Chapter 28 - Story Tellers

News spreads fast amongst the Jedi Order. Especially news of newly discovered survivors of the purge, two of them, in fact. Anakin was asked to meet them at the community center and help get them settled in, and since one of them was a boy Luke's age, he picked his son up early from his classes and brought him too.

"Hello Kento. And you must be Galen." Anakin bowed to greet the no longer ex-Jedi and his son.

Galen laughed. His father blushed and apologized, "You must forgive us, we haven't had the time to learn proper Jedi manners yet."

Anakin smiled, "No problem. This is my son Luke. Luke, this is Galen. I want you to show him around while I talk to his father," said Anakin.

"Hi Galen. Did you really live with the Wookiees? What was it like?" The inquisitive Luke started drilling him with questions.

Anakin watched as the two seven year olds disappeared down the hallway. "They'll be friends in no time. How are you finding Tatooine?"

"It's very different from Kashyyyk, but to Galen it's like a whole new world. He's eager to explore," Kento answered him.

"We haven't had a lot of returns, even after the change to the code. Why did you want to return to the Jedi lifestyle?"

"Kashyyyk was getting dangerous. More and more slavers were coming, and if it were just me, I'd have stayed to help them. You know that's how my wife died. My dear Mallie." Kenton had tears in his eyes. "But it isn't just me. I have to do what's best for Galen. We're just lucky you're people were going to Kashyyyk for a supply run when they were."

"Yes, the Wookiees have always been good allies. I wish we could help them more. And I understand your reasons. As a father, they are the center of your world."

"Yes, I heard about your story. I must say I am in awe. To face down the masters after having a secret attachment is brave. I don't think I could have done that. Just facing my former master, Master Zahn, would've been hard enough."

"Ah. You know Master Zahn is here today. You should go talk to him." Anakin suggested.

"Oh no! I don't think I'm brave enough yet."

"I think he'll be more understanding than you think. You know he almost died in the purge. When I went to the temple I managed to rescue a few Jedi. I pulled him from the room of a thousand fountains, all the way to the hanger. He was badly injured, and we didn't know if he would survive, but he proved tougher than a Bantha."

Kento gave a nervous laugh. "I bet."


"Lets see, you've had your bedtime snack, you've brushed your teeth, put on your pajamas." Bail listed, as he tried to remember the routine his wife had given him. It was usually Breha who put their daughter to bed at night, but she had to work tonight, so he'd volunteered to take over. "What's next? I'm forgetting something. Was I supposed to make your bed again?"

Five year old Mara laughed. "No daddy, you're supposed to give me a kiss," she reminded her father.

"Oh yes. Why I'd forget my head if it weren't attached. Mwah. Love you dear."

"Love you daddy." Bail went to turn out the light. "Daddy can you tell me a story?"

"A bedtime story? Sure I can." Bail made his way back to the bed, picking up a chair along the way. "What sort of story do you want to hear?"

"About how you got me. My Adoshin," Mara suggested.

"One of my favorites!" Bail sat beside the girl's bed and started telling his story. "In the beginning the Queen and Viceroy of Alderaan were very unhappy. They had no children and no one to share their love with. There was a war and though the Queen and Viceroy tried to do the right thing, it was getting harder and harder to lead a rebellion and a planet."


"Oh, Bail darling. There are more reports here for the rebellion." Breha said to her husband one morning over breakfast.

"Ooh, more reports." he groaned. "Can't Palpatine just take a rest. He's got an empire now. What more does he want?"

"Men like Palpatine, dear, they want everything, regardless of who they have to take it from. It's the way they are, and it's up to people like us to stop them. Oh, here, read this one. You'll find it quite interesting." She handed him an intelligence report.

Bail read the report and he did indeed find it interesting. Their agents had located one of the locations where Palpatine was doing his dirty work. They'd known for some time that he was taking innocent children away from their parents. He was an especially bad man. He didn't even let the children have any fun. Bail knew this was something he had to stop.

