Precipice by shadowsong26
Reunion: Chapter 3
Security, when they landed in Aldera City, was tighter than Obi-Wan had expected. Regular port security-both local and Imperial-had been supplemented by...well not a full garrison, perhaps, but he counted at least a dozen extra troopers.
Anakin was on high alert, but hiding it far better than he used to. He kept a firm grip on Leia's hand and scanned the crowd mostly inconspicuously.
Enough so that, when they finally got to the customs desk-manned by one of the stormtroopers, rather than a regular customs official-Obi-Wan was fairly sure the trooper wasn't any more suspicious of them than he had been of everyone else.
"Let me see your identification," he demanded.
"Yeah," Anakin said-he was getting much better about holding to a cover, too; even Obi-Wan could barely hear the tension underlying his voice. Anyone else who managed would likely put it down to a perfectly reasonable concern due to the upgraded security.
The trooper scanned their cards, studying whatever readout popped up in his helmet. "What's your business on Alderaan?"
"Maia's mother was...from here," Anakin said, just as they'd planned, pulling Leia a little closer to him. "I want her to have more than stories."
Half-truths were always better than outright lies. Easier to remember, and easier to make credible. Either Obi-Wan or Anakin could mind trick the trooper if it didn't work, of course, but best to avoid that if at all possible.
"Where are you staying?" he asked, after mulling that over for a minute. "With relatives?"
"Unfortunately, no," Obi-Wan cut in. "That side of the family has scattered, and we're not in very close touch. We're meeting a distant cousin, who's going to show us around, but we won't be staying with him. I understand he doesn't have room." He was careful to sound slightly annoyed at the prospect.
"Uh-huh," he said. He was silent for another moment, studying them through his mask. "All right. You'll need to provide your cousin's contact details, and the address where you'll be staying." He passed back their IDs, along with a datastick. "Your visas are for three days, and you do not have permission to leave the city. The datastick has a map of areas that are off limits to ordinary citizens, and there is a curfew for tourists at 2100 hours. Obey the restrictions and make your flight, or you will be detained. Next!"
Obi-Wan stepped on Anakin's foot, because he could see him about to mouth off. Well, at least he lasted this long. Given everything that's at stake today... "Joren, come on."
"Yeah, I'm coming," he said, grabbing their papers and taking Leia's hand again. "All right, princess?"
"Yeah, Dad," she said. She was watching the crowd, too; noting where the troopers were and-no, not the troopers; she was keeping an eye out for who they were watching.
Clever girl, he said, with a mingled pride and sadness, that she already knew those tricks. They're either truly dangerous criminals or potential allies. Either way, people worth noting.
"Is it just me," Anakin asked, once they were out of the spaceport proper and no longer being watched quite so closely, "or…?"
"Yes, I know what you mean," Obi-Wan said. "While we wait for our cousin, we might try to find a news feed. I hope nothing's happened."
"Yeah," he said.
"There's a cafe over there," Leia said. "They might have a feed, and it's not a cantina so I can come with you."
Anakin glanced over at him. "Good a place as any, right?"
On the one hand, there was almost certainly nothing they could do about whatever security threat was in play. And there was a very good chance that, whether or not it had anything to do with anyone they knew-or even the three of them directly; though that was unlikely, otherwise Bail would have warned him-it would only serve as a point of stress. Spoil what was supposed to be a long overdue time of joy.
On the other hand, the more they knew, the better they could handle whatever else got thrown at them. The better they could keep the children safe.
Better to know, he decided. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
"Well, we are a bit off schedule, so we might have to wait for Arid a bit," Obi-Wan agreed, keeping his voice light as he could. Maintaining his cover. "And they probably have hot chocolate." Which made Leia perk up quite a bit, and coaxed an amused smile and a hint of relaxation out of Anakin.
Good.
Obi-Wan bit back a smile of his own. "Come along, then, follow me."
Anakin followed, keeping Leia between the two of them. Unlikely they would lose her even if he didn't, of course, but he felt more secure that way.
But then, when they were halfway across the plaza-
"Wait!"
He turned, and-yes, that was their contact. One of the crew from the Tantive, who had been with them ten years ago. Low ranked enough to not draw undue attention, but someone he would recognize. Just as he and Bail had agreed.
"Arid, it's good to see you," he said, forcing his shoulders to relax and wearing an open smile.
"You, too," he said, grinning. "Joren, hi."
Anakin nodded. "Hey," he said.
"And this must be Maia," Arid said, turning to Leia.
"Hi," she said. "Uncle Wat told me lots about you." Which was not precisely true-Obi-Wan didn't know enough about Arid Lendry to tell Leia much, but she was a remarkably convincing liar when she wanted to be.
