Han took a deep breath of the fresh salty air and smiled. "Now this is a vacation." He left the balcony and cheerfully whistled as he stepped into the kitchen to make Leia a surprise breakfast in bed. He stopped in his tracks when he saw that Leia was already up and drinking a cup of coffee. "You do realize that a vacation involves sleeping in." Han remarked as he went to sit down next to her.
Leia finished the last drop of her coffee and looked at Han, a smile on her face. "Really? Then why aren't you still in bed?"
"I was going to surprise you by making breakfast." Han admitted. He studied her face and noticed the telltale signs of a person who has not been getting a lot of sleep.
"Oh. Sorry about that. It was a nice idea." Leia replied.
"Are you having trouble sleeping?" Han asked, concern in his voice.
Leia's smile disappeared and she stood up to get some more coffee. "I'm fine, Han."
Han frowned and followed Leia to the counter where the coffeemaker had enough coffee for one more cup. Han picked up a small container of coffee grounds and opened it to see how much was left. His suspicion was confirmed when he saw that a large portion had already been used up. "Leia, be honest with me. This was a new container of coffee grounds when we left on our vacation."
Leia finished pouring herself some coffee and took a small sip. "That doesn't mean that I'm having trouble sleeping."
Han put the container of coffee grounds back on the counter and carefully removed the coffee cup from Leia's hands and put it on the counter. Han held her hands ion his own and massaged her palms with his thumbs. "Okay, then let me change my question. Why are you trying to avoid going to sleep? Are you having visions again?"
In response Leia stepped forward and laid her head against Han's chest. "Hold me, Han, hold me."
Han wrapped his strong arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm here for you, Leia. I love you."
Silent tears escaped Leia's eyes and she closed her eyes as she enjoyed the feeling of security in Han's arms. "I love you too." Leia said softly back to him.
Leia let Han lead her into the living area and they sat down on the plush, dark blue couch. Still encircled by Han's arms, Leia curled up next to Han.
"Would you like to talk about them?" Han asked. When he didn't get a reply Han shook his head and kissed her on the lips. "You don't have to suffer with these visions alone, Leia."
Leia removed herself from Han's arms and headed for the front door. "Go make breakfast, Han. I'm going to take a walk around outside for a little bit."
Shaking his head, Han went to go start making breakfast. Once breakfast was made and was waiting on the dining room table, Han went outside to look for Leia. He found her looking out at the water and was only a few feet away when Leia collapsed. "Leia!" Han shouted and ran over to her.
Kneeling down on the warming sand, Han gathered Leia into his arms and checked her pulse. "Leia." Han called, noticing that her face had grown pale. "Leia, snap out of it!" Han picked her up and carried her back to the house as fast as he could. Putting her in bed, Han checked her pulse again before going into the refresher to get a cold wet cloth and put it on Leia's sweaty forehead.
"Please Leia, don't do this to me now." He tucked her tightly into bed and seconds later she began to thrash about and Force pushed some loose objects in the room, including Han who landed on his back. When he got up again Leia was still, almost like she was peacefully sleeping except that her mouth gave the truth away. The visions were back.
Han placed the damp cloth back onto Leia's forehead and ran into the living area to the comm. unit. He punched in the comm. code for Mara's ship and impatiently waited. "Come on Mara, pick up. Be on your ship."
Han's wish was answered when Mara's face appeared on the screen.
"I'm already on my way." Mara informed him. "How is she?"
Han ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. "She's still unconscious. I tried to wake her up, but that didn't work. I think the visions are also intense. Plus, she had been avoiding sleeping since we left for our vacation."
A contemplative look crossed Mara's face and then she nodded. "I should be there in a couple of hours. Do what you can for her. Oh, I am also bringing two others with me, they may be able to help."
Han numbly nodded and the call ended. Han went back into the bedroom and sat by Leia's side. Han ran his fingers through Leia's silky brown hair and kissed her on the lips. "I'm here, Leia, I'm here."
