Darth Vader was well aware how far his daughter had fallen. He remembered clearly his own fall. He remembered each swing of his own saber as he cut down the younglings in the Jedi Council chamber. They'd been helpless, they'd thought he'd been there to save them….
When he'd sensed the explosion of dark energy from the Imperial palace he'd known Leia had finally, wholeheartedly, stepped onto the same path.
He should feel pleased.
But all he felt was loss. And guilt.
He flashed back vividly to the vision of Padme he'd had on Lothal. She'd felt so real, but that had almost definitely been a specter formed out of his own imagination. He was so wretchedly divided, his own conscience had to take her form in order to try to sway him. And it had worked, for awhile, he'd tried to rescue Luke from Palpatine, and perhaps he had, in fact, succeeded, but he'd still lost him. Now, Luke's presence was now so perfectly hidden he could only be among Jedi Masters.
He'd hoped to prevent Luke from doing something that would push Leia over the edge. But she'd still fallen. Irritatingly it was Galen Marek, his one time apprentice, who was at his daughter's side now. Vader had had many dark thoughts about what Palpatine might have planned for the two of them. They were of a similar age, but where Leia had been raised in comfort and kindness, Marek had not. Vader had killed the boy's parents in front of him and dragged him kicking and screaming off of Kashyyyk. Raised mostly by droids, Vader seriously doubted Marek had a speck of kindness in him. A fine companion for a rising Sith, he supposed, but what if the emperor intended more to happen between them? Two Force sensitives would undoubtedly produce a powerful child. Was that what Palpatine was planning?
Vader could not imagine a child raised in darkness. The Jedi had taken children of a young age and trained them to be emotionless warriors dedicated to so-called compassionate action. It had worked, he supposed, for most of the Jedi had been true to the lifestyle and maintained their code for all of their days. But could one raise a child as a Sith? Could such a child be anything less than a monster?
Leia lay in her bed for hours after waking, blinking in the low light of early morning. She'd dreamed of Luke. She'd dreamed he was with the Jedi, on a verdant planet, training in the light side of the Force.
Had that been true or was it a fantasy?
On waking she'd reached out for her brother but he was unfindable to her now. He was beyond an impenetrable mist of light-side energy. What was she to make of that? In her dream she'd seen him running freely on a barely inhabited planet and he'd seemed healthy and even happy. If that was true… did it mean he was safe?
For she agreed to sacrifice everything so that Palpatine would not go after Luke… And she'd gone further now than she'd ever imagined. Parts of her were tied up in darkness in ways she hadn't known were possible, and she felt no regret, no sorrow, just ambition and curiosity. Even now she wanted to go further, to see if there was any limit to the power she could gain.
What would it take, for instance, to be able to cast the lightning as her master could? And if she could master that skill, would even Palpatine be able to stand against her?
When she ambled out into her sitting room Galen Marek was slumped on the sofa, snoring.
She smiled, it had been a long time since she'd watched anyone sleep. On Home One, of course, everyone caught rest where they could. Pilots could be found stretched out in odd corners of the flight deck at any hour. The Alliance had been exhausting, but every day she'd had a reason to get to her feet and keep fighting.
She missed that. What a strange thought.
Marek's grey eyes had cracked open. "Did you sleep?"
"Yes, actually." Leia replied. "No nightmares."
Marek raised an eyebrow at that, "But did you dream at all?"
Leia opened her mouth and then closed it again. She didn't want to share her dream about Luke, for anything she told Marek would surely find its way back to the emperor.
Marek crossed his arms, looking annoyed and amused, "Okay, don't tell me."
"It wasn't anything." Leia said softly. "Listen I'm fine, so why don't you go get some rest? Back in your—"
"Dungeon?" Marek supplied drolly.
"Why don't you ask the emperor for rooms in one of the towers?" Leia asked.
Marek shook his head, "I prefer to be underground. The towers are too loud for my taste."
"And Third Sister is good company?"
Marek laughed, "She's old, and crotchety, and she's been out on a mission for weeks now. I hope she's dead."
"What's her mission?" Leia asked curiously.