At least when speaking to a stranger.
"Really?" he said. "Well, I'm flattered. Hope they were nice things."
"They were," she said, and smiled a little. Anakin squeezed her shoulder briefly.
"We were just about to call you," Obi-Wan said. "From the cafe-we got held up a bit in the port, and missed our planned meeting."
Arid nodded. "Yeah, all the troopers, I'm not surprised."
"Do you know what happened?" Anakin asked.
Arid glanced down at Leia again, and Anakin made a show of covering her ears.
She rolled her eyes and unmistakably sulked, but Obi-Wan was sure she could hear everything anyway.
"There was a bombing, on Imperial Center," Arid said, lowering his voice. "In the Senate district. Midmorning, local, so late yesterday here."
And, despite the gravity of the news, he could feel a faint trace of relief from Anakin, bleeding into the Force next to him, and couldn't help but feel the same, for the barest of moments.
It's nothing to do with us, or with our trip here, he thought. So it's...at least it's not as bad as it could have been. We'll need to be careful, but-well, we would have needed to be careful anyway.
Of course, the relief didn't last long. For either him or Anakin. Because even if it was no threat to them, a bomb planted in the Senate district, midmorning, could have gotten-very, very ugly.
"I do hope no one was hurt too badly," he said.
"They haven't reported any serious casualties, but I only know what they've been saying on the news," Arid said. "I guess the HoloNet hookup on the liner wasn't great?"
"No, not really," Anakin said. He let go of Leia's ears, took her hand in one of his, and gestured for Arid to lead them on with the other. "So it was a surprise when things were so...so tense when we landed."
"It's not usually like that," Arid assured them, as they started across the plaza to where he, assuming everything was still going to plan, would have a speeder waiting. "Alderaan is a peaceful planet. We always have been."
"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "Better to be careful, I suppose," he added, with a half glance back at the port. And whether he meant the Imperial response, or the need to keep their own heads down, or something else entirely-that was for any observers to decide for themselves.
Anakin rather smoothly changed the subject, asking a few general questions about the best ways to get around the city. Questions they had already researched, of course, just in case, but it passed the time and should pacify any suspicious observers. Obi-Wan chimed in at appropriate moments, but was only half-listening; keeping an eye out for trouble. As one of them always did, in unfamiliar surroundings.
After a ten-minute walk, they were at last safely in the speeder, and Arid immediately dropped all pretense. "We can talk in here," he said. "Solid countersurveillance, or I wouldn't be picking you up in it."
"Good to hear," Obi-Wan said.
"I'm glad you made it through security," Arid added. "We were worried."
"So were we, for a minute there," Anakin said. "But our IDs held up and everything."
Arid nodded, and sent a quick message before starting the speeder. "We're all set at the Palace. So far as we can tell, this is more of a general heightened-security situation, rather than an actual crackdown."
Also good-while not a guarantee, it made it much less likely that the Palace itself would be examined too closely. Another point of tension in the back of Obi-Wan's neck unknotted at the thought.
"As a response to the bombing," Anakin said.
"Yeah," Arid said, and glanced up at them in the mirror. "Any thoughts on it? Or who might be responsible?"
"Not really," Anakin said, and tapped Leia's shoulder. She looked up at him for a minute; he raised an eyebrow. She sighed, and pulled out her headphones, settling in to stare out the window and do her best not to eavesdrop.
While she was settling, Obi-Wan considered the question, then shook his head. "None of the cells we work with regularly would attempt something like this, I don't think."
"We know there are cells out there that might," Anakin said. "Problem is, we don't really have much of a relationship with any of them. But that might be changing soon."
"We have an opportunity to reach out to...one of the more radical cells, out in the Outer Rim," Obi-Wan said. "According to our intelligence, at least."
"They're affiliated with one of Ashla's old contacts," Anakin added.
Which was a large part of why Ahsoka was there and not here with them. She had wanted to come, of course, but between that, and the fact that she would make it a lot harder for them to blend in-a small Human family was one thing, but her species and, more importantly, their history together just might be enough to draw attention they couldn't afford.
"We're not sure if he has the resources to make a strike on Coruscant itself," he added. "But if he doesn't, he might well know the people who do."
"Right," Arid said.
"Beyond that, I'm not sure what else we can tell you," Anakin said. "Sorry. Especially without...without knowing much about the target." He frowned, and glanced over at Leia, who was still staring out the window.
"Something wrong?" Arid asked.
"No, not really," he said. "But I can't…" Anakin hesitated. "I'm sorry, I really-I can't worry any more about this right now. The bombing. And the fewer details I know…"
The less likely he'd be to fixate on some of it, and take away from a reunion that was already going to be far too short.
