Conference Room
Liberty
"Padme Amidala wasn't married, was she?" General Dodonna asked, his forehead scrunched up in confusion. "I do not remember..."
"Not that I am aware of," Mon said, her gaze fixed on the image of her long departed friend. "But I knew, we all did, that Senator Amidala and Jedi Skywalker were close friends. She survived more than one assassination attempt in her early twenties, and I remember that Jedi Skywalker was assigned to guard her for at least a season."
"So what?" Solo demanded. "You think this lady could be Luke's mom?"
Luke stared longingly at the woman - a mother he never knew - and then cast a sidelong look at Leia. "She looks way more like Leia than me, though my father and I are a lot alike."
"The Jedi weren't permitted to marry," Dodonna said authoritatively. "It seems quite a stretch to say that Skywalker married Senator Amidala, and an even greater stretch to suggest that he has anything to do with Darth Vader."
"She was pregnant when the Republic fell," Mon Mothma explained solemnly, her compassionate gaze on Luke. "She would not tell anyone the identity of the father, which was ... odd. Furthermore..."
She trailed off and for a moment, her regal countenance twisted into genuine grief. "Furthermore," she repeated softly, "she died within days of the Emperor ascending the throne. The Empire claimed the Jedi murdered her, but that was of course absurd."
"What about the child she carried?" Leia demanded, her own gaze now on Luke, who was looking ill.
"Her body was carried through the streets of Theed, the capital city of Naboo," Mon Mothma murmured, her eyes faraway. "She still looked pregnant. We all thought she had died with the child unborn."
Luke put his hand over his mouth, overcome with nausea. He could not be sick. He could not...
"That doesn't mean anything," General Madine objected. "Even if Senator Amidala was involved with Jedi Skywalker, even if she was Commander Skywalker's mother, that doesn't mean that, what, Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader? That is insane! Perhaps Vader knows enough of the story to make up that ... that show on the holonet, all for the purpose of drawing Skywalker in. If Chewbacca is right, Skywalker is of great value as an apprentice."
"Not to mention Luke blew up the Death Star," Solo pointed out grimly. "The Empire really wants to have their claws in him for that reason, and that alone."
"But ... one billion credits?" Luke demanded, his voice pitched higher than usual. "That is an ... an insane amount of money!"
"He's richer than many a star system," Leia said authoritatively. "It is an absurd amount of money, yes, but he has it, and more, to spare. Obviously he really wants you, Luke, but this whole 'son' thing is an absurd attempt to capture you."
All pondered this gloomily except for Luke, who was now feeling more hopeful. Obviously life sucked right now with a billion credit bounty on his head, but it would be far worse if...
The door opened and C-3PO tottered in with R2D2 rolling at his heels.
"I don't know why we have been summoned, R2, I told you ... Oh, Princess Leia, Lady Mothma, Generals, good morning!"
"C-3PO," Leia responded, cutting directly to the chase, "do you know either of the individuals on screen."
C-3PO turned toward the image of Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker and tilted his golden head. If he could have frowned, he would have, but he couldn't, because he was a droid.
"The man, not at all, your Highness," he said precisely. "The woman is, I believe, Padme Amidala of Naboo. She was a colleague of Viceroy Bail Organa but passed away many years ago. I observed a holo of her in the palace on Alderaan some years ago."
"You never met her?"
"No, your Highness."
Everyone, Luke especially, let out a collective sigh of relief, except for Han Solo who demanded, "When did you last have your memory wiped, Goldenrod?"
The protocol droid would have looked outraged if he could, but he couldn't, because he was a droid. "Really, Captain Solo, it is incredibly rude to speak of a droid having his memory wiped..."
"Answer the question," Leia ordered, looking nervous again.
Threepio huffed and said, "Nineteen years, five months, sixteen days, five hours ago."
The older members of the group fell silent, obviously calculating, and then Dodonna said, with widening eyes, "He had his memory wiped within days of Palpatine ascending the throne."
"Indeed, he did," Mon agreed, looking distinctly uneasy. "That is no proof, of course, that he did know Amidala and Jedi Skywalker personally, but he might have."
"What about you, R2?" Luke asked, his throat tight with dread. "Do you know the people in that holo?"
The astromech swiveled and tilted its body upward to regard the screen with his one eye. For a full minute, the room was silent and then the droid produced a few beeps.
"You can't say that, R2!" Threepio said in a scandalized voice.
"What did he say?" Leia demanded.
"He said, 'I cannot answer that question.'"
Leia frowned and dropped to one knee on the ground, the better to peer at the astromech. "What do you mean, you cannot answer the question?" she asked in a surprisingly gentle tone.
The blue and white droid's dome swiveled and it rocked a few times before beeping something.
"Memory block," 3PO translated.
"Memory block?" Leia repeated.
Another series of whistles, which the protocol droid translated again, "Memory block."
There were rustles among the assembled sentients and Luke, suddenly oxygen deprived, realized he was holding his breath. He forced himself to breathe in and out steadily.
"Who placed the memory block, R2D2?" Leia asked in her most diplomatic tone, lowering herself completely onto the floor, crossing her legs, and smiling at the droid.
The funny thing, Luke mused with the 10% of his brain that wasn't on the verge of hysterics, was that R2 really did need to be cajoled on occasion. He was remarkably strong willed for a droid.
R2 regarded the woman thoughtfully and then twittered.
"Organa, Bail, Viceroy of Alderaan," Threepio translated.
There was another collective murmur but Leia only leaned closer to the astromech, her face now grave. "My father is dead, R2."
