Fate of the Force

by lordtrayus

The death of Jacen Solo and the last war was a disaster. A new force has undone what happened in LotF and given the galaxy a fighting chance against a great evil. By doing so however, the galaxy becomes even more perilous than it was before as the rising power of the dark side and the Sith threatens to snuff out the light of the Jedi, and of the galaxy once and for all...AU

7. Episode II: Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars (or I'd redo Legacy of the Force)

Fate of the Force

Deep in space, a battle scarred Imperial class Star Destroyer was limping between the stars. The ship had been on the run for weeks, with a task force led by Jedi Master Corran Horn chasing it. The task force was made up of Booster Terrik's own ISD, the Errant Venture, and was also joined by General Wedge Antilles, who was in command of the Mon Calamari Cruiser Aqua Blue, along with three Assault Frigates, called the Dodonna, the Madine and the Chewbacca. They had been hunting this particular Star Destroyer for two months and were finally getting close to destroying it.

Various turbolasers had been destroyed, one of the engines was gone, and there were several large holes in the Destroyer, some from damage inflicted during the Yuuzhan Vong War, but the smaller holes, caused by the proton missiles of the various X-Wings that had been attacking the ship in their drive to bring the captain of the Destroyer to justice.

Leonia Tavira, the former Moff of Eiattu and the commander of the Invidious sighed as her ship limped through space. Ever since she had performed a daring raid on a Galactic Alliance base on Bakura for supplies, she had been given a high priority target label from Admiral Niathal, with the orders to either bring her in or destroy her. Her fighters were all gone and all she had left were a few shuttles and a Bulk Transport in the hold. And she was tired of it.

The Jedi Order, under the advice of Corran Horn, who had a score to settle with her because she had kidnapped his wife years ago, had volunteered for the mission, and they had gotten Wedge to lead the task force after her. Now she had the entire Horn family on her tail, an Alliance task force, and Booster Terrik was also after her blood for kidnapping his daughter. As such she was in severe trouble, and another battle with the Alliance task force would finish off her ship, and if Terrik had his way maybe finish her off too.

"Boss, we can't survive another battle with that task force. We have to surrender!" one man said from the crew pit.

The Invidious was not a normal Imperial cruiser. Tavira had in fact been given the Star Destroyer from High Admiral Teradoc, one of the various warlords that Daala had subjugated after the death of the reborn Emperor, as a thank you for her help in dealing with an up and coming warlords, and for a generous payment of credits and her sexual favours. She had taken her ISD and had taken over the pirate band known as the Invids. After the loss of the Jensaarai she had gone on the run, keeping her head down and preying on the outer reaches of the galaxy. However, when the Vong War had begun she had been caught short at Rutan and had been attacked by the invaders, who destroyed most of the other ships in the Invid gang. She had then fled to the Deep Core, but had in fact run across Admiral Daala, whose fleet was defending several worlds from Vong trepidations, and Tavira had been on the run ever since. Tavira, at considerable expense, had hired an agent who had found out that Daala had tipped off Pellaeon, the leader of the Imperial Remnant about her existence. As the two of them thought she was little more than a warlord at best, a pirate at worst, Pellaeon had happily swapped his news with the members of the Galactic Alliance command after his ascension to rank of Supreme Commander during the Killik Crisis. As such, she had been on the run since.

But over the last few months, the galaxy had been relatively stable. Despite the fact that Pellaeon had returned to Bastion to lead the Remnant in peace, his successor to the rank of Supreme Commander, Admiral Cha Niathal had been hunting down various pirate groups, and the fact that Tavira wielded a Star Destroyer, albeit one that had seen better days, made her a high priority, especially when an increasingly desperate Tavira had attacked Bakura in order to get supplies. She was now being hounded towards Bimmiel.

She supposed that she could risk a raid to try and get some supplies, or try to get her remaining people out on the few ships she had left, and just leave her beloved Star Destroyer to be scrapped by the Alliance. But she couldn't. They may not have Imperial discipline, and she may not even think of herself as an Imperial anymore, but they would still not cede the Invidious to the Alliance without a fight. And if it led to their death...she would just have to make sure they took them with her.

XX

In hyperspace a fleet was travelling. However, it was not the task force that was hunting down Leonia Tavira with the intent of destroying her. This fleet was hunting her down with the intention of saving her, but time was short and as the Alliance was getting closer, they would have to hurry before they lost their prey.

Three Imperial class Star Destroyers were hurtling through space, fully armed, outfitted and operation. Flanking the three ISDs were two Nebulon Frigates, and dotted at point guard positions around the fleet were four Corellian Corvettes.

On the bridge of the Star Destroyer Behemoth a woman stood. She was clad all in black, though her arms and legs were both metallic silver. A veil covered her scarred face, which was framed by a triangular headdress. Piercing green eyes looked out from over the veil at the blue tunnel of lightspeed.

"With all due respect my lady, Tavira is scum. She's nothing more than a pirate. And besides, if your agents are right, as they so often are, the Invidious is on its last legs. It hardly seems worth the effort." Said General Wethen, the commanding officer of the entire fleet.

He was a stout man, with a small neatly trimmed black moustache which was now tinged with severe grey, as was his rapidly eroding hair line. He had served her for years, and had helped her administer the rotation of the considerable number of people under her command so that they could have lives and set up small towns on fairly unimportant planets when the fleet wasn't needed. However, as her plan was finally in full swing, they were all needed, and while families stayed behind on worlds such as Bimmiel, Birgis, Plooma, Lorrd and others in close proximity, the fleet was ready to do whatever their lady required of it.

Lumiya turned to Wethen and sighed.

"I know it is distasteful General. But, if I convince Lord Krayt and Vongerella to agree to my plan, for the final acts we will need more power to head off the power of Vongerella's fleet, and most likely whatever Krayt has as well. Vongerella I can figure, but I don't know exactly what sort of ships or how many Krayt has. As a result, we need to hold them off if things come to the worse. We need to be able to effectively counter the power of the One Sith's fleet." She explained patiently.

She knew her general was an honourable man who didn't like sullying the name of the Empire, which he felt his mistress was the only true servant of now, twenty four years after Grand Admiral Pellaeon had signed the Bastion Accords. He had staunchly refused to believe the Empire was at peace with their enemies, and that had kept him, and the entire fleet loyal to Lumiya throughout the Vong War. He believed her promises that very soon they would reclaim their former glory and return the Empire to prominence. The galaxy needed an Empire in order to establish order, and they needed a strong hand to guide it. Palpatine, for all his faults, had been a firm hand, and they believed that Lumiya would be exactly the same once her plan materialised.

"But you said we would be getting the Dominion." Wethen said.

"And we shall General. But for all its power, even allied with our fleet, the Dominion will not be nearly enough to counter both Krayt and Vongerella's fleet. Especially if the Alliance do not play the game exactly as I want them to. Hence, we need more firepower. And for that, we need the Invidious. And besides, Tavira can get us more of what we need." Lumiya explained.

The Dominion was one of the three Super Star Destroyers that belonged to the Imperial Remnant. The only one that wasn't assigned to planetary defence, it had become a sort of flagship for the various Imperial Moffs, most of whom Lumiya was conspiring with to eventually topple the ageing Grand Admiral Pellaeon, and allow for the eventual return of the Sith and the Empire to prominence. Its presence within Lumiya's fleet would certainly make the already considerable fleet a bigger force to be reckoned with.

If there was anything left of it.

"Lady Lumiya, we are approaching Tavira's last known position. Not far from home as well." A young man who had been born in service said from the crew pit.

"Thank you. Colonel Vessery, prepare your fighters." Lumiya ordered.

Colonel Broak Vessery had once served Director of Intelligence Ysanne Isard in yet another one of her plots to destroy Rogue Squadron. However, after her death they had fled with his two squadrons of TIE Defenders, which were more powerful than any other TIE fighter in the entire Imperial Navy. He had happened upon Lumiya's fleet not long after, when they had been locked in combat with a fleet that had been sent by the reborn Emperor to kill her for her presumption in taking the moniker of Dark Lord of the Sith. Not having been told by Isard of the Emperor's return, he had joined with Lumiya and his two squadrons had caught the Palpatine-loyal ships by surprise and had broken their lines, and Lumiya had led her fleet to victory, destroying the Emperor's fleet. He had joined her then, and he remained with her ever since. He was a noble man, with noble features, and he offered her a quick salute as he headed to the hangars.

Lumiya smiled tightly. The Behemoth was outfitted with six fighter squadrons, as were all ISDs, but Lumiya doubted that any other ship still in Imperial service had all six fighter squadrons that were Defenders like her flagship. While the Fury and the Rampage both had the usual mix of TIE Fighters, Bombers and Interceptors, the six Defender Squadrons of the Behemoth had been most helpful during the Vong War in the few battles that they had participated in, such as the Battle of Yaga Minor, the Battle of Plooma and the Second Battle of Borgis.

A few minutes later, the fleet dropped out of lightspeed. Her four Corvettes immediately cut off Tavira's escape route, while her Nebulons prevented her from commencing manoeuvres. Her three Star Destroyers then encircled Tavira's ISD, as TIE Defenders cascaded from the hangar of the Behemoth and swarmed around the Destroyer.

"Not much to look at." Wethen said grimly, looking at the mess that had been made of the ISD.

Lumiya had to admit that he had a point. The Invidious had sustained severe damage. However, a few weeks of repair from her technicians would set that right and make the Invidious a fully operational Star Destroyer again.

"She is cut off my lady. Shall I open communications?" a curious young Rodian asked, eager to please his mistress.

Lumiya smiled at him and nodded. He was new to the bridge of the Behemoth due to the former officer in communications retiring. And he seemed more than eager to please his new mistress, the enigmatic and elusive Lady Lumiya, who they had all heard about but few had ever seen unless they were part of the original crew of her fleet, or if they were members of the crew of the Behemoth.

The holo sprang to life and the image of Tavira appeared before her. She was probably a few years younger than Lumiya herself, but she was beginning to look older. Her black hair was streaked with grey rather than the stylish silver highlights she had once favoured. Wrinkles had appeared on her once beautiful face, and her violet eyes had lost some of their spark and impetuousness in the long years of being on the run. Lumiya permitted herself a smile under her veil. Served the arrogant little pest right. But, she did want the Star Destroyer, so she had to play nice.

"Moff Leonia Tavira, I am Lady Lumiya. You may remember that I allied myself with your former boss Ysanne Isard." She said in greeting, and Tavira stuck out her chin arrogantly.

"I remember. You are a long way from Korriban, Sith. What are you doing here?" she asked, her eyebrow raised.

"I have been tracking you down in order to help you, so that in return you will help me." Lumiya said firmly, as Wethen and the bridge crew looked on in interest.

"No...disrespect intended Lady Lumiya," her tone suggesting she did intend disrespect, "but I am currently being hunted by an Alliance task force and a Jedi Master."

Lumiya smiled, comfortable in the fact that all she had to do was raise her hand and use the Force and she could Tavira's miserable life in a heartbeat.

"I know you are. Horn can be quite...irritating with that one track mind of his. As they are most likely even now hurtling towards us, I suggest you listen up. I wish to have your aid. I want your Star Destroyer to join my fleet, and I want you to do your level best to expand the fleet at my behest. In return, I will fake the destruction of your ship and allow you to escape Alliance justice, and by so doing give you the eventual chance to avenge yourself on your hunters. After my plan reaches fruition, if you serve me loyally, you will rule an entire sector in the new galaxy that we will create." Lumiya said, coming straight to the point.

Tavira looked incredulous.

"You want me to drop what I am doing, put my ship under you, in exchange for a vague promise of revenge later on?" she demanded.

Lumiya narrowed her green eyes, and Wethen had to suppress a smile. The young Rodian who had just joined the bridge crew was about to see why one did not tangle with the Dark Lady of the Sith.

"Listen to me very closely Tavira. I shall use small words so as not to overload your greed driven mind. The Alliance is coming to get you. Looking at your ship, one or two more battles will kill it. I have a plan in the works, that will restore the Empire to glory and return us to our rightful place as rulers of the galaxy," she continued in a harsh voice, and Tavira's eyes widened, thinking the 'us' that was mentioned meant the Empire when in truth it meant the Sith, "and all that I need from you in order for you to be a part of this, and to escape the coming Alliance task force is the service of your Star Destroyer and a little extra help afterwards. When I succeed in my plan, I will give you an entire sector, to do with as you please, and that will make paltry little Eiattu look rather like a church abbey rather than a wealthy world."

Lumiya knew that playing on Tavira's greed was the way to win her over, and Tavira's eyes were already glossing over in greed. But, being an arrogant pest as she was, she was interested to see how far she could push this mysterious Sith.

"Your offer intrigues me...but you aren't getting my ship." She said with a cocky smile.

Lumiya rolled her eyes. The woman's greed was useful for Lumiya, and in some ways good for Tavira herself, but it was also her greatest weakness as she didn't understand that sometimes you had to compromise to get something more. So, in the manner of her master, Darth Vader, Lumiya raised her hand, and Tavira's eyes began to bulge and she pulled at her tunic, trying to loosen the powerful unseen grip around her neck.

"Do not test me Tavira. Your greed can be useful, but if it derails my plans in the slightest, I will end your meagre existence in a heartbeat. I am leaving behind Star Destroyer debris to throw off the Alliance task force. Whether it is the debris I have collected, or the debris of the Invidious is up to you. Your ship will serve me, and you will do as I order, and will expand my fleet to the letter of the orders I give you. Or I will destroy you." Lumiya promised and relaxed her Force grip.

Tavira wheezed for breath and looked resentfully at Lumiya, but Lumiya could see that she had won. Her greed would keep her loyal enough until she had to be removed.

"Oh alright. I'll do it. You can have the Invidious." She said grudgingly, and the Sith smiled in delight, as did Wethen.

"Excellent. See how nice it is to be agreeable? Now, when you are taken to the place we use for repairs, you and some of my stormtroopers will take what miserable shuttles you have, and the Bulk Transport and you will sell them. You will take the Firestorm and you will gather a force of Lambda class shuttles and Sentinel class landing craft to outfit my fleet with. You will also in your travels look for an Interdictor Cruiser, and will look to find another warship to add to my fleet. Do this, and I will give you the sector of your choice when my plan succeeds."

Tavira glowered. She had never liked being told what to do, and having to listen to the rants about Darth Vader from the imposter Prince Harran all those years ago had turned her against the Sith as well. And here was a powerful Sith telling her what to do. She didn't like it. But, Lumiya would fix her ship, and had promised her an entire sector, so she supposed she could go along with it, and get her what ships she needed. And then she could abandon Lumiya when the time was right.

"Fine. I want the Corellian sector." Tavira said.

Lumiya shook her head. When her plan triumphed, Corellia and the entire sector would be put under martial law to prevent the pitiful little rebellions they were so fond of.

"No. You take the Bothan sector, or you get nothing."

Tavira thought about it. The Bothans were quite wealthy, they had some military manufacturing ability, they had nice worlds, and they had the Spynet. Yes, she could live with that.

"Done." Tavira said.

"Excellent. We will talk more later." Lumiya said and turned off the holo, and turned to Wethen.

"Recall Vessery and slave the Invidious to our navicomputer. Have the other Destroyers deploy the debris in a close formation, then have them fire on it to fool the Alliance. Then set your course for the Bimmiel system." She ordered.

"As you wish my lady." Wethen said with a bow.

Ten minutes later, the enflamed debris of what would roughly constitute an ISD was abandoned and Lumiya's fleet leapt into hyperspace, the Invidious going with it.

XX

The Alliance task force dropped out of lightspeed, and Corran Horn, on the bridge of his father in law's own personal Imperial class Star Destroyer the Errant Venture, formerly Ysanne Isard's Virulence during the Bacta War, stretched out, wary for trouble. He was getting on in years, and he had a small beard and kept his hair trimmed to just above his ears. He had pushed for the Council to help Admiral Niathal track down the renegade Moff Leonia Tavira, who had been on the run for years, and had recently attacked Bakura in order to get supplies. When he had found out that his old friend and commanding officer Wedge Antilles was leading the task force, he had offered his services, especially as he had an old grudge with Tavira as she had many years before kidnapped his wife Mirax.

He looked out at the scene, and cursed.

The Invidious had been destroyed. Tavira must have initiated the self destruct.

"Damn her!" he snarled.

Valin, his son, looked irritably at the mess of debris. He was like his father, but his hair was black like his mothers. He was a courageous Jedi Knight and Corran had been quite happy to have his son join him on the trip.

"She's still out there." He concluded, stretching out with the Force.

"You sure son?" Booster asked, coming up beside them.

He was a tall and imposing man, with a large beard and was quite bulky. He loved his family to a fault however, and despite his sometimes frosty relationship with Corran, they did manage to work together.

"Yeah. I can feel it." Valin said in disappointment.

"Blast her." Corran said as Wedge's holo materialised before them.

"Looks like she escaped again Corran. But, with the Invidious gone, she shouldn't cause much trouble." He said, looking tired.

They were all getting too old for this.

"You reckon it's enough to please Niathal and Bwua'tu?" Booster asked absently, because now that the threat was technically over, he did have a business to run, although he would like to get his hands on Tavira and wring her neck.

Corran looked at Wedge, who nodded.

"Yes. She primarily wanted the Invidious gone. Now that it is, we can go home. The Invids are finished. Twenty two years later than it should have been, but they are finished." Wedge said.

Valin frowned.

"She's still out there though." He argued.

"I know she is son, but we can't have the task force go on a manhunt. Xandel Carivus proved the folly of that." Corran said in exhaustion.

"Who?" Valin asked, and Wedge and Corran laughed.

"Before your time kid. So, you three going back to Coruscant?" Booster asked.

"May as well. Roll out the welcome wagon Wedge. I don't like it, but the mission is over. We'll even the score with Tavira at a later date." Corran said.

"See you in a bit." Wedge said and flickered out.

After they had all said their goodbyes and Corran and Valin had joined Wedge on the Aqua Blue and headed for home, Booster looked out at the wreckage. Something didn't feel right. Which, if he felt it, and not just Corran and Valin, it couldn't mean anything good.

XX

The Invidious was settled and was beginning the long process of being repaired in orbit around Bimmiel, which was uninhabited aside from Lumiya's forces. Several of Lumiya's troops had taken the shuttles and the Bulk Transport from the hangar of Tavira's ship and had sold them in the surrounding systems, before being picked up on the Firestorm. Lumiya met Tavira in her quarters. She had assembled a list of ships and supplies for Tavira to get in the Corporate Sector, and she was sending the leader of her red armoured stormtroopers, Captain Valek along with her to keep her in line, along with two squads of his troops, who would pilot her new ships back to the rendezvous with the fleet.

Having lost several of the shuttles and landing craft during the war, it was important that they get replaced before the culmination of Lumiya's plotting.

"So, you want me to get you these ships, an Interdictor and a new warship?" Tavira demanded, though she kept a note of respect in her voice now that she knew what Lumiya could do.

Lumiya smiled slightly.

"Yes. Replace my shuttles and landing craft. I have enough people scattered about in various colonies to fully outfit the Invidious and an Interdictor. And if push really came to shove, I could also manage to get enough people to operate another ISD." She said.

Tavira was shocked. This Lumiya had disappeared many years ago, and she had apparently been busy, amassing support for whatever she had in mind and she apparently had enough people loyal to her that she could field a sizeable fleet.

"Fine. But what do I do if I get you new cruisers?" Tavira asked.

"Captain Valek will be with you at all times, and will control your access to funds. I don't want you doing a runner with my cash." Lumiya said tartly, and a flicker of amusement was quickly suppressed by Tavira.

"As if I could. Your troops would shoot me before I got out of the bank." She said resentfully.

She did not much like this alliance, but Lumiya had saved her, and had promised her great wealth. So she would play along...as long as it took to free herself from the grasp of the Sith.

"Quite. Be careful Tavira. Keep your head down and do not draw attention to us. If you betray us in any way, your torment will be legendary." Lumiya promised, and Tavira was escorted from the room by her troops.

Lumiya sighed. Tavira would prove an irritant. But to keep the few members of the Invidious who knew all its secrets on side, she regrettably had to keep her alive. But soon she would be expendable. And the Sith would return to glory.

Lumiya entered the bridge to see General Wethen just about to call her.

"Don't bother General, I'm here." She said as she swept up to the holo projector.

"My lady, we have just received a message from Korriban." He said, and the armoured face of Darth Krayt flickered into view.

Krayt was a legacy of the Yuuzhan Vong War. A Jedi Knight named A'sharad Hett at the time of Order 66, he had been consumed with anger and had fallen to the dark side in the years of the Galactic Civil War. He had been trained by the spirit of XoXaan, an ancient Sith Lord, and when he had left Korriban he had happened upon the Yuuzhan Vong, who had tortured him and had turned him into the armoured mass of dark side energy he was now. Vergere, an enigmatic Jedi of the Old Republic, whose mysterious aims Lumiya could never figure out, had tried to make him see the Force in a different way, as she had done with Jacen Solo, but he had refused, and had decided to create a New Sith Order.

