Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.
A/N.: Hey guys, here is the new one. Considerably quicker than the last. I hope you guys enjoy and leave me your thoughts.
Guest: I'm not going back to change the story, but many new characters will emerge in the future. Maybe Grogu will be here too.
The Beginning of Something Greater
Alderaan was so beautiful that time of year, Bail Organa thought, as he looked at the view from his study's window. Winter had arrived, the mountains around were painted white, and yet the sun shone brightly and the skies seemed bluer against the landscape.
He smiled when, in the distance, he heard her laughter. These days, that sound was the only thing that gave him some reprieve from the dreaded feelings and memories he experienced.
The First Galactic Empire had been established about two standard months before and, since that day, so much had changed. Too much had changed.
The Senate, although still functioning, was nothing but a front, having been deprived of most of its power; the army and fleet had been reorganized; each sector had been granted a Moff who acted through several governors in each system; non-compliant internal governments had been destitute of all power; vocal people had disappeared without a trace.
Those were dangerous times to be living in and hope was a scarce commodity.
Much had happened since the fateful night when he watched the destruction of the Jedi Order and the Republic with his own eyes.
With two children in his speeder Bail had not dared return to his apartment in Coruscant and immediately took them to his ship. The Tantive IV had been expecting him, since he had scheduled to leave Coruscant that very day.
All hope was not lost and Bail, along with his men, were able to locate and rescue Master Yoda, who, like his fellow Jedi, was on the run.
The next few days had been eventful enough. While he sat in the Senate listening to the atrocities the Jedi had allegedly committed, while he watched the recording of Master Kenobi enter the Senate building to assassinate Palpatine, which led to the subsequent order of execution of all the Jedi, Bail had to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat and stay silent, for he knew the old Jedi Master was in the now burnt Jedi Temple, attempting to salvage as much as he could.
It had been an inglorious effort, however, because all he had acquired had been a couple of lightsabers as souvenirs and a handful of holocrons; most of it had been destroyed and burnt to a crisp and time was too short for a more thorough search of the place.
After that, in Alderaan, he remembered sitting at a round table, the old Jedi Master at his side, rendered even older for the pain in his heart and mind. He watched as Yoda rubbed at his wrinkly forehead, thinking of what to do. But it was hard to think of a plan when the entire Galaxy had turned upside down so suddenly.
At some point, the Grandmaster finally spoke, yet he did so with little resolve, clearly plagued by what he thought was his own failure. But what he said gave Bail little solace. He had expected to hear that Yoda would attempt to overthrow the Empire, he had expected a grand plan for freedom and equality. But what he heard he could only surmise as an admission of defeat.
Yoda announced his exile to unknown place. "Until the time comes", he said; whatever that meant. Young Zett was to accompany the oldest of Jedi Masters and, when nothing was said of the fate of little Mara Jade, as he now knew she was called, as Yoda seemed to know the name of every single being who resided within the Temple walls, Bail promptly offered to adopt and raise the little one.
It would be dangerous, surely, and Breha would be a little more than surprised, but they had never been able to conceive. His dear wife's health would not permit it, and yet, they had always dreamed of having a little girl.
Documents would have to be forged, trails would have to be fabricated. But it did not matter. Mara was the only good thing that had arisen from the nightmare he found himself living in.
Afterwards, and of his own accord, Bail decided to look for people across the Galaxy who could aid in putting an end to Palpatine's tyranny. So he used an old system to send a message across the Galaxy; a message of hope, an offer for help and a request for it too. For Jedi and freedom fighters needed each other now.
However, two months later, not a single contact had been made and it was becoming more and more dangerous to keep the transmission available, now that the Empire was slowly tightening its grip on those who opposed them, even if silently.
Bail turned his back on the beautiful view and sat at his desk. He searched through the datapads that he had brought from Coruscant just the day before. Legislation upon legislation was being passed, without any regard for the Senate. Whichever votes were taken were in minor matters that had no real consequence to the grand scheme of the Galaxy.
He took one and looked over it. The more he read it the more his stomach turned and he felt the taste of bile in his mouth. It stated the various species in the Galaxy and which rights they had. Humans reigned supreme, obviously. Twi'leks and Wookies were nothing more than property.
Senator Organa threw the offending piece of legislation aside and felt a headache coming, losing the will to do anything at all that day.
The door to his study opened without a knock, Breha let herself in carrying a smiling Mara in her arms. Just in time, in fact, for they were the only people who could brighten up his day.
