What you are given

Can't be forgotten

And never forsaken

The lack of sleep from the past few days was finally catching up to him and he felt a blooming eye twitch. Deciding he would go to his quarter's once on board and try to sleep.

"Lord Vader, we have you in our tractor beam and are bringing you aboard." Voss said. He had left the Yacht feeling more hopeful than he had in many years. Padmé still loved him, his children were safe, and a plan was in place. He disembarked in the hanger of the Super Star Destroyer, a full battalion standing in salute as he exited the ship.

"Milord." The officers were waiting for him at the end of the ramp and he stopped, sensing their fear. "the Captain wishes to see you on the Bridge." His irritation spiking at the man's audacity to summon him like a pet Pitten.

Arriving on the Bridge he smirked at the officers sitting a little straighter, their work a little more punctuated. He paused at every station and surveyed the men, admonishing those who had been careless or lazy. His annoyance growing once more. Away from the serenity of his Sister and the calming presence of his wife and children he noticed he was less lenient, less forgiving.

"Lord Vader," Captain Voss said nervously, the Lieutenant Ozzel at his side. "Why are we here. This ship is not a babysitting detail. There have been reports of a Rebellious cell in-." He felt his anger flare and he automatically reached out, grabbing the man in a Force Grip.

"I am the commander of this ship Voss, not you. If I deem a mission is worthy, then it is. There is no command that supersedes mine."

"Yes-.. Mi-.. Lord.." His fatigue and furious rage at the unfairness of it all finally snapping with the man's neck.

"You," he barked, "Ozzel,"

"Yes sir,"

"Have someone clean this up." He pointed at the man's dead body, "I'm going to my quarters, don't bother me, Captain."

"Yes Sir." The man snapped a salute and pointed at the prone figure on the ground. Vader left and a collective sigh was audible as the tension broke and they relaxed with the Dark Lord off the Bridge.

Vader stalked into his inner sanctum and was opening the hyperbaric chamber when he heard a tentative voice, Hey, you ok?

No. Leave me alone.

You need to talk?

I need sleep. Leave. Me. Alone. He slammed against the presence and sat back in the large chair. He felt the glimmer in the back of his mind and ignored it. His helmet lifted off his head and he pressed his hand to his eyes, attempting to force the image out of his mind.

Once again he had killed without a second thought. Without despair or regret. Oh Padmé, what have I done.

"Well?" Obi Wan asked her. They had all watched the Princess's face go white and Obi Wan had felt the tremor from his former apprentice. He stroke his beard and watched as color came slowly back to her cheeks.

"Fatigue and anxiety. He's scared as well." She said, calm returning to her voice. Padmé was holding the sobbing twins, who had both felt the spike in the force. They sat for a moment, Obi Wan was, grateful that the Princess could interpret his emotions, but concerned that alone, Vader would remain Vader.

"Princess-" Obi wan said and she shot a glance at him.

"Please Obi Wan, I faked being your wife, you can at least call me Aja, if you won't call me easy." She said, pleased at the titters of laughter from the ladies and the scarlet spread across his face.

"Be easy on the old Jedi," he muttered. She looked at him and smiled.

"He's already coming back." Aja said, all humor aside. Obi Wan nodded and frowned. "What is it? A Jedi sense of foreboding?"

"There are only two options. He comes back, or he crashes back into the darkness."

"I thought only Sith deal in absolutes." She said, the party dispersing with a glance, all but Padmé and the children remained.

"If there were another option I would gladly take it." He said, his own eyes wrinkled with pain. The three were quiet, save for the sobbing of the children, still frightened by their father's outburst.

"I need to think," she stood, "come with me," she looked at the two. Padmé shook her head and stretched out on the couch with her children and Obi Wan looked nervous. "Have your lightsaber?" She smirked. He reached into his robes and pulled out the worn weapon of old. She gave him a gentle shove in the direction of the hall and waved at Padmé over her shoulder.

"There's a gym here that I use. I rigged a droid for practice, but a real Jedi is more useful." He opened his mouth to say something, but words failed him.

"You're not a Jedi." He said, stupid, he thought. She quirked a brow but shrugged it off. Pulling out her own saber from under her veil she tossed it to him.

"No, but I should have been. My count matches my brothers, and I was on Naboo until I was ten." He was stunned and looked at the weapon in his hand, staggered at the level of craftsmanship. It was light and long, and reminded him of someone else's. A Sith that had too gone renegade, but never returned.

"Who trained you?" He said, hesitating to hand it back.

