How to Take an Empire

Chapter Twenty-Six: Breha's Interlude

Many rebellion agents passed through the Alderaanian palace, none of them ever staying long. But there was something that struck Breha Organa about Ahsoka Tano. Maybe it was seeing how young she was, having already fought in a war that immediately cast her aside and blamed her Order for the fallout when it was convenient. More likely, it was seeing the young woman be so gentle and caring with her dead friends' children, taking on the role of motherhood when she hadn't been expecting to. So against her better judgment, risking her plausible deniability about the rebellion, Breha offered the former Jedi and her children a place in the House of Organa. Luke and Leia were officially wards of the royal family. Ahsoka's place wasn't so official, but Breha made it clear that the Alderaanian palace was also her home.

Bail hadn't liked the idea. Not of taking in the twins but having the constant presence of a Jedi living in the palace. But Breha would not hear his reason. Ahsoka fought a war as a child, had been accused of treason, had her name cleared and fought for the Republic again, had been accused of treason along with all the other Jedi, and was now willing to go to war again for the galaxy. The least she could do was give her safe place to settle with her children.

What Breha hadn't expected was for them to become so close. It was only natural that they would, Breha supposed. Luke and Leia were only a little over a year older than Winter, and the three children spent a significant amount of time with each other. Inevitably when Ahsoka was home, the Queen spent time with her and grew fond of the girl's quick wit and teasing nature.

When they both had nothing they needed to do (or even sometimes when they did), Breha would ask her handmaidens to take care of the children for a few hours and grab a few bottles of wine, and they'd watch supernatural romance holoflicks from Breha's youth. They were sucky and cheesy, but when Breha needed to not think about her responsibilities, they made her feel like the pre-teen who hadn't had to shoulder the burden of being queen. From back when she had the privilege to finish her schooling and invite companions—companions who had long moved on to take up their own lives and duties—without a care in the world.

"These movies are so bad," Ahsoka said good-naturedly once as she laughed at the movie.

"I know that, but I will hear no blasphemy against this film. You have your anime; I can have my supernatural romances."

"Hey! My anime is high-class art, and you know it."

"Some of it, maybe. But some of them are as sucky and hit the right spot of childhood nostalgia as my movies."

"I'm just going to agree to disagree with you, my friend." Then she added, "Though Skyguy probably would have agreed with you."

Breha frowned a little in confusion as Ahsoka poured more of the wine.

"Skyguy?"

Ahsoka's eyes widened just a little before she recovered her composure and said, "That's what I used to call my master."

Ahsoka had changed the subject after that. For all that the woman was extremly open and honest about her feelings and opinions, Ahsoka was particularly tight-lipped about anything to do with before the Empire. The war. The Jedi. She talked about Padmé sometimes. But there was no topic that she avoided talking about more than she avoided talking about Anakin Skywalker, not even so much as breathe his name.

Breha didn't know much about the Jedi. No one did. But she did know that master and padawan pairs tended to form close bonds, despite their code of non-attachment. Ahsoka explained the attachment rule to Breha once, right after the togruta woman informed her that she'd renounced the Jedi. She'd given no reason for casting off the name but had offhandedly stated that she probably couldn't call herself that with two younglings calling her mama anyway. The comment prompted Breha to ask what she meant, and she'd explained the Jedi's code and the prohibition of attachments and the reasons behind them. Breha still didn't fully understand. Their code banning attachments seemed like the equivalent of banning planetary alliances and treaties because sometimes such alliances led to war. But she hadn't wanted to seem critical of the dead Order.