Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars
Fate of the Force
Han winced as Leia stormed in. Whatever had happened on her shopping trip had infuriated her, and he was wisely keeping out of her way until she decided she wanted to talk about whatever had happened. However, he was still quite thankful that Allana was staying with Jaina tonight, as his granddaughter was still very frightened of anything that could be associated with the dark side.
Threepio looked on, and knew that Leia was mad because of something that had happened at the counsellors. Which meant he would probably get the blame. Again.
"Hey Goldenrod, can you figure out whats wrong with Leia?" Han asked as he set the table.
"I believe its my fault Master Han. I made an appointment for her to see a counsellor because she's been having those dreams about Master Jacen." He admitted.
Han looked at the droid in confusion.
"She's been having dreams about Jacen? How don't I know this?" he asked, perplexed how something like this could have escaped his notice.
"Well if I may say so Captain Solo, you do snore very loudly. You probably didn't notice that she was awake." Threepio said soothingly.
Han glared at the droid, but headed through to Leia, who was finishing the salad for their dinner.
"Do I snore loudly?" he asked grumpily.
Leia turned and looked at him and raised her eyebrow in amusement.
"Yes you do." She said then headed through to the table with the salad.
"Do not." He said childishly, sitting down opposite her.
He looked at her penetratingly as she served salad onto both their dishes. Even after all these years she was still as beautiful as she had always been. And close to, Han could see that she was upset by something.
"Threepio told me that you went to see a counsellor about the dreams you've been having." He said gently, though quite willing to use the salad bowl to defend himself if she threw something at him.
Leia narrowed her eyes irritably.
"Damn droid, I'll get him for that. It was his idea anyway." She said grumpily, stabbing a tomato.
"I never even knew you were having dreams." Han said, feeling a bit guilty.
Leia smiled gently.
"Dont worry Han, the Lusankya could erupt from Coruscant again and the noise wouldn't contend with your snoring." She said, winking at him.
Han looked at her grumpily.
"Cheeky devil. Well why didn't you tell me you were having these dreams?" he demanded.
"Well I didn't want to worry you, and in case you haven't noticed, we try to avoid talking about Jacen. I didn't want to open that can of worms all over again." She said, avoiding his gaze as she chased some cucumber around her plate.
Han sighed.
"Leia..." he said, as if to tell her off, but figured it would be better not to, she looked miserable as it was.
Threepio bustled through with the washing, and Leia glowered at him as he passed. She knew it was only a matter of time before Han started to take the piss.
"So what did the shrink say thats upset you?" he asked as he helped himself to some coleslaw.
Leia sighed.
"I said something about my feelings about what happened with Jacen, and Dr Jempa just...agreed with me. He raised a point that I've had before...and it just hurt more hearing it from someone else. And he says hes been watching us for years, which is slightly concerning..." Leia said, hoping to lure Han down the tangent she was laying.
But he was far too wily for that.
"What did he say?" he asked, wondering what a harmless shrink, which he would undoubtedly slag her about later, could have said to upset her.
"Well...I said that it was guilt that was causing my dreams. I said that we could have done a lot more to try and stop Jacen going to the dark side. And Jempa agreed with me. It's just that which set me off. Because...its true. We knew Jacen was going dark, we all did...and we did nothing."
Han looked at her, and said nothing. But, she saw a flicker in his eyes, and she knew that he felt the same way. After all, he had been the one who had redeemed Kyp Durron when he had turned to the dark side under the influence of long dead Sith Lord Exar Kun. But he hadn't even tried for his own son. It was a good thing Jempa hadn't mentioned that, or Leia might have snapped.
Because the Whiphid was right. Luke had redeemed Darth Vader of all people, but had even tried for his own nephew. Fair enough, after he had killed Mara he might have been justified, but before...and Leia didn't do anything at all, and neither did Han, even when he had saved Kyp.
The two of them ate in silence, both of them keenly aware of what was on the others mind...did they really sit back and just let Jacen fall? Were Leia's fears justified and was Jempa right, could they have done more?
After the dishes were cleaned away, Han sat down beside Leia and sighed.
"Let's face it...we didn't do much when Jaina fell to the dark side either did we?" he asked sadly.
