Oh my goodness I have not only written an update when I said I would, it's also a reasonable length so it doesn't take a week to read. I don't know what to do with myself.

Anyway, enjoy the update!


Padmé hugged herself as she walked through the grounds of the Jedi enclave. A slight wind played with her hair, though she didn't notice it, her steps taking her nowhere in particular as Jedi meandered about the place. She was still trying to sort through her feelings, though she was steadily coming to several conclusions.

First, Éothen was perfectly entitled to say what he had. She had been terrible to him and deserved the criticism. Padmé had used him from the start. Their first interaction was when she had desperately begged for help from Senator Tlenden and Éothen had nobly offered to assist her in rescuing Bail. From that moment forward, Éothen had been nothing but a gentleman, fighting for her and accepting her offers, even though she had only gone to lunch and the opera with him for her own sanity's sake, even though she had proposed to him for the Alliance's sake. He had given her his time, his skill, his people… he had been willing to give her himself. And she had only abused him for it. Not only was Éothen allowed to say what he had, Padmé should have said it herself.

Second, she had to make up for what she'd done. She had no intention of pushing for the marriage anymore; that was an idiotic move in the first place. She'd known it when she'd done it, but she simply hadn't wanted to admit it… and honestly, she could have never guessed just how serious of a miscalculation it had been, given everything that had happened. But after all that she'd done to hurt Éothen, she had to make up for it somehow. Maybe she could fight alongside the Alliance to retake Tsograda… though she would have to ensure she wasn't near Éothen at all – she knew he would want nothing to do with her, and at this point she was too ashamed to look him in the eye anymore. Her chest clenched a little at the thought of it, only because she knew she deserved his resentment.

Third, she was finally free of the extra baggage in her relationship with Vader. After all, their relationship had changed entirely after her engagement, as one might expect when getting engaged to a different man from the one she loved. But with the marriage out of the picture… her memories of Thecine suddenly didn't seem so far away. But she wasn't going to be foolish about this – she knew they had so much ground to cover before they could truly make amends and be what they were. But she was no longer scared to try, no longer hesitant to be near him. She was downright eager – Padmé was looking for Vader now, actually.

Vader. Her heart skipped a beat, and then she paused in her step, taking a deep breath. She couldn't make the same mistake twice. She wouldn't. She had to slow down.

"Padmé?"

Jumping, Padmé turned sharply to see Obi-Wan and Siri looking at her, standing by a small stream.

"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked first, noticing her scrambled emotions.

"I'm… getting by," she said, which was honestly probably the best way to describe it. "Do you know where Vader is?"

"Not right now," Siri answered, shaking her head. "We were just talking about him, figuring out how we could get him to cooperate."

Padmé bit her tongue, recalling that extra headache that had temporarily been banished from her mind given what had just happened. Yes, the Alliance did need some proof that Vader wasn't a threat anymore. She didn't blame them, but it still made things difficult. Also…

"We need to talk to him about Tarkin," Padmé told them. "He's the key player in all this now, and Vader would know everything there is to know about him. But… I don't know if we'll be able to convince him within twenty-four hours."

Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Actually, in relation to Tarkin, Anakin might be willing to tell us more than usual."

"You just told me that he said he'd never help the Alliance," Siri noted, crossing her arms.

Padmé felt her stomach churn. "He said that?"

"Yes, but this would be more of revenge against Tarkin instead of aiding the Alliance," Obi-Wan sighed. "Though revenge isn't a great idea, either, we could utilize his desire for it to a good end."

"Don't the means justify the end?" Siri reminded her husband, quirking an eyebrow with a smirk.

"Well Anakin isn't in control of this situation; he can tell us all there is to know about Tarkin but we choose what to do with it," Obi-Wan responded. "It's certainly more promising than asking him about anything else."

"Hopefully he's willing," Padmé muttered.

"Willing or not, we need something from him," Siri said. "Or things will only get worse for everyone."

"Come on," Obi-Wan motioned to Padmé. "There isn't time to wait. Siri—"

"Way ahead of you," Siri interrupted, walking away.

Padmé watched her friend leave. "Where's she going?"

"To talk to the Alliance about the situation on Ferrasco as we saw it, and to confer with Qui-Gon." Obi-Wan answered. "I expect at least one of us will be pulled into this battle."

