Disclaimer!
Hey, guess what? All the characters and settings from Star Wars are owned by George Lucas, in case you didn't know. Mary and Katie are real people, and yes, we are the ones who wrote this. Go dual authors! Anyway, have fun reading, and may the Force be with you, always. (giggle, giggle, snort)
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Chapter I: Earth Shattering Realizations
A long, long time ago, or maybe just last week, in a small house in the midst of Orange County…
It was the second time she had heard that shuffling by the window that night. Katie sat up in her bed and looked around in the half-asleep state that you are in when you have been aroused from a dead sleep. Dismissing the sound as a manifestation of her overly worried brain she laid back down and attempted to go back to sleep.
"If only I didn't have that huge grade-making final tomorrow," she muttered and tried to find sleep once more.
Katie was one of the kids at school labeled as a "brain". The truth was she hated high school and hated studying. Being a sophomore she had two more years to look forward to: not a very promising future. The reputation as a "brain" gave her the only respect she could get; if you call being talked about behind your back respect. Katie wanted nothing more than a life with more adventure: a life of meaning. The only one who had understood that had been a friend she had been parted from two years ago.
There was the sound of the door trying to be opened and this time she knew it was not her mind playing tricks on her because of stress. Katie felt around her bed as best she could when she heard footsteps in the foyer. Her hand rested on something hard and plastic: her toy lightsaber.
A lot of good that will do me! She thought to herself as she tried to find another way out of the situation. She didn't need to.
There was the faint smell of burning ozone, a groan of surprise, a thud of someone hitting the ground, then silence. Katie tightened her grip on her only item of protection trying to figure out what to do next. To go out into the foyer would be dangerous but to stay here was stupid.
Her curiosity got the better of her and Katie got up to see what was happening. Stepping as quietly as she could she made her way into the hallway and turned into the foyer when her foot kicked something hard and metal toward the door. She was taken by fear for a moment when she realized that was a gun. She tightened the grip on her toy saber when the sliding weapon was stopped by another dark object silhouetted by the semi darkness beyond the open door.
She let out a sharp intake of breath when she saw it was a man. Thoughts came into her head as to what to do. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to yell for her mother, only now aware of her stupid mistake of not calling first.
The yell never left her throat.
What felt like a vice grip closed around her neck, cutting off both her air and her scream. Katie clawed in vain at the invisible hands tightening around her airway.
"Can't have you yelling out now can I," the voice was cold, quiet, and angry like death itself was speaking to her. "I could have just had this human," he-- it was definitely a he-- pointed with his non-raised hand at a body on the floor, "kill you but I wanted to have the honor of the act. A pity though, that you were not more of a challenge. I expected more."
The grip around her neck grew even tighter. She fell upon the cool tile floor and spots danced before Katie's eyes. This was it; she would die here and never see her life through, never finish high school, never take anymore tests, and never say good bye to her mother. She lost her vision and was preparing for death's embrace when suddenly the grip on her neck was released and wonderful, cool, loving, air flew back into her oxygen-deprived lungs.
"He's dead, without a doubt. Good shot."
"Thanks, you just never know with these guys."
She looked up to notice that there were now two different forms in the door way, from the voices Katie could tell one was a man, the other a woman, but they sounded a lot alike. One of them came over and helped her up. It was the woman. With her brown hair and eyes she looked no older than twenty. Katie could have sworn she had seen her before.
"Hey, you okay?"
"I'm alright, thanks for helping me," Katie was surprised at the confusion in her voice.
"Just sorry we couldn't get here faster," the man had come up to her side now and was helping keep Katie on her feet.
"Who are you?" Katie was now seriously confused.
"I'm Jaina, and that's my brother Jacen."
Katie could not describe that shock that filled her then. She could only think of one thing to say as her mind and body went numb. "Solo?"
"How'd you know?"
Katie shook her head, "How did you get here?"
Jacen laughed, "That is one interesting and long story."
Katie blurted out another thought, "Do you have a way of getting around undetected?"
"Yeah, we have a cloaked hover car, why?"
"I am not listening to anything without my best friend."
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Mary awoke to the high-pitched beeping of her cell phone ring. Reaching over to her desk to grab the horrid technology, she realized too late that her phone was not on the desk. Overreaching her arm, she lost her balance and fell in an uncomfortable heap on her flute case
"Ouch…" Mary mumbled into the carpet. Much to her annoyance, her phone had continued ringing the whole time. She found the illuminated rectangle lying next to her flute case and quickly checked the caller ID.
