Chapter 1 - Connections Through the Force
Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master and teacher at the Jedi Academy, was sleeping in his quarters in the Great Temple on Yavin 4. He began tossing and turning in his bed. Artoo - Detoo just stood in the corner of the quarters. The blue astromech droid knew Luke regularly tossed and turned in his sleep and decided to ignore the sleeping Jedi. All of the sudden, Luke sat up quickly in his bed. Artoo thought that was unusual, especially since Luke was soaking wet. Artoo trilled a question to his master, as if he was truly worried about him.
"I'm okay, Artoo. I just had another one of my visions. Keep yourself plugged into the charger," Luke said to the silhouette of the droid.
See - Threepio ran into the room. Okay, he didn't exactly run, but he tried his best to run. "What is it, Artoo?" Threepio asked.
"I'm fine, Threepio. Would you two stop worrying about me? It's not like some ancient Dark Lord of the Sith is trying to destroy me. I just had a dream, that's all," Luke said.
Threepio looked at Artoo. Neither of them responded.
"I need to get some fresh air. Is that okay with the two of you?" Luke said.
"Certainly, Master Luke. Did you want some water or anything to..." Threepio said, being interrupted by Luke.
"No. I'll get something to drink myself. Please, I need to be alone for awhile." Luke got up, grabbed a robe sitting over the back of a chair, and put in on. He attached his lightsaber to the robe, then walked out of the room.
The young Jedi Master walked to the large kitchen and grabbed some herbal tea, poured it into a mug, and proceeded to the top of the temple.
He stepped out of the turbolift, into the darkness of the middle of the night. Luke walked to the edge, facing away from the gas giant of Yavin, looking at the stars. He spotted the stars of the systems he had visited: Dathomir, Coruscant, Endor, Hoth, and Tatooine to name a few. But one star system struck his eyes like a lightning bolt - Bakura.
My dream, he thought, while staring at Bakura. Gaeriel was in that dream, and she was in danger.
There was a name he hadn't thought about in over a decade - Gaeriel Captison. The only woman that electrified his force senses without even seeing her. He reached out through the Force to see if he could sense her, even though she was very far away.
He felt her tossing in her sleep, having a nightmare about a trichoid larva swallowing her whole. He then sensed her wake up and walk toward a window. She looked out the window, staring at some star system she had never visited. Luke saw through her eyes what star system Gaeriel was looking at - Yavin. Yavin? He wanted to feel her thoughts - she was thinking of the past, the talks they had together. Especially that kiss the two of them shared aboard the Millennium Falcon. But she had no idea what star system she was staring at. Gaeriel decided to return to bed. Luke let go of using the Force on her and let her fall asleep.
He recalled the events of the dream, the danger that Gaeriel was in. Closing his eyes, he could see the dream replay itself in his mind. It was a dark, large room, with many echoes emanating from the darkness. Luke could feel Gaeriel's presence and the fear for her life. He knew she was not alone, but could not sense the other person. As he began to walk towards the center of the room, he felt death, he smelled the fear of the murdered victim. He pulled a light from his belt and turned it on. The victim laid in pieces - head and limbs severed from the body, laying exactly one meter from where they should be attached to the body. Not a drop of blood was on the concrete floor. Luke looked closer at the body and noticed something very strange - the limbs and head had been cauterized, black where the cuts were made. Luke knew of only one weapon that could produce that result - a lightsaber, he thought, as he grabbed his lightsaber with a tighter grip. He heard screams - Gaeriel's screams emanating from a corner. He focused the light towards that corner and froze.
No, stop it, Luke, he said to himself. The future is always in motion, remember? It was only a dream, he thought.
Luke felt a presence - not Gaeriel's - but someone who was strong in the Force. He noticed the spirit approach him with tranquillity and sit on the temple's ledge. "Luke, it's time," the spirit said.
"Time for what, father?" he asked as he sat next to the spirit of Anakin Skywalker.
"To pass on the family name, " Anakin answered.
"Leia's passing on the family heritage," Luke said somberly.
"Not the Skywalker name, Luke. Only you can pass on the name of Skywalker. This woman you are thinking of is the one who will be the mother of your children. You have very strong feelings for this woman, although you have not seen her in a long time."
"I don't have time for romance. I'm going to Tatooine to see if Obi-Wan left any Jedi relicts at his homestead. Besides, Gaeriel once had objections to anyone who was strong in the Force. She said she would never leave Bakura ever again."
"Never is a long time, Luke. She will be contacting you about the danger she is in. You need to help her and protect her."
"But what if I do the same thing that you did to mother?"
"You won't. You have surpassed that level in your life years ago. You have overcome obstacles that I could not cross. Don't let her go away this time." Anakin began to disappear.
"Father?" Too late, he already disappeared. Luke was wondering if he was ever going to get one of those father - son talks that his friends always talked about when he was younger. He never had one - until now. But this talk was so incomplete, he thought. They never talked about sex.
