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Chapter Seven: Labor omnia vincit
- hard work conquers all.
THE EXECUTOR
Liyani Q'ysh inhaled deeply as she gazed out of the viewport, Zor standing right behind her.
"What did he say?" he asked, watching the long, black hair resting on her back as she crossed her arms.
"He… wants me to kill Saw Gerrera." she replied tersely.
"The leader of the Partisans?" Zor frowned. "Why?"
She turned to look at him, all humor gone from her icy eyes. "Apparently the Senator led Vader to him."
Zor scoffed. "She betrayed her own? The same woman telling me about the Empire's crimes as if I didn't know?"
She watched him for a moment, rubbing her forehead in thought. "See, that's exactly what I'm trying to figure out - she wouldn't do that. Especially given how she had close ties to Steela Gerrera in the Clone Wars."
"What do you think, then?" he asked after a pause.
"Gonna do my job, as always." she spoke. Zor watched her closely. It was impressive how Liyani could simply shut down all of her personal feelings and emotions when doing her job. One moment, she behaved like a death stick addict and the next, as cold as an assassin.
He nodded and they stood in silence for a moment before Liyani nodded, patting Zor's shoulder. "I best get going then, Mando."
They shared a glance before she walked off, pulling her helmet over her head as she made her way to her ship.
Now that Vader hopefully had dragged the Senator off Jedha, she could do her job in peace.
JEDHA
Her binds fell to the ground as Vader waved his hand, his golden eyes staring into hers.
She rubbed her wrists, her gaze unwavering. He had put his mask back on, she noticed, as the light reflected off it from under his hood. He seemed fine without it earlier, what happened?
Padmé was waiting for him to ask where she was, who took her but the question never came.
Kriff. She felt cold.
Did he know? He couldn't, he didn't even know about Two-Tubes, let alone that Saw was involved. Or did the Empire already know about Saw?
"Q'ysh," he suddenly spoke, his commlink activated.
"Yes, Milord?" came the reply in Liyani's familiar voice only a second later.
"You may come now." he simply said before cutting off the communication, all while keeping his eyes on Padmé. What the kriff?
Wait. Why is he calling Liyani?, she asked herself, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. He gave her a glance that was enough for Padmé to understand. He heard, and he knew. But the worst part was, he had known before he even got here.
His hand motioned to the speeder he had searched her with. "Did you steal this?" she asked quietly with furrowed brows, walking over to the dirty vehicle.
"Borrowed, Senator. Since you decided to wander off." he said, and Padmé didn't understand how it was physically possible for someone to sound both bored and offended.
He swung his leg over the seat and sat on the speeder, waiting for Padmé to follow suit. Noticing her hesitance, he spoke up again. "Trust me, if I could I'd leave you here in the middle of nowhere instead of taking you with me."
She raised her brows, huffing out a sarcastic laugh. "Oh? The feeling is quite mutual, Milord."
She heard him mutter something close to "I'm sure." as she walked towards the speeder.
"You're the Supreme Commander, you can do whatever you please. Why don't you?" she challenged with a bite in her tone as she sat behind him, putting as much space as possible between them without falling off herself.
"Don't tempt me." he warned and kicked the speeder off without further hesitation.
The sudden movement of the speeder made Padmé yelp in surprise and clutch onto Vader's cloak to not fall. She felt him stiffen under her touch but said nothing, refusing to let go as much as she hated it.
He felt surprisingly warm, soothing in contrast to the cold wind slapping against her face. She dared to lean against him enough to shield her face as well.
"Any closer and I'll chop your hands off." came his deceivingly calm voice and she scowled, tightening her grip nonetheless as the speeder picked up an impossible speed.
He's gonna kill the both of us. That's it. I'm dying on a lunatic moon.
She took a deep breath as she forced herself to calm down, his usual lack of response not reassuring her at all. What would happen to Saw now? Did Vader send Liyani to kill him? Why not do it himself?
He had not once asked her about her whereabouts, or who had taken her.
A cold feeling settled in her stomach, her hands suddenly feeling dirty from touching the Sith Lord. Oh, Saw. What have you done?
"How did you find me?" she asked carefully, her voice disappearing into the strong blow.
