Chapter 85

Vader's Flag Ship Exactor - Month Twenty Seven, Day Three PEF (Post Empire Formation)

The Exactor shuddered, waking Padmé with a start. Disoriented and half asleep, she stretched her hand to grasp her husband. "Anakin?"

Her touch came up empty. Anakin was no longer beside her in bed, the indent of his head on his pillow the only evidence he'd once been there. Even his warmth, as she ran her hand under the blankets next to her, was gone. The familiar feel of coming out of hyperspace brought her upright even as she slapped the bed side and turned the lights on. She was alone and naked in their bed, the whine of the engines a louder hum of energy as the ship's interstellar engines kicked off. Sliding out of bed, Padmé hurriedly threw her clothes on and dragged her fingers through her hair even as she headed for the living room.

"Anakin?"

He glanced over his shoulder, his expression unreadable, from where he stood by the sofa, his cloak spread across its back. "You didn't have to get up."

"The... exit from hyperspace woke me." As the words rolled off her tongue, Padmé couldn't help but notice that there was a planet in the viewport with beautiful blue oceans and expanses of visibly pristine mountains and forests. A sense of familiarity struck her but she couldn't place it. "Where are we?"

Anakin sighed, in the middle of buckling his glove on his hand, avoiding her gaze. "Alderran."

Padmé flinched, feeling as if she'd been slapped. Alderran. Bail's home planet. After what he and Mon Mothma had done to her, Padmé has no desire to visit the paradise, certainly not with the snake in residence who ruled it. Swallowing hard, she forced herself to be curious; Anakin didn't look any happier to be there than she did. "Why?"

"Senator Organa is the official head of the Senate Opposition," Pamdé flinched again, unable to help the reaction; her position in the senate was just one more thing Bail had stolen from her, "and there's a bill before the Senate that he's objecting to. I've been asked to persuade him to change his stance."

Padmé struggled from asking after the bill, reminding herself she was no longer a senator and it didn't matter to her. All that mattered in this instance was that she was currently at the home of a man who'd betrayed her in such a fundamental way; she couldn't conceive of even stepping foot on the planet.

"What is it?"

Looking up, Padmé jumped as she realized that she was staring at the planet below and her fingers were digging hard enough into her hands to leave bloodless half moons. Anakin's hands touched hers. "What?"

"Did Bail do something to you, Padmé?" Anakin's eye flickered and sparked, searching hers even as his touch was gentle, unwrapping her fingers and tucking them into his own. "Did he hurt you?"

Looking into his eyes, Padmé opened her mouth... only to have no sound emerge. Tell him, she told herself fiercely, watching the blue of Anakin's gaze flicker golden and back again. Do it and Bail's a dead man, her conscience whispered in reply. Struggling with her conscience and against the want to trust him, Padmé felt the weight of her decision keenly. Bail had been a friend, but had betrayed her no worse than Anakin had when he'd abandoned her on Mustafar. Did she truly owe him any loyalty?

"Padmé?"

"He..." she swallowed hard, unable to get the words out even as gold flickered more strongly in Anakin's gaze. "He de-denied... he wouldn't... didn't..."

"Give you aid? Help you search for Luke and Leia?"

She nodded; it was the truth, even if it was only a part of it. She couldn't bring herself to tell him the rest; not yet. She hadn't considered doing so since their last failed attempt to find Luke and Leia and even as she kept her silence, Padmé knew she needed to make a decision. They'd come so far on Dandoran, reconnecting in ways she hadn't thought possible. Wouldn't the search for their children benefit from him having a discussion with Bail?

Only if he doesn't kill him as soon as he knows.

Anakin pulled her into his arms, his embrace tight, as he offered her comfort. "I'm sorry he wouldn't help you."

So was she.

Bail and Mon Mothma's actions had cost her more thank just the twins; it had irrevocably damaged two of her closest friendships, destroying whatever trust had been between the trio. The rift had left a gaping hole in her life; had severed the last of her trust in others. Closing her eyes, she warred with herself, struggling to silence her doubts and give him the information he needed, the biggest clue she had, to Luke and Leia's whereabouts.

"I was going to ask you to come with me, Padmé," he released her, looking down at her solemnly as he tucked a strand of her hair behind one ear, "and ask to make use of your expert diplomatic skills. I won't though. Knowing Bail wouldn't help you... I won't ask you to face him, my love."

