Chapter 4

It had taken little time for the computer to identify the problem within a soil sample. TriHexalophine1138 a poisonous defoliant meant for the planet of Naboo during the clone wars. The transport ship Gahenna had been drove to ground by a Republic Cruiser. Later a squad of troopers led by Aayla Secura dueled with Quinlan Vos for the SIP (Scientific Information Packet) that contained all information, including countermeasures, on the toxin. Secura had retrieved the SIP and returned it to the Jedi Temple but there the trail ended.

True to her word Amidala stayed as long as the recess would allow. Vader departed a month and a half before. A week later an assault ship arrived to assume escort duties for Lady Amidala. The departure from the Noghri had been an ordeal in it self. The diplomatic barge sat pristine in what had been made a landing field. It was at the end of a line of well wishers that the problem had arose, four warriors stood waiting at the edge of the ramp with duffels in hand. As repayment for the aid she had brought to Honoghr a small contingent of warriors would see to her safety and protection. Shockingly her refusals had fallen on deaf ears. Since her arrival she had been respected like a god yet now they refused her. She had been flatly told there would be no argument where her safety was concerned.

It had been nearly ten years since she had first returned from Honoghr with her new guardian angels, she realized as they joined her at the door to her office. In that time she had come to depend on the Noghri as heavily as Padmé had once depended on her hand maidens. The Noghri had also provided her with a safe haven as she now spent her spare time on Honoghr. She smiled to Raka as they entered the Grand Corridor that led to the speeder area and Amidala wondered again what had prompted Palpantine who preferred stark colors to choose the vibrant Ch'hala trees to line the corridor. The ride home was thankfully uneventful as assassination attempts had become commonplace in her life. As she rode home she wondered at her effect this last decade of her life. Despite her best efforts rights and privileges had slowly been stripped of all nonhumans, any attempt to improve life in the outer rim was quashed for military spending. Due to her status and the continued attempts on her life she now traveled the galaxy in an Imperial class Star Destroyer with an escort of three Victory Star Destroyers. Though what good it did her she couldn't tell; the entire contingent was minimally crewed. There was too much unrest in the galaxy to afford full crews to ferry her around. So instead of commanding the 62,685 crew members needed to optimally operate the ships Amidala got by with 10,355 sailors. Serenity she had promptly renamed the flag ship, in an endeavor to not instill fear when arriving in a system. It seldom worked Amidala realized that the ships were a way for the Emperor to make her look as much a bully as her husband and she had to admit the threat the ships posed snapped unethical governors into line nicely.

The shudder of the air speeder landing freed Amidala from her reverie. They had kept the same home despite repeated effort to move them into a palace. A hyperbaric chamber was installed in a spare room for Lord Vader; Amidala often slept in what was to have been the nursery. Neither had slept in their marriage bed since that fateful night. Looking at the trappings of their probably failed marriage Amidala wondered why they hadn't moved. The happiness that had once permeated these walls had long since faded and no new joys had occurred since. The two had long since drifted into a shared existence, they were comfortable together, but that was all what had in the beginning been passionate had become mechanical, much like her husband.

With a discontented sight Amidala flopped onto the couch and turned on the Holo news. Her mind drifted with glazed eyes on the screen as the announcer droned on about the coming senate session and budget defects cause by alien work strikes. Her eyes refocused as a brown haired girl ran to a fountain in what was easily recognizable as the Imperial gardens. Amidala ignored the bubbly female reporter's story about Bail Organa's return to the senate and focused on the child Leia feeling her spirits lift with the child's carefree pirouette across the grass. When the announcer moved on to the next item Amidala quickly grabbed the remote and backed up the image watching the girl dance again.

"This must stop." Amidala jumped off the couch and turned with wide eyes to her husband as he strode to her. He continued his frustration placing a hand on her shoulder. "You must let go this obsession with the Organa youngling, my love." He gently squeezed her shoulder and continued. "Princess Leia is not our child."

Her jaw worked slowly and she stepped from his grasp. "How do you know?" He lowered his hand before he replied. "I have investigated her medical records extensively. The timing of her adoption was too coincidental to leave unchecked." Her shoulders slumped and her lip quivered as she spoke. "I had always thought that maybe – the words left as she gestured to the screen. Vader stepped close and placed a hand on her shoulder and she fell into his embrace sobbing. The time stretched long before she was able to get her emotions under control. Vader had a server droid bring her some tea and he sat on the sofa with his wife for the first time that he could remember since she had returned from the medical facility on Pollis Masi.

"Why did you keep your suspicions to yourself?" he asked gently as possible. She merely shrugged. "Did you not think she should be with her real parents?" he roared.

