A/N: Apologies for the long delay in updating (like about a week I think), but I've been busy working on another project in conjunction with this one which is exhausting. That along with day to day life of work and taking care of a family. I really hope you enjoy this chapter, it's a prelude to the action that we've been waiting for but will still have some psychological effects that will go along with it.
Padmé woke with a blistering headache that far surpassed the one she had after her hangover from her night of binge drinking. What the fuck was going on? She had remembered she was about to get into her speeder to race back home to Vader's estate to greet her parents. She forced her eyes open and was greeted by the sight of a stone room with a small lantern. Oh, shit. She most certainly wasn't on Coruscant anymore, at least not a part that she recognized. What the hell was going on?
"Padmé, it's good to see you awake."
Wait, she knew that voice like the back of her hand. She fought back a wave of panic. "Ob-Wan fucking Kenobi, I assume that I have you to thank for this bloody headache, don't I?" What the hell was this coward of a Jedi doing with her? She turned her head and saw him sitting cross legged in a dark corner of the room.
"That's an undesirable side effect of having you unconscious for so long. It will wear off in about an hour or two", Obi-Wan said with a note of empathy. "I'm just happy that you're safe and away from that madman."
Padmé laughed bitterly. "What madman are you talking about, Obi-Wan? As far as I'm concerned, the only madman is you. You're the one who's abducted me and brought me to wherever the hell this is." She waived her hand like she was near an unpleasant street merchant, trying to sell her overpriced textiles.
"I know that there's going to be some confusion at first, but I'm going to make things right, Padmé. Vader must have a tremendous spell over your mind for you to believe that you were supposed to be with him. I'm here to help you through the journey, no matter how long it takes", Obi-Wan explained. "All I ask is that you try and submit to what I have to do. It won't be comfortable, it may even be painful, but at the end of the day, you'll thank me."
A feeling of dread washed over Padmé. Obi-Wan was under the assumption that she was being forced to be with Vader against her will. That he was to try and undo whatever Vader did to break her free from her melancholy and destroy her bond with her lover.
"Obi-Wan", she began, holding her hands out in front of her. "I know that you may be assuming a few things, but I'm not under some spell by Vader. I am with him quite willingly, and whatever you have felt is merely Vader's hand in curing me of some mental ailments. I have a bond with him, one that I cannot explain, but it is voluntary. I cannot submit to whatever the hell you are proposing, it isn't right for you to be making these assumptions." Seriously, the man had to listen. He couldn't make such a unilateral decision, that would be akin to mental rape.
"Padmé, nothing that you're saying is surprising. That's how Vader has duped you, by making you think that you needed whatever he has done to your mind. While you were unconscious, I've searched your mind, and have seen that he has broken the barrier that I put in place all those years ago to protect your most inner secrets. I've seen things that have shocked me, the ways that he's savaged you, goaded you into killing another senator, and much more. I know you; I know that you aren't this person, this woman who is capable of cruelty. You will be freed, and Vader will pay."
Padmé stared at the fucker incredulously. The son of a bitch had the balls to insinuate that he knew her, that he was able to read her heart and soul, that he dared to access memories so personal, they should only be shared between Vader and her. "You're a mental rapist", she spat. "You know nothing of what you speak of. I will not consent to whatever the fuck you have planned for me. I'd rather die than to have you violate my mind with yours."
Obi-Wan cocked his head and looked at her carefully, as if he was studying a caged animal. "We don't have much time, Padmé. Vader will be here soon, and he'll bring your handmaiden. I'm going to kill him, and the two of you will be free forever."
She laughed hysterically. "You?", she asked. "You're going to try and kill Vader? That's the most hilarious thing that I've heard all my life. Vader will gut you in single combat. He's far too skilled of a duelist to be defeated by you."
Obi-Wan smiled. "You're probably right. In single combat he would most likely emerge victorious, but that's why it won't be in single combat. I've prepared a bit of an ambush for the monster, one that will shake him to his core and make it impossible for him to even mount a defense."
