Note: This was inspired by the very good story "Banquet Encounter" by Sreya, found here: s/207855/1/Banquet-Encounter
On Alderaan, a young girl celebrated two important achievements before legal adulthood.
The first milestone occurred the day she turned one year old, on which she was decorated with garlands of flowers and family members showered her with gifts. In the modern age, this usually equated to money or practical gifts like blankets or clothing, though some brought traditional handmade toys too expensive to play with. Because Life Days were commonly celebrated on Alderaan for all children, the boys received the same special treatment as well.
But for the girl alone, turning fifteen was the second important milestone. A tradition that extended back before the modern age, historians had differing opinions and theories as to why the year was to be celebrated. Why not the sixteenth? Why not the fourteenth? Some said it traced back to the ancient rite of passage into womanhood, while others theorized it had been chosen because of its history as a lucky number in the Golden Age of Alderaan.
It didn't matter much to anyone beside anthropologists and historical researchers. Leia, Princess of the Royal House of Organa, cared only because it was one year away from the legal threshold when she could begin work as an assistant to her father in the Senate. Viceroy Bail Organa had promised her a position in his office, and once she had that, she'd be able to visit Imperial Center (though her parents stubbornly called it Coruscant in private) on a consistent basis.
Coruscant was where all the action was located. Alderaan was so peaceful. Leia cherished that peace, but the galaxy itself was not a peaceful place. The Empire continued to push boundaries, and rumors always circulated of its aggressive tactics. The Core and Mid worlds received the most wealth and favor; the poorer planets, several of them predominantly or totally non-human, also endured harsher restrictions and laws. The regional Governors took whatever they wanted for themselves and their families, and the Imperial Navy took entire planetfuls of resources merely to maintain its sprawled existence. New battleships were built all the time, and private intel revealed the military had dozens if not hundreds of clandestine projects.
Leia had wanted to join the political sphere since the age of ten, when her father came home from months in the Senate and informed her of the deaths of over a quarter million people on Falleen. The Empire's official report on the matter came as a brief and understated address, one that had been carefully cleaned of as much Imperial incompetence and heartlessness as the propagandists had been able; when her Father told her and her mother the less sanitized version, she'd brimmed with trembling, tear-streaked, hot-faced anger. It had been the first time she'd openly confessed to her parents her hatred of the Empire. Though they'd carefully expressed their own opinions in the past, they warned her then to stay silent; as a child, Leia had been loud, and not cautious about who might be around when she lost her temper.
Being only Princess of Alderaan was not a powerful position on the galactic stage. Most lawmaking in-planet was done by the local parliament. The Galactic laws were the purview of the Galactic Senate, guided by the Emperor and his Viziers. Even the Senate had lost a lot of its authority since the days of the Old Republic, but it was the only place where Leia could throw herself into the problems facing the Imperial Regime-and face the Empire itself.
Her fifteenth birthday was supposed to be celebrated by her family, at their lakeside residence. But a banquet on Naboo had been announced only a week before her Life Day, and her father had been encouraged to attend. A lot of important Senators would be there. The richest merchants and industrialists would be there as well, particularly the ship makers and weapons manufacturers. And of course, a lot of the galactic nobility would attend.
Her father didn't care for most of them, but he did like to secure donations and sponsorships for different aid and relief projects. He also felt the pressure from his colleagues to do so, and in the end, he'd agreed. Leia wanted to attend the function with her father because she wanted to learn everything about political life, and this was part of it. She was old enough now.
"Don't cancel your Life Day celebration because of me," he'd said.
Leia hadn't budged. "Father, you promised I could join your work next year! I have to start preparing now. Besides, what's the point of having my Life Day celebration without you? We can do it a week later." Not to mention a lot of the other notable families in the Core had been asking to see Leia for years. Bail Organa always faced accusations of keeping his daughter on Alderaan, or "hidden away," as some teased. Even some of his friends in the Senate lamented they barely saw her; sometimes even if his wife Queen Breha attended a function off-world with him, Leia stayed behind.
