Disclaimer: Another update...whew...this is getting tiring...don't expect this all the time...I just happen to be on break which is where I'm getting all my time. Thank you so much to those of you have reviewed! It means so much to me! Seriously...I was like jumping up and down when I get them...ahem, anyways...hope you enjoy this...hopefully more later!

Chapter 4

Anarion shifted uneasily next to his Master. It had been two days since his confrontation in the Chancellor's chambers, and Siel-own had not brought up his outburst, or his lack of control. Anarion was partially grateful and a bit fearful...perhaps his Master intended to bring it up before the Council...in that case, Anarion doubted he would be allowed to face his trials.

Siel-own glanced at his padawan, his face grave. "Relax...you'll do fine. Just be honest...and do your best."

Anarion looked over at him, momentarily touching the padawan braid on his shoulder. "I am sorry, Master...for my behavior the other day...I was upset and let my emotions get the better of me...I was wrong. You have been a great mentor...I did not mean to disrespect you..."

Siel-own turned his dark blue eyes to his padawan and offered him a small smile. "I am not angry with you, Anarion. I understand you were frustrated...but we must learn to control such emotion...remember, anger leads to the darkside...you must harness your feelings..." He paused for a moment. "And it has been an honor to train you...and like I said, you will do fine...stop worrying."

Silence fell over them as the lift stopped and opened, revealing the long marble hallway leading to the great doors of the Jedi Council chambers. Anarion took a deep breath. He had been down this way many times before, but for some reason this time the towering pillars and carved statues of past Jedi seemed more ominous. Siel-own walked determinedly, his dark robes swishing about his feet, unaware of his padawan's apprehension.

The doors opened, and Anarion took his last deep breath as he and his Master walked before the Council.

The group were made up of many different Jedi, ranging from human to alien...all trained by Luke Skywalker in his temple on Yavin 4. Since his fall to the darkside and destruction of the school, they had moved to Courascant and rebuilt the ancient Temple. Anarion had imagined as a child that the spirits of his own grandfather, Anakin, among the other greats still walked amid the halls, watching over the young Jedi in training.

"Master Tel'amir, the dispute in the Outer Rim planets is resolved...though it took a bit more time then anticipated." Siel-own said quietly, addressing all the Jedi in the room. "And while Anarion has been a wonderful padawan, it is time he took the trials..." he added.

Kyp Durron leaned forward, his eyes studying the two Jedi before him. "You believe you are ready to face the trials, young Skywalker?" he asked, his blue eyes piercing through the padawan.

Anarion drew in a breath, trying to look more confidant. "Yes, Master..."

The looks on their faces said it all. Anarion would not be facing his trials...not now, or anytime in the near future. His family's shadow hung to deeply over him. The legacy that his father and grandfather had left him was one of mistrust and betrayal.

"He has proven himself time and time again, Master Durron...I believe that he is ready...I wouldn't have brought him here if I thought he couldn't handle it..." Siel-own spoke into the darkness, his voice determined.

Anarion smiled secretly. The sound of his Master's faith gave him a replenished boost of self esteem and he stood taller.

Master Tel'amir nodded his large bulbous head, his wide brown eyes looking past the Master to his padawan. "If ready to face the trials, he is...then we shall give him his test..." he spoke slowly.

Siel-own looked up in confusion. Normally a padawan underwent several tests by the Council, both physical and mental to prove they were ready to be handed the rank of Jedi Knight. Why did they speak so gravely about one test?

Master Durron looked between the other members and gave a small nod. "You are to accompany Senator Risal on a mission to Dantooine..."

Anarion's eyes widened. "Master, that system is under the control of the Imperial Alliance...why would the Senator be going there?"

Kyp gave the padawan a look of slight annoyance at the interruption. "We are sending her there...you are to accompany her...protect her...make sure her mission is not in vain..."

Anarion nodded. He'd been on many missions like this before. He couldn't even remember the amount of times him and Siel-own had been sent to watch over this or that diplomat or mission.

"Your Master will not be accompanying you..." the soft voice of Master Cira de'Beaux cut into his thoughts, her watery eyes sad.

"What?" Anarion asked. "How am I to sneak a Republic Senator into a system held by the Empire unnoticed without help?"

"She knows what to do...you only must protect herself and yourself from the danger that will await you..."

"Masters..." Anarion trailed off, his voice growing softer. "If it is alright, I'd like to ask some questions of the Council..."

"You wish to know the answers behind your outburst in the Chancellor's chambers?" Master Tel'amir asked, his gaze piercing.

Anarion met his glance and nodded.

"Ask, young padawan, and we will tell you what you need to know."

Anarion shifted uneasily, now feeling the weight of the entire council upon him. "The emissaries...my parents...you have done nothing to bring them back...why? Can they not be brought back to the good side?"

A collective sigh spread through the room, and it was the soothing strains of Cira's voice that answered. "There are many things we do not understand, Anarion...sometimes we must let go...for if we hold on too tight, things will only slip from us faster..."

