Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, locations, movies, books, or anything else pertaining to Star Wars. I just made up the plot. Thank you for reviewing, those who do. I appreciate it.

The Millennium Falcon landed as gracefully as it could, considering all it had been through. The ramp went down, and a lone figure stood, ready to greet the occupants.

Leia came down first, and ran over to Luke, hugging him. Han walked stiffly down the ramp, followed by Chewbacca. See-Threepio followed, but started in the opposite direction, where Luke could see Artoo, rocking excitedly back and forth on his stubby little feet.

"Luke, is Jacen okay?" Leia asked.

"He's fine, a little worn out, but fine," Luke answered. "I told him to go get some rest and haven't seen him since. We have to talk. There are some complications I need to discuss with you."

"Right," Leia said. "Is Jaina okay, though?"

Luke paused. "To tell you the truth, Leia, I honestly don't know."

Leia looked at him meaningfully, then entered the temple. Luke glanced at Han. Han's face was contorted in worry and grief. He covered it with his temper.

"This never would have happened if you could keep an eye on things!" Han accused.

"Han—"

Before Luke could finish the sentence, Han's fist jumped out and caught Luke's jaw, snapping the younger man's head to the side and forcing him to fall to the ground. Han was about to jump on him with both fists when Chewbacca bodily lifted him off the ground. Luke stood, shakily, and wiped blood from his face. Chewbacca growled a warning, but Luke wasn't stupid enough to engage in a fistfight with the more experienced Han. He also wasn't going to use the Force to teach his brother-in-law a lesson. There was too much of a risk of anger.

Han jerked in Chewie's hairy grip.

"Put me down, you big furball! Leggo!"

Chewbacca growled at him.

"I don't care what you think! He let one of my children disappear from under his nose!"

Chewie barked a short response and carried the protesting and struggling Han into the temple. Luke sighed and followed.

The first thing Jaina noticed when she regained consciousness, was that she was not in her chamber on Yavin 4, nor anywhere else she recognized. The third thing she noticed was that Jacen was not here with her.

She was in a blank, white, uniformed detention cell. It was clean and windowless, the door looked like another wall. Why was she here?

Then it hit her. Right after asking Jacen if he had felt a disturbance in the Force, she had felt a strange voice laughing at her, and heard Jacen scream. She had given one yelp, then everything went black. It had cleared up once, and she had struggled to sit up, when an unidentifiable voice gave a yell, and she had felt a prick on her arm and everything disintegrated into blackness.

She realized now that she must have been drugged. And kidnapped. And locked up. Why? Was Jacen here at all?

The Empire. That was it. She had felt the Empire when the disturbance came, when she had regained consciousness for that short time, and now. She felt the dark side here.

Jaina's head was pounding. Her arm ached where they had put the needle in to drug her. But she dragged herself to her feet and went over to the door. She knew it was the door because it was across from the ledge that served as a bed. All Imperial detention cells had the same layout.

She pushed on every centimeter of the door, trying to find a secret release. There wasn't one; she hadn't expected one anyway. What now?

She didn't need to have wondered. She barely had time to jump back as the door slid open, revealing three stormtroopers, their blasters leveled on her.

The trooper in front spoke. "Come with us."

Refusing would have gained her nothing, but agreeing wouldn't either. She stood still and said nothing as the two back stormtroopers moved over to her and grabbed her arms.

Leia had beaten them to Luke's small office. When Chewie walked in carrying a nearly subdued Han and Luke wiped the last of the blood from his face, she put two and two together.

"Han!"

Luke spoke up quickly. "It's okay, Leia. Really."

"No it's not. Han, your temper is not going to get us anywhere. This is not Luke's fault at all!"

"Not his fault!?" Han spat from his disadvantaged position in Chewie's massive arms. He apparently wasn't entirely subdued. "We leave our children under his protection and he lets one of them disappear!? Some protection!"

"The children have been kidnapped before and you've never blamed anyone!" Leia half-yelled.

"Yeah, but not under these circumstances!" Han turned from Leia to Luke. "I thought we could trust you!"

Chewbacca let his opinion be known.

"Shut up, you hairy idiot!" Han told him.

Chewie dropped Han upside down, so he landed on his head. Han jumped up and reached for his blaster, but Chewbacca was quicker. He grabbed both of Han's arms and pinned them behind his back.

"No," Leia said. She had understood enough of Chewbacca's suggestion to agree with it. "Chewie's right. We need to put blame aside and worry only about Jaina. Han?"

"But—"

"She's right," Luke said quietly. "Jaina is in considerable danger. We must hurry."

Luke sat down, crossing his legs. Leia mirrored his position. Chewie pushed Han down and sat between him and Luke, ready for action.

"Tell us," Leia said to Luke. "Tell us what you know."

"Okay," Luke began. "I just found out last week, as you did, that the Empire still exists."

"Right," Leia nodded.

