The Road Less Traveled
This story is co-written by great authors and friends of mine who very graciously allowed this story they wanted to write also serve as a sequel to my first two fan fictions. Huge thanks guys! :D Each segment will have the writer noted.
Writers: Anakin's Angel (AnakinsAngel@aol.com), starwarsfan1000 (starwars1000@hotmail.com) and me, Julie the Tall Terror (tall_terror@hotmail.com)
Disclaimer: Anakin, Obi-Wan, & Qui-Gon, etc. belong to George Lucas. We are just playing.
Begun: 12/25/00
Completed: 02/20/01
Part 3
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Segment 15 written by Julie
******
Uni-V
Qui-gon sat on a large tree root and suppressed a sigh. Obi-wan carefully lowered himself beside him and leaned against the trunk. Though his side had healed a great deal on the journey, it was still painful. He looked at the young woman standing nearby and waiting for Anakin to finish speaking with Padme and Yoda.
So, this is Anakin's daughter. She's a little young to be a Knight. Obi-wan thought. He was puzzled at the almost longing look Aurora was giving him.
"Are you ready?" Qui-gon suddenly asked her.
"As ready as I can be," Aurora said stoically. "But I'd rather face the Council then Father."
"Oh, you will face them, too," Anakin answered as he approached the trio.
Aurora followed her stern father silently a short distance away. They didn't move far enough away to not be eavesdropped on, not when you have the Force that is. It was more for the purpose of allowing Qui-gon and Obi-wan to hear without being able to interrupt. And so that they could not defend Aurora.
Obi-wan and Qui-gon wearily listened as the argument began, "Aurora was your Padawan for five years, Obi-wan." He answered Obi-wan's unspoken question, "She was fourteen years old when you died."
"I see," Obi-wan became concerned as the disagreement grew louder, "Is Anakin always this tough on his children?"
Qui-gon nodded, "Anakin was, of course, also her master. By the time she was nine, Anakin had taught her everything that a thirteen year old knows. From then on you handled most of her Padawan training. After you and Padme died, Ani threw himself into teaching her."
Obi-wan again glanced warily at the Skywalkers, "What happened then?"
"I was named her second master, however I spent most of the time attempting to prevent Anakin from expecting too much from her. He once was not so strict. Luke and Leia do not remember much about how happy and relaxed he was, but Aurora does," Qui-gon gazed at Obi-wan sadly, "Yoda has often had to intervene and defend Aurora when Ani's training methods became too harsh."
They both quieted as the father and daughter debate escalated.
"Gallivanting across universes is ridiculous!"
"There are no rules against it!"
"There shouldn't need to be. You should have enough sense not to go looking for trouble."
"Dad," Aurora stared up at him, "I'll love you forever. But I am not your Padawan anymore, and I don't need you to save me from myself. I don't need you to rescue me, or protect me from anything and," Aurora looked coolly at him, "by the way, you can stop driving off my potential dates as well."
"I'm not going to argue about that again, Aurora," Anakin shook his head. "When I was your age -"
"You were married and had a one year old toddler."
"That's not the point."
"But it is! Master Obi-wan and Master Qui-gon let you live your life."
"Not at the expense of my training and duty. When the time is right you will find someone to love, too."
"Not when you scare them all off!" Aurora retaliated, "Dad, the only men who can stand up to you are old Jedi Masters and scoundrels!"
"Naturally, you wouldn't be attracted to them."
"Dad!" Aurora glared at him in exasperation. "If I don't get you past this aggravating over-protectiveness now, then you'll be even harder on Luke and Leia! You already have every Knight and Padawan in the Temple so intimidated," she paused for a moment to add, "well except Mara," before continuing, "that the twins hardly have any friends who can even -"
Aurora ceased suddenly as her brain caught up with what she'd just said, "Oh no."
"Don't you breath a word to them."
"Luke and Mara?"
"Well, she is the only Padawan able to utter more then three words when talking with me," Anakin pointed out.
"She's been Leia's best friend for years. It's no wonder she's developed immunity to Skywalkers. That doesn't mean she's going to marry Luke."
"As Yoda is so fond of saying, 'Always in motion is the future,'" Anakin shrugged.
"So you haven't had a vision of this then?" Aurora asked.
Anakin smiled enigmatically, "I didn't say that."
"Well, if you happen to see who I'm going to get, please tell me. Otherwise I might just run off with a pirate or something." Aurora taunted saucily and her eyes darted to the two Jedi in the distance. "Master Qui-gon is laughing at us."
Anakin glanced over at the tree where his former master and Obi-wan were sitting with huge grins on their faces. Reluctantly, he walked over to them with Aurora following. Anakin raised his eyebrows in a silent question.
