A/N: Thanks for the reviews and follows! Now, onto some more drama.
"Well, would you look at that. I never figured Senator Amidala was a fucking Imperial cocksucker, but this suggests otherwise", a Rebel soldier said roughly onboard the ship's cantina. They were all watching the wedding live as it unfolded and were all shocked that a once staunchly loyal supporter of the Rebellion had just said her fucking vows to not only an Imperial, but the worst one of them all. Darth fucking Vader.
Obi-Wan was scowling at the holoprojector as he drank from his glass. Whiskey was a rare treat for him, but tonight, it was nothing but rare, it was plentiful, the more he could get the better. That whore, the girl he always thought was beyond reproach had just married the evilest man in the galaxy. The gods damned man that had taken off his arm. After he had tried to save her, sever her connection to this monster, she married him and would likely be fucked depravedly late into the early hours of the morning.
"I figured that her pretty lips were always better served for something other than giving those long winded speeches she used to be famous for", another soldier crassly remarked. "Apparently she's now some gods damned Lady Vader, a gods damned power grab for sure if I ever saw one."
"Let's not forget, she apparently got Mothma killed", a third soldier commented.
Obi-Wan had to chuckle at that. News from her confession that it had been her that leaked Mothma's ties to the Rebellion had spread fast. She was becoming the most unpopular woman in the Rebellion and it served her right. She was a traitor, nothing but a traitor, and he longed for the day, hopefully in the near future, where he would crush the life from her. Her traitorous screams would be pleasant to his ears, of that he was certain. Gone were his reservations of crushing her to death, now that she had sealed her fate with Vader, she was fair game. An enemy. One that had to be destroyed, lest she infect the rest of the galaxy with her witchery. How he had been a fool for pining for her for years made no sense to him. It angered him, infuriated him, made him want to scream in rage.
Not that he could tell anyone of course, there were too many in the Jedi that would expel him for even admitting to such thoughts, and he wouldn't be known as the Jedi who was passed over by Padmé, just for her to choose a man like Vader over him. No, he was done with her. She was dead, she just didn't know it yet, but she would. He would enjoy looking her in her eyes as he crushed her from the outside in, taking pleasure in the fact that it would drive her husband into tears just to have his head severed while he gazed upon the brutalized corpse of his wife.
That would be his mission, his zeal, his everything. He would just have to find the right time to do it, which was becoming problematic. Obi-Wan was still largely seen as a security threat by Bail Organa and his master and was constantly watched, and not allowed near a docking bay of the ship, lest he make his escape to go bring further torment upon the evildoers of the galaxy. What a pathetic group of rebels, they were in a war they were losing because they refused to meet the enemy head on. They refused to fight hard, and it was costing them dearly, or so he thought. His mind was becoming so warped at his lust for revenge that even he was recognizing that he had lost perspective.
Fine. Let himself be lost further. It would make his task of executing the husband and wife that easier, that much more pleasurable. What a sick joke this galaxy was to allow two people like that to be the center of attention. But what was now valuable was the galaxy knew Vader's face. It had been on full display. Gone was the cloak of darkness that he enjoyed, and now he was a mere man, a powerful man, but still a man. And men could be killed.
"I never thought Vader would be one of those pretty boys, but shit, no wonder why he's got that bitch bent over constantly, he looks like he should be on the cover of a gods damned romance novel", another soldier sneered. "Maybe that's why we're a bunch of fifth rate soldiers, we look like fucking rats. Who wants to fuck a rat?"
"That's fair. Kenobi looks like a rat, don't you, Kenobi", one of the soldiers said as he roughly clapped Obi-Wan on the back. Obi-Wan was too tired and too uncaring to make a comment. He simply lifted his drink in response and kept watching the holoprojector show the rest of the wedding.
"Oh, look, now the couple are dancing like a couple of fucking pompous royals", a female soldier cackled. "Well, if I was dancing with that hunk, I'm sure I'd want my tits out like hers as well." That caused a ruckus laugh throughout the entire cantina.
