Chapter 3: An old friend of the family
As seconds passed, the first sense of shock in Ahsoka's mind was replaced with surprise and a bit of joy, which was clearly showed by the change of her facial expression from one of disbelief to a timid smile.
Eventually, the Togruta offered a hand and simply said. "Nice to meet you Luke."
The new Jedi hesitated for a moment, but then he shook it, though his mind was still trying to figure what he felt in front of that alien lady that could provide a link with his father, other than Ben.
"Nice to meet you." he replied before they unclasped hands. "You...you really knew my father?" he asked, unable to hold himself back.
Ahsoka lowered her head, with a mix of painful and fond memories coming to her mind. Then she looked back at Luke. "Yes. Your father was a great friend…a pity I wasn't one for him as well." she concluded rather sadly.
"What do you mean?" Luke asked in confusion, which had Ahsoka coming up with a question in her mind.
The Togruta turned her and the siblings around and whispered said question.
"Does he know the truth about Anakin?"
The siblings grimaced. "Not yet, but I guess this gives us the opportunity to finally explain this." Ezra replied in tone.
"I agree." said Jaral. "We've postponed long enough. We'll tell him this evening with all the necessary caution."
The three Force-wielders thus made an almost imperceptible nod and turned again toward the rest of the people in the room.
"Let's have a proper reunion when we will be back home." Jaral invited. "For now, we need to know everything you've discovered on the World Between Worlds."
Ahsoka crossed her arms on her chest. "Not much more than what Ezra already witnessed when he saved me. It is a gateway between dimensions of space and time. It's honestly hard to describe, but whatever it is I'm sure it was created by the Mortis Gods."
"Who?" Ezra asked.
"I'll explain it later. For now, the focal point is that this World is a tool of great power. We can't let the Emperor have it, and honestly, I'm not even sure anybody should tamper with it, even us."
"Hey, we might have destroyed the Death Star, but we still need every possible advantage." Jaral objected.
Ahsoka, though, kept her composure as she replied sternly. "No, Jaral. Even with every good intention, this World can alter the flow of time. Me standing right here is a testament to that. It might throw the universe into chaos."
Her eyes clearly said that she really meant every single one of those letters.
"So what do you propose?" Ezra asked.
The Togruta gave a quick look toward the former Inquisitor. "I already asked Nimbus to help me. We'll keep looking for other portals and make sure the Emperor will not be able to get his hands on them."
"Can we help you in any way?"
"For now, keep fighting. The more you tie down the Empire's resources, the better. If I'm gonna need some more lightsabers, I'll make sure to contact you."
"We could turn to the Federation." Jaral suggested. "Their psionics have very unique abilities coming from the Force, I'm sure they would be glad to help in this quest."
"Psionics?" Ahsoka asked.
Ezra sighed. "Yeah, you really have a lot to catch up with."
Ahsoka chuckled. "Can you blame me?"
"No." Ezra replied with a smile. "But that means you can't turn down our invite to stay over for the night at our new houses. Besides, I'm sure you and Luke have a lot to talk about." he added as he watched at the still incredulous Padawan.
Luke seemed nonetheless a bit thrilled. "Indeed." and he stepped forward. "Obi-Wan told me some stories about my father, I would like to hear something more."
Ahsoka's eyes barred. "Obi-Wan? You mean Obi-Wan Kenobi?"
"Uh...yes...you knew him?"
"He was your father's Master, and they were inseparable. Yeah, I knew him very well...hold on, is he around here somewhere?"
The Jedi fell in a grimacing silence for a few seconds, which Ahsoka immediately interpreted and her expression became hurt.
Eventually, Ezra explained briefly what had happened. How they met Luke and Obi-Wan on Tatooine and how the old Master had sacrificed to save them on the Death Star.
Still, when she heard of how he died, Ahsoka mustered a nostalgic smile. "That's Master Kenobi for you. Always acting for the greater good."
In an attempt to lighten up the mood, the young Bridger shrugged while speaking nonchalantly. "Well, at least he knighted us, before we entered the Death Star."
