A Lost Legacy

Chapter 3: Even Stars Burn Out

Rilys could see that there would be no stopping Han when it came to finding the first person he had ever allowed himself to love. They continued to search for R2-D2 and C-3PO in the lavishly decorated entry halls of the Senate Arena. They moved carefully past the towering columns that glimmered from the great chandeliers overhead.

Their feet left only slight imprints on the slightly frayed, crimson carpet. Due to the protocol droid's unceasing pleads to go back to the ship they had made relatively little progress, and it wasn't long before they two men had found them.

"Oh, Master Solo, thank goodness you've arrived! We've been unable to locate Mistress Leia."

"What about Winter?"

"Artoo's scanners aren't picking up on anything-" The gold plated droid turned slightly when the smaller droid began to beep frantically. "Sir, it appears that Artoo has detected some sort of- unusual energy within the Senate Arena. It could be the reason why he cannot detect Mistress Leia, and he also discovered that Winter used her access card to restore full power throughout the building."

"Alright, Rilys, you're going to go find Winter; Goldenrod, you get back to the Falcon and make sure she's ready for takeoff when we get back. Artoo, we're going to the Arena.

Leia leapt upwards onto a different delegation pod, using the force to propel her. She hadn't even turned around when she felt another pod being thrown towards her. Before Leia had even turned around she had gripped the pod with the force, and sent it flying back towards her adversary.

Her surprise was clearly evident as she watched the Sith merely watch the object fly towards herself. Leia's eyes grew wider when the other disappeared in a slightly transparent black cloud and the pod flew harmlessly threw it. Seconds later the mysterious being was once more standing there, smiling malevolently at her before she leapt into the air.

"Winter! It's about time I found you!"

"Rilys, what are you doing here, you should be taking down those Star Destroyers!"

"Hey, High Admiral Carresan's orders. We're here to get you and Leia out before something really bad happens."

"Well, I don't plan on delaying this further, but we need to use caution, I've had the pleasure of running into several mysterious armored men. They only carry these." She finished pulling out the strange dagger and igniting its short, blood red blade.

"I was bidden to extend an offer. You shall be greatly rewarded should you join the darkness. And I warn thee, death comes on swift wings to those who deny the Dark Lord!"

"You will never turn me. I am a Jedi."

"Being a Jedi will not save you from the darkness! Given time even the stars will burn out and die. The light merely casts shadows, there has always been darkness, and soon the light will fade away, forever."

"Nothing can destroy hope, nor love. That is all that is needed for the light to remain."

The black cloud surrounded the mysterious creature once more, and Leia watched intently when it disappeared once more, revealing Anakin. Leia's heart nearly broke at the sight of the son she had lost, but as she reached out into the force to feel him she could only feel darkness and despair. It was not her son standing before her; she could once more feel him distantly through the veils of darkness that were beginning to cloud her vision. The love they still shared through his death was still there, and a new resolve grew within her to defend that connection with her lost child.

"How dare you take the form of an innocent child!" Leia reached through the force, and with all her might tried to send the falling shadow away with the force.

"Hey, Artoo, can you get past the security lockdown on the doors heading in the Arena from here?" Han was greeted with a short whistle of affirmation, "Good, once it's open, then you start heading back towards the ship, got it?" He steeled himself for whatever he would see on the other side of the closed steel door.

Han stared transfixed at the sight of his wife and their son standing on opposing sides beneath the massive dome. Yet, even as he looked towards Anakin, he knew something was wrong, he could feel in his heart that while whatever it was standing on the delegation pod looked like his son it wasn't. He could feel the pain of losing his child still, and he knew that Anakin was no longer alive. His eyes went wide when he saw Leia thrust her hands in front of her and two massive, translucent hands swept beneath the dome ramming into whatever it was that was pretending to be their son.

When the brilliant blue light rammed into her she screamed in confusion and pure fury. She once more transformed into a black cloud before once more transforming the midi-chlorians around her back into the shape of her normal self.

"Leia!"

