Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.
The Tyranny of Kinship
Chapter 7
"Give me your lightsaber," Leia said, holding out her hand expectantly.
Vader glared, but didn't protest, unclipping the weapon from his belt and handing it over to her. She had no doubt that he'd be able to retrieve it with ease so long as it wasn't properly secured, but it was a necessary gesture all the same.
She was at once relieved and anxious now that they were finally arriving at the base on Yavin 4. Relieved, because she would no longer have to deal with the near-painful awkwardness of being alone with Vader. Anxious, because she was taking a huge risk by bringing Vader here.
Vader had been silent since she'd transmitted the security codes that would give her safe passage to land, his mouth a tight line. She hoped desperately that this wouldn't prove to be a mistake.
Still, her gut told her it was the right decision. Or perhaps it was the Force.
She wasn't sure she cared which.
The base was bustling with activity when they arrived, but Leia was still whisked away to Mon Mothma's private office with surprising speed for a debriefing, Vader in tow.
A few of the personnel they passed gave him curious looks, yet none seemed to recognize him. Which she supposed was a good thing, although she couldn't quite shake the feeling that she was leading a nexu straight into a herd of nerfs.
Mon embraced her once they entered her office, easing Leia's nerves just a fraction. "Leia," she said, once she'd pulled pack. "I'm so very glad that you've returned to us."
"No more glad than I am to have returned," Leia said, smiling a little stiffly. There was a growing pit of dread in her stomach. "My father isn't here?" she asked. Surely, he would've been present if he had been. .
Mon's face was always carefully controlled, but Leia could see the edges of sorrow around her mouth and eyes. "You should have a seat, I think."
Both of them did so, with Mothma taking her customary place behind her desk. Leia already knew what she was preparing herself to say, though a part of her refused to believe it.
At length, Mothma finally said, "I'm so sorry, Leia, but...both of your parents were executed a week ago."
She allowed the shock and sadness to wash over her, before quashing it mercilessly behind a wall in her mind. On some level, she was sure that she'd already known. Back on their way to Franka, when she'd dreamed of Vader's torture and spent hours retching. The nightmare hadn't been enough to illicit such a reaction on its own.
She must've sensed them both die, and simply been too much of a coward to admit it.
Still, there was no time to be spared for sorrow. "Then we shall make sure to honor their memories by finishing what they started," she said firmly.
"Yes," said Mon, gravely. Belatedly, her gaze shifted to Vader, who had sat down without Leia noticing, and her face registered a moment of genuine shock.
"Mothma," said Vader, by way of greeting, eschewing the senatorial honorific. From their earlier conversations, Leia had no doubt that he was fully behind the Imperial edict to abolish the Senate.
"...Master Skywalker," said Mon, at length. "I'm glad to see that you're alive."
Vader smirked mirthlessly. "Your gladness will be brief, I assure you."
Skywalker. The name was familiar. "Senator Mothma," said Leia, using her contempt for Vader to quash the grief attempting to claw its way up her throat. "This is Darth Vader. After discovering that he is my biological father, he has decided to defect. He agreed to receive medical treatment before accompanying me here." The words came surprisingly easily.
"...I see," said Mon, after a very long pause. To Vader, she said: "That certainly explains how you survived the Jedi Purge." The expression on her face was the closest thing to hatred Leia had ever seen on the older woman, and it was subsumed mere moments later behind a mask of calm. Her focus returned to Leia. "Since you brought him here, I assume you have reason to believe his betrayal of the Empire is sincere. Even so, you have put me in an exceedingly difficult position."
"I know," said Leia. "But he's the only reason that Alderaan is still in existence. And why the Death Star is currently out of commission."
"So our intelligence was accurate," said Mon. "That does alter circumstances considerably. Still, I will need some time to consider what to do next."
Leia picked up her carrier bag and pulled out Vader's lightsaber, holding it out to Mon. "Vader gave this to me willingly."
She took the weapon gingerly. "Given your extraordinary abilities, Lord Vader, I hope you won't oppose any measures I take to keep this weapon secure."
"I am at your mercy, Senator." Their was a mocking air to the words, but Leia still knew them to be sincere. Leia didn't doubt his ability to do considerable damage without the laser sword, but it certainly enhanced his destructive capabilities. Without it, they'd be able to subdue him much more quickly, should he go on a rampage.
Mon let out a sigh. "I must ask you to keep Vader's true identity classified for now. There are many here who hate him too much to care for any utility he may provide - no matter how great."
"And they would act against your orders, since you have such shoddy discipline," Vader noted dryly.
Mothma didn't take the bait. "The desire for justice can drive even the most disciplined soldier to act rashly, Lord Vader. As I recall, there were several incidents in the Clone War when even the clones took matters into their own hands. And one could never accuse them of lacking discipline." She quirked a brow. "The campaign on Umbara comes to mind."
The tension in the room, already high to begin with, ramped up considerably. Vader's glare was icy. "I am no Pong Krell," he said.
"No," Mon agreed, airily. "After all, he didn't hide his betrayal behind a mask for twenty years."
Leia stood abruptly. "Vader and I will take our leave for now, Senator. Feel free to summon us whenever you wish." She glared down at Vader.
He rolled his eyes, but still stood up to follow her.
Leia's distress was heavy in the Force as she led the two of them out of Mothma's office. Vader wasn't entirely pleased at the news of the Viceroy's execution himself, as it deprived him of the opportunity to interrogate the traitor personally. But he could tell that Leia was devastated.
He felt as though he should say something comforting to her, but nothing came to mind. She was certainly aware that he had planned to kill the man himself, after all. She would find his sentiments laughable at best.
