And it came to pass, in the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Palpatine, that the elder Sith Lord was killed at the hands of unknown assailants, along with his apprentice Darth Hamanen. The Emperor died without a clear successor, resulting in infighting and then open war between various members of the Imperial Council and Grand Admirals of the Imperial Navy. The galaxy, which had been experiencing a tenuous peace under Palpatine's brutal regime, quickly dissolved into galactic civil war.
/-
Varykino
Naboo
The Millennium Falcon carefully settled into an open area behind the palatial estate, and Han Solo shut down the power, wincing slightly at some unsettling crunching sounds in the landing gear. Not surprisingly, the space battle with random Imperial hostiles had dealt some damage to his precious ship.
The landing ramp lowered behind him, and he heard an unfamiliar voice, raised high with excitement.
"Leia! Are you injured? Our information from Shili was so fragmented."
"I'm fine, Mama. Absolutely fine. I'm afraid ... that Anakin isn't doing well, though."
"Is he going to be all right?"
"We don't know yet. Did you tell the Naberries about our, uh, relationship?"
"We've spoken to Sola, your aunt. She's the only one of the Naberrie family in residence at the moment. Not surprisingly, she's having a hard time believing it. I told her you'd do a genetic test.
"That's completely reasonable, Mother. Right now, though, we need medical facilities for Anakin and Ahsoka. Do you know where the nearest medical center is?"
"Given the need for secrecy, we've arranged for two med droids to attend them here. We've also laid in a variety of medical supplies, and have access to more as needed."
"Thank you, Aunt Breha."
"Luke, I'm so glad to see you are doing well. Are stretchers required for the patients?"
"Most definitely, I'm afraid. Both are currently unconscious"
Solo stepped into the main area and found himself gazing at a lovely, middle-aged woman with dark hair piled high.
"Captain Solo, this is my mother Breha Organa."
/-
Sola Naberrie stood inside the side door of Varykino, nearly trembling with excitement.
She still couldn't really believe it. Yes, Bail Organa and his wife Breha were reputed to be reliable individuals, and indeed she knew that Sola's sister Padme and Bail had been close friends and colleagues within the Imperial Senate before Padme's tragic and early death. But this claim, that Padme had given birth to living twins, seemed too good to be true.
It couldn't be true.
The door slid open and Breha Organa stepped through, followed by two hoverstretchers carrying two silent and still forms.
And behind them came a girl, slight, short, dark eyed, dark haired, alabaster skin, so much like Padme that Sola promptly burst into tears.
In that instant, she knew, without the need for genetic testing.
"Leia, I'm your aunt Sola."
/
Anakin Skywalker opened his eyes and found himself gazing into his wife's beloved face.
"Ani?"
"Padme," he managed to mutter back, even as he attempted to sit up.
He felt a gigantic wave of dizziness and closed his eyes, willing himself not to throw up.
"I feel nauseous ..."
He felt her arms around him, supporting him, even as she said softly, "I don't think it is physically possible to throw up here, Anakin, but you can certainly try."
He grimaced slightly and firmly addressed his insides. Padme was right. They were in some weird place together and his insides weren't real insides. So yeah.
After a long moment of argument, his stomach subsided and Anakin opened his eyes.
They were still in the dark glade, surrounded by trees whose dripping branches rustled softly in a slight wind.
Next to them now, however, was a pool of water, flat and opaque.
"What's that?" he asked softly, grateful to be partially supported by Padme.
"That's the way out," his wife said hesitantly, "Which is to say, that's the way to the Force Afterlife, so to speak."
Anakin's brain wasn't functioning at full capacity, so it took him some time to straighten this out in his mind.
"So something about that pool will cause me to die?" he finally asked, "In a permanent fashion?"
Padme nodded, her eyes and face solemn, "Yes, my dear. I got here by jumping into a pond and I ended up here. And I believe, I know, that if we both jump into this pond we'll end up back where I came from. It's much nicer than here. Not that this is evil or anything, but it's rather dull."
"So I'm still not dead."
"Coma, I think, my love, but no, not dead. But I'm dead."
"Yes, I know, darling."
Anakin frowned and thought about this at some length, to the point that Padme broke into this thoughts, "So you collapsed and then the pool appeared. Which means something big happened. Do you have any idea what it was?"
Her husband nodded matter-of-factly, "Sidious is dead."
"Sidious. As in Palpatine. The Emperor. Is dead."