At said news, even Nimbus startled, then the two aliens chuckled. "Well, it was about time." the Mirialan said. "Congratulations, kids."
"I had the feeling that you two had something different in your aura." Ahsoka joked. "You totally deserve it, guys. Especially after all Nimbus has told me you did in these last few months."
"Don't believe everything she says. You're dealing with a former inquisitor and now information broker." Jaral said sarcastically while chuckling lightly, having the others laugh.
Nimbus just rolled her eyes while sharing a smile from the atmosphere. "Good information." she defended. "I would never sell false to anybody."
"I hate to interrupt." Darvos calmly said from the holotable, gaining the attention of the people in the room. "But you still have to come up with a decision, ma'am. Should we assist Iblis' offensive, the Mandos or we stay on the defensive?"
Jaral's mind immediately focused back on her duties. She walked back at the holotable and looked at the galaxy map, where many key systems were highlighted in blue or red according to which side was occupying them.
She looked and pondered, tapping her right index on the edge of the table from time to time. Eventually, she came up with her decision.
"We'll leave the Mandalorians and Iblis to do their own thing. At the very least they should provide us with a useful distraction while we improve our standing in the Outer Rim." she then turned toward the other Jedi in the room. "Well, Luke, you wanted some action, you'll get it. I'm assigning you to Ezra's battalion. Ezra, I want you to assist the various cells along the Slice and the Trailing Sectors. We need to secure some very important planets."
"All right. What's our goal?"
Jaral enhanced the map with her omni-tool, making it zoom on one of the main hyperspace lanes: the Rimma Trade Route.
"Sullust. The population hates the Empire and their industrial potential will be paramount to supply our forces in the region."
Ezra walked next to the holotable and analyzed the situation. A campaign from Lothal to Sullust would be an incredibly long journey. He would have to pass behind Hutt Space, conquering Kessel and even Eadu, then moving down all the way until it crossed Tatooine again, then he would finally be in the right corner of the galaxy.
"Seems like we'll have our hands full." he commented calmly at the end.
"Yeah. I'll make sure they send a cruiser to carry your forces once I get back to Mon Cala."
Ezra turned his head toward his sister. "Wait...you're not coming?"
Jaral made a resigned sigh. "No. I'll call a meeting with the Council of the Alliance. As I was saying, our territory lacks administration, and the only thing keeping our forces together is the hatred for the Empire. We need a clearer political project, so I'll put them together until we sort this out."
"Oh." Ezra mumbled. "You want to get into politics, sis?" he quipped.
"Don't make me think about it, please." Jaral sighed, then she turned toward her husband. "Darvos, you are coming with me."
"Whatever you need, ma'am." he replied with a smirk before shutting off the device, seeing that the siblings were already turning toward the door.
"All right, time to go meet the rest of the gang." Jaral declared merrily. "Nimbus, would you like to join?"
"I appreciate the offer, but I got business to do here on Lothal before we go out looking for the rest of the portals. Oh, by the way, your Princess has completed her mission. Most of the surviving Alderaanians in the galaxy have been gathered and they are already in Alliance's space."
Luke was immediately caught by that declaration. "Is Leia okay?"
"Yes. For what I understood, she gave up her title and she is probably going back to Yavin, by now."
Jaral hummed in thought, then turned toward Darvos. "Darv, send word to General Dodonna that I want Han and Leia here on Lothal, along with Rhino squad."
Darvos nodded. "Very well. See you back home." and then walked away.
"You want them to come with me?" Ezra asked.
"Yes, but I have a special task for them. I'll tell you later. For now, let's get home and enjoy the quiet so long as we can."
The evening at the tower was one of feast. Rex was seen shedding a tear when the Togruta suddenly appeared in front of him and before the two shared a heartfelt hug. Hera had just been dismissed from the hospital, so Ahsoka's arrival only made her joy even more intense and the Togruta had the chance to meet Jacen, who was then left in Chopper's care while the group prepared dinner.
Mira nearly emptied her fridge and the entire group ate at a large table that the clones had in their own home, as it was more akin to a barrack than a real house, but that also included some sort of a mess hall, which was important since that was the period where nights on Lothal tended to be particularly cold.
