Chapter 39 - Gifts

"Chewy, have you seen a mini heavy laser cannon anywhere around here?" Han searched the pile in his cargo hold desperately.

"Graaaaaaaaah" Chewy replied.

"No not the real cannons, the mini ones for this model here. I'm going to the Skywalker's and I want to assemble this first.

Chewy looked over the supplies. He held up something and growled, "Raaaaaaaaaah?"

"No not that one. I'm looking for the Tomral RM-76 heavy laser cannon. It says it's part B-31. Oh, how are you to find anything in here."

"Raaaaaaaaaaaargh. Gha gha gha," Chewy laughed at Han.

Han looked up annoyed. "Ha ha ha. Ages Twelve and up, huh?" Han continued to scan the piles while chewy laughed harder. "Ah-Ha! I found it," Han proclaimed holding up his piece. "You see, I'll have this all together in no time."


"Here, let me help." Han arrived as Anakin was struggling with removing several large bags from his speeder, and he offered to help carry them inside.

"Thanks. In my time with the GAR, legions of clones couldn't make groceries disappear as fast as a house full of teenagers.

Suddenly Leia runs through the room and grabs a box of snacks from her dad's hands. "Thanks Dad," she said before running through to her bedroom.

"Case in point," said Anakin. "Hey, where's your brother!" Anakin shouted after her.

"He's in the study." Leia responded. "Hi Han." She gave a quick wave before disappearing.

"Actually, I-uh, I brought a gift for leia too," Han said. "And Leo."

"Oh, really." Anakin knocked on his daughter's door again. "Meet us in the family room." Anakin then walked towards the study. "I think Leo's already down there." He opened the study door and stuck his head in. "Luke, you've got a visitor. Pack up your homework and meet us in the family room."


"Your Highness," the new courtier bowed, "Princess Mara, the queen sends…"

Fourteen year old Winter stopped him with a wave of her hand. "I am not Princess Mara."

The courtier blushed. "I-I am sorry."

"I am Lady Winter. May I present Princess Mara." Winter waved her hand to indicate the twelve year old sitting with her elbows up on the table and a scowl on her face.

"Oh, my apologies, your highness. The queen sends her apologies, but she and the Viceroy won't be joining you for dinner today. There is much business in the royal court."

Mara sighed, then waved to the servant. "You are dismissed."

"Come on Mara. You don't have to be rude to him. It's his first day working in the palace." Winter lectured as soon as the courtier had left. Though Mara was only her adopted sister, Winter felt responsible for her.

"I know. But why does every courier assume first that you are the princess and I am the commoner friend?" Mara's head leaned in her hands, while her elbows were still perched on the table.

"Well for one, your manners are atrocious. What would Mrs. Sabé say if she saw you now?" Mara moved her elbows off the table and moved her shoulders around, as if trying out the position. "Second, I'm older, and it's only natural to assume I am of higher standing. It's a mistake he won't make a second time, you can bet on that."

Mara scowled again. "You mean I look like a little kid, so they don't assume I am the princess. That makes no sense. I've always been a princess, even when I was a little kid."

"Yes, but you were a young princess then. You likely never left either your parents, or the nursemaids presence. Now you are almost a teen, and you won't have them to shelter you." Winter lectured.

Mara rolled her eyes. "So… What I hear is that you are the problem here. If you weren't here, he'd have been forced to assume I am the princess. No matter how many manners I break."

Winter sighed. "Yes… I suppose that is correct. Do you not want me here?" Winter asked timidly.

"No, of course not. Without you, who would I get in trouble with sneaking goodies out of the kitchen?" Mara asked, and Winter breathed a sigh of relief.

"I am glad. I think of you as a sister, you know." Winter shared.

"Sister, that is good. I like that." Mara agreed.

"Today is Tuesday. The kitchen will be making those pies today, which should come out of the oven in fifteen minutes." Winter recited.

Mara smiled a mischievous smile. "Want to go steal one while Mrs. Thistle has her back turned, Sis?" Sometimes having a sister with perfect memory was annoying, but other times it was very useful.

"Of course." Winter agreed, and soon both girls were planning their heist.


Han sat in the big chair in the family room while Leo sat reading on the floor. When his dad asked him to put the holo-book away his response was, "Not yet, I'm at a really good part."

A couple of minutes later Leo turned off his reading material and turned to greet Han. "Hi Mr. Solo. What was it like on Chandrila? That's where you were working, wasn't it?"

"Yes it was…" Han started to answer the eleven year old.

