"The Emperor is on his way," the Admiral informs him.
This was not unexpected news, but the timing is off. He was not yet prepared for this. All his planning and preparation just to be outmaneuvered by his Master. He shouldn't be surprised, the man usurped a galaxy - was it hubris to think he could hide Padme from Palpatine for long?
Vader looks at Padme, she looks so small and uncertain, clearly afraid. For a moment, he debates whether he should send her off and let her go. She'd be safe... But he's selfish, and he would rather face the consequences and ensure he keeps her, than lose her for certain. There would be no hiding Padme from Palpatine.
Having no other option that he's willing to pursue, he orders the Admiral, "inform me when he arrives."
"Yes, Lord Vader," the Admiral acknowledges with a nod of his head.
"You are dismissed."
The doors to the turbolift have barely closed when Padme walks towards him and looks up at him, worry worn heavily on her brow.
Her voice soft, she asks him, "does he know about me?"
"No." Not that he knows of, anyways. He expects the Emperor must have heard a rumor and is investigating for himself. If he doesn't know Padme is alive yet, he will as soon as he boards - he will make sure of it. He can not hide her from him, whatever the consequences.
Even though he is confirming what she must certainly already know, he sees the panic rise within her. "Vader, please. This won't end well, he must not know I am alive. Please..." he watches her take several quick breaths while she searches where his eyes should be behind his mask, "let me go."
"No." He refuses to let her leave him.
Her breaths quick, she pleads in desperation trying to change his mind, "if you let me take a ship now, he'll never know."
It's a tempting proposal, it would keep her safe and he would avoid the wrath of his Master for keeping Padme a secret. But, no, he will not let her go after just having found her. He has lived everyday mourning her death, he refuses to live like that another day.
"Your fate will be the same as mine," his voice booms with finality.
He watches as the hope in her eyes washes away and is replaced by disappointment. Recognizing the way his response eats at her, he rationalizes it must be this way. There is still panic, he can sense it, but it is muted - almost resigned. "I'll lose everything…" she tells him cryptically. He cocks his head, wondering what more she thinks she has to lose. Does she think she'll lose him? She's made it clear on multiple occasions she wants nothing to do with him.
"You will be safe," he assures her. Palpatine wouldn't depose her - knowing his Master, he wouldn't let an opportunity for leverage slip through his gnarled wrinkly fingers. It's how he'll leverage her that has Vader worried. Moreso, he's acutely aware of the leverage he would hold over Vader. "Get some rest, it won't be long."
"Don't do this. I'll never forgive you."
Pausing, he considers engaging, but instead he ignores her threat, and leaves her. Turning towards his room he enters his meditation chamber. The egg-like structure seals and pressurizes the air around him, and he enjoys the freedom of taking off his mask and breathing on his own before falling into a meditative state.
An alert from his comm brings him back, it's the admiral informing him that the Emperor's ship just came out of hyperspace. As his helmet seals onto his suit he senses something is off… Aggravated, he realizes Padme has left the suite. Without hesitation, he contacts the security detail he's tasked to Padme to give him her location.
Not a few moments later does he receive a holocall and a trooper materializes in miniature upon his palm.
"Where is she?" He asks gruffly.
"We thought she was with you…"
"Why isn't she with you? She was not to leave your sight."
He can hear the panic in the trooper's voice as he starts to squirm before him, "She told us she was catching up with you, that you were right around -"
Vader closes his eyes, fear and anger rolling within him. His free fist starts to close and as it does the trooper before him is making audible choking noises. With a jerk, Vader cracks his neck and the trooper falls to the ground. It does little to appease his anger. The fool! He can not stand incompetence.
The trooper's partner comes into view, and Vader addresses him. "Assemble a team and find her. Make sure to check the secondary hangar and all escape pods first. Have her brought to me at the main hangar, at once!"
Luckily, he can still feel her presence on the ship, so he knows she has not escaped, not yet in any case. How she managed to slip her security detail still baffles him. Sometimes, her resourcefulness and charm is aggravating.
