DISCLAIMER: I'm a poor Uni student... don't sue me... yadda yadda yadda. Star Wars and all the wonderful characters therein belong to George Lucas and some studio. I make no profit, I just get hysterical joy from writing down all the ideas that bounce around in my head. Emalda and the Ekash belong to me. If anybody, including George Lucas, wants to borrow them, they have to ask first.
RATING: PG-13
AUTHOR'S NOTE: You only have to have seen the movies for this to make sense. There are spoilers for JA #1-16 and Jedi Search.
SUMMARY: A desperate Leia calls for help. In the past, Padawan Anakin and Padawan Obi-Wan hear her call. As a result the young Jedi find both themselves, and their Masters, dragged into an adventure that will change their lives forever.
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A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
STAR WARS:
A LIFE OF THEIR OWN
With the support of an elderly Obi-Wan
Kenobi, Jedi Master Yoda and the eleventh
hour redemption of their father, Anakin Skywalker,
the Skywalker twins overthrew the evil Emperor and ushered
in a new era of peace. Luke Skywalker is now a Jedi Master. As
the last remaining Jedi, he is collecting potential students to
carry on the Jedi legacy. His sister Leia is a Minister in the Senate
of the New Republic. While she lives on the planet of Corrusant with her
husband and three children, she is often sent on diplomatic missions to convince
isolated planets to join forces with the New Republic...
* * * * *
Princess Leia Organa stretched. Under her formal gown, the muscles in her neck and arms ached and protested at the sudden movement. Several long weeks of fruitless negotiations with the Ekash people had taken their toll on the New Republic's Minister of State. It was testimony to the strategic importance of the planet that the New Republic had sent such a high-ranking representative but the Ekash remained stubbornly unimpressed. In fact, Leia was beginning to think that the Ekash didn't have any intention of joining the New Republic. Unfortunately, they were equally reluctant to call a total end to negotiations. Leia had alternatively praised, threatened, cajoled and listened for hours on end but didn't seem to be making any progress at all.
She flopped ungracefully into a chair in her temporary quarters and sighed. Her head was beginning to throb with a headache born of sleepless nights. Leia's body needed to rest but her mind was far too active to allow it. Her aides had all retired for the night and Leia was alone in her rooms. The furniture was sparse but that was normal for the Ekash. They were a people who loved to move about, to be active and too much furniture simply led to accidents. A lazy, slovenly Ekash was almost unheard of. In an attempt to distract herself from what was fast becoming a political nightmare, Leia began to think about her twin brother Luke. To Leia, Luke had always been a source of comfort and calm.
"Not quite always," Leia corrected herself.
When she had first met Luke, he had been young and rash but she had liked him. He had come a long way since the eager young man who had stumbled into Leia's prison cell to rescue her. It was only through time that he had begun to project an atmosphere of calm wherever he went. Even more recent still, his eyes had begun to look haunted, his face showing the strain of being the only Jedi Knight left in the New Republic.
At this very moment, Luke was at the other end of the galaxy, searching out others with the potential to become Jedi Knights. Leia herself had the potential, had inherited it just as strongly as Luke had, from their father - Anakin Skywalker. She reflected ruefully that even if she never completed enough training to become a Jedi Knight herself, leaving her the ability might be the only decent thing her father had ever done for her.
"Her biological father," she corrected herself again.
Raised as the daughter of Bail Organa, she had come face to face with her biological father many times as his enemy but not once as his daughter. Leia wasn't even sure if he had ever known. He had known about Luke, had chased him across the galaxy, tortured his friends and set traps for him. Maybe it was just as well he had never known.
Leia shifted herself out of her chair, discarded her boots and knelt on the ground, ignoring the creases appearing in her gown. She carefully relaxed her muscles and tried to quieten her thoughts. She reached out to the Force, feeling it flow around her as Luke had taught her. She could feel the Force pulsing, flowing through her own body. It connected her to everything around her and if she listened hard enough, it almost seemed to sing to her. A stab of urgency entered her thoughts and Leia was on her feet, with her blaster in her hand, before she was truly aware of her surroundings. When she opened her eyes, her quarters were still empty and there was nothing in the room that deserved such panic. Still, Luke had told her that the Force would warn her of danger. She just had never felt it before.
She stood stone still for a full minute, listening before she was able to hear the footsteps approaching her door. The warning from the Force tugged at her again, stronger this time. Leia looked around the rooms. There were no other doors out of her rooms, only a large window along one side. She pulled the window open, noting that it was so well oiled as to be silent.
"Perfect for a stealthy escape... or a midnight assassination," Leia thought to herself.
She edged out on the window ledge. The ledge jutted out from the wall and was just longer than the window itself. There was enough room for her to perch on the ledge, out of sight of anyone in the room. She moved quietly, pulling the window shut behind her. The bricks were cold under her bare feet.
Leia was barely out of sight before she heard the door to her room open. Three pairs of footsteps entered the room.
"Minister?"
Leia recognized the voice as belonging to the Head of the Ekash Guard, Natheb. She relaxed, chiding herself for her fear. She was about to call out in answer when one of Natheb's companions spoke. This second voice belonged to one of the servants that worked in the kitchens. It was a hard cynical voice belonging to detached young Ekash woman.
"Think she knows?"
"Sssh, Emalda. I'm sure she's around here somewhere," interrupted a third voice quickly.
Leia recognised it as Natheb's brother, Georeb. Georeb was the liason between the Ekash government and the Ekash Guard.
"She probably sensed something..." continued Emalda.
There was silence for a moment and Leia desperately wished she could see into the room. After spending so much time in Natheb's company, she could almost see the frown cross his face.
Although slightly shorter than most humans, beneath the surface Ekash anatomy was strikingly similar. The expressions were the same, as were their tastes in food and their native language was an old archaic version of the language now spoken around the galaxy, Basic. At first sight, though, the lengths of golden hair that covered most of their bodies disguised the similarities. Since they outwardly resembled wookies, the Ekash had often been subject to the same insults and discrimination. Their eyes were also strikingly different as well. Their eyes were always brown with a slit pupil, like a cat.
"Emalda, there is no way she could have known," Natheb said disapprovingly.
"If she's as Force sensitive as I think she is..."
"Don't start with that Force crap, Emalda," snapped Georeb.
"If you don't believe in that Force crap, why are we doing what we're doing?"
A note of challenge had crept into Emalda's voice.
"I suppose its just a coincidence that if we use her, we don't have to use you anymore," Natheb answered, accusingly.
Leia looked down from her ledge. She was at least three stories up from the ground. Below her, purple gardens stretched out towards a scenic lake, which drained into a nearby river. The lake then snaked its way through the purple orchards and into the hills. It would be a perfect escape route - if Leia could get to the lake. She looked at the walls beside her, searching for inspiration. A drainpipe ran down the wall by her side. It looked rusty and a few of the screws were loose but it might hold just long enough to get Leia to the ground. Leia slipped a hand beneath her gown to feel the reassuring presence of her blaster. Her personal blaster had saved her life more times than Leia would have liked to admit. She was interrupted from her planning when Emalda finally spoke again.
"I might be able to sense her," said Emalda. "I'm the most Force sensitive person we've got... for the moment."
There was a layer of bitterness in Emalda's tone that made Leia shudder. She definitely did not want to be the Force sensitive that took Emalda's place. Leia swallowed and reached out to wrap one hand around the drainpipe. The pipe creaked noisily.
"What was that?" asked Natheb.
"She's outside!" came Emalda's biting cry. "She knows! She knows!"
"Sound the alarm," shouted Georeb.
Leia launched herself off the ledge. She grasped the drainpipe and scrambled down it as fast as she could. The metal dug into her fingers and toes, her knees scrapping against the wall as she moved. The pipe trembled and buckled under her weight.
She was a couple of metres from the ground when the pipe finally gave way. Leia landed flat on her back on the ground. She rolled smoothly to her feet and was running and stumbling before she was even upright. Behind her she could hear Natheb and Georeb shouting angrily. Emalda was wailing in frustration. The wail was so full of despair, Leia almost stopped dead in her tracks... almost. Leia sprinted across the gardens, ignoring the plants that were catching at her gown.
She reached the lake but was uncomfortably aware that she was still out in the open. She took cover in the orchards as she ran, aiming for the river. Leia had seen a dock at the river mouth on one of her earlier tours. Perhaps now it could provide her with an escape route.
Leia was almost there. The dock and its three small watercraft were in view, when three Ekash guards came up behind her. Leia rolled across the forest floor to avoid blaster stun bolts and returned fire from her own blaster. Although well trained, the Ekash Guards had never been in a real war and were no match for a battle-hardened rebel. As the last went down, Leia wondered briefly why they were using stun bolts. The next second, the answer occurred to her and she shivered. They wanted her and her Force ability, intact.
