Hanna's heart dropped when Lucia picked up Alaric's discarded helmet. No. He had to be okay. He had to be.

Threepio said mournfully, "I'm afraid that Artoo's sensors can find no trace of Prince Alaric."

Lucia turned around and tossed the helmet to Hanna. "He's alive. I can feel it."

"Right." Hanna fumbled and barely caught the helmet, the edge of sarcasm in her voice tempered by fear. "With the 'Force'."

A small smile curved Lucia's lips. "Yes. With the Force."

Hanna rolled her eyes and turned away, hugging Alaric's helmet to her chest. Despite herself, she was somewhat reassured by Lucia's steadfast belief.

Chewie lifted his head and sniffed the air. He growled something about 'this way', and took off into the forest.

"Chewie, what?" With an exasperated sigh, Hanna chased after him, the helmet gripped tightly in one hand. She wasn't about to lose Chewie too.

"Hanna!" Lucia called, and Hanna lifted her free hand in acknowledgement, but didn't slow down. The kid could follow along if she wanted to.

Chewie burst out of the trees into another clearing and stopped so suddenly Hanna nearly ran right into him. "What the frack, Chewie?" she burst out, and was immediately sorry. None of this was his fault.

Stepping to one side, Chewie pointed at a sharpened stake jammed into the ground, a small dead animal skewered on it. Yuck. And, quite clearly, a trap.

Fearless as always, Chewie reached out to poke it. Behind Hanna, Lucia shouted, "No! Chewie, wait!" But it was too late. The forest somersaulted sickeningly around them as they were snatched off their feet and thrown together. When the twisting, jolting movement slowed, they found themselves in a large net suspended from a tree. Yep. A trap.

"Nice work, Chewie." Hanna shoved his furry arm out of her face. "Just great."

Much subdued, he muttered an apology, but she turned away as best she could, not wanting to hear it. This was his fault.

"Hey, let's just figure out a way to get out of this thing," Lucia put in from behind Chewie. "Hanna, can you reach my lightsaber?"

"Yeah, sure." Hanna sighed and reached around Chewie to fumble blindly for the saber while the trees around them slowly spiraled past, around and around.

"Artoo!" Threepio squeaked beneath, "I'm not sure that's a very good idea!"

Hanna looked down just in time to see Artoo using his laser cutter to slice through the net, and then her stomach dropped as the bottom fell out beneath them. A rush of air and screaming, and they hit the ground. Hard.

"Aw, frack it." Hanna pressed her hand to her forehead with a groan as she sat up. "Wha—" She broke off as she pulled her hand away from her face. They were surrounded by tiny furry two-legged creatures that looked for all the world like children's toys, but with wicked-looking spears. She reached for her blaster pistol, but Lucia's hand fell on her arm.

"Hanna, don't. It'll be all right."

Hanna looked into Lucia's eyes, and saw only confidence and peace. Nodding slowly, she lifted her hands and let the living toys take her weapon.

Drums beating outside the hut caught Alaric's attention and he ducked outside to see what was happening. He had managed to learn his little friend's name—Wicket—and the name of his people as a whole: Ewoks. Their language was very different from any he had learned before, so it was very slow going.

A crowd of Ewoks had gathered in the middle of the village, and they had captives. Alaric stopped in his tracks when he saw who they had tied up. Lucia and Hanna spotted him just as he saw them, and Hanna shouted, "Alaric!"

Alaric surged forward, but was stopped by a crowd of Ewoks bristling with spears. "Come on, guys. They're my friends."

The Ewoks responded with clearly negative grumblings, shaking their spears. Alaric gritted his teeth, watching through the spears, furiously helpless.

"Threepio," Lucia called, "tell them if they don't let us go, you'll be angry and use magic."

"What?" Threepio waved his hands about frantically from where he was seated on some kind of throne of branches. "I couldn't possibly—"

"Just tell them," Lucia said calmly yet firmly.

Alaric felt something like an electric charge in the air as Threepio spoke to the Ewoks in their language. It tingled in his teeth, as if he was on the edge of something, about to step off into the unknown.

One of the Ewoks yelled something challenging and shook his spear at Threepio. Clearly, Lucia was going to have to do whatever she had planned, as they weren't about to let them go otherwise. Even as the thought crossed Alaric's mind, the electricity in the air intensified, raising goosebumps all over his skin. And the throne with Threepio on it rose into the air.

"You see: they didn't believe—" Threepio cut himself off with a squeak. "Oh! What's happening? Oh dear!"

