You're Who?
Skywalker
"You're who?" Leia asked in disbelief. Not because he sounded so very young and inexperienced, (although what was high command thinking, sending someone so green on such a mission?) but because of that name.
Skywalker
She knew that name. She continued the conversation with her erstwhile rescuer on autopilot, mind elsewhere. The name haunting her thoughts.
Skywalker
Leia could never remember a time when she did not know she was adopted. She could not recall her parents sitting her down and explaining it to her; she had no memory of being confused regarding her parents vs. her blood parents. She could not evoke a time she thought her parents were her blood parents. It was as if she had always known.
This never troubled her. She had a remarkably happy childhood: and her parents were the reason. Leia understood she had not been born on Alderaan or even had any Alderaani ancestors, but she still felt a connection to her planet and people. The youngling did not feel as though she had some gaping hole where her blood parents were supposed to be. Nor did she feel as though her parents were not her real parents.
However, this did not imply she was not curious about her origins. Did not feel as though knowing where she came from would not right that occasional feeling of imbalance in her life. Did not want to know.
As a child she came to the conclusion her tutor, Madame Sabe, had known one or both of her blood parents. When Leia did certain things there was an odd quirk of her lips, a twinkle of recognition in her eye, a look of nostalgia on her face. But the child had no evidence so she never asked. Leia rarely asked anyone about her blood parents, and at a fairly young age stopped asking altogether. She never got any answers after all.
Captain Antilles, who commanded the Organa's private transport the Tantive IV, had left his two droids on Alderaan for an extended period of time while she was young. Leia never knew why he left the droids behind but was happy about it all the same. Droids were not particularly common on Alderaan. But the nine-year-old Leia loved droids, and she loved those two most of all. Their designations were C-3PO and R2-D2 but their names were Threepio and Artoo. They had more personality, not to mention competence, than many organic sentients she knew—and she was convinced they were sentient. She even grew to think of them as friends.
Seeing that neither of her parents were particularly fond of droids, though they were never mean to them, and that droids were not a large part of their culture she decided her appreciation for them must come from her blood parents. So she when her father came into her room to check on her only to find her giggling with Threepio and Artoo, stopping with a stricken look Leia did not recognize at the time, she innocently asked if her blood parents had liked droids.
Bail Organa instead told her that it was dangerous to speak or ask about her blood parents. He told her they had died at the end of the clone wars. He had known them both, but her blood mother better. She must never ask about them again.
That he was adamant on, and took from her a vow to seal it.
Leia never asked about her blood parents again.
It was only later, when Threepio and Artoo disappeared back to the Tantive IV that she realized he had never answered her question.
While the young princess kept her promise to not ask about her blood parents it did not halt her interest. Yet, the few things she discerned or suspected just were not enough for any meaningful ideas to coalesce. Her blood parents had died at the end of the clone wars. They were not Alderaani. Her father had known them both, her blood mother better. Madame Sabe might have known one or both of them. Which meant one or both of them might be from Naboo, Sabe's home planet. One or both of them liked droids.
The fact that Sabe had worked for the Nubian government as a handmaiden/advisor/assistant and bodyguard, as well as the fact that there were few opportunities for her father to meet people from other worlds which did not involve his work lead the princess to believe one or both of her blood parents were politicians.
Adding that to the fact they had died at the end of the clone wars and it was dangerous to talk about them indicated they had been involved in early alliance activity, or at least were against the formation of the empire.
Despite all of her theories Leia just did not know and it was incredibly frustrating.
It was when she was celebrating her election to the Republic Senate that she acquired more information.
Her parents were beaming, person after person was congratulating her, the atmosphere was festive, and Leia was suffocating. She had always wanted to go into politics, not just her role as future queen of Alderaan, but to work at making the galaxy a better place. Neither she nor her father had wanted accusations of nepotism so when Bail announced he was retiring to spend more time planet side (really to work more closely with the alliance) the Alderaani held a true election between three different candidates, none of whom were endorsed by the outgoing senator or queen. Of course Princess Leia still won in a landslide, but it mattered to her that she had won her seat instead of inheriting it.
