A/N: In terms of timeline, this episode was supposed to take place shortly after Season 2, Episode 8 – The Three Apprentices.
Episode 3 – Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Senate at Recess! After months of meetings to keep the Republic Stable, the Republic Senate finally enters a much needed recess period! Supreme Chancellor Leia Organa-Solo now heads towards Ossus in an effort to escape the trappings of her office! Meanwhile, the Sith Lord Darth Maul and his apprentices now seek allies in their quest to overthrow Darth Akul and usurp the throne of the Sith Empire and are headed for the planet Vjun to meet with a potential ally!
Vjun…
Crime Lord Tyber Zann sat upon his throne in his private chambers, the chamber uniquely designed to appear like the ancient Massassi Temples of Yavin IV. He was growing increasingly annoyed with the sound of blaster fire and the deathly screams coming from outside his chambers. Four Consortium Defilers stood with their heavy blasters pointed towards the front doors. The sounds of death suddenly fell silent. The Defilers looking at each other uneasily before the doors suddenly flew open. The Defilers attempted to raise their weapons but suddenly clutched their throats as they were raised into the air by an unseen force. Soon, Darth Maul followed closely by Lumiya and Silri both entered, the two Dark Ladies of the Sith with their arms raised towards the Defilers, choking the life out of them with the Force. Maul and his entourage proceeded to approach Zann's throne, Maul with a sneer of anger on his face. Once the Defilers were dead, they were merely tossed away. Zann merely sat back in his chair with a sneer of contempt towards the old Sith Assassin.
"So the rumors are true. The great Darth Maul, leader of the Shadow Collective, has cheated death once more and stands before me." Zann said as Maul looked up at him.
"Then perhaps you know why I am here." Maul said in a low tone as Zann allowed a coy smirk to cross his face.
"I might. I suppose this has nothing to do with your defeat at Mustafar. Your inability to defeat both the Empress and Darth Vader has already reached my ears. So why should I involve myself with you?" Zann asked.
"Because we have a common enemy: the Empress and the Sith Empire." Maul stated simply, earning a curious look from Zann.
"And why should I wage war against the Sith Empire? Both the Republic and the Sith have turned a blind eye to my activities ever since the war broke out. To warrant either of their attention now would not be in my best interest." Zann replied but Maul wasn't deterred.
"Then perhaps you weren't aware that your primary rival, Rotta the Hutt, is aligned with the Sith." Maul said as Zann scowled in anger.
"Can you prove this?" Zann asked as Lumiya stepped forward.
"I've been present for several dealings between the Empress and Rotta. Rotta swore a life debt to the Empress after she saved his life when he was a Huttlet. He is eternally indebted to her and technically the Empire. Rotta is allowed to operate freely within the Empire in exchange for acting as the Empire's underworld informant." Lumiya explained as Zann scowled.
"And thus he prospers without fear of retribution by the Empire, while I have to take great strides to avoid drawing the attention of both the Republic and the Empire. You have stated a fair case, but I have no interest in allying with you. You've merely given me some useful information but that is all. If you wish the assistance of the Zann Consortium, then you shall have to prove your worth to me." Zann said as Maul snarled towards him.
"You misunderstand my offer, Zann. I was not to be subservient to you." Maul said as Zann chuckled in amusement.
"I assure you, there was no misunderstanding, but that is one of the costs of working with me. No one works with me. They work for me." Zann replied, earning an angry snarl from Maul who started to reach for his lightsaber but was stopped by Silri.
"Master! We need him. He's the only one with the power and influence we need to see our plans to fruition." Silri whispered as Maul snarled before visibly backing down, his hand moving away from his lightsaber. Zann smirked towards him in response.
"Then perhaps you would like to hear my proposal, Zann?" Maul asked but Zann didn't look interested.
"Not until you've brought me something as a sort of…tribute, to convince me that you are serious about entering this business arrangement with me. Something of great value. Something from the each of you." Zann said as Maul scowled.
"What sort of something?" Maul asked as Zann leaned back in his chair again.
"I have information that would indicate that the three of you are in possession of items of great value to the Sith or at least capable of retrieving said items. One such item known as, an Oubliette, for instance." Zann said, earning a surprised look from Maul and his escorts.
"The Oubliette? Why would you want that?" Maul asked as Zann rested back in his chair.
"It is of great value. A casket that renders the person inside, immortal, preventing age and death itself for millennia. There are some who would pay millions for such an object. I however have…different interests for it. I know you possess one. I want it as proof of your sincerity, Maul." Zann said as Maul growled slightly.
"Your support in exchange for that cursed box. I suppose the price could be higher." Maul stated as Zann looked to Silri with a sneer.
"You, Nightsister…you know what I want. I want what you stole from me twenty years ago." Zann said as Silri scowled.
"Of course, Zann." She replied with a snarl as Zann looked at Lumiya.
"Then there is you, Darth Lumiya. There is something you can do for me to prove your value. Do you know what happened to the crystal caves once used by the Jedi?" Zann asked as Lumiya arched an eyebrow.
"They were destroyed by the Empire long ago. Why?" Lumiya asked but Zann sighed with a roll of his eyes.
"So you were led to believe. They were destroyed, yes, but not before they were ransacked by the Emperor and his agents." Zann explained as Lumiya furrowed her brow in curiosity.
"I don't understand." Lumiya replied.
"You have heard of the infamous raid on the Emperor's Vaults shortly after the Emperor's death, correct? A raid led by me? What if I told you that there was evidence in those vaults to imply that the Emperor hid those crystals away somewhere?" Zann asked.
"Kyber Crystals? What use would you have for them?" Lumiya asked.
"They are worth a great deal of credits. A single crystal is valued within the range of one to five million credits. Imagine a whole trove of them. Bring me those crystals, and you shall prove your worth to me. As a bonus and as a gesture of good faith, the three of you will be allowed to pick and keep one crystal each. There's probably a few red ones in there somewhere." Zann said as Lumiya crossed her arms over her chest.
"How will I find the crystals?" Lumiya asked as Zann snapped his fingers, a Twi'lek slave girl immediately appearing with a datapad resting on a yellow cushion in her hands. She proceeded to approach Lumiya and bow to her with the datapad raised towards her.
"I shall grant you the use of a ship and its crew. The location of the crystals, however, is encrypted. I imagine a resourceful Sith Lady like yourself can decipher the encryption." Zann explained as Lumiya took the datapad, the slave girl scurrying away as fast as she could, clearly afraid of the three Sith.
"Very well. I shall bring you those crystals." Lumiya said as Zann looked the three over.
"I look forward to completing our business arrangement." Zann said with a smile before the three Sith Lords turned and started for the door.
Meanwhile on Ossus…
Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and 3PO had just arrived on the planet, walking down the halls.
"Leia!" Luke called from ahead, sprinting slightly to catch up with them, R2-D2 following close behind. Leia smiled at the sight of her brother.
"Luke. It's good to see you somewhere that's not Coruscant." Leia said as the two briefly hugged.
"I'll admit I'm a bit surprised you chose here for a vacation, or are you simply here to pick up Anakin?" Luke asked.
"The former. Ossus offers both security and tranquility, something I could use both of right now." Leia replied as Luke gave an understanding nod.
