They wake up from the soft morning rays entering in from the window. They all agree to go and get breakfast, famished from not eating supper the night before. To their surprise, the twins gobble almost everything in sight. They're slightly anxious about talking with their mother, but not enough to stop them from eating. After last night, they feel better about their current situation.

Luke takes a deep breath, glancing at Leia as they reach their mother's door. He's thankful that she and Obi-Wan are here with him. It is nice to know that he has a united force of support with him.

Obi-Wan knocks and their mother calls for them to enter. She turns around from her vanity, smiling at the group. "Good morning." She greets, rushing to them. She kisses each of the twins' heads then gives Obi-Wan's hand a quick squeeze. "What brings you three to my quarters this early?"

"Padmé, we need to talk," Obi-Wan says as he closes the door.

Her brown eyes dart between the three. She straightens her back and clasps her hands together. She can tell that something is wrong. It's rare for all four of them to be together, especially with such a deadly silence. Usually, the twins are full of life and energy. They are never this quiet, even when asked to be. "What's going on?" She asks.

"I'll explain. We just need to clear the room." He says, his eyes scanning around them. Padmé gives a nod, understanding what he means. She gets rid of everything that could possibly listen in or watch them. There's not a lot, just a few communication devices. She sees no loss in getting rid of them. Based on the vague information Obi-Wan has given her, she knows that whatever he has to tell her cannot be risked getting out.

Once she's gotten rid of everything that could be used against them, she looks to Obi-Wan. She can feel her heart beginning to race but tries to look calm. She must look strong for her children. She cannot scare them with her facial expressions. "Obi-Wan, what's happened? What's wrong?"

He takes a deep breath. He didn't really think through how he was going to spill the news to her. He figured he could wing it and something would come to him when he looked at her. Instead, he feels more lost for words. Feeling defeated, he slightly sags his shoulders. "There's no easy way to say this, Padmé."

"Just tell me. It's best to lay it all out anyway." She says. She gulps, feeling her throat going dry. Are her children okay? Has someone said something that might imply them being in danger? Is there something out there that threatens the rebellion or its members?

"They know, Padmé." He softly says with soft tears in his eyes. "They know about Anakin and what has become of him."

Padmé takes a deep breath, her hand going to her throat. It feels like he's choking her again, but it's only her imagination. He's not here in this room, it's impossible. He can't possibly be hurting her right now.

Except he is. He's tainted her children. And now their innocence and love of her Ani have been destroyed because they've discovered what he has become. They know what monster has taken his place.

"How?" She whispers as she swallows her emotions.

Leia steps forward. Obi-Wan did what they asked. He told her what they discovered and now it's their turn to talk. Their mother deserves to know the rest of the story from them. "I listened in yesterday during your meeting. I know it was wrong, but I couldn't help myself. I'm sorry."

Padmé bites on her lower lip. She wants to scream and shout, but not at Leia. Sure, it was wrong to go and spy on her meeting, but Leia is her daughter. When she chose to listen in, it wasn't like she meant to hear about her father. She was just being rebellious, like all teenagers. Like Padmé once was.

So instead of showing the rage she feels at the thought of all that has been lost, she reaches out and cups Leia's cheek. "It's okay." She softly says.

Luke comes forward now. His heart is racing in time with his mother's. She's showing calmness and poise, but he knows what she's truly feeling. He has connected to her yet again. She's afraid of what is to happen to them now. She's angry that they've ruined fifteen years of protection. She's saddened that they know who their father truly is. She's worried about how they are handling this news.

But somehow her love is stronger than those emotions. She is able to put on a good face and act like nothing is wrong. She shows them compassion and tenderness when they went behind her back. They don't deserve this from her after what they've done.

"What are we supposed to do?" Luke asks, touching her arm. She gives him a frown, then looks over at Obi-Wan. She doesn't know what to say. She has an idea about what they should do but she isn't sure if it's right. She doesn't want to hurt her children more than she already has.

Obi-Wan shrugs his shoulder, his tears blinked away. "Cat's out of the bag at this point." He says.

