Padmé woke up exhausted. She didn't necessarily feel sleepy; just worn out. As she stood and cleaned herself up she could barely focus on anything. Yesterday had been such a whirlwind of emotions and situations and realizations that she felt like she needed a vacation from her supposed vacation.

Glancing at her wardrobe, Padmé laid eyes on her swimsuit. Well, if she wanted a proper vacation, she should plan today out like it was one. Padmé put it on and then threw an outfit on over it. Exiting her room, she wandered the villa in an attempt to find Vader. After realizing he was already up, she went to the balcony; as she had suspected, he was already heading down the stairs to go for his morning walk. She didn't say anything this morning; she'd learned at this point that for whatever reason, this morning ritual of his was a very private one. Instead, she watched him go, and she was surprised when he didn't seem to notice her at all. He was lost in his own thoughts, apparently.

After he'd left her sight, Padmé went to the chaise in the lounge and thought about what they would do today. She came up with a list of possibilities that she'd run by Vader and see if he had any suggestions as well (hey, she could dare to hope that he might actually have a preference for some activity or another – he had been acting as normal as was possible for him lately), and then she ate breakfast and waited for his return.

Unfortunately, Padmé's mental exhaustion translated into physical exhaustion, and as she lounged on the chaise, she dozed off. She hadn't even realized she fell asleep until she awoke with a start and heard music playing on the balcony. Standing, Padmé went to the source of the music and was stunned to find Vader waltzing alone on the balcony, his eyes closed.

Padmé watched him, entranced by the odd scene, but it only lasted an instant before he stopped. He opened his eyes and looked directly at her; although she hadn't made a sound, he'd known she was there.

Vader bowed. "Senator."

"Padmé," Padmé corrected him. "We're on vacation; we don't have to use titles. May I ask what your name is?"

"Darth Vader," Was the blunt reply.

Padmé crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. "That's your title, isn't it?"

"It's my name."

"Your parents had an odd way of naming their children," Padmé noted. "So is Darth your first name, then?"

"No. It's a title."

"But you just said—"

"Vader is my name. Darth is the title."

"So what's your given name?"

"Vader."

"Then what's your surname?"

Vader blinked. Then he blinked again. "I don't have one."

Now Padmé was really confused. "What? What was your parents' surname?"

Vader said nothing.

Sighing, Padmé pushed the matter aside. "Okay, so your name is Vader."

"Lord Vader."

"So Darth is a title but lord isn't?" Padmé asked sarcastically.

Vader stiffened. "Just call me Lord Vader."

Padmé chuckled softly. "All right, all right. But you can still call me Padmé if you wish."

Her wording seemed to confuse him, and he just shook his head. This conversation was getting perplexing and irritating for both of them, so Padmé quickly changed the subject. "I'm glad to see you practicing the waltz. I didn't think you'd like dancing so much."

Vader waved his hand towards the radio and the music abruptly stopped. Padmé stood straight once more, glancing from him to the radio, wondering what in the blazes had just happened. Her nervous thought process was interrupted when the Sith Lord asked, "Why do you dance?"

"It's fun." Padmé replied with a shrug. Then she asked, "What just happened to the radio? Was that you?"

Vader didn't seem to hear her question. Instead, he just stared at her, his brow furrowed slightly. "Fun?"

Was he confused because he didn't think dancing was fun? "Yes… you get to spend time with someone one on one, it's good exercise, it's exhilarating, the music is always wonderful, and it's just… fun."

"So you do it for the exercise," Vader surmised.

Padmé shook her head. "Did you not hear the rest of what I said?"

"The only practical things you mentioned were exercise and social interaction." Vader replied, folding his arms across his chest. "But if you need to speak with someone, you can just do so; we don't need to dance right now to talk. So your main reason must be the exercise."

Padmé laughed at his logic. "You're hopeless, milord. Must everything have a practical purpose to it? You implied that you liked parks the other day; is there a practical reason for that?"

"I don't—" Vader immediately began before growing quiet. He seemed to remember that he had indeed implied what Padmé was saying, and he looked away. "The fresh air is good for you."

Padmé laughed for a solid minute. Her mirth at his expense seemed to finally grate on his nerves as his face flushed, but he said nothing. Eventually, she asked, "So you don't have fun at all, then?"

"Fun defines something that in its nature has no use."

"Fun things help people unwind," Padmé offered. "You never told me how you relax."

"Not with fun stuff." He replied, and though he had seemed slightly ruffled earlier, he was speaking in his usual emotionless tone.

"Why not?" Padmé asked. "Everyone has fun."

"I'm not everyone."

Some odd gut feeling made itself known to Padmé all of a sudden, like this conversation was about to hit some extremely important point, but Vader ended it right there, entering the villa without another word.

"Uh—it's got a lot of a very common molecule in it—it's, uh, it's really long—it's, um, flowing it's—blast it, it's—"

"A common molecule?"

"Yes, this common molecule has two hydrogens and an oxygen—"

"So it's full of water?"

"Yes, and it's long and flowy and—"

"A long flowy thing full of water?"

"Yes, it winds through stuff like forests—"

"A river?"

"YES!" Siri yelled. "Blast it, took you long enough to figure it out!"

Al jumped. "Sheesh, I can't help that you're impossible at explaining things! Obi-Wan, how can you even understand her?"

Obi-Wan laughed. "Sometimes I wonder that myself."

Siri shot him a baleful look. Obi-Wan shrugged in a mildly apologetic manner. The three had been playing games since they awoke from their wonderfully long sleep. They had been in hyperspace for so long now Obi-Wan wasn't sure what their ETA to Salkende was, but he knew they had to be relatively close.

Siri blew out a sigh. "This game is exhausting."

"I think it's rather fun," Obi-Wan said mildly. "It's always interesting trying to tell someone a word without using certain key hints."

"Yeah, but when the word is river and I can't say water to explain it, it's blasted annoying."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Come now, don't tell me your command of the Basic language is that feeble."

