Luke was paralyzed, completely unable to speak. He looked from Indy
to Han and back to Indy. Everyone stood in silence for a while.
Indy, who was dressed in his red bathrobe, glanced at Luke with a puzzled look, and then looked behind him to Han and Leia. Recognition lit up his face, and he smiled exuberantly. "Han! Leia!" He shook both their hands vigorously. "I honestly thought I'd never see you again! It's been what, two years?"
"Four for us," Leia corrected. Han gave her a death glare.
A crooked grin spread across Indy's face. "Ah so Han's practically an old man by now."
Han scowled. "Jones, I swear." he grumbled. Their eyes locked for a moment, and then they both grinned crookedly and laughed.
"Excuse me!" Luke shouted. Everyone grew silent and looked at him. Seeing he had their attention, he continued. "I don't know where we are, or who this is, or why he looks exactly like Han, and I'm getting a little nervous here!"
"You didn't tell him anything?" Indy said.
"We told him," Han said in defense. Then he added, "Well, we sort of told him."
Indy chuckled. "Well, why don't you guys all come in and sit down. I'll just go change, and then we can all have some coffee and talk this over."
***************************************************************************
A few minutes later, the trio was sitting around Indy's kitchen table in his cluttered house, with mugs of coffee. Everyone but Luke was drinking theirs.
"So," Indy began, looking at Luke. "We haven't been formally introduced yet."
"I'm Luke Skywalker," Luke said, cautiously offering his hand to the eerie stranger.
Shaking his hand, Indy replied, "I'm Indiana Jones, and my friends call me Indy. How do you know Han and Leia, exactly?"
"Leia is my twin sister, and Han's my friend, and of course my brother-in-law," Luke replied.
Indy's eyes lit up. "Brother-in-law?" He said.
Leia smiled. "That's right; we weren't married the last time we were here! I remember now." She sipped her coffee. "Yes, we're married now, but haven't been for very long yet."
"So," Luke interrupted. "Is this some sort of alternate universe? A cloning operation? Some kind of a virtual world? I noticed that I can't use the Force."
"No, it's nothing like that," Han said. "It's a real world, in a real galaxy."
"Our running into Indy, and his resemblance to Han, is purely coincidental," Leia said. "He's a friend of Sallah's. Believe us, it was a shock to Sallah to see Han for the first time."
"And for us to see each other," Indy added.
Han added. "Sallah had thought I was Indy, and he cut my hair. No one is doing that again."
"So," Luke said, the pieces starting to fall together. "You met up, and then you went to Germany to 'borrow' and aircraft to help get the Falcon off the ground, and to get back home?"
"That's right," Leia said. "Indy helped us. He knows a lot about Germany."
"Not by choice," Indy added. "I've had more run-ins with them since you were here." He said, as he thought back on the ordeal with the Holy Grail that had ended not so long ago.
Suddenly, Han remembered the picture he had seen at the airport. "Hey, that reminds me. We saw a picture in the airport at Lakehurst. It looked an awful lot like the Hindenburg."
"Oh, yeah!" Indy said. "That was horrible. You know the trip they were getting ready for when you were here? Well, right before they landed, the Hindenburg exploded. The whole thing just went up in one big fireball. It was a horrible tragedy."
"The Hindenburg is the aircraft that we used to help get the Falcon going," Leia clarified to Luke, who nodded silently.
"Do they know how it happened?" Han asked.
Indy hesitated. "Well, there are a lot of theories. And no one is really sure. It could have been an accident."
"But they suspect it wasn't?" Leia finished.
"Yeah. They think it might have been a bomb set by a crewmember." Indy answered. "The man they suspect is Erich Spehl, the young man who helped us get inside the Nazi compound. He was one of the people killed in the crash."
There was a pause, and the only sound was Luke softly sipping his coffee and the clock on the wall ticking.
"Well," Han finally said to break end the uncomfortable moment. "That's in the past now."
"Yeah, it is," Indy agreed. He shifted in his seat. "So, what brings you back here?"
