Fic: White Rabbits (Star Wars, 34/?)
Sep. 8th, 2005 04:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
butterflyTitle: White Rabbits
Part: 34/?
Author: Diana Michelle (
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
butterfly)Warnings: Spoilers for Revenge of the Sith. Movie-canon only.
Pairings: Anakin/Obi-Wan; Leia/Han.
Rating: R/NC-17
Summary: Leia and Luke get a chance to explore their past.
Disclaimer: Not Lucas, don't own a thing, not making any money.
Chapter Index
Leia watched Luke carefully – she could feel him weighing the knowledge of Anakin’s time as a slave. Leia wasn’t entirely sure why it made so much of a difference. Obviously, Anakin hadn’t been a slave for too long – that Jedi that Luke had mentioned, Qui-Gon Jinn, had saved him. Yes, the scars of being ordered around might last a while, but Leia wouldn’t stand for Luke building up a case for forgiving Anakin because of that.
Leia shivered a little, her mind casting up the memory of Jabba the Hutt, leering down at her, his tail wagging suggestively.
But Vader’s slavery wouldn’t have been anything like that, in any case.
“You were going to show us something,” Han said, interrupting the quiet of the moment. Luke glanced over at him, and nodded. Then he looked over at Threepio, and Leia could feel a depth of caution that she understood, now.
“Threepio, you’re the one here who can tell us the most about what we’re going to watch,” Luke said. “I’m counting on you.”
“I will do my best, Master Luke,” Threepio said, solemnly. He didn’t look any different – he was still Threepio, but knowing that he’d been created by Vader… it changed things.
“Thank you,” Luke said, and he restarted the data chip. Leia placed the vaguely familiar voice as Juria Lelen, one of Mothma’s most trusted aides, and a very intelligent young woman.
“Of particular interest is this glimpse at a young Anakin Skywalker, who was to be one of the heroes of the Clone Wars.”
Hearing the slight awe in Juria’s voice, Leia wondered, and not for the first time, if she should tell the
A holorecorder image sprung up now, of a child about eight or nine standard years old. An old-fashioned training braid hung behind one ear, and he was dressed in the same loose robes that the Jedi always seemed to wear in the pictures Leia had been shown.
Anakin.
His face was round-cheeked and his eyes were sharp, and he didn’t look mistreated, though he looked oddly fragile. His voice was child-high and strained, but for all that, he had a flat undertone in his voice that sharply reminded her of… well, Vader. The part of his voice that would remain intact, through whatever vile technology he’d used to keep himself alive, was already present in this younger version.
And that helped Leia remember that this wasn’t just any child.
“…by Master Qui-Gon Jinn, who brought me before the Council and asked that I be made his Padawan. The Council refused then, but due to exten-extenuating circumstances, I request now to appeal that decision and to be permitted the rank of Padawan Learner under Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
Luke halted the recording, freezing the image of the young Anakin, his face pale, blinking back tears.
“Qui-Gon must have died sometime before this recording was made,” Luke said, thoughtfully. “Threepio, how old was Anakin when he left Tatooine?”
“Well, I’m certain that I don’t know,” Threepio said. “But he was around the same age he appears to be in that hologram.”
“Wait, he made you before this?” Leia asked.
“Yes, for his mother,” Threepio answered.
“He built a droid when he was nine,” Leia said, not quite able to believe it.
“So, he only knew this Qui-Gon Jinn for… a year at most,” Luke said. “Maybe two if he aged slowly.”
“No one ages slowly when they’re that young,” Leia said.
“It was less than a year,” Han said, abruptly. Leia turned towards him, noticing that he looked unusually grim and guarded. “Jinn died at the battle of Naboo, Kenobi and Skywalker’s first fight together.”
“Why-“
“Why didn’t I say this earlier,” Han said, cutting Leia’s words off. “Because I just didn’t remember, okay. I’m not trying to hide things. I just…”
“You weren’t ready to think about it yet?” Luke asked.
“Maybe,” Han said.
“Are you ready now?” Luke asked, and he and Han shared a long glance that Leia couldn’t quite read.