"Of course, although I think Han doesn't share your feelings." Luke said, looking towards Han who shrugged.
"Hey, I'm just happy to be away from that desk with the 5th Fleet. Lando's covering for me right now." Han said as Chewbacca roared his agreement.
"See, he agrees with me." Han commented.
"Well then we'll do our best to keep you entertained." Luke said with a chuckle.
"Speaking of entertainment, where's my youngest and his illegal scrap heap?" Han asked.
"They're in the Jedi Archives right now." Luke replied, earning a surprised look from Han.
"My kid's become a bookworm? Come on Chewie we better save him from himself." Han said, hurrying towards the archives with Chewbacca in tow.
"3PO I know Mara could use your assistance. R2, go see if Anakin could use your help in the archives." Luke instructed, R2 beeping a cheery response as he rolled away after Han and Chewie.
"Very well, Master Luke. So good to see you again by the way." 3PO said as he headed off down the corridors, leaving the Skywalker twins alone.
"So have you talked to father about 3PO?" Leia asked with a serious tone.
"Not yet. I haven't seen him to talk to him. He's been busy with the war effort, leading the 501st personally. Now he's taken a sabbatical from the Jedi Order entirely." Luke replied, Leia giving a grim nod.
"It's probably for the best at the moment. I spoke to Galen before leaving Coruscant. He says that Father's…not exactly in a good mood." Leia said as Luke gave a slight grimace.
"Did he tell you about Mustafar?" Luke asked, Leia nodding.
"Yes. I can only imagine how he's feeling right now." Leia said as Luke put his arm around her, the two continuing to walk through the temple.
"Well, for now, all we can do is wait for the right time to ask him. We shouldn't burden him with something like this right now. There's no telling what he might do. Besides, he told me about something recently that…frankly, I find it difficult to process." Luke said, earning a worried look from his sister.
"What is it?" she asked as Luke took a breath.
"Something about a possible descendant of Obi-Wan Kenobi." Luke said as he led her away.
…
Meanwhile in the Jedi Archives, Anakin sat at a kiosk in the archives, looking at a strange line of letters, attempting to decipher them. HK-47 stood over his shoulder, his head constantly swiveling around as he scanned the room for any sign of a threat directed towards his master.
"Weary Inquiry: Master, how much longer do you intend to stare at that line of gibberish?" HK asked.
"Until I solve it. Master Tionne needs help deciphering it." Anakin replied before looking up at HK.
"Say, you have over five million forms of communication stored in that death trap of a brain of yours. Does it look familiar to you?" Anakin asked.
"Condescension: If I had recognized it, Master, wouldn't I have said so by now?" HK asked back as Anakin rolled his eyes.
"Point taken." Anakin replied, turning back just as he saw his father, Chewbacca, and R2-D2 entering the archives, headed straight for him.
"Hey dad!" Anakin said.
"Hey kid, I'm here to rescue you." Han said with one of his smiles as he leaned against the back of the kiosk. HK immediately started looking around in alarm.
"Query: Do you have evidence that my Master is in some kind of danger, meatbag? If so, please share these details with me so that I might terminate hostilities with extreme prejudice." HK said, earning a roll of the eyes from both Solos.
"I mean save him from boredom in the library." Han said as he stepped around to stand over Anakin's shoulder.
"I'll be done in a minute dad. I've pretty much given up on this thing anyway." Anakin replied as Han looked at the script curiously.
"What is it?" Han asked.
"We're not sure. Master Tionne says it was recovered from the datapad given to the Republic by Boba Fett after the war started. It was said to refer to some kind of trove the Emperor left behind after the Jedi Order collapsed and detailed the location of some kind of treasure trove of his. These are supposed to be the coordinates but they're in some kind of script that is completely foreign to all databases we can find. HK can't identify it either and he's 4000 years old." Anakin explained.
"Correction: My programming is approximately three-thousand-nine-hundred-eighty-eight years old, Master. My current body is approximately 27 years old." HK stated proudly as Han looked at the script curiously.
"Maybe you're asking the wrong people." Han said as Anakin looked at him.
"What do you mean? Do you recognize it?" Anakin asked.
"Do I recognize it? Kinda. Can I read it? No. But I think I know someone who can." Han said as he looked to R2.
"Hey, buddy, you mind?" Han asked, R2 beeping a cheery confirmation before rolling up and plugging into the terminal.
"Come on, kid." Han said as Anakin stood up with a furrowed brow.
"Where are we going?" Anakin asked.
"The Takodana System, to visit an old friend of mine." Han said as they headed for the door.
Later…
The Millennium Falcon dropped out of hyperspace over the jungle planet of Takodana, headed for the planet surface. There were several ships in orbit, all mercenary, private, or pirate of varying allegiances, including an old Bulwark Mk II cruiser in Zann Consortium yellow.
"There she is, Takodana." Han said as he smiled out the viewport towards the planet below. Chewbacca sat in the copilot's seat as usual while Anakin sat behind Chewie.
"What sort of wretched hive of scum and villainy have you brought us to?" Anakin asked before earning a mildly insulted look from his father.
"I'll try not to take it personally. But relax, Maz is an old friend. And I mean friend in the sense that she's never tried to sell us out. She's an old friend to the Rebellion too. She's always been the one person we could count on to help us hide whenever the heat was on. She's been running this little watering hole for over a thousand years. Just don't stare…at anything." Han replied as the Falcon started to enter the atmosphere.
"Huh?" Anakin asked.
"You'll see. By the way, you may want to hide the lightsaber. Maz is alright with Jedi but her customers may not be." Han replied, Anakin nodding and unclipping his lightsaber from his belt.
"I'll hand it over to HK. He's a good enough scout with that sort of thing." Anakin said as he got up to head to the back as the Falcon disappeared beneath the clouds. On the bridge of the old Bulwark Cruiser however, a Consortium Defiler stood looking at a holographic display of the Millennium Falcon just as Lumiya emerged from the turbolift, wearing an open dark green jacket with a hood and matching trousers, black heeled boots, black shoulder length leather gloves, and a black shirt beneath the jacket. Her lightwhip was coiled at her side. She wore no mask so her face and hair was unobscured.
"We have an unexpected arrival. We have a positive identification on the Millennium Falcon." The Defiler reported as Lumiya blinked in surprise.
"Solo? He's here?" Lumiya asked before narrowing her gaze.
"He's headed for the surface. There's a significant bounty on his head by the Sith Empire. It's worth quite a lot." The Defiler said but Lumiya raised a hand to dissuade him.
"No. The prize I'm after is worth much more than Solo's head. But if he gets in my way, he's dead." Lumiya said before pulling the hood up and heading for the turbolift.
On the surface…
The Falcon had touched down in a clearing not far from a large brown castle adorned with a vast array of colorful flags and banners. Atop the castle was a statue of an alien woman with her arms held open and raised up in a welcoming gesture. As the Falcon's crew disembarked, Han was busy polishing off a small blaster pistol with white-silver finish before handing it off to Anakin.
"You might need this." Han said as his son looked at the blaster curiously.
"I thought you said to go in unarmed." Anakin replied.