Zanthis shivered with cold inside the dark hole. Something cold and slimy was in the hole with him but he didn't dare harm it and risk more of Magnus' anger on himself. The creature gave off a revolting smell and every now and then would bite Zanthis, causing pain to shoot through Zanthis' body. The silence was beginning to become unbearable, and Zanthis' voice was already hoarse from shouting.
Zanthis' eyelids were tightly shut as he wished for unconsciousness to claim him. Unconsciousness slowly came and claimed him, but his sleep was disturbed---
"Mama!" The two year old cried in the dark. Crawling on his hands and knees, the young boy crawled around the small room and then sat in a corner. "Mama!" he whimpered, tears running down his face.
The door to the small room opened with a loud hiss, startling the boy.
The Sumnii studied the frightened child intently and then reached down to pick the boy up.
The boy trembled as the clawed hands reached down to grab him and then he screamed and began kicking and hitting the Sumnii with his legs and fists as the Sumnii picked him up.
The boy screamed even louder as the Sumnii carried him out of the room and tried to bite the Sumnii's hand.
Ignoring the boy's tantrum, the Sumnii carried the boy into a large room where the Emperor and Darth Magnus were waiting. In the middle of the room was an oval structure that usually held some kind of liquid in it and was used for other purposes. The Sumnii placed the boy into the empty structure, bowed to the Sith and then left the room.
The child's screams had subsided, yet silent tears ran down his red face. The Sith peered down at the boy and probed the boy with the Force.
The boy shivered as he felt the icy touch and began to whimper.
"He is indeed powerful." Palpatine remarked. "His fear and anger is strong. He will make a fine Sith." Palpatine reached down to the boy and put his hand on the child's head.
"Perhaps." Magnus responded through clenched teeth.
Palpatine closed his eyes and probed the boy's mind, breaking past every shield that the boy naturally had until he came to what he was looking for.
Feeling the cold, brutal, intrusion into his mind, the boy began to scream again and this time the boy began to unconsciously use the Force. Fueled by his fear and anger, the boy shoved Palpatine's presence out of his mind and put up strong mental shields.
Outraged, Palpatine opened his eyes and smacked the boy's face and then turned to his apprentice. "You may take charge of him now. I want him obedient, not damaged! Understood?"
"Yes my Master." Magnus replied and carefully picked up the still screaming child.
Hours later the child was left in a caged crib and was sleeping when a warm presence filled the room. The child's eyes slowly blinked open as the room became bright and he felt a gentle comforting touch on his cheek. A small smile appeared on the child's face and he put his arms through the bars, attempting to reach the comforting presence. When the child couldn't reach the presence he began to cry.
"Shh, little one. It'll be all right. I'm still here with you." The presence began to solidify in the room to reveal that the spirit was a tall man with brownish-grey shoulder length hair, and wore a brown robe. The man smiled, although his eyes revealed his concern for the boy. He walked up to the crib and unlocked the top.
The child reached his hands up as the spirit picked him up and cradled him in his arms. "Qui." The boy said, enjoying the warmth and comfort he got in Qui's arms.
Gently rocking the young boy in his arms, Qui walked around the room with him. "Don't be afraid little one, the light will not abandon you. You have a hard path ahead of you, but you are strong, and you will succeed."
A sound from outside the room caught Qui's attention. In moments the child was back in the crib, the top of the crib was shut, and Qui's presence was gone.
The slimy creature bit Zanthis again as he slept, releasing more toxins into Zanthis' bloodstream.
Magnus opened the top of the hole Lixion was in and saw that he was in a deep sleep. Reaching down inside, Magnus pulled Lixion out of the hole and then carried Lixion back to his own quarters and put him in bed.
Magnus studied Lixion's pale face and watched beads of sweat roll down from Lixion's forehead. He could feel Lixion's pain as the toxins attacked his body. Removing a syringe and the antidote from his belt, Magnus administered the antidote. After he disposed of the syringe, Magnus placed his hand on Lixion's still burning but cooling forehead and wiped away the beads of sweat with his fingers. "Will you ever learn? Perhaps my Master is right. You are weak."
Brushing back the sweaty blond locks, Magnus looked at the part of the hair that revealed that Lixion's natural hair color was a rusty brown. "Changing one's looks does not do any good. What did I do wrong in training you?"