After exchanging stories, alcohol started to flood. Things became rowdy the more the dinner went on. A drinking contest between Kallus, the clones and Zeb followed, resulting in Rex winning but nonetheless collapsing on the floor after Sabine declared him the victor. The same mandalorian woman didn't go easy on the bottle, eventually getting asleep, so Ezra carried her to the couch.
After the sober people finished to clean up the mess, the siblings quickly exchanged an opinion through the bond and decided that this was the moment. Even if they would break the mood, they had to tell Luke the truth about his father.
Ahsoka understood that quickly, so when the siblings gently asked Luke to follow them, she did too. They decided to straight up go to Ezra and Sabine's home, where they could talk without the risk of somebody else eavesdropping.
They gathered in the living room and sat between the couch and two armchairs. Ezra then took a breather and started. "Ok, here we go...Luke, I know it was weird for you to find out all of a sudden that you have a twin sister, that's why we decided to delay telling you this. However, if we are going to fight against the Sith, there must be no more secrets between us."
Luke had already understood that something big was coming, especially because the three Jedi had insisted on getting to an isolated room.
"All right." he said, preparing his mind to whatever was coming next. "What else I didn't know?"
"It's about your father." Jaral calmly said. "And what actually happened to him."
Luke's eyes sprang with hope. "What do you mean? Is he still alive?"
Unsure on how to put it, the siblings hummed in hesitation, but luckily for them, Ahsoka stepped in to explain.
"Not exactly. The person once known as Anakin Skywalker didn't die biologically. However, his mind and personality have disappeared. Now, he's a servant of the Dark Side."
Luke was clearly confused, and hearing those words made him hesitate in asking for new answers.
"Anakin Skywalker…" Ezra calmly concluded. "has become Darth Vader."
Now the young Padawan barred his eyes and his jaw slightly opened. His head started spinning and he needed to put a hand on it in a desperate attempt to find a balance to that new information.
"The...the man who killed Ben is…?"
The siblings made a slow nod.
Luke's face contorted into a silent scream. He stood up from the chair and made some slow steps around the room before finally leaning against the wall and slowly drift toward the floor, where he sat down.
Ezra walked next to him and crouched to support him while the women patiently waited. Eventually, Luke quickly regained control over his emotions, as Ezra had taught him to do in the last few days.
The Padawan stood up again. "Then why did Ben tell me that he was dead?" he asked calmly.
"Well…" Ahsoka said. "in his own way, he was telling the truth. Darth Vader has completely taken over. Anakin doesn't exist anymore. From a certain point of view, Obi-Wan said the truth."
Luke couldn't help but find that answer irritating. "From a certain point of view?"
"Remember what he himself said?" Jaral reminded. "Things will always look according to how we decide to see them. And the point is, the person who was your father has been replaced by a machine filled with hatred and rage."
"And there is no chance to bring him back?" Luke asked, though he wasn't expecting a positive answer.
"I tried…" Ahsoka said discouraged. "And I would've died if it wasn't for Ezra pulling me into the World Between Worlds. I'm afraid there is nothing we can do, Luke. At this point, killing him is probably doing him a favor."
Luke was clearly conflicted. He paced around the room, his head lowered on his chest as he tried to come up with a straight answer to the dilemma, but it became clear that there wasn't one.
So he simply rejoined the group and decided to make another question.
"How did that happen? Why did he turn to the Dark Side?"
The siblings couldn't answer this question, so they looked at Ahsoka, who gathered her patience and spoke up.
"I can't tell for sure. We know now that the Emperor was posing as the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic during the Clone Wars, and Anakin spent a lot of time with him. Palpatine probably had any chance to slowly push him toward the darkness."
Ezra thus remembered something. "Maybe he used something he feared, or something Anakin truly wished for."
"What do you mean?" Luke asked.
"During the battle for Lothal, he tried to make me open the portal of the Jedi temple that was on this planet by showing me something I really wanted."
"What was that?" Jaral asked. "I don't think we ever talked about that."
"It was quite simple, actually. I wanted a galaxy at peace, where all of us could live our lives freely. That was what he showed through the portal right after giving me the prospect of losing everybody...which almost worked, since I was still grieving for Kanan's death." he concluded with a bit of shame in his voice.
"But you pushed back." Jaral said to encourage him. "And in the end, you saved Lothal."
"So what did my father wanted?" Luke asked.
"If I have to guess…" Ahsoka started. "he probably wanted to save your mother."
Luke's attention was now caught completely. All of a sudden he remembered that there wasn't only his father. He walked next to Ahsoka and sat on the couch as well.
"Tell me about her, please."
Ahsoka was caught a bit by surprise, but then slightly shook her head and smiled, seeing the enthusiasm in Luke's eyes.
"Your mother was Padmé Amidala. She was the Queen of Naboo, then Senator of the Republic." she started with a warm tone. "She was truly a unique person. Even in the bleakest days of the war, even when Palpatine was gathering more and more power for himself, she always put the well-being of the citizens in the first place.
"She firmly believed in democracy and the values that stood at the foundation of the Republic. She gave hope to billions of beings. Sometimes I think that the Rebellion actually stemmed from her undying tenacity. She showed the people that there is always a choice between tyranny and freedom."
Luke couldn't hold back a chuckle. "I guess that Leia took everything from her."
The other Force-wielders couldn't help but agree with that statement with smiles of their own.
Come to think of it, Luke and Leia's lives had been incredibly similar to either the mother or the father according to their gender: Luke had grown up on Tatooine, living an uneventful life until some strangers showed up and told them they could become Jedi. Leia had grown up as a princess and a politician.
Though, in their minds, the siblings hoped that Luke's story would not end up like his father's.
A brief silence followed, until Luke made a louder sigh and stood up. "Okay. I think I have enough to think about for tonight. I'll go get some sleep, if you don't mind."
"Oh, not at all." Jaral replied right before yawning and stretching her arm. "We got a lot of work to do, tomorrow."
January 22.
"The shuttle is ready."
"Thanks, Qathora. Let's get going before the Moffs start complaining for the wait."
The two headed toward the hangar, where the shuttle and Starkiller were waiting for them.
"You remember your cover name?" Iulius asked to the Dark-sider.
"I still don't understand why I have to answer to it." the man replied with a bit of irritation in his otherwise cold tone.
"Because yours is borderline childish and the Moffs wouldn't take us seriously if you get to present yourself. So…?"
The man grunted with his breath, but still replied. "My name is Galen Marek and I'm an agent of the Emperor assigned to your safety."
"Good." Iulius said with satisfaction, then turned toward the pilots. "We can go."
The officers nodded and soon enough the Lambda left the starboard hangar of the Admonitor, starting to descend toward the planet beneath: Naboo.
A few days before, the Grand Admiral had decided to summon all the Moffs and Admirals of the most important sectors of the Mid Rim. This conference was supposed to help Iulius present himself in person to all of them as the new Warlord, but he intended to use the occasion to assess those that should have helped him administrate the region.
Iulius, in fact, had many changes in mind that he wanted to apply. From phasing out slavery and keeping indentured servitude only for criminals, to completely overhaul the structure of the Sector Fleets in order to improve the quality of the imperial military under his jurisdiction.
But to do that, he was going to need the support of the Moffs, and even though he wasn't expecting anything to come out from this meeting, he knew that he had to try, cause there was no other way around the problem, if anything because Iulius had only a basic understanding of administration and he certainly couldn't manage both the planets and the war effort on his own.
After a few minutes of silent flight, the shuttle landed on a platform into the military base of the capital city Theed. There an officer welcomed and escorted the three them into the base and in front of the conference room.
And as Iulius opened the door, he spotted only three Moffs with their respective Admirals, but one of the latter was the last he thought (or wanted, for that matter) to see.
The deplorable chubby face of the Admiral of Fondor turned toward him and smiled at him under those irritable mustache.
"Iulius, my boy!" the voice of his father completely surprised Iulius...in a bad way.
The Admiral widened his arms and walked toward him as if he wanted to hug him, though he never actually intended to do that and lowered them, simply offering a hand to shake.
Iulius suddenly remembered that he had lots of reasons that justified the frown that had instinctively appeared on his face as he looked at the being called Chimbros Tanis. Mostly the fact that he had been completely absent from his life since he saw him the year before on Fondor, and now he was welcoming him as if he was the best parent in the galaxy.
Just to save formalities, Iulius shook Chimbros' hand, but gripped as tight as he could, managing to make him moan slightly from the pain.
"You got stronger, I see." Chimbros said with a chuckle. Every single word of his voice bumping straight into Iulius' nerves.
"What are you doing here?" Iulius asked, unable to hide a hiss.
"He's here with me, of course." another voice came from behind Chimbros. The Admiral stepped aside, revealing a man with the ranks of a Moff.
"Moff Raythe." Iulius said respectfully. "I'm afraid I don't understand."
"You weren't notified?" Raythe asked with a bit of surprise. "The Fondor shipyards have been put under your jurisdiction, Grand Admiral. High Command on Coruscant thought you could use it." he then took the datapad hanging on his belt. "Here, these are the orders."
He quickly swiped on the screen a couple times then handed the device to Iulius, who took it and read. Indeed, that was a mail from the Ministry of War that made Fondor and all its resources available for Iulius, since now the Mid Rim was considered the most important front of the war.
"I see." Iulius said with a bit of surprise and returned the datapad. "In that case, I'll immediately tell you that I intend to start the mass production of two new classes of TIEs."
"Of course." Raythe replied in a cooperative voice. "Just send me the schematics and I'll make sure to dedicate an entire shipyard to them."
"You'll need more than a shipyard…" the Grand Admiral said as he took a small holo-projector in his palm and showed the first hologram. "This it the TIE Phantom. It comes with shields, hyperdrive and a special cloaking device that requires specific crystals. But I'll send some of the engineers who built it to assist." he announced.
"I see." replied Raythe as he analyzed the hologram closely. "And the second one?"
Iulius pushed a small button and now a new hologram appeared.
"This. The TIE Defender. Grand Admiral Thrawn had entrusted me with a copy of the schematics before his capture, but I didn't have the resources to build it before."
"Ah, I heard about it." the Moff commented. "I'll see what I can do."
Chimbros then huffed. "Why use the project of an alien?" he said with a smug tone. "I'm sure you can come out with something better."
This time, Iulius couldn't hold his tongue and sternly replied. "This project only failed because of Governor's Pryce brilliant idea to blow up the fuel depot just to kill a single Jedi, who wasn't even that important on a strategic level.
"And I swear on the Emperor, Admiral, that if your blatant speciesism causes you to make incredibly stupid decisions, I'll make sure you never command a fleet again." he concluded in a cold, menacing tone toward his father.
His father was taken aback, evidently not used to his son being that assertive, and instinctively replied. "What, you got soft, all of a sudden, Iulius?" he then took a look at Qathora, who was silently glaring at him. "Look there. You are still keeping the slave I gave you, and you're trying to tell me…"
"Qathora is no longer a slave." Iulius interrupted him. "I freed her the moment we got on that shuttle, and she has helped me more than you can possibly imagine. And second, it's 'Grand Admiral' to you."
Iulius didn't even notice that more officers had entered the room and everyone was looking with interest at the scene.
Now Chimbros widened his eyes in disbelief and indignation. "Watch your steps, young man. I am your father and you owe me respect."
But Iulius, tired of it all, simply made a gesture to Starkiller with his hand, and a moment later, Chimbros shut up. He started to gurgle, slowly at first, then much more loudly, with everyone else wondering what was happening.
Soon, between coughs and spouting in search for air, Chimbros fell on his knees as he kept his hands around his neck, trying to get free of a hold that simply wasn't physical.
Iulius then bend a knee and stared at his father with a cold stare.
"You don't deserve a damn thing from me." he whispered in a neutral tone that added terror to Chimbros.
"Let's make this clear. I am in charge now, and I expect you to follow my orders to the letter. If you try to screw me up, then I'll shoot you in the face myself. Is that clear?"
"Y-yes." Chimbros whimpered.