"Just the lightsaber, Anakin. Blasters are fine. Lightsaber would just draw unwanted attention. Besides I wouldn't be caught dead going in unarmed here." Han said as HK took notice of the blaster.
"Analysis: LPA NN-14 Blaster Pistol. A decent enough weapon assuming you have the skills to use it, Master." HK commented as Anakin stuck the blaster in his belt.
"I know how to use them if that's what you're concerned about." Anakin replied.
"Taught the kid everything I know." Han replied as HK looked towards him.
"Analysis: That information has just resulted in a four point two-one percent drop in your calculated survival rate, Master." HK commented, earning an exasperated look from Han for a moment before looking towards Anakin.
"Can't you shut that thing off?" Han asked as Anakin sighed heavily.
"HK we don't need to start an incident here. No engagements." Anakin ordered.
"Resignation: As you desire, Master. Signing off." HK replied. Han looked towards the castle.
"Chewie, stay with the Falcon. Keep the engines warmed up. I've got a bad feeling about this." Han said, Chewbacca roaring in agreement.
"I don't sense anything." Anakin said, looking around.
"Yeah well we better be careful anyway. My bad feelings are rarely wrong." Han replied as he, Anakin, R2, and HK started heading for the castle. As they drew closer, they heard the sound of typical cantina music along with the numerous conversations of the various patrons. The four stepped into the entrance, Anakin surveying the large area where numerous members of the galaxy's underworld elements sat discussing, eating, and drinking with each other. Over the conversations they suddenly heard a woman yell…
"Han Solo!"
The entire establishment fell silent, everyone looking towards the entryway for a moment before looking away, clearly disinterested as the music resumed. At this a short mustard skinned alien woman with a pair of goggles over her eyes approached with a smile. She was the same woman whose statue adorned the top of the castle.
"Solo, it's been a long time." The woman said, her voice belonging to the one that had called him out.
"How've you been Maz?" Han asked, smiling down at her.
"Oh can't complain, can't complain. How's my boyfriend?" she asked with a smile. Anakin gave his father a curious look at this.
"He's working on the Falcon." Han replied as Maz gave a slight nod of understanding.
"Well tell Chewbacca that I said hello." Maz said before looking at Anakin.
"I like that Wookiee." She said to him before looking back at Han.
"The entrance is no place to hold a conversation. Come on, I'll set up a round of the good stuff." Maz said as Han, Anakin, and the droids started to follow her through the sea of patrons towards a table nestled in the corner. R2 rolled along to stand across from Maz while father and son at across from each other, HK standing guard to Anakin's left.
"So then, Han, what brings you to Takodana? It's been what, ten years?" Maz asked as she poured drinks for them.
"About that long. None for the kid by the way. He's underage." Han said as Anakin rolled his eyes.
"Thanks." He replied sarcastically.
"And who is this handsome young man? Looks kind of like you." Maz said, looking Anakin over, as Han smiled.
"He's my youngest. Anakin. Named after his grandfather. You know who that is, right?" Han asked as Maz started to climb onto the table, paying no heed to the cups or tableware as she crawled towards Anakin, her gaze fixed on Anakin's eyes. Anakin started to lean back, unsure of what she was doing.
"Uh, dad?" Anakin asked, hesitant, as Maz adjusted the lenses on her goggles while staring at him intently.
"You have interesting eyes. You are strong with the light. Your name has dark connections but that is all. You are well on your way to becoming a Jedi." Maz said with a proud smile before sitting up on her knees and looking over her shoulder at Han.
"You must be very proud, Han. To have a son so strong with the Force." Maz said as Han gave a nod.
"His mother and I are very proud of him and his brother and sister." Han said as Maz made her way back to her seat, Anakin blinking in surprise.
"H-How did she know? My lightsaber's in HK's secret compartment." Anakin whispered.
"Isn't it obvious? I can feel the Force just like you can. I've lived for over a thousand years and I've seen the Dark Side take many different forms. The Sith, the Empire, and now a combination of the two in the Sith Empire. It's nothing new to me." Maz said with a smile, kicking her feet out slightly in her stool.
"Are you, a Jedi?" Anakin asked softly but Maz merely chuckled and shook her head.
"I appreciate the compliment, handsome, but I'm not. Nor am I a Sith. I'm just plain old Maz Kanata." Maz replied before looking towards Han.
"So what brings you here, Han?" Maz asked as Han motioned to R2.
"We've got something that we can't figure out. We were wondering if you could translate something for us." Han said as R2 started to project a hologram of the characters they couldn't identify. Maz looked the script over, adjusting her goggles accordingly. Neither of them noticed a red haired woman lingering in the shadows take notice. The woman looked down at a datapad in her gloved hands and blinked as she saw the mysterious characters were exact duplicates of the one on her datapad. She quietly and subtly pulled out a small metal device, placing it near her ear and focusing it towards where the Solos were sat with Maz.
"Hmm. It is an ancient language. A form of the ancient Sith Dialect. Where did you get this?" Maz asked.
"Fewer questions asked, the better." Han replied as Maz smirked mischievously towards him before looking at the script.
"Can you read it?" Anakin asked as Maz gave a nod.
"Of course I can. I've seen enough old Jedi and Sith relics to know how to read it. It's a set of coordinates, for the Stah'Keelah system in the outer rim if I'm not mistaken." Maz replied as Han smiled towards her.
"And to think it had the Jedi historians stumped for months and here it only takes you five seconds." Han complimented.
"Stah'Keelah system, I've never heard of it." Anakin commented, confused.
"It's a planet on the outer rim. It's a nice medium between snow planet and pine forest. The planet's name is ancient Sith for Starkiller. From what I remember it was named that because the winters would create a dense cloud cover that would blot out the sun for months at a time." Maz said as Lumiya smirked and pocketed her listening device, starting to head for the doors.
"Thanks Maz. You've been invaluable as always." Han said as he started to stand up, Anakin standing as well, although Anakin suddenly felt a shiver, the air turning cold briefly, looking around suspiciously. He'd felt a disturbance in the Force and was looking around, sensing someone else was there that had been watching them.
"Any time I can be of service, Han. Remember to tell my boyfriend I said hello." Maz said with a smile.
"Will do, Maz. Come on, Anakin, let's go." Han said as he and the droids started to head for the exit. Anakin was about to walk past Maz when she grabbed his arm by the sleeve. He looked back and saw a look of consternation on her face as she looked up at him.
"You sensed the same thing I do. Be careful out there, Anakin. You're not alone in this treasure hunt. Remember, the Force will be with you, always." She said softly as Anakin nodded quietly.
"Thank you, Maz." He replied as she smiled.
"You really are a handsome young man." She replied before letting go of Anakin, the teenaged Padawan hurrying after his father and the droids.
Later in the Stah'Keelah System…
The Millennium Falcon dropped out of Hyperspace, quickly engaging the stygium cloaking device. As Maz had described, the planet was a snowy and mountainous planet and that was what could be seen from orbit.
"Since when has the Falcon had a cloaking device?" Anakin asked, looking around, as he made sure a pair of winter gloves were snug and tight around his hands.
"It was a gift from your grandfather." Han replied.
"A gift from my grandfather to you? I'm surprised it's not ticking." Anakin muttered, Chewie laughing in amusement.