Feeling overwhelmed and wanting to escape for some air she discretely left the celebration and headed for the family's private balcony: only to find it occupied by her mother and Madame Sabe. They were apparently discussing her election, by comparing it to her blood mother's! Leia crouched down against the wall as it curved around before opening to the balcony so she could see and hear but be difficult to observe in return.
"Leia is older than my friend when she first entered public service, although Leia has been a part of Alderaan's political structure her whole life. She is younger than my friend was when she was first elected senator though. Leia's accomplishments are extraordinary. She is setting out to serve the people of Alderaan as well as the entire galaxy. Truly impressive. You ought be proud Breha."
"I am" Leia could hear the pride in her mother's voice. "Astronomically proud. And happy. There are few moments in my life happier; I can only bring to mind my wedding and when Bail brought Leia to me the first time. I was sitting on this very balcony and he put this tiny baby in my arms." Breha trailed off for a moment before continuing, "I am afraid too. My Leia is good at maintaining her façade, but she is too hotheaded—"
Sabe snorted, shocking her student who had never heard such an unladylike sound from the Nubian. "Leia gets that delightful trait from her blood father, along with recklessness."
The Alderaani smiled at the other woman "I was always under the impression your former employer was rather reckless too. The counter invasion of Naboo comes to mind. As does her involvement in the battle of Genosis."
"That battle would have happened whether or not she was involved. The separatist leaders made sure of that, and if they had not gone to help their friend the casualties would have been much worse. And I really must protest. She wasn't reckless, she was impulsive, and there's a difference." Sabe corrected mock indignantly.
"Enlighten me" Breha returned playfully.
"Gladly" Sabe responded in kind. "My friend would do things that were unexpected and make snap decisions, but she still thought them through. She made plans; she knew what she was doing. The invasion a perfect example. He may have been a good, even brilliant, strategist when you could get him to sit down and make plans ahead of time. But as he would say 'Poodoo happens' and he would just react, throwing out any previous plans."
"I thought that was called improvisation?" was the queen's response.
"Yes," Sabe laughed, "I do believe that's what he would call that trait. And he was certainly very adept at it in his own way. My home world owes its independence to him and that attribute after all. He was rather celebrated for it during the clone wars too as I recall. And of course Leia clearly inherited stubbornness from all four of her parents."
"Ahh ahh ahh" Breha slowly shook her finger back at forth at the other woman "determination."
"Of course," Sabe bowed her head to the queen.
The two women were silent for a few moments before agreeing they needed to return to the party before someone wondered where they were. Leia quickly made her own exit before they could discover her.
The newly elected senator could never remember any more of her own celebratory party. Her mind whirring with the new information. Sabe indeed had known her blood parents. And even been an employee of her blood mother's, who was definitely Nubian. Her parents had fought in the battle of Genosis. Her blood father had, at some point, saved Naboo. He fought in the clone wars; he was a brilliant strategist but often improvised solutions.
Her mind once more was alight with the possibilities. Who were her blood parents? How had they known her father? It definitely seemed her blood mother was a politician from Naboo, but who?
Leia knew in a few days she would leave for Coruscant, or Imperial Center as the imps called it. She was trying as hard as she could to focus on learning about her new duties and preparing for her time in office, not mulling over the possibilities her blood parents posed. But it was one of the hardest things she had ever done, to bury her curiosity; and downright impossible to totally wrench her thoughts from the tantalizing tidbits teased by her tutor and mother's conversation.
Over the next several days the senator-elect received no rest. Unable to find sleep as her thoughts whirled through her mind like air speeders in Coruscant traffic. She needed to know, the mystery was maddening. The princess was able to put together the information she had about her blood mother to come up with a suspect, and it was not someone she would have ever dared believe.
