The next day Padmé set out early and alone to find Governor Tarkin. She dressed carefully, wearing a strapless gown but putting a shawl over it to maintain the formal look of a senator. But if she took the shawl off… well, she just wanted to ensure that she made an impression on Vader.

The senate building was relatively empty and quiet at this hour of the morning; attendants and aides were the most common sight, preparing everything for their employers. However, she also knew that Tarkin often arrived early as well, so he had to be somewhere near his office.

Heading in that direction, Padmé caught sight of the man speaking to a military officer. She took care not to get too close, quickly sidestepping into a small antechamber and listening in. The two were talking about Rebel movements in the Outer Rim, making her a little nervous. Padmé knew that there was a Rebel spy network that tried to keep the Empire guessing about the Alliance's main base of operations, but she also knew that the Rebel base was in fact in the Outer Rim. Whether the officer was telling Tarkin information the spies wanted him to tell or whether the Empire had a real lead was beyond her, but it made her stomach churn either way.

Eventually the officer departed and Tarkin entered his office. Taking a deep breath, Padmé pondered how in the blazes she would even ask the man for Vader's location. She wasn't sure how she could phrase the question casually; while she didn't know just how politically aware Vader was, she knew that Tarkin was incredibly shrewd and capable of seeing through even the best façades. It would take some incredibly good acting to make this seem innocent. She supposed purposefully going to his office would not be a good idea, then… perhaps she should just linger until he left and then 'accidentally' run into him.

As she waited for Tarkin to enter the hallway once more, Padmé sighed and thought about their predicament. Just how much did the Empire know? They obviously had their suspicions about the Naberrie family since Palpatine wanted them to stay on Imperial Center, but it also wasn't enough to get them killed just yet… so what did they know? How could Padmé squeeze that information out of Vader? Could she even try that? That certainly wasn't an option for the near future… she'd have to make Vader pretty comfortable and trusting around her to do that, and even Padmé knew that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon.

The sound of a door opening caught her attention and Padmé hastily peeked into the hall once more. Grand Moff Tarkin had exited his office and was skimming through a data pad carelessly. This was her chance.

Straightening her gown and getting her wits about her, Padmé calmly strode into the hallway and pulled out a data pad of her own, not even reading the information as she attempted to make herself look busy. She didn't stop the act until she was nearly on top of the governor, who quickly took notice of her presence and cleared his throat as he stepped aside to avoid a collision.

Padmé jumped, pretending to be shocked out of whatever had been holding her attention. "Oh! Forgive me, governor, I wasn't watching where I was going."

"It's quite all right, senator," Tarkin replied in a tone that indicated he was still annoyed.

"I trust everything is going well in your jurisdiction?" Padmé asked conversationally.

"Tolerably well, thank you," the governor replied with a small polite smile. "I've heard there have been some disputes in your own area."

Padmé sighed and gave a sad nod. "Yes, there has been some rebellious activity near Naboo, unfortunately. I trust the Empire can handle the situation, however. Perhaps Darth Vader will help alleviate the problem?"

"What makes you say that?" Tarkin asked conversationally, his smile increasing slightly. Was he on to her? He probably suspected she was worrying about Vader considering their introduction… but the governor hadn't witnessed that, so he really shouldn't know much of anything.

"Well I've heard he is the best at handling… situations like this." Padmé offered before shrugging. "Though I suppose he must be busy with other matters; after all I just saw him here in the senate building yesterday. I did find that a little confusing; I wasn't under the impression that Darth Vader was heavily involved in politics."

"Lord Vader is involved wherever he is needed," Governor Tarkin replied.

"I hope there isn't some sort of threat to the senate, then, if the emperor thinks Darth Vader is needed here." Padmé said, waiting to see the governor's reaction.

Tarkin's smile grew somewhat condescending. He probably thought she was prying either for concern of her own safety or simply for the sake of gossip. "I assure you there has been no threat of any sort, Senator Amidala. Lord Vader occasionally makes rounds through the building, but that doesn't mean there's danger."

"Strange," Padmé remarked. "You say he comes here occasionally? I've only seen him here yesterday. Does he have some sort of base of operations in this building?"

Before Tarkin could reply, Padmé pretended to realize she had overstepped her boundary. "Oh, well, he's probably coordinating with security or something, of course. Either way, I'll trust your judgment on the matter, governor."

"If you're so greatly concerned you can speak to Lord Vader yourself," Tarkin replied, and Padmé felt her heart rate spike—success.

"I'm afraid I don't know where he is," Padmé replied with a sheepish smile.

"He's probably in the security room by the emperor's antechamber. If not you'll find him near the arena."

Padmé bowed gratefully with a small smile. "Thank you, governor. Have a good day."

As soon as she was out of sight, Padmé let out a very minute bounce of delight. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to squeeze the information out of him without arousing his suspicions, but whether he was suspicious of her or not it probably wasn't for the actual reason she wanted to see Vader. Of course, now she had to talk to the man himself, and she had to ensure they were alone or at least somewhere where they wouldn't be the center of attention.

