Jacen and Jaina Solo sat out on the balcony of their parents' flat.
It had been a while since they'd had time to relax, and the change was
welcome. Jacen's brown locks were finally beginning to curl again, and
Jaina's muscles were not quite as tense as usual.
"Jaina?" Jacen inquired of his twin.
"Yes, brother?"
"Do you ever think this war will end? I mean, I realize that we have won several wars, and the force is with us, but I dearly wish that we could sit down with the Vong and work out a peace treaty."
She squirmed a bit in her seat, slanting her eyes towards the sun, trying hard to not let the reflection of it from Mon Calamari's waves hurt her eyes.
"I think that if there were anyone to make peace, it would be you. Unfortunately, war is my territory, and in my opinion, I'm going to be needed for a while yet," she said, shaking her head.
Jacen grinned. "We are some wierded out siblings, I'll give you that," he admitted, "One of us set for peace, the other, war. It makes you wonder what Anakin-"
"Hush," murmured Jaina. "We won't be having anyone around that age here for a while. I'm still not quite ready to deal with his- death, yet." She stands up, ready to go inside the flat. "I still don't know how everyone puts up with me. They all must see me as this cold hearted woman who doesn't care about a thing."
Her twin made his way to join her inside. "Well, I know you aren't. And Jag doesn't. And I think that's all that matters," he grinned, and they headed inside..
Jacen was about to flop down on his bed, when he realized there was a com message waiting in the kitchen. He sighed. He didn't want to get up now.
"Jaina!" He felt through the force to find his sister's location. She was in the dining room. She could get the message. He felt too lazy to get up and do it.
Sensing his hidden agenda through their twin bond, Jaina sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll get it!" Giving him the illusion of someone who is not extremely pleased with her brother's lazy aspirations, Jaina strode her way into the kitchen.
"It's from Uncle Luke!" she yelled across the hallway. "You're sure you don't want to get off your lazy butt and see what it is?"
Jacen sighed. If it was from Uncle Luke, it was probably a mission or something of great importance. "Just give me a minute. My butt's fallen asleep," he retorted, with a roguish grin. He then slowly pried himself off the bed and made his way to the kitchen, where Jaina was waiting.
"A minute? It's a good thing you're not in the military," she joked, as she pressed the com message. A static-filled picture resulted. The holonet must not be up at its maximum right now.
"Jacen? Jaina?" The twins could make out their Uncle's voice, but the interference must have been bad on his end. His voice sounded unusually high-pitched and almost whiny. His face was blurred, and they could not see it entirely well.
"Jacen, Jania, this is your Uncle Luke," he started, and Jaina snorted.
"He's not one for the obvious."
"Something has come up that I need your help with- immediately. Mara's out right now, and I don't know how she'd deal with the situation, so I need you guys to come out here and give me a hand."
Jacen looked at Jaina, incredulously. "What could he possibly be up to?"
"Somehow, I don't want to know, but I have a feeling we'll find out soon."
"You guys should probably get this message at around 0900. Meet me at the Oceanic Diner at 1100. Reservation under Skywalker, they'll know where to take you."
And with that, the message winked out, and Jacen looked at a nearby clock. "1100! It's nearly 1045 now! We have fifteen minutes to get there!"
Jaina's face paled for a minute, then she grinned. "Guess we'd better take the parents' pod then. And I get to drive," she said, grabbing her jacket and keys in one slide of the hand.
"Do you get this feeling that something's not quite right?" Jacen asked her as they walked quickly down the hallway to their parents' car.
"I don't know. Let's just get there first, and then we can decide," she said, and the two made their way into the car, Jania pushing the vehicle as fast as possible to get to their uncle...
"Whew! We made it!" Jaina said as she jumped out of the car, and threw the keys to the bellboy, who then made his way to the car to park it. Jacen pulled himself out of the car, and put a hand to his neck.
"Next time, sis, I do the driving. You drive way too much like an X- wing pilot."
She looked at him as she slowed down to meet his pace. "Oh. And how would you drive?"
He gave her a roguish grin. "Not quite so much like every driver on the planet is a Vong waiting to attack." She gave him a wilting look, then continued forward.
The twins finally came upon the entrance to the Oceanic Diner and stepped through. Suddenly, they both realized how out of dress they were. Jaina tried to suppress a grimace as she saw a group of ladies in dresses, staring at her. Jacen nudged her side.
"Guess Uncle Luke forgot to tell us that one little detail," he muttered, and walked up to the seating podium, uncomfortable among all the suits and formal wear. He cleared his throat before talking to the Calamari host.
"Um.. reservation for Skywalker," he said to the gentleman, who was not looking at this point. When the creature finally did look up, he started. "Oh my- Jacen and Jaina Solo- the twins! I am so sorry I didn't pay attention to you earlier," he said, and his words drew every head in the place to stare at the duo. Nervous, Jacen cleared his throat again.
"We're under Skywalker," he said, realizing through his twin link that Jaina was just as uncomfortable as he.
