And again the Solo family and Tsavong Lah are standing at the Mon Cala spaceport. This time they are waiting for Tenel Ka. A Hapan ship lands and Tenel Ka and Khalee Lah emerge hand in hand. Jacen immediately notices the new radank arm that Tenel Ka now wears on the stump of her left arm.

Tenel Ka first hugs her friend Jaina, then turns to her twin brother. "You seem a little ... worn out, Jacen."

"Yeah, yeah, being imprisoned by the Yuuzhan Vong ... That's still haunting me."

"That may be true, but it's not just your thoughts that betray you." Tenel Ka raises the thumb of her Radankhand. "I think it's because of this."

"You said back then that you never wanted to have a replacement," Jacen spouts reproachfully.

Tenel Ka smiles sheepishly. "Well, I changed my mind. And no one has ever offered me such an organic replacement before."

Jacen makes a face. "Yes, if that's the case."

The young Jedi takes a few steps aside because now Tsavong Lah also wants to greet his son. "Harrar once told me you perished."

"Well, father, the technological device that was supposed to kill me failed. And so here I am."

Tsavong Lah thinks about it. "You have successfully completed many missions since then, I heard. And I see," he says, looking sideways at Tenel Ka, "you have successfully completed another mission."

"I'm here," Khalee Lah repeats, "just like you. And I think now it's time for you to finally spend time with me like father and son usually do in this galaxy."

"And who is the young lady with the radank arm?" the Warmaster wants to know.

Khalee Lah's ragged lips curl into a proud smile. "Her name is Tenel Ka and she is a Jeedai and my fiancée."

"This is all disgusting!" Jacen complains loudly in the direction of Tenel Ka. "Your friend Jaina is with a man who is so old that even my grandmother Padmé would have been at a suitable age for him…" he takes a deep breath and looks at his sister, "And so you will soon be Tenel Ka's stepmother-in-law, almost as if you had really married Isolder!"

Jaina grins. "Yeah, brother, it's true that I said something like that two months ago. But… well, what can I say… Isolder was just too young for me, you know?"

Tenel Ka giggles.

"The family idyll of the New Jedi Order is far too familiar for me," says Vergere. "There was nothing like this in the time of the Old Republic!"

"You're just jealous, Vergere, because you never had a real family," says Mara Jade.

"You only accuse me of envy because you feel envy yourself," counters Vergere. "This is a legacy of Palpatine, isn't it?"

"This isn't about me," Mara avoids the verbal attack. "This is about Jacen, who's been in your captivity..."

"I was his teacher and without me he would never have returned to you!" Vergere interrupts energetically.

Mara sees Jacen nod, but continues. "So Jacen had a very difficult time under you as his master. And since he arrived here, he has experienced new disappointments and absurdities. He has been told that he has a very important destiny to fulfill and now it turns out that all the problems in this galaxy suddenly evaporate into thin air and he is ... once again misunderstood and alone."

"Do you feel misunderstood and alone, Jacen?" Vergere asks her protégé with a wink.

"How could I feel alone and misunderstood as long as you are with me, Vergere," Jacen says with conviction.

Luke gives Mara a warning look. "I've always told you that Jacen is very allergic to such sounding words as fate fulfillment and the like, Mara. Now he has clearly taken Vergere's side."

"Aunt Mara is right," says Jacen and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. "I must fulfill my destiny."

Vergere straightens. "Then make up your mind and act."

Jacen draws his lightsaber and charges towards Mara. "You always liked Anakin much better than me," he accuses his aunt.

Luke Skywalker shudders. Should he stand in his nephew's way? That's actually how he always did it, back then on the Second Death Star with the Emperor, later on Wayland to opposite Joruus C'baoth and... he can't think of anything else right now. If he intervenes now to stop his nephew, he would have to carry this out to a potentially bitter end. What's more, he could fall into darkness himself. But wouldn't the darkness also come if he were left a widower? Would he then even be acceptable for Ben as a father? Sure, Leia would love to take Ben as her foster son, especially after losing Anakin. Then again, Jacen is right. Throughout her life, Mara had always taken more care of Anakin, the youngest child, while Jacen mostly played with his sister - or with the droid nanny. Luke shudders to think what Tsavong Lah might think about the latter option.

