35

Vader returned to the Death Star and found the emperor in the command center with Tarkin.

"Good morning my friend," Palpatine said in greeting. "I trust you had a restful night."

"Not particularly," Vader replied. "I seldom do."

"Admiral Ozzel reported in to me last evening," Tarkin said. "He has a good record."

Vader nodded. "A competent officer," he replied.

"I was unaware that you were considering a change in your first officer," Palpatine commented. Vader could sense his displeasure at not having been consulted.

"Ozzel was ready for a promotion," Vader replied. "It seemed a logical move considering the unfortunate demise of Admiral Motti."

Tarkin had to suppress a smirk at Vader's comment, and turned away lest the emperor see him.

"Yes, I suppose it was," Palpatine said. "I hope you have a good officer in command in your absence, Lord Vader," he continued. "I have an assignment for you, and I fear it could keep you away from your ship for quite a while."

Vader felt his jaw tighten, but he kept a tight rein on his anger. "As you wish, my master," he said simply.

"Come with me," Palpatine said as he walked away from Tarkin. "I need your specialized skills for this most important task."

Vader could only imagine what this might be, and yet he kept his opinion to himself, something he had become very good at over the past fourteen years.

"There are rumors that the Rebel Alliance plans to try to destroy this station," Palpatine informed Vader as they walked along. "A preposterous notion, to be sure; but one that I have spent many hours meditating over."

Vader nodded in understanding. The Rebels were nothing if not tenacious.

"I want you to study the schematics of this station," Palpatine continued as they reached the turbolift. "I want you to go over every centimeter of it thoroughly to ensure that there are no weaknesses in its design. All the Rebels need is one small flaw and they will exploit it."

Vader felt his heart sink as he realized what this assignment meant. "As you wish, my master," he said. "You do realize it will take days to go over all the schematics," he added.

Palpatine frowned. "I am aware of that, Lord Vader," he snapped. "I was not aware of any pressing matters that needed your immediate attention, however; unless there is something I am unaware of?"

Vader shook his head. "No, my master," he replied contritely. "Only this."

Palpatine smiled. "Excellent," he said, pleased with Vader's subservience. "I have decided to remain on the Death Star for another week or so. That should give you enough time to study the plans."

"It will," Vader replied. "Thank you, my master. I shall get started at once."

"Good idea," Palpatine replied. "And you needn't worry about returning to your ship to sleep, my friend. A suitable environment has been installed here for you to rest in."

"You are …most kind, my master," Vader said, the words bitter in his mouth.

"Not at all," Palpatine said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You know how important you are to me, my friend."

"Yes, I know," Vader replied as the turbolift doors opened. "The engineering level will have the schematics," he told Palpatine. "I will proceed there at once."

Palpatine stepped off of the turbolift. "Very good," he said. "I will expect a report sometime in the next few days, Vader."

Vader bowed his head as the doors closed once again, leaving Palpatine behind on the bridge deck. Alone now, Vader clenched his fists angrily. This assignment would delay his return to Naboo by several days, and there wasn't a blessed thing he could do about it. To object would result not only in punishment, but would also arouse the emperor's suspicion. And that was something he simply could not do.

The turbolift stopped again, and Vader stepped off and proceeded down the corridor, his mind working feverishly to find a solution to the dilemma he found himself in. And then an idea struck him. Piett…Firmus Piett was the one officer he knew he could trust. But how to get the message to him without arousing the emperor's suspicion?

"May I help you, Lord Vader?"

Vader's ponderings were interrupted by a young officer who stood in the engineering sector looking rather startled to see the Dark Lord in his sector.

"I am here to study the schematics of the Death Star," Vader explained. "The emperor wishes it."

"Oh, oh yes of course," the officer stammered. "Right this way, milord."

And so Vader settled down for what would prove to be a long, tedious and mind-numbingly boring task, all the while thinking of a way to get word to his ship.

Padmé sat on the beach, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Luke and Leia were in the water, enjoying themselves immensely. It had been a wonderful break for them, one they sorely needed. The past month had seen such a dramatic change in their lives that they'd barely had time to catch their breath. The stress of Luke's illness, followed by the unexpected turn of events that followed had turned their lives upside down. And now, finally meeting their grandparents for the first time, they found themselves having to defend their father to people who hated and reviled him. Yes, this was a much needed break for them, Padmé reflected as she watched them swim, and for me.