Padmé looked at her brother worriedly. She had just gotten everyone back – she didn't want to lose them again. Still, it wasn't like this was their first dangerous assignment, battle or not. Not that it made her feel any better; risking their lives used to be an almost everyday occurrence, but after almost losing her life and being away from her family for what felt like an eternity, she was admittedly more paranoid about these kinds of missions.

"Any suggestions on where to find Vader?" Padmé asked. "I would say he's probably near a landing pad, but here I find that fairly doubtful."

Obi-Wan shot her a quizzical look. "What makes you think he's near a landing pad?"

"He likes flying," Padmé said softly with a smile, remembering her time with Vader on Naboo. "Even if he doesn't know it."

Obi-Wan mirrored her smile. "Yes, I noticed that. But, naturally, he neither likes nor dislikes anything."

Padmé chuckled a little morosely. "I guess you've heard that line before."

"I would say more than you can imagine, but I'm sure you've heard it far more than I."

"Maybe," Padmé sighed, looking away.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes for a moment before facing another direction. "Let's go."

Padmé followed her brother as he mysteriously felt out for Vader in the Force. Despite their reconciliation, he still seemed pretty foreign to her, somehow her brother but somehow not. Obi-Wan as she knew him had never been this eerily calm, almost reminiscent of Vader himself. Her brother had been a steadying rock, but even he'd had his limits, even he'd worried – if anything he'd worried more than anyone else. Perhaps he still did, but it was just hidden under a new façade… or perhaps he had learned to find some inner peace that barely anything could unsettle.

"So this is where you two stayed while I was gone?" she asked, both out of conversation's sake and curiosity. "What was it like?"

"Not as chaotic as it is now," Obi-Wan answered somewhat sadly. "Before it became an Alliance base it was just a safe haven. There was the underlying current of the war, but this seemed one of the few places where you could disconnect from everything."

Padmé pondered his words for a moment, but the conversation was interrupted when Obi-Wan paused. Padmé didn't have to ask why they were stopping – she heard the sharp sound of a lightsaber cutting through thin air rapidly, hissing and roaring as it was moved in quick bursts. Hearing it in the woods reminded her of when she had briefly practiced lightsaber technique with Vader on the Chommell colony.

Vader was ahead, moving with frantic spurts of energy. He was using a red blade, illuminating the clearing with red as the light of dusk cast deep shadows in the trees. His blade was shorter than the one he typically used…

Wait. That was her shoto!

"Would you like a sparring partner?" Obi-Wan asked.

Vader immediately paused and faced them. His face was flushed, likely from exertion, and his eyes were alight with something that couldn't be deciphered from his neutral stare. Padmé waited for him to reply with his usual dismissal of not liking anything, but he only stood there, his mouth steadily tightening into a thin line.

Obi-Wan waited a short while longer before shifting, apparently growing somewhat impatient. "Do you need a sparring partner?"

Vader swallowed and his gaze quickly darted to the ground. The shoto deactivated with a hiss.

Obi-Wan took a step towards the man, his brow furrowing slightly. "What's wrong?"

"You came here for a reason." Vader said, folding his hands behind his back and locking eyes with Obi-Wan.

Both Obi-Wan and Padmé paused for a moment. Maybe Vader was still sour from his earlier confrontation with Éothen? Padmé wasn't quite sure what was bothering him, but Obi-Wan apparently was too concerned with the current dilemma of the Rebels to press the matter.

Her brother took a deep breath. "Anakin, we need to talk about Tarkin. He was the one to order the attack on Salkende and likely ordered the attack on Ferrasco as well. If that's the case, then he's probably after you."

Vader grew very still, his brow furrowing, and his eyes examined the two of them, narrowing slightly. He was silent for a few moments, and neither Padmé nor Obi-Wan interjected. He needed time to process this, time to figure out what to say. Padmé found herself holding her breath in apprehension; they had a little under twenty-four hours to convince a man who hated the Alliance to help them, and Padmé knew that using his love for her as a means to get information out of him was a terrible idea.

"I'm not helping your Alliance, your Jedi, or your fiancé," he eventually said coldly.

Padmé bit her tongue slightly. Despite the slight bitterness about what she'd done to Éothen, now was the time to have good news for a change. "I'm no longer engaged to him."

Obi-Wan whirled on his sister as both men stared at Padmé, shocked.

"You broke your engagement with him?" Obi-Wan asked, apparently unconcerned about saving face.

A simple yes would suffice, but she had to give the Salkenden the credit he was due since he was the one who had been strong enough to break it off. "Éothen thought it was prudent. I agreed."

