Chapter 3 – Proposal
Darth Arkus lurked quietly in the shadows of a Senate building hallway near the offices for the Alderaanian delegation. The Senate's current session would be dismissing shortly, and he was planning to catch Princess Leia as she departed.
He had spent the last two days compiling convenient facts, altering the records of those not so convenient, and fabricating evidence all to support his report on the supposed investigation of the assassination of Senator Bel Iblis. The princess would of course know it was all a lie, but it would stand up to any scrutiny the Senate could bring to bear on it. He would show her that he could play this game of subterfuge as well as she. Besides, delivering the promised report gave him an excuse to speak with her in a more private setting.
He had been anticipating this opportunity ever since the Emperor had granted him permission to track her. She had been present in his thoughts almost to the exclusion of everything else, but he had controlled his urge to approach her until everything was in place. Today her father would be returning to Alderaan, undoubtedly to report back to the rest of the Rebel leadership what she had told him concerning the events on Balitar. He would be leaving her with instructions regarding her next traitorous assignment. Arkus would have her considering an alternative future while she waited for her contact.
Arkus didn't have to wait for long, his impeccable timing having served him well. The princess and her father were approaching their offices from the direction of the Senate chamber, led and followed at a respectful distance by two pairs of diplomatic corp guards. Arkus drifted further into the shadow of a decorative sculpture and drew the Force around him like a cloak. After the first pair of guards passed unaware, he quickly stepped out directly into the path of the princess, almost causing her to collide with him.
"Excuse me, Your Highness. Could I have a moment of your time?" Arkus managed to ask before chaos struck the group.
Leia jerked to a startled halt and let out a soft yelp of alarm at his sudden appearance. Viceroy Organa clutched his daughter's shoulders and drew her to the side, toward him and out of the line of fire from the guards. The guards in front quickly spun around but found themselves unable to draw their blasters. The guards in the rear felt themselves similarly held in place, unable to confront their unknown attacker.
"A little tense, Your Highness? Surely you don't question Imperial security here in the heart of the Senate building?" Arkus kept his tone even with just a hint of amusement creeping in. He really hadn't intended to startle her so, just to quietly get her attention; yet he was pleased with the result. He enjoyed seeing her unsettled from her practiced poise, and he had reacted quickly enough to prevent the over-zealous guards from drawing any unwanted attention to them.
Leia took in a slow breath to calm her rattled nerves and managed a dignified glare for Arkus. She had the distinct feeling he was smiling at her under that mask, and she had no intention of giving him any more satisfaction than he was already feeling. The seemingly childish prank he had just pulled left her at a loss for understanding his intentions. She needed to regain her composure quickly to prepare for whatever he had planned.
"Forgive me, Darth Arkus. I was engrossed in conversation with my father and failed to notice your approach. You startled me somewhat," she allowed him.
The guards relaxed slightly at her recognition of Arkus and were rewarded by being released from his Force grip. But Viceroy Organa showed no sign of relaxing. To the contrary, he tightened his hold on his daughter and drew her even closer to him.
Leia responded to her father's tightening embrace by performing introductions. "Father, I don't believe you have had the opportunity to meet Darth Arkus, an emissary for the Emperor. Darth Arkus, this my father, Viceroy Bail Organa of Alderaan."
"A pleasure, Viceroy," Arkus offered with a barely perceptible nod of his head. He had little interest in Organa, but offered his greeting out of courtesy for the princess's sake.
Viceroy Organa replied only by narrowing his eyes and raising his chin slightly. Leia had told him of this Sith and his talent for hidden communications. But he hardly needed that knowledge or his diplomatic experience to recognize the dismissal in Arkus' greeting. It was clear the Sith was interested in Leia only, and that interest made him instantly suspicious.
Arkus could feel mistrust and loathing roiling off of the Viceroy. He responded by projecting a cloud of cold antipathy into Organa's mind, using the Force to communicate what the mask prevented him from demonstrating. Confident that this would serve as adequate warning and not wishing to waste any more time, he then looked abruptly to Leia. "As I was saying, Your Highness, I would like a moment of your time. We have a report to discuss."
