2 days later
Alderaan System
The Devastator dropped out of lightspeed at the edge of the Alderaan system. Darth Vader, standing at the bow of the Star Destroyer, stared through the viewscreen. In the distance was the lovely blue green planet Alderaan, filled with more than 4 billion souls. Most of whom, if Vader was correct, would be dead within 24 hours.
Circling around the verdant planet was the cold spherical shape of the Death Star. Vader stared at it with interest and a faint sense of distaste. It had been in production for nearly 20 long years. While he considered it an aberration and a foolish waste of resources, it was his Master's pet project and he had been forced to protect it and its secrets for all this time.
And at last, it was operational.
A week ago he would have been indifferent to the fate of Alderaan's billions, but his wife and son were having an effect (his Master would say, a very bad one) on him. He knew they would be horrified at the destruction of Alderaan. Nevertheless, rationally, there was nothing to be done. The Death Star was Tarkin's to administrate. Emperor Palpatine had made that entirely clear to his Sith servant. It would be the height of folly to show even the slightest resistance to Palpatine's authority at this sensitive juncture, as Vader plotted how to keep his family hidden from Sidious's grasping clutches.
He had expended much time and thought on that issue. He had originally planned to leave Padme and Luke on the Devastator, which would be kept in orbit around the Death Star. They were pleasantly situated in a suite, with a group of familiar guards, and Padme seemed content there. She had woken up yesterday and while not in an "awakening", she had chatted quite happily with him about esoteric aspects of Nabooian culture during a period of time 200 years ago known as the Great Rift. He had found himself mesmerized with the knowledge that flowed out of some obscure corner of his wife's mind. He did not, of course, care anything about art from 200 years ago, but listening to her passionate speech and insightful comments about the connection between politics and art had reminded him intensely of the old Padme.
Except that she didn't remember who he was. And while that was unsettling, after their discussion the day before he rather enjoyed that she didn't berate him.
He and Luke had made a quiet trip to the sim facility again, and Luke had tested the X-wing simulator. Not surprisingly, his son had mastered the X-wing even more rapidly than the TIE, as the X-wing controls were similar to those of the T-35 landspeeder.
So yes, the Devastator was, in many ways, a good place for his family.
But…
But he didn't feel right, either intellectually or through the Force, about leaving them on the ship without his personal protection. He had to be on the Death Star within two hours. Once he was there, it was not clear how long it would be before he could return to his Star Destroyer again.
He did not know how much Palpatine knew, or Tarkin. So far, there had been no hints that either were aware of who was living secretly on his ship. But to leave them unprotected meant that if the Emperor became aware of his son's existence, he could easily mount a kidnapping raid and snatch them both.
And then Luke would be lost. Vader knew enough about his son to know that his child would do almost anything to protect Padme, including probably turning to the Dark Side. Threatening Padme was not possible for Vader. He loved her too much, and their son knew it. But Darth Sidious? He would have no hesitation at all in taking Padme Amidala Skywalker and using her to force their son into line. And then it was all too likely that Luke would be incited to attack his father, with the winner emerging as Sidious's apprentice.
So no, it felt right to take both on board the Death Star, though the quarters for them would not be as luxurious or inherently secure as here on the Devastator. But he would be within walking distance from them at all times, albeit a fairly long walk. The Death Star was immense. But his personal area on the Death Star was large and included space for a substantial number of troops from the 501st. With a little surreptitious alteration, he could provide a safe space for his wife and son, surrounded by his most trusted soldiers. And it was close to the command center, where he would spend much of his time.
A few hours ago, he had told Luke that it was time for a haircut and change of clothing. Somewhat to his surprise (weren't teens inherently difficult?), Luke had meekly allowed the military style haircut and the new uniform, which carried the insignia of an ensign. Padme was outfitted with a dark chocolate colored robe which covered her magnificent hair and distinctively lovely features.
Doctor Sert and Medic Fentesto, both sworn to secrecy, would accompany his wife and son.