Lumiya considered the One Sith blasphemous. She had been trained by Darth Sidious and Darth Vader, and as such closely followed Darth Bane's Rule of Two. Krayt's idea...it was far too much like the Jedi. She knew that he had quite a bit of support, enough to put a sizeable hole in the Jedi if it came to a brawl between the two, but Krayt was intent on playing a long game and preferred to remain in hiding. True, the Sith had hidden before, but he just seemed to be sitting about waiting for something, unlike her predecessors such as Darth Bane, Darth Zannah and all the way down to Sidious himself, who had been plotting to bring their enemies down. However, if she could convince him to side with her and her plan, if she played it right...the blasphemous One Sith would not be a consideration much longer.

"Lady Lumiya." He said inclining his head, knowing full well that she didn't like him much.

"Lord Krayt. I see you received my invitation." She said politely, refusing to bow her head, as to her, she was the master, and he was nothing more than an obnoxious Knight with some big ideas and a lot of hot air.

Krayt nodded, his helmet and movements not giving any hint of how old he truly was. He had a good many years on her, but no matter how impaired she was due to her injuries, she was still the master.

"Yes I did. I must say I was...intrigued by the vague details you gave me." He said.

"So you are coming?" she asked in surprise.

The two of them had met before, during the Vong War, when he had had the audacity to ask her to serve his new order. She had not quite politely told him where he could stick his invitation and had humbled him slightly. As such, he had no love for her. But her invitation had been deliberately vague in order to pique the recipients interest. Because if she could win their support as she hoped, it would make her entire plan so much easier.

"Yes. I am leaving Korriban now." He said grandly, and she smiled at him.

"Very good. I await your arrival at the Home." She said, and his holo disappeared.

Krayt was interested enough to bite the hook. This was quite interesting. And it actually set her thinking as to what he was truly after. Their meeting would reveal more, but she had a suspicion she would soon have a good idea of what she was dealing with when she dealt with Krayt.

"My lady, this Vong thing is making weird noises." A Selonian officer said in distaste as he held a villip out to her.

Lumiya permitted herself a smile at the fellow's discomfort and stroked the villip so that it opened up.

The greenish face with an overlarge eye appeared. It was the face of Vongerella, the mysterious Yuuzhan Vong Force sensitive who had appeared several years ago, during the height of the war. Known by no other name aside from to her lover Onimi, the true Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong, she had found the Home when her cruiser had dropped out of hyperspace unexpectedly, as she had felt a calling. Rather than destroying Lumiya, as the Home, the Force imbued asteroid which she used as her home when she wasn't on the Behemoth, had been guarded by her entire fleet at the time, she had asked to come to Lumiya. Lumiya, intrigued by the Force sensitivity of the woman had trained her as a Sith and she had to admit she had been a fine apprentice, just like Carnor Jax had been before her.

Lumiya, during Vongerella's apprenticeship, had found out much about the Vong woman. She and Onimi, who had used his puppet Shimrra to order Tsavong Lah to give her a fleet, as he had said that one day she could be the last hope for the Vong. While Lah and Nas Choka had scoffed, they had followed orders, and Vongerella had assembled a sizeable fleet, including a worldship, for her own purposes. The apprenticeship had continued, but Vongerella had never revealed the true extent of it, not fully trusting her master. However, Lumiya had been impressed, enough that she had allowed her to live and had not pressed her for details, and was quite content to leave her new apprentice to explore the dark side while she went and battled her species.

However, after Onimi had been killed by Jacen Solo, Vongerella had been furious. Lumiya had tried to urge patience, as she had spent a long time amassing support for her eventual plot to retake control of the galaxy for the Sith. Vongerella, furious that Nas Choka had surrendered, had fled on the Dark Emissary and had prepared to restart the war days after the signing of the Sekot Accords. Lumiya, not wanting another apprentice to be killed just after they had been trained had pursued her on the Behemoth and had finally made Vongerella see reason, and she had returned to complete her training. However, the injustice of the Vong surrender still infuriated, and rather than focus on the Sith first, and then focus on the Vong if she wanted to second, she did it the other way around, and began to use the dark side to further her own aims, finding Vong who did not like the Sekot Accords, and seemed to begin to believe that she could save the Vong.

Roughly translated, Vongerella wanted to restart the Vong War, re-establish the Yuuzhan Vong Empire over the galaxy, and make herself Supreme Overlord of the entire galaxy. Disgusted by her apprentice's plans, as Lumiya believed only a Sith could lead a unified galaxy, she had disowned Vongerella as an apprentice, casting her from the Rule of Two. Vongerella certainly wouldn't be able to take over the galaxy as a Vong, but the galaxy would not be peaceful under a Vong Empire, and it would be doomed to further chaos. But then, Lumiya had seen a way to incorporate her into her plan, and hadn't gone after her as she had Flint, intending to use her at a later time. And now that time had come about. Vongerella would be most useful.

Meanwhile though, she was sure that Vongerella was definitely up to no good, and whatever she was up to couldn't be good news for anyone.

"Master." Vongerella said, her tone relatively respectful, but not entirely.

"Vongerella." Lumiya greeted.

"I must admit, I was a little surprised to receive your summons." Vongerella said.

"So you are interested in hearing what I have to say?" Lumiya asked, and she was the one she actually needed to come.

"Yes. It sounds quite interesting. I am en route to the Home now." She said, and she was clearly on the Dark Emissary.

"Very good. Krayt is also en route. I will be there presently." Lumiya said, and Vongerella reluctantly inclined her head and vanished as the villip rolled up.

Lumiya smiled. Now all she had to do was convince her Sith counterparts to agree to her plan, and then nothing would stop their rise to prominence. And then all she would need is for the threat that they could feel stirring in the Maw to begin to make a move, and if her spies were right about the Whiphid that had appeared with the Skywalkers and Solos, they would play right into her hands.

She turned to General Wethen and Colonel Vessery.

"General, prepare the Revenge for immediate departure. We are returning to the Home. Colonel Vessery, I will have a flight of four Defenders to escort me. Have four of my guards join me on my shuttle as well. Not that I don't trust our 'allies' but..." she said.

"As you wish my lady." Wethen and Vessery said, bowing, and the two Royal Guardsmen that she had at the door of the bridge turned and headed towards the hangar.

Lumiya smiled.

"General, keep the fleet in orbit around Bimmiel and repair the Invidious. But...be wary, I may require assistance if Krayt brings a bigger ship than I think he should." She said.

"As you wish my lady." Wethen said, saluting.

Confident that her orders would be carried out, she turned and swept from the bridge, her cape billowing behind her. It was time to convince the others to agree to her plan. Nothing else would stop the return of the Sith to power, and the creation of a strong, stable, peaceful galaxy.

All that was transpiring was doing so according to her design.

XX

Deep within the Maw, a cluster of black holes near Kessel, three Republic era Consular class Cruisers were blockading a small planet, which had a small blue star nearby. It had a jungle terrain, and on it they could feel a ridiculously powerful dark side presence.

Quinlan Vos, a Jedi of the Old Republic, his long dreadlocked hair now flecked with grey, narrowed his eyes at the planet. On the planet was Abeloth, an extremely powerful dark side Force entity. And it was her that he and the others had come to stop.

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Kina Ha, an elderly Kaminoan had been at Kessel when she had felt a dark tendril of need. Curious, she had gone into the Maw to investigate and had felt the dark power that was Abeloth. Returning to their enclave on Myrkr Kina Ha had informed them all of the presence of the dark side entity, and Ferus Olin and K'kruhk's former Padawan Jempa had gone to investigate. However when they had arrived on the planet after doing some research, they had found out that Abeloth was much more powerful than previously thought. She had attacked them, and had consumed Kina Ha and Ferus before they could even attack her. Jempa had fled, trying to escape. Abeloth however had caught him in her tendrils and had consumed him as well, but not before Jempa had managed to get a message out to the others to warn them of the great threat within the Maw.

Since then, they had been trying to find out as much as they could as possible as they could about Abeloth. For the last three years, the Survivors had been assembling information to try and find out about Abeloth. However, they were no closer to finding out what or who she truly was. All they had found out so far was that Centerpoint and Sinkhole Stations had formed a sort of wall around her planet, preventing her from extending her powers outside of the Maw. However, the Second Galactic Civil War had changed it, as Centerpoint had been destroyed, and her powers began to fluctuate and extend. And another group had been sent, comprised of several mercenaries and even Mandalorians. They too had been consumed, and the Survivors knew that there was no way to stop Abeloth. Her powers began to expand, and it was then that they knew that they were dealing with the end of the galaxy.

However, it was then that K'kruhk had happened upon the plan of changing the past. All of them had agreed that the last war had been a pointless disaster, and they had decided to go through with it, so that hopefully a joint force of Jedi and Sith could perhaps join together to defeat their ultimate foe. And now that K'kruhk had succeeded in changing the past with the help of Leia Organa Solo, their visions of the future now contained a little bit of hope, whereas there had been none before.

And now they were hoping for the best and trying to stop her to give the Skywalker and Solo the peace they deserved. And Quinlan was determined to give them it.

"Dad...I'm scared." A voice said from behind him.

Quinlan turned to look at his son Korto. Born at the rise of the Empire, he had been quietly trained as a Jedi, furthering the aims of the Survivors and helping out as a Jedi should. His hair was shorter than his fathers, with only a few dreadlocks on the top of his head. He had a son and a daughter of his own now, but despite that he had volunteered to join his father on this mission.

"I am too Korto. Abeloth...is something else. Alert Master Jennir and Master Piru...we're going in." He said.

A few minutes later the three cruisers descended onto Abeloth's planet to confront their nemesis.

XX

T'ra Saa grimaced. The earthquakes that were slowly destroying Kessel were getting worse by the day. And they had been even before the timeline change. Immediately after the timeline change the tremors had been even worse than before. The message she had received from Scout had told her that Centerpoint had apparently been destroyed over a year earlier, back at the start of the crisis that had escalated into the war, meaning Abeloth was out of her repulsor prison earlier than before, and hence was now even closer to destroying the planet. T'ra wouldn't mind so much, but she couldn't figure out why Abeloth was so determined to destroy the former penal colony. However, she was using the Force, anchoring herself to the planet to prevent Kessel's destruction. And her anchoring herself to Kessel had been what had saved her from the timeline change. Now she was using the Force to knock back the dark tendrils that were Abeloth's powers, but she couldn't go on indefinitely. She would personally rather abandon Kessel to its fate, but the problem was they didn't know what Abeloth wanted with it and why she wanted to destroy it. And so, T'ra had to remain here, fending off Abeloth.

But she couldn't keep doing that. At first, the tendrils she had been facing were relatively light, a sort of grey colour. However, now they were getting blacker and blacker as time progressed. Which couldn't bode well.

There was another particularly painful tremor, and T'ra nearly lost her balance from the spot she was anchored to. Cursing, she watched as several prisoner grave stones toppled into the new chasm that had opened up, and felt a familiar pang of regret.

Her dear companion and lover Tholme had died many years ago now, died to prevent Darth Vader finding out about the existence of Korto and T'ra and Quinlan's survival. He had been killed in a fight with the Dark Lord, though not before taking arm off Vader for his trouble. As such, T'ra and Quinlan had then seen to his burial on the planet Anzat, where T'ra had remained rooted for fifteen years, before K'kruhk had found her and had her join the Survivors.

And now she was here, trying to keep Kessel in one piece, while her adopted son in law, Quinlan, and his son Korto, both quite elderly by human standards, led a mission into the heart of the Maw with around eighteen other Jedi, all who had become part of the Survivors either by being original members, or members who had been born into the group, along with several mercenaries and other kind hearted souls that the Survivors had encountered over the years. And they were going after Abeloth, despite the fact that both she and K'kruhk disagreed with the decision. Suffice to say she had a bad feeling about it.

There was another tremor and T'ra got back to work.

XX

The next day dawned bright and sunny, and Leia had been delighted to have a full night's sleep again. Her family was back to normal. But now, they had to try and save the galaxy yet again. She was incredibly happy and bustled around, and even made Han a fry up for breakfast, which he was quite receptive of. He too was quite happy, despite the fact that he hadn't lived the other timeline, and so hadn't had to go through losing Mara and Jacen. And regardless of the fact that he was about to get roped into a new mission to save the galaxy, he was quite willing to join her in her good mood.

They headed on over to the Temple, leaving Threepio behind to tidy up and went through, Leia being ridiculously perky as she did so. They entered Jaina's room, and Leia cheerily opened the curtains, letting the sunlight stream onto her daughter's face, and she grumbled irritably.

"Mom...what the hell? I was asleep!" she moaned as she woke up with bleary eyes.

"And now you're awake." Leia said brightly.

Han smiled at his daughter as he came into her quarters.

"She's been perky all morning. Must be something to do with preventing your brother turning to the dark side and all that."

Jaina grumbled as she got herself out of bed.

"Remind me to have a word with Temple security about letting perky people inside." She moaned.

She returned half an hour later, fully clothed and looking remotely human once again.

"So why have you got me up so early?" she asked as they headed for the speeder.

"Well we need to go and see K'kruhk don't we?" Leia asked as Han drove the speeder off.

"What is this true threat he was going on about?" Jaina asked in concern as she got into the back.

"I don't really know...but I had a vision before the timeline changed. It wasn't pretty. Whatever the hell it is, it's strong enough to devastate the galaxy. But I don't see how changing the timeline will help that much. I mean, yeah, having Jacen and Mara back might be helpful, along with other Jedi that died during the war, but it seems to me that it still won't be enough to stop it." Leia said musingly.

They picked Luke and Mara up from outside their apartment and headed to pick Ben and Jacen up from Jacen's apartment.

"Yes, but you can't just change time and not face consequences sis. There has to be something you're overlooking." Luke reasoned as they entered Jacen's building.

"Well hopefully it means other good people who died will be alive again. Admiral Pellaeon, Isolder, Omas, Tresina Lobi, all of that..." Leia said as realisation dawned on her.

"Who killed poor old Pellaeon? He may be an Imp, but he's the only decent one they've ever had!" Han said incredulously.

He was then fixed by a glare from Mara, and he blushed sheepishly.

"Present company excepted of course." He said ruefully, and Jaina grinned.

"Tahiri did it on her own initiative because Pellaeon did the thing we didn't do...he tried to stop Jacen before it was too late." Leia said, her mind racing.

"Leia? What's wrong?" Luke asked in concern as they came out of the elevator on Jacen's floor.

"She's still alive!" Leia spat angrily.

Mara shrugged at Luke, who had looked at her in confusion.

"Who is?" Jaina asked.

"Lumiya was killed by Luke during the war! Because the war hasn't happened, she's still alive and is out there somewhere!" she snarled.

"Told you there'd be consequences." Luke said, but Leia smacked him with the back of her hand to shut him up.

"And if what you said last night is true, Alema Rar is probably still alive as well then." Jaina said, as Leia had explained a little bit more about her daughter's love triangle.

It hadn't made her feel any better for abandoning Jacen to the dark side, but at least she knew she had been doing some good. Even if it was directed at the wrong fallen Jedi.

"Well let's deal with this threat of K'kruhk's first, and then we can deal with Lumiya after we save the galaxy again." Mara said, and she and Leia's eyes met and they both nodded in grim determination.

Lumiya would not get her hands on any of the kids while they drew breath.

They received no answer when they rang the bell, so impatient, Han used one of Leia's credit cards to open the door, totally ignoring Leia's disapproving look.

"Aww, look." Jaina cooed in a delighted voice, cocking her head affectionately.

Jacen had slumped to the side of the sofa, his head resting on the armrest, and Ben was cuddled up around him, having fallen asleep hugging him. Leia and Mara tried hard to subdue coos of delight also as they saw their sleeping sons. Mara had a suspicion Ben had refused to leave Jacen because he was afraid his cousin would get upset, and she smiled proudly.

Han and Luke smiled, but then it turned to worried looks as they saw the mischievous glint in Jaina's eyes that normally signified the twins were up to no good.

"Jaina, that is very naughty." Luke scolded lightly.

"So is doing it to me." She retorted, and Force pushed the sofa.

Ben woke up first and hung on for dear life, but as the sofa hit the table he rolled off pulling Jacen with him, who gave a yelp as he fell from the seat. The two of them landed on the floor, and Jacen and Ben both scrambled to their feet, glaring at Jaina, who was laughing, and Luke and Han were also trying to stop a laugh from coming out.

"Oh, I am so going to go Caedus on your ass." Jacen grumbled as he rubbed his back in annoyance.

Ben grinned at him. That was more like the Jacen he knew and loved, making light of a bad situation.

"Ah, but you forget I killed Caedus." She said childishly, sticking her tongue out.

"Only because he was distracted actually." Leia pointed out, having not told anyone about Tenel Ka and Allana, and not wanting to until she talked to Jacen.

"Ahha! See, can't beat me in a fair fight, so you get me when my back is turned." Jacen said, scowling, but with a grin on his face as he did so.

"Says you. You have to have cheated to kill me." Mara said with a wink.

Jacen's eyes went down a bit in sadness, but he was still smiling. Maybe he could only joke about a little at a time so soon after finding out what had happened. Ben went towards him, and then Jacen grinned broadly.

"Ha, sucker. Hot water!" he cried triumphantly and dashed for the bathroom.

"Hey, no fair! Playing the sympathy card is my trick. Jerk." he said mock irritably, while the others laughed.

But Ben couldn't shake the feeling that Jacen was still upset.

An hour later Ben and Jacen were ready and they headed to K'kruhk's office. Jaina and Jacen seemed to be having one of their mental conversations, that none of the others could figure out. Han was driving, and was getting incredibly frustrated as Leia told him pointless things like 'stop at the red light dear' and 'mind the pedestrian'.

"Are you ok?" Jaina asked in concern over their bond.

And, as she so often did nowadays, she was incredibly glad that she had re-established their bond and had stopped pulling out of it, because while Jacen did seem a little happier than he had been yesterday, which wouldn't be hard, and was covering it well, he was still an emotional train wreck.

Jacen looked at her sadly, the emotions he tried to hide from Ben coming through. Jaina had never really understood why the two were so close, but she was glad of it at the moment. Because Ben could get places with Jacen that even she couldn't. He was closer to Jacen than anyone, and while odd, the family accepted it, and it gave them both another positive thing in their lives.

"What do you think? We find mom and she tells us she had to go and change time because I became an evil Sith Lord that took over the galaxy, killed aunt Mara, tortured Ben, murdered loads more innocent people, and had to be killed by you! How can I be ok?" he demanded, with tears blossoming in his eyes and she could even hear them in their bond.

She was glad Ben, Luke and Mara were in the middle seats, because it meant she and Jacen could talk privately, and not be disturbed by Ben turning around, because at the moment he was having a spirited argument with his mother and father about the chances of the Kashyyyk Wanderers getting through to the semi finals of the hockey league.

"That wasn't you..." she said soothingly.

Jacen looked at her grouchily.

"Yes it was. It was just me in another timeline. I became a cold, merciless monster, just like our dear grandfather. I heard mom and uncle Luke talking earlier. Killing aunt Mara wasn't all I did. I murdered innocent civilians, I turned poor Tahiri to the dark side, I killed Isolder, I even kidnapped...Allana..." he said, choking up when he added kidnapping Tenel Ka's daughter to Caedus' list of crimes.

"Jacen..." she said, trying to calm him, and she was profoundly glad that Jacen had clammed down on his Force presence so that the others wouldn't be able to sense how upset he was.

Jacen turned despairingly to her.

"What if I do it again? Become that same monster all over again, hurt you all, maybe kill you...what if I turn like Vader and kill the people I love most, like you, Ben...?" he said, and she knew he was struggling not to just break down on her.

He had always been scared of the spectre of their grandfather, and being told that he had actually turned into the same sort of thing was chewing him up, and the news of his horrendous acts was making it all the worse.

And Jaina knew that the fact that his family hadn't even tried to save him from being a Sith was also hurting him deeply too, but she would have to take it one step at a time. Truth be told, they had all been hurt by K'kruhk's rant, her in particular. Yes he had apparently decided to be a Sith, but so had Vader, and their uncle had saved him. Kyp had murdered millions during his fall by destroying Carida with the Sun Crusher, and their father had saved him. But no one had even tried with Jacen, and she knew that had ripped a deep wound on his heart, nearly as deep as the news that he had turned to the dark side and had become a Sith in the first place, a Sith who had done terrible things, including to his own family.

Jaina forced down her own tears, as she was ashamed of herself, and was also feeling bad for Jacen as well as getting his own emotional backlash through their bond. She sat close to him and cuddled into him, and he did the same to her, his tears running down her neck while hers did the same to him.

"You won't do it again." She vowed fiercely, and he looked at her with sad brown eyes.

"How not? Will you kill me again?" he asked.

Jaina winced, thinking he was saying it to hurt her. But then she felt him through their bond and saw that he meant it. If he turned again, he wanted her to kill him before he truly hurt anyone he loved, and he was asking her because he knew she was the only one who might be strong enough to kill him, not physically, but emotionally. He knew it would hurt her terribly too, but he knew she was the only one who might be capable of surviving it. She looked at him, and saw the terrible pain and hurt in his eyes and it nearly made her own heart break.

