No one's done this yet, so I'm going to.
This was all a waste of time, Padme knew, but there was no way around it. Without a hyperdrive, they couldn't get to Coruscant. And in order to get the hyperdrive, they had to trust a nine-year-old to win the biggest race on the planet, if not in the whole outer rim. It was stupid and reckless and she wanted to curse Qui-Gon Jinn three times over for putting them in this position, but she couldn't. So, Padme stood next to Ani's mother and Jar Jar, hoping for the best.
Ani promised he'd win this time. She had to trust him, as stupid as it felt.
Qui-Gon came back from speaking to the boy, his face calm as ever. How could he not be panicking? Even Shmi was to some extent.
"Is he alright?" Shmi asked, a mother's worry carrying in every word. She held up the datapad that showed footage of Ani's podracer, but they couldn't exactly see any facial expressions the Twi'lek boy might've been making under his goggles.
"He'll be alright. He tucked his lekku into his shirt to keep them safe, just as you advised." There was a proud air in Qui-Gon's tone that Padme didn't appreciate.
The mother Twi'lek nodded slowly, her worry not quite leaving yet. Jar Jar's constant doubts didn't exactly help, but no one bothered to shut him up because they felt it too. If Ani lost this race, they'd all be stuck on this planet for a long time. And as nice as the two Skywalker were, she didn't want to become their permanent house guest. Her people still needed her.
The announcers' voices rang through the stadium and Padme almost jumped as the podracers started their engines. She could see the heat waves escaping the engines and didn't want to know how it might've felt to be down there right now, getting blasted with all of that energy.
Her heart also sunk, seeing how small Ani's racer looked compared to the others. Just one of their engine things were bigger than his entire pod.
Before she could tell what was happening, a bell rang and the racers shot forward, speeding off into the desert. All, except for Ani. "What?!" Padme shouted, her stomach dropping. "Go! What are you waiting for?!"
She turned to Qui-Gon, wondering if he could somehow use a Jedi trick to fix this -surely, the force could do something- but the Jedi master just looked on with that same calm. Now, Padme was sure he just wasn't sane. That had to be it. First, he risked everything on this kid and now that he was stalling on the kriffing starting line, Qui-Gon looked like he couldn't be bothered at all.
Padme turned back when Shmi pulled at her arm, showing that Ani had managed to fix the issue and was now racing after the others. He was still far behind, but picking up speed quickly, already passing a few others. She allowed herself just a moment of relief. He did promise her it was the fasted podracer around, after all.
The rest of the race was just as nerve-wracking. Ani's pod continued to malfunction and with how fast he was going, Padme worried she'd be witness to the Twi'lek boy's death. But every time, he managed to overcome it. He came out on top and won the race.
Padme didn't hesitate to run down to him, all previous doubts and worries gone as she focused on the boy who was being picked up by a crowd. He pulled his goggles off, the dirt on his face making a clear line on his blue skin, but he was beaming brighter than the two suns.
He was shouting something and although she couldn't hear it over the cheers around them, she read the words on his lips. "I won!" He shouted. "I won!"
Padme walked into the room, exhaustion, and grief weighing her down as she thought, again, that her people were suffering. And with the added knowledge that there were still slaves in the Outer-rim, she felt a deep sense of responsibility for them too. Today, they freed one slave, but what about the rest? Who would help them?
There were three other occupants of the room: R2, Jar Jar, and Anakin. The droid was powered down in a small charging station while Jar Jar sat sprawled out on one of the chairs. Anakin, however, was sitting curled up by the table, a pile of leather laid out in front of him. Padme moved to get closer, her worries already easing with Ani's presence.
"How are you?" She knew he was probably overwhelmed. Her first time off-planet had been like that too. The time changes were still difficult and always made her irritable.
"Cold." He muttered, still hugging himself.
Oh. Pulling off her jacket, Padme offered it to him and he smiled as he wrapped it tight around his shoulders, still shivering. She looked down to the leather, now recalling where she saw it. "Why'd you take this off of your lekku? Isn't it colder without it?" He had been wearing leather wrappings over his lekku the whole time they were on Tatooine, not even taking them off to sleep. The little headwrap he wore was also gone.
Ani frowned in that way she knew meant she overlooked something. "They make us wear that so we can't communicate with our lekku. It's like a mussel" His voice was grim and he looked back at the leather. "But it is pretty cold without it." Padme admired his attempt to lighten the mood, even if it took away from the gravity of the situation.
