Heart of Darkness

Act 2:

Cka3ka

Coruscant… Vader Residence…

Leia stretched comfortably in her large queen size bed. She turned and glanced at her chrono and noted that it was the ninth hour of the day already. Five hours of sleep wasn't much, but it was enough to recharge her. She hopped out of bed and padded over to her closet looking for something to put on. To her dismay, all the clothes in there were from when she was ten years old, which made sense of course since the last time she was here was when she was ten. The only thing that could possibly fit her was a large sweater that was hanging near the back—Jix's sweater that he had first given her when she had gotten here. Shrugging, she took it and tossed it on. It was still much too large, reaching down to her thighs, but it made her decent. Wearing the oversized sweater, she left her room and went to find herself something to eat. She was starving. As she entered the dining area, she was caught by surprise at the person sitting there.

"Now that is an interesting outfit," said Pooja Naberrie with a smile on her lips. The older Naberrie cousin was sitting at a table with a news holo and a cup of caf. She was dressed for the day in robes of different shades of dark green. She looked every inch an Imperial Senator.

"Pooj!" cried Leia in delight. She strode over to her cousin and gave her a tight hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting my uncle? We had a late meeting last night and I chose to stay over instead of returning to my own residence. Family can do that, right?"

"Of course. I just didn't expect your or father to be so open about it all," remarked Leia as she went over to the counter where the pot of caf was sitting. She poured herself a cup and walked to the table and sat down.

"Well, the Emperor knows that Aunt Padme and father were married. He certainly knows of my relationship with your aunt so it doesn't make it very risky. Did you know that it was Palpatine that introduced me to uncle my first day here? He summoned me to the palace and Vader was waiting there. I think the Emperor was trying to shake him up. I know the Emperor seemed to be laughing about the whole thing," said Pooja.

"Does he know that you know of your relationship?" asked Leia.

"Not sure, perhaps, but I don't think he thinks uncle Vader would ever tell me. Which is fine since he won't have to. We'll be the ones to have the last laugh."

"Most certainly. So how's Coruscant so far?"

"Amusing. Not quite as exciting as our adventures, but it does hold its share of excitement. It seems that many Senators believe that I am closely associated with the Emperor, so they flatter and cater to me constantly. It gets annoying after a while," said Pooja. "How about you? I heard you got in a few days ago. You've been causing quite a stir in the Senate with that speech of yours yesterday. It was quite good. I was very impressed."

"Thanks, that was a ridiculous proposal designed to mark out the Rebel sympathizers. I had to stop it before it began."

"Very true."

"Other than that, I've just been settling in. I need to clean house and get people loyal to me in. Have you done that yet?"

"No… no point really. The Nabooine consulate here is filled with the Emperor's creatures. It'd be suspicious if I start dismissing them. I'm getting good at working around them if I have to."

"I see. Anyway, what have you and daddy been up to?"

"Nothing… as I said it seems that I'm someone noteworthy and single… I've been bombarded with proposals of all kinds, from both married and unmarried men. Even some women as well, if you can believe that. Uncle D wanted to have a chat with me about exactly how dangerous these men were."

Leia laughed heartily. "Daddy has become quite a family man. Pooj that's so heartwarming to hear."

"I'm hardly surprised. When I was young your father was very concerned about his family."

"You ladies have no idea," came a gruff male voice from behind.

"Good morning cousin Jixton," smiled Pooja at the tall pony tailed man that emerged sleepy eyed through the door.

"Jix!" cried Leia excitedly for the second time that day. She glomped him with a hug. "You're here too?"

"Hey hey, little one. Glad to see you all in one piece," grinned Jix as he returned Leia's hug. "Yeah, I just got in yesterday from Alderaan. Nura is a day or two behind me… and wait that's my sweater,"

"It is. It was in my closet, one of the servo-droids must have put it there."

"I was wondering where it went, but I guess I never had time to think about it. We had to leave Coruscant in a hurry."

"So what do you mean we have no idea?" asked Leia.

"Uncle D set me and Nura up. I couldn't believe it when I figured it out. I swear he'd been watching holo-vids or something. When we went to Alderaan, he had this exclusive rehab center set up for me. He boarded us up somewhere in this small mountain town… absolutely breath taking views everywhere. I thought Nura and I were sent to do some spying but it was just his way of forcing us together."

"How romantic," smiled Pooja.

"Nura figured this out way before you Jix. You're a little slow," said Leia. "Ok… more than a little."