"I'm making a comm," he called out to his wife as he left the dining room with food still on the table.

She just sighed and shook her head, knowing exactly who he was calling.


Bail had his best agents assigned to his team and he set up posts around the site, watching everything that happened there. They noticed that, though the moon was surrounded by a shield, the base's own ships had no trouble getting in. Bail knew they needed to get one of those ships.

So the next one that left, they watched very closely. It stopped at several planets, seeming to pick up supplies. Then on its last stop, Ahsoka snuck aboard. Once they were in space she tied up the crew, then flew the ship back to Alderaan.

Bail was so pleased to hear about her success, that he decided to go down to the hangar and congratulate her. Ahsoka looked nervous as she exited the craft. "What's wrong? You got the ship."

"The cargo." Ahsoka walked back to the ship.

"I don't understand. We knew they were picking up cargo," said Bail.

She went into the cargo hold in the ship, and moved a blanket. Underneath was a glass incubation-crib with a baby inside. Bail's mouth dropped open. None of the reports indicated that the ship had picked up a baby, though they must have been wrong.

"What do we do with her?" Ahsoka asked.

"It's a her!" Bail looked down and read the name on the side of the crib. "Mara." He smiled. "Oh, she is beautiful." He opened the crib and reached down to pick her up. She had tiny hands and feet and she grabbed at his finger when he touched her.


Bail brought Mara to his wife. "We need time to set up the next phase, and we're probably going to bring the Jedi to help with it. They can take her then, but for now she needs someone to take care of her.

"Awe," Breha said. The second she looked into Mara's eyes, she was enthralled. She probably did stop listening to her husband too, because soon she was summoning a servant and instructing them to set up a nursery.

That night Bail had to stay up all night trying to get the little girl to go to sleep. The next morning, Ahsoka came to find out why he hadn't gone to any of his meetings that morning. She found him fast asleep in a rocking chair with a sleeping infant in his arms.

By the end of the first few days, it was apparent to both Bail and Breha that they would not be able to give up Mara. She was already bonding with them, and they loved her so much. Bail planned to speak with Ahsoka about their adopting Mara, but he was also feeling nervous too. He had never been a father before, and he wondered if she might be happier with the other Jedi. So when the time came to send Ahsoka to contact the Jedi, he still hadn't talked to her about it.

And so the Jedi sent three of their very best to help rescue the children from Palpatine. Lets see, there was Master Yoda. He's the green one with the backward talk. Your mommy does the best imitation of him. You should ask her sometime. Then there was Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker. I don't know if he's a master yet? He's the one with the piloting skills. We needed him to fly in there while the shields were down.

Bail was prepared to hand over the girl, but then when he heard that Ahsoka and Anakin Skywalker were in his quarters with Mara, he cried. Thinking he'd already lost her, Bail went to his quarters, only to find Ahsoka meditating with Anakin in his front room.

When they were finished, he called Ahsoka to the side and whispered to her, "I'm sorry I didn't try to stop you before, but I can't give her up."

She whispered back, "Don't worry, that's what I told him and he understands. You think the whole base hasn't seen how smitten you and your wife are with her?"

"Thank you," Bail breathed a sigh of relief. The next day Bail and Breha filed the Adoption papers for Mara and she was officially a part of their family.


Mara smiled. "We's fem-leee!"

"Yes, honey, you are our daughter, and we love you lots." Bail kissed his daughter again and went to turn out her light.

"Daddy?" Mara whispered.

"No more stories. It's time for bed."

"But I have a cwes-chon." He sighed and turned the light back on to listen to Mara's question. "How did I get on that ship? Where did I come from?"

Bail looked down sadly. He knew she'd ask this question one day. "On one of its stops, the ship met up with an inquisitor who'd come from somewhere offworld. I'm sorry honey, we couldn't find out any more information than that." Mara pouted and her eyes became very wet with tears. "But, your Mommy and I are your home now. We love you so much." Bail bent over to hug his daughter and let her cry into his shoulder. "No one will ever take you away from us, honey. Not ever."


