And back at it with Chapter 5, told you I'd have it up when I was finished lol. No acknowledgements this time as I am joint posting again so I haven't gotten any yet lol. This chapter gets a bit steamy, nothing major yet, you'll have to wait, but the beginnings of something are definitely there so hang on to your hats. Anyway, on with the show and all that.

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Taking Action

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The smell of food pulled Ori from sleep, drawing her drowsy gaze to the door where Luke stood with two trays of something that smelled amazing. She sat up slowly, making room for him on the bunk as he moved into the room.

"Are the newlyweds still at it?" She asked, looking over at the empty bunk and the missing suitcase. If she had to guess, she would say that she would be sleeping alone that night, but she wasn't one for guessing. Then she remembered they would be landing on the planet that night and felt a moment of panic sweep over her before Luke's voice pulled her from the thought.

"On the mend from what I can tell, but then, I'm not exactly looking very closely." Luke said, earning a laugh from his would be student. It was nice not having to explain things to her, that she just understood his history, though it was still a little disconcerting that he didn't know exactly what she knew about him. "Before we get back to training, I wanted to ask you something." He looked up at her, stifling a laugh as he saw the piece of sandwich that poked out between her lips, the scene only made better by the look of consternation she was aiming at said sandwich.

"What's up?" She asked, though it sounded a bit muffled due to the food in her mouth. She took a massive swallow of water and set her sandwich down, looking up at him while he finished his own bite.

"You explained the whole "movie" thing to me, but I was wondering, what exactly do the movies cover? Of my life, I mean." He said, feeling suddenly self conscious. For all he knew she'd seen him naked already, though he doubted it, if the flashes of attraction he'd had the night before were anything to go off of.

"Well it starts with A New Hope, which is when you get 3PO and R2 and ends with Return of the Jedi where the Emperor is destroyed by Vader. The timeline is a little sporadic, skipping whole years between the movies, but it hits the high points. The death of your aunt and uncle, Obi Wan fighting Vader, Yoda's training, both times you fought Vader and the whole mess on Endor, all the action." She blushed as she spoke, her voice getting progressively quieter until she was practically whispering and he couldn't help but laugh at the second hand embarrassment. It was odd to hear someone talk about moments in his life as if they were discussing the weather, so matter of fact and emotionless, but then, she hadn't known it was all real at the time.

"So you know Vader was actually Anakin Skywalker, my father." He said, feeling a strange kind of tension beginning to rise inside him. Was he afraid of her reaction? Afraid of what she might think? He didn't know, all he knew was that something about the question made him worry.

"Yeah, tragic story, not just for you, but for him. He used to be a great Jedi before Palpatine got his hooks in him. I never liked that he died, I always thought it was unfair." She clapped a hand over her mouth, stopping herself from divulging any more than she already had, blushing up to her scalp as she remembered she was talking about a real person now. Luke's quiet laugh let her know she hadn't offended, but she decided to stay quiet all the same.

"It's alright, really. I didn't know him well and while I do feel a little cheated, it was for the best. What kind of life could he have had after all he'd done?" His eyes took on a sad tint as he looked down at the blanket that was bunched between them. He didn't want to admit how angry he was with the universe for taking his father from him just as they'd truly found each other, but then, The Force had a will all its own and he was simply caught in its flow.

"I had to tell myself that for a long time after my mother's death. She was really sick for a long time and slipped into a "persistent vegetative state", fancy medical talk for being brain dead, and I had to help my dad decide to pull the plug. I was really angry for a long time, but she was already gone." She watched as something changed behind his eyes, a new kind of light shining in them as he found a kindred spirit. She knew how good it felt to have someone understand your pain and she was happy to be that person for him in this moment.

"You sound like you know his history. Did they make movies about him too?" He asked. His tone was playful, joking and light, but secretly he was wishing her to say yes, to tell him more about the man he never got to know.

"They did actually, a three part prequel to the movies they made about you. Most people in my world don't like them, but I do, even if they are a bit problematic. I can tell you about them if you want." She watched as his face seemed to grow younger, a bright smile crossing it as he nodded.

