Fifty
Coruscant- Office of Senator Organa of Alderaan
Bail Organa entered his office early the next morning and was shocked to see two storm troopers and an Imperial officer waiting for him.
"What is the meaning of this?" Bail demanded angrily. "How dare you enter my private offices?"
"Bail Organa, you're under arrest for collaborating with known traitors to the Empire," the officer reported as the storm troopers placed binders on Bail's wrists.
"Are you mad?!" Bail exclaimed. "I'm a member of the Imperial Senator! I'm Viceroy of Alderaan! This is an outrage!"
The officer waited for Bail to finish his tirade before speaking again. "Let's go, Senator," he said finally as the storm troopers lead the disgruntled viceroy out of the door.
As the troopers lead Organa to a waiting shuttle, the reporters who had caught wind of the arrest swarmed around with holorecorders, all of them shouting questions at the senator. Organa ignored them, however, not wishing to give in to their hopes to have a juicy story. You'll pay for this, Vader, Organa thought angrily; I'll make sure of it!
Kuat Drive Yard
Vader stood by, arms folded over his chest as the storm troopers carried out body after body from the interrogation room. Not all of the prisoners had survived the mind probe, although most had provided Vader with information before losing their minds completely. The four remaining prisoners were escorted under heavy guard back to the Exactor, where they would travel to a prison cell until their trial. A waste of time, Vader thought darkly, knowing that any trial held would be useless. He already knew everything those men knew; no lawyer could read the minds of others as he could. And yet, the judicial process must be observed, even if that process was, in reality, a farce. Everyone knew that the Empire controlled the courts; trials were simply window dressing, a thin and meaningless veneer of democracy over a complete and utter dictatorship.
Vader followed the prisoner to the shuttle, the air thick with their fear. Rebel scum, he thought angrily. So long as they exist there will never be peace in the galaxy, he thought. Have you ever considered that we may be on the wrong side? Vader frowned as the words of his wife from many years earlier came to mind. Knowing now what he did, knowing what a monster Palpatine truly was, perhaps she'd been right. Is the Empire the true evil? He thought, growing more confused. Is it wrong to defend something created by such evil incarnate? Vader was sure that Palpatine represented the true and ultimate evil, a man who would lie to him, telling him that he killed his own wife, a man who would keep him from medical interventions that would free him from the prison he'd lived in for ten years could be nothing but evil. And you will destroy him very soon, he reminded himself. And make things right in the galaxy.
"Your orders, sir?" Captain Piett asked as Vader exited the shuttle.
"Make for Dathomir," Vader told him. "We have some guests for them," he added.
Piett nodded. "I'll alert them at once, sir," he replied.
Dathomir, the other side of the galaxy, Vader thought as Piett walked away. It will be a long time indeed before I get home again.
Coruscant
Dinner had concluded, and while the twins did their homework, Padmé and Sola decided to see watch the evening news. In reality, Padmé was hoping to learn something about Vader's mission, but didn't tell Sola as much. She was already asking too many questions as it was.
"You know, I don't usually watch the net that much," Sola commented, "but since seeing Luke and Leia with their father, I've decided it's worth checking out once in a while."
Padmé smiled. "Well if you hadn't seen them, I may have spent the rest of my life believing that they'd died," she said. "And now that I'm with them, I can't imagine how I could have lived the rest of my life without them."
"I'm sure they feel the same way," Sola replied.
Padmé nodded, and was about to reply when the image on the screen caught her attention. "It's Bail Organa!" she said. "He's under arrest!"
The two sisters watched in astonishment as the details of the story unfolded. And while Padmé was not surprised that he was involved in the Alliance, the fact that he'd been named by someone was.
Several security personnel were detained at the Kuat Drive Yard, where several acts of sabotage took place last month. After releasing more than half of those under suspicion, Lord Darth Vader took no time at all in learning the names of those involved in the cowardly attack upon the Empire's primary ship building facility. Among those named was Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, who is believed to have links to the Rebel Alliance. Senator Organa was taken into custody today, while the remainder of the perpetrators was taken to Dathamir penal colony where they will await trail. In other news…
Padmé stopped listening at this point. After releasing more than half of those under suspicion….those words reverberated in her mind. He showed mercy…he spared the lives of those men…The thought that Vader had shown mercy moved her tremendously. Had her words had some affect on him? Was there a chance that there was enough humanity left in him that she could still reach him?
