Chapter 7:

It had been nearly two weeks since Leia's world collapsed, to be replaced by her new existence on the Devastator. Her former existence as High Princess of Alderaan seemed like a lifetime ago. She was still orbiting her former home planet of Alderaan while her father remained to oversee the planet's transition to direct Imperial governance.

Her father, she still had not called the black armor clad man by that title, even though he had ordered her to do so. It was not that she did not believe his claim, Leia knew with every fiber of her being that he was telling the truth. She just could not say the word, yet. In her heart, Bail Organa was her father, even though Vader would be angry with her if she expressed these feelings.

Every since she had been moved to her new quarters, Leia's days were all the same. Promptly at 0700, she would be awoken by a protocol droid that had been assigned to her. Then, the droid would supervise and assist as she groomed and dressed for the day. At 0800, a breakfast tray would be brought to her. Then, at 0900, her academic tutoring sessions would begin.

Vader had assigned one of the ship's commanders to be in charge of Leia's tutoring. He had experience with teaching; he had been a lecturer for a few years at the Imperial Academy before he was re-assigned to the Devastator. He had been instructed by Vader to challenge her, but the commander had been warned that his life would meet a slow and violent end if he was any way harsh with Leia.

Among other things, it was Commander D'Sal's duty to correct the "gaps" in the education that Leia received on Alderaan. Her lessons on mathematics, literature, and science were given to her via computer instruction while D'Sal supervised. Then, he would lecture her on history and governance; specifically, the Empire's perspective of those subjects. She was an eager student, she devoured any information she was given.

D'Sal did note that she was more than a little reluctant to accept the Empire's version of certain events in history because it was different than what she learned from her tutors on Alderaan, but he assured Vader that she would eventually come around.

Her tutoring sessions would continue most of the day, with only one break for a midday meal. The sessions would end promptly at 1600 when her protocol droid would take her for a walk in designated areas around the ship. The crew was well aware of Leia's presence. Just days after her arrival, the rumors about the purpose of the little girl's presence were getting out of hand. Some even speculated that she was there to satisfy Vader's deviant appetites. The body of the asphyxiated crewmember that started that rumor was found hours later at the base of a maintenance shaft.

Still, the out-of-control rumors caused Vader to issue a short ship-wide decree announcing that the small girl was his daughter and would be treated with the same respect that they would give to him. He also added that if any additional rumors surfaced concerning the girl that he would be "most displeased." Ever since the decree, any crewmember that passed Leia in the ship's corridors would go out of their way to show respect to her.

After her walk and dinner, the rest of the evening would be spent with her father. Part of Leia always dreaded 1830, when Vader would arrive; but a growing part of her was fascinated by the man that was her biological father. At first, she had been terrified of him and still was, to a point. However, he always spoke to her about the most fascinating of subjects.

He would sometimes ask her about her lessons and quiz her over what she had learned that day, but most of the time he would tell her about the Force. The more he spoke to her about the Force, the more she wanted to know more about it. Her lessons in the Force had not been very extensive as of yet; Vader had taught Leia to meditate and had begun to teach her about the history of the Sith, but he had not gone into great detail over Sith philosophy. Like her regular studies, her mind yearned for more knowledge about the Force. She could not believe that there was a time in her life when she could not access it.

The door to her quarters opened promptly at 1830 and Vader strode into the room. She stood before him, not wanting him to see any nervousness. He looked down at her and greeted her the same way he always did. "Greetings my daughter, I trust you had a productive day."

Leia cringed inwardly and was very angry the first few times that he had called her that, but she was slowly getting used to it. "Hello, I had a good day."

"Was it productive? What did you learn?"

Vader escorted Leia into the adjacent training room as she explained what Command D'Sal taught her that day. "I learned about the governing structure of the Empire. The Emperor is head of state, and you are his second in command in control of the military. The Moff Council report directly to the Emperor and the Senate advises the Emperor."

"Very good, my daughter. Do you understand why that system is much better than the old Republic?"

