Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.
AN: Here's part 3! Thanks for all the amazing reviews. Enjoy and let me know what you think! J
The Corellian Conflict: A Forever Destined Vignette
Part 3/?
It was as beautiful day in Coronet when they arrived on the landing pad at the Capital Complex
"Wow…Dad, look at those fighters!" Luke called in excitement, as two test models of the new Corellian fighters flew overhead.
"Those are the new Corellian Stealth fighters. They are the next generation in planetary and galactic defense. They are equipped with incredible speed and fire power all while remaining sleek and virtually undetectable to enemy ships until it's too late. And we owe the design and technology to your father, young man," Bel said.
"Wow Daddy…you built those?" Jayden asked, with wide eyes of admiration, as he trotted alongside Natalie with her hand in his.
"Well, it's my design. But Corellia's talented engineers put them together. I wasn't sure who I could trust with the Sentry technology I invented, but after Bandomeer, it became clear we would be needing weapons of Sentry magnitude, larger than just blasters. So, in exchange for my design, the Corellians are building a whole fleet of these for Naboo, Alderaan, and the Jedi," Anakin explained.
"I thought it looked familiar to the one you've been working on at the Temple," Luke said. Anakin nodded. Padme smiled at her husband with pride in her eyes. The fighters were an incredible thing of genius. They were sleek and silver, resembling a Nubian in looks. Colored stripes adorned some of the fighters on the wings, representing either rank or squadron colors. A sleek glass dome protected the pilot and the slot for the Artoo units were equipped with ray shields, something Anakin had come up specifically for Artoo Deetoo. To most pilots, one Artoo unit was the same as another and easily replaceable if one was destroyed. But to the Skywalker's, their Artoo was a member of the family and thus deserved protection too.
"Yes we are quite proud of the new line. In fact, after opening proceedings today, there's a little dinner party I'm having to celebrate the completion of the new fighters. I would like it if you'd all attend. The children are welcome too. The gardens will be open for them to play," Bel said. Anakin glanced at Padme and she smiled.
"We'll be there," Anakin answered.
"That's excellent. My wife and her handmaidens will look after the young ones for you during open arguments," Bel said.
"Thank you Bel," Padme replied. Jayden, Jenna, Kimberly, and Natalie were dropped off at the playground where children of other employees and officials were left with caretakers while their parents were working. Luke, Leia, Mara, and Ryoo went along to observe the trial.
~*~
At the military headquarters, they were led to the judicial wing and to the second courtroom. At the defense bench, Captain Jennings sat as the primary defendant, while his senior staff occupied a bench behind that. Bel took his place beside the Captain, as Padme and Bail also took their places beside him as Senatorial Representatives. On the other side, Xizor sat next to Mylar, his witness to the attack, who claimed he had escaped the ship before its destruction, thanks to his brave people. On Mylar's other side were Xizor's two Senatorial Representatives. The first was none other than Machius Malachai's snobby niece, Marron Malachai of Bespin. She had been serving in the Senate ever since her uncle's arrest, thanks to Anakin and Padme. Next to her sat a very pale blue Twi'lek male. Senator Bak Cyndar of Ryloth. And he was just as corrupt as Xizor and Marron were. Anakin, the other Jedi, and the kids sat behind the defense bench and all rose, as the judge entered.
"You may be seated. I'm Judge Mathy," the man said.
"We will hear open arguments for today. Beginning tomorrow, the prosecution will present its case and call witnesses. Once they rest their case, the defense will have their chance to present their case and call witnesses. Closing arguments will commence and the jury will deliberate. Military justice is swift. Each party will have one day to present their case and interrogate witnesses. The jury may enter," he said to the court officer. The jury of twelve random military personnel were each selected from a different planet. They seated themselves quickly.
"Prince Xizor, you may begin your opening argument," the judge said. Xizor stood up and walked to the front, facing the jurors and spectators. His predatory gaze rested on Padme for a moment, before he glanced away.
"A terrible tragedy has brought us all here today. Forty Falleen military personnel were murdered when their ship was fired upon by a Corellian vessel by the orders of Captain Jared Jennings. The Corellian vessel was in restricted Falleen space and they have committed what would be considered an act of war against my planet. But the Falleen are a civilized people and we wish to only punish those responsible for this heinous act, rather than Corellia as a whole. Someone must be punished for these murders and it must be Captain Jennings and his senior crew members," Xizor stated, before he took his seat.
"Senator Iblis, you may proceed," the judge said. Bel stood and moved to the front of the room.
