CHAPTER TWO: REUNION

(Entire chapter now uploaded)

Thanks to everybody who reviewed my first chapter. I actually wrote this chapter at the start of May, but I haven't had time to post it until now. How will Brianna react to meeting Vader again? Complex relationships abound. I hope you like this chapter as much as the first one. There will be five chapters in all.

R & R!

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Three years later

Efficiently I made my way to the royal audience chamber, making sure that my uniform was straight and my hair in order. Satisfied on these points I entered.

"Your Majesty." I bowed deeply.

"Commander Starstorm," King Septimus greeted me warmly. As a sort of royal chauffeur and pilot, I was fairly well acquainted with Brilspith's royal family.

"My family and I intend to visit the city of Kazzaa," he told me.

"When, Sire?"

"Tomorrow."

I groaned inwardly. Tomorrow? And he tells me now? I listened attentively as the monarch continued, giving me details of the journey. I bowed once more.

"It shall be done, Your Majesty," I replied, and exited.

Immediately I bumped into Crown Prince Aurelius. I began apologising, but he cut me off.

"Did you hear the news?" the boy asked me, eyes sparkling. I shook my head. He looked delighted.

"They've found rebels!" he told me excitedly. "Here in Illian of all places! I'm going to tell Dad now!"

There goes the trip to Kazzaa, I thought. Out loud I told him,

"Good for you. Just don't let him catch you calling him 'Dad.' You know it's too informal for him to approve of you using it."

The kid just grinned cheekily at me and entered the audience chamber to inform his father of the arrests. I walked down to security headquarters.

"Hi," I said, sticking my head inside. "What's this about rebels?"

Xenophon, Captain of the Guard, glared fiercely at me.

"Which good-for-nothing officer blabbed?" he demanded.

"None. Got it off Aurelius."

I grinned. Xenophon was always full of irritation when the prince was mentioned. Like any other thirteen year old boy he had a knack for getting into trouble. When he wasn't sneaking out to visit concerts or eavesdropping on military secrets, he was doing his best to play pranks on royal security. Although Xenophon would never admit it, everyone knew that he would love to give the troublesome royal a good spanking.

Now he gave a loud sigh of annoyance.

"Drat that boy."

"Yes, sir. So did they really catch Imperial rebels?"

Xenophon gave another sigh, this time a weary one.

"Indeed they did. I've just been talking to the Imperials about it. Lord Vader will be collecting them personally. I am about to inform his Majesty."

I gawked at him.

"Lord Vader?" I managed to say. Xenophon nodded.

"Your mouth is hanging open, Brianna."

I shut it and continued to stare at him. I was shaken.

"So he'll be here? Himself?"

Xenophon just nodded again.

"Oh, shit."

He gave me a look filled with grim humour.

"Precisely."

As I expected, the trip to Kazzaa was postponed. Everyone was tense and inclined to snap at each other. The royal palace was a flurry of activity as staff made sure that everything was in order. I spent my time checking that the royal vehicles were in prime condition and in reprimanding some of the messier drivers and pilots.

The next day everyone was on edge waiting for Vader's arrival. I was walking briskly through the servant's gardens in an attempt to dispel some of my own nerves when I noticed a wet figure clambering out of a nearby pond. I ran over. Aurelius looked at me sheepishly, water dripping down his hair in little wriggles. I regarded him for a moment.

"I fell in the pond," the prince explained needlessly. I sighed.

"Come on."

Aurelius followed me obediently as I took him into his own quarters and called the maids.

"Hey!" he protested as he was forcibly undressed and thrust into the shower.

"Wash!" I ordered, waiting until he began using the soap before I left the bathroom. I was aware that he was hideously embarrassed, but that was his own fault.

As soon as we heard the water stop myself and the maids burst in and began drying Aurelius with voluminous towels.

"Stop it!" the prince shrieked as I began using the hairdryer and comb ruthlessly. The maids were busy helping him into a dry suit.

Ten minutes later we had an impeccably dressed, neat young man glowering before us.

At that moment another maid rushed in.

"Lord Vader's arrived!" she said breathlessly. I grabbed Aurelius by the arm and dragged him out of the room.

"I hate you, Bree," my charge muttered as we approached the great hall. Inside King Septimus was introducing his family to Lord Vader.

"And this is my son, Aurelius," he announced as we entered the room, waving a hand in the young prince's direction. Vader turned to stare unnervingly at him. Aurelius executed a respectful bow. Behind Vader the family was sending me grateful looks and mouthing thank-yous.

