The Penitent -- Fiction thread

Since the original thread for this story ( Forum16/HTML/000130.htmlThe Penitent -- Add on story ) has evolved into a planning thread, I'm moving the fictional parts of it here. If you want to join in the writing, you're welcome to -- just drop by the planning thread and let us know you're coming, so we can bake a cake.


If anyone is just "tuning in," some of the background for "The Penitent" is in my other stories. The tale of how Amidala has come to be Queen of Theed again is in the "Encounters" stories, archived at fanfiction net and linked through http://members.aol.com/fernwithy/vadersmask/penitent.htmlThe Penitent cover page at Vader's Mask. The back story of Leia and Vader's shared history is in the http://members.aol.com/fernwithy/vadersmask/fathersheart.htmlFather's Heart stories, also at Vader's Mask.

So... thus ends the non-fiction on this thread.

(PS: Because I'm cutting and pasting, I'm afraid the UBB codes and so on that make things look pretty will disappear)

[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 11-08-1999).]


[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 01-25-2000).]

[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 03-25-2000).]

 

Prologue: Resurrection

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

Star Wars:
The Penitent

It is a time of healing.

In the wake of the vast Civil War, the New Republic has taken the first steps in clearing the wreckage of the Empire, and re-building the trust and security of the galaxy.

The ruined world of Naboo has been re-seeded and revived, and Queen Amidala, long a prisoner at its core, reigns again in a resurrected Theed. Her daughter, Princess Leia Organa-Solo is rebuilding the Senate and trying to create a stable government. Thanks to mysteriously obtained Imperial codes, her son, the Jedi knight Luke Skywalker, continues to find hidden Imperial fortresses, prisons, and laboratories.

Acting on a suspicious pattern of these outposts, Wedge Antilles and the Rogue Squadron have made a disturbing discovery in the remote Runa system: a cloning lab, containing an experiment that even Luke had never suspected -- an experiment that could change his life forever, and at last bring peace and closure to his family....


[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 11-10-1999).]

[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 01-12-2000).]

 

(originally posted by JediGaladriel)

The clone rested on the table in the laboratory, its eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling and its chest rising and falling in a slow, even rhythm. Anakin hovered at the end of the table, concentrating his mind and his energy in this time and place. It was taxing -- he longed to spread himself out into the living Force, to touch the far corners of life, to feel the very heartbeat of the galaxy; staying in one place made him feel quite alone -- but he found it easier to focus his mind this way. The white noise of the universe that frequently comforted him and blunted his memories was gone; the thoughts of Obi-Wan and Yoda were outside of himself. Qui-Gon, perhaps, was with him, but the old Master was always quiet, and did not interfere in Anakin's decisions. Much to everyone's detriment, Anakin thought, then whispered an apology into the fog. He had vowed never to blame anyone but himself again for any of his poor decisions.

On the table, the clone's breathing continued on. Color was starting to come into his cheeks, and the gel he had been floating in had evaporated entirely. Palpatine's last temptation for him... and Luke's wish for him. A living human body, blood coursing through its veins and real, sensitive nerves in the fingertips. Anakin couldn't really remember what it felt like to run the tip of his finger across something. He wanted to remember.

He wondered what Amidala would make of it, and thought briefly about speaking to her on Naboo, but decided against it. He couldn't start depending on her for his own moral decisions, any more than he could depend on Luke or Qui-Gon. He thought she might smile wryly, though -- the clone wasn't even approaching a respectable age yet.

He thought he knew how to take it; it wouldn't even be that hard, just a matter of concentrating, as he was now, and then... jumping, he thought was the word for it. A little jump, and then a whole life ahead of him. The clone was twelve or thirteen. Its growth was only slightly exaggerated from normal human growth, maybe twice as fast as a normal childhood would have been; it would be more stable than a garden variety clone. Palpatine had begun him when he'd learned about Luke, using a DNA pattern that had been left in the computer of Amidala's transport. The rationale was obvious -- he wanted one more card up his sleeve, because somewhere in the back of his miserable mind, even he had suspected that Anakin was no longer entirely under his control.

"Palpatine is dead, Father," Luke said from the door. "His reasons and his schemes died with him. But the opportunity is still here."