"Dada," the little one said, stretching her little arms towards him. It always warmed his heart to hear her call him that, even though she hadn't taken long to pick up on the word after he took her home.
Standing, he took his daughter in his arms. His wife's health was frail, and the little one weighed more than she looked.
"You look troubled, my dear." Breha said.
Bail sighed. He was troubled indeed. Everything was troubling as of late. "I am worried Breha. It's getting worse everyday. I don't know what to do, but I feel like I can't stand for this."
His wife gave him the look she always did when something bothered him, the one that made him think that, one day, everything would be alright. She put her soft hand on his back, gently nudging him away from his office and his unwelcome duties.
"I know," she replied, as they slowly walked through the corridors of the Royal Palace. "These are hard times, but you know that neither of us will stand for this. We must not lose hope. It will take time and work, but I know this nightmare cannot last forever."
Bail smiled and reminded himself of why he had fallen in love. "My darling, you always seem to know the right thing to say."
"Of course I do!" She placed a kiss on his cheek and another on their daughter's forehead. What a beautiful family he had.
"Any contacts?" Breha asked after a pause, just as they were entering the large living room.
They sat at the bench by the balcony, the picture perfect view of the mountains surrounded them, but it was with sorrow that Bail shook his head in response.
Breha sighed as she took Mara from his lap and placed her on the floor, the little one began playing with the small flowers on her mother's dress, trying to put them in her mouth and rip them from the skirt.
"Captain Antilles has been insisting on ending the transmission, he says it gets more dangerous by the day. I told him it was your decision."
"I know, I know…" he replied, a tad more defensively than he should. " I can't believe that there are no Jedi left. I can't believe they are all dead. We need them now more than ever."
"That is why the Emperor destroyed them, Bail, because we need them. He was thorough."
Bail sighed for the hundredth that day, something he often did when there was little else to say. "I know you are worried, I know we must have Alderaan's best interests in mind, but just one more day."
His wife smiled at him and ran a gentle hand down his cheek. "I trust you, my dear. We will transmit for as long as you feel we need to."
A knock on the door interrupted the tender moment, and Captain Antilles entered the room without an invitation. His face was flushed and his breath caught in his throat.
Bail stood, alarmed by the state of his old friend. "Raymus, what's wrong?"
"Sir," the loyal captain replied, "Anakin Skywalker made contact."
Being left in an escape pod, in the middle of nowhere, with nothing more than a holo transmitter, was less than an ideal situation.
Anakin peeked through the window for the millionth time, but there was nothing in sight but the distant bright stars. They weren't even near a star system so, even if he wished to steer the pod to a planet in case no one came for them, there was nothing he could do. They would be condemned to drift through space until they ran out of water or air or, Force willing, be lucky enough to find someone else willing to come to their aid.
Once again, they were stranded, dependent on the will of the Force for their very survival. It was not a pleasant feeling, especially for someone like him, who had been striving for power and control ever since he remembered existing. But times surely changed his life and, alas, were beginning to change him. He had been told all his Jedi life to trust in the Force and, in that moment, he finally had no other choice.
"Maybe we should try to make contact again, Sir." Rex's tone was less than confident. They had been in that escape pod for hours and Hondo's ship was long gone.
"They'll come." Anakin said, wanting desperately to trust in the Force that kept telling him that he was exactly where he should be. But the Force hadn't prepared him for this; it hadn't prepared him for this utter and complete tragedy.
Ahsoka peeked through the transparisteel once more and sighed, "What if this is a trap? We are completely unprotected and have no way of defending ourselves."
Anakin couldn't lie and say that the thought hadn't crossed his mind, but, against all logic, he was determined to believe that whoever sent them there was friend rather than foe. "I don't think it is. We must be patient, I'm sure whoever contacted us is just trying to make sure we aren't the ones setting the trap. There is too much as stake to be reckless." He said, trying to convince his companions as much as he tried to convince himself.
He looked at the radar display and again saw nothing. As much as he preached for patience, he was finding it hard to find it within himself. But nothing in the Force warned him of danger.
The group, who had spent more than a little time together, often found themselves with little to say to each other, and, as the hours went by, as they stood in the vastness of the empty cold space, Anakin found himself drifting to sleep.
It was funny how, despite everything that had happened, he had no prophetic dreams, no nightmares of tragedies past or future. It was a tranquil sleep, empty and restful, even if sometimes light.
