This chapter didn't go through too much editing, so you'll have to forgive me if you see typos. Enjoy!

Tarkin slowly paced on his balcony. He'd just gotten back from the prison and he hadn't seen Vader at all, so the Sith was probably getting something done or speaking to the emperor. Tarkin sighed heavily. He'd find out where Vader was soon enough; if the boy collapsed from exhaustion he'd probably be called to look after him, assuming Palpatine didn't punish him for his foolishness. He'd simply wait for the call; he had other matters to concern himself with.

A million thoughts were whirling through his mind. Over the years he'd gone from nobility to military to politics, but it was time he finally combined all three. He was almost at the top. He had fleets and admirals on his side from his days in the military, he had made contacts over the past few weeks to ensure he'd have a strong political backing… now all he needed were the finishing blows. He needed the Rebels to inadvertently aid him in his cause, either by falling victim to his accomplishments or destroying his enemies. At the present moment the Alliance was barely holding itself together, so it posed little threat to anyone; Tarkin would then need to finish it off to gain more reputation and power.

It had to be just the right balance, though. He couldn't completely eliminate all of Palpatine's threats lest Palpatine finally start to notice that Tarkin was essentially amassing an army against him. He had someone in place to keep a close eye on Amidala, so that wasn't a huge concern; he supposed the bigger threat to worry about was the Jedi. Vader would soon handle them. Honestly, all of his problems were taking care of themselves… yet he still felt uneasy. Vader was unstable at the moment, so Tarkin wasn't sure if the Sith would hold up against two Jedi who had destroyed a good number of outposts and fleets.

And why was he so unhinged? Tarkin knew that failure was fairly destabilizing to the Sith Lord, but he'd never reacted this badly to it. The last time the boy had seriously erred in judgment was around ten years ago… or something close to that effect. Honestly, he'd lost track of the time over the past few decades. In either case, Vader had been on one of his earlier missions destroying an uprising on some backwater planet of little consequence apart from a special ore the Empire needed. Vader had been tasked with eliminating the Rebel cell group and ensuring the ore factory remained in Imperial hands. He had indeed killed the Rebels, but the soldiers took the factory with them; it had been destroyed and the entire mining site was ruined. It hadn't been a good day. Tarkin had been in the palace when Vader had returned; the boy was covered in bruises and burnt badly. He could barely hold himself together, barely speak… Tarkin had been sure the boy had been terrified of Palpatine's reaction, but as the years had ticked by Tarkin noticed more and more that Vader really didn't care about the punishment, simply the offence itself. Failure was not an option in his mind, and when the unthinkable happened, he started to fall to pieces… at least until the emperor had somehow forgiven him of yet another folly and given him a new mission to make up for it. It was an odd habit by now; Vader hadn't failed in a very long time, but in the earlier years Palpatine had lessened his punishments on the boy and simply given him more assignments. Tarkin recalled some Imperials saying it was a bad idea to give a failure more missions, but Vader was always perfection itself shortly after he messed something up. Nevertheless, he never lost it like he was doing now.

This had to do with Amidala. He recalled how she'd invited Vader to Naboo and how he'd reacted. Somehow that woman did something to him. Tarkin felt his insides burn; that wretch had no right to lay a finger on Vader let alone send him spiraling into near insanity. Whether Palpatine wanted Padmé Amidala dead or not, Tarkin would ensure that was the eventual end result.

Taking a calming breath, he walked to Vader's quarters to see if the young Sith was there. When he arrived he found Vader sitting on the floor, his lightsaber in a million pieces around him.

Tarkin raised an eyebrow and held back slight exasperation; the boy should be asleep. "Fine tuning?"

"I had to clean it." He explained, unperturbed by Tarkin's interruption. His voice was quiet as if he were deep in concentration, but he looked like a drug addict going through the pains of remission; he was still pale, he continuously shifted as if to be more comfortable, he was blinking constantly as if his eyes were burning, and his hands were shaking.

Tarkin painfully lowered himself to the floor to sit beside Vader. He winced as his knees popped; blast it he was getting old.

"Typically you don't tear the entire hilt apart to do that," he noted.

Vader paused. "I… she touched it. I need to clean it."

Tarkin raised his eyebrows, stiffening. "Amidala held your weapon? How did she get it?"

Vader shuddered. "I gave it to her."

Tarkin blanched. "What?!"

Vader winced, and he dropped all the pieces he'd been holding, but he said nothing.

"Why did you give it to her?" Tarkin demanded.

"Is my mission with her complete?" Vader asked quietly. "Or does Master want me to spy on her some more?"

Tarkin held back an irritated sigh, but he scowled nonetheless. He didn't like how Vader was avoiding his question. "I don't know. I'm under the impression that he will send you to eradicate the Jedi."

Before Tarkin could continue, Vader's eyes snapped to his. "Jedi?"

Palpatine hadn't told him? Or had Vader left the prison in such a hurry that the emperor hadn't been able to get to him? The latter was possible but unlikely; even if Vader had left quickly, Palpatine would still hunt him down to assign the mission. The emperor had withheld the information on purpose, then… but why? "Yes, Jedi. Two Jedi, possibly more, have been attacking Imperial holdings in the Outer and Mid Rim."