Leia looked at him. Jaina had fallen to the dark side during the Vong War, as Anakin had just died and Jacen had been captured by the Vong. And, Leia supposed, Han was right, and once again they hadn't done very much to try and save her either, and she had only been redeemed by Jag and Kyp.
"Do you reckon we're bad parents, or is it just that the dark side is too much for our family?" Han asked gruffly, hiding that he was upset.
Leia stood up and looked out at the lines of traffic outside their apartment. Fear was clawing at her heart, which after the death of two of her sons, was very tender. Anakin had been killed by the Yuuzhan Vong, and instead of pulling together as a family after Jacen had returned, they had in fact drifted apart, and both Jaina and Jacen had fallen to the dark side, Jaina only temporarily, but for Jacen, it had proved his undoing, and his parents, who were meant to love their son no matter what, had actively condoned the mission for their own daughter to kill him.
"Maybe. Han...I want to go back to see Dr Jempa in the morning. But, I really don't want to do it alone. Will you come with me?" she asked, looking to her husband for support.
Han looked at her. While he would normally be opposed to seeing a shrink, Leia needed him if she was to get rid of her dreams. And if as Leia said this Jempa fellow had been watching the lot of them for years, he might be able to help them address the question that he had just raised. They owed it to Allana, to Tenel Ka and even to Jacen to make sure they were the best parents possible so they could raise her well.
"Alright, I'll come. I'll ask Jaina to keep Allana a few more days." He said, and went to make the call.
Leia sighed and turned back to the window, tears creeping into her eyes. They owed it to Allana to find out if they were good parents. And to Jacen and Anakin.
XX
They arrived early the next morning. Han had to admit it was a nice enough looking place. Leia entered, and found that Betty wasn't at her desk. Deciding to take a chance, she tentatively knocked on Jempa's office door.
"Enter!" he called, and smiled as he saw who it was.
"Ah, Princess Leia, I'd hoped you would come back. And you have brought Captain Solo too, how delightful. It is a pleasure to meet you Captain Solo, your exploits are after all, legendary." Jempa said, getting up and shaking his hand.
"Um...thanks..." Han said, a tiny bit flattered but mostly just thrown by such a warm welcome, considering Leia had described her less than polite exit yesterday.
Leia, who was quite ashamed of her behaviour from the day before, opened her mouth to apologise, but Jempa raised a hand.
"Oh no, we say nothing until Betty comes in with the tea." He said kindly, tidying his desk.
"But how does she know to bring two extra cups?" Han asked in confusion.
Jempa chuckled slightly.
"I just had a feeling you would be back is all." He said mysteriously, a twinkle in his eye.
Leia arched her eyebrow slightly. She had a reading on him through the Force, and he seemed genuine enough, but something made her think that there was a lot more to the good counsellor than met the eye.
She and Han were sat today on a two seater couch, which was in front of Jempa's desk, whereas the seat she had sat on yesterday had been moved to the other side of the room. Was he just going on a hunch, or had he truly know they were coming? Leia shook her head at being so jumpy. He had probably just decided to do a bit of redecoration in his office.
Betty came through with the tea, complete with a plate of custard creams today, and as Jempa poured the cups, Leia leaned forward slightly.
"Dr Jempa, I owe you an apology. I was very rude yesterday...I flew off the handle and I shouldn't have." She said sheepishly, but Jempa waved his hand idly.
"Oh it does not matter a bit Princess. When dealing with issues that are rooted within the family, one is expected to get a bit defensive. Now then, as I have the pleasure of both of your company, I am assuming that you are here to chew something over yes?" he asked keenly, sipping his tea.
Han looked at Leia, and she nodded, and after a sip of tea he began.
"Well last night, after she came home from seeing you, we got talking about whether or not we could have done any more to save Jacen." He said, and Jempa raised an eyebrow.
"And what did you think?" he asked leadingly.
Leia and Han both looked down in shame, and Jempa didn't press the point and simply nodded.
"I see." He said simply, helping himself to a biscuit.
"And we also figured that when Jaina fell to the dark side during the Vong War, we also didn't do much to bring her back. It was Kyp Durron and Jag who did it." Han said.
Jempa smiled.