"No I won't." She said tearfully, and he looked away from her, scared and hurt, scared that he would fall again and hurt people.

"Because if you fall, we won't just sit back and let you become so bad. We'll save you. Anyway, you're not going to fall now. Mom changed the timeline and it seems like some of the reasons you had for falling in the other one have been fixed...like us." She promised, and a little bit of hope came back into his eyes as she lifted his wet cheek to look her directly in the eyes.

"You'll try and save me though, even if I do go dark?" he asked nervously, and she could feel him calming down.

"Yes. If you go dark, we'll only kill you if we really have no other choice...if then." She said, and it seemed to satisfy him and he hugged her fiercely.

"I love you Jaya." He said, snuggling into her and using her childhood nickname.

"I love you too Jasa." She responded, and kissed his forehead gently.

"Park here dear." Leia said cheerily as Han glided the speeder in looking at her irritably.

"It must just be a thing about women sitting in the front of the car, they become a pain in the ass. She does it as well." Luke grumbled as they clambered out, earning him a surprised look from Mara.

Jacen and Jaina had used the Force to cover up the signs that they had been crying, but Ben sent Jacen a searching look that made both of them sure that their cousin knew full well that they had been crying. Jacen smiled weakly at him and winked, and while Ben still looked a little concerned, he followed the others into the office.

"Morning Scout." Leia said, and Scout looked up and smiled at them as they entered.

"Hello you lot. Oh it is good to see the family back together. You did very well, and the plan worked perfectly, everyone remembered everything. Go on through, the tea's made." She said with a smile, and it looked as though she was packing up.

Leia supposed that now everything had changed she didn't have to hang around any longer. They entered the office to see two sofas and an extra chair in front of K'kruhk's desk.

"Good morning all. Ah, young Jacen, you look a lot happier than you did last time I must say. Please." He said, indicating for them to sit down.

They did so and Leia poured the tea.

"Well, I am glad that your family has been restored my dear. You look a lot happier than you did before we did all this." K'kruhk said to Leia happily.

"Yes, I feel a lot happier..." she said, looking at Jacen, her eyes narrowed in concern as she saw that her son was looking out of the window sadly.

She knew it was going to take him some time to adjust to the news. Being told that he was a Sith Lord who had killed so many people and had hurt the ones he loved was bad enough. But being told that his own family had just sat back and let it happen was going to make it even worse. And she could see the pain that was in his eyes every time he looked at them, but whether that was because he was being tortured by the fact that he, as Darth Caedus, had hurt them, or because they had let it happen she didn't know. When Jacen had been in the shower, Ben had told them that he had still been crying when they had come home, and he had been squirming around like he had a dream and moaning when they had been asleep, and her heart was panging for her son. But he would get over it, she knew he would. As they had said he had gotten stronger during the Vong War, and he could deal with this. But this time he wouldn't deal with things alone, they'd be there with him. This time they would get it right.

"So what is this big boogie boogie threat that's got your blood pressure up?" Han asked as he had his tea.

K'kruhk looked at them all gravely.

"Deep within the Maw there is a very powerful, ancient evil that is stirring. It has already consumed several of those sent to stop it, including my own apprentice Jempa. It is hunger, need and evil itself given form, and it radiates the dark side. Make no mistake, the galaxy has not faced a threat like this before. And that is one of the main reasons I had for changing time. Now when we peer into the future we see a little bit of hope." K'kruhk said.

Luke looked at him sceptically.

"You reckon this thing is a sort of dark side nexus?" he asked.

K'kruhk nodded.

"Yes. We know it is a dark side nexus. It is more powerful than any Sith, and when you consider Palpatine that is saying something. It is that threat that we now face." He said sadly.

"But how come we haven't sensed it considering how powerful it is?" Jaina asked in confusion.

"Because up until recently, the thing we face was being suppressed by the powers of Centerpoint Station. However, when that was destroyed, its sister station, Sinkhole, couldn't perform enough to power to prevent the true threat from beginning to escape its confines and begin to gather strength. And now its power is nearly fully gathered, enough to perhaps allow it to leave its prison and unleash devastation upon the galaxy." He explained.

Mara frowned.

"I don't like the sound of this. An ancient dark side presence that Palpatine didn't know about? Whatever that is, it can't be good if even he didn't want anything to do with it." She said worriedly, her eyes creased with worry.

"I had a vision before we changed time. It wasn't pretty. If we have any chance of stopping this thing, we need to take it before it destroys us all." Leia said gravely.

Han looked at how worried the others were and sighed. Looked like they were getting roped into saving the galaxy again.

"Alright, how do we go about getting rid of this thing?" he asked.

K'kruhk stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"We don't actually know. All we do know is that it is extremely powerful, and while conventional weapons can harm it, they have as yet been unable to kill it." He said musingly.

"Well that's helpful. So we don't even have the first clue of how to go about killing this damned thing?" Ben demanded, looking in concern at his parents who also looked worried about what they were being asked to do.

"The Force I expect." Jacen said quietly, and K'kruhk nodded at him, conceding the point.

"Yes, we believe that a powerful use of the Force should be enough to destroy this threat. However, as it stands, even all of the considerable powers present are not enough to destroy this threat. You can use the light side, and while it is a dark side entity, I do not believe that a light side entity will be enough on its own. As such, we think we also need a dark side presence if we are to destroy this thing."

They looked at him curiously, and suddenly Leia's eyes flashed as she realised what her friend was hinting at.

"Wait a minute...Lumiya is alive again in this timeline. You want us to join forces with her don't you?" she demanded furiously, balling her fists angrily.

Jacen looked at her in alarm, while K'kruhk nodded his head dolefully.

"I know you don't like the idea Leia. I'm not overly keen on it myself. But, as far as we know, there isn't another strong dark side presence out there powerful enough to be able to help us stop this threat. Being the reigning Dark Lord of the Sith, Lumiya is I'm afraid our only choice." He said.

Luke looked at K'kruhk, aghast. He could feel the Whiphid's reluctance and distaste for having to suggest it in the first place through the Force, but that didn't make it any better.

Firstly, Lumiya was a Sith, who would betray them the first opportunity she got. Secondly, as this threat, which considering the fear he could feel from both K'kruhk and Leia had to be real, was a dark side entity, how could they trust Lumiya not to join forces with it? Thirdly, having one of his ex girlfriends around was surely just going to exasperate Mara no end. And fourthly, Luke didn't want Ben anywhere near a Sith of any sort considering the family's history.

"No." A scared voice said defiantly, and they all turned to see Jacen his arms crossed glowering at K'kruhk, though managing to look petrified at the same time.

Luke then mentally kicked himself. He hadn't even thought of what having Lumiya present would do to Jacen since Leia had dropped her bombshell that Lumiya was the one who had turned him in the first place. Yes, they hadn't been as close recently, but he knew and loved Jacen, and knew that the idea of them having to travel with the Sith who had made him do so many terrible things would eat him alive.

"Jacen..." Ben said kindly, reaching up to pat his cousin's elbow, but Jacen moved backwards, as if frightened of K'kruhk, glowering at him still.

"We can't have her on board. There's no telling what she might do." He said in a panicky voice.

K'kruhk opened his mouth to speak, and Luke sighed. He knew the old Jedi was right. If they were to defeat this threat that had both him and Leia so scared, they would need all the help they could get. And that would mean they needed Lumiya. Unfortunately.

Luke got up and touched Jacen's forearm and fixed his nephew with a caring blue gaze.

"She won't get to you ok? I promise. She won't get her claws into you, into any of you. And then as soon as we've dealt with this threat, we'll stick her into the Maw where she can't hurt anyone else. Ok?" He asked, and while Jacen still looked terrified of having to travel with a Sith, he nodded slowly.

"I know Jacen. It doesn't sit well with me either. But truth be told there have been far worse Sith to ally with. Palpatine would turn on us in a heartbeat." K'kruhk reminded, and Jacen conceded the point.

"What happens if she's not following the Rule of Two though?" Mara asked, her eyes casting a concerned look at Jacen, who still looked as though he would scream at any moment.

"Well, in case she doesn't have an apprentice to hand, we can only look for the only other powerful dark side presence there is...Alema Rar."

Jaina looked thoughtful. While she was no happier about having Lumiya on board the ship than anyone else was, Jacen in particular, Alema they could at least figure out how to deal with. She was totally insane, a result of too many losses and too many mutilations in a far too short space of time. Jaina mused for a minute that no one had done much to save her from the dark side either.

Coming back to reality, she knew an easy way they could get to Alema. Her long term boyfriend Jagged Fel, who she had reunited with after the destruction of Centerpoint and after Zekk had finally gotten over her by falling for one of Tenel Ka's cousins, Taryn Zel, had been pursuing Alema for months. Jacen's actions at Supply Depot Thrago had made the Chiss strip Jag of all his positions, powers and holdings, and he was exiled, leaving him honourless. The only way he could regain his lost honour would be to kill Alema/ Jag had asked Luke to petition the Jedi Order to have them leave Alema alone and not hunt her down. They had been incredibly reluctant, fearing what Alema could do to the Jedi Order, but Jag's dogged pursuit of her had kept her busy, so they had allowed it.

"That shouldn't be too hard. I can just...ask Jag." She said, feeling a pang of regret, and Jacen was interrupted from looking sad and fearful and looked at her in the brotherly concern that she was still immensely glad that she had gotten back.

"Very well. I know this isn't ideal, but it may be the only way in which we can save the galaxy. May the Force be with us all." K'kruhk said, and they all got up, and began to exit.

"Threepio, prepare the ship. Here we go again." Han ordered over the comm.

"As you wish Captain Solo. The Falcon?" he asked, and Han gave an affirmative.

"I'm quite looking forward to a ride on the Millennium Falcon. It's very famous." K'kruhk said conversationally to Mara.

"You mean it's a hunk of junk. We could take the Jade Shadow but we'll probably need heavier firepower on this mission and sadly, the Falcon is better armed, and if we all need to be in the same place to keep an eye on Lumiya and Alema, the Falcon is better, we can just fake some damage and space the evil bitches." She said perkily, to which K'kruhk chuckled.

"It'll be alright." Ben said to Jacen, and Jacen grinned.

"Yeah. I think you're right." He said, smiling a little.

"See, that's the Jacen I know and love. What makes you say that?" Ben asked curiously.

"Just a feeling. And besides...I've got my young apprentice to look after me." Jacen said with a grin and mussed Ben's hair.

"Jacen...the hair!" he grumbled, and Jacen and the others laughed.

XX

The Falcon was warming up as they all bustled around. K'kruhk had said his goodbyes to Scout, and she was going back to their Enclave to see to the others. Ben and Jaina had filled the stores with food, while Leia had bought all the medical supplies and bedding that they would need. Initially confused by the large number, as the ship only had six bunks, Han revealed to her that after the insurrection he, Jacen and Jaina had renovated the number three cargo hold so that if the entire family went away somewhere on holiday, a feat they were still to achieve, all of them could travel in just the one ship, as now there was now seven extra bunks, giving them a total capacity of fourteen. Luke and Mara had got the clothes and necessities for everyone, and they had stocked up on replacement parts for lightsabers and cybernetic hands in case Lumiya wasn't friendly when they found her.

The ship was ready to go, and despite the fact that the entire fate of the galaxy, and the Force hung in the balance, Han was quite excited. It had been a while since the old girl had had a run, and the fact that the entire family was going made it all the better. It wasn't a holiday, but they were all together. And K'kruhk seemed a decent enough guy, and as he had helped Leia save the family, and that made him alright in Han's book.

However, there was a little bit of tension. Han was incredibly worried about Jacen as he looked like he was going to have a breakdown at times, no matter how well he hid it, because what Leia and K'kruhk had told them had shaken him to his core. The rest of them were disgusted with the fact that they had just condemned him to death as well. Actually, the one who seemed to be taking it the best was Mara, who teased Jacen and said he had to have cheated every time her death was brought up.

Along with that, trapping Luke and Jacen together for days at a time had a whiff of trouble about it. Luke and Jacen did get on, and they did love each other...but when it came to Ben, things changed. Luke didn't fully trust Jacen to teach Ben properly, and no matter how well he hid it, Jacen was hurt by that frequently, because as far as Han knew he had only ever done right by Ben. It was also clear that Jacen loved the kid to bits, just like his parents did, and only wanted what was best for him, but Luke still had some reason for not trusting Jacen. And now that they had heard that Jacen had apparently turned to the dark side in the other timeline, it would probably just make a full fledged argument all the more likely, and Han sighed as he knew who that would affect most...it would just upset all three of them, but Ben would be hurt the most.

Also, Jaina seemed to be hurting about something, which both he and Jacen had picked up on in K'kruhk's office. Whatever it was, she wasn't telling yet.

And Mara was also being slightly snarky, and he had to suppress a grin as he thought of why. She didn't like the idea of Lumiya coming aboard for many reasons, but one was the fact that she used to be Luke's ex, and it was infuriating her no end.

And also Leia seemed very worried, and they hadn't even found Lumiya yet. He agreed that he didn't want Lumiya getting her claws into his son, daughter or nephew, and he would fight like hell to prevent that, but he didn't see the point in worrying until the old bat was actually on board. And the coming presence of Alema seemed to be quite annoying to Leia as well, and he could well understand why. Alema hated Leia and according to the messages they received from Jag, relayed to them by Jaina, it seemed like she wanted to hurt him and the rest of her family to apparently bring some type of balance back for Leia maiming her on different occasions.

And he could also see that Leia was desperately trying to keep quiet about something, and he knew it had to do with Jacen. Whatever it was, he hoped she would let him get over her last shock to him first before she dropped the next one on him.

K'kruhk came into the cockpit and sat down cheerfully beside him. Han grinned to himself. The fate of the galaxy at stake, and it still didn't seem to get this guy down. It would be nice to have an optimist in the crew again, since the kids had lost much of their optimism with the Vong War, leaving only Ben to carry on the naive optimism front.

"A fine ship. Let us hope it can stay together for all this." He commented, and Han shot him a dirty look.

"There is nothing wrong with this ship, it's in perfect running order." He said petulantly.

There was then a clunk from further back, followed by a pained cry and Han winced.

"Uncle Han, one of the ceiling panels has just fallen off and landed on Threepio!" Ben called in amusement.

"I do not think this is remotely funny Master Ben! That was quite painful! Please help me up!" Threepio wailed, while Artoo beeped in laughter.

Han looked at K'kruhk sheepishly.

"Well, almost perfect running order." He corrected, and their new companion chuckled.

Luke then entered, eager to get going.

"Alright, so where do we find good old Lumiya?" he asked, settling down behind Han.

"Bimmiel, or there abouts anyway." K'kruhk said.

"No, Hapes." Jacen said entering the cockpit.

"Eh? No my boy, she's near Bimmiel." K'kruhk said certainly.

"Yes but we need to go to Hapes first." Jacen said to his father, who shrugged at Luke only to receive a confused look in return.

"Time is of the essence lad. We must go to Bimmiel." K'kruhk argued, and Jacen had a slight grin on his face.

"Hapes." He retorted.

"Bimmiel!"

"Hapes!"

"Bimmiel!"

"Hapes!"

"Bimmiel!"

Jacen winked at Han and Luke.

"Bimmiel!"

"Hapes! Captain Solo, I must insist you set course for Hapes at once!" K'kruhk said triumphantly.

"Ok, Hapes it is." Han said flashing his son a crooked grin.

K'kruhk smiled in smug satisfaction until he thought about what he had said. His expression soured and he turned slowly to face Jacen who was smiling innocently.

"Alright smart alec. How did you manage to outsmart me?"

Jacen grinned as he sat in Threepio's customary seat.

"I had two siblings growing up. You don't get through that without picking up a few things." He said with a grin.

"Smart arse former Sith Lord Jedi swine." K'kruhk grumbled, and with that, the Millennium Falcon roared into the air, bound for Hapes.

XX

Chase Piru frowned as her Consular class cruiser descended through the clouds, headed for a volcano in the distance where they could sense a great dark side power awaiting them. She frowned in concern. This was not a good idea in her opinion. She thought that Abeloth only might be destroyed by a joint force of all Jedi and Sith in the galaxy. But the Survivor Council had decided in favour of this mission, to be led by Master Vos to try and destroy Abeloth.

Seddwia, her former Twi'lek apprentice, frowned.

"You're scared aren't you?" she asked as Kennan Taanzer, another former Soaring Hawkbat Clan member, took the ship further down, heading for the volcano.

Piru smiled slightly. Most of the Jedi on this ship were made up of the clan she had cared for during the Dark Times, the Soaring Hawkbat Clan, occasionally helped by Master K'kruhk. Kennan, her own Padawan Seddwia, the Zabrak Jiro, the Mon Calamari learner named Dacquel, and Mezzi Burs, the Gossam student, all made up their crew. Along with them there were several former pirates and smugglers, along with a few healers and two Mandalorians, and even one Yuuzhan Vong warrior. Most of them were middle aged, but that didn't make them any less powerful. Piru was in her mid eighties now, but still felt as young and strong as she had been during the Dark Times.

"Yes Seddwia, I am scared. Abeloth is a threat unlike any we have ever faced." Piru warned gravely as the ship rocked a bit.

"What was that honey?" Jiro asked Kennan, who was frowning.

"I don't know, it's like we hit turbulence..." Kennan said, but his musings were suddenly cut off as the ship plummeted to the earth, the crew screaming as it did so.

The ship slammed to the ground, ripping up tons of mud and throwing them around and off of their seats as the ship came to a stop.

"What the hell just happened?" Seddwia demanded as she helped Piru to her feet.

"I don't know, it's like we just lost repulsors, but it says here that they're still active..." Kennan said worriedly as everyone got up, nursing bruises and broken bones.

"What if it was Abeloth?" Dacquel asked worriedly, igniting his blue lightsaber.

"Then she is far more deadly a threat than we realised." Piru said and led her team out of the ship, her own green lightsaber glowing.

They looked around. It was clear that their ship wasn't going anywhere again, and Piru didn't know what had happened to Master Jennir and Master Vos' ships, or if they were still alive. Looking around, she had her first true glimpse of the bizarre world that Abeloth inhabited. Strange ferny plants emitted peculiar clicking sounds, and close to, Piru could see that they were covered in thorns. The planet was a mirage of colour, and all the plant life was different, just like Felucia. However...this looked like some sort of Vong influenced version of Felucia, with evil looking spikes growing from the plants and strange noises all around them.

"Kennan, try to contact Master Vos. Come, we must make our way to the volcano. There perhaps we shall find Abeloth." Piru said, heading off.

They proceeded in silence through the strange evil looking jungle, with only the sound of whatever the noises were and Kennan's frequent curses breaking the quiet. Mezzi was focusing on one of the smugglers that stayed with them at the enclave, a Lannik male, who was looking around nervously.

"Got to get out of here, get away from these copies...stop the copies!" he cried and opened fire on his co-pilot, a Rodian.

The Rodian was dead before he hit the floor, and everyone was looking on in shock aside from Mezzi.

"Stop this madness!" she barked, Force pushing him.

However, the plants had been awoken by the smell of the Rodian's blood and a large spiky stalk came down and crushed through the Lannik, while a jagged root reached up from the earth and pulled the Rodian's body beneath the ground.

"By the Force..." Piru said as things quietened down.

Shaken by the unexpected burst of madness they continued on until they reached a red river. Piru couldn't suppress her fear as she looked at it. There was something wrong with this world, and a red river could only mean trouble. So hesitantly she tested the water.

"Anything Jeedai?" the Vong warrior asked in confusion as he, the two Mandos and the remaining smugglers, a Sullustan, a Barabel and two humans hovered around nervously.

"It seems fine. You two, rocket over to the other side. It may seem safe but I don't want to put anyone at risk. We will leap over and levitate the rest of you across." She said.

The two Mandos used their jetpacks and fired up into the air. However, it was the last action one of theme ver committed. A plant like a fly trap suddenly sprang up from nowhere and devoured him in a single gulp, leaving the sounds of his scream behind. The other Mando fired at it as he landed, but then Piru saw his mistake. He had gone over alone.

"Get over there now!" she said, and he gave an insane scream and opened fire with his heavy repeating blaster.

Piru and Kennan blocked the shots while the others took cover. Jiro looked at him, sadly and reluctantly and leapt across the water, and brought her blade slicing through his neck, sending his helmet twirling away into the bushes. She then quickly shoved the body into the red river before the plants made a move.

"What the hell is this place?" the Sullustan asked.

"Terrible." Kennan responded grimly and went to join his wife.

The Jedi over, they levitated the others across. However, Piru then heard a noise and she turned to cleave a long, thin bodied badger like creature in two just as she was starting to levitate the human female. Piru turned in alarm as the girl stumbled and fell into the river, and she reappeared, thrashing.

"Help, it's got me!" she screamed and a whirlpool opened up, and two seconds later she had been sucked down and out of sight.

