Dynasty: Chunk Thirty-Six

by Valerie Vancollie and Rebecca Thomson

"This is definitely not good," General Dodonna stated as the copy of the documentary that Mon Mothma had brought to the meeting on the Imperial war against the Alliance ended.

"That is an understatement," Mon Mothma declared. "What I want to know is how things could have gotten out of hand so badly without our knowing of it."

"What do you mean?" General Ragorsh demanded. "We voted on the matter several months ago."

"What?!" Rieekan demanded as he turned to his comrade. "We never did such a thing!"

"We did," Ragorsh responded. "Remember we voted on interrogating captured Imperials for inside information a while back? Well we decided to do it, so I sent out the necessary instructions to various cells."

"Wait a minute here," Admiral Dl'os stated as he got to his feet, his fur rippling uncontrollably. "We voted to interrogate prisoners, not to torture them which is what clearly happened in that cell. Are you saying you are the one who told them to do that."

"Yes," Ragorsh stated. "I am."

"How could you?" Dl'os nearly screamed. "What happened there is no better than what the Imperials do. And it gained us nothing."

"On the contrary," Ragorsh said as he pushed several datapads towards the middle of the conference table. "Those pads contain all the information we managed to extract from the Imps we questioned. There is some pretty detailed stuff in there, all very useful."

"But at what price?" Mothma inquired as she saw that Admiral Dl'os was just about ready to explode with anger. "This documentary has given a false image of the Alliance as none of us present here, except for you General Ragorsh, planned on this torture when we voted on the subject. And it has affected our members. The number of deserters has quadrupled since this was first aired and public resentment of us has skyrocketed."

"And as if that wasn't enough," Rieekan continued. "We've made a folk hero out of Skywalker. From now on we can't go near him anymore for a while or anything we do will only make him even more popular. Those are powerful images that were shown of him."

"Agreed," Dodonna stated. "And I think we need to work on our communication. It's clear that we think along different lines on what's acceptable for us to do and what's not."

"Acceptable?!" Dl'os roared. "What he did is against all of our principles! He should be kicked off the Council. We fight the Empire for the evil that it is, we cannot use the methods they use in doing so or we become no better than them."

"At this point we have no choice," General Ragorsh retorted. "If we do not use any and all means necessary we will not win this war."

"If we use any and all means necessary we might as well give up," Dl'os countered. "As we will have become that which we fight."

"Wrong," Ragorsh declared. "It is the end result that counts, not the means used to get there."

"That is not true," Dl'os replied as his fur stood on end as he began to shake with rage.

"We fight or we die," Ragorsh pressed. "Your ways haven't worked, otherwise we wouldn't be in this predicament."

"Enough!" Mon Mothma ordered. "This bickering will get us no where. The Alliance was founded to fight and destroy the Empire. Both of you are correct and wrong at once. We cannot simply stand by and watch all that we fought for go to waste now, but we cannot let ourselves become like the Empire. We need to find a median."

"How?" General Dodonna inquired.

"We will need to decide that on a case by case basis," Mon Mothma explained. "See what the problem is and what the best way to handle it is. That will depend on what the situation calls for."

"No," Dl'os stated.

"Do you have a different idea?" Rieekan questioned as he looked at the Bothan and shook his head when he received no reply. "I thought not. This is the only way. We need to get a victory and soon, or we're finished. If this calls for going out of what we would have done only a year ago, then so be it."

"Agreed," Ragorsh said.

"If this is the course the Alliance is setting for the future, then I'm out," Dl'os suddenly declared, drawing startled looks from everyone in the room. "I joined the Alliance for the pure ideals and goals it had. That and the courage its members displayed in taking on the Empire. Now I see that the Alliance has become little different than the Empire if it is willing to descended to such depths. I shall not humiliate my clan by being a part of such an organization."

"You can't just go!" Mon Mothma finally stated after a moment of stunned silence.

"And why not?" Dl'os questioned before he looked at Ragorsh. "Unless, of course, you've decided to go with the Imperial policy of killing those who do not follow the decisions of the central authority."

"Naturally we haven't!" Dodonna answered angrily. "We are not the Empire."

