Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters therein.

A/N: I know it's been a while since I've updated, but I was on vacation. I appreciate all of the good reviews that I got.

Dragon Riding Sorceress: I like all of your speculation! I'm glad you're interested... and this chapter should answer a lot of your questions. And about the prophecy, I really don't follow the EU so I didn't know anything about it.

Sir Geoff: You asked a very good question. The AT-ATs in this fiction are NOT the ones you see in the Original Trilogy. They are a sleeker, faster, automatic form ofa speeder. They look nothing like the original AT-ATs but the abbreviation stands for All Terrain Automatic Transport.

Enjoy the chapter!

9: The Key

She found herself in a room she was not familiar with, but she turned slightly and recognized the endless cityscape of Coruscant. As she did so, a piece of her hair swung out from behind her ear. In tucking it back, she looked down in surprise, and saw that her normally blonde hair had been replaced by fiery auburn locks, as bright as the sun that was now setting, and no less glorious. She also observed that the ground was much closer than it ought to have been, as if she had shrunk. Her mouth had been partially opened, and she now closed it, as if she had just finished delivering a silent message.

Now turning around and looking up, she noticed the presence of two men. One was elderly, looking nearly sixty, and had apparently seen a lot of action in his life. He had sparse white hair and a face that was starting to crease with wrinkles. Despite all the signs of aging, however, he was certainly a striking man. He was slender and in good shape, showing no signs of decrepitude, though he did gaze wearily at the young man before him. The latter looked like a younger version of his elder, save that his eyes were an intense gray color, so close to Ennelei's own, instead of a piercing shade of blue.

Although she did not recall saying anything when she opened her mouth, her message had obviously not been silent to these two, for the younger man reacted to it then. His statement explained both the tense atmosphere and the resemblance between the two men. "She's dead, Dad. How does that make you feel?"

That voice… I know that voice.

The father tried to place a hand on his son's shoulder, but the latter withdrew. "I'm sorry, Ben." The same aspect of the youth's voice that had triggered Ennelei's memory was heard in the elder's at once, Ennelei realized that he reminded her of Luke Skywalker. But this couldn't be him, because Luke hadn't had a son… right?

The older man sighed, and turned toward her with a tired sigh. "When did this happen, Lanya?"

Lanya? As in Luke Skywalker's daughter? What in the galaxy is happening? While her mind was spinning in a confused state, her mouth answered mechanically. "Intelligence found her body earlier today, at about 0350 our time." He called me Lanya. Then again, this could be anyone who knew her…

"Her body?" the older man persisted.

"She was probably to young and untrained to be able to transcend death."

"I know how you felt, son. I'm sorry…"

The growing tension between father and son finally erupted in a violent explosion.

"Don't even say you're sorry! That's what you said when you came back from your last mission with mom. You could have saved her – I know you could have, people always consider you as the galaxy's greatest hero – and if you had really cared for her, you would have. Instead, she died defending you. She took the laser bolt meant for you."

"I know she did. Ben you know I did everything I could—"

"I see past your lies, Dad. You left with her on that mission to Tatooine – a planet you swore you hated – and you came back alone. Do you know how hard that was for me, to never have seen her again?"

"Of course, I do. I had to deal with the same problem." He sighed, and his voice softened. "She was too young to die."

"Yes she was," Ben snapped, "and so was Kayla. But you're too absorbed in being the glorified hero of the Republic that you don't feel for people. Not even the woman who you claim you loved. Not even me, your own son. You've tried to drag me into this life that I didn't want. Just because my parents were Force-strong, I'm not, and I am also not fixated on being a galactic hero like you are. If mom were here, she'd understand. Thanks to you, she's dead." Then, a realization visibly struck him. "Now that Kayla's gone, there's nothing else here for me. I'm fed up with everything." He strode into the adjacent bedchamber, his father on his heels.

"You're leaving?" His father asked when he saw Ben take out a travel case. His tone was both incredulous and mournful. Ennelei - or was it Lanya? - looked on from her spot in the doorway, feeling helpless and out of place.