“I honestly didn’t remember,” Han said finally, with a shrug that was probably supposed to look careless. “Like I said, Kenobi and Skywalker were kid stuff, pre-Empire stuff. Afterwards, they weren’t important. Hell, we all thought they were dead. After a while, we figured that they were lucky to have died, not to see what’d happened to their Republic.”
Han scrubbed a hand over his eyes, lips tight and bloodless.
“Do you know anything else about Qui-Gon Jinn?” Luke asked, gently.
“I just knew that he was Kenobi’s master. Never even heard that Skywalker wanted to train with him,” Han said. He moved one step toward the projector, staring at the image of Anakin. “He died more than ten years before the First Clone War started, which is when Kenobi and Skywalker started making the HoloNet. Anyway, Jinn was just another Jedi. Nothing special.”
“Wait, you said that he was Obi-Wan’s teacher?” Luke asked. Han nodded. Luke bit his lip, looking reflective. “I wonder why Ben never mentioned him. He only told me about Yoda.”
After a moment, Luke reached out and restarted the recording.
A young Obi-Wan Kenobi, probably around Luke’s age, appeared at the side of the hologram, coming forward to speak to the child Anakin. Leia tilted her head after a moment – Obi-Wan made no attempt to get on Anakin’s level and his sole comfort to Anakin was a light touch on the shoulder. It didn’t seem adequate, not when Anakin was clearly on the edge of tears.
So at first, it was a bit of a relief when the recording ended, and Juria’s voice came in again.
But the audio that followed left Leia breathless.
“I suppose that I really do feel that he killed her.”
“I need to speak to Juria,” she said, immediately. “If I can talk to her, I might be able to get the name of that woman out of her. And if a relative of Obi-Wan’s is alive, his sister-“
“It won’t mean anything,” Luke said, and she could feel a weariness in him. “You heard the recording, Leia. He never tried to contact his mother. Not once.”
“But if he knew he had a sister still alive, wouldn’t that change things?” Leia said. “If he knew for certain that he had family, maybe that would help him.”
“So, we tell him,” Han said. “And leave the choices up to him.”
And that made enough sense to all three of them.
The security holo that was next on the data chip caught Leia’s attention when her father was mentioned. He’d always spoken highly of General Kenobi, but to see that respect so clearly returned… it warmed her heart.
And here, Anakin and Obi-Wan looked much as they did in the flesh – Anakin didn’t have the braid he’d had as a child, and Obi-Wan had a beard. But when she looked carefully, she noticed a scar over this Anakin’s right eye. And that was an accessory that their current Anakin did not have.
What could have happened to him that would have left a scar? Or had he chosen not to have it healed?
Leia was still running possibilities over in her mind after the holo had moved on, but then Han told Luke to ‘shut that blasted thing off’ and she looked up again, to see the half-hidden face of the Emperor.
“Han-“
“Look, Luke, I’m tired,” Han said, but he sounded a lot closer to angry than tired. “If you want to watch that thing, go ahead. I’m going to go to sleep.”
He turned and headed out of the cargo bay, and when Leia reached out to him, he just shook her hand off and kept going, not saying a word.
Leia just stood there for a moment. Han hadn’t seemed to want company, but that was sometimes when he needed it most. On the other hand, Luke wasn’t the image of happiness right now either.
And she wasn’t thrilled either, to be perfectly frank.
“I recognize this recording. It’s the Emperor’s announcement of the possible Wookiee rebellion,” Leia said, softly. “He used it as his excuse to kill and enslave most of the population of Kashyyyk.”
“So, let’s not show the holo to Chewie, then,” Luke said, leaning back against the wall, and reaching out to shut down the projector. Leia walked over to him, wrapped an arm around his waist. He welcomed her touch, as always. “How’d this get so complicated?”
“I wish I knew,” Leia said, leaning her head against Luke’s shoulder. Luke’s arm slipped around her back, and they just stayed there for a moment, together.
