(Sorry for taking so long to upload the last chapter in this volume –I will try to get the first chapter of the next volume up by tomorrow at the latest )
Bail headed over to the door and went inside, Leia then waited until she heard them talking and walked over to the door.
"-was a silly idea" Leia looked at them -Anakin and Padmé were holding each other and the girl.
"What was a silly idea?" she asked and they all turned the girl letting go of them and stepping over to Bail's side.
"I think we better give them some privacy" he nodded and they left. Padmé and Anakin looked at each other and he held a hand to the sofa.
"We need to talk Leia" he said watching her intently, and she swallowed -she felt it had something to do with her parents not being the Organa's.
"Sure" she whispered barely trusting her own voice and moved over, Padmé and Anakin following her.
When they were all sat down Padmé and Anakin on either side of her Leia asked "So what was a silly idea?" Anakin looked at Padmé.
"Leia, you've always known that the Organa's aren't your real parents and that you couldn't be told who they are until your twentieth?"
Leia nodded guessing where this was going but let them continue "Well Leia because of what's happened today and what is going to happen -you're going to meet your twin and we thought it best you both know your heritage"
Anakin said speaking for Padmé, both of them looking very anxious and Leia filled in the nest for them both.
"Are you telling me you're my father? Because I kind of guessed about mom" she looked at them both and grinned at their gob smacked faces.
"She's got your Force skills" Padmé said grinning and Leia frowned at that "Okay before the hugs and kisses start what the hell is the Force and Sith and Jedi?!"
Leia demanded and Anakin smiled "She has your diplomacy skills. Alright Leia, a Sith is what I was up until ten years ago, and a Jedi is what I was eight years before that and now"
"That doesn't answer my question" Anakin nodded "I know but this will. The Force is what makes you extra special -why you know something's up, why you felt Mara was strange. Basically we have these things inside us called Midi-chlorians, they reside within all living cells, they communicate with the Force, revealing its will"
Leia frowned totally confused and Anakin sighed "You know Mara threw Bail's blaster against the wall and broke it without even touching it?"
Leia nodded "Yeah"
"She used the force to do that, you see people with a high midi-chlorian count means a strong Jedi, Mara and me have some of the strongest known to the galaxy -you and Luke will too"
He paused and looked at Padmé looking for help she smiled and looked at Leia "Basically darling you have a power a lot of people don't -or just don't know about. You know there was a race of beings that were purged and practically wiped out when the Emperor took over?"
Leia nodded again "They were the Jedi, there are only two known Jedi Masters left, Master Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi"
Padmé had eyed Anakin carefully as she said them both and she looked at him too, he didn't look angry just sad.
"I hurt them badly didn't I?"
Padmé nodded "Yes, but you couldn't control it, the Emperor had a strong hold on you Ani"
He nodded then looked hard at Leia "Leia, you must never hate, get angry, jealous, or fear anything ever again! You hear me?"
She nodded "But why?"
He looked at her and placed a hand on her cheek "Because otherwise you'll end up like I did and you don't want that to happen. For the last nineteen years I have been Darth Vader, doing the Emperor's biding, waiting for the right moment to join the Rebel Alliance and help them free us all"
She stared at him for a moment and she felt she understood now -well marginally "Had I better ask Master Kenobi to explain it properly?"
They both nodded "Yep!" Leia frowned as a weird globe floated in front of them.
They looked to the door where the young redhead stood looking at her fingernails "I love this toy" she said looking up at the globe.
Anakin smiled at Mara "Why don't you give Leia a demo?" he asked as Bail and his wife walked in.
"Sure couldn't hurt" Mara pushed off the door jam and moved to stand in direct line of the floater.
She smiled she'd mesmerise the girl -Mara might never really be Anakin's daughter but she could well sub as his Padawan.
The girl held a hand out to them and a silver cylinder broke free of Leia's fathers belt and flew to her hand.
With a snap-hiss and brilliant blue-white blade fizzled into existence "This Leia is a lightsaber, I left mine in the ship"
She blushed at that "Hey Ani, good thing we didn't run into trouble!" she joked and he smiled "Yeah it is. You better not forget it around Obi-Wan, remember how I told you he laid into me whenever I lost it!"
She laughed "Yeah I do!" Leia smiled, it was nice her father had a close friend -but in a way she was more his daughter than Leia was.
Mara's snapped her head up to look at her Don't you ever think that! He loves you more than anything, I'm like a second daughter!
Leia stared at her Did you just hear my thoughts and speak in my head?
There was a quick nod Yep girl you better believe it -oh and learn to make mental barriers or else any old idiot could stroll into your thoughts.
She told Leia just before a pencil thin energy bolt sizzled out at her. Leia thought for a blinded second that all the girl's attention was focused on her. But was corrected when the blade -lightsaber- leapt up and swatted it away Leia's eyes widened and it wasn't just a fluke on her catching it.
The globe turned away again turned a few times and fired again, Mara deflected the bolts with ease.