Padmé nods in agreement then looks at both of the twins. She's glad that he's mostly on the same page as her. "Obi-Wan is right. It's not like you can just forget about it. I think our best plan is to act as if nothing has changed. We can't have anyone getting suspicious."

"What about our missions? Are we still supposed to do those? You know there's a chance that he will make an unexpected appearance." Leia says. What if she meets him? Obi-Wan said that they weren't ready for this. Doesn't this new information affect how they should move forward?

"It's a very slim chance, not enough to worry about." Padmé answers. "We will do just like we always have. You will go on your missions like normal and Luke will train with Obi-Wan. Nothing has happened."

xxx

Leia tucks her blaster into its holster on her hip. She would prefer to carry her lightsaber, but it's not really an option for her. If she was to get caught carrying that around while on a diplomatic mission, she would be in for a whole lot of trouble. Well, not just her. She would get a lot of people into trouble.

"You seem nervous." Bail says, startling her. She jumps, her wide brown eyes making him softly chuckle. "Don't worry, Leia. It's just like you've done before."

"But you won't be there," Leia replies. She lets out a sigh, watching the stars zoom past. They've been in hyperspace for a few hours and should be reaching their destination shortly, but she can't help feeling uneasy. Things have changed greatly since the last time she talked to Bail.

"You don't need me there. You will do just fine, you always do." He says, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. She gives him a smile, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. He knows something is wrong but doesn't have any idea what it could be. Leia has always been able to voice her troubles and opinions to him. What is holding her back?

"Leia, is everything okay?" He asks, his eyes studying her. She holds her breath as she folds her hands over her stomach. She hopes that he doesn't notice that her hands are trembling. She needs to play innocent or confused. He can't see that something is eating her up inside.

"What do you mean?" She asks, tilting her head to the side. She feels silly lying to him, but she doesn't want him to know about her father. She feels dumb for being so afraid. It's Bail, after all. It's not like he would ever assume that she would turn out like her father. He's known her for her entire life. He knows who she is as a person.

"It's just that you're unusually quiet. I'm worried about you, that's all." He explains. Leia has hardly spoken a word this entire trip. Most of the crew complains about her nonstop chatting when she leaves and they think he can't hear them. Today, even the crew have voiced their concern about her silence.

"I'm okay." She says, but it doesn't have that touch of confidence she wants. She sounds as uneasy as she feels. Inside of her, it feels like there's a kaleidoscope of angry butterflies demanding to escape. What is she so afraid of? She wishes she could give a clear answer so she could fix the problem, but she doesn't know. There are so many possible reasons and she isn't willing to waste time trying to discover the correct one.

"You don't look okay. You're pale." Bail says, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. "Maybe you should sit this out. I don't want you to force yourself to do this if you're feeling unwell. We can get someone else to do this."

"No!" Leia quickly protests. Bail takes a step back, surprised by her outburst. She has to do this mission. It's the one thing she hopes will get her mind off of her father and everyone's pain. She needs some normalcy in her life, and that is diplomatic missions. Plus, her mother told them to continue on as if nothing has happened. By stepping away from this, it shows that something has happened. "I mean, I just really want to prove to you that I can do this alone. I promise, I'm okay. Just a little nervous, that's all."

Bail pauses, debating if he should let her go or not. He knows that she is lying. It's clear that something has spooked her or she's really sick. But he also knows how much she enjoys going on these missions. It's her chance to prove to everyone that she can handle herself. It shows that she is not just the child of Padmé. She is pulling her own for this rebellion. Going against his better judgment, he nods his head. "Okay. But if you start to feel unwell, let me know. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't get hurt, I promise." She smiles.

The ship jolts as they come out of hyperspace. Bail gives her a hug. "You will do great."

"Thanks." She says, hugging him back. They let go and she goes to her position. Four stormtroopers accompany her, two behind and two in front of her. She straightens her back and folds her hands over her stomach. This mission will go just as it was planned. She has nothing to worry about.

