The viceroy was cut off by an officer bursting through his office door. "Viceroy Organa, sir! We have received word that a Super Star Destroyer is currently making its course for Alderaan. We have also confirmed that Darth Vader is present on the ship."
Oliver stared at Bail and watched his face turn white. "Do you know its purpose for coming here?" Bail inquired as calmly as possible, only a slight quaver in his voice.
"The ship is alone, so we hope that they are not coming for combat."
Bail nodded slowly and said, "Thank you. I will alert the rest of High Command."
The officer departed, leaving Oliver and Bail to sit in silence.
"Well, I do believe we have an even greater problem on our hands now," Bail spoke in a deadpan tone.
Without another word, Bail immediately arose and marched purposefully out of the room. Following closely behind, Oliver could tell that Bail's mind had switched from lovable father to steely resolve.
"Viceroy, what are we going to do?" Oliver exclaimed.
Bail ignored Oliver and kept up his rushed pace.
"Viceroy!" Oliver shouted.
Bail spun around and grabbed Oliver's shoulders. "We are not going to do anything. I am going to alert High Command and shut down the base. You are going to go home and hide. That's final."
With that, the viceroy released Oliver and resumed his brisk walk. Oliver stood with his mouth gaping slightly. Hide? When the Rebellion was in danger? When Alderaan was in danger? He shook his head roughly and ran to catch up with Bail.
"No! I will not hide!" Oliver declared. "I'm not a coward! I want to help."
Bail sighed, rubbed his forehead with his fingers, and turned more slowly to face Oliver.
"I know you do," he said. "And I know you are not a coward. But after what happened on Coruscant, I have a bad feeling that this visit has something to do with Leia. For her sake, you need to stay as far away from Vader as possible. Other than me, you are the closest person to her and they will use that to their advantage if given the opportunity."
Oliver still looked at Bail with fiery eyes, desperate to help save the Rebellion. But they soon softened when he realized his top priority was to help Leia. He grudgingly nodded, agreeing to Bail's commands.
Bail took Oliver's shoulders once again, more affectionately than before. "I would never think that you're a coward. I will never forget how strong you have been for my daughter, after everything she's been through. Always remember that, Oliver. With the Force, anything is possible."
He gave Oliver a soft pat on the shoulders and passed through the door into the command room. Oliver stared through the window, watching the Rebels go into a frenzy hiding all evidence of the Rebellion before Lord Vader arrived.
Oliver spun on his heels and dashed down the hallway, heading home and hoping he wasn't too late.
An Imperial shuttle touched ground on the palace's landing dock. Bail heard from one of the Rebels that Vader had come on his personal Super Star Destroyer, the Devastator. But a ship of that size would never fit on the palace's minuscule landing dock. Bail had hoped he would never need a space large enough for a Super Star Destroyer. He had hoped this day would never come.
The viceroy stood regally at the entrance, waiting for the Dark Lord. It had been years since he had seen Darth Vader in person, but Bail assumed he hadn't changed much.
The ramp to the shuttle lowered slowly and Bail gulped down his fear. Fear of Darth Vader, fear for the Rebellion, or fear for his daughter, he wasn't sure which it was. Probably a mix of all of them.
Soon enough, a towering figure cloaked in black descended the ramp. The clank of heavy boots on the metal rang in Bail's ears. Steam from the shuttle impaired Bail's view, but he quickly found himself face-to-mask with Darth Vader.
"Welcome to Alderaan, Lord Vader. We are grateful for your visit and have prepared a table for our meeting inside," Bail stated formally.
"You may dispense with the pleasantries, Viceroy Organa," Vader boomed. A shiver shot down Bail's spine. He had forgotten how deep and foreboding Vader's voice was. "I have obtained a warrant for a thorough search of your palace, which will take place during our meeting."
As if on cue, Imperial stormtroopers appeared from the shuttle and began marching into the palace.
"May I see this warrant, Lord Vader?" Bail asked.
Vader pointed a gloved hand in Bail's face. "Only if you wish to see it inside of a prison cell on my ship."
Bail glanced down at Vader's hand, then back up at his mask. "That will not be necessary. If you follow me, we can begin our meeting."
Oliver sat huddled up on his bed at home, his head leaned back against the wall. He hated waiting. He hated Darth Vader. He hated the Empire. But he loved Leia.
Suddenly, his holoprojector awoke with a large flash of blue. "Oliver?" A familiar voice asked. "Oliver, are you there?"
Oliver dashed over to the image. "Leia!"
"I've got my holoprojector working! I'm so happy to see you, Oliver!"
"I am too, Leia, but you have to go!" Oliver spoke in a panicked tone.
Leia's face scrunched up in confusion. "What! Why?"
"Darth Vader has arrived on Alderaan. We have every reason to believe he is here looking for you. I'm hiding at my place. You can't have any connection to Alderaan right now, or else they'll find you!"
The princess' eyes went wide. She felt so helpless on Dantooine, nowhere near to help. "Are you okay? Is my mother and father okay?
"Everyone is fine as far as I know. Vader just arrived. I'm sure your father will send you a transmission once we're all safe. But for now you have to go!"
"Of course. Stay safe, please."
"You too. I'll see you soon." With that, Oliver shut off the holoprojector.
Leia stumbled back from her holoprojector in shock. Tears formed in Leia's eyes but she willed them back. Never again would she lose control of her emotions. It was all her fault. Her people were in danger because of her. The people she loved had to hide and fight for her. All because of her.