So yes, this was the best possible plan in a situation fraught with uncertainty. He didn't trust Luke to continue to be submissive. He didn't trust Padme to act in a sane manner. But at least if they acted up, he would be nearby.
And if Tarkin threatened his family, he would strangle that emaciated califraux (there were times when Huttese was useful) on the spot. He had his limits.
A commander stepped forward, interrupting his brooding thoughts.
"My Lord, your shuttle is ready for the trip to the Death Star."
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Governor Wilhuff Tarkin looked up from his desk as the door slid open.
Lord Darth Vader (finally) stepped through. It had taken surprisingly long for the Devastator to travel from Tatooine, but it was of no importance. It was possible Vader had sent people to the planet's surface to investigate Kenobi's path of escape; if so, Tarkin had news that would please the Dark Lord mightily.
He stood up and stepped forward, vaguely annoyed as usual at how much Vader towered over him.
"Lord Vader, I am pleased to see you here. You are in time to observe the first test this station's turbolaser."
"That is indeed a fortunate circumstance," Vader replied.
Tarkin tilted his head slightly to the right. Vader's vocoder made it difficult to determine his true views on a subject, but Tarkin had long suspected he was less than impressed with the Death Star.
But that was not important either. Vader was the Emperor's creature, body, soul, and spirit, and Palpatine was delighted with the Death Star and its capabilities.
"I have news that should please you, Lord Vader," Tarkin continued.
He turned to his com station and entered a few rapid symbols. Two viewscreens lit up.
Vader stepped forward and then froze in astonishment.
"Kenobi? You have him in custody?" he asked, with far more incredulity in his voice than usual. (How had he not sensed him when they arrived on board? He could only assume that his focus on Padme and Luke and settling them safely and quickly had distracted him from his old master's Force presence. Now that he was aware, he could feel his old master – though Kenobi was shielding.)
Tarkin permitted himself a superior smile, "Indeed, Lord Vader. Based on your information, we determined that Kenobi and Princess Leia Organa arrived on Alderaan a few hours before this station arrived to orbit the planet. Given their knowledge of the capabilities of the Death Star, I decided on the direct approach. I contacted Bail and Breha Organa on an open Holonet channel with the evidence tying Princess Leia to the Jedi traitor Kenobi. I insisted that they turn over their daughter and the Jedi and the Death Star plans or I would obliterate the planet immediately. Given the situation, they felt they had no choice and we arrested both individuals 7 hours ago. We also have the R2 droid carrying the plans in custody."
Vader stared at the viewscreen at his old master. Kenobi was seated on the floor of his cell, his hands manacled, one leg chained to the wall, and a shock collar around his neck. He knew Kenobi was being incarcerated in a special cell designed for Force sensitives. At last, at last, he would have his revenge on his old master for the injuries of Mustafar.
(But what about Luke? His son was effectively Kenobi's apprentice, though obviously not in the rigid way of the Order. He would definitely sense if Vader harmed Kenobi, and would likely be very upset about it. He would have to consider that issue later.)
He pulled his eyes away Kenobi and looked at the other screen. The tiny figure of Princess Leia Organa paced back and forth in a small cell.
"I wish to know the location of the main Rebel base before we destroy Alderaan," Tarkin said, "I invite you to choose which prisoner to interrogate."
Vader considered rapidly but the decision was easy. For all that it would be a pleasure to pull information out of his master, it would likely take weeks to break Kenobi and they were all in a hurry to destroy the Rebellion, which had grown surprisingly cocky in the last few years. (Some small part of his brain dwelled on the truth that Kenobi had willingly exiled himself on dusty Tatooine to watch over his son, and later his wife as well. While he was angry that he had been kept unaware of their existence, he had to admit that was generous of his former master…)
"I will interrogate the Princess personally and provide the location of the Rebel base within hours," he said coldly.
A young girl like that, soft, raised in luxury, would likely last all of ten minutes against him.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
25 minutes later
Cell Block AA23
Darth Vader followed 2 black clad guards to Cell 2187. He opened the door and the two guards stepped in and took their places on either side of the opening. Vader followed them in, automatically lowering his head to avoid hitting the top of the door. (Death Star cells were not designed for mammoth Sith Lords.)
