I finally got around to writing my own Star Wars story since I've been wanting to for a long time. Anyway, hope you like it and give me your thought if you want.

Remembrance

Chapter 1

The Aldera Royal Palace burned.

Darth Vader marched to heavily armed doors of the throne room, the footsteps of the troop of clones echoing as the forces standing guard of the room began to fire.

Vader ignited his red lightsaber and reflected the blaster shots coming his way with ease. Guards began to fall one by one, clones were far more skilled than the average stormtrooper which is why his main forces were made up of them.

He thrust his left hand forward and the rest of the guards were violently flung back as the massive doors broke open forcefully. The fear on those inside the throne room was intoxicating as he stepped inside with his troop behind him, their blasters bared.

"T-This is inexcusable!" Bail Organa declared. "We abide by the Empire!"

"Your thoughts betray you senator," Darth Vader said in his deep mechanical voice. "The Emperor knows of your aid to the Rebels. Were you foolish enough to believe that we wouldn't find out?"

"You won't get away with this," Bail said in a low voice.

The senator's eyes went wide with fear when he felt an invisible grasp on his throat and his feet left the ground.

"I already have," Vader stated firmly as he closed his left fist and, with an audible 'crack,' the senator's body crumpled lifelessly on the floor.

It was quiet for a brief moment until the traitors in the room screamed in terror.

Vader turned his back on them and began to walk out of the room, "Kill them all."

As the sound of blaster fire ran through the palace, Darth Vader marched down a large hall. His Master had demanded that all those in the palace be killed and he had eagerly obliged. Bail Organa had been a thorn at his side for the four years since the rise of the Empire. They hardly exchanged words and the senator had no way to stand against him, but the fact that someone clearly in league with traitors had been a senator was offensive.

He was pleased to know that his Master had finally seen through the senator.

Vader was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt something with the Force.

"Lord Vader, we have terminated the traitors," the commanding clone informed behind him.

"Very well, go outside and guard the perimeter."

The clone saluted, knowing better than to question his Lord.

Darth Vader found himself standing before a seemingly normal wall. Had he not searched with the Force for any signs of survivors, he might have missed it, but there was no question that there was someone behind this wall. A secret door, one that Organa had died in a last-ditch effort to keep whoever was inside hidden, the fool should have known better than to think he would simply kill him and leave.

His lightsaber hissed as he used it to cut his way inside and soon enough, the part of the wall fell on the floor and revealed a dark room.

The dark lord stepped inside. His heavy breathing consumed the room, which was laid bare except for a bookshelf and a table standing at the corner of the room.

He stood there, cold, calculating, until he heard a quiet whimper. His head turned at the sound, and he instantly felt a wave of fear hit him.

Darth Vader walked to the table and pulled it away to reveal a small quivering form covered in a heavy blanket.

A child?

Using the force, he pulled the blanket off and almost stepped back in shock.

He was met by the frightened gaze of a small girl dressed in a simple white dress. What struck him about the child were her brown eyes.

A day didn't go by in which he didn't see those same brown eyes involuntarily, replaying vividly in his mind whenever he slipped and found himself immersed in a memory. Padmé. His wife. His angel. Why did this child remind him so much of her?

Why was the Force crying out to him?

The girl whimpered and hugged her trembling form.

"Who are you?"

She flinched, and he cursed the wretched voice from the equally wretched suit he was trapped in.

"I won't hurt you," Vader felt confused at those words, he had meant them.

The girl looked up slowly. Vader almost turned away when he saw her big teary brown eyes looking up at him, Force even her face reminded him of her.

"My name..." she paused, drawing in a shaky breath, "...is Leia Organa."

Leia.

Of all the names in the galaxy...

Why did it have to be the name he had decided on when he and Padmé discussed whether the baby would be a boy or a girl?

He remained still, a hundred thoughts running through his mind.

Weak.

Foolish.

Sentimental.

Anakin Skywalker was all these things, so why was Vader wavering? Why had he not killed this child yet? More importantly, why did he feel a connection to her?

…

There was no way he could harm this child.

"Come."

Darth Vader did not give her much time to make a decision as he was already walking out the door and before long, the girl ran after him.

"Where are my mommy and daddy?"

Dead.

"They have left."

She looked up at him in fear, "They left me?"

"Yes."

Her eyes welled up with tears and he picked her up without warning and gently pushed her face into his shoulder.

"You are safe."

Dozens of lifeless bodies were scattered throughout the floor. Darth Vader stepped over them calmly while holding the girl to her shoulder. It would be for the better if she didn't see any of this.

"W-What's going...to happen to me?" Leia asked in a small voice without looking up.

Vader headed for a balcony in the large hall they were on. As much as he trusted his men with fighting, they were loyal to the Emperor and would tell his Master anything if asked. No, he couldn't let anyone know what he was doing.

