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Chapter 21

The Millennium Falcon's cockpit felt unusually silent, despite the soft sounds of engines. Han Solo leaned back in the pilot's seat, legs over the dashboard. His mind was still reeling from everything. He didn't know which felt stranger: Skywalker, who claimed to know him from another timeline, or realizing that Darth Vader — yep that Darth Vader — had been accompanying him the whole time.

And he seemingly removed that black mechanical suit of many's nightmares. A human instead of a machine now...

Now, the scoundrel was faced with challenges; more so the fact that the Princess and... Jedi was Vader's child. After all, how could two simple men enter Jabba The Hutt's fortress and return, alive? Even if they were lethal bounty hunters, that wouldn't have been able to explain Bossk and Zuckuss dropping dead as they did throughout the onslaught.

"None of this makes any sense, Chewie," Han grumbled, running a hand over his forehead. "One minute we're just helpin' some crazy nutcases in the hope of gettin' out, lookin' for a quick score to pay off Jabba, and now we're dealin' with time travelers and Sith Lords turnin' into heroes."

Chewbacca, sitting beside him, let out a low, thoughtful growl.

"Yeah, I don't know what to make of this Luke guy," Han continued. "I mean, he'd charged in Jabba's palace and killed him. He also is sayin' his father is Darth Vader. And yet—" Han stopped, shaking his head, "the guy seems... good. Genuine, even. But I doubt it's the same with Vader. I still feel the guy sucking the temperature out of the room."

Chewie snarled a sharp response, reminding Han that Luke had reinforced his story about knowing things that no one else should know besides them.

"I know, I know," Han stated, caressing the back of his neck. "That's the part I can't get over. Vader ain't have a reason to be helpin' us now beside from Luke. And Luke... well, I guess he's the reason for that. Still, I ain't a betting man like Lando, buddy. Time travel, galactic wars, Emperor's Enforcer... it's too much."

Chewbacca allowed a soft, thoughtful growl, pointing out that Luke seemed to care about the people around him genuinely.

Han glanced at his Wookiee co-pilot. "You think he actually cares about me, heh? I mean, we just met."

Chewie rumbled an affirmative, explaining in his own way that Luke didn't treat Han like just another smuggler or stranger that he'd met from a shady. He acted like he knew everything about Han as if there was some kind of history. Did he and his alternative become friends? He knew he was crazy, but he actually believed the kid was telling the truth.

"That's the crazy part," Han muttered. "The kid's talkin' about how we're supposed to be this good team, like he's counting on me for something. But how do I trust that? And Vader—I ain't so sure about this, Chewie. You and me, we don't get involved in family dramas; the Falcon is home."

Chewbacca gave a deep, low snarl, almost as if to remind Han that they'd gotten involved in crazier situations before. One of his reminders of an event not too long ago made Solo groan.

"Oh, I hope ths ain't going to be another Undead Troopers experience," Solo grumbled. Last time he'd checked, Zahara and Trig had settled down and taken it easy. But it had been a while, and well, lots of things had happened in that time.

Chewie mewed, this time in slight laughter.

"Yeah, but this is different," Han replied, receiving a growl of wonder. "I doubt Vader is anything but dangerous. He ain't got no reason but to hijack the Falcon or something crazy and we'll be powerless to stop the coot. But come on, we're talking about Vader here. The guy apparently hunted down Jedi, destroyed entire fleets, shattered Jabba's power structure, and now I'm supposed to trust him because his son, who's a time traveler, says it'll all work out?"

Chewie grumbled thoughtfully.

Han stopped and sighed. "Maybe. But what does that mean for us? If we stick with the kid, we're bound to be tangled up in this mess. There's a part of me that wants to walk away from all of it. Collect our credits and go. Let the kid handle his father and all this future nonsense on his own."

Chewbacca growled, raising an invisible, unimpressed eyebrow in his direction.

"Don't look at me like that. I haven't time-traveled."

A teasing growl followed.

"Yes, I'm sure. I doubt I would be the same person I am now. This ain't lasting forever." Now, he wondered... "Hmph, who do you think I turned out to be?" Han became thoughtful. Did his future self bury himself in smuggling or another occupation? Perhaps he was lucky enough to end up like Lando and own a residence of his own surrounded by a big expanse of nothingness.

He did think about the outcome of Jabba killing him. Perhaps the Hutt got to him after they'd become friends, and the kid had to witness his death. Han had seen things like that before.

Luke had already saved an entire planet from slavery and framed it on the Empire, and there was something about the kid that tugged at Han's sense of responsibility, even if the smuggler didn't want to admit it.