Siri's eyes narrowed. "Your turn, then, Obi."

Al gave a nervous chuckle. "I'll stay over here and not get melted by your wife's laser vision, okay?"

Obi-Wan maintained eye contact with his wife as he reached for the next card. The two glared competitively and then he glanced at what he had picked. The word he had to convey was 'chair,' and he wasn't allowed to say 'furniture,' 'sit,' 'sitting,' or any alternative title for chairs. Leaning against the back of the sofa in the ship's lounge, Obi-Wan glanced up at his wife, putting the card on his lap. Al had a timer in his hand, and Obi-Wan nodded to him to start the timer.

"I'm on it right now."

"A sofa?"

"More generic."

"A chair."

Obi-Wan tossed the card to Siri. "Simple."

Siri huffed irritably and then snatched another card. "Star the timer, Al."

Almusian did as directed, watching silently with a smirk on his face.

"Antiquated, pleasant, used for recreation," Siri listed off. "You hold it in your hands, it requires brains to comprehend, you use it a lot…"

"Is it any sort of piece of technology?" Almusian asked.

Siri rolled her eyes. "I did say antiquated, right?"

"But still used?" Obi-Wan asked.

Siri nodded. "It's got a thick shell and it's thinner inside—better than data pads—"

"A book." Obi-Wan guessed, and Siri nodded with a large smile.

Looking at Al, she remarked, "Now that's a quick deduction, thank you."

Al rolled his eyes. "I can't help that you two have a secret way of communicating."

"There's no secret to it," Obi-Wan laughed.

"It just requires intelligence." Siri added.

"Hey!" Al snapped at her.

Obi-Wan sighed as he watched the smuggler get into an argument with his wife. His gaze drifted to the wall as his thoughts turned to other matters. So Salkende was at war; that was a pretty legitimate reason to refuse involvement in a larger war. Still, Salkende was their best bet; the Tsograda Sector was one of the largest populated sectors in the senate, despite its very small status. The sector had never made much of a name for itself because it mostly kept to itself; still, it was known in the neighboring sectors as a local superpower. One planet in the particular within the sector, Ferrasco, was known across the galaxy as a large refugee center; it was the main reason Al had used it as their fake destination when talking to the Imperial fleet.

Apart from Ferrasco's reputation, however, little was known about the Tsograda Sector. The general rule concerning that sector was that it had mighty warriors and an enormous amount of supplies – and that was what the Alliance needed the most right now. After the Corellian senator Garm Bel Iblis had been declared a traitor, the Alliance had lost its main military support; Bel Iblis had been providing the Alliance with naval ships, supplies, and personnel. Any contact with Corellia had ceased after Bel Iblis had gone into hiding; Obi-Wan figured the Alliance had spies looking for him, but he had gone deep underground. That had been about a month ago at this point; Obi-Wan recalled that he, Padmé, and Siri had been touring the Chommell Sector when they heard the news from a contact and had been advised to get more supplies from Kuna. Now that Obi-Wan thought about it, he was fairly certain that this increase in activity was probably the main reason for Kuna's death.

In either case, the Alliance now had no naval supplier, and with Kuna gone it also had no supplier in general—food, medicine, technology… it was almost all gone. Kuna obviously hadn't been their only supplier, but he had been a large one, and he had begun providing armaments to make up for the loss of the Corellian senator. His death was probably being whispered throughout the underworld where he was well known; the criminals wouldn't want to get anywhere near the Alliance, certainly not for a while. They had to get legitimate support.

But how in the blazes was Obi-Wan going to convince Tlenden to join a galactic war when he already had a planetary war on his hands?

Obi-Wan closed his eyes with a small groan. He missed the days where his biggest problem was trying to convince Siri to not beat the life out of a girl who had insisted that Siri wasn't right for him. And heaven had that been a trial in itself. Obi-Wan recalled a very long discussion with heated words, a calming hug, and then a quiet stroll through the headquarters of the service corps. Stars that had been so long ago… he and Siri had been teenagers…

A victorious shout from Al snapped Obi-Wan out of his thoughts. Apparently the Zabrak had successfully beaten Siri's best time and was rubbing it in her face. Obi-Wan enjoyed the scene; Siri was always up for a friendly game, but she would inevitably grow very competitive without realizing it, so she was fuming over the loss. Still, she was never a sore loser; she quickly got over it and laughed alongside their friend.

Suddenly the gentle hum of the hyperdrive began to groan and lower in pitch until it faded into nothingness. Then the loud sound of engines flared up immediately. All three occupants shifted slightly as the G forces pushed them around a little, but unlike their last unexpected exit from hyperspace, this was normal.

They had arrived.

Siri and Obi-Wan immediately exchanged glances as Al hastened to the cockpit, muttering about how he hadn't heard the alarm signal the exit from hyperspace.

You ready? Her expression seemed to ask. Obi-Wan nodded and they both stood, following Al.

The first sight of Salkende wasn't quite what Obi-Wan was expecting. It was the capital planet of its sector, so he suspected it might have some sort of large city-like infrastructure, as many capital worlds did. However, there were barely any visible cities from space; lights could be seen in very minute clusters. It looked like there were a handful of large settlements, many small settlements, and a surprisingly big number of sparse areas.

Al fiddled with his mapping console and then a hologram of the planet appeared so they could gaze at the entire globe. It had six continents, two of which were ice sheaths at each respective pole. A small continent was surrounded by island chains, and a larger continent was a few islands away from it. The largest two were relatively far from each other, but judging from how they were shaped they used to be one continent. The largest land mass was around the equator line and rose almost to the northern ice cap.

Al typed in a search and coordinates appeared on the holographic globe, focusing on one of the northernmost areas of the largest continent. "There's the capital: Fjesky."

Siri blew out a sigh. "Let's hope we can get this over with quickly."

Obi-Wan seriously doubted that would be the case, but he didn't say anything.

