Chapter Five

Naboo

The mood inside the Millennium Falcon was strained. Even the normally clueless Threepio picked up on the atmosphere, and remained silent.

Chewie and Han tried to stay out of Anakin's way, working on the hyperdrive system that really didn't need repairs. Luke and Leia prepared a simple meal with fresh food they had purchased in town before walking back to the ship. And the former Sith did nothing but watch as everyone tried to stay busy and out of his way. This was not the way Padmé would want to see his relationship with their children when he found her. It was time to make some amends, and the former Sith decided to start by talking to Han. The smuggler may be hotheaded, but he seemed to have the ability to cool off quickly, then see things from a more rational perspective.

The Corellian was on his back, down in the bowels of the ship with only his boots showing when Anakin found him. Fortunately, the Wookiee had headed off to retrieve some tools so this was exactly the situation he wanted - to be alone for a moment with Solo. "Solo." Through the Force, Anakin sensed the Corellian's tension when he heard his name.

"Yeah?" he called up, not bothering to move out of the access tube.

Anakin took a hard swallow, wondering how this could be so difficult to say. "I would like to apologize for using the Force and cutting off your ability to speak." When Han didn't respond, Anakin continued, "I do manage to evoke anger and distrust in people. I would like to know how I can make it up to you."

Han pushed himself backwards, until he could see up the opening. "I think the Moorlands are the people you owe an apology to. What do you think they're gonna tell your wife? 'Padmé, Darth Vader showed up and almost killed us, but, hey, at least your children were there.' She's gonna be mighty upset that you're jerkin' her children around, too... Vader."

"No one would have dared speak to me in the manner you do, Captain Solo," Anakin said, staring down in the access tube. "I would have killed them in a second if they tried."

Sitting up, Han wiped his hand on a greasy rag. "In other words, no one ever dared tell you the truth, so you an' Palps just floated from one day to the next thinkin' everything is fine and sweet in the galaxy."

Beneath the mask, Anakin gritted his teeth. "When we return to town, I will apologize to the Moorlands."

"Good. Now hand me that number eleven hydrospanner, and try not to hit me in the head with it," Han said with a grin. "Cuz even though I might not have the Force, I know you're tempted."

Luke poured water over the vegetables, then placed the pot in the cooker. "Leia, we have to give him another chance."

The Princess looked up sharply from setting the table. "How many chances do we plan on giving him?"

"He's trying," Luke pleaded. "It can't be easy, not after so many years of serving the dark side."

"Has it occurred to you he might be exactly the same Sith he was when he tortured me, only he's trying to blind us to that fact?" Leia asked in a low voice, looking toward the doorway. "Maybe he's using us for his own power play. I wouldn't put it past him."

"I feel the good in him," the young Jedi insisted. "I feel the conflict. If we don't help him, the dark side will win. How will that improve anything?"

Leia sighed. "All right. I'll give him another chance." She held up her index finger. "One more, Luke. If he threatens innocent people one more time, or uses the Force to hurt Han or Chewie ever again..."

"We'll both leave him then," Luke promised.

"Even if it means never finding your... our mother?"

Although Luke was still reluctant to give up on his father, he could understand Leia's view. "Even then."

Naboo, three days later

The modified Imperial shuttle landed near a large body of water in the outskirts of the Capital city of Naboo. Mara Jade wasn't too thrilled with the idea of traveling down into the underwater cities where the Gungans lived, but if she wanted to track down this Binks character it would be necessary. According to her research, Binks would be well into late middle age by now since he had been a close friend of Padmé Skywalker when he was young. It wasn't too surprising that he had been willing to help her by passing a message to Darth Vader. What surprised Jade was the fact that the former Queen would have enlisted his assistance. Jar Jar Binks had a long history of clumsy mistakes; mistakes that someone like Palpatine, or Vader, would not have accepted.

A local human, a short, older man with long black hair streaked with white, approached Jade as she exited her ship, glancing around nervously. "I was told you need transportation," he mumbled under his breath.

The redhead withdrew a credit voucher from her coat, tossing it to the Naboo thief. "The price we agreed on earlier."

His eyes fixed on the amount, and Jade could almost sense the man's heart rate increase as he nodded eagerly. The human waved his hand toward the lake. "This way. I'm sure you'll be impressed with the Gungan underwater transportation."

"I'm sure I will," she said, shaking her head. Dealing with low life beings was one part of her job she hated, and she never understood why Palpatine found it necessary to keep people like this on his payroll when legitimate merchants would be willing to deal with the Empire. And if they refused, or didn't agree with Imperial policies, then they were traitors and needed to be dealt with harshly to make an example of them for other merchants. If the Empire set enough examples of them, resistance would stop.

Unfortunately, ever since Alderaan was destroyed more and more citizens were openly critical of Imperial policy. Alderaan had been a terrible... no, not mistake. If she thought it was a mistake, that would be disloyal. An error in judgment; yes, that's what Alderaan's destruction had been - a miscalculation. People would forget, eventually. Time would heal, and memories become dim. The Emperor was too well loved, and soon the galaxy would realize miscalculations should be forgiven and forgotten.

She drew her attention back to the shoreline, looking at the Gungan bongo submarine. The worthless human was correct - it was impressive, almost like a living sea creature. The hatch was a transparent bubble, and the seating area could hold three passengers.

