Senator Bail Organa was actually having a pretty pleasant day.

First thing in the morning, he'd been greeted by his beloved wife and daughter in bed right before they left for the other side of the planet, which instantly started his day off with a smile. The weather was amicable from the start, with clear skies and a moderately warm temperature that was almost to be expected on Alderaan.

Best of all, he hadn't been bothered by the delegates and agents of the Empire all day. Even better, they seemed to have been almost absent the past few weeks or so, something that easily brought a smile to Bail's face. Having to constantly deal with people who looked down and distrusted you was jarring even if those people didn't hold the power to snap your neck with the twitch of a finger.

Just the thought of the darkly cloaked ex-Jedi made a fresh shudder huddle through Bail.

No, no, clear those thoughts away.

He wasn't anywhere near here. As a matter of fact, that cloaked half-cyborg hadn't been sighted for several weeks. According to the intel Bail had painstakingly been able to gather from his rebel comrades and other information vectors, the former Jedi had disappeared all of a sudden while chasing a rogue band of Jedi, leading him to crash somewhere in the Tatoo sector. If the Force was willing, he had hopefully crashed on Tatooine, bringing his life full circle.

And there, he had - assuming this was the case - likely perished. Tatooine was an extremely sparsely populated planet with most of it being made up of hostile desert and lethal wildlife. Not even that madman could survive such a climate on his lonesome.

That is, if he wasn't helped somehow.

Bail scoffed. As though anyone in their right mind would deem it fit to spare that creature! No, by those chances, it was even more likely that he had crashed onto some star. Yes, that was what Bail chose to assume.

The death of the Empire's hand would also explain the sudden buzz among imperials. The whole galaxy was attempting to create a manhunt for the masked murderer, sending soldiers and officers wherever rumours abound of a tall stranger in a mask. This was what allowed Bail to relax for a moment, not having to spend every day surrounded by imperials. They were all occupied with this mad search, and Bail was happy to see it. Let them waste their time and resources on finding his body, Bail would only laugh.

After all, it gave him more time to be with his daughter. Bail smiled at the thought.

Yes, with her Jedi-slaughtering father gone and dealt with, he would no longer have to stress here and fro about him somehow catching wind about the presence of his daughter. To Bail, such a situation was truly a nightmare scenario, even worse than dying himself.

Bail wondered briefly how Luke and Obi-Wan Kenobi were doing on Tatooine.

He and Kenobi had no real way of contacting each other. This was done in case one of them was discovered. Since they had no contact, they couldn't be connected either. There was nothing tying Kenobi to Bail, or Bail to Kenobi, apart from their relationship previous to the rise of the Empire. There was no reason to believe that they had done what had happened.

Still, it wasn't as though the Emperor - Palpatine - trusted him. Far from it. Bail had pulled himself out of the Petition of 2 000, renounced any official connection to the other senators on the list, vocally agreed to every petition Palpatine made… Unlike most other senators, those who had wanted to resist, Bail prostrated himself at once. He knew the extent of Palpatine's power; of his scheming. Only when Palpatine's black-cloaked watchdog took his place on the scene did people begin to realize that their positions were hollow. They held no real power. It was all Palpatine.

Bail had made a big show of submitting to Palpatine's rule, but behind the scenes, he had laid the groundwork for a rebellion.

He was far from its only leader, but whenever possible, Bail made sure to allocate funds to the rebellion, telling it whatever he knew so that it could continue working against the Empire. But, somehow, it never felt enough. The rebellion grew stronger every year, but so did the Empire. Unless a hero rose to challenge this machine of death that rules them, they would eventually succumb.

But Leia was yet too young. Luke was too. Until both of them were able to fight for the right cause, they would continue being sheltered.

Bail nodded to himself where he sat at his desk, leaned over a report he hadn't read all too carefully. He could do paperwork such as this with only minor effort, giving him ample time to let his thoughts idle and wander.

This time for thinking was interrupted by a rapping at his door.

Bail's office actually had two doors: one going into the nearby conference room (where he usually greeted guests and visitors) and another going straight into the hall. At times, when he had an unannounced guest, he would be alerted by a guard or droid knocking at his door. Then, he could quickly finish his current work to entertain his guests.

