Emperor Palpatine was most displeased, but he was in public, attending a parade ostensibly in his honor, and on his home planet no less. However, he was still unhappy with the parade results at the Fifteenth anniversary of the Invasion of Naboo by the Trade Federation. Queen Kylantha had made sure that all the details had been attended to painstakingly. There were humans dressed as Gungans, but no actual Gungans involved - the event was historically accurate while adhering to the Empire's policies of nonhuman segregation. There had been no Jedi represented at all, which had pleased him, but left him feeling unsettled nonetheless. Since all of the other principals had been downplayed by necessity, the role that Amidala occupied was much larger than it should have been for his comfort. Rather than diminish Amidala's legacy, it now loomed over his own and threatened to overshadow his own achievements. He could not erase the Invasion of Naboo from either Naboo or Galactic history, so he had to endure the inevitable results of his own policies.

Darth Vader stood stoically next to his Master and watched the proceedings with seeming disinterest, but Palpatine knew better. He had caught Vader looking at where Qui-Gon Jinn's statue had been to make sure that it had stayed demolished. Palpatine had said nothing, but made a mental note of it. While it was good that his apprentice still hated the Jedi with a passion, his seeming unending need for revenge, even against the dead, was worrisome. He knew that he was applying hypocritical standards towards himself, but he reasoned that his actions in regards to all things Padme Amidala had more to do with keeping his apprentice in line, not towards petty revenge. He sighed inwardly and watched as the seemingly endless procession continued on.

Darth Vader hated the Emperor with a passion unlike any he had ever felt before since realizing his role in his beloved wife's death. However, his being ordered to be present at the celebration of a long-dead past made him even angrier. He knew that the Emperor was toying with him, thought him too stupid to realize that he knew what he had done. He was trying to guilt Vader and keep him angry with constant reminders of what he had done to Padme. It was his way of asserting the fact that he was the Master, and Vader nothing more than his underling, like so many other cogs in the vast Imperial machinery. Vader made a heroic effort to conceal his feelings - he was finally learning patience and control, but not for the reasons that Palpatine wanted.

Ryoo Naberrie came into view, dressed in Amidala's actual dress and make-up from fifteen long years ago - ridiculous headdress included. She was younger than Padme had been, but she was tall enough to fit into her deceased aunt's clothing. Vader felt a slight pang at her resemblance to Padme, but it was fleeting. Even with all the ceremonial make-up, it was clear that she was not Padme. Sabe, or even Dorme had resembled her much more closely than her own blood. He looked at the handmaidens around her, and spotted the two women in question immediately. He wondered if it was Yane or Rabe, or maybe none of the above, right next to Sabe. He cringed inwardly at how little he had known the women who had done a far better job of devoting themselves towards his own wife than he had. He felt a mental reprimand from his Master and tightened his shields again. He needed to control his emotions much better in any situation where Palpatine was concerned.

As the procession finally came to a stop at the front of the Palace of Theed and Queen Kylantha recounted the Naboo's glorious history, Vader let his sight wander throughout the crowd. He spotted the Naberrie family, close to the steps, but not a part of the official proceedings. They occupied a place of honor, but had neither done or said anything in public, save let their eldest daughter participate in the parade. Shrewdly done and most vexing to Palpatine no doubt, Vader thought to himself, darkly amused. However more experienced the old Sith was, Vader had known him long enough to know when the man was displeased or uncomfortable, and he was both at the moment. He kept that small amount of satisfaction well hidden, although if he was honest, there was no doubt that Palpatine already knew of it, whether he could feel it or not.

Vader's line of sight fell on a stoic Sola Naberrie and he was once again struck with the fire in her eyes. He wondered if Sola might not be the braver of the sisters. As much as he had idolized Padme and been possessive of her, he had not been brave enough to truly believe that she could take care of herself. He had always felt the need to be her protector. She herself had been too afraid of hurting his feelings to let him know when he was being a jackass until it was far too late on several occasions. Looking at Sola Naberrie, he knew that she had no problem doing any such thing. The proof was in how she had handled herself with Palpatine during Padme's funeral and in her letting her eldest child stand in front of Palpatine at the moment. She was afraid, of that he was sure - but not so afraid as to not let her daughter participate in some way in public. Sola was braver than both he and Padme combined and a wave of shame passed over him as the thought struck him.