"Threepio tracked your comm signal." he replied, feeling her nod against his shoulder after a moment. His jaw was clenched as his military instinct told him to push her off. If he did that, though, she'd be a human pancake in seconds. Something his Master wouldn't like.
Why did he keep her around? Once again, Vader found himself wondering what made her more special to the Emperor than other Senators did. She brought nothing but trouble, at this point to her own, traitorous friends as well.
They spent the rest of the way in silence, the harsh sound of the wind and Vader's faint respirator being the only thing Padmé heard for the next few minutes. The setting sun gave the desert the color of bright, golden Aurodium. As far as her sight went, they were surrounded by huge rocks and mountains, tinted shades of red and brown.
In another universe, another timeline, maybe she would have had the chance to enjoy life like any other being did, someone who didn't have to count on the possibility of every day being her last one.
Maybe, in another life, she could come here as an admirer of nature, not as a captive.
But Padmé knew the cause she was fighting for, the bitter reality of where she was living - and she wouldn't change helping her people for anything. Even if it meant risking her own life.
The biting coldness around her faded soon enough as Vader slowed down, the ship now in sight. "Aren't you going to give the speeder back?" she questioned, a brow raised although she didn't really expect an answer.
As expected, he paid her no mind as they arrived and got off the speeder, walking towards Vader's starship. Her eyes flickered to the speeder he left behind and then to his retreating back, an idea flaring up in her mind before she could stop herself.
Though before she could even act on it, Vader's voice reminded her of his very obvious presence and that there was, unfortunately, no escape. "Don't even try it - Get in the kriffing ship."
"I wasn't going to do anything." she spoke, glaring at him as she walked past him. "Where would I go, anyway?"
He remained silent but Padmé would be a fool not to feel the anger practically radiating off him. She found, however, that she couldn't care any less right now. What she did care about was Saw Gerrera's fate. If anything, she should be the one shaking in anger right now. Would another life, if not lives, get taken because of her?
Padmé walked up the ramp, Vader right behind her. As they prepared to take off and Padmé silently strapped herself in, Vader seemed to remember something and stood up to walk to the back part of the ship.
Confused, she turned her head to watch him retreat, muttering something under his breath.
Something glittering caught her attention from the corner of her eye. She turned her gaze to the source of the sparkle, finding a small, red object on Vader's seat.
"Must've fallen out of his pocket." she mused. Padmé took a quick glance back to where Vader went before hesitantly reaching out, her fingers picking up the object.
It was a crystal. And force, it was beautiful. Was this one of the kyber crystals Chirrut was talking about?
She twisted it in her grip, inspecting it in awe at it's maroon, deep color. If Vader found her holding this, he'd most likely chop her hands off. For real, this time.
Almost as if on cue she heard the familiar footsteps of the Dark Lord nearing her, pulling her out of her thoughts. She shoved the tiny object into her front pocket and sat straight, staring out of the window as if the desert was the most interesting thing Padmé had ever seen.
She saw him sit down next to her from her peripheral vision, eyeing her suspiciously. "What? Are we leaving or are you going to keep staring at me?" she asked with her brow raised, gathering enough courage to look into his golden orbs. They were so, so warm yet cold at the same time, his gaze full of hatred. Perhaps she was reading too much into it but she almost dared to say his eyes change their color.
He couldn't have been born with them. She remembers Count Dooku having them as a Sith, as well as Darth Maul and the Emperor. It must be a Sith trait. And yet, as she looked into his eyes, red bled from the edges of his irises, melting into the pools of gold.
Now she was the one staring at him. Kriff, what did he say? She tore her eyes from the obviously beyond annoyed Sith and inhaled as deeply but quietly as possible. He seemed to ignore whatever Padmé just did and they took off, Jedha soon becoming a small dot like every other star around them.
The darkness of space made their reflections in the viewport more visible, and once again she found his focused gaze. His focus, however, wasn't on her but on the ship's panels.
"Don't you ever get tired?" she asked, her voice quiet.
He didn't respond at first, his gaze still fixed on the screen. She could've scoffed, why was she even trying? She almost forgot who she was talking to. As she turned her body back to the front, he spoke up, the respirator making his voice sound more monotonous than normal for a human. But then again, was he really?
"Of?" he asked.