Leia ran for a small waterbike, leaping aboard and releasing the tether holding it to the bank. She aimed her blaster at the other two and blasted the steering columns. The craft was like a water borne version of the speeder bikes she'd ridden on Endor and it wasn't long before she was speeding away. The spray whipped at the exposed soles of her barefeet as she shot over the water. As she leaned around the corners, the waterbike rolled with her. She knew instinctively that if she threw her weight too far the bike would go into a full roll, pitching her into the chilly water.
Now that she had time to think, Leia was starting to worry again. What had become of the small party of aides that had accompanied her to the Ekash Homeworld? As far as Leia knew, none of them were Force sensitive so that meant that they would either be ignored or disposed of. She shrugged off that thought. For not the first time in her life, Leia found herself wishing for the help of Luke, or even the scandalous comments of her husband, Han Solo. She reflected grimly that these were wishes that would not be granted and, as was so often the case, the former Princess of Alderaan could rely only on herself. Luke was busy and Han was with their twin children, Jacen and Jaina.
She swept a bend in the river and a stone structure swung into view. It looked old and crumbling. On the far side, Leia could just make out the dull shine of a painted cross. She could only see it for a few seconds before it was obscured from view. It was long enough to recognize the markings of a landing pad. That raised the possibility of a hangar and a spacecraft. In such a disused place, a working spacecraft was distinctly unlikely. However, a few missions aboard Han Solo's beloved Millennium Falcon, and Leia had learnt more about emergency repairs than she had ever wished to know. The odds were that there was something she could patch together enough to get her off the planet, at the very least.
Making her decision, Leia accelerated towards the building. Pulling up to the bank, Leia beached the waterbike and slid out of the seat. The ground was less stable than she'd expected and the rocks beneath her feet shifted, pitching Leia backwards into the water. The chill water surrounded her, leaching precious heat from her body. With a gasp, Leia broke the surface. Swearing in four diplomatic languages, she hauled herself back onto the bank. More cautious of her footing, this time she took more notice of her surroundings. Up this close, the landing pad was out of sight. In front of her stood the old building, leaning precariously to one side. Around the sides of the building, the trees were thick. The waterbike would not fit through the forest if she tried to go around but the bike was not well suited to traveling overland anyway.
At that moment, approaching voices drove her into the nearest hiding place she could find - the old building. She hoped she hadn't been seen but voices soon confirmed her fears.
"She went into the mine!" yelled one guard.
"After her!" called a second voice.
"Are you mad?" asked the first voice. "You know what they say about that place? Tell Natheb that she drowned, 'cause I'm certainly not going in there after her."
"Superstitious fool! There's no such thing as ghosts."
"After you, then."
Leia did not wait to see how brave the guards turned out to be and ran deeper into the building. Enough sunlight filtered in the doorway for her to see that the only way out was either the way she'd come in or down an antiquated old lift, which was rusting quietly in a corner. Hurrying into the lift, Leia's cold stiff fingers levered open the control panel. She randomly pressed a button in the dark. The lift groaned and shuddered alarmingly before finally relenting to programmed movement. Beneath flickering lights, Leia found herself shivering again and reached a hand out for the comforting presence of her blaster. It was gone. It must have been lost in the river, leaving Leia defenseless.
As if to deliberately interrupt her momentary panic, the metal lift shrieked in protest as it ground to a halt. The doors powered open to reveal an impenetrable darkness. Raising a hand to steady herself on the lift wall, Leia's fingertips brushed against plastic. In the sketchy light, she could see a row of miners helmets latched onto the lift wall. Lights were mounted on the top but most of the glass had been shattered long ago. She was forced to examine four helmets before she found one with a working light. She strapped the helmet tightly to her head, crushing her delicately arranged hairstyle. Taking a deep breath, Leia moved out into the darkness of the mine.
Even with the light the helmet provided, Leia could only see a couple of feet in front of her. She had been stumbling along for five minutes before she paused to nurse her bleeding feet. As she leant over to examine them, she began to feel uneasy. Remembering the prophetic nature of her earlier feelings, she straightened up and backed up against the wall. She strained her eyes, trying to see into the darkness while her feeling of unease grew even stronger. Leia remembered Han's stories about the creatures he had seen in the mines of Kessel. She had no wish to run into anything living, no matter how harmless they might be.
Leia's eyes began to ache, her heartbeat unnaturally loud in the silence. She began to slowly walk deeper into the mine until her nerve shattered and she began to run. She scrambled about the rocks, arms flailing, totally unaware of where she was headed or what exactly it was that she was running from. As her panic began to ease, Leia slowed down to a jog. She looked over her shoulder, peering into the darkness, straining to see if there were any pursuers. At that moment, Leia's foot collided with a rock and she fell flat on her face. She raised a shaking hand to her forehead. The helmet had protected her head from the rough ground but the strap was starting to dig into her neck. Gagging, Leia tugged at the clip until the strap loosened.
Leia shut her eyes as her breathing slowed and warmth spread out across her frozen limbs. Leia opened her eyes again and the first thing that her eyes focused on was a long gash down her forearm. As she stared at it, slightly bemused, her arm began to tingle. Then, gently, the edges of the tattered skin began to twitch and move. The gash closed over, leaving a faint pink scar in its wake. More warmth flooded into her arm and the scar disappeared.
Leia sat up and looked around her. The warmth she was feeling was not coming from within her but was flowing through the tunnel like a river. Wiping her eyes with tired hands, she set out to trace the source. She staggered gingerly forward a few steps before she realized that her feet were no longer bleeding but fully healed. She hadn't gone far when she found it. Set into the tunnel wall, level with Leia's eyes, was a row of huge glowing jewels. The closest glittered blue, then purple and then flushed green. Streaks of gold were laced through it like sparks. Each was about a metre wide and far too smooth to be naturally occurring. Leia reached out towards it. As if in anticipation of her touch, the jewel flashed purple repeatedly. Leia paused and the jewel reverted to a tame blue-green glow. The warmth radiating from the jewel was pleasant and comforting. It was like coming home to an old friend.
Chiding herself for being so sentimental, Leia placed her palm firmly against the jewel to prove to herself that it was nothing more than a pretty crystal. The instant she touched it, the jewel burst to life. The pulsing colours sweeping across its surface made Leia's breath catch in her throat. The streaks of gold became a current, flowing into Leia's hand. With them came the dreamy warmth, the maddeningly strong sense of calm and the Force. The sensations overwhelmed Leia's senses, her eyelids fluttering closed.
After a minute, the accumulating warmth began to become uncomfortable. Leia wrestled back enough self-possession to rip her hand away from the jewel. As the amazing effect of the jewel faded, Leia was once again aware of her surroundings - the damp dress, the rough rocks beneath her feet and the all-encompassing silence. Her helmet light began to flicker. Although the glow of the jewel illuminated this corridor, without the helmet light Leia would not be able to see her way back. Leia knelt on the ground, sifting through the loose rocks, hoping for some abandoned tool she could use. The glow from the jewels started to dim. Irritated, Leia looked up. The nearest jewel was angrily flashing red and the warmth it had been generating began to fade.
There came a sound from down the tunnel. A soft, slithering whisper that sent shivers down Leia's spine. It raised memories of rasping breath and a feared black shape. A scraping sound echoed down the corridor from the opposite direction. As Leia's whirled to face it, her helmet light flickered and died. Total darkness flooded in. As her eyes adjusted to the faint glow of the jewels, Leia wrestled her breathing back under control and forced herself to be silent. The temperature seemed to have dropped a few degrees. The jewels continued to pulse red but more faintly, as if they were hiding in fear. Leia's feeling of unease increased.
At the far end of the corridor, a gray mist materialized out of the blackness. Emitting a bleached gray light of its own, it began to coast down the corridor towards her. As it approached, the air became colder, Leia's breath coming out in clouds of vapour. The New Republic's Minister of State kept her eyes locked on the mist, as if she could stare it into submission. It seemed to work as the mist hesitated but then started towards her again. Taking her eyes off the mist, Leia glanced behind her. A second mist had formed at the other end of the corridor.
Leia had nowhere to run and no idea how to fight. Leia ruthlessly forced herself to calm down. It was not long before she presented the stoical face of the former Rebel she had once been. An impenetrable facade that not even Darth Vader had managed to crack completely. Inside, however, Leia wished fiercely that she had committed herself to learning the Jedi arts from Luke. Even though Leia would not be overcome without a fight, she instinctively knew that this was an evil that only a Jedi Knight could defeat.
The mists advanced slowly, inevitably, their slow speed almost painful. Leia backed up against the wall of the tunnel. Her fingers brushed against one of the jewels. She could feel the power coursing beneath her fingers but she did not know how to use it. Leia realized that she was going to die. She thought of the twins, bright little faces that would loose their mother before they really knew her. She thought of her sweet little baby and his young laugh, Luke and his deep affection for her but most of all Leia thought of her husband. The scoundrel of a smuggler that had rescued her, in body and soul.
