Her nap ended up being longer than she intended, but that anti-veisalgia pill Eliza gave her really did work. She'd even say that she felt a bit of an extra pep in her step. Maybe, it also had to do with the fact that Eliza and the guys had invited her to target practice. A message on her datapad shows they'd like to go later that day, after their shifts were over.
Waiting for their shifts to end, she spends most of the day with her nose in her datapad trying to figure out if she can learn how to navigate the Imperator-class Star Destroyer, the Exactor, Vader's flagship. After traversing the mile-long ship several times on different levels, she figures out that many of the turbolifts only visit some of the levels and that there are actually only six turbolifts that visit all the levels of the Star Destroyer, this is in addition to Vader's personal turbolift, which is restricted to him alone.
In fact, Padme learns that if she has no escort and enters Vader's private turbolift, he has somehow reprogrammed it to stop on the main-level to pick up her First Legion stormtrooper security duo, before continuing on to any of the other levels. Needless to say, she feels foiled by him - yet again. Of course, she messages him, writing, 'Nice turbolift trick.' To which he responds to several hours later with, 'To keep you safe.' Her eyes narrow at his response. Keeping her safe might be part of it, but she knows what the intense security is really all about, and wishes he'd just be transparent about it.
Marsden happens to be checking in on her when Vader's message comes through, "Is Vader back yet? I just got a message from him. That means he's on the ship, right?" According to her previous conversation with Marsden, she only had local access to messaging via the ship's intraholonet.
The salt and peppered lieutenant shakes his head, "No, he's set your messages to be forwarded through the ship's communications channel."
Padme's eyebrows rise in understanding. Admittedly more admiringly than matter of fact, she mutters, "he's always been technologically savvy," while studying the map on her datapad. Padme pauses, looking behind her, then backtracking and going down a different hallway. "Do you know when he'll be back?" she asks him. "Sir," she adds when she notices a group of officers are within earshot.
Marsden looks at her with disapproval, he wants her to always be practicing being 'in character' - not just when other personnel are within earshot, but answers her question, "all depends on a few factors. Maybe a few days, yet."
Marsden holds up a finger at her, motioning for her to be quiet while his other hand goes to his ear. Padme realizes someone's talking to him in his earpiece and she waits patently, curious to know what's going on… maybe Vader is back? Before she has a chance to ask, he looks at Padme and excuses himself, "I'm needed. I'll catch up to you later. Also -" Marsden pauses and points up to the top of the corridor's wall, "read the Basic," and then leaves.
She looks up to where he pointed, and sure enough in small print, but not so tiny print that she shouldn't have seen it, is her current location and simple navigation markers. There's even arrows and distance to point her towards 'main attractions', like the cafeteria and the main hangar, etc… Padme's arm that is holding her datapad drops to her side dejectedly and she turns around and glares at her stormtrooper escorts as she signals to the signage with an open palm. "And you didn't think to tell me?" she asks them, not caring to hide her annoyance. The stormtroopers look at each other, clearly confused by the little officer, before shrugging uncertainly. "Oh, nevermind."
Now that she sees the signs, she follows them to the main hangar. How much easier that was than trying to follow the convoluted datapad map. It turns out the hangar is not that far away, but she realizes she is a floor above when she gets there, which ends up being perfect because she can walk out onto one of the metal catwalks and see the hangar from above - and that is exactly what she does.
For a while, she just watches the ordered chaos. Every once in a while, ion engines come to life and a small squad of tie-fighters exit the hangar. On the hangar floor, a couple of large AT-AT barges are fitted with a single AT-AT each, their legs detached and pieced in to make them fit, before being ferried down to the planet. After the barge leaves, the next AT-AT gets moved up and disassembled while it waits for another barge to return.
Curiously, there weren't any troop transport carriers shuttling stormtroopers to and from the planet. Unlike the pilots which seemed to be on shifts and returned to the Exactor, the stormtroopers that had been deployed stayed planet-side. It was a good sign for Padme, hopefully it meant that there were not many casualties nor extensive battles that required reinforcements.
At least she could hope.
That thought caught her off guard, because what was she hoping for? Was she worried about what Vader could do to the people of Ryloth, or what Ryloth could do to Vader? Both, she supposed. And therein lay her revelation.
