I'm a Skywalker too!
By: Tellemicus Sundance
Chapter 03

Denon

Sitting up from the bed he was in, the Fifth Hunter stretched his arms and quickly shook the sleep from his body and mind. Reaching out into the dark side, a smile crossed his face as he once again felt his connection to the all-powerful energy field had been restored. Climbing to his feet, he quickly made his way into the refresher and got ready for his day. Several minutes later, his skin still damp from the moisture. Donning his Inquisitorius gear and armor, he hung his saberstaff upon its mount on his back before departing the room. As he exited the hotel room, the Hunter couldn't help but shake his head at everything around him.

He didn't know how or why, but everything was…different than what he knew it should've been. There were no Imperial banners, no patrolling stormtroopers, and there was a sense of…energy that filled the air around him. It made him uncomfortable and angry, but he kept control of his temper, keeping it tightly bound and hidden beneath his imposing exterior. Many of the denizens of the planet took one look at his large, powerful frame and quickly shuffled away from him and out of his path of travel. That was a common enough occurrence, but there was little to none of the fearful respect he'd come to enjoy being directed towards him. It was like the common people hadn't ever heard of the Inquisitorius or knew what it was capable.

But these strange things were secondary to what he was feeling in the Force. The Force, as he'd come to know it, was nothing like it had been the previous day. The dark side was still eternally present, but it was much more muted, hidden below the surface. He could sense it because he was so attuned to it, but he really had to dig for it. But the rest of the Force was like a blanket of stifling and blinding light, trying to choke the darkness out of him, and it fed his fury all the more! He needed answers! How could this drastic of a change have happened without his sensing it?! He needed guidance and counsel of his master. His master was all-knowing and all-powerful, he'd know what had happened and why it had changed the nature of the Force.

Thanks to his imposing figure and how closely he'd landed to the hotel he'd stayed at, the Fifth Hunter wasted little time in returning to his TIE Advanced. Climbing in its cockpit, he started up its comm system and brought up the standard Imperial channels to get into contact with the Fleet. "This is the Fifth Hunter, hailing Imperial Star Destroyer, Fury of the Empire, come on."

Dead silence and radio static answered his call.

"Imperial Star Destroyer, Fury of the Empire, come on!" he barked out, letting his anger flare momentarily. But still silence answered him for several long moments. Reaching out in the Force, he sought out the familiar presences of his warship's captain and its crew. After several long minutes of futile searching, he realized the Star Destroyer was not in its assigned position over the planet, just like it hadn't been last night when he had been forced to land. Where was it? Had it been called away and still unable to return to its duty station by some kind emergency?

Turning back to the comm, he broadened the channels so that any Imperial forces nearby might be able to hear his call. "Imperial Command, this is the Fifth Hunter of the Imperial Inquisitorius. Respond immediately!"

Yet again, silence answered him. Frowning more in confusion than anger now, the Hunter considered his options. His communications weren't overly powerful, but they could still send out a signal that could be reached and heard from as far away as Coruscant from this distance. So, how could no Imperial forces have heard of call at all?

'Perhaps my comm system got damaged from that missile?' he wondered to himself. It was a feeble excuse and he knew it. He had heard and responded to the docking protocols when he'd landed with no problem, after all. Shaking his head, he decided that he had no choice in the matter. 'My master will wish to know about those two Force-sensitives I've come across immediately. If my comm is broken, I'll just have to use another Imperial ship to send a message or go directly to my master in person.'

With his course of action decided, the Fifth Hunter began his startup sequence. He had a long flight back to the Imperial Center, so it was best to get started immediately.

Hyperspace, Commenor Run
Malastare's Pride, lounge

"—and I got sent to my room," Luke said, finishing his retelling of one of his escapades with his friends back on Tatooine. Despite himself and the memory of all the trouble he'd gotten into because of that particular instance, he couldn't help the slight smile that crossed his face as the little princess across from him laughed uncontrollably at his recounting.

