Chapter 4- Jedi Lessons and The Rebellion
A/N: This is where "Rogue One" comes into the story as we saw that Bail was part of the Rebel Alliance in the movie. It stands to reason that his adopted "brother" would be a rebel too.
19 years later...
Talon watched as Lena moved with fluidity through the lightsaber duels with a computer. Talon had taught her secretly the ways of the Force and at 19 she was as good as any youngling in the old Jedi Order. "Remember, daughter, a Jedi's strength flows through the Force," Talon called out to his five-year-old daughter, Cora. In the time spent on Alderaan, Talon had married and his wife had given birth to two boys and a girl; all of whom thought that Lena was their sister. Yoda would have frowned on the fact that he was married and had younglings, but Bail said it would throw off the Empire and Vader from finding Lena and Leia.
"It controls your actions, Papa?" Cora asked, blinking her large brown eyes, so much like her mother's.
"Partly, but it has to do as you command, little sister," Lena said in her precise voice as she powered down her lightsaber.
"Lena is right, Cora. Now try it again and this time act on instinct," Talon said putting what looked like a helmet on his youngest daughter's head.
"But I can't see," Cora complained plaintively.
"Your eyes can deceive you, Cora. Don't trust them. Papa did the same thing when I was your age. You can do it," Lena said sagely.
Cora powered up her lightsaber- which was Talon's as he felt five was too young to have the weapon- and she deflected the bolts from it deftly. "You see, you did it, daughter," Talon said with a bare grin. as Winter, an aide to Leia came running up to them.
"Forgive me, your highnesses. Your highness, your cousin is ready to go," Winter said, bowing to Talon and Cora before turning to face Lena.
"Of course. Father, Leia has been called to Coruscant to give aide to Melida/Daan. She needs me with her as I am her aide," Lena said.
"Of course she does, Lena. Me and your uncle are supposed to be going to Yavin IV soon. Mon Mothma has important news regarding a new battle station that the Empire has built. I will wait for you on Yavin," Talon said, kissing his oldest daughter's forehead.
"We should be there soon. May the Force be with you, Father, Cora." Lena said as she walked away.
"May the Force be with you, Lena," Talon said, secretly adding the surname "Skywalker" to himself. Only he and Lena knew that her real last name was Skywalker. Talon had told her when she was old enough to understand that he had adopted her and that she had a brother somewhere on Tatooine and that Leia was really her sister and that her mother had died when she was born. The only thing that Talon didn't tell her was that her father Anakin Skywalker had turned to the dark side and that he was Darth Vader. He didn't want her to suffer the agony of knowing that Anakin had fallen. And as far as he could see when he had gone to Coruscant with Bail, Leia, and Lena, Vader hadn't recognized him from the times they had seen each other at the temple and he hadn't realized that two pieces of himself and Padme were still alive in the two girls.
"Papa, can I come with you and Uncle Bail? Please?" Cora begged, her blue eyes as begging as her voice. Talon often wondered if his youngest girl was using Jedi mind tricks considering how many times he waffled and caved to her demands.
"I'll ask your mother. I think she has plans with Aunt Breha for you and your brothers, but she might say yes," Talon said, taking the practice lightsaber out of Cora's hand and gripping her small hand in his made his way to the palace.
Yavin was a forest planet and Talon found himself chuckling at Cora's response to all the greenery. "Cora, you had better walk," Talon suggested, placing his large hands on Cora's shoulders and gently urging her forward into the hangar bay. An elderly man with a beard came to greet them.
"Welcome, Senator Organa. Master Jedi Organa," he greeted with a differential bow. In the rebellion everyone knew that the crown prince Cail Organa was a Jedi knight and gave him all due respect as a Jedi.
"Thank you for having us, Dodonna. What was so important that we were summoned?" Bail asked.
"We have discovered the plans for the Empire's new superweapon. It is called the Death Star," Dodonna said as they made their way to the counsel room.
"How was that even possible? Vader and Palpatine usually won't let us find out anything," Talon said.
"We have discovered that the engineer sent the location of the plans to Saw Guerrerro and he in turn gave the location to Jyn Erso, the engineer's daughter. She has given us the location as well," Dodonna said as they entered the counsel room and Mon Mothma, the leader of the Rebel Alliance came over to them. "Welcome, your highness, Master Jedi, young Padawan," Mon Mothma said with a spare smile.
"Thank you, Senator for inviting me and my brother. Our daughters are on a relief mission. They should be joining us soon. Of course. Now that we are all here, Miss Erso, can you explain the plans that your father told you about?" Mon Mothma asked. A girl about the age of Leia and Lena with brown hair stood to attention and began to tell all she knew about the plans.
"We must scatter the fleet. We have no recourse, but to surrender," a woman named Pamlo said amidst disagreements from those around her after Jyn had finished talking.
"Are we really talking about disbanding something that we've worked so hard to create?" Bail asked from his spot beside Talon and Cora.