The hurt, the anger, the betrayal at Anakin's metamorphosis from Jedi to Sith - they had all acted as a filter and had helped her emotionally numb herself from Vader and his welfare over the years. Repentantly, she had even found herself wishing for his demise in the interest of keeping her children safe from the Emperor and their insidious Sith ideology. She's not blind, she's been aware of her rekindling feelings for him, the obvious attraction. But this is far beyond just shallow attraction and fleeting imitations of what they had been together, this reaches deeper. She was worried about him in a way she hadn't been in a long time - and that is a testament to their history still being alive and relevant... to the bond they'd forged over the years and through their experiences together not being forgotten. Because, despite all the bad Vader represented, she could no longer deny Anakin was in there. Just as she had told Obi-Wan Kenobi all those years ago, there was still good in him. Right then and there, her posture shifted, and she vowed to herself she would find a way to coax him back to the light. On a selfless note, it would be the ultimate transformative triumph of the rebellion, but most importantly, she would have her Anakin back... and how she misses him.
Ion engines break her out of her reverie, it's a command shuttle very similar to the one Vader uses. She perks up, leaning into the guardrail as the boarding ramp deploys, but no one comes out. Looking down, her knuckles are white so she loosens her grip and, out of the corner of her eye, notices a very familiar salt and peppered darker skinned man walking towards the ship. With interest, she watches as Marsden doesn't stop to greet whoever is on board as she would expect, but rather just hastily boards the craft. Next thing she knows, the shuttle lifts up and takes off.
Is it just her, or does the hangar seem to be getting busier?
The more she sees of the constant activity in the hangar, the more she starts to worry. What exactly is happening on Ryloth's surface that is sparking so much activity - the First Legion… Vader, and now Chief Security Officer Marsden? Her mind starts racing, Vader may still be planet-side for several more days, and possibly in combat. Despite her feelings of disapproval when it comes to what he does and why he's there - she now readily admits she's worried about him. Before she can talk herself out of it, she messages him again, 'I hope you're keeping safe.'
Not several seconds later, her datapad alerts her to a new message and she quickly navigates to it. Padme lets out a sigh before opening the message, it's only Eliza. The group wants to know where she is, they've just gotten off their shift and are waiting on her to go target shooting. Padme lets her know she's on her way, then follows the signage to the gym.
To get into the gym she has to go through the female locker room. Padme's nose wrinkles at the harsh bleach smell, evidence of a recent cleaning. The room is sparse and cold, a stack of uniform workout clothes the only amenities offered. There's no privacy to change, but Padme decides to grab a fresh pair of workout clothes and changes as fast as she can, stashing her uniform in a locker. Upon exiting the locker room, she walks through a corridor with sparring and advanced military training studios on either side. Passing on from the corridor she walks through a cramped room full of various strength and cardio machines, where she finally reaches a large shooting range. Towards the far end of the range she spots Eliza and her group already practicing. Just as it was the night she met them, the room is pretty much empty save for a couple others shooting at moving targets.
"Finally," Eliza teases her.
Padme smiles sheepishly, "I think this ship is too big for me."
Eliza's eyes sparkle, "I'd like to see what you think of the Super Star Destroyers."
Sam hands Padme a blaster, "Here, it's a practice blaster - you can't do any permanent damage with it." Padme grabs the blaster from Sam, and points at the target, "try it."
Padme moves forward and aims at the hovering target letting her breath relax before letting off several intentional controlled rounds. When she lowers her blaster, Sam recalls the target with the press of a console button and it shows all her laser shots hit in a tight clump around the center.
Sam whistles, impressed. "Woah… you sure you're not infantry?"
Padme shrugs, clearly pleased with herself, "I've had some good trainers." She's always been a good shot, but it's been a few years since she's had to pick up a blaster. It's nice to know she's still got it.
"I'd say," he quips. "Attagirl, let her loose, then."
The five of them spread out with their blasters and set their targets up. Padme familiarizes herself with the controls, she can have as many targets as she wants and that they can be set to become mobile, moving in unpredictable directions.