"I was meditating here, in my office," he continued. "When a being I couldn't identify came into this room and somehow knocked me out. Just before I lost consciousness, I heard the twins screaming, in my mind, and Jaina was cut off. Leia, I felt your pain, and Jacen's loss, but I didn't feel Jaina. She had disappeared. Even Jacen can no longer sense her presence."

"What does that mean?" Han asked dangerously.

"I don't know," Luke admitted, glad Chewie had positioned between himself and his brother-in-law. "She is gone. Perhaps the distance between her and Jacen is too great for even twins that share a bond like theirs cannot penetrate it."

"But you don't believe that," Leia said, with a flash of insight.

"No. I felt the Empire. I felt the dark side. Somehow, they were here, they got Jaina. I think they but some barrier between the twins, and the distance between them now probably doesn't help any."

"How do you know Jaina is so far away?" Han wanted to know.

"I'm just guessing, but I think that the Empire knows that we know approximately where they are—at the edge of the galaxy. I believe that they are setting a trap for us—you, Leia, and me—and Jaina is the bait. They want us to come try to rescue her, so they can get us."

"Makes sense," Leia agreed. "But then why did they only take Jaina? Why not Jacen as well?"

"My theory is that they only needed one to make us come, and they got Jaina. Maybe because she was closest to the door. Maybe because they thought that the average female of our species has a tendency to be weaker than the average male." As he said that last idea, he glanced at Leia, knowing well she was an exception.

"But if they wanted us, and you were here, helpless due to your unconsciousness, why didn't they just take you and be done with it?" Han asked. He was calming down.

"Because," Luke explained. "I think they have uses for all of us. They didn't take you or Leia because you were on Couruscant and Yavin 4 is closer to their hideout, because we're closer to the edge of the galaxy. And they didn't take me because I know how to find them and they need us to find them in order to walk into their trap."

"Yes," Leia said. "That makes sense. Have you thought any about what we're going to do?"

"Sort of." Luke glanced at Han. "We take the Falcon there. I don't know if they're hidden on a planet or a ship. When we find out, we can figure out how to land. Then we find Jaina and leave."

"That's a vague 'sort of'," Han growled.

"They probably have Jaina under high security," Leia added.

"Yeah, I know," Luke agreed. "But I truly don't know what to expect. We're going to have to play it by ear."

Han scowled. There was silence. Then Chewie bellowed his agreement.

"I'm in." Leia's voice was calm.

There was a pause and Leia nudged her husband.

"Fine," Han said angrily. "I'm in, but only because I'm not letting any of you crazy lugheads take my ship anywhere without me."

Unbeknownst to any of the adults in Luke's office, a boy sat outside of the door, listening, but keeping his presence unknown.

Jacen knew now that the Empire's existence was the reason Uncle Luke was all worked up recently. He also knew that his father blamed Luke for Jaina's disappearance. That was why he was so angry, and why Han had punched Luke. Jacen thought that his father could use a few lessons from Uncle Luke about anger control.

Uncle Luke had said Jaina was in considerable danger. What had he meant by that? He knew and loved Jaina more than any of the people in the office. Why couldn't he feel her. Brother and sister; twins. Together, they were invincible, right? Guess not.

The grown-ups were wrapping up their conversation. It was now or never. Jacen took a deep breath, steeling himself, and entered Uncle Luke's office.

All three adults looked up when Jacen entered without the prerequisite knocking. Luke spoke first.

"Jacen?" He said it mildly, but his undertone held a reprimand.

"I know it was the Empire," Jacen's words tumbled out. "They took her to the edge of the galaxy and you're going to get her back. I'm coming too."

Han looked at Leia. Leia looked at Luke. Luke glanced back at Leia, raising his eyebrows. Leia shook her head ever so slightly. Jacen's spirit sank.

"Jacen," Luke said quietly. "I think it would be better if you remained here under Tionne's supervision."

"But I know I can handle this! I've gone up against the Empire before! I want to go! Please?"

"Luke told you no," Leia said sternly. "You are to listen to him and take his word."

Jacen knew he had one last chance. With Dad angry at Uncle Luke…

"I want to go help my sister. She would do the same thing for me." Jacen directed this plea at Han.

"The answer is no, Jacen," his father said. "You heard Luke and your mother. I don't want to hear anything else about it. Understand?"

"But Dad—" Jacen protested.

"But nothing," Han said, unfeeling.

"We will be back soon," Leia said. "It will be quick and uneventful."

"Famous last words," Han muttered. Leia shot him a look.

"While we are gone," Luke said. "You must continue lightsaber training with a remote. Tionne will help you. And you may assist any of the other students as she sees fit. Okay?"

Jacen looked at the floor.

"Jacen," Leia prompted gently.

"Yeah," Jacen muttered. "Fine. Whatever."

He left the room, head down.

"He could handle it," Luke said quietly.

"But I am his mother, and I don't want him anywhere near this. I want at least one of my twins to be safe," Leia said.

Han nodded. "He is better off here, Luke. If I can keep him out of danger, I want to."

"It's your call," Luke agreed. "He's your son."

"We want him to stay here," Leia said.

"So be it," Luke promised.