Cafeteria
Rebel Base
Ryloth
"So you seriously believe that Emperor Palpatine is willing to step down as leader of the galaxy?" Leia demanded incredulously.
Luke glanced at his father, then at Tano, "Yes?"
"He started the Clone Wars and manipulated his way to the position of Emperor. He built a Death Star and destroyed Alderaan. He enslaved the Wookiees of Kashyyk and is responsible for the murder of billions. And now he's just going to give up all that power and authority?"
"It was largely Malvos, Princess," Vader replied formally. "His brother was indeed manipulating him, and by extension the rest of the galaxy."
"Truth is," Ahsoka said insouciantly, wandering around in search of food, "I think Palpatine is totally sick of the whole thing. He is kind of an odd duck now. It is strange interacting with him 'cause he's still freaky smart and incredibly strong with the Force, but he acts more like a child in some ways. I think his emotional development was frozen about the time his brother began controlling him."
"What's a duck?" Luke inquired in bewilderment.
"It's a water fowl," his sister explained absently. "You would definitely not see such a creature on Tatooine. So ... um ... I don't quite know how to address you three. You say that you are Emperor's Hands?"
"Yes," Brilani agreed with a nod.
"So what do you think about Emperor Palpatine? Did you work with him closely? Do you think he's changed?"
Aralina exchanged a quick glance with her twin, "He has definitely changed, Princess Leia, though honestly we didn't see a lot of him. He usually gave us orders through one of the nasty overseers who have now disappeared in delightful fashion. Mara Jade can you tell more about Palpatine himself. I think it is pretty clear that she was the silver child among the Hands."
Jade looked up irritably from the cup of powdered caf that she was moodily stirring, "I was not."
"You most certainly were," Brilani argued. "Not that that was a good thing for you, I'm just saying you actually interacted with Palpatine fairly often, unlike Ara and me and every other Hand I've talked to."
"I thought I was the only Hand until a few weeks ago," Mara said quietly.
"I didn't know that!" Luke said in a surprised tone.
"Yes," the redhead ground out. "I thought I was special. I was even stupid enough to imagine that the Emperor cared for me; not in an affectionate way, but as a valuable member of his government. Now I find that I was just a random pawn on a dejarik board."
"You were a slave, as were all the Hands. As were the Inquisitors. As was I."
This gloomy pronouncement from the tall, scarred man next to Luke caused the temperature in the room to plunge, especially for the Force Sensitives.
"There is truth to that," Ahsoka stated solemnly, "but that is over. I realize you don't know me, Princess Leia, but I am still in the Light and still very much opposed to the Empire in its current form. Palpatine has changed significantly. Indeed, he is now a Light Sider."
Han sighed even as he placed an arm around Leia. The movement caused Vader to straighten in outrage, which in turn caused Luke to elbow his father firmly in the side.
"Leave them alone," he ordered through their mind link.
The cyborg hesitated with a grimace on his face, then forced himself to relax.
"Very well," he grumbled back at his son.
"Well, as lovely as it is to see you all, you'd better get back on your ship. We'll take care of the freed slaves from Jabba's Palace, and I'll make a report to Alliance High Command," Leia said.
She hesitated, then leaned forward to grasp her twin's hands in her own, "Luke, are you sure you won't stay with us?"
Again, Vader stiffened but his son spoke quickly, "No, Leia. You know I love you, but my place is with Father right now. I hope we can talk more frequently but you have an Alliance to help run, and I need to assist in dismantling a corrupt Empire from the inside out."
His sister sighed and nodded, "I think you are kind of crazy, but I understand."
"Princess Leia," Vader intoned suddenly. "I would like Ahsoka Tano to stay with you and teach you the ways of the Force."
Leia blinked at her giant cyborg father and then turned her attention on Tano, who was cheerfully eating a ration bar.
"Have you asked her?" she demanded pointedly of Vader.
"Yep, he did," Ahsoka mumbled with her mouth full.
"Snips, please show a little decorum. Have you not heard that you should swallow your food before speaking?"
