Finding Ahsoka

"Father, where to?"

"Fellucia."

"When I concentrate on Ahsoka's Force presence I get a sense of where she's been hiding. She's not alone, either."

"You mean she's married."

"Possible. She didn't split with the Order on her own free will, even though we asked her back, even though I asked her to come back. She was my padawan, and in those days I loved greatly. Ahsoka was like a sister to me, like a daughter. I wanted to help her anyway I could. She was set up by another Jedi, one of her friends. Someone that had once attacked her in a fit of madness but whose life she would not take. In some ways, she was a stronger Jedi than I was."

Luke nodded as he set the coordinates for Fullicia. Thanks to light speed it wouldn't take them long to reach their destination. "How did you meet Ahsoka?"

"I knew the Tortuga from around the Temple. Sometimes, I would drift to where the younglings were, thinking of your mother, and the family we may have someday. I didn't want a Padawan, not in the middle of the war we were in. I was an arrogant Jedi Knight, I didn't want to put anyone else's life in danger. Obi-Wan and I were a team. We were an extraordinary team and I didn't want anything to come between us. Then Ahsoka arrived on Chistophsis. I thought Obi-Wan was going to take another padawan. I ragged him about it. But Master Obi-Wan had arranged for me to have a padawan, behind my back. Said it would be good for me. That once she completed her training, I could become a Master. I wanted that in those days, but if I hadn't believed in Ahsoka, even that wouldn't have swayed me. But she had something rare, she was reckless, and I don't believe any other Jedi could have been patient with her. I took her on as my padawan. And I taught her the Jedi Code, and that people counted. I taught her as Obi-Wan had taught me, I did the best I could but I could never truly have the Jedi reserve. She was as impulsive as I had been, and I shielded her against the more dangerous missions, or tried to, she defied me."

"She must have been very special to you."

"She contacted me through our Force bond just once."

"What did she want?"

"To offer her condolences on your mother's death."

"She knew?"

"She knew enough, but no, I didn't tell her. She was the only Jedi other than Master Obi-Wan that I trusted to guard Padme," he told his son. "I'm going to get some rest, son. Artoo can fly her if you want to do the same."

Luke nodded and watched his father walk back to one of the dormitory rooms on board. It was a lot take in. Anakin Skywalker had had a student. There was a Jedi that the Executor had not hunted down. He wondered why his father was agreeing to help. Even though he had suggested it, he had never thought that he would agree so easily. Was it to see Leia? Luke wasn't sure. He knew he had to warn her, and after he was sure that his father was asleep, he contacted his sister.

"Luke, it's so good to hear from you!" she stated with a smile. She was wearing more informal clothes that he had ever seen her, and her hair was loose. He looked at her and wondered what their mother had looked like.

"It's good to see you again. I am returning to the base, soon."

"I'm glad. It's like when you went to Dagobah, you aren't training again, are you?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that. I need to tell you what really happened on the Death Star II."

"You already told us. You destroyed the Emperor. It may take some time, with the galaxy at unrest, but we will return to democracy," she stated and her eyes flashed, they didn't change like their father's but flashed with an inner light, or fire. She reminded him of their father. He could see the similarities between them.

"That was in the report but Leia, that's not what really happened. Our father is alive." Many emotion flowed over his sister's face, anger, betrayal, hurt.

"You may have forgiven him, but I will not," Leia stated as he faced became devoid of emotion. "One moment of selflessness does not make up for a lifetime of wrong."

"It's not just one moment, Leia. Try to understand. He was once a Jedi Knight, they called him the 'Hero with No Fear.' He was married to our mother, the Queen and Senator of Naboo, Padme Amidala."

"I know of her."

"I thought you might."

"There was a rumor about our father," she said as an afterthought. "They said that Anakin Skywalker died defending the Temple from Darth Vader."

"I have no doubt that our father started that rumor. He told me that Anakin Skywalker had once been a symbol of hope. The Emperor poisoned him, Leia, you have to believe that."

"What I believe," Leia began, her voice hard, like he had heard his father's. "is that our father, Darth Vader, restrained me while Grand Moff Tarkin destroyed my home planet. My REAL father died that day. What I believe is that Lord Vader manipulated Lando to turn on Han, and that he used him as a test subject and froze him in carbonate, as I stood by helpless to do anything and then he planned on carrying me to the Emperor. What I believe is that he nearly killed you, cutting your arm off and leaving you to die. What I believe is that he murdered Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Ben has forgiven him, why can't you?"

