Chapter 14- The Rest of the Story
Solis fussed over Talisbeth, clucking like a mother hen. "Mistress, you must lie still. You were in those drenched things for nearly half an hour. What would Master Whie say?"
He tucked another blanket around her legs as she lay on a couch in the sitting room, close to the warming panels.
"He would say that you are an excellent droid."
Solis did not respond as he added wood to the warming panels and poured her a cup of steaming tea with lightning speed. As she took the cup, her hands trembled. Whie was feeling strong emotions that were uncharacteristic of him. Her hands strengthened as he focused on her and she sipped the tea. She was cold after getting caught in the brief rain shower. Whie had, of course, insisted that Solis carry her home immediately.
The door to the sitting room opened and Fidelis glided in. "Master Whie wishes me to prepare a luncheon for his guests. May I have your permission to incorporate some of your fresh produce in my meal preparation, Mistress?"
Guests? Their visitors had come in peace, after all. "Of course, that would be wonderful."
Talisbeth grinned as the droid disappeared into the kitchen. Fidelis sounded more like Whie every day and Whie sounded more like Fidelis. She finished her tea, then settled back to watch the glowing wood. She really was tired from harvesting her garden all week and getting soaked today. Her eyes closed.
"Little Scout, grown up, you have. So proud of you, I am."
"Hi, Master Yoda. Whie felt when you joined the Force. I wish we could have seen you one last time."
"See me now, you do. And we will see each other again very soon. For you to walk, the time has almost come."
"Walk? Master Yoda, what do you mean? I can't walk!"
A soft touch on her cheek roused Talisbeth from her sleep.
"I'm sorry to wake you, Dearest," Whie murmured, kissing her again, "but I knew you would want to meet our guests."
The spacious parlour was filled with people. Whie began to introduce them. Talisbeth gasped with delight when she recognized the Clones and Ahsoka. Then she spotted another familiar face.
"Grogu! I'm so glad you're safe."
The little creature waddled over and levitated into her lap.
"Master Grogu!" Solis exclaimed, almost seeming to smile. "I do believe you've grown."
Grogu waved to him, then squeezed Talisbeth tightly.
"Be careful, little Master," cautioned Solis. "Mistress Scout does not feel well."
Ahsoka stepped forward and managed to kneel by Talisbeth's couch. "What happened, Scout? Rex heard part of the story from Poppy; at least, I think it was about you. But I would like to hear the rest."
"Yes, you will hear our story and we will hear yours- but first I must finish introductions." Whie bent forward, helped Ahsoka to her feet and guided her to a chair. He indicated the nearest visitor. "Ezra Bridger, his wife Sabine and their children, Violet-Meadows and Cerulean-Skies. Master Bridger, your wife is welcome to rest on one of our couches."
"Thanks."
The blue-haired Jedi had helped his wife up from their ship and now eased her gently onto a couch across from Talisbeth. Little Cerulean-Skies squirmed and began to cry. Sabine adjusted her nursing shawl so that she could feed him. Violet- Meadows approached Talisbeth, looking up at Grogu as Whie continued, introducing the Solos, the Wookie Chewbacca, the Torrent children, and the other padawans.
Finally, he extended his hand towards the Skywalkers. Even Talisbeth could feel that Luke was a Skywalker of the Chosen One's bloodline. She had been surprised to discover that Leia was as well, but the signature in the Force was unmistakable.
"Talisbeth, this is Master Luke Skywalker, his wife Mara and their son, Ben."
Scout hesitated. "You are… his son?" It was half statement, half question.
Luke knelt by her side and looked into her eyes. "Yes," he said simply.
"Princess Leia …"
"Is my sister. Anakin Skywalker's daughter."
A sharp breath escaped Scout's lips as the memory of that darkness swept over her. She couldn't breathe, couldn't see. Muffled sounds came to her from far away, through a thick, choking darkness.
"Talisbeth? Tali? Scout!" Whie's voice. Past or present, she couldn't be sure.
"Mistress!" Solis's whisper carried through dark, cold water.
