Out of the Night
By Pinkmoon
Chapter One
"love's function is to fabricate unknownness"
-E.E. Cummings
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars and probably never will.
AN. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I'm glad that everyone's liked it so far.
The darkness on Coruscant permeated everything. Three year old Luke Skywalker didn't like it and walked a little closer to Daddy. They moved among the mid-levels of the city where the middle class lived and the sunlight barely penetrated. Daddy had said they were going to visit a friend, an old friend, one who had known Mama before she died.
Mama had died a long time ago and all that Luke knew of her was an old holo that had been taken years before Luke and his sister, Leia, had been born. In it, her long, curly brown hair was down, floating around her shoulders, hair like Leia's. Her brown eyes gazed warmly at the viewer, brown eyes Leia had inherited. Her smile was infectious (at least, that's what Daddy said. Luke didn't know what the word meant.) She was pretty and Luke was glad. He didn't think he would like having an ugly mama.
Daddy had told them that Mama was an angel, the most beautiful creature in the galaxy. She was brave, loyal (a word that Daddy said meant that Mama could be counted on to be around), and wanted to help people. This was why she had been a senator who was apparently important but Luke didn't understand exactly why despite Daddy trying to explain what a senator was. Leia wanted to be just like Mama and therefore wanted to be a senator too. But not Luke. Luke wanted to be just like Daddy.
Daddy was tall, the tallest man Luke had ever seen. He had short, blond hair that was cut close to his head. Luke's hair was the same color but longer, falling into his eyes. Luke's eyes were the same color as Daddy, a deep blue, bluer that any other being in the galaxy. And Daddy was also a Jedi or at least he had been before Mama died.
Daddy told them that after Mama died, the Emperor, a very, very bad man, ordered that all the Jedi be killed and Daddy could no longer claim to be a Jedi. But the Emperor still didn't like Daddy (though Daddy never told them why) and wanted to kill him. So they had to hide and constantly move around from place to place in a ship that Daddy said belonged to their mother.
"Luke," Daddy's deep voice broke his thoughts. "Keep up."
It was then that Luke realized he was a few meters behind Daddy and Leia. He ran to catch up and stopped next to Daddy's side.
"Sorry," he mumbled as he looked up at the darkness that concealed his father's face beneath the cowl of his cloak. Daddy didn't say anything, simply grabbed Luke's hand and continued on.
As they walked, Luke's feet began to hurt. How long had they been walking? It felt like it had been hours! And Daddy was taking such big steps! Luke had to practically run to keep up. He was ready to stop.
"Here we are," Daddy said cheerfully, after what felt like half an hour. Luke gazed upon the tall building. It was shorter than the buildings surrounding it but still massive compared to the ship Luke had lived most of his short life in.
They stepped inside the building and entered a turbolift. The lift raised several levels and stopped with a small jerk. Leia stumbled but Daddy grabbed her and kept her from falling. They stepped off the lift and entered a dimly lit, bland white hall. Daddy led them to a door at the end of the corridor and knocked.
The door slid opened to reveal a brown haired woman. For a moment, Luke thought it was Mama; they looked so much alike. But then, Luke realized that her face wasn't quite right and her hair wasn't the right shade of brown. This woman wasn't Mama.
But Luke seemed to know her. Vague images floated through his mind.
The woman held him, sitting in a chair, rocking him to sleep…
She sat brushing Leia's hair, trying a pink ribbon in it…
Daddy was sitting next to her on a couch, watching Luke and Leia playing on the floor. Daddy was caressing her hand…
"Anakin," she whispered, bring Luke back to the presence. She threw her arms around his neck and Daddy hugged her back.
"Dormé," he replied softly and removed his hood. She stepped back, hands on Daddy shoulders and looked him over.
"You cut your hair," she remarked after a moment.
"Yes," Daddy grinned. She released him and looked down at Luke and Leia.
"My goodness, you've both grown," she exclaimed as she fell to her knees and looked them both over. She seemed unable to help herself and reached out to hug them both. Luke let himself be dragged into her embrace. Leia was a little more hesitant but complied.
"I'm sure you both don't remember me but a long time ago you and your father came to stay here with me for a while," she murmured as she slowly released them. Luke wished she hadn't let them go. She wasn't Mama but she was so close to what Daddy described that she very well could be.
"Well, we can't very well stand here all day. Come in and sit down. I made refreshments," she stood and moved inside the apartment. They followed her inside. Daddy ushered them to the couch and sat between them as she disappeared into the kitchen.
"She looks like Mama," Leia whispered, excitedly. She leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse of the woman as she moved about in the kitchen.
"Yes. Her name is Dormé. She used to work for Mama." Daddy ran his gloved hand through his hair.
"Doing what?" Luke asked as he began to swing his feet back and forth, hitting the couch.
"Doing what Mama told her. Stop that, Luke. You'll ruin her couch."