"Not yet."

"How can you simply give up all that you have fought for?" Mon Mothma demanded. "All that your comrades have bleed and died for?"

"Easily," Dl'os responded. "I can do so as the Alliance now is no longer the Alliance that I nor my dead comrades fought for and believed in."

"Calm down," Luke said even as he laughed at his love's anxiety as she paced the dining room where they had just had lunch.

"I can't," Anjaleen declared as she looked at him. "I keep thinking that I forgot something."

"What could you possibly have forgotten?" Luke demanded. "The wedding clothes are made, the decorators start decorating the Crystal Hall tomorrow, and the guests have all agreed to come."

"I've seen the clothes," Anja replied, thinking back to how shocked her father had been when she had brought the outfit home and her joy at owning such a stunning outfit. "And I know the guests are coming. But its the decorations I'm worried about. Not to mention the fact that you still haven't told me where we're going on our honeymoon. How am I supposed to pack for that?"

"I'll tell your servants and then they can pack the necessary items," Luke stated as he thought back to the options Sean had presented him with.

His new adjunct had managed to find several locations which suited his original demands. He had gone through them and had finally picked Klisd. The mansion he had rented was one built in the old Hrian-style of well over two millennia ago. It was near the shore of a white sanded beach where they could spend several of the afternoons of their three week stay. The mansion also had stables with several ponlihorses which they could take on rides in the surrounding forests and fields. And, if they wanted, they could take the house transport up into the nearby mountains whose peaks were capped with eternal snow. Naturally the mansion came with its own staff and an excellent cook.

Only a few years ago, Luke knew that he would have immediately discarded Klisd as a possibility because at that time he had been unable to swim. But one of the servants had shown him how it was done in the sea shortly after his arrival on Coruscant. The man had had quite a lot of fun at his first few attempts, but he had quickly mastered the technique. That hadn't stopped his father from teasing him when he had seen his choice, however.

"As to the decorations..." Luke began as an idea came to him. "Come on," he continued as he got to his feet and headed for the hidden turbolift.

"Where are we going?" Anjaleen inquired.

"I'm going to put your worries to rest," Luke explained.

Luke held Anja's hand as they traveled through the hidden passages towards the Imperial Palace. "Luke?" Anja asked, "do I get a hint?"

Luke smiled, "Nope. Not till we get there. But I will tell you that we're going to the Crystal Hall."

A few more twists of the passageways, and a ride up another hidden turbolift, and Anja couldn't help but remark, "How do you keep them all straight? I'm always lost back here, and I can never remember exactly where to push to make them open."

Luke laughed, "I use the Force. Most of entryways actually have the access button on the inside. Well, here we are."

They stepped into the darkened room, the only light that of the sun streaming through the crystal walls. Rainbows littered the ground, but the room was bare- waiting for the decorators that would arrive soon.

"So, what did you want to show me?" Anja pressed, her voice echoing in the empty room.

"Just relax," Luke said, stepping behind her and putting both hands on her temples, "and don't speak. I'm going to call up a vision from the future- of what the room will look like. So you'll stop being so upset."

"Oh." Anja whispered.

"Shhh..." Luke whispered back, centering himself with the Force. It was always easier in Grandfather's Palace. It must have something to do with the old man's meditations, and the meditations of all the Jedi that used to live on this ground. Which would explain why Grandfather tore down the Jedi temple and built the Palace here, it reverberated with the Force. Luke shoved the thought aside, pulling his mind toward the future visions.

So many people would be shocked here, the whole galaxy would change slightly, just from the revelation that he was Lord Vader's son- so the future visions whirled around the event. He found the picture in the Force, and tied it to Anja's mind.

She gasped, and Luke could see what she saw. "Shh..." Luke whispered, watching with her. Ivory curtains framed the walls between towering sculptures of ice and flowers. Intertwined with the sculptures were candles, each flame atop a tall ivory candle and surrounded with a crystal shade, which scattered the light into rainbows. The ice sculptures had rare hessle blooms frozen into them, the pale transparent ice blooms native of some planet called Hoth and actually grew in the ice. The towering mixture of ice sculptures and flowers rose twice as high as any of the guests, alternating with the ivory curtains. Large flowers twice a big as a man's head brought the arrangements back into proportion; while the flowers closest to the alter were pure white, and each arrangement further away contained more and more color, the final arrangement a vivid riot of color.