"Do you need me to instruct you on how to use it?" the man questioned, grinning at the mere idea of getting physically close to the pretty young woman.

Jade fixed him with an icy stare. "I've already read up on how to use it. Now, get away from me before I slit your throat and feed you to your relatives - the underwater bottom feeders."

The man cleared his throat, then backed away. He decided against warning her about the various carnivorous creatures, particularly the nasty colo claw fish, that inhabited the lake. He watched as the young woman climbed inside, literally stepping through the clear bubble that formed the dome that kept the interior pressurized and the water out. A minute later, the submarine turned from shore and disappeared beneath the glassy surface.

A green astromech droid rolled up to the Millennium Falcon, extending its 'arm' to press the signal buzzer. It backed up slightly as the ramp lowered, turning its 'eye' upward as the black clad human strode down, stopping in front of the droid.

"Are you bringing a message to Anakin Skywalker?" the former Imperial hissed from his respirator.

The droid beeped, then a small disk extended partially out of a slot. Vader reached down and took the disk. Without further comment, he reentered the Falcon and headed for the cockpit.

The others watched, but made no move to follow. Finally, Luke asked, "Should I go to the cockpit?"

"If he wants you to hear it, he'll tell you," Leia responded. The fact that they had not been asked made Leia nervous. What did he have to hide?

They all waited for long minutes, until Anakin's voice came over the comm. "Luke... Leia, will both of you please come to the cockpit?" They both hurried to the front of the ship where their father sat in the pilot's seat. "Please, sit."

Luke sat next to his father, while Leia took the chair behind her brother, both facing Skywalker. "Was that the message from our mother?"

The black helmet gave a curt nod. "She left a message for you." Reaching over to the control panel, he pressed the 'play' button, and a dark-haired woman's image shimmered into view. The siblings leaned closer to the holo-projection, staring at the beautiful, former Queen of Naboo.

"My Anakin," Padmé spoke softly, yet her tone was steady and firm "The Moorlands have passed your message along. Let me start by expressing my disappointment that you would threaten Hermé and Tamit in such a way. Is that why our children are with you? Are you threatening them, or threatening to harm their friends if they refuse to cooperate? I certainly hope that is not the case, because there will be no hope for us if it is. That being said, I see that you have found out my secret. Yes, I gave birth to twins, and Obi-Wan Kenobi convinced me to separate them in order to protect them from you, and Palpatine. It almost killed me to give them up, Anakin, but I did what I felt was in their best interests. They both grew up well cared for, and I believe I did the right thing, even now."

Padmé paused, looking directly into the recorder. "I would like to spend the next few minutes addressing Luke and Leia. I will start with my son. My handsome, blond boy. How much you reminded me of your father when I held you in those too brief moments after you were born. It was so unbearably hard for me when they took you away. Ten minutes - that was all the time I had with you. Ten short minutes. You cried so hard when you were taken from my arms, it was almost like you knew, and my heart was broken into pieces."

"I know that growing up on Tatooine wasn't easy, but Owen and Beru were good people. They taught you right from wrong, and I hope provided you with love, as well. Please forgive me, Luke. I know it must feel like I abandoned you, even though Obi-Wan promised he would watch over you and keep you safe."

The woman took a deep breath, then continued, "Leia, my daughter, my angel. Apparently you've found out that the man you know as Darth Vader is your natural father. Considering the horror you experienced when you learned that Alderaan was destroyed, this must be doubly hard for you to accept. The man I married was not evil, Leia. He was not Darth Vader. Your father was, and I still believe he can be, a good man. Ultimately, it will be Anakin's choice to reject what Palpatine has told him, and turn back to the light. You can help him... we can all help him, if he wants our help. But helping him is your choice, not his."

"I love you, my children. You've grown into wonderful adults. I'm so proud of you."

She refocused her gaze. "Anakin, I still love you. If you want to see me again, you will need to contact a Naboo native by the name of Jar Jar Binks. I'm sure you remember him, and I have included the encrypted code to his private number. He will accompany you to my hiding place once he sees this recording. Be nice to Jar Jar, darling. I know that can be... a challenge. I look forward to seeing all of you, very soon."

When the recording cut off, Leia had tears in her eyes. "I guess I was wrong," she admitted slowly. "Our mother is still alive after all this time."

Luke looked over to his father. "Jar Jar Binks? Who's he?"

"The only being in the galaxy more annoying than Threepio," Anakin replied with a sigh. "Solo will probably kill him in less than a day. I knew that Corellian would be useful."

The Gungan submarine moved through the underwater tunnels, following a preset guidance system to Jade's destination. Eventually Jade reached the large underwater city of Otoh Gunga and docked inside one of the smaller bubble domes. Before the Clone Wars, the city had been temporarily abandoned by the Gungans during a battle with battle droids over trade sanctions. Eventually the residents returned, rebuilding their city and making it even larger and grander than before. Mara Jade had to admit the city was impressive.

Less impressive were the Gungans themselves. It amazed Jade that these beings could be intelligent enough to create such underwater marvels. Still, looks could be deceiving, she knew that by experience. People, older men especially, would always look at her and see a very young, slender girl. They would joke with her, flirt with her, ask her about boyfriends and music, as if they could somehow recreate their youth by such inane comments. They certainly would never suspect she had been training for years as an assassin - that lack of respect would often become their last mistake. She would not make the same mistake by underestimating these beings.