"We can't just give in!" A creature whose jowls wobbled said in a gravelly voice.
"We joined the Alliance. Not a suicide pact," a man in a blue Imperial uniform said.
"We've only now managed to gather our forces. And my daughter, Lena, and I are only Jedi knights, we cannot fight a war for you. That would exceed our mandates as protectors of the peace," Talon said, layering his voice with the calmness that only came from the light side of the Force.
"Gather our forces, Master Jedi? General Draven's already blown up an Imperial base," a man with a small beard protested as he looked at a clean-shaven man with general's insignia on his flight jacket.
"A decision needed to be made!" Draven said with a pompous declaration.
"And that included killing Galen Erso, General?" Talon asked.
"I did what I had to do, Master Jedi," Draven said. Talon noticed Jyn Erson close her eyes painfully.
"No. You didn't have to do that. Murder is a path to the dark side. I have seen more murder done than I care to remember to all of my friends and the Jedi master that I considered like my father almost 20 years ago," Talon said, a slight steel entering his voice.
"If it's war you want, you'll fight alone," Pamlo said with finality.
"If that's how it's going, why have an alliance at all?" A man named Vaspar asked standing next to Pamlo.
"If she's telling the truth, we need to act now!" The alien with the jowls said.
"Councilors, please," Mon Mothma said in a restraining voice.
"It is simple. The Empire has the means of mass destruction the Rebellion does not," the commander of Green Squad said.
"Maybe it's a good thing we don't. How they could have built this technological nightmare I'll never know. Technology is not a good thing. The Jedi Order fell because we depended too much on the clones to see us through the Clone Wars and we had no idea that Palpatine ordered them to kill us at the first opportunity. Master Yoda was right when he said the dark side covers everything. We didn't see the clone troopers turning on us or Vader and Palpatine building this," Talon said.
"What do you suggest we do, my brother?" Bail asked, squeezing Talon's shoulder gently.
"I don't know, brother. But we do have to stop the Death Star at any cost," Talon said, looking at first Bail and then everyone in the room.
"A Death Star. This is nonsense," Vaspar said.
"What reason would my father have to lie? What benefit would it bring him?" Jyn Erso asked indignantly.
"She's right. Galen Erso was going to die. Not very many people are going to lie when they die," Talon spoke up.
"He could have to lure our forces into a final battle, Master Jedi, to destroy us once and for all," Draven said contemptuously.
"Risk everything? Based on what? The testimony of a criminal?" The dying words of her father, an Imperial scientist?" Vaspar asked, shooting poisonous looks at Jyn Erso,
"That's enough, Vaspar," Talon said sharply.
"And don't forget the Imperial pilot," Debbel, the senator from Corellia said.
"My father gave his life so that we may have a chance to defeat this," Jyn said.
"So you've told us," Dodonna said.
"If the Empire has this kind of power, what chance do we have?" Pamlo asked fretfully.
"What chance do we have? The question is "What choice?" Run, hide, plead for mercy, scatter your forces. You give way to an enemy this evil with this much power and you condemn the galaxy to an eternity of submission. The time to fight is now! Every moment you waste is another step closer to the ashes of Jedha," Jyn said, mentioning the Death Star's first target, the place where all Jedi had gotten their crystals to power their lightsabers.
"What is she proposing?" Someone shouted.
"Just let the girl speak," another man said.
"Send your best troops to Scarif. Send the rebel fleet if you have to. You need to capture the Death Star plans if there's any hope of destroying it," Jyn said, mentioning the place where the plans were.
"You're asking us to invade an Imperial installation based on nothing but hope?" Pamlo asked,
"Rebellions are built on hope," Jyn said.
"There is no hope," Vaspar said.
"I say we fight," the creature with the jowls said.
"I say the Rebellion is finished," Debbel said, strking the table in front of him with his fist.
"I'm sorry, Jyn. Without the full support of the council the odds are too great," Mon Mothma said. Everyone murmured as Jyn left the council room without a word.
Everyone dispersed with the exception of Bail, Talon, Cora, and Mon Mothma. "Despite what the others say, war is inevitable," Mon Mothma said.
"Yes, my brother and I agree. Cail has something that needs to be done here. I must return to Alderaan to inform my people that there will be no peace. We will need every advantage." Bail said as they stopped walking in the hangar.
"Your friend, the Jedi," Mon Mothma said.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi served us well during the Clone Wars and Senator Amidala as well. He has lived in hiding since the Emperor's purge as have I. Yes, we will send for him," Talon said.
"You will need people you can trust," Mon Mothma said as they walked away.
"We would trust them with our lives," Bail said with a smile. Talon knew that Bail meant their daughters. Leia and Lena were the best allies that either of them had known and if anyone could get a message to Obi-Wan Leia and Lena would.
"Captain Antilles," Bail called to Antilles.
"Senator, your highness," Antilles said, coming to attention when he saw Bail and Talon.
"We have a mission for you, Sir," Bail said as the door to the council room closed.