"Her real parents are dead, or would be if she were our child." He was taken back by the fire in her tone. "And this," she gestured between them, "is no atmosphere for a child." She finished in a softer tone, "she always looked so happy. How could I jeopardize that?"

He rested his elbows on his knees and lowered his head. "You would not; it is not in your nature." "Your exhausted," Amidala realized, "when was the last time you slept?"

The black mask and helm turned to face her and she was certain he was smiling underneath. "I don't sleep well." She calmly took his hand and settled against his shoulder. They remained in that pose until morning, grieving a lost child and lost lives but taking solace in each other for the first time in years.

In the following months Amidala and Vader began to actually talk again. For the first time in years they knew each others feelings on current events and had inklings of the others personal feelings. The difference in opinions on how these events should be handled however caused many of these "conversations" to drift into the realm of a shouting match, usually because Amidala was working on something drastically against current imperial policy. She however quickly learned to deflect his ire by asking a severely technical question about one of the ships in her small fleet. Thus through some finagling many of the lacking positions aboard her ships were filled with astromechs, protocol droids and others of almost every type after they had been thoroughly reprogrammed by Vader. Palpantine's growing paranoia was a topic that they saw eye to eye on. Many of the galaxy's top politicians, engineers, scientists and weapons designers were to die at Vader's hand for what the emperor viewed as a lack of loyalty or worse the fact that they were nonhuman. Many over the next few years disappeared in the night. They along with their families were spirited away by a small Noghri commando unit. All vanished at the exact same time regardless of wither they were on the same planet or not. The fact that Amidala's small fleet only had skeleton crews manning her ships provided Vader with the perfect place to warehouse these great thinkers while they continued their work. The downside was that these vanishings qualified the rumors that Vader was the black wraith of death coming to take your soul in the night. Amongst all of this Amidala continued to speak out against further imperial restrictions on travel and trade. She also continuously traveled on low profile missions of mercy mostly in the outer rim so as not to raise the emperor's suspicions.

It is during the preparations for one of these trips that she would latter recall as a major turning point in the path of galactic history, at least to her point of view. Amidala was sitting in the command chair watching as the crew maneuvered the ship towards the hyperspace beacon that designated the safe jump zone. The droid that she had acquisitioned to survey communications aboard ship turned to speak to her as only a protocol droid can.

"Forgive the interruption mistress, but Lord Vader has requested clearance to land and a private audience with you. I have granted clearance to the command bay. Would you like me to have Lord Vader directed to a conference room."

Amidala stood before addressing the droid who reminded her so much of Threepio. "No, inform Lord Vader that I will meet him in the hanger. Captain," she turned to the young ship commander, "hold the jump until I have finished this conference with my husband."

"Of course, I will maintain our heading and speed so we may jump immediately after."

"Thank you," she nodded to the officer before leaving the bridge. By the time she got to the hanger bay a lambda shuttle had already landed next to her ship and Lord Vader stood waiting for her. "Has something I need to know come up?" She asked as she walked to him.

"Yes," he pointed at her chastising, "and I suggest you heed my warnings." She stopped dead in her tracks. He had not spoken to her in such a tone in a long time so it was with trepidation that she listened as he continued. "Intelligence has uncovered evidence that senator Mon Mothma is involved in conspiracies to overthrow the Empire. Imperial guards will move to arrest her in the morning. You're not surprised are you?" She shook her head and he continued. "All of her known associates are now suspects. I would suggest that you warn some such as Organa so that the senate is not weakened further by these arrests."

Amidala stood in silence before nodding her acceptance and bringing a comlink to her lips. "Captain"

"Yes milady" his disembodied voice answered back.

"There has been a change of plans. Set a course for Alderan with all possible speed. Make the jump as soon as Lord Vader's ship clears the fleet"

"Aye aye"

"Uncle D," Amidala looked past her husband to the man calling down from the shuttle "we need to get going." Vader took Amidala's hand, the degree physical affection available to them, and held it for a moment. Then with a twirl of his cloak he turned and entered the shuttle within a moment it was gone. As she watched the ship shrink into the distance she felt the familiar shudder and watched as the stars stretched and the ship leapt into hyperspace. Amidala contacted the captain and told him to notify her the moment they reached Alderaan.

After watching the fleet alter course and jump to lightspeed Vader turned to address his sole companion on the shuttle. "Wrenga you are well aware that while I tolerate them, I do not find your quirks amusing. I should think a wise man or at least a man who technically doesn't exist except to my mercy would be more respectful in front of my wife." Typically the man just shrugged and went about his business. Correlians whilst good at all manner of things were just too cocky to Vader's way of thinking.