Obi-Wan had to admit, the dress that Padmé had chosen was not only alluring, it was devastatingly beautiful. That should have been his, she should have been his. Fuck, she would have been his had he been able to smash Vader's presence from her mind. He had it right there, but she had been holding onto something on the inside that prevented him from ripping her mind to pieces. What a shame, now she would have to learn a different lesson in life.
"Obi-Wan, I believe you've had enough to drink for one night."
Fuck, it was Qui-Gon fucking Jinn.
"And what makes you think that master? Am I not being worthy of the title of a Jedi Knight by enjoying some whiskey while watching the greatest farce that the galaxy has ever seen?", Obi-Wan asked. "Or are my thoughts unbecoming of said title as well?"
"Both", Qui-Gon said evenly. "You're so inebriated that I can hear your thoughts across the ship, and none of them are good. In fact, they can get you into the wrong kind of trouble if you continue them."
"Well, I guess I've been warned", Obi-Wan said. "Just let me enjoy my drink in peace, master. That's the only thing I have at the moment since you and Organa have both deemed me as a security risk." Seriously, the nerve of the man to tell him that he couldn't enjoy a drink while thinking about exacting revenge against the evildoers of the galaxy was laughable. Were they not all rebels here? It was their job to rebel against the Empire, and part of rebelling was killing. It should've been painfully obvious.
"You've been deemed as a threat because you led the Empire to our secondary fleet's location in the Amari system, one that I've given you leniency with given that Vader took your arm. If he was truly the evil man that you believe he is, he would have killed me and then finished you off as well", Qui-Gon reminded him.
Obi-Wan shook his head. "You say that like he's some master duelist, he would not have killed you, you would've struck him down."
"Now, that's you being ignorant, Obi-Wan. Had Vader continued his assault, I would be dead. He's a far greater duelist than you give him credit for. Just because you got in a few lucky slices on Dantooine doesn't make him weak by any stretch of the means. There's a reason why he nearly hunted us to our extinction several years back, and his skill with a lightsaber and the Force is why. Now, the reason why we're still alive after Amari, is that because there's an inner conflict with him, and a strong one at that", Qui-Gon said. "The woman that married him wouldn't have done so if she truly thought he was irredeemable. There are things going on that we cannot see, because Vader doesn't want it to be seen. He can't have it seen; the Emperor would kill him if he did."
"Oh, don't bother me with that tired old speech again, master", Obi-Wan said with a roll of his eyes. "There's as much good in him as any other Sith, and that's none. Or are you about to tell me that Palpatine is suddenly in the midst of a personal battle as well?" He nursed his drink some more while his master stared him down.
"No, I won't say that Palpatine is in the midst of an internal struggle, what I am saying is that Vader is. I will also say that I know your intentions of killing him, and if you attempt to carry out those plans, I will be forced to stop you. Don't put me in that position, Obi-Wan. You won't like it", Qui-Gon promised.
Obi-Wan turned and stared at his master, letting the words sink into his skull. His own master had just threatened him if he attempted to exact his revenge against Lord and Lady Vader. That wasn't sobering, it was infuriating. "You have to be joking, master. You're telling me that if I attempt to take out one of the greatest threats that the galaxy has ever known, you'll try and stop me. Is that what you're really saying, or am I mistaken?"
Qui-Gon leaned in close. "That's exactly what I'm saying, Obi-Wan. You don't want to push me on this, I promise you. I am very close to having you expelled from the order as your thoughts are dangerous. They will lead you down the dark path if you continue to have them and losing a Knight to the darkness is something that we cannot afford, so you will need to choose and choose quickly what kind of man you'll be seen as", he said, holding Obi-Wan's glare.
"I suppose that's typical of you Qui-Gon, you're so full of shit that it's impossible to deal with you. You've always criticized the Jedi and their rigid philosophies and now here you are, telling me that I'm walking down the dark path. Give me a break", Obi-Wan said.
"This is your last warning, my apprentice", Qui-Gon said as he walked off, leaving Obi-Wan to shake his head and drink more while he fumed at the holoprojector. The damned celebration was still going, but the newly wed couple were no where to be seen. Probably fucking at this very moment and it made Obi-Wan's stomach churn.