"Yeah, it's really funny Chewie." Han quipped sarcastically. Anakin was checking one of the monitors behind Chewie.
"Sensors are picking up a couple of Sith Cruisers. Small ones but still enough to give us trouble. We should steer clear anyway to be on the safe side. What are they doing here anyway?" Anakin pondered.
"Well we're in Sith space. No surprise they'd have patrols out here. Not picking up any settlements or major population centers on the surface though. Looks uninhabited to me." Han said as he brought the Falcon in towards the surface.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Anakin said as the Falcon started to enter the atmosphere.
"What's the matter, kid?" Han asked.
"A disturbance in the Force. A presence that's been following us since Takodana." Anakin replied.
"I was wondering why my bad feeling wasn't going away." Han said as the Falcon started to approach a tall snowcapped range of mountains made of black rock, the Falcon decloaking as it approached the mountains.
"According to these coordinates there should be an opening right about…there." Han said as they saw a narrow canyon below them open up into an unnaturally round hole leading straight down into the ground.
"Looks big enough for the Falcon to fit through. Scans indicate it goes straight down for several kilometers, almost half way to the planet's core. Anakin said as Han brought the Falcon around for another pass.
"Hang on, we're going to take the whole Falcon down there." Han said as the Millennium Falcon came to a stop over the hole before beginning to slowly descend down the shaft. As the Falcon disappeared, Lumiya's Bulwark Cruiser appeared out of thin air as it flew over the canyon on approach towards the entrance. Inside the shaft, the Falcon's floodlights had come on, illuminating the shaft around them.
"What do you suppose this shaft was for?" Anakin asked, Chewie voicing his concerns.
"Easy, Chewie. I don't think the Empire had Wookiees in mind when they built this place." Han said as Anakin looked at the walls of the shaft.
"Looks like this shaft was cut into the planet. I can see the tool marks on the walls." Anakin said as one of the sensor alarms started going off.
"We're coming up on something. Some kind of indentation in the shaft." Han replied as he slowed their descent, turning the falcon towards a large rectangular indentation in the walls. The illuminators on the front of the Falcon revealed 40-year-old pieces of equipment, some of them with the old symbol of the Galactic Empire on them. The edges on the outside of the indentation were equipped with what appeared to be a partially completed atmospheric forcefield.
"Looks like a hangar." Anakin said as Han took the controls again.
"I'll take it." Han said as he brought the Falcon forward, the freighter extending landing gear and touching down inside the hangar. Anakin suddenly shivered.
"The Dark Side is strong here. I feel cold, death. I feel a presence…its familiar somehow." Anakin said as Han took a breath.
"Just take it easy. With any luck, we're the only ones here…well, alive that is." Han said, patting his son on the shoulder as they headed for the ramp. Han, Chewbacca, Anakin, HK-47, and R2-D2 stepped out of the Falcon, HK and R2 activating illuminators to light the hangar up. The Falcon's lights had been left on for more illumination. Han, Chewbacca, and HK all had their weapons handy while Anakin had his lightsaber in hand, activating it and lighting up the darkened and incomplete hangar. There was an open doorway in the back of the hangar, the doors lying on the ground nearby on top of each other, having never been installed.
"Looks like the Empire simply pulled out before this place was finished." Anakin said as they headed for the door.
"Yeah but the Empire never left material behind for others to find like this. They were so detail oriented that anything like this here would get someone spaced for sloppy work and wasting resources." Han said as they stepped into the doorway. Chewbacca then stepped back with a whine-like roar.
"Chewie come on! I don't care what you smell!" Han yelled, Chewie roaring back in argument.
"Statement: Masters I believe I can corroborate the fur covered meatbag's claim of, and I quote, 'a smell in the air.' My olfactory sensors are picking up a strong odor originating from further ahead of us. Although I don't quite understand the repulsed reaction the meatbag is expressing. It's actually a pleasant smell." HK commented as Anakin sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"Ugh, no wonder HK likes that smell. It's the smell of decay." Anakin said as they entered a large chamber with a catwalk running across a chasm to a door on the other side of the room. On the far side of the room, over the doors, was a large statue of Palpatine with his arms raised and a large model of the Death Star looming above it.
"It's been a while since I've seen one of those." Han commented, motioning to the Death Star model. R2 then looked over the edge of the chasm and beeped in alarm.
"What is it, R2?" Anakin asked as R2 shone his illuminator down into the chasm, revealing it was full of 40-year-old decayed corpses of a wide variety of species, some of them even wearing Imperial Officer and Stormtrooper uniforms. They were the corpses of the slaves and Imperials that had helped to construct the facility before its abandonment.
"Ugh, what the hell happened here?" Han asked.
"A good question, Solo." A voice said from behind them. They all turned to see a hooded figure with an inactive lightwhip clipped at her side and accompanied by several armed mercenaries.
"I know that voice." Han said as the figure removed her hood, smirking at Han who recognized her immediately.
"You know her?" Anakin asked, his lightsaber raised defensively.
"Yeah, I know her. Kinda surprised you don't. Her name's Shira Brie. She used to be one of the Emperor's Hands, not to mention one of his spies. Now she just goes by the name Lumiya." Han replied as Lumiya smiled.
"I haven't been called Shira in a long time, Solo. But I don't have time for reminiscing. I should thank you for helping to lead us here. Now stand aside. We have treasure to claim." Lumiya said as the Solos lowered their weapons. They stood no chance against Lumiya and her mercenaries. HK however kept his blaster aimed towards her.
"Warning: Touch the Master's treasure and lose an arm, meatbag." HK warned but Lumiya merely chuckled, raising her left arm and pulling back the sleeve, revealing a glossy black metal casing over her arm.
"Too late for that, droid." Lumiya said as HK activated a targeting laser on his blaster, aiming at her head.
"Threatening Advisory: Your status as a cyborg does not alter your status as a meatbag, it only makes you a 'scrap filled meatbag.' My warning still applies, regardless." HK commented as Han, Anakin, and Chewbacca scowled at the droid.
"HK, are you trying to get us all killed? Put the blaster down." Anakin ordered through clinched teeth. HK begrudgingly lowered his blaster as one of the mercenaries approached and confiscated their weapons.
"Smart move, Solo. You're lucky that I'm not interested in settling old scores with you today. I have bigger Clawfish to fry." Lumiya said as she deactivated her lightwhip and started to cross the chasm.
"What do we do with them, Milady?" one of the mercenaries asked as Lumiya gave a dismissive wave.
"Hold them here. We'll take them back with us later. Might end up helping me retake my position as one of the Empress's Hands. Or maybe they'll fetch a good pr-I-AHHHHHH!" Lumiya screamed as her arms and legs were suddenly hit with bolts of electricity fired at her from the large Death Star model's superlaser dish. Lumiya fell to the ground, groaning and moaning in pain as she clawed her way back towards the others, the lightning having stopped the moment she fell. A couple of mercenaries rushed to help her.
"What just happened?" Anakin asked as Han smirked.
"I've got an idea." Han replied as Lumiya snarled towards him while being helped to her feet by the mercenaries.
"I am not interested in the theories of an ex-smuggler! I should've known the Emperor would've booby trapped the place." She hissed.
