We are reaching the end and I am just draginggg myyyy feetttt because I don't want it to end. I've never written or completed a fic this long before and actually finishing it is... weird.
This is the last real chapter. Next is an Epilogue and then some post-fic pieces for the universe are going to be added to Echos.
I know I've said it before, but I'm going to say it again. I want to give you all a huge heartfelt thank you! Thank you for reading! Thank you for leaving reviews! Thank you for following and faving! Without you readers and your feedback, I would have lost all inspiration to complete this story after Chapter 5. So Thank You! A large part of this story exists because of you readers!
Without further ado...
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Chapter 29
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Bail Organa stared down into the bassinet and scrubbed a hand across his face. The twins were sleeping; exhausted by their trauma, hurting physically and mentally by some power he could never begin to understand. Only one month old, and orphaned.
His heart ached. For the loss of his friend. For the loss of the Republic. For these orphaned children. They didn't deserve this. They should have grown up loved and cared for by their parents. Not subjected to some unknown fate; hurried off to the far corners of the galaxy to avoid the Empire's attention.
Luke shifted in his sleep and whined softly. Leia, also asleep, stretched out her hand and rested it against Luke's. He stilled and settled deeper back to sleep. Together, they were at peace. That peace was not going to last.
Bail sighed and rested his hands over both of them, and he could feel their fluttering little heartbeats beneath his fingers.. The babies seemed to soothe at the contact. He ached to pick them up, hold them and comfort them. He wanted to take them. Steal them away to Alderaan where they'd be loved and protected; where they'd never know pain again until they were old enough to understand.
When they were older, he would tell them everything. He'd tell them about their mother and father; who they were and the sacrifices they made. When the time was right, he would tell them.
Bail heard a pair of footsteps approaching, heavily booted, rapid and efficient. Rex. The clone stepped into the room, and stood stiffly at attention while Bail turned to acknowledge him.
"The Gen—Jedi would like to see you, Senator."
"Very well," Bail followed Rex to the conference room. He was mentally preparing his argument to convince the Jedi to allow him to adopt the children. He didn't think he'd have to work hard to convince them. The children may be Anakin's, and they may have Jedi powers, but it was dangerous to be a Jedi in these times. They'd be safer as Alderaanian royalty.
Bail and Rex stepped into the conference room where Obi-Wan and Yoda were waiting. The atmosphere was somber and tense, and for more reasons than just the business at hand. Bail might not have a Jedi's sensitivities, but a lifetime in politics had taught him how to read people like books. He could tell as soon as he stepped in that the Jedi planned on taking the children and he bristled at the thought.
If the Jedi sensed his sudden hostility, they made no indication of it. Bail picked a seat across the table from the Jedi, acutely aware of the visual this action created. Rex opted to stand by the door.
"It's time to discuss where we all move forward from here," Obi-Wan said once Bail had settled.
"Unwise it is, to linger," Yoda added.
Bail nodded in agreement. "I will return Senator Amidala's body to Naboo. After which, I will take the children to Alderaan. My wife and I will adopt them; they will be safe and cared for."
"No, separated, the children must be."
Bail frowned sharply at the wizened Jedi. "Separated? Master Yoda, they're the only family they have left. We can't separate them."
"I'm afraid we must, Senator," Obi-Wan explained softly. "Together, those children shine like a beacon in the Force. Palpatine will know where to find them."
"They would be protected."
"Only for so long."
"I won't have those children shuttled out to some over-filled, understaffed, Outer Rim orphanage! They deserve better than that, they're Padme's children!"
"And they're Anakin's," Obi-Wan snapped. He drew a breath, looked directly at Organa, and said quietly. "Do you think you're the only one who cares for them? If Palpatine doesn't find them, Vader will."
Bail swallowed nervously. "So she survived, then." He watched both Rex and Obi-Wan bow their heads in admittance. "So what? You both take a child and ferry them off to the dark corners of the galaxy and teach them the Jedi ways?"
"No," Yoda said. "A child, I will not take. Separated, they must be, but if a child you wish to adopt, one of them, you can."
Bail swallowed any further arguments to take both the children. He didn't understand the Force, but he couldn't risk bringing harm to the children if they were both on Alderaan. He still trusted the Jedi. "My wife and I have been discussing adopting a baby girl… Leia would be loved with us."
"Then with you, the girl shall go."
"But what about the boy? Would we send Luke to Padme's family?"
"No," Obi-Wan shook his head, "That's too obvious. The Empire will be watching them far too closely. They can't know anything dangerous."
"I can't tell them why their son died? Or that he had two children?" Bail knew the Naberrie family and the thought of telling them such a blatant, hurtful lie made Bail feel rotten to his core.
"It would be safest for them to not know."
Bail bit back a retort about how the Jedi didn't exactly have a good track record right now in safety. It was logical. Padme's family was known well in Mid and Inner Rim society. News of an illicit marriage and secret children would spread like wild fire and bring harsh scrutiny down on the family and Luke, if he was with them. "It would be cruel to dump him in an orphanage."