"She did it again, Ani," Qui-gon informed him.
Anakin looked instantly thunderstruck and was rendered speechless.
Obi-wan snickered, "Very nice diversion, Aurora."
"Thank you, Master," Aurora whispered with a sad smile.
Anakin finally regained his wits and just shook his head at his daughter.
Aurora looked at him with fake innocence, "Are we done arguing now?"
Anakin sighed, "For the moment, we can agree to disagree. But when we get home you will have to answer to the Council, and accept the punishment they choose."
"Of course, Father," Aurora gave him a blithe smile. "I am prepared for the consequences. It will be worth it."
As she left to talk to Padme, Anakin sat beside his best friends in irritation, "Was I ever that exasperating?"
Obi-wan looked Anakin, recalling better times he had with his Padawan and seeing the happier result in this man beside him, and he smirked, "No, you weren't -"
" - you were much worse, Ani." Qui-gon finished with a smile.
******
Segment 16 is written by starwarsfan1000
*******
Vader sat along the outside walls of the temple, The best way to capture the twins would be to stun them, he thought, Or would a sneak attack be a better way to capture them. Now where to capture them. It can't be inside the temple, too many people around. During their outside exercises might work, but I might be able to come up with something better,
Getting up, Vader cursed his inability to find out where Aurora was, She has got be be somewhere around here, he thought and stormed off to find the twins.
*******
Luke sat on the ground, watching Leia and Mara see who could jump the farthest, "So, do you think the Black Hulk will return?" Luke asked.
Mara stopped and stared, "Why should he?"
Luke shrugged, "He seemed intent on testing us, like he had something in mind for us?"
A short distance away, Vader stood listening to the conversation.
Leia ran up to Luke and Mara, "You worry too much Luke," Leia said.
"Do not," Luke shot back.
"I'm surprised he hasn't gone into full blown panic with Aurora universe hopping," Mara said.
"He's probably too macho to show it, aren't you Luke?" Leia said slyly.
Luke's face turned bright red, "Of course I worry, she's my sister."
"He's just feeling overprotective of me since our duel with the Black Hulk," Leia said.
"What are big brothers for?" Mara asked.
"To drive little sisters nuts," Leia replied.
"Where do you suppose Aurora and Dad are now?" Luke asked.
"Who knows," Leia said.
So, Anakin has gone universe hopping after Aurora, Vader thought, I can capture the twins and be gone before he returns.
*********
Segment 17 written by Julie
*********
Uni-A
***
"Kaely!"
Leia glanced behind her as Luke repeated his previous bellow. Deciding it would be better to ignore her embarrassing brother, Leia strode into the apartment quickly.
From their father's workroom came a tiny flying dome no bigger than Luke's fist. She hovered in front of the twins expectantly and beeped hello.
"Now Kaely," Luke addressed the tiny droid. "We need you to follow us everywhere and be ready to start your holo-recorder at any moment."
"There is this big guy in a black armor suit and helmet that has been bothering us." Leia blurted out.
"And we've got to have proof that he is real and not a vision." Luke added.
The floating droid whistled skeptically at them.
Leia sighed. "You just need to take one holo-picture, that's all!"
Kaely flashed her yellow eyes and twittered a rather grumpy agreement.
"Thanks, Kaely!" Luke smiled.
Leia looked uneasily at her brother.
"It'll work!" He insisted.
Kaely landed on the back of the sofa and gave an electronic sigh. The twins looked at her in surprise. Droids rarely expressed gloominess, and Kaely certainly was not her normally chirpy self.
Leia stared down at the little pink droid, "What's wrong with you?"
Luke shook his head at his sister's lack of perception. He snagged Leia' sleeve and pulled her into the kitchen. Leia followed reluctantly and looked at him sternly.
"You know Kaely doesn't like it when Dad leaves her behind."
"Oh, yeah," Leia's eyes widened. "And it doesn't help that he took Artoo -"
"- instead of her." Luke made a wry face.
"No wonder she's pouting." Leia looked thoughtful. "We're lucky she agreed to help us at all."
******
K-LE1 sat perched on the sofa, her eyes glowing in a patch of shadow cast by the evening sunset. She hummed quietly to herself in the dim room waiting for the twins to return from the kitchen.
And the apartment door silently slid open.
Instantly, Kaely was on alert. Her sensors were not as powerful as Artoo's for detecting approaching objects, but she knew that doors did not open on their own. She didn't see him until he moved. He made no noise and stopped beside the door after it closed. Kaely was puzzled, but kept quiet. Artoo would have screamed a warning, Threepio would have declared "Oh, my!" but not Kaely. Stealthily, she opened one of her tiny compartments, extended a tool and aimed it at the intruder.
