Padmé cursed herself. Maybe her critics were right, and she was too naive for her own good. The civil war on Ryloth was, unfortunately for the Republic, pretty typical of the unrest that had been spreading from system to system. Certainly the sheer corruption and greed on both sides differentiated this conflict from others, though its death toll was, sadly, below average thresholds. Both sides seemed so horrible that Padmé had not thought that either could get any worse on such a provincial level, that the two sides, on at least certain levels of the conflict, would collude with each other, with the people being the innocent victims. She should have known better, of course, having studied under Palpatine himself, and it rung her as ironic that this was what her old master had ultimately planned for the entire galaxy.

She could blame some of her oversight on the Jedi. Obi-Wan was undoubtedly a distraction, and she had lent too much of her focus on planning around him. It was too many moving parts, and the way everything had worked out perfectly up until their capture had made her complacent. It showed her that while she was the senior Sith of the galaxy, she had not reached Sidious's mastery yet, though another voice asked if she really wanted to. Her first goal was to get them out of this mess in the first place. One solution was that they unleash the full extent of their powers, and the rest would be easy enough, but the only problem was that they would have to kill Obi-Wan, who would undoubtedly be a witness to their true nature.

I'm sorry, Padmé. I couldn't control myself. I failed us.

Beside her, Anakin looked worse for wear even though she was the one who had taken the brunt of their physical punishment. He was obviously distraught at his mistake, letting his guard down in front of a Jedi and almost giving away their identity. Hell, the sheer force of his outburst could have revealed itself across far more systems had she not shielded it. While Padmé blamed herself for placing him in such a situation, that was also the point of his trial as well, to control himself when things were beyond their control.

None of us are without fault, Ani. We got lucky this time, but it was too close. Don't make the same mistake again.

The two of them had to communicate silently because of the presence of the Jedi next to them in their cell. Obi-Wan stared glumly had the floor, mulling on his failure as well. At this moment, his lament was that he trusted the Senator and the boy Qui-Gon had claimed to be the Chosen One too much.

"Milady, is it a Naboo military custom," he finally said, feigning deference, "to strand all your diplomats in the middle of a battle with no backup and surrounded by the enemy?"

Anakin turned and glared at him, but Padmé, her hands still bound behind her, leaned gently in to tap her shoulder against his, trying to pacify him.

"Clearly the negotiations were a farce anyway if Ventress is in league with the rebels. We would have ended up like this regardless."

Obi-Wan grumbled. Even in captivity Amidala could score debate points against him. "I would have preferred less explosions either way."

"If both armies are hostile, then both their numbers have been reduced. Isn't that a good thing?"

He wondered at the woman who had been Queen nine years ago. Naboo claimed to be a pacifist planet, but even then, Amidala had not hesitated to sacrifice thousands of Gungan lives in battle. That she, then as now, was willing to put her own life on the line did not make things better for him. "The Jedi never take deaths lightly, especially not on such a large scale."

"It's not her fault," Anakin said weakly in between the two. "We tried to help. We freed slaves, and we saved the people of Rajar."

"If Ventress is in league with the rebels, then what makes you think the city is any safer than it was before your stunts?" At least Obi-Wan was able to turn the Senator's arguments against her young husband. Force, it made it ever clearer that she was taking advantage of the kid, being far wiser in the ways of the world than him.

The cell door opened, and in came Ventress along with Hondo and two other Weequay Pirates. Without a word, the lead pirate grabbed a handful of Padmé's hair and ripped it forward, throwing her across the room and shoving her face down onto the ground, ignoring Anakin's screams of panic.

"My own brother was among the ones you slaughtered last night," Hondo said.

"Your brother is a vile dealer of slaves then," Padmé said defiantly from the floor.

With a swift kick he delivered a painful blow to her abdomen. "Bitch! Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life."

As he and two of the other pirates moved in, Anakin strained against his binders, the only thing preventing him from exploding were pleading eyes, half blocked by her hair, now red from her own blood, telling him, begging him that he had to control himself. The three pirates slammed their prisoner with kicks and punches for what seemed like hours to Anakin, and while he managed not to let loose the full might of his dark powers, his body rocked back and forth at he slammed himself against the wall, against Obi-Wan, wailing in pain and anger as he felt each blow, each piece and parcel of his wife's pain as his own.

