Out of the Shadows 34

Bespin

Lando Calrissian brushed a crease from the edge of his powder-blue cape and strode purposefully to his quarters. He was tired – it had been a busy day - but not a hint of that tiredness showed on his darkly handsome face. Production had increased, as had the demand for Tibanna Gas, and it was proving to be a lucrative if wearing endeavour. He prided himself on meeting the demand.

Flashing his trademark gleaming white smile at several passers-by, he waved his hand over the recognition bar next to his private lift. The door slid aside without even a whisper of a sound. He had worked hard for what he had achieved and he expected the best. He never knew when his luck would change and he might have to run for his life. It had happened before but he was going to try and prevent such a thing from ever happening to him again if possible.

Only after the door had closed on his luxurious domain did Lando relax. Running the Bespin facility was something he enjoyed and he made sure that he always looked to be in control. He fancied that it was like acting in one of the top holodramas - he had a part to play and sometimes he wondered if they would see through his act and discover him for the two-bit scoundrel he had been before assuming respectability.

“Baron-Administrator…” Lobot stood patiently waiting, his bald head gleaming in the subdued lighting.

“Any problems, Lobot?” Lando asked, removing his cape and handing it to the cyborg.

“No, Baron-Administrator. Citizen Streen was willingly and successfully placed in stasis.”

“They went ahead with it!” Lando exclaimed. “Good. I thought the medical droid was somewhat reluctant to let his patient undergo such a procedure. Something had to happen because the poor man would have had to remain sedated which is not as effective in the long run. In my opinion he could not have remained conscious much longer without being driven mad.”

“It was not carbonite,” Lobot said.

“True,” Lando’s mouth flattened. Mention of carbonite brought up memories of a more traumatic time in his life. “No one is ever to be placed in carbon freeze as long as I am in charge of this facility.”

“Citizen Streen was adamant that he be placed in stasis.”

“Yes, he would be…poor old guy.” Lando poured himself a glass of Corellian whiskey and then slumped into a form-fitting repulsor chair. He took a sip of the amber liquid and sighed. He now had the responsibility of keeping this man in stasis until Luke turned up – if he ever did.

“And Baron-Administrator…” Lobot stood stiffly in front of him.

“Yes?”

“Princess Leia Organa has left a message requesting that you contact her as soon as possible.”

Lando sat up straight, his fatigue vanishing. “Leia did?” He grinned. It was too much to hope for that Luke had surfaced but he always enjoyed talking to the Alderaanian princess. Deep down part of him always hoped that she might change her affections to him but it was a vain hope and Han was a lucky man. “Get her for me please, Lobot.”

“As you wish.” The lights on the bulky headpiece attached to his bald pate flashed as he strode to the nearest computer terminal. “Message received,” he announced. “Princess Leia Organa, Baron-Administrator.” Lobot gave a stiff bow and left Lando alone.

The holo emitter gave a faint buzz and then flickered into an image of a dark-haired woman. “Lando!” Leia’s smile was dazzling. He could feel its power all the way across the galaxy.

“Princess Leia Organa,” he greeted her fulsomely, his charm on full power. “You are more beautiful every time I see you.”

“Flatterer,” Leia said laughing. “Good news.” She paused, the smile on her lips trembling. “No, not just good news - wonderful news. Luke has come home. He’s alright and he’s back where he belongs.”

Lando’s lips curved into an answering smile. Streen, his problem citizen, would finally be dealt with. “Brilliant. When?”

“Just over a week ago.”

“You’ve kept it quiet. There’s been no mention of it on the holo and I keep myself well informed of all things that are important in the galaxy.”

Leia shook her head. “No one knows yet. I wanted to announce it immediately from the tallest spire on Coruscant but Luke wasn’t too keen on the idea and Han backed him up. My brother wants to remain low key.”

“That’s not normally in his nature,” Lando said, chuckling. “Luke Skywalker - low key? I don’t think so.” He sipped his drink and then as her words struck him, some of the whisky went down the wrong way. “Wait a minute…brother?” he managed to choke out.

