Author's Note: This chapter marks the end of act one. I know that there has been alot of talking lately, and not much in the way of action, but will be heating up soon as events unfold. Thank you so much for sticking with me, I hope you will not be dissappointed.
Chapter 10:
Vader hated aristocrats; he had hated them long before he took up the mantle of Sith Lord. It was one of the few things that Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker had in common. During the final years of the Republic, the aristocrats continued to go to parties wearing ridiculous costumes that cost more than the yearly wages of the average Outer Rim family. While billions were dying in the Clone War, most of them sat around discussing how unfortunate it was that their investments had lost so much money.
Now that the war was over and the Republic was dead, the galaxy's human aristocrats could enjoy socializing again with their own kind. Vader almost found it amusing how quickly anti-alien sentiment had grown in the galaxy. No matter how much power the Emperor had, his master could not change the hearts and minds of everyone in the galaxy.
Xenophobia, among the human inhabitants, was the old Republic's dirty little secret. No matter how enlightened the human worlds of the Republic claimed to be, there was an underlying feeling of superiority and mistrust of non-humans; Darth Sidious had expertly tapped into it.
In the last eight years, non-humans had been increasingly marginalized and taken out of important positions. Anti-alien propaganda filled the HoloNet and non-human children were even beginning to be put in separate public schools. Vader knew why his master had done this. One reason was that Sidious truly believed in the superiority of humans and did not trust the Empire's most important positions to those he felt were inferior.
However, that was not the main reason why he had done this. Vader believed the true purpose was that if the subjects of the Empire were too busy worrying about some vague threat from non-humans, they would be less likely to look too closely at the actions of their respected, and very human, Emperor.
It was a genius plan; Vader had to admire his master's ability to manipulate beings and events to his advantage. Of course, he had been manipulated as well, probably the most manipulated. Sidious had even said several times that Vader was his "masterpiece," and that he had been created as an artist creates a sculpture. Like the original lump of clay that bears little resemblance to the finished work, Darth Vader bore little resemblance to the man he once was. Sidious spent thirteen years molding and shaping Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader, and the fires of Mustafar had been the kiln that hardened him into that shape forever.
It angered Vader to know that he was so manipulated, that was the reason why his master had told him. Sidious knew that his hate and rage would fuel him into an even more effective enforcer of his will. Hate was all he knew. Like every Sith apprentice, his thoughts were overwhelmed with a desire to overthrow his master and take the power for himself—power that he earned and deserved. His master had not paid the price that he had. He would wait, though, wait until the time was right. He would wait until he had his own apprentice.
It was ironic, Anakin Skywalker had no patience, but Darth Vader had learned patience. The Sith had more patience than the young Jedi that he had been not so long ago. The injuries Kenobi inflicted on him had forced him to wait. He did not have the strength he had before Mustafar, an apprentice of his own would be key to destroying Sidious.
Until then, he would be forced to serve his master and be at his side; and tonight he would physically be at his master's side at the ball. Events like the Royal Ball, where the aristocrats could mingle and revel in their self-delusional superiority, were things that Vader tried to avoid. He was not at all interested in the fealty oath. His master believed in the symbolic value of the oath; he reveled in seeing these lesser beings grovel at his feet.
Vader did not care for symbolism. When he took his rightful place as Emperor, there would be no need for oaths; and certainly no Royal Balls. All would obey him, and any who showed even the slightest hint of rebellion would be killed along with their families. That was the way to run an Empire.
Sidious kept the illusion of democracy alive with the Imperial Senate. Vader decided long ago that would be the first thing he would get rid of when he became Emperor; the second would be the Jedi Temple. All remnants of the corrupt and decadent Republic would be removed from the face of history.
It was his ambition that brought Lord Vader to the Royal Ball. He had avoided it since its inception, but this night he had a purpose. Princess Leia Organa was going to be attending and giving the fealty oath as the Royal Representative of Alderaan. His mind had been on the girl since the previous night. She was a wellspring of untapped potential--potential he could exploit when the time was right.