Vader's shocked demeanor changed immediately as some cold realization sank into him, and he collected himself. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, still looked like he was processing the issue. Padmé felt a little bad for her brother – he had, after all, been dealing with a lot of surprises lately. She decided to elaborate a little. "My engagement was a mistake. I knew it when I got myself into it, but I refused to acknowledge it. Éothen just… was the better person between the two of us."

"A better person would have never agreed to such a ludicrous proposal in the first place," Vader spat.

Padmé sighed guiltily. It was time to confront the issue, she supposed. The Alliance would have to wait. Glancing at her brother, she said, "Obi, can you give us a moment?"

Obi-Wan looked between the two before nodding and slowly backing away, disappearing into the forest.

Padmé took a deep breath. She wasn't sure how she would approach it, but she knew that she had to. Vader stood patiently, likely curious about her dismissal of her brother, but obviously tense, still annoyed by the topic of discussion.

"I was a fool," Padmé said quietly, feeling the tight sting in her chest. "I was a fool for everything I did to you, everything I did to Éothen. I don't know how agents and spies can do their jobs – to manipulate people in such manners is too cruel a task for anyone to do with a clear conscience. I… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you, I'm sorry for my engagement with Éothen. I'm sorry."

"You've apologized enough," Vader said softly, even gently, almost as if he knew what she was thinking, knew how she was feeling. Perhaps he did – Padmé didn't know how far his power extended, how the Force even worked. Seeing how a little bit of training had enhanced her brother and sister-in-law's abilities to read her emotions was enough to make her feel somewhat exposed suddenly, but she didn't back down from the feeling. She wanted to be open with Vader. She wanted things to be right between them again… or, rather, for things to be right between them for the first time; things hadn't exactly been perfect on Naboo, even though they were an improvement to their current relationship.

Nevertheless, Vader's words caught her by surprise. He had seemed cold and resentful around her, even if a small part of him continued to reach out to her. Why was he suddenly understanding? He'd never been empathetic.

Well. Maybe not never. There had been that one time where she had cried in front of him, but that had been more of awkward reassurances and giving her privacy to get herself together. And his seemingly casual remark about her shutting off her emotions (blast she had been so blind to the signs back then).

"I… I have?" Padmé questioned, fiddling with her dress as she was filled with a strange bout of nervousness and giddiness.

Vader watched her almost sadly before looking at the ground. Then his eyes hardened. "Return to the base."

Padmé started to grow desperate and agitated. "Vader, I want to be with you, I want to help you. Why do you have to shut me out like this?"

Closing his eyes, Vader turned so he was only half facing her. "Return to your base."

Padmé stared at him, her mouth slightly open, her face flushed, her heart fluttering in her chest. Then she grew defiant. Tightening her jaw, she stood determinedly. "No. I'm not ending the conversation like this. I… I love you. That means I'm not giving up on you. I'm never giving up on you."

A small, sad sigh escaped Vader's lips, and he opened his eyes to gaze off at the forest. "You don't love me."

Padmé blanched. "Excuse me?"

"If you truly love me, then there are facets of love that I just don't understand," Vader remarked. "I… I know what love is. And… you don't have it. Not for me."

"Does this have to do with love being a weakness?" Padmé asked, feeling her ire and confusion both rise simultaneously. She also felt hurt – what kind of accusation was Vader throwing at her, anyway?

Vader shifted. "I… I don't know if love is a weakness anymore. It could be a weakness - Master died saving me. But it can also be a strength – Obi-Wan and Siri saved me from myself, and they would have never been able to do that without you starting me on that path. I don't know anymore…"

Padmé stared at him in wonder. He'd just admitted in a few sentences more than he had ever mentioned in their entire relationship with each other. She hadn't realized how much Obi-Wan and Siri had helped him. Gods. But… this was amazing news, so why was he saying she didn't love him, especially after he had just noted that she had helped him?

Blast, there was just so much to unpack in that brief pronouncement. "Your… Palpatine loved you?"

Vader swallowed, his lips twitching, and his hands slowly came up to grab his upper arms, giving himself a hug. "I… don't know. I thought he didn't. But… I don't know anymore. There's just… too much to think about. I don't understand."

"Then talk to me about it," Padmé suggested desperately. "I want to help. Let me help."

Vader huffed in some form of sad amusement. "Obi-Wan said that too."

"So why don't you listen to us?"