"How can you forgive him, Luke?"

"Our mother believed in him."

"And how did that end?" she threw out bitterly. "No, I cannot support any plan that involves Darth Vader."

"But he's not Darth Vader, He's Anakin Skywalker. He's fighting the Dark Side."

"I don't care about that, Luke. What I do care about is that Sate Pastage is trying to declare himself Emperor and destroy freedom before its ever begun."

"Father is going to fix that problem."

"I for one am going to be prepared in case he decides to resume his mantel as Lord of the Sith. Goodbye, Luke," she said ending the transmission. He knew his father wanted to see her, he just wished he didn't have a sense of foreboding about it.

Anakin awoke in a panic, remembering something he had forgotten. In the event of Palpatine's death he would send one of his hands, had already sent one that Vader had foiled many times, to destroy Skywalker. Luke was in danger. He had to find Ahsoka and put her on his children. They had to be safe. Luke was known as his child, but Leia was not. Even the Emperor hadn't known had he? Was Leia safe?

"Father, we are entering the atmosphere." Anakin's lightsaber. He didn't have a lightsaber, did he? He went into the closet and took out his trophy, something that had stayed on Vader even as he fell over Endor. Kenobi's lightsaber. It was the best he could do on such short notice. He was sure Ahsoka would attack. He turned on the lightsaber.

"That's not mine?" Luke asked.

"No, this is not the lightsaber you had on Bespin, and a word of caution son, don't ever wield a weapon against the weapon maker. You will never win."

"You made the lightsaber?"

"Yes. That weapon and the one I had on Endor has seen much more bloodshed than this one. I will have to make another one," he said to himself. He returned the lightsaber to its pouch and began sorting through the clothes. He hadn't changed out of the hospital gown and he would not face Ahsoka like this. Luke was shorter than him. He ignited the lightsaber and cut the buttons of the pants of the tunic as he wore a pair of Luke's pants. He put on his own boots, and tunic, the arms as short as the pants had been. And he attached the cape which had been his own, it was the only purchase Luke had made for him. After more than three decades with a cape he wasn't sure what to do without one. He looked in the mirror, noting the pale flesh and the hair that was just beginning to grow back. His eyelashes and eyebrows had already returned.

He pulled the cape over his head. He did have some of the look of Anakin, even though there were many differences, still. He didn't seem to have aged since the end of the Clone Wars. Padme, he thought, imagining her coming behind him. She will never come up behind him again. Tears sprung to his eyes, tears that he forced away. If he had never joined Sidious, she would be here with him. The unfairness of it was enough to make him give way to anger, but he had gone there before and Luke had nearly died because of it, never again.

"Are you ready, Father?"

"Yes, my son, let's go find my padawan." Anakin led the way, calling out to her through their bond. "She's hiding her Force presence."

"You can do that?"

"Yes, Luke I can. You still have a lot of training to go. How long have you been training?" he asked, igniting the lightsaber in his belt to cut through the foliage on this planet.

"Since the Death Star I blew up Alderaan."

"Three years? That's all? What had Obi-Wan been doing with you?" Anakin all but exploded. "You should have been training for years. No wonder you were so inexperienced on Bespin."

"Father, I was raised by Owen and Beru."

"Lars!" he all but shrieked. "You could have been killed." Anakin's eyes flashed yellow as he struggled to get his emotions under control. "Sithspit, Obi-Wan," Anakin cursed. Anakin's eyes remained yellow and his skin began to become more sallow as he cursed and paced.

And before him Luke saw not Anakin Skywalker but Darth Vader. He wondered if this had anything to with his grandmother. As Luke watched he felt the barest warning from the force and found an emerald green lightsaber at his throat.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" She pulled another lightsaber out at pointed it at Anakin.

"You stop it right now, or his life will pay the forfeit," she repeated, directing herself at Anakin. The forest shook with the power of his pacing. "You are upsetting the balance of this place, and I won't have it. These people have done nothing wrong. I don't care whether the two of you are Jedi, Sith, or Dark sister."

Anakin stopped pacing and his eyes returned to normal. Luke saw his father return. The corners of his lips turned into a smile. "You won't hurt him."

