Padmé lacked the strength to rise from the floor. Everything felt overwhelming. Her world was falling apart, and her reality was crumbling. She felt like her life had lost all meaning. The galaxy no longer mattered to her. The four walls enclosing her seemed to be her sole reality for an indefinite time… a notion that frightened her. She felt ensnared in torment… confined in Vader's… domain. This understanding caused her tears to stream.
Gently, Padmé hugged herself and bent her head down to her knees. Closing her eyes, she took deep breaths, trying to collect her thoughts. She knew she couldn't break… not just yet. She could withstand this; surrender was not an option. She just needed to calm down. She had to take a moment to rest. Her strength was vital. Tears began streaming down Padmé's face as she grasped just how weary she really was. The day had drained her more than she had even realized.
But she shouldn't sleep. She just needed to rest for a moment. She had to devise a plan. She needed to explore her surroundings. It was essential to ensure safety first. She attempted to resist, but the pull was too powerful. She had to surrender.
She would rest and prepare tomorrow. The Empire may have won this battle, but the war was far from over. Vader had not defeated her yet, and hope still shimmered on the horizon. She refused to surrender. She would resist.
As her thoughts wandered, her body collapsed. Sleep embraced her as she lay on the floor of her new bedroom prison.
This is not going to work, Vader thought as he stormed through his personal chambers, stripping off the clothes that hid him from the galaxy. As the clothes fell to the floor, Vader felt the cold air hit his skin. The coldness was like needles against his wounds. The wounds that would not heal. The pain delighted him. He looked in the mirror that stood before him and was disgusted with the man that stared back. A constant torment of so many things, but that's what Vader's life was… torment. He looked around him, admiring the emptiness. Here, when he was truly alone, was when he did not have to hide. He sat back onto the black sheeted bed that sat in the middle of the room. The soft material contracted around his body, but it gave him no comfort. Softness was not something Vader was accustomed to, and when he felt it, it repulsed him. It reminded him of his early teachings as a boy. He did not need softness. He did not need comfort. Comfort was for the weak. He was not weak.
Vader growled annoyed, pushing away from the sick softness. He couldn't just sit there. He had more important things to accomplish. Using the Force, he called a datapad from across the room to his gloved hand. Holding the device tightly, he skimmed through the countless files within as he moved through his chambers before reaching his office. Entering the dark room he sat at his desk, sulking in his misery. He opened the file that had been sent to him by his Master. It contained all details of the dreadful weeks to come. The details that his Master should have told him personally and more importantly before he had arrived on Coruscant.
The very thought of his Master made Vader's anger blister. That fool. This whole situation was a waste of time… and completely insulting. Vader didn't like being in the dark when it came to missions. What was his Master's plan? Was it all just a test? Vader didn't like that… not at all. A test to prove what? A test to prove himself? His power? His devotion? His loyalty? Had he not proven himself by now? He was sure after everything he had done, after everything he had accomplished, that he had proven himself by now. Extinction of the Jedi Order. Rising of the Empire. Extinguishing of the Rebel Alliance. Always bowing to Darth Sidious's every command and wish. The list went on and on. He had done nothing but proven himself. And now this? It was insulting. A waste of his time and effort. None of this was what he expected when his Master had requested him to return to Coruscant. He had hoped that his Master was just requesting his presence for some act of fear. Palpatine always got his way easier when Darth Vader was in the room. Everyone feared Vader's wrath and for good reason. He did not hold back. That sort of mission Vader could deal it. It wasted valuable time but it would be quick and effortless, but as always, it wasn't that simple.
Of course, Vader knew that his mission with Senator Amidala was not over, but he never thought his Master would resource to this. Vader had hoped that it would be a much longer time before he had to deal with the young girl again. He still wished that the senator would die tragically, perhaps an assassination, something that was painful; but anything to rid his life of her. Forever. Though he knew it was unlikely, and he couldn't prolong the enviable forever. It was only a matter of time before he saw her again. Even so, this was not at all what Vader had expected.
The Emperor knew Vader was outraged at the moment the words left his lips. Vader had made no attempt to block out his feelings. He hated her and every idea of being near her, now it seemed that he would constantly have to be near her. He would have no escape. Vader understood his Master wanted answers, but going to this extent? By all means, lock the girl up, but not like this. Let Vader squeeze the truth out of her, torture her until she could no longer take anymore. Not play some silly game with her.
During his quick briefing of his Master's plan, Sidious had railed on about the young girl's naïve nature and how easily it would be to break her. Vader disagreed, not that he would tell his Master that. He would not hind his feelings, but he knew better than to speak his doubts. He knew the consequences of such an action.
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