"Let me go get Leia, she'll want to hear this too." He stood from the bunk and walked briskly from the room, calling his sister's name as he moved to alert her to his approach. She remembered having to do that when she lived with her brother, the advanced warning was all that kept them from seeing something that would scar them both for life on more than one occasion and it brought a smile to her face. She was pulled from the memory by twin sets of footsteps on the floor outside, joined a moment later by two excited faces.

"Okay, so let me just preface this by saying that there will be some discrepancies to what you remember, for instance, Leia, you said you remember your mother, but in the prequel movies your mother dies in child birth. If that happens, just go with what you know and chalk it up to the director being an ass, cause he is." She watched as the twins laughed softly, clearly a little nervous about what they were going to hear, but receptive none the less. She drew a breath and launched into the story of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala and how their lives changed the galaxy forever.

By the time she was finished, neither twin could form words. They couldn't believe that their parents had done such amazing, and sometimes terrifying things. Luke smiled as he finally came to understand where his interest in machinery had come from and why he was so gifted with The Force. Leia sniffed as she remembered the face of her mother, so soft and sad, looking down at her and smiling, soft chocolate curls falling around her ailing face. She'd been so much more than that one image could ever convey. A tear streaked down her cheek, wiped away by her brother's hand, and she leaned into him, feeling a whole new connection to him now that all the holes had been filled in.

"Thank you Oria, this is the most precious gift anyone could ever have given me." She said, turning tear filled eyes to her new friend. Ori simply nodded, feeling a strange mixture of happiness and sadness as she watched the siblings process everything she'd said. It was like a picture of all the things she'd lost, perfectly encapsulated and presented before her. She sniffled softly as Luke looked toward her, his eyes full of gratitude and happiness.

They sat in silence for a long time, each one lost in their own thoughts. Luke and Leia were trying to commit as much as they could to memory of what Ori had told them while Ori was simply reliving the memories of watching the movies with her brother. They'd both been young when the prequels came out, prime age to watch them and love them, to grow with the characters as the other movies came out and appreciate them for what they were, warts and all.

She remembered all the arguments she had with him after the third movie, about the plot holes it set up in the originals and how they could be solved. They'd almost come to blows over Leia being able to remember her mother issue and had been grounded for a week each for breaking one of their father's favorite records. Neither of them ever fessed up to who had actually broken it, their father thought they were simply covering for each other, but they honestly didn't know, it had fallen to the floor just as they started wrestling around and had rolled over it.

"Ori? You okay?" Luke's voice called her from the memory, alerting her to twin sets of eyes on her face and the wet tracks that ran down her cheeks. She wiped hastily at the tears, as if that would erase the knowledge of their existence from the man in front of her, but he simply stared, waiting for her to answer.

"I'm fine, just another memory, a good one this time. I was remembering my brother and I arguing over the movies as they came out, trying to make them fit perfectly with what we knew of the original movies timeline." She sniffed softly, a genuine smile crossing her face as the twins laughed.

"You have a brother?" Leia asked, scooting a little closer to her and taking her hand. Ori tightened her grip around it reflexively, relaxing a moment later as the fear passed. Would that ever stop she wondered. Would there be a day when she could simply hold a hand without having to grip it for dear life? She shook her head to clear it of the thought, catching the tail end of a pained look on Luke's face and turned to Leia.

"Yeah, his name is Brian and he's just barely a year older than me. Mom always used to joke that we were twins and I just took a bit longer to come out. He was always such a rotten kid, he would pull my hair and hide my stuff when I made him mad, but he would always tell me where it was after he'd calmed down. He was the one that pushed me toward the sciences. I wanted to be a writer." She laughed softly, remembering the conversation they'd had at the end of her senior year. He'd come home for Spring Break, making a big show of being there instead of on a beach somewhere with sun, but she knew he'd just come back cause he missed them.

Their father had gone out that night, some kind of speed dating thing one of his coworkers was insisting he go to, and she was sitting at a table scattered with all kinds of brochures and requirement lists that had her head spinning. She knew what she wanted to do, kind of, but she didn't know how to go about doing it. Her brother had walked through the door with pizza and sodas in hand and helped her weed out all the schools that didn't fit her dream, leaving them with a few universities and a couple art schools that had exciting writing programs.

