Chapter 20 – War!

Three years later

WAR!

First Order Invades Alderaan, Chancellor to Resign.

Emergency Session of Senate Convened to Debate Next Course of Action.

Ben was seated at his typical spot by the desk in his senatorial office. Right hand propping up his weary head, Ben scanned the depressing headlines on the datapad which he was holding with his left. He wished he could say that he hadn't seen this coming, but he was afraid that he had long foretold of this terrible day. Unfortunately, his senatorial colleagues hadn't been as prescient as he.

The First Order had struck the Inner Core. The war had finally begun. For three whole years, Ben had been fighting an uphill battle against the ever-intransigent Senate. He alongside his friend Zorq had been clamoring for the New Republic to do something about the First Order which had been growing exponentially as scores upon scores of Outer and Mid Rim planets pledged themselves to their cause. In spite of this, the Senate refused to act, however. It seemed as long as the First Order kept out of the Core, the Senate was content to let them do as they may.

The First Order's decision to launch a full out invasion of Alderaan, a prominent Core World planet, was therefore a clear statement: they wanted war. The Senate, it seemed, was finally willing to act, but Ben feared it was far too late. Contrary to his incessant requests, the military budget had been slashed rather than expanded with each successive fiscal year. He suspected this move was some convoluted attempt at appeasement. The First Order would surely cease their belligerent ways if the New Republic showed that it didn't want a fight and was willing to negotiate! Right?

They were all fools. The New Republic had the greatest military mind in the galaxy at their disposal in his mother, yet they had steadfastly refused to grant her adequate resources. She had been stuck fighting an impossible battle. The fleet was entirely too small to repel the First Order from the Mid Rim in which they were now deeply and irrevocably entrenched. While the strike on Alderaan would finally convince the Senate to devote funding toward increasing the fleet, would it be in time? The shipyards on Kuat could only produce so quickly. What if the First Order got there first? What would they do then?

A familiar squeaking sound caused Ben to look up from his datapad. "Master Skywalker, your sister is here," the recently-restored A5 informed him.

In spite of his foul mood, Ben smiled appreciatively to his friend. "Thank you, A5," he said to the droid. "You may let her in." A5 had taken far longer to repair than either he or Ania had expected. With Ben's schedule filled up from morning to night most days with both his senatorial obligations and his Jedi training, he had struggled to find the time to work on the project. Yet finally, he was fully functional again. It was a great relief for Ben to have all his friends by his side during this dire time.

All but one, that is.

He had not heard nor sensed a thing from Rey for nearly three years now. His mother refused to allow him to reach out to her through the Force despite the strength of their bond. Time and time again he had requested that she let him try, but she unequivocally refused. It was too dangerous, she would say. Rey must be considered as a lost cause. She was Sidious' puppet now. Well, Ben knew better. Rey was still out there. He could feel it. She needed his help.

Ben cleared his mind of this troublesome subject when A5 returned with Ania following behind him. Smiling wanly, Ben was suddenly struck with a memory of Ania entering his office in a similar fashion three years ago when he had asked her to tell him what she knew about his mother's mysterious past.

So much had changed since then to both of them. From a purely physical sense, neither of them looked like they had back then. For Ben, the difference was far starker. Whereas he had once been slightly overweight and desperately out of shape, the new Ben was considerably leaner and fitter. With Ania's guidance, Ben had shed himself of his baby fat and had put on a significant amount of muscle in a very short period of time. He supposed it was genetic. Both he and Ania were predisposed to having powerful physiques, he just had never realized that potential until now.

Ania looked different as well. Her skin was no longer tanned on account to living on cloudy Chandrila for the past three years, and the pale complexion made her look all the more like her mother. Besides her skin, the most notable difference was her hair. When he had first met her, she had sported a cut which terminated just above her shoulders. Now, however, she had let her straight brown hair grow out several feet. She and Leia, who had comparably voluminous locks, had seemed to bond over their hair. Ben felt as if every time he saw his sister, she was wearing a new, oftentimes devilishly complicated hairstyle which her mother had done up for her. Today, however, Ania's hair was simply braided in a single plait which cascaded down to her lower back.