Without any words spoken, she and her guards land safely on the planet. Her supply ships land only a few yards away, stormtroopers quickly exiting and unloading them. She walks around, keeping her eyes open for anyone who seems to be out of place. She tells her guards to leave, giving her the opportunity to meet the rebels alone.

At first, it seems like no one is going to show up. It feels like she's been walking around for hours, watching the supply transports being loaded. Whatever rebels are on Lothal must be unable to receive these supplies. Just when it looks like all is lost, a stormtrooper lays his hands on her. Her hand goes to her blaster as she flips around.

"Woah, woah. It's alright. We're on your side."

"Phoenix Squadron?" She asks, arching her eyebrow.

"Yes. I'm Kanan and this is Ezra." He replies, gesturing to the cadet trooper. "We're here to take those supplies off of your hands."

She nods her head in understanding. She restrains herself from smiling too brightly. Finally, these will fall into the right hands. "I know who you are. Just keep it down and follow me."

The three of them march towards the commander. She places her hands on her hips, assuming her princess personality. For whatever reason, no one wants to argue with her when she's this way. "Commander, what is taking so long?"

He stutters, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse. "Miss, I'm sure these men are working as fast as they can."

"It's 'Your Highness,' and I think that they could be working at a much faster pace. I'm terribly bored on this planet and would like to return to Alderaan as quickly as possible." She complains as she crosses her arms over her chest. She forces herself to pout as she holds back a laugh at his worried expression.

"I would be honored to give you a tour of Lothal. It would be much more entertaining than watching these ships be loaded." He smiles, hoping that she'll agree and not complain anymore. Lothal doesn't need to be given a bad rap, especially coming from Princess Leia.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. But I think that it would be good for you to stay here. We can't have any rebels coming here and stealing supplies again." She says, turning up her nose. She must put on the act that rebels are disgusting and annoying. She is working for the Empire technically at the moment.

"I must admit, I do not like the thought of you being alone. Please, take some troopers with you. The rebel insurgency here is not safe for someone of your status to be alone." He says.

"Of course. I'll take these two." She says, gesturing to Kanan and Ezra. "Let's go, troopers." She says as she turns on her heels and goes to the commander's shuttle. The three of them board the ship and take off into the distance.

Once it's safe for them to talk, Ezra speaks first. "So, what is the plan? There are a lot more stormtroopers than normal."

"Well, we were just going to have you take the transports, but I'm not sure if you'll have enough people for that. I thought that they would be able to load the supplies onto fewer ships." Leia says as she lets out a sigh. She wants to make Bail proud by getting the rebels all of the supplies, but they could make do with only a few. At least some supplies got to them then.

"I think everything will turn out okay. We have more people on the way who are willing to help. This mission will still work as planned." Kanan assures, giving her a slight nod. He was told that Senator Organa was sending his most trusted assistant to Lothal. He was not expecting someone Ezra's age to be here.

"Just wondering, but why didn't you just give us the supplies while in deep space? Wouldn't it make it much easier for everyone? We wouldn't have to worry about stormtroopers and losing supplies in the process." Ezra asks. He isn't quite sure why they would take this risk over something much safer. There's a greater guarantee of the supplies getting to them by doing it in deep space.

"If we did that, then the supplies could still be traced to Alderaan. If it becomes evident that we're helping rebels, we'll lose our seat in the Senate and we'll be unable to get valuable information that helps the rebellion prepare for attacks and defend planets that would otherwise be under Imperial control." She briefly explains. There's a lot at stake with Bail helping out the rebellion. He is risking his life every day trying to find ways for them to outsmart the Empire. If he ever gets caught, there's no doubt he'll be executed.

The thought of him dying, especially by execution, makes her stomach drop.

"Oh, this is a lot more complicated than I thought. I didn't realize how much Alderaan is putting on the line for small planets like us." Ezra says, sinking back in his seat. He's still somewhat new to this whole rebellion. They've been with Phoenix Squadron for a bit, so he mostly understands how that works, but he has no clue about anything involving the Senate. The political work going into this is practically mind-boggling to him. He's glad that there are people like Leia and Senator Organa out there who understand how it works so he doesn't have to.

