"Come," Padme heard Vader say, as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "I need to take you to the medical ward."
"Medical ward?" she repeated, her eyes full of concern. "But the Stormtrooper did not hurt me!"
"You need to take a couple of simple tests. Afterwards, I will take you to my private quarters, to eat and to rest."
Vader sensed the panic in Padme. Why was her face pale? Was she sick?
"What kind of tests?" the girl barely managed to say.
"DNA & midichlorian tests," Vader responded matter of factly. He saw Padme take a step back.
"Don't run, Padme. There is nothing to fear..." But she disagreed. and started running. But she only got a few feet away before she was frozen in place.
"Please! I can't!" Padme begged. Vader approached the girl. He knew she would run again. He unfroze her, then threw her up on his shoulders.
"Put me down!" Padme cried, trying unsuccessfully to escape.
"If you act like a child, you will be treated like a child," Vader scolded her, as he carried her away.
"You tried to kill my Stormtroopers, you tried to kill me, and yet you are afraid of the doctor?" he berated her as they entered the medical ward. Padme pounded on his armor, but was forced to stop when he placed her on the medical bed. A doctor approached the bedside. Padme's eyes widened in horror. He held the needle in his hand for the midichlorian test.
"Please don't!" Padme pleaded with Vader. "I know my midichlorian count. Please!"
"Why are you afraid? I know you are Force sensitive..."
"I'm not afraid of the results! Please Emperor! Don't make me do this!"
Padme would have continued to scream, but her voice stopped. She saw Vader's hand drew near, until it was touching her face.
"You are leaving me no choice here," Vader explained gruffly.
"Go ahead with the mind probe. Anything is better than the needle," Padme grunted, now in discomfort as she felt her mind being searched.
"Why are you afraid..." Vader said out loud, before quickly finding the answer. The Sand People! His stomach turned. He knew the atrocities they committed against Shmi Skywalker. He saw Padme as a scared five year old. She had been taken hostage by them, and they used a needle to subdue her.
"Please, please..." was the amongst the many things Padme moaned. The memory of what happened to her at five kept playing repeatedly in her mind. She felt just as scared now as she was back then.
"Doctor, there is no need for the midichlorian test. Her count is 13,500," Vader told the doctor.
"Wow, that is a high midichlorian count!" the doctor exclaimed. "I will note it on her chart." Padme started to calm down as Vader gently removed the mind probe.
"Sit up, miss," the doctor instructed Padme. He had a Q-tip in his hand. "Open your mouth, so that I can get your DNA sample."
Padme did as the doctor said. Her mouth was swabbed, and the doctor took the sample over to his work station.
"When will the results be ready?" Vader asked, trying to hide the anxiety he felt. If Padme was his granddaughter, he wanted to know immediately.
"Tomorrow, Emperor, due to the multiple DNA tests you requested," the doctor replied.
"Doctor, for your sake, they better only take twenty four hours." The doctor nodded and went to attend to his duties.
Vader looked at Padme and said,
"Come, you need to rest. You are too stressed out." She gladly jumped off the bed. She was happy that she did not have to take the midichlorian test, but then hung her head low. Padme just revealed her weakness, and she knew Vader would use it against her.
They entered Vader's quarters. There was a couch big enough to sleep on, some chairs around the room, a library and a table with a big screen TV on it. Padme noticed a big circular dome in the room.
"What is that?" she asked, immediately regretting her tactlessness. Thankfully, the Emperor did not take offense.
"That is where I meditate and sleep," he explained. "Due to my injuries, I cannot sleep in a bed like most people."
"Oh. So that's why there's no bed in here, just the couch."
"Yes. Which is yours. Due to the actions of the dead Stormtrooper, I cannot trust anyone with you. So you will stay here with me. I am going to meet with them, to remind them the protocols of how to handle prisoners."
"Rest, Padme. You have had a long day," he added, pointing to the couch. As much as she wanted to protest, the events of the day drained Padme. She laid down on the comfy couch. She wanted to say something to Vader, but her eyes closed before she could speak. He grabbed a blanket and laid it on top of the sleeping girl.
He walked out, and met with his crew about the incident earlier. The meeting was not long, and after a quick trip to the main area of the ship, Vader decided to retire to his room.
He quietly entered, so as to not wake up Padme. He chuckled to himself, about how careful he was being, to not wake up a prisoner. But she was not just a prisoner. She could be his granddaughter.
It was time for Vader to meditate. He stepped into the meditation chamber, and sat as the top closed down on him. He would need to get into the bacta tank once they reached Mustafar. But for now, he was content with his helmet being removed, along with the rest of his armor. Some relief came, but the pain never went away.
How could it? Vader had lost everything when Anikin Skywalker died. Even though years later, he would met Luke and Leia, his children. He did love them, as much as a Dark Lord of the Sith could. He even killed his master, Emperor Sidious, to save Luke. But Luke refused to join him in ruling over the galaxy. As did Leia, who never forgave him for the torture he put her through.
It angered Vader. He just wanted his children to rule the galaxy with him. But they wanted peace, democracy and freedom to choose how to live their own lives. He was furious, especially at Leia, for hiding Padme. During the mind probe, he saw the entire argument between the two. Han Solo thought his daughter was dead, and Leia did not even mention Luke to Padme!
His anger shifted from his family to Obi Wan. Where was he when Padme was threatened by the Stormtrooper? Then the thought occurred to Vader. Just like he tested Padme, to see if she would try to escape, Obi Wan tested him. The fury began to coarse through his veins. Obi Wan was the reason why he spend his days and nights in physical, mental and emotional anguish. He knew Obi Wan had lied to Luke about Luke's father being murdered by Darth Vader. He could not understand why Luke forgave and even loved Obi Wan, and yet would not even consider ruling the galaxy with his own father. Vader killed his former master, destroying him and his power. Or so he thought, until today.
Obi Wan could speak to Padme, but he had no power to free her. She was still Vader's prisoner. If the DNA test showed that she was his granddaughter, Padme was his. As Emperor, he was allowed to detain anyone he wished, without giving any reason or explanation. Sure, he knew Leia would come and try to rescue her daughter. She may even get Han Solo or Luke to help her. But Vader vowed to himself,
"If Padme is my granddaughter, no one will take her away from me. I will not lose another member of my family! Especially to you, Obi Wan. She will see in time that her destiny lies with me. I will use her greatness weakness against her, and she will remain at my side. We will rule the galaxy together!"