Author's Notes: I wasn't gonna publish this with part 45, but I thought, seeing as I had it done (before 45), I may as well. It'd be a bit cruel not to. :) You'll like it, anyway. I hope.

The next chapter looks set to be a big, long conversation. I hope you like that sort of thing because I don't plan to switch between scenes at all.

Part 46 - Back from the Dead

Darth Vader hadn't needed a message to tell him something had gone wrong back on Coruscant. The Force had grabbed him by the arm and tugged whilst he had been travelling over toward Utapau, and had made him, without even his master's permission, come rushing back to Coruscant.

He could smell destruction as soon as he stepped into the senate… But his first thought hadn't been to go to his master, it had been to go to his room, to find his Angel, and to see that she were all right, that the blip in his mind had been something else.

He had therefore been gutted when he had arrived to find nothing there. His future wife, and that tiny dot of life that would one day become his son, were both nowhere to be found. He knew that they were no longer on Coruscant - that they were not even anywhere near Coruscant - and this had sent him into a towering rage.

Throttling the first royal guard that had crossed him by merely looking the man in the visor, Vader and rushed through the hallways like an insane Reek, crashing through furniture and throwing apart doors. The fact that the rooms and halls leading to his master's chambers were obliterated meant nothing to him - he was blinded by a red haze, a great madness, and he wanted answers.

He soon found his way into what could now only be called the remains of his master's apartments, where the Sith Master stood alone in thought. There Darth halted not two metres away from his shadowy mentor and yelled "She's gone!"

The Emperor turned on his protégé slowly, with not a sign of worry or anger to be traced in his posture, though his face was not visible. There was no light in the room to illuminate his person, so he stood there, a silhouette in the gloom, waiting out Vader's anger.

"Where is she?" Vader roared on, "What happened to her?" His eyes were absolutely livid, the whites showing up and practically glowing with ire. This didn't affect the Emperor, though, who continued to just look at his apprentice, hands lightly clasped together and eyes thoughtful. It didn't occur to Vader that there was something different about his master.

Vader then made the mistake of pointing at the Emperor, a mistake he should have known better than to make. "You told me she'd be safe," he growled, "You said she'd be mine, that she'd never be taken away from me again! So why has she gone? You lied to me!"

Palpatine didn't move. Darth Vader just suddenly felt a constricting sensation about his throat, and dropped to his knees in distress, spluttering and coughing as his lungs began to protest. It was now that the Emperor chose to step into the light, eyes locked on Vader's face, and it was now that Darth saw what he hadn't chose to see before. Palpatine's face, his very complexion, seemed to have gone awry - his skin was a pallid white in colour, crinkled and bulging, and his eyes were such a striking orange - so full of malice - that it nearly sent a chill through Vader's body.

"Do not think that you are above me, Vader," the man said, his voice still remaining little different than ever, "You are valuable to me, but you are never indispensable."

Vader heaved a deep breath as his trachea was then finally released from the pressure of Sidious's hold, and he glared at the Sith Master warily; he was certain that he was more than indispensable to Palpatine - how many other Chosen Ones would he come across in his lifetime? - but he knew better than to challenge a power that was so much bigger than he was. And he was too shocked by what he now saw before him to think about that right now, anyway. "I apologise, my master," he wheezed.

Sidious nodded curtly. "Good."

Vader then slowly got back to his feet, rubbing his throat. "What happened?" he asked, "Who has done all this?" He daren't ask what had happened to Palpatine exactly, but he could only gather that something had backfired on him, something horrible.

"I had a visit from Master Yoda. And it would seem that, at the same time, he brought along an accomplice… an old friend, to take away young Padmé."

'An old friend?' Vader's brow furrowed and he tried to think on this. The way Lord Sidious had said it unnerved him and sent a feeling of unease - of slight jealousy, even - through his veins.

"They have both caused a little havoc, but it is of little consequence," Palpatine continued, "They won't be coming back for more."

Vader looked over the devastated room, the roof broken, the furniture destroyed and the walls shattered.

"We have more pressing matters at hand right now, Lord Vader," Sidious went on again, "Lest you forget."

Sometimes Vader found the Sith Master's indifference to things incorrigible, and now was one of those moments; "But Master!" he exclaimed, getting a look from Palpatine that he was far from comfortable with, "Padmé is somewhere out there, pregnant with my son! You can't possibly just leave her abductors unpunished? I must get her back! She's mine!"

