Naboo was a world with interesting dualities and a complicated past, to say the least. For centuries, it had advocated for peace in the sector, but maintained unresolved conflicts between the human colonists and the native gungans. It enjoyed beautiful cities, lakes and meadows, but had dangerous predators lying in perilous swamps. It elected young girls as queens to ensure a monarch pure of heart, but still gave birth to one of the worst tyrants in galactic history.
Leia's feelings were also mixed during her mission.
Her stay at the royal palace had been discreet, yet comfortable. To avoid drawing attention, she had elected to bring only her friend Evaan Verlaine as a pilot and Major Derling as a bodyguard, since Naboo was technically still allied with the Empire. Queen Soruna had seemed honest and polite during their discussions and while Leia wasn't familiar with her, Mon Mothma trusted her enough to send Leia for negotiations.
Unfortunately, said negotiations could've gone better.
"I can only hope that you would understand, your highness." Queen Sosha Soruna pleaded as she escorted them to the hanger while flanked by her royal security forces, "But Naboo isn't like Giju or Chorin. The Empire has every reason to deploy their might against us should they learn of any rebel ties."
"I understand perfectly, your majesty" Leia said, and not without warmth or sincerity. "As Queen, your duty is to your people above everything. And we could never ask you to endanger them. I only ask that you keep our offer in mind, should things change on the war front."
Sosha smiled gratefully. "I promise that we will. And If it means anything, I want you to know that many on Naboo feel shame for Palpatine's rise."
Leia shook her head. "No shame is required. The Emperor had everyone fooled. Even my own father couldn't see the truth until it was too late." she said sincerely, silently noting that the statement applied to both of her fathers.
"Thank you." The Queen said as they arrived at the royal hanger, where various technicians and mechanics dropped their tools and bowed at the sight of the Queen. "Are you certain you don't want the royal security forces to escort you to the spaceport? They can easily go in civilian clothes."
Leia shook her head again. "I appreciate the concern, but if the worst happens, the Empire can't connect us to you."
She sensed the queen's hidden relief as they said their farewells and got into the borrowed, nondescript speeder that would take them to Theed's spaceport. Her pilot scowled as Derlin drove them through the elegant streets of the capital. Beige-and-green buildings streamed past them as they made their way to their destination, and the air smelled faintly of nubian milla flowers. "They're not cowards, Evaan." Leia said as she put her hand on her friend's shoulder.
"I know!" her friend nearly shouted "But that doesn't change anything for us."
Leia gave a scowl of her own. Naboo's rich agricultural products were essential for the economy of at least three sectors. And while the Empire had been losing territory in the mid-rim for months now, they still held on tightly to Naboo. Economics aside, it had the symbolic value of being the emperor's homeworld, and it's position by the Enarc run and the trade federation route meant the Empire could rapidly send reinforcements at the first sign of trouble. Even with a smaller garrison, their grip remained firm.
Leia couldn't help but feel worn down. Ever since Endor, Mon had been sending her on one diplomatic mission after another. Many of them brought worlds and resources to the alliance, giving it a semblance of a government, but they often didn't do much good for their cause. The Rebellion had pushed through much worse odds, but she sometimes despaired at how long the road in front of them seemed despite how far they'd come. She hoped that her little private errand would help clear her mind.
Derlin's voice shook her out of her reverie as the arrived at the northern cemetery, "Ten minutes, your highness?" he asked with barely visible stress. He was a skilled commando, but discretion and undercover work weren't his domain.
She nodded while getting off the speeder. "As agreed, Major."
"Is this detour really necessary?" Evaan asked bluntly, causing Leia to purse her lips. "I believe so." she said calmly as she headed into the cemetery.
She did her best to shut out the residual sorrow of the mourners. Ever since she started her training with Luke, her ability to sense emotions had grown considerably. She found the gift, which he had previously always attributed to intuition, both amazing and frightening. But she knew she couldn't afford to waste it anymore.
She finally made her way into Padmé Amidala's mausoleum: a small, yet beautiful building with a dome of green glass. Inside, the former queen lay in a sarcophagus made of grey concrete and decorated with the Naboo emblem. A stained glass window portraying the young monarch lay behind it, flanked by two small columns carrying red flowers. Leia placed her hand on the sarcophagus and offered a standard alderaanian prayer about entrusting her mother's spirit to the clouds beyond the northern mountains.
When she finished her prayer, she found herself at a loss of words. There lay a woman who was meant to be her mother, but Leia had only little connection to her. Of course, she had greatly admired Amidala growing up, and still did. Her father had considered her a close friend, one who shared the ideals of the rebellion. Leia had studied her impressive political career that started at the young age of twelve, and admired her compassion, strength and honesty.
But now Padmé was her mother, not just a champion of a vague, glorious past. And Leia felt she had to feel something more towards her, yet wasn't sure she did. And that gave her a measure of irrational guilt.
