Heart of Vader

The door swung open, and a cloud of white surged into her apartment with weapons drawn. Captain Typho positioned himself in front of her, his hand resting on his own weapon. He drew his blaster from his belt and aimed, but a shot hit him square in the chest before he could fire.

Dormé attempted to shield her, but a blast struck her shoulder, causing her to fall.

Padmé dropped to her side. "Dormé!" she cried, relieved to see her breathing, but blood was seeping through a wound on her shoulder.

"Run," Dormé wheezed, but it was too late.

Firm hands gripped Padmé's arm, pulling her to her feet and dragging her out of the room. The last sight she had was of the bodies of two people she cherished most on this planet, lying on the floor of her apartment. One was clearly dead, while the fate of the other remained uncertain.

She fought them at every turn, making it difficult for them. She would be damned if she made it easy, and she certainly wouldn't go quietly. "You can do this," she screamed, pulling and kicking in an attempt to break free. "I am a member of the Imperial Senate! "

The troopers remained undeterred by her actions and stayed silent, merely pulling her along.

They clasped binds around her wrists as they reached the main hangar floor and threw her into a military transport ship. Padmé looked up at the troopers from the floor, her chest filled with a sense of dread. The ship rose into the air, with Padmé as a prisoner to whatever fate awaited her. As her apartment shrank in the distance, she wondered if the view of Coruscant would be the last thing she ever saw. Padmé was surprised to find herself breathing, let alone being dragged through the familiar walls of the Senate Building rather than being taken to an Imperial compound, to a prison, or a torture room, as she had expected.

She had assumed the Coruscant skyline would be the last thing she ever saw- the final light of day to grace her eyes. However, it seemed she wouldn't be so lucky. Instead, it seemed her final sight would be Palpatine's unpleasant visage, or so she thought since the troopers appeared to be taking her toward Emperor Palpatine's office.

Part of her hoped that if she were to die, Vader would be the one to do it, horrifying as that prospect might be. Anything to ensure her last sight in this green galaxy would be something other than the man who had manipulated and betrayed her. It would be a mercy- something likely to happen regardless- but she still clung to the hope of another outcome. Palpatine didn't like to get his hands dirty, not when he had stooges for that.

She also regretted, as a final wish, that she had done something memorable and enjoyable for her last day in the galaxy, rather than the dreadful experience she had last night. Her head still throbbed from the alcohol, and her mind felt numb to what had occurred. It had all been so overwhelming. She had been so angry and confused until this morning.

She tripped over her nightgown, shoving the troopers aside as they paused in the vestibule outside Palpatine's office, using her elbows to jab their ribs to free herself. "I can walk," she snapped, and the troopers released her more because they had arrived at their destination than due to anything she did. She still felt a sense of pride.

She stood tall, holding her head high and skewing her face to show no fear. Palpatine would gain nothing from her. She pushed everything deep down and closed off her mind, reinforcing her mental walls as she had been taught and hiding all information deep inside.

She took a deep breath when she felt ready and walked through the door, prepared to seal her fate.

The clone troopers' hands returned to her elbows, guiding her through the unexpectedly bright room to the edge of Emperor Palpatine's desk. His chair faced away from the group that had entered as he gazed out the window at his Empire. He raised his hand, signaling to the clones, "Leave us."

They complied promptly, detaching the senator's cuffs and leaving the two politicians alone in the room.

For a few moments, a silence enveloped the room, reminiscent of a tomb, which felt somewhat ironic given her fate. It was so quiet that Padmé was certain Palpatine could hear her heart racing wildly in her chest.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the Emperor chuckled, breaking the morbid silence. "I hope your morning went well, Senator," he said with a bemused tone.

She battled the surge of disgust within her. "Not the wake-up call I anticipated," she replied, struggling to keep anger from creeping into her voice. She forced herself to remain composed and professional. "You will receive a formal complaint regarding my mistreatment, as well as the loss of my head of security due to the brutality of your troopers."

"I'm sure," he said, sounding unconcerned as he waved his hand. "All necessary losses to ensure your safety, I assure you."

That caught her attention and surprised her. She raised an eyebrow. "My safety?" "Indeed," Palpatine nodded, his eyes returning to her as he smiled wickedly. "You know… you have always been so close to my heart, Amidala."

The thought made Padmé's skin crawl. "What heart?" she spat, quickly adding, "I was unaware."

"Now, don't be so dismayed," he said. He sounded like a father scolding a child, which only intensified her anger. "I mean what I say. After all, I owe you so much." He laughed, his voice filled with insincere compassion. "Without your vote of confidence when you were Queen, I might have had to wait longer to become Chancellor; who knows how long it would have been before I became what I am today? The Empire exists because of you."

Padmé fought against the wave of sickness and shame. She concentrated on her feelings of disgust and anger. There was no reason to conceal them. They both knew the truth of how they felt about each other.

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