Twenty-Six Years After the Battle of Endor
"Vader is here… now, on this moon."
A chill went through Leia as Luke spoke those words. "How do you know?" That he knew there could be no question.
"I felt his presence. He's come for me. He can feel me when I'm near. That's why I have to go." Finally, he turned to face her. "As long as I stay, I'm endangering the group and our mission here."
Leia wanted to reassure him. To do something, anything. But after a moment of quiet, he said, "I have to face him."
"Why?"
Luke moved closer. This was supposed to make her feel safe, but something was wrong. This isn't how it happens. This isn't how I felt. Luke's presence reassures me. "He's my father."
"Your father?" She felt the shock again, even in memory.
"The Vader is strong in my family. My father has it… I have it… my sister has it."
Vader? Didn't he mean the Force?
"Vader is here… now, on this moon." Why was he repeating himself? This time said differently… with malice.
And right before her eyes, his words became reality. Luke himself became the monster she feared. He laughed. She had found her brother, her long-lost brother, only to immediately lose him. So she did the only thing she could do…
Leia screamed.
She felt hands trying to hold her, and she defensively threw herself away from them. She wanted to run, but she was sitting, or lying down. She flailed away from the hands.
Someone was saying her name. Luke, Luke! No! Luke, help me!
"Leia!" Yelling now. Have to get away.
The hands finally caught her. No!
"Leia!"
Finally the world came into focus. She was not on the Endor moon. She was in her stateroom aboard her ship, the Alderaan (formerly Home One). The hands that held her were not her brother's. Nor were they the monster's.
"Winter." Leia's closest aide and confidant. Pull yourself together, Leia.
"Madame President," Winter let her hand fall from Leia's arm, clearly reassured. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but we have a secure link with the Rogue."
Oh no. But Leia retained her professional distance, even in front of her oldest friend. This war had claimed so many lives already. Her family deserved no special treatment. She refused to name her fear directly. "Rogue Squadron?"
Winter nodded.
"How long overdue?"
"12 hours."
Leia nodded. "Keep me posted."
"You don't want to speak to the Captain?"
Yes. "No. Thank you, Winter."
Winter looked skeptical, but half-bowed as she stepped backwards out of the room. "Thank you, Madame President."
Leia allowed herself to sigh deeply after Winter left. He's okay. She's okay. Twelve hours? What are we even worrying about?
Fallen
Leia Organa Solo; President, Alliance of Free Planets (female human from Alderaan)
Darth Starkiller; Sith Lord (male human from Tatooine)
Commander Anakin Solo; Rogue Leader (male human from Hapes)
Jaina Solo; captain, i Millennium Falcon /i (female human from Hapes)
General Tycho Celchu; presidential military advisor and commander, i Alderaan /i (male human from Alderaan)
Winter Celchu; presidential aide (female human from Alderaan)
Episode 1
"State of Hope."
The Coral Asteroid Field provided the only true navigational hazard in the otherwise boring Mon Calamari star system. This was rarely even considered, as no commonly-used route to Mon Calamari required passing through or even near the cluster of rocks.
Of course, Mon Calamari was in a state of open Rebellion. Imperial operating procedure dictated that orbital bombardment had already rendered all of the major cities that reached the surface uninhabitable, but there was no way to reach the deeper cities from space. So, very few ships passed through what was once a very important system. Most of those were Imperial military ships.
Most, but not all.
And there was that tricky asteroid field -- which, for the time being, had acquired twelve new asteroids. These were very atypical asteroids. Gray transparisteel, very smooth and regularly shaped. And so few asteroids have wings, yet all twelve of these new asteroids did. But to sensors, and even the naked eye, Rogue Squadron was just twelve more asteroids floating in space.
Rogue Leader was starting to shiver despite his insulated flight suit, but it was very important to remain invisible on sensors until he was sure Rogue Squadron was ready to leave the system. So, his X-wing remained completely powered down. A rapidly-emptying canister of breathable air sat in his lap. He had gone through many of these since his squadron became asteroids. This was his last one. So, whether they completed the mission or not, it would soon be time to leave.
They were waiting for a rendezvous to provide an Alliance gunrunner safe escort back to the fleet. Necessarily, due to the nature of these missions, they had very few details other than that. But Commander Anakin Solo knew who the gunrunner might be, so he was going to wait until the last possible second.
