Chapter l

Luke ran as fast as his legs would carry him to Leia's apartment. He rushed through the door, barely waiting for it to open for him.

"Luke!" Han said surprised. Leia ran to him and hugged him. She was not surprised.

"What happened?" he asked holding his distressed sister tightly.

"I don't know how," she said, pulling away. She blotted a blood spot on her arm, and said, "But someone managed to get through security and into our apartment."

Luke looked at her arm, "They wounded you?"

"They stuck her with something," Han said, his frustration evident in his voice. "Whoever it was so quiet getting in here that I didn't hear them."

Luke began to size up the room, looking for hints of where the intruder could have come in.

"Neither of us heard a thing. I felt the sting and called out but as soon as I opened my eyes whoever it was ran out the door in a flash."

"I didn't get here soon enough to see them in the hall," Luke said.

"Well, not that you would have," Han said, "I flew out of bed like a bantha and saw nothing down the hall."

"I'm not injured badly," Leia said, "Whoever it was could have killed me if they wanted to, I don't understand."

"Get yourself checked out for poisons," Luke said. "I'm going to have security fan out over the palace to see if we can track them down. I'll also use the apprentices that are here to help out."

"If it was an inside job," Han said, "We might not find anything."

Luke nodded and left.

**************

Elsewhere in the palace the spirit of Obi-wan glowed behind a woman with a small vile of blood. She ignored the persistent presence of the old Jedi and entered her small apartment.

She set the vile of blood down and opened up a carry case with the equipment she needed to analyze the sample.

"She means to do it, Obi-wan," Qui-Gon said. His spirit looked many decades younger than his former apprentices. "You have not succeeded in deterring her."

Obi-wan nodded sadly and said, "I only hope she keeps to herself whatever she may learn."

The woman turned around. She couldn't see the spirits that haunted her chamber, but she always knew when they were there, and she suspected they could hear her when she spoke to them. She started to say something and then felt a strange new presence enter the room. Someone she hadn't felt before. It filled her with fear and she blinked away the emotion. Turning to her work she tried to get her mind off of the Jedi Spirits.

"What is it you do not want her to discover?"

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon turned to see Anakin Skywalker.

"He won't even share that with me, Anakin," Qui-Gon said. He turned towards Obi-Wan, whose face was wrinkled even more than usual but with worry.

Obi-wan watched intently as the information on the small screen began to compile in front of the woman. Then he closed his eyes in mild relief as the screen began to blink, "Negative. Negative. Negative."

"NO!" the woman said, hitting the table with her fist. She shook with anger and obviously struggled not to take the case and chuck it across the room.

Obi-Wan knew that the area in which the Spirits stood would have been her most likely target, though it have sailed right through them.

Then the door buzzer rang. She quickly shut the case and shoved it under her bedding and answered the door. It was Luke.

"I'm sorry, Mia," he said. Then his mouth dropped open and he looked into her room.

She sucked in a breath, nervously.

"What were you doing?" he asked anxiously.

"Only meditating, Master Skywalker," she said, "Why do you ask?"

He looked at her disbelievingly and said, "May I?" indicating he wanted to come in her quarters.

Hesitantly she allowed it.

"My father's here," he said, "I can feel it."

"Is he?" Mia asked. "I don't feel anything."

"You're still a new apprentice," Luke said, "But..."

"Is this why you've stopped by so late, Master Skywalker?" she asked.

Luke walked cautiously around the room. He said, "No, Leia's been attacked, I need all the apprentices to help me track down the intruder."

"Is she hurt badly?" Mia asked.

"No, but that doesn't matter, it's the breach of security that concerns me," Luke said, shifting his focus back to Mia and the matter at hand. "I need you to search the lower levels."

"Yes, Master," she said obediently. But she waited for him to make a move towards the door before she exited her apartment.

"We will talk about this later," Luke said, following her into the hall.

"Talk about what, Master?" she asked.

"The Spirit of Anakin Skywalker visiting you," he said.

"Who is that?" she asked.

Luke laughed a little, "I just told you, he's my father."

"Oh," she said, "I'm sorry. I'm ashamed to be such a simple woman."

"You've only been with us a month, Mia. Coming from such a remote part of the galaxy that you did, I'm very pleased with your progress so far." Luke said. Then he pointed in the direction she should go. He was off to alert the other apprentices.

Sadness seemed to follow her as Mia half-heartedly searched the lower levels, knowing she was ironically searching for herself.

*******************

"It would bode well for you to share this burden, Ben," Qui-Gon said gently. "There should be no secrets beyond the grave, especially for a Jedi."

