"He is supposed to possess incredible powers, even more extensive and powerful than those of the Jedi," Mon Mothma hissed in response, turning her face toward Padmé. "It is said that he can read minds."
"What?" Padmé nearly choked, her eyes almost popping out of her head at the unexpected news. "That can't be true. Can it?"
"Apparently, it is," Bail replied, his voice growing suddenly cold. "I've seen him do it."
Padmé's head spun with the flood of new information. Vader could read minds? He could really read minds! The very thought of this ability sent shivers through her core, chilling her to the bone. She had worried, to her alarm, that Vader was more powerful than the Jedi, given his extermination of them all, but even she hadn't imagined he could possess such powers. How could anyone survive against a force like that? Even Padmé had to acknowledge that, while she could wear her "political mask" like a second skin, it didn't extend all the way to her mind. Why would it? Her mind was her personal space. It was her sanctuary. No one should be able to peer into her thoughts besides her.
"What about his temper?" Mon asked Bail, disregarding Padmé's response as she sought vital information. "Does he have a temper like everyone says?"
Bail nodded, a single droplet of sweat rolling off his forehead, finally glancing at Mon Mothma for a moment. "I saw him kill a man just by lifting his finger," he whispered before pausing and turning back to await a view of the two men. "At the time, I didn't understand why Vader had killed him. It all happened so quickly, and from what I knew then, there was nothing to provoke him. Naturally, I questioned the Emperor about it later because I believed Vader's actions were unjust, but he strongly disagreed. That's when Palpatine revealed to me that Vader acted out of good faith and justice; that the man harbored many sinister plans to disrupt the peace, and that Vader had seen those plans within his mind." Bail released a painful, sad laugh, one that resonated in his chest and caught in his throat. "The man—Senator Kortito—had been one of the first to support and encourage the formation of the Rebellion. He wanted to be a leader like us, but Vader killed him before he could begin." He paused one last time, his eyes nearly glazing over as his thoughts wandered. "Imagine if he found us now. Imagine what Vader would do."
Padmé choked back her fear, burying it deep within her chest. Fear was not something they could afford, but it was hard not to feel it. "What does he look like?" she asked, wanting to picture the monster clearly before she saw him, hoping it would help quell her fear. She already had an image of the Sith in her mind, but it was blurry and lacked detail. Her vision drew from the images and videos she had seen of Darth Vader on the HoloNet, but the problem was that those images were hardly images at all. There weren't many of them, and in the few that existed, his face was always covered, and he was always silent, leaving almost everything to the imagination.
"Not much different from the holos of him, I'm afraid," Bail replied. "No one has ever seen his face." He sighed, pausing in thought and rubbing the sweat forming on his forehead. "Truthfully, I'm not even entirely sure if he is human."
"Anyone who has seen his face is long gone," Mon added. "Killed by Vader himself, presumably. Insights have suggested to me that he could be a strange, deformed creature from unknown areas, or possibly even a machine created by the Emperor himself to carry out his bidding."
"I would believe he was some kind of droid," Bail admitted, his voice heavy with sadness. "I can't believe, nor do I want to believe, that a living being could commit the acts that Vader has."
A wave of anger filled Padmé's heart before she could stop it, as she heard the blame shifting toward Vader and away from the man she viewed as a monster—a man she believed capable of committing as terrible acts as Darth Vader. After all, she had witnessed it. She was a victim of it.
"What about Palpatine?" Padmé asked, attempting to remind her peers of the other threat in the room. "He should not be underestimated or overlooked. We know he is human, and he is genuinely evil. From my perspective, Vader merely serves as his ruthless military pawn."
"True," Bail agreed, understanding Padmé's feelings but obviously having his own. But Palpatine is not like Darth Vader. Just as you said, Palpatine only commands the acts, but Vader enforces them. So, as evil as the old man is, he still shows his humanity enough, more so than Darth Vader."
Padmé fought back the lump in her throat, feeling the pain of what Palpatine had done to her. Two years might have passed, but the pain—the humiliation—remained the same. "I disagree," she growled, the memory burning in her mind. "He shows no humanity."
Bail nodded in understanding but did not concur. "Well," he breathed. "Regardless of our views, at least Vader isn't a liar like Palpatine. I'll give him that."
Mon nodded, moving her head up and down in agreement. "Yes, but then again, Vader isn't a politician."
"What do you mean?" Padmé frowned, her expression revealing her complete confusion and barely concealed anger. "I don't understand."