Idle chatter filled the thick and heady air of the bar. It smelt of smoke and spilt alcohol, and though some were laughing loudly, their heads filled with drink, others were whispering quietly in darkened corners, not wanting to be overheard. Such a place was dangerous for the man to be in, despite the mask that obscured half his face, and so he kept his hood up, hiding him from the view of the scum and villainy that frequented the establishment.

The man lifted the bottom of his mask a little and took a sip from his drink, surveying the comings and goings of the Corellian underground bar. He had lived here for a year now. Before that he had always been on the move, hiding in equally dismal, dark and criminally-inclined districts of densely populated planets where he could keep a low profile. Though it had been nine years, it felt like a hundred.

"You want some more Noonian Fixer over there?" the bartender asked as he was clearing away some glasses on the table across from him.

"No thanks," he replied through the voice modulator hidden in his mask. The drink was very strong, and he didn't want his abilities to be compromised.

Shrugging, the man lumbered off and the stranger was alone again. He'd come here to see if he could overhear any conversations relating to a local gang and a series of attacks against the vulnerable at the very bottom of society. Acting as a vigilante hadn't been his intention these last few weeks, but he couldn't sit by whilst he could do something to help those who couldn't help themselves.

Using his Force-attuned hearing, he listened for anything of interest and watched as a drunken fight began to break out on the other side of the bar.

Out of nowhere, the man was hit with a strong feeling that he should head home. Not usually one to ignore prompting from the Force, especially a prompt as strong as this, the man got up and left, drawing his cloak around him. The sounds of the fight echoed out onto the pavement as the door slid open. Navigating a complicated route, and doubling back on himself several times to avoid anyone trying to trail him, the man finally reached his residence - a small and dilapidated apartment in the rough underbelly of the city, where day light never seemed to penetrate.

Closing the rickety door behind him and taking off his mask, he jumped out of his skin when he saw what, or who, had been waiting for him in his living room.

He stared unblinkingly, not believing his eyes, and stood as still as a statue, his body going into shock.

"Master Qui-Gon?" he breathed eventually, regarding the shimmering apparition that was standing by the window. The street lamp outside was shining through the blinds, and the light passed straight through his body like a ghost.

"Hello Mace. It's been a long time."

"Are you a ghost?" he asked after staring at him for at least a minute this time, trying to discern if what he was seeing was real. It had been well over twenty years since he'd seen this man, how was this possible? Had someone spiked his drink?

"A Force ghost. I have learned the secret to immortality."

Mace's mouth fell open. "What…how? Why are you here?"

"We have a lot to talk about, I suggest you make yourself comfortable," he said with a small smile.

Suddenly aware that he was still holding the door handle and wearing his outdoor cloak, Mace walked a little further into the room, his eyes never leaving his old friend's. Surely, if he looked away for a moment, the hallucination would disappear. But it didn't.

Sometime later, Mace found himself sitting opposite the ghost, deep in conversation about his life and what had happened since they last spoke. Part of Mace still felt he was hallucinating and he pinched himself multiple times, but every pinch confirmed that he was awake, and that the ghost's Force presence was still undeniably Qui-Gon's. When the ghost revealed the purpose behind his visit, the reclusive Jedi reeled in shock a second time.

"Anakin Skywalker's children? He was married?"

"To Senator Amidala."

Mace wondered if he had any Fixer in his kitchen unit. He needed a stiff drink to take all of this in.

"So Darth Vader now finds himself a father of two?" he asked incredulously, not being able to imagine such a villain having children.

"Yes."

"Right. So, let me get this straight, you're asking me to go and help the children of a man who not only cut off my hand and let me fall to my death, but who betrayed, murdered and destroyed the Jedi Order? He has hunted down and killed…" he couldn't finish his sentence and put his head in his hands, one of which was a poorly made artificial one, as deeply buried emotions threatened to overwhelm his composure.

"Yes my friend," Qui-Gon said gently. "That is what I am asking of you."