"I can't, Anakin."

"It's okay," he offered her a faint smile before bending down to kiss her. "That means I should review the information on the bill before I meet with him tomorrow. Will you be alright while I prepare?"

"I... I think I'll hit the training sallé," she offered, forcing herself to smile in return as he stepped away and she lost his warmth. "I have a sudden urge to hit something."

Idiot!

Padmé slammed her hand into the padded dummy, following up with a one-two combination that ended with a slide kick, hard enough to jar her whole body. I had a perfectly good chance to tell him about Bail and I didn't!

If Anakin knew, he'd kill him!

And that's a bad thing?

Bail isn't evil; he did what he thought was right to keep Luke and Leia out of the Empire's hands!

Spinning the other way, she struck the back on a backwards kick, rolling forward with the momentum only to spin gracefully back to her feet and land another jarring set of punches as she argued with herself. Her heart and her head warring as they never had before. Back and forth she went, inwardly focused, even as sweat stung her eyes, the battle within her playing out with the punching bag.

Anakin wouldn't kill anyone.

He did in the war.

Bail's not his enemy and if I'm going to trust him, I need to trust him!

Her wrists and hands ached, her legs cramping as she continued to assail the bag, going back and forth, no closer to a decision than she'd been when she'd entered the room.

He's changed.

Has he? He's still the fleet commander, the second most power individual in the galaxy.

He's Anakin! My Anakin!

Then why is it a question about trust? Either I trust him or I don't...

He's done nothing but show me I can trust him since giving me the holo of the twins.

Then trust him with Bail and Mon Mothma's identities and their part in Luke and Leia's disappearance; if he's really Anakin, they're in no trouble.

Aren't they? You know what he did to the Sandpeople who killed his mother!

"Luke and Leia aren't dead!"

With a desperate cry, Padmé slammed into the bag and rebounded to the mat, breathing raggedly as she lay prone for long minutes, sucking, gulping air into lungs screaming for oxygen, her body one massive ache. Around her, the room spun in slow motion as her oxygen staved tissues slowly re-oxygenated. Dwelling on her inner turmoil, Padmé compared everything that she'd seen in Anakin's behavior these last few weeks and knew she wanted to trust him.

Grinding the heels of her hands into her eyes, Padmé inhaled deeply and held it; a small, tiny voice in the back of her head was telling her that she didn't want her children raised by a Sith. Willfully ignoring it in the face of everything Anakin had done to support her, to help her, Padmé has a sudden, inescapable yearning to have her family all together. Anakin had earned the chance to be the good father she knew he could be; the good man he'd proven he could be these past weeks.

I need to tell him, she decided silently as the room stopped its slow spin, willfully disregarding her concerns. He needs the information to find our children.

And he's earned it, hasn't he?

Anakin had mis-stepped many a time in their relationship, always finding his way back to her. Surely this was no different?

If she trusted him with this, it would give him the best clue to finding their children, narrowing down the planets to search, if nothing else. If they worked together, could somehow stay close as they had been on the Angel... Giving him the information about Bail would help that; would ensure their continued search wasn't in vain.

Pushing herself slowly to her feet, Padmé groaned as she stretched, moving slowly before her muscles seized. She went through a cool down routine, careful to walk and stretch, drinking water as she moved to ensure she didn't cramp. It took her almost twenty five standard minutes before she felt she was done and headed for the door.

Padmé was stepping into the hallway from the training sallé when she caught sight of a familiar figure stepping off the nearby turbo lift. Wiping her face with a towel, she blinked the sweat from her eyes only to see the same, pale, slender figure striding towards her, her eyes on a datapad as she shifted a container under one arm.

Exhaustion marred the pale, familiar face, and her clothing was torn, tattered and streaked with what looked like mud and foliage, but there was no mistaking the woman walking in her direction.

"Asajj?"

The Force adept stopped mid-stride, her head coming up so quickly, Padmé was surprised there wasn't an audible snap. The look of pure hatred on Asajj's face didn't put her off at all; Padmé hadn't seen Asajj since the Force Adept had attempted to help her escape - and subsequently threatened her life. Their meeting was accidental and, by the look of the Force adept, unwanted. Asajj turned down a corridor and Padmé increased her pace to catch up.