He made a sound for the person knocking to open the door to the corridor. The door quickly slid open to reveal the face of a guard. Going by the colour of his uniform, he should have been guarding the gates. Odd for him to be all the way in here, even if it was to guide a guest. "Senator Organa, there are three guests here to meet you."

Bail nodded. "Who are they?" He asked this mainly to get a feel in advance of what sort of expression he should present them.

The guard furrowed his brows in what seemed to be genuine confusion. "I'm… Not sure. They said they were guests."

Bail tilted his head. How vexing. "Did their clothing or appearance tell you anything?"

The guard shook his head. "Not at all, sir. I could not even see the face of one of the men."

A large stone seemed to settle in Bail's stomach. Something here felt very wrong. But he couldn't tell what. Even the expression and behaviour of the guard felt somewhat altered from the norm in some strange way. Something - maybe the Force - told him that whoever it was that was waiting on the other side of the other door, Bail wouldn't like to meet him. "Very well. Thank you for telling me. Dismissed."

The guard saluted and scurried away, a perplexed expression still lingering on his face. That was odd.

Bail looked down at his current work before glancing up at the door situating right in front of his desk. He couldn't hear anything from within. This was to be expected since the conference room was outfitted with a sound-muffling barrier keeping people from eavesdropping. This was usually a good thing, but at the moment, the seemingly endless silence permeating from within that room only made Bail more anxious.

The work could wait. This mystery had to be unravelled.

Bail stood up from his desk. As always, his clothing was almost immaculate, done in a semi-regal and classic style. It would no doubt inform whoever he was meeting that he was a man of class and stature. He took a large breath and straightened the edges of his clothes. Then, he slowly released his breath. Showtime.

He opened the door to find a familiar man, a completely unfamiliar man and a child within.

The man Bail assumed to be the "cloaked man" had now removed his hood. "Kenobi!" Bail exclaimed in as much pleasure as horror. What was he doing here? Why was he here? Who was the child? And the man? A thousand questions scattered through his head like a nest of ants. Panicked, frantic answers resounded. Maybe that cloaked child murderer had crashed on Tatooine. Maybe he had forced Kenobi to flee. That would mean that the child - about Leia's age - was actually Luke, while the man currently holding his hand must be the child's guardian, Owen Lars.

But why come here? Of course, Bail could understand the base reason; he was probably the safest person they could find willing to grant them protection. But they must know that even his influence had its limits. If that betrayer of justice was hot on their trails…

"Bail, what a pleasure," Kenobi said warmly, rising from where he sat on a couch to greet Bail properly. Stuck in his frantic brain, the only response Bail could give was to shake Kenobi's hand back. Noticing Bail's confusion, Kenobi smiled enigmatically, as he was prone to do. That move in itself disproved any possibility that he might be some sort of clone or disguised spy. "Forgive the sudden visit, I'm afraid I had no time to send a message in advance."

Given Kenobi's relaxed state, the answer to one of Bail's questions should be obvious, yet he still felt the need to ask. "Are you pursued? Need I hide you somewhere?"

At this, amazingly, Kenobi chuckled. "Not in the least. Unless, somehow, the Empire caught wind of the turn of one of their own." Bail frowned. Kenobi's eyes widened a millimetre. "Forgive me, I seem to have forgotten to introduce my comrades. As I'm sure you've deduced, this is Luke." The little child - strangely alike Leia in a select few ways - silently hopped off the couch to shake his hand. Bail accepted it. What a well-mannered child. "And this," Kenobi said, turning to the man still holding Luke's tender little hand. Now that Bail was up and close, he could actually see how the hand was a prosthetic. A black, thick one. Strangely familiar. "Is Anakin."

Bail froze. He had to have heard that wrong. He whirled to face Kenobi. The man - much younger than he looked - smiled wryly, a conflicted look shining through his eyes. "Pardon?" Bail said. It took him everything just to ask.

He glanced at the man introduced as "Anakin". Somehow, he looked just as overtly panicked as Bail felt, though both of them were able to hide it beneath masks of mild shock.

"Yes, I'm afraid it's a rather long story, but this is Anakin Skywalker."

Bail felt like his world was shattering. Huh? What?

He whirled to look at the man still sitting on his couch, still gingerly holding the hand of Luke.