"Han?" Leia whimpered.
Even if Han had been there, there was nothing he would be able to do. He was no Jedi.
"Luke?" called Leia, her voice stronger now. "Luke, please."
She prayed he would hear her like she had heard him at Cloud City. There was no reply, no familiar voice answering her across the void of space. Luke was on the other side of the galaxy, dealing with his own problems.
One of the mists had almost reached her, shadowy tendrils snaking out to touch her skin. In desperation, Leia called out to another Jedi - one she knew was dead but she called anyway.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi!"
The mist touched her, ice cold, passing straight through her skin and into her body. Whispers and murmurs filled her mind, the warmth leaching from her limbs. One hand still clinging to a jewel provided warm respite from the cruel onslaught but Leia knew the cold would soon overtake her. Her tormented mind latched onto the only other Jedi she knew of, also long dead.
"Father?" she gasped weakly.
The jewel surged beneath her. It seemed to Leia as if it was trying to help, trying to answer her desperate cries.
* * * * *
More than fifty years earlier, Jedi Master Mace Windu was striding down the corridors of the Jedi Temple. As he walked, he contemplated the view from the Temple Windows. The bustling, blinking world of Corrusant, capital of the Intergalactic Republic, stared back at him. No sound penetrated the thick windows but as it had been its home since he was little, he knew the sounds well enough.
Moving on from the cityscape, his gaze wandered back to the corridor in front of him. Ahead of him, two Jedi emerged from a door into the corridor and began to walk down the corridor. Mace could not see their faces but he would have recognized them anywhere. A Council Member like Mace held meetings with Jedi Knights and Masters almost every day. He knew many of the 10 000 Jedi Knights by sight but one of these had been his friend since childhood. Mace amused himself by studying them from a distance.
Twenty-year-old Obi-Wan Kenobi walked beside his Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Obi-Wan was shorter and younger than Qui-Gon but old enough to have already reached his full height. From this distance, only his compact build betrayed the years of Jedi training. Mace knew that at this moment, Obi-Wan's clear blue eyes would be totally focused on Qui-Gon. Inseparable from his Master, Obi-Wan was a promising young apprentice.
Passing on from Obi-Wan, Mace moved his attention to Qui-Gon. Head and shoulders above Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon was less compact and agile but much stronger and more experienced. Qui-Gon's dark hair spilled carelessly across his broad shoulders, one small section swept back from his face. His face was stern and dignified but sometimes - like now - the twinkle in his eyes betrayed his emotions. Despite the differences in their appearances, they dressed almost identically - a symbol of their legendary partnership.
Mace moved on to contemplate their personalities. Qui-Gon was not exactly rebellious but zealously independent, truly living for the moment and following his own instincts without question. More than once this had put him at odds with Mace and the Jedi Council. Obi-Wan was not quite as 'troublesome'. Though he would support his Master in every matter, he was more inclined to follow instructions. Even so, Obi-Wan had proved himself capable of incredible stubbornness, when the occasion presented itself. Perhaps he respected or feared the Council more than Qui-Gon. Mace was not sure which it was.
In the distance, Obi-Wan was loosening his robe as he talked. He finally stopped walking altogether to struggle out of the garment. Even from down the corridor, Mace could see the clumsiness of his movements. The boy was obviously unwell. The heavy material of the robe slipped from the boy's fingers to pool on the floor. Qui-Gon laid a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder, obviously concerned.
Obi-Wan's knees buckled and he collapsed into Qui-Gon's arms. Mace sprinted down the corridor towards them. He joined Qui-Gon, kneeling by the side of the pale boy. Obi-Wan's eyes were half-closed and his movements were blurred, as if by sleep.
"Obi-Wan, I'm here," said Qui-Gon sharply, as if in response to a question.
Mace was confused at first until he remembered the telepathic Master/Padawan bond. Qui-Gon could still hear Obi-Wan though Mace could not. Obi-Wan didn't move but Qui-Gon frowned in response to a silent comment.
A flash of panic flashed across Qui-Gon's normally passive face.
"Wait, Padawan," said Qui-Gon. "I'm coming with you."
Mace could feel Qui-Gon calling on the Force, searching for his student. Mace cried out in alarm as Qui-Gon slumped over Obi-Wan. Mace gripped Qui-Gon by the shoulders and shook him. There was no response. With one last glance at the collapsed Master/Padawan team, Mace pulled a comlink from his tunic.
Obi-Wan began to stir. Mace gently shifted Qui-Gon's weight to the ground so that Obi-Wan could sit up. At the movement, Qui-Gon also began to stir. Qui-Gon pulled himself up to a sitting position and shook his head to clear it. Mace looked on in concern but Qui-Gon's eyes were clear.
Mace turned to Obi-Wan, "What happened?"
"We were going somewhere..." began Obi-Wan.
His voice trailed off and he looked even more confused. "I'm sorry. I don't remember any more, Master Windu."
Qui-Gon stood and held out a hand to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan took it and climbed to his feet, alert and awake as usual. Mace stood also, watching them warily.
"We must have been training too hard," said Qui-Gon. "Perhaps we should retire to our quarters."
There was silence for a moment as Mace tried to comprehend the sudden change in mood. Finally, he nodded in agreement.
"I want both of you to report to the healers - now," he told them. "After that, make sure you get some rest."
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon bowed obediently and left, as if nothing at all had happened. Mace was worried.
* * * * *
Fifteen years later, Mace found himself pacing down the same corridor. Little had changed in the corridor or even in the view outside. Physically Mace himself had changed little, he was still a member of the Jedi Council and he was worried, again. Now, however, Qui-Gon had been dead for a decade and new troubles plagued the Jedi Order.
A growing disturbance in the Force had begun to cloud visions of the future. The dark side of the Force was growing stronger and there was nothing that the Jedi could do. Some Jedi could not even sense it while still others sceptically ignored it. Mace was uncomfortably aware that he himself had been skeptical about the continued existence of a Sith Lord, until one had slain Qui-Gon in battle. Mace was constantly aware of a sense of danger and corruption but there was no way to pinpoint the feeling more accurately than that. Perhaps it would simply pass in time or perhaps he had simply spent too much time amongst the corrupt Senators.
Finding no answers, Mace headed for one of the Meditation rooms. As he approached, he could hear a familiar voice talking. He recognized the voice as that of Obi-Wan Kenobi, now a thirty-five year old Jedi Knight, training his own Padawan.
"Sometimes a dream is just a dream, Anakin," Obi-Wan was saying gently but firmly.
As Mace rounded the corner, he was able to see Anakin's doubtful expression.
Obi-Wan, still the same height but now sporting a sandy coloured beard, turned at Mace's approach.
"Master Windu," said Obi-Wan, bowing respectfully.
Anakin followed suit politely enough but began to look uncomfortable. Considering the resistance the Council had shown to Anakin being accepted into the Jedi Order, Mace thought it was not surprising that he would be a little uncomfortable in the presence of a Council Member.
"Obi-Wan," Mace answered, nodding in return. "Anakin."
He didn't miss Anakin's small start at being addressed directly but decided to ignore it. He would discuss Anakin's behaviour with Obi-Wan later.
"It has been a while since we have had an opportunity to talk," said Mace. "Are you busy?"
Obi-Wan shook his head, smiling slightly, "Nothing that we can't finish later."
Mace gestured towards an empty Meditation room and Obi-Wan moved to follow.
Anakin followed moodily, trying his best to suppress his annoyance. He was not yet finished talking to his Master about his nightmares. It began to get warmer in the corridor and Anakin loosened his robe slightly. He tried hard to forget about the dreams, about his mother screaming and in pain. The warmth spread quickly to the rest of his body, making him drowsy. He shrugged out of his robe and draped it across his arm. He tried to ignore the heat; to focus on Obi-Wan and Master Windu but the temperature continued to increase. Anakin swallowed and stumbled. He regained his balance but it had been enough to draw the attention of Obi-Wan.
Anakin was aware of Obi-Wan calling his name but he was too exhausted to answer. He felt physically and mentally drained. He thought he heard someone else calling his name too but it was a voice he did not recognize. As Anakin fell to his knees, Obi-Wan was at his side. Anakin noticed dreamily that Obi-Wan could not have moved so fast without the aid of the Force.
//Anakin?//
Anakin heard Obi-Wan's mental call but it sounded dim, as if far away.
//M-m-master, where are you?//
//I'm right here, Padawan. //
Obi-Wan's presence was growing fainter. Anakin knew this should have concerned him but he could hear someone else calling him. He wanted to help them, wasn't that what Jedi were supposed to do?
//I'm going to help someone... they need me// he sent to Obi-Wan.
//No, Padawan// sent Obi-Wan, sounding fainter than ever. //You're not going without me.//
Anakin felt Obi-Wan's familiar Force signature reaching out towards him, following. Far away as he was, Anakin still heard Mace swear as Obi-Wan collapsed beside him.
