The Power to Save Her
Chapter 5
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. And again, I use some lines from Empire Strikes Back.
Important Note: I will not follow comics/legends characters or concepts closely, if at all. My knowledge is strictly on the that of the movies and a more mainstream knowledge of Star Wars. Though I may reference events and things outside of the movies, I do not claim to know the material on a deeper level.
She was close now. She knew it. Troopers were passing by while she hid behind a stack of metal crates, the synchronized footsteps marching on the polished floors. Directly in front of her was the door to the transmissions room, which she could use to warn Luke. The halls of this side of the ship were grey and narrow. Her hiding spot now as cramped, though she dared not move while the officers present spoke with their soldiers.
On her way to this narrow hiding place, she had to be extremely careful not to run into troopers or officers. It was a mixture of both luck and skill. It was true that she was no spy, but she'd been on enough covert missions during the Clone Wars. Memories of several missions during that time came to mind where she'd nearly died, and she marveled at her ability to survive. Aside from the fact that it'd been dangerous, dealings with the Separatist leaders had never been something she'd been comfortable. Especially outside the political arena, but in those days, she did what needed to be done.
In those days, however, she'd been much less physically and emotionally drained. Feeling the effects of her illness flare up in waves of exhaustion, she rested for a good minute. Medics had called it muscle loss and she concurred with that assessment. Even now, she could feel muscles shake with the exertion. For now, the crates provided acceptable cover, so she allowed herself time.
She thought of Luke, now grown and presumably aligning himself with these Rebels and felt a tinge of pride at this. Though the idea that her child was in direct danger of his own father was appalling, his support of her same ideals was something she took pride in. Her mind went back to the conversation she'd just had with her husband. During this, he'd sworn never to turn Luke over to the Emperor, though not much else. Anakin probably believed he was protecting Luke by hunting him, but to her, it showed a possessive side to him that she'd witnessed being directed towards herself in her last days alive. In Anakin's quest to protect her, he'd done the opposite, along the way destroying everything he'd once held dear.
Though she'd made up her mind to help Luke, was she to leave Anakin behind? Was he to be given more chances to change or should she give up on him entirely? Padmé thought on this while she waited there. She thought of the people that surrounded him now, men who feared him and an evil Sith Lord watching his every move. Was there anyone else to whom he could turn for answers? Certainly not. He'd killed or attempted to kill everyone who could've spoken sense to him, and at that a realization came over her.
The Emperor had isolated him on purpose. Though it was by Anakin's hands that these people had been executed, it was Palpatine's plan to get him all alone with her. Palpatine knew she'd be too weak to be a real threat to Anakin, even if she managed to make him come to his senses. By making Anakin solely reliant on him, Palpatine essentially had total control of his apprentice. The thought was sobering, which made the decision she was to make a difficult one.
Luke had friends, and though not safe, had support. There wasn't much she could do other than warn him, but she had to try. Anakin still had good deep down, and she'd regret it if she left him now. She knew that for certain, even if she didn't know if he was capable of change. She had to try.
Quietly now, she peered over the crates at the room, watching as several communications officers came and left. She had to be sure that this was the room before sealing herself within. She was aware that sneaking away wasn't an option, or even a possibility now. This was a high traffic area and no amount of smooth talking would get her out.
Her decision now made, she waited for the right moment to approach.
The bridge of the Executor was busy with Imperial officers collecting data and navigating the ship. They were also frantically searching for the famous Rebel ship that had disappeared on Captain Needa's watch. Seeing his body lying on the floor was enough motivation to push them forward, even if it had been moved over an hour ago. They couldn't be bothered to acknowledge the bounty hunters, who they considered scum, gathered above them as Lord Vader gave instruction.
"... there will be a substantial reward for the one who finds the Millennium Falcon. You are free to use any methods necessary, but I want them alive.", Vader stopped at the man in Mandalorian armor. "No disintegrations."
"As you wish.", replied Boba Fett.
