9 BBY

FORTRESS VADER, MUSTAFAR

If his life functions weren't dependent on the suit he was in, his heart would have stopped. At the least fluttered. Snips could only be one person, he realized, clinging to all of his doubt. There was no conceivable way that Ahsoka could be seeking to contact him, not after what he did…

Nothing about it felt real, but he ruled out a dream. Sleep was anything but restful for him. Silence hung in the air, making itself more overt the longer it continued.

"This is far from orthodox, I know, but if you aren't the person I'm looking for, please end the frequency or respond. It's urgent," Snips said.

It became more agreeable that this was a dream. "This is Lars Quell," Vader said awkwardly. It was the only name he could think of, and surely a longshot that-

"It's you," she said, almost surprised.

"Were you the first? Or was it the freedom fighter?" he asked almost immediately. The irony of them exchanging information for years struck him with a strange feeling- something between relief and wistful humor. The circumstances quashed any enjoyment he found in the interaction.

"I was the first agent, but the network itself was sponsored by someone more connected."

He'd joined the network shortly after he'd tracked the grave of the 332nd down. Perhaps he had offered information to Ahsoka while in the process of grieving her. "I am not naive enough to believe this contact has no purpose."

Ahsoka sighed on the other end. "What exactly happened? In the place you sent us."

"An extermination in order to leave no witness," he said. It served as a terrifying reminder of the power of the Empire. Of the unknown..

"You couldn't stop it somehow?"

Not that he cared, but in hindsight, there hadn't been a way. The severity of the situation sent his mind reeling, for the Emperor was not someone to be entangled with. His wrath even less so. "I suggest you inquire no further. This contact… will be the only of its kind. Information shall come as anonymously and irregularly as before. Continue pursuing that lead."

Something vaguely resembling a sigh sounded out through the transceiver. Her disappointment cut deeper than any wound he'd received thus far. "I understand. It's not just your skin you're trying to save," she said.

"Unfortunately I cannot actively preserve both of my legacies, and this one is ill-prepared compared to you."

There was a significant pause, but Vader never checked to ensure the connection was there. Neither knew what to say.

"You know," she began slowly, "You're in a position unique to any other defector I've spoken to."

Defector? It seemed a tad committal for his taste. "You mistake my compliance for sympathy to your cause. I care only for the destruction of the Emperor."

"I see," she said, disappointment stabbing him deeper.

"I fear this transmission has gone on long enough. For our individual safeties, do not contact me again," he declared, barely waiting for her reply.

"Goodbye, then, Lars Quell."

"For your sake, do not delude yourself." He crushed the transmitter as he always had, though that hardly satisfied him. "Jettison this scrap," he bitterly ordered to Artoo, crushing the remaining comlinks with the force.

Her faith in him was completely unfounded, even in the face of the barriers he was attempting to put between them. Vader dreaded letting her down so royally again, but contact for the silly sake of catching up was an unnecessary risk. Despite his powers, distance did a great deal to avoid the ever-growing web of the Emperor. For her safety, he wished nothing more than for her to become embittered by the Rebellion, and let those willing to throw away their lives do so.

Why couldn't she run away to a remote moon like a smart Purge survivor? Vader wasn't sure he could mourn her again.

He crashed back down at his workbench, levitating the droid processing core he'd been working on previously to him. Suddenly he was filled with frustration and crushed it without a second thought. Artoo stopped in the doorway, beeping something or other. He stopped listening when garbage droids were mentioned.

"Just dispose of it. Take it to a star if you must. I trust no one else with such a task," he said, moving to leave. The droid had no choice but to hurry on his way.

Vader had barely made it to the doorway when R2-D2 was replaced with Leia. His daughter looked up at him, wringing her hands nervously. Perhaps patience was the true answer after all.

She took a deep breath as Vader ushered her in. "Father, I've been considering what I said to you and I wish to-"

"I'm sorry," Vader said, unable to let her say anything incriminating. "I understand that you do not hate me."

"I apologize too, dad," she said, approaching him.

