A/N: Honestly, I was having some major writers block trying to lead up to the next chapters I already have written. Part of me feels as though this chapter seems a little rushed? Also, yikes I said there would be no smut for a while BUT I lied. Anywho, let me know what you guys think! Hope you all enjoy! :D

Chapter 16: Breathing Statues

Clipping his lightsaber back onto his belt, Obi-Wan trekked from his chambers. Being back on base brought his mind some solace, it had been a month since he'd been with the rest of the Rebel forces. Though he was anxious, the disturbance in the Force that occurred earlier in the week still had his shoulders stiff. He didn't know what could cause something filled with such turmoil. With his fingers brushing across his beard, he turned the corner towards the command center. The base was humming, like a bees nest that's been disturbed… Uneasiness rang through his body just as an intelligence officer raced down the hall – whipping into the war room. The young officer's brown eyes were wide, face ghostly pale. Kenobi snapped to attention.

"Have we been able to locate the ship?" General Dodonna demanded, Obi-Wan froze in the doorway. The General looked haggard, like he hadn't slept for days. The pure trepidation in his eyes was enough to tell the Jedi something had happened.

The intelligence officer replied reluctantly, "As of yet – No Sir."

"Master Kenobi," The General spoke not even sparing a glance in his direction as he threw himself out of his chair.

"General? What is it?" The Knight's eyes widened watching the pure concern cross his face.

"Bail and Mon have fled Coruscant. Currently, we are trying to locate their ship after it was shot down entering the atmosphere of Hosnian Prime," Dodonna revealed pulling up a hologram of the planet. "And we have another complicating predicament - Darth Vader has rejoined his fleet and Senator Amidala is accompanying him."

"Do we know where his fleet-"

"The location of his fleet doesn't concern me. My concern is the optics of this nightmare. Padmé leaves the planet just as Bail and Mon are charged with treason and are hunted down like animals?" The General continued wide-eyed, with negative astonishment, "I want to believe that she wouldn't deceive us Obi-Wan but-"

"She would never betray myself or Senator Organa for that matter, there must be some other explanation-"

"Even if there was another plausible explanation, once this reaches the ears of our soldiers they will view her as a traitor. Commanders Elaskon and Hood have already expressed their concerns about her loyalty. They will use this as a wrench and you know others will follow." Dodonna's voice was severe, eyes sending daggers towards his curled hands that rested atop the table. "Additionally, that battle station Bail informed us about - by all accounts – doesn't exist." The general sneered shoving himself away from the hologram to stare out the viewport over the hanger bay. "All but a few of our informants have been killed over a wild goose chase that she generated. All ties lead to Amidala, Obi-Wan. You trust her too much-"

"These are baseless charges!" The Jedi rebuked, "You can't honestly believe she'd do such a thing-"

"Leave us and shut the door." Dodonna abruptly ordered to the intelligence officer. With a swift 'yes sir' he did as told - escaping the scene. The General's jaw tightened, "there've been rumors of a romantic relationship between you and Senator Amidala before the fall of the Republic. I care not to know whether the rumors are true. However, if they are… you seriously need to consider whether your feelings are blinding you from seeing the truth."

"She assisted in the formation of the Alliance, her allegiance lies with democracy – what purpose would she have to betray that?" Obi-Wan tried to rationalize, his heart rate spiking ever so slightly.

"There also have been rumors circulating that she has become enamored with Darth Vader," the General muttered, his eyes finally making contact with Obi-Wan's.

The Jedi remained quiet for a moment; he hadn't heard such rumors. It was slanderous of Dodonna to make such an accusation with no evidence. However, the slight twist in his chest from the thought of his connection with Padmé snapping brought the possibility that perhaps something had happened... Still, the notion that she'd allow someone like that to touch her made his stomach churn. He refused to believe such a thing. "What you speak are nothing more than rumors-"

"Rumors that if true would give reason to why all of this has happened," Dodonna asserted. "All I am saying is that we cannot trust her from this point forward-"

"Our soldiers have food because of her-"

"I don't want to argue about this anymore Commander," The General barked, his word final. "I will not have my people die over someone who has obviously been compromised. You are dismissed."

