Chapter 52
Dancing, Wine, And High Society
He was really getting tired of waiting. The chase had been fun for a while, but enough was enough. It would be tonight.
A lot of thought had gone into this night. He'd generated the perfect plan. It would not fail.
He glanced up at the wall chrono to check the time and then examined his reflection in a mirror. Satisfied with what he saw, he draped his very expensive cape over his shoulders and snapped the bejeweled clasp around his throat. And then just before he walked out his door, he picked up a tiny vial filled with white powder and carefully tucked it into his sleeve.
You will be mine…
Vader sauntered back in the apartment, tired and sweaty, but satisfied. He'd just finished thoroughly wiping the floor with Ferus during a practice match and was quite pleased with himself. And now it was time for a well deserved shower.
Today has been a good day, he decided as he enjoyed the feel of the hot water on his skin.
Late yesterday he and Obi-Wan had arrived back in the Temple after months away to get a nice long well-deserved break from the war. He then took the opportunity to sleep in this morning, staying in bed almost until noon. And since waking up, all he'd done was eat and practice with Ferus. Oh, and Darra wasn't around, so he didn't have to worry about avoiding her, which was a definite plus.
Hopping out of the shower, he toweled dry and dressed in some fresh robes. Once he got his right hand into its glove and getting his belt and black leather arranged properly, he peered into the mirror to work on his hair. After not cutting his hair at all for nearly eight months, it was halfway to his shoulders… And curly.
He'd given up wondering why the heck his hair was suddenly curly. So what if it had always been stick-straight before? It was curly-wavy now and he'd just have to deal with it.
I wonder if Mom'll recognize me now, he mused thoughtfully as he convinced his damp hair to part neatly.
It'd been lucky that she'd recognized him last time, being all beat-up and half delirious and him being fully-grown. Now with a scar, a prosthetic right hand, and curly hair she could very well think he was some stranger instead of her long-lost son the next time they saw each other.
Oh well, he sighed, I'll just have to wait and see what happens…
He stepped out of the refresher and made himself comfortable on the couch. There was an entire evening to kill, and he intended to do it with the holo-vision. He picked up the remote, activated the screen, and started flipping through the channels of the Holo-Net.
Before he could find anything he felt like watching, Obi-Wan returned from his endless meetings with the Council. He seemed unhappy about something, Vader could practically feel it. Something was making him uneasy; there was something that sparked dread in him.
"What's wrong?" Vader asked curiously.
"The Council has found another mission for us." Obi-Wan sighed.
"What? Already?" Vader choked. "Where are we going?"
"Not too far," Obi-Wan sighed wearily. "We'll still be on Coruscant, actually."
"Oh?" Vader prompted, confused but intrigued.
"The Senate is throwing a charity ball to raise funds and awareness for the growing refugee problem." Obi-Wan explained. "They desire some Jedi representatives to attend. Originally Master Windu was slated to go, but some last minute schedule conflicts have made that impossible. So we have won the honor of attending instead."
"Oh," Vader blinked. Then he realized exactly what attending this ball would entail. "Oh," he frowned. "When is it?"
"Tonight," Obi-Wan sighed deeply.
"Tonight?" Vader sputtered. "Seriously?"
"Yes, it's short notice, but there really isn't anything we can do about it but get ready." Obi-Wan shrugged, heading to his room to apparently freshen up.
"All right." Vader groaned, switching the holo-vision off. He rolled off the couch and headed for his own room to retrieve his cloak and boots.
Well, he sighed, glancing at his alarm-chrono, at least I squeezed my shower in before the big dance…
Padmé sat perfectly still as Ellé put the finishing touches on her elaborate hairstyle. Tonight there was a charity ball being held to raise awareness of and funds for refugees. Since she was a key member of the Senate committee that was tasked with dealing with refugee issues, it was practically required that she attend.
She really didn't want to though. With a war going on causing untold death and destruction she didn't think it was appropriate for there to be a ball or gala of any kind. She felt her time would be much better spent working than playing petty little social games around the dance floor with her colleagues.
But no one had asked her opinion on the matter. They wanted to stage an elaborate ball under the guise of charity, so they did it. All she could do was show up, chat for a while, and then escape at the first acceptable opportunity.
Ellé tightened the last hair tie, finishing Padmé's fancy tangle of a braid. After making sure there were no subtle mistakes in the styling, Ellé stepped back with a restrained nod of approval. Padmé nodded her own satisfaction as she peered into her mirror.
"Thank you Ellé," Padmé murmured appreciatively as she stood up from her stool.
She smoothed some wrinkles out of the skirt of the dress that she had chosen to wear to the charity ball. It was a black strapless number that, aside from being strapless, was a good deal less risqué than many of the dresses she'd worn to balls and galas in the past. It wasn't backless, it didn't have a plunging neckline, and it wasn't some short skirt that showed off her legs. The bodice was tight and form fitting while the skirt was a good deal looser and covered in a dash of glitter and sequins. And to keep her bare arms warm in the slightly chilly weather, she wore thin black gloves that were so long they were almost sleeves. She felt it was elegant, simple, and the black could be viewed as a color of mourning as she continually mourned the death of peace in the Republic.
Carefully adjusting the chain of the Japor necklace, Padmé did one last check in the mirror to make sure her make-up was in order. Ellé had been against her wearing the wooden necklace, but Padmé overruled her. She felt it nicely complimented the simplicity and style of her dress, and she saw it as a sort of lucky charm. She'd need all the luck she could get to get through this night without any major problems.
"Are we ready?" Padmé asked, as she neared the lift.
"Yes," Ellé replied.
"All ready here." Sabé added, passing Padmé the dark velvet cape that would protect her from the chilly night wind.
"Good, let's go. I have no interest in being 'fashionably late.'" Padmé sighed as the three of them stepped into the lift.
There was no conversation as they descended to the lobby where Captain Typho was waiting for them. There really wasn't anything to talk about. The whole week had been just a mess of stress so far and though Padmé wasn't looking forward to the ball, she hoped it would help her employees unwind a little. Sabé at least found some entertainment in giggling at some of the outrageous outfits some Senators found trendy.
