A/N: Thank you so much for all of the wonderful reviews! I read every single one and I'm glad that you all are enjoying the story. With that being said, please enjoy this next chapter!
Padmé was beginning to become concerned. Mon Mothma hadn't returned any of her messages and a quick check with her aid showed that her counterpart had been missing for nearly three days now. Mothma never was one to disappear suddenly, so there was that, and for this to happen so close to the Rebellion's information regarding the fleet movements being discovered by the Empire, it was beginning to look more and more like she had been arrested than anything. If she was arrested, Padmé knew that she would keep as many details under wraps as possible, they all would. The interrogators that would for the ISB were good, but not that good. They wouldn't be able to indefinitely hold Mothma without listing a formal charge for her given her station as a senator, nor would they be able to hold a secret trial, her entire planet would revolt.
But there was still concern and the rest of the Rebellion needed to take precautions on how they handled data from now on. There had to be someone who was working as a spy that had been able to infiltrate the Rebellion's ranks to discover Mothma's activities, but who? The only fresh face around the Senate was Anakin, but he was more interested in his job as a contractor and his romantic overtures towards her. If he was a spy, he was doing a lousy job at it. No, there had to be someone else at the Senate that was feeding the ISB information. Maybe a mole inside of the Rebellion? That was a chilling thought. If a person who swore allegiance to fighting off the Imperial regime could turn sides like that, their organization would slowly be eaten from the inside out.
With an angry sigh, she got ready for the day, doing her makeup, putting on her dress and general other morning activities. She wasn't in a good mood, which was befuddling since she had such a wonderful conversation with Anakin last night. It had exited her as each of their conversations revealed just a little bit more about each other and it was marvelous. Divine. Hell, maybe she should stop being a damned doomsday theorist and just roll with it. It wouldn't make her any younger worrying about things she couldn't control. The ISB had nothing on her, she had destroyed all of her documents pertaining to the Rebellion, so even if Mothma dropped her name in interrogation, there was nothing tying her to the organization.
Maybe that was a cheap way to think, but Padmé did want to continue her work in the Rebellion, and she couldn't do that if she was imprisoned or worse, dead. No, she would focus on what she could do and that included developing this new relationship with Anakin, the perpetual flirt. How she craved his touch and his smooth yet deep voice. Damn she had it bad.
…..
Vader was in a foul mood this morning. He had to go torture Senator Amala of Rodia, which wouldn't be an unpleasant experience in itself, but it would be one that he would have to be careful of soiling himself if the green alien's blood. Bastard. He did make certain to stock his office at the Senate with a spare change of clothing in case he did get this treasonous bastard's blood on him, but that was besides the point.
Stepping out of his speeder, he made his way to the interrogation area of the subterranean military complex underneath the palace. Walking to the security desk, the guard snapped to attention.
"What room is Senator Amala in?", Vader asked impatiently.
The guard briefly looked down at his terminal then snapped his head back up.
"Milord, the Senator is in room three. He has been putting up a fight ever since he's been here", the guard said.
"Good", Vader grumbled as he made his way to room three. It was about time there was someone who would show some spirit.
Upon entering the room, he saw the Rodian strapped to an interrogation slab where he no doubt had spent the last eight hours on in anticipation of being tortured.
"So, Senator Amala. Why do you believe you're here?", Vader's voice boomed as he walked around the alien's head to stand next to him.
"I'm here because you kriffing Imperials don't know what you're doing. Rodia will not tolerate its representative being tortured and imprisoned. Just wait and see, there will be a revolt in the streets", Amala promised.
That caused Vader to chuckle. "Senator, no one will ever know that you're hear. Your name is in a special data base not connected to the holonet. Even the best slicers in the galaxy wouldn't be able to find out where you are, so don't begin posturing with me. Besides, do you know exactly who in the fuck you're talking to?"
"An overbearing Imperial that has a poor sense of fashion", the Rodian said.
"Wrong again. Setting aside my manner of dress, I'm the one who stalks in the shadows, the one who defies all resistance to the Empire. I'm Darth Vader", he said.
The Rodian's eyes widened substantially which was impressive given their normal expression normally had wide eyes,
"You can't be… Vader is just a roomer, nothing more than a figment of the imagination to strike fear in the heart of the Rebellion", Amala said. "There's only one Sith and that's Palpatine."
