Lady Vader 5
Bail Organa was beginning to think that his daughter's fourteenth birthday was going to a larger hassle than he first presumed. He had to admit that the argument, over having a smashball game, between Leia and her Aunts had been entertaining. The rest of the details, however, had turned into a huge hassle. The fact that Leia's birthday fell on Empire day didn't improve things. There would be planet wide celebrations for both even though most Alderanians cared little for the Empire, appearances must be kept. Worse yet was the coded message concerning Mon Mothma's discovery as a traitor. So when a palace guard burst into his office he didn't expect good news of any kind.
"Viceroy," Bail nodded for the soldier to continue, "there's a bit of a situation." At this the planetary leader raised and eyebrow and waited for the man to continue. "Well you see we seem to have lost your daughter. We were keeping an eye on her at a distance as requested when she went into her bedroom with Winter."
"I think I know were this is going," Bail interrupted the nervous guard. "She and Winter switched places on you." The man sighed and his shoulders slumped with his head nodding in acceptance. It was at this moment that the doors slammed open. The guard falling back on his training jumped before of the viceroy and drew his weapon. Upon recognition of Captain Antilles he snapped to attention.
"Viceroy," the captain started without preamble, "a contingent of Star Destroyers has come out of hyperspace and is moving into geosynchronous orbit above Aldera. I thought you should be in the ready room when they made contact."
"Of course," Organa immediately moved to follow the captain but stopped halfway out the door to address the guard, "Lieutenant I would suggest that you start checking all of the local swoop hangouts for my daughter." He looked the Lieutenant in the eye and continued, "Move fast son." The lieutenant snapped off a salute and a "Yes sir" but the Viceroy was already gone.
The ready room was awash with activity when they arrived. The com tech immediately addressed Bail. "Viceroy the fleet had identified themselves as the Crescent Moon Fleet under the authority of Lady Amidala Vader. They have also requested landing clearance and a private audience with you for the Lady Vader."
Organa's mind was full of questions but he could not deny her requests. "Give them clearance to the palace docking bays and inform security that she is coming. I will meet Lady Amidala myself and escort her to the palace." Bail beckoned Captain Antilles to follow him out the door on his way to the landing site. "Captain, check the guards' progress in finding Leia and tell them to double their efforts and their speed."
Lelila, aka Leia Organa, First Crown Princess of Alderan, was doing her best to blend in and stand out at the same time. The swoop crowd, as they were referred to derisively at court, were perhaps more cliquish about outsiders than the debutants Leia was usually forced to hang out with. The want to blend in was due to her "skins" as the racers often called the leather pants and jackets worn by swoop racers. While most were scuffed and discolored from wear and tear hers always returned to a gleaming white despite Leia's efforts to the contrary. The Princess had also painted lines across her face and put in contacts in an attempt to hide her true identity. She expected to stand out however due to her skill. Leia had an uncanny skill when it came to flying swoops she seem to know what to do long before it became crucial.
So it was that she stood at the edge of the circle around the guy taking entry fees for this underground race. She let the crowd dissipate before handing the man her money. He recognized her instantly.
"So Lelila, you gonna let these bums try to win their money back." He leered at her.
"I don't recall ever taking any money." She admitted. He laughed. "Unclaimed winnings are property of the house." Leia shook her head and replied bitingly, "you're slum."
He snorted derisively, "and you're just a spoiled little rich girl down to play with the helps children. Did you think by not claiming your winnings that they wouldn't lose all that hard earned money?" She shook her head as she walked away. She had thought that they would get their money back. Despite her hard work she was still very naïve. Leia vowed that if she won this time she would donate the money to one of the charity organizations.
She did her best to wipe these troubling ideas from her mind as she eased her swoop into starting position. The swoop, an old highly modified scout model, was one of her most treasured possessions along with a small japor snippet that had come from her birth mother. Her father had given the trinket to her on her eleventh birthday believing her finally mature enough to understand its importance and not to misplace it. She reached up to finger the snippet now for luck and briefly wondered if her real mother would have approved of her racing. After all her birth father had been a pilot on a medical transport in the clone wars. She jerked back to reality with the sound of sirens and the yells of her fellow racers of "security" and "scatter." And like a covey of game fowl they all went in different directions.
