Chapter Three

Assignments

Darth Vader stood on the bridge of the star destroyer, surveying the crew at work around him. They whisked through the galaxy in hyperspace, headed for Ryloth, and he used the time to think about his plan to usurp Darth Sidious. And he had plenty of time to think…no one ever even attempted small talk with Darth Vader.

He thought back to dinner with his children, their surprised looks as he told them they would begin training as Sith. Both powerful in the Force, Luke and Leia would be excellent students. But how should he begin? He'd had a padawan at the Jedi Temple, but the Jedi employed a foolish philosophy, one he made sure twinkled out of existence the first years of his journey into the Dark Side. No, he would need to…

"Lord Vader?"

Vader started, then looked at the ship's captain standing before him, a pale, slightly plump man with sweat on his brow and fear in his eyes. Irritated at having his thoughts interrupted, Vader glared down at the man, who instinctively took a step back.

"Yes?"

"We should arrive in the Ryloth system in about an hour," the captain said meekly.

Vader simply nodded, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture.

Defeating the rebel cell on Ryloth should complete his over decade-long crusade to stamp out resistance to the Empire. Yes, there would be uprisings from time to time, but he'd destroyed enough of them, their leaders, their inspirations, to shatter any hope to which they may have clung.

Of course, before his wife's death in the rebellion's poorly-planned and desperate attack on Naboo, in which they'd bombed out the country estates of the rich and powerful families in hopes of hitting the Palpatine retreat, Vader felt more inclined to hunt down the remaining Jedi. He might still be focused on those two he'd been obsessed with for years if the rebellion had not forced his gaze and ultimately his hatred upon them.

Yoda.

Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Yoda escaped a battle with Darth Sidious himself, a feat Vader still could not wrap his head around, having seen the Sith Lord in action several times now. And the diminutive green Jedi Master had not been seen nor heard from since.

And Obi-Wan, his former Master, his former friend. The puzzle of Obi-Wan made Vader's mind prickle in rage. After taking Padmé back to Coruscant, Anakin returned to Mustafar with a platoon to recover data and fetch his ship. Upon arrival, Vader killed his platoon in a rage, having found the body of Obi-Wan missing along with the ship on which he originally arrived on Mustafar.

Using the Force to pitch the bodies of the newly minted Imperial soldiers into the flaming lava, Darth Vader left Mustafar and searched for two days for his missing ship, finally finding it floating, dead in space, on the outskirts of the Rishi system. After bringing it into his Imperial transport's larger hold, Vader discovered his wayward ship empty, the pilot's seat drenched in blood, no sign of Obi-Wan anywhere. The man simply vanished.

Why hadn't he gone back to make sure Obi-Wan died? He'd been concerned about Padmé of course, but if he only took a moment to run his lightsaber through the man's heart, he would have avoided this twenty-year obsession.

Vader sighed heavily, trying to clear his mind of thoughts of Obi-Wan. The sigh seemed to startle the crew, who had been chatting quietly around him. Now, with nervous glances his way, they fell into complete silence.

Yes, power. He loved the feeling, the sway he held over others, the fear his mere presence could induce. And he would teach this to his children, bring them both over to the Dark Side.

Back at the former Senate offices, Leia sat staring wistfully at a map of the galaxy, her finger tracing the well-used hyperlanes, her mind drifting to places she would never get to see. Well, maybe. After she trained with her father of course.

A slow day at the embassy, Leia used the first hours that morning searching the holonet for information on the Sith. Nothing useful, as she expected. Mere mentions in historical context, nothing of the philosophy. She wanted to be prepared, impress her father. But now, thinking of her father being home, training with him, made her nervous.

Increased movement and noise down the hall brought Leia to her feet, and she walked to the conference room where most of the embassy gathered, many in tears, clinging to one another.

"What happened?" Leia asked the woman nearest to her, a secretary for the Outer Rim offices.

"The embassy on Bespin…you know it's located in an orbital around the planet," the woman sniffed. Leia nodded. "Well, something happened…mechanically. Vacuum leaked in. Killed everyone."

Leia gasped, putting her hand over her mouth. How horrible!

"Twenty people…all good diplomats," the woman barely got out before breaking down, Leia putting her arm around her in comfort.

Slowly the conference room emptied, people slumping back to their work, the entire mood of the embassy sad. Leia found herself staring out her window in contemplation. Yes, good diplomats, good people serving the Empire…gone.

A knock sounded at her door, and she turned to see Clive, the older man who worked with interns. He seemed to be studying her carefully, his own eyes red, probably from tears over the lost Bespin team.

"Leia…I have…well, an assignment for you," he said, his tone almost sounding like a question.

Despite the sadness of the day, Leia's heart leapt in joy. An assignment?

"Really?" she said in disbelief.

Clive smiled good-naturedly and entered, handing her a data pad.

"You heard about the events on Bespin?"

"Yes," she answered, wondering how that connected with her.

