Warning:This story is very dark and filled with violence and cruelty to a child who is a slave Emperor Palpatine. If such things offend you then do not bother reading. It has a high rating for a reason. –Darth Gladiator45

The years went by and Anne continued her services to the Dark Lord, she would rarely get treated very well. Most of the time, she took her beatings, did her chores, and tried her best to please an insatiable master. One dark day, Emperor Palpatine entered his chambers; his servant was polishing statues. She felt his intense rage, she cringed she was in for another beating. She lowered the statue and walked to the closet to get his favorite whipping device. Anne handed it to him and faced the dark black wall and waited for the lashes to begin. He removed his cloak and started the beating, lines of blood were drawn and Anne could only scream in her mind. She endured the beating and Emperor Palpatine coiled up the whip. She prostrated herself; Emperor Palpatine left her there and began to eat his dinner and to drink his red wine. He tossed several pieces of steak gristle on the floor.

"You may eat."

She crawled to the meat and it was moved each time to get close to it. Emperor Palpatine was toying with her again. This game continued until she was near his chair and he poured hot scalding water down her back. If she could have screamed she would have.

"Get out of here, before I really get angry." Anne crawled away and moved to her closet, the door was slammed shut and she heard the locks tumble into place. She curled herself up into a ball and mercifully passed out. When she awoke the next morning she was stiff, hungry, and in complete agony. Emperor Palpatine opened the door and saw the pathetic girl in the back of the closet curled into a fetal position. He grabbed her foot and lifted her out of the closet, dangling her as he walked over to his chair. Anne couldn't say anything, but her mind was crying, "Please, please, not another beating. I'll do anything; I'll go without my meals."

"Be quiet." It was a warning that resounded in her mind repeatedly.

Anne shut her thoughts down completely, she removed herself from her body, and it was an empty receptacle that only held memories of pain, grief, anguish, and humiliation.

She felt outside of herself. Her tears froze just underneath her eyelids and she would allow him to do what he wanted. She was now completely and utterly broken. The Emperor flung her to the wall and she collapsed at his feet.

"Come here."

Anne crawled over to the chair, and prostrated herself at his feet.

"Stand and look at me." It was an order, not one should she disobey even if she had wanted. Anne looked at Emperor Palpatine's face she wanted to desperately look away, she was frightened of this visage before her, she felt his hate and anger envelope her very soul. She knew that she was unworthy to be standing in his presence.

"Cry." It was a simple statement and one that she was afraid to follow, she knew that he hated to see her cry and would strike her harder if she allowed tears to show during her many beatings. Anne allowed a few tears to run down her face.

"More, I want you to sob uncontrollably as you plead for mercy."

She had no voice, how could she plead for mercy?

"Do it." Emperor Palpatine then went into her mind and showed her the many beatings, denial of food, and the abandonment of spending days in solitary confinement, Anne felt overwhelmed by the mental pictures of her own suffering. She fell to his feet and sobbed as the images in her mind became more intense and graphic.

"Please, milord. I'm so sorry." She said in her mind and projected so loudly that every force-sensitive being in close proximity could hear her pleas; including the infamous Sith Lord Darth Vader.

"Stop, you've pleaded enough." Emperor Palpatine intoned.

Anne wiped her eyes and remained kneeling, with her head lowered. She looked at the edge of his cloak absolutely too terrified to move. "Get out." Anne attempted to crawl away but some invisible barrier held her in place. The harder she tried to leave the stronger the force field resisted.

The Dark Lord raised his hand, Anne cowered awaiting another strike, but instead she was lifted and flung across the room like a leaf in the wind. As her head struck the bulkhead incredibly hard, she was knocked unconscious.

Lord Vader was meditating when he heard the howls of pure anguish of a young child, she was suffering greatly. He couldn't get the sharp images from his mind, for that eternal moment he felt everything that young slave felt the pain, the psychotic episodes, the internal pain that he was all to familiar with his memories of being a former slave of Watto came back all too clearly, even his current status of the Emperor's slave brought back memories of most particularly his failure to keep the Death Star a secret, but the sight of the monstrosity was disgusting and a complete waste of resources. He might be ruthless and cruel but he preferred to meet his enemies in battle, not be destroying entire planets with civilians.

His enemies were the Jedi and the Rebellion not civilians who hadn't done anything but be at the wrong place at the wrong time. He would have to page his informant to see about getting this young girl whomever she was away from the Emperor's clutches and soon. He didn't understand it but somehow she was linked to him.

Author's Note:Don't say I didn't warn you. It gets darker before it starts getting lighter. I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters therein.—Darth Gladiator45