"Are you aware of the rule of two?", Vader asked.
"No, I've never heard of such a thing", Amala replied.
"The rule of two indicates that there will always be two Sith Lords. A master and an apprentice. I'm the apprentice, Amala. And to prove it to you, I'm going to skip my initial interrogation questions and start with some pain", Vader hissed.
With a crushing motion of his hand, Amala's left elbow exploded with shards of bone protruding out of the skin. It was a gruesome sight with green blood already seeping out of the wound. The Rodian screeched loudly and began jabbering in its foreign tongue which Vader was quite familiar with. He let the Rodian have its moment and waited for him to calm down some before he began his line of questioning.
"Now that we have my identity confirmed, you will address me as Milord, do you understand me?", Vader demanded. He couldn't have himself be disrespected by a treasonous asshole.
"Yes, Milord", Amala barely said.
"Good. Now, do you know why you're here? And don't hive me a bullshit answer about Imperials not knowing what they're doing. We wouldn't arrest a Senator off the books if we didn't have a good idea of who you really are, which is a traitor to the Empire. Before you deny it, a Lieutenant Hoes confirmed to me yesterday that you were in fact part of the Rebellion, so save me some time and get to the fucking point", Vader said.
"I… I don't know what you're talking about", Aamala replied.
Vader rolled his eyes. "Alright, have a little more pain then." With another flick of his wrist, he broke the left knee of the Rebel, with green blood staining the prison pants.
As predicted, the Rodian screeched again, unable to talk, barely able to move or even breath. Vader folded his arms across his chest and impatiently waited for the screaming to die down some. "I need you to focus, Senator. I can keep this up all day if I have to, but my time is better spent on other responsibilities. If we don't finish today, you'll be thrown back into your cell for a few days to think about your actions against the Empire. Now, talk."
"Milord, I may be part of the Rebellion, but I've only organized humanitarian missions, no military operations", Amala pleaded.
"I've heard that line before from Senator Mothma who we already have in custody. No, your actions are more nefarious. More distasteful. Go on, the truth is cleansing and will set you free", Vader explained. "Now, what have been your activities in the Rebellion?"
Vader raised his hand threateningly, indicating if he didn't get a satisfactory answer, he would be hurt yet again.
"Fine, fine. I helped transmit information to the Rebel fleets and bases. I don't know their exact locations for security purposes, but I know their frequencies and can give them to you as needed. I don't want to, I just felt that I was doing the right thing", Amala said.
"I can respect principal, but not when it's directed at my soldiers and sailors. Did you have a hand in the strikes against the two patrols which ended up in the annihilation of two hundred thousand lives?", Vader asked slowly.
"I did", the Rodian said.
"Then you may very well have signed your of death warrant", Vader remarked. "I need to know if you're aware of any other Rebels aside from Mothma that may be imbedded into the Senate", Vader continued. "It is imperative that they all spend some time on this slab so the Rebellion can be quick to hide if they believe that their lives may be in danger."
Amala was silent again. Vader made a claw with his index finger and closed off the Senator's trachea. The Rodian withered on the slab, struggling to breathe but unable to. Vader kept him there as long as possible, closely monitoring the Senator's heart rate. It wouldn't to well to kill him, just yet. Finally, after three minutes, Vader released his hold and the Rodian gasped for breath crying out to its deity.
"No one will help you right now, Senator", Vader said bemusedly. "Now, what exactly do you know about other Imperial operatives that are in the Senate?"
"I only know of one person. Senator Alexander from Christophsis. He was my contact who would feed me information so I could distribute it to the Rebel fleet. I promise you, that's all I know", Amala said.
Vader reached into the Senator's mind, carefully probing him to see if that in fact was all he knew. There was an honest statement, but there was also something more, something about battle plans for the Rebellion.
"I believe you when you say that. But you're keeping something else from me. What are the targets for the Rebellion? I know you're aware of that, so go ahead and spit it out so we can finish this unpleasant task", Vader said as he leaned against the wall.
"I don't know anything, now please just let me go back to my cell", the Rodian pleaded.
"Wrong answer", Vader snapped. He made a fist and squeezed, causing the Rodian's right femur to snap in several different places, twisting the bones into shards, nicking an artery. There wouldn't be much time before the Rodian died, so that was a miscalculation on Vader's part.
