Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or Star Wars.
The only thing that Darth took with him when he left EmpireCorp was the picture of baby Luke hugging baby Leia.
C3P0 asked him where he was going.
"To get a job somewhere else," was Darth's huffy reply. "And no, you can't come with me."
"But sir," C3P0 sounded heartbroken. "Sir, I've known you since young master Luke and young mistress Leia were just teeny-tiny little humans. I remember the first time they came to visit you in the office with their mother."
"I'll call you if I need you," was Darth's reply.
Darth fetched the two notes from the backseat of his Escalade and drove across town to the nondescript office that was serving as RebelCorp's temporary headquarters until their building was finished. He sure was glad he'd worked late on Monday night—that was when the location of RebelCorp had been unveiled.
"I want to see the person responsible for these notes," he announced to the woman at the front desk, flinging the notes down at her.
"That would be Ben Kenobi. First office to your right."
Surprised, Vader went to Kenobi's office. "Kenobi, what the hell are you doing here?" Vader demanded. "You're a doctor, not a robotics engineer."
"I am a doctor," Dr. Kenobi admitted. "But I'm also the majority stakeholder of RebelCorp. The other members of the Board of Directors have wanted you on the new exec board more than anything, Vader. They think that of anybody at that evil EmpireCorp, you'd be the one most apt to quit when provoked. You see, Vader, not only is RebelCorp hiring the brightest young scientists, but we're also dedicated to setting up an operation that will help save the environment."
Darth didn't give a hoot about the environment. But he was surprised when his neighbor referred to EmpireCorp as evil.
"There's no need to bore me with your resume. I know what you've accomplished," Kenobi continued. "Can I offer you the job of Vice President of Innovation?"
The same job they'd offered him at EmpireCorp.
Vader didn't expect to be offered CEO of a new company he knew next to nothing about, so this position came as no surprise, but he did expect better treatment.
"Under one condition," Vader said after a few breaths on his respirator. "I refuse to work more than forty hours per week, and if I have to, it'll be from home. I can't let this affect my children." Pause. "Oh, and I expect a raise." Another pause. "And I expect to be able to bring my own personal assistants."
"I don't know about the raise," replied Kenobi. "But I'll guarantee the requests about overtime and your own personal assistants."
Darth held out a black-gloved hand. "Done."
"You kids are spending next weekend with your Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru."
Leia dropped her fork on her plate. It was dinnertime, and she and Luke were eating while their father was pretending to eat, as usual. "Why, Dad?" she asked curiously.
"I have to go a retreat for work. I got a new job today."
Luke and Leia stared at each other. "Just like that?" Luke asked, skeptically.
"Well, I quit my old one. They wouldn't make me CEO of EmpireCorp, so I got a new job at RebelCorp."
"Oh, yeah," Luke recalled. "Dr. Kenobi told me about it the other day as he was examining me. He said that he was going to buy up all the stock and hire the best people to drive EmpireCorp out of business."
It was Darth's turn to look surprised. Kenobi sure hadn't mentioned it to him. "But most importantly," Darth continued on, "it'll give me a chance to spend more time with my own children. I refuse to work more than forty hours per week."
Leia couldn't help it. She got out of her chair and hugged her father. "That's so nice to hear, Dad."
"Lukey! Come over here and give your old man a hug!" Darth told his son through his daughter's embrace.
Luke smiled, got out of his chair, and hugged his father. "Leia," he said to his sister quietly over his father's head. "Did Chew talk to you today? I heard that he was going to ask you to the dance now that Han is suspended."
Leia shrugged. "He can ask, but I'm not going to the stupid dance."
"You're not?" Darth asked, looking up at his daughter.
"No," Leia scowled. "I'm staying home with you and Luke. Dad, have you ever played Luke in Monopoly?"
THE END