"What happened to the Falleen ship and its crew was truly tragic. But they did fire on the Corellian vessel first. And despite what the prosecution will tell you, the Corellian vessel fired only a stun blast in response that could in no way have destroyed the Falleen vessel. While captain Jennings should be disciplined for his rash actions, he should not be charged with a capital crime. There is much more going on here than we can see and the prosecution's case is circumstantial at best," Bel concluded, as he took his seat.
"Opening arguments have been made. Prince Xizor, you and your delegates will proceed with your argument at O eight hundred tomorrow morning. Until then, the defendant and his senior crew are remanded to lockup. Dismissed," the judge ordered.
"Good luck to all of you tomorrow. You'll need it," Xizor said smugly, as he and his constituents filed out.
"Ugh…what I wouldn't give to wipe that smug smirk off his ugly green face," Padme growled.
"Don't worry. We'll get the chance. I'm positive that your Dad and Zia will find the evidence we need to blow Xizor out of the water," Anakin replied.
"I hope so," she replied, as they filed out too.
~*~
The children scampered into the suite that had been provided to them for the duration of their stay.
"Go get ready for dinner," Padme called to them, as she and Anakin found the Master bedroom, finding that their travel cases had been placed there already. Anakin gazed out the panoramic window, taking in the gorgeous sight of the sun setting over Coronet. Padme was by his side and slid her arms around his waist. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
"I'm guessing you didn't like the feelings you were getting in the courtroom today," Padme ventured. He glanced down at her.
"Media saturation over this story hasn't helped. The jurors don't have a favorable view of Captain Jennings to begin with. I really hope Zia and your dad can find that evidence. If the Captain is convicted, it won't bode well for any of us," Anakin said.
"What are you sensing?" she asked.
"Like this is just the beginning. Like Corellia is the staging ground for something bigger," he replied. Padme didn't like the ominous tone in her husband's voice. Sifo-Dyas was planning something bigger; she knew it too. She could feel it through her husband. She shivered, as she remembered the way the Sith Master had forced her to stare into his eyes that day on Bandomeer, as he held her in his iron grip. He had been staring straight into her soul, feeding off the light inside her. And she had seen his blackened soul for the frightening thing it was. He had let her see his deepest, blackest desires. The destruction of hundreds of planets by his hand with the use of horrible weapons. Billions of people murdered senselessly. The Jedi Temple burning. Jedi hunted down and murdered by his android army. Her own captivity to him, on display as his trophy and her husband as his other trophy, carrying out his every order long with her children as well. She had woken up more than once last year screaming in terror, as she relived his visions. Anakin was the only one that knew about what she had seen. She hated the nightmares, not only for herself, but Anakin as well, for they haunted both of them. She shook her head, trying to free herself from the memory of Sifo-Dyas' yellow stare piercing through her. She filled her head with the wonderful memories that she had shared with her husband and family over the years, just as he had taught her and the nightmarish daydream faded away. Her breathing calmed and she released her fisted grip that she had on her husband's tunic. His strong arms encircled her in a protective shell and the fury in his eyes was carefully restrained and reserved for the Sith Master. Her nightmares were a very difficult thing for her husband to cope with.
"I'm okay," she promised.
"I want to kill him for putting you through this," Anakin growled, as he balled his fist, his knuckles turning white.
"Don't let him do this. It's exactly what he wants. He wants you to act on your anger," Padme replied.
"I…I know. I don't think I can keep these nightmares between us any longer. I have to tell Grandfather and Father. I am afraid of what I might do if I don't," he said softly. She nodded.
"I agree. We can't let him control us like this," Padme replied, as she held his face in her hands.
"I know. But seeing you frightened and not being able to do anything about it is excruciating for me," he said.
"I know. But I'm fine, I promise. Your love chases all the bad away," she told him.
"Are you sure you feel like going out tonight? We can stay in if you'd rather. I'm sure Bel would understand," he said. She shook her head .
"No, I want to go. The distraction will be good for us. We both need to relax and unwind," she replied. He nodded in agreement.
"Besides," she began, as she opened her travel case.
"If we go tonight, I get to dazzle you in this little number," she replied, as she held up a slinky little black dress. He whistled and wrapped her arms around her.
"You do know how to tempt me, my sexy little star nymph, though you could be wearing a sack and you'd still take my breath away," he said, before he pointed to the dress.
"But with you wearing this, I'll barely be capable of coherent thought," he replied, as he pulled her close. She nuzzled her nose to his own, as her lips landed on his.
"Are you trying to charm me, my Jedi?" she asked playfully.
"Always. Is it working?" he asked. She smirked and tilted her head to the side, before planting her lips on his. She moved her lips over his in a passionate rhythm, her tongue dueling with his own, before she released her lips.
"Does that answer your question?" she asked sultrily.
"Yeah, I'll take that as a resounding yes," he replied. She giggled.