They all filed out of the bridge, each to their own ship as Vader turned down the command walkway, glancing through the viewport of stars. Though Piett had suggested they'd jumped to lightspeed and could be on a course many lightyears away, Vader thought otherwise. Had they that capability, they wouldn't be taking such desperate maneuvers to avoid their TIE fighters.
Skywalker's friends were close. He could feel it.
"Lord Vader."
"What is it Admiral?", demanded Vader, not turning to face Piett.
"There's unauthorized access to the data centers. Though my men are working to open the doors as we speak, it seems the culprit has jammed the doors."
Padmé.
"Come with me Admiral.", commanded Vader, marching down the stairs, towards the blast doors of the bridge. Piett hesitated for a moment but followed.
"My Lord, the search for the Millennium Falcon—"
"Can be conducted by the bounty hunters.", here Vader paused, and lowered his voice. He made sure no one was close enough to overhear. "I require discreet personnel. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Lord Vader.", nodded Piett, his memory flashing to the woman he'd seen in Vader's private quarters.
Then they headed straight for the nearest turbolift.
The room was relatively small, a duty post in one corner, while the other side held a terminal. There existed a soft humming as the machinery continually processed data from different channels across the galaxy and channels between the fleet of star destroyers. She'd already jammed the doors after convincing two of the officers that they were needed elsewhere. Though she didn't think her plan would work, and she'd need to resort to physical force, they believed her. She could still see the surprised looks on their faces before the door sealed shut in their faces. After securing the doors, she felt herself growing weak from the long bouts of standing. She was glad she hadn't needed to resort to physical force, for she surely would've failed.
Knowing there was limited time to figure out what was going on, she seated herself at the terminal, playing back communications. Though she could hear the officers knocking on the doors, she listened to all recent transmissions that'd passed between the fleet of star destroyers. She learned the name, Captain Solo, the presumed captain of the Millennium Falcon. There were several minutes of utter chaos as the Imperials described the ship outmaneuvering their TIE fighters before there was silence.
"Where'd it go?", an Imperial demanded on one ship, while the one reporting its movements stayed quiet. The outgoing transmission continued. "Lord Vader is demanding an update."
At this she grew cold, hearing her husband's other name being used by these men. Quietly she shook it off, going back to the earlier transmissions about the Falcon. She listened well for several minutes and by the end of it felt a sense of relief. There was no indication of her son being aboard.
Now that she knew he wasn't in immediate danger; she began searching the recent transmissions for any conversations between the Emperor and his apprentice. For several minutes she searched, finding absolutely nothing on this. A grim realization began setting in her. Though she'd known it was likely before coming here, it was now with certainty that conversations involving the ruler of the galaxy were instantly deleted from existence. Most likely a safety protocol. Beginning to feel like this venture was a complete waste she leaned back in the chair, even as the blast doors creaked from the officers trying to get back inside. Though she'd been ignoring them before, she could hear them demanding that she let them in.
Then she remembered the radio chatter about the Falcon and an idea sprung in her mind. Though she wasn't able to warn Luke herself or find any more information regarding him, she might be able to pass the message along. She leaned towards the console, examining the data on the screen carefully. To find the ship in question, she'd need to search the list of recently jammed enemy ships. At the top was a Corellian freighter, which matched the description that the Imperials gave. It was short work to remove the scrambling signal and open a communication line to the hunted ship.
She took a breath and began the recording, hoping that Solo or anyone aboard that ship could hear her.
"Hello, my name is Padmé Amidala. Though you may not know me, I know Luke Skywalker. I send this message to beg that you warn him of this: both Vader and the Emperor want him for nefarious purposes. Be sure that he stays away from the Empire at any cost. I do not have time to explain why they want him, as Imperial troops are at the door as I speak, but I can tell you it's because he's descended from a powerful Jedi. Please warn him away, you're my only hope to save him."
The prerecorded message was sent to the ship, wherever it was, and she let out a breath. Then she deleted the history of her message. The officers outside the door were growing in numbers, though she found she didn't care.
