The Skywalkers and Kenobi's find a place to lay low.
I don't own Star Wars.
Chapter 34: A New Place to Call Home
Rex hissed in pain, as Sola dabbed the gash on the back of his head with a cloth.
"How is he?" Anakin asked as he and Padmé entered the med bay with Aiden.
"Stubborn and uncooperative. I can only do so much, but he won't let the med droid near him," Sola said.
"That little rust bucket just wants to poke and prod me," Rex grumbled.
"Thank you...for protecting my family," Anakin told him sincerely. Rex smiled.
"Well, we are brothers. They're my family too," he said, as Aiden babbled and smiled at him. Rex smiled back and made a goofy face, making the baby giggle.
"Ow!" Rex complained as Sola applied the bacta patch to the back of his head to heal the wound.
"Sorry, but it has to be done," she told him.
"So, where are we headed?" Rex asked.
"We're not sure yet. Artoo is scanning viable options right now, but for the moment, we lost Fett and Bane," Anakin replied.
"Good, they can stay lost," Rex said, as Aiden started to fuss.
"Oh, I need to go feed him. He's been waiting for almost an hour now, haven't you baby," she cooed.
Anakin kissed her forehead and their eyes met, as they spoke with their hearts. They had much to say to each other after their harrowing experience, but it would wait until later. Luke popped his head in, just as Padmé exited the med ward.
"There you are kid," Rex called as Luke came in.
"I'm glad you're okay, Uncle. We were worried about you," he said as he hugged him.
"Yeah, I'm fine. My head is hard as a rock, so no serious damage done," Rex joked.
"Be that as it may, you need to rest," Sola reminded.
"She's right, we'll let you get some sleep. Thanks again, brother," Anakin told him.
"No thanks necessary," Rex replied as Anakin and Luke left. Sola and Darred stayed with him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Have you found any acceptable places yet?" Anakin asked his faithful little droid, as he entered the cockpit. Artoo whirled excitedly, as Anakin sat down and looked at the console.
"Ragnos IV...I've never heard of it, but it's certainly out of the way," Anakin said, as he started reading about it.
"Country sides, meadows, mountains, lakes...sounds too good to be true, like Naboo. Good work buddy," Anakin said, patting him on his domed head. "Set the course." Anakin said.
"You found a place already?" Padmé asked, as she entered the cockpit.
"Did I ever," he replied, as he pulled her into his lap. She curled up in his arms and put her arms around his neck. Their lips met in a tender kiss.
"Is Aiden asleep?" he asked. She nodded.
"Soundly. There was a little too much excitement for him today," she said.
"Well, I'm about to fix that, because I'm going to sequester us away on this little backwater planet," Anakin told her.
"Really?" she asked. He nodded.
"It's called Ragnos IV, and it's a lot like Naboo," Anakin said.
"It sounds like the perfect place, besides Naboo, to continue raising our baby," Padmé mentioned.
"That's exactly what I was thinking. The town is small, but not too small, about fifteen hundred people. And I was thinking that I could finally open up my own shop. I would rather it be on Naboo and I don't know how long we'll be there, but it's what I've always wanted to do, next to being married to you," he said.
"Oh Ani...that sounds perfect," she said, as she kissed him again. Their lips moved over each other's passionately, with a feverish pace.
"I was so scared when I thought they were going to take you from me," she rasped, as their lips parted briefly. They gazed at each other, love and passion glazing their eyes.
"But you saved me. You refused to let them tear us apart," Anakin said.
"And you would have done the same if our positions were reversed," Padmé replied.
"You're right. I'll never let anyone hurt you," Anakin said, as their lips met again in another array of passion filled kisses. Padmé tossed her head to the side, as his lips traveled down her neck in soft nips.
"You are so beautiful," he rasped, as his eyes drank in her beautiful face.
"It's as I've said before, it's only because I'm so in love," she replied.
"If you say so, but I think it's because you're angel," he stated, as he helped her up. "We should go tell everyone where we're going."
"Yeah, I don't think Han would take kindly to finding us making out in the cockpit of his ship," Padmé joked. Anakin smirked.
"Probably not, but I think he likes us more than he lets on," he replied.
"I think he likes our daughter more than he lets on too," Padmé added. Anakin frowned.