"And he may be targeted by the Empire if he showed any Force sensitivity." Obi-Wan added. "Undoubtedly, this anti-Jedi witch hunt will go on for quite some time."
Bail rubbed at his chin. "I have connections to good families; someone may be willing to adopt him."
Yoda shook his head. "Time we do not have, for that path."
"Did Anakin have any family?"
Obi-Wan said "No." Rex said "Yes."
All eyes turned to the clone. "I think I remember her mentioning a step-brother on Tattooine, sirs."
Obi-Wan's brow furrowed as he remembered and his hand stroked at his beard. "That's right. She found them just before the Battle of Geonosis. They are moisture farmers, I believe."
Bail frowned. Tattooine was not a place he'd ever choose to hide a child. It was inhospitable and crawling with criminals. He knew the Hutts had a large presence there, and it was a known waypoint for drug runners … Then again, nobody would ever think to look all the way out there for a Force sensitive child.
Still, life on Tattooine couldn't be easy for moisture farmers. Would Luke be cared for, fed, clothed, loved? Bail didn't know anything about these relatives of Anakin, and he was filled with apprehensive thoughts of a starving family selling their 'abnormal' step-nephew to the Empire or the Hutts for a meal or drinking money.
"Anakin said they were good people," Obi-Wan added, as if he had read Bail's thoughts. Perhaps he had. "They freed Anakin's mother. And when she and Padme went to Tattooine, they sheltered them for a couple days."
Rex nodded in agreement from his post at the door. "She only mentioned them once, but she said much of the same thing about them."
There was really no other option. Maybe the Outer Rim would prove to be safer than Alderaan for a child of Anakin Skywalker. Bail slowly nodded in agreement.
"I will take the boy to Tattooine," Kenobi volunteered. "I will ensure his relatives will take him in and make sure he is safe."
"In agreement, we are then?" Yoda asked.
They all murmured back "yes."
Kenobi's eyes turned to the clone. "What about Rex? He can't go back to the 501st."
This time Bail had an answer. "If you want, Rex, I can bring you to Alderaan. We could easily find a place for you. If you'd like to stay with Leia, you could be her personal bodyguard."
The clone finally sat down at the table. "I'm afraid that won't work, Senator. My face is pretty well known throughout the galaxy. You adding a clone to your staff would wave a big red flag for anyone in the military. They'd know I was a deserter."
Bail pulled at his goatee thoughtfully. "How do you feel about espionage?" he asked after a long, thoughtful silence.
"Espionage?"
"I have no intentions of lying down and letting this Empire steamroll the galaxy into submission. And I know I am not the only one with these same feelings." He looked intently at the clone. "It may be a long time until we can reach open rebellion, but having a man on the inside from the beginning could be crucial to success."
Rex considered the offer for a moment. "I'm not opposed to the idea, Senator. But I can't go back to the 501st. Vader will surely take up command again, and she'll know as soon as she sees me that her children are out there. She always knew what I was thinking."
"What about another regiment? Could you slip into another trooper's place? You are clones, after all."
Rex sort of nodded, bobbing his head from side to side while his brain already hurried to put together the logistics of the plan. "It could work."
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Rex hated how good at disappearing Jedi could be. Yoda and Kenobi had some Jedi business to discuss while Organa made the final preparations to their ships. Rex had hoped to grab the general when he left his meeting, but somehow he had missed the Jedi.
Yoda had already departed in a small shuttle he had bartered from the mining colony. Rex had given it a cursory look over with the colony's primary mechanic. It was an old and battered thing, but space worthy. Its hyper drive only had enough in it for one jump though. Yoda had seemed quite unconcerned by that fact, and he left as soon as the mechanic was done with his evaluation.
Organa was making preparations on his ship for their departure. He had given Amidala's droids to his captain. The pilots had docked Amidala's skiff with the ship. The Senator's body had been delivered to the ship. Supplies were being procured for the twins.
The plan was to leave within the hour. The first stop would be a transit hub, where Kenobi could easily book a transport to Tattooine. Rex would find his way into a clone squadron that stayed far away from Coruscant. Bail would take Padme home.
The first hyperspace jump would be quick, and there was something Rex wanted to discuss with Kenobi before they all went their separate ways. He found him, finally, in an empty, windowed hallway, staring off into space. Obi-Wan turned his head to Rex as the clone approached. "Are we leaving soon?"
"Half an hour, sir."
Silence fell between them. Rex watched the Jedi, seeing if he would breach a conversation, or leave it to the clone. Kenobi showed no interest in speaking, so Rex did. "Sir, what are you going to do after you take the boy to Tattooine? This new rebellion could use leadership like yours."
Rex saw Obi-Wan's brow furrow in the reflection of the window. His voice was hollow and cold. "I won't be returning."
"You're going to kill yourself?!" The way he said it, made it sound an awful lot like suicide.
"No," Kenobi insisted. "I just…" he drew a long breath. "I'll be watching over Luke and keeping him safe. Tattooine is a harsh planet."
"But, sir, you're wasted on Tattooine. With your skills and experience, you could be an invaluable asset to usurping this new Empire."
