Random Apartment

Imperial City

Imperial Center

Two days later

Brilana Silk stepped into the dreary main room of the apartment and collapsed onto the ancient couch. The Krayt leather had split apart in several spots and the grungy shaak wool stuffing poked out. It had been a very high end sofa in its day, but that day was long past.

"Hard day?" her twin sister Aralina asked, stepping out of the small kitchen with a glass of blue milk in her hand.

"Very," Brilana replied with a groan, taking the cup and sucking down a deep draught of the tasty liquid. "Prince Xizor showed up today unexpectedly and wanted moonglow. The kitchen was a frantic mess and the wait staff fell behind, which made the normal clientele angry, which meant tips were down. So it was a rotten day and I didn't make as much as usual."

"I'm sorry," Aralina replied, dropping onto the couch and sending a soft Force hug into the mind of her other half.

Bri sighed and lolled back against the cushions with her eyes closed, "It's Ok. Xizor never comes two days in a row to the Manarai and tomorrow will be better. And I have the next day off. But as soon as I eat a little something, I'm going to pour myself into bed and get some sleep."

"Actually, Jade is coming over in the next few minutes so you'd better have some caf after you finish your blue milk. She says she has an idea."

"Oh no."

"Hey, she has great ideas sometimes."

"But I'm tired!"

"Don't whine."

There was a soft tap in the Force and Brilani opened one eye, "And here she is."

Aralina rolled to her feet and strode over to the door, which opened to reveal a red maned woman dressed in a practical tan outfit. Mara Jade walked in and glanced around warily before nodding at the woman on the couch.

"Brilani."

"Jade."

"You don't look glad to see me."

"I'm not. I've had a rotten day and I am incredibly tired and your ideas are always exhausting."

"She's pretty whiny today," Aralina commented with a grin, walking over to drop down on a chair near her sister.

"Not whiny," Brilani insisted, waving her now empty glass around deliberately. "Tired."

"I have an idea."

"I hate your ideas," Bri snapped sullenly.

"Bri, shut up. Mara, go ahead."

Mara gazed wide eyed at the identical blond haired twins for a long moment, then shook her head. She'd been a loner all her life and this whole twin 'thing' was weird to her.

"I have an idea to take down the triumvirate at the head of the Empire," she clarified.

"And why would we do that?" Aralina demanded with lifted brows.

Mara looked at her incredulously, "Why? Because the Empire is evil? Because Palpatine stole us and murdered our ... our families, and then used us and twisted us? Because he lied to both of you and told each of you that your twin had died long ago. Because you were separated for more than 15 years? Because there are slaves dying and suffering and ..."

"I know," Brilani interrupted her tone gentle now. "Ara just wonders why we should do this? I mean, it's a big galaxy and we're just three former Emperor's Hands with specialized training but relatively few resources. Why not someone else? Why shouldn't we keep our heads down?

Mara stared at first one twin, then the other, "Because we're trained assassins? Because we do have specialized training? Because we are right here on Imperial Center, and we know secret passages into the Imperial Palace, and we can take down those vile sleemos more easily than anyone else in this galaxy?"

The blond twins exchanged thoughtful looks and then Brilani sat up carefully, "All right, Jade. It sounds both fatiguing and dangerous but we'll at least listen to the plan."

Mara straightened and nodded briskly, "Ok. So have you heard about this whole Corellian Super Being group that's been tackling slavers all over the galaxy?"

"Slavers," Bri agreed, "and Imperials, Hutts, Corellian bosses, and other miscellaneous scum. Of course we have. During my break at work today, most of the other wait staff was gushing over Ransome Quiltratz's new fashion collection that debuted yesterday. Apparently the Sand Panther cloak is going to be the fashion hit of the year."

"People are idiots," Mara snapped irritably even as she gazed out the window into the bright lights of Imperial Center at night, "but I'm thankful. It will make it easier for us."

"Easier to do what?" Bri asked nervously.

"Oh, kill Isard, Pestage, and Dangor while dressed up as the Corellian Super Beings."

The twins blinked at Mara, then looked at one another, then looked back at their fellow former Emperor's Hand.

"Um, what?"

/-

Holonet Call between Relinka Spetzv (on Imperial Center and her sister Corilla Spetzv (on Corellia)

2 days later

"I got the promotion!" Corilla squealed at her sister across the many lightyears separating them. "I will start the evening slot in three days!"