As predicted, the Rodian screamed and thrashed about. A break to the femur was a painful one, Vader knew as he had his broken several years ago. He knew exactly what the alien was experiencing, and it wasn't pleasant at all.
"Alright, alright", the Senator breathed after his screaming subsided. "I know that they're planning an attack on the garrison on Tatooine. That's really all I know."
Vader nodded, satisfied with the information that he received.
"Good, but now it's time to meet your fate", he said.
"Wait please…"
That was as far as Amala got. Vader made a crushing motion with his fist, snapping the Rodian's neck in several places. It was poetic justice really, something that was cleansing for Vader. He exited the interrogation room and made his way up to high command.
After stepping out of the lift, he stalked over to Admiral Dullard's office. Entering without knocking, the Admiral sprung to his feet.
"Yes, Milord?", Dullard inquired.
"There's going to be a Rebel assault on Tatooine. Send reinforcements, both ground and space support so they can repel the attack", Vader commanded.
"Tatooine? We just finished building that garrison", Dullard responded. "Very well, Milord. I'll see to it at once."
"Good. Any news from Dantooine?", Vader inquired.
"None yet, Milord. The fleet is due to exit hyperspace sometime today, so I'll issue a report after the battle is over", Dullard said.
"Good, get me good results with these two assignments, Dullard. I'm holding you responsible for their outcomes, regardless of if they are good or bad", Vader said.
Dullard blanched and nodded his head. "As it should be, Milord."
Vader nodded as well and exited his way to his speeder. He needed to get Senator Alexander arrested immediately. He was making good progress in the short amount of time that he was actually there.
…..
Groaning at the number of legislative reports that were on her desk, Padmé began reading through them, making revisions where they were required and signing the ones that she agreed with, which were most. The senators were allowed to not agree with a certain number of votes before they became suspicious by Palpatine. Votes that were for the military that is. Of course, she detested approving the votes for the military, it was counter productive towards the work she had put in with the Rebellion over the last two and a half years, but it was still necessary to keep up appearances in order to prevent an investigation by the ISB.
"Are you alright, Padmé?", Dormé asked.
"I'm fine my friend, I'm just buried with work. I don't believe my stack of pads has ever been this high, and I'm not really certain why there is a sudden push for all of these bills that are up for votes", Padmé explained.
The handmaiden nodded. The stack was tall and wide, like a daunting mountain that had to be climbed. Fortunately, there weren't any tight deadlines, but Padmé took her work seriously, trying to get to each piece of work sooner rather than later. It was an admirable trait, but one that would ultimately affect her health if she wasn't careful.
"It would seem that way, Padmé", Dormé said. "But I know you'll be able to plow through them like it's nothing."
"I appreciate the vote of confidence, my friend. I'll do as required, but damn", Padmé swore.
"Good. Let's just focus on the work and let me know if you need anything", Dormé said.
"Thank you", Padmé responded.
She read through several more bills, stamping them with her signature and moving onto the next. She focused herself into a state of unawareness to her surroundings and continued to move the information along piece by piece. It was dull, it was lackluster, but it was her work. She had been a senator for close to ten years, ever since she was eighteen years old. She was seasoned enough to do the work and do it well, but gods dammit, she needed a vacation. Perhaps she would take her parents offer to travel to Naboo for a week or two just to reset her mind and give her body a break. The Rebellion's activities at the Senate had ground to a fucking halt, so it wasn't like she could use that as an excuse.
Picking up the next pad to review it, she saw that it was a request to build a thousand new Star Destroyers at a rushed speed. How could the bloated military of the Empire ever need so many new ships of the line? That confused her to no end. This of course was public information, so it wasn't like she needed to pass it onto her contacts, so she merely signed off on it and put it in the completed stack. Maybe she could probe Anakin a little bit on the necessity of these warships to see what their true purpose in the Empire was.
No, that wasn't the right thing to do. There was not a damned thing that she could do about it, even if Anakin did have some answers. Her contacts had ceased communication with her, and she had no direct ties to the fleet. If she was to continue her intelligence gathering, she would need to figure out a way of contacting the Rebellion directly, which would surely be a daunting task, but not an impossible one.