The second thing Ben noticed after her hairstyle was her Jedi Robes which, once again, made her look very much her mother. They were black as usual since that was her favorite color. Ben could understand why; it fitted her perfectly. He could unabashedly admit that she looked simultaneously intimidating and beautiful whenever she wore the color. Ben was contemplating her striking attire when his eyes caught a glint of metal at her waist. There was her lightsaber – the blade of Sidious which had been reforged for her purposes. He always felt a bit jealous when he saw Ania carrying her lightsaber with her. He had his own of course, but his mother wouldn't permit him to carry it on his person whenever he was at the Senate. It was as much a distraction for his colleagues as it was a danger for him. He could understand why she had reservations. On more than one occasion, Ben had contemplated drawing his weapon on his colleagues whom he so fervently despised. Yes, it was a good idea that he didn't carry his lightsaber with him.

"Are you going to the Senate chamber right now?" Ania asked him when she stopped in front of his desk.

"I am," Ben said as he pushed the datapad away from him and stood upright. He too was sporting Jedi robes – cream-colored rather than black, but otherwise identical in design to Ania's. Because he couldn't flaunt his lightsaber, he chose to wear the robes as often as he could so as to remind everyone who he was. He wasn't just some senator. He was a Jedi! The thrill had yet to wear off three years after his training had begun.

"I'll go with you," Ania said as Ben walked around his desk toward her. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Very well," Ben said as he gestured for A5 to stay where he was. He and his sister walked stride for stride as they exited the office and took a left turn down the hallway toward the elevator. "Any word from Mom?" he asked after a few moments.

Out of the corner of his vision, he saw Ania shake her head. "She's been too busy, I suppose," she told him. "Last I heard, she was in orbit around Coruscant waiting for the fleet to amalgamate." Ben nodded, attempting to discard of his looming sense of dread. After news had struck of Alderaan's invasion, Leia had sprung into action to assemble a strike force to liberate the planet. The First Order had been swift, however, and now it seemed as if it would require a full-scale invasion to repel them from the planet. Now she was awaiting the Senate's decision. If they voted for war like he suspected they would, she would have authorization to begin her offensive against the First Order's much larger yet far less sophisticated fleet. He knew his mother was more than up to the task, but he feared for her nevertheless. She would no doubt be the First Order's primary target in the coming conflict.

"What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Ben asked as they reached the elevator.

Ania glanced behind her back before pressing the button to the elevator. "I don't want to say too much in public," she whispered to him. Intrigued, Ben leaned down toward her so that he could hear better. "But I was recently contacted by someone."

"Could you be more specific?" Ben asked.

"He's an old acquaintance of Luke's," she told him. "I believe he has some valuable information. That's all I can say."

Ben raised his eyebrows as he stood back fully upright. "That is interesting," he said, realizing at once what she was telling him. Their uncle Luke had completely disappeared three years ago after his the destruction of his Jedi temple and his mother's death. Leia had insisted that he would return to them in time, but Ben and Ania were skeptical. They had seen how devastated Luke had been. They were fairly sure that Luke would not return under his own volition. They would have to find him and bring him to Leia.

They had long since come to the agreement that they would have to do this eventually. While they appreciated that their mother was exceptionally strong, they had their doubts whether she could take on Sidious and the rest of the Sith all by herself. They knew that Luke and Leia shared a powerful Force bond much like their own. The two of them together were infinitely more powerful than either one of them individually. Besides, they both heard what their grandfather had said three years ago.

The combined strength of the Skywalkers must assemble to defeat the Sith.

They would be fools if they chose to disregard his advice. Was he not the voice of the Force itself? He was quite literally the ultimate soothsayer, and on this point he was uncharacteristically clear: Luke had to return home if they were going to defeat Sidious. There was no other way.

The pair made the remainder of their trek down to the Senate chamber in complete silence as they both contemplated the road ahead of them. They were quite certain that the rise of the First Order was intrinsically linked with the return of the Sith. Now that the First Order had taken its big step against the New Republic, would the Sith be making their move against them as well? If so, would they be ready? They had only been training for three years. That didn't feel like enough for Ben. He wasn't ready.

"You're coming with me, right?" Ben asked once they reached the entrance to his Senate pod.

At once Ania shook her head. "I shouldn't," she said, taking a step away. "I'm not a part of –"

"It doesn't matter," Ben interrupted. "I'd like for you to be there. Please?"

