This chapter isn't betaed.
I know I wanted to get this done earlier, but everything I wrote sounded wrong. I actually knew exactly what I wanted to write, but the words weren't cooperating. Finally we are getting to the part that everyone has been waiting for.
Funny thing is that when I ask for reviews, I tend to get more reviews. I thought people say that puts them off?
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While the Star Destroyer had moved farther back, so no longer there was a dark scar of a shadow, the planet remained cold and seemingly basked in twilight. Where people once frolicked in the fields, swam in the lakes, and convened in the market, was now filled with a deadly silence.
Everyone was afraid… and Vader relished that fear.
His search for rebels was frustratingly inconclusive, the insurgents slinking into the shadows and destroying all information in their wake. It was like trying to hold onto sand, one starts out with a lot, but then everything falls away, slipping through the fingers.
His footsteps echoed through the empty palace halls as guards and servants found reason to be elsewhere. Everyone was afraid.
The once nearly unused holding cells on Alderaan were overrun, as stormtroopers kept pulling people off the street for questioning. Despite his men's best effort, all their work was for naught as someone had warned the rebels, there was a traitor in the Palace. His eyes glowed underneath the mask as he considered what he had learned, despite his Master's displeasure at the development.
Insurgents or Rebels always rose in every government, they were unhappy about taxes, wanted more, felt mistreated, but they were insignificant in the long run, mere pests. Very few of the pests could ever pose a threat to the Empire. The real threat came from the forming cells of rebels, of people banning together. The groups were organized and destructive, yet once again their influence never extend past a single planet.
What he had learned, what he had suspected, was that the rebel cells were trying to band together, to form an alliance, a real threat. His Master had dismissed his worries claiming that any such group would fall apart, too attached to their beloved idea of democracy and too diverse. They know knew otherwise. A Jedi had come out of hiding and was rallying the cells… with success. The implications were disturbing, not just any Jedi would be able of such feats and very few, if any, of that calibre were alive.
Tim, the persistent annoyance even in death, had been ever so reluctant to reveal information about his Jedi friend. Unfortunately for Vader, Tim only knew that Kota believed the Jedi to be real. Together they'd been trying to raise their own force, one that would join the Jedi later.
Vader had to hand it to the Jedi, he or she certainly knew how to stay hidden. Despite the hidden identity, their presence was easy to confirm. Information flowing together from the few Rebels he had caught and questioned formed a picture, one of a Jedi. The Rebels were indeed converging and banding, he may not have been the best at logic in his youth, but it took an idiot to not see the implications of recent Rebel activities.
Supplies disappearing that weren't planned nor lining the Moffs own pockets.
High profile prisoner escapes from the securest facilities.
The death of an Inquisitor.
Various accidents that caused the loss of costly equipment.
A rising in slave rebellions.
Alone, the events were pure chance, insignificant, the one in a million occurrence, but the Jedi were known for beating the odds. The isolated events seemed to bear no connection to each other, but they were costly for the Empire. His Master had been unconvinced, but as the Rebels had revealed today, they were in possession of the missing supplies. The Rebels were obtaining supplies assumed destroyed by revolts, by accidents… Something was rising and the series of events did have something in common, not in target, but in execution: No civilian casualties.
He stopped in front a door and gently opened it. A blaster pointed at him from the darkness and then was lowered.
"My apologies Lord Vader."
Vader strode in the room and looked at Leia, peacefully sleeping in her bed, "How is she?"
Caden didn't say anything for a while, letting an oddly comfortable silence rest between them, "Bored."
"When I asked you what she was doing to result in screams of laughter to ring through the Force, you told me she was playing."
Vader could feel Caden's amusement, "She gets the strangest satisfaction from having me chase her. I must admit, it's oddly satisfying to do so on my end."
"So why is she bored?"
"There's not much to do in a Palace when everyone is busy. Sure she can entertain herself for a couple hours in her room, but she'd love to talk to someone who isn't her bodyguard."