Al spoke briefly with orbital security and was given clearance to land. He guided the ship into the atmosphere. Obi-Wan watched as the clouds vanished and revealed enormous, jagged mountains that pierced into the sky. Al followed the mountains for a while before veering away from them. The mountains could be seen in the edge of the viewports, but the ocean began to grow ever closer. Obi-Wan recalled that the capital was on a peninsular part of the continent.

It was nighttime over here, so Al activated navigation guidance. The scenes outside the viewports vanished as the windows displayed infrared depictions of the landscape, guiding Al with extra information scrolling along the sides. Obi-Wan and Siri returned to the lounge and strapped themselves into the sofa.

The levity from the games was completely gone. Obi-Wan and Siri sat quietly and stiffly, both pondering the future events. What would happen if they couldn't convince Tlenden? What would happen if they could? They would have to make contact with the Alliance through either Senator Organa or Senator Mothma now since their primary contact had been captured.

"So…" Siri muttered softly as they both shifted a little while Al turned the ship slightly. "How are we going to go about doing this?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I don't know."

"You've had the entire trip to think about it," Siri noted a little impatiently, but she dropped her argument. Apparently she caught on that Obi-Wan was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed.

Well, perhaps more than a little.

Honestly, the more he thought about the situation, the more it felt like the fate of the Alliance depended upon Tlenden's allegiance. Which inadvertently left the fate of the Alliance up to Obi-Wan. It was at times like these that he wished he was a little more informed about the happenings of the Rebels – if he knew that they had other suppliers and perhaps weren't in quite as desperate a situation as they seemed to be, he might not be as nervous.

Sometimes Obi-Wan both amused and astonished himself with how much pressure he'd place upon himself. He knew that he was naturally a person who didn't like being in the spotlight, so why did he keep putting himself into these situations?

Because it was the right thing to do. And honestly, that was all the explanation he needed.

The engines grew louder, the ship vibrated, and then everything jolted as they finally touched ground. Al let out a whoop of triumph from the cockpit. "We're finally here!"

Obi-Wan and Siri exchanged soft smiles at their friend's enthusiasm. They were glad they were finally there in one piece as well, but the real work had just begun.

The two unstrapped from the sofa and stretched briefly before following Al to the landing ramp. As soon as the door to the lowered ramp opened, all three occupants jumped with a yelp. A blast of cold air slammed into them with such ferocity that Al immediately closed the door once more.

"Okay, let's try this again," he muttered as he ran back to the cockpit.

"I'm getting a robe," Siri grumbled as she quickly went to the upper level to grab one. "I'll get you one, too."

Obi-Wan thanked her, and then Al returned, shaking his head and saying, "This is just terrific. It's kriffing winter here. Do you have any idea how close to the ice cap we are? We're going to freeze!"

Obi-Wan shrugged with a gentle smile. "At least the air will be infinitely fresher here than on Nar Shaddaa."

"Anything's fresher than Nar Shaddaa," Al replied.

"Including Nal Hutta?" Obi-Wan prompted, mentioning the polluted homeworld of the Hutts.

Al shuddered. "Okay, no, that one takes the prize."

Accessing a data pad, Obi-Wan glossed over the information HoloNet provided on Salkende. The planet had three primary languages, one of which was Galactic Basic Standard. More importantly, however, was that since Fjesky was the capital of the planet, Tlenden would no doubt have an office here, and that would be their first place to visit.

"Huh," Al grunted as he looked at his chronometer, which was already displaying the local time. "Well, it's almost 0900 here, so at least we'll have a full day and won't have too much travel lag."

Siri returned, tossing a robe to Obi-Wan as she put one on. Al looked at her, a little ruffled. "No robe for me?"

Siri paused just as she was about to slip her other arm into the sleeve. "Al, do I look like your maid?"

"You look like a very kind and caring woman who could provide a freezing Zabrak with a helping hand." Al said with a hopeful smile.

"Get your own kriffing robe."

With a dejected sigh, the smuggler dragged his feet to his own quarters. Obi-Wan chuckled as he noted, "You do realize he's our pilot, Siri; it would be wise to not treat him too badly."

"Meh, friend's prerogative," Siri shrugged.

After Al returned the three opened the door once more, raising their hoods against the harsh wind. Despite the time of the morning it was still pitch black outside; the lights that marked the perimeter of the landing pad were the only things visible. As Obi-Wan and Al disembarked the landing ramp, the entire pad shifted with a low groan, making everyone jump. Siri slipped with a yelp, falling off the landing ramp. Obi-Wan rushed to catch her, but she twisted her body so she landed on her feet, although she immediately collapsed onto her hands and knees with a grunt.

"You alright?" Obi-Wan asked.

Siri nodded. "Yeah, but what was—"

The three felt the landing pad begin to sink into the ground and Al pointedly shouted the obvious issue. "We're sinking!"

"Listen," Obi-Wan advised, and all three remained motionless. Obi-Wan then looked pointedly at Al. "Those are hydraulics I hear; the ramp is supposed to sink."

Siri laughed very loudly as Al crossed his arms irritably. "Like I knew that! You two were freaking out too!"

"We weren't freaking out," Siri argued jovially.

As the pad sank further, the wind eventually disappeared. The biting cold remained, however, and the darkness increased until they were all blinded by lights; the pad had reached its destination. Shifting from the lift, it slid smoothly into an underground hangar.

The three adjusted their eyes to the new environment and then proceeded towards the hangar exit. Once Obi-Wan checked in at customs, a security officer approached him. "Representative, we weren't informed of your arrival. Do you require any assistance?"

"I'd like to know where Senator Tlenden's office is, actually," Obi-Wan said.

The security officer nodded and guided the three out of the hangar. The spaceport was quite industrial looking, holding very little aesthetic charm to it. Tubing, wires, and structural support stood in plain sight, and there were no advertisements or pictures or anything of the sort on the walls. It felt more like a military base than a spaceport. Then again, they were at war.

"Guess tourism isn't big on their list," Al whispered.

