The Meaning of Power

She didn't know what to make of it, but there was something casual about the way he had said it—like it was an undeniable fact, not something meant to surprise her. 

And yet, it had surprised her. 

He didn't seem offended by her silence, though. Instead, he leaned back against his throne, his fingers lightly tapping against the armrest as he observed her with that same calm, patient gaze. 

The chessboard between them remained undisturbed, save for the one piece she had moved—a single white pawn forward. 

But rather than responding immediately, Lelouch tilted his head slightly, his violet eyes narrowing with quiet amusement. 

"You're holding back." 

Leia blinked. "I—I don't understand." 

The Emperor's lips curled slightly at her hesitation. 

"I can feel it. You have questions. Many of them." 

His voice was gentle, but there was an underlying expectation—he was waiting. 

She swallowed, gripping the edges of the chair. 

She did have questions. So many questions. 

And if he was inviting her to ask them… 

Leia took a deep breath and sat straighter. 

"Where is my father?" 

Lelouch's smile remained, but his fingers finally moved, lightly nudging a black pawn forward in response to her first move. 

"Overseeing the reallocation of the incomplete Death Star." 

Leia furrowed her brows. "The… Death Star?" 

The name was foreign, but something about it sent a strange chill through her. 

She sensed its weight, as though the Force itself reacted to the mere mention of it. 

Lelouch rested his chin against his hand, his expression intrigued. 

"Ah. So you haven't been told about it." 

Leia hesitated, but she could already feel more questions forming in her mind. 

"What is it?" she asked, her tone sharper now, curiosity overpowering her initial hesitance. 

"What does it do?" 

"Why was it built?" 

"Why is my father relocating it?" 

"How does it look?" 

The flurry of questions came all at once, and to her surprise, the Emperor only chuckled softly, as though pleased by her enthusiasm. 

"You ask as if the answers will disappear if you don't get them now." 

Leia pressed her lips together, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed by her outburst. But before she could say anything, Lelouch reached out—his fingers lightly tapping the chessboard, a subtle reminder that their game was still in motion. 

"Very well," he said, moving his knight forward before meeting her gaze again. 

"Let's start from the beginning." 

"The Death Star was meant to be the ultimate weapon of the old Empire," Lelouch explained, his voice calm and steady, like a storyteller weaving a tale. 

"A superweapon capable of wiping entire planets from existence with a single shot." 

Leia's eyes widened. 

An entire planet? 

"It was meant to be a deterrent—an unchallengeable symbol of power... of fear, that would make rebellion unthinkable." 

She felt a cold shiver run down her spine. 

Destroying a planet… It wasn't war. It wasn't battle. It was erasure. 

"That's monstrous," she muttered before she even realized she had spoken. 

Lelouch hummed in agreement, his violet eyes watching her reaction carefully. 

"Is it? I don't believe so. Death is fearful only to those who have not given their all in life. Dedicate all that you are to what you want to achieve, and you'll find yourself smiling at death with open arms once it arrives, regardless of the results you have brought. But that is neither here nor there right now, lets continue where we left off on the relevant subject. What the former ruler of this galaxy believed power to be—fear." 

Leia swallowed hard, gripping the armrests. 

The Emperor's fingers moved, pushing another piece forward, and Leia realized her own hands had clenched into fists. 

"The Death Star is being reclaimed," Lelouch continued, his voice carrying a quiet certainty. 

"Not as a weapon, but as raw material." 

Leia tilted her head, still confused. 

"Reclaimed? How?" 

Lelouch gestured slightly, and suddenly, a projection flickered to life above the chessboard—a massive structure in space, a titanic sphere that was unfinished, incomplete scaffolding and jagged construction sites lining its outer hull. 

But what truly caught her attention was the colossal construct looming above it. 

It was like a city, a mechanical monolith in the void, its dark form covered in pulsing blue light as the Death Star seemed to be slowly drawn into it, piece by piece, bending, breaking, before being pulled into the slowly growing entity above it. 

Leia's breath hitched. 

"That… What is that?" 

"The Star Forge." 

Leia stared in awe. She had heard whispers of the name, but never had she seen it. 

"It is far older than this Empire, older than the Republic, older than most civilizations in this galaxy." 

Lelouch's voice took on a reverent tone, like a scholar describing a relic of unimaginable history. 

"It is a machine that creates. It feeds off matter, endlessly shaping ships, weapons, droids, and more." 

