2 months later

Royal Palace, Theed, Capital of Naboo

Pooja Naberrie stood with the rest of the Court, as the Queen of Naboo rose from her throne and walked between the District Representatives, with her Handmaidens stepping regally behind her.

Pooja was surprised when the Queen paused to speak with her.

"I understand you will not be here for tomorrow's convocation to discuss the new taxation request by the Empire?" she asked.

Pooja bowed her head slightly, even as she searched the Queen's eyes. The ceremonial make-up worn by the Queens of Naboo made it somewhat difficult to read expression.

"My apologies, your Majesty," she said, "My mother suddenly requested my presence at her father's Life Day celebration tomorrow. My grandfather is failing, and my mother thinks this might be our last family celebration together with him. If you need me, however, it is not necessary that I go."

The Queen smiled sadly, "You will be missed, Representative Naberrie, but by all means join your family. Family is important, and … the vote will not be close."

Pooja grimaced inwardly. For all that the officials at the local Imperial garrison treated the District Representatives with outward respect, everyone knew that the Representatives were mere puppets when an Imperial "request" was made. Pooja, like everyone else, would accede to every Imperial demand, for fear of reprisals.

"Thank you, your Majesty," she responded to the Queen.

"Will the celebration be in Theed?" the Queen continued courteously.

"No, we'll be gathering at Varykino, our family's lake retreat," Pooja replied.

The Queen nodded graciously, "May you have a joyful time, then."

Pooja bowed slightly again with respect, and watched the younger woman walk gracefully out of the room.

Then, with a quick glance at her chrono, she strode rapidly to a nearby hanger, where one of her distant relatives was waiting in his Gian speeder to whisk her away to Varykino.

She climbed into the passenger seat and closed her eyes as the speeder moved forward rapidly. It had been another frustrating session at the Palace, and she was glad to get away for at least a few days. On the other hand, while Varykino would be a temporary reprieve, her time there would not solve the overarching problem. Her life felt rather useless, and she didn't know what to do about it.

She had been in the Imperial Senate for some years. While the Senate had grown increasingly powerless, she had at least felt she was doing something of value. But just before the Death Star was destroyed, 4 years ago, Emperor Palpatine had dissolved the Senate permanently. Pooja had come home and quickly been elected as the representative for the Lake District, the location of Varykino.

Her role as a District Representative was even less meaningful than as Nabooian Senator, as the local Imperial governor made all decisions about Naboo's intergalactic affairs. She reminded herself that there were some local affairs which the Empire left to the Representatives. She was thankful she could work on issues involving schooling and property issues and water rights.

But compared to working in the Senate at Imperial Center, it felt drab and pointless.

More and more, she wondered if she should shift into some other line of work, perhaps teacher or writer.

To her surprise, she drifted off to sleep, and only woke up two hours later as the speeder landed gracefully on the pad next to Varykino.

She smiled her thanks at her pilot, and climbed out of the speeder. As she approached the Lake House, her mother Sola Naberrie appeared at the door. Pooja smiled. She didn't get to see her mother as often as she liked, but they were good friends and treasured their rare times together.

"Pooja, welcome my dear," her mother said with a smile and a fond embrace, "Please come inside."

Pooja followed her mother into the house, nodding at various family members who had gathered for her grandfather's Life Day celebration the next day. She was glad that while Grandpa Ruwee's health was poor, his mind remained sharp so that he could enjoy time with family.

Sola led her daughter up the stairs and into the bedroom that Pooja used when she was at Varykino. Pooja moved to the window and stared out at the lake. It was peaceful today, and the sight of sunshine and the clear reflection of trees and sky in the lake soothed her mind and soul. She took a deep breath. It was so good to be home, free from the anxieties of her work life for a few days.

"Pooja, I have something to tell you," Sola said behind her.

Pooja turned around, startled at her mother's tone. Mother looked incredibly serious and…were those tears in her eyes?

"Mother, what's wrong?" she asked anxiously, "Is it grandfather? Is he even sicker than we thought?"

"No, no, it is nothing like that," her mother replied, running a hand across her eyes. She patted the bed and said, "Come, sit with me."

Surprised, Pooja obediently crossed over and sat down next to her mother.

Sola leaned closer to her daughter and spoke in a soft tone, "My dear, we have swept this room for listening devices, but I still prefer to be quiet, just in case. I have…I have some absolutely incredible news for you. I warn you that it is dangerous news, but I have confidence that you will be able to handle this information wisely."

Pooja's eyes widened incredulously, but she managed to keep her voice low, "What is it, Mother?"

Sola shook her head, as if still amazed, and spoke in a low tone, "Pooja, I know you remember your Aunt Padme's funeral. You were seven years old, but we've talked about how much it affected you, affected our entire kin. It was a shattering event that changed the entire fabric of our family life."

Pooja nodded in bewilderment, "Of course I remember, Mother. But that was a long time ago. 24 years."

She sighed, "I don't remember her well, but she was so kind to me. I remember us playing a strange game with 8 sided dice, and her comforting me when I lost a game and started crying. I'm pretty sure she threw a few games after that so I would win. I always wished I had known her well. And…I wish my cousin had lived."

Sola nodded, "Sweetheart, that's what I need to tell you. Your cousin did live, or rather, cousins."

Pooja's mouth gaped open in a far from dignified manner, "What?"

"Shhh…," her mother remonstrated, "We've just found out that my sister Padme bore twins before she died, and both of them are still alive. In fact," her voice lowered still more, "they are here right now, here at Varykino, in that rather dilapidated guest house down by the unused dock. They are hiding there."

"Why are they hiding?" Pooja hissed in outrage, "They are our kin, my cousins, your nieces or nephews. We should be welcoming them with fireworks!"

Sola put her finger to her lips again, "Pooja, their identity is the problem."