Finally, mercifully, they stopped, and it broke every tendril of his heart to see the pirate drag Padmé back onto the bench by her hair, her body completely limp and frail. There was no Sith magic that could help her here, as she struggled to sit upright, her hands still bound behind her, but she vowed not to give her enemies the satisfaction of seeing her fall. As if his repulsion couldn't get any worse, he watched as the pirate knelt down so he was face to face before his wife, and licked her face from her chin up over her mouth and nose, absorbing blood and tears alike with his disgusting tongue. Even Obi-Wan, veteran of countless missions for the Jedi, cringed at the sight.

"Kept her face pretty for the auction. For the most part." Hondo turned his attention over to Anakin. "Don't care about yours though." He punched him squarely in the jaw, and only a slight dodge helped him prevent the pirate from breaking something in his face.

As they pulled him to the ground and subjected him to the same treatment they had just put Padmé through, Anakin gritted his teeth and relished the pain. This was his punishment, he screamed to himself. He deserved this, for failing Padmé, for leaving her vulnerable, for letting her feel pain. Whatever she went through, he deserved a hundredfold. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to endure the torture, amplifying even his senses, so that he would never forget the price of failure. Not the price he paid, but the price his angel paid.

"Enough," Obi-Wan's voice rang through the small cell. He looked defiantly at Ventress. "Pick on someone your own size, will you."

"You'll get yours, Jedi. But not now." She motioned at the pirates. "Bring these two to the interrogation room."

One of the underlings lifted Anakin up by his very sore shoulder, and neither he nor Padmé fought back as they were led down a narrow hallway.

She's afraid of us, Padmé sent over through their bond. She wants to break us, because she doesn't know what we are capable of.

Are you hurt, Anakin asked simply. He tried to give a kriff about the bigger picture, to worry about how they planned to get themselves out of this mess, but he could think about nothing else except seeing Padmé so helplessly in pain.

I'll survive. I've been through much worse. Thoughts of her time with Sidious came to her. There's a reason Ventress lied to Obi-Wan. She wants to use us. We can take advantage of that.

She's taking advantage of us by merely existing. I'll end her. I'll end all of them.

Not without patience, Ani. You did well, not reacting in there. I love you, but you need to focus on the mission. Obi-Wan's right. We will jeopardize all that we saved if we don't.

Padmé stopped in the middle of her conversation when Ventress snapped her head back at the two. She could swear she felt something buzzing within the Force, but was not close to being attuned enough to understand what was going on. There were a few ways to play this, Padmé thought. She could reveal the full truth to her and offer to teach her, to become her master. The woman may be intrigued by such an offer, or she could be threatened, her pride insulted. Another option would be to play dumb and flatter the woman. Her and Anakin's skills lay at the most amateur level, and they were the ones who sought to truly learn the dark side. Had Anakin not revealed so much power, it could have been plausible, but Padmé had reason to believe Asajj would suspect such a ruse. The woman regarded her with suspicion as well, and she clearly sensed that Padmé had not been standing idly by as Anakin projected his rage for all to feel around them, yet leave an experienced Jedi none the wiser.

Follow my lead, Padmé said as they brought the two into another featureless room, this one with two chairs facing each other across a table. She's seen too much. We can't afford to underestimate her now.

"Leave Ohnaka," Ventress commanded as two of the pirates shoved their prisoners roughly into the stiff, uncomfortable chairs.

"With all due respect, we were the ones who captured them while you were on the ground."

Before he could finish his sentence, Hondo found himself flung violently into the hallway, landing unceremoniously against the wall. He looked back at the former Jedi, whose eyes brooked no further tolerance for dissent.

Hondo shook his head. He beckoned the other two pirates, indicating now was not the time to fight. "Same arrogance, whether they call themselves a Jedi or not," he muttered as he heard the cell door slam.

"What are you," Ventress hissed at them once they were alone.

"I'm Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo. Formerly their Queen. This is my husband, Captain Anakin Skywalker, head of my security. We are here to nego..."

"Don't waste my time." She glared at the younger boy. "That stunt you pulled out there. Who taught you?"

"Have you heard of the Sith," Padmé said plainly.

"Stupid question, senator." She moved to slap her, but stopped. Something in the politicians eyes made her realize that this was not the right approach. "I felt his power when he attacked me. It was..." glorious, magnificent, overwhelming, frightening "...something to behold."

"What do you know of the Trade Federation Crisis, Commander?"

Ventress nodded. The fact that senator had bothered to learn her official title, recognizing her authority and willing to address her as such on a formal level, was an encouraging sign. "I read your files."

