Star Wars: These are Mine, too

by Starling 12

Sequel to 'This is Mine.' Leia and Luke have redeemed their father, Vader, and now the three of them are bringing peace to the galaxy... It'll take a lot of Skywalker magic to do so. This is a series of shorts of their adventures. Currently featuring: Thrawn and Rukh!

1. Thrawn I

Thrawn: Part I

Warning: This chapter (and future chapters) contain references and spoilers for 'Thrawn,' 'Thrawn Alliances,' 'Star Wars: Rebels,' and a bit of the legends Thrawn Trilogy. It was written before Thrawn: Treason. There are some mentions to events in Leia: Princess of Alderaan, though no major spoilers.

Takes place about 2-3 years after the Battle of Endor, before the epilog.

"You are going to crash this ship, my son."

"Me? I'm not the one trying to fly it with my eyes closed."

Leia sighed deeply, and felt Firmus do the same beside her. She, Luke, their father, and Firmus Piett were the only ones on the command bridge of the New Republic Star-Destroyer Legacy, which would normally be concerning. A huge ship like this, repurposed from the Empire, required over a dozen people to manage it from this room alone. There were plenty of jobs to be done; monitoring its energy use, shields, direction, surroundings, the list went on. Officers rotated in and out of this room round the clock, never underhanded, the ship never stopped. It would be dangerous for less than twelve people to be in this room, controlling the ship. Suicidal to let only two people undertake such a task.

Unless, of course, those two people were master-pilot Force-sensitive Skywalkers. Then, in fact, just one Skywalker would be plenty to handle this ship with ease.

Both Luke and Anakin were masters of flying, true earners of their last name which they shared with such pride. They were undefeated in the sky, on a whole other level from every other pilot in the galaxy. And very quickly, they had synchronized with each other and learned each other's skills, working flawlessly as a team when in their fighters. Leia considered herself an average pilot, brushing off anyone who was complimentary of her skills as inexperienced, easily impressed, or trying to flatter her. But then, she was comparing her flying capabilities to her brother and father's, which every person would agree completely skewed the standards.

Leia had once heard that the better the pilot, the more insane they were. She agreed with this statement.

"Careful, Luke. You almost crashed into that star. We would have if I had not redirected us."

"You're making that up. I didn't see any star."

"Precisely my meaning."

Leia looked at the viewports, which showed only streams of blue hyperspace light. She imagined a star beyond it, a star that had almost killed them all. All in a day's work, she supposed.

"Be calm, my son, focus. It is just like meditation. Seep into the Force and listen to what it tells you."

"Except we're supposed to be flyingwhile doing it." Luke huffed. "You know future sight isn't my best strength," he added softly.

"It is not mine either," Anakin said with a slight twinge of regret and old memories lacing his voice. "Double-vision takes practice, but much of it is instinct. Trust your reflexes, Luke."

"My 'reflexes' are telling me to hit the breaks."

Leia grinned in amusement but kept quiet, not wishing to disturb them as they steered the ship. The whole bridge had been cleared for precisely that reason. She still wondered if she and Firmus should have left, too, but Anakin had wanted her to watch and Firmus wanted to make sure they didn't crash the ship. Again. (Despite Luke and Anakin's brilliance for flying, neither of them was particularly good at landing). Anakin always took any opportunity to teach Leia anything about the Force and seemed to think she could learn something by watching their Force-piloting technique. Leia did detect their weavings through the Force, but she was still new to the sensations and couldn't understand much of what they were doing.

"A comet is approaching our port bow."

"I see it, I see it," Luke waved off. "Stars, the Unknown Regions is a natural minefield."

"Exactly why no one can traverse it."

"Do we have to come all the way out here? Why couldn't Thrawn have come to us?"

"Probably because it's dangerous for him out there," Leia offered. She had been trying to keep quiet, but they were already talking anyway. "He could have come out from the Unknown Regions and we could have ambushed him with the entire Republic fleet. But if we come to him, we can only bring one, maybe two ships. It would be impossible to bring more because we don't have enough Jedi to safely pilot more ships through the Unknown Regions."

"So instead, hecan ambush us," Luke muttered. Leia frowned. The New Republic never would have done such a thing, but she couldn't blame Thrawn for being unsure of this fledgling new galactic government.

"I would be incredibly surprised if Thrawn stooped so low," Anakin stated.

Leia glanced at Firmus out of the corner of her eye. Her father must have doubtlessly met Thrawn when he was Darth Vader, but there was simply no way he could have met him before the Empire, when he was Anakin Skywalker. The story of Anakin Skywalker's reappearance was that in the time between the previous Republic and the new, Anakin had been imprisoned in secret by the Emperor. Firmus was astonishingly intelligent and she would be surprised if he didn't catch her father's slip-up. But she saw no reaction of confusion, calculation, or surprise on his face.

His lack of reaction only solidified what Leia was already sure of—Firmus had already discovered Anakin's true identity. Perhaps he had done so within the first fifteen minutes of meeting the Jedi-turned-Sith-turned-Jedi.

Luke glanced at Anakin and Leia could tell her brother wanted to ask what their father knew about Thrawn, but he couldn't do so without addressing his time in the Empire.

Leia tried to draw attention from her father's words by continuing the subject. "Thrawn wouldn't risk attacking us. He agreed to give us his location for peaceful negotiations. If he betrayed us, he'd have the full power of the New Republic after him."

For many months now, rumors had been flittering across the galaxy that Thrawn, Chiss tactician and Grand Admiral of the Empire, had returned from his abduction by Ezra Bridger into the Unknown Regions. Many people had assumed the Grand Admiral dead and had not given weight to these rumors. But surviving Imperial loyalists had fled to the Unknown Regions, gathering their forces and beginning to cause trouble in the Outer Rim. Finally, only one standard week ago, Thrawn had been revealed to the public's eye when someone caught him on film and uploaded the images on the Holonet.

The New Republic was not a force of conquest and was quite willing to coexist with other interplanetary governments. Thrawn was leading a paramilitary organization of rounded up old Imperials, which could technically be considered an alternate government. The New Republic would not interfere unless Thrawn proved a threat, though it was unspoken yet obvious that he was planning to restore the Empire and take back the galaxy. There was no solid proof that connected his unnamed navy to the raids in the Unknown Region, however. The tricky Chiss was being too careful to leave behind such evidence. This left the New Republic in a rather unsure position.

Negotiation offers were being halfheartedly considered when Anakin volunteered for one. Leia had already been planning to attend any negotiations that might have been arranged but had been surprised when her father had dropped a mission hunting crime gangs to focus on this. He had insisted on being mentioned as an attendant in the communication sent to Thrawn requesting a meeting. And of course, Luke was right behind him. Where one of those two went, the other followed. They were never too far from one another.

Thrawn's response had been just as unexpected. He had sent them his precise location in the Unknown Regions. But, as Leia had said, only Anakin and Luke could travel within the Regions. Its constantly changing and unpredictable terrain made it impossible for hyperspace travel, except for a Jedi. The Force allowed just enough future vision and enhanced reactions for Anakin and Luke to steer clear of the obstacles. Or, Anakin at least. Luke seemed to be struggling.