Leia knew the answer that her father expected; it was what D'Sal had drilled into her earlier. "The commander told me that the bureaucrats and special interest groups had too much control over the Senate and that cost many lives during the Clone War."

Vader nodded, "Are you telling me this because you know that is what I want to hear; or do you really understand?"

Father and daughter entered the training room and, as per custom, Leia knelt down in a meditative pose. "Now the Empire is ruled by one person. What if he makes a mistake; no one can tell him that he's wrong."

Vader knelt down in front of her with the same stance. Leia was afraid that he would be angry with her for asking such questions, but he was not. As her time with him increased, his emotional state was becoming easier to detect. "The Emperor is wise, young one. We cannot go back to the chaos of the Republic. In time, you will understand this."

Leia nodded, "Yes Sir."

She could sense a sudden spike of annoyance when she called him that. She knew that he wanted her to call him "father," but she was not ready. Fortunately, he did not make an issue of it at the moment. "Let us meditate."

Leia closed her eyes as she let go of her surroundings and went into the Force. Her father had been impressed by how easily she had learned to let go of her conscious self. As usual, she felt Vader's touch upon her mind. At first this was the part that she hated the most, but over the last few training sessions she had become used to having him inside her head, guiding her meditation.

"Think on these words, my daughter: Peace is a lie, there is only passion."

As she was in the Force, images and memories began to flash before her. She remembered being told many times by her adopted parents that she must be calm when she was upset about something. They never understood that she did not want to be calm, she wanted to express her anger and frustration.

Leia felt a stronger touch on her mind, she knew her father did not like her thinking about her adopted parents but the expected mental rebuke did not come. "Yes, they did not want you to express your anger because they wanted to weaken you. They knew your heritage, my daughter, and they did not want you to become strong. They wanted to control you. Anger and passion should never be suppressed; those things will only make you stronger. Through the Force, I want you to repeat the first tenet and let it's wisdom take hold."

Leia knew that her mother would not like this teaching, but her mother was far away and could not help her. She was intrigued by the idea of not having to suppress her emotions; it was something Leia was never very good at. However, she was uncomfortable repeating what her father told her. As she resisted, his mental hold became even stronger. "Peace is a lie, there is only passion."

"Through passion, I gain strength."

She wondered what kind of strength he was referring to. She was always taught that strength was sticking to your convictions through adversity. Somehow, Leia believed that her father was meant something much more. "What kind of strength?"

If she could have seen Vader's face, she would have seen his brief smile at her question. "Oh, my daughter, you have no idea of what you can accomplish through the Force. The Force gives you unimaginable strength. The others who cannot touch the Force are inconsequential; we are above them. The Force, through our passion, gives us the strength to rule over them. Now, repeat!"

Her father's teachings were the direct polar opposite of everything she had learned since she was a baby, but she was finding it harder and harder to remember those early teachings. "Through passion, I gain strength."

Vader continued his lecture, "Through strength, I gain power."

"Do you mean power to rule?"

"Yes, and more. Power is what the Force gives us. I will teach you this power."

Leia could not help but be mesmerized by the voice inside her head promising to teach her these things. She wondered why her adopted parents wanted her to stay away from him. Were they afraid of her becoming powerful?

In response to her mental questions, through the Force, Leia saw an image of herself grown up and standing next to her father. The gown she was wearing was much finer than anything she had seen her adopted mother wear in the court of Alderaan. They were standing on a high balcony, surrounded by an endless city filled with people. She knew that she and her father ruled over them. She was no longer the cute little princess that no one took seriously—a princess that was to be seen and not heard. She and her father's word was law, and no one challenged them.

Leia knew he expected her to mentally repeat those words. It was becoming easier for her to accept this new teaching. "Through strength, I gain power."

Vader was very pleased, she could feel it through their link. He went on to the next tenet of Sith philosophy. "Through power, I gain victory. There will be those who oppose us, and we must gain victory over them; power leads to ultimate victory. Know and understand this, my daughter."