Growing up Leia's hero was Queen Amidala of Naboo. Sabe had of course been more than happy to wax lyrical regarding the queen she had served, but Leia's fascination began even before Sabe had come to be her tutor. Throughout her life she had admired the woman who had dared what no one dared before to defend her people. Who crossed the deep-rooted boundaries between the Naboo and the Gungans to request their aid; who had even humbled herself before them. The queen who led the raid to retake her capital city at only 14 years of age. The woman who had advocated peace and sought diplomatic solutions throughout the clone wars. Who championed the downtrodden and instituted many social reforms, both on her own planet and throughout the galaxy (few of which were extant under the empire). The leader who had fought tooth and nail against slavery in both the republic and the outer rim territories. Amidala had even supported droid rights! She had been the driving force behind the foundation of the rebel alliance despite never being able to see its creation.
Leia found it hard to credit her childhood hero was in fact her blood mother, but it made sense. Indeed she was the only real possibility.
Queen Padme Naberrie Amidala was obviously from Naboo, and a politician, Sabe had known her well as a handmaiden and bodyguard. While a senator she had been a keen political ally of Bail Organa's, as well as a good friend. Her history with proto-anti-imperialist views made her a dangerous figure. Amidala had died at the end of the clone wars under mysterious circumstances. It all fit.
Well almost. When Padme Amidala died she was, or at least appeared to be, pregnant. Looking at a picture of the late politician, lying in her casket, baby bump startlingly visible Leia came to the conclusion that someone, possibly including her father, made sure it appeared the babe had died with her so as to protect Leia herself.
Unfortunately, none of this helped Leia identify her blood father. Amidala wasn't married, had no known lovers at the time of her death or even any known romantic relationships at all for over four years previously.
As a prominent, powerful, popular politician she was a well-known public figure. Being young, beautiful and apparently unattached had lead to much speculation of her lover's identity. None particularly useful to Leia. Some theories had various members of her staff as the father, an artist she had been friends with as a child, Leia's own father (as if he would ever dishonor his wife, let alone bring home his illegitimate child to be raised in their home!), and even Palpatine (Eugh!).
It seemed like she would not easily discover who her blood father was. The facts she had about him did not help much either, the impression they gave was of a soldier, some kind of military man, but Amidala had little to no interaction with the military except the occasional escort for diplomatic matters.
Having solved half of the mystery Leia was somewhat able to put aside her curiosity and try to learn her blood father's identity later. Instead she immersed herself in any and all details she could find on her blood mother. If any asked why she simply provided the answer that she idolized the woman and sought to emulate her. It was not even false.
This was why Leia was so excited to meet the current Nubian senator—Pooja Naberrie. She was several years older than Leia but still one of the youngest politicians in the senate. She had similar political goals and ideas as well, though she was more discreet and less outspoken, and she had only been in office a few years. She was also Padme Naberrie Amidala's niece—Leia's cousin.
Pooja was friendly and cautiously indicated her support for the alliance. Leia was unable to completely suppress her desire to know her cousin when they met and reached out to grab her hand. Something that few strangers would do. Fortunately Pooja did not mind and easily reciprocated. Soon the two young women grew to be friends and spent a lot of their precious free time together. They traded stories about their home planets, families, and politics. In addition Pooja was happy to discuss her aunt with Leia, giving many personal details to her hidden cousin.
The curious orphan burned to tell her new friend, quickly becoming one of the best friends she had ever had, their blood relation, but could not. The neophyte senator was painfully aware that revealing such would be dangerous to them both as well as Leia's parents, Sabe, and anyone else who could possibly have been involved in Leia's relocation to Alderaan. Still it hurt when Pooja occasionally commented on her family: on their pain at loosing Padme, and knowing she may never be able to be part of their family.
The new senator's growing friendship with Pooja, research into Amidala's life, secret rebel interactions, diplomatic missions, and political obligations left Leia plenty busy for her first year in office. It was only when she found something in the official account of her blood mother's death that Leia finally found the answer she had almost forgotten (not almost forgotten, not forgotten at all, but resigned to) she needed.