"Everything? Life?" she rushed out before she lost her courage. "Terrorizing the Galaxy?"
"You Rebels truly only know one phrase." he retorted. "Have you ever thought of the good the Empire has done for the Galaxy?"
He knew he pushed her button so he continued before she got a word out. "Tell me, Senator." his gaze finally left the screen and found Padmé's through the viewport's reflection. "Have you ever actually talked to anyone who has benefitted from the Empire's aid? People-, no, systems even, forgotten by the Republic's continuous incompetence to fulfil their basic needs?"
She held his gaze but remained quiet. He had a point, she hadn't. Not that it made her care less about their wellbeing. But that still did nothing to prove his argument wrong.
"You didn't answer my question." she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
His grip on the steering tightened in annoyance, and Padmé felt the moment coming to an end. "No." was all he said and it sounded final.
She nodded in return, settling into a strangely comfortable silence. This was, after all, a step further than their past conversations. She slowly leaned back against the seat, getting lost in the stars until sleep came over her, hand resting atop of her pocket.
JEDHA, the catacombs of cadera
By the time the Bounty Hunter arrived, the place was empty. Clever bastard, she thought as she took in her surroundings, lowering her rifle back to her side.
She supposed Saw Gerrera had to be an absolute fool to stay here after knowing Darth Vader would stop at absolutely nothing to hunt rebels down. Liyani followed the path that led to a room in the back, one that was filled with the faint sunlight from outside. Her hand still hovered over her weapon in case someone stayed behind.
Her steps still echoed through the empty place so if anyone was there, they'd know. She paused right before the entrance, slowly pulling out her blasters with a tight grip on each.
With one large step she stepped into the room, holding out her weapons on either side. All while holding her blasters out in front of her, she walked around to make sure she was truly alone.
After spotting no one, she finally trusted herself to place them back into the holster, pulling her helmet off. "Well. What do we have here?" she mused out loud, walking to the center where a large holo-transmitter was lying.
She kneeled in front of it, reaching out to play the most recent message for more clues. Before her fingers even reached the button however a cold cylinder pressed against her head.
"Oh, for kriffs sake." she muttered under her breath, feeling the blaster against her head push further into her skin. She held up her arms, already imagining the possible ways Vader would kill her if she didn't die here first. "Relax, you bastard!"
"What are you doing here?" came a deep voice laced with confusion and anger, and Liyani's attention suddenly spiked.
"I am..." she started, trying to turn her head around to look at the man but had her head pushed back in place. Rolling her eyes, she stopped talking.
Instead, in a flash, she struck out her leg backwards, sliding it so the man would trip. And he did, much to Liyani's satisfaction. She wouldn't let an amateur shoot her.
Now having the upper hand, Liyani quickly pulled out her own blaster as she got onto her feet, weapon pointed at the man lying in front of her.
"E chu ta!" she cussed out after taking him in, more to herself than him, head tilted as she sighed dramatically. "Why is it always the cute ones?"
"What the fuck are you doing here?" he repeated from earlier, ignoring her and green eyes flashing in anger as he pushed himself into a sitting position.
"You know, I could ask you the same." she replied, eyes squinted in challenge. "I came for Saw Gerrera. You, green eyes, are not him."
"That makes two of us." he groaned, rubbing his face with his free hand. "Will you lower your damn blaster, woman?"
"Language." she said before offering him her hand, a blaster resting on her side now. If he was looking for Gerrera as well, he might as well make himself useful.
He started at it for a moment before accepting it, picking up his own abandoned blaster. "What?" he asked, a brow raised at her, straightening his back. "I'm not saying thank you, if that's what you're waiting for."
"You're just cute, that's all." she threw him a grin. "So. What exactly is in that message you kindly didn't let me see?" she asked him, sobering up and nodding towards the device.
"You're an Imperial." he shrugged, not giving her the chance to speak because the next moment the device went up in flames, crumbling right before Liyani. He had shot it, and now stood before her with a smug look on his face.
Her mouth fell open for a moment before her icy eyes went back to his, jaw clenched. She connected the dots — this man was a rebel. And she started doubting it was Saw Gerrera he was actually looking for.
"You're not looking for Gerrera." she stated, daring him to disagree as she fixed him down with a cold stare. "You're looking for the Senator."
