Chapter 2 - How can this be?

By: Jonathon "Isildur" Riley (( with some help from Linauri ^.^ ))

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A figure stood in shadow and looked out her window, down onto the main square. The huge monolith of Palpatine was standing there, lights shining up on it and illuminating its gloomy appearance. Moving away, she lay back down on the couch. She was waiting for her husband to send her a message about his mission. He had left early that morning, promising to call when Imperial Center's day was over. She also wanted to see her daughter again, as she had something to tell her, but she was off planet as well. She looked up as the old-fashioned, heavy wood door to the apartment opened, admitting two women. To her surprise, it was her daughter, looking pale and leaning heavily against her companion. But the other woman, she didn't recognize. She saw a blonde figure in black robes whisk by the door just before it swung closed. Probably Lord Skywalker, she thought briefly.
"Leia, why aren't you with your father? You look pale. Did something happen?"
Leia looked around, startled. This world's Luke had made a comment earlier that had made her think it possible, but she hadn't dared hope. Now, though, she couldn't deny the truth of what her eyes were telling her. Her mother was alive! And right in front of her. She grabbed Jaina's arm with one hand, both to keep from fainting, and to hold herself back from running and taking the older woman in her arms. This wasn't her mother, but another Leia's. Quickly blinking back tears, she registered that the woman had spoken, and hastened to answer.
"Um, no. I'm alright, only a bit worn out, I think. Father just decided that I should stay behind because I was getting bad feeling from the Force about my part in the mission," Leia replied as she had to so many people that day.
"Oh." Padme had learned long ago not to question her family's Force insights. Her questions rarely received answers, if at all. "And who is this lovely young lady with you? Aren't you going to introduce me?"
"This...this is Jaina...I met her down in the square earlier..." Leia said, suddenly a bit worried. She had been too young when her mother died to whether or not she was a Jedi? A Sith? She hadn't even known she was one herself until she was in her 20s. Jaina's arm tensed under her hand.
"It's nice to meet you Jaina. You look rather familiar. Have we met?" Padme asked the young Solo child.
Both women sighed inwardly, relieved to have gotten away with their charade yet again. One of the few good things to go right that day.
"Um...no ma'am, I don't think we have."
"You look a bit like General Solo. Are you any relation?"
"Actually, he is my...uncle," Jaina said, thinking quickly.
"I thought I knew you from somewhere, were you at the New Year's Eve Party a few years ago?"
"Oh, yeah, I think I remember going to that..." Jaina said, trying to pick up some thoughts from her grandmother, "Was that the one where Lord Skywalker had too much Juri juice and sat in the chandelier singing?"
"Yes, my son has sworn off Juri juice since," Padme said laughing softly. Jaina and Leia snickering at the image of their own down to earth, levelheaded, Luke doing something like that. Padme smiled and waved them into the apartment.
"Would you like to stay for dinner? I was just about to have the serving droids start the food, it wouldn't be difficult to have them add enough for two more."
Leia hesitated, wanting desperately to stay with her mother and get to know her. But she knew they had to find a way home soon. Her counterpart in this universe would be back eventually, which would cause a whole new set of problems if they were still around. Besides, this wasn't her mother. She belonged to a different Leia. She shook her head.
"I'm sorry Mother, but we really must be going. I promised Jaina that I'd show her the sights. She didn't really get a chance the last time she was here."
"Mother? You haven't called me that for...well along time," Padme said, her eyes suddenly misty.
"I'm sorry. These Force promptings lately have me a bit..."
"No, it's not a problem. I actually missed it." She cleared her throat. "Well, you girls have fun, then. And Leia, dear, do try not to cause the Emperor's troops too much trouble for a change, hmm?"
Leia bit her lip before giving in to impulse and stepping forward to hug the woman who may have been her mother in another life. Stepping back, she rushed out the door with Jaina.
Behind them, as the door closed off their view of each other, Padme Amidala Skywalker stood with tears running silently down her face, a small genuine smile on her face for the first time in decades.

