Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Star Wars movies, shows, books, comics or games. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This story is not for sale, or rent. The Mobile Armors, and later Mobile Suits mentioned in the story are inspired by the various Gundam shows. They obviously belong to their respective creators, and, or copyright owners.

Chapter 9

=FG=

Part 5

=FG=

7.5 ABY

Home One

Coruscant System

All present members of the Rogue Squadron gathered in the main hangar, clustering around an R5 Astromech droid. It projected a holo screen, showing a recording from the rapidly becoming infamous meeting between Admiral Ackbar, Generals Madine, Solo, and Councilor Organa. Another screen showed a recording of Luke and Leia discussing their real parents, including the admission that Vader, of all people, was one of them.

Wedge uneasily glanced at the commotion across the hangar – while some engineers were working on vessels of all types, most people were either busy loading and boarding transports or watching the same damn thing as the Rogues.

"This is going to be bad,"

Horn's emaciated figure shook angrily. "Don't feed me that Bantha fodder about fair trials and exposing Imperial spies," he glowered at Wedge, before looking apologetically at Tycho Celchu. "Your trial was anything but fair; I don't trust our political overlords right now to give Luke or his sister a fair shake!"

Wedge opened his mouth to argue but thought better of it. He was an optimist at heart, yet as the CO of Rogue Squadron, he was painfully familiar with some of the behind-the-

curtains dealings about Tycho's trial. Madine might have wanted to use it to nail the spy, but other people had radically different agendas. It pained Antilles to admit it, but some people in the New Republic's leadership saw an opportunity to score political points and used Tycho's trial to do it. Wedge knew that his man was supposed to be convicted and get the book thrown at him to prove the New Republic, contrary to the Empire, could be as harsh to human lawbreakers as it would be on aliens. In the Empire, most aliens were second-class citizens with all that entailed, and humans tended to get far lighter sentences for the same offenses.

In theory, the goal was sound. The Republic had to prove it wasn't just the Empire in a new set of clothes. However, using one of Wedge's pilots to do it, an innocent man? That was a low blow that disillusioned him with some people.

Leia Organa was notably not among their number, and now, Wedge was certain she would be out of politics for a long while, if not for good. That didn't paint a pretty picture. Madine going too… That man might have been a right bastard, but he was loyal and reliable. Antilles couldn't say the same about whoever might replace him.

As if all that was not bad enough, Wedge was still salty for command, forcing two new members into his squadron, only for one of them to turn out to be the real traitor.

"You know, many of these folks who are busy leaving are former Imperials," Tycho didn't take the bait and ignored the talk about his trial. That was a painful topic for the young man, one among many.

Wes looked away, glancing over the people busy loading a nearby shuttle.

"At least two of these are Madine's people. I've worked with those spooks a few times. Good, reliable sorts. Both are former Imperial Commandos Madine trained personally, then recruited after he joined us," Janson told them.

"How do you know that, Wes?" Corran

inquired.

"I was on punishment duty after that desert prank and ended up scrubbing floors with them. We talked about how we got there and our missions together. It wasn't a secret what they were up to before joining us. Only what they are generally doing for Madine and Intelligence," Wes explained.

"I still owe you for that! I had to spend hours in the fresher getting clean!" Tycho grumbled.

"I freely admit that prank went south! It was meant to be in good humor, not how it turned out! That was why I didn't protest my punishment detail! You all know that!" Wes protested.

"Yet you keep pranking people," Tycho grimaced.

"It helps me deal with things. And we all can use a laugh or ten most of the time," Janson pointed out.

Fair enough. They all had quirks that helped them deal with everything that happened on missions or after seeing the latest Imperial atrocity.

"I've been thinking about resigning and going after Isard," Corran said. "We can't allow her to get away with poisoning Coruscant. However, Luke's one of our own, and he needs help. His sister needs help. Say what you will about our politicians, but Leia's good people."

"The thought crossed my mind," Tycho admitted. "However, with these new Imperials in the picture, command might be right

this time. Isard's stunts might just become a side-show no matter how deadly."

