Author's Note: Aaaaah! Another reeeaaalllllly loooooong chapter. Sorry about the slight wait. This should make up for it. I think it's even longer than Chapter Eleven! Oh, and I know it seems like the three years between ANH and ESB haven't really happened in this fic, but I really needed to move on with the story. So here you are, and please review!
Chapter Thirteen: The Plan Unravels
We had been settled on Hoth for a month before I had the time to go back to the search Vader had interrupted. I drank the information in eagerly after a brief glance at the photo – it was one I'd seen before.
Elected as Queen of Naboo at age fourteen, thirteen years before the rise of the Empire, Padme Amidala brought about many changes for the good of the Nubian people. Most notably, she fought back against the blockade the Trade Federation had placed her planet under in the first year of her reign, thinking to take advantage of her youth, and as a result signed the peace treaty with the aquatic Gungans, natives of Naboo's shimmering lakes, that had been oppressed, persecuted and then forgotten by the human population for centuries.
During the blockade, the young Queen was evacuated from her planet by Jedi. Her location during her time off-world is unknown until she arrived on Coruscant to make her case before the Senate and plead for help in defeating the Trade Federation. In the ensuing battle back on Naboo, noted Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn lost his life.
The remaining seven years of Amidala's rule passed with remarkably little fanfare, and soon the people were clamouring for her to amend the constitution so that she could serve a third term, or for life, as some extremists demanded. However, Amidala had no ambition to rule her homeworld forever, and she refused all such petitions.
After turning the title of Queen over to another young woman, Amidala continued her public service as Senator of Naboo. Again, the first year was the hardest, and several attempts were made on Amidala's life just as the vote on the Military Creation Act, a bill Amidala vehemently opposed, appeared on the horizon. The first attack thrust Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, an old friend of Amidala's from the days of the Trade Federation blockade, and his Padawan Learner, Chosen One Anakin Skywalker, back into her life . . .
I reread that last confusing phrase. Padawan Learner, Chosen One Anakin Skywalker? What in blazes did that mean?
I typed Anakin Skywalker into the search bar. I should have done this while Luke was here, I chided myself. I had told him I would. I studied the picture while the rest of the page loaded.
He looked extraordinarily like Luke – except where Luke had an overabundance of innocence and enthusiasm, this man looked like he'd seen far too much in his lifetime. He wasn't really that old, though . . .
I could sympathize. There were days I would swear I'd been through five lifetimes.
His golden brown hair was tousled, and though he didn't slouch, his shoulders were hunched under his long black cloak, hands in his pockets, as if he wanted to hide from the galaxy. He wasn't looking at the camera; his gaze was focused on the ground, strain lines and a long scar around the one eyes that I could see.
Suddenly I noticed the little arrow under the picture. Was there another photo?
There was! I nearly squealed in excitement as it began to load.
The difference was so startling, my jaw dropped. It was an extremely close shot, only from forehead to chin, and he was smiling.
Not just smiling, either – a full-blown, mirth-filled grin. His lips stretched over straight white teeth, which were slightly parted as he laughed. His eyes shone out of his face, joy evident in them, a little crinkled in the corners from the force of his grin. But it was the startlingly vivid blue of his eyes that took my breath away.
Wow. Hard to belive this was the little boy I saw in my dreams . . . dreams which I hadn't had in a while. I frowned. Why had they stopped? It was obvious the story was only beginning. I began to read.
Anakin Skywalker, Chosen One of the Jedi Order, Clone Wars Hero With No Fear, was the most promising young man ever to fill the role of Jedi Knight.
My eyebrows rose. Modest, much?
A superb pilot, Skywalker played a vital role in the battle against the Trade Federation during the Naboo blockade at the tender age of ten – and that only just turned. Little of his life before bursting into Jedi notice in that battle is known; however, he was a native of Tatooine, and as a result had immense love and awe for rain that lasted throughout his tragically short life.