He looked up, trying to discern if there was any hint of conflict or jest in the ghost's eyes, but there was none.

"Then you're insane."

Qui-Gon didn't appear phased by this, almost as if he had expected this reaction. "The children cannot help who their father is. But they have a destiny. It is the will of the Force."

"I will not help the children of Anakin," he declared.

"If you don't wish to help on these grounds, it might help you to know the involvement of my Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Kenobi? He's alive?" Mace sat up in his chair, relief replacing the darker emotions that Anakin's name stirred up within him.

"Yes. My Padawan had been living with Padmé and the twins, hidden safely in the Outer Rim. In that time, he allowed himself attachments and has married Padmé. They are expecting a child together now. Having raised the children from babies, they see him as their father, not Vader."

"Master Kenobi and Senator Amidala? Together? And expecting a child?"

"This must be a lot to take in."

Mace shook his head, dumbfounded by all of this news. In fact, he was starting to feel a little dizzy.

"Master Yoda is with him and the rebel alliance now."

"Master Yoda?"

"They are planning how to rescue the children, but with my foresight I can see that you will be a key player in bringing balance to the Force."

Leaning back, Mace Windu tried to collect his thoughts, despite the fact he was feeling increasingly faint. If this was all some lucid dream, he was never taking a shot of Noonian Fixer again. If this was real, and if he did decide to help his Jedi friends, there was one part of Qui-Gon's plan that he had obviously overlooked.

"How can I be a key player in this fight, when I don't even have my lightsaber? I've been using a useless blaster for years now."

"I know of a certain little girl who's just been gifted it."

"Skywalker's daughter has it?" he asked, not without a hint of annoyance.

He nodded sagely.

"What a coincidence," he said, shaking his head in wonder. Now he had a reason to help the children, if only it was to get his most precious belonging back in his possession. The ways of the Force were mysterious indeed.

"If you decide to come to our aid, you will find the rebel base on Dantooine. I will guide you there once you arrive."

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"The fate of the galaxy is entwined around them. I will do all that I can to help my Padawan and his family," Qui-Gon said before turning and fixing him a look which made Mace remember that the man was older than him, and no doubt wiser. "Promise me you will consider it."

Mace nodded, averting his eyes.

"Then I shall leave you now. Remember all I have said, and may the Force be with you my friend."

"And with you."

The ghost faded into nothingness and just like that, Mace was alone in his dingy apartment. The light of the Force had been radiating so strongly from that apparition that the room now looked dismally dark without him. Resting his head in his hands and wiping at his eyes, Mace didn't even know where to begin with sifting through everything that had been said.

Could he really help Anakin's children? Could he do such a thing?

Or, he supposed after what Qui-Gon had said, they were Obi-Wan's children now. A strange thought. He never would've imagined his old friend as a father. The thought almost made him laugh. One Skywalker had been bad enough for him to keep under control, but two?

He rose up on slightly shaky legs to pour himself some Fixer.

Should he go to help his old friend, or should he let his hatred of Anakin Skywalker set his fate? Taking a sip of the strong alcohol to steady himself, he hardly knew what path to take.

ooooo

Obi-Wan woke up early when the light outside was still grey before the dawn. A call was waiting for him on his newly gifted wrist comm device. Sitting up in bed and running his hands over his face, he worked out how to let the message through. It had been years since he'd a comm device of his own, and the technology had moved on. Whilst it beeped, he fiddled about with the buttons until one of the rebel officers appeared as a blue Hologram.

"Good morning Master Kenobi. A particular cell has arrived and their leader wishes to speak with you urgently."

"Who is it?" he asked, his voice rough with sleep.

"You'd better come see for yourself. They're waiting by operations."

The communication cut off, and the Jedi quickly got up and made himself presentable, wondering who it could be. Was it the Jedi Qui-Gon had promised to coerce?

Heading to the centre of the base in the early morning mist, Obi-Wan spied the group of new arrivals from some distance away by the operations building. Their leader met his eyes through the busy yard and he almost stopped in his tracks. Where did he recognise those delicate features from? She looked so similar to Padmé…

"Sabé?" he asked in shock, recognition flickering into life.

