The Trace Which Remains

Chapter 14: ...allow the past...

When Leia finally brought Han and Chewbacca to Luke's room, Luke managed a weak smile.
Everything still hurt like hell, but he had entered a healing trance, and had managed to begin repairing the tendons in his shoulders. Now every little movement no longer caused his vision to blank out.

Han flinched as he took in the extent of the damage. "Stang, kid... they sure did a number on you."

Luke sighed. "Leia explained the situation, right?"

With a grim nod, Han answered, "Makes me wonder how sickos like that got into the Alliance
to begin with. I wouldn't wish what they did to you upon anyone. Not even Palpatine."

"I'll be fine, Han."

Chewie let out a low "rrrrrrrrrrrrrhn," and Han turned to the Wookiee.

"What is it, pal?" Chewbacca replied with a series of sounds which still didn't quite make
sense to Luke- he wished he could pick up Shyriiwook more easily.

Han translated. "He says that he smells something off. Some weird combination of scents. He can't quite place it- but someone you know is someone connected to the attackers."

With a blink, Luke asked, "Is it someone he knows?"

"No."

Leia interrupted. "We need to find out more about the guards who attacked Luke. We still
don't know how the information was leaked. We're all in danger as long as we're left in the dark."

Luke nodded, musing. "If we can draw out the person behind this, then perhaps we would
have the advantage."

"You want to bait them."

"Exactly. They seem to seriously have it in for Father- perhaps the trial will serve to bring THEM to US. It seems likely that Father's trial would bring forward people with ANY 'evidence' that would hurt him."

****

Myka Severeth awoke abruptly from his first shut-eye in two days, shaking and in a cold
sweat.

Morata was coming to Endor. He could only pray that she didn't know that he was there.

He cautiously guarded his presence.

****

Leader of the League of Vengeance- and the only remaining member still loose, stood before
the viewscreen in his quarters.

"Your sister's violation and death will soon be avenged, Alpha," the cloaked woman crooned.

"Yes, doctor. It is time for Vader to pay."

****

Leia sighed. This was not going to be easy. "We have scant evidence so far, and General
Madine is pressing to have the trial as soon as possible. Mon promised me that she would
delay it as long as she can- it seems the prosecution is gathering witnesses quickly."

Her brother clenched a fist in frustration. "Who's prosecuting?"

"Borsk Fey'lya."

Han groaned. "Not that self-serving Bothan fleabag!"

She glared. "Han!"

Holding up his hands, Han returned, "Okay, okay. Windbag."

Luke made a pitiful attempt to hide his smirk, and Leia had to chuckle. "This is a serious... hehheh... matter here."

"Well, it explains why he's getting evidence so easily."

"Bothans. Can't hide from 'em." Han rolled his eyes.

"And all we have is an old recording as proof that he was manipulated." Leia rubbed her
temple. "I can't seem to find any other evidence. I've been working on this non-stop, and we're running out of time."

****

Wedge Antilles was part of the Alliance escort, providing security to the fleet and their newly formed Endor base. Generally it was a dull job, for although the occasional TIE buzzed by, the remains of the Imperial fleet had given their unconditional surrender. Left without coordination by the deaths of their leaders, the Imps out in the middle of nowhere were welcomed as defectors- although they were heavily watched by the Alliance.

But today, as Wedge carelessly amused himself by playing logic games with his astromech,
he caught sight of a gleam of metal entering realspace. Switching on his com, he demanded,
"Identify yourself, starfighter pilot."

The voice which came through the comlink sounded like a younger woman's, with a Core accent. "My call number is 984-0329K. My name is Jaraya Devix. I've come to provide
evidence in the trial of Darth Vader."

"All right, miss Devix. Rogues 2 and 7, escort her in."

****

"So, what association with Darth Vader do you have, miss Devix?" Borsk Fey'lya asked the
slender, middle-aged woman as she entered his office wielding a black briefcase.

She seemed on the verge of tears. "It's been a long time since I've talked about it, but right after the Empire was established, Vader murdered my husband. He didn't do anything! My husband was a simple shop owner."

"Do you have proof that it was Vader?"

Devix pulled a sheet of paper from her briefcase. "Twenty-two years ago, my husband was found sliced in half by a lightsaber inside his Coruscant clothing shop. This forensics report shows that there was genetic material found on the floor- hair belonging to someone closely related to Vader, as well as skin remnants of Vader's."

"Nobody knows anything about Vader's past, miss Devix. He is not known to have any family."

"Oh?" Jaraya blinked. "I was under the impression that there was going to be a press conference involving his arbiter about his past."

"I was not aware of this."

"I overheard some pilots talking about it as I came in." Jaraya looked at her wrist-chrono, and told Fey'lya, "You might want to turn your screen to the local vid channel. I was told it starts at 16:30."

In five minutes. Fey'lya switched on the monitor.

****

As Leia stepped up to the podium, Han and a stubborn Luke flanking her, Leia composed her thoughts.

She was painfully aware of the cameras trained on her, recording her every move. She had been in the spotlight for as long as she could remember, but previously it had always been about the issues- not about her, personally. This time, she was here to expose herself- for better or for worse.

