Chapter 5

The last time she had been in this situation, Padmé had been forced to buy her own medical droid because she hadn't dared to risk anyone but her closest guards and handmaidens knowing about it. For a few moments she wondered what they were doing right now, even though last she'd heard two years ago was that they had all managed to evade Imperial retribution one way or another.

She was rather more saddened that one again she couldn't share this with her extended family, but now the reasons why were entirely different. And this time she knew that she wouldn't be alone, quite the opposite. During her last pregnancy she had started to avoid the Jedi, ever fearing that someone would sense that the twins were Anakin's children.

This time she had visited the town hospital where Master Che had instantly taken her on as a patient. Not that there was anything wrong with the pre-natal care provided by any MD series Droid, but Master Che had delivered the twins and now wanted to do the same for their next sibling.

Padmé wished that Anakin hadn't left for his mission before she had found out, but at least this time he would not return a hair's breath before the due date and be there for most of it. She knew that Anakin would be so happy, and this time he could and would share it with everyone around him. Not that the child had been planned, like it's older siblings, this one had a mind of it's own from the start. She grinned, realizing that this time she wouldn't have to wear such baggy clothing to hide anything either.

"Allow me to be the first to congratulate you."

"Obi Wan!" she exclaimed happily and turned around, seeing the Jedi Master leaning against the doorframe of the Skywalker quarters. She rose and quickly crossed the room, holding out a hand in greeting. "When did you get back?"

Obi Wan took it in both his own hands, smiling in return. "Only an hour ago. I was told that both Councils will not want to hear my report until tomorrow so I decided to come here instead once I heard."

"How did you find out?" Padmé asked as she motioned for her friend to come in and have a seat.

He sat down in the armchair he liked and smiled. "Padmé, Red Squadron is in the same hangar I used to arrive. You'd think it was their own child. How they found out... someone probably overheard your conversation with Master Che by accident."

She sat down on the sofa next to him and smiled fondly to herself at the way many seemed to be happy for her. As predicted, this was far from universal, but with the symbols for either side of the dispute gone from public view, the discussions had died down. This was further aided by how the worst offenders had been disciplined, not by the civilian authorities since what they had done hadn't actually broken any statutes of the Republic Law Code but rather only the Order's own. What exactly their punishment for 'Conduct unbecoming' would end up being was still in the air, but for the moment they had been confined go quarters while the Jedi Council deliberated things.

"I suppose that's not surprising with what's been going on here when you were gone." Padmé said and involuntarily placed her hands on her still taught mid-section. Obi Wan sensed that she was worried about her children, not for their physical safety but what someone else might say to them.

"Padmè, Luke, Leia are a lot like their parents, and if this one is any like it's siblings... In fact I doubt the galaxy can take yet another Skywalker."

She smiled. Mission accomplished.

"And I'm sure that this one will be an amazingly powerful Jedi as well, and if there is one thing you will never have to worry about is your children's ability to stand up for themselves."

Padmé took his hand in both of hers and was supremely thankful.

No more words needed to be exchanged.

The Mynock fell out of hyperspace on a vector that indicated that she was coming from somewhere on the Mid Rim, and Ahsoka waited to be queried by Corellian space traffic control before connecting to the local HoloNet. Getting directions to the nearest refuelling point proved to be easy, although she saw at once that she would have to wait for a bit, as it seemed everyone in this part of the system was looking to refuel or trade at the Gus Treta Inner-System Market Station. She queued up for the approach to the station behind a slightly rusty blue-accented YT-1300 and decided that she might as well use the time to buy additional supplies that she hadn't had time to load or that had been unavailable, and of course get a sense of the mood in the system.

Even on a core world there would be enough non-humans for her not to attract undue attention if she kept a low profile, although she would be remembered by the locals because Togruta off the homeworld and their few colonies were rare. As she stepped off the Mynockand past that self-same YT-1300 she realized that the hooded cloak she wore wouldn't stand out much after all, and if it did, she had the best identification files Republic Slicers and their computers could forge, with the kind assistance of the Alderaani Imperial Affairs Department. Still, it was best not to attract any attention in the first place. To that end she endured the mindless waiting as she was processed through customs, hoping that none of the stressed CorSec officers on customs duty suddenly pulled her aside. Not that she was worried she couldn't get away, but she would prefer not to kill most of them in the middle of a crowded station.

First things first. She was here to buy additional supplies but she was also utterly famished, so she decided to find a cantina and something to eat.

