Chapter 4 - Pieces in Motion

Leia sat back in her office chair and tried to absorb the significance of the passage she had just read. She had faithfully perused the Alderaan off-world news updates every day since her father had left nearly two weeks ago. Here finally, buried in the social scene update, were the phrases that indicated her activation was imminent. The code used instructed her to rendezvous with her contact tomorrow evening at the dinner hour in a restaurant she frequented for solitary retreat from her Senate duties.

This was it then - her last day as an Imperial Senator. It wasn't that she lacked confidence in the competence of her father's Alliance Intelligence advisors. She was just certain their plan here involved her permanent extraction from Imperial service as well as the retrieval of the Death Star plans. She was no longer a diplomat and part-time courier looking to subvert the Empire. She was now a full-fledged Rebel soldier. She worried what fall-out her father might suffer as a result of her disappearance, but she had promised to do as he instructed. She only prayed he knew what he was doing.

***

Arkus blinked his way out of his light meditation trance. The last several days had been mind numbingly dull, but he had not allowed anything to distract him from his vigilance of the princess's movements - not even sleep. He knew what price he would pay if he allowed her to escape undetected and had therefore kept every ounce of his Force focus on her and her surroundings.

Just now, a gentle ripple in the Force had washed over his consciousness warning him that things were not as they had been. He reached out to the princess's presence in the Force and gently felt for her emotions. The connection was established immediately and much more easily than it should have been. He reflected on this only briefly, rationalizing it away as a result of his constant attention to her, before submersing himself in her sense.

She was anxious and gave him an impression of both dread and expectation. The additional emotion of finality he was feeling told him she was not expecting to return to her normal life. She had been contacted somehow, he knew. The Rebels would be coming for her soon.

Arkus rose from his bed and went to the computer terminal at his desk. From there he used his security clearances to access a complete status of the Coruscant Spaceport vehicle tracking system. A quick review of recently docked transports, orbiting starships, and scheduled arrivals revealed nothing of Alderaanian registry, but then he really wasn't expecting anything so obvious.

Slowly he began a more detailed assessment of the various arrivals and scheduled departures. The Rebels would not be foolish enough to risk an unauthorized launch, and they would be sure to schedule the departure soon after contacting the princess to minimize the chances of detection. Similarly, they would not want the chosen transport to be within Coruscant space for long to avoid attracting Imperial attention. So Arkus started looking for recent arrivals with departures scheduled within days.

One entry caught his eye and immediately appealed to his sense of irony. A CR-90 Corvette with Corellian diplomatic registry had just arrived this morning to deliver that system's newly appointed senator. The ship was berthed in one Coruscant's orbital docking facilities for re-supply and would be departing tomorrow evening. The filed flight plan indicated the Corvette would be returning to Corellia, but a ship that size would not require re-supply for such a short tour. The ship appeared all the more suspicious when he combined that bit with his thought that a Corvette seemed a little too substantial for such a mundane mission.

Bel Iblis and Organa had indeed been coconspirators in this rebellion. There would still be plenty of sympathetic members in Corellia's diplomatic corp. This was the ship. Arkus had absolutely no doubts.

**

That evening Darth Arkus kneeled again before the Emperor and waited to be recognized. He was growing anxious somehow and had to strain to hide it from his master. It would not do to show nervous excitement on his first real assignment, no matter how important the outcome might be. Finally he was addressed.

"You have something to report?"

"Yes, My Master," he responded eagerly. "The Rebels are planning to evacuate Princess Organa tomorrow evening on a Corellian diplomatic vessel. I am confident she will be given instructions to retrieve the Death Star plans and rendezvous with her Rebel cell. I have taken the liberty of attaching a tracking beacon to the ship."

Arkus paused briefly, then ventured, "I suggest the princess should be allowed to leave Coruscant unhindered so she can lead us to her Rebel base."

The Emperor studied him for a moment before replying. "You are confident your beacon will not be discovered?"

"Yes, My Master. It is secure." Arkus had posed as a docking slip crewman to approach the transport and surreptitiously plant the beacon on the hull. The beacon would remain passive until activated by the acceleration of the ion engines and would therefore be undetectable to the Rebel's pre-launch scans.

"Very well. I will instruct Ms. Isard to allow this traitor to escape her grasp." The Emperor gestured towards the door, dismissing him. "You have done well, my young apprentice. Your work on this matter is done."

Arkus was stunned into immobility. He had been taken aback by the implication that the Intelligence Agency had been looking over his shoulder, but being removed so abruptly from this assignment when he had done nothing wrong left him utterly bewildered. His mind was screaming 'NO!', but he couldn't manage a verbal protest. Instead, he simply remained in his reverent position with only a slight shudder betraying his confused outrage.