"Yes, Sir."
Torn, wanting nothing more than to hunt her down himself - he refrains. Missing the Emperor's reception would be a mistake. So putting his faith in his troopers, however misplaced after having just let her so thoroughly doop them, he cuts the connection and continues to the main hangar.
There is already a considerable assembly of stormtroopers gathered to greet the Emperor, he sweeps past them to the front where the Admiral is already stationed and patiently waits with him. He hopes Padme will arrive before the Emperor does. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen and it's not long before the Emperor's shuttle grows large enough for him to spot the pilot flying it. He flexes his fist, agitated. The shuttle passes through the magnetic shield and lands before them. A few heart pounding seconds pass before the shuttle's hatch opens and the ramp is deployed. The Emperor's red praetorian guards exit and line-up on either side of him. Vader takes a well-timed knee just as the Emperor comes into view and slowly descends the boarding ramp.
"Rise, my friend," the Emperor greets him.
Vader stands and begins to walk with him.
"Ryloth is now under a blockade, given the nature of the rebel activity - I have ordered a more permanent infrastructure to be organized, which is currently underway," he informs the Emperor of Ryloth's status before he breaches the topic of Padme.
No sooner does he finish his update before a commotion breaks out from the hangar's entrance. All eyes are now following his dear wife as she spits obscenities at her captors and struggles against them as she's all but dragged towards him and the Emperor. Palpatine has long since brushed away Vader's progression on Ryloth in favor of tracking Padme intently, the reason for his visit becoming more evident with every dragging step Padme takes towards them - confirming Vader's sickening suspicion. The troopers deposit Padme before them a little too roughly causing Padme to lose her balance and land on all four. Vader takes a menacing step towards the troopers, but the gnarled hand of his Master stops him before he can act on instinct.
"Now, now Lord Vader…" the Emperor chastises him, "they are only carrying out orders, I presume, and are quite unaware of who they have gifted me with - am I right Lord Vader?" It's an empty question, no response is expected so Vader smartly stays quiet.
The Emperor cackles gleefully before rounding on Padme, finally recognizing the woman sprawled before them, "Oh, my dear, how gooood it is to see you alive. I was wondering if he would try to hide you." Palpatine turns to him, "you were wise to bring her before me, my young apprentice." 'Young' was all but spit out, but Vader holds his ground despite the wrath he knows is coming. Already, he can sense his Master's displeasure under the excitement he displays.
Padme turns her pouting face away from the Emperor in disdain, refusing to look at him as she stands and regains her composure.
"The former Senator and Queen of Naboo…" Palpatine grabs Padme by the chin and forces her to look at him, "Padme Amidala, you are as beautiful as ever," he coos to her, it makes Vader sick. "And very much alive, I see." Palpatine seems to be enjoying his big reveal to the crowd, and nails it in, "how glad I am you have been reunited with your wife, Lord Vader." Focusing once again on Padme he can't help but goad her, "how do you find your husband? Transformed into a fine champion for the Empire, hasn't he?" The Emperor cackles, pleased with himself.
Vader closes his eyes as he hears the gasps from the Admiral and the other officers on the ship. Who would have imagined the Emperor's dark knight would have shared nuptials with the esteemed former Queen and Senator of Naboo? "Ah, I see you have kept it a secret from them, as well as me," Palpatine's eyes are twinkling with mischief, but he can see the menace lying just underneath. "Why hide such a trophy?"
Vader kneels to the ground and bows his head, "I should have brought this to your attention sooner, my Master. I am sorry," Vader humbles himself to his Master, hoping to assuage the unforgiving man's ego.
"Indeed," Palpatine spits out. Vader watches his Master circle around Padme from the corner of his vision. "Come, Darth Vader, let us discuss this in private," he advises him.
"Yes, my Master," he cringes inwardly, before steeling himself for the all-but-certain and familiar incoming punishment.
He matches his Master's slower pace as they reconvene to one of the conference rooms, the walk there feels agonizingly slow. Once there, Palpatine turns to face them. "Leave us, but leave Lord Vader the girl," his master orders their entourage.