"Corilla, that's wonderful!" Relinka gushed back, her aquamarine hair bouncing with excitement. "It was that Corellian Super Beings story, wasn't it?"

"Absolutely!" Corilla chortled, taking a sip of Corellian whiskey and then choking slightly as the harsh liquor burned her throat. She wasn't much of a drinker.

"Yes," she continued when she could breathe again. "Yes. My boss loved the segment, especially with Ransome Quiltratz fainting when I showed the holo of the decapitated heads."

Relinka bit her lip in barely concealed envy, "I would have died for that holo, Corilla. Died."

"Yeah, I got it from an old friend in the Imperial Security Bureau who swore me to secrecy so I can't tell you the name, but that holo was worth every credit I paid."

"Oh definitely," her older sister crowed. "Definitely. So did you hear more about that sighting of Corellian Super Being wannabe's a few days ago in Coronet City? Any idea who they were?"

Corilla leaned a little closer to the Holonet screen and lowered her voice as if that would make a difference, "We think they were the real gang, Relinka."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"But they signed holographs! On arms of random Twi'leks! There was a block party and one of the minions led the crowd in a rousing rendition of "Scum Rats Forever"! It's all over the Holonet! No way were they the real deal, Corilla!"

"They killed Lady Proxima, Relinka, and freed a bunch of slaves. The whole block party and dancing and cavorting was just great cover, we think. The Imperials showed up and thought it was harmless idiocy, and the whole group snuck off once everyone was too drunk to follow them. No one has seen them since the middle of that night. They are crazy people because the Imperial and Hutt bounties on their heads are in the millions now, but they managed to pull it off somehow."

Relinka shook her head in amazement, "You have all the luck, little sister."

"Says the woman who is the face of the Imperial Holonet network on Imperial Center."

"I'm happy for you, Corilla," her sister said sincerely. "Really happy."

/

Mon Mothma's Office

Rebel Ship Liberty

In orbit around Sullust

Three days later

Middle of the Night Cycle

"Mon."

Mon Mothma looked up with a weary smile at her old friend and colleague, "Carlist, do come in."

"I apologize for the delay," General Rieekan stated apologetically. "You must be exhausted."

"I'm full of caf, so I'm doing all right," she replied with a wave of her hand at a nearby cup. "And I've gotten a ton of work done."

"Good, good," Rieekan replied uneasily, then braced himself. "Well, there is no point in delaying the point of this surreptitious meeting."

"No," Mothma agreed politely. "Have a seat."

"Actually," the General began, gesturing at the door, "let me bring in some surprise visitors."

Mon Mothma rose to her feet in confusion, which shifted into baffled disbelief as six individuals filed into the office, filling it quite thoroughly. Five of the six were humanoids with masks on their faces, and the sixth was a giant Wookiee with white hair. The door slid behind them all as Mon took a shaky step forward.

"The Corellian Super Beings," she murmured in awe, then chuckled softly. "I sound like a giddy fan, don't I? This is delightful, Carlist! I am so honored to meet you all. But why are you here? And why so secretly? The Alliance leadership recognizes your amazing accomplishments and few have concerns about your purpose at this point."

"Because the situation is complicated," Ziwi stated, pulling her convor mask from her head.

Mothma was a stately woman and she rarely lost her cool, but ...

"Leia!" she cried out, tears filling her eyes. "Leia, Leia, Leia. Oh Leia, we thought you were lost ..."

"On the Hoth mission," Luke commented, removing his Kaadu mask.

"Commander Skywalker!" Mothma murmured, her hand over her mouth. "And ... that is Chewbacca, is it not, and Captain Solo. You ... you are the Corellian Super Beings?"

"We are," Ahsoka explained, pulling off her dalyrake helmet. "We've only met once, Mon Mothma. Fulcrum."

"Fulcrum," she murmured back, her eyes wide with amazement. Her eyes flitted over the group in amazement, then came to rest on the only sentient still wearing a mask.

"And who is the Sand Panther?" she asked courteously. "Another old friend?"

"No," the Panther hissed.

"He can't safely take off his mask here," Leia explained gravely. "But he is the reason this situation is fraught with complexity."

She hesitated, glanced at Luke, then at the Sand Panther, then back at Mon Mothma.

"Do I have to explain this?" she asked plaintively of the galaxy at large.

Chewbacca chuckled and Han drew her onto a nearby chair, "Sure. Because you're the diplomat, Leia."

