Just heal yourself. Come on. Get this kriffing over with. I don't have time for this. Vader tried to reach into the Force, he tried to heal himself, but each of his efforts resulted in the same outcome, failure. Again, Vader's anger and annoyance began to boil at that word. Failure. Vader and failure were two words that should never be associated together, but yet he continued to fail.
Pain.
Weakness.
Failure.
Pain.
Weakness.
Failure.
The words played over and over in Vader's mind. He let out a loud groan, for the sake of his wounds and thoughts. Reaching up, he pulled the hood farther over his face and closed his eyes. I just need rest.
Down the hall, Padme was mad– No. Furious. She didn't know what Vader had meant by his final comment, but right now, she couldn't give a damn. How dare he. How dare he kill her friends and colleagues. How dare he try to use a weakness against her. How dare he. After everything he has done, try to play victim? After everything she has done, just let her off the hook? What was happening?
The man… or monster… that was in her room was not the powerful Sith Lord, Darth Vader. The real Vader would have done his worse. He would have been angry, murderous even; but yet, she was untouched. He had entered her room, and left without a single interrogation question. What was wrong with him?
"Are you alright, Mistress Amidala?" Padme looked up from her place in the room, slightly confused of how she could have missed 3PO enter. But as soon as her eyes came upon the golden droid, a plan inside her mind clicked.
"I want to speak to Lord Vader." She said quickly, crossing the room towards the droid.
"Mistress Amidala," 3PO shuffled nervously, "I have been instructed –"
"I don't care about your orders, Threepio!" Padme interrupted loudly, "I want to see him. Now!"
Again the droid shuffled back, uncomfortable with the situation that was being brought down upon him. "Mistress," 3PO began, "I'm afraid I'm not even sure if my Master–."
At the sound of his voice, Padme instantly regretted her sudden burst. 3PO had been nothing but kind to her, and it was unfair to take her ragging emotions out upon him. "I'm sorry, Threepio." She said quietly as she approached him once more, "Please, could you go get him? I must speak to him urgently."
Due to her sudden change and soft request, 3PO nodded, "I will try, Mistress."
He returned a few minutes later, shuffling through the door slowly. Padme had expected the worse and was quite surprised to hear 3PO say, "My Master has given me permission to bring you to him."
Hesitantly, she followed 3PO out of the door and into the unknown. She had expected him to hide her eyes or try to confuse her, but he said and did nothing of the sort. 3PO just walked quietly along the long corridors making no attempt to hide anything from her. A small chill ran up Padme's spine as she remembered that this was the first time leaving her room since she had tried to run away. When she had escaped her room, Vader had been furious… and so it made no sense to why he was fine with it now. Why was this okay? Why had he let her live without punishment? Why was he allowing her out of her room? Why was he showing her the way to him? Why? Why? Why?
Moments later, the twists of hallways ended and Padme followed 3PO through a doorway into a large room. The room was dark, quiet, and Vader laid motionless against the back of the couch as if no one had entered. It was a state that Padme never imagined she would see Vader in, and it momentarily shocked her.
"Can't sleep, Senator?"
It was only after Vader spoke that Padme realized she had been frozen in place staring at him. Shaking her head, she crossed the room towards him. "No, this isn't because I can't sleep!" She shouted angrily, "Our conversation was not over!"
"I believe it was." Vader said unfazed, "And not so loud, Senator. You'll wake the dead." The flame of Padme's anger reignited at his word choice. "How can you be so cruel?" Padme cried, "To make jokes at a time like this?!"
"Master, do you wish me to stay?" 3PO asked, taking a step in between the two before the conversation could explode.
"No, Threepio." Vader said waving him off, "That will be all. I can deal with her."
"Deal with her?" Padme hissed, "Just like you dealt with them, I'm sure."
"Yes, Master." 3PO nodded, before nearly running out of the room.
As soon as 3PO left the room, Padme closed more distance between herself and Vader. Before she could stop herself, she began to scream everything that was on her mind. The anger seemed to just flow out of her, and it seemed like it was never going to stop. She had so much to say and she had every intention of making Vader hear it.
Darth Vader on the other hand, had other things in mind.
Vader tightened his fists underneath his sleeves. Why did I allow her out of her room? He didn't know, nor did he care. He had made a quick decision in hopes that he could return to his form of solitude. He should have known, however, that a simple task and solitude were impossible when it came to Senator Amidala. She continued to scream at him, for reasons he could no longer understand. His head hurt, body hurt, everything hurt… and she was making it worse. He no longer had the energy to fight back against the small girl; she was far too close to him, and screaming far too loudly. The louder and closer she got, the more his head ached. Without thinking of the consequences, Vader used his remaining energy to call upon the Force, and within seconds, Senator Amidala became unconscious. Her body fell forward, falling into a lying position on the couch beside him, while her head nearly fell directly on his lap.
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