"If Thrawn did betray us," Luke pointed out, "He'd have the New Republic's only two Jedi, and one of our most prominent leaders in you, Leia. Oh, and you, Firmus."

Firmus snorted. "I doubt Grand Admiral Thrawn would risk angering the Senate on my account, sir." A sly grin crawled up on his face. "You, however, just might anger himenough."

Luke gave an innocent look. "Now, who could get angry at me? I'm perfectly delightful."

"Thrawn won'tbetray us," Anakin interrupted. "He is almost always good on his word, especially in cases such as this."

Leia glanced at Firmus once again, but the Admiral's expression was still entirely passive. The man was an expert at being discreet, which made him quite the opposite of the Skywalkers' flare. His patience knew no bounds and he had already proved his use to the New Republic. Firmus had wanted peace and unity to the Galaxy; he did not particularly care if he did it as an agent of the Empire or the Republic.

"Luke, adjust the course a few degrees to the left, or we'll hit those solar flares."

"Quit backseat flying, Father!"

"Are they always like this?" Leia asked Firmus. She normally stayed in the Core, on Hosnian Prime, while Luke, Anakin, and Firmus went on crazy missions. Between being a leader in the Senate and a new mother, her hands were full.

Firmus gave her a look that clearly said, yes, ALL the time, but wiped it off his face as Luke whirled around suspiciously. Anakin grabbed Luke's shoulder and forced him back around. "Eyes on what you are doing, Luke."

"You just told me to closethem," Luke huffed, but the ship lurched as he readjusted the course. Both Leia and Firmus stumbled, and she wondered if Luke had done that on purpose. She narrowed her eyes at his back, but he seemed completely oblivious.

"I misspoke. I meant focus on what you are doing," Anakin sounded amused. He rolled his large shoulders back. "My original point stands. Close your eyes, my son. They will mislead you, while the Force will not. Let it be your guide."

Luke sighed and then did as his father said. Anakin put a heavy hand on Luke's shoulder. They returned to silence as Leia and Firmus watched Luke and Anakin control the ship merely by standing in the center of the room and looking serene. Buttons and switches were moved by the Force, the steady stream of information about the ship was processed and considered. Two people piloting this huge complex ship through dangerous space with their eyes closed. It sounded like the most insane, suicidal thing one could possibly do. Such were the ways of a Skywalker.

"We're coming up on the coordinates now," Luke said some time later. There was a deep shift in the ship as it reverted back to real space, and the blue obscuring the viewports fell away.

Positioned directly before their ship were three other Imperial II-Class Star Destroyers, a handful of light cruisers, and even an Interdictor-class Star Destroyer armed with gravity-well projectors. They must not have been active, however, as the Legacy had come out of hyperspace of its own control, and much closer than if it had been intercepted by that ship. Still, it uneased Leia to know that their option of hyperspace escape could be cut off if the Grand Admiral so desired.

The center Star Destroyer had a snakelike pattern on its belly that, though Leia had never seen in person before, she knew by reputation.

"The Chimera?" Luke questioned aloud. "I thought that ship was destroyed at Lothal years ago."

"People thought Thrawn died with it, and we know that wasn't true either," Leia pointed out, stepping closer to the viewport to look at the intimidating ship. It was rather infamous, and she couldn't decide whether to be angry or impressed with its survival.

"If reports of what happened at Lothal aretrue, the Chimerasuffered heavy damage before it disappeared," Firmus piped up. "It must have taken a lot of work to restore it. I don't see anything wrong with it from here."

"Well, with the Empire's resources far more restricted than before, they're being more careful with their ships," Leia said. "They wouldn't want the Chimera in anything less than perfect condition." She noticed the defensive positions of all the ships, aligned in such a way that balanced defense, maneuverability, and attack. If you kept your ships too close together, the center ones wouldn't be able to fire without hitting their own, and they blocked each other's way. Spread them out too thin and it all can be easily infiltrated. Leia calculated the complex pattern and arrangement of the various ships and came to the firm conclusion that Thrawn knew what he was doing.

Thrawn was famous for always playing it smart. Leia mentally prepared herself for the mind-twisting challenges ahead.

"Are we going to them or are they coming to us?" Luke asked.

Leia drew away from the viewport. "According to Thrawn's message, they'll send someone to pick me up and take me to him."

"I'm coming with you," Anakin said suddenly.

Leia paused. Surely Thrawn wouldn't know Anakin Skywalker. While he may have known Darth Vader, that wouldn't be of any use to them now. Leia had gone to great lengths to keep her father's horrible mistakes a secret and Anakin's other identity would be a dangerous weapon for Thrawn to use. Revealing it would turn the people of the Galaxy against them.

"Are you sure about that?" Leia ventured. "I was going to bring Luke with me for backup, but two Jedi may seem threatening. I think it would be better if you stayed with the ship if anything went wrong."

Anakin shook his head. "No. I'm coming with you, Leia." His blue eyes pierced her with a determined look.

Leia sighed and turned to Luke. "Will you stay with the ship, then?"

"You know I would be a lot more useful if I came with you."

Leia put her hands on her hips. "Or more threateningto the people I am trying to make peacewith, even if you do it unintentionally." She could use the moral support, but she could handle this without it.

Luke made a baby face. "Me?Threatening?"

"I think you should let your brother come as well," Anakin stepped up to his son's side in support.

"Of course youdo," Leia huffed. She turned apologetically to Firmus. "Think you can hold the ship together while we're gone?"

Firmus sniffed. "It will be lesslikely to crash or explode with you three off it. Just try not to blow up the otherships."

"Doubt Thrawn would appreciate that," Luke nodded seriously.

"You just called yourself nonthreatening," Leia huffed. "I think you're the most likely of the three of us to accidentally blow up a ship." Accidentally, anyway. She and Anakin, if they did destroy a ship, would certainly do so on purpose.

Anakin mockingly pointed a finger between them. "No blowing up any ships, eitherof you." A smile quirked at his lips. "At least not until afterthe negotiations."

Leia laughed but knew she had to get serious. Thrawn wouldn't wait forever. She turned to look back at the three Star Destroyers outside the viewport. "We should hail them."

Anakin gestured with his hand and Firmus nodded, returning to the controls and working them again. After a few taps, he said "This is Admiral Piett of the New Republic Star-DestroyerLegacy. We are here for negotiations with Grand Admiral Thrawn. Please respond."

"Admiral Piett, this is the Chimera," said a clipped, obviously irritated voice that spat Piett's name. "A Lambda-class shuttle attended by TIE-Fighters will come to you to transport the negotiator. Your ship will remain where it is." A pause, then "It is the Grand Admiral's request that Anakin Skywalker attend as well."

Leia shot her father a sharp look, but he didn't seem at all surprised.

Firmus allowed the barest of pauses, so brief only someone observant who knew him well would notice it. "Very well. The negotiator, Senator Leia Organa-Solo, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, and—" Firmus glanced up at Luke, "—one other guard will be coming to you."

There was a long silent pause on the other end. The four of them did not speak, knowing the Imperials were probably having a conversation they couldn't hear about the third visitor.

