Chapter 2: Homecoming

Despite all of the chaos and strife that it had borne witness to over the last several decades, the Jedi Temple still stood as a symbol of the strength and enduring power of the Jedi Order.

Over the past twenty years, as faith in the Galactic Republic had dwindled further and further with every single unsuccessful attempt to restore order over an increasingly dangerous galaxy, the Jedi Order was seen as the one remaining institution that had enough courage to do what was right. During the Clone Wars, protests outside the Jedi Temple were common, as people came to see them as the source of all their problems. Many whispered dark rumors about the mysterious order of sorcerers and how they abducted children before corrupting them into their order.

As the years passed, the rumors were scarce, and a sense of contented peace hung over the Jedi Temple. Where once there were screaming radicals demanding answers outside the doors, now there were tourists, seeking solace within the Temple and it was not uncommon to see visitors spending an idle day in the lobby, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the fabled Jedi and gain hope from seeing such a stalwart defender of the Republic.

That was the public view of the Temple, however, and did not tell the entire story. Order 66 had destroyed much of the Order's strength, and entire wards were closed due to no longer being needed. There had once been thousands of Jedi in the galaxy, and the Temple was filled with the sound of their activities. Now, the Temple had a much greater stillness about it. Where once hundreds had walked through the halls and sought to grow closer to the Force at any given time, now there were only dozens.

Though their fate had once looked very grim indeed, the Jedi Order was confident that their future looked brighter and brighter.

Only dozens may have roamed the private halls of the Temple, but the dozens that did were deep in study about the Force and philosophy. The sections of the Temple that had not been closed down were full of laughter and joy. The thrum of a friendly (or occasionally not so friendly) lightsaber practice could be heard all throughout the day.

The Jedi Order might have been culled, but it was not broken. For almost twenty years, they had fought bitterly to avoid the cold grasp of extinction. Finally, there was light.

The fight was not over though. The Galactic Republic was still weak, recovering from the insidious corruption that Chancellor Palpatine had seeded throughout its various branches. The Jedi were called upon often to restore peace or bring rogue parts of the Republic back into the fold. It wasn't even brute lightsaber work either. Each and every Jedi needed to be a cunning diplomat as well as a fearsome warrior. No matter how hard they tried, there was rarely peace for a member or the Order. They might have a few precious weeks of rest before they were sent back out once again to bring peace to a dangerous galaxy.

Such was the demand for Jedi, that the Order was always keen for one of its members to pass the Trials to become a full Jedi Knight. Today, two of the most promising padawans the Order had produced in twenty years were to undergo the last of their Trials in order to take their place amongst the heroes of the galaxy.

One of them, Luke Skywalker, was extremely nervous at that prospect.

He and his master had recently returned from the Mid Rim on a mission to rescue children who were about to fall into the clutches of slavers. Right now, as he walked down the halls of the Temple, he thought that he would much rather be back fighting slavers and pirate scum.

"I can sense your anxiety, Padawan. I do not blame you, but you must learn to govern your emotions. Harness them, channel them, and they shall work for you instead of against you."

Luke just let out a sigh. His master was right, he always was. Even more than his father, his master seemed to always know just what to say.

"I know, Master Obi-Wan. Thank you."

Obi-Wan Kenobi had aged well. His auburn hair was salted with grey, and his face had more wrinkles than it once possessed, but he otherwise looked healthy. Several times on his adventures with Luke they had encountered an enemy that took one look at the aging Jedi Master and thought they could overpower him easily. They had paid dearly each and every time.

"I seem to remember a time when you would call me Uncle Ben." Obi-Wan chuckled lightly. "I was there the day you were born, you know. The moment the sun hit your face, you laughed and lifted your hand up as if to touch it. You represented so much hope in that moment, and I am happy to say that you have surpassed all expectations. I am proud of you, Luke. So very proud."

Despite the high praise from his master, Luke's face was troubled.

"What if I'm not ready?" Luke asked, the fear was still present on his face.

Obi-Wan let out a sigh. Many days, he was grateful that he was Luke's master and not Leia's. She had always been stubborn as a Ylesian reek and reminded Obi-Wan of her father more often than not. Being a mentor to Anakin once was more than enough, he'd take the more mild, meeker of the twins, the one who took after his mother.

"What have I always told you in times such as these, Luke?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Trust in the Force." Luke replied, the tone in his voice indicating just how often he had heard this little proverb.