Leia was leaning heavily onto the tabletop they were sitting at, her bowl of soup forgotten momentarily as she laughed uproariously, beating the table with her small fist. She was laughing so hard that tearing of mirth were falling from her eyes. After several moments to regain control of herself, she finally managed to get out, "I wish…heheheh, that I could've…heheh, been there!"

"Uncle Owen would've sent you to your room too," Luke declared knowingly.

Leia looked up at him, half in humor and half in disbelief. "He wouldn't."

"He would've," Luke reasserted. His uncle was a very stern and harsh man, deeply rooted and set in his ways and beliefs. In some ways, it was a good thing as only such men could scrounge out a semi-comfortable living on the desert world. But on the same token, it also made for a much harsher role model than what was probably common in the more 'civilized' worlds of the Core. "And probably kept you there for another week for any backtalk."

Leia sniffed at that, raising her nose somewhat snobbishly at the possibility. As much as she didn't like it, she was still royalty and no common born farmer would be giving her any such punishments…unless her parents' agreed with the reasons behind them. That thought caused her to wince in remembrance and to lose her snobbish fit.

Shaking her head to clear her random thoughts, Leia looked back at Luke to see him staring intently down at his empty bowl. At first she wasn't sure what he was staring at so intently, but she quickly guessed as she saw him hold his hand up over towards it. "What are you doing?"

"…Trying to use that…power," Luke said, glancing at her. "To see if I can… You can too, can't you?"

"I…I don't know," Leia admitted quietly, absentmindedly taking another bite of her soup. "I…don't even know if…if I can…"

"You're lying," Luke said, looking up sharply at her with a frown. "I could feel the power in you from the other side of the system. I know you also felt that…that cold presence also. And I know you were using it to help attack him before I came to help."

"I know that!" Leia said snappishly, glaring at the boy slightly. But her glare quickly faded as she turned and stared down unseeingly at her soup. "But I'm…I'm scared." Seeing Luke's confusion, she elaborated, "My father has always told me these grand stories of the Jedi Knights, warrior monks with magic powers, who fought for truth and justice in the old Republic before the Empire destroyed them."

"But the Jedi betrayed the Emperor, didn't they?" Luke asked, tilting his head slightly. "I've always heard that they were people who fought for the wrong ideas and caused a lot of unneeded trouble in the Outer Rim worlds. That they cared more about the Republic and the Core worlds than actually helping the people who needed it."

"But they were still heroes!" Leia snapped, again glaring at the boy. He'd no doubt been raised on tales of the Jedi being criminals and thugs, which was ironic considering he grew up on such a lawless and backwater planet as Tatooine. Forcing her impulsive anger aside, she took a breath and started again. "Anyway, my father always told me that he pitied those who were born with those magic Force powers. Because the Empire would take them and raise them to be cold-hearted monsters…like that person back at Denon."

Despite himself, Luke nodded in acknowledgement of her point. The Empire's influence, like the Republic before it, was much more concentrated and stronger in the Core and Colony world regions of the galaxy. Alas she would've grown up under the yoke and fear of the Empire and its corruptive and destructive influence. So, if the Jedi Knights had been guardians of peace and justice, she'd have grabbed ahold of that story with two hands and held tight.

"Okay," Luke acquiesced quietly. Then a cheeky half-grin crossed his face as he glanced up at her. "But they're not here now, are they? They don't know where we are or even who we are. So it's okay to try, isn't it?"

Leia blinked as that strange thought hit her like a bag of bricks. A near-identical half-grin crossed her face as she nodded victoriously. "Yeah! You're right! Let's try this again!" Finishing up the rest of her soup, she set her bowl aside and sat back, eyeing her bowl critically for a few moments.

Then she closed her eyes and tried to replicate what she'd done earlier. Calming herself and trying to reach out. It wasn't easy and nothing like last time. Last time, she didn't know what she was doing. Last time, she was just trying to calm herself down from her rising fear and panic. She hadn't intended to discover that there was a vast new world out, which she'd just barely gotten a glimpse of before events flew so far out of perspective.