Mara Jade pulled the nondescript robe up over her head, using the Force to make herself appear unimportant and completely forgettable. She casually walked through the vast thoroughfares, past shops, banks, and offices. Otoh Gunga reminded her a bit of the Imperial Palace, where the only beings present were human. Here, they were all Gungan with few exceptions. A few Naboo humans, always accompanied by a Gungan, also could be seen wandering around, but they looked odd and out of place. She stopped at an information booth, punching in the name 'Binks.' Inwardly she groaned as several hundred 'Binks' listed. The name must be as common as 'Antilles' on Corellia. Jade refined her search to 'Jar Jar' within the 'Binks,' and twelve remained. Twelve Gungans by the name of Jar Jar Binks, Jade thought in annoyance. What is he, some famous hero that they all want to name their children after him?" Unfortunately, the list could not be culled further by age, so she was forced to write down all twelve addresses. It looked like finding the correct Gungan was going to take all day.

In the hold of the Falcon, Anakin Skywalker entered the code that Padmé had provided, finding himself growing impatient as the Gungan took forever to answer his holocom. Then the familiar, lanky face of Jar Jar Binks came into focus. "Yesa?"

Luke and Leia exchanged amused glances before returning their attention to the holocom. Anakin stood out of view, again trying to have his children handle the situation since the image of Darth Vader always had a negative effect on beings. "My name is Luke Skywalker," Luke started to say before the Gungan let out a loud squeal, throwing up his arms and running around in circles. When the Gungan disappeared from the viewer, Luke spoke loudly, "Jar Jar Binks? Are you still there?"

The Gungan reappeared, his eyes wide, flapping his webbed hands up and down. "Mesa here! Mesa here! Isa can'ts believes mesa ears!" He lifted up both of his floppy ears by his fingers. "Lukes Skyswalkers! Wheres are yousa?"

"On Naboo, with Leia Organa. Leia is my - "

"SISTER!" Jar Jar yelled out. "Yousa found eacha other! Blessa mesa soul!" Of course, if Luke and Leia hadn't already known they were related, Jar Jar's statement would have come as a bit of a shock, but the Gungan didn't consider that possibility.

Han and Chewie had been standing out of the range of the holocom, watching this exchange. "It's a good thing that's a holo," the smuggler muttered under his breath to Chewie. "I'd have to shoot him if he was actually inside my ship acting like that."

*You could use him for target practice,* Chewie woofed quietly in agreement. *After I threw him into the air by his ears.*

Leia jabbed Han in his side with her elbow, then decided to try and help Luke. "Mr. Binks..."

"Jar Jar!" the Gungan interrupted. "Mesa's name is Jar Jar to yousa. I knew't somes day I'ta mets yousa!"

"Thank you, Jar Jar," Leia continued. "Our mother sent us the coordinates for contacting you. We'd like to meet you, and show you her message. If that would be alright with you."

"Alrights? Yousa ask if'n Jar Jar would likes to meet with Queens Padmés Amidala's babies? Of coursn mesa woulds meets with yousa."

Luke tried again, "Would it be possible to come to us, or would you - "

"Of course'n I's comes uptopside to sees yousa! Yousa just sends mesa your location, and mesa be's there soon!"

Quickly, Anakin punched in their location, sending the message to the Gungan, and gave a brief nod to Luke to indicate it was done.

"Our location has been transmitted. How long before we should expect you?"

Jar Jar peered down at the numbers. "Four'n or Fives hour tops! Mesa be's there!" The holocom went dark.

For a long moment, no one spoke inside the hold. Then Anakin finally sighed. "I told you Jar Jar Binks was annoying."

"Annoying?" Threepio piped up. "He seems like a perfectly fine sort, if yousa, er, if you ask me."

The Imperial assassin was getting tired of maintaining her shielding, while at the same time attempting to locate each and every Jar Jar Binks. One was too old, most were too young. And none matched the holo image she'd seen and memorized. Glancing down at her list, she could see she had five yet to find. She lifted her hand to press the next buzzer. A second later the door slid open, and she looked down at a very young Gungan, no more than ten years old. "Are you the Jar Jar Binks that lives here?"

"Nosa missus," the child replied. "My uncle's Jar Jar Binks."

Mara pulled out the holo image, and turned it on. "Is this your uncle?"

"Yesa! Dat's Jar Jar Binks...he's da great war hero!" he said proudly.

At least she'd found the right Jar Jar Binks. Now she just had to find out what he knew about Lady Skywalker and then kill him, war hero or not. Tiredly, Mara asked, "Is he home?"

"Nosa missus."

"Is he going to be back soon?"

"Nosa missus, I'sa don'ts think so."

Be patient, Mara... "Is he even on Otoh Gunga?"

"He's mights still be, buts he's headin' for da surface. He's says he'sa meets somebodies upside."

"Did he happen to mention who he was meeting with?" Mara questioned. If he left some name, maybe she could locate that person.

"Yesa!" the little Gungan said happily. "He'sa happy to go meets the children of Queen Amidalas! The Skywalkers!"

Oh, kest, Mara thought as her heart dropped to her boots. She had to intercept the Gungan before he got to the surface, or Palpatine would be very, very unhappy.

En route to Naboo

It had cost the bounty hunter more credits than he cared to think about to buy this lead. Boba Fett had wanted to make money off this, not go broke. But if he failed the Emperor, having no money wouldn't be an issue, since he wouldn't be alive to spend it.

