Chapter 6: Joining Forces
In the void Anakin and Sheev look at each other with confusion when they see Ben and Luke staring at them.
"Hello?" Anakin asks, approaching the two.
"Senator Skywalker?" Ben asks, much to Anakin's confusion.
"Senator Skywalker?" He turns back to Sheev. "Now that's a new one." The two Jedi Masters chuckle.
"What's your name, son?" Sheev asks.
"I'm Ben Solo." Ben answers. "Are you Emperor Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious?"
"I am Sheev Palpatine, Jedi Master." Sheev corrects. "I assume that wherever you are from, I am known as Sidious. Which would explain your friend's look of shock." They all turn their attention to Luke. "Who are you, anyways?"
"I'm Luke Skywalker, Jedi-"
"LUKE?!" Anakin shouts in shock at seeing his son as an old man. Anakin approaches Luke and touches his cheek. "I… I can't believe it."
"Believe it, it's me." Luke says. "At what point in time did you two come from?"
"Well we came here from Ach-To, about ten years after the rise of the Empire. I had visions of Darth Sidious and Darth Vader potentially becoming a threat in our world. I sought out help from your father when I realized who they were. I thought we could find allies in the world I had visions of." Sheev explains.
"And who would those allies have been?" Luke asks curiously.
"The ones you know as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda." Sheev begins. "The ones we know as Darth Havoc and Baelish." He finishes, much to Luke's surprise.
"Where did you find my father?" He asks, changing the subject away from the idea of his former Masters as Sith.
"On the Skywalker family farm." Sheev explains. He then gestures to Anakin. Anakin finds a gateway and shows Luke an image of the Skywalker family on the farm. He shows an image of himself and Luke working on a speeder, while Leia and Padmé are picking vegetables. Later when the children get tired, Padmé and Anakin sing them a song to send them off to sleep.
Dentro es caldo liebe
Und es mai cadeau bisan asa
"Grandmother?!" Ben is in shock when he sees the image.
"Why are you so surprised by that, Ben?" Sheev asks curiously.
"And what do you mean, grandmother?" Anakin chimes in. "I thought your last name was Solo."
"Where I come from, my grandmother is Darth Mére. My grandfather was the Senator from Tatooine." Ben answers. "Mére was the equivalent of what Darth Vader would be in Luke's world. My mother is Leia, and my father is Han Solo. A pilot, smuggler, a scoundrel type."
"Is that right?" Anakin's eyes narrow as he thinks about being with a lovable bastard type man.
"Careful, Anakin." Sheev warns. "The prospect of fighting ONE Vader is frightening enough, and I don't intend for that to be you." He then turns to Luke who chuckles.
"I'm sorry, but hearing Sheev Palpatine say he doesn't want to create Darth Vader is a little humorous to me." Luke says.
"True, but I also rarely ever saw your father agitated back in the day. He was the Hero Without Fear and the Jedi's greatest pacifist." Sheev explains. "I'd hate for… well… whatever this is to rub off on him."
"Did you have kids, Sheev?" Anakin asks. "They really change your perspective on things. When you have them, there's something in your brain that just turns on."
"Anakin, you know I don't have-"
"I wouldn't be so quick to say no there." Ben interjects.
"Why is that?" Palpatine asks nervously.
"Because I wound up in Luke's world after escaping Exegol, an ancient planet of the Sith." Ben begins. "Kira Ren, the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine. She was trying to resurrect him and gain his power. She felt a sort of manifest destiny that the grandchildren of Mére and Sidious rule together forever." Anakin and Sheev stare in shock at Ben. "So I have to ask you, did you.. sow any oats in your youth? Anything that could lead to you having offspring?"
"Maybe a couple of times in my youth." Sheev answers, "Not that the Jedi ever encouraged one-night stands."
"That makes sense, the Jedi we're not a perfect order." Luke says. "In my isolation I read up on their history. All their victories and flaws. I even did some digging on Jedi I met in my time. Even Obi-Wan and Yoda had children."
"I know about Korkie, but wait… are you talking about Grogu?" Anakin says in realization. "Do you think that Baelish ever knew about him, Master?"
"It's possible." Sheev says. "It doesn't sound unlike a Sith to want an illegitimate child dead to avoid a scandal."
"No, it certainly doesn't." Luke says, holding up his robot hand. "I know from experience."
"Vader did that to you?" Anakin asks, sounding like a concerned parent.
"Yep, right before he told me who he was."
"I have to know." Ben asks. "What does Darth Vader look like?"
Luke then sees a nearby portal and Luke points over to it. They see Darth Vader standing over the bed of a teenage boy.
"Your task is to ask the Earth girl Lorraine Baines to the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance. If you do not do so, your brain will be melted." Vader then ignites his lightsaber and puts it close to the boy's face. "And it will be put to better use. Do I make myself clear, young McFly?"
