Saga - OT She Shall Rise Again (Padmé/Vader AU - ANH) - Updated! 12/28/15 - Chapter 22!

I am trying to make my reviews of the 2012/2013 chapters shorter, as I realise they were written three years ago, so sorry if they sound like DVD commentary or something. I will be, err, less brief once I get to the new stuff.

Prologue

So deliciously creepy. Padmé Amidala, live from the verge of death, pay per view. Each single moment from Revenge of the Sith is given a whole new life from her oxygen-deprieved point of view. And then, there is the whole film flashing before her eyes in technicolour. Eeek!

The Force bond with Anakin keeping her alive is an interesting concept and, of course, it takes one Yoda to explain it. Padmé's inability to do anything else but try to reach to Yoda through the Force sounds like one of my worst nightmares - being shoved in the morgue refridgerator while still alive, yet paralysed. THIS IS GOING TO BE GOOD.

I am glad that the medical droid - ironically, not a Force user - comes up with a solution.

I can imagine that writing something that is a combination of reality, actual dialogue, multiple replies through the Force and flashbacks must have been QUITE a challenge. I am surprised that there's nothing off, weird or bad about this prologue, pretty sure everybody would screw it up somewhere.


Chapter 1

From the moment Vader says "Please, let me sleep peacefully", I wonder if that is really his subconscious, Padmé or if Padmé is now his subconscious.

I never expected to read so much about Ozzel in a fic, either.

But knowing that this is you writing the story, I knew Piett would be there. HA.

The sequence with Schmi Skywalker's death was indeed graphic, but I don't think the line was crossed at any point. Hello, Aedipian Vader. O_O

The crescendo where Vader gets more and more annoyed with each flashback is great.

OMG. After that brutal moment, through the truth serum, he finds out that Leia is his daughter. This is going to be *even wilder* than I thought.

Some bits in this chapter were slightly clumsy compared to the prologue, but I know you're rewriting that either way, so...


Chapter 2

It was as if a block of ferrocrete had hit him in the chest - attention to the details, all there.

And then, we have Vader's denial...or rationalisation? Not even sure what it is at the moment.

The dream is incredible. Wondering how long until he stops rationalising it.

Not too long, I see.

Love it how Piett senses Vader's moods. For some reason, despite how grim everything else is, I found that bit funny. In a good way.

Ozzel is a dumbass.

Sweet cliffie!


Chapter 3

"Whaddya mean there's no hydrospanner? We had one ten minutes ago, we gotta have one now." The wookiee shrugged and dug through another toolbox. He looked at the Corellian, and shook his head. Han sighed. "Well we aren't going to get anywhere without one, are we?"

This would've been equally funny hadn't Chewie been joking. Maybe I am evil, I dunno.

"A severely enlarged heart, most likely from excessive stress and lack of oxygen. This lead to heart failure. There is also some fluid buildup in the protective layer of the heart. This was caused by trauma, as well as the heart failure later on." - I see you have done your research well.

This chapter is a strange combo of clumsy and stunning, another thing to look at at some point. Vader's flashback to the scene from that trading card is a wee bit unclear. The second one is super-confusing.

"I would like to remove my helmet when I am with her." He stated. - Dude, you could shock her back into it. // EP is totally not a kriffslider.

Chewie believes in the Force, but Han doesn't. HA.

At the moment where Vader is annoyed because he cannot feel his wife's hand, I thought that was slightly annoying, but I get it that he accepts his fault when he tells her not to be sorry.

The POVs are shifting in a manner that makes it impossible to realise if everything is happening at the same time, if Padmé is just pretending that she does not remember or if she's different each time she wakes up. I could use some help with that.


Chapter 4

Luke is having the same dream as the one that upset Vader? And then he is in his mother's mind, at the time she was dying? Holy.bantha.poodoo. This will inevitably lead to a revelation less painful than the one in TESB, regardless of how much he's freaked out initially.

The astromech interjected with a raspberry. - How does this actually work?

Glad that Breha went from hysterical to, well, pretty calm.

Can't wait to see what happens once everybody is in the same place. GULP.


Chapter 5

At this point, I am pretty sure that Padmé was having her little sneaky revenge on Vader, as much as she was protecting himself, knowing that he - well - killed her. Nice moment of "from a certain point of view" and karma biting him in the rear-end.

That said, making the difference between Vader and Ani has got to be the leitmotif here.

Not only that, I realized. They were my last hope to save him. To save the galaxy. - Finally, everything that happened so far makes sense and there is the driving force to the plot. I assumed that it would be the twins, but I didn't want to make any assumptions.

Vader's usually cunning plotting seems to be unconvincing to the sheevy Sheev. No wonder.

"We have received information from Tarkin that the small Rebel presence on Dantooine has been eradicated. - Am I an awful person to think "better them than the whole of Alderaan"?

Certain objects can trigger the whole atmosphere and stimuli related to all the senses, so the Japor snippet moment was very, very believable. After the prologue, my favourite snippet of this, so far.

"It doesn't matter if you call yourself Darth Vader or Anakin. You still are the only one I will ever love." - I don't believe her, at this point in the story.

Vader's self-centeredness is showing through taking his wife along. Is he even aware of that?

Anakin spoke again, more solemnly than before. "She is also my wife." - Expected this, too.



Chapter 6

I need not remind you of the penalty for inadequacy. - Nice job triggering her, kriffslider. BTW, you should totally have her have a psychosomatic reaction here.

Interesting that Padmé calls Vader Anakin, even in her inner monologue and that, while she reminds both herself and him of her former vow and goes all Messianic on him, her health is failing her. I suspect that this relationship between her words, thoughts and her body will be important later.

You write Padmé´s feelings so intense without getting slushy. - What Azure said.



Chapter 7

I was initially suspicious about what was in that syringe. Needless to say that I was relieved to find out that she is not being sedated in order to be kept under control or anything.

Not sure if you intended it to be that way, but the contrast of Padmé touching something organic and natural, as opposed to observing an artificial, futile war led by the use of high technology is a very good representation of her inner struggle and the whole flesh and bones Anakin vs. cybernetic Darth Vader. If you did, then kudos, layering is a BIG deal to me.

The droid is, therefore, a nice reminder of where she would be to an outsider's eyes right now.

While it was never made obvious where Breha & her new pals were heading (perhaps another little thing to clear up!), I am glad it's confirmed to be what I thought it was.

During the Ben and Luke sequences, one has a feeling that Ben is not being consistent and that he fears for himself as well, especially as Luke's visions are repeating. Niice.

Luke exclaimed, incredulosity and shock widening his eyes like the twin suns of Tatooine. - A nice metaphor for

Love how you combined Han's tactics from two different films. Ha!



Chapter 8

Mindkriff. Is this Padmé talking to Luke through Ben? I guess that this is also the moment where Luke should stop relying on Ben for everything and do something himself.

A groan followed by a violent tremor shook the Falcon. - This is where Dark Helmet would run into a random object.



Chapter 9

rivalling the size of Rori and Tasia - Well, this is *very* specific. Then again, our heroine is well-educated. Goat knows how many planets she had memorised!

My conscience screamed at me.
You shouldn't have pushed him away, you should've told him. - Is this conscience or is somebody messing with her mind, intentionally or unintentionally? Hmmm.

The two choices played over and over in my mind, shrill and demanding. - Just like the Light and the Dark side. And just like in that case, both are wrong and the truth may be somewhere in-between.

The "part of her" reliving old memories paragraph was very romantic. I like!

Another thing that I have thought of is that - ironically - he may be mentally older than her now and snap out of this slightly disturbing game before her. Hmmm...

Whatever intelligence and potential Anakin had seen in him was, in my mind, buried beneath his immoral causes. - At this point, the three of them are equal, actually.

This chapter was close to perfect. Loved every single line of it.



Chapter 10

A cacophony of footsteps shook the floor above the group. Han shook his head and looked up instinctively. Not only was the storage locker cramped, it smelled like poodoo. - BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, OH MY GOAT. Also, did Chewie do it?

Chewie barked twice. "Chewbacca thinks they've got a scanner team coming up. The Empire's not going to leave an unidentified ship without a search." - Look, whether he had pooped in the secret locker or not, he is smarter than pretty much everybody in the actual ANH.

The action scene is great! Breha is a badass plus to it...and then she comes up with the bit that makes it different than the scene in ANH. Go, Breha, go!



Chapter 11

Poor Leia. :/ Doesn't help that Vader sees her as evil!Padmé.

OK, poor Dantooine. That is far worse. However, Leia's confrontation with Tarkin was brilliant. Wondering if all of this will, abstractly, make Padmé feel guilty about goat-knows-what.

O, HAI, paranoid Tarkin. O_O

Now the central thought was more than just a goal; it was a lust. It bled into his every thought. - GULP! Never thought how carnal lust morphed into homocidal, maniacal behaviour before.



Chapter 12

Artoo's miracle work was amazing and well-described. Love it how Breha is not compromising about saving both Leia and Padmé.



Chapter 13

I sort of didn't expect this one to be so..canon. Compared to the rest, it's a bit of a letdown. But I get it that you couldn't have done it in any other way!



Chapter 14

Niiice tie-in with Padmé, a former senator, finding out about the Senate being disbanded.

Also, one of my favourite bits so far, right here:

I had thought I saw liberty die years ago. But I had seen its final moments just today – gone in a blaze of green and flash of blue. My heart felt heavy. I felt helpless, alone. A small flicker of hope burned deep within me, as I now knew the Rebellion still existed. I had no way to join them, however. I was under Anakin’s watchful eye and in the heart of the Empire. I had no way to join and I had no way to find the twins. I hoped once again they were safe, far away from the cruelty I had witnessed.



Chapter 15

Did Obi-Wan just project a memory on Padmé's mind? WOW.

The realisation that Vader doesn't recognise or pretends that he doesn't recognise his children, yet Padmé does...goosebumps.



Chapter 16

The realisation from 15 still puzzles me. Nice juxtaposition of that and the moment when he called her a liar on Mustafar.

And he is constantly swinging back and forth between what's right and what his allegiance is. This is going to be scary. Glad I caught up!

 

Bail B. Baobab , Luna_Nightshade , serendipityaey , Blue Ice Cream , ccp , AzureAngel2 , Darth_Cruel , NightWatcher91 , Ewok Poet , Random Comments , Falcon

Woohoo! New chapter!

I will reply to reviews / messages in a bit, still messing with my computer.

17
Reflection

“Ben,” Luke ran up to him as he stepped off the ramp. Breha glided behind him. “Ben, was that the senator? How did she know who we were?”

Leia stood in the corner, her fingertips pressed against her cheek in thought. Her eyes were empty and her expression was blank.

Breha and Ben just looked to each other, betraying nothing. The Queen of Alderaan then reached out an arm to Leia, resting it on her shoulder. Luke watched them for a moment before directing his attention to Ben.

“Ben, she’s the one from my vision.” He pointed to Leia. “They’re both from my vision. Tell me what’s going on!”

“Luke,” Ben started, taking a few steps forward, “The Force is a very powerful thing. It shows us things that we cannot always understand.”

“C’mon Ben, before you said I would understand in time. You told me that it would reveal itself.”

“It is possible it was a dream. You have seen them both before. Perhaps you do not remember seeing the Senator, but you have seen her before.”

“That’s it? You’re just going to tell me that this ‘vision’ I’m having was a dream after all?”

Ben nodded, slowly. There was nothing else he could tell Luke. If he knew the truth too soon, before he was ready, then the consequences could be dire. He cast a quick glance to Breha. Her head was down. Leia still stood quietly. Her gaze was still lost in thought. The corridor was tense, fraught with emotion and secrets.

“Those dreams, visions, they weren’t just something my brain made up. I don’t believe it. I wish you would just tell me how to understand.” Luke ran a hand through his hair before walking past Ben. He strode back to the common area, his boots snapping against the floor. It was as if even they felt his emotions. Ben followed him a ways behind, disappearing into the hallway.

Leia waited until the two left before turning to Breha.

“Mom,” she whispered, “I know her. When I saw her, it was like I had known her for years.”

Talks with her mother were one of the only times she let her guard down. It was the only time she knew she didn’t need armor to protect herself. She focused on the woman’s face, trapped in her memory. She recounted her brown curls and warm eyes, the warm familiarity that her face had brought. It troubled her.

Clasping her hands around her mother’s, she sighed.

“Is there a reason we both know her? I’ve never met Luke before in my life.”

“I wish I could tell you,” Breha replied. Leia could tell that she knew the answer, but was holding it back. Her expression was betraying some sort of guilt, hiding behind her regal expression.

“But you can,” Leia’s eyes were begging now, “You can.”

“Your father brought you to see her when we would visit the Senate. She was a close friend of ours. She also helped create the very foundations for the Rebellion. We thought you should know her, so when she was awoken, you would recognize her.”

“I remember that. But that can’t be all. I never had the same feeling before. I never felt that warmth before.”

Breha nodded once. “It is all. The warmth I cannot explain.”

“What about Luke’s dream he mentioned? Surely we have to have some link.”

“The Force is something I will never fully understand, Leia. Perhaps Obi-Wan can help you with those questions. He is a good man. A good Jedi -”

Suddenly, the ship lurched. A spray of sparks rained down from above them, reminding Leia of Daruuvian champagne.

Best ship in the galaxy, she scoffed to herself. Footsteps pounded on the durasteel floors. Breha and Leia turned towards the sound. Han ran into the corridor - his brow damp and his expression concerned.

“We’ve got company.”

Leia looked at him inquisitively. “What do you mean?”

