The Wrong Side of Right 3

“I need an investigator!” Darth Vader snapped as he all but flew into my office.

I glanced up at him from my desk. “Imperial or private?”

“Private, the best there is. Do a complete records check!” He replied. He stalked to the window and stared out over the city. He stood statue still with his hands clasped behind his back. The sound of his breathing filled my office, which was a huge room, making it seem tiny and claustrophobic.

“Yes, my lord.” I said and began to access the Coruscant Business Listings Database. “Did the Emperor’s shuttle leave on time?”

“It did, he should return in three weeks.” He replied.

I scanned the listings and highlighted several names then began to cross check names through the Imperial database. “Will the new battle station be ready on time?” I asked as I fitted the small earpiece and microphone to my head.

“No, most likely not. The project is ambitious and the crews working on it are not living up to their full potential.”

I nodded to let him know I was listening to him and opened a line to the Intel office. “Hi, Kaytal, it’s Merlyn from Lord Vader’s office. Yes, I am sending over a list for complete background checks. I need the information as soon as possible.” I said to the young man on the other end. “Yep, the works. Hey, listen this will be the first of several lists, you okay with this?” Lord Vader turned around and looked at me, I ignored him, “Yes, it’s very important and yes he’ll have my head if it doesn’t get done in the next hour.” There was a moment’s pause then I heard what I wanted, “Excellent, you are amazing and I owe you one. Thanks.” I took off the headset and went back to scanning the listings.

“Impressive. You make people actually want to work for me.” He remarked.

“Well, actually they do it for me and I don’t make them do anything.” I told him as I sent Kaytal a second list.

“You work for me so they also are working for me.” He said firmly.

“Yes, my lord.” I grinned. I wasn’t about to shatter his illusions. He was in a good mood; I guessed that being left in charge of Coruscant made him happy. “So when I find the appropriate candidate what do I tell him?”

“I will meet with him in my castle.” He said. “That is all you need to know.”

I nodded. My computer flashed as Intel began to send information back. It always amazed me how fast Intel was with their background checks and how many people they had red flagged.

“I heard a rumour about you and Grand Admiral Zaarin.” Vader said. He had gone back to staring out of the window again.

“And which rumour would that be, because the last time I heard any gossip there were about five different stories circulating.”

“The one about you damaging him.”

“Ah, well he thought he could bed me without my permission and I showed him how difficult that would be with a painful a groin injury, among other things.”

To my surprise Vader just laughed. “Serves him right.”

I didn’t say anything and just kept on working but I couldn’t help the smile that snuck across my lips. “I suppose the Emperor told you this?” I asked.

“No but he did hint that something had occurred and that I should be more careful about who I allow you to play with.” He replied. “It appears you are of some value to him despite your short comings.”

“Well, if the Emperor’s boys played fair I wouldn’t have to damage them, they need to learn to take no for an answer. Good to know I am still of some worth, I guess. It’s nice to be needed.” I shot back before thinking.

“Speaking of need, I expect to see you for lightsaber practice tonight.” He said. “I have new combat remotes I wish to see in action and you need the practice.”

“Where?” I asked not looking at him, but concentrating on the work at hand.

“My castle training room is better suited for the havoc you usually wreck when you attempt to beat the remotes.” He said. “Maintenance complained about the mess you left last time in the main palace training hall, I had to pay for the damages.”

I had to stifle a giggle. I remembered that. The sprung wooden floor had not taken too kindly to my lightsaber skills or lack thereof and I had managed to put pretty decent scorch marks on a wall when I had attempted to practice the saber throw technique. The pesky remotes got smarter every time. More files flashed on my screen, I discarded all of them except the ones with the double green flag. There were not many so it narrowed the field down considerably. “Male or female?” I asked.

“Male.”

“Human or non human?” already knowing the answer. In general Lord Vader did not really have anything against aliens but he did not like working closely with them, and this dislike had only increased since the competition between he and Prince Xizor had gotten out of hand.

“Human.”

That narrowed my choices down to three. I read him the names and the specs and he chose the one I figured he would.

“Contact him and arrange a meeting as soon as possible.” He said. He did not move so I knew he wanted results here and now. It was not often that he waited in my office to get information or results but it did happen sometimes. It didn’t bother me the way it had the first few times he had done this, it just meant he was either hiding from the world in general and liked the peace and quiet in my office or he just wanted company. Whatever his reasons I took them as a compliment.