Eliza, Sam, and Jet are good shots, but Elliot hardly lands any on his target. Padme learns that just Eliza and Jet are stormtroopers, Sam's a self-proclaimed ace pilot, and Elliot works as an engineer, rarely going planet-side - probably better for him, she notes.
After a few rounds, Jet asks the others, "Everyone warmed up?"
Good naturedly, Elliot is the first to speak up, "the good thing about an uneven team is that I won't be forced to play - and if Padme will be so kind as to take my spot… I won't have to live through the humiliation of another one of these games with you three. I'm going to go lift some weights." He mock-salutes them wishing Padme good luck before he heads off.
Padme looks at the rest of them, confused. Eliza is holding a fancy looking vest and holds it up to Padme, "I think this should fit. Put it on."
She puts it on, "What are we playing?"
"Capture the flag... Spasmodic rules!" Sam reveals, ushering the group into one of the advanced training studios.
"Hey, Jet - got that contraband with, ya?" Eliza asks.
Jet pulls out a portable music player and turns the music up loud enough that she has to strain to hear Sam explain the game's rules, despite him shouting them at her.
Padme learns Spasmodic rules means the floor in this room is actually a grid of columns that can move up and down creating a transforming terrain to provide constantly changing cover. The idea behind it is that it keeps everyone on the move and on their toes. Padme finds it is just the right amount of challenge, requiring her to roll and dodge throughout the game. For the second time since entering Vader's world, she is having fun, and again it's with these stormtroopers.
Stormtroopers… Uneasiness washes over her as she thinks about what she's doing. A seemingly innocent game is actually a powerful tactical training session that she's participating in. The Empire is notorious for unleashing its stormtroopers on innocent civilians in order to gain control over the masses through fear, intimidation, and force. Internal conflict abounding, she's unable to resolve her burgeoning friendships with the ethical dilemma forming within her.
The night wraps up with Eliza and her losing to Jet and Sam. It was a good night, but when she lays in bed that night, guilt eats at her. How can she justify being an active participant in stormtrooper training activities? The battle raging in her mind and in her heart makes sleep nearly impossible. When sleep finally comes, it is restless and short lived before the morning alarm wakes her. Over the next few days, despite the guilt, she finds herself settling into a routine: she explores the ship throughout the day and meets her new friends at the gym after they get off their shifts, each night sleep comes a little easier as the conflict seems to wane. Is she losing her moral compass? Or is she just trying to survive?
What he thought would be a quick venture, a day at most, transformed into a week-long endeavour. The first thing he wants to do when he lands is find Padme, but he resists the temptation in order to keep up appearances.
Upon landing, his admiral approaches him as he disembarks from the shuttle. "Yes, Admiral, what is it?"
"The Emperor commands you to make contact with him," his admiral notifies him.
Vader begins to march towards the holoprojection chamber located in his personal suite. Kneeling on his left knee on the hologram projection pod, Vader waits for his master's gnarled face to materialize.
"What is thy bidding, my Master?"
"I have learned from my praetorian guards you have no more use for them on Mustafar? Have they failed you in some way, Lord Vader?"
Yes. They would have reported back to his master that Padme was still alive. "No, my Master."
"If I did not know you better, I would think you were trying to hide something from me…" His voice turns to mock concern, "besides, I would hate for anything to happen to you during your more… vulnerable moments." Vader is fully aware Palpatine is of course referring to his bactabaths. The decrepit man loves to emphasise Vader's greatest vulnerability, his destroyed body.
There's no arguing with the Emperor, not without severe consequences. "Thank you, Master," years of practice allow him to maintain his cool. Changing the narrative, and steering it away from possibly exposing Padme, he updates his master on the events on Ryloth, "As I suspected, Ryloth is organizing a rebel network. I was able to capture several members of their movement and I have uncovered the identity of their leader, a Cham Syndulla."
"Good, gooood. Do what you need to do to rid this galaxy of those pests."
"It will be done, my Master." Vader lowers himself into a bow and the transmission ends.
Vader goes straight to the bridge where he finds the Admiral. "Admiral, inform the fleet to deploy a blockade on Ryloth, on my authorization. Have all pilots dispatched until the blockade is formed."
"Right away, Lord Vader."