A sickening popping sound signaled the end of his last canister of air. If he continued breathing slowly, he probably had twenty minutes before he ran out of breathable air and need to activate his life support systems. That would require activating main power. That would be the end of Rogue Squadron's brief career as asteroids.
Anakin closed his eyes. She was way overdue. She? You have no way of knowing it's her, Solo.
Anakin opened his eyes again just in time to catch the flash of light. He squinted. More flashes of light. A firefight? Without sensors, there was no way to be sure. But this was the first activity Anakin had seen in the twenty-four hours they had been waiting. And they were running out of time.
There was no other choice. Anakin hit the ignition, and after the cold-start sequence, displays illuminated the cockpit. That was the signal for eleven other dark shapes to light up. Before breaking comm silence, Anakin checked his sensors. Sure enough, one modified Corellian freighter was trying to outrun a squadron of TIE Fighters. No, TIE Interceptors. Sith. This is going to be fun.
Anakin's astromech began whistling wildly. "Did you have a good nap, Artoo?"
No.
Anakin laughed. "Alright, no comm check. We don't have time, so I'm assuming you can all hear me. Form up on me when we clear the field, and stand ready to engage."
"Boss, those are TIE Interceptors."
"Thank you, Five. My sensors are working just fine. Let's go to work, people."
All twelve X-wings cleared the asteroid field and, without breaking pace for the intercept, assembled into formation. As they got closer, there could be no mistaking the identity of the freighter.
"Millennium Falcon , this is Rogue Squadron. We stand ready to assist you."
There was a pause. Then a very familiar voice, "Rogue Squadron, Millennium Falcon. What the hell are you still doing here?"
Anakin rolled his eyes. "Saving your tail, it looks like. We'll be in firing range in approximately twenty-five seconds. Be ready to make the jump to lightspeed as soon as we've taken care of your tails."
By the time they got into range, the i Falcon /i had already taken quite a pounding. "Rogues, laser weapons free. Lock targets and prepare to fire at my command."
"Torpedoes free, sir?"
"Negative, Five. Save them."
"Sir."
Anakin sighed. He was going to have to have a chat with Teep after this engagement. He might be a teenager, but that couldn't be an excuse.
The Falcon turned towards the Rogues, and the TIEs were forced to turn with her to maintain pursuit, presenting Anakin and the Rogues with far better targets. Oh, she's good.
This would be a relatively clean engagement. Both sides would probably lose about half their number on the first pass, statistically speaking. But Anakin knew his pilots were better. That he was better.
The buzz accompanying a target lock on the lead TIE. "Rogues, fire at will!"
A volley of laser blasts erupted from both squadrons as the Rogues passed over the Falcon . Two TIEs exploded immediately, several X-wings were hit but not destroyed, and both squadrons broke formation and engaged each other in several separate dogfights.
As usual, Anakin focused all of his attention on the ship he was engaged with, yet still somehow had a sense of what was going on in the larger engagement. So far, his pilots were doing fine. And the Falcon had just turned around to join the engagement, giving them the edge.
An edge Anakin hadn't wanted.
"Millennium Falcon, your orders were to continue to the jump point."
"I'm not military, Rogue Lead."
Damn it, Jaina. But Anakin had to maintain his professional distance, even if his sister decided not to. Besides, he had more pressing concerns.
A sudden flash of intuition. "Rogue Two, break right!"
Deadly laserfire lanced through the space Anakin's wingmate had occupied just a second ago. Anakin glanced at his squadron status display. Sure enough, Two's shields were depleted. That shot would have killed her.
"Thanks, Lead. I didn't even see him."
Neither did I. "No problem. All right, Rogues. Let's keep our heads up."
It always happened the same way. Anakin would suddenly become keenly aware that someone was in danger. His stomach would clench up and he would feel cold, like the fight-or-flight response you feel when you're in direct danger. Only he'd know someone else was in danger. How could he possibly know? This "danger sense" had been largely responsible for Anakin's quick ascent through the ranks, making him a squadron commander at 20 rather than just another hotshot pilot.
Soon enough it was done. The Falcon and Rogue Squadron made the jump to lightspeed, and Anakin could finally relax.
