Death Star
In orbit around Alderaan
"Dantooine," Leia Organa admitted, her head bowing in submission. "They're on Dantooine."
"There, you see, Lord Vader? I told you she could be reasonable. Continue with the operation, you may fire when ready."
"What?!" Princess Leia cried out in horror.
"You're far too trusting," Governor Wilhuff Tarkin said condescendingly. "Dantooine is too remote …"
There was a sudden clunk and before Tarkin could react, before he could even think, a very hard fist impacted on his chin with sufficient force that he crashed into the floor with burning meteorites flashing across his vision. A moment later, he felt someone grasp one arm hard even as a blaster was shoved into his neck.
"Get up, Tarkin," a familiar feminine voice hissed.
Wilhuff Tarkin obeyed in a state of shock — shock which was not diminished at all by the sight which met his bulging eyes. To one side, huddled against a wall, was Princess Leia Organa, whose hands were now free. On the other side, a red maned woman was competently blocking blaster shots with a lightsaber and chopping troopers and officers into pieces. Last of all, Darth Vader, Darth Vader, was locked in combat with a young, black clad blond male whose flashing green lightsaber was blocking Vader's red one beat for beat. What. In. The. Galaxy!
There was the sudden sound of a blaster going off and Tarkin winced as the shot whizzed past his chin and impacted on an instrument panel. His captor spoke loudly and authoritatively, "Lord Vader, you will stop this fight or I'll blow Tarkin's head off."
"Do it, Vader," Tarkin ordered with a slight quaver. The Sith hesitated, then took a step back from his opponent, who also took a step back. Both men left their lightsabers buzzing. Tarkin noted with dismay that all the officers and guards were dismembered heaps on the floor and the exit doors panels were sparking, which meant that it would be challenging for troops to come to their rescue. Not that they should need rescue, exactly, with Vader here, but this threesome was clearly trouble.
"Leia?" the blond said in surprise.
"Luke!" the woman at his back said incredulously, "what am I doing here?"
"I have no idea."
"I'll take Tarkin," the redhead stated coldly, stepping closer and grabbing Tarkin's arm. The Moff stumbled obediently after her and found himself forced down into a chair, where he turned his eyes onto the woman who had hit him in the mouth.
His mouth gaped open in astonishment. The woman was short, dark haired, gorgeous, and clearly very pregnant. She also looked like an older version of ... of ... Princess Organa.
"What are you doing, Emperor's Hand?" Vader demanded angrily of Mara. "How did you get in here?"
Mara stared at Vader and rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Really? We have to deal with you again?"
"Where are we?" Luke asked in a puzzled tone.
"Death Star control room," Leia explained succinctly.
"That's Alderaan," Mara declared grimly, lifting her hand to point out the viewscreen.
Luke turned slightly now, though he kept 80% of his attention on his father. The girl huddled against a wall, eyes wide in disbelief, was so familiar and yet …
"Who are you?" 19 year old Princess Leia demanded in confusion. "How did you get here?"
Luke sighed and took a few more steps away from Vader, though he was sure to stay between the Sith and his wife and sister.
"That's a great question with a complicated answer," he said patiently. "My name is Luke and I'm from 9 years in the future. This is my wife, Mara, who in this time is still a hapless slave to the Emperor and this, young Leia, is ... um ... old Leia."
"Thanks, Luke," Leia said with a smile.
As two Leias gazed at one another, the younger Leia shook her head, "Time travel is …"
"Impossible," Darth Vader boomed coldly. "Absolutely impossible."
Older Leia glared at her biological sire, "Yeah, we've heard it all before. Every single time we travel through time and meet you, you say the same thing. It is so tedious. It is not impossible. We've done it a number of times. I just don't get what I am doing here. I am 6 months pregnant with twins! I am not exactly at my fighting best."
"Obviously, the Force wanted you here," Luke murmured.
Leia frowned hideously and then her face relaxed a little, "I didn't realize how much I wanted to sock old Tarkin in the jaw. That was fun."
"Who are you?" Darth Vader demanded, stalking a step closer. "No one of your power should be alive in the galaxy and a pathetic devotee to the Light. It is impossible."
"I'm Luke Skywalker," Luke said simply.
Darth Vader froze in shock even as Tarkin gasped aloud.
"Skywalker?" Tarkin muttered feebly.
"Impossible!" Vader croaked aloud.
"Not impossible," Leia said sternly. "Anakin Skywalker married Padme Amidala Naberrie at the beginning of the Clone Wars. She conceived his progeny and successfully delivered before tragically dying in childbirth. Anakin Skywalker, being a complete moron, turned to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader. And Vader, you did not kill your wife on Mustafar, though that loathsome Lahn-rat you call a Master told you that you did."