Leia noted the instant and almost palpable animosity between the men. She had hoped the introduction would allow for a smooth beginning to this encounter, but it had had the opposite effect. Her father's reaction in particular had taken her off guard, and his inexplicable growing tension continued to confusion her.
"I am occupied just at the moment. If you have a copy available I would be happy to review it at my earliest convenience," Leia offered politely to Arkus in an attempt to smooth over the situation.
"There are matters we must discuss before I can release the report to you. I have a conference room reserved down the hall. It will only take a moment," Arkus pressed.
"If you wish to meet with my daughter you may arrange to do so through the proper channels. She is under no obligation to indulge you under these circumstances," Viceroy Organa interjected pretentiously.
The forcefulness of Organa's reprimand surprised Arkus. He could feel that it stemmed from his growing concern for his daughter's safety rather than any desire to antagonize him. Still, it was only Arkus' respect for the princess that kept him from slamming Organa into the wall.
"I would think you would show more gratitude to the man who saw your daughter safely escorted off Balitar," Arkus growled in reply. Then he added more civilly, "I assure you no harm will come to her in my presence. You have my word."
Organa held in his mental retort concerning the value of a Sith's word, mindful of the power the other likely possessed. But the thought was still communicated clearly through the skeptical glare that danced briefly across his face.
"It's okay, Father" Leia quickly inserted before matters deteriorated further. She was now convinced of the need to separate these two immediately, and somehow she knew she could trust Arkus to keep his word. "I can spare a moment to meet with you," she directed at Arkus.
Leia then worked her way free of her father's grip and turned to address him more personally. "I'll see you at the landing platform, Father. I'm sure this won't take long."
Bail Organa gazed worriedly into his daughter's eyes. He did not like the idea of leaving her with this Sith lord but recognized the futility of objecting further. If the Sith wanted her he could simply have her arrested here, and there would be nothing he could do to stop it. "Hurry, I'm scheduled to depart soon," was all he could say to her.
"Captain Dersey," Organa addressed one of the guards, "take Begdin and escort my daughter. See that she is not unduly delayed."
Leia took her father's hands and squeezed them reassuringly. She managed a warm smile for his tired eyes before turning back to Arkus.
"This way, Your Highness," Arkus invited as he bowed his head and made a sweeping gesture back down the hallway, not sparing even a parting glance for Organa.
Leia joined Arkus at his side, and they departed with the two guards following at a comfortable distance. The group walked in silence through the hallways of the Senate building until they reached a secluded conference room. Arkus stopped at the entrance to the room as the door slid open without having had the key code entered.
"After you, Your Highness," Arkus gestured into the room.
Leia stopped and regarded him carefully. She had no idea what was to transpire in that room, and she was beginning to have some misgivings. Her instincts were telling her to turn and run, but something in the back of her mind was insisting that she should trust him. Leia took a deep breath and entered the room, uncertain of the wisdom of her decision.
"You will wait out here," Arkus commanded the guards before entering the room and locking the door behind him.
An oblong table just large enough to seat perhaps eight dominated the interior of the small conference room. Leia stopped barely inside the door to stand next the chair at the head of table while Arkus walked past her, around the table to a small refreshment station located in the wall on the opposite side of the room.
"Please have a seat, Your Highness. May I offer you a refreshment? Some Gwenivelia white wine perhaps?" Arkus had retrieved a wine bottle and two glasses from the refreshment station and was holding them up for her inspection.
Leia was startled by the choice of refreshment offered. Gwenivelia was a small Alderaanian vineyard famous for its unique white wine. This particular vintage was very difficult to acquire off-world, and it just happened to be her favorite.
"I would prefer to conclude our business as quickly as possible," Leia responded, unwilling to be impressed by his hospitality. She remained standing. "Where is this report you wished to discuss?"
"Come, Your Highness. We can drop the pretenses here," Arkus rebuked her. "I have disabled all of the listening devices in the room. I assure you, we are quite alone."
Leia blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected Arkus to be so straightforward, and it set her on edge. She offered nothing by way of verbal reply. Instead she formed her expression into curious surprise and mild confusion, determined not to play into his hand by acknowledging that any pretenses were being projected on her part.