In the end, Bail Organa had relented, and Leia had won her first important trip off-world. She was now basically a Senator-in-training.
"A Senator's assistant-in-training." her father had corrected when she stated her new title.
They traveled with Father's head of security, Captain Raymus Antilles. Captain Antilles piloted the family's CR70 corvette Tantive IV, large enough to transport not only the Organas in comfort but their security detail as well. It was not a particularly dignified flight; the royal family and their security had known each other too long; indeed, Captain Antilles knew Bail Organa from the era of the Clone Wars.
Antilles also brought his protocol droid C-3PO, and his astromech R2-D2. Leia knew both droids, having played with them since very early childhood (since infancy, really) and she greeted them like old friends. She didn't have much time with her parents overall in day-to-day life, and possessed few playmates growing up; in a way, the droids that worked in and around the palace really were her companions. She'd been raised by a few nursery droids she still refused to part with, though they had little nursing to do these days.
"Hello, boys," she said as she stroked R2's metallic dome. His large optic scanned her with unusually warm familiarity and he twittered at her. Enough time listening to his beeps and chirps had allowed her to interpret his moods and she took his response as a happy greeting.
"So good to see you as always, Your Royal Highness," 3PO said. "Happy Life Day to you."
"Thank-you."
While her father caught up with Raymus, she sat with the droids and traded news and gossip with them. She hadn't seen them in a few weeks.
Upon arriving on Naboo, Leia raced to the viewport to take in the sights. She'd never been to this planet but had heard of its unrivaled beauty and wished to take in its lush sights before they landed on the platform near their hosts' mansion. Naboo turned out to be even more beautiful than her own planet: healthy greens and blues like Alderaan, but with almost only charming, old-fashioned buildings. The mansion's estate had been decorated with fountains, terraces, and pavilions set amidst expansive gardens.
Captain Antilles and their detail escorted them inside. Father told most of the security to go back to the ship, and that he would send them refreshments. The mansion had more than enough guards to protect the party-goers. The only one who remained, Antilles, went inside with them, but Father told him to relax. As a member of the House of Antilles, he recognized some of the other faces in attendance, and mingled with the crowd, no doubt happy to be among the guests for once. C-3PO, designed for such environments, came along as well, but R2-D2 had to remain on the ship. Leia hadn't a clue what he did in his free time, but the little droid always seemed capable of amusing himself.
They were welcomed in by the minor noble family's majordomo and led to a great hall, already filled with music and mingling guests. Two large tables on either side of the room were covered completely with exotic foods, most not even from Naboo. Service droids quickly replaced any emptied platters and removed discarded utensils.
"Is that the Grand Admiral Thrawn?" Leia whispered to her father. They stood by one of the lengthy refreshment tables, observing. She indicated with her eyes (a princess didn't point) the blue-skinned, humanoid Grand Admiral in his pristine white uniform.
"The one and only," Bail Organa said. He examined the refreshment table, decorated with a silver beverage fountain as a centerpiece. A light blue drink cascaded from it. Her father passed over the fountain and signaled a droid carrying a tray of small, crystal glasses. Presumably it was a harder drink than the lighter beverage from the fountain. He took a glass.
"Since it's your Life Day," he told her when he'd emptied half of it, "and you're now fifteen, you can have one too."
"I don't want to be off my game tonight. This is my first real step into Imperial society."
"That's why I'm suggesting you take a drink," her father said. He winked.
Leia held back a small chortle. Smirking, her father finished the glass, and handed it back to the droid. "Thank- "
He broke off. Leia watched as his eyes briefly widened to the size of a Kaminoan's. She turned to look at what had startled him. A black figure stalked into the room, taller than any of the other human guests, and almost all of the non-human ones. With the music piped into the room, she couldn't hear the noise of his respirator, which had been described to her over the years as sounding deathly eerie; almost wraithlike.
"Since when does he come to these?" she said. "Isn't he always on a ship somewhere?"
"Usually." Her father scowled and for some reason grabbed her arm, pulling her almost against his side. "He doesn't like to deal with the hangers-on if he can help it. Not even most of the commanders in the Navy, from what I've heard. Maybe the Emperor sent him. "
She said, "He's...the one, right? Falleen?"
