Chapter 21 – Cordiality and Compromise
"Is it how you remember?"
Leia gasped when she stepped into the office. It was as if she had been transported back in time. Her office was painted white in defiance of the oppressive black and greys which dominated the rest of the Senate complex. The circular room featured an elegant chrome desk with a swivel chair which were bathed in morning light from a broad set of curved windows along the opposite wall. The cedar floor gave off an aromatic scent which intoxicated her with nostalgia.
She scanned the entire room before glancing down at the carpet. Emblazoned in the felt was the insignia of the Alderaanian monarchy, the deep purple and silver looking especially prominent against the white backdrop.
"It's amazing," Leia said faintly. She took another step and kneeled down toward the carpet. Brushing her hands across the insignia, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath of its rich scent before looking back up at Vader. "How is it still here?" she asked. "When the Senate was dissolved –"
"I took the liberty of restoring it," Vader told her.
"You did?" Leia stood up and tilted her head at him. "But when did you even get the chance?"
"I had a few droids fix things up for you yesterday," he explained. With a wave of his hand, he sealed the door shut behind him. He then reached up and removed his helmet. He smiled, and his face was illuminated with a warm yet cautious endearment. "It's the least I could do," he said.
Leia reciprocated his smile until a twinge of uncertainty compelled her to look away. She was beginning to make quite a habit of smiling back at him. She was uniquely comfortable in Vader's company, and her long-suppressed femininity always seemed to come out whenever they were together. She struggled against those impulses. They made her feel weak. Vulnerable.
"There's one more thing I'd like to show you."
Leia was absently running her finger along the surface of her desk when she looked back up at Vader. "What's that?" she asked.
Vader pushed his cape aside and reached to his belt. "If I'm going to train you, it would makes sense for you to have this." Leia's eyes widened when he produced a lightsaber and offered it to her.
"Where did you get that?" she asked, not recognizing the hilt. "You didn't make it, did you?"
"Oh no," Vader said. "I did repair it, however."
"You did?"
"Go on. Take it."
Leia did as he asked. The hilt was smoother and lighter than the one she was familiar with. It fit better in her small hands, but even so, she would have felt more comfortable with the other blade.
"What happened to my lightsaber?" she asked.
Vader arched an eyebrow. "You mean my lightsaber?" he corrected.
"Sure," she said, rolling her eyes. "Why can't I have that one back?"
Vader's expression turned stern. "I am gifting you a lightsaber," he said. "Is this not good enough?"
"Of course!" she said at once. "It's just… I'm curious, that's all."
Vader nodded, but she could tell she had upset him. "I don't want you using that weapon," he said definitively.
"Why not?"
"It doesn't matter," Vader snapped. "You will use this one instead. Is that clear?"
Leia shied away from him. "Yes," she said in a mousy voice.
A flash of remorse passed Vader's face. He cleared his throat and attempted an apology. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have –"
"It's okay," Leia interrupted. "I should have been more grateful." The pair looked at each other silently for a few moments before Leia decided to push ahead. "So, um… where did this come from?" she asked.
"It belonged to my previous student," Vader said solemnly.
Leia's eyes widened. "This is Ahsoka's?"
Vader shook his head. "Not anymore," he said. "It belongs to you now."
Leia pursed her lips and considered a diplomatic way to voice her qualm with this. "But… won't Ahsoka want this back?" she asked.
"This lightsaber hasn't belonged to her in over twenty years," Vader dismissed. "Believe me, she won't be missing it."
"I know that. I just feel like… it doesn't feel like mine."
Vader furrowed his brow as he considered this. "I understand," he said. Leia exhaled in relief that she hadn't upset him any further than she already had. "You want your own weapon."
"I… I guess," Leia said. In reality, all she wanted was her old lightsaber, but Vader had made it explicitly clear that she wasn't going to get that back.
"In time, my young apprentice," Vader said with a half-smile. Once again, Leia found herself smiling as well before quickly wiping it from her face. Why did she keep doing that? "You still have much to learn. The construction of a lightsaber is a sacred task for which you are not yet prepared."