“Luke is my brother.”

“Well, I suppose Han is mine. But we had different parents and look nothing alike.”

Leia closed her eyes for a moment before taking a steadying breath. It would get easier with the telling. “No, Luke really is my brother. We’re twins.”

“Twins.” Lando echoed.

“That’s what I said.”

“This is true?” Lando lost his carefully composed air and gaped. She was joking – she had to be. But then, Leia Organa did not normally joke in this fashion and there was something about her expression that told him this was important to her. “Really true?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“You don’t look alike either and he’s a boy…” Lando tried to lighten the mood.

“Fraternal twins, not identical,” Leia muttered exasperatedly and Lando knew that he’d succeeded. The anxious frown had gone from her forehead. “The 2-1B on Home One confirmed all the tests but he didn’t need to. We both just knew that it was right. We knew that it was the truth.”

“Does Han know?”

“Of course, he does,” Leia said, grinning.

“When are you letting the rest of the galaxy into the Jedi-loop? Luke returning from goodness-knows-where will be major holo news once it gets out as it is, Princess.”

“Yes, I suppose it will until the next story turns up to supersede it. We’ve planned for that one, too. Mon Mothma will give a press conference in the next few days. She will also announce…” Leia paused and seemed to be staring at someone outside the range of the hologram pod. “It’s Lando,” she murmured. “Do you want to speak to him?”

“Guess I could…” Han Solo’s figure appeared next to Leia’s.

“Han!” Lando said. “Didn’t expect to talk to you today. Thought you might be working on fixing my ship. You better not be ruining the Falcon.”

Han shook his head. “Best thing I ever did winning her from you, Calrissian.”

Lando shook his head, laughing. He could no more take the Falcon from Han than stop wearing stylish clothes. “She’s still the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.”

“Saved my life a few times,” Han said.

“And mine.” Lando stared curiously at the couple - there was just something about them today - and the happiness they couldn’t keep from their faces. They must have missed Luke very much indeed.

“Lando,” Leia said briskly. “Han and I are getting married.”

“Married! When?” The surprises kept coming today, he thought. But was this piece of news really a surprise? Lando guessed that it was inevitable. For a scoundrel, Han had a large nobility streak. Perhaps it came from hanging around with Jedi.

Han’s smirk threatened to take over his entire face. “We’re getting married as soon as it can be arranged. We were waiting for Luke to come home first. I had to do things right and ask for her hand.”

“Luke’s your brother…your real-life biologically tested brother?” he asked, just to make sure they weren’t winding him up.

Leia gave Han a warning glance. “Everything matches.”

“You’re not identical, right?” He thought he’d asked that question but he was beginning to get confused.

“Fraternal, remember?” Leia reminded him.

Han rolled his eyes. “What do you think? Leia’s a girl and Luke, I’m pretty sure, is a boy. But I haven’t examined him closely. I don’t lean that way.”

Leia’s sigh showed her exasperation. “Of course we’re not identical. We were hidden to keep us both safe. Perhaps it’s a good thing that we don’t resemble one another.”

“No, you don’t look alike but sometimes when you smile…” He could see it now. The resemblance was fleeting but it was there. The elusive arrangement of genes displayed in the turn of a head or an occasional smile. “One of you must take more after your mother and the other your father.”

“Probably,” Leia muttered, her happy expression dimming slightly.

“Congratulations on your engagement and I can’t think why you didn’t do it years ago,” Lando said warmly.

“You know why,” Han chipped in with a rueful grin.

Lando shook his head and then nodded. “Of course, Luke.”

“Speaking of Luke,” Leia said. “I told him about your possible Jedi candidate and he’s very interested to meet him and see if he can help him. You said he’d been having problems.”

“Yes.” Lando’s gaze grew troubled. “At first I thought he was an old man with delusions - he hears voices constantly. But it’s more than that. He’s a gas prospector on Bespin and listens to the wind to tell him when he can make a strike. He’s beaten the major companies with all their most recent testing equipment ninety-nine times out a hundred. Recently, someone decided to remove him from the scene.” His jaw firmed. “They failed but he was in a real mess.”

