Operation Citadel
Chapter Three
Meeting the In-Laws
On my wedding day, Leia Organa was my Matron of Honour. It made sense, her being Luke's twin sister and my closest (and if we're being honest, only non-Jedi) female friend. At that wedding, Leia made a toast that began with the following:
"Though the groom is my twin brother, oddly enough I've known the bride longer."
There's obvious wiggle room in that statement; they did share a womb for nine months after all (although I think Padmé Amidala was only eight months along when she gave birth.) But yes, Leia was friends with me before she even knew her twin brother.
Leia and I did not have that instant chemistry or sense of comradery that Luke and I did (in hindsight it's actually quite ridiculous how long it took for Luke and I to figure out we were attracted to each other.) However, much to Bail Organa's relief, we did get along very well from the start.
He was right about Leia needing someone not all that into politics. That way no one was trying to influence her decisions based on their personal motivations, and Leia got a Yes Woman for when she went on her unstoppable political rants. It was very easy for me to just nod and say, "Sure. You're absolutely right" when she was going on about trade tariffs, and planets negotiating membership in the Galactic Empire. (Oh, foolish young me, why did you not pay more attention to those discussions? I know you wanted to be an architect, but it could have been so useful for the ten years you ended up being a Senate Emissary and negotiating planetary memberships into the New Republic.)
That test meeting Bail had me attend with Leia was terrifying though. The instructions were to walk from his office to the meeting arena, observe the meeting, and return to his office. I was so nervous; I was in charge of watching this thirteen-year-old (again, I was still only fourteen) and also somehow getting her to like me.
We got to the Senate Hall just fine, and I desperately tried to understand what the meeting was all about (no, I did not succeed at that.) Feeling like I was supposed to be doing something, I tried to take some notes. Notes that Leia still makes fun of me for.
Meeting started at 9:13. Why start late? Is this normal?
First speaker, delegation from… somewhere. (Look up later.)
Trade tariff discussion. 14.37% interest rate. Is that high? Look up trade tariff interest rates later.
Also look up what a tariff is.
Lord Vader spoke up in favor of some invasion. Leia looks pissed.
Vader is actually quite terrifying. He looks scary on the HoloNet, but in real life, hide your wife and children. Note to self, do not get between Vader and someone he's mad at. In fact, avoid Vader at all costs. Avoid Vader, anywhere he walks, anything he touches, and stay a parsec from anyone with Vader DNA.
Does Vader have family? I thought he was a droid, but why would a droid need to breathe? Oh god, can you imagine if he had a kid? Note to self: if Vader has any Vader Juniors, move to the next galaxy.
Another guy spoke. Was that an Ithorian? No, it was Geonosian. Wait, aren't they the bad guys? We fought them in the Clone Wars.
I have no clue who is speaking now. Screw this, I'm just going to draw and hope no one calls me out.
Note to self: burn these notes before Leia sees them.
[The next seven pages of the notes are filled with drawings of various buildings.]
I never did burn those notes… and definitely failed that whole stay a parsec from anyone with Vader DNA. (Especially last night… twice. Oh, Luke Skywalker, what do you do to me?)
But it turns out my nerves were all for naught. I was told later that Leia was in on the whole "spy on Alaric via Felicity" plan the whole time. Whether or not she liked me, she was going to pretend that we got along. I think she expected me to be a lot less easy going and a lot more Empire fanatic. Not that I didn't love the Empire at the time (again, I was young,) but I don't think she quite expected for me to do what happened that day.
"Which floor?" Felicity asked as she and Leia climbed into the elevator. They had waited nearly an hour to get in one, and most of the Senators had emptied out of the Arena and gone back to their offices, so the girls had the elevator all to themselves.
Leia was grumbling under her breath, and muttered at a slightly higher volume something than sounded like "evan." Seeing that Leia was not in a happy mood, Felicity didn't ask for clarification and hit the button for Floor Eleven.
Silence filled the elevator as it slowly rose.
"So…" Felicity awkwardly tried to make small talk. "Good meeting?"
That was enough to set Leia off.
"Just who does he think he is?" Leia exclaimed.
Felicity frowned, "Who?"
"Vader!"
"Oh."
"I mean what good is brute force? We should be talking to the Vrogem, not burning down their villages!"
"While I do agree, I do have to play devil's advocate for brute force," Felicity said as they reached Floor Eleven and got out. "Negotiating with my broken HoloVision set doesn't work nearly as well as giving it a good thump."
