Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Star Wars franchise. This is a non-profit piece of work made solely for the purpose of entertainment.
Piecing Together the Truth
Chapter 1
The first thing Leia noticed as awareness slowly came to her was the noise. She felt like she was sleepwalking through a dream, slowly drawn back to reality by a gradually increasing buzz of sound. Even with her brain still feeling as though it was filled to the brim with cotton wool, the hustle and bustle of the crowded street slowly grew in volume as her mind cleared. Almost suddenly, the air around her was filled with shouting as vendors hawked their wares at the top of their voices and customers bartered aggressively, and she flinched instinctively at the intrusiveness of it all.
Blinking rapidly, Leia turned her head around and surveyed her unfamiliar surroundings with a look of wide-eyed panic. Instead of the cold and clinical corridors of the Imperial monstrosity she had been on only moments ago, now she stood in the middle of a crowded street market on some unknown planet. The sudden disorienting change in her location caused her stomach to churn nauseously, and behind the strange veil she now appeared to be wearing she knew that she was probably turning slightly green.
Unaware of her rising heart rate and distress, humanoids and other species jostled and pushed past her, some of them shooting her looks of poorly concealed irritation for the fact she was standing stationary and partially blocking the narrow alley between the market stalls instead of moving with the crowd. Stuttering out an apology, she managed to stumble out of the way, completely lacking the graceful stride that had been drilled into her by her aunts since she had taken her first steps.
Spotting an empty bench, Leia gratefully sank onto it focussing her gaze on the floor and gulping large breaths of air as she tried to make sense of what was happening while concentrating on not rejecting what little there was in her stomach. She couldn't afford to panic and make a scene, she told herself, she needed to focus and work out what had happened. Thankfully as more time passed and she adjusted to her radically changed circumstances, her breaths evened out and the nausea faded.
With her near panic attack averted, Leia looked back up again and tried to decipher where she was. While she had travelled widely as a senator, her visits had mostly been confined to official buildings at the heart of each planet's capital. This town with its dilapidated buildings and collection of various species could have belonged to any number of planets, and no matter how much she looked around she did not feel a single spark of recognition.
With a frown creasing the skin between her eyebrows, Leia wracked her brains trying to think of what could have happened. The last thing she remembered was being on the Death Star and an unbearable feeling of dread as two imperial soldiers escorted her to a detention cell, her mind already conjuring up a thousand different scenarios that Vader might put her through in his goal to extract the location of the rebel base. The thought of the interrogation brought with it a horrifying suggestion that chilled her to the bone. Perhaps she wasn't truly in an unknown marketplace but still trapped in a cell, with a drug running through her veins that was interfering with her perception of her surroundings. This could all be some elaborate ruse designed to make her give up the location, and even now they might be watching on and expecting her to run straight to Yavin. It seemed rather unlikely, but what alternative explanation did she have for her sudden relocation?
Hardening her resolve not to make any move that might compromise the rebellion, Leia paused in her considerations of Vader's manipulations as she noticed her odd attire. She had already spotted the veil that covered her eyes and face earlier, but with everything else she had been taking in at the time it had slipped her mind, and only now that she was focussing on it could she feel the pins that carefully tied the veil to her hair. The fabric was double-sided, she realised, and while she was able to look out and see everything around her, no one else was able to look in and see her face. Vaguely she remembered that the secretive humanoids of the planet Grix wore such garments as part of their belief that their faces and bodies should only be seen by close family members. Glancing down, Leia noticed that in additional to the traditional veil she also wore the hooded, ankle-length robe favoured by the Grix.
Dressed as she was, not only was she completely unidentifiable as the Princess of Alderaan, but she also could not even be positively identified even as a woman. It seemed an odd attire for her to wear if her entire situation was manufactured, although in the past she had always mused on the potential benefits of disguising herself as a Grix during missions. There were times when it was useful for no one to realise Leia Organa was in their midst, and it was considered incredibly rude to ask a Grix to uncover their face. Despite this, it was not something she had ever had the chance to put into practice.
Feeling somewhat recovered from her shock, Leia tried to figure out what she should do. She still didn't have a clue where she was, and in her current disguise she could not really ask anyone since the Grix were also notoriously silent and the moment she uttered a sound she would give herself away as an imposter. Manufactured system or not, she did not want to find out what the consequences of that would be.