Vader looked at Leia again, noticing Artoo besides her, his dome slowly rotating. A small smile made its way into his face as he watched her sleep. Her brown wavy hair hang was spread out on the pillow and she held a small stuffed animal, curled tightly around it. Every now and then she'd move and make a mall indistinguishable noise. Through the Force he could feel how calm she was. Its once mature presence unwinding and becoming part of the environment.
Her Force-presence latched onto his and pulled on it. He blinked in surprise as he felt the instinctive urge to respond and drop his shield, to let his Force-presence meet hers.
Warm… safety…. love… warm… warm… safe… come… come… join me… warm… protect… shield… hold me…
Confused and partly worried at the strange nature of a sleeping Force-presence, he stepped back.
Back… don't leave… stay… warm… keep me warm… protect… please…
Cautious, he let a dark tendril of the Force meet her own bright presence. The Force seemed to quiet, ease its worrying. Leia latched onto the dark tendril, pulling it closer and entwining it with her own bright tendrils. An image assaulted Vader, of a child grabbing a warm blanket to sleep better.
Warm… love… safety… thank you...
"Huh, she stopped fidgeting," Caden interrupted.
Vader turned around, unwilling to admit that he was compelled by the sight of Leia sleeping, that he wanted to be there to protect her.
"A situation has come up, the Emperor demands I be there," Vader began, moving onto business, "DT-5952 will be in charge of the Imperial forces I'm leaving there. Officer Preston will be tasked with pursuing the Rebels discreetly. Hopefully my withdrawal will cause the Rebels to believe they're safe. You and DT-5952 are tasked with finding the Rebels traitor in the Palace and the sympathizers, but Leia is your priority."
Caden nodded, "Understood my Lord. Do you know when you'll be back?"
Vader walked to the door, "When the situation is resolved."
The respirator hissed through the empty hallways as he walked away from the Princess. Once again there was nobody to meet him in the hallways and he was thankful for it. A deep urgency rang inside him and he could feel things spinning out of control. Everything appeared in order, but there were other players than him and his crew against Rebels. Something was moving around him, like a bird out of sight picking its prey, a falcon. Whoever or whatever the third player was, Vader feared to lose control. He had to prepare for it though, things were going to change. Something drastic was imminent.
His shuttle began to slowly rise off the ground, asking gravity to relinquish its ever present hold. It flew through the air and exited the atmosphere, leaving the lush world of greenery behind. He watched it become smaller and through the Force thin strands of light slip off of him and retreat sadly. A brief of inspection of himself revealed other strands of Leia's Force-presence, woven through his own. He marvelled at the sight as his shuttle docked. Somehow, in their brief time together, Leia had become attached to him, enough so to develop a connection, a bond.
He stopped walking, realising he had gone to Leia's room. The ship rumbled and the familiar lurch indicated that they had entered hyperspace. More light strands departed, almost sulkily. Vader gazed around the room and his eyes, aided by the enhanced optics, stopped at an innocent thing laying on the pillow; a hair.
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Leia opened her eyes to bright sunlight streaming out of the window. She rolled her shoulder backward and sat up, feeling as if something was lost. The Star Destroyer was gone and with it Lord Vader.
In the corner of the room, lying on a cot, lay Caden in a light sleep. She knew that if she were to make a noise, he'd spring awake, ready to engage any potential danger. Content to enjoy the feeling of the warm sun for a while, she remained sitting, her hands coming to rest on a little marble.
She didn't know where the glass marble came from, one day she discovered it in her pocket. The glass encased a flower, perfectly preserved as if it had just bloomed. She fingered the marble and held it up to light, insanely curious where it came from. With the aid of the bright light, she could see the flaws, the imperfections of the glass, but the flower was perfect. The flower, red and vibrant with a tinge of blue on the tips of the petals, wasn't bent or oddly shaped, nor was it so symmetrical it appeared as if a designer had made it. Each petal, magnified by the curvature of the glass, was unique. The flower possessed an organized chaos to it that the best artists would've been challenged to mimic.