Obi-wan said nothing, just continued to watch the apprentices giving their report to their master. The three Jedi Spirits were hovering over the palace gateway above where Luke and his students gathered. They, like the palace security had found nothing. They discussed the possibility of it being an inside job and several gave their thoughts as to who it might be that would want to harm Leia.

"It's over now," Obi-wan said. "She knows now what she needed to confirm."

"What is that, Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked.

Obi-wan said nothing.

Chapter ll

After the meeting, Luke excused the class to their assignments. He stopped Mia and said, "Now is a good time for us to talk."

She looked a bit frightened. "Yes, Master."

"I know you were not being honest with me when you said that you were meditating," Luke said. "It is not as easy as you think to lie to a Jedi. And it is very unbecoming of an apprentice to try."

Mia nodded.

"What were you doing?" he asked again.

She shook her head, "Please don't ask me."

"Why not?" he said, "You have nothing to fear from me."

He reached out calmly to her and smiled gently. In a burst of energy, Mia lunged at him and stuck him with her palm needle. He flinched slightly and she took off running away from him.

Startled, Luke looked down at his arm and saw the blood begin to trickle. He looked up after his new apprentice and realized it must have been her the night before. Holding his arm, he followed after her, running at half her pace, but keeping track of where she was going by use of the force.

****************

In spirit, Obi-Wan flew after her. He reached her room before she did and put forth the effort to make himself visible to the living world. When she entered she startled and let out a scream.

"Are you Anakin Skywalker?" she asked.

"No," Obi-Wan said. "He is here as well, but he is not visible to you right now."

Mia looked around the room. She spotted her case still under the bedding as she had left it. "Who are you?" she asked.

"You know who I am," he answered.

She began to breathe heavily and tears started to form in her eyes. Defiantly she went to the bed and took out the case.

"Please don't do this, Mia," he said. "You don't understand the forces you will unravel and set out of balance if you find what you are looking for."

"Get out!" she yelled, fumbling with the vile as she poured its contents into the instruments in the case. She spilt some and let out a curse.

Obi-Wan moved closer to her, "I beg you not to do this."

She looked up at his spirit with tear stained cheeks and thrust the needle into her own arm. After Luke's blood was through the analyzer, Luke walked in.

"Master!" he said at the sight of Obi-wan and fell down on one knee in respect.

Obi-wan glanced at Luke and only gave him slight notice. He watched as Mia poured her blood sample into the instruments. After it was done, his spirit slowly evaporated from sight.

Luke looked over at Mia and said, "What is going on? What are you doing?" He got up off of his knee and came up behind her. As he did he saw the screen flash, "Positive, Positive, Negative."

Mia looked up at Luke and said, "I knew it! I knew she didn't lie to me."

"Who didn't lie to you?" Luke said, still in shock. He looked around the room, still sensing the presence of other Jedi's.

Mia nodded, "My mother."

Luke squatted down and said, very seriously to her, "You had better have a good explanation for this."

"I do," she said.

***************************

"Come," Qui-Gon said to Anakin, "Let us go find Obi-Wan."

"No," Anakin said, "I would like to hear the girl speak."

"It would be better if we heard it from Obi-Wan himself," Qui-Gon said. "Come..."

"Leave me!"

Qui-Gon had felt the fire in his tone. The anger, the darkness. It sent a ripple through his spirit, and against his better judgement, he left the younger spirit to go find his former apprentice.

**************************

Chapter lll

"You're my brother, Luke," Mia said. The words that seemed like an impossibility last night were confirmed true by the data she presented to him.

"I didn't know my parents had other children besides Leia and me," he said, studying the information.

"You're mother didn't," she said. "Her name was Padme Naberrie from Naboo and she gave birth to two children. Luke and Leia. She and Leia hid from Vador on Alderaan and Luke was sent to Tatooine."

"How do you know all this?" Luke asked cautiously.

"My mother told me," she said.

"Again," Luke said sighing, "I didn't know Anakin had other children besides me."

Mia looked down at the screen and said, "He didn't."

"But you just said," Luke started. Then he looked closer. In a choked voice he said, "Do you still have Leia's information?"

"Yes," Mia said.

"Run an analysis," he said.

"It's not necessary, the data is all right here," she said.

"RUN IT!" Luke said.

Mia ran through the information, and read it aloud, "Negative, Positive, Positive. Same mother different fathers."

"But we were twins!" Luke said, "Obi-Wan told me we were twins!"

"You were born first, Leia was born second, premature," Mia said. "You're mother.."