They all stood in frightened silence. Something was attacking them, mentally and physically. And it scared the hell out of Piru. Then, she heard it, a voice terrible and sweet at the same time, both needy and loving, wonderful and also somehow terrible...

"You must come to me, it is the only way to escape this world." It whispered softly.

"Master, did you hear that?" Dacquel asked, shivering.

"Yes. Come, we must proceed. Kennan, have you had any luck with Master Vos?" she asked as they headed on, their hearts heavy.

"No, it's like we're being jammed. Wait, is that...it can't be..." Kennan whispered in surprise.

Piru followed his line of sight and saw her old master, Du Mahn, standing before her. Mahn had been killed during the execution of Order 66, so how did she come to be here?

"Master?" Piru croaked.

"My dear Piru...you have come at last. And now...you die!" she roared, and several plants shattered the illusion of Master Mahn, their spiky vines bursting through her like wind through trees, and the vines impaled the Barabel and lifted the body up, giving it some sort of horrible reanimation. The Sullustan screamed and ran away, while Mezzi cut up the body and the vines.

"No wait stop, come back!" she cried, but it was too late as some large rat like creature snuck out of the plants and leapt, taking the Sullustan's head off in one bite. Before it could enjoy its victory however a large tree used its roots and brought them both underground.

"Oh..." Jiro said, holding onto her husband for support.

They had lost more than half their party and it was only going to get worse. Piru knew that this world would become their grave. It was just a matter of when.

They proceeded on, finally reaching the dark side volcano cave.

"Must we go in there Jeedai?" the Vong asked.

"I'm afraid we must." Dacquel said gravely, and they headed on forward.

But as they headed on up to the cave, the remaining human started shaking.

"No, we can't, it's there!" he cried, his eyes wide with terror.

"What is?" Kennan asked urgently.

"It is there!" he cried, and the Jedi leapt back as a dark shadowy slithering smoky tentacle extended from inside the cave and forced itself into his mouth.

They could only look on in horror as his body convulsed, his eyes rolling back in his head and blood streaming from both nostrils and from his eyes. The tentacle seemed to becoming less smoky and more solid as it attacked the man, and then, without warning his body gave one last convulsion and disintegrated before their very eyes, his clothes falling to the ground while what remained of his body settled as dust on top of it.

"What was that thing?" Seddwia demanded in disgust as she looked at what had been a man only seconds before.

"If I was to wager a bet my apprentice, I'd say it was Abeloth." Piru said grimly and motioned for the Jedi to continue, the Vong a few steps behind.

"You came all this way...just to die. Turn back!" a voice said from behind them, and Piru turned in alarm as Master Mahn returned.

Piru growled. Abeloth had to be enjoying this. Well she wasn't going to give her the satisfaction. Giving a war cry she attacked, her blade cleaving through Mahn's body with a betrayed scream. And then, the illusion cleared and Piru saw what she had wrought.

The Vong warrior lay dead, his eyes wide and shocked.

"I...I..." Piru gasped weakly.

"Ventress!" Kennan spat in hatred.

Piru realised what was going on. Abeloth was playing with their minds, and allowing them to form their own conclusions. Kennan had lit his blade and he swung it, to what he saw as a defenceless Asajj Ventress, the dark apprentice of Count Dooku who had disappeared during the Clone Wars, but was actually Jiro.

On the narrow mountain path, there was no escape.

"Kennan, no!" Piru screamed as his blade sliced his wife in half.

Kennan then broke out of the illusion, and gave a scream of dread. He had just killed his own wife. Abeloth had wrought this, and for the first time, Piru heard a terrible dark throaty laugh from inside the cave.

"Kennan, you did not know..." Mezzi said soothingly.

"JIRO!" he cried in despair, holding her lightsaber in his hand.

"Kennan..." Dacquel whispered, but no one could have guessed what was to come, and he ignited his wife's blade through his own head, and his dead body dropped down on top of hers.

"Not another one! She's going down!" Mezzi screamed and dashed up the hill into the cave.

"Mezzi, no!" Piru yelled and she, Seddwia and Dacquel rushed in after the Gossam.

They entered and finally saw their true enemy. Abeloth was hideous. She was short and squat, and her large lipped mouth spread from ear to ear. She had hair that was a dirty yellow colour. Her eyes were bright little pinpricks of silver inside sunken sockets, making them look like red stars far away. Her arms were incredibly short and stubby, but she had massive, long, writhing tentacles that were slowly becoming more solid in appearance rather than the smoky shadow state they had now.

"At last...you come. Do not fear. You will all become part of me and live forever...we will be happy." She promised, her voice caressing their emotions.

However, Piru was not in the mood to fall for it.

"Begone demon. We will not fall for such tricks." She vowed, and Seddwia, Dacquel and Mezzi came back to themselves.

"But we can be happy..." she said with a purr, and Piru felt her intense need through the Force.

"No, we are Jedi. We will not be swayed." Piru said and she and her companions brandished their sabers.

Abeloth then gave her throaty laugh.

"Then...you die!"

And then a dark tentacle extended like a viper from her body and stabbed through Mezzi. The Gossam gave a gasp and her saber fell to the floor from her limp hand. There was then a purple light and she was consumed in seconds, leaving behind only dust.

Dacquel and Seddwia gave enraged cries and leapt at Abeloth, but their foe opened her mouth and purple beams of energy streamed out, connecting with both their chests. Piru screamed as she could feel the Force streaming from them, and they screamed in unison, before her dark tentacles dropped their bodies, and when Piru sensed them all she could feel was a Force empty bubble, like they had become ysalamiri. They were clearly dead.

"You will not succeed." Piru said, readying her saber.

Abeloth cackled insanely.

"Of course I will. Nothing will stop me. The Jedi, the Sith, the Force and the galaxy will be mine!" she vowed, and Piru gave a war cry and sprang at her, her saber coming to decapitate the monster.

But then she was caught in Abeloth's long tentacles, which held her firm. Abeloth laughed softly, and then brought Piru close, and when her mouth opened, Piru only saw infinite darkness. And then, the tentacles began absorbing Piru, and she knew that this thing was the end of all things.

And with that last terrible thought, Chase Piru burst into dust.

XX

The Falcon was making good time, and Jacen was looking musingly out of the viewport as the ship travelled through hyperspace. Before he had left, he had called Tenel Ka and asked if it was time for them all to know about Allana's true identity. There were several reasons for this. One, was that after what she had done, he felt his mother deserved something nice, even though he had a suspicion she and K'kruhk already knew the identity of Allana's true father. Two, was the fact that Jacen, after hearing the news that he had been an evil Sith Lord who had been killed by his own sister, wanted to spend more time with Tenel Ka and Allana and make the most of whatever time he could get with them. Also, by that same token, he was fed up of having to keep her true identity a secret, and he just wanted to be able to tell them that he was going to Hapes to see the woman he loved and his daughter. And lastly, because of how scared his mother and K'kruhk were about this threat, he felt that if things went badly and they died, or...he turned again...they deserved to know about Allana first.

The news that he had turned was still torturing him. Worse, he didn't know all of it. His mom had been very tight lipped about all his heinous acts as Darth Caedus, and K'kruhk was too busy playing dejarik with Artoo to say anything. The fact that he had turned into a Sith terrified and repulsed him. In hindsight, back then he hadn't been far off falling to the dark side, he admitted that quite readily. But to become a Sith who would such awful things...it hurt. It hurt more than the knowledge that his family hadn't even tried to save him. And considering what he had done, he supposed he had deserved to be left to die. But that didn't make it any easier knowing he'd had it coming to him.

Jacen hit the console in front of him in anger and disgust, not at them, but at himself. How could he have let himself become something as evil as a Sith Lord? What other evil things had he done to good innocent people, and worst of all to his family?

He fought down tears and rapidly closed off his bond with Jaina. She would feel it, and she was upset enough about something or other. And he wanted to help her. But he knew full well that if he wanted to help her, he had first had to deal with himself. And to do that, he needed to talk to all his family.

But before that he needed to know exactly what he had done as Darth Caedus. As such, wiping the tears from his eyes, he headed off to find his mother.

XX

Leia swore as the lethal washing machine that Han refused to get replaced snapped shut, nearly trapping her fingers.

"I'll get you playtime." She growled at it irritably and she set the thing to spin the clothes that she had brought with them as dirty washing so as to be able to wear them later on.

"Mom..." a small voice said and Leia leapt in fright, and heard a rueful giggle as she turned to see her son.

"Jacen, it isn't nice to sneak up on your mother, especially when she is so close to the jaws of that damned machine." She scolded lightly, then saw his eyes were slightly red.

She looked sadly at her son. She didn't regret her decision for a second. It was selfish she knew that, but it had given her a restored family, no dead best friend and no dead son. Which suited her. But her heart still ached for her little boy. Yes he was a grown man, but he was more like the Jacen he had been, more open, more trusting, more emotional, sweeter than he had been before his fall, less reserved. He was still her little boy...and he was terribly hurt and was an emotional wreck from the news she had given them all. She could see it in his eyes, like it was a constant struggle not to burst into tears or rage at everything around him. And that was the boy she had changed time to get back.

And now she had him back, she had to make sure she kept him.

"Sorry. Mom...I need to know." He said bravely, though he looked very uncertain.

Leia looked at him pityingly.

"Jacen, no you don't, I've told you all the stuff..."

Jacen shook his head adamantly, cutting her off.

"No mom. I need to know every evil thing I did, from start to finish, so that I don't do anything like it ever again. I need to know mom." He said firmly, and Leia knew that despite how much he knew it would hurt him, he was determined to go through with this.

Leia looked at him sadly, and shook her head.

"Mom, if you don't tell me, I'll just ask K'kruhk...but I'd rather hear it from my own mom rather than some weird Whiphid you picked up off the street, and he's annoyed at me because I got us to go to Hapes. He probably won't pull his punches, I heard everything he said to you lot. I don't want him doing that to me. So can you tell me please?" he asked nervously, but looking stubborn and she knew he wasn't going to back down.

Leia sighed. She didn't want to cause further hurt to her son, but she knew that eventually Luke and Han would want more than just the bare bones of what he had done, and she didn't want him to hear it when he wasn't supposed to do. And if he began to get over the most recent bit, dropping more bad news on him a bit at a time would only make things worse for him and may in fact mean that he would never truly get over what he had done in the alternate timeline.

"Alright. I'll tell you everything." She said, though she knew it would break her heart.

"Thanks. Everything?" he checked, and she nodded, a little bit hesitantly.

If it could be avoided, she didn't want to tell him what he had done with Tahiri, because it would probably devastate him. If not make him sick. After all, she had been the love of his little brother's life. But...

"Everything?" he asked forcefully, and she nodded sadly.

"Alright, come on." She said.

They sat on her and Han's bed in the crew quarters. To compensate for the fact that they would probably be travelling with Luke and Mara, if they ever managed to get away, Han had taken out the two tiered bunks, and had created two double beds, with only one bunk bed left, where K'kruhk was sleeping at the moment, while Luke, Mara, she and Han stayed in the doubles and the kids were in the other room. What they would do when they got Lumiya on board she didn't quite know. If she could manage it they would stick her in the freezer at night.

"Alright. I'm warning you this is a scary story." She said with a small sad smile, as she reminded herself of how he and Jaina had used to prefer her stories to Han's, aside from 'Little Lost Bantha Cub', while Anakin had preferred his fathers, including the rather odd one about the true evil behind the Galactic Civil War having been the Emperor's Foot.

"Ok. As bad as 'The Little Lost Bantha Cub'?" Jacen asked, smiling ruefully, reminding himself of their favourite book from childhood.

"Oh, a whole lot worse. Think of your dad's zombie story but worse." She said, and Jacen acted out a shiver.

Mind you come to think of it, he had always been the one who was most scared of Han's story about the zombies that had populated the Imperial Prison Barge Purge and the Star Destroyer Vector.

"Ok. But with any luck, this story might actually turn out to be a happily ever after story." Jacen said with a small smile as he made himself comfy.

"With any luck sweetie." She said and she pulled him close to her, just like she had when he had been a child. To her relief, and pleasure, he didn't protest and cuddled into her, and smiling a little, she began her story.

XX

The next day they still had another two days until they reached Hapes. Leia had reluctantly told Jacen everything about being Darth Caedus, and as expected he had been horrified and heartbroken by what he had become. When she had told him of what had transpired between him and Tahiri, he had run from the room and had been sick, disgusted that some version of himself could even have used the girl who, without fate wishing differently, probably would be another sister by now. He had then returned, white and ill looking and the two had curled up together, and if Leia hadn't been there he probably would have woken up to find Ben or Jaina wrapped around him. But, now that he knew all the ins and outs of what he had become, he was determined to prevent something like that ever happening. As such, he went to find his aunt first.

"Bloody computer's not been recalibrated since fecking Yavin..." she grumbled as she improved the sights of the quad lasers as she had a sneaky suspicion they were going to need them.

"Aunt Mara? Can I talk to you?" Jacen asked from the bottom of the ladder.

"Sure Jacen, come on up." She said and squiggled into the side of the turret to make room for her nephew.

Jacen grinned in amusement as he saw what she was doing.

"Paranoid?" he asked with a grin.

"Well there's still plenty of people out there with a grudge against your father who'd like to take a shot at him...I still contemplate it myself sometimes..." she said musingly.

"We all do. I'm sorry." He said, his voice sounding a bit down.

Mara was interrupted from her entertaining visions of shooting Han and turned her red head to look at Jacen. He still looked perfectly happy, and there was a little less hurt in his eyes now.

"For what?" she asked, though she had a suspicion.

"Killing you." He said lamely.

Mara laughed, her suspicion right. She reached an arm out in the cramped area and embraced her nephew.

"Oh Jacen, I don't care about that. It was another timeline. You aren't Darth Caedus here. And considering how you've been the last few days...I don't think you will be." She said.

Jacen gave her a genuine smile that he hadn't used for a few days.

"Thanks aunt Mara." He said and hugged her.

"You're welcome. Besides...we all know you cheated. I'd have won in a fair fight." She said as he headed down the stairs.

"You can't prove that!" he taunted happily as he exited the gunwell.

"Neither can you. Search your feelings...you know it to be true." She said in her best Vader voice.

"Oh shut up." He said, laughing and Mara laughed too, then cursed as the damn guns started drifting again.

"Stupid hunk of junk..." she grumbled and got back to work.

Han was in the galley, fixing the salad they were having for dinner later.

"Radishes..." he mumbled to himself and went to the fridge.

Jacen grinned as his father headed to the fridge. It was always good when his father made the dinner...it spared them all from his mother's cooking.

"Don't forget spring onions." He said, and Han picked them up as well.

Han looked at his son and gave him a knife and spring onions to chop.

"What's up kid? Here to apologise for making me sleep with your sister and cousin?" he asked irritably, as his back was killing him.

"Sort of...did mom say why I was there last night?" Jacen asked as he peeled the onions.

Han nodded as he topped and tailed the radishes.

"Yeah, she did. You feeling a bit better now though?" he asked, as he knew his kid wouldn't have started to feel better until he had all the facts.

Jacen nodded half-heartedly.

"Yeah, sort of." Jacen said as he began chopping up the onions.

"Then I suppose I can live with a sore back then." Han said kindly, and Jacen grinned at his father.

"And I'm sorry about...all the stuff I did." He said in shame.

Han looked at his son and grinned.

"Jacen...it wasn't you. Everything changed. You aren't a Sith in this timeline. You don't have to apologise for something you didn't do." He said lightly, and Jacen shrugged.

"And I'm sorry for almost blowing up the ship." He said, and the knife clanged to the floor as Han stiffened up.

Jacen realised in an instant that he had just put his foot in it. He had expected his mother to have told him he nearly blew up the ship at the Battle of Hapes. Apparently not.

"You...you...you...shot at my ship!" Han demanded.

"Can you sort of forget I said that?" Jacen asked hopefully.

"You shot my ship? Look, I'm a tolerant guy. Killing your aunt Mara, torturing Ben...I can cope with. But trying to shoot the Falcon! That crosses the line mister." He growled, but Jacen knew he was having him on.

"Sorry dad." Jacen said with a laugh and Han rolled his eyes and pulled Jacen into a one armed hug.

"It's ok kid. I can forgive you for that too. You were under the influence or something. And like I said...it wasn't you." He said with a wink and Jacen smiled and left his father to finish the salad.

Jacen then went past the communications area, and frowned. Jaina was sitting there and her Force presence felt incredibly frustrated and irritable. He entered and sat down beside her and poured calm into their bond, but her glower told him that it wasn't working, so he desisted.

"What's up?" he asked.

Jaina shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. You've got enough to be dealing with, being a Sith Lord and all." She said, turning away from him.

"Jaina..." he said trying to get her talk, and trying and failing to suppress the small bit of hurt he felt at her words, and he could then feel her wince through their bond.

"Sorry bro. That wasn't fair." She said and turned to him.

"How you doing with that anyway?" she asked kindly.

"Nice try missy. But I asked first. What's up?" he asked, smiling at her attempted deflection.

She scowled.

"Damn this bond. It's a pain sometimes." She said resentfully, but she eventually surrendered.

"Alright, alright already. If you must know...Jag is what's up."

Jacen looked at her sympathetically. Since Jag had been approved by both the Chiss Ascendancy and the Jedi Order three years ago to hunt down Alema Rar, she had seen just as little of the man she loved as he had of Tenel Ka. They had only seen each other for brief periods, and that was only when Jag had figured out where Alema would be next and was able to alert Jaina. As he couldn't receive any help in order to fulfil the terms of his exile, Jacen knew it was putting a strain on both their relationships.

"What's up?" he asked.

Jaina sighed.

"Well sometimes...I'm just wondering...whether or not he actually wants to be with me." She admitted sadly.

Jacen looked at her questioningly, waiting for her to continue.

"Well, I love him, you know that...but I'm beginning to think he loves his honour more than he loves me." She said.

Jacen looked at her in surprise. For a start, even as her twin it was odd to get this much out of her. And also, for her to doubt that Jag loved her, things were seriously wrong.

"What makes you say that?" he asked in concern.

"Well I know he's fixated on stopping Alema so he can restore his honour, and I appreciate that. And it is slightly our fault that he's doing that. But...I reckon he cares more about getting that back than he does about me. Even the odd times we get to see each other, the next thing I know he's shooting off after Alema again. Sometimes he even forgets to say goodbye. I mean, I want to settle down with him, be a couple and all that...but I love him for who he is, not who he thinks he should be."

Jacen smiled slightly and reached over to pat his sister's hand.

"Jaina, you can't expect that much of him. Jag was raised by the Chiss, and like you said, he lost his honour because of us. The fact that when you met up again he still loved you shows that he isn't addicted to his honour. I reckon his problem is that he doesn't feel worthy enough to be your boyfriend or your husband." He theorised, and she raised an eyebrow.

"You are the daughter of Han and Leia Solo, two of the most famous people in the galaxy. You are the niece of Luke Skywalker and Mara Skywalker, so that makes you famous and respected as well. You're Anakin and I's sister, so that adds to your fame, and you're Ben's cousin as well. Not only that you're a famous Jedi in your own right, and you've done a lot of good. And you're the one who killed the Yuuzhan Vong Warmaster. And next to you, Jag at the moment doesn't even have his position in the Chiss military. So, that's why he's so fixated on getting Alema...because if he does, in his own mind he'll feel like he deserves to have you."

Jaina looked at him, but he could tell that she wasn't really seeing him and was actually thinking it over.

"That could be it I suppose. Doesn't make it any easier though." She said sadly.

Jacen looked at her in understanding. He knew that all too well.

She then turned with a slight grin to her twin.

"So, enough about me. How are you coping with being all Sithy?" she asked, splaying her hands like she was using Force lightning.

Jacen shot her a look, and she desisted, but was still grinning.

"I'm getting there. Mom told me everything last night...some of it is just so bad...like what I did to..." he said, tailing off, not wanting her to know. She arced her eyebrow in question, but she could tell from his look that she wasn't going to get anything out of him about whatever it was.

"I'm sorry." He said suddenly, and she cocked her head.

"About what?" she asked.

"Going Sithy. I know it's silly to want to apologise but...it feels sort of right." He said, looking as though he was afraid she would question his sanity.

Jaina smiled.

"It's alright you know. You always were a little odd. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry I killed you." She said.

Jacen laughed, and Jaina couldn't help herself and joined him.

XX

K'kruhk was doing the crossword in the 'Historian Times' magazine when Mara came up to him.

"I want some answers." She said sitting down beside him with a stubborn look on her face.

"So do I. What the hell was the second name of Lord Hoth's Padawan?" he asked himself, tapping his pen against his chin.

Mara looked at him in confusion.

"Who? There was some poor sap called Hoth? Talk about hating your parents." She said, and K'kruhk looked at her strangely, but rolled his eyes.

"I know you want answers Mara. However I have very few to give. Unfortunately all of our research has proved very little. We do know that her name is Abeloth and that she has many powers. But exactly what she is, who she is or how she came into being, we do not know. I can only hope we find out more before we meet her for the first time." He said grimly.

Mara narrowed her eyes.