That left Vader with a problem, if he could sense the potential in this girl, so could his master. It was a risk that he could not afford to take. Force sensitive children were routinely taken by Palpatine and either killed or trained as assassins. Leia Organa's position may save her from this fate but it was a risk that the Sith apprentice could not afford to take. If she was to be his apprentice someday, he could not let her be taken by Palpatine and killed or brainwashed to do his will alone.
He would have to dampen her Force signature while she was at the ball, something he would have to be present to be able to accomplish. It was extremely risky, Darth Sidious was incredibly powerful. His ability to foresee events through the Force was amazing. However, in the eight years that Vader had served him, he had learned that Sidious was not omniscient. Despite his claims, he did not know everything. If the Force was with him, he would be able to hide the girl's blazing signature.
Vader had been in the Imperial Palace for hours, meditating and waiting for the arrival of Leia and preparing for what he had to do. It was no small feat and it required much preparation. He remembered her courage in facing him the previous night, it was impressive. She could be molded into a very powerful Sith someday. There was something about the girl that he found familiar somehow. When she was staring at him, Vader felt a slight sense of deja-vu; it disturbed him.
After hours of preparation, Vader was finally ready. He ordered one of the guards on the front gate to notify him when the Organas arrived. When the guard notified him, Vader immediately sought out the princess' Force signature. It did not take him long to find it. He did not think that his master would find it first. Sidious was not actively searching out a specific Force signature like he was. The Sith apprentice had time to dampen it quickly before the girl got too close to the Emperor. Reaching out, Vader covered the princess' signature with his own. If the Force was with him, all the Emperor would sense would be Vader's signature.
Now that the princess had arrived, it was time for Vader to make his appearance. Lord Sidious knew that he was going to be there. To explain his unusual Royal Ball attendance, the apprentice had told his master that he had heard rumors of disloyal royals and wanted to be beside him during the night to "show the absolute and unified power of the Empire." Sidious did not comment on his unusual behavior, which troubled Vader slightly.
The Dark Lord heard muffled gasps as he entered the grand hall. The sea of aristocrats parted as he made his way to the Emperor's throne. He saw Organa take Leia to the side of the room to speak with her. No doubt, the senator believed his daughter was afraid of Vader and wanted to shield her from the traumatic experience of seeing him again. The Sith apprentice knew that Leia Organa was afraid of him, but he also knew the girl was incredibly strong and would not give into that fear.
As the two Organas made their way to the throne, Vader stared at the young girl. She was handling herself much better than the senator was. He was barely holding himself together while, even at such a young age, the princess was the epitome of grace and strength. It was a quality that Vader had not seen in a while, not since...Padmé.
Vader's anger overwhelmed him. Why must I think of her now? Over the years, he had tried not to think about his dead wife. Occasionally, flashes of memories would overtake him. He hated being reminded of her, it was too much for him to handle.
The last time he had seen someone that reminded him of his beloved was two years ago. He was on Quellor, capturing a group of underground, anti-Imperial journalists and trying to discover who in the planetary government was aiding them. After the governing council had all refused to admit who in their group had committed treason, all of them were to be executed one at a time until someone confessed.
After six of the ten members of the council had been cut in half by Vader's lightsaber, the Lieutenant Governor finally confessed to aiding the dissidents and begged for mercy for his innocent colleagues. After ordering the traitor to be taken for further interrogation, the Sith apprentice had continued with the executions. An Imperial governor was then installed in their place.
After the operation was concluded, Vader was returning to his shuttle. He spotted a young woman who looked very much like his dead wife from a distance. Suddenly, an unfamiliar emotion welled up inside him, hope. Maybe Sidious was wrong? Maybe he lied? Forgoing any kind of Sith or Imperial decorum, Vader desperately called out Padmé's name and ran to the woman. When he reached her, Vader grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him.
