Author Notes:
See the end of the chapter for notes

Naboo Bastion

Han crouched down under the Millennium Falcon and shuffled over to where the hyperdrive access panel was located. He released the four flush latches allowing the door to swing open. He then pulled a glowrod out of his side pocket and pointed its tight beam up at his increasingly unreliable hyperdrive. Luke and Victor moved close so they could see what and where he was directly his light. "There is the hypercoil going to the power coupler which is supplying power to the hyperdrive motivator," Han explained. "According to the ship's computer there is a power leakage problem making the Compensator to fluctuate wildly." He pointed to another part of the engine. "I thought I could run a bypass to the Realspace Compensator and fix the problem that way."

Victor choked on the Red Rancor ale that Solo had provided him. After coughing up the aspirated alcohol he starred at Solo in shock. "You do know that will destabilize the engines and could cause an explosion."

Solo pointed a finger at him. "Could...that's the key word. The ship's computer calculated there was only a zero-point-five percent chance of that happening."

Solo gave a self-confident grin that irritated Victor to no end...Solo's ego could get Leia and his children killed. Victor gritted his teeth trying to tamp down his emotions. "Solo, you are going to be a father soon. Do you want to put your children on a ship that has a zero-point-five percent chance of exploding every time you fire it up?"

The grin slipped from Han's lips and his shoulder's slumped. "No." He looked back up at the hyperdrive and sighed deeply. "I guess I have to stop taking big risks in the future." He looked back up through the access panel and shook his head sadly. "That is the only way I can fix the ship from here. To repair it properly I would need to bring it to a shipyard where they have the equipment to pull the heavy engines."

Luke took a sip of his drink before talking. "I can do that for you, Han. Naboo has some top-of-the-line facilities for starship overhauls."

"Or," Victor said slowly. "We can junk this freighter and get you a new ship. A ship fit for a princess such as a sleek H-type Nubian yacht."

Han frowned at the suggestion. "I'm not giving up my ship." He ran a hand over the hull lovingly. "She's special."

Victor wasn't happy that Han insisted on keeping this death trap he called a ship, but he could understand how captains could get attached to their freighters. "You could at least replace the missing escape pods."

Han nodded. "Yes, I can do that. You know, when I first saw this ship my friend Lando had a special made escape pod attached into the mandibular notch, but I had to jettison it to escape a giant, ship-eating, jelly-fish monster near the Maw Cluster." He took a sip of ale before smirking at Victor and Luke. "That's within the Akkadese Maelstrom...where I did the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs."

Victor shook his head. "How can you do a twenty-parsec route in less than twelve parsecs."

Han's grin widened. "It can be done...if you round down."

Victor scoffed while wondering about his daughter's odd choice in men. "Did you round down from twenty?"

"No!" Han was insulted. "I didn't go the normal route. I took a shortcut through the carbonbergs and ice as I flew by the Maw gravity well."

"What about a jelly-fish?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, it was enormous with thousands of eyes and electrified tentacles that tried to grab and eat my ship."

"In the vacuum of space?" Victor said skeptically, suspecting that Solo had been partaking the spice he once smuggled when he saw the beast described.

Han looked offended. "Yes, in the vacuum of space. Listen, I am not an expert on xenobiology, but space-borne creatures are not unheard of. Mynocks or space slugs are a couple of examples of animals that can survive in a vacuum. This thing was like a five-kilometer-wide energy creature. It tried to grab the Falcon but I lured it away by jettisoning the escape pod. As it chased the pod, I turned the ship around and burned engines in the opposite direction."

Luke gazed at Han as he finished his beer. "Why were you in the Maelstrom in the first place?"

"I was being chased by your Imperial fleet," Han replied with a sarcastic tone.

"It wasn't my fleet back then," Luke retorted, then smirked, "if it was my fleet...we would have captured you."

Han laughed out loud. "Oh, you are so full of bantha dung."

Luke grinned. "You are probably right." He pointed up to the hyperdrive. "We'll make arrangements for the Falcon to get a complete overhaul and replace those escape pods that we jettisoned before our capture by the first Death Star."

The three men turned when they heard footsteps coming from the portico entrance. They squat walked out from under the ship to find Leia and Mara coming out of the building.

