Author's Note: Hello all! As always, thank you so much for the lovely reviews! You have no idea how much I appreciate you reading my story and letting me know what you think! I want to apologize for the long wait this time. I was ill for most of April and May, and I honestly did not feel much like writing for a while. But I'm back on the horse, and this time with a double event. Here's a nice little Interlude today, and tomorrow I'll be posting Chapter 3!

Enjoy, my lovelies! Review are love!

Interlude

.

.

.

Command Center, Home One

The three rebel leaders stood frozen around the large central holoprojector, their earlier discussion of potential planets for the Alliance's new secret base completely forgotten. A stunned silence had settled over the war room aboard Home One, and Admiral Ackbar found himself leaning heavily on the holoprojector's controls, astonished by what he'd just heard.

Just moments before, a young ensign had burst into the war room, interrupting their conference and bringing the most shocking news the Alliance High Command would have ever expected. They had all been privy to the imperial vessel that dropped out of hyperspace dangerously close to the fleet a while ago. The ship had been captured and the pilot brought into custody, said the eager ensign, her breathless speech displaying her excitement. But that was not the gist of the report.

"Anakin Skywalker?" Poised Mon Mothma was the first to find her voice again, and she repeated the name like it was a half-forgotten memory.

"The Jedi Knight?" General Madine took a step towards the ensign, almost daring her to be deceiving them. "He was piloting that TIE fighter?"

The young woman's eyes were still wide from when she first heard the news herself. "Not so much piloting it, sir," she said. "The navigation systems were fried, and one of the ion engines was dead. It was a drifting wreck, but he was in there."

"Stars above." Mothma gasped softly, raising her hand to grasp at her necklace. "Could it really be him?"

Madine's brows furrowed. "How did he find the fleet?"

Ackbar raised his head at this, coming out of his shocked stupor. "If the navicomputer is inoperational, he must have jumped blindly to these coordinates."

"That's impossible," Madine stated, turning sharply to the Mon Calamari.

Mothma lowered her eyes as she recalled countless Holonet stories and senate reports from the battlefront of the Clone Wars, and a small smile bloomed on her lips. "He's a Jedi," she said, looking sideways to her comrades. "We've all seen them do the impossible."

Madine glanced at her, with an uncharacteristic touch of tenderness in his usual somber expression. "It can't be him, Mon," he sighed. "Anakin Skywalker is dead. He was killed during Order 66."

"Princess Leia confirmed his identity, sir," said the ensign, still standing across the room, stiff with bursting energy. "And…wouldn't Commander Skywalker recognize his own father?"

Mothma shook her head gently. "Commander Skywalker never met his father." said the former senator, then turned to face her companions fully. "But Princess Leia would never make such claims if she wasn't absolutely sure."

"Agreed." Ackbar nodded. "But, if it is General Skywalker, why was he aboard an imperial TIE fighter?"

"Because he stole it," blurted the ensign. Then all three rebel leaders pinned her with questioning stares, and she fumbled to explain the theory that had already begun to spread from the pilots and mechanics that witnessed the scene in the hangar. "He… he was pretty beaten up, sir. I mean, he was injured. Like he'd been in a fight. And there's the damage to the ship, as well. It's obvious somebody wanted him dead. He could have stolen the TIE fighter to escape...sir."

Indeed, that was precisely the kind of scenario that General Madine would have expected these idealistic young soldiers to conjure up for the fabled Jedi knight's mysterious appearance. He realized that he himself would have imagined something similar just a few years before, but he could not afford to do so no. Too much was at stake.

The General sighed and straightened, speaking before the other rebel leaders were done considering the ensign's report. "Has he said anything?"

"He was unconscious," answered the young woman. "Princess Leia transported him to the Redemption for medical attention."

"She should have consulted with us," said Madine sternly. "This could have been some sort of elaborate trap."

Mothma raised an eyebrow and regarded the blonde man. "Resurrecting a deceased war hero and sending him to us half dead on a drifting fighter?" she asked incredulously. "Does that sound like an Imperial scheme to you? What would it accomplish?"

The two locked eyes from across the holoprojector, both rigid and questioning, both still hesitant despite the urge to hope. Madine was the first to look away.

"Mon, we're still unsure if it even is Skywalker," he said, his voice resolute. "It's my job to think the way the Empire does, and I've long known not to put anything past them. We must make certain of who this person is."

Mothma smiled. "Then see to it, General," she said. "Make your inquiries. We all know that Commander Skywalker is Anakin's son. A paternity test should reveal the truth of the matter. "

"But it leaves many questions still unanswered," Ackbar cautioned, looking between his two companions.

"I know." Mothma's voice had turned soft, as it always did when she allowed herself to truly reflect on the realities of the Rebellion. "But we cannot allow our fears to rule our judgement. That's exactly what the Empire wants us to do. If there's even the slightest possibility that this is really Skywalker, then we must have hope."