"Yes sir, Mr. Vader." The boy says before passing out.
"Ummm… okay?" Ben is confused as to the context of the situation. "That's what Vader does? He tells boys to talk to girls?"
"Remember Ben, where we are, anything is possible." Luke reminds. "Even with context to the conversation it wouldn't make sense."
"I second that." Anakin says. The others look over to see him staring into another portal with disgust. "It's a good thing Qui-Gon's not here to see this, or he'd probably vomit." Sheev looks into it and looks away when he sees that it is Obi-Wan making love to Darth Maul. "Anakin, I want to vomit after seeing that."
"Do I wanna-"
"No, you don't Luke." Sheev says before he looks upon a portal at the death of Mace Windu on the Invisible Hand.
"Fought valiantly you have, Obi-Wan." Chancellor Yoda praises as Windu's hands have been cut off. "Kill him, you should."
"No, it's not the Jedi way." Obi-Wan protests as Windu stares at them in shock.
"Do it." Yoda orders, and Obi-Wan beheads Mace Windu with his own lightsaber.
"You never told me that's how Windu died, Anakin." Sheev says.
"I didn't know." Anakin. "I was out for the count at that point."
Luke stares into a portal where he sees Darth Sidious riding a slow escalator being saluted by every passing Stormtrooper.
"My lord"
"Stormtrooper"
"My lord"
"Stormtrooper"
"My lord"
"Stormtrooper"
Sidious gets irritated and begins cussing out the Stormtroopers.
"Poor bastard." Luke laughs.
"Luke!" Ben calls him over to a portal. "I think I found your friend Rey." Luke looks inside to see that is lying on the ground near the throne of Kira Ren.
"Your plan won't work." Rey snaps. "Ben Solo is smarter than you realize." Causing Ren to laugh.
"Oh foolish girl. You merely refer to Kylo Ren." She laughs more. "He is a fool for thinking he can rule his own world. Ben Solo on the other hand is intelligent enough not to seize power when there are others who will fight harder to get it. My Ben will come to me, it's destiny. Grandchildren of the greatest Sith together, conquering the galaxy as one."
"I don't care what you say to try and twist his mind, it will fail." Rey says. "I couldn't convince Ben, neither can you."
Ben looks away from the portal in fear.
"Do not be afraid, Ben." Luke says. "That is what she wants, for you to be a slave to your own emotions. Just take a deep breath and focus." Anakin and Sheev step to Luke's side as they are all prepared to join him through the portal.
"I guess this is my last chance to smoke this bad boy." Ben takes out a cigarra and lights it, much to Luke's annoyance.
"It's almost like you're possessed by Han." Luke says.
The four men step through the portal and enter the planet Exegol. Luke looks around to see Rey lying on the floor when she notices them.
"Master Luke." She sighs in relief and runs over to him.
"Are you alright, Rey?" Luke asks.
"I'm fine Master but-" she stops when she sees Ben.
"The girl I've heard so much about." Ben quips.
"Ben, you shouldn't be here." Rey warns.
"And neither should you." Ben replies. "Besides I ended up in your world with Chewbacca and… umph" Ben stops when he feels a kiss on his lips.
"Are you okay?" Rey asks.
"Yeah, I think someone used the Force to kiss me." Ben replies with disgust and confusion.
"Force kiss?" Anakin asked, confused. "I'm surprised I never heard of that."
"When would we have ever needed that?" Sheev asks. "And how could we possibly teach that WITHOUT it being creepy?" Rey looks in shock at Anakin and Sheev.
"You can relax, dear girl. I am not your grandfather." Sheev says in a calming tone. "Though young Ben here has made me question if I am. After we finish our mission here, I may check to see if that is true."
"You say that as if I'm going to let any of you leave here." They turn the corner to see Kira Ren on her throne. She then takes that cigarra from Ben's mouth and puffs on it. "My dear, I was hoping this would be more private."
"I am not yours." Ben protests. "And she is innocent. You will release her and the Wookie." Ren lets out a laugh.
"Why would you care about some big walking carpet?" She chuckles and snaps her fingers. Chewbacca is brought out in shackles by her Royal Guards, howling in pain.
"Chewbacca?" Sheev gasps, recognizing the Wookie. "Let him go."
"You are in position to make demands." Ren says, recognizing Sheev as the Jedi version of her grandfather. "You are a fool to align yourself with our ancient enemy."
"You're lying to yourself." Sheev protests. "And you know it." The four men each pull out their lightsabers and ignite them.
"You are only delaying the inevitable." Ren says, pulling out her double bladed red lightsaber and lunging at the old Jedi.
End of the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and having characters meet each other. Next chapter will be on its way. Until then, happy reading. Also I'll give a shoutout to whoever translates the song used in this chapter, when I post the next one.