Vader puts a firm hand on Padme's shoulder and directs her into the conference room. Not trusting his wife, he doesn't let her go when they are inside. Now alone, Palpatine focuses on Vader and the amiable facade he wears as the Emperor dissolves to reveal the Sith Master.
"So tell me, when did you plan on telling me?" Hopefully never, if he had the option.
"I don't know," he answers honestly. No need to outright lie to his Master who would know it immediately, and the punishment would grow greater.
"Did you think you could hide her from me?"
"No." He knew his Master would find out eventually. He was just hoping it would not have been so soon...
"I see." Palpatine is unreadable as he advances on Padme. Vader holds her tighter and presses her up against him as he feels her muscles coil, he does not need her doing anything stupid in front of Palpatine. "I will consider the last few weeks a honeymoon, then… Lord Vader... a moment to reacquaint yourselves." His eyes narrow on Vader and he recognizes the threat just in time. With Force-assisted reflexes, he is able to push Padme away from him, just before Palpatine releases a burst of Force lightning on him. The all too familiar excruciating pain flows through him, and as quickly as it started, it is over. "Consider this a warning, never hide information like this from me again," his Master snarls at him.
Vader quickly checks over his systems that are displayed for him to see on his lenses, he confirms the Force lightning was short enough to not cause any damage, despite the inordinate pain it caused. Padme rushes to him with concern in her eyes, "are you alright?" she whispers tenderly.
Unwilling to show weakness in front of his Master, he ignores her. Hurt flashes in her eyes at his rebuke, but she quickly hides it.
"I've gathered that you found her on the Corulag Orbital Research Station." Palpatine croons as he narrows his eyes on Padme, "she has joined the rebellion, how predictable," he sneers at her. It's his way of revealing to them just how much he knew about Padme, but Vader can't help but wonder, does he know more? Maybe even more than he? "I don't suppose you would like to share with us their location?" Palpatine asks with a twisted smile.
"Never!" Padme replies firmly.
"Not to worry, Lord Vader." He shifts his beady yellow gaze back onto Padme, "It will be a matter of time, my dear. Your husband is very good at extracting information," Palpatine draws out each word as he grasps his hands together.
"Don't be so certain," she postures. Vader squeezes her in warning and she tries to jerk out of his grasp, but his hold on her is steady.
Palpatine all but laughs in her face, totally disregarding her, he changes topics altogether, "how would you like to be a Senator, again?" he asks sweetly.
Unsure and untrusting, Padme cocks her head, "What? Why?"
"I think you would do me well as a Senator."
Predictably, Padme refuses. "I will not be your puppet! Leave that role to Vader," she replies hotly.
Practically squealing with delight, fueled by the drama, Palpatine takes a step towards her, "what a disrespectful little thing you have become." Palpatine looks at him, a sick smile on his face, "She will be fun to break, don't you agree, my Apprentice?"
Vader stays quiet, knowing no answer is the better option. Luckily, Palpatine isn't waiting for an answer and he continues to woo his wife on becoming his Senator. "Not a puppet, dear, an ally. Let's just say, you could help keep your friends Mon Mothma and Bail Organa out of trouble." And there it is, his Master's infamous leverage. Knowing loyal Padme, she will be unwilling to leave her friends in trouble if she's able to save them.
If Padme could move back further, she would. But she's already as far back as she can get, he has to actively hold his position just so she won't push him back with her.
"What about them…" she plays dumb, but her body language has given her away.
Visibly irritated, Palpatine snarls, "You know as well as I do that they are the ones organizing the rebellion against my Empire. Join me, and you can save them from an unfavorable fate."
Padme pauses, he knows she's trying to keep her options open while trying to extract information. She keeps it simple, "how?"
Grimly, the Emperor answers, "you can be the balance to their radical and unpatriotic misconduct within the Senate." Palpatine watches her intently as she mulls it over, before sweetening the deal, "I'll even let you carry-on with your altruistic pursuits, as long as they do not interfere with my Empire." And by interfering with his empire, they all know he means his power.
