Chapter 19

2 months later

Emperor's Throne Room, Imperial City, Imperial Center

Emperor Sheev Palpatine felt a vicious sense of satisfaction when the soft chime on his throne interrupted his meditation.

He had made it very clear that he was not to be disturbed. He would thoroughly enjoy killing the hapless idiot contacting him, which would lighten his spirits at least a little.

He also had to admit that the intrusion was rather welcome, as it ended another frustrating attempt to determine Darth Vader's location. Ever since he had been blocked by young Skywalker, his attempts to find his wayward apprentice had been totally futile.

It seemed obvious that Vader and his son were on amicable terms now, especially given the theft of the Executor and its recent appearances with one arm of the Rebel Fleet. Palpatine ground his teeth audibly. For that ship, a gift of his second–in–command, to now be a powerful juggernaut on behalf of Rebel forces enraged him nearly beyond endurance. The Super Star Destroyer had already been the deciding factor in three battles between Rebel and Imperial Forces in outlying systems. Indeed, Ryloth, in the Outer Rim, was now firmly under Rebel control. The Twileks had been a useful slave force, so the loss of Ryloth was significant on that account. More seriously, the encroachment of Rebel Forces into previously Imperial Systems was increasing the amount of unrest and rebellion in other systems. Rebel recruitment was up substantially.

He needed to find Vader – find him and destroy him. His former apprentice was just one man, but that one man had the highest midi-chlorian count in known history. Furthermore, Vader was the father, and now apparently the ally, of Luke Skywalker, also an incredibly strong Force-user. If they were able to fully work together, they would be such a powerful team that Palpatine's corrupted soul quaked with fear at the very thought.

And then there was that mysterious additional Force user, the figure who had joined with Skywalker to repel his attempt to find Vader. Who was he, or she? It was unlikely that anyone the Alliance had uncovered would be a significant threat, but even a small boost to Skywalker's already impressive powers was an unpleasant prospect to the aged Sith Lord.

But he still sensed that Vader was wavering between Darkness and Light, which would somewhat minimize Skywalker's ability to work with his father. He must find Vader! He had agents hunting the galaxy for him and so far they had found nothing – in spite of his own increasingly frequent incentives to his steadily dwindling intelligence corps. Where was the man? Why was he hiding? Was he cowering in fear? Going into self-imposed exile? Plotting the death of his former master? He must be found!

The chime rang again softly, and Palpatine turned on the com with a flick of the Force,

"I believe," he ground out menacingly, "that I had ordered that I not be disturbed."

His Chief Intelligence Officer replied with surprising steadiness, "Your Highness, you ordered that we inform you promptly if we had any leads on the location of Darth Vader. We believe he has been sighted recently on the planet of Naboo."

Palpatine froze. Naboo was the homeworld of Padme Amidala, and the location of the secret wedding between Amidala and the then Anakin Skywalker. And his own homeworld, as it happened, though his power and glory had far exceeded the limits of that Outer Rim planet long ago.

He leaned back on his throne, forcing himself to listen methodically, to think carefully.

"Where was he sighted?"

"I will send you the visual and audio footage, your Highness," the intelligence officer replied, "It was taken 2 days ago, at the tomb of a former Nabooian queen named as Padme Amidala."

Palpatine stiffened with excitement, "Send me the visuals immediately."

He had ordered constant electronic surveillance of the tomb long ago, as he wanted to know his apprentice's state of mind concerning his dead wife. In the early years after her death, Vader had slipped off to her tomb a few times, apparently to grieve over the tiresome woman who had challenged Palpatine's ascension to Emperor. However, Vader had not done so in the last 15 years, after Palpatine made it entirely clear that mourning over a dead queen was no longer permissible for the junior Sith Lord.

A large screen detached from the ceiling of the throne room, and lowered. The footage near Amidala's tomb played. Ah yes. The figure on the screen was very tall, and was wrapped in the monk-like robes of one of the local Nabooian religious communities. Intelligence had (the Emperor admitted grudgingly to himself) done a competent job of enhancing the sound and removing background noise. The familiar mechanized breathing was clearly heard above the background noise, as were the rumbled words, "Padme. I'm so sorry. Padme."

Palpatine creased his face in disgust, and leaned back again, shaking his head.

His (former) apprentice had gone completely to the shaaks. The fool, who had competently managed armies and destroyed the strongest of the Jedi, was now a pathetic widower muttering guilty platitudes over the bones of his dead wife.

If it wasn't so infuriating and inconvenient, it would almost be amusing.

He heaved a sigh. It was a step in the correct direction. Vader had been sighted. Now, was he staying on Naboo, or did he promptly leave the planet after his piteous mumbling at the tomb?

