Disclaimer: I do not own the Star Wars characters. I made up the plot and Umber, though.
Umber stood patiently, waiting for the future. When the late Emperor had first exposed him to the Force, the old ruler had drawn on his special unusual abilities.
Grand Admiral Umber could see into the past, and fairly well into the future. Of course, granted the future was always in motion, always changing. He had used these abilities on that young Jaina Solo, showing her the past and how the future looked to him.
The only problem was that something—no, someone—had been missing from that scene in Jaina's own future. Umber himself had no clue as to who it was, only that there was someone else. It gnawed at the back of his mind, torturing him with unknown knowledge.
A stormtrooper entered and stood at attention.
"What is it?" Umber asked.
"The Millennium Falcon has arrived, sir," said the stormtrooper, muffled through his facemask.
"Yes." Umber smiled. "I know."
"The occupants evaded our fire and escaped down the east corridor. All is going according to plan. We did not follow them."
"But you will meet up with them again at sector 7-B, correct?" Umber interjected.
"Yes, sir," the stormtrooper said.
"Excused, then," Umber said.
The stormtrooper left.
Umber turned away from the door. "And Jacen Solo is here. Without the Force." He clasped his hands in front of his military fatigues, unneeded in the setting of a star destroyer. But his serious stance was not reflected in a slight smile on his lips. Everything was as he had foreseen. Except for that missing someone.
Jacen paced back and forth.
"And so I said to him, 'Artoo,' I said, 'this is not what we were told to do,' but he wouldn't listen. Delusions of grandeur, I tell you. Remember that Artoo? And so he rolled off to the front headquarters, and naturally I followed him. Someone has to keep an eye on him." Threepio's voice still droned on, explaining how Master Luke was a clever human being. He had yet to make his story make sense. Jacen had long since stopped listening and had taken up pacing.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
Back and forth…suddenly he stopped.
"Artoo, open the door!" He shook Artoo until the little droid came out of his standby mode. "Artoo! Open the door!"
"Master Jacen!" Threepio exclaimed. "Your mother told you perfectly clearly that you were to stay here with us."
"I don't give a scrap!" Jacen retorted. "I'm going to find my sister!" He went to the back of the supply room and found what he was looking for. Lightsabers. He grabbed two. It was a box of at least a dozen. He had no idea what they were here for, but they were here. Maybe the Empire planned to train Jedi of its own someday.
Artoo squealed. "Artoo, that is not acceptable!" Threepio complained. "Master Luke and Mistress Leia ordered us to stay here with Jacen. They will probably have us thrown into a scrap heap if we disobey."
Artoo's domed head swiveled back and forth from Jacen to Threepio. He rolled over to the panel and jacked in. He twittered and beeped. Suddenly, Artoo began shaking uncontrollably and was ejected out of the panel. Bolts of electricity coursed through his stumpy body as he gave an amazingly human scream and fell to the floor, powerless.
Threepio bustled over to him, wailing reprimands.
"I told you not to, Artoo! They likely have the door on an alarm. Oh, Artoo, say something! Artoo!"
Jacen shoved past the two droids and faced the panel. It was activated by a code. The buttons were there, but he didn't know which ones to push.
5 7 4 3 2 2 0
As fast as the numbers came into his head, Jacen typed them. He did not know where they came from, nor did he really care. Just so long as they were correct.
They were and the door slid open. He stepped out and it slid shut behind him. Was it the Force? He still couldn't feel anything. No Jaina, no Luke, no Leia, no Han, nothing. He didn't know where to turn, how to find Jaina.
Right. Then left. Cross the courtyard. Left. Room 175. Hotwire: blue to red, green to purple.
Right. Jacen turned right and walked down a long hallway until he reached an intersection. Left. A large courtyard. Across it. Another intersection, turn left. There was a hallway of many doors. They were numbered: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and so on. Jacen jogged for a long time. 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175. 175!
There was a panel on it. Jacen pried the cover off easily. Only four wires were in it. He didn't know how to hotwire anything!