As soon as they exited the lift, Captain Typho appeared to escort them to their ride and then to the location of the ball. The one-eyed security chief helped the women into a speeder being guarded by another security guard, making sure they didn't catch their long dresses on anything. And then he hopped into the driver's seat and drove off.
Padmé sat in the back seat, wedged between Sabé and Ellé, and stared down at her neatly manicured nails. Two hours is the shortest time I can stay, she decided as she did some calculating in her head. Two hours and then I can come back home…
Vader gulped anxiously as he followed Obi-Wan into the Disha'nah Hotel. The soaring skyscraper was an upscale hotel for the rich intergalactic traveler. It sported many amenities, including an enormous grand ballroom. For tonight, members of the Senate had rented out the ballroom to hold their charity event.
He had attended political functions with Obi-Wan before. But none of them had ever been so big. His previous experiences were with small feasts and balls, single planet affairs. This was a Senate function, a grand affair that involved representatives of all different species from thousands of different worlds. The potential here for embarrassing himself was very great.
"Relax," Obi-Wan advised, "we only have to stay for a few hours and then we can excuse ourselves."
"Great," Vader sighed, nervously folding his arms inside his sleeves.
"It'll be fine," Obi-Wan assured him as they climbed the stairs to the floor where the ballroom was located.
"If you say so," Vader muttered dubiously as they approached the massive wooden double doors that led to the charity ball.
A pair of expensive servant droids owned by the hotel, probably used as butlers or bellhops or something under normal circumstances, awaited them at the doors. They bowed silently before slowly opening the massive heavy doors. What Vader saw on the other side caused his jaw to drop.
The whole massive was elaborately beautiful in itself. The walls were painted a golden creamy color and covered in detailed white-painting wood carvings. Huge crystal chandeliers hung from the high arched ceiling, casting little dots of light and tiny rainbows everywhere as they lit the room. Tall smooth white marble columns ran along the edges of the room, supporting the ceiling. And the floors were soft carpet around the edge, and an intricate pattern of different types of marble for the dance floor in the center of the cavernous room.
The decorations for the charity ball only enhanced the elegant ballroom. Gold and scarlet banners of fabric were wound around the gleaming white columns. The same color also decorated the table cloths of the small round tables that flanked the dance floor and the uniforms of the hotel employees tapped to play waiter for this event. Even the drinks offered seemed to match the theme of scarlet and gold, with blood colored red wines and golden yellow white wines.
In short the whole place looked amazing, and he hadn't even really taken in the various guests yet. Obi-Wan, however, didn't seem overly impressed. When Vader didn't recover himself fast enough, he gently pulled him inside so the poor droids could shut the door.
"Close your mouth before an insect decides to fly in." Obi-Wan snorted softly.
"Sorry," Vader swallowed, clamping his mouth shut.
"Now all you have to do is smile, nod, and answer any questions as simply and politely as possible." Obi-Wan coached. "And absolutely no swearing."
"Yes Master," Vader nodded distractedly.
While the room and decorations were simple yet elegant, the occupants of the room weren't. They were a mixture of nearly every known species in the galaxy and they were dressed in twice as many colors. Every costume was unique and almost always over-the-top gaudy. Clothing was one of the many ways that Senators showed off just how wealthy and influential they were, and this was the clearest example of that that Vader had seen yet.
Struggling with all his might not to stare at some of the more outlandish dresses and suits sported by the Senators and their aides, Vader followed Obi-Wan's lead as they wove through the noisy crowd of chattering politicians. At first they went largely unnoticed as those they passed were too engrossed in their conversations, drinks, or snacks to see the Jedi in their midst. But after a while some Senators picked up on the representatives of the Jedi Order's presence.
Vader felt swallowed up by the colorful crowd, but Obi-Wan seemed to know exactly where he was going. Trusting his former Master to take him somewhere they were supposed to go, Vader did his best to keep up and keep from getting separated. After carefully slipping around a particularly tight knot of people, Vader suddenly saw their target.
He'd never met the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic before. He only recognized him from the brief glimpses he'd caught of the political leader while channel-surfing the Holo-Net. But now it seemed he was going to meet the leader of most of the civilized galaxy, whether he really wanted to or not.
Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was an older Human. A first glance of the man gave the impression of ancient fragility and passivity, an aged but friendly grandfather. But a closer observation revealed his bright intelligent eyes and a smile that oozed charisma. He wore rather quiet robes of crimson and dark gray, making his outfit one of the simplest and drabbest in his immediate vicinity. He was speaking with the blue horned Chagrian, the Vice Chair of the Galactic Senate, Mas Amedda, but the instant he caught sight of the approaching Jedi he put his conversation with Amedda on hold to greet them.
"Master Kenobi!" Chancellor Palpatine smiled, holding out his hand for Obi-Wan to shake. "What a pleasant surprise. I was expecting Master Windu to be here tonight."
"He sends his regrets, but some last minute conflicts prevented him from coming." Obi-Wan answered apologetically, shaking the Chancellor's hand.
"That's quite all right, I understand." Palpatine nodded gravely. "Now who is this that you've brought with you?" He asked, turning to regard Vader.
"He is a former apprentice of mine who so graciously agreed to accompany me here tonight." Obi-Wan explained, conveniently omitting Vader's name.
"Ah, I see," Palpatine smiled. "I am most honored to finally meet you." He greeted, reaching out to shake Vader's hand.
You're 'most honored' to meet me? Vader blinked, but he politely shook the Supreme Chancellor's hand. The instant his gloved prosthetic touched the other man's hand an intense chill hit him in the stomach. His face remained frozen in a politely neutral expression, but inside he wanted to cringe and recoil. It could just be an attack of nerves, with such a crazy crowd he wouldn't be surprised. But he wasn't sure that's what it was…
Obi-Wan and Chancellor Palpatine continued speaking for a little while longer while Vader remained hovering off just to the side. Even though he wasn't touching the man any longer, Vader couldn't shake the lingering cold feeling that had settled in the pit of his stomach. Obi-Wan didn't appear to be bothered at all as he conversed with the politician, but he was very good at disguising his feelings when necessary, so it was nearly impossible for Vader to tell just what he felt about the Chancellor.
