The darkness flowed through the galaxy like a heavy black fog, enveloping planets and their stars as it went. Millions of voices cried out as some slowly and others quickly died. Disease, war, and famine ran rapid across many worlds like a hungry beast. People cried out in pain as their masters cruelly dealt with them.
Leia could feel their pain, their suffering. Their voices cried out in her mind, some afraid, some angry, some pleading for deliverance. Leia shivered from the coldness of the darkness and burned from the pain coming from all those who were suffering.
Fire sprang from the ground in front of her and she took a step back, her foot bumping into something. Slowly, so slowly, Leia turned around and looked down. A cry of anguish sprang from her lips as she saw Han's cold, lifeless, accusing eyes staring up at her. Hot, salty, tears ran down Leia's cheeks and she put her left hand over her mouth, and her right hand over her heart.
"Mom! Help us!"
Leia looked up and saw three teenaged children standing a few feet away from her, their hands reaching out for her. Leia reached out to them, her hands brushing their fingertips.
A scream filled the air as the youngest of the three crumbled to the ground, blood soaking though his clothes as his lifeblood poured out of him. Leia desperately tried to reach the last two and pull them to her, but she felt like something was restraining her.
Another scream filled the air as another of Leia's children perished. Leia sobbed with despair as she reached for her last child. This time however, Leia was able to pull her last surviving child, her only daughter, to her. As Leia embraced her daughter, she felt her daughter go limp in her arms. Clutching her daughter tightly to her, Leia looked down at her daughter's face and saw signs of an illness. Laying her dead child onto the ground, Leia stumbled backwards, tears clouding her vision.
Collapsing to the ground, Leia let out an anguished scream as the galaxy continued to fall to the darkness around her. Every death was like a stab into her heart. She could hear the darkness laughing in triumph.
Leia wished death with claim her, but death tortured her by letting her live. She could do nothing. Nothing but watch as the darkness continued to spread. She could do nothing. She was not strong enough. She could do nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.
A stormtrooper casually walked down one of the ship's corridors and stopped by Lixion's door. Looking around to make sure that he wasn't noticed, the stormtrooper typed in a code and entered the room.
After the door slid closed behind him, the stormtrooper locked it and removed his helmet. Next he removed the armor and then hid the stormtrooper armor in various places in the living area. "There is way to much space in here for one person." The man muttered and quietly entered the bedroom. Sensing that Lixion was still asleep and that Magnus was still occupied, the man smiled in satisfaction.
With a flick of his wrist, the man turned on the lights and went to stand at the side of Lixion's bed.
Lixion groaned and his arm quickly went to cover his eyes from the sudden brightness. When the light continued to persist, Lixion slowly moved his arm out of the way as his eyes adjusted. His eyes went wide when he saw a stranger looking down at him. He went to roll off the other side of his bed, but found that he was to weak to do so.
"Easy there young one." The man said. "I'm not a threat."
"Who are you and how did you get in here?" Lixion questioned.
"You may call me Xanatos."
Mara landed her ship near the Falcon and initiated the shutdown procedures. Once that was done, Mara joined Anakin and Obi-Wan at the ramp and they headed for the beachhouse.
Mara entered the bedroom where she sensed Han and Leia and saw Han sitting by Leia's side. "How is she?"
"Nothings changed." Han replied, turning to look at Mara and then at the two men standing next to her.
"Han, this is Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker." Mara introduced.
Han stared incredulously at Obi-Wan and Anakin.
"Yes, it's really us." Obi-Wan confirmed.
"How is it possible? Where have you two been for the last eighteen years? Why didn't you both come back sooner?" Han questioned.
"Why don't we go into the livingarea to talk." Obi-Wan suggested. "Anakin and Mara will stay with Leia."
Han looked at Leia, reluctant to leave her side.
"Han," Mara said, laying her hand on Han's shoulder, "Go on, we can take over from here."
A minute later, Han slowly nodded his head and followed Obi-Wan out of the room.
Mara looked at Anakin who had not moved since they entered the room, his eyes on Leia. "Anakin."
Anakin swallowed hard and slowly walked over to Leia's side. Tears brimmed in his eyes as he sat down on the edge of the bed and gazed at his daughter's face. She looked so much like her mother.
A few quite minutes passed before Anakin removed the cold cloth from Leia's forehead and placed his fingers at specific places on her forehead. Closing his eyes, Anakin sank into the currents of the Force.