Leia did not think that the "official" records had much of use to offer her. After all they were heavily edited by the empire and did not include a real account of events. However, it would look suspicious if she skipped over the more significant records completely as she researched her idol. So she went back over the records of her blood mother's death again one day when she had some free time.
Officially senator Padme Naberrie Amidala, former queen of Naboo, had discovered the Jedi plot to seize power and they had murdered her for it. Her assassination was blamed on Jedi knight Anakin Skywalker. Clearly this was fabricated. Leia knew the Jedi had not attempted to usurp the senate and certainly would never have murdered someone. They were the victims of the empire, not the other way around.
It was a somewhat odd choice though to blame her death on them; Amidala had always had good relations with the Jedi as well as high profile enemies such as key separatist leaders. The empire exterminated the separatist coalition around the same time, it would have been much more likely for one of them to have ordered an assassination than the Jedi, and would have brought more sympathy for the new emperor at the loss of his protégé as well as motivation for destroying the separatist leaders. Had Palpatine simply been trying to make a point with his assertions? The Jedi were so evil they would have no problem killing an ally, a friend, if necessary? That was certainly a plausible reason for the story but something still felt off. Especially since Palpatine did not simply say the Jedi killed her but named a famous war hero too. Anakin Skywalker.
Skywalker
Something about the name rang in Leia's mind. It felt significant, even momentous.
During the clone wars the Jedi Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi were the faces of the republic. They won battle after battle. Glancing back over their records she saw that her blood mother had frequently worked with them on diplomatic missions as well as being under their protection on a number of occasions, beginning with the invasion of Naboo. Following which…
Leia's eyes widened and her breath caught. She re-read the section, and then again.
Following the battle of Naboo Queen Amidala had named new Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker and a droid as heroes of Naboo for their roles in breaking the siege.
What was it Sabe had said? That Naboo owed its independence to her blood father? Could her blood father be Anakin Skywalker, The Hero With No Fear?
Surely not. Jedi didn't have attachments, let alone secret affairs and children. And yet…
Skywalker
Why had Palpatine blamed her blood mother's death on Skywalker? On him specifically? If he was her blood father, and Palpatine knew it…that might make sense. In this version of events not only would he be betraying a friend and ally, but the mother of his unborn child. However, that logic would make a lot more sense if their relationship were known. Why bother to slander the man when the reason was obscured?
Leia decided to take a walk through the senatorial gardens to clear her head. She meandered through the bushes and flowers unable to enjoy their beauty: her mind on the puzzle of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Naberrie Amidala.
Skywalker
Fortuitously she bumped into her friend.
"Watch where you're going Leia!" Pooja laughed, reaching her hand out to steady the other senator. "You almost ran into me! I can't believe you were able to side step in time!"
Leia shrugged, she had always been extraordinarily graceful, with a gift of spatial awareness: an ability to know where she was and where everything around her was even if she wasn't consciously aware of it. She was truly preoccupied that she had been in danger of running into Pooja at all.
"Are you alright?" the Nubian asked, looking at the princess with concerned eyes. "You do seem out of sorts."
"I can't really explain it Pooja" she sighed. "You know how much I idolize your aunt, and that I have been researching her life." Pooja nodded to continue. "Well, I came across the account of her death and it just doesn't make sense! I don't believe for a moment the Jedi were responsible, but at least it makes some kind of sense to blame them as a group, after all Palpatine used the mistrust of the Jedi to help cement his position, but why would he blame Anakin Skywalker particularly? Why say he killed her?"
"Anakin did NO such thing!" Pooja exclaimed "He would never hurt aunt Padme, he—" Pooja cut herself off, looking around tentatively.
"You can tell me," Leia assured her. "No one is listening."
Pooja gave her a look she could not interpret but nodding, took a deep breath and continued more calmly, "Anakin would never have hurt aunt Padme. They were …close. He use to come with her to Naboo on leave during the clone wars; we saw them together occasionally. They were always smiling and holding hands. My sister Ryoo and I, we called him uncle Ani. He loved that; it made him feel like being part of a family again. He would play with us too. Uncle Ani use to use the force to make us fly through the air. I can remember him grinning and aunt Padme giving him an indulgent smile while she rolled her eyes."