Ania faltered as she looked back at him. He understood why she was uncomfortable, having resigned from the Senate three years ago. For the past three years after her resignation and the revelation that she was Leia Skywalker's long-lost daughter, she had been the subject of intense media scrutiny and gossip. It made Ben's blood boil whenever he read the headlines about her. They made all sorts of baseless accusations about her, but the most common and inflammatory one was that she wasn't Leia's daughter at all.

Ania 'Skywalker': the Galaxy's Greatest Con Artist

Ania insisted that she didn't mind, but Ben was always irate whenever he saw headlines such as these. He had tried to counteract them by showing the media how close he and his sister were by inviting her to accompany him on his public functions. This seemed to make Ania uncomfortable, however, given her proclivity to introversion, so Ben had stopped insisting that she accompany him so often. Now, however, he wanted her by his side for purely personal reasons. He very well knew this could be the biggest day of his political career. It would be a great relief for him to at least have her by his side for it.

"Okay," Ania acquiesced after a moment of deliberation. "Just don't do anything embarrassing, okay?"

"Embarrassing?" Ben repeated with a frown as he beckoned her to follow him. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't know, you do embarrassing things all the time," Ania said as the door sealed behind them and they made their way into the pod. "Like call me your baby sister to a bunch of reporters. Remember that?"

"Well that's what you are, aren't you?" Ben asked with a facetious grin.

Ania rolled her eyes. "I'm twenty-one years old, Ben. I'm not a baby."

"Well to me, you'll always be my baby sister," Ben said in a saccharine voice as he tried to pinch Ania's cheek.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed as she slapped his hand away. "You can be so annoying."

"Well I'm pretty sure that's in my job description as an older brother," Ben said as he turned away from Ania and looked out at the spectacle that was the Senate chamber. Hundreds upon hundreds of pods identical to his own were suspended in vertical rows which extended to the ceiling of the cylindrical room. In the center of the chamber was the Chancellor's pod. The office of Chancellor had been stripped of most of its power after his grandmother had left the post, and the humble pod was indicative of that fact as it looked identical to all of the other pods in the chamber. That could all change today, however. If the Senate voted for war, they would no doubt also be forced to expand the executive powers of the Chancellorship. They would have to be careful, however. Everyone knew what had happened the last time a Chancellor had been given too much executive power during wartime.

"Senators, welcome," an amplified voice suddenly projected itself throughout the chamber. Standing up from the Chancellor's pod was not the Chancellor himself, having resigned from his post a few days prior, but the Vice Chair of the Senate Ahsara Tan. Ben was well acquainted with the Togruta Vice Chair and he had a great deal of respect for her despite his dismal opinion of politicians in general. He would have been perfectly content with electing Tan to the Chancellorship, but unfortunately there was a long precedent of keeping the offices of Chancellor and Vice Chair separate.

"This emergency session of Senate has been convened to discuss the First Order's invasion of Alderaan," Tan said in her characteristically soothing voice. "Would the delegation from Alderaan like to comment to open these proceedings?"

Ben turned his head as the Alderaanian delegation was propelled forward in the center of the chamber. The senator – a wiry, silver-haired gentlemen – got to his feet and stared back defiantly at the camera which was hovering in front of him.

"Thank you, Madame Vice Chair," the senator said in a rich, accented voice. "I would like to introduce my highly esteemed guest, the former Viceroy of Alderaan and hero of the Rebellion, Mr. Bail Organa."

The senators in the chamber collectively inhaled as Ben grasped the railing of his pod tightly and leaned forward. Was that really Bail Organa himself seated next to the Alderaanian senator? He'd have to be ninety years old by now!

"What's going on?" Ania asked him in a whisper. "Who's Bail Organa?"

"You don't know?" Ben asked, turning to give her an incredulous look.

"Obviously not," she said with a frown. "What's the big deal about this guy?"

Ben gaped at his sister for a moment before shaking his head. It wasn't her fault she didn't know these types of things, but Ben would have thought that everyone knew about Bail Organa. "He was a leading member of the Rebel Alliance," he explained as he watched the senescent Viceroy arduously get to his feet. "He and Grandma were really close friends, I think. I never met him, though. Or at least I don't think I did. Maybe I did when I was really young but don't remember."