She placed the marble back in her pocket, enjoying the feeling of calm emanating from it. Through it she could partly fill the hole that was there when she woke up it. The marble made her feel more complete and if she closed her eyes and concentrated a boy would appear. The boy had sandy blond hair and a smile that made her want to laugh. He felt so familiar, even though she couldn't remember having seen him.
"Luke," she whispered, "He seems like a Luke."
Her inadvertent whisper caused Caden to wake and reach for the blaster, before establishing the absence of intruders.
"Sorry Caden, didn't mean to wake you."
"How long have you been awake?"
"Not long, want breakfast?"
Caden rolled his eyes at her and got up with a slight groan. Grabbing his helmet, he waited at the door while she went into the bathroom to get dressed.
"So what's her highness eating today?"
Leia grinned and walked outside of the room, "I was considering fried lizard and egg shells, but I don't think my Aunt would approve."
"Fried lizard and egg shells?" Caden replied, continuing with the joke, "You can't have that without mudpie from the Southern garden."
Her laughter echoed through the halls, as they approached the Breakfast Room, "I know and I would, but it's being attacked by the most dreadful disease, cultivation. They're planting Starblossom."
The pushed the doors open to stare at the decadent feast. At the head of the table, her mother and father ate, their plates filled with small delicacies. Besides them, the servants set the table and poured the fine Nubian wine.
Her father stood up as he saw her, "Leia, awake dear? How was your night?"
She ran up to him and gave him a hug, "I slept well, thanks for asking Daddy."
Her mother embraced Leia in her own hug, "Glad to hear that Leia, it seems that Vader left last night. Perhaps your… guard knows something of that?"
Leia shook her head, "I wouldn't know, if you want to know ask him yourself. I'm hungry and… Ooh, is that Oro bark? Caden has got to try this."
Before her mother could protest, Leia grabbed a plate and filled it up with various fruits and a small portion of Oro bark and ran up to Caden. Grinning wildly she handed the plate to him, before racing off to grab another plate for herself. As she loaded her own plate with a generous portion of Oro bark and panna cakes. She then walked up to Caden frowning.
"Are you going to sit down?"
Caden, with his helmet on, looked down at her, "You're parents are here, it'd be-"
"Nonsense," Leia interrupted and guided him to a chair and sat down next to him.
Caden looked at her for a moment seemingly considering something. He let out an audible sigh of defeat and removed his helmet, to begin inspecting his breakfast.
"Leia, why is there part of a tree on my plate?"
Surprised, she looked at his plate, "Oh, the Oro bark. You've got to try it Caden, it's sweet and crunchy, a bit like chocolate, but healthier. "
Leia grabbed a stick and bit into it as she saw Caden's doubtful face. He looked over at her again, before picking it up and slowly placing it in his mouth. A minute later, his earlier reservations about the food were gone and he digged into the food with gusto.
Leia picked up her own fork under her parents' watchful eyes and began to eat at a more sedated pace. She could feel her mother's disapproving look at Caden's manners.
"So Caden," her mother began hesitantly, "how come did Lord Vader choose you for the task of guarding my daughter."
His mouth still full with food, Caden looked up, "I helped her in the Senate, so this is just a continuation of my duties. "
Leia watched her mother gingerly chew and wipe her mouth before speaking, "How did you meet Leia?"
Caden chuckled slightly, "She was the crazy kid running in the Senate who I was trying to prevent Lord Vader from killing. Turns out she had a meeting with him."
"You were stationed at the Senate?"
"Most of us clones are, need to be placed somewhere. I hated being stationed in the Senate."
Her mother stopped her glass, a finger span away from her mouth and set it back down, her surprise imminent, "Clones? I thought the clones were all decommissioned?"
Any amusant in Caden's voice vanished, "We were decommissioned… We were part of the last batch and while our purpose is obsolete and outdated, we still are free labor. Once my brothers get too old, so they're no longer at the peak of their health, the Empire cuts them loose."
This time her father spoke, "What did you do before you served in the Senate?"
"I was part of a task force that was to exterminate a Jedi then I guarded doors for another nine years."
