we will soon leave the planet?

- Certainly, as soon as we figure out how to safely transport the baby.

But the days passed, and nothing could be thought of, and soon what had to happen sooner or later happened - the forces of the empire went on the attack. If before they fired from the air or from long-range artillery, now they put infantry into action. Regular ground transport could not move through the mountainous terrain of Mustafar, so extremely rare technologies at that time were used - walkers. Huge machines moved not on wheels or tracks, but on legs that imitated the paws of four-legged animals. One such armored walker could hold up to fifty armed infantrymen. The walker was inferior in speed to any ground transport, and it was not distinguished by great maneuverability, but it very deftly climbed mountains, stepped over stones and crevices, and overcame all the obstacles of the rugged terrain. When the walker passed through a grove, all that was heard was the loud cracking of breaking trees, when it met a mountain river, even a very powerful mountain current could not knock it off its feet. The walkers also had artillery weapons, but due to poor maneuverability they could only shoot forward, so more often the walkers were used only for their main purpose, as armored transport delivering infantry. Already in the first massive attack, the Imperial infantry were able to drive the Resistance soldiers out of their camp and force them to retreat. Having left their familiar place, Obi-Wan could now only defend himself, there was no talk of any counterattacks. They had to spend long days in such a dangerous position. Every day they moved many miles , retreating and defending themselves, and it was lucky if they managed to set up camp for the night. It happened that 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 general health worsened. Fortunately, Obi-Wan's intuition told him when the next attack would come, and he managed to wake up in advance. His officers tried to persuade him more and more persistently to leave the planet, but Obi-Wan refused each time.

- Look at the map of our movements, - he once said to the officers of his headquarters, - aren't you surprised by the trajectory along which the enemy seems to be deliberately driving us? During the entire time that we have been here, they have never tried to surround us, but rather they seem to have driven us along some route. It seems that they don't want to capture us at all, they are trying to make us leave the planet, as if they are driving us away from something.

- And what could it be?

- I'll try to find out. When we mapped all our travel points, it became clear to me where there might be something we weren't supposed to find. I'll go on a reconnaissance mission, taking only a few loyal people with me. Until I find out what secret of the Trade Federation these lackeys of the usurper are protecting, I won't leave the planet.

The loyal people included several battle-tested officers, and the team also included junior officer Fet, whom Obi-Wan had recently met. The clone had already proven his loyalty many times, in particular, he, like no one else, took care of little Luke, fed him, put him to bed at night. When he learned about the upcoming sortie, he immediately announced his desire to take part.

- We're running low on synthetic milk, - he said as they made their way through the mountain ledges, - and in two weeks we won't have anything to feed little Luke.

- Thank you for your concern, - said the archon. He was not very talkative, but while the enemy was far away, it was possible to chat.

- You have a strange name, Fet.

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

- It is probably very unfair that the republic did not allow you to have your own names.

- Parents give names, and we didn't have parents. More precisely, other clones were our family, so it's not surprising that we gave each other names.

- And what does the nickname "Fet" mean? I seem to have heard it somewhere.

But before the clone could answer, the sound of a flying plane was heard, and all the scouts had to quickly turn on camouflage and fall silent. Everything indicated that they were already close, and what they were looking for was in the valley right ahead. And their premonition did not deceive them. Right in the valley, hidden by mountains on three sides, there was a huge building and smokestacks, surrounded by a concrete fence. There was no doubt that these buildings were not erected by newly arrived soldiers of the empire, but by the Trade Federation. These premises resembled industrial buildings, one could assume that there was some kind of factory here. But this information needed to be verified. The entrances to the territory were guarded by several clones of the empire, blaster towers rose above the fence and one could even see the backs of some walkers. At the same time, there was no way to guess how many enemy soldiers were here, but it was clear that there were many of them. A plan matured in Obi-Wan's head almost immediately. That night, several hundred soldiers, along with various types of military equipment, set out on a combat sortie. They acted with lightning speed and determination, quickly broke through the gates and found themselves on the premises. Using explosives, they broke down one gate after another, went through one door after another, destroying everyone who stood in their way, and soon reached the production facilities.

- Gentlemen, congratulations, - Obi-Wan said joyfully, - we now have a weapon to destroy the usurper.