"He felt like part of a family again? I don't understand Pooja. Skywalker was a Jedi, they had no families."
"Uncle Ani wasn't like other Jedi. He wasn't brought to the temple until he was nine. He lived with his mother before then. I believe she died just before the clone wars started."
Leia acknowledged this while thinking but the other senator wasn't done. "Like I said he and my aunt were close… very close."
Looking up with narrowed eyes Leia asked "How close?" "Very" came the terse reply. "Very, very…close."
Pooja sighed and licked her lips thinking, "Uncle Ani … cared for aunt Padme. I simply can't see him hurting, let alone killing her. I can definitely see him killing for her. Doing anything to help her, keep her safe. But just turning on her? Hurting her, hurting them—" Pooja stopped abruptly.
"Your aunt was pregnant when she died…" Leia hinted.
Pooja nodded slowly.
This may not answer the question of why Anakin was blamed for Padme's death, but it did point to the reason having to do with their relationship.
Leia gave a single concise nod. "Well, now I know." She said more to herself than her unaware cousin.
Skywalker
"Know what?" Pooja threw out.
"Just know" Leia replied hesitantly. She wanted to tell her cousin the truth, but while one or both of them was in the senate and the empire could reach her parents it was not safe.
Leia did not have the opportunity to discuss her blood parents with Pooja again. Not that she would have known what to say or ask without revealing anything; let alone what Pooja would be willing discuss with her if she did not reveal her blood parentage to the other woman. Instead Leia was called home to Alderaan for an alliance operation. Pretending to go on a mercy mission to planets affected by the empire's endless wars Leia was really carrying the Death Star plans away from the battle of Scarif.
Upon her ship being boarded Leia hid the plans within her old droid friend Artoo and sent the droids down to the planet below. She knows the droids will be fine and will complete the mission. They have a lot more resourcefulness than any others she has met, indeed more character than quite a few organic sentients she knows.
As she hurriedly crafted the message for transport to Obi-Wan Kenobi Leia tries not to think about the old Jedi's connection to her blood father, but it was a fruitless endeavor. Even as she recorded her message she found herself wondering if the father who served with Kenobi was Bail Organa, or Anakin Skywalker.
Leia was apprehended by Darth Vader himself. Looking at the Sith monster with her new knowledge burning in her mind she wonders did you kill my blood father? It was highly likely after all. Anakin Skywalker died during the Jedi Purges and Darth Vader led them; it was his first act of terror in service to the emperor. This notion made the princess rather more reckless in her interactions with Tarkin and Vader than she would normally be, but also gave strength when enduring Vader's "interrogation".
I am not going to allow my blood father's killer to break me. He won't defeat another Skywalker!
Her determination continued to ring through her mind throughout Darth Vader's torture as well as moff Tarkin's "demonstration". Left in her cell, so consumed by confusion she could not truly feel grief. How could Alderaan be gone? The entire planet. The city she grew in. the tremendous temples she prayed at. The islands on the equator with their fragrant fields of flowers. The mountains she climbed, their winds whipping her hair as if to pull her into the very breath of the world. The summer storms on the plains: new and ancient every time. Her mother's smile. Her father's steadfastness. How could it all just be no more?
The last princess of Alderaan no longer knew the galaxy she lived in, how could she when it possessed such awe-some powers? But she knew she could show no weakness to her captors. Alderaan would not bow.
So when the short stormtrooper entered her cell she did not cower, nor did she make some grand defiant speech—doing so would only let them know they had gotten to her—instead she snarked as she had done so many times before.
Only she wasn't confronting a stormtrooper at all but—
"I'm Luke Skywalker. I'm here to rescue you!"
Skywalker
Leia's mind stopped thinking, her heart stopped beating, her lungs stopped breathing.