Han’s mouth dropped open. “He must be worth a fortune…poor guy.”

“He gave it all away,” Lando said. “He cannot live around others.”

“What?” Leia frowned, not understanding.

“He said that he heard all their voices in his head and it was too much. He preferred the company of the rawks on Tibannopolis to the people and comforts on Bespin.”

“And you are certain he’s not certifiably insane?” asked Han, stunned that someone could just give away such wealth.

“The conversations I’ve had with him have made a surprising amount of sense,” Lando admitted thoughtfully. “Although at first I thought like you, I soon changed my mind. I would like Luke to see him.”

“Would it help if my brother spoke to him?”

“Not at the moment,” Lando admitted quietly. “Streen’s gone voluntarily into stasis. I would bring him to Coruscant but I don’t think it’s a good environment for the old man. Too many people”

“You sound as if you’ve grown fond of him,” Leia remarked.

Lando sighed. “I don’t know. I’ve spoken to him a couple of times and I feel sorry for him. He doesn’t fit into any place.”

“Luke will know what to do, buddy,” said Han.

“That’s what I thought,” said Lando. “Streen needs someone to help him. Luke has this rescuing people complex.”

“Tell me about it,” Han commented wryly.

Leia checked a data pad. “I’ll get Luke to contact you himself when he’s free. He’s in all these meetings with Cracken and Mon Mothma this week.”

“Thank you.”

“And make sure that you’re able to come to Coruscant for the wedding,” Han said. “It’s going to happen as soon as we can arrange it.”

“I wouldn’t miss the most important socio-political event in the galaxy,” Lando replied just before cutting the connection.

“Nerf,” stated Leia.

“But he’s right,” said Han, his trademark smirk in evidence.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Coruscant

A week had passed and although Kam hadn’t totally relaxed, he was beginning to think that their encounter with the Force-strong red-headed woman hadn’t had any consequences. Still, the worry gnawed at him. Needing to do something constructive instead of sitting around allowing the worry to grow, he stared at the three long wooden poles he’d managed to acquire from one of the machine shops next to the spaceport. Only he and Kelt had lightsabers but the boy wasn’t ready to use it yet and he doubted that Tionne had ventured into the mechanics of lightsaber combat techniques in her quest to document the songs and history of the Jedi. That redhead was out there somewhere and he had to start training his little group sooner rather than later. Yet, he didn’t think he was capable of training someone like Kelt to knighthood. It wasn’t just that he lacked confidence. His fall to the dark side had definitely held him back and there were gaps in his knowledge owing to the fall of the Jedi temple and the death of his father.

“I haven’t the first idea how to contact Princess Leia Organa,” Tionne confessed, as she entered the crew area.

“Would she see people like us?” Kelt asked from his seat next to the bulkhead. “She’s a Princess,” he finished lamely. “We’re far from mixing with those kinds of people.”

“Organa has a good reputation,” Kam said thoughtfully. “She would listen to us if we can get close enough. It’s the getting close enough that’s the problem.”

Tionne, Kelt and Kam sat around the tiny table in the Lore Seeker’s crew quarters finishing off their frugal rations for the day. They didn’t know how long they might have to stay on Coruscant, making every credit they had precious. They could stay on the ship and not waste resources on the cheap flophouses around the spaceport. Both Kam and Tionne were used to finding inexpensive sources of provisions. If they were careful, they could live quite adequately.

“We should visit the government offices. They’re housed in part of the old Imperial Palace buildings.” Kam said this with a faint air of distaste.

Tionne glanced up at him. “Problem?”

“No…yes. I spent too much time there for the wrong reasons,” he admitted. “I still feel the taint in the air.”

Kelt wrinkled his forehead. “What’s in the air?”

Kam steepled his fingers together, the tips touching lightly. “Have you never walked into a room and sensed things from the past? Feelings…images?”

The younger man thought for a minute. “I’m not sure. Some buildings or places have a good feeling and others…I don’t like them and I can’t explain why.”