Artoo toodled an objection, trundling along side Padme's as her only escort; a measure of Anakin's trust in her, she supposed.

"Asajj!" Padme caught up with Asajj as she was striding towards her quarters.

"So he's let slip the leash, has he?" Asajj's tone was scathing. "What did you do to earn your freedom, Padme? Please him in bed? Promise to love him, the monster you-"

"Anakin's not a monster," Padmé broke in with a snap in her voice.

"Anakin?" Ventress laughed but it was a dark, evil sounding laugh. "He's fooled you so completely has he? Was it his soft words and gentle touches? Or perhaps those oh so blue eyes you've never been able to say no to?"

"He's not a monster."

"Need I remind you of your failure on Toydaria almost six standard months ago; of what drove you to even consider looking at him through the scope of a sniper rifle? How swiftly you forget, Lady Vader." With a shake of her head, she turned to face Padmé, her words scathing. "Do you think you've tamed him? Turned him back to the light side? Has he found redemption in your tender heart?"

"He's my Anakin!"

Ventress burst out laughing, the dark edge to it remaining, her eyes flashing with dark mirth and an emotion that looked suspiciously like pity. "You're a gullible fool, Padmé." Asajj stepped into her personal space, bringing them nose to nose, withing a whisper of a touch, her eyes flashing. "Mark my words well, Lady Vader; you see only what he wants you to see. You hear, only what he wants you to hear. Has he told you about Lianna and Umgal? Belkadan, Balmorra or Eridau?"

Refusing to be baited, Padmé glared at her even as the names sounded incredibly familiar.

"Trust him at your peril, my Lady; he will destroy all that you've worked for before he consumes you... and I have no intention of letting him do that before I get to sink my blade into your belly."

Asajj's door closed before Padmé could respond, Artoo making a disrespectful sound at the door before posing her an inquiry.

"I'm okay, Artoo." The names Asajj had thrown at her swam around and around in her head. Why? "Do those planets mean anything to you?"

His short, negative noise was unmistakable. "Okay; let me try a different tact; should those names mean something to you?"

The droid's response was long enough, Padmé had to check the translation. She scanned it, having to reach out and read through several paragraphs of text, each line making her more and more pale. Names and locations littered the explanation, Jedi names she recognized as Jedi she'd helped

"No." Her whispered denial was broken and she shook her head, backing away from Artoo. "No, he wouldn't... he-" her thoughts were spinning as she reached out to put one hand against the wall for support.

Artoo's inquiry was soft, almost hesitant.

Padmé shook her head. "I have to ask him, Artoo; Anakin was a Jedi, he couldn't have hunted down all those... Not after..." she shook her head again. "It's Asajj, isn't it? Asajj is trying to destroy the progress we've made, right? That's why she's telling me this? Trying to get me to doubt him, to doubt us?"

The droid was silent, offering no opinion.

"Come on, Artoo," she waved him forward as she pushed off the wall. "I need to ask Anakin a couple of questions."

It didn't take long for Padmé to get back to their suite and she went straight to the communication terminal by the door as Artoo headed for Threepio and the charging station. Checking the comm code that Anakin had left for her, she keyed it in. It beeped long tones, not connecting and she frowned. Trying again, she double checked the code and keyed it in, checking each number after each entry.

Long beeped tones greeted her again; nothing.

Where is Anakin?

Trying another tactic, Padmé keyed in the code for the bridge - or rather, what had been the bridge code during the Clone Wars; with any luck, it wouldn't have been changed. It was an uncomfortable realization that there was no reason for it to be changed. The call had barely been put in when it was answered.

"Bridge."

Padmé opened her mouth to ask her questions when she suddenly paused, uncomfortable. What should she call him? Anakin was who he was, but did the troops call him General Skywalker anymore? She'd only heard him addressed as Lord Vader, yet, after their weeks together, that seemed inappropriate.

"Lady Vader?"

Padmé jumped as the voice on the other end of the comm. addressed her directly, unable to help the cringe it induced in the wake of Asajj's earlier vitriol. "Deck officer?"

"May I assist you?"

"I- how did you know it was me?"

"Lord Vader is current off comms., milady; an urgent matter that cannot wait. May I assist you?"

"I-" she exhaled softly. "No. Thank you."