Han turned and looked at his old friend, shaking his head with a half-grin. "You're right. I'm already in too deep, aren't I?"

Chewbacca barked in agreement, a triumphant laughter in his tone.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't rub it in," Solo replied with a smile. "Look, I don't trust Vader, but I trust you. And maybe... maybe Luke's got something that can help up. If he can convince a guy like Vader to save a planet, maybe he's worth sticking around for. But if they, especially Vader, start breathing down my neck, we're jumpin' from one star system to another when they're not lookin' because I ain't takin' chances with Vader."

Chewbacca nodded in agreement and allowed a small snarl.

Han sat back down in the pilot's seat, fingering the console absently. "Alright, let's keep an eye on them. The kid might need more help than he's lettin' on, especially with Vader around. Besides, who knows? Maybe it can be fun. It could be good business for us."

Chewbacca rumbled a soft chuckle, and Han followed suit.

"Yeah, maybe we'll even make a few credits along the way."

He was going to make Jabba roll around wherever the hell he'd ended up after death.

On one of the high platforms of the Organa's palace, Beru Whitesun was in awe of Alderaan. Before, she never understood the appeal of leaving Tatooine. It was a harsh and strict life, but not entirely unbearable. Tatooine just required a community to survive. She'd gotten a good look at travelers who visited the planet sparsely and them being better looking for their age despite some being older than both her and Owen. Kark, even Kenobi...

It felt like she was getting younger. Somehow, despite being 45, the aches in her joints were more bearable, and she wondered just what further physical effects, if any, of being away from Tatooine would welcome. She was once considered one of the most beautiful girls on Tatooine. Like all those girls who didn't have the fortune or wish to leave early, the twin suns showed no mercy to her skin and she seemed older than she actually was wow.

She sighed and allowed the wind to course through her body.

Suddenly, footsteps approached, and she felt hands on her waist. For a brief moment, she was taken back in time to that hopeful girl wanting kids of her own. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.

"Thinking, my love?" he inquired softly.

"Yes, about all of this," Beru replied.

Owen nodded. "I didn't realize the galaxy was this vast. I thought it was just... dangerous."

They waited in silence, taking in the beautiful mountains from afar. Who knew there was so much green and blue in the galaxy?

"I'm still so glad to see you and Luke rekindling." Her face became pained. "But I'm still worried about him."

"I know, I've seen it too," Owen sighed, his sadness audible. "He's trying his hardest, but he's struggling. He has seen things that he needs to talk about more..." He swallowed. "I... I always wanted to protect him, but I can't do that alone as I should be able to."

"But you can still offer your own help, honey. Vader wants to help him. Leia does as well, I imagine." She stated hopefully. "We have to remember that he knows about his parents despite us never bringing it up."

Owen's grip relaxed. He seemed weaker than usual. He sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly, as though the decades of hard work under the twin suns had finally caught up to him.

"I thought we were doing the right thing, keeping him away from all that nonsense," Owen murmured, his voice clogged with loss. "I thought keeping Luke safe meant keeping him hidden. Away from the old wizard, away from the Empire. But I didn't think about what that would do to him. To his future."

Beru turned in his arms, reaching up to tenderly cup his chin. She observed him with the same soft affection she'd always given him. She'd imagined Luke didn't either. "We did what we thought was right, my love. We've given him a childhood, an opportunity to be normal. But Luke was never meant for a simple life. You understood that as well as I did. We just didn't want to admit that."

Owen's lips pressed into a tight line, and he looked away, eyes casting over Alderaan. The rolling green hills and the crystal blue waters. On Tatooine, water was borderline inaccessible and a pain to get. Here, it seemed easy to access. They both found that out when they were given water the first night.

"I knew it," Owen confessed softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "But that didn't stop me from trying. Every day, I hoped that if I made him work hard enough, if he was hidden, he could keep out of all this mess." he laughed as he thought of lost wishes. "Maybe he'd grow up and take over the farm. Maybe he'd marry a local girl, have a family, and live a normal life. At least, as normal as possible."

Beru smirked sadly, understanding how much Owen had longed for that simpler life for their nephew. It had been a fantasy, one conceived out of love and protection, but it was only that. A fantasy. Luke was tied to something bigger than any of them could have imagined.

"You wanted him safe," Beru replied gently. "I wanted that too. But we can't change what he's meant to be. Luke was always going to find his way to the stars, whether we liked it or not. And n... now we have to do our part, even if it's going to be different."

Owen rubbed a hand over his face, frustration creeping into his features. "It's not just that, Beru. It's all of it. We're here, having to leave behind our home to stay with our boy. And the man we met only in passing, who has apparently been terrorizing the galaxy for years is now supposedly an ally. How can we get through all of this?"