“Imperial ships. They followed us. We were still making the calculations for Yavin Four.”

The corridor reverberated, the lights flickering a few times.

“Luke!” Han yelled, before turning towards the common area and running in, “We’ve got to get to the turrets before we become space dust!”

Leia looked to her mother. “I knew it was too good to be true. They wouldn’t just let us escape like that.”

Breha shook her head. “I’m afraid you’re right.”

Luke and Han bounded out from the common area just then, headed towards another passageway.

“Your Highness,” Han called to Leia, “Help Chewbacca in the cockpit. We’re gonna need it.”

The ship shook again. Leia inspected the ceiling, waiting for something to start crumbling. Han had tried to convince her that his “Millennium Falcon” was something unbelievable. It was unbelievable – the fact it was still in one piece.

“This way,” Breha motioned to the main corridor. Leia hurried behind, careful not to slip on her still damp gown.

Chewbacca trilled at them urgently as Leia took the pilot’s chair. A TIE fighter swooped past the viewport, a blaze of green erupting from it. The Falcon shook again. An alert started flashing on the console.

Han’s voice crackled through between the shrill beeps. “Luke and I are going to try and blast ‘em.”

Chewbacca trilled in response. Leia looked out the viewport, trying to see if any more were up front. “How many are there?”

“Four,” he replied, “Chewie, don’t let them hit anything.”

She nodded and glanced back to her mother. Obi-Wan now stood behind them, watching the field of endless stars that stretched ahead.

Chewbacca let out a short bark. Leia turned back to the console. All Chewbacca had to do was keep them from hitting critical systems. With the agility of TIEs, though, it wouldn’t be easy. They were in for a rough ride.

“You’ll want to sit down,” Leia said, directing it at Obi-Wan.

--

Luke threw himself into the cannon’s chair. The room was small; the chair just barely had enough room to swivel. The cannon’s long barrels obscured much of the circular viewport ahead of him. Luke held the firing grips tightly. His palms were starting to sweat already. He had shot blue milk bottles and womp rats back home with astounding accuracy, but these were real TIE fighters. He had read about them before, when the Academy had seemed like a dream. They were lightning fast, made of titanium…and they shot back. He took a breath and attempted to center himself, but his mind still wandered. Ben wasn’t telling him something. There was no denying he was keeping secrets. Somehow, he had to figure it out. When he had seen the Senator and she had called his name, he had felt like he had known her for his entire life. His heart had felt as though it would burst with happiness. Yet somehow, he didn’t remember who she was at all.

The ship shook violently. Han yelled through the headset.

“Pay attention kid, or we’re going to be back on that space station! Or worse!”

Luke snapped from his thoughts and realized the TIEs were racing around the small viewport. He gripped the metal bars, the hard plastic triggers digging into his fingers. Ben’s voice came through, floating urgently in his mind. It was almost as if he were just beside him in the cramped room.

Luke… Remember your training. Remember what I told you.

He pondered the words for a brief moment. Frustration billowed up in his chest. There was no reason he should listen to anything Ben was telling him. He was not being honest and Luke knew it. There was no way that the dreams were memories. He had never been to any of those places. Never in his life had he seen the things he had seen in his visions. There were no lush islands on Tatooine. There were no majestic temples. He had never seen the Senator, never seen the Princess. He knew nothing of them…yet he felt like he knew everything about them. It couldn’t be possible.

His eyes traced the space ahead. It was empty, but he knew the Empire would not just leave them alone. He looked to the small aiming computer in front of him. Nothing showed. He felt the Falcon lurch beneath him and heard Chewbacca growl in the distance. Not taking his eyes off the space ahead, he clicked on the headset.

It fizzled for a moment before going clear. He took one final glance at the targeting computer and seeing nothing, he asked where they were.

“They fell behind for a moment, but they’re coming back,” Leia replied, her voice emotionless. Luke knew she was bound to be as confused as he was. Although, he only knew it because he could feel her frustration and confusion rippling through the Falcon. The stale air around him was filled with the volatile emotions. They swirled around him like sand-flies. He tried to focus on the task at hand, but it was becoming more difficult by the minute. Each beat of his heart sent another question spiraling through his mind. Frustration started to overtake him, but he knew if he gave in they would be in trouble. Reluctantly, he let Ben’s voice take over.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

He focussed on the words and felt the rest of the ship fall away. With another breath, the frustration that plagued him began to fade.

Suddenly, a TIE fighter came roaring out from beneath the Falcon. A flare of anxiety shot through Luke’s chest, but he ignored it. He took a sharp breath and pressed the triggers. Vibrant blasts of red spewed from the ion cannon and headed straight for the Imperial fighter. To his surprise, the fighter was instantly destroyed, sending a burst of flame and debris outward. The cloud of flame dissipated quickly, smothered by the vacuum of space. It was over in half a second, but the exploding TIE was at the forefront of his mind.

Han yelled again, this time in excitement. Luke grinned, although he still couldn’t believe that he had actually done it.

“I did it! I got him!”

Han’s voice crackled through in response.

“Great shooting kid, but don’t get cocky. There’s still three more of them out there.”

Luke placed his focus back on the star spotted blackness ahead. The ship lurched beneath him, before a violent tremor rolled through.

Leia called to them both. “They hit one of the coolant tanks.”

Han growled through the headset. Luke kept focussing ahead, hoping they wouldn’t have any more systems damaged. They needed to get back to Yavin and the sector would no doubt be crawling with Imperials after their escape. The targeting computer flashed red for a brief moment, but no TIE appeared in its sights.

“Have Chewie divert power to the other two,” Han instructed, ire seeping from his words.

“He already has. If we want to survive this you both need to blast them out of the sky. Quickly.”

“What do you think we’re doing, Your Highness?”

“There are still three TIE fighters out there. You tell me.” Her words were sharp as knives. Luke winced slightly, despite them not being directed at him.

Luke could hear Han’s heavy breath in the silence that followed.

The ship shuddered again. The rippling groan was followed by Han whooping through the headset.

“Did you get him?” Luke asked, excited.

“You bet,” Han replied. Luke beamed, realizing there were only two left. Two more and they would be free to escape back to Yavin IV.

His targeting computer beeped urgently, flashing red and yellow in quick succession. Letting his mind focus on the TIE, he watched the computer. In an instant, a fighter dropped down into his view and he fired. The cannon’s barrels spewed crimson bolts that headed straight for the ominous eye-shaped window. They cut through the transparisteel like a hot knife through bantha butter. Luke leaned back in the chair as it spiraled out of control before exploding. The sparks and debris rained into the viewport as the Falcon sped forward.

“Nice, kid,” Han exclaimed, “You’re making me look bad.”

Luke smirked. Just one more TIE. Part of him was now competing with Han. All he had to do was get the last one. Determination coursed through him, it melded with the Force’s energy. He felt as though he could take on the Empire’s entire fleet.

“Try and keep up,” he taunted. The targeting computer beeped again, catching him off guard. Before he could react, another TIE – the final one – dove past the view screen. Luke jammed down the triggers. It was too late. The TIE had already escaped his range. He felt the ship shake again, this time followed by a klaxon.

“They hit the other coolant tank!” Han exclaimed before muttering a string of curses.

“But we still have one, right?” Luke replied.

“That’s not going enough to get us out of here,” Han said. Luke could hear the grimace that was surely on Han’s face.

“So what do we do now?” Luke asked. If they couldn’t escape the Empire, they were doomed. There had to be some other way that they could get away from them. He tried to think of something. He had fixed overheated landspeeder engines before, but this was completely different. He slammed his fist into his thigh.

“Get rid of the last Imperial fighter,” Leia’s voice replied. Luke could feel her tension. He wondered if it was just as palpable to anyone else.

Luke nodded to himself. That was the only option right now.

He put his hands back on the firing grips. Now, his hands were even clammier than before. They couldn’t risk the TIE getting another shot at them. Another blast of green light could mean their demise.

“Chewbacca,” Han said, “do you see him?”

Chewbacca growled in response.

“Well if he’s on our tail, you’d better shake him.”

Chewbacca growled again, this time in frustration.

“I know we only have one engine, but we still have one. If you can shake him, we’ll be able to get clear shot. Got it?”

Chewbacca trilled.

A wall of gravity suddenly shoved Luke to his seat. The hum of the engines – engine – had quieted.

“What is he doing?” Luke exclaimed. Slowing down would just give the Imperial fighter a better shot than ever. The only thing worse than being a crippled target… was being an unmoving target. The TIE would have a clear shot at whatever vital systems he could get.

“Calm down, kid. He’s doing what I told him to.”

“How is sitting here waiting for him going to help us?”

“Just wait. And keep your eyes open.”

Luke sighed. He had absolutely no idea what Han was thinking, but he couldn’t see any way it would end well for them.

Before he could take another breath, the Falcon lurched downward. It took a moment for the artificial gravity to kick in. It did in a split second. Luke’s stomach thumped back into place. He rubbed his ribs, fighting off a wave of nausea. Before his stomach even had a chance to settle, the Falcon jerked upwards. His head slammed into the headrest, the force of the sudden movement pressing him into the uncomfortable plastifoam. Luke clutched the triggers, bracing himself and inadvertently firing off a volley of crimson shots.

“Look alive,” Han shouted, “he’s trying to follow us.”

Luke looked out. The Falcon was flipping upside down. Finally, he understood. The TIEs were fast and agile, but they were piloted by sentients. They wouldn’t be able to predict the sudden movements. Luke’s targeting computer began to beep again. He leaned forward and focused on the readout.

Luke. Remember your training. Focus, feel the energy of the pilot. Let that be your guide.

Still trying to ignore the prickle of irritation that Ben’s voice brought, Luke focused intensely on feeling for the pilot. The swirling emotions both within and around him made it difficult. A bead of sweat ran down his forehead.

The targeting computer beeped more urgently. Luke focused ahead. Deep within his mind, he imagined the TIE fighter and the pilot within. Now, he could feel the energy. A warm light surrounded by the emptiness of space. He could almost see it as it raced under the Falcon and erupted from beneath the viewport. The computer urged him to shoot, but something told him to wait. He only waited a mere millisecond before feeling the energy align with the cannon. Instinctively, he jammed the triggers. Two bolts of energy raced towards the TIE. For a split second, it looked as though they would miss. Luke grit his teeth and disappointment began to clutch his stomach. But then, the second bolt sliced into the TIEs wing, shattering it into oblivion. The fighter spiraled out of control. Luke threw his hands up.
He had done it. They had escaped.

Han’s whoops of joy broke through. Luke heard Leia’s voice break in as well, congratulating him. He could feel the heavy atmosphere dissipate, happiness taking over the tension. He smiled and wiped the sweat from his brow, before letting himself fall back into the stiff chair.

--

Luke stepped into the cockpit, a smile still stuck to his face. Han patted him on the shoulder.

“Great shooting,” he smirked.

Luke noticed that Leia’s brow was tensed in thought. He tried to feel what she felt, hoping to understand. Her eyes snapped up to him. Luke stopped.
“So what are we going to do now?” Leia asked. She crossed her legs and looked at Han.

“We can’t go into sublight for long, not with only one coolant tank. The engines will burn up in an instant. The furthest we can get is about five parsecs.” He paused to think. “If we’re lucky.”

Breha tapped her fingers. “The Raioballo sector doesn’t only contain Dantooine. However, many of the planets are uninhabited. The Albarrio sector is nearby. Mygeeto is within five parsecs.”

Han nodded. “That may just work.” He looked to Chewbacca. “Set the coordinates for Mygeeto, Chewie.”

Chewie shook his head in agreement and began typing into the navicomputer. Breha stood and left the room, followed by Ben.
Han stepped forward, towards the pilot’s chair. Leia rose and glanced to both Luke and Han. Luke could still tell something was wrong. He studied her face. She turned from him and looked to Han, who was now sitting and pointed to something on the navicomputer.

“Be careful,” she said, “Something’s not right about this.”

Han leaned back and looked at her.

“What do you mean?”

“We have the Death Star plans,” Leia replied matter of factly, “They should have sent more than four fighters.”

“You have the plans to that thing?” Han asked, his eyebrows rising in surprise.

Leia nodded.

“They must have some plan.”

She paused. They all looked to her expectantly. Suddenly, her eyes widened. She spoke quietly, concern creasing her brow.

“They must be tracking us. That’s the only explanation.”

Han looked at Chewbacca. “I told him to scan the ship, before we took off.”

“They wouldn’t let us escape, unless they had a reason to. We are going to lead them straight to the base on Yavin.”

“That’s what they think,” Han replied, “We’re not going to Yavin. We’re taking a slight detour.”

“But if they are tracking us, they’ll know we’re on Mygeeto.”

“Once we land, Chewie and I will get rid of the scanner. By the time they get there, we’ll have the coolant tanks repaired and we’ll be long gone.”

“That’s taking awful risk, captain,” Leia retorted.

“If you’ve got a better idea, Your Worshipfulness, I’m all ears,” Han said.

Leia glowered at him. “Don’t call me that.”

“Sorry, milady.”

Luke watched as Leia’s eyes filled with fire, before she spun on her heel and left. Her face floated in front of his eyes. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow, the dream was more important than Ben was making it out to be. Images from the dream flashed before his eyes, the vivid green light, the Senator’s face, the Princess’ face. It all seemed too coincidental. Annoyance rose in his chest again.

Han interrupted him.

“Hey, kid, do me a favor. See if you can plug that Artoo unit into the Falcon and run a diagnostic.”

“Sure thing,” Luke nodded and headed into the hallway.