"Because we're here." Vader's voice grew darker, sharper. "Return to your base."

"Why do you think I don't love you?" Padmé pressed, ignoring his dismissal. "Was it because I hesitated when you asked back home? You have to realize I needed time to adjust, just like you did. We were both in shock. My love for you hasn't disappeared because of what happened."

"Master died for me. I would have died for him. But you died for the Alliance."

"You shot me, remember?" Padmé rebutted sharply, a taste of bitterness in her mouth. She supposed she hadn't entirely forgiven him, then, or her frustration was simply coloring her words and opinions at the moment. She wasn't sure which, but this conversation was quickly spiraling into all of their frustratingly roundabout discussions on Naboo. She wasn't sure if that was an improvement or not from how things had been since their reunion. "I didn't exactly choose to die—and I'm not dead, remember? I'm right here. I'm right here."

"You did choose." Vader said emphatically, looking her in the eye.

Padmé locked her gaze with his, feeling his hardened eyes try to crush her under their intensity. She fought back, standing her ground, trying to find a way to pierce through his words, to understand the meaning. She chose to die? Was this because of her engagement to Éothen? That was, as Obi-Wan had noted, what had changed the nature of her relationship with Vader, so maybe that's what he meant. But the engagement was over now; what more did he want? What else could she do?

He was still blaming her for what she'd done an eternity ago. He was still holding her accountable for her decision to marry Éothen.

Padmé felt her chest grow even tighter, if that was possible. She hadn't forgiven him for shooting her yet, and it seemed the feeling was mutual.

He hadn't forgiven her for choosing Éothen over him. But it had never been a competition between the men themselves!

"Vader, I didn't choose to marry Éothen because I loved him, or because I didn't want you," Padmé tried to explain. "It was for the Alliance; they needed the help that Salkende could supply, and I was desperate at that moment. I had just found out about you destroying a fleet that would have reinforced the Rebels, about you killing Jedi. I was terrified and desperate and I made a bad decision as a result. It seems to be a recurring theme in my life."

Vader tipped his head, unsurprised by her words. In fact, he looked justified.

Seeing it only frustrated Padmé all the more. "What do you want from me?"

"Return to your base," Vader repeated a third time, finally turning away from her entirely.

Padmé stared at him, dumbfounded. Why? Why was he acting like this? What could she say to change his mind? Why couldn't he forgive her, why couldn't he understand? He'd said he had, for heaven's sake!

Padmé was beyond words at this point, and shaking her head with tears in her eyes, she stormed away. That man was impossible sometimes. She couldn't talk to him like this. She had to cool down, to dissect their conversation and figure out what the blazes was wrong, figure out how she could reach him. It hurt too much right now to even think about it.

Walking briskly, Padmé nearly ran headfirst into her brother when she rounded a particularly large tree. Gasping for air from both being startled and upset, she huffed an apology.

"What's wrong?" Obi-Wan immediately asked, looking concerned.

"He… he's just—I can't deal with this right now," Padmé shook her head, continuing along, barely giving her poor brother a second glance.

Obi-Wan watched his sister go, confused and worried. What had caused this outburst? Was Anakin being stubborn again? Had they gotten into some kind of argument? Obi-Wan had presumed Padmé had dismissed him in order to address the issue of Éothen.

Obviously it had gone as spectacularly as one might expect when it came to Anakin and sensitive issues.

Sighing, Obi-Wan traced his steps back towards the clearing where he had found Anakin earlier. Stretching out with the Force he sensed tumultuous emotions rolling off the young man, though they didn't seem nearly as destabilizing as they used to be. Anakin was not quite the emotional disaster he used to be, after all. Still, this conversation had left him as rattled as it had Padmé.

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan said softly as he entered the clearing.

"Go away." Anakin immediately said, facing away from him.

Well this was starting off well. "Anakin, what happened?"

"I told her the truth. Go away."

"I see the truth sat well with her. What exactly is the truth?"

"You know it. Just… go."

Anakin was growing weary of this. He would either snap completely at Obi-Wan or give in. If he played his cards right, Obi-Wan could turn this in his favor, even if it would be draining for both of them. He had been too concerned about getting information on Tarkin earlier, and he had realized his impatience after leaving his sister with the boy. It was time to rectify that. He could handle a long argument if he needed to – Anakin was obviously not adjusting well to this place, and it was time Obi-Wan addressed the matter before he possibly had to leave for a battle.