She thought for a moment, thinking of Shmi's tied lekku as well. "How do you communicate with them? I haven't met enough Twi'lek to know." They certainly weren't an uncommon species by any means, but Naboo never seemed to get them.
"Well..." Ani started, contemplating. "It's mostly subconscious. Like when you move your arms while talking." Padme nodded slowly. "But I can do this-" He waved the tip of his left lekku. "That's a greeting. And this is farewell." He did the same motion, but with the other. "And this is when I'm mad!" The twin tails poked at his back as he faked an angry glare. "But I don't know anything else, really. The ties made it hard to move them."
Barbaric. Padme couldn't believe a sentient would do this to another sentient. Tie their lekku and decide to own them? These slavers held so many lives in their hands and tossed them away without care because they thought they were better.
"Is there anything else special about your lekku?" Again, she was out of her depth here. They obviously moved, but not like an arm would. And why were they there? Was it just to communicate? Or was it something based on the planet Twi'lek came from?
Anakin shrugged. "I don't know. Humans are pretty weird to me. Like your hair. It's different from Kitster's. It looks shiny and smooth."
"Do you want to feel it?" She usually wouldn't let someone else touch her hair, but Ani was different. He was curious and maybe she had a bit of a soft spot for him. Maybe she liked seeing him happy.
Padme couldn't help but laugh when Anakin practically jumped up and reached out to touch. He was gentle as he ran his fingers through it and backed away after only a second or two. Then, once he was settled with her jacket again, he smiled. "It's really soft. And you can't feel it?" She shook her head. Not unless he pulled. "That's weird. Kitster's hair is all rough."
"Well, that might be because of the sand." She could already feel the itching at her scalp. Tatooine wasn't good for her skin and she couldn't possibly see how a human could live there. "Naboo, my home planet, is green and has lots of vegetation."
"Vege...what?"
She laughed again, but it was broken up by a yawn. "I'll tell you more tomorrow. It's pretty late." She didn't miss how his face fell. "We'll arrive on coruscant soon. I'd suggest you get rest too. It's going to be busy." How would he react, she wondered. A desert boy coming to one of the galaxy's most advanced planets. There would definitely be a lot to explore. "Goodnight." She whispered as she walked out of the room, her eyes never leaving Ani's.
She just catch sight of the right lekku waving back before she walked out of sight.
Ten years sure did a lot, Padme thought. The little boy she thought she remembered so well turned into a man, tall and handsome. His features seemed so much less soft and his lekku reached down to his thighs. He wore a chain of beautiful beads between them, showing his status as a Jedi Padawan. He had a broad figure and strong chin, as well as a pair of eyes that seemed to see right through the lies she told herself. They sparked with an intensity she had never seen before and every part of him seemed so different, yet his quirks all stayed the same.
And if ten years changed a lot, a few days changed even more. Before, Padme had been so focused on keeping herself at an arm's length from Anakin. She still had a job to do, even as she hid on Naboo. She was a senator and him a Jedi. It could never work, no matter how she wanted it to.
Funny that now she was stressing over her wedding dress, just minutes before she was supposed to go out and marry him. What was he wearing? Likely just his robes. Jedi certainly weren't the best in fashion -she couldn't imagine wearing the same thing every day- but it did look good on Anakin. The dark colors did well to make him look older, stronger. And it matched his blue skin very well, too.
Deciding to just bite the bullet, Padme stepped out onto the balcony where they would have their secret wedding. She wished things could be different, that she could show the world just how much she loved him, but they weren't. She would be happy just to have this because prior to her assassination attempts, she thought it would be impossible.
His eyes found her immediately and his lekku twisted together behind his back. She could see his face change color, growing a little darker than normal and she smiled as she stood in front of him, taking each of his hands into her own.
The metal one felt odd, a little skeletal and cold, but the other was radiating heat. And coupled with his longing gaze, she almost felt it was too much all at once. Only Anakin could love this much.
They said their vows, promising love, trust, and devotion to each other. Padme added that everything that was hers was now his -she couldn't stop smiling at the idea of sharing an apartment with him on Coruscant, as unlikely as it was to come true- and he promised to always protect her in any way she needed.