Palpatine shook his head slowly. "Think rationally, Lord Vader. I cannot afford to have you loose on some wild goose chase about the galaxy. You have Jedi to hunt down and planets to secure. I would hate to think that this girl, this woman - who we mustn't forget has betrayed you once already - be more important to you than my greater vision."

Vader had to swallow his pride, feeling for the first time as if he were caught in a web, with Lord Sidious at its centre. "I understand, my master," he eventually murmured, "I have my priorities straight."

"Good," Sidious nodded again, "For you still have much to do in this galaxy, my apprentice. And, if I'm not mistaken, still much to learn." He walked on passed Lord Vader and down the debris-ridden corridors beyond, with Vader soon following in his wake. "There are more important matters to deal with before we go searching for Miss Amidala," he went on, "We need to implement the final stages of my plan as soon as possible. If we don't start soon, then we shall be vulnerable for more than the next two decades, and that is a period of time I am not willing to leave myself open for." He wafted his hand at young Darth. "I want you to get in touch with Governor Tarkin as soon as possible. Ask him to prepare the foundries, and I shall deal with the rest. And as for your wayward other half…" - He stopped and turned to Vader with a grim smile, his disfigured countenance, complete with rotten teeth, now fully clear for the latter to see - "We shall discuss that matter later. She shall be found."

Vader had already crossed the line during this meeting, so he settled with nothing more than a discontented bow now, having the desperate wish to get out of his master's presence as soon as he could. "As you wish, my lord," he said, before he went on his way. He had had the terrible feeling that he'd only just walked away from that encounter with his life.

Padmé stirred slowly. She had fallen asleep without realising it, and was laid back on a cot, in the rear of the shuttle, with a blanket thrown neatly over her. It took her mind a while to register where she was, but she soon recalled what had just happened and was more then pleasantly surprised to find that it hadn't been a dream.

She pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked about her. Sat by her bedside, fiddling with something in his lap, was her royal guard friend. She looked a little closer over at him and saw that it was Dooku's lightsabre that he seemed to be tinkering with, and, for some reason, she filled with a sudden anger. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked him, seemingly offended by his audacity to meddle with something that, as far as she was concerned, should no longer be meddled with.

The guard sat back and regarded her through his visor. "Ah, you're awake."

She extended her hand out toward him. "Give that back now."

Her anger seemed to shock him slightly and, somehow, despite wearing that helmet, he looked taken aback.

"Did you hear me?" she repeated, "It's mine. I want it back."

His hand danced lazily over the weapon, but he made no move to hand it to her. "I wasn't under the impression that it was yours," he said.

"It is now," she countered, quite fiercely. She was beginning to find this stranger rather impertinent, and, despite the fact that he had just saved her from a miserable existence, she was far from grateful to him. "Give it to me!" she demanded, stretching over to try and snatch it.

The guard held her back with one arm and angled himself away. "No, m'lady," he continued.

She began to get very angry with him now; "It isn't yours to keep!"

"I beg to differ."

"You arrogant --"

The man pushed her lightly back onto her bunk. "Padmé!" he growled, tearing the helmet from of his head, "It's me!"

Padmé went rigid and just gasped, feeling the blood drain from her face. She didn't know how to react. What kind of joke was this?

The man just sat there staring at her, his eyes bold, yet sound, and his expression unreadable.

Finally, Padmé managed to get some kind of hold on herself, and she uttered, in a low and unsteady tone, "Serenn…?"

He offered her a weak smile and nodded.

She pushed herself back against the shuttle wall and continued to just stare at him. "But you… you fell!" she whispered.

"Yes," he said.

"But how…? You… he… I…"

"Have you found the right pronoun yet?"

She laughed properly when he said that, a strange sound even for her ears. He, however, still looked quite grave, and somehow so very different to what he had before, but it still broke the tension like a hammer shattering a window. "Oh Force," she said, feeling her eyes fill with tears. She didn't know what to feel - should she be happy or sad? Grateful or unappreciative? And answers, she wanted so many answers from this man - she hated him and yet, at the same time...

Padmé just threw her arms round him and hugged him. For the moment, things were better left unasked, unsaid and unanswered. For just one tiny moment, she wanted to be completely happy about something. And so she let herself.