She simply remained, waiting for them to finally break through.
Unknown to Padmé, the recording made it to the console aboard the Millennium Falcon attached to the back of a star destroyer. The recording crackled to life. Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa temporarily stopped their bickering to listen to this message play, though they dare not respond to its Imperial source.
Leia felt something within her respond deeply to this woman. She couldn't explain it, but there was something overtly familiar about her. The way she looked and how she sounded. Though she knew not why, a sudden rush of sadness overcame her as she watched this woman beg them to save Luke.
Soon enough, the recording ended, and Han turned to her with confusion.
"Do you know who that was?", he asked, seeing her face. She shook her head.
"No… but I feel like I should."
Vader and Piett appeared at the end of the corridor, seeing a mass of officers and storm troopers, gathered by the doors. Several of them stiffened at Vader's arrival, but the Sith ignored them. He could feel their fear in the Force.
"Those of you who aren't assigned here, go back to your duties.", commanded Piett and much of the crowd dispersed. Only three officers remained, one of them working on the door panel.
Calmly, Vader turned his whole body to the door, and waved his black gloved hand to cause the mechanism to unlock. Instantly, the door went shooting up, and Vader marched through, followed by Piett. He found her calmly sitting down by the console station, posture straight, almost expectant at his arrival. He felt ire rise within him, but he quelled it for her sake.
"This is your new aide Piett?", intoned Vader, as planned. Padmé's eyebrows shot up, but otherwise kept her face neutral.
"Yes, Lord Vader, though clearly very lost.", Piett stated, trying and failing to give a disapproving glare. His acting would probably be comparable to actors caught in a bad holodrama. Inwardly, Vader sighed, but decided there wasn't much to do about it. The Sith could see Padmé face stiffen and, even after all these years, he knew that this was the expression she commonly used whenever she was hiding a smile. Piett continued, stilted, "I told you to wait in the hanger."
"My apologies Admiral Piett.", replied Padmé, playing along a little more naturally. Anybody who knew her would see she was barely sincere. To the three officers in the room, however, she was clearly apologetic.
"Why'd you lock the door?", asked one of the officers, though he stepped back when Vader turned to glare at him.
"I tried to open the door", Padmé claimed, innocence on her face. "…but I believe the lock broke on itself."
"That's the jamming button miss.", replied one of the officers, after examining the control panel for the door. He looked at her as though she was one Jawa short of a Sandcrawler.
"Enough of this.", interrupted Vader impatiently. "Piett, be sure that this new aide of yours doesn't wander off."
"Yes, Lord Vader.", Piett replied and motioned Padmé forward.
Padmé stood and followed the Admiral out of the room, while Vader stayed behind, no doubt instilling fear into his men for letting their guard down. She kept quiet while the stiff man, claiming to be her superior, led her down the hallways. To where, she didn't exactly know but she obeyed, seeing as she'd no other choice. The hallways were crawling with troopers. Though they barely turned their heads with the Admiral present, she could feel them watching her. Most likely to do with her regal clothing.
They finally arrived in the same corridor she'd left, though the room they entered was not Lord Vader's private quarters. Instead, it was a room, not dissimilar to where she'd been before, which also had a viewport. The Admiral gestured her inside and she obeyed. He followed her. The door closed and he let out a breath of relief, though he didn't speak with her. In fact, it looked as though he was avoiding eye contact altogether.
"Admiral Piett, thank you for the escort, but why the cover?", spoke Padmé, and the Admiral looked surprised by her discussion.
"I'd find it better, if we waited for Lord Vader to explain things.", replied the Admiral crisply, though he wasn't harsh.
"You're afraid of him.", observed Padmé and the man looked at her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Then in a voice, not dissimilar to the one she used while Queen of Naboo, she spoke, "No harm will come to you. I'll make sure of it."
The Admiral looked both skeptical and surprised by her words but was cut off from replying by the door hissing open. Her husband stepped through. His mechanical breathing filled the room.