Mary rolled her eyes, Only Katie would call at this time… she thought as she quickly pushed the pick up key. "Urg…" was all she could manage to say in her current state of mind.
"Mary? You awake?" came Katie's voice out of the speaker.
"Awake enough to cause you severe bodily harm, if that's what you mean!" came Mary's snippy retort.
"You'll forgive me for this, I promise! You've gotta come outside now!"
This had better be good… Mary thought silently. "Fine, I'll be on the balcony. But if you're tp-ing me again…"
"Just come outside already!"
Mary yawned but pulled on a sweatshirt and slipped into some flip flops before pulling open the sliding glass door to her seldom-used balcony. "Ok, I'm out, but I don't see anything," she said, wiggling her toes to keep them warm in the night air.
Mary heard a muffled, "Ok… now!" on Katie's side of the line. Instantly, a high-tech vehicle of some kind materialized on her front lawn. Confused and excited beyond all reason, Mary ran across her garage roof and slid down the basketball pole, sprinting to the thing she slowly realized was a hovercraft of all things.
"OH MY GOD KATIE!" Mary yelled into the phone, "WHAT DID YOU DO!"
"Get in, they'll explain everything," Katie said calmly as a platform lowered to ground level. Mary instantly clambered inside.
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Katie looked to her best friend in mild amusement as her excited hazel eyes took in the brightly-colored surroundings. Mary slowly hung up her cell phone as she took a seat next to Katie. Surprisingly, the first thing she said was, "Dude, there's a giant hovercraft on my front lawn…"
"Not anymore. We have a cloaking device, remember?" said Jacen from the cockpit.
"Katie…" Mary began, "Who's the guy and his twin sister?"
Katie smiled inwardly. Even this early her friend was able to notice that Jaina and Jacen were, in fact, twins and not just two random people thrown together. "They are the twins Jaina and Jacen."
"Wait, you mean like Solo?" Mary asked confusedly, "But that makes no sense! They aren't real! I mean… they're only in books… which makes no sense because they're sitting right there…" she trailed off into confused mutterings.
That's exactly what I thought. Katie tried to comfort her friend, "They haven't explained how or why they're here yet, I waited to get you first."
Mary smiled, "Hey, that was cool. Thanks."
"Don't mention it, and if you two would be so kind as to explain, that'd be great!" Katie looked to the brown-haired twins expectantly.
The twins looked to each other worriedly, "No chance of you two coming with us then without an explanation?"
"NOPE!" Mary squealed happily.
Jacen sighed, "Alright, I'll start. Since you both already know the basic history of our world, I'll skip to when the trouble began. After Luke Skywalker – "
Katie let out an excited squeal, causing Mary to raise an eyebrow in wonder. "Sorry," Katie mumbled as she looked to Jacen to continue.
The twin then continued his story, "After Luke Skywalker helped bring down the Galactic Empire, there was a relative peace throughout our galaxy, but, like most good things, it didn't last. The Senate began to argue worse than ever before, and in the midst of all the turmoil…"
"Master Skywalker disappeared." Jaina cut in.
Katie and Mary gasped in unison. "But without Luke, who will run the Jedi Academy?" Katie managed to blurt out.
Jacen grimaced at the informal title, but sighed and continued, "The Jedi Academy was the least of our worries. Right after Master Skywalker vanished, a new Sith Lord revealed himself and managed to create an army against the Republic."
"How could there be a Sith Lord? I thought with Palapatine dead they were exterminated," Mary asked.
"That's what we thought," Jacen continued, "But whether this was a false Sith Lord or the real thing, the threat was the same. A powerful enemy had emerged to challenge the Republic."
Jaina continued with more of the story, "As soon as this new army revealed itself, several key members of the Senate began turning against the Jedi for unknown reasons, most claiming that this Sith Lord was a classic example of Jedi arrogance against the Republic. Today, Jedi are simply not allowed on many systems."
"That's terrible," Katie managed to breath out.
"That's not even the worst of it," Jacen took a quick look at his sister before continuing, "Luke Skywalker then appeared on the enemy's side; on the side of the Sith."
"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" the two girls cried in unison.
"I thought so, too, but that was before I had to fight him." Jaina ran a hand through her brown hair quickly before continuing, "It happened many years after the start of the actual war. Jacen and I were leading a Republic offensive against the Sith army, and during a break in the fighting I was faced with Luke himself."
Katie and Mary stared, too shocked to say anything.
