The Clone Wars: Path of the Force, A Star Wars Story

10

Padme Amidala awoke to the sound of voices. She wondered how long she had been unconscious. Was she still on Coruscant? Unlikely, she thought.

She tried to move but couldn't. Her body ached from the ends of her hair to the deepest muscle inside of her. She looked down and saw her legs free of restraints. She was still wearing the silver nightgown she had gone asleep in, lying next to Anakin. But now, dried blood and faint bruising dotted her bare legs and feet, probably from the fight with Bane.

Anakin, she thought. Was he ok? She remembered the blue glow of his lightsaber, forcing his way into her apartment. Was he able to escape Bane? Padme closed her eyes again. In her heart, she knew Anakin was ok and that he'd come for her. But, where was she?

She opened her eyes again and moved her head as little as possible to avoid feeling more pain. She looked up and saw her hands still tied together in the wire Bane had bound her with. The wire was now attached to a screw above her, holding her arms above her head and pressing her back against a familiar cylindrical, metal machine. She could hear a low hum of electricity emanating from the machine. Electricity, she realized, that was flowing into her, in a low current causing the ache throughout her body. A pain evident but not unmanageable, she thought. But for how long?

She heard the voices again, closer now. Padme recognized the first voice immediately as Cad Bane's unmistakable growl.

"It couldn't be helped," he said. "She was putting up quite a fight."

"That wasn't the arrangement," the other voice said. Padme recognized the nasal draw of this voice too, but couldn't quite place it. "Now, I'm behind schedule."

"I still expect full payment plus a special, let's say, handling fee. I was seen and had to get passed two jedi to get here."

"You will not be disappointed in your payment. In fact your droid should be loading the credits onto your ship as we speak. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Bane walked out into Padme's view and looked at her as he passed by. His eyes narrowed. Padme didn't think there was quite regret in his look, but he definitely looked displeased. Padme tried to speak to him, but realized that her mouth was still tied with cloth.

Then the owner of the familiar, second voice stepped in front of her. Padme's eyes widened and she felt suddenly cold and shivered. Doctor Nuvo Vindi stood directly in front her smiling.

Padme's heart sunk as she suddenly placed why everything, the voice, the machine, the electricity had all seemed familiar. She had been in this horrible situation before, in Dr. Vindi's bio-weapons lab on Naboo. Except then, she had her friend Jar Jar with her and her hope in an imminent rescue. She still had hope in a rescue though. Anakin, she knew, would come. She closed her eyes. She had to keep hope.

She opened her eyes and looked at Bane again. She screamed at him, as much as she could through the cloth cutting into her mouth, pleading with him to help her.

"Well, looks like she's wide awake now," Dr. Vindi said. "Maybe I won't be behind schedule after all."

Padme did not take her eyes off Bane, forcing him to make a decision. Bane stood there looking at her. She thought for one moment that his hesitation was a good thing. That he might just change his mind and help her escape. But then, he abruptly turned around and walked away.

"Now, my sweet life-form," Dr. Vindi said stepping up to a control panel opposite her. "I'm pleased to see you again, but this won't be pleasant for you I'm afraid."

Vindi turned around from Padme and twisted a large knob on the control panel. She watched the lights on the panel change from green to yellow to red and felt the voltage of electricity grow stronger and stronger. Padme bit into the cloth in her mouth, trying not to scream. She fought hard but was ashamed at how little she lasted against such torture. A deeper hurt began to form in her soul as she began to scream. Padme knew she would not be the only one suffering when Anakin sensed her pain.