OK here's the next part. Sorry it took a while to get up.

~*~

Revelations

Anakin sat across from Rast playing dejark and Anakin was beating him soundly. Dejark was a tactical game where it was imperative to think several moves ahead. Anakin's experience in the military gave him an edge in this area, the Force would have as well but Anakin considered that cheating, plus it took the fun out of the game. Anakin made his move that won him the game. Rast sat back and threw his hands in the air in defeat. "I give up!" he shouted, "That is the sixth game in a row that you have won! You play this game a lot?" "You could say that," Anakin said wryly, "I was in the wars. I did a lot of tactical work." "Ahh." Rast nodded his head in understanding, "Yes, war, the live dejark game." "The dejark game that is played with lives." Anakin was unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice when he said this. "You lost beings dear to you," Rast said, leaning forward. Anakin leaned back and reached for a datapad he had been working on before Rast had asked him to play dajark, he began to work on it again. "Lost a lot of beings," he told Rast evenly. "Many did." "But you lost people really close to you, I can tell," Rast said pointedly, "Perhaps close friends.family." With the word friends pain flashed in Anakin's eyes; with the word family that pain spread to his whole face. Rast knew that he had hit a very raw nerve and quickly backed off, cursing himself for pushing the subject. "Sorry Lars, I shouldn't have pried." "It's alright," Anakin said, trying to get his emotions under control. "I lost many good friends, one who was one of my best friends, I lost him to a fate worse than death. His wife, another of my good friend, I lost to even worse. My family was torn apart, they are scattered all over the galaxy and I don't know where most of them are." "You have a family?" Anakin nodded. "My wife and two children, a boy and a girl, twins. There is my stepbrother and his wife, they live on Tatooine, moisture farmers. My other stepbrother and his.fiancé. My wife's family: her mother and father, her sister and her sister's two girls." "What do you mean you lost a friend to a fate worse than death and his wife to and even worse one?" Rast asked, furrowing his brow. "I really don't want to talk about that, it had to do with betrayal," Anakin said seriously, "Could you pass me my bag? I need a tool from it." Rast picked up Anakin's bag, which was sitting beside him. As he passed it over the table all of the contents spilled out. "Blast! Sorry about that, Lars!" Rast said honestly. He began helping Anakin pick up all of his belongings, but he froze when he picked up a cylindrical object. Anakin noticed that Rast had stopped moving. He looked over at him, and froze as well. 'Sith spit!' was all he could think. Anakin swallowed, hard. "This is a lightsabre," Rast said looking at Anakin. Shock was naked on his face. "Are you going to turn me in?" Anakin asked him, his face calm. Rast barked with laughter and handed Anakin his lightsabre, handle first. "I couldn't turn you over to the Emperor and his minions any more than I could my own flesh and blood! My cousins were Jedi." "Were?" "One, Maril, was killed on Geonosis while protecting her master," Rast said, he looked down, "She was fourteen years old. Her twin sister, Malee and her master took her place guarding Maril's master. Malee and the two Masters showed up at our door and gave us her lightsabre and invited us to her funeral. Malee, her master, her younger brother, Heckt, and Maril's Master, who is Heckt's master now, are in hiding." Anakin nodded with realization. "I remember them, Master Karan took Malee on when she was eleven because of her potential with absorption and dissipation of energy. Master Nook took Maril on at eleven as well because of her empathic abilities with animals. Maril was the one who tossed me a lightsabre during that battle, she saved my wife's life as well as my own. We all went to her funeral. She was very brave." Rast looked up at Anakin. "For a fourteen year old?" he asked wryly. "No, for anyone," Anakin said firmly, "I have always felt honored to have known her." "Thank you," Rast said. Anakin placed a hand on Rast's shoulder. "I am Anakin Skywalker," he said, offering Rast his hand. Rast's eyes opened wider, obviously recognizing Anakin's name, as he accepted Anakin's hand. "So you are the Jedi who married former Senator Padmé Amidala. Malee spoke of you. She said that you were exactly like your maser, Qui-Gon Jinn, a bit of a rebel." "So I've been told.repeatedly," Anakin said dryly. "I take it that means that the reason your family is so scattered is for their protection." Anakin nodded. "Can I ask you a question?" "You just did but you can ask me another," Anakin quipped. "This may be a sensitive subject, but the friend you lost to a fate worse than death, involving betrayal, was he Lord Vader?" "No, the friend I lost was my cousin Martel Trist. Darth Vader destroyed Martel," Anakin said flatly. Rast nodded, understanding what he was saying. "In betraying the Jedi, his friends, his family, his master.and his wife, he betrayed himself." "Darth Vader trapped Lanaia Trist in a position she can't get out of." Bitterness seeped into his voice. Rast nodded. "I take it you are going to Ord Mantel to go into hiding?" Anakin nodded. "And I also take it that you have no love for the Empire?" Anakin nodded again. "Good, neither do I. Well maybe I can give you another option?" Anakin nodded slowly for him to continue. "Well I am a member of a group that is gathering together to fight against the Empire. We are a small underground movement and we recruit where we can. Our goal is to eventually overthrow the Empire," Rast explained, "Interested?" Anakin thought for a moment, rolling the idea around in his head, it felt right. "Yeah," Anakin said, nodding, "I will join your rebellion." Rast offered Anakin his hand, which Anakin took. "Welcome to the Rebel Alliance, Anakin Skywalker."

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If you can't guess I made Maril, Malee, Master Karan, Master Nook, Heckt and Rast up. And I borrowed the phrase "You just did, but you can ask me another," from I, Jedi. Anywho, I hope you like!