Skywalker was apprenticed to Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi after the Battle of Naboo and much discussion on part of the Jedi Council. At ten, Skywalker was too old to normally be considered for a Jedi apprentice, known as a Padawan Learner. However, due to his intense sensitivity to the Force, an exception was made and Skywalker began to path to Jedi Knighthood.
The article continued with accounts of several famous situations Anakin was involved in. I found them entertaining, but I was anxious to learn more about his relationship with Padme Amidala. At last, I came to a paragraph that bore her name.
At the age of twenty, Skywalker was assigned to protect Padme Amidala, Senator of Naboo, during several attempts on her life. It was his first assignment without his Jedi Master at his side, and his last major one as a Jedi Padawan.
The friendship Skywalker and Amidala had formed during the Battle of Naboo was rekindled, and they remained close friends until the end of their short lives. They fought together during the battle of Geonosis, the first battle of the Clone Wars, where Skywalker lost his right arm at the elbow but ultimately were successful.
Six months later, Skywalker was raised to Knighthood, an honour he accepted with pride. He took his duties seriously, and his tenacity in battle earned him the moniker 'The Hero With No Fear' in addition to the Jedi 'Chosen One,' a title that has not been explained further than that it comes from an ancient Jedi prophecy.
Skywalker rose to position of Commander during the Clone Wars and was eventually appointed to the Jedi Council. However, this appointment was not to last long, as Skywalker and the rest of the Jedi was cut down during the Great Jedi Purge scarcely a week later. Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith and leader of the Jedi Purges, personally saw to Skywalker's demise.
However, during the three years the Clone Wars took place, Skywalker . . .
The rest of the article was about Skywalker's exploits during the Clone Wars, and I sat back in frustration. Close friends? That's it?
I skimmed the rest of the article, looking for more, but only one other paragraph caught my eye, and it one served to make my blood boil in my veins.
During the Purges, Skywalker was immediately attacked by Darth Vader, who no doubt thought it best to take out the strongest and most promising Jedi first. Although the battle was witnessed by none, it is said that it continued for hours before Skywalker's organic body finally betrayed him to Vader's mechanical stamina. Proof of the intensity of their battle is found in the fact that Skywalker's body could not be recovered.
I exited the search, feeling pale. There was no way I'd be showing this to Luke.
"What is all this?" I asked curiously.
Luke looked over at me. He had just arrived from Tatooine with Solo and Chewbacca, with two large knapsacks, the contents of which were currently strewn across Luke's bed, desk and floor.
"Those –" He pointed at the books on the bed, "– are Ben's journals, the old ones, from, like, forever ago. Pre-Clone Wars. And a few newer ones, but really, Tatooine's not that interesting, so I suspect that's why there's less. Those –" His finger moved to the holocubes stacked on the desk, "are Jedi training devices. "And all of this –" He waved his arm at all the objects that hid the floor around him, "well, I'm not entirely sure what they all are, but they looked cool."
I fought down a smile. Typical boy.
And I loved him for it. Because when I was with him, I could just be a typical girl, not a Princess or Senator or warrior.
"Can I read some of those?" I asked, looking at the journals with interest.
Luke's grin was sheepish. "Actually, I was hoping you'd offer. I have to go through all the holocubes and figure out what most of this stuff is, so if you could go through those, let me know if there's anything I need in them - -you know, instructions and whatnot –"
"I'd be happy to!" I said with delight, then winced inwardly at my ulterior motive. Obi-Wan Kenobi had been Anakin Skywalker's Jedi Master, and I had no doubt those journals were chock-full of information about him.
"Oh, and anything about my dad, too?" Luke added, looking at me again as I reached for the journals. "Ben said they were friends."
I grinned. "Sure thing. And I'll do you one better. I'll condense all of it, so you don't have to go searching these old journals for it. I'll put it all on one holodisc."
He looked like I'd just given him a handful of stars – absolutely delighted.
"You're the best, Leia!" he said, giving me an enthusiastic hug and making me laugh.
"Anything for you, Luke," I replied, even as my stomach knotted at my deception. "Anything for you."