"What's wrong with his face?" Ania asked as she stared at the picture which was being projected onto the screen in their pod. On top of the heavy wrinkles and blemishes on the man's weathered face, he also had a great deal of scarring which mangled the right side of his countenance.

"I don't know," Ben confessed. "He's always looked like that. Some kind of war wound, I think."

"Senators, thank you for inviting me to your chamber," Organa began, putting an end to he and Ania's hushed conversation. In spite of his old age, Organa's voice was still rich and sonorous and Ben got the feeling he could project it throughout the chamber without the assistance of the microphone before him. "As you all know, my home world of Alderaan has been invaded by Imperial sympathizers masquerading under the pseudonym of the 'First Order.' I speak before you today to issue a dire warning. These despicable terrorists who lay claim to my home world are no different than the men and women whom I fought against during the war against the Empire." Organa paused, his eyes scanning the chamber which was fully silent in a sign of utmost respect for the legendary Rebel. "Pacifism is a noble doctrine," he resumed after nearly fifteen seconds of silence. "Yet in times such as these, we cannot remain idle. We must galvanize our spirit and mobilize our forces. We must fight back against those who yearn for a return of tyranny. We must do what must be done to ensure the survival of this great republic. Esteemed senators, the time for war has come."

With that, the great Bail Organa collapsed down into his seat amidst thunderous applause. Ben clapped his hands together until his palms stung as he watched the entire Senate stand in unified solidarity. He had never before witnessed such a spectacle.

After about two full minutes of deafening noise, the Vice Chair finally stood to instill order. "Viceroy Organa, thank you," she said as the applause finally began to die down. "If no other delegation has any further comments, this chamber will now vote on the resolution for war against the First Order."

Of course no one spoke up. What else was there to say? Knowing this, Tan didn't even wait a half minute before smashing her gavel once more to begin the voting.

"This won't take long," Ben murmured to Ania as he pressed the green button which materialized on his screen in front of him. Ben was proved right when the Vice Chair called for order after a mere five minutes. Unsurprisingly, not a single senator voted against the resolution, although a fair share did elect to abstain.

The next order of business after the passing of the declaration of war was the nomination of candidates for the Chancellorship. Ben's hands felt sweaty as he continued to grasp the railing of the pod. This was the moment he had been waiting for ever since the previous government had resigned.

"Senators, I invite you to submit your nominations for the office of Chancellor," Tan said. At once, Ben spoke.

"I nominate Senator Zorq from Iridonia for Chancellor," he declared loudly. At once he heard several voices second his nomination. Exhaling out of his mouth, Ben finally released the railing and took a step back. The chamber was buzzing with whispers as he felt hundreds of sets of eyes on him, but Ben didn't care. He knew Zorq was the right choice for the office. Besides, he knew that when Zorq was elected – and he most certainly would be elected – he would appoint him as his foreign minister, a post Ben especially desired.

A few other senators were nominated, Senator Chamylle most notable amongst them, but Ben felt confident that Zorq would emerge victorious. "Come on," Ben said to Ania once the nominees had been set and the debating began. "We don't need to be here for this."

Exiting the pod, he and Ania made their way down the curved hallway toward the elevator which they took down to the surface level. They were walking side by side away from the Senate chamber when a voice called out to them both.

"If it's not Leia Skywalker's children."

Ben stopped abruptly and turned around to see the enfeebled Bail Organa wheeling his way toward them in a wheelchair. Following behind him from a decent distance was the rest of the Alderaanian delegation.

"Viceroy," Ben said with a deep bow. "It is an honor to meet you."

"And I you," Organa said as he extended his hand to him. Upon shaking it, Organa turned to look at Ania. "And the younger one," he said, his eyes glancing down as he inspected her outfit. "I must say, you look very much like your mother when I first met her."

"You know our mother?" Ania asked as she shook his outstretched hand as well.

"Oh yes," Organa said with a smile. "I've known Leia a long, long time. So long, in fact, I knew her before she was even Leia, if you catch my meaning."

Ben and Ania shared a look. "Yes, we do," Ben said, his curiosity piqued. "How did you two meet?" he asked the venerable Viceroy.