"Master Kenobi!" she all but ran forward to greet him, gripping his arms, her expression a mixture of intense worry and burgeoning hope.

"We heard through the network…is it true, is she alive?"

Obi-Wan looked over her shoulder to her crew and recognised more faces from his past. Captain Gregar Typho stood among them and met his gaze. His face showed the same hopeful yet agonised expression. All of Padmé's loyal supporters from their old life were here to find out the truth, and for once he had some good news to share.

A smile spread across the Jedi's face and he nodded. "She is."

The biggest brightest smile spread over the woman's face and she turned back to her Nubian crew, embracing one of the men. The others were cheering, some with tears already forming in their eyes in jubilation. The Royal Naboo Security Forces were being so loud in their exaltation that many of the rebels in the camp were looking over, wondering just what had made them so happy at such an early hour.

Obi-Wan couldn't help but smile at the scene.

Sabé turned back to him and wiped the tears from her eyes with her palms. "Is she well? What has happened to my mistress in these last nine years?"

"I think we better go inside. There's a lot to go over."

"Of course," she nodded and looked over her shoulder at the crew. "Tonra, Typho, speak to General Dodonna and get us some lodging sorted. We may be here a while now."

The two of them walked into the operations building, where Obi-Wan knew there were some private rooms to talk. Inside it had been kitted out with computers systems and tracking screens, everything you'd expect a growing insurgent force to use. The room he'd spoken to Caleb and Yoda in was empty, and so they went inside.

"I still cannot believe it…" she said as they sat down and he shut the transparisteel door that looked out to the operations floor. "We've been trying to kill Darth Vader for years now, believing he was responsible for my Lady's death."

"You've fought Vader before?"

She nodded. "Many times. But he never denied that he killed her, I wonder why."

"You're lucky to be alive Sabé. He believed he did. Padmé and I have been in hiding these last nine years. Along with her children."

"Children?" she questioned, wide eyed.

"The baby she was pregnant with survived, and it was twins."

Smiling, Sabé leaned back in her seat, shaking her head in wonder. "A mother, how wonderful. So, they must be nine now. It grieves me still to think about poor Anakin's death, she must have been suffering so much…I cannot thank you enough for keeping them safe Master Kenobi. But…where is she? Is she here?"

The smile faded from the Jedi's mouth and he set his jaw. "She is being held prisoner by Vader, along with her children. We are currently working out how to get them back without considerable losses on our side."

"I see," she said, crestfallen.

Obi-Wan wondered whether to confide in Sabé the truth of their relationship. If there was anyone more loyal to his wife besides him, he wouldn't find them.

"Padmé and I are married now," he said, watching her reaction. Her eyebrows rose a little, but otherwise she maintained a neutral facade. "She's with child and could be going into labour any day now. I have no way of knowing if she or our baby is safe whilst they are being held prisoner."

The former handmaiden's face became etched with worry.

"My crew and I will lay down our lives for our Lady. If there is anything we can do to get her safely out of there, we are at your immediate disposal."

"Thank you," he said, seeing the absolute loyalty in her eyes.

The conversation was interrupted as a young officer knocked on the door urgently.

"Come in," he said as they both stood up.

"Master Kenobi, there has been a development with Vader's star destroyer," he said as he entered the room. "We just received an update from our surveillance crew that a shuttle was seen leaving the ship and jumped into hyperspace. The estimated trajectory could cover the Arkanis sector. A few minutes later, the destroyer jumped. There is a meeting to discuss the development in five minutes time."

He nodded, feeling his heart race. If that shuttle was going to the Imperial Academy, a rescue mission could be organised and deployed with immediate haste. Finally, there was a way of getting Luke and Leia safely back into his arms.

"Thank you, I'll be right there."

The officer nodded and left the two of them alone.

Obi-Wan turned to Sabé. "Care to join us?"