…
Sidious was outraged. He had blessed the union between Vader and Amidala, even paid for the majority of the expenses himself, just to have his apprentice show his face like a damned war hero. People across the galaxy would look to him as the rightful leader of the Empire now that he had shown his handsome looks, especially given how the wedding had progressed. Endearment was Sidious' enemy. He was the only one that should be acknowledged as the leader of the Empire, it was his, not Vader's! It was his military, his loyal subjects. Now this man, this apprentice of his was threatening all of it by showing his face.
A painful lesson would have to be taught, but not until Vader delivered children. Once children were born, then Sidious would be able to groom them much as he had groomed Vader, only these children would be brought into the darkness at a far younger age with less good in their hearts, especially once he snatched them from their mother's arms as newborns. Yes, he could see it now so clear that he could almost taste it. Pure born children of Vader that could be turned into the ultimate weapons that the Empire would have in maintaining order and stability. It wasn't that Vader was worthless in that regard, he had been useful for many years in fact, it was simply that Sidious couldn't afford to be threatened by the man's ability to captivate a crowd.
Maybe this union had been a mistake, this pompous affair. He should have commanded that they wed in secret to avoid such a spectacle from forming, as everyone in the galaxy would be watching at this very moment, wondering if it was Vader who truly was in control of everything. What a foolish mistake that Sidious would not repeat. His servant deserved no acclaim, no honor, just to be feared as a weapon.
What a foolish thing it had been to allow his weapon to form an emotional attachment to Amidala, he should have killed her before they grew too fondly of one another, he just couldn't pass up the chance that she would provide the ability to sway the people to the side of the Empire. Perhaps she still could, perhaps this was the catalyst that was needed. If he could get Vader to resume his subservient behavior, then maybe all would be well, but there would have to be a price that would be paid and part of that price would be to deliver Kenobi's head to him no matter the cost. He didn't care how long it took his apprentice; he wanted the fool dead for escaping.
At the end of the day, this would all work according to his grand scheme and that was complete and utter domination of the galaxy. Damn everyone in it, he would rule over the ashes of the Empire than deal with such nonsense.
…
Three days after the wedding, Padmé and Vader were lounging on their own private island of the resort world Spira. Spira was a core system with beautiful beaches sprawling the entire planet, and the section where the honeymooning couple had secluded themselves was reserved for the elite of the elite. No tourists were allowed, just a private island where they could do what they wanted whenever they wanted.
"Ani", Padmé said as she rolled over to face her husband.
"Hmmm?", he replied.
"Do you think this was a good destination for our honeymoon?", she asked. "Or do you wish we'd gone to a place with a little more excitement?"
"You ask me this after we've been here for nearly three days?", Vader asked sleepily as he lifted his head from his beach towel to shoot his wife a sideways glance.
"I know it seems like a petty question, but you're always a man of adventure", Padmé replied as she trailed her fingertips along his deeply tanned back.
"I'm also a man that enjoys some peace and quiet, especially with his new wife", Vader replied as he laid his head back down. "Besides, I would've thought that you would've been incensed if I chose a venue where we'd run the risk of being shot at."
"Well, I do suppose I would've been incensed as you put it, but I just want to make sure you're having a good time as well", Padmé said.
Vader rolled over on top of Padmé who squeaked at how quickly he moved. He bent down and captured her lips with his own, locking them in an intense make out session for at least two minutes before he pulled back. "Does that answer your question?", he asked with a smirk.
"Beautifully", she whispered.
"Good", he replied as he rolled onto his back, eager to catch more sun.
Damn him for getting her into the mood just to roll back over. It wasn't fair, not in the slightest. Here she was, topless on a private beach and he wasn't roughly fucking the daylight out of her for her incessant nagging. Surely, he would be more relentless in his punishments to her.
"Ani?", she asked as she propped herself up on her elbow.
"Hmmm?", he replied again.
"Am I not that irresistible to you anymore?", she pouted.
