Hello readers, I'm very happy for all of you who are spending the time to keep with this story. I hope it's been getting better with every chapter and that you're ready to find out more. It's been my pleasure to write this every day and I want to know how you're feeling as you continue to read. Please follow, favorite, and review as always my fellow lovers of Star Wars. Thanks, and have a great day.
Chapter 11:
Darth Vader moved through the splendid halls of the Imperial Palace with various artifacts and treasures of both the Jedi and Sith scattered about to impress the few citizens and military figures who were permitted to visit. The Dark Lord did not bother to observe them today as he focused singlemindedly on guarding the secret of Rey's parentage from his Master, creating an impenetrable wall around his inner thoughts and emotions. He took the least-known path to the Emperor's throne room, not wanting the girl to be seen by anyone outside of the Executor until he knew what to expect. Vader briefly wondered whether his Master would go as far to test Rey by summoning his favorite Hand Mara Jade, then decided that if anything the old man would try to get into her head. She would have to fight against his subtle manipulations, something which he knew was not easy to do.
"You will be watched closely by the Emperor. Do not make the mistake of questioning him or defying his wishes. He is more powerful than I."
Rey gave him a curious expression, "I read that you are the most powerful Force user in the galaxy! Isn't that right?'
"How did you get that information?" he demanded, suddenly afraid of what she had done in her free time.
"I searched the data banks in your computer, after I found out the password with my mind." Rey explained quickly, hoping her Master was not very upset.
Vader was far from pleased with his apprentice, "You should not have acted in such a foolish manner. You understand I will answer your questions if they are within reason, do you not?"
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to know more about you! You've taught me so much about the Force but it felt like there was something about you I needed to know. I can't describe it - I just belong with you."
He stopped in his tracks as they neared the source of darkness, caught in the emotions of a father who didn't know how to talk with his six year old daughter he had not seen for most of her life.
'I know, Rey. More than you can imagine, I know what you feel.'
Vader actually replied, "We will discuss this soon. Right now, we must get through this meeting with my Master."
Motioning to the grand archway that stood a hundred meters away, he went to convene with the Emperor at last with Rey alongside him. He could sense the sudden cold emptiness in the Force which caused the girl to involuntarily shudder. The utter blackness of Sidious absorbed the light from all who were in his presence, casting a shadow of fear over them. The Sith Lord tried to impart some of his steadiness and calm to her, placing a gloved hand on her shoulder tenderly.
Vader walked up to the dais where Palpatine sat in his throne overseeing the skyline of the capital planet while Rey came from behind him.
"I've been expecting you, Lord Vader. It is good to see my apprentice has not forgotten his place." his slithering voice announced.
"What is thy bidding, my Master?" he dropped to a kneeling position with the girl joining in seconds.
The Emperor turned to face them, a slight smile forming on his ancient features.
"Rise, my friend." he ordered, then studied the girl with undisguised glee, 'I am looking forward to completing your training under my care, young child. Tell me your name."
"It's Rey, sir." she spoke in a hushed tone, not sure how to address the malevolent figure.
"Good, good." he purred, his yellow eyes boring into her soul. "Do you know who I am, girl?"
"Our Emperor, and Master of the Sith."
"Indeed, and now you answer to me as does your own Master. In time, you will be the greatest success of my new Order. Do you pledge yourself to my teachings?"
Rey felt her heart sink in dismay, certain she would have to affirm or be punished by Palpatine. Vader could only watch helplessly, wanting more than anything to run away with his daughter far from the Emperor's reach.
"Yes, your Highness." she bowed in respect.
"You see, my apprentice, was that so bad?" he asked Vader mockingly. "I can now speak with you about the war to defeat this insolent Rebellion. It has become my opinion that I must personally enter the battle to bring us total victory. We will stamp out the Rebels piece by piece until it is finished. The Lords of the Sith together cannot be stopped."
"You would fight in unison with my forces?" Vader was rocked by this bombshell move by Sidious.
"Why of course, Lord Vader. It wouldn't be a problem for you if I took residence on the Executor so I could instruct Rey as I wish, would it?" he asked pointedly.
"No, Master. Your presence is the final blow that will end this conflict."
"I will be with you in short time, then. You may leave now and await my rendezvous at the location of Thrawn's fleet."
"As you wish." Vader spat out the words in anger. He took Rey by the hand, instantly striding out of the chamber and back to their shuttle. If he didn't, he would have inevitably attacked his Master out of rage at using the girl as a pawn in his games with Vader.
