Yavin IV:
Padme watched as Luke was seized by the excited crowd of pilots and alliance personal. Leia hugged him as Han seized him in a tight hug. The group hoisted him up in the air as they paraded him across the hanger towards the platform that she was standing on. She stepped forward as her son was placed on the platform. She noticed R2 rolling towards Threepio and smiled. She took Luke in her arms as she kissed his cheek."Biggs is gone," Luke said with a foreboding look.
"I know," Padme said as she sadly spoke, "I'm sorry."
She kissed him as she felt thankful that he was alive. She was thankful that Leia was alive and Han and Chewbacca were alive. She was thankful that Anakin was still alive. Padme held him tightly as she spoke, "I am so proud of you."
She released him from her grip as she noticed Obi-Wan eagerly speaking, "Good job my young apprentice."
Luke placed his hand on the older man's shoulder as Padme turned towards Mon who stood at her side.
"I think that the valor that Solo and the Wookiee and your children have displayed warrants an award."
"They are doing their duty," Padme replied.
"Princess Winter demands your permission to award them with the Alderaanian medal of service as true defenders of freedom. It is..."
"I know the history behind the medal. Winter may award them. I don't want their leadership capabilities to get to their heads. I am not worried about Solo but my twins need to remember that being my children does not entitle them."
"Padme what your son did was extraordinary with or without your husband's help."
Padme sighed as she spoke, "I'll do it but it is Winter's ceremony. I cannot be the leader and give my children special treatment."
Mon looked at Padme for a moment and nodded her head, "I understand."
Padme entered the meeting room where her children were waiting. She looked at them with a sigh as she noticed their angry eyes. She took in a deep sigh as she noticed the furious looks that both twins were giving her. Leia not to her surprise spoke first, "Mom it is very obvious that the man underneath that hood is Anakin Skywalker. That makes Darth Vader our father. You and Ben lied to us for all of our lives!" Leia screamed.
"It is not like that at all," Padme replied.
You have a great deal of explaining to do. How can we even trust you mom? Are you telling us lies about other things?" Luke demanded as he stood up. Padme stared at her son as she spoke, "Luke? how could you..."
"How could you lie to us and levitate our father upon an alter when he is our greatest enemy?" Leia demanded."Padme looked at her daughter for a long moment before sitting down.
"Your father was seduced by the dark side as Obi-Wan said. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader.""When that happened the good man who was your father was destroyed," Obi-Wan interjected as he entered the room with Han Solo.
"So what your mother told you was true from a certain point of view," Obi-Wan finished.
Luke sat down as Leia spoke, "How long were you waiting to tell us?"
"We were planning to tell you today," Padme honestly replied.
"After this last mission was over. We knew that Vader would discover you sooner than later with how much the Alliance has grown. But it was too late," Obi-Wan and Leia looked at one another as they turned back to the adults.
"I think for these two you both have breached a large barrier of trust. I don't know if there is any going back from here," Han interjected.
Padme looked at her protege as she looked back at her children. She knew that Han was right. There was no one in the Alliance that commanded as much trust from her as Han did save for Mon. She looked at Han before looking back at Luke and Leia.
"Can you trust me again? I am your mother," Padme folded her arms as she stood up.
Luke stood up as he spoke, "I don't know mom."
"Luke, Leia you are a family. You need to trust her. As a family you must depend on one another in the times we live in," Obi-Wan said.
Luke and Leia regarded their mentor in frustration before looking at one another.
Alderaan:
A unique darkly covered shuttlecraft with towering wings landed in the seedy docking bay that was within Aldera city. The dark figure walked down the boarding ramp with the galactic credit chips that he had seized from Owen and Beru Lars. As the figure walked down the boarding ramp a lone zabrak attendant approached him, "Shall I send the bill to the regional governor sir?"
"Yes," The warrior replied as he considered that the zabrak would be too ignorant to realize that he wasn't an Imperial.