The hold on Leia's mind became even stronger, so much that everything seemed to melt away, except her father's voice inside her head. Alderaan did not exist, her adopted parents did not exist; there was nothing but the Force and her father's voice. "Through power, I gain victory."

"Through victory, my chains are broken."

If Leia was not so deep in her meditations, she would have been aware that her hands were shaking and her breath was speeding up. She was aware that something inside her was changing with every tenet of the Sith code that she was repeating. "Through victory, my chains are broken."

Leia felt the hold over her mind decrease as Vader guided her out of meditation. She opened here eyes to find his hands protectively covering her own. Perspiration was coming off of her face and she felt as if she had been running for hours; she was exhausted.

Vader kept his hold on her hands as he spoke audibly the final tenet of the Sith code, "The Force shall free me."

Leia looked straight into her father's mask; she could still feel his mind inside hers but not as strong as before. "The Force shall free me."

Vader stood up, leaving Leia still kneeling on the floor of the training room. "Very good, my daughter. You are progressing nicely."

Slowly, Leia stood up; her exhaustion was increasing so much that standing was a great challenge. "I still feel you inside my head."

"Of course you do; we are linked, you and I. Through that link, I will make you strong, I promise you that."

Leia nodded, too tired to ask any more questions. She could not believe she was this sleepy, she believed it was still early evening. Looking around the room to the wall chrono, she was shocked to see that it was nearly 2300. She could not believe that she had been in meditation for over four hours; it seemed like just minutes.

Seeming to pick up on his daughter's surprise, Leia could feel her father's amusement through the bond. "In the Force, my daughter, time has no meaning." He took her hand and led her out of the training room. "I must leave, and you must go to sleep. 0700 will come quickly. We have much to do in the days to come."


The funeral was scheduled for the next day; Breha could hardly pay attention as her handmaidens asked her questions regarding the gown and hairstyle she wanted to wear. It did not matter; nothing mattered to her. Every one and every thing she cared for had been taken from her. First her daughter, then her husband, and last her rule as queen had been usurped by the hated Moff Malix. Breha wanted to throw her handmaidens out of her chambers, along with those hated mourning clothes, but she could not find the energy.

Her husband's body had been in a stasis chamber for nearly two weeks awaiting the funeral. Malix had agreed to allow a small ceremony for a limited number of family and friends. After much wrangling, he finally agreed on the guest list two days prior.

She still remembered with burning hatred what he told her the day he gave his approval. "I hope that this service gives you the closure that you need. You will learn that no matter how bad things seem, there will always be a new day on the horizon and new possibilities to discover." Breha knew exactly what he meant by "new possibilities," and it sickened her to think about that. She was perfectly aware what he was planning once her month-long mourning period was over.

"My Queen," the voice of the head handmaiden distracted Breha from all thoughts of Malix, and for that she was most grateful. "We will be going now, your gown will be ready for the funeral."

Breha turned to see the rest of the handmaidens leaving her chambers, "Tell them thank you for me." Zara nodded and turned to leave as well, but the queen stopped her. "Wait, please stay."

"Yes, My Queen."

"When is Jesko Sarin due to arrive?" It had taken days since Moff Malix's initial approval of Sarin to visit the palace, for a definite appointment to be made. Even though he was approved, Malix wanted a few more background checks to be performed. Finally, only one day before the funeral of the man the purchased artwork was supposed to honor, he was finally scheduled to arrive.

"He'll be here in four hours."

Breha knew that her most loyal handmaiden was aware there was much more to the meeting than artwork, but not the specific reason. The queen decided that it was time to confide in someone, and there was no one better than her head handmaiden and her truest friend. "Zara, I need to tell you something. You are aware that it must remain between us. I will give you the choice, however. Telling you this may put you in a very precarious position. Can I confide in you?"

Zara gently grabbed Breha's hand in a gesture of support. "Yes, you can confide in me; you can trust me. My Queen, I know there is something going on and it has to do with Jesko Sarin."