At that moment the twins entered the common room. Kaely swiveled one eye to watch them, while keeping the other trained on the stranger. Neither of them looked at the intruder, or even seemed concerned. Their lack of response alarmed the droid immensely. Over the years, Kaely had learned that if something can get past her family's notice, then it must be really bad.
Without fanfare, the droid turned on her tiny spotlight. The circle of white light instantly illuminated the man in black.
The twins immediately looked at the doorway, but saw nothing. They both slid cautiously into ready stances. They flooded the room with the Force in their efforts to sense what the droid was trying to show them. Little Kaely gave a beep that was intended to sound menacing.
Giving up the pretense, Vader dispersed his disguise. To the twins it was as if he blurred into view from out of the wall. Dutifully, the droid recorded as many holo-frames of the mechanical monster as her storage system could hold.
The apartment was much too small for a duel, however before Vader could take one step forward Luke and Leia ignited their lightsabers. He regarded them for a moment before waving his hand. The Padawans gasped as their sabers were wrenched from their grasp. Vader caught them in one hand and with the other pushed with the Force.
But Luke and Leia were already diving for cover, and Vader's Force-blow instead hit the chair behind them knocking it against the durasteel window. Without thinking they split up. Leia rolled behind the sofa, while Luke backed into the kitchen. In the commotion, Kaely flew to the room's terminal and sent out a distress signal.
Leia's voice echoed in his head. Come up behind him, Luke! I'm leading him to Dad's workroom. Luke didn't need to answer, he just ran.
Leia squeezed between two consoles and waited. The room wasn't large and with all of Anakin Skywalker's droid parts and tools cluttering it, there wasn't space to fight. But it did give her a reasonable amount of cover. The dark thing's feet thudded menacingly into the room at an irritatingly slow pace.
Vader spun suddenly, as the sofa came flying into the workroom's doorway. He deflected it easily and it crashed against the common room's opposite wall. Though he was expecting it, Luke barely ducked in time. Vader placed one hand on the boy's arm and with a gasp of mental agony Luke fell unconscious.
While Vader was distracted, Leia struck. It was a good idea considering they had no time to plan. Luke's diversion succeeded and they timed it perfectly, and it would have worked if Vader's suit hadn't been fireproof. Leia turned on the welding torch as high as it would go and hoped that it wouldn't explode in her face. The heat of the flames began to scorch her hand despite her efforts to Force-push all of the fire towards her enemy.
Vader walked right up to her and took it the torch away. Leia could only stare in silent horror as a loud, buzzing darkness broke through all her mental shields and quickly clouded her mind. As her vision blurred Leia felt herself be lifted up by the monster and then knew no more.
Swiftly, Vader placed the girl beside her brother on the floor. As he knelt by the twins to be sure that they were un-harmed enough to travel, Kaely hovered anxiously and hoped he didn't notice her. When he stood up, she flew over to Leia and began to scan her for injuries.
The little droid squawked in surprise as an inky blackness surrounded them and her sensors began registering nonsense. Kaely emitted a quiet wail as she recognized what the intruder was doing and that he would be taking them far, far away.
Kaely hated universe hopping.
*****
Segment 18 written by Anakin's Angel
*****
...Uni-V
Leia immediately thought of her brother.
Coming awake, groggy and quite confused, she searched along their link and was comforted by his distinct presence in her mind. Opening her eyes, she took in their rather dismal surroundings. Pale, gray walls, no windows, and the unmistakable cold of the darkside. She gingerly sat up, wincing as her head began to pound in earnest.
Where in the name of the Force were they? The last thing she could remember was the inky darkness that had surrounded them; and the black hulk that had been at the center of it. She wished her connection to the Force was stronger, but it seemed to dance just beyond her reach. Flashes of watching her Father sparkle and glow as he prepared to visit another universe sprang to mind. Was that what had happened? If so, where were they now?
The quiet moaning coming from Luke broke her from her musings. "You all right, Luke?" She whispered, touching his arm.
He nodded, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. "I think so," He squinted as he took in the surroundings. "What-?"
"I don't know," She shook her head, "That...thing must have taken us somewhere." There was a slight hint of anger coloring her words. Anger, for the most part, directed at their respective Masters. If they had believed them in the first place...
But wait! Had Kaely managed to capture anything? Where was Kaely? "Luke, did you see Kaely?" She whispered, slightly more excited than she had been since awakening.
He shook his head. "Check your pockets, you know she likes to hide."
Leia searched her tunic, before finding the tiny droid hiding out in the deep pockets of her robe. Blinking her yellow eyes, Kaely let out a mournful wail. "You all right, Kaely?" Leia asked, smiling as the droid rolled her eyes. "Can you tell us what happened?"