Mace looked up to find other Jedi watching the incident worriedly.
"Call the healers," Mace ordered.
As before, Anakin was stirring even as Mace was giving the order. Mace had a nasty feeling of familiarity and predicted gloomily that the healers would find nothing wrong with them, as had been the case fifteen years before. Now Mace was more worried than ever.
* * * * *
The jewel surged beneath Leia's fingertips, cresting a peak and on some unknown signal; it overflowed. The Force energy spilled out into the corridor, engulfing Leia. She shut her eyes tight, soaking up the warmth to chase away the cold aftertaste the mists had left. As quickly as it had come, the energy receded again. Even the jewel itself seemed to shrink away from her touch and she whimpered from the loss of contact.
She opened her eyes and waited for her eyes to readjust to the gloom. The two mist creatures had retreated down the corridor but were holding their ground. Now that the jewel's energy had faded, they began to advance again. Leia stepped away, groping for the jewel and her foot collected with a soft object. Four piles of cloth had materialized in the corridor, left in the path of the energy. As she watched, the cloth shifted and a human hand slid into view. She barely had time to wonder at their presence before the mists caught her attention again.
Moving more quickly now, one of the mists had reached one of the bundles of cloth. It stretched out insubstantial tentacles towards it.
"Look out!" cried Leia.
Her cry was too late, the figure beneath the cloth jerking as the tentacles penetrated its body. A second later a blue flash arched through the air.
Even as Leia recognized it as a lightsabre, the mist was retreating. The lightsabre's owner reached down to help up his fallen companion. By the glow of the jewels, Leia could see that they were both boys or young men. Thin braids dangled from behind their right ears, their clothing oddly familiar to Leia though she couldn't place it. The other piles of cloth had risen to their feet at some point, revealing two older, bearded men.
"What in the blazes..." said one, using an accent Leia didn't recognise.
"Where are we?" interrupted the second, in a deeper, softer tone.
"The Ekash mines. We need to get past those things," answered Leia quickly.
She gestured towards the mists, which had backed off uncertainly.
"They're not solid," ventured one of the young men. "But they don't seem to like lightsabres."
Three more lightsabres ignited with a hiss. The second man looked up and down the corridor.
"Which way?"
Leia paused, and then followed her instincts, "That way."
The small party moved down the corridor. The mists stayed with them but kept their distance as long as the lightsabres were lit. Eventually, the ground began to slope upwards towards the surface. Leia prayed that they were headed in the direction of the landing pad. They turned a corner and sunlight blinded them.
Squinting, Leia could see the faded black of the landing pad stretched out before them. The paint on it was a dull yellow and Leia marveled that she'd been able to see it at all from a distance. Orange weeds grew out of the few great cracks that laced across the surface but it was mostly intact. Nearby, sat a small, unobtrusive hangar. Leia couldn't contain her sigh of relief.
"Come on," she said. "We need to get out of here before the guards work out where we are."
"And what guards would they be?" asked one of the men.
"The Ekash Guards. They're after any Force sensitives they can find. I'll explain the rest later, once we get to safety," explained Leia.
She was anxious to leave, all too aware that she was still unarmed and on a hostile planet. The four strangers, all obviously Jedi, were more reluctant. They seemed unsure of their surroundings and weren't sure whether Leia could be trusted.
"And safety would be where?" one of them asked.
"Off planet, for a start," answered Leia, gesturing towards the hangar.
Finally, the older two nodded their agreement and the party headed across the landing pad to the hangar. As they approached, Leia could see that the hangar protruded out of a grassy mound. The parts that were visible were old and discoloured. The main door was half open and sagging menacingly. Spidery cracks spread out from the corners of the roof like ripples in a pond. The same orange weeds that encroached on the landing pad ran rampant on the hangar roof. From the distance it seemed as if the plants had sprouted from the metal itself. It was not until they were metres from it that Leia noticed the thin layer of soil that they were growing in.
The thought crossed Leia's mind that there might be no ship, that they might be stranded. Panic rose in her throat but she fought it down. Somehow Leia knew she was responsible for the Jedi being here. She would get them out of here, she promised herself; there was no other choice.
Though her head cleared the hangar door by a few feet, Leia ducked anyway. It earnt her an amused glance from one of the Jedi but she ignored it. The hangar was dark after the glaring light of the sun and it took Leia's eyes a few moments to adjust. When they had, there was not much to see. Piles of junk were clustered around the floor. A row of broken lights sagged from their connections. One of them had already fallen to smash violently against the hard floor. There were no spacecraft in sight but a large length of cheap cloth obscured the back of the hangar.
"There doesn't seem to be any ship, here," muttered one of the Jedi.
Once again Leia ignored the comment and started forwards towards the cloth. With surprise, she noticed that one of the boys was walking silently beside her. The other three trailed after them reluctantly. Reaching the cloth, she could see that the ends were supported from the roof by ropes. The shape beneath the cloth was much smaller than it had seemed.
Together, she and the boy pulled the cloth up. As the gaudy red cloth was tugged back, a sleek silver vessel appeared. Even in the awful light, Leia could recognize the beauty of it. It was a medium sized fighter, built for speed both in and out of the atmosphere. It was bigger than an X-wing but nowhere near as bulky as a freighter. Gold and green trimming danced up and down its wing tips, ending in an intricate pattern of knots on the nose. When Leia looked up, she saw the boy gazing wondrously at the ship. It was possible that he would soon begin drooling. He frowned suddenly.
"What this?" he asked. "I don't recognize the writing."
Leia stepped closer to him and peered at the inscription on the ship's hull. It was written in Ekash, though it took her a moment to remember the translation.
"It's in the Ekash language," she explained out loud. "It says Fahren. It means the Weaver of Souls."
"Poetic," muttered one of the other Jedi.
Leia made a mental note to work out which one of them kept making the sarcastic comment. The boy beside her grinned as if he sensed her thoughts.
"That would be Master Obi-Wan," he whispered quietly.
Leia wasn't really all that surprised, just confused and concerned. She knew the names of the Jedi she had called and it had not been difficult to guess who the new arrivals were. Some of her confusion must have shown on her face though because the boy frowned.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"No," she shook her head, smiling. "I'm Leia."
He returned her smile impishly, "I'm Anakin."
This time Leia was surprised, shocked even. Her eyes widened as she took in the cocky expression, the boyish good looks and the lanky height.
"You're Anakin Skywalker?" she asked, her voice rising a notch.
The boy frowned but nodded cautiously. He was so innocent looking and yet he was dressed head to toe in dark browns - all too close to the fearsome black Darth Vader had favoured. Years of frustration and anger bubbled to the surface and Leia reacted automatically. She slapped him across the face. Taken completely by surprise, the boy lost his balance and fell. Before he hit the ground, one of the older Jedi was behind him to break his fall. Anakin's expression blinked from surprise to hurt to anger in the space of a few seconds. As the sudden anger faded, Leia realized what she'd done. All of the Jedi were staring at her, expressions politely curious but hands hovering by their lightsabres.
"Sorry," croaked Leia. "Reflex action."
Anakin's eyes simply narrowed further. Leia sighed.
"I really am sorry," Leia tried again. "I was told that Anakin Skywalker was responsible for... the death of someone I cared about. I wasn't prepared to meet you face to face."
"I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding," interrupted one of the older Jedi.
Anakin finally nodded and straightened but he still looked wary. Inwardly Leia groaned but there were still things to be done. She reluctantly turned away and moved beneath the Fahren to find an entry hatch. Behind her she could almost hear the Jedi exchanging looks. Then she found the hatch and palmed it open. It hummed gently and a thin ramp descended gracefully to the ground.
"This ship has been well taken care of," muttered one of the Jedi.
Without turning to look at them, Leia marched up the ramp. The Jedi was right; the ship had been taken care of. Inside it was shiny and polished, showing almost no signs of wear. At first Leia was tempted to think it was brand new but a few slightly roughened edges betrayed the truth.
The ramp led into a small, empty cargo bay. As three banks of lights swelled to life, Leia could see that the floors were carpeted. Two doors were set into the far wall. One was marked with the Ekash word for cockpit, the other with the Ekash word for cabin. Leia headed instantly for the cockpit. The door slid back soundlessly to reveal a shiny silver interior. A dark green chair sat at the main control panel and four more golden chairs lined up along the sides.
Leia moved instantly to the green chair to examine the instrumentation. The navigation computer was soon online and she began feeding in the co-ordinates of the nearest New Republic world. After a few minutes, Anakin joined her hesitantly. He looked over the control panels, his curiosity overcoming his sense of caution. He leant over Leia's shoulder, taking in her movements.
"She's a beautiful ship," he said at last.
Leia nodded absentmindedly. She remembered dimly Luke's skill at piloting and some offhand comment about inheriting it from his father. Leia looked up at Anakin, literally an incarnation of their father.