"I'm dead, Luke." Anakin gave his son a weary smile (or at least hoped he did; he was never quite sure what his image was doing). "It doesn't seem to have that big an impact on which Jedi I can influence."

Luke nodded, taking it a bit more seriously than Anakin had intended him to. "Is he... there with you?"

Anakin had considered this question many times. He had not felt Palpatine's presence at all, and that made him suspicious. There should have been something, he thought. But then again, why would the living Force accept Palpatine at all?

And why would it accept me?

"No," he said.

"Take the clone, Father." Luke came into the room. Anakin felt the stir in the force that always accompanied him, which was welcome, and the piercing sensation of an attempt to use a mind trick, which was not.

"Whether or not I take the clone will be a question of my will, Luke, not yours."

To his credit, Luke didn't deny the attempt. "Father, I need your help. Or at least I want your help. And Leia doesn't know you, at least not as yourself."

"Leia knows me quite well. She knew me long before you did."

"But not -- "

"Luke, you're drawing a distinction that isn't there. Vader was a combination of all my bad choices, but he was me and I am him." He did not add, And if I take that clone, and cut myself off from the cool calmness of the living Force, you may get more of both of us than you're bargaining for.

Luke heard his thought an

 

(originally posted by Rhui Chatar -- edited for formatting only)

Anakin took breath into himself once again. It had been longer than he could remember doing so with of his own will and strength. The lightness of it, the heat flowing through him from just this simple act was something he would never take for granted again. But he must not dwell on that just now. He had taken this step in order to help Luke, to serve others as had been his original reason for leaving Tattooine with Qui-Gon. He would now fulfill that purpose to the best of abilities. He would pass on the knowledge that he had gained and the experience that had cost him so dearly. He would not fail again. He had clarity of thought that he had not known possible, a joy and contentment that knew no bounds. He would not let anyone or anything touch that in him again. He wanted nothing for himself except to bring Luke the happiness that he had once denied him. But the world was much that same as it had been before and most in it remembered him, not for his redemption but for his fall. He would have to face that in those around him. None, if any, would truly understand him now and some would undoubtedly wish him harmed. They would call it justice and he would not disagree but he would still have to try to make them see that salvation lies in forgiveness, not vengence.

[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 11-10-1999).]

 

(originally posted by JediGaladriel)

After awhile, he knew that he needed to get up, get off the stretcher where he was lying. He wondered, momentarily, if he remembered how to move, or walk, or if he would have to be retrained.

But the thought was nonsensical. The clone had been exercised in its gel; he could feel the strength in his limbs, and he had lost none of his memories in the transfer (though there were some he wished to be rid of). He breathed deeply -- enjoying it to its fullest extent, then tightened the muscles in his abdomen and sat up.

The cold air was shocking; the clone was only wearing shorts, and Anakin hadn't been in a non-regulated atmosphere for many years. Perhaps it wasn't cold to anyone else. He supposed he didn't mind. Being cold was being something, and being something meant he really was alive again. He slid to the floor, the cool metal smooth against his bare feet.

Walking wasn't quite as easy as he'd expected, and it took him two or three steps to train his new legs -- he remembered it taking significantly more steps than that when his artificial legs were being trained -- but by the time he got to the door, he was moving smoothly and easily.

It's me, he thought incredulously. I'm really back.

He regretted not speaking to Amidala. He wanted her to be here, desperately, an ache in the newly beating heart, a fever in the blood.

On second thought, maybe it was best to keep a proper distance for awhile.

When he reached the door, Luke looked up from across the room. There was a moment's passing uneasiness, for which Anakin blamed him not at all, then he smiled. "Welcome back, Father," he said.

He offered Anakin a bundle of clothes, brown and tan...

Anakin took them without saying much. "You can't be serious, Luke. I can't dress like a Jedi. Not after -- " He closed his eyes. "It wouldn't be right."

"It's snowing outside, Father," Luke said, his smile getting wider. "I'm sorry, but all I have are some spare clothes of my own. They'll be a little big on you for now."

Anakin could feel a certain, simple happiness coming from him now, and he wanted only for that to continue. Perhaps he could be forgiven for making a small gesture. He would not claim the title again. He took the robes, and went back into the laboratory to change.

[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 11-10-1999).]