Anakin left Kento to have a discussion with another Jedi about the classes Galen would be able to take, and he went to check on Luke and the boy.

"Uh-oh," Anakin heard the boys go, and before he'd even turned around the last bend, he knew there was trouble.

"Son," Anakin addressed.

"Dad," Luke put his hands behind his back and looked up innocently.

"What happened?" Until recently, Anakin had wondered how Obi-Wan and the rest of the council could tell by instinct when he was hiding something. The answer was that young children were very bad at acting, and their innocent eyes could be seen as a red flag. Anakin folded his arms and stared into his son's eyes.

Luke sighed. "I wanted to show him those saber techniques, the ones we learned the other day. So we went outside. But as I was coming down off of my back spin I dropped it. It was run over by a speeder, and... " Luke held out a broken practice saber.

Anakin sighed. "Luke, you know better than this. There is a reason those newer techniques are restricted to class time only. They're harder, and you could've gotten hurt."

"I know," said Luke, looking down.

"It's alright. I'll get you a new one. Don't tell your Uncle Ben about this. He'll never let you live it down," Anakin teased.

Luke giggled. "At Least it's not in the belly of a Rathtar."

"Uncle Ben tells you too many stories. And I didn't lose that saber. I let the Rathtar swallow it on purpose. Was going to activate it inside the creature to kill it."

"You still lost the saber though," Luke and Galen were now laughing together.

"Yeah, it turns out the stomach acids of a Rathtar's belly are too strong for the weaker wires inside a saber. Still, it was a good plan. My current saber has even stronger wires. You bet no Rathtars are gonna mess with me now." Anakin defended himself.

"You're lucky you have so many people who tell you stories. I wish someone would tell me a story about my dad when he was younger," Galen said.

"You boys want to talk to Master Zahn," Anakin said with a crafty smile.

"His class should be ending soon," Luke supplied. Galen smiled and followed him to go look for the Master.


Anakin returned to Kento. "How's it going?"

"Great. Master Pellek said he'll test Galen to see where he should start on his force and saber training. Since I've already started to teach him a few things. he won't have to start from the very beginning again."

Anakin nodded. "That sounds very good. I remember how hard it can be to be the newest initiate to the order. Though, from what I heard, it seems Galen already has a friend. That will help him a lot."

"Yes, do you know where our boys are? I should go pick him up." Kento asked.

"I think I heard something about going up-stairs to see Master Zahn." Anakin said, with more practiced innocence.

Kento's eyes became very big and worried. "My old master."

"Oh, was he your master. Well that explains why the kids were after him. He's upstairs, room Two Seventeen. Perhaps you should go up and get them."

"Yes, thank you," Kento said, and he ran off to the stairs.

Anakin took his time getting up there, but when he went past the door, he looked in the window on the classroom door and saw the former Master hugging his padawan, and padawan's son in one big hug. Tears were in the Master's eyes.


Hello Everyone,

I hope you liked my first Mara story here. I have some more ideas for chapters with her. Special thanks go to A03 user LordRyus, who helped fill me in on more of Mara Jade and Leia Organa's stories that was not on Wookieepedia. And special thanks to A03 user Inventor who gave me the idea to read up on Galen. In the Legends Universe Darth Vader eventually kills Kento, the father, and takes Galen, renamed starkiller, to be his secret apprentice. Regretfully I couldn't think of a way to save his mother, because she died before Vader even came to the planet Kashyyyk. And Kento's master was never named in the Legends, so I did some creative writing there.

Next chapter is a bit of a mystery to me. I might be moving on with Mara's story some more, and Luke or Leia may be getting into some trouble. I'm not sure yet, and you'll have to wait and see. There likely won't be much of a time jump at all.