Disclaimer: Star Wars is owned by Disney and Lucasfilm Ltd. The following work is not intended to add to, promote or distort this series. This is a work of fanfiction, and the author does not profit in posting. This is simply a writing exercise written for fun.
Author's Note: This chapter does include some spoilers from The Clone Wars: Season 5. If you haven't watched that far, I would suggest that you wait until you have.
The Mirialan Lady Anhilis knew she was in trouble. Knew she was in very big trouble. Listen and observe, she reminded herself angrily, why couldn't you just follow directions for once? But no, she had to take the shots. She saw an opening to maim Skywalker and she just couldn't resist.
And now Lady Pestilis is going to have my hide.
As they landed themselves inside the small, cavernous hangar hidden away near the old Rebel Base on Yavin IV, the three cloaked figures gazed at one another wearily. Their mission had been a failure. A complete failure as it were, and they hadn't the slightest idea what to do about it. Well, two of them didn't anyways.
The first two figures were the orange and green faced Sith Lords from before. They strode behind the third one, one who was raggedy and old, clamoring down the ramp of their shuttle with a scrappy looking walking stick as she hunched over. The old hag was a human, her hair thin and frizzy, white and gray. She looked about the deck with dark green eyes, tinted with the familiar Sith yellow of her anger as she marched onward towards the sitting area.
She was furious.
And why wouldn't she be? She'd been planning for years to eliminate Skywalker, ever since the battle of Endor when, somehow, balance was brought to the Force. According to her guide, Sidious had died, fallen victim to a 'reformed' Darth Vader, who resumed his persona as Anakin Skywalker before dying. And since then, Vader's son, Luke, had done all he could to build up the light side of the Force. Darkness, it seemed, was slipping away. And that was something she would not allow.
"When they arrived inside the main resting area, she sat herself down by the HoloNet projector and turned it on, wearily watching the news as it unraveled before her. The main focus was on a thin, shapely woman with dark eyes and a gentle smile. That smile had won over many allies in the past few years, from space rogues to stately empires, not to mention Jedi Masters. Leia Organa Solo.
A princess from a fallen world, she'd become an icon, beloved by all and praised as the most beautiful human-woman in the galaxy. The old hag had heard many a space dweller complement the princess's slender form. Her pale clear skin was a favorite contrast to her dark hair and eyes. She was a constant favorite in the Senate. And a Jedi Padawan, one of the best she'd seen in a while in fact, though that fact might have something to do with her master.
Luke Skywalker stood at her side, proud and stoic as usual. His blue eyes no longer held that youthful glow from the day he destroyed the Death Star , but his demeanor was not unlike the masters that had preceded him. Were she a younger woman without a savage temper, she likely would have swooned at the curve of his jaw, his straight nose and bright eyes. But she was an old witch.
With a quick glance towards the Mirialan, she noted someone was indeed a fan of his features. Why else would her eyes be facing the image, while her face chooses the floor? The hag debated, mentally chastising her apprentice for such interests. Or for choosing not to fight Skywalker despite being the more experienced of her two apprentices, though now I understand why.
But no, she'd rather seethe at the sight of the blonde youth. His resemblance to his father was uncanny, with his height being the only major difference between the two save for build. Whereas Anakin Skywalker trained his body for strength, his son Luke was conditioned for speed. The man was as swift on his toes as a landspeeder was over sand and that had cost them dearly on Coruscant.
"Master?" came the chirpy voice of her female apprentice, "Master Pestilis?" She tried once more before the old hag waved her hand at her. The Mirialan practically tiptoed towards the old hag, knowing full well how dangerous her mood swings could be. "Master Pestilis, Lord Devaro is currently being inspected by the medic droid. They intend to amputate some of his hand to rebuild it, since he started healing so soon. They are worried about-" Pestilis merely nodded her worn head, her eyes still on the screen where Skywalker and Organa stood with the third member of their trio.
Han Solo was another icon of this new era. He stood taller than Skywalker by a few inches and had a warrior's build. Many a lady had fallen for his charming smile and dark eyes, which apparently got him in trouble with the love of his life a few times.
