The separatists had occupied the planet Yavin. Droids and henchmen littered the forest and the Jedi Order had been given the task of destroying the base and ridding the planet of separatist activity. But being such a dense forest with high trees and unmapped land, the Jedi were struggling to make it even within a mile radius of the separatist base.
'We've had to pull back again, sir,' Captain Rex informed his commander. 'Commander Sol's unit were overrun.'
'We need to change our plan of attack, then. We'll regroup when she returns. And what of Master Obi-wan?'
'He's on his way back now. His attack was also unsuccessful.'
'I see. Check the wounded. See who is well enough to help.'
'Yes, sir.'
The clone captain turned to the camp where tents were pitched, and where clones were being tended to by medics. Their attempt to take back Yavin was failing, and they had already lost a large portion of their army just by trying to advance towards the base. Clones arrived back at the camp with bleeding wounds, and some were carried on stretchers by their fellow teammates.
It upset Anakin to see his legion thinning. He always cared for the clones, even if it was a low-ranking officer who delivered messages between camps. To see so many of the same face crying for morphine or staring off into nothing as their souls were accepted into the Force was destroying his yearning to continue the mission.
His gloved hand came up to rub at his eyes in frustration and exhaustion. Against the trees, Anakin's black attire stuck out like out a sore thumb. His blonde hair was just beginning to grow from its Padawan style, and its curls were forming over his ears. From the warm weather, Anakin found he didn't need his over robe, and judging by the number of failed advances the legion had so far, he assumed he wouldn't be needing it at all.
'Sir!'
Anakin was mid-rub of his eye when he was forced to look to Captain Rex once more. He couldn't see the frantic expression of the clone, but he could hear the urgency in his voice. Anakin kept his composure and put his hands to his hips, his expression brooding and intense.
'Commander Sol's team have just been ambushed on their retreat. There's reports she was hurt in the attack.'
'What?!'
At Anakin's exclamation, clones suddenly rushed from their positions around the camp. Rex and his commander looked to the upheaval and walked around the medic tent. With large strides to step over the shrubbery, Anakin went ahead of his captain and caught sight of the approaching clones from the trees. Their white armour was hard to miss, but what he was soley focused on, was the woman who was being carried by two gunmen.
With her arms over each of their shoulders, the clones dragged Sol's feet through the forest and towards the camp. Her head hung low, and her eyes were in a state of being half open and half drooping. From what Anakin could see from afar, her temple was bleeding, leaving a red line running down her cheek and underneath her chin. But apart from that, Anakin could see no other injuries on her person. This didn't ease Anakin's worries; they only worsened at the possibility of an internal injury, which would be harder to treat.
'The commander was in range of an explosion, Commander Skywalker!' one of the clones said as he supported the woman. As they arrived at the camp, two more clones with medical markings on their armour appeared with a stretcher from one of the tents.
'Get her inside, now!' Anakin ordered.
The medic clones waited for Sol to be lowered onto their raised stretcher before they ran back into the tent for treatment. Anakin didn't bother to listen to the report, as it would be relayed to him later by Captain Rex, anyway. Instead, he followed after the medic clones and shoved the loose flap of the tent out of his way as he entered the tent.
'Get a scan ready!' a clone without his helmet said from his place in the corner.
Countless other clones were laid out on stretchers, while some were sitting on beds with their arms in slings or bandages around their heads. Sol was the only patient dressed in Jedi robes and the only one who was being fussed over by the other commander of the legion.
While Sol's insides were being scanned by a handheld x-ray, Anakin stood at the foot of the bed that she had been transferred on to. With his arms crossed and his brow heavy over his eyes, Anakin watched the way Sol's head rolled around in delirium. It was possible that her hearing was temporarily gone from being so close to an explosion, so any noises around her were going by unheard.
'Some broken ribs, and her lungs appear damaged,' the helmet-less clone announced while looking at the screen of Sol's x-ray. 'She needs to go back to the temple, sir. We can't treat her here.'
'Have a ship prepared. I want word for when she's departed the system and for when she arrives at the temple.'
'Yes, sir.'
Anakin looked at Sol one last time and couldn't bare to see the way her expression churned into a grimace. The blood that stained her temple was wiped away by a medic next to her, before a butterfly closure was placed over the cut. Anakin didn't notice the way his fist clenched from its position underneath his elbow. As his uncovered hand stroked along his hairless chin, the bionic fingers beneath his gloves enclosed and shook with a growing rage.
