Chapter 28

Luke was stunned by this news. He asked Ahsoka why the Observers would pick Grand Admiral Thrawn.

"It seems that long ago, Thrawn and his people encountered Yuuzhan Vong scouts in the Unknown Regions. Which, out of all of us, makes Thrawn a key member given he has the most combat experience against the enemy,"

"From a strategic point of view, yes, it would make sense to have Thrawn involved!" Luke thought to himself as he continued to ponder this.

"If word got out about Thrawn being alive again, some politicians, military officials, or the Peace Brigade would want to capture him and use him as a barging offer to the Yuuzhan Vong or to gain power in some way."

After this, Luke asked Ahsoka another question.

"By chance, is Thrawn here at Endor?"

Ahsoka shook her head at this. "He isn't, and before you ask...we don't know where he is," she told him, which puzzled Luke.

"The Observers said that Thrawn would join us when the time was right," Ahsoka added.

Given that Thrawn tried to have his agents kidnap him and Leia during his campaign. Luke wondered how his family would take this news.

However, there was no point in worrying about this right now. Luke had other matters to discuss with Ahsoka.

"Ahsoka, I want to thank you for telling me about this. And I'm sure Han, Leia, and Mara will feel the same. Also, I'm guessing that my nephews and niece already know about this, correct?" he asked next.

"They do, and I'm sure they're probably telling their parents and Mara about this," Ahsoka replied calmly. Luke agreed with her.

"Now then, since you told me about your secret, it's time I told you one that I recently learned about. Something you may find interesting," Luke told Ahsoka, who became intrigued by this as she listened to what he had to say.

(Fifty Minutes Earlier)
Standing near the debriefing room, Juno, Bo, and Chewbacca patiently waited as they saw Ahsoka go inside to speak with Luke.

After waiting for about twelve minutes, the three saw the doorway open, which Ahsoka exited, but she wasn't alone as Luke came out next, along with a blue and white astromech droid.

"What's going on, why did Ahsoka leave?" Juno asked.

"I don't know, but maybe we can find out if we listen carefully," Bo suggested as she placed a device on the wall that allowed her to hear from the other side.

"Alright, let's see...okay, it sounds like the Solo kids are telling their parents about Ahsoka being a time traveler," Bo said first, then continued to listen.

"Hmm...it seems they are having a hard time believing this...and are trying to convince them it's true,"

On the other side of the door, Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin knew their family would have difficulty accepting this. This was followed by several questions being asked of them.

"If you three knew this, why keep it a secret?" Leia asked.

The three siblings nodded simultaneously after looking at each other for a bit. Anakin spoke first.

"It's not that we didn't want to tell you, Mom. It's just how could we explain that time travel is real. Had we said anything, you might think we were crazy," Anakin explained to his mother.

"Honey, we would never say this to any of you. We love you deeply and always will," Leia replied.

"This is true, kids, but this is a lot to take in. Time travelers, cosmic beings, it's like something out of a fairy tale," Han added with a skeptical look.

"You used to say the same thing about the Force dad. And now you're a believer just like us," Jacen stated. Han was about to say something, but Mara beat him to it.

"That may be, but do you have proof about this? Aside from what Artoo showed us before?" she asked the three, who wished they had an answer. Luckily, someone did have one.

"Mara, what you heard about Jedi Tano is true," Kira stated as she came forward after remaining quiet during this time.

"Kira, did you know about this as well?" Mara asked.

"About Ahsoka Tano being a time traveler, no. That was just as surprising to me as it was to you. However, what she said about being a Jedi and the student of Anakin Skywalker was true. I recalled this last night after we met. I planned to tell Master Skywalker earlier, but it seems that's not necessary anymore," the vixen explained.

After hearing this, everyone took in what Kira said, and the room went quiet. Afterward, Jaina spoke up, and she came over to her parents.

"Mom, Dad, I know this is a lot to take in. And trust me when I say this. I felt the same when I learned about Ahsoka's connection to our grandfather. And I'm sure Uncle Luke is feeling the same right now. But why don't we set that aside for now," Jaina suggested as she sensed someone outside the doorway. "Because you're about to see what we said is true, as you're about to meet one of the other time travelers."

Bo heard this outside the room and told Juno it was time to go inside. Juno pressed the button to open the door and entered.

Those inside watched as the blonde-haired woman with fair skin and blue eyes entered the room. They saw she wore an old Rebel Alliance officer's uniform, which got the attention of Leia, Han, and Mara, who wondered who she was.

Stopping before the group, the woman turned her attention to one member in particular. She smiled at Leia as she spoke to her.

"Hello, Leia; it's good to see you again, my friend!"

Blinking in surprise at first, Leia wondered who she was. Until Leia heard the woman's voice. Soon, the name came back to her. Which made her stunned at remembering it.

"J-Juno E-Eclipse, is that you?" She asked before standing up.

"Indeed, it is. And I know it's hard to believe. But seeing is believing," Juno replied as Leia looked at her with disbelief. Juno looked the same as when Leia last spoke with her decades ago.

For Leia, it felt like she saw a ghost from her past. But this person didn't look ghostly—she looked alive! This puzzled her, as it didn't make sense to the former princess.

"Mom, I know this is strange for you. But this person before you is your old friend. Who came here, along with others, to help us save the galaxy. So please, don't be afraid," Jaina told Leia as she brought her over to Juno, who offered her hand out.