"Maul and Dooku." She deliberated, "Dooku mostly, but between my schooling, both Medical training and Princess training and you lot chasing him around the galaxy I only got the basics. My brother gave me some tips recently that were helpful." He recalled Dooku's hooked blade with its elegant lines and terrifying razor on the end. Hers was much less violent but echoed the same sophistication. The metal was cool, but in place of the texture surface was a silken thread that twined around the shaft. The piece looked surgical in its design.

They arrived at a large room and she removed the large thick wrap, he his outer robes. Tossing her blade back she caught it effortlessly, "Go easy on me." She said a twinkle in her eye.

"Naturally Mi-.. Aja." They begun and he, ever the teacher, assessed her stance and put her through the paces. He was thoroughly impressed at her level of skill, guessing that her understanding of the Force was much greater than he had first realised. He adjusted himself as she flipped and twirled around him with all the speed of Anakin, less the arrogance.

"Oh Obi Wan," Aja snickered as their lightsabers crackled and whined at the contact, "I knew you were old, but I didn't think you were infirmed."

"You did ask me to go easy, Princess." He shot back, a crooked grin pulling at his cheeks.

"Well I rescind that. Give it all you got Master Jedi." She laughed, adrenaline coursing her body. Obi Wan was beaming. They twirled and ducked and dodged each other for nearly two hours before they were both drenched in sweat and heaving with exertion.

"Good show, old man." She clapped him on the back and grinned.

"Same to you." He stuttered for a moment when his brain caught up to his mouth. "I mean-"

"I know." She said. "Look, you knew Anakin better than anyone, can I ask you something?" he arched a brow as he followed her into the main rooms.

"Ask away." He said after little deliberation.

"Can you tell me about Ani, growing up, being a Padawan? Stories." He looked at the girl with surprise. He hadn't expected warmth from the daughter of the most evil man Obi Wan had ever met. But from the whirlwind upheaval from the innocuous bar he walked into, his life had been the most exciting since the War.

His deliberation was causing her to grow nervous, he sensed. "I'll cook dinner." She offered. His stomach growled and he chuckled.

"You have a deal- Princess."

Aja had changed and freshened up, fixing her hair half a dozen times, He's a Jedi stupid, he doesn't notice that. She had been overly liberal with her teasing of the old Jedi. He's not that old. She caught her thoughts straying and decided she needed a mediator.

She knocked on the large guest suite and smiled at the soapy and exhausted woman behind the door.

"Padmé, I'm cooking supper for Obi Wan, care to join?" Padmé smiled tiredly. "I asked him to share some stories about Ani when he was younger, but you would know a few of them. If it's not too painful of course-.." Aja bit her tongue, cursing her insensitivity.

"Sounds wonderful. Let me put the children to bed and I'll be down. I'm famished." Aja nodded and took off down the stairs. Obi Wan was already in the kitchen speaking with one of the droids when she caught his eye.

"Hello, I hope I'm not early."

"Nonsense, a Jedi is never early nor late. They simple arrive when the Force tells them so." His one brow arched and crossed his arms, as if expecting something, "Ok, it was something I stole from my governess, just replace 'Jedi with 'Princess'. I could often convince her out of the boring lessons, but that one I was tied to the chair for." Obi Wan laughed and watched as she dismissed the kitchen staff, pulling out vegetables and spices. Everything looked fresh and soon the room smelled mouthwatering.

"Stories." Obi Wan said suddenly, the eyeful of the pale skin of her midriff reaching as she reached for a jar on the top shelf hitting a nerve he didn't know he had, "Anything in particular."

"I remember him being-.. a prankster." She said, squinting as if to recall a memory. "We were three and he rewired a protocol droid on a timer and it would shut off at random intervals. The King and Queen were furious but merely though the thing was faulty and let Anakin have the thing. I think he used it for parts." She unconsciously rubbed her forehead.

Obi Wan nodded, "When I first met him, he had just won a pod race and save the day by getting us the part we needed to fix our ship-.."

It had been nearly half an hour and Padmé had just gotten the children to bed, after a emotionally rough day they were exhausted. Her heart and head ached and her eyes were tired, but she wasn't going to pass up a free meal. Being on the run had hardened her, Children. Meela. Food. Sleep. In that order.

She paused for a second at the sound of laughter, the ache in her chest becoming larger. When was the last time I laughed like that.

She walked in an saw Aja mixing a salad and Obi Wan seated across the table, regaling her with tales of a happier time. ".. Now naturally Anakin saved the day, but- Padmé."

"Hi, sorry I'm late," she sat in the chair next to Obi Wan, "is there anything I can do."

"It's all pretty much done. Maybe you could verify something." She looked to Obi Wan and he blushed. "Fine. Since it's out of the bag that you and Ani were married, Obi Wan was wondering about the Hostage thing at the Senate." Padmé's face scrunched deep in thought.

