Tantive IV
In Orbit Around Tatooine
"Darth Ditra," the girl snapped with a defiant lift of her chin. "Only you could be so bold. The Imperial Senate will not sit still for this. When they hear you've attacked a diplomatic mission ..."
"Don't act so surprised, your Highness," the Sith interrupted coldly. "You weren't on any mercy mission this time. Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you."
"I don't know what you're talking about," the princess replied fervently. "I'm a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan."
"You are part of the Rebel Alliance, and a traitor. Take her away!"
A guard shoved the diminutive princess toward the exit into the Devastator.
"Holding her is dangerous," Captain Trent cautioned his superior. "If word gets out, it will ..."
Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, hidden in a nearby alcove, exchanged horrified and incredulous glances even as they pressed further into hiding. Once the Sith and her escort were out of hearing range, the twins leaned their heads together.
"We can't communicate telepathically with her around," Luke whispered very softly. "She might hear."
Leia rolled her eyes, "What is this?"
"I don't know. I'm going down to Tatooine to rescue the Lars."
"I'm rescuing Winter," Leia stated fervently.
Luke hesitated, then nodded, "Be careful, Leia."
"I will."
/
Holding Cell
Devastator
In orbit around Tatooine
1 hour later
The door slid open and Princess Winter Organa, Heir of Alderaan, stood up with a mixture of fear and determination. No matter what, she would not reveal the location of the Rebel base.
The slight form of Darth Ditra, daughter of Darth Vader, entered the cell, flanked by two guards.
"Come," the woman said coldly.
Winter frowned slightly in confusion. Ditra's face somehow looked different. It was the eyes, she realized. They were brown, not yellow. And there were other slight changes. The woman looked ... kinder ... somehow, and had changed into a dark tan outfit which was far more mellow than her usual unremitting black.
"Come," the Sith repeated, and Winter felt the ghost of a squeeze around her windpipe.
Ok, that was more the woman she knew and feared.
There was no point in fighting this. She obediently marched toward the door and into the corridor, following the straight backed Sith Lady into an elevator, which whisked them three levels down. Five minutes later, they entered a hanger bay where several shuttles were waiting.
"Take her aboard," Ditra ordered coldly.
Winter was shoved toward the shuttle closest to space, her brain whirling in confusion. What did this mean? Had the Death Star plans been found? Was all that they had lost on Scarif for nothing?
Aboard the ship was another surprise. Fifteen members of the crew from the Tantive IV were seated on the floor, their hands manacled. Five stormtroopers stood in the middle of the shuttle, blasters at the ready.
Winter Organa shook her head in bewilderment and turned as Darth Ditra entered the shuttle. A moment later, the dark haired woman had a blaster in her hand. A moment after that, she'd fired numerous stun bolts at the stormtroopers, who fell on the floor with a shuddering quake of armored limbs and torsos.
The princess stared with shocked eyes even as Ditra shoved the blaster into her hand and stared straight into her eyes.
"I'm not ... what did you call her, Darth Ditra?" the woman stated quickly.
"Um, what?" Winter asked, forcing her mouth closed with difficulty. Princesses did not allow themselves to gape unbecomingly.
"I'm an alternate ... is her name Leia?"
"What kind of trick is this?" Counselor Smet demanded, rising to his feet.
"Smet," Leia replied, throwing her arms around the startled man. "I can't believe I get to see you again. I'm a Leia from the future and from a very different timeline. I know that sounds crazy and you probably don't believe me but we need to leave right now."
"This. Is Ludicrous!" Smet snarled. "Your Highness, this is some kind of trick."
"This is so complicated," Leia sighed, then suddenly jerked and turned toward the window. "Oh great."
Winter turned as well and her mouth gaped open. Forget her propriety lessons! Entering the hanger bay, flanked by stormtroopers, was Darth Ditra herself. The Sith was, indeed, a nearly perfect double of the woman at her side. Winter heard the gasp from Smet and they exchanged shocked looks.
"Go, go!" Leia ordered, striding toward the exit. "This shuttle may have a tracking device so don't go straight to ... I'm assuming Yavin IV? Is that where the base is?"
Winter gulped in shock. What was this?
"I guess that's a yes," Leia said, heaving a sigh. "Listen, there is a weakness in the Death Star, a small thermal exhaust port. In my timeline, we managed to blow it up but not before Alderaan was destroyed."