Leia looked at Caden sadly, "Well I'm glad I ran into you, I never said sorry for that did I? Sorry."
Caden laughed out loud, "Yeah, will never forget that girl trying to outrun me and then deciding that the best plan was to run at me."
Her mother raised her eyebrows and turned to her, "You did what Leia?"
Embarrassed, she looked down at her plate, "I was late."
A slight buzz cause her father to stand up and kiss his wife, "I'm afraid this entire debacle with the Imperial army showing up has caused my workload to be increased. Bye love, bye Leia."
Her mother also stood up and nodded her head politely, "I too have to take care of business… Caden… you wouldn't happen to know when Vader is returning?"
"No your Highness, but he did say he'd send a message ahead. There was some urgent business that called him away."
Her mother nodded and left, leaving Leia alone in the room with Caden. Slowly she began to munch on her food, her mind far away.
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A cloaked figure stepped outside of the passenger shuttle. She took a moment to enjoy the fresh air, before following everyone else out of the docking bag.
Stepping into the city, she could feel the ghostly fingers of the dark side on various objects. Around the streets stormtroopers patrolled, questioning people at random. Walking forward, she resisted the urge to pull her hood further over her head, knowing it would attract attention.
She moved through the crowd slowly, acting as if she had a destination, when in reality she knew where nothing was. People brushed past her rudely and she could taste the fear, even as it slowly dissipated. An old man stumbled against her and muttered a hasty apology. She shook her head and gave him a disapproving glare. A café by the side of the road caught her attention and she made her way to it.
"A table…" the droid asked.
"A table for two would be appreciated, my boyfriend seems to have gotten lost again. Sometimes I wonder what to do with him."
The droid rolled forward, showing her to a nice secluded bench perfect for a romantic couple. Her lips curled slightly in distaste, but she sat down and pulled a small band out of her pocket and pressed it.
A man with a red hat was walking to the restaurant and stopped at the droid, before heading her way. He walked up to her table and his eyes stopped on the band, her fingers playing with it.
"A nice day isn't it Emma?"
She let out a fake laugh, "Well Nick, do say hello to your girlfriend."
"Hello girlfriend," he whispered and sat down besides her and grabbed a menu.
"Crystal water and some Corellian whiskey for him please," she ordered.
The stranger turned to her and grinned, "Well now I know you're a Rebel. We were quite surprised you wanted to make a visit to us lowly folks on Alderaan."
She turned to him serious, "I was hoping Senator Organa would be able to join our cause, but lately he's become quiet. I wish to check on him and see if I can recruit him."
The man frowned and leaned in there "Good luck with him, rumor has it that he's totally pro Empire now and has called in the Empire to flush us out."
"What?" She asked, surprised, "I noticed a lot of stormtroopers around, but what do you mean with calling the Empire?"
He looked into her eyes, dead serious, "You missed Vader by mere seconds, he left this morning."
Hearing the name caused her heart to pound a little more. Vader, the Jedi killer, had nearly caught her. She thanked the Force that they hadn't met. In no way would she have been able to survive.
"What was he doing here?"
The man leaned back and accepted the drinks from the droid, "Well the rumor mill has been spinning. There's so many theories out there that it's hard to keep track of what my neighbors are doing. Vader was here hunting Rebels, but we got a friend in the Palace, no idea who, but they sent us a message and we scattered. We're beginning to regroup, but we're worried that Vader is gonna show up again, that he's just waiting for us to emerge again."
She took a sip of her crystal water and looked around, "How many did we lose?"
"Twenty men or so, some are being detained, but there's a chance for them to be released. We aren't compromises though, not yet."
"So you can arrange a meeting with the Senator? I want to know why he's changed."
Snorting, "The rumor mill has all the reasons. We know it has something to do with the Princess. Sweet girl. Used to sneak out of the Palace to participate in races, and man, was she good. The thing is, she left with the king to Imp Center and everything has changed since. For whatever reason, the Empire has been taking a closer look at Alderaan and the battering ram was called in. Vader is a piece of work I tell you, a friend of mine working at the detention center told me you could hear the prisoner's' screams a whole section down, once Vader had a go. Says the machine can make a man break in less than ten minutes."