Finally, the cross voice returned. "Understood. Shuttle is underway." It then cut out.

"Off we go," Leia whirled on her heel and strolled out of the command deck, heading for the hanger. Luke and Anakin were right behind her.

OOO

Leia was going through a mental checkoff list as the Lambdashuttle entered the hanger, even though it was rather late to correct anything right now. She was wearing a simple white dress of Alderaanian style, modest and white, signifying peace. As now a primary leader of the New Republic, she had added a veil-like cloak to it that went to her knees, the only difference from when she had worn this outfit as ambassador on behalf of her planet. Luke and Anakin stood either side behind her, Anakin as requested guest and Luke as guard, though everyone certainly knew that both of whom would be defending Leia should the need arise.

The shuttle hissed as it landed and folded its wings on its sides. It was the first Imperial shuttle in the Legacy in over a year. The ramp slowly slid open, spurting steam to hide whoever was inside until they were ready to come out. For a strange, flashback moment Leia expected to see Darth Vader, in his pitch-black armor, swooping cape, and skeletal mask to emerge from the steam. Which was ridiculous because Darth Vader was actually right next to her. But it made what actuallycame out of the shuttle even more surprising.

It was a short, grey creature. Leia was small herself, but this alien was even shorter than her. It was hunched slightly, as if its spine had not completely developed and Leia wondered if it was because of its species or something specific to this one. Its eyes were pale silver, short horns were indented in a row on its bald grey head, and its button nose flared with each breath. Leia's trained eye cataloged an electrostaff strapped to his back, wrist gauntlets, a few tracking tools, what was probably an assassin's knife hidden in his sleeve, and an unfamiliar device on his left wrist. Leia didn't even recognize the technology of the device but she noted it was tightly secured to him. Something valuable, then.

The alien made his way to them, hunching his shoulders in a simian-like walk. Leia noticed that the alien's pale eyes were locked onto Anakin behind her. Leia kept herself from looking back at her father, but waited for the alien to reach her.

He stopped before her, eyes still on Anakin. Finally, Leia cleared her throat, drawing the creature's attention, and spoke. "I am Senator Leia Organa-Solo. These are Jedi Knights Luke and Anakin Skywalker." She gestured to them and used the excuse to look back at her father, who seemed perfectly calm.

The grey alien's eyes flicked to Anakin for another moment, then back to her. When he spoke, his voice was deep and gravely. "I am Rukh, Noghri, bodyguard and assassin of Grand Admiral Thrawn. I will be escorting you to him." He waved a four-fingered hand back towards the shuttle. "This way."

Leia followed Rukh into the ship. She repressed any memories of her other times in Imperial shuttles like this as the ramp hissed closed. She felt the ship take off and jumped a little when she found Rukh next to her suddenly. She blinked at him, but his attention wasn't on her. Yet again, he seemed concentrated on Anakin.

Leia felt a feeling of protectiveness creep into her veins. Rukh was an assassin. Was he planning on killing her father? What did Thrawn want with Anakin anyway? She could tell that her father wasn't saying something, but he didn't seem on edge at all. In fact, he seemed more relaxed than either of them, which was odd. Normally he was always watching Leia and Luke, on full alert to guard them from any danger. Yet with the way he was acting around these clearly threatening Imperials, he seemed just as unperturbed as when he walked through Hosnian Prime. He had to know that he wasn't Darth Vader anymore, that if he tried to boss these Imperials around, they wouldn't listen.

Leia edged away from Rukh as he took a deep, long inhale. His pale eyes fluttered half-closed and Leia looked back at Luke, who came over to stand protectively at her side. Rukh's head twitched towards them, eyes still closed, before the direction of his face shifted back to Anakin, who watched the grey alien's animalistic display as if it were perfectly normal.

Finally Rukh's eyes flicked back open. His gaze shifted between Anakin and Leia and Luke. "These are your children…" Rukh murmured.

Leia exchanged another glance with Luke. It was public knowledge that she and Luke were twin children of Anakin Skywalker (though not Darth Vader). Practically everyone knew it. These Imperials should know it. But perhaps Thrawn, and those close to him, and been kept out of the loop due to their isolation in the Unknown Regions. Yet if that were the case, how had the Noghri figured that out? With his nose?

"Yes," Anakin stated, with a firm nod of his head.

Rukh looked thoughtful for a moment, and then he fully turned to Leia and Luke and bowed. "It is an honor to meet you, Lord and Lady."

For a third time Leia and Luke exchanged shocked looks. Leia then swung her head towards her father, who looked rather amused. She realized she was gaping and snapped her mouth shut. What did Rukh mean by that? She opened her mouth again, about to speak, but then Rukh cut in.

"As guard to the Grand Admiral, I must insist none of you bring weapons. If you would hand them over now, they shall be returned to you when the meeting is over."

Leia folded her hands over her stomach as Anakin and Luke both ruefully handed over their lightsabers. She remained silent, but then Rukh turned to her. "You as well, Senator."

Leia blinked in surprise. "I am here to negotiate; I brought no weapons."

Rukh did not look the least bit insulted by her lie. "I understand the desire for self-defense, but the safety of the Grand Admiral is my responsibility. I am a Noghri assassin and I see the weapons you conceal, I smell the energy of the blaster charges. I cannot allow you to continue so long as you hold them." He eyed her sharply. "The fact that you hide them makes them more dangerous."

"Like the knife you hide in your sleeve?" Leia shot back.

Rukh's eyes widened slightly in surprise and he looked, just a little, impressed. He turned to look at his sleeve as if expecting that it had slipped out slightly or wrinkled the fabric, but it was well concealed. He then gave Leia a sharp-toothed smile. "Like so, indeed."

Leia stared at Rukh for some time before finally letting loose a sigh of defeat. In the loose fabrics of her dress, she pulled out her lightsaber, two small blasters, a long strand of wire with a grapping hook, self-defensive spray, and two small foldable knifes, one of which was in the edge of her shoe and the other in her braids. Once she had set the final knife on the table before Rukh, Luke and Anakin completely unsurprised beside her, she looked up at Rukh and gave him a look of the 'satisfied now?' variety.

Rukh pondered the weapons before him for a moment. Finally, he said, "I hadn't noticed the knife you hid in your braids."

Leia didn't bother to squash the self-satisfied smile as she felt the shuttle land. But it fell from her lips when the ramp opened and she saw the Empire all over again. While the Legacy had a hanger exactly like this, this one had TIE fighters instead of X-Wings, monochrome black-and-white designs instead of the bright reds and oranges, and white, indistinguishable stormtroopers instead of bantering, familiar pilots. She immediately composed herself and steeled her heart. She glanced back at Luke, who looked uneased, and Anakin, whose hands were clenched into tight fists.

Rukh watched them, leaning his weight on one leg thoughtfully before he stepped past them and lumbered down the ramp. Leia took a deep breath, wiping any last sign from her body language of anxiety, and followed after the Noghri down the dull corridors.