The journals were actually fairly interesting. They were started at the behest of Obi-Wan's Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn – the same man, I realized, who I had dreamed about and the article about Padme Amidala said died during the Battle of Naboo. Apparently, Qui-Gon believed that keeping a journal would help Obi-Wan (whom I guessed to be about sixteen or seventeen at this point) "organize his mind," whatever that was supposed to mean. Obi-Wan himself wasn't entirely sure.
The first four journals were fairly boring – well, they were interesting, but they contained none of the information I was looking for. It wasn't until I reached the end of the fourth journal that things stated to get interesting.
Obi-Wan was stuck on a ship, stranded on Tatooine, protecting a Queen while his Master and some other members of their crew went into the city – or, as Obi-Wan put it, what passed for a city on Tatooine. From the city, Qui-Gon found a been with a midi-chlorian (what?) count that was higher than Master Yoda's.
Okay. Still, from his phrasing, it sounded impressive. Higher than should be possible, he said, too. Was that a good thing, I wondered?
Eventually, at the beginning of the fifth journal, I found out that this boy was indeed Anakin Skywalker. My stomach gave a little flop as Obi-Wan recalled events and retold the stories of others as I had seen them in my dreams.
Then there was a gap of about a month, and when Obi-Wan returned to his journal he explained about Qui-Gon's death and how Anakin had become his apprentice, or, as he called it, Padawan. This was apparently against the will of the Jedi Council on the basis that he was too old ( the kid was all of nine, by the Force!) but it was Qui-Gon's dying wish that Anakin be trained as a Jedi, and Obi-Wan was determined to see that wish through. Lucky for him, the Jedi decided to allow it.
The next several volumes – at least fifteen or twenty, as the entries became rather lengthy – were dedicated to the raising of Anakin. The boy proved to be handful, and Obi-Wan had no experience with children. My heart ached for him, especially as he eventually grew attached to Anakin and began to care for him as a son or younger brother, as opposed to seeing him as a burden Qui-Gon had bequeathed to him. However, I had to laugh at Obi-Wan outrage when Anakin successfully pulled a prank on him, and at Obi-wan's attempts to get revenge – his attempts were rarely as creative as Anakin's, but Anakin seemed to have a blind spot when it came to simplicity, and fell for most of them.
And then there was Obi-Wan's attempt at The Talk when Anakin was thirteen. I laughed myself sick when Obi-Wan embarrassed himself fumbling awkwardly through The Talk only to have Anakin tell him at the end of it, with immense amusement, that he already knew all of it. Apparently, Obi-Wan wrote wryly, children from Tatooine aren't as innocent as children form the rest of the galaxy are.
Eventually the two of them were sent on off-planet missions, as Anakin grew up and was better able to look after himself. This kept Anakin's boredom at bay and the pranks lessened, though Obi-Wan did grudgingly admit to his journal that he actually missed them.
Anakin was seventeen when I fell asleep, the journal still open on my lap.
"That's so weird," Luke said as I recounted all I had learned of Anakin to him the next day. He was seated on the floor, reassembling one of Obi-Wan's objects, while I was sprawled comfortably across his bed.
I had typed up the information, too, just as I had promised, but had decided to wait and give it to Luke when they were complete. However, I had been utterly charmed by the young Anakin Obi-Wan spoke of, just as I had been in my dreams as Padme Amidala, and I couldn't resist telling Luke all about his father's antics so far.
"Why?" I asked in reply to Luke's statement.
"Because Ben said that he trained Vader. He never mentioned training my dad, too. Maybe that's how they met! My dad and Vader, I mean, at first. Because you have to know someone before you can betray them, right? And that's what Ben said Vader did to my dad. Betrayed and murdered, he said."
Unnerved, I agreed, wondering what I was going to find in the resto f those journals.
Unbidden and unwelcome, Vader's request rose in my mind. I frowned mentally at it, but my conscience wouldn't let me ignore it.
