"Faster!", the stinking slaver barked as he kept pressing buttons on his data pad. "You!", he continued and hurried over to an extremely skinny zabrak. "You haven't lifted a finger all day! I told you to work!"
She received an intense shock. She only stopped jerking uncontrollably when she was already lying on the floor. Nuha turned from her, fear visible in her face. "They really are a lot more cruel here." Padmé gulped and gathered her courage.
She left her unfinished work, a few baskets she had to make, behind and hurried to the zabrak. "Are you alright?", she asked carefully as she helped her up. As soon as the woman was standing on her own again she began sobbing.
"Yes I am.", she whispered between sobs. "They don't give you food, do they?", Padmé asked, looking at the starved body of the zabrak. She shook her head. "I don't eat.", she admitted looking down at her feet.
Padmé cramped. "Why not? I know it tastes awful, but..." The zabrak interrupted her. "They separated me from my daughter. No one could understand what that is like." Padmé frowned.
"Trust me, I do. Both of my twins were taken from me and I don't even know where they are now." The zabrak looked up. "How can you...carry on?" Padmé shrugged.
"One day, I will get out of this. One day, I will find them again. Don't ever lose hope. It is all what those slavers can't take from us." The zabrak forced her mouth to form a weak smile. "Perhaps, there will be an opportunity to flee one day.", she said. Padmé nodded.
"Don't get me wrong, I hate the empire. But they do not allow slavery, and they will free us eventually." The zabrak snorted. "The empire robbed me of my home and gave me a life of poverty and fear. They're not the savior."
Padmé smirked and took the zabrak's hand into her own. "I know. They're evil. But they might come anyway. But if imagining that doesn't help, make up your own dream. It's easier if you believe that all of us will soon be free."
Nuha had strolled over to them, carrying her own and Padmé's baskets. "Let's just work a little.", she said. Padmé smiled at the zabrak. "If you see your daughter soon, you don't want to be weakened by all the shocks."
The three women sat down in a circle and began to work on their baskets, helping each other and talking about beloved old memories. "I met Thral on a refugee ship.", Nuha said, while her fingers were working the material with skill.
"He gave me his rations, because mine spilled over the floor.", she continued. "We just kept looking out for each other." Padmé smiled. "What about you?", she asked, turning to the zabrak.
"Who is your daughter's father?" Her face darkened. "I don't like to remember. There was no romantic love story. He was just a drunk who couldn't keep his hands to himself. His friends helped him." Padmé gulped.
"I'm sorry.", she said quietly. "And you?", the zabrak asked, trying to get the topic off her. Padmé noticed Nuha's glance. "We were just children when we met. We simply stayed together."
She had left out the part, in which she was a senator and he a jedi that had finally turned to the dark side. "He died when the empire rose, he never lived to see his children.", she added. "I'm sorry.", the zabrak said.
Padmé hadn't lied, she had merely left out a few important details. "He would have loved them.", Padmé added quietly. Then she smiled at Nuha. "Maybe one day, you and Thral will have children too. It's something to hope for."
A dreamy smirk spread on her lips. "If we ever get out of here. Yes, maybe." "We will. Don't even doubt it.", Padmé said. She did doubt it. Very much, in fact. But she had to stay optimistic, and not lose her hope.
In spite of herself, she hoped for the empire to find them. They were tyrants, but very strict about their rules. Or at least that was what she hoped. Would they even care, if they knew about their citizens that were practicing slavery?
Or did it have a too little effect on themselves? The big leaders, the aristocrats that were holding the strings, were doing everything for themselves. If they did anything, that didn't profit them directly, it was to demonstrate their cruelty.
But maybe, this fell into that category. Showing the galaxy, that they wouldn't stand for any broken laws, might cause the people to respect and fear the empire's power even more.
Padmé was only trying to make up explanations, so that she could hope it would all come true. Since that was what it was all about. The hope.
Obi Wan looked at the helmet in disgust, as Vader held it up. The jedi was already wearing the rest of the armor, only his face was visible. "How many clones died in that thing?", he asked and took it hesitantly.
"None. That gear comes straight from the factory.", Vader explained. Obi Wan had hidden his lightsaber under the armor, where it had been earlier, was now a common blaster. Vader couldn't imagine he would use it.
Ahsoka entered the room, leading the twins at her hands. They were wearing tiny black tunics, like young sith acolytes. They had to pretend, that they were educated like the Emperor ordered.
Seeing his children in the ancient traditional robes of the sith of korriban, gave Vader a revolting feeling. He swore to himself, that they wouldn't be pushed. Not by him, nor the jedi.