"Fuck you!", Padmé screeched. "You're the monster here, not Vader! You don't know his heart, or who he really is. You'll be killing the best hope that this galaxy has for peace if you do this, and I will hate you even more than I have for the past fourteen years, Obi-Wan!" Her hands were shaking, her body trembling. This is what this was all about, not simply Obi-Wan's concern of her mental wellbeing, but it was a ruse to get Vader set up into a trap. She felt panicked, wanting to communicate with him over their bond, but he was much too far away. She wouldn't be able to warn him, he would just have to fight his way through what was to be a monster of an ambush.
"Again", Obi-Wan said, "you believe that now, but once I'm finished with you, your mind will be pure from your hatred of me, and you'll once again be my friend and ally. Of this I promise you."
Padmé balled her hands into fists. "Whatever ritual you have planned, I will not participate, I will not relent", she growled.
Obi-Wan chuckled as if he were told a dry joke. "Padmé, you don't have any say in the matter."
He waived his hand and Padmé felt herself fall back onto her bed, unable to move, unable to speak. Obi-Wan walked into view with a grin of triumph on his face. Padmé wanted to jerk away from him, but she couldn't. He pressed his hand against her head and she felt like her mind was being torn to pieces. It was agonizing, frightening. She tried to hold onto Vader's love for her, using it as the constant so she wouldn't become lost amongst the storm, but even that was difficult. Whatever he was doing , he was well versed in it.
A memory popped into her mind of Vader falling into her lap after he healed her mind. She felt exhaustion from him, but undying love. Sacrifice. She just had to hold onto that memory, and it would be okay. Obi-Wan couldn't take that away from her.
The mental agony was becoming too much to bear. She simply couldn't hold on forever while she waited for Obi-Wan to grow tired. After a few more minutes of agony, she was able to open her mouth and a terrified scream emitted from her throat. She heard it echo throughout the stone halls of the structure, causing it to reverberate in the room. It nearly shattered her own eardrums, but finally, she felt Obi-Wan's hold over her mind begin to subside. She clenched to the memory of Vader, doing everything in her power to resist, and was successfully repelling the Jedi Knight.
"Padmé!", Obi-Wan shouted. "I'm losing you, stop resisting and let go! You'll be free!"
She begun to thrash her body, trying to twist her head away from Obi-Wan's hand. "I'm. Already. Free!", she screamed. "Fuck. You!"
Obi-Wan stepped back, breaking the hold he had over Padmé. She instinctively crawled away from Obi-Wan and into a corner, holding her hands out in front of her to try and ward him off if need be.
"Padmé", Obi-Wan said as he panted. "I'm sorry, but we'll have to try that again later. Whatever Vader has done to you has poisoned your mind to the extent that I'm unable to do anything. If I can't figure it out, I'll have no choice but to take you to the masters so they can see if there is anything that they can do to severe the bond and heal your mind. Until then, you'll have to stay in agony."
This was insane. She was on an unknown planet that Vader was making his way towards just to be ambushed by this coward and would have to do whatever he could to fight and win, or she was utterly lost. Her hatred towards the Jedi had never been so powerful and she prayed that Vader would be able to be victorious, so he could murder Obi-Wan and any other Jedi that dared to attempt to afront her mind.
"I'll let you rest for a while, Padmé, but we'll need to try again soon", Obi-Wan said. "For your safety, I'm going to seal the stone door on my way out. You mustn't feel like a prisoner, you're not. You're just a woman who has been abused to the point of sickness by a madman. By Vader.
Padmé seethed in anger. This cursed Jedi was going to kill her, there were no two ways about it, but she would rather be dead than to be without Vader. It would kill her more than anything if she lost her bond wit him.
"Get out", she said softly. "Get out, so that when he arrives, he can kill you."
Obi-Wan shook his head sadly at her and left, sealing the stone door behind him.