Arkus noted her reaction and realized she would need some coaxing before she dropped her façade. He set the two glasses on the table and proceeded to open the wine bottle.
"I know you were Termain's Rebel contact just as you know I was there seeking the Death Star plans your Rebels have stolen," he said as he poured the wine. "I daresay I should have arrested you for treason."
Arkus paused as he used the Force to slide one glass down the table to her. "Do have some wine. I know it is your favorite. It would be a shame to waste it."
Leia watched the glass glide to a gentle halt just in front of her, but made no move to pick it up. Realizing the directness of Arkus' words could lead to no pleasant conclusion to this conversation, she wished only to end it quickly. Mentally bracing herself for the worst, she looked hard into Arkus' masked eyes and demanded, "What is it you wished to discuss?"
"So abrupt, Your Highness? One might question your upbringing." Arkus refused to allow the Princess to rile him. To communicate his easiness he sat down in a chair and casually propped his legs up on the table.
"I have no time for this." Leia stated harshly, intending to end his game and draw out his true intentions.
"Very well," Arkus conceded. "I will be blunt if you insist.
"The only reason I did not detain you on Balitar was because I recognized your potential," he began. "You could be so much more than a pawn for the pathetic leadership of the Rebel Alliance. Even if you are the organizer for your Rebel cell, as I suspect, you could accomplish much greater deeds if you joined me."
"You wish for me to be your consort?!" Leia was both shocked and horrified and could do nothing to disguise it. In addition to the instant revulsion such an offer brought forth in her simply on principle, she could not begin to imagine what horrors were hidden behind that mask. The demons in that mind were not something she wished to even contemplate.
"Hardly," Arkus snorted, amused and somewhat offended by her reaction. "I would never reduce you to such a demeaning station." As beautiful as she was, his interest in her did not lie along that path.
"The command structure of the Empire will not always be as it is now," he continued. "While I may not be its sovereign, I will be highly instrumental in constructing its future. Your skills in tactfully manipulating people and situations to your advantage would be a good balance to my more aggressive solutions to problems. Together we could…"
"I have no desire to further the depredations of the Empire," Leia cut him off abruptly. This offer was almost as offensive to her as the idea of being his consort.
Arkus quickly removed his feet from the table and sat forward in the chair. "Then think of the beneficial deeds you could accomplish," he countered. "For instance, you could use your influence to temper the Emperor's actions in unpleasant situations. This would surely do more to minimize the suffering of the pathetic sentients you seem to care so much for than this pointless and destructive rebellion you're currently supporting."
Arkus could see his argument was having little effect on her attitude. He decided to try another approach. "Your position could even afford your father with some protection," he paused for effect, "if he ceased his overt support of the Rebellion."
"You have no cause to threaten my father!" Leia glared at him.
"Relax, Your Highness," Arkus patronized her. "It is not I who threatens your father. It is his own treasonous behavior - such as it was with Senator Bel Iblis."
Leia set her jaw and intensified her glare. There seemed to be little reason to temper her reaction now. He was obviously convinced of at least her Rebel involvement and intended to use her father as a means of controlling her.
"This is a dangerous game you're playing," Arkus continued. "If you continue on this course you and your father will eventually get burned. I warn you, the next time you get yourself into trouble, I may not be able to prevent your having to face the full consequences of your treason."
"I'll take my chances," she snapped in reply.
"It's your choice, of course. My offer will remain open for two standard months. Do give it some consideration." With that he Force commanded the conference room door to unlock and open.
Before Leia could take her leave, Arkus added loud enough for the guards to hear, "Don't forget the report I promised you." Arkus removed a datapad that been clipped to his belt and slid it down the table toward her. "I believe you will find it interesting reading."
Leia picked up the datapad and quickly left the room, surprised once again that he had let her go so easily.
Arkus closed the door and leaned back in his chair after she had left. The datapad and card he had just given her included more than just the fabricated report on his supposed investigation. The second file contained his personal report to the Emperor on the status of the search for the Death Star plans. That information should be more than enough for the Rebels to determine the best course of action to re-establish contact with their operative. The conversation he had just had with the princess should add urgency to their actions. His plan to flush out the Rebel command chain should begin yielding results soon.
