Missing and Presumed Dead

Reality

Getting shot, even in a non-vital area, was no walk in the park. Once the numbness had worn off, the burning turned into stinging, throbbing, pulsing that she could feel throughout her entire arm. It wasn't the first time she'd been shot, and if she was honest with herself, it probably wouldn't be the last.

It was, however, the first time she had Darth Vader hovering over her as his personal med droid patched the wound up.

True to his word, the moment they'd docked on the Executor, he marched her to his own personal chambers. She'd barely had time to look at the giant chamber in the center of the room before he swept her into a very creepy but state-of-the-art medical center. He'd made an adjustment to the droid, then forced her up on the highly uncomfortable steel operating table, and then he stared at her, crossing his arms over his chest.

It was definitely not ideal.

But every protest was met with his mood darkening further. He didn't say a word beyond basic commands, and she'd given up complaining in the hopes that maybe he'd lighten up.

No. He absolutely didn't.

She did her best to try not to look pained as the droid expertly and carefully handled her wound.

"What did you do to the droid?" she asked, partly to distract herself, but mostly to get him to stop hovering and glowering in the corner. It was creepy as hell and she was sure she'd have nightmares about it.

"I modified some of its programming."

His tone suggested she not pry further. "Yeah, I got that, but what?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you ask too many questions?"

"Yes." She waited for him to answer anyway.

Seeing that, Vader reluctantly replied, "I modified its patient handling personality."

If he told her that before the droid had begun on her, she might have assumed he programmed it to be rough. That's what Imperial med droids were known to do with especially valuable prisoners if they were sent in to clean them up. But this droid was as gentle as the droid who'd worked on Luke's hand.

"It wasn't already?" Because why would Darth Vader keep a droid that caused him pain? But then again, his operating table wasn't the epitome of comfort, either...

"I will not answer that." He meant it. And this time, she didn't bother pressing. She was starting to think she knew the answer already. For whatever reason, Vader preferred pain. Not only for those who failed him, or were his to torture, but he preferred it himself, too.

She wasn't sure she wanted to know why.

It occurred to her, then, that she didn't really know the extent of Darth Vader's...ailments. No one did. Most people thought he was more machine or monster than man. She'd seen Anakin Skywalker for herself, though, so she knew that wasn't true. But it was also obvious he needed the suit, and the abundance of medical equipment and lack of a bed suggested extensive injuries.

Vader seemed to pick up on those thoughts. "Kenobi cut off my limbs and left me to burn on the shores of Mustafar."

That was it. No explanation of why he and Obi-Wan were fighting (though she guessed it had to do with one being a Jedi and the other being a Sith). Not even an explanation of how he managed to survive--

"The Dark Side of the Force can allow the user to use pain to sustain them in dire circumstances, if necessary."

"Stop reading my mind."