"Padmé? Did you hear me?"
Padmé looked at her sister. "Sorry, what did you say?"
"I said, what are you going to tell Leia?" she asked. "Organa was her father for ten years, wasn't he?"
Padmé nodded. "Yes, he was," she replied. "I don't know what to do, frankly," she added. "Leia has said very little about her life with them," she continued. "She's very happy in her new life, and I don't want to stir up her emotions by telling her this."
"But she's bound to find out somehow," Sola pointed out. "If he's been indicted, then it will be in the news for a while."
Padmé was silent, wishing once more that Vader was home to help her deal with this. "You're right," she sighed. "I just wish there was an easy way to tell her."
"Tell me what, Mom?"
Padmé turned quickly, surprised by her daughter's sudden appearance.
"Leia," Padmé said. "This isn't easy to tell you," she began.
Leia frowned. "It is Daddy?" she asked, an edge of panic in her voice. "Please tell me it isn't Daddy!"
"No, it isn't him," Padmé assured her. "It's Senator Organa," she continued.
Leia frowned. "What about him?" she asked, seemingly indifferent.
"He's been arrested, Leia," Padmé told her gently. "He's been implicated as a Rebel sympathizer."
Leia sat down as she digested that. She was silent for a long time, making both her mother and aunt nervous. "What will happen to him?" she asked finally.
"I don't know," Padmé told her. "I imagine there will be a trial," she said, knowing what a travesty such a trial would be.
Leia nodded. "Did Dad arrest him?" she asked.
"I don't think so," Padmé replied. "He's still at the drive yards," she said.
"Right," Leia said.
Padmé was concerned over her daughter's lack of reaction, and looked at her sister briefly.
"Leia, honey, are you okay?" Sola asked, putting a hand on Leia's shoulder.
Leia looked at her aunt and nodded. "I think so, yes," she replied.
"This man was your father for ten years, Leia," Sola reminded her.
"He was never my father," Leia replied, bitterness creeping into her voice. "He lied to me, Aunt Sola; he told me my parents were dead. They both lied to me, and if my real father hadn't figured out who I was, I would have spent the rest of my life believing their lies."
"It's natural that you'd be angry, Leia," Padmé told her. "We were all lied to, all four of us."
Leia looked up at her mother. "It's so unfair," she said angrily. "Luke and me spent ten years apart," she continued. "And you," she added, "telling you that your babies had died…what kind of monster does that??" she cried.
Padmé had no answer for her daughter, for she shared her bitterness. And yet, Leia's anger concerned her. And worse, it reminded her of Leia's father.
"As far as I'm concerned he's getting what he deserves," Leia said finally, standing up. She left the room at this point, and ran down the hall to her room.
"I'm sorry," Sola said, "I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, it's okay," Padmé replied. "It was bound to come out. I'm more concerned about her reaction," she added with a frown.
"She's very angry," Sola said. "Not surprising, really."
Padmé shook her head. "No," she agreed. "But I've seen how dangerous anger can be," she added.
Sola nodded, an uneasy feeling creeping over her as she realized what Padmé was referring to. "I think you ought to talk to her father about this," she said finally. "Don't you?"
Padmé looked at her sister. "Yes," she replied at last. "I think you're right. I'll contact him tonight."
Star Destroyer Exactor
"Lord Vader, a word with you please," Captain Piett asked as Vader entered the bridge.
"Why haven't we left orbit yet?" Vader demanded.
"That was what I wished to discuss with you, sir," Piett replied nervously. "I remembered that the number four tractor beam projector is malfunctioning," he continued. "I thought that since we're here we might have it repaired."
Vader nodded, pleased that he'd had cause to promote the bright young officer. "Yes, an excellent idea, Piett," he said. "See to it once."
"Yes Milord," Piett replied, relieved that Vader approved of his plan.
"Keep up the good work, Captain," Vader replied as he left the bridge.