The Stormtroopers did not seemto be paying her any attention, yet she had a feeling that their eyes behind the black lenses were following her. Leia wondered how many Imperials were on all of these ships, if this was it or if Thrawn was hiding more out in space, if there were other leaders or it was just him. Vader's orders of surrender on Endor had certainly helped tear down the Empire, but some had disobeyed, either out of their own power-hungry ambitions or those who believed Vader's command had been falsified.

Of course, Luke and Anakin had been hunting down the Imperial leaders who had been arrogant enough to keep attacking. Others had been more clever and withdrew their forces into hiding, to regroup and access the situation. According to the New Republic's records, now that Thrawn had emerged, these hidden Imperials had flocked to him.

Leia had never had the chance to meet Thrawn in person, yet she'd heard about him for many years. Even before she'd been a rebel, she'd been told a little about the mysterious alien's accomplishments as he climbed his way up the Imperial ranks. That alone drew attention, as the Empire had an obvious bias against nonhumans. An alien showing up other human officers was unheard of. Palpatine didn't seem too proud at displaying Thrawn to the public eye, but Leia had been a princess, high enough to catch wind of him. As a rebel, seeking to learn more about her enemies, she had learned a little more. About how he was a tactical genius who studied his opponent's art to understand their cultural influences and predict their thought process. How he refused to fight an enemy he was unprepared to face, sometimes even letting his prey go to strike even more brutally later. She wondered how much he could learn from the minimal amount of art that had survived Alderaan. She grimaced as she thought that the loss of Alderaanian art could be her best advantage here.

Most people believed Thrawn and his soldiers had died over Lothal before the Battle of Scarif. But according to records of the Ghost crew, Ezra Bridger had used purrgil hyperspace to carry off Thrawn's ship—with both of them in it. Rumor had it the young Jedi had taken Thrawn back into the Unknown Regions. She had never believed that tall tale, but it seemed to be true, now. She wondered what exactly had happened to the grand admiral, how he had gotten out single-handedly, and how he had reacted when he had returned to the Empire and found the New Republic in its place. Leia couldn't imagine if she left the New Republic for a few years and found it had crumbled when she returned.

Leia did her best to memorize the twists and turns Rukh led them through. She knew ships (even if she didn't spend the majority of her time in them like Luke and Anakin) and could decipher the layout and pattern somewhat. She felt at a few points she was getting turned around, but if she needed a hasty exit, she always had her brother and father.

Finally, Rukh stopped at a door completely identical to the rest. "Here is the office of the Grand Admiral." Rukh opened the door and gestured for them to go ahead. Leia considered the risk of turning her back on Rukh for a fraction of a second before proceeding. She had Luke and Anakin, but also the Force to warn her of any surprise attack. She listened to it closely to be sure.

Luke and Anakin closed in on her sides, and she could feel the anticipation rolling off them through the Force. They were in a short, dark hall. Two doors were on either side of them, one door directly ahead at the end of it.

The door closed behind them, and Leia glanced back. Rukh was in the shadows; he was still with them. If Leia hadn't been looking for him, she might have not seen him. He blended in with the darkness as if he was part of it. She narrowed her eyes, wondering how long Rukh was going to stay.

The door directly ahead of them opened on its own. Leia turned her head to the dim light leaking through the other room. Luke tensed beside her, but Anakin remained still.

"Senator Organa-Solo," a calm, smooth voice called to here. "Welcome. Please, come in."

With confidence befitting both a princess and a Skywalker, Leia briskly entered the room, feeling her veil-cape flow behind her. An elegant appearance impressed others and bought respect. Though the stories she'd heard about Thrawn made her doubt he would be easily swayed, being well-dressed also helped Leia's own poise and self-assurance.

Though she sensed other eye-attracting objects outside her line of vision within the room, she kept her gaze looked on Thrawn as he stood to greet her. Her eyes scanned him; he stood behind a desk at the center of the room, two green statues of mirroring lizard-creatures perched behind him on either side as if he were part of their art, the centerpiece. His description matched that as what Leia had seen in holos; his skin was sky-blue, his darker hair was neatly combed back, his white uniform pristine as if he'd never seen a battle. But no holo could capture the glint in his red eyes. His eyes had the slightest actual glow to them, a pulse that hinted at the ever-moving mind behind them. Leia met them, and had to suppress a shiver that crawled up her spine.

But her own mind was quick too, and without missing a step she calculated all this and stepped up to the desk, directly before the Chiss. "Grand Admiral Thrawn," Leia acknowledged just as smoothly. She held out her hand and he shook it. "I should begin by thanking you for agreeing to meet with us. The New Republic appreciates your communication."

"Indeed," Thrawn gave a slight nod. "Please, sit."

Leia did so, and then Thrawn settled himself back into his chair. Anakin and Luke both sat down in the chairs beside her. Her eyes caught Rukh stalking the edge of the room, pacing to his master's side. She raised an eyebrow. "Does your bodyguard need to be present while we speak?" she inquired. "He has already removed all of our weapons." She shot Rukh a sharp, but not hostile, look. He seemed indifferent.

"Forgive me," Thrawn said with another bow of his head, this time apologetic. "But my last experience with a Jedi has left me…cautious. And I believe Rukh will prove himself useful in other ways. Your own bodyguards, of course, are welcome to stay."

They are much more than bodyguards, Leia thought. But she nodded her head in agreement. She was fine with Thrawn being careful, was fine with him having some defense during this meeting. Yet both Thrawn's and Rukh's unnatural eyes watching her, each intimidating in their own ways, unsettled her. Still, she was a politician, quite used to having people try to unnerve her. She could handle it.

But what did Thrawn mean, Rukh being useful in 'other' ways?

Thrawn's eyes trailed off Leia to Anakin, and she tensed. Why was Anakin attracting so much of their attention? She didn't like the way so many thoughts seemed to flicker through Thrawn's eyes, yet she was privy to none of it.

"And of your bodyguards…" Thrawn said slowly, "I am grateful you agreed to come as well, General Skywalker. It is good to see you again."

Leia narrowed her eyes but refused to take them off Thrawn in this disarming moment. Instead, she used the Force. From Anakin, she detected only…amusement? What was going on with her father? Thrawn's mind, to her surprise, seemed muffled. A buzzing static, with no emotion that she could sense, came from him. Some species, Leia had found, felt different in the Force than others, but it also varied in each person. Was this blockage because Thrawn was a Chiss? Or simply who he was?

Despite the interference of the Grand Admiral's mind, she still felt the faintest sense of a lie through the Force. But yet again, she hesitated to jump to conclusions. She was completely inexperienced in reading a mind like Thrawn's. She didn't have very much training in the Force to begin with. She could simply be doing this all wrong.

"I'm sorry," Luke piped up, drawing back Leia's whirling mind, before she could speak. "You two know each other?" His voice was higher than normal; he sounded just as alarmed and confused as Leia was.

Thrawn's eyes flicked over to Luke and Leia saw the faintest flicker of surprise cross his face, if the slightest raising of his thin right eyebrow meant anything. Or maybe it was disbelief. He looked back at her, expecting her to say something, but she waited for him to respond to Luke's question.