"Oh, yes, oh yes, Skywalker. Right this way! We haven't had many celebrities in here until today," he muttered on and on, while Jacen and Jaina had a private conversation.
"Don't you think that Uncle Luke would have gotten the same treatment?" Jacen asked his sister.
"He must have been projecting a different image of himself. Uncle Luke doesn't like that public nonsense." Jaina kept her head straight forward, still aware of the many eyes on the pair.
"We should have thought of that before we came here, too," Jacen said, shaking his head slightly.
Finally, the small group came upon the table. Uncle Luke sat there, but curiously, kept his hood over his face, making him hidden. He appeared to be smaller than normal, as well, and Jaina nodded at Jacen. He was definitely projecting an image.
The Mon Cal host pulled out their chairs and sat the two down, fussing over their menus and such, until he finally decided that he had other guests to attend to.
"Enjoy your meal!" he finally said, before he went back up to his post.
Jacen sighed. He hadn't thought that the host, however well meaning, would have left. He then focused on the man before him. It definitely felt like Uncle Luke through the force- the shining brilliance felt right.
But something was different.
Jaina picked up on it, too, right away. She glanced at her brother, then spoke. "Well, Uncle Luke, we barely made it here in time."
Silence.
"Um.. Uncle Luke?" Jacen asked, trying to peek around the cloth robe he wore, trying to use the force to crack whatever illusion he had set forth. Strangely, he found none.
"Jacen. Jaina." There it was again, that high, slightly whiny voice. "Do not be shocked by what you are about to see."
With that, the Jedi Master revealed his face from the innards of his hood. Jaina could not contain herself, the force sending ripples through the force. Tears suddenly came to her eyes.
"Anakin?"
"No," the young man said, who sat before them. "No, Jaina, I am not Anakin. As much as I wish he could be here. I am your Uncle Luke."
Jacen stared, his eyes feeling as though they were about to come out of their sockets. "Uncle Luke? That.. that can't be-"
"Search me through the Force. You know it's me." The young boy sighed, as though all of this were a great burden on him.
The twins nodded to each other, and used their twin meld to create a deep probe into the young man's mind. They opened their eyes suddenly, seeing memories of a young Jacen and Jaina giggling, playing with C3PO. Himself and Mara getting married. Ben being born.
Jacen was the first to break the silence. He grimaced a bit, setting himself. "So, Uncle Luke, why the different look? Did you have some sort of time machine turn you into a kid or something?"
"Shh." Uncle Luke put his finger to his youthful lips. "We don't want to draw much attention. As usual, this is the result of one of my infamous tests with the force." He sat back in his chair, and Jainia's cleared eyes suddenly realized his eyes were blue, not green.
She pulled her hand close to herself, and bit her lip, something she had not done for a while. "But Uncle Luke, you look so much like.." she didn't finish. He already knew. "How did this.. happen?"
The Jedi Master shrugged. "As usual, I was trying to find out something I had no business trying to find out. I was looking for reasons as to why Master Yoda lived so long, because Mara had been complaining lately that I seemed rather rickety.."
Jacen put his hand on his face. "Spare us the details, please, Uncle Luke."
Luke grinned, his youthful face becoming a bit roguish. "What? Does the details of my wife and my relationship make my apprentice blush?"
Jacen refused to comment.
"Anyways, Uncle Luke, what exactly happened?" Jaina interjected, trying to spare her brother a bit of his dignity.
He looked as though he were puzzled, and he stroked his smooth chin. "I don't exactly know. All I remember is that I was looking through the force for clues as to why the old Jedi were able to live for so long. When I came to, I looked like this-" he said, and held out his hands to the pair.
"Has Aunt Mara seen you yet?" Jacen asked, regaining his composure.
"No. And I hope to keep it that way. I don't even want to think about what she'd say to something like this."
Jaina nodded. "Yeah, I think Aunt Mara might be a tad upset to come home and find her husband turned into a boy."
"Especially since he looks so much like a former apprentice of his own. We'd better keep this away from Mom and Dad, too," Jacen said, looking at his twin. He knew how'd they'd react at first. They'd be in for a heartbreak when they suddenly would realize it wasn't their son. And it'd be the second time they'd gone through it.
The first time had nearly killed them as it was.
"Well, do you two have any ideas as how to remedy this? I tried to meditate after this happened, but found I didn't have the energy or the patience to." He smiled as the waiter came by and dropped off some food in front of the three.
"I took the liberty of ordering some food for us. I hope you don't mind."
"Not a problem," Jaina said, seeing all their favorite Mon Cal delicacies laying before them. "Not a problem at all."
Jacen stifled a laugh, and Luke stared. "What's so funny?"
"It's just that- all the galaxy is fighting the Vong, trying to keep their own species alive, and here we are, worrying about a small accident with the force. I find it hilarious," he said, and he began to wipe tears from his eyes. Jaina suppressed a small grin.