He'd laughed at the dichotomy, pointing out that she wasn't willing to part with the universities due to their science programs but was willing to skip the art school cause "she could always just take writing classes at a university along with science courses". That was the moment it had clicked for her, the difference between a hobby and a career and she'd sent off her application the next week. She'd thanked him in every graduation speech she'd ever given and had been planning to include him in the acknowledgments in the paper she and Suzie were gonna write when they confirmed their theories, guess that wouldn't happen now.

"Sounds like a good guy." Luke said, sensing the heart break and loneliness beginning to swell in her mind, turning her Force print an ugly shade of grayish purple. He reached out, placing a hand on her knee and rubbing a small circle, letting her know she wasn't alone, he was there for her if she needed him.

"I think I'm gonna skip dinner tonight, I'm still all messed up from earlier. Is it okay if we pick training up tomorrow?" She asked, looking from his hand to his eyes, watching the various emotions play behind them. She saw acceptance and understanding, but there was a strange kind of knowing gleam there as well, like he knew what she was really doing. There was also a sense of determination, like this was the last time she would get away with it. He nodded, motioning for Leia to follow him as he got up, leaving the room without another word.

Luke felt a strange sense of anger as Oria sent him away, like she was rejecting him for some reason. He knew it was foolish, that it was probably painful for her to see him so close to his sister when she had no one left of her own family to turn to, but he couldn't get past the sense that she was hiding something from him.

"What's wrong?" Leia asked, looking up from the data pad she'd been reading. They would be landing soon and she wanted to get in every last bit of information about the conference that her brain could hold before they got there.

"Oria is hiding something from me. I can't put my finger on how I know or what it is, but she is, and I don't know why." He looked over to his twin, watching as different emotions played across her face. She'd felt it too, though perhaps not as keenly, but she didn't seem troubled by it. Was he being too sensitive? Making something out of nothing?

"She's probably hiding a lot of things Luke. Think what you would do if you'd lost as much as she has. She's trying, and that's what you should focus on, she'll open up when she's ready. I know it can be frustrating, especially if you're training her, but you can't force it or she'll probably lock herself back in the brig." Leia smiled softly, resting her hand over his, giving it a small squeeze, and he felt his tension begin to bleed away. He smiled and pulled her into a one armed hug before getting up from the bench. He needed to center himself, get rid of some of the emotions he couldn't deal with at the moment, and find his peace before they landed.

"Would you make sure Oria is up and ready when we land, I think she should be at the conference." He nodded as his sister gave him a thumbs up, heading down the corridor to his room. Something didn't feel right to him, like when a puzzle is missing a piece, but he couldn't wrap his mind around what it was. He knew it had to do with Oria, knew it was something that involved her universe, but without more information it was just a vague feeling that left him frustrated and on edge. He needed to relax.

He sighed as his door closed behind him, blocking out the sounds of the ship and the people aboard her and giving him the first layer of peace he needed to go about calming his mind. The next was easy enough, remove the layers of clothing he wore to keep up the appearance expected of his rank. He laid in his bunk, feeling the soft sheets below him and the cool air above, centering himself in the space in between and focusing on simply breathing.

As his body fell into a trance, his mind expanded, seeing not only himself and his room, but the whole ship, the space through which is moved, and the worlds around them. He'd never tried to move beyond this point, beyond his immediate surroundings, but as he felt that same sense of wrongness, he decided to try. He allowed the web of The Force to spread out further and further, taking in more and more of the galaxy as he moved past stars and planets, ships and moons, tracing this sense of wrong to a dark little world at the center. There was something there, something tied to Oria, reaching out to her, but it wasn't powerful enough yet to make contact.

He pulled himself sharply back to the ship, searching out the mind of the woman he was trying to understand and found something he wasn't prepared for. Her Force print was a single color, opaque and hovering over her, hiding her body from his view. The dark magenta haze seemed to pulse and writhe as he reached for it, shooting pure pleasure down his spine and imprinting a single image in his mind. He saw himself, bare and breathless, kissing Oria like his life depended on it.