Piett was too astonished by the Dark Lord's praise to reply at once, for Vader was quite stingy with it. "Thank you, Lord Vader!" Piett called after him finally, finding his voice. He turned to his second in command, who seemed as shocked by Vader's praise as Piett himself was. "Carry on," Piett said, having discussed the plans with the officer earlier.
"Yes Captain," the lieutenant replied, and set to work at once.
Vader returned to his quarters to make a report to the emperor, hoping that his master would be pleased with his progress. It was Vader's hope that finally nailing Bail Organa would divert Palpatine's attention from the issue of Luke and Leia's blood tests, an issue that Vader had not yet found a solution to. There was simply no way he would let Palpatine know of the twins' inherent Force abilities, and had not dared to begin training them for that very reason. While Luke and Leia's abilities remained latent, Vader could shield them from Palaptine. But should they learn to use their powers, hiding them would be impossible. Giving the emperor falsified results was one option Vader had considered; giving him the blood of a non-Force sensitive was another. He knew that whatever he did the emperor would not be fooled indefinitely; but that didn't concern him. He was confident that by then he himself would be ready to take on his master and destroy him once and for all. All he needed was to be patient; and patience had never been one of Vader's strengths.
It was a pleasant surprise to find that Palpatine was not within communication range, and so Vader merely left his report for the emperor to peruse once he returned. As he scrolled down the inbox, another surprise awaited him: a message from his wife. He opened it at once, his heart aching with longing when he saw her face.
Hi, she began her uneasiness painfully clear. I guess you're off the ship…I just wanted to let you know that Leia has found out about Bail's arrest. Her reaction concerns me, and I could use some input. I don't know what your plans are, you left without telling me how long you'd be gone, but if you are nearby….she stopped, uncharacteristically uncomfortable with her own words. I know things were pretty ugly between us when you left, but I hope we can put that aside for Leia's sake. I regret some of the things I said, and I hope you're not still angry with me for saying them. Anyway, please contact me. Bye. Her image faded from view, and Vader sat for a moment as indecision and doubt beset him. Is she trying to reach out to me? Does she feel as horrible as I do about the way we parted? Clearly his wife needed him, and he was not about to let her down.
Turning in his chair, Vader hailed the bridge, and was greeted within seconds by Captain Piett.
"Repairs are under way, sir," Piett reported. "We should be ready to leave within the next twelve hours."
"Understood," Vader replied. "Something has come up, and I must return to Coruscant. You will deliver the prisoners to Dathomir, Piett. I will rendezvous with you there in forty-eight hours."
"Of course sir," Piett replied calmly. "Shall I prepare a long range shuttle for your use?"
"Yes," Vader replied. "At once. I want to leave within the hour."
"I'll see to it personally, sir," Piett replied. "Bridge out."
Vader closed the transmission and left his quarters, anxious to be underway back home.
Coruscant
Padmé returned home with Captain Kassel, having seen her sister off on the early transport back to Naboo. She had tried to convince Sola to take a few more days off of work, but Sola was unable to. Being a senior member of the firm she worked for was demanding and her presence was needed in Theed that afternoon. Padmé had been grateful for the time she'd shared with Sola, however, and the two sisters vowed to get together again soon.
The house seemed unusually empty when Padmé returned home now that Sola was gone and the twins were in school.
"Is there anything you need, Milady?" Kassel asked.
"No, thank you Captain," she replied as she entered the office. She hadn't heard back from Vader yet, and was growing anxious. Was he ignoring her? Was he so angry now that he simply stopped talking to her altogether?
Kassel stood in the doorway as she checked her messages, knowing exactly what she was hoping to see. When she didn't see it, he walked away, feeling badly for her. He wanted to speak his mind, wanted to tell her what he knew was true: that Darth Vader loved her more than anything in the universe and that since her return to his life he seemed more alive than he had in years. But it wasn't his place to say such things, so all he could do was think them, and hope that things worked out for both of them.
Padmé scrolled through the rest of the messages, most of which were for her husband. Having read the few that were for her, she turned off the screen and stood up, wondering how she would spend her day. Turning around she gasped in surprise, for Vader was standing in the doorway watching her.