Victor could tell Leia had been crying and he was surprised by how much this bothered him. She loathed the man who fathered her and, in all honestly, he couldn't blame his daughter. He did monstrous things while serving Palpatine. He Force choked his wife, tortured Leia and Han, and then sliced off Luke's hand...and those were some of the least horrific crimes he committed. He wanted to comfort Leia, but even he couldn't bring himself to be that deceitful. Any attempt by him to console Leia would making him a lying fraud. He could only stand by and watch as Han rushed up and enveloped her in his arms. His daughter returned the smuggler's embrace as Han tenderly kissed the top of her head.

Luke shuffled his feet while looking heartbroken. "I'm sorry my news brought you so much pain, Leia."

She looked up at him with bloodshot eyes and gave a weak smile. "I'm sickened to know Vader was my father, but I'm not upset over having you as a brother." She turned to Mara and the baby. "Or having a sister-in-law and a nephew."

A hopeful smile bloomed across Luke's face. "Good...that's wonderful." He blew out a relieved breath. "Leia, you were a politician. You can advise me on political matters. I want to make the Empire a place where you would want to live and raise your children." He pulled in a deep breath before continuing. "I know our situation is complicated, but I think the Force is at work here."

"How so?" she asked.

"I have been doing Force research using the Jedi relic Han gave me. It's called a Holocron. It contains prophesies...some of which have come to fruition during our lifetime. My father was supposedly the Chosen One who will destroy the Sith...and it happened." Luke's eyes briefly glanced in Victor's direction but quickly flitted away. "Most of the prophesies are so vague that they could be interpreted a hundred different ways, but there was one thing I found interesting. Many of prophesies contain twin births. The Holocron hinted that Force sensitive twins can act as natural dyads...which is the pairing of two strong Force users making them a stronger whole. A strong enough dyad can create shatter points."

"What are those?" Han asked seemingly engrossed by the conversation.

It was Victor that answered. "It is a point in time or place where a specific action can result in a multitude of different futures. The citizens of this galaxy might think the future is set firmly on a specific route, but a dyad can fracture that path into a dozen smaller and very different directions." He looked at Leia and Luke. "Palpatine thought he was all powerful and would reign forever, but a set of twins thwarted his plans."

Luke nodded at Victor before turning his attention back to his sister. "I think we are destined to changed things...to bring peace and prosperity to the people of the galaxy. Do you think you can help me do that?"

She thought on his request for only for a brief moment before nodding with a smile. "Yes."

.

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Nine years later

Commander Victor Jade of the Imperial Knights piloted his shuttle to the Naboo Bastion. He had made the flight from Coruscant to Naboo hundreds of times over the years. He often spent days and occasionally weeks with the Solo family, the only exception was when he traveled to Naboo to witness the wedding of Han and Leia shortly before the birth of the twins. Luke officiated the ceremony with Victor and Mara acting as witnesses. After a small party the couple was left alone to pretend that they were off on some exotic honeymoon.

Luke and Mara originally planned to join him on this particular trip, but the demands on an emperor were never-ending. Currently, Luke was busy finalizing the formation of the Imperial Senate. It was his last step toward changing his current benevolent dictatorship into something closer to a constitutional monarchy.

Emperor Skywalker would retain substantial power, but a democratic constitution had been written up and ratified. The individual planets within the Empire would have planetary governors elected by the citizens of the world. Senators would act as representatives of the planetary governors and would meet within the Imperial senate on Coruscant.

The military would remain under the emperor's control and Moffs would oversee protecting space in their sectors. The individual worlds would have their own standing planetary security force but could request Imperial military intervention in case of outside invaders. Leia was very helpful in giving Luke advice on establishing the senate. She knew what people to talk to and which politicians to avoid. The senate had been up and running for the last week with only a few problems that needed to be resolved.

As the shuttle reached the bastion, Victor flew a lazy circle overhead so he could get a good view of Solo's totally renovated Corellian freighter. The ship's once corroded and battered alloy skin was now replaced with top-of-the-line doonium and quadanium steel. The engines were pulled and replaced with a Class 0.45 hyperdrive...which Solo had to admit was better than the Class 0.5 hyperdrive system that he claimed to have installed in his freighter.

Victor chuckled to himself. He had the shipyard inspect the old hyperdrive and it was only a Class 1 system with some odd tweaking that Solo assumed made it faster and more maneuverable. Victor kept that information to himself, though. Solo would never believe he had anything but the fastest ship in the galaxy. Now, with the new engines...that boast might possibly be true. Victor wanted to replace the computer system but Solo balked. It was his belief that the ship's onboard computer had a personality and replacing it would be akin to killing an old friend. Victor thought the idea was preposterous, but he ensured the computer remained intact.

