Jedi Paths
Chapter 1- Rescue and Trauma
A/N: Here is the sequel to "Way of the Jedi." This story goes from "Truce at Bakura" to "The Courtship of Princess Leia as Lena's story will go into the "Legends" storyline and not the one by J.J. Abrams. So in the course of these stories we get Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin Solo, Tenel Ka, Mara Jade, Ben Skywalker, and the battles that were in the books. And if anyone wants to see Lena find love and get married let me know. I have been considering and had some thoughts to a man I could make to be her soulmate.
Lena Organa Skywalker felt worn out. This was a strange tired. Lena had never gone to bed tired and woke up tired in all her years in the Imperial Senate or in the Rebel Alliance. Considering they had defeated the Empire just the day before, Lena should have felt ready to roll up her sleeves and get back to work, but on this day she had woken up sore all over and her vision had been doubling since her near-electrocution just the day before by Emperor Palpatine. If Darth Vader hadn't of stepped in and became hers and Luke's father again, who knew if she would have survived. She would have become one with the Force.
Lena's thoughts then went to Anakin Skywalker. Her father had died so she could live, but Luke had said that he wasn't ready to tell anyone that Anakin Skywalker had become Darth Vader. Lena could see the point. So far everyone knew that Vader had killed the emperor, but not the reasons why. Lena's adopted father, Talon Orran, had seen the wisdom behind Luke's decision and had said that until such time Luke felt ready, they would keep Darth Vader's true identity a secret along with Leia being Luke and Lena's triplet sister. As far as it looked, Leia hadn't accepted the idea that she was a Skywalker like Luke and Lena or that Vader was her father too. Han, Leia's boyfriend, seemed to have accepted it when they told him, but Han would have accepted it if Leia had told him her grandmother was a Gungan.
Lena entered the hangar at the same time her brother did. "Hey, Luke," Lena greeted him with a wan smile.
"Hey, Lena. You look terrible," Luke said, not beating around the bush.
"Thanks for noticing, brother. I know I slept, but I don't feel like I slept at all," Lena said as she looked at all the techs running checks on the ships.
"Force visions?" Luke asked.
No, I don't think so. If I had one of those, I'd go and tell Papa." Lena said as a tech ran by.
"What's up?" Luke asked a tech as he plugged Artoo into Luke's x-wing.
"Oh, Sir, your relief pilot is going out. Captain Antilles came back on the first shuttle and went on patrol immediately. He intercepted an Imperial drone ship- one of those antiques they used for carrying messages back before the Clone Wars. Incoming from deep space," the tech said as he finished connecting Artoo in the socket.
"I guess not all the Imperials know that the Empire was defeated. Why don't you go, brother. You aren't that worn out. I'll go join Leia and Papa in the war room," Lena said.
"Are you sure?" Luke asked.
"I'm positive. I'd only be in your way with the double vision and fatigue. If my eyes don't clear, I might accidentally shoot one of ours or fall asleep in my x-wing," Lena said dryly.
"Well, there is a problem, Your Highness. Captain Antilles touched off a self-destruct button while trying to release its message codes. He is manually blocking a critical gap-" the tech started to say before Luke interrupted him.
"Cancel the relief pilot," Luke ordered and ran off to the room where the flight suits were kept. Lena all but ran to the war room, keeping Force open so she would know what Luke was doing to rescue Wedge.
Lena entered the war room. Leia, Talon, Mon Mothma, Crix Madine, and Admiral Ackbar was around the circular table. Talon looked up, favoring Lena with a smile. Talon had been the one to raise her when Anakin Skywalker fell and hers, Luke's and Leia's mother Padme Amidala had died on the day she was born. Talon had always liked children and he was an easy choice to raise Lena. Behind every one on the seats Lena caught a glimpse of her eight-year-old adoptive sister, Cora. Lena sat next to her as her vision doubled again.
"Are you all right, Lena?" Cora asked, touching Lena's black-clad knee gently. Lena's style of Jedi robes was that of Anakin Skywalker before he fell; brown and black. "I'm okay, little sister. I just feel a little tired," Lena said with a wan smile.
"Are you sure, sweetheart? You look terrible," Talon said, walking over to his two daughters. Lena made a face.
"Papa, you're the second person to say that. Luke just said it," Lena said sourly.
"But it's true. You look like a rancor chewed you up and spat you back out," Cora said.
"Oh, thanks a lot," Lena said as she got to her feet only to have a dizzy spell hit her right between the eyes that caused her feet to go out from under her.
"Lena! Okay, that's it. You are going to see Too-Onebee," Talon said, scooping her up in his arms like he used to when she was little and heading off to the infirmary.
Talon watched as Two-One-Bee did his examination of Lena and Wedge. Luke had just brought Wedge in and Wedge looked more shaken than injured, which was more than could be said for Lena. Lena looked over at the pilot. "Is Wedge okay?" Lena asked after coming to and the droid moved the scanner from Wedge to her.
"He will be fine, Your Highness. Commander Skywalker's lightsaber did no lasting damage. Now we need to check you," the droid said, making a brief mention that Luke had to cut Wedge free with his lightsaber.
"I'm all right. Just tired," Lena protested.
"Please, Your Highness. This will only take a moment," the droid said.
"Lena, do as he says," Luke said, holding Lena's hand tightly.
"Okay? May I go now?" Lena asked, slightly stiffly a few minutes later.
"One moment more. One moment. Have you experienced double vision recently, Your Highness?" Two-One-Bee asked, coming away from the scanner's screen.
"Well, yes, but for the most part they have been brief and for a minute. Why you ask?" Lena said.
"You are not well, Highness," the droid said
"I'm just tired," Lena said.
"Your Highness, my diagnosis is sudden and massive calcification of your skeletal structure, of the rare type brought on by severely conductive exposure to electrical and other energy fields," the droid said. The realization then hit Talon between the eyes. The Force lighting that Palpatine had hit her with before Anakin killed the old despot! Lena was suffering from the effects of being hit.
"So what are the effects in general?" Luke asked.
"The abrupt drop in blood minerals is causing muscular microseizures all over her body, Sir," Two-One-Bee said in his dispassionate robotic voice.
"But it is not permanent damage, is it? You don't have to replace bones?" Lena asked, the revusion to having her bones replaced clearly on her face.
"The condition will become chronic unless you rest and allow me to treat you. The alternative is bacta immersion," Two-One Bee said. Lena grimaced.
"No to the bacta. I will take a rest instead," Lena said, leaning back on her pillow and falling into a quick sleep. Talon and Luke quietly left the room, so as not to disturb her.