Breha wiped a tear from her eye and nodded, "Yes, it does. Zara, one of the last thing my husband told me the last time I saw him was to contact this man. He told me that he had something to give me and not all hope was lost. I know my husband would not have told me that if this thing Sarin was to give me wasn't important."

"I agree."

"Bail knew that he would be killed, but maybe the hope he was speaking of was for Leia." It was not known to the rest of Alderaan that Leia had been taken from the Organas' custody, but the palace staff was well aware and were harshly warned by Malix not to reveal this fact to the public.

Zara nodded, "That is a reasonable assumption, My Queen."

"I'm not certain if it is a reasonable assumption, but it is the only ray of light that I can see right now. If nothing comes from this, I don't know how I will be able to go on knowing that Leia will forever be in the hands of Darth Vader and I'll be able to do absolutely nothing about it." Breha broke down and began weeping. All her emotional restraint was gone, she could not hold it in for any longer.

Even though it was a huge breach of handmaiden protocol, Zara embraced the queen. She held her in her arms, offering what support she could, while Breha continued to weep. It was not until the queen's sobs stopped shaking her that the handmaiden spoke. "My Queen, we will meet with this man and see what it is your husband wanted to give you."

"Oh Zara, you heard Malix; he will have a stormtrooper escort with him at all times. We will not be able to speak freely."

"That is true, but if this man truly has information for you. I feel that he has thought about such things as a stormtrooper escort. Have faith, My Queen. You cannot give up now."

Breha broke away from her friend's comforting embrace. "Zara, I fear I put you in grave danger by telling you this; I've very sorry."

"We handmaidens know how to stay out of the way of attention. If something does happen, however, I am loyal to you and I'm loyal to Alderaan. Don't worry about my personal safety; you have enough to think about."

Breha nodded as she stood up, "What should I do if this man is not bringing a miracle?"

"My Queen, just focus on the meeting, and then focus on getting through the next hour, and then the next. I, and the rest of your staff and advisors will be there to help. You will never be alone; you are among friends."


Leia was coming along quite nicely, Vader was very pleased with her progress as he entered his hypobaric chamber and the droids began taking off his suit for maintenance. He was amazed by how much raw power the girl had; once she was trained she would be unstoppable. It was that reason that Vader was very glad she was discovered early. She would learn loyalty to him, and him alone, from an early age when she could be easily controlled.

He knew there were still challenges with Leia's training; for one, she still loved the Organas and missed them greatly. When he first took Leia from Alderaan, he only hated Bail Organa and that hatred was still very much alive, despite the man's death. However, at first he did not think much about the queen's role in all of this; but as time went by, he began to hate Queen Breha as well. In Leia's mind, this woman was her mother. When his daughter thought about her mother, she should have been visualizing Padmé's face and not the face of the Alderaanian queen.

Padmé—Leia was very much like her, so much that it nearly frightened him. She looked like her and many of her mannerisms were exactly like his dead wife's. At the thought of Padmé, the dark side seemed to whisper in his head, "Leia will betray you just like your wife betrayed you."

At the reminder of Padmé's betrayal, Vader's anger surged. I should have taken her with me. I shouldn't have gone to Mustafar without making sure she was away from Kenobi's influence. I should have locked her up until I returned. If I'd done that, she'd still be with me and Leia would never have grown up without her true parents.

He thought of Leia; the dark side's whisper that she would betray him, like her mother, fueled his rage. She will not have the chance to betray me. It was my weakness that gave Padmé her chance, but I will not make the same mistake with my daughter. She will be loyal to me, she will not have the choice to do otherwise.

A tone from his communicator sounded, and Vader angrily accepted the visual communication. Because his suit had been taken off by the maintenance droids, the visual was one sided only. The one on the other end could only hear Vader's voice. "What is it?"

The image of Moff Malix smug visage filled the view screen. Vader knew very little about the man who was given the governance of Alderaan. It mattered little to the Sith who the Emperor chose to rule this planet. "Lord Vader, I trust everything is going well."

