Leia looked up as the door of her stateroom slid open.
The wheeze of the Emperor's respirator chilled her even
before the torture droid floated into the room behind him.
"I trust your accomodations are comfortable, Princess?"
She stared at him. "You have my son to thank. He has been
far too generous with you. But now, Your Highness, we will
discuss the location of your hidden rebel base."
The screams were audible through the wall, and the guards found
it expedient to step a short distance down the corridor, letting
distance erase some of the terror.
Wrung out from the session, Vader retired to his hyperbaric meditation
chamber. He hadn't dosed her with enough TellAll to force the
truth
from her. This had been more about violating her personality
The robot arms lifted the helmet from his head, and he removed the
respirator mask. The oxygen pressure in here was high enough
he
didn't require it. He sat the mask on a shelf and looked at it.
His own face wasn't nearly as fearsome and fear had its uses.
He'd
been a very good looking young man once, much like Luke. Luke
was
learning to turn his looks into a weapon of a more delicate sort.
If
the mask was a club with which Vader instilled fear in the galaxy,
his son's golden fairness was a rapier so sharp the victim never felt
the
pain of the wound until he fell dead from it.
His children were more of a trial than he'd expected. Leia had
been almost
hopelessly corrupted by the peace-loving Alderaani. He thanked
the Dark that
Beru had had a stabilizing influence on Luke. The resentment
between Owen
and his brother was an unexpect bonus, and Vader suspected her of seeding
that to keep Obi-Wan away from the boy. And to learn she was
capable of
the ruthless murder of her husband had stunned and pleased him.
He had known
she was a Force-sensitive and a teacher from the first moment he held
her
when his mother had come to Coruscant, finally free. He had seen
much
of the Skywalker heritage, in her, but the eyes were pure Jinn.
Ironic that
Kenobi's master had engineered his downfall so very neatly.
He turned his thoughts back to his meditation, on his splendid son and
wayward
daughter.
The door chimed. Leia lifted her head, aching and terrified.
She opened
the intercom channel. "Go away!" She couldn't keep the
shrillness out
of her voice and knew it would do her no good against Vader.
"Leia?" Luke's voice was unmistakeable. "May I come in? I brought food."
Food, of all things! As if she ever wanted to eat again.
"Come in." She knew
he would regardless, but the fact he had asked seemed to make a difference.
He set the tray down and came to sit on the edge of her bed. "Sweet
Princess, come join me." He helped her sit up. "Shhh, I
know your
head hurts." He stroked her temples gently. The cool touch
of his
hand seemed to erase the dizziness and pain in her head. He helped
her stand, and guided her gently across the room to the table.
"Drink this. TellAll causes dehydration."
The fruit juice was sweet and cool. She sipped graciously,
stifling the temptation to toss aside the glass and guzzle
from the pitcher he'd brought.
"Can you eat?" He put three small beige cubes on a plate.
She looked at it and her stomach rebelled. "I don't think so."
"Try this." He slid the plate across to her. "It's very
delicate.
My aunt used to make it when I was sick. I programmed it tonight."
Leia tried an experimental sliver. The flavor was very mild, and
the texture was smooth. Her stomach seemed to accept it.
She took
another.
"If you're so worried about me, keep your father away!" she snarled.
"He said I was here instead of in the detention block because of you."
All he heard was suspicion. There should have been some hope
in there,
but he didn't hear it. He laid his hand over hers briefly.
"Leia. Dear Leia. This was only the beginning." He
withdrew his hand.
"If you don't tell my lord Father what he wants to know, things will
go
from bad," he gestured to the bruise from the syringe, "to infinitely
worse."
He let worry for her wash out of him in a wave. "Will you let
me heal you,
purge your system of the TellAll?"
"So I can be in good shape for tomorrow's session?"
"Please?" The guileless blue eyes met hers.
She was basking in the cool shade of the blue-leaved v'lalr tree
on the hottest day of summer. She was swimming in the ocean of
her homeworld, surrounded by blue sky, blue water, and her weight
all nonsense in the water. She was slipping between sheets scented
with delicate starflowers, caressed by their azure scent and petals.
"Yes."
He broke the gaze, leaving her wondering what had just happened.
Luke rose and stood behind her, brushing his fingertips across her
forehead. He matched his breathing to hers and began forming
a
healer's bond. In time he would deepen these first silken cords,
and claim her as his own. Eventually, when she was ready, he
would
twist them into iron, making her his utter, willing and abject slave.
He would break her and remake her into what he wanted, and
bind her to him forever in the way of Darksiders from time immemorial.
She would never know what had happened, or where the relationship
had changed.
He sent the first soft tendrils of healing Force through her body,
reducing the bruise, and flushing the drug from her system. Either
she had a Jedi metabolism or his father had deliberately used too
little. She had broken down most of it already. Finally,
he
triggered a rush of endorphins, flooding her with pleasure, and
took his fingers from her head.
She opened her eyes and looked at him. He smiled gently,
touched her cheek, and left. Leia stared at the door for
a long time before going to the bed. She fell asleep
quickly, but the blue followed her into the dreams.