This time, she knew what she'd done. She knew, or suspected, what it could mean to her and the galaxy at large. This time, she was trying to consciously make the connection. And because of that, her mind was going haywire with her excitement, her expectations, and her imagination. This made it infinitely more difficult to calm herself down enough to feel the presence of that power. But with a self-control that was rare for most other children her age, she forced herself to settle down, taking deep breaths.

And then, there it was. Just out of reach of her grasping, pleading fingers. Happiness sparked inside her as she felt it slowly starting to drift closer. Then, when she could finally grasp ahold it, she peeked her eyes open as she raised her hand. Her bowl started twitching, rolling along its base as her feeble attempt at picking it up quickly faltered as her concentration vanished in her sudden burst of uncontrollable excitement.

Smiling widely at her slight accomplishment, she looked over at Luke. He had noticed her attempt almost immediately as her bowl started moving and was glancing between her and it constantly with awe and more than a slight amount of envy. "How'd you do that?!"

Before Leia could respond, a sudden alarm started beeping through the intercom. The two children glanced up at the intercom for a moment before returning to look at one another. "That's the autopilot. We must be nearly to Alderaan."

Though still kind of pouting, Luke nodded gamely as he stood up and followed her to the cockpit. They slid into the pilot and copilot chairs easily, Luke taking the pilot's seat and waiting for the countdown to finish before cautiously easing the hyperdrive lever back into position. As he did so, the Baudo exited hyperspace with a large, beautiful blue-green planet with wispy white clouds looming in front of the cockpit with several long lines of millions of ships coming to and from the world.

For the last couple days, he and Leia had been taking a very rough crash course of piloting and navigation, added tremendously by the ship's autopilot. Their first couple attempts at making and exiting hyperspace jumps had caused quite a bit of havoc among the local hyperspace lanes. If not for Luke and Leia's superb innate skills with flying and mechanics, they most likely would've crashed and burned within the first two jumps. But they had most assuredly been earning themselves several spots on the HoloNet News as a result of their experimental flying, but they never stuck around long enough for the authorities to get ahold of them. But thanks to that, they had earned themselves a ridiculously steep learning curve and could not suitably pilot the ship in and out of hyperspace with minimal problem, so long as they let the autopilot plot the actual coordinates and jump.

Guided by Leia's instructions, the Baudo flew off away from the designated traffic lanes and onto the much more exclusive execute lanes that only high-level politicians, government and military, and the royal family were allowed to take. Curiously, Leia was looking around the traffic and the sensor with mounting confusion and a slight amount of concern.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked, not taking his eyes from where he was flying.

"It's just…I'm not seeing or detecting any Star Destroyers or Imperial craft anywhere," Leia said, sounding crossed between happy and suspicious.

"What's wrong with that?" Luke asked again, not seeing any particular reason for this to raise Leia's concerns. 'Then again,' he reminded himself. 'Tatooine doesn't have a major Imperial presence either and it's not like I've been traveling all that much.'

"My father and most of Alderaan have always spoken out against the Emperor and the Empire," Leia said, slipping into a tone of voice that one might've heard from a student repeating a lecture they'd heard all their lives. "This means that we have always been a planet of 'potential dissent' and the Empire always keeps at least three Destroyers and a large number of Imperials on the planet and around the system. So, for them to not be here suddenly is…weird."

"Now that you mention it," Luke said thoughtfully, pausing momentarily to glance over at the girl. "I haven't really seen any Imperial ships since we left Denon. Could something have happened to have called all their ships away somewhere?"

"It'd have to be extremely important," Leia said immediately. "Like galaxy-destroying important for all Imperial ships and people to be pulled anywhere in such large numbers."

"That is weird," Luke muttered.

Just then, the comm lit up as an incoming transmission was detected. Leia quickly leaned forward and hit the button. "Baudo-class starship, you are intruding in a restricted fly-zone. Please identify yourself and prepare to return to normal traffic lanes."