Victor saw movement below as Solo and his Wookiee friend exit the Falcon. They looked up, hands shielding their eyes, before waving in his direction. Over the years it became apparent that Leia and Han had no plans to escape. After much discussion it was decided that they could have visitors. The Wookiee spent an exorbitant amount of time with the couple and their three children.

Victor grinned at the thought of his grandchildren: the twins—Jacen and Jaina—and his youngest grandson, Ben. After the birth of the youngest child, Victor asked Leia why she chose the name Ben. She explained that Obi-Wan Kenobi was a good friend of her father's and according to Luke, he was the Jedi who placed her with her adopted parents. It was her message, placed within her Artoo unit, that dragged the old Jedi into her fight against the Empire, and his death happened while helping her escape from the Death Star. She originally wanted to name her son Obi-Wan, but Han liked the name Ben better, so it was a compromise. Victor had to admit it made sense for Leia to want to honor Kenobi...and, over time, he realized having a grandchild named after his old Master didn't bother him.

He maneuvered the shuttle down into the second empty courtyard and started the engine shutdown sequence. He looked out the flight deck observation window to see his daughter and her oldest son waiting for him under the doorway overhang. She wore a loose, one-piece jumpsuit with her hair tied up in braids in a way that reminded him of Padmé. She had a hand on her older son's shoulder and was visibly holding the boy back from running to the shuttle until it was safe to do so. The brown-haired boy smiled widely while waving to Victor, excited by his arrival.

After landing and engine shutdown, he exited the ship only to be nearly bowled over by a happy eight-year-old Jacen grabbing hold of his leg in an impressive hug. "We missed you, Uncle Victor."

"I miss you too." Victor bent over and lifted the boy into his arms. "How's my little Imperial Knight? Have you been doing your Force training?"

The boy nodded his head enthusiastically. "All of us have. I'm better than Jaina and Ben."

"Watch the pride, boy," Victor warned. "It is not the way of an Imperial Knight. Do you remember the oath?"

"Yes, Loyalty, Honor, Moderation, Duty. As Imperial Knights we will protect the citizens of the Empire and obey the emperor as he serves the light side of the Force."

"Correct," Victor said with pleasure. "Where does pride fall in the oath?"

Jacen chewed on his bottom lip in thought before answering. "Moderation. We will strive to balance the Force with ourselves. We will work toward attaining strength, knowledge, and skill but without pride and arrogance."

Victor smiled widely at his grandson. "That is correct. You have been studying."

"Can I build my lightsaber now?" he asked excitedly.

Victor saw Leia frown and he considered his words carefully. "Lightsabers are for adults. They are very dangerous weapons. You wouldn't want to accidentally hurt someone, would you?"

Jacen shook his head.

"Imperial Knights don't practice with lightsabers until they are at least teenagers." He looked up at Leia and smiled. "And with their parent's permission." He lowered the boy to the ground and addressed Leia. "Greetings Princess. I bring good news."

She smiled back. "I know, Han has finished his sentence."

Victor nodded as he pulled out a datapad from a side satchel. "Yes. This is a major event. Would you like to gather the family for the official proclamation?"

"Sure." As she turned, Han and Chewie appeared in the doorway. "Victor wants to talk to all of us." Leia motioned for them to follow her to the great room. Once there she indicated for everybody to sit while she got the other children from the playroom. Jaina came skipping into the large family room followed by five-year-old Ben Solo. All the Solo children had a strong family resemblance with brown hair and fair skin. The only exception was the twins had brown eyes, while Ben had his grandfather's ice blue eyes.

When they were all seated Victor cleared his throat and read Luke's proclamation off his datapad. "The Imperial Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Bureau of Adult Detention certifies that inmate # 111100, Han Solo, Documentation number 0621 is now released from confinement at the Naboo Bastion with his sentence completed with no parole." He paused to smile at Han. "We will need your acknowledgment of receipt, but it is recorded properly in the Imperial databases."

Leia clapped her hands before throwing her arms around her husband and kissing him fully on the lips. The children and a large Wookiee were also cheering Han's release.

Victor cleared his throat. When he had their attention, he continued. "There is another document from the emperor." He looked back down at the datapad and began to read. "'Let it be known that on this day, I, Emperor Luke Skywalker, pursuant to my powers according to article 58, Section 2, Clause 1, of the Imperial Constitution, have granted unto Leia Organa Solo a full and unconditional pardon for her convictions..." Victor stopped reading. "The remainder is a bunch of legalese listing your convictions and docket numbers." He grinned widely. "The bottom line is— you are free."

