Part XXII
The face that looked back at him from the holodisplay was one that Bail Organa had almost expected to never see again. Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the few high ranking Jedi left in the galaxy, was hardly recognizable from the man he had been more than four years after the fall of the Republic. And while that time had no doubt been stressful for the other man, he seemed to have borne it well.
"I'm pleased to see you well, old friend," Bail greeted, smiling broadly at the Jedi Master. Regardless of the state of the galaxy or the Jedi Order, Obi-Wan still held himself just as he had in his old life. His posture appeared relaxed, but as soon as someone looked closely, it was easy to spot the tension and power held in check.
Obi-Wan inclined his head briefly. "You as well, Senator. I trust that this channel is secure."
"Of course," Bail was quick to assure him. "Does this call have anything to do with Palpatine's death? The official report just doesn't sit well with me. Or with many other senators."
"You mean beyond the fact that my presence in the room has been conveniently omitted?" Obi-Wan chuckled quietly, a self-deprecating sound that Bail had heard many times over their course of their friendship.
Bail was genuinely shocked by the revelation. He'd watched the Imperial Office's official report of the events on the Death Star countless times and could see no point where Obi-Wan could have played any role in the startling events. He, like most others he had talked to, had assumed that Vader's unstable mind had finally snapped much like an abused animal and killed his vicious master. While Bail certainly didn't mourn Palpatine's passing, he could not find any sympathy for Anakin, either.
"I don't understand. Did Vader—"
"Anakin," Obi-Wan interrupted him, his tone brooking no contradiction. "Anakin has returned to himself. It was Anakin and not Vader who saved my life and killed Palpatine."
While it was his natural inclination to deny that such a dramatic change was possible, Bail was equally aware that there was no one else in the galaxy, living or dead, who knew Anakin Skywalker better. Padmé may have given birth to his children, but how could she really know him when they'd spent so little time together? So he listened, equal parts amazed and baffled, to Obi-Wan's account of Palpatine's final moments. As Obi-Wan went on, it became quite obvious that Luke had a great deal to do with Anakin's transformation.
"Does he know about Leia?"
Bail couldn't deny the relief he felt when Obi-Wan shook his head. While he had no intention of denying Leia her heritage, he wasn't ready to risk his young daughter to someone so unstable.
"Given everything that's happened recently, I thought it best to keep Leia's presence from him for now," Obi-Wan assured him. "I hope, though, that you will not protest Leia being introduced to her brother."
At last Bail understood why Obi-Wan had contacted him. "You're going after him, aren't you?"
Obi-Wan's smile was as grim as Bail had ever seen it. "I cannot leave him to face the entire Empire on his own. Even if he were still lost to the darkness, I could not do it."
And it was those convictions that made them such a legendary team.
"Daddy, who's that?"
Bail couldn't see the boy, but it couldn't be anyone other than Luke. Anakin and Padmé's son and his dear little girl's twin brother.
Obi-Wan turned away, his usually stoic features softening in a way that Bail had never seen before. Fatherhood obviously suited him in ways that he doubted even Master Yoda could have predicted that long ago day on Polis Massa.
"This is Senator Bail Organa. He's a friend of mine from before you were born."
There was some shuffling and then a face similar to Leia's and yet so completely Anakin joined Obi-Wan's projection on the holodisplay.
"Hi. I'm Luke Kenobi... Kenobi-Skywalker."
XXXXXXXXXX
Obi-Wan stared at the back of Luke's head in surprise. He'd known that Luke had become aware of Anakin's surname from viewing the holonovel he'd found in the cottage, but he hadn't expected the little boy to combine both his old and new identities so quickly. Luke Kenobi was only ever meant to be a temporary fiction to keep Luke safe until he was old enough to understand the events surrounding his birth. It was an eventuality that Obi-Wan had always prepared for. Luke Kenobi-Skywalker was something Obi-Wan didn't quite know how to respond to immediately. Especially not before he knew what Anakin thought of it.
"It's very nice to meet you, Luke," Bail said, smiling fondly at the boy. The Imperial Senator then looked back to Obi-Wan, his expression somber once again. "How long until your estimated arrival?"
Obi-Wan glanced down at the starfighter's console and did a few quick calculations. "Early tomorrow afternoon is my best estimate. Please keep your eyes open to all possible transmissions concerning Anakin."
