"A long time." Padme agreed sadly.
A moment passed in silence as Padme continued opening and shutting her eyes against the harsh light. She wondered silently how Vader could stand it here. He was always in the dark, pitch dark, and if she couldn't adjust, how could he? It was so bright within the room; brightness she had not seen in what felt like a very long time. The light reminded her of the sun on her home planet of Naboo, the bright sun that shinned down to the planet and reflected off the water. Sure, she had seen the Coruscant light, but it was never anything like Naboo. On Coruscant the light was gray and dull, at home it was fresh and bright. Oh, how she missed home and the fact that she would probably never see Naboo ever again killed her. She wanted to go home. She wanted to see her family again. She wanted to live a long happy life with someone that she loved. She wanted so many things, but because of Vader, it all seemed to be gone.
"If you're an officer onboard of a flagship, why are you here?" Padme asked, trying to make some small conversation until her eyes adjusted to the light. "Classified information." Captain Piett answered quickly, "But I can tell you that Lord Vader insisted on my presence here."
"Isn't he kind." Padme said sarcastically, her words laced with hatred.
"I will not have you insulting my commanding officer, Milady." Piett snapped, his soft voice evaporating and for the first time sounding hostile towards her. "Lord Vader may be misunderstood, looked at as a bit harash, but he is a good leader. Best one in the whole galaxy, in fact. He has strange methods, but it works, he keeps the galaxy safe, and that is what is most important."
Padme could not believe the power of Piett's words; of the truth that his words held. Maybe not by her beliefs, but she could hear by the tone of his voice that he believed every word he had spoken. He believed Vader to be a good leader. He believed that he was saving the galaxy. They're all mad. Vader saving the galaxy? More like Vader destroying the galaxy.
Still, Padme didn't want to get off on the wrong foot. Not until she had some answers.
"My apologies, Captain." She apologized quickly, before raising her hurt wrist that she hoped showed some evidence of a struggle, "I'm afraid, Lord Vader's ways are just a little fresh in my mind."
"I did see that, Milady." Piett replied, the softness of his voice returning, "Lord Vader had me tend to the wound. It should heal within a few days, but I did wrap it for comfort."
After her thanks and another few moments of small talk, Padme's eyesight had almost fully adjusted. She was amazed to see that Piett was not as she had imagined. He was not old like the other officers, but young, not much older than herself. He had a kind face and voice, something she had never heard or seen from an Imperial officer. To Padme, there was not an evil or imperial quality about him. She couldn't believe he worked for a man lke Vader or the Emperor, and she found herself questioning just how he fell into such a line of work.
However, before she could ask Piett questions, the door to her cell slid open and a clone trooper joined them in the room.
"Lord Vader wants the Senator." The clone said sternly as he informed the Captain.
Piett nodded, signaling Padme to rise. "I will take her, trooper." He said, as he led Padme towards the door, "You may return to your unit."
The trooper moved in front of them, not allowing the pair to move out the door. "I'm afraid, Lord Vader was very specific," The trooper said, grabbing onto Padme's arm, "You are to return to the Executor, and wait for further instructions." Captain Piett hesitated not releasing Padme's arms, but soon knew he had to follow orders. Finally, he stepped back allowing the trooper to take full control of the Senator.
"It was a pleasure." Padme said with a small smile as another trooper entered the room to take a hold of her left side.
"Likewise, Milady." Piett agreed, giving a sorrowful smile, before Padme was shoved out the room and pulled down the hall.
After what seemed like an eternity of walking through the bright white hallways, the trio finally came upon a large door. One of the troopers, left Padme's side, and quickly typed a code into the corntol panel before returning to her side to pull her into the large room.
But the moment she entered, she wished she hadn't.
"What is this!" Padme screamed in horror, as she froze, looking at the scene before her. Vader stood in the center of the room, standing in a pool of blood. Around him were five strange chairs that sat in a line, all five restraining bloody and beaten Rebellion members. Padme had not met any of them personally but had spoken to a few of them from time to time during a meeting or two. She also knew that all five of the individuals had signed the petition for her return to the Senate, and were probably the same five Rebellion spies that the newscaster had spoken about earlier.
As the troopers pulled her closer the scene, she realized that only three of the five men were still were alive. The two at each far end were both either missing various limbs or grained of blood completely. It looked like a scene out of a horror holomovie. Vader only added to the horror, as he stood almost a foot above the tallest person in the room, with his dark and cold enegry passing through every soul in the room. "Vader!" Padme screamed again with the same amount of horror, "What is this?"
He ignored her question, circling the three men that pulled against their restraints. All three men shared the same look in their eyes, of fear and of death. They feared Lord Vader, and were right to do so.
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