Heart of Darkness

Act 2: Full Circle

Cka3ka

Coruscant Opera House…

Sentients existed everywhere. Whether on Alderaan, the outer rim, Kuat, the mid rim, Duro, Coreillia, Fondor, Coruscant and the core, they all lived out their meager lives. They were born, they were raised, they worked, had children, then died. It was a simple cycle that none broke out of. Of the trillions of sentients that were in existence, that was all they did. Most lived their lives meagerly, never in control of their own lives. In the morning they worked and at night they spent some time with their loved ones and then slept; repeat. The Jedi often spoke of destiny, fate, or the will of the Force—mere synonyms of each other. If one a man had to beg on the street it was the will of the force. If a man and his wife had to work three jobs to feed their children it was the will of the force. If a mother died in childbirth it was the will of the force. The Jedi embraced such things, and the Old Republic founded upon them did as well. It was no wonder that the Republic fell. Sentients inherently craved a better life—some for themselves, some for their families, some for their species and some for the entire galaxy. To gain a better life, one needed something simple—power. Power was to control ones own life and of the lives around you. Power gave you freedom. The Sith mantra said it all. And having power or the illusion of power made sentients happy. This is where Palpatine had gone wrong, this was where the Empire failed and where the Old Republic succeeded.

In the Old Republic, ultimate power lay with the Jedi. There was no Republican army until Palpatine. If there were disputes then the Jedi settled them—one way or the other. While the Jedi held ultimate power they used it infrequently and justly, but they did at their will. They were a mysterious order that enforced the rules. Yet, because they did not exercise their power, there was a vacuum and others filled the Jedi's unused power. The Senate and the Chancellors were a means of government. Citizens voted, and economic moguls did their economic thing. They all had the illusion of power and freedom. The system worked for a very long time—some 10,000 years.

In the end, it wasn't the Republican ideal that failed, it was the Jedi. They forgot that they needed to be human first, Jedi second. When they chose to exercise their power, they trod on others who had filled the vacuum they had created. They let the illusion of power become real power. They were too consumed in their own mystical view of the world and the force. They left out the mundane. They forgot what was as the heart of their power.

Leia had to give Palpatine credit. He understood that Power is created by the ability to FORCE other people to do their will. She would not forget that it was the ability to do sanctioned violence on others that kept Jedi in power. The Jedi were special in that almost any resistance against them was futile. It was difficult to fight against a group of people who could read minds, block laser shots, infiltrate and assassinate anyone anywhere. Palpatine's creation of the clones was pure genius. He created a separate power base that could force people to do his will without the Jedi. He then used that power base to destroy the Jedi and replace them as the ultimate arbitrator of power. Like the Jedi before him, he created the semblance of power. Moffs, senators, and moguls all now competed not for power, but influence. They all had no power since Palpatine held it all in his own hands and chose to whom to dole out power at his will.

Leia had learned her lessons well. She had studied Palpatine and understood that she needed a separate power base. At the moment she had a great deal of influence. She was a Senator, and her father was the Military Executer—the right hand man of the Emperor. She was very close to the source of power—Palpatine, but that did not mean she had power. Most of her resources were still too tied to Palpatine and he could possibly pry them away from her.

"Leia?" asked Viqi who sat to her left. "You haven't been really paying attention to this ballet at all. It's almost over."

The music of the Alderaanian ballet flowed all around her. It was like the Force in some ways filling her with ideas, emotions, and peace. Leia watched the dancers pirouette and jump to the rhythm and melodies of Alderaan's finest symphony. It was beautiful and it was so full of life and hope. Viqi was right. It was almost over.

"It doesn't matter. I'm curious as who is going to meet me here. I didn't get these tickets for no reason."

"That's pretty cynical, but probably true. Force knows that I don't get anything without a reason."

"It's great to be important isn't it?"

"It's not different than school. People were my friends with an agenda. With the exception of you."

"How do you know that I didn't have a motive?"

"If you remember correctly, I had to make an effort to become your friend. You tried to avoid me and anyone else for a while."