"Please, sit down," Mothma said hurriedly, lowering herself into her seat. She frequently had meetings in her office, so there were enough chairs.

"I will stand and guard the door," the Sand Panther stated coldly.

"As you wish," she replied politely, before turning her gaze to Leia.

Leia hesitated, then lifted her brown eyes to meet her older friend's, "Mon, did you know I was adopted?"

The former Senator from Chandrila frowned in bewilderment, "Yes, I knew that. Not that I thought about it in many years, my dear. Bail and Breha always loved you as their own. But yes, I know."

She noted, because she was adept at body language, that the mysterious Sand Panther stiffened at these words.

Leia turned her head to glare at the tall figure, and then looked back, "Ok, so the reason we all disappeared on the Hoth mission is that we, uh, ran into my biological father."

Mon Mothma heard a sharp intake of breath and realized it was her own, "What?!"

"My father was on Hoth, hiding out. He found us."

"That seems quite an unlikely coincidence."

"No coincidence," Luke murmured softly, "it was the will of the Force."

"All right," the Alliance leader replied agreeably, though her brow was furrowed. "So why not bring him here? We would certainly welcome your father."

"You would not," the Sand Panther stated bleakly, his voice cold through the mask. "Furthermore, I had no intention of allowing my daughter to return to a ramshackle organization which put her into exceedingly dangerous situations all too often."

"Father, if you keep interrupting and snapping at her, this will take all night," Luke stated equably. "You're the one that wants out of here in a few hours."

Mon Mothma's mouth dropped open at this bewildering speech, and Leia hurried to speak, "So that's part of the craziness, Mon. It turns out, unbelievably, that Luke and I are twins."

The auburn haired woman stared at Leia, then Luke, then the Sand Panther, then made the leap, "So you are saying that the Sand Panther is ... is ... Anakin Skywalker!?"

"That name no longer has any meaning for me," the Sand Panther growled.

"More or less, but mostly less," Leia chimed in quickly.

"Like Leia said, it is very complicated," Luke finished.

Mon's eyes were fixed on the Sand Panther's tan mask, even as she shook her head slightly in wonder, "Anakin Skywalker reportedly died during the Jedi Purges more than two decades ago. Where have you been all these years?!"

"Breaking the galaxy," Leia stated matter-of-factly.

"Sort of," Luke added nervously. "It was really more Palpatine."

"Right hand man," Leia pointed out.

"He is Darth Vader, Mon," Rieekan explained softly, then glanced at Leia. "You couldn't quite spit it out, could you? You're welcome."

Ten seconds ground by and then Mothma sputtered out, "What?!"

Surprisingly it was Han Solo who answered this bewildered query, and his tone held its usual insouciance, "Anakin Skywalker switched sides and became Darth Vader, who eventually found out he had a kid, so he killed Palpatine, and then he found his son and a surprise daughter on Hoth. So he broke Fulcrum out of prison to teach them the ways of the Force, and escorted them and their motley friends to Naboo, their mother's homeworld. Finally his bored twins convinced him to take on the slavers of the galaxy as the Corellian Super Beings. It's not that complicated."

Mothma had been glaring at the Sand Panther, but now she turned her irritable gaze on Han Solo, "Thank you, Captain Solo. That was very helpful indeed."

She shook her head now, "Wait, you killed Palpatine? I thought he died of pneumonia."

"He died of nitrogen bubbles in the blood after I sabotaged his hyperbaric chamber," the Panther stated matter of factly.

"Why did you kill him?"

"He was a threat to the son I knew of and the daughter I was unaware of. He would have taken my child and twisted him or her to his will, made my offspring a slave ..."

Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker/the Sand Panther turned to look at a random potted plant in the corner.

"I would not wish such slavery on my worst enemy," he continued softly, "much less my own child."

The middle aged woman's face, tight with anger, softened to something like compassion.

"I see."

"The threesome currently at the top of the Empire has placed high bounties on all of us," the Panther continued, determined to leave behind the memory of his years of slavery. "I can protect myself, but I am concerned about my ability to protect the twins. We need to take down Isard, Pestage, and Dangor. It will be challenging for us to infiltrate Imperial Center, however. We ..."

He trailed off, and Luke finished for him, "We need the help of the Alliance to get there unseen, Madame Mothma. And then the Empire will fall."

Author Note: Getting very near the end, very very near. Thank you dear husband for editing for me!