A shower and a change of clothes later, Leia was feeling significantly more presidential than she had when she woke up screaming. Two meetings and a holovised address later, and the dream was all but forgotten. The uneasy feelings accompanying it would not likely return until Leia found herself alone and trying to fall asleep tonight. Times like these, more than any other, she missed Han's comforting presence, a need she would admit to no one. Even herself.
During the security council meeting, she hadn't even had the benefit of seeing her husband's face on the holoscreen. General Solo was apparently unreachable, leaving his second-in-command to brief Leia on the state of the Alliance Army and Special Forces, as well as the state of the Corellian insurgency. General Antilles had nothing in particular to offer other than news that Rogue Squadron and the Millennium Falcon had returned safely from their mission. This was a relief to Leia on a personal level, but not particularly important from a strategic standpoint. Wedge had nothing of particular interest to report about Mon Calamari, and the other outer rim planets that had openly declared independence from the Empire had still failed to be razed to the ground. Kashyyk was currently involved in a relatively tame war with Imperial-supported Trandosha.
Superficially, they were making progress. But the Empire was still vast and powerful. Leia couldn't shake the feeling that the Empire was just biding their time before they swept everyone else off the map.
Then there was the director of Alliance Intelligence, a woman named Jan Ors Leia had found to be extremely adept at her job. Alliance Intelligence was, of course, a highly secretive organization. Ironically enough, their higher ups like Director Ors were actually fairly well known around the Alliance, but the identity of their field agents was a closely guarded secret. Oftentimes, the identity of Alliance Intelligence agents remained a secret even from their own families.
Today, Director Ors had only one item to discuss, but it was troubling enough on its own.
"As General Antilles has already informed you, Imperial Fleet activity has been reduced drastically."
Leia nodded. "That seems like good news."
"Seems." Ors shook her head, clearly in possession of more than general suspicion. "I don't have anything definitive for you, Madam President, but I'm trying to put all the pieces together and something doesn't fit."
Leia exchanged a quick glance with General Celchu, the only senior military officer actually in the room. "Meaning?"
Director Ors looked troubled. That was rarely a good sign. "Meaning the only thing that makes any sense is the Imperials are planning something big. A major fleet action. Or worse."
That certainly wasn't good news. "Corellia?"
Ors sighed. "I don't like speculating. But if it's a fleet action, Corellia's the obvious target."
Leia considered this. "Alright. Let's consider increasing our presence in the Corellian system, and I'll ask Regent Isolder about increasing the Hapan presence as well."
Ors bit her lip.
"Something you'd like to add, Director?" Leia prompted.
The woman sighed. "I'm not entirely sure we're looking at a fleet action. I think it might be something else."
Something else? "Can you elaborate?"
"No." She looked frustrated. "I'm going to have to dig deeper, Madam President. Something definitely isn't right here. Rest assured, I have my best people on this."
Your best people I've never heard of. Leia had never been completely comfortable with the fact that such important tasks were carried out by people she had never and never would met. But she merely nodded. After all, Ors herself had once been a field agent, so she knew better than Leia the best way to run the intelligence agency.
"Alright, we'll hold off on the fleet movement for now. Let me know as soon as you have anything else for me. If there's nothing else?" Leia received no objection as she continued, "Very well, then. You all have your assignments. May the Force be with you."
All three holos disappeared, leaving the actual occupants of the room alone. Leia nodded to General Celchu, who politely asked his aides to leave the room, leaving the General, Leia, and Winter alone.
"What's bothering you, Madam President?" Winter asked. It was clear Tycho was worried as well, but of course it would be Winter who was willing to break decorum.
Leia shook her head. In truth, she wasn't entirely certain i what /i was troubling her. She certainly felt uneasy. She considered the tactical situation. Corellia was well defended, thanks to the fact that Leia hadn't seen her husband in months. Admiral Ackbar had kept the insurgency alive on Mon Calamari even after multiple orbital bombardments. The outer rim was beginning to slip out of the Empire's fingers. Everything i looked /i right, but everything i felt /i wrong. And while the Empire hadn't been able to successfully quell either rebellion, neither had they been seriously hampered or committed many resources. There were rumors that the Empire had recently fought a war on the outer rim and somehow kept it quiet. That would certainly explain their lack of activity, but Leia had no reason to believe such accounts.
