Chapter Text
A void.
No sound, no light.
It should have been suffocating. Yet, she dwelled in tranquility. Where there might be cold, there instead was warmth. Instead of loneliness, there was comfort. No pain. No sorrows. Just calm.
Ainyam wanted to stay here forever. Her body, once broken and in pain, felt whole again. Her mind was at peace. Her heart was healed.
Her awareness pricked, an interruption of peace. The warmth fled from her body, fear overcoming the calm. Something was coming for her.
No, not something. Some one .
Footsteps echoed in the distance, coming closer, closing in on her. The nearer they were, the heavier the gait. Ainyam tried to turn, but she couldn’t move; paralyzed. Restrained.
Suddenly her mind was filled with a presence that made her heart ache in a way that she had only experienced once before.
“Ainyam.”
The hiss from a blood-red lightsaber dismissed the darkness. Ainyam found herself staring in a mirror, wearing black skirt with slits all the way to her hips. A black leather band wrapped around her right thigh. Her top was cut off at the midriff and sleeveless with a plunging neckline. And in hand was her own lightsaber…also red.
To her left stood a tall figure wearing a black robe and the hood pulled up, shadowing out his face. One hand was gloved and the other bare as it gestured forward.
“Your empire awaits you, Empress.”
* * *
Aldera, Alderaan — 14 BBY
Ainyam jolted awake, breathing hard. She quickly sat up and looked around, sighing in relief as she took in the familiar surroundings of her suite. She was still in the palace on Alderaan. She glanced out the window. It was still dark out, but she could make out the light tendrils of dawn streaking over the mountains. Though she might have slept another long while, she decided instead to rise.
She stretched from the edge of her bed, stood, and then dressed in the closet. She chose training attire, lightweight, flexible clothing, and then called her lightsaber to her hand before attaching it to her hip.
Once on the veranda, she stretched the bend of her legs. She took in a deep breath, letting the cool, fresh air fill every part of her lungs and clear out any cobwebs in her mind as she bent low and stood again, bent low, and stood again. The Force surrounded and uplifted her.
Then, she ran.
Ainyam loved to run. She loved the pull of her muscles as they propelled her forward. The stretch had woken them up, but the run made her feel alive. She raced down the familiar path through the woods, her lungs burning from exertion. She liked to think of the burn as a cleanse. The well-worn path met her with familiar and stable trees, plants, and wildlife, reminding her of all the quiet but beautiful life in the universe.
Finally, she burst out of the woods and into the meadow that had become her sanctuary. She slowed to a stop and took several big gulps of air, slowing her heart rate. Once she felt that she had caught her breath, she sat cross-legged in the grass. The ground was still damp from the morning dew, but she didn’t care. She placed her lightsaber in front of her, closed her eyes, and levitated it before her. Her focus restored, she dove into the warm waters of the Force.
Each day, she meditated in the woods. Her thoughts often took her to the past: her first training session with Master Windu; her journey to Ilum to build her lightsaber; her time sneaking in and out of the temple. She thought about when she met Padme and felt at home on Naboo. Her thoughts continued to drift to the next memory that followed: the invasion, escape, Tatooine, Anakin, her defiance against Advisor Truen in the wake of the vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum. Then, she’d often see Anakin again as they flew through space, firing at enemy droids, and again during her tour of the galaxy when he was assigned as her protection. The memories, however, quickly spiraled. The assassination attempts. Padme’s death. The start of the war.
Warm sun hit her face, signaling the hours that had passed. She opened her eyes, calling her lightsaber into the palm of her hand. She chose to walk back, and in the slower pace, allowed her thoughts to drift back to the war. In hindsight, everything changed when the Trade Federation invaded Naboo, but the Clone Wars reformed the galaxy in the worst ways.
Ainyam stopped and frowned at that thought. Not every change was bad. If anything good came out of the war, it was meeting her clone squad. They eventually became like brothers to her, especially Axel.
Her heart ached at the thought of Axel. He was a constant in those years, always by her side. He anticipated her next move. He never faltered if a plan went south. He always found a way. He had become a comfort, especially that night...
Ainyam shook her head. She wasn’t ready to face that specific memory, nor did she think she would ever.
She jogged the rest of the way home. After a shower, she stood at her wardrobe and contemplated the day’s outfit. Her mind drifted back to her Coruscant wardrobe and the elaborate dresses that hung in her closet. Despite her Jedi training, Ainyam had always enjoyed the finer things in her life; the ability to express herself through her clothing. She chose an off-the-shoulder dress with puff sleeves and a maroon-colored tulle skirt and then sat at her vanity, applying a light layer of colorful makeup to match. She clipped the right side of her hair away from her face and pulled the rest over her left shoulder just as the chest at the foot of her bed caught her eye in the mirror. For a long time, it had been the cradle of her lightsaber, but now that she kept it at her side, she hadn’t gone through the contents of the chest since she first removed it.