That right here was a conversation-stopper, Wedge concluded after everyone glumly looked at the repeating recordings.

"We need to see what Luke is up to first. Then we can make up our minds," Wedge suggested.

As if someone was listening, Wes' comm beeped. He unhooked it from his belt and switched it on.

"Wes Janson here…"

"Wes, it's Luke. Things are getting complicated on my end. I'll have to get Leia somewhere safe and quiet so she can recover. I've heard that it might be for the best to make myself scarce from New Republic space for the time being. Give everyone my best and tell Wedge I expect him to keep you all in one piece."

"Luke, do you need help? We're all listening," Wedge

asked, worry evident in his voice.

"We're all here and saw what happened. You might want to sneak your sister off the ship, Luke," Corran suggested. "From what we can see, people aren't exactly happy, and Madine's spooks are busy jumping ship, making everything more complicated."

"We've spoken with Mon Mothma. She'll pull a few strings and is officially sending me as an ambassador to the new Imperials so I can figure out what their deal is. They have their own Force using group that replaced the Jedi Order who can help Leia and me with our training."

The Rogues looked at each other when Luke dropped that bomb.

"We're in the main hangar. If you're coming this way, let's meet. At the very least, we can say goodbye in person and run interference if needed," Wedge offered.

"Han has the Falcon there, so that's where we're heading. Leia's stunned, so we won't be exactly inconspicuous, but we'll figure out something,"

Luke elaborated.

That statement raised everyone's eyebrows. The situation with Luke's sister might have been even direr than the recording suggested, and it was bad; there were no two ways about it.

"Tell us which entrance you'll be using, and we'll meet you there," Wedge all but ordered. "We take care of our own. There won't be a repeat of the kriff-up with Tycho on my watch."

"I appreciate that, Wedge," Tycho smiled sadly.

"Damn straight!" Corran pumped a fist in the air at that decision.

"We're going to use the side entrance closest to the Falcon. We'll see you in ten minutes or so," Luke told them, cutting off the connection.

"So who is going after Isard, and who is going with Luke? We aren't going to let him go to the new Imperials alone, right?" Corran demanded.

"The hell we will!" Wes agreed.

"I've got a score to settle with Isard, so I'm up to going after her," Tycho volunteered.

"After all you've been through, I suggest you go with Luke, Tycho. Going after Isard is personal for you, and that can get you to make mistakes. I would suggest the same to you too, Corran, but I know better," Wedge weighted in.

"I make a promise to a few of the prisoners on that damn ship to get them out. I'm going after Isard," Horn made it clear he wouldn't change his mind.

"I'm coming with you then," Wes decided. "Wedge? You and Tycho should go with Luke. We'll see who else we might persuade to resign and go after Isard."

"Someone has to keep Luke out of trouble," Antilles sighed. "The Force knows he gets in some kind of a mess the moment I get my eyes off him!" Wedge bemoaned.

=FG=

Part 6

=FG=

7.5 ABY

Palpatine Class Star Destroyer Dauntless

Coruscant System

Padme sat on a couch in the guest quarters of the ship, wondering how everything got even more complicated. Anakin paced across the room, clearly worried about Ahsoka and the young man who was apparently a son of theirs from this odd timeline. The other Leia, too, for that matter. It was hard to wrap your head around the idea of meeting your grown-up and yet-to-be-born children from another time, yet Anakin did it. Luke and Leia. Their long-dead counterparts had twins. Padme smiled at that thought. So, both she and Anakin might have been right.

"Senator Skywalker, we've got an incoming call for you," one of the ship's communication officers spoke, breaking the tension.

Padme tapped a button on a pad she held in her lap, which she had attached to her comm unit to, and spoke. "Patch it through."

"Padme? Skyguy? We've got an issue here," Ahsoka sounded quite displeased. That wasn't an easy feat nowadays. After everything she had been through, it was hard to rattle her.