"That's right," Ben responded coldly. In the moments that followed, father futilely attempted to convince his son to remain on Coruscant. "I'm leaving," the son burst out emphatically in the middle of the elder's calm and rational persuasions. "That's final; there's nothing you can do to stop me. " At that juncture, most of Ben's possessions had already been packed neatly in the travel case. "I'm fleeing far into the Outer Rim. Don't even think about coming to look for me, because I won't tell you where I'm going."

The elderly man watched as his son picked up the case and made for the door of the apartment. But he paused before he exited for good, and to his father's surprise, he turned back. As if seeing the bright glint of hope in the older man's eyes, he added, "I forgot something." That small indication of hope was instantly extinguished and transformed once more into a mark of despair.

Meanwhile, the young man had strode into what was evidently his father's bedchamber and opened the top drawer of the sole dresser and pulled out a few items. As Ennelei crept closer, she saw it was a ring and a heart-shaped necklace. Bizarre. "Wait a minute," his father called out, rising from the couch on which he now sat. Reluctantly, Ben halted, and then approached is father. "All I ask for is the ring."

"Why should I let you? You never showed one iota of love for her; the expensive wedding band must have been nothing but an empty symbol. As far as I'm concerned, you're entirely responsible for her death. You must feel that way too, because you're too afraid to even speak her name."

"Son, I loved your mother more than anything this galaxy save the galaxy itself. Her few pieces of jewelry are all I have left of her." He looked Ben right in the eyes and implored softly, "Please, son." Reluctantly, Ben handed over the ring, still clutching the heart-shaped necklace tenaciously. A small charm in the shape of a lightsaber hung next to the main heart pendant, she noted. Studying the object more closely, she was able to discern two letters intricately engraved on the pendant: TS. She looked at it intensely as the young man made for the door. He picked up his travel case and closed the portal with him and his possessions on the other side, and thus, Ben Skywalker was gone forever.

Ben Skywalker? How do I know with such certainty?…

The sound of the older man sinking down onto the couch with his head in his hands interrupted her mid-thought. Instantly filled with an inexplicable amount of compassion, she strode over and sat down beside him. She firmly placed an arm around his shoulders. And her mouth once again moved of its own accord: "It's not your fault, Dad." Dad? Her head was reeling by now with the impact of all the bizarre things she had said and done. However, above confusion – and all else for that matter – she felt a sense of sorrow, as if Ben's departure was her loss as well. Silent tears made their way down her cheeks as the man whom she'd addressed as her father wept inwardly. Silently, they comforted one another with their mutual emotions until the man spoke up. "I can't believe he's gone."

"There wasn't anything you could have done," she futilely tried to console him.

He didn't seem to hear her. "Maybe I could have been more understanding toward him. There ought to be something I could have said or done…"

"None of this is your fault."

"Yes, it is. I'm a bad father."

"No…" She felt as if she could say no more, and the room became uncomfortably silent once more.

Finally, he spoke up. "For once I'm glad that Tenyalla isn't here. She would have been devastated, and would have thought it was all her fault. Then again… if she were here, maybe he wouldn't have left."

Neither person noticed the presence of a numinous form in the corner of the room, for it lurked in the shadows. It was in the likeness of a woman, not unlike Luke in that she was beautiful, though daunted by age. In this instant, her face that was starting to crease with the worries of old age looked particularly careworn. If one could have done so in the spiritual realm, she would have wept along with the other two.

The scene switched to show a small vessel approaching a barren world, upon which two suns shone brightly.

The incessant blaring of a chronoalarm was the next thing Ennelei heard. Startled at the abrupt change of events, she took a few moments to get her bearings before going to turn it off.