Another gasp from Winter and the dark haired woman looked contrite, "I'm sorry. I'm throwing so much information at you. Get away, find another ship, and may the Force Be With You."
A moment later, Leia was off the ship and striding toward her Alter.
Winter was on the floor now, frantically removing manacles, "Lieutenant, get us out of here!"
"Yes, your Highness."
Darth Ditra, Dark Lady of the Sith, frowned hideously. What was going on? She had emerged from a holo conference with her father and proceeded to Winter Organa's cell for a quick interrogation. Given that the woman was a pampered princess, she would probably quickly give up the vital information, the location of the Rebel base.
She had arrived to find the cell empty. A nervous captain had informed that she herself had ordered the princess removed only a few minutes previously. The officer had quickly died from a snapped neck, which had proven a poor decision as it had been challenging to track down where her imposter had gone.
And now she was faced with her imposter and she was a near perfect copy, except that she had brown eyes and exuded Light.
Ditra lit her red lightsaber and strode forward even as the other woman lit a blue one.
"Who are you?" Ditra demanded angrily, striking down with her saber. The woman backed up a few steps, keeping her saber in a defensive posture.
"Ah, that's a simple question with a complex answer. I'm you from a different timeline. My name is Leia, by the way. What's yours?"
Darth Ditra glared at the woman in outraged fury, "My name is Leia. My father gave me that name. How dare you abscond with it?"
"Your father?" Leia demanded in bewilderment, then focused as the red blade drew closer. A moment later, the Sith struck toward her and Leia exchanged a few blows before retreating again. It was almost certain this Alter was a better swordswoman than she was. Luke kept harassing her about learning to fight better, but she'd been busy!
Ditra pressed closer and Leia ducked under a TIE, even as the shuttle carrying Winter and the Rebels flew out of the hanger. At least they had a chance of escaping now, especially since she'd ordered the tractor beams disabled. It was hilarious, really, that the Imperials had followed her orders so readily.
"Your father," Leia repeated again, gasping slightly from exertion. "As in, tall, dark and armored? Darth Vader?"
Ditra looked mad enough to spit, her yellow eyes blazing, "Yes, Darth Vader, my father. Now I will ask the questions. Who created you?"
"Created me?"
"Yes, you are clearly a clone."
Leia choked, her eyes wide, and then grinned slightly. This woman was sort of her, and she hated to be laughed at. It was best to distract Darth Ditra for as long as possible to give Winter and Luke time to act.
"I am so not a clone," she replied with a chuckle. "I'm from the future, from a different timeline. A better one if you're rampaging around the galaxy working for Darth Vader."
Now the woman was truly enraged, "How dare you lie to me? Time travel is impossible! Impossible."
The two exchanged a few more blows, with Leia backing away again. It was hard to know how this would end. She hoped she wouldn't lose a limb. And if that did happen, would the damage last into her own timeline?
"Everyone keeps saying that," Leia commented cheerfully, "but reality is, I am a time traveler and I'm here to try and straighten things up, but if you and Vader are doing a daughter and daddy dance wreaking devastation on the galaxy, it may be beyond me."
There was a brief tingle of warning behind her and she turned slightly, just in time to meet a stun ray in the torso.
She collapsed, consciousness fading.
/
Lars Farm
"I will ask you one last time, where are the droids you purchased from the Jawa scum?"
Beru Lars was weeping in terror, her eyes fixed in horror on her the stormtrooper holding a blaster against her husband's head.
"I ..." she began.
At that moment, a TIE fighter shot overhead, low enough that everyone, Imperials and Lars alike, flinched. As it passed overhead, there was a strange sound and a moment later, a slim form landed gracefully on the sand, green lightsaber flashing.
The man threatening Owen was hurled against the wall of the house, his neck shattering against the hard surface. The black clad, lightsaber wielding figure spun to block the blaster fire from the stormtroopers even as he yelled to Owen and Beru.
"Take cover in the house," the man shouted. "I'll take care of the Imperials."
Owen and Beru staggered into the nearest doorway and collapsed in terror. Outside, they could hear screaming and shouting and the sound of buzzing and then, suddenly, it was quiet.
They heard footsteps and drew closer together in fear, only to relax at the sound of a familiar voice.
"Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru? It's Ok. You can come on out."
"Luke!" Beru cried thankfully, rushing out the door. She stopped in disbelief at the sight before her. It was her nephew, but he was clad in black and holding a lightsaber. He seemed older somehow, with fading scars on his face.
He was their rescuer.
"Luke?" she repeated again, wonderingly. "I don't understand."
Luke stepped forward and swept her into his arms, "Oh Aunt Beru, it is so good to see you."
He stepped back, wiping away tears, and shook his head, "I know this is bizarre. I am Luke, from a different future. I'm 6 years older in my timeline. Periodically the Force throws me back in time and space to try and help out with a problem."
"So you knew that we were in trouble?"
Luke grimaced even as he strode into the house and began quickly gathering a few important items, "In my timeline, I'm afraid you died when the Imperials came looking for the droids. We need to leave, though. It won't take long for word to get out that something is wrong here on the farm, plus we need to intercept your Luke."
Beru and Owen exchanged stunned looks.
"So, its, um, Ok for you to meet our Luke?" Beru asked worriedly.
"Oh yes, it has happened before," Luke explained, stuffing the last of the Lars' limited valuables into a convenient bag. "It's always complicated, but it doesn't seem to cause any major problems with anything existential."
"Well, let's go then," Owen said.
/
Conference Room
Devastator
In orbit around Tatooine
Leia sat up abruptly and turned toward her left arm where a needle was just being withdrawn.
"Awake, I see," Darth Ditra commented coolly.
Leia turned her head, blinked at her Alter, then glanced down at her manacled wrists. Great.
"I wish you wouldn't do that," Leia remarked petulantly. "I just get so sick of Imperial snarky interrogation tactics. Of course I'm awake. You just pumped me full of stim drugs. I have to admit it is creepy dealing with a thoroughly annoying copy of me."
"You are not me!" Ditra snarled angrily, her eyes blazing with fury.
"Well, you're right of course. Thankfully I am not idiot enough to be a Dark Side acolyte."
Ditra huffed a few times, reminding Leia that the woman was only 19. She had been a bit more impetuous at 19 than she was now.
The younger woman glared, paced back and forth, then turned to stare at Leia, "I did a scan of you while you were unconscious. You are indeed not a clone."
"I told you that," Leia pointed out.
"So as hard as I find it to believe, maybe you are from the future."
"What other possibility is there?"
"I don't know. My father may."
In spite of herself, Leia flinched. She hadn't run across Sith Darth Vader recently and she wasn't thrilled with another meeting.
"You seem afraid," Ditra stated. "Did you turn against your own father in your timeline?"
"Well, I didn't know he was my father, and he didn't know I was his daughter, so not really. I mean, we were on opposite sides of the war but the family relationship was unknown."
"You are a Rebel?" Ditra asked in a horrified tone.
"Totally," Leia riposted with a sly grin which morphed into a puzzled frown, "I admit I don't understand how you and he are working together. What about the Rule of 2? How can you and Vader and Palpatine all be Sith Lords at once?"
Her captor stared at her, her face hard, "Palpatine is dead, and has been these ten years."
Leia's eyes widened and she grinned, "That is the best news I've heard this hour. Awesome. But still, how did Vader find you?"
"I'm asking the questions," the Sith snarled.
"Fine," Leia said with a roll of her eyes.
There was a pause as Ditra seemed to be considering what to say next.
"You are weak," she finally decided on, "as are all the Jedi."
Leia rolled her eyes again, "I'm not a Jedi."
"You carry a lightsaber."
"Yes, for protection. I presumably could be a Jedi but I've been busy with other things, like the crazy political situation."
Ditra made a very rude retching noise, "A politician? That's even worse than being a Jedi."
Leia rose to her feet and glared directly into the eyes of her alter, "What's wrong with being a politician? Padme was."
Her evil alter put her hands on her hips, "Who is Padme?"
A few seconds went by.
"Who is Padme?" Leia repeated incredulously. "Who is Padme? She's your mother! My mother!"
The sardonic expression on Ditra's face ran away into bewilderment and Leia suddenly felt a surge of awe and ... what was that ... hope?
"Padme," Ditra repeated. "She was ... how do you know about my mother? Your mother? I know nothing about her."
"Why didn't Vader tell you?" Leia demanded in bewilderment. "I mean, he didn't know about me but he's known you for a while, obviously."
