Chapter Forty Two:

Four months later

A small group of people clustered about the hangar bay as the nondescript shuttle landed, and once the ramp lowered, they waited for the young woman onboard to descend. Eventually she did so, though she was garbed in a white pair of trousers and long-sleeve shirt.

The brunette paused at the foot of the ramp, Artoo-Detoo at her side. She met everyone's gaze in turn: Mon Mothma, Generals Crix Madine and Carlist Rieekan, and finally Wedge Antilles and some of the other Rogue Squadron pilots.

Leia wasn't sure how they would receive her after what had happened of late. "Listen, I'm sorry things haven't gone very well recently, but I couldn't control it. I did everything I could as I promised."

Mon lifted a hand. "We know, Leia. We don't hate you. However, we are very interested to know where your parents have been."

It had been months since the two rulers had gone on their little vacation, and Leia had taken advantage of their absence to do as much as she could to get this plan of hers and Luke's rolling. Leia had to make certain that her trips out into the galaxy were not suspicious, so she had to space them apart just so. She also had to falsify her logs to show where she went so her second ship remained hidden.

So far she had aided supply runs, had given the Alliance coordinates on important Imperial sites to hit, and had even helped in some of their battles. And while the Rebellion had done well, the Empire had also struck many harsh blows to the Alliance whenever their attacks had been attempted.

But lately it seemed as if the Empire was able to anticipate their moves, and the Alliance had lost many good people as a result. Hence Leia's nerves upon arriving today.

It was nice to know she didn't have the ill will of her allies, however, and it made her job easier.

Because Leia was laying the groundwork— just as Luke was doing on his end— for their campaign, and thus far she thought it was going well. She'd brought her plan before the Alliance High Command, and after several hours of intense debate— during which Leia had told them she had a trump card that would remain anonymous until further notice— they had agreed to her plan. Madine didn't like being in the dark on the mysterious person Leia claimed was the crux to their plans, but he'd been ultimately outvoted. To his credit, the man had not taken his frustration out on anyone, instead remaining loyal to the cause as he put it. Leia didn't sense any deceit in him, just a loyalty that could be overbearing at times.

However, amidst it all, she had had very little contact with her twin, even though his friend Han Solo had gotten in touch with her and was now an active part of things. She missed Luke, and wished he didn't have to be so out of touch with the galaxy, or her, but she understood why he did so. She wondered if he was aware of what was going on in the galaxy as a whole, and how well he was keeping up to date.

Coming out of her musings, Leia thinned her lips and approached the group. "So would I. But they've been gone for months now, and no one knows why. Or when they'll be back. But something is about to happen, I can feel it."

Mon looked troubled. "That cannot bode well for any of us."

"Could they be planning a super weapon?" Wedge asked. "We all remember finding Palpatine's attempt at one. If it hadn't been discovered by accident, who knows what could have happened?"

Leia shrugged uncomfortably. "I really don't know. And I won't until they return and start giving information out. But since they are gone, I've been doing as much as I can, because my progress will slow substantially once they return."

The others nodded their understanding, and Leia sighed softly. "I'm afraid I can't stay long, I just wanted to stop by since I was already passing through. I just got back from a trip that was actually approved by my parents. They may be gone, but they aren't completely out of touch." She produced a small satchel with a collection of datachips. "Here's the latest intelligence I could get. I haven't gone through it myself, but Quane claims it's all real."

Mon hesitated. "And you truly trust him?"

Leia nodded. "I do. And if you don't trust him, then trust me; please."

The senator sighed. "I just don't want you to get hurt, Leia."

The young woman smiled gratefully. "I'm afraid that risk comes with the job. But I'll be okay." She turned back toward the ship when Artoo whistled. "Time for me to go. I'll see you guys when I return. I don't know exactly when that will be."

"Be safe," Mon replied.

"Fly straight, and aim true!" the Rogues called in the typical pilot fashion.

Leia threw them a grin and then disappeared into her ship. After they were in hyperspace, Artoo bleeped for attention.

I have discovered nothing new on Bail's killer, the droid said. I am sorry Mistress Leia.

Leia sighed tiredly. That was another thing Leia had been doing in Padmé's absence: piecing together everything she could about the murder of her mentor and friend Senator Bail Organa. So far she had a small spattering of clues, but nothing connected yet.

There had been a large transfer of credits to an anonymous account, yet even the sender remained hidden, though Leia knew it had to be Padmé. She just couldn't prove it...so far.

"Do you think I'm wasting my time with this Artoo?" Leia asked, discouraged by her lack of progress. There just wasn't a solid trail to follow.

Not at all, Artoo replied adamantly. And you have never been one to give up.

Leia ran a hand over her face. "No, but even I have to know when to move on. This is going to have to be put on the back burner Artoo. There just isn't any cold hard data I can use to convict anyone. Unless the murderer walks up to me and confesses, I'm just going to have to put this on hold."

Artoo moaned sadly, and Leia resolutely pushed Bail's death to the back of her mind.

I'm sorry my friend, Leia whispered to the Force, wondering if Bail's spirit could hear.