The place where she ended up was a mid-level place frequented primarily by non-humans and those humans that were unwilling or unable to pay for anything higher up on the social ladder. She had chosen it for that, but also because it was filled to the brim with people. As she had expected, it was easy to find out the public mood.

Generally it wasn't all that bad, she had to say. Imperial patrols had strangled outright piracy in the region even though smuggling still ran rampant and was probably going through this very station, in part at least. At present Imperial authorities confined themselves to policing the spacelanes leading into the system, leaving the inner space itself to CorSec. Like every other shipbuilding community, Corellia had suffered somewhat from the end of the Clone War but business was picking up again as the Empire had a never-ending hunger for the small and mid-sized vessels the Corellian shipyards produced, thanks to Republic and generally rebel efforts. As a result, the standard of living was fairly high even for a core world and there was little actual dissent.

But Ahsoka knew that this was only the face of it. In reality there was considerable grumbling among some traders about Imperial restrictions on trade with the Outer Rim Territories and the massively increased taxes that had to be paid, in credits, resources and finished products. She knew that there was some sort of Rebel presence here, but nothing more due to the cell structure that was being used in the networks that were being built up in the core. She knew though that penetrating into the Core Worlds would be difficult, because for all the dissent that existed here, Alderaan was the only world where anything like the majority of the population would support the Republic if an open uprising were to break out tomorrow, however doomed that would be.

She was convinced that sooner or later the Empire would begin to alienate all but the most loyal or affluent of it's subjects, but it would take some time. At the moment it was smart to concentrate most of the Republic's efforts where they could do the most good.

Ahsoka was seated in the far corner from the entrance, so it was all but impossible for her to overlook the family as they walked in. Human, the father had light brown hair, with who Ahsoka presumed to be his wife and their young son having raven black hair. She grinned and watched out of the corner of her eyes how the family sat down in the booth next to hers, so she couldn't help overhearing. The boy was sullen, and didn't even react when his mother tried to engage him. Ahsoka could hear her sigh.

"She'll be back Wedge, I promise."

"Mom, she left without even saying goodbye to me."

The pain felt by the parents over 'her' leaving was evident, and their emotions rolled off them in waves, Ahsoka couldn't help sensing it in the Force. She decided that it was not her place to listen in, but she sensed that Wedge was someone to keep an eye on, so she stayed where she was.

"I'm sure this was as hard for her as it is for you."

"You think so?" Wedge replied with venom in his voice. "If she cared so much, she could have at least left me a damn message."

"Language!" his father said, before sighing. "Wedge, there's nothing we can do. If your sister wants to talk to us, she will. If not, then..."

"Then she can go to all hells for all I care."

Ahsoka could almost picture to pained expression on the parent's faces and the spiteful way in which Wedge sat there, arms probably crossed and looking at everyone but his parents.

The father sighed again. "Wedge, please. At least try to not hate your sister."

"I don't CARE!"

Another sigh.

"I'll let you fly the shuttle."

The current of emotions changed, with pained acceptance taking over from the mother and sudden elation from Wedge. Now there was a born pilot it seemed, and Ahsoka couldn't help but wonder how the boy might get on with Anakin.

"Really?"

"Really. Come on now, Wedge. Smile, for your mother."

At that point Ahsoka decided enough was enough and motioned for the server droid. She paid a few credits and rose to her feet. As she walked past the family, she couldn't help but glance at them, and for a moment her eyes met those of Wedge. Somehow she knew that they would both remember this encounter.

She didn't learn that his last name was Antilles until she refuelled at the station run by his parents.

tbc

In many AUs the twins remain the only Skywalker kids, which I think would not have happened. That's not to say there would be a whole football team, which is the other extreme, but three is a compact size, I think.

The latter half of this chapter started out as just a cameo, but it kinda grew. Originally Wedge was only supposed to appear as that Cameo, but I had that idea and went with it. Besides, I needed to set up future events anyway at some point. I deliberated for hours if I should let Ahsoka and Wedge exchange a few words, but in the end decided against it. Suffice it to say, both of them won't remember this encounter right away when they next meet, but there will be a 'where do I know that face from' thing going when they do. Suffice it to say, he will end up commanding Rogue Squadron, but the way there... oooooh boy.

On an unrelated note: I've read a fanfiction where an an elderly AU Anakin is partaking in Obi Wan's funeral (decades in the future, mind) and I think it's Luke remarks on how his father had changed. Anakin then replies that because of his Force Bond with Obi Wan and because it was so close, in a real sense a part of him had died. I think this might be why in ANH Obi Wan was so different from the prequels, aside of course from the different actors and what not.