You know the drill.

He glanced back at his speeder bike – or what was left of it.

"So much for that." He could feel her presence coming nearer and nearer. She was going to be a hard one to face. After all these years, he thought she was dead, but she was running towards him at that very moment. His life had such bad timing. Just when he was having an identity crisis, something from his past came along. But he could never, ever go down that road. It was too hard – he would never survive. So taking a moment, he immersed himself in the darkside, taking energy from all the rage and bad feelings in this place.

She had to run. Something terrible was about to happen. She wasn't concentrating. She was thinking about Dack. What had he seen to tell her to run? So far away were her thoughts that she didn't even notice the figure in her house – until she ran full tilt into him. She screamed loudly, until it was cut off – by the Force.

"You." Her eyes burned with rage. She did not look happy to see him.

"Padmé," Vader looked long and hard at her. Apart from some minor signs of aging, she hadn't changed at all. She was exactly the way he remembered her in his dreams. Must not think about that.

"What are you doing here?"

"You were most unwise to hide your presence from me."

What's happened? He's become so cold, so harsh, so distant.

"I was afraid."

"And rightly so." He spoke without emotion. Does he not love me anymore, not at all?

"Anakin." As soon as she'd said the name, she saw something. A ghost of a younger man, a happy man, behind that mask. The young jedi before all the killing and horror, perhaps? And then it was gone.

"I am not that boy anymore." He whipped her around and placed bindings on her arms. "I'm sorry to do this M'Lady, but I do not want anymore trouble from you." I don't want you trying to bring him back.

Padmé shuddered. So was finally going to kill her. He placed something against her neck. At least he's not using his lightsaber.

Something pricked her skin, and then she began to feel cold. She twitched a little, then collapsed into Vader's arms. He hoisted her up, and carried her to the ship.

"Ah Palpy, what are you going to say to this?"

He never saw Mara Jade, watching from behind.

Dack rubbed his aching back. That had not gone as planned. Now he was grumpy, and sore all over.

At least I still have all my limbs. He winced once he'd said it, realizing that in truth, he didn't.

"And now Vader's going to kill me. Whoop."
There was only one thing left to do. Solo and Organa were still on Naboo, and if Skywalker wasn't dead – and the twisting in his gut told Dack he wasn't – then he would try to find them. And then Dack would be waiting.