Finally, to Vader's relief, she relents. "Fine." A wise decision, she's better off going along with the Emperor - as he has learned the hard way over the years.
"You flatter me, Senator," he crows with mock delight. "Coruscant will be elated to have you back." The false sentiment is short lived as before their very eyes his face transforms to pure menace, "Now, tell me, where is the Skywalker offspring?"
Unable to help himself, Vader quickly responds, "he's dead," instinctively protecting his wife from having to confront the unsavory question.
Palpatine's mouth warps into a sickening smile, "is he now?" Palpatine walks towards her and reaches out with an all but rotting hand and watches helplessly as Padme whimpers in pain. Vader's restraining hand on her is no longer there to hold her back, but to keep her from falling. "Hmmm… her memories are blocked."
"I sensed that too, most likely this is Kenobi's doing." But unlike his Master, he didn't bother forcing through the block on Padme's mind knowing the pain it would cause her. A few drops of blood land on his gloved hand, and Vader resists pulling her away from Palpatine's unwelcomed infiltration.
Palpatine's eyes are closed as he digs deeper and Padme starts to scream, if it weren't for Vader propping her up, she would be on the floor. Knowing she won't be able to take much more, Vader is prepared when she loses consciousness and scoops her up delicately into his arms. Anger boils through him as he sees that her nose and ears are bleeding.
Oblivious, or rather ignoring Vader's harmless rage, the Emperor ponders Padme's mental block. "That is not the work of an amature," it's a small diss to Obi Wan and it pleases him, "I felt… Master Yoda." Rather than be upset about the news, his Master looks gleeful. "It seems our little green friend survived. How I will enjoy watching him die."
"It will be done with pleasure, my Master," he answers loyally.
"But first, let us see to our Senator." Palpatine finds a chair to sit down at and pretends to think. Vader knows better, this scheming politician had plans for her the moment he learned she was alive. Which he's now certain was not long after he did, maybe even before... "You can keep her," he waves away a concern he had not dared to voice, "she may not admit it, but she cares for you. And that will be to my advantage," he all but cackles. "Lure her to our side and she will become an even more powerful asset. As will Anakin's son."
That gets his attention, "Master?"
"Do you really believe Skywalker's son is dead?" Palpatine deliberately sows doubt in his apprentice.
"She told me herself, I did not sense deceit," he tells his Master, but inwardly he wonders if he was just blind in the face of her grief. He has to admit, he did sense something was off…
"A mother's will is powerful," his Master lectures him. "And Anakin's love blinds you. See that it does not happen again. I will not tolerate such foolish weakness."
"If Skywalker's son is alive, he will be found," Vader vows.
"Of that, I have no doubt, my Apprentice, the Force is on our side. When you find him, you will bring him before me."
"As you wish."
"Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen," Palpatine cackles obnoxiously. "You may see to your wife," and before he dismisses him he adds one more thing, "as soon as she is able, you will accompany the Senator to Coruscant."
Vader wastes no time bringing Padme to the medbay where medics immediately attend to her injuries. One of the medics approaches him, "we've induced a coma to let her internal injuries heal on their own. There will be no permanent damage."
Vader nods with relief.
"There is nothing to be done but wait. We can inform you when she awakens."
An angel of Iego. It's all Vader can think as he watches Padme lay there peacefully, the blood having been washed away. "Make sure you do," Vader orders before leaving the room.
Now, there is only one matter left for him to attend to. With long quick strides, he reaches the bridge and has an officer locate Marsden. While he waits, he oversees several trade route disputes in the outer rim - the Empire's affairs are an all consuming and never ending task. When Marsden arrives, he directs him to a private antechamber and follows him in.
With the door securely shut, he opens, "you have proven yourself to be loyal. So I am trusting you with sensitive information. What I am about to tell you can never leave this room. Understood?"
"You can trust me, Lord Vader," Marsden answers firmly. And he senses he is being truthful.
