Darth Ditra's private quarters

Devastator

In orbit around Alderaan

3 hours later

Darth Vader, Emperor of the known galaxy, strode into the room and halted. It had been an unbelievable few days, but this moment was, bar none, the most bizarre of his entire life.

His lovely daughter stood front and center, her dark hair piled high, her eyes flashing amber. Her Force sense was thoroughly perturbed.

Slightly behind her stood his ... his son.

His son. He had a son.

The boy was the very image of Anakin Skywalker as a young man, though like Padme, he was short. But the sun kissed bronze of his face, and the blue eyes, and the shape of his chin, were so much like his former self. The boy was a blazing firmament in the Light Side of the Force, untrained but incredibly powerful. His glory was sufficiently uncomfortable that Vader had thrown up shields when he landed on board the Devastator. He realized now that his daughter was not shielding from her brother; no doubt, she was drinking in the experience of finally being reunited with her twin.

Darth Vader now turned his attention on the other two individuals in the room. The other version of his daughter was as gorgeous as his Leia, though her face with thinner and her brown eyes dark instead of Sith yellow. She was, indeed, a closer image of ... of her... than even his Leia. She was shielding like a master, but he knew from experience that Leia, in any form, was a powerful Force Sensitive. As for the other form of his son – well, the older Luke Skywalker was a maelstrom of controlled power in the Light Side of the Force. It was incredible.

"Father," Darth Ditra said firmly, interrupting his thoughts.

He swung his attention back to her and his ... his son.

"Your Highness," Luke Skywalker said awkwardly.

"Father," the older Luke said with a mischievous grin.

"Vader," Older Leia said in an irritable tone.

The Emperor of the galaxy actually groaned loudly enough for a sound to emanate from his vocoder. Younger Luke flinched slightly at the sound, but Older Luke stepped forward boldly.

"It's good to see you again, Father," he said with a smile.

Darth Vader allowed three breathing cycles to pass before lifting an accusing finger toward the transparisteel window, "Would anyone care to explain why my Death Star is a rapidly expanding cloud of debris outside of Alderaan?"

"I blew it up," younger Luke stated, suddenly defiant.

"I helped him by directing him toward the vital thermal exhaust port and shooting off the TIE fighters trying to take him down," Older Luke added.

"And I am glad it was destroyed," Ditra said angrily, taking a few steps closer to peer into the mask of her sire. "I. Am. Glad."

Vader had been too perturbed and bewildered to focus on her Force sense, but now a gentle probe revealed that his daughter was enraged.

"Why is that?" he asked in a deceptively soft voice. He cared for Ditra greatly, but arguments between them were often towering affairs involving broken walls and shattered furniture.

(He had never attacked his daughter physically. Not like he had attacked ... her.)

"You told me we weren't going to destroy populated planets," Ditra suddenly yelled. "We talked about it! I thought we agreed that was a stupid decision. Do you know what kind of an idiot I look like? I was arguing with the other version of myself just 12 hours ago, saying no way would we destroy a populated planet, and then ..."

"Leia!" Vader interrupted firmly, stepping forward to place gentle hands on her agitated shoulders. "Of what are you speaking? The Death Star would not have destroyed Alderaan! The capital city, perhaps, but only if the Organas failed to provide the location of the Rebel base."

Ditra used the Force to push her father's gauntleted hands off of her shoulders, even as she took an indignant step away from him.

"Do you think I'm too stupid to understand the energy signature of the super laser?" she huffed angrily even as she called a holopad to her hand. "Star Destroyer Coruscant was in orbit around Alderaan, at your orders, I gather. It survived the explosion and sent me Tarkin's threats to the Organas, plus the energy readings from the battle station. It was powered at 100%, Father. He was about to fire! He would have destroyed Alderaan, with a population of billions! What idiocy!"

The Emperor gazed at his daughter blankly, then gently pried the holopad from her hands with the Force. He took it, stared at it, analyzed the data, and then the great cyborg hands curled in fury and the holopad shattered into a thousand pieces.

"And now you've broken my holopad," Ditra snapped snarkily.

"So, let me guess, your attack rancor went off script?" Leia inquired sarcastically.

