Chapter Two New threat revealed

Mon Mothma looked up as a Lt ran up to her with a report in his hand, she accepted it with a nod and thanked him. She looked down and felt shock roll through her. Mon Mothma shook as she read over Luke Skywalker's report.

Officer's name: Luke Skywalker

Commission: Commander Position: NA

Date: May 17, 1923

Report summary: Left the strike team to confront Lord Vader. He took me aboard the death star, Emperor Palpitine and Lord Vader tried to seduce me over to the darkside. I resisted, Vader and I fought in a lightsaber duel. I sliced off Vader's hand. Palpitine tried to kill me, when I refused to take Vader's place at his side as his right hand. Palpitine almost succeed when Lord Vader turned back to the lightside and killed Palpitine. In turn I feel that I owe Vader at least this much to save his life. So I am giving him a second chance to fully redeem himself. He has defected over to the Alliances side. He is aboard the med frigate, being treated. He has defected over, Reason:, he can't go back to the Empire after what he did.

Doctor's note, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa were persistent to get him into surgery. I feel that they are hiding something and not being completely truthful as to why they want to save Lord Vader's life.

Mon Mothma shook her head as she turned her attention back to the Lt. "Lt Matthews, call Admiral Ackbar and General Madine, tell them to meet me in the war room in fifteen minutes."

Lt Matthews nodded as he walked over to communications carrying out his orders.

"Mon Mothma, we finally cracked the code for the drone message." The Chief encryptor called out, she walked over and watched as a message came up.

IMPERIAL GOVERNOR WILEK NEREUS OF THE BAKURA SYSTEM, TO HIS MOST EXCELLENT IMPERIAL MASTER PALPITINE. GREETINGS IN HASTE.

BAKURA IS UNDER ATTACK BY AN ALIEN INVASION FORCE FROM OUTSIDE YOUR DOMAIN. ESTIMATE FIVE CRUSIERS, SEVERAL DOZEN SUPPORT SHIPS, OVER 1000 SMALL FIGHTERS, UNKNOWN TECHNOLOGY. WE HAVE LOST HALF OUR DEFENSE AND ALL OUTERSYSTEM POSTS. HOLONET TRANSMISSIONS TO IMPERIAL CENTER AND DEATH STAR TWO HAVE GONE UNANSWERED. URGENT, REPEAT URGENT, SEND STORMTROOPERS.

"Is there any more of this data?" Mon Mothma asked with growing dread.

"Yes there are the visuals." The encryption chief brought up the visuals, an Imperial system-patrol craft appeared and she watched as hundreds of escape pods spewed out of the ship. An unknown design craft swung over and began to pick up the pods, " taking prisoners." Lt Matthews whispered as he felt chills running down his spine.

Mon Mothma nodded, "Run a check on that design." She watched as the camera left the scene in a hurry. The situation looked bad.

"The design is unknown, it is neither used by the alliance or the empire." A captain replied a few seconds later looking up from his screen. Mon Mothma nodded as she, weighed the odds and ends, it would be a risk but if she could send a negotiator and a small task force to back her up, they could get Bakura on their side. She thought it over and made up her mind. "Send the data off to Captain Wedge Antillies, I want a small task force to leave within the next three days. And also encrypt a copy to Leia Organa. I want her to go as top negotiator. Get the location of Bakura and map out the shortest route."

"Yes Sir" The Lt replied as he prepared the documents, "Reports will be sent out within the hour. "

Mon Mothma smiled in amusement at the use of sir to her, she wasn't used to hearing someone call her that. She walked out of the communications room and headed to the war room. She looked down at the documents as she was passing her office, she wondered if she should show the report to Ackbar and Madine or not, she made up her mind and walked to her office door and punching in her code and stepped into her office, she approached her desk and laid the report on top of the desk and walked back out, making sure the door was locked before continuing onto the war room. She wanted to make this meeting as short as possible, she wanted to be there when Vader woke up, she got out her comlink and dialed in the hanger bay. "Lt. Storm."

"Lt, I want you to prepare me a shuttle to head over to the med frigate, I will be leaving with in the hour."

"Yes senator." Lt Storm replied before breaking the communications. When she walked up to the war room doors she thought over what she would tell Madine and Ackbar about the situation aboard the med frigate. She knew they would not be too happy with Luke, though she felt that there was something else going on when she read Luke's report. Was there a double meaning underlying the words? These thoughts ran through her mind as she walked through the doors and approached the table surveying her top advisories. She gave each an acknowledging nod with a grave expression; she sat down and braced herself for the news she was about to deliver. "I would like to thank you for coming on short notice. I have just received word that Lord Vader was hurt, on Commander Skywalkers and Leia Organas request, he is being treated on board the med frigate." She sat back in her chair as silence hung in the room and waited for reactions.

