Three

Four years later...

"Rise, My friend" the Emperor commanded lazily from his throne. Vader stood up and for a moment the only sound in the throne room was his regular breathing. Than the Emperor began "Lord Vader, I have decided that young Lady Vader will not accompany you on this campaign".

He sounded gleeful, proof that he enjoyed what he was doing. Maybe he wanted to take her to be trained with Mara, he though always sensitive to threats to his control over Leia. Vader forced himself to sound calm when he replied "What would you have me do with her, my liege?"

"Leave her on Imperial Center, at the school which trains all of our young future leaders" the Emperor dictated "We intend her to be a diplomat, and she cannot learn how to interact with people on The Executor".

"Obi-Wan is still alive" Vader stated, not daring to protest too strongly.

"If he is insane enough to try to snatch her from the heart of the Imperium, than we shall capture him" the emperor said confidently. "It is but another reason to keep her close. This is one matter which you won't get your own way on, Lord Vader".

"Very well" said Vader, trying not to sound reluctant.

"We also hope, that with her out of your way, you may be able to regain your lost devotion to your work" the Emperor said, gazing at Vader through his hooded yellow eyes.

Vader was glad of his mask for the first time in his life. It hid his scowl.

After giving Vader a minute to mull over his comment the Emperor regally dismissed Vader. He watched happily as Vader stalked out of the room.

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Leia Vader sat in the garden of her Father's Coruscant palace, trying to read a data pad. It was boring reading however and she was easily distracted by the flowering shrubs around her. She smiled happily, enjoying the unusual sensation of sitting out in the sun. She bullied her father into taking her planetside whenever the Executor was orbiting a planet, but that happened only rarely.

Vader's garden was one of the best on Imperial Center, rivaling the gardens of the Imperial Palace. It hadn't existed the first time she'd visited, Leia recalled.

After much coaxing and whining, her father had allowed her to have trees planted on the barren grounds. She had then hired the Empire's foremost expert on gardens and left the rest to him. After all, she had to help her father spend his fortune, didn't she?

The expert had done a good job. Exotic shrubs and plants from many worlds blended seamlessly to form a beautiful mosaic of colors. Blue leaves mixed with red and green to form a jungle-like effect, which was kept from appearing untidy by the strict pruning the trees were subjected to. An observer would note that there was an abundance of Aldeerani plants and that the grass was also the deep emerald green of that world. She had specified that it was to be so, Leia recalled with a self-satisfied smile, to make it seem more like home. She had hated Imperial Center the first time she set foot on it, she remembered, and she had hated her father's palace.

She had gradually made her father's Coruscant home into a place that she liked. She thought back to the two-month long search for furniture her room. In the beginning, she had pushed just to make sure her father would let her have her own way. And he had. Vader seemed not to believe that he had to keep her from being spoiled. It was a refreshing change from the Organa's parenting methods. She remembered them dimly; they were associated with her memories of her mother.

She had also changed the furniture in the Palace to make it look less gloomy. She quite liked her father's home now although she didn't like the rest of the city and only went there when she went to the palace to share self defense lessons with Mara Jade. Imperial Center was too smoggy and crowded, and she had to have very strict security when she went out.

Thinking of Mara reminded her that her father had been to the Imperial Palace and had undoubtedly brought back the schedule of the lessons she would have with her friend while they were on planet. Mara always out-performed her in self defense, but she was the only other girl her age Leia knew, so she let her get away with gloating.

She got up and ran inside, with her characteristic spontaneity, her data pad forgotten in the garden. Once inside she shivered. The palace was made of stone, rather than some more modern material and was consequentially harder to heat. She turned to a droid and asked, "Had my father returned?" On being informed that he had, Leia headed for the library.

She walked in to find her father looking out of the window at the garden. He did not turn to greet her, and he felt aloof somehow. "What's the matter?" she asked, her intuition telling her something was seriously wrong.

"The Emperor has commanded me to leave you on Imperial Center so that you may begin your education" Vader said in a flat voice.

Leia stared at him, shocked. "I don't want to stay here," she declared willfully. He couldn't leave her.

"I don't want to leave you," Vader said "but we must obey the Emperor's commands".

"Why do I have to stay?" Leia asked plaintively, hoping she could talk him into letting her go with him.

"The Emperor," said Vader "does not feel it is good for you to be on The Executor without the company of others your age. Maybe I have been selfish to keep you to myself so long".

"No" said Leia firmly "I don't need others my age. I have Mara whenever I'm here and I have you for always. Please don't leave me here alone". She was being abandoned again, she thought with rising panic.

"I have no choice, Leia" her father said coldly. Leia knew this mode of his; he adopted it when he felt she was being overly emotional.

"Why does everyone keep leaving me?" Leia asked angrily. "First Momma, now…"

"I am not dying, I assure you" her father said, his voice clipped.

He hated scenes, Leia knew, but she couldn't keep herself from saying fiercely "Everyone dies."

"I will get you settled in school first" Vader said, ignoring her remark "and we will visit Mara tomorrow to see when both of you have free time so that you can see each other. It would be best if you lived at school, but I'll arrange for a car and driver to be at your disposal."