Voxenking: Yes... interesting... mwha-ha-ha-ha-ha...

Darth Warious: Well, I'm trying to get you more Candies of Doom-- really! I've just been busy on the Statrix (posted on , not yet here), one Adrienne and I are co-writing, one Trinity and I are co-writing, and this one... this one being the hardest, as I had to post this chapter without a beta. (sob)

IceJayden: Well... not too far across the galaxy yet... heh.Glad you like it... and as you see, I've finally updated!

Audreidi: Oh, you have no idea... I might even begin throwing curves at you with some of the plots I'm toying with... I'm really sorry about posting this before you could read it, but you were away, and all... sigh... I hope it's as good as the last one, I tried really hard to get it right without your opinion there... you have no idea about the 'interesting' plot lines... for length, is this better? 7 pages in size 12 Verdana font face, double spaced?

Molly: What can I say, there really isn't much... your review impressed me a lot! It's actually because of your review that I went and finished this chapter-- otherwise it probably wouldn't be here right now. Thank you! I emailed you, by the way...

A.N: This chapter was not beta read, so if it's not as good as the other ones... well, I can redo it, if need be. My beta HAD to be away for a while... sigh...

Chapter Three

"Princess Leia!"

A voice... calling. Padmé did not wonder about that, until the title came to her. Princess... I am not the only royal person here.

She stared at the wreckage around her, wondering what had happened. Definitely was no longer Tatooine that she was on, nor was it like any planet she had been before. So... ruined, so desolate feeling. But yet it was so full of life. Green, vibrant-- the vines, and plants that clustered about the place were very alive. It was a contrast that she was unused to, and found very fascinating.

"Princess?"

Suddenly, Padmé got the strangest feeling that she was the only one there, as she turned to face the red-faced man, breathing slightly hard. The two of them met eyes for a moment, as she stared at him, and put on her most stately face. "I am not Princess Leia," she stated, calmly, and slowly. Being the queen of Naboo had learned her hard lessons on being hasty, and rushing right to the point-- this was no moment to become all demanding.

He studied her face for a moment, and Padmé found herself edging away from his steady gaze, looking at her feet to escape his prying eyes. The eyes weren't right on the shorter, red-faced human, who wore grubby clothes, and looked to have been working fairly hard. But they were there, piercing, and sharp. "So you aren't. Well, you looked like her enough from behind, Miss...?" He had dropped the scrutiny, falling back into the out-of-breath character again, making Padmé wonder if those sharp eyes had even been there.

"Padmé. I'm Padmé," she answered, peering at him curiously. Something about him tugged at the back of her mind, though she couldn't place it. Alike to the Jedi that had been with them on Tatooine, and yet different. But before she could ask his name, he shook her hand and turned to leave. "Glad you could join us on this rescue mission, Miss Padmé," he said, dashing off. When he spoke like that, it was so different from the scrutiny she had faced earlier, and that left her with so many conclusions to draw from it.

Rescue mission? she wondered for a moment, looking at the man's slowly disappearing figure, around the tangled mess of vines, and crushed building rubble. Taking the look around cleared up any thoughts she might've had about this being a trap-- the place was certainly messed up enough to need a rescue team. Besides, if it was a rescue mission, there would be no one there from the Trade Federation to bother her, if they were even in this part of the galaxy.

And what part of the galaxy isthis part, she wondered. The place seemed familiar enough, and yet not-- like something she would've seen in a holo-documentary on a natural disaster. Padmé found herself pitying those who had lived there before. And my people are dying, she reminded herself savagely. There is no time to be thinking of destroyed homes on other worlds, I have to get to Coruscant, to face the Senate.

Turning, she walked over to where there were a few other people discussing something about this rescue mission. Padmé found herself listening intently to their words, instead of asking where the nearest shuttle flight to Coruscant was. Yuuzhan Vong? What are they? Some alien race that I did not hear of while learning...?

But when the second man said something about the destruction of Coruscant, and the Twi'lek with him responded about the "Cursed Vong," in stilted Basic speech, and a few added words in his own language, Padmé found herself stumbling back in shock--

Stumbling back as a hawk-bat flew past. And then she knew the truth, though she never would've admitted it. They were on Coruscant. Coruscant without the massive skyscrapers, towers, and places she had seen in holograms. A Coruscant that was destroyed, and left without any answers to her many questions.

Sitting down on a moss covered piece of ferrocrete, Padmé shook her head, over and over again.

The strange life-forms... and lack of buildings, merely building rubble. There were just too many questions, and none of them with answers to be held. Was it the Trade Federation? Who, what, and above all else, why.