"I will," Bail assured him. "Be safe, old friend."
"May the Force be with you."
As he shut down the communication, Obi-Wan pressed his face into the top of Luke's head. There was no longer any hiding from the machinations of the galaxy and its suffocating politics. Obi-Wan had wanted to keep Luke away from such things for as long as possible, but that had stopped being an option when Tarkin had set the entire galaxy against Anakin. Bail, at least, had his own secrets that would help ensure Luke's continued anonymity for a while longer since exposing Luke also meant the possibility of exposing Leia.
"I thought you were sleeping," Obi-Wan murmured, leaning back deeper into his seat. He held himself still as Luke twisted about until the little boy was facing him, small legs straddling his own. "It's far too late for you to still be awake."
Luke's grin was utterly unrepentant and all too similar to his father's. "'M not sleepy. I wanna fly with you."
"The ship is flying itself at the moment. There's not much we need to do until we reach our destination," Obi-Wan explained, stroking Luke's sides gently. While Luke had always reminded him of Anakin, those similarities had become even more prevalent since Anakin's return. "Which means, young one, that it's time for you to return to sleep."
"But I'm not sleepy, Daddy," Luke insisted, pouting up at him in a rather exaggerated way. The little boy leaned forward then, snuggling against Obi-Wan's chest. "I wanna stay with you."
Sighing, Obi-Wan moved his right hand from Luke's side to just below his shoulder blades. "Your father didn't leave you willingly. He's doing this to keep you safe."
"Yer gonna go 'way too, aren't you?" Luke asked quietly, his voice muffled against Obi-Wan's chest.
It was a question Obi-wan had hoped Luke wouldn't ask. He had always made it a point to tell Luke the truth whenever possible and would not outright lie to the boy. "I will be going after your father, yes. I have been tracking him since we left Endor."
Luke was silent for several minutes and Obi-Wan began to wonder if he'd started to drift off to sleep. With all the chaos that had followed Anakin's arrival into their previously well-structured life, it was no surprise that Luke was so unsettled. The little boy had developed some odd sleeping habits lately, the most noticeable of which being Luke's insistence on sleeping with one or both of them. Obi-Wan knew that he wasn't discouraging the dependency as much as he should have, but given the uncertainty of things to come, he was reluctant to be parted from Luke for very long. Obi-Wan feared the day Anakin took Luke from him permanently.
"Daddy, is the sen'ter nice?" Luke asked around a yawn a few minutes later.
Obi-Wan smiled softly, gently running his hand up and down Luke's back. "He is. Bail was one of your mother's best friends. He has a little girl who's your age. Perhaps the two of you can keep each other entertained while I help your father."
"What's her name?"
"Leia."
Luke whispered the name a few times, trying it out on his tongue. There was much that Obi-Wan wanted to tell him, but now was not the time. Revealing the truth to the children was not a decision that Obi-Wan could make on his own. The Senator and his wife had just as much say in the situation; perhaps moreso since the secret of Leia's parentage kept her safe from Anakin's enemies in a way that Luke would never be. It was one thing to be perceived as the child of a respected Imperial Senator and quite another to be the child of a reviled Sith Lord or exiled Jedi Master. Whether Luke was thought of as Anakin's son or his, there were those in the galaxy who would see him harmed simply because of his father's identity.
As Luke drifted off to sleep, Obi-Wan kept his gaze on the flashing red light that was Anakin. Whatever ship Anakin was currently on board was sticking to the Outer Rim shipping lanes. Hopefully the younger man was not drawing attention to himself. Obi-Wan hated not knowing what Anakin was planning. From listening to the HoloNet broadcasts earlier in the day, Obi-wan knew that Tarkin had left the Death Star and was heading back to Coruscant. That meant Anakin was as well. Obi-Wan mentally plotted Anakin's most likely route to try and anticipate where their paths could possibly intersect. With luck, he would only spent a limited time on Alderaan before following after Anakin. Alone. He would not risk the Organas' safety in this endeavor.
There was little else to do as Luke slept except watch the tracking beacon. After a while, Obi-Wan began to find it tranquil and soothing. He focused on it, pacing his breath in time with its steady flicker. Obi-Wan turned his consciousness inwards, carefully feeling his way along the bond that had once tethered him and Anakin together. It was fragmented and strained, ignored nearly to the point of disintegration, but the bare bones of their nearly two-decade-old training bond still remained. With effort, he could almost sense Anakin's tangled emotions echoing along it. Even with their bond mostly in ruins, Anakin's rage was palpable. A dragon burning fire from deep within him, feeding off his anger. Along with all those dark emotions, Obi-Wan could also sense the barest flickering of hope buried within the younger man.