As he rounded the corner, Leia was standing there. He smiled and was about to continue towards the common area, before she stepped in front of him. Luke stopped, brushing a hand through his sandy blond hair. Her brown eyes were tainted with concern.

“Luke,” she started, “I need to speak to you.”

 

Superb fantabulous action! Wonderful roiling emotions from Luke but he was able to stay focused. Great to see a strategy/plan of evasion; hope it's enough. Looking forward to the talk between Leia and Luke. It's not strange at all that their memories even before they met would merge together.

 

Hmmm...at this point, the game Breha and Ben are playing is quite dangerous. Forget my comment about Luke's realisation being less painful, this may open the door to an even harsher one. Sure, this is the moment where every single little bit of detachment from reality could cause an issue, but still.

I can, however, cut some slack to Breha, because she is a Muggle and she cannot relate to actually giving birth, but still...

The action is super-duper good. Han's plan, not so much...let's see where and how it fails.

 

Going to work through these in sections so my computer doesn't eat them again.

Thank you I'm so honored by your reviews every post. It means a lot to me!
It'll be interesting for sure!

I'm going to say one big THANK YOU first. It really means a lot to me to get such a long review and with so many tips and compliments!
Ooh, yes. Edge of your seat and creepy.

The medical droids were so...incompetent in the films. I figured they had some sort of intelligence software in there..somewhere.

It was difficult at first, but once you get the hang of it it's surprisingly easy. At least, it is when you let yourself hear the voices flow naturally in your mind. I'm glad it wasn't easy because I was doing it wrong, lol.

The world may never know

Ozzel is someone I love to hate, but in the end, he may be stupid but he's still lovable in his own way.

And we all know how I feel about Piett.

I'm glad the line wasn't crossed. The last thing I wanted to do was make it too heavy, I am very focussed on emotion and inner thoughts, so I am trying to balance those things.

Well...not exactly. But, he finds out where exactly Padmé is. Which is just as insane.

I looove SW materials. I am a nerd for them.

I don't think at this point he knows what it is.

I tried to make him little more in tune with things, a foil to Ozzel. I like to think that his observant nature is one of the reasons Vader liked him so much. The only way he could live so long is by not pressing his buttons when he was in a bad mood.

Lovable one, though

The story wouldn't be the same without Chewie.

Pre-med student + writing equals reading the American Journal of Emergency Medicine and/or the Merck guides before you write anything.

Trading card? There was a trading card? Eeek. I have no idea what that is, haha.

Of course, the mask is kriffing scary too. Not much option there, lol.

That Han line is one of my favourite quotes. Seriously.

I definitely have to work on the POVs there, but it's something that's difficult with so much going on.

Yesss

It's a little bppppt noise, like when you press your lips together and blow air out.

Breha is interesting to me. I think when it comes to her family, she can't bear to lose them. They're her one weakness. Leaving Bail in Vader's grasp is possibly the worst thing she can do, because Leia's already there. She spent years building up a family to have this happen.

Sort of a mix of both for sure.

I find it's very important, defining a person by what they were and what they have become.

But will Vader realise the twins are vital, as well?

Sheeevy Sheev

No, you definitely aren't. But still, poor Dantooine.

Thank you. I love the symbolism of the snippet. ^_^

She doesn't believe herself. It's more habit, methinks. She's trying to sort through everything.

I think his selfishness and his unwillingness to lose her are possibly going to make him do a lot of stupid things. Or things that aren't well thought out.

Old habits die hard for Vader.

I don't think she's willing to accept he's evil or that Anakin is gone. Yes, it will be important.

Thank you again

 

Luke and Leia both know Ben and Breha are lying to them. This is a dangerous game and with Vader knowing the truth early changes everything for Mimban if they end up on the planet....

More soon

 

Bail B. Baobab , Luna_Nightshade , serendipityaey , Blue Ice Cream , ccp , AzureAngel2 , Darth_Cruel , NightWatcher91 , Ewok Poet , Falcon

Thank you for all the reviews, they are much appreciated.
This one is a bit early because it is more of an interlude/filler again

18

Ties

“What is it?” Luke asked, hoping Han didn’t need the diagnostic any time soon. He glanced back towards the cockpit. He could hear Han and Chewbacca talking, their voices bleeding into the hall. He could probably spare a minute or two.

“What is this dream you’ve had?”

Of course, Luke realized. The visions. He wondered if she had them too, something similar. Ben had said they were just dreams, but the Princess didn’t seem to agree with him either. He thought about how he was going to explain it to her, but it seemed ridiculous. How would he explain he had seen her on a balcony in a dream, on a planet he had never been to? What would Ben say to him about telling her?

“I don’t…” he started, trying to word it so he wouldn’t sound crazy.

“I heard what you said before, Luke. I felt the same way. I can’t explain that feeling. Obi-Wan can’t either, I just spoke with him.” The last sentence was peppered with annoyance, as though she did not trust him either.

Luke shook his head. “I’m on an island, with lots of plants. There’s a lake, or an ocean around me. When I look up, there’s a balcony. There’s a shadowed figure, the Senator, and you. Then everything goes green.”

“That’s everything?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t know who the figure is?”

Luke shook his head.

Leia furrowed her brow and folded her arms. They obviously knew what the dream meant, or they would not have been so cryptic. She knew her mother well, which meant she knew when she was hiding anything. Being beside Luke, though, she couldn’t deny she felt…something. It was something faint, indescribable. It was almost as if they had been drawn together by fate, held together by some thin thread of destiny.

Luke looked to the hall, trying to see if Breha or Ben were near. He hoped they were not still in the common area. If they were, he hoped they would not hear anything. He lowered his voice.

"I know they have the answer. I don’t understand how it could be something so terrible that they refuse to tell us the truth.”

“I don’t understand either.” She frowned, uncertain if she should tell him what she felt.

“What is it?” Luke was studying her expression. Footsteps echoed in the background. They both turned to look at the living quarter’s doorway, but nobody emerged.

“I feel the same way about you as I did about the Senator. I feel like we’re connected. Like somehow, this is all related.” Her words were wistful, lost in thought.

Luke looked shocked for a moment. “You do?”

Leia nodded. A wave of frustration came over her and she dropped her hands. “I don’t know how we’re going to figure any of this out.”

“Wait,” Luke said, “Maybe we can.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m sure there’s something out there about the Senator. Some information, somewhere.”

“I don’t know, Luke,” Leia replied, “I tried myself years ago, after my father took me to visit her. I don’t think it would help, anyway.”

“Your father took you to see her? Where was she? Why wouldn’t it help?”

“Coruscant. She was in hibernation. I felt the same way then.” She paused before answering his third question. “And I don’t think anything is going to tell us why we have a weird feeling.”

Luke nodded slowly. He had hoped she had seen her awake. He wasn’t going to give up hope, either. To him, any information was potentially helpful.

“Did your father tell you what happened to her?”

“No, just that she was injured by someone she loved.”

“Oh,” Luke replied, “Sounds kind of like what happened to my father.”

Leia looked at him quizzically. She had assumed his father was alive, back wherever he had come from. He had cast his eyes to the floor and was kicking his foot along the metal grating.

“I’m sorry,” Leia said. She hesitated before deciding to tell him about her own past. If anything, it might reassure him that he’s not alone. She stalled. “What happened?”

“My father was a Jedi. Darth Vader betrayed him like the others. I’m not sure about my mother. My uncle told me she was hurt by what had happened and got very sick. I wish I could have known them both.”

Leia nodded solemnly. She felt sympathy for him. It seemed he had a difficult time dealing with their loss, something she could not relate to. Although she sometimes imagined her real family, her parents had always done their best to give her a family.

“Luke, I didn’t know my real parents either. I was very young when they died. I stopped thinking about them. Bail and Breha never made me feel I lost my family.”

He stopped his foot and peeled his eyes from the floor.

“It looks like we have a lot in common.”

Leia thought about it for a moment. Everything was all too coincidental. It seemed surreal how everything had fallen into place. Obi-Wan had told her minutes earlier how the Force can pull beings together and unite their destinies, but she hadn’t taken it so literally. His words had been cryptic and far from what she wished to hear. But perhaps he was right. Perhaps the universe had brought them together for a reason. She wasn’t one to rely on the Force, having no use for it, but she would not deny it had power she could not understand. She just hoped the reason would become evident soon.

“I wonder how we’re going to rescue the Senator.” Luke leaned against the wall, his eyes now lost in thought.

“I’m not sure,” Leia replied, “It didn’t look like she was much of a prisoner, Luke.”

“Darth Vader, he held her back,” Luke insisted.

“The Empire doesn’t let prisoners roam free. Not even the Republic would have let a prisoner live life outside a cell.”

“Then what can we do? If she wasn’t a prisoner, she has to be part of the Empire now.”

“I don’t know. My father told me she always fought for democracy and freedom; I don’t think she would join the Empire. Obi-Wan was there, he should know what happened.”

He’s not going to tell me anything, Luke thought, despite his nodding back at Leia. He scrunched his mouth to the side, pondering the scene. She had called out to them both. She knew them both. Yet only Leia knew her. The solution felt as though it was right in front of him, but he could not place it. There was no logical explanantion…not that he could see. He grit his teeth. Somehow he had to have Ben explain. In the meantime, he was going to ask Ben about the Senator.

Leia started to speak again. “I still don’t know how th-“

“Kid, I thought I asked you to get the Artoo unit,” Han said, both Luke and Leia’s attention snapping to him, “We’re running on borrowed time. If anything else is damaged, we’re not gonna make it.”

“Sorry,” Luke looked sheepishly at him, “I’ll get on it right now.”

“My definition of right now, not yours,” Han replied.

Luke walked off towards the common area, disappearing into the doorway. Han walked back into the cockpit, meeting Leia’s eyes for only a brief moment. She ignored him and followed behind Luke. If he was going to ask Obi-Wan about the Senator, then she was going to ask her mother the same. They both needed answers.

----

Artoo hummed happily as Luke set him up to perform the diagnostic.

“Alright, now when you’re finished let me know. Han wants this done as fast as possible.”

He sat on the hard metal floor, crossing his legs and unclipping the lightsaber from his belt. His fingers ran down the cool metal. He closed his eyes and imagined his father holding it again. This time he was right beside him, defending the Galaxy against the Empire. They were outside on a planet, buildings surrounding them. He swung his own blue blade as Stormtroopers fired upon them. They deflected blaster bolts in perfect synchronization. Luke glanced to him, beaming as he effortlessly dodged the red bolts. His father smiled back with pride, waves of dark blonde hair blowing in the wind.

“Luke,” Ben’s voice interrupted his daydream. He was left with an empty feeling as he realized it was never going to happen.

“Hey Ben.” He didn’t look up from the ‘saber. Leia’s words ran through his mind, imploring him to ask Ben more questions. A part of him did not want to, though. He didn’t want to be disappointed any more.

“I overheard your conversation with Leia.” Luke looked up as he took a seat on a bench across from him. If he had heard the conversation, he knew exactly what he was going to ask.

“It doesn’t make sense, Ben. I don’t know why you won’t tell us what you know. How could she know our names if we never met her?”

“I did not say you had never met her, Luke. I told you that you had seen her before, though you may not remember it.”

“That’s impossible, Ben. Leia told me she was in hibernation, since she was little. She can’t know who we were.”

“She was not in hibernation when she met you.”

“That doesn’t explain how I met her.” Luke tossed the lightsaber to the ground, ignoring the clatter it made. “I’ve spent my whole life on Tatooine. Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru never left, either. They wouldn’t have anything to do with her.”

“Your uncle did not tell you the truth about your father, Luke,” Ben said, “You cannot trust everything he has told you.”

Luke swung his hands up partway, exasperated. They hit his legs again a moment later with a smack. “Why would he lie about the Senator?”

“It is a piece of your past he most likely wished to avoid, just like your father.”

Luke sighed. “I don’t understand why no-one can be honest with me about my past.”

“Your past is more complex than you realize. Any links to Darth Vader – to the Jedi, would have made you a target. Senator Amidala was arguably one of the founding members of the Rebellion. She was close to your true father. Your uncle told you nothing of her, just as he told you your father was a transport pilot. It was to protect you. I understand your frustration, but he was doing his job by keeping you safe.”

“So what about my mother? And how did the Senator know Leia’s name if she was in hibernation?”

“I knew your mother as well as I knew Senator Amidala,” Ben replied, “I could not pull her away from the darkness, as much as I tried. As for Leia, I am not entirely sure. Perhaps she had seen her before she was placed into hibernation. If not, I fear Darth Vader has a larger role in this than we thought,” he said thoughtfully, staring ahead into the opposite wall.

"Why was the Senator with Darth Vader?"

"I am not sure why he has spared her, years ago he would not have done so. I wonder if he had some ulterior motive, perhaps to draw us in."

"Wouldn't she be in danger, then? Even though she was free?"

"She is. She is far from free, Luke."

“Are we in danger?”

“I believe you are.”

Artoo beeped and wobbled side to side. Luke stood up, reattaching the ‘saber to his pale woven belt. He was still confused by Ben’s statement. His mother had fallen to the darkness? Uncle Owen had told him something very different. But he no longer knew who he could trust. Ben’s words were just as cryptic as usual. It frustrated him. He did not want to solve a puzzle to hear the truth. He just wanted to understand everything that had happened to him. Even worse, how did Ben expect him to stay safe if he did not even know what he would have to face?

“One minute,” he told Ben, walking towards the cockpit. He thought about everything again. More questions surfaced. It was as though the conversation had done nothing but open more doors. There was no way he would figure out everything now. He would have to tell Leia everything, once he was finished helping Han.