While they wait for Hera to give the signal, Ezra becomes curious about Leia. She is very pretty and really smart. She's also his age and Senator Organa's most trusted agent. He wants to know more about her. He knows that she's his daughter, but why is she trusted to do these missions alone? Does she like doing them or are they a chore for her? He also wants a change in pace from the rebellion news he so often hears about. He decides to start with an easy question. "I've never been to Alderaan." He begins, leaning forward to peek in between Leia and Kanan. "What's it like?"

What's it like? Leia can hardly find the words to describe it. "It's beautiful." She happily sighs. "It's nothing like Lothal. Your planet is very flat with wide-open plains, which is beautiful in its own way. But on Alderaan, we have mountains that go through the clouds. They're majestic. When you look up at them, you realize how small we really are."

"It sounds amazing. Maybe when this whole thing is over, I can fly on over and check it out." Ezra smiles, leaning on the armrests of their chairs. She gives him a smile. The idea of the rebellion winning and having friends visit on her Alderaan sounds like a fantasy. She's glad that Ezra has shown her that she's not the only one who thinks about life after this war. Far too often, she only hears about the bad things that could come from the rebellion failing.

"First, we've got to get the supplies. Afterward, we can daydream about faraway planets." Kanan says as he taps Ezra's helmet.

The two of them begin to bicker in a way that Leia understands. Kanan is not scolding Ezra, as one might think. Instead, he's rather trying to keep his focus on the present. As she and Luke have been told by Obi-Wan many times.

She smiles to herself, listening to them chattering when she feels a tremor in the Force. She's felt it only a few times before. Those that she's been around her whole life, like Luke and Obi-Wan, she can name by their tremor. Other times, she's felt it just being around random people on base. Ever since the fall of the Jedi, many people with the ability have not known about their hidden strength. She's met many people who have it without knowing. It's funny to see them give all of their good fortunes or gut feelings to good luck.

Obi-Wan taught them that there is no such thing as good luck.

She feels that familiar pull of someone strong with the Force right now. She looks over at Kanan and Ezra. One or both of them has a strong connection with the Force. Do they know that they have this ability? Are they aware that they're like her? That they're the last of a dying religion?

Ezra's communication device beeps, entering her thoughts. "Specter-6, are you there?"

"We're here, Hera. We're ready for you to land." Ezra answers.

"Perfect. We'll be there shortly."

Kanan looks over Ezra to make eye contact with Leia. "We best head back. I hope you have an idea about how to distract those troopers."

Leia smiles and brushes him off. "Of course. Distractions are my specialty."

He gives her a smile then turns the shuttle around to go back to the loading area. He too feels a pull in the Force. He knows that it's Leia. There's no one else it could be. He can feel how strong it is with her and he wonders if Ezra feels it too. He assumes that she doesn't have a clue about her talent because she is about Ezra's age. She's probably never had contact with a Jedi because her father is in the Senate. She isn't roaming planets like other lost Jedi are. Does she even know what the Force is?

The loading area comes into view and the three of them silently prepare their plan of attack. Kanan expertly parks the shuttle. He and Ezra escort her out and follow her toward the commander. Leia holds her head up high as she gets his attention. "Your Highness, how was your trip?" He asks.

"It was okay. Lothal is nothing like Alderaan." She says, looking at her nails. Kanan taps out a pattern with his boots, signaling that they're ready to steal the supplies. She taps back to him that she received the message.

Just as the commander begins to reply, shots ring out. "Rebels!" The commander shouts. The loading dock is sent into chaos. Blasters are heard from every direction. Leia ducks to the ground, covering her head as Kanan jumps over her to reach a transport before a stormtrooper.

She begins to stand, watching a stormtrooper get to the transport before him. She wants to use the Force to pull him back, but she's afraid that it'll be noticeable. She can't miss up on this mission by using the Force, but she also doesn't want to disappoint Bail. She wants all of the supplies to go to the rebels.

