When the Truth will be Told
By Kari Raines @ TrekGirl2000@netscape.net
Disclaimer: "Star Wars" and all characters belong to George Lucas. No copyright
infringement intended.
Author's note: This is an AU story that takes place on the first Death Star.
~~~~~~~~~~
The lone figure, dark and brooding, paced continuously, his mind attempting futilely to sort
things out. His black helmet, which had become a part of him after so many years, suddenly
felt cumbersome; heavy. Never before had he so desperately wanted to take it off, take a
deep breath with his own longs . . .
But such fancies were foolish, and Darth Vader had long ago put aside such irrelevant
thoughts. But none of his training and discipline had prepared him for this.
They had hidden the truth from him--in fact, hidden it right under his nose. But now he
knew--twenty years after her death, Vader knew that Padme had been pregnant. He winced
inwardly as he allowed himself to think of her name, something he had vowed long ago that
he would never do again. But his beloved, doomed Padme was back, in a sense. She was
back in the form of his long lost daughter.
He hadn't seen it before. He had never realized, but he supposed he should have. He
witnessed Padme's death, many years ago on Alderaan. He had mourned for her even, but
vowed afterwards that he would never allow emotions to blind him again.
He supposed he should have known that Leia Organa of Alderaan was his daughter. He
should have felt it. Padme and Obi-Wan were wise to take her to Bail Organa on Alderaan.
When they had intercepted the Princess's small shuttlecraft, he had felt something--in fact he
had been drawn to it, but he couldn't say why. Now he knew.
He had entered her cell to interrogate her. He had entered the girl's mind forcefully,
extracting information against her will. And then he had seen it--her heritage, her sensitivity
to the Force. Oddly, she even . . . FELT like Padme. There was no mistaking it.
Princess Leia, the stubborn, rebellious girl was his daughter. Now that he thought about it,
there was quite a resemblance between Leia and Padme, and she even had her mother's
spirit. And undoubtedly, she had tremendous Force-potential.
Vader smiled beneath his mask, suddenly becoming aware of the possibilities.
Slowly but assuredly, Vader wheeled around, dark cape whirling around his black boots.
Time to make another visit to Her Highness's cell.
Vader marched through the bowels of the Death Star, ignoring the solutes he received from
several of the officers and crew. Most, however, were too frightened of him to do more than
snap to attention as his ominous form strode forward.
He arrived at the entrance of the Princess' cell, waving away the stormtroopers with a single
flick of his wrist. Without warning or introduction, he stepped assuredly in Leia'a cell.
He stopped for a moment, observing the way she raised her eyebrow with a trained mask of
annoyance, mild curiosity, and a hint of rebellion, but he could see the fear in her brown eyes
as sure as he could feel it emanating from her small body.
He was unexpectedly shocked by how much she reminded him of Padme. Strange how he
hadn't noticed it until he knew the truth. But nevertheless, he was flooded with memories.
The first time he saw Padme--so many years ago on Tatooine. "Are you an angel?" he had
asked in his childlike innocence. Their first kiss came back to him--sweet and nervous, but
pure. And their wedding day--Padme dressed all in white. She truly had seemed like an
angel on that day. He recalled their first year of blissful happiness together, and then her
tears of desperation when he had been called away to war. Padme and her tears when she
realized he was drifting away . . .
Abruptly, Vader threw the walls back up. No. He wouldn't do that. "Come with me," he
said to Leia--his daughter. Padme's daughter.
She stood up nervously, but complied nevertheless. She followed him into the corridor,
relieved to be out of her cell, but scared of what her destination may be. They had already
assured her that she would be killed if she did not give up the location of the Rebel Base.
"Where are we going?" she asked, putting on her bravest voice.
She looked around, noting that they were not being escorted by a guard, nor had he put
binders on her wrists. This would probably be her only opportunity--
"Any efforts you make at an escape attempt will be futile," Vader said suddenly, as if
reading her thoughts.