Maybe Bail had the ability to contact the Rebel fleet. Yes, she would need to consult with him as soon as possible to see if he could pass information along in the meantime. That would enable her to continue her work with the Rebellion, but at a more dangerous pace.
…..
After Vader ordered the arrest of Senator Alexander of Christophsis, he went to his personal office and stripped out of his clothes. He smelled just a little like death and went into his fresher to take a steaming hot shower. Allowing the hot water to beat down on him for several minutes to relax his muscles, he soaped himself up, washing the stench off of him before he snapped the water off with the Force and toweled off. Dressing in his spare attire, he slid his lightsaber into his tunic and kept the hood of his robes down. He needed to go play spy again and try and rat out other senators that had improper loyalties to the Empire.
That was his mission, and he was going to damn well excel at it.
Sitting down at his desk, he reviewed high command's approval of sending ships and soldiers to Tatooine. He pitied the soldiers at the garrison. Tatooine was a hellish place, one that he would never return to unless ordered by Sidious himself.
Growing up there hadn't been entirely bad, he had his mother after all. But when Sidious abducted him, he lost contact with his mother entirely. When Sidious began using him as a spy before he donned the title of Darth Vader, he had went back to Mos Espa to try and track her down, but he couldn't find any trace of her. Ultimately, he figured that she was either dead or sold to another slaver that would be nearly impossible to find.
Slavery was deplorable to the young Sith Lord. It was unlawful and full of misery and greed. How a person could take a life and sell it like a livestock animal was beyond his sense of reasoning. Under the Republic, the slavers were kept unchecked, especially during the war with the CIS, but after the Empire took over, it crushed most of the slave trade, at least the ones that it could detect.
Sidious had not been pleased with his zealot nature against the slavers, but he largely left him alone on his conquest to finish them off and destroy them. That was the difference between a democracy and an authoritarian regime. A democracy would argue until they were unable to do anything else about a particular situation. Vader was simply able to make a few orders and the matter would be brought to a swift conclusion.
That's why he would never allow democracy to return to the galaxy, no matter how large the Rebellion grew. They were a bunch of self righteous beings that had no true vision on a matter. No, they could all die for all he cared, he would see to it personally as soon as he was finished with this assignment. He would do his best to obtain whatever information that he needed to complete this mission and complete it quickly so he could get back to his fleets.
…..
Sidious was pleased with the work that Vader had completed so far. Under the guise of Anakin Skywalker, the weak child that he had tormented ruthlessly to complete his metamorphosis into a Sith Lord, the name Anakin Skywalker no longer held any meaning to Vader. It was nearly funny that he was forcing his pupil to take the name back at least temporarily, humor in which he greatly enjoyed. There was no right or wrong about this adventure, there was just justice on bringing the Rebellion operatives in the Senate to justice.
He knew there was no risk in Vader touching the light, he would simply do his assignment and return to his fleets to crush the Rebellion once their contacts in the Senate were all eradicated. Nothing could go wrong.
But it was concerning about how many arrests he had made so far. The Rebellion's presence in the Senate was like a wart that was growing deep under the skin of the Empire. It was festering and infected, and had to be stomped out, but how many senators were truly involved? If Vader had to arrest a hundred or more senators, there would be riots on the home planets, riots that would have to be put down in the most violent of ways possible.
That wouldn't necessarily be a terrible thing, it would show the Empire's resolve in quashing any uprisings, it would just be labor intensive. The Imperial military that Vader commanded was growing every day, but it still wasn't enough to be a completion of the strength that Sidious had envisioned when he first took over the galaxy as the Emperor.
Only time would tell on how things would shape out.
…..
Padmé slipped out of her office and made her way over to Mothma's. She was worried, worried sick as a matter of fact. Walking as casually as possible, she went through the winding hallways and finally arrived at her destination. She rang the chime, but no one answered. Not even Mothma's aid was present. The woman truly was missing.
A nervous pit of dread filled her stomach and she walked as calmly as she could past her own office and straight to Bail's. Bail was a ringleader of sorts within the organization and one that Padmé knew she could trust for guidance. This issue with Mothma being missing was too troubling to simply let go and not worry about, unlike her previous thoughts in the day. She had changed her mind and wanted to be more proactive about figuring out what in the hell was going on, but there was nothing to go by.
Once she reached Bail's office, she strode in and was relieved to find him alone.
