Author Note: Sorry about the delay in updating. Another story infiltrated my brain and I wrote it, thus delaying the writing of this fanfic. But I finished the other one, so I can focus on Peculiar Dream again.
The Vengeance
In orbit around Dagobah
Entry room between the Vengeance and the Millennium Falcon
A few days later
"Welcome back, you two!" Luke said with a smile, "Did you, ah, have a good time?"
Leia's arm was curled around her husband's waist and she smiled widely, "Yes, we had a great time. The food was great, the company was greater …"
Luke grinned, "I'm glad it was fun. And now, are you ready to hit the ground floating? Because I'm tired after days of the Master focusing almost entirely on me. Your turn!"
/-
2 weeks later
Dagobah
Level area outside Yoda's hut
"Fearsome, Force lightning is," Master Yoda said solemnly.
Luke and Leia looked more bewildered than impressed.
"What is it exactly?" Leia asked.
Vader spoke now, "It is a purely offensive, energy based attack which allows the user to unleash lightning from his or her fingertips. At the hands of Darth Sidious it can kill its subject in an instant or be a source of prolonged torture, depending on the energy involved."
The twins now looked both startled and horrified.
"Can it be deflected?" Luke asked worriedly.
"Or absorbed?" Leia added.
"Hmmm, both possible using tutaminis Force abilities," Yoda said.
Leia and Luke exchanged looks.
"I realize I'm just an Outer Rim farmboy, but I don't even know that word," the youth stage whispered to his sister.
"I don't know that word either!" she whispered back dramatically.
Vader chuckled, which resulted in a strange echoing sound emanating from his vocoder
"Tutanimis abilities represent a host of skills in which a Force user is able to absorb energy or, on occasion, absorb energy in one form and use it in another form," he explained.
"Most difficult such techniques are," the green elf chimed in, "And time we will not have for such advanced techniques for you to learn. But deflect with lightsaber possible. Indeed, learn you must, else attack against Sidious fail it will."
"How do we learn, Master Yoda?" Leia demanded.
"I have modified R2D2 to simulate Force Lightning, my children," Vader explained gravely, "It will not of course injure you like Sidious' lightning will, but you can practice deflecting it with your lightsaber."
R2, who had been sitting quietly at Vader's side liked a devoted anura, now rolled forward and promptly blasted Luke with fake Force Lightning.
Luke yelped in surprise and indignation at the mild shock, "What was that for?"
R2's dome twisted, and the little droid let loose with a sniggering beep, followed by extensive chortling.
"Father," Luke said with a sigh, "I think you are having a bad effect on R2."
"He's remembering our glory days," Vader replied with a proud pat on that silver dome.
/-/
2 weeks later
The Millennium Falcon
Attached to the Vengeance
In Orbit around Dagobah
"Ok, Chewie, close that panel up and then we'll turn in for the night," Han said.
He stretched slightly and walked through the main area of the Falcon and then into his own cabin. To his surprise and delight, Leia was sitting on his (their!) bed, her back against the wall, a blanket around her body.
"Leia!" he said in delight, then, "Leia, what's wrong?"
He was on the bed next to her now, his eyes on her downcast face, his hand wiping the tears trickling from her eyes.
"Leia?"
"Oh Han," she said, with a weary and deeply discouraged sigh, "I just can't do it. I can't."
"Can't …?"
"Can't deflect Force lightning. Luke picked it up in 3 days and I've been trying and trying and trying."
She suddenly burst into tears of frustration and exhaustion and he put his arms around her, drew her close to him. Part of him was angry at Yoda, at Vader, even at Luke, for pushing her so hard. And part of him was glad that through all that had happened in his life, her life, they had each other. He was glad he was here for her right now.
"Leia, sweetheart, no one is good at everything."
She shook her head, swallowed convulsively, "The whole plan depends on our being able to deflect it."
She was suddenly wide eyed, her eyes gazing directly into his own, "Sidious could kill me with one jolt, Han. I have to be able to deflect. I don't know why I can't figure it out but I have to. And I'm not sure I'll be able to."