The woman who gazed back at him in terror was not Padmé, not even close. The pain he felt in seeing the unfamiliar face was worse than anything Kenobi did to him on Mustafar. Enraged by his loss of control, Vader poured his pain and anger into the furnace that fueled his connection to the Dark Side. He then ordered the girl arrested on some trumped up charge; and the woman, whose only crime was looking somewhat like a Sith Lord's dead wife, never saw the next day.
Somehow, Princess Leia Organa had reminded Vader of Padmé. He did not understand it; the princess was only a child. It was her bearing that he noticed first; he wondered how he had missed it the night before when he was questioning her. Vader decided that it must have been the formalwear and the elaborate hairstyle, things he always associated with Padmé.
Also, seeing the girl bravely step up to the most powerful beings in the entire galaxy with her head held high, reminded him of his wife. If she were here now, that would be the way she would be acting. Then Vader corrected himself. If Padmé was here, she would be at my side; not bowing to Sidious. Damn you Kenobi, you took her from me!
Finally, it was the princess' turn to say her fealty oath. Vader watched as Senator Organa reluctantly let his daughter go and remained back while she approached the throne. He made certain the shield that covered the princess' Force signature was still held firmly in place; if his master was going to sense anything from her, it would be now. Because of the concentration required to keep the shield over the girl, Vader could not risk a mind link with her. It was unfortunate; he wanted to know what his possible future apprentice was thinking.
Leia gracefully knelt down on one knee an uttered Alderaan's oath of fealty: "I vow loyalty on behalf of my world and its inhabitants. I faithfully and gladly entrust my planet, its resources, and its people into your wise hands for protection. The Empire's allies will be my allies and its foes will be my foes, as long as I shall live."
Usually, when someone said the oath, the Emperor would not even look down at them as they were saying it; most of the time he would barely acknowledge their presence; a flick of his wrist gesturing them away being the royal's only clue that the Emperor had even heard them. Vader waited for his master to dismiss the girl; but to his surprise, Sidious looked down at the kneeling princess.
The Sith master continued to stare at the girl for what seemed like an eternity. Vader wished that he could see Sidious' expression to help judge his intent, but the face concealing cowl he wore prevented that. The apprentice made certain his shields had not been breached, he would have known it if they had.
"You are the High Princess of Alderaan." It was not a question, Lord Sidious knew exactly who was here; there were no surprises.
Princess Leia looked up at the Emperor in shock; clearly, she had not been expecting him to speak to her. She was so thrown off balance that she had forgotten that protocol dictated no one giving the oath was to look directly at the Emperor, but keep their eyes downcast as a sign of submission. It certainly was not an offence the girl would be arrested for, but it was considered to be "bad taste" among the members of Imperial high society.
Remembering the rules she was given, Leia quickly looked down again. "Yes, My Lord."
"Isn't it custom that the highest ranking monarch be the one who represents their homeworld at this occasion? Where is the Queen?"
Even through the heavy Force shield he had constructed, Vader could sense the princess' unease slipping through the cracks. "My Lord, she is on Alderaan. Her illness prevented her from traveling, I came in her stead."
"That is unfortunate," Vader noticed that his master had changed the modulation of his voice. Before, the tone was that of an uninterested monarch; it was now that of a doting grandfather.
So, he's decided to play Palpatine for a while. Vader remembered hearing this voice for years when Sidious was just a trusted friend and confidante; it was the voice he used when he wanted to manipulate someone.
"Stand up, my girl," he offered with a smile evident in his voice.
Hesitantly, the princess stood up and faced the Emperor. Already, this had caused not a small reaction by the crowd. Vader could hear the shocked aristocrats whispering to each other. Most were approving of the Emperor's gesture and found it very magnanimous of him that he would befriend the girl with the terminally ill mother; Queen Breha's condition was well known among Royal circles. Others, however, were envious of the attention Princess Leia was receiving. They had spent the last eight years laboring for just a small crumb of acknowledgment from the Emperor; this little girl had done nothing to earn such recognition.
