Doing the Pretty

Despite the lack of air I held my calm. I was floating underwater where panic was deadly, only calm would let me reach the surface and air. I could feel Vader's anger grow, but I wasn't doing this to spite him. I did this to remain serene and calm, to not take those steps to follow my student into darkness.

I counted.

I counted to a hundred as I swung in the air with my eyes closed.

I did not feel the Force reaching out for me to pass and finally join my brothers.

I could feel waves of frustration.

I felt a trickle of air. "Who slipped away?"

"One of the troopers, a clever and useful one. Just up and disappeared." That was a snarl.

Before I opened my eyes and ended the comfort of not seeing him, I debated my answer. Commenting on the brothers should not risk the creche. "The war is over. Are they soldiers or slaves? Do you go drinking… commend them personally anymore? Maybe he has a family to help now, even if it is forbidden."

That was getting close, and the Force warned me to stop there. Vader was already forgetting who he was.

Vader's laugh was dark like him, too. "He always seemed to have a different girl."

His presence smoothed and as I opened my eyes, my feet touched the floor. I could breathe clearly, and smoothed my robes.

Another pulse of his anger hit. "You will wear your uniform anytime you are not in these quarters. Both you and your charges will be presentable for the reception. You will behave."

"Of course, of course." I expected this. "They are a little young to wear confining clothing beyond diapers, so I had not ordered any yet. I cannot visit shops, at present, and the brothers have no experience at dressing for formal events. Could you find something they would look appropriate in?"

This fuming with a touch of panic was a small victory and I shielded my grin.

There was another appropriate skill he needed to learn. Leia and Luke were starting to wake, noticing Vader.

Bending over to check them, they needed changing, but not badly. I pushed Leia into his arms, "They need changed, and this is part of being a father."

The panic was building.

I carried Luke to their room, and Vader followed, looking at the room as if for the first time, seeing all the baby equipment.

I laid the boy out, with a quick tickle so he giggled. "I will show you with Luke, so you can try with Princess."

"Have the droid do it!" His anger was trying to beat the panic.

And losing.

I tsked. "There's always times when droids are a problem. They're coded and have issues with the unexpected. You know this better than I. Elevens is only a standard medic and part-time nanny. More, he's charging, and they should not have to wait."

Vader stood and watched as I slowly changed Luke so he could see each step. Luke giggled again when he went artisinal, but I could block that.

"Bright boy, you didn't have to show off for your father." I wiped him off and finished swapping the diaper. His skin clear, the powder came last. The mass of it all looking huge compared to the infant.

Even with his laughter stifled, Vader's anger was almost gone. "How many times did he get you?"

"Two or three, I'm not as alert in the middle of the night, But they enjoy the attention when it's not Elevens." Lifting Luke up in my arms, he waved toward my beard and either his twin or his father before settling.

Panic returning, Vader just looked at me when I stepped back.

"Tickle the right side of her belly, she's more particular on where."

It seemed to take a while, and I assisted at a few points, but Leia smiled up at him as well when he finished.

I considered not telling him about the powder, now constellations and nebula on his black uniform. Instead I held my other arm out for Leia.

That got me a glare.

"You have powder all over your uniform, it doesn't show on my robes as much. It shakes out easier now than later."

He looked down and left them with me. I moved out to the bottles prepared by Elevens earlier before I shut him down.

Vader was quiet, almost meditating as he fed Leia. He left quietly, without any further threats. A first.

My next move in this campaign, was to consolidate and make this normal. I touched my bruised throat, skipping that first part, perhaps.

I needed allies, I wanted my brother back. This was totally disproportionate for any argument we had. There had to be more.

Two days later, Rex arrived with a pile of packages from high level shops, looking flustered. Rex was on his way to being as smitten as we, even if he could not feel their Force presence.

"Captain. Have you been shopping?" I'd hoped Vader would do this himself.

"No, sir. Lord Vader sent these."

The selection was impressive and near the proper ages so he'd gained help. I drafted Rex to help dress them and see which gowns fit and gave them room to move a little.

One had an uncanny resemblance to one of Padmé's gowns. That would not be for public as Leia was not a doll. I chose a pale green for her and a buttercup for Luke for the next day.

So I put Rex to learning as well, and he found babies as strange as aliens. While distracted with getting wriggling arms into colorful clothing, I asked him, "Who was it, that escaped a few days ago?"

The panic returned for the first time in weeks. "Wolffe. I wish I'd known..."

I hoped my smile would assure him. "So you could go with him?"

"Kriffin righ… no."

I waited as I smoothed Leia's robe.