Vader stared at him in shock before hastily starting to rebuild his lightsaber. Tarkin read the hunger in his eyes – he wanted this mission. He wanted to prove to the emperor that he could still be of use. Why was that so important to him, anyway? Tarkin often pondered the boy's motivation; he'd assumed over the years that as Vader took more abuse and grew more acquiescent, he'd been biding his time. Tarkin knew how the Sith worked; he'd read up about them in what was left of the Jedi archives. He recalled the brief mentioning of their ilk by Jedi officers in the Clone War. Sith were power hungry, betrayers… the Jedi had made them sound like demons, but honestly they'd just sounded like politicians who were actually able to back up their threats and do their own dirty work. After Tarkin discovered that Palpatine was a Sith he realized they were so much more… yet still the same. They certainly had more scope of vision than most politicians, he would grant them that. Tarkin did have to respect Palpatine for his abilities. Still, he could easily tell that the Jedi were right in that Sith were betrayers – so what opportunity was Vader waiting for? Tarkin would definitely give the man the chance he wanted, but what worried him was that he was fairly certain Vader wasn't looking for one. It was why he had to do the most roundabout methods to get the boy on his side. His best explanation was that since Vader had repressed his emotions, he'd also repressed his thirst for revenge against his master. Once Tarkin helped him find it once more, it would come out in full glory.

But would Vader be satisfied with only revenge? Or would he want the throne for himself? Questions for later, Tarkin supposed; in the meantime the boy didn't even seem to realize what kind of web of deceit and power plays he was caught in.

Darth Vader stood after reassembling his weapon, catching Tarkin's attention. "You never said why you gave Senator Amidala your lightsaber."

The Sith apprentice paused. "I was… testing her."

Tarkin raised an eyebrow. "How? For what?"

"Usefulness."

Usefulness? "What exactly transpired on Naboo?"

Vader stiffened, but then he grabbed Tarkin by the arms and abruptly helped him stand, making the man jump a bit. He immediately released him afterwards, filled with energy once more. "I have to talk to Master first. I have to make sure my mission with Senator Amidala is over."

"I'm fairly certain it is." Tarkin replied, rubbing his arms. He'd lie about it if he had to; he had to figure out what happened, why Vader was acting the way he was.

"Yes or no, governor."

Tarkin took a gamble. It was reasonable to assume Vader was finished with Amidala, certainly for the foreseeable future, since Palpatine was sending him to handle the Jedi. If he was wrong, though, he would lose Vader's respect and trust, and that… wasn't the best scenario. It was still worth the risk, however, if it meant he could figure out what in the blazes happened. "Yes."

Vader's face grew stormy, then bright, then worried all at once. Was that even possible? Tarkin grew even more confused and worried by the moment.

"Senator Amidala said she wanted… she wanted to…" Vader shifted, suddenly uneasy. He wouldn't look Tarkin in the eye.

"Wanted to what?" Tarkin pressed slowly.

"She wanted to help me." Vader finally said, and the amount of effort he used just to say that equated to forcing blood out of an open wound. "She said she wanted to be my partner. She agreed. We could… we would become… she'd serve Master."

Tarkin gaped. Then he closed his mouth abruptly. Then he opened it again to speak and his throat rumbled in a pitiful attempt to say something. What? She… what?

"She's not ready yet – nowhere near ready. She wouldn't tell me everything about the Rebels. She's still hiding. Still holding on to… something. Them, I presume, or her loyalty to them. I can't trust her… but she… she wants to help."

He couldn't believe he was hearing this. "You are listening to yourself, right? She's still loyal to the Rebels but she wants to help you? It's obvious she's using you, milord. She's a spy; of course she wants to get close to the person who knows almost every secret of the Empire."

"It's not like that," Vader shook his head. He really was convinced she was on his side? Tarkin was surprised by the boy's naïveté, but he supposed he really shouldn't be; Vader wasn't experienced in politics in the slightest. Almost all of his missions were related to the military – the only politics the boy may have learned was why he was being sent to assassinate someone or the like. And now that woman had her claws in Vader's mind and heart. His heart – Tarkin was surprised anyone could reach that far into the Sith.

Wait. Had he told Palpatine? "Does the emperor know of this?"

Vader grew paler and shook his head.

Tarkin felt his heartrate increase and exhilaration poured through him; he might have finally found the key he needed to get Vader on his side. If Palpatine didn't know about this, Tarkin could absolutely use this to his advantage. But was it worth the risk? Was it worth Vader's heart being torn apart by the woman's inevitable betrayal? And how would Tarkin fit her into his plans? She was a wild card; her loyalty was no doubt to the Rebel Alliance – she was one of those sorts who wailed about peace and freedom and equality for all in a world where power and supremacy were the only ways to bring order to the chaos. She was an idiot, and a stubborn one who was stuck in her own ways. He couldn't see her actually turning to his side. But if Palpatine didn't know about her and Vader's secret partnership Tarkin could still use it somehow.

This was perfect.

"Best keep him out of it altogether, then," Tarkin eventually said, choosing his words carefully. "You said she wasn't ready, after all; it would be a better gift to the emperor if she were presented when she was close to your ability… at least as close as a non Force user can be."

"A gift?" Vader whispered, his eyes clouding over as he thought about the word. "Yes… a gift. She… I could give him a gift."

He seemed a little too excited about that notion. Tarkin was beginning to wonder if the man had any ill will towards the emperor altogether. Or maybe he was thinking the same thing as Tarkin; what a wonderful gift Amidala would be when she led to the emperor's destruction and Tarkin's rise to power. Perhaps he'd keep her after that; she'd make a good pet for the boy. Well, probably not; she might lead Vader astray from what Tarkin wanted. But how did this all happen? "What made her partner up with you?"

"She… wanted to help."

Tarkin held back his irritation. "Yes, but why?"