"Oh I remember. Ani had just been given two weeks leave, he was trying to get me to go to some distant place where we could have two weeks of peace. But I was pressing a bill and turned him down. He just happened to be in the building when the bounty hunter locked us in."

"I should have seen-" Obi Wan started to say but was stopped.

"No. None of that. The past has been written, all that we can change now is the future." Aja said vehemently. Obi Wan nodded and looked to Padmé.

"The Malevolence." He said, and smiled at Padmé's blush.

"Yes, well, we were reckless occasionally."

"Things fell into place when I realised-" Obi Wan started. "Well, it all made sense. His utter commitment to your safety. Always watching the holos of the activities of the Senate."

"I always heard about it afterwards, or during in some cases. Like Clovis." Obi Wan winced.

"Yes, I thought about those ones. All the times we sent you into the thick of it, Ani would be-.. Tense." She smiled.

"He was overbearing. Oh- remember the Blue Shadow Virus?.." Aja watched the two old friends talk about her brother and she smiled.

Here you go Ani. You needed some love, I got it right here for you..

Vader woke up from slumber, feeling more refreshed than he had in years. The spot where there had been a warm flicker was now a blistering flame that washed him in happiness. Padmé, Aja and Obi Wan were projecting to him at a level he couldn't handle. It was too much for the dark thing in his chest. He felt another in the room and opened the pod, helmet in place and confusion rampant inside.

"Milord. The Emperor is requesting you contact him." Ozzel said and bowed. Boot licking poodoo. Vader allowed himself to steep in the light before setting all his mental barriers in place and walking to the holochamber.

He gave one last prod as he reached the pad and knelt, the pain jolting him as it always did. "My Master." He said dutifully.

"There is a great disturbance in the Force my young apprentice."

"I have felt it as well, my master." All truth, so far. The Emperor was silent for a long while, he could feel the probing and anger at feeling nothing. Vader allowed his hate for the man linger and mingle with the darkness.

"I believe I know the source."

"A Jedi perhaps?" Vader said, concern tainting his mind and he strengthen his barriers.

"No- a stronger presence. Only you outshine my daughter, Lord Vader. I'm sure you have felt her by now."

"She is very adept at shielding herself. An innate skill it must be." Vader said, planting the seed, hoping it would take.

"No-.. My dead traitorous apprentices had a hand in her skills, but they are of no consequence. If she was to be dispatched, it would have been done when she was a disgusting slobbery child. No, I have something better. A suitor."

"You mean to arrange a marriage?"

"She has been spurning offers since she became an adult. I was hoping she'd be more-" he paused, "amicable to the idea, but I will wait no longer." The man cackled with malice. "I am arranging for Prince Xizor to wed her in a lavish affair uniting the Black Sun and the Sith."

Xizor had been a thorn in Vader's side or many years, both as a Sith and as a Jedi. "An ill suited match."

"What?" the man snapped. Vader knew if there was any way he could protect Aja he had to do so gently.

"The Senate still has so much power, with the Death Star not yet fully operational a revolt would surely topple the weakest points. Unless you can manage to keep his-.. Nefarious dealings quiet." The Emperor deliberated on the point.

"Wise Lord Vader. Appearances still mean so much. Especially with the rumor of rebellion growing rapidly."

"May I suggest the Captain Tarth Loran. He is loyal to the Empire and has proven his worth time and time again. A promotion to your newest Flagship would garner the attention, and a engagement to a naval officer would keep-"

"Appearances. Yes, the man is young." A terrifying smiled stretched across his wrinkled and mottled face. "Promote the young Admiral, and I will inform them both of the match. You are dismissed Vader." He waited for the image to disappear and waited a few moments more to calm himself.

He didn't notice. He's too focused on her. His mind racing with plans on how to save his sister. Reaching out he found her comforting presence still alert.

Brother. Her mind was gentle and kind with an edge of wit that matched his own.

I'm sorry for earlier. I shouldn't have snapped

I shouldn't have pestered. How was your rest?

Restful. Thank you, I don't know how you got them to project-

They didn't, I did. Loose enough tongues, happy belly's and trust was all I needed. It occurred to him that, despite being miles away, he could feel everything that was happening to her, both physically and mentally from miles away. You renewed the connection. We're twins. She answered his unasked question.

Stay out of my head. She giggled and looked back down at her knitted muff. Her father had been insistent that she had every lesson fitting a Princess. Music lessons, posture and etiquette and her least favourite knitting and embroidery.