"What those files didn't include," Padmé started, as if her body wasn't bloodied and bruised, as if she were in the middle of a committee meeting or power lunch, "was that the Jedi who accompanied me on Tatooine recognized in Anakin power on an unprecedented scale...potential unlike any other Jedi before or since." She could tell she had Ventress hooked. "Master Qui-Gon believed Anakin to be the Chosen One of the Force itself, the embodiment of an ancient prophecy. From what I overheard, my husband's midi-chlorian count exceeds that of master Yoda."

"Lies," Ventress said weakly, not fully believing her own words, not after what she had experienced today.

"Search your feelings," Padmé said, seeing through the woman's uncertainty. "You know this to be true."

"What are you to him? Does the boy speak? Are you his mouthpiece?"

"Don't talk to my wife like that," Anakin threatened, and for a moment Ventress thought she caught a hint of yellow in his blue eyes. The same sickening color she had seen in the desert. Ventress smiled at the boy. He would be much easier to manipulate.

"You may be of some use, boy. But I don't need a translator. Tell me why I shouldn't sell your bitch to the highest bidder."

Anakin smirked. He had picked up a few pieces of Padmé's plan. "Then you'll lose whatever chance you have to contact the Sith."

"Explain."

"The Jedi Council refused Master Qui-Gon's request to train Anakin. He was too old, too attached to his mother, and to me." Ventress would not know her lie of omission, that the council had changed their minds, only to have Anakin turn them down instead, to train as a Sith. This was not public record, as none in the order wished to spread the word of a massively powerful and untrained child let loose into the galaxy, not with the belief that the Sith master was still out there. Now was the time to mix falsehoods with facts. "They did not want to lose all contact with the boy, of course, so the order sent various Jedi from time to time back to Naboo to check up on him. It's possible some masters took a liking to him. It's possible that some masters cared less for the more stringent instructions of their council."

"Obi-Wan?" Ventress back to the room where they were. "He trained Anakin?"

Padmé shook her head, but chose her words carefully, differently. "You'll never get him to admit it."

Seemingly satisfied, Ventress moved on. "What of the Sith?"

"The apprentice was killed on Naboo. The master seeks a new one."

A hush fell over the room, as Ventress could not betray the sheer fear she felt at the mention of a Sith master. Especially not after what she had already witnessed today...if that was only a fraction of the power..."you know the Sith master?"

Padmé nodded, looking sadly at Anakin. "He wishes to claim Anakin as his own."

"What does this have to do with you? If the Sith wants your husband, he'll rip him from you kicking and screaming."

Padmé's eyes narrowed. "Not with the Jedi monitoring him. Not overtly at least. But Anakin was made a ward of Naboo. I, as his sovereign, had the final say over the comings and goings of the Palace."

A smile began to form on Ventress's lips. She had underestimated the deviousness of this do-gooder Senator. "You controlled access to him. You whored the boy out to whoever wanted him, yet you accuse me of being the slave trader."

"One simply does not defy a Sith master and live to tell the tale," Padmé replied stonefaced. "I do what I must to survive. If my planet can benefit from it, all the better."

"Thus explaining the meteoric rise of Senator Amidala." Ventress broke into a laugh, fondling Anakin's chin, still coated with dry blood, as though he were a child. "Hear that, boy? That's what your wife thinks of you. You serve her as a slave, only instead of controlling you with a chip, she uses her position, and when that dried up, her cunt."

"I love him," Padmé broke in, speaking fiercely from the heart, yet allowing herself to keep interspersing her lies with the truth. "Not everything is an absolute, Ventress."

"You'll see the absolute when your Sith friend doesn't need you anymore," Ventress snapped back. "So you'll use the boy again. You'll trade him now for your life, your freedom."

"Where we go, we go together."

"Don't you see he's toying with you," Ventress started, then stopped. She wanted to tell this self-important Senator that she was being used just as crudely, that once the Sith saw the opportunity, he would use her death and pain to break the boy and cement his allegiance to the Dark Side. Asajj knew enough of the Sith to understand that, but she would allow the uppity bitch to keep her illusion. It would make the final break all that painful, and with any luck, Asajj would be there to witness it herself. "We have a deal," she stated.

"The safety of Rajar is..."

"None of your business," Ventress hissed. The do-gooder aspect of this Senator was contemptible, even infuriating to her. Obviously Amidala was overcompensating, trying to ease her conscience from having made a deal with the Sith master for the soul of the boy she thought she loved. A boy who could be a powerful weapon, wasted in the doting arms of this perverse guardian/wife relationship. "Connect me with your Sith master, and you will keep your pretty little body. That is all. Maybe even your freedom, if your precious senate doesn't throw you in jail for all the crimes you committed on Ryloth."