Anakin pushed outward and focused on Leia's presence. He could feel her pain slipping through cracks in her shielding and had to erect his own shields so that he wouldn't be affected to much. He followed the pain to one of the cracks and slowly slid through it and into Leia's vision.
Leia curled up in a corner, if it could be called a corner, and put her hands over her ears. Still the screaming reached her ears and the pain grew. The universe was in chaos. Any moral code had long faded out of existence. She couldn't close her eyes, she couldn't stop seeing the unspeakable horrors before her.
Flames licked the ground several feet away, creeping closer. She could feel the burning heat, but was not burnt. She had no more tears left to cry, her throat was raw from her screams.
The flames began to die down and then faded away, as if something had washed out the flames. Confused and afraid, Leia looked around frantically, wondering where the flames would appear next.
"Leia." A soft, soothing voice called out.
Leia looked around almost frantically and then hugged herself into a tighter ball. It was an illusion. A trick.
"Leia." The voice called again.
Leia looked up from the blood red ground and saw someone walking towards her. She trembled. It was an illusion. She'll reach out and it will turn into a beast.
"Don't be afraid, Leia." The person said and reached out his hand. "I'm here to help you."
Leia shook her head in disbelief and scooted backwards. "Go away, leave me alone!"
"Please, Leia. Let me help you."
Leia stood up and turned around to run, but stopped when she saw slain bodies strewn across a blackened landscape. A hand touched her shoulder and she tensed up. The image before her disappeared and was replaced by a green, hilly landscape with flowers. The air became cool and a warm wind brushed against her skin. The air smelled fresh and the sky was a clear blue. She could even hear birds chirping.
Anakin walked around her to stand in front of her, a reassuring smile on her face. "It's alright Leia. The vision is gone."
Leia looked up at him, her eyes still filled with caution and traces of fear. "Who are you?"
"I'm your father." Anakin responded.
Leia backed up a step, disbelief on her face. "But your dead, you went missing eighteen years ago. Am I dead?"
Anakin shook his head. "No, I'm still alive, and so are you. I'm sorry for being missing for so long. It was not easy getting back to our own galaxy. I did everything possible to get home sooner. I'm sorry. I am here now, Leia."
Leia blinked her eyes and tears ran down her cheeks. "I want to believe that."
Anakin took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Wake up, Leia. Your friends are worried."
Anakin slowly withdrew from Leia's mind, removed his hand and opened his eyes. He watched as Leia's eyelids began to flutter and then open.
When Leia saw Anakin tears formed in her eyes as she saw that her father was truly there. Leia sat up and through her arms around Anakin's neck and cried.
Anakin placed her arms around her in a loving embrace and hugged her. Tears of joy slid down his cheeks and he silently thanked the Force.
A smile made its way onto Mara's face as she watched the reunion. She heard the door slide open and sensed Han and Obi-Wan enter. She stood and let Han go to Leia who was still crying on Anakin's shoulder.
"Leia!" Han exclaimed, happy to see that Leia was awake.
Leia moved away from Anakin and was promptly hugged and kissed by Han.
Han looked gratefully at Anakin and then looked at Leia. "I thought I was going to lose you this time."
"I'm alright now, Han." Leia brushed her fingers against his cheek and Han kissed her palm.
Anakin felt their love for each other and his smile grew. Before they had landed it had finally hit him that Mara had mentioned a fiancé. He didn't know Han very well, but from the depth of love he sensed between Han and Leia, Anakin felt himself relax. They cared for and loved each other deeply. The match was right.
Leia withdrew from Han who then propped the pillow up so that Leia could lean back. Leia wiped away her tears with her hand and looked around at everyone with a smile on her face. Leia looked at her father and tears of happiness ran down her cheeks. "Father."
Anakin took Leia's hand in his own and gave a gentle squeeze, which she returned. "My daughter. You look so much like your mother."
"I get that a lot." Leia responded, still smiling. "Mother told us a lot of stories about you. She missed you, she always held hope that somehow you were still alive, but were unable to come home for some reason." Leia wiped her eyes wither her hand again and asked, "Do you know?"
Anakin slowly nodded. "Yes, I know."
Fresh tears brimmed in Leia's eyes. "I miss her."
"Leia, I know you don't want to talk about your visions, but I know that it is very helpful to talk about them." Anakin subtly suggested.
Leia pressed her lips together in thought. "You have had visions too?"