He was inclined to believe Vader had probably fled again. Naboo was a highly populated planet, and his former apprentice was an extremely noticeable individual. Even wrapped in robes, he was tall and broad and likely to attract attention. However. It was possible Vader had found some place to skulk, perhaps in Theed. Perhaps in the lower income areas? There might be underground tunnels and complexes, like on Imperial Center, where the poverty stricken sentients would gladly turn a blind eye in exchange for a few credits. He himself had always dwelled in the higher class, sophisticated regions of Naboo. Another consideration – Vader was not a healthy man, and his life support suit required frequent maintenance. A hyperbaric chamber was vital to his apprentice. Was it possible to track down Vader that way?

With a new surge of energy, Palpatine summoned his Chief Intelligence Officer to the Throne Room. Some careful, thorough investigation was in order.

The next morning

Varykino Estate, Naboo

Pooja Naberrie got out of her speeder and walked to the front door of the Main House at Varykino. She opened the door, and then ducked back as a building droid beeped urgently at her. The main hall was in shambles, with ceiling material in heaps on the floor, and the main building joists exposed.

Down the corridor. She could see her mother Sola, who called out to her.

"Pooja, darling! I'm sorry about the mess. Come around to the side door!"

Pooja obeyed, and met up with her mother in the small entrance area next to the main kitchens.

"I see you are in the destruction phase, Mother," she said with a smile.

"Yes, and it is definitely exciting," her mother said, and pulled her daughter into a hug, while whispering into her ear.

"You wanted construction, you got construction."

Pooja smiled, and followed her mother into the main living area, which was intact. For the next two hours, they discussed estate news, the health of Grandpa Ruwee, and life in Theed and at the Palace of Naboo. Pooja was not surprised to learn that her grandparents had elected to move into the main guest house down the beach during construction. The noise and dust were not helpful for a man in delicate health. Pooja was glad to hear that so far her grandfather's health had not deteriorated more. He was suffering from a neurodisease which could not be cured, but medications were keeping it in check.

"How long can you stay, Pooja?" her mother asked.

"A full month," she replied with delight, "The District Representatives are on recess and honestly, I'm very ready to be out in the Lake District again. I'll touch base with my constituents, but I can spend some time resting with you and the grandparents. If you don't mind me staying here, of course."

Sola shook her head and said in an amused tone, "I think we can put up with you. Your sister Ryoo says she'll soon be able to come for a few days. We'll have most of the family here. You will need to help with cooking, of course."

Pooja wrinkled her nose at her mother. Cooking was not one of her gifts.

Sola continued, "By the way, the gardens are really lovely right now, especially the red stalistis. Why don't you take a break from the house and check them out?"

This was said with a significant look, and Pooja replied, "I will, Mother. In fact, I'm so weary of the city that I think I'll stay out for a few hours to get into the lake county spirit. Can I have a few ration bars?"

Sola chuckled and led her daughter into the kitchen, where she handed over a few ration bars and a container of water.

Pooja, concealing her excitement, wandered slowly into the gardens situated behind the greenhouse. For a few minutes, she strolled slowly up and down the formal rows, steadily moving farther away from the house.

She eventually heard the beep she'd been waiting for, though she jumped nonetheless.

"Pooja," a voice said softly, and Leia Organa stepped out of a convenient hiding place. Her small R2 unit stood beside her, with sensor extended.

She followed her cousin quietly into the forest. The underbrush was not grown up too badly in this area of old growth trees, and the air held the gentle perfume of stalistis. After a brisk ten minute hike, her cousin halted in a small clearing and turned to face her.

They hugged briefly, then Pooja asked, "Is he here?"

Leia nodded, and her expression became somewhat blank, "Yes, he's settling in. Luke is with him now."

Pooja shook her head incredulously.

Keeping her voice low, she asked, "Leia, are you really sure we can trust him?"

Leia's face hardened slightly, but she replied, "Yes, because I trust Luke and Luke says we can trust him. I'm not able to evaluate him rationally, I'm afraid. But Luke is able to understand him much better than I ever could, and he says Vader is genuinely trying to make amends for as much as he can. I will say he seems to realize nothing can fix what he's done to the galaxy for the last 24 years, which is something in his favor."

"How does he think he can make amends, Leia?"

For the first time, Leia smiled slightly, "Well, based on what I've been privileged to hear, he would like to grab Palpatine by his wrinkled, scrawny neck, and tear his head off. Not that he'll be able to get close enough to do something that visceral, but that's the general idea."

Pooja gave voice to the bewilderment she'd been feeling for a month, "Leia, why? He's been serving Palpatine for more than 20 years. Why would he suddenly decide to turn against the Emperor in this way? I could understand a coup to wrest ultimate control of the Empire, but this just doesn't make sense! He's hiding in some remote, out of the way place on Naboo, to skulk here, to plot with his Rebel enemies? Living in conditions that are more appropriate to a vagabond than a Dark Lord? It doesn't make any sense!"

Leia sighed and looked down, then raised her head with sudden determination in her eyes.

"Pooja, Luke and I have decided to tell you the big secret, because it will help you to understand the situation. I will let you decide whether to tell your mother or not, but it must not go farther. Please don't tell your sister Ryoo. We don't think she is entirely reliable."