"Alright, that may be. But there's still something you aren't telling me." She said suspiciously and headed off.

K'kruhk shook his head. These Emperor's Hands were very suspicious. But then something dawned on him. She hadn't known the name of Hoth's Padawan. How curious. A thought entered his mind. This required more careful investigation. Curious he got to his feet and headed to find the others.

XX

"Can't you just talk to him?" Ben asked his father as he once again took out one of his men on the holo chess board.

Luke looked at his son, pondering his next move. And his son's words. Jacen had had a horrendous shock, being told that he was an evil Sith Lord who had killed millions, including family. But Luke, his own uncle, and the one who he used to come to on all problems he had to do with the Force, hadn't had the strength to talk to him. And from what K'kruhk had said, he also hadn't had the strength to try and stop Jacen...to try and save him. And that thought bothered him a lot.

Yes he and Jacen had had their troubles recently, that much was clear. Luke had issues with Jacen training Ben. Jacen had learnt far too many arcane Force powers and tricks on his journey for him to be comfortable with him teaching his son. He also felt that Jacen was bad for Ben and was having a negative influence on him. But, as time had gone on, while he still remained untrusting of the new Force powers Jacen had accumulated, and because he didn't entirely trust Jacen's motives, he did reluctantly admit that Jacen was good for Ben. Luke had seen Jacen and Ben together and he knew that the two loved each other just as much as Luke and Mara loved Ben, and as much as Jacen and Jaina loved each other. But he still remained resistant to Jacen teaching Ben, and despite the trouble it caused with Mara, he couldn't get over it. Perhaps because every time the two of them talked about Ben it devolved into a full fledged argument. The only thing that achieved was to upset Ben and make Luke unpopular with Mara. And once, a few years ago, Ben had been present for one of these arguments and had gotten upset, and rather than turning to his parents for comfort he had instead turned to Jacen, who had elected to retreat and care for Ben rather than continue the argument. But Ben, when he had seen him the next day, said that both he and Jacen had been sad that Mara had forced Luke to spend the night on the couch. Han, Leia and Jaina, despite the time change, did not like the cool tension between them, and what K'kruhk had said was true...Luke used to be Jacen's closest guardian. So why was he still not reconciled with his nephew, especially when Jacen actually needed it, and thought Luke was ashamed to admit it, had tried many times only to be rebuffed by another argument about Ben?

"You're right son. It is high time Jacen and I talked. And we will I promise. You can't go on with us at each other's throats." Luke said, but to his surprise Ben rolled his eyes.

"Dad, it's good that you want to stop this for me. But that isn't the right reason to want to make up with Jacen. Considering what Aunt Leia dumped on him, he needs you! He actually wants to talk to you. You served Palpatine as his Sith apprentice! Jacen became a Sith Lord in the other reality. Mom was only ever a Dark Jedi if anything. You are the only one here who has come close to what happened to him in the other timeline. And he needs to talk to you about that. Because out of all of us, even me and Jaina, you are the one who will understand how he's feeling at the moment the most, because you've actually been through it." Ben said, then proceeded to put Luke into checkmate.

Luke gazed at his son, and a proud smile came onto his lips. This was his son, standing up to his father, who he had used to be intimidated by, and telling him that he was wrong in the way he was treating Jacen. And while a part of his argument did come from his love and loyalty to Jacen, a large part of it came from his heart because it was true. Ben was developing into a fine, strong, fair minded and just young man, and Luke couldn't be more proud. Of Ben...and of Jacen.

"Jacen is really training you well. You're turning into a fine young man Ben." Luke said proudly, and Ben grinned happily, and blushed a little at the compliment.

"Thanks dad. But don't just tell me that, tell him that. And then we might actually get somewhere." Ben advised, and Luke laughed.

"True. I'm very proud of you Ben." Luke said and reached across to clasp his son on the shoulder.

"Thanks dad. And another good reason for you to talk to Jacen...you used to do Lumiya. You know all her tricks." He said with a roughish grin.

Luke narrowed his eyes but couldn't quite keep the grin off his face.

"For your information boyo I did not used to do Lumiya. Our relationship didn't develop that far." He said sternly but Ben laughed.

"Come off it dad. Aside from mom, have any of your relationships turned out good? You did her, you shot her, she became a Sith and wants to kill us all. You did her and now it's coming back to bite you in the ass." Ben said grinning widely.

Luke looked at his son petulantly. But come to think of it...a fair few of his relationships had transpired in such a way. However, he would rather fly solo against the Death Star, the World Devastator fleet, the Galaxy Gun and the Sun Crusher than admit that to his teenage son.

"Jacen really needs to monitor your viewing habits. You're coming out with very crass language." He said lightly, scolding him but not quite, with a smile still on his face.

Ben smiled.

"He doesn't know half the stuff that I watch. It's an advantage to being left on your own when Jacen goes to see Jaina or does one of his disappearing acts." Ben said cockily.

Luke was slightly concerned about that at first, but then he thought about it. Jacen was trusting Ben to stay out of trouble and still continue what he was supposed to be doing whenever he was away. Luke had never before realised before how much responsibility and trust that Jacen put in his son. And the fact that Ben was equal to the challenge made his heart swell with pride for Ben, and affection for Jacen. At his age, most kids like Ben would wait until the adult was out of the way and then call their friends around and party. But Ben didn't...or at least he kept it hidden from his parents and his cousin.

"I will adopt a policy of wilful ignorance to that comment..." Luke said, and Ben laughed.

K'kruhk then stomped through.

"I have a bone to pick with you." He said grumpily, poking him in the chest with his sharp finger nail.

Luke knew Mara wanted to talk to K'kruhk to try and get more out of him, but as she hadn't immediately relayed any information to him, he assumed she had failed.

"If you think I can exert any control over Mara then you're wrong. The Force is strong with that one." He said sagely, grinning at Ben.

"There is a lot of electricity running through her sockets." Ben chimed in and both K'kruhk and Luke turned to look at him incredulously.

"What? I'm fed up of the same boring old mantras all the time...it's fun to mix things up a bit, it might make us remember the stuff more! Like 'hard to see the dark side is' could be changed to 'it would be easier to look at light bulbs than black lights' and 'there is no ignorance, there is knowledge' could be 'there's no point being stupid when you can be clever'. You know, change things around a bit, make it more fun to learn, it'll be easier to remember and we might actually pass those silly tests Master Tionne insists we sit as younglings." He said brightly.

Luke looked at K'kruhk who scratched his head in confusion.

"Mara, our son is insane!" he wailed.

"Don't look at me. Insanity comes from your side of the family." She called back, and K'kruhk and Ben laughed at the look of betrayal on Luke's face. Charming. Leaving him out to dry.

"Anyway...where was I...oh yes, my bone to pick with you." K'kruhk said grumpily.

"What bone?" Luke asked in confusion.

"Your wife did not know the name of Lord Hoth's Padawan to help me with my crossword." He said, his eyes narrowed.

"What, just because she doesn't know some dude's Padawan dad gets in trouble?" Ben asked sceptically.

"Do you know Lord Hoth's Padawans name?" K'kruhk asked mildly.

"I didn't even know there was some dude called Hoth. Seems pretty mean to me calling your kid the same name as one of the coldest places in the galaxy." Ben reasoned, and Luke had to suppress a smile.

K'kruhk sighed.

"Your master has been neglecting your education." He said in disappointment.

Jacen and Jaina walked through at that moment.

"What am I getting blamed for now?" he asked irritably.

"Your apprentice doesn't know about Lord Hoth." K'kruhk said.

However, the

blank looks he got from the twins were not what he had been expecting.

"You mean you don't know about Hoth either?" he demanded incredulously.

"Should we?" Jaina asked as Mara, Han and Leia came through.

K'kruhk took a calming sigh.

"They don't know about the New Sith Wars. Fine. Understandable...we mustn't panic." He intoned.

"Well let's try a bit further back. You've heard of Exar Kun I presume?" he asked urgently.

"Well of course we have, who hasn't?" Leia asked, considering the spirit of Exar Kun had nearly killed Luke.

"What about the Jedi Covenant? The Mandalorian Wars? The Jedi Civil War? The Dark Wars? The Dark Ages? The Deadlock War?" he demanded with increasing urgency, his voice getting higher at their continued blank looks.

They'd heard a little about most of those things, but not enough for him to be satisfied with. Ben grinned at Han.

"Ten credits on K'kruhk." He whispered, and his uncle nodded, looking at Luke trustingly.

"You're on kid. Why is he getting so worked up though?"

"Beats me."

K'kruhk took a deep breath, then turned irritably to Luke.

"Do you mean to tell me that this lot don't know jack about the history of the Jedi Order?" he demanded angrily.

"They know some stuff! Like the Clone Wars and that." Luke said defensively.

K'kruhk then gave a growl of annoyance, took his lightsaber off his belt, and smacked Luke on the head with the hilt.

"Foolish boy! Your Jedi know sod all about ancient history! That frankly isn't on. It is time to rectify that right now." He decided, and picked up Luke, who was rubbing his head tenderly, and carried him horizontally in one arm and marched him through to the galley like he was a roll of carpet.

Ben held out his hand with a grin, and Han scowled as he handed over the credits.

"Great. Not only am I an ATM machine for my kids, but now I'm one for my nephew as well." He grumbled and Ben laughed, while the others followed an irate K'kruhk and dazed Luke through to the galley.

XX

The Falcon shot out of hyperspace to see the beautiful planet of Hapes before them. Jacen smiled, and a flutter of excitement entered his heart. Despite everything that he'd learnt about him being Darth Caedus in the last few days, he was going to see the woman he loved and his beautiful daughter, and that would possibly calm him in a way that everyone else hadn't been able to. However, for all his excitement for seeing two of the people he loved most in the galaxy, he was also slightly nervous. This was the first time any of them, aside from Ben, had met Allana, and he was going to reveal to them her true identity. He was incredibly nervous about how they would react, how they would treat Allana, what they would say in complaint about her, whether it would upset his daughter...

But he knew that they would love her too. But considering everything that they had said over the last few days since his mother had changed the timeline, he was worried about just how they would take it...even if he did have a sneaky suspicion that his mom and K'kruhk already knew. And there was a knowing glance in Ben's eyes that he didn't quite like, though it did make him smile. If he had figured it out, his mother would be proud of him at least.

The last two days they had spent learning history. K'kruhk, enraged that they didn't know any Jedi history beyond the Clone Wars and a little about the Great Sith War had immediately started teaching them about the past. Jacen had actually quite enjoyed learning about the Great Hyperspace War and going into the Great Sith War in more detail, and K'kruhk had said that on their trip to Bimmiel they would learn about the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Covenant he had mentioned. Jacen had rediscovered his zest for learning, and he was quite enjoying it too. And while Luke, Mara, Leia and Han had been resistant, they too had learnt, and even Ben and Jaina had enjoyed it.

When asked as to why it was important, K'kruhk mentioned that the true threat, which he called Abeloth, had powers akin to that of several Sith Lords from throughout history. Hence why he was teaching them.

"This is the Millennium Falcon to Hapan Ground Security. I have clearance for Queen Mother Tenel Ka's private hangar." Jacen said into the comm as Han came up to watch his son land the ship.

Tenel Ka's private hangar had a direct route to her private chambers, and only she, Allana, Isolder and her two cousins Trista and Taryn were allowed in there. When Zekk came with Taryn, he was forced to wait outside if they wanted to go into there. It was totally secure, and while apparently a bolt hole for Tenel Ka and their daughter if they were threatened, it served more as a secret place where Tenel Ka and Allana could greet Jacen as a loved one rather than as an official visitor like she would have to if she met him through a normal reception. While several of the nobles were suspicious that he was always allowed in through that entrance, Tenel Ka had fobbed them off by telling them that he and Ben were investigating a possible resurgence of Ni'Korish, an anti Jedi faction that had been created by her grandmother Ta'a Chume in honour of her own mother, and as that group was part of Hapes and could threaten its Jedi queen and heir, it was best if an outside source dealt with it.

Jacen frowned a little as he piloted the ship down. He knew that rendering Ta'a Chume comatose had been wrong, and that could very well have also helped him become a Sith in the alternate reality. But try as he might, he couldn't feel any regret for what he had done. Ta'a Chume was far too manipulative and dangerous to be left in any state where she could threaten the woman he loved and his daughter.

"You ok buddy?" Han asked as he sat in the co-pilots seat.

"Yeah. Just a bit worried that's all." Jacen said as they slipped down through the clouds.

"Sith troubles?" Han asked, but Jacen shook his head.

"No. You'll see soon." He said as the hangar cleared him for landing.

A few minutes later Jacen set the ship down and together they all stepped out into the hangar. Prince Isolder's little ship, the Beam Racer stood beside them, a fish head shaped sort of ship, all sleek lines and curves. But while the others looked around the hangar, impressed by the new facilities, and the little ship, Jacen had eyes for the two people standing on front of them.

Tenel Ka, her grey eyes alight with delight, looked at him and smiled. She was as beautiful as ever, her red-gold hair falling to her shoulders from behind a silver tiara. Her amputated arm, which he had cut off years before during a lightsaber training incident, hung by her side. Her smile was as beautiful as ever, and Jacen wanted nothing more than to run to her and kiss her. For a second, he looked resentfully at the sky. Like Anakin and Tahiri, they were prevented from being together by the cruel tricks of Fate. As the Queen Mother of a planet where secrecy, lies and manipulation were commonplace, she could not take Jacen as her husband, though he would gladly ask her to marry him, and would have done so several times over if they both weren't so committed to their duty, her as a Queen, and him as a Jedi. He missed her every day and it was a constant hole in his heart not being able to be with her.

And then he looked at his beautiful eight year old daughter Allana. Born during the Dark Nest Crisis, after he and Tenel Ka had spent a passionate night together after his return from his journey, she had been a target for Ta'a Chume before Jacen had put paid to her permanently. With red gold hair like her mothers, and eyes just like hers as well, she had a little button nose and had a zest for learning and for life, just like her father. Jacen wanted to be there for her all the time, like a parent should be, helping her mother raise their beautiful daughter. But, due to the planet being Hapes, his frequent presence would eventually make the vain, but not unintelligent Hapan nobles figure out her true paternity and make her into a target. It was also for that reason that Jacen and Tenel Ka had agreed that they couldn't tell his family the truth about Allana, even though they had both wanted to, because their frequent visits would also tip the nobles off. Jacen could make enough sporadic appearances to keep them guessing, but his entire family showing up to see her fairly frequently would give the game away. If the nobles ever figured out that Tenel Ka wasn't interested in any of them as she was in love with Jacen, or that Allana was not the daughter of some unidentified Hapan noble, the consequences would be disastrous.

Jacen walked up to Tenel Ka and bowed deeply.

"Queen Mother." He said in formal greeting, rising to face her.

Tenel Ka smiled gently at him.

"Welcome back Jacen. I've missed you." She whispered as his family started coming closer.

And then she did something he did not expect. She raised her single arm, snaked it around his neck and pulled him into a kiss.

"Whoa!" Jaina cried in shock as she saw the two kiss, and she could feel pure love rushing through their twin bond as Jacen reciprocated the kiss.

"Well...that was unexpected." Han commented, mildly put out that he hadn't known his son had been so serious with Tenel Ka.

"No kidding." Luke said in agreement as the two young lovers broke off.

"Boy you guys are blind if you didn't know he had it bad for her. I've suspected for ages." Ben said cockily, to which Leia and K'kruhk smiled.

"Then why didn't you tell us?" Mara demanded irritably as they approached.

"It's his business. And besides, if I'm right about Allana, if I told you, it would be all over the temple by tea time, which could get her into severe trouble." Ben said patiently, and Mara, Luke, Jaina and Han looked at him curiously, but Leia winked at her nephew.

"Wow. I should use this hangar a lot more often." Jacen said huskily, trying to ignore the great surprise he was feeling through his bond with his sister.

"Sorry. But it is my private hangar and if I cant give you a proper welcome here, where can I give it you?" she asked with a coy smile, and Jacen grinned.

They were among family here, and as a result, no one would tell anyone on Hapes about what had transpired. They were quite safe in showing their love for each other here. Jacen then turned to his daughter, who had been busily looking at the ceiling while her parents kissed.

"Hey baby girl." He said, lifting her up and hugging her to him.

"Jacen!" she cried happily, then as she held her close she whispered "daddy" in his ear, making his heart swell with love.

Tenel Ka smiled in greeting at the others, who all bowed to her, but she waved it off.

"It is good to see you all. Welcome to Hapes." She said, and hugged Jaina in greeting.

"Well that was a surprise." She said as she hugged her friend.

Tenel Ka nodded in amusement.

"Sorry, I forgot you would get the backlash of that." She said sheepishly as Jacen talked to Allana about what she had been up to.

"It was a bit of a shock kid. It's good to see you." Han said hugging her in greeting.

"Hello Han. You look well. Retirement must be agreeing with you." She said sweetly, and he looked at her in shock.

"Alright, this thing between you and Jacen is obviously improving your sense of humour...not." he said and she laughed, not caring at all that he was addressing her as a kid he had used to see fairly a lot of rather than a queen, and she didn't mind one bit.

"It's good to see you Tenel Ka." Luke said in greeting as he clasped hands.

"And it is good to see you too Master Skywalker." She said as Han tried to get closer so he could hear what Jacen was saying to Allana.

"Queen Mother." Mara said formally, but smiled as Tenel Ka clasped her arm too.

"Welcome Mara."

Leia hugged Tenel Ka in greeting, and Tenel Ka saw what Jacen had meant in his message. There was a little but too much knowing in her eyes, as there was in Ben's.

Ben inclined his head, and Tenel Ka shook her head.

"Welcome back Ben." She said fondly, ruffling his hair, and smiled at his look of mild annoyance, though he was still smiling.

And then the large Whiphid came into view with the droids.

"Queen Mother. A pleasure to meet you again. I am Master K'kruhk, a Jedi of the Old Republic." He said in greeting, and she shook his hand.

"Again?" she asked, looking confused.

"Oh has Jacen not told you yet? Not to worry." He said.

"Jedi Ben!" Allana cried in delight and ran to Ben who bent down and hugged her.

"Hey Allana, miss us?" he asked her fondly.

"Yeah!" she said excitedly.

Jacen looked at Ben and Allana happily. Two of the people he loved most in the galaxy together. Allana loved spending time with Ben, and when Jacen brought him with him to visit Tenel Ka, he would often go and play with her, finding it just as enjoyable as she did. And it let Jacen and Tenel Ka turn their attention to other matters...

"Allana, remember how when Jacen showed you that picture of this lot, and he said that one day you could tell them what they really are?" Tenel Ka asked as she bent down and looked at her daughter.

"Yeah." Allana said excitedly.

"Well you can here. Go on, tell them all. And as Jacen doesn't seem overly worried about K'kruhk I suppose he is alright as well." Tenel Ka said as Allana let go of Ben.

Tenel Ka then stood on tiptoes and whispered into Jacen's ear.

"She is beginning to look forward to his visits as much as she looks forward to yours." She said, and Jacen grinned.

Allana looked at them all and smiled.

"Jacen is my daddy." She said proudly.

Leia grinned widely, and K'kruhk laughed. Ben looked quite pleased with himself. The others however were a different story.

Han's mouth dropped open and he looked at Allana, Tenel Ka and Jacen in turn, his eyes wide and bulging in shock. Luke and Mara turned to look at each other in shock, looked to Ben who winked smugly, and then turned to Jacen, who looked down sheepishly. And Jaina was nearly floored. She staggered a bit in shock and she looked at Allana as if she was some mystical figure. Threepio and Artoo immediately began talking.

"Did she say that Master Jacen was her father?" Threepio asked.

Artoo beeped an affirmative.

"Oh how wonderful, that means Mistress Leia and Master Han are grandparents, and Mistress Jaina is an aunt! How splendid!" he said cheerily and walked forward to Allana who smiled up at them.

"I've heard about you two. You used to babysit daddy." She said.

"Indeed we did Mistress Allana. I must say I am quite pleased to welcome you to the family. I am C3PO, human-cyborg relations. And this is my counterpart, R2D2." He said, indicating the little droid while her organic family tried to recover from the shock she had dropped on them.

Artoo whistled in cheery greeting, and then Leia bent down in front of Allana.

"You're my granny aren't you?" she asked, and Leia smiled.

"Yes sweetie, I am." She said and felt a small thrill as her granddaughter hugged her in greeting.

Yes, she was delighted to have Jacen back, but changing the timeline meant that they didn't have Allana around. But, aside from the fact that her hair was not dyed black, she was exactly the same child she had been before the time change. And Leia was happy that Jacen and Tenel Ka had decided to tell them about her before they went off to fight Abeloth, and without her prompting. And as she held her granddaughter, she realised that she also had missed Allana a lot too, and tried to fight the tears in her eyes.

Jacen then stood beside Ben, who was grinning as Leia greeted Allana.

"Alright you, how did you figure it out?" he asked curiously, and the old shame and guilt he felt at having once mind rubbed Ben coming back.