So many had died already. How many more would die in the months, or years to come? She was not a war leader, nor a fighter by any stretch of the term. She had known this from the very beginning. Madine and Ackbar, and even young Leia. They were the real warriors. She was just a senator; a politician who knew more about intersystem shipment regulations than basic martial strategy. But what Mon Mothma did know most of all was how people thought. That was her true strength. She saw this conflict as a struggle between ideas, rather than military forces. Tyranny against justice. Oppression against brotherhood. Darkness against light. Soldiers fought for these ideals, not for lifeless planet systems and secret arms depos at the edge of the Outer Rim. That's why the victory at Yavin had been so pivotal. It had cemented an idea in the minds of all rebels, that their fight for freedom could be won after all, that the Alliance's cause was not as impossible as it seemed.

But if Anakin Skywalker truly was alive, she knew nothing would ever seem impossible again. It would start a smoldering fire in the midst of the Rebellion, igniting its righteous fury like nothing ever had before. The Empire would have to face an unstoppable wave of courage and resolve. Mothma decided to hold on to that hope, as idealistic and dangerous as she knew it was. Maidine was more than capable of being suspicious enough for the both of them.

Her mind made up, the former senator squared her shoulders and waited for the General's response.

Madine's stern visage had not changed, but his eyes shown with the weight of indecision. She could tell that he also wanted to believe the fantastic scenario described by the ensign, as much as he insisted on prudent distrust.

"We will keep him under surveillance until he can be questioned," he said finally, tucking his hands behind his back. Mothma cocked her head slightly, so he added, "Just as a precaution."

The former senator smiled, nodding in compliance. "Of course."

"And if it is him?" asked the ensign suddenly, unable to hold back the question any longer. "If he's really a Jedi? What would that mean?"

The three rebel leaders fell silent, regarding the bright eyed young woman across the conference room, and finding her guileless eagerness slowly seeping into themselves. How long had it been since any of them felt any unhindered hope?

"If this is indeed Anakin Skywalker," said Mothma softly, "Then he has come to us like a gift from the Force."

"Indeed," Ackbar nodded, his voice retaking the serious tone of the admiral. "His protection must be ensured. The Empire will be looking for him. If he escaped from their custody, then they must know he is alive."

"But first we must see to his recovery," said Mothma, then she turned back to the ensign. "Tell Princess Leia to send us word on his condition, and to please keep us updated."

The girl straightened to attention. "Yes, ma'am."

"This may be our chance to set things right," continued the older woman. "The Republic failed to protect the Jedi. After years of faithful service, we abandoned them to their fate when they needed us most. We won't make the same mistake twice."

"Yes, ma'am!"

And then the ensign dashed out of the conference room in a flash, leaving the three officers in a contemplative silence once again. None of them spoke for a long time, each lost in their own reflections. Madine's eyes were fixed on the exit, his posture stiff with latent uncertainty. This situation could so easily turn disastrous, he thought. There so many unseen variables, so much that they did not know. They were flying blind. And yet, if this turned out to be true...

Mothma glided towards one of the benches surrounding the holoprojector and lowered herself to the seat.

"Skywalker," she whispered into the quiet chamber. "The Hero With No Fear."

"Where has he been all these years?" asked Ackbar. "He was certainly not the type to go into hiding."

"I heard stories," said Mothma, pressing her hands together on her lap. "Terrible rumors during the early days of the Empire, of Jedi being captured and brought back to secret locations. I thought it was just vulgar gossip. The Emperor always made such a spectacle of their public executions. I never imagined… But, perhaps… "

Madine watched her speak. "You believe he may have been held captive all this time?" he asked.

"You said so yourself, General Madine," said Ackbar. "We cannot put anything past the Empire."

"Their malice knows no bounds." Mothma agreed heartily. "I can't believe that Skywalker would ever have abandoned his child. He must have been taken, perhaps captured during the raid on the Jedi Temple. So many things happened that day that we still don't know about."

"But why keep him alive?" Madine brought forth. "For what purpose? It makes no sense to imprison him indefinitely."

Mothma shook her head. "Perhaps not to us," she said. "Let's not forget who we're dealing with. We can never hope to understand Emperor Palpatine's true motivations, or the atrocities he's capable of. We can only react to them. There's no telling why he would imprison Jedi, but I do not doubt that we could, for whatever sick purpose."

Madine was silent for a long time. Mothma could almost see the ideas bouncing off each other in his head. "You truly believe it's him?" he asked her.

The chancellor was surprised by her own lack of hesitation. "Yes. Yes, it seems I do," she said evenly. "I have to. The Alliance needs another miracle, Crix. We are at a turning point in this war. Anakin Skywalker was a symbol. Just hearing his name brought people hope, and inspired them to fight for their freedom. I would have that hope restored for the Alliance. We need it now more than ever."

TBC

Author's Notes 2: Stay tuned tomorrow for Chapter 3!