"Well, I do have to admit, it is a rather small thing," Luke admitted, "but just think of the consequences that could happen. The Republic is used to seeing me as a full grown man. If they see me, not only as a teenager, which will lower my status, but as an incompetent Jedi Master who can't even control the Force properly, it will cause all Jedi to lose face in the Republic's eye. And that is something we cannot afford."
That sobered Jacen up. "We're already ostracized. I can see your point." He started to eat his food, and then turned and asked his sister, "Can you think of any ideas, sis? I'm at a loss."
She paused a minute before inserting some pasta into her mouth. "Perhaps if we meditate together, we can find a way to reverse the youth, and make Uncle Luke his rightful age again."
Jacen smiled, and slapped Luke on the back. "And if we can't, you've got an awful confrontation in the future with your wife."
Luke sighed once more, and started to eat his meal. "That, my nephew, might be worse than the one I had with my father," he said, and the trio finished their meal in peace...
After enjoying their meal, and appeasing the Mon Calamari host that they would be back, the trio walked out to where the bell boy stood. Jaina's car was already waiting for them, and the bellboy tapped Luke on the shoulder.
"Do you want me to call a cab for your ride back, since that is how you arrived?"
Jaina gave her uncle a look. "You took a cab? Rather than driving yourself?"
He shrugged. "I wanted to be safe. I wasn't completely sure of my own surroundings, let alone this young body. I didn't want to take any chances that I couldn't handle."
Jacen rolled his eyes. "Same Uncle Luke. Weren't you ever wild in your youth? In the least?" He strolled over to his side of the cab.
Luke smiled. "Just because I'm a calm person now, doesn't mean that I wasn't wild back then. Most young people are," he said, then gave Jacen a look. "You might be the exception."
Then, something strange came over him, and he looked at the driver's seat to the car. He looked up at Jaina, and spoke hesitantly. "Do you think.. I could drive us back to the apartment? It would be nice to feel some youthful reaction timing once again."
Jaina grinned. "Sure, Uncle Luke." She handed him the keys. "Now remember, your curfew is at 1200 and-"
Uncle Luke then gave her a look, and she laughed. "I feel as though I have another brother instead of an uncle. Have fun, Uncle Luke." She jumped into the back seat of the car, and waited with anticipation as he started the engine.
Luke smiled. The engine hadn't sounded so good for a long time. He placed his hands on the controls. "Ready?"
Jacen looked at the fire in his Uncle's eyes, and the one burning in Jaina's. Suddenly, he was very frightened. "Now I know where you get it-"
He never finished. They were already in the clouds...
A very dizzy and exhausted Jacen sat in the car. Now he knew where Jaina had received that wild style of flying. It must be in the Skywalker genes.
Jaina whooped as she jumped out of the car and gave her uncle a high- five. "That was awesome! Where'd you learn moves like that, Uncle Luke?" She inquired as they headed up to his apartment.
"I used to shoot womprats back home on Tatooine," he replied, and made his way to the elevator. He suddenly noticed that Jacen was not with them. "Jacen, what's taking you so long?"
Jaina stared at her uncle. Not that she was complaining, but after that flight he seemed- different. Almost as if he were-
No. He could not be. She threw panic into her twin bond with her brother, and stared at him in the eyes. Jacen quickly overcame his dizziness and ran over as quickly as possible.
"Uncle Luke, we need to get you back to normal as fast as possible."
"Why, Jacen?" Uncle Luke walked at a leisurely pace, comfortable now in his new body. "I'm actually beginning to like feeling this young again. I can do things I haven't done in years!"
Jacen nodded to Jaina, confirming her fears. "Because you're regressing to your age. It wouldn't surprise me if soon your memories started to slip. Uncle Luke, we need to get you back to normal, and quickly."
Suddenly, Uncle Luke did something that was very much out of character for him. He turned around and gave his nephew a withering glance. "Just because I can probably do stuff that you can't do any more-"
"Uncle Luke!" Jaina said, her voice filled with fear.
Their young uncle shook his head, and blinked. "You're right. We'd better hurry it up, and fast. That joyride may have speeded up a process that I can only guess mirrors your hypothesis. Let's go."
With that, they headed up the elevator, and up to Luke's apartment...
"Isn't this place awesome?" their uncle Luke was saying as soon as they entered the building. Jaina was on her wit's end. She didn't want a young person for her uncle. His condition had gotten worse, the farther up they'd gone.
Jacen was humoring him, for the moment. "Yes, it is rather cool, Uncle Luke. Don't you think we should all sit down and begin our meditation? We want to get you back to normal as soon as possible-"
"Well, I don't know anymore. I really like being this young. And who knows? Maybe your aunt will, too."
Jacen looked at Jaina, their twin bond flooding with mixed emotions of panic and frustration. They nodded, then each grabbed an arm of their uncle's. He stared at them.
"Hey! What's this all about?"
"We're doing this for your own good, Uncle Luke," remarked Jacen as he made the Jedi Master sit down between them. The young Luke snorted.