Behind the darkly cloaked man inside of his vessel was an array of troops that were awaiting his orders. He walked through the beautiful city as he took in his surroundings. Stormtroopers were patrolling the streets. He noticed several burnt buildings. What a pity that this planet was going to be destroyed by the Death Star five years from now, he mused. Lord Vader had once said that technological terrors were no match next to the power of the force. Lord Vader! Was he going to actually meet him? He couldn't believe that such a dream and fantasy was reality.
He walked towards the royal palace hoping that he would garner answers. Wishing to not make too much of a scene he snuck into one of the nearby cafes. He quietly noticed a group of around five women that were gathered around the table. He ordered a cup of caf and sat down as he spoke, "There are a lot of troops in the city."
"Ever since the Emperor declared our Viceroy and the Princess a traitor," one woman said. "The princess?" He asked with interest.
"Princess Winter got rescued by the Jedi rebels and I was told that they killed Moff Jade before he could finish burning the city down," Another woman said.
"Princess Winter? Not Leia? What has happened? The dark sider asked himself. He had noticed that no Princess Leia Organa existed on the holonet so he uneasily asked, "Is there a Leia Organa?"
"Not that I've ever heard of. If there is she must be a cousin of Breha's." One of the women said. "Is it because of our presence in this time?" The dark sider asked himself. He quickly finished his caf and left the establishment as he rushed towards his shuttle. He boarded the shuttle as he activated his comlink, "We need more answers. Nothing is right. Organa is already dead. He didn't die until Alderaan was destroyed."
"Is Alderaan as beautiful as they say it was?"
"Very much so," he replied.
"You better go back into that cafe because you won't believe the holonet report that is about to air."
He grunted in frustration as he walked back into the building. He saw an image of the Death Star being displayed by a blue skinned Twi'lek reporter as all eyes turned towards the screen headline.
"REBEL TERRORIST ATTACK RESULTS IN MILITARY CATASTROPHE!"
Devastator:
"Vader stared at the holonet report with a smirk, his son had done it. His son had destroyed the Death Star. He already was prepared to face the Emperor's reprimand for his failure. As he turned away from the holonet he noticed the holocom beeping. He knelt before it as an image of his master materialized before his eyes.
"What is thy bidding my Master?"
"Lord Vader you need to return to Coruscant so that we may discuss your most recent failure. I do not know if you realize the political catastrophe that is on our hands now that the public knows about our project and about the power of the Rebellion. If we do not discover the identity of their military head we have nothing. And the last few hours have given us no results. The Death Star is gone and the rebels have likely already prepared to evacuate the system."
"As you wish," Vader replied in frustration.
"Do you at least have a suspect of who is commanding their military?"
"I suspect a surviving Jedi General from the Clone Wars," Vader said.
Palpatine raised an eyebrow as he spoke, "Any particular finger on who it could be of the list of the survivors?"
"I need to fight a few more battles and study the tactics that are being utilized before I can place the finger upon a likely candidate without proof," Vader said.
"It would have been smart of Organa to seek out a Jedi. The treachery of the traitor knew no limits," Sidious said.
"Agreed," Vader replied in agitation.
"This Jedi would likely be the master of the Jedi that destroyed the Death Star as well," Palpatine said.
"Yes, but whoever it is it isn't any purge survivor. They were trained by a survivor of the purges," Vader added.
"Are you sure?" Palpatine asked.
"Absolutely," Vader said.
"Most interesting," Palpatine replied.
Vader watched as his master dematerialized. At that moment Captain Piett entered the room.
"Are your bags packed Captain?"
"Yes sir," he replied.
Vader nodded his head as he spoke, "Milord we just received a distress call from the Academy at Carida."
Vader raised an eyebrow as he spoke, "More insurgents?"
"It would appear so sir. One of them has a lightsaber and they are disguised in mock stormtrooper armor. No one can guess where the resources and money came from because they are well armed."
