(The dead) Chancellor Palpatine's office
Coruscant
"Are we ready?" Luke asked, a trifle uneasily.
"Yes," Leia answered, holding a large steaming platter of colo claw fish.
Luke blew out a long breath and said, "Execute Order 33!"
The four unconscious clones stirred, wiggled, groaned, and clambered slowly to their feet.
"I want fish," the commander said, looking around eagerly.
"I have fish," Leia replied, lifting the platter enticingly.
"Fish!" all four men exclaimed, removing their helmets, tossing them aside, and descending on Leia with salivating fervor.
Leia retreated but left the platter floating. The four men began attacking the tender slices of coco claw with their gloved hands, apparently not dismayed by the sight of the floating tray.
"I'm Leia," she said after the foursome had satiated themselves a little. "I'm a Jedi Knight."
The commander looked up with a happy grin. "Nice to meet you, sir. I'm commander Slyte."
The twins exchanged quick glances and Luke said telepathically, "Well, that's good. Looks like a new command wipes out the previous command so these men aren't feeling murderous toward Jedi now."
"Yes, that's very good. Why don't you order some more fish from the Senatorial Kitchens, and I'll try to contact Bail Organa."
/
Tantive III
Bail Organa's ship
In space
"How many other Jedi have managed to survive?" Obi-Wan asked as he walked down the corridor with Master Yoda on one side and Bail Organa on the other.
"Heard from no one we have," Yoda answered unhappily.
"I saw thousands of troops attack the Jedi Temple," Bail explained. "That's why I went looking for Yoda."
"Sir!" a random crewman said, rushing up to the threesome. "There is a transmission from Coruscant using the private code of the Organa royal family!"
/
(The dead) Chancellor Palpatine's office
Coruscant
"Oh good!" Leia said happily, staring into the viewscreen which showed her beloved Alter father. "I wasn't sure if this code was good at this time. You don't change your codes much, do you?"
This, not unnaturally, flummoxed Bail Organa, who demanded, "Who are you? How did you get this code?"
"I am Leia," she said, reaching out a hand to yank her brother closer, "and this is Luke. We just killed Palpatine and stopped Anakin, but the important thing is the clones so..."
"You killed Palpatine?" Kenobi demanded, appearing on screen, "and what about Anakin?"
Leia sighed and forced herself to take a few deep breaths. It was hard knowing so much when everyone else was so clueless.
"Palpatine is, was, the Sith Lord you were looking for," she explained patiently. "He was leader of the Separatists and chancellor of the Republic at the same time. He started the war so that he could destroy the Jedi by executing Order 66, which forced the clones to kill the Jedi. They have chips in their brains, you see..."
"That is why they turned on me?" Kenobi interrupted, his face twisted with horror.
"Exactly," Luke said, popping back into view. "However, I am good at mimicry and a few minutes ago, I sent out an order to all the clones telling them to collapse into unconsciousness. So most of the Clones should be knocked out, which isn't ideal long term, of course. However, we've figured out that we can change the order so that they'll want to eat fish and..."
"How know you all this?" Yoda interrupted irascibly, having hopped onto a handy chair near the holoreceiver on the Tantive III.
"Hi Master Yoda!" Luke said, grinning broadly. "It's good to see you again looking so healthy and green. Anyway, my sister and I are from the future, like thirty plus years, and I trained under you. The Force sent us here. It's done that a lot, actually; we keep getting tossed into different timelines. We are actually Padme and Anakin's twin children. Anakin just turned to the Dark Side..."
"What?!" Kenobi yelped.
"Long story," Luke said, waving his prosthetic hand irritably. "Basically Palpatine has been grooming him because you are all idiots, and then he's been afraid Padme is going to die in childbirth, so..."
"I think maybe Anakin is waking up," Leia said, her gaze now on her twitching Alter Father.
"Yeah, he is. Look, we need to deal with our screwed up sort of sire but I recommend you come back to Coruscant as quickly as possible. Everything is kind of a mess here, and while we are strong and well trained Jedi, we don't have any political power."
/
Anakin Skywalker was lying in a boat, which was floating on the lake in front of Varykino on Naboo. At his side was his lovely, beautiful, exquisite, glorious, intelligent, brilliant Padme, her belly swelling with new life. Her dark eyes were fixed on his face, and she leaned forward to kiss him, her soft perfume filling his nostrils.
"Anakin..." she murmured. "Anakin, wake up."
Anakin stirred, wiggled, opened his eyes, and then shrieked in horror as the first thing that met his eyes was the ghoulish head of Sheev Palpatine, which was lying, entirely detached from his body, a few feet away.
"Oh, sorry about that," Leia said apologetically, sending out a tendril of the Force to push the various pieces of Palpatine into a convenient corner. "How are you feeling?"
"What has happened?" Anakin croaked, clambering painfully to his feet. The dream seemed more real than reality now. Had he truly turned to the Dark Side? Had he pledged his allegiance to Palpatine? What about Padme?
"We killed Palpatine and told these clones to eat fish through Order 33," Luke explained. "But let's get back to you; did you dream of Padme's death in childbirth just now?"
Anakin Skywalker blinked and narrowed his eyes as he ran his hand down his chin. He noted, absently, that he had shaved this morning; kind of amazing given how busy he had been lately, but Padme didn't like him with a beard.
"No, I dreamt of Varykino," he murmured. "It was so peaceful. So Padme is safe now? Palpatine was going to kill her and since he is dead, she is safe?"
"Yes," Luke said sympathetically. "However, I think maybe it would be best if we joined Padme at her place because my wife brought a bunch of kids there, and she needs some help keeping them from destroying the place."