They kissed and it sent chills through her body. So much had happened and she was sure they still needed to sort through some of the things that came up -there was no real time to grieve Shmi's death or process his arm getting cut off- but she had a feeling it wouldn't happen. As soon as they were done here, he would leave to get knighted and she'd return to the senate to hopefully put a swift end to this war.
But for tonight, it would be just them. As Padme pulled away from the kiss, she kept her eyes closed for a second longer, just letting herself feel him. Her hand brushed his lekku and he gasped. Her eyes snapped open, meeting his very embarrassed face, then her thoughts went darker. She would have to use this later. As in, a few minutes from now, later.
But first, she had a question. "You keep twisting your lekku like that." She ran her fingers along them again, just for another reaction. His whimper was very pleasing.
"Um...oh. It means..." He looked away bashfully, but there was a gentle smile on his features that made her heart soar. "It means I love you."
Padme rushed to Anakin as soon as he entered her apartment. She could already see the large white patch over his right eye -what was it with him and getting injured on the right side?- and her hands cupped his sharp cheeks. "Force, are you okay?! I heard the news and I thought-"
"I'm alright." He held her hands in his own, a sweet smile pulling at his lips. "Ventress got a little too close, but I didn't lose my eye. I'll probably get a sick scar, though."
It was all she could do to roll her eyes. Of course he would think of that first. But even so, her heart pulled painfully. Yes, they were at war and she saw it in every congress meeting. But to see it from Anakin's side of the fight? To witness an injury that he took so lightly?
She could lose her new husband. Every blaster bullet that he defected could've been the one to end his life. How could she let him go out again, knowing that? How could she let him endanger himself? How could she prepare herself to see him for the last time?
"Hey, hey!" Anakin pulled her closer and she let herself fall into him, soaking in his comfort. "I...I can't promise anything. I can't say it's safe out there or that I'm even trying to stay safe all the time, but...we don't have much choice, do we? If we don't fight, then who will?"
She knew he was right, but it still hurt to know. To accept such a bitter truth. "We have to sacrifice so no one else has to." She echoed his thoughts. If she let her husband go to war, let him get hurt, then someone else's did have to. Someone could stay safe because he was out there. She would have to be okay with that.
In a desperate attempt to distract herself, Padme reached out to brush against his lekku. He shivered and pulled away just enough to give her a look that meant he very much was okay with that suggestion, but the reminder of his eye made her pause. It probably wasn't very safe to do that while he was still injured, even if it was just his eye.
Now she felt bad for suggesting something she didn't plan to follow through on. "Let's just...cuddle. Is that okay?"
There was no disappointment, not like she feared. His smile brightened and he pulled her with him to the couch, falling down heavily. It made her crash down with him. She laughed, then got herself into a comfortable position, still careful to make sure his eye was out of contact from anything else.
They could have more fun later, maybe next time he came back to her -if he did. Until then, she'd enjoy the extra warmth.
"Senator Amidala, this is my Padawan, Ahsoka Tano." Anakin introduced them with an air of excitement she knew meant he was already attached to his student. Bowing politely, Padme gave the young Togurta a smile.
"It's nice to meet you, Ahsoka. Anakin's talked very highly of you to me. Though...you seem young to be sent into war." She thought the Jedi council might've been more merciful than other military leaders, but that didn't seem the case. They too were willing to send children into battle if it meant victory.
Ahsoka looked offended. "I'm very well trained. In fact, I've saved Skyguy's sorry butt quite a few times during our missions. He'd be helpless without me."
Ah, so she also lacked the Jedi's humbleness. No wonder they gave her to Anakin. No one better to teach him than his own copy.
Anakin made a face at the comment and hit her arm with one of his lekku. When she turned sharply to him, he just frowned. "Pipe down, Snips. She didn't mean anything by it."
Oh, Padme could tell they would get along very well. And a part of her glowed at seeing him be so...responsible? No. She wasn't sure what she felt, but either way, she enjoyed it. He would make a good teacher, she could tell.
Things hadn't been the same recently. The war just kept dragging on no matter what bills they passed or what alliances they made. The separatists were always getting closer and the Jedi couldn't seem to catch the Sith. It was getting more and more difficult to keep hope; to say this would all end soon without feeling like she was lying.