A beeping sound awoke him. He looked at the escape pod's rudimentary instruments and the radar was picking up a ship, a large one. The communications system signaled next and, without a moment's hesitation, the young Jedi accepted the transmission.
This time, a voice that was familiar spoke and a wave of relief washed over him. "Master Skywalker?"
"Senator Organa?"
The man on the other side sighed in relief, he could almost hear him smile. "It's so good to hear your voice. We are pulling you in."
It was a good voice to hear indeed, Anakin thought. He remembered Obi-Wan for a moment and his deep distrust of politicians. He smiled thinking of what he would say now if he knew a politician was saving him, bringing him back into the Galaxy to fulfill whatever purpose the Force bestowed upon him.
Bail Organa, however, was no ordinary Senator. He was Padmé's friend, they had been brought together by the same ideals and principles, by thoughts of freedom, peace and acceptance.
They felt as the tractor beam locked on to their tiny vessel and pulled them inside the large CR90 Corvette. A beautiful ship, no doubt, and a welcome sight.
It wasn't long before Anakin was exiting the pod and setting foot in the bright corridors of the Tantive IV. As he did he realized they were surrounded by people. A row of soldiers in formation stood before him, with an officer and Senator Bail Organa at their front.
The Force swirled and hopped about around him, and he could see renewed hope in the faces of those men, he could see that in him, they saw a chance, even if a fleeting one.
It was an expectation that he knew not if he could live up to, but, nonetheless, it was what he had set out to do. To honor Padmé, Obi-Wan and the Jedi was to bring hope to the ones who needed it the most, despite how hard and hopeless the times they were living in were.
Suddenly he watched as the soldiers lifted their weapons and trained them on them. Out of instinct he raised his hands but soon he realized that their blasters were not pointed at him but at Rex, who had meanwhile emerged from the escape pod.
"No, he's alright. He is with us." Organa's men looked at each other and their leaders for guidance and the good Senator gestured for them to lower their weapons.
"If Master Skywalker trusts him, then we trust him." He said as he approached him, stretching out his hand. "Welcome, my friend."
"You are a sight for sore eyes, Bail." Anakin smiled and took Bail's hand in his own. "I'm sure you remember Ahsoka Tano, my Padawan. And this is Captain Rex, he helped save our lives." Senator Organa smiled fondly at the group and they heard a shrill of beeps from behind them, reminding them of his presence. "Oh and my droid, Artoo."
His men stood at attention before him. They were the same men in different armors; but something had fundamentally changed in them, or maybe he was the one who had changed and now saw them with different eyes.
"Sir," the company's commander spoke, "the first battalion is ready for your orders."
The first battalion was nothing more than the remnants of the 501st and 212th merged together. The 501st had been separated before the battle of Coruscant, sent off to Mandalore, and then they had suffered heavy losses during the assault on the Jedi Temple. The 212th, though not as badly, had taken a toll in the Battle of Utapau. It was said that Mace Windu had not gone down without a fight.
The Commander of this newly founded First Battalion he knew well, though the change he had sensed in the others was even more prominent in him. In another life they had been friends, brothers in arms. Now, both were nothing but cold shells of their former selves.
"Commander Cody, Sir. At your service." He needlessly introduced himself, utterly unaware of the identity of the man who stood before him.
"CT-2224," Lord Menis said, ignoring the name that once had meant companionship. They were not companions, they were not brothers in arms, they were not friends. Not anymore. Cody was a Jedi killer now, and so was Obi-Wan, so neither of them could use their former names. "Prepare your men; we are headed to Cato Neimodia. Apparently Nute Gunray and several other Separatist leaders have managed to escape from Mustafar and returned to Tarko-Se. Intelligence suggests that they have gathered a small army to protect them composed of both droids that failed to be decommissioned and Neimodians who are still loyal to the Separatist cause. Our mission is to deal with the Separatist Leaders and take control of the Trade Federation and the planet."
"Yes Sir." The Commander responded and the Dark Lord turned on his heels and left for the bridge of his brand new flagship. The Executor-Class Dreadnaught star destroyer and been aptly name as the Executor by the Emperor and presented to him in the day of his unveiling as his right hand.
It was larger and more powerful than any Venator the Republic had had at their disposal during the Clone Wars; evidently commissioned in secret long before the end of the war. A ship such as that one was not built in a day. Another testament of how deep the Sith's plan to take control of the Galaxy ran.