Burn scars covered every inch of any visible flesh. Both arms and both legs were mechanical prosthetics, each made from scrap and junk. His eyes were icy blue.

There was something meek about him, some hurt part he didn't want to show. He wouldn't meet Bail's gaze. But, sliced over his right eye, as unmistakable as a birthmark, was a scar Bail had seen all too often. His pulse began to race. A feeling he could barely describe overtook him. Bafflement, anger, despair, fear…

In three large strides, he moved to stand right above Skywalker. The man looked up at him, finally meeting his eyes. There was some strange form of fear in them, like a child about to be reprimanded. Bail ignored it. Moving rapidly, he tore Skywalker's shirt off of him, exposing his chest. If this really was Anakin Skywalker, then he must have that chest place. From what Bail had known, that killing machine had worn the suit as a form of life-sustaining measure. The box of mechanics grafted into his chest couldn't be removed without killing him. It simply wasn't possible.

And yet, Skywalker's chest was bare. No, not entirely bare.

His chest, arms and stomach were all covered with deep, malformed wounds, as if he'd laid bare on molten rocks. Knowing what had happened between him and Kenobi on Mustafar, this was a most literal expression. The only part of his torso not covered in these deep, searing wounds was a single square in the very centre of his chest. As though there had been a mechanical apparatus grafted into his chest. As though this apparatus had been removed somehow.

Bail turned to look at Kenobi in wide-eyed terror. His heart beat like an exhausted hare. "You… Helped him?"

Astonishingly, Kenobi smiled. "He has changed, Bail."

Despair and horror was rapidly overtaken by anger. "He changed? The man who literally slaughtered children, who plunged the galaxy into dictatorial terror, who brought an end to the Jedi, has changed?!" He stormed Kenobi, marching up to him with his arms raised. "That damn suit was the only thing keeping him chained! How could you trust him? After everything he did?!"

A pair of warm hands fell on Bail's shoulders. Kenobi was looking him straight in the eye. There wasn't a shred of doubt in them. "Bail, trust me. I can't know what you've seen; what you've experienced, but I know what I've seen. He has returned." Bail breathed hard, his face hot and dark. "You've met Vader, haven't you?" Bail wished he could say, No. "So have I. Do you really believe that Darth Vader would fall to these depths just to fool us?"

"Thanks," Skywalker mumbled from where he still sat on the couch. Bail glared at him. Skywalker glanced away again.

As much as he hated to think of it, it was a surprisingly strong argument. Darth Vader - Bail's teeth grit at the name - would rather die than bow to his former master. That much was clear. The only reason he would do something like this would be to be healed of his shackling suit, but that had already been done. Unless he also wanted to know the location and name of various rebel leaders. That was possible as well. Bail shuddered.

However, there was one glaring fault with this otherwise genial plan. Darth Vader, dark lord of the Sith, would never stoop to such depths. Kenobi was right. He was much too arrogant, too proud, to let himself feign weakness, even if it would grant him some sort of advantage.

Bail chewed his lip. "No, I suppose he wouldn't." Kenobi smiled in relief. "However, I will not trust him. I may trust your judgement, but I cannot trust him."

"I didn't expect you to. Not fully. I hope that, within some time, you may come to change your mind." Bail doubted that. "Now, on to the reason that we came here… We would like your assistance in reaching a rebel base."

"A rebel base?" Bail asked. "Whatever for?"

Kenobi's face grew serious and he sat down. Bail followed suit in the couch opposite. "Anakin has countless pieces of information that may lead to the end of this imperial farce. Most importantly, he has information regarding a massive superweapon."

Bail turned to look at Skywalker, who once again seemed very unhappy to be here. Even more so, he seemed reluctant to speak of whatever this superweapon was. But Bail, already being terrified beyond belief, had to know. "It isn't only a weapon," Skywalker began. "That is its main objective, but it also functions as a space station." Countless questions bubbled to the top of Bail's mind. "At the moment, around two hundred thousand Wookie slaves are being used to build it. The plans were constructed by Reith Seinar. I will not fault you for distrusting my words, but if completed, it will be capable of destroying a planet."

Bail's throat grew dry and itchy. A planet? An entire planet? Not a city, not a continent, an entire planet?