Finally their conversation came to an end. Vader fought not to squirm as they exchanged farewells. He wanted to get away from this man. And maybe enjoy some wine.
"It has been very nice speaking with you again Master Kenobi." Palpatine gave a warm friendly smile. "You are welcome to call on me anytime." He invited. "And so are you." He added, addressing Vader.
Vader only bowed politely and respectfully in response, a small but polite smile pasted firmly on his face. Why would I ever visit you? I don't even know you, or like you! Besides, it's not like I really have time right now to visit strange politicians…
"Farewell Chancellor, may your evening go well." Obi-Wan said with a polite bow.
The Jedi Master then drifted away and Vader eagerly followed. The instant he was out of the Chancellor's sight and shielded by several loitering Senators he let out a slight shudder. He decided that he didn't like the Supreme Chancellor and he never wanted to deal with the man again.
Padmé fought to keep from slumping in her seat. She hadn't even been here an hour yet and she felt worn down. Sometimes she forgot just how exhausting it was to constantly smile and say nice polite things, especially to people she disliked.
But it was necessary. If she was rude or insulting, she could hurt not only herself or her causes, but Naboo's reputation and relations with other worlds as well. She was a representative for her home-world and she would do her best to keep her world's image a favorable one. Naboo had enough enemies with the Trade Federation and its grudge stemming from the blockade just over twelve years ago.
A brief but genuine smile found its way onto her face as she caught a glimpse of Ellé enjoying the company of an exotic-looking young man who she believed to be an aide to Malé-Dee, Senator for Uyter. Ellé, and her colleague Moteé, were always so serious, almost painfully professional. It was nice to see her relaxing a bit and having some fun. Now if only Moteé was here and doing the same thing…
Padmé sighed and took a small sip from the glass of red wine that she'd been nursing since she arrived. So far she'd only managed to drain about half of the glass and if she kept her pace up the glass would probably last her most of the night. That was fine with her, she never drank much anyway.
Casually scanning the crowd she sought to find the other Handmaiden she brought with her to the ball. Sabé had vanished some time ago in search of snacks and still hadn't returned. Padmé wasn't particularly worried about her friend yet, but she was a bit bored and lonely at the moment.
Sometimes there isn't enough time in the day, and other times there's too much time, Padmé snorted. I wish this party was over so I can go home. My patience is just shot this week…
There was a sudden commotion behind her and she turned just in time to see a well-dressed Human try to avoid a waiter and trip over a chair leg to crash into her table. He didn't break the table, but he did jostle it enough to knock her half-filled wineglass to the floor, spilling what was left of its contents on the carpet. Padmé cringed as the embarrassed Human passed the dropped wineglass to the waiter he'd almost run into and turned to her and apologized. She forced her face into a pleasant expression as she recognized who it was.
"My deepest apologies," Senator Vorski stammered, flustered. "I'll get you another one." He promised, hurrying off before she could protest.
Why does he have to be here? Padmé moaned to herself. I know he's not here because he wants to help any refugees. …Please don't let him be here just to bother me.
A few minutes later Vorski returned, carrying two full wineglasses. He cheerfully passed her the red wine while he seated himself at her table and sipped at the glass of white wine he'd grabbed for himself. With supreme effort, Padmé swallowed a cry of frustration and smiled a little at him instead.
"Senator Amidala it's so good to see you again." Vorski greeted. "I'm terribly sorry about ruining your drink." He apologized again, wincing.
"It's all right," Padmé assured him, taking a tiny sip of the replacement wine to show that all was forgiven. A brief involuntary frown flitted over her face as she caught a strange bitter aftertaste to her drink. Funny, my last glass didn't taste like this…
"Yes, well, as I said, I'm very glad to see you," he repeated with a slightly awkward smile. "I was starting to get worried since you haven't returned any of my calls."
"I'm terribly sorry," Padmé replied, "but I've just been so very busy lately…"
"You must have!" Vorski exclaimed. "But I wouldn't think a simple casual conversation would take very long."
"Well I'm on several different committees and with all the work that comes with that…there's just never enough time in the day to get things done." Padmé explained.
"Wow," Vorski blinked, impressed. "Do you ever have time for a break? A vacation?"
"No," Padmé shrugged, taking another sip of her wine. This definitely tastes funny.
"Never?" Vorski sputtered, appalled.
"I haven't had the opportunity yet, there's simply too much for me to do." Padmé replied.
"My dear, you don't wait for an opportunity, you make the opportunity." Vorski snorted, taking a long sip of his own wine. "Otherwise you'll work yourself into an early grave."
Padmé forced back a disgusted frown. "With things the way they are in this galaxy, I wouldn't dare just skip off for a week or two. I could miss something important. And even if I did somehow get talked into taking a vacation, I'd never be able to relax."
"Really?" Vorski frowned. "Maybe if you had the right company you could find a way to unwind." He suggested hopefully, a flicker of lust flaring briefly in his eyes.
Padmé tossed back a large sip of wine to hide a disgusted grimace. "Perhaps when the war ends I'll find some time to get away."
"But that could still be years away." Vorski replied.
"Then I'll just have to wait years." Padmé shrugged, unconcerned.
Her answer struck Vorski speechless for a little while. "But…but how…could you stand that? I would go made without at least one short vacation a year!"
"Well I find my work very rewarding." Padmé responded. "I really don't feel the need to walk away from it."
Vorski shook his head at her and gulped some of his wine. "You are something else. If all the Senators in the Senate had half your drive the war would've been resolved last year."
"Hmm, I wish it was." Padmé sighed sadly. "I'm really tired of hearing about yet another planet suffering, more people dying, because of this dreadful war."
"Yes," Vorski muttered disinterestedly. "It really is terrible. I sincerely hope the war doesn't find its way to my doorstep." He took a swig of his wine that nearly drained his glass.