"Would you like to fly it?" she asked hesitantly, wondering how he would react.
His eyes widened slightly and a ridiculous grin spread across his face, "Could I?"
TO BE CONTINUED...
RATING: PG-13
AUTHOR'S NOTE: You only have to have seen the movies for this to make sense. There are spoilers for JA #1-16 and Jedi Search.
SUMMARY: A desperate Leia calls for help. In the past, Padawan Anakin and Padawan Obi-Wan hear her call. As a result the young Jedi find both themselves, and their Masters, dragged into an adventure that will change their lives forever.
********************************************************************************
A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
STAR WARS:
A LIFE OF THEIR OWN
With the support of an elderly Obi-Wan
Kenobi, Jedi Master Yoda and the eleventh
hour redemption of their father, Anakin Skywalker,
the Skywalker twins overthrew the evil Emperor and ushered
in a new era of peace. Luke Skywalker is now a Jedi Master. As
the last remaining Jedi, he is collecting potential students to
carry on the Jedi legacy. His sister Leia is a Minister in the Senate
of the New Republic. While she lives on the planet of Corrusant with her
husband and three children, she is often sent on diplomatic missions to convince
isolated planets to join forces with the New Republic...
* * * * *
Princess Leia Organa stretched. Under her formal gown, the muscles in her neck and arms ached and protested at the sudden movement. Several long weeks of fruitless negotiations with the Ekash people had taken their toll on the New Republic's Minister of State. It was testimony to the strategic importance of the planet that the New Republic had sent such a high-ranking representative but the Ekash remained stubbornly unimpressed. In fact, Leia was beginning to think that the Ekash didn't have any intention of joining the New Republic. Unfortunately, they were equally reluctant to call a total end to negotiations. Leia had alternatively praised, threatened, cajoled and listened for hours on end but didn't seem to be making any progress at all.
She flopped ungracefully into a chair in her temporary quarters and sighed. Her head was beginning to throb with a headache born of sleepless nights. Leia's body needed to rest but her mind was far too active to allow it. Her aides had all retired for the night and Leia was alone in her rooms. The furniture was sparse but that was normal for the Ekash. They were a people who loved to move about, to be active and too much furniture simply led to accidents. A lazy, slovenly Ekash was almost unheard of. In an attempt to distract herself from what was fast becoming a political nightmare, Leia began to think about her twin brother Luke. To Leia, Luke had always been a source of comfort and calm.
"Not quite always," Leia corrected herself.
When she had first met Luke, he had been young and rash but she had liked him. He had come a long way since the eager young man who had stumbled into Leia's prison cell to rescue her. It was only through time that he had begun to project an atmosphere of calm wherever he went. Even more recent still, his eyes had begun to look haunted, his face showing the strain of being the only Jedi Knight left in the New Republic.
At this very moment, Luke was at the other end of the galaxy, searching out others with the potential to become Jedi Knights. Leia herself had the potential, had inherited it just as strongly as Luke had, from their father - Anakin Skywalker. She reflected ruefully that even if she never completed enough training to become a Jedi Knight herself, leaving her the ability might be the only decent thing her father had ever done for her.
"Her biological father," she corrected herself again.
Raised as the daughter of Bail Organa, she had come face to face with her biological father many times as his enemy but not once as his daughter. Leia wasn't even sure if he had ever known. He had known about Luke, had chased him across the galaxy, tortured his friends and set traps for him. Maybe it was just as well he had never known.
Leia shifted herself out of her chair, discarded her boots and knelt on the ground, ignoring the creases appearing in her gown. She carefully relaxed her muscles and tried to quieten her thoughts. She reached out to the Force, feeling it flow around her as Luke had taught her. She could feel the Force pulsing, flowing through her own body. It connected her to everything around her and if she listened hard enough, it almost seemed to sing to her. A stab of urgency entered her thoughts and Leia was on her feet, with her blaster in her hand, before she was truly aware of her surroundings. When she opened her eyes, her quarters were still empty and there was nothing in the room that deserved such panic. Still, Luke had told her that the Force would warn her of danger. She just had never felt it before.
She stood stone still for a full minute, listening before she was able to hear the footsteps approaching her door. The warning from the Force tugged at her again, stronger this time. Leia looked around the rooms. There were no other doors out of her rooms, only a large window along one side. She pulled the window open, noting that it was so well oiled as to be silent.
"Perfect for a stealthy escape... or a midnight assassination," Leia thought to herself.
She edged out on the window ledge. The ledge jutted out from the wall and was just longer than the window itself. There was enough room for her to perch on the ledge, out of sight of anyone in the room. She moved quietly, pulling the window shut behind her. The bricks were cold under her bare feet.
Leia was barely out of sight before she heard the door to her room open. Three pairs of footsteps entered the room.
"Minister?"
Leia recognized the voice as belonging to the Head of the Ekash Guard, Natheb. She relaxed, chiding herself for her fear. She was about to call out in answer when one of Natheb's companions spoke. This second voice belonged to one of the servants that worked in the kitchens. It was a hard cynical voice belonging to detached young Ekash woman.
"Think she knows?"
"Sssh, Emalda. I'm sure she's around here somewhere," interrupted a third voice quickly.
Leia recognised it as Natheb's brother, Georeb. Georeb was the liason between the Ekash government and the Ekash Guard.
"She probably sensed something..." continued Emalda.
There was silence for a moment and Leia desperately wished she could see into the room. After spending so much time in Natheb's company, she could almost see the frown cross his face.
Although slightly shorter than most humans, beneath the surface Ekash anatomy was strikingly similar. The expressions were the same, as were their tastes in food and their native language was an old archaic version of the language now spoken around the galaxy, Basic. At first sight, though, the lengths of golden hair that covered most of their bodies disguised the similarities. Since they outwardly resembled wookies, the Ekash had often been subject to the same insults and discrimination. Their eyes were also strikingly different as well. Their eyes were always brown with a slit pupil, like a cat.
"Emalda, there is no way she could have known," Natheb said disapprovingly.
"If she's as Force sensitive as I think she is..."
"Don't start with that Force crap, Emalda," snapped Georeb.
"If you don't believe in that Force crap, why are we doing what we're doing?"
A note of challenge had crept into Emalda's voice.
"I suppose its just a coincidence that if we use her, we don't have to use you anymore," Natheb answered, accusingly.
Leia looked down from her ledge. She was at least three stories up from the ground. Below her, purple gardens stretched out towards a scenic lake, which drained into a nearby river. The lake then snaked its way through the purple orchards and into the hills. It would be a perfect escape route - if Leia could get to the lake. She looked at the walls beside her, searching for inspiration. A drainpipe ran down the wall by her side. It looked rusty and a few of the screws were loose but it might hold just long enough to get Leia to the ground. Leia slipped a hand beneath her gown to feel the reassuring presence of her blaster. Her personal blaster had saved her life more times than Leia would have liked to admit. She was interrupted from her planning when Emalda finally spoke again.
"I might be able to sense her," said Emalda. "I'm the most Force sensitive person we've got... for the moment."
There was a layer of bitterness in Emalda's tone that made Leia shudder. She definitely did not want to be the Force sensitive that took Emalda's place. Leia swallowed and reached out to wrap one hand around the drainpipe. The pipe creaked noisily.
"What was that?" asked Natheb.
"She's outside!" came Emalda's biting cry. "She knows! She knows!"
"Sound the alarm," shouted Georeb.
Leia launched herself off the ledge. She grasped the drainpipe and scrambled down it as fast as she could. The metal dug into her fingers and toes, her knees scrapping against the wall as she moved. The pipe trembled and buckled under her weight.
She was a couple of metres from the ground when the pipe finally gave way. Leia landed flat on her back on the ground. She rolled smoothly to her feet and was running and stumbling before she was even upright. Behind her she could hear Natheb and Georeb shouting angrily. Emalda was wailing in frustration. The wail was so full of despair, Leia almost stopped dead in her tracks... almost. Leia sprinted across the gardens, ignoring the plants that were catching at her gown.
She reached the lake but was uncomfortably aware that she was still out in the open. She took cover in the orchards as she ran, aiming for the river. Leia had seen a dock at the river mouth on one of her earlier tours. Perhaps now it could provide her with an escape route.
Leia was almost there. The dock and its three small watercraft were in view, when three Ekash guards came up behind her. Leia rolled across the forest floor to avoid blaster stun bolts and returned fire from her own blaster. Although well trained, the Ekash Guards had never been in a real war and were no match for a battle-hardened rebel. As the last went down, Leia wondered briefly why they were using stun bolts. The next second, the answer occurred to her and she shivered. They wanted her and her Force ability, intact.
Leia ran for a small waterbike, leaping aboard and releasing the tether holding it to the bank. She aimed her blaster at the other two and blasted the steering columns. The craft was like a water borne version of the speeder bikes she'd ridden on Endor and it wasn't long before she was speeding away. The spray whipped at the exposed soles of her barefeet as she shot over the water. As she leaned around the corners, the waterbike rolled with her. She knew instinctively that if she threw her weight too far the bike would go into a full roll, pitching her into the chilly water.