Madine broke the silence with a look that read Skywalker has lost his mind. "Are you serious, what does Commander Skywalker have to gain by bringing Lord Vader onto an Alliance Med ship?"

Mon Mothma replied in a calm manner, she was shocked but there was something else there. Why didn't Luke do the report live? "In Commander Skywalkers report, he said the Imperials will be out for his blood, Lord Vader is, as off now, will be marked as a traitor to the Empire. He killed the Emperor on board the Death Star--because Palpitine was killing Luke." Gasps were heard coming from everyone in the room. This was unexpected. Ackbar thought as his eyes swiveled to meet Mon Mothma's grave expression.

Mon Mothma continued on, "I will be heading over to the med frigate to get better details on what happened. I want to be there when Lord Vader wakes up. I feel that there maybe some underlying that Commander Skywalker is not putting in his report, Leia and Luke were very insistent to get Vader into surgery."

Ackbar's eyes swiveled as he wheezed to Mon Mothma, "What are you saying? That there might be more to this story then meets the eye?"

Mon Mothma glanced over at the holo nodding in agreement. "Yes, that is exactly what I am thinking. I will give a full report as soon as I find out why Lord Vader wants to defect. Besides the obvious. "

Madine thought that over, he wasn't sure why Commander Skywalker wanted to save the Sith Lord, his thoughts turned to what happened earlier, concerning Wedge and the message drone he intercepted, if it wasn't for Luke and his quick thinking they could've lost Wedge for good. "What about the Message that was intercepted by Captain Antillies?"

Mon Mothma reported her frown deepening as she prepared to deliver unsettling news. "I have seen the message, there is an invasion army out in the Barkura system. The invasion army is taking prisoners. Bakura is requesting for backup. But since the Imperials are in worse shape then we are, we will send a small task force there, hoping they will defect to the Alliance. I will send you the report of my interview with Vader along with the other report from Bakura. I am putting Captain Antillies in charge; I will be sending Leia with them to do negotiations. All in favor."

Both Madine and Ackbar raised their hands. "Notion passes. Meeting adjourned." Mon Mothma said, she stood up and headed to the ship that would take her to the med frigate. She suddenly began to suspect that Luke and Leia were hiding something, and she was determined to find out what that secret was.

Admiral Ackbar broke the connection, he sat back trying to figure out what Commander Skywalker was up to. He heard that Luke went into surgery after he saved Wedge. He sighed as he stood up, what ever the reason Vader decided to defect there must be a more powerful meaning behind it.

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Consciousness slowly came back to Anakin; his senses slowly began the process of assaulting him, his eyes fluttered open to be greeted by sterile white walls that belonged to a recovery room. He noticed two things, one he was hooked up to a normal breather and two he had on a hospital gown and his armor was sitting off to the side with his lightsaber laying on top. He shuddered as he realized another thing, he thought he would see Luke in the room with him, but he wasn't. Odd, he knew that his son was probably anxious to talk to him. He moved his right hand, but pain shot up and down his arm, he quickly willed away the pain and moved his other hand ending with the same result. Anakin began to wonder if Palpitine hurt him more then he thought at first, he wondered how much of the force lightning he was able to dispense before getting it full blown, he moved his leg and bit his lip to keep from crying out. He moved his other leg, and felt pain shot up and down his entire body. He stayed still for a few minutes letting the pain settle back down. He looked over to see a doctor standing at the foot of his bed watching him with an emotionless mask.

Anakin turned over and groaned with a question; "Where am I?"

The doctor was startled by his voice, he didn't think that Vader would be able to talk, guess he was wrong as he answered the question, "You are on a Alliance med frigate. Lord Vader do you remember how you got here?"

Anakin shook his head, even though he had a pretty good clue on how he did. "Where's Luke?" He asked with concern at not seeing his son in the room.

"Commander Skywalker is in surgery." The doctor answered. Anakin thought this over, his son was in surgery because of him. Wonderful, and here he was stuck in a recovery room when he should be in the waiting room to hear on his son's condition. The only thing he could do to put his mind at ease was to interrogate the doctor for information on what was going on with Luke. "Is he going to be all right?" He asked in a tone only a worried parent would portray.

The doctor nodded, trying to figure out why the Sith Lord even cared. "Yes, he will need several days of rest, but other then that he should be fine, 21B is taking care of the surgery." Anakin heaved a sigh of relief.

The doctor could not help notice the way Lord Vader was acting. He was acting like a worried father over the young Jedi. "Commander Skywalker pulled rank to get you in here, and Leia helped him. You're lucky he is a respected Commander and Leia is an Alliance leader, or we would've not treated you." The doctor told him as much.

Anakin nodded as tears welled up in his eyes, knowing that the Alliance was taking a big chance with him being on their ship, after all the stuff he had done, this was mercy. He thought to the first death star and how he treated Leia Organa in the detention cell. He shook at the thought of what he did to her, the pain he cost her, how could he have been so blind? Why didn't he notice the resemblance to his wife sooner? He shook his head to clear the discomforting thoughts away as the doctor watched him.