“Princess Leia,” Threepio said, breaking the stillness, and Leia glanced over him, surprised. The three of them had gotten so involved in talking at each other that that she’d forgotten that he was even there – she’d never known him to be quiet for so long. “I almost forgot to tell you -- Senator Reilia said that she would be pleased to meet with you. She’s on Coruscant now, and will be for the next three weeks. She said that she would be more than willing to meet you in between appointments.”
“I expected as much. Alderaan had a very close relationship with Naboo,” Leia said. “And now I know why.”
“Naboo?” Luke asked, and Leia could feel a hope start to fill him up. “Is this… is this about our mother?”
“It is,” Leia said, grinning up at Luke. “I’m hoping that some of her family is still alive.”
“They are,” Threepio said, and then he cringed back when he received the full force of Leia and Luke’s intent stares.
“Of course, you remember her now,” Luke said. “Tell us about her.”
“Everything that you know,” Leia added eagerly.
“That could take some time,” Threepio said. “Master Anakin lent me to Miss Padmé soon after he reclaimed me, and I was in her service for three years.”
“We have time,” Leia said.
“We have all night,” Luke said.
“I suppose that I should start at the beginning, then. I do seem to be telling quite a few stories recently,” Threepio said. Leia shared an amused glance with Luke before turning her full attention back to Threepio. “Well, Miss Padmé was the first person that I ever introduced myself to, and I will never forget what she said – she told Master Anakin that I was perfect! She was a woman with wonderful taste, even at so young an age.”
“How old was she?” Leia asked.
“What did she look like?” Luke asked, at the same moment.
Leia laughed softly, her joy uncontainable. When she looked up at Luke, he was smiling, that joy in his eyes, too. In this moment, they were just the same, as if they hadn't grown up apart at all, and Leia couldn’t imagine being this close to anyone else.
And when Threepio started talking again, they turned to him as one, full of questions.
Answers finally within reach.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-08 12:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-09 08:53 pm (UTC)And I have to admit that I don't get tired of hearing. Every time is like the first time.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-08 01:50 pm (UTC)"You weren’t ready to think about it yet?" Luke asked.
"Maybe," Han said.
"Are you ready now?" Luke asked, and he and Han shared a long glance that Leia couldn’t quite read.
The growing up through the chaos of the rise of the Empire - while Luke and Leia are too young too remember. And him being particularly touchy about the Wookiee/Kashyyyk rebellion announcement.
And Leia with her Anakin/Vader issues. I hope the Empire did manage to clear up the slave trade - at least to an extent.
Leia shivered a little, her mind casting up the memory of Jabba the Hutt, leering at down her, his tail wagging suggestively.
And the battle of Naboo - almost revisionist hisory or Han's faulty memory? Kenobi and Skywalker’s first fight together. Gives a sense of what details were lost. It also makes me wonder about the extent of reporting in the GFFA - that one trade blockade (and the associated details) would have been galaxy-wide news. Especially that it would have impinged on Han that much - at that time he'd have been really young? Unless he looked it up at some point later - belying his supposed lack of interest in the Jedi and various trappings.
It's interesting that Leia sees the hologram differently than Luke - he sees Anakin's smile and a shoulder clasp, where Leia sees Anakin clearly on the edge of tears. and Obi-Wan's awkwardness with him.
And Threepio is still self-centred self, though would he know if Padme's family were still alive now?
a woman with wonderful taste, even at so young an age.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-09 08:58 pm (UTC)I'm really feeling for Han here.
The growing up through the chaos of the rise of the Empire - while Luke and Leia are too young too remember. And him being particularly touchy about the Wookiee/Kashyyyk rebellion announcement.
Nobody's that cynical without reason, I always figure. And growing up during all the war and what came after... not at all easy.
And Leia with her Anakin/Vader issues. I hope the Empire did manage to clear up the slave trade - at least to an extent.
It would have if Anakin had anything to do with it. The question lies in just how much power Anakin really had.
It's interesting that Leia sees the hologram differently than Luke - he sees Anakin's smile and a shoulder clasp, where Leia sees Anakin clearly on the edge of tears. and Obi-Wan's awkwardness with him.