The contact had informed him that a ship matching the Millennium Falcon had entered Naboo space, using one of Solo's false ID's for his ship. Contacting the Naboo authorities wouldn't do any good. Solo didn't have any outstanding warrants on Naboo, and if he was traveling with Vader... well, Fett didn't want to think about that, either. First things first - he had to see if Solo was actually on Naboo. All the Emperor wanted to know was if Vader was still traveling with Solo, and who else was with them. He hadn't asked Fett to capture or kill anyone. Hopefully, the smuggler's ship was still there, and he could end his assignment with the Emperor quickly.

Running through the underwater city, Jade pushed aside the various Gungans that happened to step in her way. The startled beings would go sprawling to the ground, arms and legs akimbo, shouting protests as she hurried past. The scene might have amused her, if she had time to enjoy their befuddled expressions.

When she reached the docking port, Jade stalked up to the Port Master, grabbing his coverall bib, and shoved a blaster under his droopy nose. "Has Jar Jar Binks been here yet?" she demanded.

The Gungan's eyes grew wide and fearful. "Hesa justs left the dock." His long finger pointed out the dome to the underwater submarine that was pulling away.

Mara gave a snort of disgust, then pushed the Port Master out of her way. So she'd have to destroy his bongo submarine, with Binks in it, since she couldn't take the chance Vader would be waiting for him topside. She would just have to come up with another way to find Lady Skywalker before Vader found her; with Binks dead, they would both be at the same disadvantage.

Han took a breath, then knocked on his cabin door again. "Princess? Do you want something to eat?" The door slid open, and Leia stood there, toweling her damp hair. "Getting yourself all cleaned up to meet this Gungan? He must be someone really important."

"He's a hero to his people, Han. Just because we don't understand their culture, it doesn't mean we shouldn't respect them."

Grinning, Han leaned against the door frame casually. "I like your hair down. You should wear it like that more often."

The Princess flushed, and looked away. "I have to take it down when I wash it, flyboy." She started slightly as Solo reached up, pushing a strand away from her cheek. Then his fingers gently caressed her face, and her heart rate increased. Leia moved to push his fingers away, but he caught her hand in his own. "Don't... your hand is dirty. I just got washed up."

"My hand isn't dirty," he replied, his voice a deep rumble. "What are you afraid of, Princess? Me?"

"I'm not afraid of you," she stuttered out, now looking up into his eyes.

"Good," he said, nodding and moving closer. "Fear isn't the response I'm after, Your Worship."

"My name is Leia," she responded, trying to change the subject. "Why can't you ever just call me by my name?"

"Ok. Leia," he whispered.

So much for that distraction. Leia tried backing up, but Han just followed her into the cabin. "Han... this isn't... I mean, I happen to like nice men."

He grinned. "Nice? Like Luke... your brother?"

"Uh... no, I mean, yes," she replied, confused and embarrassed. "I mean, Luke is nice. You're trying to - " Her words were cut off as Han bent over, kissing her. For long moments the outside world faded, and the Princess found herself kissing him back. And not just kissing him, but never wanting to stop as she held him by the back of his neck, running her fingers through his hair. The fact they were not alone on this little ship brought the Princess back to reality. She broke off this kiss, breathless and flushed. "You... need to go, now." Leia pushed him backwards until he was standing in the hallway, and then shut the door.

Han's grin got even wider as he stared at the closed door. Leia had let him kiss her, and better yet, she'd kissed him back. He gave a half-turn to leave, then froze in his tracks, his smile fading away. Anakin was standing at the curve of the corridor, staring at him. For a moment, Han thought he was a dead man. Then the former Sith spun around and walked away, his cloak flying out behind him.

Back inside her bongo submarine, Mara ignored the startled looks of the normally sedate Gungans inside their own crafts as she tore off at high speed chasing after the sub that contained Binks. At the same time, she tried to familiarize herself with the weapon system. It was unlikely that the Gungans would have formulated weapons to shoot each other, but since these waters held other dangers, weapons were necessary for self-defense.

Unfortunately, the dynamics of firing an underwater harpoon was quite different than a torpedo in space, so when Jade fired her first shot at Bink's ship, it went wide and under. Swearing, she tried to realign her vessel to get a better view of her quarry when her communication board crackled and the annoying voice of Jar Jar Binks filled the cabin. "Missas! Missas! Yousa firing da wrong direction!"

"I don't think so," Jade snapped, trying to catch up to the Gungan's ship. She fired another projectile, but now the Gungan was swerving back and forth so erratically that this shot went wide as well.

"Noosa! Looksa behinds yousa!"

Jade gritted her teeth, glancing over her shoulder... then her mouth dropped open. Coming up behind her ship was one of the nastiest, biggest fanged fish she'd ever seen. And it was heading directly for her bongo sub.

On the Falcon, Anakin paced alone in the engine room. He hadn't seen the kiss, but it was plenty obvious what had occurred. Leia's feelings for Solo, which had already been strong, had taken another huge leap skyward. And the smuggler's desires were coming through loud and clear, too.

He had intended to wait until they found Padmé, then informed her about Solo and Leia. She would have wanted to be present for this discussion. Anakin had wanted her to be there, too, since her presence would have a calming effect on everyone. If he was forced to have this discussion with Solo alone, he suspected the Corellian might think he was warning him away from Leia. Anakin sighed, torn with indecision. Wearing this armor certainly had a negative effect on people, but when he was Darth Vader it was exactly the impact he'd wanted. Now, at a time when he wanted to project a gentler image, it wasn't possible.