Now fear filled Solo's heart, fear and anger. They would not, they could not, put her in such danger! Not his beloved wife, not his Leia!
Leia stiffened suddenly and looked to her right.
"Jinn, I know you are trying to be kind but I do need to learn …"
A pause.
"Yes, I know, but that's … that's nothing. Shielding is easy. I need to be able to …"
Another, longer pause. Leia relaxed and leaned against Han now, her face more composed.
"Ok, I understand, Master Jinn. I'm just not used to failing at anything. I guess … I guess it's a matter of pride. Luke can do it, so why can't I? But I suppose that's silly."
A last pause, and then a watery smile from Leia, "Ok, thanks. I appreciate that."
She turned now to look at Han and smiled more sincerely, then leaned forward for a kiss.
"Master Jinn says we can work around it if I just can't figure out how to deflect Force lightning. He says it is hard and that Luke is just really good," she explained.
Solo groaned aloud, which made his wife raise her eyebrows.
"It creeps me out to think that Force ghosts are hanging out in our cabin sometimes because, you know …"
A flirtatious grin formed on Leia's face, "Don't worry, Han. I assure you they don't want to be here during our, uh, more private times any more than you and I want them here."
"So he's gone now?" Solo demanded.
"Yep."
"Good. Because I'm ready for a private time, aren't you?"
She pulled him down beside her, which was answer enough.
/-/
The Vengeance
Recreation Room
2 weeks later
"Tea, Doctor?" Pooja asked.
Doctor Sert looked up from the datapad, his hideous frown dissipating at the sight of Pooja and the tea.
"That's quite a face you are making, Lenz," she said with a smile, "Is there a problem?"
Sert sighed and took a long sip of tea, "No, my dear, no real problem. I'm just frustrated that I don't have everything I need to treat my patient as well as I would like to. Yes, much has been done with Chewbacca's help, and even the little astromech droid has proven invaluable, but if I had access to the very best, most modern treatment, I could do so much more."
Pooja put out her hand and laid it on Sert's own, "You've done miracles for Lord Vader. You know that, don't you?"
He looked at her with a mixture of love and amazement. Given the intense personalities on the Vengeance and Dagobah and the Millennium Falcon, it was miracle that everyone was getting along fairly well, and no one had gone stark raving mad over the last few months.
And truthfully, the Miracle in question had a name, and her name was Pooja Naberrie. She was the consummate diplomat, and a kind, honest, decent human being. Even Lord Vader came to her at times for advice. As for the hapless crew members who were caught up in this crazy and wild ride, Pooja was a mixture of older sister and mother and favorite aunt.
"So Pooja?" he said suddenly.
She lifted her eyebrows, "Yes?"
Sert continued awkwardly, "If, hypothetically, I was to ask you to marry you, would you, hypothetically, want to wait until all this was over so, you know, you could talk to your family and get married on Naboo? Or …"
Pooja interrupted with a gentle smile, "Given that we may not survive 'all this', I would rather you asked me sooner rather than later."
He took a deep breath, "Pooja, will you marry me?"
She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him, "Absolutely!"
/-
Dagobah
2 weeks later
"So are you all right, Leia?" Luke demanded, shutting down his lightsaber.
Leia was wearing a rather otherworldly look on her face, but she forced herself to focus on her brother.
"Yes, I'm fine," she said gravely.
He dropped onto a fairly dry patch of moss and patted the ground beside him.
"Do you want to tell me what happened?" he asked gently.
She sat down as well and closed her eyes, "Well, the Dark Side cave was as you described it, wet and dirty and with all too many snakes and bugs. I appreciate the warning about not bringing a weapon as … as that wouldn't have been good."
Luke waited patiently.
"It was the Death Star, with a heavy dose of Tarkin," she said softly.
Her twin reached out and took her hand in his own, "Oh Leia, you weren't…hurt, were you?"
She blinked away tears, "Oh no. Not physically."
She shuddered slightly and added, "I hope the Cave isn't like that, that we could actually be physically injured? It was the Death Star command center, but Tarkin just talked with Vader looming silently behind me. And Tarkin was a barve, I guess you could say, taunting me about Alderaan, about what my own father did to me."
