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Darth Vader’s Meditation Chamber

Location: Executor

Date: 3 ABY

While bacta tanks remain one of the foremost methods for wound care, this treatment has its limitations for especially debilitating injuries. Where science fails, spiritualism intervenes. Built to provide palliative care and temporary relief rather than lasting healing, this meditation chamber once served as an oasis of calm and command center for the Imperial enforcer Darth Vader.

The specially designed pod was the only place to give Vader relief from the constrictions of his cybernetic armor, and perhaps the only place where he found a modicum of peace. A mechanism in the top section operated pincers that released him from his viselike headgear. They lifted his helmet, then the topmost portion of his mask, and connected its breathing apparatus to a recharging station. The Sith Lord could recline in the pod for as long as he wished, surrounded by a high-pressure gas mixture that safely aired a few precious inches of the web of mutilated flesh that covered his body. This artificial atmosphere, pumped into the chamber through a series of tubes and a carefully calibrated compressor, provided his scarred lungs with a plentiful supply of life-sustaining oxygen. Other transfusions and nutrient supplements could be added as needed.

Although the chamber, as its name suggests, was a place for quiet contemplation, Vader’s work as the Emperor’s right hand did not cease during his periodic retreats there. Communications consoles and data feeds connected him with his highest-ranking officers at a moment’s notice. His helmet could be fitted back into place at the push of a button.

Surrounded by pristine white walls, like a mechanized eggshell protecting a hatchling, Vader could calm his mind and connect with the Force. He could also attempt to reach the last shred of humanity still residing in the black heart of one of the Empire’s cruelest servants.

DK