"I don't know about that," he grumbled. Padmé rolled her eyes.
"Leia is our little girl, but she's also a beautiful young woman," she reminded him.
"I know, she takes after her Mother in that respect," he told her. She smiled at his flattery, as they entered the cabin where everyone was resting.
"Artoo has found us a suitable place to go," Anakin announced.
"That was fast. Where are we going?" Ahsoka asked.
"It's a place called Ragnos IV, a backwater planet in the east quadrant. It's mostly known for farming and mining. It's a lot like Naboo, being that there are country sides, meadows, lakes and mountains. He managed to find a town deep in the mountain valley," he answered.
"How big is the town?" Satine asked.
"About fifteen hundred," Padmé answered.
"Well, it sounds like it will be the perfect place to lay low," Obi-Wan said.
"And the perfect quiet place to raise our children until we can return to Naboo someday," Padmé added as they sat down with their family and friends. It would be about eighteen hours until they would arrive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Han brought the Millennium Falcon to rest in the small space port. The ramp dropped and the ship's occupants filed out. One of the port's workers approached.
"Welcome to Zephyr Springs. What can I do for you?" he asked, as they noticed almost everyone had stopped to stare at them. "Don't mind them. We just don't get too many visitors in these parts."
"Well, we're looking to relocate somewhere quiet and we heard that this little town is a good place for that," Anakin said.
"Oh, there isn't a more quiet or boring place in the galaxy," a young man, probably the other man's son, chimed in.
"Boring and quiet is what we're looking for. How much to dock our ship for a day or so until we find a place to live?" Anakin asked.
"Fifty credits a day," he answered. Anakin paid him one hundred.
"Do you know of any homes for sale or rent?" Padmé asked.
"Oh yes, many in fact. I don't know your financial situation, but with a family as large as yours, you may be interested in some of the majestic homes in the surrounding meadows. They are private, but yet still close to town," the man said.
"That sounds perfect. Is there someone who can show us around?" Padmé asked.
"My wife can. She is our town's bank manager," he replied.
"Perfect. We're also looking to purchase a spot in town to open a repair shop as well. My husband is a gifted engineer," Padmé said.
"Really?" he asked, sounding interested.
"Are there a lot of repair shops in town?" Anakin asked.
"Actually no. There have been in the past, but they either move their business elsewhere or we've had a few that just aren't any good and overpriced," he responded.
"Well, Anakin's abilities are second to none and he is fair," Obi-Wan said.
"That's excellent news. Let me take you over to the bank. My name is Alen Jennings and this is my son Ryan," he introduced.
"I'm Anakin Skywalker and this is my wife Padmé, our sons Luke and Aiden, and our daughters Leia and Ahsoka," Anakin introduced in return, surprising his old padawan. But she guessed that she shouldn't have been surprised, since Anakin and Padmé loved her like a daughter, just as she loved them like parents.
"This is my husband Lux, our daughter Aisha, and our son Rukto," she introduced her own family.
"This is my mother Jobal and my father Ruwee, my sister Sola, her husband Darred, Anakin's mother Shmi, and our very good friends Rex, Han, and Chewbacca," Padmé added.
"I'm Ben Kenobi, this is my wife Satine and our daughter Annie," Obi-Wan added.
"It's good to meet all of you. Follow me and we'll introduce you to our humble little town," Alen said. Leia picked up her travel case and Ryan was immediately at her side.
"Here, let me take that for you," he said. Leia smiled at him and he smiled back.
"Thank you," she said. Han glared at him, as he followed quietly behind them.
As they strolled through the town's streets, they drew all kinds of attention. But they were enjoying what they were seeing so far. It had a small town feel and though the vibes they were receiving were curious and apprehensive, it was easy to sense that most were friendly. They arrived at a small office building and Alen opened the door.
"Ryan, why don't you take everyone over to Lillian's café to rest," he said, looking at them all.
"She makes the best pie in the east quadrant," he added, as Anakin and Padmé followed him inside with Aiden, while the others continued on with Ryan as their guide.
"Hello sweetheart," a lovely woman greeted.
"Hello darling, I've brought you some customers," he said.
"Wonderful. I'm Alisa Jennings," she introduced.