Leia smiled reminiscing on happier less stressful days. "That's true."

There was a polite knock on the door to the private balcony behind them. "Come," said Viqi before realizing it was probably Leia's prerogative to issue the invite. "Sorry, habits."

Leia just laughed.

"Princess," came Winter's voice. "Can I have a word with you?"

"Come in Winter, have a seat," said Leia rising and gesturing to the several empty seats.

Winter didn't continue forward. She gave a pointed glance at Viqi who was watching with a smirk on her lips.

"You can say what you have to in front of Senator Kuat, Winter."

"Princess… this is a private Alderaanian matter of the utmost sensitivity."

It was time to see how Winter stood. Leia had to be sure that Winter was her ally and not her foster father's. As her assistant, Winter had too much access to her material and her comings and goings. If her old friend wasn't loyal then she had to get rid of her and Leia really didn't want to do that.

"I can leave," offered Viqi politely standing up. "The ballet is almost over anyway and I have a lot of work to do."

"Winter please deliver your message," said Leia with command in her voice as she ignored Viqi's offer.

"When the ballet is over, we're to meet with someone," said Winter. She was clearly unhappy.

"Who?"

"Princess…"

"Winter. I'm not trying to put you in a bad situation, but if you're going to work as my assistant you need to trust my judgment. It is my judgment that Viqi can hear whatever you have to say."

Winter glared hard at Leia, but Leia held her gaze. After a few moments Winter gave in and answered Leia. "The lead ballerina, Jan Strange."

"Well that's an interesting contact," mused Viqi. She turned to Leia and said, "We still need to find a smuggler. Do you want me to arrange it?"

"No. Not until you have your own office in order. I'll do it personally," answered Leia.

Winter stared at Viqi Shesh and then back at Leia. It was obvious that Viqi already knew of Leia's rebel ties. "How much does she know?" demanded Winter.

"Don't worry about it. Winter, I need you to leave with Viqi. Two of us came in together, and so two of us have to go out together. I'll meet with Ms. Strange on my own and then meet you back at the residence."

"Don't worry, you can trust me. I won't turn you over to Isaard," grinned Viqi evilly.

Winter's face filled with anger and then became emotionless. Leia sighed. "Viqi please don't prod Winter."

"Why not? She's so full of self importance she's about to burst. Oooh… I'm a conspirator… now I'm someone special!" mocked Viqi.

"Princess. She is a complete security liability. If there are any listening devices…"

"Obviously you don't know your Princess very well Winter. She checked and neutralized all the listening devices when we got here. What you should be more concerned about is whether there is a lip reader over on the upper deck watching us. After all, you just gave away the name," said Viqi causing Winter's eyes to slightly widen. "Lucky you have me standing in front of you with my hairstyle blocking their view."

"Enough, Viqi," said Leia sharply. She looked over Winter quickly. "You know you're too tall to pose as my double for long. The three of us will have to leave now, and then I'll swing back here to talk to Jan. Winter you'll need to try to convince whoever follows us that you are me just long enough so that they'll think I went back into the residence from the car. I think you might pull that off for a few seconds at a distance. Any longer and they'll know."

"Leia… I'm supposed to take you meet Jan. The Viceroy had it arranged."

"Winter," said Leia firmly. "You need to make a decision. Not right now, but soon on whether you work for my foster father or you work for me. If you can't choose me over him then you can go back to Alderaan. You'll have to decide. Tonight we are doing this my way. Now let's go."

Leia led her two friends out of the Opera house and towards their waiting air car. Viqi walked next to her smugly as Winter tailed behind. "You know it's so hard to find good help these days," said Viqi when they reached the car.

"Stop it," snapped Leia as they got in.

"It's hard to find people with senses of humor as well," continued Viqi unphased.

Leia gave up.

Coruscant…

"You're late… was there any trouble?" asked the red haired former Senator of Chandrila to her agent.

"She didn't show. I waited around in the dressing area for an hour and she never came by. Do you think she wasn't contacted?" replied Jan Ors—aka Jan Strange.