Corellia was the major achievement of the Alliance. With the help of two Hapan battle fleets and the bulk of the Alliance fleet, the system had remained free of Imperial control for almost thirty years. The interdiction field kept the Empire from maintaining any kind of consistent pressure on the system's defenders. Still, that was a majority of the Alliance's resources maintaining a stalemate in one system. Even if the Alliance could defend Corellia and the Hapan cluster from the Imperials for thirty more years, which was hardly guaranteed, only a fraction of the galaxy lived in freedom, and this at the cost of a constant state of war. The outer rim was to a certain extent out of Imperial control, but it also wasn't exactly in Alliance hands. In fact, it wasn't under anyone's control. Crime was spreading like wildfire on many planets, and there was no way the Alliance couldn't contribute the resources to stabilize the region.
Leia realized she was losing hope. She had probably lost it long ago, but she had just been too busy to realize it. It had finally caught up with her now. How many people, she wondered, still honestly believed they could defeat the Empire?
How could they defeat the Empire? They had done everything they could possibly do. They had destroyed both Death Stars. They had killed the Emperor. Okay, they hadn't killed the Emperor, but he was dead either way. Somehow, the momentum had never carried them far enough to finish what they started.
Did I do something wrong? Did I not take enough risks? Or is this just impossible to do? At what point do we just give up and try to keep these two systems and our families safe?
Leia sighed. "What is our long-term strategy?"
Tycho and Winter exchanged a quick look. "If you want us to get General Antilles back on the line—"
"We shouldn't need the Supreme Commander of the Navy to know what our overall strategy is," Leia pressed. "What are our conditions for victory? And how do we meet them?"
Tycho looked troubled. "Madame President—"
"Surely we've discussed this before," Leia insisted, actually irritated now. "What do we do to end the Empire? At what point do we just throw everything we have against Coruscant and hope for the best?"
There wasn't an easy answer. But there was a right answer. "We killed the Empire once," Tycho said, weighing each word very carefully. "But it just got replaced. Two Sith Lords – a master and an apprentice. If we leave one of them alive, the other will just take over." Pause. "We have to take out Starkiller and Vader. They're the key, not Coruscant."
A chill went down Leia's spine at the mention of those names. But there was no reason for the other two to suspect the reason for her reasons for fearing those names were any different than everyone else's. "Assassination?" Leia asked, surprising herself by having no real qualms about it under these circumstances.
Tycho shook his head. "Such an attempt would be futile. The power they wield—"
Leia shrugged that off. "We can take them down. No security is perfect. If we assign every assassin we have…"
"If I may be so bold, no, I don't think we can. Madame President. We're missing something. It's not just about the military or the firepower." He paused, knowing he was approaching dangerous waters. "There's only one way to beat a Sith. We need Jedi."
No one had planned for the conversation to go in this direction. And no matter how badly Leia wanted – needed – an answer, this wasn't one she was ready to accept. "We don't need the Jedi," she declared firmly.
"Madame President—"
"The Jedi made him!"
Silence. Neither of them dared point out the obvious, that Leia had said him , not them. Finally, Winter spoke up. "Madame President, the Jedi were the backbone of the Old Republic. They might be the instruments of victory we need now. If nothing else, they can provide the heart that we need."
"The Old Republic had heart problems," Leia answered bitterly. "And the only remaining Jedi are in the employee of the Empire now, last I heard. Good men like my father" – Yes, my father – she reassured herself silently, "watched it fall. If we're to establish a new one, we might best avoid some of their mistakes.
This argument wasn't going to get them anywhere. "What are your orders, Madame President?" Tycho asked.
"Take us back to Hapes," Leia answered after giving it some thought. "I need to consult with Regent Isolder."
Tycho nodded. "Thank you, Madame President." Exited.
Leaving Winter and Leia alone once again. "All twelve safe and accounted for," Winter commented now that they were alone. "He still hasn't lost a single pilot, don't you think that's unusual?"
"There's nothing unusual about my son," Leia answered defensively.
Winter knew better than to question the overreaction. "Of course."
Before either woman could apologize, General Celchu rushed back into the room. "Madame President, we have a situation."
That rarely meant anything good.
Twenty-Four Years Ago
The Capitol Reef was a deathtrap of water and fire.