Obi-Wan's shoulders and jaw tightened as he numbly replied with a 'yes sir.' Storming out of the war room, a sigh fell from his lips. He carefully contemplated the possibility that their past relationship had impacted his judgement. It was now likely that Vader had full access to everything – her memories and all the information she knew regarding the Rebel Alliance. Yet, there was one thing the General said that Obi-Wan would not accept: that the battle station she informed them about didn't exist. Had Dodonna ever contemplated that their informants died because they were getting too close to the truth? There was something in the Force calling out to him – urging him to keep searching. There was undoubtably a connection between that battle station and the devastating disturbance through the Force.

The shuttle ride down to the planet was supposed to be relatively short, and it was but it felt much longer as a realization crossed Padmé's mind. She recognized the four blacked-out troopers across from her, they were also the ones that had left Coruscant with them. Her eyes flashed to the numbers engraved on their armor - they were indeed same soldiers that guarded Vader's establishments. Moons… her cheeks went crimson as she bowed her head – her eyes darting to their numbers again. Shit they are… Padmé cupped her forehead, her eyes locking down on her knees. They were the same guards on shift that night Vader had ravished her on the terrace. Wiggling her nose, Padmé wasn't embarrassed per se though, truthfully, if the seat were to swallow her up – she wouldn't argue.

Breaking her from thought, the cockpit door flew open revealing Vader's dominating presence. On cue, the shuttle descended, the hydraulics of the cargo door hissing, sinking open. Before the brim of the ramp was even flush to the ground – Vader had stormed off towards the cluster of officers awaiting his arrival, obsidian cloak billowing behind him. Padmé found herself fixated on his figure. Vader was like a large walking mass of darkness, no wonder he had people scared into submission. He not only looked the part, but he had the ability to back it up as well.

"We are to escort you to Lord Vader's quarters, Senator," a modulated voice stated from her side. Her eyes flashed up to the trooper shocked that his scrambler wasn't engaged.

She struggled to keep the heat from reaching her cheeks as she nodded, standing from her seat. Brushing the crinkles from her cloak and woven dress, she followed the two troopers off the shuttle as the other two folded in behind. When she finally found the courage to look up, she was immediately hit by the sterile, grey, black, and white interior. It was almost identical to the Executor, the only difference was that the back wall of the entire hanger bay was toothed stone, so this place is imbedded within the mountainside...

The frigid air hit her cheeks as she was escorted away from Vader. They'd already spoke before departing that he'd have to leave the shuttle immediately when they arrived. There was one thing that she couldn't get out of her mind – that she was to never leave his chambers with anyone but himself or the guards she was with now. Was loyalty a rare commodity in its ranks now? Or perhaps Sidious had spies and Vader only trusted his men around her in private considering how often she spoke about unconventional topics. Force, Vader practically admitted in front of the four men that he'd tampered with evidence – it was obvious he trusted them completely. He no doubt knew they were loyal considering he could easily read their thoughts.

Being ushered down the halls of an imperial base with death troopers as an escort was not the best way of blending. All the military personnel that passed gawked or avoided eye contact. She wasn't sure whether it was because her presence at the base was wildly unusual or that it was her security detail's imposing presence - even when they were in their natural environment. The soldiers boxing her in were larger than any normal stormtrooper she'd encountered. They were broader and taller than most, if she didn't see them on a regular basis they would no doubt still be intimidating.

As they continued through the base, Padmé tried to take into account where they were taking her –more rather- she was trying to take note how to get back to the hanger bay, just in case. However, they were taking way too many turns for her to keep up and all the hallways looked the same. When they entered a turbolift she almost felt bad as staff scattered in order to get out of their way, avoiding them like the plague. They no doubt knew who these death troopers answered too. Even if Vader had authority over the entire military, she imagined it was different answering to him directly.

Stepping off the lift, the bystanders parted as they continued down the hall. Once they strolled through three sets of blast doors – the corridors became sparse. More than sparse, they were empty. Reaching a set of large doors, the same trooper that had spoken to her back on the shuttle halted. "These are Lord Vader's chambers. You are required to stay inside," the deep modulated voice spoke, "If there is anything you require, we will be stationed here, my Lady." At that, the doors slid open. Before wondering inside, Padmé froze. "Is something wrong?" He asked, noticing her hesitance.

"No, I- well…Am I supposed to entertain myself then?" She wondered craning her neck up to view the trooper's visor.

The woman swore she heard a muted chuckle, "Lord Vader will only be a couple hours," he reasoned, his helmet tilting. Padmé could practically feel his eyes scaling her as he continued, "I'm sure he'll be more than willing to entertain you when he returns."