Leia jumped up and shrieked with delight as Han and her children hugged her tightly. She was still crying as she untangled herself from her brood and impulsively hugged Victor. He tensed for a moment before returning the embrace knowing he may never have his opportunity again. She broke away from him looking a bit stunned or possibly embarrassed by her actions. "Sorry Victor. I know you are not an overly expressive man."

"No problem. This is an event worthy of a hug. There is more."

She looked at him dumbfounded. "More? How can there be more?"

He beamed at her. "Now that you are free, you need a job, and the emperor wants to offer you a position as Senator of New Alderaan."

Her jaw dropped. "The planet Luke gifted to Alderaan families that were off planet when it was destroyed? I haven't even been there. I wouldn't feel right about representing them."

"They have an elected planetary governor. They simply need a person to represent them in the Senate once they get to the required population density for representation. That should be within the year. You will have plenty of time to get acquainted with the people. We have talked to the leadership on planet, and they want you. They are thrilled that you are alive, and they want their senator back. Luke will make sure everybody in the galaxy knows you are back in good standing with the Empire."

She moved back to the couch and sat down, her knees getting weak. "This is overwhelming."

"Luke will have a residence built for you on New Alderaan if you accept the assignment. He will also acquire additional quarters in the Imperial Palace for you and your family." Victor could barely contain his happiness at the thought of all his children and grandchildren together on the same planet. He looked to Jaina, Jacen and Ben. "Your cousins Anakin and Owen look forward to having you visit them on Coruscant. They were making a list of all the fun places to bring you."

He looked around and motioned to the bastion that was their home for so long. "You are also free to stay here on Naboo if you like. I know the kids have friends here." He looked to his daughter and smiled. "Take your time considering your options. This is not a decision you have to make today, tomorrow, or even next month." He glanced over to Han. "I will arrange for your ship to be fueled and prepped. All the documentation you need is in your computer files."

Leia sank back in the couch cushions while taking large deep breaths. "I can't believe this. The senate has been reestablished and the Empire has a constitution. Luke did something in a decade that I didn't think possible in my lifetime." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I feel awful for doubting him."

"Princess," Victor said softly. "Luke understands why you did what you did. The old empire was malignant and Palpatine was evil."

"Not just Palpatine." She looked up at him and added, "We can't forget Darth Vader –Palpatine's malicious sycophant."

Victor regarded the top of his boots before nodding slowly and returning her gaze. "Yes, he was that and more."

She appeared satisfied with his answer. He sensed she anticipated an argument from him...which was odd. As far as Leia knew, Victor Jade didn't appear in the royal court until after Vader's death and never met the redeemed Sith Lord. He cleared his throat. "If you decide to leave, I will arrange for cargo containers to be delivered. I assume most, if not all, of your belongings can fit into Solo's freighter."

Leia nodded. "I don't think we will move just yet, but I would like to go see the new senate building and later visit New Alderaan." She turned to her husband. "Would you like to get out of here for now and come back later to pack?"

"Hell yeah," Han said enthusiastically as he jumped out of his seat and gave Chewie a playful smack across his shoulder. "What do you say. We take the Falcon out and see what she can do?"

As the furry alien roared in approval Victor noticed his daughter rolling her eyes.

He took a step closer to Leia and leaned down to whisper. "Would you and the children like to return to Coruscant on my shuttle?" he gave Solo a sidelong glance. "I suspect your husband may want to do a stress test on the engines."

"And he'll probably want to fly through an asteroid field or two." Leia nodded knowingly before giving her full attention to Victor. "A ride on your shuttle would be lovely. It will also give us some time to talk."

Victor immediately came to alert. "Talk? With me?"

She gave him a look he didn't quite recognize. "Of course. Every time you're here Han totally monopolizes your time. It would be nice to have a conversation that doesn't involve weapons or starships."

He relaxed slightly. "I look forward to discussing whatever topic you desire."

.

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Author Notes: When I was doing research on the Legends Imperial Knights I thought I was on Wookieepedia but ended up on a Fandom website. Some of the information in this story is from the Legends canon but some is from that Star Wars Fandom wiki. That site gives permission for writers to use their information if they post the following:

This story uses information from the Order of the Imperial Knights article on the Star Wars wiki at Fandom and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.