Hotwire: blue to red, green to purple.
Jacen followed the instructions in his head—they had worked so far, and the door slid open.
Jaina lay to white bench in the back of the detention cell, sleeping. Jacen went to her and shook her shoulder slightly. She cried out and pulled away.
"Jaina? Jaina, it's Jacen."
"Jacen?" Her eyes began to focus.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"My arm," she said, her eyes full with tears. "I think it's broken. But, Jacen, you're alive?"
"Last time I checked," Jacen tried to joke.
"There's a void," Jaina said.
"I know," he said comfortingly. "It's okay though. I can't connect with the Force, but I am alive and okay. I am, Jaina. It's okay."
She was crying silently. "Is Uncle Luke here? And Mom? And Dad?"
"Yes. We came to get you. It's okay."
He sat down next to her and put his arms around her, full of brotherly concern. Jaina buried her face in his shoulder and choked out, "He's going to kill them!"
"What!?" Jacen asked. "Who's 'he'?"
"Umber. He's going to kill them and destroy the New Republic."
"Shhh," Jacen said. "He won't." Inside, Jacen was confused. What was all this? Jaina obviously wasn't in the condition to be interrogated. He had never seen her this mentally and emotionally hurt.
"Where are they?" she asked.
"Uncle Luke and Mom and Dad? I don't know."
"We need to find them!" Jaina cried desperately.
"Jaina, calm down. They'll find us."
"No!" she protested. "We have to find them now! They aren't even near the detention area yet. Umber's not letting Uncle Luke's mind find me!"
"What?" Jacen asked.
"He's a Sith!" Jaina pulled out of her brother's arms and hauled herself to her feet. Her face was streaked with tears and drawn with pain, but determined.
"Okay, okay." Jacen stood up and handed her a cylinder. She looked at it blankly. "A lightsaber. Just to be safe."
She nodded weakly. "I told them not to come," she said. 'They didn't listen."
Jacen had no idea what she was talking about, but he nodded.
They left the cell and the hallway, faced with the courtyard. Jaina cried out and fell back a step.
"What?" Jacen asked.
"It's here!" she yelled. "It's here! It's all over!" And began to cry.
Han kept his blaster at the ready. Who knew when he might need it. Leia had her hand on the lightsaber Luke had given her. And Luke had his own lightsaber in his hand.
"We're gonna have to split up," Han insisted. "We have to find her soon."
Luke nodded, and Leia agreed reluctantly.
"But you and Leia stay together," Luke told Han. "After one of us finds her, Leia and I can connect and we can meet at the supply room where we left Jacen and the droids."
Han agreed. "Sounds good to me, kid."
Luke grimaced. Leia noticed this and laughed. Han smiled. It was the first time he had heard Leia laugh since Jaina had disappeared.
Leia and Han moved off in one direction. Luke stood still and opened his mind. Jacen. Jacen! Jacen had left the supply room. The message had been in his mind for less than an instant, and it had not come from his former link with Jacen. But he was sure it was true. There was no need to go to the supply room to verify it, Luke was so sure that it was true. Luke was furious. Jacen had promised, as a Jedi student and as Luke's nephew, to obey his instructions. And his instructions were definitely not to leave the supply room. Luke took a deep breath and calmed himself. He had to find both twins now.
Jaina! he yelled out in his mind. Jaina, where are you?
Through his strong and solid link with his niece, Luke felt a painful, wordless cry for help. He closed his eyes and sent reassurance back to her before sending a question.
Calm down, Jaina. Now is not a good time to go into hysterics.
She did not respond.
Is Jacen with you?
Yes! she answered.
Where are you? I can help you. We'll get you out of here. Jacen too. You need to tell me where you are, Jaina.
Her answer was short and cryptic. Or maybe it was the best she could do at the time. Her answer was: here.
Jaina! Jaina, I know you're 'here', but where are you exactly?
No response.
Jaina!
Nothing. Luke opened his eyes and set off to find 'here.'