The past month had been tremendously stressful for her as well; but things were finally starting to settle down. She had not only come to accept her new life, but had come to like it. Padmé had never imagined that she and Anakin would ever be together again, and yet, here they were. No, he wasn't Anakin, not yet; but despite his denial, she knew that he was more Anakin now than he had been in a very long time. And in a few weeks he would be healed, he would be whole; not having to live in isolation and pain was bound to affect him, bound to lessen the hold the Dark Side had on him.

"I wish we could live here," Leia said as she joined her mother on the beach.

Padmé looked at her daughter as Leia wrung out the water from her long braid. "That would be wonderful," she replied.

"Dad loves this place too," Leia commented. "Maybe he'd be willing to live her, at least for part of the time. What do you think?"

"I don't know, Leia," Padmé replied. "You're forgetting about the emperor. As long as the emperor lives, we can never live openly with your father."

"But that's going to change, right?" Leia asked. "I mean, we're not going to have to live in hiding forever, are we?"

Padmé sighed, wishing she knew what to tell her daughter. "I hope not, Leia," she said as she watched Luke make his way to the shore. "No doubt our lives will change when your father has the surgery to repair his injuries. What those changes will be I can't predict."

"What changes? What are you talking about?" Luke asked as he sat down next to his mother.

"We're just talking about how our lives will change once your father has his surgery," Padmé explained.

Luke nodded. "They will change big time," he said. "Dad will kill the emperor as soon as he can, I'm sure of it. And then we won't have to hide anymore."

"I can't wait for that day, Luke," Padmé told him. "I've spent far more of my life in hiding than I'd like to think about," she added as she stood up. "We should get back to the house," she said. "We have an early morning tomorrow."

Leia and Luke stood up. "We go home tomorrow," Leia said with a smile. "I'll miss this place, but I'm glad to be going home."

Padmé nodded. "Me too," she said. "Let's go kids."

Vader made his way to the quarters that had been created for him, his head pounding. He had spent nearly twelve hours scouring the schematics of the Death Star, and had barely made a dent in the enormous data base. Finally, when he could not look at another piece of technical data, he gave in to the exhaustion he felt seeping into his bones and left the engineering sector.

Settling into the seat in the center of the hyperbaric pod, Vader made contact with the Exactor. Before long, Piett's face appeared on the screen above him.

"Good evening, Lord Vader," Piett said upon seeing his commanding officer. "How might I serve you?"

"I have been unexpectedly…detained," Vader began, choosing his words carefully lest his communications were being monitored.

"I see," Piett replied, knowing the reason for Vader's caution.

"The rendezvous scheduled for tomorrow will be delayed," Vader said. "Inform the necessary personnel as soon as possible."

Piett nodded. "I will do so sir," he replied. "Do you have any idea when you will be returning?"

Vader shook his head. "No," he replied. "The emperor has honored me with a most important task, and I must see it through to the end."

"I understand sir," Piett replied.

"That is all Captain," Vader said, relieved once again that he'd had the opportunity to promote the young officer. "I will be in touch soon."

"Goodnight, milord. Sleep well."

Vader ended the communication and sat back in his chair. Depressing a button on the armrest, the mechanism that removed his helmet and mask lowered from above him, and soon he was unfettered. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, Vader knew that despite his exhaustion it would be a long time before he slept this night.

Evening has fallen over the lake as Padmé and I stand on the balcony where we shared our first kiss mere days ago. It seems like so much longer, for so much has happened since that first innocent embrace. My life has been changed irrevocably and in a myriad of ways. My mother is gone, I have lost a limb, the galaxy is at war; and the woman of my dreams has declared her love for me and is about to marry me.

I look at her now as she stands facing me, looking beautiful and angelic in an ivory gown and veil. I smile at her as the holy man begins the simple ceremony of marriage we have requested. There are no guests at our wedding, the only witnesses being R2D2 and C3P0.

I scarcely hear the words that the holy man pronounces over us, so mesmerized am I by my bride. Part of me is afraid that I will wake up and find that this has all been a dream, having dreamed of Padmé so many times in the past 10 years.

"By the authority vested in me I now proclaim you husband and wife," the holy man concludes. He takes my hand and brings it to Padmé's, and then walks away. I bring my right hand, the artificial hand, to hers, and am relieved that she accepts it readily. We look into one another's eyes, husband and wife now, and draw close to share a kiss.

We draw back and gaze at one another, neither of us quite able to believe that we are now married. I smile at my new bride.

"I love you, Padmé Skywalker," I tell her.

She smiles back. "I love you, Ani," she replies.

It is as though we are the only two people in the universe right now, for the thoughts of war, of our duties, of secrecy and deception are light years away. All that matters now is us, and the sacred bond that we have committed to one another.