She sank deeper into the darkness, a crushing weight pressing her down. Not a sliver of light reached her. All was darkness. All was lost. All hope was gone. The light would never triumph over the darkness.
"Talisbeth Malreaux, do not listen to the darkness. You have rejected it before, reject it now."
Skywalker's voice cut through the darkness. She struggled towards it, uselessly. She had no strength. Vaguely, she felt Grogu's tiny hands on her face. She reached for him, but she couldn't hold on. Then a pair of strong hands grabbed her and lifted her up. Two more sets of hands caught her and suddenly she broke free of the darkness.
She was in the parlour again, Grogu stroking her cheek. Whie, Ezra Bridger, and Luke Skywalker knelt beside her. They slowly opened their eyes.
"Thank you, Master Bridger and Master Skywalker." Whie sounded breathless. He looked down at Violet-Meadows, who was holding Talisbeth's hand and reaching out in the Force, as she had seen her father do. "I think it's time we told you our story. Jai, Tallulah, Pan, would you take the children outside to play? They have been frightened enough and this planet is quite safe," he assured the parents.
When the little Torrents, the Solos, Grogu, Violet-Meadows and Ezra's two padawans had trooped outside under the watchful eyes of the younger Malreauxs, Whie sat beside Talisbeth to begin his tale. Fidelis quietly served cool drinks to his master and the guests and warm tea to Talisbeth, Sabine and Ahsoka. The Solo's golden protocol droid watched the Tac-Spec footman closely. Talisbeth remembered how Senator Amidala's protocol droid had always seemed a little overawed by Fidelis and Solis, and sometimes a little jealous. She remembered Anakin bragging to the Senator about how he had effected near-impossible repairs on the elegant, intricately made droids, after Whie and Talisbeth's first adventure with the droids, during which they had almost lost the two "gentlemen's gentlethings". Glancing again at the golden droid, Talisbeth was struck by how similar he was to C-3P0. She wondered if he could be the same droid.
"Thank you, Fidelis," Whie accepted a cup of chilled juice. "Please inform us when luncheon is ready."
"Of course, Master Whie." Fidelis moved towards the kitchen, then stopped.
"C-3P0, if the Skywalkers and Solos could spare you for an hour or so, I could use your excellent help in the kitchens and dining room, as Solis is currently occupied with the care of our mistress."
"Hey," Han protested, "how does your droid know our droid's name?"
"I'm sure I don't know, sir," the protocol droid fretted.
Whie peered curiously at him. "I believe he's had a mind wipe, Fidelis. I doubt he remembers us, or even Anakin and Padme."
Luke's astromech beeped and burbled.
Solis nodded. "Yes, I can see the wisdom of a memory wipe. I'm glad to see your memories are intact. You should show your master those holos you have."
The astromech- R2-D2, Talisbeth realized- beeped again.
"Oh, no! You're a menace in the kitchen, Artoo!" Fidelis bowed in Whie's direction, then returned to the kitchens.
"Threepio, go make yourself useful," Leia laughed, "Luke, Han and I are going to find out more about your secret past."
The droid shuffled off muttering to himself and everyone looked expectantly to Whie.
"Your father loved droids." Whie smiled at Luke and Leia. "He loved ships, too. He loved to tinker with them, fix them, rebuild them. He made C-3P0 out of old parts when he was still a slave on Tatooine and gave him to his mother. After she died, your father gave Threepio to your mother, Padme Amidala. She gave him a little astromech that had been with her since they first met." He indicated Artoo. "Your little friend is a hero on his own right, you know."
"Don't I know it," Luke chuckled. "But how do you know all this?"
"Droid gossip, mostly, I'm afraid. We suspected that your parents had a relationship. Most people who knew them did. But then I loaned Fidelis to the Senator for a dinner party, and it seems that a Jedi had left his cloak in her bedroom. The ever-faithful Fidelis decided he must return it to the Temple and its proper owner, despite Threepio's assurances that "Master Ani" would come back for it. Fidelis brought the cloak to me, since Anakin was off-world at the time, and asked me to keep it safe. Master Yoda walked up, looked at us then at the robe. 'Much to learn has young Skywalker,' he said. 'Keep the cloak for him, Whie.' And he poked us both."