Padmé placed her face in her hands and began to cry. Please be careful Vader.
…
Vader woke with a startle. He was on the couch near the viewing window with a blanket draped over him. Strange, he didn't recall grabbing a blanket. He looked across the couch and saw Dormé curled up under a blanket of her own, clutching it to her. She must've placed the blanket over him before she went to sleep. Neither of them had wanted to be alone so they had stayed on the couch until Vader must've nodded off, exhausted from the preparation of the coming battle to free Padmé from this insane Jedi's clutches.
He slowly stood and placed his blanket over Dormé's sleeping form, hoping that she would stay asleep with the extra warmth. He went to his bedchambers and began pulling on his attire so he could visit the bridge to get a status update.
Donning the hood of his cloak he exited his personal floor and journeyed to the bridge, eager to know the status of their voyage. When he arrived, he saw Captain Piett at the front of the bridge, pacing back and forth.
"Report, Captain", Vader said as he strode up to the young office, nearly startling him.
"We're twenty hours away from the drop off point, Milord", Piett said as je viewed his wrist comms. "After that, you'll have less than an hour to board your shuttle so you and your guest ca depart."
"Very well. You understand your instructions that after we arrive on station, you're to await until we signal to you for your jump into the system, correct?" He needed to ensure that his officer was entirely clear of the plan to avoid any potentially deadly ramifications.
"Yes, Milord. We'll be ready. A full company of Stormtroopers have been fully brief on their task of landing near the designated area once you emit the homing beacon as to where you'll be once you land on the planet", Piett said.
"Very well", Vader replied. "Notify me when we're five hours away from the planet", Vader said as he left the bridge. They were still so far away and he couldn't imagine what Padmé was going through at the moment. All he knew is that he would spill the Jedi's blood for being so insane Jedi for what he had done.
Feeling a sense of purpose, he marched back to his quarters where Dormé was still fast asleep on the couch. Unwilling to awaken the girl since she was still happily asleep, he sat on the other side of the couch, watching the blue matter of hyperspace swirl pass. There would be a narrow window of opportunity to take control of what was undoubtedly a ruse to draw him out. He was certain that the Jedi, no matter how stupid would be take the chance to eliminate him once and for all.
"Milord?", Dormé asked as she wiped her eyes from the remaining sleep; "I mean, Ani. How much longer are we to be until we're ready to implement the first phase of your plan?"
Vader regarded her for a moment and wished she would've stayed asleep a little longer. "About twenty hours. You should continue to rest; we may not be able to rest any further once we arrive."
Dormé pouted and looked at him in his full regalia. "I would imagine that you should rest as well, Ani, but you don't look like you're going to do that any time soon. You're the one that's going to be facing the most difficulties out of the both of us, you should be as rested as possible."
Vader was about to protest, but the woman was correct. Fighting through an ambush just to deal with Obi-Wan Kenobi would be a difficult task, so it was probably better if he did rest. He sighed and walked back to his quarters and changed out of his attire and back to his sleep pants. He returned to the couch and Dormé tossed him his blanket, which he draped over his shoulders.
"Well, what're you thinking about doing once you rescue Padmé?", she asked.
Vader looked up at her questioningly. "What do you mean? I'll take her home and we'll deal with her parents at that time."
His friend shook her head. "No, Ani, that's not what I meant. What are you going to do about your relationship with her? Are you going to propose?"
Propose? He hadn't thought about that since they had spoken of it when they were on their way to kill Clovis. He supposed that it was something he should've considered more, but he just hadn't thought that far ahead.
"I suppose a proposal wouldn't be out of the question", he said as he poured them both another drink. If he was going to be discussing something so serious, he wasn't about to do it without something to slightly dull his senses.
Dormé accepted the drink and looked at him carefully. "That is something that you would like to do, isn't it?", she asked. "I figured that would have been at the forefront of your mind since you were expecting her parents over to solidify the arrangement."