He snapped back to his physical body with a gasp, his whole body flushed and tingling as the remnants of the feeling worked their way through the link, sliding phantom fingers down his skin and setting his nerves to buzzing. A knock broke him from his hazy thoughts.

"Hang on a second." He called, rushing to get dressed as Leia's voice floated through the door. He ran a hand through his hair, tousling away the proof of his embarrassment before pressing the hatch release and allowing his sister in.

"Are you okay? You look a little ruffled." She asked, pointing toward his hair and still red face. He laughed and waved off the question.

"I'm fine, just doing a little training. What's up?" He asked, looking down to the data pad in her hand. She held it up for him and he could see that a space had been left on the docket for any issues that hadn't been resolved by the time the conference ended.

"Do you think we should mention her?" Leia looked up at him, her eyes concerned. He knew what she was thinking, he'd been thinking it as well. The conference was meant to cover all potential threats still left in the galaxy that could pose a problem to the burgeoning Republic, and visitors from another universe would certainly fit that description. But were they really willing to open Oria up to that kind of scrutiny? She already felt like an outsider, and was just coming to grips with the fact that this was her home now. Did they really want to make her relive that so soon?

"Let's talk to her about it first. Remember that the experiment was a failure, technically, so no one else will be coming for a while at least." Luke said, watching as his sister's shoulders seemed to straighten a little. No wonder she'd been so snippy with Han earlier, carrying that kind of weight around would make anyone a little cranky.

"You're right. Thanks. Oh, you may wanna get ready, Han says we'll hit atmosphere in a few hours. I'll go make sure Oria is up and about." She said, smiling and ducking back out into the hallway. Luke felt a smile pull at the edges of his lips, oh she was awake alright, or at least, part of her was.

Ori stretched as Leia took her through what would happen when they landed. She was to stick close to Luke and Han, not talk to anyone just yet, and try to blend in. She'd made a joke about her hair standing out, which seemed to put the princess at ease and they'd set about getting her ready.

While Leia's shirts were a few sizes too small for her, the dresses were another matter entirely. Ori had always loved the dress designs in the Star Wars movies, all the flowing fabrics and generous silhouettes had made her wish she was able to wear something like that, and now she got to.

She spun on the spot, giggling girlishly as the skirt flared out and fluttered in the air around her, the slippers barely glinting as they caught the light. She'd never been much of a fan of pink, but the dark magenta color had called to her for some reason, and she had to admit, it looked good. It made her eyes pop and her hair seem even more vibrant than it already was, turning her into one huge floating jewel tone, and she hadn't even done her make up yet.

She'd never had a sister, someone who could help her with her hair and make up, and as such had never had the pleasure of someone combing gently through her curls and brushing powders and colors across her face until she barely looked like herself. Her make up had always been a little drab, mostly neutrals and light color to highlight what she naturally had, but this was a special event and Leia said she would stand out more if she was under dressed.

An hour passed with both girls helping the other get presentable all the while chatting about everything from politics to art to music until Leia decided it was time to broach the subject that made her the most nervous. She caught eyes with Oria in the mirror, stilling the woman's lips mid sentence and drew in a calming breath.

"I wanted to ask you something, but I didn't know how to go about it, so I'm just gonna say it. Would you be alright with the conference knowing where you come from?" She waited for the anger, the insult, the unhappy breaking of the familial bubble they'd formed, but it never came.

"I thought that was why you guys wanted me there. I mean it only makes sense to let them know it's possible. I mean, I'm pretty sure when the tunnel broke down the machine would've fritzed out too, but we can't know that for sure, and if I don't make it back, people might come looking." The expression on her face must've been funny to Leia as she immediately started laughing, shaking loose the brain Ori had been working on. "Hey, hold still giggles, this isn't as easy as it looks ya know." She smiled, going back to the tricky business of getting her friend's hair to stay in place.

Luke stood by Han, dressed in his black robes, medals and ribbons in place, waiting for the ladies to come around the corner. He could feel the happiness bubbling away in what had once been the only crew quarters at the back of the ship, and he was curious about what the two could be doing that was so entertaining.

"If they don't get out here in the next five minutes, I'm going in after them." Han said, clearly fed up with waiting. Luke laughed and patted him softly on the shoulder.