"Yes." Anakin confirmed. "I have had them, I know what they are like, and I have learned how to handle them. One way I used to was by telling your mother about them."
"I did that too. I started having visions when I was six years old. I thought they were dreams, but then some events from my dreams started to become real. I told mother about them. She would listen and then comfort me. She told me that you used to come to talk with her when you had disturbing visions. When mother died, I kept the visions to myself, I was afraid to tell them to anyone else. I had a really bad one not long after mother's death. This time I had the same one, but it was more intense." Leia explained. "How do you deal with them father? They're so terrible."
Anakin sent comforting waves of the Force to Leia and waited a few seconds. "Visions are a powerful thing, but what I have learned is that some visions come from the darkside, using our fears to make the visions stronger. There is a meditation technique that can help someone discern if the vision is of the light or of the dark. However, one must remember that the future is always in motion, it is not set in stone. There is also a technique that creates a safer way to block visions."
"Can you teach me these techniques?" Leia asked, hope in her voice.
"Yes I can." Anakin answered.
Frowning, Mara asked. "So we should ignore this vision Leia just had?"
"Yes and no." Anakin replied. From what I saw in the vision there is an ounce of truth in it, but as I said before, the darkside uses a person's fear to make the visions stronger. The reason why I say that there is some truth in it is because it is similar to a vision I had had when Obi-Wan and I were sent into another galaxy. The vision had shown me the state that galaxy was already in. Our own galaxy is not at that point yet, but the possibility is there if we let the darkside manipulate us. Fear can make beings do irrational things and in affect may bring what they fear to life."
Anakin let what he said sink in for a few minutes before continuing. "If a vision is from the lightside it does not mean one can prevent something from still occurring. Even if the vision is from the lightside, it is important to remember that the future is always in motion."
"How do we stop the darkness?" Mara asked.
"We spread light and hope." Anakin answered. "It will take time, but the darkness will be pushed back."
Mara nodded in agreement. "That's a good place to start."
Obi-Wan stroked his beard for a few seconds before adding his thoughts. "Meeting with the leaders of the Rebellion will be our first objective. Our second objective is to go to Ilum."
"Why Ilum? Han asked. "There's nothing there but snow, ice, and Gorgodons."
"And crystals." Mara added.
"True, but there is more to Ilum than anyone can imagine." Anakin responded.
Han snorted and earned a light smack on his side from Leia.
"Like what?" Leia asked.
"We're not actually sure." Anakin admitted. "We just know that there is more there than we know."
Mara rolled her eyes and headed out of the room. "I'm going to make us something light so eat."
"That sounds like a great idea." Obi-Wan second. "I'll help."
"Don't burn down the kitchen, Obi-Wan." Anakin called, grinning.
Obi-Wan peeked back into the room, an innocent expression on his face. "I'm not that bad in the kitchen padawan."
"No, but you do make the simplest tasks more complicated than they need to be, Master."
"That would be you." Obi-Wan retorted, a twinkle in his eye, and then left the doorway.
Anakin laughed in amusement and then looked at Leia and Han who were staring at him. "So, I hear that you both are engaged."
Leia nodded and Han put his arm around her. "Do you approve, father?"
"Well," Anakin rubbed his chin thoughtfully and watched as Han began to sweat. "Yes, I approve." He finally replied, sensing Han instantly relax with relief after he said that. "So when's the wedding?"
"We don't have an actual date in mind yet." Leia admitted.
"I see." Anakin responded. "How did you both meet each other?"
Leia squeezed Han's hand as she thought about that day. "It's an interesting story actually. Seven years ago mom, Mara, and I went to Tatooine, thinking that the Sumni would not find us there. As it turned out the Sumni discovered where we were, so mom got Jabba to help hide us."
"She did what!" Anakin exclaimed.
"Mother said that would have been your reaction." Leia commented. "She also said that she would respond by telling you to calm down."
Anakin groaned and buried his face into his hands.
"Anyway, as I was saying, Jabba hid us, but Jabba did not let us leave after the Sumni had left. At that time, Master Yoda was busy trying to shake the Sumni and return to us after Mara used the Force to tell him that we had a small problem. We met Chewbacca, Han's copilot in our cell and Chewie told us how he got in there and what had happened to Han. Han and Chewbacca had been trying to get a job and had gone to Jabba. Their first job went bad and so Jabba put Han into carbon freeze and put Chewie in a cell. They had been prisoners for five years when we arrived. To make a long story short, Yoda finally found and freed us and freed Han and Chewie. We hid in a deserted moister farm for a couple of days until it was safe enough to go back to the spaceport. Han and Chewie, with Yoda's help, managed to get their ship back and Han and Chewie transported us to Dantooine. They stayed with us after that."