"You little ingrate…" growled Jix jokingly as he lunged for her.

Leia let out a little yelp as she deftly leapt back from his lunge. She ran to a chair and plopped down, laughter shining her eyes.

Jix rumbled something about young teenagers and then went for the caf.

"Ugh, I need to contact the Alderaanian consulate. They will freak out if they don't find me back, do we have a secure com link somewhere?"

"Use mine," offered Pooja. "Or I can pass a message for you. That would perhaps be best."

"Yeah, send Siri a message, she'll take care of everything."

"I'll do that right now," said Pooja as she took out her communicator.

"That's the Jedi Knight you have training you now?" asked Jix.

"Father told you about her??" asked Leia incredulously.

"What? Why not? He needed advice. Men ask each other for advice too."

"But…but…"

Jix burst out laughing at the shocked look on Leia's face. "Your father and I discuss most things about you. We've been doing it for years Leia. What school to send you to? What's an appropriate birthday gift? Whether or not a Jedi knight might corrupt you? What kind of boys she's interested in? So on and so on."

"Jix! That's absurd!"

"Hardly, don't you and Nura talk about things? Or Viqi?"

"That's different!"

"Ok… if you say so," chuckled Jix. He opened the food storage unit and rummaged through it. "Have you ladies eaten yet?"

"I have, but I can go for something light and sweet," replied Pooja as she set the communicator down after making the call for Leia. "Leia hasn't."

"Alright…" acknowledged Jix. He pulled out two serving trays of food and a yogurt. He put the trays into the heating unit and then walked over and handed the yogurt to Pooja.

"Thank you, Jixton."

"Welcome," replied Jix as he sat down at the table next to the two women. Turning to Leia he asked, "Where's that homicidal droid of yours?"

"He's in my private work area at the Alderaanian residence for now. You'll get a good laugh next time you see him."

"Really? D4's more of a headache than anything else. What did you do, change his programming?"

"Sort of… Just wait until you see him," said Leia as she stood back up and grabbed some eating utensils for her and Jix.

"Sure, I'm nothing but patient," chuckled Jixton as he let the subject drop. The beeping of the heating unit went off. Jix went and pulled their food out. He took off the top of the prepared meals and then slip one over to Leia at the table.

"Ick, more training meals? Is that all you ever eat?" sighed Leia. She had these often enough on Kuat. They were fabulously nutritious with the right amount of every vitamin. They were also packed with protein and had enough calories to cause her serious weight gain if she didn't work out afterwards.

"I'm still in rehab, and these things are good for you. Hey, and these aren't that bad tasting. I got beef and gravy flavored with a side of apple pie."

"You gave me the meatloaf and asparagus one on purpose you piece of Rancor…," exclaimed Leia. The sound of her father's respirator cut her off. She didn't need another lecture about swearing and how it was unladylike, but she really wanted to wipe the smirk off Jix's face right then.

"You two remind me of my siblings," chuckled Pooja as she continued to read her news holo and sip on her coffee. She didn't look up from her reading when Darth Vader entered the room. She simply said, "Good morning, Uncle."

"And to you niece," intoned Darth Vader. "Daughter, Jixton."

"Morning father," said Leia as she rose, full plate in hand. "Where's the trash compactor?"

She sensed her father's displeasure immediately and sat back down. "Oh alright. Just don't give me the starving aliens lecture, any one of you," she said glaring at all three of them. She picked up her fork and took a bite.

Jix just laughed, and then took a sip of caf.

"You look well, daughter. Though your choice of wardrobe leaves much to be desired," noted Vader.

"I'll change in a bit. I just didn't have anything suitable when I came in last night. My clothes were ruined from crawling in the sewers."

"I probably have some stuff here that you can use," offered Pooja. "My room is next to yours I think. Take whatever you need."

"You keep clothes here?" boggled Leia.

"Your cousin visits often," explained her father.

"What does the news media have to say about that? They can't know of our relationship."

"They know better than to say anything about it," intoned her father.

"It's remarkable what your father's name can do to silence nosy reporters," laughed Pooja. "It's another reason why so many are after my favor."

Jealousy tore through Leia. Her cousin got to spend time openly with her father. That's what she wanted. With conscious effort she suppressed the thought. After all, Pooja didn't have the Force. Palpatine had no reason to feel threatened by her cousin. She on the other hand would send Palpatine into a frothing frenzy if he knew her relationship with her father. Leia firmly told herself that there was nothing to be jealous about. Their situations were totally different.

