Padmé winced as she pushed herself off the ground. "That proves–" she began, but her voice faltered, cutting off mid-sentence. The surroundings whirled around her, causing her to sway unsteadily, her vision becoming hazy. "You–" she attempted once more, but everything seemed to dim.
"Is there a problem, Senator?" she heard Vader ask, but she couldn't respond. She was falling, but she didn't hit the ground. Everything turned to darkness.
Padmé opened her eyes, battling the dizziness that overwhelmed her. For a fleeting moment, she thought she was still drunk, still in her apartment, lying in bed, having just endured a terrible nightmare. She tried to call for Dormé, but her mouth felt parched, as though she hadn't had a drop of water in days.
With effort, she managed to sit up, feeling a bit unsteady. Her vision remained hazy, and a pounding throb resonated in her head. She paused, inhaling deeply several times to calm her stomach, which seemed to be rising into her throat. She swallowed hard to push it down.
She frowned, her confusion evident as she struggled to understand what had happened to leave her feeling this way.
She felt the air around her grow cold. "You are surprising."
A wave of clarity engulfed her like a plunge into icy water. Memories flooded back into her mind, bringing her terror with them.
She turned her head toward the voice and found Darth Vader leaning somewhat casually, though nevertheless intimidating, against the farthest wall.
"That amount of sedative is enough to keep a fully brown bantha sedated for a minimum of eight hours.
Her thoughts raced in confusion. Why was he here? Where was she exactly? She turned her eyes away from him, a task that required more effort than she cared to admit and her muscles pushing back against each movement.
As she surveyed her surroundings, she realized she was in a dark, unfamiliar room without windows. Everything looked gray and sterile, exuding a sense of coldness and lifelessness. She tried to open her mouth again but found her chin heavy and her tongue numb. She tried to get up to face him and demand to know what had happened, but as she moved, she failed. Her arms gave out beneath her, and she fell back down. She braced herself for a hard surface but was surprised to land on something extremely soft…
A bed. She lay on a bed that felt unfamiliar, covered in odd gray sheets that were not her own.
A low groan slipped from her lips as she felt the throbbing pain radiate through her body. Her head pounded like a drum playing at a Naboo ceremony. It was sheer torture. Every part of her ached, and nothing felt coherent.
She waited for her mind to make sense.
She inhaled sharply, using every ounce of energy to part her lips.
She sensed Vader stepping closer. "Remarkable," he murmured, though Padmé remained clueless about his meaning. "Truly impressive."
She redirected her energies inward, willing her limbs to move. It took a few moments, but she succeeded in curling her fingers and then her toes. After that, she forced herself to roll over until she faced him, a motion executed with little elegance.
Vader stood at the edge of the bed, maintaining a calculated distance between them, hovering over her like a monster that had just escaped from beneath.
"W-What di-d yo-you do to me?" Her voice trembled, sounding fragile and weak. It was so hard to speak.
"I told you," Vader said, as if that explanation alone sufficed to answer her question.
She tightly shut her eyes, attempting to remember if he genuinely had. She could faintly recall waking up, though it felt distant and unclear, as if her mind hesitated to operate. It slowly dawned on her.
"Y-You poisoned me?" Padmé asked after a few more minutes, her tongue feeling somewhat looser, wishing she could express the anger she felt.
Vader let out a sigh that nearly sounded like a chuckle. "Do keep up, Senator," he remarked, rolling his shoulders and stepping back. "If you're going to fight the effects, at least try to be coherent."
She felt the urge to scream at him and scold him for his rudeness. Yet, she realized that every response was still delayed and difficult to execute.
She averted her gaze from him and turned back to the room. She noticed two doors, one of which must lead to an escape. Vader laughed- a genuine laugh that radiated with cruel humor.
"Sure, go ahead and try," he responded. "You can hardly lift your head, but I bet you can outrun me to the door." Vader shook his head at her, his tone becoming more ominous. "You're all the same, aren't you? So arrogant. So full of misguided optimism. Always believing you can get away." He stepped closer. "You have no idea where you are, but you still believe you have a chance."
"I know exactly where I am," Padmé shot back, startled by the clarity of her voice. Anger appeared to dispel some of the lingering effects. She pushed herself into a sitting position, determined not to sway.
"Do you really?" Vader mused. "That's unfortunate, especially since I took the trouble to knock you out to keep it a secret." Vader remained silent, hands resting on his belt, exuding arrogance as he awaited her response. Padmé, however, stood her ground, refusing to feel intimidated.
"It's quite obvious," she asserted, intent on irritating him.
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