"Yes, but he'll scare the kids," Leia said. "He just tried to kill them."
"Oh right," Luke said unhappily. "That's…awkward."
Anakin looked down at his hands, his blue eyes filled with tears. "I am so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I must have been insane!"
"You were exhausted and worried about Padme," Luke said comfortingly. "It doesn't entirely excuse you because killing kids is horrific, but we stopped you…"
"I attacked Master Windu when he tried to kill Palpatine," Anakin admitted.
"We'll sort that out later," Luke assured him. "Leia, maybe you can go help Padme and Mara, and Anakin and I can stay here."
"I need to see my wife!" Anakin insisted. "She must be terrified!"
Leia wrinkled her nose and said, "Fine, but we'll need to disguise you so that you don't freak the children out. They've had a rough enough day as it is."
"I have an idea about that," Luke said, "but what about the clones? I don't think it is safe to leave them unconscious for long. Just think what will happen if some random large animal steps on them, or some kind of enemy finds them entirely helpless."
"That is valid," Anakin said anxiously. "The Separatists will destroy any clones they can find."
"What if they can't find fish, though?" Luke demanded. "What do you think, Commander?"
The clone commander, who had now satiated his appetite, said, "They will seek out fish to eat, but they won't go crazy. Besides, there is lots of dried fish stored away in warehouses throughout the galaxy, including here on Coruscant. That is probably why we have that order; in general, we don't like fish, but now I feel like I could eat fish for the rest of my life and be happy!"
"So long as you don't get scurvy," Luke said, "but anyway, it sounds like we are good for now. Let's go to Padme's place!"
/
Padme's Apartment
"Another contraction?" Mara asked her husband's sort of mother.
Padme, who had been clutching her belly, nodded and said, "Yes, and it hurt a little. Is this normal?"
"Totally normal, though you probably will have the twins pretty soon because multiples are usually early. Leia and I each birthed a set of twins, and we were both three weeks early. When are yours due?"
"Still another four weeks," Padme murmured, casting a worried look on her mound of unborn children. "Now would not be a good time to go into labor considering all the political upheaval."
"Remember to stay hydrated," Mara instructed, gesturing toward the kitchen. Thirty seconds later, the door opened and a glass of water floated across the room and onto the table next to Padme.
"If I drink any more, I'll be visiting the refresher every fifteen minutes!" the Senator from Naboo protested.
"Eh, that's normal at the end of any pregnancy, and with twins, ten minutes is pretty common," Mara said sunnily, then tilted her head as if listening.
"Ah, Ok," she said, leaping to her feet and running over to the door. She carefully unlocked it to reveal the welcome form of her husband, whom she pulled within and kissed thoroughly.
Padme rose to her feet and waddled over to investigate the latest interloper to her apartment.
"Padme, your alter son, Luke. Luke, you know Padme."
"I do, but not this iteration, of course," Luke said with a smile. "Sort of Mother, it is good to see you again."
Padme drank in the sight of her adult son. He had blue eyes like Anakin, and a cleft dark blond hair like Anakin, but...
"You are short!" she blurted out, and then pinked in embarrassment. What was wrong with her?
To her relief, her Alter son laughed and said, "Compared to my father, yes! Compared to Master Yoda, I'm a giant. But I know you want to see Anakin..."
"Where is he?" she demanded eagerly.
"Out in the corridor with my sister, but I need to keep the kids busy while you bring him into the bedroom because he almost killed them a few hours ago, and we don't want them freaking out."
Padme moaned and said, "I still cannot believe that he could do such a thing!"
"It's complicated," Luke said in a placating tone, taking off a brown backpack, opening it up, and pulling out a large bag full of colorful, uninflated balloons.
"Kids!" he exclaimed, turning toward the children who were sitting, and bouncing, and rambling, and climbing around in the apartment. "Come over here in the corner! I am going to make balloon animals for you!"
The children made their way over to Luke, who began blowing up long balloons and tying them together in complex shapes while telling a story about a sand rat and a rancor and princess and a crown and a spaceship, using the Force to make his creations float and zoom as needed. In the midst of the distraction, Leia entered the apartment with Anakin, carefully cloaked, at her side; they made their way into the bedroom and shut the door, whereupon Anakin threw off his cloak and pulled Padme into his arms.
"Oh my love, I'm sorry! I am so very sorry!" he cried out.
Padme twisted a little and clutched her beloved husband to her side, since her baby belly did not permit her to hug him straight on. "It's all right, Anakin," she said in a soothing tone. "I'm just so thankful you are safe."
"He was going to kill you, Padme! I trusted him!"
Padme cast a bewildered look at her grown up daughter who was, like her twin brother, short. That was where the resemblance ended, though; Leia had dark eyes and dark hair like she did.
"He's talking about Palpatine," Leia said helpfully. "Anakin thought that Palpatine would save you from dying in childbirth, but actually he had every intention of killing you since you are devoted to democracy, plus of course Palpatine wouldn't want Anakin's loyalty to be split in any way."
"I was such a fool!" Anakin moaned, and then pressed a fervent kiss on his wife's dark head.
Padme privately thought that was true enough, but Leia merely said, "Padme should sit down, Anakin; she's very pregnant."
Anakin immediately guided his wife to the large bed. Padme sat down with a groan of relief and forced herself to think sensibly. "Ok, so Palpatine was a Sith Lord, the clones turned on the Jedi due to some horrific mind control chip in their brains, Anakin turned on the Jedi, you killed Palpatine, Anakin is rethinking his life choices, and the political situation is a horrifying mess."
"More or less," Leia agreed helpfully.