"This is good, you are identifying other places were you fell you didn't do your best to save very powerful Jedi from the pull of the dark side. However, in Jaina's case, I will be a bit less harsh as you had just lost Anakin and Jacen had been captured. And while your actions during Jaina's fall are important, we are mainly focusing on the fall of Jacen. And as you suspect Princess, I believe that it is a large part guilt that is giving you these dreams. So, in order to free you of these dreams, we must together identify the root of all these problems." Jempa said eagerly, ready to begin.
"Well isn't that obvious? She's guilty because she doesn't think we did enough to save Jacen from falling to the dark side." Han concluded, and Jempa conceded the point with a nod.
"Exactly. But I think that over our sessions, in order to give you both some peace of mind, we must delve into the reasons Jacen fell so hard and so fast to the dark side." He said gravely.
"Alright." Leia agreed, glaring at Han to stop him arguing.
"But let us first address the problem that brings both of you here. I must say Captain Solo, I hadn't expected to see you in our sessions." Jempa admitted, and Han looked sheepish.
"Well, we were wondering if we're good parents." He said sadly.
Jempa nodded gravely.
"I see. Well let us look at your three children. We shall begin with Anakin. Do you consider yourselves good parents to him?" he asked curiously, gesturing and inviting them to speak.
Leia looked at him pointedly.
"He's dead. If anything else means that we're a failure as parents is that we let our little boy get killed." She said, the pain that still crushed her heart threatening to choke her.
Jempa nodded, and raised a finger to his lips.
"Perhaps in some cases that could be seen as being a failure as parents. However, Anakin died in the most devastating and brutal war the galaxy has ever seen, and he died to save the Jedi. You weren't even there on the Baanu Raas and as such could do nothing to save Anakin. Anakin gave his life for a cause he believed in, and that is by no means a poor reflection on you. In fact, the fact that he decided to sacrifice himself so selflessly is actually a sign that you are good parents, because you did very well when you were instilling values into him. I know because he is dead it doesn't seem like you were good parents, but you were." Jempa said compassionately, and despite the fact that Anakin was dead and she shouldn't be feeling that, her heart felt a little lighter
"And for Jacen and Jaina..." Han said, looking nervous.
"Well, is there anything you would have done differently with their childhoods perhaps? I know they were separated from you for their first few years and entrusted to the care of Winter. Was this a good idea? After all, toddlers do an incredible amount of bonding with their parents in their early years. Perhaps their absence from you was in fact counterproductive?" he asked musingly.
"We did that because Luke says as youngsters they would be more susceptible to falling to the dark side." Han said, then realised that Jempa was about to jump on that statement like a Star Destroyer coming out of cloak.
"And he is quite right, babies are susceptible to using their powers for evil, and the frequent attempts to nab them in their childhood may have encouraged such behaviour. However, as I'm sure you realise, removing them from you to stop them falling to the dark side didnt do them any good in the end now did it? After all, they both did fall to the dark side later on. So could you have done anything different with their childhoods?" he asked.
Han and Leia looked at him, not happy to admit that he had a point.
Leia then seriously thought about it. She and Han, and even Luke, hadn't liked the forced separation from the kids, but it was actually quite useful, considering the ones who had come after them.
"Well we both didn't like the fact that we had to be apart from them but we did it to protect them. Thrawn, C'baoth, Furgan, Hethrir, Palpatine, all of them were after them, and them being away from us let us protect them better because we could just focus on stopping them so that they would be safe." She explained.
Jempa nodded.
"Indeed. Now...you were apart from your kids in order to protect them, as a parent is meant to do. So aside from being with them a bit more, you could not have done anything differently, and the reason you weren't with them was a desire to protect them. Actually, did you know that that was the final matter that drove Anakin Skywalker to the dark side? He was terrified of losing his wife and his children, and so he was all the more susceptible to Palpatine's manipulations." Jempa said mysteriously.
"But whats that got to do with Jaina and Jacen falling to the dark side?" Han asked.
"Because I was wondering if that that is the same reason Jacen fell to the dark side...a desire to protect the woman he loved and his young child." He said significantly.
Alarm spread through the two of them. No one bar their closest family were meant to know Allana's true identity, and the fact that Jempa did smacked of danger and trouble. Han levelled his blaster at Jempa in a flash, and Leia brought her now glowing blue lightsaber to the front of his long snout.
