Fanfic / Eros Turannos

Eros Turannos by Emerald Leaves is a Star Wars fic set in an alternate continuity around the time of the prequel films. As revealed over the course of the fic, in this timeline Anakin Skywalker was essentially ‘adopted’ by Palpatine/Sidious when he was four years old after they set off an explosion in Watto’s shop, with Anakin and Shmi each believing that the other was dead. By the time of what would have been the end of the Clone Wars in canon, Darth Vader is appointed to be Senator Padme Amidala’s ‘bodyguard’ against recent potential threats to the Republic, even though both Vader and Padme are aware that Vader’s true purpose there is to eventually lure out Rebel forces trying to rescue Padme and expose them. However, as time goes on, Vader and Padme find themselves drawn to each other for reasons that go beyond their ‘assignments’, and eventually develop true feelings for each other.

The fic has a sequel, Paterfamilias, looking at how Anakin and Padme continue their efforts to reform the Senate after Palpatine’s death.

The fic has since been removed from the 'net.

Eros Turannos contains examples of:

• Abusive Parent: It is made clear that Palpatine’s training of Vader included brutal torture, to the extent that his back still shows the scars.
• Action Politician: Padme, as always, balances her political duties with her secret role in the Rebel Alliance.
• Adaptational Heroism:
  • In an interesting variation of this, Darth Vader is actually a lighter character after being ‘raised’ as a Sith than when he was raised as a Jedi in canon; where Anakin committed himself fully to the Sith in canon because he lost everything, here Vader is cautiously intrigued by the powers of the Light Side and has tried to learn some of its power on his own.
  • Firmuss Piett is appointed one of Vader’s personal commanders as Vader recognises the young man’s skill, observing that Piett is loyal to the ideas that the Empire is meant to represent without being blindly loyal to the Emperor personally.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: Essentially defied; Padme is only ‘attracted’ to the rare tender moments displayed by Vader rather than his traditional persona.
• An Arm and a Leg: Padme only learns that Vader has an artificial arm already when he cuts the damaged arm off to escape a crashed ship.
• Armor-Piercing Response: When Obi-Wan confirms that Count Dooku left the Jedi Order long before he would have tried to kill Vader, it is such a shock to Vader’s perception of events that he allows Kenobi to escape.
• Back for the Dead: As it turns out, Palpatine faked General Grievous’s death once he felt that the Clone Wars had achieved their purpose, only for Grievous to be killed during the final battle on Coruscant.
• Benevolent Boss: In their own way, Padme and Vader/Anakin are this; while Vader is harsh when dealing with failure, he acknowledges success and is noted to never punish anyone just because he feels like it.
• Break the Cutie: Padme is stuck in a position where she is forced to live with a man she considers an enemy who would probably kill her in a moment, and is eventually forced to basically prostitute herself to Vader in return for favours.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Padme continues to try and find ways to help preserve what is left of the Republic in the Empire even when involved with Vader.
• Contrived Coincidence: Even with the Force playing a part, it is still extremely fortunate for Padme that she met the Lars family after she and Vader crash-landed on Tatooine before she even learned Darth Vader’s real name.
• Corrupt Politician: Vader and Padme each acknowledge that there are various corrupt senators in both the Republic and the Empire, although Padme wants to believe at least some of them can be better where Vader has a very cynical view of the political process.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Padme is truly disturbed as she learns more about Vader’s past, ranging from Threepio telling her about the death of Vader’s mother as a child to witnessing his physical condition under the armour and realising that he must have been tortured while he was growing up.
• Dating Catwoman: ‘Dating’ may not be the right word, but Vader and Padme each develop feelings for the other despite knowing that the other is on the opposite side.
• Easily Forgiven: Defied; despite Vader/Anakin expressing a tentative willingness to change, Obi-Wan convinces Yoda to keep Anakin’s identity secret as they work with the Rebels to attack Palpatine.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: While Palpatine often manages to inspire doubt in Padme over the extent of her ‘influence’ on Vader, he is still incapable of acknowledging even the idea that Padme might have any kind of influence on Vader at all.
• Evil Gloating: Palpatine often does this, particularly when talking to Padme in private.
• Evil Is Petty: Palpatine apparently deliberately gave Vader a flawed artificial arm to hinder his apprentice’s abilities and thus limit the risk of Vader turning on him.
• Exact Words: Much like Obi-Wan in canon, Padme argues that they claim that Vader died in the crash-landing on Tatooine as she considers that the moment when Vader began to become Anakin again.
• A Friend in Need: Obi-Wan Kenobi is willing to go to considerable lengths to help Padme after their past friendship during the attack on Naboo.
• Godzilla Threshold: Padme is pushed to such desperation that she makes a deal with Vader where she’ll have sex with him in return for a chance to talk privately with her friends.
• Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Even knowing that traditional Sith methods would require the apprentice to eventually kill the master, Obi-Wan Kenobi can't comprehend the idea that Vader was preparing to kill Palpatine for years.
• Good Parents: Even after learning that Anakin is Darth Vader, Shmi still at least wants to care for him even before Padme assures her that there was still good in Anakin.
• He Is Not My Boyfriend: Invoked when Padme has to discuss the nature of her relationship with Vader with a Senator she doesn’t like that much, simply stating that she and Vader were brought together due to other issues and decided to attend social occasions together to save themselves the bother.