"And never regretted it." Han added.
Anakin placed his hands on his knees and then stood up. "I'm going to see how they're doing in the kitchen."
"I don't think anything is burning yet." Leia remarked, smiling up at her father.
Anakin shrugged his shoulders and headed for the door. "You never know."
Leia watched the door slide shut behind her father and then looked up at Han. He misses her. If only he had returned a few years earlier."
Han hugged Leia closer to him and she laid her head against his chest. "But he didn't." Han smiled and played with a lock of Leia's hair. "Your wish came true. One of your parents will be attending your wedding."
"I wish mother was here so that she could attend too and my brother." Leia responded and then sighed. "I shouldn't be selfish, I'm sorry Han."
Han kissed Leia's forehead. "Don't be. I'm happy that you still have a parent that will be attending. Besides, your father is going to be my father-in-law. So in a way he's my father too."
"I love you, Han"
"I love you too princess."
Leia closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. She opened her eyes a few seconds later when she remembered something. "Han, could you let me go for a second."
Han let her go and watched as she climbed out of bed and walked over to her travelbag and rummage through it. "What are you looking for?"
"Do you remember that small, decorated, wooden box that I kept and could never open?" Leia asked as she finally found what she was looking for.
"I remember. It was your mother's." Han responded.
"I believe mom would have wanted him to have it." Leia said, holding the box in her hand and running her fingers over the carvings.
Han walked over to Leia and laid his hands on her shoulders. "Go give it to him then. I'll go see if the meal is ready yet."
Leia nodded and left the bedroom. She found her father sitting on the steps outside and sat down beside him. "Father."
Anakin turned his head to look at his daughter, a forced smile on his lips.
Leia saw the dried tear tracks going down his cheeks and the sadness in his eyes and felt like crying herself. She handed Anakin the box, hoping that someone it would help her father. "This was mother's. I want you to have it. You need it more then I do right now." Tears brimmed in her eyes as she added, "I could never get the box open, perhaps you would know how."
Anakin accepted the box and looked down at it, brushing the carvings with the fingers of his real hand. Fresh tears threatened to escape his eyes. "I carved this box as a wedding present for your mother."
Leia hugged her father, kissed him on the cheek and then went back into the house.
As soon as he heard the door shut behind him, Anakin let his tears fall. He stood, with the box in his hands and walked over to the sea and stood a few feet away from the water. Sitting down, Anakin turned the box until he found the symbol he was looking for and brought it near his lips. "My beautiful angel."
There was a click as the tiny machinery responded to the phrase and to Anakin's voice and then a click later the lid to the box unlocked. Anakin set the box down at his side and opened the lid the rest of the way. Inside he saw some familiar objects. He withdrew the japor pendant that he had carved for Padme and pressed it against his chest. He could still feel Padme's linger presence on it. He took the second item out of the box, his padawan braid.
He placed the braid and the pendant back into the box and took out a small holo picture. He turned it on and saw their wedding picture appear. Fresh tears brimmed in his eyes. "I miss you so much, Padme." Anakin went to put it back into the box when he noticed that there was one more object in there. He withdrew it and put the holopicture back. Examining the last item, Anakin saw that it was a portable recording device. Curious, Anakin turned it on.
Padme appeared on the top of the recording device and Anakin noticed that she looked at lot older and tired. "Anakin, if you are watching this then I probably am one with the Force now. I don't know if you'll ever get this recording, or if you are even alive. I still hold hope that you are. I'm recording this in hopes that if you are alive and do find this that you will succeed where I failed, if it's not to late." The last part came out as a whisper and then Padme continued in a normal voice, although it sounded choked with tears. "I'm sure you have heard that your son, Luke, is dead. I have reason to believe that he is alive and serving the Emperor. He goes by the name Zanthis."
Anakin paused the recording and stared numbly at it. He felt like the air had been punched out of him. He couldn't breath. He tightly shut his eyes, he could feel the anger filling him. Heavy sobs shook his frame and he dropped the recording and put his face into his hands. "No. No it can't be true. Oh Ashla no. Not my son."