"That's not new. We knew he was a force to be reckoned with."
The man shook his head, "This is different, when you face the monster for real, when he's stalking your home world. The weird thing is he's the last person you'd consider for babysitting duty and he shows up on Alderaan with the Princess. That's where some of the wildest theories come from. All of us knew she was adopted, I mean it was pretty big news here on Alderaan and some say she's the Emperor's daughter… or even Vader's. The one who came up with the girl being Vader's really did get their brain fried by a laser. They've got nothing in common. The Emperor's more likely, that girl can talk people into anything. Of course she hasn't realized that yet."
She laughed slightly, "Sounds like a character. But can you get me a meeting?"
He sighed again and rubbed his head, "I can pull some strings, but royals don't talk to anyone you know."
She frowned, hating that she'd have to reveal something about herself, "Give him a message. Tell him Snips would like to talk and she isn't leaving until she gets a meeting because she's as stubborn as ever."
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Behind Leia, Caden called her name while running after her. She in turn smiled and ducked into another corridor. Laughing, she began to run faster, enjoying the thrill of the chase. She weaved around people, slipping by them with relative ease. Amused eyes tracked her progress through the halls. She was unstoppable!
Something obstructed her path and she fell down to the floor, blinking in surprise. She could feel Caden approaching, but the source of her fall was out of sight. Gingerly, she propped herself up on her elbows and looked around. Caden's bold white figure was quickly gaining on her. A hooded stranger stood nearby, the only person she could've run into.
"Sorry," she murmured, "didn't see you there."
The stranger nodded, "It's quite alright, you seem to have had a good chase, although looking where you're going may help."
Leia smiled weakly, as she looked at the stranger quizzically, something about them felt… off, as if they weren't there. She felt Caden stopping beside her, his strong hand gripping her arm as he helped her to her feet.
"You okay?"
She rubbed her sore elbow, "Yeah Caden, just tripped. I'll be fine."
Caden nodded and turned to the stranger, his hand resting on the blaster, "Who are you?"
A wave of mistrust hit Leia and she glanced at the stranger in confusion as she spoke, "Aurora, I've got a meeting with Senator Organa."
Caden stepped in front of her, the hand not leaving the blaster, "Really? Then why are you in this corridor?"
The stranger didn't say anything for a while, but just turned to also look at Caden, "I don't see what the problem is. I wanted to take a walk while I wait for the Senator to finish up his meeting."
"What about I guide you to the office, we'll see if you really have a meeting," Caden growled and got out his blaster, pointing it at the stranger, "Walk."
Leia sighed and walked up to the stranger, studying the female. It seemed as if the stranger was hidden, but she could feel the grief. Whoever Aurora was, they had lost something important.
Her curiosity caused her to ask, "What are you meeting with my father about?"
Aurora stopped walking for a moment and resumed when Caden shoved the blaster into her back warningly, "You're the Princess? I didn't expect royalty to run around the palace causing chaos."
Snorting, "Chaos? What chaos? You have any proof for the supposed chaos I caused? I was just getting my morning exercise."
"And evading your guard," Aurora retorted.
This time Leia laughed and she could feel Aurora relaxing, a warm comforting feeling emanating from her. Somehow, the empty part of her from the morning was being filled by the stranger. She knew that Aurora was trustworthy. As the stranger began to feel existent, her reservations about the stranger disappeared.
"Well, it makes it more fun. So you know Daddy or you're here because some busy somebody sent you?"
"I met your father when I was younger, during the Clone Wars. I decided to say hello and see if he could help me in a business endeavor, a shipping company."
The statement contained lies and truth, which was which, she didn't know, so she continued to talk, "How did you meet during the Clone Wars? Did you fight? I think you fought. It must have been awesome, all those space battles…"
"I served in the army and your father happened to be a close friend of a my General's friend. Glad the war is over, it isn't fun watching everyone die around you. Wars don't make people great, they destroy and bring out the worst."