Leia shrugged. "We wanted a vacation, and this seemed like the best place to come."
Indy laughed. "I'm not sure about that. It's not exactly exciting around here." He paused, then added, "Well, unless you're with me, of course. But that's not exactly safe." He sipped his coffee, then an idea struck him. "Hey," he said, "would it be possible for me to come back with you guys for a while? A vacation in space would be something. well, not exactly to you, I guess, but for me."
"I think it would be great," Han said quickly. He could just imagine the shock on the faces of Lando and Mon Mothma and others when seeing Han and Indy next to each other.
"Now wait, Han," Luke cautioned. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."
"Well, hey, what could go wrong?" Han said. "It worked out just fine for us to be here. Why not the other way around? Don't you trust me?"
"Not exactly," Luke replied with a grin.
"We don't have to do that," Indy said. "It was just a suggestion. We can find someplace here to visit."
"No way, Indy," Han insisted, "This would be a huge opportunity for you. You'd get to see space, and an advanced society."
"And you'd get to have fun shocking people," Leia said.
"Well, there's always that," Han said with a smirk.
Luke looked to Indy, who obviously wanted to go very badly, but was trying to be polite and pragmatic. He thought on the subject for a while. On one hand, things had been ok on the previous trips to and from Earth, from what he knew. But on the other hand, the universe was a strange place, and black holes were very mysterious in their workings. He chewed his lip slightly as he thought about it. He wished he could have used the Force to clear his mind and chose the best path, but it was curiously absent on this strange planet. Finally, he made his decision. "I say we go."
Leia, baffled, looked at her twin. "Are you sure it's a good idea?" She usually followed Luke's advice. He was a Jedi Master, and her teacher. But she wasn't so sure about this decision. "I mean, it would be fun."
"Yeah," Han said. "So, what's the problem?"
Leia was silent for a moment as she considered the problem. Then, she through her caution to the wind, and made her decision. "Well, why not?" she said.
Indy and Han looked at each other, and broke into identical lopsided grins. "Spectacular," Han said. "So what are we waiting for? Let's get Indy packed!"
Indy, who was dressed in his red bathrobe, glanced at Luke with a puzzled look, and then looked behind him to Han and Leia. Recognition lit up his face, and he smiled exuberantly. "Han! Leia!" He shook both their hands vigorously. "I honestly thought I'd never see you again! It's been what, two years?"
"Four for us," Leia corrected. Han gave her a death glare.
A crooked grin spread across Indy's face. "Ah so Han's practically an old man by now."
Han scowled. "Jones, I swear." he grumbled. Their eyes locked for a moment, and then they both grinned crookedly and laughed.
"Excuse me!" Luke shouted. Everyone grew silent and looked at him. Seeing he had their attention, he continued. "I don't know where we are, or who this is, or why he looks exactly like Han, and I'm getting a little nervous here!"
"You didn't tell him anything?" Indy said.
"We told him," Han said in defense. Then he added, "Well, we sort of told him."
Indy chuckled. "Well, why don't you guys all come in and sit down. I'll just go change, and then we can all have some coffee and talk this over."
***************************************************************************
A few minutes later, the trio was sitting around Indy's kitchen table in his cluttered house, with mugs of coffee. Everyone but Luke was drinking theirs.
"So," Indy began, looking at Luke. "We haven't been formally introduced yet."
"I'm Luke Skywalker," Luke said, cautiously offering his hand to the eerie stranger.
Shaking his hand, Indy replied, "I'm Indiana Jones, and my friends call me Indy. How do you know Han and Leia, exactly?"
"Leia is my twin sister, and Han's my friend, and of course my brother-in-law," Luke replied.
Indy's eyes lit up. "Brother-in-law?" He said.
Leia smiled. "That's right; we weren't married the last time we were here! I remember now." She sipped her coffee. "Yes, we're married now, but haven't been for very long yet."
"So," Luke interrupted. "Is this some sort of alternate universe? A cloning operation? Some kind of a virtual world? I noticed that I can't use the Force."