He remembers that Vader had hesitated for just as long as the Emperor had grilled him, Luke, with his Force lightning on the Second Death Star. In desperation he kept calling out: "Father! … Father! ... but Vader had taken his time until ... what will Mara think of him now if he hesitates even a moment longer? His wife has certainly already passed her damning judgment on him. The additional millisecond no longer matters. On the other hand: Vader probably thought the same way back then, but that was wrong. Luke Skywalker believed in the good in Vader until the end. And so will Mara... before the black despair finally overcomes her.

"Stop!" The voice belongs to Han Solo and the veteran duelist stands in the way of his now only son.

Jacen forgets about Mara and points the green blade at his father's chest. Luke is relieved for a moment, but that's not what he wanted. On the other hand, there are so many Jedi present here at the spaceport ... and so do Yuuzhan Vong. Why should he, Luke Skywalker, always decide everything? Why doesn't anyone do anything?

"Vergere, just do something!" Luke hears his twin sister's voice reach his ears as if from a distance. "Stop him!"

"Why?" Vergere asks calmly. "Everything is going exactly according to my plan."

This sentence from Vergere goes through Luke like a blast of fire... and releases him from the paralysis of bewilderment. "Your plan? Vergere, what did you actually teach Jacen on Coruscant?"

"What a stupid question, young master," Vergere snorts. "You'd better ask what Jacen is going to do next."

The green lightsaber tip trembles in front of Han Solo's chest. "I know what I have to do," Jacen spits between clenched jaws. "But I don't know if I have the strength to do it – or not to do it."

"Do it!" says Vergere.

"Are you saying I should do it or not?" asks Jacen.

Vergere's voice sounds like a bright bell across the spaceport. "Make a decision and act!"

Khalee and Tsavong Lah throw themselves at Jacen and knock him down. Tenel Ka wrests the lightsaber from him with her new radank claw and the green blade goes out.

"Very good," says Vergere and applauds.

"Oh, suddenly!" Luke snaps at the little Fosh.

The two Yuuzhan Vong and Tenel Ka let go of Jacen and he gets up. "It was all just a show to check whether the Lahs were okay," Jacen says with a grin to Mara and his father.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Luke asks his nephew reproachfully.

"Just because you and Aunt Mara were clueless, it worked and was able to seem believable."

"Oh!", Han's sarcastic voice chimes in, "and the fact that I was ignorant was probably irrelevant."

Luke looks at Vergere in horror. "You planned it like that? What's next?"

Vergere folds her yellow hands in front of her lap. "First of all, the NRI has another few boring questions for me."

"I think it's unfair," explains Jacen. "Vergere was serving Tsavong Lah at the time and he has now defected. So what else does the secret service want from her?"

"Especially since I have never met the Overlord Shimrra in person," Vergere adds.

Luke looks at little Fosh searchingly. Once again, he can't find any flaws in Vergere's reasoning, but he still doesn't feel comfortable trusting her. Yoda never spoke of Vergere on Dagobah. Was there a reason for that?

It is his wife who breaks the uncomfortable silence. "It's true that I mostly cared more about Anakin than about you, Jacen. I'll make it up to you now," Mara promises her nephew.

Jacen narrows his eyes. "That's a good thing for you to say, now that Anakin is dead."

Leia slaps her son. "Now that's unfair!"

A golden touch of joy spreads over Jacen's gaunt face. "I accept this benevolently, Aunt Mara, but no one has to take care of me anymore."

Han Solo pats his son on the shoulder. "I'm so proud of you, Jacen. You're almost as good an actor as I am."

Now Jacen has to laugh: "Almost?"