"Ah, lets not be hasty. I told you I have been watching you. Only myself and my partner know of Allana's true identity. Her secret is quite safe." He soothed, and Leia nodded to Han and lowered her saber, while he lowered his blaster.
The two of them sat back down looking at Jempa suspiciously.
"So you came here to find out if you were good parents, good enough to stop her from falling in her father's footsteps? To do that, you must find out what truly began Jacen's fall to the dark side." Jempa counselled.
"Well that was Lumiya obviously." Leia said, her anger still not quite abating so her voice was incredibly harsh.
"No Princess. She started his fall to becoming a Sith, but it is my opinion that he started heading to the dark side long before that." Jempa said gravely.
Leia opened her mouth to argue, but Han put a hand on her arm.
"No, he's right. If we want to blame anyone for starting Jacen off going dark, we blame Vergere." Han said.
Jempa clapped his hands in delight.
"Bravo Captain Solo! We are getting there slowly but surely. This is good. We are getting to the heart of the problem now. Come back tomorrow when you've calmed down, and we shall continue our discussions." He said cheerily.
Leia nodded, and rose, and headed for the door with Han.
"And tonight Princess, consider this...perhaps darkness is in your family's genes, considering your reaction just now." He said mildly.
Leia hissed slightly and she headed out with Han following in her wake.
"Am I the only one who is concerned that he knows about Allana?" Han asked quietly.
"No. I think we can trust him, but...we should keep an eye on him just in case." She said suspiciously.
XX
"He knows about Allana?" Luke demanded worriedly, looking concerned.
"Yes, apparently hes been watching us for years, but he doesn't say how or why he's been doing that. He was apparently watching Vader before he turned to the dark side as well." Leia said sceptically.
The three of them were eating a stew that Han had made. Jaina was going to the cinema with Allana, and to protect her integrity, as several men had made a pass at her recently despite the fact that she was armed with a lightsaber, Jaina had asked Ben to come along as backup. However, Leia suspected the young Jedi Knight's real reason for going wasn't as much gallantry as it was the promise of an ice cream afterwards, but she had decided not to call her nephew on it.
"You reckon he's trouble, or he just knows a bit too much then?" Luke asked.
Leia looked at her brother, pondering his question. He had gotten more careworn, and his hairline was beginning to recede. And there was a sadness in his eyes that had haunted him ever since Jacen had killed Mara.
"I think he knows a bit too much. He doesn't seem dangerous, and if he was going to use that information against us he'd have done it, because if as he says he has been watching us, he might very well have known since Allana was born. And it cant be for blackmail, because he does seem genuinely to want to help me." Leia reasoned.
"Which means he'll probably want your help in return for something else." Han said darkly, not fully trusting Jempa although he did have to admit that the Whiphid seemed alright.
Luke pondered. Sometimes fairly benign people had a habit of being quite treacherous...they only had to look at Palpatine's example to know the truth of that. And, he supposed, Jacen too to a certain extent.
"So, we leave him alone for the time being. Are you going to keep going?" Luke asked his sister, his brow furrowing.
"Yes. I would really like to sleep again...and the feel I'm getting from the Force is that I should do. I think it's important." She said.
Luke sighed. While he did not particularly want to dwell on the subject of Jacen's fall, as he did feel incredibly guilty, and incredibly sad about it at the same time, he realised that it would do them all some good to talk about it.
"I still don't get why you didn't come to me." He said instead, and Han nodded.
"Or me." He agreed.
Luke and Leia both looked at him and giggled.
"Han, a World Devastator could park right outside the door and you wouldn't wake up." Luke said with a smile, and Han short him and his sister a dirty look.
"Anyway, ignoring Sir Sleeps a Lot over there, I didn't tell you because every mention of Jacen brings us back to Mara." She said sympathetically, and Luke looked down sadly.
Luke sighed, then looked at her.
"So, you reckon he might be able to help you?" he asked, glossing over the mention of his wife.
"Yeah, I reckon so. He's actually quite insightful, and he enjoys his work, so I'm giving him a shot. He said that we have to try and figure out where he began to go dark." Leia said, cleaning away the plates.
After dinner, they continued the discussion, Leia over a small brandy and Luke and Han over a whisky.
"Well I reckon he began to go dark when he started listening to Vergere. Fair enough, she might have given him everything he needed to survive his capture by the Vong, but she changed him, and filled his head with that Unifying Force crap." Han said, scowling irritably as he whirled his whisky over the ice.
