Chapter 3: In the Senate
A day had passed, catching up on the entire Jedi Temple routine. Luke smiled as he watched Leia. She had barely learned that she was his sister, barely known that Darth Vader was his father, and now that he was looking at her, he noticed the hope in her eyes, even more than he had felt himself. Deep down, Luke knew this wasn't for Alderaan, it wasn't for the rebellion; this was because Leia wanted to save her father, and her mother too, even though they hadn't met her yet.
Leia felt strange; she hated Vader with all her soul. He had been there when their planet was destroyed and had done nothing, even torturing her with that mind probe. He was sure he was responsible for her mother's death and for many of the atrocities the Empire had committed. But meeting him now, as Anakin Skywalker, was totally different. As Ahsoka said, it was almost impossible for a man like him to transform into Darth Vader. Ahsoka had given him a Holopad to catch up on events. The first thing she looked up was her father's name. He was a fearless hero, having saved hundreds of people, including her mother, Padme Amidala. She was just as she remembered her in her dreams, but she didn't seem like a sad woman. From what she saw on the Holopad, she was an important and brave senator.
Tormented by her thoughts about her father, torn between her moral duty to hate him and the brotherly love that was beginning to grow in her heart without even fully knowing him, Leia dressed and went out to tour the temple. As if fate wanted to send her a sign, Anakin Skywalker was saying goodbye to Obi-Wan in the corridors. He hid so he wouldn't be seen and discreetly followed him to a hangar in the temple. Suddenly, Anakin stopped, and Leia approached to see what he was doing.
"It's rude to follow people when you think they can't see you," Anakin murmured, and Leia blushed to the roots of her hair.
"Me," he said, emerging from his unsuccessful hiding place.
"Are you curious about the temple? Don't know who to follow to learn more about this weather?" Anakin asked, and Leia nodded shyly; she wasn't like that.
"Do you want to take a walk around Coruscant?" Anakin asked, unsure why. Ever since they arrived, he'd felt a special connection with the siblings, but couldn't explain why. Anyway, that morning he was completely free. Padme would be in a Senate meeting all day and wouldn't be able to see her until the evening, so spending time with Leia didn't seem like a bad idea. And maybe he could find out more about her purpose during this time; any information would be useful in ending the war.
"Are you serious?" Leia asked excitedly.
"Sure, come on," Anakin said, giving up on walking toward his favorite ship; it didn't fit two people. "We'll use this one."
"Are they both yours?" Leia asked, puzzled. Ships were quite rare in his time; the Empire had the best ones.
"Yes, some of the ones here are," Anakin replied. He was good at repairing things. Some had been given to him for being a Jedi, and others he had simply repaired.
"Incredible," Leia said, looking at the ship Anakin indicated for her to get on.
Anakin thought about helping her get on, but she climbed onto the ship without any problem. She reminded him more and more of Padme, and a crazy thought crossed his mind, but he had to be imagining it. Ahsoka would have told him, wouldn't she?
Anakin began piloting the ship and tenderly watched Leia look at the city, excited.
"Has Coruscant changed much in your time?" Anakin asked.
"Too much, it is. It's not a good place," he said sadly, remembering that it was the Imperial headquarters.
"I want you to know that you can trust me completely," Anakin said. "I'll do anything to end this war."
"Anything?" Leia asked, and Anakin could swear he heard sadness in her voice.
"Anything," he repeated, and she looked at him longingly.
They continued flying over Coruscant, deciding to change the subject.
"What was your life like in the past?" Anakin asked.
"I'm a politician," Leia said. It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie either.
Again, that feeling appeared in Anakin. Could it be? Ahsoka would have told him, he thought again. It was just another strange coincidence with Padme, his secret wife.
"Senator?" Anakin asked, although he was almost certain of the answer.
"Yes, how did you know?" Leia asked, confused. "Couldn't he be catching on to the truth?" Right? "It wasn't that obvious, was it?"