"Bail is usually very reliable."

"Maybe… or maybe this Leia isn't worth contacting. She didn't come with the Senator Ord Mantell. She showed up with that new Kuati Senator, Viqi Shesh," said Jan.

"Really? Kuat isn't very sympathetic to our cause. They are staunchly in Palpatine's camp. Do you think this significant?"

"I'm not sure. She also personally spoke in support of the new thought crime edict. That's quite disturbing for someone we are looking to recruit."

"I've heard about that. I wonder what happened to her during the time she was missing. Bail said he sent her off for her own protection after the whole Vader episode. I have a feeling he's not telling the entire story."

"We should probably try to find out."

There was a polite knock on the door. Jan whirled and immediately pulled out a blaster and looked to her employer. Mon Mothma was a wanted woman. She'd been banned for conspiracy against the Emperor and Imperial Intelligence wanted her very badly. An unexpected visitor at night was not something to take lightly.

Carefully Jan looked through a view port to see who was at the door. It was a short thin figure cloaked in black, and the face was completely obscured by a hood.

"Mon… Get into the back room. I'm not sure who this can be."

Mon Mothma said nothing and quickly disappeared.

Jan slowly opened the door, keeping the blaster behind her back. "Excuse me, can I help you?"

"I believe you wished to speak with me, Ms. Strange," said the figure raising her head.

"How did you find me?" asked Jan as she recognized the features of Leia Organa. She stepped to the side and let the Senator Alderaan in, but she still kept the blaster behind her back.

"You're residence isn't a secret from anyone. I looked it up in the directory," answered Leia. She gave Jan an amused little smile and continued, "You know you look quite awkward trying to hide that blaster."

Jan just gave a shrug, and shut the door behind Leia. "This was certainly unexpected."

"It was unexpected that your organization wished to speak to me so early, but it seems my foster father has plans for me."

"I wouldn't know anything about that."

"Then why do you wish to meet with me?" asked Leia. She reached out with the Force looking to see if she could garnish any hints. As she did so, she sensed another presence near the door of the backroom listening to their conversation. "I see. I guess you were supposed to arrange a meeting for me. Is that someone in your bedroom perhaps or is that a… personal visitor?"

"Yes," said Mon Mothma as she came out of the backroom. "You were supposed to meet with me Princess Leia."

"Senator Chandrila… It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard so much about you from my father," greeted Leia pleasantly. "It is my guess that you have come to ask me to aid your Rebel Alliance."

"I came to ask you to provide us a conduit into the Senate. You are a fresh face and many of the old Senators will approach you to see where they stand. They may offer you deals and secrets. Our organization needs information badly."

"Especially in light of your recent losses to Lord Vader's forces," noted Leia.

"Especially in light of that… yes."

"Well, Senator Chandrila," smiled Leia. "You have my support in the Senate. Furthermore, I will offer material support as well. I will be arranging for arms to be sent to predetermined drop off points. We'll need an independent mercenary group to provide security, until whatever Rebel group you want pick it up."

"Arms?" asked Mothma curiously.

"Military grade blasters, proton torpedoes, and light support vehicles for sure. I will try to obtain several shield generators if possible. If everything goes perfectly, I might be able to acquire a cruiser or two."

"And what do you want out of this… you seem to be giving us a lot, much more than your father led me to believe you were capable of offering," asked Mothma suspiciously.

Leia could feel the disbelief and suspicion from both Mothma and Jan radiating from them. "Besides wanting Palpatine gone? I have only one condition."

"And that is?"

"I want the Rebels to show restraint. These are weapons to overthrow the Empire, not to butcher Imperial citizens… or even Imperial soldiers. If an Imperial surrenders, he is to be shown mercy and given a fair trial… no matter who it is. I don't want more life taken then absolutely necessary. The Rebellion can't become the Empire and if we show no mercy… give into revenge then everything that we strive for would become undone."

"That is a very difficult condition to follow," mused Mothma.

