From Scratch
Chapter 43
Jacen finally finished setting up the projector and looked to Anakin. "Anakin, since 3P0 is going to think he's talking to Anakin Skywalker, do you think you could fill in? This way we won't confuse the hologram by having it speak to someone else."
Anakin chuckled. "I never thought I'd get to play grandpa, even though I'm named for him."
Leia smiled as the younger generation shared a laugh. It was true enough.
Anakin stood, "What do you want me to do?"
Jacen backed away, sitting in front of the chair his wife was seated in, "Just be yourself."
Anakin made a face at him before flicking on the holoprojector. The image of 3P0 appeared as he straightened, the droid's metallic voice quick to identify him. "Master Ani!"
Anakin blinked. Ani!? Darth Vader had gone by Ani? Ouch, no wonder he'd gone darkside. "Hello 3P0."
"I must say you are looking good, Master Ani. How can I be of service?"
"Thanks. I, Uh, I wanted to see some of the archives you have stored in your memory. Any holos you might have?"
The hologram of 3P0 nodded, "Certainly, Master. Can I please have your password."
Anakin looked to Jacen, and Jacen shrugged. Anakin turned back to the holo, aware of all the eyes watching him, fascinated. "Could you give me a hint, 3P0? It's been a, uh, a long time."
"Of course sir. The hint you programmed me with is, what is the name of your wife."
Anakin felt like he'd been hit below the belt. "Right, how silly of me to forget something so important." He hit the power button, shutting off the hologram. His gaze pass over the shocked expressions worn by just about everyone in the room, finally settling on his mother. "Mom?"
Leia was pale, her eyes wide with shock, but shook her head slowly. "I never... I've never known what her name was."
Luke sighed. "I guess that settles it then. Without access to those files, we can't possibly know."
Tenel Ka's gaze was on Mara. "Master Skywalker, do not lose hope. Master Jade-Skywalker may be able to help."
Luke turned to look at his wife, who was suddenly the center of attention.
Mara shrugged. "I might be able to, but my lessons on Darth Vader and his past life were a long time ago. Give me a minute."
Ben began to squirm in her grasp, and she passed him to Luke, before beginning to pace.
"No pressure." Han told her wryly.
Mara sent him a half smile. "The Force does strange things."
The group settled down, making a conscious effort not to stare at Mara as she closed her eyes finally and focused on her long term memory, trying to pull the information from a place she hadn't searched in a long time.
After long minutes, she finally nodded. "I know its Sabé, Padmé or Rabé, but I can't give you more than that." Her smile was faint. "The classes I had on the old senators and their bodyguards covered a lot of information."
Luke turned to his nephew. "Anakin?"
Anakin was thoughtful. "I don't think I can get this wrong even once. We may need to narrow it down further than that."
"Was your grandmother a senator?" Tenel Ka's unexpected question drew all eyes.
Mara, to her surprise, answered the question. "Skywalkers have good taste, and yes, she was a Senator to a planet named Nabie... Nabob... Nisbar... some such thing."
"It is not often I get to correct you," Tenel Ka informed Mara. "I believe you mean the planet Naboo and the senator's name was Padmé Amidala."
Jacen looked over his shoulder. "How do you know that?"
Tenel Ka arched an eyebrow. "You do not have my grandmother teaching you historical politics."
Jacen chuckled, turning to his brother, "There you have it."
Luke held up one hand. "Are you certain, Tenel Ka?
Tenel Ka met his gaze squarely. "Fact."
Luke nodded. "Thank you. Go ahead Anakin."
Anakin shrugged. "Alright, but if it blows up and doesn't talk to me again, it's not my fault."
"Like father like son," Jaina quipped, tongue in cheek as she flashed a sly smile at her father.
Han threw a pillow at her as Anakin flipped the hologram back on. "The password for accessing the files is Padmé Amidala Skywalker." he added the logical last name.
The Hologram of 3P0 appeared to freeze for a moment before nodding. "Access granted. What would you like to view first, Master Ani?"
"The earliest record you have," was his quick reply before anyone could suggest anything else.
3P0's hologram disappeared to be replaced by a color, life sized hologram of a man and a woman. The man resembled Luke in a fashion, but even more shocking, was the resemblance to the young man now carrying his name.
Anakin Solo felt chills crawl up his spine. He could have been looking in a slightly distorted mirror.
The differences were quickly apparent. The hologram had a metallic right hand, stood only slightly taller, and had a long braid trailing over one shoulder. The presence, even in the hologram, held an almost sinister feel.