 

Chapter One: The Road Home

(originally posted by JediGaladriel)

Han had never much liked waiting around, even when Leia was there to wait with him, but he guessed there were worse things, and he did owe Luke one for that business on Tatooine, if nothing else. So he hadn't asked for any explanations when Luke had signalled him on the comm-link and said, "I may be awhile. Something's come up." It was Luke... he wasn't likely to be running off for no good reason.

Leia had buried herself in a communication with her mother, who was beginning to hear cases for Naboo war criminals, so Han had entertained himself by playing both sides of his chess game. He was about to hit checkmate -- against the side he'd mentally designated as "the good guys" -- when he finally heard the hatch slide up.

He met Leia in the corridor, and they both met Luke coming up the ramp. With him was a boy, just about the age for his voice to start changing by the look of him. Blond, blue-eyed... looked a lot like Luke, if you squinted. He was wearing a loose Jedi robe that had dragged in the snow. His eyes immediately went to Leia, scanning her from head to toe in a way that made Han feel vaguely uncomfortable, but hey, what was a kid going to do?

Luke was looking around uncomfortably. Finally, the boy himself stepped forward, tearing his eyes off Leia for a scant moment to glance an acknowledgement at Han, then letting them snap back to her again. "I'm Anakin Skywalker," he said. "I... I know you both well."

At first, it didn't register in Han's mind, then one domino after another fell in. Not bothering to answer the boy who claimed to be Vader, he looked to Luke. "Have you finally lost what's left of you mind?" he asked.

[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 11-10-1999).]

[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 01-12-2000).]

 

(originally posted by Kithera -- edited for formatting only)

The silence streched before them uncomfortably. Han's dis-beliveing stare, Leia's almost shocked look, Luke's embarressed features. Finally Anakin broke the silence. "Well, you see...." he began.

"No, I don't see at all really. " Han interupted. "Except for a stupid Jedi who has gone a little far and really lost his marbles. I don't care for the empire, mister, I never did all I care about the rebellion either. But I refuse," here he shot a meaningful glance at Luke, "to allow you on board." With that He turned on his heels and stalked away.

Anakin stared at Luke, "This is not going to be easy?" he said.

[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 11-10-1999).]

 

(originally posted by JediGaladriel)

Anakin watched the pirate stalk away. It was to be expected, he supposed -- he would have done the same. Leia -- my daughter, Leia! -- was staring, gape-mouthed, at him. They had known each other for many years, through many betrayals, some worse than others. She had broken what heart he'd had left as Vader when she'd joined the Rebellion, and he'd made her pay for it. He tried to meet her eyes, but a wave of shame swept him away from her.

He started for the gangplank -- there was a somewhat less momentous regret that he would still not be able to get a good look at this marvellous ship; he had always admired the Falcon -- but Luke caught him by the robe and turned him around. Luke was staring at Leia.

"Don't look at me," she whispered after awhile. "I'd have said the same, if I hadn't been utterly speechless."

[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 11-10-1999).]

 

(originally posted by Ariana Lang -- edited for formatting only)


Leia turned and went back to her room on the Millenium Falcon, where Threepio was waiting. Feeling childish, but needing to hear the soothing voice of the unknown woman, she asked Threepio to tell her the story of the young queen and dragon riding boy that he used to tell her about when she was young.

Why had Luke done this? What good could POSSIBLY come from this? She knew Vader was their father. She realized this. But wasn't he better off dead? She hated Vader. Always had. No. That was lie. Somewhere, deep down, she still respected him from her childhood days. She sighed, and listened to the voice.

"The boy was nervous, but he knew that he could do it. He had altered the engines to make them go faster, and he HAD been racing his whole life, just not ever for someone else's freedom. What would happen to his new-found companions if he lost? He looked at his mother who was sitting in the stands..."

<he had altered the engines to make them go faster>

<Have you considered altering the engines?>

<He HAD been racing all his life>

<I raced when I was a child>

No. It had to be a coincidence. It HAD to be. She knew that he mother had been from Naboo, and so had this legend, but she couldn't have been...Could she? Leia's mind was spinning. "Threepio, stop."

"Excuse me, Mistress Leia?"

"Stop, Threepio. Do you know how this legend got store in your memory? Who's talking?"

"No, Mistress Leia."

Of course not.