Leia's heart hardened into a large lump at the base of her throat as she swung the bike off a main street and into an alley gunning the throttle as she straitened out. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed that she was indeed being followed. Leia drifted the swoop around a corner to another alley. She could simply not get caught again. She juked back to the left onto a main thoroughfare and shot between two elevated walk ways. The last time the planetary tabloids had smeared it everywhere and her father who she loved most dearly had taken public punishment for allowing her to act in such a manner. While sliding around another hairpin turn she chanced a look back to see that her pursuit had not waned and her pursuers were in fact Palace Guards. She would not embarrass him again Leia decided as she pushed the speed far beyond the limits of sanity making another turn angling back toward the palace.
Bail was nervous as he watched the gleaming Naboo Diplomatic barge lower onto its landing struts. He and Amidala had once been very close however since her alignment with Lord Vader she had for the most part kept her distance. Bail had also kept a distance for reasons that would earn him an instant death sentence should they become known to Lord Vader. He quickly buried these troubling thoughts as the ramp lowered to reveal the Lady Vader dressed in traveling robes that were simple in design but elegant in material. He bowed as she descended the ramp two diminutive beings following in her wake.
"Lady Vader this is an unexpected honor," he started the dance that served as conversation between diplomats, "we hope you can join us for the Empire day celebrations tomorrow and on a smaller note the Princesses birthday."
"I would be especially honored to join in your celebrations Viceroy Organa," Amidala followed his lead for the moment, "first; however, there are several things I need to discuss with you, in private."
"Certainly," Bail gestured toward the entrance to the bay, "if you would follow me, my offices are very secure." Amidala fell into step with him as they exited the hangar and started down the path to the palace. The two old friends made polite small talk, as the path meandered through the gardens on its way to the palace, speaking of the upcoming celebrations and his daughters past antics. Half way to the Palace Amidala stopped suddenly to look at a small rock garden allowing Organa to get several steps ahead of her. She had knelt to get a closer look at a small flower growing up through the rocks by the time he turned back. She looked up to him and smiled. "It's a funnel flower, from Tatooine." He informed her.
"Yes," her smile deepened as she stood, "an admirer of mine once presented me with one." It was at that moment that a white swoop bike shot in between them before angling towards the speeder bays. The vortex following the vehicle caused their clothes and hair to flutter after it. Amidala Bail and her two guards stood in stone faced shock for a moment before two military speeder bikes followed the first with more altitude. Amidala turned back from watching the two military bikes with an odd look on her face, "dare I ask?"
"Swoop racers," Bail grimaced, "there's been an outbreak since that holo came out."
"Of course," she sighed, "the same thing has happen on Coruscant. So," She looked at him hopeful, "when will I get to meet your daughter?"
Leia didn't give the two figures in the gardens a second thought after using them to delay her followers. They would gain altitude to avoid the two walkers. Their lag would present the opportunity to evade them once and for all. She skimmed the top of the speeder bay then cut all forward thrust as the neared the edge. The swoop dropped over the front opening and she deftly swung a 180 degree turn before entering the bay. The palace guards having lost sight of her missed this move entirely and continued at full speed after clearing the bay. She proceeded to the back row of speeders were she usually parked to find Winter waiting. Leia stripped off her helmet and jacket leaving her in a white tank top and the white leather pants and boots then jumped in front of Winter. "You should have seen it –
She was interrupted when Winter immediately started wiping her face with a wet rag. "Leia you have no idea how much trouble we are in right now." She then ripped the wig off Leia's head and grabbed her arm moving briskly towards a secret passage that would take them near Bail's study. "The palace guard has been looking for you for several hours and to make matters worse Lady Vader surprised us with an unplanned visit." Leia's head shot up at mention of her hero in the senate to find Winter holding out a dress. "You don't have time to change so put this on over your clothes and lets hope that no one else notices," she scrunched up her nose as Leia donned the dress, "you smell like fuel." Winter produced a small bottle of deodorizer and sprayed her a few times. "There," she stopped Leia at the exit to the secrete passage, "I think we might actually get away with this." Winter finished sizing her up.
"Why is the Lady Vader here?" Leia asked as they eased into a subdued pace in the Palace hallways.
"I don't know," Winter replied, "but she hasn't visited since the Clone Wars so it must be important."
"Do you think," Leia suddenly realized they weren't in the safety of the passage and lowered her voice, "do you think it has something to do with Mon Mothma?" Winter merely shrugged as they rounded a corner and started down the corridor to Bail's office. Winter was relieved to notice that their timing had been perfect as Bail the Lady Vader and her two body guards were coming form the other direction. Winter and Leia looked at each other to breathe a sigh of relief and Winter's eyes went wide. "Leia, the contacts," she whispered under her breath then dutifully turned to meet the Viceroy and Lady. Leia for her part acted like she had something in her eyes in an attempt to get the contacts out.
