"Perhaps, my lady." Sabe suggested as she closed another suitcase. "It would be wise to leave behind some of your more… personal possessions."
"How so?" Padme asked, placing her earrings into a box, watching as the light was reflected off of the surface of the precious metals and gems.
"Well, we wouldn't want any of your most valuable items getting damaged. Ryloth is still technically a war zone." Sabe began.
"And you will be staying on an imperial cruiser. With Lord Vader."
"He probably does not appreciate these things in the same way I do." Padme said with a small smile.
"Not to mention." Sabe continued. "That his men have already informed us that they will be searching through your belongings before they are brought onboard."
"What?" Padme exclaimed, quickly turning to face Sabe.
"So, any… belongings that could be damning if Vader found them, should stay safe with the rest of us, my lady." Sabe said. "As only Captain Typho and I have been permitted to go with you." Padme sighed, turning back to face her jewelry box. But instead, the small, wooden pendant that she had received all od those years ago caught her eye. It was there, next to the box, the carvings worn with all of the times she had rubbed her thumb over it while she was nervous.
It was like a good luck charm. But if only the maker had shared its luck. Padme picked up the pendant, running her thumb over the carvings once again. She could use some good luck right now.
"I'm assuming that all of my communications will be monitored as well, won't they?" She asked, placing the pendant into the box with her other jewels.
"That is correct." Sabe replied. Padme sighed.
"However, as I'm sure you're already aware, the emperor has already announced your joint… assignment with Lord Vader. He has been praising it extensively on the holonet."
"Has he?" Padme asked, looking back at Sabe, her eyes narrowing.
"He has." Sabe said. They both rolled their eyes in unison.
"How such a decrepit man came from such a beautiful planet as our home world, I'll never know." Padme said, turning back to close the box holding her jewelry.
"That could be considered treasonous, my lady." Sabe replied as she took the box from Padme.
"And I am sure Lord Vader takes treason accusations more seriously than most."
"Probably. He is Sidious's lapdog, after all." Padme muttered. She stood from the edge of her bed, and walked over to her closet, grabbing a few dresses and placing them on the bed so they could begin to pack them.
"Sabe." Padme said after a moment of silence. "Have you ever wondered what his face looks like?"
"No," Sabe replied, turning to face Padme. "Why?" She frowned.
"Well," Padme began, "I don't think that anyone has seen his face before." She placed a dress inside a suitcase.
"Actually, I don't think anyone had even heard of him before… before the republic fell." She continued.
"I think you're right. I can't remember hearing about anyone named 'Vader' before the first Empire Day." Sabe said as she placed another dress inside of the suitcase.
"Do you… do you think we might get to see his face?" Padme asked tentatively.
"Probably not." Sabe said while shrugging. "And I'm not sure I'd want to see who, or what is underneath that mask."
"The emperor is expecting for us to go to two formal banquets on Ryloth, to welcome our arrival, and for our departure." Padme explained. "Surely he has to take off his mask to eat."
"He would. If he was a living creature." Sabe said. "There are rumors that he is just a droid, or a cyborg."
"But they're just rumors." Padme said, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure that after this mission, some will even start rumors that Vader and I are a romantic item.
"God, I sure hope not." Sabe muttered as she placed the last dress inside of the suitcase.
"The holonet has nothing else to say aside from propaganda, so they just come up with the wildest things." Padme said and laughed.
"It is an honor to have you aboard, my lady." A storm trooper said to her as she exited her cruiser. The first thing that hit her was the size of the hangar.
She knew that imperial star destroyers were massive. But she hadn't expected for them to be this large. Around her, men in white, grey and black bustled about, shouting orders and moving things around the hangar. The colors were monotone- everything looked the same if she didn't focus hard enough. The only thing that stood out where the troopers in blue and white armor.
She wondered what that meant.
"I am Captain Rex." The trooper said. "And Lord Vader has assigned me to be the head of your security detail for the time being."
"I am the one who is in charge of Senator Amidala's security." Captain Typho said, placing himself between Padme and Rex. Rex, however, didn't seem to be phased.
"That may be true, but most senators are not entering active war zones on an imperial star destroyer." Rex replied. "My orders come directly from Lord Vader. You are welcome to express your opinions to him, if you'd like."
"Why does your armor look different from the other troopers?" Padme asked as she watched the men board her ship and begin to unload her belongings.
"Men who are a part of Vader's first wear white and blue armor." Rex explained as he turned to gesture towards the hangar.
"And as you can see, most men here aren't. Lord Vader has instructed for me to show you all to your quarters, so please follow me." Rex said as he turned back to face them
"What's so special about being in Vader's first?" Padme asked as they began to walk down the halls. She noticed that Rex was right, most of the men wore some kind of black or grey uniform. And even many of the troopers only had white armor. Making the blue stand out even more.
"We are the best legion in the empire's entire army." Rex replied. "No legion is more successful, than ours."
"Is that so?" Padme asked, her voice shaking slightly as they entered a lift. She shared a glance with Sabe.
"That is correct, my lady." Rex replied as they began to ascend. "We were the legion that marched on the Jedi temple, and purged it of those who were not loyal to the empire." Rex said.
Another shared glance. How could these men believe such things? And how did Vader retain command of them all? The doors opened and they stepped out into another hallway in relative silence.
"Your quarters are just up ahead, my lady." Rex said, pointing down the hall. "I'm sure Lord Vader will want to speak with you in person once you've unpacked."
"Right." Padme muttered, sharing another glance with Sabe as Rex opened the door.
"Thank you, Captain for escorting us, but I am sure that Sabe and Captain Typho and I can handle it from here."
"Of course, my lady." Rex said, bowing his head slightly before leaving them by themselves.
The quarters were spacious, and monotone- just like everything else on the ship. Shades of grey and black made up most of the colors in the room, save for the viewport which showed her Coruscant's surface below. The desk, and floors, however, were all black. To her left, were two smaller guest quarters, in which she assumed that would be for Sabe and Typho. And to her right were more rooms. She leaned forward, spying what looked like an entrance to a fresher and the bedroom, which both had the same monotone color scheme.
"Would you like me to help you unpack, my lady?" Sabe asked, but Padme shook her head.
"No, I'm alright." Padme said. "Thank you though." She turned to walk out of the office space and towards the bedroom.
It was underwhelming. The grey and black of the room made it seem even smaller than it actually was. But she did appreciate the large viewport over the bed, and stared out of it for a moment, watching the stars twinkle in the distance.
By the bed were several boxes, and she could tell just by the way that the lids were placed, that her belongings had already been searched through.
That thought made her feel as if she were an intruder in her own body.
But at least she had made sure that she left any and all ties to the rebellion hidden in her apartment.
She opened the first box, and at the top was the same small pendant that she had been holding earlier. She picked it up and ran her thumb over the design again.
It was cold.