Skywalker
It was too much. Not now. Not now, please. She couldn't. Not now. Not with Alderaan…
Skywalker
Who was this boy? He looked about the same age as her but could be slightly older or younger—No she thought both of my blood parents died around my birth, he couldn't be younger. Then shook herself mentally. Leia! Stop it! You don't know if he has any connection to you at all. He said he was here with Obi-Wan Kenobi, so he's probably from Tatooine. That's where Anakin Skywalker was from. It could be a common name there. Or he could be distantly related, a second cousin thrice removed or something. No reason to think he's—yet there were so many rebuttals crowding her thoughts. He's with Obi-Wan Kenobi! Your blood father's mentor and closest friend! It would certainly make sense for the Jedi to watch over his friend's son. And my blood father may have had some extended family on the planet…of course that doesn't rule out Luke being my cousin or something. And even if he has the same blood father he might have a different blood mother…No! That doesn't match Pooja's description. Ugh!
Her Escape took precedence over questions of how she was or was not related to her rescuer. Thus Leia took his hand without a second thought as he helped her from the cell explaining he was here with Obi-Wan Kenobi and the droids. Even as she fought alongside her brother—cousin—person who was rescuing her that had no blood relation to her AT ALL—she couldn't stop thinking.
Skywalker
Leia knew she was snapping more than normal. The smuggler may be in it for himself, not an attitude she was use to seeing in the alliance, but he was brave and impressive in his own way. The wookie she truly felt sorry about insulting. The now former senator had never met one before but she typically treated non-humans with much more respect. She may have been tortured, watched her homeworld obliterated, and found out she might have a brother but that didn't excuse bad manners. That's what her mother would have said at any rate.
They escaped, or were let go, and made their way to the rebellion. The whole time Leia wondered about Luke Skywalker. She studied his face, his features, looking for familiarity. We both must have inherited our mother's height. She thought with an internal smirk.
Once they arrived at the rebel base on Yavin IV she gave Luke a glowing reference; not that he didn't deserve it. He had no training, no experience, and yet was able to adapt plans and use ingenuity to rescue her (which had not apparently been part of Kenobi's plan and a spur of the moment decision) and was a good shot besides.
Leia tried not to think about how similar that was to Madame Sabe's description of her blood father.
Anakin Skywalker.
The princess decided to see him off before he left to go attack the Death Star, and wondered should I say anything to him? If I do he could be distracted when he least needs it. But if I don't, if something happened…I would never get the chance, I would never know, never truly meet my brother…and what if he knows something himself?
In the end Leia only parted with Luke as a new friend. Partially if was fear that kept her back if he dies then I won't know and I wont have to morn a brother along with my parents and world. And partially it was hope that stayed her. I WILL talk to him when he comes back. He WILL come back.
And come back he did.
Leia decided to wait to tell Luke her suspicions until after the award ceremony. Let him grieve for his friend, mentor, and family; let him exult in his success. Then I will inundate him with my theories.
But that conversation kept being pushed aside. Leia could blame it on the evacuation, Luke's grief, her own grief, or any number of things: but she could not bring herself to discuss the matter with the young hero.
More than a week following the destruction of the Death Star and the evacuation of Yavin IV was complete. The alliance was on its way, in a myriad of ships and convoys, to its new base on the planet Hoth. Leia found herself traveling with Luke on the command ship Home One. She was definitely enjoying getting to know the pilot. He was earnest, friendly, and sweet. However Leia was still finding it hard to discuss whatever possible connection they had with him.
It was the middle of the afternoon and walking into the all but deserted mess hall the Alderaanian saw the very farm boy who so plagued her thoughts sitting alone at a table nursing a cooling cup of caf with a pad in front of him.
Smiling she sat down across from Luke, when she looked at the pad and saw what information it contained she asked confused. "Didn't you fill out the recruitment paperwork before you took on the Death Star?" Luke looked up and gave a wry smile before answering. "I didn't exactly have the time before the battle, and after things were so chaotic with the evacuation no one really seems to have realized I hadn't done it yet." "Why did you not tell high command? Some of this information can be vital, like medial history. What if you were injured and treated with something that you were allergic to?" Leia responded. Luke shrugged "it wouldn't have been something I would think to ask about. It makes sense, I mean you need to know stuff about the people attempting to join, but I never would have thought the rebellion would require its members to fill out all the minutia of their lives like this!" he laughed and waved vaguely at still mostly empty pad.