The woman beside him, holding loosely to the metallic hand, was a vision that resembled Leia and Jaina so close, her identity couldn't be denied. Leia covered her mouth to stifle a sudden sob as the images in her mind matched the one she was seeing now.
Han held her tightly, taking in the holo with an almost impassive eye. These were his children's grandparents. Well, they certainly resembled them. He finally smiled, speaking softly, for Leia's ears only. "I see where you get your beauty, my love."
Leia turned into his shoulder, unable to look at the image in front of them, or acknowledge his compliment. Her eyes were filled with tears, and Han couldn't tell if they were of joy or pain.
Luke felt Mara's hands on his shoulders, squeezing tightly to offer her unspoken support. A lump had formed in his throat and he was finding it hard to swallow, the youthful, innocent images of his parents having his complete attention. His parents.
The holo suddenly disappeared and the image of 3P0 took its place. Anakin glanced around, the spell broken, and snapped, "Bring it back and don't take it away until I say."
The hologram disappeared, bringing the holo of the Skywalkers, the start of the clan, back. "Would you like me to play the holovid of your wedding, Master Ani?"
"Not yet." Anakin reached over and shut off the sound, letting everyone get a good look at Anakin and Padmé Skywalker.
Leia moved to sit with Luke, reaching out to enfold him in a tight hug as she place Ben on the floor. "I told you she was beautiful." she murmured softly.
Luke nodded, hugging her back, his gaze focused on the sight. Beautiful was an understatement.
It was a long time before anyone spoke. Luke finally found his voice. "It's incredible."
Mara squeezed his shoulders again. "How much you want to bet he's got something about the Jedi council in there?"
Luke jerked under her hands before taking a deep breath to calm himself and find his focus. "You're probably right, but not just yet. I don't think I could..."
Leia pulled herself away to find Han beside her, offering support as Mara was to Luke. "Let's save the Jedi for another day. I want to see what this man - father - thought before he let the darkside take him."
Luke turned his attention to his sister. "You called him, father."
Leia nodded, her gaze going to where her own Anakin stood near the hologram. "I think I understand, finally, and am able to accept it. You do look an awful lot like he did."
Luke smiled. "But not as much as Anakin looks like his namesake. Alright Anakin, I think we can move to the next part, but we'll want to come back later. Is there anything about Obi-Wan?"
Anakin shrugged. "I can ask."
And so it went. Through the day, foregoing appointments and schedules, the group stayed focused on the memories of a man who'd died destroying the Emperor.
Finally, as the light began to fade in the windows, Anakin reached over and shut off the machine to much protest. "I hate to sound like an adult, but enough is enough for one day. Jacen found the memory core, and it's answered some questions, but we all need to eat and meditate on what we've found. And what's going to happen to it and the information it contains."
Anakin pulled Tahiri to her feet, and left, bidding his family a warm goodnight. Jaina and Jag were quick to follow, Jag mentioning something about taking her out to celebrate.
Finally, Jacen turned to his parents and uncle. "We should be going too. If you don't mind, Uncle Luke, I'd like to leave this with you and mom here on Mon Cal. Tenel Ka and I may be forced to leave as early as tomorrow and I would hate to take this to Hapes. They wouldn't be able to appreciate it."
"Fact."
Luke accepted the memory core with a faint smile. "Thank you, Jacen. I don't know if you know what kind of a gift you've given me."
Jacen shared the smiled. "Knowledge and answers to questions you've been asking since you were a kid, Uncle Luke. Believe me, I know. Your welcome."
Luke set the projector aside and pulled Jacen into a warm hug. "Thank you. May the Force be with you."
"And you, Uncle Luke. Aunt Mara. Mom, Dad."
Ben crawled onto his foot, begging to be acknowledged, and he picked him up. "And you, cousin Ben. And most especially you. Maybe someday this memory core will be able to answer the questions you'll have about your namesake."
Ben gurgurled, giggling excitedly as Jacen hugged him and gave him to Mara. They didn't share any other words, didn't need to, as Jacen and Tenel Ka left the room. Mara left to put Ben down for a nap, leaving Luke with the memory core in font of him.
It was a long time before Luke reached for it hesitantly, drawing back sharply as if burned before he could touch it. He couldn't bring himself to move the memory core.
Mara reappeared and scooped it up in her hands, covering it with a blanket before he could protest. "That's enough for one day," she informed him firmly, putting her bundle into a near by cupboard. "And I want to share with you what I remember from my history classes."
Luke's gaze flew to hers at the teasing, almost taunting note, her voice held. Yet her eyes held a sympathy and understanding as he rose to join her. He didn't say anything, didn't have to, as she took his head and led him towards the balcony.