He stood in the doorway of the cockpit and dusted off his hands.

“Hey Han, Artoo’s done the diagnostic.”

Han spun around in his chair. “Great,” he replied, standing, “Let’s see how badly the Imps got us.”

Luke led the way back to the room. Ben still sat on the durasteel bench, his eyes closed in what appeared to be some sort of meditation. Artoo beeped excitedly as Han entered.

“Droid’s pretty excited, huh?” Han remarked, “Where’s the protocol droid?”

“Threepio?”

“Unless you speak droid, you’re gonna need him.”

Luke nodded. Ben stood.

“I will retrieve him.”

---
Ben appeared minutes later with Threepio.

“Threepio, we need to know what Artoo’s diagnostic showed.”

“Certainly, Master Luke. I am of course very well versed in both vocabulary and many forms of communication. I am sure I can assist you. I am surprised we are still flying, to be quite honest. The Empire does not usually let anyone escape.”

“Without the commentary,” Han said, cutting him off. He was leaning against the doorway.

His joints whirred and his metal feet clacked against the floor as he walked towards Artoo. Artoo spurted out rapid trills and beeps to Threepio.
“Oh, dear,” Threepio said, before Artoo continued.

Threepio turned back as Artoo finished his discourse with a babble.

“I’m afraid two of the engine coolant tanks have been disabled.”

“We already knew that, Goldenrod,” Han replied, standing and walking closer. “What else?”

“He said the stasis-field shield generator has also been compromised. It is only operating at 32% capacity.”

“Wonderful,” Han said, scratching his head. “I hope we won’t be seeing the Empire again any time before we can replace that.”

Artoo blurted out another string of trills.

“Sir, he says he can divert some power from the remaining 32% to the other deflector shields, particularly the aft deflector shields. That would provide some protection if we were to flee.”
“Let’s hope it won’t come to that. Keep an eye on the engine systems, I don’t want anything else to go wrong.”

“Yes, sir,” Threepio replied, turning to Artoo. “Keep an eye on the systems, Artoo.”

Artoo beeped at him vehemently.

“Excuse me, Artoo. How was I to know you just heard him? You never listen to anyone.”

Artoo shot back another trill.

“How rude of you. I’m surprised you haven’t been melted down yet.”

“Threepio,” Luke interrupted, stopping their argument. “We’ve got more important things to worry about.”

Han looked around the room. “We should be on Mygeeto in the next 5 standard hours, if the engine coolant tank holds up.”

“Thanks,” Luke replied. He hoped everything would go as smoothly as they anticipated. Though the ship wasn’t much, it had pulled through so far. They didn’t know if the Empire was going to be there, though. That was enough to make Luke uneasy. The entire ship felt uneasy, though he wasn’t sure if that was because of the tension in his own belly or because of everyone else on board.

He left the room as soon as Han did and went to find Leia. He needed to tell her what Ben had said.

---

Leia was in one of the bunks, sitting on the edge of the bed. She set down a trinket on a small ledge beside the bed.

“I spoke with Ben,” Luke said.

“I spoke with my mother,” Leia replied.

“What did she say?”

“She told me I saw the Senator when I was very young.”

“He told me the same thing.”

“How did she know who you were, Luke?”

“Ben told me she was close to my father. That we met sometime when I was very young, before she was in hibernation. He also said the Senator was still in danger, that Darth Vader might have been using her as bait."

“It all makes sense,” Leia sighed, sitting against the wall. She still felt as if something was wrong. When she had talked to her mother, no matter how many times she explained the story of Senator Amidala, she felt like something was off. It was a knack that had never betrayed her. She had always been able to tell whether someone was being truthful, just like she had been able to see their true emotions behind most facades. But she figured there must be a first time for everything. Their stories matched up and they hadn’t seen each other in years.

“Yeah, I guess the vision is just a coincidence. Ben did say the Force could tell me weird things.”

“You should get some rest, Luke. You look like you haven’t slept in days.”

“I guess you’re right,” he replied. He was disappointed and he could tell Leia was feeling similarly. Her composure had changed entirely. Her expression was more puzzled than anything. He couldn’t help but think there was yet another missing piece to his past, something that truly explained how they both knew of the Senator. His father seemed to be the answer, but who exactly was he? A great Jedi with no name, no story, only an end. His mother was the same mystery. She was within the darkness, but that told him nothing. She could be addicted to spice or she could be something even more evil. Knowing Ben, she could just be on some dark planet. He sighed and turned from the room, heading to his bunk.

He wanted to know about his family. He wanted to know about the ties he felt to Leia, to the Senator. He wanted the answers Ben would not give him.

Somehow, he would figure it out.

 

Wonderfully portrayed. The ties and the questionings. The bunch of "coincidences".

 

Ben is becoming really annoying at this point! Presumably Breha, too; though I think her answers are less likely to be such annoyingly cryptic riddles. Is there any reason why Luke and Leia need to come to this realisation of their own, in this AU? On the other hand, it's somewhat entertaining to see them unable to put the two and two together. As long as the lack of realisation does not make them vulnerable to turning to the Dark side or distract them in moments when they need to get things done fast and with no second tries, I guess it's not as bad as I originally thought?!

I enjoyed the Artoo & Threepio banter, a lot. Now, I didn't enjoy the things Artoo let everybody know about. That's...pretty risky.

Another point nobody brought up yet: it must be hard to be Han at this point in the story. Four people are playing a guessing game, two droids are arguing, your copilot is playing jokes on you and you have to make sure that everybody makes out of this alive. Gulp!

 

Thank you

The reason isn't 'vital'. It's not exactly spoilerific but spoiler tags any way, since it's something that is more implicit.

Spoiler

It's basically the same reason as ESB. Ben doesn't know what will happen if they know the truth. Luke is impressionable, Leia he does not know well, and the consequences could be dire if they know the truth at this moment.

Breha has never been annoying in my mind, though that will be more clear in the next bit. She's short with things, doesn't wish to play games. At this point, I feel like she's facing the moment she knew would happen for years - that Leia will figure out her true family.

Everything's a risk at this stage of the game. It's going to be interesting for them, for sure....

Yes, poor Han. He keeps his cool though, that's one thing he's got under control right now!

 

the twins know something is right with the story,. Sooner or later the who thing is going to come out and Ben and Breha will not be able to stop it.\

 

Bail B. Baobab , Luna_Nightshade , serendipityaey , Blue Ice Cream , ccp , AzureAngel2 , Darth_Cruel , NightWatcher91 , Ewok Poet , Falcon

19
Reparations

I settled myself into the stiff couch. The comm sat in front of me. A red light blinked, as if it anticipated my touch. I had been talking myself into this for hours now. I had no plan if it failed. With a slender hand I reached to the pre-programmed switches, calling the bridge. Anakin had told me prior it was safe, that was why he had the meeting. He trusted that none of the crew would betray him. It wasn’t because they wanted to keep his trust, though. It was his because of his reputation. I remembered the prior meeting with the crew and shook my head.

“Yes, milady?”

. The formality caught me off guard. I clicked to reply.

“Is An-“ I stopped myself. “Is Vader on board?”

“He is, in his personal chambers,” the voice replied.

“I have a message for him, but he did not give me a way to contact him,” I lied, “Could you send someone to accompany me to him? It’s sensitive.”

The comm clicked on in reply, but there was nothing but silence at first. “Of course, I’ll send someone at once."

I exhaled. Anakin was going to hate my doing this, but it’s what I had to do. Gripping my hands together I stood and walked towards the viewport. The view was still of the vast hangar. We were still aboard the superweapon. I wondered if the men below knew what had happened. I picked out the miniscule figures, asking myself if they realized what this station and what their leaders had done. I told myself that if any of them knew, they would have lost faith in the Empire. I tried to reassure myself that the men below had a heart.

There was a knock on the door. “Milady?”

I stepped quickly to the console, opening the door. A man a few inches taller than me stood behind the door. He bowed his head almost instinctively.

“I’m here to escort you to his quarters,” he motioned out towards the hallway.

I nodded. “Thank you.”

I stepped into the corridor. It was eerily quiet. There was no one else besides myself and the officer. The lights were few and far between, the small rectangles providing a sterile glow. I paused, waiting for the officer to lead the way. A pit of ice was slowly forming in my stomach. The other emotions amalgamated into one knot in my throat. It had only been hours since he had stormed from the room. The shards of glass still lay on the bedroom floor, the wilting flower beside them. The emotions were just as fresh in my mind. Everything could have happened just moments ago, the I would not have known the difference. The officer took a few steps past me, before pausing and giving me a brief smile. He looked vaguely uncomfortable. I hoped it was not due to the fact he would have to face Anakin.

“This way,” he said, glancing down the hall, “Lord Vader usually does not entertain disruptions, but I suppose you are the exception.”

I nodded and followed behind him in silence. I only wondered what Anakin had done to instill such fear in his crew. We stayed on a straight path, the hallway seeming to last forever. A set of double-doors became visible as we approached the end of the hall.

The officer stopped in front of a small door control panel, inputting a code and using one of the silver cylinders beside his rank bar to open the door. It slid open. A chill shot down my spine. For a moment, my feet felt like permacrete. The officer replaced the cylinder and walked in the doors. I shadowed him, focussing on my footsteps. The room was drab and dark, not even a viewport on the slate grey walls. A screen hung on the wall to our right as we entered, besides that, the room was barren. I stopped as the officer did before a large black chamber in the centre of the room. As if it sensed our arrival, it began to open. It hissed, streams of air escaping rapidly from the bottom. The officer quickly straightened as Anakin’s figure became visible within the chamber.

His helmet lowered as the pod opened further, I could see his scarred skin. I inhaled sharply and closed my eyes. I did not want to think of Mustafar, I had relived it enough. I distracted myself with a blinking green light within the chamber. It flashed slowly. Once, twice, then a pause. Again and again.

“Captain Piett,” Anakin’s voice boomed in the small room. I felt my face pale. I could not believe the way his figure and voice disturbed me. The words hung in the air, imposing to both of us. I could see the officer swallow. “You may leave.”

The officer – Piett – bowed to him quickly. “Yes, my lord.”

He gave a respectful nod to me before swiftly exiting.

Anakin sat in the pod, the white interior clashing with his onyx armour. I stepped forward.

"You shouldn't have come here," he said. At first I heard it as a threat, but I realized it wasn't. It was just him protecting me...or avoiding his past.

"I need to speak with you, Anakin." My voice was not as strong as I had willed it. I tried to imagine myself before the Senate, I wanted to have that power again. This was no longer up to him, not with our children on the other side of this conflict. He only had one path - the light. He would not take the path of darkness any longer.

"I'm not Anakin," he repeated, turning his head so his eyes no longer met mine.

"You are. Some part of you is. I know that much, Anakin," I said. I tried to ignore the sadness that clutched at my heart. I hated that I had to argue with him over this, when I still did not believe it was completely true. I did not want to lie to him about something so enormous.

"I-", he stopped himself, exhaling heavily and disrupting the rhythm of his respirator. He was going to correct me again, I knew. He changed the subject. "Why are you here?"

"The twins," I replied. I waited for his reaction.

"What about them?" He was quiet now, solemn. His mask turned back to me. I clasped my hands together at my waist.

"We need to find them."

"We will," he said. The answer surprised me. I tilted my head ever so slightly, wondering what he meant.

"Anakin, just hours ago you were claiming you were a monster," I started. I was confused now, his change in emotions was so very sudden. "Now you're telling me you're finding our children?"

He tilted his head towards the ground.

"Tarkin's plan worked for your cause, as well as his own," he replied, "They have a tracking device aboard their ship."

Relief flooded through me. I embraced it. Finally, there was tangible hope. They knew where the children were. I would get to see them again, Anakin would find them.

"That's wonderful," I breathed. I could not believe it.

But a realization stopped me in my tracks. Tarkin knew where they were as well, which meant Palpatine must have known they had the tracking beacon placed. If that was true, they were in more danger than before. They could not be safe if Palpatine and his loyal men knew where they were. Cold fear raced through my veins. I felt faint, the room started spinning again.

"Padmé," Anakin called, "Their ship was damaged, they will not make it far out of the system. They are currently on the edge of Raioballo, headed towards the Albarrio sector. Likely Mygeeto."

That was close, too close. If the spacestation had a hyperdrive, then it would be able to be there in hours. My heart skipped. I placed a hand to it, trying to relieve the building pressure in my chest. I did not know how Anakin intended to get past Tarkin. He was far from incompetent and after seeing what he did to Dantooine, I worried what he would do to a planet harbouring important Rebel members.

"Anakin, you know as well as I do Tarkin won't let them live."

"On the contrary. He's agreed for my personal fleet to follow them to Mygeeto. The Death Star will not be in system for at least 2 standard days, and the base will almost certainly be on a different planet. Destroying Mygeeto is not in his interests."

The Death Star? It took me a moment to realize that this superweapon had a name. One that most certainly explained its purpose well. The thought sickened me. My stomach flip-flopped with the conflicting words. I felt reassured Anakin would be leading the attempt to find them, even more reassured by the fact I would be on board as well. I let myself imagine their faces again, trying to place them on Naboo with me, in the Lake Country. It seemed surreal after all that had happened. I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm my racing heart.

"I will keep them safe this time. I promise," Anakin said. I nodded. His words were more powerful than he could realize. I realized he had spoken with Tarkin for myself and them. Somewhere in there, despite his anger and damaged soul, I was right. Anakin was there. He would not admit it, he would not believe it, but his actions were proving otherwise. His past was his past and it was as dark as a moonless night, but perhaps dawn was breaking on the horizon. It was only a glimmer of light, but it was enough. I let my hands fall from my waist in relief. I felt the brief sting of tears and I closed my eyes. I thought of Breha and Obi-Wan. I hoped they would let the children be with me, despite Anakin. I tried to ignore the turmoil the memories brought. I said a silent plea to them. I knew it was wishful thinking, but I hoped they would hear it and understand that I needed my children safe with me. After all I had lost, I needed them.