"Lucky you," sighed Leia.

"It is only a matter of time daughter," said her father. Leia could feel that her father also wanted to spend more time with her.

"I know… speaking of that. Father, I need Jix and Nura," said Leia. "Well… more Nura than this dirtball in front of me."

She ducked the glob of mush that Jixton flicked at her. The Dark Side of the Force was highly useful in many situations.

"Seriously… like twelve year olds," sighed Pooja.

Vader could not laugh. He was not able to, but Leia could feel the amusement coursing through her father. She could also sense that he was… happy. It was such a seemingly small thing, this byplay between people who cared and loved for each other, but it was something she knew she had always treasured. It was good to see that her father was coming to see how important it was and take part in it… once again. His happiness was very important to her.

"Why daughter? Ms. Tamri is an instrumental part of my operations now."

"Well… she can still do a lot of what you have her doing. But I need someone that Imperial Intelligence won't look into too closely. I'm sure they know that she works for you right?"

"I believe so. They would be most inept if they did not."

"Right, so if she were to act as my contact to my independent smuggler, they won't interfere or even look too closely, lest they risk your displeasure. More than likely they will think you sent her to infiltrate the Alderaanian consulate. It would free my hand significantly, and I can probably find the Intelligence agent watching her. I'm sure I can persuade him to change sides, so we will have a double layer of protection."

"She will have to feed me useful information about the Rebellion from your office. That will justify her presence there."

"That won't be a problem. We can slip a few Rebel plans out and some arrests can be made. It'll be a worthwhile sacrifice so long as I can keep the equipment transfers secret. After a year or two, the Rebellion will have enough to actually do something other than random terrorist attacks."

"It's a good idea Uncle D," agreed Jix.

"I agree," replied Vader. "Jix you will be Nura's contact directly to me. You will have to insinuate yourself with a new identity somewhere here on Coruscant."

"The under city preferably," said Leia.

"Oh no. I don't want to be a crime lord again."

"You don't have to be. You can be a dry cleaner or something," smiled Leia.

"A restaurant works better," advised Pooja. "Restaurant owners speak to their clientele on a regular basis. Nura can stop there for food often… so can I or even Senator Alderaan. Make it fancy, but not too fancy."

"I hate this espionage stuff. Just give me a target and let me go, Uncle D."

"It seems Jixton that once again you have a new profession."

"Great… just what I need."

With that agreed upon, the four turned to lighter talk. Pooja and Jix brought Leia up to speed on their doings over the last few months. She talked about her new knowledge in the Force with her father. All in all, it was like any other family when they met for the holidays. After an hour or so, the group broke up. Leia and Pooja went back to their respective embassies. Jixton went to do what he needed to do to set up his new profession, and Darth Vader went to do Sithy things in the service of the Empire and the Emperor. They were a family of politicians, assassins, and Sith, but a family none the less.

Elsewhere on Coruscant…

"Vader is onto us," warned Moff Kadir, the Commander of Coruscant's Security Force. He was rather young to be a full Moff, but the Emperor had liked his ruthlessness and his sharp detective mind. Coupled with his excellent organization skills, the brown haired green eyed Kadir had been an excellent choice for his position. The last decade or so, Kadir had made his mark on Coruscant, but like many other high ranking Imperial officials, he resented Vader and his absolute authority under the Emperor.

"You are paranoid, Kadir," replied Grand Moff Trachta. "Vader is a military man who relies on his mystical powers for guidance. Had the Force warned him of us we would already be dead, instead he has been hunting rebels and the remnants of Bartam's slavers.

"Those slavers have been providing us with the income to fund your project. The whole scheme in the Meridian sector relied on them. If Vader traces them to there, we are done for."

"You are naïve, Kadir. We are not done for. Bartam is. I think it is time to cut our ties with my fellow Grand Moff."

"It will take time to prepare an assassination. If he gets wind of it, he might turn us over to the Emperor."

"That's why we won't be directly involved. We don't have any ties to his slaving operations so we simply need to point someone in his direction. They will flush Bartam out for us and we can simply pick him off then."

"And who will do this?"

"The Senate of course. I believe we need to contact some of our bought Senators and have them introduce a committee to evaluate the recovery of the Meridian from the Death Seed plague. Most of the Senate will hop right on board, it will make them feel that they are accomplishing something good. Make sure to send someone young and idealistic who will cry foul."

