LOST LAMB

An alternate sequel

Explanation of the AU

This story is an alternate sequel to Black Sheep. If you have not read Black Sheep, please do so now. If it has simply been a while since you've read the story, then the information below should jog your memory.

These stories exist in an alternate universe where Lux Bonteri fell off the cliff during the final battle of the Onderon rebellion. After his untimely death, his younger sister Sierra was placed in the care of General Tandin, and rebel leaders Steela and Saw Gerrera accepted advisory positions in King Dendup's court.

At work, Steela met Bastian Lockwood, an adept hypnotist and illegitimate son of King Sanjay Rash. He hypnotized her during a policy meeting and wasted no time before proposing marriage, to which a hypnotized Steela gleefully accepted.

Hero Calvert, Hutch St. James, and Sierra Bonteri, later with Ahsoka's help, launched an investigation to stop Bastian before he wed Steela, but in the alternate ending they were mostly unsuccessful: Saw, while he avoided an assassination attempt, was committed to an asylum; General Tandin was apparently killed, Sierra was betrothed to one of Bastian's lackeys, Ahsoka was sent back to Coruscant, and above all Steela and Bastian married and succeeded the Onderonian throne after King Dendup's "mysterious" death.

This story takes place during the coronation, eight months after Black Sheep

And now, I present the alternate sequel.

The clouds lift from Onderon's previously bleak future during the coronation of King Bastian Rash.

The underhanded son of Sanjay kneels as the holy man places the crown on his head, internally gloating. Gloating at his father, who never claimed him. Gloating at his mother who wasn't good enough to bear the name Rash. Gloating at the Gerreras, who once cursed his family and now find themselves a part of it. Gloating especially at Steela, his favorite trophy. The woman he corrupted, wedded, and impregnated. Just the sight of his father's lead enemy heavy with child is enough to make Bastian want to laugh.

And not at all the least, gloating to the three who tried to stop him: Hero Calvert, Hutch St. James, and Sierra Bonteri. He may not have caught the first two, but he has the last. With General Tandin gone and Bastian now her guardian, the engagement contract which became a collar around her neck and secured Ean's loyalty was a cinch.

He's so busy with his mental monologue that he doesn't hear a child's bell ring in the audience.

He doesn't see his pregnant bride's fingers tighten, and he doesn't see her face morph into fear for a half second before returning to her normal, calm composure. He can't be blamed; the transformation is so subtle that one would have to focus very, very hard and know what they were looking for.

In fact, besides the child with the bell, only three people see it.

The first witness is Sierra Bonteri.

"Ean," she whispers to her betrothed. "Can I talk to you in the hallway when this is over?"

Ean nods, all too willing to take up an invitation to spend time together. "Sure!"

Unlike Steela, who prayed the atheist's prayer in her time of need, Sierra prays the prayer of the devout when she boxes Ean Gould into a corner and unclasps her necklace. She prays to her family, she prays to the gods of Unifras, and to the mysterious Force she knows next to nothing about.

All she knows is that this is her chance and she needs all the help she can get.

"Sierra?" Ean asks, confused.

"Watch," she orders, and swings her necklace from her fingers, watching as Ean's gaze focuses, then glazes over, then returns to normal.

A mysterious smile falls over her lips.

"Good," she says and returns the necklace to its original place. "Ean, I need your help with something…something to make it so Onderon will have a Queen, with no Kings attached."

A young woman is the second.

Hero Calvert elbows her boyfriend. "You see that?"

Hutch nods. "I don't know what did it, but it happened. That's the real Steela if I ever saw her."

"What are we going to do?" Hero whispers, her voice somewhat garbled by the scarf wrapped over her hair and the lower half of her face.

Hutch considers. "I think your backup plan is the best. Let's go home."

On Coruscant, Anakin Skywalker leads Ahsoka down the Temple corridors to the Jedi Soul Healers.

"I can't believe it!" Ahsoka cries. "I just can't believe it. He knew we were coming and he had Griff knock Hero out before she pulled the fire alarm, I just know it. I should never have left her alone."

Anakin gently touches her on the shoulder. "I know, Snips. I know."

"Master, the HoloNet says that Saw is in a mental hospital – he might be reckless, but he's not unstable - and Steela is pregnant. Pregnant! This is a conspiracy, and anyone who actually knows those two knows it. Can't the Jedi Council conduct an investigation?"

Anakin doesn't like the way this sounds either, but his hands are tied. "I wish I could, but the Council says that unless they have indelible proof that Steela was forced to go through with the wedding, the whole thing is legitimate."

"But you know it's not."

"I understand." They turn the corner and the dread knots in Anakin's stomach. He doesn't want to do this – good force, he doesn't want to do this to Ahsoka, what with the potential of erasing her memories and all the other horrendous things that he knows can happen when excess electricity is applied to a body. But he remembers what the Jedi Council told him about what would happen if he didn't.

"Just focus on your Soul Healer appointment today." He forces himself to say. "I'm sure you'll feel much better when it's done."

But when he opens the door, another road waits on the table, the look on her face scaring the Soul Healers into absolute submission.

"Pa - Senator Amidala?"

"Hello, Master Skywalker." Padme says coolly. "I dropped by to ask if I could borrow your padawan again. Protecting people is so very, very important."

The double meaning sears into Anakin, but if it means taking care of Ahsoka and defying the Council, he's all for it.

"That sounds good," he says, gesturing to Ahsoka. "Ahsoka, you're assigned to security duty again. This time, try not to involve yourself in secret negotiations and conspiracies."

Ahsoka rolls her eyes. "Very funny, Master."

In their new, half-rotted apartment in the worst part of the city, Hero takes out the fruits of the few credits she has left and lays it on the counter while she and Hutch debrief their roommate.