"Snips, talk to me!" Anakin practically jumped from the other side of the room to land beside Padme.

"Their Leia is a mess who needs a lot of peace and quiet as well as proper training to use the Force without going all crazy Darksider on us. There are political complications over here, so I suggested that we offer her asylum. The Mon Mothma from the New Republic government suggested we take Luke as a goodwill ambassador or something like that. He's apparently in hot water with his government for being a good Jedi and keeping them from attacking us for being Imperials."

Padme and Anakin looked at each other in exasperation. What was wrong with these people?! At least the other Mon was sensible as well, even if they had their political differences. She was a friend, and Padme couldn't imagine anything else, so things weren't as bad as they could have been. On the other hand, Padme wasn't looking forward to learning all the details, making Mon think that sending her Luke and Leia to the Federated Empire was a good idea. Force, thinking about this whole mess was confusing and headache-inducing!

"I believe I can stretch my authority to make it legal. I can certainly accept their Luke as an ambassador," Padme offered, and Anakin nodded happily in relief. "If Luke is their only Jedi, we might be in a much better position to help their Leia, right?" She looked at her husband.

"We have experience in dealing with the Dark Side, and even Sith to consult if it's bad enough," Anakin reminded her.

Yes, they had reasonable, or kind-of reasonable Sith on their side. Before the war, Padme thought she knew what Sith were after the Naboo Crisis. Oh, how wrong she was… On the other hand, she reluctantly admitted that everyone should be forever grateful that Veil and Zash didn't join the Confederacy. They were terrible enough when fighting on their side. Padme certainly didn't want to imagine them as enemies, considering what they did when somewhat restrained by what their side deemed acceptable.

"That's my thought as well, Skyguy. At any rate, it is clear that Luke and Leia have to make themselves scarce right now, so we're about to leave separately for obvious reasons. I need to know if I should send them to our fleet or tell them to head for some obscure hidey-hole," Ahsoka added.

Padme closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. If that was her Leia in trouble, she could only hope that a counterpart of hers would do their best to help her… Did that sentence even make sense?!

"Tell them to come here. I'll call in a few favors if nothing else helps. We'll get Leia an asylum and all the help she needs," Padme decided. Beside her, Anakin beamed and gave her thumbs up, clearly signaling his approval.

"Luke heard. He'll be along with Leia on a Corellian cargo ship piloted by a friend of theirs. A General Han Solo."

"Any relation to Admiral Solo?" Anakin wondered.

"We all want to know that and will figure it out when we return home. I'll call back when I'm on board my transport."

"I'll speak with Admiral Yularen and make sure you can land without issue," Padme promised.

"I'm looking forward to it. See you soon! Skyguy, try to stay out of trouble; I don't need any more Skywalker-shaped complications!" With those parting words, Snips cut off the connection.

"I'm not that bad!" Anakin whined.

"With our luck, I think we need to get Leia many minders," Padme huffed. "We are both that bad, if not worse, Anakin," she fiddled with her comm, switching to the private channel she had with the Admiral.

"Senator Skywalker, I was just about to call you," Yularen sounded exasperated.

"What's the issue? We've got a situation I need to inform you of," Padme didn't like the sound of this. What went wrong now?!

"We've got more alleged defectors incoming, requesting protection, boarding permission, and debriefing."

"More Imperials?" Padme asked.

"Former Imperials who were serving the New Republic. There has been some upheaval over there, which apparently forced their hand, or so General Crix Madine claims. He was allegedly in charge of their Intelligence service until he just resigned." Yularen's words made his disbelief crystal clear.

"Do you think this is related to whatever their Leia did?" Anakin wondered.

That made a painful amount of sense.

"Can you patch this Madine through?" Padme requested. "I have a few questions for him. And please prepare a secure channel for our Coruscant. I might need to speak with the Empress with some urgency."

"I'll see to it, Senator. I'll have comms patch him through to you momentarily. However, I am not letting Madine or his people board without having their ships inspected first," Yularen warned.