Now that she had time to think, Leia was starting to worry again. What had become of the small party of aides that had accompanied her to the Ekash Homeworld? As far as Leia knew, none of them were Force sensitive so that meant that they would either be ignored or disposed of. She shrugged off that thought. For not the first time in her life, Leia found herself wishing for the help of Luke, or even the scandalous comments of her husband, Han Solo. She reflected grimly that these were wishes that would not be granted and, as was so often the case, the former Princess of Alderaan could rely only on herself. Luke was busy and Han was with their twin children, Jacen and Jaina.
She swept a bend in the river and a stone structure swung into view. It looked old and crumbling. On the far side, Leia could just make out the dull shine of a painted cross. She could only see it for a few seconds before it was obscured from view. It was long enough to recognize the markings of a landing pad. That raised the possibility of a hangar and a spacecraft. In such a disused place, a working spacecraft was distinctly unlikely. However, a few missions aboard Han Solo's beloved Millennium Falcon, and Leia had learnt more about emergency repairs than she had ever wished to know. The odds were that there was something she could patch together enough to get her off the planet, at the very least.
Making her decision, Leia accelerated towards the building. Pulling up to the bank, Leia beached the waterbike and slid out of the seat. The ground was less stable than she'd expected and the rocks beneath her feet shifted, pitching Leia backwards into the water. The chill water surrounded her, leaching precious heat from her body. With a gasp, Leia broke the surface. Swearing in four diplomatic languages, she hauled herself back onto the bank. More cautious of her footing, this time she took more notice of her surroundings. Up this close, the landing pad was out of sight. In front of her stood the old building, leaning precariously to one side. Around the sides of the building, the trees were thick. The waterbike would not fit through the forest if she tried to go around but the bike was not well suited to traveling overland anyway.
At that moment, approaching voices drove her into the nearest hiding place she could find - the old building. She hoped she hadn't been seen but voices soon confirmed her fears.
"She went into the mine!" yelled one guard.
"After her!" called a second voice.
"Are you mad?" asked the first voice. "You know what they say about that place? Tell Natheb that she drowned, 'cause I'm certainly not going in there after her."
"Superstitious fool! There's no such thing as ghosts."
"After you, then."
Leia did not wait to see how brave the guards turned out to be and ran deeper into the building. Enough sunlight filtered in the doorway for her to see that the only way out was either the way she'd come in or down an antiquated old lift, which was rusting quietly in a corner. Hurrying into the lift, Leia's cold stiff fingers levered open the control panel. She randomly pressed a button in the dark. The lift groaned and shuddered alarmingly before finally relenting to programmed movement. Beneath flickering lights, Leia found herself shivering again and reached a hand out for the comforting presence of her blaster. It was gone. It must have been lost in the river, leaving Leia defenseless.
As if to deliberately interrupt her momentary panic, the metal lift shrieked in protest as it ground to a halt. The doors powered open to reveal an impenetrable darkness. Raising a hand to steady herself on the lift wall, Leia's fingertips brushed against plastic. In the sketchy light, she could see a row of miners helmets latched onto the lift wall. Lights were mounted on the top but most of the glass had been shattered long ago. She was forced to examine four helmets before she found one with a working light. She strapped the helmet tightly to her head, crushing her delicately arranged hairstyle. Taking a deep breath, Leia moved out into the darkness of the mine.
Even with the light the helmet provided, Leia could only see a couple of feet in front of her. She had been stumbling along for five minutes before she paused to nurse her bleeding feet. As she leant over to examine them, she began to feel uneasy. Remembering the prophetic nature of her earlier feelings, she straightened up and backed up against the wall. She strained her eyes, trying to see into the darkness while her feeling of unease grew even stronger. Leia remembered Han's stories about the creatures he had seen in the mines of Kessel. She had no wish to run into anything living, no matter how harmless they might be.
Leia's eyes began to ache, her heartbeat unnaturally loud in the silence. She began to slowly walk deeper into the mine until her nerve shattered and she began to run. She scrambled about the rocks, arms flailing, totally unaware of where she was headed or what exactly it was that she was running from. As her panic began to ease, Leia slowed down to a jog. She looked over her shoulder, peering into the darkness, straining to see if there were any pursuers. At that moment, Leia's foot collided with a rock and she fell flat on her face. She raised a shaking hand to her forehead. The helmet had protected her head from the rough ground but the strap was starting to dig into her neck. Gagging, Leia tugged at the clip until the strap loosened.
Leia shut her eyes as her breathing slowed and warmth spread out across her frozen limbs. Leia opened her eyes again and the first thing that her eyes focused on was a long gash down her forearm. As she stared at it, slightly bemused, her arm began to tingle. Then, gently, the edges of the tattered skin began to twitch and move. The gash closed over, leaving a faint pink scar in its wake. More warmth flooded into her arm and the scar disappeared.
Leia sat up and looked around her. The warmth she was feeling was not coming from within her but was flowing through the tunnel like a river. Wiping her eyes with tired hands, she set out to trace the source. She staggered gingerly forward a few steps before she realized that her feet were no longer bleeding but fully healed. She hadn't gone far when she found it. Set into the tunnel wall, level with Leia's eyes, was a row of huge glowing jewels. The closest glittered blue, then purple and then flushed green. Streaks of gold were laced through it like sparks. Each was about a metre wide and far too smooth to be naturally occurring. Leia reached out towards it. As if in anticipation of her touch, the jewel flashed purple repeatedly. Leia paused and the jewel reverted to a tame blue-green glow. The warmth radiating from the jewel was pleasant and comforting. It was like coming home to an old friend.
Chiding herself for being so sentimental, Leia placed her palm firmly against the jewel to prove to herself that it was nothing more than a pretty crystal. The instant she touched it, the jewel burst to life. The pulsing colours sweeping across its surface made Leia's breath catch in her throat. The streaks of gold became a current, flowing into Leia's hand. With them came the dreamy warmth, the maddeningly strong sense of calm and the Force. The sensations overwhelmed Leia's senses, her eyelids fluttering closed.
After a minute, the accumulating warmth began to become uncomfortable. Leia wrestled back enough self-possession to rip her hand away from the jewel. As the amazing effect of the jewel faded, Leia was once again aware of her surroundings - the damp dress, the rough rocks beneath her feet and the all-encompassing silence. Her helmet light began to flicker. Although the glow of the jewel illuminated this corridor, without the helmet light Leia would not be able to see her way back. Leia knelt on the ground, sifting through the loose rocks, hoping for some abandoned tool she could use. The glow from the jewels started to dim. Irritated, Leia looked up. The nearest jewel was angrily flashing red and the warmth it had been generating began to fade.
There came a sound from down the tunnel. A soft, slithering whisper that sent shivers down Leia's spine. It raised memories of rasping breath and a feared black shape. A scraping sound echoed down the corridor from the opposite direction. As Leia's whirled to face it, her helmet light flickered and died. Total darkness flooded in. As her eyes adjusted to the faint glow of the jewels, Leia wrestled her breathing back under control and forced herself to be silent. The temperature seemed to have dropped a few degrees. The jewels continued to pulse red but more faintly, as if they were hiding in fear. Leia's feeling of unease increased.
At the far end of the corridor, a gray mist materialized out of the blackness. Emitting a bleached gray light of its own, it began to coast down the corridor towards her. As it approached, the air became colder, Leia's breath coming out in clouds of vapour. The New Republic's Minister of State kept her eyes locked on the mist, as if she could stare it into submission. It seemed to work as the mist hesitated but then started towards her again. Taking her eyes off the mist, Leia glanced behind her. A second mist had formed at the other end of the corridor.
Leia had nowhere to run and no idea how to fight. Leia ruthlessly forced herself to calm down. It was not long before she presented the stoical face of the former Rebel she had once been. An impenetrable facade that not even Darth Vader had managed to crack completely. Inside, however, Leia wished fiercely that she had committed herself to learning the Jedi arts from Luke. Even though Leia would not be overcome without a fight, she instinctively knew that this was an evil that only a Jedi Knight could defeat.
The mists advanced slowly, inevitably, their slow speed almost painful. Leia backed up against the wall of the tunnel. Her fingers brushed against one of the jewels. She could feel the power coursing beneath her fingers but she did not know how to use it. Leia realized that she was going to die. She thought of the twins, bright little faces that would loose their mother before they really knew her. She thought of her sweet little baby and his young laugh, Luke and his deep affection for her but most of all Leia thought of her husband. The scoundrel of a smuggler that had rescued her, in body and soul.
"Han?" Leia whimpered.
Even if Han had been there, there was nothing he would be able to do. He was no Jedi.
"Luke?" called Leia, her voice stronger now. "Luke, please."
