Saga In Justice--Anakin/Padme post-ROTS AU vignette--Padme is a prisoner

It had been said that his sanity had been burned away in the fires of the black sands. That was probably the most accurate statement that had ever been made about the Sith wraith that called himself Darth Vader.

Though no one cared to admit what or who he had been before he had been left to die by a treasonous Jedi on the lava plains of Mustafar, they were only too willing to speculate on what he had become as a result. Most equated him with General Grievous, since they had both been reconstructed from the fragments that should have been embraced by death. Grievous, however, had worked as if he were more machine than anything else. His motives were nothing more than what had been dictated to him by his Masters and were driven by the sadistic pleasure of having an excuse to wreak havoc.

Vader was much more terrifying because there was no way of knowing precisely what his reasons were for killing another. There were no set rules to follow that would keep someone from offending him and there was no prescription that would ensure that he considered efforts to be a success. It was only known that he murdered failures and strangled those who offended him.

No one seemed to know this more acutely than 413, prisoner of the Empire.

She was a gaunt one, her body shrunken and bent as if she had spent the three months since the fall of the Republic attempting to disappear, but she had a highly developed sense of foolish self-preservation.

She did not, like the others, achieve this attitude by making herself useful to the Empire. There had been many arrests in the first days of the Empire, since the supreme ruler of the galaxy now had every excuse to take vengeance on his opponents.

The names that filled the newsfeeds were familiar enough?Senators Zar, Taneel and Danu were the first to be taken into custody and there were warrants for the rests of most of the others who had put together the audacious, treasonous Petition of the Two Thousand. Bail Organa, while among those who had drafted and promoted the petition, had been spared the terror of an Imperial imprisonment because he was considered to be more of an idealist than a terrorist.

Prisoner 413 was not so fortunate.

She seemed to be a special case in every way. She was kept in the same sort of dank, steadily rotting cell that had never been mentioned before the rise of the Emperor and the same rough tunic and pants covered her emaciated nakedness. On the other hand, her head remained unshaven and while most prisoners were denied of all personal possessions, she retained the same crudely carved jewelry that she had worn on the day of her capture.

Most of the prisoners went through a softening-up period. It mostly consisted of solitary confinement that would break their wills and make them more cooperative as well as deprivation of other things. A few had given up on the softening period and broken immediately, since it seemed to make things easier for all involved if they recognized that the Empire would have the same lack of mercy regardless of how long they were imprisoned.

Prisoner 413 seemed to simply not care.

She had no value to the Empire, since she was as stubborn as an overheated dewback and as silent as a Hoth wasteland. She may have lost the will to live already, recognizing that she had nothing left to live for with the Republic that she had so desperately served buried under the pretenses of a civilized Empire.

Perhaps she thought she was dead already.

Perhaps she was right.
*****
It had not been the first time the Emperor had lied.

Long before those twisted lips, parched by the heat of greed and mangled by his own darkness, had claimed that Padme was dead, he had declared that the power of the Dark Side was what would save Padme.

Both statements had been so radically false that he balked at the mere thought of his naïveté. Anakin Skywalker had been worse than a fool and Padme had known it in acerbic clarity.

The Dark Side had not saved Padme. It had simply saved her for later.

Had Vader posses

 

Wow! Very stunning vignette. I think I'm still captivated even though I've finished reading.

 

This is quite the strong and powerful vignette. Very stunning too. I have a weakness for fics (in any form) where Padmé survives after RotS. You capture Vader so well here as he encompasses Anakin and still has that small fight inside him about his feelings towards Padmé. They aren't a large part of the vignette but they play their part very well. And Padmé's still strong despite her situation. She'll do anything to protect her children whether it be their lives of their memories.

The fact that this is an open ended piece leaves much to the imagination and what could happen.

 

3po1ab--Thanks, 3po1ab! Captivated is my favorite word for a compliment, so you made me choked up!

Daenarrah--I have a weakness for that, too, but all of my Padme surviving fics have been several years after ROTS. THis was my first attempt at getting them into the same room so close to the event. Glad that you liked the inner conflict that I was shooting for.

 

Evil Anakin... the rough-and-tumble Padme I had come to expect... I loved it.

I love it when a story makes me clench my fists against somebody.

Good job!

 

wow, that was incredible. i've read a lot of stories where padme survives rots, but nothing quite like that. you really had me on the edge of my seat and the ending does leave a lot to the imagination, which was a good choice. great work.