"Well let's see," Organa said as he leaned back in his wheelchair. "I believe the first time I met young Leia was at Echo Base on Hoth just after the Battle of Yavin." He paused, a distant expression in his eyes as he smiled wanly. "First thing she did to me was lift me in the air by my throat and strangle me for a good fifteen seconds."

"What!?" Ben and Ania exclaimed simultaneously.

"She took offense to something I said to her mother," he said, eyes twinkling in amusement to their reaction. "In retrospect, such treatment was entirely warranted, if not a tad excessive. The next morning, she came up to me and apologized. Padmé was so proud of her, she rushed over and gave her an enormous hug." Organa sighed as his ebullient expression waned. "I am so sorry about your grandmother," he told them in a weary voice. "She and I were close allies and even closer friends for decades. I hope this isn't insensitive of me, but may I ask why there was no funeral?"

Ben held his breath as he and Ania glanced at each other once again. Three years ago, he had made the vague announcement that his grandmother had passed away and that they would not be holding a public funeral. Leia had made it quite clear that she didn't want the real reason for her death to be revealed, and Ben agreed with her full-heartedly. Considering the political climate at the time of her death, Ben doubted anyone would have believed him if he told them the truth. Nowadays, it was still a bad idea to unveil the truth because it could inspire mass panic amongst the masses to learn that the Sith and more crucially, Sidious himself, had returned.

"We, um… we felt it best if the funeral was a family affair," Ben said finally, delivering the line which he had used to lie to the media.

"I see," Organa said, frowning. "Well, all I can offer you is my condolences. Your grandmother was a remarkable woman, as I'm sure you know."

Ben nodded solemnly. "I do," he said. Next to him, he could sense Ania's discomfort. He knew she still felt guilty about Padmé's death even if she hadn't been directly responsible for it. He also knew that she felt terrible that she had never been able to meet her grandmother. How could she not? Everyone she ever met told her that Padmé had been an amazing woman worthy of the utmost respect and admiration. It was so unfair that Ania had never been able to meet her.

"Anyway, forgive me for interrupting you on this busy day," Organa said after a heavy silence. "I wish you both best of luck in the days ahead."

"Thank you, Viceroy," Ben said as both he and Ania bowed once more. Organa smiled at them, sparing another curious glance toward Ania before spinning himself around and wheeling his way back toward the Alderaanian delegation.

Ben and Ania watched him retreat for a few moments before turning around themselves. "Let's talk in your office," Ania murmured to him as they began to walk away. Nodding, Ben bowed his head as he pushed through the crowds. While it had been an honor to speak with Organa, he didn't want to be interrupted by anyone else. He had too much on his mind to waste time chit chatting with politicians. On one occasion, he thought he heard someone calling his name, but Ben didn't slow down and they managed to make it back to his office without further incident.

"So who is this person who has information about Luke?" Ben asked once the door sealed shut behind him and they were ensconced in the privacy of his office. Ania didn't answer him right away as she pushed past him and rushed around his desk so that she could sit in his chair. "Hey!" Ben exclaimed. "That's my seat!"

Ania looked unimpressed as she leaned back in the comfortable chair and rested her feet atop the desk. "You get to sit here all the time," she said, resting her hands behind the back of her head.

"Yeah, because it's my chair," Ben said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and frowned at her.

"Do you want to hear what I have to say or not?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

Ben's frown morphed into a begrudging smile as he shook his head. "This seems to be a common theme with you," he said as he sat down on the wooden chair opposite her.

"What? Teasing you with information so I can get what I want?" Ania asked him with a smirk.

"Exactly," Ben said. "But at least take your feet off my desk," he added, gesturing toward her polished black boots. Ania rolled her eyes at his fastidiousness yet nevertheless complied, leaning forward in his chair as she lowered her legs back down to the ground. "So," Ben said, leaning forward as well. "Who is this contact?"

"His name is Lor San Tekka," she told him. "Have you ever heard of him?" Ben shook his head. "He was apparently a close friend of Luke's," Ania explained.

"So does he know where he is?" Ben asked, getting straight to the point.

"It sounds like it," Ania said. "He told me he found a map which might lead to Luke's location."

"Might?" Ben asked.

Ania shrugged. "It's the best lead we have," she said. "It's worth checking out, don't you think?"

Ben furrowed his brow as he leaned back in his seat, his fingers interlaced in front of his mouth while he contemplated this information. "I suppose, but even so I can't be leaving the capital on a whim, Ania," he told her. "I'm about to be appointed foreign minister."