"But they are your leaders...most of you were trained by my father! Will you do nothing to help them?"

"They are under the control of the Emperor now...we cannot change that...they must make the decision to come back..." Kyp Durron added solemnly.

"But you are doing nothing!" Anarion cried, feeling the heat rising in him again. Siel-own put a hand on his padawan's shoulder and he calmed slightly.

"I want to help them..."

"You cannot...you are not strong enough to battle both Luke and Mara and the Emperor...you would be destroyed..."

Anarion nodded, not fully believing them, but accepting the reasons for the moment. "They said something else...something that my family and you have kept hidden...do I have a sibling...a twin?" he asked, looking up with pleading eyes at the Council members.

Silence fell over the chamber, then Siel-own's voice broke through.

"Yes, Anarion...there is another..."

Anarion bit his lower lip, anger once again springing into his eyes. "Thank you, Masters...I shall return when my test is complete..." he said curtly, bowing and exiting the chamber.

He strode back down the marble hallway, his dark robes billowing behind him, and his blue-green eyes sparkling like the sea during a storm.


"He is not ready...not ready for such a trial..." Kyp shook his head is despair.

"He deserves to know the truth...which has been kept from him and his twin for too long..." Siel-own returned.

The Council members looked up at the defiant Master. "Judge him ready, do you, Siel-own?" Tel'amir asked, his voice questioning.

"I believe he is ready to know the truth, yes...and ready for his trials. He has been faithful to his studies and deserves the chance to prove himself."

"It was a mistake to train the lad...he is too much like his father...this mission, while the only way...may be his grandest moment...or may be his downfall..."


Lalaith hurried through her apartments, hastily pulling clothes and folding them. She had sent Cerde away, wanting to be alone, seeking peace in her solitude. Ever since the meeting with the two ambassadors from the Empire, she had been in emotional and mental upheaval. And though no one else could see it through her Senatorial mask, she felt it creeping in on her.

The door sounded and she sighed. "I asked to be left at peace for the afternoon...whatever it is...please let it wait..." she pleaded, not even looking into the sitting room.

A dark robed figure entered her bedroom and she gasped in surprise. "Anarion! What are you doing here?"

Anarion pulled back his hood, revealing his short reddish-blonde hair and stormy blue-green eyes. "I have been sent to watch over you, m'lady. The Council has ordered me to accompany you on your mission," he said simply.

Lalaith sighed. "Where is your Master? Is he not coming with you?"

Anarion walked to the window, looking out over the city of Courascant. "He is not...I have been sent alone..."

She looked up at the edge in his voice, placing the last carefully folded dress in the case. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Anarion's gaze didn't waver as he watched the different speeders race through the skies. "I am not in the Council's good graces..." he replied simply.

Lalaith stopped her packing and walked over to him, her eyes and expression soft as she laid a hand on his arm. "Whatever happened couldn't have been that bad. We all make mistakes...our mentors know this...its how we grow...and learn."

Anarion looked down at her, noticing for the first time the similarity in their features. Her reddish hair was set aflame by the setting sun and her deep blue-green eyes seemed more compassionate then they had a few days previous. Faint freckles of childhood still adorned her nose and cheeks, but her posture and bearing all lent itself to her status as a Senator of the Galactic Republic.

"Do you miss your family when you're here?" he asked quietly.

Lalaith sighed, a small smile softening her face. "Sometimes...I haven't been at home a lot since I was about fourteen or so...it doesn't seem as strange anymore to be away from them." She sighed. "The Risals, they're my adoptive family...maybe that's why I don't have a strong a connection as most people..." she offered.

Anarion nodded. "You had said that before...after the Chancellor's meeting...but I guess I was so wrapped up in my own emotion I didn't hear you..." He sighed and looked back out the window. "I wish I could've known my parents...even if they are as bad as everyone thinks...they're still my parents..."

Lalaith turned back to her packing, offering him a small smile. "We all long for our family...sometimes I wonder what my real parents are like...if I have any brothers or sisters out there...but then I remember that there's many others less fortunate then me...at least I had a loving home to grow up in."

Anarion looked over at her. "Master Darklighter is my only real family, I guess...I mean, I've been with him since I was around eleven...when padawans are chosen. I remember we were all showing off, because we knew the Masters were coming...being stupid really...no one wanted to take me as their apprentice...until Siel-own showed up...he saw past the family name and decided to train me...I owe him everything."

"It sounds like he has great faith in you...especially to let you go out on your own like this..."

Anarion nodded silently, his thoughts returning to the Council meeting and how much he would have to do to prove to his Master, the Jedi, and most of all, himself, that he was able to surpass his family's legacy of darkness.

"Something else troubling you?" Lalaith asked, pulling him from his reverie.

Anarion looked at her strangely for a moment, wondering how she could be so intuitive to his feelings. Like she's Force sensitive herself, he thought, and the memory of her vision in Leia's home returned.

"I'm alright, just thinking..." he replied simply.