"Who'd want to come freeze their butts off here?" Siri rebutted.

Eventually the hallway began to slope upwards until the guard led them to a lift. They rode the lift up several levels, but Obi-Wan wasn't sure if they went all the way above the surface since there were no windows. Once they reached their destination, his question was answered when the doors opened and let a blast of wind inside.

The security guard began giving instructions as to where to go. Obi-Wan listened attentively, nodding and thanking him before stepping outside. He pulled his robe even closer to himself.

"Could you even hear the guy?" Al nearly yelled over the wind.

"Yes," Obi-Wan and Siri said at the same time.

Obi-Wan could distinctly hear their friend grumble. "Humans and their kriffing special hearing…"

Obi-Wan squinted against the wind and pointed in one direction. "He said we need to go down this street."

"What, no taxi or anything?" Siri asked curiously.

"No, the trail he mentioned was by foot."

"G-great." Al moaned through chattering teeth.

The three didn't speak much as Obi-Wan followed the directions provided. He only could tell where streets began and ended by the lights at each corner; he couldn't really see anything about the city they were in. Things only became more complicated when snow flurries began to pelt at their faces. Just as it seemed like a blizzard was about to hit, Obi-Wan saw an entrance to a large, low lying building. It was where the security officer had stated the senator's office would be, and so Obi-Wan walked to the entrance and stood expectantly at the door. When nothing happened, he quickly realized it wasn't electronic and with a sheepish shrug to his wife grabbed the handle and swung it open.

The entrance foyer was lit warmly, both from gentle lighting and a fire blazing inside a large hearth. Most of the furniture and architecture was made from dark wood. Obi-Wan shook the snow off his boots and sat at a bench near the fire, rubbing his hands together. Siri sat beside him, and Al practically flung himself into the fire.

Siri laughed. "You really don't like cold, do you?"

"I am not a cold weather person," Al immediately replied. "If I could only take jobs in tropical paradises, I would."

Obi-Wan felt as if he were being watched, and he and Siri both turned to see a desk off to the side. A humanoid female with pointed ears, sharp blue eyes, and pale skin was looking at them from behind the desk. As she stood, Obi-Wan noticed a long muscular tail shift lazily behind her, its end covered in a tuft of black hair, which matched the thick hair on her head.

"Hjelpe sken bæstend?" she asked calmly.

"I'm sorry, but we can't understand you," Siri said.

The woman nodded and then spoke in Basic. "Can I help you?"

"My name is Representative Obi-Wan Naberrie," Obi-Wan introduced himself. "I would appreciate it if you can arrange a meeting with Senator Tlenden for me."

The woman didn't move. "I didn't hear of a visit from a representative."

"We had no way of getting in contact with him," Obi-Wan replied.

"You couldn't have reported it to the orbital authorities?"

"I didn't have any official transport. This is a private matter."

The woman narrowed her eyes, giving him a cold look. Obi-Wan felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something was wrong. Siri tensed up beside him, feeling similarly.

However, the mood was broken when a soft beeping noise emitted from the desk. The woman pressed a button without looking away from them, and the familiar voice of the spaceport security guard spoke over the channel.

"Hey, I just had an Imperial representative check in and ask for Tlenden. I sent him your way."

The woman immediately relaxed. "He's here. Thanks."

The woman cut the channel and then finally smiled at them, bowing her head in acknowledgement. "You'll forgive my suspicion, representative. The situation here does not yield easy trust."

"I understand." Obi-Wan acknowledged.

"Senator Tlenden is just returning from a tour around the sector," the woman explained. "He won't be here until this afternoon. In the meantime, feel free to stay here and rest. The storm outside is just starting."

Obi-Wan offered a small bow of thanks. "I appreciate it, miss…?"

"Åkjem," the woman supplied. "I'll get some refreshments for you."

Åkjem left the room with that being said, and so the trio sat by the fire once more.

"She was more than a little jumpy," Al noted. "Exactly how bad is this war?"

"No war is pretty," Siri sighed, leaning her head against Obi-Wan's shoulder.

"Yeah, but this is the capital," Al argued softly. "This should be the most secure part of the planet."

Obi-Wan was struck with an idea and he leaned back into the cushioning of the chair, resting his head atop his wife's. "Al, why don't you find out for us? You're always so charming with women."

He could practically see Siri rolling her eyes. "Oh brother."

Al gave a smile, his eyes lighting up. "An excellent suggestion, Obi-Wan. I think I'll do just that."

Obi-Wan watched in mild amusement as Åkjem returned, bringing them a plate of food and some warm drinks. He and Siri thanked her, and then Al received the cup with a flirtatious remark. He stood and followed her back to the desk, leaving Obi-Wan and Siri to watch the fire and await the senator's return.

Okay, certainly she had waited long enough. Padmé had given Vader his space after he had left an hour ago, but now she wanted to enjoy the bounties of the lake country. And honestly, she didn't mind enjoying them alongside Vader… but she would go with or without him. She was beginning to feel a little trapped in the villa; it was too empty.

Walking around, she caught sight of Vader. He was sitting in the lounge by the fireplace, his eyes closed. Padmé knocked lightly on the doorway to get his attention. He opened his eyes slowly and turned his head to look at her. He had his usual calm expression on his face.

He looked at her expectantly without saying anything, so Padmé took that as her cue to speak. "May I come in?"

Vader blinked. Somehow he seemed to be thinking little of her, like he had already told her to enter without actually telling her and she was an idiot for not noticing. Padmé felt a little annoyed, but then she reminded herself that she was only getting that impression – it wasn't like Vader actually had said anything at all. Blast, she was starting to look a little too much into his minimal actions. Or maybe she was finally learning to read him? She wasn't quite sure. In either case, she entered and sat across from him.

"I was wondering if you wanted to join me," she began. "I'm going to take the boat and travel around the lake country a bit. Swimming is definitely on the agenda, and sightseeing… possibly fishing, too."