[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 11-10-1999).]

 

(originally posted by JediGaladriel)

Anakin watched his daughter disappear into a closed chamber of the ship, his mind automatically cataloging what he remembered having found in that room on a search long ago. He turned to Luke. "This is pointless, Luke. I've hurt both of them more than I hurt you. They will not forgive me. I will not ask it of them."

"But Father, Leia needs to forgive you. Mother knows that; she's concerned about this anger. I'm concerned about it. Leia needs to understand -- "

"As I told you before, Leia knows me well. Her choice is made, and I don't blame her for it. Right now, it's perhaps best that we find a way off this world. Which world is this, by the way?"

Luke blinked slowly, unwilling to acknowledge the realities of the situation by giving factual answers and alternatives -- it was a good trait, Anakin thought, the trait that had saved his own sorry excuse for a soul, but it didn't leave a lot of room for practicalities. "The planet doesn't have a name, as far as I know," he said at last. "It's in the temperate range around Runa."

"Runa?" Anakin nodded. "That makes sense. The energy storms in the gas clouds around the Runa system would make it hard to find. And destroy any pilot who didn't see them fast enough. That's Palpatine's strategy. He probably got a lot of good men killed just trying to get the laboratories set up." He grimaced. "I hope you lost no one in finding it?"

"No. Rogue Squadron is known for piloting. Han and I flew separately -- "

"Your X-Wing is here?"

"Yes, it's locked to the hull. I thought it would be better if I was with you while we got home."

"Well, that solves the practical problem, at least. You stay here with Solo and your sister. I'll fly your X-Wing."

"You're going to fly a ship class that you've never flown through the Runa energy storms?"

Anakin felt himself smile -- the prospect did his heart more good than Luke knew -- then answered. "I've flown simulations. We were not unaware of Rebel capabilities."

"Father, I just think we should resolve this issue before -- "

"This issue is not going to be resolved quickly. In the meantime, it is well to return to a place where there is some comfort to be found for both of them."

He could see Luke struggling with the idea, but in the end, even he recognized the practical necessity. He gave Anakin a flight suit and helmet (again, far too big; Anakin decided that finding clothes was going to be a priority, in the pracitcal realm, for a time), then led him out to the X-Wing. It took some prodding even to get Solo to allow the ship to be unlocked -- he'd have been happy to see Anakin stranded here -- but eventually he was persuaded. Anakin watched the Falcon take off -- it was a wonderful sight, he thought -- then, for the first time in several years, hit the X-Wing's thrusters, and took off after them.

[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 11-10-1999).]

 

(originally posted by JediGaladriel)

The X-Wing handled well enough, Anakin found, though Luke had been a bit lax in making modifications -- he'd noticed long ago that the machines had a much greater potential range of motion than the Rebellion had generally employed, though of course he had not made that information public. He broke from the planet's gravity well, and the thrill of deep space filled him again, as addictive as any power he'd ever known, but much less dangerous (though he thought his mother might have had something to say on that subject).

He banked sharply, just to get a feel for the controls -- no sim was a substitute for a real spacecraft -- then dove and spun as a crackle of energy from the storms cut through the space where he had been a moment ago. He could see Solo dancing the Falcon among the beams as well. He was good. That asteroid business had been extraordinary piloting.

But Anakin was better. He smiled, the old joy coming back to him, the joy that had nothing to do with good or evil or anything beyond the moment of flight. He banked again, going closer to the Falcon, but not so close that Solo would take it for a game -- the last thing he needed was Solo thinking that he was being frivolous, or for Luke to think he didn't have a serious mind --

He slowed. He really oughtn't enjoy himself. He had no right to do so.

Joy is the road home, a voice said in his mind. Qui-Gon's voice, a welcome voice. Find your soul, Ani.

Better not to play with the Falcon, Anakin thought. But he could fly -- this was a place where he could really fly. He smiled, and flew into a thicker cloud.

[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 11-10-1999).]

 

(originally posted by JediGaladriel)

Han didn't have a lot of energy to waste being angry at the kid. Flying around Runa took up a whole lot of his time, and he figured Leia could keep up the anger for now. Luke was out of his mind, but Han figured he should have guessed that two months ago, on Naboo. Both of them had gotten pretty shaken up, finding their mother -- now Luke had it in his head that he could fix the whole mess. Delusions of grandeur. Not a good enough reason to get them all killed by losing concentration out here.