"Gentlebeings... members of the Alliance... I am here today to reveal a very personal secret, one which has caused me a great deal of pain. I assure you that I have not been deliberately deceiving you- the circumstances were difficult for me to believe or confront. However, I will not continue to hide- from myself, or from the eyes of the galaxy."

Turning to her injured brother, who nodded encouragingly as he leaned wearily against the wall, she met his eyes. They told her, 'We can handle this.'

"You well know that I have volunteered to be the arbiter of Darth Vader. I have suffered at his hand as much as any of you, and I am fully aware of the crimes he has committed as the right-hand-man of the Emperor." She paused for effect. "However, there are times when extenuating circumstances may not excuse, may not condone, but force actions upon us. When we fly into battle, do we hesitate to take a life just because killing is wrong? Or do we protect ourselves? And who has not obeyed commands that they disagreed with, out of fear? Fear of disgrace, fear of losing a job... fear of retribution of some form? The Emperor was just as merciless to his minions as he was to his enemies."

As she looked out towards the small crowd gathered in the auditorium, she saw the faces of friends, confidantes, people she had worked and laughed and fought with for years. They all waited patiently, hanging on her every word.

She almost faltered, but she struggled on, forcing resolve into her backbone. "In the upcoming trial, I intend to prove that it was out of fear of the Emperor and manipulation that Vader committed his crimes. Recent times have proven this to me, and I hope to see justice given to a man recently released from slavery."

"You see, on the second Death Star, Commander Skywalker confronted Vader and the Emperor. When Palpatine attempted to kill Skywalker, Vader intervened and killed Palpatine. Some would believe that it was intended to be an overthrow, but Vader has turned himself in to Alliance custody without resistance. Vader could have become Emperor and led the fleet to regroup- but instead he helped Commander Skywalker escape the Death Star."

"Why? Because of a simple human emotion- love. Nobody has previously been able to learn anything about Vader's past- because Palpatine planned it that way. He erased all record of Vader's history before his appearance in RD 977. It was viewed as coincidence, that the Jedi Purge occured at the same time as the end of the Clone Wars- and the deaths of many Jedi. Instead, Palpatine orchestrated the entire thing- he had been planning to seduce the man who became Vader for years."

"Vader had been a Jedi Knight, with disagreements with the Order. He married in secret, knowing the Jedi would expel him for falling in love and marrying. When nightmares haunted the young Jedi, Palpatine preyed upon his fears. The young man who became Vader joined Palpatine because the Emperor promised him the power to keep his nightmares from becoming truth- his nightmares of his secret wife's death."

A murmur ran through the audience, and Leia waited before continuing.

"Palpatine convinced Vader that the Jedi were the only stumbling block in the search for the power to cheat death. Vader turned his back on the Jedi, but he was badly injured in a fight with Obi-Wan Kenobi. His wife dead, his body mangled, Vader had no choice but to obey Palpatine- a man who could summon lightning with the Force- and very easily disrupt and destroy the cybernetic implants that Vader now relied upon to survive."

"However, Vader did not know that the children his pregnant wife had carried had survived. They were hidden from him and Palpatine, and grew up to join the Alliance."

"Many of you remember the man labeled the 'Hero with No Fear,' Anakin Skywalker. Some of you may have even correctly guessed that Luke Skywalker is his son..." She noticed the eyes of several people light up with understanding.

"Anakin was the man Palpatine spent years establishing trust with. Anakin was the one that Palpatine chose to make his ultimate apprentice. Anakin Skywalker, consumed with fear, turned his back on the Jedi and allowed Palpatine to give him a new name: Darth Vader."

"However, Luke is not the only offspring of Anakin Skywalker... the other one was hidden right under Vader's nose, as the daughter of prominent Alderaani nobles..."

"I have felt as much agony at the hand of Vader as anyone. But if I were to allow myself to desire revenge against him... I would be no better than my father."

Just speaking those words lifted a great burden from her chest. She let her eyes gather the expressions of the crowd. Some faces showed revulsion, some showed pity, others bore blatant anger. All were shocked.

"I do not ask for your pity. I do not ask that you accept Anakin Skywalker merely because I am his daughter. I will do my duty as his arbiter fairly, and both I and my father will abide by the decision of High Command. However, if any believe that I am ashamed of my link to Darth Vader... then they would be mistaken. Vader's actions were horrific, and regrettable... but it means that I have the perfect example of the mistakes that I must NOT make in my life."

"Regardless of the outcome of the trial of my father... I ask that the Alliance- indeed, all sentients- remember Darth Vader as a lesson in how wrong a life can turn. Let us not be consumed by our fears or our anger."

With a slight bow, Leia left the podium, leaving a roaring hum of conversation in her wake.

****

Fey'lya couldn't believe his ears. "What does this mean?"

The woman- Devix- shrugged. "I'm just a doctor, not a politician. I would imagine that it could be badly divisive to the Alliance, though- Organa seems to have gained the pity of some and the hatred of others. In fact, I wouldn't put it beyond Vader to plot this entire thing- dividing the Alliance so his daughter can gain control- ruling through her."

The Bothan's fur rippled. "It would be quite dangerous for Vader to remain loose."

"I believe so."

"Let's look at that report you brought, miss Devix."

***********************

If you don't have an AFF account, you can reach me at the_skywolves@yahoo.com. I would

love to hear what you think!