"Bail, how about we take a quick walk through the corridors? I'm in the mood to stretch out a little bit and need some company", she said, hoping that he would take the bait.
The man regarded her for a moment before he nodded and got up to go with her. They walked at a leisurely pace through the less crowded halls of the Senate, making sure to appear as nonchalant as possible.
"I checked Mon's office just a minute ago and she's not there. I've sent her several messages about subcommittee information, and she hasn't responded", Padmé whispered. "What in the fuck is going on here, Bail?"
"I'm not sure, Padmé. She hasn't responded to any of my messages either. I'm beginning to believe that she was arrested by the ISB. There's no other explanation. I had even gone to her apartment last night and she didn't answer her door. She's gone, missing, vanished."
"But how could she be gone so suddenly without a trace? The ISB is usually a little more public when they make high profile arrests", Padmé wondered.
The paused their discussion as several other senators passed by them, hoping to avoid detection of their conversation. The walls absorbed sound fairly easily, so once the other senators were clear, they felt like they could continue their conversation.
"I would agree that the ISB is normally more vocal about their arrests, but who else would be acting with that type of authority to make such an arrest? There's no one above the ISB except the Emperor, but even he would likely be vocal about issuing an arrest warrant against a kriffing senator", Bail whispered.
No, there had to be someone higher than the ISB. Someone who was skilled in the art of subterfuge, of acting silently without anyone noticing. What kind of conniving person would the Emperor have in his employ to be able to affect such an arrest?
"Bail, I think this is deeper than the ISB. I think there's some secret unit that's operating here within the Senate that's going to pick us off one by one, but who could it be? It isn't like there's been a lot of new faces around her conducting investigations", Padmé replied.
"There's your suitor, Anakin Skywalker", Bail pointed out. "The moment he showed up, the moment things started to go south with our operations."
"Anakin? No, I don't detect anything nefarious from him. If he were investigating us, he wouldn't be getting so close to me. Everything I've felt from him has been real. Why would he sign over cargo ships to you if he thought you could be a Rebel operative?", Padmé inquired. "I don't believe it's him at all, it has to be someone else that's calling the shots. Maybe another senator that we don't know about that is playing a double agent? That's entirely a possibility given that things happened so suddenly. The Emperor has very powerful friends in the Senate and they might be able to use their connections within the Rebellion to put on an act with us in order to slowly dismantle our organization. If it were anyone else, like Anakin for example, we would all be locked up. The man is perceptive as hell, and he's been nothing but a gentleman to me. A spy like that wouldn't work me so hard, he'd just break into my office and look for any documents he could find, not that I have any at the moment."
Seriously, Anakin most certainly was not the spy. He was too open, too honest to play down that part in order to get Mothma snared.
"What if the contacts at high command were given up and that's how they pinned this on Mothma?", Padmé asked, her tone was low. Those contacts only know about a select few of the senators involved with the Rebellion, but not you or me. That has to be an explanation."
"I don't know, Padmé", Bail said as he ran a hand through his short hair. "I still believe that the individual we need to watch out for is Anakin Skywalker, but I can't force you to do that. All I ask is that you manage him in a way that isn't suspicious. We don't know exactly what kind of contractor he is within the military. I know you've taken to him, but please be careful around him as he'll make all of our lives miserable."
No, she couldn't believe that Anakin was the spy or part of the ISB. Members of the ISB were a little proud of having their jobs to the point where it was annoying. There was a coincidence that she couldn't accept. At least for the time being.
"I strongly disagree with you, Bail. I think that the person is some one else, but I can't force you to believe that either", Padmé said shrugging off the Senator's comment. There was simply no way, it was impossible.
"I reserve my rights to doubt your theory", Bail said.
"Well, agreeing to disagree, what is the status on the Rebellion? Can we still collect information and distribute it to them?", she asked.
Bail sighed deeply. "I don't know, Padmé. I suppose that we could continue to try slipping information to the Rebellion, but I'm not certain how much we'll be able to get."
…..
Vader was still at his desk flipping through reports on various senators, reading their profiles, their political stances. It was boring and tedious work, but he had momentum built from his interrogations and he wasn't about to let it slow down. The network of spies in the Senate was far larger than he had suspected, and it was aggravating him to no end. Did the Emperor really think that he could take over the Republic and not have dissenters in the ranks? The old fool really didn't know how to manage an Empire. He ruled purely out of fear and terror, making the populace oppose him at every turn. The fact that the Rebellion had amassed two hundred ships was unacceptable. No guerilla group should be able to obtain that much power unchecked.