She prayed he would hear her like she had heard him at Cloud City. There was no reply, no familiar voice answering her across the void of space. Luke was on the other side of the galaxy, dealing with his own problems.
One of the mists had almost reached her, shadowy tendrils snaking out to touch her skin. In desperation, Leia called out to another Jedi - one she knew was dead but she called anyway.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi!"
The mist touched her, ice cold, passing straight through her skin and into her body. Whispers and murmurs filled her mind, the warmth leaching from her limbs. One hand still clinging to a jewel provided warm respite from the cruel onslaught but Leia knew the cold would soon overtake her. Her tormented mind latched onto the only other Jedi she knew of, also long dead.
"Father?" she gasped weakly.
The jewel surged beneath her. It seemed to Leia as if it was trying to help, trying to answer her desperate cries.
* * * * *
More than fifty years earlier, Jedi Master Mace Windu was striding down the corridors of the Jedi Temple. As he walked, he contemplated the view from the Temple Windows. The bustling, blinking world of Corrusant, capital of the Intergalactic Republic, stared back at him. No sound penetrated the thick windows but as it had been its home since he was little, he knew the sounds well enough.
Moving on from the cityscape, his gaze wandered back to the corridor in front of him. Ahead of him, two Jedi emerged from a door into the corridor and began to walk down the corridor. Mace could not see their faces but he would have recognized them anywhere. A Council Member like Mace held meetings with Jedi Knights and Masters almost every day. He knew many of the 10 000 Jedi Knights by sight but one of these had been his friend since childhood. Mace amused himself by studying them from a distance.
Twenty-year-old Obi-Wan Kenobi walked beside his Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Obi-Wan was shorter and younger than Qui-Gon but old enough to have already reached his full height. From this distance, only his compact build betrayed the years of Jedi training. Mace knew that at this moment, Obi-Wan's clear blue eyes would be totally focused on Qui-Gon. Inseparable from his Master, Obi-Wan was a promising young apprentice.
Passing on from Obi-Wan, Mace moved his attention to Qui-Gon. Head and shoulders above Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon was less compact and agile but much stronger and more experienced. Qui-Gon's dark hair spilled carelessly across his broad shoulders, one small section swept back from his face. His face was stern and dignified but sometimes - like now - the twinkle in his eyes betrayed his emotions. Despite the differences in their appearances, they dressed almost identically - a symbol of their legendary partnership.
Mace moved on to contemplate their personalities. Qui-Gon was not exactly rebellious but zealously independent, truly living for the moment and following his own instincts without question. More than once this had put him at odds with Mace and the Jedi Council. Obi-Wan was not quite as 'troublesome'. Though he would support his Master in every matter, he was more inclined to follow instructions. Even so, Obi-Wan had proved himself capable of incredible stubbornness, when the occasion presented itself. Perhaps he respected or feared the Council more than Qui-Gon. Mace was not sure which it was.
In the distance, Obi-Wan was loosening his robe as he talked. He finally stopped walking altogether to struggle out of the garment. Even from down the corridor, Mace could see the clumsiness of his movements. The boy was obviously unwell. The heavy material of the robe slipped from the boy's fingers to pool on the floor. Qui-Gon laid a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder, obviously concerned.
Obi-Wan's knees buckled and he collapsed into Qui-Gon's arms. Mace sprinted down the corridor towards them. He joined Qui-Gon, kneeling by the side of the pale boy. Obi-Wan's eyes were half-closed and his movements were blurred, as if by sleep.
"Obi-Wan, I'm here," said Qui-Gon sharply, as if in response to a question.
Mace was confused at first until he remembered the telepathic Master/Padawan bond. Qui-Gon could still hear Obi-Wan though Mace could not. Obi-Wan didn't move but Qui-Gon frowned in response to a silent comment.
A flash of panic flashed across Qui-Gon's normally passive face.
"Wait, Padawan," said Qui-Gon. "I'm coming with you."
Mace could feel Qui-Gon calling on the Force, searching for his student. Mace cried out in alarm as Qui-Gon slumped over Obi-Wan. Mace gripped Qui-Gon by the shoulders and shook him. There was no response. With one last glance at the collapsed Master/Padawan team, Mace pulled a comlink from his tunic.
Obi-Wan began to stir. Mace gently shifted Qui-Gon's weight to the ground so that Obi-Wan could sit up. At the movement, Qui-Gon also began to stir. Qui-Gon pulled himself up to a sitting position and shook his head to clear it. Mace looked on in concern but Qui-Gon's eyes were clear.
Mace turned to Obi-Wan, "What happened?"
"We were going somewhere..." began Obi-Wan.
His voice trailed off and he looked even more confused. "I'm sorry. I don't remember any more, Master Windu."
Qui-Gon stood and held out a hand to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan took it and climbed to his feet, alert and awake as usual. Mace stood also, watching them warily.
"We must have been training too hard," said Qui-Gon. "Perhaps we should retire to our quarters."
There was silence for a moment as Mace tried to comprehend the sudden change in mood. Finally, he nodded in agreement.
"I want both of you to report to the healers - now," he told them. "After that, make sure you get some rest."
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon bowed obediently and left, as if nothing at all had happened. Mace was worried.
* * * * *
Fifteen years later, Mace found himself pacing down the same corridor. Little had changed in the corridor or even in the view outside. Physically Mace himself had changed little, he was still a member of the Jedi Council and he was worried, again. Now, however, Qui-Gon had been dead for a decade and new troubles plagued the Jedi Order.
A growing disturbance in the Force had begun to cloud visions of the future. The dark side of the Force was growing stronger and there was nothing that the Jedi could do. Some Jedi could not even sense it while still others sceptically ignored it. Mace was uncomfortably aware that he himself had been skeptical about the continued existence of a Sith Lord, until one had slain Qui-Gon in battle. Mace was constantly aware of a sense of danger and corruption but there was no way to pinpoint the feeling more accurately than that. Perhaps it would simply pass in time or perhaps he had simply spent too much time amongst the corrupt Senators.
Finding no answers, Mace headed for one of the Meditation rooms. As he approached, he could hear a familiar voice talking. He recognized the voice as that of Obi-Wan Kenobi, now a thirty-five year old Jedi Knight, training his own Padawan.
"Sometimes a dream is just a dream, Anakin," Obi-Wan was saying gently but firmly.
As Mace rounded the corner, he was able to see Anakin's doubtful expression.
Obi-Wan, still the same height but now sporting a sandy coloured beard, turned at Mace's approach.
"Master Windu," said Obi-Wan, bowing respectfully.
Anakin followed suit politely enough but began to look uncomfortable. Considering the resistance the Council had shown to Anakin being accepted into the Jedi Order, Mace thought it was not surprising that he would be a little uncomfortable in the presence of a Council Member.
"Obi-Wan," Mace answered, nodding in return. "Anakin."
He didn't miss Anakin's small start at being addressed directly but decided to ignore it. He would discuss Anakin's behaviour with Obi-Wan later.
"It has been a while since we have had an opportunity to talk," said Mace. "Are you busy?"
Obi-Wan shook his head, smiling slightly, "Nothing that we can't finish later."
Mace gestured towards an empty Meditation room and Obi-Wan moved to follow.
Anakin followed moodily, trying his best to suppress his annoyance. He was not yet finished talking to his Master about his nightmares. It began to get warmer in the corridor and Anakin loosened his robe slightly. He tried hard to forget about the dreams, about his mother screaming and in pain. The warmth spread quickly to the rest of his body, making him drowsy. He shrugged out of his robe and draped it across his arm. He tried to ignore the heat; to focus on Obi-Wan and Master Windu but the temperature continued to increase. Anakin swallowed and stumbled. He regained his balance but it had been enough to draw the attention of Obi-Wan.
Anakin was aware of Obi-Wan calling his name but he was too exhausted to answer. He felt physically and mentally drained. He thought he heard someone else calling his name too but it was a voice he did not recognize. As Anakin fell to his knees, Obi-Wan was at his side. Anakin noticed dreamily that Obi-Wan could not have moved so fast without the aid of the Force.
//Anakin?//
Anakin heard Obi-Wan's mental call but it sounded dim, as if far away.
//M-m-master, where are you?//
//I'm right here, Padawan. //
Obi-Wan's presence was growing fainter. Anakin knew this should have concerned him but he could hear someone else calling him. He wanted to help them, wasn't that what Jedi were supposed to do?
//I'm going to help someone... they need me// he sent to Obi-Wan.
//No, Padawan// sent Obi-Wan, sounding fainter than ever. //You're not going without me.//
Anakin felt Obi-Wan's familiar Force signature reaching out towards him, following. Far away as he was, Anakin still heard Mace swear as Obi-Wan collapsed beside him.
Mace looked up to find other Jedi watching the incident worriedly.
"Call the healers," Mace ordered.
