A/N: Lando is dead, Cloud City is destroyed and Leia begins her Jedi training under Yoda.
A/N:I don't own Star Wars: Infinities, nor the Empire Strikes Back novelisation.
There is Another Skywalker
Dagobah. 3 ABY.
The saucer-shaped Millennium Falcon was approaching the atmosphere of the Dagobah planet once out of hyperspace.
Both Han and Chewie were within the cockpit when the took a glimpse of the curved surface, covered with thick clouds. Han was surprised that they have actually managed to reach it. Dagobah was uncharted and unknown, unexplored. He did not know what kind of beasts lurked in the planet's wilderness nor were there any locals. He only knew that here lived the mysterious Jedi Luke mentioned before passing away back on Hoth. Yoda, he called him.
But since he knew nothing about this world, Han wondered maybe Luke misheard, or if this Yoda either left the planet or was already dead. Han shook his head. If so, then he would not be able to honour Luke's last request. He didn't want to think about this.
Solo observed the monitors and observed the readings. He weakly grinned. Now he understood why this Yoda chose Dagobah. Same reason they chose Hoth to build their rebel base. He wasn't picking up any cities or technology. Massive life-form readings, though.
"I never saw this coming," he finally spoke to his Wookie co-pilot. "who would have thought I'd become a Jedi?"
Chewbacca, sitting nearby, roared something in response.
"Actually, Chewie, I'm worried." Han admitting, sighing. "What if I don't have what it takes? What if it's all a mistake."
Just when the Corellian revealed his fears, C-3PO ran into the cockpit. "Captain Solo, please come quickly. There's something wrong with mistress Leia."
Concerned about the young princess, Han left the cockpit and found Leia sitting, with R2 nearby, and from the look on her face and her head resting on her arm, something wasn't right.
"I was overcome by terror, and then it disappeared… replaced by nothingness, like I was surrounded by a void…" Leia spoke.
"Probably just the past few days catching up with you." Han assumed as he sat beside Leia, putting a hand on her shoulder, which was still covered by shoulder pads of the white winter jacket she was still wearing from Hoth, just like Han still wearing his blue jacket.
"It's okay now." Han then added. "We're almost to Dagobah. Once we're there, you can rest."
Leia turned to him and smiled a bit. Despite their relationship, the two have become close following the recent events. Chewie then called for Solo and the Corellian had to leave the princess alone once again, passing by a panicking C-3PO.
The Falcon sailed through the white blanket of mists. Neither Han nor Chewie could see a thing because of the dense whiteness. The scopes weren't registering anything, even as they flew nearer and nearer to the planet's surface.
"I've got a bad feeling about this." Han muttered before the mist was gone, and the alien world was revealed to them. Before them they grotesque-looking trees with twisted trunks and roots and fog-shrouded swamps.
"Easy, Chewie. Watch those branches." Han warned the Wookie as they were landing when the Falcon broke a tree branch. Once finished, Han, Leia and Chewie came out of the ship, their blasters withdrawn. Dusk was approaching quickly. The sky above them was growing darker. A massive dark form was seen moving in the waters nearby. Distant feral cries were heard from the distant jungle. Leia shivered at the mere thought of what these animals looked like.
"Does anyone have an idea where we can find this Yoda?" Han asked, with the question being more rhetoric. He held his heavy blaster pistol ready to fire at any threat from the spooky swamp-jungle that surrounded them.
"Artoo says there are too many life-signs to distinguish the specific individual." C-3PO answered, though Solo did not seek his answer. "However," the golden droid pointed at a direction. "he does sense wood-smoke coming from four hundred metres ahead. It could be a settlement."
Well that's more like it, thought Han.
"Come on, Chewie. Let's check it out." he told his co-pilot as the Wookie clocked his weapon. When Leia decided to join them, Han stopped her.
"Maybe you should stay with the ship." he suggested, his voice full of worry. "My Force-sense tells me this place is dangerous."
Leia shook her head in defiance. "No, I'm coming with you. I don't why, but this place seems like… home."
Chewbacca interfered their conversation by roaring something, only for Han to answer that he doesn't think that Leia was part Wookie as he led the way.
"Look there." Han then said after he pushed some bushes aside.
Among the murky jungle, a little mud house stood on the edge of a dark lake. A fire was lit outside, and the three saw a tiny creature sitting before it. It had green skin and elfin, pointed ears with long, white hair hanging down the either side of the head. Its reptilian feet were folded. Grey rags were donned on it.
"Welcome, friends. Expecting you, I was." the creature suddenly spoke. With great effort, it stood up and leaning on the cane, approached the trio. To them it was clear that the creature was very old.