"The embassy orbital needs to be repaired, possibly reconstructed. In the meantime, we need representation on Bespin, especially with the galactic sabacc tournament happening on Cloud City in two standard days. We have offices on Cloud City which have remained empty, mere storage rooms…but we need an interim ambassador. The palace sent your name over…specifically you," Clive said, letting a bit of puzzlement slip into his voice. Then he smiled warmly at her. "I think you would do well in this assignment, at least for a few weeks until a seasoned ambassador can be appointed. You will be in the company of a small squadron of stormtroopers. Can you be ready to leave in two hours?"

Leia knew her mouth hung open dumbly, astonished by Clive's words. A posting? Off-world?

Then her father's words from the night before crept into her mind. He would be back, not two weeks from now. And he wanted her and Luke to remain on Coruscant.

But the palace requested her, specifically. Didn't the palace have ultimate power, the offices of the Emperor himself? News of her hard work and dedication to the Empire must have climbed the ladder of leadership. She smiled broadly, looking back up at Clive.

"Yes…yes! This is…wonderful," she hesitated. "I mean, um, terrible about the orbital but…"

Clive smiled sadly and laughed warmly. "I understand, Leia. You've been waiting a long time. Go home and pack quickly. I will send the transport to pick you up at your home." He turned to leave. "Good luck, Ambassador Skywalker."

Leia grabbed the few things she needed from her office, then dashed down the hall toward the lift.

Luke watched his sister pack, trying the keep his feelings of jealousy at bay. Leia's excitement filled the room, her voice chattering quickly about the opportunity, how she planned to connect with the people on Cloud City, and perhaps elsewhere on Bespin, spreading the philosophy of the Empire. Luke helped her pack, and soon she was at the door, her luggage already loaded into the transport waiting on the landing pad of the building.

He embraced his sister, a sudden feeling rolling through him from the Force. He would see his sister again in the near future but not here. He couldn't explain the feeling, but he knew such premonitions to be common with their father. Still, he did not mention this sensation to Leia. Instead, he kissed her cheek.

"Message me when you arrive so I know you're safe," he said as she headed out.

"Cover for me with dad, Luke," she said. "Love you."

And then she was gone.

Luke slumped over to the living room, flopping down on the sofa and turning on the holoscreen. He began flipping through the channels, discovering nothing on, ending up watching a holocomedy, one from decades ago during the time of the Republic, having been approved by the Empire for current viewing as it did not interfere with Imperial philosophy and policy. The show, stupid but amusing, featured a group stranded on a tropical planet, never able to leave. The characters consisted of the ship's captain, his first mate, a rich couple, a holostar, some young attractive female simpleton, and a scientist, who absurdly could figure out how to make a radio device from local fruit but not how to repair a starship. Luke watched several episodes of the show before he heard the bell ring, indicating someone at the door.

Opening the front door without peeking out first, Luke's eyes widened and he tried to stifle a gasp. Emperor Palpatine himself, who told both Luke and Leia several years ago to call him Uncle Sheev, stood outside, flanked by two Imperial Guards in their red helmets and robes. Uncle Sheev wore his robes of deep purple, as he often could be seen in when giving public addresses. Unlike those speeches though, he now had his hood down, Luke able to see his disfigurement. Of course Luke grew used to Uncle Sheev's scars years ago, hardly noticing them when he had lunch with the man on several occasions.

Yet over the years, the Emperor never visited the Skywalker home. Until now.

"Uncle Sheev!" Luke said, not able to hide the surprise from his voice. "Come in! Want some caf?"

"Certainly, my boy," Uncle Sheev said, entering, gesturing to the guards to remain outside. The door closed, leaving the two men alone.

The Emperor slid into a seat at the kitchen table as Luke brewed some caf and gathered a plate of cookies. They made small talk for a bit, Uncle Sheev asking about Luke's training at the academy, his prowess as a pilot. Finally, a silence fell between them.

"I bet you are wondering why I am here," Uncle Sheev said, smiling.

"Well…yeah," said Luke. "I mean…it's nice to see you. We haven't spoken in a while and…"

The Emperor rose in a graceful movement, seeming to float over to the wall where several holopics of the Skywalker family hung. He regarded them for over a minute, letting the quiet fill the space.

"I have an assignment for you," he said finally.

"An assignment?"

"Yes. I have a student…an apprentice of sorts who needs to go on a mission. A special secret mission for me. Something which will serve the Empire. She needs a good pilot to take her. I've heard of your accomplishments, young Skywalker. I would like to team you up with her, make you part of the mission as well," Uncle Sheev said.

"Really?! Me…pilot? A mission?!" Luke said excitedly, realizing his voice was a bit higher-pitched than he would have liked.

Uncle Sheev grinned in obvious amusement, and Luke's embarrassment subsided. He always felt comfortable around the Emperor, the man who had been there for him and Leia after their mother's death, even more so than their own father.

"Yes, my boy. Please come to my offices in the morning, packed for an extended trip," Uncle Sheev said moving toward the door. "I will inform your father, so not to worry. The Empire needs you. See you tomorrow."

Luke waited several seconds after the Emperor's departure before letting out a loud whoop and dashing upstairs to his suite to pack.

Author's Note: Next time, Leia arrives on Bespin, and Luke learns the Emperor's plans for him.

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