How to Take an Empire

Chapter Seventy-Two: Disillusion

Luke and Leia were suspiciously quiet during dinner.

Oh, they were good at hiding it. At least from Winter, who animatedly talked about their day. They obligatorily chimed in at all the right parts. Leia made all the right snide comments, Luke responded that she was being too mean, and Winter giggled none the wiser. But it was just a little too practiced, a little too like reading from a script with none of the exuberance and passion the two usually exhibited in everything they did.

Ahsoka pretended not to notice. For all their sake. It was hard to carve out these nights, two days a week, amid her busy schedule. Though, it was much easier now that she wasn't going on as many field missions. Most people assumed that it was because she needed to stay at base to oversee other missions. Truthfully, although Ahsoka had no problem throwing herself into danger to accomplish an objective, she wasn't so heedless to not realize that she was a lot more durable than the life that grew within her. So strong, for sure, the medical droid she discreetly went to see assured her. Yet, so fragile.

Pulling back some worked out for her, though. More time with the twins and Winter, and no one else questioned her for "slowing down," assuming she was finally finding a balance.

Ahsoka decided to indulge the twins in their little game, long used to having to wait for the right moment. The right moment came sooner than she thought. Winter jumped out her seat and grabbed a folder off the coffee table not too far away.

"Where are you going?"

"Senator Mothma is helping me with an assignment for school," Winter replied. "It's something about the politics of the Republic, and I wanted to ask someone who used to be a part of the Senate then to explore how it was different, if it was different, from the Empire. Before the Empire disbanded it."

"You're going by yourself?"

"Threepio will be with me," Winter said, gesturing to the droid that was waiting for her at the door.

Before Ahsoka could tell the girl to comm her when she got to the former senator's quarters, she'd dashed out the door with Threepio calling for her not to run. Ahsoka rolled her eyes but smiled. At least the girl wasn't so sad about her parents anymore.

"Okay," Ahsoka said without waiting. "Are either of you going to tell me what's going on, or am I'm going to have to pry it out of you?"

"Nothing's wrong, mama," Luke muttered.

"Sure," Ahsoka said, nudging at the bond she had with the two since they were just days old.

"We don't wanna bother you," Luke insisted.

"We know you're busy. It's stupid anyway," Leia added.

"I am never too busy for the two of you. I wouldn't make sure we could have dinner like this if I were. I also wouldn't let you burst into a High Command meeting to interrupt me with a debate either," Ahsoka said.

Luke's ears turned red, and Leia looked into her lap in shame.

"We didn't realize you were in a meeting," Leia murmured.

"We're sorry," Luke apologized.

"Don't be. You saved me from Satine," Ahsoka grumbled.

They both giggled.

"You're weird, Mama. She's always nice when we have tea with her and Obi-wan on her visits. She tells us all about Mandalore," Luke argued.

"Oh. And she let us see the markings on her cane and explained what they mean on Mandalore. Do you know that in Mandalorian culture, a cane is a sign of strength and resolve? Not weakness. It's—"