We all know that Darth Vader’s heart was never really free. Even after everything he became, part of him always belonged to Padmé. That love—twisted, buried, but still there—haunts him through every story. So when I came across this tale about an Imperial nurse who developed a crush on him… I didn’t expect it to end the way it did.
And trust me—it ends badly.
How Vader responds to this surprise shows us.
The story comes from Darth Vader: Dark Visions issue #3. It opens with Vader’s shuttle arriving on the Death Star. Everyone is lined up in the hangar—Imperial officers, stormtroopers, the usual crowd. But among them is someone who doesn’t belong there: an Imperial nurse, standing out of place, completely mesmerized by Vader.
The medical doctor on duty spots her right away and tells her to get back to the medical bay. They’re supposed to prep for Vader’s surgery. On her way there, the nurse accidentally bumps into Vader himself—and that’s when it becomes clear she’s not just starstruck. She’s completely obsessed with Vader. In her mind, that brief moment means something. She starts imagining an entire relationship with Vader—dancing with him, kissing him, even unmasking him. The nurse truly believes there’s a connection between them.
Snapping out of her fantasy, she rushes into the medbay where Vader is about to undergo surgery. The droids are prepping the room. The doctor is trying to do his job. But the nurse just stands there, frozen, caught in a haze. She’s too focused on Vader to actually help. The doctor gets irritated and tells her to leave, but she hesitates.
And then—Vader speaks. He doesn’t yell. He doesn’t ask. He just uses the Force to slam the doctor against the wall and says coldly: “Keep control of your medical bay. Or I’ll replace you with someone who can.”
To the staff, it’s clearly a warning. But to the nurse? She believes Vader did it for her. That he was defending her. In her mind, this moment confirms everything she’s dreamed about.
After the procedure, the nurse sneaks back into the medbay alone. And what she does next is downright disturbing. She starts collecting the scraps left over from Vader’s surgery—metal shards, torn fabric, even pieces stained with his blood. Then one day, Vader leaves behind his cape after a mission. The nurse takes that too, convinced he left it there for her. That it was a gift. A sign
She brings the cape back to her quarters, wraps herself in it, and fully sinks into her delusion. But the doctor eventually finds out. He confronts her, sees the entire collection she’s been hoarding, and throws everything away in disgust. She panics. She even runs down to the trash compactor, trying to recover it all—but it’s gone. And in that moment, something inside her snaps.
The nurse convinces herself that Vader must be waiting for her. That they’re meant to be together. So she gathers her courage and walks straight into Vader’s private meditation chamber—alone.
Inside, she finds Vader unmasked. Face to face with the real man behind the armor. And instead of fear, she sees love. She steps forward and says: “I’m yours. Now and forever. We can be to…gether.”
But she never finishes the sentence.
Vader ignites his lightsaber and kills the nurse instantly. No hesitation. No words. He puts his helmet back on, steps over her body, and walks out.
And as if it meant nothing at all, Vader coldly orders: “Come get this garbage out of my quarters.”
This one hit me. It’s short, brutal, and deeply sad. It shows how far gone Vader really was—so lost in darkness that even someone projecting love onto him didn’t get mercy. The nurse tried to see a man where there was only a machine. And that mistake cost her everything.