Growing more frustrated with every report he read, he felt the urge to kill someone, anyone build. It wouldn't do him well to stalk the halls of the Senate acting like the cold blooded Sith Lord he really was, so he closed his eyes and began to meditate, letting the Force flow through him to calm his nerves. Technically, a Sith should bend the Force to their will, but Vader had learned that in moments where he needed to maintain his calm, the exact opposite should occur. It was a Jedi technique which he loathed, but it worked, and that was the main point of it.
Suddenly, he found himself in a vision. He saw a variety of different colors and heard sounds that were difficult to make out. Voices, he was hearing voices. But who's? Trying to concentrate even further, he heard Padmé's voice, but what was she saying? She sounded garbled, and no matter how hard he tried he wasn't able to clear it up. Then he saw a picture of a document, the same coded shorthand notes that Mothma had in her desk. What did that mean? His best code crackers were working on translating the notes, but they were having a difficult time.
Then, he saw an image of Padmé. She looked frightened, but why? Who would cause her to be frightened? Was this a vision of him unveiling his true identity to her? It may very well be which caused some angst in his heart as he wanted the exact opposite reaction but was aware that was a very slim possibility. Damn this assignment.
Focusing on the other blurred images and sounds, he saw Rebel forces engaging his navy. It appeared to be a close match which irked him to no end. They must have gotten the drop on a smaller Imperial squadron just as they had done with the patrols that had been ambushed. The sights of the battle felt vivid, real, and terrible. It made him want to defy Sidious right at that moment and return to his fleets so he could properly oversee them so they wouldn't get caught up in these petty ambushes.
Then, he finally saw Padmé again. She wasn't afraid, she looked at peace, standing looking out a window, but who's window? Was this at his establishments? He couldn't make out the surroundings very well, but he could see her clearly. She turned and looked at someone and smiled. Was it him? He prayed that it was.
As sudden as the vision began, it ended snapping Vader back into reality. His breathing was labored, and his hands were shaking. He spent several minutes trying to figure out what the vision had meant. Obviously, it was something of note, he just couldn't fit the pieces of the puzzle together, which was unusual. Normally when he had visions, he would be able to use the information that he saw rather quickly, but for some reason, this one was different.
Vader found himself staring off into t he distance and had to shake his head to clear his thoughts. Whatever this vision meant, he would discover the true meaning, he always would. This one would just take time and patience. Making himself shake it off, he returned his focus to his job. Leaving the various reports aside for the time being, he logged into his terminal and brought up the live reports from high command. The fleet was close to exiting hyperspace to engage the Rebel forces on Dantooine, and he could just taste the blood that would flow from the slaughter of the traitors. If this was a larger training installation as he had been told, it would be difficult to irradicate, but that's why he sent an entire fleet instead of a few squadrons of destroyers. The loss of the installation for the Rebels would mean that the pipeline of onboarding new soldiers would be heavily impacted, almost crippling.
Of course, any information remaining in data banks would be more intelligence that they could use and may even have information that Vader could use to find senators that were still acting on their treasonous ways. Everything would come falling in place just as it should, he knew it.
…..
Padmé was alone in her office, toiling over reports trying to get just a little bit ahead for once, but knowing that there would just be more work the following day. It was after six in the evening meaning that she would likely spend another hour or two before she would have to rush back home to her apartment to appease her handmaiden's rule about not staying too late to work.
Her conversation with Bail had stuck with her all day. She was still incensed that he accused Anakin of being the spy that got Mothma arrested, which was insulting to say the least. Anakin was a good man from what she could tell, an Imperial through and through, but still a good man. She wouldn't allow herself to fall to petty fears and paranoia like Bail had done, but more over she would simply be cautious in her dealings with other senators as one of them was surely the spy that had caused Mothma's disappearance.
After she finished her latest report, she set it in the completed stack and groaned when she looked at the remaining pads that needed her attention. It truly was a never ending pile of work that had to be done, but dammit she would try her best to get through it all so she could have a moment of rest, however unlikely. It wasn't that the work had increased since the Empire took over the Republic, it had always been the norm. But she wasn't a damned eighteen year old anymore she was nearly twenty eight and finding that she was slowing down considerably after years of hard work.