Marek shrugged, "She's supposed to get to Ahsoka Tano. It's an old mission, one she failed at the last time. Our master likes to rub it in from time to time, daring her to fail again."
Leia nodded as if disinterested, hastily bringing up her mental shields. As one of the few remaining Jedi, it was possible that Luke was being guarded by Ahsoka Tano. If Third Sister got involved, that could expose Luke, or lure him close to an Imperial installation.
Even if it wasn't Tano that was shielding him, Tano might know where he was. If Third Sister gained that information, the emperor would seize Luke, Leia was sure of that much. Palpatine might hold back from actively searching for as long as Leia made satisfactory progress, but if he had a location on Luke, he wouldn't let him slip away.
Leia had to talk to her father.
Vader was surprised to sense the whirlwind that was his daughter approach. He adjusted the atmosphere in his hyperbaric chamber and cycled opened the locks.
Leia nearly crackled with energy. The moment the sphere was secure she spoke. "Palpatine is going after Ahsoka."
Vader blinked, stunned. Had his collusion been found out or was Ahsoka just an obvious target?
"Tell me what you know."
It turned out that Leia's new companion had provided the information. That made things particularly complicated, as Galen Marek was hardly trustworthy.
Vader would be the first to admit he had not been kind in training the boy in any of his incarnations. Kindness was not how Sith were made. When Marek's existence had been discovered Palpatine had insisted the young dark sider become one of the first Inquisitors, and Vader had not had much interaction since. Marek hated him of course, it was only natural, and for all Vader knew Marek was loyal only to Palpatine himself.
So the immediate question was, had Marek been told to share this information with Leia, and to what end?
"Third Sister will be no match for Ahsoka Tano." Vader replied gruffly. "You should not mourn her."
Leia laughed at that, "Mourn Third Sister? Please."
Vader smiled, even if it was laced with cruelty, he was glad his daughter retained a sense of humor. It would serve her well, he hoped.
Leia scowled, "Stop congratulating yourself, father."
Vader dropped his expression, "As you wish."
"Am I everything you'd hoped I would be?" Leia bit out, irritation rising.
Vader merely watched his seventeen year-old daughter. Her skin was pale, and her dark hair tightly bound, but she looked strong and healthy.
"I am your father. I have been proud through every one of your transformations." He said finally.
Leia looked away, though a tumult of emotion was clear through the Force.
"Before Luke came I lived only for you, father. I tried to do everything you asked, and you cared for me in spite of all my failings."
"Yes." Vader agreed. He fought down the pleasure of knowing that daughter remembered it all now.
"And I know you do, in your way, care for my brother as well." Leia added softly.
"Yes." Vader said, the thought giving him an odd feeling of warmth in his heart. "I do."
"Then I wonder if you realize, father, that if Barriss Offee, the Third Sister, is hunting Ahsoka, she may well find Luke?"
Vader breathed out sharply, "Ah, I see."
Leia turned back to look at him eyes narrowed, "But will you do something?"
Vader gazed back. Yes, he cared for Leia very much, but she was also more Palpatine's agent now than she ever had been. He couldn't possibly tell her the whole truth. He couldn't make her complicit in anything resembling dissent. For all he knew, she was here to test his loyalty not to herself, but to their mutual master.
Vader inclined his head, "You need not worry, my child."
Leia's mouth tightened, "You aren't going to tell me."
Vader bit back a smile at that, knowing it would annoy his daughter. She was so sharp and she read him so very well.
"Tell me, Leia, there has been some chatter that you and Galen Marek are together and I've wondered if that might be true."
Leia's pale face flushed with embarrassment. She looked at him with a look of incredulous disgust. "I don't…"
Vader chuckled, such as he could only do in situations like this when the mask was off. "You don't have to tell me, daughter. I am aware, from my own experience, that a secret romance can be quite thrilling."
"You're talking about my mother." Leia's voice was pained, but something like curiosity flickered in her eyes.
"Indeed. I'd just turned nineteen when she reentered my life. We had three years."
"And then it all fell apart." Leia concluded neutrally. "Don't worry father, I am not going to fall in love with Galen Marek."
Vader inclined his head, "It will be easier if you don't."
