Major Callhern knew that he was going to die the moment he walked into the room. His information on the Princess's biological parents was only half complete and late to boot.
The Princess escaped hours ago with rebel agents aboard a Corrilian freighter. It might have been an opportunity to track rebellion leadership, but Callhern knew that he had failed in further rattling the princess. With the destruction of her planet, and parents, information gained by the bio-scan was supposed to make her more unsettled and adrift in crisis, personal and galactic.
Either way his report to Lord Vader was as complete as possible.
The only match to the Princess's ancestry was that of a dead queen and former senator of Naboo. A brief perusal of the woman's file, which had been heavily redacted, led the major to believe that the Princess's wildness was at least partially genetic. (The former Queen had apparently risen up and led her people to war while prepubescent and marched into battle multiple times after that. Unsurprising really. The Naboo had a history for turning out bloodthirsty monarchs.)
Lord Vader seemed to have frozen from his glance at the report once the Major reluctantly handed it over.
Major Callhern stood at attention knowing that he was not forgotten. It had happened before with other officers; Callhern had reported to their offices, turned in whatever they had requested, and then never been dismissed. Once General Veers had sent him for caf, assuming he was a secretary.
"This is accurate?"
Startled, Callhern squeaked before remembering himself.
"Yes, sir. It was a 98 percent maternal match. Unfortunately the father was unkno-URGK."
Darth Vader's gaze never left the file.
Queen Breha and Viceroy Bail Organa had adopted Princess Leia Organa nearly 19 years ago as an infant only weeks after Senator Amidala's death. It was too close, too obvious.
Impossible, thought the Sith. Padmé's child had been this close the entire time.
The padd crumpled as it dropped to the floor. Walls warping and buckling under unseen pressure as Vader stood, considering.
It didn't make sense.
The Emperor had told him, had explained that Padmé - that she had died. And that she had taken the child with her. That, that he had killed her. That he had killed them both. And for the past 19 years Vader had wished he'd followed.
But the Emperor needed him. Needed him to protect and guide the new galaxy. If not for the safety of the empire, then in her memory. To honor her. To guide the thoughtless petty citizens to a better future.
The Emperor said he'd seen it.
And when Vader reached out for her, for Padmé, she was gone. And so was the child. It was supposed to be a girl. He remembered that, he had felt the tiny force presence and had known.
It was going to be a girl and he wanted to name her Leia.
Leia. He had wanted to name her Leia. Leia the princess, he had once thought giddily to himself. His daughter born to a freed slave and a queen. He'd promised himself late at night that she'd never know harm or pain or suffering. Because he would protect her. His little princess.
Leia. Leia. Leia. Padmé's child. Padmé had a child. Her name was Leia. Padmé had given birth to Leia. Leia. Leia.
How? How could the Emperor not have known? How could she have gone this long unknown? How could he have not seen it? She looked so much like Padmé it burned.
He could feel himself burning again, from the inside out this time. His child. His child looked like Padmé. His child looked like her mother. She hissed and spit like a sandstorm, and she looked like her mother. Padmé, she looked like Padmé.
Transparisteel shattered and alarms began to blare. The respirator protected its wearer from the vacuum as shields sealed the room.
Turning, the Sith didn't notice the twisting of the walls or lights beginning to flash as he headed to the hanger for his personal tie-fighter.
He needed to leave. He needed to speak with his master. His master would know what to do. His master could explain.
Could explain his daughter. The daughter he'd been told was dead. The Emperor had told him she was dead. His daughter was supposed to have died before she could have lived. She was never supposed to have played and laughed and grown up. She died as a baby. A tiny baby who never left her mother's womb. And yet.
The Sith paused mid stride before continuing.
His daughter lived. She ran and fought and lived and she suffered. By his own hand his child knew the pain of the galaxy. He'd hurt his own child. Tortured her. He'd done that. The Emperor told him to do it.
The Emperor had given him to General Tarkin. To be the hound, to find the rebels. And oh he'd tried. The princess wouldn't give them up knowingly. And she hadn't given them up when her planet was destroyed.
Darth Vader halted so abruptly a trooper running down the hall slipped and fell trying to avoid notice.
The death star had destroyed Leia's planet. Her home. Vader had stood by as his daughter's home was destroyed.
The respirator struggled to synch his breathing as the realization set it.
Anakin Skywalker had destroyed the home of Padmé Amidala's daughter. Destroyed her planet just as surely as he'd once helped save her mothers.
The force swirled out further and further as the hysteria of thousands and thousands of souls cried out.
Tarkin fell twisted and ripped apart from the inside out.
Pilots crashed into the massive hull, and shields began to give way.
Turret guns shot at one another across the trenches.
The inner hallways twisted and collapsed as the station crumpled in on itself as one tie-fighter, capable of hyper speed, soared away from the malfunctioning weapon.
A million lives taken was not enough. A million lives was not enough for his daughter, lost.
A million lives was only the foundation of restitution for his child.
His master would explain this. Vader could feel it with a certainty he hadn't known in decades.
This was something he would answer for.
AN: Ok I give up. I feel bad taking this down. I did my part, I reported the sites. Im sorry for jerking everyone around for a hot minute. If you stuck around waiting for me to repost thank you. To new readers have fun. Im going to re-add the next five chapters over the next few days.