Vader watched her, saying nothing. Padmé gave him some time to reply, but he didn't seem to know what to say. Eventually, she raised her eyebrows to provoke some sort of response.

"…Why?" he eventually asked.

Padmé furrowed her brow, confused. "Why what?"

"Why are you doing all that?"

"Because I want to move around a bit, and because it's there." Padmé laughed. "The lakes are all around us; we might as well take advantage of it."

"Is that what vacations are?" Vader asked, not sounding impressed. "You go to some random place and then just look around because there's nothing practical to do?"

Padmé laughed again. "The point of a vacation is to relax, milord. This is just one way of doing it."

"I thought you danced to relax."

"There are multiple ways to wind down, you know," Padmé answered, a little confused. Did he think she was so bland or inflexible that dancing and visiting family was all she knew apart from work?

Honestly, it seemed to be more than what he knew about anything normal.

"So you do whatever is necessary," Vader surmised.

That was certainly a strange way of putting it. "Not quite… I do whatever I like. That's part of the point of a vacation."

"Whatever you like." Vader repeated.

"Yes," Padmé nodded. Then, growing curious, she asked, "What would you like to do?"

"Swimming and possibly fishing."

Padmé didn't know if he was joking or if he was making fun of her. In either case, it didn't answer her question. "That's what I just said. I'm asking what you would like to do. Apart from what I mentioned."

"Dancing."

"You like dancing?" Padmé asked with a smile before realizing that was also something she had mentioned before. "What else do you want to do, milord?"

Vader was silent.

Ah, that was it. He was hiding something from her. He had to be. It was the only reason he wouldn't state his own preferences and just repeat hers. She also recalled him saying those things were trivial, but then he had seemed almost normal ever since they had left Imperial Center… which was the act? Why couldn't he just be honest with her?

Ironic question considering your own motives, she thought with an internal sigh. Then, after seeing Vader shifting uncomfortably in his seat, she just let the matter drop. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But would you still like to join me?"

The Sith Lord seemed surprised by her remark, and then he nodded.

"It's settled, then," Padmé stood and offered him her hand. "Let's go."

Vader glanced at her hand and then her. Padmé sighed. "Milord, it's not rude to touch someone's hand on Naboo."

Now he seemed to grow confused. He reached his hand up tentatively towards hers, and she almost dared to hope that he would take it. Instead, though, he poked her palm and threw her a questioning look, as if to ask if that's what she meant.

Padmé laughed. "I meant holding hands."

"For what reason?"

"Just because."

Vader stood without making any contact with her and threw her a baffled look. "You're weird."

This brought more laughter from Padmé. "I'm the weird one?"

She followed him out of the villa and to the dock, but she paused as a thought struck her. "No one has ever held your hand before?"

Vader began to step into the boat. "No."

"Not even your parents?"

Vader stiffened. He said nothing, but Padmé stood still, awaiting an answer. Eventually he seemed to just ignore her entirely, settling into the driver's seat. A little annoyed, Padmé prompted him. "Well?"

Vader sighed and leaned his head back against the seat. He didn't look annoyed, so Padmé wasn't sure what he was feeling. There was definitely something wrong with his upbringing—that was obvious—but there was also just something wrong with his story about his upbringing.

"Milord, who were your parents?" Padmé finally asked.

Vader started the engine, completely ignoring her. Padmé hastily got in the boat to avoid being left behind. Vader drove the boat from the dock and began to speed far from the island.

"If you let me drive, I can take us to a private lagoon," Padmé suggested, but as soon as she said it, Vader's grip on the steering controls tightened. Blowing out a sigh, she added, "Or I can just tell you where to go."

This seemed to appease him since his hands relaxed, but he still hadn't answered her question. Turning to face him a little better, Padmé said, "Well, I'll tell you about my family. My father's name is Ruwee Naberrie; he was the president of the refugee relief movement for a time before retiring and taking up teaching part time at the Theed University. He's still involved with the movement, though, and helps as best he can. My mother, Jobal, met my father when she volunteered with the RRM as a teenager and the two fell in love and were married. They helped found a village, my hometown. Just before Sola was born, my parents adopted one of the refugees they were relocating: Obi-Wan. He was very young—I think he was about two or three. By the time I was born we were pretty well established in my home village, but then I scored highly on an aptitude test when I was five and my parents decided it was time to move to Theed where we would all have more opportunities.

"When Obi-Wan and Sola were ten they helped with the RRM, and then when they turned twelve they joined the Naboo Service Corps. Sola switched back to the RRM after one rotation, and she met her husband while doing her work. Obi-Wan had actually met Siri when we moved to Theed; she lived in a foster home down the road from us, and the two often talked. Siri joined Obi-Wan in the service corps when she was of age.

"I helped with the RRM when I was ten, too, and then when I was twelve I became the Princess of Theed; it's like a governor position. I was the princess for two years before I decided to run for queen. Obi-Wan and Siri came back around that time, too; Obi-Wan served as a liaison for the service corps and Siri was trained as a handmaiden. Sola worked with the RRM strictly in Theed at that point because of her relationship with Darred. And, well, you know the rest."

Vader said nothing, though whether it was because he was listening to her or not paying attention was impossible to tell. To see if he did hear her, Padmé let out a small laugh. "Though I guess you probably know all of this from Intelligence, anyway. Still, it feels nice to just say it. So what about your family? I know you said you don't have one, but then you said your parents approved of your career choice, so you had to have them at some point. I hope it's not too painful to talk about it, milord; I'd just like to know."

Too painful. As if. He had made it quite clear yesterday that he didn't care about having a family. So if that was the case, why was he so hesitant to talk about them?

"My…" Vader began softly, so softly Padmé almost didn't hear him. Then he just shook his head.

"What did your parents do?" Padmé asked gently. It would at least be a start.

"They worked for the Empire."

Padmé nodded. That was obvious considering where he was raised. "How did they meet?"

Vader was silent.

Padmé sighed and then tried a different avenue. "Did you have any siblings?"