'You have sealed your fate, Sidious. With the body of Anakin Skywalker, I will finally kill you and claim my vengeance for what you took from me.'
He couldn't wait for that day to arrive so his children would be safe forever.
"I know you have questions, Lando. And I'll answer them honestly once we just sit down and have something to eat first, okay? This is really important to me." Padmé tried to cool down the obviously frustrated administrator.
"As a friend, I can wait since I know how much you care about Leia... and Luke. Would you mind if we join the party?"
"That would be lovely." she said politely, "Can I get your names, guys?" looking at Han and the Wookiee.
The smuggler handled the introductions as usual, "Han Solo, pilot extraordinaire and this is my partner Chewbacca. We go back a long ways with Lando here."
She came up to shake their hands, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you both. Thank you for making sure Luke and Obi-Wan get to us, I am truly grateful for what you've done."
Han felt a little overwhelmed by the reaction of such a beautiful woman, even if it was for strange reasons.
"Just doing the right thing, milady." he said with a lopsided smile.
Chewbacca gave a low growl of amusement at his friend's funny face.
"Will pancakes, bacon, eggs, and toast be fine with everyone?" Padmé addressed the small group.
"That's wonderful. You're too generous." Obi-Wan spoke on their behalf.
"Great. Luke, Leia please come over to the dining room!" she called out.
The twins came rushing in, each with a happy face as Leia showed one of her favorite action figures of a clone trooper to the boy.
Luke remarked, "That's pretty wizard, Leia! See what I got though." he offered his lightsaber. "Just don't turn it on."
Padmé stared in disbelief, "He has Anakin's." she turned to Obi-Wan.
"I'll tell you about it after breakfast." the Jedi Master evaded the point for the moment. The woman sighed, "Alright children, please help out Threepio with setting the table."
It was shaping up to be an interesting morning indeed.
Rey was scared of the fact that she now had to be around the evil Emperor on a regular basis whenever he wanted to instruct her. The man who had been her protector could do nothing to prevent it, as he was bound to obey his Master above all else. She felt almost betrayed by Vader for bringing her before Palpatine. Didn't he say that he wanted her to be safe and have a good future? It was not as though the Sith Master had any interest in caring for her, which terrified the little girl. The death and destruction she could sense he had caused made her sick to her stomach. The rays of light that sometimes escaped from Vader's shell were enough for Rey to find the good in him. She needed to know that he still was going to be there for her.
"Master, what are we going to do?" she asked softly.
"I will find a way to end this, Rey. I won't let him hurt you."
"Do you love me?"
Vader in his current state didn't hesitate, "Yes, because I am your father. We are family now and forever. I promise you will never be alone again."
"Father… you're really my father!" she exclaimed.
Sitting together in Vader's living quarters, he couldn't hold back the elation he felt as Rey wrapped her tiny arms around the Dark Lord. It was the first time he rediscovered his humanity in a very tangible way since becoming Darth Vader.
Across the galaxy, a powerful surge of hope swept towards one Jedi Master through the Force.
Vader didn't move for a while, content to just hold her. Gently patting her back, he stood up to consider the plan which would lead to Sidious' downfall. It would be quite a challenge to keep the Doctor's project away from the prying eyes of his Master. He would have to accelerate the process immediately if he was to duel the Emperor in time. Or use the war to his advantage by creating a strategy that would divert their attention towards crushing the many Rebel cells spread throughout the galaxy. That would also open up the window for him to locate his son and Kenobi. Right now, it was time to have a conversation with the brilliant Grand Admiral about a most pressing matter for the Empire.
Obi-Wan watched the entertaining scene of Luke and Chewbacca devour their meals in front of the more refined Leia and Padmé who ate with practiced etiquette. It was an interesting contrast to say the least, but he was glad all the same to see Luke was getting the satisfaction of having his mother's cooking. Padmé seemed to share this view, sharing a knowing glance with Obi-Wan.
It was Han who broke the silence after a minute or so, "This is awesome, milady. Your kids are lucky to have you fixing their food."
Leia dropped her fork to the table instantly, "Wait, what do you mean kids?"
Everyone around looked up from their plates, not sure how to respond to the girl who did not yet know about her brother.
Padmé realized there was nothing that could stop Leia from hearing the truth, "Sweetheart, there's someone you should have met a long time ago but he's here today." her gaze was directed at Luke across from them.
There was a moment when the twins met each other's eyes and an unbreakable connection was forged from then on.