Vader's gaze shifted to me. Seeing that I had attracted the Dark Lord's attention, Septimus introduced me.

"Commander Starstorm, Captain of the Royal Fleet," he declared.

Fleet? I thought. Bit of an exaggeration. I bowed. Vader continued to observe me. He had recognized me, of course, and appeared to be considering my current status.

"No doubt you are a loyal subject of the Empire, Commander?" he asked finally.

"Yes, my lord," I replied.

He continued to stare at me for a moment, then turned back to King Septimus. I left the great hall with the rest of the family.

"Thank you for finding him, Bree," Queen Antonia said gratefully. "Where was he?"

"In a pond, your Highness. Fortunately myself and some maids were able to make him presentable in time."

The queen turned to glare at her son, who sent me a look of deep reproach. I grinned at him.

"Gods you're a pain, Aurelius," his elder sister Lavinia remarked. Aurelius poked his tongue out at her and was called to order by his mother.

I excused myself and made my way back to the great hall to see what was happening. I crept inside in time to see two humans, both with binders around their wrists, being escorted through one of the doorways by Xenophon and the Royal Guard.

"Princess," Vader greeted the young woman, who glared fiercely. His gaze shifted to the young man, who wore a rather grim expression.

"Skywalker."

I let out a small yelp at that. Xenophon glared at me. I stayed put.

Vader and the young man acted as though no one else was there, their eyes locked with each other.

"You will pay dearly for your treason," Vader warned Skywalker. Skywalker just continued to stare at him. Vader turned to Xenophon.

"Have them taken aboard my ship," he instructed the man. Xenophon saluted.

"Yes, my lord," he answered immediately and signaled to the Royal Guard.

I caught up with them in the hallway.

"Commander Starstorm," Xenophon said grimly. I ignored him.

"Your name's Skywalker?" I asked the young man urgently.

He nodded.

"Son of Anakin?" I pressed.

His head jerked back so that he could look at me properly, sudden alertness and wariness in his eyes.

"Yes," he replied. "I am Like Skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker."

Before I could ask any more, Xenophon growled,

"Go elsewhere, Commander! Imperial prisoners are none of your business!"

I glared at him.

"Commander," I said pointedly, "please remember that technically I am your equal in rank. Please remember also that it is perfectly legal to question someone about their parentage."

I stalked down the hallway. I rounded a corner and was about to head towards my quarters when there was the sound of heavy footsteps and Lord Vader came into view.

We regarded each other. My heart was beating rather fast.

"I trust that your ribs have fully healed, Commander."

No acknowledgement of our relationship. Strictly professional. I inclined my head respectfully.

"Indeed they have, my lord," I said, vivid memories of the pain the fractures had caused flitting across my mind. It seemed a long time ago. The world that I had inhabited as Brianna Skywalker seemed rather unreal compared to my current existence.

I cleared my throat.

"I couldn't help wondering, my lord, as to the identity of the male prisoner."

What I meant, of course, was he's my brother, isn't he?

Vader gazed at me assessingly.

"The daughter of Verena DeSilva is his half-sister," he said at last.

I bowed my head again.

"Thank you, my lord."

Abruptly Vader swept past me, cloak billowing, to disappear through a door.

I realized suddenly how glad I had been to see him again. I felt the loss of a father-presence in my life. What I really wanted, I admitted to myself, was to be treated as his daughter, to feel accepted and wanted by him.

Tears prickled behind my eyelids. Such an event would never occur, of course. My longing would not affect the issue. I tried to give my thoughts a new direction.

So I had a brother. That was interesting. Skywalker obviously knew who Vader was. That was interesting too. I wondered if the Emperor knew of him. Probably. If there was a Skywalker working actively against the Empire you could bet that the Emperor would hear of it. My mind suddenly came alert. That meant… I stopped dead.

Luke would be turned to the Dark Side, like my father. He would suffer the terrible fate I had spent my life trying to avoid.

I continued to stand there, loyalties warring with each other. I couldn't let my own brother be sacrificed to the Emperor's ends, yet to disobey my father after all he had done for me at his own risk…

Eventually common sense won.

There is nothing you can do. Better that the Emperor gets him than both of you.

Heavy-hearted, I slowly made my way to my quarters, thinking about the complicated relationships that held my family apart.