"Come on. We better get ready. The kids are probably getting hungry," Padme said. He nodded, as they went about dressing for the evening.
~*~
"Read 'em and weep, sweetheart," the scoundrel said, as he slapped his cards down on the table. The dark blonde haired woman smirked.
"Wow…what a hand. Too bad it's not enough to beat mine," she replied, as she showed her cards. The dingy, drunken man's mouth dropped open and he slammed his fist down on the table. She scooped the credits toward her, as the loud, rowdiness of the Cantina drifted around them.
"Cheatin' whore!" he screamed, as he drew his blaster. But she was faster and the man fell backwards with a laser bolt burned into his forehead. No one in the criminal infested Cantina seemed to notice much. The beautiful woman pocketed her winnings and holstered her blaster. Lauren Solo, once a bright student of engineering, loved her thrilling life and dangerous career. Her father, a smuggler and con artist had taught her everything she knew. When she had attended the engineering program at the University at sixteen, she had been on the right track for a couple of years when her father went to Kessel. But the lure the life she'd lived with her father called to her again with a lucrative smuggling opportunity and she left school. She ran with a rough crowd, pulling scams, smuggling anything of value, and stealing people blind of their hard earned money. Her life had also included smoking, drinking, and a lot of sexual partners. Her son Han had been the result of one of her one night stands, seventeen years ago. But she never regretted him. She had been responsible during her pregnancy, giving up smoking and liquor for the duration. She left the rough crowd that she ran with in favor of working on her own, freelancing. When Han was a baby, she met Calin Calrissian, a wealthy business man on Bespin. She became one of his operatives and still was to this day involved in Bespin's vast lucrative underworld of smuggling. Calin had gone on the straight and narrow, though they still kept in contact, for Han and Calin's son, Lando, were good friends. Lauren knew this was the wrong kind of life for her son, but the allure of it was too great. Lauren loved Han very much, but this was the only way of life she really knew.
"Geez Mom, did you have to pop him?" seventeen-year-old Han asked, as he waited outside for her.
"It was him or me, sweetie," she replied, as she lit a death stick and took a long drag on it.
"How much did you get?" Han asked.
"Ten thousand," she replied nonchalantly, like it was chunk change.
"Do we hafta go to this stupid ritzy party tonight?" he whined.
"Of course. Senator Iblis is an old friend from back in the day when I was a student. Besides, Corellia's richest fools will be there," she replied.
"He wouldn't have invited you if he knew what you do now," Han reminded, but his mother ignored that little fact.
"Did you stack the decks like I asked?" she questioned, as if it was a household chore or something. He rolled his eyes.
"Yes, the cards on tables two, three, and five will go in your favor," he replied.
"We'll make a fortune tonight. And that doesn't count the payment I'll be getting from that snooty Falleen prince for the weapons chemicals we smuggled off Corellia for him a couple weeks ago," Lauren said.
"Mom, you know I go along with all your schemes, but this one with the Falleen scum bothers me. We're giving weapons to the enemy! It's treason!" Han exclaimed.
"It's just business Han. Loyalty always goes to the highest bidder and that green fool threw a lot of and I mean A LOT of money at us for this one. I couldn't turn it down," she replied.
"All you think about is money!" Han grumbled.
"Sweetie…everything I do is for us," she promised.
"No, it's not! You do it for yourself. You're playin' with fire with this one! Yur gonna get us killed one of these days!" Han lashed out.
"Watch your tone," she warned. He snorted.
"Baby…it will be fine, I promise. I've got things under control and once I get the money, you'll have what you need to give the Falcon a complete overhaul. I promise," she said.
"Fine. Let's just get this stupid party over with," Han grumbled.
~*~
Bel was positive he had her this time. His hand was almost impossible to beat.
"I think I'm about to end your winning streak, honey," he said, as he showed his hand. Lauren smirked.
"You always were the toughest competitor on the Sabaac tables, Bel. But I'm afraid this was just destined to be my night," she said, as she revealed her winning hand. The other players groaned and threw their cards down. Bel chuckled.
"Unbelievable…I guess you're right. This just isn't my night," he replied, conceding to her victory.
"It's been good seeing you again, Lauren. And that boy of yours! I can't believe his seventeen. Handsome you man," Bel mentioned.
"Thank you Bel. He's my pride and joy," she said aloud. "The only thing I've ever done right," she thought silently.
"Where did he run off to anyway?" Bel asked.
"Oh, he probably went out to the gardens for some fresh air," she replied.
"Another hand?" she suggested.
"No. you've cleaned me out enough for one night," Bel replied, as he spotted Anakin and Padme mingling a little.