Padmé nodded in agreement. "I certainly don't want the war to find its way to my home either. We've already suffered a taste of war. If the Clone Wars reach us, I fear we will be destroyed."
"Well that shouldn't happen," Vorski interjected optimistically. "We've had many successes as of late, the war is starting to get under control. With any luck it should be over soon, perhaps within the year."
"Maybe, maybe not. War is a fickle thing, difficult to predict, if not impossible." Padmé warned.
"True, very true." Vorski conceded. "But let's not worry about that now. Tonight we should forget about the war for the evening." He smiled charmingly at her and patted her hand as it laid on the table.
Padmé removed her hand from the table and rested it in her lap. "Yes, this charity ball is not about the war, but about the refugee problem," she agreed.
"So I've heard that Naboo continues to accept large numbers of refugees. How do you manage that?" He asked with curiosity that Padmé was certain was feigned.
"Well…" As Padmé launched into an explanation of Naboo's refugee management practices, she was sure he wasn't listening. Just from the way he stared at her, like she was some exotic dessert, made her skin crawl. But she continued, she had no real choice in whether or not she could stop.
Sabé, would you hurry up and get back here? Padmé prayed, wishing that she had some Jedi mind power to summon her Handmaiden to her without speaking. I don't want to be stuck alone with him all night!
Obi-Wan swallowed a weary sigh as he continued to make his rounds with the politicians. With very few exceptions, he found politicians to be some of the most morally degenerate beings in the galaxy. He'd met thieves with more honor and moral integrity than he had Senators.
But unlike thieves, Senators had a veneer of legality to gloss over their vices and shortcomings, and money to protect them from most of the consequences of their transgressions. They could get away with things that most criminals wouldn't dare attempt. And the public was either too apathetic to care, or remained blissfully unaware, holding their public servants up on a glittering pedestal of perfection.
He knew better though. And that made it so much more difficult to smile and be polite to most of them. But that was what his duty was for tonight, to positively represent the Jedi Order to the rest of the Senate, amuse the Senators for a while, and then disappear.
In the Republic's past, Master Qui-Gon had assured him once, the Senators truly had the public's best interests at heart. However in the present, that was rarely the case. Now Senators were more consumed with gathering personal power and wealth using any means necessary, including corruption and graft. In fact the entire war had been sparked by insatiable greed.
When he'd spied on the Separatist meeting on Geonosis, before he'd been captured, he'd heard all about their motivations for seceding from the Republic. The major players in the Confederacy's ruling council, the Trade Federation, the Commerce Guild, and the Banking Clan especially, were tired of their profits being held back by Republic legislation. They wanted the freedom to make as much money as they wanted and they weren't afraid to ditch the Republic to be able to do that.
And the Republic didn't want to lose some of its richest members and suddenly have some competition in the galaxy. True, they claimed that the only reason for war was because the Confederacy was dangerous and they wished their chunk of the galaxy to remain intact instead of splintered. But Obi-Wan suspected that the reasoning for war was almost purely to do with money than anything else.
After carefully skirted around the very obese Rutian Twi'lek Senator of Ryloth, Orn Free Taa, and his two Twi'lek girls he tried to pass off as political aides, he looked for a shadowy corner to hide and catch his breath. Vader, who was still managing to follow him, probably could use a break too. And he was the one who saw an escape route of sorts.
"Hey look, the snack table." Vader murmured in Obi-Wan's ear, tilting his head towards a gap in the crowd that did indeed give a glimpse of the party's refreshments.
Obi-Wan nodded and headed in the indicated direction. He wasn't all that hungry, but was rather curious to see what was being offered. Considering the wide range of species and cultures present, there could be some very strange fare laid out for the guests.
His imagination wasn't disappointed. The snack table ran the length of the back wall of the immense room and was decked with trays of delicacies that ran the full spectrum. Some things were cooked, some didn't appear to be cooked, and there were a few that definitely weren't cooked as the 'delicacies' had to be kept in sealed jars to keep them from scurrying away. Obi-Wan found the spread to be impressive, even for a Senate party.
"Is all of that edible?" Vader wondered quietly as he stared at it.
"It depends on your species." Obi-Wan shrugged.
"Oh," Vader glanced down the long table. "Hey…" He perked up and strode down along the table, his eyes fixed on someone in particular.
Curious, Obi-Wan followed Vader for a change. Vader's goal was a simply dressed young woman, wearing a relatively simple forest green and black dress. Her brown hair was tied up in a complex bun and since she had her back mostly to him that's all he could really see of her. Vader slipped right up behind her, a mischievous grin on his face.
"Hi Sabé!" He greeted, causing her to squeak in surprise and whirl around to face him.
It was indeed Sabé, attending the ball as Padmé's Handmaiden and official assistant. The shocked and slightly confused expression on her face made Obi-Wan chuckle slightly as he hung back to watch. Then a flicker of recognition sparked in her brown eyes.
"Vader?" She asked, sounding a little uncertain.
"Yes," Vader smiled cheerfully.
"Oh my goodness!" Sabé grinned. "Look at your hair! It's gotten so long…and it's curly!" She was so fascinated with his 'new' hairstyle she even reached up and played with it for a moment. "You look so handsome now." She remarked, playfully winking at him.
"Thanks," Vader smiled shyly, blushing a little at her compliment.
"You're very welcome," Sabé replied. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here with Obi-Wan and we're the Jedi representatives for tonight." Vader answered, shrugging a bit uncomfortably.
"Really? Obi-Wan's here too?" Sabé blinked in surprise.
"Yeah, he's right there," Vader informed her, helpfully pointing Obi-Wan out.
"Master Kenobi!" She choked in surprise. "Hello!"
"Hello Sabé," Obi-Wan smiled, moving to stand beside Vader. "How are you?"
"Oh I'm fine," she shifted a little anxiously, "how are you two?"
"I'm very well." Obi-Wan replied.
"I'm glad to be back on Coruscant." Vader added. "I thought they were going to have us skipping from one front to another forever."
"Well thank the Gods they didn't." Sabé declared. She opened her mouth to say something else, but closed it and turned away to stare at something that had caught her eye. "Oh my…"
"What?" Vader frowned, trying to follow her gaze.