Leia grinned back at her friend. She supposed she could see his point. Luke, and many others like him, had thought of the rebel alliance in terms of fighting the empire: blasters blazing, escaping stormtroppers, outwitting imperial officers, and intense fighting. And, for Luke, that was his initial experience among them. The everyday plodding of alliance life was quite different. And bureaucracy was embedded in any large organization. Necessary, but not what would come to mind regarding a rebellion.
Still thinking about this she was startled when she looked up at Luke to see his face had fallen while he gazed at the pad. "Luke? Are you alright?" Leia asked gently reaching out and covering his hand with her own. "Yeah," he nodded sounding anything but convincing, "I'm alright." He sighed and looked her in the eye. "It's just…I can't answer a lot of these questions." Leia peeked at the pad again and saw it had been rather sporadically filled out.
"Why?" Leia asked a little confused "what are the questions asking?" she had never actually completed the standard entry paperwork, all of her information had been provided to high command by her father. Luke only stared at her with an unreadable expression. "How would you not know?" "I never actually filled out the standard entry forms. My father provided all of my information. I'm not sure all of what he provided either, he might have refused to allow some of the information to be known, even to high command."
"Why wouldn't your father want some of this information known?" Leia sighs, "I was adopted, did you know?" he shakes his head "well I was, and father always insisted that knowledge of by blood parents could be dangerous." Seeing what Luke is about to ask she begins to elaborate. "He told me they died at the end of the clone wars, I gathered they were against the formation of the empire."
Luke nods and looks down at his pad again while Leia thinks about her belief in their shared parentage. Casting it from her mind she inspects the pad and asks her friend—brother—friend, whatever else, friend—what he was having trouble with.
"Well," begins the pilot "I can put Tatooine as my home planet, but I wasn't born there, nor do I even know where I was born! I know my father and grandmother's names. I know when my grandmother died, and how, I have an idea of when my father was born and how he died but not when, and I certainly don't have any kind of medical history on them! No one keeps medical history on slaves! I know my mother's personal name and that she was an off-worlder, but not her family name or what planet she was from. I don't know if my parents were married. I don't know much about my own medical history—anything about my birth at all. I know I've broken a few bones and almost died of dehydration and had a concussion, but I didn't have official medical help for any of that. As if we could afford a medic! Everyone just called on the local healer, who happened to be my aunt! I don't even really know if I have any next of kin. The only family I knew I had is dead! My education is good by Tatooine standards, but most of it from adolescence onward is self taught so I can't really answer questions about my qualifications—I know I am a great pilot, mechanic, and engineer, but how do my skills fit in to this paradigm? I can do some programming too, and I know a fair amount of self defense, I can shoot, and I know a lot of first aide and local methods of treating humans, twi'leks, rodians, and a few other species, but again I have no idea of how these abilities align with more offical courses of education. None of these qualifications mean much on paper. All of this is just so frustrating!"
Waving his hands in the air Luke gained an exhausted expression, pushed the pad away from himself, toward Leia, and buried his head in his hands.
"May I look at it?" Luke nodded and waved a hand at the pad vaguely.
Taking the consent Leia looked down at the pad, looked back up at Luke in shock, and back at the pad again.
Name: Luke Skywalker
Mother/female parent/parent 1's name: Padme
Father/male parent/parent 2's name: Anakin Skywalker
Additional parents' names if applicable (if so what connection do they possess to you, explain): N/A
Date of birth by imperial/republic standa—
"You were born on Empire Day!" Leia exclaimed. Luke, still slumped over the table, made a face, "yeah, but its just a day." Leia shakes her head still excited "No, no, that's not it. I was born on Empire Day too!" Luke sits back up and gazes at his friend. "Really? Wow! What a coincidence!"