"Intuition," Anakin smiled.
"I represent Alderaan," Leia said, and Anakin noticed tears almost falling from her eyes.
"Things aren't going well for Alderaan in the future, are they?" he asked, and Leia nodded, wiping away the almost imperceptible tear that fell from her eyes.
Anakin wanted to keep asking, but the answers were getting more and more frightened of him. He trusted Ahsoka; she wouldn't hide something like that from him.
"Where are you from?" Leia asked, feeling a strange need to know more about her father. "Where were you born?" she clarified.
"On Tatooine," Anakin said. Curiously, he didn't feel bad about mentioning it; it wasn't the same feeling of pain that overwhelmed him every time he mentioned Tatooine.
"Luke is from Tatooine too," Leia said, mentally cursing himself for what he had said.
"Are they from Tatooine?" Anakin gulped. Leia didn't seem to be from Tatooine; she had said she represented Alderaan. She had to be from Alderaan.
"We grew up apart," Leia explained, telling the truth.
"Why?" Anakin asked.
"Our parents separated when we were born," Leia explained. It wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't a lie either. Her parents had really separated when Padme died and Anakin was reborn as Darth Vader.
"I understand," Anakin said, driving toward a place he was sure would make Leia happy.
"Where are we going?" Leia asked as Anakin plotted a course for a place she remembered well: the Galactic Senate.
"To the Senate. We're going to see a friend," Anakin smiled. He wanted to see Padme, even if he couldn't talk to her. He wanted to see her working. She was admirable. She stood up to hundreds of people, defended her ideals without fear. Seeing them applaud her and how she changed the minds of even the most reluctant made him admire her more and more. She was his beloved wife.
"A senator?" Leia asked, her heart beating a mile a minute.
"Yes," Anakin smiled, and Leia couldn't help but notice how excited he seemed. She didn't know much about the Force, but the man looked completely happy. She was sure Anakin loved Padme.
"The Senate seems very different," Leia said, noticing the overwhelming difference.
"Really?"
"Too much."
This time, Anakin helped her down, and they walked together toward the Senate chamber. Being a Jedi, he had free access, which was why she had been able to slip away.
"Senator Amidala," a man greeted, and Anakin smiled; he wasn't the only one who thought so.
"I'm not her," Leia whispered timidly.
"I'm sorry, I mistook you," the man said, leaving.
"Did she look that much like her mother?" Leia thought. When Anakin stopped in front of a door that Leia knew led to where the Galactic Senate was discussing, her heart stopped. Unconsciously, she held Anakin's arm, and he just smiled.
"You don't have to be nervous. We won't talk to anyone, we'll just observe."
"Okay," Leia said. She would finally meet her mother after so many years of seeing her in her dreams.
They entered and observed all the senators gathered. Anakin didn't even understand why he would come to see Padme with someone; it was too risky. However, he could sense Leia's nervousness. He didn't understand why she would be nervous, but all his thoughts were cut short when he saw Padme step forward to speak before the entire senate. Leia and Anakin froze, she was truly beautiful, Anakin smiled softly delighting in the sound of her voice while Leia was trying to control her emotions, she was the same woman she saw in her dreams, the same woman who sang sweet lullabies to her in her dreams, she felt like tears would fall from her eyes, even more so when she saw the man standing by her mother's side, it was her adoptive father, Bail Organa, she managed to control herself watching the two figures talking, even if this journey failed, if they didn't make it, just seeing them made her immensely happy, she thanked Anakin for this trip, she knew she was giving herself away but no one had prepared her for this. This was harder to resist than Vader's mind probe, she remembered, it was ironic that the future Vader was giving her this happiness, the future Vader, who was her father.