Beru's face tightened slightly, understanding Owen's fear. She had shared it, at least at first. The idea of working with Darth Vader, a figure who cast fear through everything that crossed him, was unbearable. But she knew Anakin Skywalker; the kind, handsome young Jedi Padawan traveling with a woman he clearly loved in the desert, hoping to find his mother.

"I've seen the way Luke stares at him," Beru retorted, her voice steady. "Vader may have done horrible, monstrous things, but there's more to him now. Whether he admits it or not, he's trying to be better. Luke believes in him, and that means we need to give him a chance too."

Owen nodded slowly. "I want to believe Anakin Skywalker is still in there, but we can't be too sure, my love."

"I'm not saying we forget what he's done," Beru replied, her tone soft but understanding. "People can change, Owen. And if there's one person who can help Vader find that change, it's Luke. He's already convinced him to save Alderaan and wipe out Jabba and the slavers in Mos Espa, leading to war with the Empire that he once stood for. That has to mean something."

Owen shook his head, his suspicion evident. "I don't know. He's so clinical and bitter now."

Beru reached out and took his hands in hers. "I know it's hard. And I know it's dangerous. But what other option do we have? I'm not leaving my baby."

"Neither am I," Owen replied immediately, staring down at their intertwined hands, his thumb brushing over her fingers absently. He wanted to trust her and Luke. But years of surviving in a harsh environment had left him wary. He had spent so long keeping Luke hidden from the dangers of the galaxy, and now it felt like those dangers were closer than ever.

It occurred to him that he had never truly gotten over Shmi Skywalker's death. While he'd grown to accept it as a reality and that the only mother figure in his life was mowed down by a bunch of barbarians, he had never been able to get over the fact that it happened that way. He didn't think he ever would.

"You really think we can help him?" Owen inquired quietly.

"I do," Beru replied softly. "We're his family. In this time, Luke needs people who love him and can be by his side. He's carrying the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders, and he's doing it because he believes in a better future. We can help him get there."

"I will follow him into death if I have to."

They both would...

Short of her intended destination, Winter noticed two teenagers closer than certainly meant to be.

"Alana, Mina..."

The somewhat stocky and short young adult was Alana. Her companion who she had found strong feelings for was Mina. She physically resembled Leia and had long dark hair.

"Oh, Winter, we're just..."

Winter fought a smile as she maintained her strict expression. She knew many feared her because of her stoicism, but in reality, that was only necessary when she was officially on duty. Leia had been trying to get her not to be so "stuck up" as she put it and it actually worked. She had a feeling that Leia's handmaidens were closer to each other the more they worked together.

"Don't have to explain your relationship with me. I doubt the Princess will care either," she shrugged, "but remember you have to maintain a professional relationship when the situation calls for it."

"Yes, Winter," both of the younger women nodded in respect.

Winter found Luke in the gardens on Alderaan. The man's legs were folded across the grass, eyes closed. It seemed that he was meditating. Even she had never met a man so unvolatile and different. He still had his moments of teenager episodes, but she knew that he could have killed them all already if he'd wanted to. Speaking of a gundark, his father - Vader - was with him.

For seconds afterward, it stayed like that without anyone saying a word before the meditation session or whatever came to an end.

Vader followed suit without saying a word.

"Luke, sorry for interrupting," Winter said all too cheerily. "Vader, good to see that you're still in your bright spirits," she snarked.

Luke nodded. "Why have you come to see us?"

She frowned. "I'm not blind."

Luke's eyebrows raised. "Oh?"

"I've noticed the lightsaber on Leia's belt...?"

"It is her decision to make," Luke informed her.

Winter resisted a laugh. "Good, she needs to do something for once without pissing me off."

Luke chuckled. "She'd often tell me about the frustrating times you both caused for the Organas and their aides when you were younger. And yes, she told me about that time when you pretended to be sick but got discovered because you decided to attend a party throughout your classes and got drunk."

Ugh, Leia always mocked her for that one. Breha Organa wasn't pleased with her when that happened, and the entire palace knew it. A night of sleeping on her stomach made her not want to fall back on such a position.

Winter scoffed. "A one-time experience. Will she ever let it go?"

"Letting go isn't easy for us Skywalkers, Winter," Luke answered cheekily.

"But hey, I imagine your first meeting with our parents was different the first time around."

"I never..." Luke's eyes flashed with distinct agony, "...met them before now."

"What?" Winter's eyebrows flickered with concern and apprehension. "What happened to them?"