At that moment another officer entered the room as he spoke, "Sir the Star Destroyer above Carida has reported contact with an alien starship described as Star Destroyer like."
Vader quickly walked past the two officers as he spoke, "Go to red alert. Get men to all battle stations."
"Sir the Accuser and the Tyrant are also on their way to the system. The Exactor is en route as well," Piett said.
"Inform all captains onboard that you are in command of the ships. Engage the ship strategically and practically."
A few minutes later, the group stood onboard the bridge as the Devastator dropped out of hyperspace. Vader gasped in disbelief when he witnessed the sight of a victory class star destroyer that had been split into two distinct halves.
He gasped in disbelief as his eyes stared upon the large dreadnought vessel that floated before his eyes. The large dark vessel looked like a Star Destroyer but it was much larger. It was not quite as large as the Executor but the size of the vessel was greater than that of Victory Class Star Destroyers. He could only imagine the firepower.
He also noticed several dark tie fighters flying around the desecrated vessel as they destroyed three other tie fighters.
"What can you tell us about the ship?" Vader asked.
"Around fifty thousand human life forms onboard. It appears to be Imperial but there is nothing like this on record in our databases sir."
"This is not our ship," Vader replied.
He scanned the force as he realized that the force user that Obi-Wan had spoken of was on the surface of the planet.
"The leader is on the planet. I will deal with him. Prepare fighters to counter their's do not engage unless they provoke you. Try to prevent them from leaving the system. Once the other ships arrive attempt to surround them," Vader said.
Carida:
Vader rushed down the boarding ramp of the shuttle as he focused on the source of the force presence.
"As he ran he noticed a middle aged officer running to his side, "Commander?"
"Sir, they landed their ship on the field track. The warrior and his stormtroopers went into our library after they killed our troops that tried to target them. An Inquisitor who had stopped on the base for repairs to his vessel fought him, but he was killed sir!"
Vader rushed towards the moving presence of the force user. He could sense that the force user was fleeing from his presence. As he moved he activated his lightsaber. He rushed through the hallways of the academy as he noticed a line of stormtroopers with raised blasters.
He blocked their shots while marveling at the fact that their helmets did not resemble those of any Imperial military branch in current or past service. He cut the troopers down as he moved towards the dark robed figure that was a distance away from him. The figure turned his head to stare at him. The figure stared at him for a long moment as he probed the figure's emotions. He sensed intrigue, he sensed shock and he also sensed strong reverence.
The being looked at him as he spoke, "Who are you?"
"I am your future ally," he replied. Vader's eyes narrowed as he stared at him, "You have made a spectacle of yourself lately. Explain your possession of that sophisticated star destroyer and your assault of the moisture farm on Tatooine."
"Anakin Skywalker my actions and my intentions will be made clear in due time," he replied.
Vader's eyes widened as he stared at the dark man who was one with the dark side, "Who are you? How do you know my birth name?"
"I know many things," he replied.
"How do you know about Luke Skywalker when only I know about him?"
"I know things about your son that even he does not know about himself."
"You've never met my son," Vader replied.
"Not yet," he replied.
"Who are you?" Vader asked.
"You will find out if you agree to join me. Together we will deal with Skywalker before he destroys you."
"Your intentions are to destroy him?" Vader asked in anger.
"Your mistake is to think that he can be turned he cannot be turned. The Jedi have brainwashed him. Trust me I know what you need to know."
"Vader's eyes blazed yellow as he raised his lightsaber blade.
He charged forward as the man activated a flaming crossguard lightsaber. He crossed blades with him as he stepped back.
Vader lunged forward as he spoke, "You will not kill him!"
The man showed surprisingly impressive skill as he countered Vader's strikes. Vader could sense that the power that he wielded was exceptional although not as great as his own. At that moment an unusual looking shuttlecraft flew over the two dueling force users with a lowered ramp. The man jumped upon the ramp as they flew into the atmosphere of Carida.