"Was she there?"

Hutch nods. "They both were, and it's definitely happened. I could see it in Steela's face; the trance is broken. She's back in business."

"I've known Steela since I was a kid, and she's careful." Hero pipes up. "She'll bide her time and she won't do anything stupid or rash. She has Sierra with her, at any rate."

"And I've sat idly by for far too long." The man cracks his knuckles. "That traitor has my friend and my ward, and I want them back."

"But your health -."

"Never mind my health," he stands. "It takes more than poison to bring Gregory Tandin to his knees."

SIERRA

Ean stares at me, a dazzling smile on his face.

And I have no clue what to do with him.

"Sierra?" he asks. "What do you mean, 'with no Kings attached'?"

That's a really great question, Ean. What do I mean? Murder Bastian in his sleep? No, while personally satisfying that wouldn't do us a bit of good. Anyway, Unifar only knows what Steela would do, what with her being right there.

Steela.

"I need you to ask Queen Steela to meet me in the back pantry," I blurt out. "Speak softly, and don't face any of the cameras. I don't want to worry anyone."

Ean nods. Why didn't I think of fighting hypnosis with hypnosis before? It's almost too easy. "I'll talk to her. When would you like it done?"

"As soon as possible," I grab his shoulders. "And let's keep this between us. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Ean, you're the best." Even when he wasn't hypnotized, those words are the best and fastest route to his willpower.

"Thank you," Ean says, staring adoringly after me as he goes off to get Steela.

As he goes, I feel something return to me. Something I thought I'd lost forever.

Leverage.

The pantry door pushes open. "Sierra, you'd better be here."

"Steela!"

I've never been happier to see someone in my life. Without the slightest care for what I'm doing I grab her around the waist, pulling her close in a hug.

"Pipe down, Ean said to be quiet," she says. "Step back so I can see you."

As much as I don't want to, I do. Steela pulls back, a quivering smile on her face. "You look different."

"So do you."

"We all do," she releases my shoulders. "Ean tells me you're engaged to him, and I know you'd rather walk barefoot on coals than do that. What's going on?"

My stomach drops like a stone. "Bastian betrothed me to him as a reward when Griff and Ean tried to kill Saw. You remember that happening, right?"

"No," Steela says, looking horrified and disturbed. "Not at all. Is Saw okay?"

"Right, I guess I'd better start at the beginning." I take a seat on the nearest box. "Bastian hypnotized you when you were at work one day, and that's why you married him. Today someone rang a bell in the crowd and it broke the trance."

"Is Saw okay?" she repeats.

"He's fine," I rush to say. "Well, sort of. Hero and I figured out what was going on and we got Ahsoka to help us, but Hutch figured it out faster and saved Saw. But at the wedding…Hero was supposed to ring a fire alarm to break the trance, but Griff got her before she could turn it on. Bastian told everyone that Saw hit his head falling out of a tree and he, um," I rub the back of my neck, my cheeks flaming under Steela's gaze. "He institutionalized him."

"What?"

I nod. "I sent him a letter on Life Day but I'm not sure if it got out. I only know which one he's in because I snuck into Bastian's office and read his mail."

Steela stiffens again. "Hold on, you live here? Bastian hates your guts. Why aren't you with Tandin?"

A lump rises in my throat. "I-I can't. Bastian k-killed him."

Everyone may say Tandin died of a heart attack, but I don't believe a word. He was in his forties and was the most physically fit person I knew, maybe even more than my father with his big weakness for my mother's cooking and sweets. Tandin and I may have eaten Nana's fried nuna wings every Friday, but it was all in moderation. Nothing so bad as to bring on a heart attack.

No, the thing that killed him was that he was taking care of me.

Steela sucks in breath. "He's dead?"

I nod, blinking hard. "I haven't heard anything about Hutch or Hero, so either they've escaped or they're gone too."

"I met Hero in grade school when she got in trouble for talking back to the principal. She's a sparkplug; if anyone can get away from Griff, she can. Especially if Hutch helped her out."

A thrill of potential pops up in my stomach. Yes, Hutch wasn't at the wedding! He was outside; he could have helped. And if Hero was dead, I don't think Bastian would waste an opportunity to rub it in my face.

"Seriously," Steela continues. "It takes more than the likes of Griff to stop Hero Calvert and Hutch St. James! If Hutch found out Hero was in danger, he would go crazy to save her. I wouldn't want to stand between the Cashier from Hell and his waitress. That would be like signing your own death certificate." She releases my shoulder. "We should get going before Bastian gets suspicious. Just one more question."

"Yes?"

"Is it a boy, or is Bastian just telling everyone it is?"

A smile, a real one this time, splits my face. "It's a boy. When you got your sonogram holos you showed them to everyone. You wouldn't shut up about them you were so excited. I think even Bastian was getting tired of hearing about it."

"Well that's even better," she puts her hands on her belly. "Know where they are? It's making me angry that Bastian got to see my kid before I did."

"I don't know where you put them, but they're probably somewhere in your room."

"Sierra, you're the best."

"Lady Bonteri."

Steela gives me an odd look. "What?"

"Lady Bonteri. That's what you've been calling me for the past few months." My cheeks turn red. "I don't want Bastian to be tipped off by it."

Steela squares her shoulders. "Thanks for the reminder, Lady Bonteri. I'll have Ean talk to you when it's time for us to move on to the second phase of our plan."

"What's the first phase?"

"Easy," she says. "We don't tip off Bastian."

A/N: I know it's been a long time since the first story was published, but who's excited for some more plotting and Game of Thrones-type action?

A few of you expressed interest in an alternate sequel, and I'm excited to write this for you as well. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this adventure just as much as its predecessor. I know it's just as scheme-filled.

Until next time,

Lux's Sister