A/N: Welcome to A Way to Change Things, an AU Star Wars fic. I write mostly from Legends, but a little bit of Disney may be thrown in. Please R&R!

XxXxX

Don't you see? We don't have to run away anymore! We no longer have to hide our love for each other. I am more powerful than the Chancellor, I...I can overthrow him! And together, you and I can rule the galaxy! We can make things the way we want them to be!

-Anakin Skywalker

XxXxX

0 BBY

Leia Skywalker, Lady Vader, rolled her eyes as she sat in her box in the Imperial Senate and listened to the bickering of hundreds of star systems stretch into its' sixth hour.

Wearing a black military uniform and a cloak and veil to conceal her face, Leia was one of the youngest diplomats in the Imperial Senate at only seventeen years of age. The disguise was certainly not her idea, but Lord Vader insisted that anonymity was one of the most important tools that a Sith had at their disposal. Since her brother, the Imperial Prince, was in line to be the next Sith apprentice Leia didn't see why this rule needed to apply to her, but Vader was one of those people who didn't allow for argument. Leia was in a unique position in that she didn't represent a star system, but Lord Vader himself. She was his personal eyes, ears, and voice within the Imperial Senate, looking after his interests and keeping an eye on those who tried to cause trouble, especially the growing number of Senators rumored to be allying themselves with the troublesome rebellion.

The squabbling continued. Leia's hand itched for her lightsaber. While she had discovered that she was a better diplomat than she'd originally believed, sometimes she just wanted to scream. The majority of the senators were nothing more than corrupt bureaucrats too consumed with their own petty problems to get anything accomplished. It was so bad that Leia was struggling to uncover any information about the rebellion. It should have been easy, but it wasn't. This rebellion was not the disorganized mess she'd originally thought it was. They were growing, and they had credits to burn.

"The Vizier recognizes the delegation from Alderaan." Mas Amedda called out.

Leia snapped back to attention.

The Alderaanian pod floated into the center of the chamber. To Leia's surprise, Representative Madai stood to address the Senate. Where was Senator Organa?

"My fellow esteemed representatives, I come before you under the gravest circumstances. About a standard hour ago we received word that one of our counselor ships, the Tantive IV, had been attacked by unknown forces. All further attempts to communicate with the ship have failed, and since it was last known to be in the Outer Rim we request an official team be sent to investigate."

"This is what happens when you insist on expanding your mercy missions to those barbaric planets!" The senator from Ansion called out from his pod. "You can't expect us to keep funding your ill-fated ventures if you can't even bring your ships back safely!"

There were scattered shouts of agreement across the Senate. Leia saw the representative clench his jaw and stand a little straighter. Ships were hijacked all of the time, especially in the Outer Rim. This wasn't something to bring before the Senate. Why was Representative Madai so nervous?

She reached out tentatively and touched the representative's mind. She didn't like using the Force to read other people's thoughts because even the weakest of minds could usually sense her presence, but Leia's instincts were lit up. The missing Alderaanian ship was important, she just had to figure out why.

Representative Madai looked directly at her. Leia suddenly felt like she'd been punched in the stomach and she rocked back as she was forced out of his mind. Confused, she tried to get back in, but felt a sturdy wall blocking her way. How was the representative blocking her? He wasn't Force-sensitive.

Leia was about to try a little harder when the Vizier called above the clamor for the session to end. The sudden movement around her broke her concentration and she lost sight of Representative Madai. She hit the balcony in frustration and stood up, adjusting her cloak as she stepped out of her box. Her two red guards snapped to attention. "Lady Vader."

The atrium was bustling with Senators and their aides. She could just see Representative Madai speaking with someone in the adjoining chamber as she forced her way through a group of chattering Selonians.

Then all of a sudden, she felt something. It was like seeing, smelling, and touching, and yet it was none of these things. The Force rippled around her as she ignited her lightsaber, turned, lunged between two arguing Ithorians and struck. The assassin's blaster, as well as his hand, fell with a thud to the ground.

There was instant chaos. Screams pierced the air as the diplomats scrambled for cover. Her two bodyguards pushed everyone back to create a wide circle containing Leia and her would-be assassin: a Human male clad in the gray robes of a Senate attendant.

Leia slashed her lightsaber through the air sharply before pointing her blue blade at the man's heart. She yanked her veil down. "Who are you?" She demanded.