The doctor took out a pen and data pad. "How are you feeling? Any pain Nausea, dizziness, headaches?"

Anakin shifted slightly and a look of pain crossed his face, "I'm in pain, but other then that nothing."

The doctor nodded as he wrote down a powerful dose of pain killers, "Do you know if you're allergic to Medofisian?"

"Not that I know off." Anakin replied with a knowing look.

The doctor nodded as he walked over to a counter, placing his data pad down and picked up a needle, he reached up and took out a bottle of painkillers and poked in the needle drawing up the white liquid as he turned the bottle upside down pulling up on the syringe. He put a safety cap onto the needle before picking up another needle and repeating the process. He walked back to Vader's bed and walked to the one side, he placed one needle on the a table and took off the safety cap off the other needle and applied it to his patients right arm, he pushed down on the applicator until all of the liquid was gone. He removed the needle placed the safety cap back on, picking up the other needle he walked to Vader's other side and removing the cap, he applied the other needle into his left arm repeating the process; when the Doctor was done he walked over to a red box and discarded the needles. He walked back to the counter picking up the pad and making a note of when he applied the painkillers, and when Vader's next dosage should be.

Anakin shifted around as he felt the pain eased off a bit, he glanced over to the only window to his room and noticed that Leia was looking in. He frowned, feeling his emotions start to get out of control. Anakin felt tears slid down his cheeks, as he looked at Leia, his daughter was beautiful and he knew that she would break someone's heart one day.

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Leia silently walked into Vader's room, the doctor looked over and was about to object, when she put up a hand to keep him from saying more. "I need to talk to Vader for a few minutes, this is alliance business and I was asked by Mon Mothma to ask him some questions in private. Please wait out side."

The doctor nodded as he walked outside, and headed towards another patient's room to check on an Ewok that was severally wounded. ---------------------------------------------

Leia walked up to his bedside and looked down, feeling shock roll through her, at the moment he looked nothing more then a normal human being, she began shaking as she looked at the scars and white pale face, she placed her arms across her belly, feeling cold and terrified. She bit her lip trying to find words to say; at the moment she decided that silence was good.

Anakin braced himself, not knowing what his daughter was going to say. He did not even know what to say, where to begin to make amends he did not even know where to start. He searched her features looking for some sign of reaction, at the moment he seen that his condition terrified her. He slowly sat up and pushed the grill on the one side of his bed down; he swung his legs off the bed biting back pain and motioned for her to have a seat.

She shook her head in disbelief as she saw pain cross his face, she wasn't sure if she was ready for this yet.

Anakin could see that she was reluctant, and yet he wasn't too sure of this himself, what if someone decided to walk through that door, they would have to answer questions faster then a jawa could steel. He reached up and gently placed his arm on her shoulder, noting that her height definitely came from Padme. "It's ok you don't have too." He felt her shudder under his touch and knew why too, he removed his hand and placed it back on the bed. Before he could move she sat down beside him reluctantly. Anakin reached over and slowly drew her into a comforting hug. She made no move to return the hug, she felt stiff and scared. At the moment it didn't matter to him as he gently rubbed her back.

Leia felt her tight muscles loosen up under his touch, he must've learned things after his accident, and her shoulder started to feel damp and knew that he was silently crying. Leia took a couple of deep breaths before she found her voice; "Mon Mothma is taking a big chance having you treated here."

Anakin nodded, he suspected as much as he thought over something to answer with. "I am grateful you are taking this chance." Anakin replied whole heartily. "Can you see me more as a stranger than an old enemy? Can you ever forgive me?" He asked.

Leia thought that one over, could she forgive him about what he did to her? She wasn't sure, but his emotions were causing her confusion. Could she?? Maybe to what he did to her, really Vader didn't know until Luke let it slip between their final battle on board the death star, but what he did to Han was a completely different and unforgivable situation, "I don't know. I'm having a hard time adjusting to this new knowledge. I can almost forgive you for what you did to me on the death star," Anakin winced as he got his emotions back under control. "But what you did to Han, I don't think I could. You will have to ask him yourself." She shakily told him.

Anakin nodded knowing that she had to be struggling with this new truth. "No matter how long it takes, I will be waiting." He told his daughter. Leia nodded as another thought caught up to him, he didn't think the twins were into letting this information slip but he asked her. "Have you told anyone?"

She replied with uncertainty. "Yes, Han Solo. I can trust him with this secret."

"Oh." Anakin pulled away and glanced into Leias eyes at the mention of the smuggler. He saw love and compassion there for Solo. He also saw that she was angry with him, that much he could assert. But how mad was she truly?