I slipped on the tiny earpiece again and got in touch with the investigator of Vader’s choice. The man was cold, professional and very polite. It took less than five minutes to set up the meeting.

“He will be at your home in an hour.” I said, sending all the details to a small datachip. He used the force to lift it from my fingers.

“You have done well.” He said. “Perhaps we will forego saber practice this evening, so if you have other plans you may….”

“I have no other plans, my lord and I could use the practice.” I cut him off, surprising him. I really wanted to learn the method of throwing a lit lightsaber and retrieving it. So far all my attempts at this technique had failed miserably. It was a lot harder to do than it looked. I still preferred to fight with a combat stave but Lord Vader had insisted that I continue learning to use my lightsaber. I was convinced he took a perverse sense of joy in watching me struggle with something he constantly told me small children had learned easily. I really didn’t have plans, my lesson with Master Kjestyll had been cancelled and Thrawn had gone off planet early in the morning. I had no idea when he was due to return, neither did he.

“As you wish.” He said with a slight shrug, “Be there promptly at eighteen hundred hours then, do not be late.” He replied and then he swept out of the room.

I would never know what it was that Lord Vader had asked the investigator to uncover but he was pleased with the man’s work. When I arrived, ready to train he had told me as much in his usual terse manner. Without much ado we sparred, dancing around the large airy room with the scent of burnt dust and the never ending thrum of the lightsabers heavy in the air. I both loved and hated this weapon but there was a subtle elegance to it that no other weapon I had ever seen had.

He was trying to teach me a complicated move that involved letting the lightsaber almost fly out of my hand as I spun it around. I was not getting the hang on it and it was frustrating me.

“You grip too hard, I have told you before. You need to trust the Force to guide you.” He said for the umpteenth time.

I made a face. This was easier said than done but I tried again, and again failing to execute the move to his desired perfection.

“Enough!” He finally snapped. “You can watch and learn now. Tomorrow I will teach you how to submerge yourself in the force, and some measure of control, as my Master has ordered me to.”

I was grateful for this, the three straight hours of rigorous training had taken their toll. I sat on the floor, and watched as he tried to show me what he could not teach me. I followed his movements and eventually saw where my mistake was, that didn’t mean I would be able to correct it but now I understood what he had meant. After this he ignored me and went about practicing on his own against the latest combat droids until he had forgotten I was there. Watching him wield his lightsaber never ceased to astonish me but in the dim light of the practice chamber my thoughts drifted to his comments about the Force.

I had been spending a great deal of time with my birth mother’s diary. Listening to her speak about all she had learned but there was some subtle mystery to the force that eluded me. As if I had learnt to sing a song in a foreign tongue well enough to pass for native speaker but had no idea what the words meant, thereby losing the meaning of the song. So it was with the force. I understood that I had a power and I even knew how to use some of it most of the time, but I was missing something, some basic element of training that perhaps would have made me a better student than I was. She had spoken of many force gifts, some, like the healing trance and force hibernation I had never heard of from Lord Vader. I had wanted to ask him but never found the right time. Instead I had decided to take investigative matters into my own hands and after searching the little library that the Emperor had afforded me and found nothing, I had gone then, frustrated and curious, to the Jedi Temple. I had not been prepared for what I had found.

A couple of days before the Emperor was due to leave, Lord Vader had been in a tizzy trying to get his meeting schedule sorted out. This meant it had been a very late, very frustrating, night for me. Thrawn was away on a short fact finding mission of some sorts and was not due back until the next day. When my work day had ended I was too tired to even bother going back home and had decided to crash at the palace flat instead but this bed was now strange to me and without Thrawn’s presence at my side or his scent lingering in the air I found myself restless and edgy.

Sleep would not come so I got up and made my way to the little library. It had been some time since I had been there. I had intended to read something but instead I had found myself inexplicable drawn to the secret passage way and before I had even realised what I was doing I had opened and it was already well on my way down the never ending stairs. I was half way there before it occurred to me that this might not be the greatest idea in the galaxy.

The Temple was quiet, not that I had expected anything else, but it had seemed to me that even the ghosts were hiding as if something had frightened them into submission and not the other way around. I had made my way through the labyrinth of corridors to the great library only to be stopped dead in my tracks once I was there.