Why did all this disaster have to happen during her lifetime?

The stars streamed up across the window, drawing into lines of light before they finally vanished into points of nothing-- nothing that could be seen from the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon anyhow. The stars were still there, with their respective planets, alien races, and such, though not all planets were inhabited. In plotting the jump into hyperspace, Han Solo had decided that now would be a good time to return to Yavin 4 and the Jedi Temple, instead of Coruscant. Coruscant, which was where they were suppose to have been at that moment.

Coruscant was where nearly everyone was, seemingly-- with all the Search and Rescue teams the Republic continued to send out, there was probably representatives for nearly every race in the known galaxy, working to clear Coruscant of survivors. There were many there-- and many looking for them. Han knew that well enough, for Jaina had been with one of the teams sent out with Jedi, in the hopes of sensing sentient life-forms in amongst all the Vong-formed life. The life that created a tangled mess that the non-Jedi eye could not see through, and the Jedi eye could not sense.

He almost wished that Leia had not insisted that they bring this Anakin to Yavin 4 immediately, but she had her Jedi reasons, he supposed. Jedi reasons, which were quite beyond him. Being a non-Force-sensitive, Han Solo had never truly understood these hunches, and ideas of the Jedi-- though with his wife and children being such he had learned to live with it.

With all those different races; Imperials and Republic soldiers being on Coruscant, Han assumed that it would get ugly fast. It often did, as he knew well enough, being caught within an Imperial/Republic firefight often enough. Leia wasn't the type to see a little kid in the midst of a fire fight, even one who seemed to be as capable as this Anakin.

Which was why, at that very moment they were on course towards the fourth moon of Yavin, and not to the Vong-formed Coruscant. Han almost regretted returning to the Jedi Temple, and not going to Coruscant-- not just the fact that his children were there, but he did

enjoy the action every now and again.

As if Leia had read his mind, she reached over from the copilot's chair, and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, dear," she said, smiling. "I'm sure you'll see action soon enough." Her smile was warm, and soft; Han quickly found himself returning the smile, and no longer worrying over all the mysteries that were just at the edge of his mind.

The Falcon streamed through space, stars going past it faster than the eye could see while they were in hyperspace. And, along with the Falcon came mysteries that would take longer than they had to figure out-- mysteries that hadn't even been spotted yet. But they were there, hidden underneath misted veils of fate, and destiny-- shrouded beyond that even the Jedi could perceive.

Around them, where the eyes could not see, fate worked, and twisted the paths of those meant to change it. And across the galaxy an unseen person smiled.

Everything was going exactly as it was meant to go.

"Mara?"

Luke turned, feeling the Force-signature of his wife enter the room-- a swirling pile of emotions piled into one-- so many thoughts, so much... so much... something was on her mind, and something heavy. The Force streaming off of her was nearly tangible, she was so deep in thought, and so determined.

"Luke?"

She crossed the room quickly, her hand resting on her lightsaber unconsciously, and the sunlight glinting off of the red-gold color of Mara's hair. That same sunlight also spread across the quietly talking students, and the others around the room-- spreading a warmth that neither Luke nor Mara felt.

Though others in the room spoke, there was a complete silence as the two met the glance of the other's eyes. A silence that spoke for itself-- both of them were worried.

One glance into his wife's eyes told him all he needed to know. "You felt it too?" Luke rose to meet her step, as she came to stand beside him; leaving a half full glass of blue milk on the table, and a cup of very stirred coffee. In his turmoil of thoughts, he had unconsciously been stirring the dark mixture over and over again. It was now cold. As cold as his hands were, and as cold as the thoughts that threatened to overrun his mind. Those same thoughts that pulled away

from his focus on the Force.

"Yeah," Mara answered. "You too, Skywalker?" She gestured to his messed up hair, and face. Luke was not exactly the picture of the peaceful, calm Jedi Master-- he looked like any normal human being who hadn't had enough sleep, and was worried. Although, unlike Mara, he was doing a fair job at keeping that unease to himself, and not letting it slip over to the Jedi trainees, all of whom were more easily pulled in by the Darkside.

Luke smiled slightly. "You seemed to sleep well enough to me." Underneath, there was the implication: 'I didn't feel that I needed to bother you about it.'

"Well enough isn't good enough," Mara replied, a slight measure of sarcasm slipping into her voice. Then she dropped that, and went straight to the point, her eyes meeting Luke's as she spoke what she thought. "But you're feeling it too-- the darkness..." Mara Jade paused, at a lack of what to describe it as, or merely not wanting to speak it out loud.