Leia did not respond. Instead, she focused her attention on her surroundings in an effort to
memorize the layout and any possible escape routes. But there seemed to be nothing.
The walls were a dull, gray drab, and the scent in the air was metallic and unpleasant. Leia
found herself longing for home, where everything was bright and colorful and . . .
Suddenly, Vader turned into a doorway. Leia followed hesitantly, entering a dark room.
The door clanged shut behind her, and she glanced at it nervously. She turned back to face
Vader, who was now sitting in a throne-like chair.
"Relax, child," Vader said softly. "I did not bring you here to harm you." His voice was
slow, unusually soft.
But Leia was annoyed. "Then why did you bring me here?" she snapped.
Vader crossed his arms, gesturing for her to sit down.
Leia crossed her arms as well, unbudging, as she raised an eyebrow in defiance.
Vader seemed to sigh at her stubbornness through his helmet. "So much like your mother . .
." he said quietly.
Leia's eyes abruptly widened in fury and outrage. "What did you just say?"
"Leia," he said, for the first time calling her by her first name, "your father . . . he did tell
you of your adoption . . ."
Leia went from fury to confusion. How would he know about that? "Of course," she said.
"Why are you asking me this? Why is it any of your concern?"
"Because, Leia . . . I am your father." He let the words hang in the air.
She stared at him, uncomprehending. No. It wasn't true . . . "I know who I am," she said
weakly, the room suddenly spinning. "I'm Leia Organa, daughter of Bail Organa and
Padme Naberrie . . ."
"Padme was my wife before she married Organa. And he raised you as his own daughter.
They hid you from me."
She shook her head. No. Daddy would have told her . . . he wouldn't have lied.
"Perhaps he did it to protect you," Vader said, invading her thoughts.
"No. You're lying. This is another trick . . . a trick to give you the information you want.
Torture and mind probing didn't work, so now you're playing with my head . . ." She sunk
to the floor. This was only a nightmare, and she would wake up very soon.
"Leia, you've felt it all your life. There's something in the air, isn't there? A power that can
be tapped into. You've always felt it . . . you felt it when your mother died . . . in your sleep,
when you think you're only dreaming, but it's real. You felt it then just as you feel it now.
You know my words to be true. You are my daughter, Leia. I've passed on my powers to
you. We could accomplish so much together."
"No!" she screamed. "You are not my father! You are my enemy! You've destroyed
countless lives, and I cannot believe for one second that I was spawned from a monster like
you! You're not even human!"
Before she realized what was happening, a chair was being hurled through the air towards
Vader. She stared in horrified amazement as it came close to crashing into Vader's helmet,
but was suddenly reflected by an unseen force.
Leia was dumbfounded. She had thrown the chair. But she hadn't even touched it. Her
mind flashed back suddenly to her childhood. She had thrown a particularly obnoxious
temper tantrum, and somehow shattered a window without even touching it. She had been
punished. Her father had taught her to control her anger, and never again had she used that
mysterious power.
Until now.
"Now you see," Vader said, rising from his throne, towering over the girl. "It runs through
your veins as thickly as it runs through mine. I could show you how to use it . . . to feed off
that power."
Leia closed her eyes, willing her head to stop spinning. Abruptly, her mind was cleared.
Her eyes snapped open and she faced Vader. "You're not my father," she said calmly, her
will and defiance showing through. "I don't care if I was conceived by you. I wasn't raised
by you, thankfully. You are everything that I've fought against all my life. And I would
just as soon die than join you."
Beneath his helmet, Vader closed his eyes. If she wouldn't join him, then she must die.
But when he opened his eyes back up and looked at his daughter, all he could see was
Padme, his dear wife, staring through Leia's eyes accusingly. And Vader knew that, despite
his training and discipline, he could never kill Leia. After all, she was his daughter, and
Padme's.
If he never in his life did anything else right, he would do this one thing. For Padme.