Ditra stared at her alternate, then at her father, her brow creased in confusion, "Is that true, Father? Did Tarkin disobey your direct order concerning the use of the Death Star?"

The giant stood still for a long moment, then nodded his head even as he strode over to the window to stare out at serene Alderaan, "Yes, my daughter. I was in agreement with your analysis, Leia. Destroying Alderaan would have fueled the Rebellion, not suppressed it."

"How dare he?" Ditra snapped incredulously. "How dare he? I've seen you strangle lieutenants for a stray comma fault in a report. How did he imagine he could destroy Alderaan without incurring your full wrath?"

Darth Vader gazed at the debris field of the Death Star before turning away to face his diminutive, fiery daughter, "I needed him, Leia."

"Needed Tarkin? Why?"

"I am not a politician, Ditra. I hate politics. Tarkin was supremely gifted with the more delicate aspects of ruling the Empire."

"You hate politicians in general," Ditra said darkly.

"Your mother was a politician, and I loved her to the ends of the galaxy," Vader admitted.

"Which I didn't know!" Ditra snarled angrily. "Why in all the black holes of the Maw didn't you tell me that my mother was Padme Amidala Naberrie and that you were married to her and that you were a Jedi Knight? I thought you loathed and despised politicians! So I did too!"

"Leia, I was waiting for you to mature some more. You have my power and your mother's giftedness in politics. I would have discarded Tarkin eventually, but you weren't ready."

"Well maybe if you had told me that my mother was a politician and that you loved her, then maybe I would have studied politics more, instead of focusing on pleasing you by being a vicious Sith Lord!"

"You have ... you have always pleased me, Leia," Vader said, his voice horror stricken through the vocoder. "You, and now your brother, are my highest priority."

Ditra's mouth gaped open in disbelief. Her chin trembled with emotion and suddenly tears were in her eyes.

"I never knew that, Father. I never did. I thought ... I thought I was just a tool for you. That all you cared for was my power in the Force."

"Leia," Vader responded, even as the walls shook in his distress.

"Ok, stop," Older Luke said firmly, lifting his own hands and sending calming waves towards his father and sister from this timeline. "Father, can we talk somewhere privately? I think you need to know some things about your children."

Vader stared at Ditra and forced himself to turn away from her, "As you wish."

He strode into Ditra's office, his body rigid with anguish.

"Sounds like you and our father don't communicate well," younger Luke said softly, putting a tentative hand on his twin's shoulder.

Ditra ran a shaky hand over her eyes and shook her head, "I guess not."

Vader turned as Alter Luke walked into his office and shut the door with a quick Force whack of the button.

"I have been in this timeline for longer than usual," the young man said firmly, "so I'm going to be blunt. Your children, both of them, need to know that you love them. That is your primary responsibility to them. Not protection, not the galaxy on an Alderaanian marble platter, your love."

Vader shook his head vigorously, or as vigorously as was possible with a heavy black mask which made his neck ache more or less always, "Love always fails. The Dark Side is power."

The Other Skywalker groaned aloud and cast his eyes towards the ceiling in silent supplication.

"It is truly bizarre," Luke continued after a moment, "how every version of Darth Vader says exactly the same thing. The Dark Side is power, the Dark Side is power. So tedious. Let me suggest something to you. You lost your mother, whom you loved. You lost my mother, whom you adored. You lost Ahsoka Tano, and Commander Rex and the other clones, who were, if nothing else, compatriots. You've locked yourself away from truly caring for others because you're afraid that if you do, you will lose those people as well. I know you do care deeply for your children but your Leia obviously doesn't know it. As for your son Luke, let me assure you that most mornings, he stared into the skies, hoping and praying for his father to come for him. Don't shut him out. Love him."

Darth Vader found himself actually shaking with anguish at these words, and Ditra's desk shook with him.

"Don't destroy her office, Father," Older Luke said gently. "Calm yourself and allow yourself to hope for something more than vengeance and power and the Dark Side."

Darth Vader stared into those blue eyes, and his great limbs shifted uneasily, and then the Emperor of the galaxy reached out a hand toward his Alter Son.

"I will try, Luke."

/

"Luke!" Other Leia said as Luke and Vader walked back into Ditra's personal quarters.