Padmé's cheeks flared a ruby red, her jaw slightly dropping in utter mortification while her gaze fell to her feet. Hearing the armor on the other troopers shift made her cheeks flush even more. Oh my gods, why the hell did I ask such a thing? "Kay," she managed to weakly breathe wondering inside. When the doors slid closed, Padmé threw a hand against her face. "Kriffing hell," she muttered humiliated as she wondered deeper inside the room. Automated warm lights flicked on and she was utterly shocked at what she saw. It was beautiful, windows spanned the entirety of the back wall giving a beautiful view of the mountain range. Gazing around she wondered deeper into the foyer. Quickly she found the kitchen that melted into a large seating area that had the perfect view of the mountains in the background.

After twenty minutes she still couldn't figure out where the bedroom was – she was no doubt missing something. Padmé searched around again and finally she found a relatively narrow hall that diagonally left the main living area. Wondering down the corridor, she almost felt like she was on a footbridge. The ceiling to floor windows that traveled down the entirety of the hall looked down over a massive cliff and the view to the outside never ceased as she reached the bedroom. The black silk sheeted bed was just as massive as the one in his establishments on Coruscant. When she looked to the right, the adjacent wall was a continuation of windows and the room needed it. If it weren't for the window, the space would be dark, the floors red velvet and the walls midnight black. On the far side of the room there was a large walk-in closet and a fresher with a large black marble tub and beside it a sonic shower.

Flicking off her heels, Padmé's bare feet nestled against the carpeting as she wondered to the bed. She threw herself onto the luscious material before rolling onto her back to stare at the jagged stone ceiling. Turning to the left, she smiled witnessing the fluffy snowflakes billow past the window. It had indeed been too long since she'd seen snow, the last time she actually went out in the snow was even longer. The last time she could remember walking through it was perhaps when she was nine? -When her parents brought her skiing in the mountains a few hours outside of Theed. That was so long ago, a completely different galaxy.

Tugging herself away from the dismal thoughts, she eyed the fireplace across from the bed. Crawling over across the bed, she initiated the controls the wall beside the nightstand. The contained fire roared to life as she launched herself up to head for the closet. She couldn't help but gape at the selection of attire. Vader wasn't lying when he said there'd be warm clothes. There were multiple sets of snowsuits, parkas, scarves, facemasks, goggles, gloves, fur boots, anything a person could ever need if going outside in a blizzard. Padmé eyed Vader's attire on the other side of the closet, he had warm garb too. She somehow found interesting. The young woman figured that maybe he didn't need warm clothing. He's not some kind of god, Padmé reminded herself with a small eye roll.

Moving past the warm clothing, she pressed the drawer controls and her face flushed as it revealed shameless lingerie. Hooking the lacy fabric in her fingers, she wasn't even sure how some of it went on… When she continued rooting though all her clothes, she realized out of her entire wardrobe she had two formal dresses and the rest was either sweaters and leggings to wear under snow gear or risqué undergarments. Luckily for her, there was one drawer at the bottom full of rational undergarments, presumably for heading out into the cold. At least he thought about that… last thing I need is to be wearing a thong in freezing temperatures.

Padmé analyzed all the clothing once again, finding herself eyeing the luxurious silk and lace in the first drawer. A small blush pricked at her cheeks as she plucked out a cardinal red balconette teddy. She hadn't worn something so scandalous since she was with Clovis… Shaking herself of that thought, she swiped one of Vader's fur-lined cloaks from its hanger before heading into the fresher.

After stripping off her cashmere dress and undergarments, Padmé flicked on the shower. Stepping under the water, she quickly cleansed the grubby sensation of traveling from her skin. By the time she emerged from the fresher, the clouds had darkened – signifying it would fade into night soon. Padmé wrinkled her nose checking the time. It was only 12:34, on Coruscant it would be the middle of the day. She groaned, it was going to be a challenge getting her circadian rhythm balanced.

Before running to the kitchen for a glass of water, she did a quick once over. Her curls were perfectly blown dry and minimal make-up accentuated her eyes. The teddy hugged her curves perfectly with Vader's cloak as a shield, the softness of its fur lining leaving her in awe. Heading down the hall, she wondered back into the main living space towards the kitchen. She was parched, hungry, she should have eaten before leaving the Executor. She was about to reach for the water pitcher until her eyes rested on a bottle of wine. Technically it's nighttime here, she supposed snatching up the bottle. Padmé gave it a once over, before scouring the kitchen for an opener. Fighting with the bottle for a few minutes, she finally found herself pouring a glass and grabbing a ration bar from one of the cabinets. Making herself a potted-plant on one of the couches, she gazed out over the mountain range. Her head fell back against the couch before she checked her commlink. They'd arrived over two hours ago, she wondered if Vader would actually be returning soon or whether she'd be left waiting.