"I was expecting it." Han said matter-of-factly and with a cocky smirk on his face to go with it.
"Alright Solo, just for that, you can go across next!" Lumiya threatened as one of the mercenaries pulled him forward.
"Don't you dare touch my dad!" Anakin yelled but was held back at blaster-point.
"Kid, relax. If I'm right, I should be able to cross without a problem." Han said as he started to cautiously approach the bridge.
"And if you're wrong?" Anakin asked.
"Then you get the Falcon." Han replied over Chewbacca's protests. Chewie was protesting at Han's crossing the chasm.
"Easy Chewie, it's okay!" Han yelled as he started to cautiously step across the chasm. As he reached the spot where Lumiya had been electrocuted, he looked and examined the area cautiously but didn't see anything in the bridge itself to implicate a trip-sensor or a pressure plate. He then pushed his hand forward through the area where Lumiya had been standing when she was hit but nothing happened. The Dark Lady herself furrowed her brow in confusion as Han proceeded to safely cross over the center of the bridge, starting to reach the other side.
"Impossible. How did he get through?" she asked as she started to storm across the bridge but Han noticed.
"STOP!" Han yelled, Lumiya stopping less than an inch from the center of the bridge.
"Cross the threshold and you get fried again! It's a security feature to keep cyborgs out, cyborgs like my father-in-law!" Han yelled as Lumiya glared at him skeptically.
"And how do you know that?!" she asked.
"I don't but I'm not overly fond of my father-in-law and this would be the easiest way to keep him out of somewhere I didn't want him to go!" Han yelled as Lumiya scowled in annoyance.
"In that case, send his son across!" Lumiya yelled to the mercenaries as she turned and started storming back towards the other side, Anakin being shoved forward towards the bridge by one of the mercenaries.
"What about Chewie?!" Han yelled as Lumiya looked over her shoulder towards him just as Anakin brushed past her, Chewbacca roaring towards Han.
"We're keeping him as collateral to make sure you come back!" Lumiya yelled back as Anakin passed Han, headed straight for the door to the other side.
"He better be in one piece when we get back!" Han yelled, threateningly.
"So long as you come back with my treasure, he will!" Lumiya replied as Chewbacca gave a slight nod, Han returning the nod with a hesitant expression before turning and walking after his son.
"Let's make this quick." Han said, visibly angered by having to leave Chewbacca behind.
"We'll get him back." Anakin said softly as they entered another long corridor, this one being lit up by a sourceless red glow.
"I know we will. I just don't like leaving him behind." Han grumbled.
"Well we at least have one consolation. We know she won't be using her lightwhip on him." Anakin said with a smirk as Han stopped and slowly looked towards his son.
"You didn't." he said with a light smirk as Anakin smirked back and held up Lumiya's coiled lightwhip.
"I snatched it when I brushed past her." Anakin replied as Han grinned towards him.
"That's my boy." Han said, clapping him on the shoulder before hurrying on. They soon reached another large chamber illuminated by a shaft of light from the ceiling. The room itself appeared to be partially incomplete in its construction as there were cables dangling from the ceiling. Sitting near the back of the chamber, in the center of the beam of light was a large black metal chest covered in Sith inscriptions and designs, with two long metal staves meant to help carry it. Father and son looked at each other skeptically.
"Too easy?" Anakin asked as Han knelt down to the floor, noticing several oval shaped markings on the floor.
"Way too easy." Han replied, running his finger along the markings.
"Look, pressure plates." Han said as he looked around for something.
"You've done this kind of thing before, haven't you?" Anakin asked as Han smiled and shrugged.
"Hey, formerly down-on-his-luck-ex-smuggler here. I used to pillage places like this all the time if it meant some easy-ish money." Han said as he picked up a piece of rebar before stabbing it into the plate, causing a thin red laser beam to cut across from one side of the room to the other, slicing the rebar clean in half just above Han's hand.
"Well this's going to make getting that…what is it, an ark?" Anakin asked as Han bobbed his head slightly in thought.
"Works for me." Han replied.
"Well this floor is going to make getting the ark out of here a lot harder." Anakin said but Han shook his head.
"Nah. Look on the wall behind it. There're some controls back there." Han said as Anakin furrowed his brow.
"I just see a blank wall there." He said as Han looked at him in disbelief.
"Really? How can you miss it?" Han asked as Anakin put a hand to his eyes.
"The Dark Side is strong here. It must be messing with my vision. Making me see things. I still can't see that switch." Anakin said as Han pat him on the shoulder.
"Well one of us must be seeing things. Just wait here, I'll go across and hit the switch…if it's real." Han said as they stood up.
"Alright. I'll keep you steady with the Force." Anakin said as Han nodded, grabbing the lightwhip.
"Give me that whip just in case. Might come in handy." Han said as Anakin handed it off to him, closing his eyes before raising his hands towards his father. Han took a deep breath before cautiously stepping out between the pressure plates, being careful with his footing. He'd start to lose balance a couple of times but felt himself being gently stabilized, as if a pair of hands were square on his shoulders, keeping him steady. Slowly he made his way across the room up to where the ark was located. He looked at the ark saw there were no pressure plates around it.
"Hey! That's it!" Han yelled as Anakin opened his eyes and lowered his arms. Han made his way to the controls, looking them over for a moment before flipping a switch, a loud clunking sound being heard beneath the floor as the pressure plates popped up slightly, locking into place. Anakin looked and could now see the switch Han was talking about.
"Well, looks like you were right." Anakin said, stabbing at the ground a little with a long piece of rebar to test the pressure plates. Nothing happened when he did so he tossed the rebar aside and sprinted across to meet up with his father who was looking the ark over for signs of sabotage or booby traps.
"Looks clean to me." Han said as Anakin glanced around.
"Yeah but I still can't shake that feeling that we're being watched." Anakin said, shivering slightly.
"Who's to say we're not? Want to see what's in here?" Han asked as Anakin motioned to wait.
"I would like to see what Palpatine stashed in here but you better let me open it." Anakin said as Han nodded, backing away as Anakin raised his hand towards the ark, the lid beginning to rattle slightly before being slowly raised with the Force. The lid opened back to rest on its hinges to stand open. Han and Anakin then slowly stepped closer towards the ark, peeking inside to see pallets of black foam, gently surrounding a multitude of multicolored crystals. Blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, red, even one or two silver and at least one black colored crystal. Han's eyes lit up and he grinned as he recognized what they were but Anakin looked confused.
"Crystals? I don't get it." Anakin asked.
"These aren't just any ordinary crystals, kid. These are Kyber Crystals. Just one of these is worth millions of credits on the black market." Han said as Anakin looked the crystals over.
"They are strong in the Force. I can feel the Force imbued within each of them." Anakin said as he cautiously reached in and gently plucked one of the blue crystals from its slot in the foam, looking at it in the light.
"You don't know what a Kyber Crystal is, do you?" Han asked as Anakin looked towards him.
"Not really, no." he replied as Han pulled the lightwhip from his belt, opening the casing on the hilt and pulling out the red crystal inside.