Vader's gaze suddenly became misty and he looked off in the distance in wonder and confusion. "She thinks I'm worth it."

The words were strange and he wasn't sure he could make sense of it. She thought Vader was worth it? So was she being condescending or was there something else to it? Tarkin could definitely see infatuation in the boy's eyes, and it made him worry slightly. Nevertheless, emotions were fleeting, just as Vader's near explosion in the prison had been. Obviously the senator was a beautiful woman, and that had no doubt caught Vader's eye; he was a young man, after all. That was probably the initial hook; then all the nexu had to do was whisper a few lovely words into the boy's ear and he'd think she was trustworthy. Palpatine really made a mistake in allowing this to happen, but Tarkin would most certainly reap the benefits of it… but he had to watch this very closely. He was not going to let some senator from an insignificant planet ruin years of planning.

"Well," he finally remarked. "I suppose that's explanation enough for now. I know you're going to get information about the Jedi, but after that I have an assignment for you."

Vader immediately sobered, gazing at Tarkin intently.

"Go to bed."

Siri rubbed her temples. Her mind felt foggy and she had a headache. Her body ached. She'd been out most of the night tracking down Senator Tlenden's apartment, the identity of his aides, and then figuring out whether any of them were on Imperial Center yet. By the time she'd returned Padmé had been in bed and Obi-Wan had been on the balcony worriedly awaiting her. He'd seemed concerned about more than just that, but he wouldn't talk about it, much to Siri's annoyance. So now it was morning and she was irritated, sleep deprived, and heading to a café to meet the new handmaiden. She had so many things on her mind, none of which were related to typical handmaiden work, so this meeting was really frustrating. She didn't want to do this, but they had to keep up appearances.

Glossing over the information provided by Rep. Svoule, Siri sighed heavily and approached the café. When she'd left a message for the new handmaiden she'd given a specific location, and she could see that the table she had reserved was already occupied. So her new employee was punctual. At least that was something.

Entering the café, Siri got the woman's attention and observed her as she stood in acknowledgement. She was rather small in stature, barely reaching Siri's height. She looked light as a feather, but her muscles were toned. Her small, thin dark brown eyes held enough sharpness to cut through anyone they saw, but they seemed to soften when she looked at Siri. Her long straight black hair was gathered into a bun. She bowed.

Siri held back a sigh. Might as well get this over with. Bowing in return, she said, "Nice to meet you, Miss Ieru."

"It's an honor," Lek Ieru replied with a gentle smile.

Siri got to business and skipped most of the pleasantries without seeming too curt. She wanted to get this over with quickly so she could go back to bed. It was far too early for this nonsense, particularly unimportant nonsense as this most certainly was. As they spoke, she examined Ieru. The woman was slightly younger than Siri, having graduated from college with a political science degree. She spoke about wanting an opportunity to get into the political field and stated that she'd had a large number of internships that helped prepare her for this job. Yes, yes, all very eye gaugingly boring… but there was something different about this girl. First of all, she wasn't a girl at all – most people who just got out of college still acted like younglings, either out of entitlement or simply lack of experience. Ieru, however, was a woman – she held herself with poise and dignity, she had a sense of maturity and duty to her. She seemed perfect for the job; it was no wonder Rep. Svoule had hired her. She seemed a little too perfect; Siri had an odd feeling about her, though she wasn't sure that was just because she'd been feeling different since New Year's or because there was actually something wrong. She hated this uncertainty; she had to figure out what was bothering her.

Siri eventually brought the conversation to a close. They both rose, bowed, and went their separate ways. She'd start training her on the job tomorrow when the new session began.

Finally heading back to the apartment, Siri was eager to get home and just sleep the rest of the morning. She smiled in relief as the apartment complex came into view. She had her hood up and was holding it to fight the small wind blowing rain everywhere, so she didn't notice that someone was running towards her until the person nearly tackled her.

"Ouch!" she yelled, suddenly angry. "What the blazes was that for?"

"Lady Naberrie," a male voice acknowledged to make her recognize him. The voice was full of frantic energy and terror. Siri turned to face the man. He was one of Organa's aides.

She had a bad feeling about this.

"What is it?" she asked nervously.

"Senator Organa—he's been arrested! Imperials got him as soon as we landed on Imperial Center!" the aide hissed, barely audible over the rain.

Siri's insides went cold. "Just now?"

The aide nodded. "I—I don't know what to do—who to contact—I was heading to Senator Amidala's apartment when I saw you—what should—what do I—"

"Shut up for starters," Siri interrupted him. She probably should have just said calm down but she herself was far from calm at this point, and her sleep deprivation wasn't helping. "We'll sort this out, okay? Go back home and act normal; the last thing we need is to get more attention. I'll tell Amidala."

The aide nodded, looking around and disappearing into the crowd. Siri glanced around as well; she certainly hoped the aide didn't have a tail. There was nothing she could do about that if it were the case; the aide had come to her, so if he was being watched, the agent would know she was somehow involved as well. Her stomach churned. She didn't like this at all.

She couldn't lead them to the apartment. She was marked, but Padmé and Obi-Wan weren't. Ducking into a side alley, Siri activated her comlink and called Almusian. Her adrenaline started to surge and she continuously looked around to see if anyone was watching as she waited for him to answer.

Eventually she heard Al's voice. "What's up?"

"Organa's been arrested," Siri immediately explained breathlessly.

There was stunned silence for a moment, and then Al replied. "W-wha—where? When? How?"

"Imps nabbed him at his ship when he landed, which apparently was just now," she answered.