Padmé snapped the comm. off, frowning as she headed further into the room. An urgent Matter had brought them to Alderaan, how could a different urgent matter take him away from that task?

With no way to get answers to her pressing questions, Padmé let out a frustrated sigh.

Heading for the 'fresher, she couldn't help the information spiraling about in her brain, unable for it to find a foothold. Names and dates, dates after capture and even some of them dates during their time on Dandoran, for Jedi who had been eliminated off a kill list. A list that looked, if she wasn't mistaken, like the relocation list she'd compiled and successfully completed some months ago.

As Padmé stepping into the shower, she found she couldn't turn off the horrible suspicions that were nagging at her; she needed Anakin's reassurance that Asajj was just being spiteful. Needed to hear it from his lips, to see it in his eyes that Asajj was wrong.

Through a lonely evening, a singular meal she picked at and hours of running everything around and around in her head, Anakin remained uncharacteristically absent and silent. Despite her need to speak with him, he sent her no messages and made no trip to their quarters.

Padmé slept alone that night, tossing and turning, knowing he'd be planet side the next day with Bail.

It was a long, sleepless and lonely night.

Alderaan - Month Twenty Seven, Day Four PEF

Bail Organa paced back and forth as he waited for the shuttle that would bring the man once known as the Hero of the Republic to his doorstep for the first time since his fall and subsequent rise, to the Emperor's second. When Bail had received word that Lord Vader had requested an audience the day before Bail was due on Coruscant to attend the vote on a bill he had introduced, Bail had almost swallowed his tongue.

Not only was he one of the most vocal and outspoken voices against certain of the Emperor's proposed and dictated reforms, but behind the curtain, he was one of several leaders in a growing Rebellion against the Empire. A Rebellion that believed in the freedoms that had been stripped from the people over the long years of The Clone Wars, cemented with the transformation of the Republic into the Empire; a Rebellion that was determined to see them restored.

Vader's attendance on Alderaan was dangerous; in more ways than just professionally as, if Vader gained even an inkling of what Bail had done to the dark lord personally, Bail's life and the life of his wife would be forfeit.

A heavy burden on most days, Bail found that today the secrets surrounding his life weighed more heavily than most.

"Senator Organa?"

His head came up to find the head of his guard standing before him. "Yes, Captain?"

"Lord Vader's shuttle is on its final approach, sir."

"They'll touch down on schedule?"

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you, Captain."

The Captain saluted and turned on his heel, leaving Bail to his worries and preparations.

Taking a deep breath, Bail straightened his vest and then smoothed his hands over the panels of his blazer. Folding his station around him with a quick tug, followed by a swift, sure swipe across his shoulders to ensure his half cape was in place, and Bail set his feet to the path that would take him to the landing pad.

The door opened at his touch even as the shuttle bringing Vader folded its wings and began its final landing sequence. Keeping his steps slow but certain, Bail timed his walk through the corridors to arrive at the landing bay as Vader was coming down the ramp.

"Lord Vader; Welcome to Alderran."

"Senator Organa," Vader extended his hand, which Bail took and shook. "You're looking well."

"Fatherhood agrees with me," Bail agreed, squeezing firmly and letting go; he motioned for the Dark Lord to join him as they headed across the open pathway towards the main building. "Forgive me for saying so, but I'm afraid I don't have much time as I'm due on Coruscant to attend the vote. If I'm to make the session, I must depart before mid-day."

"This won't take long," Vader assured him with an easy smile, one that didn't reach his eyes, as he fell into step with Bail. "The vote is why I'm here."

Inwardly, Bail exhaled a tiny breath of relief. If Vader was here for that, he wasn't here for a more personal reason. "Do you mind if I ask what about the vote, My Lord?"

"The Emperor's decrees are tabled for ratification in the Senate for a reason, Senator."

Vader looked ahead of them and Bail considered the profile of the powerful man beside him. He looked so like the young man Bail remembered as a shining example of Jedi strength and goodness, his heart hurt. More so as he silently acknowledged just how thoroughly he'd been duped by both the former Jedi and his old friend Padmé. "And he's done so, my Lord. Just as it's our responsibility in the Senate to bring any potential issues with such proposed measures."

They walked several more feet before Bail opened the door to the waiting area. Vader proceeded him into the room before Bail stepped in behind him.