"No, if this were for my own good, you guys would leave me alone! I like being young. I feel so alive! And who knows? Maybe if Mara likes it, she'll become young too!"
With that future disaster planted within her mind, Jaina opened herself up to find her uncle within the force. Jacen joined her, and the twins formed a sort of net around their uncle, forcing him to come along for the ride.
"Now wait a minute here-"
They delved into his brain until they found the area he'd been searching before. Jaina bit her lip. He was more gone now then they realized. They only had a few more minutes, and then he might-
Jacen calmed his sister, insisting that they just get the job done before worrying about anything else. The trio used Luke's knowledge to open up the place he had been before within the force. Offerings of youth and replenishment stood in front of them. But Jacen and Jaina stood firm.
"We've got to find some way to reverse this," Jacen muttered aloud. Then, in a rush, it hit him.
"Jaina-focus on the part for replenishing wisdom! Maybe that will return him to his rightful age!"
The duo focused, sensing their uncle's screams within his own mind as he continued to struggle within the bond. They ignored him, and took him to the part of the force that Jacen had suggested.
A bright light befell their eyes, and Jacen and Jaina collapsed under the weight. Within a few minutes, Luke, Jacen, and Jaina laid unconscious upon the Jedi Master's flat, Jacen and Jaina still not sure if they'd succeeded..
Jaina was the first to awaken. Her military training had allowed her the discipline of being able to recover after a major incident. It was best for a pilot, especially if they became knocked out while in a dogfight.
The pain was throbbing. She held her hand up to her head, and braced herself, because she could feel Jacen beginning to awaken. Suddenly, the throbbing doubled in amount, and she had to close her eyes to concentrate on the lessening of the pain that coursed through her viens. He spoke.
"Jaina? Did we?"
"I don't know, Jacen. I haven't looked to see whether we succeeded or not. Shall we open our eyes?" she asked, painfully starting to force hers open.
Jacen copied her example, and soon the two could see. They looked directly over to where their uncle was, and breathed a sigh of relief. Jedi Master Luke Skywalker looked his usual age, and just as powerful as ever.
"Thank goodness that's over," Jacen sighed. "I was afraid we were going to soon not have anyone to call 'uncle' anymore." He scratched the top of his head.
Jaina laughed. "Although he was kind of fun- albeit annoying towards the end. I thought we'd nearly lost him. I would have never have thought that Uncle Luke was anything like that."
"Me neither. And I had no idea he looked so much like-" he trailed off, not wanting to finish the painful sentence. He looked at his sister, and she nodded, the twin bond filling with mixed emotions of grief and sorrow.
"He's gone. We can never bring him back, Jacen. I'm just glad we have most of our family here." With the word family, Luke started to stir, and he opened his eyes, dimly taking in the room.
"Jacen. Jaina."
He sat up, and looked around him, then examined his hands. He used the force to feel the energy surrounding his body, and the Jedi Master breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I was beginning to think I was going to be a teenager all over again."
"You nearly were," said Jacen, looking at his uncle. He sat up straighter. "We nearly thought that you were gone- we nearly had another sibling to take care of."
Luke smiled, his serene face welcome after all the turmoil of his youthful self. "Thanks, guys. I know I'm never going to do that again. There are some things that even a Jedi Master should know better than to look into until they're ready." He shook his head.
Jaina smiled. "Can you still teach me some of those flying tricks, Uncle Luke? I found them to be quite fun."
Her twin looked pleadingly at Luke. "Can't we just leave the rest of the flying for another day? I think we should go back and finish what little vacation time we do have." He looked at Luke for backup on this.
"Another time, Jaina. I agree with Jacen. As much as I think Mara would be happy to see you two, we need some time alone to ourselves," he said, and smiled at the twins. "You go on home. Thank you for helping me as your master, and your uncle."
He hugged them both, and they left through the doorway. Luke sighed.
"It still was fun, though, to be that young. Maybe if I do some more research.."
Jacen and Jaina sat out on the balcony once again. The twins appeared extremely tired both physically and mentally. Jacen spoke.
"Well, what do you think? Was that enough adventure for today?"
Jaina laughed. "I think so, brother. It's tomorrow that worries me. What if the Vong suddenly declare a bake-off of the intergalactic foods?"
Both of them smiled at the thought, and Jacen roguishly added, "Well then. I guess we'll have to practice. I'm hungry since our lunch out. Are you any good at cooking, Jaina? I'm afraid I have no skills."
She laughed back. "Not unless you consider skills being with food rations. I'm afraid we should probably have C3PO make something. At least then we know that he'd be polite in accepting the Vong's defeat speech. You know they'd be won over by his galactically famous soufflé."
With these thoughts in their minds, Jacen and Jaina continued their watch of the waters beneath them, their adventure done, and their minds at ease....
Later that evening, Luke Skywalker and his wife lay in bed, their arms snuggled around each other. Mara seemed content, and she looked up at her husband.
"Dear, you were wonderful tonight. What happened?"