"Anakin Skywalker," she said, cutting through his thoughts. "I've heard the pilots talking about you. You're something of a legend for the ones who lived through the Clone Wars."
"That name no longer holds any meaning for me," he said, hoping that she wouldn't linger on the matter.
"I couldn't care less about what meaning it has to you," Leia said, voice flat. "I just want to know if there's a risk of any of them recognizing you, like Mon did."
"It's unlikely," he said. Any footage they might have seen of him would've been purged from the Holonet years ago. Mothma, in contrast, had known him personally. Not well, admittedly - but politicians were generally good at recalling faces.
"Good."
She led them the rest of the way in silence, giving Vader a chance to take in some of the base's layout. Back in Mothma's office, it had been ever-so-tempting to retrieve his lightsaber with the Force and lop the traitor's head clean from her shoulders. He could probably use it to kill off a substantial number of rebels before they managed to take him down.
But it would've ruined his plans for Leia. Perhaps, once he'd convinced her to join him, they would do it together.
"Stay here for now," Leia finally said, upon leading him to an empty set of quarters. "I'll come get you when we're called."
"I'm surprised you think I can be left alone without supervision, Your Highness."
"You're not a child, and I need some time to myself. I trust that you'll behave yourself."
And so there he was, alone, sensing her anguish but helpless to do anything about it.
If she embraced the Dark Side, she could channels such feeling into power - and use that power to take her revenge - rather than languishing in her pain. But she was nowhere near ready to hear him out on the matter just yet.
But one day, she would be. He just needed to be patient.
And Vader could be patient, when it was necessary.
After a shower and a brief bout of meditation, he and Leia were back in Mothma's office. The red-haired former Senator had fully regained her composure.
"Your father informed us that the Death Star plans were on their way, not long before he was arrested. They've yet to arrive, however." She turned impassive eyes to Vader. "Did you hear anything about this matter before you defected?"
"No," he said, not inclined to go into the matter of his own failure further.
"I'm fairly sure we left the Death Star before my father sent that transmission," Leia said.
Mothma sighed. "I see."
From behind them, Vader heard the sound of the door sliding open, and then: "Pardon the lateness, ma'am. I was on patrol."
Vader stiffened at the sound of that all-too-familiar voice, and, when he looked back, was greeted by the equally familiar visage of an aging clone. It was not just any clone, however; Vader would've recognized this particular clone even if he were blind. "Rex," he said, with an air of condemnation..
"It's good to see you too, General." said Rex, smiling wryly. He inclined his head to Mon Mothma and Leia in turn as he took a seat beside Vader. "Senator, Your Highness."
"Thank you for joining us, Captain Rex," said Mothma. She turned her impassive gaze to Vader. "Given your past collaboration, Lord Vader, I felt his input would be valuable."
He glared at her, wanting nothing more than to crush her windpipe. She had intended this to be an ambush from the very beginning!
"For the sake of transparency," Leia began, cutting through Vader's mounting rage and replacing it with cold dread, "you should know that Lord Vader is my biological father." Though her face was as blank as Mothma's, Vader could sense Leia's discomfort spike upon sharing that information for a second time.
Rex blinked. "Well then," he said. "Looks like Wolffe owes me a thousand credits."
Vader turned his glare on the clone. "You had a betting pool?"
"Of course we did," said Rex, unapologetic. He sighed wistfully. "It's a pity Fives isn't here. He would'a cleaned out a lot of pockets."
Vader tried to quash the answering twinge of sadness at the thought of his fallen comrade. There was no use for sentimentality in this den of traitors.
Mon Mothma cleared her throat gently. "If I may ask, Captain: do you think Lord Vader can be trusted, provisionally or otherwise?"
Rex looked from Vader to Leia, frowning slightly. "Well, I never would'a guessed he'd go all Dooku on us."
Vader bristled at the comparison, but held his tongue.
"That said - I don't see him betraying the Princess, if she really is his child." His frown deepened. "Though how confident I am of that comes down to what he did to Commander Tano."
Vader made an involuntary choking sound.
Mothma nodded thoughtfully. "Four years ago, Ahsoka Tano went missing in action after an encounter with you on the planet Malachor." She looked Vader straight in the eye. "Did you kill her, Lord Vader?"
He almost lied, because of how greatly he detested the truth - detested what it revealed about his convictions. But he knew all too well that both Leia and Rex would see through any obfuscations.
In any case, he couldn't afford to undermine what little trust he'd managed to build with his daughter, and so he ground out, "Ahsoka Tano is neutralized, but alive."
A long pause, and then: "...Carbonite, sir?"
Damn him. "Yes," Vader growled.
The room's other occupants radiated varying degrees of relief and joy at the revelation. Including Leia.
Leia knew Ahsoka and Rex. It was like the Force was laughing at him.
Mothma cut through his increasingly hysterical train of thought. "In that case, I propose you return her to us as a sign of good faith."
No. No, he wasn't ready for that. This was too much to ask. He didn't owe these traitors anything.
"Very well," he said, when he caught sight of Leia's hopeful eyes.
Mothma nodded. "In that case, Leia and Captain Rex will accompany you. We shall keep this mission on a need-to-know basis only, and leave as soon as possible."
"But what if the Death Star plans arrive while we're away?" Leia asked.
"You know I value your leadership, Leia," Mothma replied. "But you can do more for our cause by retrieving Ahsoka. We were dealt a heavy blow the day we lost her."
Leia looked as though she was going to argue more, but apparently thought better of it. "In that case, we'll go make preparations."
She stood to leave, and Vader followed suit.
"Off to rescue Commander Tano," said Rex, falling in beside him as they walked. "It's just like old times."
Vader refused to give him the satisfaction of a response.