"This is Princess Leia Organa, authorization code PA84-37LS-44AS, requesting docking clearance at Royal Hangar," Leia answered with practiced ease. "Docking code: BO88-284D-75BO."

There was a long pause, much longer than Leia was accustomed to. Combined with the strange absence of the Imperial Navy over her homeworld, this was really grating on her nerves and making very nervous for reasons she couldn't quite understand. 'Something is just…off,' she thought, sharing a glance with Luke who was also starting to grow concerned.

Finally, after almost five minutes of waiting, the comm beeped again as a pair of N-1 starfighters suddenly drew up alongside the Baudo's flanks. "Baudo, this is Hangar Control, clearance granted. You may dock at Landing Pad H47."

"Thank you," Leia responded, practically sagging in relief.

With the pair of N-1s as escort and Leia's guidance, they made quick time in reaching the surface. Despite himself and his need to focus on flying, Luke couldn't stop himself from gazing around him at the absolutely idyllic scenery of the world. There was simply no words in his vocabulary to properly express the absolute awe he felt at the truly beautiful planet he was flying through now. It truly made his own world of Tatooine seem like a backwater sandpit of savages and thugs.

But he was forced to return his mind to flying as they approached the specified landing pad. As they approached the pad, he quickly looked about the controls and computer for the landing gear, foolishly only just realizing that he had no idea where they were. After several stressful moments, he found the lever and flipped it, easing up on the throttle and bringing the ship in almost a hover over the pad. Lowering the ship, the impact of landing was a bit rough, roughly shaking and jostling the entire ship. It momentarily scared both children, as this was their first attempt at ever landing a ship. The hard landing was almost enough to dislodge the Z-95 still held in docking configuration underneath the ship.

"Nice landing," Leia said, somewhat mockingly though there was little actual bite in her tone.

"Thanks," Luke said, too busy trying to calm himself to actually feel any offense. "I'll do better next time."

Leia nodded before quickly unbuckling herself from the copilot's chair. Luke was only a moment behind as she rushed for the exit ramp. The two had barely made it down the ramp and out of the ship when they suddenly found themselves surrounded by uniformed guards, each holding their blasters upon them with grim expressions on their faces. As the two children soon found themselves wrestling with the guards who were trying to secure their small wrists in binders, half the group split off and rushed up the boarding ramp to scour the ship.

"What's going on here?!" Leia cried out, startled and more than a little angry. "Unhand me! I'm the Princess!"

"Do you take us for fools?" one of the guards demanded, his voice hard and harsh. "There is no Princess of Alderaan. You are in very deep trouble, young lady."

"What are you talking about?!" Leia demanded in an equally hard and harsh voice, looking at each of the guards in hopes of finding someone she recognized. But she couldn't spot any who bore more than even a passing familiarity she had with anyone. Looking over at Luke, who was struggling far less than Leia was but was also equally confused and concerned, she saw something approaching suspicion in his eyes when he met her gaze. She didn't know how, but she just knew he was starting to doubt her claims of being a princess. And that doubt from her newest friend really hurt. "I am the Princess! Authorization code PA84-37LS-44AS! Look it up, laser brains!"

"We have, several times just to be sure," the man said, gesturing to the children and the four men who stood beside them to walk back towards the group of speeders that had parked nearby. "That code doesn't exist. Now, stop talking and start walking! You're in enough trouble as it is!"

As the children were pushed along, Leia struggling and trying to exert her royal authority the whole way, Luke glanced back as some of the men who'd boarded the ship exited the ramp. It was faint, especially over Leia's loud voice, but he was able to hear the man say, "There's no one else onboard, sir. Those two kids seem to have been the only passengers." Though they continued their conversation, Luke could no longer hear what they were saying.

Returning his gaze to Leia as they were pushed into one of the speeders, he managed to crack a half-grin as he said, "At least we're still together, Leia."

The dark haired girl shot Luke a strange look for a moment, as though she couldn't believe he could be so composed and calm in such a situation. But the look soon passed as she nodded faintly, turning her attention to start glaring at the guards again.