And now there was rumor of Anakin's starfighter getting shot down. She didn't want to believe it, not with the secrets she held. She tried to keep her head high, tried to convince herself it was just another rumor, but as soon as she lay down in her empty bed, she felt the doubts come in. What if he really was dead? What if she was now a widow? And her child? Could she really be a single mother?
But the rumors ended quickly upon Anakin's return. He hugged her, kissed her, and smiled so very brightly when she delivered the news. They spent the night together, his voice so soft and sweet as he spoke to her baby bump. Even his nightmares couldn't completely take away the joyful mood, though, they were a little concerning.
"What about...Jola?" Anakin whispered, his head resting on her lap as she read through another bill they would be passing.
"What?" Padme stopped to look down at him. He didn't return her gaze, his eyes set on the baby bump. The end of his right lekku kept twitching like a Tooka's tail and she knew it meant he had something on his mind, something more pressing than whatever he was saying now but she likely already knew what it was. And he needed a distraction.
"Jola. It's a good name right? Your sister's name is Sola and your mother's Jobal."
Oh! They were already talking baby names? Goodness, if she had known he would be this excited to hear of her pregnancy, she never would've worried after reading the test. "I guess. But the name holds no meaning. It's just a mixture."
Anakin frowned at her playfully. "Then, you pick one then."
Well, if he was going to be like that, then she would. "Hm...something light I think." She thought through the few names she could remember holding that meaning. "Luke? That's a nice name."
Anakin's brow raised suspiciously. "It's a boy's name. We're having a girl."
Padme crossed her arms. "And what makes you so sure? Your Jedi senses?" She said it in jest, though, a part of her was afraid that was exactly the answer.
"It feels right. Don't need the force to tell me." He was so sure, so confident that she almost laughed. So it really was just his preference. Though, he would probably be very happy no matter the gender, just like her.
But for the sake of argument..."Well, motherly instinct tells me it's a boy. So, Luke."
"Fine. But when you find out it's a girl, we'll name her..." He thought for a moment. "Lion." It was Padme's turn to frown. As unique a name that was, it wasn't a very good one. "Fine! Leia."
She was about to argue again, but stopped. Leia Naberrie. Leia Skywalker. She liked that. "Fine. Then we'll find out who's right when the time comes." The arguement ended, leaving them in pleasant silence once again. But after a moment of contemplation, Padme spoke again. "Do...what do Twi'lek and human hybrids look like?" She wasn't afraid of having an ugly child. She thought Anakin's Twi'lek features were very handsome and she wouldn't be disappointed at all if none of her own showed, but that wasn't genetically likely.
"Depends. Sometimes they come out looking mostly human with some coloring and sometimes they have full lekku and half-human skin. I guess that'll be another surprise."
Indeed it would be. Padme set her datapad to the side for a moment and picked up her pen, sketching out the rough image of a human face. Then, she started drawing out variations of Anakin and her features, falling in love with each picture.
In all of them, they had Anakin's eyes.
"Anakin!" Padme screamed, her whole body feverish and in pain. She breathed quickly, feeling light-headed and dizzy as she stared at the bright lights above her. She was dying, she could feel it. Not because of the burn in her throat or even the ache in her heart, but something in her very soul. It pulled, like it was sucking her out of her body by force.
And there was nothing the medical bot could do to save her.
"Anakin! Help me!" She screamed again, her mind flashing with images of him. A young boy so eager to become a Jedi. A man, insecure but determined to show he loved her. Her husband as they stole quick kisses and loving words whenever they could. And a stranger, lost in his own anger and greed for power.
There was intense pain and Padme's voice cut out, her mouth open wide as her eyes rolled. Something cold touched her cheek and she flinched, her eyes opening again. "Stay with us, Padme! Please!"
It was Obi-Wan's voice. If she were in a better state, she might've been embarrassed to have him here while she was giving birth, but now, all she could feel was relief. He would stop this pain, right? He was a Jedi. He must feel how something dark tried to pull at her.
There was a cry and it took a long moment to realize it wasn't from her. It grew closer and she looked up through blurry vision to see a baby, filthy and crying. She smiled despite her pain, love swelling in her chest. "Luke." She whispered, wanting to reach out and take the baby into her arms, but her limbs refused to move. She was so, so tired. But at least she could see him. Blue skin, just like his father, with little bumps at the back of his head to show lekku would eventually grow in. "Hi, Luke." She croaked.
