Padmé woke up after quite some hours of sleep to find herself in Vader's bed, with no one beside her.

She had to admit, she was surprised to say the least about what had happened.

First, Vader had revealed his true face; second, he had told her why he had joined the dark side; third, when he had heard the truth from her, he had believed her and had been shocked; fourth, he had given her his bedroom with his word to not exploit her body.

Even so, her mind was reeling in doubt.

Part of her was wishing she had not told Vader any of what she had said. After all, Vader was a monster, the galaxy's most feared man. And what was to say he wouldn't murder a defenseless woman, even if it was his mother?

But then, a part of her felt that she had done the right thing. After all, Anakin had joined the dark side and become Vader only because he had been told that the Jedi had killed his mother. He had joined for revenge and now she had explained to him essentially that it had all been for nothing.

But then, what would he do?

A short while later, after having brushed and cleaned herself up, she went into the living room to find no one.

However, she did see something on the desk.

She went over and looked at it.

It was a note, and next to the note, there was a comm.

The note said, "Padmé Amidala, I have gone to destroy a group of rebels that are attempting to attack the garrison on Jabiim. Remain in my quarters. I will tell you everything later. If you are hungry, I have ordered Captain Tup to ensure that you get some decent food. You only have to call for him through the comm I have kept here. It may not be Nabooian, but it's more decent than prisoners' food."

Padmé folded the note and sat on the sofa in deep thought.

It pained her that even after what she had told him, he was still destroying rebels, rebels who were attempting to fight against Palpatine's evil regime.

It pained her that he was still obeying his master.

Why?

And, yes, he had surely been hospitable now, but that did not change the fact that she was still essentially, his prisoner, just in a golden cage now.

If only she could escape, she could get to the rebellion.

And to Obi Wan.

He needed to know what had happened to his apprentice.

That he was gone.

Or was he?

It assailed her mind, but she brushed it off.

Making up her mind, she went to the desk and found the amethyst bladed lightsaber in one of the drawers.

Good, so Vader had not moved it anywhere else.

She walked over to the doors.


Asajj Ventress had never been so elated when it came to returning from a mission as she was right now, sitting in the cockpit of her black sith cruiser.

For this time, not only had another few Jedi and Jedi sympathizers been ruthlessly eliminated by her own hand in cold blood, but she had also acquired a present for her master and grandmaster.

She murmured, "Soon, master, the child will be yours."

Just then, she checked her fuel gauge and realized that she did not have enough power to make it to Coruscant.

But, she knew for a fact that Darth Vader's star destroyer, the Devastator, was located near Jabiim, which was close enough for her.

After all, she had received word about him going on a mission to fight against some pesky rebels.

She herself had been given the same task, although in a different system, and she had succeeded.

Those rebels had been too few, and too weak.

Her skills as an assassin had certainly helped.

Soon, her small black cruiser pulled out of hyperspace and the Devastator came into view.

She turned on her ship's comm and said, "This is Lady Asajj Ventress here. I am in need of fuel immediately."

She heard a reply, "My Lady, this is Admiral Markus Piett of the Devastator. I read you loud and clear. You are cleared to land."


Padmé had walked out of the doors to Vader's quarters and was currently hiding in a corridor, carefully observing the movements of the clones patrolling.

She kept her lightsaber in her hands, but would have rather preferred a blaster.

Just then, she saw a platoon of clone troopers walk through a corridor.

She slowly waited for them to pass by, and then, slowly came out of her corridor into the next one through which the clones had passed.

She saw a pair of doors, which looked slightly familiar.

If her memory was correct, they would lead her to the hangar, and she would be able to get a starfighter and escape.

The only question was, what could she do about her astromech, R2?

She couldn't leave him behind.

But before she could do anything else, the doors suddenly opened and in stepped a figure she had not been expecting.

"Well, well well," Asajj Ventress sneered, "Who do we have here but the galaxy's most wanted traitor, Padmé Amidala!"

Padmé gasped and pulled out the lightsaber she had. Igniting it, she held a defensive stance and said, "Do not come near me."

Ventress sneered, "You foolish woman, do you think you could possibly beat me?!"

With that, she pulled out her twin curved lightsabers and ignited them, revealing red blades.

She charged at Padmé and although Padmé managed to block one blade, the other came in and she was forced to fall back.

Ventress came at her again and Padmé tried to strike her with a swing but Ventress dodged and kicked Padmé in the stomach, before hitting the amethyst blade with so much force that it was knocked out again from her hands.