She watches the stormtrooper fly back, hitting a wall and sinking to the ground. She looks at her hands, startled at what she watched. Did she do that? Did anyone else see that?

"Don't worry. Kanan and I got a few tricks up our sleeves." Ezra grins, lightly elbowing her. She jumps, startled. She watches as he begins to use the Force to push stormtroopers away from the transports, giving the new rebels time to steal them.

She snaps her head to look at him. "You're a—"

"Jedi? Yeah. Pretty cool, right?" He smirks. He grabs his lightsaber from his hip, his green light catching everyone's attention. He bolts from her side, drawing the blaster fire away from her. He has to force himself to frown so that it isn't obvious how much he enjoyed seeing her shocked expression. It's fun watching people realize the power he has.

Leia's heart leaps in her chest. She, Luke, and Obi-Wan are not alone. They are not the last Jedi roaming the galaxy. There are more like Kanan and Ezra. They know about the Force and have their own lightsabers. She has to bite her tongue from exclaiming that she's like him. She too has the Force. She has her own lightsaber too and it's bright blue. She wants to tell Ezra that Luke has a green one just like his.

She wants to tell him that he is not alone in this journey. That there are two more Jedi back on her base who would want nothing more than to meet more people like them.

She has always wanted to meet another person like her.

She is giddy with excitement at the thought of going home and telling Luke and Obi-Wan that there are more Jedi out there. Obi-Wan isn't the only one to survive Order 66. His signal saved people from returning to the Temple. Kanan survived and is training someone her age.

But now's not the time to think about that. She needs to focus on the present, which involves getting every transport into rebel hands. She helps distract the stormtroopers by causing a scene. "Help! Someone help me!" She cries out.

Stormtroopers rush to her aid. Everyone has assumed since she was a child that she can't hold her own, that she needs people protecting her. If she can't change their mind, she'll just use it against them. Now, most of the stormtroopers are trying to cover her instead of focusing on the problem at hand. 

She watches the blue and green lightsabers disappear into the distance on top of the stolen transports. Eventually, everything dies down. Stormtroopers begin to give her space but keep their blasters armed and ready. She messes with her hair, counting to see how many transport shuttles remain.

They stole them all. Her mission is a success!

She walks over to the commander, masking her joy with fear. "I could have been killed! What kind of facility are you running here?" She demands.

"I'm terribly sorry, Your Highness. The rebels here are dangerous. They take everything that comes." He says, bowing his head in shame.

"I'll be telling my father about this. He will not be happy to know that you put my life in danger and how you lost the supplies that we had to beg the Empire for. Things do not look well for you." She snaps, scrunching her nose in disgust.

"Please. I wish you wouldn't. I can get those supplies back. We won't let what Senator Organa has done for us go to waste." He quickly replies. He can not risk getting the attention of the Senate. He could almost guarantee to lose this job or worse.

Leia takes a deep breath and pouts her lips. "Alright, I won't mention the supply loss to him. But I will tell him about how you risked my life today with all of that blaster fire." She says. He nods his head, understanding. "I would like my shuttle now. I wish to go home."

"Yes, of course, Your Highness." He says. The crew works faster than they have all day. They are eager to get her off of this planet before more disasters happen. They don't need her to see how the rebels practically run the show on Lothal.

When Leia is finally reunited with Bail, she rushes to give him a hug. They are alone, out of the ears of any stormtroopers, but they still talk in vague conversation. "How did it go?" He asks.

"Horrible." She sighs. They let go but Bail's hands remain on her forearms. "Rebels showed up and took all of the supplies."

"I'm sorry that things didn't go like they should have for your first time on your own." Bail replies. He gives her a quick smile and a wink. He is so glad that everything has gone according to plan and that Leia is alright. He was worried at first, but just as he thought, she was able to handle it all on her own. He leans in close, his voice barely above a whisper in her ear. "I am so proud of you."

~~~~~~~~~~