It had been gutted. Utterly and completely. All the books, the holo books, the access terminals, everything was gone. All that had remained was dust and empty shelves. It had taken me a few moments to understand what I had seen and only when the realisation had finally taken root in my brain did my heart thump wildly in my chest. Dry mouthed and scared I had made my way to the small records room, activated the lock and opened the door. The room was dark and I had not needed light to tell what I had already known. This room had also been completely emptied of all its contents.

From somewhere deep inside of me a memory surfaced. I had dreamt this very scene and it scared me to the bone. There were no more answers to be found here and the urgent need to get out had never been stronger. I had left the little room quietly, quickly, watching my feet not where I was going and had bumped into someone before I had known they were standing there, waiting for me. To my good grace, I had managed not to scream and found the wits to drop to a curtsy as soon as I had figured out who it was.

“Get up child, there is no need of court formalities here.” The Emperor’s soft voice echoed about the empty library.

“Your Highness.” I had whispered, my voice sounded small and scared to my ears. I had done as he had asked and stood up.

“You come here often, do you not.” It was not really a question but I had answered him any way.

“Sometimes, yes though not often.”

“What is it you seek here?” He had asked beginning to walk in the direction opposite to the main entrance.

“Answers.” I had blurted out before I could think about what I really wanted to say.

“Answers,” He had smiled, “But what are your questions? This I think you do not know.”

It was true. I had come looking for answers but I really didn’t know what I was asking any more. I knew who I was, I knew who my birth parents were and I knew the history of this place, the terrible tragedy that had unfolded here. What more could there be to learn from this place? Why had I come back? I had not known.

“All the books and records,” I had said instead of answering him, “Everything is gone.”

I had felt his smile rather than seen it. “Yes, I had everything moved to a more secure place. You know this building is condemned. It is not safe here and I would hate to think of such valuable information falling into the wrong hands.” I had been about to speak but he had continued, “Not that I fear you would do anything wrong, my child, but there are many who would. Not everyone is as loyal to me or my empire as you.”

He had answered my question before I even had a chance to ask it.

“So tell me, what has brought you here to this place in the middle of the night?” he asked.

“I keep hoping to find out more about who I am, I guess.” It had been an easy lie because it was mostly the truth.

“Ah yes, daughter of a Jedi and a clone. What do you wish to know?”

I had shivered then, he had known as I had suspected, where I had come from. “Well, I would like to learn how to use the force better than I do. I have heard tales about the Jedi being able to do amazing things, like fall into trances that could heal them of wounds and illnesses, to see into the future and even come back from the dead”

“And you would learn these tricks?” He had asked softly.

There was a catch in his voice and I had not liked how it had made me feel, the cold goose bumps that prickled up and down my spine made my answer cautious. “I would learn control.” I had replied and the tension in the room had eased, letting me know it had been the right answer to give. “I know I have some small talent but it’s wild and unpredictable.”

“The Jedi robbed cradles to train their kind young.” Palpatine’s voice was full of disgust as he spoke of the Jedi.

I didn’t have anything to say to this so I simply nodded. He continued but the sharp edge had gone from his words.

“You are far too old to begin any such training now, but control could be learned if you were willing to work hard.”

I had glanced at him, he had stopped walking and had looked at me with that penetrating stare which always made my brain itch. “I am always willing to work hard, your Highness.”

He had smiled that terrible, broken smile of his and nodded. “Then I will have Vader instruct you on matters of control, perhaps in doing so he will remember some of his own lessons learned from before. His control over his desires has been a little lacking of late.”

I had not answered this. I would not be forced to speak ill of Lord Vader no matter what I felt, especially to the man who had twisted Vader what he was today. This amused the Emperor to no end.

“Are you not tired child?” Palpatine had asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between us.

“A little but sometimes I just can’t sleep.” And that was the truth.

“Ah yes, and Thrawn is away.” He had said more to himself than to me. I had felt a stab of loathing shoot through me. What did Palpatine know of love and longing? I was certain the man had never loved anything except power in his life. It irked me to hear him speak Thrawn’s name in such a way and Thrawn’s absence was not the cause of my lack of sleep. Wisely, I had held my tongue and the Emperor had continued, “Well then, now would be as good a time as any to bring out that rare smile of yours, come with me.” He had said. “I have something to show you.”