As before, Anakin was stirring even as Mace was giving the order. Mace had a nasty feeling of familiarity and predicted gloomily that the healers would find nothing wrong with them, as had been the case fifteen years before. Now Mace was more worried than ever.
* * * * *
The jewel surged beneath Leia's fingertips, cresting a peak and on some unknown signal; it overflowed. The Force energy spilled out into the corridor, engulfing Leia. She shut her eyes tight, soaking up the warmth to chase away the cold aftertaste the mists had left. As quickly as it had come, the energy receded again. Even the jewel itself seemed to shrink away from her touch and she whimpered from the loss of contact.
She opened her eyes and waited for her eyes to readjust to the gloom. The two mist creatures had retreated down the corridor but were holding their ground. Now that the jewel's energy had faded, they began to advance again. Leia stepped away, groping for the jewel and her foot collected with a soft object. Four piles of cloth had materialized in the corridor, left in the path of the energy. As she watched, the cloth shifted and a human hand slid into view. She barely had time to wonder at their presence before the mists caught her attention again.
Moving more quickly now, one of the mists had reached one of the bundles of cloth. It stretched out insubstantial tentacles towards it.
"Look out!" cried Leia.
Her cry was too late, the figure beneath the cloth jerking as the tentacles penetrated its body. A second later a blue flash arched through the air.
Even as Leia recognized it as a lightsabre, the mist was retreating. The lightsabre's owner reached down to help up his fallen companion. By the glow of the jewels, Leia could see that they were both boys or young men. Thin braids dangled from behind their right ears, their clothing oddly familiar to Leia though she couldn't place it. The other piles of cloth had risen to their feet at some point, revealing two older, bearded men.
"What in the blazes..." said one, using an accent Leia didn't recognise.
"Where are we?" interrupted the second, in a deeper, softer tone.
"The Ekash mines. We need to get past those things," answered Leia quickly.
She gestured towards the mists, which had backed off uncertainly.
"They're not solid," ventured one of the young men. "But they don't seem to like lightsabres."
Three more lightsabres ignited with a hiss. The second man looked up and down the corridor.
"Which way?"
Leia paused, and then followed her instincts, "That way."
The small party moved down the corridor. The mists stayed with them but kept their distance as long as the lightsabres were lit. Eventually, the ground began to slope upwards towards the surface. Leia prayed that they were headed in the direction of the landing pad. They turned a corner and sunlight blinded them.
Squinting, Leia could see the faded black of the landing pad stretched out before them. The paint on it was a dull yellow and Leia marveled that she'd been able to see it at all from a distance. Orange weeds grew out of the few great cracks that laced across the surface but it was mostly intact. Nearby, sat a small, unobtrusive hangar. Leia couldn't contain her sigh of relief.
"Come on," she said. "We need to get out of here before the guards work out where we are."
"And what guards would they be?" asked one of the men.
"The Ekash Guards. They're after any Force sensitives they can find. I'll explain the rest later, once we get to safety," explained Leia.
She was anxious to leave, all too aware that she was still unarmed and on a hostile planet. The four strangers, all obviously Jedi, were more reluctant. They seemed unsure of their surroundings and weren't sure whether Leia could be trusted.
"And safety would be where?" one of them asked.
"Off planet, for a start," answered Leia, gesturing towards the hangar.
Finally, the older two nodded their agreement and the party headed across the landing pad to the hangar. As they approached, Leia could see that the hangar protruded out of a grassy mound. The parts that were visible were old and discoloured. The main door was half open and sagging menacingly. Spidery cracks spread out from the corners of the roof like ripples in a pond. The same orange weeds that encroached on the landing pad ran rampant on the hangar roof. From the distance it seemed as if the plants had sprouted from the metal itself. It was not until they were metres from it that Leia noticed the thin layer of soil that they were growing in.
The thought crossed Leia's mind that there might be no ship, that they might be stranded. Panic rose in her throat but she fought it down. Somehow Leia knew she was responsible for the Jedi being here. She would get them out of here, she promised herself; there was no other choice.
Though her head cleared the hangar door by a few feet, Leia ducked anyway. It earnt her an amused glance from one of the Jedi but she ignored it. The hangar was dark after the glaring light of the sun and it took Leia's eyes a few moments to adjust. When they had, there was not much to see. Piles of junk were clustered around the floor. A row of broken lights sagged from their connections. One of them had already fallen to smash violently against the hard floor. There were no spacecraft in sight but a large length of cheap cloth obscured the back of the hangar.
"There doesn't seem to be any ship, here," muttered one of the Jedi.
Once again Leia ignored the comment and started forwards towards the cloth. With surprise, she noticed that one of the boys was walking silently beside her. The other three trailed after them reluctantly. Reaching the cloth, she could see that the ends were supported from the roof by ropes. The shape beneath the cloth was much smaller than it had seemed.
Together, she and the boy pulled the cloth up. As the gaudy red cloth was tugged back, a sleek silver vessel appeared. Even in the awful light, Leia could recognize the beauty of it. It was a medium sized fighter, built for speed both in and out of the atmosphere. It was bigger than an X-wing but nowhere near as bulky as a freighter. Gold and green trimming danced up and down its wing tips, ending in an intricate pattern of knots on the nose. When Leia looked up, she saw the boy gazing wondrously at the ship. It was possible that he would soon begin drooling. He frowned suddenly.
"What this?" he asked. "I don't recognize the writing."
Leia stepped closer to him and peered at the inscription on the ship's hull. It was written in Ekash, though it took her a moment to remember the translation.
"It's in the Ekash language," she explained out loud. "It says Fahren. It means the Weaver of Souls."
"Poetic," muttered one of the other Jedi.
Leia made a mental note to work out which one of them kept making the sarcastic comment. The boy beside her grinned as if he sensed her thoughts.
"That would be Master Obi-Wan," he whispered quietly.
Leia wasn't really all that surprised, just confused and concerned. She knew the names of the Jedi she had called and it had not been difficult to guess who the new arrivals were. Some of her confusion must have shown on her face though because the boy frowned.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"No," she shook her head, smiling. "I'm Leia."
He returned her smile impishly, "I'm Anakin."
This time Leia was surprised, shocked even. Her eyes widened as she took in the cocky expression, the boyish good looks and the lanky height.
"You're Anakin Skywalker?" she asked, her voice rising a notch.
The boy frowned but nodded cautiously. He was so innocent looking and yet he was dressed head to toe in dark browns - all too close to the fearsome black Darth Vader had favoured. Years of frustration and anger bubbled to the surface and Leia reacted automatically. She slapped him across the face. Taken completely by surprise, the boy lost his balance and fell. Before he hit the ground, one of the older Jedi was behind him to break his fall. Anakin's expression blinked from surprise to hurt to anger in the space of a few seconds. As the sudden anger faded, Leia realized what she'd done. All of the Jedi were staring at her, expressions politely curious but hands hovering by their lightsabres.
"Sorry," croaked Leia. "Reflex action."
Anakin's eyes simply narrowed further. Leia sighed.
"I really am sorry," Leia tried again. "I was told that Anakin Skywalker was responsible for... the death of someone I cared about. I wasn't prepared to meet you face to face."
"I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding," interrupted one of the older Jedi.
Anakin finally nodded and straightened but he still looked wary. Inwardly Leia groaned but there were still things to be done. She reluctantly turned away and moved beneath the Fahren to find an entry hatch. Behind her she could almost hear the Jedi exchanging looks. Then she found the hatch and palmed it open. It hummed gently and a thin ramp descended gracefully to the ground.
"This ship has been well taken care of," muttered one of the Jedi.
Without turning to look at them, Leia marched up the ramp. The Jedi was right; the ship had been taken care of. Inside it was shiny and polished, showing almost no signs of wear. At first Leia was tempted to think it was brand new but a few slightly roughened edges betrayed the truth.
The ramp led into a small, empty cargo bay. As three banks of lights swelled to life, Leia could see that the floors were carpeted. Two doors were set into the far wall. One was marked with the Ekash word for cockpit, the other with the Ekash word for cabin. Leia headed instantly for the cockpit. The door slid back soundlessly to reveal a shiny silver interior. A dark green chair sat at the main control panel and four more golden chairs lined up along the sides.
Leia moved instantly to the green chair to examine the instrumentation. The navigation computer was soon online and she began feeding in the co-ordinates of the nearest New Republic world. After a few minutes, Anakin joined her hesitantly. He looked over the control panels, his curiosity overcoming his sense of caution. He leant over Leia's shoulder, taking in her movements.
"She's a beautiful ship," he said at last.
Leia nodded absentmindedly. She remembered dimly Luke's skill at piloting and some offhand comment about inheriting it from his father. Leia looked up at Anakin, literally an incarnation of their father.
"Would you like to fly it?" she asked hesitantly, wondering how he would react.
His eyes widened slightly and a ridiculous grin spread across his face, "Could I?"
TO BE CONTINUED...