All of a sudden, Bail felt very compelled to deny the words of the "reformed" Sith. After all, it could just be a ploy. If he had information regarding such a weapon, anyone with rebel tendencies would see it as imperative that he - and his information - be brought before the leaders of the rebellion. Sugar to bait the grazer to slaughter. The idea brought as much horror to his mind as the idea of a planet-destroying weapon did. But, at the same time, how could he possibly take a chance on this?

If there was such a weapon and he turned away Skywalker due to righteous doubt, he might as well be dooming the rebellion to failure. He had no choice but to entertain the possibility, as much pain as this might bring.

"How can this be? Where could they possibly get the resources for this?"

Skywalker furrowed his thin brows. "I would have imagined a senator such as yourself to notice." With just a single sentence, Bail grew deathly aware of exactly who the man before him was. "Resources are constantly being funnelled into the project. From what I've heard, at first, the amounts were somewhat sparse. I imagine, within a few years, the amount will become quite significant."

There was an icy sharpness to Skywalker's eyes that Bail hated. As though he revelled in Bail's obvious anxiety. As though he found it entertaining. "Although I had noticed such changes, the Emperor made it abundantly clear that this was nothing to be worried about."

"Of course he did," Skywalker said with a subdued sneer. "He didn't want anyone catching wind of it. Especially not you." His voice dripped with contempt, only barely hidden. Bail sincerely hoped it was directed at Palpatine and not himself. Although their last meeting had hardly been a pleasant one, they hadn't actively become enemies or anything. For some reason, Bail hoped deeply that this armistice might continue between them. Kenobi seemed insistent that Skywalker wasn't Vader in the least, but Bail knew better. In more ways than one, the man sitting before him was Vader. And that terrified him.

Bail tried to suppress a tremor. "Why me specifically?"

A small, almost unnoticeable smile appeared on Skywalker's lips, like that of a grinning Nexu. A predatory gleam shone in his razor-sharp eyes. "Because-,"

A hand fell on Skywalker's thigh. Skywalker swivelled his head to view the soothing face of Kenobi. Every predatory feature staining Skywalker's face melted away to reveal an anxious, scared man. "Relax, Anakin. You don't have to tell him if you don't want to."

Bail could feel his brows knitting. Skywalker swallowed deeply, his face the perfect picture of reluctant resolve. "No, he needs to know. I can't lie to him." Somehow, in a matter of seconds, it seemed like Skywalker was a completely different person. All at once, it struck Bail. One of these personalities was false; a facade to hide his true identity. The problem was that Bail couldn't tell which was which.

Skywalker turned back to Bail. His eyes were hard, shining like duranium. Sharp; strong. So similar to who Anakin Skywalker had once been. "If the construction of the superweapon goes as planned, within 15 years, Alderaan will be used as a testing site."

"T-, testing site?..."

Skywalker nodded sharply, adopting a look of pity and remorse. "It would be destroyed fully."

Bail flew to his feet. "How!? Why? We have done nothing wrong! This planet hosts billions of innocents! Did-, is the Emperor already aware of my betrayal?..."

"I'm not sure. I certainly wasn't. However, your destruction will not come from your presence in particular. Indeed, I believe - according to what I've heard - that Alderaan would simply be used as an example. It will be destroyed over some petty political reason. I cannot tell what, but it would hardly be worth the death of an entire planet."

Bail collapsed back into the couch. Two billion innocents. Destroyed as some fear-mongering ploy. Palpatine… He had underestimated him. He thought he had known the depths of his evil only with the murder of the Jedi Order and the turn of the Chosen One. That the enslavement of the galaxy had been the farthest the man could go. How childishly naïve.

Bail buried his face in his hands.

"I hope this may enlighten you of the gravity of the situation, old friend," Kenobi said. Bail suppressed the urge to scowl at him. He'd had a good day. Until now. "If you don't mind, can we discuss the terms of our travel now? The sooner we are able to find someone who may use this information favourably, the sooner this Empire may fall."

Bail raised his hand placatingly. "Of course. However…" He pointed a finger at Skywalker. "I only ask that he wait outside."

"Huh?" Skywalker exclaimed. "Wh-,"

"Of course," Kenobi replied sensibly. "I am deeply understanding of your hesitance. Anakin, if you will?"