Personal perception is something that I find fascinating -- show twelve different people one picture and you'll generally get twelve slightly different impressions out of them.
And Threepio is still self-centred self, though would he know if Padme's family were still alive now?
There is a good reason for that, actually, that will be mentioned later on in the story.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-08 02:16 pm (UTC)Leia is such a child of privliege. She has the noblisse oblige down, but she's not going to understand having to work for a living the way Han and Luke grew with.
I like Leia debating whether to inform Mon Mothma about Vader's true identity or not, and the little detail of a braid being a sign of apprenticeship across the Republic, instead of beig a weird Jedi thing.
“I just knew that he was Kenobi’s master. Never even heard that Skywalker wanted to train with him,” Han said. He moved one step toward the projector, staring at the image of Anakin. “He died more than ten years before the First Clone War started, which is when Kenobi and Skywalker started making the HoloNet. Anyway, Jinn was just another Jedi. Nothing special.”
The fact that Han can recite what is basically decades old celebrity trivia makes it quite obvious that this might have been kid stuff, but once-important kid stuff. He's so cute when he's denying he cares.
And 'just another Jedi' makes me snicker. Boy, if they ever figure out that Qui-Gon was the one to achieve immortality, they're *all* -- Luke, Anakin, and everyone -- going to have their brains shaken.
Leia tilted her head after a moment – Obi-Wan made no attempt to get on Anakin’s level and his sole comfort to Anakin was a light touch on the shoulder. It didn’t seem adequate, not when Anakin was clearly on the edge of tears.
I like that Leia notices it. Obi-Wan really wasn't comfortable, and didn't do the things that Qui-Gon *did* to reassure Anakin. He probably got better as Anakin aged.
Leia said. “If he knew for certain that he had family, maybe that would help him.”
Family is important to Leia, and she, like Luke, is not really getting that Temple Jedi were without families as they understand them. Leia will be more resitant to the understanding that than Luke -- she's stubborn and unforgiving that way, just like Anakin. Boy is she going to be dissappointed when Obi-Wan just looks baffled at the info about his sister.
The security holo that was next on the data chip caught Leia’s attention when her father was mentioned. He’d always spoken highly of General Kenobi, but to see that respect so clearly returned
Yes, Bail is always going to her father to Leia. Even once she accepts that Anakin was her genetic father, she's not going to ever connect to him the way Luke did.
Han's reaction to the Emperor's announcement is intriguing. He probably saw it as a child and it effects him also through Chewie. Not only was that probably the death of his heroworship, but if he's seen Kashyyyk...
I love that they are going to learn about Padme. I suspect Leia will be dissappointed in her genetic mother, but Luke will be thrilled -- he grew up knowing his parents were dead, which is different from Leia's experience.
And if any of Padme's family start talking about Anakin, well that's an entirely different kettle of fish.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-09 09:04 pm (UTC)Leia is such a child of privliege. She has the noblisse oblige down, but she's not going to understand having to work for a living the way Han and Luke grew with.
So true. Princess is more than a word.
The fact that Han can recite what is basically decades old celebrity trivia makes it quite obvious that this might have been kid stuff, but once-important kid stuff. He's so cute when he's denying he cares.
Hee. Yes.
I like that Leia notices it. Obi-Wan really wasn't comfortable, and didn't do the things that Qui-Gon *did* to reassure Anakin. He probably got better as Anakin aged.
Hopefully, he did. If only because he was no longer dealing with a small child.
Family is important to Leia, and she, like Luke, is not really getting that Temple Jedi were without families as they understand them. Leia will be more resitant to the understanding that than Luke -- she's stubborn and unforgiving that way, just like Anakin. Boy is she going to be dissappointed when Obi-Wan just looks baffled at the info about his sister.
Yes, this is something that really is outside their realm of possibility. That someone could just... not care about their family, and not in a cruel way, but just in a quietly indifferent way. Yeah, it'll leave a mark.
Han's reaction to the Emperor's announcement is intriguing. He probably saw it as a child and it effects him also through Chewie. Not only was that probably the death of his heroworship, but if he's seen Kashyyyk...