Aldera Royal Palace, Alderaan

Queen Breha Organa was a very beautiful young woman and yet lately she felt as though she were twice her age. She was seated in a hoverchair, a medical necessity since she was still recovering from her most recent miscarriage and was largely unable to walk or do any physical activity until her body recovered. She was currently dressed in a loose-fitting but very comfortable stately blue dress. Her hair was done up in an elaborate bun that was strongly reminiscent of the styles from her friend Padme Amidala's homeworld of Naboo.

On the desk in front of her was a bunch of updates and reform requests for the various educational intergalactic universities and public schools that she was Minister of. However, she was largely staring at the paperwork without seeing it, her mind caught up in other business that had just come to her attention. Someone had trespassed in a restricted space lane, requesting landing clearance in the Royal Hangar, using an identification code that didn't exist, and yet the docking code that was not only classified but restricted to the royalty only. Simply put, it was a very strange occurrence. She had yet to hear back from the security guards she'd sent to apprehend the ship's pilot, crew, and passengers, but she wasn't too concerned with that. They had orders to bring them before her so that she might question them herself.

And so, her mind was simply unable to concentrate on other matters that might've needed her attention.

A loud commotion outside her office's door caught her attention a few short moments before they were opened. In marched the security guards with a pair of children in binders on their wrists. The blonde boy seemed calm enough, if looking a bit worried at the brunette girl next to him, who was loudly trying to order the guards to remove the binders from her.

"Enough!" Breha barked out in her best commanding tone, immediately silencing the girl's loud voice and drawing her attention.

"Mother!" the girl cried out happily, but then quickly paused in confusion and stared hard at her as if unsure of what she was seeing. The blonde boy was glancing between the girl and Breha, trying to understand something that Breha wasn't sure of. "You look…different."

"I'm sorry, child," Breha said, studying the girl closely. There was something familiar in her facial feature, but she just couldn't put her finger on why. "But do I know you? Who are you two?"

"Mother!" the girl cried out, quite obviously distressed and hurt.

"I'm Luke Skywalker of Tatooine," the blonde boy said quietly, focusing on Breha finally. A slight smile pulled at his face as he said, "You're very pretty, madam."

"Thank you, child," Breha said, returning his slight smile for a moment. Refocusing on the girl, she repeated, "And who are you, child?"

"Mother, it's me! Leia!" the girl cried out, begging quite clearly in her tone and expression for Breha to suddenly remember her.

Staring long and hard at the girl for a moment, Breha sighed before looking up pointedly at the guard captain. Seeing she was acknowledging him, the man said, "These two were the only ones aboard the vessel that transmitted the codes, near as we can tell. My men are currently doing an in-depth scan of the vessel for any secret compartments or hidden personnel. We should hear back from them in an hour or two, Your Majesty."

"Thank you, captain," Breha acknowledged, waving her hand dismissively. "Leave us. Please wait outside." Though looking a little uncomfortable, the guards all bowed and retreated from the room without further comment.

"Mother—"

"Please don't call me that, child," Breha said sternly, somewhat surprised by the girl's fast obedience and silence, even if her hurt expression magnified greatly at the command. "I do not know you. I have never seen you before either." The sight of tears starting to fill Leia's eyes was almost enough to melt Breha's heart. She loved children, really. So, being so stern to one, no matter how confused she must've been, was really starting to eat away at her. Steeling herself, she continued, "But perhaps you can tell me where you learned the docking codes to the Royal Hangar. Those are restricted to top secret. No one but an Alderaanian royal should know them."

"But I am a royal!" Leia cried out. "I am the Princess and Heir of the House of Organa! Please, you have to believe me! Mother!"

Breha watched the girl for a moment before looking over at Luke. "And what is your story, boy? How did you two come Alderaan and why are you here?"

"I was taken from my home on Tatooine by some Zyzergan, no, Sygerran, no, Zygeran," the boy began before he fell fumbling into trying to remember the name of those slavers.