"Who was your General?" Caden interrupted.
Aurora was quiet for a moment, hesitant, "General Skywalker and he may have been a Jedi, but he was the best General one could ask for. He took care of his soldiers and together we destroyed the rust buckets."
Leia turned to Caden "Do you know about the Skywalker guy?"
"General Skywalker, a Jedi Knight by the name of Anakin Skywalker served during the Clone Wars. He led the 501st Battalion which was known for almost always getting the job done. Vader killed him."
A memory niggled in the back of her mind, "Was Anakin married?"
This time Aurora spoke up, "Married? Jedi aren't allowed to marry. Why?"
Leia shrugged, "Just something I heard about some Anakin guy being married."
They stopped in front of her father's office and Caden rapped on the door. Her father slowly opened the door and then looked at Aurora. His eyes sparked with recognition and Leia was accosted by a sudden wave of fear.
"Hello… Aurora, I just finished in here. It is good to see you again. How's life been treating you?"
Aurora walked over to her father and gave a slight bow, "It's also good to see you again Senator. I can't remember the last time we met, seems like a lifetime ago, how things change."
Caden put the blaster back into his holster, "You seem to know this person. It's time for my break, DT-5952 will be watching the Princess in the meanwhile."
Another trooper emerged and walked up to Caden, they exchanged a couple quiet words, too far away for Leia to hear. DT-5952 walked over to her and stood still. Caden gave her a slight wave and left to take care of his personal issues.
"Shall we go on a walk?" Her father politely asked.
Leia didn't say anything and followed her father and Aurora through the Palace into the garden, as they talked about hyperspace routes. As her father entered a secluded area of the garden his tone grew more serious and Leia perked up, hoping that something interesting would come up.
"Are you bored Leia?" her father asked and at her affirmative nod, he continued, "Why don't you check what they're making in the kitchen, perhaps you can watch and learn. Maybe the next time you try your hand at cooking, it won't blow up by accident. I'd hurry though, your Aunt is finishing her massage in a couple of minutes."
Leia hugged her father and ran past Aurora, heading to the kitchen and hoping she'd be able to avoid her Aunt.
Before she was completely out of earshot, Aurora said "Your daughter reminds me of my Master for some reason."
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Healer A'Marls, Johnson Ben A'Marls on his birth certificate, commissioned by another Healer A'Marls, twenty-six years before the rise of the Empire on his birthday, was feeling the telltale signs of an oncoming panic attack. The last time he had panicked was when his father brought him to work and he had thrown up in the Fresher at the sight of all the blood. He had come far since his youth and made himself promising career, but currently he wished that he had gone with his passion and became a chef.
The hair glistened on the counter, mocking him. Swifts hands grabbed it and trimmed off the root; home to a bundle of DNA. Around him machines began to whir on, as he placed the root within the device to extract the DNA, multiply the strands, and sequence it. Waiting was a large part of the game and so he waited, trying to will away the invisible fingers closing around his throat.
An impossible task to complete.
The news of his promotion to the Imperial Navy had been met with excited tears at home. His mother had hugged him tightly, expressing her pride as he was following his father's footsteps. It was ironic that while his father was alive, he refused to do anything related to biology, but after his father passed away in the line of duty, he bad been drawn into the profession. Now he served on a Star Destroyer, a ship hosting a certain temperamental man who would kill him. He didn't know what he had done, but he had received an impossible task; to find the parents of the being who had produced the thin strand of hair.
Numerous challenges lay in front of him at identifying the parents. His biggest problem was that there was no guarantee that the parent's DNA information was in the system. The system had no information on citizens of the Outer Rim and on Core Worlds, entry of DNA information depended on the planet's policies. If he was lucky the parents worked in the Senate or in the army, the only places where entry of DNA information was mandatory. Supposedly the Senate was trying to further the reaches of the database, but sentients tended to be hesitant about sharing information that could potentially reveal every weakness of theirs.