He lifted his head to squint at her like she'd just said something utterly moronic. "Woman, what are you talking about?"
Padmé gestured to her half naked body. "I'm right here, yet you're not mauling me."
Vader chuckled. "Angel, we've made love four times today, I'd say that you're still irresistible to me. I've done more than my fair share of mauling you the entire time we've been here."
"Still", she said as she ran her bare thigh over the top of his shorts. "I would think that we would be going for some new record of love making while we have all this privacy at our disposal."
Vader groaned at the sensation that she was inflicting upon him. "You're too damned horny, woman. What happened to the senator that was obsessed with making a positive change in the galaxy now that we're married?", he asked.
That was a good point. "That comes after the honeymoon, darling. This time is just meant for the two of us. Who knows when we'll get an opportunity to do this again?", she reminded him. "There's still the war and all the troubles that go along with it that we'll have to contend with once the honeymoon is over." To make her point even clearer, she applied even more pressure with her thigh, causing him to groan again.
"Damn you woman", he whispered as he rolled to his side to be on level with her. "You and your insatiable appetites are going to ruin me, I'm a damned Sith Lord, not a sex slave."
Padmé adopted a wide eyed expression. "But Milord, I thought that lust was a key component of the dark side of the Force."
Vader smirked. "It can be, but it's more of a lust for power than for sex", he said as his voice dropped just a bit lower in tone.
"Well, I offer you power over me", she whispered.
With that, Vader snatched her to him and kissed her hard, clutching her to him as tightly as possible. Padmé whimpered at the possessiveness of his touch and giggled as his hand made its way to the string of her bikini bottom, tugging it loose. She pulled down on his trunks, springing him free. They both shed themselves of their garments and Vader rolled on top of her, entering her in one smooth motion as she arched her back and moaned.
"That's what I'm talking about, Ani", she said as he began thrusting into her. "That's the type of lust we need to take advantage of at the moment."
"Shut up woman", Vader growled as he bit into her neck. That's the man she needed, the Vader that would take charge of her and guide her into bliss.
The tempo of his thrusts increased, and her hands slipped around his now sweaty shoulders, his skin hot from the sunlight. Her moans encouraging him to pick up the pace with each and every whimper. She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him down for a sloppy kiss, her hips bucking to meet his own as they made love in the scorching heat.
Vader broke the kiss and Padmé felt herself momentarily weightless as she was spun onto her stomach, just for him to enter her smoothly from behind. She screamed into her beach towel, surprised at the sudden aggressive move, but pleased that her taunts and teases spurned on this more aggressive love making. She pushed up with her hands, arching her back as he took her, flicking her hair, hoping that he would take the hint, and he did. He reached into her hair and pulled back hard, causing her to scream out at the brutality of the sensual touch. She was his, and she wanted to remind him of that fact as much as possible.
Padmé found herself unable to move her hips as his legs wrapped around hers, pinning her to the ground, forcing her to just enjoy whatever he decided to punish her with for her impudent behavior.
"Oh, shit, Ani", she screamed. "That's my Sith Lord."
Vader laughed as he continued to pound her from behind while pulling her hair. He lowered his face to her left ear and growled viciously, causing her to gasp in surprise before he bit into her throat again.
"That's the price you pay for wanting me all the time, wife", he whispered into her ear. "You'll get all of me, every last inch."
That made Padmé's eyes roll to the back of her head, it was too damned sensual for her to bear. Before Vader, no one had ever come close to being so dominantly erotic with her in a way that was mutual and exhilarating. He was the complete package, both sweet and rough.
As he kept his thrusts up, she continued to arch her back further, and it was wonderful. He mercilessly tore into her and she found herself crying with every thrust, so wonderfully timed. Suddenly, she felt herself clench down on him and he roared into the sky causing birds on their private island to be startled as he emptied himself deep inside of her.
"Fuck!", Padmé exclaimed. "That was wonderful."
Vader didn't respond, he merely collapsed onto her, smothering her wonderfully into the beach towel. They stayed like that for a few moments before Vader had the strength to roll off her and onto his back.