Luke sighed and stopped moving his feet. He hated being still. He also hated waiting. But he especially hated doing both.
Then Dormé entered the room carrying a tray with four glasses of some yellow liquid (to this day, Luke still had no idea what it was) and green Nubian chocolate cookies.
"Thank you, Dormé," Daddy said when she placed it on the small table in front of them. Then he nudged Luke and his sister and both quickly exclaimed, "Thank you!"
"You're welcome," Dormé smiled, amusement lacing her voice. She sat across from them on a smaller couch.
Luke watched as his sister quickly snatched one of the chocolate cookies. When no rebuke was forth coming, Luke followed suit. He bit into in and munched quite happily until he heard Dormé laugh softly.
"And what does milady find so amusing?" Daddy asked, picking up one of the glasses and taking a sip.
"The lack of table manners your offspring exhibits. Though I suppose that's to be expected since they are yours," Dormé smirked. She reached forward and gently picked up one of the chocolate cookies and slowly nibbled on it.
"Your tongue is sharp. As always." Daddy leaned back into the couch. Leia leaned into him, still eating a cookie. Daddy wrapped an arm around her and all the while Dormé watched an odd expression on her face.
"She looks just like her," Dormé remarked softly. Luke watched as Daddy tighten his arm around Leia and nod. Luke felt strange, almost left out. He slowly reached for another cookie.
"And you, Luke, look exactly like your father," Dormé smiled at him and he grinned back.
"Yes, this one is my shadow," Daddy said softly. Luke smiled up at him, thrilled to be called that. Daddy smiled back, not quite as strongly as Luke's grin.
"I take it that he…?" Dormé trailed off and Daddy turned back to her.
"Yes. Both of them. His connection is stronger than hers though."
Luke wondered what they were they talking about. He had an eerie feeling it had to do with him and his twin.
"Have you begun training?"
"Just enough to control it. If someone were to discover…"
"Yes, I know. Which brings me to why I contacted you." Dormé straighten in her seat and steeled her gaze. Daddy sat up as well, bringing Leia with him. Luke just reached for another cookie. They were really, really good.
"Palpatine has ordered that the old apartment be demolished and that a new one be built in its place."
"Really? Why?"
"I believe some senators were complaining about inadequate space." Dormé shrugged before continuing. "In any regards, the girls and I went there last week. Senator Organa gave us the need access to get inside and once we reached the rooms we gathered what was left. The apartment's remained empty. No one has taken it since…"
Dormé looked off to the side and seemed to struggle with herself. Daddy's face hardened and Luke saw his fist clinch. What was wrong?
"Anyways," Dormé continued after a moment, "Did you know about the secret compartment in the master bedroom? The one behind the painting of a waterfall?"
"Yes. Padmé showed it to me once. There were just a few trinkets from Naboo, her will, and some classified documents about one or two bills she had been working on. Nothing that I thought was worth taking," Daddy answered, confusion filling his voice.
"Oh? Well, Sabé found it, broke into it and found other things in it. Apparently, milady was keeping a journal."
"A journal?"
"Yes. It starts before the blockade up to the day before…her passing. She wrote about everything, Anakin. The marriage, the pregnancy, things you told her about the Jedi and the Sith. Things I'll bet credits on that Palpatine doesn't know─"
"Wait! You read the whole thing?" Daddy moved suddenly, jarring Leia from her place. He glared at Dormé, looking ready to jump up and strangle her.
"I had to, Anakin! If I didn't think it would provide any kind of risk to you then I wasn't going to call you back here. I care too much about you to do that," she protested just as angrily as Daddy looked. Luke watched as they glared at each other, wondering what was going on, having an odd feeling it was about Mama. It frightened him.
He glanced at Leia. She was watching Daddy, chewing on the corner of her lip. Daddy always got onto her for doing that. Said she was going to tear her lips up doing it. It didn't matter that they had caught him doing the same thing numerous times. But it told Luke one thing. She was afraid too.
Daddy slowly released his breath and seemed to relax slightly. "What else did you find?"
Dormѐ glared for a moment longer before continuing."Milady was also keeping a…list of sorts about Palpatine. I believe it will be enough to justify his…removal from office once you decide the time for the event is right."
"I see," Daddy said and remain silent for a moment. He started rubbing his hands against each other. During the pause, Luke risked getting another cookie. He wondered if Dormé would make anymore.
"Moteé also brief us on our 'mutual friends' and the decisions their making." Dormé began after a few minutes.
"Oh?" Daddy enquired absently, still rubbing his hands together.
"Yes. They finally decided that they will be a militant organization. In a few years they hope to have a standing army. There are also two planets who wish to join but of course, that's being debated. All in all, things appear to be moving along." Dormé once again shrugged and leaned back in her seat.
"Padmé would have never agreed to using a military," Daddy muttered. His shoulders slumped and his hands stilled.