"Oh please," Tano grumbled even as she slugged down a glass of recycled water, "I assure you I was far too busy dodging Imperials and bounty hunters to worry about such niceties. You've obviously been coddled these last twenty years."
"Coddled," Vader repeated dangerously, his exposed face showing narrowed blue eyes. "Coddled."
"Yeah. All those people genuflecting before you … it's embarrassing to even think about. I mean for a Jedi or even a big, bad, stupid ..."
"The question is," Luke interrupted firmly, "whether you want Ahsoka with you, Leia. I think it's a great idea. She's fun, she's smart, she's talented, a good teacher, and she is great with her twin blades of terror."
"She will keep you safe," Vader stated starkly. "You live a hazardous life."
"What about Luke?" Leia asked practically. "He's the one hanging out on Imperial Center, the target of ire of every Imperial who lost someone on the Death Star."
"We'll keep him safe," Aralina Silk cooed dramatically.
Leia glared at her, "Don't you go making any moves on my innocent, naive brother."
"I am not …" Luke began.
"I wouldn't dream of it, your Highness," Ara replied cheerfully. "Your brother is a great guy, but his father is up there on scary people I have met. I wouldn't want to get on his bad side in a permanent way."
"And I can make my own decisions about romance …"
"He's so young," Leia explained wrapping an arm around her brother, "plus he comes from a total backdesert. I am trusting you three Hands to keep him safe from any rapacious females ... and yourselves, OK?"
Luke groaned aloud.
/
Dingy Theater
Sublevel 4
Non-Human District
Imperial City
The next evening
"So you really have the credits, Trader Smish?" the theater owner asked dubiously.
Sheev Palpatine gazed benevolently at the Bothan.
"Will this be sufficient?" he inquired, pushing a credit chip over to the alien.
Director Hont of the North Side Players looked at the credit chip, read the amount, and felt his head swim.
"Is this ... this some kind of joke?" he stammered.
Palpatine took a deep, patient breath. He wasn't used to people asking him questions except as carefully worded requests for clarification of orders.
"Yes, indeed. I have done very well for myself these last decades trading in the Outer Rim territories. I now wish to sink some of my profits into your theater group."
"I'll be honest, sir. The play has not done well in the last several years. At this point, I seriously doubt that it will make a profit; indeed there is a significant chance that you will lose all your credits."
Palpatine waved a casual hand, admiring his black and purple painted fingernails in the process, "I have the credits to lose, Director. The Shaak Trap is a North End institution! Do not worry your furry head about it."
"You are entirely certain?"
"I am, though I do have a request?"
Director Hont looked nervous, "Yes?"
"I would like a part in the play."
Now Hont looked terrified, "A part? Do you have any acting experience, sir?"
"Only pretending to be a benevolent Chancellor of the Old Republic while engineering a war and taking over the galaxy as Emperor," he thought, but did not say.
"Entirely amateur," he did say. "I was thinking perhaps the droid butler? It only has two or three lines. And I do have my business concerns so I would only want to act in the occasional matinee."
The Bothan's Force sense cheered immediately, "By all means. May I ask, and I do this with all respect, sir, is your hair naturally purple?"
"Ah, no," Palpatine replied cheerfully. "I rotate colors depending on my mood."
"Like Relinka Spetzv, the Holonet Host," Hont replied helpfully.
"Exactly."
/
Imperial Holonet Studio #3
1 week later
"Good morning, your Highness," Relinka Spetz gushed with a weird mixture of terror, bubbly enthusiasm, and nervous energy.
"Host Spetzv, it is wonderful to see you today," the Emperor replied cheerfully. "I like your hair color very much."
Relinka relaxed a little and patted her aquamarine curls, "Thank you, your Highness!"
"Well, to business," Palpatine said briskly. "I have another appointment soon. This young man at my side is my son, Trey Palpatine."
Relinka's eyes flared open and she choked on her own breath. She struggled to clear her airway so she could respond to this proton bomb shell announcement.