Luke nodded.
"Yeah I suppose she probably did have a big part in starting him off. Older Jedi didn't like that philosophy much, and Jacen adhered to it like glue, and it didn't help that I advocated it for five years. He just became more and more focused to save the galaxy he...lost sight of his goals, and he lost his way. She might have helped him survive, but she ultimately started him off on the road down the dark side." Luke said, but he knew there were other things at play in Jacen's fall.
Leia sipped her brandy.
"Last time I saw Tahiri, she said it matters when Jacen broke. I reckon he broke the same time she did...when Anakin died. He lost his little brother, and that loss, and his capture by the Vong immediately after it, meant he couldn't sort through it and depend on the rest of us to get him through it. And he became a lot more cynical after that, a lot less interested in stuff, less interested in everything, a lot less...Jacen. He wasn't as happy after that, it woke him up to the realities of the galaxy. But it woke him up too much." She said sadly, tears brimming in her eyes again.
Luke nodded. He felt they both had a point, and had identified when it happened, but Luke suspected that there was a bit more to it.
"Are you going back tomorrow?" he asked curiously.
Han nodded.
"Mind if I tag along?" he asked.
"No, feel free. Bet you he has a three seater in front of him tomorrow." Leia told Han with a small smile.
Luke looked out at the sky. He resolved not to mention this to Ben. It would only upset him. But, he felt also that there was a reason Leia was going through with this. But what was it?
XX
Deep in the heart of space, a Yuuzhan Vong Miid Ro'ik cruiser was slowly travelling between the stars. It was in the MZX32905 system, and it was slowly approaching the shattered remnants of an asteroid base.
The cruiser was called the Dark Emissary, and was part of the only fleet that had not followed the Sekot Accords on the orders of their leader, a mysterious Yuuzhan Vong female. The true Supreme Overlord Onimi had had his puppet Shimrra force Tsavong Lah to grant her the fleet, and it had been hiding out between the stars these past thirteen years. It was quite sizeable, and soon now, they would be able to strike.
"Domina, the site has been destroyed for quite some time." Her captain reported.
The woman frowned. She had warned Lumiya that using the treacherous Jacen Solo would be her undoing. And it was most unfortunate that the Home had been destroyed. She could have used it. Not to worry. She would just need to attack in another way. And once she found a way to destroy the Jeedai, the galaxy would be hers. Nothing could stop the Yuuzhan Vong fleet under her command from seizing her birthright and retaking the galaxy that that fool Onimi had lost them at the final hour. And when word of her victories spread, the Yuuzhan Vong on Zonama Sekot would rush to her banner, and she would be the Supreme Overlord of a new Yuuzhan Vong empire that would subjugate this miserable galaxy once and for all.
She turned to her captain, her lightsaber clacking against her waist as she did so.
"Very well captain. I'll have to think of something new. Set a return course for the Baanu Venxis. The Yuuzhan Vong leadership and the Sith Order are both tied up in my person. It is time to restore both to dominance. Spread the word throughout the fleet when we return...our time has come." She said, her plaeryin bol widening as she turned back to look out at the stars as the ship headed for the worldship that they called home.
Soon, these stars would be hers. Lumiya and the traitor Jacen Solo had done a fantastic job of weakening the galaxy with the Second Galactic Civil War. Now, she would emerge from the shadows, and finish their work and restore the Sith to dominance. The fact that the Yuuzhan Vong would also return just made it all the sweeter.
She began to laugh evilly as the ship lanced forward as the dovin basals focused on the worldship and heaved the ship into lightspeed.
Here is the next chapter, and sorry its a little short.
So now we are exploring the place where Jacen began to fall to the dark side. Which of these is the true one, and what does Luke have to add? But more importantly, who is this mysterious Yuuzhan Vong woman, and what is her insidious plan for the galaxy? And just how big is her fleet?
I told you there was more to Jempa than meets the eye. What is his secret? Who is his partner? Why is he helping Leia with her dreams?
All will be revealed soon! I hope you are enjoying this story, and the action will start soon I promise once we get into Episode II.
And here is something to whet your appetite for the next chapter: Dr Jempa passes judgement!
Until then, please read and review!