"You know, Luke," I said carefully, "sometimes things aren't always what they seem. Obi-Wan may have been a Jedi, but he was human, too, and humans can have a funny way of seeing things. I think you should be taking Obi-Wan's words with a grain of salt."
"Ben wouldn't lie!" Luke insisted.
"I'm not saying he did. I'm just saying that he may not know the whole story."
"What else is there to know?"
I bit my lip. "I'm not sure."
Three months past his twentieth birthday, Anakin began to have dreams about his mother – or at least, that was when he started complaining about them to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan said he reassured Anakin about them, but secretly feared that Anakin possessed the rare gift of Prophecy.
The dreams recurred steadily; every morning, Anakin would wake up late an exhausted from too little rest. Soon, the nightmares increased in intensity to the point even Obi-Wan began to sense them. However, he feared Council repercussions if he allowed Anakin to go check up on his mother. I frowned, not agreeing with his decision at all.
Three weeks after Anakin's first complaint about the nightmares, he and Obi-Wan were called to protect Senator Amidala. My interest was immediately piqued.
I smirked in satisfaction as Obi-Wan grumbled about Anakin's inappropriate feelings for the Senator. I knew there had to be something going on there besides friendship! Unfortunately, Obi-Wan finished with the statement, At least she has more sense than he. This little infatuation will be over soon.
Obi-Wan sent Anakin and Padme to Naboo, then made his own way to Kamino. It was an entertaining read, but I really wanted to hear more of Anakin and Padme. They were destined for each other. I could feel it in my bones.
But Obi-Wan didn't see them again until the Battle of Geonosis, and romance wasn't exactly his top priority there, though he did note that Anakin's feelings for Padme did not seem to have lessened. I was happy to read that.
Then, however, he recounted the loss of Anakin's arm, and I nearly burst into tears. That poor young man! Prosthetics are available that are better than the organic appendage could ever be, but everyone I know who ever lost a limb would gladly give up the special features for their own, flesh and blood arm.
Anakin, I think, took it better than Obi-Wan did. While the older man fussed like a mother bird, Anakin simply went on with his life. There were far more battles now, and as I read, both men became more cynical and weary with each passing page. Even Anakin, who was usually so up and ready for a fight, began to wish the war was over. I could sympathize with that. I had once glorified war, too, believing in the nobility of our cause and entirely too sure that our side would win simply because it was the right one. Now, after so much loss, I was disillusioned and tired of war. I wished, as Anakin and Obi-Wan did, that it was over.
As the war finally came to a close (not that it actually said that, or anything; I just knew by the dates) Obi-Wan's entries became more jumbled. He worried about Anakin's relationship with Palpatine – something that disturbed me greatly when I learned of it. Why hadn't Obi-Wan mentioned this before? How could he not think such information important.
But then, everyone knew that Palpatine was a master of intrigue, disguise, lies, and, according to Vader, the Sith.
And, speaking of the devil, where was Vader? Obi-Wan's entries made no mention of him, and the Purges got closer with every page I turned. So where was Vader? Even if he hadn't gone by the name of Vader then, Obi-Wan had told Luke he'd trained him, but the only person Obi-Wan had trained so far was –
No.
No.
It couldn't be.
It couldn't.
It wasn't possible.
I set the journal down with less than four day to go until the Purges, with Obi-Wan leading army on Utapau. I couldn't bear to read any more.
A week later, I had managed to convince myself that I had jumped to the wrong conclusion. In all likelihood, Vader wasn't even human. Maybe he had sparred with Obi-Wan a couple times when he was a Jedi – would Obi-Wan see that as being a pupil?
That's what I put in the report I had made up for Luke, anyway. I certainly wasn't going to tell him that the only student the General had ever had was his father. And Obi-Wan did mention sparring with several younger Jedi called Padawans, which I had come to recognize as a bizarre term for student. I told Luke that Vader was likely one of them, and eventually I started to believe it. After all, it just wasn't possible for Vader to be the adorable little child from my dreams. Nobody could change that much.