Dropping her hands to her sides, Leia started in surprise as her thumb brushed against a distinct texture change in the robe she was wearing. Slipping her hand into the pocket she had not noticed before, she felt several familiar and unfamiliar shapes and started to retrieve them, laying them across her lap so she could investigate what she had found. She quickly re-pocketed the credits she found after a furtive glance around to make sure no one else had spotted her removing them, and then focussed her attention on the remaining items. Two in particular caught her attention- a key card and a receipt telling her that a woman called Rowenna had paid in advance for three nights at some non-descript hotel. She had used Rowenna as a pseudonym before and so with any luck, Leia thought to herself, the hotel would be nearby and she could maybe get some more answers. The only issue would be finding the place.
Leia resigned herself to a long, silent search and stood up from the bench with a quiet sigh, still looking around for any tell-tale signs that she was in some sort of simulation. She had heard that such drug-induced dreams always had flaws, subtle little things that indicated something wrong about the reality currently inhabited. So far she had not seen anything completely out of the ordinary, apart from the obvious, but there was still potential that something would pop out that she hadn't noticed before.
Moving away from the busier parts of the market place, Leia frowned up at a street sign. It was written in basic, but did not give her any indication of whether it was nearer or further away from her destination.
"Are you lost?" The sudden voice made her jump, and she spun around to face the speaker. It was a human stall-holder, set slightly apart from the rest. The products he was selling appeared to be some sort of unappetising, and potentially rotting fruit. Appearances could be deceptive, but more convincingly there were no customers anywhere near his stall. He did not give off any particularly threatening vibe, and after some hesitation Leia fished out the receipt and folded it so only the name of the hotel was showing. Remembering her disguise, she wordlessly held up the flimsi which he scrutinised briefly.
"That's not that far away." The man commented gruffly. "I can take you there... if you can pay that is." He gave her a shrewd enterprising gaze, although with the traditional Grix attire there was no way for him to know if she could afford the no doubt extortionate price for directions. Under the robes she could be richly adorned or dressed in rags, and at this point not even she was sure which it would be. Leia gave an exaggerated nod, knowing that increasing the movement was necessary for it to be visible to an outsider.
"I need some proof you can pay." He said pointedly. Rolling her eyes, Leia fished out some of the credits from her pocket and held them in view, rapidly pulling them away when he reached forward eagerly. "You'll pay me when you get there?" He guessed, and she nodded again. He muttered something likely unpleasant under his breath, but with a brief hand gesture that she should follow he began walking away.
They were not travelling for long before Leia noticed a building with the hotel name emblazoned on the front. She had been a little concerned that the man was planning on taking her to some back alley and stealing the credits from her, and she blushed at the realisation that she had misjudged him. He may have been money-grubbing, but he had faithfully brought her to her to where she needed to be.
"Here we are." He announced. "Credits?" He had not ever stated an exact amount, and the number of credits she handed over were perhaps more generous that really necessary, a gesture to compensate for her less-than-fair expectations of his nature. His eyes widened at the amount and he grinned openly.
"Thanks! You ever need a guide around this shit-hole, you just call your friend Drake and I'll show you all the best sites in Oberon."
Once again Leia was absurdly grateful for the veil she wore as it concealed the surprise she was sure would have been evident on her face. It was nice to put a name to her current location, and one that she was at least vaguely familiar with. She had heard of Oberon before, mostly as a place not to be visited by reputable individuals unless they were unfortunate enough to have relative that lived there. It was infamous throughout the galaxy as a hedonist's dream, a place you could buy any poison you preferred. The company of men or women or both, drugs that could bring you to the highest of highs, every conceivable brand and bottle of alcohol, body modifications and enhancements- both legal and illegal. Leia could not fathom why she would choose to visit it, in reality or in this potential simulation. Nor could she conceive of a reason for why Vader would think such a location would lead her to revealing the location of the rebel base.