"Simple deduction really. The fact that every time we go out, you blow off every woman who comes your way, even though some are very cute. The fact that your eyes mist over a little every time Tenel Ka and Allana is mentioned. The fact that you never explain your disappearing acts, even when it is quite obvious that you've gone to Hapes as I have to fill the tank. That you seem quite willing to let me play with Allana and you and Tenel Ka come back a little bit tired. The fact that you always take something for Allana. The very big phone bills for several long distance, late night calls to Hapes...lots of stuff." Ben said proudly, and Jacen couldn't quite help smiling proudly.

"Yeah...there are a fair few late night phone calls aren't there? I do it when you're asleep, I thought that was enough. Obviously not..." he mumbled guiltily and Ben giggled.

Han had finally recovered.

"You, she, he, you, her, that...what?" he asked in confusion, and Tenel Ka smiled.

"Han, calm down. Jacen and I are in love and always have been. That is a fact. When he came to me to borrow the fleet during the Killik Crisis, we started sort of seeing each other, or at least as close as we can get to it, and we had Allana. If you're worried that he knocked me up and then scarpered, don't. We do love each other. And Allana has been quite interested to hear her daddy's stories about her famous granddad who managed to save the galaxy and win the heart of a princess." She said.

Han grinned and finally recovered enough, and bent down to embrace his granddaughter as his wife got up, and turned away to hide her tears. K'kruhk patted her back kindly.

"Hey little girl, I'm your grandpa." He said proudly.

"I know." Allana said proudly as she hugged him.

"Why didn't you tell us? Tell me?" Jaina demanded hitting her brother on the arm, and he looked down sheepishly.

"Well we wanted to...but because of everything we couldn't. Trust me Jaya, we wanted to! We just couldn't." Jacen said sadly, and as he looked at his dad hugging his daughter, he couldn't quite suppress the feeling that they should have maybe told them the truth a long time before.

Jaina looked at the two of them and smiled.

"Yes I suppose it does make sense. And I suppose when she was born we weren't exactly on the best terms." She said soothingly as Han broke off and patted his granddaughters head fondly.

He went to Leia and hugged her to him. Looks like she wasn't the only one who could drop a bombshell.

Jaina then sat down beside Allana.

"Hey, I guess I'm your auntie." Jaina said, smiling at her niece.

"Yeah. Daddy says you're a cool sister, but that you're a pain in the bottom sometimes." She said earnestly, and Jacen blushed a little, as Jaina arced her eyebrow at him questioningly.

"Hey be thankful she didn't say 'ass'. She's picked up a habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time." Tenel Ka said in amusement.

"Oh? Such as?" he asked.

Tenel Ka whispered into his ear, and he laughed.

"Well your daddy is a pain in the butt sometimes too." Jaina said with a smile as she sat with her niece and put an arm over her shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Han asked, and Jacen looked away from him.

"We wanted to, but we couldn't. It might have put her in danger." He said, and Han nodded in understanding.

"Hey, if I'm your cousin, what does that make me to Allana?" Ben asked curiously.

"A monkey's uncle." Jacen replied, and Ben shot him a dirty look.

When Jaina separated from Allana, Luke and Mara bent down beside her.

"We're your great uncle and great aunt." Luke said happily, while Mara smiled at her new great niece.

"I know. Daddy says you're both big heroes." She said, and Mara hugged her as did Luke.

"He's just angling for a pay rise." Mara said, and Jacen looked at her sceptically.

"It can't get much lower." He said teasingly, and she grinned.

As they broke off, K'kruhk bent down.

"It is a pleasure to meet you young one." He said gently, shaking her hand in greeting.

"So who are you?" Allana asked curiously.

"Oh just some old fossil your grandma dug up." He said with a twinkle in his eyes, and Allana laughed.

"We need to talk." Jacen said to Tenel Ka.

"Fact. Ben, can you play with Allana while the rest of us talk?" she asked, and he nodded happily.

"Want to play X-Wings?" he asked happily.

"Yeah!" Allana cried happily and he picked her up and put her on her shoulders.

"Master Ben, are you sure that's safe?" Threepio asked.

"He won't let her fall Threepio." Jacen soothed, looking fondly at the two of them.

"Not safe for you. You're the TIE Fighter we're chasing." Ben said with a wide grin.

"Zap!" Allana cried and Threepio moaned.

"Here I go again." He said miserably and started tottering away, while Ben made engine like noises, while Allana punctuated the air with her cries of 'zap!'.

Threepio could hear Artoo beeping in laughter. He would never live this one down.

XX

A while later, they had explained the timeline change to Tenel Ka. She had clasped Jacen's hand as they had explained everything, and saw that, different timeline or not, he was hurt by what he had done as a Sith. However she was glad that things had changed. It was bad enough that the man she loved had turned evil and had kidnapped her daughter, without being told he had also killed her father. But, he had lost his life saving her and Allana, which improved things slightly. And she could tell that Jacen was deeply frightened by everything that he had been told.

And the existence of Abeloth scared her no end, as did the fact that they were going to ally with the Sith who had turned Jacen in the first place.

"I figured something big must be up when you sent me that message." She said worriedly and Jacen nodded.

"Protect her, and yourself." Jacen said huskily as they prepared to depart.

"I will. Be careful Jacen. I don't want our daughter growing up without a father." She said softly.

"Neither do I." He said, and waited as his family hugged her, and just held Tenel Ka to him, and he could feel that she was frightened.

Allana hugged Ben goodbye and he waved to Tenel Ka as he too climbed aboard, resigned to the ear bashing he would probably be getting from Threepio for chasing him around the hangar.

"Be good for your mother ok honey? I love you." Jacen said as he hugged his little girl.

"I love you too daddy." She said sweetly as she hugged him and held her cuddly tauntaun that he had once given her, which she had also called Jacen.

"And I love you too." He said to Tenel Ka and kissed her passionately before heading onto the ship.

"Be safe my love." Tenel Ka said and she and Allana waved as the ship headed spacewards, bound for the home of the Sith.

XX

The ship lanced into hyperspace. As it had transpired, Leia and K'kruhk had already know about Allana because of the timeline change, and Ben had strongly suspected. Jaina had done with her berating and was already writing down a list of things to spoil her niece with after the mission was over. Mara and Han were happily conversing about the little girl they had just met, and about how well Jacen and Tenel Ka had managed to keep their relationship a secret. However, Jacen was feeling anxious, and he knew that could only mean one thing: he was going to have to talk to Luke.

However, before he could go and find his uncle to get it over with, Luke came to find him.

"Can we talk?" he asked, and Jacen nodded and the two went and sat in the forward cargo hold.

They sat in silence for a while. Jacen knew Luke didn't trust him to train Ben and the news that he had been a Sith in the other timeline meant that he would probably try and take him away from him. But Jacen would fight tooth and nail to keep Ben as his apprentice. He owed that much to Ben at least.

"Jacen...I know we haven't been getting on very well recently. But that has to stop. For our sake as much as Ben's." Luke began.

Jacen looked at his uncle sadly, wondering if they were going to break all records and devolve into a fight within seconds.

"Uncle Luke...I want to go back to normal. But, we aren't going to be able to do that. There's too much mistrust." He said simply.

Luke looked at him questioningly.

"You can't say anything about not trusting people. You never told anyone about Allana." He said.

Jacen glared at him angrily.

"And as I explained, I did that to protect her, not because I wanted to. And it's not my mistrust that's the problem, or me not trusting you that's upsetting Ben. I still do trust you uncle Luke. It's you who doesn't trust me." He said bitterly.

Luke looked at his nephew, and then it actually dawned on him how much he had hurt Jacen over the years. Jacen had never lost his love or trust for Luke, and Luke, for what probably seemed to Jacen, had started mistrusting him for no apparent reason.

Luke then smiled a bit sheepishly.

"Yeah, ok, I'll give you that. I'm sorry Jacen." He said and looked right into his nephew's eyes, and showed him that he meant it.

Jacen grinned a little bit.

"I know. And I'm sorry I didn't tell anyone about Allana, but I was doing it to protect her. But for what it's worth, if we hadn't been at each other's throats, I probably would have told you." He said.

Luke smiled at him then clasped his shoulder.

"I have to say Jacen, I am really proud of how much you have done for Ben. You really are training him well. And I'm beginning to think no one else could have done such a good job as you've actually done with him. He's developed into a fine, strong, confident young man and I couldn't be more happy. And...I really do appreciate how much responsibility you give him." Luke said, and Jacen's cheeks flushed with pleasure.

"Thank you uncle Luke." He said meekly, but then looked at him curiously.

"Well, if you think I'm doing a good job...why don't you trust me with him? Because you still don't, even if you think I am doing a good job." He complained, and Luke looked at his shoes.

"It's sort of hard to explain. When you returned from your journey, you had all these weird and wacky Force powers. But, unlike the rest of us, you could actually get Ben to open up and use the Force. When he became your unofficial apprentice, I was afraid. I was afraid that you would start teaching Ben all these arcane Force powers that you had learnt, and that it would be too much for him too soon." He explained, and couldn't quite bring himself to look at the hurt expression on Jacen's face.

"What, you think back then, even before the timeline change, I was trying to lure him to the dark side? Thanks for that." He said angrily, but Luke patted the air to calm him.

"No. I thought you were trying to convince him of your viewpoint, that the Unifying Force was a better philosophy than the Living Force. And I was afraid that at his young age, and because he loved you so much and was so loyal to you, it would turn his head. And, I didn't like the fact that your philosophy might have influenced Ben in ways he wasn't ready to be influenced that's all." Luke elaborated.

Jacen looked at him resentfully.

"Yeah, I believed in that philosophy back then, but I reckoned it was too complicated a theory for him to get his head around so I just taught him the Living Force, and as he seemed okay with it, I didn't push the Unifying Force that much." He said bitterly, and Luke looked down, feeling a bit foolish.

"Alright. I'm sorry."

"And what's more, I wouldn't teach Ben any of the tricks I picked up until I felt he was ready for them. The only ones I would teach him are the ones I felt he would be able to handle or that would be useful, like Force flash." He growled.

Luke smiled ruefully at Jacen.

"I am sorry Jacen. I doubted your abilities, and to some extent your motives. I was wrong. And you are a good master for Ben. You trained him better than I might have managed." He said soothingly, and Jacen smiled a little.

"Flattery will get you nowhere." He said, but remained smiling.

Luke sighed.

"And there was another reason I didn't trust you with Ben. It's stupid, and not very Jedi like I know. But, one reason was the fact that I was jealous." Luke said.

Jacen looked at him in surprise.

"What? Jealous? Of what?" he asked incredulously, and Luke grinned.

"Of the bond you and Ben had. Mara and I had been trying for years to get him to open up and use the Force. You strolled back after five years missing with all these wacky powers, and managed it in a couple of weeks. And he opened up with you, and he actually really enjoyed being with you, and it sort of hurt me a bit. I mean, I'm his dad, but he would rather spend time with you than with me. He would spend time with Mara as well, but he didn't seem to enjoy any time he spent with me." Luke said sadly, and Jacen smiled in sympathy.

"Aww uncle Luke, don't be silly. He did like spending time with you, a lot. The problem was sometimes you sort of acted as a master rather than as a dad. And that just annoyed him. But he did like spending time with you...still does as a matter of fact, especially because now he feels he can relax around you. And you have noticed that you seem a lot closer lately, even with your frequent spats with me." Jacen said.

Luke smiled.

"I know. I told you it was silly. But...I reckon we're getting there now. I shouldn't have been jealous of you, and I should have trusted you to do the right thing...and that was something Mara and I both forgot to do. And I'm sorry Jacen." He said, smiling at his nephew, and he could feel the bond they once had slowly emerging again.

"You aren't exclusively to blame uncle Luke. I probably should have told you what stuff I was going to teach Ben, involved you in it a bit more, but remember, at that age the three of us had each other. He didn't have anyone. So I thought he might have clammed up again if he thought I was doing everything on your orders. Kids that age like getting one up on their parents, like exasperating them. And he saw me as his partner in doing that. And as you know, he is pretty resourceful, and smart. After all he did figure out me and Tenel Ka without so much as a question to me. So I kept quiet in case he went back inside himself, because he would view me as one of the 'adults' rather than one of the kids." Jacen said.

Luke laughed.

"Yes, I remember your frequent attempts with your brother and sister to drive us all endlessly insane. And I suppose I never really considered how much that did for you three, considering I grew up as an only child as well." He said musingly.

Jacen grinned.

"And there's another reason I didn't tell you what I was doing with Ben."

"Oh?"

"Well, after I returned, Ben was the person I was closest to, aside from Tenel Ka and Allana, and I couldn't be with them nearly as much as I wanted. Jaina had withdrawn because I wasn't a bug lover like she was, I wasn't as close to mom and dad as I had been, and you and aunt Mara didn't trust me. I was afraid that if I told you what stuff I was doing with him, you'd take him away from me. I liked spending time with him too much." Jacen said with a rueful shrug.

Luke smiled.

"I think we were both being silly and hurting the person who mattered most- Ben. So, friends again?" he asked and held out his hand.

"Yeah." Jacen said and shook, and the block on their bond vanished.

"Woohoo!" Ben cried from somewhere further aft, to Mara's cheer.

"Shut up!" Luke said good naturedly as Jacen laughed.

"I've missed this." He said, and Luke nodded.

"Yeah. So have I." He said and Jacen sat closer to him.

"Sorry uncle Luke." He said sadly.

"For what?" he asked in confusion.

"You know, turning to the dark side, killing your wife, torturing your son and all that jazz." Jacen said and Luke pulled him into a one armed hug.

"Oh I suppose I can let it slide this once, especially considering it's partly my own fault because I just let you fall." Luke said.

They sat together for a long while, in silence.

"How do you atone uncle Luke?" Jacen asked suddenly.

"Atone? Jacen you have nothing to atone for." He said in amusement.

"Yeah but I feel like I do. So how do I do it?" he asked curiously, and Luke smiled and pulled him into a proper hug.

"You do good. And if you keep going the way you're going...you're well on the way." Luke said proudly, and Jacen smiled.

"Thanks uncle Luke."

"You're welcome Jacen."

XX

K'kruhk was just reading an article in his paper about the discovery of an ancient Sith lanvarok on a world that the Sith were apparently nowhere near at any time when he felt Leia on the other side of the paper. Smiling, he lowered it to see her sitting down in front of him.

"Do we have to do this?" she asked worriedly.

K'kruhk nodded sadly.

"I am afraid we must my dear. I too am worried, don't doubt that. Having an embittered Sith lover of Luke and an insane mutilated former Jedi on board does not sit any better with me than it does with you my dear, never fear." He said sagely.

Leia looked worried.

"What if it just happens all over again?" she asked fearfully, and K'kruhk looked at her intently.

"If it happens again, if you feel Jacen, Jaina or Ben going dark, what will you do?" he asked her.

Leia shrugged.

"Try and stop it obviously." She said, determined not to let her family get ripped apart again.

"Then there you have it then my dear. You know better now. And I think that considering how close you all are in this time frame, Lumiya would have a far harder job of turning anyone than she did before." He said proudly, and Leia smiled half-heartedly.

"Maybe. I still don't like it." She said.

"I know. But as Sith go, we could be trying to ally with a lot worse." K'kruhk reminded her, and she had to give him that.

"Is there any hope this time around?" she asked suddenly, and K'kruhk smiled.

"There is some. Not a lot. But some. But as the darkness gathers my dear, all we must remember to do is to stay strong to the light." He said wisely, and she grinned and left him to his paper.

Come to think of it, that was a good bit of advice. He should maybe write it down for future reference. Humming to himself he got back to his paper.

XX

The ship was making good time towards Bimmiel as they all headed to bed for the night. Jacen was about to get onto his own bunk, when he nearly yelped as someone was already sitting there.

"Ben! Don't do that!" he scolded weakly, trying to calm his heart.

"Sorry. I just wanted to know if you were feeling any better." He said brightly, talking quietly so as not to wake Jaina.

Jacen smiled and sat down beside his cousin.

"Yeah, actually. I am. I'm feeling a lot better than I have the last few days." He said happily, and Ben grinned.

"Good." He said happily.

"And I reckon I'm going to be alright, so you, my far too clever young apprentice, can stop worrying so much. It's my job to worry about you, not the other way around." He said teasingly.

"Nah, you Solo twins get into far too much trouble for me to stop worrying about you. It's a full time occupation, my silly master." Ben said with a smile.

Jacen looked at him in mock indignation, then smiled.

"And thank you Ben. Your dad said you convinced him to come talk to me. And we did, and without arguing too. So thanks." He said fondly.

"You're welcome. So we're all one big happy family again." Ben said happily and then hugged Jacen tightly.

"Goodnight. No nightmares." Ben warned lightly as he headed to his own bunk.

"Promise. Night little guy." Jacen said fondly and curled up and drifted off to the first restful sleep he'd had in a while.

XX

Lumiya and her escort made good time, and managed to arrive before Krayt and Vongerella. Lumiya looked at the Sith Meditation Sphere she had found on Ziost as her shuttle landed in the hangar or the Home, a dark side asteroid and former home to Sith Lord Darth Vectivus. She had flown it home after discovering it in an ancient tomb, and it had lamented about the lack of so many dark siders. The ship was curiously sentient, and said it recognised many little darknesses. One it said was her. He, at least she assumed it was a he, had said he also sensed two more darknesses in beings bearing his flame. She took that to mean Mara Jade Skywalker and her son Ben. He said he could also feel a rising darkness, which to Lumiya's great distaste had to be Krayt's group on Korriban. And the other one he could feel he said had a strangely alien feel to it, which she took to be Vongerella. She had intended to fly it more frequently but for the last few years she had been busy laying the foundations for her plan in order to take over the galaxy and bring it back under Sith rule.

"What are these my lady?" Vessery asked as the red guards took up positions at each of the four doors to the common room.

Lumiya looked at her colonel and saw that he was pointing at three pyramid shaped articles on the central desk.

"They are Sith holocrons. The holocron of the Sith King Adas, the holocron of Darth Phobos, and the holocron of Darth Cognus. Krayt has more and I intend to get them off him when he arrives." She said confidently.

The four pilots and guards would not be much of a match for the other two Sith if things came to a fight, but she didn't think they would. And if it did come to a fight between her and Krayt, she was actually hoping that Vongerella would side with her former master rather than the blasphemer Krayt.

"My lady, there is a cruiser coming out of hyperspace. It's massive!" one of her pilots said.

"Well Colonel, let us go and see what sort of ship Lord Krayt uses as his personal transport." Lumiya said, beckoning Vessery through to the viewing dome.

And she blanched as the ship came flashing out of lightspeed. It was a Super Star Destroyer, Executor class, just like Vader's flagship had been, along with Isard and Zsinj, and it slowed and Lumiya was left of a view of its enormous midsection. Nineteen kilometres worth of Star Destroyer. Krayt was a flash git if nothing else.

"What the hell?" Vessery demanded as his mistress recovered.

Lumiya hissed through her teeth. Now she was profoundly glad that she had sent Tavira to try and find more ships, and that she would have the Dominion when it came to the final battle. Otherwise her fleet would be flattened.

"Now where did he get that I wonder?" she asked herself musingly.

"Well it isn't brand new. The last SSD like that was the Guardian, and the Alliance has that. And it isn't part of Pellaeon's new program. Look, it still has nine main engines. Everything after the First Battle of Coruscant had had sixteen engines, like the Dominion and the Megador." Vessery said, pointing them out.

Lumiya frowned. This was most unexpected. Where the hell had Krayt got it? And more to the point why was he risking its exposure by using it to come to a meeting like this?

"Most intriguing." She said to herself as the SSD, marked as the Sith Dragon stabilised itself in orbit around the Home, and a Lambda class shuttle like the two she had in her own hangar was en route to the moon.

"My lady, another ship is coming out of hyperspace." The pilot called through, and the Dark Emissary, Vongerella's flagship, shot out of hyperspace and sidled up beside the Sith Dragon.

Lumiya frowned out at the scene. If things did result in a fight, they were in severe trouble. A yorik-trema disengaged from the miid ro'ik cruiser and headed for the hangar, a little behind Krayt's shuttle.

"Send two of the guards to escort them to me. And get us some brandy. I think I'm going to need it." Lumiya said as she headed through, steeling herself for the conference.

XX

The conference so far had been very interesting. Lumiya had informed them of her plan, and Krayt and Vongerella both agreed that it had merit. Lumiya also got the range of Krayt at least. He wanted her plan to succeed...so that he could then take the throne himself. He was a usurper, nothing more.

But, the usurper had brought gifts, so she could live with it at the moment. He had found the holocron of Darth Andeddu, and he had offered it to her freely as a gift, and he had traded her the holocron of Tulak Hord for several of her dark side books that she had assembled over the years.