Suddenly, Anakin smiled widely, and Leia could see her mother staring at them. She looked confused but happy. Anakin nodded at her so as not to draw attention to herself, and she smiled broadly in return. Then Leia understood. They loved each other. From what she knew, their romance was forbidden, but it was undeniable. They loved each other; anyone would notice. Could love lead to the dark side? She was sure it couldn't. Love was pure; it couldn't be love's fault. Padme smiled at her too. When their gazes met, she was sure Padme had noticed her nervousness. She greeted her politely, the same way Anakin had, and Padme responded in kind. She was trembling at that moment, and she was absolutely sure Anakin had noticed.
They left the room about half an hour later. Unfortunately, they wouldn't be able to speak to the senators, as much as they both wanted to.
"What's wrong, Leia?" Anakin asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I wish I could tell you the truth, now more than ever," the girl said, and Anakin embraced her in a warm hug as tears fell from her eyes. Anakin felt this was all too strange; he refused to delude himself with a truth growing deep in his heart.
"If you can't do it, I understand. I won't force you," he smiled, stroking Leia's long hair. "If I can help in any way, I'm always willing to," he said, and Leia knew she could trust him. This man wasn't Darth Vader; there was much to save within him.
"Thank you," she said, hugging him once more, then pulling away nervously.
Suddenly, Leia felt a sharp headache and a growing darkness that didn't come from Anakin; it was a darkness she already knew. Palpatine was the highest authority here, she'd remembered. Everyone trusted him. She had to find his weak spot in order to destroy him.
"Anakin, my boy," Palpatine said in an almost brotherly voice, his face unmistakable, and Leia couldn't hide the hatred in her gaze. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I've brought a friend to visit the Senate, Leia. This is Supreme Chancellor Palpatine," Anakin introduced them, noticing Leia's gaze.
"Leia Starkiller," Leia lied.
"Where are you from, Leia Starkiller?" the chancellor asked, and Leia could sense his interest, likely due to her resemblance to his mother.
"Alderan," she answered tersely. She only hoped Anakin wouldn't share details of her origins, but for some reason, Anakin wasn't about to betray her, not even to a friend as close as the chancellor.
"We don't want to take up any more of your time, Chancellor. We must return to the temple," Anakin said, noticing Palpatine's strange gaze toward Leia.
They boarded the ship in silence, and Anakin tried to ask.
"What happens to the chancellor in the future?" she asked, smiling.
"I don't know," Leia lied, sighing and looking out the window. How could she tell Anakin the truth? How could she be sure he wasn't already allied with the chancellor? Something in her heart told her otherwise.
They arrived at the Jedi temple and landed at the same time Ahsoka's ship landed next to them.
"How's it going, smartass?" Anakin asked, helping Leia out.
"Great. And yours, Master? Did you also take one of the brothers to see the city?" she asked, pointing to Luke, who was happily getting off his ship.
"We went to the Senate."
"It sounds boring," Ahsoka said. "We had a great day," Ahsoka lied. They had spent the whole day researching the Sith, and when Anakin mentioned the Senate, she was sure Leia had seen her mother and must have run into Palpatine. For now, Anakin didn't seem to know the truth.
"Come on, it's time to eat," Anakin said, heading toward the casino with Ahsoka.
"We'll catch up with you in a few minutes," Leia said, running to greet Luke.
"Don't be long," they said, and disappeared down the hallway.
"Luke, I met Mom," Leia said, hugging her brother, who looked at her excitedly.
"Have you talked to her? What's she like? Doesn't Father suspect anything?"
"She's beautiful. We didn't just see her from one of the boxes. I don't think Father suspects, but if he does, he's good at hiding it."
"I wish I could have met her."
"We'll have time for that, Luke. They love each other," Leia said hopefully.
"How do you know?"
"I saw them looking at each other from a distance, Luke. Their love is incredible."
"We have to save them."
"This is getting more and more difficult. The chancellor is very attached to Father."
"Did you see him?" Luke asked, feeling sick.
"Unfortunately, it's clear Father trusts him a lot."
"That will definitely be a problem."