Vader was furious. No, he was beyond that. He was seething. Never in his life had he been forced to deal for so long with such imbeciles and simpletons. It was outrageous! He would prefer the sanctuary of a battlefield to the tortures of a civilized social function any day. To endure the agony of so many brainless, moronic, and downright traitorous minds at once was nearly unbearable, if it hadn't been for the pleasure of knowing what was to come next. If Vader had his way, the entire room would be grounds for extermination, and the Empire would finally start anew. Even those who considered themselves loyalists to the Empire, and therefore believed themselves safe from his wrath, were sadly mistaken. In Vader's mind, they were scum, just like all the rest.
He had fought to keep it together all night, playing his perfect role in his master's scheme. Although Vader himself had doubts about his presence during the night, he found himself somewhat surprised when the night finally came to an end. Those in attendance were fools, to be sure, but it was easy to forget about the passage of time or even other matters on his mind when he was busy navigating their punished minds. He usually passed time this way, completely dedicated to his mission at hand. This one had been no different. That was until one tiny slip on his part. Vader nearly growled in annoyance, the hot taste of failure on his tongue. In his defense, it had come at the end of the night, after he had grown tired of simply playing the role of his master's composed right hand and probing the minds of those he had already condemned. The man in question had annoyed Vader more than once during the night with his piercing, lustful thoughts. The loud ideas screamed so loudly that even Vader found it hard to ignore them. On more than one occasion, Vader considered ending the man throughout the night.
It would have been almost too easy to kill the man while Vader looked in another direction. Surely, none of those fools would have expected him, as he remained on the opposite side of the room with his back to the scene. It could have even been amusing—to have the man accidentally fall onto a sharp object, causing the wine to lodge in his throat. Not even the best medical physician would be able to tell the difference between an act of his power and an accident, nor would the witnesses either.
But that's not what had happened. Instead, Vader had chosen to obey his master's wishes until that man decided to literally test Vader's last nerve. His hand curled at his sides as he recalled the feeling of the man's neck crunching in his grasp. How easy it would have been to crack his windpipe, to shatter the bones, to take his life. He wished he had. He wished he had killed him and that ridiculous young senator as well—Amidala. Such a fool, too.
Her kindness ran deeper than the rest, a purity that was absent in the others. Although he conceded that this made her a somewhat less despicable politician—at least more so than most—it also rendered her even more of a fool. He hadn't needed to look into her mind to know her hatred for the Empire, thus making her guilty by association with the sympathy for the Rebellion before his investigation had even begun. He and his master had known she was associated for months, and although he hadn't seen her personally, he remembered her face well from his master's mind. His master had a complicated thought process regarding the girl, to say the least; he despised her while also holding her in the utmost importance. More often than not, he wondered if his master was even obsessed with the young senator, though in ways he had yet to explain.
Seeing her in person for the first time tonight made Vader question his master's long-standing obsession, as he saw no reason for it. She was young and attractive, as nearly every male in the room had labeled her, but again, Vader hardly cared. She might have had physical attributes to her advantage, which he was sure she utilized like many of the other corrupt individuals, but what was her significance beyond that? What did she possess that his master saw? He couldn't comprehend it. This was the girl his master held in such high esteem? This was the one who was of utmost importance? This was the one whom Sidious despised more than anything else, yet continued to torment himself with? Vader couldn't help but wonder, after all, hadn't the girl served her purpose? As his master said, hadn't she helped him gain power? Wasn't her job complete?
Unless his master favored her as well, which overall didn't seem too absurd. His master usually liked to pick younger women who would be disgusted by the act. The ones he could not only find physical release with, but also find pleasure in their horror. Vader imagined from her thoughts about the Empire and her hatred for the Emperor that she would surely be a consideration. Yet, he pushed the thought away, suddenly feeling nauseous following that particular line of thinking to its conclusion. This one was too kind for his master's liking anyway, he concluded. She had even been kind enough to greet him during the evening, which was a surprise for sure, but also an annoyance. Although, it wasn't as much of an annoyance as her trying to order him around.
The thought angered him, causing the paintings on the nearest wall to rattle. How dare she try to command him? How could she think she was so important that he would ever listen to her? She was just like that idiot of a man, believing he was so above it all that he could act recklessly without any repercussions from the Sith. Yes, he wished he could have ended them both, but he knew their torment would come in time. If he had acted at the party, he was certain his master would have discouraged the task. After all, his master wanted fear, not panic. Panic would come tomorrow.
His master would surely be indignant and displeased with his actions, but as Vader reached out in the Force, he felt only pleasure. It was a relief to sense that his master was pleased and not irate, and that already calmed Vader's mood, though just barely. Vader was still angry at himself, his fury rolling off him in waves. It did not matter that his master was pleased with the fear he had created, the panic flourishing inside the ballroom. He could not find peace. He sensed the old man walking slowly through the halls, his thoughts clear. He was pleased with what Lord Vader had done. Yes, Vader had done exactly what he had wanted: he had created fear and hopefully found some answers.
Vader wasted no time in joining his master as they entered a dark hall. Darth Sidious smiled when a familiar presence appeared at his side. "Ah," he mused without turning to look. "Lord Vader, there you are."
"Yes, my apologies, Master," Vader replied in a dark tone, assuming his rightful position beside his master with a slightly darker yet calmer demeanor. "For what, my young apprentice?"
"For my actions against that man," Vader snarled, his mind recalling the idiot who had run into him—the fool who had set him off and caused him to fail his mission. He inhaled deeply, trying to find relief, but discovered none. The smell of wine wafting from his cloak only intensified his anger. "You told me to control myself. I failed you."