And not for the first time, Leia wondered about the woman who fell in love with Darth Vader. She had no doubt that Padmé was a kind, intelligent woman. So how had she missed all signs of what he would become? Just what had Anakin Skywalker been like? Had he truly loved their mother? Had he truly loved them?
She didn't know. She only knew that he hadn't always been the monster who haunted her nightmares. And that only made her more confused.
Things were so much simpler when she could just hate him.
-O-
Mara Jade suppressed a smirk at the subtle signs of fatigue on the face of the man sitting opposite to her. General Airen Cracken was the rebellion's head of intelligence, and having him be the one to interrogate her was both flattering and concerning. Although even he could evidently grow tired after an hour of her dodging his questions and giving nothing useful.
He wasn't used to someone who knew all of his tricks.
The man stared at her with his usual intensity and gave a small huff. "Let's try this again…..what were the mandates of your service to the emperor?"
"Mon Cala Lake on most weekdays, and the Mantooine Minuet for most galas." she said casually as she glanced at the room. The interrogation room at the Palace had been a dull grey with intense lighting. In contrast, the room she was in had a bright beige colour and comfortable lights designed to put someone at ease. The rebellion seemed to rely on persuasion rather than intimidation so far, which suited her just fine. She had yet to figure out her next move.
Cracken gave her a knowing smirk. "Come on, Miss Jade. I believe we've established that I'm more interested in your other occupation. Why would a mere dancer show up in a damaged starfighter that barely escaped the Coruscant defense fleet?"
Mara raised her eyebrow. As far as she knew, the rebels had lost all of their Coruscant spies during the Eneb Ray situation. It seemed they still had a few informants left on the capital. "Perhaps I gave the wrong dance." she said with boredom.
"Well, You're giving an excellent one right now." he said wryly, drawing a small chuckle from her, which he elected to ignore. "But why would one of the emperor's top agents have a fallout with the moff council?" he asked "Did you have intelligence you refused to share? Or did you simply refuse to extend your services to Allistair Drome?"
"Perhaps I'm giving him my services right now." She said, drawing a smirk that mirrored her own. "Let us worry about that. Now…shall we discuss governor Drome?"
Mara nearly groaned. Cracken wasn't the only one getting tired.
-O-
Luke stared at the viewscreen with a frown, feeling ripples in the force he couldn't quite decipher. They were the same ripples he had felt on the Ring of Kaferene when he first came to head with the vindictive woman in the recording.
"So? Is it her, commander?" General Cracken asked, and Luke simply nodded. "That's her. Any idea who she is?"
Cracken's fingers moved on the console bringing what resembled a profile to the viewscreen. "Based on what the slicers got out of Vader's files, she seems to be one Mara Jade. We don't know where Palpatine found her exactly, but according to this, she was raised as one of the emperor's hands. Palpatine's personal agents and assassins."
The real empire is gone. The Galaxy is at chaos. And the emperor is dead by your hands.
Well, that explained her vendetta against him. She was likely as brainwashed as she thought he was. He hadn't risked taking her prisoner back then, fearing it might be a trap. And his X-wing, which he couldn't leave behind, didn't have space that could safely transport a force-sensitive prisoner anyway.
Although he left the part about the force's warning out of his report.
"What do we know about her?" he asked. The older man simply shrugged and gestured to the viewscreen. "Not much more than that. She started training at the age of six and eventually became one of the emperor's top agents. She's highly adept at espionage, assassination and several forms of combat. And, as you confirmed, can wield the force. Vader didn't think highly of the hands, but he considered her the most dangerous."
Luke frowned in consternation. She didn't sound like someone he'd want as an enemy. "Did you get anything out of her?"
The older rebel shook his head. "Nothing. You could tell she's been trained in resisting interrogation. We suspect she's a part of some elaborate scheme, so we've already destroyed the TIE we found her in. But the scanners didn't detect anything embedded in her. Our agents on Coruscant also confirm the TIE's escape from the blockade, so it's possible she's really a fugitive. Although being rescued by one of our own ships certainly feels….convenient. Do you have any insight?"
Luke shook his head "Nothing yet." It was possible the force wanted her with them. It was also possible the whole thing was some extremely elaborate plot as Crackin suspected. Yet he sensed no danger and had no idea what to do. Which would likely disappoint Cracken as usual, given how people often overestimated his abilities.
Cracken gave a disappointed look as predicted. "We'll put her in extra security on the Arclight until we can send her to sunspot prison." he said "Any news on the Krayts? I hear Bask was requesting a transfer."
"He's not sure." Luke said "And he's not the only one having second thoughts."
Airen frowned. "I feared so, to be honest. Anuba is a brilliant slicer, but his combat record before the Krayts wasn't as extensive as I would've liked. I was encouraged by his performance in the simulations, but those don't always translate well to actual combat."