"You flatter me by assuming I'm omniscient," Obi-Wan quipped. "But the sad reality is that I am not."

Anakin's shoulders sagged as he sighed in that way he did when he was either exasperated or confused by Obi-Wan's words. The Jedi smiled; Anakin wasn't eloquent, so it was fairly easy for Obi-Wan to trip the boy up verbally.

"I told her she didn't love me. I said she'd made her choice."

Blast. Their conversation had gotten far more intense than Obi-Wan could have guessed. Immediately the Jedi hesitated; was this a topic he could even broach properly? He had been helping Anakin with his emotions, but… well he supposed he could do some good for them. "What makes you think she doesn't love you?"

"Her decision," Anakin said, suddenly sounding frustrated as if the answer were obvious.

"Which one? She has made many."

"Marrying Éothen. Telling me she couldn't be an Imperial. They all add up to the same choice."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. When had Padmé told Anakin she couldn't be an Imperial? He supposed he'd have to ask another time. But he knew where this was leading. It was leading to the same issue that had been upsetting Anakin since they'd reunited with Padmé and the rest of the family. "She chose the Alliance."

Anakin turned around, looking relieved that he understood. His eyes were wide, filled with hurt and sadness, but his body was tense with stubbornness, and the Force hummed ominously.

"Oh, Anakin," Obi-Wan sighed, taking a step towards the young man. What could he say? Of course Padmé had chosen the Alliance; saving the galaxy from the Empire had been everyone's priority back then. That hadn't been a mistake, nor should it be considered one. How she went about it, on the other hand… well. It left much to be desired, to say the least. But how she had chosen to help the Alliance wasn't what was bothering Anakin – it was simply that she had helped the Alliance.

"We're incompatible," Anakin remarked bitterly, looking at the ground. Obi-Wan's seeming empathy on the matter had apparently opened the floodgate at last. "All our time together was spent using each other. She tried to make me a man and I tried to make her a weapon. We both got our wish, but it wasn't by our own doing; you and Siri helped me become a man, but Padmé made herself a weapon, a means to an end for the Alliance. We're in the same position in which we started. It'll never work. We're just… incompatible."

"Anakin, Padmé hasn't given up her personhood for the Alliance," Obi-Wan tried to assure the boy, though this was a difficult topic to discuss. As a Jedi he knew that his way of life would now place his duty in front of everything else, including his family, a prospect that rarely sat well with him. The main reason he hadn't had an enormous conflict of interest on the matter was because he knew Siri was fully capable of taking care of herself and the rest of the family had been kept out of harm's way. Now… well, it wasn't too different; Siri and Padmé could both handle themselves and the Jedi would protect everyone else. But Anakin…

Anakin was drowning here. And Obi-Wan didn't know what to do. That didn't mean that Obi-Wan, Padmé, and Siri had sold themselves to the Alliance; it just meant they prioritized the galaxy before Anakin.

Blast that doesn't sound right aloud, he thought. But what could he do? He had been hesitant to return, he had known it would cause problems. On Ferrasco he was almost certain it was best not to return because Anakin would have been killed back then. But he'd thought with Padmé's return, with the necessity of getting the rest of the family off Naboo, with Qui-Gon's influence on the Jedi Council, it could be feasible to return without Anakin being hurt. Feasible, not ideal. But staying with Padmé, giving in to Siri's desire to return to the fight, and helping the family get somewhere safe had all driven him here, despite his reservations.

Was it selfish to place Anakin before the Alliance, or was it selfish to have returned in order to stay with the rest of his family?

Anakin let out a huff that indicated disagreement with Obi-Wan's statement. "I recognize a weapon when I see it."

"Dedication and duty are not the same thing as slavery," Obi-Wan argued, his voice growing firmer with conviction. "You of all people should know that, given your understanding of duty."

Before Anakin had a chance to respond, Obi-Wan added, "Besides, if you truly believe that Padmé is suffering the same fate you were, why are you shutting her out? She tried to help you; the least you can do is return the favor."

Here, the Force froze along with Anakin. Some dawning realization flashed in his eyes as if he hadn't considered Obi-Wan's suggestion until just now, and a ghost of a smile graced his lips as he gazed out in wonder.