Luke and Leia listened as Kaely began her quite-detailed tale. It was a good thing they weren't going anywhere soon.
..
Immersed as he was in the Force, the appearance of the overwhelming darkness nearly brought him to his knees. Breaking free from his slight meditative state, Anakin cautiously opened his eyes. Yoda was standing before him, his head hung low. "Master?"
Yoda's green ears perked up, "Felt it, you did. His presence...hard to hide it is." The Jedi Master said, cryptically.
Anakin nodded, still unsure of what he felt. It was...a mixture of familiarity and pure, undiluted darkness. "I feel-"
Yoda pounded his gimer stick into the dense mud, effectively cutting him off. "Here, he is. Darth Vader,"
Allowing the words to sink in some, Anakin's mind raced at this revelation. His dark...other self? The man who had broken Padm's heart, and slaughtered the Jedi? Examining the reading he got from the Force again, he understood now why the presence felt so familiar. On a very basic level, they had shared the same experiences as children. That was where the mirroring thread had split, however. Absently, Anakin wondered if this Darth Vader could feel him. "He will be searching for me." It wasn't a question.
Yoda nodded. "Ready you must be; strong in the darkside, he is," Stepping closer, Yoda directed his eyes towards Aurora and Padmé. "Think I do, that search for your daughter, he may."
A large rush of adrenaline raced through Anakin's veins. Never in his life would he allow that monster near his daughter. "We must leave soon then, Master Yoda." He gently touched the link he had to his daughters mind, and staggered back as the unmistakable presences of Luke and Leia exploded inside his mind. "Force...no!" He whispered, grabbing onto a nearby tree for support. He could fell them! They were here, in this universe! Which meant...
"Vader."
Anakin turned to find Obi-Wan standing behind him. "I'd recognize his foul stench anywhere." The Jedi intoned, pulling his robe tighter, as if to fight off a chill.
"If Vader has the twins-" Anakin was silenced by a deafening scream from Aurora.
"WHAT? Dad, tell me you're only having one of those visions of yours!" She shouted, loud enough to disturb a family of water fowl nearby. "That dark Skywalker has my brother and sister?" Qui-Gon stepped in, putting a supporting arm around her shoulders.
"Are you certain about this, Anakin?" Qui-Gon asked, knowing that his former Padawan was feeling honest fear. It radiated from him, nearly glowing with intensity.
Shaking his head, Anakin let out a deep breath. "Actually? No, I'm not. I can feel them in my mind, they are here," He paused, closing his eyes in concentration, "something is blocking me." He felt Obi-Wan's warm presence in his mind then, picking through the fragmented images and trying to make some sense of them. It took them a good long time, but finally Obi-Wan opened his eyes. "Coruscant..."
"Coruscant?" Anakin repeated.
Obi-Wan nodded, his face scrunched up into a mask of disgust. "The two bright presences are on Coruscant. Or, Imperial City, as we've dubbed it," The older Jedi took in a lungful of air.
Imperial City could only mean one thing...they could be near Palpatine. "That miserable excuse for flesh has taken enough from me already," Anakin ground out, pacing in a tight circle.
Looking on, confused for a moment, Obi-Wan walked to place a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Your anger-"
That stopped him. "You're right...I, you don't know what it's like," He whispered, brokenly. "Palpatine took Padmé from me, he took YOU from me!" Staring into mud and leaves under his boots, he was shaken with the realization that Obi-Wan DID know how he felt. Of course he did. "I'm sorry, I guess you could say the same thing about me?"
Obi-Wan nodded, somberly. "Palpatine took you and Qui-Gon from me," He added, reaching out for Anakin's hand. "I will NOT allow him to twist your children against you. I may have failed to protect...Vader, but hindsight is twenty- twenty." He smiled at the last few words.
Pulling Obi-Wan in for a hug, he felt his fear morph into solid, unwavering determination. He was not about to let Vader, Palaptine, or anyone else harm his family. No more. Stepping out of the embrace, Anakin playfully punched Obi-Wan in the arm "Help me round up the troops?" They smiled and walked towards the compound.
"Aurora?" Anakin called out.
Stepping forward, the Jedi Knight wiped her eyes. "What's up?"
"Tell...Padmé that we're going to Coruscant." He said, delighting in the fact that the same determination shone in his daughter's eyes.
****
Segment 19 is written by Anakin's Angel
*****
...
Goodbyes were short, and limited to a few moments with Yoda. The ancient Jedi Master shook Anakin's hand before they left; a gesture that, to most would be forgettable...