"I'm Anakin Skywalker, this is my wife Padmé, and our son Aiden," Anakin replied.
"Oh, he is so cute," she gushed at the baby. Padmé smiled.
"Thank you," she replied.
"So, you're looking for a home for the three of you?" Alisa asked.
"Well, actually we need a very large home, because our older children, extended family and friends are here with us. They went to the café with your son and we also need a place here in town to open up a business. My husband is an amazing engineer and wants to open a repair shop," Padmé said.
"That's wonderful. What is your price range?" she asked.
"Money isn't a problem. We want to see your largest properties," Padmé replied.
"How exciting. My speeder is in back and I can take you out to one right now. I think I know the perfect house," she said, as they followed her in back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Good, isn't it?" Ryan asked, as Luke finished his pie.
"Yeah, almost as good as my Mom's," he said.
"Almost? And here I thought I was introducing you to the best pie in the galaxy," Ryan replied.
"Well, it's exceptional, but you've never had my Mom's cloudberry pie. It's Grandma Jobal's special recipe," Luke said. Jobal smiled.
"Perhaps, but Padmé always makes it better than me somehow," she chimed in.
"Yeah, maybe after we get settled, you can come over for pie at our new house," Leia mentioned. Ryan smiled.
"I'd like that," he replied. Leia smiled back. He was very nice and handsome to boot.
"Yeah, I bet you would," Han mumbled under his breath. Luke was the only one that caught it and he decided to mention it later to him when he caught him alone. He suspected that Han possibly liked his twin sister. He shook his head and rejoined the conversation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, here it is," Alisa said, as they stood in front of the large spacious home. It was very beautiful with an entire meadow as their backyard. As they walked inside the white and blue house, they were amazed by the inside. Greeting their vision was a large atrium and an elegantly curved staircase that led to the second floor.
"There are thirteen bedrooms, two of which are master bed and baths, one on each floor, four other bathrooms, a spacious kitchen, living room, den, and dining room. Out back there is a very large garage and an ideal place for a lovely garden to grow," she said.
"A garage?" Anakin asked and Padmé smiled.
"Sure, I'll show it to you. I'm envious of it myself," Alen said, as he led Anakin out back.
"When you said your husband was an engineer, I suspected he would take a liking to the garage," Alisa mentioned.
"Oh yes, he loves fixing things and he's very gifted at it. The home is absolutely lovely too and perfect for our needs," Padmé replied, as Aiden babbled.
"He is just darling," she said, with a sigh.
"Sometimes, I miss having a baby around," Alisa said.
"Believe me, I know what you mean," Padmé replied.
"Forgive me if I'm prying Padmé, but it is very hard not to notice how young you and your husband look, being that you have grown children," Alisa said. Padmé nodded.
"Yes, well we adopted Ahsoka very early on in our marriage, but Luke and Leia are ours biologically. I know it doesn't seem like it, but we are in our forties," she said, knowing that it wasn't a complete lie. Technically, she should have been about forty-five and Anakin about forty, even though they had not aged during their hibernation. Thankfully, Alisa seemed to buy it.
"Good genes, I guess, huh?" she said. Padmé smiled.
"You could say that," she replied.
"You are so lucky. I'd kill to have your skin at my age," she said as she took out some papers. "We can start the paperwork, unless you and your husband would like to see my other properties."
"Angel, you should see the garage out there!" Anakin said excitedly as he and Alen returned. Padmé smiled.
"No, I think this house is perfect for our needs," she replied.
"Excellent. On the way back to the office, we can show you the old garage that our old repair shop used to be in. The owner closed up shop a couple years ago, because he was the poorest repair man we'd ever seen. He'd fix it, charge you an arm and a leg, and a week later, whatever he'd fixed would break down again," Alen said, shaking his head.
"Yes, everyone has to take their repairs to the next town, which is just as pricy," Alisa mentioned, as they got back into the speeder.
"Well, then those days are over. If it can be fixed, Anakin can fix it," Padmé boasted.
"Angel," Anakin said shyly.
"Well, it's true. You have a gift when it comes to fixing things and I've always been proud of you for it," Padmé replied.
