That evening
Pooja leaned over and gave her Grandpa Ruwee a hug and beamed at him.
"I'm looking forward to the big celebration tomorrow," she said, "But it was wonderful having time to catch up without a bunch of people milling around."
Her grandfather looked tired, but he responded with a smile of his own, "My dear, it is always a delight to spend time with my very busy granddaughter. Are you off on one of your walks now?"
She nodded, concealing the excitement in her heart, "I love it out there at night. It is so alive out there, yet so peaceful. Quite a contrast from Theed, and an even greater contrast from Imperial Center."
Her grandfather lifted a hand in farewell, and Pooja slipped out the back door.
She made a point of wandering over to the water and staring out at the water for a few minutes. The wind had picked up, and there were small ripples in the water. The breeze riffled her dark hair, and she spent a full minute breathing in and out steadily to calm her nerves.
A small purple strab popped beady eyes out of the sand, then scuttled into the water. Pooja chuckled, remembering how she and her sister Ryoo used to run screaming in terror from the strabs. She shook her head. Life had been truly simple back when her greatest fear was of small crustaceans.
After lingering long enough to dispel any curiosity by random house guests, she began meandering down the beach towards the unused guest house. It had been commonly used long ago, but 20 years previously a modern guest house had been built in the other direction on the beach, along with a more stable dock. The old guest house had been left to deteriorate. She wasn't sure how bad it was, as she'd not walked by it in many years.
After a ten minute walk, she arrived. She was pleased to see the roof of the house was still intact. The main window facing the lake was not – it had been covered with a thin durasteel layer to prevent rain from entering into the building – but the rest of the windows seemed all right. The vegetation had grown up tremendously since she has last been here, and she had to pick her way carefully to the front pathway.
She climbed the stairs to the main door, stepping somewhat cautiously in case one of the boards gave way. It was both charming and impractical that the guest house was made largely of organic wood, which was more prone to decay than modern materials.
Pooja took a deep breath as she reached the door, then knocked courteously.
Immediately, the door swung open to reveal her old friend Leia.
Pooja stepped in quickly, shut the door, and threw her arms around the slightly shorter woman. She was surprised to find herself sobbing with both relief and intense emotion. She had thought many times that she would never see Leia again, and now they were meeting as cousins.
"Leia, it is so good, so amazing, to see you again," she said joyfully.
Leia too seemed delighted to meet her again, as she returned the embrace with fervor.
After a moment, both stepped back to regard one another.
Pooja bit her lip in amazement. Even dressed in a plain white jumpsuit, her cousin was gorgeous. If possible, Leia Organa was even more beautiful than she had been back in the Senate, though her eyes were no longer bright with hope, as they had been long ago. Pooja had heard rumors that Leia had been captured by the Empire more than once. It said much about her cousin's resilience and strength that she was still sane and still fighting.
Leia spoke, interrupting her thoughts, "Pooja, I am overjoyed to see you too. You look wonderful. I cannot tell you how delighted I was when we learned that…well, that we are family. I always so admired House Naberrie, and now we are Naberries."
While she spoke, she gestured across the room. Pooja looked up to see a young man regarding her, obviously her cousin Luke Skywalker. He was dressed in black and like his sister, his eyes were shadowed. But he looked kind, and was very handsome. His features were similar to her shadowy memory of their father.
Pooja found herself beaming, as she held out her hand, which he took, "You must be Luke. I am so honored, so blessed, to meet you!"
She glanced back at Leia and added, "I can understand why no one guessed you two are twins. You don't look much alike!"
Leia smiled back, "Yes, it is surprising. Blond, blue eyed Luke. Dark-haired, brown eyed Leia. We're both short, which apparently came from our mother Padme."
Pooja nodded, "Naberries aren't usually very tall. Uncle Ani was tall, so yes, you got your height from Aunt Padme."
The twins stiffened and exchanged quick glances.
"Uncle Ani?" Luke asked.
"Your father, Anakin Skywalker," Pooja explained, "We called him Uncle Ani when he was visiting. He was kind to us little ones so we made him an honorary uncle. And then it turns out he and Aunt Padme were secretly married later, so he really became our uncle. Amazing."
Both her cousins looked at her incredulously.
"You actually knew our father, Pooja?" Leia asked, "I had no idea that he visited you."
"Yes, in our home in Theed, the capital city," Pooja explained, "As I said, I was very young so what I remember is probably a mix of ancient memories and stories told since then. Your mother, Padme, was the target of several assassination attempts and Anakin was assigned to her as a bodyguard. I'm sure they fell in love during that time."
She smiled sadly, "I so wish you could have known your father, Leia and Luke. He was an amazing, wonderful person."