The Emperor, of course, needed no words to recognize Arkus' objection. "You have something to say?" he asked impatiently.

Arkus swallowed hard and tried to regain his composure. "I had anticipated following the princess myself," he stated carefully, almost hopefully.

"That won't be necessary. Darth Vader's duties at Desparye are complete. He will be in position to track this Rebel scum. You should return to your studies. The Rebels are no longer your concern." Again the Emperor dismissed Arkus with a wave of his hand.

Arkus clenched his teeth painfully at the mention of Darth Vader. He had never had much respect for his master's senior Sith Lord. The thought of having his work turned over to that clumsy idiot was almost more than his temper could bear. Would he never escape from the shadow of that man?

Still, Arkus knew he could do nothing to change the Emperor's decision. He had already tested his master's patience once. Further objections would only bring punishment.

"As you wish," he managed curtly through tight lips and then quickly marched out of the throne room with balled fists.

**

The Emperor watched him leave, thoroughly amused by Arkus' near outburst at having had his prized project given over to his perceived nemesis. The boy was getting better at controlling his emotions, but he was still young and prone to strong reactions. This made manipulating and controlling him all too easy for one whom could read him so clearly. In that respect he was very much like his father. 'How upset would Arkus be at that comparison?' Palpatine chuckled to himself.

Tension was definitely growing between his two apprentices - the senior wanting to exert control over the younger, the younger wanting to prove his worth exceeded that of the senior. They would soon clash. He needed only to provide the proper kindling. This particular situation promised to provide the fuel needed to turn the boy's disdain for Darth Vader into open hostility.

Arkus' infatuation with the Rebel princess had been apparent to him from the moment the boy had first tried to justify allowing her to leave Balitar. The Emperor had at first been convinced that Arkus had allowed his feelings to override his judgement and had been prepared to punish him severely. If the boy could be so easily swayed, he would be of no use. But after hearing him out, the Emperor had been convinced that the boy had had more than just cause. He had not allowed her to truly escape Imperial reach or to continue her mission. The possibility of using her to uncover the traitors from the top leadership down to their military bases was worth the delay in obtaining any information the princess might reveal in interrogation.

It seemed Arkus' fascination with the girl was like that of a cruel feline playing with its prey, allowing the victim to briefly feel hope of escape only to bat it back into danger with a clawed paw. Clearly Arkus felt that the princess was his personal pet and intended to keep her as his own. The Emperor had no objection to this on the surface, as long it did not interfere with his plans. After all it was natural for a boy his age to show interest in the opposite gender. Denying the boy pursuit of his instinctive attraction would generate unwanted strain in his devotion.

So he had allowed Arkus to shadow the princess unhindered, but had assigned Ysanne Isard, the new Director of Imperial Intelligence, to observe her as well to ensure nothing inappropriate occurred. The fact that Arkus had detected the Rebels' plans and brought them to his attention before Isard had reported any activity maintained the Emperor's confidence in both Arkus' abilities and his loyalty. Now Palpatine could consider the princess just one more game piece in his overall scheme. Just like every other resource in the galaxy, he would use her to his advantage.

***

Leia waited nervously for her taxi by the balcony entrance to her private apartment. She carried only her datapad case full of the Senate reports she typically reviewed while dining alone. All of her personal belongings would be left behind to be destroyed by the Imperial Intelligence officers sure to rummage through her home once her disappearance was discovered. She was full of both regret and anticipation. This was the start of her new life.

The taxi appeared sooner than she expected. She watched impassively as the hovercraft settled on the balcony, using the sight of the smooth motion of the taxi to soothe her anxiety. She had just finished preparing for her destiny when the driver emerged from the craft and delivered her a surprise.

'That's Aach!' her stunned mind registered. She recognized him even through the disguise he wore. So, they weren't going to wait for her at the restaurant. This was her contact. She was amazed at the rebel agents' ability to anticipate when and from where she would call for a taxi, but then they probably had kept her under distant surveillance since her father had left.

"Good evening, Your Highness. I understand you wish to dine at Misperaries tonight. It will be my pleasure to drive you," Aach graciously greeted her and walked around the hovercraft to open the passenger door for her.

"That's correct. Do drive carefully," Leia responded as she slipped into the passenger compartment.

After Aach closed the door for her, Leia felt a gentle touch at her ankle. She glanced down at the floorboard to see the face of her old friend and confidante peering out from under the seat. Leia's eyes widened in response, but the finger Winter held to her lips warned her to not to react further.