Leia resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "But we're not talking about a HoloVision set!"
"Hold that thought. Where is your father's office again?"
"Three lefts, a right, and then the twenty-seventh door on the left," Leia wasn't even paying attention to their surroundings. She had been to her father's office so many times that she could find it in her sleep. "But seriously, we're talking about people, Felicity!"
"I know we are," Felicity groaned. "Look, if we're going to be spending a lot of time together there's something you need to understand about me. At least 80% of the words that come out of my mouth are sarcastic. The greatest joy in my life is when I can just screw with people, but I only do it when they're being stupid about something. Please don't make me mess with you over a sarcastic comment equating Vrogem massacres with a broken HoloVision set, because I will do it."
Leia actually did roll her eyes that time, "Forgive me, but I don't see the value in schoolyard taunts. Calling someone a nerf herder isn't going do anything."
Felicity gave Leia a strange look, "Not when you're calling them nerf herders. Alright, I see now why your father picked me for this job."
"You… You do?" Leia suddenly got worried. Had Felicity figured out their plan?
"Yep," Felicity wrapped an arm around Leia in a sisterly fashion. "You need to be thoroughly corrupted."
Leia let out a sigh of relief.
Felicity continued in her best academically renown professor at the best university on Coruscant voice, "I will take on this honour with the most serious of nature. I am not being sarcastic when I say this, but I will teach you the finest of mockery, the highest level of cynicism, and the greatest of insults! When I have finished with you, my innocent pupil, you will be far above the lowly taunt of nerf herder. When I finish with you, you will only feel shame at the thought of calling someone thing so juvenile as a scruffy looking nerf herder."
Several years later, Leia would reveal to Felicity that in a moment of anger on Hoth, she had called Han a scruffy looking nerf herder.
"For shame, Leia," had been Felicity's answer as she solemnly shook her head. "For shame."
Making their final turn, Leia and Felicity chatted as Leia counted the doors of the office.
"Twenty-five… twenty-six… and here we are!" Leia declared.
Felicity stared at the door, "Leia, I know I haven't been to your father's office a lot… but I'm pretty sure that's a broom closet."
Leia frowned, looking around wildly, finally taking in their surroundings, "Felicity, this isn't the right place."
"Hence the broom closet."
"No, I'm serious. I don't know where we are. Did you bring us to the right place?"
"Ok, one, I thought you were leading, two, I followed the directions you gave me, and three, if we're standing in front of a broom closet, clearly the answer is no."
Leia brought both hands to her face, loudly exhaling as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Okay, walk me through the directions we took."
"Twenty-seven doors on the left."
"Right."
"One right turn."
"Correct."
"Three left turns."
"Right," Leia looked around in utter confusion. "That's exactly right. What, did they remodel during the Senate meeting? Maybe we should knock-"
"Stop," Felicity held up a hand. "We are not knocking on the door of a broom closet on the off-chance your father's office magically turned into one in the past five hours."
"I just don't understand!" Leia exclaimed. "Three lefts, one right, twenty-seventh door on the left, Floor Seven!"
Seven?
"Oops," Felicity gulped.
"What?" Leia glared at her. "What did you do?"
"I kind of misheard that instruction."
Leia's face filled with horror, "Felicity… What floor are we on?"
"Eleven?" Felicity's confession was barely a squeak.
Leia's jaw dropped, "We have to get out of here, now!"
"What?" Felicity exclaimed as Leia grabbed her arm and started dragging her back to the elevator. "Leia, let go! I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"You don't understand, Felicity. We can't be here!"
Felicity wretched her arm out of Leia's grasp and grabbed her by the shoulder, forcing them to a stop.
"Why?" Felicity demanded. "I made a small mistake. I'm sorry! But what is with all the theatrics!"
"Felicity," Leia whispered, looking around fearfully. "Floor Eleven is for elite Imperial officers."
"Elite?" Felicity frowned.
"Grand Moffs, the Grand Vizier, and worst of all-"
Koo-Pah.
A loud mechanical breath echoing through the hallway froze their blood. Felicity and Leia looked at each other in fear, and slowly as one turned to face the source of the noise.
Darth Vader was standing at the end of the hallway.
Yes, the day I met my future sister-in-law was also the day I met my future father-in-law. Our relationship would be nothing like my relationship with Leia. If there is one person in the world I hate with an unbridled passion, that is Captain Phasma… though Darth Vader is a close second (although, I will admit Ben Solo is really starting to give Vader a run for his money.)