The conference had gone as expected by the time it had reached its end. While Vongerella did have her own aims, she did still have some loyalty to Lumiya. As such, she had reluctantly agreed to the plan, as she was the necessary part from which their return to prominence would be secured. While they did that, Krayt would also back up Vongerella's fleet along with Lumiya's and enable for the Sith takeover to take effect. Krayt had agreed because it would mean that the Sith would take back the galaxy years before he had planned to succeed. Lumiya knew full well that she was setting herself up for a betrayal, but it did not matter. She had their support and that was what mattered. She had affirmed their loyalty to the plan, at least for the moment, and that meant she was free to focus on other things. They approved her plan, but she had only told them enough to keep them intrigued and keep them believing that it would succeed, so they could not immediately shaft her, as Darth Sion and Darth Nihilus had once done to Darth Traya. And even they had to admire the cold streak running throughout her plan. They thought it would be delicious when it finally became time to act on what she wanted, and Lumiya herself had little doubt she would succeed in her plan.

After all, she had been watching them closely for years. And she knew that she had a fertile ground for her seeds to grow when she began to make her play.

Krayt had expressed concern that their eventual takeover would take too long, but Lumiya had soothed him, saying that was what the intermediaries were for. And she had several highly placed intermediaries. Some of whom she would be contacting as soon as she got rid of her guests.

"I must say it is a brilliant plan Lady Lumiya. But aside from telling us the Sith will one day rule the galaxy once more, you haven't told Vongerella and I what will become of us after your takeover." Krayt pointed out.

Lumiya smiled beneath her veil. He was canny, Krayt was. He was trying to figure out what her eventual betrayal was, and out of the two others in the room, he knew that if someone was going to cop it, it would be him and his heretical order.

"I am not totally unreasonable Lord Krayt. After the battle is over and the galaxy is firmly under our control once more, I am quite willing to allow your faction to remain as a sort of new Jedi Order. You would become responsible for the day to day peace of our new empire." She purred.

Krayt nodded.

"That will do...for now. We shall discuss more closer to the time." He said, then looked at Vongerella curiously.

"And what will you get out of this my esteemed colleague?" he asked, the sneer in his voice letting both Lumiya and Vongerella know she was anything but esteemed.

"The benefits I will get are of no concern of yours pretender." Vongerella sneered, and Lumiya smiled.

She may not be her apprentice anymore, but she had just delivered the same catty response she'd have come out with. Krayt narrowed his eyes at her in dislike.

"Very well then. We have an agreement." He said, and both he and Vongerella conjured lightning, which coalesced around Lumiya's outstretched metallic arm, and she smiled.

"Marvellous. Come, I will walk you out." She said and they swept from the lounge, her red guards remaining alert.

"How do you know Skywalker will perform as you expect?" Vongerella asked.

"You forget my former apprentice, I used to date him. I know how the naive fool works. He will perform to my specifications." She soothed.

Krayt however looked worried as they headed for the turbolift to take them to the hangar.

"But what about this threat within the Maw? The mysterious that we have all felt. Would not we be better trying to control and understand it?" he asked.

Lumiya shook her head.

"No we wouldn't. Whatever this thing is, it is very serious. Serious enough that the Skywalkers and their kin are even considering even allying with a Sith. As such, anything that bad surely cannot be controlled." She said, and though she hated to admit it, whatever this threat was it gave her goosebumps...a remarkable feat when she had no organic limbs.

"Perhaps. But what if you fall to this mysterious threat? What if we all fall, but it is still stopped, and the Jedi survive?" he asked as the lift descended.

Lumiya smiled tightly.

"Do not worry Krayt. There are other avenues to return the dark side to power." She said soothingly.

After all, the plan did have a failsafe, that only she knew about. If she did fall, and as Krayt had pointed out, it was a possibility, then there was another way for victory to be achieved.

Krayt and Vongerella both looked at her curiously, but before they could demand an answer the lift arrived.

"Oh, Lord Krayt, I thought you ought to know...there is a Jedi travelling with Luke. An old friend of yours I am led to believe." She said as they stepped out.

"Indeed? And who might that be? I thought your masters had wiped them all out." He said, and Lumiya was interested to note the feeling of bitterness he felt.

"A Whiphid by the name of K'kruhk..." Lumiya said softly, and Krayt stopped, a grin forming on his face.

"Really? Now that is interesting. I may have to get reacquainted with him." He said gloatingly.

"Lord Krayt, as a thank you for your gift, I grant you this Sith Meditation Sphere as a loan." She said, indicating Ship as they reached the line of ships.

Krayt smiled. Lumiya was irritated that she had to get it out of here, but she couldn't have it lying around when her future allies came calling. And as she didn't trust Vongerella not to let her Shapers experiment with it, it had to go to Krayt.

"You are most kind Lumiya." He said, but the lack of any title in her name let her know he did not think that at all.

"It is no trouble. Now, I suggest you both get out of here. Destiny is on the move." She said, and both of them bowed, Vongerella a proper bow from master to apprentice, but Krayt only gave a nod of his head, like one equal to another.

Presumptuous fool.

"And next time I call a meeting Lord Krayt, try and have the sense not to turn up in an SSD. They tend to attract attention." Lumiya hissed, and Krayt just smiled at her ire and motioned for his pilot to take the shuttle back to the SSD, while he flew out on Ship.

"He will betray us." Vongerella sneered.

"I know he will. And I don't like the idea that he has Ship, but I didn't have much choice but to give him it. Not to worry. No matter what he does, unless he talks to the Jedi, which he won't, all plays into my hands." She said confidently.

"As you say master." Vongerella said, but there was something in her voice that Lumiya did not quite like, something that she couldn't quite place.

"Now you had best get out of here too. I have more guests coming. However, I have something to ask of you." She said, knowing that if she just ordered it, Vongerella would refuse.

After all, Lumiya had cast her out, she hadn't left. She had to be treated as something of an equal...even if she was still the apprentice.

"Hmm, I'm interested. Does it involve Krayt?" she asked, and Lumiya smiled.

Her former apprentice didn't like the other Sith any more than she did.

"No. But as Skywalker will show up soon, I need a way to engender trust quickly. Not to get them to trust me, or accept me, but tolerate me, and the quicker I can do that the better." Lumiya explained.

"What would you like me to do?" Vongerella asked curiously.

"I want you to hide until I give the word...and then attack the Millennium Falcon." Lumiya said simply.

Vongerella's plaeryin bol widened in surprise.

"Are you mad? If I do that, Zonama Sekot will be destroyed...which does not sit well with me." Vongerella growled.

Lumiya studied her former apprentice. Vongerella was up to something...but the species unfortunate blankness to the Force even extended to her. She couldn't get a read on her. Which was slightly troublesome.

"No it won't. Firstly, you will have to something which makes it clear that you are a rogue shall we say, who did not follow the Sekot Accords. For that, you will need to use a comm, you can get one from over there. Secondly, if it feels threatened, Zonama Sekot will move further into the Unknown Regions. As a result, A'kla and Niathal will not be able to amass a fleet to go through there without the approval of the Chiss, who are still irritated with the Alliance over the Killik Crisis and because a trade deal turned sour a few months ago. Your species will be quite safe."

Lumiya knew now that it was wise to have kept something from the other two Sith. Otherwise, Vongerella would happily blast her out of the sky if she agreed. But as Lumiya knew more than she had told, she needed her former master alive. Lumiya knew she was playing a risky game, but it would be worth it if it would speed things up a bit.

"Very well, I will do it, and take your blasted machine." She growled, then looked at her teacher curiously.

"But what justification do I give?" she asked.

"You were the lover of Onimi. As the truth became known later, it is obvious what justification you give. You want revenge for his death. Also, as Luke and Jaina will also be there, and they murdered Shimrra and Tsavong Lah, you have more than ample reason for an attack." She said, and Vongerella smiled.

"As you will it master, it shall be done." She said, giving a not-quite-a-bow, and heading for her ship.

Lumiya smiled. All was going according to plan. Aside from the little revelation that Krayt had managed to get an SSD from somewhere. A presumptuous fool he may be, but he wasn't stupid, even if he was a blasphemer. He knew that by bringing the Sith Dragon he would tip the tenuous balance of power between the three Sith slightly in his favour...as far as they knew.

But that didn't mean she could let it slide that he had one. And if he had an SSD from somewhere, and she had heard no reports of any ships going missing, it had to have gone missing years ago. So where did it come from?

Intent on finding out, she swept towards the holo room.

XX

On Bastion, in the palace that had once belonged to the treacherous Moff Disra before Pellaeon had had him shot for treason, two Moffs chinked glasses together.

"It is a small victory, but a victory all the same. Our economy is currently stronger than the Alliance's. We can use that to try and lure planets to us." Moff Quille said triumphantly.

The two of them had pushed the Moff Council, and Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon into accepting an aid package for nearby Alliance worlds with struggling economies. To Pellaeon and his supporters, like Saretti, it would appear they were being neighbourly. In reality, they were hoping to be paid back by the thankful planets joining with the Empire.

"And even better Pellaeon didn't suspect a thing." Lecersen scoffed.

He had been a supporter of Pellaeon up until a few years ago, when he began to see what Quille, and the faction he leaded, saw. Pellaeon was getting old and would not live forever. After the Second Corellian Insurrection, their leader had had a chance to increase Imperial authority within the Alliance and the wider galaxy, and he hadn't taken it, for reasons unknown. And so, Lecersen had thrown his lot in with Quille.

But he couldn't quite shake the feeling that Pellaeon had known what he was doing, but it was too late now. Especially as disobedience would only be met by death at this crucial juncture.

A couple of months after Centerpoint was destroyed, a holo had come before Quille and Lecersen, and they had recognised her as Lumiya, the Dark Lady of the Sith. She had promised them a return to Imperial dominance. And they had taken her up on her offer, with her promises of a return to power keeping them as warm at nights as their credit supplies did.

Lecersen was about to say something when Quille's aid shot in, looking flustered.

"How dare you intrude boy! I told you we were not to be disturbed!" Quille roared.

"A thousand pardons my lords, but the secure comm channel is flashing purple." He said worriedly.

Quille and Lecersen looked at each other. That frequency was only known to one person...Lumiya.

"Display it at once." Lecersen ordered hastily.

Lumiya's holo flickered to life before them, and they both inclined their heads in respectful greeting.

"Moff Quille, Moff Lecersen...you will be relieved to know that all is going well. Soon now, the plan shall begin, and in a short while, the Empire will be restored and your faith will be rewarded." She purred in greeting.

"This is good news my lady." Lecersen said.

"Indeed. However, I find myself in need of information. Do you remember the Criton's Point Shipyard?" she asked, getting right down to business.

The shipyard had been built in secret by Moff Disra to secretly manufacture additional ships for his Braxant Sector Fleet. When Pellaeon had had him shot, he had removed it from all records and had activated it after the destruction of Sernpidal. It had been churning out ships, ISDs and above for the largest part of the Vong War, until the invaders had attacked the Remnant. It had then mysteriously vanished, and people thought to this day that it had not in fact been the Vong who had been responsible for its disappearance.

"Yes it vanished, why?" Quille asked.

"Because I suspect I know what truly happened to it. I need to know how large it was, what it had on it when it disappeared, what it could churn out over a seventeen year period...all of it." She said.

"You seek to use it for our plan?" Quille asked, and while Lumiya's eyes flashed at the word 'our', she seemed content to answer the question.

"No. I think it may already be doing that in its own way. That is what I need the information for. I need to find out that if it does exist, it can be used to serve 'our' ends." She said, neither moff picking up on the way she said 'our'.

"As you wish my lady." They said, bowing to her.

"Very good gentlemen. Send the information to General Wethen. All will turn out for the best, I can promise you that." She said, and flickered out.

Quille smiled.

"We are getting close. I can feel it." He said excitedly.

"Indeed. A toast, to the return of the Empire!" Lecersen said triumphantly, and they clinked glasses.

XX

Lumiya smiled. The moffs were greedy fools, and they would do exactly as she wished. They were quite easy to control. But they too were simply part of a larger plan.

Now, she had to send Vessery and her guards away. She had to maintain the appearance of a harmless old lady. Not that Luke would believe it. Tavira had better be doing what she was told to do, she thought irritably as she went to send the others back to the fleet.

Then, she felt it. A bright burning light approaching the Home from afar.

"Skywalker is coming." She said with a grin.

At long last, the plan was on the move.

XX

The ship dropped out of lightspeed to see the dark side infused asteroid floating in front of them.

"That place reeks with the dark side." Mara said in disgust from the seat behind Leia.

"Trust you lot to take us to such a nice place on this tour of ours." Han said sarcastically.

Luke, in the seat behind Han, closed his eyes and reached out with the Force.

"She's there." He said confidently, feeling the long absent presence of Lumiya.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Leia said, as K'kruhk joined them in the cockpit.

"I know you do. We all do. But it is sadly necessary. Take us in Captain Solo." K'kruhk said, peering out at the Home.

"Well there doesn't seem to be any weapons. So I'll take us in. Slowly." Han said worriedly.

The Falcon barely fit into the hangar that was on the middle of the asteroid. The only other ship present was an old Lambda class shuttle that had probably been around when Lumiya had been starting the Nagai-Tof War.

"Well, we made it. Can we just pretend she isn't in and go home?" Han asked hopefully, picking up his blaster.

"Sadly we can't. Come on." Luke said, and le the way from the ship.

The kids and the droids joined them as they left the ship.

"Oh, no one to meet us." Threepio said in surprise.

"She's making us start off in a position of weakness. It means we are seen to be coming to her for help. If she met us, she'd lose the political high ground." Leia said irritably, taking her saber off her belt.

"I don't think that is wise Princess. If we want her help, appearing with sabers in hand isn't the way to go about it." K'kruhk advised and he beckoned them onwards, while Leia scowled.

"I'm still keeping my blaster out." Han said defiantly, and K'kruhk rolled his eyes in amusement.

"Strange...I feel a presence I've not felt since..." K'kruhk said musingly, then shook the notion.

They set on, Artoo making fearful noises. Leia looked at Jacen in concern, and he looked as though he was trying to keep his breakfast down.

"It'll be alright honey." She soothed.

"Tell that to my stomach." He said, sounding sick, and she patted his belly like she would when the kids were little.

"Mom, I don't like the feel of this place..." Ben moaned, sticking close to his mother.

"Neither do I Ben sweetie. Neither do I." She said fearfully.

"I don't like this..." Jaina said as they came to a turbolift.

"Me neither. She's just waiting for us to get in...then she'll deactivate it and it will plummet to the bottom and we'll be crushed into mulch." Han said, looking at the lift in worry.

"Thanks for that dad, I feel so much better now." Jaina said irritably.

"Don't give her ideas for goodness sake." Luke said, and took the leap of faith and entered the lift first.

When he did not immediately drop out of sight, they all crushed in and, unlike what Han feared, it rose towards the top of the asteroid.

"So far so good." K'kruhk commented as the lift arrived, and they stepped into a narrow corridor.

"Yes Master K'kruhk...unless she has an E-Web blaster waiting for us at the end of the corridor." Threepio moaned, and Artoo moaned again.

"We'll have to take that chance Threepio." Luke said, but he made sure Ben and Mara were behind Han and K'kruhk for protection before he headed along.

The door opened, and Luke strode into the lounge, and the others followed him in and followed a long line and looked across the room. Lumiya sat, at ease, on the couch, sipping a cup of tea and smiling at them.

"Luke Skywalker." She purred, malice in her voice.

"Lumiya." He said in greeting, his voice thick with dislike.

"It has been some time has it not? And you as well Mara...I am honoured. You think I warrant both Masters Skywalker?" she asked coyly, her pencilled eyebrow raising.

"Lumiya." Mara growled.

Lumiya smiled as she turned her attention to Han and Leia.

"And both Solos as well? Captain Solo...and Princess Leia." She said, inclining her head, and did not look at all bothered by the fact that Han's blaster was pointed at her.

She got to her feet, and they all tensed. She however didn't seem to worry and walked over to them, and smiled. She had seen the others.

"Jacen Solo...curious. The darkness that was once inside you is oddly diminished. But I sense much fear in you...not fear of me, or of the dark side...but what you could become...interesting." she said softly, raising her hand to Jacen.

Jacen glowered at her and took a step back, tapping the hilt of his lightsaber to demonstrate that she should keep her hand to herself. Lumiya smiled and turned to Jaina.

"Jaina Solo also. There is still darkness in you, and it is growing strengthened by your frustrations...with the situation, with your boyfriend..." Lumiya said, and Jaina glared.

"Mind your own business Lumiya." She snarled.

Lumiya laughed lightly, then her eyes turned to Ben.

"And young Ben...you have many of your mother's qualities..." she whispered, leaving the comment hanging in the air, and Ben glowered, but moved a little closer to Jacen as he did so.

"The next generation of thorns in the side of the Sith..." she said, taking a step towards them.

She was then blocked off by Mara and Leia, both glowering at her.

"Back off Lumiya." Mara warned, her hand on her saber hilt.

"Oh my...Mara and Leia...reduced to being overprotective mommies." She said in cold delight, and she headed back to sit down, ignoring K'kruhk and the droids, the droids at least seeming relieved.

She sat and looked up at K'kruhk.

"Hmm, Master K'kruhk unless I am much mistaken. If memory serves, Lord Vader always said that you were still alive, and that you were one of the Jedi he should have made sure was dead long before the Rebellion came along. You escaped him twice if memory serves. He never quite got over that." She said, smiling evilly.

"I am indeed K'kruhk." He said, inclining his head.

Lumiya took a sip of her tea from beneath her veil again.

"Now, as you did not arrive with sabers drawn...I assume you want me for something." She said, and K'kruhk stepped forward.

Lumiya's hand went to the whip coiled at her waist, but he only showed her a datapad, and she allowed him to give it to her.

"Unfortunately Lumiya...we apparently need your help." Luke said, as though even saying the words left a horrid taste in his mouth.

"Truly? I see." She said as she read through the file K'kruhk had assembled on Abeloth.

As she read it, she saw what they were truly dealing with when they were going after Abeloth. And she didn't like it one little bit.

"That doesn't sound good." She commented.

"We can agree on that much then? There's progress." Ben said, and Jacen elbowed him to keep him quiet, but couldn't quite suppress a grin.

Lumiya was also quite shocked to find herself smiling at the boy's sarcasm. He would be...entertaining to say the least. She looked at them all, her four oldest enemies eyes set in hate, their three kids filled with mistrust, and the Whiphid looking at her calculatingly.

"I think as reasonable beings we can all assume that this Abeloth is a threat to us all. So you think that a force of Jedi and Sith will be able to stop her?" she queried.

"I believe so yes. Although it pains me to ask this...will you help us?" K'kruhk asked.

Lumiya looked at them slowly.

"A threat against the entire Force, the Jedi...and the Sith? Damn right I will. I don't want this thing destroying the galaxy. There is no victory in such things is there Luke?" she asked, and Luke reluctantly nodded.

"Agreed. So, do we have a deal?" he asked, stepping forward, but always keeping one hand on his saber.

"We do indeed." She said, standing up and keeping one hand on her whip as they shook hands.

They looked into each other's eyes as they did so, and Lumiya smiled.

"Just like old times eh Luke?" she asked playfully, and Luke blushed and immediately dropped her hand.

"Look Lumiya..." Mara growled, but Lumiya had turned away from her and was behind the couch.

"Here Han, take this." She said, and handed him a box full of leather straps and crystal shards.

"What's this?" he asked, reluctantly putting away his blaster as he took the box.

"Extras for my lightwhip. Jacen, Ben, could you be dears and take these boxes?" she asked hopefully.

Jacen and Ben looked to their mothers, who nodded. After all, Lumiya was getting on, as she had a couple of years on the two of them. And they wanted Lumiya where they could see them with her hands empty if at all possible.

"Are these arms?" Ben demanded as he took his box, full of metallic arms.

"Yes Ben. You see, I tend to lose my limbs rather a lot around your father." She said bitterly, and Luke glowered at her.

"I knew something like that was coming up." He said.

"Then you weren't disappointed." She said and picked up her case.

Luke and K'kruhk then leapt the room and landed in front of her, their green lightsabers at her throat. Lumiya took a step back and hissed.

"Betraying our alliance already are we?" she asked angrily.

"That case has Sith holocrons within it. I can sense it." K'kruhk growled angrily.

"You aren't bringing them aboard." Luke said.

Lumiya looked at him stonily.

"Indeed? But that report you gave me indicates that this Abeloth has dangerous powers. Some could very well be Sith in nature. And I have a fair few holocrons that could be useful. Don't you think we should understand our enemy before we get ourselves into trouble?" she purred, knowing that she could defeat them by simple logic.

Luke looked at K'kruhk, whose eyes faltered a little, and Luke reluctantly shut his blade down.

"Alright, you win." He said grimly.

"Splendid. Shall we?" she asked, indicating the door.

XX

The ship left the hangar, and the air was tense. Han and Leia were in the cockpit. K'kruhk had taken Lumiya to the bunk beneath his, so that if she tried anything, Luke, Mara, he and Leia were on hand to stop her. She had simply smiled. Ben and Jacen had went into the galley to get away from her, while Luke, Mara and Jaina put the holocrons she had brought in the forward cargo hold.

Lumiya smiled as K'kruhk headed to the cockpit. Going into the Force, she felt Vongerella a little bit away.