Leia knew it was. Leia knew that it was impossible to follow, but it was the Alderaanian in her that spoke. It was also the Sith in her too, her acceptance into the Rebellion was predetermined from the start because of Bail Organa. Mothma just needed a reason not to distrust her, and showing a bit of compassion was exactly what Leia knew Mon Motha wanted to hear.

"It might not be met completely… but we must try."

Mothma nodded in agreement. "I accept your condition Leia. Welcome to the Rebllion."

"I'm glad to be of service. We will need to arrange a meeting between your mercenary and my contact. I want to meet him to insure his… loyalty."

"I have just the man for that Mon," interjected Jan.

Mon Mothma nodded at Jan in agreement to the unsaid person. It seemed that whoever Jan had in mind was the same person that Mothma did.

"Alright, we'll arrange something. Jan, I'll let you know when I'm ready and you can arrange the details."

"That will be fine."

"Well then… I need to get going. I have to get back before someone figures out I'm missing," said Leia excusing herself. She pulled up her hood and then opened the door. "I'll be in touch."

Leia left the meeting with a smile on her face. Now all she needed to do was find a smuggler. The lower levels of Coruscant beckoned, and Leia would be in familiar territory once again.

Coruscant… Star port… Lower Level C

The world of Coruscant, like Kuat, was divided into many levels. At the top were the high government officials, the rich, and even some of the upper middle class. They could pay to see the sky. Of course the rich didn't want to be seen with the middle class, and the filthy rich didn't want to be seen with the somewhat rich. Thus, the upper levels were divided into separate levels as well. Accordingly, the star ports at these levels had nothing to do with cargo. The last thing that a filthy rich senator wanted to see was cargo being unloaded from his multi million dollar view. Such activities were relegated to the lower sectors.

Leia walked nostalgically through Lower Level C. It reminded her much of the days she had spent in the lower levels of Kuat. Lower Level C was the lowest on the rung of middle class ports where legitimate cargo was flown in. Not too many smuggled outright out of these berths, but at the same time it was a rare day that cargo manifests matched. Since most of the smuggling was done farther down, the Imperial agents here were most likely to be the worst of the bunch and most easily spotted. Of course, there were of course the random brilliant agent who was sent here to do time for offending a superior, but those were the ones who Leia were hoping to meet—and co-op for her own use.

It was almost one in the morning when Leia arrived. The ports never slept as there was always cargo being brought in. Coruscant was not a world that produced much, it was almost completely a service economy. Everything from food to freshers was imported from manufacturing worlds elsewhere.

By three in the morning Leia was getting tired. She'd already interviewed several pilots at various port side cantinas. None of them were suitable. She needed someone who didn't flinch from a fight and had the guts to do whatever it took to complete the job. It seemed that this was anethma to the smuggling type. They were basically cowards who ran from the first sign of trouble—definitely not her type.

The Sullustan in front of her was now rambling about how he was a co-pilot of a ship that was known for its reputation of delivering on time. This was her third Cantina and this was the third pilot trying to woo her for a cargo. She wasn't really interested in him since while Sullustans might be excellent mechanics, they weren't much on the tough side. He also didn't seem like he had the mental footwork she required. This Sullustan just didn't cut it.

Our ship the Pulsar Skate can deliver any cargo anywhere in the Galaxy…our ship is one of the fastest and most reliable in the galaxy, blabbed the Sullustan.

Leia only half listened as she checked her reflection in a glass pane. She was on her third disguise of the night, this time as a red headed mix of Pooja and Nura's features at about the age of 30. She really wanted to hear an original sales pitch. It seemed that all smugglers did was talk about how fast their ships were. This particular Sullustan was also giving away the fact that he had certainly not negotiated many deals, if any deals at all. The price he quoted her was a paltry 3,000 credits. At least he was smart enough to ask for 2/3rds of it up front.

"Mr. Tsayv," she said, cutting him off mid sentence. "I'm sorry but, I don't believe you are what I need."