Ainyam left the vanity and retrieved the chest, sliding it from beneath the bed to the open floor. Inside were some of her old clothes, the ones she had worn during the war. She pulled out her old Jedi traveling tunic and trousers with leather corset and kama. Axel had insisted on the kama for added protection. With it was a single gown, one that she’d worn as the duch*ess and not as a Jedi, not too unlike the one she wore today; puffy sleeves, a wide belt, and light material.
She reached in, expecting another piece of clothing, but her fingers brushed something hard, small, and disc-shaped. A holocommunicator; one she’d used frequently during the war…though, to her surprise, the steady, dim blue light on one side indicated there was a message she had never viewed. Puzzled, she pressed it.
The ghostly, blue holo image projected from the disc, a Jedi with a familiar voice.
“This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
Obi-Wan. She stared at his face. It had been so long since she’d seen it.
“I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place.”
The ghostly figure began to tremble. Not the figure, but the disc itself, shaking from her unsteady grip.
“This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi: trust in the Force. Do not return to the Temple. That time has passed, and our future is uncertain. Avoid Coruscant. Avoid detection. Be secret…but be strong.”
Ainyam closed her eyes and Obi-Wan's words washed over her. Her family, her home…
“We will each be challenged: our trust, our faith, our friendships. But we must persevere and, in time, I believe a new hope will emerge.”
Master Yoda’s words echoed in her mind from when she saw him in her tomb, years ago… A new hope to the galaxy you have brought…
“May the Force be with you, always.”
She opened her eyes just as Obi-Wan’s image disappeared. Anakin’s image took his place: hair short, but long enough to curl at the edges. He wore a general’s armor, and he had an easy smile on his face. Unlike the message from Obi-Wan, Ainyam had seen this image many times before. She’d saved it during one of their many communications during the war. This was the Anakin that she remembered and missed terribly.
* * *
Bail was pensive, his mind on the state of the galaxy as he rolled the breakfast tray down the hallway towards Ainyam’s suite. The Empire had begun mining resources on several planets, including Kashyyyk, without any regards to its inhabitants, displacing and imprisoning millions. He had recruited a few people to his cause to fight against the Empire, but it didn’t seem like enough, though every day, more and more rumors of rebel cells were popping up. Unfortunately, they were so far only that: rumors. He felt there was some hope, but it was waning.
He softly knocked on Ainyam’s door before he entered. He found Ainyam sitting in her favorite spot by a large window, holding a holo-device that was projecting the image of a person. As he slowly got closer, he recognized the person as Anakin Skywalker, and judging by his attire it was from the early days of the war.
Ainyam was staring intently at the image. Her brow was furrowed and her lips slightly pursed. Bail felt a small smile form as he recalled seeing this very face on the duch*ess in a different life many times.
“Milady duch*ess?”
She didn’t acknowledge him, her gaze too intently set on the image of Skywalker, but as he stepped closer, she spoke.
“When I look at Leia, I see Anakin,” Ainyam murmured, a sad smile coming across her face. “She has his tenacity. His fire.”
Bail peered at the image of Anakin. He saw Leia in both of them. Every day she looked more like Ainyam, actually. Someday, when she was older, she might piece together their connection herself. That day was still a long way off, he knew.
“He would have loved her,” Ainyam sighed as she switched off the hologram. “He would have loved both of them.” She swung her legs back to the ground, stood, and began to help Bail set out breakfast.
“No Leia today?” she asked.
Bail shook his head. “She and Breha are visiting family on the other side of the planet.”
Ainyam didn’t reply, but he thought he might have seen a nod as she repositioned one of the platters from the tray to the table.
“I was looking through the trunk from Coruscant,” she said.
“For something specific?” he asked.
“There is one thing I’d hoped to find, but I’m convinced it’s not here. It must still be on Coruscant…and I hope to retrieve it.”
Bail studied her as she set the last platter and took her place at the table. When Ainyam finally woke up from the coma, she was the shell of the person she once was. The Jedi were gone, and her family’s legacy had been destroyed. For months after, she’d hid in this suite struggling to find herself. But a year following the Purge and fall of the Republic, after he took her to her tomb on Naboo, he’d watched her slowly come back to life. Five years later, he would almost say that she even thrived on Alderaan. She ate, slept, and exercised in a routine she’d established herself. Color had returned to her cheeks. She smiled often. The last piece of her that had yet to return was the sparkle of hope in her eye.
Though, the woman that had once been the Grand duch*ess was slowly reviving.
“You’ve kept me in the dark when it comes to the affairs of the Galaxy,” she went on.