Luke remembered that they had chosen that deliberately, to emphasize the lavishness of their outfits. The ghosts of the guests also sparkled with color, but they ignored them. He and Anja looked at the alter, and they could see the backs of their ghost-selves turned towards the Master of Ceremonies (*Click here to see C. E. Welman's illustration*).

"And then I..." The sound of voices interrupted their thoughts, and Luke and Anja whirled as one, turning towards two servants who had entered the room. The servants stopped. One dropped to one a knee, "my Lord, I am sorry, I thought the room was empty."

Luke turned to Anja, she smiled at the two servants. "It's okay, I've seen enough." Luke nodded, holding out his hand. Anja took it, speaking to Luke as they left, "It's beautiful, and you're right- everything is going to be okay."

Once they reached the hidden passageway, Anja whispered to Luke, "I'm afraid that the flower arrangements and candles at the end of each row of seats will block the view of the people in the back."

Luke shrugged. "Can't be helped."

Sean walked into one of the sitting rooms at the Castle, barely glancing at the visitors as he brought the report straight over to Lord Skywalker. The last three months had taken the nervousness out of performing his duties, and now he focused on doing everything perfectly.

"Thank you Sean." Luke said, taking the report, "now stand over there." The Sith pointed, and Sean moved. One of the guests got up, holding out a set of clothes. Lieutenant Trussell blinked as the thin man began to remove his jacket.

"Sean," Luke said, "do you remember our discussion on security for my honeymoon?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Well, I'm going to need you to do a little something for me after the ceremony." Luke dryly replied.

Sean smiled, "yes my Lord." He held out an arm, and the tailor pulled the new coat on. "And I delivered the message to Vladimir about accepting his invitation to lunch," the young man continued.

"Good." Luke said, watching the tailor check the fit.

"And Admiral MacNelly wants to know if you can come over for dinner tonight."

"What for?"

"He didn't say." Sean replied.

Luke shrugged, "I don't see why not. Anja's relatives are starting to show up, and she's busy."

The servant poured the wine for the dessert and Vladimir motioned, sending him away as soon as the servant was done. He looked at the young Sith Lord from across the table, smiling thinly. "There are spies everywhere, my Lord."

"Indeed." The Sith paused, smiling slyly. "Is that why you didn't invite the rest of your allies?"

Vladimir cleared his throat, reminding himself why he had chosen not to include his closest confidants in his latest round of bargaining with the Sith. One of them was still furious with Lord Skywalker for dropping a word in the Emperor's ear about the stormtrooper armor production difficulties, and he didn't want them to start arguing.

"Not exactly," Vladimir said, knowing the Sith probably was reading his mind. He sighed, deciding on truth as the best route. "Let's just say that one of them isn't happy with you right now."

The Sith Lord made a dismissive gesture. "I know. But Buchanan brought it to my attention, and I couldn't very well brush it off then. And I will not knowingly do anything that hurts the Empire's long term interests. Unfair trade practices always come back to haunt a government."

Vladimir nodded, thoughtful. "Long term interests, yes. And what of the short term?"

"When I give the order for the ships or troops to attack, I know some of them will die. But it is for our best interest that they do risk themselves."

Vladimir sat back in his chair. "Yes. And I'll be blunt, because you probably know what I wish to speak with you about. Do you really consider it in the Empire's best long term interests that Lord Vader gain the throne?"

Luke paused, thinking about his wording, trying to smother his sudden anger. "Actually, it is almost a moot point. Lord Vader being named as heir is practically assured. And those words would be considered treason once he is Emperor."