Pooja Naberrie was attempting to affect an air of aloofness, but she was far too captivated by the entire scene in front of her to pull it off completely. Vader noticed how eagerly she drank in every one of the Queen's words and wondered if Padme had been similarly struck as a child by whoever had been ruling Naboo at the time. Another thought struck him as he looked between the two sisters - neither really resembled the other, yet they were sisters nonetheless. He wondered which one Padme actually looked like the most, and if she had resembled either of them as a child. He realized with increasing shame that he had no idea what Padme had looked like as a child - he had never asked for or seen a holo of her as a child. He remembered her teenage self, but had no idea what she had looked like as a child - another failure of his, and not a trivial one at that. He scrutinized Pooja again, and noticed that every time that he saw the girl, her hair was slightly darker than the time before. Her tight curls still remained.

Vader looked to the small boy holding Sola's hand - he was trying valiantly not to be bored once the initial awe of the new sights had worn off. The boy had had snow white hair last time he had seen him, but it was now darkening as well and coming in curly, much like Pooja's had been. Although Pooja had been older than her younger sibling the first time Vader had met her. He was tempted to walk over to the Naberries and demand answers about Padme's early life, but knew that such a course of action would be imprudent and raise questions not just from them, but would certainly cause a reprisal from Palpatine. He had hurt that family enough - he would not add to their sorrows by interacting with them directly.

Vader rejoined the present world once the speech had concluded and the crowd began to applaud. The formal part of the celebration was now over, and people would begin going to the museums and the Palace itself, since it was open to the public on special occasions. Food vendors began selling their wares after an appropriately respectful amount of time had passed. The situation was almost normal in a surreal sort of way. Palpatine made his way with his guards towards his private speeder and Vader suppressed a smile at the man's irritation. He spied Bail Organa among the revelers and followed him as the Senator made his way towards the Naberrie family. They walked inside towards a more secluded area in the Palace as they waited for Ryoo to get out of costume and join the rest of the family. Vader tucked himself into an adjacent empty room and made sure to be as quiet as possible as he extended his hearing with the Force.

"Your daughter made quite an impression out there," Bail complemented Sola awkwardly. Sola merely dipped her head in a simple gesture. Everyone fidgeted uncomfortably for a few moments. "I must say that I felt the need to speak to you and see how you were holding up. I know that the last time we spoke was during a rather...difficult time…" Bail trailed off, lost for words.

Sola softened somewhat as she realized that she had been holding a grudge of sorts against the man for a situation that had been out of his control. "I apologize myself. It seems that my family, and I myself, had taken our anger out on you at the time," Sola said uncertainly but earnestly. "You were just the messenger, and I am glad that it was you, and not someone else. I think it would have been more unbearable had it been a total stranger and not someone who Padme had known and trusted."

Bail let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in and offered her a smile. He looked down at Luke, curiosity getting the better of him. "And how are you, young man?" he asked as he bent down to get a closer look at his daughter's twin. Luke gave him a shy smile and tucked his head against his mother's hand, which he was holding at the moment. "You've gotten quite a lot bigger than the last time I saw you," he said amiably. He marveled at how different the boy looked than his sister, but how he didn't stand out from the rest of his family either. He briefly wondered if Leia would have blended in as well, but her features were more angular and not as soft as the Naberries'. His eyes shifted to Pooja Naberrie, and he felt a pang through his heart as he saw the resemblance between niece and aunt. While her hair was still a lot lighter than Padme's had been, he had no doubt that it would darken and she would resemble her more than any of the other family members. "And how are you, young lady?" he addressed her with a courtly bow.

"Very well, Senator, thank you," she replied with a curtsey she must have practiced. She was obviously quite pleased with how it had turned out. Bail's eyes shone with mirth and he heard Sola sigh.

"Our own little politician," she said with fond amusement, but it was laced with sadness and fear.

"I believe that this young lady will excel at anything she chooses to," he answered her, understanding where her fear was coming from.

"Thank you, Senator Organa," Sola said. "Pooja, please thank the Senator for his kind words," she nudged her daughter with her elbow slightly.

"Thank you, Senator Organa," she replied as regally as she could. "Mama, can we to go the fountain and see the fish?" she asked, obviously tired of the adult talk and waiting for her sister to return.

"To the fountain, and nowhere else," Sola agreed. "Stay where I can see you. Your sister and father should be out shortly."

"Yes, ma'am," Pooja said with a smile, and Bail was charmed when he noticed that one of her molars was missing. "Let's go Lukey, before the fountain gets too full of people." Luke eagerly dropped his mother's hand and took his sister's with a wide grin. Bail and Sola watched as both children sprinted happily towards the fountain that was within Sola's line of sight.