Chapter 43
Jacen finally finished setting up the projector and looked to Anakin. "Anakin, since 3P0 is going to think he's talking to Anakin Skywalker, do you think you could fill in? This way we won't confuse the hologram by having it speak to someone else."
Anakin chuckled. "I never thought I'd get to play grandpa, even though I'm named for him."
Leia smiled as the younger generation shared a laugh. It was true enough.
Anakin stood, "What do you want me to do?"
Jacen backed away, sitting in front of the chair his wife was seated in, "Just be yourself."
Anakin made a face at him before flicking on the holoprojector. The image of 3P0 appeared as he straightened, the droid's metallic voice quick to identify him. "Master Ani!"
Anakin blinked. Ani!? Darth Vader had gone by Ani? Ouch, no wonder he'd gone darkside. "Hello 3P0."
"I must say you are looking good, Master Ani. How can I be of service?"
"Thanks. I, Uh, I wanted to see some of the archives you have stored in your memory. Any holos you might have?"
The hologram of 3P0 nodded, "Certainly, Master. Can I please have your password."
Anakin looked to Jacen, and Jacen shrugged. Anakin turned back to the holo, aware of all the eyes watching him, fascinated. "Could you give me a hint, 3P0? It's been a, uh, a long time."
"Of course sir. The hint you programmed me with is, what is the name of your wife."
Anakin felt like he'd been hit below the belt. "Right, how silly of me to forget something so important." He hit the power button, shutting off the hologram. His gaze pass over the shocked expressions worn by just about everyone in the room, finally settling on his mother. "Mom?"
Leia was pale, her eyes wide with shock, but shook her head slowly. "I never... I've never known what her name was."
Luke sighed. "I guess that settles it then. Without access to those files, we can't possibly know."
Tenel Ka's gaze was on Mara. "Master Skywalker, do not lose hope. Master Jade-Skywalker may be able to help."
Luke turned to look at his wife, who was suddenly the center of attention.
Mara shrugged. "I might be able to, but my lessons on Darth Vader and his past life were a long time ago. Give me a minute."
Ben began to squirm in her grasp, and she passed him to Luke, before beginning to pace.
"No pressure." Han told her wryly.
Mara sent him a half smile. "The Force does strange things."
The group settled down, making a conscious effort not to stare at Mara as she closed her eyes finally and focused on her long term memory, trying to pull the information from a place she hadn't searched in a long time.
After long minutes, she finally nodded. "I know its Sabé, Padmé or Rabé, but I can't give you more than that." Her smile was faint. "The classes I had on the old senators and their bodyguards covered a lot of information."
Luke turned to his nephew. "Anakin?"
Anakin was thoughtful. "I don't think I can get this wrong even once. We may need to narrow it down further than that."
"Was your grandmother a senator?" Tenel Ka's unexpected question drew all eyes.
Mara, to her surprise, answered the question. "Skywalkers have good taste, and yes, she was a Senator to a planet named Nabie... Nabob... Nisbar... some such thing."
"It is not often I get to correct you," Tenel Ka informed Mara. "I believe you mean the planet Naboo and the senator's name was Padmé Amidala."
Jacen looked over his shoulder. "How do you know that?"
Tenel Ka arched an eyebrow. "You do not have my grandmother teaching you historical politics."
Jacen chuckled, turning to his brother, "There you have it."
Luke held up one hand. "Are you certain, Tenel Ka?
Tenel Ka met his gaze squarely. "Fact."
Luke nodded. "Thank you. Go ahead Anakin."
Anakin shrugged. "Alright, but if it blows up and doesn't talk to me again, it's not my fault."
"Like father like son," Jaina quipped, tongue in cheek as she flashed a sly smile at her father.
Han threw a pillow at her as Anakin flipped the hologram back on. "The password for accessing the files is Padmé Amidala Skywalker." he added the logical last name.
The Hologram of 3P0 appeared to freeze for a moment before nodding. "Access granted. What would you like to view first, Master Ani?"
"The earliest record you have," was his quick reply before anyone could suggest anything else.
3P0's hologram disappeared to be replaced by a color, life sized hologram of a man and a woman. The man resembled Luke in a fashion, but even more shocking, was the resemblance to the young man now carrying his name.
Anakin Solo felt chills crawl up his spine. He could have been looking in a slightly distorted mirror.
The differences were quickly apparent. The hologram had a metallic right hand, stood only slightly taller, and had a long braid trailing over one shoulder. The presence, even in the hologram, held an almost sinister feel.