"Lord Vader, I had spoken with the Emperor regarding that issue," Moff Evans explained, in the now empty war room. The meeting had already ended and now it was time for Vader to fulfill one the reasons for his presence on this planet. "I made it clear that Admirals Virkov and Cyprus did not follow orders and have since been dealt with."

Vader shifted his shoulders. Nervousness was immediately apparent on the Moff's face from the small movement. Nothing can save him from his own failures. "Yet they answered to you. You were incapable of controlling your own men," the Sith apprentice stated with indifference. Quite frankly, he didn't care about Evans or what he had to say. Sidious wanted him dead. And every second their conversation continued was more time Vader had to be away from the Senator.

"We requested your assistance-" he began to argue.

"And you were promptly informed I was not the sector. It was because of your incompetence that the Rebel soldiers were able to break through our lines and breach the planet's atmosphere. You are inept," Vader stated emotionlessly. He'd read the reports, it was an embarrassing military failure. The young Lord could only gloat with the fact he had no say in granting Varek Evans the rank of Moff. That was Sidious. Sometimes the Sith apprentice wondered if his Master took pleasure by placing men in roles they had no chance in ever fulfilling. He had witnessed such things in the past with Darth Tyranus and Maul. Vader had killed both of them. Even at eighteen he was more powerful than either of them could ever dream of becoming. Sidious had given them false hope that they could be something more and in the end – they died as pawns.

Vader would not share the same fate. He had no weaknesses. One day soon he would finally overthrow his Master but he had to be patient – the future was still uncertain.

"Lord Vader please, the Emperor-"

Vader's hand formed a claw by his side, silencing the Moff immediately by having an unbreakable hold on his trachea. His hands shot to his throat, scratching at his skin. "Such a failure is intolerable," the Sith glowered, coiling his hand into a fist. Evan's neck sharply warped, snapping like a twig bending on a knee.

Clunk.

The Moff's body's hit the ground and at the same time, Vader was leaving the command center. In the following days, he'd have to find someone suitable to operate this planet. He supposed promoting Surface Marshal Fletcher but then again he was also one of Sidious' men. Now more than ever Vader needed to be strategical with who he placed at the helm of each planet. However, he couldn't do it blatantly.

Ordering the guards to clean up, Vader checked his commlink and of course, he'd taken longer than anticipated. Exiting the lift, trekking through the halls of the base, he made his way towards his chambers. His mind was consumed with thoughts of who he could use to replace Evans. Usually he'd follow chain of command and perhaps he still would but he needed to be strategic when promoting a new High General … then perhaps have Fletcher die in an unfortunate accident in the following year. He wondered whether that would be too obvious? Vader frowned, Sidious was cunning – a intelligent opponent. However, Sidious had made his apprentice too powerful. In combination with reading old Jedi texts, Vader had discovered his own way to redirect his Master's lightning. A technique the apprentice could harness to have his Master's own power used against him.

Marching through the blast doors, Vader noticed the troopers standing guard outside his chambers. A humored smirk crossed his features seeing the men still dressed in such garbs. In reality, they weren't death troopers. They were the most elite Inquisitors he'd trained from the fall of the Jedi. The armor was for the Senator's sake. She didn't need to know they were Force sensitive - yet. "Lord Vader," Eryx and Njord announced simultaneously.

"I'm assuming you have nothing to report?" His voice carried no emotion as he eyed the metal doors between the two warriors.

"No sir, quiet as a tomb." Eryx informed him with a slight shift of his shoulders.

"Good. You both are dismissed."

"Yes, Lord Vader." They bowed synchronously before taking one forward stride to turn sharply down the hall to their quarters.

Vader didn't give them a second glance as he stepped inside. He was aching to see the Senator. Peeling off his cloak, he tossed it aside onto the back of one of the couches. Finally making his way to the bedroom, he stopped dead in his tacks within the archway. The Senator was adorned in one of his fur-lined cloaks with lacy crimson lingerie beneath it. His shoulders dropped, propping himself on the doorframe, tongue gliding across his bottom lip. She was a sleeping siren. An angel atop silk sheets. Her brunette curls sprawled across the pillows while whispers of breath escaped her nose and mouth. Vader could only stare in adoration as she rolled onto her back, his cloak not accomplishing a damn thing to shield her body as it flared out beside her on the bed.

