Decisions
A/N: Please give a round of applause for my new beta reader; EzioAuditore1459, without my reader this chapter would not rock as much as it does!
Garven 'Dave' Dreis had been serving underneath the Hero With No Fear since he was a little kid, and he couldn't believe the whispers around the base, the General Skywalker was dead. Dave had never seen a better pilot than General Anakin Skywalker; he couldn't be dead, could he? Dave was on patrol around the base, when he saw the Son of Skywalker with his sister. "Sir, if I could?" he asked, respectfully.
"What is it, Commander?" Luke asked, noticing the insignia that denoted his rank.
"I just want to say, I've been serving under your father since I was a kid in the Clone Wars, he was the best pilot I've ever seen," Dave told the younger Skywalker, "I'm glad to have you in the Alliance," he told the younger man. "You'll do alright, if you've got half of your father's skill, you'll do better than alright."
"Thank you," Luke told the older man. "My father….was one of a kind," Luke said, thinking over his childhood, despite Anakin's sometimes long absences, Anakin had made sure that his children knew they were loved by him, even if he did have high expectations for them.
"Thank you, Commander," Leia repeated. "We are going to continue fighting for our father, fighting for what he believed in and I am honored to have you fighting for, and serving the Rebellion. My father would be proud," she told the Commander.
"Well, I better get back to my duties," Dave told her.
"What is your name, Commander?" Leia asked, in her commanding way, much like her father.
"My name is Commander Garven Dreis, but you can call me Dave, Ms. Skywalker."
"Leia, Dave, we should be on a first name basis. I'm going to need your help," she told him as she walked off with him, leaving Luke to put the final touches on their plan. "Dave, I would like for you to give a speech on our father tonight. I would be honored if you would mention his exploits, our father's legacy will live on," she said, with determination.
"Leia," Padme approached her, "What's going on?"
"Go ahead, Dave," Leia said, "Can you just give us a moment of privacy?" she asked.
"Leia…" Padme said. "Why would you do that?"
"We need a distraction, Mom, and I doubt Master Plo will allow us to leave so soon after the last mission," Leia explained to her mother.
"Leave? Leia, where are you going?" Leia sighed and knew there was no use in trying to keep anything from her mother, even without the Force she wouldn't be easy to fool; she knew her and Luke far too well to not be suspicious. "Luke and I are going to save Uncle Obi-Wan," Leia admitted.
"Obi-Wan," Padme said with a frown, "What happened to him?" she asked, so focused she had been on her husband that she hadn't realized that Obi-Wan hadn't returned either.
"Uncle Obi-Wan sacrificed himself so that we could escape. Dad wouldn't leave him behind, and neither will I!" she cried, passionately.
"You are right; Obi-Wan will have to be freed."
"Oh, Mom," Leia continued, "The Emperor….he's going to execute him, we can't allow that to happen to him," she said, as tears filled her brown eyes, so much like Padme's own. Leia was more prone to fits of frustration than Luke; she was so much like her father. "With Dad…" Leia allowed the statement to trail off, "Uncle Obi-Wan is a sign of hope, without a sign of hope, the people will just bow to the Emperor and we can't allow that to happen, we must fight for our cause, and we need Uncle Obi-Wan, he's part of the most publicized team in the Galaxy, just his name stirs hope within the breasts of the young and the old."
"You are right, Leia, but you can't go alone."
"I won't be alone, Mom, Luke and Galen are going with me," she explained, glad that her Mom didn't shoot the plan down.
"And where is this supposed to take place?" Padme asked.
"Imperial City," Leia explained.
"Then I'm coming along."
"But Mom, you can't, the Emperor will be there, and Darth Wrath, and Barriss, you don't stand a chance."
"Are you implying because I can't use the Force, I'm helpless, let me tell you something missy, before you came along, I was very involved in the Clone Wars, and your father never considered me weak just because I couldn't use the Force doesn't mean the Force isn't WITH me," she told her daughter, something Anakin had told her several times before. "The Force is an ally, but not just within the Force sensitives, it will provide for me as well, and this isn't the first time I've been involved in a rescue mission to retrieve Obi-Wan from the enemy, I'm going and that's final."
Leia stared at her mother for a moment before agreeing; sometimes she forgot just how talented a politician she really was. "Alright Mom. I'm going to go ask Mara if she wants to come, it is her Dad after all," Leia explained as she headed for Mara's quarters.
Padme turned to her nephew who had been watching the whole scene with a slight smile on her face. "You wanted an adventure, Jix, are you really ready for one?"
"Yes, Aunt Padme," Jix replied.
"Then you need to go suit up, follow me," she said as she went to the Alliance's uniforms and found something more appropriate. Padme picked up a regal dress, and put on pants and combat boots underneath it, as well as a camouflaged top. When it was necessary she would discard the regal dress, but it would be necessary at the kind of ceremony the Emperor would be giving. She tucked a small blaster into her boots, as well as a vibroblade, just to be on the safe side. Padme would not go into this blind. Jix dressed less constricting, in the outfit of a typical bodyguard, and thus would be allowed the simple blaster he carried.