“Exactly. The Jedi can sense such things and the Imperial Palace has associations for me because of things I wish had never happened.” He turned to Tionne. “Don’t worry.”

Her pearly eyes widened. “I wasn’t worrying. You’re a strong man.”

“You get that look in your eye, my lady, and I know that you’re worrying about us.”

Kelt gave his rarely heard chuckle. “Kam’s right, Tionne. You fuss over both of us like a mama bantha with her cubs.”

“Neither of you is as woolly,” Tionne said affectionately. She’d known these two men for so little time, yet could not imagine not knowing them. Kelt was understandably still reserved with them, the loss of his family fresh in his mind and his trust slow to be granted. She glanced up at Kam again and, catching his grey-eyed regard, coloured delicately. Kam’s reserve was ingrained and she didn’t know if he would ever truly trust anyone ever again.

“I think we need to check out the government offices. We can petition to see Princess Leia Organa or at least someone in her staff retinue. Then it’s in the hands of the Force.”

Tionne thought hard. “Kam, what about the archaeologist you worked for on Kaellin III. Isn’t she based on Coruscant at the university?”

“Doctor Rule?” he replied. “I did think about her but she spends more time off world these days looking for artefacts and attending important digs. She considers herself an expert on the Jedi.”

“Was that allowed under Palpatine?” wondered Tionne aloud.

“Palpatine had to have a tame expert to help him identify the things he confiscated and stole. He was very well read but he liked to have an expert on hand to check. I hadn’t realised when I started working for her that she was the one. She was just doing her job. Although…”

“What?” asked Tionne.

“I don’t know. It’s nothing…just a feeling. But she’s not as good a Jedi expert as she thinks she is.”

“You didn’t offer to help her? You would have knowledge that she does not.”

“Jedi in hiding, remember?” he muttered. “And a former dark Jedi in hiding at that. I was lucky to have a job at all for a few months. She didn’t know that she had a Jedi working for her. But you’re right, she could help us. She may be able to contact Princess Leia Organa for us.”

“How will we know where to find her?”

“The university will know where she is but the best place to find information would be on the holonet. She likes to keep her public profile high. I heard her saying once that it helped her get access to funding and locations.”

“One of those people that spends more time in the air travelling than on the ground,” murmured Kelt.

“Probably,” muttered Kam. “I’m like that myself.”

“So am I,” agreed Tionne. “But then we lost our reasons for safely staying in one place. We lost our homes.”

Kelt tilted his head to one side. “I’d never left Osarian until after my family was killed. I’d travelled away from Osar to other towns but I’d never been off world before. Like you, I have lost my home. I can’t see myself ever going back there.”

“Maybe one day you will,” said Tionne. “For closure.”

“Maybe,” agreed Kelt softly. “But it doesn’t seem important to go back. Perhaps I have that already.”

Tionne placed her hand on Kelt’s arm in a comforting gesture.

“Time for your exercises,” Kam said mock sternly and smiled as Kelt groaned.

“I’m still sore from yesterdays’ workout,” he complained.

“You’re not the only one,” mumbled Tionne. “I’ve got aches in places I didn’t know were places.”

Kam’s grey eyes strayed to Tionne’s shapely derriere. “We’ll finish this and then we might as well go and see what we can find out about Doctor Rule’s whereabouts or if Princess Leia Organa would like a visit.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It shouldn’t have surprised Luke how much he missed Mara now that she was gone but it did. Leia and Han kept him busy; his reintroduction to the galaxy was tiresome but had to be done. He hoped that the furore would eventually die away as he wasn’t courting the press. But he had appeared in public at a small reception organised by Mon Mothma and waved and smiled before retreating to his sister’s apartment.

As predicted, the announcement of Leia and Han’s engagement and subsequent wedding plans removed his name from the headlines. He had work to do and a future to plan for and in a hastily arranged meeting with Mon Mothma after the reception had outlined his plans.

“Madam President,” he said, bowing his head deferentially.

