The senator from Nubia strode arrogantly toward the Sith, pausing before the Dark Lord and gesturing around as if he wielded any sort of power. "What is this?"
"None of your concern," Vader replied smoothly, merely provoking the senator's belligerent anger and causing his face to flush a brighter shade of red.
"You're so bold, Lord Vader," he snapped in response. "And you know, as a member of the Imperial Senate, I have the right to know." He gestured to the chaotic scene around him, just as another woman was being dragged from her office, kicking and screaming as if she could break free and that someone would assist her. Vader would relish the sight of someone trying. "What is the meaning of this... this... madness?"
"A cleansing," Vader replied genuinely, locking the holopad and snapping it onto his belt with little thought.
"Cleansing?" the man repeated mockingly, his eyes widening and a crease forming on his forehead. "More like a purge. The Emperor agreed to keep these barbaric troops away from here. The Imperial Senate will not stand for this. The Senate voted–"
"My master," Vader snapped, "is the Senate."
The man regained his composure, assuming a strong posture as he tightly crossed his arms over his chest. "That may be true, but democracy–"
"Is no longer the power at play," Vader concluded, his words more a threat than a statement. The man paused to think, gathering himself and changing his approach. "Lord Vader," the senator said, weighing his words as he gestured kindly toward the room behind him. "May we speak? In private?"
Vader almost laughed again. This man was practically inviting his own demise and offering Vader a flawless opportunity to do so without any mess. With no hesitation, Vader followed the senator into his adjacent office as the troopers closed the doors behind them, standing outside the entrance, aware of what was about to unfold next.
As Vader paused in the center of the room, watching the man take his seat behind his desk, the Sith sensed before he noticed the woman standing in the corner. His head turned just a fraction in her direction as her wide eyes looked upon him. She took a large step towards the male senator in false protection. "This is my wife," the man said, as if that explained her presence and as if Vader cared. To him, she would merely be another pointless loss for the sake of his greater cause.
"We would like to reach an agreement," the senator eventually said, folding his hands in a professional manner, exuding a false sense of power once more.
Vader stood in the center of the room, crossing his arms tightly over his chest as he looked toward the man and began to pick apart his mind. It was not a difficult task to read the man's thoughts and fathom his intentions; his wife's mind was even easier. However, as weak-minded as the pair was, Vader still found himself slightly dumbfounded that they had come to this conclusion. Were they really as foolish as they appeared? Were they trying to bargain? Were they trying to bribe? Were they trying to turn him against his master? "We both know the Emperor is in charge here," the man continued, sounding foolish yet not entirely untrue. "But we all know you are the one with the real power." He paused, gesturing to the woman who stepped sideways to stand beside him, still visibly shaking with her wide eyes locked on Vader. "My wife," he added, his emotions tumultuous and thoughts wild as he placed his arm around her. "Sarah is pregnant with our first child, and we have decided we would like our child to grow up in a better place such as this. We want to overthrow the Emperor–"
Upon the vocal confession, Vader immediately raised his hand, acting as trained to defend his master. The words rattled in the man's throat, falling limp as the senator choked, with Vader's invisible grip crushing against his throat while his hands left his wife to fly to his neck in a state of panic. "It's treason, then…" Vader whispered, stepping forward as he tightened his grip.
"Please, Lord Vader!" the woman begged with wide, pleading eyes, her hands on her husband's neck as she tried to loosen the invisible grip while looking between him and the Sith. "We speak of a plan– of a future where you rule the galaxy." It was a fair attempt, but also a vain one. Her words did nothing to stop Vader, and as her husband began to pale, something inside her snapped, unable to watch the life drain from the eyes of her husband and father of her unborn child. "Stop!" she screamed, becoming ballistic. "We had to try for the sake of our child! Don't leave me a widow! Don't leave my baby without her father!"
Her pleas that were meant to stop the Sith Lord merely spurred him on, the twisted monster reveling in her pain and suffering. As she let out one final plea, Vader snapped her husband's neck in a swift motion, the man's head drooping to an unnatural angle before he collapsed to the ground.
The woman wailed a loud and painful cry, watching the dead body of her husband before realizing the fate that awaited her as well. With a pale face and tear-filled eyes, the woman's head spun toward the Sith, his hidden gaze already fixed on the pregnant woman.
Sensing she was now the one in trouble, she took a large step back, tears pouring from her eyes as her hand protectively covered her swollen stomach. "You wouldn't hurt a pregnant woman," she tried to plead, stumbling until she found herself against the wall. "You wouldn't hurt my baby."
"You don't want your child to grow up without a father," Vader breathed, not even attempting to hide his mockery. "I'm simply fulfilling your wish."
"Please don't–" Vader snapped her neck before she could finish her pleas, feeling the life drain from her body as it hit the floor and, soon after, the life force of her unborn child. Fools, Vader thought, turning without a single emotion in his mind and swinging his hand to open the doors to the closed office. They did as he commanded and opened for the small group of troopers who had been waiting for his return. The group saluted him as he exited, waiting for their instructions.
"Find a way to dispose of them," Vader commanded.
The troopers immediately did as he commanded. "Yes, Lord Vader."
They ran on either side of their commander, grouping in the office as the captain outlined his plans for the discreet disposal of the bodies. Vader was about to turn away, leaving them and the bodies behind when a man entered the chamber and immediately paused, taking in the sight of the dead bodies before the doors could be completely shut. The fear and utter horror were familiar to Vader, and he turned to gaze at a motionless and wide-eyed Bail Organa, the man frozen just beyond, his mouth agape in shock.
"Senator Organa," Vader called, disregarding the man's reaction as he unclipped the holopad from his belt and sauntered over to the frozen senator.
It took a moment, but the man regained his composure far quicker than the rest. "Lord Vader," he responded, almost too clearly, his swirling emotions suppressed beneath a forced layer of sensibility for his own protection. Vader could see his chest rise and fall, the man struggling to control his emotions despite his best efforts. As Vader paused, the man showed no emotion, only professional respect. He stood before the Sith as if Vader were no different from any other man. It was a classic performance– a political display. They both held no respect for one another, and Vader knew he had something to hide. His master and he both understood this, but Senator Organa wasn't foolish enough to let it slip. However, the man was naive to believe that controlling his emotions would make him appear innocent. If he only knew the opposite effect it had; by not allowing his fear and hatred to surface, he made himself even more guilty than those who freely admitted to their crimes.