Eventually, I went back and finished Obi-Wan's journals, and it seemed my logic was correct. Obi-Wan didn't ever describe the Purges in detail – one entry he was involved in the investigation on Utapau, and the next he was en route to Tatooine with Baby Luke.
So much has happened, I don't know where to start . . . he wrote. I was still on Utapau when things started to go badly. Apparently, the clones were implanted with an override – Order 66. When it was triggered, the Jedi were shot. By the troops we commanded! I nearly didn't survive. I headed out for Coruscant immediately, only to be intercepted by Bail Organa, who had Master Yoda with him.
I bit my lip. I never realized my father had been so involved in the Purges. He never spoke of it, not surprisingly.
Master Yoda and I went to Coruscant, to the Temple. We found the younglings . . . oh, Force! They had been brutally slaughtered. All of them, along with all the Padawans, Knights and Masters also residing there. I was very nearly sick right there.
The security recordings showed us the horrific crimes, and it was there I learned that Anakin was gone. I had never really worried about him before – never really had the cause to. He was always so competent, so strong and sure . . . I knew he had weaknesses that could be played on, but I never dreamed . . . he was one of the last I'd have thought could fall, despite the warnings Master Windu gave . . . but he had been overtaken by Darth Vader, and then I had to go after Vader.
I can't . . . I killed Vader. That's all I can say.
Padme gave birth . . . I can't believe I was so oblivious . . . they must be hidden. I am taking Luke to live on Tatooine. He will not be found there. The planet causes Vader too much pain. I shall go into exile there, and watch over Luke. He's all I have left of Anakin, now.
I felt tears welling up in my eyes. Poor Obi-Wan! And Padme – what happened to her? Did she just agree to let Obi-Wan take her child from her? No, wait . . . Padme Amidala died on Empire Day, my birthday, and Luke's. Could she have did giving birth to Luke? Not a broken heart over the republic, as so many thought, but over the father of her child? I read on.
There was a gap of two months, and then came the last, short entry.
I was wrong. Vader lives. The Force help us all.
In my distress over Obi-Wan's journals, I barely noticed the days go by. Then, Vader called.
"Are we still planning for tomorrow?" he asked promptly.
I blinked. "Tomorr – oh! Yes, alright," I agreed quickly, a knot forming in my gut now that the date was so near. "Remember your promises."
He sighed. "I will, Your Highness."
I bit my lip, an irrational desire blossoming. "Call me Leia," I said impulsively. "I know you're trying to be polite and all, but – call me Leia. Please."
He was silent; I think I shocked him. "As you wish," he finally replied. "Leia."
The next day was cold. Well, we were on Hoth; what day isn't cold? But it seemed colder than normal.
I spent the morning with Luke, wincing at the recent scars he had acquired after being attacked by a wampa and then frozen. I remembered all the arguments I'd had with Solo that day, and the next, when I'd kissed Luke, and frowned. What did the man do that irritated me so much? Even I couldn't place it.
Vader didn't show up until early afternoon. By the time the alarm sounded, I had worked myself up into a fine state.
I moved to the main control room; that was where I had assured Vader I would be. I was there most of the afternoon as the battle raged outside. Then, the sirens went off that indicated a breech in the building's security. Vader had made it.
Almost everyone was evacuated by that point. I was no longer worried about Vader's intentions. He'd done everything he said he would. He'd given us warning by coming out of hyperspace too close to the system, he'd sent out large, awkward, relatively easily dispatched pieces of machinery, and he's waited until mostly everyone was gone before coming into the base, so there would be fewer casualties. I was actually somewhat proud of him, and was kind of impatient to see what he had to show me.
Then:
"You alright?" Solo asked from beside my elbow.
He'd startled me – I'd thought he'd left – but I refused to show it. I would not give him that satisfaction. "Why are you still here?" I snapped.
"I heard the command center had been hit," he replied with concern.
Concern? Oh, that was rich. "You go your clearance to leave."
he raised his brows at my tone. "Don't worry, I'll leave. First I'm gonna get you to your ship."