Leia's heart pounded as she watched the Death Star slowly disappear into the vast machine above it. 

"It is now reclaiming the incomplete Death Star," Lelouch continued, his eyes locked onto hers. 

"Turning something built for fear, into something far greater, a symbol of hope for the Empire, a symbol of strength." 

Leia felt small in that moment, watching something so vast, so incomprehensible, and if she was not mistaking it, something so suffocating in the force, the same feeling that came from the Emperor, as if it was part of him. 

And then, Lelouch's voice cut through the silence. 

"Would you like to meet the Star Forge yourself?" 

Leia's head snapped up. 

"What?" 

Lelouch smiled knowingly. 

"You seem quite interested in it. And since you've asked so many questions… why not see it for yourself?" 

Leia hesitated. 

The Star Forge was beyond anything she could have imagined. A machine unlike any other, with power greater than entire fleets. 

But to see it in person? 

Before she could answer, she felt something. 

A shift in the room. 

The shadows at Lelouch's side stirred, stretching unnaturally across the polished floor. A small figure began to rise from the darkness, a shape forming beside the throne—roughly Leia's own size. 

Her breath hitched. 

What—? 

The figure was childlike in appearance, peeking from behind the throne as if mimicking her own cautious curiosity. 

But Leia's instincts screamed. 

She felt it. 

A monstrosity of the Dark Side. 

It was everywhere in this… creature. A presence so deep, so utterly drenched in it that it nearly made her stomach turn. 

And yet— 

Why was it so… quiet? 

Unlike the Dark Side energies she had heard about—of rage, of fury, of hunger—this presence was still. Watching. Waiting. Curious. 

Leia's throat went dry as Lelouch turned his gaze toward the entity. 

"Ah, it seems she wants to meet you first." 

Leia's fingers curled slightly against her lap. 

Lelouch gestured toward the figure, his expression calm. 

"Allow me to introduce you." 

The figure's head tilted slightly, as if intrigued. 

"She prefers to be called Dark Queen." 

"She is the one who manages the Star Forge." Lelouch's voice was smooth, patient. "And much more." 

Leia's eyes widened slightly. 

She had thought it was merely a vast machine, a factory beyond imagination—an extension of the Emperor's will. 

But this… 

This was something else. 

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Leia straightened herself. 

"I'm—" 

Before she could introduce herself, the Dark Queen spoke. 

A voice without breath, without warmth. Cold, mechanical, and yet… disturbingly aware. 

"Leia Amidala Skywalker." 

Leia froze. 

"Daughter of Anakin Skywalker, known as Darth Vader. Twin sibling of Luke Skywalker. Seven years, three months, and twenty-two days old. Currently residing within the Imperial Palace." 

The voice was flat, but there was something deeply unsettling about how precise it was. 

"Potential Force Sensitivity—high. Current combat capability—negligible. Strategic value—undetermined." 

Leia's hands clenched into fists. 

She's… analyzing me? 

The figure did not blink, did not move. 

Then— 

"Conclusion." 

The shadows around the Dark Queen pulsed. 

"Not interested in an inferior and weaker biological entity." 

And in the next instant— 

She was gone. 

Leia inhaled sharply, her muscles tensing as if expecting an attack. 

But there was only silence. 

Nothing remained where the Dark Queen had been. 

Leia's gaze snapped toward Lelouch, her expression unreadable. 

The Emperor merely smiled, amused. 

"She's still young." 

Leia exhaled slowly, steadying herself. 

"That was…" she trailed off, searching for the right word. 

Lelouch tilted his head slightly. 

"Unexpected?" 

Leia nodded, her brow furrowed. 

The Dark Queen had judged her. 

And deemed her irrelevant. 

For a moment, Leia felt something twist in her chest—a spark of defiance. 

I'll show her. 

She wouldn't be irrelevant. 

Lelouch leaned back, his smirk widening ever so slightly, as if he had caught the exact thought running through her mind. 

"Oh, I think you two will get along just fine." 

=============================== 

She was intelligent. She knew it. She was different from other children. 

But today, she had learned something valuable. 

The galaxy was vast. 

The Empire was vast. 

And the Emperor… 

She glanced at Lelouch. He was watching her, his violet eyes calm and knowing. 

She looked down at the chessboard, her mind spinning. 

Was this how he saw the galaxy? 

A board where pieces were carefully moved? 

Leia inhaled deeply, then reached forward—her fingers grasping a white knight. 

She moved it forward. 