"What charges?"

Siri pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut. "What do you think?"

"I don't know—maybe they could be doing it as a ploy or something—they may not call him a traitor—"

"You're grasping at black holes, Al," Siri shook her head harshly. "They know."

"But how?"

"I don't know that," she snapped, frustrated and scared. "But you've got to contact the Alliance. Now they have two to rescue, and they'd better do it karking fast."

"On it." Al immediately replied, cutting the connection.

Siri stood in the alley for a while, panting for air in the chilly rain. She felt isolated all of a sudden, as if an invisible barrier were between her and the safety of her apartment. If she had picked up a tail from the aide, she needed to make sure she lost it before returning home. Exiting the alley from another area, she wandered back towards the senate plaza and started taking random routes to see if anyone was following her. After two hours of this, she finally was relieved to discover that she was actually on her own. She hastily returned to the apartment.

"Where've you been?" Obi-Wan immediately asked as soon as she entered. "I figured the meeting wouldn't take that long."

"The Imperials have Organa," Siri said, shivering from the cold rain and from the circumstances.

Padmé, who had been lingering near the kitchen, immediately hurried over as well. "What?"

After explaining the situation once more, Padmé crossed her arms and looked worriedly outside. Obi-Wan asked, "Did you contact Al?"

Siri nodded. "He said he'd talk to the Alliance. Obi… that's everyone. The Alliance has lost everyone – Iblis, Mothma, and Organa were our leaders…"

"I know," he put his hand on her shoulder and she felt a little calmer for it.

"When did you tell Al?" Padmé questioned.

"A couple of hours ago." Obi-Wan and Padmé both gazed at her confusedly, so she explained. "I wanted to make sure I wasn't being followed before I got home; the aide who told me came straight from the arrest, so I figured the Imps might put a tail on him."

Obi-Wan's brow furrowed and he looked away. His blue-grey eyes grew stormy. He was angry at the aide's carelessness for potentially leading the Imperials right to Siri.

"It's fine; no one was following me," she hastily assured him. "I think the aide went through the efforts of ensuring no one noticed him."

"Good," Obi-Wan muttered.

"Have you heard from Al since then?" Padmé pressed on.

Siri shook her head. "Want me to find him?"

"No," Obi-Wan immediately replied before Padmé could. "We need to be staying out of this entirely. We don't know how they found out about Organa, but we're now the last spies on Imperial Center; Al is here on a separate mission, so he won't be able to get the information we can."

"We can't do nothing," Padmé argued.

"Siri contacted Al. We've done our part." Obi-Wan said firmly. "Unless you want to get arrested as well, you'd best leave it at that. We all should leave it at that for now."

"How long does for now last?" Siri asked.

Obi-Wan sighed, walking towards the window and looking outside. "I don't know."

"I'm going out," Padmé muttered, heading towards her room to grab a cloak.

"Padmé, don't do anything foolish," Obi-Wan hastily faced her, his eyes hard.

"I'm not going to get anywhere near Organa or Al," Padmé swiftly detracted him. "I just… need to go out."

After she departed, Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair. He looked more stressed than Siri felt. There was more to this than just Organa. "What is it?"

"Padmé is… getting emotionally involved." Obi-Wan explained softly, his eyes filled with worry. "I'm scared for her."

"Aren't we all pretty emotionally involved in this?" Siri remarked. "You may try to be the most level headed of us, but that doesn't mean you don't care about the cause."

"It's not just the Rebels," Obi-Wan moaned, sitting on the sofa.

Siri stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"For now it's just… for now it's a concern but not a…" Obi-Wan scrambled for the right words. Typically he always knew what to say, but in emotional situations he often fell short of stating the right thing. This wasn't like someone was sobbing in front of him, though, so what was wrong?

"Obi, what is it?" Siri asked, sitting beside him.

"Siri, just trust me," he eventually replied. "If I tell you it will only make matters worse. I'm… I'm trying to trust Padmé. Just… keep an eye on her."

Siri furrowed her brow. "You want me to follow her?"

"No. You've done enough today." He leaned back against the sofa, closing his eyes. "You've done enough."

Siri shifted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder, both to comfort him and herself. "Padmé is sometimes a little rash, but she's not nearly as bad as me. If I'm being sensible then she will be too, Obi. Don't worry."

She felt her husband shudder under her, but he said nothing. He didn't have to. That said enough. Whatever it was, Siri hoped she was right in her statement. She hoped Padmé didn't do anything foolish.

Padmé stood in front of the Imperial palace. She was shivering slightly from the cold, but her mind was abuzz with so many concerns that she barely felt it. Everything was falling apart. When she'd first started this espionage mission she'd always been afraid that she'd get caught, but now it was the opposite – everyone else was being captured. And that was a million times worse.

She didn't know what to do. Her first instinct had been to come here, but now that she was here, she wasn't sure how to proceed. She didn't have permission to go inside, and even if she did, would Vader be there? If he was there, what would she say? She'd told him she was finished with the Alliance; she couldn't exactly say that Bail Organa was a Rebel spy and leader, had been arrested, and required rescuing. What was she thinking?

What was she going to do? Who could she turn to for help?

She wanted to go to Vader so badly, but she just couldn't. For all of Obi-Wan's claims that she'd lost her sense when it came to the Sith Lord, she still had enough reason to realize that Vader wouldn't help the Rebel cause. Not yet, at least. She herself hadn't been arrested upon their arrival, so Vader hadn't said anything about her status as a spy, but that was most likely because he was protecting her, not her interests. She wouldn't betray the Alliance for him. That was one line she refused to cross. Why couldn't he just cross over it and come to her side? Blast it, she wished she'd had more time on Naboo!