"I'm not sure Ahri is staying either. And Rex…." Luke said dejectedly. The older rebel rubbed his chin. "Madine and I are already assembling other squads like yours. We could put you in command of one of them if we end up disbanding the krayts. Or we could simply let Syndulla have you full time. Your situation is rather irregular."
"You're letting me pick and choose my own command?" Luke said with amusement, and Cracken simply shrugged again. "We try to make maximum use of our personal jedi. We figure that includes that you serve the way you see fit."
Our personal jedi. As if he was a symbol of the rebellion's might. Its strongest soldier.
Just like his father was to the Empire.
He knew that the general didn't mean that; But he also knew that many in the rebellion did see him that way.
He was a jedi and a soldier. Two roles he believed in, but often had conflicting ways. The right way to serve remained unclear to him.
-O-
Rex had a reputation of being among the rebellion's most effective - and ruthless - drill sergeants. Throughout his years of service, he had trained dozens of skilled commandos for the rebellion. He often drew on his kaminoan training and his experience from the clone wars to organize challenging simulations for the guerrilla fighters.
And today's drill was making him feel old.
"Not a good enough time, troopers." he admonished the row of recruits standing at attention in the simulator room. "And you had two injuries. If this was a real extraction, Fondan would require a cybernetic arm. Grandor missed four shots, and Drys didn't use his grenades efficiently enough. You cannot afford to make such mistakes in real combat where the lives of your brothers depend on you."
"Sir," Drys said "If I may, the odds were ten to one. I'd dare say we did fine given the enemy's advantage."
"The advantage is never fair, trooper." Rex said sternly "Our fight always had worse odds than that, and the rebellion did not survive as long as it did by simply doing fine."
The young man nodded without flinching. They had done well, of course. Almost as good as the clones back in the days of the Republic. But no soldier got the guarantee of survival in war and it was dangerous for one to believe he was already 'good enough'.
"I'll try to arrange for a training session on a remote planet. That was how we did things before we got those fancy simulators. Dismissed for now." The old clone said. He watched as the troops saluted and filed out of the room. Rex knew they found his use of words like 'brothers' and 'troopers' somewhat strange, but he couldn't help but see a part of his brothers in the men he trained.
"How are they holding, Captain?"
Luke turned around with a grin at hearing the commander's voice, and for a moment it felt like he was back with General Skywalker. "Well, they'll shoot better than the bucketheads, but they're no ARCs."
"They'll have to do." the commander said with a grin of his own as he shook his hand. "Madine would eat them alive if they don't."
"That he would, sir." Rex said before sobering. "Any news on a new mission? Training rookies is fine and all, but I can't help but miss the field."
The commander seemed to steel himself at that. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Anu and Ahri aren't sure they can continue serving on the squad, and Madine is already preparing replacements. So I wanted you to take a look at this." he said as he handed Rex a datapad. It showed a building he recognized as a retirement center for old clone veterans on Chandrilla. Chancellor Mothma had once offered him a spot there, but he declined. Although Wolffe had taken her up on the offer after Lothal.
"You want me to retire, commander?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, and the commander became almost sheepish. "You've been fighting for so long. I just can't have you die on my watch, Rex" he said "You deserve to spend the rest of your days in comfort. With your brothers."
"Are you certain this has nothing to do with me getting shot on Bespin?" Rex said with a frown.
"No!" Luke nearly shouted "I can never question your abilities, Rex. You're still a great fighter. I just--" he stammered before Rex interrupted with a hearty chuckle. "I'm joking, sir." he said as he took a seat on one of the benches. "I have to admit, it is tempting. I do sometimes miss those days with Gregor and Wolffe in the walker. But I was bred for battle, sir. I'm not sure I can abandon my duty."
"You're not abandoning anything." Luke admonished. "You've fought for this galaxy more than anyone. You deserve to rest."
"That may be true, but unlike the clone wars, this is a fight I chose." he said and looked away for a moment. "I'll think about it. But for now, I'll stick to training shinies."
The commander sighed. "Seems to be a lot of that in the squad." he said before giving a tired smile. "At least let me buy you a drink at the mess hall."
"Story time then." Rex said with a grin. "This round…I think I'll tell you about the time we went to the separatist citadel prison."
Author's Notes:
I'm alive! I know it took some time - and the chapter isn't long enough - but a lot of things got in the way. A lack motivation due to a lack of reviews, finals, a new job, writer's block... life's been kinda hectic. hopefully the next chapter will be here sooner.
There was a bit where Leia meets her grandmother at the mausoleum, but I couldn't make it work. The chapter is mostly set-up for future events, but I hope it wasn't boring.
As usual, let me know what you think. likes/dislikes/thoughts...it'll mean the world.