Before he could even wrap his mind around what he was doing, in three large strides, Vader already had his hands clamped at the top of her ribcage. He all but yanked her up and into his grip as he bowed, crushing his lips on hers, slamming her back onto the bed.

A startled yelp escaped the Senators lips, "Vader! Y-You're back," she breathed.

All he did was growl, shifting his attention to the skin just below her ear, down her neck while his hands kneaded her waist. He lifted her only enough to cup her perfect ass in his hands. Trembling, the Senator moaned and something broke in him as he tore himself away. She looked delectable - his eyes drinking in the sight of her again. His golden gaze was frenetic like tempests as doe chocolate eyes stared back. He was frenzied, completely deranged. Vader's restraint vanished, consumed by possessiveness and lust. Leather-clad fingers clawed at the thin fabric shrouding her sternum, effortlessly shredding the hindrance. His mouth was immediately devouring her breasts as they poured from the lace.

"Ah…" she squealed writhing, tangling her fingers into his locks.

The sensation of her body under his drenched him with absolute control - power, "Mine," he snarled as amber and sulfur clashed in his eyes. The fiery rivers of lava on Mustafar were tamer than his gaze. That's when he felt a spike of fear bustle through his prey. "You fear me," Vader mused, a twisted smirk crossing his face.

"V-Vader?" She stuttered, eyes wide – fingers slipping from his hair. He immediately pinned her wrists above her head with the Force. "… your eyes," her voice was faint.

"Tell me you're mine." He rasped against the sensitive skin below her ear. Vader's shoulder's tightened feeling her hesitation, hands clamping down onto her hips tighter. "Tell me," he demanded, teeth gliding against the sensitive skin of her neck.

His Angel pushed down a swallow, "I'm yours," she whimpered.

In a matter of a moment, she was flipped onto her stomach with her cheek pressed into the mattress. Unpinning her arms for only a moment, he tore the cloak from her body heaving it away. Her wrists were restrained again the second the sleeves slipped off her arms. Hands yanked at the lace shielding her shoulder blades. The moment it was gone, his mouth was attacking the newly revealed skin. The Sith's motions were relentless, fervent. Whatever restraint that he used to have with her was now gone. With his mouth leaving a trail of hot kisses down her spine, Vader couldn't get over how soft her skin felt against his – nothing short of perfect. She was an intoxicant. For Vader, not even killing felt as good as being inside her. A curse left his lips as his hands fumbled with his belt. Once the leather and lightsaber fell with a clink to the floor he didn't hesitate shifting his member out of the confines of his trousers.

"Please I want to look at you," she gasped, finally freeing her mouth from the mattress. Without even a second thought, he had her flipped over. Her big brown eyes staring into his fiery ones. Once he had her hips in his palms, he didn't hesitate vehemently rocking into her warmth. A guttural whine sprouted from the woman beneath him as she fisted the sheets, her eyes clamping shut. Vader's lips parted as his dark golden locks tumbled down over his face. Planting his boots onto the ground, he tossed the Senator's legs up and onto his shoulders before he slammed into her again. While the whistles of wind and soft patter of snow filled the outside world, only sensual sounds echoed in the Sith's chambers. That was until early morning, when only the whistles against the windows remained.

When morning finally came, Padmé awoke alone tangled within the sheets. The mattress beside her now cold. A sigh slipped from her lips as she rolled over, burying her face into a pillow. She curled against the bed, stretching her muscles as she did. Once her eyes peeled open, blinding white hit her in the face. The snow diffracted the sun so efficiently that she struggled to find the controls for the shades. Smacking her hand against the switches, the windows tinted, blocking out the light and immediately she was left in darkness. A groan escaped her lips as she flopped backwards. She was almost back asleep until a knock jolted her back awake. With a moan, the woman threw a pillow over her head, trying to block out the noise. Yet the knocking persisted. A huff escaped her lips as she all but fell out of the bed. Tip-toe running to the closet in search of clothing, her eyes scanned everything quickly – the knocking becoming louder every second.

Throwing on the first thing she saw, a black silk robe, she raced to the door. Throwing it open, her frazzled eyes met the visors of two familiar death troopers. "Yes?" Padmé breathed, blinking.