Unannounced, Anakin turned on his heel and barreled out of the tent. The flap of its entrance whipped out of his way without his hand needing to rip at its edge, and he grabbed the first two clones that he saw waiting for orders. Before he could stray too far from the camp, Master Obi-wan appeared back from his failed advance.
'Anakin?' he called as his own legion carried their own injured towards the tent. 'Where are you going?'
'To destroy the base.'
'With two clones? Have you lost your mind?!'
'I might as well have.'
Obi-wan watched with a hanging jaw as the blade of Anakin's lightsaber ignited. He had never heard his ex-student's voice drop so low and he sensed a great rage in his signature. Obi-wan was too stunned to go after Anakin and just helplessly watched him disappear into the trees with a dark cloud over his head.
With rigid shoulders and his steps forceful, Anakin was livid. The two clones either side of him dared not to question their commander who never uttered a word to them. They sent their prayers at the thought of going against the separatist with just one Jedi and their two blasters. But they would barely need their weapons, as the hot, searing feeling that boiled in their commander's stomach would be enough to take on a whole army.
---
Darth Vader's ship docked on the landing platform. It's two panels that were aerodynamically designed to cut through the air receded back to the singular top panel that protruded from the body's roof. The ramp descended to the platform and the man in all his dark glory was exposed to the air of Naboo.
He hadn't heard the sound of rushing waterfalls and smelt the fresh scents of the nearby forests in years, and he was yet to experience these things again. His mask filtered every molecule of oxygen that slipped through its vent, and he only heard sounds through the transmissions of the helmet's speakers. This was an advantage, as these aspects would remind Vader of his first time on Naboo, where he first fell for the woman that he craved to gaze upon again. While in his thick suit, Darth Vader was able to pretend that he was not on the beautiful planet he had been and was now on an Empire-ran vessel that held who he knew was a rebellion leader.
The Senate's representative for Naboo was in her personal office. Ever since the fall of the Republic, Padme Amidala had little to do when it came to voicing her planet's decisions and concerns on galactic matters. Democracy was gone and policies were changed without the approval or disapproval of planets' elected officials. Padme was made to fill her days with the issues that were happening on her own planet, all while keeping quiet when it came to the business of the Empire.
'Would you like some refreshments, My Lady?' C3-PO questioned from the doorway of her office.
'No, thank you, Threepio.'
The gold droid heard the deflated tone in the senator's voice and decided to stay in the corner to be of service when needed. C3-PO had remained the same since the rise of the Empire, all except for the black circular device that was on his right chest plate. This had been placed on his parts to ensure that any information regarding the times before the Empire took control would be inaccessible. His memory cards had been wiped and he was now nothing more than a protocol droid that served Padme Amidala. He didn't know where he came from, how he ended up on Naboo, or who he missed dearly since their departure to Tatooine. It was all for the safety of Padme and everyone who was escaping the Empire's wrath.
Padme was looking down at her desk when the doors to her private landing platform swung open. With a start, she leapt to her feet and gasped as the cloaked figure entered her office unannounced. In her dark purple gown and her brown hair in an array of braids, Padme stumbled around her desk and towards the door, but knew that he would never let her pass to call for help.
'Senator Amidala,' his voice was drastically different from the last time she had heard it. 'It's been a long time.'
'Vader,' Padme said, venom in her voice with the name sounding wrong on her tongue. 'I would have liked to have never seen you again to be frank.'
'Oh my...' C3-PO mumbled from the corner and went to head for the door but was stopped. At the rise of Vader's hand, C3-PO's parts froze and he was unable to move from his rigid place. The Sith apprentice didn't need to look in the droid's direction in order for his power to be effective. He simply stared at Padme who stood with her hands clasped together and her eyes continuously shifting towards the door.
'Unfortunately, you have brought this visit upon yourself,' Darth Vader said as he started walking towards the small woman. His gloved arm remained raised to hold C3-PO at bay and his electronic-sounding breathing sent chills down Padme's spine.
'And why am I receiving this pleasant visit?'
'Because you ordered the rebel attack on my star destroyer, and it's about time I discover the whereabouts of the two Jedi that I have failed to locate so far.'