The droid whistled sadly in response and seemed to droop in place.
"I am his only child, and thus have the authority to remove the memory block," the princess continued authoritatively. "I order you to remove the memory block, R2."
The droid rocked back and forth a few times and shook his head to and fro, beeping at length.
"That is not a logical conclusion, Princess Leia," 3PO translated.
Leia heaved out a long suffering sigh and glared at the small blue and white droid.
"Is Bail Organa dead, R2?"
Everyone understood the sad beep in response.
"Is Breha Organa dead, R2?"
Yes beep.
"Is it possible for either of my parents to remove the memory block?"
R2 managed to hunch down and whimper sadly.
"Therefore, logically, given that my parents are dead, and I am their only child and heir to the throne of Alderaan, I have the right to remove the memory block," Leia declared authoritatively.
Silence fell for a full thirty seconds while R2's lights flashed and strange whirring sounds came from within. Finally he beeped again and 3PO said, "Agreed."
Everyone present let out a whoosh of relief at this, though Luke felt his heart clench even further.
"R2, I remove the memory block. Did you know Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker?"
"Yes. I served Queen Amidala for a time, and then became Anakin Skywalker's astromech," 3PO translated.
There were sighs and murmurs from the assembled sentients but Luke, unable to wait, fell to this knees before his droid friend and demanded, "R2, did Anakin Skywalker become Darth Vader?"
Silence fell for another ten seconds and R2 chirped sadly, which 3PO translated as, "I do not know."
"What do you mean, you don't know?" Leia asked in confusion. "It seems impossible, so..."
The droid rolled toward the screen, whirred internally for a few seconds, and then transmitted a moving image onto the flat surface, a video of...
/
Mustafar
Padme Amidala rushed across the landing pad in spite of her advanced pregnancy, her face reflecting the red glow of Mustafar's extensive lava fields.
Her husband rushed forward and pulled the love of his life into his arms. "I saw your ship. What are you doing out here?"
The woman gazed up at him, her eyes dark with concern. "I was so worried about you. Obi-Wan told me terrible things."
Anakin Skywalker looked down, his expression dark, "What things?"
Padme shook her head and said, "He said ... that you turned to the Dark Side ... that you ... killed younglings...
Anakin's expression grew even colder, "Obi-Wan is trying to turn you against me."
"He cares about us," Padme asserted.
"Us?" Anakin responded, his expression frigid now.
She heaved out a sigh, "He knows. He wants to help you. Anakin, all I want is your love!"
"Love won't save you, Padmé. Only my new powers can do that."
Padme's beautiful face contorted in distress, "But at what cost? You're a good person! Don't do this!"
"I won't lose you the way I lost my mother," Anakin responded, "I am becoming more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of, and I'm doing it for you. To protect you."
Padme's dark eyes grew desperate, "Come away with me. Help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can!"
Anakin looked at her oddly, "Don't you see? We don't have to run away anymore! I have brought peace to the Republic. I am more powerful than the Chancellor; I ... I can overthrow him! And together, you and I can rule the galaxy; make things the way we want them to be!"
Padmé slowly backed away from her husband in horror.
"I don't believe what I'm hearing! Obi-Wan was right ... you've changed!
Anakin glowered at her, "I don't want to hear any more about Obi-Wan. The Jedi turned against me. Don't you turn against me!"
Padme began sobbing, "I don't know you anymore! Anakin...you're breaking my heart! You're going down a path I cannot follow!"
Anakin stared at her incredulously, "Because of Obi-Wan?"
Padmé shook her head, "Because of what you've done! What you plan to do! Stop! Stop now... come back! I love you!"
The exit door of Padme's ship was suddenly filled with the form of a man in a light tunic and dark robes.
"Liar!" Anakin screamed.
Padmé stared at the man in horror, "No!"
Anakin Skywalker threw out a hand toward his pregnant wife and began to choke her with the Force, "You're with him! You brought him here to kill me!"
"Let her go, Anakin!" the robed man ordered.
Padme's mouth moved, "Anakin..."
"Let... her... go," the man ordered.
Anakin dropped his hand and Padme Amidala fell to the ground, unconscious or dead.
"You turned her against me!" Anakin cried out, his eyes wild.
"You have done that yourself," the man responded coldly.
"You will not take her from me!" Anakin snarled.
"Your anger and your lust for power have already done that," the other man declared, "You have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind, until now...Until now, you have become the very thing you swore to destroy.
"Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan. I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the Dark Side as you do! I have brought peace, freedom, justice and security to my new Empire."
/
Luke Skywalker, who had been watching the holo with growing horror, now lost control of his legs and collapsed to the floor. R2 froze the transmission as Leia, her own eyes filled with tears, rushed to her friend's side.
"It's Ok, Luke," she said, swallowing hard to control the sobs which threatened to overcome her. "It's Ok."
Luke looked up at her like a man reaching for a lifeline on a ship, only to have it torn away. "It isn't Ok, Leia. It will never be Ok. It is true, Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, and he murdered my mother."
She shook her head, not in disagreement but because she was overwhelmed. It seemed that yes...
R2D2 was beeping and twitting and even yodeling now, so quickly that it took a few seconds for C3PO to understand enough to translate.
"Master Luke, R2 says that Padme Amidala did not die from Anakin Skywalker's attack. She was carried safely to Polis Massa and the med droids said that nothing was medically wrong with her. Apparently she lost her will to live, and died right after her twins were born."
There was silence for ten full seconds and as one, four or five voices cried out, "Twins?"