There is one point I will concede and that is he saved Luke's life. I am grateful, but that is not enough to wash away the sins he would commit against me and the ones I love. As I faced Vader in that hallway that day, I had no idea the magnitude of harms that man would bring me.
But even in that moment, I could sense what he was capable of.
Neither Felicity or Leia dared to move. They were alone, in a restricted hallway they shouldn't be in, trapped with Darth Vader.
"Leia?" Felicity whispered. "Do you think if we stand perfectly still, he won't see us?"
"What?" Leia exclaimed as loud as she could in a whisper.
"I don't know. Some predators' sight is based on movement, I just thought, maybe-"
"As unbelievable as it may sound," Vader's voice boomed down the hallway, "my body is the flesh and blood of a human, with all its unfortunate limitations. But do not think I am not a very powerful man. I wield more power than you can possibly imagine."
Felicity blurted out, "If you're so powerful, why are you in a life support suit?"
"FELICITY!" Leia screeched.
"What? I'm curious. How often do you get to ask Darth Vader what's up with the suit?" Felicity knew she had messed up but damn it, she was standing her ground. "It is life support, right?"
Behind his mask, the man that once was Anakin Skywalker frowned. He did not know what to make of the girl's question. It had been so many years since he encountered someone with that level of bluntness and devil may care attitude.
In some ways, it kind of reminded Vader of Anakin Skywalker.
No, he would not think of that weakling Skywalker. Not even when the Force presence of the girls felt oddly familiar.
But still, he admired this Felicity's pluck and saw no harm in rewarding it.
"Yes, it is a life support suit," Vader replied. "When I was younger and more naïve, I suffered injuries from a nefarious, despicable man who sought to corrupt those I may have cared about. I learned a hard lesson, and took great joy from correcting my mistake and ending that man's life."
And he absolutely would… Once he found Obi-Wan Kenobi, but hey, the girls didn't need to know that little detail.
Again that odd familiar feeling returned to Vader. Did he know these girls? He didn't know their names except the one girl's given name was Felicity.
"What are your names?" Vader demanded.
"Our names?" Felicity's mouth trembled.
"Yes, your names," Vader repeated. "I need to know if you have clearance to be on this floor."
"Oh, I can save you the time. No, we're not supposed to be here. I'm new and hit the wrong elevator button."
"I see."
"You know, you should probably have some sort of code you have to type to get to this floor considering how top secret some of the stuff in these offices are. My father could help you with that. He used to be in charge of the security system in this building."
"Is that so?" Vader replied. It wasn't hard to tell that he was glaring at them behind his mask.
Leia had her head in her hands and was picturing all the ways Vader could use to kill them in that moments.
Felicity however, was sticking to her gun. She flashed him her best smile and said, "So if you could just give us directions back to the elevator-"
"You didn't answer my question," Vader interrupted coldly. "What. Are. Your. Names? Speak quickly, or I might lose my temper."
"I'm Leia Organa and she's Felicity Rhiaon," Leia said quickly. While she fiercely disliked Vader, she was still young enough to have her fear of being in his presence.
Vader paused at the familiar names, "Organa and Rhiaon? Daughters of-"
"Alderaan Senator and Prince Bail Organa," Leia replied.
Felicity added, "And Alaric Rhiaon, Lieutenant of… Something with weapons. I don't know. He doesn't talk about it."
So these were the daughters of Bail Organa and Alaric Rhiaon. The Rebel Senator and the Death Star Mastermind.
"An odd match," Vader observed.
"I'm her new assistant," Felicity said. "My father goes on a lot of business trips now and my brother just became a Stormtrooper, and I have no idea why I'm telling you all this but there's something about you that makes me nervous and causes me to talk uncontrollably and oh dear God, please someone else say something or I'm just going to keep-"
"It's good to hear we have another fine young man joining the Corps," Vader interrupted, to the relief of the group. "More soldiers to help stamp out this Vrogem problem."
"How dare you?"
Felicity and Vader looked at Leia. Anger was flashing in her eyes; anger directed at Vader.
"Stamp out this Vrogem problem?" Leia repeated. "These are living, breathing creatures who deserve respect!"
"The Vrogem are traitors to the Empire who horde kyber crystals, which are a restricted item!" Vader snapped. "They steal precious resources from the Empire and deserve no more respect than a quick death."