Abruptly, he made up his mind. Stalking toward the hold, he looked at the group sitting around eating. "Solo, I wish to have a ... discussion with you. Please come for a walk outside with me." He replayed the request in his mind. That didn't sound too threatening, did it?

Reluctantly, Han stood up, then glanced down worriedly at Luke and Chewie. "Okay, sure." He watched as Anakin headed down the corridor toward the exit.

"Do you think I should come along?" Luke asked his friend. After Anakin's behavior with the Moorlands, he could understand why Han was concerned.

"Nah, I can handle it," Han whispered to his friends before resolutely following the former Sith outside. But I have a bad feeling about this...

Mara gave an involuntary shriek when the huge colo claw fish nearly swallowed her ship whole. Only her skills as a pilot managed to allow her to escape the jaws, and Mara twisted the ship to the left, diving sharply.

The fish turned and followed, while Jar Jar's voice continued to ring through her cockpit. "Mesa helps the lady! Mesa follow and fire torpedo... so's stays outta way of mesa torpedo!"

Great, she thought glumly. Not only am I going to get eaten by a huge carnivorous fish, the last voice I'll ever hear is that of Jar Jar Binks telling me to duck.

Her radar showed that Bink's submarine was now following behind the claw fish, and she could see that his forward harpoons were ready to fire. Then a flash through the water as the bongo ship expelled the sharp spear, and Jade again turned her ship, barely avoiding the rows of jagged teeth as they snapped shut.

The fish twisted to follow its prey, and the spear fired by Binks missed the claw fish, piercing the hull of Jade's ship instead.

"Oopsie!" Jar Jar yelled into the speaker. "Mesa thinks I missed da fishy!"

Slave I had landed several hours earlier, and Fett had managed to track down the location of the Millennium Falcon without much difficulty. Again, he reminded himself that the Emperor had not asked him to capture Solo, only find the ship and see if Vader was still with the smuggler. Hiding behind some trees, he raised his microbinoculars to his gray and green mask, watching as the landing ramp lowered. Then Darth Vader exited the ship, and a short while later Solo followed.

So they were still traveling together. The bounty hunter felt his spirits soar. Maybe this information would make the Emperor happy, and he would finally get some financial compensation. Or, at the very least, he wouldn't become Palpatine's next victim.

He watched as the Sith and the Corellian moved away from the ship, then looked down at the small tracking device on his belt. As soon as Vader was out of visual range, he would sneak up to the Falcon and attach the tracer. Then things would get easier from now on.

The two men walked in silence for a while, until Han couldn't stand it. "It was just one little kiss," he said defensively. "I'd never force myself on Leia... or any woman."

"Which is why I need to have this discussion with you, Captain. It's that 'other woman' part of your sentence."

Han stopped walking, looking up at the tall man indignantly. "Be reasonable...I'm thirty years old. It's not like I've never had any women before I met Leia."

"I don't care about before, Han," Anakin said truthfully, wishing he could speak with his real voice instead of through this artificial respirator. "I only care about now, and in the future."

"I don't understand."

"Leia loves you." When Han opened his mouth to automatically disagree, Anakin held up his hand. "She loves you," he repeated firmly. "And I can tell you have feelings for her, too. I just don't want to see my daughter hurt, if you feel you aren't capable of making a commitment to her."

"Commitment?" Han mumbled, turning the word over in his mind. "She's a Princess, and I'm a - "

"Smuggler," Anakin finished. "Just like I fell in love with a Queen, when I was still nothing more than a young child, a slave."

"You were a slave?" Han asked, incredulously.

"Yes, I was. But that didn't stop my emotions. I fell in love with Padmé when I was nine years old, and I'm still in love with her." He looked down at Han's surprised expression. "What amazes you the most, Han? That I'm in love with my wife, or that I was a slave?"

"Uh... I think both, in different ways," Han admitted.

Anakin laughed, not surprised that Solo was bluntly honest with him. "I've grown to like you, Han. I've looked into your past, and your dossier shows you were really nothing more than a slave when you were growing up, even if it wasn't the term Captain Shrike would have used to describe his indentured orphans. It's something else we have in common, besides our love of flying. It doesn't bother me in the least that my daughter has fallen in love with a smuggler - soon to be permanently ex-smuggler - and I don't think it will bother Padmé, either. She can see people for what they are, even without being a Force-user."

"Ex-smuggler?" Han questioned with a frown, uncomfortable with the fact that the man knew so much about his past.

"You surely don't think once you marry Leia, you will continue down this dubious career path. I'm sure you have other leadership talents that will come in handy."

It took a few seconds for Anakin's words to sink in. "MARRY?"

"Yes. Marriage. Are you opposed to marriage for some reason? If so, then we will have a problem, since Padmé will not want Leia's babies born out of wedlock. The Royal family must remain above such scandals."

Han was starting to feel a bit lightheaded. "B...babies?"

Anakin could sense the effect this conversation was having on Han, and he was finding it very entertaining. "Yes, babies. They're little humans that grow up into adult humans. Padmé will want lots of grandbabies, and actually I look forward to becoming a grandfather myself. Besides, thirty's a good age for a man to start a family. You don't want to wait too much longer, or you won't be able to keep up with your children."