A quick glance around the room confirmed for Bail that his attendants had set up refreshments and more comfortable chairs for their discussion. "May I offer you some refreshments, my Lord?"

"Thank you." Vader accepted the goblet that was handed to him and took a sip as he settled into one of the sofas. "Your family won't be joining you on Coruscant, Senator?"

"Not this time," Bail told him with a tight smile and a shake of his head, sitting opposite the younger man. "Breha doesn't travel well, especially with our daughter being so active. Rather than add to her stress, I'll be travelling without them, I'm afraid."

"Is Breha unwell?"

"Her pulmonodes have been acting up," Bail admitted, careful not to give away more than was common knowledge. "Nothing very serious; I don't foresee this vote taking me away from her side for very long."

"Surely you could take your... daughter?"

"Leia," Bail agreed easily, knowing he would be doing her no favors if he attempted to hide his daughter from Vader; he had no intention of hiding her from the galaxy.

Vader paused, lifting his glass to his lips, his face freezing. "Leia?"

"It's a... family name." Bail offered with a charming smile. "We've always wanted a daughter and knew what we would call her the moment we knew she would be a part of our lives."

Cleaning his throat, Vader took another sip of his drink. "You're very fortunate."

"We are blessed." Agreed Bail, taking a sip of his own. "But my family isn't why you came to visit, my lord. You're here regarding the anti-slavery amendment I've tabled, which is being voted on tomorrow."

Vader inclined his head.

"I'm surprised you object, my lord."

"I don't," the easy way Vader agreed with him had Bail's eyebrows hitting his hairline. "The core of the bill is, I believe, quite sound and you've garnered quite the following; mostly in human dominated systems."

"Then, forgive me, but I don't see why the visit."

"There are plans that you do not yet see, Bail. Plans that you cannot foresee." Vader stretched one hand along the back of the sofa, his posture relaxed as the goblet dangled from his extended fingers. "A blanket anti-slavery opposition works in no ones favor. It will cost us our treaty with the Hutts, for one. I'm not saying that slavery should be legal; certainly not for humans."

"Then what are you saying, my lord?"

"Amend your bill, Senator. You believe in democracy, let the human sectors and systems make their own decisions on who will and will not accept slavery as they always have. Amend it so that, whatever choice they make individually, it will not prevent interactions, commerce with those that do."

Bail almost flinched. Human sectors. There were no human sectors, just representatives that were human. "The bill is more than that."

"I know," he was assured smoothly. "It calls for the release of all slaves in disputed systems and contains the framework for eventual galactic-wide anti-slavery platform."

"You've done your reading."

"You're a dreamer, Bail." Vader told him flatly, not playing the political niceness game; which Bail appreciated since the man wasn't actually a diplomat. "It's too much, too soon."

"We don't know that. The Senate may indeed vote in its favor."

"They won't; not as it is."

There was such conviction in Vader's words that Bail could do nothing but believe him. "And you think amending it to restrict the bill to human slaves only is the way to do it? That kind of exclusivity is only good for breeding division, not inclusion!"

"If you move forward to vote on the bill the way it is, without amendments, it won't pass."

"You can't know that."

Vader regarded him with a solemn expression. "How many bills of this kind failed in the last years and months of the Clone War, Bail? How many of these bills never even made it to a vote? You've less support now than before the Empire's formation and if you think otherwise, you're fooling yourself."

Which wasn't saying much when Bail knew he was right. The bill was doomed to fail in its current format, but his conscience hadn't permitted him not to present it. "Your proposed amendments aren't much better."

"They're compromises, Bail," Vader countered with an easy smile Bail didn't trust. "A glactic blanket for freedom is a noble goal, but it will swiftly be forgotten and laughed into obscurity. If you truly want this to succeed, the systems need to make the decisions. For it to have a hope of ratification, those systems can't use the decision to cut ties with those who choose differently."

Inside, Bail flinched; there was no mistaking that this was why Vader had come. His bill was being manipulated and twisted; he was being dictated to. "And the immediate release of all slaves in those systems that choose not to observe slavery?"

"Humans should be freed first; naturally."

"Naturally?"

"They're the most adaptable and most likely to be able to survive in whatever area they find themselves. Their release will have the least impact on governments for their care and reeducation. Once their integration into society is complete, a year or two later, a census should be taken of those who remain in servitude and arrangements made to free them."