"Admiral Piett, your job is done. Return to bridge.", commanded Vader, and at once the man bowed and left the room.
The door hissed shut.
"What possessed you to believe you could get away?", demanded Vader, voice on edge, beginning to pace the smaller dark room.
"I wasn't trying to escape.", she replied, keeping her tone even. Feeling exhaustion in her body, she sat down on a bench that was behind her.
"What did you plan on doing, sending a message to the boy?", demanded Vader, crossing his arms. He was stiff, but he used the Force to gage her truthfulness.
"No.", she replied, though she offered no alternative answer. Vader could feel the truth of her words.
"Or… perhaps you'd planned on getting Solo to come for you.", Vader continued and Padmé sighed knowing the that pretending nothing was amiss was futile. Vader paused to stand directly in front of her. "You're too late. They're gone."
"Not what I heard over the chatter.", Padmé replied raising an eyebrow, looking up at his looming form. "The ship simply disappeared off the radar."
"You believe them to still be here?", Vader asked, impressed that she came to the same conclusion as he did. He still stood in front of her, crossing his arms.
"Well if they aren't now, they certainly were.", she replied, smoothing out the regal funeral gown. Vader glanced down at the shimmering material, a feeling of aversion overcoming him.
"What possessed you to wear that?", asked Vader, thinking it morbid. She blinked a couple times and looked down to her attire. She glanced up at him, brows furrowed.
"I don't have much else.", she shrugged, not knowing what else to say.
"Well you will, seeing as you're to be Piett's aide.", Vader spoke deeply, a clear irritation in his tone. Padmé perked up at his words. He could feel her curiosity in the Force.
"I thought that was just a cover story.", she asked, trying to keep her voice neutral. The ex-senator began thinking of all she could learn and do, no longer trapped in a secluded room.
"It is, and it will continue to be until you are transferred off this ship.", Vader continued, clearly not pleased with the idea. He could think of so many things that could go wrong, but he had no choice. Spies of the Emperor were everywhere.
"You mean, once you can hide me away again.", Padmé stated, reading between the lines. He could see the glimmer in her warm eyes diminish significantly.
"I don't have much a choice.", was all Vader said
"You do.", Padmé retorted firmly, her voice rigid. She pursed her lips. "And we both know it."
"You don't understand.", muttered Vader turning away. Anger spiked from her in the Force.
"I don't understand what? Loss or death?", asked Padmé, her voice sounding like her regal Queen Amidala persona. She stood up, even as his back was to her. "I've seen friends die before my eyes, my people slaughtered, and the man I love turn away from the right path. Both are familiar to me, but I never made you swear to stay out of the fight. Every time you left for the Outer Rims, were moments I believed you could never come back."
"I can protect myself.", protested Vader firmly, trying to make her see. He turned to see the unchanged rigidness of her face.
"No one lives forever Anakin and look at yourself." Padmé gestured to his suit. Vader suddenly felt the weight of the armor and respirator for the first time in years. "Were you able to protect yourself?"
"Kenobi confined me to this.", spat out the Sith, a harsh edge coming over his tone. "It's his fault I'm this way."
"That's another thing Anakin.", Padmé stated, not taking the excuse, surprising him with her cold fury. "You take responsibility for things that aren't in your control, but not things you are clearly at fault for. Do you really believe Obi-Wan wanted to fight you?"
"He sided with those who wished to take power. He was a traitor.", argued Vader, almost growling the words. In his mind he saw Kenobi fighting with him while the lava danced in the air around them.
"Putting aside the people you slaughtered at the temple, do you truly believe your mentor, your friend would do this to you unprovoked?", Padmé argued, keeping his gaze.
"You know nothing of the Jedi or the Council.", Vader stated, moving the subject away from his old master. "They all feared me."
"Perhaps some did, but what about those who believed in you? Were they traitors?", Padmé argued, her gaze steely. "Or were they just obstacles on your master's quest for power?"