"Well, once the word spreads that there's a good, reasonable mechanic in town, you'll have all kinds of business," Alen said as he started the short journey back into town.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Within just a few days, thanks to Padmé's wealth that had remained untouched, they had furnished their new home and outfitted Anakin's new workshop in town with all the equipment and tools needed.
They had made new friends quickly with the Jennings family and had them over for dinner as thanks that evening. Tomorrow, Anakin and Luke would open the shop for business and they would begin their new life here.
As Padmé sung a lullaby to Aiden, he held her in his arms and they watched their baby son slowly drift off into a peaceful slumber. The Empire was still a very real threat and they still had much work to do with the Rebellion, but family would always be first in their eyes. Padmé finished the song and turned to her husband, their lips meeting in a tender kiss, before they quietly exited the new nursery and went next door to their new bedroom.
As the door slid closed to their bedroom, Padmé set the baby monitor on the bedside table, before sitting down at her vanity to brush her long curls out.
This was their first night in their own bedroom, for the house had been furnished this afternoon. For the last couple nights, they had all slept on futons in the living area in front of the fireplace, with Aiden in the bassinet beside them. Padmé put her brush down as she watched her husband undress down to his under-shorts. She stood up and sauntered toward him, before wrapping her arms around his neck before he could go pick up his sleep pants.
"You don't need those," she told him. He smirked.
"I don't?" he asked, playing along.
"No. This is our first night alone since we left Naboo and I think I want the affection and attention of my loving, handsome, very sexy husband," Padmé said sultrily. He took her in his arms and pulled her close.
"You, my angel, have my undivided attention and as for affection, I'd be happy to show you all the affection you crave...all night long," Anakin replied, as their lips met in a tender kiss that quickly turned passionate. Their lips dueled for control of the kiss, before Anakin swept her into his arms and carried her to bed.
"You're so beautiful..." he uttered in awe, as the moonlight cast a silver glow upon her exquisitely beautiful form, making her look like the angel she was.
"It's only because I'm so in love with you. You're my life...and I almost lost you," she whimpered, referring to the very close call they had with Bane on Naboo just days ago. He lay beside her and cupped her beautiful cheek in his hand.
"I promise you're not going to lose me. I would do anything to make sure you and our children remain safe, even if it meant giving up my own life. But you wouldn't have it. You fought for us when I couldn't and that's why no one will ever tear us apart. We won't let them. We're holding on way too tightly to each other for that to happen," he replied, as he kissed her tenderly.
"I love you..." she rasped, as she kissed him again, this time with feverish urgency.
She combed her fingers through his thick, wavy hair and threw her head back, her face etched with a look of ecstasy, as her husband kissed her neck hungrily, grazing his teeth gently along her sweet flesh. She tasted heavenly, as always. Padmé let her hands marvel at his muscled chest. Hands were everywhere and their lips never parted. Their lovemaking would last well into the night, providing them with the closeness and renewal of love they both needed and craved...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Next Morning~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anakin delved deeply into the embrace of the Force, as he meditated with his daughter by the fire early that morning. He did this with both his children separately, usually with Luke first around 5 AM.
Then he sent Luke off to run his morning laps with Ahsoka and Aisha, while he and Leia spent a little time together and he taught her the basics of meditation. She was also learning the basics of lightsaber training on the weekends, but they enjoyed their meditation time together the most.
Relaxation was one thing that had escaped Leia in the last few years, as the stress of her duties as Princess of the Rebellion were usually overwhelming. But thanks to the meditation techniques her father had taught her, she now had a way to ease the stress that often plagued her, as she was still highly involved in the alliance meetings, as were Anakin and Padmé now. They opened their eyes and smiled at each other.
"Now that I'm all relaxed, I'm starving," Leia said. Anakin chuckled.
"Me too," he replied.
"Well, that's good, because breakfast is ready. And if I know Luke, he'll come barreling in here any minute. I can already hear his stomach," Padmé said as she came into the living room holding Aiden, as she gently rubbed his back, attempting to get a burp out of him. It was no sooner that she finished saying the words that Luke came through the front door with Ahsoka and Aisha.
"Morning Mom," he said, as he kissed her cheek.
"Morning sweetie, breakfast is on the table," Padmé replied.
"Thanks...I'm starved!" Luke said as he hurried to the kitchen with Aisha just behind him. Ahsoka chuckled and joined them just as they heard Aiden burp.