Healer A'Marls turned on the computer as a machine beeped, alerting him that the DNA was being sequenced. He tapped his fingers on the desk as he watched the information come in, filling in the holes. For each gene the machine finished sequencing, it would search it against the data in the database. He wearily watched as the possible results narrowed down and then there were none. The only thing he knew was the hair's owner was female and human. His job had become a lot harder.
The healer closed his eyes wearily and took a sip of the Caf a droid had delivered. He had double checked the Empire's database and had even pulled up some planet's private databases. There was absolutely nothing, not even a close relative. He gingerly massaged his temples and looked at the data again, there was one thing he hadn't tried yet.
The program began to sift through the genes and using an old Republican study, it began to assign probabilities to certain regions for place of origin. For once he was lucky, the parents had various recessive mutations that only revealed themselves on certain worlds. The problem was that the two most likely worlds of origin happened to be Tatooine and Naboo, two worlds that were near complete opposites. Somehow her parents had managed to meet, when such worlds normally avoided each other religiously. Tatooine was a dead end though, the place was lawless and there was no such thing as records. Naboo, for being the Emperor's homeworld, also had a strange lack of any records pertaining to DNA on their citizens. He had met another dead end.
Two more cups of Caf later, Healer A'Marls was back on the computer, searching the Holoweb. It had occurred to him that a human who lived on Tatooine for numerous generations had to either be a moisture farmer or a slave. Neither of which would allow for offworld travelling. His searches found one Senator Amidala from Naboo, who frequently travelled the galaxy during the Clone Wars. All relevant information was above his clearance. For Tatooine there was Knight Skywalker, he didn't even dare to try to access the man's files. Not knowing what to do next, he decided to take a nap.
Twelve hours later and still no progress. Boredom had caused him to begin modelling what the owner's hair could look like, perhaps he'd be able to find the parents through facial recognition software, he doubted it. The image began to compile, revealing a rounded face with brown eyes. He stared at it, something familiar and with a start realized that the constructed image was showing the Princess of Alderaan. With a renewed hope he pulled up her file and found the word adopted, her place of birth unknown.
"Kriff!" he screamed out loud, the invisible fingers were tightening.
A message on his screen flashed, Vader was expecting results when he returned, in two hours.
"Kriff! Kriffing Vader, Kriffing Empire… I'm going to die… I'm going to die."
Desperation, boredom, a lack of other possible avenues, whichever one it was, caused him to take the various blood samples that he had collected and looking for matches from those.
The machine beeped again, against all odds he had a contester for the father. He looked at the blood sample and remembered that this vial was supposed to be recycled, coming from somewhere else on the ship and nobody was allowed to touch them. He looked at the code for origin and he felt nothing. The blood sample was from Vader's chamber.
He stared at the screen, at the Princess's face, her innocent face full of hope. It shouldn't be possible for her to be related to Vader. She had a good life and the truth about her parentage could destroy it, all of it. He would die either way, perhaps he could destroy the evidence. The tantalizing possibility of living stayed his hand. A rancor ran through his head. Checking the chronometer, he noticed he still had some time before Vader's arrival. Groaning he stood up to get something to eat.
When he returned with his tender piece of nerf steak, he was greeted by the echoing sound of Vader's respirator. The black armor was leaning over his workstation. He stopped in the doorway, unsure what to do. Vader straightened and turned to him, then he felt his vision to blur and his heart burned,
You did well Healer A'Marls.
? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?
I hope you liked the chapter and some of you may have guessed at Aurora's true identity. She'll be guest starring sometimes, I plan on her being in the next chapter. She was was part of the reason that this chapter was so hard to write... annoying characters not wanting to talk.
I loved the review telling me my characters were flawed and realistic, yay! Keep those reviews coming. :)
I've decided to start recommending stories, one Star Wars story focusing on Luke, Leia, or Vader, and one in whatever category catches my attention.
MS-16 Z Jaeger: A Second Chance
-This is a rather unique take on time travel. Featuring: Vader
hctiB-notsoB: I See the Moon
-A Harry Potter Avengers crossover that is well… awesome. Featuring: Harry Potter and Bruce Banner.