"Trust in the Force, indeed." Obi-Wan continued. "Be mindful of it, be still and know that it surrounds you, and has plans for you. For ten years I have been your master, and I have guided you along your path to becoming a Jedi. But I cannot go with you on this path. Go, see your friends, visit old tutors, and go back to your chambers. Meditate and wait for our summons. I will be with the High Council discussing various matters. We come get you when we are ready."

Luke looked like he was about to say something, but thought better of it. He flashed his masters a small smile to make sure Obi-Wan knew he was grateful for his advice, and went off to find some small semblance of peace before his Trial.

Obi-Wan sighed and shook his head when his Padawan was out of site. There were times where he wished Luke had more of his sister's pride. He sincerely doubted her master was having to deal with a confidence problem.

The Outlander Club was as busy as ever, maybe even busier. The Boonta Eve Classic was being broadcast on the holonet. Technically it was illegal to broadcast the races within Republic territory due to its violent nature, but that wasn't going to stop anyone from getting the revenue the races brought in. Nobody from C-Sec was going to enforce it. The Jedi herself wasn't even here for that reason.

"Will I need my lightsaber?" Leia asked, using the Force to jump back on the roof where her master was surveying the location.

"Did you see any guards?" her master asked, deliberately ignoring the question. She almost wanted to chide Leia for being so careless in using her powers, but thought better of it. Not only would her Padawan explain that she had done it where no one had seen her, Leia also needed to learn that her actions had consequences. Maybe it wouldn't be today, but it would happen eventually.

"Yeah, one guy is half asleep out back." Leia said dismissively. "One wave of my hand, and he goes to sleep for the next rotation or so. Now come on, do I get to use my lightsaber or not?"

"A Jedi should always have their weapon at the ready when engaging in such a difficult task as this." her master replied, setting up the bait that Leia so eagerly took.

"Come on, Ahsoka, you know that's not what I meant!" Leia whined. "I got my Trial later today. Do I get to use my lightsaber?"

Ahsoka Tano just held up a finger to lips to silence her Padawan. Leia knew that she hated it when her student called her by her first name. But she wasn't going to fall for her nonsense right now. They had work to do."

"I'm not answering any questions about your trial, Leia." she said sternly. "Focus. There's the speeder our contact said was going to be here. They're unloading the shipment now. It's time to move."

Silently as if they had never been there at all, both Jedi dropped down from the roof they had been perched on and split up to fulfill their different assignments. Despite Leia's cockiness, there was no one else in the galaxy, save perhaps for her father, that Ahsoka would rather have done a mission like this with.

The High Council had given them a mission of cracking down on criminal underworld activity from Nar Shadda to Coruscant. It had been enjoyable work, and they were finally nearing the end of a deathstick distribution chain they had been pursuing for months. It had been a nice change of pace for Ahsoka and her Padawan. She still had nightmares about the last diplomatic mission Leia had been assigned to. The only reason Leia wasn't reprimanded for threatening to "turn this slimy Senator into the toad that he really is" was the fact that Senator did actually turn out to be corrupt. Besides, it was hard for Ahsoka to punish her when the Torgrutan still smiled at the memory of the Senator thinking that Leia could actually make good on her threat.

Not that it mattered now. Stealthy, quick strikes where what Leia specialized in. It was fun to see her Padawan do what she did best, and Ahsoka felt a swelling sense of pride at the possibility of how great of a Jedi she could turn out to be.

The inside of the bar was noisy and brightly colored. It would have been disorienting if Ahsoka hadn't used the Force to hone in on what she was doing. Many of the patrons there looked at her warily. There was no way that they could have known she was a Jedi, but that didn't mean she wasn't suspicious in a place like this.

"What can I get ya?" the bartender asked as she motioned for him to come to her section.

"Some friends of mine just scored a huge business deal." Ahsoka said, casting a disarming grin on the man as she gently ran a finger over his forearm.

"Good for them." he grinned goofily. "Got some good beverages here for 'em. What do they like?"

"Oh we have plenty to drink." Ahsoka said. "We're looking for a little something that lets us live on the edge."

She slipped some credits over the counter. The bartender's smile faded, but he seemed even more eager to be talking to her.

"I got a few things that might work." he said with a nod. "Those are some serious credits, you thinkin' deathsticks?"