Obi-Wan did the same, wondering what had Sabé so surprised.
"Look at Ellé!" She breathed. "She's dancing with a man! A cute one!"
"So?" Vader inquired.
"She never has fun at galas. She just hovers around Padmé and is so serious the whole time." Sabé explained. "This is amazing!"
"Oh," Vader blinked, obviously not finding this event as ground-shaking as Sabé did.
Obi-Wan supposed Sabé's enthusiasm must be a female thing, because he didn't get it either.
Sabé calmed a bit and grew thoughtful. "If she's out there…then Padmé's all alone….hmm." She glanced over at Vader. "Why don't you go find Padmé and keep her company?" She suggested. "We picked a table over there," she lifted her hand and indicated a direction. "She'll be very glad to see you."
"Oh, um, okay." He shrugged and did as she suggested, striking out in the direction Sabé had pointed out and leaving her and Obi-Wan behind.
"You sent him away?" Obi-Wan asked Sabé curiously. "I thought you liked him."
"I do," Sabé assured him, "but why hog him all to myself? Padmé likes him too and she'll be very glad to see him. She really needs some cheering up."
"Why is that?" Obi-Wan frowned. "Are the debates in the Senate getting that bad?"
"Well, yes," Sabé shrugged, "but that's not it." She chewed her lower lip nervously before moving in a little closer to reduce the chance of being eavesdropped upon. "Senator Vorski has been after her worse than usual lately. And it doesn't help that she feels this decadent ball is inappropriate while we're engaged in a full-scale war."
"I see," Obi-Wan nodded.
Sabé nervously fiddled with her gray stone pendant before adding something else. "Part of the reason I sent Vader off to find Padmé is because Vorski could be here. Even if Ellé and I were with Padmé he would always come around and bother her, but when Captain Typho would appear he'd run off. I was hoping that if he is here somewhere that Vader's mere presence will be enough to keep him away."
"If it's getting that bad, why doesn't Padmé report him?" Obi-Wan frowned.
"She would, but the problem is he hasn't done anything illegal yet." Sabé sighed in frustration. "And he can get out of stalking charges because all he's done is place a lot of comm calls and show up at every party and function that she has. He probably doesn't have to bribe anyone, he can talk his way out of it easily. He is a Senator after all, who's to say he can't attend Senate sessions when she is? It's his job and it's her job."
"Right," Obi-Wan sighed. "Perhaps she should risk it and be more explicit in refusing his advances?"
"You know," Sabé sighed, folding her arms over her chest, "if this keeps up, I think she just might."
"I hope she does if his attentions make her so miserable." Obi-Wan remarked. "He might do something mean to her in response, but it'll only be temporary."
"Yeah," Sabé agreed, "hopefully."
"So," Obi-Wan decided to change the subject, "what drew you away from Senator Amidala's side?"
"I came to investigate the food…" Sabé trailed off to regard the endless table of exotic snacks. "And I'm still trying to figure out what I'm meant to eat."
Obi-Wan chuckled at that. "Well milady, perhaps I may be of some assistance." He offered cheerfully. "There is a possibility that I might recognize a few things."
"Oh good, I feared that I'd just have to go hungry." Sabé grimaced as she glanced at a platter topped with what she saw as a pile of unappetizing slime. "Please, lead the way to the edibles Master Jedi."
Obi-Wan struggled not to laugh out loud. "This way then…"
Padmé, despite the oddly bitter aftertaste, had consumed nearly a third of her wine, mainly taking sips to hide her frowns and grimaces from Senator Vorski. She would've thrown the wine away in an instant, but she didn't dare insult him and so she kept it. She couldn't wait until he left so she could get rid of it without him seeing.
Right now he was telling her all about his palatial estates back on his home-world of Voshi. She was certain that he was exaggerating a great deal, but he wasn't making it all up with how rich and influential he was. Padmé just let him talk to his heart's content, not allowing any of her disgust or disbelief show on her face.
"And then there's my other vacation home…in…" Vorski abruptly trailed off and stared at some point above her right shoulder.
Padmé turned to see what he was looking at and looked up…and up…to see a familiar Jedi towering over her. Vader was darkly handsome in his mostly black Jedi attire and his looks were further enhanced with his new, longer, curly, hair. His expression was one of puzzlement as he regarded the slightly pale and suddenly silent Vorski.
"Is something wrong sir?" Vader asked with polite concern when Vorski just kept staring in shock.
Vader's deep voice jerked Vorski out of his stunned stupor, though he remained a bit frazzled. "No. No, I'm fine." He assured the Jedi Knight. "I just remembered," he pulled back his sleeve and examined his ridiculously expensive platinum wrist chrono, "that I promised a colleague that I'd meet with him here. And I'm late so…if you'll excuse me Senator Amidala, I shall return to you later."
Before Padmé could bid him farewell, he was gone, vanished into the other milling Senators and their favored staff members. She blinked a few times as she processed Vorski's sudden departure. And then she grinned in deep relief.
"Who was that?" Vader frowned, settling into Vorski's abandoned seat.
"That was Senator Josef Vorski." Padmé replied, allowing a tiny frown of distaste to briefly appear on her face.
"The one that was bugging you before?" Vader asked.
"Yes," Padmé sighed.
"Well, I was going to apologize for scaring him off, but…" Vader cast a dark look in the direction Vorski had fled in. "Now I don't think I will."
Padmé laughed a little. "Good! Because I'm grateful that you did. I didn't think he'd ever shut up and leave me alone."
"What a creep." Vader shook his head in disgust.
"Yes he is," Padmé agreed, taking another sip of her wine, then grimacing as she was reminded of its odd taste.
"What's wrong? Bad wine?" Vader asked.
"I don't know, but this wine…it definitely tastes odd." Padmé frowned and was about to wave a waiter over to get rid of it.
"Here, let me see." Vader offered, taking the glass from her. He looked at it critically for a moment, sniffed at it curiously, and then tossed the entire remaining two-thirds of the wine back in one tremendous gulp. After swallowing, he tilted his head thoughtfully to the side as he considered the flavor. "Tastes fine to me." He shrugged.