Her thoughts then inevitably turned back to the strange dream. As she had been living through it, she had been too engrossed in what was going on to extensively question why she had ostensibly been trapped in Lanya Skywalker's body. If that were actually true… Ennelei became surprised that she even bothered to think farther than that. It was only a dream, after all. But something had definitely grabbed her attention. For one, through deductive reasoning she could figure out that the older man was Luke Skywalker. He had called her Lanya; in turn, she addressed him as father. And so had that other young man, Ben. Strange, I thought he'd had only a daughter…

Then, there was the presence of that hololocket, which made Ennelei believe that this dream would more aptly be called a vision. The initials appeared no different than they had in her dream; the elegant T.S. was still there, not faded though unaccountably old. If I only had a key to this piece of jewelry, I could unlock the secrets of this entire mystery…

All of a sudden, a detail that had seemed frivolous in comparison to the other revelations of the dream came back to her. There had been a small lightsaber shaped pendant on the chain next to the locket itself. She gazed in wonder at the charm bracelet on her wrist. There hung what seemed like the exact replica. She remembered finding it among her mother's jewelry just after Serinya had become deceased. She thought of it as a beautiful piece of jewelry but had opted to place it on her bracelet and leave the beautiful locket on the chain by itself. Before now, she had not thought that the two had belonged together. She fingered the small charm. Could it really be that simple? There was only one way to find out.

She took off the bracelet, trying to fit the side of the pendant into what was seemingly its larger counterpart. She held her breath, and exhaled loudly when it didn't fit. Just as she was about to abandon the entire idea as hopelessly far-fetched, she laughed at herself; she had inserted the alleged key upside down. Tremulous fingers then turned it the right way, and almost dropped the necklace out of shock when it clicked into the groove. The microscopic indentation that served to resemble the activation button of the lightsaber activated the inner mechanism by pushing down a tiny lever, and the necklace opened into two halves. For a moment, Ennelei forgot how to breathe, as she faced the holos of two extremely significant personages.

The left portion alone shocked her, though in hindsight, it shouldn't have. Staring her in the eyes was the younger man she had seen from the previous night's vision. It was the caption that befuddled her most. It read "Ben Sheplin," instead of Ben Skywalker. But the picture next to it was enough to eliminate any doubts of his identity. A young woman was pictured, shoulder-length curly locks gently cascading down her slight shoulders. Her eyes and facial expression were deep but passive. 'Mother,' read the simple caption. Ennelei remembered that picture from her viewing of the Jedi Archives; the young lady was doubtless no other than Tenyalla Skywalker herself. If nothing else, the fact that these were old blue-and-white holographs attested to their age. They had gone out of existence shortly after the New Republic began to form, replaced by the more recent color RealLife shots.

Ennelei held the open necklace in her palms for a few long moments, placing together this puzzle of which she had just found the long-lost last piece: Luke Skywalker, the Chosen One, the broken line, the posterity...everything coalesced. Finally, everything made sense.

I have to talk to Tabretta Solo!

She glanced at the chrono and winced. She was due at the facility in less than 20 minutes, and she had not even begun to get ready.

"You're late, Miss Starchaser," her superior chided sternly as soon as she entered.

"I know, sir. I'm sorry." She hung her head slightly with her hands clasped behind her back – it was a gesture of apology on Atillah.

"See that it does not happen again," he said severely.

"It won't, Sir. I'll work extra late today." Ennelei knew that this would be necessary anyway. She'd been so engrossed with her inner musings concerning the dream and her hololocket that she had lost track of time. She had to bite back a swear when she saw the time on the chronometer, not only because she'd be late for work, but because she needed to contact Solo, and because she'd been so eager to do so. She had prepared herself in record time, not even bothering to eat a small breakfast. She had set her transport at a speed that would have been questionable to the authorities had they spotted her.

Currently regaining her composure and posture, she spoke up. "I need to contact Tabretta Solo with an important update on the mission she gave to me."

"Do what you must, but do not forget that you have a report due in two days sharp."

"I won't forget, sir." Contrarily, that report had been in the forefront of her mind.

She strode over to her workstation. From the adjacent one, she heard Sarisa chuckle softly as she greeted Ennelei.

"Hey. Wow, you look like you've just rolled out of bed."

Ennelei gritted her teeth, not in the mood for superfluous humor. "Very funny." She switched on her private holocomm. "Master Solo," she addressed the Jedi, once her translucent image appeared before her.

"Ennelei. I take it you have a new development in your research?"

"Yes, an very important one, at that. I've figured it out."