Vader wondered why his master was doing this. It may be only to score a few political points; to look like a caring ruler. Sidious was a master politician, after all. He knew how to manipulate the masses. Appearing to be the compassionate fatherly type was a tactic that he had used with much success his entire career.
"For one so young, you are representing your world with much grace. Alderaan is a valued member of the Empire, and I know it will continue to be as long as it has wise leaders. I know that is something you will never forget; I see that, when the time comes, you will lead your people well."
I know it will continue to be as long as it has wise leaders. Vader had to admit, Sidious was an excellent wordsmith; only he could weave a subtle threat into a compliment. The Sith apprentice wondered if he was directing that comment to Bail Organa or all the royals watching.
"Thank you, My Lord." Leia answered, her eyes were not downcast this time; she was staring directly into Sidious' wrinkled and scarred visage.
"You may go, my girl; enjoy the rest of the ball. When you get home, please give my regards to Queen Breha."
Vader heard a barely audible sigh of relief coming from Bail Organa's direction as the girl walked back to him and they moved away from the throne. He knew that Organa was a reluctant supporter of the Empire, and possibly a traitor. The Sith apprentice longed for the day when his master would give him the authority to weed out traitors within the Senate using significant measures. Of course, when I become Emperor, there will be no Senate, so treason within its walls will not be an issue.
Moff Tarkin stood at the side of the Grand Hall to watch the show. He had always loved this event; it amused him greatly to watch the other aristocrats fall all over themselves to please the Emperor in hopes of gaining a few more scraps of power. Of course, Tarkin was also an aristocrat; his family was one of the most powerful on his home planet of Eriadu.
However, Tarkin did not consider himself a part of this group of sycophants. Their positions were given to them as a consequence of their birth. He, on the other hand, had lost his father's favor at a young age and had worked continually to regain the status he knew he deserved. Finally, his hard work had paid off and he was given the title of Moff and entrusted with constructing the Emperor's secret project.
Tarkin knew, however, that one must be proactive to remain in the Emperor's good graces. He had taken it upon himself to expose Senator Organa's secret treason. Over the last two days, he had been trying to gather information. The senator was very skilled in hiding his dealings; as of yet, very little had been discovered.
He watched as Organa and his daughter made their way to the Emperor. Tarkin wondered how he will react when a traitor within the Senate is revealed. He knew that Emperor Palpatine will be very grateful and may, hopefully, entrust more territory to him. The governor thought about the rest of the aristocrats in the room. That is the difference between them and me. They show their loyalty with mere words; I show mine by actions. I will be rewarded far more than them.
Tarkin knew that his time on Coruscant was running out and he would have to return to his protectorate in a few days. He would not be able to devote his full energy to exposing Organa once he returned. If he was going to gather any usable information on the Senator from Alderaan, it would have to be soon.
Fortunately, fate seemed to have smiled upon the Moff. His careful digging had produced the name of someone trusted within the Alderaan consulate that was willing to part with some information in exchange for credits and a few other favors. Tarkin had interviewed this person earlier in the day and was confident this was the key to exposing Organa's treasonous activities. Moff Tarkin now had a spy in place, working only for him.
After a long night, the social event of the year had concluded. It's finally over. Bail did not think he had ever felt so relieved. As they were walking toward the speeder, he thought about the unexpected and disturbing turn events had taken. I can't believe he actually spoke to her. It was very unusual for the Emperor to speak to anyone during the ball. Occasionally, he would say a few words to some selected royals but he would never give them as much attention he gave to Leia.
Bail knew his conversation with Leia would be the talk of society. The fact that he asked her to stand up in his presence was even more unusual. In the years that he had been forced to endure this event, the senator had never seen that happen. The entire night had been unusual; Vader's arrival and the Emperor singling Leia out had turned Bail into a nervous wreck. He was so glad that it was finally over.
"Are you all right Father?" Leia asked, seeming concerned about Bail's distant behavior.
He put a reassuring smile on his face and looked down at his daughter. "I'm fine; I'm just thinking." Bail hoped that Leia did not ask what he was thinking about. "What did you think of the Emperor?"