He cut her off, and shoved his finger in her face, "Don't you dare say it."

Mia shrunk in fear from him.

Luke slowly stood up. He closed his eyes and calmed himself. Then he said, "Do you know who our father is?"

In a squeak of a voice she answered, "My mother told me."

"Who?" he asked.

Mia didn't answer. She looked up at him in fear. Behind him she saw a dark shadow of a figure, towering over him. It wasn't like the spirits she had seen before, but more like a black hole in space, eating the light from the room.

"WHO?" he yelled. He fell down on his knees and grabbed her arms roughly, his eyes blazing.

Her voice broke as she said, "Do you really need to ask?"

He looked in her eyes and the realization of the truth set in. The truth he was never to know. The truth no one was ever to know save his mother and his father. Behind him he felt the presence, not of Anakin, but of Vader. The dark force raged inside of him and he felt the pull of the one he had once called father calling him to avenge this betrayal. He let go over her arms and she shrank even further from him.

Luke stood up completely and took out his saber. With one swooping motion, he destroyed her small case of instruments and said, "Leia must never know."

"It's enough for me that you know," she said with a small smile.

Luke looked on her with distaste and said, "You don't even realize what you've done. You are more of a simpleton than I realized. But surely you contain the brains to understand that I am serious when I say, if Leia ever learns the truth, you will die. I will see to it."

At that he left with a dark presence following him and seducing him more enticingly than ever before. And Luke did not put up a fight.

************

On the hill of Naboo a gravestone covered with vines of thorny flowers was carved with the name, "Queen Amidala". The spirit of an old man in a brown robe knelt down before it, covering his face with his hands.

"I'm sorry," he said, over and over again.

"You're heart still prefers her," a female spirit said.

Obi-Wan didn't open his eyes to see who it was. He recognized the voice all too well.

"I thought you were dead," he said.

"But Anakin was still alive and you knew they were promised. What you did..."

He faced his nemesis and his former bride and blurted out, "What I did was repaired. What you have done will upset the balance of the force for generations!"

"Do you care so little for Mia and so much for Luke that you would have her go on..."

"STOP!!" he said, standing. "If you truly loved Mia, as you so claim to with such superior affection than I could ever attempt to match, you would not have told her the truth."

"She deserved to know who her father was!" the woman said.

"At what expense?" he said beginning to weep. "At what expense?"

The woman Jedi backed away from him and said, "I will leave you to weep at the grave of your precious Queen. But I remind you, she only truly loved Anakin."

Obi-Wan broke down completely and turned away from her.

Before she left him completely she called out, "Too bad she didn't have the force, she might have changed her heart had she the strength to come back as a spirit and see all the tears you weep for her."

**************

Chapter lV

"Boy Luke's got some chip on his shoulder," Han said to Leia as they walked back to their apartment. "Do you know what's eating him?"

Leia shook her head, "No, he won't talk to me about it. He's seemed strange for a while now. Ever since he gave up searching for who pricked me that night."

Han smiled cock-eyed and said, "Maybe he's just got his ego bruised that someone out-witted the mighty Jedi."

"No, that's not like Luke," Leia said. She was too distracted with the pressures of the day to appreciate the attempt at humor.

They entered their apartment and Han said, "Well, that's not the only thing that's not like Luke. I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little tired of that Mia Tal apprentice Luke's taken on. Not only is she slow and clingy, but even I can tell her force skills aren't up to par. Why does he keep her on? Why doesn't he just ship her back to whatever rock she came from?" He sat down and kicked his feet up on a table.

"Show some compassion, Han." Leia scolded. "She's had a rough life because of her disability and for decade's she lived alone with only her mother on that asteroid. After her mother died, she must have lived there for years by herself before Luke stumbled upon her."

"Yeah, I suppose. But there are so many other students more worthy of his attention. I just don't understand," Han said.

"Luke is very generous and kind," Leia said. "I'm sure once she's reached her potential he'll wean her off of so much of his attention.

"Wean her off? The woman's got to be at least as old as me!" he exclaimed.

"Yes and you've still got a bit of growing up to do yourself," Leia said, knocking his feet off of the table.

"Hmph," Han said in response.

*****************************

"Tell me more," Luke said. He had led Mia alone to a remote room in one of the deepest corridors in the palace. The pretense had been to show her more of the palace. It was a lame excuse, but he knew he didn't have to be clever to convince her. She would follow him anywhere and never question anything he said.

"But you said not to speak of it again," Mia said, confused.

"I've changed my mind," Luke said sitting down. He perched his hands on his knees. "Now I want to know everything you know about my mother, our father and Anakin Skywalker."