"Sometimes it pays to do some reading while your mother's in senate meetings. This is a Synth-crystal. It's a cheaper version of a Kyber Crystal made in a pressure cooker. It's exactly like the ones the Jedi use today, like the one in your lightsaber. These are Kyber Crystals. Jedi used to use them for their lightsaber crystals. I don't pretend to understand it but each crystal was attuned to its wielder." Han explained as Anakin looked at him in surprise.
"You must've spent a lot of time in the senate waiting room, haven't you?" Anakin commented as Han shrugged, pocketing the crystal from the lightwhip.
"Well it doesn't hurt, when you're married into a family of Jedi, to know something on the subject." Han replied as Anakin looked at the crystal in his hand.
"I feel…I feel my own presence in the Force in this crystal. It's like I'm holding a piece of myself." Anakin commented in surprise.
"Maybe it's yours." Han said as Anakin looked at him again.
"Maybe it is." He said before slipping the crystal into his left boot.
"Either way, we can't let Lumiya keep these, at least not all of them." Han said as Anakin nodded.
"Yeah. She could make a fortune off of these." Anakin said as Han checked his pockets.
"Yeah and I don't want to even begin to think about what she might use that fortune for. Come on, we've got some pockets to stuff." Han said as they quickly started pocketing crystals.
…
Back at the chasm, Lumiya was growing impatient with Han and Anakin's progress. She hadn't yet noticed her lightwhip was missing. She noticed Chewbacca staring towards the entrance with anticipation as HK and R2 sat off to the side, all three of them being held near the edge at blaster-point by Lumiya's mercenaries. Another mercenary then entered into the chamber.
"Milady, we just received word from the ship. Their cloaking device won't last much longer. They'll need to shut it down soon to avoid a burnout at which point the Sith will be able to detect us." The Mercenary reported as Lumiya let out a grunt of annoyance.
"Bring up some binders and two restraining bolts. At the very least we'll be able to bring back a Wookiee slave, an assassin droid, and an old astromech. Maybe that will satisfy him." Lumiya said as Chewbacca roared in protest.
"Threat: Your efforts will be in vain, meatbag. Just try and restrain me." HK hissed, his photoreceptors glowing red.
"Shut up, droid! You're in no position to argue." Lumiya said as she scowled at him.
"Good luck with that! He never shuts up!" they heard Anakin yell from across the chasm as he and Han carried the ark out by its staves. Chewbacca roared towards them, happy to see them back again.
"It's about time you returned! What took you so long, Solo?!" Lumiya asked, impatiently.
"If you'd seen all the traps in that room back there, you'd understand!" Han yelled back as he brought up the rear.
"And this thing weighs an absolute ton! Don't suppose you could send Chewie over to help!" Anakin yelled as Lumiya rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Fine! Send in the Wookiee! And get that repulsor trolley from the shuttle! We're pressed for time as it is!" Lumiya said, Chewbacca practically sprinting across to help Han carry the ark.
"You okay buddy?" Han asked softly, Chewbacca grunting to the affirmative.
"Good, just be ready to run. Everything's just been a bit too easy for my taste." Han said. They were nearly half-way across the chasm, Lumiya and her men waiting at the other end with the captive droids and a repulsor trolley for the ark to ride on. They were just beginning to cross the threshold when the cave trembled slightly, small trickles of dust falling from the ceiling.
"That can't be good." Han muttered as they came to a stop.
"What was that? What happened?" Lumiya asked her men who looked at each other in confusion. R2 started to beep an alarm, shaking as he started flashing his illuminator towards the other end of the chasm.
"What's he going on abo-…oh Force." Anakin cursed as he turned and looked up. Han, Chewie, and everyone else looked up at the statue of Palpatine over the door, its eyes glowing red with smoke coming from them. They then heard a demented and monstrous cackling sound that made Lumiya, Han, and Chewbacca all freeze in horror and disbelief.
"I know that laugh. It can't be!" Lumiya said as the super laser dish on the Death Star over the statue started to project a hologram of a hooded figure with a hideously scarred face, cackling at them with his hideous teeth bared. Lumiya shivered as she dropped to one knee in reverence.
"Emperor Palpatine!" she gasped as Palpatine's Visage grinned down at them with a look of sinister glee.
"Trespassers. Looters. You come here to steal my treasures?" Palpatine's Visage asked as Lumiya trembled before the image of her former Master.
"We only seek to claim what you no longer can, my Master." Lumiya replied as Palpatine's Visage smiled towards her.
"I recognize you, Lady Lumiya. You always did have ambition. Lord Vader was wise to recommend you for one of the Hands. But I donot give you permission to take what is mine." Palpatine's Visage said with an angry snarl.
"What is yours? You stole this from the Jedi of the Old Order!" Anakin yelled defiantly up at the visage of the Emperor. Palpatine's Visage sneered as he looked down at Anakin.
"There is something…familiar about you, boy. I sense the blood of Skywalker flows through your veins. You are his descendant, are you not?" Palpatine asked as Anakin swallowed slightly but kept a defiant look on his face.
"I am the grandson of Anakin Skywalker and have inherited his name. I am Anakin Solo, and I do not fear the ghosts of has been old despots like you! Especially when all this is, is a bunch of holographic trickery and machinery!" Anakin said defiantly, earning an angry snarl and a growl from Palpatine's Visage.
"Skywalker's grandson. I may not be able to destroy him, but I will destroy you instead!" Palpatine hissed before he started to cackle again, his hologram disappearing but his cackling continuing to echo on as the chasm started to shake and tremble.
"Move! Move!" Han yelled as they started to carry the ark across the threshold.
"HK! Now!" Anakin yelled, HK immediately spinning around, raising his arm and igniting a flamethrower hidden inside of it, immediately immolating some of the mercenaries. Lumiya leapt to her feet and reached towards her hip for her lightwhip but only grabbed air.
"What?!" She yelped as the Solos and Chewbacca set the ark down on the trolley, Anakin immediately pulling his lightsaber to his hand with the Force off of Lumiya's belt before she could react. Lumiya snarled at the sight of Anakin with his lightsaber as he started to deflect blaster shots from Mercenaries. HK had acquired a blaster rifle from one of the mercs, activating his personal shielding as he fired at them. Han and Chewie were ducking behind the ark to evade the blaster fire while Lumiya backed away from the lightsaber armed Anakin. Han then happened to spot his DL-44 being used by one of the Mercenaries against HK.
"Hey! That's my blaster!" Han yelled, pulling the lightwhip from his belt and cracking it towards the merc, whipping him in the face once with the inactive cable and knocking him out. Lumiya quickly dove for the discarded blaster, grabbing it and attempting to shoot Han but Han quickly ensnared her arm with the inactive whip, the whip damaging her already weakened arm circuits and causing her to drop the blaster with a hiss of pain as she pulled herself free from the whip and turned to run out of the chamber. Han then spotted a merc with Chewbacca's bowcaster on his back and wearing a brown hat on his head. Han quickly ran forward and grabbed the merc by the shoulder, spinning him around to face him and punching him across the face, dazing him long enough to start delivering repeated punches to the merc. He then felt a tapping on his shoulder turned to see another merc reared back to punch him too but Han ducked the blow, causing the second merc to accidently punch the first in the face. The punch was so hard it knocked the first's hat off of his head, the hat landing squarely on top of Han's head. The second merc didn't get a chance to make up for his mistake as he was grabbed by the throat by Chewie from behind and thrown screaming into the chasm of corpses.
