Star Crossed

I

Once awake, Josephine and Leia were escorted down white hallways, wide corridors, and into a massive, filling command room. The ship they had used for transport laid in the middle of the space, leaning offside with several blast holes that prevented it from functioning. 

Jo felt a nauseating sense of unease at the glimpse of their one opportunity of escape laying to waste before them. She barely had time to recover before the guard holding her pushed her through one of the smoldering blast shots in the side of the ship. 

Her toe hit the bottom and nearly tripped her up. She used it as an opportunity to grab Leia for support and whipser, "not a word."

It was the only reminder she got out before the Storm Trooper righted her and separated her from Leia. She glanced at Leia who looked at everything with a sense of refinished awe. There was a slight tremor of fear in the way she hunched her shoulders forward, but she hid it well with a stern press of her brows. 

The Troopers stopped them in the hallway of their own ship. She knew the space well enough to envision their sleeping quarters just at the turn of the corner. Beyond it was a small closet where Leia had given a transmission of the Death Star's plans to Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

She could hear him before she saw him. His presence sounded with the deep, grave pull of a breath. It was like the release of a door valve as pressure burst out, then the sudden hiss of air being pulled back in. 

She heard the rumors of him being more machine than anything else. A tragically failed annihilation attempt left him burned and ruined. What remained was the worst parts of him, wrapped in fine machinery and leather. 

Darth Vader stepped into the hallway opposite Leia and Jo. He stood just over six feet tall, even taller with the black helmet covering his head. The dome was rounded and shiny black which reflected the lights above. The eyes were bulbous and black which gave nothing away of what lay underneath. The mouth was angular and ribbed to mimic a microphone. It distorted his voice, making even his breaths sound pained. 

Josephine defiantly lifted her chin as she looked up at the man responsible for the death of millions. His plans set forth motions that caused genocides, annihilation, and catastrophes. His wake left dead bodies and dying planets. His touch was a festering disease. 

"Vader-" Jo's voice betrayed her fear and she cursed herself for it. "I should have known. Only you would be so bold. The Imperial Senate will not sit for this." She pulled her arm roughly from the Trooper to showcase her point. She remembered her place and found some strength to smooth her voice. "When they hear you've attacked a diplomatic-"

"Don't play games with me," Vader cut her off. His voice was rough, like metal grinding against metal. It left her feeling rigid and uneasy, like sharp shards nestling under her skin. "I have heard of the young Ambassador of Alderaan, a rising Princess set to sit among the senate." His entire body turned as he looked from Josephine to Leia. "But two?" He let out a chronic breath, then took one in. It was like the rise and fall of a pump, once it filled, it had to empty. "Do you think I'm a fool? I know the Senate's history with using decoys for their prized members- one plays the part of Princess while the true Highness is disguised as a servant." 

The mention of Queen Amadala nearly made Josephine sweat. Senator Organa had taken notes from the former Queen and diplomat, but he changed the game. She was no servant. She was an exact replica. 

A near exact replica. 

Josephine kept Leia in her peripheral vision to see how she was standing, which foot held most of her weight, the way her chest moved with her fast breaths. Jo adapted to shallower breaths to better mimic her Princess.