He dove, spun, straightened. Above him, a pulse of energy imploded on itself. Han glanced at it, and caught sight of the X-wing... diving into the thickest cloud.

Deliberately.

And he'd thought Luke was out of his mind! At least he seemed to have come by it --

Flash.

Han veered at the last possible moment. No time to question Vader's sanity. Not that he really had ever thought there was such a thing to question. Calling Vader insane was the biggest understatement in the --

The X-Wing dodged and spun, and went deeper into the cloud; Han grudgingly had to admit that it was some good flying. He was going to lose sight of Vader soon, and he definitely didn't want that to happen. He considered asking Luke to raise his old man on whatever mind-comm they were using and telling him to get back into normal space, or as normal as it got around here.

But that would lose the excuse to follow him.

He didn't call for Luke. With a quick check of his instruments, he followed Vader into the storm.

[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 11-10-1999).]

 

(originally posted by JediGaladriel, who hopes fervently that the story will be picked up next by a different voice. )

Anakin dove beneath an arc of light. It almost singed the port lasers, but he managed to pull through untouched. A little close, that.

The exhilaration of the flight was not waning; it was growing, filling his heart and his soul. His hands ran lightly over the controls; it had been a long time since his fingers had been nimble enough to work them so finely. He marvelled at the feel of the worn instrument panel, at the scratch of the flight suit on his skin, at the sound of R2's constant chirping.

R2-D2... back at the beginning again. He smiled. There would be no wrong turns this time. He would --

A proximity alarm light flashed, and he saw the Falcon twisting not far from him, dodging the same arc that had almost singed him a moment ago. Was Solo out of his mind?

The first flicker of anger appeared in his mind, and he squelched it with horror. This was a mistake. It was too soon to open these floodgates.

He flashed the emergency lights twice in a surrender pattern, so Solo wouldn't go any deeper into the storm (not with the twins on board, at any rate), then took the shortest route he could find out of the lightning. He emerged into open space, beyond the barrier, and saw the Falcon pull out not far ahead of him. The galaxy beyond waited with cold patience.

[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 11-10-1999).]

 

Anakin killed the engines of the X-Wing, waiting for contact from Luke or Solo (he had no hope that it would be Leia; she had been flatly refusing to accept even a mental communication for several months). After a moment, Artoo signalled the incoming comm.

"What the hell were you doing out there?" Solo asked, without preliminaries.

"I was getting a feel for the ship." His voice echoed flatly in the cockpit, and he realized the speech patterns he'd accustomed himself to were going to sound a little ridiculous until the clone's voice changed. But he couldn't revert to speaking like a child, no matter how he looked. "On what grounds do you justify following when you have passengers on board?"

"On the grounds that I don't want you out of my sight."

"Han." Luke's voice came over the air, and Anakin could see him in his mind, moving forward to the microphone. "Father, I think it's best if we go to Naboo. I've contacted Mother, and she will take you in."

Anakin shook his head. "I think it a poor idea, Luke. There are some... obvious difficulties."

"Great," Solo said in the background. "He thinks it's a bad plan. Does he have a better one? Some other old buddy to hook up with?"

Luke didn't respond to that. "Father, I'm not pretending that this won't be difficult. But I see no alternative at the moment."

 

Naboo.

Amidala disconnected the communication, and stepped back slowly from the holoprojector she was standing on. Around her, the construction work went on, the sun filtered through marble dust and the wind tossing the voices of the Gungan and Naboo workers from place to place. They worked nearly twenty hours a day. It was becoming background.

Distant background.

She had spun daydreams, spoken to no one, in which Ani returned to her, to hold her and... and to be her husband... and she had cherished them. This, though -- thirteen? She would need to fold up those daydreams, pack them in a trunk, and set them aside forever. There were lines that were uncrossable.