"Make the necessary arrangements in case this might be genuine. Even if it is some kind of trap, we might have to spring it," Padme noted.

"Skywalkers. Why are you always keen on springing traps!?" Yularen bemoaned.

"It works for us more often than not, Admiral," Anakin pipped up.

"I wouldn't put it that way, as you well know! Patching you through now. Tell me what I need to know when you're done. Yularen out."

The screen of Padme's datapad showed an image of a pale man with reddish-brown wavy hair and a short beard.

"Senator Skywalker?" He asked after studying Padme for a few moments. "I am Crix Madine, formerly General in the New Republic military. Recent events forced me to rethink my allegiance. I wish to defect along with some like-minded individuals."

"I've heard that," Padme noted. "I am Senator Padme Skywalker, and I have the authority to accept or deny your request, General. Why should I take you at your word?"

"We can offer you priceless intelligence on the state of the galaxy and everything the New Republic knew about the Imperial Warlords. While we disagree about where the New Republic is heading, I must stress that I and my people are unwilling to compromise its security by sharing critical information," Madine explained.

"You understand that this is an offer that sounds too good to be true, do you not, General?" Padme inquired. She didn't glance at Anakin but made a gesture requesting his input. Her husband simply nodded, agreeing with her assessment.

"Under most circumstances, you would be right. I did not make this decision lightly, Senator. However, I must admit that the New Republic wasn't my first choice. The Rebel Alliance it rose from was the only viable alternative for those of us who wanted to oppose the Empire's war crimes. While the official name of the Rebellion was the Alliance to Restore the Republic, some of us really wanted something else. A reformed Empire which lived to the promise of the New Order, instead of the monstrosity it became under the Emperor and his cronies," Madine sighed. "The New Republic was not the choice we would have made if there was a better alternative, Senator. However, with the Warlords going more insane by the day, we believed that the dream of a reformed Empire was dead. That left us to do what we could to safeguard the galaxy's people from within the New Republic… and make up for our sins from when we served the Empire. Your Empire is offering us another option."

"That was a fine speech, General. Yet it doesn't tell me why I should trust you or authorize Admiral Yularen to accept your defection. Doing so would cause me immediate political headaches," Padme pointed out.

"We do not expect trust, far from it. Trust must be earned, and even then, we expect to be watched for a long while," Madine shrugged in a 'what could you do' way. "However, we are offering priceless information and know-how about the Imperial military and intelligence services methods, Isard's ISB in particular."

"What does Leia have to do with your defection, General Madine?" Padme demanded.

A brief twitch flashed over Madine's face before he could school back his expression. If Padme hadn't been dealing with politicians her whole life, she would have missed it. As it was, she wasn't quite sure if her question caused it.

"Solo called Skywalker… and he requested your people's assistance, didn't he? Good," Madine nodded. "Organa's breakdown has everything to do with this. Her political career in the New Republic is over. She was a key pillar of stability. With Organa's breakdown, she can't continue to fulfill that role. Without her, the odds of the New Republic even trying to be better than the Old Republic are now even more remote. As a consequence, remaining in service of the New Republic is now even less enticing, especially when we have an alternative."

"Follow Admiral Yularen's instruction. I'll provisionally authorize taking you in, provided you aren't bringing in unpleasant surprises. I'll let the Imperial Knights and our Intelligence Services sort you out," Padme decided.

"That might be for the best," Anakin agreed after Padme cut the connection. "Now Delkatar is going to get involved. He still has his hands full in shaping up our intelligence agencies."

"That's Madine's problem now, isn't it? If he is not genuine," Padme sighed. "I really shouldn't enjoy what might happen then," she shook her head in regret. "That damned war…"

"It changed us all, and not for the better," Anakin agreed. He sat beside Padme and hugged her, and she hid her face in his chest.

"Now I need to explain all this to Satine," Padme murmured.

"Do you want me to speak with her?" Anakin offered.

"It was my call. I will take responsibility."