"The Sithly presence?" Luke filled in, understanding well enough. "I was going to come talk to you about it, Mara-- see if you felt it too."

"Well, I do." Mara's eyes flared up with a sudden frustration that she quickly quelled. Her determination, and feelings were easy enough for Luke to detect. "Some alien creature with the feel of Palpatine touched my mind during meditation-- it's out there in the jungle somewhere, Luke-- I felt it." Mara's eyes were lit with a fierce determination-- not hate, mind you, just determination-- and almost a worry too. Luke must've sensed the anxiety behind the mask of determination, for he set his hand on his wife's shoulder, and, looking into her eyes said softly: "Don't worry, we'll be fine."

"Easy enough for you to say."

"I'm not just saying it, Mara, I'm knowing it."

But to say such things was different than knowing it. For, though Luke might've had such confidence now, they would soon grow to see otherwise. As the course of things began to slowly weave themselves, and times began to change, they would know; they would learn. The Darkside was clouding their visions, and the way they interpreted the Force-- the way the strange feeling came to them was no longer the truth. If they could've just looked beyond that which they seen, it would've been there, right before them, the hidden meanings that haunted them. But for now the truth could not be told, or seen, even by the wisest of all living Jedi Masters.

What was the truth, but that which went unspoken between the two of them. They both had a very bad feeling about this, and a rightful one too.

After the silence between them had grown to heavy, Mara looked into Luke's thoughtful blue eyes. "What are we going to do?" she asked softly, sounding different-- more quiet.

"We go for a walk," Luke answered, taking Mara's arm.

A young Anakin Skywalker sat in the back of the Falcon thinking quietly to himself. There had been an awful lot of happenings over the last few days-- winning the podrace, finding out that he was to be freed-- best of all, being taken by the Jedi to Coruscant. That had always been one of his dreams-- to grow up and become a Jedi, to see the galaxies, and to get rid of slavery. His dreams were rarely wrong-- those dreams. The dreams that were brought on by his strange powers-- the powers that the Jedi used.

He remembered the dreams about Padmé-- seeing her leading a battle into army, and the dream that he would marry her. He was sure he would, even if she was only a queen, and he was only a little boy. But he would become a Jedi-- and a Jedi and a Queen could get married, couldn't they?

But his latest dream had been strange-- Anakin didn't understand it. There was a man in black, black robes, mask, and cloak. He had the same feel as the Jedi did-- the power. He also had a crimson lightsaber. At his side was another person, the man who had attacked the Jedi Qui-Gon. And with them there were many other people, also with a dark feel. He was there, along with the lady Leia, and another man-- one with light brown hair, and blue eyes. He was peaceful, and somewhat scared. Anakin was behind him-- and he was confused. Something was pulling him to the dark men. He has seen another woman-- determined, and fierce in her looks. Her hair was bright red.

The two sides had pulled at him-- the peaceful man with blue eyes, and the dark men-- the ones with black cloaks, and red laser swords. Anakin was confused, and torn, but he didn't know why.

Later on, when he had waken up, he had been covered in sweat, and panicked. Something about the dream that he couldn't remember pulled at him-- something about the peaceful man, and something more about himself. He couldn't remember what had happened though, and it scared him.

Anakin shivered, and not just because of the chill in space. Leia had given him a blanket before they had went into hyperspace, but he was still cold. And not just because of the chill that filled the emptiness of space, but because of the haunting airs to his dreams. Because of the things he didn't understand.

The woman called Leia-- she was pretty. Anakin found himself thinking about Padmé when he looked at her-- an older Padmé. He almost wondered if Leia could be Padm's mother-- they looked enough alike, and they acted a lot alike. Anakin liked her, liked the way she acted. He also liked the other one too-- Han Solo, It was almost like Han could've been the father he had never had.

Pulling himself closer into the blanket, Anakin stared out the windows at the black nothingness of space. Something was out there, but what? He knew one thing, and that was that his destiny was out there, among the stars hidden by the speed of light travel.

But out in space there was more than just destiny than waited, but a future so heavy that no one would ever see it coming... a future that was only hinted at in the visions of Force-sensitive people.

In other parts of the galaxy, other people began to see things that made them wonder somewhat, but none of them were able to piece together the puzzle that had been handed to them.

In the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Master Yoda was jerked out of meditation at a sudden, and very strong disturbance in the Force. And when he reached back in to locate this disturbance all he found, along with many other Jedi across the galaxy was nothingness.

The Force had closed its doors.

Mwha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!! My first cliffie!!! This probably will not be updated until I'm back from camp-- 15th or so. Sorry... sigh.