"Won't they leave once they know we're there?" I asked. If they were to see a fleet of Star Destroyers, they'd change course in an instant.

"We will be leaving in the next standard hour and we will be staying behind them at all costs. They will not see our ships."

"Thank you," I said, quietly. We stood in silence for a moment, nothing left to say. I turned towards the doors and stepped out.

I hoped this would last, that I was not being foolish by trusting in him just hours after he had admitted to harming our daughter. I blinked away the thought. I would approach his travesties once I had my children safe. Once I knew he was taking solid steps towards Anakin.

The officer was still waiting outside, staring down the hallway. He turned to me as crossed the threshold into the hall. I remembered the way back, but I appreciated his help.

"Would you like assistance again, milady?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you," I nodded to him and he started back down the corridor. I took in another breath and followed him again.

---

The door buzzed a mere 5 standard hours after we left. I had spent some time watching the HoloNews, trying to absorb as much as I could. The changes to the Galaxy shocked me. In the last 20 years, everything had shifted. I barely recognized Coruscant, crimson banners bearing the Imperial insignia hung from most buildings. An enormous palace towered over much of the main city. The newscaster called the city Imperial Centre, forgetting the title it once had. I had to shake my head. Palpatine had removed every trace possible of the old Republic.

Bothered by the propaganda and news reports, I had shut it off. It left me alone with my thoughts, but that was far better than seeing the Galaxy under Palpatine’s fist. I wanted to hear nothing more of his so-called achievements, which were simply products of his betrayal. I could not believe I had considered him a friend. I could not believe he had used Anakin as such a pawn, nor how badly he had treated him. If there was anyone in the Galaxy I hated, it was Palpatine. His name even seemed to bring my blood to a boil. What he had done to myself, to the Galaxy…it was inexcusable. I hoped to see him fall from the throne as liberty was reborn. If Anakin and our children were together, we were bound to have the power to restore the Galaxy.

I stood, realizing the door had buzzed again. I stepped over and opened it. Anakin stood in the hall. Surprised by his towering figure, it took a moment for me to form words.

“What is it?” I asked. I realized how harsh the question seemed and caught myself. “What’s going on?”

“We’ve received word of their location. They’re within the Mygeeto system.”

“Are you sure?” Everything suddenly felt wrong. I couldn’t tell why. They were doing exactly what Anakin had predicted, but I felt as though it was too good to be true. I worried something would go against the plan.

He nodded in response. “I have to be on the bridge,” he said, stopping abruptly. I had turned halfway back into the room when he started speaking again.

“I would like for you to come with me.”

I turned back. I looked up into his mask. For a moment, just a moment, I thought I heard his voice without the respirator. My hands brushed against my gown.

“I suppose…” I said, hesitant to agree. He was volatile and had proven that. I did not want to be around when his anger took over. It was unrealistic to expect him to transform so instantaneously. I knew he could not avoid it forever, as hard as he tried. Even if he wouldn’t hurt me, I wasn’t sure I could see him fall again.

“It is this way,” he pointed back towards the corridor I had followed earlier. If he had sensed my hesitation, he was ignoring it. I took a breath and started walking down the hall. The only sounds were his boots and my gown shushing against the floor in an unnerving concentus.

As we passed his quarters, there was another turn. The next corridor was short, but looked the same as every other hallway. Two hoverlifts were at the end of the hall. We stepped inside. It was only a floor to the bridge. My head swam with thoughts. I had too many things to ask him, not only about the Empire, but about his plan to find the children. Yet something in my heart stopped me from speaking. A part of me longed for the past. I wished I could look into his eyes and know him again. We were 20 years apart, yet for me it felt like days. I still could not comprehend the ways he had changed. I simply looked ahead into the hoverlift’s grey doors.

The doors opened to a much busier corridor. Those who noticed Anakin either hurried by or stood taller. I avoided thinking about the effect he so visibly had on them, instead directing my attention to him as he started to the right. Once again his towering frame blocked the steps ahead from my view. I imagined they were the same grey as every other room aboard.

Anakin stopped after a few minutes in front of another double door. It slid open as if it knew he approached. He waited for me to enter first. I hesitated, though I had already followed him the entire way. The same feeling of doubt began to crawl into my throat.

The entire bridge looked up as we entered. The bridge was immense. Triangles of transparisteel spanned most of the front wall. A platform large enough to hold 30 men stretched in front of it, two trenches of crew in front of that. I glanced to the sides. Viewports were even to the side, with consoles in front of them. I had been aboard capital ships before – but none nearly as colossal. I looked back to the centre. Two men stood at attention. Their figures were indiscernible except for their height. The taller one dismissed the other, who stepped off to the side.

Anakin proceeded forward. I followed behind once again, trying to avoid the eyes of the crew. I still did not trust them completely. They had sworn loyalty to Palpatine, despite the fact they were serving under Anakin. I was not sure he could control them all as he thought he could.

As we approached the man I recognized him as the Admiral Ozzel. I studied him while I walked closer. He had seemed quite the aristocrat, but loyal enough. He certainly carried himself with dignity and honour.

“My lord,” he bowed to Anakin, before turning to me, and nodding. “My lady.”

I ignored his lack of bow and gazed out into the space surrounding us. It was empty, save for the glittering stars.

“Admiral, move the fleet to lightspeed. I want to be on Mygeeto within the hour.”

“Yes, Lord Vader.” He stepped towards three men and dispensed further orders.

Within minutes, the bridge began to hum. They were certainly efficient. Moments afterwards the stars stretched into columns of light and the ship lurched gently. The ship’s viewport filled with the swirling amethysts and zaffres of lightspeed.

---

The ship lurched again as it moved from lightspeed, the view transforming back to pinprick stars and a large, greyish planet. The surface was spotted with light and dark crevices. The atmosphere swirled with clouds of violet.

Mygeeto. I looked to Anakin. The children were on the planet. We were a shuttle away from them. Ozzel stepped away from a console and up to Anakin.

“They landed approximately 37 standard minutes ago. They haven’t been seen leaving the planet.”

“Good,” Anakin said, “Prepare my shuttle immediately and send a detachment to the surface to locate them. Weapons set to stun. I expect them all alive. If they should attempt escape, the fleet shall disable them and capture them. Under no circumstances is anyone to use lethal force. Do you understand?”

Anakin raised a fist with the last sentence, his voice reverberating throughout the entire bridge. Ozzel blinked, fear briefly skittering across his face.

“Yes, Lord Vader.”

I shot a glance at Anakin. I appreciated his efforts, but his use of fear was not acceptable. I held back a sigh. He looked to me for a moment before dropping his fist to his side. I pursed my lips and fought a stray wave of anxiety. I could not afford to worry about him. I needed to find Luke and Leia. They were most important.

He began to walk towards the hallway soundlessly. I hurried to catch up with his enormous strides. As we returned to the corridor and I walked besides him, he began to speak.

“The detachment will find them. I think it is best if…you approach them.”

I heard the brief hesitation in his words, as if he were hurt by the notion they would not respond well to his presence. I remembered Leia, what he had done. I realized how difficult this would be. If he had hurt her that badly, I wasn’t sure I could convince her to come with us. If Obi-Wan or Breha had told them anything, that would even lessen our chances. I did not know how I would even approach the twins if they were there. I knew nothing of Luke, nor the other man. I could not make any predictions or plans. I would be going in alone, with nothing but their names. I swallowed as we entered the hoverlift again.

"What about Breha and Obi-Wan?"

"I don't expect them to let you take the children.I will remain close by in case they attempt an escape or attempt to harm you."

I nodded. This would not be easy. It would not be without pain. I closed my eyes and hoped again that Obi-Wan would not try to stop me. I hoped he would understand that this is what the Galaxy needed, what I needed. I hoped my children would come to me safely. I just wished for my family, for the Galaxy to be restored. For some small piece of the future Palpatine had taken from us.

 

great chapter, I sense a reunion in the works but will Breha and Obi-Wan let Padme near them? I highly doubt it.

can't wait to see where you take this.

 

Oh my, I missed so much in between. Our story is still carefully woven. The web of lies that held for almost to decades already has some holes in it, because the truth is too strong to be contained.

 

Excellent! Padme's wishes on all fronts seem to be justified.

 

Now, THAT was great!

This may be an extremely unpopular opinion, but I just realised that Padmé *has* to lie to protect herself for reasons other than the fact that she's still frail, whatever happens and that sometimes, she may be even doing it unconsciously. When we talk to people, they use facial expressions, gestures, different tones of voice. Vader is more machine than a man. How does one know what he thinks? Not that the fact that he's a Sith lord makes it any easier...

All of that obviously upsets Padmé a lot. Vader may say that "it's not in Tarkin's interest to destroy Mygeeto", but how on Death Star can anybody figure that out from the way he speaks and acts? I don't think even Ozzel, who spent time with him and not the Anakin Skywalker deep within gets it at this point. Maybe he's not the best character for the comparison here since he's clearly not very smart, but I can imagine everybody who got the eventual order thinking what-the-kriff?!

At the same time, Padmé feelings are an open book to Vader. From the way each single sentence she says has a different tone (one of the rare occasions where even said bookisms would be absolutely OK - never thought I'd say this), she cannot hide her emotion, nor is it possible given the bond she has had with her children, even during those twenty years of coma. Just like his Sith-ness is a factor that complicates his cyborg-ness, her sense of family complicates her muggle-ness.

Padmé's observation of the changed world was amazing. Knowing that the GFFA is barely making progress in terms of technology because they more or less have it all, I assume other things would be slow compared to our world too; so that's got to be QUITE a shock right there. Reminds me of when Leeloo learns about war in The Fifth Element, for some reason.

And there is one thing that never changed: her. A 47-year-old in the body of a 27-year-old.

I assume the next couple of chapters will be really intense!

P.S. Loved Piett's little role in this chapter!

 

Bail B. Baobab , Luna_Nightshade , serendipityaey , Blue Ice Cream , ccp , AzureAngel2 , Darth_Cruel , NightWatcher91 , Falcon

20
Mygeeto

The man approached him, eyes ablaze with green fire. A glint of light caught Luke’s eye. The man held a lightsaber, hidden beneath his cloak’s sleeve and barely visible in the room’s dim light. Luke’s breath hitched in his chest. He didn't have any way to escape. Walls surrounded him, cold and hard. He pressed his hand to them, futilely trying to force them away. He frantically looked for some way to escape the man in front of him. The room’s entrance was metres away. The walls were narrow, trapping him in the corner. There was nothing he could do.

This room was going to be his tomb.

There was no way to avoid the man who stalked towards him, no way to avoid his impending strikes. He looked up, the enormous ceilings stretching far above his head. The arched windows behind him were just as tall, letting in the moonlight. It was only light he had to see what approached. It was the only light that cut through the darkness. He looked out the windows, trying to see if he could break through safely. But a glittering city stretched below, far out of reach.

He gasped as the man ignited his 'saber. It blazed red. The crimson light tainted everything in the room. It was as though blood stained everything around him. He closed his eyes and prepared for the final blow. Searing pain shot through his abdomen as the lightsaber's blade impaled him. He screamed, but the sound wasn't his own. It was the voice of a small child.

He clutched his stomach and lie on the floor, his body cast in the blood-red glow. The face of the one who killed him was hidden behind a black hood, the face shrouded in shadow. Only a single eye looked at him, a glimpse of raw, scarred skin surrounding the glowing yellow iris.

He sputtered one word, his voice still filled with youth. "Why?"

Luke awoke with a start, sweat pouring down his face. Relief filled him as he realized he was still alive. He tried to blink away the images that had bombarded him. His mind stuck on the view of the room, realizing with a shock that it was the one from his previous dream. He buried his face in his hands. He had never seen that temple before in his life other than his dreams. Yet it haunted him. Each time he saw it, it brought new horrors. He threw back the covers in frustration and sat on the side of the bed. His heart was still pounding with adrenaline; the pain in his stomach was just as real as in the dream. Taking one hand, he tried to rub his ribs to relieve the stabbing sensation.

He stood and looked at the small chrono built into the wall. It had very nearly been 5 standard hours, but he felt as though he hadn’t slept for a moment. He rubbed his eyes and grabbed his tunic, fastening it before he stepped out the door. The entire time his mind was trying to sort through the dream. He had felt like himself, but his voice was that of a child. It didn’t make any sense. The hallway outside the bunks was empty. He walked towards the common area, hoping to find Ben there. It was vacant just the same.

He stopped in the middle of the room and debated taking a seat on the couch. Instead, he opted to head to the cockpit. There he'd have something to at least see, even if it was just the speeding stars outside. He meandered down the corridor, trying to draw his mind to the little details instead of the dream he just had. He traced every ridge in the corridor with his eyes. One of the lights had burnt out, as well, something he would have to tell Han.

He ambled down the final corridor to the cockpit, still gazing about at the walls. To his surprise, Han was alone, fiddling with some small mechanical object. Luke took a seat behind him without saying anything. There was mostly empty space ahead, but rays of sun illuminated a small, mauve planet to the left.

Han looked up, studying him. "You look like you've been fighting a pack of rancors."

Luke shook his head, smiling slightly and moved a sweat laden lock from his forehead. "Just another dream."