Ahsoka just nodded, moving her hand to grab her lightsaber under her cloak. As soon as he gave her the deathsticks, she'd stick some magnacuffs on him and lean on him until he gave up his supplier. They were so close now, almost at the end.

Without warning, the room erupted into chaos.

Leia burst through the doors leading to the back of the establishment, throwing a thug across the counter as she did.

"Sorry master, found this piece of slime about to hurt a Twi'lek dancer backstage." Leia said as she ignited her lightsaber and brought it up above her head in her classic Djem So stance. Ahsoka realized that the time for subtlety was over and drew her own lightsaber as well, its green hue paired nicely with Leia's crisp blue.

"By the way, which planet will it be on?" Leia asked with a grin as the criminals in the nightclub moved to surround them. "Here on Coruscant, or somewhere else?"

"Leia, look out!" Ahsoka shouted as blaster fire erupted all around them. She shouldn't have worried. Leia wove sheets of blue plasma in front of her with her lightsaber. Not a single blaster bolt made it past. It was an impressive display, a testament to just how seriously she took her lightsaber training.

Her Padawan didn't just stop at deflecting the bolts. The moment she knew that Ahsoka had her bearings and could deflect all of the blaster bolts coming towards her, Leia rushed forward, slicing the barrels off of whatever blasters came within range, and using her fists and feet to incapacitate them after they were disarmed.

"I know that it's supposed to be a surprise, but I'm just too excited!" she exclaimed as her heel connected with the chin of a gangster with a sickening crunch. "Is this more of a mental challenge, or a physical one?"

"Leia, I'm not going to answer any of your questions!" Ahsoka exclaimed. Her reverse Shien grip was perfectly suited for her role in this encounter, but Leia's question had distracted her enough that a single bolt got through her defenses. Ahsoka was about to warn Leia, but her Padawan didn't need an alert. Faster than a viper, Leia whipped her lightsaber around and deflected the bolt squarely into the chest of a charging gangster. An impressive move, but the events that caused it to happen made Ahsoka even angrier than before.

"Finish this mess, and we'll talk!" she shouted over the commotion of the fight. Leia gave her a nod and immediately started moving. The two Jedi were in complete sync with one another, their movements were born out of over a decade of a partnership and they made quick work of the remaining thugs. When one moved right, the other moved left. The moment a gangster fired their blaster at Ahsoka, Leia's lightsaber erupted out of their chest from behind. As she saw her Padawan fight with skill that few within the entire order could match, Ahsoka felt a small pang of sadness. Even though she was a handful and drove the Torgrutan crazy sometimes, she was going to miss Leia when she passed her trials. Jedi so rarely had the opportunity to work together now.

It only took a few hours for the scene to be processed and for C-Sec to take over the investigation. The drug smuggling ring that the two Jedi were tracking had died with the gangsters in the skirmish, but the back room had been a valuable source of information on other criminal activity in the lower levels of Coruscant. Their deathstick manufacturer had avoided them for now, but there were several other cases that just opened up.

Ahsoka was trying her best not to be frustrated with her Padawan. Leia had sworn multiple times, to both Ahsoka and the C-Sec officers who arrived on the scene, that she'd only started the chaos because she'd seen a gangster hitting one of the Twi'lek dancers and was concerned that it might get worse if she didn't intervene. It was the right call, but it didn't make Ahsoka any less mad at the fact they'd lost their best lead.

In her position, at her age, Ahsoka probably would have done the same thing her Padawan did. The problem was that at Leia's age, Ahsoka was cocky and impulsive. It took lives being lost under her command during the Clone Wars to rid her of that impulsive streak. Leia would need to lose it soon if she was going to become the great Jedi that her masters claimed she could be.

"Alright, this is the last one, I swear." Leia said with a grin on her face as she walked up beside Ahsoka. "Do I get to bring friends on this one? I hear that some trials let you use allies as well. I could bring Anya or Brill when I-"

"Leia!" Ahsoka said, looking at her Padawan with a glance that said she would suffer no more of her questions.

"Look, you've passed some of the Trials already, even if you didn't know you were taking them." she continued, putting an arm around her Padawan's shoulder as they walked back towards the speeder they had taken to the nightclub. "You've displayed a deep connection to the Force, you can handle undertaking missions on your own, and I doubt there is anyone in the entire Order that doubts your skill with a lightsaber."