Vader moved to one knee, embracing her at her height. When he felt it was sufficient, he towered over her like it had never happened.

She no doubt had questions, so he elected to ask a few of his own. "What do you know of Ahsoka Tano?"

Confusion quickly turned to excitement on her face. "Just what I've heard. She's- was your Padawan during the Clone Wars, but she defected before the betrayal at the end. One of the only Jedi to not betray the Republic."

"Your knowledge is far from incomplete," he said.

"It's really too bad she decided to join the Rebels in the end. She was spared from the Jedi Purge, after all," she said naively.

"I was incorrect, it seems. In the meantime, I wish to shorten my leash on you."

"What do you mean?"

He hooked his thumbs into his belt. "You are becoming quite capable. I will allow you more freedoms should you not abuse them. I am only concerned with your safety."

She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. "So what does that entail?"

A chance for her to strike her own path. Starting small appealed to him, though. "If memory serves, there is soon to be a party commemorating graduates of the Imperial Academy on Coruscant. We have received invites, should you wish to attend."

"Will the Emperor be there?" she asked, though she wasn't fearful.

"My presence is enough for him to find attending unnecessary," he said, "I will, of course, be forced to give the commencement, but that is a sacrifice I'm willing to make for you."

"Thank you for giving that up, father," she said, rolling her eyes.

He turned away, clasping his hands behind him militaristically. "Your snark has returned full-force. Am I to assume you wish to attend this event?"

"Of course!" she beamed.

TWILIGHT II, HYPERSPACE

It took all of her strength to maintain her composure as she set down her comlink. Here she stood again, wracked with feelings of guiltiness about leaving Anakin.

Despite all of the evidence, all of the confirmations she'd received, the fact that Anakin Skywalker had become Darth Vader still did not want to register. It felt numbing to have one of the selfless people she knew become so selfish. Someone with so much soul so soulless. He was the best of the Jedi, and if he had fallen…

Ahsoka wanted to damn him for not answering her questions, but found herself unable to. All of the atrocity, and she was still willing to defend him, even in the confines of her mind. There was still good in him, she hoped, but that's all it was. Hope that she would one day stop hearing stories about how vile he had become.

She could try to forgive him until the day she died, but never in her life would she forget. The Galaxy wasn't soon to forget. Judging by his own reactions to what he had done, he wasn't either.

In her life, she had learned that even the most powerful Force users were open to learning more about their gifts, but she was unsure that of the vast wealth of knowledge to be gained, anything could prepare her for what was to come.

Above all else. She did not want to do it alone. Unfortunately, the end of the Clone Wars signalled the end of many friends and allies. Not all, she hoped, as she entered the cockpit of the Twilight II.

Luke seemed unsettled, but made no mention of it. "Good timing. Just made it to Seelos."

"I'm going to need you to trust me," she said, thankful tears hadn't left their mark. "And trust who we might meet, no matter what."

He swiveled around, confused. "What do you mean by that?"

She folded her arms. "The end of the Clone War was… chaotic. Its mark has had a lasting effect on the Galaxy. Especially on those who fought in it."

His face painted one of confusion. "You think this friend of yours might turn out to be… unfriendly?"

"I hope not. I haven't seen him in a few years," she explained. In fact, she didn't even know if he was alive, let alone still here.

She held out faith, all things considered. If there was one thing she refused to do, it was giving up on friends. She'd done enough of that. Soon a faint beeping caught her attention.

Ahsoka slid into the seat adjacent to him, in front of a monitor. "Looks like we got a lock on one of his old signals. Head there," she said, sending the data to the navicomputer.

They skimmed over the salt flats toward a billowing column of smoke, but neither were concerned about a fire somewhere so inflammable. As they approached, they discovered a scavenged monument to the Clone Wars chugging along at a lazy pace. It came to a stop as they halted their own speed.

They brought the ship down at the tail of the old walker. Luke lingered behind for a moment seeing the figures that emerged onto the makeshift patio of the AT-TE. Ahsoka took no such time, as she knew these two. It almost seemed normal that the one with the graying sideburns pointed a rifle at her. She grimaced.