Padmé stared at him open-mouthed for a good minute before bursting into a fit of giggles. "I can't believe you just did that!" She squealed.
"You can't believe I just did what?" Vader blinked in confusion.
"You don't drink wine like that!" Padmé giggled. "You sip at wine. You don't toss it all back like a shot of Corellian whiskey!"
"Oh…" Vader cringed, squirming in embarrassment. "Sorry."
"It's all right," Padmé assured him, still giggling a little. "Just keep that in mind for next time."
"Right, got it." Vader nodded, committing this important piece of information to memory for future use.
"Good," Padmé smiled. "Now, what are you doing here?"
"Keeping Vorski away," Vader replied cheerfully.
"That's not what I meant," Padmé sighed.
"I know," Vader grinned. "I'm here, along with Obi-Wan, to be the Jedi representatives for the evening."
"Obi-Wan's here too?" Padmé blinked. "Where is he?"
"He stayed with Sabé at the snack table." Vader told her. "There's some crazy stuff over there…"
"I bet," Padmé snorted. "She's still over there, huh?"
"Mm-hm," Vader nodded.
"Well hopefully she finds something soon." Padmé remarked as she passed a nearby waiter the now empty wineglass.
"With all the stuff that was there, it could take a long, long time." Vader replied.
Padmé leaned back in her chair and relaxed. Then the music changed to a different song as the last one ended. She hadn't really paid attention to the music that was piped through the well-disguised speakers. Lacking a date, she really hadn't paid attention to the music or the dancing going on. Now she recognized her favorite Nabooan waltz. It was very pretty, very old, slow, and long, so she could really enjoy it.
"Oh I love this song!" She exclaimed.
"Really?" Vader blinked, tilting his head as he focused in on the music he'd been ignoring most of the night. "You like this fancy dance music?"
"Yes, this is my favorite waltz." She grinned. And then an idea took root in her mind. "Do you know how to waltz?"
"Ballroom dancing? No." Vader shrugged. "Why?"
"Come on, I'll teach you!" She grinned widely, hopping up from her seat.
"Huh?" He choked, eyes growing wide. "I-I don't need to know how to dance!"
"Of course you do," Padmé smiled. "Jedi are considered special ambassadors and someday when you visit a planet you could be expected to attend a ball and dance with a girl." When he still didn't get up, she tried a different approach. "What's more embarrassing? Me teaching you how to dance now? Or you being required to dance someplace later and not knowing how?"
Vader shifted uncomfortably as he thought this over. "Oh…okay…" He sighed, very reluctantly getting up.
"Thank you," she beamed, taking him by the arm and towing him out to the dance floor. "Now relax and we'll have fun!"
"If…if you say so," he gulped anxiously.
"I do say so, Master Jedi." Padmé stated imperiously, briefly reverting to the old court accent she'd affected during her days as Queen Amidala of the Naboo.
Vader gave her an odd look and she let out a few un-queenly giggles. Shaking her head at him she brought him to the edge of the dance floor and guided his hands to their proper positions. She couldn't help but grin at his increasingly anxious expression as she then began walking him through the basic waltz.
But as they got started, he actually did very well. He caught onto the beat of the music quickly and kept with it. And he never came close to stepping on her feet. Not once, in all the dances they ended up dancing…
Sabé struggled to suppress the rowdy butterflies that had taken up residence in her stomach as she led Obi-Wan back to the little table Padmé had chosen for the evening. Padmé had selected it for its location in a quiet corner near one of the decorative columns. It was a place to slink off to and hide when a break was needed from the strain of being friendly and polite to everyone grew to be a bit too much.
Right now, Sabé was hoping to use it, and Padmé, to get a slight break from Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. With his focus off her and on Padmé, she could relax a little, catch her breath. Being around him, alone, and acting normal was a strain that she wished a break from.
However when they reached the table, Padmé was gone. Only their capes remained, marking the table as theirs. Sabé forced back her disappointment and dismay as she looked around for her missing employer.
"Now where did she go?" Sabé muttered through clenched teeth.
"I do believe," Obi-Wan said after a moment, "that she has gone dancing with Vader."
"What?" Sabé blinked. "Really?"
"Yes," Obi-Wan smirked, "I can feel his trembling nerves from here."
"Oh my," Sabé giggled. "The poor man, trapped on a dance floor and held captive by a beautiful beguiling Senator."
"Indeed," Obi-Wan agreed gravely, an amused twinkle in his stormy-colored eyes.
Sabé fixed her eyes on the deep scarlet tablecloth as she sat down, swallowing hard to try and force her heart back into its proper location inside her chest. Stop it Sabé! She scolded herself sharply. Grow up and get over it!
"Is something wrong Sabé?" Obi-Wan asked with polite concern as he seated himself across from her.
"No," Sabé smiled reassuringly, "everything's fine." She wasn't sure if he believed her, but he didn't ask any further.
"So tell me, how is life on Coruscant there days?" He asked.
"Well, it's colder, winter is almost here." Sabé sighed. "Not that you can really tell. It doesn't snow here like it does on Naboo. And work just gets harder and harder. I can't wait until the war ends and I can take a vacation from all the paperwork!"
"I think all of us could us a good vacation." Obi-Wan agreed.
"And…well…that's all I've really had time to notice." Sabé shrugged.
"What about the Senate? Any new scandals being whispered about in the gossip?" Obi-Wan inquired.
"Probably, I really don't pay attention to any of that drivel unless Padmé or a friend of hers is mentioned." Sabé grumbled disgustedly. "I'm really getting tired of dealing with the Senate."
"Then why not quit?" Obi-Wan asked.
Sabé stared at him, trying to determine if his question was at all serious. "And abandon Padmé to the cheerless Moteé and Ellé and the sharks in the Senate? I think not." She snorted. "Padmé has been my closest friend since our days in school together. What sort of friend would I be if I just up and left her one day and ran off home for my own selfish reasons?"