"I'll take care of the Falcon for you once you're gone." He said, earning a gruff laugh and an amused hoot from Chewie. He still couldn't believe the direction his life had taken. Not even a decade ago he was a clueless farm boy, longing to be out amongst the stars with his friends, working for the Empire. Then he'd lost everything he thought he knew and discovered a family he didn't even know he had. Now, here he stood with the man that was his brother is all but blood, waiting for his sister to come and accompany him to a conference where he would speak to all the most powerful people in their new Republic. It was enough to make any person feel beyond lucky.

The whisper of fabric on metal drew his attention as the women rounded the curved corridor to meet them at the ramp. Han's jaw hit the floor as he saw Leia, resplendent in a vibrant orange gown, gold detailing setting off the seams and highlighting her thin waist. Her hair was done up in some intricate bun, made of woven braids and what looked like gold ribbon and he almost didn't recognize her face under the masterfully applied make up. She blushed softly as Han whistled, presenting his arm to her and pulling her in tight.

But his eyes were drawn back to the woman who would be his partner for the evening and he felt his heart nearly stop at the sight of her. Unlike Leia, her hair was left mostly down, crimson ringlets bouncing against her chest and shoulders as she walked. Her dress was the same shade her Force print had been and he felt a rush of desire as he watched the way the fabric of the dress swayed and moved over her curves. Her eyes stood out against the smoky purple that decorated her lids, her lips only a shade or two darker than her hair seemed to beg for him to kiss her and he had to fight to control his emotions as he too held an arm out.

Her skin was like fire as her arm looped over his, her hand resting on his bicep in a delicate fanning gesture. He had to swallow down a whistle of his own, opting instead for a whispered compliment as he led them down the ramp. He watched as she barely lifted the skirt, revealing gemmed slippers he'd bought for Leia on the day they decided was their birthday, and felt a spike of irritation shoot through him.

As if she could sense it, Leia turned her head to meet his eyes and he could see the mischief there, dancing merrily in the warm brown irises. So she had caught on to the growing attraction he was feeling for their new friend. Of course she had, and of course she would choose this way to tell him she approved. He narrowed his eyes playfully at her before schooling his features into that of the stoic Jedi Knight he was supposed to be.

"Should I look serious too?" Ori asked, looking up at his suddenly changed expression. "I don't want to make you look foolish by smiling at everyone." She said, letting the playful tone creep into her voice.

"I'm sure you've dealt with interviews before. Look like you looked then." He said, flashing her a brief smile.

"Drunk, got it." She said, turning to face forward, adopting her "science" face as Suzie had always called it. She heard a barely stifled chuckle from just above her head and chalked a win up for herself.

It was a free for all after they left the hangar. At first there weren't many people, just a few that would stop and say hi or congratulate Leia on her appointment to the Senate, but then they went outside. There were people everywhere, strange camera held in their hands, questions shouted at them from every direction, it was enough to make Ori want to bolt, but as her hand tightened on Luke's arm, she felt a strange sense of calm flow through her and she was able to relax.

The Senate chamber was equally as intense, though for wildly different reasons. Luke had given a long speech about the fall of the Empire, the redemption of Darth Vader, and his intentions of going out in search of a new generation of Force sensitives that could be trained to follow the old ways. He explained that before there were Sith and Jedi, there were simply those who could and did use The Force, some for good, some for evil, but always there was balance. He intended to find that balance again, and make sure that the tragedies of the past were never repeated.

From there, Leia took the floor, going over the more mundane side of the reconstruction, outlining a plan to slowly incorporate more and more systems into their new Republic until every last planet could have their say in the way things were run. It was ambitious and, to some, impossible, but she felt it was the right way to go. Finally it came time to explain who their special guest was and why she was there.

"I know some of you are curious who the woman sitting beside my brother is, and why she's been allowed here today. Her name is Dr. Oria Jones and, simply put, she isn't from this universe. If it please the floor I'll allow her to explain further." She motioned for Oria to stand and approach the podium, her dress swishing across the stone floor almost loudly in the absolute silence that followed Leia's pronouncement.