"Yoda knew?" Ahsoka's eyes widened. "I thought only Obi-Wan, Rex, and I knew."
"Oh, Yoda knew. He even knew they were married. If only he had been able to help Anakin learn what he needed- how to love truly, the importance of letting go, the dangers of selfish attachments. Somehow, your father believed that by joining Sidious and embracing the dark side, he could keep Padme safe."
Whie's voice trembled and almost broke as he described that terrible night and how he had been unable to stop the slaughter of the younglings. Beside him, Talisbeth sat up and rubbed his shoulders. As he was telling what happened after Solis shot him, Leia interrupted.
"How do you know what happened when you were unconscious?"
"I have … seen it. Over and over, in a vision. The vision always ends after Master Yaddle dies and Fidelis threatens the Clone troopers. Fidelis has told us how he and the Clones dug out the babies, then located the secret door under the floor that Master Yaddle had told them about. I awoke deep under the city, the air so thick and foul, I could barely breathe. We were headed for the GAR shipyards, in hopes that the Clones' action had not become known and we could, ah, requisition a ship. Talisbeth was still unconscious and I took her from Poppy to carry her myself. Solis met us at the shipyard. He had returned to search for survivors and destroy the tunnel entrance. He found … no one. Every Jedi left in the Temple was dead. He took an encrypted comm to reach Master Yoda and blasted the Creche area and the tunnel, hoping to obscure our escape. Punch found the troopers' ship and I use a mind trick on the guards." Whie glanced at Rex and the other Clones, then smiled wanly. "They weren't Clones. We were able to slip away. The Clones knew which codes to use."
Whie paused. Talisbeth understood. Whie didn't like to make himself sound like a hero. A sharp ding sounded from the dining room door and everyone laughed. Threepio was showing off his impressions again. He did make a convincing dinner bell.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the droid bowed with a flourish. "Luncheon is served."
Alora giggled again. "Threepio, Tac-Spec Footmen may have a lot that you don't, but they're not nearly as funny. I'll go get the kids, Dada."
"I was not intending to be comic, Miss Alora," the golden droid protested. "Although I do have a repertoire of-"
"Skip it, Goldie," Han growled.
Alora found the pack of younglings and padawans engrossed in a ball game where two teams battled using only the Force to move or hold the ball. On the sideline, Tallulah, busily entertained Anakin, Violet- Meadows, Grogu and the littlest Torrents with balls of their own. Alora watched as the ball sailed towards Ashlan. He lifted the ball towards Coryn. Stretching out her fingers, Alora called it to her own hand instead.
"Hey!" shouted the twins.
"Luncheon is served," Alora mimicked Threepio.
"We'd best get you all washed up first," Pan guided them to a bubbling fountain and filled several basins, his lekku waving behind him.
Alora led the way back to the house. Suddenly, she stopped and tried not stare.
"It's a lovely day, now that the rain has passed. Would you children like to eat outside?" Talisbeth indicated a large deck adjoining the dining room.
"Yes! Thank you!" called several young voices. Talisbeth led them up the steps and Alora blinked. The children gathered around the picnic tables. Alora wondered vaguely why the Malreauxs had so many tables and chairs. But she could not take her eyes off of Talisbeth. The slender, fragile woman did not walk. She floated a centimeter or two above the ground and her feet seemed to propel her forward as if she was swimming in the air.
Threepio helped Fidelis carry trays of fruits, vegetables and sandwiches. Artoo rolled out with a tray full of chilled juice cups.
"Don't spill those," the Footman droid warned and Artoo beeped indignantly. Solis hovered near Talisbeth, guiding her through the open doors to the spacious dining room.
"Thank you, Threepio," Talisbeth called over her shoulder. "Enjoy your meal, dears."