We turn and watch the sun as it makes its final descent into the distance, the waters of the lake below us reflecting its dying rays of gold and pink. I hold Padmé's hand, sensing that she is as nervous as I am about the huge step that we have embarked upon. Keeping our union a secret will not be easy; nor will the separations that are bound to befall us now that the galaxy is at war. Yet none of that seems relevant right now; all that matters is that we are together, as I believe we have always destined to be.

"Let's go inside, Padmé," I tell her. She turns and looks up at me, and I see in her eyes the same longing that I feel. She doesn't say a word, but allows me to lead her inside and to her bed chamber…our bedchamber now.

My heart is racing as Padmé closes the door behind us. We are finally alone, finally able to express our love for one another without fear or guilt. I am almost embarrassed to admit to my new wife that I am a virgin.

I watch her as she removes the delicate lace veil from her head. She looks up at me. "I'll be right back," she tells me. I simply nod in reply, too enraptured by her beauty to say anything. She enters the 'fresher and closes the door, leaving me alone for the moment.

I remove my heavy cloak and drape it over the back of a chair, take off my boots and tabard. I hesitate, my inexperience and naivety getting in the way. I want this to be perfect; should I remove all my clothing? Is that what she is doing? Will she be shocked if she comes out of the 'fresher and I am standing here naked? Will she be embarrassed if she comes out naked and I'm still dressed? Should I…

Every rational thought stored in my brain evaporates as Padmé emerges from the 'fresher. She is wearing a pale pink negligee, its sheer, silken fabric clinging to every sensual curve of her body. My eyes travel slowly from her head down to her toes and then back again. Finally our eyes meet.

"Padmé," I manage to say. "You…you look so…so beautiful."

She smiles as she walks over to me. "Thank you," she replies softly. "I'm happy you think so."

"You take my breath away," I tell her as I run my hands over her bare arms. I pull her close and kiss her, a slow, passionate kiss…

Vader awoke with a start, the beautiful vision of his wedding day with his angel evaporating rapidly. He pressed his gloved hands to his eyes, forcing the last remnants of his dream from his mind, knowing that Palpatine could sense his thoughts easily. He wasn't able to control what he dreamed, and so he decided that sleep was out of the question. Lowering his mask and his helmet on to his head once more, he left the pod and returned to the engineering sector, determined not to let his master win.

Padmé and her children returned to her parents' home late the next morning. She was hoping that Han Solo had already arrived, and that their departure would not be delayed any longer. The thought of spending another tension filled afternoon with her parents filled her with anxiety. However, Solo had not yet arrived, much to Padmé's disappointment. Deciding that his arrival was imminent, she put on her best diplomat's face and did her best to enjoy what was left of her visit.

"I hope you'll be able to visit us again soon," Jobal said as they sat in the dining room having lunch. "I feel like I didn't even really have a chance to get to know Luke and Leia."

"We were hoping to come back soon, weren't we kids?" Padmé replied, not wanting to hurt her mother's feelings. "In fact we were just saying yesterday how nice it would be to make our home up in the Lake District."

"Really?" Jobal asked in surprise. "Why that would be wonderful!"

"Of course, we'd want our dad with us," Luke said. "Otherwise it wouldn't really be home."

Jobal and Ruwee exchanged a look.

"Of course, Luke," Ruwee said. "Do you see that happening some day?"

Luke nodded. "Yes I do," he replied at once. "Our father is not the man he was, Granddad. He's changing more each day, becoming more like the man he was when he was a Jedi Knight."

"I hope you're right, Luke," Jobal said gently. "Truly I do. All your granddad and I want is for you three to be happy. I hope you understand that."

"We do," Leia said. "Just as we hope you understand how much we love our father," she countered.

"We do understand, Leia," Ruwee replied.

Leia looked at her grandfather, seeing easily that he was lying. Neither he nor their grandmother had accepted or even tried to understand how she and Luke, and particularly their mother, could love Vader. Leia frowned, beginning to get a feeling that something was going on.

"I wonder what's keeping Han," Padmé said, looking at her wrist chrono.

"Perhaps the ship was delayed," Jobal offered.

"They must have been," Padmé replied, trying not to show how disappointed she was. "I just hope everything is okay."

Leia looked at her mother, wondering if she ought to tell her about her feeling. She looked at Luke, and she could tell that he too felt something was off. What's going on? She asked him silently.

Luke shook his head, I don't know, he replied; but something is going on.

Luke and Leia's ponderings were interrupted when a knock was heard on the door. Jobal stood up and went to answer it, and soon Luke and Leia saw why they had been so sure that something was up.

"Hello Padmé," said Bail Organa as he entered the room. "It's good to see you again."