"Thanks buddy!" Han said as Chewie retrieved his bowcaster, turning it on the surviving mercs. Soon the mercs had either been killed, knocked out, or retreated down the hall, leaving only a single armored mercenary standing in the doorway between them and the exit. The Mercenary gave a dark chuckle as he pulled a double bladed vibrosword from his back, spinning it menacingly, challenging them to try and get past him.
"I've got this." Anakin said as Han rolled his eyes and proceeded to fire his blaster, scoring a fatal headshot on the merc.
"Don't make things too complicated kid." Han replied as the trembling suddenly started again, the sound of Palpatine's cackling laughter echoing throughout the chamber once more. They all turned back to see the floor plating of the bridge falling away into the chasm, leaving only a pair of long metal rails behind while the supports around the large Death Star model started to quickly crumble or shatter. The Solo's looked at each other before they heard the last supports giving way, the model crashing to the ground and starting to roll along the rails towards them. Without a word, the Solos quickly started to push the ark down the hall, Chewbacca carrying a confused HK while R2 rolled along with them as they ran as fast as they could, the Death Star rolling after them and slowly gaining ground. Anakin and Han soon found the ark starting to pull ahead of them somehow until it was several feet ahead of them. Han and Anakin exchanged quick glances before shrugging mid-run as the Death Star continued to close in on them. Soon the exit was within view but the Death Star was almost upon them.
"JUMP!" Han yelled as they all jumped forward just as the Death Star crashed into the comparatively smaller doorframe, the doorframe stopping the Death Star. The Solo's looked back and took a deep breath of relief.
"Where's the ark?" Anakin asked as they looked and saw the Ark sliding on ahead of them and proceeded to slide up the boarding ramp to Lumiya's shuttle where the Sith Lady was stood pulling it towards her with the Force. She then smirked and gave a light salute to the Solos as her shuttle started to lift off and fly out of the hangar, her prize secured onboard. The Solos took a minute to let everything process but that minute was only about ten seconds as the hangar started to shake too. This was enough for them to all scramble to their feet and run for the Falcon.
"Chewie get us out of here!" Han yelled as he, Chewie, and Anakin rushed for the cockpit, starting the Falcon as pieces of debris started to fall on top of the old freighter. Chewbacca roared something as Han gave an exasperated nod.
"I know! I know! We'll have to try a back-and-forth!" Han yelled, confusing Anakin.
"A what?!" Anakin asked.
"You'll see! Just hang on! This could end badly!" Han replied as the Falcon started to lift off, hovering backwards on its repulsorlifts but the engines were still revving up. The Falcon proceeded to hover out of the hangar, tilting backwards.
"Uh, dad! I don't think we're supposed to be going this way!" Anakin yelped.
"Back-…!" Han replied, ignoring his son until the Falcon was falling towards the bottom, pointed straight up towards the exit.
"…and FORTH!" Han yelled as the engines finally ignited, the Falcon slowing in its backwards descent before quickly picking up speed towards the exit, rocketing out through the hole at a high rate of speed a split second before a cloud of dust burst out the hole, signaling the total collapse of the shaft beneath them.
"YEEHOO!" Han cheered as they headed for orbit, passing Lumiya's Bulwark Cruiser as they went. On the cruiser, Lumiya was just disembarking the shuttle, pulling the ark behind her as the Defiler approached her.
"Lady Lumiya, the Millennium Falcon is escaping! Shall we pursue?" the Defiler asked as Lumiya stopped, heading around to the front of the ark.
"No need, we have what we came here fo-…" she said but froze as she opened the lid and saw that almost half of the foam pallets were empty.
"What the-…this is half-empty! Where did-…no, SOLO!" Lumiya screamed angrily as she realized she'd been duped. She didn't notice an R3 unit rolling up towards her with a hologram of Tyber Zann being projected from it.
"It seems that my faith in you was misplaced." Zann commented as Lumiya snarled at him.
"It's that damned Solo! He stole half of the crystals!" Lumiya said as the Defiler proceeded to close the lid on the ark and have it taken away to a secure cargo hold. Zann didn't bat an eyelash at Lumiya's report.
"You still proved at least somewhat useful to me. The remaining crystals will be more than enough to finance my plans to help you and your Master take on the Sith Empire. But for allowing half of the crystals to be stolen, you have forfeited my generous offer to allow you and your partners a choice of crystal for your own use…and it looks like you've also forfeited your weapon as well. I don't think your Master will be very pleased with you on that front either." Zann said as Lumiya swallowed fearfully, especially as she realized that she would definitely be facing Maul's wrath.
Later over Ossus…
The Falcon had entered the atmosphere and was on final approach to the Jedi Temple. Han and Anakin were in the main hold, dumping Kyber Crystals into an empty cargo container under R2's supervision. HK was stood off to the side and Chewie was in the cockpit, bringing the Falcon in for a landing.
"You handled yourself pretty good out there junior. I'm proud of you." Han said, shaking one of his boots out over the container, crystals dropping into the container from the boot.
"I'm kinda surprised you know how to use a lightwhip. Where did you pick that skill up anyway?" Anakin asked as Han quickly glanced over his shoulders before leaning in.
"Chewie and I once rustled a bunch of Nerfs from an Imperial Processing Center a few months after Yavin. Had to use a shock-whip to herd them onto the Falcon. Learned pretty quickly how to use one against Stormtroopers, even after it lost its charge. I had to cannibalize it for parts to fix the Falcon not long after we offloaded the Nerfs, otherwise I would've kept it." Han explained as a smirk swept his son's face.
"Oh~h so there's the granule of truth to whenever mom calls you a 'scruffy looking nerf herder.'" Anakin said as Han gave a slight shrug and a nod simultaneously. They could feel the Falcon touching down beneath them, the engines revving down.
"Yeah and if you tell her, you're not getting the Falcon…ever." Han retorted as Anakin stifled a laugh.
"Wait, you mean she doesn't know?!" Anakin asked with a laugh as the boarding ramp lowered, Han quickly shushing the youth.
"Keep your voice down! Only Chewie and I know about that! You think I want your mother knowing about that?! I'd never be able to live that one down!" Han replied in an urgent whisper as Luke, Leia, and 3PO boarded.
"There you are! Where've you all been? I was worried about you!" Leia said as she embraced her youngest with a worried expression.
"She really wasn't though. We both knew you could take care of yourselves." Luke said as Leia let go of Anakin.
"You're going to like the souvenirs we brought you, Luke. Take a look." Han said with a smirk as he motioned to the container, Luke and Leia both looking into the container and blinking in surprise.
"Kyber Crystals? Where did you find these?" Luke asked in genuine awe, reaching in and pulling a green crystal from the box in awe.
"They're actually the ones Emperor Palpatine stole from the old Jedi caves. It's what that strange script from that datapad was. The coordinates to where Palpatine stashed them." Han explained as Luke and Leia both smiled at him in disbelief.
"I don't believe it." Leia said, awestruck.
"How did you crack the code?" Luke asked.
"Took it to old Maz. She deciphered it easily." Han explained as Luke smiled and nodded understandingly.