Entire decks had already flooded, and watertight doors designed for safety were trapping dozens of people in decks that were on fire in a hopeless attempt to save the base. The fact was, Capitol Reef was already destroyed, it just hadn't realized it yet.
There was no way of knowing who had already died and who had already escaped. Chaos reigned.
Leia had been in the middle of a semi-formal meeting with Lando Calrissian about opening diplomatic relations with the Smuggler's Guild when the attack started. Imperial submersibles had forced the base to the surface, where it met death from above in the form of Imperial turbolasers. Hundreds, if not thousands, were certainly dead by now. The bombardment had only stopped when the station was completely incapacitated.
Why the bombardment had stopped at all was an exceedingly interesting question that Leia was not very interested in considering under the circumstances. If the Imperials had wanted to finish the job, they very easily could have turned the station completely into slag. One of the last things Leia had heard before the comm system failed completely was that Imperial troops had entered the base. To what purpose, Leia couldn't even imagine. More killing is something they could have easily accomplished from orbit.
Amid the chaos, Leia and Lando tried to make their way to the docking bay. It wasn't easy with the station coming apart around them. Even if they made it, escape was far from assured. There was the small matter of the Imperial fleet in orbit, and to make matters worse TIE Fighters were buzzing the skies over the base, shooting down as many fleeing Rebels as they could.
This, Leia already knew, was going to be among the worst tragedies the Rebellion had ever seen. If she escaped with her life, she was not going to be among the majority.
Just when she and Lando thought they had found a clear path to the docking bay, they found themselves in the middle of a firefight between Rebel troopers and stormtroopers of the 501st Legion.
"Wrong way," Lando muttered, unholstering his blaster. "At least things can't get much worse."
Leia's warning not to tempt fate froze on her lips as a black-robed figure stepped forward. This, Leia knew immediately, was Darth Starkiller, Vader's right-hand man.
He looked menacing with his black armor and cloak. His hair was completely shaved, and eyes that had once been soothing blue were now pitiless durasteel gray. But Leia still recognized her brother. "Luke," she whispered in shock.
The shooting stopped. Both sides kept their weapons trained on each other while the principles addressed each other.
The monster with her brother's face smirked, a mockery of the warm smile that had so often graced the same features. "Hello, Leia. I've been looking everywhere for you."
A chill went down Leia's spine, and Lando spoke her thoughts aloud. "I don't know who that is, but that isn't Luke."
Proving Lando's words, the Sith Lord fired a blast of deadly energy that consumed his old friend. He was dead before his body even hit the ground.
Leia almost screamed, refused to. "Starkiller, then," she addressed him coldly, bravely.
"You know why I'm here?"
"To kill old friends?" Leia suggested bitterly.
"To offer you your place on Coruscant."
"Have a place already, thanks. Quite satisfied. Not interested in relocating."
"We could rule the galaxy, Leia! As brother and sister! Join us."
Did anyone ever actually say yes to that? Apparently so,Leia reflected bitterly. But she had to offer him at least one chance. "Luke, it doesn't have to be this way. Join us. The Rebellion is your home. We love you."
Starkiller sighed, seeming honestly disappointed. "Father said you'd be this way."
Leia gritted her teeth. "Don't call that thing my father. Luke, what's happened to you? This isn't you. You're a good person. Come back to us."
Starkiller just stared at her. "He said to kill you."
Cold fear turned Leia's stomach to ice. "You wouldn't—"
Starkiller lifted his hand and made a fist. Invisible energy constricted Leia's throat and lifted her off the ground. Her vision started to go black around the edges, showing her only the passionless face that had once been so full of love and strength.
"Goodbye, Leia," Starkiller said calmly.
Just as Leia felt herself breathe her last, laser bolts hit her brother in the opposite sides on his shoulder and his chest, staggering him back. Leia hit the floor with a crash. As though freed from a spell, the Rebel soldiers suddenly began firing again.
Starkiller was not visibly wounded from the blaster bolts, and Leia heard the snap-hiss of an igniting lightsaber as she was dragged away from the scene.
Leia was only dimly aware of her miraculous rescue and the Millennium Falcon's subsequent escape from the Capitol Reef. As after Endor, only one thing occupied her attention.
Luke Skywalker was dead.
Twenty-Six Years After the Battle of Endor
As was his custom, Anakin's bird was the last to touch down on the hanger deck of the Rogue. The squadron's carrier would take them the rest of the way to rejoin the fleet.