Leia stood up and gestured for her father to lay back down, he snaked his was back up to the head of the bed and lay down, as Leia stooped down and pulled the grill back up. She looked back down into his sapphire haunted blue eyes, and wondered where he went wrong.

The tension grew so thick that Anakin swore you could cut through it with a lightsaber. The silence got to the point where he went to unhook the grill so he could stand up, but Leia was one step ahead of him this time, as she placed her hand on his chest and gently pushed him back down. "You really shouldn't be up in your condition. Lay back down before I decide to have someone give you sedatives. I always wondered why Luke was so stubborn when it came to this."

"Leia, take it easy. Why are you so concerned about him?" A female voice asked from behind her.

Leia spun around and was startled to see Mon Mothma standing there, she was horrified and wondering how long she was standing there, she could not find her voice to answer the Alliance Leader. "I also want to know why you and Luke are so insistent to save Vader." Leia shook her head not knowing what to tell her. The question was could she trust her with this information?

Leia finally stuttered, "I, I'm not sure h--how you would react to this."

"Leia what is it?" Mon Mothma asked all concerned as she placed her hand on the younger women's shoulder. Leia was shaking and upset, she didn't think that Vader's condition could affect her like this.

Leia took a deep breath and braced herself, the real question was how would Mon Mothma reacts when she learns about the relations. "Luke and I found out that we are twins and that," she pointed to Vader, "he is our father. There are you satisfied now?" She half yelled at her father and half sobbed to Mon Mothma. With that she stormed out of the room and ran down the hall, with tears of shame streaming down her face.

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Mon Mothma looked over at Lord Vader in stunned silence and horror, Leia's outburst was totally unexpected, but what she said was even more disturbing. Something like this had to weigh heavily on the twins shoulders, not knowing who their parents were until now had to be unsettling.

He glanced away embarrassed. He could not hold that outburst against Leia, she is angry and he knew that it was going to be a long time, before she would even begin to warm up to him. Anakin began to study cracks in the wall finding something to say. He turned his head back to see the same expression still on Mon Mothma's face. Anakin told her, "Well you wanted to know, and now you have your answer. I wanted to die but Luke wouldn't have it."

Mon Mothma nodded noting that Leia was upset and angry with her father and she had no idea what to say. Mon Mothma finally found her voice. "What is your real name?"

Anakin replied, "Anakin Skywalker."

Her mouth dropped open in shock. "I thought you were dead. That's what Obi Wan told everyone."

Anakin nodded knowing why his former master told everyone, it was to cover up the fact that Anakin Skywalker turned into Darth Vader. "I don't even know where to begin." He said shakily, he did not want to hurt his children again.

Mon Mothma's mind began to go numb, "I don't even know what to think right now. I am too shocked to pass any judgment at the moment." With that she turned and left the room at a fast pace.

Anakin watched Mon Mothma walk out, knowing that this had to be unnerving all the way down to her soul. He closed his eyes, willing sleep to come.

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Han watched as Leia came running down the hall, tears streaming down her face. Han saw the look on her face as he intercepted her, she fell into his arms and she began crying violently on his shoulder. He held her not knowing what to say. Han knew one thing; Leia just got back from confronting her father. They stayed like that for several minutes, he was wiping the tears away from her face as he stroked her back, and told her that everything was going to work out in the end. They slowly worked down to her room, he punched in override codes and scooped Leia up in his arms and walked over to the bed, her arms went around his neck like a lost child, he bent down and lay her on the bed and sat down beside her. "It's ok Leia, you'll be fine."

Leia slowly nodded unsure of herself. "Han, you should've." Her voice trailed off as she thought about what her father looked like and how he acted to what she had remembered to how he was when she was growing up. "I wonder how can one so evil be gentle and caring, be understanding."

"Leia, maybe this is your chance to learn who your true father is before everything happened." Han hoped he was telling Leia the truth, for her sake.

Leia's mouth sounded muffled as she answered, "I know." She sat up and Han enfolded her into his arms.

"It's ok Sweet heart, I'll always be here. You're my life right now, and I don't care who your parents are, I love you and that's all that matters to me."

Leia nodded and smiled, "I know." She answered with a mischief smile.

"Leia, I'm serious." Han said matching her smile.

"I love you too Han." Leia said as she leaned forward and kissed him deeply on the lips, he returned the kiss harder with more fiery passion.

Chewie burst through the door and Han broke away with a groan and glared at the wookie.

He huffed out an enquiry. Han glanced at Leia and translated, "He wants to know why you were hugging Vader earlier?"

Leia shook her head, noting that he must've walk by at one point. "Luke and I are twins and Vader is our father." Leia simply answered.

Chewie nodded as he let Han know that Luke was out of surgery and is just starting to wake up.

"That's good to hear." He turned his attention to Leia, "Luke's out and he's going to be fine."

Leia sighed in relief knowing that her brother was going to be all right. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------