Disclaimer: I do not own the Star Wars characters. I just made up the plot and Umber.
Waking up had hurt. Physically and emotionally. Jaina sat up, but was knocked flat on her back by the pain. Jacen had died. No—he was still alive, but who knew how long. She had to stop her family. They would be coming here. She would call out to Jacen with the Force.
Jacen!…
A void. He is separated!
He cannot use the Force. He is separated from it. Umber's voice—taunting.
No! Jacen! Jacen! Jacen. Jacen…
It echoes because he is not there. He is not anywhere.
Luke! Uncle Luke can use the Force.
Uncle Luke! She can feel him. He is coming. No! Don't come! Uncle Luke, he will kill you! You can't come, Uncle Luke! Don't come! He will kill everyone! Uncle Luke!
The pain comes again, unbridled. It will kill her if she doesn't stop using the Force. She must wait. Everything will be okay—but it isn't. And it never will be again. Ever.
The pain was unbearable, a dull throbbing in the back of her unconscious mind. The haze had not lifted. Luke heard—but not completely. She must try again.
Uncle Luke! Mom! Please. It's important! Do not come! Do not come! He's going to kill the galaxy. Kill it by sentencing it to the Dark Side. Forever!
It was harder to touch the Force. It was leaving her. No! The Force never leaves us, we leave it. Don't leave it. They must hear.
Mom! It's Jaina, you have to hear! He's killed Jacen! Someone was missing then. Please!
No, her mind is muddled. Scrambled like the dust on the ground. But the ground is not dusty here, it's the hard metal of a detention cell. Jacen is okay.
Uncle Luke! I'm so confused. But you can't come. You can't.
It was too much for her barely conscious mind to handle. Jaina slipped into a helpless state of unconsciousness.
Leia looked at her son lovingly. She wished he had stayed at the academy, but it was too late for that now. He lay on a metal bench, asleep from pure exhaustion. She was worried about him. He couldn't seem to connect to the Force at all.
She sat on the bench, next to Jacen's head, and smoothed his constantly unruly hair. Without Jaina and the Force, he seemed younger than Anakin. Leia leaned back, pressing her spine against the hard wall.
Then she heard Jaina, faintly.
No! Jacen! Jacen! Jacen. Jacen…
Uncle Luke!… No! Don't come! Uncle Luke, he will … You can't come… He will kill everyone! Uncle Luke!…
Uncle Luke! Mom! Please… important… Do not come! He's going to kill the galaxy… by sentencing … to the Dark Side. Forever!…
Mom! … you have to hear! He's killed Jacen! Someone… missing then…
Uncle Luke! I'm so confused. But you can't come. You can't…
Her voice faded until Leia could hear it no longer. Leia choked back a sob and got up as quickly as she could without disturbing her other twin child, who had not seemed disturbed by his sister's outburst.
She ran into the cockpit, and found Luke sitting back in his seat, eyes wide. He had heard it too. Han had the controls, and was glancing worriedly at Luke.
"Jaina," Luke managed.
"I know," Leia responded. "It's the Dark Side, all right. They have her, and plan to ruin the galaxy with her as a tool."
Han's head snapped up. "What!?"
"Jaina sent a weak message with the Force," Leia told him. "Telling us that someone is going to kill us and bring about the downfall of the galaxy."
Han set his mouth in a firm line. "All right, kid. Take the controls, and take this ship to my daughter!"
Luke took a deep breath and held the controls as Han gave the ship over to him, obviously not realizing that he had already given control to Luke. Luke frowned. Jaina had told him explicitly not to come, but that was not even a question in his mind. She needed him. But what had she meant by the cryptic words, 'He's killed Jacen! Someone— missing then!'? Luke had no idea whatsoever.
"Master Jacen?" the prissy voice filtered into Jacen's groggy mind, and he sat up, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.
"Threepio! What is it?"
Artoo tweedled. "We are nearing our destination," Threepio translated. The ship rocked to one side and Jacen was thrown painfully against the wall. He got to his feet and strapped himself into a chair. Threepio groaned. "I believe that they have seen us."
Jacen realized that the ship was rocking because she was avoiding gunfire. The Falcon swerved again. Leia struggled in and strapped herself in.
"Luke's found it. He's taking us in," Leia told Jacen. "And, Jacen, when we get there—"
"Yeah?" Jacen prompted.
"We want you to stay with the droids, okay?"
"Mom!" Jacen exclaimed. Here they were, on a rescue mission for his twin sister, and she was telling him that he had to stay with the droids!?
"Keep an eye on him, Threepio," Leia told the lanky droid.
"I will, Mistress Leia. Artoo and I are ready to accept this responsibility."
Jacen winced. "So I'm a responsibility!?" he shot at Threepio before turning to his mother, ignoring the jerking ship. "Mom, you can't make me—"
"You heard me, Jacen. And you promised to listen to me in the future. Well, now's your chance."
He sighed, resigned. Her point was too good to argue.
"Promise, please, Jacen," Leia said softly. "I want your word."
The ship landed, a bumpy landing, and Luke and Han hurried out of the cockpit. Chewie was activating various alarms and locks as he followed. Jacen never answered his mother.
Han went first, his blaster drawn and at the ready. He gave a yell and popped off a few shots at stormtroopers who shot at the sign of any movement by the Falcon as Leia and Luke ran out, Leia shooting with her own blaster, and Luke shielding himself with his lightsaber. The droids went next, as fast as they could totter/roll.
Chewie lifted Jacen off the ground, tucked him under his hairy arm, and ran out, shutting and locking the final door as he went. Seeing the last of his party safely into a new corridor, Han abandoned his one-man attack and followed.
The corridor was eerily deserted. Chewie put Jacen on the ground. Jacen stumbled back. Leia, seeing the predicament, took charge.
"Artoo, jack into that panel." She motioned at a supply room nearby. "You, Threepio, and Jacen stay in there till we come back for you. Understand?"
"No getting heroic notions, or as Threepio says, 'delusions of grandeur'," Luke added to Artoo, only half-joking. "We have to get Jaina and get out. Don't give us anything else to worry about."
Artoo made a defensive noise. Jacen started to say something, but a look from Han silenced him. Artoo jacked into the panel, let the three in, and locked the door.
"Well, I daresay we're safer in here," Threepio said, quite chattily.
"I don't care about being safer!" Jacen burst out. "Jaina's probably locked up somewhere, needing my help, and I'm locked up in here and I can't even sense her with the Force!"
"Master Jacen, I believe Master Luke will rescue her. He's quite clever, you know. For a human being."
Jacen put his head in his hands and ignored Threepio. Artoo seemed to have gone into some standby mode. Maybe his counterpart drove him crazy too.