As expected, Jaina was already waiting outside his fighter when he popped open the canopy and doffed his helmet. "Captain Solo," he greeted with a curt nod after hopping onto the floor from the ladder's midway point.
She wasn't in one of her better moods. "You're just so damn impressive, aren't you? Do you get a medal for best hair?"
Oh great. "Glad to see you, too, Jaina"
"No, no. You wanted to be professional, let's be professional." She crossed her arms, and Anakin knew he was in trouble. Even if he had military precedence here, this was still his big sister. He started to feel uncomfortable. "Since you like orders so much, what were you doing in the Mon Calamari system over twelve hours after you were supposed to report in?"
"Saving your tail," Anakin replied calmly, deliberately. "I thought we had already discussed this." Yeah, that's not going to do the trick.
It didn't. "My tail didn't need saving, thank you very much," Jaina answered hotly. "And I know how these things work. You didn't have any idea who's tail you were saving."
"I had a—"
"Don't say it."
"I had a feeling!"
That was enough to, at the very least, change the course of the conversation in a hurry. "Not again. You 'had a feeling'! Damn it, Anakin, we're not Jedi!"
"Maybe we are!"
The words hung in the air for a minute between them. Their eyes locked. Both were breathing quickly. Jaina with barely contained anger, Anakin with steady determination.
"How do I get these feelings?" Anakin pressed. "How do you fly the Falcon alone? Not even Dad could do that."
"I just…" Jaina was taken aback, Anakin had the initiative now.
"It just comes naturally?"
"Yes!"
"Don't you ever get lonely?" Anakin regretted it before he even finished saying it, but he couldn't take it back.
"All the time."
They both looked away at the same time. Her down, him to the side. He ran his hand along the side of his fighter, she adjusted her gunbelt. So different, so alike. Sometimes it seemed like they were the twins.
"I know how these things work," Jaina repeated, her voice lowering to match Anakin's in volume now. She was back in control. "They wouldn't tell you it was my ship. They wouldn't tell you whose ship it is. Hell, to send you out to cover my tail, you'd almost have to be the only available squadron."
Ah, there was the last Idiot's Array in Anakin's sleeve. "I swapped with Green Lead. His is the alert squadron back at the fleet now. I wanted this mission."
Jaina stared.
"I had a feeling," Anakin repeated.
They stood in silence that gradually became less uncomfortable, and the post-mission tension was gone. They were brother and sister again. "Come on," Jaina suggested, "let's go grab a bite to eat."
"Jaina?"
She paused midstep.
"I'm glad you're okay."
She visibly considered ruffling his hair, decided against it, and gave him a half-hug instead. "I'm glad you are, too."
They were halfway to the cafeteria when they felt the sudden lurch of a ship going to lightspeed. Immediately afterwards, Anakin's commlink chirped, signaling a priority transmission. Well, that's certainly interesting. "Solo," Anakin answered reflexively.
"Sorry to bother you, Commander," a communications officer answered. "There's a priority transmission for you from the Alderaan."
Mom? Anakin motioned for Jaina to follow him and stepped into an empty auxiliary room for more privacy. "Patch me through."
A brief pause, and Anakin heard the click signaling the communication transfer. "Mom?"
"Anakin," his mother's voice answered. Anakin could sense her disquiet even over the comm. "Are you alone?"
"Just me and Jaina," Anakin answered. "What do you need?"
A pause. Something was definitely wrong. "Kashyyk is under Imperial attack. Heavy bombardment." Anakin winced. Orbital bombardment was bad enough normally, but on a forest planet like Kashyyk… "I'm diverting elements of all three fleets to Kashyyk."
"Including the Rogue," Anakin finished her explanation for her. "We've already made the jump to lightspeed."
"Your father is going to be leading the fleet. Your brother is with him."
Anakin nodded, realized she couldn't see him doing so, and answered, "That's not surprising. All of us would want to be there for Chewie."
"You understand I couldn't let that factor into my decision."
"Of course."
Another pause. That wasn't it? What Anakin had taken to be a very straightforward conversation was getting more complicated by the second. "Anakin," Leia said, sounding very reluctant. "I called to inform you that I need you to command the starfighter group."
Well. That was unexpected.