“Commander Skywalker.” Mon Mothma moved forward to embrace him. “It’s good to see you again. I hope you are not planning to disappear on us?”

“No – not for the next few months,” he murmured. “I don’t think Leia will let me.”

“Commander…”

“I resigned my commission remember,” he said gently, a warm smile on his face. “Just Citizen Skywalker or…Luke will do.”

“Jedi Skywalker?” Mon Mothma’s answering smile brightened the entire room.

“I have completed my training and therefore 'Jedi' would be acceptable in public but you know that you can call me 'Luke'. We’ve been through too much for such formality.”

“I do.” Her expression became serious. “Luke, your sister was worried about you. We were all worried about you.”

Luke’s face lit up. “Leia told you?”

“Yes, she told me.”

“What did she say?”

“Not much. Just that it had been discovered that you were twins, hidden away because of your Jedi heritage and that news would probably soon become public. She didn’t want me to find out from other less reputable sources. Now that I am aware of the situation I can give you both support if it’s needed which I doubt it will be. You hold a special place in all our hearts.”

“It saved our lives.” He couldn’t help but feel disappointed. It was too much to hope for that Leia would have told Mon Mothma the rest of their secret. He didn’t want to hide it any more but could see that persuading Leia would currently be impossible. “Our father…no, I can’t tell you any more. If I could I would.” He left it ambiguous so that Mon Mothma might think that he did not know his father’s identity. “Our father was linked to Palpatine and the dark side of the Force.”

“How do you know?”

“Obi-Wan told me and Master Yoda confirmed it. It was not what I wanted to hear but I had to be told.”

“If it kept you safe then it was for the best,” Mon Mothma said softly. “I’m glad you had the chance to complete your training with Master Yoda.”

“So am I,” Luke said gravely.

“The Rebel Alliance and, consequently, the New Republic are beholden to you for what you have done on our behalf. If the Jedi Order can rise again, it can only continue to benefit the galaxy.”

Luke stared at his feet, uncomfortable at her words. He hadn’t done anything special. He’d only done what he thought was right.

She had gladly offered any resources he needed within reason and to his surprise an order was placed for a new ship. He could have paid for his own ship - he did have the funds - but Mon Mothma had offered. Perhaps he was owed something after all.

A chime sounded on the console and the president turned to see the information on her computer screen. “Leia is waiting for you in the outer office. She has something to show you.”

“Leia!” Mon Mothma moved forward to greet the young woman she considered to be her protégée.

“Madam President,” she murmured and then smiled, all formalities gone. “I’m taking Luke to the…information store and then I’ll return for the Inner Council meeting.”

“Of course.” Mon Mothma smiled. “We will be discussing the return of Jedi Skywalker and how this can benefit the New Republic .”

“Mon Mothma…” Luke began.

“I do understand. You will need time and space. I will endeavour to get the Inner Council to agree with me.”

“It is in the New Republic ’s interest to grant me leave to rebuild the Jedi.” Luke was prepared to argue his point.

“Don’t worry, Luke. I will do as you ask.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Information store?” Luke queried, as they left the president’s office. “What haven’t you been telling me, Your Highness?”

Leia’s smile was mysterious. “It’s something we found in the palace.”

“I’m intrigued.”

“Actually, it was Mara who found it…knew of it. She divulged the way to find it and enter it.”

“Now I’m really intrigued.” Luke’s blue eyes twinkled.

“Luke…what do you make of Mara Jade?” Leia asked cautiously. Her brother had been extremely reticent on the subject of the redhead.

“What do you think about her?” returned Luke carefully. He loved his sister but he didn’t really want to be discussing the woman whom he’d known for such a short time and yet forever.

“She has a lot of ‘issues’.”

“That sounds like something that Han would say,” Luke quipped, sidestepping the question and giving himself time to think. “You’ve been spending too much time with the old smuggler.”

Leia tilted her head to glance at him, her dark eyes sparkling. “I am marrying him, brother dear.”