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"Any luck yet, Wedge?" Han said into the comlink.
"No Han, we haven't found anything new since you called 2 minutes ago," came the mechanically tinged reply. "I thought you were going to get some sleep."
"Luke and Mara took longer than they expected at the docks. I just got back to my quarters"
"Then you should get some rest. You've been up for 36 hours now"
"So have you," Han pointed out irritably as he paced around the living area of the quarters he and Leia had been assigned.
"No I haven't. I managed to catch a few hours sleep just after you left this morning. You should do the same."
"How can I sleep, in a time like this? I need to be looking for them, not sleeping." Han cried, nearly tripping over an ottoman.
"Han, you're not going to be much use to anyone if you pass out from sheer exhaustion. I'd order you to bed if you were one of my subordinates." Wedge snapped. His voice softening, he continued. "Han, as a friend, I'm asking you to get some sleep. Before you end up in the med ward and Leia and Jaina run me through with their lightsabers for not looking after you."
Han couldn't help but chuckle at the image that conjured. He ran a hand through his hair, mussing the already random spikes he had previously created. He stopped in the middle of the room and sighed, letting his gaze drift out the window.
"Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm just worried, that's all."
"I know Han. I'll keep you updated. I promise. Just get some rest."
Han reached up and wiped the tear from his eye as he changed frequencies on the comlink.
"You find anything yet, kid?"
There was a patient sigh on the other end.
"No, Han, I need to concentrate if I'm going to be able to do this. Why don't you get some sleep? I'll contact you if I find anything." Luke suggested gently.
"Yeah, sure. Call me the minute you do, got it?"
"I will Han. I promise." Han nodded and clicked off the device, finally heading for the bedroom to at least attempt to get some sleep.

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Luke was sitting in the meditation room; the one Wedge had given Jaina. She had asked for it, specifically because the Force seemed to flow so easily through the room. Luke closed his eyes and withdrew into the Force, leaving behind the physical world. He began to float, unconsciously drawing from the Force. He reached out for his link with Leia. Not having grown up together, it was still mostly subconscious, but it was growing stronger all the time, and it allowed him to find her anywhere in the galaxy. He smiled to himself as he found her presence. It seemed nearby, and yet impossibly far away.
Suddenly he found himself in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. He looked around and saw himself. Or rather what looked like a version of himself. This man was dressed completely in black, had a mustache and goatee, and looked extremely muscular. And not the wiry muscles that he himself had developed over the years . As he studied the man, he felt a presence in the dark side. A very strong presence. He wandered toward it, trying to find its source. It seemed familiar, and he felt he should recognize it, somehow. He walked into a large room and saw a familiar, throne-like chair. It was currently turned away from him, facing the window. He suddenly remembered the darkness.
He looked in the window behind the throne and saw a reflection of the old man. Palpatine was even older than he remembered, and looked as though the years had been no kinder than the Dark Side. Luke reached down for his lightsaber without thinking, only to realize it was wasn't there. This was only a vision. But what did this all mean?
Looking around the room, he saw what looked like Mara being dragged away by the Emperor's tall red guards. As he watched, they dragged her past a man in full dress uniform. From the insignia on his chest, he knew him to be a General.
With a start, he recognized the man. It was Han, except that he looked nothing like the rough around the edges man that his sister had married. This man was clean-shaven, hair cut sharply in the military style, though the slight gray around the temples was there, and he showed no sign of the slight thickening of the waist that Leia had been teasing him about in the last year or two.
What was going on, Luke thought. He walked over to the general, trying to decide if he should pull himself out of the trance or not. He hadn't seen any sign of either Jaina or Leia yet.
"Lord Skywalker!? What are you doing here? And why did you change your clothes?"
Luke started again. How could this man see him? Visions were never interactive. Were they? And what did he mean, Lord Skywalker? He suddenly had a bad feeling about this. His mind worked quickly to form a response.
"Yes, I did. And why wouldn't I be here, General Solo?"
Luke mentally crossed his fingers. With any luck this man would accept his answer and he'd find something out. He frowned as the man took a step backward, fear coloring his presence in the Force, though he kept it from his face.
"I don't mean to offend you, my lord. I just didn't expect to see you. You did say you'd be helping your cousin to look after the ambassador when she fainted. And might I add, my lord that you look years younger without your goatee." He gulped and took another fearful step back as Luke's frown deepened.
"Who are you talking about, what cousin?"
"I think her name was Jaina. Ambassador Skywalker didn't really say much about her, but she is very pretty. If I was 30 years younger I might ask her to dinner." He nearly sighed in relief as Luke's frown disappeared.
"Jaina? Jaina was here?"
"Yes, my lord. Don't you remember? You came by, after I called you on the link. When Ambassador Skywalker fainted you took her and your cousin up to your mother's chambers."
"Ah, yes. How forgetful of me..."
"Been sipping that Juri juice again? I figured you'd have learned your lesson after watching the 'vids of the New Year's party."
He snickered briefly before catching himself. Gulping he watched Luke's face, his own reflecting his near panic. Sensing it, Luke sought to allay his fears, without getting 'out of character' and simply ignored the statement and frowned.
"What happened to that woman?" Luke said, motioning toward the doorway through which the guards had taken Mara's limp body. He had thought he could make out a large hole in her chest, but wasn't sure. The general blinked.
"You killed her my lord? The Emperor said that she wasn't performing her duties properly and had you execute her this morning. Didn't he?"
Luke felt as though all the air had been knocked out of him. It was all he could do to stay upright, and keep his expression impassive. When he was sure he could trust his voice, he answered the confused and fearful general.
"That will be all General." Relieved, the man couldn't leave fast enough.
Luke turned back toward where he had first appeared. Closing his eyes, he reminded himself that this was just a vision, that Mara was back in their quarters with Ben. Finally able to focus, he reached out again and suddenly felt Leia. He opened his eyes and ran toward her presence, ignoring the stares of those he passed. Rounding a corner, he skidded to a halt in front of his niece and sister. He found himself suddenly overcome with joy. He saw Leia turn around and smile as she felt the lightness in him.
"Uncle Luke, is it really you?" Jaina asked the older Jedi. Luke nodded and was surprised when Leia grabbed him in a hug. He wasn't supposed to have a corporeal mass in his visions. He'd have to worry about that later.
"I'm glad I finally found you two, Han's been worrying himself sick over you"
"Oh, Luke I'm so glad it's you and not that stranger" Leia cried. Luke looked down at her, concerned.
"I'm guessing you had a run in with the other me?"
She nodded.
"Yeah, what is going on Uncle Luke? This obviously isn't the same universe we're from. I mean, here, the Emperor is alive. Not to mention Grandma--" Luke cut her off, suddenly tightening his grip on Leia as he looked down at her.
"Mother? Our mother is alive here?"
Leia nodded, tears forming in her eyes, and gasped as Luke crushed her against him. Jaina watched them, speaking softly.
"We saw her, Uncle Luke. Talked to her. She seems to be a very kind woman. Beautiful too. But... sad." Luke smiled through tears of his own.
"Of course. Now we know where your beauty comes from Jaina; it's certainly not your father's side of the family." Jaina blushed slightly at his remark, not used to such compliments as a fighter pilot.
"Now that you've found us Uncle Luke, do you know how to get us back home?" Luke shook his head sadly.
"I'm sorry Jaina, I don't know--"
Suddenly they felt a group of storm troopers heading their way. Luke let go of Leia, both of them hastily wiping their tears as he looked around for someplace to hide. He didn't feel right about facing them at the moment.
"I have a bad feeling about this..." Jaina muttered. Luke's heart sank as he realized they had nowhere to go.