She immediately turned to see her husband standing in one of the thousands of delegation pods, and the feel of his love for her through the force immediately calmed the turmoil her mind and soul.

"If you will not turn, then you will die!" Both their attention was once more directed back towards the mysterious demon who had hissed the words in pure hatred.

"You will not kill me!" Leia answered, and raising her hands above her head several delegation pods were torn free from there docking platforms on the walls, and were spent spiraling with amazing speed towards the creature who only screamed in malice as they barreled into her at the same time. Leia wasted no time leaping across the pods until she reached her husband.

"Admiral, the final Star Destroyer is going down, but they're heading on a crash course for the Arena!"

Santé Carresan watched hopelessly as the final Star Destroyer moved ever closer to the gargantuan dome of the Senate, knowing there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it from plunging deep into the heart of the building.

"We can do no more, bring us back out of the stratosphere, there is still a battle to be fought."

"Admiral, reports say that the planetary shields should be up in twenty minutes."

"It's about time, now let's destroy the rest of the Imperial Fleet and put an end to this assault now. I want a full status report now!"

Han quickly kissed Leia, before racing back out of the delegation pod, and they both turned back just in time to see the flaming prow of a star destroyer burst through the dome, sending massive shards of glass and steel plummeting to the ground far below.

"This can't be good-" Han whispered as they stared in horror as the Star Destroyer continued to crash towards them crushing hundreds upon hundreds of delegation pods. Flames and sparks shot everywhere as they stood transfixed by the horrific sight. It was a few more seconds before they took off running as the colossal ship continued to crash towards them.

They were running hard as the walls buckled behind them, and the floor started to collapse as it was pushed aside effortlessly by the hull of the star destroyer. The clatter of the feet on the polished floors was lost to the thundering clash of metal and steel mixed with numerous explosions. They watched as the blast doors at the end of the corridor slid shut. Leia immediately reached out with the force and the door slid back open as they raced into yet another hallway.

Rilys stopped at the main entry of the hangar bay, and after punching in several keys the door slid open revealing one of the many entry halls of the Arena. The great columns towered high into the air. Winter joined him and both were surprised to see the astromech droid rolling towards them.

Han grabbed Leia by the wrist as they raced along the varying halls. They reached along long stairwell that lead back to the entry hall. Seconds after they reached the base of the stairs the wall behind them burst outwards, and they were running as fast as they could to stay ahead of the harbinger of destruction that was still crashing towards them as the building started to collapse. Moments later they were surrounded by the ornate columns, and white robes fluttered she ran as fast as she could.

It wasn't long before the first of the columns lurched forward, plowing into the next in the long rows. Neither dared to stop, knowing all to well that the building was collapsing in on itself as the Star Destroyer continued its wave of mass destruction. Before Leia even had the chance to open the large blast doors at the end of the entry hall slid open.

"Run!" was all Han could think to yell as Rilys and Winter stared at the columns behind Han and Leia crashed into the next row. They were running as fast as the could towards their waiting ships. Rilys reached his fighter first, hastily getting the cockpit shut, and just before he took off he caught a whirl of white robes as Leia hurried up the ramp to the Millenium Falcon followed closely by the flash of black from Winter's Alderaanian uniform. In seconds his X-Wing was flying rapidly towards the end of the hangar.

"Come on baby, don't let me down now…" Han whispered as he punched several more buttons on the control panel in the cockpit. He sighed with relief when the ship lunged forward, and they too were trying to escape the massive wave of destruction that was still following them.

Leia sat next to him and watched the skyscrapers as they soared out of the hangar and out into the open air.

"M'Lady, is there anything you require?"

"No, Winter, thank you." She smiled slightly and turned back to stare out of the cockpit once more. Winter nodded and gracefully headed back down into the living quarters.

"Leia, are you alright?"

"I don't know."

Han looked at her, his eyes full of concern as he noticed a cut near her ear. "What was- that thing in there?"

"Something that I've never seen before. We have to find Luke. I- something terrible is about to happen. Everything is growing dark, and it seems like a shroud is beginning to cover the Force."