Organa's husband. Pestilis noted with interest as she watched the three of them orient themselves before the press interviewing them. The woman married him, yet she stands closer to Skywalker. Is Skywalker that much more comfortable to her? Or is there something exploitable I am missing?
She pushed those thoughts aside once she realized what her overly theatrical mind was planning. Attempting to break their friendships apart wouldn't be enough to turn Skywalker: he was far too immersed in the light now. Nor would it destroy Organa. And something about them made her think of only platonic relationships. Brother and sister! She finally realized, They can only be brother and sister! They have the same birthdays! No wonder his heart is so incorruptible. Force-sensitive twins are near impossible to turn alone.
"What shall I do next, my master?" The Mirialan standing hesitantly before her inquired.
Pestilis took a deep breath. Good question. She noted as she scanned her ancient mind for anything useful. What can we do against a man that strong? How can we stop a woman that persistent? She found herself cursing Anakin Skywalker. His stupid libido has brought a scourge upon the universe that cannot be easily fixed. The boy, and likely the girl, was never supposed to be born, since the Jedi of Coruscant were forbidden from having families, and yet the father must have spotted someone he'd liked enough on his travels to be a little bold.
But if they had never been born... the galaxy would have been a very different place. Sidious would still be ruling, for one, and Vader would have never changed affiliations. He wouldn't have had a son to protect and love and make him soft. And more importantly, the Death Star would not have been destroyed because of that tramp and her hick of a brother. She'd loved that wondrous invention, after all.
Yes, it seemed she had the answer, and thanks to her old job in the Jedi Archive, the means. "We must prepare ourselves for a very difficult journey." She told her young apprentice, "Lady Anhilis, there is something in the ruins of the Old Jedi Temple which we must acquire."
Anhilis's dark eyes found her master in confusion, "A relic, my master?" Pestilis nodded with certainty, smiling as she eyed how the unsuspecting General Skywalker turned away from the cameras. He tended to do that a lot, she noticed.
"Yes, a relic." She replied to her ever willing student, "But first, bring me the birth records of both Skywalker and Senator Solo."
Luke was frustrated as he meandered back to his apartment that evening. It had been a long day. Seizing in the early morning led to him waking up in the hospital. His apparent ailment was so fantastic that the whole media circus had shown up and demanded an explanation. So, after spending three hours recovering and six hours taking tests to figure out just what had knocked him right off his feet, Luke was then forced to endure a three hour press conference on next to no sleep and thirty different pain pills or something (he'd lost count after the drug polyzimisarasthicsthsius was mentioned).
Feeling the day in every fiber of his being, Luke sighed and fell directly on his comfy couch. The one piece of furniture he would not let his sister over-rule. With a chuckle, Luke asked the air, "I wonder where she learned to micromanage from." As if to give him an answer, Artoo, his astromech, zipped out of his room and into the living area. He'd been charged over night and spent the whole day finishing out the new parts Luke wanted to add into his refurbished A-Wing.
Though he loved his X-Wing first and foremost, the A-Wing provided easier landing on smaller ports and he knew a few missions were in the works where a smaller vehicle would be needed.
"How are the parts looking Artoo?" Luke inquired as he shut his eyes to tolerate the bleeps and bloops of his favorite little blue astromech. "That so? How much did the hydrospanner cost me?" Again, Artoo let loose his binary, making Luke's head hurt just a bit. But he would not dare ask the droid to leave. He's survived many a skirmish thanks to this veteran, and he wasn't about to start disrespecting him. Something about the droid was special, and he knew that the moment they'd met.
"Sounds good." He told the droid as he powered on the HoloProjector once more. This time, however, he wasn't watching the HoloNet, he was reviewing files.
Scanning through the myriad of unsolved cases that were piling up on the still young Jedi Order, Luke was trying to find any clue as to the three he and Leia had fought that morning. The problem was, there were many groups of three comprised of a male Togruta, female Mirialan and a third. It would be a lot easier with that last one pegged. Luke admitted to himself. This search would at least take him a few hours, if not the whole evening.