Leia shifted in her seat, clearly ready to depart, "If the next thing you say to me is about birth control, so help me father, I'll never return."
Vader laughed, the feeling strange, but reassuring that he was still capable of it. He shook his head and cued the door to cycle open. "No need for that, Leia. But do watch your back. He is a Sith."
Leia shot a look back at him before she left the chamber, "Aren't we all?"
"Master Yoda has had a vision, I must go see your father's former padawan, Ahsoka Tano."
"Can I come?" Luke asked hopefully. He enjoyed Dagobah, really, he did. It had more fresh humid air and greenery than he had ever imagined possible while growing up on Tatooine.
Obi-wan glanced to Yoda. They were like the old Jedi version of his aunt and uncle Luke thought but managed not to say allowed. They always thought they knew what was best for him…
"That transponder in your spine puts you at terrible risk, Luke." Obi-wan lectured.
Luke knew that. "But if Palpatine could track me out here, wouldn't he have sent a Star Destroyer by now?"
"I suspect." Obi-wan said carefully, "A slave chip that small isn't active all the time. It will likely activate under certain conditions, such as your proximity to Imperial bases. You'd likely be safe on a ship like Home One, which keeps its distance from them, but we can't guarantee that."
Luke sighed, "I need to apologize to Ahsoka."
Obi-wan smiled slightly, "I suspect that is not necessary. She is fully grown now, and wise, and a childhood spent with your father has taught her what to expect from Skywalkers."
Luke frowned, "I think I'm being insulted."
"Hardly. Your father's impulsive nature led to many adventures, that is true, but it got them through the war alive."
Yoda blinked slowly, "Go to Ahsoka you must Obi-wan. Delay further you must not."
Obi-wan turned back to the Jedi Master, "The danger you sensed is that near?"
"Need you she does. Take young Skywalker you will." Yoda creaked out, then got to his feet, his wooden cane in hand.
Obi-wan looked resigned. "If you're coming you'll have to follow my orders Luke, are you capable of that?"
Luke frowned, unsure if this was a jab or a genuine question. "Yes, Master Obi-wan."
"If you fall back in to the Emperor's grasp…"
Luke got to his feet, "That's not going to happen. We'll just stay clear of Imperials and go check-in on Ahsoka. Then we'll come back and I'll train twice as hard to make up for lost time."
Obi-wan gave him a tiredly amused look, "I have a bad feeling about this."
Space was cold. Luke chided himself for having forgotten. He'd gotten right used to running around the Dagobah landscape in a light vest.
Obi-wan gave him a knowing look and produced a heavy Jedi robe identical to his own.
Luke held the heavy cloth in his hands, biting his lip. "I shouldn't."
Obi-wan shook his head, "A Jedi in training is fully within his rights to wear the robes, and the Alliance to restore the Republic is one of the few places we can do so without getting shot."
Luke slipped the robes on and tied the obi belt. They were rougher than his Sith acolyte robes had been. "Will I be a Jedi?"
Obi-wan inclined his had. "Yes. Long ago it would not have been a simple thing. Your father was rejected at half your agefor being too old and too emotional. But now you are one of the few potentials left.
"Because my father killed them all."
"Most of them." Obi-wan agreed.
"Isn't that an argument against training me?" Luke quipped.
Obi-wan smiled grimly, "You've already started training in the Force, Luke. We must train you to use the Force correctly, otherwise your father's fate will be your own. Once cannot merely stop using the Force, and without the necessary skills you would invariable fall back to the dark side."
Luke leaned his forehead against the view port, feelings mixed. He hadn't asked for any of this. He'd just wanted to be a pilot.
"Self pity doesn't suit you, Luke." Obi-wan commented softly.
Luke sighed, and focused his mind in mediation. He would be a Jedi. He would do this, then he would return and save Leia, if that was still possible.
He'd conveniently forgotten that he'd been a prisoner of the Alliance last time he'd been aboard their flagship, Home One. The Rebel troopers, hadn't forgotten and were casting him very dark looks as he was escorted through the ship at Kenobi's side.
There was a slight shift as the massive ship entered Hyperspace. They were safe for now, as he understood it. They would keep jumping, erratically, around the Outer Rim and well clear of Imperial installations. It made the Alliance nearly impossible to find.