Realising that Drake was still looking at her expectantly for a response of some sort, she held out her right hand and after a brief pause he took it, shaking it enthusiastically. "I'll see you around." He said before departing, a light spring in his step from the credits he had earned. Leia smiled after him for a moment before the cheer left her and she remembered the situation that she was in. The small kindness of a stranger had been helpful however it had not changed the strange scenario she found herself in. At least she now had one answer- where. She still lacked a what, when, how and why, but it was a start at least.
Leia walked into the hotel lobby with some trepidation. It was a clean enough place- neat, functional and likely not expensive. The latter she had already determined from seeing how much she had paid for her stay on the receipt. The staff working at the desk sent her a brief look as she entered, but seemed as though they recognised the Grix staying with them and stopped paying her attention. The receipt had also given the room number she was staying in, and luckily the lobby was well enough labelled that she was able to make her way there without needing to ask for directions.
The key card let her in without a problem and Leia walked in, fully expecting the room to trigger some memories that might explain to her why she was on Oberon, and she was forced to push away her disappointment when no such memories were forthcoming. The room was as uninspiring as the price tag indicated. All the necessary furniture was there, but there were no additional touches of decoration or items purely for comfort rather than functionality. It was certainly miles away from anywhere she had stayed before.
That alone might not have been enough to cause worry, but there were other features of the room that made her shift uncomfortably. She had always been fastidiously neat - always putting all her possessions in their proper place without delay. Yes, there had always been servants at the palace to do it for her but her parents have not been the type to raise a spoilt princess who expected everyone to clean up after her. This room did not look like one she was staying in, and Leia felt her nose wrinkle in annoyance and confusion. The bed sheets were rumpled and unmade, and there were items of clothing liberally scattered across the bedroom, draped over the bed posts and strewn across the floor.
Brushing aside her irritation, Leia made quick work of collecting the items and folding them into a small and neat pile. Based on their crumpled appearance, these clothes had been worn and they were as unfamiliar to her as the state of the room was. Her usual attire had always consisted of some form of white dress, and none of the items were white let alone dresses. Everything she found was clearly designed for the purpose of comfort and ease of movement rather than fashion, and all of it was a rather eclectic collection of tops and pants which most definitely did not match in any combination. Her aunts would have thrown a fit if they ever saw her wearing any of it.
In addition to the items thrown across the room, Leia also managed to spot a small holdall bag at the base of the bed which had previously been hidden by a blouse in a shocking shade of red. The contents did not help her feel any more at ease- there were more credits but also more unrecognisable but clean clothes, and a rather large and extensive set of makeup. She had worn makeup before, but usually light amounts to enhance her beauty. The makeup she found in the bag was almost theatrical- bright and ostentatious colours of lipstick and eyeshadow she would never have dared to wear in a public, and copious quantities of foundation. None of the foundation matched her naturally pale skin-tone, it all seemed a shade or two darker and in large enough quantities that she could have covered her entire body in the stuff several times over.
Trying to understand why she would have all these things was enough to give her a headache and she found herself shutting the bag before she could investigate it further in order to try to refocus her thoughts. This room seemed to belong to a total stranger, and for a while she allowed herself to entertain the idea that the room key and receipt in her pocket had belonged to someone else whose possessions she was now riffling through without any care for their personal privacy.
Leia sat down on the rumpled bed with a heavy sigh and pushed the veil out of the way so she could tiredly rub at her eyes. She cast her eyes about the room again, hoping that some answer would pop out and explain everything to her but it didn't. One item in the hotel room that she had not previously seen did make her pause uncomfortably, a hard lump coming to her throat as she froze in place and realised that this was most definitely not a stranger's room. At first glance it seemed innocuous enough- an innocent piece of flimsi on the bedside table. On closer inspection it was considerably more sinister. Official imperial letterhead flimsi with handwritten notes in what was unmistakably her elaborate handwriting. A numbered list with five names, two familiar three not. Each crossed out with one deliberate and final pen stroke.
Important Author's Note: Three main points to bring up. 1. This story is written so that readers experience the events as the characters do, you are welcome to post your theories in the comments but I will not confirm or deny them. 2. This story is canon-divergent, but bear in mind that I have tried to write this as though all the resulting events have come from one major (and one minor) change. 3. I am not well-versed in Star Wars lore, I am borrowing some elements from the books but it is likely I will make mistakes. If you spot one, let me know and I will correct it. I hope you enjoy!