Luke just stood in the dark, emptiness of the night. The warmth of the star in the Yavin System could be felt on Luke's face. How long have I been out here, he thought. I'd better get back to my quarters before Threepio begins to worry. And off the young Jedi Master went.
Senator Gaeriel Captison woke up from a nightmare about a trichoid larva. She remembered when she heard about the larvae - after she shared a meal with Luke Skywalker. Gaeri thought about him while walking to the window in her room.
She pressed her face against the glass to take a better look at the stars. She knew where Coruscant was - she was there during Imperial rule studying at Imperial Center. But the star system she was staring at intrigued her. She didn't know why - she didn't even know what star system it was. Staring at it got her thinking about that kiss she shared with Luke on board the Millennium Falcon. She reminded herself that she had an early Senate meeting tomorrow and returned to her oval repulsor bed and fell asleep.
Several hours later, Gaeriel woke up earlier than she needed to. It wasn't a nightmare that woke her up, but sheer curiosity of what that star system she was looking at last night. Why was I thinking about Jedi Luke Skywalker while staring at that system? She had to ask Eppie.
Gaeriel had been friends with Eppie Belden all of her life - after all, Eppie was approaching 150. Without Luke Skywalker's intervention, Eppie would not be alive - she would still be that wizened old woman who's mind washed out to sea years ago.
Gaeri jumped out of bed, got dressed without taking a shower, and began to walk out of the mansion, trying not to wake anyone up.
"Gaeriel?" her Aunt Tiree asked.
Gaeriel jumped back, startled. "You scared me," she said breathing heavily.
"Where are you going?"
"I have to see Eppie. It's very important."
Gaeriel ran out the front door. Her airspeeder was sitting in the driveway. It was still dark outside, but she needed to talk to Eppie and get this settled. She drove so fast through Salis D'aar that she thought she was going to get a speeding ticket. Finally, she reached Eppie's apartment, jumped out of the speeder, and ran to Eppie's door.
Eppie was waiting with the front door open, expecting Gaeri's arrival. Eppie always knew when Gaeri was coming over - Luke did say that Eppie had untrained talents in the Force of her own. "What's wrong, Gaeri," Eppie asked.
Gaeriel was out of breath. "When I woke up last night from a nightmare, I walked up to my window to stare at the stars. I was intrigued by one certain star that I couldn't stop staring at it," she said.
"And you want to know why."
"Yes."
Eppie took Gaeriel to her office where her computer was located. "Okay, what position does your window face and at what time were you looking at this star?"
Gaeriel sat down on the brand new repulsor chair Eppie put in the office specifically for Gaeriel's visits. "It was around midnight, and my window faces northwest."
The new voice-activated computer that Eppie developed several years ago went into action with Gaeriel's time and direction. The computer then put a star chart onto the screen and said, "Here is the chart you asked for, Gaeri." in a masculine voice.
"That's it!" Gaeriel said as she jumped out of her seat and touched the star on the screen.
"Calm down, girl."
"What's is its name?" She sat back down in the chair.
"It belongs to the Yavin system."
"Yavin? Wasn't the Great Sith War fought on Yavin 4? And the first Death Star was destroyed there as well."
"That's right. Do you know anymore history about the Battle at Yavin?"
Gaeriel was updating her knowledge in Old Republic and Alliance history, including any information about Jedi. She thought knowing everything she could about events of the past would help her in decision making as a senator. "Well, it was the first important win for the Rebel Alliance. The Death Star was destroyed by a couple of proton torpedoes from as X-wing fighter. From what I understand, getting a couple of proton torpedoes down a two meter opening in next to impossible." Gaeriel paused. "Wait. It was Luke Skywalker who destroyed the Death Star."
"I was wondering when you were going to figure out the connection."
"What connection?"
"Luke has a Jedi Academy on Yavin 4. I thought you knew."
Gaeriel's enthusiasm diminished. "I guess he never bothered to tell me. I haven't spoken to him in over ten years. The last piece of news I heard about him was he was a traitor of the New Republic. Like I really believed that piece of news. That's what I get for reading those religious data cards from my sister."
Eppie grabbed Gaeri's arm. "You have to talk to him. He could have been thinking about you, too. He might have sensed your thoughts last night."
"Over that long of a distance? Yea, right."
"Don't underestimate what Luke is able to do with the Force. You might be interested that he is a Jedi Master now."
Gaeriel looked a her chrono. "I've got to go to my office. I have a meeting with a New Republic General in a couple of hours." She hugged Eppie and went out the door.
Gaeriel sped to her office at Bakur Complex, walked into her office and sat down at her desk. Gaeriel sat looking at the holovid blankeyed wondering if she should take Eppie's suggestion in initiating the first move to contact Luke. Finally, she asked the holovid to establish a connection to the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4.
She waited several minutes while the holovid determined how to get the connection, then to see if Gaeriel's senatorial status was enough to get authorization to even communicate with the academy. The face of a young woman appeared on the screen. "May I help you," the young woman asked.