"But... but I haven't even asked her to marry me, yet," Han stuttered out, wondering how one little kiss could possibly be twisted into a discussion on getting married and becoming a father. "Leia might not want to marry me."

"Sure, she'll want to marry you. Almost all women want to marry the men they love." Inside his mask, Anakin grinned. This was too easy, and he wasn't even using the Force to befuddle Solo. "Don't tell me you're afraid she'll say 'no.' What woman could say 'no' to a sincere proposal, on bended knee, by none other than Han Solo?"

"Uhhh..."

A large black gloved hand gave him a firm slap on his shoulder. "It's a good thing that Luke and I both really like you, son. Welcome to the Skywalker family!"

Confused, all Han could think to say was, "Thanks?"

"I see you missed the fishy!" Mara shouted at the Gungan. "You hit my ship, you fool!"

"Mesa not mean to do dat," Jar Jar replied, somewhat abashed. "Mesa not so good aims."

"No kidding," the Imperial shot back, angry and worried at the same time. Water was pouring in through the gaping hole, and the claw fish was still out there, circling around for another chance at a meal. This was going to be an ironic death, eaten by a fish because some idiot Gungan that she was trying to kill was actually trying to help her. Yes, truly ironic.

"Da bongo hasa escape pod," Jar Jar supplied helpfully.

"What good will that do?" She looked back, frowning as the fish was fast approaching, and her craft sank listlessly toward the murky, dark bottom. Mara didn't have any choice. She waited until the last second, then hit the 'escape' control. Instantly, a smaller bubble formed around her and the seat ejected her from the dying submarine. She watched through the clear escape bubble as the colo claw fish swallowed her bongo submarine in one gulp, then dove down into the inky blackness.

Jar Jar's submarine came up beside her escape pod, and he grinned and waved madly through the dome as he followed her bubble up to the surface. Little did he know she intended to kill him the second she was able to get her feet on dry land, before he could have a chance to speak to Vader. Gratitude was not in Mara Jade's vocabulary.

With the tracer device in place, Fett hurried away from the Millennium Falcon before the Sith Lord could return. It truly astounded the bounty hunter that Solo was still with Vader, and alive besides. Was Solo his prisoner? It certainly hadn't appeared that way in Jabba's palace, and when Solo and Vader had left the Falcon, the smuggler had been wearing his blaster while he walked next to the Sith, as if they were casual friends. No matter how hard Fett tried to figure this situation out, it left him completely flummoxed, especially since he'd finally identified the woman with them - Princess Leia Organa, a well-known Rebel leader.

Fett decided it would now be a good idea to inform the Emperor he'd located Solo and successfully attached the tracer. Hopefully his part in this bizarre assignment was over.

"Did you hear something outside?" Leia asked her brother as she entered the hold, her hair now braided and dry.

Luke paused, trying to reach out with his Force skills. "Maybe. I could go check it out."

Frowning, the Princess looked around. "Where is Han?"

"Father wanted to talk to him, so they went for a walk."

"Talk?" Leia asked, her voice rising in volume. Had Vader seen her kissing Han? Suddenly, she was very concerned about the Corellian, as well as more than a little indignant that Vader would feel the need to interfere in her personal life. If he was threatening Han because of her, then that would qualify as his 'last chance.' "Why would he need to talk to Han? Is something wrong?"

"He didn't say," the young Jedi replied truthfully. "But I didn't get a sense that anything was really wrong, but..."

"But what?" Leia questioned sharply, while Chewie woofed in concern.

"Father seemed, er... nervous for some reason."

"Nervous? And you don't think he intended to harm Han? Maybe that's exactly why he was nervous!" Leia argued, starting to pace the small hold since she was unable to stand still. The kiss still burned in her mind - as hard as she tried, Leia was unable to think about anything else. If Leia had thought she might be in love with Han during their short adventure inside Jabba's palace, now she was positive she loved him. But I can't tell him... he'll think I'm some naive child, and run away like I've gone insane. You don't tell someone you love him after one kiss...even if you knew you loved him before that kiss. She tried to focus her attention on Luke. "You had no idea he was about to harm the Moorlands, either. We should go find them."

"That's true, but this just seemed different. If I thought Han was in danger, I'd go find him. Really," Luke said, trying to reassure his sister. Just then, Luke's comlink buzzed, and the strange noise Leia heard outside was completely forgotten.

Solo followed the former Imperial back to the Falcon in silence. Words like, love, marriage, babies, kept looping through his brain. Sure, he loved the Princess, more than he thought possible. He do anything for her. But was he ready to give up his freedom? His name was Solo, right? It wasn't like the idea of giving up other females bothered him - it didn't. Leia Organa was more than enough woman for him. When he thought about her, which he did a lot, all his previous flings faded into nothingness. He'd spent the past six months dreaming about the Princess, having less than chaste thoughts whenever he saw her. And that led to frustration, and frustration led to starting arguments with her... and those passionate arguments led to even more passionate fantasies... But if she loved him, like Skywalker claimed, then wouldn't marriage take care of all those problems? Or would she laugh at him if he suggested getting married, mocking him for believing Anakin's claim?

"Solo!" Anakin snapped him out of his troubled thoughts. "We have a problem!"

"Another one?"

Skywalker raised his comlink to his lips. "Luke? Do you hear me?"

"I hear you," came Luke's fast response.