That got a small chuckle out of Leia, and for just a brief moment Ahsoka saw her facade drop. Despite her bravado, Leia really was just a nervous young woman. This was one of the most important things she had ever done, and she wasn't sure she was strong enough.

"This is your last Trial. It's supposed to tell the Council whether you can handle what it means to be a Jedi." Ahsoka continued. "I can't tell you what it will be, because this is a test to see what you have learned, not what I have. Master Obi-Wan always says to trust in the Force, so that's what I'll tell you. Trust in it, and let it be your guide. Tell me, is there anything that you find truly relaxing?"

"Honestly, sparring in the training rooms." Leia admitted, somewhat sheepishly. It wasn't the most tranquil of pastimes, but it always made her feel relaxed. There was something about the contest, the struggle, that made her feel at ease. Her father had referred to it once as "finding the summit of your mountain", and she'd always liked that analogy.

"Then go there. Go spar and meditate." Ahsoka said with a comforting hug. Her comlink starting beeping angrily and she opened it to find a Tholothian Jedi bowing to her.

"Apologies if I am interrupting, Master Tano, but the High Council will be meeting soon." she said. "All members are required to attend, even if you're in the middle of something."

"Not a problem at all, Katooni. Thank you for letting me know." Ahsoka said. "Inform the rest of the Council that I will be there shortly."

Katooni bowed and ended the transmission. Ahsoka turned back to her Padawan and gave an apologetic shrug.

"What can I say? Sometimes there are benefits to having a master on the Small Council, and sometimes they have to run off in the middle of a conversation."

Leia just gave her a playful punch on the shoulder. Ahsoka wasn't needed here any longer. She had given Leia the advice she had needed.

Their ride back to the Temple was a quiet one, each of them lost in their own thoughts. As Ahsoka said her final goodbyes in the Temple garage, Leia just waved her off and made her way to the sparring rooms.

Leia was nervous now, but she also knew that she wouldn't be in a few minutes. Beating up her friends always made her feel better.

Luke was deep in meditation, not even consciously thinking about the world around him when he felt a tremor in the Force.

It wasn't a bad tremor. It was more like someone tripping a spiderweb and the vibrations had made their way back to him as he sat in his room. It was odd. Not just anyone could do that to him. Not only did this person have to be powerful, they had to have a deep and personal connection to him. In addition, Luke couldn't have seen them often. He would have ignored their 'vibrations' otherwise. All of those facts added up to one person. Someone that he wasn't quite sure how he felt about seeing again.

Leia was back.

He supposed he could have just stayed in his room. There was still a possibility that he could take his Trial, pass, and get out of here before he really had a chance to interact with her. It's not like he hated her, but Leia brought out things in him that only a sibling could. He wasn't himself around her. He was more insecure, more brash, and definitely more prone to making mistakes when he was near her.

Still, as good as Leia was with a lightsaber, Luke had a far better connection to the Force. His foresight was exemplary and no one, except for maybe his father, could do the things that he could do. In his wiser moments, he knew that having one sibling better at the physical side of the Force while the other was better at the spiritual side was a recipe for disaster.

Though he knew it had the potential to backfire, he knew that he had to go and see his sister. If he passed his Trials, they would immediately assign him to a far flung corner of the galaxy and he might not see her for months, maybe even years. He at least needed to say goodbye, to wish her good luck on her Trial as well. For all of his complex feelings towards her, Leia was still his sister and Luke loved her.

He knew exactly where to look for her too. The training room wasn't far from his room, and he heard the sounds of fighting long before he was able to see her going at it. Leia was doing well, as she always did, but Luke was able to see something rare. He'd heard it happened sometimes, but personally hadn't seen it in years.

Leia was losing.

It wasn't by much, but her opponent was grappling with her and having his way. His larger frame and experience was dominating Leia's agility and speed and she was getting tossed around as he pleased.

"He's stronger than you, but also slower!" Luke called out from the doorway. Leia's face brightened up when she saw him, but her distraction cost her dearly. Before Luke could even react, his sister was slammed to the mat as all of the air left her body.

"Thanks, Luke." she grumbled as she gulped air back into her lungs. "Whatever would I do without your help?"

"Lighten up, Leia." her opponent chuckled. "I may be old, but I still would have won eventually. You might have been taught by the best Jedi there is, but even I taught them a thing or two."