Vader shook his head.

Padmé hesitated, and then asked, "How did you meet the emperor?"

Vader stopped the boat abruptly. Padmé gasped and put her hands against the dashboard so she wouldn't slam into it. The Sith Lord then stood and leapt out of the boat and into the water, catching her completely off guard. Panting for air, she put her hand to her chest in a futile attempt to slow her rapid heartbeat. She hadn't expected the reaction, and his behavior now was extremely odd.

Eventually Vader surfaced and swam around the boat slowly. Padmé didn't know what to say, but the first thing out of her mouth was, "Why didn't you wear a swimsuit?"

That wasn't quite the first question on her mind.

Vader paused and shrugged. "You're never wearing a swimsuit when a situation arises and you need to get into the water. So why bother with one? You should practice swimming in regular clothes."

"Well, it's true that a situation might—" Padmé began to reply when out of nowhere she felt herself get yanked out of the boat and fly into the air. She screamed loudly, completely freaked out and not knowing what had just happened, and then she saw the water quickly approached. Curling into a ball and holding her breath, Padmé hit the water hard, almost knocking her breath out of her as she sank into the lake. After getting over the brief daze she immediately swam as hard as she could towards the surface. Her muscles were aching already, both from swimming in heavy clothes and from the terror of what had just happened. She eventually reached the surface and gulped in as much air as she could. Getting her bearings, she noticed the boat was a short distance away and Vader was watching her calmly from his own spot in the water.

"Did you—what just—how—?" Padmé spluttered, terrified.

"You're a relatively fast swimmer," Vader noted in his usual dull manner. "That's expected since you've been here before. Still, you should learn to swim faster in street clothes. Don't let them weigh you down."

"What—you—" Padmé stammered, staring at him in shock. "I just flew a meter into the air and you're not bothered?!"

"I did that," Vader replied matter-of-factly.

Padmé gaped at him. He—how had he done that?! Why the hell had he done that?! She couldn't say anything; she was too filled with horror, confusion, terror, and astonishment.

"Swim a circuit around the boat," Vader ordered. "Make sure your radius is three meters."

"What?!"

"It'll be good practice."

Padmé shook her head, trying to reassemble her addled thoughts. "I—we came—swimming—this—how did you do that?!"

"The Force."

Padmé felt her blood run cold. She knew of the Force; she knew that Sith and Jedi could use it, though the latter was supposedly extinct. But stars, she didn't know what they could do with it. Despite her terror, though, she was both reassured and angered by Vader's nonchalant attitude; it meant that he hadn't done it to hurt her, but he also didn't seem to care that it had frightened her.

"You could have hurt me!" she accused him.

"You don't seem weak enough for that," Vader replied. Padmé flinched, not knowing how to respond. It was either the strangest compliment or the lamest excuse she had ever heard.

Sighing irritably, she swam towards him. Vader shook his head. "I said swim around the boat."

"This isn't a training drill," Padmé snapped as she swam towards him and the boat. "This was supposed to be for relaxing."

"Relaxing isn't practical," Vader stated. "You should be spending this time honing your skills."

"And what skills would those be?"

Vader somehow managed to shrug in the water. "Whatever skills are necessary."

"What do you think I do in the senate?" Padmé snapped before realizing what she had just asked. His answer would certainly be interesting, if he bothered to respond at all.

Vader paused, and then said, "You tell me."

Both were silent after that, staring sharply into each other's eyes. The Sith Lord's expression was stern, even probing, while Padmé was slightly nervous but quickly growing defiant.

"What happened to last night?" she suddenly asked. "Everything seemed fine when we were dancing. Why are you acting like this now?"

"Acting like what?" Vader asked, his face softening into its usual expressionless look.

Padmé searched for the right word and eventually found it. "Aggressive."

Vader sighed heavily. Apparently he was trying to formulate the proper response; he looked everywhere but at her. "I… this is… this is how I relax."

Padmé did a double take. "What?"

"You asked me before how I relaxed, but I never answered. It's because I don't really relax; if I have down time, this is how I spend it."

"Training?"

Vader nodded.

After hearing that, the only thing Padmé could think to ask was, "Why?"

"So I can be ready."

"For what?"

"Anything."

Padmé stared at him, baffled. She really was beginning to worry about his sanity at this point; surely he didn't always spend all of his down time training. He wasn't that obsessed, was he? Was that why everything else was trivial?

"Maybe that's why you're so lonely, then," Padmé suggested softly.

That was a mistake. Vader immediately tensed. "Don't make assumptions, senator. You know nothing about me."

Before Padmé could say anything else, he swam in a different direction, but she called after him. "Milord, wait."

He wouldn't stop, so Padmé began to swim after him. He was surprisingly fast, and Padmé quickly fell very far behind. She called out to him again. "Milord, please, I didn't mean to hurt you! Just wait!"

Vader dove under the water.

Padmé groaned. She wanted to kick something. Preferably herself. Blast it, she hadn't meant to upset him, but… but it was so true – if that's all he ever did, it was no wonder he was so lonely.

Though honestly, she didn't have much room to talk.

Sighing heavily, Padmé swam back towards the boat. Looking at it, she wondered what she should do at this point. She had come out here to relax and enjoy herself, but that mood was already spoiled. Vader was nowhere to be seen. She sighed again, feeling frustrated both at herself and the Sith Lord. Why couldn't he just be easy to deal with? She had thought after last night they would be able to communicate more openly. Their conversations seemed to finally be going somewhere, but Vader would always stop them short, either because of something Padmé said or because he refused to continue. It was beginning to grow frustrating; at this point Padmé was genuine in her curiosity, and even in her sympathy. In fact, she was more than genuine; her interest was insatiable at this point. How in the blazes had he become the man he was?

Padmé looked at the boat for a while longer and then swam a little bit from it so she was about three meters away. Then she swam around the boat in a large circle, just doing as Vader had suggested. She wasn't sure why she was doing this, but she guessed it was just because the entire idea of having fun was long gone. Maybe she could just use the practice, though she wasn't sure for what.