Yet, Anakin knew it meant the world to Yoda. There were many questions left unanswered: What could they have done differently? Why had their Anakin turned? Mulling over these questions, Anakin was surprised to find Padmé standing beside him. Wrapped inside Qui-Gon's monstrous robe, she appeared -to him, the same 14 year-old girl he had met all those years ago. "Hey." He whispered.
She smiled, tracing the ridges of the transparisteel viewport. "Tell me about them?"
Them. Luke and Leia. Reaching into his robe, he produced a holo-projector. With a small touch, the image came to life. Smiling before him, a 15 year old set of Padawans tried to see which could hog more of the camera angle. Leia, as prim and proper as she perceived herself, smiled demurely and pushed Luke out of focus. She then waved to the camera, before igniting her lightsaber. Jumping back into focus, Luke rolled his eyes. "You're such a showoff." He grumbled, bumping her out of the way with his behind. This went on for a few more moments, before the image faded away.
Pocketing the holo, Anakin was startled to find Padmé in tears. "Leia...she could, I mean, she looks just like me!" She whispered, shaking her head.
Unsure what to do, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "As much as Luke resembles me at that age," Inside, he kicked himself for showing her that. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"
Padmé shook her head, taking his free hand inside her own. "We have to find them, I want to meet them, Anakin," She sat down, gathering the robe around herself. "We've all lost so much to Palpatine, it's time we start taking back."
He couldn't have agreed more.
..
Nestled safely inside the Executor, Vader read over the latest report he'd just been given. So, he thought, she is with Padmé. Just the news that they had a lead on his spitfire...wife...was enough; But to have Aurora Skywalker along for the ride! Yes, that thought brought a smile to Vader's face, difficult as it was beneath the mask. He dismissed the officer with a wave of his hand, turning to watch the stars. He expanded his awareness with the Force, tyring to pinpoint the presence of the Skywalker.
He could feel...something, just not enough to make a determination on whom or what it was. Ah, it mattered little, really. The report had stated that they were on their way to Alderaan for refueling; A world where he knew Padmé would be protected. He wasn't so unaware of her as she thought him to be. Still, this time, Alderaan would not be the safe haven she and Skywalker were counting on.
No.
He had to have the girl! Fully trained, she would help him overthrow the Emperor! If he could only make her understand; and she would, too. She would see the power of the darkside, and come to obey its commands as he had.
She would.
That wasn't to say he had any intention of informing anyone to the presence of the Skywalker twins. They were young, yes, but they were Skywalkers. Somehow, that was all that mattered.
"We are approaching Alderaan, my Lord." An electronic voice sounded.
Not bothering to reply, Vader prepared himself for the future.
..
As Anakin gently glided Padm's ship to the landing pad, he became increasingly concerned. There was a darkness here, something amiss. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had felt it too, and suggested they refuel and head for Coruscant as soon as possible. Enabling the loading ramp, he watched as a small droid ambled on and went about refueling their hyperdrive. Leaning back into his chair, he closed his eyes.
Missing Aurora as she stepped off the ship.
..
Feeling the need for fresh air, Aurora stepped out onto the landing platform. Alderaan was beautiful, no matter what Universe you were in, she mused. Palatial buildings surrounded her, gleaming white in the sun. Turning her face up towards the warmth, she was unaware of the dark, looming presence approaching her.
..
Vader moved stealthily towards the surprisingly strong, bright presence of Aurora. He'd piloted a small TIE fighter to the surface, hiding it amongst the hundreds of ships currently refueling. He couldn't very well fly into port with the Executor.
From his vantage point, he observed the Jedi Knight. Almost his age, she radiated confidence. He'd felt this with Luke and Leia as well; this...sense of looking into a broken mirror. The more he looked, the more fragmented his reflection became. Shaking himself free of the thought, he moved closer.
..
Whipping her head around, Aurora was immediately alert to a suffocating darkness. Her hand instinctively went to her lightsaber hilt, as she made her way around the back end of the ship.
Nothing.
Her boots clanged against the metal below her feet, as she continued to move forward. The stubborn darkness continued to dance all around her, and yet there was...nothing!
..
Seeing his opportunity, Vader unclipped his own Saber. The red blade hissed to life as he struggled to keep his presence masked in the Force.
Walking carefully, as to not disturb the Knight, he could sense her unwittingly seeking his presence in the Force. She was strong, there was no questioning that.
..
Aurora heard the saber's hiss, and instinctively illuminated her own blade. Stepping out from the shadow of the ship, she squinted in the bright sunlight. "Is someone there?" She called out, continuing her forward motion.
Then she heard it, her name whispered "Aurora..."