She stepped to the window, saw through the scaffolding on the side of the palace -- it really was becoming invisible to her now -- and looked out across the plains below. The seeds of Alderaan, which Leia had held for so many years, were beginning to take root in the soil of Naboo. A thin, ephemeral film of green grasses stretched to the horizon, dotted here and there by small red flowers. Patches of slight different toned grass provided a contrast; no effort had been made to sort the seeds. This would be the new nature of Naboo, just as Naboo would be the new home for Alderaan. Many native species of Naboo were gone beyond hope of return, but it seemed that the Gungans had taken more into exile than she had guessed. The red swamp-flowers were thriving again, and a few species of birds, kept as pets and timid from captivity, were beginning to wander the sky again.

She tried to imagine Ani, wandering through this new, delicate world. What would take root in his heart, after all these years? She had told Luke to bring him here, but now she was afraid -- it was all so fragile, and this new place they were all in... could it survive?

Around her, the work of rebuilding went on, unnoticed.

 

Really good stuff, Galadriel! I'm looking forward to reading more!!

 

Calrissian had come back earlier in the day, with a shipment of marble from Sullust. Amidala could see him in the courtyard, supervising its unloading and taking instructions for placement from the artisans. She would have to grant him Naboo citizenship, whether he asked for it or not; he was too good a mayor to pass up, and both the Gungans and the Naboo had been asking her to allow him citizenship to run.

He saw her through the window and waved, and she returned it wanly. She had too much on her mind to handle Lando's harmless flirting today. He claimed not to mean it anyway.

She turned away, toward the throne room, where the day's troubles waited impatiently for her. Hearings, a trial, and a wedding... at least she hoped for the last. The couple had come before her three times already and backed out each time; she thought they were sweet, and was looking forward to blessing their marriage. She bit her lip. She wondered what twisted blessing someone had just put on her own.

 

Lando had just drifted off to sleep in a room the Queen (former queen? future queen? Well, pretty darn good looking for a 40 something year old, anyway.) had given him when the door chimed.

He wrenched the door open and glared at the young man in some sort of uniform.

"WHAT???"

"Uh..er..General Calrissian, Sir... Her Majesty the Queen of Naboo wishes for you to see her immediately."

Lando sighed. He wondered what she wanted. More marble, perhaps? Information on her new son-in-law? Heheheheh. He could give her PLENTY of information on that. Including how that old space pirate CHEATED at the card game to win his precious...

"Sir?"

"Yes. Tell her I'll be right there."

He got dressed and went down to (what was left) of the throne. The Queen - what was her name? Amanda? Arcadia? Amidala? He couldn't remember - was staring out the window with a far away look on his face. Not wanting to startle her, he tried to clear his throat quietly.

"Mmm-hhm."

No response.

"Mmm-HHM."

She remained perfectly still.

"MMM-HHM!"

She must have been startled, but she just turned around calmy and smiled at Lando.

"Ah, General Calrissian. How are you? Would you like anything to drink?"

"Sure. Ale?"

She smiled faintly and handed him a cup of tea. Oops.

"Let me get down to business, Callrissian. I have heard of the wonderful things you have done with a mining colony. You seem to be a very strong leader with a good sense of how to run things..."

"Good sense how to run things? I don't want be to rude, but you've got the wrong guy. I almost got my whole colony killed."

"Yes, but you kept them well protected until then and then when the colony was in danger warned them instead of running yourself. That shows responsibility. I want you to grant you honored citizenship of Naboo."

Lando was surprised, but flattered. If only his old space buddies could see him now.


Ok, guys. How is this? Too long winded? Too boring? Too out of (anybody's) character? Do I need to just delete this and have someone else continue the story? I need feedback! Be truthful!



[This message has been edited by Ariana Lang (edited 11-19-1999).]

 

Looks good to me, Ariana... except that he's already been helping rebuild -- brought the marble and so on -- so maybe she could offer him the citizenship she'd just been thinking about instead?

 

Actually, when I meant "rebuild" I meant in terms of government, not physically rebuild, but I changed it. To anyone who did not read this before the edit: You're going to have no clue what we're talking about.

 

There is something I'm forgetting, Amidala thought dreamily. Yes, oh, of course.

"There has been some discussion among my council, and quite a bit more popularly. Now that you have been granted citizenship, I ask you to consider running for the position of Prince of Theed." She saw Calrissian's eyes widen, and remembered that of course he wouldn't know the term. "It is simply a mayoral post, General. I served as Princess of Theed before I became queen. I was twelve... "

He's thirteen.