"Your ... your son?" she finally managed to squeak out.
"Quite. And I am immensely proud of him!" Palpatine stated fiercely, placing a loving arm around Trey, who was looking rather dazed.
"Of course you are ..."
"His mother was a lady of the night who tragically died when Trey was but a child. Then I lost track of him for years! I just found him recently. He's a brilliant politician. I flatter myself that he got that from me."
"Of course ..."
"I am old, so I am going to start transitioning power to my son."
Again, Relinka felt a strong urge to cough in shock, but this time she managed to suppress it, "Transition power, your Highness?"
"Yes, do try to keep up, Relinka! I am quite tired of ruling the galaxy day in and day out. Of course, I won't just dump the whole job on Trey immediately, but he'll start attending dull meetings for me, won't you, Son?"
Trey, who had been looking stunned, sat up suddenly, his eyes bright with enthusiasm, "Yes, Father!"
"I do wish to speak of security a bit," Palpatine continued casually even as he pushed a button on his watch. A moment later, the door to the studio slid open and the two meter hulking form of Darth Vader strode in, complete with flowing black cape, menacing helmet, and seriously annoying respirator noises.
"Lord Vader had kindly agreed to spend much of his spare time watching over Trey, to keep him safe. I need hardly say, but I will say it anyway, that anyone who targets my son will regret it very, very, very quickly."
The Emperor lifted his hands and pointed his (less gnarled than before) fingers toward the wall. A moment later, Force Lightning arced from his fingertips and hit the wall before meandering over to a pile of studio equipment tidily stacked out of sight behind a large potted plant. The equipment in question promptly blew up, causing a loud bang and a small fire.
Relinka began shrieking even as the Emperor, his son, and Darth Vader rose to their feet to leave the studio.
"My apologies!" the former Darth Sidious called over his shoulder as the sprinklers came on and he exited stage left.
"More acting experience," he thought to himself with a smile.
/
"Escort my son back to the Palace, Lord Vader," Palpatine instructed even as he shot a hunted glance at his chrono. His theater group was meeting very soon and while he had long enjoyed making people wait on his pleasure, in his alter ego as Trader Smish he would not wish to be late to the first practice.
"Of course, your Highness," Vader replied.
Trey walked onto the shuttle with the black monolith in tow. The two settled in adjacent seats and waited for lift off. The moment the ship was in the air, the armored figure reached up black gloved hand and took off his helmet with a sigh of relief.
"Better, Captain Vitra?" Trey inquired sympathetically.
"Yes, your Highness," the Captain replied with a sigh. "It is heavy, and I am aware that the real Lord Vader's helmet was far heavier since he actually had life support components within."
Trey Palpatine wrinkled a worried brow, "I hope that you do not find your new assignment especially burdensome, Captain."
"Not at all, sir, not at all!" the Captain hastened to assure his young charge. "It is a little odd to be in a situation where my immense height is truly of service to the Empire, but I am truly honored. I do confess that I would not like to be in a situation where you are actually attacked. This lightsaber prop looks real enough, but of course it is useless."
"No one has attacked Lord Vader on Imperial Center in 16 years," Trey replied authoritatively. "I read several reports on this matter in the last few days. Lord Vader had to fight for his authority in the early years of his service to my father, but now people are mostly just terrified of him. Reasonably so. He scares me, frankly."
"I am certain he will not harm you in any way, your Highness," Vitra said doubtfully.
"He won't," Trey agreed, "because he more or less worships the ground his son Luke walks on, and Luke and I are good friends."
"That is excellent, your Highness."
/
Author Note: My apologies for the long delay in updating this story. I didn't know where to go with it and then I realized, um, I've pretty much wrapped up any conflict so it just needs to end! So there will be one, maybe two more chapters, probably one. Thank you so much for your patience with my slow pace! Thank you to my husband who has edited so faithfully.
Also, Captain Vitra is from an earlier chapter. Vader encountered him and was astonished to meet an Imperial Captain as tall as he is.