"You would certainly not be the good friend that you are." Obi-Wan replied. "Padmé is most fortunate to have a friend as devoted and loyal as you are."
Sabé bit her lip and struggled to control her blush. "You flatter me Master Kenobi." She murmured uncomfortably.
"I do my best to speak the truth as I see it." Obi-Wan countered. "I only use flattery in business."
"Oh?" Sabé mused. "You resort to flattery?"
"Yes, on occasion." Obi-Wan shrugged. "Sometimes when dealing with stubborn, arrogant, narcissistic individuals it is necessary to stroke their egos a bit to get your way. It's the best way to deal with most Senators in my experience."
"You flatter Padmé?" Sabé frowned.
"Oh no, never," Obi-Wan shook his head. "I respect her too much to ever do that."
"Good," Sabé declared. "Now Master Kenobi, you're traveled to countless worlds and had numerous adventures so far, correct?" She asked. At his nod, she continued. "I've always meant to ask…do you have any interesting stories you'd be willing to share?"
He appeared surprised at her change of topic, but quickly turned thoughtful. "Of course I do." He told her. "Now let me see," he murmured, stroking his beard in thought. "There was this one time…"
Vader was probably grinning like an idiot, but he didn't really care at the moment. Once, when he was very small, his mother had told him a story, some fairy tale about a princess, and she described the formal dancing with a dreamy sort of smile. He'd been appalled that men would do something as girly as dance – and with icky old girls too! – and he swore to himself that he'd never ever do it. But now he didn't mind breaking that childhood oath one single bit.
Dancing, formal dancing, wasn't really too terrible-awful. Especially if his dance partner was Padmé. The waltz wasn't a difficult dance, rather simple actually. And it was a wonderful excuse to get to touch Padmé in places he wouldn't dare at any other time. Holding her hand he maybe could get away with outside of dancing, but touching her hip? Oh no, no, no, no!
This is great! Vader grinned as he twirled Padmé in a spin. I should come to these parties more often!
As the current song, a lively Corellian waltz, came to an end, they both stopped and waited for the next selection to come on. However, before the music started, Vader sensed something amiss. He studied Padmé's expression closer and noticed that she looked kind of tired, or perhaps a little ill.
"Are you all right?" He asked with concern.
"Yes, I-I just have a little headache, that's all." She replied with a slightly strained smile. "I'm fine."
But then she swayed a bit in his arms, he knew she was fooling only herself. "We've been at this for a while, let's go sit down and take a break." He decided and led her off the dance floor.
"But I'm fine," she protested weakly. "I want to keep dancing."
"You can always talk me into dancing again later." Vader assured her. "Let's just sit down for a few songs until then."
"Oh all right," Padmé sighed.
Vader smirked smugly in victory as he gently towed Padmé back to her table. After a little weaving around other Senators and guests, they reached their destination. But the table now had two new occupants, Obi-Wan and Sabé.
They sat across the table from each other deep in conversation. Sabé leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand as she listened intently to whatever Obi-Wan was saying. Obi-Wan had made himself comfortable in his chair, sitting just like he sat in his Council chair with his legs crossed.
"…That sounds like an interesting place." Vader caught Sabé saying. "So what happened next?"
"Well, since we had a few days before we had to do anything, we explored the settlement where we were stationed." Obi-Wan replied. "We found this interesting little place called Starak's Hole and–"
"And I thought we swore never to speak of that episode ever again." Vader interrupted as he stepped up to Obi-Wan's shoulder with his arms crossed over his chest.
Obi-Wan blinked and stared up at Vader with something of a sheepish expression. "Ah yes…that-that's right." He grinned weakly. "Thank you for reminding me."
"You're welcome," Vader snorted.
The instant he heard the name Starak's Hole, he knew that trouble was coming. He really had no idea why Obi-Wan was willing to share that particular misadventure on Naos III with anyone, let alone someone like Sabé. Really, what had he been thinking?
"Okay, I have no idea what you were talking about, but now I'm interested." Padmé grinned, sliding into the open seat next to Sabé.
"Yes, do continue." Sabé smiled, leaning forward a bit closer.
Obi-Wan now looked deeply anxious. Vader felt a chilly sense of doom descending on the both of them. Making up his mind, Vader plopped down next to Obi-Wan and continued the story. Heavily edited of course.
"Well, we were checking out this bar called Starak's Hole and the owner, Starak, had just come up with this drink he called a Starak Shooter. We decided to try some and, long story short, we got totally smashed and blacked out most of the night." Vader explained with forced cheerfulness. "Since we couldn't remember how we got such bad hangovers when we woke up, we had Artoo hack some security cameras and…well…what we saw brought us to the conclusion that, one, we'd never drink Starak Shooters ever again and, two, we'd never speak of it again. End of story."
Obi-Wan looked shocked that he'd caved and answered the women's question. Sabé and Padmé looked shocked that Jedi not only got drunk, but drunk enough to forget the whole night they'd spent getting drunk. Vader just sat there uncomfortably, staring at the table cloth and he noted some fine gold threads woven into the scarlet fabric that he hadn't noticed before.
"What happened to the 'never speak of it again' part?" Obi-Wan scowled.
"You're the one who brought it up." Vader shrugged.
"You got drunk?" Sabé sputtered. "Both of you?"
"You've never been to a bar with him I take it." Vader smirked, knowing that Obi-Wan was going to hate him for a while for this.
"Oh my," Padmé giggled as the shock wore off. "Dare I ask what you did while inebriated?"
"Nope, that remains forever confidential." Vader replied firmly. There was no way he was going to admit to the drunken karaoke and Obi-Wan would kill him if he spilled about the dancing on tables and drunkenly skipping down the streets.
"It had better," Obi-Wan muttered almost inaudibly.
Padmé giggled hysterically at the both of them. Apparently the mental image of a pair of sloshed Jedi tickled her funny bone in a serious way. But when her laughter died down, her little headache seemed to return.
"Are you all right Padmé?" Sabé asked worriedly.
"Yes, just a little headache," Padmé assured her Handmaiden, massaging her temples with her fingertips. "I think I've hung around her long enough," she decided with a sigh. "I'm going home."
