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

14

Padme chided herself the next time her muscles relaxed. She needed to think quicker. The answer to avoiding torcher, Vindi made painfully obvious. She just had to remain completely still while he touched her. But, Padme had no intention of letting him have his way. She needed to do more than just endure. She needed to be smarter. She needed to find a way out. She closed her eyes again, trying to focus on anything but Vindi's nasty hands on her. He was testing her resolve. Moving more boldly now.

Padme took a deep breath. Ok, she thought, before I can get out, I have to get free. She thought for a moment of trying to wriggle out of the wire Bane had wrapped around her wrists, but she feared Vindi would notice that much movement and turn the machine back on. If she couldn't get free from the wire, maybe she could free the wire. She remembered looking at the screw attaching the wire to the machine when she first woke up.

With Vindi focused on her lower body, she subtly felt for the screw with her fingertips. She tried to turn it using only her fingertips, but it didn't budge. If she was a force-user, this would've been easy, but she didn't stop to lament. She knew what she had to do. She needed to position her body to give herself more leverage to try and loosen the screw. But, she would need Vindi to turn around again so that he wouldn't notice what she was doing. She sighed, trying to build up her resolve to face the pain again. But, when she realized what Vindi was doing now. Where he was touching her, and not just with his hands. She kicked at him again, but not at his head this time.

Vindi sat in front of her laughing, except it sounded more like a cackling giggle than a laugh. Finally, he turned around to head to the power console once again. Padme didn't waste this, getting up to her feet and grabbing the screw behind her, she used every muscle she had to try and turn the screw. The small piece of metal tore into her skin as her fingertips slipped across edges of screw. It did not budge.

She lowered her head, preparing for the oncoming pain, but snapped it back up. She cursed at herself for nearly giving up. She had made a mistake. The screw was behind her. She had been turning it the wrong way. She gripped it again. With everything she had, she squeezed and turned. Ignoring the blood beginning to trickle onto her palms from her fingertips, she didn't give up this time. Just as Vindi turned that horrid knob, she felt the screw give. But, then her muscles seized and pain shot through her once again. She tried to keep her wherewithal. Tried to focus on what she needed to do, but the pain once again took control of everything that she was.