The Sith Lord chuckled as he nursed his glass. "To be honest, I was more focused on telling her parents who I really was, but I may have given it some thought. I am wanting to propose, I just haven't figured out how to do it at this point."
"Ani", Dormé said with a pause. "I'm fairly certain that Padmé would accept the proposal regardless of how you did it." She batted a tear from her eye.
Vader studied her for a moment. "Would that be something you'd be okay with?" It would be a shame if she wasn't, but he still had to ask. He never had to worry about being caught up in a love triangle before, hell, Padmé was the only woman he ever loved, but still.
"Of course, I would", Dormé said as she drained her drink and held her glass out so Vader could pour her another. "I mean, I'm still working through my own feelings on the matter, but she's my best friend and you're becoming my friend. I would want the two of you to be happy."
"That's very considerate and kind of you to say, Dormé", Vader said. "I'll give it some thought, that's if we all make it out of this alive. I'm going to need you to do me a favor and keep your head down while we're out there doing this. I don't need you to get yourself killed, while I'm trying to focus on defeating this Jedi." Seriously, it would weigh heavily on his heart if he lost Dormé. He had managed to save her life once and wasn't keen on having to save it again.
"No, no, no, Ani. It doesn't work like that. I'm going to be focusing on getting Padmé to safety in addition to covering your back and that's' nonnegotiable", Dormé said seriously. "Like I told you before, we all need to get out of this."
"Fine", Vader capitulated, "But focus on Padmé. I should be able to handle myself, I don't want you to get stretched too thin. I mean it, this is going to be a little trickier than we probably think."
…
Padmé awoke to the sound of the stone door opening. Oh gods, not again. Anything but this. "What do you want, Obi-Wan?", she asked with venom. She knew exactly what he wanted but that didn't mean she would be sullen about it.
"Padmé, Padmé, you really need to understand that all I want is to help you. Before we get started this time, I feel it is important for us to have a chat about how evil this Sith Lord really is. What he's done to the Rebellion", Obi-Wan said.
Padmé glared at him silently, doing her best to keep her thoughts on the matter as guarded as possible.
"Nothing clever to say? I suppose that I might jump in. Did you know that Senator Mon Mothma has been missing for quite some time now?", he asked.
Padmé smirked. "Of course, I know. She's dead, Obi-Wan." This was going to be worth it to see his reaction when she told him that it was her that had aided in ending the Senator's life. She could just imagine the shock when she told him that she deserved the fate that was granted to her by her lover.
Obi-Wan frowned, studying her closely, clearly perturbed that she had already known the revelation. "How exactly did you find this out? There hasn't been anything on the holonews of her death, nor have there been any proclamations by the Senate to fill her seat. She's just considered missing, without being considered missing."
"I know she's dead, because my lover told me how he tortured and murdered her", she said sweetly. Oh, this was going to be almost as good as killing Rush had been.
Obi-Wan's mouth opened in shock. "Vader admitted this to you? And yet, you're resistant to my helping you break free from him?" He was clearly mortified, unable to process his thoughts. Padmé had calculated correctly.
"Not only do I know that he killed her, he couldn't have done it without my help", Padmé said as she allowed some acid to seep into her voice. "Mon was always too proud, not even telling me that the Rebellion was still even existence as she found I was too imbalanced to be able to provide any lasting impact. Then, Vader killed the Senator from Christophsis for his own treachery. I questioned him on it, and he showed me direct evidence that the Rebellion had been involved in dealing out civilian casualties in their bombings of Imperial installations on backwater worlds. Civilian casualties, Obi-Wan. I'm not dumb enough to pretend that the Empire hasn't been involved in their own killing of civilians, but they at least don't try and hide it under some pompous flag of freedom, like you and the rest of the Rebellion does."
She studied Obi-Wan's face and it went from hurt to anger. Good, make him lash out a little.