"I've seen a lot over the years, Leia. But nothing like what I saw in there today."

"I did nothing different. The Force- it seemed to react more… potently. Something is going to happen, Han, I fear it won't be good."

"No matter what, I will always love you."

"I love you as well." Leia answered, finally tearing her gaze away from the skyscrapers that surrounded them. She looked at him, and smiled warmly before wrapping her slender arms around him.

"Santé, we successfully located President Solo, and she is safely onboard the Millenium Falcon."

"Good, the battle is essentially over, I will contact them myself. Stay alert, there may still be Imperial fighters down there. You're to escort them until you hear from me, understood?"

"Roger that, Santé, Bravo Leader out." He sat back in his seat and guided his fighter so that he could keep a close eye on the Falcon.

Suddenly he felt his entire fighter begin to rock violently. "Han, watch out, we've got company!" Rilys yelled, just as he pulled up and rolled a few times to get the enemy ship off his tail. He watched as two TIE fighters soared past him and chased after the Millenium Falcon. His gloved fingers gripped the trigger, and he fired several blasts at the fighters.

"Alright, Rilys, we're going to make a break for the Vanquisher. You ok back there?"

"I'm holding out. Not much space to maneuver down here though. You lead the way, and I'll be right behind you."

"Alright, hang on, this could get a bit rough…" Han yelled as he pulled back hard on the controls causing the Millenium Falcon to move upwards abruptly temporarily throwing Leia off balance before she regained her composure, and readjusted the shields.

"The main fleet isn't far away. I'll start transferring some of the energy from the shields to the thrusters. We ought to be able to outrun them." Leia's voice once more carried the powerful determination and resolve and Han gave her a grin as he brought the freighter into another spin.

"Han, watch out, there are more fighters moving ahead to cut us off!"

"What in the hell is that?" Leia immediately saw the strange looking ship flying towards them that Han had briefly indicated. His voice was cautious, and Leia thought she recognized the ship from one of the databases they had recovered from the ruins of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant years ago.

"Han, we have to get out of here and fast. I- I can feel it."

"Feel what?"

"Complete darkness. That- thing, that I was fighting in the Arena, it's on that ship."

"Then we're going to want to get out of here, and fast." Han gritted his teeth as he thrust the lever forward, causing the Millenium Falcon to lurch forward into something of a nosedive. They barreled past a rebel transport, going as fast as the freighter could handle. "We're going to make a break for it. Rilys, have your Artoo unit link to the Falcon's NAV computer. We're going to make a jump into lightspeed as soon as we're out of the stratosphere."

"Where are we going?"

"I think we should head for Yavin IV. I- I can barely sense Luke through the Force… and we must alert the Jedi to this new threat." Leia answered, her mind still replaying the events again and again as she kept herself calm.

"Connection established, let's get the hell out of here, guys." Came the confident reply over the comlink. Han waited just until Rilys had cleared the stratosphere before he punched another button, and in seconds the shimmering stars and planets became a large blur of white streaks. He sat back with something of a triumphant grin on his face when he turned to look at Leia.

Han couldn't remember ever meeting anyone as beautiful as the woman sitting beside him. Her long brown hair fell gracefully past her shoulders, deep brown eyes still finding wonder at the sight of the elongated stars. Deep, crimson lips curving into her own, unique smile.

"I love you." Leia turned to look at him, and his heart melted when she gently intertwined their fingers.

"I know, Nerf-herder." Han couldn't help but grin widely at her, and he gently pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Admiral, Bravo leader sent a transmission before they went into lightspeed. It appears that they are heading for Yavin IV to inform Master Skywalker, and the other Jedi of the attack."

"Alright, are planetary shields fully functional?"

"Yes, Admiral, shields are fully operational once more."

"Good, I want the remaining Imperial ships either destroyed or captured."