Thankfully for him, Breha had a pretty good idea of what he meant. "Zygerrian?"

"Yeah! Those guys!" Luke said, nodding to her. "They wanted to sell me as a slave. But I managed to escape, helping the others to get out. Then I went and helped one of them do something to the Zygerrian's ship, but he got hurt and died when we were trying to reach the others." Breha could practically see the remorse on the boy's face as he remembered that part, but he gamely continued on after a moment to recollect himself. "I flew that starfighter out of the ship, but they had gotten into a fight with the Imps and they attacked. I was able to fight them off before I…I noticed that Leia's ship was also in trouble and went to help. Then there was a really big flash and next thing I know me and Leia were falling towards the star. We managed to get away and I landed on Leia's ship and she said she wanted to go home, here."

Despite herself, Breha felt her eyebrows steadily rising in surprise as the boy continued his tale. She was very good at reading people's mannerisms and expressions, a necessity for any politician, so she knew that the boy was telling the truth. Though there was some details that she wasn't too sure of. "I'm sorry, what 'Imps' are you talking about?"

"Imps? The Imperials. You know, the Imperial Galactic Empire?" Luke said, cocking his head slightly as he gazed at her, his tone bland as though he was telling someone that the sky outside was blue and the grass green.

"I think you might be mistaken," Breha said slowly, forcing herself to remember that he was from Tatooine and probably wasn't the most up-to-date on current events and was probably also raised to believe different things. Like seeing the Republic as an Empire perhaps? "There is no 'Galactic Empire'. There is a Galactic Republic, though."

"Yes there is," both children said simultaneously, before glancing at one another and giggling quietly.

Frowning, Breha thought over what the boy had said. Could it be possible that the 'Imps' who'd attacked the Zygerrian slavers was some type of obscure pirate group or even a business of some kind? It was hard to say since a lot of information got lost, jumbled, or even flat-out sabotaged that far out from the Core worlds and Colonies. Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to Leia. "And what's your story, Leia? How did you come to meet Luke and get into a space battle?"

"I…I s-s-snuck out of my room to go the Gingerbell Blossum Festival," Leia started with a stutter, blushing brightly as Luke and Breha both looked at her with stern expressions. "I'm sorry, Mother! But I really didn't want to be stuck in my room and miss another party!"

Breha forcefully stopped herself from telling the girl to stop calling 'Mother'. And she had to raise her eyebrow at the mention of the festival, it had ended several days ago and was almost exclusively an Alderaanian tradition. Not just any random star-traveler should know about it. If nothing else, this little fact helped convince Breha that Leia was at least partially telling the truth of being born on Alderaan. Instead, she beckoned her to continue her tale.

"But some big brutes kidnapped me when I got out onto the street!" there was a definite note of anger in her voice as she remembered that. "They said that Senator Ask Aak of Malastare wanted to 'meet' with me. I bet he wanted to blackmail Father into doing something for him!" Breha found herself nodding slightly at that. That sounded very much like something the corrupt senator of Malastare would've done, in her own humble opinion of the senator's character.

"When we reached the Denon system, we were suddenly attacked by someone," Leia continued. "I…got out and started helping defend the ship from a weird TIE fighter. But then that flash of light happened and…you know what happened."

"That's quite an adventure you two have had," Breha commented, thinking carefully. She wasn't sure if she believed everything they told her and it was pretty clear that they were hiding some facts, it was obvious in their stutters and pauses.

"Yeah, it was!" Luke chirped out, looking absolutely delighted despite the torment he'd had to endure. "I hope we can have lots more like it!"

"Just like it?" Leia asked, glancing at him critically.

Luke flinched after remembering some of the especially bad times he'd been through. "Well, maybe not exactly like that it. But that space fight was a lot of fun!" Leia just rolled her eyes at Luke's boyish enthusiasm, but she had a small smile on her own face.

Glancing between the two of them, Breha came to a decision. "I've got an idea. How about we run a few tests to determine just who you two really are?"

