Leia flies her speeder to the Senate building. She turns it off and walks into Mon Mothma's office. She knocks once and Mon lets her in. She sits down with a very stressed look on her face.

Leia asks, "Mon, what do you want me to do about Anakin? Should we act like he's a defector until proven otherwise? I don't think I can forgive him, but somehow Luke can. If we executed him after getting the info, Luke would be very upset and mad at us. I felt in the Force that he was full of Light and wasn't going to hurt us, but killing Palpatine shouldn't make up at all for his crimes as Vader. I assigned Ahsoka, his former Padawan from when he was a Jedi, to keep an eye on him."

Mon replies, "He has a wealth of intelligence that we would love to get our hands on. That means we could do what we do normally, pardon for intel. I know you don't want a pardon for him."

Leia declares, "I most definitely don't, Mon. You know Scarif went. The only reasons I didn't kill him and make him suffer are: I'm a Jedi and we don't kill unless we have to (although I was extremely tempted to), Luke would be so mad at me and my biological family is dysfunctional enough without Vader or Anakin's return, and we really need the intelligence he knows.."

Mon says, "I don't really want a pardon or the death penalty, if we can help it."

Leia's face, which is full of stress, relaxes a bit, and Mon continues, "I think we have a wide range of options in between, though. Was he cooperating with you at the Temple?"

Artoo comes over and starts playing music.

Country Roads, take me home.

To the place I belong.

"Artoo! Shut that off now! Of all days, now you should know better than to play a song that I can't stand. Artoo, it reminds me too much of how I failed to save my people! ," Leia yells at the droid, her face extremely angry. . Artoo beeps in a snippy way and then does a little maneuver like an eye roll. Artoo then starts playing a famous piece from Alderaan, called Celebration from Victoria. The last scene from the famous true story, turned into a iconic musical, the party and coronation of the young Queen Victoria has an epic musical number with it. When Leia was younger she performed all of the stories of the Old Queens as part of culture class, Old Queen Victoria included. Now Leia can't stand it, as it too reminds her of her failure to save her world.

"Artoo! Shut that song off as well!", yells Leia, with anger in her voice.

Artoo shuts the music off.

"Artoo, who told you to play that music when I'm working? I really can't stand it," asks Leia.

R2-D2 POV

[Question:from (Primary: Leia Organa(Skywalker) ] Who told [unit: self] to [run

Central Computer Response:

Beep Beep Bloop(You don't need to know)

Beep Beep Bloop

End R2-D2 POV

Leia says, "Artoo, Shut up, shut up shut up." Artoo beeps three times at her. She plugs Artoo into a data pad and checks a file that she knows will have the user ID of the prankster. She opens the file. The names are Wedge Antilles and Corran Horn. She then removes the plug and presses a button on Artoo. He beeps once.

Leia asks, "Mon, may I investigate this prank after we are done to prevent this from happening at the Senate Award Ball tonight?"

Mon says, "Yes. Leia, can you please not tell the Senate about this next piece of info until after the Ball tonight?"

Leia says, "Yes."

Mon says, "Leia, I plan on giving you the Triple Crown,"

Leia's jaw drops and Mon continues, "You are only missing the last award and I feel you deserve it so much. Also, I just found this next bit out. Luke can and should know, but not Anakin. I believe know who your biological mother is. It's Padme, right?"

Leia nods, then Mon continues, "She's still alive. Apparently she has been in hiding and working with the Alliance for years in the far Outer Rim. Her cover name is Sabe or you might know her as Black Swan, the Intel agent in charge of the area's operations. I have dispatched a team of operatives from NRI to pick her up, along with a few members of Rouge Squadron. It all goes well, she should be back in time for the Ball. My plan, if I can get Padme's and your approval is to have you and Ahsoka run security for her to protect her and make her fell more comfortable around Anakin. One of you two must make a "wrong turn" somewhere while heading to the Ball and make her run into Anakin. Anakin is not to be told of her survival in case Padme backs out of the plan."

Leia says, "Okay. If Ahsoka backs out, I'm backing out as I don't feel comfortable around Anakin without Ahsoka."

Mon says, "Sounds great to me. I'm thinking very light sentence if he cooperates with us, as we gave even General Madine a pardon."

"Sounds okay only as we gave Madine a pardon. Otherwise it looks awful as Mustafar."

Mon picks up her com link and sees the she has a message.

Package recovered. On our way.- Iella

Mon says, "I just got confirmation from Iella that she and Padme are on their way back to Courscant."

Leia says, "That's great."

Mon says, "You're a lot like your mother. Sometimes when I look at you, I see Padme. Not just in your looks, but in your political skills as well."

Leia asks, "What was she like as a Senator?"

Mon says, "She was a lot like you. Always fighting for peace. She led the opposition to the Military Creation Act. She also did some Clone Wars missions. "

Flashback

In Bail Organa's office

19 BBY

The last days of the Republic

"We must present the petition to the Chancellor now. We must stop him from gaining more power now. There is no time to waste," said Padme. Padme, believed dead and only just now discovered to be alive…

Mon said, "I agree, but we must be careful."

Bail said, "Yes, the Chancellor's refusal to give up his power makes it very dangerous to oppose him. We must be even more careful them we have been being." Bail, likely dead after Alderaan…

Meena Tills, the Mon Calamari senator for the Mon Cala system, nodded in response to Bail's statement.

"Trying to stop him will be like holding back the tide in the narrows. You can do it, but the hidden undercurrents will only make our job harder." Meena, dead after being killed by Stormtroopers…

"I say we make the Chancellor give us his emergency powers now as both of the Separatist leaders are dead. He must be stopped," said Garm Bel Ibis, participating over holocom as he had left the Senate when the President of the Corellian System declared harmonious mundi. While Garm was technically no longer a Senator, he was still their friend and the day the President ended harmonious mundi, he would be on his way back to the Senate. Garm Bel Ibis, who left the Alliance after Bail's supposed death and continued to fight against the Empire with his own fleet, from what Mon heard through the grapevine of smugglers and Intelligence.

She realizes that out of the whole room of her and her friends, she was the last one still alive and working with the Alliance to restore the Republic. How much the galaxy had changed since she and her friends met in Bail's office all those long years ago.

Author's Notes

This is someone's thoughts on a flashback

This is a flashback, or comlink message, or someone's thoughts

The Alderaanian culture is my head canon. What do you think? Please comment. Every comment and feedback helps me improve the story. The first song was "Take me home Country Roads" by John Denver.

Please comment. Every comment and feedback helps me improve the story.