She blinked, and tried to bring herself back to the throne room, where Calrissian was waiting patiently. "I don't suppose you've spoken to General Solo today?" she asked.

Calrissian shook his head. "Han's a friend your Majesty, but we don't spend a lot of time talking on the airwaves."

Amidala nodded. "General, my husband will be returning this afternoon. Is there a room in the palace that can be made ready for him before tonight?"

"Your husband?"

"And clothes. He was never a very large boy, at least not at that age. Have any of the vendors begun selling children's clothes?"

Calrissian put a hand on her arm and turned her around. "Your husband?" he repeated.

Amidala drew her arm away, and straightened her head. "Yes, General Calrissian," she said. "My husband."

She looked him squarely in the eye (which took some doing; he was a tall man), then left the room. It was all she had to say.

 

I'm just going to pick this up. Let's drop the idea of point of view characters; it seems to be bogging us down. Just pick up the threadline as it goes, in whatever POV you think is appropriate.

Naboo.

Anakin's heart sped up for a moment as he came out of lightspeed -- it was home, as much as Tatooine, at any rate, and more than Coruscant. Amidala was there, waiting. And it was the first planet he had seen from behind the controls of a starship; that was something worth noting as well, though he wasn't sure anyone else would understand it.

He didn't see the Falcon anywhere yet, so he hit the comm-link.

"Yes, Father?" Luke asked.

"What's keeping you?"

Luke laughed. "The sunstorm around Tatooine. The X-wing dodged it a little better than we did. But we're only an hour behind you."

"Everyone is well?"

"Everyone's okay."

"Very well. I'll be waiting on Naboo."

He cut off the comm, and piloted down into the atmosphere, the sunwashed plains glimmering with their new grasses. The hangar was where it had always been, and Calrissian's people had mostly restored it. He circled Theed once (no one was watching; he figured no one would question him enjoying the flight for a moment here), then guided the X-wing inside.

++++++++++++++

Amidala couldn't help grinning when she saw the X-wing begin the wholly unnecessary second circle of Theed, and she laughed aloud when she saw it spin neatly on its axis around a perfect arc.

Ani.

She waited patiently for the landing gear to come down, and the ladder to lower itself. The hatch opened.

And he didn't come out.

She could see him there, in the cockpit. He'd been just about on his feet when he'd caught sight of her, then he'd sunk back down quickly. At the size he was at, it didn't take much to hide him. He was hiding from her.

The realization brought back all the nervousness she'd felt, momentarily lost in the joy of watching him fly. It had been one thing, talking to him across the great divide of his death. This... this would be different.

But it had to be done. Ani had come home to her, at long last. It wasn't as she would have it. But it was a fact that had to be dealt with.

She took a deep breath, then steeled herself and went to the ladder. She climbed it.

He was sitting in the cockpit, a smallish boy with fine blond hair and pale skin, and a thin, quiet voice. "Are you an angel?" he whispered.

She smiled. "You're a funny little boy."

 

Leia sat across from her brother, hands folded tightly against the edge of the small table. Her knuckles were starting to ache. She didn't look up to meet his eyes, and she could feel him trying to probe her mind. For the first time, she consciously tried to block him out.

"Leia, will you please stop that?"

"Stop what?"

Hands, one warm and real, the other a bit cooler, harder, wrapped around her own. Reluctantly, she looked up. Luke was looking at her warmly, concerned... she felt childish for her own behavior. Surely, Luke had to be in the right, had to be superior to her in this --

He wasn't there. He didn't see our father stand perfectly still and do nothing while his homeworld was wiped from the sky. He wasn't... questioned about anything. He doesn't know what I know. He doesn't know yet that Father can caress your face with one hand and rip your heart out with the other.

Then, as if sensing the image but not the horrible wrenching it brought with it, Luke raised his mechanical hand slowly, and placed it on her cheek. She pushed it away and stood up. "What were you thinking, Luke?"

"I wasn't," he admitted. "I should have spoken to you first. And to Mother."

"Yes, well, remember that if you decide to bring Palpatine back from the dead next."

Luke sighed. "Leia, this isn't good for you. I wasn't thinking when I suggested this to him. But now, I think I would have done it for your sake. You have to learn to live with it."

"With it, maybe. With him? I don't think so, Luke."