When it was clear they were all waiting for Thrawn's response, he took a breath and pressed his thumbs together on the table. "Before I address your bodyguard's question, I believe I should ensure my understanding is clear before we proceed. I was under the impression that you, Senator Organa-Solo, would be the one speaking on behalf of the New Republic here. Jedi Skywalker—" Thrawn gestured to Anakin "—was a requested guest. But is your third guard also here to speak for the negotiations?"

Leia blinked, and gave an honest reply. "As a Jedi, Luke does have a voice in the New Republic," she explained, choosing her words carefully. "As I am the negotiator, I primarily have authority on this mission, though he still has a say in matters. Yet his question was a personal one, Grand Admiral. It was not about our peace discussions."

Thrawn still looked puzzled until Rukh cleared his throat behind him and spoke up. "Both of them are the offspring of Jedi Skywalker, Grand Admiral."

Thrawn blinked several times before he leaned forward and looked at her anew. His gaze went from her to Anakin to Luke to Anakin to her again, seeming to put together all the connections, see all the similarities. Leia's skin crawled under the scrutiny, yet she decided to wait until the Grand Admiral absorbed this before pressing forward. She had seen such shocked reactions before. Many people were overwhelmed that she, Luke, and Anakin, all three great legendary heroes in their own right, were all one family.

"Ambassador Padme," Thrawn breathed, and Leia tensed. Beside her, she heard Luke's sharp intake of breath. No one did that. The Jedi were forbidden to have attachments during the previous Order, and it had been so long ago. No one had ever guessed who Leia and Luke's mother had been, how in the galaxy had Thrawn done so? He had shown up during the Empire's time, long after the horrendous Order 66 and their mother's death. Leia had been told his mind was on a whole other level, but it couldn't be that good.

Through the Force, Leia heard a whisper of words come from Thrawn's opaque mind. Of course. It was them who did it.

"Yes," Anakin said quietly. Leia wasn't sure if her father had heard that. Which of Thrawn's statements was he confirming? The aloud guess of their mother, or the silent words in the Force? But what had those words meant?

Thrawn blinked again and then pined his eyes on Anakin. He seemed to be organizing his thoughts until he said, "I was assured that Anakin Skywalker was dead."

Leia turned to look at her father who now looked mildly surprised. "You don't believe I'm truly who I say I am," Anakin said, as if wondering aloud. "You believe that I'm an imposter."

"What?" Leia gasped, turning to look at Thrawn.

Thrawn looked back at Rukh, who rolled his shoulders. "It is as I predicted, Grand Admiral," Rukh said regretfully, "Lord Vader's enclosed life-support suit cut off his scent from my detection. I have no way to tell if this is him."

Leia stood up at once, Luke beside her. They were trying to connect Anakin to Vader? She had to protect her father, and Anakin being linked to Darth Vader was the greatest danger he could face. The hatred of Vader in the galaxy was so immense—everyone would call for his death again, even the Imperial-loyalists for his betrayal of them. "How dare you!" Leia hissed. "My father is not—"

"He knows, Leia," Anakin interrupted. She turned to him, and was hit by the pain of his emotions, though she knew he was trying to keep it from her. Anakin was always consumed by guilt and regret at any mention of Darth Vader. He spoke softly. "He knows what I was."

Leia stared at him. "Why in the galaxy would you tell him?" Thrawn must have known Vader was Anakin during the time of the Empire, but that had been one of Palpatine's most closely guarded secrets.

"I did not," Anakin said with a half-shrug. "He discovered it on his own." He looked back at Thrawn. "I first met Thrawn—as Anakin—shortly before the end of the Clone Wars, for a brief and secret mission. When I worked with him during my…time,with the Empire, he made it quite obvious he had made the connection of who I actually was."

This was…this was terrible. Thrawn was trying to take out the New Republic, and revealing Anakin's past would be a devasting blow. The Galaxy would turn on Anakin, and Leia would stand by him, of course, but that would hurt her own support. If she left the Republic, would it be able to escape the people's hate? How well would it stand with the sudden loss of her, one of its most important leaders, this early in its development?

Thrawn was watching them speak with keen interest. Anakin tilted his head at him. "But you think I am neither truly Anakin nor Vader. Why do you doubt me? I have the same Jedi powers as Anakin Skywalker, and I obviously know of our previous interactions."

"It would be a clever move of the New Republic to resurrect their old hero," Thrawn answered calmly. "People would follow Anakin Skywalker for his reputation alone. It would provide a useful boost to their support as they gained power." That was true, Leia realized, if unintentional. She had come up with the story that Anakin Skywalker had returned so that her father could be free of persecution, yet she couldn't deny his name earned him automatic loyalty and admiration across the Galaxy. Thrawn's lips thinned. "I also knew Lord Vader, and I am certain he could not go back to what he once was."

Leia realized this was the source of Thrawn's lie when they had first come in. She had detected it when he had greeted Anakin, and the shading of truth she had felt in the Force had been the fact that Thrawn didn't believe this wasAnakin.

"Yet here I am," Anakin lifted his hands openly beside him. "And as I said, I know things only Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader would know. Doesn't that prove my identity?"

"Not entirely," Thrawn's red eyes narrowed. "You could have gained this information from records of the Empire, or recovered them from the old Republic."

Leia let lose a bitter laugh, drawing attention back to herself. "Palpatine was as tyrannical as they come. He destroyed and changed many of the previous Republic's records, and the Imperial ones were full of propaganda." She felt a spark of hatred through her veins just thinking about it. So many lies, so much destroyed. Historians of the New Republic had to sort through Palpatine's records, trying to discover truth from lies, or find alternate records across the Galaxy, which were often incomplete.

"Especially records regarding me," Anakin added quietly. Palpatine had liked to keep his apprentice shrouded in mystery and let the rumors fuel Vader's image.

"Even that being the case," Thrawn went on, though he seemed doubtful, "I cannot understand how your identity could even be so. Anakin Skywalker changed so completely that he was almost incomparable to Lord Vader." His eyes became distant for a moment, and Leia couldn't tell if the Grand Admiral was actually regretful over that loss or just distracted by long-ago memories. "Such a drastic and total change in his character was enigmatic initially. What could cause it again, over one lifetime in the same person?"

Luke tilted his head. "If it happened once, it could happen a second time. What caused it the first time?"

"I would assume the death of Ambassador Padme," Thrawn responded. Leia glanced back at her father and saw his eyes shift away, answering that question. Anakin had confessed to them what happened to their mother, and the Force-ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi had filled in some holes. Despite it being cleared up that Anakin hadn't been responsible for his wife's death after all, the traumatic events still hurt him, still caused him guilt. Thrawn did not go into detail or ask any questions, his voice considerate. "That much was evident from when I first connected Skywalker to Lord Vader."

Thrawn leaned back and cast a glance in Rukh's direction. "Yet what could cause it again, I wonder? Lord Vader had nothing else that could have driven him back into the beliefs and behaviors of Anakin Skywalker, so I had assumed that the Jedi I once known to be as good as dead. When I heard differently from the New Republic, I knew that the only way that could happen were if Vader were to change, which I deemed impossible. The only logical conclusion, then, was that it was a lie. Which was why I requested their 'Anakin Skywalker' to present himself in this meeting, to see for certain. And I tested him by having you come through the Unknown Regions, which you would need a Force-sensitive to do. Lord Vader had done it before perfectly. You have done it without flaw as well, as your ship has suffered no damage from the perilous trip. With this, and the information you have presented, I believe that perhaps my conclusion was wrong, yet still…" Thrawn looked up at them. "How?"