Hastily making her way to the security room Tarkin had mentioned, Padmé began to slow her pace when she drew near. This was uncomfortably close to the areas where the emperor would usually be found, and she dearly hoped he wasn't around. It was still relatively early in the morning, so perhaps he hadn't arrived yet. Vader was obviously in the area since Tarkin had indicated as such, and it made sense if the man was there for security reasons that he arrive before the VIPs.

As Padmé stealthily crept into the reception chamber of the emperor's senate suite she gratefully noticed that it was empty. She heard movement in an antechamber, however, which she presumed was the security room. Nevertheless, she kept to the shadows as she quietly approached the doorway to the antechamber, and her suspicions were confirmed when she saw security monitors on the walls. A lone figure stood in the center, watching the monitors.

It was Vader.

He stood very still, his eyes moving occasionally from one monitor to the next before seeming to cloud as if he were lost in thought. Padmé would almost say his minimal movements were due to sleepiness, but his eyes never grew heavy and closed. In fact it seemed like he hadn't even blinked at all since she had taken notice of him. The only indication he gave of not being some replica droid of the man was that he took the occasional deep breath and perhaps would sway just a hair on his heels before growing still and silent once more.

Well, it was now or never.

"Darth Vader?" Padmé said softly so as not to startle him.

Vader watched the monitors for a second more before slowly turning his gaze to her. He didn't seem surprised by her presence at all, which unsettled her a little. She quickly got a hold of her emotions, however; she was the one who needed to be in control of this conversation for it to work.

"I was told I could find you here," Padmé explained though Vader had said nothing. "I was just wondering if… has there been some sort of threat to the senate or the emperor? While it truly is an honor to meet you, I hadn't expected a military official to be lingering around the senate building."

Vader watched her, staying just as motionless as he had been when he had observed the security feeds. Padmé began to grow slightly uncomfortable under his oddly penetrating gaze before he finally shook his head, looking away. "There's been no threat against anyone, senator. Don't be concerned."

"Well that's a relief," Padmé said with a smile, taking a step closer to him. Fiddling with the string that tied the shawl and kept it in place, she remarked, "Goodness, it's awfully warm in here, isn't it? Did they leave the heat on too high?"

"I wouldn't know," Vader replied dully, still watching the feeds.

Padmé slipped the shawl off and then walked until she was right beside Vader. Following his gaze to one of the monitors, she asked, "If I may ask, are you watching for someone in particular?"

"No," Vader answered in his usual quiet and calm voice. He turned to her. "You should be going, senator. The emperor will be arriving soon and I already answered your question."

Padmé tossed a glance in his direction to note his mood. Vader still seemed completely unperturbed, his gaze clear, his face neutral, and his tone remaining calm. However, his eyes did drift a little more to her shoulders than anywhere else, and she internally let out a laugh. Whether Siri claimed he was a monster or not, he was still most definitely a man.

"There was one more question I had, actually," Padmé said as she turned to face him. Vader's gaze immediately returned to her eyes as he waited for her to speak. "I was interested in getting to know you a little better. After all, I've heard so much about you but only met you just yesterday. Would you like to have dinner with me and my family tomorrow night?"

Vader blinked, his eyes flickering between hers and the wall as he seemed to contemplate her words. His brow furrowed slightly as if he were confused, but it eventually smoothed and he looked her directly in the eye. "Very well."

"How wonderful," Padmé said with a happy laugh. "You can drop by my apartment around 17:30 tomorrow."

Vader nodded in agreement before immediately returning his attention to the security monitors. The conversation was over. Taking a steadying breath, Padmé bade him a good day, garnering no reply, and then left. She hastily put her shawl back on and then made her way to her own office just as Obi-Wan and Siri were entering, both looking slightly worried.

"Padmé!" Obi-Wan said the instant he saw her. "You could have warned us you were leaving early, you know."

Padmé gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry; I had to arrange everything."

Siri leaned against the desk, folding her arms as Obi-Wan sighed heavily. "Did it go well?"

"As well as it could, I think," Padmé replied. "He at least agreed to coming."

Siri nodded. "Well, it's a start. When's our lovely double date?"

"Tomorrow evening," Padmé answered.

"So soon?" Obi-Wan quirked an eyebrow, his hands twitching nervously.

"We have to jump on the opportunity," Padmé explained. "We can't afford to wait."

Obi-Wan sighed once again. He had the distinct feeling he would be doing that a lot from now on.

Despite her agreement to the plan, even Siri seemed a little nervous at the prospect, but she pushed it aside. "Come on; let's look over the agenda for the day."

The three fell into their usual roles and the day ran smoothly. Obi-Wan spent most of the senate session tuning out the prattle amongst senators as he nervously thought of the dinner. He knew he should trust Padmé's judgment a bit more; despite her age she was extremely mature and intelligent. Still, she was twenty, and she was just as capable of making mistakes as any other person… and he honestly thought this plan was far too impulsive. They were playing with fire; nobody messed around with Darth Vader. What did they possibly have to gain? It wasn't actually possible for the man to develop feelings for Padmé. He killed his own men when ordered; what would make this any different?