"Yaay." He grumbled to himself as nearly three thousand Togrutas with felonies popped up on his screen. As his headache resurfaced, he started planning how he could better research this trio. I could pass it on to one of the Padawans at the temporary temple. Most of them were still fairly new, only having been there a year or so. He realized it seemed more effective for him to handle this personally.
And it did seem personal. The Togruta knew him by name, not that many didn't anymore, but he seemed most eager to take him down. Perhaps it was his reputation for facing both Darth Vader and Emporer Palpatine and living. Either way, it was unsettling that he was targeted. Better than it being Leia though, he reminded himself, trying not to draw upon his anger from the morning.
Though Leia had assured him over and over again that their father hadn't entered her vision, Luke was still struggling to believe her. He knew his father's presence. And this person clearly was a Skywalker.
He sighed as he pushed that whole argument away for another time. It did him no good to deliberate the lack of visits he'd gotten from his ghastly guardians. He hadn't seen Yoda, Obi-Wan or his father since Endor, and he was desperate for their guidance. The Jedi Order was proving a lot more difficult to moderate than he'd expected, not that he'd anticipated a cake walk.
Their silence does not mean a lack of love, came that gentle, female voice Luke had been hearing most of the morning. It was a quiet voice for the most part, almost like a whisper he wasn't sure he'd actually heard. But, with this headache, it had become most noticeable inside his head.
With a sigh, Luke stretched his hand out and reached for the pill bottle he'd left on the kitchen counter with the Force. It flew to him swiftly, Don't shut me out Luke, the woman warned, How often has my voice saved you from the brink of death?... Like the Sandpeople when you were five... or have you forgotten?
Recalling the doctor's warning about the aftereffects of his test regime that morning, Luke sighed and downed the recommended dosage before closing his eyes and yawning. It didn't take long for his headache to die down. He then turned back to the HoloProjector to read the case files on a male Togruta with a picture matching the one he'd fought that morning.
He was mostly orange with some white stripes here and there, but what gave him away was the large peach patches on his face under his eyes and across his nose. His montrals were fully developed and out-turned, but one of them appeared cracked from a skirmish. He was clearly part human, despite the sharp, toothy grin he'd given the camera sarcastically. And his name was Zion Tano.
"Murderous rampage on Onderon..." Luke read aloud in a mumbled voice, "Comforting... looks about right too." And Zion matched the description perfectly, now that Luke could actually concentrate on what the warrior had looked like. What bothered Luke most about this profile though, was that he was no older than nineteen.
That old and already sour...not that I can talk.
Your heart is practically made of gold, my dear. Came that woman's voice once more, You needn't chastise nor guilt yourself anymore.
Sitting up, Luke saved the profile into his current projects and then furrowed a brow. "Why do I know that name?" he wondered aloud, leaning forward to study the screen again. He clicked on known relatives and found that the young man had quite a few people to miss him. His four living relatives were comprised of two younger sisters, Minaka and Lucika, one age fifteen and the other age eleven. And it was clear they were related, as all of them had the same peach patches and marks. Only, instead of the Sith yellow infested eyes their brother had, Minaka and Lucika had brown and blue eyes respectively.
Also living are his maternal grandparents, Zionika and Ahsonia. They seemed decent enough, though neither explained the peach patches of their grandchildren. So he's an orphan... like me.
Almost instantly, Luke began plotting how to save this man. He understood the burdens of the dark side well enough to know that no practitioner truly wanted the lifestyle. It was only a matter of making them understand that letting go of the addictive power wasn't as hard as it seemed.
Still... what about his parents?... No father was listed for the three of them, and strangely, neither was their mother. Luke was only able to find her information by looking into Zionika's descendents and finding the name Ahsoka Tano among them. And that was when Luke made the connection...
"Father's Padawan!" To his good fortune, Obi-Wan Kenobi had left a fairly detailed log of his adventures with Anakin Skywalker, and her name had appeared on several entries.
Now more curious than ever, Luke began shuffling through information. What happened to you Tano? He wondered as he clicked through the many pages about her, some of which were survived archives of her glories victories alongside various Jedi masters. Almost anything related to Skywalker had been deleted by an angry Vader shortly after the Jedi purges. What he did find, however, disturbed him.