The pain returned and she shouted out once again, another baby's cry echoing against the first. Twins?! She had to see. She had to see the second child for herself and Obi-Wan wasn't moving fast enough. But when she tried to sit up, her limbs shook violently and she fell back again.
The baby came into view and she wondered what Anakin would say, knowing he was half right. A baby boy and girl. "Leia." She said it as a greeting instead of announcing a name. Her beautiful girl. She had those same bumps, but her skin was a human red, like most newborns were. She could also make out the look of cone-shaped ears, another Twi'lek trait. It matched one of her designs, but she liked the real one so much better.
Her overwhelming joy was cut short at another strong pull. Her pained smile fell as she felt her eyes roll again, energy-draining too quickly. "Obi-Wan..." She called, wanting to say one last thing before she left this world. To give one message of hope. "I know..." She was breathless, barely able to gather the words at all, but she had to fight. "There's still good in him. I know..." Her heart slowed and her mind started to cloud. "I know...there's..."
She felt the force take her.
Luke always felt...different. He felt like other people just couldn't sense the things he could. Whenever he helped Uncle Owen repair the vaportator, he could sense what was wrong with it before they even took the thing apart. He felt a pull whenever he heard off-worlders talk about flying starfighters and ships. He felt connected to the Womprats he tried bringing home or the sad people he saw on the streets. The slaves.
But that wasn't as strange as his species. Sure, Twi'lek weren't very uncommon, but he wasn't like the other Twi'lek he saw. He had eyebrows and peachfuzz growing on his skin. He didn't have pointed ears either, not like the other Twi'lek boys his age.
And he wasn't like Uncle Owen or Aunt Beru either. They were humans despite being related to him. He tried to reason it out in his ten-year-old mind. They were on his father's side of the family, that much he knew from the comments Uncle Owen made. So, maybe his father had been human. Maybe his mother was the Twi'lek. It would explain why he wasn't like the others. He was a hybrid, but it didn't quite feel right.
So, Luke asked. "Hey, Aunt Beru?" He waited until he had her attention. "Why am I a Twi'lek but you're not?" He hoped he got a straight answer without having to explain his whole thought process first. But as she smiled down at him, looking like the answer was so simple, he thought it might be necessary. There couldn't be so simple an answer, right?
"Because I'm your father's sister-in-law. Or, his step-sister-in-law. I'm not sure how it all works."
Luke stared at her. "What?"
She let out a squeaking laugh as she sat down beside him. "Your father was a Twi'lek, right?" Luke nodded despite the new information. Now he was really confused. "Owen and I aren't because we aren't related by blood. His mother married our father after your father was born."
Huh. "So, my grandma was a Twi'lek?" Aunt Beru nodded. "And...my mom? What was she?"
"Human." He knew it! But just the other way around. "And that's why you're a little different." Aunt Beru explained, echoing his thoughts. "But that doesn't mean you're any less special, Luke. You're still very much a Twi'lek and a human too. You get to share both cultures."
Two cultures. Both of which he knew nothing about and likely never would. Twi'lek were too widespread to have any real origins; at least, that's what the other Twi'leks told him. And humans were much the same. Too many of them to really have a culture.
"Want to know something else?" Aunt Beru lowered her voice to a whisper and Luke immediately nodded, wanting to know whatever secret she might've been telling him. "You're born of two planets as well. Your father was of Tatooine and your mother was of Naboo."
"Naboo?!" Luke gasped. He'd never heard of that place before!
"It's a tropical planet. Very, very different from here. They have so much water that it pools up in lakes. And the hills are covered in green trees and plants. And I heard they have a swamp, somewhere so moist, it makes even the land smooshy."
Luke's face well. "You're just making stuff up." Lakes of water? Smooshy land? There was no way someplace like that actually existed.
Aunt Beru laughed. "No, I promise you. I might not have seen it myself, but it's there. Naboo is a very important planet."
He thought for a moment before deciding he'd believe her...for now. "Alright. How come I haven't met them, though? My parents?" Before he could think twice about his question, Aunt Beru's face fell and she looked away.
"That's a sad question, Luke." And she left it at that.
As Luke walked into the sitting area on the Millenium Falcon, he paused at the sight of Princess -he still couldn't believe they saved a Princess- Leia. She was crying softly and he felt bad for staring, especially since he was more focused on her head than her emotions.