"Wolffe, put it down!" the bald clone in the undershirt said, cautiously approaching him.

"She's- Here for revenge!" Wolffe shouted desperately.

Ahsoka put her hands up, glancing at Luke to signal him to do the same. "I promise that's not the case. I'm just here to check on Rex. He hasn't answered any of my messages."

Wolffe swallowed, lowering his blaster. "Yeah… I- I know."

Ahsoka had a bad feeling about how he'd said that. "I don't like the sound of that. Is he alright, Gregor?"

"As far as I know!" Gregor said, awkwardly laughing. He seemed nervous, and that contributed to Ahsoka's unsettling feeling.

"You weren't supposed to come here," Wolffe said, guilt overcoming him. "He never got your messages… I've been keeping them from him."

Gregor looked at his fellow clone. "What?"

"To protect him! And you! The less contact the better! If the Empire found out how complicit we were with traitors to it…" he frantically said. Vader came to mind, and she looked away for a moment.

Ahsoka put her arms down, as his words stung. It was best to simply move forward. "It's okay. I understand, but that's not important right now. I just need to talk to him."

The clones looked at one another, and that did nothing to lessen her sinking feeling.

"He's uh- Not exactly here," Gregor admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "Of course, the one day you come to visit, it's his turn to get supplies!"

"When will he be back?" she asked. She'd wait as long as it took, and the clones seemed to get that picture.

Wolffe tapped a mechanism with his boot, and a ladder fell before them. "Around nightfall."

No words were exchanged as they took up their silent offer.

THE DEVASTATOR, CORUSCANT

It stunned Vader just how much Leia resembled his late wife. Her mother, he remembered, as he stood in the hall watching her exit her quarters. With her elaborate dress and hair tied up extravagantly in loops behind her, she wouldn't have looked out of place in the Senate Building.

"How do I look?" she asked from the passenger seat of the speeder.

"Wonderful," he admitted after a pause.

Judging by how she was playing with her fashionable cloak, he was hiding his anguish well. Vader was just glad he'd lasted this long before she began to become more fashion-conscious. It painful enough when he saw his mother's ghost on her face, now Padmé's was there too more and more.

She furrowed her brow. He averted his gaze from her defiant, Padme-like behavior. "Is that an unbiased opinion, or..?"

"I will never not hold bias toward you," he said, sure to eliminate doubt. That was simply impossible. "Your choice in clothing is fitting, and that is what concerns me…"

"Black is a nice color," she said, fluttering her mantle. "I'm biased too, after all."

"Remember-," he said, for what probably seemed like to her the millionth time. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I know!" she said, adjusting her hair. "Don't get too friendly, and be aware of my lightsaber. I doubt that'll be a problem with everyone wondering why I've got a hydro-cylinder at my hip."

"Are you sure that is what you wish to wear?" he asked.

She looked down at the folds of her black dress, smoothing the frills down. "Of course. It'll distract from the deadly weapon I'm carrying. Not to mention that people will take me seriously! I hope."

"Is the mantle absolutely necessary? I am unsure if bringing attention to you as my daughter is a wise decision…" he said, remaining steady at the controls of their speeder.

"No one's going to do anything stupid in the heart of the Empire. Why are you wanting me to convince you? If you really thought this was too bad of an idea-"

"Perhaps I hoped you would fare wiser than I."

PALACE PRECINCT, CORUSCANT

By her calculations, they only had a few moments before arriving at the palace. She could see it in the skyline, standing out among the rest of the ecumenopolis. Everytime she came here, she found something new to appreciate about the city planet. On this occasion, it seemed the sunset had elicited her appreciation.

Her father had sped past the valets, bringing their speeder down at a speed she had begrudgingly come to accept.

Leia could sense her father's mixed feelings about this hangar. She probed her surroundings, as she had recently learned, and came to an abrupt stop. Leia gripped her shoulders, resisting the urge to shiver. Something was distinctly off, and it certainly wasn't Sidious.