Victory on Shilli- Jedi Dispatched in Glorious Battle!
Prior to the victory over the separatists, Jedi Padawan Tano had been tried for arson and found guilty, in the incident around an explosion in the Old Jedi Temple in the year 15:5. Senator Padme Amidala had operated as legal council, but was unable to overturn suspicion until a Jedi Knight provided the real culprit in Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee. Despite a prestigious career alongside traitors like Jedi Master Plo Koon and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (still at large), after being exonerated of the crime she chose to turn her back on the Order and reap her own chaos in the Shilli System. This was until an anonymous tip alerted Storm Trooper Bases in the area of her nefarious activities. She was then promptly executed by a squadron of the 501st, led by newly appointed Clone General and Arc Trooper CT-7567, who cleverly used...
Luke froze in reading that. The 501st was his father's favorite regiment, which essentially meant that Darth Vader had killed his own apprentice. No wonder he had such blood-lust.
It is not you that he hates, my dear. The woman's voice informed him with sorrow. He wants revenge on the traitor that sold his mother out.
Sighing, Luke sat back and began trying to sort out a way to reach this man. He had siblings to worry about and gallivanting across the galaxy on a revenge spree would hardly help them. But he also realized that calling on Minaka and Lucika would not do them any good either. Perhaps leveling with him would be a solution. I could never hurt Leia like that, Luke decided with a nod, Knowing that turning to the dark side would destroy her is what has always kept me in the light. I wont poison her life like that.
Speaking of which, Leia was at his door already. It had only been a half an hour, but he wasn't surprised. When he was sick, she was there and, usually, he would at least visit her when she was ill. Though, Luke tried not to visit too often and overwhelm his brother-in-law.
"Come in." Luke called as he heard the door slide open.
Artoo immediately beeped at the door, greeting Leia warmly as she stepped around the droid and allowed Threepio to enter the room. "Artoo Deetoo." Threepio called out, "Please tell me you've been taking good care of Master Luke. He's in such a state right now, you know." The beeps and bloops Artoo shot back at the golden protocol droid indicated that Artoo didn't take kindly to Threepio's lack of formality. Luke could only chuckle.
"Luke." Leia scolded him as she pulled the remote into her hand with the Force to turn off the projector, "Shame on you!... The doctor said to take it easy."
Shrugging and trying not to roll his eyes like a teenager, Luke sat back on the sofa, "Yes mom." Leia stared at him incredulously before setting her leftovers down on the counter.
"Hey, Leia?" came the voice of the ever sarcastic Han Solo as he walked through the door, "where should I move our furniture anyways, since we are clearly moving into your older brother's apartment." Leia glared at Han as she moved to start the stove up.
"If he were my older brother, I wouldn't have to take care of him." She shot back.
"I can take care of myself just fine, Leia." Luke called from his chair, where he was fighting chuckling at Han's eye-roll.
"Which is why your apartment lacked curtains, throw pillows and a plunger..." she reminded him in the same tone he'd used on her, "Among other necessities."
"Who needs a plunger on Tatooine?" Luke chided her as he turned to where she was stirring up something for him to eat, "We vaporize all our waste, or compost it in the hopes that someday... somehow... something will grow on that dustball."
Han chuckled as he seated himself next to Luke, "And your compost heap lasted how long?" Rolling his eyes, the male Skywalker called the remote from the kitchen and flipped through the rest of Ahsoka Tano's file absently. He could sense Leia's glare at his back.
"Old Jedi stuff?" Han inquired as he skimmed the basics, seating himself beside Luke. Luke nodded, "Anything on those guys that attacked you this morning?" Again Luke nodded, sensing Leia's interest in the topic from the kitchen. Though, at the moment, she was a little distracted.
Threepio was beginning to fuss about finding bowls and spoons, since Luke got fed up with the old organization of his kitchen and moved all his cabinets around again. He had to admit it was kind of fun to do that, and watch Leia and Threepio get frustrated when they overtook his apartment. Needless to say, he reorganized often.