Amidala was curious about the two girls waiting in front of the Viceroy's study. One with light blonde hair had all the regal bearing and poise one would expect from a planetary princess. The other currently fidgeting with her eyes seemed very tomboyish at a distance and there was some thing not quite right about her attire for this situation, probably a close friend of the princess.
"My Lady," Bail started as they neared the duo, "it is my pleasure to introduce Winter," he gestured to the blonde haired girl, "a close family friend." The teenager curtsied and Amidala bowed her head. "This of course," he continued placing his hand one the other girls shoulder "is my daughter Leia." The tomboyish girl chose that moment to look up straight into the Lady's eyes. Amidala's breath caught in her throat, as she looked into the most familiar brown eyes. She shook her head slightly to clear her mind and returned the princess's genuflection.
"I am so pleased to finally meet you." The princess gushed, "I am a great admirer and have studied your career from the beginning of the Empire." She took on a pensive look and continued. "I have had trouble finding anything from before then though; there is so much I want to ask you."
The Lady smiled and placed a hand on Leia's shoulder as she replied, "And I would genuinely like to hear and answer all I can latter but for now your father and I have important matters to discuss."
Bail nodded in agreement as he pressed his hand to the pad that unlocked the office then turned to Leia. "Stay here please you and I need to discuss your friend Lelila's swoop antics as soon as the Lady Amidala and I are finished." The princess's slightly disturbed face did not escape Amidala as Bail gestured for her to enter. She instead waved him ahead and turned to speak to her protectors then moved to enter the office. Amidala stopped as she passed Leia to whisper in her ear. "You know that if you'd feather the throttle through the turns you could retain better control." Leia's mouth dropped open and she turned just in time to see the door close.
"Let us drop all pretenses and talk Bail," Amidala started after they had seated themselves in a pair of comfortable chairs. "I'll assume you know all about Mon," he nodded so she continued, "What I am about to ask you will sound harsh and aggressive but I think you will be able to see the need. You need to distance yourself from Mon's politics and her supporters to move towards a middle ground." Bail looked at her slightly shocked. "Furthermore you will need to limit your involvement with the rebellion for a time until suspicion over your loyalties has waned." With that statement he was openly shocked and she smiled at his discomfort. "I am not a fool Bail I knew perfectly well that you Garm and Mon would continue what we started."
"Amidala what your asking," he slowly recovered form his shock, "goes against my personal beliefs and the beliefs of my people. I am not sure I can condone such actions."
"I understand," she sighed, "believe me I know more than most what it is to put aside your convictions. Discovering Mon's treachery will greatly weaken the senates influence with the Emperor. To lose another figurehead such as you would be devastating."
Bail bowed his head in thought, "will you allow me some time to consider this?"
"Absolutely," Amidala said standing, "I'll stay for the Empire day celebration and expect an answer before I leave." She finished starting towards the door signifying the end of the meeting.
Bail met her at the door and opened it for her before asking, "Where were you going before you detoured here?"
"Tatooine."
His mind staggered at the thought of what could be discovered there. "Dreadful place I've always heard."
"It is more harsh than dreadful, but I have fond memories of the planet and the people are in need of aide."
"Then we will be sure to add to your supplies before you leave. Winter," he called the teen from the couch across the hall were she sat waiting with Leia, "Would you show the Lady to a suite of rooms were she can be comfortable during her stay." Winter lead the small party away and Bail gestured for Leia to enter the office. He did not speak until the door closed behind him. "Do you have any idea how lucky you are?"
Amidala thought over diner as she watched the Noghri sweep the suites for the second time. It was obvious that Bail was lost in thought; no doubt ponder how to proceed with the knowledge that had been presented to him. Amidala was impressed by the sheer number of questions and views the Princess had set forth at dinner. She found herself uncomfortable in the spotlight of Leia's adoration, for some unknown reason she was afraid of not living up to the girl's expectations. The striking resemblance to herself at that age brought the old suspicions of Leia's parentage to the surface. Worse, Raka had been on edge since meeting the Princess about something not smelling right. Amidala still had trouble with some of the Noghri's quirks but she knew that they relied heavily on their keen since of smell. She suspected it would iron itself out when they meet the princess to tour the gardens in the morning.