"I am." he replied rather casually, angering her even further. The man crossed his arms, indicating no move to hurt her in any way. What was going on here?
She shook her head, finally breaking the staring challenge and moved away from him. "Give me one reason not to kill you right here and now." she muttered, walking towards the large hole in the room that led outside.
The sun was almost down now, the entire moon becoming colder by the minute.
She heard him take a few steps and then pause, imagining him shrugging like earlier. "You were the one saying I'm cute."
Liyani scoffed, turning her head back enough to look at him but couldn't find herself to be serious, his almost innocent expression making her chuckle out. "That's hardly a valid reason."
He nodded, watching her for a moment. "Vader won't be happy if you let me walk away like this."
She raised a brow at him. "Who says I'm letting you?"
He gave her a small smile, only the lift of a corner of his lips. He dared to take another few steps towards her, pausing right behind her.
Liyani furrowed her brows, alarms in her head going off at the proximity but still held her breath to hear what he was going to say, his head only inches from her ear. "I'm afraid you'll have to."
The next thing she knew was her every single cell screaming out in pain, her body convulsing as she dropped to the floor, the man looking down at her with his brows knitted.
"You-" she groaned, turning to her side as she tried taking deep, painful breaths. "Bastard!" He shocked her!
Kneeling at her side, the green eyed man tucked a strand of ebony hair behind her ear, taking her in with sympathy. She'd recover quickly though, so he had to leave.
"I know you'll be seeing the Senator." he began, watching her pay him almost no mind, on the verge of passing out. "Tell her, Palo Jemabie is looking for her."
With that, he stood from her side and rushed out of the place, Liyani's pounding head echoing with the beautiful stranger's name before seeing black.
THE EXECUTOR
When they arrived, Tuc was immediately instructed to lead her to her room as Darth Vader seemed to return to his duties. She was relieved to finally be alone, her body aching from the lack of rest and stiffness in the past two days. Tuc didn't speak and strangely, Padmé was thankful he didn't even if it seemed off for the Trooper she had known for hardly a day.
AfeAs she sat on her bed and stared at the wall, her mind was swimming with questions. Why did Vader take her to Jedha? It was clear that it had to do something with the secret project of the Empire, the weapon she told Saw about.
Oh, force.
She felt conflicted, the Rebellion's betrayal cutting deep. Even though it was her they had tried to assassinate, Dormé lost her life instead.
Dormé reminded her so much of Sabé, it hurt to think about it and now she had neither with her. While both resembled Padmé with their looks, they were so different in personality.
Dormé, while a fierce fighter, was gentle, soothing. She respected Padmé but also cared deeply for her, putting Padmé's safety and well-being above everything else in her life.
Sabé, too, cared for Padmé, possibly more than the Senator could possibly have imagined. However she was stern, cared little for the foul language she used, far too reckless for her own good but deep down, she had a heart of gold. While all her handmaidens were loyal to her, Sabé's loyalty was unmatched.
She knew Padmé like the back of her hand, knew every little detail of her life, some of which Padmé wasn't even aware she did. On more occasions than Padmé could count, Sabé hadn't even hesitated for a second to put herself in danger if it promised Padmé's safety.
Sola was her sister, but Sabé was engraved in her very soul.
Padmé let herself fall back onto the bed with a shaky breath leaving her lips, the lost lives of her dearest friends making her vision blurry with tears. One day, she would avenge them. The Empire might have taken her freedom from her but the Rebellion, the same one she helped to build, betrayed her, killed her beautiful, loyal handmaiden believing it was her.
How could she trust them with such information? How could she trust them to listen to Saw when they didn't even bother to listen to what she had to say? She was no supporter of the Empire, she was far from it. But did she trust the Rebellion? Did they deserve to know?
She frowned at her selfish thoughts and closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down from reflecting so impulsively. This wasn't about the Empire or Rebellion, this was about her people and the Galaxy. It was them she was fighting for, with or without the Rebellion.
For a moment, Padmé wondered if she could contact Bail somehow, if not Palo. The thought of Bail and Palo being involved in the assassination attempt chilled Padmé to her core but she knew it couldn't be true. It was not in Bail's nature to take such drastic measures, be it anyone - let alone Padmé. And Palo?