• Hidden Depths: Padme is surprised when talking with Threepio reveals such details about Vader’s past as the name of his mother and some details about his age when Palpatine became his guardian.
• Honesty Is the Best Policy: This attitude highlights Piett's policy in dealing with his superiors, to the extent that he admits his doubts about his suitability for the position that Vader has chosen for him due to his potential inexperience in this area, even when angering Vader is regarded as a bad idea (Vader, however, appreciates his honesty and promotes him regardless).
• I Did What I Had to Do: Obi-Wan and Vader each separately express disapproval and disgust when they realise that the Rebels mounted an attack during a visit to Naboo that put Padme’s life at risk just to try and kill Vader.
• Imperiled in Pregnancy: Padme is so early in her pregnancy that she hasn’t even started to show, but she joins the assault on Coruscant that leads to the final defeat of Grievous and Palpatine.
• In Spite of a Nail: Despite Anakin not growing up on Tatooine and his absence from the events of Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon Jinn still died during the battle with the Trade Federation, Vader still constructed C-3PO to help raise himself, and Padme now owns R2-D2, justifying her having an astromech droid who doesn’t obviously help her senatorial duties as he saved her life and she just likes having him around. Later on, Obi-Wan Kenobi becomes Vader's Jedi Master as he begins to explore the power of the Light Side rather than the Dark.
• Kick the Dog: When alone with Padme, Palpatine taunts her by claiming that she is having no true impact on Vader and his apprentice is just waiting for the order to kill her.
• Long-Lost Relative: When Shmi and Vader/Anakin recognise each other, Anakin starts sobbing on the floor while Shmi tearfully embraces her son.
• Love Redeems: Although both Vader and Padme are aware that there are ulterior motives behind the Emperor’s official reasons for appointing Vader Padme’s bodyguard, the two end up developing genuine feelings for each other.
• Love Revelation Epiphany: Padme has one when she realises that Vader showed a surprising amount of tenderness (by his usual standards, anyway) during their last night together, even if she doesn’t understand how she can feel anything for him.
• Meaningful Rename: After he agrees to start training with Obi-Wan, Vader agrees to be known once again as Anakin.
• Missing Mom: Even after believing her dead for the better part of two decades, Vader holds on to the memory of Shmi Skywalker, even as he acknowledges that she wouldn’t approve of what he’s become.
• Morality Pet: Even after believing Shmi died in an accident when he was four years old, Vader still kept a memento of her in his rooms, with Padme explicitly stating that Shmi kept whatever was left of Anakin alive in Vader until their reunion (although Padme takes on that role herself as her relationship with Vader becomes deeper).
• My God, What Have I Done?: To be exact, Vader/Anakin has a ‘My God, What Would I Have Done?’ moment when he realises that he was genuinely considering raising his own twin children to be Sith even for a moment.
• My Greatest Failure: When Padme hears Vader/Anakin state that he believes he killed Shmi, she realises that Vader has spent years blaming himself for his mother’s apparent death.
• Pragmatic Hero:
  • The Rebels use this argument to justify trying to destroy Vader's ship even when Padme is in the same ship, but Obi-Wan rejects the idea that this is an acceptable justification.
  • Kenobi reasons that the destruction of the Jedi basically amounted to the Force itself doing this, with the Jedi Order being destroyed to allow it to rebuild and escape its state of stagnation that allowed the Sith to reform in the first place.
• Pride: Talking with Yoda about Anakin/Vader’s status as the Chosen One, Obi-Wan observes that the Jedi Order had become too set in their ways, and they needed such a drastic shock as the Purge to properly rebuild.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Shmi’s importance to Vader is made clear when, after seeing Shmi alive, Vader breaks down sobbing and apologising for his perceived role in her death.
• Rags to Royalty: Arguably applies to Anakin/Vader, considering that he goes from being a slave to second-in-command of the Empire. Later, his mother’s family experience some of this, as Anakin does what he can to make their lives better in his new role as Emperor without drawing too much attention to them.
• Rank Up: Firmus Piett goes from Cadet to Lieutenant Commander instantly when Vader promotes him; Piett expresses uncertainty if he's ready for this responsibility, but one of Vader's clone troopers observes that Vader recognises talent and must have promoted Piett because he sees that the man will try to earn his promotion despite his initial inexperience.
• Secret Identity: In Paterfamilias, Anakin basically has one as he acts as both Emperor Darth Vader and his 'apprentice' Anakin Skywalker, allowing Vader to officially delegate responsibilities while Anakin can marry Padme, be a father to the twins and hopefully disassociate himself from his past sins to protect his children.
• Secret-Keeper: For most of Eros, only Padme and Shmi are aware that Padme is pregnant with Anakin’s children, Padme keeping the pregnancy secret from Anakin until after Palpatine’s death.
• Shipper on Deck: Padme is somewhat bemused to find that some of the Clone Troopers (as disclosed to her by her personal guard) favour her and Vader forming a relationship.
• Smug Snake: Palpatine’s sheer arrogance prompts him to remain confident even when Vader has returned to inspire a clone rebellion against the Empire.
• Spirit Advisor: Qui-Gon appears to Obi-Wan Kenobi as a Force Ghost to guide his former apprentice to the path to make contact with the Chosen One and guide him to his destiny.
• Starcrossed Lovers: More so than in canon, as Vader starts out as second-in-command of the Empire while Padme is a secret member of the Rebel Alliance.
• Undying Loyalty: Vader has spent time creating a reputation for himself with the Clone Troopers where they are loyal to him above all others.