Leia realized Thrawn was asking a legitimate question, and expecting an answer. He was looking at her keenly. He was willing to accept that Vader had changed to Anakin, yet not without reason. Not without knowing how.

"It was them who did it," she had heard in his mind. He had already figured it out. He hadn't known Anakin Skywalker had had children before they had entered this very office. Now he did, and he certainly had guessed what had made Anakin change, but was waiting for affirmation.

"Us," Leia answered, grabbing her father's huge hand. She could feel the metal prosthetics beneath his glove, but she tightened her grip, and felt him tighten as well. Luke's own hand slipped into her other one. She met Thrawn's red eyes. "We didn't let our father go, even though we knew what he had done." And even after what he had done to us. "Weturned him back."

Leia suddenly let go of both of their hands and stepped up to Thrawn's desk, leaning over it until she was face-to-face with the Grand Admiral. She put both her hands flat on the table. She sensed Rukh tense but did not look away from the red eyes. Thrawn did not move at her advancement. He faced her directly.

"If you put my father in danger, if you reveal his past to the Galaxy, Grand Admiral, know this: I will find you. No ships, no navy, no bodyguards or assassins will stop me from protecting him and getting to you." Revenge was not the Jedi way, but Leia was no Jedi. She wasn't entirely sure what she'd do if Thrawn revealed Anakin to the Galaxy, but it was probably too close to the Dark Side than it should be. Nonetheless, she needed the warning to be sure. Threatening someone during negotiations was against everything she had been taught, but this was personal.

It seemed crazy whenever she stopped and thought about it, but she loved her father. When he had first turned, he had been so, so protective of them. The destruction of the Empire had not been pretty, and for a few months there had been mad, desperate actions, scores of assassins, deadly power struggles…much of the Empire had stepped down on Vader's orders, though those who had not, they had been tyrants. Many of them had vowed revenge on Leia and Luke. Leia shivered to think what might have happened if Anakin hadn't been there to protect them. Bounty hunters had gone after her, after Luke, after Han, and, most terrifyingly, after Ben. But Anakin, still as Vader as he had not gone through the surgeries at that point, had fended off each one.

When the New Republic had found its footing and driven most of the remaining loyal Imperials into hiding, there had been a short tense period between Vader and his children. Now, they no longer needed him. It had been surreal to have seen him…shy. So unsure, as if it had been ages since he had been able to act pleasantly with another sentient being. Leia hadn't known what to do with him, and he didn't know what to do with himself. Yet slowly, they had both bended. Anakin had spent hours telling her and Luke stories of the Clone Wars, of their mother. When both Leia and Luke felt lost as to how to handle their Force powers, he had been there. When Leia was working too hard yet was too stubborn to stop, it was Han and Anakin who pulled her back before she burned herself out. When Luke went out on missions, Leia knew he was safe when Anakin went with him. When Han worked on a ship, Anakin always helped. And after she spent long days constructing the New Republic, worried for Ben the whole time, she came home and found her son sleeping peacefully in Anakin's arms. Her father always held Ben as if he were made of stained glass from a cathedral for an entire planet.

If anyone tried to take Anakin from her, she would make them pay.

Luke retook her hand and placed his other one on the desk. "Same goes for me."

Thrawn stared at them for some time. Then the corner of his lip twitched up. "I understand now."

Leia leaned back slightly but not entirely, unsure what the Grand Admiral would do now. She glanced at Rukh, who had drawn out his electrostaff and clutched it between both of his hands, but didn't attack her. She remembered how the true reason Thrawn had wanted to keep Rukh here was to see if the Noghri's excellent sense of smell could catch something linking Anakin to Vader. Rukh must have not encountered Anakin before his fall to the Dark Side, meaning he wouldn't have had the opportunity to smell anything through the life support suit. Still, Thrawn had apparently decided it was worth a shot. Or maybe his excuse of being 'cautious' of Jedi was the truth, and the scent-identity was just another priority.

Anakin shook his head. "Their determination is what brought me back. I could have never done it myself."

Leia frowned at her father. He wasn't giving himself enough credit. Yes, it had certainly been a drastic adjustment for him to relearn how to deal with problems in nonlethal ways, but Anakin had changed with each little decision he made. From choosing to completely and immediately surrender the Empire to the Rebel Alliance, to listening to Leia and Luke when they had beseeched him not to massacre their enemies without mercy, to finding peaceful solutions even if they took longer weren't always satisfactory. But the light of Anakin Skywalker had always been there, and Leia and Luke were able to bring it out. Still, hewas the one making those choices, even if it was for them.

"Fascinating," Thrawn said, leaning back into his chair. He looked between Leia and Luke in wonder. "You didn't know they existed?"

Leia was trying to reason how Thrawn could have guessed that when Anakin responded with a sigh. "No, they were hidden from me. I discovered them only a few years ago, after you were defeated on Lothal." Once, Anakin had seethed with rage that Leia and Luke had been kept from him. Now, his voice held resignation and acceptance. There had been a slightly violent argument between him and ghost Obi-Wan (thank goodness Obi-Wan couldn't be killed anymore), but in the end, he had admitted it had been for the best. Or, at least that what was done was done, and gave up on arguing about it. Leia sometimes wondered if the argument would continue when Anakin eventually died and became a Force ghost himself, and could properly throttle Obi-Wan again.

"Of course, the impact of that revelation can be credited to your value on familial bonds, which is connected to your species and social-cultural influences," Thrawn added thoughtfully.

"Social-cultural influences?" Luke's face scrounged up in confusion.

"Enduring behaviors, traditions, ideas, values, attitudes, and such, shared by a people or society and passed down through generations," Leia answered automatically, yet her mind was far away from her mouth at the moment. What did Thrawn mean by that? Was there some kind of difference about the Chiss's views on family? Or something particular on Anakin's view?

Luke looked at her. "Uh-huh," he said, in a 'I-don't-understand-but-I-don't-think-I'm-going-to-so-let's-just-move-on' tone. To be fair, Leia had said the words rather fast, automatically rambling them off from an overcomplicated dictionary she'd read at some point (she didn't care to remember). If she were to explain it slower, he'd catch on quick.

"Remarkable," Thrawn said, a small smile returning to him as he continued to look back and forth between Leia and her brother. "Truly remarkable."

It wasunbelievable, Leia thought. That she and Luke not only were Anakin's children, but stumbled their way into the Galaxy's spotlight, right into their father. Leia had grown up with such ridiculous insane coincidences, so she often shrugged it off. Luke and Anakin credited it to the Force, which Leia was willing to accept, but she doubted Thrawn would be satisfied with that explanation.

Thrawn finally looked back at Anakin. "So do you now pledge your loyalty to the New Republic for your children?"

Leia narrowed her eyes. Thrawn's tone was not nearly as accusatory or dubious as it could have been, yet still the suggestion was there. For the most past, the Grand Admiral seemed curious and skeptical, looking at them as though he was trying to untangle a complicated knot. Which was pretty much what they were, Leia thought.