Because in truth, he had never stopped loving her. None of the power of the Dark Side
could change that, and as he had tried saving Padme so many years ago, he would now save
her daughter.
"We must go," he said, walking for the door.
"What?" Leia asked, confused by his behavior.
"We have to hurry."
She followed, as confused as she was before, but she soon realized they were heading in the
direction of the docking bay. She gazed at the tall figure in front of her, unsure of how to
react. Was he letting her go?
Then they were at the docking bay, and Vader was waving away questioning officers with a
simple gesture; silencing them. They stood outside a small, nondescript shuttle now, and
Leia glanced between it and Vader.
"You must hurry," he said quietly.
"Why are you doing this?" Leia asked. She had to know.
"I loved your mother. I love her still."
Leia nodded, shaking away the tears that threatened to overcome her. "Though I cannot
forgive you for the death and pain you've caused in the past, I thank you."
After checking with an officer to make sure the deflector shields were off, Vader watched her
shuttle disappear. "My daughter, if we meet again, I cannot assure you that I will be able to
show as much mercy." She was still the enemy.
He knew that he would be punished for letting her go. Perhaps the Emperor would even
have him killed, though he doubted it. But at least he would die knowing that he did one
decent thing for his wife. He couldn't save her all those years ago, but her daughter would
live, at least for another day.
~~~~~~~~~~
Leia rested in the cabin of the shuttle Vader had given her, reliving the events of the past few
weeks. She was unsure how to feel. Devastated that her life--her whole identity--was a lie?
Relieved that she would soon be safe? She almost thought it would be easier if Vader had
had her killed. At least that would make it easier for her to hate him.
He had killed so many innocents, and for that she could never forgive him. But was it
possible to truly hate him now that she knew the truth? After he perhaps risked his very life
to save her?
What did this mean for her future in the Rebellion? How would her colleagues react if they
knew?
Her life would never be the same.
She hated how she couldn't hate him any longer. "Damn you, Vader," she whispered out
loud before falling into a troubled sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you for reading! PLEASE review! =)
By Kari Raines @ TrekGirl2000@netscape.net
Disclaimer: "Star Wars" and all characters belong to George Lucas. No copyright
infringement intended.
Author's note: This is an AU story that takes place on the first Death Star.
~~~~~~~~~~
The lone figure, dark and brooding, paced continuously, his mind attempting futilely to sort
things out. His black helmet, which had become a part of him after so many years, suddenly
felt cumbersome; heavy. Never before had he so desperately wanted to take it off, take a
deep breath with his own longs . . .
But such fancies were foolish, and Darth Vader had long ago put aside such irrelevant
thoughts. But none of his training and discipline had prepared him for this.
They had hidden the truth from him--in fact, hidden it right under his nose. But now he
knew--twenty years after her death, Vader knew that Padme had been pregnant. He winced
inwardly as he allowed himself to think of her name, something he had vowed long ago that
he would never do again. But his beloved, doomed Padme was back, in a sense. She was
back in the form of his long lost daughter.
He hadn't seen it before. He had never realized, but he supposed he should have. He
witnessed Padme's death, many years ago on Alderaan. He had mourned for her even, but
vowed afterwards that he would never allow emotions to blind him again.
He supposed he should have known that Leia Organa of Alderaan was his daughter. He
should have felt it. Padme and Obi-Wan were wise to take her to Bail Organa on Alderaan.
When they had intercepted the Princess's small shuttlecraft, he had felt something--in fact he
had been drawn to it, but he couldn't say why. Now he knew.
He had entered her cell to interrogate her. He had entered the girl's mind forcefully,
extracting information against her will. And then he had seen it--her heritage, her sensitivity
to the Force. Oddly, she even . . . FELT like Padme. There was no mistaking it.
Princess Leia, the stubborn, rebellious girl was his daughter. Now that he thought about it,
there was quite a resemblance between Leia and Padme, and she even had her mother's
spirit. And undoubtedly, she had tremendous Force-potential.