00000

Damielle stood ready to receive Leia as the princess landed her ship in the Royal's hangarbay. She was tense today because she had news to share with the princess.

News that made Damielle squirm on the inside.

She had put off choosing whether to report her findings on Leia to the Empress or not because the woman had been absent for so long. Damielle had found it easier to simply ignore the issue, and so she'd forgotten about it until today.

Now she had to choose, because if she didn't, she'd be in real trouble. And it only got worse: Damielle had actually been spying on Leia's activities in the hopes of finding out if they could help Damielle in turn. So that meant she had seen a few of Leia's secret happenings and trips.

You've put yourself in quite the pickle here, Damielle, she berated herself. Why couldn't you just leave well enough alone?

Leia emerged from her shuttle, and Damielle straightened habitually. "Welcome home Princess."

Leia offered a polite smile to her handmaiden. "Thank you Damielle. How have you been in my absence?"

"Quite well, thank you," Damielle replied. "However, I need to tell you something."

Leia looked to the other. "What is it?"

Damielle took a deep breath, some of her anxiety showing in her answer. "They... came back in secret, in the dead of night so no one would know. And they used a ship no one would suspect belonged to the Royals."

Leia stared, feeling cold as what her handmaiden was saying registered. "My parents are back?"

And they didn't make a big deal about it? Leia thought, unsettled by the very idea. Her parents always made certain their subjects knew when they were home. So what was going on?

"Yes," Damielle held out a hand with a piece of flimsi in it. "And your presence has been requested at the private wing of the Manarai Medical Center."

Despite everything, the daughter in Leia began to worry. Was one of them sick? Injured? "Did they say why?" she asked as she took the flimsi.

"No, Miss; only that you need to come as soon as you get home. Sergeant Quane is waiting to escort you in an unmarked vehicle."

Leia didn't like this, not one bit. But she couldn't refuse. And hadn't she just told Mon that something was going to happen? Steeling her resolve, Leia thanked Damielle and walked off.

"Princess?" Damielle called after her, halting Leia for a moment.

The princess turned back around. "Yes?"

Damielle was fidgeting with her hands. "May... I ask you something?"

Leia turned her head at an angle. "Of course. What is it?"

The auburn haired girl looked nervous. "If you had the chance to change your fate, despite the odds being stacked against you... and the fear of failure's consequences staring you in the face... would you take that chance?"

Leia blinked. That had been the last thing she expected to hear. But she could tell that the other needed an honest answer, and so Leia approached.

"I understand that dilemma, really I do," Leia said, careful not to reveal anything of her plans. "But I would do what was best for me; what is right for me ultimately. It's not always easy to do the right thing, but in the end it's very much worth it. Personally, I'd much rather die standing than spend my life begging on my knees."

Damielle considered that, starting to see her situation in a new light. "Yes... I think I could see myself wanting that as well. Thank you."

Leia frowned. "What brought this on?"

Damielle hesitated, knowing the Force-sensitive could tell if she was lying. She opted for a general truth. "I've been put in an impossible position... by, um..."

Leia took a guess. "By my mother?"

Damielle dipped her head. "Please don't report me to her! I swear I don't mean any disrespect Princess!"

Leia felt her heart go out to the other. "Don't worry; I'm not the tattling kind." She paused, and then ventured a thought. "Though perhaps we could spend more time together just being girls? I could use a friend of the same gender who isn't always breathing down my neck or waiting for me to slip up."

Damielle barely reigned in her flash of guilt, though the Princess's word hit her like a kick to the gut. "I... that would be wonderful."

Leia inclined her head. "I should get going; my parents don't like tardiness. We can talk some more later."

Damielle smiled softly. "Go ahead then." She watched Leia do so, and as the Princess departed, the handmaid made her decision. She would not betray Leia. She would feed the Empress just enough to keep her sated, but Damielle would not be the one to unveil Leia's changed allegiances.

00000

Though she showed no outward signs of it, Leia's stomach was all but churning as she approached the wing of the hospital reserved for her family alone. Security here was airtight, with the Obsidian Guard present whenever the Emperor or Empress was.

It didn't ease Leia's restlessness any when she realized that there was extra security than normal, even for her parents. Every so many feet there was a pair of guards, one on either side of the hall once they got to the long approach for the Royals-only wing. The corridor leading up to the main doors was devoid of any other doors. However, there were hidden hatches here and there that housed defensive weaponry, making the area a death trap for anyone foolish enough to attempt to break in. And as a last resort, just before the doors to the Royal wing, a ray shield could be erected.

Leia and Quane approached the entrance under the watchful eye of her parents' guards and were admitted without question. On the other side, they were met with a three-person escort once inside the wing.

A fourth approached with a scanner in hand and he ran it over both Leia and Quane, then nodded to the trio as he returned to a security room on the left. The three guards took up a position around the newcomers, with one man walking point, while the other two flanked the rear in a triangle formation.

"Princess Leia, this way please," the one on the right said.