This was to be his first mission. Though they knew that several Jedi still roamed the Galaxy, the Emperor's first priority was to quash the Separatist movement before it became something greater or transformed into a larger rebellious unit.
The control of the Trade Federation was equally important; there would be no control over the Galaxy if the companies were not under imperial rule.
Lord Menis had killed Jedi during his training. Some had once been their friends. But he couldn't deny he was quite relieved that his first official mission implied hunting down corrupt politicians rather than his old brothers.
If there was something that Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Menis shared was their dislike for political figures of any kind, his own Master included, for obvious reasons.
But, alas, that was the way of the Sith.
He was happy that he wore a helmet at all times, for he couldn't help a cringe when he was called by his serial number. CT-2224 had been his name a long time ago, the name he had been given when he was born. But it had been years since he heard it or even recognized it. It had been years since his real name was Cody, it had been years since he had been seen as a person rather than a number, at least by the people who had fought side by side with him.
He supposed that he had brought this upon himself on the day he turned against the ones who led him. That was the day he had become less than human and more an instrument for the Republic, or rather the Empire.
Often he had nightmares where he saw himself ordering his men to kill General Windu, often he heard the voice telling him to execute Order 66. Deep within him he knew those words had changed something inside him, though he did not know what. But good soldiers follow orders and he did what had to be done. He wasn't happy about it; actually he wasn't sure if he felt anything about it at all. But he was sure he did. Why would he have nightmares about it if he didn't?
Cody contemplated the man that was briefing him on their first mission as the first battalion. He remembered General Kenobi and, even though he knew he was a traitor, somehow he missed him. He wasn't sure why, but he did. Maybe because he called him Cody, maybe because before turning his back on the Empire he had been his friend.
CT-2224 heard the mission and he nodded his understanding. There was no use thinking about General Kenobi now, he was dead and Lord Menis was their new superior officer. Actually, he was everyone's superior officer. He should be proud of serving the Emperor directly under the Supreme Commander's orders but, for some reason, he didn't.
Lord Menis finished his briefing and did not even wait for a word of acknowledgment as he turned his back on them.
Cody looked closely as he walked away and, even though he could hardly explain it, Lord Menis seemed so familiar yet, at the same time, he was a complete stranger.
Alderaan reminded Anakin of Naboo in so many ways. They were so incredibly different and yet so similar. The landscape, though equally beautiful, was completely unalike. So what was it that had that feel of sameness? The sense of peace that surrounded them? The aura of kindness that flowed within its people?
Yes, it was probably that. Alderaan was a place of good people where ideals of freedom and equality were ingrained into people's minds since a young age. Just like in Naboo.
It was a welcoming place, Anakin wouldn't mind staying there. But he knew he couldn't.
Bail Organa had been kind enough to offer them all a place to rest and a fresh set of clothes. Anakin hardly remembered the last time he had taken a hot shower and slept on a proper bed. He was grateful for it; he was grateful for anything that resembled some sort of normalcy; that helped him forget that he had gone from hero to traitor in an instant.
The next day he sat at a round table with Bail. Ahsoka and Rex were there too. It was clearly a meeting room. Politicians were much like Jedi in certain ways; they believed important decisions had to be made in specific locations. This meeting room was a lot like the Jedi Council room, though much less intimidating.
Anakin knew why they were there and he had absolutely nothing to say; there were so many things to be done that he couldn't fathom where to begin.
"So, what happened Senator?" Asked Ahsoka, finally breaking their silence. He supposed the past was as a good place to start as any other.
Bail ran a hand through his beard before speaking, for a moment his eyes went distant, as if recalling a far away memory. Then he retold a story of pain and blood, he told them how the Jedi Temple was raided, how he had managed to save a Padawan and a youngling, how he witnessed Shaak-Ti's death with his own eyes. It was with a smile that he recounted the story of adopting Mara Jade into his family and with sorrow that he informed them that Master Yoda had gone into exile with young Zett.
Then, in what seemed like an endless stream of words, Bail told them about the new Empire, about its proclamation and informed of all the things that had changed.
It was a painful story, one Anakin had never expected to hear. But there they were, living and breathing it, as if it were a never-ending waking nightmare.
The Jedi Knight remained silent as Ahsoka, in turn, explained to Senator Organa their ordeal. From the events of Mandalore, to the interrogation of Darth Maul and the clones betrayal; how they had managed to save Rex from the fate of his brothers and how they finally had come to be sitting together at that round table.