 

Very nice work.

 

?Oh, no?? she called after him. ?Is it because you lost your nerve when faced with something you couldn?t blame on Obi-Wan??

Awesome line! Are you sure you couldn't continue this?

 

Oh, wow! DarthIshtar, this was amazing! Absolutely incredible. I just... wow!!

Way to go Padme! Loved the way she didn't cower before Vader - she is one tough lady!

I know this is simply intended as a vignette, but if you ever do decide to continue I will be here in the front row, cheering you on.

 

Found it, read it, loved it, great job DarthIshtar .

It was so sad how Vader treated Padmé, he truly was a monster . It was so sad, and I swear that I even cried .

 

Luna_Nightshade--I liked Padme as slightly rough and tumble, the way we were originally introduced to her in TPM and the way she was in the arena at Geonosis. Thanks! Awww, clenched fists? I'm flattered, oddly enough!

lady_sapphire--Thanks so much, sapphire! Glad you liked the open ending.

JediMaster_Jen--Thanks!

angel_gidget--Heehee, I loved that line because it would hit such a raw nerve. I've been wanting her to slap him with something like that since the garage scene in AOTC. I don't know if I'll ever continue this.

VA_Parky--Thanks, parky! LOL at that first paragraph. I liked how padme didn't cower because she wouldn't do it in front of anyone, much less her husband. I'll let you all know if I continue.

Star_Angel--Thanks. His treatment of her is abominable.

 

You have just erased any sympathy for Vader I had.

What a powerful ending. You really captured Vader's ruthlessness and cruelty.

Bravo!

 

i loved it. it was so dark. but i could totally see this going further?. what do you say?.heh

 

Babeekim--Maybe with enough encouragement. Thanks!

Kelia--Strong reactions make me feel all warm and fuzzy.

 

Wow, Ish. I've not read a tremendous amount of your material, but this, by far, stands out as your best in my eyes. From the brilliantly smooth and readable opening, to the intimate one on one between Vader and Padme, you had my attention wrapt.

Though no one cared to admit what or who he had been before he had been left to die by a treasonous Jedi on the lava plains of Mustafar, they were only too willing to speculate on what he had become as a result. Most equated him with General Grievous, since they had both been reconstructed from the fragments that should have been embraced by death.

I was was amused and disturbed by your lyrical narrative on Vader's attributes.

?You?re not inclined to let me survive at all,? she asserted quietly, letting herself unfold from the crouch to her full height. ?If we agree that I would rather die than tell you the lies that you wish to hear, would you kindly get it over with and kill me where I stand now??

Is that you, Leia? Tough words from Padme. She has lost almost eveything...but her dignity.

?Would you like to know,? she demanded, voice rising to a shriek, ?that he was the fortunate one? That he must have been granted the death that I begged for with every breath I took??

Your dialogue from Pademe is passionate and evocative. I believe her words here, which I never did in the films.

?Oh, no?? she called after him. ?Is it because you lost your nerve when faced with something you couldn?t blame on Obi-Wan??

The woman who loved him also know how to hurt and provoke him. Nice Obi-wan reference. Very powerful.

I loved this, Ish. Awesome work. Like I said, there have been A/P vigs that I have loved, however few.

EDIT:Babeekim--Maybe with enough encouragement. Thanks!

I count 4 votes for a continuation...that includes mine. You are hereby encouraged!

 

I like this alot. I'm uppin' it!

 

Thank you so much, brodiew! This was taking a bit of a risk in writing style for me. Glad your attention was rapt. Amused and disturbed? How fun. That line about getting it over with is certainly like Leia, or at least the version of Leia that I tend to write. Dignity is all she can hold on to. Interesting that you were able to believe Padme's dialogue because of the passion because I believe that was exactly what George denied us. Of course she knows how to push all his buttons, especially the Obi-Wan one. And I'll try and be encouraged into writing more.

 

Wow... very moving... I love the way Padme spoke to Vadar... there are no words to describe the way I felt as I read this... very very very beautiful yet tragic...

Rachel Rose

 

You really need to continue this pleeaasseee

It's a really good vignette that would make an even better story

 

AnakinLuver--Thanks, so much, Rachel Rose! I'm glad it had such an impact. This was a lot of response to the annoyance I had with ROTS dialogue.

DarthVaderette--I will, eventually. I promise.