Padmé looked at Ventress and backed away even as she held her stomach briefly.

She was alone, and with no weapon.

Ventress would easily kill her.

Ventress declared evilly, "I am going to hand you over to my master myself, and then, I'm going to ask for the pleasure of killing you, slowly, and painfully, once the child I have for the Emperor…"

Suddenly, a loud voice boomed, "LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Ventress turned around and Padmé stared ahead in shock.

There, not far away, in Padmé's line of sight, was Darth Vader.

Ventress said, "My Lord, I…"

"ASAJJ VENTRESS," Vader yelled, "LEAVE HER ALONE THIS INSTANT! DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!"

Ventress glared at Vader and replied, "I found her aboard your ship trying to escape and I merely wish to take her to the Emperor. That is what is supposed to be done after all and my ship is faster than…"

"It is of no concern," Vader hissed, "Now leave her alone."

"I think not," Ventress replied, "The Emperor wants all wanted prisoners brought to him or executed immediately. Since it seems she has been here for a while, she must be brought before the Emperor himself or killed at once. And I wish to bring her before the Emperor myself."

Vader said, "Do not forget your place as a mere assassin and apprentice."

Ventress retorted, "An apprentice to Lord Tyrannus himself, and I answer directly to him and to the Emperor, not to you. Now I will be taking her to the Emperor myself. I have legal permission from my master to do so should I encounter specific rebels on the wanted list. And you know what will happen should something happen to one of us, at your hands."

With that, she moved towards Padmé.

Even as she neared her, Vader suddenly yelled, "IF YOU DO NOT LEAVE HER ALONE, I WILL NOT HESITATE TO KILL YOU MYSELF!"

Ventress ignited her lightsabers and challenged, "Then I dare you to try and kill me, Vader!"

Vader ignited his lightsaber and charged, even as Ventress charged at him.

Ventress clashed her twin lightsabers with Vader's even as he snarled, "You are no match for my skills Ventress."

Ventress mocked, "So says the Emperor's puppet! You're not even my age. I am a good ten years older than you, and the primary enforcer's own apprentice."

Vader shouted, "I am the Emperor's enforcer alongside your master! Have you forgotten so soon?!"

Even as he spoke, he withdrew his lightsaber and swung downwards for the legs, which Ventress blocked.

Their duel became more and more ferocious with each one swinging, ducking, blocking and letting out shouts of anger.

Finally, at one point, Ventress managed to block Vader's lightsaber with the one in her left hand, and with the one in her right hand, she made a vicious chop that was intended for the neck, but Vader moved at the last second, although he could not avoid getting hit.

Padmé actually found herself screaming in horror as she saw Ventress's blade strike Vader's mask.

He actually moved away, and then turned, to reveal a mask that was damaged, half destroyed across most of the face, and a partially destroyed helmet as well.

With a growl, Vader pulled off what remained of the mask and them down, he snarled, "Now you will die Ventress!"

Saying so, he emitted what sounded like a blood curdling roar and charged.

Padmé backed away in fright at that sound.

Even with Vader defending her, his anger was frightening her.

Ventress, to her shock, found herself being slowly but surely pushed back, and then, even as she tried to slash at Vader's abdomen, he moved quickly and his blade sliced through the hilt of the lightsaber in her right hand.

Ventress let out a cry of rage and slashed at Vader's face. He dodged what would have been a fatal blow, but could not avoid getting hit on one side of his face, near his right eye.

Vader held the injured area of his face even as he quickly analyzed the situation.

Angered that Ventress had managed to hit him, he let out a roar of rage and yelled, "NOW YOU WILL DIE!"

Ventress's expression turned into one of fear even as Vader rushed towards her and struck repeatedly against her remaining saber in rage.

And finally, in a last, desperate, move, Ventress attempted to stab Vader, but the latter moved aside at the last second and before Ventress could come in again, Vader swung his lightsaber in what was a fatal arc.

The blade slashed her across the chest, and in the process, her heart.

Ventress gave out a cry of pain and then fell to the floor, dead.

Padmé who had been watching was horrified to see that sight of such anger and rage.

Never before had she felt so terrified.

And then, she saw Vader looking up, from Ventress's corpse, to her, straight into her eyes.

And Padmé was so terrified of the darkness in his eyes that she fainted.


Padmé slowly moved her hands to find out that she was on something soft.

She slowly opened her eyes and found herself back in Vader's quarters, lying on his bed.

And then, she saw Vader sitting in a chair, right next to her.

And then, she heard a soft voice mutter, "Padmé."