She saw Saw's message, he was looking for her. It gave her hope, warmed her heart. But her trust was stained.
It was a gut feeling more than anything. She trusted Palo but then again, so did she trust the Rebellion. Plus, the Naboo Senator wasn't sure if she could stomach another bombshell dropped on her in such a short span.
The sound and sight of her comlink blinking made her sit up and pulled her out of her thoughts. Brows furrowed, she opened the message attached.
Senator,
Meet me in my office immediately, TK-421 will lead the way.
Padmé rolled her eyes. Only Lord Vader wouldn't feel the need to mention his name as the sender.
Figuring she had no choice but to comply, she dragged herself off the comfortable surface of her bed and pulled her boots on, her hair hanging against her back in a simple, silver headpiece.
Although R2-D2 was still missing, she was relieved to find her belongings in her room when she returned and although she still hadn't changed out of her imperial suit for obvious reasons, she made sure to still wear her simple accessories in honor of her handmaidens long years of hard work.
"Ya ready, Ma'am?" she heard Tuc ask her once she stepped out of her room, smiling in return. "Never." she replied, before the two of them walked down the familiar hallway that had led to the training room.
"Tuc?" she asked, her gaze flickering to her right where she had gone last time.
"Hmm?" his helmeted head turned towards her.
"Is Liyani still on Jedha?" she asked, her eyes now on him to see his reaction.
He hesitated before shrugging, looking ahead again. "Think so. Boss seemed quite pissed 'bout it."
"He's angry?" she repeated, a brow raised as hope filled her chest, trying to keep the enthusiasm out of her voice. "So… Liyani wasn't successful?"
The trooper's mood seemed to shift from playful to serious and Padmé felt as if she had said the wrong thing. "Don't get happy too soon, Senator."
She chose not to say anything and simply nodded, feeling she'd only anger him further if she spoke her mind.
While they walked, Padmé realized the amount of eyes that were on her. The rumors of Padmé being a member of the Rebellion must've reached everyone, even the Navy out in space. She figured the only logical thing she could do at the moment was ignore the stares and raise her chin, taking her pride in opposing the Empire even though deep down, she wasn't so sure anymore.
Tuc led them to a turbolift and they stepped inside. As the pod started moving, Padmé turned to look at him again. "Have you eaten yet?"
His body language betrayed his surprise, clearly not expecting the question. "Erm. No." he replied quickly as if it was the most normal response on the planet but continued after seeing the look on Padmé's face. "Well, I did have some rations, nutritions." he shrugged.
Padmé raised a brow and crossed her arms over her chest. "Alright."
He turned to her almost questioningly.
"You're gonna go grab dinner with me later." she told him, leaving no room for discussion.
He looked at her for a moment before nodding, a smile in his voice. "Whatever you say, sweetness."
The corner of her lips turned upwards in amusement as they settled into a comfortable silence, relieved that they were on good terms.
"Well, here we are." he said as they stepped out of the pod, motioning towards the door at the end of the hallway. "Just scream if something's wrong."
She snorted, shaking her head as she continued towards the door, looking over her shoulder. "I doubt you'll do much but I'll keep it in mind, Tuc."
There were a few stormtroopers guarding the hallway that led to Vader's office, not moving as Padmé walked past them. She held her chin high as she walked the final steps to the door, feeling as if she was about to meet the Emperor.
That thought was deeply disturbing as firstly, Palpatine wasn't here and even if he was, it'd be worse than meeting Vader. Secondly, in a way she was meeting the future Emperor, the second-in-line to the throne.
That is, if she didn't do anything about it first.
But this was hardly the place to think about such things. Clearing her mind and pulling up her mental shields, she took a deep breath before nodding to the trooper next to the door.
He activated the button and Padmé watched the door slide open, revealing a huge room filled with nothing but a desk and a tall, dark clad Sith Lord. Or so she thought.
He stood with his back to her, not moving even as she stepped into the cold room.
The walls were a dark gray, one large window with a panoramic view into the depths of space. Fortunately for Padmé's sanity, there were enough lights installed to give it a good amount of brightness. In the middle of the room stood a large, black desk with multiple screens on it and further behind the desk, some items Padmé couldn't see or identify.