"So, what does this have to do with Mon's torture and death? How do you play into this?", Obi-Wan asked. The level of disgust in his voice was apartment, and she knew that he was this close to giving up on her.
"Bear in mind that this is all before Vader healed me, but after he showed me the intelligence on the bombings by the Rebellion, I swore an oath to him that I would aid in bringing the Rebellion to its knees in whatever fucking way I could, Obi-Wan", Padmé said with pride. "Then, Mon did something incredibly stupid. She came to me with her plans to escape and wanted me to come with her in order to fight against the Empire. I told her a ruse, that I would consider it, and not even an hour later, I told Vader of her plans. She was arrested later that evening… After I had some particularly glorious sex with Vader, the man you despise." There, that should do it. That should drive him into a rage. Especially if she was correct about the nature of the feelings that he had for her.
"You did what!", Obi-Wan boomed. "She was our leader, the one that was to help us create chaos within the Empire, and you sold her out to your so called lover, a man that wouldn't care if you lived or died?"
"Now, now, Obi-Wan. Remember, anger leads to the dark side", Padmé said with a smirk. "You wouldn't want to fly into a blind rage and kill me, now, would you?" Maybe he should, it would get Vader away from this ambush. No, on second thought it wouldn't. It would drive him into a blind rage and he would want to slaughter every being in existence.
"Padmé, your mind may be too far gone that I can't help it", Obi-Wan surmised. "But I will still try."
"No!" Padmé exclaimed. "You stay the fuck away from my mind, it isn't something that you can touch, much less control. I'm happy that I have Vader, you need to leave me the fuck alone."
"No! You shouldn't have those feelings for him, you should have had them for me!", Obi-Wan hissed. "I saved your planet from the Trade Federation. I went through hell fighting and killing a Sith Lord. I'm the one that should have earned your affection, but instead, you became enraged at me for what happened to the boy. It wasn't my fault for what happened to him, I did everything I could to prevent it, but it's just what happened."
Okay, what the fuck? "I was a child!", Padmé exclaimed. "I was a queen, yes, but I was fourteen fucking years old when that happened. I couldn't have returned your affections even if I had wanted to, which I most certainly did not. I still don't want to return your affections. You're a sick and twisted man, more so than you could possibly even realize. Yes, losing the boy as you call him, was your responsibility. You and your master lured him away from his dear mother, and you have no clue what happened to him as a result! No, you don't deserve to know what happened to him as a result. All you deserve if to sit and wallow in your pompous Jedi ways, thinking that you have the rights to change the entire damned galaxy. You are nothing, Obi-Wan, and you'll always be nothing!"
"Enough!", Obi-Wan roared.
He held up his hand and Padmé once again felt herself pinned to her bed, unable to move. Oh, gods please don't let this happen again, she thought. Then it began, she could feel Obi-Wan's mind enter hers again, but this time instead of being a controlled chaos, he began smashing everything in his path. Trying to destroy everything that she had, her memories of Vader, his love for him. She tried to focus as she did before, but it was so agonizing that she could hardly think. She clung to whatever memories and emotions that she could, as if she was trying to save them from being sucked into a storm. It was difficult, it was painful, but she would persist. She had to.
Somehow, he heard Obi-Wan scream in rage as he found that his plan wasn't working. That it was about as useless as a damned cruiser going up against a Star Destroyer, but he still didn't relent. Padmé screeched again after again and could even taste blood at the back of her throat from the trauma he was inflicting upon her brain. "I hate you Obi-Wan!", she screamed. "Get out of my head!"
But Obi-Wan didn't relent. He was enraged. This was no longer about him trying to save her from Vader, this was about him wanting to hurt her as badly as he could, and he was succeeding. The last conscious thoughts she had before everything faded to black were how much she loved her Ani.
A/N: Sorry this chapter was a little short. I wanted to really focus on the psychological torture that Padmé was going through. The next chapter will have a considerable amount of action, so I definitely hope you will enjoy it. If you like what you've read, please consider dropping a review and following!