"Not that he knew, of course, that Vader was your father, not the real Tarkin."
"No, he didn't," she agreed.
She sighed, "It really wasn't too terrible. I knew it would show something in my heart and it did. The Death Star still hurts, a lot. I still have the occasional nightmare, though less frequently. The interrogation at Vader's hands is still a struggle. But I'm … I'm getting closer to forgiving him fully. And I'll always grieve Alderaan, but feeling the grief instead of burying it has been good."
Luke gave her a long and fervent hug.
/
The Vengeance
4 weeks later
"Do you, Doctor Lenz Sert, take this woman, Pooja Naberrie, to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Vader asked.
Sert beamed at the white clad woman at his side, "I do."
"And do you, Senator Pooja Naberrie, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
She smiled back at her doctor, "Yes, I do."
Amid the cheers from the assembled friends and family of the newly married couple, Vader mused, "At least I have a backup career if being Emperor of the Galaxy falls through …"
/
The wilds of Dagobah
5 weeks later
"Luke! Hey, Kid, are you asleep?"
Luke woke up to find himself falling. He reached out through the Force, sensed the ground approaching rapidly, went into a tuck and roll, and found himself lying on the ground, liberally splashed with mud but unharmed.
With a groan, he staggered to his feet to find Han and Chewbacca standing a couple of meters away. Han's expression was clearly warring between concern and amusement.
"You Ok?"
Luke nodded even as he used the Force to shake some of the mud off his clothes, "Yeah, I'm fine."
A broad smile split Han's face as the humor of the situation took over. Chewie guffawed as well.
Luke chuckled as well. He probably did look funny. He looked up at the darkening sky and frowned in bewilderment. He then shot a look at his chrono. Wait a minute.
"It's 1700 hours? I've been out here 6 hours?"
Han nodded, "Uh, yeah, see…"
"No, Han, just wait," Luke said firmly, "Please tell me, please, that I finally succeeded in evading Leia. Please tell me that she struggled and fought and quested and I finally went silent in the Force, that she could not find me. Please tell me that."
Han stared at him incredulously, a furrow between his eyes.
"I could do that, Luke," he drawled finally, "But do you really want me to lie to you?"
Luke sighed and hung his head. Wearily he stretched out through the Force for his sister, who was …
"She's on the Vengeance?" he demanded, startled.
"Yeah. Come on Kid, we gotta get back to the Falcon."
Puzzled, Luke began following Han and Chewie along one of Dagobah's confusing trails.
Solo pushed a branch aside even as he said, "See, 15 minutes after you left for your little game of hide and seek …"
"Training, Han." Luke interrupted firmly, jumping over a particularly large mud puddle which Han and Chewie had circled around, "We are training. It's not hide and seek."
"Whatever ya say, Kid," Solo said with another chuckle, "So 15 minutes after you walked off, we got a message that something big was going down, something about that wine order for the Death Star party, and Leia needed to get up to the Vengeance immediately. She took the shuttle and I agreed to call you in. But for some reason, your comlink was off."
Luke glanced at his com and winced, "Well, I turned it off because I was afraid that Leia …"
"Was cheating?" Han turned around now to glare at his brother-in-law, "Are you saying that my wife would cheat in your game of hide and seek?"
"It's not a game!" Luke whined, then laughed, "I was thinking that if someone commed me the sound might attract Leia. So I didn't think she'd cheat exactly, but she's cunning, my sweet twin. She would use what she could. And I thought she'd find me in 20 minutes anyway, like always. She reminds me of an akk dog and I'm the ash-rabbit. It's like she can smell me out or something … Speaking of which, how did you find me when I had turned off my comlink?"
"Chewie smelled you out," Solo said with another chuckle, "After Yoda pointed us in the right direction, that is. It still took us a couple of hours to come across your trail. I'm sure it was very boring for you but that's what you get for hiding in a tree with your comlink off."
"I was asleep." Luke replied, stretching slightly, "Getting the best sleep I've had in a couple of weeks, actually."
"Well, it's a good thing you are rested up, Kid, because I think we're about ready to take out Palpatine."