"You have a lot of those, kid."

"Yeah. How much longer?"

"We're almost to Mygeeto, don't worry. We entered the system about an hour ago."

"The ship still holding up?"

"You bet. She's got a lot more in her than most people realize. Don't judge a ship by her paint job, kid. It could get you in a lot of trouble."

Luke gave Han a look of disbelief before smirking.

"Only from you, Han," he replied, "Anyone else wouldn't be any trouble."

He looked back to his hands and picked at a callus, one of many spawned from the years on the moisture farm. Something wasn’t right. The usual nausea that came with his nightmares wasn’t passing. He felt…cold. Distant. It was as though he wasn’t really in the room.

Suddenly the room began to spin. Green streaked in front of his eyes. The image of Darth Vader took shape in the hallway just beside him. He stood up in shock, gripping his ‘saber before stumbling to the ground as his legs gave out. His lightsaber clattered to the floor. He didn’t dare take his eyes off the image in front of him.

“You are mine, Skywalker,” Darth Vader boomed, raising a hand towards Luke.

Behind Vader stood Leia, her eyes filled with fright. Luke froze. Fear bled into his heart, icy as it pulsed throughout his body. There was no way Vader could be on board. But he was. Leia was right behind him, and he could see how frightened he was. He tried to push himself off the ground, reaching for the ‘saber. Blackness crept into the corners of his vision.

“Luke!” Leia called, running forward and bursting through the illusion of the Dark Lord. Han had already sat him up from the floor. His head felt heavy, like he couldn’t hold it up himself. He could feel it wobbling as Leia looked at him worriedly. She knelt in front of him. Han was trying to get him to speak, but whenever he opened his mouth, no words came.

Slowly the feeling began to subside. His head hurt. Everything hurt. He felt dizzy, as though he’d spent all day working under the binary suns.

“I’m okay,” he finally managed, sitting up on his own. Han and Leia both looked at him suspiciously.

“You don’t look okay,” Leia said. She was standing back up now, “We should get you to the medbay.”

Luke pushed himself up from the floor, drawing on the Force to steady himself. He didn’t want to waste anyone’s time. It was just another vision. That was it. For some reason the Force wanted to tell him something else. Evidently, it was important enough that it couldn’t wait until he was asleep again. He sighed.

“It was just a vision,” he said, throwing himself into the chair, “I’m fine.”

“Another one? You going for a record?” Han said. He leaned against the pilots chair, “You said you just had one.”

Luke shook his head. “I don’t know. But I’m fine.”

Leia exhaled and crossed her arms, looking him up and down. She seemed unconvinced. She was no longer wearing the white dress; instead she had changed into a light blue traveling gown with a thin cobalt cloak. Her hair was braided simply.

“How long until we arrive?” she asked, not wanting to push Luke.

“Could be about 40 standard minutes…or longer,” Han replied.

“Or longer?” Leia raised an eyebrow.

“If they don’t give us too much trouble with the landing.”

“Do the Mygeetans have something against visitors? Some sort of reputation?”

“Not exactly,” Han replied, spinning the chair back to the console and adjusting a blinking red switch, “I haven’t been here in a few standard years...so there shouldn’t be any problem. But you never know.”

“Do you have a reputation?” Leia asked, leaning against the doorway.

Han shrugged and didn’t answer. Instead, he focussed on the readout in front of him. Leia walked over and leaned forward.

“You’d better not get us into any more trouble,” she said. Han grabbed both the armrests and spun around. Leia jumped back, her cloak catching on the chair for a moment.

“Just who got you out of the mess before, your highness?” He asked sardonically, “If you don’t trust me, you’re more than welcome to take an escape pod and find someone you do trust.”

Leia sighed.

“This is more important than you know,” she replied. She was quiet now. Her icy expression had thawed.

“My life’s on the line too,” Han said, “That’s pretty important to me. I’d rather not end up in Imperial prison for the rest of my days.”

“Han,” Luke interrupted, pointing out towards the once empty space.

The shimmering mauve surface of Mygeeto was filling nearly the entire viewport now, but that’s not what he was focussed on. A ship was there, its massive frame floating in between them and the planet. It was oddly shaped, a hexagonal bow and wings that arced over top. A tail fin had some sort of star like insignia in deep green, though Luke had never seen the symbol before. It was accompanied by a couple of starfighters. It didn’t look Imperial, but Luke was still nervous. It didn’t have to be the Empire – they had many allies.

“Black Sun,” Han said, his complexion now a little paler.

“Some idea this was,” Leia replied. Her eyes were affixed to the enormous ship as it continued to float towards them.

“Hang on; it looks like they’re leaving.” Han looked to the console and then back up. The starfighters were heading towards the ship’s enormous hangar. He adjusted the altitude then looked back up towards the ship. Hopefully, they would miss it. The last thing they needed was to be involved with a crime syndicate. Especially the Black Sun. Han grit his teeth as he realized they were too close to the ship to escape unseen, unless he reversed the Falcon. With the engines in the state they were in, that had the potential to be a very bad idea.

“They’d better be,” Leia said. Her eyes were icy again, staring daggers at the ship as it continued to float forwards.

“What’s the Black Sun?” Luke asked, standing behind the pilot’s chair and trying to get a good look at the scene beyond the viewport.

“A crime syndicate,” Leia answered while Han attentively adjusted the controls, “Not a friendly one.”

She couldn’t help but wonder what they were doing all the way in Albarrio. They were supposed to be headquartered in the Core planets. She had never heard of them being out so far.

“What does Mygeeto have for them?” She asked, still staring unflinchingly at the ship.

“If I had to guess? Lots of valuable crystal, already mined and packed for shipment,” Han replied, pressing a button that pinged softly. “It wasn’t packed for them, but they don’t care.”

The ship sped above them, the starfighters disappearing from the viewport with it. Leia and Han both sighed in relief, almost simultaneously.

The comm beeped twice, then three more times.

“What are you doing?” Leia asked, realizing the entire time he had been sending transmissions to someone. The last thing they needed was to be discovered, and whomever he was talking to had the potential to be unfriendly.

“Getting us to safety,” Han replied simply, “If we have permission to land, we can get to the surface. If not….”

…the engines are toast, he thought with a frown.

“Everyone quiet,” he said, clicking it on before Luke or Leia had a chance to say anything. “Captain Lendix of the Y1300 Distant Light, here.”

Leia looked at Luke, slightly incredulous that Han was about to lie his way out of this.

“Lendix, you are entering restricted airspace.”

“Affirmative, we have permission to land on Mygeeto.”

“For what reason? Transmit your codes.”

Han dug around in a small sachet and pulled out a thin piece of plasteel, metal dotting the surface. He checked the number scratched into the surface before inserting it into a slot on the console. A small beep, paired with a yellow light, came from the slot. Though the others in the room couldn’t see it, he was starting to sweat. If they ran the codes through the right database, they wouldn’t survive another two minutes.

“Transmitting now. This is a civilian transport, taking passengers to Jygat,” he replied, leaning back in the chair and crossing one leg over the other.

“These codes aren’t recognized.”

Han sat forward and clicked the comm on. Leia and Luke glanced at each other nervously. “What do you mean? I just used them on Dantooine hours ago.”

“Retransmit them, but slow your ship’s descent. You are not to enter the atmosphere until your codes are cleared,” the customs officer said, sounding hesitant.

Han resent the codes. The chip popped out once they had been submitted and he grabbed it, studying the worn metallic surface before tossing it back into the bag. He turned slightly and motioned to Leia to come forward. She closed the distance quietly and sat beside him in the co-pilot’s chair.

“I may need to tell them who you are,” Han said, ignoring her look of disbelief.

“What?” Leia hissed. There was no way. The Empire was looking everywhere for them, and had a tracking beacon on their ship. Telling them who she was would just put them in an even worse situation.

“Look, if they think a Senator is aboard the ship – and in some sort of distress, they won’t stop us from landing.”

“But Black Sun is here, on this planet.”

“That may be a good thing for us.”

“Not if they know who I am,” Leia shot back, “They would take us all prisoner. You’re good at telling stories, make something up.”

“I already tried that. The story is solid. The codes are an alias. But that isn’t going to work because they know I’m not approved.“

“This was a mistake.”

“If Black Sun is here, we keep a low profile. The Empire won’t be able to get on planet without a fight. It works out in our favour.”

“They aren’t any match for the Empire, Han. You of all people should know that.”

“Who said they needed to be? All we need is to buy some time, and-“

The comm interrupted him. He clicked it on and the customs officer patched through.

“Captain Lendix, it appears there was a mistake in our system. You are not approved, but you may land for the time being. A party will be escorting you.”

“Thank you,” he replied, shutting off the comm and directing the Falcon towards the hazy atmosphere.

“What are you going to do now?” Leia asked, concerned that they were now landing without any proof as to who they were. Or even the proper codes to be on the surface.

“Hold onto that plan,” he said, shrugging, “We might need it.”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Leia said, watching as the planet drew ever closer. The clouds churned above the mauve surface. The atmosphere in the cockpit matched the churning surface. “You’d better know what you’re doing.”

“Of course I do,” Han said.

Luke sat forward, trying to puzzle through the situation. There wasn’t much to think about, though. Han had already said the engines would fry soon – the last tank was almost out of coolant. The crime syndicate he had never heard of before, but from what he could tell they weren’t something to mess with.

“What if they don’t let us leave?” He asked, knowing the question was on everyone’s minds.

“I don’t know. We don’t have a choice, kid,” Han said. The engine coolant levels were just shy of critical. His hand snuck to his holstered blaster, as if he needed to check it was there.

Luke shook his head and leaned back. He was still woozy from the two dreams. Something deep in his gut was telling him he should have stayed on Tatooine and never should have listened to Ben. For all he knew, Ben hadn’t been telling him the truth since the beginning. Now, his aunt and uncle were dead, and he was being thrust onto a planet with a crime syndicate, all because of the droids. If anything happened, the Empire would no doubt find them and capture them. Or worse. He shuddered at the thought of being in an Imperial prison… alone.

“Luke,” Leia called, sounding as if she’d called him multiple times, “Are you sure you’re alright?”

He nodded and untwisted his woven belt. He didn’t think any of them were alright. Leia’s eyes were tinged with worry and he could feel the anxiety rolling off of her. She hid it very well, in fact, she looked almost tranquil.

“I’m fine,” he said with a small smile, hoping it would help calm her.

Han turned around in the chair and wiped the thin sheen of sweat from his forehead. He looked past Leia, into the hall. The corridor was empty. Chewbacca must have still been resting. Han was going to need his help, though. He wished he had the chance to rest as well. Fatigue was weighing him down, though he tried to hide it. Slyly rubbing his sleep filled eyes, he checked the hall again.

“Could you get Chewbacca?” He asked Luke, “We’re going to need him here.”

Luke nodded and stood up, wobbling slightly. It made him feel bad for the kid, forced from his home and thrust into the madness of the Galaxy. All with some strange power that only two people in the entire universe understood. He looked to Leia as Luke slipped out into the corridor. His boots barely made a sound as he disappeared around the bend.

“I should go talk to my mother and Obi-Wan,” Leia said, her deep brown eyes still gazing out at the approaching Mygeeto. The pale surface reflected in her eyes with the dancing lights of the console, dazzling. Being on board with her for this long, as much as he was acting like she wasn’t his type, he couldn’t deny she was growing on him. She brought an extraordinary warmness into the room with her, even now. Han shook his head slightly. It had been just over 5 hours. Just 5 standard hours. Evidently all the years of flying isolated with Chewie had started to get to him. That, or the spice.

“No?” Leia asked.

“No, no,” Han replied, suddenly interested in his Corellian bloodstriped pants. “You should.”

She left without another word. Han leaned back in the chair again, staring at the chance cube he left dangling from the ceiling. He watched as it swayed with the sudden gravity of the atmosphere. It was supposed to bring luck, but it certainly wasn’t doing its job. Of course, they were still alive. They had escaped the Empire’s grasp already, something nobody ever did. The Falcon may have been crippled – he cringed slightly at the thought of his precious ship being so damaged – but they were in one piece. He counted the sides of red and blue as he pondered everything. Maybe it was bringing them just a little luck after all. They would certainly find out soon.

---

The Falcon jerked as it broke through the final layers of the atmosphere. Tufts of thick ash rushed past the viewscreen, sticking momentarily before the speed of the ship brushed them away. The planet ahead was rocky, violet mountains shimmering in the sunlight. Spires of silver jut out from the surface, rings surrounding them. At their bases were platforms that stretched into walkways, connecting every tower to each other. Lights dotted the catwalks and illuminated the sand-fly sized people. Far below the catwalks were enormous sinkholes, swallowing the ash and light from above.

Two small shuttles aligned with the YT-1300. Chewie grumbled and Han shot him a glance.

“No, we’re not shooting them down. They’re the escorts.”

Chewbacca growled, this time pointing to something on the console.

“I know they are heavily armed and we’ve got no shields. The goal is to not need the shields. If you calm down, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

The Wookiee shook his head and barked once. Han tried to avoid saying anything else. He knew it would be something less than cordial and heightening tensions was not going to be a good idea. Chewbacca was certainly the best co-pilot he could have asked for, but in situations like this it wasn’t uncommon for things to get heated.

“Did they say where we were going?” Luke asked. He had been back in his chair since retrieving Chewie. Han groaned internally. This wasn’t the time for questions. One false move and they could end up dusted.

“No,” Han said, gently guiding the Falcon into a straight flight path. The escorts were still beside them. The console blinked with a warning, detecting their shields and heavy cannons. He tried to flick it off, but as soon as he readjusted the flight path even slightly, the red blinking restarted. “I’m just following their lead.”