"Don't mention that," her father hissed sharply. "Now is not the time."
Before Darth Vader caught her staring, she affected a nonchalant interest in the beverage fountain.
Her father also looked away, though with less of his usual poise. He fumbled with his hands, in and out of his cape, then picked through the glasses on the table. Eventually he settled on grabbing another drink from a passing droid.
Leia had seen him frustrated, and even harsh at times, or deeply distressed by some vote or issue, be it on-planet or off. She'd never seen him near to trembling.
Captain Antilles approached them at that moment, weaving past a few Twi'leks in grand robes. C-3PO followed behind him almost at a waddle. "Bail!"
Bail quickly turned toward him and smiled widely. "Nice to see you again, old friend!"
Both Leia and Raymus Antilles stared at him.
C-3PO executed a stilted bow. "How are you enjoying the party, Mistress Leia? Isn't it so exciting to see so many dignitaries and people of importance?"
Bail drained his new glass.
"Already?" Antilles asked as he watched the last of the liquid disappear down his old friend's throat.
"Yes," Bail said. "Just trying to edge out some overbearing party guests."
Antilles nodded with a knowing smile. "You'll have to endure." He turned his attention back to Leia, cupping the side of her face. "What what do you think of your Life Day so far?" It was a breach of protocol, technically; but the Antilles were practically family.
Leia smiled almost shyly; she felt like a kid being talked to. "It'll be good training when I have to attend these functions for real, like my father. I may as well get a head start."
"You're a true soldier." Antilles genially gripped Bail Organa's arm. "Follow me, will you? One of the Duchesses of Serenno has been telling me about her desire to put her mark on something. I told her that you were currently looking for someone to sponsor a mercy mission to Kalee."
Bail set down the glass on the table's edge. The color that had drained from his face had returned almost completely now. Leia itched to look over her shoulder again, and see where the large, dark shape of Darth Vader had slunk off to, but she resisted.
"Which duchess again?" Bail asked.
"Duchess Sabina," Captain Antilles said.
"Oh, yes. I did talk to her once around a year ago, about using some of her inheritance for a good cause." Bail encircled Leia with his arm. "Care to watch your father convince a duchess to help a planet in Wild Space?"
"Of course," Leia said.
C-3PO said, "Oh!" and a moment later Captain Antilles started as well, though he didn't yell like his droid. Before Leia could question them, a rhythmic, almost hypnotic breathing crept up behind her.
"Lord Vader - " Her father said, spinning abruptly.
Leia turned as well, mostly because her father's arm was still around her. Darth Vader loomed over her, indistinguishable from a droid, yet she could faintly detect the slight rise and fall of his frame, in tandem with his mechanically assisted breaths.
"Good Evening, Lord Vader," she said, with a small nod of acknowledgement. She didn't bow. As a princess of Alderaan, she didn't have to. This was her first time meeting him, and there was no point in ruining it with an overly-meek attitude.
Vader barely lowered his head in return. "Good evening, Your Highness. Viceroy."
"Sorry to pull away, Lord Vader," Antilles spoke up. He didn't sound sorry at all. "But I'm afraid the Viceroy and I have a lady we mustn't keep waiting."
"By all means," Vader said. "I've found myself in the same predicament."
"Pardon?"
"The Emperor suggested I introduce myself to Her Highness, and relate his well-wishes to her in his absence. I will return her to you when we are done."
Bail Organa's eyes flashed to his daughter. Leia smiled slightly. She did not fear Lord Vader...not here, anyway. What was he going to do? Drag her off in the middle of the festivities without reason? Even if he invented one later, too many people would notice. This was not his Star Destroyer where he could do what he pleased.
"It's all right, Father," she said. "I shouldn't refuse the Emperor. Go speak with Duchess Sabina before she changes her mind."
Bail put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "I'll be nearby." He glanced briefly at Lord Vader, then left with Antilles and C-3PO.