"There we go," Padmé cooed to him.
"I can take him for a while, Mom," Leia said.
"Thanks sweetie," Padmé replied as she took her baby brother into the kitchen, giving her parents a few moments alone. Anakin wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her lips tenderly.
"Morning handsome," she cooed sultrily.
"Good morning beautiful," he cooed back, as their lips met again.
"Leia seems relaxed," Padmé mentioned.
"She really enjoys our meditation. I have to admit that it's very soothing and calming, even though I used to hate it when I was a padawan," Anakin replied.
"I'm so glad you two have become so close," Padmé said.
"You've become close to Leia too and Luke," Anakin replied.
"I know, but Leia is Daddy's little girl, just like I knew she would always be and that makes me feel really good," Padmé said. He smiled.
"Me too, she's my little Princess," he replied with pride. Padmé smiled and kissed him passionately when they suddenly heard his stomach growl. She collapsed into giggles and he laughed too.
"Come on, let's go eat," she said, as they joined hands and went into the kitchen to join their kids.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anakin removed his smoke goggles, as he finished fusing the part back into place and closed the hood of the speeder.
"That should do it. See if she'll turn over, Artoo," he called as the faithful little droid pressed the ignition switch. The engine roared to life, now purring with a working hum. When Alen had brought it in, that hadn't been the case at all.
"Wow...your wife wasn't kidding. You really work magic on anything mechanical," Alen said. Anakin just shrugged.
What others praised as a gift he had was just something he had always been good at, something that had determined whether he ended up working in a junk shop when he was a slave, for there could have been places they could have put him that would have been much worse. Fixing things had once been about survival, for being owned by Watto was a far better existence than being owned by the Hutts.
"It just something I've always been good at," Anakin said.
"Good is an understatement," Alen replied, as he dropped some credits into Anakin's hand.
"That's too much," he said.
"Keep it. You've got kids, after all," Alen replied. Anakin nodded graciously.
"Thank you," he said, as he turned and got into his speeder, before driving off.
Anakin looked at the credits in his hand. It was the first time he had earned money that he didn't have to give to Watto or that he didn't get from the Council for travel expenses.
He understood why the Jedi had a rule against owning anything, but earning money and being able to keep it to use to provide for his family made him feel like a real husband and father. He knew Padmé would insist that even if he were still a Jedi and couldn't make money, that it wouldn't make him any less of a father or husband in her eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ryan put his fork down, as he finished chewing.
"You weren't kidding. I've never had cloudberry pie that good before," Ryan said.
"I told you," Leia replied.
"The pie is wonderful, Mrs. Skywalker," Ryan complimented.
"Thank you Ryan, I'm glad you liked it," Padmé replied as she was busy packing lunch into a picnic basket. She was taking lunch to Anakin and Luke and taking Aiden along with her.
"Well, I think that's everything," she said as she plucked Aiden out of his highchair. "Let's go get you ready, sweetheart."
"Do you need any help taking things out to your speeder?" Ryan offered.
"I've got it for you, Miss Padmé," Han said as he came in, seemingly out of no where.
Padmé watched the two young men eye each other and noticed that her daughter didn't seem to notice the two young men stare at each other for a moment. It seemed her daughter had two young men interested in her, even though Han had yet to show or admit any such attraction.
"Thank you Han," she replied as she allowed him to take the basket out to her speeder, while she went to ready Aiden for their outing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since he had opened the shop within the last days, many patrons of the town had walked by and curiously peeked in to get a glimpse of their town's newest citizens. But it seemed that many young women were amorously curious about the father-son team, or so it seemed when Padmé arrived.
She parked the speeder just outside and spied a few young women loitering around the shop. She shook her head in amused annoyance, as they giggled and whispered among themselves. She was used to this, or rather she should have been, being that she was married to a very handsome, attractive man.
But she had yet to get used to the fact that their son very much took after his father. She of course wanted her son to find a nice girl to settle down with someday, but she wasn't sure these giggly airheads were candidates she would prefer for her baby boy.
She plucked Aiden from his speeder seat and picked up the picnic basket, before walking past the girls. Their frowns almost made her laugh out loud, for they really didn't like to acknowledge that one of the objects of their ogling was very happily married.