“Are you sure they’re friendly?”

“We’re still in one piece, kid.” For now, he thought, silently hoping that the criminal presence wasn’t nearly as high as expected. “If you want to keep asking questions, sign up to announce Quizzo.”

Luke turned his attention to the viewscreen. The clicking of boots wafted into the room. He whirled around in the chair, jerking to a stop as it reached its limits. The sound of steps was followed by Leia. She entered wordlessly and stood in the same place she had been earlier, focusing ahead. Her hand tapped a silent rhythm on her thigh. Luke could feel the nervous energy, dissipating into the room with each tap along the dress’ blue fabric.

He hadn’t even seen Ben or Breha, but he had heard the hushed tones of conversation a few minutes earlier on his way to get Chewbacca. Considering Leia wasn’t anywhere in sight then, he figured she must have been with them. He regretted not pressing his ear to the thin durasteel walls now. Her emotions were much stronger now. He could pick them out easily, almost feeling them brush against his own skin. It was as if everything she felt were alive in the cockpit with them. Closing his eyes for a moment, he tried to see if he could find the source of it all. He could feel her energy, a bright glow, brighter than anyone else. His silent inquiry failed, though. He could feel nothing but the mess of emotion and the warmth of the energy around him.

Leia cast a curious glance down at him. Luke smiled slightly and turned back to the viewscreen. The clumps of ash had collected in grey splotches across the glass, obscuring at least half of it. He craned his neck to see out past it, towards the city below. Something caught his eye. A fissure below the catwalks, the grey stone striped with violet and cerulean.

Luke scanned the area around it, seeing a large spaceport just nearby. They were close. The spaceport was unusual – six platforms in a star-like pattern, jutting out from the domed building. Each one had green lights, beckoning to the pilot. The comm beeped. Han let the message through quickly, his hands busy with the other controls.

“Lendix, prepare for landing,” the voice instructed, “The platform is 2 klicks southwest.”

“Here we go,” Leia said quietly, as Han began to direct the Falcon towards one of the grey platforms.

 

Volshe! You capture Han so expertly! Luke's zoning out is very worrying though.

 

Luke's vision certainly makes me worry for the farm kid. Awesome chapter!

 

I've never read any fanfic that didn't feel like a letdown...until now! I usually take a pass on it, wistfully wishing someone would write something that just sucked me in, but I just couldn't resist the hook of a Padme/Anakin AU and you sure delivered!

I must say, I'm fighting the desire to pitch Obi-Wan over the rail! Having an entire family of Skywalkers pissed at you just doesn't seen to be the wisest move. He might need to run to Yoda for cover! (Coincidentally, any chance of seeing our little green friend soon?)

Also, I hope there's a chance for a little Padme/Han interaction. I've always wondered how Han would take meeting the mother-in-law!

You sure have one eager reader here! May the Force continue to be with you!

 

Okay, so I just found this, and I LOVE it.
You write amazingly well, and I like how you have it A New Hope, and yet not A New Hope.
Cant wait for the rest of the book, I am sitting at the edge of my seat in suspence.
I love it that Obi didnt die yet. And I love the Padme/Vader conflict, and I LOVE that Padme still belives in Anakin.
Please let her save him.

 

great chapter and I look forward to more

 

Oh no!
Has our amazing tale spinner been chased away from her computer?
Show me to those vile dogs who dare stop our Sage master from sharing her gift!
My lightsaber and I will teach them a few things.
Just kidding, but seriusly, what keeping you?
If its the hospital, I understand.
Ill be praying for you if you dont mind.

 

This is a long and important one, hence why it took so long to post.

Bail B. Baobab , Luna_Nightshade , serendipityaey , Blue Ice Cream , ccp , AzureAngel2 , Darth_Cruel , NightWatcher91 , Falcon


---

21

Son

I closed my eyes as the shuttle broke through the atmosphere. My hands. gripped against the seat edges, buzzed as the faint whine of the engines grew into a roar. I exhaled and tried to convince myself that the imminent meeting would not be a complete failure. About 20 minutes from the surface I had realized the harsh truth – that I knew absolutely nothing about the twins. I didn’t know Breha or Obi-Wan any longer, either. Though I was much the same, they were not. It worried me. I had relied most of my life on facts. In the Senate, I had always known my opponents, what I would face. I inhaled sharply. Right now, I was headed to the surface of a planet I did not know, to face the children I did not know. The thought weighed heavily in my mind. No matter how much I wanted them to come to me, no matter how much I wanted them to be safe, I couldn’t control the outcome.

I opened my eyes and pried my hands from the cold plasteel seat. They still buzzed, the skin taking a moment to forget the sensation. It eventually faded into a whisper and I flexed my fingers to chase the remnants away. I cast a cautious glance out of the small viewport to the front. The two pilots’ heads obscured the lower half of the view. The shuttle had rooms to either side of me, but for the mere hour it would have taken to get to the surface, I did not want to waste my time settling into some cold, militaristic room. I also wanted to see the light. For years I had seen nothing, and for days I had only seen the darkness of space.

Anakin, on the other hand, had disappeared within minutes. Part of me appreciated it. I was still dealing with the war of emotion that came with his presence.

I stared out as the pale violet clouds rushed past us. Before, they had obscured the entire surface. Much of our trip had been through the thick layers, without a glimpse of the ground. Now they had thinned to a hazy fog and I could see the skyline below. The dark grey buildings glittered faintly in the weak sunlight. Most of them stretched towards the sky, discs of steel layered onto the spires like some exotic dessert. Platforms criss-crossed between the buildings, allowing citizens to pass over the deep crevices and steep rock around them. Smaller, rounded buildings of the same dark grey were set in the middle of the platforms. I traced every crevice I could see with my eyes, following the veins of silver and violet. They shimmered the same as the buildings around them.

The shuttle jerked beneath us. I leaned back in the seat, planting my feet firmly onto the floor. The sprawling city below was growing ever closer and my anxiety was rising. I still tried to debate with my emotions. I had been using every tactic I could to fight them away. The last thing I needed was to go into this with anything but a level-head. For all I had been through, there was no way I would be able to think rationally if I let my emotions win. Yet every second, they threatened the barriers I was building up. Every worry and every fear turned into an enormous wave, looming over the walls. I clasped my hands in my lap and inspected my pale skin. It was strangely translucent, far paler than I remembered. I glanced up at the lights in the cabin, then back to my hands, wondering if it was just an illusion created by the glaring white bulbs. I lifted a finger and traced the veins, pausing at my wrist to feel my pulse. It throbbed beneath my fingertip, quickening as my mind began to wander again.

The soft scraping of metal against metal pulled my attention away. Anakin stood in the doorway, looking across the room. His ventilator mimicked my pulse, rhythmic and regular. I let my hand fall away and lowered my eyes. A brown curl slipped out of my simply styled hair and fell in front of my face. I pulled it back, my gaze still downcast. Anakin’s armoured legs stepped across my vision, disappearing as he walked towards the cockpit. I looked up again. His figure stood towering over the two pilots. The light from the viewport filtered around him, almost as if his dark armour were glowing. I pressed my lips together. This all felt surreal. Part of me still thought if I closed my eyes and counted down, that I would be back on the veranda of 500 Republica, with his dazzling smile and infectious laugh rolling through the open air. I slipped into the daydream, the roaring engines of the shuttle became the rushing traffic just beyond the balcony. Anakin’s breathing became soft and natural, as though he were standing beside me. I could almost feel the cool breeze, brushing against my skin. The vision was broken by the sound of Anakin’s mechanical voice echoing through the cockpit, asking the pilots for a status update. I sighed at the bittersweet memory. He turned, his helmet catching the light ever so briefly. My eyes darted away.
I caught a glimpse of the planet outside. Specks of dust and ash clung to the viewscreen. Beyond that, the buildings and jagged terrain were now enormous. We swooped overhead a platform. What had once appeared to be a small settlement was bustling with people and life. Relieved that it was not as desolate as I expected, I let my body relax as much as possible. I sunk into the stiff chair.

“Padmé,” Anakin said, his voice much softer than I had anticipated, “We will be arriving in minutes.”

I nodded and smiled slightly at him. I wanted to say something, just a mere word of acknowledgement, but I wasn’t sure that I could manage it. My silence was a floodgate, holding back everything I wanted to say. He turned back to the viewscreen with arms crossed. I watched as we descended further into the city, buildings zooming past. We approached one of the domed buildings, the metal coruscating with the violet of the sky. I counted the seconds silently as it grew, slowly taking over the viewport until it was all I could see. The shuttle began to slow and the engines whirred as the stabilisers switched on. The sound snapped me awake, as if I had been dazed the entire trip. It hit me all at once. My family was here. My children, my dreams, and my chance to save Anakin. I clutched my hands together. My family was here, and I was going to find them.

The shuttle droned and shook gently as we descended into a small alcove. The sunlight faded into faint rays, shining into the darkened hangar around us. I took a deep breath of the stale, recycled air as the sky finally disappeared. I was standing before the shuttle had even landed.

---

We were greeted by two officers soon after we landed. They had introduced themselves briefly to me, but I hadn’t worried about their names. I only cared where my children were. They had tracked them to one of the main buildings, a plaza within one of the towering spires.

As we had departed, two Stormtroopers followed closely behind us. I tried to ignore their presence. I hoped we wouldn’t need them, but I knew Anakin wouldn’t let me walk through the streets without every extra precaution. I strode down the hall beside him, my dark violet gown flowing behind me. It was slim, simple, but elegant. I had chosen it before I realized that we would be approaching the twins. Rather, that I would be. I wished I had worn something less morose. Every little detail was now catching my attention. I couldn’t bear to have anything out of place. In my fretful state, any imperfection ran the risk of destroying everything.

The catwalk came to an end up ahead. I could feel the cool air as it snuck into the opening and surrounded us. I inhaled. It was bitter, filled with the products of mines and factories, but welcome. My lungs hungered for the fresh breeze, having spent years without it. I let the breaths roll through me and focussed on the path ahead. The rays of sun were now tinged with orange and blushes of red, dusting the pale walkway that stretched before us. The oddly shaped building grew more imposing with every step we took closer. I could make out details now; windows glowed with silvers and blues, shadows crossed in front of them. Occasionally, I could see one linger for a moment before vanishing. The circular plaza around it was barren, only spindly lamps rose from the etched ground. The entire plaza was surrounded by a rounded fence. It was hardly enough to keep someone from tumbling into the deep fissures below.

A few Stormtroopers had already taken positions ahead. They milled about, straightening momentarily as we passed. I tried to feel the cold air filling my lungs, hoping that someone the frigidness would slow my throbbing heart or dull the red-hot tingling of my nerves. It only grew with each step closer. I fought back flashes of the past. My walls were crumbling now. A Stormtrooper paced the path ahead. His helmeted eyes met mine for a mere moment – but they were far from the onyx I expected. Clear, sparkling blue looked back at me. The same eyes I had seen in the hangar of the Death Star. Luke’s. I blinked, and his face flashed before me. His sandy blonde hair, his youthful expression, his glittering eyes. It faded just as quickly as it had appeared. I tore my gaze away and stared ahead again. I could feel my core trembling with every breath. Each shadow I could see became one of the twins, or Breha, or even Obi-Wan. I swallowed and tried to avoid the ghosts my mind conjured up. I could almost hear their voices in the wind – Breha’s calm soprano, Obi-Wan’s warm lilt. Their words were harsh. They accused me of putting the twins in danger, of bringing them harm by siding with Anakin. I shook my head and increased my pace. Nausea creeped into my gut. I didn’t want to hear them. I wanted to see my children. I wanted my family to be safe, with me. That was all. My friends, I could not worry about them. I could only do what I thought was right. Another gust of wind ruffled through my hair. The cool air helped soothe my stomach but chilled me to the bone.

I realized we were only a few metres from the spire’s entrance. It was much larger than I could have fathomed. The durasteel archway was laced with cyan crystal accents, leading directly to a long hall. At the end a white, blue-tinged staircase was visible. I narrowed my eyes, trying to see what it led to. I could see only blackness.

Anakin stopped just a metre short of the entryway. I turned to him, but my eyes refused to stay still. I let them wander about. My hands gripped at the violet fabric cascading to the ground.

An officer broke free from a nearby group and stepped up to us. He didn’t bother to give any introduction; instead, he bowed his head to us both. His white uniform shirt was painted with the colours of the sunset.

“My lord,” he checked a datapad quickly, “They are in the main plaza, conversing.”

“Thank you, Agent,” Anakin replied. He waved him off. I curled my toes, ignoring the pain it caused. They were here. I was still nervous, worried that somehow, there was a mistake.

“I will be in shortly, close behind,” Anakin said, taking a moment to look towards the hall ahead. “You must go ahead. I will be sure you are safe. My forces will prevent their escape, soon after you are inside.”
I nodded curtly. I didn’t like the idea that he would rather protect me than our children. I didn’t like the idea that they would even try to harm me. They hadn’t even given me a chance, though. Obi-Wan may have thought he had, but he knew I was a woman of words. I did not act without thought. Anakin stretched an arm out towards the hall. I walked forward, my pace urgent. I didn’t want to waste another second.

My footsteps clicked in the hall, the only noise besides the roaring wind outside. As I drew closer to the stairwell, a mix of violets and blues shone onto me. Tiny flickers of light reflected off the walls and stairs. It was as if the lights themselves were crystal. The light grew brighter with each step I took. My heart beat faster by the second. I restarted my silent plea to Obi-Wan and Breha. It was shrill now, a scream that only I could hear.

