What Could Have Been Part III: The Destined Warriors

The Lost Rebellion

Luke

Luke joined Rex in the control room of the Circinus.

"I'm nine minutes and thirty-three seconds behind schedule because of you," the captain growled from his chair. Luke shrugged apathetically. "It's your own fault for not accounting for my poor punctuality. In fact, I am offended that you didn't anticipate me screwing things up," Luke rebutted with an offended tone. Rex shook his head. "There isn't a moment that you don't remind me of your father."

Luke sighed. His father. His father was still mad at him and it would be quite a while before anything could be mended. Luke couldn't help but feel a twing of guilt for his behavior when his parents came to say goodbye.

Sitting down on the chair beside Rex, Luke scanned over the coordinates for Onderon. Luke knew little about the planet other than that it was a planet in the Japrael system covered by untamed jungles. He wondered if Rex knew anything about it.

"Uncle Rex?" He asked the captain who was hunched over the control board. "Yeah?" He replied gruffly. Luke pulled up a holographic image of the olive green planet. "Have you been to Onderon before?"

To his surprise, Rex chuckled softly to himself. "Have I been to Onderon? I helped aid the rebellion with your father during the Clone Wars! There would have been no hope for those revolutionaries if we hadn't come," Rex said with a gleam in his eye. Luke perked up. "A rebellion?" He asked. Rex leaned back in his chair; a common sign that he was preparing to tell a good story.

"We arrived on Onderon and find these rebels- if you would call them that. They were undermanned, under-supplied, and under-trained. They're most influential leader was a scrawny little kid whose mother had been a senator of the planet. But he had a lot of heart, I'll give him that." Luke furrowed his eyebrows. "What happened?" He pressed, suddenly interested in this planet's past.

Rex thought for a second. "We whipped them into shape. They eventually took back Onderon from the Separatists and the kid succeeded his mother as the planet's senator. I'd have to say though, without Ahsoka helping them, they wouldn't have gotten far." Luke's eyes widened.

"Ahsoka was there too?"

"What? Er, that's not what I said."

"Yes it is! I heard you."

Rex sighed heavily. The joyful nostalgia left his eyes the way the sun sets behind the horizon. "Ahsoka led them with such confidence. She could give anyone the courage to fight." Luke lowered his eyes as he turned off the hologram. The little planet collapsed back into the projector. "Do you think the senator is working with Rett Lisban? The one from the rebellion?" There was no reason to ask more about Ahsoka. Rex didn't seem willing to speak more of her.

He shook his head. "No. He couldn't be. He was killed a few years after the war in a transport incident." Luke felt his shoulders drop. "Oh."

Rex pushed himself out of his chair. He headed for the door in a hasten pace. "Well, that was long ago. I guess things just don't stay the same for very long." Without another word, he left Luke alone in the control room.

Anakin

"Wolf Leader to General Skywalker. Come in General Skywalker. This is Wolf Leader. General Sky-"

"Han, for the last time. You are not Wolf Leader! Your code is S7."

"But General Skywalker,Wolf Leader sounds cooler."

"I don't care. And you don't have to call me General Skywalker," Anakin said for the sixth time over the com system. It was a mistake, he decided, to allow Han to have comlink access during the flight to Mandalore.

"Okay. Can I call you Dad?" Han asked. Anakin sucked in an irritated breath. "No."

Padme was next to him in the control room of the Wanderer. She left her chair and sat on his lap, ruffling his hair. "Honey, he's probably just excited to know that you don't actually hate him," she insisted. "Wow you don't hate me Dad? That's a relief!" Han exclaimed over the comlink. Anakin slammed a fist on the control panel. "Don't call me that!"

Padme kissed his temple as Anakin settled down. "He's a piece of work," he muttered. "But he's growing on me." He rest a hand on his wife's hip and smiled. "Aw I love you too Dad!"

Anakin rolled his eyes. "How do you think the kids are doing?" He asked Padme. The thought of Luke and Leia separated from him was agonizing. So many things could go wrong. Padme smiled reassuringly at him. "Don't worry. Rex is with Luke and Mace is with Leia. Everything will be fine." A twinkle in her eye flickered. "And besides, this will give us a chance for some time alone," she reminded him.

Anakin smirked. "How could I forget about that?" He asked, bringing his lips to his wife's.

"Your comlink is still on..."

Anakin immediately halted. His face reddened with anger. "That's it!" He bellowed, fiercely turning off the comlink. Padme turned his contorted face back towards her. "Ani, are you alright?" She asked.

Anakin shook his head wearily. "What if the kids aren't ready? What if they can't handle themselves?" He questioned. Padme kissed his cheek. "Luke and Leia are ready You know that," she answered confidently. Anakin ran his hand through his hair. "I guess they don't need their old man then, huh?" He concluded.

Padme stood up. "Oh Anakin, they're always gonna need you. Just in a different way. Everything that you've taught them, all the love that you've showed them, they'll have that forever."

"Um Mr. Skywalker?"

Anakin scowled at the comlink. "What is it now, Han?" He demanded impatiently. He heard Han swallow hard.

"We're to be approaching Mandalore and it seems the planet is surrounded by a blockade..."