Turning away from the palace, she wandered aimlessly for a time. She kept gazing in the palace's direction; although she couldn't tell Vader about what happened, she still wanted to just be with him. Maybe being around him would help her focus. At the same time, it was exhausting to think about; he wasn't that terrific at comforting anyone, so she shouldn't rely on him for that. He couldn't help her, but she would help him. Not now, though; now she had to worry about Bail. She'd find a way to get to Vader tomorrow when the senate session started; she'd no doubt be able to locate him through Tarkin.

This brought her back to her present dilemma, however, and she moaned, sitting on a bench and getting soaked by the rain.

Tlenden.

Standing, she hastened towards the man's apartment. Siri had left a note to say that Tlenden had returned, so Padmé knew where to find him, or at the very least where to find someone who knew where he was. He was the only other person on the entire planet apart from her family and Al who knew of her status and might be willing to help. She recalled that Obi-Wan and Siri noted that Tlenden didn't offer assistance because of his planet's civil war, but this was an emergency, she was desperate, and she had nowhere else to turn to. Surely she could at least convince him to help in some manner.

When she arrived at his apartment she was led in by a protocol droid. Tlenden arrived in the vestibule a short while later alongside a Togruta male Padmé didn't recognize. The man was slightly shorter than Tlenden but had a sinewy build. Togruta males had two different phenotypes in terms of their montrals and head-tails: one was similar to the females, though typically their head-tails were longer. The other was strikingly different with tall montrals that stood straight up and shoulder length head-tails. This man, however, had the angled montrals of the first phenotype with stubby head-tails that barely touched his shoulders. His dark orange-brown complexion contrasted with white facial markings under his eyes. He stood proudly and with a slightly threatening presence, but it was greatly decreased by the fact that his left arm was in a sling.

"Senator Amidala," Tlenden acknowledged, one eyebrow raised. "You look… unsettled. Is everything all right? I wasn't informed that you would be visiting."

Padmé glanced once more at the Togruta. Who was he? She couldn't talk about the Alliance in front of him. Tlenden seemed to notice her scrutiny and smiled, waving a dismissive hand. "Éothen poses no threat and he is privy to anything I know. If this is a matter about the Rebels, speak freely, though I must insist that Salkende's position on the matter is strictly neutral."

"Senator Organa has been arrested. I'm not asking you to bring Salkende's army to the Alliance; I'm just asking for some help." Padmé hastily explained, slightly annoyed by Tlenden's insistence upon neutrality.

"In what manner? If he's been arrested there's not much I can do." The senator replied calmly.

"Is Organa a spy too?" Éothen asked, stepping forward slightly.

"He's one of the leaders of the Alliance, alongside Senators Mothma and Iblis." Padmé replied quickly before returning her attention to Tlenden. "There has to be something you can do – if you could offer a temporary haven for the Rebels they can at least organize a rescue operation. You don't have to get your people any more involved than that."

Tlenden sighed. "We can't do that, senator. I'm sorry."

Padmé was about to protest when Éothen spoke first, walking up to his senator. "Káern, it's not like we can't help. Salkende may still be at war, but here there's no such issue."

"I'm a senator," Tlenden shook his head. "I can't go up to the Imperials and ask for Mothma's release."

Éothen's face grew stormy and his jaw tightened. "We are warriors, not helpless prisoners. We shouldn't stand by when someone innocent is going to be hurt or killed."

"This is a very different kind of battlefield, Éothen," Tlenden replied. "If we were to speak out against Mothma's arrest, we ourselves would be imprisoned for sympathizing with a traitor. If we were to break her out, Salkende would be punished and our civil war would suddenly be the least of our problems. Besides, you of all people can't be getting involved."

Éothen sighed heavily and backed off, making Padmé a little sad; she was rooting for the guy to talk some sense into the senator. Instead, she tried a different offer; she was fairly certain Obi-Wan and Siri had tried this as well, but she felt blasted helpless. "Is there anything I can do to expedite your issues on Salkende?"

Tlenden shook his head. "I'm afraid not, senator. I'm sorry."

Éothen stepped forward once more, looking determined. "The war is almost over, milady. Once we're finished we can lend aid. I promise."

There was nothing more to be said, then. She felt like an idiot for expecting something good to come out of this meeting, but she couldn't help herself. She was scared. She had to at least go through all her options, even if they were limited. Vader wasn't even an option in this scenario, not until he joined the Alliance, and at this rate that would be an eternity from now.

Honestly, she was surprised she was certain it would happen at all.

Bowing, she thanked the senator and smiled gratefully at the Togruta for at least trying to help her. He smiled and nodded in return. Then she departed, lost in her worries and thoughts.

When she returned to her apartment Obi-Wan and Siri were awaiting her. They both looked relieved, Obi-Wan more than Siri. Padmé felt a twitch of annoyance; did her brother have that little faith in her? A small voice in her mind whispered that she shouldn't be angry at him; he wasn't there when Vader had shown he was a decent man. She couldn't listen to the voice, though; she had too much stress to sensibly deal with the situation between her and Obi-Wan. Instead she didn't acknowledge either of them and just went to her room, exhausted.

The door to her bedroom opened and she heard someone entering. "Padmé?"

Padmé sighed, somewhat annoyed and somewhat relieved. She didn't want to be bothered, but at least it was Siri. "Yeah?"