She looked up and quickly wiped her tears, a mask of indifference covering her features. And maybe a bit of anger. "Don't you know how to knock?" She snapped.
Luke shook his head, stepping fully into the room. "Sorry. I just...you have lekku?" Her head was covered before, when they were saving her from the imperial ship, but that veil was now gone and he could see the curled lekku on either side of her head.
Leia looked at him like he had just said the world's dumbest thing. "Yes, I have lekku."
"Well, they were covered earlier. And you have human skin, so...I thought it was hair." Given, two giant buns on either side of her head would be a weird hairstyle, but he was finding a lot of weird things lately. A lot of weird things.
Leia's expression softened, but only slightly. "I'm half-human, so that must be why you thought it was hair. I'm not sure what the other half is, but my father-" She suddenly cut herself off and Luke felt a deep mourning cross between them. It made his heart ache, reminded him of his aunt and uncle just before he left Tatooine. How empty the farm was and that so many people would be without water now that it wasn't running.
He couldn't imagine losing a whole planet.
"My father," Leia continued, startling Luke out of his thoughts. "said I might be half Twi'lek. I don't have the markings for a Togruta, and only male Ozrelanso have lekku so it's the closest thing."
Now that she said it, he could definitely tell she was a Twi'lek. She had spots of blue skin, right where her lekku started. And her ears were shaped like the girl Twi'lek on Tatooine. But they didn't usually have eyebrows, so maybe that was a human part?
"I'm half Twi'lek too." Luke blurted suddenly. She looked surprised for a moment, then smiled. He moved to sit next to her. "My parents are dead and I grew up with my aunt and uncle, but they said I'm half and half. So...I get how you feel. Not quite one way or the other, you know? A little too Twi'lek to be human, and too human to be Twi'lek." It was a root for many bullies in his younger years.
"I'll admit," Leia started attaching the veil to her head again. "I don't really know much about Twi'lek. Alderaan-" Another flash of pain and sadness, "-was mostly a human planet. But you're right. I'm too different to be completely human and no one lets me forget it."
He didn't ask about her experiences or what her bullies said. She was still in so much pain over her planet and he didn't want to resurface that too. So, he just sat beside her until Threepio came waddling in, his voice running and running as he announced they would be arriving at the rebel base soon.
Leia stood, the perfect image of a princess with every step she took, but when she looked at Luke as they exited the Millenium Falcon, he felt something different in her gaze. More than an understanding. A bond between them, something deeper than he had ever felt.
They were connected. He just didn't know how.
Hoth wasn't Luke's first choice in bases. He hated the cold, given where he was raised, and Hoth went well beyond just cold. He had to wear a thick coat at all times, even inside the base. There were icicles and patches of frost all along the walls and hanging from the ceiling. In the hanger, Luke could always see his breath despite the thick, metal door that separated them from the planet's elements.
So, it begged the question why Luke was out in the middle of a blizzard. Honestly, he forgot. Sometime between getting terribly lost and barely escaping a Wompa -that ate his tauntaun for force's sake- the original mission managed to completely slip his mind. But Luke knew the rebels wouldn't care at this point. They would just be happy to see him alive.
But he wasn't so sure that was going to happen either. The wind only continued to pick up and his mind was getting foggier by the minute. His toes and fingers felt like they would actually fall off and his face was so numb, he couldn't feel the snot freezing onto his upper lip. Everything was just too cold and he was losing sight of where he was.
It felt like such a waste, dying after three years of fighting. Sure, they managed to destroy the Death Star in Yavin, but not much more progress was made since then. This rebellion was slow-moving and every step forward seemed to drag them back two.
It was funny. Twi'lek were supposed to run hotter than humans, yet he felt like his insides had been completely chilled. There was no warmth in him and as he fell to his knees, his exhaustion pushing down the panic of dying out here, he wondered if he inherited a human body temperature instead.
Wouldn't that have been funny? He would die because he wasn't enough of a Twi'lek to survive the harsh cold. He would die because of his mother's genes.
Some part of that made him sad.
"Luke!" A voice called. He wasn't sure when he had fallen into the snow, but it took more effort than it should've to raise his head. He froze -haha- when he saw a transparent figure.
"Ben?" He croaked, his lungs stinging from the cold winds. Ben, or Luke's hallucination of him, started speaking of a mission. Something about the...Degobah system? A Jedi master named Yoda? He wasn't sure, but before he could reach out, Ben was fading away. A tauntaun replaced him and Luke swore he would scream if this was another mind trick. Would the world really be so cruel as to make him think he was being saved before he died?