Captain Rex was an older man now, but still very much a warrior at heart. The accelerated aging had given him forty years instead of the twenty all of his friends received, but that didn't stop him from being a formidable fighter.

The immediate years after the Clone Wars were a difficult one for the Grand Army of the Republic. Over a million and a half clone troopers suddenly found themselves without a war to fight and outcast from the rest of the Republic. They had tried to kill the Jedi, and many believed them to be the puppets of the once extinct Sith. Many viewed them as no better than battle droids, and even more dangerous.

After months of strenuous debate, it was decided that the clones would still continue to serve the Republic. The galaxy was becoming increasingly unstable as system after system no longer bowed to the central authority of the Republic. Without a Confederacy of Independent Systems to provide them with an effective defense, these systems were easy picking, and a great way for the clones to prove that they still served the Republic and would continue to keep it safe.

It turned out to all be a moot point anyway. Whatever Chancellor Palpatine had done to them to turn these loyal soldiers into mindless killing machines had changed them somehow. They were no longer as sharp as they had once been, and their physical health began to deteriorate just as fast as their mental health did. Two years after the Clone Wars ended, over half of the once mighty Grand Army of the Republic was lying on their deathbeds. The other half would follow them over the course of another three years after that.

There were some merciful exceptions however. Upon encouragement from Ahsoka Tano, and by extension Anakin Skywalker, Rex had investigated the truth behind FIve's rantings about a conspiracy to have clones kill their Jedi generals. Though he had not been able to get to the bottom of the plot in time to stop Order 66, he had been able to remove his own inhibitor chip before it was activated.

He wasn't the only one. Some of Rex's brothers had removed theirs upon Rex's insistence. Others had a defective chip, or had it removed due to head trauma they had received in the line of duty. Roughly a dozen clones still survived almost twenty years after the Clone Wars. Most of them either completely faded from public life, either becoming simple farmers and mechanics, or serving as instructors in the slowly reforming Grand Army of the Republic.

Not Rex though, he was done with war. He'd seen enough of it to last him several lifetimes. After talking to Anakin, he'd realized that he had a burning desire to give back, to give something to the world instead of taking something away. It had taken the Jedi a little while to think, but he thought he'd found the perfect place for the ex-soldier.

The Jedi realized that they had grown soft in their vigilance during the Long Peace. Luckily, most of the teachers in the Order had been on Coruscant during the Great Purge and had been successfully evacuated offworld. Still, there were gaps in Jedi training that needed to be filled. Unarmed combat, survival training, and mental fortitude skills were all things that had slowly atrophied over a millennia. Rex was the perfect teacher to make sure that all Jedi younglings, not just the ones with the most natural talent, were given the best education possible.

He'd been a natural fit. Though the number of younglings were fewer than they had been before the Purge due to the fact that there weren't nearly as many Jedi to search for them, they were all exceptionally well trained. A large part of that was Rex's strict regimen of physical and mental preparation for the hardships they would endure as a member of the Order.

Though he was aging, he still loved to spar with his students, and Leia was his favorite sparring partner out of them all. The hours upon hours of training she'd put into this room with Rex was one of the reasons that she was such a good duelist. Luke never had the inclination. He could hold his own in a duel, but there was something strange to him about willingly putting himself through the torture that Rex seemed to relish dealing out.

"It's good to see you again, Rex." Luke grinned as the old captain came over and gave him a warm hug. Leia was close behind him, and Luke was originally going to give her an awkward hello, but she wrapped him up in a massive bear hug before he could do anything.

"Good to see you again, little brother." she said with a smirk.

"I'm both older and taller than you." Luke retorted. "In what world am I a 'little' brother to you?"

"The only place that really matters, Luke: talent". She quipped back.

The two of them were about to really start getting into their argument when the doors on the opposite side of the room hissed open and a group of younglings came in for their next lesson. The two Padawans immediately shoved the other away and straightened their tunics, wanting to be seen as the more professional of the pair.

"Ah, that'll be the afternoon class." Rex said cheerily. "Come in, come in!"

Half of the younglings had the wearied look of resignation a student gets when they know pain is on the horizon, and the other half looked at Luke and Leia with undisguised curiosity. There weren't many Padawans that they saw during their days in the Temple, and these two were the most famous of them all.

"Younglings, may I introduce Padawans Luke and Leia Skywalker." Rex said proudly.

"It's Amidala." Leia snapped.