"Okay, I'll go fetch Ellé and we'll leave." Sabé nodded and picked up Padmé's cape.
"No, no, if you're having fun you stay. I can get home by myself." Padmé waved Sabé off, taking her cape and draping it over her shoulders. "There's no reason for me to ruin your fun."
"But Padmé," Sabé frowned, "it's our job to make sure you're safe."
"I'm only taking a ten minute air-taxi ride Sabé, I'll survive." Padmé sighed irritably.
"But…" Sabé scowled.
"I'll escort her home if it makes you feel better." Vader offered. If Padmé's leaving, this party will officially be boring anyway.
"You don't have to," Padmé protested.
"No, it's all right." Vader grinned. "It's a great excuse to leave. I've been looking for one since before I got here."
"Well, if you're sure you want to leave…" Padmé shrugged.
"I am, let's go," he smirked and offered her his arm in a theatrically gallant gesture.
She rolled her eyes, but took his arm anyway and let him lead her out of the ballroom. Vader fought to keep his pace slow and calm and suppress the jitters that rattled beneath his skin. But as he reached the curb outside of the hotel and raised his arm to hail a taxi, he blinked as the street seemed to briefly tilt.
Whoa, he blinked, feeling a little lightheaded all of a sudden as a taxi pulled over in response to his hail. What the heck? He wondered as he helped Padmé into the backseat, careful of her long dress and cape. What's going on? I didn't drink that much…
His heart sank in utter despair as she left with the tall dark Jedi. For months he'd planned and schemed. He'd thought of everything, but interference from the Jedi. And that is what had doomed him to failure.
Not only was the man younger than he was, but he was taller, stronger, more dangerous, and he could read minds. Oh what he wouldn't do to have that power, the ability to read and influence minds. Then he wouldn't have to work quite so hard to get what and who he wanted. But, alas, he was not so gifted.
No, he had to flee before the all-seeing Jedi Knight picked up on his devious intent. And his act of self-preservation had dire consequences. His chance of having what he desired was forever dashed. Now the dashing young Jedi Knight would get a taste of what he'd hungered for, for so long… Unless the Jedi was just as prudish as his Order was reputed to be, of course.
Struggling not to collapse under the weight of his disappointment, Senator Josef Vorski of the Voshi System downed another glass of wine and slunk off in search of some easy consolation prize for the night…
Stars what is wrong with me? Padmé wondered as her fingers fumbled with the ties of her braids. She sat at the little vanity near her bed where one of her Handmaidens would do her hair and make-up for the day and where she undid all of it at night. That was what she was trying to do now, without too much success.
After the air-taxi ride, her legs had turned to gelatin and Vader had become her Human crutch so she could make it to the lift and then to her bed chambers. It was hard for her to tell, but it seemed like he was getting rather wobbly by the time they made it here. But it could've just been her imagination.
He was still here, not having moved from the seat he'd taken on her bed. She enjoyed the company as she clumsily worked the plaits out of her hair. They'd been talking about something for a while, but she couldn't remember what. The conversation had been difficult to keep up as the both of them seemed to have developed problems with slurring. Or maybe it was their ears.
Amused by the odd thought of broken ears, Padmé giggled hysterically as the room suddenly swayed and swam around her. She tried to make it from her little vanity to her bed, where Vader was, but she tripped over her own feet. As she fell, Vader tried to catch her, but they somehow got entangled with each other and crashed into her bed. When things settled down enough for her to make sense of her situation, she was laying on her back on her bed with Vader laying on top of her.
They lay there like that for a minute in silence before they both burst out laughing. When they ran out of breath their laughter trailed off into near silence as they panted for air. She stared up at him as he stared down and decided that his eyes were very pretty.
"You have pretty eyes," she whispered, raising one hand to brush a loose curl back from his forehead.
His eyelids drooped a little and he leaned into her feather-light touch with a contented sigh. "Your eyes're pretty too."
Padmé smiled at him and giggled a little. "You're sweet."
"So're you." He grinned lopsidedly.
Padmé's smile widened, but faded when something occurred to her. "How did we get so drunk?"
"I dunno," Vader blinked, his expression melting into a confused frown. "I didn' drink tha' much…"
"Me neither," Padmé frowned.
She tried to think up some answer, some reason for her inebriated state, but her mind was too hazy and thick to come up with any results. It also didn't help that Vader was staring at her. Not in a mean way, but not exactly in a just-friends sort of way either.
His blue eyes, though slightly unfocused from the alcohol, burned into hers. Perhaps if she'd been of clear mind she could decipher the emotions those eyes held, but right now she was completely in the dark about what he might be thinking or feeling as he watched her. All she was focused on was his magnetic gaze, deep, blue, and smoldering. Something about it, about him, made her feel warmer, her heart race and flutter.
And then he leaned down and kissed her. It wasn't like anything she'd ever read in any romance novel. He started out slow and hesitant and ended messy and clumsy. But it was enough to make her insides swirl and float, and almost enough to rob her of her capacity to think.
He drew back only when they both were in desperate need of air. His eyes seemed to glow, but confusion, conflict flickered beneath that. As they both gasped for breath, Padmé slowly came to the decision that he was a good kisser and that she wanted to kiss him again.
"I…" He gulped, groping for words. "I shouldn'…"
"You shouldn' what?" Padmé frowned, worried.
"I shouldn'…be kissin' you…like that." He managed.
But contrary to his declaration, he didn't move. He remained on top of her, his eyes gazing deeply into hers, never once looking away. His hot breath, smelling vaguely of wine, tickled her skin as it washed over her face and neck. He didn't make any move to back away or get off her.
Padmé looped an arm around the back of his neck and drew him back down. He shouldn't have kissed her like that. But he wasn't getting off. So she didn't want him to stop. She wouldn't let him.
Now she kissed him. He made absolutely no protest. Aside from his brief, shocked hesitation, he gave her no sign that he didn't want what she was giving him. And since he wasn't protesting, and since she was quite willing, kissing progressed to touching which progressed to…other things.