Vader smiled beneath his mask, suddenly becoming aware of the possibilities.
Slowly but assuredly, Vader wheeled around, dark cape whirling around his black boots.
Time to make another visit to Her Highness's cell.
Vader marched through the bowels of the Death Star, ignoring the solutes he received from
several of the officers and crew. Most, however, were too frightened of him to do more than
snap to attention as his ominous form strode forward.
He arrived at the entrance of the Princess' cell, waving away the stormtroopers with a single
flick of his wrist. Without warning or introduction, he stepped assuredly in Leia'a cell.
He stopped for a moment, observing the way she raised her eyebrow with a trained mask of
annoyance, mild curiosity, and a hint of rebellion, but he could see the fear in her brown eyes
as sure as he could feel it emanating from her small body.
He was unexpectedly shocked by how much she reminded him of Padme. Strange how he
hadn't noticed it until he knew the truth. But nevertheless, he was flooded with memories.
The first time he saw Padme--so many years ago on Tatooine. "Are you an angel?" he had
asked in his childlike innocence. Their first kiss came back to him--sweet and nervous, but
pure. And their wedding day--Padme dressed all in white. She truly had seemed like an
angel on that day. He recalled their first year of blissful happiness together, and then her
tears of desperation when he had been called away to war. Padme and her tears when she
realized he was drifting away . . .
Abruptly, Vader threw the walls back up. No. He wouldn't do that. "Come with me," he
said to Leia--his daughter. Padme's daughter.
She stood up nervously, but complied nevertheless. She followed him into the corridor,
relieved to be out of her cell, but scared of what her destination may be. They had already
assured her that she would be killed if she did not give up the location of the Rebel Base.
"Where are we going?" she asked, putting on her bravest voice.
She looked around, noting that they were not being escorted by a guard, nor had he put
binders on her wrists. This would probably be her only opportunity--
"Any efforts you make at an escape attempt will be futile," Vader said suddenly, as if
reading her thoughts.
Leia did not respond. Instead, she focused her attention on her surroundings in an effort to
memorize the layout and any possible escape routes. But there seemed to be nothing.
The walls were a dull, gray drab, and the scent in the air was metallic and unpleasant. Leia
found herself longing for home, where everything was bright and colorful and . . .
Suddenly, Vader turned into a doorway. Leia followed hesitantly, entering a dark room.
The door clanged shut behind her, and she glanced at it nervously. She turned back to face
Vader, who was now sitting in a throne-like chair.
"Relax, child," Vader said softly. "I did not bring you here to harm you." His voice was
slow, unusually soft.
But Leia was annoyed. "Then why did you bring me here?" she snapped.
Vader crossed his arms, gesturing for her to sit down.
Leia crossed her arms as well, unbudging, as she raised an eyebrow in defiance.
Vader seemed to sigh at her stubbornness through his helmet. "So much like your mother . .
." he said quietly.
Leia's eyes abruptly widened in fury and outrage. "What did you just say?"
"Leia," he said, for the first time calling her by her first name, "your father . . . he did tell
you of your adoption . . ."
Leia went from fury to confusion. How would he know about that? "Of course," she said.
"Why are you asking me this? Why is it any of your concern?"
"Because, Leia . . . I am your father." He let the words hang in the air.
She stared at him, uncomprehending. No. It wasn't true . . . "I know who I am," she said
weakly, the room suddenly spinning. "I'm Leia Organa, daughter of Bail Organa and
Padme Naberrie . . ."
"Padme was my wife before she married Organa. And he raised you as his own daughter.
They hid you from me."
She shook her head. No. Daddy would have told her . . . he wouldn't have lied.
"Perhaps he did it to protect you," Vader said, invading her thoughts.
"No. You're lying. This is another trick . . . a trick to give you the information you want.
Torture and mind probing didn't work, so now you're playing with my head . . ." She sunk
to the floor. This was only a nightmare, and she would wake up very soon.