The pressure from acting as an operative with the Rebellion hadn't done any favors to her either, it had placed more stress on her than she ever thought it would regardless of how righteous it was. But she was too dedicated to let herself become dissuaded by the work that she was doing, it was too important. Too many lives depended on her and while the weight of the responsibility was crushing at times, it was also liberating to know that she was having such an effect on the galaxy as a whole.
"I see nothing has changed with your work habits, Padmé."
Padmé smiled and looked up at Anakin as he strode into her office.
"I was hoping that I would get to see you today, Anakin", she said as she felt warmth spread throughout her entire body.
"I told you last night that you would. I'm a man that makes good on his word after all", Vader said as he pulled a chair from the front of her desk around to sit next to her. He took off his gloves and boldly took her hand into his. Padmé felt her pulse quicken from the small gesture of affection, hell him just touching her was something out of a dream.
"It looks like it", Padmé replied with a smile. "Not that I'm complaining at all, I find you to be a joy to be around."
Anakin smirked at her. "The feeling is entirely mutual, Senator, especially after we've both had a long and tiresome day. Would you like to know something?"
Oh gods, what now? "Y-Yes", she replied.
Anakin leaned close to her to where she could feel his hot breath on her cheek. "I thought about you throughout the day. Every fiber of my being just wanted to be close to you as we are now."
Padmé didn't know how to respond to that, her vision was just locked onto Anakin's golden eyes, drinking them in as much as she could.
"I-I wanted that too", she whispered as his hands started rubbing hers, sending sparks of electricity up and down her arm. He was so sensual but restrained. She was fully aware that he wanted to lift her up and roughly take her on her desk, but he chose not to. It was like the fire that burned inside of him was barely contained, just letting enough out for him to make his advances on her.
"Good", Vader said. "How was your day? Hopefully not as mundane as mine was."
Padmé found his ability to be sensual and then return to a normal conversation to be irksome, but she knew that he would return to being a massive flirt at any moment.
"It was mundane and then some", she said with a shy chuckle. "I don't think I'll ever be caught up, it's like I'm trapped beneath it all."
Anakin frowned for a moment before his face softened again. "A woman like you shouldn't be forced to be trapped like that. You're a delicate flower that needs space to spread out and reach for the sun, letting the gentle breeze make you wave in the fields."
"That's damned poetic", Padmé whispered as her fingers tightened around his hand.
Anakin let loose a small chuckle. "Poetic maybe, but you're the inspiration for it. I think you know my thoughts on how I feel about you, how much I want you. It shouldn't be a surprise that I'm able to speak from my soul to you."
She shook her head gently. "I know you do, but it always catches me off guard. Like you're the breeze, picking up after a lull and swaying me back and forth."
"Maybe that's a good thing", he murmured. "It keeps things unpredictable, which is more exciting don't you agree?"
"Yes", she breathed. "I haven't had excitement like you before in my entire life." It was probably one of the greatest confessions she could make.
His face got closer to hers, so close that she knew what was going to happen next.
"We'll have to remedy that", he whispered as his lips grazed hers.
Padmé whimpered as he pressed his lips against hers forcefully, kissing her with the same amount of passion that echoed from his words. She wrapped her hands around his neck, drawing him closer. She felt him slip his arms around her waist, pulling her up, both returning their kisses like there was nothing else better in the world.
Suddenly, Padmé found herself bent backwards over her desk with him on top of her, still kissing her like a man that was desperately in need of more. She could tell that he was trying to restrain himself, he wasn't fondling her or tugging at her clothes, even though she wanted him to do so. No, he was doing it in a way that was more like a lover, taking his time to show her how much he desired her while respecting her body at the same time.
The kisses increased in tempo, and she tightened her grip around his neck, not wanting the moment to end. Needing for it to continue in the most marvelous of ways. Her moans and whimpers filled the room, encouraging him to continue his onslaught upon her lips. Their tongues dueled in the most pleasurable of ways, enticing one another further and further.
Finally, after what seemed to have been an hour, Anakin gently broke the kiss and stared into her eyes, both of their chests heaving from the lack of oxygen. He gently pulled her up and wrapped her into a tight embrace.