"Well, I supposed we'll have to get used to each others moods and personalities rather quickly..." she returned, her voice strained.

"You find it hard to travel with a Jedi, my lady?" Anarion questioned, a sly smirk on his face.

"A padawan...and no, I have no problems with Jedi...you just seem to have a problem with senators. And I don't like the idea of having someone guarding me...this mission is no more dangerous then any other...and I really think..."

"Excuse me, my lady..."

"Lalaith... 'my lady' sounds so formal..."

"Alright, Lalaith...the Council assigned me to you for a reason...they must think that there is some danger in this mission. And besides, you have no worry that I will bother you at all...Jedi are masters of stealth and protectorship, you won't even know I'm around..." he returned curtly.

"All the better...the last thing the Republic needs is some green eared padawan Jedi messing up its diplomatic missions..."

Anarion glared at her, but bit back an angry reply. He turned back to the view, rather, trying to get his mind off the irritating Senator a few feet away from him and how he'd love to try out a few Force tricks on her.

"My lady, the transport is ready...and the Chancellor and Jedi Master have arrived to escort you to the platform..." a guard spoke quietly, leaving as quickly as he came.

Lalaith lifted the case, struggling slightly under its weight, before Anarion came over and took it from her.

"Thank you," she managed softly, leading the way out the door.

"Always glad to be of service, my lady."


"Anarion, be mindful of everything around you...don't get caught up in the politics...seek the Force..." Siel-own spoke earnestly, his blue eyes serious as he talked with his padawan.

"Don't worry, Master...I learned from the best..." Anarion returned, giving him a light hearted smile.

Siel-own half grinned, his face still solemn. "The Senator's safety lies in your hands, Anarion...and there is much danger where you are headed. Dantooine is crawling with agents of the Empire."

"Yes, but the two most dangerous of those agents are here under your eyes, Master."

Siel-own shifted uneasily.

"Master?"

"Anarion, your parents left yesterday...supposedly returning to the Emperor...you must be on guard. They may try and seek you out...the Senator is of great importance to the Republic...she is one of the only ones trying to bring more star systems into the Alliance. You must always be with her...do not let her out of your sight...Anarion!"

Anarion looked back at his Master, his thoughts suddenly pulled from their wandering.

"I know you want to help your parents...but do not do so alone...you are not ready for such a trial. Report back to me before doing anything."

"Yes, Master," Anarion replied quietly, picking up their luggage. "Ready, my lady?" he asked, turning to where the Senator stood talking with the Chancellor.

Lalaith nodded.

"Be careful, Senator," the Chancellor gave her a small hug, his eyes worried.

"Don't worry, Chancellor...I have been on many missions before. And this time they've given me a Jedi..." she returned, smiling.

"You will be well protected..." Siel-own smiled, placing on hand on Lalaith's shoulder. "I leave you in good hands."

"Thank you, Master Jedi. Tell Senator Organa-Solo that I will take good care of her nephew...and that we shall return soon."

"May the Force be with you."

Anarion exchanged one last glance with his master before turning and leading Lalaith onto the transport.


"You return successful?" the Emperor's voice rang through the hollow chambers of his throne room on Celest.

Luke Skywalker raised icy blue eyes to his Master. "No, my lord. My sister and the Jedi Council would not negotiate...and they continue to keep hidden the identity of our other child."

"We have a suspicion though, Master...a young senator from Cecilian...she was present with Leia and her Jedi when we met with them," Mara added, glancing at her husband. "We have news that they have sent our son with her on a mission to the Outer systems in an attempt to bring them over to the Republic."

"Good, good," Palpatine cackled softly. "You will seek them out and then bring them here...I'm sure you have some...catching up to do..."

Luke and Mara bowed, then turned, exiting the chambers.

"You really believe that scrawny child was our daughter?" Luke asked pointedly, his gaze turning to the woman beside him.

"Did you not see the resemblance? And your sister was very protective of her...I am almost sure that she is..." Her voice trailed off momentarily. "I wanted them to return with us..."

"Do no let emotion cloud your vision, my dear...we have a job to do...once that is complete, you will have the family you desire..." Luke returned, taking her into his arms in a fierce hug. "You need only to be patient."

"I have waited fifteen years for this!" Mara cried. "I gave my children up to serve our master...I wasn't there to see them grow...and now I have to gain back those lost times on the whim of a deranged old man?"

Luke hushed her, placing a hand over her mouth. "Shh, he has spies everywhere...even watching us...patience, my love...you will have your revenge and family back soon enough...and then we will take what has rightfully belonged to us all along."

Mara's eyes glittered eagerly, as she intertwined her fingers with his. The years had done nothing to shake his love or her resolve, she mused. They may look older, but deep down her and Luke had retained the passion and discipline that had brought them through the worst of times.

"The Skywalker family is meant to bring order to the galaxy, and once our children and my sister see that..." Luke looked down at her, his face set with an icy determination. "We will have the power to set things right."

Ha ha...here's your chance...let me know what you think...please review!