“I’m glad you are. You shouldn’t have waited for me to come home but I’m glad that you did.” He smiled and leant towards her his expression carefully neutral. “I like Mara, Leia. I know you think that she has some issues regarding the Jedi and me in particular but I think she’s been through a lot – far more than she should have.”

“Like us,” his sister mused quietly.

“I think she could be a good friend. She’s intelligent, loyal to those she gives her trust to and Force-strong. She could become a Jedi one day when the time is right. She’s already helped us.”

Leia relaxed a little. She’d wondered about Luke’s strange friendship with the hostile trader.

“I thought you considered her a friend, Leia?” Luke said carefully as they neared the turbo lift.

“I don’t think Mara Jade has friends. I’m not sure that she lets anyone close enough.”

Luke glanced at his sister as the doors slid apart. She was a good judge of character. Her training as a politician combined with her Force heritage made her so. “Everyone needs a friend – even Mara Jade. Remember that.”

They exited the lift and Luke followed his sister along several marble corridors heading into the centre of the building. “Where are we going?”

“The department for the reclamation of lost art,” Leia admitted. “Palpatine stole artefacts from many worlds and we are trying to return them to their rightful homes. Most of this entire floor is given over to storage.”

“Where are we really going, Leia?” There was a strange timbre to Luke’s voice. He was sensing an indefinable 'something' and he’d felt such feelings before. A shiver ran down his spine. “You’re not taking me to view some large urn from Nespis IV. I wouldn’t really be interested in it.”

Leia sighed. She couldn’t seem to get anything past her brother these days. “We’re going into the heart of the Imperial Palace .”

“The heart – ahh,” he said. “I see.” He stopped moving and turned to face her.

Leia looked at him curiously, this man she knew so well and yet sometimes felt that she didn’t understand at all. “What?”

“Secrets,” he said simply. “Knowledge…power…” He stiffened. “Darkness. The heart is black.”

She’d known that her brother could see things that couldn’t be explained. He often knew what would happen before the event. “Luke…”

“Of course. The heart of the Empire hid its darkness until it was too late.”

“Come,” Leia said, lifting her hand to clutch at Luke’s black clad arm. “It’s a secret store room of sorts. Mara alerted us to its location and we checked it out. We found some…surprising items.” She led him past a couple of quiescent guardian droids and into what had once been the public waiting room of the department of lost art. She gestured towards a section of panelled wall covered with plaster mouldings of strange beasts. The panelling should have covered the entire wall but Luke noted that one panel had been moved aside revealing a dimly lit passage.

Luke halted at the entrance to the secret room, a little perturbed over the lack of personnel waiting outside, yet he sensed beings within the chamber. “Who knows of this?”

“Cracken, Han and Winter. Our own people only. Those we can trust. We had to let Cracken know so that we could close off the whole section.”

“It belonged to the Emperor,” Luke stated. It wasn’t a question. “The contents hidden within meant more to him.”

“Yes, we’ve gathered that much.”

Luke felt horror flicker through his sister’s emotions. Whatever Palpatine had stored in this place hadn’t been good.

“Mara knew how to get in and out and what some of the contents were.” Leia pulled something from beneath her robes. It was an identity chip on a silvery chain and she waved it across a hidden sensor.

“I did think that it was kinda quiet,” Luke said with a quiet chuckle. “I should have known that Cracken would make certain that it couldn’t be accessed by just anyone.”

“The less people aware of this place for the time being, the better.” Leia watched Luke as he took a step towards the darkened passageway. But before he could enter, they heard footsteps approaching.

“It’s Winter,” said Leia.

“I know,” Luke murmured as Leia’s confidante and friend appeared. “She has a strong presence in the Force for someone not gifted with that ability.”

“Princess…Jedi Skywalker,” Winter greeted them politely. “You are earlier than I expected. We have just finished for today.

“She knew we were coming,” Leia explained. “I told her to expect us. She and Han and a couple of her team have been going through some of the stored articles.”

“And?”

“We can’t talk out here.” Winter looked at Leia for confirmation of this and flipped open her com. “Hegel, if you and Alina could finish up?”