"I will," she added, jerking the lightsaber toward Luke.

"Father..." Luke warned.

Anakin just smiled. "Snips, put down your lightsaber." The lightsaber dropped from her grasp and Anakin reached into the Force turning them off.

"Skyguy? Is it really you?"

"One and the same?"

"Who is this?" she added, jerking her head at Luke.

"That is my son, Luke Skywalker."

"Senator Padme...figures. I heard rumors, Skyguy. That you were killed by Darth Vader protecting the Temple. Obi-Wan said that you had turned to the Dark Side. I felt it, when your presence changed, and I felt it again, when it changed again."

"Ahsoka, Luke wants to rebuild the Jedi."

"Anakin, I can't. Do you really think I could after what they did?"

"They are all dead, Ahsoka. I am one of the last Masters of the Order, and the last members of the Council."

"It's their fault that you fell, Skyguy."

"The fault lies with me."

"Ahsoka Tano," Luke said softly. "Please, if you cannot join the Jedi then join the Rebellion."

"I don't know, Skyguy junior. I have a responsibility here. No one knows me as Ahsoka, I am simply healer. I have a family now."

"Take me to them," Anakin commanded.

"You will like to know that we do not allow the Force inside my home. It was insisted upon by my husband who feared that the Emperor and his slave would come for us." Anakin winced at the use of the term slave. "It was for my protection and that of our offspring."

"You have children?" Anakin asked.

"Five children," she smiled, her face softening into a look of maternal pride. "I must ask that you leave your lightsaber at the door."

"Of course, Snips," Anakin handed his over.

"This isn't yours, Master. This is Obi-Wan's."

"Astute as always, Snips" he replied as Luke hesitated before handing over his lightsaber, if his father would hand over his, so would he.

"Come on in, the disturbance I felt was Skyguy."

"Ahsoka, honey," the lean man came up and kissed his wife. Luke looked him over. He was tall, lean and muscular, and human.

"General Skywalker."

"When did you desert?"

"During Operation Knightfall."

"I see."

"Sir, I understand why you did what you did...but I couldn't do it. I couldn't attack the Jedi, all I could think of was Ahsoka. I couldn't go through with it. So I took an airspeeder and I traveled. I knew as most of the Clones did that once the war was over we wouldn't be needed, I got out of there and I visited some of the Clones that had dismissed before. I got information on Ahsoka, and I briefly joined the Rebellion, until they replaced my uniform. Then Ahsoka found me, we have been here ever since, General."

"Rex, you did good. I'm glad you've taken care of my padawan."

"Meet our children. Children!" Rex called and five Tortuga-human hybrids. They were beautiful, Anakin thought, he could see much of his padawan in them.

"They are Force-sensitive?" Luke asked.

"Rex, this is my son, Luke. Luke, this was the greatest commander in all the Old Republic."

"Thank you, sir."

"I taught him how to alert me of Dark Jedi control. How to construct mind sheilds without being Force- sensitive."

"Really?"

"Absolutly. General Skywalker saved my life during the war. I only regret I couldn't follow him once the war ended."

"Rex, you did the right thing."

"Our children. Padme is our oldest. She was born soon after Padme's death. I couldn't have chosen another name if I had wanted. Anakin, I'm really sorry about the Senator."

"Don't be, Snips," he said as he eyed the oldest girl. She was Luke's age, and seemed to be older than her years. She had brown eyes like Rex, like Padme, but the rest of her looked like Ahsoka.

"Our sons, Yoda, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Cody."

"Padme is your only daughter."

"Yes." Anakin couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Father," Luke asked, drawing his eyes off of Padme. She was short of stature just like Padme.

"Come with me, Snips. I will need you with me on this one. I have a huge job ahead of me."

"Alright, Rex, I'm taking Padme with me. We will join you, Anakin." She had been about to say no, but he needed her. Anytime Anakin needed her, she would be there. "I'll stay in contact, sweetheart."

"I can't bare for you to leave me, 'Soka. I'm going to. I'll contact one of my brothers on Dantooine. The children will stay with him."

"It's great to have you both back."

"Thank you, sir. Let's get ready, 'Soka."

Anakin smiled and hugged them both. Palpatine really had cut him off from everything and everyone dear to him. Reconnecting with his past was good for him, Obi-Wan would be pleased.