"Get the Falcon prepped. Solo and I will be there shortly. We have to travel about hundred miles in a few minutes."

Luke didn't question his father's order. "Chewie and I will have the ship ready to lift."

Anakin grabbed Han's shirt and started running, pulling the Corellian after him. "We have to hurry."

"Why? Where are we going?"

"To save that idiot Jar Jar... he's in danger, and he's the only way we can find Padmé."

The Millennium Falcon lifted off even before the ramp was fully closed, and Anakin and Han rushed into the cockpit. Luke was in the pilot's seat, watching as his father pointed to the southwest. "That direction. Hurry!" Anakin could sense the confusion coming from the group. "The Force is warning me something's wrong," he explained. "It's a skill you'll learn to develop in time, Luke." He glanced over at Leia in the navigator's seat. "And you will too, if you allow me to train you."

Chewie pulled the yoke, sending the freighter into a slight turn, then the ship surged forward, the surface topography blurred as they flew much faster than they normally would so close to the surface. The comlink started flashing, so Han leaned forward between Luke and Chewie, turning it on. "May I help you?" he said casually.

"This is ground control... you are flying too fast, and too close to the surface! And you haven't filed a flight plan!"

"Sorry. We're sorta in a hurry," Han drawled out, winking at the Princess, enjoying the flush that quickly colored her cheeks. "I guess I must've forgot."

"In a hurry?" the controller repeated incredulously. "I demand you stop and land immediately!"

"Could you define 'immediately'?"

"Right this instant!"

"But if I land this instant, then I won't be where I need to be," Han argued, looking down and brushing some lint off his vest with the back of his fingers.

Luke gave a muffled snort, trying not to laugh as the controller stuttered out, "I beg your pardon? Are you refusing my order?"

"I ain't too good at takin' orders, actually." That sentence earned him a jab in the ribs with Anakin's knuckle, and Han gave the former Sith a sheepish grin.

"If you don't land this second... I'll... I'll have an arrest warrant out for you!"

"Really? Thank you," Han gushed dramatically. "Up until now, I thought this system didn't like me." Then he turned off the communication switch.

The escape pod bobbed to the surface, followed by the sub with Jar Jar at the controls. The Gungan was still waving at Mara, and a moment later he shot a line from his vessel to the round bubble. The object attached with a loud squish to the pod, and then the submarine headed to shore, dragging the escape pod in its wake.

The bongo drew up next to a dock, and Jar Jar jumped out of the submarine, then reached down and pulled on the gelatinous rope until the pod was touching the bongo. "Yousa can come outs now!" he called over happily, rapping on the pod with his fingers. "Wesa all safe 'n' sound!"

That's what he thinks, Jade thought as she struggled to free herself from the confines of the bubble, then scrambling onto the safety of the wooden dock. Looking around, she could see that Vader was nowhere in sight, so at least she had one thing going in her favor. "I need your help, Jar Jar Binks," she said calmly, trying to put him at ease.

"Mesa just think I'sa helps yousa already," the Gungan snorted in laughter, swinging his floppy ears back and forth.

"No, I need information."

"Insformayshun? Mesa nots have too mucha dat."

Jade had little patience in the best of times, and today had definitely not been her best day. Casually, she drew her blaster, pointing it in Binks' face. "Information about Padmé Amidala Skywalker."

Jar Jar's eyes grew wide. "Mesa has nose idea whats -"

"You know perfectly well what I'm asking. Where is she hiding?"

"Hides? Whosa dis Padmé?"

The blaster moved closer as it stuck the Gungan in his snout. "Don't play games with me, Binks. I'm not in the mood."

"Games? Yousa not likes to plays games? Mesa loves games!" The Gungan's eyes moved from the blaster to the sky. "Mesa think dat ship der is gonna crash rights into us'ins."

"Do you really think I'm going to fall for that lame - " Mara literally ducked her head as the freighter blasted overhead, flying so low it created whitecaps in the lake. She twisted around to see what fool was flying so close to the surface, and that was all the distraction Binks needed.

Without hesitating, he dove headfirst off the pier and into the water. A natural born swimmer, he barely left a ripple to indicate where he'd disappeared. Frustrated, Mara fired into the water, hoping to hit the Gungan. Then she turned her focus to the freighter, which had made a tight turn and was now landing less than a hundred yards away, in the nearest available flat surface. Reaching out with her Force skills, Mara felt a wave of fear. Darth Vader was in that battered old ship. This was not good. Not only did she fail to get the information from the Gungan, now she was about to have an encounter with the Sith Lord. The traitor would certainly know why she was there, and who had sent her.

Jade spared a second glance down into the water, firing off several more shots just out of sheer anger. Then she turned and started running down the long pier toward shore, hoping she could escape before the Sith caught her.

The landing ramp wasn't even fully extended when Anakin and Luke jumped off, heading toward the lake. "There she is," Anakin muttered to himself as he watched the redheaded woman trying to escape.

"Who?"

"Jade. Mara Jade. I thought it was her presence I was sensing."

"Who is Mara Jade?"

"A young woman the Emperor has been training as an assassin," the older man replied. "She was probably trying to kill Binks."

"How would the Emperor know about Jar Jar Binks?" Luke asked, dreading the answer. "Wouldn't that mean he knows about mother?"