Pooja stiffened. She had a feeling what Leia had to say was going to be hard to hear.

Leia took a couple of deep breaths, and then said calmly, "Pooja, the man known as Darth Vader used to be Anakin Skywalker. He is our father."

Pooja felt as if her blood had suddenly turned to ice. She raised hands to her face which were shaking and pale. She felt tears form in her eyes and fall down her cheeks.

"No, Leia, no. It can't be," she sobbed softly, "Uncle Ani? Darth Vader? No, Leia, it can't be true."

Leia put her arms around Pooja, "It is true, I'm afraid. There is no doubt at all."

After a minute, Pooja pulled herself together. What was she doing, sobbing in the arms of her dear friend who was saddled with a homicidal, brutal tyrant for a father? She stared at Leia. They had been colleagues for several years, and Leia had always seemed so mature that sometimes Pooja forgot that she was the elder by 7 years. She needed to be a support to Leia, not a crying ball of denial. Leia needed love and encouragement in dealing with a father who…no…it couldn't be…

"Leia, there were rumors. Did he…hurt… you?" she demanded.

Leia clenched her fists and turned her head away for a moment, then looked back.

"Twice," she said bluntly, "On the Death Star, for hours, he tortured me to try to force me into revealing the location of the Rebel base. Then on Bespin, he tortured me for less than an hour – in that case so I would be in enough pain that Luke would sense my agony and rush to my rescue. Twice, Pooja. My own biological father tortured me twice."

Pooja considered herself a fairly even tempered person, but this information enraged her so much that she swept around and kicked a defenseless sapling to the ground. She then reached down and snatched up the sapling, breaking it over her knee repeatedly.

"I could kill him myself," she snarled, "What kind of man could do that to his own daughter?"

She turned to Leia, who said with a sad smile, "Well, he didn't know about that, Pooja. I was the hidden twin. We told him about me about a month ago, and he was completely stunned. He was so shocked he started hurling masonry around with the Force. That wasn't helpful, of course, but it was obvious he was totally unaware of my identity. Pooja, we should keep moving."

Leia hooked her arm in her cousin's, and guided her forward after R2, who was leading them now.

"Actually," the princess said calmly, "Vader has swung to the other extreme and is now annoyingly overprotective. Any time we talk about a mission, he interjects comments about how it is too dangerous and I should stay at the fleet where it is safer. He used to want me dead, and now he wants me set on a pedestal like a porcelain Tooka doll that might get broken. There is no pleasing the man."

Pooja overlooked this attempt at levity and said gravely, "Leia, how do you bear it?"

Leia hesitated, then continued walking forward. Pooja followed.

After a moment, Leia said, "I compartmentalize a lot of the time, to be honest. I just shove it all in one corner of my mind and don't deal with it. Right now, I'm treating him like a colleague in an important mission, because that's what he is. My brother Luke is forging a genuine relationship with Vader, but I'm not willing to take even the first step. I hate and despise him for what he's done to me, to Luke, to Han…"

"Who is Han?" Pooja interjected.

Leia glanced at her again, and Pooja was surprised to see a blush rise on her cousin's cheeks

"Han?" the princess smiled suddenly, transforming her face from grim to joyful, "Han Solo is a Corellian ex-pirate and smuggler, a scoundrel, and now my beloved husband."

Pooja choked.

"What?"

"Husband," Leia said with a sly grin, "As of 2 weeks ago. We tied the knot rather suddenly on the Millenium Falcon, Han's ship, in the presence of a round dozen of the pilots in Rogue Squadron, plus my twin brother and a stray Alliance admiral. And of course, we had a holy man to officiate."

"Leia, why?" her cousin protested, "Why didn't you wait a while? You deserved a special wedding, not some rush job!"

"Oh, Pooja," Leia sighed, "My dream wedding would have been on Alderaan, in the Royal Chapel, with my real father Bail Organa walking me down the aisle. That dream was shattered into a trillion pieces 4 years ago along with Alderaan."

The two continued forward, small sticks crunching under their feet.

Leia abruptly spoke again, "War changes things, Pooja. I've been living with uncertainty for the last 4 years, never really knowing if I would survive another day. I've lost people I loved. I've seen others emotionally and physically shattered. I love Han, and he loves me. More than that, we're committed to one another. He has saved my life more than once, and Luke's too. Luke and I saved him from certain death last year when we rescued him from a Hutt gangster. We don't know how much time we'll have together, but we decided we wanted to be married for as long as possible."

"I wonder what Vader thinks of that," Pooja muttered very quietly.

Not quietly enough.

"He disapproves profoundly," Leia said with a grin, "Which added a lovely dose of lipana berries to an already wonderful wedding day."

R2 abruptly stopped and whistled softly. Pooja looked up and saw the old guest house in the distance. She was amazed that the droid had so unerringly guided them on such an unfamiliar route back to the dilapidated structure.

Leia's lips twisted slightly, "Are you ready, Pooja?"

Pooja felt a twinge of fearful anticipation, "Ready or not, here I come."