An urge to flee filled her body.

"What's wrong?" he asked, stopping ahead.

"It's so cold. Something… bad happened here. I wonder why I've never felt it before?" she said, wishing she'd brought some more layers or something. She looked off into the distance briefly, swearing she'd seen something in her peripheral.

"Recently, you have become more conscious of the Force. More aware of your surroundings. The Emperor is not here to cloud your vision with his presence," he said. She was unsatisfied. "Were you under the impression that the Jedi surrendered this place willingly..?"

"No. A lot of life was lost here," she realized. The Jedi had been all wiped out, and she suddenly became aware of how young the training began.

"Focus on the present," he said, beginning to walk.

Leia came after him shortly. "Right…"

In the main chamber, the party was in full swing. She shortly discovered a new horror here.

Somehow, this seemed just as bad as Mos Eisley had been, but on a different scale. She felt small, and that had nothing to do with her lower than average height. It seemed everyone had joined a flock and was accordingly mingling. Everyone here was made up, untouchably fancy like in some holovid. No one was wearing black, she quickly noticed, not even the uniformed officers.

Vader stopped this time, surprising her. "The Emperor is here."

She just couldn't place it. "Why would he..?"

She recognized the slight quirk in his breathing that occurred when he found something difficult to explain. "He has merely subdued his presence. Panic in the crowd is less useful than fear," he declared. "Remain steady."

Anger began to stew within her father, and it was palpable.

"Let's just get this over with," she said.

Her father wordlessly agreed. They soon waded through the crowd, turning heads as they went. Luckily, it seemed most everyone was more than willing to make way for her father. Hardly anyone noticed the small girl trailing after him.

After a short walk up a staircase and into some kind of sitting room above the proceedings, they found the Emperor. He was conversing with several old men less decrepit than himself. Few, if any of them expressed anything but indifference at her father.

Vader lowered his head slightly.

"Welcome, my friends," Sidious said, acknowledging them. "I trust you are enjoying the party?"

"We just arrived," her father said.

He made something resembling a displeased face. "Feel no obligation to me tonight. This celebration merely takes place here."

"Very well, my Master."

Leia next said something she probably should not have, but it immediately came to mind. "Why build your palace out of the old Jedi Temple? Can't you feel the death? Doesn't it bother you?"

Eyes in his entourage went wide. Her father wordlessly inclined his head toward her.

Sidious let out a chilling laugh that echoed throughout the room. He made a vague motion with his hands that resulted in his red guard leading the rest of the old men out of the room.

"She knows not of what she speaks, Master," Vader said, sending a bad feeling into her gut.

"Then all the more reason to educate her. The lives taken here fuel the Dark Side Nexus deep beneath this Temple. Yes, I'm afraid the Jedi, in their arrogance, built their greatest hub above a Sith Shrine stolen from us millenia ago," he said. "Of course, reclaiming it was an excellent outcome of their betrayal."

Leia's anxiety quickly dissipated, but the usual uneasiness from breathing the same air as him remained. Really, with the way her father talked about him, she was expecting to be electrocuted. "Why couldn't you have reclaimed it… peacefully? Surely there was some use for the Jedi."

"Before their betrayal, I assume you mean? While not an illegal practice, being Sith was frowned upon," he said. "I assume that is why they believed they could forcibly remove me, a lawfully elected official, with little to no repercussions."

While she appreciated these bits of history, she felt it was leading up to yet another explanation of the Empire's founding. He seemed to sense her apprehension as he waved his hand.

"I have taken you from the celebration for much too long. I know your father allows himself no such frivolities, but what use is youth if it isn't being used to be youthful?" Sidious asked, ushering them toward the door.

Vader and Leia were exchanged for Palpatine's aides, and found themselves above the crowd. "That was foolish of you," he said to his daughter.

"Maybe, but what's he going to do to me?" she asked, leaning on the railing.

Her father was silent far longer than she liked. "Exercise caution or you will suffer. Do not become complacent."