Indeed, before their eyes appeared thousands of ready-made Trade Federation battle droids, tens of thousands of blanks that, given the components, could be assembled in a matter of weeks and put to use. It was a whole army, with which it was possible to capture planets. But before the Resistance soldiers could begin to rejoice, they were informed of the approach of enemy forces. An entire regiment of clones was advancing along the valley and through the mountains towards them. They understood that they had to act quickly, since it would take only a few hours to activate and configure the battle droids. Now Obi-Wan's situation was not the best, since all the gates leading to the factory territory were blown up, all the paths were open. The Archon immediately contacted his own and called in all the aircraft he could, at this time the enemy aircraft had already begun actively bombarding the territory of the factory. In such confusion it was difficult to keep track of anything, and Obi-Wan was not surprised that he lost sight of Fet for several hours and, no matter how hard he tried and called for him, he could not find him. Only at the end of this terrible bombardment, when the Resistance aviation was able to repel the attacks of the Imperial aircraft and slightly stop the advance of the ground army, the archon met his faithful clone again. Fet was safe and sound, only looking gloomier than a cloud, as if he was depressed by something. At that time, this was attributed to a concussion that he could have received from enemy shelling. One way or another, the Resistance managed to hold out for several hours, after which the captured droids were activated and ended this battle with the rout of the enemy forces. Now it was time to go on the offensive, and the 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 peacefully for the first time in many days, not expecting that they would be attacked or fired upon from the sky. But his sleep was short-lived, soon he was overcome by an anxious premonition, much stronger than during the enemy attacks. It was as if the baby Luke was calling to him, asking for help, he was crying and clearly making it clear that he was in danger. Obi-Wan woke up in a cold sweat and rushed like a bullet to the boy's room. The guard officers were not in their places, no one was guarding the room. When Obi-Wan burst inside, he saw a terrible picture. Sergeant Fet held a blaster in his outstretched hand, aimed directly at the baby in the cradle. Obi-Wan, with a command of the Force, tore the weapon out of his hands and threw him to the floor, after which he ran to the crib, fortunately, the baby was alive and not even wounded.

- I couldn’t, - said Fet, - I had an order, I had to do it, but apparently I became too attached to the child.

An hour later, Obi-Wan was interrogating him in his office. Fet looked depressed, he was as upset by what had happened as the archon.

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

- Are you talking about the Emperor? No, I don't work for him, because the clones fought for the Republic, not for the Empire, and I was with you even before the Empire was declared, I joined you on Kashyyyk, I was in Master Yoda's squad. I forged documents, no one even noticed the substitution. I was easily mistaken for a clone.

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

- Technically, 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 as an ordinary person, received an education. And then my father was killed before my eyes. It was done by the Jedi. I was still a boy then.

- So that's where I heard the name, - Obi-Wan recalled, - and you want me to believe that you planned this operation yourself? You said you were ordered to kill Luke, who ordered it?

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

- Never heard of such a thing. What is his position?

- I don’t know now, but when I met him, he didn’t have any position. After you killed my father, the authorities sent me to prison. Formally, it was a special orphanage for the children of the enemies of the republic. Whom I didn’t meet there. They tried to re-educate us, there I learned to pretend to be a friend of the republic. When I came of age, they tested me for loyalty, made me a passport and indicated a planet in the outer ring where I should go to live. At the same time, leaving the planet was strictly forbidden. They even found me some work, but everyone understood that it was exile. On the way, I escaped and landed on a completely different planet - Plembau, where I met Clemence. I don’t know who he was before, but when we met, he was the same exile as me, only he had his own palace and a whole squad of battle droids in his personal guard. He knew things that only a person with the highest level of access to secrets could know. He was one of the first to learn about all the events in the Republic. He told me that the Republic would soon fall and be led by the Emperor, he said that the Republic was already ruled by a Sith, but secretly for now, but that power would soon become obvious. He also said that the Emperor would certainly remember him and call him to his service after he destroyed the Republic. I learned a lot from Clemence, and then he sent me to Kashyyyk to infiltrate Yoda. He believed that it was necessary to infiltrate now, later it would be too late, he knew in advance about your war against the Emperor, he knew that all clones would become soldiers of the Empire, it was as if he saw the future. Clemence was sure that when the Emperor found out that he had his own spy in the resistance, he would give Clemence a high position and thank him well.

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

- Yes, although there was nothing much to report, I was just a soldier, I did not 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 Clemence, and he conveyed the Emperor's will to me. But I couldn't, I was too attached to the child. Clemence thought that my appearance made me the perfect spy, but apparently he was wrong, and I am the worst spy there is.

- No, you are an excellent spy - Obi-Wan objected, - only you are not a killer, 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 killers, and if one of them achieves his goal, it will be your fault.

Fet sighed heavily and became even more upset than before; it was clear that his situation was tormenting him greatly.

- What will happen to me? - he suddenly asked, - will they execute me?

Obi-Wan thought about it, at one point he had actually tried to come up with a punishment for this Jedi-hater consumed with a thirst for revenge. But then a better idea came to him.

- There is no reason to execute you, - he said, - you have committed no crime. We will give you a spaceship, you will leave the planet in the near future. After all, you did not carry out the order of your emperor, which means you will be dismissed for service. And you will no longer be able to use your appearance to spy, so you are useless to them, and not dangerous 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.