Princess Leia Organa was sitting on the cold metal bench which served as the only luxury in the cell. She stiffened as Vader moved to one side of her.
"And now, your Highness," he rumbled coldly, "We will discuss the location of your hidden rebel base."
Organa looked at him in bewilderment, then turned, her eyes widening in dismay as the interrogation droid floated in behind him. She shrank into a corner and Vader stepped forward, preparing to hold her still as the droid injected truth serum into her body.
At that moment, there was the sound of two rapid stun shots. Vader spun around to see his son, eyes blazing, holding a blaster. The two guards lay on the floor, stunned. With a wave of his right hand, Luke gestured at the interrogation droid, which promptly smashed hard into the wall and then slid to the floor, sparking pathetically. Behind him, the door slid shut.
Vader was filled with anger, outrage, surprise, and a thin thread of shame at being found interrogating a beautiful young woman. Without thinking, his hand went to his lightsaber, though he didn't light it.
"How dare you intrude on me in the middle of my duties?" he demanded, allowing his full wrath to billow out towards his son.
Luke, as usual, did not back down, "I will intrude any time you dare to…"
"Luke, no!" cried the Princess.
"…do anything to harm my twin sister!" he finished.
Vader froze in complete and utter shock.
"Luke, how could you presume to tell him?" the Princess said, her own eyes shifting from fear to blazing indignation.
Luke turned to her, "Leia, I know you are tough, but you being tortured by our own father is something I will prevent if I can!"
"He," she hissed with rage, pointing at Vader, "Is not my father. Bail Organa is my father. That hulking monstrosity is, if you like, the male human who contributed half of my genetic material, but he is not my father. And there is no reason to think our unfortunate genetic connection would have any influence on our interactions. He nearly choked Mother to death when she was pregnant with us, if you would care to remember."
(Twins. He and Padme had twins.)
"Leia…"
"You had no right to tell him! That was my decision to make, not yours!"
"I'm your older brother, Leia. I made an executive decision."
"Older? You are five minutes older, Luke. Five minutes! Just because you pushed your way out first is no reason…"
"And I'm taller, too," Luke continued gravely.
There was a pause and Leia Organa stared at the youth and suddenly her face relaxed into a smile. And the smile was the smile of Padme Amidala.
"Oh Luke," she said as she moved forward and embraced him, "I was so worried about you and Mother. Are you all right? How is Mother?"
"I'm fine, Leia, and Mother is well too. Lord Vader has been taking very good care of us both. So you are wrong. I am confident his treatment of you will change based on the fact that you are part of his biological family."
This was said with a challenging look towards Vader.
Vader was too amazed to reassure the princess of Alderaan.
"Twins?" he asked rather foolishly.
"Yes, Father," Luke explained patiently, "Twins. You know, two babies born at the same time to the same parents. You have to admit Leia is the very image of Mother."
Vader turned and looked at Princess Leia Organa. Yes, the same eyes, the same hair. How could he have missed it? And he could now sense, dimly, a strong bond between both the young people standing in front of him. A twin bond.
"You should have told me, Son," he said weakly.
"I think it is all too clear that Leia didn't want me to, Father," Luke responded, obviously using the paternal word in an effort to encourage patience and understanding, "But when I sensed where she was, and knew you were closing in on her, I decided I had to interfere."
"It shouldn't matter," the princess said suddenly, "It doesn't really matter that I'm biologically your progeny, Lord Vader. You want to torture me, do your worst. I will not tell you anything. Do you understand that? The deal was that I would surrender, not that I would release secrets. You have no right…"
"What deal?" Luke interrupted anxiously.
The princess obviously made an effort to calm down, and sighed, "Tarkin threatened to destroy Alderaan if Kenobi and I didn't turn ourselves in, along with the Death Star plans. There was a visual and audio recording showing us all together at the Lars' farm. I convinced my parents that I had to surrender. Alderaan…I had to save Alderaan. You understand that, don't you?"