"Yes, I know, tingling toes."

"What does that mean?" younger Luke asked worriedly.

"It means that we're about to leave this timeline," Older Leia said briskly. "I guess our work here is finished."

"Don't turn to the Dark Side, Luke," Other Luke urged. "It's a miserable way to live."

"Wait!" Ditra cried out. "I want to know, whom did you marry, Leia?"

Leia blinked in surprise, "It probably won't work out in your timeline ..."

"Tell me! Most men can't handle me!"

Leia laughed aloud at this and nodded, "I understand that. Ok, Han Solo."

Young Luke gasped in shock, "The Corellian smuggler?! The owner of the Millennium Falcon?"

Luke and Leia disappeared.

/

Biggs Skywalker's nursery

Middle of the Night

"Everything Ok in here?" Mara Jade Skywalker asked softly.

Luke smiled and ran a gentle hand over his sleeping son's back, "Biggs woke up and was a little upset, so I came in to calm him down."

Mara smiled in a thoroughly besotted way at her 11 month old baby in the crib. The child was curled up in a ball with his little butt in the air.

"He is so cute."

"He is indeed."

"So did you have another trip somewhere?" she asked him as they quietly left the room.

"I did!" Luke said with a smile. "Given that they take no time at all in this timeline, I'm always a little surprised you can tell."

"It feels Lighter again," Mara explained.

Luke heaved a soft sigh of relief as he tumbled into bed, "I'm glad. This one was a bit of a doozy. It was a different universe where Leia was found by Vader as a child and became a Sith Lady."

Mara rolled into bed next to her husband, her eyes wide, "Wow. What did our Leia think about that?"

"She was actually sorry for the girl. She had a rough life with being abducted as a political hostage as a little girl, then found by Vader, who assassinated Palpatine and then raised her from age 9 onward. We managed to save Alderaan and I gave Vader some good parental advice before coming back here. Maybe it worked in getting that version of Vader to be a decent father to his Luke and Leia."

Mara snorted at this, then smiled a little, "Well, given that the Light is stronger, probably you succeeded."

"I hope."

/

ALTERNATE TIMELINE

Imperial Palace

Imperial City

Coruscant

2 years later

"How do I look, Kid?" Han Solo asked, preening before the mirror.

"You look good, Han," Luke Skywalker stated, walking over to stare at the mirror. Both men were dressed up, and both definitely had somewhere to go.

"You don't need to worry about me, Luke," Han said abruptly.

Luke flushed slightly and lifted an eyebrow, "Me, worry?"

"I know you're worried, but you don't have to be. I admire your sister and we are surprisingly compatible. Not everyone gets a love story like you and Jade."

Luke huffed in frustration even as he turned away to stalk over to the window. Outside the Imperial Palace were crowds as far as his Force augmented eyesight could see. Everyone and his second cousin wanted to be here in Imperial City, the day that the Imperial Prince and Princess married their consorts.

"She bought you, Han," Luke said, his face turned away from his friend. "What kind of woman buys a husband?"

"Quite a price, though," Han drawled, swaggering over to stand next to the prince of the Empire. "The liberation of all the Wookiees on Kashyyyk and freedom for Wookiees throughout the galaxy. Chewie is my best friend. It's worth it to me."

Luke shook his head and then smiled sadly, "For all that I don't quite approve of Leia's methods in getting you to marry her, I have to say you are amazing for my sister. You started your acquaintance by insulting her, and you don't put up with any of her guff. She truly respects you, and she doesn't respect that many people. Plus your fights, while legendary, are also clearly enjoyable for both of you."

"She's not so bad, you know," Han said, his brow furrowed worriedly.

"Oh, I adore Leia," Luke explained quickly. "Finding her was finding the missing piece of me. I just ... I just want you two to be happy together, like Mara and I will be."

The door slid open and Darth Vader stepped into the room. On each side of him, hanging on a cyborg arm, was a gorgeous woman in her wedding finery – one brunette, one redhead.

Han Solo's lip twitched up on one side and he drank in the sight of Leia Vader, her brown eyes alight with excitement.

"I think we'll be very happy, Kid. Very very happy."