Vladimir sighed, frustrated that the young Sith wasn't thinking about what he was saying. Maybe he needed to tempt the young Sith while he explained. "Perhaps. But Lord Vader is not a politician. And he avoids the court. And he's a practical recluse. He is a brilliant military commander, but I worry that he won't be able to work with the courtiers as well as his Majesty and that the Empire will suffer. Even someone as young as yourself might possibly be a better choice. You only lack the experience to rule well, but your temperament is much better suited for the throne. You must understand my concerns."

Lord Skywalker put down his glass, eyes thoughtful while he coldly replied. "Perhaps. But I will take your words as concerns, not as suggestions."

Vladimir nodded, while inside he was saying, 'for now, young Sith. But if you want the throne now, and wish to forgo years of bowing down to that masked man, come back to me.' The young man shot him a look, and Vladimir knew that Skywalker knew what he had thought. The young man might be hard to control, but not impossible. Vladimir had every intention of setting the young Sith up as a figurehead. The people would love him, especially after that report that the news stations were playing over and over across the galaxy. He changed the conversation, content to know that he got his message across.

Admiral Nathaniel MacNelly groaned, holding his head as memories of last night's after-dinner festivities swam into focus. Luke had come over, and after dinner the two of them had holed up in one of the sitting rooms in his father-in-law's house. Nathaniel had announced that Lord Skywalker needed a bachelor's party to celebrate his upcoming wedding. And since everyone else was entirely too political, it was up to the two of them. Luke had laughed, and agreed.

Two-thirds of the way through the bottle of Corellian Whiskey, Luke had leaned over and whispered, 'Uh, Nathaniel, did you know that Sith can speed up their metabolism so they can't get drunk?' Nathaniel had swore, but Luke just laughed. 'Sorry my Admiral, but you don't want me drunk anyway. Loosing control is a very bad thing for me. However, this has been fun.' They traded jokes and stories after that before the Sith had gone home.

"Good morning Honey!" Nathaniel groaned again, looking up to see his irate wife. "Nice morning, isn't it? Even if it's an hour till noon!" She said loudly. Nathaniel groaned again, burying his head in the pillows. Was she being this loud on purpose? She sat down on the edge of the bed, sighing. "Nathaniel?"

"Yes?" He moaned.

"I'm not really mad at you for having Luke over, Honey. But I've already received one call from that horrid Elizabeth, trying to see if she could pry anything out of me about him visiting. Daddy lied and said that Lord Skywalker ate with him last night, so that no one would know that it was just a boy's night out. And you said that we were trying to be neutral- but how can we do that if you do stuff like that?"

"Luke said we only have to be neutral till the wedding." Nathaniel whispered. He hadn't told his wife that part. He didn't know if he trusted her not to gossip, not after her brothers spread it around the Navy about Luke being Sith. "And that's in two days. We can manage. Just don't tell anyone that something is going to happen at the wedding, okay?"

"Yes Dear. But can you tell my father? He's a little upset."

Luke stared at the ceiling, letting his body run through the healing meditation. A dry chuckle came from the door of his bedroom, and Luke turned to see his father standing there in blue robes.

"I did the same thing. A bunch of pilots that I knew outside of the Temple 'kidnapped' me before my wedding to your mother. I pulled the old 'Jedi don't get drunk' trick. Works for the first six drinks or so, but after that they start to catch up to you. But you can't let them know, so you end up using every trick of concentration you have to walk straight."

Luke sighed, smiling. "Yes, but it worked."

Lord Vader snorted. "True. But why did you do it anyway?"

Luke sat up, throwing off the covers. "He's the only one who trusts me for what I am, not for what I can give him. And I can ask things of him later, if I need someone in the Navy to be absolutely loyal and discreet. Worth it, I would think."

Vader shrugged. "I have a few of those, we don't need more."

"I'm working on the next generation." Luke explained. "Now, are you ready for the next part?"

"You are having far too much fun, my son."

Laughing, Anjaleen sat down in one of the chairs on the patio of her home before she took a sip of the mixed juice she was having.

"I simply can't believe your wedding dress!" her cousin, Cather, exclaimed. "I wish I had had such a dress when I got married! You are soooo lucky."

"I know," Anja replied with a smile as she looked past Cather at the rest of her family. "Wait till you see the Crystal Hall."