"Han!" Luke shouted as he ran into the room. The fourteen year old clobbered Han in a hug, interrupting him from answering.

With a sigh that could be heard across the room, the other fourteen year old entered. "Why do I have to be here?"

Anakin gave Leia a stern glare as an answer.

"Hoh-FINE." Leia sat down on the couch.

"Why don't you go sit next to your sister?" Han said to Luke.

"Don't you want to go out to the ship?" Luke asked, eyeing his sister like she had sprouted a second head.

"No, Over the last year I've had several good paying jobs in Chandrila, among other places, and I got some gifts while I was there this last time."

Luke's eyes became very big when Han pulled out several wrapped items from a bag on the floor. "Wha-chu get me!"

"Luke!" Anakin scolded.

"Ladies first, my friend," Han said. Luke frowned.

Leia smiled when he passed her a wrapped parcel. She peeled off the flimsy and her eyes went wide with awe as she unrolled a cloth. On the cloth was a beautiful garden with many colorful flowers stitched onto it.

"Oh, that's beautiful, Han. You can put that up in your room, Leia… Leia?" said Anakin.

Leia's eyes immediately went to a smaller round device that was rolled up with the cloth. It was a metal cylinder, about twenty centimeters long, with fancy carvings on it.

"That is a…" Han started.

"A data-dagger," Leia finished.

"Yes. I can teach you how to use it. Your Lightsabers are cool, but in my experience it is always good to have a backup, and they can get past most weapons scans. All the best politicians in Chandrila have one for self defense."

"As long as it is just for self defense. You know, I can show you how to load a program on that that'll get you past most locked doors and data terminals too." Anakin added, just as awed by the new toy as his daughter.

"This is so cool, Thank you Mr. Solo." Leia answered finally.

"Please, it's Han. Okay, this is for you Leo."

Luke meanwhile groaned, unused to waiting.

Leo unwrapped his parcel to reveal several books.

"One of those is all about political debating. Your sister may want to borrow that one. But the other three are about biology, mechanics and art. I thought you might like them." Han explained. Leo meanwhile was opening the book on biology and looking at the illustrations with wide eyes.

"Oh, he's gonna love them." Anakin said. "What do you have to say, Leo? Leo?"

"Thank you, these are great," Leo finally replied after his sister poked him.

"Now me!" Luke pleaded.

Han handed him a parcel. Luke unwrapped it to reveal a model Corellian YT series Light Freighter. Luke's eyes went big. "I know you collect model ships. I had to build this one specially with parts from a few different kits all put together."

"The Girodyne Sublight Engines with a SLAM overdrive system, and the duralloy plating." Luke recited.

"Yes, amongst other things. This is the only model Millenium Falcon out there. An original."

Luke's smile filled the room. "This is great. Thank you, thank you, thank you." Luke got up and began 'flying' his falcon through the room.

"Thank you, Han," said Anakin.

"No problem. I aim to please," said Han. "Say, I wanted to ask… I mean, I also got a few blasters. Good, quality ones, and I wanted to offer to give them lessons. An Ancient weapon may be good for some things, but it's no match for a good blaster at your side."

"Hmm," Anakin thought. He and Padme had discussed things when the kids first got their kyber crystals for real lightsabers, and both decided that teaching their kids to be prepared to defend themselves was better than the alternative. Padme herself was trained with a blaster at a young age. "Okay, I'll help you. We can set up a shooting range in the desert."

"Can Ella-Reese Come?" Leo looked up from his book to ask.

"NO!" Anakin answered emphatically. "Her dad'll kill me. And her mom'll hide the body. Hear that everyone. No one tells Uncle Ben!"

"So uncivilised!" both Luke and Leia quote in a sing-song voice at the same time.


Hello,

It seems I am doing about a year between each chapter now. That's because I really want to get to where they are nineteen. I have BIG plans for then.

If anyone finds it odd that Anakin doesn't even bat an eye at giving his fourteen year old a dagger and offering to teach her to shoot a blaster, well keep in mind who we're talking about. Anakin was taken at the age of nine onto a battlefield by a couple of Jedi, and Padme, at the age of fourteen, was shot at, and apparently had the training to pick up a blaster and shoot back. This isn't as unusual for them as it is for us. Plus the kids have all been learning how to use Laser Swords for several years already.

In the next chapter the kids will be about fifteen. They will have been having regular lessons at Anakin's shooting range. An unexpected visitor may show up and… well that's for next time.