 

*Here goes nothing. I'll try to add on to what you've started, Jedi Gala but if you think it doesn't fit, just ignore it and take it on to the next level -- Skysong*

"Let go of your hate, Leia," said Luke. A chill passed through him as he remembered saying those very words to his father, a long time ago it seemed. It seemed so ironic that he would be saying those very same words to Leia.

*If you will not be turned, then perhaps she will...*

Luke shuddered at the memory, at the very thought of Leia trapped by the same darkness that had held Anakin prisoner for so long.

"You just don't understand," said Leia wearily. "No--don't reach into my head and tell me that you can. It's different when you've lived through it. Different when--"
She paused and shook her head. Stepped back and made as if to leave.

Luke was stung by the words but then, he finally realized what she meant. Yes, he could reach out to her through their bond. But he had never been there on the Death Star when Alderaan was destroyed. And maybe he could say that he too had gone through the same torment -- Bespin was the first memory to come to mind -- but to Leia it still wasn't the same.

And it never could be.

He placed a hand on her arm. "I won't tell you to forget what he did. And I won't tell you that I completely understand what happened between the two of you. But what I do see is that you're still hurting and the hurt's festering inside you like an open wound."

She didn't look at him. "So what do you think I should do, O great Jedi Knight?"

He flinched at her sarcastic tone and she immediately wanted to take the words back. She had never spoken like that to him before.
But he doggedly continued.

"Talk to him, Leia. Find a way to heal that wound. Try to forgive."

This time, she stroked his cheek. An apology. A sister's touch, making up for all the times that were lost.

"I don't know if I can, Luke."

This time, she did leave.

 

Leia sat quietly in the cockpit as Han began the landing cycle on Naboo. She could see the X-Wing on the far side of the hangar, and Mother was standing with...

He squeezed her eyes shut, opened them again. He was still there.

Worse, she wanted to go to him.

Not to Mother. To him.

It wasn't right. What Luke had said to her wasn't news -- the hate and anger and resentment burned through her, and she knew they would burn her away if she didn't find a way past them. But every time she tried, the memories flooded back to her, the questioning on the Death Star, the moment he put her dead Mother in her arms, the blank, awful stare in the carbon freezing chamber on Bespin...

But there had been something else on Bespin, too, hadn't there? Just for a moment, before Han had gone down into the pit. In her own pain, her mind had opened, and she'd felt a vast, sad confusion coming from Vader. It had been so strong that she'd turned to look at him, despite everything. He'd been so focused on Luke (she guessed now) that he hadn't noticed, and she'd had other things to worry about, but it had been there. She didn't doubt that.

And the other matters, the things that came before, when she had loved him, and he had saved her... those things remained in her memory as well, and a part of her longed to simply go back to them, to reach through the terror of the intervening years, hold on tight to that lost warmth, and fight through this together.

But in the end, it was nothing of herself that made it impossible for her to forgive him. It was the voices of the dead, crying out to her: Have you forgotten us?

She hadn't forgotten, and she couldn't. She was a soldier, and had her own dead to atone for, but Vader had committed murder in cold blood

(I watched him burn)

and that was different. Someone who did such a thing should not be forgiven. No matter how much she regretted having done it.

++++++++++++++++++

Anakin had changed into the clothes Lando had brought, and looked like any other adolescent Naboo boy, at least to anyone but Amidala. The tunic was a deep maroon, with biege trousers and brown boots. His hair had been combed neatly and precisely, and he had taken a good deal of time to clean himself. Amidala had found him, half an hour after he'd left her, scrubbing his hands with a harsh brush until they were at the point of bleeding, and had taken it from him. They hadn't spoken of it. They'd barely spoken at all. It had been easier before. Now, their marriage lay between them, lost in chasm more uncrossable than death. He spoken to Threepio longer than he'd spoken to her.

Thirteen.

The hatch of the Falcon opened, and Luke came out first, Chewbacca close behind him. His approach wasn't at all hesitant, and his smile was broad and genuine. Han led Leia out a few minutes later, and Amidala's heart sank. Leia looked like she'd been caught in the gears of a droid factory.

Amidala went to her, put an arm around her, then held her. "It's all right, Leia. It will be all right."

Leia shook her head. "No. It won't."