Leia swallowed. "Alright, I'll keep it in mind."

"Make an effort," he said. After a pause, the mood shifted considerably. "Why do you remain? Did you not come here to make friends?"

She rolled her eyes. "Putting it like that sounds childish. I'm here to socialize! Network!"

"Yet here you stand, above the proceedings," Vader said.

"Okay, then I'm going!" she said, making her way down the stairs without looking back.

The crowd at large didn't seem to take notice. At the very least they lost track of her, however, after a short while, a teenager in an elaborate blue gown approached her, nose turned in self importance. Leia didn't want to fall victim to the age-old adage of judging a holobook by its cover, but by the Force she came close.

"Forgive me if I may be so bold, but what is your name?" she asked, making no effort to conceal her brown nose.

Leia raised a brow. "It's Leia. I don't see how that would be offensive."

That seemed to give her some comfort. The young woman's demeanor seemed to shift to something a bit more smug, if that was possible.

"It's the polite thing to say. I've never seen you at any event, yet there you were, in good favor with both the Emperor and his chief enforcer. Indulge my curiosity?"

"I'm his daughter," she said. "Vader's," she amended, shortly after the girl's went ghostly pale. That seemed to bring some of the panic to a manageable level.

After composing herself, she spoke. "I was unaware Lord Vader had a daughter."

That wasn't surprising to her at this point. "Less assassins when he isn't flaunting me around."

"Quite," she admitted. "My mother is just a planetary governor, which makes her just high up enough to not be targeted."

There existed a brief and awkward moment where she had nothing to say. "Oh, forgive me. I forgot to ask for your name," Leia said.

"Dena Lerrax," she replied, relieved. She made a curt bow that Leia returned. "So where did you get your hair done? Dek Slivek's Salon did mine. With those arms, it's as if Besalisks were created with hairdressing in mind."

Leia reached a hand to her hair. "I did it mostly myself, but I have a droid to help."

Dena's face curled into disgust. "You'd let a droid that close to your head?"

"Yes?" she asked in confusion. The Clone Wars were a recent memory for the Galaxy, but she figured someone in the upper echelons of society would recognize the difference between the droid classes. Then again, her father was a total gearhead.

"That's what aliens are for. Or poor people," Dena explained. 'Don't you have servants too?"

"No," As if a switch had been flipped, all of Leia's interest left the conversation. Instead, disgust welled up within her, barely showing on her face. She did a mental double take to ensure she'd heard right. "I'm not familiar with high Imperial society. Is that how… most people here think?"

"Yes, of course. We're all human, aren't we? I will admit that at least a droid won't attempt to steal your valuables, but that's hardly a price to pay for automated destruction."

Leia briefly closed her eyes, exhaling to quiet herself. "Excuse me," she said, not waiting for a reply. She walked to a far corner where she could still see Dena through the crowd. The Moff's daughter now had a cup in her hand and seemed to be fraternizing with some other attendees her age.

It didn't take much effort at all to upturn the glass with the Force, spilling whatever beverage onto her dress. Admittedly she felt no better or less disgusted as Dena frantically tried to get the giant stain off of her. Maybe she wouldn't worry about a servant stealing it now.

"You have the Force," someone said.

She whipped around to see a girl wearing far too many colors for her taste coming from behind a pillar. "Uh…"

"Amilyn Holdo, and your secret is safe with me," she said, nodding matter-of-factly.

Leia avoided eye contact as if it were a plague. Instead she focused on the girl's pink hair. "Well, it's not really a secret, but… I probably shouldn't have done that."

"Dena is in the Legislative Youth Program with me, and she's a jerk. Is that a lightsaber?" she asked.

This Amilyn was eccentric, and that was just her first impression. Leia was stunned by her boldness, though the girl probably didn't even know it was bold. "Yeah, actually. I'm surprised anyone born after the Empire could recognize it."

"It's obviously not a hydro-cylinder. We're at a party in the Imperial Palace- there's plenty to drink here," she said matter-of-factly. "So what color is it?"