"Da!" Aiden called, pointing his tiny finger at his father. Anakin smiled, as he removed his safety glasses and grabbed a rag to wipe his dirty hands.
"Hey handsome, we thought we'd bring lunch," Padmé said, as she kissed him tenderly.
"Great, I'm starved and happy to see you both," he replied, as their lips parted. Their kiss had become the topic of a hushed whispering conversation between the girls just outside the shop.
"I don't know why they keep hanging around here. Luke is too shy to go talk to them, so I thought they'd lose interest in him," Anakin mentioned as he washed his hands.
"He's not the only one that they're interested in," Padmé replied as he took Aiden from her, while she began taking things out of the picnic basket.
"What do you mean?" Anakin asked in confusion.
She smiled at her husband's obliviousness. She really was the only woman he saw and their wedding vows really did mean everything to him, just as they did to her. She was a very lucky woman to have such a devoted, loving husband.
"Well sweetie, I think they're crushing on Luke, but they're also crushing on you," she told him gently. He scoffed.
"But I'm married to you. Wouldn't that kind of be a waste of their time?" Anakin asked.
"Yes, but to them, they're the type that would hope to tempt you away from me," Padmé replied. He scoffed.
"Yeah, like that would happen. Besides, they're Luke's age. I'm twenty years their senior," Anakin said.
"But you don't look like you are. You may be Luke's father, but you look more like you could be his slightly older brother," Padmé reminded. He shook his head.
"Like it matters, because I'm fully, one hundred percent devoted to my beautiful wife, who so happens to be you," he said, as he pecked her on the lips. She smiled.
"I know, which makes me the luckiest woman in the galaxy," she replied, as they shared another kiss.
"Oohhh...cloudberry pie. Thanks Mom," Luke said as he grabbed a fork and began eating what was left of half the pie she brought.
"Hey...you could save some for us," Anakin said. Padmé shook her head in amusement and produced another whole pie from the basket.
"You didn't really think I'd only bring half a cloudberry pie, did you? I know my boys better than that," she said as they sat down and began eating their sandwiches. The loitering girls outside, thanks to Padmé's glare, had finally left and they enjoyed lunch together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Master Kenobi, it is good to see that you are well," General Dodonna greeted, as his hologram shimmered to life. Obi-Wan and Satine nodded curly.
"Lady Satine, I see you are well also," the general continued.
"Yes General, thank you," Satine replied.
"And the little one?" he asked curiously. Satine smiled.
"Annie is well also, full of energy as always," Satine said. The aging General chuckled.
"As she should be. I must say we were all deeply worried when we heard that Cad Bane had discovered you on Naboo," Dodonna said.
"Yes, we were very fortune to all escape safely. Bane and Fett are still out there, but Anakin killed Aurra Sing," Obi-Wan replied.
"Good, one less scum bounty hunter, the better. I trust you have found somewhere safe?" he asked.
"Quite safe and secluded," Obi-Wan replied.
"How is the construction of the new base coming along?" Satine inquired.
"Slower than we'd like, but that's to be expected on this ice ball of a planet. That is why I called though. We are calling a meeting of the Alliance leaders at nine a.m., which is about four hours from now," the general informed them.
"That will be about eight p.m. our time. We'll be waiting for your transmission. I trust that you would like Satine and myself present, as well as Anakin and Padmé?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Yes, and Princess Leia as well. I was informed by Davits Draven that he wished to leave General Skywalker out, as he refuses to recognize him as a senior council member. Fortunately, many disagree with his stance," the General informed him. Obi-Wan shook his head.
"That stubborn prick has had it out for Anakin ever since he prevented Jyn Erso and her squad from being dishonorably discharged from the Alliance," he said.
"I agree with you, but Mon Mothma believes that his way of doing things is invaluable," the General replied.
"She means his chain of command is invaluable," Obi-Wan clarified.
"Yes, but I'm not worried about Draven pushing General Skywalker around. He and Lady Skywalker have proved they are quite capable of putting him in his place," Dodonna mused.
"Yes, they'll have no trouble handling Draven. We'll see you in a few hours, General. May the Force be with you," Obi-Wan said.
"And you, Master Jedi," Dodonna said, as his hologram faded.