Even he himself didn't know what he was doing. He thought he was above acting on impulse as Skywalker had done, but there was something about this girl that felt strange and he would get to the bottom of it. However, he couldn't trust anyone around him.

Without warning, he jumped from the balcony, causing Leia to yelp in surprise and clutch him tightly.

They landed safely on one of the lower floors and he began to move once again.

"You are going to come with me. I will keep you safe."

Leia looked at him in surprise before she lowered her head into his shoulder. He didn't know what that meant but was thankful as she didn't have to see him choking the life out of a clone that saw them.

He continued moving swiftly through the shadows until he was finally in one of his personal ships. While it was meant for battle, it had enough room for him and the small girl, who he had put to sleep a few moments ago with a simple sleep suggestion.

Darth Vader's shoulders slumped in brief relief.

He had communicated with his men a few moments before boarding his ship, telling them to keep the palace guarded as his Master had ordered. His presence was not required in the palace anymore but he would need to stay in the Executor for a few days, which wouldn't be a problem. His living quarters were large and even had their own hangar.

It would give him enough time to decide on what he was going to do.

"Lord Vader."

Vader kneeled before the projection of his Master.

"Have you dealt with the traitors in Alderaan?"

"Yes Master, they are dead."

"Good. Remain in orbit there and destroy any hint of rebellion should it arise. Those Alderaan fools will learn to obey the Empire."

"As you wish, my Master."

The connection ended and Vader rose. He was in one of the four rooms in his living quarters. One held his meditation chamber. Another had a kitchen. The next one had a bedroom which he never used since sleep in a bed was near impossible for him. Lastly, there was his office in which he could communicate with anyone if need be. All of these rooms were connected by a room which acted as a living area but was mostly bare. In short, it was as if he had an apartment in his ship.

It had been about four hours since he arrived in the ship with Leia, who was sleeping on the bedroom. All-together, he had to say that he had been awake for two days and he was beginning to feel fatigued. He longed to rid himself of the suit and rest in his meditation chamber but he could feel Leia begin to wake up.

He left his office and entered the bedroom, finding the small girl looking at him meekly.

"How was your rest?"

"Okay," she answered. There was a brief pause and her eyes glimmered with tears, "Why did mommy and daddy leave without me?"

"They were bad people who left their child in order to escape."

Her lip quivered and a couple of tears rolled down her cheeks, "I'm...not. They're not...my real mommy and daddy. I heard them one day. They said that my real mommy was dead."

"I see."

Vader didn't know what to do or say as he watched the girl weeping. However, a wave of protectiveness he didn't know he still had hit him and he moved to her side and picked her up, much like he did when leaving the palace with her.

"Am...am I going to be alone now," Leia cried.

"You won't be alone," he said firmly.

She didn't say anything but what she did surprised him.

Leia wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and nestled her head on his shoulder. He didn't know what to do but placed a comforting hand on her back in an attempt to soothe her. It seemed to work as she drifted to sleep once again.

He didn't know about kids but he guessed that it was expected of her to be exhausted after all that happened. At least it gave him the chance to put her to bed and then go to his meditation chamber.

The white walls closed around him and his helmet came off for the first time in two days. A soft choked sigh escaped his lips as he leaned his head back and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

What had he gotten himself into?

Leia had awakened a side of him that he thought dead. Maybe it was because of how similar she looked to Padmé, which would also explain why he had felt a sort of connection to her, but a part of him felt the need to protect her.

Well, no use thinking it over now. He had brought Leia to his ship, it wasn't like he could take her to some orphanage and expect her to keep quiet about it. Never mind the fact that he didn't trust anyone else to protect her, but if word reached his Master, then he would be severely punished and Leia most likely killed.

He groaned and pushed aside those thoughts for now, he need to try to get a bit of rest. Nightmares haunted him but his body was demanding that he rest, his badly broken body... His jaw clenched, the last thought instantly reminding him of who it was that put him in this state.

One day he would find his brother again, a wave of anger hit him when he thought of that word. It was what he had called him and yet stood idly by as his body burned and walked away, leaving him for dead.

Vader dropped those thoughts and closed his eyes in an attempt to find some rest.

Only two hours later, Darth Vader moved to his office before he stopped on his tracks when he felt fear through the Force. Usually he would bask in it, but when he felt where it was coming from, he stalked to Leia's room with his lightsaber drawn, expecting to find something to kill, but put it away when he noticed that the girl was alone in the room, turning and tossing in her sleep.

It must be a nightmare.

Vader approached Leia and shook her shoulder lightly to wake her.

She let out a quiet sob as her teary eyes opened and took in the foreign room.

"Calm down, you had a nightmare."