"Ohhh, I can't wait!" Cather said before she giggled. "But tell me, how did you ever wind up with Lord Skywalker?"

"He approached me first," Anja stated. "But you must remember, at the time he wasn't a lord. Indeed, he was nothing as far as most courtiers were concerned. He simply appeared out of the blue."

"Still, you are so lucky," Cather said before she dropped her voice a little. "He's so gorgeous."

"Cather!" Anja exclaimed even as she had to laugh herself, before she smiled at the man walking over to them. "Uncle Richards."

"Anjaleen," Richards replied as he took the vacant seat next to his niece. "Tell me, do you know anything on the situation between Lord Skywalker and Lord Vader that the public doesn't know?"

"I do," Anja began carefully. "But I am not at liberty to discuss the topic. All that I can tell you is that you will know more before too long."

"Very well," Richards replied, clearly disappointed, for, although he wasn't into politics or the Imperial Armed Forces, it would have made him look extremely good if he could return from this trip knowing something on the Dark Lord that nobody else knew.

"Mistress," a servant said, suddenly appearing at Anja's left.

"Yes?" Anjaleen inquired as she turned to face the man.

"Lord Skywalker is here."

"Bring him here," Anja ordered, slightly upset that the man hadn't already done so.

"He wants you to see him first," the servant informed her. "He also asked for Rachel."

"Very well," Anja replied as she got to her feet before turning to her cousin and uncle. "If you'll excuse me for a moment," she said before heading inside, wondering what Luke was up to now.

"Hello, love," Luke greeted her with a smile as she entered the sitting room he was in. "The whole family is here already I hear."

"Yes," Anja confirmed just as Rachel entered the room as well. "Luke, what's going on?"

"As I said earlier, I don't want to spoil the surprise of where we're going for our honeymoon," Luke explained as he motioned Rachel over to him. "So someone has to pack for you."

"You're impossible," Anjaleen declared as she saw Rachel's eyes light up upon seeing the datapad Luke handed her.

Luke chuckled and shot her a smile before looking back to Rachel. "Try not to let too many people see this," he ordered. "Just people you can trust and don't let Anjaleen know this location."

"I won't," Rachel promised as she sent her mistress a smile. "Everything will be ready when you need it."

"Good," Luke said before he moved over to Anja. "Now I think it's time you introduced me to your family."

"I heard that Skywalker had a busy day yesterday," Buchanan began as he moved to stand next to Vladimir. "First lunch with you and then dinner at the Bel-Zessa household."

"Indeed," Vladimir replied, knowing that the other man was fishing for information. "Makes you wonder just how close Skywalker and MacNelly truly are. After all, the Admiral is living with the Grand Moff whenever he's present on Coruscant."

"True, although it's said that Skywalker saw the Grand Moff only last night," Buchanan stated, having done some investigating of his own. "But then, that could well be a cover."

"Have you noticed that, while MacNelly is known to be close to Skywalker, that he has yet to take a side?" Vladimir questioned. "Perhaps he simply assumes that everyone knows he's behind Skywalker, or he's staying out of this one."

"Yes," Buchanan agreed. "It is strange indeed. It could be that the Grand Moff doesn't wish his son-in-law to get involved until they know more. He probably doesn't want his daughter in any way associated with this whole situation. That way she can't be harmed by whatever the outcome is."

"He always was the careful type," Vladimir responded. "What do you think of Skywalker's upcoming wedding?"

"It should be interesting," Buchanan stated, slightly angry that his rival was changing the topic. "I've had the entrance to the Crystal Hall watched and I've been told that from the looks of it, it will be extremely lavish. Much more so than his birthday party."

"Doesn't surprise me," Vladimir replied. "What did surprise me is the fact that the wedding will be in the Palace itself. That has never happened before and I hadn't thought that it ever would."

"Yes," Buchanan agreed. "Once Palpatine starts letting one couple marry in the Palace more will try to do the same, simply for the honor."

"True," Vladimir said with a nod of his head. "I think our dear Emperor has something up his sleeve."

"Anja," Luke whispered as he saw Resol leave the main room.