"Draven certainly has a lot of nerve. Can't we kick him off the alliance council?" Satine asked.
"We should be able to, but for some reason, Mon Mothma has the final word on everything," Obi-Wan replied.
"Yes, I haven't quite figured that one out either. She has a little too much power for my tastes and I know Padmé agrees. If we put too much power in one person's hands, then how are we any better than the Empire?" Satine asked. Obi-Wan looked at his wife. She was right, of course.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"That was a delicious meal, as always Padmé," Obi-Wan complimented.
"Thank you," she replied.
"You have to teach me how to cook," Satine said.
"Anytime," Padmé replied as Anakin kissed her forehead.
"I'm stuffed, which is quite an accomplishment," Anakin said, as she smiled.
"No joke there. I could never keep you fed when you were growing up," Obi-Wan said, only half joking.
"That's because everything you tried to cook tasted like feet. If it hadn't been for the Temple's decent cafeteria food, I would have probably starved to death," Anakin joked back.
"You're so funny," Obi-Wan said sarcastically.
"Well, we all need a laugh, because we'll all be ticked off once this meeting is over," Anakin grumbled.
"Most do not share Draven's opinion of you, quite the opposite, in fact," Obi-Wan assured him.
"Obi-Wan is right. If no one agrees with his opinion, then why are we the only ones besides General Dodonna that stand up to him?" Padmé wondered.
"Mon Mothma trusts him for some reason. That seems to make him somewhat untouchable," Obi-Wan said.
"Still, that doesn't make it right for he and Mon to have a totalitarian type control over the alliance. We'll be no better than the Empire if we keep allowing that," Padmé said.
"I agree," Satine said as Artoo made the hologram connection and the Alliance members holograms came before them.
"It's good to see all of you again," General Dodonna greeted as he sat down at the Council table.
"I thought I was clear that this meeting was for senior Council members, which does not include Skywalker," Davits said.
"It most certainly does include General Skywalker. He commands the alliance fleet after all, or have you forgotten his key role in the destruction of the Death Star already?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Please Gentlemen, we have much business to attend to," Mon interjected.
"Of course. Our first order of discussion is the intelligence we've managed to gather from Coruscant," Davits said.
"Yes, according to our spies, the Emperor has commissioned construction of the Death Star II and has ordered that it be completed as quickly as possible," Dodonna explained.
"We believe this one will be ready in just a few years," Mon added.
"The last one took over sixteen years to complete. Do they really think they can build another one in such a short amount of time?" Satine asked.
"They seem to think so," Davits replied.
"Do we know where they're building it?" Anakin asked.
"No, but there are rumors that they are also taking precautions to make sure incoming enemy ships cannot fire on it. They're building a shield around it to protect it and we don't know how it will be operated or where it will be operated from," Dodonna said.
"They're trying to keep you out," Obi-Wan mused to his old padawan.
"Maybe, but if we were to figure out where it is and where they're operating the shield from, we can take action against it," Anakin said.
"Not so fast flyboy, because we have no idea where that is. They're keeping it very secret. We've lost all our spies. They died getting what little information we have to us," Davits said.
"This keeps happening. No one we send in ever comes out alive," Mon said.
"That's because Vader figures them out. It's possible the people we've sent in don't have strong enough mind shields," Anakin said.
"Excuse me, but I've hand picked all our spies. They're the best in the business," Davits snapped.
"Apparently not," Anakin retorted.
"Besides, it doesn't matter how good they are. With Vader, not even some Jedi can keep their thoughts completely to themselves," Obi-Wan added.
"What about your Clone friend, the one that defected to our side?" Mon asked. Anakin shook his head.
"No, we'd be sending Rex to his death. He may have defected, but all Clones complete a bio scan each time they check in. His operating number would show up immediately and they'd know it was him," he replied.
"Then we must continue to seek out people that we believe may have a chance of infiltrating the Imperial ranks," Mon suggested.
"As for the base, we'll be up and running very soon and we can begin to monitor Imperial activity much better. I suggest we plan on having you visit in the next couple months," Dodonna suggested.
"We'll plan a trip," Obi-Wan replied. The General nodded.
"I believe this concludes our meeting," Mon said, then the transmission went dark.
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