"I'm going to go change, I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Alright, your Highness." Han smiled as he turned to look back out of the cockpit. His smile vanished minutes later when the ship crashed out of lightspeed sending him forward in his seat. As if on cue Leia appeared behind him, wearing a soft yellow dress. The gold embroidery gracefully seemed to melt into the fabric. It had been a long time since Han had seen her wear a dress that was meant to catch people's eyes and wasn't as formal as the gowns she would wear to the Senate. "Wow- you look- wow."

Leia smiled softly at him before examining the blank screen where the only ship was their own and Rilys' fighter. "That's rather sweet, but it doesn't mean anything if you can't explain why we came out of lightspeed."

"I don't know- wait, what's that?" Han pointed off through the viewport towards a small ship flying towards them.

"I can't sense any life-forms on that ship." Leia spoke softly. They watched, as it grew closer. Suddenly the entire ship rocked. "That shot came from whatever that ship is."

"Then it's going down." Han let his cocky grin show as he fired three concussion missiles at the strange ship. The grin changed into a triumphant smile when they watched it explode. Seconds later however, the smile vanished when the sight of four Super Star Destroyers suddenly filled the entire view of the cockpit. "What the hell! Where did those come from?"

"Uh, guys, I think we've got a problem…" They could hear the confusion and shock in Rilys' voice. "We can't exactly just outrun these ships- they've already got us in their tractor beams."

Han's attention slowly went from the four massive ships heading their way towards Leia. Her hand was stretched out, and her eyes were closed. It wasn't until he saw the nearest hangar bay doors on one of the ships slam shut on a single TIE Fighter that had been taking off. He thought he could see the other hangar doors sliding shut.

When his eyes looked back down to the various readings he noticed that the hold on both ships was growing considerably weaker. Suddenly Leia was thrust back against her seat, and he could've sworn he could see strange black mist around her neck, and wrists. He couldn't help but be surprised when the same thing happened to him. Somewhere from the main hold he could hear several beeps and frantic whirs before Threepio worried called out that something was wrong.

In a matter of minutes they were all standing on one of many flight decks. There were at least thirty storm troopers surrounding them. Leia could sense the unease and fear in the others, including Winter though she hid it so well. Threepio and Artoo were immediately deactivated and carried off out of their view.

"Take them to their designated cells on detention block AA-28, level 2. Our Master demands that President Solo be brought to him immediately."

Han cast a fearful look at Leia. She looked back at him, and gave him a soft smile. "It will be ok Han. I love you." She whispered so only they could hear.

"I know." Leia smiled a bit more. She gently leaned back and gave him a tender kiss before they were pulled apart. Their eyes met one final time before they lost sight of each other. Her long hair fell freely behind her back, and she briefly wished she was still in the more formal gown she had shed in an attempt to help Han find comfort.

The lift quickly sped upwards. She could sense only darkness emanating from the level they were approaching. With a soft hiss the door slid open, and she was greeted by a pitch-black room. Then she heard the breathing. There was no mistaking the mechanical breaths that could instill fear in anyone in the galaxy.

"Leave us." Leia caught a brief glimpse of the storm troopers quickly retreating into the elevator. Mere seconds later she was once more ensconced in the darkness.

All he could see in the room was darkness. But in the Force he could feel the light that had entered the room, and he wanted nothing more than to destroy it. With a flick of his wrist the room was dimly illuminated.

He saw her.

He felt something inside of him stir. Somehow he recognized the woman standing before him. And in his mind he could see her. Not the woman standing before him, but another, who looked so similar. A woman with the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen, a woman who could make his heart melt with a single smile. The woman standing before him was replaced in his mind with another woman, from a distant memory. She stood there, wearing a soft yellow dress that faded slowly to purple then a deep blue. He could remember his hands caressing her soft cheeks, his fingers intertwining with the long strands of silken hair.

Inside him he could feel something foreign, something he didn't know what to call. All he knew was that he wanted no more than to see the woman in his vision once more.

To Be Continued…

Notes: It'll most likely be quite some time before I update this story again, but with enough reviews I could be persuaded to get more interested in writing more chapters for it. Sorry about that fact that I couldn't add any of the rulers to separate the parts where it changes from one scene to another. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter.