Four years after the Battle of Endor, Chancellor Mon Mothma has won re-election. Luke Skywalker has bestowed the rank of Jedi Master upon Leia Organa, and Mon Mothma offers Leia an opportunity that presents a difficult dilemma. To resolve the dilemma, Leia seeks counsel from an old friend. . .
"Jedi Master Leia Organa," said Ahsoka Tano, beaming with pride at Leia's newly christened designation.
Leia smiled broadly, and she strode forward across her apartment to embrace her friend and former Master. The embrace lingered as both women closed their eyes in pleasure at reuniting after a year spent apart. They separated, and Ahsoka held Leia by the shoulders, looking her up and down. Before her stood an accomplished woman, a perfect blend of father and mother who appeared to have inherited both of their finest traits while also assimilating some of the best traits of her late friend, Bail Organa. Ahsoka could still see the child there, preternaturally aware and bestowed with the gifts beyond which most humans ever received. It felt like it was only moments ago that Leia had boasted that she would one day best the Shadow Man. So much had changed since then; the Shadow Man, whom Ahsoka had understood to be the Emperor, was dead, and his Empire had fallen. Anakin had been redeemed, and the Skywalker children had set about the daunting task of rebuilding the Republic and the Jedi Order. Leia had not done it alone, but the Shah-tezh match had indeed ended with Leia victorious. The thought broadened Ahsoka's smile.
"It's good to see you, Master," Leia said, her eyes radiant with pleasure.
"Please," Ahsoka said, releasing Leia's shoulders, "Just Ahsoka. Now that you've been trained, I can devote my attention to other matters beyond rebuilding the Jedi."
"So you're still determined not to rejoin?" Leia asked. Her voice held no disappointment or disapproval – only curiosity.
"No," Ahsoka said, smiling sadly. "I will help your brother where I can, but my destiny diverged from the Jedi Order a long time ago."
Leia nodded, her smile broadening. She had heard the story of Ahsoka's break from the Order many times, and both Luke and Leia had accepted Ahsoka's independence, as well as her help when offered.
"Besides," Ahsoka added, "The Order is in good hands. Between you, Master Luke, Master Junda, Master Rancisis, and Master Kcaj, I feel confident that I won't be needed for long."
Leia's smile faltered, and Ahsoka noticed the shift. As she frowned, Leia turned away, gesturing to her protocol droid. Threepio shuffled in, carrying two mugs of tea and precluding any inquiry from Ahsoka.
"Master Ahsoka, how good to see you!" Threepio declared, and Ahsoka smiled, taking the two mugs from the tray that Threepio carried. Leia beckoned to the balcony, and Ahsoka followed, carrying the two mugs.
Ahsoka followed Leia to the balcony, which overlooked Coruscant's night sky. Ahsoka handed Leia her mug, and the two leaned against the balcony's railing through a long, comfortable silence. Ahsoka caught sight of the Jedi Temple, dark and abandoned, and she suppressed a shiver. As the shiver passed, she felt a stab of appreciation at Luke's insistence on not bringing the Order back to Coruscant, regardless of how strongly Master Rancisis and Master Kcaj had advocated for it.
Leia broke the silence, saying, "Thank you for coming. I know it's not easy for you to be back here."
Ahsoka sipped her tea, recognizing the familiar flavors of Yavin honey and luvella tea. Closing her eyes in pleasure at the flavor, she relinquished the echoes of her painful past, instead bringing her focus back to the moment. She turned to Leia, smiling as she said, "The past is the past, Leia. Besides, how often do I get a chance to share a cup of tea with you these days?"
"Not often enough," Leia agreed, returning Ahsoka's smile.
"But I sense you did not invite me here just to drink tea and reminisce," Ahsoka said.
Leia turned away, her expression becoming more somber. Ahsoka registered the shift, and her first inklings of concern blossomed. Ahsoka waited for Leia to gather her thoughts, sipping at the tea again.
Leia exhaled, then said, "Mon Mothma has asked me to join her cabinet as Galactic Affairs Secretary."
"That's quite an honor," Ahsoka said, refraining from further commentary as an invitation for Leia to speak her thoughts.
"Indeed. And now that I've achieved Mastery, commenced the Alderaanian resettlement, and Ben is on Yavin training with Master Junda, it seems I've run out of excuses," Leia said, her voice wistful.
Ahsoka read into the wistfulness that Leia harbored reluctance to devote herself to governance. Ahsoka sipped her tea again, then asked, "How does Han feel about it?"
"Not thrilled," Leia said, gazing out across the skyline. "He seems to think I've done enough for the galaxy and don't owe Mon Mothma anything."
"But?" Ahsoka replied to spur Leia into unpacking her concerns.
"The galaxy's not out of the woods. Even the stuff Han tells me makes me think things are going to get bad again," Leia admitted.
"I know," Ahsoka replied. "I still haven't found him yet. He's out there, somewhere, and who knows what he'll do if he shows up."
"It took us a while, but Han and I finally agreed, at least in principle," Leia said. "Both of us agreed that the most important thing is making sure the galaxy is safe for our children."
"Children?" Ahsoka said, turning toward Leia with eyebrows raised. "You didn't tell me. . ."
"I'm sorry. It's a habit," Leia said. "Every day that goes by, Kira feels more and more like my daughter."
"How's it going with her," Ahsoka asked, draining the last of her tea and setting the mug down on the railing.
"Now that Ben's started his training with Master Junda, she misses him. She's struggling at school," Leia admitted, and Ahsoka had the sense that they were nearing the core of her concerns.
"I get the feeling that your concerns aren't just about Han and needing a break from galactic politics," Ahsoka said, surveying Leia's expression carefully.
Leia sighed again and said, "She's ready to begin her training. The nightmares stopped a long time ago, and she's as secure as anybody I've met, shyness aside."
Ahsoka ran through a mental inventory of what Jedi remained. Master Kestis would have been the obvious candidate, had he not just committed to a new Padawan. Master Junda was now committed to Ben. The only other Masters were Master Rancisis and Master Kcaj, and Ahsoka frowned as she tried to imagine them training the shy, brooding, spirited, but brilliant child Leia had rescued. "Will Luke train her?" Ahsoka asked.
Worry seeped into Leia's face, as she said, "Actually, that's part of why I wanted to talk to you."
Ahsoka read Leia's underlying emotion, and she felt her own misgivings emerge suddenly. "Leia, I think I know where you're going with this. You know I made a promise, and with these questions about Thrawn still unanswered. . ."
"It wouldn't just be you. I think she'll benefit from Master by committee, actually. But she's going to need an anchor; somebody she can trust. Luke has too many Awakenings to keep track of, and between you and me, I don't trust Master Rancisis or Master Kcaj to be able to handle her," Leia said, an urgency suffusing her voice as she began to persuade.
"But with what she needs, I can't find Thrawn and train her properly at the same time," Ahsoka said, frowning as several objections percolated internally.
"You wouldn't have to," Leia said. "I just persuaded Mon Mothma to reassign Han to a special intelligence operation. His entire job now is to track Thrawn down."
"You know it's not just Thrawn I'm looking for," Ahsoka countered.
"But you said yourself that wherever Thrawn goes, Ezra will likely be, too," Leia continued.
"I did say that," Ahsoka said.
Leia plowed ahead, her determination gaining a head of steam, as she added, "You'll have complete security clearance, and Han will report everything directly to you. You'll have priority to follow whatever leads you wish to follow, and meanwhile Masters Luke, Rancisis, Kcaj, and Junda can continue to help Kira grow. Luke agrees that you can have plenty of flexibility in this."
"And how do Master Rancisis and Kcaj feel about this?" Ahsoka asked, her eyebrow raised slightly.
"They're against it for a dozen different reasons, but they also recognize that attempting to run the Jedi Order like it did 100 years ago doesn't make sense today," Leia said assuredly.
"That's a surprise," Ahsoka said, and she leaned over the railing, gazing back out at the Jedi Temple. She remembered Rancisis and Kcaj from the temple, and they were both challenging Jedi with whom she had rarely interacted. Her mind settled on her next concern, and she added, "And what did Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Anakin have to say about her training?"
"About what you'd expect. Yoda is non-committal, only pointing out the challenges. Anakin is sanguine about it, and Obi-Wan says he respects whatever I decide," Leia said. She hesitated, then added, "And they are all very favorable to your involvement."
Ahsoka felt a rush of gratitude at their confidence, but she still had a sense of Leia's apprehension and anxiety. Ahsoka studied her former student, frowning as she attempted to deduce what else might be troubling her. Leia met her gaze, then looked away.
"Leia, what aren't you telling me?" Ahsoka asked, having deduced that Leia still had not spoken her deepest concern.
"If you accept her as a Padawan, there's something you should know," Leia said, her voice quiet, apprehension radiating from her.
Ahsoka turned to face her and crossed her arms, waiting patiently to hear what Leia would say. Leia sighed then said, "Before Jakku, Anakin told us of a secret Imperial program that reported directly to the Emperor himself. We went there, but the facility had exploded only moments before."
"At which point you found Kira," Ahsoka said, encouraging Leia to continue.
"Shortly after, we discovered who she was, and. . ." Leia hesitated, and she looked up at Ahsoka.
"And?" Ahsoka said, still waiting patiently.
"She's the Emperor's daughter," Leia admitted.
Ahsoka turned away and leaned back over the railing. She held the silence as she felt the ripples of shock, betrayal, anger, confusion, curiosity, and fear radiating through her. Leia waited, and Ahsoka was content to let her wait; she would not speak her mind until she had a clear sense of what she felt about this.
Several minutes passed, when Ahsoka asked, "Why would you even consider training somebody with her history and his power?"
Leia's voice was somber, but her conviction was clear, "We both know a person's history does not dictate their future. She's going to be very powerful, and without the right hand guiding her, I fear what she could become."
"I fear what she could become even with the right hand guiding her," Ahsoka said. Her memories of Anakin, another orphaned child with a dark past and enormous power, resonating in her mind.
"You're thinking of my father," Leia said presciently, to which she added, "And he's precisely why I want you to train her. You will know better than anybody what she needs."
"What makes you so certain?" Ahsoka asked, voicing her misgivings.
"You, more than myself, more than Luke, are the one person I would trust in this. She's special, and there's something about her that I can't quite put my finger on. She needs you," Leia said, imploring Ahsoka.
Ahsoka sighed, sitting with the weight of what Leia told her. She said, "You were reckless to take her on."
"It would have been more reckless to let her grow up without us," Leia replied.
Ahsoka raised her eyes and nodded, but she countered, saying, "There's no guarantee she won't turn to the darkness."
"You're talking to somebody who watched her planet explode. There's no guarantee of anything," Leia said, quite somber.
"I'm going to have to think about it," Ahsoka said. "And. . ." Ahsoka said, leaving the phrase hanging.
"And?" Leia said.
Ahsoka turned to her, suddenly quite serious. "If the Masters won't offer more concrete guidance, and given my misgivings, we need counsel from somebody else. I won't agree to any of this until I've heard from him.
"Him?" Leia asked, perplexed.
The Aldera soared over an endless sea of yellow sand dunes bathed in purple light of a perpetual twilight. Coral formations protruded in clusters from the oceanic desert, casting deep shadows across the twilit wastelands. The ship streaked across the sky, its pilot deep in concentration, connected to the Force, reaching out with a gentle request, and waiting patiently for the response.
Ahsoka opened her eyes and stared into the distance. Leia looked to her, then looked down to the desert below. She saw the ruins of a Rebellion-era Imperial walker half consumed in sand, detritus from its corpse strewn about the area. She turned back to Ahsoka, who asked Leia, "Can you feel it?"
Leia closed her eyes, opening herself in the Force. It was distant at first, but as soon as she noticed it, she felt the sense of something stirring. And as it stirred, she had the sense of pain, suffering, anger, even fear.
"He's hurt," Ahsoka said, and then closing her eyes again, she whispered, "Thrawn."
Leia swallowed, feeling her own misgivings rising. She knew Thrawn's history, and she had watched many of her friends die at his hand. She was unsurprised that his terrorism extended even this far, but she still was unclear over who "He" was and how "He" had suffered.
Ahsoka steared the freighter around a circular depression ringed with towering coral formations, and finding a sandy landing spot, she piloted the Aldera down to the ground, dispersing sand outward before the ship settled with a faint bump. Ahsoka stood up and left the cockpit, and Leia lingered, gazing over the depression as she felt a nagging sense of unplaceable familiarity. Her senses opened to the Force, and her mind grazed that of another beyond Ahsoka, stirring apprehension. There was something familiar about the mind, as if she had met him once long ago but had buried the memory deep within.
Leia heard the boarding ramp lower, and she rose from her chair and hurried through the galley to catch up with Ahsoka. Ahsoka pulled her robe around her to buffet her skin from the hot, stinging winds, and Leia pulled her hood over her head to protect herself as well. Ahsoka set off without a word, and Leia followed her, hunched over as she walked to shield herself from the wind. She followed Ahsoka down the rim of the depression and as Ahsoka settled herself to the ground in meditation, she also sat cross-legged, unsure of what or of whom they were waiting for.
Several minutes passed, and as Leia continued to open her senses, she felt the presence stirring as if awaking from a long sleep. She heard the being speak before she could see who spoke, and she jumped slightly as she heard the booming, resonant voice said, "Who disturbs my slumber?"
"It is I, Ahsoka Tano," Ahsoka said. "I bring with me Leia Organa, daughter of Anakin Skywalker."
Leia registered a note of curiosity from the presence, and with the note came pain disconnected from the curiosity. She felt the Force rippling around her, and she opened her eyes to watch a massive, gray beast materialize in the center of the depression. He wore a hard shell on his back covered in coral not unlike the corals surrounding the depression. At his full height, he would have stood five times as tall as Leia, but as he appeared, he collapsed into the sand, his breathing labored and his eyes shut.
"Wakefulness brings pain, Ahsoka Tano and Leia Organa," the being said. "I do not wish to be disturbed."
Ahsoka said, "It was Thrawn, wasn't it?"
"The Outcast? Indeed. I expect he has met his fate?" the creature asked.
"He has," Ahsoka said, "As has the Emperor. As has Vader."
The Bendu inclined his head slightly, and Leia had the impression that it hurt him to talk. She could feel his pain resonating through the Force, and she saw the wound in his chest, still open, still unhealed. Unable to bear the beast's pain any longer, she rose. She felt Ahsoka's alarm as she said, "Leia, what are you doing?"
Leia ignored her, and very slowly, she approached the creature. His breathing remained labored, and he looked toward her, eyeing her suspiciously. He allowed her to approach within two meters of his face when he said, "Leia Organa, daughter of Skywalker. What do you intend?" She felt his hot breath sweep past her as he spoke.
She reached her hand out toward his wound, saying, "Your wound. I can help."
"It cannot be helped," the creature said, and he winced as he said so. She took another step forward, but he did not move, nor did he resist her approach. She came within an inch of his still chest, which still rose and fell laboriously with breath. She could feel his breath passing in and out of the wound in his chest. Seeing the raw, burnt flesh that still had not healed, she reached her hand out, and closing her eyes, reached deep into the Force.
She did not know why she did it, nor was she entirely sure what she was doing. But as she felt the connection grow between herself and the creature, she felt his mind grow curious, almost eager to know what would happen if Leia continued. Reaching deep into herself, she found that part of her that had given so much to Ben, and later so much to Kira; an inexhaustible well of care, concern, and love. Allowing it flow from her, she could feel this deep part of herself touching the creature's wound.
Moments later, she had a sense of Ahsoka standing beside her, and although Ahsoka had never known the care and love of raising children, she two reached out from a similar place, allowing something of herself to pass to the Bendu. As they stood, each channeling their compassion and essence, Leia had a sense of the creature's agony diminishing, but to her concern and fear, the wound remained, albeit much less inflamed.
Realizing that there was little else she could do, Leia opened her eyes and lowered her hand. The creature continued to breath, but its breathing had settled. His eyes were closed, and Leia had a sense of his relief. She stepped back, and Leia again had a sense of his hot breath passing over him as he whispered, "Thank you."
Leia and Ahsoka turned away from the creature, returning to their seats. The creature continued to breathe deeply, his eyes still closed. "You have done me a great kindness, Leia Organa. For this, I wish to return the favor."
"We've come seeking your counsel," Ahsoka said.
The creature opened his eyes and narrowed them to scrutinize Ahsoka and Leia before saying, "And why do you seek counsel from the One in the Middle? Surely your Jedi can advise."
"This is something that Jedi cannot provide guidance on," Ahsoka said.
The Bendu inclined his head, indicating that he was listening. Recognizing the opportunity, Leia said, "Following the final battle with the Empire, my brother and I found a girl strong with the dark side of the Force. We took her in, raised her, and did our best to heal her. We discovered that she is the daughter of Emperor Palpatine, and we sought your counsel over whether she would be trained."
"If Sidious was the father, who was the mother?" The Bendu again asked.
"Her name was Amaya. All we know of her is that she was Force sensitive, and that Kira was attached to her through a deep emotional bond," Leia explained.
"Which she has now transferred to you?" the Bendu asked.
"Yes," Leia acknowledged, disquieted.
"I thought Skywalker was foolish to resurrect the Order. It should have remained dead. But I am intrigued to hear such openness on the issue of attachment," The Bendu acknowledged.
"I saw to it that Luke took a different view," Leia explained.
"And how do you feel about this, Ahsoka Tano?" the Bendu asked.
"Afraid," Ahsoka said. "I saw what happened to Anakin, and I don't know if it's safe to train somebody of her upbringing."
"One's upbringing matters not," the Bendu said. "Organa's upbringing was not unlike Palpatine's; wealth, privilege, power; political ascension; considerable strength in the Force. You still share the Jedi preoccupation with purity, Ahsoka Tano," he chided, to which Ahsoka shifted uncomfortably.
Leia did not add to the comments, instead allowing silence to settle so that the Bendu could mull over what they had shared. He remained silent for several minutes, again closing his eyes. Just as Leia had begun to fear that he had fallen asleep, he said, "A child of light and dark. . . A great opportunity, this is."
"Opportunity?" Leia asked.
"The Jedi Order is reborn, its central tenets changed – for now. A child emerges, born in darkness and raised in light. I see great hope in her training," the Bendu said.
"Trained as a Jedi?" Leia asked, hoping for clarification.
"Subjecting her to the Jedi Code will be an injustice and will invite failure," the Bendu said.
"But the Jedi Code. . ." Ahsoka began.
"Do you not already understand that the legacy of the Jedi Code is failure?" the Bendu said, his voice raised slightly. Leia had a sense of the being's anger, and she felt it quickly balancing back into a quiet, stoic neutrality. "Skywalker's wisdom on resurrecting the Order is questionable. Such a child will require something greater than dogma to lead her to her destiny."
"Destiny?" Leia asked as a fleeting stab of dread passed through her.
"Do not be alarmed, Leia Organa. Fate waits for us all, and we will end up on her doorstep whether we will it or not. In training this child, I sense your wisdom in asking Ahsoka Tano, provided she sheds her attachment to purity and dogma. The child will benefit from one who is not a Jedi. I only regret that I can't have a hand in it," the Bendu said, his voice trailing off wistfully.