A long silence followed. It was hard to move on from the past and into the future when everything seemed so bleak, when there was no glimmer of hope in sight. But it had to be done.
"What now?" Asked Rex; the one brave enough to dive into the uncertainty that awaited them all.
"We fight back!" Said his young Padawan, resolve lacing her tone. Anakin was proud of her, even if fearful of her recklessness. He taught it to her though, he supposed he had no one to blame but himself.
"Easier said than done." Anakin nodded as he heard the Senator's words. "We have a complication. Yesterday the Emperor introduced his new right hand, one Lord Menis. He came out of nowhere, I'd never heard of him before. If what you say is true, then this Lord Menis may be his new apprentice. Perhaps when you disappeared he decided he had no other choice but to replace you."
"Yes, I don't think things went exactly as he planned. But if he does have an apprentice out there doing his bidding, we have our work cut out for us." Anakin ran a hand through his hair as he spoke and wondered who was this apprentice, who had fallen into that monsters' clutches, who had fallen so he could be saved from the Dark Side?
"Anakin, I know the situation seems hopeless. We've all lost so much so suddenly. But that's exactly why we cannot stand for this. Ahsoka is right, we must fight back. And we need you, we need the Jedi. If these people truly are Force users, you are the only ones who can stop them." Bail paused, as if considering saying something. "Before he left Master Yoda said to look for you, Anakin. He said you were our only hope. And here we are. I've transmitted that signal since the day the Republic fell and I received no response, not one. Until you, until I heard your voice. You of all people must know that this is the will of the Force."
He knew it was, he was painfully aware of it, and he had promised himself that he would follow the will of the Force and nothing else. But it provided no certain answers and no clear path. He knew he had to fight; he just didn't know how.
"What do you propose then?"
"I propose we rebel. I propose we do whatever it takes to overthrow the Emperor and bring back peace and democracy to the Galaxy. And I propose you lead us Anakin." Bail's resolve was nothing short of inspiring. It made the Jedi smile.
"You are the best General in the Republic, Sir."
Anakin couldn't help but chuckle at Rex's remark. "Don't flatter me Rex, the Council went insane with my shenanigans."
"We have little resources. If there is a time for creativity it is now. And you have creativity to spare, Master."
Skywalker sighed and settled his elbows on the table. "That's all very nice and all, but we don't have little resources; we have none. The three of us can't fight the Empire single handedly and I fear Alderaan's Royal Guard is not enough to bring down the Emperor's army. They have millions of clones at their disposal, an enormous fleet and two Sith Lords."
"We are not alone, Anakin," Bail interjected, "other systems are willing to join our cause. We've been trying to lay low because the Emperor is onto us. Before the end of the war we had a meeting, two thousand senators made a petition to resume peace negotiations and have the Chancellor lay down his emergency powers. Many of those Senators will turn towards the Empire now and I don't blame them, they just want to keep their people safe. But there are others who will fight for our cause; several of them expressed this to me. Mon Mothma of Chandrilla, King Lee-Char of Mon-Cala has expressed his support, Senator Chuchi of Pantora too. And I'm sure there are many others who are willing to fight for democracy. You just tell me what we need and we make a plan. All we need is a plan and allies will follow."
"What we need?" Anakin chuckled again. "We need men, we need ships, we need funding, we need allies, organization, officers, a base. And Force knows we could use some Jedi."
"Very well. I will gather whatever allies we already have and we start working on funding and recruitment. Mon-Cala has a large army, maybe we can begin with their forces as a starting point. You, my friend, for the time being, can look for our base and our Jedi." Senator Organa paused, contemplating what to say next. "This will take time; Palpatine built this empire over the course of at least thirteen years of deception. It will take time to bring down, but we must start somewhere. This just the beginning of something greater. What do you say Master Skywalker?"
Anakin smiled. "I say we this will be a long and arduous battle but the Force is always with us, my friend. We are now officially Rebels."
For the first time since the fall of the Republic, real hope filled his heart, and the Force rejoiced around him.
A/N.: Confession time! Initally the baby Bail found at the Temple was not going to be Mara Jade, but then you guys talked about it in the comments and I thought it was such a wonderful idea that I used it! So, as you see, what you say has impact on what I write, so say stuff! ;) Thank you so much for all your feedback!