Padme swallowed dryly. She had heard nothing from Tatooine in the months it had been since she last saw Sol and Obi-wan. It was possible that Sol would have had her children by now, but Padme hadn't received word of their delivery. She feared the worst but couldn't risk travelling to the Outer-Rim to find out what had happened. It was agonizing to think that Padme's best friend was trapped under the Empire's ever-watching eye while pregnant with twins. And no matter how much she wanted to, Padme could do nothing to help Sol. All she could do was trust Obi-wan to take care of her, and to keep her own mouth shut about their existence.
'I don't know what you are talking about, Lord V-'
'And I would advise against feigning ignorance, Padme,' Vader stepped forward to tower over her as his hand dropped from C3-PO. 'I shouldn't need to remind you of the last time you interfered with me and my beloved.'
Padme felt a tightness in her neck. She heard the lack of hiss from C3-PO's joints as he chose to not move from his place like he had done before. With a gulp, Padme tried to maintain her stare into the ominous eyes of the mask that contained the boy she once knew. She wondered what he looked like underneath.
Was he burnt and unrecognisable? Or did he remain as he used to but with the yellow Sith eyes that she had only seen briefly in his descent?
'I... I won't do it,' Padme let out. She was scared, terrified in fact. He hadn't hesitated to choke her last time, and he was only stopped by Sol's desperate plea. Sol was across the galaxy, and unlike then, Darth Vader was more ruthless than he had ever been. Padme had to assume that he would tear her limb from limb for information.
'Your resilience is admirable, senator,' Vader raised his chin to look over the top of her head. 'But it will all be for nothing. I will take what I need-'
The gloved hand that had raised from the man's side paused in its ascent. Padme had flinched at the sight of Vader's large palm that was destined to search through her brain for the memories of Sol and Obi-wan. But when the undoubtably uncomfortable feeling never came, she dared to look up at the man who used to be teasing and playful towards her.
Darth Vader felt the burst of light through the Force from far, far away. It was overwhelming and familiar in the way it made a ball of melting goo form in his insides. The goo dropped onto his cold heart and coated its form, making his shoulders unwillingly sag in relaxation. It subconsciously brought the smell of fresh shampoo and made Vader picture the bright purple eyes that twinkled when they looked up at him. He almost wanted to rip off his mask and try to physically smell the sweet scents of Naboo to further continue the nostalgia.
Not only was there the Force signature he knew, but it was accompanied by two new signatures. They were not as bright or pure but were among some of the lightest Vader had ever seen. One was cream and was so similar to the whiteness of the flame that rendered him in bliss, that he would have thought they were the same. The other was ivory, nearing to an eggshell colour, and it burned next to the cream in almost the exact same size.
While the towering man was in a trance-like state, Padme looked to C3-PO and motioned for him to leave the office for help. The droid hurried as quickly as he could out the door and Padme inched her gaze back up to the masked man. She was shocked to find that his raised chin had dropped, and Vader was again staring down at her with inches between them. She couldn't tell if he was angry, shocked or a combination of both. But at least now, help was on the way and Padme wouldn't have to suffer in Darth Vader's presence for much longer.
'How...' she thought she heard him mumble through his mask.
And with that, Darth Vader turned away from Padme and headed out to the door to his ship. She took some startled steps backwards and was finally able to breathe without the Sith's suffocating presence. Padme watched his black cape whip in the wind as he thundered towards his ship on the platform, and she eyed the back of his shiny, black mask.
'My Lady!' Captain Typho rushed through the double doors and stopped by Padme's side. 'Are you alright?! What happened?!'
Padme didn't reply and her personal guard was left to follow her staring eyes to the outside platform. He only now noticed the wind that rushed into the office from the open doors. His singular eye squinted from the cold whips of its currents, but he was able to see the black figure that walked up the ramp of the docked ship.
Padme and Captain Typho watched as the ramp receded and its side panels descended into position. The ship then took off and left Naboo's atmosphere in seconds. The sound of its engines was delayed, but when they hit the senator's office, the two flinched at its mighty boom.
'I fear that he knows our best kept secret, Typho,' Padme gulped. 'Is there any way we could contact the Outer-Rim without sending a compromising transmission?'
'There's always that Artoo unit?'
'Indeed there is...'