My feet stopped at the bottom of the staircase. I looked up, into the room ahead. Balconies and windows filled the immense walls. Through the windows I could see the deep hues of dusk, stars beginning to shine through the wisps of clouds. Lights, shining in violet and cerulean, cascaded down the walls on every level. Three crystal chandeliers hung from the centre of the ceiling. The two smaller ones shone with the same violet and blue, sending shards of multicoloured light across the enormous room. The largest chandelier glittered with white light, casting rainbows that danced on the walls. I snapped my attention to the plaza. It was deserted, except for a small depressed alcove in the centre. Stone sculptures dotted the grey floors. A steam fountain was at the very centre, mist rising and floating through the air. Four people sat at the edge. They were cast in indigo light. The mist hovered around them. I took three steps forward, tears beginning to well in my eyes. Everything I had tried to control broke free as soon as I saw them - the anger, the fear, the sadness, the joy. Their heads turned to me, though I hadn’t even made a sound. I could just barely see their faces, but my mind filled in the details quickly. Leia, with her features much like my own, and Luke, with his striking blue eyes. Obi-Wan and Breha sat beside them.

I froze.

They stood.

Obi-Wan, his white hair glistening with indigo light, leaned towards them. I could see their heads glance around the room, searching it. I began to shake. Breha pointed to one of the doorways, across from me. I could see the concern in her features as she grasped Leia’s arm and nodded to Obi-Wan. She could not feel my anguish, I knew there was no way she had heard my plea. If either of them had, they would not be looking for an escape. They would be bringing my children to me, where they belong. Everything started to move in slow motion. I saw Breha take a step towards the doorway. Fury billowed up in my chest. It burned, a raging fire that grew with every heartbeat. I clenched my fists and took a step forward.
“No!” The yell ripped from my throat before I could stop it. They all turned to me. For a moment, we just stared at each other. I started walking forward again. I could feel my dress flutter around my feet as I stalked closer.

“You’re not leaving, not with them,” I said, my voice threatening to break. I inhaled, the heavy mist settling deep in my throat. By now I was close enough to see their expressions, filled with shock and disbelief.

“We must go,” Breha said, lowering her voice. Those three words were a stab to my heart. My body heaved with angry breaths. I couldn’t believe that my friends, the ones I had held dear, were trying to betray me. I was alone in the room. I was the only one. Yet they were running from me as though I was some sort of monster. “Obi-Wan will keep her safe, but we must go.”

“I said no, Breha,” I said, trying futilely to control my emotions. My nails bit into my palms as my fists clenched even tighter. It stung, but it was nothing compared to what I felt deep in my chest. I reached the edge of the stairs, where I was only 2 metres away from them at most.

“Padmé, you must come with us,” Breha began to step backwards, through the rolling clouds of mist.
“I can’t.” I shook my head. I wouldn’t even entertain the idea this time. I had made my decision. There was only one way to save Anakin and keep the twins safe. I would not back down.

“Luke,” I started, my voice wavering as he looked to me, “Leia.”

A quiet sob broke free from my chest as Leia, too, met my gaze. Luke turned to Obi-Wan, his expression twisted with confusion.

“Ben, tell me what’s going on. Why is she here?”

Obi-Wan shook his head, not even acknowledging his question. He grasped Luke’s arm gently and tugged him towards the doorway. Breha began to back towards it, with Leia beside her. “We must leave, Luke, before the Empire’s forces arrive. We must escape.”

“She’s here though! Darth Vader isn’t! Why can’t we save her?” Luke asked, pointing to me.

“She refused to be saved, Luke. There’s nothing we can do. We must leave.” I could see him reach for his lightsaber. The metal reflected a spectral shard of light as his hand brushed against it. Luke looked at me in confusion. I quickly brushed away one stray tear. My throat was tight, my very soul ached. I was standing in front of them, so close to having the twins in my arms, and he was wrenching them away.
“Obi-Wan,” I whispered, shaking my head, “Don’t do this.”

Another tear escaped and rolled down my face. He did not even cast me a glance. I only let them take one more step towards the exit. Rage shot through me. My hand shook even more violently, my eyes narrowed. I could not believe it. Obi-Wan, taking them from me. Without a care for my feelings, without hearing me, without even a hint of guilt from the past. I had called him my friend. The very word sickened me.

“You failed Anakin, and then you tried to take me from him,” I growled, each word louder than the last, “I want my family, my children. You will not take them from me.”

I grit my teeth. Anakin’s words, from so many years ago, echoed in my mind. I had grappled with my consciousness. I had felt my body floating on the edge of reality. Yet, I had heard them so very clearly.
You will not take her from me!

I understood now. I felt his anger and his frustration in my own heart. I felt the same possessiveness, throbbing through my body with every beat of my heart. I did not want them to be ripped from my grasp, before I even had the chance to live a life with them. I wanted to hold them close, to protect them from the threats they faced as they fled the Emperor’s cruelty…to apologize for leaving them alone in the Galaxy. I bristled.

Luke and Leia both stopped. They looked at each other, their eyes shining in the azure light. Luke backed away from Obi-Wan and Breha, his expression pained. Leia simply looked on blankly.

“You…lied,” he said, glancing to me then back to Obi-Wan, I could hear the hurt in his voice, “You said it was nothing.”

For a moment we all stood in silence. I stared at his face, willing him to come to me. Every sinew in my body hoped he would continue walking. I couldn’t bear to hear the ache in his soft voice, or to see the pain in his eyes. It felt like a vibroblade to my heart. They hadn’t told him about me. Worse, they had lied to him. I tried to breathe slowly. My breath shook as I exhaled. I couldn’t fathom that the ones I would’ve trusted with my life were willing to lie to ‘protect’ my children.

Luke tugged his arm away from Obi-Wan and sidestepped from them. “She said her children. Who is she really?”

Breha pressed her lips together and gripped Leia’s hand. I waited for the answer to come. I begged it to come.

Tell him. I repeated the words in my mind endlessly.

“Tell me!” Luke plead, pressing both his hands to his temples.

“She’s…” Breha inhaled. She took a moment to meet Obi-Wan’s gaze. The few seconds of silence seemed like an eternity. “She’s your mother.”

The words flooded me with relief. He knew the truth now. Anger still nipped at my stomach, but finally, he knew the truth. Luke looked stunned. His violet stained face turned to me, catching the shimmer of the crystals. For what seemed like hours we just looked to each other. A quivering smile took hold as I was finally able to see his face clearly. I let my eyes trace over every strand of his blonde hair, every crest of his face.

He started walking towards me, eyes filled with a bittersweet sadness.

“Luke! Don’t!” Leia called, lurching for him and just barely missing his arm. I closed my eyes and swallowed, trying to ignore the fact that the first words I had ever heard my daughter speak were against me. The torrent of sadness was almost too much. I clutched a hand to my chest as Luke looked over his shoulder at her. A jolt of fear took my breath away. For a moment I thought that he would change his mind. Instead, he cast his head down and continued his procession towards me.

“You are risking your life if you go, Luke,” Obi-Wan said, placing a hand on his shoulder as he passed. He shrugged it off and paused.

“You lied, Ben.” His voice was harsh, unforgiving. He didn’t look at either of them. “You lied to me. The Force told me exactly what I was supposed to do. It showed me with my mother.”

“Come back, Luke. You cannot trust them.”

Luke threw his hands up. “I can’t trust you, Ben. So who am I supposed to trust?”

Obi-Wan’s hand fell to his side, his tattered robes rippling for a moment.

“She is a part of the Empire now. She is your enemy.”

Luke opened his mouth again. He didn’t say anything at first. The mist fountain hissed in the silence, roaring in my ears as I waited for him to reply.

“Then I guess I am your enemy, too.” Luke frowned. His gaze lingered on Leia for a moment, before he turned and continued towards me.

I watched Breha and Obi-Wan. Breha was just as stone faced as Leia, but Obi-Wan’s eyes scanned the room. He refused to meet my gaze. Every time he came close, his stormy grey irises jerked away to another distant corner of the room. My eyes followed Luke as he walked ever closer. He was barely an arm’s length from me. I blinked back to the first time I had seen him. I had never held him close. I had never even held his hand. I shut my eyes tightly for a moment, trying to chase away tears. A heavy block of duracrete had lodged itself in my throat.

I reached out my arms for him. The clouds of mist swirled around them, glimmering with the dusky colours. He smiled at me softly, his eyes as tearful as my own. I closed my eyes and before I could open them again, his arms had wrapped around me. At first, my mind was still frought with disbelief. I worried that he would decide to turn back towards Breha and Obi-Wan; that he would fear me the way his sister had. But everything melted away. I felt complete. Warm energy radiated from him, soothing my raw nerves. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. I breathed, trying to capture everything about the moment. I wanted to know every second I had missed of his life. I realized that I could. We were together now, at last. He pulled away and I let myself smile at him. His cerulean eyes, almost the exact same as Anakin’s, twinkled with joy. I laughed softly. It mingled with the sadness that scorched my throat.
I looked back to where the other three stood. Leia’s shoulders were tensed in what seemed to be anger. Her eyes shot fire, she seemed ready to spit venom. I exhaled, hoping to avoid the pain as it bubbled up once more, deep in the pit of my stomach.

“Leia, I don’t want to hurt you. Believe me. I just want to have you with me. I just want to have my family, for once,” I said. I tried to even out my voice. It threatened to break again. The mist weighed in my throat, sucking the energy from my words. “Please.”

“No,” she replied, holding onto Breha. I moved my gaze to her. Her eyes burned with fire, despite the frigid hues around us. “You’re with him. Do you know what he did to me? Do you know what the Empire has done to us?”

Breha leaned in closer to Leia. Her lips moved, but the hissing of the mist drowned the words out. I put a hand to my forehead. I didn’t know everything, but I knew enough. It was just as I had feared.

“I know,” I said, realizing it was a mere whisper. I repeated myself, above the ambient noises around us.

“I know, and I’m sorry.”

Leia’s face contorted into a scowl. She glared at Breha, then back to me. I could see her fists clenched at her sides. They gripped the blue fabric of her dress unrelentingly.

“You don’t know,” she snapped, releasing the fabric, “What he has done is unforgivable.”

I couldn’t deny her feelings. I knew Anakin had hurt her just as deeply as he had hurt me. I had to make her see who I was, though. I had to bring her to me. Yet I didn’t know how. It didn’t seem possible. I felt as though I was at the bottom of the pits just outside, reaching up the slippery walls, scrambling for a foothold. Her resolve was seemingly unbreakable. Her words were filled with a power that I did not have.

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor behind me. I spun around. Four Stormtroopers marched down the passage, emerging with Anakin behind them. His ventilator and the rushing of the mist clashed. I threw out my arms in front of Luke instinctively, worried that they would attack. For a moment, all I could feel was ice, cold fear. I gulped down the humid air. The Stormtroopers continued forward, past Luke and I. I hesitantly stepped around Luke. By the time I had, they stood in the shadows around the centre alcove. Their white armour was shrouded in darkness and their weapons were trained on Breha, Obi-Wan, and Leia. A synchronized click sounded as they prepared to fire. I could see fear dart across Leia’s features as she clung to Breha. I realized with another rush of fear that she had pulled out a blaster, her eyes beginning to blaze even brighter.

“Call them off,” I whispered, snapping my head to look at him. The inharmonious noise of the room screamed in my head. I turned around, my teeth clenched together so tightly I could barely speak. I could not win any longer. I could not have them both. Leia was lost now. She would rather fight to the death than come with me, and I could not lose her permanently. The very thought chilled me to the core. The battle was over, though the thought of losing her again sent a pang through me. I turned completely, only waiting a second for him to follow my order.

I shook my head and stood taller, trying to match up to Anakin’s towering figure.

“Call. Them. Off.” I said again. I was not going to ask a third time. “Let them go.”

Anakin tilted his head to one side slightly. I waited. He waved a hand after a moment and his voice boomed through the plaza. “Fall back.”

I released my breath and let my muscles relax. They ached. The constant tension was beginning to freeze them. I took another breath. The ‘troopers stepped back behind Anakin, his hand snapping down as they fell into perfect alignment to either side. I could hear the rustle of footsteps as Leia, Obi-Wan, and Breha no doubt hurried for the exit. I let out another heavy breath and stepped over to a small bench, collapsing into its unforgiving metal frame. I glanced to where they once stood; the ground now empty. They had already escaped outside.

Luke sat down beside me. His eyes were fearful, but his expression was soft. I knew he feared Anakin. I myself still feared him. I was grateful he had chosen to trust me, though. I guessed he felt the same doubt deep in his gut, wrenching it from side to side. The path he was walking now was one of pain and uncertainty. I knew, as I was already walking it.
“Thank you. I missed you so very much, Luke,” I said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. The name left my lips with a bittersweet tinge. My soul was beginning to ache less, despite all that I had been through. His face beside mine, his gentle smile, was a balm for my war-torn psyche. I placed a hand to my face to catch another tear. I regretted letting Leia go, though I knew I had no other choice. I couldn’t have let Anakin try to capture her, I couldn’t have subjected her to that. I smiled at Luke, whose expression was still lost and fretful.

I looked to Anakin, who still stood a few metres away. The vapour swirled around us and shrouded him in shadow.

“Find her,” I said, my words fragile, “We have to find her again.”

 

Superb!!!! Stunning dichotomy of choices and very much in character. Luke's "You lied" and Leia's "You're my enemy if you're with him after what he did." Unless things change, the twins will be pitted against each other as well, eventually. Permanently glued to the edge of this seat!