Despite it being her most despised activity, she hadn't another option. The clones had cleaned out her workshop and after the practice with the resident Jedi she was exhausted. She allowed herself to be soothed by the repetitive motions of the counting and knots and weaving back and forth. Finally, after fighting her eyes for almost an hour, she placed the barely passable creation of the side table and rolled onto her side, hoping to get a restful sleep.

She was just beginning to doze when she heard her comlink fire off. The annoying beeping was insistent and felt ominous.

"Hello?" she said tiredly, finally succumbing to the device.

"Princess Aja. You are to return on the Executor to the capital tomorrow." She recognized the voice of one of the Emperor's aides and frown.

"Is that an order?" She asked.

"Lord Vader will retrieved you and only you tomorrow morning."

"Only me?" suddenly she was confused.

"You are forbidden to bring any of your ladies or guards Milady." She was exhausted and suddenly felt weak.

"Till tomorrow." She said with a note of finality. He knows.

Aja was stoic standing beside her brother. Her body language portraying that of discomfort. None of the officers surrounding the two would have guessed at the relationship and bond between the two. Nor the conversation they had without using words.

Ozzel, ever the fawning loyalist was elated that the Princess was standing on his bridge. Not twenty four hours prior he had wanted to flee for more adventurous endeavors, but with her aboard and her sole guard that she had brought, despite orders, standing behind her she was less intimidating then the one time he had seen her prior.

"Milady, you probably don't remember-"

"You spilt your Tihaar on my dress and apologized for thirty minutes before I told you to leave." Ozzel was tongue tied and flushed puce with embarrassment.

That was.. humorous

He's been ogling me since I arrived. Gives me the willy's. They continued to stare into Hyperspace until the ship reached the Capital. Vader was anxious, hoping the Emperor didn't include him in this plan he had concocted.

The rest of the journey was quiet and both Skywalker's were contemplating the events. Aja felt a nervous hesitation but didn't ask. They docked and Vader, Aja and Atam walked in dignified silence to Vader's shuttle. One aboard she relaxed and tucked up the veil that was becoming more of a relief as the world around her closed in, her last wall between her and the grimness of the galaxy. She sat in the co pilots seat and smiled at the memory of Obi Wan's story of a younger Anakin piloting through the moons of Iago.

She attempted to distract herself from the certain terror that awaited, she had pressed her luck for too long and was being taken to the devil himself.

They had arrived and been immediately summoned to the throne room. Her hands were shaking and she had buried them in the ruffles of her skirts. She had prayed that Vader would have been allowed to accompany her, but he was denied at the door and ordered back to his ship. Aja had gone in with Atam and waited for the seated Emperor to acknowledge them.

"Congratulations are in order." He cackled. "You are now engaged."

A glob of cold fear slid into her stomach, "Father- .. Don't make me do this." Aja felt the tears welling at the corners of her eyes. She began trembling at the cold evil in his eyes.

"You have prolonged long enough. You could have made a choice, and so refused. So I'm making one for you. Captain Loran is a noble man. I have promoted him to Admiral of my Flagship." The dam burst and tears fell down her face. Only she knew, only she could feel them. She damned the man, her anger rising like the tide inside.

"If I were to say no-"

"I would kill you." He said, "You really have no choice my dear. You will report to the Emperor's Hand tomorrow to meet with your affianced, " He cackled.

"Damn you." She said, "Damn you to the pits of hell." He smiled venomously and struck her with the Force lightening.

She had known what she was doing tempting the snake. I'm sorry, she felt a comfort and knew it was her brother reaching for her. The strength he sent her was just enough, enough to endure to she reached her rooms. She was supported back by Atam, shuddering occasionally from the left over energy.

"Milady, Lord Vader is on the comm." She nodded and grabbed the communicator.

"Mal, are you ok?" he said, his voice steeped in concern.

"He's, I-.." She shuddered and began to cry. Looking up at Atam, her eyes pleading. Atam took the communicator and repeated the conversation. Vader grew silent as the Captain told the story of the Princess's arrival, arranged marriage and her ensuing defiance which lead to her current condition.

"She-.. Protested the match and subsequently is very weak. He gave her till tomorrow to recuperate. Is there any way you could be.. Inspecting the Emperor's Hand in the next few days?" As the commander of the fleet Atam knew that Vader had more authority than anyone, save the Emperor himself.

"What is your reason for asking Captain?" Atam would only be able to protect her on one plane, but he had seen how the Dark Lord had been supportive on a completely different plane. He could hear her when she wasn't speaking. He didn't know how, but he held their voodoo twin connection responsible.

"I cannot protect her from their minds." Vader was silent for a long while, "I can arrange for Miss Dala and her two-… dependents to be in the Princess's accompaniment. Her ladies are going to rendezvous with us there." He tempted.

His response was immediate, "I will meet you aboard tomorrow."