"I was able to study him for any signs of mind control, which I wasn't able to detect, but I noticed his eyes contained only sadness, not darkness. He had not fully turned. Before attacking me, he was able to say one thing, 'Bring the one that has been sent across space time to save us, only they can restore peace. I'm sorry, Jaina.' That's when he attacked."
Jaina paused, and Jacen took up where his sister left off, "That battle actually turned into a Republic victory, but Master Skywalker retreated with the enemy. It was not until later that Jaina and I found something that he had left behind: schematics for a machine that allows someone to travel across space time, to the past or the future. The Sith have this machine in their possession. Some Republic technicians were able to make a prototype and sent Jaina and myself to find you." On the last word, he looked to Katie.
"But how did you find us?" Katie asked.
Jaina laughed, "Finding a strong force user in this galaxy was easier than hitting a Bantha with a sand cruiser. The force is extremely weak on this planet, and the inhabitants lack the spark to use it. Someone with your potential was easy to find, Katie, and you led us to Mary here."
"Katie can use the force!" Mary yelled.
Jacen smiled, "She can, and, by the looks of it, you can, too."
Katie stared, "We… can be… JEDI!"
"Absolutely."
Katie continued to stare while Mary began to squeal excitedly.
"You two had better rest. We'll meet you here at noon when you decide," said Jaina.
"Decide what?" Katie asked.
"Whether or not you're coming with us, of course!" Jacen said.
"Let's go now!" Mary yelled.
"We can't go now," Katie started, "They're giving us half a day to think it over. We should probably tie up some loose ends… and pack," she groaned, "not to mention finals…"
"SCREW FINALS!" Mary screeched, "I can stand to wait 'til noon, whatever, but we are not not going, Katie! This is what you and I have always dreamed of! Look, I'm gonna get off this cool hovercraft thingy, and I will see you back on my front lawn at noon, and you had better be getting back on it with me, or I am going major lightsaber on your ass." With that, Mary said goodbye to Jaina and Jacen, walked down the platform, and climbed back to the balcony to her bedroom.
"She's got quite the high spirit, huh?" Jaina asked.
Katie sighed, "You have no idea…"
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Later that morning…
"COUGH! HACK!"
"Katie? Are you ready for school?"
"I don't think so mom… I feel way sick," Katie was cut off by another round of coughing and sniffles.
Katie's mom opened her daughter's door a crack, "Are you sure? It is a finals day, and I know how you hate to miss those."
Katie blew her nose pitifully, "Well, if you think I can go- ACHOOO!"
"No no, honey, you stay home," Katie's mom leaned over and fluffed her only child's pillow, "If you need anything, you know my work number. There are cans of soup in the kitchen, and I'll bring home some antibiotics after work. Buh-bye!"
With that, Katie's mom whisked out the door, and Katie began planning what to pack.
Across town…
"Oh Mary, you're so flushed!" Mary's mom stood over her youngest daughter, feeling her forehead worriedly.
"Ugh," Mary whined, "But I have finals today…"
"We'll just see about that! I'll just bring your finals home and you can take them later," Mary's mom checked the clock, "I have to go! Eat lots of fruit and veggies!"
Mary waited until the garage door closed and her mom's Honda had pulled out of sight.
Excellent, Mary thought as she pulled her duffel bag from her closet. "Last time I do fifty sit-ups in the morning…" she grumbled to herself.
Back at Katie's…
"Where is it!" Katie yelled, throwing meaningless sheaves of paper over her shoulder, "I'm not going anywhere without my Gamecube!"
Suddenly, her phone began to vibrate annoyingly, "WHAT!"
"Damn, Katie, chill! I think you Gamecube's under the bed in the guestroom."
"Oh, thanks Mary," Katie said as she retrieved the missing system.
"No biggie, I can't decide which books to bring! Do you think Angels and Demons and the Da Vinci Code is enough? Or should I bring the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter? "
Katie thought for a moment, "Lord of the Rings, yes, Harry Potter, no. Remember to bring paperbacks, they're easier to carry. By the way, do you have a history book?"
Mary laughed over the phone, "Are you kidding me? I burned mine after my final. I don't think you'll have to take the test in Star Wars land."
"Ugh, I'm not worried about the test anymore, I was just thinking that we're the only people from Earth these people have ever met, and we should be good little ambassadors."
"Yeah, whatever Kate, I got a world history book, you bring the U.S. history, OH! and bring the Star Wars DVDs. I sense a huge opportunity to mess with people here." Mary began cackling maliciously.
Katie rolled her eyes, "I'll bring them, but not for your sick mind games."