He sighed, and forced himself to speak normally. "I understand why. He'd probably say something funny, and one of those new inquisitors would off him for practice. But. I would prefer having a clear ground around Lord Vader's children, with proven brothers with me."

"That is a fair concern, ask him." I put Leia and Luke on the blanket on the floor.

Leia burbled something at her twin, and he made a noise back before reaching for a toy just out of reach.

Rex nudged it closer, while Leia gummed some purple and green fuzzy animal. Luke waved his around.

I whispered for Rex. "Vader's coming."

When Vader arrived with his cloud of irritation, Rex was posted inside the door. The twins were hugging their favorite toys and wearing their new clothing. I sat there watching them with a smile.

"You enjoying your vacation, Old Man?"

Leia's toy rolled and I returned it to her. "Retired generals don't have much of a portfolio, Vader. Creche duty is very calming."

He sat down and examined the toy Luke was holding, a soft yellow Aethersprite. "That was a great ship, Luke."

Bright boy grinned a huge and toothless smile and shoved the toy into Vader's chest. Happiness burbled from the boy.

I turned slightly to face Leia and hide my smirk. She waved at her favorite toys wanting them all arranged in a neat circle around her. Push and pull them, but then she picked the largest to hug and gnaw on.

I saw a late night ahead of me, trying to determine what development was next to encourage.

As they started to move into cranky from hunger, we had a clear routine that Vader did not resist this time, though that calm wavered when they started crying. Figuring out how they wanted held was the challenge, but finally both Leia and Luke slept drooping over each of us.

The next afternoon, the changed schedule and my own tension made both infants irritable. They could not nap long and did not want to play. It was still early for their last change or dressing them for the event. I opened the door into the dim hall and demanded that Rex and… Fives get in to help them get used to the new floating… barge fit to display them.

The pram wasn't really that big, not that much bigger than allowing two infants room to move a little. But as soon as I saw the pram, I knew there was going to be trouble tonight.

I was so thankful to receive any guidance from the Force after muted silence. I made what plans I could, reviewing less known paths within the Temple. I debated escape again. I was in far greater risk than they, but I would not leave them alone with Sidious and Vader.

Vader would never let me take them away.

I put aside these concerns, changing into the blue costume, and then changing and dressing them. I meditated as the lift took us down.

When I maneuvered the twins and their pram out of the lift, Rex was apologetic. "We're not permitted to enter the Imperial Hall during events."

My tension rose as I had counted on Rex watching out for them too.

I had no light saber.

Once I'd entered the renamed Imperial hall, my steps slowed as I took in the changes. The neutral colors, the inspirational Jedi predecessors, were gone, replaced with encased art on platforms in wide open spaces. The hall was in white and black, with posted scarlet guards at each entrance. Hundreds of guests scattered along the main aisle and scattered up the many steps, uncrowded.

No familiar faces were near my entrance. I felt a few familiar presences, but they weren't close enough or strong enough for me to identify them. The crowd was almost exclusively human, and in fine robes or some kind of uniform. I wondered if Vader noticed or even cared about the very clear bias against even Ahsoka.

The closer crowd members turned toward me, but made no other move.

Luke made an unhappy noise and Leia stayed quiet as she moved her head. My shields were as tight as I could make them. I touched them for comfort, watching around us.

Finally a pair of figures moved to where I had settled myself and the twin's pram. One was a muted Bail Organa, alongside a minor Senator I did not remember. He looked tired, with a muted sorrow.

"General Kenobi, you are looking... unexpectedly well after such changes. I understand you've been rewarded for service to the Empire against General Grievous." Bail's voice held such a bitterness as he looked me up and down, betrayal tinging his presence.

I sighed to release my own sorrow. "I serve, I serve to protect these children of Senator Amidala." I shook my force cuffs, hoping he saw they didn't belong for a Jedi Master or General.

His anger was unchanged and he sniffed with disdain. "I would have never expected a former Jedi to be as covetous as some Hutt."

I struggled with pain that he believed that of me, sending it away quickly enough that I hoped my face remained calm. Allowing myself a sigh, I said, "I live to serve the Force."

Vader swept in another entrance and as he moved toward the pram, Organa and others subtly moved further away. He was in a rage that burned against my shields as I felt a deeper darkness at an interior entrance.

Palpatine entered.

Leia made a little mew, while Luke went silent in his fear without looking at his father. I said nothing to my foolish student, and hoped they would be comforted by my touch.

"Keep them quiet, Kenobi," Vader hissed, shaking with his anger at me.

I looked at him. "They feel it, too."

"He is not a threat to them." He hid a thread of fear and pain.

I could do nothing for that and shook my head. "No, Vader. Something els..."

An explosion rang from the main entrance, and droids and attackers streamed in the large hole.

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