The idea that Palpatine had somehow discovered that Padmé was alive felt like a cold knife in Anakin's stomach. If that scenario had occurred, then they were running out of time. It was imperative to catch Jade before she could get word back to the Emperor, especially since it was very possible the Gungan had already told her where Padmé was. Using the Force, Anakin reached out to the woman, causing her to trip and fall, while at the same time drawing his lightsaber and turning it on.

Jade twisted her body around, firing her blaster at the approaching men. Anakin easily deflected her shots with his red blade, watching as the assassin jumped to her feet, drawing out her own purple-hued saber.

Luke was startled at the appearance of the lightsaber. "She's Force sensitive!"

"Yes, but not too well trained," Anakin responded. "The Emperor fears anyone too versed in the Force."

They were now close enough that she could easily hear his order. "Put your weapon aside, Jade. You know you cannot defeat me."

The young woman gave a wan smile. "Maybe not... but I can die trying." Then she attacked.

"Do not be foolish," Anakin said, trying to reason with the woman as he easily parried her blows. "You cannot possibly hope to defeat me."

Jade glanced over at the young man standing near the water's edge, staying out of the battle. "Maybe you should let me fight your son, instead. That would be a fair fight." Again she slashed down, and the Sith intercepted her strike, pushing her back.

Anakin ignored her taunt. "What order has the Emperor given you?"

"To find you," she panted out, circling around and trying to find some way to get under his defense. "Then kill you and your son." She threw herself toward the Sith, moving her lightsaber in an upward motion. Vader casually deflected her blow again.

"A lie. He sent you to find the Gungan."

"If you know, why are you asking?" she snapped, her attention drawn again to the blond Jedi. The young man seemed unconcerned with the battle, his presence radiated peace. Almost against her will, Mara felt herself moving in his direction. "Hey, you... farmboy!" she shouted. "What's it like to discover your father is nothing more than a puppet to the Great Palpatine?"

Without thinking, Luke shot back, "Tell me, Jade, what's it like to be a puppet for the Emperor?"

Mara let out an indignant gasp, then tried to rush past the Sith to attack the young Jedi. She made it all of two steps when a blaster shot fired out from the bottom of the Falcon's ramp, and she dropped to the ground like a rock. It was Leia that had made the shot, and she stood holding her blaster with both hands, keeping it pointed at the assassin.

Luke rushed forward, then knelt down and turned the Imperial assassin over, noting with relief she was still breathing. Both Leia and Han ran toward him, looking down at the woman. "Han insisted I put the blaster on stun," Leia said tightly. "If she's killed the Gungan, we'll never find our mother."

A head popped out of the water, a few feet from shore. "Mother? Dids I'sa hear yousa says sumthins abouts'a mother? Dis not be anudder game, is'n it?"

"Jar Jar Binks," Anakin said, his voice resigned.

"Da ones and onlys!" He pursed his mouth, looking thoughtful. "Wells, I'sa guess'n thats nots true. Ders lotsa Jar Jar Binks nowsadays."

"Don't tell me you've cloned yourself," Han said with a smirk. "An entire planet of Jar Jar Binks? Sounds like some bad horror holo."

"Clonsa? I'sa don'ts think so... clonsa not too smart."

"Yeah," Han agreed. "I hear each new generation drops ten IQ points. After two generations, your clones would be in the negative range."

"HAN!" Leia chastised loudly, hoping the Gungan wouldn't take offense, but by his expression, he seemed to be having trouble doing the math.

"Father?" Luke interrupted, pointing to the north. "I think we need to leave. I see Naboo Interceptor patrols heading this way."

"Will you come with us, Jar Jar Binks?" Leia asked. "Our mother said you'd take us to her."

"Jar Jar nevers make'n a promise he's not to keep." He looked warily at the Sith. "Darth Vaders notsa hurts mesa, does he?"

"No, Darth Vader won't hurt you," Leia said soothingly, shooting her father a look of warning.

The lanky Gungan rushed out of the lake, throwing his wet arms around the Princess, hugging her and soaking her clothing, much to Han's amusement. Then Jar Jar looked down at the still-unconscious assassin. "What's wesa do about her?"

"We're taking her with us," Luke answered.

"What?" Leia spluttered. "She tried to kill you!"

"Luke is correct," Anakin said, defending Luke's decision. "Mara Jade comes with us. We can't kill her in cold blood, and we can't allow her to return to Coruscant, either. Palpatine will order her death if she returns and reports her failure." Besides, Anakin figured since he'd thought about Jade when pondering the problem of Luke's potential future wife, if this wasn't the Force telling him he was right, then nothing was.

"If we take her with us, we're giving her another chance not to fail," Han pointed out.

Anakin bent over, easily picking the young woman up in his arms. "We can argue about this later. Right now, we have to leave." With that, he hurried toward the ship, followed closely by Luke and Jar Jar Binks.

"Your relatives are all crazy, Princess," Han muttered, taking her hand. "But I love you anyway."

Leia's mouth dropped open as Han pulled her toward the ship. Had she heard correctly? Did Han Solo just say the words, 'I love you'? Did he really mean it, or was he just making a joke, like he was so prone to do when terrible events were crashing down around their heads.

As the Interceptors started firing in their direction, Han hit the 'close' button on the ramp, then took off at a fast run toward the cockpit - leaving her alone in the corridor, still speechless and with no time to formulate any type of response. Wasn't it just like that man to make the most important declaration of his life while patrol ships were shooting at them, Leia thought, irritated.