"It's you." Leia breathed, "It's always been you - the dreams, they all make sense now."
Luke let the emotions building up in his body for the last week release as tears began to stream down his cheeks and he buried his face into Obi-Wan's robes next to him.
Han, Chewbacca, and Lando sat awkwardly in the middle of this personal and heart-warming first encounter between brother and sister, wondering what pieces of the puzzle they were still missing about the Skywalkers.
Obi-Wan muttered something quietly to the boy who remained leaned against him, trying to transfer some calm and comforting thoughts with the Force.
"Why didn't you tell me before, Mom?" Leia turned to the woman with pain and anger in her expression.
"Leia, I was just protecting you from a secret which would have made you wish for Luke to be with us when there was a chance that day might never come. The reasons for all the deception and lies are more complicated than I could ever explain to you at this age. I was going to tell you the story of what happened to our family in four or five years when you were old enough to handle the burden."
"I deserved to know! He's my brother and I never knew he even existed until now. How can you say it was a choice? You taught me family is more important than anything else, and for all my life you've kept this from me! I can't believe you." she stated coldly, her chocolate brown eyes flashing with indignation. Rising from the seat, she ran towards her room so she could grieve over the ten years without Luke in solitude.
Padmé was distraught, unable to forgive herself for causing her daughter such distress. She was certain that Leia would not soon accept any apology on her part. Honestly, it was hard to blame her since the decision to leave Luke behind on Polis Massa had been up to the woman. If she had been braver and stronger, the twins would not have been separated to begin with. That was what bothered her the most as a parent.
Han felt compelled to speak, "I'm so sorry about how this turned out, milady. I had no idea she didn't already know, it just came out and then -"
"Please, it's not your fault. I have to sort this out with Leia myself. As for the whole family, I suppose I should give you what you wanted to know, Lando. Darth Vader, when he went by the name Anakin Skywalker, was my husband and the father of my children. That's why I had to be somewhere far away where we'd be hidden from the Empire."
Lando had not seen that coming, "You're his wife? Holy stars, we're all in real danger if Vader finds out where the Falcon escaped to."
Han was simply dumbstruck by the news, while Chewbacca put his paws on his head in a worried mood.
Obi-Wan could sense the tension and offered a solution, "I think it would be in all our best interests to speed up a trip to the Rebel base so we can be out of Vader's clutches for good. Lando, it would be wise to commence an evacuation of this facility for the people."
Padmé nodded, and the others agreed with the Jedi Master's advice.
"Luke, let us go help your mother with packing up everything. We will talk with Leia when she has had time to reflect on this." he said as the boy finally lifted himself off the man.
Out of nowhere, the Force hit Obi-Wan like a tidal wave of light that came from the most unlikely of persons: Darth Vader. Something, no someone was profoundly impacting the Sith Lord in a way he never could have predicted.
Darth Vader dialed in the code to contact Thrawn from his communications panel inside the meditation sphere he utilized for privacy to temporarily remove the mask in the specialized environment. He was welcomed by the glowing life-size projection of the Chiss warlord who seemed surprised by the call.
"Lord Vader, this is an unexpected pleasure. To what do I owe this to?" Thrawn was as elegant in speech as ever.
"I have a proposition of great import for you, Grand Admiral. What I am about to speak of is treason and will entail your utmost loyalty to me, and me alone."
"You seek to dethrone the Emperor and claim his place as our sovereign?" he deduced within seconds.
"That is correct, Admiral. You are in command of a key sector fleet within the Navy, which in combination with the Death Squadron should be enough to secure Imperial Center and the other Core Worlds. Once I enact my plans against him, we will need to seize authority swiftly to quell any attempts to replace him by the Senate or the High Command. Do you now swear allegiance to me as your only Lord?"
"I do, on the condition that I am given oversight of a system of my choosing and supremacy over the other Grand Admirals." the ambitious master of warfare held no sympathies for the overtly xenophobic Palpatine.
"So be it, Thrawn. You should know that myself and the Emperor are on the way to reinforce your fleet at Sullust. We will go to the planet to deal with the insurgents together." Vader informed the man.
"Very well, I will be anticipating the forthcoming campaign."
The transmission ended, as the Dark Lord contemplated on how to prepare Rey for the trials ahead with Sidious. The dark side swirled around him as he steeled himself for the total war he was about to engage in once the Executor brought him to their destination. He had the unfinished business of destroying the Rebellion to attend to.