Lelouch smiled. 

"A bold move." 

His fingers lifted, and he responded in kind. 

Their game continued. 

Leia glanced up at Lelouch, her youthful features creasing in thought before she finally spoke: 

"Why did the old Emperor think fear was power?" 

Lelouch stopped mid-movement, the chess piece between his fingers hovering slightly above the board. 

Then, he smiled. 

"That's a good question, Leia." 

His tone carried a quiet amusement, as though he had been waiting for her to ask something like this. He set the piece down gently, then turned his full attention toward her. 

"But before I answer that, let me ask you something in return." 

Leia blinked at the sudden shift. 

"What do you think power is?" 

Leia opened her mouth, but then hesitated. 

It felt like a test, but not one she could prepare for—one of those questions with a hidden answer she had to figure out for herself. 

She furrowed her brows, thinking carefully. 

What is power? 

Her first instinct was the Force. 

The Force was everywhere—in the air she breathed, in the stars, in the people, in the Emperor himself. It was a vast, unknowable thing, and those who could wield it shaped the world around them. 

She had to be right. 

She lifted her chin and answered with conviction. 

"Power is the Force." 

She saw a flicker of amusement in Lelouch's eyes. 

"Go on." 

Encouraged, Leia continued. 

"It's why you're the Emperor. You're the most powerful. It's why my father is so respected, even feared. It's why I'm treated the way I am right now." 

She met his gaze unflinchingly, proud of her answer. 

"The Force is power." 

Lelouch chuckled softly. Not mockingly, but knowingly, as if he had expected exactly that response. 

Then, he shook his head. 

"You're wrong... but you are also right." 

Leia stiffened. 

Lelouch leaned forward slightly, his fingers intertwining as he spoke. 

"Power cannot be defined, because to a scientist looking to push the boundaries, knowledge is power, to a soldier not gifted in the force, its skill or strength, and to a politician, it's his ability to sway the masses." 

Leia frowned, feeling frustration build. "But—" 

"And more often than not, people mistake power for strength." 

She opened her mouth to protest again, but Lelouch simply continued. 

"But do not be mistaken, while the definition changes to suit the person and their goals... there is only one measure of power… and it is results." 

Leia froze. 

"The ability to bring about the result you desire." 

His violet gaze locked onto hers, unwavering. 

"Fail at that, and neither your strength, intelligence, nor even your prowess in the Force itself matters. Not a dime." 

Leia's lips parted slightly, but no words came out. 

Not strength… not intelligence… not the Force? 

"However, should you succeed, then similarly, nothing else matters, neither life or death itself." 

Something about the way he said it felt absolute. 

Then what does that mean? 

She felt an odd sense of unease. Like she had been looking at the world through a fogged lens, and Lelouch had wiped it clean in an instant. 

And then— 

"That is why your father cannot bring himself to see you." 

Leia's breath caught. 

The room suddenly felt colder. 

"Because for all his strength, he failed to bring about the result he desired." 

Lelouch's voice was calm, unhurried. 

"And for that… your mother is not here today." 

Silence. 

Leia felt something tighten in her chest. 

She knew about her mother. Not much, but enough. Enough to know she had died. Enough to know her father never spoke of her. Enough to understand, even as a child, that something about it was wrong. 

But to hear it put so bluntly… 

She swallowed hard. 

Father failed? 

She had never thought of it that way. 

Her father was strong. A legendary warrior. Feared across the galaxy. A man spoken of in hushed voices, standing as the right hand of the Emperor himself. 

And yet… 

He couldn't protect her? 

Her fingers clenched into small fists, but she kept her gaze steady. 

She could feel the weight of Lelouch's words pressing against her mind, forcing her to confront something ugly. 

"He failed…" she murmured. 

Lelouch gave a slow nod. 

"And failure is the only true measure of weakness." 

The words settled into her like a stone sinking into deep water. 

Leia didn't look away from Lelouch, but deep inside, something shifted. 

The image of her father—the towering, masked figure, the warrior feared across the stars—felt suddenly… distant. 

A man who had all the strength in the galaxy. 

And still failed. 

Her heart pounded. 

Lelouch, meanwhile, simply watched her. 

His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes—something knowing. 

Leia exhaled slowly, the weight of realization settling into her small frame. 

And then—without a word—she reached out. 

She lifted a single chess piece, her movements slow but precise. 

And moved it forward. 

Lelouch smiled. 

"Good." 

Their game continued.