Skywalker seemed deeply reluctant to leave. If Bail's eyes weren't fooling him, Skywalker even looked a bit hurt at Bail's lack of trust. Or, more so, Kenobi's willingness to placate that distrust. However, apparently unable to disobey his former master, he still rose from his seat, moving towards the door. Little Luke followed him.

"No; let Luke remain here," Bail called out. Skywalker angled his head to regard him, and once again, they held that predatory, almost bloodthirsty glean. A rancor defending its spawn. Goosebumps erupted over the entirety of Bail's body and all of a sudden he couldn't help but tremble.

Once again, Kenobi was the one who came to Bail's rescue. "Leave Luke here. We'll be sure to take care of him, Anakin. Don't worry."

Again, Skywalker gave an expression of immense reluctance before finally squatting down to sit at Luke's level. Then, with a fondness in his eyes only rivalled by the fondness Bail showed Leia, he said, "Hey, flyguy, I'll just be standing right outside the door, okay? I won't go anywhere, you just won't see me. Obi-Wan and Senator Organa will take great care of you, I promise."

Luke thumbed the hem of his sand-bleached tunic. "You won't leave?" he asked timidly.

Anakin smiled, and suddenly he wasn't Vader, or even Anakin Skywalker. He was just a father who loved his son. Bail saw so much of himself in that smile. "Of course not. Now be a strong Jedi and stay here and listen to what Obi-Wan and Organa have to say. Make sure to tell me every single thing once you come out. I'll be counting on you."

Puffing out his chest, Luke filled his little face with the determination of a soldier going to war. Or a child playing at being a soldier going to war. "Okay, dad."

Skywalker patted Luke on the head, ruffled his hair, and then gave him a big hug before leaving the room. Bail stared at the newly closed door for quite a few seconds. "Hard to believe, isn't it?" Kenobi asked. Bail turned to him. "Yes, I was much the same when I first met him. At the time, he wasn't quite so… Cooperative. But he changed, he really did."

"Changed, yes…" Bail echoed hollowly. But in what way?

A second passed before Kenobi spoke. "Now then. You may believe what you wish about Anakin, but the truth remains that he holds information that could be critical to the rebellion. You heard what he said, didn't you? Two hundred thousand slaves. They must be freed, too. This operation will need as much help as possible, and both Anakin and I could be invaluable for that task."

"Yes, of course," Bail answered diplomatically. "I will make sure you receive the capital needed to hire a ship as well as the coordinates of a certain rebel base." Kenobi visibly relaxed as though a massive weight had been taken off his shoulders. "However, I must ask you… When you arrive, will you please tell their regional leader a message?"

"Of course, old friend. What's the message?"

Bail balled his fists atop his knees. "Tell them, Alderaan sends its regards."

For a few seconds, Kenobi seemed to practice the words in his head, until he finally nodded. "I shall tell them so. Now, there is only one other matter I wish to discuss without Anakin's presence." Bail braced himself for the inevitable. He had known this question would come, and he already had the answer. "Will you allow Anakin to meet with Leia?"

"Absolutely not."

Kenobi smiled wryly. "I had expected as much. She is your child as much as Luke is Anakin's. To take her from you now would only be cruel. Has she shown any signs of Force perception?" Bail shook his head with just a bit too much force. "I see. That's a relief. Well, we shan't impose on you any longer." Kenobi made to stand, but Bail stopped him.

"Wait! You won't stay for dinner?"

A tired smile found its way onto Kenobi's lips. "Of course we can't. I don't make it a habit to turn down royal dinners, but in this situation, it is hardly optimal."

"Of course," Bail sighed. "Very well. However…" Bail pulled his lips tight. "Do you truly trust him? As you did all those years ago?..."

Kenobi's eyes turned away from Bail. His eyes were distant and hazy with age. "Not quite. Though, after what happened between us, I doubt we could ever truly trust each other again. But I do trust him. In that he can overcome this. In that he can become better." Kenobi moved to stand just in front of the door, his hand hovering above the doorknob. "I hope, one day, you may also trust him. That's what he needs."

The door was opened.

On the other side, Bail saw with rising panic how Skywalker turned to look at him at the very same time as C-3PO and R2-D2 did.