"Come on. I'll introduce you to a couple of my friends," Bel said. Lauren stood and followed Bel's gaze. As her eyes rested on the man with a beautiful, petite brunette on his arm, her heart nearly stopped. Lauren stiffened, as Bel waved him over.
"I hope you two are enjoying yourselves," Bel said. They nodded.
"We are," Padme replied.
"Yeah, and the kids seem to be having a lot of fun in the gardens," Anakin added.
"Good. I'd like you both to meet an old friend of mine. Lauren, this is…" Bel began, but Lauren finished his sentence.
"Anakin Skywalker. We've met before," Lauren said.
"We have?" Anakin asked. Lauren bristled, as it seemed that he didn't even remember her.
"Lauren Solo. We became friends during the summer course we attended at the University, years ago," she reminded him.
"Right…I remember now. Wow, I guess it's been a long time," he mentioned.
"Too long," she replied.
"It's good to see you again. This is my wife Padme. Angel, this is Lauren Solo, an old friend," he introduced.
"It's nice to meet you," Padme said pleasantly.
"Likewise," Lauren lied.
"Well, I guess it's a small galaxy. There is a Senate matter I'd like to get your opinion on, Padme, if you have a minute," Bel said.
"Of course. I'll be right back sweetheart," Padme replied. He nodded and kissed her tenderly.
"Don't go far. I still owe you a dance," he called.
"Oh, I haven't forgotten, handsome," she called back.
"So…how have you been?" Anakin asked. Lauren could barely think straight, as he stood before her all these years. He was even more breathtaking now than he had been when they were teenagers. She had fallen in love only once in her life and it had been with him. But their relationship that summer had never gone as far as she wanted. They had partied at clubs together and even made out a few times. But he would never carry it further. And it was because he was a good man. He knew he was leaving Corellia at the end of the summer and didn't want to lead her on. But she had held onto the foolish hope that he would come back and see her. But he hadn't. He left to become a Jedi and had moved on with someone else. She was incredibly beautiful, of course, as well as kind and apparently from what she could gather, a wonderful mother.
"Lauren?" he asked, noticing her far away expression. She snapped back to reality.
"I've…been all right. You look like you're doing well too," she replied.
"I am. You look disappointed," he replied.
"What? No…not disappointed, just surprised. I never thought you to be the type to settle down. We used to party pretty hard that summer you were here," she mentioned.
"Yeah, but things change. I met Padme and I've never been happier. We just celebrated our fourteenth wedding anniversary about six months ago," he replied.
"Wow…congratulations. That's wonderful," she said, as a lump rose in her throat.
"I guess things change. You told me that you weren't ready for a relationship that summer," Lauren said quietly.
"I wasn't; not at sixteen anyway. For the next three years after that, my father spent it getting me ready for the trials. Then I met Padme when I was nineteen. The moment our eyes met, my life changed forever," he said wistfully, as he stole a glance at his wife across the room.
"But enough about me. What about you?" he asked.
"I've been fine. I have a son," she replied.
"Really? You're married too?" he asked. She shook her head.
"No. Han's father and I were never together. It was kind of a one night stand, but I don't regret my baby. He's seventeen now. I was only eighteen when I had him, but he's the best thing that ever happened to me. You mentioned kids too," she replied. Anakin smiled.
"Yep. Five," he answered. Her eyes widened.
"Wow…five? Five children. She's so tiny. I can't imagine her having one, much less five," Lauren said, referring to Padme.
"Yeah, she is. But she's tougher than she looks. She actually carried two sets of twins. Our first set of twins, Luke and Leia, are thirteen. Our middle daughter, Kimberly, is eleven, and our youngest twins, Jayden and Jenna, are ten," he replied proudly.
"You sound like you have everything you want," she replied.
"Yeah, I'm really lucky I make sure I never take them for granted. They're everything to me, just like you said with your son. What about you? Is there someone special in your life?" he asked.
"There was, but it didn't work out," Lauren replied. But Anakin missed her implication, as Padme and Bel returned.
"Hey," Anakin said, as he slid his arm around her waist.
"Can I buy a round of drinks?" Bel asked.
"I'll take one. Make it a double," Lauren replied.
"We'll join you too, right after I get a dance with my handsome Jedi husband," Padme said. Bel chuckled.
"We'll see you on the second round," Bel said.
"Coming Lauren?" he asked, snapping her from her gaze, which was locked on Anakin.
"Huh? Oh, yes," she replied, as she followed. Both Anakin and Bel missed her jealous stare she had reserved for Padme. But Padme had seen in, getting the clear message she was sending. She trusted her husband completely, but this Lauren woman was trouble. That was something she was positive of…
~*~
In the next chapter, the Skywalker kids meet Han Solo. Lauren pines over Anakin and the trial continues. All this and much more to come! J