"Yes."
He took a deep breath of moist air, relishing in the feeling of lungs, "Yes, Padme, he's dead dead dead dead dead. Destroyed. Probably by our twins. I was bonded to him and when he died, it ripped something inside of me. I have never felt such pain, such weakness. I don't know why it didn't just kill me ..."
He trailed off, looking up at the sky which was, to his surprise, now brightening.
Now he stood up carefully, and Padme with him.
"What's that?" she asked in a puzzled tone.
Above them was a glowing light, which was descending toward them, leaving a trail behind it. They watched, arm in arm, awed faces raised up, as a glowing cylinder sank to the ground and then stopped.
Anakin frowned and looked at his wife, "What's this?"
"I don't know," she said gravely, her brow furrowed, "I have no experience with mysterious columns of light descending from the sky. Odd."
Cautiously, she held out her hand and inserted it into the column. Her hand rose up quickly, and she pulled it out, obviously startled.
"Hmmm," she murmured, closing her eyes.
Then she opened them, and her voice became suddenly decisive, "It's a choice, Anakin. You can come with me, which means death, which is really life everlasting, or you can go back to the real world. One way is up, the other way is down. I think it rare to have a choice, but then you always were exceptional."
Anakin didn't even have to think about it, "I want to come with you, my love. Of course."
Her face took on a look. That look. That 'we have to be responsible look.'
"Is that the right decision, Ani? The moral one?"
He grasped at straws, "I'm a former Sith Lord, Padme. I've done terrible things ..."
"And now you have a chance to make some of it right, Anakin."
Her face, so stern, abruptly relaxed into a loving smile, "You know I want to be with you, Anakin. But the children are there, aren't they?"
She suddenly looked alarmed, "You don't think that Palpatine ... that he hurt them, do you?"
Anakin shook his head violently, "No, they are well, my darling. Physically, spiritually, emotionally. And Luke and Leia have your determination and your spirit. I see so much in both of them that reminds me of you. They don't really need me. Indeed, I'm a monster. They are better off without me, Padme.
Padme looked at him challengingly, "Do you really think so?"
/-
Varykino
"Captain Solo, Chewbacca, " Bail Organa said gratefully, his hands outstretched toward the smuggler and his co-pilot, "I can't tell you how grateful I am for your protection of my daughter, not to mention your very courageous actions in destroying Palpatine."
A slight smile lightened the man's expression, "They will truly sing songs about you, most noble Chewbacca."
"I hope not any time soon," Solo said worriedly, "Since the Empire is still very much an active enterprise. If they find out he killed Palpatine he'll be at the top of every wanted poster across the galaxy."
Bail shook his head, "As of now, anyway, the underground information is that he was killed by unknown assailants. I presume your ship has false codes?"
"Of course," Solo said, looking vaguely insulted, "What do you take us for? No one will be able to identify the Falcon from our codes, and she's similar to a thousand other YT-1300s, though of course she far surpasses them all where it counts."
Bail nodded, relieved, "Very good, then. Now I know that Kenobi and Anakin promised a good price for your assistance and we will double it, but we will need to be cautious about the transfer of money ..."
"No, no, no," Solo interrupted, "I'm not going anywhere until I know more about what is going on. Who are you? Who is Leia? Who is Luke? Why was your daughter waving a lightsaber around? Chewie just killed the Emperor! I think we deserve to know all the details of your little crew before I go blasting off into the unknown."
Bail looked startled, then worried, and opened his mouth just as Leia walked into the room.
"My name is Leia Organa," she said calmly, "And this is my father Bail. My mother Breha met us on the ship. My parents are the former sovereigns of Alderaan. We faked our deaths because while I am their daughter, and the former heir to the throne of Alderaan, I am adopted. My true biological father is Anakin Skywalker, whom you knew as Nika Kilman. His name in his former life was ... "
Bail found his voice, "Leia, no!"
She turned and gazed at him gravely, "Captain Solo deserves to know, Papa. It isn't right that he was left unaware of the long game, and our identities. Anakin never should have put him in such a position."
"You call your biological father 'Anakin'?" Solo asked, struggling to parse all these incredible facts into some kind of order.
"It's better than Darth Vader," Leia said, her chin coming up.
There was a startled pause.
"Which was his former name," she continued steadily.
After a long moment, Solo physically lifted his right hand to prop up his jaw, which was sagging low.