****
Segment 20 is written by Julie
****
Uni-V
Exploring the cell had been interesting to say the least. We won't try that again, at least for awhile. Leia thought dismally. Luke was dosing fitfully beside her. The teenager probed the surrounding room with the Force and thought about their previous adventure.
The first thing the twins had done was search for a way out. The cell wasn't as small as they had expected. The ceiling was high and all of the furniture was built into the walls and floor, and like any prison everything was a uniform gray. Kaely had scanned the room with her little sensors and gave an electronic snort of disgust when she discovered that the walls were shielded. Luke walked along the wall searching for the door, while Leia leapt up to the ceiling in hope of finding a ventilation shaft.
The Force felt very strange. Almost unstable, it just didn't flow as easily as the twins were used to. Leia took great care to be sure the Force was in her grasp before leaping to the ceiling. Luke's sudden shocked yell broke Leia's concentration. She fell, but landed gracefully. Turning to look up she saw Luke standing hunched over and frowning, but he had no injures. Leia glanced around expecting to see laser beams or some torture device to account for her twin's pain, but saw nothing.
"What's wrong?" Leia asked with concern and a little confusion.
Kaely hovered beside Leia and chirped at Luke worriedly. Leia reached out to him with Force and encountered nothing. She could only gasp in horror as she realized she couldn't feel Luke at all and their bond was completely silent as if severed. Instantly, Leia began to run to him.
"No!" Luke shouted. "Stay where you are."
Leia froze and slowly, Luke began to walk back towards her. The little pink droid ignored his command and flew over to hover around him. She beeped and whistled loudly when Luke suddenly stopped and stood rim rod straight.
Leia sighed in relief as the Force-bond with her brother returned. "What is going on?" she almost whispered.
Luke just blinked owlishly, and turned around to look back at the empty air that he now realized he could not sense. Experimenting, Luke waved one hand through the invisible nothing. He could feel Leia's shock echo his surprise as his hand disappeared and reappeared in the Force, yet could be plainly seen with their eyes.
Kaely suddenly gave a triumphant toot, and began to try to explain to the twins. Though over the years they had learned to understand most of Artoo and Kaely's whistles, she couldn't convey names of things or places. Patiently they used the Force to decipher what she meant.
"Slow down," Leia told her, "What do you mean, 'an animal makes no Force'?"
Kaely gave an electronic grunt of displeasure, and gave up trying to explain what an ysalimiri was. She'd only seen the creatures a few times in her nearly thirty years of existence, but she knew what a danger they were. She mumbled a few un-complimentary beeps about her maker and vowed to tell him exactly how stupid she thought it was to not tell the twins about ysalimiri. Luke and Leia glanced sideways at the fuming droid. They knew their father would be in for a serious lecture when Kaely got a hold of him.
And so they sat propped up against the wall on one bunk. Luke had been shaken up more then Leia from the experience and he had tried to meditate to clear his mind, but had become drowsy instead. Leia had meditated successfully and as time passed she noticed it became easier to call upon the Force. Though she now felt better, the Force had given her no clues of how to get out of their prison.
Kaely's squeal of delight alerted Leia and woke up Luke. The little droid had spent the last few hours sitting or hovering by one of the panels in the wall in the no-Force area of the cell. She buzzed about their heads excitedly proclaiming she could get them out.
Leia looked skeptically at her, "Kaely, even Artoo wouldn't be able to open that door, there are no controls on our side. I can see that from here."
"And we'd have to walk into the no-Force area," Luke added crossly.
"There are probably guards out there too."
"We need to find a way to sneak out. Boldly strolling down the corridor is sure to get us caught," Luke reminded the droid.
Kaely loudly scolded the twins and threatened to tell Anakin about their attitudes. Leia just rolled her eyes and Luke glared when the droid accused them of cowardice.
"Fine!" Luke responded. "You open the door and we'll walk out of it, but don't expect us to get very far without the Force."
That challenge was all Kaely needed. Swiftly, she flew to the door and with in minutes it slid open. She flew out of the cell without them. Feeling a little sheepish, Luke and Leia ran for the exit before it closed. They stood outside and panted lightly. They were in a spartanly furnished anteroom that completely lacked guards. In fact the only other life form was a small animal wrapped around a pole in the center of the room. Kaely was buzzing around it and chattering, but the twins ignored her.
The total lack of the Force was an eerie feeling, but tolerable the longer you were without it. The twins went directly to the room's only other door. Just as they reached it, the Force returned to them. Luke took a moment to sigh in relief, but Leia immediately set to work probing the door.
"Two guards outside," she said.
Luke nodded, "This door is locked, too."
"You think they are too alert?"
"They don't feel alert, they feel bored," Luke answered. "Kaely, leave that thing alone."