While he performs housekeeping duties, like getting updated on the goings-on of the ship over the last week, as well as the activity of his fleet, he starts tracking Padme's transmission feed. He finds her, her signal is coming from the training facilities, which he finds a bit strange.
There's a lot of delegation with an empire the size of a galaxy, and what remains for him to attend to is still a lot, tedious, and seemingly never ends. He is not known for being a patient man when he wants something, and right now he wants to see Padme. There's more than one way to skin a wombat, so he instructs the officers that are still talking to him to follow him.
When he enters the room she is in, he is met by loud music, low light, and practice fire is being shot on the other side of the large room where he senses Padme. He walks towards her location, drawn to her as if he's caught in her gravity well. Sure enough, there she is participating in a game of capture the flag. A woman he doesn't recognize rolls out from behind a wall, and Padme pops up at the same time to lay down cover fire.
Before anyone can stop it, all hell breaks loose. Assuming the movement to be her opponents, Padme fires in Vader's direction. In a blink of an eye, he ignites his lightsaber and harmlessly deflects the shot. But, the real threat comes from behind him, where the officers that had accompanied him open fire on Padme. With precision focus, Vader reacts violently and fast, Force pushing the officers away, slamming them against the wall, while stretching out his other arm to freeze the laser bolts heading straight towards Padme's head.
"Move!" he shouts at her.
Immediately, she drops to the ground, and when she's cleared their range he lets the laser bolts go. They all look at the scorch marks on the far wall that could have ended Padme's life. Furious, Vader rounds on the officers that are picking themselves off the ground and grabs them in a Force choke.
"What were you fools thinking? You could have killed her!"
The next thing he knows, Padme is in front of him, reaching for him. She places her hands on either side of his chestplate and looks up at him with round frantic eyes. "Vader, no. Please, they didn't mean to."
"They almost killed you," his baritone voice accuses. "They deserve to die." And renews his focus on the choking officers.
She tries to reason with him, "they were protecting you. Let them go," she pleads with him.
He turns his gaze on her. "I don't require protection - I require obedience," he growls, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Padme shifts apprehensively, before she warns him, "I won't forgive you if you hurt them."
And that catches his notice, he looks at her wide pleading eyes and in the next instant he lets go of the officers. The fear and anger that held his gut starts to release its grip, being washed over with calming relief. She's safe. He narrowly resists the urge to pull her into a protective embrace, at last mindful of his audience. Already, he knows their interaction has revealed too much. He doesn't need the already suspicious Palpatine hearing any rumors about his apprentice acting uncharacteristically towards a woman, the Sith Master would surely investigate such an oddity. So he steps back, placing room between the two of them, while Padme regains her composure.
With a fair amount of gravitas, he directs his attention towards the errant officers. "Leave before I change my mind!" he shouts at them, unwilling to endure their presence. Still grappling with the aftereffects of his Force choke, they briefly struggle to get up, but soon find the strength to scramble out still coughing for breath. Fear can be a compelling motivator - and they were, rightfully, very afraid.
He redirects his attention to his wife, giving her a once over, she looks fine, but to be sure he asks her, "are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she's quick to reply. Too quick? He does a more thorough assessment of her constitution, using the Force as a second pair of eyes. In doing so, he doesn't miss the flick of her eyes as, yet again, her gaze passes over the scorch marks on the far wall. Then he sees her focus on her companions, "are you all alright?" she asks them. Maybe she's worried a shot got through and injured one of them. They nod their head, dumbly, lost for words. In fact, all who witnessed that fiasco hold similar expressions of wide eyes and loose jaws, while their eyes bounce from Padme to Vader. They just witnessed him back down, all due to what they believe to be a low ranking officer's emotional overture. This might be a problem. Everything within him wants to rid himself of the risk. He balls his hands into tight fists, fighting the urge to run after the officers that had just left, and end their lives. He looks around the room scanning the various witnesses, fighting the urge to end their lives, as well - the only surefire way of preventing leaks. Only then could he ensure there were no mouths left to flap.
Reading the room, Padme can see how tense the situation has become. Anxious, she starts to backstep towards the door, towards him. "Sorry about tonight, I um..." she pauses, looking at her friends, maybe even rethinking her wording. "I think I'm going to head in for the night," she finishes lamely. She turns around and starts walking swiftly towards the exit, passing him by, and of course, he follows.