"Never mind," he shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

Oh, she didn't like that tone.

"But I want to," she returned defiantly. "It never happened, so you might as well tell me."

Luke's grim eyes fell on Winter, and she knew what he was going to say before he did. "The Empire... they killed them, Winter."

Despite it not happening, Winter wanted nothing more than to hug both of the people who raised her and keep them close for all eternity. But at the same time, she knew that she couldn't do that. It would just confuse the poor couple.

Moreover, she noticed Vader stiffening behind him, showing a small part of him did care. Whether it was Leia's well-being or Luke being near tears, Winter couldn't tell. Hell, it could have been both. He was many things Winter didn't care to describe, but he was no Palpatine.

She walked up to her brother - by association if anything else - and wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. Luke's eyes closed for a moment. Somehow, she felt just as protective over Luke as she still was for Leia. She remembered comforting a young girl in times of a terrible thunderstorm.

After all, they were twins.

And Winter was a year and two months older than Leia, meaning the same was true for Luke.

"Thanks, Winter," he broke apart from her eventually, a watery smile across his lips. "Though I don't know if you want to consider my father as part of the family..."

Winter eyed Vader. "Well, I had to deal with Leia for nineteen years. Her father might not be as difficult, assuming he doesn't mind having two daughters."

Vader analyzed her, his blue eyes contemplative with a bit of contempt.

"We're going to be gone for a while," Luke declared.

"Where are you going?"

"Oh I get to train with my father for the next few hours while Leia gets to rest on her favorite bed."

"Officially, she's preoccupied with paperwork in her room," she sniped.

"We both know Leia takes advantage of technicalities," Luke chuckled.

Yes, yes she did.

"Traitor knows I hate palace's duty," Winter retorted, her voice all jovial. "But keeps giving me the fun of it all..."

"Oh, but you're so good at it, Winter," Luke quipped back in a tone that sounded like Leia. "Come on, Father."

"I'm still surprised you can refer to him as your father," Winter declared without hostility, hoping that she didn't just piss either of them off. But it was true. Many wouldn't want to be related to Vader. Kark, Leia was going through the moods herself. Winter could tell.

Luke turned around with no anger in his eyes. "While I may despise what my father has become, Winter, and I understand many who do, he is still my father. You'll see. He'll be quite different when he chooses to come around to his family."

While Vader gave a roll of the eyes at that statement, Winter nodded in understanding. Her lips curled in thought. Strangely enough, the older man's blue eyes were soothing. Definitely not what she'd imagined from the devil.

The conversation ended, and Luke moved with Vader toward the nearby platform to borrow a speeder.

Knowing what came with palace duty, Winter went in the opposite direction, preparing to move to her room, when she slammed into someone. Looking over, she became concerned when she spotted the form of a redhead. Figuring that it was only polite to apologize for her blunder, she stared at the pair of green eyes staring at her with equal concern.

"Oh, sorry, sorry," the woman hastily apologized. "I was just..."

Winter shrugged. "You aren't the first person to bump into me, Miss..." She held out her hand in invitation.

The other woman smiled gracefully, "Arica."

Winter noticed a lack of last name, but as that was not her business, she decided not to comment on it.

"I'm Winter."

Taking the moment, she analyzed her form. She had quite a shapely figure that would have made guys swoon and girls glare, and a black skintight outfit that added onto her beauty. Clearly, not an Alderaanian native, but she decided to handle this with gentility. A girl that seemed to be around the twins age couldn't do much unless she would have done it already.

"Why are you here?" Winter asked sternly. "You're going into the forbidden part of the palace."

"Sorry! Sorry!" she exclaimed, twiddling with her fingers. "I heard stories from a few of the guards about a Luke," she answered her question.

Well, since she knew his name and presence here, it was unlikely she was here to harm anyone.

"Oh, yes, Luke Skywalker. You know him?" Winter caught her eyes widening a fraction before she seemed to snap out of a spell.

"Not yet. I heard of him. It's just... I need his help with something. May I speak with him?"

"He just left with his father," Winter refused, her eyes becoming more sympathetic. "Sorry, you missed him by a few minutes."

The other woman exhaled in irritation. "I see."

"Is something wrong?" She inquired, choosing to not become annoyed.

"Oh, no, no," Arica answered, regaining her composure, "it might be a petty manner..."

"Understandable," she replied. "You can speak with the Alderaanian's Guards if something is amiss, but Luke Skywalker is a private man."

"Thank you," she chuckled nervously, "I should get going now."

"I hope you have a better rest of the day."

"You as well."

And the redhead walked away.

Winter proceeded with her day without further interruptions.