Luke just shrugged uncaringly. He knew who he was, who his family was. He didn't need them to tell him that. But Leia's eyes lit up excitedly. "You mean…You mean you'll finally tell me who my Mommy really is?!"

Breha looked sharply over at Leia. She kept calling her 'mother' and yet she didn't know who her 'mommy' was? Maybe she'd been adopted when she was too young to know her parents? That would explain that statement she'd made. But if so, why hadn't her adoptive family ever told her this information before? Could her family have been bad people and they were trying to shield her from that stigma?

"We'll see," Breha said, being purposely vague now as that suspicion crossed her mind. Backing her hoverchair away from her desk, she beckoned the children to follow her to the infirmary.

06:1:19 GrS
Supreme Chancellor's Office, Coruscant

As Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic and the current secret reigning Master of the Sith Order, Sheev Palpatine was the single most powerful being in the entire galaxy. His political power was steadily climbing and growing with each crisis his agents and 'apprentice' engineered. And his raw power in the Force were equaled by none, save only young Anakin Skywalker. Though not even young Skywalker possessed anything close to his levels of skill and mastery.

He was still in the process of finalizing some of his plans. The next election for the Chancellorship was only a short year away and he was having already putting a lot of new plans into motion, as well as ensuring that preexisting ones were all proceeding as desired. If he maneuvered it right, as he knew he would, then the lack of any significant progress and any viable rivals would allow him to win that election with ease. After that, he'd really have to start focusing on his long-term goals to ensure that his seat of power would then be a permanent one.

Dressed in his elaborate and billowing Chancellor robes, he was pacing smoothly through his office, lost in thought. Though his expression was serene, if a little worn down, his mind was racing as he contemplated something that had been troubling him for days. He'd sensed a strange disturbance in the Force. Thankfully for him, he'd been alone in his apartment at the time, so he was able to meditate on what he sensed, trying to hone in on it.

The disturbance didn't last for very long, just a few brief minutes, so he hadn't been able to acquire anything more than a passing impression of what had been happening. But that impression he gained had definitely left an impact on him. For the briefest of moments, he'd sensed a pair of presences who were absolutely powerful, nearly if not on par with that young Skywalker in terms of raw power and potential. In an instant he'd made a decision to seek them out. They would be acolytes and potential replacements if his schemes with Skywalker did not bear any fruit. But that wasn't all that he'd sensed. He could feel the presence of a new Dark-sider, albeit not a strong one.

Ever since that event, he'd been meditating periodically, trying to locate wherever those two powerful presences had gone. But he could never sense anything from them, except for the brief tickle of a presence before it'd faded back into obscurity. It was a frustrating ordeal for the Sith Lord, compounded by his inability to personally go out in search of them, which was worsened even more so by the fact that he was positive that those self-righteous Jedi had also detected those two presences as well. In fact, if they somehow didn't, Sidious would be extremely surprised.

Halting suddenly, Sidious subtly used the Force to lower his concealed lightsaber from its holster in his robes, ready for use if needed. "I'm impressed," he said quietly, his tone threatening but still conversational. "I had been uncertain if you'd have the courage to come before me. Now, what do you want? A quick death or something more painful?"

"I do not seek to challenge you, Master," a somewhat deep bass voice. "I have merely returned to once again offer my services to you."

"Indeed?" Sidious said, finally turning to face his uninvited visitor.

Kneeling before him, head bowed low, was a white-skinned Twi'lek dressed in a black and gray armor. There were several things that attracted Sidious's attention immediately by the Twi'lek's attire. The first thing was the strange device he had mounted on his back. It looked like a lightsaber, but it had a metallic disk with grooves engraved in it. The second thing was the emblem on the Twi'lek's shoulder, it strongly resembled the Republic's but with some noticeable differences.

"And just who are you, my friend?" Sidious asked, his tone no less threatening.