"So kill all traitors, is that it?" Leia shot. "Why not do something more cost effective and just enslave them? At least then you get free labour out of it!"
"Leia, now is not the time for sarcasm," Felicity warned.
"Tread lightly, Your Highness," Vader took a step forward. "Slavery is not a subject you should casually throw around me."
"So murder is fine, but slavery is wrong?"
"We do not murder traitors. We execute them. There's a difference."
"No, there isn't."
Felicity looked nervously at Leia, "Your Highness, now would be a good time to back down."
"I'll never back down when freedoms are being stolen and innocent creatures are being slaughtered!" Leia exclaimed. "One by one, the Vrogem are losing their settlements and they're being forced to move to planets like Jakku and Tatooine with almost no Imperial oversight, and no protection. But then maybe that's a good thing. Maybe now that I've told you where the Vrogem are going, Tatooine's going to be your next target."
Vader laughed, which was a terrifying sound, "Princess, I would die before I ever stepped foot on Tatooine. Now I do admire your passion, but heed your assistant's advice and back down."
Leia looked Vader straight in the eyes (as best she could), "I will never back down until there is peace and liberty once more."
Vader was silent for a moment. What Leia and Felicity would give to know what he was thinking. It was too late for them to run, so all they could do was pray for mercy and hope Felicity didn't want to have to tell Bail Organa that one afternoon alone with Leia and she accidentally got her killed by Darth Vader.
Then Vader moved; he glided down the hall until the girls were a footstep out of his reach.
"You remind me of someone," Vader told Leia, his mind filling with images of Padmé Amidala. "A passionate woman who fought with everything she had to protect the lives of the innocent and the idea of peace and justice. And do you know what happened to that woman?"
Leia didn't dare make a reply.
Vader's words were cold, "I killed her."
Then with a raised hand, Vader took that last threatening step towards Leia.
Without thinking, Felicity stepped between Vader and Leia, her arm raised and tilted backwards to literally shield Leia from him. It was hard to tell who was more shocked: Vader at the thought that someone would dare challenge him; Leia at the thought that despite manipulating Felicity and barely knowing her, Felicity would still put herself between Leia and Vader; or Felicity at the thought that she had done it at all.
Yet despite the shock, Felicity did not yield her ground. She stood there, arms raised, looking straight into the lenses of Vader's mask, fear riddling her body, but obstinate of her challenge. The message was clear; if Vader wanted Leia, he would have to get through Felicity first.
Silence clung to the hallway, the three figures deadlocked in their choices, taunted by the question of who would move first. Then – to the great surprise of Leia and Felicity – Vader lowered his hand and stepped back.
"You two are certainly brave," Vader observed. "Foolhardy, but brave nonetheless."
It wasn't clear to even Vader why he chose to yield. Perhaps it was the girls' youth and naivete that moved him to mercy. Maybe it was admiration that they dared to challenge him, a feat few did these days. Maybe it was because he really didn't want to have to explain to the Emperor why he had murdered the daughters of a Senator and the Head Technician of the Death Star and come up with a cover story acceptable to the public. Maybe it was because both girls reminded him of Padmé in features and spirit. Or maybe it was that unshakeable feeling in the Force that one of them was important to him.
"Since you two are young, I will show mercy on this one occasion." Vader warned, "But if you dare cross me again, if you allow this defence to blossom into rebellion, I will destroy you. Do you understand me?"
Felicity nodded quickly. She was scandalized by the thought that she had gotten on the wrong side of Darth Vader. It sickened her to think with how much she loved and adored the Imperial System, the Second-in-Command of the Empire now thought she was a rebel.
Vader turned to the unresponsive Leia, "I said, did I make myself clear?"
Leia's eye narrowed, unprovoked yet unyielding to Vader's tyranny, "Yes, My Lord."
"Good," Vader smirked behind his mask. He pointed behind him, "The elevator is down that way. You have two minutes to get off this floor or I will take action against your trespassing. And trust me, I won't involve Security."
And with that, Vader was gone.
The hallway was quiet as Leia and Felicity stood frozen in the aftermath of their encounter with Vader.
"We should go," Leia finally declared.
"Absolutely right," Felicity still hadn't moved from her defensive position.
"Come on." Leia started down the hall but paused when Felicity didn't follow, "Felicity?"
"Leia… I can't feel my legs."