Darth Vader's mechanical voice might have terrified the galaxy, but for Leia, it was something she was getting more comfortable with.

"Would you like something to drink?" He asked while watching as the girl wiped away her tears.

"I'm...okay..." she looked at him slowly, "Um...what's your name?"

"Darth Vader," he paused, "You may call me Vader."

She nodded, "Where are we?"

"We are on board my ship."

"We're in space?" Leia's brown eyes widened at the news, her nightmare already forgotten.

"Yes."

"I've never been in space before," she smiled, "Can I go see?"

"See what?"

"Space. Are there windows here?"

"Follow me," Vader rose and led the girl out of the room. While the room that connected the four separate rooms on his living quarters was bare, it did have a large window that was always covered by thick metal, but there was a button which made the metal covers slide away and give a view of space. He never used it until now.

Leia's eyes lit up in awe when the metal covers slid away and revealed millions of stars and a big round planet that was green and blue.

"What planet is that?" She asked excitedly.

"That is Alderaan."

"Whoa..."

Darth Vader felt a pull on his lips as he gazed at the girl's starstruck face. She bounced on her heels as she pressed her hands and forehead on the window and let out a small giggle.

He had to look away. The way her innocent smile made her brown eyes light up was too reminiscent of his wife.

A weak pull on his mechanical right hand caused him to look down in surprise to see Leia smiling at him.

"Can we go see more planets?"

"We will, but we have to stay here for now."

"Why?"

Darth Vader didn't believe that she would understand that it was because of his job, so he quickly came up with something.

"This ship is very big, that's why it has to gather a lot of energy before traveling across long distances."

"Gather energy?"

"In other words, it has to rest before moving."

She smiled in understanding, "Ah! I get it now."

When Vader saw her brow furrow in what had to be another question forming in her mind, he decided to change the subject before she bothered him with more questions.

"How old are you Leia?"

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise before a thoughtful look showed on her face, "Um..." She counted her small fingers and smiled proudly once she was done, "I'm four!"

A pang of hurt hit Vader when he heard her answer. Four years old... Would his and Padme's child have looked like Leia?

He buried the thought almost as soon as it came.

"Mr. Vader?" She was looking at him a bit shyly, "I'm hungry."

"Very well, go wash yours hands and I'll prepare something."

"Where's the restroom?"

"It's in the room where you slept."

"Okay," she smiled an innocent smile and ran off.

Vader had to marvel at a kid's ability to become distracted. Only moments before she had been crying about a bad dream but was now acting as if she never had it in the first place.

He shook his head and went to the kitchen. The room was as big as the others, it had the usual equipment for making food, and off the side was a table with far too many chairs for someone who ate alone, or rather, the table and chairs were useless since he could only eat in his meditation chamber.

For the first time in years, a chuckle escaped his lips.

Darth Vader, Sith Lord and second in command of the galaxy, was about to cook for a little girl he had just met.

The image had to be ridiculous.

Darth Vader was finding it hard not to snap at Leia.

After she had finished with her breakfast, he had gone into his office to work on reports and come up with strategies to catch the rebels. It was normal tedious work, however, he didn't expect for Leia to follow him, make herself comfortable on the floor next to him and yap away about trivial things.

He should look into getting her something to amuse herself with.

"Mr. Vader, do you like your cape?"

"I don't dislike it."

"So you like it," she smiled while pulling on the cape and then looked up at him in wonder, "Is black your favorite color?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because it's calming."

"Hmm..." she looked around the room and set her eyes on Vader once more, "Why do you have a mask?"

He stood up and walked out the door with a confused Leia following behind him.

Her bottom lip quivered, "D-Did I do something wrong?"

"I wanted to show you something."

The two walked into the kitchen, which confused Leia. She had already eaten, why did they come here again? Did Mr. Vader want to eat something?

Darth Vader stretched a hand towards a chair on the other side of the room, and Leia let out a surprised yelp when she saw the chair float in the air.

"Wow! Did you do that?!"

"Yes," he said as he put the chair down and pulled an apple to his hand.

Leia laughed in excitement, "How do you do that?"

Good, it seemed he had pushed her earlier questions to the side, he hadn't liked where they were going.

"With the Force."

"The Force? What is that?"

"I will tell you later, for now I want to ask if there's anything you want me to bring here."

Leia cocked her head to the side, "Like what?"

"Perhaps something that you like to do when you're bored."

"Then..." she seemed sheepish, "I want to go to school. A lady came to teach me before but I never got to go with my friends."

"That can be arranged for later, however, for now I could get a droid to teach you."

Her eyes lit up, "Okay."

This girl... Was it normal for kids to enjoy studying as much as she appeared to?

Regardless, Vader decided to look into it when he could. For now he had to go work on some reports.

As he walked to his office, he was again followed by a grinning Leia.