"You called, Milord?" she asked, a brow raised as she watched his hooded figure.
"You may hold the Empire for a bunch of fools, Senator Amidala," his baritone voice filled the room, going straight to the point as he turned to his desk, not sparing her a glance. "But you cannot fool me."
"Pardon?" she asked, confusion written all over her features.
"Saw Gerrera. Where did you send him?" he asked - no, demanded, as he took a seat behind his desk. He placed the data pad he was holding onto the surface, making Padmé realize he wasn't simply turned around for menacing effect but working.
She huffed out a laugh, shaking her head. Great. "I might've told him to leave but I didn't expect him to actually do it."
"Where, I asked." he pressed, crossing his arms over his chest, probably trying to intimidate her but Padmé was feeling anything but intimidated, far too distracted by the wonderful news that not only Saw but all of the Partisans survived.
Padmé had to think quickly. Her diplomatic training suddenly kicked in and instead of giving a direct reply, she chose another strategy. "I don't know why you think I'd tell you. Clearly it'd only benefit you and your Empire."
His golden eyes didn't show any emotion, in fact, he kept staring as if he'd almost expected it, confusing the Senator.
"I thought as much." he spoke and pushed a holo device to the center of his desk, motioning to the seat in front of her.
Hesitantly, she took a few steps forward before sitting down, her hands neatly folded on her lap as she watched him warily.
"Which is why I've made sure to remind you of your place," he trailed off, turning on the device without as much as touching it. A shiver went down her spine. "and of the consequences."
A blue image of a familiar place appeared from the device, making Padmé's blood run cold. "What.." she whispered, wide eyes glued to the image. "What is the meaning of this?!"
Her family!
"It is my guarantee that you will not cause any further trouble under my… care." he said, spitting out the last word as if it was venom. "I'll ask again, Senator. Where is the scum?"
Her fingers gripped the chair so tightly, she was certain she punctured it. Her house on Naboo was surrounded by Troopers, Ryoo and Pooja's heads peeking out of the window with terrified looks on their little faces.
"No. No, stop this!" she exclaimed, her breath shuddering. "I don't know, okay! I'm telling the truth." she breathed out, her eyes on him now.
She was on the verge of panicking, Vader could tell as much. Not in the mood to deal with a crazy Senator, he turned the device off, leaning back in his chair. It was easier than he expected, he had to admit.
"Are you, though?"
Her eyes that were about to tear up only a moment ago flashed with sudden, intense anger as she sat up straight. Gone was the politeness and hidden resentment, it was all open on the table and Vader found his interest peaking.
"Are you joking?" she spat out. "I don't care where he is, I want my family safe. I told you, I have no idea where he is and frankly," Padmé stood, leaning over the table with a finger pointed at him. "I don't care if you don't believe me - call your troops off."
In a flash, Vader stood as well, taking her off guard as his hood was suddenly closer to her face than she could remember it ever being. As he towered over her his hand gripped her stretched out finger, forcefully pushing it back down. "I advise you to take a seat, Senator." he spoke, his voice dangerously calm.
Surprisingly, the Senator didn't flinch at all. She held his gaze with fierce, angry eyes as their glaring challenge made the air thick with tension.
It was almost impressive to see this much resistance in the tiny woman, he saw the fear behind her brown orbs but didn't let it control her.
Padmé had the chance to take in the details she saw more clearly now but her emotions were all over the place, too unfocused to care. Still, she grew uncomfortable under his gaze and the proximity made her shrink back nonetheless, even if none of those feelings were visible on her face.
She slowly sat back down, jaw clenched and gaze unmoving. The Sith still stood towering over her, his insane height only worsening Padmé's moment of confidence.
"Trooper, come in." he suddenly spoke, holding the comm on his arm close to his face. A wave of foolish hopefulness came crashing down on Padmé as she held her breath, waiting for him to continue.
"You may leave the Naberrie family now." he said, pausing upon Padmé's insistent glare. "Unharmed." he added, almost with a bite.
Satisfied, Padmé dropped her gaze back onto the table and released the breath she was holding, her previous actions finally making her snap back into reality.
She was bossing the Sith around just a moment ago, she realized, a blush creeping up her neck. Did she have a death wish?