"Luke!" A new voice called, but he didn't listen. Energy spent, Luke fell back into the snow, his face not even feeling the cold anymore. "Luke!" Snow moved around him as this new person got closer. Something pulled at his shoulders and Luke felt his body flip, but he was fading. All he could really register was the voice. "Come on, Luke! You're turning blue!" There was a moment's pause, then firm hands started to drag him. "Come on! At least laugh at my jokes!" The voice sounded scared. Desperate.
The familiar sound of his lightsaber startled Luke for just a moment, words spilling out of his mouth, but he couldn't catch what they were. Where was he? What happened? He couldn't think.
Moments later, there was warmth. He felt like he could finally breathe...kind of. His mouth was still moving and his mind didn't clear, but at least he was warm. That was all that mattered now.
Luke let himself sleep, finally.
It all made sense. Too much sense.
His father "died" to Vader. His father, who was the famous Twi'lek general in the Clone Wars. He died to Vader, who was a powerful Twi'lek Sith, previously thought to be a possible cyborg -and that wasn't entirely off the table still. His parents were dead and Vader stood over their graves.
He was Darth Vader's son. A human-Twi'lek hybrid.
And so was Leia.
"Force, this sucks." Luke sighed, his robotic fingers still twitching. Why didn't Obi-Wan tell him? Why did he lie, saying his father died to Vader? So much could've been avoided! So much pain and hatred! If he had just known-
But what would that really change? The fact that he now knew his father killed Obi-Wan made the death sting worse. The fact his father, a general Luke used to look up to, was now a Sith and killed thousands of innocents? It really, really hurt.
Yet, Luke wanted to know more. He wanted to know why his father fell to the dark side. Why he wore a suit that covered every inch of him. Why he tried to offer Luke his hand right after cutting Luke's off.
"Obi-Wan." Luke called into the force, hoping the old geezer could still hear him. "Why?" He asked, trying to feel the energy around him without really knowing how. His training with Yoda had been short and...well, it didn't feel very beneficial. He didn't get his ship out of the swamp and all he really did was lift rocks and have some really bad visions.
But even so, he felt another presence reach out to him, light and worried. He reached back and found Leia.
Right. There were other things he would have to focus on first, before his father. He had to break the news to Leia -who knew how she'd take it- and return to the rebel base, wherever they relocated to. They still had a fight to win and he wouldn't stop until it was over. Until the empire was gone, no matter what happened to Vader.
Though, a part of him knew he'd have to face him again. There was no way around it. And until then, Luke would train.
"There is still good in him." He said. He wasn't sure if he believed it yet.
The electricity finally fell away and Luke felt he could breathe again. He didn't move for a long while, his entire body numb from the relentless attack. But he saw Vader throwing the Emporer off the balcony and into the pit. It flared up with blue energy, threatening to pull Vader down as well, but it ended as quickly as it started.
Luke got up with a groan and slowly made his way to Vader. Something sounded wrong with his suit, a clicking noise coming with every breath. And when Luke tried to support some of Vader's weight, he worried it might crush them both.
"Come on!" Luke groaned again, reaching into the force to relieve some of his pain and give him strength to drag his father with him. The relief came almost immediately and they started stumbling forward. It was slow and Luke became more and more aware of the sirens all around them with each step, but the hanger wasn't too far. They could make it out. Then...who knew.
He just had to save his father.
Luke's grip started to weaken, but his lekku reached out to help, the ends hooking under Vader's arms. It gave him a headache, but he would live. Just a little further.
A little further.
Vader dropped and Luke wanted to protest, but his father's breaths were wheezing and shallow. Something definitely wasn't right, especially when his voice came out in a gentle pitch. "Luke. Take off my mask." He sounded so soft, so gentle. It made Luke want to dig his heels in and drag them the rest of the way to safety.
"No. It'll kill you." He almost choked on the word.
Another hissed breath. "It is too late...for me now." He wanted to protest, wanted to pull his father back onto his feet and get them onto his ship, but he knew it wouldn't work. Even if they managed to climb into his X-wing, Vader would probably die before they left the hanger anyway. So, Luke reached out with careful hands. He felt along the underside of the helmet and took off the crowning piece, then did the same to the lower one.