Color slowly began to return to Lixion's face and his tense body began to relax as he eased into a more restful slumber.
Slowly Magnus backed away from Lixion and then unhooked his lightsaber from his belt. "The Emperor is not pleased with you, but he has always had his eye on Zanthis. Your usefulness to the Emperor has come to an end."
Magnus stepped forward with his unlit lightsaber in his hand and pointed it toward Lixion's heart. One move of the button and it would be over.
Just as Magnus was about to ignite the lightsaber, his comlink chirped. Placing his lightsaber back onto his belt, Magnus left Lixion's quarters to answer the call.
Anakin slowly released his sorrow into the Force, letting go of what was and accepting the present reality. Padme, Luke, and the Jedi were now one with the Force. He still had a daughter, he still had his Master, and the Jedi order can still be reborn. He drew the Force to himself, letting it comfort him and ease the pain in his heart. The Sith will be defeated, the Republic will be reborn.
Slowly Anakin opened his eyes and saw Obi-Wan sitting across from him, still in a meditation trance. Anakin smiled and silently thanked the Force for Obi-Wan. Anakin watched Obi-Wan come out of his trance and felt peace and radiating from his Force presence. "Feeling better?"
Obi-Wan smiled. "Better then before. How about you?"
"It still hurts, but I feel better." Anakin responded.
"Mara told me what she told you." Obi-Wan began and then paused, unsure how to continue.
"I'll be fine." Anakin assured his Master and stood up. It's about time we start thinking about how we're going to fight the darkness."
Obi-Wan stood up and they walked out of the room and went to the sitting area of the ship. "That's a good idea."
Mara Jade was in the sitting area when they entered and she had the bag that Anakin had been carrying when they boarded Mara's ship. Without saying a word, Anakin and Obi-Wan sat down and waited for Mara to speak.
Mara studied them with a cool gaze, her annoyance sparking when she felt how calm and at peace they were. Reaching into the bag, Mara took out the star shaped object that looked like there was a white ball inside it. "What is this?" she asked.
"It's a key." Anakin answered.
"To what?" Mara asked impatiently.
Anakin used the Force to pluck the key from her hand and set the key into his own. "To something special."
Muttering a few choice words under her breath, Mara pulled out a light, round, blue ball. "And this?"
Obi-Wan grasped the object with the Force and pulled it to him. "This happens to be a communication device."
Annoyed, Mara threw the empty bag at them and then sat down on a seat opposite from them. She studied them again and then spoke, looking at Anakin. "Knight Skywalker, your daughter is not well. We are heading to her location as we speak. After Padme's death Leia experienced some intense visions that left her in a coma for eight weeks. When she finally awoke she was depressed for several months. Leia seemed to be doing fine until a few days ago when I noticed that something was wrong. Han Solo, Leia's fiancé, took her on a vacation to get her away from the stress of her work. A couple of hours ago Leia collapsed when the visions came. Han has not been able to wake her up since then."
Anakin pressed his lips in a thin line as he absorbed this information.
"You say the visions were intense, did Leia reveal what her visions were about?" Obi-Wan asked.
Mara shook her head. "No. She refused to talk about them."
"Do you think the visions are somehow related to Padme's death?" Anakin slowly asked.
"I'm not sure." Mara answered. "All I can really tell is that they are intense and frightening."
"How soon will we be arriving?" Obi-Wan asked as he stroked his beard.
"Two more hours." Mara answered.
Obi-Wan nodded his head and stood up. "Anakin, we need to talk."
Anakin followed Obi-Wan back to the spare parts room and as soon as the door closed behind them Obi-Wan spoke. "There are several possibilities about why Leia's visions are as intense as Mara says they are." Obi-Wan turned around to look at Anakin. "I think Mara thinks that Leia has had more then one vision before Padme's death."
Understanding filled Anakin and his frown turned into a small smile. "That is a possibility." His smile faded as he continued, "But what if."
Obi-Wan cut Anakin off before he could continue. "We'll figure out another plan of action if it calls for it. For right now let's meditate some more."
Sighing, Anakin sat on the floor across from Obi-Wan and began to meditate.