She felt the Sullustan's despair as he rose to leave. He reached into his pocket for a credit chip to pay for his drink, but Leia stopped him.

"Don't worry about your drink. I will cover it. Thank you for your time."

The Sullustan thanked her and walked away. Leia continued to survey the cantina and tried to pick out any potential candidates. You know, that Han Solo fellow is the kind of smuggler you need, she mused to herself. Solo and his Wookie had been pretty cool in the fight against her, and that was the kind of bravado that she needed. She idly wondered if she could get in touch with him somehow. It was a silly thought. The galaxy was too big to find one small time smuggler. Glancing at her chrono, Leia saw it was now almost half past three. This night was a bust, but she could always come back and check around again.

As she rose to leave, a figure slightly shorter than her illusion, but slightly taller than her real height stepped out in front. The woman, or rather girl had a very desperate feel about her.

"Excuse me ma'am. My name is Mirax Terrik. Can I speak to you for a moment?"

"I'm sorry, but it's getting very late. I need to get an early start tomorrow," replied Leia.

"It will take only a moment." The girl's voice was trying to hide the fact, but she was essentially begging Leia. "Please."

"Alright. I'm not sure how you can help me, but I'll hear you out," said Leia as she sat back down. She gestured for Mirax to take a seat and the black haired girl sat down across from her.

"I know you've spoken to my co-pilot Liat. He's got a good heart but he isn't great at getting across how good we really are," began Mirax.

"Ahh… the Pulsar Skate. Ms. Terrik, your ship just isn't exactly what I'm looking for. Maybe if you were a Wookie then I'd change my mind. My cargo requires not only stealth, but intelligence and the ability to handle any trouble that comes along."

"A well laid plan should avoid any trouble, Ms…"

"My name isn't important. Ms. Terrik, you are a human female, like myself. We just aren't cut out for the physical work that comes along with certain cargoes. I'm sorry."

"Look we're desperate. We're stranded here on Coruscant waiting repairs, we need a cargo. I'll cut the price to 2,000. half up front so we can get the parts we need."

Leia paused for a second wondering at the opportunity in front of her. Two thousand credits was nothing to her and she could simply offer it as a loan to Mirax as a favor. The girl seemed too young and naïve to be the type to rip her off. It could be a favor that Leia could later recall. The thought flashed through her mind and then it was accompanied by a vision. Leia saw herself and Mirax in the future laughing together. They were both wearing bridesmaids gowns for someone—obviously a mutual friend. Interesting.

"Young lady, how old are you?" asked Leia.

"Eighteen," replied Mirax. "But I've been flying for years with my father."

Leia shook her head amused. It was a good lie and may have convinced someone who didn't have the Force, but Mirax was obviously younger. "You're being untruthful. I don't think lying to a potential business partner makes a good impression. Do you?"

Mirax hung her head. "I'm sixteen, but it's true that I've been flying with my father for years. I've had more time behind a helm of a ship than most thirty year olds."

"Most thirty year olds never touch a helm, but I get the point," chuckled Leia. "Tell me. What makes you a young beautiful girl so desperate? Why tell me in the first place?"

"My father was sent to Kessel two months ago. I won't let his operations fall apart. When he gets out it will be there for him," explained Mirax. "We got a job to deliver some droid parts here, except that when we got here the buyer's business had collapsed so we couldn't get paid. His creditors seized the parts and we were left hanging and we need some operating capital for repairs and fuel."

"I see… and why me?"

"Because you bought Liat that drink. I pegged you for someone with a heart and might… just might listen to me if I approached you."

A heart. Leia almost burst out laughing. She was a Sith apprentice after all. Still that was quite an observation by the young girl.

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Leia suddenly asked.

"What? Of course not," blurted Mirax before she realized that it was probably a requirement. She rose almost immediately, despair clinging to her. "I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

"Please sit. I'm not looking for a murderer, I'm looking for a pilot but one who is willing to defend my cargo if need be. Would you defend it?"

"I wouldn't know until it happened. That's not something I can just tell you now," replied Mirax.