"And the galactic freedom bill?"

"The systems who vote to end slavery will be commended and watched, allowing others to learn for several years and gather data on how the process worked to be able to refine it. In say... ten years the systems can vote on it as a whole."

Which was a concession, Bail realized, but not the concession he was looking for. Slavery was wrong and the man before him knew it. Ten years under the Emperor's thumb would also be ten years the opposition would have to intimidate, undermine and crush any resistance. Which meant his Rebel work would be all the more important; what he couldn't accomplish in the Senate, legally, he'd look to correct illegally.

Conceding that he needed to play politics for the moment, he addressed the most obvious hurdle. "I won't have the time to make any amendments needed before the vote."

Vader smile and reached into a pocket, extracting a data disc. "How fortunate I anticipated your agreement with me, Senator. You'll find most of what we discussed is here. You'll want to review it swiftly and-"

"Daddy!"

Bail's heart leapt into his throat as a brown haired moppet, her hair so dark it was practically black, came tearing into the room on short, stubby legs and threw herself around his knees. "Leia!"

"Found you!"

Acutely aware of the silence and stillness of the man sitting across from him, Bail forced himself to breathe and smile for his daughter. "Daddy's in a meeting, young lady. Where's your nanny droid?"

Leia giggled, beaming up at him proudly even as her voice dropped into a stage whisper. "I'm hiding."

Under different circumstances, she'd have made him laugh. With Vader watching their every interaction, however, he had no problem finding a frown for his daughter. "You shouldn't hide from her, Leia; she's there to help you."

"She's boring!" Dramatic as only little children can be, she suddenly spun and pinned their visitor with a blinding smile. "Are you Daddy's visitor?"

Vader regarded her silently, for a long moment. "I am. And you are...?"

Leia preened and spun, dropping into a deliberate curtsy just like Breha had been teaching her, her small hands on the edges of her skirt. "Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, daughter of Bail Organa and Queen Breha. I'm three years old," her words were slow and precisely pronounced, pride evident in every sylable. "Thank you for visiting my daddy."

With a chuckle, Vader lifted his free hand to his forehead and bent forward with a bit of a bow, charm in every line of his smile and posture. "The pleasure is all mine."

"No!" Leia huffed, straightening, and stamped her foot. "No, no!"

"No, what?"

"I told you my name, now you tell me yours!"

"Leia-"

Vader's chuckle surprised Bail when he would have taken her to task. "My sources said you adopted a baby. Some two years ago."

"Formally, yes; but she was one by then."

"Hey!" Leia stamped her foot again, not willing to be ignored. "What's your name?"

Vader sketched a second half bow. "Lord Vader, Princess; at your service."

"Daddy says you serve the Emperor."

"As does your father."

"Leia." Bail cut into whatever she might say next. "That's enough."

She pouted but did as she was told. Bail rose to his feet and swept her into his arms, hiding her face in his neck as he felt her watching their visitor curiously.

Vader finished his glass and rose to his feet as well. "I won't keep you any longer, Bail. It was a pleasure, Leia. I'm sure you'll grow up to be just as feisty as your mother."

"Bye!"

"I'll read through your edits, my Lord, but I won't table anything to vote on if I don't believe in it."

"Small steps, Bail," Vader told him with a sharp nod, turning to the door that would take him back to his ship. "A grand gesture won't get you what you want here; play politics, the long game, and it will come."

Vader swept through the door and it closed behind him. Leia clung to Bail, her fingers toying with the collar of his suit. She was surprisingly silent as Bail bent his head to hers and let out a soft, relieved sigh. Vader had been too distracted by Leia's antics to read anything in his answers.

They heard the engines ignite on take off and it wasn't until the shuttle was airborne that Leia's voice broke the silence.

"Is he a bad man, daddy?"

"No, sweetheart," he told her honestly, for Bail had to believe that for all Vader now stood in Anakin's place, something of him remained. "He just chooses to do bad things. Come on, let's get you to your mother; maybe she can work on your manners with guests!"

Her laughter buoyed him even as he headed back towards the palace, pausing only long enough to collect the data disc Vader had left behind. It was a detour he could ill afford, but after the tense meeting with Vader, Bail needed the support of his family.