Chapter 40 – Voice of Leia Skywalker
The school that Mom has enrolled us in seems great- the teachers we met were friendly and the building is really beautiful. I'm glad that Dad agreed to let us go to a school with other kids- I've been tutored all my life and I'm tired of it. The thought of being able to interact with people my own age every day is exciting. I know that Luke is nervous, though, and I think I know why. He's afraid that there will be a lot of snobby kids at this school, and he's not comfortable with that. I guess having lived as a farmer so long it will take him a while to get used to being a member of the aristocracy.
"I think we're going to like it here, don't you?" I ask my brother as we ride home with Mom.
Luke shrugs as he looks out the window. "I guess," he mumbles.
"What's wrong, Luke?" Mom asks from the front of the speeder. "You like school, don't you?"
"I guess," he says again. Mom turns and looks at me with a frown.
"Luke, you're a prince," I remind him. "You don't need to worry about not fitting in. Everybody there will want to be your friend because of your connections."
Luke frowns. "I don't care about …connections," he grumbles. "And I don't want to be treated differently just because I'm the emperor's son."
"Well you will be," I tell him, getting sick of his farm boy routine. "Like it or not Luke, you will be."
Luke says nothing in response, but I sense how annoyed he is with me. I don't understand his attitude, though. What's wrong with being treated like you're special?
"So how are the guests lists coming along?" Mom asks, wisely changing the subject. "I want to send out the invitations by the end of the week."
"All done," I tell her. "Luke's done too, right?" I ask, looking back at him.
"Yeah," he replies. "All done."
"I can't wait," I tell Mom excitedly. "This is going to be the best birthday I've ever had."
Mom smiles. "We'll do our best to make sure of that," she replies.
Voice of Darth Vader
I'm pleased with the speed with which Luke and Leia's birthday gifts were delivered. I'm sure they will love the speeders that I've purchased for them. Part of me wants to surprise them today and not wait the two weeks until their actual birthday. But I suppose I will have to wait. Padmé is such a stickler for tradition. Having found a perfect hiding spot for the two speeders, I leave the garage and head back to the house, knowing my family will return soon.
As I travel the length of the long tunnel that leads to the house, I contemplate how I'm going to explain to Padmé why I need to return to the Executor. I haven't told her about the new Death Star I'm planning, nor do I plan to for quite some time. But it's essential that I get things started, which at this point means selecting a suitable location for it. I can't do this from my office, and need the ship's navi-computers to do so. Once I've found a location, I want to scout it as well, see it with my own eyes rather than relying on underlings. It has been my experience that I'm the only one that I can trust with truly important tasks.
Padmé and the children have returned when I arrive at the house. Leia immediately launches into an excited and long description of the school. I notice that her brother doesn't share her enthusiasm, however, and I think I know why. His upbringing was much like my own, one of poverty and depravation. He's adjusted well to this new life I've given him, but there are still aspects of it he's uncomfortable with. I don't blame him.
"I need to talk to your mother alone," I tell the twins. "About something very important," I add, giving them a wink. They smile at once, knowing that it's their birthday gift I'm referring to. They leave us at once, and I turn to Padmé. "Come with me," I tell her, and head for the office. She follows me.
"If this is about their birthday gift, I have a few ideas I'd like to talk to you about," she says as we enter the office.
"It's already taken care of," I tell her, sitting on the edge of my desk. "They were delivered this afternoon."
She frowns. "What was delivered this afternoon?" she asks.
"Their gifts," I tell her. "I ordered them a few days ago."
"What did you order?" she asks, her tone of voice telling me that she's not happy.
"Speeders," I tell her. "One for each of them. They're amazing, too. Top of the line, newest models…"
"Speeders?" she asks. "Don't you think they're a little young to own their own speeders?"
I frown, annoyed that she's finding fault with me yet again. "No, I don't," I reply. "They're turning seventeen, Padmé, not seven."
"I know how old they are," she retorts. "And I think it's too young. You might have talked to me about this before going ahead and ordering them."
I fold my arms over my chest, starting to grow annoyed with her attitude. "I was doing you a favour," I tell her. "I know how busy you are planning this party," I add. "This is one detail you won't have to worry about. Now you can concentrate on…folding napkins or something."
As soon as the words leave my mouth I know they were the wrong ones to say.
"Folding napkins?" she asks, her eyes wide with anger. Is that what you think I've been doing for the past two weeks?"
"Of course not," I retort. "You know what I mean."
"No, I don't know what you mean," she replies coldly. "Though I get the distinct impression that you're patronizing me."
"I am not!" I reply in exasperation. "I can't help it if you're ridiculously oversensitive."
Her eyes narrow, and I can sense how angry she is. "Oversensitive is not nearly so bad as insensitive," she fires back.
"Oh, I see," I reply. "It's all me, is it? I try to do something nice and this is the thanks I get for it?"
"You did something nice, but then you ruined it," she tells me.
I sigh and look away, growing weary of fighting. Suddenly getting away for a few days is looking very appealing.
"If you want to return them, then go ahead," I tell her. "I don't have time to do it. I have business that won't wait. I'm going away for a few days to take care of it."
"What business?" she asks.
"Does it matter?" I ask, standing up and walking around the desk. "I'd think you'd be happy to see me go considering what an insensitive bastard I am."