Anakin exhaled deeply, looking Obi-Wan in the eye and nodding. Then he turned and walked away. Obi-Wan watched him, bemused and feeling oddly unnerved, but the conversation was over and he saw no point in following the man. It was time to return to the base; perhaps if he let Anakin ponder the matter for a few hours they might be able to reopen the issue of Tarkin and start fixing his relationship with Padmé (though Obi-Wan would most certainly prefer that Anakin and Padmé do that on their own terms and time, as he was not exactly comfortable handling that matter).

Obi-Wan departed from the clearing, squinting as it grew steadily darker. When he reached the forest's edge, sensing both Padmé and Siri, he noticed the base was buzzing with activity. He saw Siri approach him, having apparently been searching for him.

"Are they ready for the battle?" he asked once she was within earshot.

"Yes," she replied. "You're going with Qui-Gon on The Invariant Beauty. I'm to remain and keep Anakin in line."

Obi-Wan blinked, surprised, trying to absorb everything he'd just heard. "I'm going to the battle?"

Siri smiled reassuringly. "Hey, it isn't your first."

Obi-Wan chuckled, recalling Ferrasco, Hoth, and his numerous tussles before his Jedi training. "I'm aware. It doesn't make it any more appealing."

"Don't worry, Al will look out for you," Siri smirked with a wink.

Obi-Wan sensed her concern, but she was hiding it valiantly from her face. He bit back a sigh; he should be reassuring her for heaven's sake. At least he didn't fret as much as he used to, he supposed. Changing the subject, he said, "Yes, well, you shouldn't have your hands full with Anakin. I just spoke with him – apparently he and Padmé had quite the spat. If you give him time to settle, he might come back a little better."

"When has leaving him to his own devices ever been a good idea?" Siri questioned, furrowing her brow. "It seems like it was a hell of an argument considering how upset Padmé was."

"You know he needs time alone," Obi-Wan insisted.

"Yeah, yeah." Siri waved a hand dismissively as Padmé neared the couple, having noticed Obi-Wan's return.

Padmé hugged Obi-Wan before he had a chance to address her. "Be safe, Obi."

He returned the embrace gently, kissing his sister on the head. "Typically I'm the safest one of the three of us, so I'll be fine. Try not to get into trouble while I'm gone."

Padmé's grip tightened, and then Obi-Wan felt Siri's touch on his shoulder. "Get going, Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon will brief you on the way."

Obi-Wan felt his stomach churn slightly, but he nodded with a smile nonetheless. Taking a deep breath, the Jedi Padawan let go of Padmé and ventured towards the landing pads to find Qui-Gon and Al.


Imperial Intelligence headquarters was a place no one wanted to visit, least of all Tarkin at this moment. The soon-to-be emperor had examined every piece of his Eriadu estate's security footage that was recovered, and had discovered that Amidala's rescuers were Salkendens. Knowing that made him smile, only because he had already enacted revenge on those nuisances without even realizing it. Salkende was a bombed shell of its former self, and reports estimated its population had been knocked down by at least half. They were no longer a threat. Of course, that left the question of whether Amidala had been on Salkende during the attack, but it seemed unlikely given the time of her breakout. So where could they have fled to?

The footage also showed that Darth Vader was nowhere to be seen at the estate. Either the Salkendens had somehow figured out the truth and rescued her on their own, or Vader had directed them from afar. The latter was highly unlikely given that Vader was being held prisoner at the time. The reasonable conclusion, then, was that Vader had been completely unaware of the entire situation.

So how had Amidala gotten a lightsaber? Why had Vader attacked Imperials on Ferrasco? If he hadn't found out about Amidala, hadn't been angry at Tarkin for the cover-up, then why fight stormtroopers? Had he just finally snapped? Tarkin supposed these questions were irrelevant, but they still lingered in his mind more than he wanted them to. Knowing that Vader hadn't died holding him in contempt was a strange comfort, though, which bothered him as well. Tarkin sighed.

Prior to arriving at Intelligence, Tarkin had also accelerated his coronation plans. His wife was now aware as well, though Tarkin wasn't the one to deliver the news since he still couldn't really stomach her glee at the prospect. Becoming emperor was no longer a victory so much as a necessity.

Tarkin's escort paused as Intelligence's new Keeper approached. The wretched woman had a pleasant smile on her face, almost looking cordial – almost. Tarkin knew it was only smugness, born out of her victory over him. It made his blood boil, but most of the fight had been taken out of him by this point.

"Sir," his old spy acknowledged with a tip of her head. "We may speak in my office."