Oh, no. No, no , no!
Threepio piped up from my other side. "Your Highness, we must take this last transport. It's our only hope!"
Damn droid. I turned away in dismissal of both of them and gave my attention to the controller "Send all troops in sector twelve to the south slope to protect the fighters."
A blast rocked me off balance, but I caught myself. Threepio landed on Solo, which made me smirk inwardly.
"Imperial troops have entered the base," a voice over the loudspeaker announced. I rolled my eyes. Well, duh, genius.
Solo grabbed my arm.. "Come on. That's it!"
What did he care? I tried to jerk my arm out of his grasp but he held firm.
This was not in the plan.
I pressed my lips together and looked at the head controller. "Give the evacuation signal and get to your transports!"
Reluctantly, I let Solo lead me from the room. Vader wouldn't happy, but he would just have to deal.
Behind us, I heard Threepio begging for us to wait.
We ran for the transport. Even if I had to get on, I could always sneak one of the many escape shuttles and come back. It was likely I'd be the only female one the transport, as it was the last one and men vastly outnumbered women in the Alliance anyway, so I could always cite the need for womanly products as my excuse. The men never questioned that one.
And then the roof caved in. Literally.
"Transport, this is Solo," the pirate was saying into his comlink before I had the chance to get my bearings after being shoved to the floor. "Better take off – I can't get to you. I'll get her out on the Falcon."
Crap!
And then we were running the other way again. My mind was whirling. How was I going to get out of this one?
Threepio was still behind us, complaining plaintively. I barely heard him, but Solo gruffly made sure he kept up.
Chewbacca was already at the ship. Han hustled me aboard, then ran to the cockpit, Chewie on his heels. I made off to the refresher, complaining loudly that Solo hadn't given me time to go. He growled unintelligibly at me, but waved me off. I went.
I locked myself in the refresher, then flipped on the comlink I used to call Vader. "Where are you?" I hissed.
"I could ask you the same question," he replied.
"They made me leave. I couldn't stay it would have looked suspicious. I'm on the Millennium Falcon, in hangar eight," I told him.
He barked a few orders to the side, then looked back at me. "Do you know where the minor auto feeds are?" he asked.
"By the main power lines, right?" I replied.
He nodded. "Loosen a few of those. It will not stop any pilot worth his pay for long, but it may should give me enough time to reach you. I will have my men dismantle the hyperdrive."
"Okay." I shut off the comlink and went in search of a nearby power box. I found one rather easily, and did as Vader suggested.
It was kind of ingenius, actually. By loosening the feeds, it didn't look like sabotage to anyone who found it, and when it was found sabotage wouldn't be suspected the way it would be if anything major was tampered with, as most of the major parts only died from wear or being obviously cut. The feeds, however, made said major parts work harder, and thus made the machine harder to start, accelerate, steer, and any other number of annoyances.
I made my way to the cockpit, where, my work was already being noticed.
"Would it help if I got out and pushed?" I asked with bite.
Solo had the gall to give me an insulted look. "It might!"
Threepio came in and tried to tell Solo something. I hadn't noticed he that he hadn't followed Solo. Surely he didn't know anything about my handiwork? I gave the droid a dark look, but Solo managed to shut him up all on him own.
There were troopers outside now; a few even disappeared under the ship, but they didn't seem to do anything to hinder our immediate progress.
"This bucket of bolts is never going to get us past that blockade," I hissed, trying to rattle the man.
He didn't even blink. "This baby's got a few surprises left in her, sweetheart." I glowered at the nickname, even though it made me feel all warm and tingly inside.
We strapped ourselves in. "Come on! Come on! Switch over. Let's hope we don't have a burnout," Han muttered.
Then the engine rattled to life.
"See?" Han said pointedly.
I sighed in disappointment, by jaw tight. "Someday you're going to be wrong, and I just hope I'm there to see it."
He just gave me a withering look. "Punch it!" he told Chewbacca, and then we were off.