"I can't get enough of you", Padmé confessed. "You're like a drink of water after having been in the desert for days without it."
"I feel the same way", Vader responded.
Padmé could detect honesty in his voice along with something else. Was it pain? Why was he in pain?
She pulled back from him just enough to look into his eyes. She reached up with her hand and timidly pressed it against his cheek. He closed his eyes, and she could feel him press himself into her hand, like he needed her comforting touch. What had happened that made him need her so? Was it something recent or had he always been in pain, needing to find true comfort in another's arms?
"Anakin, you're safe with me", she found herself whispering.
"And you're safe with me, Padmé, please don't ever forget that", he murmured.
Anakin then bent down and planted a firm kiss on her lips, like they were both sealing a promise to each other, one that they couldn't break no matter what happened between the two of them. When they broke, they smiled at one another softly.
"I'd better walk you to your speeder. You've had enough of this place for one night", Vader said.
As much work as Padmé still had to do, she had to agree with him. Besides, there wasn't any way she would be able to focus after what had just happened.
She took his arm, and they began their leisurely stroll to the speeder pad.
"What are you thinking about?", Padmé asked after a few moments of silence.
"You", Vader replied simply. "You occupy my thoughts, even when we're together."
"I think I can say the same thing. Can I ask you a question?", Padmé inquired.
"Of course, you can", Vader replied.
"You seemed like you were in pain when I touched you. Is it something I did?", she asked hesitantly.
Anakin looked down at her and shook his head gently with a small grin on his face. "No, you don't cause me any pain. I've just had enough pain in my life to last forever, but you're comforting to me."
That was unexpected. A man like Anakin was powerful, she could just sense it. But he craved comfort in her arms in the simplest of ways. He wasn't just after her for sex, he was after her for true companionship, so he wouldn't have to shoulder whatever the hell happened in his life alone anymore. It nearly made her want to tear up.
"I'll do my best to remain that way, Anakin", she said softly.
"I know you will", he replied.
"Are you in pain from some of your injuries still?", she asked.
"Some, yes. Others are mental injuries", Vader confessed.
That made a single roll down Padmé's cheek. Anakin must have realized it and stopped and turned to her, using his free hand to wipe it away.
"It's alright, Padmé. I've been carrying it around for a long time. Besides, like I said, you are comforting to me."
"I know, but a man like you shouldn't have to walk around in pain all of the time", she replied.
"Maybe not, but that's just the way the galaxy works. It takes angels like you to keep men like me sane", Vader confessed.
"Oh, Anakin. I'm certainly not an angel", Padmé blushed.
"I would disagree with that fact. You're as beautiful as one, with a pure heart. One that can tolerate me at least", Vader replied with a chuckle. "I think that makes you enough of an angel to me."
Padmé bit her lip and smiled at the compliment.
"You know, you surprised me tonight", she said.
"Surprised you? How so?", Vader asked.
"You were just so sensual, yet respectful. Not that I wouldn't have minded a little more, but I expected something completely different", Padmé replied.
Anakin chuckled at her. "We'll have plenty of time for that, Angel", he said sensually, making her knees weak.
"I suppose that's my new nickname, huh?", she asked.
"I suppose it is, it's fitting", Vader replied.
Padmé hugged herself to his arm and the pair continued their walk in a comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company for the time being.
When they finally reached Padmé's speeder, she let go of him and faced him. "So, the gala starts at eight. Pick me up at around seven thirty?"
"With pleasure", Vader responded.
"I had a nice evening with you tonight, Anakin. Even though it was short, I still enjoyed myself", she said.
"I enjoyed myself as well, Padmé", Vader admitted. "I hope you get some rest tonight, and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Alright", Padmé said with a smile.
Anakin bent down and gave her one last searing kiss that filled her body with enough warmth to last her throughout the night, their lips and tongues again working each other over. When Anakin broke away, Padmé nearly whimpered at the loss of his kiss. He gave her one last look at planted a quick kiss on her forehead before turning to walk back into the Senate.
Padmé just stared at his retreating form until he made it back inside before she climbed into her speeder and took off, replaying every detail of the evening.
A/N: Some clues are being dropped with one another. We'll see how it all turns out. If you liked what you've read, please consider dropping a review and following!