"Yoda I am." the creature greeted itself, and immediately after that, Chewbacca roared. Han looked at the Wookie stunned, as if his Chewie grew a third ear.
"What do you mean, long time no see?" he asked with a demanding tone. The Wookie roared to Han in response.
"What is he saying?" Leia asked, also shocked that Chewbacca knew who Yoda was all this time.
"He says that this Yoda helped him and his people defend Kashyyyk from the Separatists during the Clone Wars." Solo translated. Chewbacca then roared again.
"He says that he and his chieftain then helped Yoda escape the planet when the clones turned on the Jedi."
The two humans stared back at the Yoda.
"Train you, as a Jedi, I will." the old Jedi Master told them. "Although this is unforeseen. Expecting a different Skywalker, I was."
Both Han and Leia had their eyes widened in shock when Yoda's bulbous eyes stared directly at the princess.
"Me?" Leia asked incredulously before kneeling down to Yoda. "But I'm not a Skywalker."
"Mistaken, you are." Yoda replied calmly. "I knew your mother, you have her eyes. She gave birth to twins. Luke was your brother. Strong is the Force with your family. With you and your father… Darth Vader."
Stunned, Leia stared with disbelief at the tiny elder and then pulled away at this revelation. Han had the same emotions. She felt the same thing when the Death Star blew up her home planet of Alderaan. For three years, Luke idolized his father, whom he had never known; Anakin Skywalker – Jedi Knight and hero of the Clone Wars. There was no way that Anakin Skywalker was Darth Vader, the most malevolent person in the galaxy after the Emperor. And there was no way that he could be her father.
"No," Leia breathed out, refusing to believe this. "That's not true… that's impossible."
Yoda, however, did not respond to that as Han began objecting that he was the chosen one, as Luke said it, and he should be trained as Jedi not Leia. Han also demanded how is that possible that the infamous dark lord Darth Vader was the father of both Luke and Leia.
"How?" Leia asked, bewildered and horror-stricken. Yoda still did not respond as Han leaned close to Leia.
"You can't do this, Leia!" Han told the princess, holding her. "Your place is at the head of the Rebellion. They need you! The pond-hopper here's feeding you lies!"
Leia wanted to agree with Han. She did not want to believe this. But deep inside, she knew it was the truth. And there was nothing she could do about it, other than accept it.
"No, Han." Leia answered softly. "Yoda's telling the truth. I can feel it. Luke's message was for me all along. It's going to be okay."
"But the Rebellion needs you." Han continued to argue. "I need you and it's not safe here."
"Safer with Jedi Master Yoda she will be than with a death-marked scoundrel like you." Yoda interfered into their conversation much to Han's annoyance.
"Hey! How do you know about the bounty on my head?"
"Jedi, I am. Remember?" Yoda simply answered his question, chuckling at the Corellian. "Now come, I have prepared food."
Finally realizing that they were hungry, Han, Leia and Chewie couldn't agree more than to have dinner as they followed Yoda through the small hole leading into the Jedi's hut just as raining began. Somehow, the three managed to squeeze inside the mud house.
Hours later, the four once again stood outside the hut as Han and Chewie were preparing to depart, much to Leia's sadness.
"He's right though." Han told Leia. "I need to get rid of this death mark both for my sake and yours."
"Will you come back?" Leia asked desperately. They may have argued many times during those three years, but they were still friends. She already lost Luke, the one who was her brother all this time, and she could not lose Han too.
"I promise I will be safe and return alive."
"Oh Han." Leia, to Han Solo's surprise, threw herself at the Corellian, embracing him. Han eagerly returned the hug.
"You take care of her." Han turned to Yoda as he held the young princess.
"Worry not. She will be safe." Yoda assured the smuggler. Leia then watched with sadness and despair as both Han and Chewbacca, the closest people she ever had after her parents, Bail and Breha Organa, and her brother Luke, left deep into the jungle, back to the Millennium Falcon. She then heard their ship's engines roaring before seeing a flash of light above the high trees as the Falcon lifted off, back into the endless ocean of stars. Her thoughts were disturbed by Yoda's voice.
"Much we must do. Train hard, you will. It will be difficult."
Leia still stood there, not noticing as the old Jedi master retreated into his hut, and returned later.
"You will face darkness and trial. But strong you must be, for now all rests on your fate." Yoda continued. "Next time you see your friends… a Jedi you will be."
With that, Leia turned to Yoda and saw him holding what seemed to be a lightsaber, offering it to Leia. Hesitantly taking the weapon from Yoda, Leia ignited it and a blue-coloured blade illuminated the jungle of Dagobah.