"Thank you Senator Organa. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is going to be hard to believe, but I want you to know that I am telling the truth when I tell you my story. I tell you, not because I've been forced to, but because I think you have a right to know that you aren't alone, that there are an infinite number of universes much like your own, and an infinite number so different you wouldn't even recognize them, all stacked up, barely an arm's reach away. And I think you deserve to know that it is possible to pass from one to the other. Five days ago, I was on my home planet of Earth, in the Milky Way galaxy, in the year 2018..." She let her eyes wander as she told her story, watching as the faces of the gathered senators passed through every emotion imaginable.

Some didn't believe her, she'd expected that, while others seemed almost excited by what she had to say. It was strange, to see so many reactions to the same words, all at the same time, but she found that as she continued, all the faces became the same. The same sadness, the same pity, the same horror, all reflecting what she felt inside as she pulled open her wound yet again for strangers to see. As she finished, a slow round of applause began in the chamber, flowing like a wave from the front to the back until every person in the room was on their feet, even Han seemed moved this time, looking at her as if he'd never seen her before today. She said a quick thank you and retreated back to her seat, leaving the next speaker to stand in her place.

"You did so good." Leia said, supporting her as she sagged against her shoulder. "Thank you for going through all of that again, I know that can't have been easy." She let Oria grip her hand tightly, ignoring the pain it caused.

"Thanks. If I pass out, just leave me here." Ori felt like she was hyperventilating, her head spinning, her heart racing, her chest burning for air even as she dragged in breath after breath. It wasn't until Luke's hand closed around her arm and pulled her toward a door that she realized she might actually be having trouble.

The warm night air hit her like a slap in the face, pulling her back to the moment, back to reality where she was safe. Luke's arms were around her, supporting her, keeping her on her feet as her mind came down from the panic attack she hadn't realized she'd been having. She drew in great gasps of air, feeling the clenching fire in her chest slowly abate, her world slowly coming to a stop as her brain got the oxygen it needed.

"What happened?" He asked, catching her eyes and holding her there. He looked so worried, as if he'd never seen anyone have a panic attack before. Who knows, maybe he hadn't, mental illness didn't seem to exist in this universe so this might very well have been the first one he experienced.

"It's called a panic attack, it happens when the brain can't properly control anxiety. It's like your brain is in one room screaming out orders and your body is in another room with no idea what to do. The dissonance causes panic, which causing shaking, hyperventilation, dizziness, anxiety, various body pains, heart palpitations, sweating, a handful of other minor symptoms and then eventually you either pass out or go into shock and then pass out. They suck." She could feel her whole body shaking, trying to rid itself of the adrenaline it had dumped into her blood stream to aid in a fight that wasn't happening, and her teeth began to chatter as her body temperature dropped. She really hated panic attacks.

"What caused it?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer. He just wanted a reason to keep holding her, keep talking to her, keep her mind focused on something other than whatever thought had made her feel those awful sensations.

"Probably a mix of speaking in public, which has always been a fear for me, and the whole retelling how I got here, thing." She made some non-commital gesture with her hands and sagged against him, her breath sighing against his neck as she drew another calming breath.

"How can I help?" He asked, hating the way she still shook, trembling in his arms like she was still afraid. He could feel that she wasn't, that it was just something her body had to go through, but he wanted it to stop.

"Distraction is usually good, or liquor, liquor works too." She said, trying to force a smile. She gasped as he pulled her forward, his lips searing against her own in a way that made her mind go blank. Her heart leapt into her throat, turning cartwheels and thumping madly against her chest as she parted her lips for him, deepening the kiss until her world began to spin.

They broke apart, each drawing in a gasping breath as their eyes spoke volumes to each other. Not here, not now, not yet. She was still too raw and he was still her teacher, but soon, they would follow up on what just happened and see where it led.

And boom goes the cannon, we have ourselves a first kiss. Don't worry, it isn't gonna devolve into drama and smut from here on, there is an actual story here and that'll be all you get for a while in terms of romance, I want my sci fi space opera fanfiction to be believable god damn it lol. Anyway, thanks in advance for any follows/faves/reviews, I really do appreciate them and I will see you in the next chapter!