At the end of the day the family settled at home, too wound up to relax. Eventually Obi-Wan broke the tension and spoke.

"What exactly are we going to do tomorrow?" he asked. "I don't really want to improvise what could potentially be an extremely dangerous situation."

Padmé quirked an eyebrow. "Dinner is a dangerous situation?"

Siri laughed softly before defending her husband. "Now, now, Padmé we do have to remember we're inviting a murderer over for dinner, and you're trying to make yourself appealing to him. That is a reason for concern. We should definitely steer the conversation away from anything related to the Alliance."

"I think that's a given," Obi-Wan remarked.

"Conversations can't be planned; you have to let them play out," Padmé argued.

"And it will play out," Obi-Wan agreed. "But it doesn't hurt to have stuff to go off of. Topics and the like."

"Well, we could treat it as if Vader were a normal person," Padmé began to say before Siri cut her off with a snort.

"That'll be the day," she said.

"I just mean we can ask the usual dull ice breaking questions," Padmé continued. "What does he like to do, where does he like to go on Imperial Center, why he decided to join the Imperial military—"

"Why he decided to be a murglak, why he decided to murder people," Siri continued with a smirk.

"Perhaps we could leave off the last few questions," Obi-Wan groaned as he placed his face in his hand.

"And then I can tell him a bit about myself," Padmé offered, unperturbed by the interruption.

"I suppose that should be good enough for the time being," Obi-Wan nodded, rubbing his temples. He had a headache. "Heaven help us…"

"Don't worry so much, Obi," Siri clapped a hand on his back, making him grunt irritably. "If Vader gets too annoying we'll just shoot him."

Although the remark was meant as a joke, both Obi-Wan and Padmé knew Siri well enough to realize she would happily back up her threat. Obi-Wan sighed heavily for the millionth time that day. "Oh, yes, that'll naturally help our predicament."

"Let's just relax," Padmé insisted, although she herself was beginning to sound a little nervous. "It'll work out… somehow…"

Another long day at the senate left him slightly tired and annoyed, but it was a productive day nonetheless. At least he had the military matters to keep himself preoccupied.

Tarkin skimmed carelessly through his data pad, thinking of the search for the Rebel base more than the senate agenda he was holding. As a regional governor he didn't do much in the senate itself, but he still remained to maintain a presence. He had to ensure that the senators in his region of space would obey his wishes. They were basically his puppets nowadays anyway; Tarkin was chomping at the bit for the day Palpatine would simply dissolve the senate altogether, but he knew the man kept it around so he could keep a close eye on his enemies.

In either case it was still extremely tedious.

Entering the palace, Tarkin paused. He was going to head to his office, but he wanted to stop by Vader's quarters first; he was curious to see whether the Naboo senator did indeed visit Vader or if she had been prying about the safety of the senate for other reasons.

Entering the lift, Tarkin hit for one of the top floors and leaned against the wall as it sped to its destination. If the senator had indeed spoken to Vader he doubted she had gotten much out of the young man; he barely spoke more than absolutely necessary.

Reaching the correct floor, Tarkin stepped into the ornate hallway and then knocked at the door to Vader's quarters. The boy ought to be back by now; he never missed dinner unless he had to, and then he would go directly to his room.

As expected, the door hissed open. Tarkin entered, knowing that was Vader's form of invitation, and turned to see the young man standing by a couch; he had no doubt been sitting there doing something when Tarkin had knocked.

"Is there something you require, governor?" Vader asked in his usual calm tone.

"I'm only curious," Tarkin replied with a smile, and he motioned for Vader to sit. The Sith did so obediently. "Did Senator Amidala talk to you today?"

"This morning," Vader replied. When Tarkin said nothing, the young man took it as his indication to elaborate. "She was curious if there were some sort of threat to the senate. I told her there was not. Then she invited me to dinner, and I accepted."

Tarkin felt his eyebrows shoot up. "She… invited you to dinner?"

Vader nodded mutely, making himself almost look his age. Tarkin didn't know how to feel now; what was that conniving woman up to, inviting Vader to dinner? "Why did you accept?"

"Master has ordered me to keep an eye on the senator," Vader replied. "I figured it would be a useful opportunity."

Tarkin sighed, easing the tension in his chest, and he nodded slowly. "Yes, I suppose you are right. Make the most of it then, milord. Good evening."

At that, Tarkin departed, shaking off the emotions that had briefly overcome him. Blast, he had looked after Vader for far too long. He needed to clear his head; the boy knew what he was doing. He was trained for anything. Still, the thought of a senator trying to get under his skin… was she on to Vader? Tarkin didn't know the circumstances of Palpatine's orders or what the senator was suspected of, and he knew he shouldn't interfere or pry any further. Sighing and shaking his head subtly, the man entered the lift once more and pushed the thoughts out of his mind. Despite his curiosity as to how this would play out, he had to focus on other matters.

But one thing was for sure – that dinner was certainly going to be interesting.