"Remind me to thank her for her help. One of these crystals would be enough of a thanks I imagine." Luke replied.
"We only got half of them I'm afraid. We ran into an old friend of yours." Anakin commented as Han gave a slight nod.
"Yeah. We ran into Lumiya. She made off with the other half of the crystals. These were just what we managed to smuggle out from under her nose." Han added, causing the twins to grimace slightly.
"Mmm and with the going rate of Kyber Crystals on the black market these days, Lumiya's going to make her Master very wealthy." Luke said as Leia sighed.
"But you still managed to get quite a lot of these crystals away from her and back into Jedi hands. This'll help the Jedi Order a lot." Leia explained as Luke gave a nod.
"She's right. We could even reseed some of the crystals in places like Ilum and Dantooine to revitalize the caves there." Luke explained. Han and Anakin both looked at him confused.
"How does that work?" Anakin asked.
"Kyber Crystals are unlike any other crystal in the galaxy. They're imbued with the living Force and they can imbue ordinary and naturally occurring crystals with that same Force energy, turning them into Kyber Crystals as well. It's like planting a healthy seed into an empty field. Over time, the plant that grows from the seed will multiply and, over a long period of time, the field will be filled with life. These crystals won't give us an immediate relief to using synthcrystals but in a hundred years or so, Jedi of future generations will be able to once again use Kyber Crystals in their lightsabers." Luke explained as Anakin pulled out the blue crystal from his pocket.
"What about this one though. I feel…connected to this one somehow." Anakin said as Luke held out his hand, Anakin surrendering it to him, allowing the Grand Master to examine it.
"I do sense your presence within this crystal. It has indeed responded to you. Keep it. I see no reason to deny you that which is yours. Consider it as a reward for doing a great service to the entire Jedi Order." Luke said as Anakin smiled and bowed humbly.
"Thank you, uncle." Anakin said as Luke smiled back and motioned for him to follow.
"I think it's time we talked, Anakin, about your future in the Jedi Order." Luke said as he and Anakin headed for the ramp, Chewbacca and HK following after them while R2 towed the container of crystals along behind him, leaving Han and Leia alone onboard the Falcon. Leia looked at Han with a smile, looking at the hat that was still perched on top of his head.
"Nice hat." She commented. Han furrowed his brow and looked up, pulling the brown fedora off his head.
"To be honest I didn't even know it was there." Han replied as Leia smiled, allowing a chuckle to escape.
"I dunno. I think it suits you. Throw in a little stubble around the chin and you'd look…" Leia said as Han smirked, holding the hat down at his side.
"Like a scruffy looking Nerf herder?" Han asked as they started to inch closer together.
"I never said I didn't like that look." Leia replied as Han slipped his arms around her.
"Have I ever told you about the time Chewie and I rustled Nerfs from the Empire?" Han asked as Leia smiled up at him.
"Can't say that you have." She replied softly. Han proceeded to unclip the lightwhip from his belt, tossing it onto the couch around the dejarik table.
"Then what about we talk about it in our bunk?" He asked, Leia recognizing his expression.
"We are on 'vacation.'" Leia replied before starting to walk towards the bunks, Han grinning before putting on the hat on and starting to follow after her only for her to raise her hand and stop him.
"Leave the hat." She said.
"Yes ma'am." He replied, taking off the hat and tossing it towards the couch where it landed right on top of the lightwhip.
End Episode 13
If you're hearing the Raiders March from the Indiana Jones Soundtrack in your head right now, don't worry, it's completely natural. I wanted to include an episode that sort of puts Han into an Indiana Jones-like role without making it an actual crossover. Hopefully it worked. I'm not guaranteeing that we'll see Han in a similar situation in the future but the door has been opened to the possibility. An early version of this story had the ark in question being one hidden away by Revan from Knights of the Old Republic and would've brought the Ebon Hawk and T3-M4 into the modern day but initial drafts just didn't sit well with me so I tabled the idea.
I'd like to go ahead and clarify that it wasn't Palpatine's ghost they encountered in the cave. Sith and Jedi alike have left behind interactive holograms like that in various places. Almost like a holocron but a step down from an actual holocron. It's meant to emulate their personality to some extent and use advanced sensors to identify things like Skywalker's DNA in Anakin's blood. Palpatine is dead, permanently. He won't be returning in this series except, maybe, in the occasional flashback or in holograms.
The Stah'Keelah System is supposed to be the same planet that would eventually become Starkiller Base in the Force Awakens. Obviously, it's not the system destroying superweapon it is in the Force Awakens in this universe.
…
Post-Cancellation Notes: This episode would've led to Anakin Solo's eventual knighthood and an episode in Season 3 would've covered his Jedi Trials. The Jedi Order would've used the recovered Kyber Crystals to, as Luke said, seed new Lightsaber crystals in new places across the galaxy, eventually allowing the Jedi Order to cease using synthcrystals.
Han would not die in this universe and would remain faithfully by Leia's side along with Chewie.
Anakin's trials would've also occurred along with Korto Vos and Kanan Jerrus's trials, with all three of them being knighted.
Anakin's fate would differ from his mainstream counterpart however but only slightly. A plotline I was preparing for was to have Anakin be seriously wounded fighting one of the Sith and rendered comatose. This would prompt Leia to take a leave of absence to care for her youngest son, along with Han. Anakin would remain in his coma for well over a year. At the same time, Leia would end up becoming General Leia Solo as she co-led a resistance movement against Darth Stalker following his ascension to Emperor and the Republic was convinced to sign an armistice. Leia and the Resistance would continue the war against the Sith much in the way the Resistance had gone against the First Order in the sequel trilogy. The comatose Anakin would be kept alive onboard the Falcon, looked after by Leia's former diplomatic aide, Aleera Vaan.
Anakin's coma would spur Tahiri Velia to realize her feelings towards him while her anger at his injuries brought her dangerously close to falling to the Dark Side. This coupled with the apparent death of Jacen Solo at the hands of Darth Caedus would secure her fall and she would abandon the Jedi, going rogue in an effort to avenge her lost Master and comatose love.
Fortunately she would be intercepted by the Knights of Ren, a Grey Jedi sect formed by Anakin Skywalker. The Knights of Ren would help to temper her rage and she would become known as Riina Ren, one of the Knights answering to Anakin. She would later learn that Jacen had not died but had actually won against Caedus (who was actually a clone of Jacen) and taken his place as an infiltrator. Jacen had already been recruited by his grandfather to act as his right hand in the Knights of Ren, becoming my universe's version of Kylo Ren.
Anakin would eventually come out of his coma but learning of his brother and Tahiri's fall, would not be able to accept it and any hope of a relationship would end. Tahiri would then abandon her identity of Tahiri Velia and fully become Riina Ren. Her motive would be to fight for the man she loves, even if that love was no longer reciprocated. The two would not reconcile but they would work together during the final battle against the Sith, the two acknowledging that they still loved each other but could not accept the differences between them. An epilogue would show Riina was still a proud member of the more mainstream Imperial Knights of Ren of the Third Empire formed from the remains of the Sith Empire. She would still love Anakin although he had since moved on and formed a relationship with Aleera Vaan, despite their age difference.
