Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or Star Wars.
Putting Luke to bed was easy compared to calming Leia down.
Darth made Leia a cup of cocoa and sat with her in her room. He enjoyed calling his daughter his "little princess." That was what Padme had enjoyed calling Leia when she had been alive…that and "oogy boogy," which Darth didn't understand.
At first, Leia refused to tell her father what had happened in school, but after some prodding from Darth, Leia told her entire story again.
"Leia, are you attracted to this boy?" Darth had to ask his daughter.
"DAD! Don't make me hurl. I HATE him!"
Darth chuckled. "Well, at least we got that out of the way. What makes you the most nervous, Leia? Facing him at school tomorrow?"
"I guess," Leia said moodily, staring down at her cocoa.
"How about I go to school with you and talk to your principal?"
"I am not going to school with my father," Leia declared. "I'll be the laughingstock of the entire sophomore class."
"Well, how about I just call your principal tomorrow, then? We'll work something out, princess. I want you to feel safe."
Leia shrugged. "Okay, Dad."
After a hug, Darth put his daughter down for an afternoon nap.
The next morning, the people from RebelCorp had left another note on Darth's windshield.
DARTH,
WE SMELL TROUBLE ON THE HORIZON. ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE HAPPY WITH EMPIRE CORP? CALL US…WE'LL FIND A POSITION TO SUIT YOUR TALENTS AND GIVE YOU A BENEFITS PACKAGE THAT ONE CAN ONLY DREAM OF.
YOUR FRIENDS AT REBEL CORP
Again, Darth tossed the note into the backseat. What was wrong with the world today?
After warming up the car, Darth went inside to get Luke and Leia ready for school. He bundled Luke in an extra thick sweater to keep his lungs warm, and gave Leia a supportive hug. Then he left for EmpireCorp.
"Mr. Vader," C3P0 greeted Darth as soon as he stepped off the elevator on the top floor. "There is going to be a meeting of all of EmpireCorp's executive officers at nine-thirty in the Imperial Conference Room. Extremely important—the Board of Directors is naming their new CEO."
"Today?" Darth almost choked.
"Today," the droid confirmed. "They announced it yesterday at the afternoon meeting. You were at home taking care of the kids."
"Yeah, well, it was worth it," Darth told his personal assistant. "The Board of Directors would toss me off of the executive board if my kids were in trouble. Bad for the company's image."
"That's very true, sir," C3P0 affirmed. "Would you like a cup of coffee before the meeting?"
"No, I think I've pretended to drink too much this week. I'll be in my office brooding helplessly until the meeting."
"As you wish, sir." Behind C3P0, R2D2 made a beeping noise. "And Artoo says that the toilets in the Imperial Men's Room are still not working, but you can try the urinals."
"I'm still going to use the Emperor's bathroom. If I become CEO, I'm going to redesign the Imperial Men's Room anyway. Those lights are bad for anyone's complexion."
The President of the Board of Directors was in charge at the meeting. He stood up at the head of the table as soon as everyone was seated.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to make the announcement that the Emperor is still in the hospital recovering from a massive heart attack," he said. The President of the Board of Directors was a boring man who spoke in monotone. Darth couldn't even remember his name, so he called him Mr. Smith. "He has taken early retirement."
"Early retirement?" Jones asked, eyebrow raised. "How old was he, anyway?"
"Fifty-seven."
Jones and Vader, sitting across from each other at the conference table, exchanged glances.
"Anyway," Mr. Smith continued. "The Board of Directors met last night in an emergency meeting, and we've decided on a new CEO."
Darth sat up straight in his chair. This was the moment he'd been waiting for basically his entire life! He was finally going to be the undisputed head of EmpireCorp!
"The Board of Directors has decided to appoint Earl Jones as the new President and CEO of EmpireCorp."
Jones was grinning from ear to ear, but Vader was outraged. He stood up from his seat, mouth wide open…which was hard for the others to see in his mask.
"WHAT?" he exploded, knocking Smith's coffee cup right off of the conference table.
"Vader, don't be upset," Smith said calmly, "but Jones has a clear vision for this company. He's going to lead us well into the twenty-first century. His first new idea is-"
"I DON'T CARE WHAT JONES' IDEAS ARE! DO YOU IDIOTS HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH I'VE GIVEN TO THIS COMPANY? I'VE WORKED HERE FOR TWENTY YEARS!"
"Vader, I'll give you my position," Jones said enthusiastically. "You can be the new Vice President of Innovation. I'll nominate you for CEO when I retire!"
"DO YOU HONESTLY THINK I CAN WAIT THAT LONG?" Vader tossed his seat aside—literally—and went over to the credenza, where he began smashing empty water glasses on the floor. "I can't deal with people who don't appreciate me! I QUIT!"
"You can't quit!" Smith balked.
"Where are you going to go?" Jones challenged.
Vader thought. Then he remembered the notes that the enemy had been leaving on his windshield.
"RebelCorp," he announced proudly.
Up Next: Epilogue