The droid obeyed and flew away from the lone ysalimiri in the center of the room, but continued to fuss about the animal. Luke and Leia didn't even turn around. Indignantly, Kaely grumbled to herself about the twins never listening to her when they needed to.
"We'll just have to do this the blunt way." Leia decided. They flanked the door on either side and prepared to escape.
"Okay, Kaely," Luke said, "Open the door and be ready to close it fast."
Quietly, the door slid open filling the room with the bright lights of the hall. The twins used the Force to adjust their eyes to the brightness. Just as they were beginning to think that the guards were never going to notice that the door behind them had opened a shadow fell across the floor.
From the shadows the twins watched as one stormtrooper warily poked his head in. Detecting nothing, he walked slowly forward. When the second guard cleared the doorway, Kaely triggered the lock and Luke and Leia struck. Levitating both troopers helmets, they hit the guards over their un-protected heads. The chair in Leia's hands broke, but Luke's small table only splintered. Both Imperials collapsed in a heap.
"There's nothing to tie them up with," Leia glanced around the sparse room.
Luke began dragging one guard by the boots. "We can just lock them in our cell." Quickly, Leia moved to help him stowaway the helpless stormtroopers. Satisfied that they would not be missed for a while the twins and Kaely crept away from their prison.
*****
Segment 21 is written by Julie
*****
The corridors were silent and still as Kaely flew down the hall. She was tiny enough to not be noticeable, but to be extra careful Kaely skirted the ceiling. The twins followed quickly a short distance behind her.
The little droid refrained from tsking about the décor. The walls, floor and ceiling was all the same uniform color and there were only a few places were the constant gray was broken by a bit of black or shiny metal. Kaely loved bright colors and knew that despite her small size, her bright pink paint job would be very noticeable in the drab hallways.
Luke focused all his senses on following the droid and detecting people ahead. Meanwhile, Leia covered their backs, so that no one could surprise them from behind. They had no weapons. Neither of them had even thought to take the storm troopers blasters. They had left them where they had fallen on the floor of the anteroom. And without their lightsabers, just the Force would just have to do.
Kaely emitted a single beep and the twins froze. As they had left the anteroom, Luke had realized that there might be holo-camera's monitoring the corridors. The Force couldn't hide them from electronic devices, and they'd be caught in no time. But they had Kaely. She knew exactly what to do.
And so as they proceeded down the bleak halls they developed a routine of Kaely finding the cameras, transmitting a signal to freeze its viewer input while the twins rushed ahead out of the camera's range. There weren't too many, and in some halls there were none.
"What now?" Luke asked the little droid. He and Leia scanned the area surrounding them again to be sure there were no troopers coming.
She beeped quietly again and flew around the corner, urging them to continue.
"Finally," Leia breathed. "I was beginning to think we'd never find a turbo- lift."
The twins automatically flanked each side of the door and called the car. Kaely hovered high above them ready to fly into it. As the lift lowered to their level Luke and Leia could clearly sense it was occupied. Without a sound they vaulted to the high ceiling and clung like mynocks.
The door opened and three troopers filed out. Kaely instantly went in to check for a holo-camera, while the twins waited for the soldiers to round the corner. They flipped into the lift and sighed with relief when Kaely cheerfully chirped that there were no cameras inside.
"We've got to find a terminal with a map of this place," Leia reminded Luke.
Her brother didn't look up from his examination of the lift controls. After keying it for non-stop, he finally picked the highest floor.
"Why are we going to the roof?" Leia gave Luke a look questioning him if he'd gone mad.
"I think we are still on Coruscant," Luke gestured to the hundreds of floor listings their turbo-lift had access too.
"Even so," Leia disagreed, "that doesn't mean that we can find a ship or even a landing pad on this lift's top level."
"Would you rather choose a random number?"
Leia shrugged and decided not to argue. "Well, at least the higher we go the more likely we'll find a terminal."
The lift began to slow down as it approached their destination. Once again, the twins leapt to the ceiling and prepared to crawl out the door using the Force if need be. As they came to a halt, they could feel a group of people milling about outside the door.
"This is going to be really hard," Luke murmured.
And it was. Clinging to the ceiling and hoping no one thought to look up, the twins began their trek out of the lift and across the busy room. It was a large turbo-lift alcove with many troopers and technicians coming and going. Kaely flew around watchful for holo-cams and searching for a terminal.
Luke and Leia were getting tired by the time she returned. Kaely lead them to a recessed holo-terminal at the end of a hall. It was semi-secluded, and there was no one using it or even in the hall. After dropping noiselessly to the floor, Leia and Kaely instantly set to work breaking into the system, while Luke stood guard.
"What do you mean, 'we aren't home'?" Leia whispered at the droid.