Alliance Command Ship: Home One:
"It is with great regret that I inform you that the Emperor's prized classified military battle station, the Death Star was destroyed in orbit of the planet of Yavin. Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin and Admiral Conan Motti were among the numerous high ranking military leaders that perished onboard the station. Lord Darth Vader is the sole survivor of the battle and only survived due to the fact that he was attempting to destroy the Jedi rebel pilot that fired the fatal shot that destroyed the Death Star."
Luke cringed as the Twi'lek reporter looked down at her documents before looking back at the holoscreen.
"What do we know about the Rebel Alliance so far? They are in league with the treacherous remnants of the Jedi Order. Moff Jade was brutally murdered by this mysterious Jedi pilot on Alderaan during his attempt to apprehend Viceroy Bail Organa and his daughter. Bail Organa and his daughter Princess Winter are officially traitors of the Empire. Organa has been declared dead by a spokesman from the Alliance. His daughter is one of the rebel leaders. The Alliance is believed to be under the leadership of former Senator Mon Mothma and some mysterious shadow head that was elected to sit as high commander. This shadow general is responsible for the destruction of the military installation at Scarif as well as the death of Director Orson Krennic. There is a 500,000 credit reward for the capture of this Jedi pilot alive and a 250,000 credit reward for him being captured dead. There is also a 500,000 credit reward for the arrest of this new shadow leader."
Mon Mothma shut off the holonet screen as she turned the lights on. "I think we get the general idea."
Luke looked at his mother's longtime friend as Han spoke, "Why hasn't Vader named you or described your images? He knows who he's looking for. He knows that the shadow commander is your mother."
"Vader doesn't want the Emperor to know that Padme and the twins are alive," Mon answered.
"If he did he would have to compete with the Emperor's agents while searching for the twins," Obi-Wan added from the far corner of the room.
"If this dark sider that attacked the Lars homestead isn't one of the Emperor's agents or our father than who is he?" Leia demanded.
"That is the mystery that Vader is trying to solve. He contacted me in a dream last night to discuss him," Obi-Wan said.
"And?" Mon asked as she took interest.
"I can't believe Vader won't kill you after all these years," Luke said.
"He needs me to keep you alive and I think with this whoever he is searching for you and the Emperor searching for you protecting his family is starting to matter more than anything else," Obi-Wan said.
"Even the dark side?" Mon asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Perhaps in time," Obi-Wan replied.
"By the way your mom has summoned you to her quarters go see her," Han said.
"As the twins left the room Mon looked at Obi-Wan with a diplomatic face as she spoke, "I have a theory about the monster that may shock you."
"Which is?" Han asked.
Mon bit her lip as she looked at the two men knowing that they would not like her suggestion one bit. She then spoke, "I think we should consider an alliance with him later down the road only if we can convince him to reinstate the Imperial Senate after the overthrow of Palpatine. In theory Padme and the children will give him more of an incentive to change if he wants a relationship with them."
"This is playing with fire. You are suggesting giving him more power than he already has and placing his children in his hands. We already have paved the way for him to take power by eliminating Krennic, Tarkin and Jade along with Force knows how many other Moffs and Imperial bureaucrats that were vying for absolute power. The instability that the Empire is going to reap as this whoever he is continues to attack their bases for whatever agenda he has is already hurting their power structure. And you want to take advantage of the chaos and place the galaxy in Anakin Skywalker's hands with his sovereign authority over it?" Obi-Wan yelled in disbelief.
Mon shrugged as she stood up, "If it works?"
"And if it doesn't? I think that what you just suggested is madness Mon. I question your sanity at this point," Obi-Wan said.
"I question the sanity of the old order that you followed that forbade people from falling in love. Maybe if your order hadn't been so traditional and rigid we wouldn't be in this predicament," Mon countered as she stood up and left the room.