The other woman bit her lip, then turned away resolutely and walked over to the transparisteel window which looked out over vibrant Tatooine, "He says that the past is of no importance. He refuses to tell me anything about her. I wondered if perhaps ..."
She trailed off now and Leia finished with unnerving understanding, "Whether it was a one night stand. It wasn't, if that makes you happy. In my original jaunt through time, I went back to the time of the Clone Wars and unmasked Palpatine, so to speak. I got to meet Padme and I saw the way Anakin looked at her, the way he spoke of her. It wasn't a one night stand. They were married!"
The Sith turned now, her brow furrowed, "Who is Anakin?"
Leia stared in disbelief and shook her head, "Anakin Skywalker. Anakin ... you don't know that Anakin Skywalker, who was a Jedi, became Darth Vader? He's your father! My father, too, disgusting as that is to acknowledge."
Her younger self was pale now, quivering with a mixture of longing and anger, "He was a Jedi?"
"Yes, and turned against the Jedi, and slaughtered them, and aligned himself with Palpatine, and wreaked havoc across the galaxy. He also lost a fight and was badly burned at some point. Is your Darth Vader in armor?"
"Yes," Ditra whispered softly, her eyes fixed blankly beyond Leia's left shoulder. "My mother was Padme ... what was her last name?"
"Naberrie Amidala Skywalker," Leia continued with at least a modicum of sympathy. This poor girl was a mess! "She was elected queen of Naboo at age 14 and was a senator later. Totally gorgeous woman. You and I look a lot like her, by the way. She and Anakin were married right at the beginning of the Clone Wars and she ... died in childbirth, I guess. In my timeline, and probably yours. Much as I loathe Vader, I have to admit he is rather a tragic figure. He was insanely in love with Padme and her death must have broken him. In fact, we think that he turned to the Dark Side to try to save her, and his actions resulted in her death but I admit that is speculation."
"I don't ..."
There was a sudden buzz and a large holoscreen turned on at the end of the room.
"Father!" Ditra exclaimed, taking a step toward the screen even as it lit up to reveal the masked head and torso of Darth Vader.
"My daughter," the man replied in his deep bass voice, "I sense a great disturbance in the Force."
The young woman drew herself up to her full diminutive height and nodded, "Yes, Father, we have rather a complication."
Leia had stepped out of sight when the screen lit up, but was not particularly surprised when Ditra grabbed her with the Force and pushed her into the line of sight of the holocam.
There was a stunned pause and Leia distantly felt a crash of rage in the Force, enough to make her shiver slightly.
"A clone?!" the Sith Master hissed. "Who would dare make a clone of you?"
"I'm not a clone!" Leia yelped indignantly.
"She isn't, Father. She says, and I think she is telling the truth, that she is a time traveler from an alternate future."
Another moment.
"That is impossible!" the deep voice snarled.
"Everyone says that," Leia snarled back, "but it is possible. Because here I am."
"Father, was Padme Naberrie Amidala Skywalker my mother?" Ditra demanded.
A longer pause as Darth Vader looked first at his daughter, then at Leia, before demanding harshly, "How do you know of her?"
"She was my mother," Leia said patiently, "and I eventually found out. I think it thoroughly pathetic you didn't tell your own daughter about her mom. You really can be such a jerk. Hey, serious question here. I asked your daughter but she wouldn't say. How did you two end up together? Padme died in childbirth I assume ..."
Another quiver of rage in the Force, this one mixed with intense sorrow before Darth Vader's distant shields went up.
"Ok, that sounds like a yes," Leia continued determinedly. "I'm sorry. I hate your guts but she was a great lady and her death was obviously devastating to you."
Vader seemed beyond words so naturally Ditra continued vehemently, "Were you once Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi?"
The elder Sith quivered in outrage and turned his masked gaze on Leia, "Why are you telling my daughter about my pathetic former self?"
"Oh, I don't know," Leia said with a snarky grin. "Maybe because she might just run into a young man with the name of Skywalker who might just be her twin brother. And if so, it might be nice if she didn't just kill him on sight."
There was a long, stunned pause.
"What!" both Siths cried out together.
/-
Author Note: This one is going to last at least another chapter, maybe 2. Thank you again to all of you reading and reviewing my work!