He smiled, and used words that she might take to mean something different than they actually were. "I guess I just wanted to be young again," he said, and he leaned forward and kissed her.........
"Jaina?" Jacen inquired of his twin.
"Yes, brother?"
"Do you ever think this war will end? I mean, I realize that we have won several wars, and the force is with us, but I dearly wish that we could sit down with the Vong and work out a peace treaty."
She squirmed a bit in her seat, slanting her eyes towards the sun, trying hard to not let the reflection of it from Mon Calamari's waves hurt her eyes.
"I think that if there were anyone to make peace, it would be you. Unfortunately, war is my territory, and in my opinion, I'm going to be needed for a while yet," she said, shaking her head.
Jacen grinned. "We are some wierded out siblings, I'll give you that," he admitted, "One of us set for peace, the other, war. It makes you wonder what Anakin-"
"Hush," murmured Jaina. "We won't be having anyone around that age here for a while. I'm still not quite ready to deal with his- death, yet." She stands up, ready to go inside the flat. "I still don't know how everyone puts up with me. They all must see me as this cold hearted woman who doesn't care about a thing."
Her twin made his way to join her inside. "Well, I know you aren't. And Jag doesn't. And I think that's all that matters," he grinned, and they headed inside..
Jacen was about to flop down on his bed, when he realized there was a com message waiting in the kitchen. He sighed. He didn't want to get up now.
"Jaina!" He felt through the force to find his sister's location. She was in the dining room. She could get the message. He felt too lazy to get up and do it.
Sensing his hidden agenda through their twin bond, Jaina sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll get it!" Giving him the illusion of someone who is not extremely pleased with her brother's lazy aspirations, Jaina strode her way into the kitchen.
"It's from Uncle Luke!" she yelled across the hallway. "You're sure you don't want to get off your lazy butt and see what it is?"
Jacen sighed. If it was from Uncle Luke, it was probably a mission or something of great importance. "Just give me a minute. My butt's fallen asleep," he retorted, with a roguish grin. He then slowly pried himself off the bed and made his way to the kitchen, where Jaina was waiting.
"A minute? It's a good thing you're not in the military," she joked, as she pressed the com message. A static-filled picture resulted. The holonet must not be up at its maximum right now.
"Jacen? Jaina?" The twins could make out their Uncle's voice, but the interference must have been bad on his end. His voice sounded unusually high-pitched and almost whiny. His face was blurred, and they could not see it entirely well.
"Jacen, Jania, this is your Uncle Luke," he started, and Jaina snorted.
"He's not one for the obvious."
"Something has come up that I need your help with- immediately. Mara's out right now, and I don't know how she'd deal with the situation, so I need you guys to come out here and give me a hand."
Jacen looked at Jaina, incredulously. "What could he possibly be up to?"
"Somehow, I don't want to know, but I have a feeling we'll find out soon."
"You guys should probably get this message at around 0900. Meet me at the Oceanic Diner at 1100. Reservation under Skywalker, they'll know where to take you."
And with that, the message winked out, and Jacen looked at a nearby clock. "1100! It's nearly 1045 now! We have fifteen minutes to get there!"
Jaina's face paled for a minute, then she grinned. "Guess we'd better take the parents' pod then. And I get to drive," she said, grabbing her jacket and keys in one slide of the hand.
"Do you get this feeling that something's not quite right?" Jacen asked her as they walked quickly down the hallway to their parents' car.
"I don't know. Let's just get there first, and then we can decide," she said, and the two made their way into the car, Jania pushing the vehicle as fast as possible to get to their uncle...
"Whew! We made it!" Jaina said as she jumped out of the car, and threw the keys to the bellboy, who then made his way to the car to park it. Jacen pulled himself out of the car, and put a hand to his neck.
"Next time, sis, I do the driving. You drive way too much like an X- wing pilot."
She looked at him as she slowed down to meet his pace. "Oh. And how would you drive?"
He gave her a roguish grin. "Not quite so much like every driver on the planet is a Vong waiting to attack." She gave him a wilting look, then continued forward.
The twins finally came upon the entrance to the Oceanic Diner and stepped through. Suddenly, they both realized how out of dress they were. Jaina tried to suppress a grimace as she saw a group of ladies in dresses, staring at her. Jacen nudged her side.
"Guess Uncle Luke forgot to tell us that one little detail," he muttered, and walked up to the seating podium, uncomfortable among all the suits and formal wear. He cleared his throat before talking to the Calamari host.
"Um.. reservation for Skywalker," he said to the gentleman, who was not looking at this point. When the creature finally did look up, he started. "Oh my- Jacen and Jaina Solo- the twins! I am so sorry I didn't pay attention to you earlier," he said, and his words drew every head in the place to stare at the duo. Nervous, Jacen cleared his throat again.
"We're under Skywalker," he said, realizing through his twin link that Jaina was just as uncomfortable as he.
"Oh, yes, oh yes, Skywalker. Right this way! We haven't had many celebrities in here until today," he muttered on and on, while Jacen and Jaina had a private conversation.