Now!

XX

Han and Leia were tense as Han took the ship away from the Home.

"That was too easy. And she was already packed. So what don't we know?" he asked worriedly.

Leia looked grim, and her face was an uncharacteristic scowl.

"I don't know. She's already up to something. Maybe she felt Abeloth and figured out we would come to her. But that doesn't make me feel any better." She said, then frowned as she felt a dark pulse of warning.

"That doesn't feel good..." she said.

XX

Jacen was feeling a little better now that they were away from the Home.

"You're looking a bit more normal." Ben said, looking at his cousin worriedly.

"I'm ok Ben. It just made me a bit sick being there, that's all."

"Why? Because of all the dark side power...or because of Caedus?" he asked compassionately, and Jacen smiled proudly at him.

"You're becoming very wise you know." He said, and Ben grinned.

"Really?" he asked happily.

"Yeah..." he said, cutting off as he felt a strange presence he had not felt in years.

"Jacen?" Ben asked worriedly.

"Vong." Jacen said in amazement, and he ran to the cockpit.

XX

Jacen arrived in the cockpit just as Leia turned to Han.

"We need to get out of here now." They said in unison, and Han looked at them, creeped out.

"Oh, I hate it when you two do that!" he moaned.

"What's going on?" Lumiya asked as she entered.

"What are you doing here?" Han demanded as he started getting the ship ready for lightspeed.

"I am not going to stay in my room all the time Solo, so don't even think I will. I am not some child. Your own children and nephew would tell you to get stuffed if you tried to incarcerate them. I won't be quite as polite. Let us set some ground rules...I can walk around the ship if I please. If you want to stop me getting off on planets for the duration of this mission, fair enough. But I refuse to stay in one room." She growled, and Han jerked his head irritably in agreement.

"Dad, go, now!" Jacen intoned.

"Too late." Luke said as he too entered.

Then a Yuuzhan Vong Miid Ro'ik Cruiser dropped out of lightspeed.

"What the hell? That's a Yuuzhan Vong Destroyer!" Han yelled in panic.

"What the hell is it doing here?" Lumiya demanded furiously, although she secretly knew full well.

"And more to the point where did it come from? All of them were meant to be destroyed at the Sekot Accords!" Jacen said furiously.

"Well they won't catch us. Hit it sweetheart!" he ordered, and Leia pulled the lever to take them to lightspeed.

There was then a sound like the engine failing. Han went pale, as Leia, Luke and Jacen glowered at him.

"It's not my fault!" he protested.

"Ben, fix the hyperdrive!" Luke yelled.

"Is it knackered again?" he demanded irritably.

"YES!" Jacen called, drowning out Han's 'no'.

"Dovin basals are coming up to act as interdictors. We're going nowhere unless this thing is as fast as you say Solo...and if Ben is as good at fixing things as his father is at wrecking them." Lumiya sneered as she sat behind Han.

"Quiet you." Luke said, taking the seat behind Leia.

The comm then crackled.

"Attention Millennium Falcon. This is the True Yuuzhan Vong Cruiser, the Dark Emissary. It has come to my attention that aboard are the ones who forced my people into defeat. That wrong will be righted. You carry the murderers of Shimrra and Tsavong Lah aboard, and also the killer of my lover, the true Supreme Overlord, Onimi! Stand down and prepare to be boarded." A female voice commanded.

"Not a chance lady. Since when did Vong use normal comms?" Han asked.

"They're deploying coralskippers." Luke said worriedly as Mara showed up.

"We gotta hold them off! Here we go again." Han said and gunned the engines, as the large cruiser opened fire with its cannons.

"Jaina, gun turrets, now!" Jacen yelled as he ran back to the gunwell, and they could hear Jaina running through as well.

"This isn't working. Artoo get down here!" they heard Ben yell, and Artoo beeped as he went to join him.

"I hate going places with you Han." Mara said irritably as the cannons fired again.

"This happens often around him?" Lumiya asked in concern.

The ship then blazed forward as a squadron of coralskippers flew after them, their plasma cannons firing away at them. Han accelerated the ship away from them, and the fight was on. Jacen and Jaina opened up with the cannons, blasting away at the skips. However, their basals simply absorbed the blasts, and they could hear the twins curse as Han rolled the ship to avoid a blast from the cruiser. The space around them was filled with plasma as the cruiser fired at them, trying to blow them apart. Han cursed as a blast rocked the back of the ship.

"Sorry, missed him!" Jaina cried sheepishly.

"Use the Force young one. Focus." K'kruhk said as he went to the bottom of the gun ladder.

"Master K'kruhk, what is going on?" Threepio asked as he joined him.

A heavy blast then hit the back of the ship, and both K'kruhk and Threepio were thrown towards the back of the ship with a cry.

"They're launching another squadron." Lumiya hissed angrily.

"Not good. Heads up kids!" Han cried as another plasma burst exploded in front of them.

"I could use some help!" Ben yelled.

"We're a little busy at the moment!" K'kruhk wailed as Han rolled the ship and they heard him and Threepio slam against another bulkhead.

"OUCH!" the Jedi yelled.

Jacen grimaced as the skips came closer, and he fired several blasts in union with his sister. Their blasts caught one skip and it was finally ripped apart.

"Yes, got one!" Jacen cried triumphantly.

"Great kid, don't get cocky!" Luke called back as he analysed the gravity field the cruiser was creating.

"Whoa, flashback." Leia said, and Han grinned widely as he evaded another cannon blast form the cruiser.

"Will you cut it out with the fancy flying? Ben, Artoo and I aren't miracle workers!" Mara yelled angrily from the maintenance hatch.

"It's either that or we get pulverised!" Lumiya yelled back.

"Well keep the ship still and we might not!" Mara sniped.

The ship corkscrewed upwards, and Jaina and Jacen both gave a whoop of victory as another two coralskippers were blown apart.

"You do know that we can't win?" Lumiya asked as a skip flew past the viewport, its plasma cannon blasting at the ships' shields.

"If you're on this ship you need to have positive thinking." Luke said angrily, as he made the final touches.

"And a lot of faith." Leia said, earning a dirty look from her husband.

Several blasts, one from the cruiser as well, rocked the ship.

"How are we doing up there?" K'kruhk asked as Han put on the brakes and allowed the skips to shoot over them, to be blown up by the twins.

"We're getting there, give us more time!" Mara called irritably as Han went evasive again.

"Well hurry. Han, when we get hyperdrive back, we're going to have to move fast." Luke said.

"Where's my fleet when I need it?" Lumiya grumbled.

"Where is your fleet anyway?" Leia asked as the cruiser fired several blasts at them, which the ship barely avoided.

"Destroyed during the Vong War." Lumiya replied as the ship rolled away from another attack.

The cruiser fired again and this time a few bits of metal came off. Jacen and Jaina continued to pound away with their cannons, and there were still noises of irritation from the hatch where Mara was working.

"Give us better targets dad!" Jaina yelled irritably.

"I'll just call them and ask them to line up will I?" Han asked grumpily.

"The cruiser is getting closer Solo." Lumiya warned as a heavy blast hit the back of the ship and something exploded.

"That didn't sound good." Luke said, and saw that no matter what they did the gravity field was too large.

"Help, I think I'm melting!"Threepio cried from somewhere aft.

"The cruiser is coming towards us. This lady wants us dead." Lumiya said as the cruiser and its skips accelerated after them, while Han weaved in and out of the plasma blasts that were firing at them.

"How many squadrons do these things have again?" Jacen asked as they took down another skip.

"Nine if I remember rightly." Jaina answered as she took down another one.

"Damn it." Jacen said, blasting another one apart.

"Turn us around." Leia said.

"What, are you crazy? You want to fly into the throng of Vong ships?" Lumiya screeched.

"Just turn us around." She ordered.

"Leia, do you know the odds of surviving a direct run on a Vong cruiser?" Luke demanded.

"Shut up!" Leia snapped.

"What are you planning?" Han asked as she rolled the ship around and levelled out, heading back towards the cruiser, the quad lasers pounding.

However the cruiser had them directly in its sights, and a blast rocked the front of the ship, and alarms started blaring.

"Shields are gone." Lumiya reported, and the skips, as if hearing her, came in low and punched two holes in the hull.

"Power to engines!" Luke snapped, and they did so and the ship accelerated, but the cruiser was bearing down on them.

"Funny...this worked better at Hoth." Leia said sheepishly, and she fired a missile from the hold.

"What? At Hoth it was a Star Destroyer!" Han yelled as the skips came flying at them.

The twins were blasting away, and the missile was of no use as it was simply absorbed by the dovin basals.

"Dad, do we have any hydrogen on board?" Jacen cried.

"What, you thinking the old Sunulok trick?" Han called back.

"The Sunulok?" Lumiya asked in confusion.

"Don't ask. No we don't honey." Leia called worriedly, and another blast from the cruiser made acrid smoke start filling the cockpit, making them cough.

"Dad, we're going to get pulverised! Aunt Mara, fix the bloody hyperdrive!" Jaina screeched.

"We need to remain level long enough for us to link up the power couplings! I've tried using the Force but it isn't working, because we keep getting rocked around! And something is burning down here!" Mara yelled, her voice rising in panic.

"Mom, you're on fire!" Ben shouted in surprise.

"Oh hell." She cursed.

Jacen and Jaina blasted another couple of skips, but they knew it was no good. They were going to be pulverised if they stayed out here much longer.

"Wait a minute, she wants us alive right?" Ben asked as she smothered the flames on his mother's sleeve.

"Yes. But short of flying into her hangar I don't see what good that will accomplish." Lumiya said.

"Well the ship's beat up. What if we make them think we've left the ship then jump to hyperspace?" Ben asked.

"This lady isn't stupid son. She probably won't fall for it. Besides, we still have the gravity field to worry about." Luke said as another blast rocked the ship and there was a sound of electrics breaking and metal plates falling off.

"Wait! Young Ben has a point!" K'kruhk said, looking as if he'd been dragged through a hedge as he stuck his head into the cockpit.

"You reckon?" Leia asked as another blast hit the ship and something went flying off the front of the ship.

"Yes, I did something similar during the Yinchorri Uprising. Young Ben, come with me! Captain Solo, we need a couple of missiles, so do not fire any!" he called and Ben leapt up from the hatch and followed K'kruhk forward.

"Good luck son!" Luke called as the skips came flying in at them for the kill.

Jaina and Jacen pounded away with the cannons, clipping two fighters and sending them spiralling out of control. Another ship came at them and Jaina blasted it out of existence.

"Hurry!" she yelled as another plasma blast gouged a chunk from the bottom of the ship.

"Hurry my boy." K'kruhk said as he and Ben disengaged a couple of inactive missiles from the missile rack.

"You sure this will work?" Ben asked.

"It was your plan my lad. Have faith." He advised as he hefted his missile onto his shoulder.

"Hold her steady!" Mara screamed as she and Artoo urgently tried to fix the hyperdrive.

Skips came buzzing in at them, their plasma cannons melting holes in the armour.

"We have a decompression." Lumiya said worriedly and headed aft to fix it.

"Captain Solo, we're doomed!" Threepio wailed, sounding muffled.

"Han let us get hit!" K'kruhk called as he and Ben pulled up the hatches to the escape pods.

Another blast rocked the ship, and Luke winced as the sensor dish flew off.

"Yes just like that!" he called cheerily.

"Want to tell him I didn't plan that?" Han asked half-heartedly as another blast rocked the ships.

"They've launched more skips. She must have really loved Onimi!" Leia said in disdain as more skips came off of the cruiser and came hurtling towards them.

Lumiya came back, looking worried.

"That won't hold for long. We need to get out of here."

"Alright, keep your veil on, we're working on it." Han grumbled as he weaved, but he too was worried.

The ship had sustained damage and it was slowing down, and they still had no hyperdrive. That was just typical.

"Dad, there's fires coming up on top of us!" Jacen yelled down as he shot down another skip.

Jaina frowned as fires erupted on her side of the ship too.

"Got them here too!" she called up worriedly.

"This hunk of junk is never going to get us out of here." Lumiya snarled.

"I've been saying stuff like that for years." Leia said wearily, and Han glared at her.

"Right Ben, is the missile primed?" K'kruhk asked as he sealed the escape pod he had been working on.

"Yep. I take it we use the Force to fire them off?" Ben asked.

"Yes. Let them hit us again!" K'kruhk called, and he was obliged.

"Cheers!"

"Didn't plan that either!" Han called back.

"Now!"

The two escape pods armed with missiles were jettisoned by use of the Force, and Han let the ship slide downwards as if there was no one at the controls. The pods were drifting towards the Dark Emissary, and were being drawn towards it.

"Jacen, Jaina, when I give the word, fire on those pods. Mara, are we good to go?" Luke called.

"Just a bit more..." she said in a strained voice.

Ben and K'kruhk, their job done, came to the cockpit and watched as the skips pulled away from them and headed back to the cruiser.

"It's working." Lumiya said in surprise.

"It worked on the Yinchorri too." K'kruhk said reminiscently.

"Bet you didn't try and blow them up though?" Luke asked with a grin, and tensed as the pods got closer to the cruiser.

"Get ready you pair." He warned.

"Hyperdrive is as fixed as it's going to get! We can go anytime!" Mara called suggestively, and Han looked.

They were a little bit out from the edge of the gravity field, and the pods were nearly close enough to blind the cruiser while they made their escape. Sweat beaded on his brow, while Leia pursed her lips anxiously. Luke closed his eyes, ready to give the signal for the twins to fire. Lumiya was anxiously tapping the armrest with her metallic fingers. Ben looked to K'kruhk nervously, and he gave him a wink.

"NOW!" Luke yelled, and Jacen and Jaina fired.

The laser blasts ripped apart two of the ship's three escape pods, and the resulting explosion, aided and abetted by the missile within, flared in front of the cruiser and bathed it in flame. Smoke rose from its rocky surface and the ship wobbled as the blast hit it.

"Gun it!" Leia barked and the ship accelerated onwards, away from the cruiser.

Han blasted the ship forward and the skips struggled to recover from the unexpected blast of light that had scrambled them. The ship reached the edge of the gravity field and Han gave a whoop of victory.

"Yes, we did it!" he cheered, and pulled the lever and the Falcon shot into hyperspace.

XX

Vongerella smiled. They had put up a good fight.

"They escaped my lady." One warrior said.

"They were meant to. Recall the coralskippers and set course to the rest of the fleet. Now that we have announced ourselves to the Solos, we can begin our plans. Marvellous. Set a course for the Baanu Venxis and have my commanders assemble when we arrive." She ordered and swept from the bridge.

Lumiya had her plan, and Krayt undoubtedly had his own. Now it was time for her plans to come to fruition. And time for the Yuuzhan Vong to reclaim their rightful place...as rulers of the infidel galaxy.

XX

"That was too close." Han said in exhaustion.

"Agreed. You pair did well." Luke said patting Ben's shoulder.

"Am I the only one who's worried that there's a Yuuzhan Vong cruiser floating around, and more importantly, firing at us?" Mara asked, her eyes narrowed in worry.

Jacen narrowed his eyes as he and Jaina entered.

"No you're not. Whoever this lot are, I reckon they didn't follow the Sekot Accords and must have been in hiding ever since." He said worriedly.

"Doesn't that risk restarting the war? Having any military forces is basically an act of war." K'kruhk said with a frown, fearing what another Vong War could do to the galaxy, even without Abeloth running around amok.

Leia nodded.

"Yes. Whatever we do next, we need to contact Chief A'kla and Admiral Niathal and find out what they want to do about this." She said.

"Well where are we headed? Somewhere hopefully where a Vong with a grudge won't be waiting for us with open cannons." Lumiya said disdainfully.

"Don't worry Lumiya. You get used to people shooting at you on this ship." Luke said, and ignored Han's dirty look.

"My repairs won't hold, and we need to replace the escape pods." Mara said.

"Aside from that how bad is the damage?" Ben asked in concern, slightly worried that the ship would fall apart while they were in hyperspace.

"We can get to a place with a spaceport but that's it. We can't go and find Alma until we get repairs that we can't get in hyperspace." Han concluded.

"So where are we going?" Jaina asked.

"We're making our way to Lorrd. If we reach there is another matter." Lumiya said wryly, smiling as she noticed Han tense slightly.

"Why is everyone picking on my ship?" Han moaned.

"Because it nearly got us killed again." Ben said with a grin.

"Hey!"

Lumiya rolled her eyes.

"Well if you don't need me anymore, I think I will go and recover from our dice with death in my chambers." She said, nodded to them and swept out.

They shook their heads as she left. They had escaped death yet again, and while the ship was in need of repairs, as usual, they were now bound for safety at Lorrd. And despite the fact that they had a Sith on the crew, the fact that they had just narrowly escaped a rogue Vong cruiser had put them in a relatively good mood. It was still a pretty good day.

Jacen ruffled Ben's hair proudly and the three kids went aft with a cheerful K'kruhk.

"Just a normal day at the office." Mara sighed as she and Luke got up.

"Why do they always blame me? It's not my fault!" Han repeated, and Leia grinned.

"Sure it isn't." Leia said consolingly, though she was quite as content to blame him as the rest.

"Where you going?" he asked curiously as she headed through the smoky corridors.

"For a chat." She said and headed to the crew quarters.

Han shook his head in resignation.

"I say, could someone please get me out of this melting circuitry?" Threepio called and Artoo beeped in amusement.

XX

Lumiya was sitting on her bunk in a meditative pose as Leia entered.

"Princess. I wondered how long we would last before one of you came a calling." She said with a sinister smile.

Leia narrowed her eyes and kept her hand on her saber.

"I'm going to warn you now Lumiya. We mean business. If you make any move to stick your talons into any of the kids...Mara and I will gut you like a Rokarian dirt fish." Leia vowed, her eyes narrowed in intense dislike.

Lumiya smiled mockingly.

"Aww how sweet. The mommies protecting the kiddies." She said in a terrible babyish voice that made Leia's hair stand on end.

She had been absent for years, and it seemed that she was just as bitter as she had ever been if not more so. And while she did seem to want to help the galaxy, she knew that the fact that they needed her would protect her from any fall-outs, so she could push their buttons all she liked. She was bitter, twisted and evil. She may want something that she couldn't quite fathom, but she also knew that she wanted to get back at them for all the trouble they had given her years ago. But Leia was damned if she was going to let it happen.

"Yeah we are. Keep away from them." Leia intoned, and Lumiya laughed evilly.

"Do not worry little Leia...your little boy is quite safe from me now." She purred.

Leia glared at her, and Lumiya's eyes brightened in victory.

"Oh yes Leia, I know of your problems. I have heard of what you did...and that in some other reality, I turned Jacen to the dark side and he became a Sith Lord...who you and the rest of your family abandoned to become the worst Sith since Sidious himself, and then allowed your little girl to kill him." She said triumphantly.

"You would love that wouldn't you? Ripping our family apart?" Leia asked snidely.

Lumiya shrugged.

"I admit it may hold some allure to me Leia...but trust me, if I trained Jacen he would become a Sith to bring peace and order to the galaxy. And if you didn't like his methods...then perhaps you are the ones who were at fault for not understanding what he was trying to do." Lumiya said simply.

"He murdered thousands of innocent people!"

Lumiya arched her brow.

"But in the name of galactic peace, order and security, daren't we make any sacrifice?" she asked.

Leia shook her head.

"You're unbelievable. Whatever Lumiya. Keep away from all of them." She said and turned to go.

Lumiya sighed.

"You needn't worry Leia. Your son is no longer appropriate Sith material." She said truthfully.

Leia turned and looked at her curiously.

"He has become too emotional, too open...he was much more of a candidate at the Insurrection...but something happened and undid my plans. He started opening up, talking again, trusting again...and I knew that I did not have my opening anymore. During the war the only anchor he had to his family was Ben as the rest of you had pulled away from him. How sad he must have been...to turn to a Sith to feel loved." She said gloatingly.

Leia glared at her, and struggled to keep her anger in check and prevent herself from slicing Lumiya on two. The thing that annoyed her most is that Lumiya was probably right.

"Fine...just stay away from them." Leia growled and left Lumiya in the quarters.

Lumiya smiled beneath her veil. Despite the fact that she was with age old enemies and their progeny...she was rather enjoying herself. And Vongerella had performed admirably.

"Yes..I can see this working." She said smugly, as the ship hurtled towards Lorrd.

That was close! Typical Falcon, failing at exactly the wrong time.

So Tavira is still on the run, but has now joined with Lumiya. That can't bode well. Neither can the fact that Krayt has an SSD at his disposal. And now he has Ship, which also isnt good news...

And Vongerella has a trick or two up her sleeve. And Lumiya too has a secret plan which came to me in a flash of light and could possibly be a sequel one day...

But what is the main plan? Who are the other conspirators?

At least everyone is alright again, despite the fact that Lumiya is onboard. What will happen on Lorrd? It will not be the restful repair stop they undoubtedly want, and both an old enemy and an old friend return! How will Niathal and A'kla react to the news that there's a Vong cruiser on the run? Time will tell!

Until next time, please read and review!