"This woman is the mother of the male we fought." Luke admitted, "And our father's old Padawan."
"As in Sith apprentice?" Leia wondered aloud.
"Luke shook his head, "Nope, Jedi."
"So Vader killed her then?" sighing, Luke turned back to his sister.
"Would it kill you to call him father for once?" He added in frustration, feeling his anger from the morning return. Leia had no response. She'd been waiting all day for him to react like that. Burying strong emotions was about as easy for Luke as it was for Leia... just a little under near impossible.
Sensing a fight brewing with his Correlian Smuggler instincts, Han intervened the best way he knew how, "So is this guy after you for that, or what?"
Luke shrugged, "Who all really knows that Vader is our father?" He could hear Leia grumble from the kitchen, making Han swallow. When the twins fought, once in a great-great while, it was usually pretty ugly.
"Who really cares that Vader is our father?" Leia pointed out, "We fought on different sides of the Civil War, against him... We cannot be held accountable for his crimes."
Luke shrugged, turning to Han to see that the man agreed with his cynical perspective on the subject. With a nod, both men chose not to answer that question. And Leia could sense their camaraderie.
"Where the hell are the ladles?" She demanded as Threepio stepped back to let her tear Luke's kitchen apart.
"Ladles?" Luke wondered dryly, his expression unchanging, "Since when did I have ladles?" He turned around to see Leia's incredulous face grow flustered as she searched for the missing kitchen utensil.
"Since I bought them last week when I realized you didn't have any." She informed him.
Han turned to Luke, "So when am I getting reimbursed for all these purchases your loving sister has made in your name?" Luke smirked.
"Not ever, seeming as she has literally used my name to buy all of them." Luke retorted, crossing his arms, "I always know when she's shopping for me, because my credit chips keep disappearing and I get notices from Scipio about my unusually girly signature." Han busted out laughing, picturing clearly in his mind the face of the Muun who noticed that irregularity. "What's funny is she always signs 'Leia Skywalker'... It's like she forgets she's using my chip until after she's written her name and is like, 'whatever.'"
While her husband chortled his lungs into inactivity, Leia walked over to Luke and passed him a large bowl of some sort of stew. Despite its regurgitated appearance, it smelled fantastic. "You're welcome." She told him as she dropped the bowl into his hands, "I'll be sure to sign your name with big hearts next time." was what she called as she meandered back into the kitchen for her's and Han's portions. Apparently they hadn't ate either.
Luke lifted his spoon carefully, assessing the murky looking substance with a raised brow. He wasn't a picky eater, but he certainly never had problems inspecting his food. A few surprises from his old friend Biggs Darklighter taught him that much.
And suddenly, an epiphany struck him.
"I think I know what your problem is, sis." He called to her as she passed Han his bowl. She paused to regard him with a face that screamed 'don't you dare.' But Luke only smiled and shrugged, "You aren't happy with your current assignment."
Her shoulders slumped at the comment, and Leia turned her eyes towards the kitchen once more. But her clear dislike of the subject did not silence her brother. "Being a senator and then a leader of the alliance allowed you plenty of time to manage, plan and coordinate. You got the chance to feel important, and your current role just doesn't fulfill you anymore." Seating herself in the chair beside Luke's sofa, Leia sighed and shook her head.
"What would make you say that?" She wondered aloud.
Both Han and Luke looked at one another, with Han being the one daring enough to answer her, "Well, for one thing... if you were happy with your job, you'd have told us to shovel our own slop into our bowls." Leia looked up at her husband dangerously, "Your worshipfulness." He added for good measure, which brought a smile to her face.
"And you'd be more intent on your own life instead of always trying to take care of me." Luke added with a sigh. "I mean, you did get married eight months ago... if you haven't forgotten." The room was silent as Leia pondered what the two most important men in her life had said. She couldn't help but agree with them.
