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By the time that the Imperial Forces landed on Hoth, Leia was the only one left on the base.
She didn’t look away from her screen, even as she felt the Stormtroopers begin to spread through the tunnels. They’d be here soon. But still she didn’t look away, watching the Alliance’s data slowly destroy itself. If the imps could get any data off it once the program was through, then they probably deserved what would come for them.
Despite herself, she froze a little as she felt a dark aura approaching. Leia closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Very faintly, at the edges of her awareness, she could feel another, brighter, presence. She let out the breath. Of course her brother would be here, now.
How could he not?
The dark presence was getting closer now, close enough that Leia could hear the rhythmic footsteps and the mechanical breathing. She stared at the countdown. 5% remaining.
Vader was alone when he entered the room, having sent his troops to search the rest of the (empty) building. Leia waited, unsure of what to say, and didn’t look at him.
There was an mechanical exhale that hid the far softer sound of a sigh. Vader’s feelings buffeted at her shields, trying to draw her in. A gloved hand reached out and touched her hair, warmth seeping through despite the leather.
“Leia,” Vader said quietly.
Leia closed her eyes. “Father,” she said, equally quiet.
They both watched the program tick down for a moment. It would have been easy for Vader to reach out and turn it off, to stop the destruction of the Rebellion’s future plans. To be able to find them again and crush the resistance once and for all.
He did nothing. It wasn’t important, after all.
After a moment, he spoke again. “What did you have to say to get your smuggler to leave you? I would have expected that he and his partner would have had to been dragged away from you.”
Leia shrugged. “I made him think that I had left with the rest of the leaders.” she turned to face him, dislodging his hand. “But you’re right - otherwise he would be here shooting you right now.” Both he and Chewie had been sticking to her like glue ever since - well, ever since they lost Ahsoka, but even more since they lost Luke.
“So, I should expect a rescue attempt in a matter of days,” Vader said dryly. “Because they’re just in it for the money and all.”
Leia smiled thinly. “Well, clearly.”
The timer continued to count down. 4%... 3%...
It was both taking forever and also not nearly long enough. She was scared out of her mind and didn’t want the next moment to come but at the same time, couldn’t wait to leave.
She missed her family. Mom, Luke, Aunt ‘Soka, Uncle Ben… But the rebellion was her family too. She didn’t want to leave them unprotected.
Vader could tell. She couldn’t shield from him. None of them could, anymore.
“You’re the last, Leia,” he said, as if she didn’t know. “I won’t have cause to hunt down the rebellion anymore.”
Leia snorted. “And what about the small detail that they’re trying to overthrow the empire?” she asked.
Vader shrugged. “That hardly matters.”
“The Emperor would disagree.” Leia said.
Vader was unmoved. “He hardly matters. He’s outlived his usefulness anyway.”
She refused to flinch at that statement. She had wanted the Emperor overthrown ever since she was a child, but to hear Vader speak so casually of betraying him chilled her. She felt a small pulse of concern and reassurance come from her father and made herself relax.
She could just imagine him raising an eyebrow. “You don’t approve?”
“ Mom won’t approve,” she retorts, sidestepping the question. “You won’t actually want to be Emperor, Uncle Ben refuses to, and I quote, “clean up any more of your messes”, and Aunt ‘Soka would jump on the next ship out before she agrees to it, so Mom’ll get stuck with the job.” Mom who loved democracy, Mom who’d helped to found the Rebellion, Mom who lead the rebellion, would never agree to be Empress.
Amusement filled the air, along with a faint burst of anger at the thought of Ahsoka leaving. “She can turn it back to a republic if she wants - I hardly care. You can even call up Mothma or Organa to lead it if you want.” And oh, if anyone in the Rebellion knew that the comm she’d entrusted to the leaders had Vader’s number in it… Leia shook her head. Not thinking about that right now. She wouldn’t be there to explain that it was necessary, that the only reason the rebellion still existed was because of negotiating with Vader.
(One of the people that he loved in exchange for the Rebellion’s freedom. In exchange for “just happening” to arrive minutes too late to catch the rebels. In exchange for “just happening” to leaving their allies alive when it would be so, so easy to kill them. From a tactical point, the exchange was sound on the part of Rebellion and ludicrous for Vader. It shouldn’t be possible for the life of one person to buy so much, but when she’d said so Ben had just smiled sadly at her and said that in Vader’s mind, there was no better deal.)
There was a soft beep. The files had all been wiped.
“Come, daughter,” Vader said, turning to leave. “We need to get to the ship. Your brother is waiting for us.”
As the darkness retreated from her, Leia stretched out her senses one last time. She could feel her father in front of her and her brother above. The force-imprints of the rebellion were already starting to fade from the halls of the base and there was no trace of their counterparts in the sky, their owners having long since made the jump to hyperspace. (Leia tells herself that she isn’t relieved. Tells herself that she wasn’t worried that Vader would break his promise now that he had what he wanted.
Leia’s very good at lying to herself.)
She stood up and followed her father.