Return to Tattooine

For the next six months, Anakin remained on Tattooine getting used to family life. The thought made him smile, he hadn't had a chance to get used to family life for a long time not since the Jedi had come for him. Life with Master Kenobi was never in one place, there had been missions to go on. And life with Padme had been hidden and secretive that had never had a chance to spend more than a few weeks together at most. Now he was a father. He was a Master. He was a General for the Rebellion and Cody, Rex, and Alpo kept feeding him information. He worried about the day the Emperor realized what they were up to and put them out of their misery. Anakin was training Galen Marek. The boy was rather strong in the Force and was progressing nicely. Better than Anakin himself, he thought. Galen actually liked meditating, a thing that until recently Anakin had detested. Three months after they had bought Boba home with them, he had disappeared, leaving a comm to contact him when the Big Fight Against the Empire took place. Anakin smiled wistfully, that child was so filled with anger, anger he could understand. He doubted that Boba Fett wouldn't kill Mace. There would be a confrontation there, he was sure of. Later, he had heard of a bounty hunter named Fett. Anakin decided not to worry about his fate. Every day the twins were getting older and stronger in the Force. Just today when Leia was crawling around she had gazed up at him, her alert brown eyes on his face, "Da-dee," she had cried out excitedly. "Da-dee," she had repeated falling on her diapered bottom and clapping her hands.

Luke Skywalker had been crawling near-by and not to be out done by his twin had used the Force to push Leia into their father's arms, gaining Anakin's attention as he repeated the words of his twin. "Da-dee. Da-dee. Le-a." Anakin had thrown back his head and laughed as he had picked his son up. They had grown up a lot in the last six months. Leia's hair was as dark as her mother's as were her eyes but she had his temper. Luke on the other hand, much to the predictions of Shaak Ti, had his own sandy blonde hair bleached by Tattooine's twin suns, and his own blue eyes. He suspected if they ever left Tattooine his hair would darken as his own had. Force please, let them leave Tattooine. He could not stand being here for all of eternity. The twins were able to levitate each other using the Force.

"Padme," he called, with both twins in his arms, "Are you happy here?" She smiled and took Leia from her father's arms who immediately began calling for her father.

"No! Da-dee, da-dee!" she squealed. Padme smiled gently and replaced Leia and grabbed Luke instead making room, so that she could kiss Anakin.

"My home is wherever you are, Ani, you know that."

"I know. I'll be glad when Galen gets old enough to come with us to destroy the Empire. Obi-Wan agrees with me, we need a sufficient distraction while I take on the Emperor. That day may be ten years away, Padme."

"I know, Anakin." Anakin kissed her cheek, and since Leia couldn't bare to be parted he went out to instruct his padawan.

"Master Skywalker?"

"Today, you will make your first lightsaber, we've finally got the parts." Anakin smiled at gave him the several dismantled parts he had gotten from Raxus Prime.

"Finally!" the lad stated excitedly.

"I'm very pleased of your progress, Galen. You take to meditation a lot better than I do. However, you still need practice with lightsaber dueling. I'm asking Jedi Knight, Ashoka to come from Kamino to spar with you."

"But Master-"

"We have had this argument before. You are not experienced enough to spar with either myself or Master Kenobi."

"Yes, Master." Anakin turned around and left. He smiled as he heard the familiar voice of Obi-Wan.

"You are wrong, Han. Even if you aren't Force sensitive you can in fact use a lightsaber."

"No way, old man. A blaster at your side beats one of your glowing sticks any day."

"It's called a lightsaber."

"Call it anything you like, old man, it's still a glowing stick to me." Anakin used the Force to open the door.

"Any progress?"

"Well, Solo, was defiantly an investment, Anakin. He is the best with a blaster, at least the best non-Jedi with a blaster."

"Why you old man-"

"Han, you'd lose. There's a reason Jedi have faster reflexes."

"So how are we doing with weapons?"

"Well, I just smuggled some in from Alderaan and Naboo."

"I thought they were peaceful."

"Well they are until you mention names like Amidala and Skywalker."

"Han, Padme is dead. The whole galaxy believes it. If the Emperor-"

"Look, I know Anakin but that means we are closer to this Revolution you seem to want so badly."

"There's one more thing I need."

"I need you to smuggle in a Jedi Knight. She's a Tortugan. Her name is Ashoka. She was my padawan."

"Sounds great. Better than blasting the old man to a thousand pieces. Chewie and I will leave in the morning. But not too early. He needs his beauty sleep." Chewie barked at that one. Anakin laughed.

"I think you are right on that one, Chewie." Obi-Wan looked at him puzzled, "Chewie says that Han doesn't like to get up too early."

"That's not it at all. I just think we should take our time and plan it, no sense getting started too early."

"Sure kid," Anakin replied. "Obi-Wan, do you think maybe you could talk to the Knight on Raxus Prime? The one with all those droids? If we could use them to help us take down the Empire..."

"You know as well as I do that they are only shiny replicas, and they were easy enough for you to dismantle."

"Well, not everyone is Tan Skywalker," Anakin stated with a smile. "I think in another ten years we will be ready."

"Long Live the Republic," Obi-Wan stated with a small smile.

"Long Live the Republic," Padme secondoned, with Luke in her arms.

"Long Live the Republic," Anakin agreed with his trademark smile on his face.

"Long Live the Republic," Viceroy Organa and Queen Beha stated from Alderaan.

"Long Live the Republic," Mon Mothma stated as well.