On the Wings of Valkyrie

Chapter LXII

"....How is this.... I watched your funeral. I saw the holo feed," Ahsoka murmured as she slowly stood up to fully face her old friend.

"Ani said you went after Maul. I thought...." Padmé began, dropping off. Leia blinked, quickly pulling the pieces together. Ahsoka knew Padmé. Padmé's last known location of Ahsoka was received through Anakin. Ahsoka used to be a Jedi. Ahsoka asked about Luke first rather than any of her old friends, like Rex—and Rex had been a member of the 501st Legion, Leia's father's legion, during the Clone Wars—or the Larte sisters.

Anakin had mentioned he'd had a padawan once, though it was a topic he had rather quickly shifted off of because she had left the Order.

Mother of Moons.

"You were Anakin's apprentice," Leia breathed aloud, looking at the Togruta with a new gaze. Either Ahsoka didn't hear or ignored her.

"66 didn't succeed, not for lack of trying on the 501st's part," the Grey Jedi said, responding to Padmé's earlier statement. "And you faked your death."

"Yes," Leia's Mother answered, coming back to herself as she strode forward. "Oh, Ahsoka, it is so good to see you."

Luke was going to be so upset he missed out on this.

~*~

"Hey, what's that?" Luke asked, gesturing to data littering a holo. He'd walked in to ask his father about something in one of the texts he'd come across—some Force ability called pyrokinesis—only to find the Sith studying the holo.

"Top secret shipments and supplies headed into Sith Space. Aiolin sent the information," Vader responded.

"Sith Space?"

"Surely Yoda didn't leave that out of your training."

"All he said was that it's uncharted territory that has some old abandoned planets the old Sith Empire used to control," Luke responded with a shrug. "He was more concerned with modern day Sith. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that the Hands are skywalking to wherever their destination is within that area."

"Meaning we can't figure out where they're landing."

"Correct."

"How many planets are part of Sith Space anyways?"

"A hundred and twenty habitable ones, a handful I know the coordinates of, many others I do not."

"....That's a problem."

"Indeed."

"Do you think we should check it out? A least look at the more important ones to see if something's going on?" Luke asked, glancing at Vader with a hopeful look on his face.

"We certainly could, if you would like," the Sith responded. "I was planning to check it out after you left."

"I've been all but grounded by High Command the past few months, I'm game."

"Very well. Go ahead and grab your things. We'll leave as soon as you're ready."

"Great!" Finally some action! And with Father no less!