"Leia, you've felt it all your life. There's something in the air, isn't there? A power that can
be tapped into. You've always felt it . . . you felt it when your mother died . . . in your sleep,
when you think you're only dreaming, but it's real. You felt it then just as you feel it now.
You know my words to be true. You are my daughter, Leia. I've passed on my powers to
you. We could accomplish so much together."
"No!" she screamed. "You are not my father! You are my enemy! You've destroyed
countless lives, and I cannot believe for one second that I was spawned from a monster like
you! You're not even human!"
Before she realized what was happening, a chair was being hurled through the air towards
Vader. She stared in horrified amazement as it came close to crashing into Vader's helmet,
but was suddenly reflected by an unseen force.
Leia was dumbfounded. She had thrown the chair. But she hadn't even touched it. Her
mind flashed back suddenly to her childhood. She had thrown a particularly obnoxious
temper tantrum, and somehow shattered a window without even touching it. She had been
punished. Her father had taught her to control her anger, and never again had she used that
mysterious power.
Until now.
"Now you see," Vader said, rising from his throne, towering over the girl. "It runs through
your veins as thickly as it runs through mine. I could show you how to use it . . . to feed off
that power."
Leia closed her eyes, willing her head to stop spinning. Abruptly, her mind was cleared.
Her eyes snapped open and she faced Vader. "You're not my father," she said calmly, her
will and defiance showing through. "I don't care if I was conceived by you. I wasn't raised
by you, thankfully. You are everything that I've fought against all my life. And I would
just as soon die than join you."
Beneath his helmet, Vader closed his eyes. If she wouldn't join him, then she must die.
But when he opened his eyes back up and looked at his daughter, all he could see was
Padme, his dear wife, staring through Leia's eyes accusingly. And Vader knew that, despite
his training and discipline, he could never kill Leia. After all, she was his daughter, and
Padme's.
If he never in his life did anything else right, he would do this one thing. For Padme.
Because in truth, he had never stopped loving her. None of the power of the Dark Side
could change that, and as he had tried saving Padme so many years ago, he would now save
her daughter.
"We must go," he said, walking for the door.
"What?" Leia asked, confused by his behavior.
"We have to hurry."
She followed, as confused as she was before, but she soon realized they were heading in the
direction of the docking bay. She gazed at the tall figure in front of her, unsure of how to
react. Was he letting her go?
Then they were at the docking bay, and Vader was waving away questioning officers with a
simple gesture; silencing them. They stood outside a small, nondescript shuttle now, and
Leia glanced between it and Vader.
"You must hurry," he said quietly.
"Why are you doing this?" Leia asked. She had to know.
"I loved your mother. I love her still."
Leia nodded, shaking away the tears that threatened to overcome her. "Though I cannot
forgive you for the death and pain you've caused in the past, I thank you."
After checking with an officer to make sure the deflector shields were off, Vader watched her
shuttle disappear. "My daughter, if we meet again, I cannot assure you that I will be able to
show as much mercy." She was still the enemy.
He knew that he would be punished for letting her go. Perhaps the Emperor would even
have him killed, though he doubted it. But at least he would die knowing that he did one
decent thing for his wife. He couldn't save her all those years ago, but her daughter would
live, at least for another day.
~~~~~~~~~~
Leia rested in the cabin of the shuttle Vader had given her, reliving the events of the past few
weeks. She was unsure how to feel. Devastated that her life--her whole identity--was a lie?
Relieved that she would soon be safe? She almost thought it would be easier if Vader had
had her killed. At least that would make it easier for her to hate him.
He had killed so many innocents, and for that she could never forgive him. But was it
possible to truly hate him now that she knew the truth? After he perhaps risked his very life
to save her?
What did this mean for her future in the Rebellion? How would her colleagues react if they
knew?
Her life would never be the same.
She hated how she couldn't hate him any longer. "Damn you, Vader," she whispered out
loud before falling into a troubled sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you for reading! PLEASE review! =)