She shook her head, "Why? You will only get more angry."

"I am a Jedi, I am in control of my anger," he said. But she was right and he knew she was right. She wasn't strong in the force, but she could sense emotions better than anyone he knew. "Please, tell me. Did you know my mother?"

"Yes," she said quickly.

"Did you meet her?" he asked. The excitement grew inside of him.

"Yes, I was twelve when she died, you were five."

Luke asked abruptly, "How did she die?"

"I don't know," she said. But she was lying and he could tell. He tried a different line of questioning and would come back to it. "Did you know me or Leia?"

"Yes. I knew Leia better. She always liked me. You were more interested in your toys than people," she said.

"Why did Obi-Wan allow you to see me and Leia? Wasn't that dangerous?" he asked.

With pride she said, "He couldn't control my mother, though he tried."

"Tell me about MY mother," Luke said. "What was she like?"

Mia said nothing, just stared at him intensely.

He tried to get her started, "Leia said she was beautiful, and kind."

"Yes," Mia said. "She was more beautiful than my mother. She was even more beautiful than Leia, if you can imagine that." She paused and said, "And she was always kind to me, but..."

"But what?" he asked.

"I hated her so much," she said sadly.

"Why?" Luke asked. Then he realized on his own. His mother had taken their father away from her mother. "I'm sorry," he said. She didn't look at him, but he could tell there was something deeper going on inside of her than she was letting on. "Tell me about your mother," he said.

"No," she said.

"Why not?" he asked, frustrated.

"She doesn't concern you. But I will tell you something about our father that you don't know..." she started then she got a strange look in her eyes.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Vader's here," she said.

"Tell me," Luke said. He knew Vader was there. It was Vader who had suggested to him this place.

"No!" she said.

"Tell me," Luke said, his tone a bit more severe. "What do you know about Obi-Wan?"

She took in a breath, clearly intimidated and began, "He was always in love with your mother, Padme. But he hid it from her because he was too serious about becoming a Jedi and training Anakin. Once he saw Anakin's love growing for her, he realized she too was falling for his apprentice. He thought it was too late and when he met my mother he thought he could learn to love her and he married her so that he could forget about Padme. But his heart never changed."

"Then on a mission, while my mother was pregnant with me, her ship was trapped in an asteroid field. After months of searching, the rescuers had to abandon her search. Obi-Wan was upset for years. Just before the wedding, Padme went to see him, to comfort him, but in the midst of a weak moment she confessed her feelings for him were not always platonic."

Luke clenched his jaw, feeling the rage grow in the spirit of the Sith behind him.

She continued, "After their night together, daddy thought that..." she paused and looked at him. He closed his eyes and nodded for her to continue.

"He thought she was going to leave Anakin for him. But she didn't," she said it so sadly. "She kept her promise to Anakin. My mother always told me it was for fear of what Anakin would do if he found out. But that's not what I think."

After a moment of pondering what she had said, Luke asked, "And what is it that you think?"

"She really just loved Anakin more. It was so obvious," she said. "Even Daddy knew it was true. When mama and I came back...I was born on an asteroid with very low gravity, that's why I am how I am... When we came back, I was already seven years old and I remember that Padme was happier to see us than Daddy. He wouldn't even allow me to be called his daughter. He said it was to protect me from the enemies of the Jedi. And though there was a lot of them at that time, I know it's because he just didn't want to believe it.

Luke covered his mouth with his hand and listened to her story. He searched her face with his eyes and could tell with the force that she was being honest with him, at least honest from her perspective.

"How do you know all this?" he asked, still covering him mouth.

"My mother and I figured all of this out by piecing together stories from here and there. After Anakin became Vader and Leia went into hiding, she still let me come visit her and Leia. Mama didn't like that we were friends, but she always thought that Leia was my sister so she let me visit. Mama always blamed Padme for seducing Daddy. But I know it was really his fault. He should have known better."

"You call him 'daddy'?" Luke asked.

"Not to his face," she said, "Never to his face. And not now cause I'm mad with him right now. Probably will be for a long time. He's mad at me now too. He said he didn't want you to know." She looked through him, behind him at the dark presence he could feel and she said, "but I think he really didn't want YOU to know, Vader."

The dark figure began to take its form in the room. Luke closed his eyes and tried to sense the emotions coming from the Sith. The hate wasn't as clearly defined as it had been, but there was still anger.

A deep voice came out of the darkness, "How did she die?"

Mia shook her head in fear.

"Tell us," Luke said coaxing, "How did my mother die? Were you there? Did you witness it?"