She reached out her hands and grasped Pooja's hands hard, "Pooja, this is going to be a tremendous shock. One of your cousins is the adopted child of Bail and Breha Organa, Leia Organa."

Pooja clapped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from a shout of disbelief.

"Leia Organa?" she whispered in stunned amazement, "Leia? We served in the Senate together. We are close friends. I can't believe it. She is Padme's daughter? Why in all the worlds did the Organas take her from us? Why wasn't she raised within our family?"

Sola inched a little closer, "Because, my love, her twin brother, and your other cousin, is the Jedi Luke Skywalker."

Pooja actually choked this time. This provoked a coughing fit which didn't cease until her mother fetched her a drink of water. She took a few sips and then rolled in a ball on the bed, so awash with disbelief and shock that her mind hardly seemed to be functioning.

A few minutes later, she pulled herself together and sat up.

"So Uncle Ani was their father," Pooja said.

"Yes, and he really was your uncle, Pooja," her mother replied, "Ironic that you little ones gave him that title, yet none of us knew that he and Padme were married shortly after the Clone Wars began."

Pooja frowned, "Why didn't they tell us?"

Sola sighed, "The Jedi were forbidden to marry, my love. Anakin would have been thrown out of the Order, and Padme would have lost her position in the government."

"And yet they conceived children," Pooja said solemnly.

Sola nodded, "Yes, and while your cousins have not told me everything, it seems clear that the pregnancy and their birth played a major role in Padme's death."

Pooja reached out a tender hand, "I am sorry, Mother."

"No, no," Sola said with a determined smile, "I have grieved Padme for many years and now rejoice that two precious children survived her death."

Pooja sighed, "Obviously we can't recognize them openly, Mother. Skywalker has the largest bounty in the galaxy on his head. I've heard that Darth Vader is particularly obsessed with finding him."

Sola nodded gravely, "Indeed. Their presence here is a danger to us all, but we have never shrunk from danger, and we will not do so now."

Pooja tilted her head, puzzled, "So why are they here now? Why didn't Leia ever tell me about this before?"

"She didn't know, Pooja," her mother replied, "Again, they haven't told me everything, but the twins were separated at birth and sent to different corners of the galaxy, each raised without knowing of the other. They found out their kinship with each other less than a year ago, and discovered that Padme was their mother more recently than that."

An unpleasant thought crossed Pooja's mind, "Mother, are you absolutely sure that…you know…they are correct about this claim?"

Sola nodded briskly, "That occurred to me and I assure you, the twins insisted on blood tests to prove their claim. We used your grandfather's med droid to run the tests. There is no doubt they are your first cousins, Pooja, and my niece and nephew. You can have complete confidence in that."

"And they were hidden because of Uncle Ani, right?" Pooja said, "Because he was a Jedi?"

"Yes, Anakin was a Jedi, and a very powerful one. And the twins have inherited his Force power. They are a grave threat to the Emperor, and perhaps to Lord Vader too. Though Vader has disappeared – I don't know if you've heard that?"

Pooja nodded thoughtfully, "Yes. The rumors are that he has not been seen anywhere in several months. Have my cousins mentioned his disappearance at all?"

"Only to exchange glances," her mother said wryly, "It is obvious they know something, but are not choosing to tell me about it."

Pooja looked outside. Her brain suddenly felt alive with possibilities, not to mention the thrill and delight of learning that her cousins lived, and that one was her dear friend Leia.

"Pooja, you worked with Leia Organa in the Senate for many years," her mother said, breaking into her thoughts, "Do you trust her?"

Pooja nodded solemnly, "With my life, Mother. And with my honor. She was much bolder than I was in the Senate, fighting against slavery and for freedom for those being crushed under Palpatine's increasingly barbaric practices. I've studied Aunt Padme, and Leia is much like her in the political arena. She even looks like her. I'm not sure why none of us saw it."

"Because it didn't occur to us," her mother said sadly, "Why would we even consider that the adopted child of Bail Organa was our own flesh and blood, and the daughter of my sister? It was beyond the realm of conjecture. But it is true."

Pooja put an arm around her mother's thin shoulders. For all that Sola was brave and strong, she had grieved long and hard over the loss of her younger sister Padme. Pooja hoped this new discovery would give her mother joy, not lead to sorrow.

Given the identities of her cousins, and their extremely dangerous lives, her mother had to be aware she could lose her newly discovered niece and nephew to the forces of the Empire.

"So," Pooja said briskly, "Do you think they are safe in the guest house?"

"I think so," Sola said, "We deliberately called the family together on short notice so that there would be some safety in numbers. With people coming and going, no one will be surprised if they catch a glimpse of people they don't know. Nor will it be as noticeable when you and I creep off to meet them. They will not be deliberately exposing themselves to anyone but you and me, Pooja. I haven't even told my parents."

Pooja nodded, "That is wise. How did you meet them in the first place?"

Sola chuckled for the first time, "They broke into my bedroom here and were waiting for me one evening after supper. It about made my heart stop. But they told me who they were and I could see Padme in Leia, so I summoned Father's med droid and did the test then and there. Then I snuck them into the vacation house and arranged for a big party. Father was rather bewildered as I usually don't make such a fuss about Life Days, but he has acclimated quite nicely. In fact, he and my mother are most definitely enjoying themselves. As for the twins, they very specifically asked to see you. This is more than a family visit, Pooja. They want you to help them with something, but they chose not to tell me what. And indeed, I don't want to know. If we are betrayed, the fewer people who know details, the better."

Pooja shivered slightly, then squared her shoulders and looked straight into her mother's eyes, "When can I meet them?"

Sola looked out the window.

"Tonight, Pooja," she said quietly, "After dinner, you can go out for one of your 'walks by the lake' and meet them."