Luke's heart spiked when he saw his father's face for the first time. The skin was pulled tight around his bones, deep scars going across his cheek and the top of his head. His lekku were cut so short, Luke almost worried his brain stem might've been exposed. But none of that was quite as shocking as the rest.
Blue skin, just like Luke's own. A strong nose and heavy brow-line that reminded him of Leia. Deep, blue eyes that stared at Luke with so much love he felt it might choke him.
His father, Anakin Skywalker. Not Darth Vader.
"Now go, my son." His voice was so different than Vader's. Softer, yet rough with whatever had happened to him. They held real emotion and just as much love as his eyes. "Leave me-"
"You're coming with me! I can still save you-" Luke tried, but they both knew it was a lie.
"No." His father took a few short breaths. Then, he smiled. "You...already have. Luke, you were right. You were right about me." Luke helped him sit forward just a little more, wanting to hear his father speak again. He always wanted this. Always. "Tell your sister...you were right." He seemed so excited, his skin pulling as he smiled. What was left of his lekku tried to move, but Luke couldn't tell what gesture they'd make.
The light started to drain from his father's eyes and Luke felt a new wave of dread. "Father!" He gasped, watching helplessly as his father slowly leaned back, his eyes closing. "I won't leave you-" He felt the force shift, a presence so very bright, fading away. He was gone.
Leia couldn't stop smiling. She finally did it! They did it! The empire was gone and order could return to the galaxy. The rebels won after twenty years of fighting and death.
Her father would've been so proud.
Fireworks sent waves of sound over them, the music light and beautiful as Leia spun around and around, her lekku swinging. Han danced with her, a smile equally as happy. He planted a kiss on her lips and she returned it with just as much excitement. But it didn't last when she felt Luke's presence behind her. Pulling away, she beamed at her brother and pulled him into her arms.
"Luke!" She looked him over, glad to see he wasn't missing another hand. Han took him quickly, giving him a firm hug with a pat on the shoulder.
"We did it, Kid! We did it!" Han shouted, his voice somehow managing to carry over the music.
Luke smiled back, his bright eyes slightly red. She didn't blame him if he was crying. She felt like crying too.
Leia took Han's arm and pulled him back to the center of the festivities. She stood by his side, watching Threepio attempt to dance and nearly fall several times. But after a moment, she felt Han shift and looked up at him, only to find he wasn't watching her, but something behind her. Turning, she spotted Luke and two... figures? This must've been some kind of force thing. Luke did tell her she was sensitive to it as well, whether she liked it or not.
One was of Obi-Wan and her heart ached at seeing him again. He was so old but smiling down at her brother with pride. Beside him was a small lizard creature that she figured must've been Yoda. He fit the stories Luke told of his training at least. A little crazy thing, but a wise Jedi.
Leia's eyes widened when she saw the last figure begin to appear. A tall Twi'lek who looked...a lot like Luke. He looked even more proud than Obi-Wan, his eyes shining as he nodded to Luke, then met her eyes from over his shoulder.
Not sure what to do, Leia pulled at Luke's shoulder, carefully not looking at the figures as she led him back to the celebration. She knew what the death of Darth Vader meant but seeing his ghost -if that's what it was- felt too real. She would rather remember her biological father as someone separate from the dark lord, at least for as long as she could.
"I was right." She could barely hear Luke over the music and R2's singing. "There was still good in him. He returned to the light."
She didn't want to answer, mostly because she had no idea how. This force stuff wasn't her strong suit and she would rather talk about how they would continue on politically than the force's magic. But this meant a lot to him. More than she could understand just yet.
"I guess you get bragging rights, then." She elbowed him lightly, earning her a smile.
"I'll be sure to use it." He teased in return, even though they knew he wouldn't follow through.
The night moved on. It had to. The galaxy never stopped moving, even if she wanted the moment to last forever. And as Leia laid down in her hammock, Ewok snoring filling the air, she could feel something moving around her, like a blanket of energy.
She felt balance in the force.
Just for those who are curious, yes Kylo Ren paints himself blue to be more like grandpa.
I spent way more time on this than I thought I would, but I loved writing it. I love the Twi'lek species and wanted to see how certain things might change. I hope you liked it and if this inspired you to also write (or do anything, really) about twi'lek Skywalkers, then I've done my job!