Leia shrugged, "I don't know, he seems strange."
Bail nodded, not entirely certain what she meant. "Strange? Do you mean his face?"
"That's part of it, I guess." Leia paused a moment, not really sure how to continue. "His face is like that because of the Jedi assassination attempt?"
Bail groaned inwardly, that was the official story in the Imperial approved version of history. They had tried to shield Leia from such propaganda, but it was impossible to completely keep it from her. "I was not there, that is what the Emperor reported."
Leia nodded, "Was he lying?"
No, he was not, at least from his point of view. The senator wondered why Leia would question what she had read from the official history. He was glad that she was thinking for herself, but he wondered why she suddenly seemed skeptical. "Like I said, I was not there. Why are you asking this?"
"I don't know, I was just asking." Leia then changed the subject. "I'm glad that Sabé was there. Although, I did not see her much."
Ah yes, the handmaiden, please don't remind me. "You seem to have become quick friends with Lady Komour."
Leia smiled broadly, "Sabé is the best, she's from Naboo and was the handmaiden of their most famous ruler, Queen Amidala. She is so nice, and she does hair beautifully! Father, I would love to go to Naboo. Can we go someday?"
Over my dead body! There's no way you are setting foot on that world! "I don't know, maybe someday." Bail hated lying to Leia, but he knew he could not handle a confrontation at this moment. "What did Lady Komour tell you about Naboo and Queen Amidala?"
"She talked about her duties. I asked her about Queen Amidala but she did not have time to tell me about her."
Thank the Maker! The pair made their way to the speeder. Lieutenant Sobrel, who had been shadowing them the entire night, opened the speeder door and let them in. Leia looked really exhausted, and Bail knew that she would probably fall asleep on their way back to his residence.
He thought about Sabé Komour, this woman was dangerous. He was thankful that she did not have a chance to fill Leia's head with stories about Padmé. A sudden fear gripped the senator. He remembered that she did seem very eager to help Leia dress for the ball. What if she knows? What if she can see the resemblance? Lady Komour knew Padmé better than almost anyone. They had been best friends since they were children.
Bail knew that he had to do something about this; he would have to speak with Lady Komour. He dreaded it, but it was necessary.
He knew he must be careful, everything depended on him. The others in his small circle did not want him to take this risk, but he could not leave this duty to anyone else. He planned the operation; he must see it through to the end.
He never thought he would die on Coruscant. He believed he would die in his bed, surrounded by children and grandchildren, on his home planet. That was not to be, he would now die on this technological monstrosity of a planet, probably gunned down by stormtroopers; and that was only if he was really lucky.
The Jedi believed that there was an all-powerful Force controlling everything. If that was true, if the Force has a will, then it is cruel. How could this have been allowed to happen? How could the "will of the Force" be the destruction of democracy and the installation of a brutal totalitarian regime? So many had died and he knew it was only beginning.
He knew history would probably condemn what he was planning to do. The subjects of the Empire were too comfortable, too content to live in bondage; and he hated them for it. He hated their apathy; and if a bunch of those celebrating the beginning of their slavery were killed, he was not going to shed a tear.
At one time, hate did not rule his heart; but that was before the darkness fell upon the galaxy. He was once well respected and trusted. He was the head of security for the Senator; that was before he failed to protect her. I never should have let her go.
Typho had spent the last eight years seeking revenge for the loss of Senator Amidala and the Republic he loved. Of course, he hated the Emperor and Vader, but he hated the people that allowed this dictatorship to form in the first place. A government was just a reflection of its people. If the government was corrupt, greedy, and violent then it stood to reason that the people were the same way.
Palpatine was allowed to declare himself Emperor because the people were tired of governing themselves. They no longer wanted the responsibility so they put all the decisions upon one man; democracy was now passé and out of style like last year's fashions. Typho set his last charges and made sure the explosives were in place in preparation for the next day. They will pay; they will pay for allowing this to happen.