She felt Siri sit on the bed. "If there's anything you want to talk about, you know you can, right?"

Bless her, she was trying to help… but if Padmé told Siri about Vader all hell would break loose. It was bad enough dealing with Obi-Wan. "It's fine. I'm okay."

"Yeah right," Siri snorted. "Look, if you don't want to talk to me, fine. But at least sort out whatever's wrong between you and Obi, okay? I don't think I can stand to deal with all the crap going on and have both of you moping about the place."

Padmé had to chuckle at that. "Thanks, Siri. I really appreciate the support."

"Hey, you're the one who doesn't want to confide in me." Siri replied, sounding slightly irritated. "Just get over whatever it is; we have more important stuff to worry about than your feud with Obi."

Oh, if only she knew. "All right."

Siri pat Padmé on the shoulder and then left. Padmé moaned and buried her head into her pillow. Fine, she'd try to talk to Obi-Wan again, but she'd do so tomorrow. She couldn't do anything else today. She fell asleep right then and there, not even bothering to change into something more comfortable.

The next morning Padmé prepared herself for the day and trudged out into the living room. She felt like she'd been dragged through the streets and beaten. Her body was stiff and sore, and despite the large amount of time she'd spent sleeping she still was tired. Groaning, she rubbed her eyes and noticed Obi-Wan was sitting on the sofa.

She stiffened, but she didn't leave. Instead, she did sincerely ask, "You haven't been up all night, have you?"

Obi-Wan glanced at her, not surprised to see her. He always knew when she was around. It reminded her strikingly of Vader, actually; the Sith always knew when she was nearby as well. "No, I got up a few hours ago. Are you alright?"

His concerned tone softened her considerably, and she walked over to him, sitting beside him. "Yeah, I guess. There's just… a lot going on. I'm sorry I upset you yesterday."

Obi-Wan offered a small smile. "I'll manage, I assure you. And you?"

"What about me?"

"Will you manage?"

Padmé leaned against him. "I don't know. I feel like there's nothing we can do. Back on Naboo I… I felt free. Here it's like being in prison."

"Imperial Center is good at making its citizens feel like prisoners," Obi-Wan said slowly, meticulously thinking through what he should say. "You felt free on Naboo? With Vader?"

"We went over this, Obi," Padmé sighed.

"Yes. I was hoping you'd give it some more consideration."

"I'm not giving up on him." Padmé said firmly, sitting up once more to look him in the eye. "There's still good in him."

Obi-Wan bit his lip. "Padmé… you don't even know him."

"I know him more than you do," Padmé argued. "I know a lot about him."

Before Obi-Wan could continue, Siri shuffled in. "Morning."

Obi-Wan and Padmé immediately tensed and then looked away from each other. Siri noticed and rolled her eyes. "Are you two still arguing with each other?"

"No," Padmé immediately responded, standing. "We were just making up, actually."

Obi-Wan looked like he begged to differ, but he didn't push the matter. The three ate breakfast and headed to the senate tower together. Padmé said she had some business to attend to on her own before the session started and promised to meet them in the arena. Siri, already thinking about her own job and her trainee, agreed absentmindedly, but Obi-Wan watched her suspiciously.

After getting away from his scrutiny, Padmé headed towards Tarkin's office. How was she going to ask the grand moff where Darth Vader was? Last time she had a more valid excuse, but this time… how much did Tarkin know? Vader and Tarkin were obviously close, considering all that she'd learned about them, so it was possible Tarkin knew about their trip to Varykino. That made her skin crawl a little, especially when she really started to think about who else might have known of their vacation.

As Padmé walked through one of the grandiose hallways of the senate building, she saw a silhouette behind one of the pillars. Slowing her pace a little, she eyed it nervously and tried to pretend she hadn't noticed. However, the more she looked, the more the silhouette seemed familiar until she finally realized who it was.

It was Vader.

Glancing around briefly to ensure they were alone, she dashed over to him, unbelievably happy to see him. He stepped towards her slightly as she approached, and as soon as she was within arm's reach she noticed his face was radiant. He grabbed her in a huge hug and twirled her around once. She felt weightless in that moment, and for an instant her worries were forgotten, though she was more surprised than anything by his behavior. What in the blazes had gotten into him?

"I have amazing news," he whispered quickly as soon as he released her.

"Is that what that was all about?" she asked with a small laugh, giddy from the action.

Vader shrugged. "You like hugs. But that doesn't matter—you're no longer a target!"

Padmé's elation dissipated. "I… what?"

"You were a target the whole time we were on Naboo," Vader explained hastily, his eyes almost manic. "I couldn't tell you certain things, couldn't—we—you were still the enemy, but—but it's okay now—you're not a target—we can train—you can get ready—"

"Hey, slow down," Padmé hastily said, placing a hand on his chest to calm him.

"Ma—the emperor said my mission with you was over, but—he doesn't know about us—he doesn't know—it'll be great—you can learn to—we—you have to train while I'm gone—"

"Wait, while you're gone?" she interrupted, trying to register everything he was saying.

"I'm going on a mission today, but I'll be back—I'll make things right with—with the emperor, and everything will be normal again, but you—you can train while I'm gone, and I—look! I even got you this!"

He thrust something into her hands and she jumped. Looking down she saw a small case and a data pad. Opening the case she found it full of metal parts and a beautiful red crystal. "What is this?"

"The materials for your shoto," Vader explained, and he seemed to regain some composure. "For it to be your own weapon, you have to be the one to build it. I have instructions on the data pad."

