. VERSES  ^{_{( TO BE ADDED )}
        under construction!}

.    IMPERIAL  : :  THERE ARE NO BARGAINS; I WILL KILL YOU & EAT YOU RAW.    .
.        ^{[ anakin skywalker | post-rotj / mainverse / suitless vader / etc. ]}

     THE FORCE AROUND HIM QUIVERED WITH SUDDEN TENSION ,   a palpable vibration emanating from his bones, pressing up under his skin and rattling every thought like a wayward note caught in the symphony of his existence.  the proceeding seconds unfolded slowly, vader dipping his chin in polite thanks at the female servant who had dropped into a curtsy, her amiable façade holding firm as her WHITE-KNUCKLED GRIP on the empty refreshments tray.
     full lips curled into a toothless smile.
     a moment later, she swiftly gathered her dress with one hand and hastened to the kitchens.  vader tracked her departure, his probing gaze pinned to the back of her head as her every step tightened a disquieting pull.  as the young woman disappeared behind swinging doors, he sensed the force pulsing around him, inside him, urging caution and demanding VIGILANCE.
     pleased by the gift bestowed to him, vader crossed one long leg over the other and settled back into his seat.  the droning babble of surrounding conversations resumed, filled with dozens of nameless, faceless politicians, clamoring for a moment of the emperor’s attention.  yet, he paid no heed to their chatter or the warbling now strident in his ears, distracted as he was with stalking a wisp of smoke, always on the verge of dissipating.
     FORCE GUIDING HIS PURSUIT, he hunted it relentlessly, battering the elusive presence until the outlines of scattered, indistinct sentiments took shape — then vanished.  he delved deeper, threading his consciousness through the tapestry of the force to unravel threads of truth and fiction, illusions layered in deception.  there, a PHANTOM lurked, just beyond the edges of perception, its intent well-shielded by training, eluding most observers.
     but not vader.  never him.
     under the saturated brilliance of crystal chandeliers hung overhead, vader smiled, his hooded eyes alight with recognition as soft lips rested against a glass rim and pulled into a smirk.
   with a gentle mental nudge, it unveiled at last: CARDINAL INTENT flared fever-bright, fraught with contempt and seething purpose.
   amid an abrupt flurry of movement, there existed no luxury for comprehension; among the politicians, barely a moment passed before their realization emerged in a series of startled blinks.  the emperor’s royal guardsmen, previously dispersed throughout the ballroom, had transitioned into a defensive formation around the emperor, their weapons now drawn and aimed at a solitary figure in their midst.
     all eyes converged on the source of the disturbance, none more intently than vader's.
     the young man in question stammered, his soft words breaking apart as he glanced between the room’s occupants and the vibro-edged tips of numerous forcepikes.  he appeared confused, as though plucking the flute from vader’s hand, and subsequently whatever TOXIN-LACED CIDER the shu-torun thought could kill the emperor, hadn't been a concious decision.
   as if vader hadn’t already tasted the simmering RESENTMENT emanating from prince monthan the moment he made planetfall on shu-torun.  as if any ordinary poison could extinguish him—the chosen one, not merely a man but a living MAELSTROM of power.
     the emperor needed no protection.  as the very progeny of the force itself, none resonated more harmoniously with it than HE.

• ✸

.    DUAL SUNS  : :  I AM A SHADOW'S SHADE, A LUNATIC OF A BLACK SUN.     .
.        ^{[ vader skywalker | set within prequel trilogy / au / twin!verse . ]}

     IT STRUCK VADER IN THAT INSTANT, AND HE COULD FEEL ITS UNHESITATING REACTION NEXT , a ferocious response that fell against him with vigorous, mounting pressure.  anakin’s presence in the force pulsed between them, bringing forth a memory that stood out sharp and bright, with sensations still so kriffing familiar.  yes.  unable to curb the impulse, his generous mouth pulled into a feral grin, excitement stirring every nerve to higher sensitivity and hunger.
     finally, his brother dearest in fury and force, was here, bringing with him an anger that had only grown stronger since their last encounter.    good.
     but vader wasn’t here for a touching reunion.  not now, anyway.  he turned his attention back to his former master, still sprawled pathetically on the floor, his deformed face drained of color, his wide, unblinking eyes fixed in a grotesque mask of 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇.  vader glared down at the crumpled heap of a man almost incomprehensibly.  was this it?  one swift thrust of a lightsaber to the neck was all it took to kill the great and terrible sith lord, darth sidious?
     upper lip raised in an unmistakable show of revulsion, vader drove his booted foot into sidious’s side, the muffled snap of bone ricocheting off the walls as the limp body skidded across the carpet and collided with a bolted chair with a sickening CRUNCH.    sidious did not get up.
     ❝you’re late,❞ vader remarked from over his shoulder, not trusting even sidious’s corpse enough to fully turn his back.  the conniving bastard likely had several fail-safes in place, and it was only a matter of time before they would activate — whatever they were, however they would manifest.  ❝you must have many questions.❞
     in truth, vader had harbored a hope that sidious would put up a more formidable challenge, or at least remained sufficiently alive long enough for him to savor the exact moment his former master’s eyes would widen in horrified realization as vader’s gloved hand plunged into the pliant flesh of his belly, tearing through muscle and viscera with the kind of casual BRUTALITY that only years of systematic dehumanization could perfect.
     this wasn’t just a REVENGE FANTASY; it was a meticulously choreographed symphony of pain and retribution, each note a reflection of the relentless torment sidious had inflicted on him—on a mere child, no less—over an protracted span of YEARS.
     would that have been enough to satisfy his thirst for REVENGE?  no, probably not.  even so, the satisfaction derived from keeping the wretched old man alive, if only to prolong his suffering, held a certain appeal.  however, after sidious struck down windu during a momentary lapse of confusion, all bets were off.  there existed NO REDEMPTION for a sith, and vader had no intention of sparing a man who had never once shown him mercy.
     ❝it was my expectation that our old friends here would have disclosed the truth to you by now.❞  sulfuric-yellow eyes slid towards the other body sprawled on the floor, ostensibly motionless.  mace windu was not yet dead, but his survival was tenuous—medical attention was his only hope.  ❝i should have known better.❞
     this was NOT the gift vader had planned to give anakin.  sidious should still be alive.  they should have fought side by side — united, twin brothers destined to bring 𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐄.  but sidious, the scheming, crafty little worm, had RUINED everything.

