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Chapter 7

Padme leaned and rested her head against the cool metal wall of the ship. Sometimes, she still couldn't believe the way her life had turned out. Since when did her once loving husband begin to torture her? Since when did bruises appear on her arms and neck from his roughness? The boy Anakin, who had been so soft and gentle, loving and caring, willing to give up everything for her, to protect her, where did he go? While Vader looked like Anakin, he wasn't Anakin, and as much as she wanted to believe Master Yoda that Anakin still existed, that he could be saved, she was beginning to doubt.

Vader led a life full of disgust. He belittled people, razed towns, murdered children frequently, and seemed to find joy in it all. That kind of man—could he ever be right again after all he had done? Padme even wondered if she did in fact save him, if Anakin once again returned to her, how would he live with himself, with the knowledge of all he had done? Padme could see the difficulty in it, all the terrible possibilities, and she wondered if it was worth it.

Sighing, she removed herself from the wall and continued walking down the corridor. She was limping slightly—Vader had shoved her into the wall, creating a welt on her hip that burned when she took a step—and her going was slow. She winced in pain and suddenly felt a hand on her elbow. She looked over and saw Luke there. His right eye was all black and his lip was cut. She recognized these injuries, for she had helped to salve them after the practice with Vader. Luke took it all in silence, he didn't speak to her, and just stared at the wall while she put the healing cream on.

As she looked at him now, she found him very brave, and her heart soared with pride. For this child, she would do anything. To protect him as he is now, the sweet and noble child he was, she did not want Vader ruining that. No matter the punishment, no matter what Vader did to her, she would protect this child and love him.

With her free hand, Padme ruffled Luke's hair and smiled softly. "My savior," she whispered to him.

Luke made no response, but he started to walk forward with her, his hand supporting her elbow and squeezing it firmly.

Vader leaned forward in his chair in the cabin of the ship, his amber eyes staring out into space. He was here to help set the new coordinates for the next destination. They had dallied in this town for too long. He needed to make an appearance to his Empire once again. Yet he found himself too distracted.

He could feel them together, his wife and son.

Her influence upon Luke was a poison, he knew, making him weaker. The boy felt such love and compassion for his mother that he became increasingly disobedient. He worked hard in his trainings, yes, he yearned to please Vader, he knew, but when it came to his mother, Luke was just so disgustingly protective and weak. Yet Vader found himself intrinsically torn. He loved Padme; she was the reason for him wanting to gain this power. And yet… she was his ultimate weakness, now Luke's too.

For all intents and purposes, he would rather be rid of her, or rather, have her away from Luke. Yet he couldn't do that either. He couldn't send her away and he couldn't send Luke away. If Luke went elsewhere, there would be no one to train him. As for Padme, that would be like Vader losing. Sending her away would mean that she had won, and that Vader was too weak to keep her as prisoner. Instead of that, he would have to subdue her somehow, make her submissive. But nothing worked. He tortured her—Force knows he did—but she remain firm. He tried playing the loving husband—she didn't fall for that. Padme was dead set on staying there, near Luke, and winning him over. Her resolution was admirable, but terribly frustrating. He loathed to torture her, but she left him no choice. If she would only listen then he wouldn't have to do the things he did.

Seeing all the pieces laid out before him, Vader thought he knew a way to get to Padme and break her. He knew the next coordinates now.

Padme sensed a change in Vader. He showed too much happiness. She knew that wasn't the case; could anyone so sadistic be truly happy? Yet he always smiled at her, like he knew something she didn't. Padme knew what it was: Vader felt triumphant. But Padme didn't know what he thought he had won. Some battle with her, she presumed. Yet she didn't feel like she had lost anything of import. She felt her stomach curl and tighten, worried that she had missed something. Wherever he was preparing everyone to travel to next couldn't be good for her.

The next day they set off in their ship toward the unknown destination. Padme sat alone in her room and stared out the tiny window provided to her. She watched as they floated past countless stars and blackness. She fleetingly wondered what it would be like to just float out there, aimlessly and without purpose, to maybe be one of those stars, without a care in the world.

The sliding door opened behind her.

She didn't need to turn to know who it was. No one else ever bothered with her anymore.

"You never asked where we were going," commented Vader.

Padme kept her eyes glued to outer space. "Would you have told me if I did?" She didn't wait for him to respond. "No, I didn't think so."

Vader snorted. "You feel so at ease with me, do you, to treat me with such impertinence? Have you learned nothing from living me?"

"Quite the contrary. I have learned many things: how cruel you are, how weak others are, how much I love my children, how much you are not like Anakin, and how much I hate you." She nearly choked on the last words. But turned around to look at Vader as she spoke them.

Vader only smirked and never flinched. "I suppose none of those things will change. Yet in your knowledge lies your weakness. You may seek to fight against me, to do whatever it is you imagine yourself to be doing here, but I will conquer you. You will be mine. Forever."

"You will never own me," snarled Padme.

Vader rose up tall before Padme. If she had been weak-hearted and without purpose, she surely would have cowered before him. "We'll find out how true that statement is later. But be careful how much you're willing to bet on that."

Vader walked out in a swirl of black coat, leaving Padme alone with her thoughts. Yet now she could not find it in her to ponder over stars. A deep sense of dread had settled over her, and for the first time in a long time, she burst into tears.