Vader did not dignify that with a response. "Your report, governor."

Malix's carefully constructed expression faltered when he heard Vader's command. "Yes...yes, of course. There are some pockets of resistance, mostly protest marches. Troops have been sent to disburse them and arrest their leaders. We may require more troops; these Alderaanians are a stubborn lot. It may be a while before they accept direct Imperial rule."

"Then you will have to make these recalcitrant people understand the consequences of defying Imperial rule."

"Yes, Lord Vader, I will." Malix hesitated before continuing, "Is my request for more troops approved?"

"It is approved, the additional troops will be temporary though. It is up to you and the garrison assigned to keep the people under control."

Malix smiled again, this time his nervousness was showing through the plastered expression. "Thank you Lord Vader. Alderaan will be a model Imperial world very soon. There are just a few rough patches that need to be ironed out."

"See that you do." Vader's annoyance with this man was growing by exponentially with each passing second; he was quickly tiring of this conversation.

"How long will your flagship be orbiting?"

Vader knew that he was going to have to leave Alderaan soon, but he was very hesitant to do so. The second he left, he would have to return to Imperial Center and bring Leia before his master. This was not something Vader wanted to do this soon. He knew there was no way to get around it, but he wanted more time with her before she met the Emperor.

There was a great possibility that the Emperor would take Leia from his custody to either kill her or train her himself. Leia was a weapon that his master could end up wielding against him. Vader needed to figure out a way to convince the Emperor to allow him to continue Leia's training in her father's custody.

Vader knew Leia was destined to be by his side, and to be his instrument. They would join forces and destroy his master and he would reign with his daughter by his side. It would be years before she was ready; but when she was, she would be a force to be reckoned with and she would be loyal to him and him alone. He would make certain of that.

"For now, the Devastator will remain in orbit to quell any problems that may develop." Vader did not give the governor any idea how long he would remain, mainly because he did not know himself.

Malix nodded nervously, "Yes, Lord Vader. I do not believe your direct assistance will be needed. I will keep the people under control."

"See that you do, the Emperor does not take failure lightly."


Uneventful was the word to best describe Queen Breha's meeting with Jesko Sarin. She, with her head handmaiden along, had been discussing art for the past hour all under the supervision of two stormtroopers.

Sarin was a plain, intellectual looking man in his mid-fifties; Breha thought that he looked exactly like one would think a dealer in art and antiques would look like. He began by offering his many condolences and telling the queen that the senator would be very much missed by the people of Alderaan.

Breha was not sure what she expected out of this meeting. She knew that they had to be careful with what they said because of the presence of the stormtroopers, but she somehow expected more out of the meeting than an art discussion. This was the man that Bail told her to contact for some reason; and so far it seemed that Sarin was exactly what he claimed to be, an art dealer.

She knew that this man had dealings with Bail, but he did not mention any of them. Her husband was not an art lover; it made no sense that he would have a long-standing working relationship with an art dealer. She'd been to his official residence on Coruscant, the apartment did not have displayed any pieces of art that he'd purchased. None of this made any sense whatsoever.

After an hour of discussion, Sarin recommended a three-hundred year old sculpture, done in the style of Alderaan's classic period, as the perfect piece to honor her husband's great contributions to his people. Breha's disappointment, despair, and hopelessness was so strong that she agreed automatically. This pointless meeting could not end quickly enough for her; she wanted nothing more than to go to bed.

As Sarin was leaving, ignoring all rules of protocol, he gently grabbed her arm and leaned in close. "I know you will be very pleased with the piece I've recommended. You will find it quite surprising. As all true masterpieces are, it is much more than meets the eye."

Breha watched as the man was lead out of the palace by his stormtrooper escort. She wondered what he meant by that last statement; the look he gave her was very odd as well. She did not have much energy to think about it very long; her emotional and spiritual reserves for the day were used up. Even though it was still early afternoon, the queen went to her chambers and turned in for the day. The next day she would have to face her husband's funeral.