"I'm aware the Emperor used me as a means to a political end", conceded Vader, knowing that not all the Jedi were traitors. "but that doesn't change the fact that the Order would sooner stand by while innocents die, rejoicing in their oneness with the force, than do something to stop it."
"And who was it, that condemned them to die?", she asked, trying to get him to see the hypocrisy. "Surely there were innocents among them."
"The ideology had to die, with both the innocent and guilty.", reasoned Vader, standing firm in his actions. Underneath, he flinched at her words. Long after the massacre of the temple, on Mustafar, he'd finally allowed himself to feel remorse.
"Then your argument fails.", Padmé staring up at him. He remained quiet, allowing her to tear down his wall of excuses. "Innocents were never the people you were protecting from the Order. Your notion of justice and love, are skewed."
"Love? What does love have to do with it?", demanded Vader, incredulous.
"Unselfish love, compassion. Doing what's best for someone, despite personal feelings?", began Padmé, trying to clarify her meaning. "You cannot execute perfect justice without first understanding this. Otherwise it's not justice."
"Right and wrong are a point of view.", argued Vader, strangely emulating the words his master once perpetuated. "You'll always be seen as evil from one side."
"Then why is it that you're so in both sides?", she demanded, gesturing to the whole room. "You terrorize your own men, your own Admiral fears you, and hunt down your own son, and for what?"
"It's to keep you safe.", insisted Vader, almost aggressively.
"No, it's to have ownership over me, just as you want ownership of your son.", she said, anchored in the truth she'd discovered too late.
"What would I do to show you I love you?", asked Vader, voice soft. He could see the arguing taking a toll on her. She had dark circles under her eyes, though the conviction remained.
"You let me go, or you come with me, leaving this all behind.", she stated with feeling. Vader saw her reach both hands out, clasping his gloved hands. The hair that framed her face was glowing in the starlight. "You let me, and our son go. Free from this mess of the Empire."
"The Empire is a mess", agreed Vader, dropping her hands and turning to the other side of the room. She watched his posture, rigid. "…which is why I plan on overthrowing the Emperor."
"If you truly hated the Empire, you'd come with me and join the Rebels.", Padmé declared obstinately, knowing he'd never accept this.
"Don't be ridiculous.", Vader replied, derisive at the idea.
"Then at least act like you're listening to me.", she demanded, her heart aching. "I want you to change Anakin, I want to hope, but if you keep going down this path, you'll have already lost me."
Vader grew silent at this, knowing she was right. Even now he could see that her claim was in earnest and it hadn't been the first time she'd said so. You're going down a path I can't follow, she cries in his memory. He knew that he'd grown so possessive that he'd sooner cut off her life force than see her leave his side. A familiar feeling of remorse filled him at having mercilessly choked the air from her lungs. Despite this knowledge, he can't let her go yet.
"You'll be given a freer reign of this ship tomorrow, but hangers and escape pods will be heavily guarded.", spoke Vader, finally giving her a little freedom. Unable to look at her, he fled the room. The door sealing shut.
A/N: So, the idea of an aide is almost that of an intern, though in the Star Wars universe. I did research on aides, though the only I could find were ones for the Emperor, so I decided to make up a new class/group for Imperials.
Yeah, I know that the bounty hunters were sent to hunt the Falcon BEFORE they escaped the asteroid field and hid on a star destroyer, but I'm altering it on the basis that Vader needs to find the ship again since it disappeared out of nowhere. Soon, there'll be bigger divergences from canon.
Special shoutout to RyanSquad, Jeda31, and DawnDayrider for reviewing my last chapter! Many thanks to searth05 who suggested new material I could explore to understand Vader better! Thank you to those who've favorited or followed my story! We've officially passed the 1,000 views mark of people who've read my work! I love that interest is continually being shown. I hope I continue to write a story you enjoy! If you have any thoughts, whether it be constructive criticism, ideas, or an expression of enjoyment, I enjoy reading them. I read every single review and respond to all of them, as I enjoy discussing Star Wars :) Thank you all!