"What?" Iulius asked a bit louder. "I couldn't hear that."
Chimbros gathered all his strength and said with an acute voice. "Sir...yes, sir…!"
Satisfied, Iulius stood up and signaled the Dark-sider to release the grip, letting Chimbros fall on his fours as he struggled for air and leaving everyone else in silence, clearly intimidated.
This wasn't how Iulius planned this to go, but he quickly realized that it could work to his advantage: after all, imperial Moffs only understood strength, and this show of power on his side (putting his own father into place with someone else blindingly exerting power on his part) clearly helped the others to understand that he was at the top of the chain, right now, and that they better listen to him.
"I'm sorry for the disgraceful scene." Iulius said in a calm tone. "I see most of us is here. Let's start this summit." he then declared as he headed toward the opposite end of the rectangular table.
The Moffs all sat at the two sides, with the Admirals standing right next to them. Raythe and Chimbros stood almost on the other end.
Iulius took a quick glimpse and noticed that the table was full, so after looking at the closes Moff in the eye, and with Marek and Qathora standing next to him, he decided it was time to start.
It was early morning at Capitol City. Skycars and speeders flew and ran all around the streets of the city and a CR90 had just appeared over the skies, heading toward the spaceport. That was the ship that Jaral and Darvos were waiting.
After having already said goodbye to Ahsoka and Nimbus, Ezra prepared for what was going to be the hardest one in a while.
In fact, the three of them didn't talk much. Darvos stood at a distance as he knew that the siblings needed some time on their own, but in reality words weren't coming out.
This wasn't going to be like the last few years, where them being separated didn't actually mean much since they would see and talk to each other in just a few days away.
Ezra was about to embark for a campaign on the other side of the galaxy while Jaral was going to deal with politics and then focus her efforts on another region. This time, they were going to stay away for what seemed to be like a long time.
And while Ezra would still have the majority of their family and friends by his side, none of them could replace the unique spot his sister had in his life.
"I could really use you for this next adventure." Ezra eventually said, trying to sound funny.
Jaral chuckled lightly. "Oh, I'm sure. But I wouldn't have given this much responsibility to you if I didn't think you are ready." she said.
Ezra appreciated the trust, but he still felt a bit nervous.
"Commanding a single battle in one thing, but managing a whole campaign…"
"You'll do great, Ezra." Jaral reassured her with that tone that always managed to calm her brother. "Besides, you have the others to rely on."
"Right. What about you?" he asked. "You're gonna be almost entirely alone, out there."
"Well, Dad is still fighting in this region. I guess I'll have him." she nonchalantly replied.
Ezra huffed and didn't reply.
They stayed silent for another couple of minutes, which was when a military convoy, which included a Scorpion tank, arrived.
That was the escort for Jaral and Darvos that would bring them at the spaceport. A troop carrier Warthog stopped at the side of the road and the soldiers in the back dismounted, forming a small perimeter and ready to escort the two young officers.
Darvos went to speak with the NCO, giving the siblings time for a last salute.
Whatever they needed to say, they said it through the bond, or they didn't, because some of that were horrible thoughts about things going in the worst way possible.
So they just hugged. An embrace that was much more felt than usual.
The future looked uncertain. That could be the last time they saw each other, but they didn't let that stop them from doing their duty as Jedi and leaders of the Rebellion.
"Be careful out there." Jaral eventually whispered.
"I'll be back, don't worry." Ezra reassured her.
They squeezed one last time and then released the hug. After touching their foreheads briefly, Ezra tried to appear a bit joyful and turned toward the others.
"Darvos." he called, making the interested person turn. "She's all yours now. Treat her nicely or I'm coming for you." he said with a quip.
Darvos laughed. "I'll make sure of it."
The siblings smiled at each other, albeit a bit hesitantly, and then Jaral walked away toward the passenger seat of the car.
Ezra stood there and watched as the convoy got back on track and took his sister away.
Such was the situation they found themselves in, and he simply accepted it. Maybe next time they saw each other again, it would be to celebrate the final victory. At least he hoped that as he mounted on his speeder and headed toward Camp Garibaldi.