Double whammy of ouch.
I love that they are going to learn about Padme. I suspect Leia will be dissappointed in her genetic mother, but Luke will be thrilled -- he grew up knowing his parents were dead, which is different from Leia's experience.
Again, yes. Leia had a mother that she grew up with and loved. Luke had an aunt and uncle he loved, but also an intense awareness that his parents were dead.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-08 02:42 pm (UTC)*hugs Han*
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-09 09:05 pm (UTC)Thanks, hon.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-08 05:07 pm (UTC)Leia shivered a little, her mind casting up the memory of Jabba the Hutt, leering at down her, his tail wagging suggestively.
But Vader’s slavery wouldn’t have been anything like that, in any case.
I loved that, completely and utterly. Did you ever read the Acorna books? By Anne MacCaffery? Cuz there are these child slaves who work in a mine(like ages 4-10 maybe) and one day the big pedophilic pimp sex slave trader is coming to pick out new aquisitions and one of the girls looks at another, and realizes how pretty the other is. So she hacks off half this girl's hair and smears mud all over her face trying to ugly her up so that she won't be taken away to the kiddie brothels. Bringing this back on (or at least towards) topic, I always wondered if that was something Anakin's mother ever did, what with Tatooine being the wretched hive of scum and villiany that it is. And that made me think of that. And ponder future chapters.
p.s. I FEEL FOR HAN LIEK WHOA. (I might have to write some Han gen now, cuz WHOA.)
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-08 05:21 pm (UTC)However, I do admit to having a working plot bunny centered on the idea of abused!Anakin. Not only is this bunny scary as all hell, it also results in Anakin (probably) not falling, as extent of psychological care the Jedi have to put in to fix him exceeds the amount of attention he ever got in canon.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-08 05:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-09 09:06 pm (UTC)Did you ever read the Acorna books? By Anne MacCaffery?
I haven't, but now I'm kinda intereseted. Hmm. My Anakin backstory for this story is pretty well set, but that's an interesting thought.
And yes, Han deserves the angst, too!
(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-19 11:39 am (UTC)Smart, caring little buggers. Makes me want to shed a tear. :(
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-08 06:17 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-09 09:07 pm (UTC)And yes, putting the pieces together is good.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-08 07:06 pm (UTC)But Vader’s slavery wouldn’t have been anything like that, in any case.
Interesting. I expect that Anakin's slavery had, in fact, moments like this, at least when he was still with Gardula the Hutt. T
his would explain why he freezes when Obi-Wan is touching him a bit too intimately. I've reread this scene a couple of times and there are many hints that Anakin's reaction stems more from fear than from desire. He's scared, but still loves Obi-Wan and therefore wants to be close to him despite the fear. That's my take on it, anyway.
I'll comment on the rest of the chapter when I've a bit more time.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-09 09:07 pm (UTC)He's scared, but still loves Obi-Wan and therefore wants to be close to him despite the fear. That's my take on it, anyway.
And... yes. Exactly.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-09 09:37 pm (UTC)Unfortunately our internet connection at home is down (I'm still at work right now) and then I'm travelling for a while. I'll leave a review as soon as I've got a internet connection again.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-09 12:50 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-09 09:08 pm (UTC)It's a lot of fun to write, as well. I'm just really getting involved in caring about these characters.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-09 03:38 am (UTC)"The security holo that was next on the data chip caught Leia’s attention when her father was mentioned. He’d always spoken highly of General Kenobi, but to see that respect so clearly returned"
It took me five seconds to know she was talking about Bail. Then it hit me that for her Bail is the person who she calls father and Anakin will forever be just Anakin and at times Vader. I hope you touch the Leia/Anakin relationship even more and Leia/Bail as well.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-09-09 09:09 pm (UTC)Thank you!
It took me five seconds to know she was talking about Bail. Then it hit me that for her Bail is the person who she calls father and Anakin will forever be just Anakin and at times Vader. I hope you touch the Leia/Anakin relationship even more and Leia/Bail as well.
Don't worry, I will. I find all that terribly fascinating.