Dev and Kyp joined Alora at a table near the door, where they could hear the conversation. They listened quietly as Whie spoke a mealtime blessing, then all the guests eagerly partook of the flavorful bounty from Talisbeth's garden. Alora noticed that even her mother, who was not usually fond of vegetables, seemed to be enjoying her meal.
"Why do you suppose they have so many tables and such a big dining room?" Kyp wondered aloud. "We all fit, with room left over."
"They're Jedi," Dev replied. "Maybe they knew we were coming."
"Father has visions," Jai spoke up from a nearby table where he was helping Grogu and Violet-Meadows eat slices of a large red and green striped fruit. "He saw that the Jedi Order would rise again and he wanted our home to be a place where they could gather, away from the noise of the universe."
"You mean, sort of a Jedi retreat center?" asked Kyp.
"You could call it that, I suppose," Pan agreed, with a chuckle. "I'm so glad you're all here."
"Me too," squealed Tallulah. Persis sat in her lap drinking a cup of juice. "You're the first friends I've ever had."
"Hey, what about me and Jai?" protested Pan.
"You're not my friends- you're my brothers!"
Inside the house, Luke spoke to Whie. "I noticed that you and your wife do not have distinct presences in the Force. Perhaps that explains why she seems to float?"
"Yes," Whie replied slowly. "Yes, they are both related phenomena. I suppose I should finish our story."
"Whie?" Talisbeth's soft voice interrupted. "May I tell the rest?"
"Certainly, Dearest, if you wish."
"Whie is a great Jedi, Master Skywalker. I know we are not really Jedi anymore, but my husband is strong in the Force and wise like the old masters. He did an incredible thing for me, all those years ago. We were hiding in deep space, waiting to meet Master Yoda. I was still unconscious and failing fast. Clide has medic training and he hooked me up to life support." Talisbeth paused to look gratefully at the troopers. "Solis and Fidelis used their medical knowledge, too. Nothing worked. I was dying. As I was about to slip away, Whie poured from his own life force into my body to sustain the tiny bit of life left in me.
"I awoke just when Master Yoda joined us. I was … paralyzed. I'm still paralyzed, actually. The lightsaber blow damaged my spinal cord near my shoulders. I have some functioning in my right arm and in my neck and head. I was frightened, but Master Yoda calmed me. The Whie promised that he would never leave me. He touched the life-force he'd poured into me and I could move. Not normal movement, as you've all seen, but I can move with Whie's help. Poor Whie, he loved me so much; he was afraid he was breaking the 'no attachments' rule. Master Yoda assured him that giving of himself was an act of true love, not of selfish attachment. He said that the bond that Whie had created could not be broken and that Whie was now bound to care for me forever." Talisbeth reached out and caught her husband's hand, squeezing it gently.
"Whie asked if we could get married when we were a little older. Master Yoda just poked him with his stick and said to 'follow the Force.' Then he asked us to return the babies to their families, look after any that had no family. He took Grogu; he'd been training and his presence in the Force was bright and hard to hide. Senator Bail Organa gave us a ship and we gave Master Yaddle's body and lightsaber to Master Yoda."
Talisbeth stopped, her eyes full of tears. "We took six of the babies to their homes. Pan and Tallulah were orphans. We were discussing what to do next when our ship was wrenched from our grasp. We tumbled through a tunnel of light, almost like hyperspace, and crashed here."
Talisbeth paused again, took a deep breath and looked at Whie. "The planet Kyber – a planet made of Kyber crystal. Whie believes it is the heart of the Galaxy itself."
Ezra nodded. "That would explain the music." He hummed a few notes. "Ah-aaahh, mmmmh, ahhh-ah, mmmh."
Whie blinked. "You hear the music now? We usually only hear it at sunrise."
Ezra looked down. He had not meant to show off his unusually strong bond with kyber crystals. "The crystals sing to me all the time." He jerked his head up and an urgency filled his voice. "I hear words in the music. I've never heard words in it before. They are words of the Force, but I know what they mean. The Force is telling us to prepare."
Whie spoke, his voice soft and distant. "We must go to the Hill to meditate."