Leia felt a sense of unease at the thought of this strange, mercurial creature training Kira. The feeling passed, and she turned to Ahsoka. Ahsoka appeared grave, lost in contemplation, but having heard the idea endorsed by a being she considered to be much wiser than she, she turned to Leia and nodded, saying, "I will train her."
Ahsoka rose to her feet, and Leia followed. Ahsoka bowed to the Bendu, saying, "Thank you, Bendu, for your counsel."
"And you, Ahsoka Tano, for easing my pain," the Bendu said, inclining his head again.
Ahsoka turned, and Leia made to follow her, but the Bendu spoke once again, saying, "Might I have a word with you alone, Leia Organa?"
Leia turned back to the Bendu, whose eyes were open and gazing at her with piercing intensity. She turned back to Ahsoka, who appeared intrigued. Leia turned back, saying, "Ok." Ahsoka walked back toward the ship, and Leia sank back into the sand, waiting for the Bendu to begin speaking.
With Ahsoka gone, the Bendu said, "The Force has chosen an unusual path for you, Leia Organa."
Leia thought of the things she had been and the things she expected to become, and between the various roles she played and the responsibilities she filled, she felt the Bendu was stating the obvious. She responded, "It's been an unusual life, I guess."
"You misunderstand," the Bendu corrected, and he added, "Remember, do you? The Shah-tezh board? Your match with the Shadow?"
Disquiet settled on Leia. How had he known?
"There is little I do not know, Leia Organa," the Bendu responded to her unspoken thought, and he added, "Just as I know that your match is only just beginning."
"But Palpatine is dead," Leia said, a horrible fear emerging at the thought of another Sith waiting in the shadows, biding his time. The memory of the Shadow Man rose in her, and she remembered the terror he induced as a child. Suddenly, the memory of the Bendu flashed as well, and she realized that she had seen him once before, too. He was one of many things she had seen, including a man with blue skin and red eyes, Luke, a massive fleet, a child, and an older woman sitting at a desk that she now recognized as the Chancellor's desk from her hours of deliberating and scheming with Mon Mothma.
"But the game is eternal. Remove the Imperator, and the game begins anew. And ever shall it continues until balance occurs," the Bendu explained. "The match is only just beginning."
"But I thought the Force was already balanced?" Leia asked.
"Balance? The Jedi heard the prophecy and, knowing nothing of true balance, thought it meant the end of the Sith. In this case, neither is true," the Bendu explained.
"Are you saying the Sith are still out there?" Leia asked, her fear rising.
"The Sith are but a manifestation of the darkness, just as the Jedi are a manifestation of the light. So long as the pieces remain upon the board, the match continues," the Bendu explained.
"Then what do you counsel?" Leia asked, staving off her horror.
"The girl. A child of light and dark," the Bendu said. "Do not let her become tainted by the myopia of the Jedi Order."
"Myopia?" Leia asked.
"The summer butterfly knows nothing of the winter moth," the Bendu explained. "Allow her not to see just the light and dark. Allow her to see the board; the demesne."
"What do you mean?" Leia asked.
"While the light and dark squabble, the Force awaits its moment. Only then can balance emerge," the Bendu said.
Leia opened her mouth to ask for clarification, but in that moment, the Bendu vanished, suddenly and irrevocably.
"Bendu?" Leia called out. Silence followed, to which Leia called again, "Bendu?!"
No response came, and sensing that the creature would not return, she slumped into the sand. Much of what the Bendu said was opaque, confusing, or contradictory. Had the Sith truly returned? Was she destined to face the Shadow again? And if so, what was the role that the Bendu intimated, and why did he feel that the Jedi were so poorly suited to help her there? More questions than answers, she mused to herself, and then she heard an echo in her mind, and she was unsure whether she was only imagining it or whether it was the Bendu's parting words:
How are you to hear the will of the Force with so many questions in your mind?