She looked up and to her surprise, realized that it was Vader who had spoken.

Vader asked, "Padmé, are you feeling better?"

Padmé slowly looked up at him and said, "I was so afraid, you were literally so consumed by rage, anger. I'm normally not afraid of what I face, but this was just so frightening, especially the way you killed Ventress."

Vader replied, "She was going to take you to the Emperor. I couldn't let that happen."

Padmé asked, "Why? Why would you do that? I'm just your object of possession, isn't that the truth?"

Vader asked, "Why did you try to run away? If you had not run away I would not have had to get myself a scar to save you."

Padmé noticed at that point, that Vader's face had a scar near the right eye. It was not a huge one for sure, but it was a scar nonetheless.

Padmé said, "If you hadn't turned to the dark side, none of this would have happened."

Vader angrily declared, "Enough! I turned to the dark side for a reason!"

Padmé finished, "And it turned out to be a lie!"

Vader said, "Yes it was a lie, but that does not change the fact that Anakin Skywalker is dead, thanks to the Jedi!"

Padmé angrily remarked, "Oh, so you're just going to ignore the fact that your mother is alive and just go on committing atrocities?! You are a monster! That's why I ran away from you! It's a wonder you haven't killed me already! Are you just going to do your master's bidding? Or take the throne from him and rule with the blood of innocents on your hands?!"

Vader cried out, "Enough! I am not going to kill you! Not after what you did for me!"

Padmé was surprised and she asked, "Do you actually care about me? Why are you not treating me like any other prisoner?"

Vader sighed and replied, "I don't know how to explain it, but maybe it's because of the fact that you did defend me during that sham of a trial, or maybe because you did tell me the truth about my mother. I couldn't sense any deceit in you."

Just then, there came the beeping sound of an incoming transmission, and Vader suddenly stood up and hissed, "The Emperor's contacting me! Be quiet!"

With that, he moved towards a closet, pulled out another mask and helmet identical to the old ones, put them on over his armored suit, and walked out of the bedroom before closing the door.

Padmé slowly got out of the bed and moved towards the door, keeping her ear pressed against it.

Vader moved to the far end of the living room, just beyond the sofas where there was a holo-platform, and pressing a button on the floor, he knelt down.

A large hologram of the Emperor, Darth Sidious, instantly materialized in front of him with a slight crackling sound and a sinister voice said, "Lord Vader, it is a pleasure to see you. Good, now, look upon me, my apprentice."

Vader slowly lifted his head to look at the Emperor, and said, "What does my Master require?"

Darth Sidious responded, "I feel your anger. I feel your anger, it has been quite intense since yesterday. I have felt spikes of your anger. Is everything alright?"

Darth Vader answered, "Everything is going according to your plans, your Majesty."

Sidious asked, "And what of Ventress? Lord Tyrannus can no longer feel her in the force."

Vader replied, "I regret to inform you that she is dead."

Sidious seemed angry and he cried out, "Dead?! How?! How did this happen Lord Vader?!"

Vader explained, "She was killed by a Jedi. Her cruiser was blown up before we could rescue her. Fortunately, I managed to destroy the starfighter. Therefore, she has been avenged."

Sidious looked at Vader for a while and then said, "A pity that she had to die this way. But, however, perhaps it was a good thing. Her power was growing too quickly for my liking, and in fact, I was going to ask Tyrannus to eliminate her himself. But it appears that problem has been taken care of now."

Sidious then asked, "And what of your prisoner, Padmé Amidala?"

Padmé, who had heard everything so far, tensed at this.

Was Vader going to give her away himself?

Vader looked down and replied, "She is dead by my hand. I killed her myself."

Padmé nearly gasped at that.

Vader had just lied to protect her.

Sidious smiled in a malicious elated manner and asked, "And what did you do with her body?"

Vader replied, "I had it disposed of, inhumanely. She was thrown out into space alive and then the body was disposed of with fire."

Sidious cackled evilly and said, "Good, good, good. That woman could have proven to be a great distraction for you. Anyways, I shall personally congratulate you, with a gift."

"A gift?" Vader asked, a little incredulously.

Sidious replied, "Yes, a gift which I shall personally give to you. You are to meet me on Imperial Center within three standard days from today. Is that understood?"

Vader responded, "Yes Master."

Sidious said, "Very good. I look forward to your arrival, Lord Vader. Now, I shall allow you to get back to your duties. See to it that the rebels are crushed."

With that, the transmission ended.

Vader got up and moved to Padmé's room.