"Don't you think that Uncle Luke would have gotten the same treatment?" Jacen asked his sister.
"He must have been projecting a different image of himself. Uncle Luke doesn't like that public nonsense." Jaina kept her head straight forward, still aware of the many eyes on the pair.
"We should have thought of that before we came here, too," Jacen said, shaking his head slightly.
Finally, the small group came upon the table. Uncle Luke sat there, but curiously, kept his hood over his face, making him hidden. He appeared to be smaller than normal, as well, and Jaina nodded at Jacen. He was definitely projecting an image.
The Mon Cal host pulled out their chairs and sat the two down, fussing over their menus and such, until he finally decided that he had other guests to attend to.
"Enjoy your meal!" he finally said, before he went back up to his post.
Jacen sighed. He hadn't thought that the host, however well meaning, would have left. He then focused on the man before him. It definitely felt like Uncle Luke through the force- the shining brilliance felt right.
But something was different.
Jaina picked up on it, too, right away. She glanced at her brother, then spoke. "Well, Uncle Luke, we barely made it here in time."
Silence.
"Um.. Uncle Luke?" Jacen asked, trying to peek around the cloth robe he wore, trying to use the force to crack whatever illusion he had set forth. Strangely, he found none.
"Jacen. Jaina." There it was again, that high, slightly whiny voice. "Do not be shocked by what you are about to see."
With that, the Jedi Master revealed his face from the innards of his hood. Jaina could not contain herself, the force sending ripples through the force. Tears suddenly came to her eyes.
"Anakin?"
"No," the young man said, who sat before them. "No, Jaina, I am not Anakin. As much as I wish he could be here. I am your Uncle Luke."
Jacen stared, his eyes feeling as though they were about to come out of their sockets. "Uncle Luke? That.. that can't be-"
"Search me through the Force. You know it's me." The young boy sighed, as though all of this were a great burden on him.
The twins nodded to each other, and used their twin meld to create a deep probe into the young man's mind. They opened their eyes suddenly, seeing memories of a young Jacen and Jaina giggling, playing with C3PO. Himself and Mara getting married. Ben being born.
Jacen was the first to break the silence. He grimaced a bit, setting himself. "So, Uncle Luke, why the different look? Did you have some sort of time machine turn you into a kid or something?"
"Shh." Uncle Luke put his finger to his youthful lips. "We don't want to draw much attention. As usual, this is the result of one of my infamous tests with the force." He sat back in his chair, and Jainia's cleared eyes suddenly realized his eyes were blue, not green.
She pulled her hand close to herself, and bit her lip, something she had not done for a while. "But Uncle Luke, you look so much like.." she didn't finish. He already knew. "How did this.. happen?"
The Jedi Master shrugged. "As usual, I was trying to find out something I had no business trying to find out. I was looking for reasons as to why Master Yoda lived so long, because Mara had been complaining lately that I seemed rather rickety.."
Jacen put his hand on his face. "Spare us the details, please, Uncle Luke."
Luke grinned, his youthful face becoming a bit roguish. "What? Does the details of my wife and my relationship make my apprentice blush?"
Jacen refused to comment.
"Anyways, Uncle Luke, what exactly happened?" Jaina interjected, trying to spare her brother a bit of his dignity.
He looked as though he were puzzled, and he stroked his smooth chin. "I don't exactly know. All I remember is that I was looking through the force for clues as to why the old Jedi were able to live for so long. When I came to, I looked like this-" he said, and held out his hands to the pair.
"Has Aunt Mara seen you yet?" Jacen asked, regaining his composure.
"No. And I hope to keep it that way. I don't even want to think about what she'd say to something like this."
Jaina nodded. "Yeah, I think Aunt Mara might be a tad upset to come home and find her husband turned into a boy."
"Especially since he looks so much like a former apprentice of his own. We'd better keep this away from Mom and Dad, too," Jacen said, looking at his twin. He knew how'd they'd react at first. They'd be in for a heartbreak when they suddenly would realize it wasn't their son. And it'd be the second time they'd gone through it.
The first time had nearly killed them as it was.
"Well, do you two have any ideas as how to remedy this? I tried to meditate after this happened, but found I didn't have the energy or the patience to." He smiled as the waiter came by and dropped off some food in front of the three.
"I took the liberty of ordering some food for us. I hope you don't mind."
"Not a problem," Jaina said, seeing all their favorite Mon Cal delicacies laying before them. "Not a problem at all."
Jacen stifled a laugh, and Luke stared. "What's so funny?"
"It's just that- all the galaxy is fighting the Vong, trying to keep their own species alive, and here we are, worrying about a small accident with the force. I find it hilarious," he said, and he began to wipe tears from his eyes. Jaina suppressed a small grin.
"Well, I do have to admit, it is a rather small thing," Luke admitted, "but just think of the consequences that could happen. The Republic is used to seeing me as a full grown man. If they see me, not only as a teenager, which will lower my status, but as an incompetent Jedi Master who can't even control the Force properly, it will cause all Jedi to lose face in the Republic's eye. And that is something we cannot afford."