Leia strokes Jacen's dark hair and glances sideways at Tenel Ka, who has returned to her fiancé's side. "And at some point you too will find your private happiness, I promise you that."

Jacen waves her off and gives his mother a smile in which Leia reads understanding and forgiveness. Did she say something wrong?

Her son turns back to the others who are standing in a loose semicircle around him. His expression is as relaxed and calm as one could imagine a Jedi being, but also filled with the deepest determination. "And a hero as hardened and versatile as me has no need to chase after any pairing. I am enough for myself."

Mara and Luke look at each other in surprise at these words.

"Jacen," Luke finally says. "So you've left all self-doubt and fear behind you, congratulations!"

Jacen nods gracefully, then sits cross-legged and folds his hands in front of his chest. He lowers his head and his face is filled with an expression of deep contemplation. His seated body rises and remains suspended cross-legged about three meters above the ground.

The golden glow that initially only played around his face now completely envelops Jacen and the floating Jedi speaks the following words: "I am one with the Force and the Force is one with me. And as long as it stays that way, I can maintain or restore balance in this galaxy, just like my grandfather before me."

Vergere's yellow, wide mouth twists into a smile. "That's exactly my Jacen!"

"Jacen," Luke says. "You don't have to do this alone. After all, I am Vader's son and can help you maintain the balance."

Everyone looks at the gold-plated Jacen and waits for an answer, when the golden aura suddenly goes out and Jacen falls to the ground.

"Ouch!" says Jacen and looks at Tsavong Lah. "What a delicious pain."

The Warmaster extends a hand to Jacen and the Jedi takes it to let himself be pulled up. "Thank you, Warmaster. That's very polite."

Tsavong Lah smiles. "No problem."

Jacen approaches his uncle and picks up his lightsaber again. The golden joy and serenity have completely drained from his face. Luke shudders at the dark feelings that suddenly wash over him from his nephew. And then Jacen also speaks: "So you, as Vader's son, want to help me, right? You, who previously hesitated so long to help his wife and then his brother-in-law?"

Luke decides to forgive Jacen for this slip-up and make the best of it. He smiles mischievously. "Well, that was exactly Vergere's plan. You wouldn't want to doubt Vergere's wisdom, Jacen."

Jacen lets retreat the green plasma beam back into its hilt and grins boyishly. All the darkness that Luke felt in Jacen just a short time ago is gone again, as if it never existed. "No, of course not, Uncle Luke, but this little reprimand had to be done."

"Besides, there's only one person who can judge Luke Skywalker," Tsavong Lah chimes in, "and that's his twin sister."

Han and Leia's jaws drop at this announcement, but Tsavong Lah gives them an amused smile. "It was just a joke."

Han Solo bursts out laughing. "So now you know what humor is, Warmaster. But that one was really good too!"

Leia pinches her husband's side. "If you keep doing this, I will judge you. But first I'll kiss Lowbacca so that it really hurts you too."

Han beams at his wife. "And that's exactly why I love you so much."

Vergere winks at the Warmaster. "Honestly, I never thought I'd actually lead you and Jacen together."

Tsavong Lah nods. "Nom Anor would certainly have been happy about Maras Jade's death, but I would have been absolutely disappointed in Jacen."

"Serving the New Republic and helping the Jedi is a matter of absolute honor for us Lah!" Khalee Lah seconds his father. "Every Jedi life saved, oh what am I saying, every life saved at all, is a smile from the gods who shower their favor and benevolence on those who strive and live in their noble path."

Tears of emotion well up in Tsavong Lah's eyes. "Grandpa Czulkang will be happy if you tell him that, my son. You'll pick him up from the spaceport later, right?"

"It goes without saying, father."

Tsavong gives Jaina another kiss. "Now I have to go, love. The meeting of the High Council begins in fifteen minutes."

Kyp Durron strolls around the corner. "Well then we can go together, buddy planet killer."

The two men high-five and walk away with Luke Skywalker.