Leia blinked a few times in disbelief, but Amilyn continued smiling expectantly. "Blue."

"You know, if you are a Jedi, you don't have to tell me. I'm from Gatalenta, and we haven't forgotten them," she said conspiratorially, adding a wink for extra effect.

That admission earned Amilyn another visual inspection from Leia. She was under the impression Gatalentans were drab people, and the one before her was dressed in colors offensive to the eye. "You're Gatalentan? But you're so… colorful!"

"Says the girl dressed for a funeral," Amilyn said with a laugh. Leia couldn't help but smile.

"I'm kind of short if you hadn't noticed. I figured the black would make me look older. You know, more serious," she admitted.

She shrugged. "You have a name?"

"Leia Vader."

"Wait…" Amilyn said. Leia began to write their friendship off as a loss. "Vader as in… Oh…" she pieced together.

Leia cringed expectantly. "Yeah…"

"I bet you aren't scared of anything, then," she said, and Leia was once more gobsmacked.

"Not of stuff like kidnappers," she said after a pause.

Amilyn took a moment to absorb her answer as seriously as possible. "Is he a droid?"

Leia had to process that question for longer than she liked.

"No."

TUURENBO SALT PLAINS, SEELOS

Luke didn't know exactly what to think about the clones. Specifically, Wolffe. Even to the admittedly untrained boy, he seemed too jumpy. It freaked him out. Ahsoka had told him that war left scars on everyone, sometimes invisible ones.

Gregor's were more visible. He was fun, if a bit unhinged. He'd been in some kind of accident near the end of the Clone War. The clone had just finished teaching him the controls for the AT-TE's cannon, but he couldn't find himself able to get into the mood.

"What's the problem?"

"A big cannon is cool and all, but flying is more my style," he said with a smirk. The sky called to him. It was his namesake.

"Get your head out of your cockpit and live a little! I would've done anything to fire a bad boy like this when I was a cadet!" he said.

Luke whipped around. "Fire?"

Gregor nodded after a laugh. "Just find a spot out in the wastes and fire. Not like we have anything to use the ammo on. Off-season for hunting, you know!"

He shrugged. The ability to blow something sky high wasn't exclusive to a ship. Luke angled the cannon, deciding to eyeball a target before using the targeting screen.

"There's something coming at us!" he realized as he saw a dust cloud rapidly approaching.

The old clone hopped up onto the cannon, using a hand to block the sun. "Rex is back! Sorry, no explosions today, or he'll have my hide!"

Luke returned to the default forward position before hopping off. "Let's get Ahsoka."

His mind raced as they entered the tank proper. Ahsoka had spoken sparingly of her old friend before. Given the reverence she'd given him, he always assumed Rex was dead. Then again, he supposed, she might not have been sure until today.

Ahsoka was waiting with Wolffe inside, and both made a move for the rear. They'd detected their old friend and new ally probably sooner than he had visually. They all stood on the balcony, watching Rex's speeder become larger and larger.

"Gregor!" he shouted from a distance. "Get down here and give me a hand with-"

His master and her friend made eye contact as he came to a stop behind the vehicle. Ahsoka wasted no time in slipping under the railing and to the ground below. "Rex."

"Commander," the old clone said, pleasantly surprised. "Is there a-"

Ahsoka embraced him tightly, and Luke got the distinct idea that this was going to turn out alright.

"I'm glad you're still alive," he said quietly.

"You too," she replied, breaking away and putting her hands on his shoulders.

Wolffe and Gregor dispersed back into the AT-TE, and he was about to before Rex stopped him.

"Who's the youngling?"

"Come say hello, Luke," Ahsoka said, folding her arms. "Captain Rex of the Grand Army of the Republic."

He definitely picked up on her lack of his last name. Ahsoka had mentioned going by a fake name, Lars, because his own was too recognizable. Just like his lightsaber. Luke got the idea she would tell him later, when the others weren't around to even possibly eavesdrop, but he wasn't sure.