The woman beside him, holding loosely to the metallic hand, was a vision that resembled Leia and Jaina so close, her identity couldn't be denied. Leia covered her mouth to stifle a sudden sob as the images in her mind matched the one she was seeing now.
Han held her tightly, taking in the holo with an almost impassive eye. These were his children's grandparents. Well, they certainly resembled them. He finally smiled, speaking softly, for Leia's ears only. "I see where you get your beauty, my love."
Leia turned into his shoulder, unable to look at the image in front of them, or acknowledge his compliment. Her eyes were filled with tears, and Han couldn't tell if they were of joy or pain.
Luke felt Mara's hands on his shoulders, squeezing tightly to offer her unspoken support. A lump had formed in his throat and he was finding it hard to swallow, the youthful, innocent images of his parents having his complete attention. His parents.
The holo suddenly disappeared and the image of 3P0 took its place. Anakin glanced around, the spell broken, and snapped, "Bring it back and don't take it away until I say."
The hologram disappeared, bringing the holo of the Skywalkers, the start of the clan, back. "Would you like me to play the holovid of your wedding, Master Ani?"
"Not yet." Anakin reached over and shut off the sound, letting everyone get a good look at Anakin and Padmé Skywalker.
Leia moved to sit with Luke, reaching out to enfold him in a tight hug as she place Ben on the floor. "I told you she was beautiful." she murmured softly.
Luke nodded, hugging her back, his gaze focused on the sight. Beautiful was an understatement.
It was a long time before anyone spoke. Luke finally found his voice. "It's incredible."
Mara squeezed his shoulders again. "How much you want to bet he's got something about the Jedi council in there?"
Luke jerked under her hands before taking a deep breath to calm himself and find his focus. "You're probably right, but not just yet. I don't think I could..."
Leia pulled herself away to find Han beside her, offering support as Mara was to Luke. "Let's save the Jedi for another day. I want to see what this man - father - thought before he let the darkside take him."
Luke turned his attention to his sister. "You called him, father."
Leia nodded, her gaze going to where her own Anakin stood near the hologram. "I think I understand, finally, and am able to accept it. You do look an awful lot like he did."
Luke smiled. "But not as much as Anakin looks like his namesake. Alright Anakin, I think we can move to the next part, but we'll want to come back later. Is there anything about Obi-Wan?"
Anakin shrugged. "I can ask."
And so it went. Through the day, foregoing appointments and schedules, the group stayed focused on the memories of a man who'd died destroying the Emperor.
Finally, as the light began to fade in the windows, Anakin reached over and shut off the machine to much protest. "I hate to sound like an adult, but enough is enough for one day. Jacen found the memory core, and it's answered some questions, but we all need to eat and meditate on what we've found. And what's going to happen to it and the information it contains."
Anakin pulled Tahiri to her feet, and left, bidding his family a warm goodnight. Jaina and Jag were quick to follow, Jag mentioning something about taking her out to celebrate.
Finally, Jacen turned to his parents and uncle. "We should be going too. If you don't mind, Uncle Luke, I'd like to leave this with you and mom here on Mon Cal. Tenel Ka and I may be forced to leave as early as tomorrow and I would hate to take this to Hapes. They wouldn't be able to appreciate it."
"Fact."
Luke accepted the memory core with a faint smile. "Thank you, Jacen. I don't know if you know what kind of a gift you've given me."
Jacen shared the smiled. "Knowledge and answers to questions you've been asking since you were a kid, Uncle Luke. Believe me, I know. Your welcome."
Luke set the projector aside and pulled Jacen into a warm hug. "Thank you. May the Force be with you."
"And you, Uncle Luke. Aunt Mara. Mom, Dad."
Ben crawled onto his foot, begging to be acknowledged, and he picked him up. "And you, cousin Ben. And most especially you. Maybe someday this memory core will be able to answer the questions you'll have about your namesake."
Ben gurgurled, giggling excitedly as Jacen hugged him and gave him to Mara. They didn't share any other words, didn't need to, as Jacen and Tenel Ka left the room. Mara left to put Ben down for a nap, leaving Luke with the memory core in font of him.
It was a long time before Luke reached for it hesitantly, drawing back sharply as if burned before he could touch it. He couldn't bring himself to move the memory core.
Mara reappeared and scooped it up in her hands, covering it with a blanket before he could protest. "That's enough for one day," she informed him firmly, putting her bundle into a near by cupboard. "And I want to share with you what I remember from my history classes."
Luke's gaze flew to hers at the teasing, almost taunting note, her voice held. Yet her eyes held a sympathy and understanding as he rose to join her. He didn't say anything, didn't have to, as she took his head and led him towards the balcony.