Leia considered herself an excellent judge of character, and she was getting the idea that Thrawn was someone who preferred to dance around the truth. He was secretive, but reasonably so, 'cautious,' as he had described it. Yet, as far as she could tell, he was not outright lying to them at any point in this conversation.

Anakin looked down at Thrawn's question and Leia opened her mouth to come to his defense, but Anakin silenced her. "Please, Leia, let me speak, I am merely considering how to phrase my words."

Leia snapped her mouth shut and folded her hands. Anakin always had a quick answer, sometimes clever, sometimes very stupid. Leia didn't know if she should be proud or scared that he was giving this a second thought for a change. But she consented to his request. No longer wishing to dominate the room or intimidate Thrawn (which didn't seem to have worked anyway), Leia brushed her dress out and slowly sat back down.

Anakin took a deep breath and began to respond to the Grand Admiral, seeming to drag out each word. "The previous Republic had many flaws, even before—" his jaw tensed as though he'd tasted something sour "—Palpatine. I wanted—stillwant—a fair, just, and unified Galaxy for everyone. When I…when I betrayed and destroyed the Republic, I had believed it irredeemable. I still doubt that it could have been saved when it had been rotten to its core at the time, however I am not as certain about that as I was then. I thought the Empire was the force that could bring peace to the Galaxy, yet now I see how blinded…or perhaps indifferent at the time, I had been to its own flaws and cruelties. The Republic had kept relativepeace across the Galaxy for centuries. And I believe that the New Republic—" he glanced at Leia and Luke "—with the people behind it, and the support it has earned, is in the position to bring such peace again. Perhaps more so this time, and for as long as possible."

Leia tilted her head. Anakin always seemed to do whatever made his children happy, but now she sensed genuine faith in him for the New Republic. A bit of her heart cracked in pride.

Thrawn inclined his head. "The Republic was too weak a government to keep the Galaxy under control."

"And the Empire was too strong," Anakin empathized.

Thrawn narrowed his eyes. "How so?"

Leia stepped up to answer this question—she wasthe negotiator, after all. "The Empire used fear and intimidation to gain its power. The Galaxy had just come from the Clone Wars and desperately wanted to avoid another conflict. Palpatine used that to push them to heel." She felt Anakin's Force presence flinch minutely behind her. That, and Vader. "By the time citizens were fed up and wanted to be free from the Empire, it was too strong. They didn't think there was a chance of freedom. But with each victory the Rebel Alliance won, hope grew. The Empire had made its own people hate it, and the moment they saw the opportunity, they turned on it."

Leia's eyes narrowed. "The Empire's grip was too tight, too hard. And now that the people of the Galaxy are regaining their footing, their freedom, they'll fight tooth and nail against another Empire so that they can keep it."

Thrawn was silent, thinking he words over. He tapped his two thumbs together three times. "I consent to your point that the Empire had a firm hand. I also consent that if the people are truthfully as unruly against empires as you say, a stable government of that sort cannot be achieved. However, I must voice that your view is overgeneralized and biased. There were many supporters of the Empire, its grand navy is a testament to that."

"Brainwashed," Luke huffed, but Leia waved him down.

"What my brother meansto say," Leia began with a deep breath, "is that many of the Empire's supporters were misinformed by Palpatine's propaganda. When they were confronted with the truth, backed by substantial evidence, they abandoned the Empire. There are, of course, some exceptions. But most of which are of higher classes, who benefited from the Empire seizing the resources from non-Core planets and from the Empire's tyrannical power plays." She pursed her lips. "Not the kind of people a government should favor."

Luke tilted his head. "Were you lied to, as well?"

Leia held back her initial reaction, which was to scoff. Thrawn seemed too intelligent to be blinded by Palpatine's lies. The Grand Admiral had to have known the horrors the Empire was committing where no one could see. His rank would have made him privy to some of it, and with his legendary intelligence, he would have figured out Palpatine's secrets. If not, Leia would chalk it up to deliberate ignorance. Many other people of the Galaxy had willfully swallowed the Empire's lies rather than cause trouble. Leia hated it, but had learned to accept and deal with it.

Thrawn blinked at Luke, but it was Anakin who answered with a soft chuckle. "Palpatine tried to keep Thrawn in the dark, but that didn't work. Thrawn found quite a few classified projects." Anakin offered a small smile to Luke. "The only reason Palpatine let him live for it was his own discreetness. My old 'Master'knew Thrawn would hold his tongue."

"You knew, and still supported the Empire," Leia said to Thrawn, keeping most of the distain she felt from her voice.

Thrawn pined her with his red eyes, and for a moment she couldn't look away from the intensity of his stare. "I had to make choices, sacrifices," Thrawn said. "I knew the atrocities of the Empire, yet I was working from the inside to end them." Leia's adoptive father, Bail Organa, flashed before her eyes, working as a Senator in the Empire to help people. Until he realized it was hopeless and began funding the Rebellion. "I was gaining power so that I could influence the selection of Palpatine's successor. I was trying to destroy the Rebel Alliance so that the Galaxy could be united and at peace. So it could be a stable, powerful force against dangers."

"Dangers?" Leia repeated, surprised. The danger had been the Empire, if you asked her. Now that it was overthrown, the perils of the Galaxy were far smaller. Crime gangs, shady businesses, thieves…the lawbreakers any and every society dealt with. The New Republic was doing excellently in handling those threats. Leia had turned the Hutts against each other by killing Jabba; their infighting led to the downfall of their crime empire that had lasted thousands of years. Smaller gangs existed, like Kanjiklub, the Black Sun, and the Guavian Death Gang, yet they were nowhere near the dominating power the Hutts had once been. Luke and Anakin spent a lot of time hunting the gangs down and chasing them off planets. Their greatest annoyance was the Black Sun and its devious and elusive leader, Prince Xizor. But what threat could Thrawn be speaking of that he would let the Galaxy suffer under the Empire so it could be safe?

"The Grysks," Anakin murmured.

Leia buried her frustration with her father for not telling her all these things before this meeting. She racked her brain for 'Grysks.' A criminal gang? Terrorists? A race?

Thrawn seemed to read her furious expression and explained with some amusement. "A dangerous and mysterious species in the Unknown Regions. My people have been concerned about their actions for some time." He made a gesture that resembled a shrug. "We believe stronger allies would help us defeat the Grysk threat, which was why I was sent."

Leia swung her head back to him. "I thought you were banished from your people?" She may feel ignorant now, but she had tracked down all information she could about the Grand Admiral. And that had been a vital fact buried in the Empire's old classified files.

"So the Empire believed," Thrawn said carelessly.

Leia narrowed her eyes. Thrawn had lied to the Empire? Perhaps she hadn't been entirely correct when she had guessed that Thrawn avoided outright lying. Or maybe this was just the exception.

"So you were part of the Empire to build your own allies," Luke said slowly, realization dawning on him.