The man cradled his wounded arm, grunting and sweating profusely. "A messenger."

Leia lunged forward, stopping her blade mere centimeters from his neck. "A messenger from who?" She asked fiercely.

The man closed his eyes. "Do it. I am not afraid."

"Who are you?" She asked furiously.

The man's eyes began to bulge. A horrible gurgling sound emitted from him as he suddenly spewed blood from his mouth. Leia just managed to shield herself with her cloak and when she looked again, she saw that his life force was gone. He was dead.

Confused, Leia deactivated her lightsaber. His wound hadn't been fatal, and she hadn't seen the man break a suicide capsule or use a hidden weapon…

Another bump in the Force caused her to look up. Her father stood in the open doorway with his hand outstretched.

"Father! I don't need you rescuing me." Leia said, annoyed.

"Clearly." Vader nodded towards the dismembered arm.

Darth Vader was not a terribly imposing man. He was slender but solid, with dark sandy hair that he kept cut short. His features were marred by a scar on his right cheek, an artificial hand, and two artificial legs; the by-products of a violent confrontation with his former master another lifetime ago. Still, he was not terrifying to look at, but there was an undercurrent of power and menace that even the most Force-blind could sense.

"Go back to Lady Vader's box and make sure her things are cleared out. She will be leaving Imperial Center tonight." Vader told the two guards. They bowed smartly and left.

"I can't just leave!" Leia objected as she deactivated her lightsaber. "The Senate reconvenes tomorrow and I think I might…"

"I won't discuss this with you here. Move." Vader pushed his daughter away from the dead man. Simmering with barely concealed rage, Leia nevertheless allowed her father to sweep her quickly through the darkening halls of the Senate lobby. Only when they entered a secure Imperial corridor that locked firmly behind them with an armed guard stationed on both sides did. Leia seize the moment and stop. She turned to face her father with her hands on her hips. "I'm not leaving. He never got close. You know that I can take care of myself."

"I know, but you aren't needed here anymore. That's what I came to tell you. The Emperor will be announcing within a few days that the Imperial Senate is to be dissolved."

Leia's eyes widened. "Dissolved? Why?"

"It's a remnant of the Old Republic that is no longer needed." Vader said bluntly. He motioned for Leia to walk beside him.

As they made their way through the dimly lit corridor, Leia tried to reach out to her father's mind, but Vader was even more closely guarded than usual. He seemed on edge, almost jittery. That was a bad sign. She didn't want to leave. Although she had initially been reluctant to come to Imperial Center, she had grown accustomed to her life here. Besides, working in the Senate kept her far away from the Emperor, which suited her just fine. "Where am I going, then?" She finally asked.

"For now, the Death Star. It is newly operational, and Luke will be there as well. There has been an...incident."

"What's happened?" Leia struggled to keep up with Vader's pace.

"A group of rebel spies infiltrated our base on Danuta and stole a set of blueprints for the Death Star."

"Really? That's...bold. Were they caught?"

"We were able to trace the spies to where they were transmitting the data to a ship…"

"The Tantive IV." Leia murmured.

Vader nodded. "But when played back, the chit was blank."

"So they didn't actually steal them?"

"That's the problem...the plans are still missing. They certainly thought they had them. We don't want them to end up in the wrong hands, so I have sent one of the Emperor's Hands to intercept the ship out of an abundance of caution, but I don't expect to find anything. Likely these so-called spies were just typical bumbling rebel failures."

"Probably." Leia agreed. "But what does this have to do with me?"

"When the Hand catches up to the ship, I've given her orders to take prisoners. Your skills in diplomacy may be useful in case our...alternative methods fail."

"Alternative?" Leia stopped. "But the Empire has specific laws in place that forbid the use of excessive…"

"I am sure," Vader interrupted his daughter, "That you understand that certain allowances must be made in order to ensure the safety of the Empire."

Leia didn't answer. They stopped in front of a small door. Lord Vader punched in the access code and the door opened, revealing a landing pad with a small cruiser. Vader opened the hatch for her. "This ship will take you back to your apartments. Make sure you're packed, because you're leaving first thing in the morning."

"Yes, Father." Leia said with a sigh. She slid into the cruiser and closed the hatch. As they flew through the skyway she watched her father grow smaller and smaller in the encroaching twilight.