At first, Leia was hesitant to accept this. But after seeing Jaina's look, which read, "It's okay," Leia decided to take a step forward and accepted Juno's hand.

"I-I don't know what to say?" That was all Leia could say after she let Juno's hand go.

"You don't need to say anything, my friend. I only ask that you hear what I say," Juno responded.

"Um, before you do that. Do you think you could introduce yourself first? Because I'm a little lost here?" Han asked next as he spoke up

Hearing this, Juno composed herself as she stood before those looking at her.

"My name is Juno Eclipse. I'm an old friend of Leia's, whom I met during the early years of the Rebel Alliance, where I served as one of its military officers," Juno said in a calm yet militaristic way.

"It's true, but before we get to that, Juno, I would like you to meet my family and friends," Leia interjected as she introduced her to Han, Mara, and Ben first, followed by Threepio and Kira last. When it came to the kids, the three said they had already met Juno.

After this, everyone sat down as Juno stood before them, and questions soon began.

"So, how did you and Leia meet?" Han asked first, curiously.

"Well, it's a long story, but let's stick with the short version for now. I was an Imperial Officer who held the rank of Captain for many years. But after I was declared a traitor, I defected from the Empire and joined the Rebellion when it was created. There, I met Leia and worked with her on several missions," Juno answered as she recalled these past events.

"Hmm, Leia, how come you never told me or Luke about this before?" Han asked Leia.

"The reason is that Juno and those with her disappeared sometime before the Battle of Yavin 4. The Alliance had their agents searching for them for months but couldn't find anything about their whereabouts. In the end, Rebel command assumed that Juno's group was either killed or captured by the Empire," Leia told him, then looked at Juno. "Of course, they never thought of time travel. But I am glad to know you're alive."

"Thanks, Leia. Now that I've told you about myself, I should tell you about the others next," Juno said.

She first spoke of Kota and Starkiller, which surprised Leia to learn they were involved. A part of her was glad to know General Kota was alive as well, but when it came to Starkiller, Leia felt conflicted. She was one of the few who knew about his connection to Darth Vader, which she never imagined would ever come up again. But sadly for Leia, the past seemed to catch up with her today.

"Starkiller? What kind of name is that?" Han wondered after hearing this.

"Well… it's the one that was given to him. You see, he was a young man captured by the Empire and trained in secret for many years. But that changed when Kota encountered him and began to help free him of the anger and hate inflicted upon him by showing him the way of the Jedi, which was a difficult road for Starkiller to take," Juno explained, using an alternative backstory instead of the truth at this time.

Leia hoped her family would believe this, as she knew later that she would have to tell them the truth about who Starkiller was. And luckily for her, they did, which made her mentally sigh in relief.

However, one person was puzzled by this. That was Mara.

"Given my time as the Emperor's hand, I would have known about this," Mara's inner voice said. "Then again, this Starkiller existence could have been hidden away by Vader. He had many secrets that have been forgotten or lost by now," she thought next.

"When I have the chance, I'll need to tell Luke this," Mara told herself, then went back to listening to Juno.

But she wasn't the only one deep in thought, as Kira was surprised to learn that another master of the old order was alive. And part of this time travel matter.

"Hmm...I wonder how Master Kota will feel when he learns that other Jedi are on Arkinnea?" the vixen wondered. But she would learn about that later. As she saw Juno, she stopped speaking at first and then continued.

"Now that I've told you about the first members. I should tell you about the others. But I would rather do this privately, as one of our members has been looking forward to seeing your husband again, Leia."

Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin knew who Juno was talking about, which made them nervous about how their father would react.
Han and Leia were curious about this, as they wondered who this being was and why they wanted to meet with Han privately.

"I'm sure you have questions about this. But I'm afraid they will have to wait. And our member would like you to respect his wishes to meet with Han alone," Juno seriously told everyone.

The adults wanted to rebut this. But Leia raised her hand to them.

"Everyone, we should do this. There is much I would like to ask Juno about, and I could use a cup of tea to calm my nerves," Leia told them.

"Same here. I could use a break while they talk," Mara added as she followed Leia and Juno out of the room with Ben, followed by Jacen, Jaina, Threepio, and Kira.

However, one person chose to stay behind, which Han noticed as he saw that Anakin was still there. He wondered why his son had decided to stay, but the door opened before he could ask. A large figure wearing a brown robe that covered the body entered the room. But soon, the robe came off, which showed them who it was.

Han's eyes widened as he saw it was a Wookiee—but not just any Wookiee, as this one appeared to be someone he knew.

Han felt like he was seeing a ghost. But this ghost looked and seemed real as the Wookiee approached him. Looking at him like he hadn't seen him in years, with those big eyes. Eyes that Han knew all too well. And he could only say this.

"Chewie?"

(Author's Message)
Wow, quite a lot has happened in this chapter. Luke learns that Grand Admiral Thrawn is involved with their new allies.

Leia is reunited with Juno Eclipse, whom she never expected to see again after so long. She learns that Rahm Kota and Starkiller are alive as well and is concerned about his connection to Darth Vader.

And the moment that many have been waiting for: the reunion of Han Solo and Chewbacca, with Anakin there to witness it.

How Han will react to this will be revealed in the next chapter.

Also sorry for the late delay's in getting the new chapter here. I've been busy the last month.

Until next time, May the Force be with You.