Leia nodded with pleasure. "A good honest answer. So Mirax, you say you are a good pilot and also to be a good planner. I choose to believe you."

"Thank you."

"I don't think you are stupid enough to agree to take my cargo without knowing what it is. Before I tell you what it is, let me tell you what I offer."

"I'm listening," said Mirax.

"I will front you your co-pilot's initial price of 3,000 credits. Do whatever repairs and get whatever enhancements you need. If you require more, you can contact me, but I expect you to be honest. Like any other… business person… I don't like to be cheated and the consequences of cheating me are very… final."

"It's usually that way in our business," replied Mirax. "I can deal with that."

"Believe me when I say that when I mean final… its much worse than other people in our line of business. But then… we can cross that bridge if we ever get there. I hope that we never will. Regardless, I am not looking for just one run or two runs. I'm looking to take someone on retainer. Forty thousand credits per year for you and twenty thousand for your co-pilot is my offer and any operating expenses you need. I may also need you to run various other errands, but we'll discuss those later."

"Sixty thousand plus expenses?" gasped Mirax. Leia felt a jolt of excitement surge through the girl, but it was quickly suppressed and replaced with wariness. "What exactly am I going to be transporting?"

"You'll find out when the first cargo is delivered," replied Leia. "If you choose to accept this offer, you can meet me at the Coruscanti Imperial Mall five days from now." Leia fished a credit chip out of her pocket and slid it over to Mirax. "Here are three hundred credits. A good faith gift. If you choose not to show that's fine. I will not hold it against you, after all you might find a better cargo before then. If you choose to accept my offer, then spend the day shopping and meet me in the evening by the center fountain."

"Any exact time?"

"My schedule fluctuates… buy a holo book and wait around. I'll find you there. If not, well I can always find your ship."

"Alright… if I accept I'll meet you there. Thank you very much…" Mirax waited patiently for Leia to give her a name.

"You still don't need to know my name," smiled Leia. This time when she rose, she meant to leave. It was already almost four and she was damn tired. "I will see you then Mirax."

"Thank you."

Leia dropped another chit onto the table to pay for her meal and gave Mirax a polite nod before she left.

Leia yawned as she left the bar. She had no means of transportation and taking a cabbie back to the Alderaanian residence was out of the question. Walking there was even more out of the question since it was tens of miles away. There was of course, another option. Leia quickly hailed a cab and gave the driver an address near a very exclusive part of town near a Coruscant Mall that she and Jix had once taken a video at.

It took only ten minutes to get there. She paid the cabbie and watched him leave before she walked over to the side of a building. She hadn't been here in over six years. Reaching out with the Force, she checked if there was anyone around. Sensing no one, she opened the sewer grate and stepped in. Once inside, she reversely followed a path that she had taken seven years before. Another ten minutes later, she reached another grate and opened it, revealing a turbo lift. She stepped in, activated it, took a deep breath and held it. The turbo lift immediately filled with sleep gas as it took off upwards. No ordinary person could have held their breath that long, but Leia used a simple Jedi trick to relax herself and slow her oxygen usage. When the lift stopped, she quickly entered a code that she knew from Jix and the door slid open. The next room was another security room, and she knew if she didn't pass the security check that she would be incinerated. Force tricks wouldn't prevent her from burning to death. She palmed a scanner and punched in a set of codes. There was a frightening delay of a minute or so before the door before her opened and she found herself in her true father's private Coruscant residence.

Sleeep, was about all Leia could think about as she strolled down the halls of her father's residence towards her old room. She sensed her father's presence, but did not reach to him just yet. She kept her shields tight around herself, after all one never knew when and where the Emperor was watching. Reaching her room, she waved the door open and stepped in. Shower then sleep, was all her mind was telling her.

As she slipped into bed, Leia very subtlety sent out the briefest touch to her father. Immediately his presence focused on her in alarm, and then softened. Good night daughter. Welcome home, she felt him say.

It was good to be home, thought Leia to herself and him before sleep took her.