"We are to escort you to lunch, Senator," the one on the left informed her, shifting on his feet slightly.

The woman tugged the collar of her robe together, immediately feeling self-conscious with the fact her hair probably looked a mess - no doubt marks were covering her exposed neck. "I just need to dress," she informed them, straightening her shoulders. "Give me ten?" Both men nodded and the door slammed back closed. Padmé sank against the door before running in a tip-toe back to the bedroom.

Within the next half an hour, Padmé found herself munching on a salad sitting across from two breathing statues. Her eyes flicked up from her food ever so often as she poked it with her fork. "Even though I've been at Vader's establishments for a month… I still don't know either of your names. Would you be able to tell me?" Padmé asked in an attempt to make conversation. She eyed the troopers in the mess hall, they all were joyfully eating their lunch. Padmé and the blacked-out troopers were the only three in the room not chatting. She wondered if Vader truly had them on that tight of a leash, where they only were allowed to speak to her when necessary?

"Eryx," the soldier on the left replied, his deep voice heavily modulated. Padmé's head popped up from eyeing her fork.

The woman's head tilted ever so slightly, "That's a unique name for a death trooper," she commented taking a bite of her salad.

"Perhaps that's because I'm not a death trooper," he mused, she could almost hear the smirk in his distorted voice. Her chewing froze. Eyes flashing to his visor.

"Okay. What are you?" She asked bluntly, not an ounce of nervousness in her voice. Something in the back of her mind had always known that the four troopers were not normal. Hell, they were twice the size of a normal stormtrooper. Still, Padmé couldn't hide the shocked expression of her face as he reached for his helmet. The trooper to his right tensed, turning towards him almost in warning… The hissing of hydraulics made too much anticipation crawl across the woman's skin to care. What could possibly be under the mask if he wasn't a trooper? A light blush spread across her cheeks as he towed off the helmet.

The human man she was looking at was beautiful. Emerald eyes, short sandy blond hair, tan complexion, chiseled jawline, and he only seemed a few years older than herself. No more than twenty four years old.

"Lord Vader will not be pleased," the trooper to the right forewarned, his hands tightening into fists upon the table.

"Relax Sobek, don't you think she deserves to know?" the arrogance on Eryx's face reminded her too much of Vader. The Senator swallowed, reaching for her water.

"That wasn't your choice to decide," Sobek snapped, "You're going to get us both reprimanded."

"If not troopers what are you?" Padmé asked, breaking up their juvenile squabble.

"Inquisitors," Eryx replied, rolling his neck – letting the vertebra pop. "Secrets out now, come on Sobek, these helmets are fucking worthless anyway." Padmé's heart froze over in her chest witnessing the black metal collapse like the remanence of a crumbled piece of paper. The distorted metal crackled without any sort of visible stressors. To the Senator it was now plainly obvious that they were Force sensitive.

"You're a piece of work," the other man muttered, removing his own helmet. Padmé's lips remained sealed as she eyed Sobek. He was older than Eryx. Black tight curls hung just above his shoulders, eyes practically onyx, skin a deep tan. But they did have some characteristics in common. Both were undoubtably handsome, had a high degree of confidence in their gaze, and numerous scars. Biting her tongue, her eyes dropped to her salad. These men had seen her in an exposed state. Holy hell… her thoughts were all sorts of jumbled as she tried to keep the deep crimson from forming across her features.

"So you both are Force sensitive," Padmé faintly said gesturing to the now scrap metal of a helmet. "Why would Vader want to keep that secret from me?" She couldn't help but wonder that thought aloud. Hoping that maybe she could ascertain some information.

"Not sure. It's not our place to ask," Eryx shrugged, stealing a cherry tomato from her salad. Her lips pursed as she watched the small action, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. "You weren't going to eat that right?" He chuckled, his dimples on full display.

"I don't know. Can't you just read my thoughts?" She huffed, setting down her fork.

"No, we can't," Sobek said quietly, as if perturbed by the fact.

The Senator's head tilted slightly, her eyes flickering towards the broader Inquisitor, "What do you mean?"

"Lord Vader shields your thoughts now," Eryx interjected, "none of us are powerful enough to even contemplate breaking his metal barriers. You're lucky – before we could read you like an open book," he smirked.

"But now?" She whispered, ignoring his condescension.