Leia returned her gaze to the front window and waited patiently as Aach returned to his pilot's seat.

"Traffic is light this evening. We should be at Misperaries within in 20 minutes," Aach announced as he fired up the craft's repulsers and gently navigated it back into the Coruscant skyline traffic flow. The passenger windows and the transparisteel divider between the pilot and passenger compartments darkened, as was customary in Coruscant's high-class taxis to allow the passengers a degree of privacy. As soon as this was accomplished, Winter slid out from her hiding place and thrust a set a clothes at Leia.

"We must hurry, Your Highness. I will be going to the restaurant in your place. You will remain in here until Aach can safely deliver you to a shuttle we have waiting. He will explain everything else to you on the way," Winter hurriedly explained as she worked to help Leia out of her Senate gown.

"But what about you?" Leia protested as she slid her gown over her head and reached for the one-piece jumpsuit Winter had provided.

"Don't worry about me, Leia. I'll get loose of the Imperial agents. It's better if you don't know how."

There was no time for further discussion while the two women completed dressing for their respective roles. When all garments and accessories were properly exchanged they meet each other's eyes once more.

"Well, how do I look?" Winter inquired as she adjusted her dyed hair.

"Just like a princess, Your Highness," Leia teased back. It never ceased to amaze her how with just some hair dye, colored eyes lenses and a little makeup Winter could transform herself into her near identical twin.

"We must do something with your hair and makeup, though," Winter grew serious again. "A starship crewmember would never use such an impractical style. Turn around."

Leia obeyed and worked to wipe the makeup from her face as Winter let down her circular braids and re-tamed her hair into a neat bun at the base of her neck. When she turned to face her old friend again Winter gruffly placed a work cap on top of her head and yanked on the bill until the brim was nearly down to her eyebrows.

"There, that will have to do. Try to get inside the shuttle as quickly as possible without drawing attention to yourself. It will take you to a Corvette we have docked in-orbit. You'll be safe once you're on-board." Winter squeezed her hands by way of goodbye as they felt hovercraft decelerate.

"Now, under the seat with you, and don't come out until Aach says it's safe."

"Goodbye, Winter. And thanks," Leia whispered as she slid into her hiding place.

"Just take care of yourself."

Leia drew her legs to her chest to fit into the cramped space and dared not even to breathe when the passenger door opened.

"Here we are, Your Highness. I believe we have your personal account on record for billing. Have a pleasant evening," Leia heard Aach say to Winter.

"Thank you," was all she heard of Winter's reply before the door was closed again.

Seconds seemed to stretch into minutes as Aach returned to the pilot's seat and set the craft in motion again.

"Please stay down," she heard Aach mumble softly from a small comlink stashed somewhere with her under the seat.

"There's a datacard there with the comlink. It contains all the information you need."

Leia quickly located the comlink and datacard and slipped the later into a pocket.

"My next call is to a tapcafe where some of your fellow crewmembers have been relaxing," Aach continued. "When we stop, there will be a scuffle as they try to pile into the passenger compartment. Slip out and back onto the seat when you can. They know to be expecting you. They'll take care of you from there. Good luck, Your Highness."

With that the comlink went dead and Leia was left alone with her nervous anticipation. She shoved the comlink into the same pocket with datacard, not knowing if she would need it again, and settled in for the rest of her ride.

**

Ysanne Isard sneered in disgust as she observed the Rebel's decoy exiting the taxi. Peering closely at the woman through her macrobinoculars, she grudgingly had to admit that her agents likely would not have picked up on the switch had they not been alerted to the fact that an operation was in progress. At this distance the only distinguishable difference between the princess and this woman was a few centimeters in height, and even that was cleverly camouflaged by the use of slightly shorter heels in the boots she wore. The audacity of the Rebel's plan infuriated her only slightly less than the orders she had been given to allow the princess to escape unhindered.

She hissed in spiteful frustration as the taxi sped off towards its next stop at a local tapcafé. Yes, she had been able to piece together the puzzle of the Rebel's plans, but only after she had been provided the means and timing of their departure from Coruscant. The Emperor had taken great pleasure in pointing out her shortcomings compared to his other agent and even greater pleasure in withholding the name and nature of that agent.

Well, she would not tolerate being made to look like a fool. Just as with that disaster at Darkknell, someone would be made to pay in such a way as to further her career. The princess may be untouchable, but that was not the case for the Rebels assisting her in this scheme. A predatory smile slowly spread across her face as she watched two sets of her agents skillfully shadow the decoy woman and the departing taxi along their diverging courses.