She began to shake, "I don't like talking about it."

"Was it so horrible?" Vader asked. In his voice was an air of regret. It was clear that he loved her very much, despite his fall.

"I saw to it that she didn't suffer," she said.

Luke's eyes got big, "What do you mean 'you saw to it'?"

"She was going to die anyway," Mia said defensively. "You were going to kill her," she said to Vader. "You know you were!"

"No! I didn't know she still lived and I didn't know where she was!" he said. His denial was defensive and awkward.

"You are lying!" she said angrily.

Luke jumped in, "How did she die?"

"I killed her," she said, still staring at Vader. "With my mothers saber, I cut her head off and sent it to the Emperor."

Luke stood, clenched his jaw and was about to strike her.

Mia cried out, "It was the only way to save Leia's life!"

"And it was merciful," Vader said, "The death we had planned for her would have been..." His voice trailed. "I never believed I would have really done it." Then he said, "She loved me, then. Not Obi-Wan?"

"She loved you both, but she loved you more," Mia said. "I'm sure of it."

"You've always sensed emotions well," Luke said, as he furiously attempted to control his own emotions. "I believe you."

"But Obi-Wan..." Vader began.

"Was a fool," came a voice. A mist formed into the figure of an old man. They all looked at him.

"Qui-Gon told me that you had learned the truth, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "It's only now that I have enough courage to face you."

"Had I found out before the grave, I would have killed you," Vader hissed.

"Do I need to remind you that you did kill me," Obi-wan said. "But it is a shame for you that there is little you can do to me now to inflict injury." Obi-Wan looked sadly on Mia, "That honor has been left to my daughter."

"Now you finally admit me as your own!" Mia said.

"I could not admit it before, I was too much a coward," he said. "I made a very poor Jedi. I lost my only pupil and my wife to the dark side. I refused to admit the truth on almost every occasion. I abandoned one of my children and denied the other the truth. And this intricate web of lies I've woven has swallowed me up along with all of those I've ever loved."

"Don't forget what you did to Padme!" Mia said.

"How could I?" Obi-Wan said. "I treated the woman I claimed to love with disdain months before her wedding to my best friend." He looked at Vader and choked up as he said, "Whom I betrayed in the vilest of ways..."

Luke looked at the dark shadow and was amazed as it slowly turned from black back to a glowing white figure of the man he knew as Anakin Skywalker.

"I forgive you, old man," Anakin said.

"I wish I deserved your forgiveness Anakin," Obi-Wan said.

Then behind him a presence could be felt, one that none of them had felt in a long, long time. One that Luke had only dreamed of.

As her figure began to form, the light filled the room brilliantly illuminating everyone.

Mia's face lit up and she smiled broadly. Luke was stunned at the beauty of this creature. Her hair was dark chocolate brown, the skin of her face as smooth and glowing like polished ivory. Her eyes opened and glimmered in a warm dark brown. Her smile filled his heart with happiness.

When he glanced around at the other faces, it became clear to him who she was. He stepped forward to her and fearfully reached out a hand. She looked at him and sighed a cry. When she reached out and clasped it he said, "Mother..."

"Yes, Luke," she said. She leaned towards him and kissed his cheek. He felt her love for him completely in that single moment.

He had no words to say to her, he could only just stare at her in awe, overwhelmed by his love for her.

She looked at Obi-Wan and he nodded at her and she at him. Then she turned to Anakin. Lightly she let go of Luke's hand and walked over to the large glowing figure.

Her voice quivered as she asked, "Are you with us for good now, Anakin?"

"Yes," he said, overwhelmed with emotion.

"I couldn't bear to lose you again to the dark side," she said.

"Never," he said.

Her smile assured everyone that all was as it should be. Then all of the spirits vanished and Mia and Luke were left alone in the room.

They looked at each other and Mia said, "She's even more beautiful than I remembered."

Luke laughed at her slightly and asked, "Do you even know what's happened here?"

"Not sure," she said.

My mother's spirit must have been trapped in a lie and your persistence in telling me the truth is what eventually freed her," he said.

"Uh-oh," she said frightened. "That's not what I think my mother had in mind."

"Is your mother still alive?" he asked.

"No," she said. "But she comes to me in spirit at times. Like Daddy said, she's on the dark side now."

"You have many other spirits that watch over you, Mia. Don't worry about her," he said.

"As long as I'm with you I won't fear, brother," she sighed.

"You may stay with me as long as you like," he said, "But, as I said, Leia must never know."

"I understand," Mia said.

And they walked out of the room...

The End