"I have no name, master," the Twi'lek stated calmly. But Sidious could still sense him drawing upon the dark side to strengthen his resolve and courage. "I am merely my number and my occupational designation. I am the Fifth Hunter of the Inquisitorius of the Imperial Empire."

"Indeed," Sidious said, his mind racing as wild possibilities and speculations ignited. "And how have you come to be before me?"

"I was upon my Star Destroyer," the Fifth Hunter began. "I was searching for the Children of the Force, those who could potentially become threats to you and your Empire if allowed to roam free or found by any surviving Jedi, when I sensed the presence of two incredibly powerful Children within the hyperspace lanes. The ships they were aboard had been engaged in combat and resisted my orders to surrender. Over the course of the battle, I attacked one of the vessels but was also attacked by one of the Children who had gotten aboard a starfighter. However, the other vessel must've been damaged in some way. Its hyperdrive exploded and all three of us were caught up in its conflagration."

Despite himself, Sidious's eyebrows raised. An exploding hyperdrive was highly dangerous with extremely few survivors ever walking away from them. "And how did you survive such an event?"

"The dark side, I believe, master," the Hunter said, hesitantly. "All three of us had been drawing quite heavily upon the Force at the time. I believe…I believe the Force may have protected us from the explosion. But to how I ended up here, I know not, master. My training in the dark side is…limited."

Humming thoughtfully, Sidious considered what he'd learned for a moment. "And what has become of those two Children you were after?"

"The one in the starfighter recovered faster than I," the Hunter admitted shamefully. "He attacked my ship with a missile and sent me into a tumble. By the time I'd recovered my ship, I was already very far away and very disoriented from the…event that occurred. I'd attempted to return to my vessel and send my underlings after them. But my ship was gone and I was forced to land on Denon to suitably recover. By then, the Children had already long since jumped to hyperspace. I am sorry, master. I have failed you."

"Perhaps," Sidious acknowledged thoughtfully. "But you have scrounged a victory out of this defeat. You have come to me. You know things about what's to come, don't you? You are familiar with these Children. You can find them again, if needed."

"Yes, master," the Fifth Hunter said, agreeing with the various points his master stated. "I am unsure how helpful my knowledge will be of things to come, master. History was never a subject I put very much effort into."

Frowning in anger, Sidious quickly let his displeasure pass. He was back to square one in that regard, but it wasn't such a bad thing. He already had plenty of plans ready and more than enough backups to reinforce them.

"Rise, my friend," Sidious said, raising his hand. As the white Twi'lek did so, he was careful to keep his head low and his eyes downcast, his body utterly submissive despite its powerful physique. "You are fortunate. I have a task for you to complete. Bring me these two Children that have come with you. Failing that, you will continue to search the galaxy, collect other Children of the Force, and bring them to my facility on Mustafar. These Children will become the first of your Inquisitorius organization. If any Jedi discover you, kill them immediately!"

"Even Skywalker, master?" the Hunter asked, uncertain. "He plays a large role in things to come and the Empire as a whole."

Pausing momentarily, a sinister sneer crossed Sidious's face. The Hunter had just given him some vital information. His reluctance to kill Skywalker made it very clear that Sidious's machinations to turn him to the dark side and become his apprentice were successful. Excellent! "No, let him live. But provoke and entice him. Make him angry and volatile. It'll hasten my plans for him. Now, go!"

"Yes, master," the Twi'lek acknowledged, bowing low. He was gone as silently and quickly as he'd shown up, leaving a triumphantly sneering Sith Lord in his wake.

(Author's Note) Whew! That chapter just wouldn't stop once I got started on it! I love it when that happens! That's right, people! This is a Time-Travel fic! What I was hoping to do was show a more logical deduction and realization of the characters as they learn what's happened to them. Let's be honest people, it is NOT most people's first inclination to believe that they might've somehow traveled back in time. They'd struggle to understand and adjust. That's what I was aiming for with the twins on Alderaan. So, that being said, I hope I caught the various characters' confusion and uncertainty right.

So, I wonder how people are going to be upset when they finish this chapter...?