"Uh, is this the Jedi Academy," Gaeriel asked, unsure if she got the right place, especially at the slowness of the connection.
"Yes, it is."
"I would like to speak to Commander Skywalker."
"Master Skywalker is still sleeping. Can I have him contact you later?"
"I think he wouldn't mind if he was woken for this call. Could you please wake him up?"
"Sure. Can I ask who is calling?"
"Senator Captison."
"I'll be back. Please hold."
Great, I'm on hold, waiting for someone who probably isn't available. And that was probably his wife.
A bell rang on Luke's stateroom. "Yes," he said groggily.
"Master Skywalker, someone is on the holovid for you. She seemed anxious to talk to you." The young woman stayed on the other side of the door.
"Was it Leia?"
"No. She's a senator. Obviously she doesn't have current news because she still referred to you as Commander."
Luke sat up in his bed. "What was her name?"
"Senator Captison."
Luke jumped out of bed, grabbed his robe, quickly put it on, and ran out the door.
"I guess it was pretty important." The young woman said.
Gaeriel was waiting on the holovid for Luke to appear on the screen. She kept on thinking who was that woman. Gaeriel was getting frustrated and almost disconnected, when Luke's face appeared.
"Hello, Gaeriel," Luke said, "What's wrong?" Luke covered a yawn with his hand.
"Luke, it's good to talk to you. I've wondered what happened to you since you left Bakura. I don't know how to tell you what happened last night," Gaeriel said.
"Just tell me."
"I woke up from a nightmare last night, walked to the window in my bedroom to look at the stars. I was very intrigued by this one particular star. For some odd reason, I happened to be thinking of you at the time. I went back to sleep, then woke up several hours later. I went to talk to Eppie and see if she could help me identify this star that I couldn't stop envisioning in my head. She identified it as the star of the Yavin system. I remembered the name from history - the Great Sith war and the destruction of the first Death Star. Then I remembered who destroyed the Death Star - it was you. Eppie figured out the connection. She thought that you could feel my feelings even over the great distance between Yavin and Bakura. That's when I came here to my office to contact you."
Luke sat back in the chair he was sitting on, scratching his unshaven beard. "I have something to tell you, Gaeri. I did sense your thoughts last night because I had a vision about you. I wanted to know if you were all right. I know you were thinking about me."
Gaeriel blushed.
"Don't be ashamed of your feelings," Luke said with Force undertones.
"I should be. You are already spoken for. That woman who answered the holovid," she stopped in mid-sentence and had to wipe tears from her eyes.
"Don't jump to conclusions. I'm not married. Her husband is a Jedi who is studying here at the academy. They were newlyweds when I found him. I didn't think it was right to separate them at the beginning of their life together."
Gaeriel sat there a couple of seconds, thinking about what Luke just said. "Why didn't you tell me that you had formed a Jedi Academy on Yavin 4?"
"I wasn't sure how you would take the knowledge. I don't know how it fits into your beliefs."
"After all the events with the Ssi-Ruuk, I've learned the truth about my beliefs. I've learned that you can't necessarily take everything you are taught or told as being the absolute truth. I would have been grateful if you told me about the academy. Maybe with a few more Jedi like yourself, the galaxy would become a safer place."
Luke had a haunted look on his face which quickly disappeared. "I need to talk to you privately. I need to tell you the truth about my heritage."
"This is a very private connection."
"No. I need to see you. In the vision I had last night, you were in danger. I can protect you."
Gaeriel gasped. "Someone is trying to kill me. I've got some crazed lunatic following me wherever I go. He leaves these raunchy messages here at the office and at home. I've even gotten them delivered in the middle of senate hearings. He says if I don't become his 'woman' that he is going to kill me, because no one else should have me. Security is still trying to figure out who he is."
"I'm leaving for Tatooine later today. I'll be there for several days. Why don't you join me? I have some," he paused, "business to take care of."
"I can't leave Bakura. Eppie needs me. My constituents need me. I can't abandon my work."
"When was the last time you were on vacation? The only way to get this lunatic out of the picture is for you to get off the planet."
"Are you sure? Will I be safe?"
"As long as you are with me, you should be fine."
Gaeriel hesitated. "Okay, I'll meet you on Tatooine. Send me the details of where I'm to meet you to Eppie's. She hasn't had the lunatic break into her system yet."
"Sure. I'll see you soon."
"Good-bye, Luke."
The holovid picture disappeared.
Luke stared at the blank screen for a couple of minutes, smiling at the screen. Gaeriel is returning to my life - I can feel it through the Force, he thought. But he still had that vision about Gaeriel in danger. He wasn't sure this crazy person that Gaeriel had anything to do with the vision, but he did feel it was a start to events to come.
Several fingers tapped on his shoulder. He snapped out of his daydream.
"Master Skywalker, is everything okay?" the young woman asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He placed his left hand in his blond hair and ruffled it. "Why don't you gather the Jedi together in the Great Hall. I'll be there as soon as I get on some clothes." Then he proceeded to return to his room.