Perhaps for joining the Alliance properly.

Padmé paused. How was that going to work, anyway? And why hadn't she heard from Obi-Wan and Siri at this point?

With these thoughts plaguing her mind, Padmé resumed her swim, circling around the boat at a constant radius. She was completely unaware that she was being watched.

The harsh sound of the blizzard wind was surprisingly relaxing when one was nestled by a cozy fire. Obi-Wan barely noticed the time pass as he and Siri rested on the couch. They weren't tired, necessarily; their bodies were worn out from the all-nighter despite the large amount of sleep they had gotten on the flight to Salkende. Since that was the case, they didn't fell asleep in the foyer; instead, they simply leaned against each other and wordlessly offered support to each other. Obi-Wan would tense occasionally as he thought about what was to come, and then Siri would slip her hand into his and he would relax. Her grip would become too tight, and then he would stroke his thumb on her hand to calm her anxiety. Eventually their grip would loosen as they were both lost in thought and then it would start all over again. The small gestures were enough for both of them, and it was how they almost always shared any sort of tender moment; Siri's love for outward signs of affection were satisfied while Obi-Wan's calm manner of showing things was also maintained.

After an interminable amount of silence, Siri whispered, "You remember when we met a Rebel for the first time?"

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, sighing. It was impossible to forget that day. They had been so young; Obi-Wan had been fifteen, Siri had been thirteen. The two had been sifting through rubble to find survivors after a groundquake when they had stumbled upon someone. Siri had called for help over the comlink and the two attempted to get rubble off the woman, but when they finally pulled her out of it, she had awoken with a start. She had acted so strangely to them at the time; it was expected for her to be nervous, panicked even, but her first instinct had been to get away from them. Siri and Obi-Wan had insisted they were there to help, but they had quickly discovered that the destruction wasn't from a groundquake, but had been from an orbital assault by the Empire to destroy a Rebel settlement. In fact, the Empire was still searching for survivors when they had found the woman, and she dragged them into a chase that lasted almost a week as they spent their time endlessly running from Imperial agents. It had been exhausting. It had been terrifying.

It had been eye opening.

As Obi-Wan considered all of this, he simply grunted in acknowledgement.

"Almost dying wasn't fun," Siri remarked.

Obi-Wan chuckled. "True. I didn't fancy getting shot at. And starving. And freezing, for that matter."

"Yeah, freezing. Like now."

"It's not cold in here," Obi-Wan remarked as he gently pulled Siri closer to the fire.

Siri cuddled against him instead. "Now it's not cold."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes with a soft smile.

Both turned their heads as Al returned; he had been speaking to Åkjem in the entrance foyer for a while before the two had gone further inside to allow Obi-Wan and Siri some privacy. The Zabrak looked quite satisfied with himself as he plopped down in a chair across from them.

"Hey lovebirds," he greeted happily.

"Sounds like you had too much fun," Siri noted.

Al laughed. "Yeah right. I'm just satisfied is all. I got a ton of information, at you service."

"Such as?" Obi-Wan prompted.

"Well, this war's been going on for twenty years for starters," Al said. "And there are a lot more clans involved than I thought. The ruling clan isn't here. The people who live here are the ones who started the war; the ruling clan got kicked out of Fjesky."

"So Tlenden is part of this clan, then?" Siri asked.

"Nope," Al shook his head. "Tlenden is part of the Bidra Clan, which is allied to the clan that started the war; that group is called the Ønske Clan.

"So the story goes like this: Five hundred or so years ago, the Ønske people were allied to the ruling clan. Then that ruling clan was destroyed by the Svike Clan; the Svike have been the top of the food chain since then. Meanwhile, the Ønske stayed quiet and made connections with other 'lesser' clans, and after five hundred years they finally decided to get the planet under their control. Insane, the whole lot of them, eh?"

"So where does Tlenden play into this?" Siri folded her arms, confused.

"Tlenden is the head of his clan, which is saying a lot because the Bidra have about twenty thousand members." Al answered.

Before he continued, Obi-Wan blurted, "Twenty thousand?"

Al nodded in his usual mock sage manner. "Yep. Lots of extended relations and the like. And I mean lots."

"And hopefully not inbreeding," Siri shuddered.

"I'd like to think not," Al agreed. "Anyway, Tlenden swore allegiance to the Ønske about ten years ago after he saw that they were winning the war. Apparently he never liked the Svike in the first place, but he tolerated them. He wanted to get a good feel for the Ønske before he dealt with them at all, but he's under the impression that they're decent, at least by his standards."

Obi-Wan blew out a breath, taking all the information in. "So if the Ønske Clan has retaken the capital, I'm assuming they're winning this war?"

"Winning? They've practically won it already; that's the best part!" Al said with a big smile. "The Svike have been shoved into the farthest corner of the continent and they're about to be kicked off entirely."

"Wait, what about the other continents?" Siri asked.

"Jord is the main power on Salkende," Al explained. "You remember how there are four populated continents? They're called Jord, Tropisk, Eorthe, and Maa. Jord is the biggest, Tropisk the smallest. Jord's the superpower; it's got the capital and most of the big clans. It decides everything for all of Salkende, so kicking a clan off of Jord is basically destroying any chance they have of winning the war."

Obi-Wan and Siri nodded silently, and then Obi-Wan gave an appreciative smile. "Thank you, Almusian. You've been very helpful."

Al leaned back in his seat. "All in a day's work. You guys owe me, though, and I am totally holding that over your heads."

"Good grief," Siri grumbled jovially.

The door leading outside opened, making all the occupants jump. Obi-Wan immediately rose to his feet as he recognized Káern Tlenden entering the foyer. He looked far different than his typical appearance in the senate; on Imperial Center he would wear long robes that reached his ankles, but here he wore a knee length tunic with a decorative high collar, thick trousers, and heavy boots. A rugged brown cloak covered most of his attire, but one notable difference caught Obi-Wan off guard.