"What?"

"It's Amidala, Leia Amidala."

Luke couldn't help but let out a frown, a sign that Leia noticed out of the corner of her vision. It seemed like she and their father had another argument while Luke and Obi-Wan were in the Mid Rim. This one must have been truly special for her to use their mother's name. As he shook his head at her in disappointment, he wondered what his mother made of all of this.

"Ah, Padawans Luke Skywalker and Leia Amidala then." Rex corrected. His professionalism hadn't skipped a beat in twenty years. Only Luke was able to detect the slight surprise he had in his face at this latest development.

Immediately, the two of them were swarmed by younglings who wanted to ask them all sorts of questions.

"Who is the better fighter?"

"How do you build a lightsaber?"

"Which color crystal do you have?"

"Which crystal color is better?"

"Why do you have a-"

"Alright, enough!" Leia said, throwing up her hands in the air to signal her defeat and try to get their attention. "Do you want a demonstration?"

"YES!" they yelled back at her, a quick nod of approval from Rex was all she needed to draw her lightsaber and ignite her blade.

It was a beautiful thing, all copper and silver with mother-of-pearl inlays. The blue blade complimented the colors of the hilt and made her face glow with a refreshing light.

"This is my lightsaber." Leia said, waving it about dramatically to create sheets of blue flame in front of her. "There are many like it, but this one is mine. My brother Luke has his, and it reflects his personality too."

Luke stepped forward and ignited his own lightsaber, holding it out from him as far as he could to let the younglings get a fresh look. It looked remarkably like his master's, though without any of the bronzium to add a splash of color. The green of his blade also suited his personality, but contrasted with the blue coming from his sister's saber.

"Master Obi-Wan Kenobi tells us that this weapon is your life, but that doesn't just mean it will save you in defense. It is an extension of your arm, of your connection to the Force. When you truly practice with your lightsaber, which you will personally construct, you will feel closer to the Force than ever before."

Luke wanted to reply. Considering his own master was Obi-Wan, he had a slightly different take on his words. It was typical of Leia to think with her lightsaber first. Luke had never felt that connection to the Force through his lightsaber before, and he was fairly sure that it wouldn't change any time soon.

He wanted to say all of that, but before he could, another person stepped through the door. It was the Tholothian Jedi, Katooni if his memory served correctly.

"Padawan Luke, Padawan Leia?" she called. "It's time. The High Council requests your presence in the Council Chambers."

"Both of us?" Luke asked, shooting his sister a glance. Neither of them had thought they'd be taking the Trial together. It was unspoken, but both of them had the exact same idea at the same time.

If they were both taking the Trials, odds were good that only one of them would pass.

"Yes, both of you." Katooni said with a bow.

The two of them powered down their lightsabers and followed Katooni out the doors and into the hallway leading to the Council Chambers. Both of them were extremely quiet on their trip. Each was lost in their thoughts about what would happen, both if they passed or if they failed.

Their turbolift ride was equally silent, but the awkwardness between them only increased. Luke couldn't take it any longer. He needed to say something, anything.

"Look, if only one of us can pass, I know that whichever one doesn't pass will do so the next time." Luke said. "If it's me, I know you'll do really well. You'll make a great Jedi one day."

"Well it won't be me that fails, so you don't have to worry about that." Leia snapped back, her fraying nerves doing nothing to help with her temper. "Best of luck to you next time."

"I guess we'll have to see then."

"I guess we will."

Mercifully, the doors chimed that they had arrived at their destination. They opened with a small hiss and both Luke and Leia stepped forward to face their future.

Though their respective masters and the rest of the High Council were in their usual seats, both of them had eyes only for one person.

His face might have been a bit more weathered than it had once been, but his hair was still a light brown that fell down just above the dark robe that he wore around his shoulders. The years had not caused him to lose any of his muscle, but they seemed to be far more relaxed now than they once were. He was lethal fury, a wellspring in the Force, but it was now tempered with wisdom. The storms that had once clouded his mind and heart had calmed, and he was the picture of tranquility as he sat in his chair staring at the both of them.

He had many names. Jedi, General, Husband, Savior, even Chosen One, but the two Padawans had always known him by another name.

Father.

"Luke and Leia." Anakin Skywalker said, looking at his children with a certain formality, but also with unmistakable fatherly pride.

"It is time for your final Jedi Trial. Let us begin."