"Bartam will simply have whoever it is killed."

"Even better, that will invite further investigation. Eventually Bartam will have to come to us and will be vulnerable. We can dispose of him then. Can you arrange it?"

"Yes."

"Good. The Emperor and Vader will soon be nothing more than a footnote. This galaxy cannot suffer the Sith to exist any longer Kadir."

"I'm well aware of that Trachta. I'll contact you when everything is in motion."

Grand Moff Trachta cut the link with Kadir. He'd been planning this coup for over ten years. It was risky, but soon with his own clone troopers he would have the leverage he needed to destroy the Emperor.

Kadir patiently waited in his office for his guest. The whole situation unnerved him. Trachta was a fool. Vader wasn't the only threat that their coup faced. Imperial Intelligence and the Emperor's personal agents were a threat too. He knew it was time to begin to implement an escape plan.

Several officers of the Coruscant Guard brought in the man Kadir was waiting for. "Hello Sarcev," he greeted with a predatory smile.

"Moff Kadir, what can I do for you?" replied Sarcev Quest. Quest was considered a playboy amongst the Coruscant upper crust. He had plenty of wealth, but seemed to be intent on squandering it partying with the other young and rich in high society. His looks were devastating. Tall dark and handsome, few ladies single or married had ever resisted his advances.

"I'm calling in a favor from you."

"I'm always willing to do a favor for Coruscant's security chief," returned Sarcev.

"Of course you are. Now listen Sarcev, I've come across some information about Grand Moff Bartam. He doesn't seem to be on the up and up with his rebuilding of the Meridian Sector. In fact, it seems that he's embezzling tens of millions of credits."

"Isn't that just part of being a Moff?" asked Sarcev feigning indifference. "I'm sure the lads at Imperial Intelligence know all about it."

"They might, but then again they might not want to do anything about it. Bartam has a long reach."

"Ok, so what do you want me to do about it?"

"Not much. I just want you to get an initiative into the Senate to have a committee to investigate the rebuilding of the sector approved. I'm sure you know of several Senators that would be chomping at the bit for a committee position. Just get someone that's not too good or too bright. Someone young and inexperienced. I want Bartam to get unnerved, not brought down. I'll deal with the rest."

"I see… looking to get someone else in your pocket eh?"

"Something like that."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. I can think of some candidates off the top of my head."

"Oh?"

"There have been three new appointments over the last year. All of them are lovely young human females. They are my specialty you know?"

"Yes… I am aware of your… amorous reputation. What worlds?"

"Naboo, Kuat, and Alderaan. There are also rumors that Tarkin is thinking about installing his niece as a Senator of Eriadu as well—if you want to wait for her that is. Strike two blows at the same time if you can humiliate Tarkin. She's also a young female. Exquisite, the most appetizing of them all."

Kadir thought about Quest's list it for a moment. Naboo was out of the question. That was Palpatine's homeworld and the Emperor had spies everywhere in that quarter. Plus it was rumored that Pooja Naberrie was Vader's lover. She'd been seen going over to his residence at least once every time he returned to Imperial Center. Rivoche Tarkin, he knew of, and while it might be nice to get at Tarkin, he was already dealing with two Grand Moffs. Adding Tarkin was far too dangerous for the time being. The choice was between Kuat and Alderaan. The choice was easy. Alderaanians hated slavery. It was almost a genetic disposition. Alderaan would be perfect to raise a stink the moment they found out that all the settlers that were heading off to Meridian worlds were being enslaved and their so called wages being embezzled. It was almost too perfect.

"I think Alderaan would be perfect. Arrange it."

"As you wish."

Kadir smiled as Quest left. If Bartam was taken care of, all he had to do was get rid of Trachta. Then, with Trachta's and his own forces combined, he could make a bid for the throne. The plan certainly had possibilities, if he could pull it off. If not, well he could just turn over to the Emperor all the evidence. That was the worst case scenario, and it would probably break him out even—but considering he was playing for his life, breaking even wasn't all that bad.

AN: This is the last of the filler chapters... things should be moving along quickly now as Leia is brought into the intrigue of Coruscant. It took me forever to do the research and find the EU characters, Tracha, Kadir, Sarcev, etc... to put together a credible and somewhat canonical plot. Wiki is just the most amazing thing on the web.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Break and a Happy New Year.

Ciao,

CK