She got up on her elbows and bent down to kiss him. "Now, see, that's all a girl really wants on her honeymoon", she said victoriously.
That made Vader roll his eyes and chuckle. "I'll keep that in mind for the next couple of days before we have to head back to reality", he said.
Damn, that would be a bitch. "Don't you wish we could just stay here forever, Ani?", she asked as sweetly as possible.
Vader groaned. "Don't go tempting me with such things, Padmé, the more you do, the more inclined I'll become to agreeing with you one of these days. Maybe eventually once the galaxy calms down, we can seclude ourselves to our own little backwater paradise and say to hell with it all."
Padmé laid her head down on his chest. "Now that's the way to talk to a girl, Ani. Especially one that's been dealing with the galaxy as long as I have", she mused.
"I'm afraid we'll have far more work ahead of us than we realize, so we better just enjoy this while we can", Vader replied.
That merely made Padmé burrow her face deeper into his chest, wishing that they really could just run away and leave it all behind, but she knew that he was right. Their marriage would undoubtedly bring great new responsibilities to their relationship and to their roles within the galaxy. Something told her that the challenges were about to become steeper, but if she had him by her side, then she could take whatever the galaxy was to throw their way. No matter what.
…
Obi-Wan was practicing dueling his master with his left arm again and it wasn't going well. His timing and rhythm just wasn't where it needed to be, forcing him to either be too quick or too slow. Qui-Gon locked blades with Obi-Wan and twirled his saber, knocking the hilt of the younger man's weapon across the room.
"Dammit!", Obi-Wan cursed.
"You used to be a more patient pupil, Obi-Wan", Qui-Gon said as he lazily swung his lightsaber in circles. "Just because you're down an arm, that doesn't mean you can't use your flesh and blood one just as effectively as the one you lost. Nor does it mean you can't train your mechanical one to be as effective either, you're in too much of a hurry to master what will take months. Maybe even longer."
Obi-Wan glared at Qui-Gon. "The war against the Empire doesn't have that long, master. We should be striking targets every single week instead of jumping from nebula to nebula in an attempt to hide from the Empire."
"Bail's philosophy is sound. We were too aggressive when our fleet was split from his, too damned aggressive. That's what caught the attention of the Empire. We have no way of knowing if they're aware of Bail's fleet, but something tells me they're not, otherwise we would've heard a lot more chatter over the comms about us. This will allow us to grow our fleet over time and prepare for strikes of substance rather than having splinter cells bomb Imperial targets on planets that make little to no difference amongst the war effort", Obi-Wan replied.
"And what of the raid on Concordia? We lost dozens of younglings to that monster's fleet. Younglings that could've been training to become the next generation of Jedi, now they're dead", Obi-Wan spat.
Qui-Gon shook his head. "We would've felt their deaths through the Force. It was more like they simply just disappeared, like their minds were shielded. The man you believe is a monster would've killed them, not cloaked their presence from the rest of the galaxy. Or he merely would've shipped them straight to his master to be trained as Sith. Neither of those things happened."
"And how're you so certain of this, master?", Obi-Wan said as he ran his left hand through his hair. "How can you possibly believe that he didn't execute them all after he supposedly cloaked their presence?"
"Because he would've wanted for us to feel their deaths. That's the terror that a true Sith loves to inflict, not beating around the bush about it. Sure, Vader has caused terror throughout the galaxy, but at times, especially lately it's been more restrained. Less overt. Now, let's take your attempt to break Padmé's mind. That was overt. I could feel the stark terror that ran through her mind even though we were halfway across the galaxy. That's what I'm trying to warn you of, you're becoming the very man you think you hate", Qui-Gon said.
Obi-Wan shook his head in anger. "Then why are you wasting your time with me then, master? Why not put your efforts into a pupil that isn't so precariously close to falling as you like to describe me?", he asked.
"Because there's still good in you. There's still justice. It's just lost inside of your lust for vengeance. I'm not going to quit on you, not yet, but in order for this to work, you have to not quit on yourself", Qui-Gon said. "Another tip, Vader isn't the one driving the evil behind the Empire. His master is, and that's who all of our attention should be focused on, not the man that married the girl you thought was yours."