Tarkin bit his tongue as he followed her. The two quickly reached the office and the door closed behind them. The former grand moff swallowed the onslaught of insults that immediately tried to escape his lips. Instead, he had to maintain a calm façade; for the time being, Keeper was essential to eliminating the threat Amidala posed, and Tarkin did not want to give the impression that this was as desperate a situation as it was.

It wasn't like Keeper wouldn't already figure it out anyway, but that was beside the point.

"As I'm sure you are already aware, my ascension has caused some… unrest," Tarkin began, hitting the more official topic first. "I've already spoken to CorSec on the matter, but I want you to monitor for any internal threats off-world."

"Of course. I will inform you of any security threats." His spy acknowledged calmly.

There was a pause in which both parties eyed each other, Keeper waiting expectantly and Tarkin growing ever more irritated. The woman already knew, then. Blast.

Taking a more relaxed posture, Tarkin smoothed a wrinkle out of his trousers where he had lazily folded one leg over the other. "My roses in my garden have taken a turn for the worse. It would be nice if I had someone reliable eliminate the garden altogether. I wish to start afresh."

"It is always a pity when plans fall through," his former spy remarked, leaning back in her seat, looking comfortably in control.

Tarkin gritted his teeth. I will not be toyed with. Palpatine is dead; no one else will laud their power over me like that again. "Yes, it is. A lesson to be learned by all, I imagine."

Keeper didn't flinch. "I'm certain your gardener can resolve that issue."

"One might hope so; I am her supervisor, after all," Tarkin reminded her as he stood. "And this failing will taint her reputation as much as it would mine."

His former spy stood with him without speaking and bowed. Tarkin watched her carefully before leaving.

He was her superior in every way, so she was obligated to obey him, but with the power she now held, she could accidentally leak edited information about Amidala to enemies. This was a dangerous position to be in, one that he did not like at all. He had to find another way to ensure Amidala died, another way to keep an eye on Intelligence. Perhaps he could hire a bounty hunter, but such things brought a great amount of sloppiness into the situation, and Tarkin did not want that.

The Imperial sighed, breathing in sunlight and fresh air as he exited the compound with his guard. Perhaps he would hire a bounty hunter, perhaps not. He would figure that out after the coronation. After being expedited, it was coming up fairly quickly.

In three days, he would be emperor.


Padmé watched the babbling brook that cut through the training grounds, allowing the gentle sound of the water to calm her. It had been twelve hours since Obi-Wan had left, twelve hours since her discussion with Vader. Siri was sending her constant updates from the war room; as both women learned more about the battle about to commence, they realized it would actually be more like a fairly straightforward skirmish, but after everything they'd been through they both were still worried. Tsograda was protected by a single sector fleet, and the entire Rebel armada (well… armada was perhaps a strong word for the small task force that was left after all the attacks from the Empire) was engaging it. Obi-Wan was really only there to board the capital ship if necessary; otherwise, he and Qui-Gon were there to support Al on the Beauty.

Siri was thankfully also keeping the rest of the family informed so Padmé didn't have to. It was just one less stress for her to worry about at the moment. She was slightly upset that she herself couldn't help retake Tsograda, but since it was essentially a space battle, she knew she wouldn't have been much help anyway. Now all she had to worry about was Vader.

Vader. Who was convinced that she didn't love him.

Padmé sighed, running a hand through her hair. Somehow that man was even more of a confusing enigma now than he was when they'd first been together. Someone as messed up as Darth Vader already had a hard time coping with life, so when a complicated issue such as the series of events that had happened throws a hydrospanner into his life, he reacts about as predictably as a live bomb with a chemical imbalance.

Vader still loved her. That wasn't even a debate. The only issue was getting him to understand that she loved him in return. After everything that had been said and done one might think he would at least kind of figure it out, but he was completely clueless about emotions… so she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised.

"Your actions are all that matter."

Yes, actions did, as the saying went, speak louder than words. But words were all she had to offer – it wasn't like she could change the past, it wasn't like she could stop herself from getting engaged to Éothen. All she could do was apologize. The engagement was over, for heaven's sake.

Padmé thought back to Vader's reaction when she'd told him she was no longer betrothed. He had been surprised, to be certain, maybe even relieved. But as soon as she'd elaborated, he'd grown cold again. Why?

Dissecting her words, she started coming to a conclusion. Éothen had broken the engagement. Not Padmé. She had just agreed.

So that was it, then? She hadn't taken the initiative, and he had taken that as the action that decided she didn't love him?