"I need you to find Padme Amidala's son."
"Who is the father?" If Marsden is surprised that Padme had a child, he does not show it.
"Me."
To this news Marsden, as expected, does look surprised, but to his credit he does a decent job covering it up - unwilling to risk his life lest Vader take offense. He recovers quickly, hardly skipping a beat, "I'll need more information to start my search."
"Look for all contacts - family and friends - of Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker."
"The dead Jedi war hero Anakin Skywalker? You think Padme had Skywalker hide your son before he died?" They are good questions, but wrong on so many accounts.
"No." Vader pauses, looking the Lieutenant over, "Anakin Skywalker did not die. Not like the galaxy believes," he reveals. And then he hits him with a truth few living know, "I am Anakin Skywalker."
This time Marsden lets out an audible gasp, "oh." He lets him absorb the information, it's a big ask for anyone - especially an Empire loyalist. "Oh... I see." To his credit, the Lieutenant takes it in stride.
"Now you know why no one must know. You will have to work alone."
"It will take longer," Marsden warns. "But under the circumstances, I don't see a better option," he assesses frankly.
"I am patient," Vader lies. But unless he wants his past to become common knowledge, he has no choice.
"I will start right away, my Lord."
Vader nods and dismisses him.
Once on the bridge, he notifies one of the officers to pack Padme's things and have a fresh outfit delivered to the medbay. They'll leave as soon as she awakens. Meanwhile, he's informed that the Emperor is leaving so he retreats to the main hangar and sees him off. It's a bittersweet sendoff, he's relieved to have the Emperor off his ship, but he knows he will be on Coruscant and under the watchful eye of his Master shortly. It will be up to him to make sure Padme stays in line and avoids the wrath of his Master, protecting her has just become infinitely more complicated.
Pounding. It feels like a pack of rancours are stampeding through her brain.
"Ah, you're awake. I'll inform Lord Vader." A too-cheery voice crashes through her already hurting head.
Padme tries to open her eyes as she struggles to get up, but the lights are too bright and she quickly closes them again. "Where am I?"
"The medbay, my dear. Shh, now lie back down. That's right." Padme hears papers shuffling, "Where's that darn comm... I'll be right back."
Padme's eyes squint through the painfully bright lights of the room and she's able to make out the silhouette of a medic. "Wait… my head."
The medic comes back to her bedside and peers into her eyes with a little flashlight and Padme pulls away in pain, cutting the examination short. "Headache?" the medic asks.
"Yes," Padme all but whimpers.
"Hmm, I'm not surprised after what he did to you." She can hear the distaste in the medic's tone of voice. "You're not the first that black costumed oaf has landed here. You might not be surprised to hear, but most are not so lucky as you." The medic is mostly grumbling to herself at this point, "I've become more of a mortician than a medic."
She's referring to Vader, Padme realizes. "It wasn't him." Why is she defending him? He might not have done this to her, but he was certainly complicit. Even held her until she became unconscious from whatever the Emperor had done to her.
She closes her eyes to filter out the light as best she can, but she hears the medic open and close a drawer before stepping towards her again and gently pulling away her gown, revealing her derriere. Even though the medic is a nice older female, which she's gathered from her voice alone, she can't help but blush. "Ouch," Padme involuntarily squeaks.
"There you go, analgesic shot. Hold on, should kick in momentarily," the medic informs in her warm nurturing voice.
Padme feels the soothing contents of the liquid warm her body and soon the pounding in her head quiets to nothing. Hesitantly, she opens her eyes and blinks at the bright lights - this time though, it's not in pain. Curious, she looks around and sees she's in a white sterile room with all the accommodations one would expect in a med-bay. Relieved to find it's a private room, and no one but the nurse has seen her rump, Padme lowers her gown over her exposed flesh where the shot was administered.
"You feel better, sweety?" Padme nods her head. "Okay, good. Hang tight, I need to find my comm." Just when the spacey medic is about to leave, she turns around, remembering, "Ah, there's a fresh change of clothes when you're ready," she points to the white with chrome medic's desk where a neat stack of folded clothes rests. "Take your time," she adds before the door slides shut behind her.