"I..." she mumbled a moment, before finally confessing what was really making her miserable, "You've got half of it right. Mon hasn't been giving me very interesting assignments as of late, and I can't stand just sitting there while other people are in the thick of it all. But... Han, Luke..." she glanced up at them, noting that their full attention was on her, "I'm a former senator of a planet that no longer exists... I have no home, no place where my memories belong... no real identity anymore." By now, the tears she'd been trying so hard to shed for so long were falling, "And I can't stand knowing that all that is missing. Working before used to distract me from that."
Han reached over and placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. She instantly set her bowl of 'slop' down and crawled close to her husband to sniffle. Neither man could fully understand how she felt, but both knew better than to let her feel it alone.
You're a good brother. The woman told him, You and your sister have always tried to take care of each other, even through the Force when your consciousness wasn't aware the other existed.
Sitting forward, Luke glanced around the room, trying to find the source of that strange voice. His eyes spotted a shadow for a moment by his office door, but the image was fleeting, vanishing away as he stared at it.
Thinking it his meds, Luke sat back to find a solution for his sister. The probably-not-really-there voice was right, they did take care of each other, and Han too. Their little family circus had formed long before they'd realized it, with other members like Chewie, Wedge and Lando added in.
But they were a family of friends, and Leia was having an identity crisis. She needed a family of family. Someone to reassure her that she came from something beautiful and was capable of just that: being beautiful and amazing.
"Mother." Luke suddenly suggested, out of the blue and surprising both of his guests. Realizing what he'd just said, Luke nodded to himself once more, "We should try again... Try to find out more about our mother." He then turned to Leia, who's eyes were both wide and contemplative. "It might not bring Alderaan back," he told her, "But having more of your identity could possibly help how you're feeling."
Han smiled, rubbing Leia's back as he considered that, "Now that's an idea." He turned to Leia with a big grin, bringing one to her own face as well, "I like this guy, he's got ideas." Both Skywalkers chuckled at the comment, with Luke suddenly opening his database and searching for their father's information, or what was left of it. The empire had enjoyed censuring data a tad too much during its twenty year reign, unfortunately.
Leia interjected quietly, "It isn't like we haven't tried finding her before."
"Deleted data is being restored every day." He pointed out, "Who knows what else we might find if we look now." Again, Leia sighed, sitting back to curl into her husband, slop long forgotten.
They watched as the screen flew through databank after databank, mostly spewing headlines. Luke had trained his search engine a while ago to incorporate all his father's old selective deletions into any search with Anakin Skywalker listed. Kenobi and - attack Separatist Bases on Felucia; Skywalker and Tano Rescue Hutling,Hero with No Fear Finally Gets a Padawan, - and Yularen Rescue Forces on Alderaan... "Well isn't that ironic." Leia pointed out, mildly irritated with fate.
Luke turned to her with both brows raised, "Yularen... Not Tarkin."
"Not what I was talking about." Leia pointed out, steering Luke's attention towards the line at the bottom of the screen. Amidala and - Uncover Separatist Plot on Naboo.
"So what? We knew they were acquaintances before." Luke replied flatly, crossing his arms.
Han raised his hand, "Hi! Missed the Force-sensitive dialogue here." Both twins turned to him with smirks.
"No dialogue." Leia told him, "We caught a skit last night by Ziya and Gija about Naboo." Han's brows raised as he nodded.
"And this Amidala is?" He pressed sarcastically.
"Former Queen and Senator of the Naboo." Luke answered, now pulling up her file in the database, which had been recently restored according to the time stamp in the corner of the file. "Born 11 BrS, died 16...5...2-" he couldn't believe what he was reading.
"16.5.24?" Leia echoed as she read that, "She died on our birthday?"
"Now that is a coincidence." Han noted as he sat forward to read through the file with interest. "And of 'mysterious causes' of all things... who does that sound like?" Both twins turned to Han with paled faces and looks of despair.
"This can't be right." Luke decided as he sat back, putting a hand to his temple to steady the headache. Leia turned to him cynically.
"Why?" She nearly demanded, "Because Vader was such a saint?"
Luke glanced back her way and sighed, "No... this is too easy. Nothing is ever this easy." Han nodded beside Leia, completely agreeing.
"Look..." Leia pointed out suddenly, her voice urgent, "She died still pregnant...or, were they sure?... Who would have jumbled her medical files like this?"