The Ewoks shrank back as the Threepio began to revolve slowly over their heads, his panicked cries becoming more and more shrill. Then, one that seemed to be a leader yelled at the other Ewoks, and they ran forward and cut the ropes that bound Lucia, Hanna, and Chewie. The spears that held him back gone, Alaric shoved his way through the crowd of Ewoks to where Hanna, Lucia, and Chewie were getting to their feet.

"Alaric!" Lucia threw her arms around him, hugging as if she never wanted to let him go. Hanna's longer arms wrapped around him from the other side, and he could feel their relief. Being back with the two of them felt so… right.

"Lucia said you were alive," Hanna said against his ear. She didn't say she had worried, but the tight clasp of her arms said everything.

Nightbirds and insects sang in the soft darkness around the Ewok village as Lucia stepped away from the celebration. The tribe had ceremonially sworn them in as members, then thrown a party for them. But Lucia could feel Vader's presence near, on this moon, searching for her. She wrapped her fingers around the rough wood railing that marked the edge of the village and stared at her hands. She would soon have to face her mother again, whether or not she was ready.

"Lucia?"

She looked over her shoulder to find Alaric. The soft robe the Ewoks had given him to wear soughed around his legs as he came to stand beside Lucia.

"What's wrong?" Alaric's voice was soft, seeming part of the night sounds.

Lucia studied his face for a moment. She could see herself in the angle of his jaw, the sweep of his brows. While a part of her resented all the years they'd lost, she was mostly just glad they had found each other. "Alaric… do you remember your parents? Your biological parents?"

A shadow crossed his face, and Alaric turned to lean on the fence beside Lucia. "Not really. Just… images. Feelings."

Turning her gaze back to the stars, Lucia nodded. Her eyes prickled.

Alaric put his hand on Lucia's arm, and she could feel his concern through the Force. "Lucia, tell me. What's troubling you?"

Lucia closed her eyes and bowed her head, tightening her fingers on the rough wood. "Vader is here—now, on this moon."

A jolt of alarm from Alaric in the Force. "How do you know?"

"I feel her presence. She's come for me." Lucia turned to meet Alaric's eyes. "That's why I have to go."

"But—?" Alaric shook his head in confusion. "Why would Vader come for you?"

Lucia looked down at her hands, white-knuckled on the railing, and took a deep breath, letting it out in a rush. "She's my mother."

Stunned shock radiated through the Force from Alaric. "...what?" he said faintly.

Releasing the railing, Lucia turned and took Alaric's hands in hers. "I'm sorry, but there's more. And this isn't going to be easy for you to hear."

His hands tightened on hers and his shoulders drew back. He nodded, his eyes steady on her face.

Feeling Alaric's acceptance in the Force, Lucia held his gaze. "If I don't make it back, you're the only hope for the Alliance."

His eyes widened, and his hands tightened even more on hers. "But—" He shook his head. "You have power I don't understand. We need you."

Lucia smiled, tears threatening to spill. "You have that power too, Alaric. The Force is strong in my family. My mother has it, I have it… and my brother has it too."

"Your—?" Alaric stopped breathing, and his eyes searched Lucia's as if looking for answers.

"Yes." Lucia squeezed his hands nearly as tightly as he was squeezing hers. "It's you, Alaric."

Shock slowly faded into wonder, and Alaric lifted a hand to cup the side of her face. "I knew there was something… You feel like home."

Nodding, Lucia returned his smile while blinking away tears. "And now you know why I have to face her."

"No!" Alaric shook his head and his gaze turned fierce. "I just found you. I don't want to lose you. She'll kill you."

"No she won't." Lucia felt certainty and peace fill her as she said the words, knowing they were true. "There is good in her; I've felt it. I have to try to bring her back, to save her."

Tears filled Alaric's eyes and he nodded then pulled her close, hugging her tightly. "You will come back to me." There was certainty in his words and in the Force, and Lucia could not argue, though she was not certain of anything herself.

After a moment, she pulled back, leaned forward to kiss his cheek, then turned to go. It was time to meet her destiny.

Markus Jaydra watched the Imperial shuttle set down quietly among the trees. Darth Vader's Force signature flickered wildly to his senses, from brilliant light to deepest dark. His Master had not overestimated her weakening. If they were to apprehend Lucia Skywalker, he must reach her before Vader did. He turned away from Vader's wavering in the Force and toward the strong bright light he had followed to this moon.