"I understand," Leia said, although she didn't really. Above all else, she was glad that Vader trusted her enough to give her a lightsaber. The fact that it wasn't the one she wanted ought to be irrelevant.
She made to clip Ahsoka's lightsaber to her belt when she realized her mistake. "I don't have anywhere to keep this," she told Vader. The elegant blue and green dress which Padmé had chosen for her was beautiful, yes, but it had none of the utilities which she was accustomed to; she had neither pockets nor a belt.
Only then did it dawn on her that she had been unarmed up to this point. For the past three years, she had always made sure that she kept at least one weapon on her person at all times. With Vader, however, Leia had begun to experience something she hadn't felt in ages: security. All of a sudden, she was free from fear. How incredible!
"I will hold on to it for you," Vader said, and Leia remarkably had no objection. She was willing to hand over her one weapon to Darth Vader himself! And why shouldn't she be? Her father wouldn't let anything bad happen to her, of this she was certain. "Shall we get going?" Vader asked once he had taken the lightsaber back and returned it to his belt. "The Rebel delegation should be waiting for us."
She didn't even try to stop herself from smiling this third time around. "I'm ready," she said. "Let's go."
Luke was pacing back and forth agitatedly in the living room. Leia and Vader had departed for the Senate building a few minutes ago, and now he had a chance to talk with his mother about their next course of action.
"I just don't understand why you don't want to tell her," he said, not for the first time.
Padmé was seated on the couch a few feet away. Her tired eyes were fixated on her lap rather than on him. She hadn't seemed to hear his question. He was going to reiterate it, but he stopped himself. There was something about his mother's demeanor which seemed almost… fragile. As if she could break at any moment. He wasn't used to seeing her like this. In the short time he had known her, he had always thought of his mother as being one of the strongest people he had ever known.
"You asked me if I see him in you," Padmé said suddenly. Surprised, Luke ceased pacing and turned to her. She looked up, and Luke saw the dejection in her eyes. "I told you that I didn't." A long pause followed before she finally said: "I lied."
"No you didn't," Luke said at once. "I saw what he did. I'm nothing like that."
Padmé shook her head and sighed. "There are two men in that suit," she said. "The one I loved and the one I hate."
Luke could scarcely believe that she was making this admission. Why now, of all times?
"You and Anakin have that same charm, that same… beauty." Padmé looked away and smiled wanly. "I saw it, but I chose not to recognize it. Leia's right about me. I am a liar. Not only to others, but to myself."
"Why are you saying this?" Luke asked as he took a step toward the couch.
Padmé melancholy smile ebbed away when she met his gaze. "I love you not just because you are my son, but because you are his son too," she said. "You're so much like him, Luke. You represent all that was good about him."
Luke tried to object, but he stopped himself when he realized the hypocrisy. Now he was the one lying to himself. He had asked his mother that question because he had already known the answer. He had known that he and his father were more alike than they were different in spite of the color of their lightsabers. Yet Padmé had denied it then. In the light of what he now knew, Luke wanted to deny it as well, but it wouldn't make it any less true.
"Leia sees you in Anakin just like I see Anakin in you," Padmé continued. "The only difference is she's not deluded enough to deny it." She closed her eyes and rested her hands on top of her knees. "I don't want to take that away from her. I don't want to ruin Anakin for her like I have for you."
"So you don't want her to know the truth?" Luke asked. "You don't want her to know that he tried to kill you?"
Padmé's expression turned strained. "I… I don't know what I want," she said.
Luke took another step toward her. "I know what you don't want," he said. Padmé opened her eyes and gave him an inquisitive look. "You don't want us to be his prisoner."
"I don't," she agreed.
"You want us to get away from him."
"I… I do."
"Then tell her!" Luke exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "Vader trusts Leia! He lets her out of this prison! If only she knew –"
"No," Padmé said at once. "She can't know."
Luke's hands dropped back to his sides. "I don't understand," he said in exasperation.
Padmé didn't answer him. Instead, she looked away once again and began chewing on her lower lip. Based on that expression, Luke was fairly sure she didn't understand either.
Leia and Vader came to a stop outside the entrance to the conference room where the negotiations with the Rebel Alliance were taking place. Vader's hand hovered over the control panel, yet he looked down at her first before opening the door.
"Ready?" he asked. His voice was deep and unfamiliar to her on account of the mask. She hated that he had to wear that thing. It hid the man whom she knew to be her father and replaced him with a faceless monster.
"Ready," she said upon pushing aside these thoughts.
The door opened and she and Vader strode into the conference room side by side. It was a bleak, cavernous space. Featureless grey walls and a spotless black table were the sole features of the austere room. Seated on the end closest to them was a man whom she recognized to be Mas Amedda, the former Vice Chair of the Senate and the Emperor's second hand man. Leia didn't spare Amedda any thought, however. Instead, she locked eyes with the shocked senator who was seated at the opposite end of the table next to Admiral Ackbar. Based on her incredulous eyes and slackened jaw, it seemed Mothma had not been informed that Leia would be participating in this meeting.
"Forgive me for being unable to attend the other day," Vader said to the room. "I had a matter of urgent importance which I was forced to address."
"No worries, Lord Vader," Amedda said, spinning around in his chair and standing up to give him a bow. "Negotiations were halted until you could join us." Amedda's expression faltered when he noticed Leia standing next to Vader.
"Princess Leia will be accompanying me to all future meetings with the Rebellion," Vader informed the perplexed Vice Chair. He then looked up at Mothma and Ackbar. "I assume this will not be objectionable to you?" he asked them.
Mothma blinked a few times in rapid succession. "I, um… no, of course not," she stammered.
Vader nodded and walked around Amedda toward the left end of the table. He stopped to pull out a chair and looked over at her. "Take a seat, princess," he instructed.
Humor bubbled up within her and Leia had to suppress a laugh when she saw Mothma's deepening expression of bewilderment. Striding over toward the chair, Leia thanked Vader before sitting down.
"I assume the Vice Chair informed you of the nature of this meeting," Vader said once he walked away and began pacing back toward the head of the table.
"He did," Ackbar said, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Then you know that the Empire is willing to make peace with the Rebellion."
"The Alliance cannot be sure of your intentions, Lord Vader," Mothma said, emphasizing the difference in nomenclature.
"Then allow me to clarify," Vader said as he passed Amedda and began slowly walking down the opposite end of the table. "The Emperor's… untimely death was a tragedy for the entire galaxy." He paused to glance at her, and Leia could practically see the smirk on his face through the mask. "Without his leadership, the Empire which he founded has fallen into disarray. I am sure that you are already well informed about the subject of which I am referring."
"Gideon," Ackbar said.
"Amongst others, but yes," Vader said as he resumed pacing around the table. Ackbar and Mothma both stiffened when Vader walked behind them. Leia watched with begrudging appreciation. Vader clearly knew how to maximize the benefits of his threatening persona.
"The majority of the Moffs which held the galaxy together are acting independently from our bureaucracy here on Imperial Center," Amedda said from the head of the table.
"I fail to see how this has anything to do with the Alliance," Mothma said. She craned her head back to look at Vader directly. "If you want to recruit our armed forces to your cause, I can tell you that the answer is an emphatic no."
Vader didn't make eye contact with Mothma as he continued onward to complete his lap around the table. Finally, he came to a stop behind Leia's chair. "That is exactly what I am asking of you," he said.
Mothma and Ackbar looked at each other. "Then I guess we're done here," Ackbar said. When he made to stand up, however, Vader raised a hand menacingly.
"We're not done until I say we're done."
The room froze as Vader's words infused a paralytic chill into the air. Even Leia found herself gulping in fear, although not for herself but for her colleagues. Nevertheless, she knew Vader wouldn't hurt them. This display was merely for show. It was supremely effective, however.
Vader resumed speaking after a tense silence. "The Imperial Navy has disintegrated," he said. "I have maintained direct control over a few capital ships and a handful of stormtrooper divisions, but other than that I am powerless. The remaining admirals have either sided with the Moffs or have gone off on their own."
"This seems like a problem for the Empire, not the Alliance," Mothma said.
"This is a problem for the galaxy," Vader countered.
Mothma shook her head. "This is a waste of our time, Lord Vader," she said. "If you are not going to propose any sort of compromises –"
"Perhaps you should listen to what the princess has to say," he interrupted. Mothma frowned and looked away from Vader toward her. Her gaze gravitated up toward the bruise on Leia's forehead, something she evidently had not noticed until now. "The floor is yours, princess," Vader told her.
"Thank you, Lord Vader," Leia said as she rested her hands on the table in front of her. "Senator Mothma, I suggest that you reconsider Lord Vader's proposal."
Mothma arched an eyebrow. "And why would I do that?" she asked.
"Because he is willing to fulfill your every demand if you cooperate."
Mothma's eyes widened. Before she could speak, however, Amedda interjected. "That's preposterous!" he exclaimed. "We are not willing to –"
"Silence, Vice Chair," Vader snapped, and Amedda's blue face turned a ghostly white. "You will allow the princess to speak."
Leia looked up at Vader and nodded appreciatively. "As I was saying, the Empire is more than willing to compromise," she said, returning her attention to Mothma. "As Lord Vader sees it, the Empire is inextricably connected with its founder. With Palpatine dead, the Empire can no longer exist as it once had."
Mothma considered this for a few moments. "I concur," she said eventually. Her expression turned inquisitive as she glanced up at Vader. "So what does Lord Vader propose?" she asked.
"What Lord Vader and I are jointly proposing is a restructuring of the Imperial apparatus," Leia said with a frown. "The restoration of the Senate would of course be our top priority. We intend to restore stability and revive the democratic institutions which the Emperor abolished."
"On the condition that you would contribute your forces to our shared cause," Vader added.
"Of course," Leia agreed. "On that condition."
Neither Mothma nor Ackbar spoke as they contemplated the proposal. Feeling Amedda's furious eyes on her, Leia turned to give him a look. He sneered, but Leia was undeterred. With Vader on her side, there was nothing Amedda could do.
"We are not yet willing to commit to anything without first consulting the rest of the Alliance's leadership," Mothma said finally. Despite this noncommittal answer, Leia could tell that Mothma was intrigued by the offer Leia had presented. Her eyes darted up to Vader and she hesitated. "Forgive me if this is not my position to ask, but how did the… affiliation between the princess and yourself come to be?"
"Our affiliation is none of your concern, senator," Vader said coolly. "The princess is a neutral party in these negotiations. Her purpose is to help facilitate a settlement between the Empire and the Rebellion."
"I see," Mothma said.
"And she has done an admirable job, has she not?" Vader asked. Leia felt herself blushing at the pride in his voice.
Mothma was clearly confused by the question. "Um… yes," she said. "She certainly has."
Vader placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze before walking away. "Consult with your colleagues, senator," he instructed. "I will allow you two days to mull things over." He came to a stop by the door and turned around. "I assume this is fair?"
"We will require at least three days," Ackbar demanded.
"Very well," Vader folded. "Three days it is." He stared intently at Mothma and Ackbar for a few moments before shifting his gaze to Leia. "Time to go," he said.
Leia nodded. Pushing her chair out, she extended her hand to Mothma as both women stood up. "This is the right thing to do," she told her.
Mothma shook Leia's hand and offered no response to this. Leia could sense the senator's unease. No doubt, she was baffled by this turn of events.
"I look forward to seeing you in three days," Leia said upon releasing Mothma's hand. "Admiral," she added with a nod toward Ackbar. With that, she spun around and departed. The door opened, and she and her father walked out of the conference room side by side.