"No, it's nothing like that," Han said. "It's a real world, in a real galaxy."
"Our running into Indy, and his resemblance to Han, is purely coincidental," Leia said. "He's a friend of Sallah's. Believe us, it was a shock to Sallah to see Han for the first time."
"And for us to see each other," Indy added.
Han added. "Sallah had thought I was Indy, and he cut my hair. No one is doing that again."
"So," Luke said, the pieces starting to fall together. "You met up, and then you went to Germany to 'borrow' and aircraft to help get the Falcon off the ground, and to get back home?"
"That's right," Leia said. "Indy helped us. He knows a lot about Germany."
"Not by choice," Indy added. "I've had more run-ins with them since you were here." He said, as he thought back on the ordeal with the Holy Grail that had ended not so long ago.
Suddenly, Han remembered the picture he had seen at the airport. "Hey, that reminds me. We saw a picture in the airport at Lakehurst. It looked an awful lot like the Hindenburg."
"Oh, yeah!" Indy said. "That was horrible. You know the trip they were getting ready for when you were here? Well, right before they landed, the Hindenburg exploded. The whole thing just went up in one big fireball. It was a horrible tragedy."
"The Hindenburg is the aircraft that we used to help get the Falcon going," Leia clarified to Luke, who nodded silently.
"Do they know how it happened?" Han asked.
Indy hesitated. "Well, there are a lot of theories. And no one is really sure. It could have been an accident."
"But they suspect it wasn't?" Leia finished.
"Yeah. They think it might have been a bomb set by a crewmember." Indy answered. "The man they suspect is Erich Spehl, the young man who helped us get inside the Nazi compound. He was one of the people killed in the crash."
There was a pause, and the only sound was Luke softly sipping his coffee and the clock on the wall ticking.
"Well," Han finally said to break end the uncomfortable moment. "That's in the past now."
"Yeah, it is," Indy agreed. He shifted in his seat. "So, what brings you back here?"
Leia shrugged. "We wanted a vacation, and this seemed like the best place to come."
Indy laughed. "I'm not sure about that. It's not exactly exciting around here." He paused, then added, "Well, unless you're with me, of course. But that's not exactly safe." He sipped his coffee, then an idea struck him. "Hey," he said, "would it be possible for me to come back with you guys for a while? A vacation in space would be something. well, not exactly to you, I guess, but for me."
"I think it would be great," Han said quickly. He could just imagine the shock on the faces of Lando and Mon Mothma and others when seeing Han and Indy next to each other.
"Now wait, Han," Luke cautioned. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."
"Well, hey, what could go wrong?" Han said. "It worked out just fine for us to be here. Why not the other way around? Don't you trust me?"
"Not exactly," Luke replied with a grin.
"We don't have to do that," Indy said. "It was just a suggestion. We can find someplace here to visit."
"No way, Indy," Han insisted, "This would be a huge opportunity for you. You'd get to see space, and an advanced society."
"And you'd get to have fun shocking people," Leia said.
"Well, there's always that," Han said with a smirk.
Luke looked to Indy, who obviously wanted to go very badly, but was trying to be polite and pragmatic. He thought on the subject for a while. On one hand, things had been ok on the previous trips to and from Earth, from what he knew. But on the other hand, the universe was a strange place, and black holes were very mysterious in their workings. He chewed his lip slightly as he thought about it. He wished he could have used the Force to clear his mind and chose the best path, but it was curiously absent on this strange planet. Finally, he made his decision. "I say we go."
Leia, baffled, looked at her twin. "Are you sure it's a good idea?" She usually followed Luke's advice. He was a Jedi Master, and her teacher. But she wasn't so sure about this decision. "I mean, it would be fun."
"Yeah," Han said. "So, what's the problem?"
Leia was silent for a moment as she considered the problem. Then, she through her caution to the wind, and made her decision. "Well, why not?" she said.
Indy and Han looked at each other, and broke into identical lopsided grins. "Spectacular," Han said. "So what are we waiting for? Let's get Indy packed!"