Leia headed toward Mara Jade Kenobi but was stopped when she saw Galen, although Leia had made it very clear to Mon Mothma what she planned on doing, she could only hope that she wouldn't rat on her to the Jedi. Normally, Leia would tell Aunt Ahsoka, after all she was the Knight in charge of Leia's Jedi training, but Aunt Ahsoka was hurting, she had just lost part of her body, and Leia knew from talks with her father that that would take awhile to adjust to, and besides Leia didn't want to get Aunt Ahsoka into any trouble, and this mission would be very dangerous, and Leia knew she had to go, and she didn't want anyone to stop them.
"Galen," Leia said with a smile as he spotted her and put his arms around her bringing her in for a kiss. Leia responded to his kiss, and then pulled away looking up into his dark eyes, so serious and caring. "I need to ask you a favor," she said, lowering her voice.
"Anything, Leia," Galen said looking into her eyes. "I would do anything for you Leia," he pronounced seriously.
"It's going to be dangerous."
"Ha! Danger doesn't impress me," Galen said teasingly.
"I'm serious, Galen," Leia replied, "We are going to have to sneak away from the Jedi, if they find out," Leia closed her eyes and opened them, "When they find out, there will be punishment, I don't know what, but we should be prepared for anything, but I can't worry about that for now."
"Leia, slow down," Galen said. "You are babbling."
Galen was right, she was babbling. Leia took the moment to contact Luke through their bond and send him after Mara Jade. "I know, I'm sorry, it's just I want you to understand the risks," she explained.
"I know the risks, and I'm in. Come on; let's go check on the Imperial cruiser that Master Dooku was able to procure."
"Don't you mean steal?" Leia shot back as she was careful to walk slowly beside her boyfriend, despite the rising need to run toward the hanger.
Luke was deep in meditation when he felt his twin bond flare to life as Leia contacted him. Luke sighed as he opened his brilliant blue eyes and deftly navigated the corridors toward Mara Jade Kenobi's quarters. He didn't see why his sister insisting on invited her, as the Jedi knew she could be a liability; it was her father after all. Besides, Luke had always barely tolerated his beloved uncle's eldest child, but still he waited as he touched her Force presence, letting the girl know that he was outside her quarters.
"What do you want?" Mara Jade Kenobi said once she spotted the elder Skywalker twin.
"Look, I'm not any happier to be here than you are to have me here," he said, tersely, "But Leia thinks you might be of some help. She thinks four Jedi will have a better chance that three," Luke explained.
"Chance at what?" Mara said, opening the door and letting him step inside.
"Chance at rescuing Uncle Obi-Wan," Luke replied, just noticing her tear stained face. Luke felt slightly guilty.
"You want to rescue my father?"Mara asked seemingly surprised. "The infamous Chosen One is dead, and no one even noticed that my father didn't return," she said through clenched teeth. "Of course I'm coming, Skywalker, just stay out of my way," she said, turning to put on a green Jedi robe, the same color as her emerald eyes.
"You can't blame Dad for this."
"Oh, yea, watch me Skywalker, just watch me. From what I understand if it wasn't for your dad, Dad would have been safe with the Alliance, he's always cleaning up after the Chosen One," she snarled.
"That's not fair!" Luke cut in, "You know as well as I do that they were like brothers, they were the team, and Dad risked his life for Uncle Obi-Wan just as much as Uncle Obi-Wan cleaned up Dad's mess."
"Then why is it my father that the Emperor has decided to publically execute?" she asked, her green eyes flashing.
"Don't forget Mara that it's my father that died!" Luke flared back, tears threatening to break through.
"And don't you forget, farm boy that my Dad is to be publically executed!"
"Not if I have anything to say about," Luke snapped, tired of her attitude. "Are you in or out?" he asked dejectedly.
"I'm in, farm boy, I'm defiantly in," Mara Jade said as she grabbed her lightsaber and clipped it to her belt. "Now are you going to lead the way, or am I supposed to do everything for myself," she asked.
"This way, Boss," Luke replied as he led her toward the hanger.
As Dave's speech began, the six Alliance members were on the stolen Imperial cruiser as Padme put in the coordinates for Coruscent and Luke and Leia took their chairs as the pilot and copilot. Mara began going through her katas as she prepared to save her father, and Jix turned on the HoloNews watching for news of the Emperor's celebration.
Dave looked around for the Skywalker's as he began, his palms sweating profusely.
"Go ahead, Dave," Ahsoka said waving her new human-looking hand around awkwardly.
"Right, General Tano," he said as he cleared his throat. "Most of you just know me as the best pilot here, but that's inaccurate to say, I am only the best non-Jedi pilot, the title of best pilot refers to Tan Skywalker, why I remember when the then-Chancellor awarded General Skywalker the title of Tan, it couldn't have been long after he had received his first and only padawan," Dave continued, looking at Ahsoka, "I was a volunteer and I worked within Shadow Squadron before my transfer, and before the end of the Clone Wars, I was just a kid when I met General Skywalker, green behind the ears, but General Skywalker took it upon himself to train me as a pilot. He always told me that being a pilot wasn't what you knew in here," he said pointing to his head, "but in here," he replied as he pointed to his heart. "I know that Lady Skywalker left word that it would be too painful for her or her elder children to be here, but I would like to draw attention to the youngest Skywalker, Jinn, your father will be greatly missed," Dave said as his voice cracked slightly, "I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the heroics of your father, the Hero With No Fear," Dave said as the room errupted in applause and then an alarm went off, signaling the hanger door closing with the take off of a transport.