Obi-Wan screamed in outrage as he snapped his lightsaber to life and began thrashing wildly at Qui-Gon, uncaring if his blows were accurate. His master's comments infuriated him to no bounds, they struck him to his very core. Qui-Gon to his credit easily blocked the blows, not giving up an inch of ground, letting Obi-Wan get his frustration out. That seemed to enrage Obi-Wan even further, that he didn't even have the ability to make his master move a mere step back in defense of his life.
"Gods damn the Jedi!", Obi-Wan screamed before he went to thrust his saber at Qui-Gon.
Qui-Gon merely stepped to the side and tripped Obi-Wan, causing him to fall on the ground, crying.
The aging Jedi Master knelt down to his apprentice. "That's why I'm giving you such strict warnings. A mere comment, a truthful comment, sent you into a blind rage. One that you couldn't contain, but also one that you couldn't even use to beat your old master with. If you tried that against Vader, he would have killed you in the span of two seconds. Enough is enough, Obi-Wan. Abandon this damned foolish notion of revenge before it consumes you."
With that, Qui-Gon walked off, leaving Obi-Wan on the ground, silently vowing that he'd get stronger so he could kill Vader and all those that were close to him.
Some lessons could never be learned.
…
Vader tossed another few logs onto the fire on their private beach and sat back with Padmé on their chairs as they sipped whiskey from the same bottle.
"I never thought that us having those talks on the roof would culminate into something like this", he admitted as he wrapped an arm around Padmé.
"Me neither", she mumbled as she snuggled the side of her head into his shoulder. "Something told me that they would get us somewhere, but not to this."
"I had the same feeling. I just couldn't believe you still wanted to have anything to do with me after you found out who I was", Vader admitted. "I still can't believe it sometimes."
Padmé lifted her head. "What could possibly cause you to still not believe it, Ani?"
Vader looked down at her and smiled. "You're just such a damned good woman. I know, I've done good things, especially of late, but you've always been a good woman. Ever since I was able to, I followed you and your career. Even in my most hateful moments, I'd always be impressed with how noble you were for standing up for what you believed in. You're a better person than you know."
She shifted up to look at him straight in the eyes. "You've done many things out of principle as well, especially after you found your mother. Just because you walk around as the damned Dark Lord, doesn't mean that you're not a good man, Ani. That's why I'm with you, something told me then, and something still tells me now that you're a good man. One that I've grown to be hopelessly in love with."
That caused a lump in Vader's throat. "It's always hard to hear such praise when I've done the things that I've done in my life, Padmé. I try and atone for them, I do, but I still get dragged down to the base idea that I'm this Sith Lord that everyone is supposed to fear."
"Well, that's because people should fear you, you're a dangerous man", Padmé said. "But just because you're a dangerous man, that doesn't mean that you're not capable of good. Anyway, you wondered why you couldn't believe that I stuck it out with you, and I've answered your question. I'm not going to allow you to wallow in pity anymore tonight." She pecked him on the cheek and took a swig of the bottle before handing it to him.
Vader took a swig and pulled her close to him again.
"What about children?", he asked as he kissed the top of her head. "How many would you want?"
"Two or three", Padmé said instantly. "Anymore than that and I don't think I'd ever be able to sleep again. What about you?"
"Both sound like good numbers to me", he replied. "Besides, if you're not sleeping that means that neither am I, and we both know that I need my sleep."
"You're not going to get any sleep the next two nights my love", Padmé warned.
Vader laughed. "I wasn't planning on doing so. We'll have the trip back to Coruscant for sleep."
"No", Padmé replied. "We most certainly won't."
Damn, she's perpetually horny, he thought.
She must've picked up on his errant thought as she raised her head to his. "That's because I'm in love with you", she whispered.
"I'm in love with you too", he whispered back. They both shared a gentle kiss and snuggled back together, watching the fire consume the logs, wondering what else would come their way over time.
A/N: If you enjoyed the chapter, consider dropping a review and following!