Leia nodded once and followed them to a room near the back. Another pair of guards stood at the door they were coming to, and Leia couldn't help but think that this was all overkill. Who needed this much security? The entire galaxy knew that the Obsidian Guards were the most highly trained men in the galaxy next to Force Users, and to take one down was a feat all on its own. In fact, every member of the Obsidian Guard had been hand-picked by Vader from those who made it to graduation night. Then those selected were put through a rigorous series of tests: and only those who passed that phase of training were granted a place in the elite guard's membership.

With this many of these men present, there was no way anyone would get past without making a huge mess. As for the medical personnel, they were required to have special clearance, not to mention the fact that anything that went into or out of the wing was thoroughly searched.

So what in the stars did her parents need with such heightened security?

"Sergeant, you will wait on the bench," the same guard said, and the man in question nodded succinctly.

"Of course." Quane tipped his uniform hat to Leia. "Princess."

Leia almost wished he would go in with her, but everyone knew that you didn't argue with the Obsidian Guard, because their orders came direct from the Emperor and Empress, and thus were the highest authority save those two.

Leia paused before the doorway and took a deep breath... and then nodded to the guards, who admitted her. She entered the softly lit room, coming around the privacy curtain with a hesitant air.

"Hello?" she called softly. "Mother? Father?"

"Leia," Darth Vader's voice responded, and she saw him rise from a chair beside the main bed in the room. Leia noticed a second, mobile privacy curtain had been set up near the far wall, and her curiosity was piqued. "It is good to see you."

Leia was taken aback when Vader actually embraced her, and she almost stumbled over her return hug. Then her father retreated and Leia saw Padmé in the bed, looking weary but regal as always.

"Mother, are you ill?" Leia asked, worried. Despite everything, the daughter in Leia still loved her parents. "Did something happen while you were away?"

"Something did happen, and I was sick here and there, but it passed in time." Padmé dismissed, causing Leia to frown.

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

Padmé smiled minutely, and Leia wondered if her mother was insulting Leia mentally. "Your Father and I have been working to secure this family's legacy, and its future as this galaxy's rulers."

Leia's heart sank. She had hoped— naively, apparently— that her parents had had a waking moment. She'd thought that maybe, just maybe, they were going to start trying to turn their lives around. But one glance at their souls and hearts via the Force revealed them to be as stone cold as ever.

Steeling herself, and carefully keeping all suspicious thoughts to herself, Leia played the part her parents expected her to. "And how have you been doing that?"

Vader stood and went behind the second curtain, returning seconds later with a small bundle wrapped in a soft black blanket. Leia's heart skipped a beat... and then clenched. She couldn't help her shocked expression as she looked from the bundle to her parents and back.

"Is that..." Leia almost didn't want to know, though the sister part of her was ecstatic.

"It is," Padmé responded haughtily.

Vader approached Leia and showed her what he was carrying. Leia was greeted with a tiny face and one balled fist poking out of the blanket. Her heart then melted even as she dreaded what her parents had planned for this poor child.

"Meet your new brother, Arun Vader," her father said.

"And this galaxy's future Emperor," Padmé stated without hesitation.

Leia managed to contain her sorrow, and she looked to Vader. "May I hold him?"

Her father nodded and Leia took a seat before he handed Arun to her. To her surprise, the baby shifted and his eyes opened, finding her and staring. Then she gasped lightly when she felt an untrained touch of the Force from the newborn. Leia swallowed with emotion, and smiled at her baby brother. As she did so, thoughts of another brother floated to mind, and she wept inwardly.

Sensing this, the baby's face contorted with fear and he began to squirm. Leia swiftly cut off her grief and soothed the infant, who settled back down. His fine hair was so pale blonde it was almost invisible, and though his eyes were currently blue, Leia wondered if they would turn brown to match his mother and sister.

"Hello Arun, it's so nice to meet you," Leia murmured. "I can't wait to read stories to you, and play games." She felt the keen gaze of her mother the entire time, and Leia forced herself not to react, pretending not to notice.

After some time, Arun started expressing his hunger, and so Leia gave him to Padmé for his meal. Leia wished per parents well, though their attention was now on the baby, and Leia was all but ignored as she left, with not even a goodbye to her.

Her footfalls were slow, her heart heavy as she made her way to the exit. When Quane fell into step beside her, he was understandably concerned.

"Princess Leia, are you alright?" he asked.

She didn't answer, unable to do so yet. Only when they were back in the vehicle, with the driver cut off from hearing them, did she begin to cry.

Quane scooted closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Leia, what happened?"

She sniffled, wiped at her nose and looked to him. "My parents are going to try to create a monster," she whispered in horror, the possibilities flickering before her mind's eye. "And then they're going to place him on the throne."

Quane did a double-take, though his bewilderment was still evident. "What do you mean?"

Leia's heart was breaking for Arun. "My parents just had a baby."

END of Book One.

(A/N: Follow the cast through Book 2: Luminance, to be in production in the near future. {I will also be working on "Son of Circumstance" next for those who want to know.} Thank you to those who came back after my extended break. God bless!)