Tlenden had a tail like Åkjem. His ears weren't pointed, but he still had that tail. Well, that explained why he wore longer robes on Imperial Center.

Tlenden noticed their presence as he closed the door. Taking his gloves off, he offered a nod. "I shouldn't be surprised to see you here, I suppose."

"I am known for being persistent." Obi-Wan noted with a small smile and a tip of the head. "I don't believe you've met my wife, though; this is Siri Naberrie. Siri, meet Senator Káern Tlenden."

Siri, who had stood alongside Al and Obi-Wan when Tlenden had first entered, offered a bow. "A pleasure, senator."

Tlenden bowed more deeply to her, and then Obi-Wan introduced Al. "And this is my dear friend, Almusian Brek."

Al and Tlenden exchanged pleasantries before Åkjem approached and took Tlenden's gloves and cloak. Tlenden looked at his tail as it momentarily swished in front of him. "I assume you've realized I'm not Human."

Obi-Wan let out a small laugh. "I did come to that conclusion, yes."

"I have to hide it every time I go to that wretched city-world," Tlenden said in his gruff voice. "It's quite the nuisance, having that policy of no non-Humans as senators."

"I can imagine," Siri remarked mildly.

"If you're here, then you probably already have learned of the situation on Salkende," Tlenden continued. "So you now realize why I cannot offer aid."

"Is no other planet in Tsograda able to help?" Obi-Wan tried.

"No planet will help if Salkende does not." Tlenden shook his head. "I guarantee it. They look to us for leadership and example, and if Salkende is not behind the Alliance, no planet will be; they don't want to risk being caught in a situation that they can't get out of, not without backup."

With a fierce smile, he added, "Besides, Salkende is the world known for its warriors, not any of the other planets."

"But you've basically won," Siri interjected. "Why is the war an issue?"

"We do not celebrate until we have achieved victory," Tlenden replied. "To believe we have it any earlier than the actual achievement is foolish and arrogant. Adelig does not make such mistakes."

"Adelig?"

"The head of the Ønske Clan," Tlenden explained as he kicked the snow from his boots. "She will be the warlord of Salkende if this war is won."

"And how will this war be won?" Obi-Wan asked. "Must the Svike be completely wiped out, or kicked off Jord?"

"Svike and all its allies must swear loyalty to Ønske." Tlenden answered. "Only then will the war be finished."

"And if the Alliance were to offer you aid?" Obi-Wan prompted. "We could help you bring a speedy end to this war so we can focus on the Empire together. You already stated your distaste for them. Surely you wouldn't disagree that they need to be dealt with accordingly."

Tlenden let out a hearty laugh. "I would happily celebrate the day the Empire falls, representative. However, I believe your Alliance has enough troubles; it can't afford to add my war to the mix."

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked, gauging the man's reaction. He wasn't sure if Tlenden had found out about all the attacks at the two Rebel bases, but if Tlenden wasn't aware of them, he wasn't going to mention it. The last thing he needed was for Tlenden to think of Rebels as weak.

"Your bases are gone," Tlenden shook his head.

Obi-Wan stiffened slightly, wondering how in the blazes he could salvage this conversation, when Tlenden's next statement made his blood run cold.

"And one of your leaders is in the Empire's clutches."

"What are you talking about?" Siri asked before Obi-Wan could stop her.

"You haven't heard?" Tlenden questioned. "I'm sorry to relay the news to you, then, but it must be said. Mon Mothma has been captured; she's being held prisoner on Imperial Center under the charge of treachery."

Al hissed a swear word, turning away. Tlenden watched them somewhat sympathetically, sighing and motioning towards Åkjem. He spoke in some native dialect before approaching the group. He sat on an unoccupied couch, and the others sat heavily in other chairs.

Obi-Wan felt like he'd been punched in the gut and he still couldn't catch his breath. Mothma had been captured? She was a founder of the Alliance alongside Organa; they'd never had a blow like this. They couldn't have a blow like this. Surely Tlenden was misinformed. Surely.

He shook his head. No, he could tell Tlenden was being completely sincere. It probably wasn't secret news; the only reason Obi-Wan, Siri, and Al hadn't heard it was because they had been outside of Imperial space up to this point.

What the blazes were they going to do? How could they join the Alliance when it seemed to be falling apart so quickly? Was this the end of the line?

"I'm sorry," Tlenden once again apologized. "We cannot join you with the war going on, and you obviously cannot help us."

"If you were to win the war," Siri suggested in a strained voice. "Would you then offer aid?"

"There are many internal matters that I have to attend to," Tlenden shook his head.

"But you're not the warlord," Siri continued. "Let us speak to Adelig directly."

"Adelig will not see you," Tlenden said.

"I thought part of Salkenden custom is that if someone wishes to speak with you, you address them directly, no matter the difference in station." Siri noted. Obi-Wan subtly slipped his hand into hers to calm her; she was beginning to get angry.

"It has nothing to do with station," Tlenden replied. "It has to do with priorities. Adelig's main concern is the war. I am the person to speak to for all other affairs, and as I said, I myself have other internal matters. Once the war is over, the Ønske must rebuild; all but three of their clan has been killed. I must help in this rebuilding; Adelig has tasked me with finding a mate for her son, and that is my main priority alongside the war."

Siri looked like she was going to argue, but Obi-Wan squeezed her hand.

Tlenden stood as Åkjem returned with refreshments. "I will provide you all with a place to stay until you can get matters of transport settled. I bid you a good day."

The trio stood and bowed to Tlenden. He offered a bow in return and then departed, leaving the three slowly sitting once more, as if in a daze. Honestly, they were in a daze; how had things—why—when did Mothma—it was all happening too fast, it was happening way too fast.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, rubbing his face tiredly with his hands as he wrestled with his emotions. Then he felt a deep chuckle rumble in his chest as he looked at Siri in exhaustion. "Well, your hopes came to fruition: the negotiations were short."