Both of them would choose for themselves, without the burden of traditions and expectations. And he swore to himself that they wouldn't lose themselves in either side of the force. They would never lose control, that he would make sure.
He knew that the twins would possess unstoppable powers, when they grew only a little older. They were already extraordinarily skilled. It wouldn't take long until they could summon force lightning in their sleep, or persuade even strong minds.
"You go first.", Vader said as the twins had walked over to Obi Wan. They had been told that he would take them to a trip, and that they might see their mother again. They were visibly excited about these news.
Vader only hoped that he wouldn't have to disappoint his children later. Obi Wan's face vanished under the white mask of a stormtrooper. "Do you remember your identification code?", Vader asked. Obi Wan only nodded.
If he was checked on, they would have to make sure that his cover wasn't blown. The doors opened and Obi Wan marched forward, the children followed him silently.
Vader had once explained them that outside the quarters were many bad people, and that they had to be careful. He watched as they walked away. He realized that they would be better of if he wasn't their father.
They would have a happier childhood. Now, they were only two years old, and yet so much was relying only on them. So much was at risk, so much danger surrounded them. More than they could even imagine.
Children at that age, were supposed to be playing outside without any worries or doubts, nor huge responsibilities. Luke and Leia had to pretend to be treated like soldiers, without even slightly understanding why.
Vader had read old recordings from Korriban. The way the sith were trained, was not pleasant, nor humane. They had been punished for even little mistakes, often even been severely tortured.
Everything on Korriban was about strengthening the sith's hatred, sorrow and pain. It reminded Vader of the way he himself was treated by the Emperor.
He had once read how an acolyte had lost a couple of fingers, because he had hesitated a little to destroy his fellow acolyte, that had been his friend for a long time.
Another part of his punishment had been, dissecting and burning his friend part by part. And children, not older than Luke or Leia had been forced to kill loved pets, that had been strapped down for them.
Vader looked down. His children would not be trained that way, and if Vader had to sacrifice his own life to ensure that, he wouldn't hesitate for a second.
"Your ship is already registered for autopilot. You have to pick up medications from an imperial hospital. It's on a space station, the coordinates are already programmed. You can use the same ship as last time.
Ahsoka nodded. "Noted. Anything else?" Vader shrugged. "Nothing new. You obviously have access to the military's tracking system, so you always know where the bounty hunters, I, and Obi Wan are."
Ahsoka saluted playfully before exiting the quarters. Vader turned away and sighed. He didn't like that Obi Wan had the children, he feared he would just take them away. But he couldn't.
He was using an imperial ship, Vader could find out where he went. And maybe Obi Wan even felt somewhat responsible to help finding Padmé after all. Vader had to put his worries aside for now.
As much as he hated it, he had to simply trust Obi Wan for the moment. Now he had to find Padmé, every single second counted, all he wanted at the moment was to get Padmé out of there.
He stared at his mask for a few moments, before grabbing it and hurrying out of his quarters. As he reached the hangar, Obi Wan had already left. Vader glanced to the ship Ahsoka was taking and saw the back of her Lekku vanishing inside.
Vader hoped, splitting up hadn't been a mistake. He entered his own fighter to get out of his mask again as soon as possible. Now that he had been freed of the mask, he felt claustrophobic whenever he was in it again.
He didn't understand how he even had the slightest bit of sanity left after he had spent two full years in it. The time that had passed since the surgery, had been weird. He had slowly remembered how it had been not to be in pain.
It was a somewhat familiar feeling, but he had almost forgotten it in all the time. And so much had happened too. Vader couldn't even imagine anymore, how he had lived only three weeks ago.
He had still thought Padmé had died on Mustafar, along with their unborn child. He had been a completely broken man. Vader gulped. He realized that he had been healing. He felt a little less empty inside.
He sat in front of the steering panel and set course to the imperial cruiser. He didn't exactly admire the ship's officer, but it was one of the bearable ones. Vader didn't even remember his name. It was admiral something. He sighed.
Padmé probably wasn't there. How could a slavery organization hide on an imperial war ship? The more he thought about it, the less it seemed possible. But on the other hand, no one would suspect it, no one would double check.
Maybe it made sense after all. In any case, he had to make sure. If Padmé was there, he would find her, and he would get her out. He remembered the years he had spent as a slave himself.
He had been merely a boy, and yet he had been beaten all the time. If Padmé had been harmed in any way... He clenched his hands to fists. He wasn't sure if he would leave anyone but the slaves alive, if the imperial cruiser was the right ship.