"We can see nothing," Sobek muttered, his jaw tightening ever so slightly. "We shouldn't be having this conversation with her. We should actually be getting her back now that she had finished her meal-"

"Wait, can't you both give me a tour… of the base?" Padmé suggested, a small hopeful smile crossing her features. The two men glanced at one another.

"I don't think Lord Vader would approve," Sobek replied, "For someone with your tendencies its better you stay in his chambers for the duration of your stay at the base." His voice was void of emotion. No wonder these guys answer to Vader, her mind muttered her gaze morphing into a glare.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Padmé muttered, playing dumb for a moment. "He told me that I could leave his chambers as long as it was with an escort."

"No. I believe he said you were not to leave his chambers unless it was with him or with us. That does not entail that we have to whisk you to wherever you wish," Sobek swiftly countered.

"No need to be rude to the little lass," Eryx chuckled leaning against the table. Padmé shot him an annoyed scowl, they were both haughty in their own ways. Something in her preferred when they wouldn't speak. "I'm sure Lord Vader wouldn't approve you speaking to her like that."

"I don't answer to her or to you for that matter," Sobek retorted, his head snapping towards his comrade. Padmé's shoulder's tightened, the hatred in the Inquisitor's eyes was prevalent. He didn't like her… That much was obvious. "You should be more careful about the way you look at her, Eryx. If the Lord catches you eyeing her the way you do – he might think twice about who he finds most reliable."

Eryx's lighthearted expression soured, a haze of distain clouding his emerald eyes. Padmé felt like pushing herself away from the table, eyes falling from the simmering quarrel less than a meter away. Her fingers nervously tugged on the collar of her white turtleneck, eyes drifting until they met a familiar shadowed figure entering the cafeteria. "I would cease the arguing gentlemen," she murmured quietly, turning back to shovel a bit more of her salad into her mouth. Both the men stiffened immediately, following her advice and shutting their mouths. As she continued to poke at her vegetables, Padmé could feel Vader drawing closer. Somehow the wool around her neck became hot – the marks on her neck somehow burning more so than they were before.

"Lord Vader," Eryx and Sobek greeted simultaneously. Padmé's eyes flashed up to see they were no longer seated, but kneeling before the Sith Lord. Unconsciously, her lips parted. She'd never seen them act that way and yet it seemed second nature as they bowed their heads.

"Senator, come with me please." Vader demanded, completely ignoring the two men kneeling before him. Even though his words were kind, his tone was as sharp as a blade. The air around him frigid. Shit… he's mad, her thoughts a quick nod, Padmé pushed away from the table standing and grabbing her tray. "Leave it, they will handle that for you."

The entire mess hall was now quiet. Quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Uncurling her fingers, she eyed the two Inquisitors who were still kneeling. They looked stressed, sweating - as if holding up excessive weight. Her lip slipped in between her teeth, she almost felt bad for them. The second she stepped away from the chair in her too high heels, Vader's hand went to the small of her back. Finally, he acknowledged his men.

"Stand," he ordered and shakily the two men stood without falter. Padmé couldn't help but frown - the strain prevalent in their expressions was only more prevalent now. Vader was no doubt disciplining them through the Force. She had half the mind to say something but an outburst would only cause issues. Her thoughts teetered. Even though she knew it was against her better judgement - she spoke up.

"Please stop," she whispered, tugging on his robes. Something deep down made her cower when the void of his hood snapped to look at her. When she saw the claw of his hand soften - her heart skipped a beat, perhaps he would actually listen to her. The expressions of his Inquisitors mirrored his action, showing slight relief. Yet the reprieve was only temporary. A small gasp of horror escaped her lips as the leather hand swiped quickly, as if chucking something away. Both men flung into the wall behind them. The clatter of armor echoed through the hollow chamber of the mess hall, every trooper's eyes adverted. Padmé's didn't. She gaped at the sight, wincing noticing the blood oozing down Eryx's temple. Then something happened that she did not expect. Without hesitation, the two Inquisitors were back in kneeling positions. Neither of them even seemed to registered the pain that their bodies were no doubt feeling. Both of their expressions remained neutral. Immediately, her mind began to question how many scars were created by Vader himself across their skin.

"Come Senator," Vader glowered, cloak billowing as he storm away. Padmé practically jumped out of her skin to jog after him, heels clicking. When she was close, his arm shot out to wrap around her waist. It coiled so tightly around her that she felt like prey to a serpent as he dragged her from the mess hall.