"Now just hold on a second ... your father ..." he began.
"Biological father," she snapped, "Bail Organa is my real father."
"Your biological father is Darth Vader?"
"Yes. Well, was. He is Anakin Skywalker now. And my twin brother is Luke Skywalker."
"The ... uh ... the blond haired kid, Luke, is your brother?"
"Yes."
"Oh."
A lifted eyebrow. Leia managed to make it a clear question.
"I, um, I thought maybe you and he were, um, you know, an ... an item."
"Luke and me!?"
She looked horrified.
"An understandable mistake, Captain Solo," Bail broke in, trying to wrench the conversation back into some semblance of normality, "Given that they are close in age and obviously fond of one another. But no, they are twins."
The older man paused, then added gravely, "I don't agree with my daughter's decision to tell you all this, but she knows you better than I do. I am sure it is obvious that this information would be worth a great deal to whoever is currently leading the Empire."
Solo actually bared his teeth, "The leaders of the Empire can rot in Chaos for all I care. I would never betray you after what the Empire did to Kashyyyk."
He now looked troubled, "Darth Vader was instrumental in the pillaging of Kashyyyk and the enslavement of the Wookiees."
Leia nodded, her face grieved, "Captain Solo, our biological father's sins are truly legion. We know that. But he has turned back and he wanted to ... at least partially atone for what he has done by destroying Palpatine."
"And he may be destroyed in the process," the old man named Ben stated, walking into the room. "He's struggling greatly, Leia. I'm afraid his end may be at hand."
/-
"The twins are so young, Anakin!"
"Padme, they are older than you were when you were Queen of Naboo, older than I was when I was a padawan fighting at Obi-Wan's side."
"And we were too young, Ani," she responded, her face suddenly downcast, "Or at least I was. Yes, I was intelligent and responsible, a gifted politician, but I was not experienced enough to lead Naboo as she deserved."
"Padme!" he was rather horrified, "Your people loved you! They adored you. You were rightly known as one of the very best of Naboo's queens! You protected them and guided them ..."
"I didn't protect them from Palpatine," she broke in, her eyes steely. "It took me far too long to see the truth."
Anakin looked down at the grass at his feet, "It took far longer for me, my love."
"I know, but don't you see, Anakin. You have decades more experience now. You can guide them ..."
"Padme, I don't want to leave you again. I won't."
"Well, we'll just have to discuss that at more length, Ani."
Anakin repressed a slight shudder. Padme was a scary debater.
/
And it came to pass, after the death of Emperor Palpatine, that Ysanne Isard of the Imperial Security Bureau joined forces with Ars Dangor of the Imperial Council. Together, they plotted against Grand Vizier Sate Pestage, whose reputation was in decline due to the widespread awareness of his unfortunate bubble bath on the day of Palpatine's death. Pestage was executed in the public square in front of the Imperial Palace, as were a host of dignitaries and functionaries who had thrown their support behind the former Grand Vizier.
Imperial Center was in disarray, provoking uncertainty among the Imperial Fleets. One Grand Admiral, the Chiss known as Thrawn, began to consolidate his power along the Outer Rim trade routes ...
/-
Anakin Skywalker opened his eyes.
He was lying in a reclined bed in a soothing room, one filled with natural light.
A dazed glance showed he had intravenous lines into both arms.
He turned his head with some difficulty, and observed Ahsoka Tano seated on a chair next to his bed, her montrals at peace, as she read something from a holopad.
"Snips!" he gasped out, "Are you all right?"
Her head snapped up, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"Master?"
"Yes," he rasped, and looked around for water. Oh, how dry his throat was.
She obviously sensed his need, for she quickly rose and hurried over to a food/drink unit and returned in a moment with a cup of water.
"Drink slowly, Skyguy."
It was hard to drink slowly, but he did. Oh, how good that water tasted.
"Snips, I'm so glad you're all right! I was worried that wound on your arm was serious. Looks like it was minor."
Her patterned face gazed at him solemnly, even as she slowly shook her head, "It was very serious, Skyguy. I nearly died. But I'm healed now."
He frowned. He was missing something.
"It looks fine."
"It is fine ..."
She hesitated, then said with difficulty, "You've been unconscious for three months, Master. You've missed quite a lot."
Author Note: The idea of the pool which leads to the Force Afterlife is loosely based on C. S. Lewis's "The Magician's Nephew" which is an awesome book.