Padme tries to get up, but her world spins. Whether it's the aftermath of whatever Palpatine did to her, or the analgesic the medic administered, or possibly a combination of the two - she feels dizzy. But at least it's not pain, she thanks the Force for that small reprieve. Noticing a cup of water by her bedside table, she takes a few sips before resting a little more, gathering her strength to put some proper clothes on before she receives company that's not… female. Padme blushes at the thought of Vader walking in on her backless medical gown she's wearing. With that motivating thought, she gets up, holding a hand out on the bedside table to balance herself while she grabs the stack of clothes. With some difficulty, she manages to untie the laces around her neck and mid-back and lets the gown drop to the ground.
As she's fumbling with her shirt, she hears a commotion behind her door and Vader's commanding voice approaches, "step aside," she hears him order from just outside her door. Panicking, she grabs the sheet from the bed to try to maintain some dignity, but before she's fully covered she's face to face with him. She notices he's not alone and that he's followed by two male medics, and she's all but mortified. He seems to assess the situation faster than she does and with a Force push, he stops the intruding medics from following him in and shuts the door behind him, locking it. Unlike the privacy he afforded her when he forced her to shower in his fortress, this time he does not stay turned away from her.
She can feel him staring at her. Her heart is beating fast and her whole body feels flushed. True, she's used to being naked around her ladies in waiting, and it's not like she hasn't been naked in front of him before, after all, one doesn't often become pregnant fully clothed. But her ladies in waiting were trusted friends in her domain, and the intimacy she shared with Anakin was a long time ago, and he is a different person now. "Thank you," she whispers to Vader for saving her modesty from the other medics.
Self-conscious from his bold scrutiny, she casts her gaze to the ground demurely. Slowly, Padme reaches for her shirt on the floor. But it's too much for her, dizziness overwhelms her and she falls to the ground. In seconds, she's in Vader's arms. Very nakedly… in his arms. For a few moments, she forgets about Vader and all she sees is Anakin as she feels his gloved hands on her waist help her onto the bed. An old, but familiar sensation stirs within her belly and a fresh blush sweeps through her face. As she sits there, naked, she regains her sense of modesty and crosses her arms over her breasts protectively, "how can I help?" He asks her.
"My shirt…" she says, looking at the offensive article that got her into this predicament laying innocently on the ground. She watches as it floats into her hands and she quickly puts it on. Without having to ask, Vader grabs her other clothes and hands them to her.
"Do you need me to-"
She answers quickly, "no, I think I've got it now." He starts to step back, but she stops him, "wait - actually..."
"Sure," he answers as she struggles to find the words for 'hey.. Hold me while I'm half naked and help me get dressed.'
He offers her his hand as she stands up, then she uses his strong rigid body to balance herself. He diligently keeps her from falling as she slides on her panties, knit leggings, and finally slips into some soft boots. Gratefully, she dons an oversized knit sweater. This is much warmer and comfortable than the uniforms she was forced to wear. She supposes that at least there is a silver lining to having her identity revealed to all onboard, she no longer has to wear those awful uniforms that never felt warm enough for the coldness of space-travel.
Feeling better, she stands on her own and looks expectantly at Vader, "I want to go to our room," she informs him. Vader shakes his head and before he can say anything she continues, "please, I don't want to be here any longer." She hates medbays - after all, the last time she was in one she had died and had her children taken away. "I… there's too many memories," she whispers.
"Your room has been packed. When you're well enough to leave here, we're leaving for Coruscant."
...her room has been packed? The datastick… Panic consumes her. What if it was found? Luckily, she'd put it in one of the pockets of her sweaters when some of her more casual off-duty clothes had arrived from Mustafar. Hopefully, it wouldn't be discovered on transfer, or worse… that it falls out and then anyone could find it. Padme leans her head against Vader, finding comfort in his arms as she tries to hush her worries. She blames the loopiness of the analgesic she was administered for her forward behavior. "Why Coruscant?" Why not back to Mustafar?