That sobered Jacen up. "We're already ostracized. I can see your point." He started to eat his food, and then turned and asked his sister, "Can you think of any ideas, sis? I'm at a loss."
She paused a minute before inserting some pasta into her mouth. "Perhaps if we meditate together, we can find a way to reverse the youth, and make Uncle Luke his rightful age again."
Jacen smiled, and slapped Luke on the back. "And if we can't, you've got an awful confrontation in the future with your wife."
Luke sighed once more, and started to eat his meal. "That, my nephew, might be worse than the one I had with my father," he said, and the trio finished their meal in peace...
After enjoying their meal, and appeasing the Mon Calamari host that they would be back, the trio walked out to where the bell boy stood. Jaina's car was already waiting for them, and the bellboy tapped Luke on the shoulder.
"Do you want me to call a cab for your ride back, since that is how you arrived?"
Jaina gave her uncle a look. "You took a cab? Rather than driving yourself?"
He shrugged. "I wanted to be safe. I wasn't completely sure of my own surroundings, let alone this young body. I didn't want to take any chances that I couldn't handle."
Jacen rolled his eyes. "Same Uncle Luke. Weren't you ever wild in your youth? In the least?" He strolled over to his side of the cab.
Luke smiled. "Just because I'm a calm person now, doesn't mean that I wasn't wild back then. Most young people are," he said, then gave Jacen a look. "You might be the exception."
Then, something strange came over him, and he looked at the driver's seat to the car. He looked up at Jaina, and spoke hesitantly. "Do you think.. I could drive us back to the apartment? It would be nice to feel some youthful reaction timing once again."
Jaina grinned. "Sure, Uncle Luke." She handed him the keys. "Now remember, your curfew is at 1200 and-"
Uncle Luke then gave her a look, and she laughed. "I feel as though I have another brother instead of an uncle. Have fun, Uncle Luke." She jumped into the back seat of the car, and waited with anticipation as he started the engine.
Luke smiled. The engine hadn't sounded so good for a long time. He placed his hands on the controls. "Ready?"
Jacen looked at the fire in his Uncle's eyes, and the one burning in Jaina's. Suddenly, he was very frightened. "Now I know where you get it-"
He never finished. They were already in the clouds...
A very dizzy and exhausted Jacen sat in the car. Now he knew where Jaina had received that wild style of flying. It must be in the Skywalker genes.
Jaina whooped as she jumped out of the car and gave her uncle a high- five. "That was awesome! Where'd you learn moves like that, Uncle Luke?" She inquired as they headed up to his apartment.
"I used to shoot womprats back home on Tatooine," he replied, and made his way to the elevator. He suddenly noticed that Jacen was not with them. "Jacen, what's taking you so long?"
Jaina stared at her uncle. Not that she was complaining, but after that flight he seemed- different. Almost as if he were-
No. He could not be. She threw panic into her twin bond with her brother, and stared at him in the eyes. Jacen quickly overcame his dizziness and ran over as quickly as possible.
"Uncle Luke, we need to get you back to normal as fast as possible."
"Why, Jacen?" Uncle Luke walked at a leisurely pace, comfortable now in his new body. "I'm actually beginning to like feeling this young again. I can do things I haven't done in years!"
Jacen nodded to Jaina, confirming her fears. "Because you're regressing to your age. It wouldn't surprise me if soon your memories started to slip. Uncle Luke, we need to get you back to normal, and quickly."
Suddenly, Uncle Luke did something that was very much out of character for him. He turned around and gave his nephew a withering glance. "Just because I can probably do stuff that you can't do any more-"
"Uncle Luke!" Jaina said, her voice filled with fear.
Their young uncle shook his head, and blinked. "You're right. We'd better hurry it up, and fast. That joyride may have speeded up a process that I can only guess mirrors your hypothesis. Let's go."
With that, they headed up the elevator, and up to Luke's apartment...
"Isn't this place awesome?" their uncle Luke was saying as soon as they entered the building. Jaina was on her wit's end. She didn't want a young person for her uncle. His condition had gotten worse, the farther up they'd gone.
Jacen was humoring him, for the moment. "Yes, it is rather cool, Uncle Luke. Don't you think we should all sit down and begin our meditation? We want to get you back to normal as soon as possible-"
"Well, I don't know anymore. I really like being this young. And who knows? Maybe your aunt will, too."
Jacen looked at Jaina, their twin bond flooding with mixed emotions of panic and frustration. They nodded, then each grabbed an arm of their uncle's. He stared at them.
"Hey! What's this all about?"
"We're doing this for your own good, Uncle Luke," remarked Jacen as he made the Jedi Master sit down between them. The young Luke snorted.
"No, if this were for my own good, you guys would leave me alone! I like being young. I feel so alive! And who knows? Maybe if Mara likes it, she'll become young too!"