Vader grabbed a glass from the table and filled it from the fountain, then gave it to her with a surprising amount of grace. Leia took it. If he was trying to make her lower her defenses, or psych her out, it didn't work.
"How are you enjoying the festivities, Your Highness?" he asked, inclining his head slightly to better address her.
Leia said, "Very much, Lord Vader. I've never been to Naboo before tonight. I can see why the Emperor still chooses it as his retreat." Supposedly Lord Vader could read, or at least sense, the thoughts and feelings of people around him. She kept her opinions of the Emperor buried, though even if he could detect them, it was no crime to dislike the Emperor. Not yet, anyway.
Vader paused, as if considering his next words. "Naboo is a worthy retreat, indeed," he said shortly. Then, without any transition: "It's been rumored that you will be working in the Senate soon."
"Yes. Like my father."
"You're very eager to join the Senate, especially given your age. I do not understand why anyone with so much life and potential would waste their prime years in a gridlocked, antiquated body of self-interests."
Leia smiled as she had been taught, without annoyance or offense. "Well, I can't join the Senate until I'm eighteen. I have three years to decide how best to approach its shortcomings."
"Your time would be better spent on Alderaan, serving the Empire more directly."
"My mother is still Queen. I won't have to worry about replacing her for decades, as long as her health continues, of course."
"It may not," Vader said.
For a moment she drew back. Was that the Emperor's plan? To send Vader to threaten her family? But as she regarded him, standing without any aggressive posture, she had to consider he simply had no social skills to speak of. Either that, or he didn't care to utilize them.
She drank the rest of her juice as she pondered his statement. "Anything's possible...I guess. But just because I might be queen doesn't mean I also couldn't be a senator."
"Queen and senator…yes," he said. "I suppose so." Then he looked away, at the table.
Before Leia could remind him that even her father found time to serve as viceroy and senator for their planet, Vader took the mostly empty glass directly from her hand and refilled it, then gave it back to her almost roughly. The juice sloshed, but didn't spill. Leia drank it, thinking, Stars, has this man ever interacted with anyone in his life? She continued to drink. Despite her natural affinity for speaking, and her extensive education on Alderaan, for the moment she had no idea how to continue the conversation.
Vader said suddenly, "That droid, the golden one. Who does it belong to?"
Now we're talking about Threepio? Leia couldn't refuse to answer, though why Vader would care about someone's property set off alarm bells. She said, simply, "It belongs to my father's head of security."
"Captain Antilles."
"Yes."
"Its designation?" When Leia hesitated, he said, "There's no need to be suspicious of me. I only ask because I have the feeling I've seen it before, with a different owner."
"Then you must have a good memory," Leia said. "He's belonged to Raymus for as long as I've known both of them. At least as long as I've been alive."
"Its designation?" Vader repeated, a little more impatiently this time.
"C-3PO."
"...I see." He hooked his thumbs in his belt, head drifting off to the side again, where her father and Captain Antilles talked with the Duchess Sabina, with 3PO attendant.
"Well?" Leia said. "Is he the droid you're thinking of?"
"No. No," he said after a few measured breaths. "I must have been mistaken."
"They're designed to look alike. Sound alike."
"Yes. Yes they are."
"I should get back to my Father," Leia said. "Technically I'm supposed to shadow him, since I'll be his assistant soon."
"But, Your Highness, we haven't even discussed what the Emperor wished me to tell you," Vader said.
Stars! I'm going to be here forever. "I apologize, Lord Vader - " she started. But you're surprisingly awkward and boring, and I don't trust you.
"Besides." He drew back and gestured with a sudden magnanimous sweep of one arm, extended from under his heavy, armorweave cloak. He indicated an open set of immaculately carved wooden doors that led onto a veranda. "Isn't today your Life Day? You can take a moment for yourself."
More like a moment for you, and your Emperor, and whatever machinations you're trying to weave me into. Aloud, Leia said, "As you wish, Lord Vader." She would not be put off by him; not the way so many grown men and powerful people were. Leia left her unfinished drink on the table and followed him outside.
-To be continued.-