"The Emperor wants to keep a closer eye on us, me really. And he wants you to serve as Senator."
The memories of the moments before Palpatine attacked her start to rush back. That's right, he did want her to be a Senator, again… and she was doing it to save Mon Mothma and Bail Organa. The leech had found her weakness and dug in, from her days as Senator and Queen of Naboo, he knew how loyal she was to her world and to her friends, and now he used it to get what he wanted. He's resourceful, she'll admit, but so is she. Hopefully this new role as Senator will give her a platform to push her own agenda, and as long as she can navigate around Sheev's agenda - she is certain she can find a way to do some good.
But the question still remains, "what did he do to me?" she asks Vader. "The pain..."
For a moment, she doesn't think he's going to answer her, after all - he was in on it. But he surprises her with his candidness, "he attempted to search your memories."
"He read my mind?" Padme starts to sweat… He must know about the children then… Padme's grip on the bed tightens.
"He tried. But it's been protected. Normally it wouldn't hurt so much, if you don't resist. But in your case, even if you relaxed, with your mind blocked... the pain is unavoidable."
"Protected? How?" She doesn't remember anyone doing anything to her, wouldn't she remember? If the pain meant Palpatine didn't glimmer any information from her, she would suffer that pain time and time again. If he found out about Luke and Leia… she closes her eyes, trying to block out the horrific consequences rolling through her imagination.
"We think Yoda created a barrier that protects your memories and thoughts from being read."
Master Yoda… he protected her. Does that mean… "Can you read me? Can you read minds?"
"Yes." Vader hesitates, "but not yours, his protection is strong - strong enough to resist the Emperor." Relief floods through her, then her secret is safe. The twins are safe…
The mask he wears gives her a false sense of security and the analgesic has lowered her inhibitions, so she's unaware of how closely she's being watched. She lets too much show through her expressions and Vader pounces on it, "what do you have to hide?" he asks her suspiciously.
Padme frowns at him and looks away, unwilling to bite. Moreso, she's afraid any answer she gives will betray her.
"Remember this, it is only a matter of time before I learn the truth. It is better you tell me now than I learn elsewhere," he warns her ominously.
Padme digs in with her silence, her frown growing.
"Very well. As you wish, Padme." He steps away from her and offers her his hand. "Let us be on our way. You can rest on the shuttle."
Padme stubbornly refuses his offered hand, choosing to walk on her own. She hasn't made it three steps before she falters and he forces his assistance on her. Rather than push him away, she surrenders, accepting the help and they leave the medbay. Tucked under his arm and walking at a considerably slower pace than what is considered normal, she ignores the double takes and outright staring of the crew that even Vader's menacing notoriety cannot hold back.
Seeing the troopers walk by, her friends pop to mind. Could Vader have them transferred to Coruscant? It would be nice to have some familiar faces around. She ventures to ask him, "my friends… the ones from the gym…" Vader is silent, she wonders if he even heard her, a quick squeeze on her shoulder confirms he has. "Could they come too? Jet, Sam, Elliot, and Eliza?"
"We can talk about it later," comes Vader's stern reply. Rebuffed, Padme sighs dejectedly. 'Later' will be too late. Wanting to argue further, but her weakened state inhibiting her from doing so, she lets it go.
Eventually, they make it to the hangar, where Vader's shuttle awaits prepped and ready, perched like a bird of prey. Once on the shuttle, Padme takes a seat, this time, Vader joins her. Too tired to think better of it, she rests her head on his shoulder and Vader wraps a protective arm around her small frame. Unlike the last few weeks, Vader has no problem announcing their relationship to the world. In fact, this is the first time since they have been together that they were not a secret. How strange things have progressed. Settling in for the half a day's journey, she yawns deeply before closing her eyes. Hopefully, when she wakes up, they'll be there. She lets Vader's rhythmic breathing lull her to sleep. The last thing she remembers is the shuttle taking off.