"Yes?" Anjaleen replied as she looked up at her fiancé.

"Father and I are going to start spreading rumors about our relationship," Luke explained softly. "In a way that nobody will be able to be sure whether it's true or not."

"Oh, okay," Anja said with a smile. "Am I to pretend that I'm surprised in order to make them think it's false?"

"Exactly," Luke confirmed with a smile before he moved off to the room that Resol had disappeared into. 'Father,' he called out. 'I'm beginning.'

'I shall be along shortly,' Vader responded from the gardens.

'Remember to make sure that the whole situation doesn't seem realistic,' Palpatine ordered. 'That way people will be less likely to believe the info after they check it.'

'Don't worry,' Luke responded as he reached out and nudged Resol's mind, planting the suggestion for him to take a walk into the garden. 'Here we go.'

Luke smiled as he wandered out into the garden after the lower echelon courtier. The man had long ago gained a reputation for repeating lies and false rumors. With the tensions supposedly so great between his father and himself, the courtiers would think that it was yet another of his lies. But they wouldn't be a hundred percent sure and that would eat away at them. Which was exactly what he wanted, especially for Vladimir. After what the man had dared to suggest he deserved to sweat until the wedding and then until he came back from his honeymoon to see whether or not he was going to do anything about it. The end result of all of this was that they knew just where the courtiers stood and that they would all be on their best behavior for a while as they wanted what they had done to be forgotten.

"Resol," Luke called out when the man was alone in the gardens.

"Lord Skywalker," Resol replied as he turned to face him, clearly startled that the Dark Lord wanted to talk with him.

"I was wondering if you could help me with something," Luke began, suppressing a smile at the other's surprise. That was what would make everyone else wonder if this whole incident was true or not. The fact that he would never do something like this. "Something that no one else can help me with."

"Anything, my Lord," Resol instantly responded. "I am always eager to serve the Empire."

"Good," Luke stated as he could feel his father approach. 'Just a moment,' he sent. 'I need to do one more thing.'

'Very well,' Vader stated. 'Tell me when I need to make my appearance.'

'I will,' Luke assured him. "I need to get some plican from the mines you have in your system. However no one is to know of the fact that I got this plican."

"B... but," Resol stuttered as his face fell. "My Lord, I can't."

"What do you mean, you can't?" Luke inquired, letting his eyes go cold and his face harden. "You can't or you won't?"

"I can't," Resol hurriedly confirmed. "My system doesn't have the plican mines. That would be Frisy's system."

"Oh," Luke stated. 'Now father,' he sent. "I must be mistaken then. Never mind."

"There you are, Luke," Vader said as he approached the two. "The Emperor requires your presence right away."

"Very well, Father," Luke responded, pretending not to see Resol's mouth drop as he walked away with Vader. "That was too easy," he commented as soon as they were out of earshot of the stunned courtier.

"Indeed," Vader agreed.

"It has to be a lie!" Buchanan fumed, teeth gritted.

"I agree." Vladimir said, carefully holding his hands together to keep them from shaking.

"Resol probably thinks it's a good joke. As if Lord Skywalker would make a mistake on who to talk to about needing something." Buchanan muttered.

"And he was not seen at the Emperor's side at any point later in that session of the court." Vladimir agreed.

"And he'd never just let his tongue slip like that." Buchanan continued, trying to convince himself. "Especially in front of someone with status as low as Resol's."

"True. Completely true." Vladimir nodded.

"Then we are agreed, the rumor is false." Buchanan nodded back, and the two fell into uneasy silence while the same thoughts ran through their heads: 'Unless Lord Skywalker was sending a warning. Being Vader's son would explain everything. And the differences in their names is a minor thing, after all, who would marry the Dark Lord? It could be true, they could have done it deliberately, the Sith have plotted before, and Resol is the perfect choice for making us doubt the rumor. I have to be careful from here on out.'

Vladimir was nervous as the silence continued. He couldn't stop thinking about how he'd suggested to Lord Skywalker that he side with him against Lord Vader. He knew that if they were father and son, they were going to be furious.

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Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? E-mail Rebecca or me at valeriev84@hotmail.com