With that future disaster planted within her mind, Jaina opened herself up to find her uncle within the force. Jacen joined her, and the twins formed a sort of net around their uncle, forcing him to come along for the ride.
"Now wait a minute here-"
They delved into his brain until they found the area he'd been searching before. Jaina bit her lip. He was more gone now then they realized. They only had a few more minutes, and then he might-
Jacen calmed his sister, insisting that they just get the job done before worrying about anything else. The trio used Luke's knowledge to open up the place he had been before within the force. Offerings of youth and replenishment stood in front of them. But Jacen and Jaina stood firm.
"We've got to find some way to reverse this," Jacen muttered aloud. Then, in a rush, it hit him.
"Jaina-focus on the part for replenishing wisdom! Maybe that will return him to his rightful age!"
The duo focused, sensing their uncle's screams within his own mind as he continued to struggle within the bond. They ignored him, and took him to the part of the force that Jacen had suggested.
A bright light befell their eyes, and Jacen and Jaina collapsed under the weight. Within a few minutes, Luke, Jacen, and Jaina laid unconscious upon the Jedi Master's flat, Jacen and Jaina still not sure if they'd succeeded..
Jaina was the first to awaken. Her military training had allowed her the discipline of being able to recover after a major incident. It was best for a pilot, especially if they became knocked out while in a dogfight.
The pain was throbbing. She held her hand up to her head, and braced herself, because she could feel Jacen beginning to awaken. Suddenly, the throbbing doubled in amount, and she had to close her eyes to concentrate on the lessening of the pain that coursed through her viens. He spoke.
"Jaina? Did we?"
"I don't know, Jacen. I haven't looked to see whether we succeeded or not. Shall we open our eyes?" she asked, painfully starting to force hers open.
Jacen copied her example, and soon the two could see. They looked directly over to where their uncle was, and breathed a sigh of relief. Jedi Master Luke Skywalker looked his usual age, and just as powerful as ever.
"Thank goodness that's over," Jacen sighed. "I was afraid we were going to soon not have anyone to call 'uncle' anymore." He scratched the top of his head.
Jaina laughed. "Although he was kind of fun- albeit annoying towards the end. I thought we'd nearly lost him. I would have never have thought that Uncle Luke was anything like that."
"Me neither. And I had no idea he looked so much like-" he trailed off, not wanting to finish the painful sentence. He looked at his sister, and she nodded, the twin bond filling with mixed emotions of grief and sorrow.
"He's gone. We can never bring him back, Jacen. I'm just glad we have most of our family here." With the word family, Luke started to stir, and he opened his eyes, dimly taking in the room.
"Jacen. Jaina."
He sat up, and looked around him, then examined his hands. He used the force to feel the energy surrounding his body, and the Jedi Master breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I was beginning to think I was going to be a teenager all over again."
"You nearly were," said Jacen, looking at his uncle. He sat up straighter. "We nearly thought that you were gone- we nearly had another sibling to take care of."
Luke smiled, his serene face welcome after all the turmoil of his youthful self. "Thanks, guys. I know I'm never going to do that again. There are some things that even a Jedi Master should know better than to look into until they're ready." He shook his head.
Jaina smiled. "Can you still teach me some of those flying tricks, Uncle Luke? I found them to be quite fun."
Her twin looked pleadingly at Luke. "Can't we just leave the rest of the flying for another day? I think we should go back and finish what little vacation time we do have." He looked at Luke for backup on this.
"Another time, Jaina. I agree with Jacen. As much as I think Mara would be happy to see you two, we need some time alone to ourselves," he said, and smiled at the twins. "You go on home. Thank you for helping me as your master, and your uncle."
He hugged them both, and they left through the doorway. Luke sighed.
"It still was fun, though, to be that young. Maybe if I do some more research.."
Jacen and Jaina sat out on the balcony once again. The twins appeared extremely tired both physically and mentally. Jacen spoke.
"Well, what do you think? Was that enough adventure for today?"
Jaina laughed. "I think so, brother. It's tomorrow that worries me. What if the Vong suddenly declare a bake-off of the intergalactic foods?"
Both of them smiled at the thought, and Jacen roguishly added, "Well then. I guess we'll have to practice. I'm hungry since our lunch out. Are you any good at cooking, Jaina? I'm afraid I have no skills."
She laughed back. "Not unless you consider skills being with food rations. I'm afraid we should probably have C3PO make something. At least then we know that he'd be polite in accepting the Vong's defeat speech. You know they'd be won over by his galactically famous soufflé."
With these thoughts in their minds, Jacen and Jaina continued their watch of the waters beneath them, their adventure done, and their minds at ease....
Later that evening, Luke Skywalker and his wife lay in bed, their arms snuggled around each other. Mara seemed content, and she looked up at her husband.
"Dear, you were wonderful tonight. What happened?"
He smiled, and used words that she might take to mean something different than they actually were. "I guess I just wanted to be young again," he said, and he leaned forward and kissed her.........