Mary sighed loudly, "Fine! Look, I have to go pack some clothes and movies, plus, I'm starving! I'll call you back when I'm coming to pick you up."
"K, seeya!" Katie then hung up the receiver.
A few hours later…
Mary sped down the freeway in her bright red Chevy Cavalier, after managing to fit all of her stuff in the trunk. Blasting Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, Mary was finally beginning to be excited about the potential adventure facing herself and her best friend.
Taking the correct exit, Mary began to really think about what was happening. Are we just leaving our old lives behind forever? Is that right? … Is that fair?
Startled out of her thoughts by an angry horn from a black Mustang, Mary shot the man a glare and continued down the road to Katie's house.
When she pulled up, Katie ran out to meet her, carrying a few bags and… a guitar?
"Since when do you play?" Mary asked.
"I dabbled here and there," Katie replied.
"Uh huh, just get in, we should hurry."
"What's the rush? We have half an hour," Katie whined.
"Bad feelings," Mary mumbled.
Katie quirked an eyebrow but said nothing, knowing her friend to go off into tangents like this randomly.
As Mary pulled out of Katie's neighborhood, she sped down to the freeway on-ramp quickly. Glancing out the rearview mirror, she saw the black Mustang from before dart into Katie's neighborhood.
"Oh… snap," Mary stated under her breath.
"What's up?" Katie asked.
"I was followed to your house, but for some reason they didn't show while I was there…"
"Who do you think it was?" Katie asked, "You don't think it involves…"
"What else, Katie, what else?"
Pulling up to Mary's house, Katie quickly tumbled from the car. Grabbing the keys from her friend to open the trunk, she began piling up the bags in the driveway. Pulling out a tiny case, she smiled at her friend, "Bringing the flute, I see?"
"Naturally. You're the one that said we should be good little ambassadors."
"At least they didn't follow us here," Katie said, sensing her friend's apprehension.
Mary smiled, "Yeah, I guess."
"About time you guys got here."
Jumping about fifteen feet in the air each, the girls turned to see Jaina and Jacen standing on the grass.
"How do you guys do that?" Katie asked.
The twins just smiled mysteriously.
"They're weird," Mary whispered to Katie.
"Yeah, but so are we," she replied.
Mary thought for a moment, "Point taken."
"Are you two ready to go?" Jaina asked patiently.
Katie and Mary glanced at each other, and Katie nodded. Together, they began dragging the bags over to where the twins were standing.
"Don't worry about things here, we have set up a ruse to explain your disappearance," Jacen said professionally, "We set it up to seem like you were both kidnapped."
"I don't get to be massacred or anything? That's depressing," Mary whined.
Jaina looked to the girls seriously, "I hope you both realize that we may not be able to return to this time and world."
Katie swallowed hard but nodded again, noticing Mary doing the same.
"Alright then, Jacen, if you please," Jaina gestured to her brother, who set two small pyramidal mechanisms about two yards apart on Mary's lawn. Pressing a remote control button, a swirling blue vortex about six feet high materialized.
Jacen threw the bags through the rip in space time, looking to the girls expectantly.
Still clutching her flute, Mary looked to Katie, "You ready?"
Katie bit her lip and nodded yet again, but did not walk any closer to the vortex.
Mary sighed, "Less thinking, more action!" After that, she pushed Katie into the vortex, who then grabbed Mary's wrist and pulled her in after awkwardly. The twins smiled after their new companions and walked smoothly through the vortex.
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Just as the twins had finished walking through the vortex a black mustang pulled into Mary's driveway. The man that walked out of it was a sight to be seen in the ninety-something southern California heat. He was wearing black boots, trench coat, hat, and sunglasses. The only part of his skin that could be seen was pale and ghastly; clearly in need of a good Newport Beach tan. He started to walk toward the pyramidal mechanisms and the vortex. The man did not take more then five steps before the small machines self-destructed, destroying the vortex with them.
He pulled out a small circular object and spoke into it, "Sir, they went with the Jedi. Everything is going according to plan. Step one is a success."
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Katie felt like she was on the craziest roller coaster of her life. Right when she thought she would lose her lunch all over the place, it ended abruptly. Tumbling head first onto a tiled floor, she tried to sit up groggily. Her condition was not helped by Mary falling onto her back soon after.
Katie looked up in wonder and gasped, "Look, Mary!"
Mary looked up slowly, gasped excitedly, then passed out cold.
"Mary? Are you…? Uh oh," Katie felt a tightening sensation around all of her sense, then she, too, blacked out.