He can tell she had wanted to provide some cover story, maybe even some reason for why he had acted so protective of her. Or perhaps she's even frustrated with him, holding him accountable for what went down. Which of course would make no sense, after all, she's the one that shot at him! And he's the one that had to go to extraordinary measures to save her life - it's a good thing it's second nature to him, extraordinary measures are what he does. Does he regret it? No. Of course, not. In fact, he held back when it was within his right, prudent even, to rid himself of the dangerous witnesses. It was, after all, unavoidable.
They've been walking in silence through the ship, both seemingly lost in their own narratives. When they get onto the turbolift to his suite, she finally speaks to him, her voice small, "you didn't have to choke them." He does not fail to notice she won't look at him.
"No, I did not," he admits, but then counters, "failure is not accepted under my command. Ignorance is no excuse."
"But, how could they have known about us?"
"They wouldn't, and who you are to me is irrelevant. They opened fire on my subordinate, inside a training simulation room." Padme frowns at his words, which somehow he translates as being displeased at being considered irrelevant to him. It's not hard to admit, it pleases him.
Despite knowing she would disapprove, he adds, "I should have killed them for their stupidity."
Padme gives him a disapproving glare, "I'm glad you didn't."
"Those officers were incompetent. A practice blaster is not a threat - for anyone, much less Lord Vader - and they shot at you - You," he emphasizes angrily, "and after I had seen to deflecting your measly training blaster." He crosses his arms behind his back and begins to pace angrily while he lectures her. "That tells me that they are either incompetent or disobedient. Perhaps even both. They should have left me," he points to himself, "to handle any repercussions."
"I see," she says half heartedly.
He walks over to her and cups her cheek delicately. "I would do anything for you."
"Let me go, then," she tells him combatively.
He amends himself, "to keep you with me - safe."
Whispering, she addresses the wampa in the room, "but not happy." Her tone is despondent.
For now, she might feel that way, but he's sure that will change. "That is up to you."
Padme sighs and leans into him, catching him by surprise. Tentatively, he wraps his arms around her, while her cheek rests on the soft part of his suit's chest. "I was worried about you," she confesses to him. Is she really saying this to him? "Just like I used to worry about you when you fought in the Clone Wars."
He can feel the chaos of her distress in the Force. "What's wrong? You're trembling." And that wasn't supposed to sound gruff. Sometimes he hates how his synthesizer distorts his voice.
"Ani, I am so confused." He lets the offensive moniker go, hanging onto every one of her words. "I don't approve of what you are doing, or how you are doing it. But, I don't want to lose you again… and I don't want to live my life without you in it." Seconds tick by as he patiently waits for her to finish, sensing something monumental - and he's not disappointed. "I want to be a part of your world. I want to help in any way I can." Padme pulls back and looks at him in his eyes, somehow finding them through his red lenses. "I've been thinking, maybe I can be useful. My years as a senator and as a queen give me invaluable experience that could make me helpful, if you are willing to listen to me."
Without a doubt her suggestions would be off-agenda. But, the opportunity to have her on his side? A willing partner… He had always wanted to have her rule by his side, and even back then, he knew they wouldn't agree - that she would be resistant. But he is not the naive boy he was back then, so he presses her, "You may have your say, and I may listen… but I will continue to do things my way. I can not change."
Padme seems frustrated, but to his amazement, she mumbles, "I understand."
Does she, though? "And I will obey my Master, above all else. Even you."
Padme shifts uncomfortably before she blurts out, "I don't know why you follow him, I don't trust him. He cares for nothing but power." As an afterthought, she adds, "you're not like him."
"You may think so - " He doesn't have time to complete his thought because the sound of the turbolift landing and opening interrupts him, and the Admiral walks in. He points at Padme, "We will finish this later." Before he turns around and addresses the Admiral, subtly adding distance between himself and his wife, "what is it?" His tone reflects his annoyance at being disrupted, especially in this transformative exchange.
"I'm sorry to disturb," the Admiral apologizes to him as he eyes the two of them, "I tried reaching you by comm, I thought you should know."
"What is it?" he repeats himself. How he hates to repeat himself.
"The Emperor is on his way."