She doesn't reply, and simply leaves the room without another word. I look up to see her walk out the door, and then sit down at the desk. I open the top right hand drawer, push past the newly purchased comlinks I picked up for Luke and Leia when they start school, and find the datapad with my Death Star information on it. I slip it inside my tunic and then go upstairs to pack a bag.
Voice of Luke Skywalker
"Where's Dad?" I ask as I sit down to dinner. I know he's not in the house, his presence is so familiar to me now that I know when he's not around.
"He had some business to take care of," Mom replies as she hands me the veggies. I can tell she's angry with him for some reason. They're still fighting as much as ever, it seems.
"What business?" Leia asks. "Does it have to do with our birthday gifts?" she asks with a smile. We know that our parents were talking about that, Dad made that pretty obvious.
"No," Mom replies, doing her best to hide her emotions from us. "I don't know what the …business is. All I know is he's gone for a few days."
I frown and look at Leia, who's as concerned as I am.
What do you think is going on? She asks.
I don't know, I tell her. But they must have had a fight. A big one.
I'm so sick of them fighting – why can't they just be happy now that we're a family?
You know why, Leia. You know as well as I do.
"Mom, it will be okay," I tell her finally. "Really."
Mom looks at me, her guard dropping for a moment. I can see in her eyes how much Dad has hurt her, and it makes me angry at him too. Doesn't he realize how lucky he is? Why doesn't he get it?
"Luke's right," Leia pipes up. "Dad loves you so much," she adds.
"Yeah," I agree. "He does. You know that he does."
Mom sighs. "That's not the issue," she says quietly, looking down at her uneaten dinner. She pulls up her guard once more and looks up at us with a smile. "I don't want you to worry," she says. "You two have a big day coming up. I don't want anything to overshadow that."
"How could anything do that?" Leia asks. "This is the first birthday Luke and I will celebrate together," she says, looking at me with a smile. "And the first one where we're all together as a family. Nothing could spoil that, Mom."
Mom smiles, but somehow I don't think she feels quite as confident as Leia does. Part of me wishes I knew what had gone on between her and Dad- and yet, part of me doesn't want to know.
Voice of Padmé Amidala
The house is quiet, the kids are in their rooms. I know they don't go to sleep when I tell them to . I may not be a Jedi but I know my children well. They usually end up in one another's room and stay up late talking, which I don't mind. They spent so long apart it warms my heart to see them growing closer every day. I can't wait to celebrate their birthday with them in a few weeks. Perhaps finally the memories of that day will finally be replaced with happier ones.
My bed is empty tonight, my husband gone back to his ship on business. Such an elusive, vague term- I hate to think of what it could mean. I'm not foolish enough to think that Vader has changed since his surgery, at least not in the way I'd hoped he would. He has changed, but the change is not for the better. There is an arrogance to him now that wasn't there before. Somehow when he was in the suit and mask he was…humbler. Now that he's fully healed and emperor, his arrogance seems to be growing more each day. And yet, did I over react about the speeders? He was only trying to do something nice for the children after all. Was I being hypersensitive as he said? Perhaps I was- but that still did not give him the right to insult me. I can't remember a time in the many years I've known him when he's done so, and it hurts to think of it now. I know he was frustrated with me…and yet; is he so out of touch with me now that he doesn't have the sensitivity to treat me with the respect he used to? Was it just the darkness inside of him that made him say those cruel things? If so, how will I ever get used to this? Luke and Leia seem to think that he will change, that being with his family will bring him back to the good side. I hope they're right. In fact, I'm not sure how I will deal with it if they're not.
Voice of Darth Vader
I know that Piett is surprised to see me on board the Executor, but he's wise enough to not say so. He knows better by now than to ask questions that verge on the personal.
"Prepare to leave orbit," I tell him as I enter the bridge. "Immediately."
"Yes sir," Piett replies, nodding in the direction of the helmsman. He walks over to me, unable to hold back from asking me what's going on. "Heading, sir?" he asks.
I hand him the datapad that he himself put together. "You should know better than anyone," I tell him. Piett takes the device and looks down at it, and then back up at me.
"You wanted to scout the region, sir?" he asks.
I nod. "Yes, there's no sense putting it off," I tell him. "I don't want the rebellion getting too comfortable."
He smiles. "Excellent thinking, sir," he replies. He walks over to the navigation station and gives the coordinates to the navigator, and then returns to me.
"May I ask how you and your family are enjoying your new home?" he asks carefully.
"The children love the house," I tell him with a smile. "I don't think they've even discovered all the rooms and hidden passages yet."
Piett smiles. "And Lady Vader?" he asks.
The smile fades from my face as I recall the last time I spoke to my wife. "She seems quite content as well," I add.
Piett must sense the tension and asks no more questions. He's wise to back off at this point. I have no desire to hash out my marital difficulties with my subordinate.
I am torn now, for I know that I am stronger, more powerful than I have ever been. My understanding and knowledge of the dark side is unmatched, my strength equally so. Not only that, I am master of the galaxy- I answer to no one. And yet- is it that same power that causes me to hurt the woman I love repeatedly? I cannot accept that it is- after all, I embraced the Dark Side out of love for her. This is simply a time of adjustment for us. I'm confident that in time we will adjust to one another once more. I won't lose her again now- now that I have everything in the palm of my hand. Padmé just needs to accept me for the way I am now, and all will be well. She loves me, after all. So, in time, she will accept me. Of this I have no doubt.