Two aides of Leia’s, that Luke recognised from his earliest days as part of the Rebel Alliance, exited a moment later.

“Tomorrow at the same time,” Winter instructed them. “Take this, Jedi Skywalker. It will give you an overview of what we have done so far.” Holding out her hand, the regal Alderaanian gave Luke a box of data cards. “You’ll also be glad to learn that we’ve removed the first layer of dust and grime.”

“But there are more layers to lift?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so. This place hasn’t been used for several years. I will meet with you later if you have any questions.”

“Thank you, Winter,” Leia murmured.

“It’s no trouble.” And with a smile at them both she departed, leaving the Skywalker twins alone.

Luke moved into the dimly lit passage and froze as the sensation of cold evil stole through his body. He took several deep calming breaths.

“What is it?” asked Leia.

“I feel the presence of Palpatine very strongly in this room.”

“But he’s dead.” Leia looked stricken at the mention of the Emperor’s name. “How can you feel his presence?”

He’s dead, yes, but he’s not forgotten. His memory, his legacy, his presence lingers and can yet corrupt. This place was his alone.”

“Are you sure?”

“I cannot sense…our…” he hesitated at the stricken expression on his sister’s face and continued softly, “…my father here and if he was linked with this place, I would feel it.”

Leia walked forward, her silvery, grey robe brushing on the marble floor. “The things we found...” She shuddered. “There were lightsabers.”

“That explains it.” Luke gave a rueful snort of laughter.

“Explains what?”

“Where Mara got my old lightsaber. That woman has a finely honed sense of irony.” He grinned as if remembering something amusing.

“Your old lightsaber?” Leia repeated. “There was a lightsaber missing from the display cabinet and we thought Mara must have taken it but it was actually your old lightsaber.”

Luke nodded. “Anakin’s lightsaber. My father’s saber. The one I lost on Bespin when Vader relieved me of my hand. I never thought that I’d ever see that one again.”

Leia swallowed, feeling the bile rise to her throat. Luke’s hand. Winter and Han had destroyed it before she’d seen it but the thought of it had haunted her.

“What is it, Leia?” Luke asked, his voice concerned. The evil atmosphere in this room was really affecting his sister.

“I don’t like this place.”

Luke stared around him at the shelves and the various bulging storage cabinets. “I don’t think I’m too keen on it either but I must admit that I’m intrigued by the contents.”

“Winter and the staff have started cataloguing the finds but some of it belongs to the Jedi and I think you would want to sort through it yourself.”

“I would. Thank you.”

Leia drew him over to the display cabinet and pointed to the collection of lightsabers. “See, I told you that there was one missing.”

“I can see that. Mara must have felt a strong connection to me. She took the right one.” Luke knew they had a connection. ‘The Skywalkers love on sight and forever.’ No, he couldn’t think of that right now.

Leia gave him a curious look. The saber he’d built for himself on Tatooine hung at his belt. “What have you done with it?”

“I gave it to her.” He held up a hand to ward off the impending flood of words he was sure Leia was about to unleash upon him. “Unless I was wrong and you wanted it,” he added softly. “It was Anakin’s, remember? Our father’s.”

Leia’s face turned hard and there was a pinched look about her mouth.

“I thought not. Then I was right to give it to Mara.”

“I’m sorry, Luke. I can’t…” she said helplessly. “I can’t accept this…not yet - maybe ever. It doesn’t mean that I don’t accept what we are. You are my brother and I love you and I thank the Force that we are who we are but I cannot accept Vader as my father. To me, Bail Organa will always be my father.”

“He was your father, Leia. He made you who you are today and he raised you and loved you. I can understand that as much as I wish you to accept where we both came from. In some ways I wish I could recognize Owen Lars the same way you do Bail Organa but I always felt that he was watching me… I know now that he was expecting me to turn to the dark side. Like father like son. He did his best but somehow it wasn’t enough.”

Leia embraced him. “You are a very special man. I’ll leave you to have a look around.”

“Thank you.”