Kaely repeated her inquiry to the terminal and irritably fussed at it. Finally, the screen lit up so that Leia herself could access it. "Well, find the nearest landing pad or ship hanger," she told the droid. Leia turned around to look at her brother, "Luke, this thing says we are on a planet called Imperial Center."
"Never heard of it."
"Neither have Kaely or I."
"By the way," Luke asked suddenly. "Where are we going to go once we get a ship?"
"I don't know. You're the pilot, you pick a place."
Kaely chirped and pulled her grasping arm out of the terminal access port and back into its tiny compartment. There on the screen was a map to an outside landing pad clearly marked. Leia examined it intently to memorize the way and shut the terminal down. "Let's go," Leia took the lead as the walked to the corner and jumped to the ceiling.
The twins were a bit stumped when they reached the door leading outside. It was guarded and even worse, it appeared that the storm troopers were changing shifts. Four of them were collected by exit. The twins crept to a large and surprisingly ornate light fixture and gratefully sat on it. Maintaining their grip on the ceiling panels was exhausting.
Okay, Leia spoke to her brother telepathically through their twin bond. How do we get out?
I don't know. Master Yoda has never taught me how to escape from prison, much less get past four guards.
Leia smirked at him, Being apprenticed to Council members is rather boring, isn't it? Nothing like what Aurora went through with Father before he joined the Council.
While we are waiting, we better figure out what to do if the only ships out there are occupied, Luke sent back.
Well, if there are just two people, and they aren't alert we probably would be able to mind trick them into getting out.
Suddenly, Luke's face cleared, I've got an idea to get rid of these guys!
Luke closed his eyes and waited as two of the troopers began walking away. Reaching out with the Force, he stirred up the air around the corner at the end of the hallway. A loud bang and flash of light flared. As he expected all four storm troopers immediately ran towards the disturbance. Kaely flew to the door and keyed it open just as the twins reached it. The three of them darted through and shut it quickly behind them.
"Luke, they will probably call more troops," Leia admonished him.
"Maybe, but they won't find anything to prove what they saw and heard, so they might not," Luke defended himself. "Hey! We are on Coruscant."
As they walked further out on the large outdoor landing pad, they could easily recognize the cityscape around them. They stared at the familiar sight of skylanes full of ships and metal towers. They turned their attention to the lone ship on the other end of the platform. As they approached the open hatch door, they were surprised and delighted to discover that they sensed it was empty.
"Leia, I don't see the Temple. There's the Gnippihs Tower, isn't the Temple supposed to be right next to it?"
"Luke," Leia whispered suddenly. "I have a bad feeling about this."
"Greetings, young Skywalkers. I have been expecting you."
*****
Segment 22 is written by starwarsfan1000
*****
Aurora spun around, "Master Qui-Gon."
"Shh, there's something evil nearby," Qui-Gon said.
"I sense it also," Aurora said.
Suddenly Vader towered over Aurora and Qui-Gon and swung his saber at both of their feet. Both managed to dodge the blow, Qui-Gon stumbling back and hitting a wall, knocking the breath out of him.
Aurora blocked a blow aimed at her thigh with expert ability.
Vader moved back and thought, She is much more agile with the saber than the twins. He moved in and took a swing at Aurora's head, which she blocked with ease.
Aurora decided to go on a limited offensive, slashing at Vader's midsection, which he barely managed to block in time.
By this time Qui-Gonhad gotten back to his feet, "Aurora," he shouted, "Get to the ship," and advanced with his own lightsaber ignited.
Vader stood still, shocked at seeing Qui-Gon approach, He's dead, Vader thought, Or is he. Did the Jedi lie to me all this time? I have no desire to fight him.
Moving quickly, Aurora had managed to get back to the ramp. Vader however, sensed Qui-Gon's approach, Better to use the fleet to stop them as I can not win this fight, he thought as he deactivated his saber and disappeared around the corner as suddenly as he had appeared.
Aurora dropped her blade as she stumbled foward, all her focus had been on fighting Vader. Picking up her blade and getting to her feet she deactivated her saber and looked at Qui-Gon, "Why did he stop?"
"I sense his purpose is not what it seems," Qui-Gon said.
"Should we follow?" Aurora asked. At Qui-Gon's pointed look, she answered her own question, "No. I think we better leave."
"I quite agree with you," Qui-Gon said, "But that might be easier said than done."
Aurora smiled, "Isn't it always," as she and Qui-Gon boarded their ship.
*******
Flying his TIE-fighter off of Alderaan, Vader began to work out the best places to position his fleet to prevent the escape of Aurora and the others. Minutes after Vader arrived on his flagship, the Imperial Fleet began to move into position.
End part 3 of 4