She waved the door open, and the two pirates waiting outside escorted them to the command room. The rebel leader Hondo was already waiting for them, a blaster pointed at Obi-Wan's back, and they watched in horror as their transport approached the city. Ventress stood at the head and entered in a frequency, and seconds later the holo of the mayor appeared before them.

"Mayor Paan Thothlis," emphasizing the man's family name, "do you still stand with your clans?"

"We are loyal to the Governor, commander," the mayor replied glumly.

"I understand you have illegally acquired munitions due to the actions of a few rogue players, individuals who will not longer be able to provide you with any further assistance. I will forgive you your transgressions as they are understandable, so long as you lay down your arms now and open up the gates of the city."

Both Anakin and Padmé moved to scream, but Ventress immediately lit her lightsaber and pointed it at Padmé's neck. Anakin looked warily at Obi-Wan, reminded of the Jedi's presence, though Obi-Wan himself interpreted it as a plea for help from the boy, help that he was currently unable of giving.

"I will do as commanded," Paan said sadly, about to end the transmission and for once, Anakin couldn't fault him for his fatalistic attitude. Not with the combined weight of the entire loyalist and rebel armies outside his city, ready to destroy them.

"There is more," Ventress continued. "I am informed that the rogue agents of the Republic illegally confiscated property they had no right to during last night's raid. I demand its return."

The mayor's blue lekkus twitched nervously, seeming to even pale. "Commander Ventress...surely the...contractors you speak of...I was informed that they belonged to rebel forces."

"Rebel or not, they are Ryloth. The fight is not so simple now. The Republic seeks to impose its will, inciting offworld agents to violate Rylothian sovereignty. I have the full authority of the Governor to end this threat before it spreads."

"Obi-Wan," Padmé yelled, grabbing the Jedi's attention. She spoke to Ventress, but her eyes never drifted from the Jedi. "The Republic cares about the people of Ryloth. If we overstepped, we apologize. But as a part of the ongoing negotiations, I have one more condition. If you turn it down, I will have no choice but to rely on our Jedi advisor."

"Condition," Ventress asked, looking uneasily at Kenobi, realizing too late Padmé's secret message to her. "You would sacrifice yourself for...them?"

They were both tied in with the Sith now...in the eyes of the Jedi, complicit, and apparently this senator with her sudden rash of conscience was willing to throw away her own life by revealing the Sith master to the Jedi, as well as Ventress's desire to seek him. Anakin would be safe to an extent, as the Sith master clearly coveted the boy, but Amidala would immediately have voided her own usefulness and incur the full wrath of the Sith. Ventress imagined she would be hounded by both orders, and were she caught by the Jedi, she doubted they were strong enough to protect her. She could slaughter the Jedi if Amidala revealed their secret to him, but apparently that discretion was the only thing holding back the boy from using his full powers, and there was no doubt that regardless of the body count, whatever happened in that aftermath would invariably attract the attention of the Sith master.

"Name your one condition," Ventress finally relented to everyone's shock besides Padmé's.

"You and the rebel captain Hondo Ohnaka," she made sure to spell out the rebel presence and commander, "have enough troops combined to wipe out Rajar, despite its recent acquisition of arms. While I'm sure you will do your best to prevent civilian casualties, we all know that even the smallest miscommunication in such a volatile environment can have the deadliest of consequences. No one wants a slaughter, not yourself, and not the mayor. The army does not need to enter the city. This transport is large enough to carry all of the...contraband you wish to reacquire. Bring it and it alone before the city gates, and I have faith the Mayor will honor his duty to his clans. If there is any trickery or ill-intent, then you can still be assured that your army will achieve its ends."

Ventress studied the senator for several tense minutes, trying to figure out her angle. There was a plot afoot, unless Amidala was truly that selfless, but she had little leverage at the moment. As the senator turned her gaze to her pirate, Ventress realized that she was sending her another hidden warning. She had made a deal with them, undermining her agreement with Hondo and his crew, leaving her the one person in the room with the most secrets to keep. They were still doomed to failure of course, outnumbered as they were, but somehow the stupid woman had managed to place her in a corner despite never leaving her chains.

"Very well. Mayor Thothlis, the exchange will happen exactly as the Senator described, and no harm will come to Rajar." Turning the comm off, she swore that she would not make a mistake in this critical moment.


Nightshade's sydneylover150: Everything's eventual, but for now, Padmé's shielding, learned from Palpatine himself, saves the day.