Serenn's reaction was a bit strange, however. He seemed to go rigid as Padmé's arms held him in a tight, thankful embrace, as though he wasn't sure what to do, or how to act. Padmé didn't really notice this, and before she even could notice, he had relaxed a little and was now stroking her hair.

"You bastard," she murmured at him once the initial shock had set in, though she was still smiling at the same time, the insult thus given a rather pleasant effect, "You absolute bastard."

"Well, it's nice to be appreciated," he muttered in turn. He patted her back and pried her away from him, looking dreadfully uncomfortable by her friendliness.

It was then that something hit Padmé and she felt her brow knot as she looked at his hands. That was the problem; there were hands - two of them. She took a few more deep breaths, blinking hard. "But your arm," she whispered, "It… you…"

He looked at her then down to his hands. They looked the same within those red gauntlets, but as soon as he moved his left hand to the right, and pulled the glove from off the latter, Padmé had to choke back her dismay. There was a hand there, but it was a hand of metal and wires, not flesh and blood. "Oh, Serenn…" she gasped. She couldn't think of anything else to say.

He smiled sadly, giving her shoulder a quick rub with his left hand. "Get some more rest," he whispered, "We've a while to go yet." And with that he disappeared back into the cockpit.

Padmé allowed herself a few moments to calm down and, despite the fact that her mind was now fraught with amazement and an entire host of new questions, she soon drifted back into a deep slumber.

"Awake, is she?" Master Yoda asked as Serenn joined him in the cockpit.

"Yes," the Count replied quietly, sitting down beside the small Jedi and staring blankly into space.

"In good health, is she?" Yoda went on.

Dooku didn't hear him. "Sorry?"

Yoda gave his old protégé a slight smirk. "In good health, is she, I asked?" he said, tapping Dooku lightly on the knee with his cane. "So old are you, yet still listen to your elders, you do not."

Serenn shook his head and threw his old mentor a 'very funny' glare in return. "She seems all right. I think I shocked her."

Yoda grunted. "Waited to reveal yourself you should have, then, shouldn't you?"

"She was going to find out sooner or later."

"Let her recover first, you should have," Yoda continued, "Then later could you have shocked her."

"It's bit late for your advice, Master Yoda. Besides, I'd no intention of 'shocking' her," Dooku replied, finding Yoda, as ever, incorrigible, "I --" He then shook his head, suddenly forgetting what it was he was exactly trying to say.

They subsequently settled into an uneasy silence, and both stared ahead at the blur of hyperspace. Buttons bleeped on the shuttle's consoles every now and then, until Yoda broke the silence and said, "Missed her, you did."

"Yes, master."

"Very gallant, you were."

"Master Yoda, stop teasing me. I'm not eighteen any more."

"Hmph," Yoda sighed, "Not so sure, am I."

Dooku gave him the eye. "Well, look at you, Master - going in there and taking on Lord Sidious! I always thought you were crazy, but --"

"Oh, and fought him before, you have not?"

"That was --"

"Ah, different, was it?"

Serenn heaved a great breath, and forced himself to shut up.

"Face the Sith Master, someone had to," Yoda then assured him, just to get back on top. "My best, I did."

Serenn nodded lackadaisically. "I know, master."

After another half an hour or so of silence, a light began blinking on the console.

"Nearly there, are we?" Yoda asked, feigning ignorance.

"Indeed."

Yoda looked at Dooku. "Then out of hyperspace are you going to bring us?"

Serenn folded his arms. "The lever's on your side of the ship - you do it."

Yoda made a point of reaching forward in his seat and showing that he was not quite able to even touch the edge of the control panel from there. "Think I can reach, do you?" he asked, going on to prod Serenn quite harshly with his cane. "Stupid boy. Always stupid."

Serenn gave him an irritated growl and just leant over to pull the blasted lever and have done with it. The stars of space and the planet Serenno now loomed clearly through the transparasteel before them.

As he slumped back into his seat, though, Dooku's thoughts hinged on something, and he gave Master Yoda a knowing scowl. Yoda looked back indifferently.

"You could have used the Force…" Dooku murmured.

"Hmph. Why bother, should I?" Yoda shrugged, "An old Padawan I have to do that job."

Serenn put his hand over his mouth - he had no intention of letting Yoda see that he was smiling.

TBC…