"I'll handle it," Obi-Wan assured him, before Arid could try to object. "What there is to handle from here, anyway. I'm not sure there's much of anything we can do. But I'll keep an eye on the situation, and unless there is something, and I absolutely need you for it, I'll wait and brief you when we leave."
Anakin nodded, visibly relieved. "I trust you," he said. "To know what I need to know."
"Good," he said, and smiled.
Arid, while disappointed, handled it with grace. "All right," he said. "General Kenobi, we can talk in more detail later?"
"Of course," he said.
With that settled-and the subject officially tabled for now-Anakin tapped Leia on the shoulder again, and she pulled out her headphones. "Thanks, princess," he said, and bent over to kiss the top of her head briefly.
"Sure," she said, rolling her eyes a little but not making any attempt to duck out of the way.
The four of them fell quiet then and Obi-Wan, too, set aside all thoughts of the bombing. Minute by minute, they drew closer to the Palace. Right now-for a few hours, anyway, everything else could wait.
Mom was settled on the couch in the suite Uncle Bail had set up for them, pretending to read something on her datapad, but really looking up at the window at least once or twice every minute.
Winter was teaching Luke how to play a board game, and he was trying to pay attention, really he was. It was just...hard right now.
Everything Mom had told him on the flight over was still buzzing through his head.
Mom was his birth mother, and had lied to him and everyone about it, so the Emperor wouldn't hunt him down.
His father was alive, and coming here to meet them.
He had a sister.
It didn't really feel real yet, except that it made so much of his life make so much more sense. His dreams, how they made Mom worry…
It was like there'd been pieces missing from him for ever and ever and now they were all fitting back into place.
"Your move, Luke," Winter prompted gently, jerking him out of his thoughts.
"Right," he said. "Um." He hesitated for a second, then cautiously picked up one of his pieces and moved it a few spaces to the left. "I can move him that way, right?"
"Yeah," she said. "Just not on the diagonals."
"Got it," he said.
Winter thought it through for half a minute, studying the board and chewing her lower lip, then made her own move, sidestepping one of his pieces and blocking him in to win the game. If he remembered the rules right.
And, sure enough, "Sorry, Luke," she said. "You did pretty good though, for your first try."
"I'll do better next time," he said. "Thanks for teaching me."
"Sure," she said, and smiled. "We can go again if you want?"
Before he could answer, there was a soft tap on the door, and Aunt Sabẻ came in.
Mom half stood up, clutching her datapad a little nervously. "Any news?" she asked.
"They're in the lift now," Aunt Sabẻ said, and Luke's heart jumped a little.
His father. And his sister. They were just-just-not even minutes away now.
He was already standing next to Mom before he realized he'd forgotten to actually excuse himself from Winter.
"Oh, good, they made it," Mom said softly, squeezing his hand once, comforting, before letting go.
"I should go tell my parents," Winter said. Even though they probably already knew-Mom always knew important things like that before Luke could tell her.
"Thank you," Mom said.
Winter bowed briefly, grinned a little at Luke and mouthed 'good luck!', then slipped out the door, with Aunt Sabẻ following.
Leaving Luke and Mom alone. Waiting.
They stood there for a second that felt like forever, and then, finally, the lift door slid open.
There were two men and a girl standing there. The taller man, with a scar across one eye and another going along his chin, lit up like the sun when he saw Luke and Mom. The other, a little older, gave them a much softer smile, warm and kind and happy and sinking right to the base of Luke's spine.
The girl-the girl looked sort of confused at first, taking in the whole room, tilting her head, like she was trying to figure something out.
Then she met Luke's eyes. And hers went wide, and even if he hadn't already guessed, he would've known.
A sudden bolt of understanding flew between them. Just a split-second flash of I know you.
His sister. Leia.
He grinned, and waved at her.
She waved back.
"Ani," Mom breathed, and took a step toward the lift.
"Padmẻ ," he said, and met her halfway, pulling her into a tight hug. "I missed you."
"I know," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "I know, I know." She let go and studied him for a second, then laughed a little, except she was crying at the same time. She picked up his hand and kissed it.
She was happy; so happy Luke could feel it spilling out of her even without looking.
Then, without letting go of the scarred man-of his father-Mom held out her other hand to Luke.
Leia, across the room, didn't wait for an invitation-or even the nudge the other man gave her shoulder-before going to join their parents.
Their parents.
Mom, still smiling-still crying-said, "There's someone you should meet."
Original Author's Notes: So sorry for the much longer hiatus than planned. 3 But I should be back now ::knock on wood, etc.::
Thanks so much for coming back/sticking around/your patience! 3
~shadowsong