"Probably not," Dormé quietly agreed. She stared off into space for a while and then noticed Luke steal yet another cookie.
"My goodness Luke, how many of those have you eaten?" she asked, a smile playing about her lips.
Luke snapped his gaze to her and winced as Daddy asked, "Yes, Luke, how many have you eaten?"
Eyes closed, he mumbled a weak lie. "I don't know."
"Luke Anakin Skywalker," Daddy growled softly. Luke peeked at him and closed his eyes quickly when seeing the look on his father's face.
"I'm sorry," he squeaked and waited.
"How many did you eat?" Daddy repeated, voice low. Now just how did he know that Luke had been lying?
"Three." Luke wanted to get up and run away.
"Three? Luke, you know we're going to eat dinner when we get back!" Daddy exclaimed.
"I'm sorry," Luke whimpered again.
"Put it back. When we get back to the ship, I'll decide what to do with you," Daddy commanded and watched as Luke slowly placed the cookie back. Daddy would kill him when they returned. Luke just knew it. He kept his eyes fixed on his knees. No one spoke. Everyone…felt nervous. Maybe…Luke wasn't sure.
"I'm afraid it's time we left," Daddy quietly declared after a stretch of silence. Luke looked up, eyes wide with fear. They were leaving? Now? But he was going to be in trouble when they got back! Luke never wanted to disappear so strongly.
"Yes, I suppose it is. I'll go get Milady's things," Dormé acknowledged quietly and rose from her seat.
Luke watched her leave, an anxious look on his face. He was now alone with Leia and Daddy, and Daddy was mad at him. He looked back at his knees, avoiding looking at his father.
"Luke." He winced once more at hearing Daddy's voice.
"Look at me," he commanded and Luke slowly raised his gaze.
"Do you know why I'm upset with you?"
"Because I ate too many chocolate cookies."
"No. It's because you lied to me about it."
Luke redirected his gaze to the floor. Daddy's fingers reached for his chin but Dormé entered the room carrying a book made of flimsiplast and a data chip. Daddy stood as she handed it to him.
"Thank you." Daddy stared at her for a moment. To Luke it seemed like there was a hurt expression on his face but he was never sure. Then Daddy motioned for Luke and Leia to stand. Leia jumped up instantly as Luke slowly stood. Dormé knelt in front of them and smiled.
"The two of you have a good deal of your parents in you. You both will have very special destinies. Of that, I'm sure," She spoke softly and embraced them. She wasn't Mama but for a moment, she was enough.
"We went back to the ship and Father sent me to bed without supper."
Mara would never admit it, but she was tempted to laugh at the displeased expression on the young man's face. She had ordered one of the guards to bring a chair in, not about to stand for hours.
Skywalker was sitting cross-legged on the bed, leaning against the wall. His eyes would watch her and then stare off into space at regular intervals. But now, his eyes shifted to the floor and he started to rub his hands together.
"Two weeks after we went to visit her, Dormé was arrested for her association with the Rebellion and protecting a Jedi. Apparently someone had recognized Father and reported Dormé. Anyways, by the time Father learned what had happened, she had been executed by firing squad. He was three months too late."
"And do you resent him for that?" Mara pried. He scoffed at her.
"Why would I resent him? There was nothing he could do and she had to beg Father to come in the first place."
She glared at him. The nerfherder was never going to fall, never. Honestly, she could be dealing with his father right now or something instead of listening to Luke Skywalker's life story. A story that was looking to be quite boring.
"Go on," she commanded.
"We found transcripts of her interrogations when the Alliance attacked one of your Death Stars. She never gave anything away. Never betrayed my father's secret and the Empire remained of unaware of his marriage to Padme Amidala and of his siring twins for the next two years," he concluded.
"Did your father ever feel…guilty?" Mara questioned softly, hoping it would lead somewhere. For once, he didn't disappoint.
Skywalker remained silent for a moment before hesitantly saying, "I think so but I…don't think it was for her death, exactly. I think…I think it had more to do with…with their relationship."
"What do you mean?" Mara asked, genuinely curious. This sounded like it had potential. Potential for what she wasn't sure of yet.
"Father told us that when we were two, we stayed with Dormé for about a month. I remember some of it and it always seems like…like they were always touching in my memories and…I think she loved him. But…" he stopped, seemingly lost as to what to say next.
Mara waited. This could be useful. If only he would finish.
"I know he cared for her," he finally said, "but I don't think he loved her back. He was never able to get over Mama and I think…that's what he felt guilty about."
"That's very…perceptive," she remarked. She highly doubted Anakin Skywalker ever hinted to feeling like that. The man she had heard about sounded like an emotionless robot.
"You can attribute it to our bond," he grinned and then added as an afterthought, "and my sister's abilities. Now, shall I continue?"
He was changing the subject. Mara would let it slide. He would have to explain those things later anyway. "Yes, proceed."