"This is more important than that, Ben!" Ania insisted.

"This is important too, okay?" Ben said. "Once my position is confirmed, I'll start working on a settlement which will ensure a ceasefire on Alderaan."

"A ceasefire? Ben, they invaded! Do you honestly think diplomacy is going to work with these thugs?"

"The First Order reached out to Zorq's office yesterday in anticipation for his election," Ben said, taking offense with Ania's lack of faith in him. "It's within their best interests to retreat back to the Mid Rim, anyway. They're overextended if they try to expand into the Core."

"Then why invade in the first place?" Ania asked skeptically.

"I don't know, Ania!" Ben exclaimed in exasperation. "Why does it matter? I'm needed here on the capital!"

"So you're a senator first and a Jedi second, is that it?" Ania asked him bitingly. "I thought you didn't even like being a senator. That you dreamed of being a Jedi all your life."

"It's not about what I like, it's about what is most urgent," Ben said, struggling to keep his tone even. For all her merits, Ania had never been one to understand the concept of duty. That was why she had been so willing to resign as senator whereas Ben had not. "And what's most urgent right now is the invasion of Alderaan, not Luke's whereabouts."

"Okay," Ania said, crossing her forearms on the desk in front of her and leaning in toward him. "Since you're so busy here, I take it you won't have a problem with me going alone?"

"Alone?" Ben repeated. "Absolutely not!"

Ania rolled her eyes and huffed angrily as she pushed away from the desk. "Why do you do that, Ben?" she asked him. "Why do you have to be so overprotective? You don't let me go anywhere alone!"

"Because it's dangerous!" Ben insisted.

"Too dangerous to drive to the shopping complex by myself?" she asked him. "Because you won't even let me do that!"

"That's because you're a terrible driver and you know it," Ben said, pointing a finger at her. "Remember what happened last time you went out onto the air lanes by yourself?"

Ania dismissed this with a wave of her hand. "Mom doesn't do this, you know," she pointed out. "Whenever I'm living with her, she lets me go anywhere I want by myself!"

"Yeah, well you're living with me right now, aren't you?" Ben said, frowning. After Ania resigned as senator, she hadn't been able to remain living in the Senatorial Apartment Complex. She had made it explicitly clear that she wanted to live with her mother, and Leia had been more than happy to oblige. Yet whenever Leia wasn't on Chandrila – which was quite often with the rumblings of war growing more ominous over the past three years – Ben insisted that she live with him in his apartment.

"You do realize you're my brother, don't you?" Ania said. "You can't control me, Ben. You're not my father."

"Well that's a sure good thing, isn't it?" Ben asked snidely. "That means I don't have to fear for my life whenever you're around." Immediately, Ben regretted saying something so crass, and he winced when he heard those words coming from his mouth. Ania's whole body stiffened as she stared back at him with a betrayed expression. "Ania, I didn't mean –" he tried to say, but Ania wasn't listening. Standing up, she pushed his chair aside violently and marched away. "Ania!" he cried after her, spinning around in his chair as he watched her leave. "Come back! I'm sorry!"

Ben was about to jump out of his seat and rush after Ania to offer a more heartfelt apology when the comlink on his desk began to vibrate. Growling in frustration, Ben stood up and walked around the desk so that he could answer it from his regular seat. "Yes?" he asked curtly upon activating the device.

"The voting's over," the joyous voice of Zorq told him over the comlink.

Ben blinked a few times as he processed this statement. "Oh!" he exclaimed, having entirely forgotten about the ensuing vote. "And?"

"Would you like to be my foreign minister, Senator Skywalker?" Zorq asked. Ben nodded absently as he looked up toward the hallway where Ania had stormed away. "Skywalker?" Zorq asked after a long silence.

"It… it would be an honor, Your Excellency," Ben managed to say upon clearing his throat. "Sorry, I'm just a bit… a bit overwhelmed."

"That's quite alright, my friend," Zorq said cheerily. "So am I, if I'm being frank. But we don't have time to dillydally. Get to the Chancellor's office ASAP. We have some work to do."

"Very well, sir," Ben said in a stronger voice as he forced himself to discard of his qualms about Ania. "I'll be there right away."