That was all this had been, he tried to convince himself, just a way to intimidate the Rebels into doing something stupid. Still, he knew part of him hoped the princess would reconsider his offer. She had remarkable potential, and he would hate for her to be destroyed by this pointless would-be war.
He regarded the untouched glasses. No, he wouldn't allow her to be wasted like this wine. He would find a way to make her see the wisdom of the Emperor. Until then, he would just have to keep her out of trouble.
*****
Bail Organa paced frantically in his quarters, impatiently awaiting the arrival of his daughter. He had ordered the captain to delay their departure by any means necessary until he could be certain Leia was safe. The thought of her at the hands of a Sith lord was more than he could bear.
"Keep her sheltered from the Emperor," Obi-Wan had warned him. "Palpatine would surely detect her Force talent and destroy her outright, or worse."
The echo of those words in his head brought back many memories of the dark days of the Jedi purge. The Jedi temple had been destroyed and the order scattered across the galaxy shortly after Palpatine had declared himself Emperor. The surviving Jedi had been constantly moving from system to system in a vain attempt to hide from Palpatine's assassins. It had therefore not come as a surprise when his old friend, Obi-Wan, had approached him for help, but he had been taken aback by the specifics of his request.
Obi-Wan had been hiding a female human child, barely 2 years old. "Her name is Leia. She is the daughter of a powerful Jedi that has fallen to Palpatine's scourge. She must remain safe at all costs. I cannot protect her," he had explained.
In the end it had proven all very simple. Bail and his wife could have no children of their own, so it came as no surprise when he had announced an adoption. Obi-Wan had already arranged a cover story to hide the child's identity, and with the relief agencies flooded with orphans from the war, none had objected to a quick solution to one of their problems. Leia had become a part of his family in a public ceremony, held right under the Empire's nose.
Obi-Wan had left as soon as it was done, stealing away as mysteriously as he had arrived. "Find me if she is ever in danger," had been his parting words.
Bail could not think of a more dangerous situation than the one she was in now. He had failed to keep her hidden from the Sith, and now all he could do was hope her wits would get her away from them.
He turned expectantly as the door to his quarters slid open and was rewarded with the sight of his daughter. "Oh, Leia! Thank the gods you're safe!" He nearly smothered her in his embrace. "What did that evil creature want with you?"
"I'm not sure, Father. That's what disturbs me the most." They could speak openly without fear here in her father's ship, so Leia proceeded to recap the major points of her conversation with Arkus.
"And this datacard he gave me contains more than the trumped up report he plans to give the Senate. He included the information the Imperials have on Raven's last known activities. It matches everything you've been able to piece together, and it indicates Raven is still free and likely still in possession of the Death Star plans. I'm certain Darth Arkus is setting us up for some kind of trap," she concluded.
"That is the one thing that is certain." Bail brought his hand to his face and turned his back to his daughter. He had been able to control his rising fear during Leia's summary of Arkus' proposal, but now he was nearing panic and did not wish his daughter to see it. This Sith obviously suspected something and would not likely give up until he discovered Leia's true past. Bail could no longer protect her. He had to send her to Obi-Wan.
He turned to face Leia again - his mind made up. "Raven has demonstrated he can take care of himself. We shall simply wait until he finds a way to contact us. When I know what he has planned I will send Aach to you with instructions for retrieving the plans. I also want you to go to a man named Obi-Wan Kenobi."
"General Kenobi, the Jedi Knight?" Leia asked, incredulous.
"You remember me speaking of him, good.
"Yes, I think we must call upon him if we are to have any hope of stopping this Death Star. He is on Tatooine. I will give Aach the exact coordinates for you. Go to the Jedi, tell him what you told me of Darth Arkus, and then do whatever he asks of you." Bail took his daughter in his arms and kissed her on the head. "Remember, Leia. I will always love you."
Leia hugged her father fiercely. She felt as though he was saying goodbye forever, and something in her heart whispered that this was so. "I will do as you say, Father."
Bail pushed his daughter back to arm's length. "Go now, and do nothing to attract attention until Aach contacts you."
Leia backed slowly through the door. "Goodbye, Father. I love you," were the last words she said to him.