He was almost embarrassed with how much he had thrown his name around back on base. Luckily most members of their cell just saw him as that Jedi kid, only some of the higher ups knew him as more than Luke.

A small part of him was shameful regarding hiding his history.

Rex thoroughly scrutinized him as he climbed down the ladder. "Hello," he said. "I'm Ahsoka's apprentice."

His eyes went straight to Luke's hip. "That lightsaber…"

Luke unclipped it, holding it out to allow for further examination. Rex traced a finger over one of the scuffs. Their omission of a surname was definitely for the other clones. It was not curiosity that lit up Rex's face as he examined the weapon. It was recognition. Luke was at least sure of that.

"I need your help, Rex. We never should have split up," Ahsoka said, and he was curious as to how this would go. The clone seemed to be looking through him.

"I know," he said. "We're in danger just being alive."

There were… definite gaps in the old stories he'd heard. Rex, his father, and the others took center stage in some, and suddenly just Ahsoka in others. That made it easy to make a timeline. He couldn't blame her though. There was a good reason she didn't talk about the end of the Clone War. Several, really.

Rex handed him back the lightsaber, giving him a knowing smile. Still, his eyes were distant. Pained. "So what's the mission?"

"Same as usual," she offered with a smile. "Love to have you watching my back."

The clone looked back at the walker. "Of course, Commander."

SENATE DISTRICT, CORUSCANT

"Did you find the festivities to be enjoyable?" Vader asked during a lull in Coruscanti traffic. He didn't have to do anything but stand, which was much to his liking.

"Only at the end. It feels like I met one good person in the entire building," she said. No doubt the colorful girl he'd seen her conversing with before he decided they'd be leaving.

Vader was even more satisfied with that. "Politicians and those they fraternize with are often untrustworthy. Rarely you will find friendship"

"It's like they live in a different universe," she remarked. "But then again, so do I…"

He tipped his head toward her. He was glad she seemed to see that politics were a waste of time under a dictatorship. "What is your meaning?"

"My home planet is a volcanic hellscape. I've spent most of my life in space," she said.

He gripped the yoke tightly. Necessary sacrifices for her safety. "Unfortunately you were never destined to live a normal life."

"Well, at least you've always been there," she admitted. "That counts for a lot."

"It is important to keep those you love close," he said.

She sighed deeply, turning away from his sight.

"I was afraid you'd say that."

Vader turned his head to her. What was visible of her face painted a picture of nervousness. "Why?"

"I want to go to school here," she said, biting her lip.

"Is that so?" he said. Logistics aside, he was genuinely curious.

Leia took a moment to gather her thoughts. "I really don't have any friends my age. Or at all. Artoo doesn't count. I want to learn more about the Galaxy. I felt like a total rube tonight. I know nothing."

He'd protest about how close she'd be to Palpatine, but he knew distance hardly mattered when you were actively in the sights of such a powerful man. Coruscant was an excellent place for humans in the ruling class, but he had no doubt his daughter would be able to find trouble.

"You are certain about this?"

"Yes."

Vader waited a few breath cycles before laying down his verdict. "Very well, I will arrange for you to begin schooling here under certain conditions."

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "What are they?"

"I will increase the difficulty of your training. When I deem you ready to defend yourself I will allow you to live here."

"Okay," she said, a little less excited.

"I will not show bias in judging your progress. Your life will be at stake."

"Uh…"

"Not to mention you will have a caretaker while I am away, and a security detail," he said, imagining a group similar to the one his wife traveled with. Handmaidens and body doubles just seemed obvious.

"Is that really necessary?" she said, no doubt imagining several babysitting Stormtroopers following her around.

How shortsighted she was. A Skywalker trait. "Absolutely. Just by being born you have many enemies."

"Can't I just take Artoo?"

He slightly inclined his head toward her. "I would concern yourself with meeting my requirements instead of negotiating conditions."

She drew a long sigh, sliding down in her seat. "So, they'll eventually be open for discussion?"

Vader paused for a few seconds.

"No."

"I figured."