Vader actually wavered slightly and took a step back, "Impossible!"
"You keep using that word," Mara said drily. "I do not think it means what you think it means."
"You mean that you … you are Darth Vader's son?" Younger Leia asked incredulously, her eyes horrified.
"Yeah, unfortunately," Luke said. "But while I am a very strong Force Sensitive like he is, I'm a decent fellow, if I do say so myself. Vader is the black shaak in the family. Mom was a devotee of democracy, and my sister and I are both completely committed to the New Republic and the Light Side of the Force."
"Sister?!" Vader asked feebly.
"New Republic?" Younger Leia asked in confusion.
"Yes, Padme bore you twins," Luke explained, his gaze switching between his alter father and his alter sister, "and we do destroy the Emperor and the Empire eventually. Unfortunately in our timeline, Alderaan is destroyed. So I guess we're here to keep that from happening. I must admit I'm getting a little tired of blowing up the Death Star but duty calls."
Younger Leia cast a worried look at her precious planet and looked at the time travelers hopefully, "So you think you can destroy the Death Star?"
"Yes," Luke said thoughtfully, glancing around, "though I'm not exactly sure what the procedure will be this time around. As usual, we have to cope with our maniac of a father."
Vader was actually shaking slightly, his left hand fisted tightly, his right hand clutching his lightsaber as a drowning man clasps a rope, "Is it true? Did … did Padme truly live to give birth?"
"Um, yeah, it's true," Luke said sympathetically, "You can see that I look so much like Anakin, though I have our mother's height. And Leia is the very image of Padme, isn't she?"
A full sixty seconds went by as Vader, young Leia, and Tarkin grappled with the enormity of this statement.
"No," the younger girl cried out, her eyes now on Vader. "No! He … he …"
"Tortured you, I know," older Leia said compassionately, waddling over and putting a gentle arm around her younger self. "He totally sucks convor eggs as a parent. Thankfully we had Bail and Breha and they were great. But yeah, I'm afraid Darth Vader is our biological father. We're sorry."
"We hate dumping that on you," Luke said compassionately, "but Vader showed in our timeline that as totally screwed up as he is, he is actually quite attached to his family. It's a very Tatooine thing."
"Tatooine?" Younger Leia and Vader repeated, the former in confusion and the latter with loathing.
"Yes, I grew up on Tatooine," Luke explained. "Last place you'd look for a stray son, right? It is a disgusting place — sand, and wind, and heat, and more sand."
"Sand is rough and coarse and irritating and gets everywhere," the Sith fumed.
"But, on Tatooine, family is important. In my timeline, you spent the next four years serving Palpatine with slavish devotion, only to finally kill the old rancor when he tried to kill me. Those four years didn't exactly improve your relationship with your children, which obviously was off to a rocky start anyway since you tortured your daughter. So I would suggest that instead of wasting all that time, you just decide to join the Rebellion and turn back to the Light now, not later."
"Vader," Tarkin said feebly. "This is nonsense, you must see that. Alderaan must be destroyed and these individuals, whomever they are …"
"It is impossible to turn back to the Light," Vader interrupted. "Impossible."
"That seems to be your favorite word," Luke said, eyebrows raised. "I didn't know that. Anyway, it is not impossible because I saw you do it. In my timeline, you killed the Emperor, saved my life, turned back to the Light in the process and died tragically in my arms. It was very sad because for all that you are a walking cyborg disaster, I truly love you."
"Vader!" Tarkin snarled.
Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, reached out a hand and snapped Wilhuff Tarkin's neck like a twig. The man fell onto the floor in a heap of limbs and Mara lowered the blaster which she'd been holding at his neck.
"Very well," Darth Vader said gravely. "What should we do?"
Luke and Leia exchanged shocked looks and Luke shook his head, "Just like that?"
"You tell me that my children are alive, that I did not … not kill my wife," Vader returned, his vocoder tight with suppressed anguish. "You tell me that in the future, I turned back to the Light. That seems impossible to me but I do, at least, wish to be on the side of my family."
"What about the Emperor?" Younger Leia demanded coldly. "You have been completely loyal to him for decades, Lord Vader."
"I hate him," the Sith hissed suddenly. "I hate him! He manipulated me, he lied to me, he used me and he harmed me. Now that I know the truth about ... about Padme, about my children, I want him dead as quickly and thoroughly as possible."
Luke blinked and nodded, "Well, Ok then. Let's come up with a plan."
/