Krif, so much for waiting. "No…no… I don't think it is a coincidence." A confused expression appears on Luke's too open face but Leia ignores it and instead tells him to follow her while standing up. Walking out the door into the corridor she briefly considers leading him to the med bay to have their DNA tested but decides against it. It's not truly necessary after all. I know who my blood parents are. And so does he. We have the same birthday; I was given to friends of our blood mother, him to our blood father's stepfamily.
Leia leads him to her own rooms, stopping in front of a framed picture. Originally it was taken during the clone wars for the holonet but Leia had separated the image from the article, refined and enlarged the main subjects while eliminating the many extraneous sentients from the image.
Luke was shooting her a curious look but Leia instead focused on the image itself. It depicted a short woman with curly brown hair and large dark eyes. She was dressed regally, in a long flowing gown. A tall young man with dark blond hair dressed in robes similar to the ones Obi-Wan Kenobi had worn. He was walking to the side of the woman, a few steps in front of her, eyes scanning the environment. He looked confident and ready for anything. One hand was held out behind him, reaching for the woman as she in turn reached out for him while stepping gracefully through the street outside the senate building.
Taking a deep breath the former senator glanced at her new friend and began to speak. "I had a happy childhood, my parents were wonderful and I never felt alone, or uncomfortable, or unwanted. But I did wonder who my blood parents were. So I investigated and discovered my blood mother's identity. When I discovered who she was I hunted down this holo. It was from some news source telling how she was targeted for assassination by the separatists for a second time and placed under Jedi protection."
Luke gazed ahead "she must have been important." He noted. He seemed intrigued but confused as to why Leia was showing this to him. Leia acknowledged his comment and continued. "Yes, she was the senator of her planet, Naboo, and had been elected for two terms as queen when she was younger. The Nubians considered her such a fantastic ruler they tried to change the constitution so she could stay in office longer, possibly even life, some talked of reintroducing a constitutional monarchy like we had on Alderaan since surely her children would be just as extraordinary leaders as she was. But she refused to let the motion go through." "That's something to be proud of Leia, and I would say the Nubians were right about her daughter. You are a great leader Leia."
She smiled brightly at Luke but continued her tale without meandering. "My blood mother, senator Amidala, often worked with the Jedi on diplomatic missions in addition to being placed under their protection several times. She nearly always worked with the same Jedi, particularly the famous war hero Anakin Skywalker."
At this revelation the Tatooinian's eyes went wide and he whirled to look at her, to the picture, and to her again. She indicated the picture, or more precisely, the man in the picture.
"Yes, that's Senator Padme Naberrie Amidala and Jedi knight Anakin Skywalker."
"I can't believe they knew each other." he was staring at the picture transfixed now. "I never knew what he looked like. Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru only met him once, they said I looked like him but—wait, did you say her name was Padme?"
Leia could no longer contain a huge smile as she responded. "Yes, Padme. She was pregnant at the end of the clone wars, it was thought the baby, or babies, died with her but obviously it was a ploy to divert suspicion. As much as the empire would be interested in the child of a woman who helped create the rebellion the child of a Jedi would be killed before they took another breath. It's no wonder we were separated and hidden."
The hero of Yavin looked at the alliance's future "Leia…" "I know" "We look like them." "I know" "we look like each other." "I know." "We—we're twins!"
"I know!" she couldn't stop grinning, had never smiled so widely before. "When you walked into my cell and told me your name I just didn't know what to think. But now I do. I have a brother! A twin! All my life I would turn around and look for someone who wasn't there, I would start to say something to someone who should be there but I didn't know whom they were, or where I could find them. I always felt off kilter—"
"Like you forgot something and couldn't remember what you'd forgotten."
"Exactly!'
"And now we know."
"Now we know."
The twins turned back to the picture of their parents. "They would be proud of us." Leia said. Luke nodded and hesitantly reached a hand out. Leia smiled and stepped toward him to take it.
For the first time the Skywalker twins looked up at their smiling parents faces and knew what it was to be a family—their family.