His words from earlier were finally making sense in her mind, and she hastily looked at him once more. "You're leaving on a mission? We just—you left so suddenly on Naboo, and—why did you leave like that? What's going on, Vader?"

Vader suddenly paused. His expression, which had started to become calm once more, grew stormy. "You didn't give me enough information. I had to do damage control."

Padmé felt her gut clench slightly. "I…"

"Make the shoto," he cut her off. "Make it. Follow the instructions. Once you have a weapon you'll be better. When I get back we'll resume training. We'll destroy all of the emperor's enemies. Everything will be fine."

"And the Rebels?" she offered weakly, thinking briefly about Bail.

"If the emperor wants them to fall, they will fall."

"What… if the emperor wants them to live?" she asked curiously.

Vader shrugged, calm once more. "Then they'll live."

His world really did just revolve around Palpatine. Padmé still marveled at how little he cared about anything outside of that. Maybe she could somehow use that to her advantage, both to help Vader and the Alliance? She didn't see how she could convince Palpatine to think the Rebels were a good thing, though.

Wait. "What's your mission? Where are you going?"

Vader tipped his head towards her. "I can't tell you."

"I thought you said I wasn't a target anymore," Padmé noted, shuddering a little at the title he'd given her.

"You still hide secrets from me," Vader answered matter-of-factly. "So I hide them from you as well."

Son of a kriffing murglak! She was so sick of this! Taking a deep breath, Padmé placed her hands on his shoulders. "Milord, when you get back, we can both be fully honest with each other. I promise."

And she meant every word of it… though she wasn't sure how that would work. She'd make it work, though; keeping secrets wasn't going to help anyone. If she really wanted to aid Vader, she had to tell him the truth.

Which also meant she had to find a way to bust Bail out long before Vader got back.

"How long will you be gone?" she asked.

Vader, whose face had brightened considerably at her previous statement, shrugged quickly, full of energy. "A few days at most. I won't be long, I promise. We can—we can get straight to work."

Padmé tightened her grip on his shoulders; he was shaking. "Are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly normal—Mas—the emperor will see, and so will you—everything will be fine, no problems—we'll be honest with each other and get everything sorted." Vader nodded hastily, removing her hands from him and walking away.

"Wait!" Padmé hastily ran after him and pulled him back into the shadows with her. Giving him a smile, she hugged him. "Good luck on your mission."

She prayed that the mission didn't have anything to do with the Rebels.

Vader allowed the touch but was too energized to stay still for long. He pulled away, nodded, and rushed off. Padmé watched him go, a little dizzy from the fast turn of events. This was insane. All of it. How in the blazes was she going to pull all this off? What was wrong with Vader? Could she even worry about that right now? What was she going to do about Bail? How could she be honest with Vader when he got back? Where was he going? What about Palpatine? Had she compromised her brother and sister-in-law by her association with Vader? What if Palpatine did know? Why in the blazes didn't she think to ask Vader about that?!

Sighing she looked down at the box and data pad once more. Vader had taken the time to assemble all the necessary items to build her shoto. It was so sweet of him… and saddening; the only way he could show her affection was to give her the means to build a weapon. Oh well; she'd take what she could get, and seeing as he didn't mention anything about Palpatine, she would assume for the time being that the emperor didn't know. Besides, Vader had said back on Naboo that she wasn't ready yet, so the emperor wouldn't know yet. But what he'd said… she had been a target. It made sense, honestly; that was the entire reason for their relationship initially. But she'd thought… she'd thought things had changed. Obviously they had, but she didn't realize he'd still held onto that little thread of the mission, and that was why he hadn't been able to tell her certain things.

Perhaps after Naboo… that was why he hadn't told her. Did that mean that when he returned she'd finally learn why he thought of himself the way he did? She was almost giddy with excitement and anticipation until she remembered she had another rather important issue to solve.

Sighing, Padmé turned to leave when she almost ran into someone. Gasping, she looked at the person's face and recognized the Togruta who had been with Senator Tlenden last night. What was his name again? Éothen?

"Senator," he tipped his head in greeting with a small smile.

"G-good morning," she replied, regaining her composure. "It's good to see you again."

"And you," he nodded politely.

"Thank you, by the way," Padmé hastily added, recalling his actions last night. "Thanks for trying to help me."

"I haven't given up yet." He responded, growing serious. "It's idiotic that we're sitting around doing nothing. Everyone on Salkende hates the Empire."

Padmé looked around hastily to ensure they were alone, and even then she gave him a pleading look to lower his voice.

Éothen sighed. "Forgive me. I'm not a politician; cloak and dagger is not my field of expertise."

"It's okay," she said. "I was wondering what you were doing here, though. I haven't seen you with Senator Tlenden before. Are you a new assistant?"

Éothen laughed heartily. "No, nothing of the sort. I'm the son of Adelig, the future warlord once our conflict is over. I'm here on a forced vacation due to my injury."

Padmé glanced briefly at his arm sitting snugly in a sling. "I see. The circumstances are unfortunate, but I am glad to meet you."

"Unfortunate," he repeated with equal parts amusement and annoyance. "Yes, it is unfortunate being here. My mother is convinced the war is finally in our favor and I can afford to rest, but I'm not of the same mind. If I'm going to be stuck here, I should be doing something productive."

"There are plenty of activities to do on Imperial Center," Padmé suggested halfheartedly, wondering if he was suggesting what she thought he was.

"Yes," he said slowly, considering his words. "I was entertaining the notion of going on an excursion with you this evening. Quick little snatch and grab exercise. You could learn a few things about warfare, milady."