• ✸

.    KINGPIN  : :  WELL FED DEVILS BEHAVE BETTER THAN FAMISHED SAINTS.     .
.        ^{[ anakin skywalker | set within modern times / au / mafia!verse . ]}

    ANAKIN WAS 23 YEARS OLD WHEN HIS WIFE DIED UNDER MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES.    he was knee-deep in debt, juggling two jobs—not all of which were on the right side of the law—and deeply paranoid that his beloved wife and mother of his unborn children had done the unthinkable.  padmé had betrayed him.
     at least, that’s what senator sheev palpatine told him one night over drinks at his estate.  palpatine claimed she had taken matters into her own hands after stumbling upon a trove of evidence linking anakin to multiple illicit activities operating under the law’s radar.  his wife had gone behind his back while he toiled away, struggling to make ends meet and keep the lights on.  padmé didn’t understand the painstaking hurdles anakin jumped for the sake of their future, their future family, but it was fine.  palpatine’s KINDNESS had given him a chance to speak sense to his wife.
     all he needed was to talk to her, and she would understand that this wasn’t permanent; the jobs palpatine assigned him were merely a means to an end.  corruption was synonymous with the modern landscape of politics, a necessary climb up the ladder.  moreover, on top of a promised loan with no interest, palpatine had given his word that if anything were to happen, he would leverage his influence to spare anakin from a life behind bars.
     soon, they could leave, move to a new town where anakin could open up an auto shop like he’d always dreamed.
     padmé didn’t listen.  shortly after their heated argument, she went into labor.  then, she died.  doctors stated her death was a quick-onset and UNFORESEEN MORTALITY.  their children survived, but now they had no mother, and anakin had only himself to blame.
     distraught, he threw himself into the criminal underworld, no longer wavering in his acceptance of the tasks palpatine assigned him.
     months into his new position working as palpatine’s ENFORCER, anakin’s world shifted when he chanced upon audio recordings revealing palpatine’s indirect admission to murdering his wife.  while padmé’s interference might have cast suspicion on her husband, anakin was NEVER her primary target.  it was palpatine.  she had devised a plan to expose his POLITICAL CORRUPTION and the multitude of illicit enterprises he conducted for personal gain.
     it had taken the death of his wife for anakin to finally see palpatine for the monster he truly was.  palpatine had poisoned padmé, nearly killing his children in the process, and viewed anakin as nothing more than a pawn, a scapegoat with equally unclean hands.  ANAKIN SWORE HE WOULD NEVER AGAIN BE A VICTIM.
     senator sheev palpatine went missing on a mundane thursday afternoon.
     two weeks after his disappearance, law enforcement discovered a male torso discarded in a ditch precisely 81 meters from the senator’s opulent estate.  dna analysis confirmed the severed body part belonged to sheev palpatine.  investigators speculated the evidence had been deliberately placed.
     sheev palpatine’s body was never recovered.
     having been sheev palpatine’s close friend for most of his life, then his secret ATTACK DOG for the better part of a year, it was no surprise to the public that anakin skywalker emerged as the primary beneficiary of the senator’s estate.  the apparent connection seemed self-evident enough, escaping scrutiny from all but the most skeptical observers.  following a brief public expression of sorrow and an appeal for privacy, anakin skywalker quietly vanished from the public eye.
     three months later, skywalker opened up his first auto shop in new york.  within six months, five additional establishments sprang up across different locales in the state.  after securing partnerships with numerous independent car dealerships, skywalker’s enterprise, the 501_^st, broadened its scope to encompass luxury automobiles, catalyzing a nationwide expansion of the chain business that rapidly spread throughout the united states.
     nowadays, anakin skywalker can be found at his new york restaurant, azure angel.  here, amidst the clinking of glasses and the murmurs of the elite, anakin presents himself as a simple businessman with a passion for cars and hell-bent on spreading the taste of his late mother’s cooking.  but beneath this façade lies a man known by a different moniker—VADER: the widowed mechanic turned automotive tycoon, restaurateur, UNDERWORLD KINGPIN, ARMS TRAFFICKER, CONTRABAND DEALER, EXTORTIONIST, and COLD-BLOODED MURDERER.

• ✸