"Figured what out?"

"Everything." Ennelei related all to Tabretta, starting with the vision and continuing with the interpretation process, including many details that pointed toward the conclusion. Carefully, she laid out pieces of the puzzle, making them logically fit together: the locket once belonged to her mother, and before her, her ancestors, the first of which was Luke's rebellious son, Ben Skywalker. The reason why he wasn't in the Jedi Archives was because he had run away from the Jedi Temple, not wanting to follow the lifestyle of his parents. It all made perfect sense.

When Ennelei finished her description of this strange chain of events, she saw Tabretta Solo sink into a pensive state of meditation. "I never expected anything like this. It is a complicated situation. Although your account would explain the origins of your Force-sensitivity and your accurate visions, I cannot base a historical account on a personal story and dream."

"Of course, I understand that. I was hoping that you would be able to look into it further based on the information I supplied."

Slowly Tabretta shook her head. "I'd need a little more evidence than you've provided so far. I for one believe that it's worth looking into, but I foresee the Council rejecting the idea. It could be that we start doing tests and something fails to match up; they'd be unwilling to risk sacrificing the time and energy."

"What if I showed you the actual hololocket? It contains Tenyalla Skywalker's picture, and it was always with my mother's family, handed down from generation to generation."

"You're sure this person isn't someone that resembled Tenyalla?"

"I'm sure," Ennelei responded as she used the lightsaber pendant to open the locket and reveal the two pictures. Tabretta studied the young woman's photo intensely. "You're right. I'd be willing to bet that you have the same picture that's under her file in the Jedi Archives, pixel for pixel. But why does the photo next to it have the caption 'Ben Sheplin?'

For a long time, Ennelei was silent. She had overlooked that as an unimportant detail before, and she begged herself to come up with a plausible explanation. It would have been a shame if she had worked this hard to come up with a conclusion that was so easily proven false. Eventually, though, she thought of a credible justification. "We know that Ben wanted nothing to do with his father. He must have disowned him by changing his surname." She remembered the headstone that she had found so many years ago on Tatooine with the same name engraved on it…

Solo considered this for a long moment, then shrugged, apparently convinced. "Very well, then. I will present this possibility to the Council. If all of this is true, we will be happy to finally have aid in possibly preventing this seemingly inevitable Civil War. I will contact you when the Council in entirety reaches its decision. May the Force be with you."

"And with you." With that, the transmission ended.

"You're trusting her?" The voice was low and smooth, almost mystical sounding. It belonged to a Falleen, the most exotically beautiful humanoid race in the galaxy. This particular being possessed the typical high cheekbones and green-gray skin of his species. He was tall as well, which added a commanding presence. His graying topknot suggested that this was an aging Falleen – probably somewhere over 150.

Next to him stood Tabretta Solo, who responded to his inquiry, "Yes, master Stri'lath't. She doesn't have much evidence, but the amount that she gave me is very convincing. It's worth the effort to look into her background if it means getting the help we need in the end."

"Use your head, Tabretta. If she were truly this 'Chosen One,' she would have already been recognized by the Jedi Order."

Tabretta cut him off, a steely gaze visible in her eyes as she became indignant that he insulted her intelligence like this. "If she had been born in the Republic. This young lady is from Tatooine. She matches up with the prophecy's description of the second One. He or she was to be born secluded from the rest of the galaxy, and was supposed to come from a mysterious and long-hidden line of descendents. What's more, he or she would hypothetically come during a time when help was needed most. We've discussed for years how we desperately needed aid from someone who was Force-strong. Now here she is, the key to the mystery. It was her destiny to help us."

"Okay, Tabretta. But have you thought about what would happen if all of this becomes null and void?"

Tabretta shook her head, large, unblinking brown eyes staring out of the window. "That is something I simply cannot foresee."

"If you feel that strongly about this, then there is nothing that either the Council or I can say to convince you otherwise. Do what you feel you must, but if there is anything that doesn't match up, don't waste any more time pursuing the matter."

"Of course, Master. May the force be with you."

"And with you." He wasted no time in turning around and leaving.