"I've told you," she began again upon his silence, this time much calmer. "I don't know where Gerrera is. If I knew, I'm more than certain you'd know."
She felt a gentle brush against her conscience, almost making her lower her guard when she realized it was the Sith's doing. "Stop that." she frowned, guarding her thoughts as best as she could.
Vader sat back down, his posture stiff. "Who is Palo Jemabie?"
She raised a brow at the sudden change of topic, getting a bad feeling she tried to suppress. "I'm certain you know. You've seen him before."
When he remained silent, she sighed. "He's an artist from Naboo. Why? What's he got to do with all this?"
"Don't test my patience, Senator." he suddenly hissed, his fist slamming onto the desk, making Padmé jump slightly. "I'm well aware the Emperor wants you alive but that will not stop me from ending you. What exactly was he doing on Jedha?"
"On Jedha?!" she asked, her eyes wide. "No he—"
She looked into Vader's eyes, realizing how much of an idiot she must look like right now.
"He was meant to stay on Coruscant." she whispered, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Well, he isn't." Vader snapped. "Q'ysh is currently tracking him. I'm sure you'll be pleased to see him in the hands of the ISB."
She clenched her fists in her lap, pushing all feelings of anger down and focused more on her diplomatic side.
"What do you want?" she asked, and at his silence, she elaborated. "For his freedom, I mean. What would you have me do?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
He remained unmoving, almost like a machine more than a living being. "There is nothing," he began slowly, no trace of emotion in his voice other than obvious, strong and pure hatred. "absolutely nothing you could offer me that I could need."
"What if I were to break all my ties to the Rebellion?" she continued, having expected his reply.
"There are no ties left, Senator, the assassination attempt was clear proof of that."
"Oh?" she asked, huffing. "Why do you keep me around then? Why did you think I'd help Saw Gerrera then?"
When he stayed silent, she went on. "If I were to work for the Empire... work for you," she paused, watching his reaction. "would Palo's freedom be guaranteed? I'm aware you dislike politics and moffs — it just happens to be my area of expertise."
"And I also happen to currently live on this ship as well."
Padmé watched him while calm and collected on the outside but a nervous wreck on the inside. She could almost see the gears in his mind working, clearly considering her offer.
"This meeting is over." he suddenly spoke, and Padmé's face dropped. "Get out."
"What— At least consider it!" she pleaded, her big brown eyes catching his attention.
Who did she think she was? Coming into his office to bribe him? Why was he considering her request?
Angered with himself, he pointed towards the exit with a gloved finger, empathizing every word. "Out. Now."
She remained on her seat for one more moment before putting on her damned, emotionless Senator mask. "I will be awaiting your response, Milord."
He watched her stand and turn to leave without as much as a glance back, exiting the room through the door that slid shut behind her.
Once she left, the Sith threw back his hood, running his hand through his hair. Force, this woman would make him kill her any moment now.
He had had no intention of actually killing her family, unless of course she didn't really care about their fate. While Vader knew about Senator Amidala's reputation to put everyone and everything — especially family — before herself, he didn't expect her to fall for the bait. And this quickly, too.
Vader's mind went back to the offer she made him. He could tell she was being sincere, the Force around him rang in confirmation.
Anger swelled up in him, making him flex his mechanical hand as he stared down at it. She needed to be reminded of her place, to be coming to him only to make him an offer.
Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, Heir to the Empire.
And what was so special about this man called Jemabie?
He had, indeed, seen him before. The day the Emperor made his big announcement to the Senator, that slimy bug of an artist was shooting her all sorts of grimaces to merely communicate with her in the Emperor's presence, his subtlety apparently lost in Coruscant's lower levels.
He won't be letting Jemabie go, that much was clear. Especially now that he had gotten between his plans. What did the public believe? It was quite obvious that he was involved with the Rebellion, why else would an artist find sudden, renewed interest in politics after so many years.
A pair of pleading brown eyes flashed in his mind before he could stop himself and so he found himself thinking about the possibility of Senator Amidala, the woman he wanted to kill so badly, working for him in exchange for the rebel's life.
AUTHORS NOTE:
Another update! I apologize for disappearing for a while, I will try to update more frequently.
As always, I'd be happy to see reviews! Have a nice day. :)