"Of course I do," Luke replied reassuringly, putting an arm around her again, "Where are the Lars?"
"They are in the Royal Palace with my parents."
Organa's face (he couldn't quite think of her as 'Leia' yet) suddenly transformed again with that glorious smile, "You should have seen them the first time there was a rainstorm, Luke. They had never seen rain before. Can you believe that?"
"Leia, I've never seen rain before," Luke pointed out.
Leia blinked in astonishment.
"No, I guess you haven't," she said with wonder.
"Anyway, our adoptive families are safe," she continued with relief.
Vader hesitated, then spoke, "They are not safe. Tarkin intends to destroy Alderaan."
The princess looked at him with horror and paled, "Tarkin promised. On the open Holonet. How could he possibly justify destroying the planet? We surrendered!"
"He has no intention of justifying anything, Princess," he replied softly, "The Tarkin Doctrine includes rule through fear. He has always intended to destroy a populated planet and Alderaan's ties to the Rebellion make it the obvious target."
Princess Leia swayed and Luke tightened his grip on her.
"No, no, not Alderaan! We are a peaceful planet, we have no weapons, you can't possibly destroy it!"
"Father, how can you possibly justify this, even as a Dark Sider?" Luke demanded with distress, "There are more than four billion people on that planet. Most of them have nothing to do with the Rebellion against the Empire. You are planning genocide!"
There was a long, painful pause.
"He doesn't care, Luke," Leia said with weary resignation, "Why would he care? He destroyed the Jedi younglings, he has tortured and abused and killed thousands, he attacked his own wife and children. What are the deaths of a few billion more innocents on his twisted and blackened soul?"
Vader cringed at her words, his emotions roiling. Luke stared at him intently, obviously sensing his confusion.
He released his sister and stepped forward, laying hands on his father's arms, "Father, please! Please. Our adoptive families are on Alderaan. It is your daughter's homeworld. Please, don't let his happen. You have the power to stop this!"
"I do not, my son," the Dark Lord responded wearily. He turned away from the accusing gazes of his children, "My Master has tasked Tarkin with the operation of this battle station and its targets. I do not have the authority to countermand Tarkin's orders."
"And do you always do what your Master tells you to do?" Luke inquired carefully.
There was another pause. Vader considered this. Of course, he didn't. He had been rebelling against Palpatine in subtle ways for at least 15 years. And he was planning to openly overthrow him, now that he knew he had a living child.
Now that he had two living children.
Logically, the timing was not right to move openly against Palpatine. He had no plans in place.
But looking at the pleading eyes of his children, he knew he must act now if he wanted to develop a relationship with either of them. He already knew that Luke longed for a father and was willing to give him a chance, in spite of all the (legitimately terrible) things he had no doubt heard from Kenobi. But if Vader stood by and let his aunt and uncle, his de facto parents, die on Alderaan? If he allowed the Organas to perish with their planet?
(Vader had reason, too, to be grateful to both the Lars and the Organas. His experience with human babies was extremely limited, but he had a vague awareness of extreme helplessness, of interrupted nights, of crying without clear communication, of messes and bad smells. These two couples had cared for his children while neither parent was available to care for them. And indeed, what would have happened if Palpatine had found his twins when they were newborns and he was still raw and broken from the fight on Mustafar? He shuddered at the very thought.)
He had taught himself to move more slowly than Anakin Skywalker had, to think before acting. But right now, he must act. Tarkin intended to destroy Alderaan within hours and if he was to interfere, he must do it soon.
"Very well," he said abruptly, causing both his children to start, "Very well, I will intervene to save Alderaan."
The princess looked astonished, then suspicious.
Luke looked hopeful, "You'll talk to Tarkin, then?"
Vader smiled slightly to himself.
He really did loathe Tarkin.
"No, my son," he said calmly. He looked at the lightsaber, still in his hand, fondly.
"No, it is time for aggressive negotiations."
Author Note: I'm sure you all have questions about Luke and Leia and their prior relationship. I'll delve into those matters later.