Bail nodded. He’d chosen not to tell her any more after she saw the holo-footage of Mas Amedda throwing lightsabers into a vat of fire and retreated to her bed for days. Each morning, he thought she might be dead when he went to wake her. It was weeks before he stopped fearing for her life.
“I felt you needed more time to heal,” he said gently. “You’ve come a long way, but the Empire has made the Galaxy a much darker place.”
Emotions played on Ainyam’s face. Pain. Understanding. Patience. Peace. He wasn’t sure she was ready, but also, she’d never asked to leave the planet before. Much less to go to Coruscant.
“You may have an opportunity,” said Bail. “The Emperor is hosting a grand ball at the Imperial Palace, and the Alderaanian royal family has been invited. We were considering bringing a nanny for Leia, just to have some more guidance for her at the event.”
“You want to take Leia to Coruscant to see the Emperor?” Ainyam’s voice tensed as she asked. Bail was all too familiar with that tone.
“It is the Emperor’s wish,” Bail simply said. “I was hoping that your presence might give her an advantage. I understand you may be able to mask any semblance of Force sensitivity in her.”
Ainyam stared at her food as she ate it. Bail sat down at her side, but did not eat with her, even though there was a plate in front of him. It wasn’t until Ainyam paused to pour herself some tea that she spoke again.
“She’s already five years old, and I barely feel the Force around her,” she said. “I think she may have a natural mask or block of her own, if she’s not significantly less sensitive than her brother, that might have come out of my attempts to shield her in her gestation. Now that she’s older, I don’t think she’d need me to shield her at all.”
Bail took a few bites of his breakfast as he pondered Ainyam’s words. The ways of the Jedi and their understanding of the Force still mystified him, and he supposed they will continue to do so for as long as he will live. They both continued to eat in silence.
“I would still feel better if you came. Just in case,” he said. “Leia has been summoned to appear, so she must go. She may have this natural ability, but you alone would be able to compensate if it’s not enough.”
“Then I shall,” she said.
Bail nodded. “Then it is decided. You will accompany us to Coruscant.”
They finished breakfast and cleared the dishes together. Bail readied the tray to return to the kitchen while Ainyam assumed her earlier position by the window. The sun basked her in an ethereal glow as she leaned against one arm, listening to the birds sing.
“There’s one more thing, Milady.”
She looked back at him, eyes alert.
“You should know, before we go to Coruscant,” Bail said, “that the Jedi Temple is now the Imperial Palace.”
Her eyes narrowed and fists clenched. “The Emperor resides in the Jedi Temple?”
“He does. Does it change your feelings about the plan?”
“No,” she said, turning back to the window. “But thank you for telling me.”
* * *
A couple of hours later, Ainyam donned a hooded cloak with a mask and snuck out of her suite into the palace, following schematics that Bail had given her. She found the old-fashioned door of his office–hinges, rather than hydraulics– softly knocked, and waited for an answer. He called for her to enter, and she stepped inside.
“Is this a bad time, Bail?” She used her Naboo accent to ask.
Bail leapt to his feet and ushered her inside. Though caught off-guard, he sounded genuinely happy to see her.
“Milady, this is a pleasant surprise! To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“You’ve made changes to your office.” Nearby stood a brightly lit tank full of colorful fish. They darted around the tank, swimming between vegetation and simple structures that decorated the tank. Bail had even moved his desk to a different spot than Ainyam remembered it from years before. He had some holograms pulled up behind him. Ainyam recognized the official seal of the Republic.
“I added the fish to keep Leia entertained,” Bail said with a smile. “She loves to watch them swim.”
Ainyam smiled in return, but then got back to business. “I wanted to talk more about this trip to Coruscant.”
Bail nodded. “Of course. I happy to—“
A holographic image of an aide appeared before Bail, projected from the desk.
“Pardon the intrusion, Senator,” the aid bowed. “There is an offical with an urgent matter. They request your presence immediately.”
“I’ll be there shortly,” Bail said and the holoimage disappeared.
“Please forgive me, Milady,” he said as he stood. “Let me deal with this, and then we shall talk. Keep the door closed.”
Ainyam nodded politely as he rushed from the office, and then turned her attention back to the holo documents that Bail had pulled up behind him. Curiosity getting the better of her, she stepped closer.
She recognized this report. She had looked at it everyday for three years, though this was the final version. It was the casualty report from the war. Ainyam felt her heart race as she looked through, her eyes darting over the designations and names, Jedi, clones, civilians. Many that she recognized.
Wait...
Ainyam brought up a search box and began typing, hoping that if anyone that she knew had survived it was him. She paused, her hands shaking and her thoughts racing. Did she really want to know? Taking in a deep breath to calm herself, she tapped a single button.
A mere seconds later his face appeared before her.