"I truly meant it when I asked how you are doing," Bail said as he turned towards Sola. "I hope that you know that if you ever need anything, House Organa is more than willing to help in any way possible. You are Padme's family, and she held you very dearly. I couldn't save her life, but I hope that I can at least honor her in assisting you in any way necessary."

"I thank you for the offer Senator, but I don't know how wise that would be, given the Empire's displeasure with our family in general," Sola said bluntly, but not unkindly. "Things have been quieter lately, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Of course," Bail replied with a nod of his head. "I suppose I should be going, as I have a meeting with the Queen in a few minutes. But, please remember my offer, should you find that you need it," he said sincerely.

"Thank you very much," Sola replied with a rather husky voice and she squeezed his hand in both of hers. "Hopefully it will not come to that, but I appreciate it all the same." And she did. Having been ostracized and singled out by the Empire immediately following Padme's death had dealt her family several unnecessary blows. Darred's business was finally picking up and people were moving on from the Amidala scandal. They couldn't very well blame the Naberries for what their adult family member had done, especially since she had actually ruled over them as Queen. The Naboo public had decided to treat the Naberries with kindness, but the rest of the Galaxy had either ignored them or been hostile. Alderaan's overture of kindness was a balm to her soul. She smiled once more at the kind man as he left her and joined his security personnel and made his way towards his meeting with the Queen. Darred and Ryoo spotted her and she joined them on their way out of the Palace to meet the youngest members of their family at the fountain.

Darth Vader waited until the family had gathered themselves up and away from the Palace, having decided not to linger at the fountain. He exited the room quietly and watched the family walk together towards wherever their speeder was. Once they were out of sight, he sighed and made his way towards his own. Something about the exchange he had just witnessed made him uneasy. There were unspoken issues floating in the ether, but Vader couldn't tell what they were. It was something that neither party had felt comfortable speaking in public about. He shook his head of those thoughts - he was only being paranoid. The niggling feeling wouldn't leave him, but he knew that he needed to disregard it and make his way to his Star Destroyer. His Master would be contacting him soon for some reason or another. At least there was once certainty in his life, but hopefully that would be remedied soon.

Sabe and Dorme had watched the entire interaction from their dressing room, having experience with the Palace and all of its spying devices. Sabe had confided in Dorme her suspicions regarding Lord Vader's identity, and his current behavior certainly seemed to solidify what little evidence she had. The recording had picked up the audio, so they heard the entire conversation between Senator Organa and Sola Naberrie. Dorme had had her suspicions regarding Leia's true identity, but had been gobsmacked when Sabe had confided in her about the twin. Both of them wanted to confront Obi-Wan Kenobi with the truth - for they did not feel comfortable with either the official or unofficial accounts of Padme's death.

"Do you feel sort of strange watching a clandestine recording of someone eavesdropping on another conversation?" Dorme asked as she fought the discomfort from her recently acquired knowledge.

"Angry, yes. Strange, no," Sabe answered bluntly, her eyes fixated on Vader's exiting form. "If Obi-Wan had been honest to begin with, then we wouldn't be here."

"I imagine it had as much to do with protecting the little ones as it did anyone who might be targeted if they had that knowledge," Dorme replied as she paced the small room slowly. She knew that the truth needed to come out, but she didn't feel comfortable with ambushing Kenobi and demanding the truth. She was afraid of what she would find out. She had originally suggested asking Senator Organa, but seeing as he had gone to speak to the Naberries first and then to the Queen, they did the next best thing until they could speak with him,

"I hope that that was the reasoning behind it," Sabe said a little more acidly than she meant to. "However, I believe that we are trustworthy enough to have been given that knowledge in confidence. We would take it to our graves. We deserve to know the truth. And so do the Naberries."

"We don't know what they do know, though," Dorme countered. "And I don't like the idea of harassing them for information, especially if it turns out that they are in the dark regarding the particulars."

"Which is why we are going to wait for Senator Organa and go from there," Sabe said. "I will not seek out the Naberries for any reason. The less attention focused on them, the better. They have been through enough. But we need to know, so we can proceed accordingly. Especially if one of them seeks us out."

"I agree with you there. But I can't imagine them looking for us. They know that the handmaidens take their secrets to the grave," Dorme replied.

"Even if that is so, if we want to take down the Empire, then we need to know," she said determinedly as she turned to face Dorme. "Knowledge is power in this case."

"And what do we do once we know the full truth?" Dorme asked with wide eyes. She wanted to know, but she didn't.

"We'll figure that out once we take what we've found to Obi-Wan," Sabe said with steel in her eyes. "This isn't just for us - this is for Padme, for her children, for the Galaxy. She would want no less." Dorme nodded once - on that score, she could not disagree.