She was looking at Leia as she said this, and her cousin's face suddenly went completely blank. Her eyes, though, suddenly grew dark with pain and anguish. Pooja froze in bewilderment. She was adept at reading emotion and she had known Leia well, though it had been four years since last they had met. Why that look of horror?
She glanced at Luke. He was staring at his sister, with sadness on his face and a glint of tears in his eyes.
Puzzled, she opened her mouth to ask a question, but Leia's expression suddenly changed to one of business-like calm, and she said, "Pooja, can we move into the living area? We have a great deal to talk about and I know you shouldn't stay too late."
Pooja allowed herself to be shepherded into the living area. It was warmly lit with a few plain light cells, but there was no light from outside because the window had been covered due to breakage. There were a few simple wooden chairs present, and she sank into one of them, while Leia sat down in another near her. Luke, she noticed, continued to stand. A small R2 droid stood quietly in one corner, with an arm extended and a small antenna rotating.
"R2 and Luke will keep both a physical and Force lookout for anyone approaching, so we won't be interrupted," Leia explained with a gesture of her hand, "So let's catch up a little here."
The ensuing thirty minutes involved, as Leia put it, catching up – along with a great deal more. Pooja was the member of a well-known political family, with more than a decade of experience in spite of her relative youth. She knew when she was being probed, and right now she was being probed with considerable expertise. She didn't mind. Leia and Luke were extending tremendous trust towards them. Family or no, the Naberries were a potential threat to the Skywalker twins. Luke's bounty alone would purchase cities, and Leia was on the Most Wanted list as well. So Pooja talked openly of subjects that were usually spoken of in whispers –of Imperial control, and slavery, and the Empire's increasingly tight grip on Naboo and the surrounding Outer Rim systems. Palpatine was originally from Naboo, but even his home planet was not exempt from sinister disappearances and the forced conscription of sentients for Imperial service.
After thoroughly grilling her, Leia leaned back with a smile and said, "Thank you, Pooja. And I apologize for my lack of courtesy. As you know, I am capable of being more diplomatic."
Pooja smiled slightly and then grew solemn, "I don't blame you in the least, Leia. I know that I have taken the easier road. My family and I have chosen to work within the system in spite of making less and less difference in our citizens' lives as Palpatine's lust for complete dominance has grown."
She stood up now, and began pacing the living room, "It is incredibly frustrating to me, to be honest, but I've been afraid to do much more."
She turned to her cousins, "I thought that openly supporting the Rebellion would bring reprisals against my loved ones. However, you are our family now, so we owe loyalty to you as well. And while I was traveling here earlier, before Mother told me about you, I realized I needed to make some kind of change. I feel like I'm just a trained uvak sometimes, filling in a decorative role for the pleasure of our Imperial Master."
She shook her head, "It's disgusting, really."
Luke spoke for the first time since they'd moved into the living area, "So to be completely clear, you are not loyal to the Emperor or the Empire, and would be glad to move against Palpatine."
Pooja considered, then nodded resolutely, "Yes, I certainly support you and the Alliance, and indeed I have for years. I'm ready to take the next step and help you, if I can."
She sighed and looked around her, "I know I'm not alone in my views of the Empire among my family. Our family. Maybe we all need to flee Naboo and join the Alliance. I know that losing Varykino will break my grandparents' hearts, but we've been running on borrowed time here anyway."
Leia stood up as well and put a gentle hand on Pooja's arm, "We don't have any intention that you should all flee right now. We have something more subtle in mind, though it will take courage and it is dangerous. But tell us about Varykino. We understood that it belonged to House Naberrie, so why are you in danger of losing it?"
Pooja sighed and shook her head, "One of Palpatine's techniques for weakening the Houses here has been to impose very heavy annual taxation on property. Most landed families have been forced to sell off property, and many have moved to their homes in Theed and given up their estates, often to high ranking Imperials. For reasons we have never understood, however, Varykino has been exempt from all taxation for the duration of the Empire. We haven't asked too many questions, for obvious reasons, but apparently someone very high up has been protecting the estate."
She was looking at Luke this time, and saw his eyes widen with amazement. A glance at Leia showed a similar expression.
"Perhaps the wedding was here," Luke said somewhat cryptically.
Leia nodded, "It seems likely, doesn't it?"
Pooja lifted her eyebrows in bewilderment, but chose not to speak. Her cousins would explain in their own time.
Luke looked straight at her now, and there was a long, though not uncomfortable, silence.
He then looked at Leia and said, "Pooja will help us, and we can trust her."
"Thank you," Pooja replied, not sure whether to be flattered by this pronouncement, or annoyed that Leia didn't trust their long relationship more than her brother's portentous statement.