Both Han and Luke had an answer for that "Droid." They told her simultaneously. Almost instantly, Artoo began berating them, to which both men apologized swiftly, arms up in defense and all.
All of them sat in silence as they read over her file, contemplating the data carefully. "So..." Leia listed the facts off, "We have a senator that died on our birthday... She was pregnant... She worked with Vader at least once..."
"...She looks a lot like you." Han added while Luke nodded, his brow raised as he read on. And the resemblance was astounding. Though Amidala's face was relatively wider in both features and shape, they had similar noses and eye color. Even their cheeks had the same placement.
"Then there's that..." Leia didn't argue with them, "Her body was exhumed for additional autopsies, but... some DNA might still be there if we want to check it... If Pooja will let us."
"Pooja?" Han wondered, "What does she have to do with this Amidala chick anyway?"
"She's Amidala's niece." Luke informed him.
Curious more than anything, Luke searched for any headline with both Skywalker and Amidala in it. The results made their jaws dropped.
"Wow..." Han commented after the thirtieth title appeared, "Theirs was an extensive partnership." Luke nodded in agreement as he read through the details of an attempt to prevent civil war on Mon Cala. It seemed that this senator was sent on many missions with his father, ones where he was both her escort and bodyguard.
"It just can't be her." Luke shook his head, "If it were this obvious back then, Palpatine would have found me and Leia right away." Neither could really deny that. Considering how long Luke and Leia remained both anonymous and oblivious to their origins, they had to assume that their maternity was equivocally as mystifying. Especially when they considered all the care that was put into hiding them.
So yes, Amidala was a candidate. In fact, they considered her once before, before her file had been reintroduced into the archives during the Civil Data Access Transfer. The new information around her death put her back at the top of the list again, but...
"What other women had we considered before? Maybe we should run through them all again." Leia wondered.
"For the most part," Luke reminded her, "We were looking at Jedi, since father spent most of his time in the Order. Humans specifically. Only a couple survived the purges, meaning those women were top candidates... but father did kill most of them eventually. We had ruled out all but three of them based on how few their physical commonalities were to ours. One was a Jedi by the name of Shadday Potkin. She was killed by our father. Another was Sia-Lan Wezz, who was also killed shortly after we were born. We were also looking into Callista Masana."
The twins sat back simultaneously, "So we have Senator Amidala and Knights Potkin, Masana and Wezz... anyone else we can think of, or should we go over the list again?" Leia wondered aloud. Both men furrowed their brows and shook their heads.
"The other option is to revisit every world father was at during the clone wars." Luke reminded her, "And we'd likely be dead before exhausting the list."
Han smirked, "Not true." Both twins turned to him, brows raised, "You've got two months to look through, right? It would have to be someone he met while within those two months." The two of them glanced at one another, considering what he meant. It made sense to limit the search to around the time they would have been conceived. But that would make sense if their father fell victim to passion and not a true instance of love. And, though Leia felt passion or lust made more sense, Luke truly hoped that their lives were a result of love, and therefore...
"I'd rather look into these four first." Luke decided, turning his eyes to Leia. She frowned a bit, but nodded.
"Then I'll contact Pooja in the morning." She told him with a big smile. He could only smile back at her, relieved that he'd at least given her some semblance of hope.
Author's Note Part II: I certainly hope this longer chapter was enjoyable. Anhilis, Pestilis, Davros/Zion Tano, Minaka, Lucika, Zionika and Ahsonia Tano are all my inventions. I especially like their names, as they took a while to come up with. You'll meet some more of them later, but not all of them. I realize that this story lists that both Anakin and Padme are main characters; I promise they are coming and I certainly feel that their scenes are well worth the wait. I plan to sew quite a bit of discord into their relationship and make this story as fun as possible.
I did try to upload this earlier, but had a major error with the computer script mixing in with my story. Despite spending a long, long time trying to catch all the coding in my text, I can't guarantee I got them all. If you see a typo, could you PM me and let me know. It will be easier to fix it that way. I really appreciate the help.
Thanks again for reading, and please don't forget to review!