"It's just another war, Rex." He said quietly. "I'm so tired of war."
"You're running away."
"Yes, I am!" Obi-Wan snapped. "Do you want me to admit it? I'm not like you, Rex. I wasn't built for war. The Jedi were supposed to be peacekeepers, but because of us, because of me and my failures I have destroyed everything that was good in the galaxy!" He huffed explosively and rested his forehead against the window with a soft thud.
"Skywalker's actions were not your fault."
"She was my padawan. I taught her, I raised her; everything she became was a result of my teachings. I will not be responsible for any more needless deaths. There's no one else for me to hurt on Tattooine."
Rex frowned at the former general. He'd never heard the Jedi speak like this; it wasn't like General Kenobi to give up and run away. It was battle fatigue. It could get to the best of them. Kenobi just needed time to recover. "I understand sir, but this new rebellion could always use a great tactician like you."
"They'd have to be pretty desperate to need me." Obi-Wan sighed. "But you'll know where to find me." He turned and placed a hand on Rex's shoulder. "Keep yourself safe, Rex." He squeezed Rex's shoulder gently and walked away.
Rex noted that he failed to offer anything along the lines of a promise, or even a hope to see each other in the future. If he went to Tattooine in twenty, ten, or even one year's time would he be able to find Kenobi?
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Agony. That was all Vader was aware of; a soul deep, gaping void that was drowning her. She didn't know where she was anymore. Surely she was dead or dying. She tried to remember, to put together the pieces, but everything was blank, there was nothing but pain in her memories.
Then she started moving, rotating upwards. Vader opened her eyes – a painful effort. Only her left eye would open and she was nearly blinded by bright white lights. They dimmed after a moment and her vision adjusted. She could feel something sticking, pulling on the burned skin of her face. A bandage. Something else was sitting over her mouth and nose. She could feel a gentle current of gas flowing through, and the mask hissed menacingly with every breath she took. Vader tried looking around as she was lifted up and she saw Sidious, watching calmly, waiting off on her right side.
Vader tried to speak, she couldn't, not like she used to. She tried again. Her words came out slowly and stilted as they processed through a vocalizer. They came out wrong, they came out too deep. "Where's Padme? Is he alright?"
Sidious looked bereaved, apologetic. "I am afraid that in your anger, you killed him."
Vader stopped breathing as the cold shock hit her – or she tried to, her lungs moved to pull in a breath even though she didn't want to. "No! I felt it, he was alive!"
"The senator succumbed to sever internal injuries. They buried him yesterday."
"And my children? Where are they? Are they safe?"
Sidious hesitated, as if unwilling to share the truth. Vader's blood ran cold before the words left his mouth. "I sent troops to find them, and bring them to safety. They were found with one of Padme's aids in your apartment. They were gunned down by a Separatist assassin it appears."
"No. No! They were on Mustafar. They were on the ship! I felt them! They were there!" Vader was already reaching out through the Force; searching for that unbreakable bond between her and her children.
"It was a trick of Kenobi's. He wanted to catch you with your guard down. He used your children against you."
"The holocron. You said-"
"Someone broke into the Temple and sabotaged the vault. By the time we cut through, it will be too late."
Vader physically recoiled from the backlash of broken, empty bonds. They were gone. Luke. Leia. Padme. Loss and fury coursed through her. She could feel the Force acting upon objects in the room. She didn't care. "You were supposed to help them!" she raged. "You were supposed to save them!"
She lurched off the table and lunged for Sidious. Her steps were weak and unsteady on her new legs and Sidious was easily able to dodge her. Vader crumpled to the floor. Sidious lashed out and grabbed her by the mask. He ripped the apparatus away from her face, tearing away some of the bandages and barely-formed scar tissue. Blood trickled down Vader's face and dripped quietly onto the floor.
"I saved you, Lord Vader," he hissed venomously.
Vader couldn't breathe and she choked in Sidious' grip. "M-Master… pl-" Her hands pulled uselessly at Sidious' hand.
Sidious shoved the mask back in place and released her with a push. Vader fell to her hand and knees and gasped in deep lungfulls of the medicated air.
"I protected your family from the Jedi's treachery. Padme chose to leave your children unprotected on Coruscant. And you caused the injuries that ultimately killed Padme. Now get up!"
Vader struggled to her feet, finally taking stock of her body. She could feel the cybernetic replacements in her legs and the invasive support mechanisms in her lungs and throat. Her skin burned beneath the bandages covering her. Her survival was nothing short of a miracle; a seamless melding of machine and flesh. Vader hated this curse, down to the smallest mechanisms.
She glared up at Sidious as he loomed over her. Hatred and grief fought within her heart, but in the end, hatred won and a deep loathing settled in her heart. A dark little promise of vengeance took root and she buried it quickly.
"What happened to my children?" Vader asked once she regained her balance. "Where are they buried?"
"Padme's staff identified them. They were buried with him on Naboo yesterday."
Gone. They were all gone. Her husband was dead. Her children were dead. And without them, Anakin Skywalker was dead as well. And yet, Vader had survived… maybe she deserved this curse afterall.