Was he…?

"I might be interested," she answered.

Éothen smiled. "Great. I'll prepare for it, then. We can meet in the lounge of Senator Tlenden's apartment building at 1730."

Padmé smiled, feeling anticipation bubble in her chest. "Do you think you can teach me about a snatch and grab for two targets?"

His eyes glimmered as he caught her meaning. If Tlenden knew about Mothma's imprisonment, then Éothen had to know as well. He nodded. "Of course."

Padmé tensed every muscle in her body to prevent herself from leaning against a pillar and sagging to the floor in relief. By the stars, this man was a miracle. "Looking forward to it."

Éothen bowed. "I'll see you then."

After Padmé acknowledged him in return he departed. She closed her eyes and took a calming breath. She could practically hear Obi-Wan saying they should take their time, especially since Éothen was a new player in the insanity, but there was too much at stake. They had to act now.

They would get Bail and Mon out tonight.

Siri held back a sigh as she handed a data pad to the new handmaiden, Lek Ieru. The training was going fine, but she felt so angry just sitting here and teaching a new employee the ropes while Bail Organa and Mon Mothma were rotting in their cells. Ieru took the pad and nodded with a friendly smile and departed, leaving Siri alone temporarily; Padmé was in a meeting with Rep. Boitumelo, and Rep. Svoule was in the representatives' office. Obi-Wan had gone to speak with someone over some mundane matter and was going to meet up with her for lunch, which would be in a few minutes.

As if on cue, Obi-Wan entered the room, which was Padmé's office. Siri was leaning against Padmé's desk, growing steadily more restless as that same odd feeling that she'd been experiencing for days bothered her.

"Ready?" she asked. They had a lot to talk about, and most of the conversation couldn't be held within these walls.

Obi-Wan nodded, and the two made a subtly hasty departure. Once they were far from the senate building, Siri blew out a breath of relief.

"It's like the air in that building is poisonous," she muttered.

"Some days it might as well be," Obi-Wan admitted.

"So what's going on between you and Padmé?" Siri asked.

"I already said it's best you don't know."

"Yeah, and I agreed until I realized how much of a rift it was causing. Spit it out. You said Padmé was getting emotionally invested."

"I'm afraid she's going to do something rash." He sighed.

Siri furrowed her brow, slightly confused about his concern. "Obi, if she were going to do that, she would have done it last night when the initial panic set in."

Obi-Wan relaxed his facial expression a little. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

The two reached their favorite lunch venue and sat at an outdoor table; the day was cloudy, but it was actually dry, so they'd enjoy what little exposure to the light they could get.

Siri leaned on the table to talk quietly to her husband. "I've been wondering… do you think Organa got the message to our protector before he was arrested?"

Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know. That's probably the least of our concerns right now."

"I don't think so," Siri almost snapped. "That guy is supposed to be protecting Padmé. I'd say that's pretty kriffing important."

"He's supposed to be protecting her from outside threats… but right now the biggest threat is herself."

"Obi, relax about her," Siri rolled her eyes. "I already told you I'm the worst out of us. I'm behaving. She will too."

Before Obi-Wan could reply, the sound of a chair scraping caught their attention. Siri turned her head, and she caught a glimpse of Al just as she suspected that it might be him. The Zabrak turned the chair backwards and sat on it, folding his arms over the back and resting his chin on them. "Afternoon, lovebirds."

"We weren't expecting you," Obi-Wan said softly, wordlessly asking if something was wrong.

"Nice greeting," Al laughed. "I feel loved right now."

"You're interrupting our schmaltzy romance time," Siri jested, but she too was wondering why he was there without any prior notice.

"I figured you'd want an update. My life is pretty exciting, you know."

The two immediately put on false smiles and the usual façade of meeting with an old friend. "Your life is definitely interesting. Tell us all about it."

"Well," Al began animatedly. "First off, I got lost on this kriffing planet. This city's way too big. Secondly, my buddies in that club I joined a few years back said they could help find a new place for our political friends to stay, but it'll probably take a week; you know how tough times have been for them, after all. Thirdly, I'm going to make another call to them tonight, so I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch again tomorrow, same time and place."

"Not much of an update," Siri scoffed. It would take over a week to rescue Organa and Mothma? Did they even have that long?

Al pouted. "I thought it was a big deal."

Siri had to laugh at his expression, and Obi-Wan said with a gentle smile, "It is helpful, thank you. We'll happily have lunch with you tomorrow. Try not to get lost again, okay?"

Al sighed heavily. "I'll do my best, but that guy is kriffing hard to find."

"Good luck, then," Siri nodded.

Al stayed for a while longer simply for the company, but then he eventually departed (after ordering food and making Obi-Wan and Siri foot the bill, much to her annoyance). The two returned to the senate building and met up with Padmé to relay the news. Something in her expression made Siri understand why Obi-Wan was worried; she looked convinced about something and didn't seem as dejected as Siri had felt at hearing how long it would take to rescue the Rebel leaders. She acknowledged the information and then no one was able to discuss the matter further due to the afternoon session. Siri spent the rest of her day brooding over the situation, training the handmaiden, and that funny feeling she'd had since New Year's began. As the hours ticked by and she had less to do, different possibilities started running through her head, and since she finally had the chance to just stop and think about it, she was beginning to grow worried… and suspicious. She was starting to get an inkling as to what this feeling was, and the realization was startling enough to merit immediate attention. As soon as the session ended, she gave Cordé instructions and let her look after the handmaiden, and Siri immediately left the building alone.