Padmé's comlink beeped, and she looked down to see another message from Siri. Rebels have engaged the enemy fleet. Looks pretty good for now.

Blowing out a breath, Padmé stood and walked around to eliminate excess energy. Well, Vader was right – Padmé hadn't taken the initiative. She'd been too timid, too indecisive, too stuck in her guilt for both parties. She should have never proposed in the first place. But what was done was done. All she could do was clean up the mess and ensure she didn't make such a mistake again. So what action could she take to fix this? She couldn't help retake Tsograda, and at this rate her best action in terms of Éothen was just to avoid him entirely and no longer bother him or any of his own. So what about Vader?

How could she prove that she loved him?

Her comlink chimed again. Imperial flagship's down. I don't think they suspected us at all. They're dropping like mynocks. Looks like a clean victory from here.

"Thank heaven," she muttered in relief, holding the comlink to her chest and closing her eyes. That battle had been surprisingly quick... from here Éothen would address the sector and rally them to his side. At least, that was the plan. It was still shaky, though – the Empire could easily send an armada their way. However, Imperials were a cocky lot, and the spy captain had mentioned that they were still dealing with internal affairs; it was possible that Tsograda could have enough time to rebuild and fight back.

After all the beatings they'd taken, both Tsograda and the Alliance needed reinforcements. The Rebels had been barely holding together ever since Senator Bel Iblis had fled and Corellia had bowed down to the Empire. There were still rebellious cells across the galaxy, like the one on Ryloth, but they were only concerned for their own worlds and had refused to aid the Alliance in the past. They really didn't have anyone at this point to help them, though there was that vague hopeful mission that the Jedi Grand Master was currently doing. Padmé wasn't sure what the Alliance's next move would be. But at least, for now, everyone was safe.

Padmé's gaze lingered on the forest, her mind returning to Vader, when she saw two figures exiting the trees. A man and a woman, though she couldn't quite tell who they were from that distance. The two were walking close to each other, then separated, the woman heading for the main compound while the man walked unnervingly straight towards Padmé. As time passed, and Padmé squinted more into the early morning air, she started to recognize the silhouette.

Vader.

Who was the woman? And what was Vader going to do now? She'd thought he'd wanted nothing to do with her, but now it seemed fairly clear he was walking in her direction because he was heading straight for her. She stayed still, pondering what to say, eventually deciding that she should just let him speak since he was instigating the conversation anyway.

Vader looked much calmer now. More determined too, which she couldn't decipher if that was good or bad. The two stared at each other for a second before he spoke. "I'll help."

Padmé blinked, confused and hopeful at once. "What do you mean?"

"Tarkin. I'll help you take him down. I'll get the Alliance into Imperial Center during his coronation, when all the Imperial officials will be there. They can take everyone down in one swift blow."

Padmé stared at him in astonishment, her mouth falling open. Wha... where had this come from?

Vader took a step closer to her so they were a breath away from each other. "It's going to be okay. No matter what."

Going to be okay? "Vader, how... why are you... is everything okay?"

Vader nodded. Then he started to move his arm before hesitating, his hand hovering over her, and he made some kind of decision, finishing the move. His hand rested on her shoulder, and she felt her knees tremble and her body grow warm at the touch. He was... he was actually willing to help? This was... this was...

This was too good to be true, especially after their argument. But gods, he'd never acted this way.

"What's going on?" she asked, furrowing her brow, wishing this was sincere, praying he was trying to be helpful, but not quite believing it. She wasn't that naïve.

"I... I already told you," Vader said with a mild hiccup in his tone as if he were suddenly confused.

And that was all she needed. He didn't understand why she was asking him to repeat because he thought it couldn't be any more frank. Here he was, standing before her just like he had at Varykino, at Thecine, at CC4, all those times open and sincere with her. Padmé choked out a laugh and before either knew what happened, she wrapped her arms around him. Vader stood there, stunned, before settling into the embrace, before returning it. Padmé shuddered, letting out another laugh that started to mix with a sob, a sob of pure relief and happiness.

"I love you," she whispered into his chest.

Vader squeezed a little tighter for a moment and then pulled away. "Let's talk to high command."

Padmé smiled. "Yes. Yes, let's."

The two headed towards the main enclave, a near bounce in their step, one giddy with joy, and the other with anticipation.


Strap in, guys, the next few chapters (whenever I decide to write them) are going to be a hell of a ride. Anyways, thanks for reading!