"Hey have you got a blind fold or a helmet with a blastshield?" Bail nodded "Yes" he went out of the room and returned with one.
She put it on and slotted the shield down "But you can't see!" Leia stated the obvious.
"It's alright, your eyes can deceive you" Leia frowned what kind of malarkey was that?
The globe turned to her and this time sent three bolts -one after another but fast enough that she could of missed one- but she swatted them away with ease.
She reached a hand out and the globe shivered then the lights switched off and floated over to Leia as Mara took off her helmet.
"You'll be able to do it too with practice" Mara said then switched off the lightsaber and handed it back to Anakin as she stepped in front of them.
"Come on we better be leaving -we need to meet up with the Executor get Leia to her rendezvous to pick up the plans to the Death Star pick Luke and Obi-Wan up while we're in the system!"
She said it all in one breath and smiled "It's a gift" Anakin looked at Leia "Would you like to say goodbye to Bail and his wife while Padmé gets some things?"
Leia nodded they had after all been her surrogate parents for nineteen years.
Three hours later Mara was speaking with Grand Admiral Thrawn about their coordinates, Anakin and Padmé were getting to know Leia.
And Luke Skywalker was wanting for the tenth time to dump this droid in the trash compactor.
"You hate me!" he shouted at it "You physically hate me!" he shouted once more then kicked it.
"Ow!" Luke grabbed his foot, he'd bruised his toes for sure "Uncle Owen! We need a new droid!"
He called wincing at the words that his uncle came up with in answer "Leave it alone I'll have a look later, why don't you go hang out with Camie and Fixer?"
Luke shook his head as Owen walked into the workshop "No, they said they were busy today"
Owen nodded "Okay then you can go pick up these" he handed Luke the grocery list "Shopping Uncle!"
He grinned "All part of being a farmer kid" he held out a pouch "While you're there treat yourself to those power converters you wanted"
Luke grinned "Thanks uncle!" he grabbed the pouch and ran to his land speeder.
An hour later Luke was in Anchorhead in the market picking up the things his aunt Beru had listed -they pretty much grew what they needed but something's they needed to buy from the market.
A poster caught Luke's eye and he stopped and looked over the Boonta Eve race poster -this year he promised himself he'd be in it.
Luke grabbed one of the applications and continued to go about his business until there was an ear splitting bell ring.
An Imperial raid!
Luke paid for what he'd just picked up then hot legged it for his nearest friend's house.
Thirty minutes before…. "The Tantive IV has received transmissions my Lordre-docking now"
Anakin nodded as the tractor beams latched onto the ship and slowly started to pull it back.
He turned to Mara who was staring out of the view port at the twin sunned planet of Tatooine.
"I can feel him" Mara whispered her eyes closed "He's not that far away -Anchorhead I think" she frowned.
Anakin crossed to her side "What?"
Mara smiled "He's annoyed he has to do the shopping!"
Anakin smiled too and reached out, he could feel his son too but not what he was doing!
"How you do that?" he asked she opened her eyes and looked at him.
"What?"
"Feel where he is and what he's doing?"
Mara shrugged "I don't know -I've been able to feel him before today, I've been able to feel him for years in fact…"
Anakin nodded, both of them knew the answer to that, Mara frowned at the planet "Ani, I fear if we do not hurry we will lose Alderaan."
She looked at him "Have you had any contact with Governor Tarkin yet?" Anakin nodded "Yes, pledging his services to the revolt"
Mara blinked "Wow, I thought he'd be the first one to decline!" Anakin nodded "So did I, but I can feel no deceit in him"
Mara nodded "Evil yes but never deceit" Mara looked at him "I'll always be your Padawan won't I?"
He looked at her shocked she'd even ask a question like that "Of course Marai, you'll always be my very first Padawan, and my conscience!"
Mara smiled "I haven't heard Marai in a long time"
He nodded "The last time I called you that was one your eleventh birthday"
Mara smile grew into a full blown grin "Ah the one where I threw up over all of my party guests!"
Anakin nodded "That's the one" they both turned when they saw Padmé approaching in the glass reflection.
"How is he?"
She asked and Mara answered before he could "He's fine -a little embarrassed at asking the stall owner if she has any new tights in"
Mara giggled and Padmé rose an eyebrow to Anakin, the tights weren't where the giggles were coming from.
"Mara?" she opened an eye the cheeky grin still on her face.
"Yes?"
"What's so funny?"
She shrugged "Oh nothing -I'm going to change otherwise I'm going to fry in these black things" she gestured at the black tunic, pants and high boots then left the bridge.
Padmé smiled at him "She's a nice girl"
Anakin nodded "Yeah she is" Padmé smiled more.
"Maybe she has more of a connection with him because they're around the same age and well, as you said earlier she did go to Tatooine once a few years ago, maybe she met him then?"
Anakin nodded "Yeah…probably" he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close "I've missed you Padmé"
She smiled "I missed you too."
TO BE CONTINUED….