It wasn't much, but for the moment it was enough.
By the time Obi-Wan was piloting the ship into Alderaan's atmosphere nearly thirty-six hours later, Luke was a bundle of anxious energy. It was the longest Luke had ever spent in a confined space without anyone to play with. To help keep him amused, Obi-Wan had begun teaching him how to pilot the starfighter. Luke proved himself to be his father's son in that as he did in so much else. Obi-Wan had no doubt that one-day Luke would be an exceptional pilot.
"Wow," Luke marveled as Obi-Wan navigated the ship towards the docking platform of the Aldera Royal Palace. "Is that all a house?"
Obi-Wan smiled over at Luke briefly before turning his attention back to the traffic lanes. "It is. The Senator's wife is Queen Breha of Alderaan, so they live in the royal palace."
It wasn't until Luke pointed it out that Obi-Wan actually realized how different Luke and Leia's upbringings had been thus far. Leia was being raised as a princess with all of the privilege that entailed. In his mind, Obi-Wan envisioned her as Padmé in miniature; strong, regal and passionate. While Luke might not share his sister's refinement, his bearing was far beyond that of a typical mechanic's son. The twins were still young enough that they wouldn't be too aware of their differences. Obi-Wan didn't doubt that Luke would soon have the young princess chasing all manner of insects around the palace grounds.
"Daddy, there's something tingly in my head."
"Tingly how?" Obi-Wan asked, glancing away from the console again.
Luke shrugged, rubbing at his forehead with the heel of his palm. "Somethin' sparkly. Happy."
Even before Luke spoke, Obi-Wan knew exactly what the little boy was trying his best to explain with his limited experience.
Leia.
Obi-Wan had always suspected that some type of bond existed between Anakin's children. It had to be an incredibly close bond considering they'd only registered as a single fetus throughout Padmé's ill-fated pregnancy.
"Then why don't you try sending happy thoughts back," Obi-Wan suggested, smiling encouragingly at Luke. "Someone may be waiting for you to respond."
Luke was up on his knees, wiggling towards Obi-Wan. For a moment, he looked as though he was about to topple off the edge. "How do I send happy thoughts?"
Obi-Wan chuckled quietly at the sight and held out a hand just in case Luke lost his balance. "That will have to be a lesson for another day. We'll be landing before I have a chance to teach you properly."
The responding pout was expected, but it faded almost instantly as the royal palace began to loom large in the viewscreen. Obi-Wan spotted Bail on the platform along with his wife and, nearly as fidgety as Luke himself, Princess Leia Organa. Even from a distance, Obi-Wan could recognize Padmé in the little girl's bearing. The sturdy boots that she wore with her dainty, flowery dress indicated that she wasn't as delicate as so many other princesses Obi-Wan had met over the years, just as Padmé had been. She was darker than Luke with a riot of curls, favouring their mother's Nabooan blood, but her smile... that was Anakin's.
"Come along, Luke," Obi-Wan said after he powered down the ship. "Let's go greet our hosts."
XXXXXXXXXX
Leia knew the blonde boy. She didn't know where from, but she remembered him. He made something in her head sparkle and sing. Leia looked up at her parents, but they didn't look like someone was making their heads all tingly.
"Papa, who's that?" Leia asked, tugging on her father's robes to get his attention.
Papa smiled down at her, stroking his fingers through her hair. "The boy's name is Luke. He'll be staying with us while his father attends to some business off-planet."
That wasn't the whole truth, but Papa told her the blonde boy's name.
Luke.
She knew Luke—had met him somewhere even if she didn't know where that somewhere was. He was wearing ripped trousers and a scruffy tunic and really really needed a haircut. Leia wondered if Momma would let her dress Luke up in pretty clothes so that he didn't look like such a messy boy.
"Hi!" Luke chirped, darting away from his father to run the last little bit over to her. He stopped right in front of her, close enough that Leia could see the freckles on his nose. Freckles like she had on her nose.
Leia pushed her hair out of her face and smiled back at Luke. "Hello."