"Master Kenobi." Ahsoka bowed, nodding to Luke. "It is good to see you after so many years. Hello Luke."
Luke flushed, "I'm sorry for how I left."
Ahsoka shook her head, "You took a terrible risk. You could have been scattered across the galaxy. You really are your father's son."
"Um, thanks, I guess?"
Ahsoka chuckled, "I'm glad you're training with Master Yoda and Master Kenobi, I think you'll be a great Jedi, Luke Skywalker."
Luke remained in silent observation as the two Jedi spoke of Yoda's vision.
"Barriss is still alive?" Ahsoka's blue eyes were wide with surprised.
Obi-wan inclined his head, "She was in detention when the Republic fell, she was probably one of the first Inquisitors."
"Green skin, with markings, black hair?" Luke spoke up.
"You've met her?" Ahsoka asked.
"She's called Third Sister now. She sparred with me, early on."
"Well then you had better not be here when she comes looking for me." Ahsoka quipped.
"You can't let her find Home One!" Luke blurted.
Ahsoka smiled, "No. I wouldn't put the Alliance at risk. I'll move on. It's what I've always done before."
"I think, Ahsoka, it is time to lure your former friend into a trap." Obi-wan opined.
Ahsoka looked intrigued, "She isn't going to let us take her alive."
Obi-wan bowed his head, "Perhaps she is beyond hope. But we cannot leave her to roam the galaxy hunting you."
"Change is afoot, my young apprentice, can you sense it?" Palpatine cackled.
"I cannot, my master." Leia admitted.
Palpatine smiled thinly, "No, I suppose not. But you know of what I speak."
"I know you've sent Third Sister to hunt down Ahsoka Tano." Leia admitted.
"And do you take issue with that decision?" Palpatine asked with saccharine courtesy.
"No, my master."
"Good." The emperor enunciated. "I have given Third Sister this finally chance to prove herself against her hated enemy."
Leia remained silent, wondering if Third Sister was being tested as Leia herself was tested.
"You did well in your most recent task." Palpatine said softly. "Tell me, did you weep for them afterwards?"
Leia blinked, surprised by the question. "No."
"Excellent." The Emperor enunciated. "You may be tempted by such light side nostalgia, but know it is weakness, my child."
"I understand, my master." Leia answered, wondering if the comment was mean to refer to her father.
Palpatine smiled, "You must not waiver, my apprentice."
"I will not, my master." Leia said quickly, but she thought of Luke, wondered what would happen if Luke strayed too near the Empire.
"Your thoughts betray you." Palpatine said softly. "Your attachment to your brother is ever your primary motivation."
"I will do anything you say. Just leave him be—" Leia broke off.
Palpatine's eyes narrowed, "Someday you will have to confront this terrible weakness you now foster."
Leia bowed her head, she couldn't stop caring about Luke, even now.
"Skywalkers." Palpatine chuckled. "Go then, child, I will make it known when I have another task for you."
Leia nodded slowly. Another task. She could only imagine how gruesome it would be. But part of her was keenly interested by that question. Part of her looked forward to the next life she would take, and the rapture of dark energy she could expect.
She left Palpatine's quarters.
Marek waited for her at the turbolift. He raised an eyebrow, "What's next?"
Leia shrugged, but didn't reply.
"Let's go into the city." Marek suggested as they rode down to the atrium.
Leia blinked, "You hate the city."
Marek smiled, "But we could have some fun.."
Leia considered that. She rather thought that Marek mean violence, and with everything on her mind, that sounded… good.
Luke slept poorly. He dreamed of red sabers lighting dark corners of some unknown slum in shattering, deathly bursts.
He woke gasping and terrified. Obi-wan was already in the room, keying on the lights and looking at him with concern.
"What did you see?" He asked carefully.
Luke bowed his head, "Leia. She's killing for fun."
Obi-wan sighed, "You must inure your mind to her, Luke. There will come a time when you may be able to help her but it is not today."
Luke wiped at his eyes, "Are we going back to Dagobah?"
"Yes." Obi-wan Kenobi pronounced, "And we going to be having company."