Leia seemed to understand because she said, "Luke is a Jedi, Pooja, so adept at reading people's intentions and character. We have to be sure, because we have a plan, and you are a vital member of it. We can't do it without you."
"What's the plan?" Pooja responded, with a slightly dry throat.
The answer was even more terrifying then she expected.
"We're plotting to kill Emperor Palpatine," her cousin responded matter-of-factly.
Pooja coughed again. She really needed to control that tendency when she was startled.
"You, personally, are going to kill the Emperor?"
In spite of her confidence that they were not being overheard, she had lowered her voice nervously.
Luke spoke up now, and his voice, while not loud, held conviction, "It is going to be a group effort, Pooja. Our intention is to lure Palpatine here, and force a confrontation with him that will lead to his death. Whether we all survive is certainly not a definite thing, but if we die bringing down Palpatine, it will be worth it. Your role is to provide information about Theed, the Palace, the people who work there, and the upcoming Empire Day festivities, when we hope Palpatine will return to Naboo. We understand he has done so in the past, in honor of his roots here."
Pooja shook her head in dismay, "Since the advent of the Empire, he has been here 4 or 5 times, but not in the last … 8 years, I believe. He has stayed on Imperial Center lately for Empire Day. It is unlikely he will come to Naboo for the festivities, which are 4 months from now."
Leia nodded, even as she said, "We know that. But we have a plan that will substantially increase the likelihood that he will come. When he does, we will strike. We hope you can give us information about where Palpatine would likely stay, details about the Throne Room, security arrangements, and information about your queen and how she would likely interact with Palpatine. Do you think you can do that?"
Pooja nodded confidently, "Absolutely. I have many colleagues and friends there at the Palace, access to information about the security arrangements, and the Queen and I work together well. She, while paying lip service to the Empire, certainly dislikes the political situation she's been handed."
"Would you likely be present at any formal gatherings with Palpatine?" Luke asked.
Pooja considered, "Perhaps I will be present when he arrives, or something of the nature. Part of the crowd. I'm not high up enough, or important enough, to have a special audience with him."
"I will want to spend some time with you giving you some pointers on shielding," Luke said, "It would be devastating if Palpatine sensed something from you."
Pooja shivered, "Can he do that?"
"He is a very powerful Force sensitive, Pooja - a Sith Lord," Luke replied, "But in a large crowd it would be difficult for him. And my probe of you showed you have a strong mind and a natural tendency to shield. So you'll be fine."
He smiled at his sister, "Maybe you got your shielding from the Naberrie side."
Leia grinned back at her brother, "You're probably right."
Leia turned back to her cousin and grew solemn, "We've heard that our mother has a tomb, or a crypt, in Theed. Is that true? Is it guarded? Have you ever been there?"
Pooja nodded solemnly, "Yes, there is a tomb for her, with a statue that my mother says is the very image of her. And she is buried there. My mother and I have gone to pay our respects to her many times. As for it being guarded, there are ceremonial officials attached to the Queen's House who stand guard, but there is no obvious Imperial presence."
Luke and Leia looked at one another, then Luke said, "Would you and your mother be willing to pay your respects again in the near future? We'd like you to bring along some disguised equipment so we can see whether there are electronic devices around the tomb."
Pooja nodded in relief, "We can definitely do that. Mother will be honored. In fact, we'll do it the day after Grandfather's Life Day celebration. It would be considered an appropriate time."
"Thank you very much, Pooja," Leia said gratefully, "We would be honored to join you, but it would not be safe for us."
Luke spoke up now, "One other thing, Pooja. Can you tell us about this guest house we are in? Your mother said it belongs to the Varykino estate, but is rarely inhabited. Do you know if anyone ever uses it? When we were cleaning it up, there was the dust of the ages and no signs of recent habitation."
"That is accurate, Luke," she replied, "No one comes out this way, partly because we have a much newer, nicer guest house closer to the main house. Also, we have had to cut back on maintaining Varykino and money has been funneled into repairs and upkeep on the big house. You probably noticed the brush has grown up. It's a very private place for you, and I don't think you will be disturbed while you are here."
Leia and Luke exchanged thoughtful glances.
"Pooja," Leia said, and if possible she looked even more serious, "We have an unusual ally in our fight against Palpatine. He will need a place to stay for a time, and we hope he can stay here if that is permissible. Having him here will be dangerous as he is wanted by Palpatine himself. But we think he will be safer here than anywhere else on Naboo, especially if your family carries on as if everything is normal."
Pooja raised her eyebrows, "Who is this ally?"
Again, a pause, then Leia said, "Darth Vader."