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"Luke? Luke? Are you there? Answer me!" Han swore and switched frequencies "Mara, are you there? Please tell me you are awake!"
"What is it Solo? I was trying to sleep!" Mara growled back.
"Has Luke come back yet? He's not answering his comlink."
"He probably just went into a deep meditation. There's no telling when he'll snap out of it. Now let me get my sleep. I suggest you get some yourself, Solo, you sound exhausted!" Mara told him, yawning.
Clicking off the comm before he could reply she rolled over, trying to get comfortable again. After a few moments she growled and sat up.
Damn Solo, Now I can't get back to sleep! Maybe I'll go check up on Luke after all, she thought to herself. Getting up, she quickly dressed and went to check on Ben.
Seeing him wide awake and waiting in his crib, she smiled and picked him up. Walking down the hall and toward the meditation room, she nodded at passerby. Even in the middle of the night, the base was buzzing with activity.
Reaching her destination, she tapped the chime and waited. When no answer came from within, she keyed the lock using a backdoor key code. Walking in, she found the room empty. Frowning, she juggled Ben onto one hip and pulled out her comlink, keying in the frequency for Han's.
"Hey Solo, when was the last time you heard from Skywalker?"
"Around 03 hundred, why?
"He's not in the meditation room."
"Have you checked to see if anyone saw him leave?"
"I was just about to. I'll call you when I know more."
"Yeah. Just be careful, I've got a bad feeling about this."
"You and me both, Solo."
She turned off her comlink and walked out of the room. Spotting a technician working a few meters away she walked over to him.
"Did you see anybody leave that room in the last few hours?"
"No ma'am, just you. Maybe whoever you are looking for left before I got here."
"No, we knew he was in there at 03 hundred this morning." The technician frowned.
"I've been working on the power conduits in this hall since midnight. I would have seen anyone leaving, and you're it." He turned back to his work.
Mara frowned and dug her nails into her palms. She walked back towards her quarters and put Ben back to sleep.
What is going on here, first Leia and Jaina, now Luke, who's next, Wedge? Me? Han? Artoo?
She drifted off to sleep and thought she saw Luke's face. He was smiling and Leia was with him, as were Han and Jaina. Turning, she saw something that made her skin crawl.
"No! You're dead! I felt you die...Skywalker killed you," she whispered hoarsely. "YOU'RE DEAD!"