It clicked in Leia's mind too. "You joined the Empire to build their strength, influence their structure, and earn their loyalty." Theories and ideas bloomed in her head. "And you claimed that you had been banished so that they didn't expect any connection between you and your people. The Chiss couldn't be held accountable for any of your actions, nor could you be held accountable for any of theirs. But if you ever wanted to, you could pretend to reestablish that connection with your people easily, should they decide to be allies with the Empire after all."

"Confronting the Empire was a dangerous risk," Thrawn acknowledged with a nod of his head. "Separating myself from my people kept them safe."

Anakin looked interested. "Had Palpatine known this?"

Thrawn looked thoughtful, then shrugged a shoulder. "I did not tell him, but I believe it is likely that he did. At least, eventually." Yeah, Leia agreed, that was a safe bet.

"So are you with your people now?" Leia asked. "If the Empire has fallen, it appears your mission has lost its objective."

Here Thrawn gave a sly smile. "My mission, Senator Organa-Solo, is to examine possible allies against the Grysk threat, and to begin to cultivate a bond with them." His smile grew, revealing the barest glimpse of his teeth. "You have piqued my interest. Tell me more."

OOO

And so, they did. Leia explained the inner workings of the New Republic, the leaders, the factions, the treaties and laws, first giving an overview and going into detail where Thrawn voiced interest. Luke and Anakin explained more of an on-the-ground view and what they had seen firsthand on missions. Thrawn was regretful to express that the tales he had of the Empire's fall had some holes in it, as he only had the Imperials who came to report to inform him. And they, obviously, often had wrong propaganda-information or even lied themselves. Leia, Luke, and Anakin were more than happy to fill him in.

"AsecondDeath Star?" Thrawn interrupted them. "Truly?"

Leia cocked her head to the side. "Your Imperial soldiers didn't even tell you that?"

Thrawn sighed. "They told me manythings on that matter. Some said Alderaan had been destroyed in a natural disaster, some told me Grand Moff Tarkin used the Death Star on it without permission, some told me the first Death Star hadn't been destroyed, only damaged, and it had been under repairs on Endor, or that it hadn't even been therefor the Battle of Endor. A few have told me your version, yet I did not believe Palpatine would make a secondone after how disastrous the first went, so I eliminated those possibilities. I had even warned Palpatine against the first Death Star's functioning."

"You were against the Death Star?" Leia inquired, keeping her voice falsely neutral.

Anakin scoffed behind her. "As much as he could be. He even delayed its construction with his own project—TIE Defenders."

"I did everything I could to convince Palpatine against the Death Star project, but it was not my place," Thrawn sighed regretfully. "I despised it. It required so many resources and caused such careless damage. It was exactly the kind of self-destructing attitude I was trying to draw the Empire away from. A navy would have been able to handle threats without complete obliteration." He fisted his hand. "I imagine that after the loss of Lothal and my disappearance, the Emperor diverted all the funding of my TIE Defender project to Project Stardust." His red eyes narrowed into slits.

"Yes," Anakin confirmed softly. Leia stayed still; no doubt Luke and Anakin—probably even Thrawn, for how observant he was—sensed how tense she was on this topic.

Thrawn spoke softly. "I am sorry for Alderaan, Senator." Leia was astonished when he bowed his head in shame. "I never thought the Emperor would useits full power. I had thought the utter destruction of an entire planet was a mere threat."

Leia took a deep breath and forced her hands to unclench. "What other questions do you have?"

They moved on, and Thrawn began bouncing hypothetical questions off Leia. If a system rebelled, what would the New Republic do? If an outside force began to attack them, what would they do? What if this outside force attacked something outsideof the New Republic? Leia knew what Thrawn was getting at, but answered the questions truthfully as if they were perfectly normal.

"Very well," Thrawn said finally. "I am ready for a visit."

Leia blinked. "What?"

"I cannot form an alliance of such significance solely on the accounts of three people. I wish to see the New Republic for myself."

"Well that's—" Leia shook her head, trying to wrap her head around how that would work. She supposed it was a practical request, but it was so much more complicated than the simple words Thrawn was saying. "That's very reasonable—though it is not quite the outcome we expected."

Thrawn looked mildly curious. "What did you expect?"

"A truce between your forces and ours," Leia stated. "You have a great deal of Imperial resources; that alone is threatening, even without your raids to the Outer Rim. We expected to merely find a peaceful compromise."

"This is a peaceful compromise; I desire to come to the Hosnian system to explore the possibility of an alliance," Thrawn said with a satisfied nod of his head.

"An alliance between us and your Imperial forces?" Luke asked, confused.

"That," Thrawn said offhandedly, then his sly smile returned. "And, possibly with the Chiss Ascendency."

Silence.

Leia stared at him. "You don't hesitate, do you?"

Thrawn's eyes widened; he looked genuinely surprised. "A warrior is cautious, but he does not hesitate. I see an opportunity for the alliance I was sent to find. It is my duty to inspect it, and, if it is satisfactory, seize it." His smile returned. "Of course, more information will be necessary. Which is why I request a visit."

Leia couldn't even begin to explain the many, many problems this presented. For one thing, Thrawn was still considered one of the highest Imperial officers. The New Republic had been in quite a tangle dealing with all of the ex-Imperials; how to punish who, for what actions, for what rank, who to forgive. Then there was the fact that he was gathering Imperials, and had raided New Republic territories. Small raids, to be sure, and reports were very undetailed, but raids nonetheless. But now he wanted to come to New Republic's capitalfor a 'visit?' Just walk in, look around, walk out? Convincing everyone he wasn't an enemy would be a nightmare. But to let him come to the Core and poke around?

"When?" Leia asked, still trying to wrap her head around how it would work.

"As soon as possible," Thrawn said pleasantly.

Leia opened her mouth to object but Anakin cut her off before the words were off her tongue. "We can do it," her father said with a nod.

Leia clicked her mouth shut and, with supreme effort of will, resisted glaring at Anakin. But on the inside she was screaming "You mean Ican do it." Which admittedly, yes, she could. Leia was skilled enough that she could convince most of the Senate to let Thrawn in, and intimidate the others. She'd have to use a few favors, though. This had better be worth it.

"Very well, Grand Admiral," Leia said, unclenching her teeth. "We will make arrangements immediately."

AUTHOR'S NOTES: What?! It continues?! Brain says yes! But, uh, bad news…I wrote this thing months ago, and while there are more chapters, it's not….done. I figured that these little snippets stand well enough on their own, though. I hate to break my rule of no-publishing-until-finished, but these are shorts, not stories. More possible character variations are bouncing around in my head too—Ahsoka, Rey, Prince Xizor (just to see Anakin's reaction to him, lol). I make no promises, but maybe some comments could get the creative juices flowing? XD!

For this story, I mostly stuck with Disney Canon but I took some liberties. Rukh is alive, for one—can you believe he died in Rebels? I didn't even realize it at first! What a waste of a character! He's alive here, obviously. The mysteries and holes Disney hasn't shown yet, I filled in with either my own imagination or Legends. So don't cling too hard to either.

I wouldn't have written this without all of your wonderful support and reviews. I wrote the three chapters of 'This is Mine' completely on a whim, in one day, and had no intention of continuing it until your encouragement. Hope you enjoyed, readers!