Journey's End

   ~@~Revisited

   Hyperspace slid back into normal space and Jedi Luminas stood silently on the bridge, waiting.

   "Laus' forces must have managed to clear out ahead of us," one of his bridge officers made note of the obvious lack of defensive activity on the planet below. 

   "I don't think it was that kind of a distress call," Atamvr decided softly.  "Scan for life signs," he instructed, reaching out with his senses.

   "We're getting high levels of electrical interference. It's possible that some kind of malfunction caused them to evacuate the outpost."

   "No. It's not completely deserted down there. I sense a lot of turmoil," Jedi Luminas added quietly.

   Gazes turned toward him expectantly, capable officers awaiting his orders.

   "Bring us into orbit, just be cautious.  Shields full."

   "Shields full," the Exonerator's captain acknowledged.

   "We're picking up a transmission, sir," an officer off to Atamvr's right spoke up. "I'm patching it through now."

   "New Republic vessel, our situation is urgent. We need help."

   "Open communications," Atamvr commanded.

   "This is the New Republic vessel, Exonerator.  What is the nature of your situation?" Atamvr questioned, trying to keep his own voice as steady as possible in the face of this being's obvious distress.

   The incoming signal started to break up. "Humanitarian crisis–  Supplies ran out... days ago– They took everything– No way to get... help."

   "Commander, how many life forms are down there?" Atamvr questioned, his eyes remaining on the static-filled view screen.

   "Several hundred," came the daunting answer. Commander Kilvian was clearly wary of the situation, but he was also ready for action.

   Atamvr nodded, watching the older man's reaction carefully.  Commander Derek Klivian was a capable officer, battle-hardened but not cold-hearted. He both earned and commanded the respect of his squadron and his peers, and Atamvr had taken a quick liking to the man.  Like most fighter pilots who had risen into command, he seemed to prefer the inside of a cockpit to comfortable quarters aboard a New Republic cruiser, and he answered more readily to his call sign than he did to the title of commander.

   "Organize a relief team to get supplies down to them: food, water, emergency medical rations.  Set up drop locations throughout the outpost."

   "Yes, sir," the commander acknowledged. 

   "And Hobbie–" Atamvr added, "move as quickly as you can... before those people get any more desperate. We don't need a riot on our hands," Atamvr finished heavily.

   "Understood," Commander Klivian answered, and quickly set to his duties.

   Atamvr watched him go. His respect for the man had only increased with the knowledge that Hobbie had once been a wing mate to Luke Skywalker in the Rebellion. Shortly after he had assumed command, Atamvr had learned that Commander Klivian and a handful of other highly-respected officers had requested assignment to the Exonerator only after word had gotten out that Atamvr was to be given the mission command.

   The Exonerator's captain, another former member of Rogue Squadron named Zev Senesca, fell into stride beside Atamvr, the two men making their way toward the forward viewport.

   Atamvr crossed his arms over his chest, one hand absently resting under his chin as he waited for the captain to say what was on his mind.

   "This will delay us, several days at best. What about that matter Coruscant wanted us to look into?"

   Atamvr watched the first set of freighters and their escorts begin to descend toward the planet.

   "I'm afraid it will have to wait.  There have been no distress signals from any sublight vessels in the region; as far as we know the ship simply went off course."

   Atamvr could feel his companion's scepticism.  An NRI agent expecting to be extracted from an assignment rarely got lost.  The Jedi smiled, and then his smile abruptly vanished as he glanced toward the captain.

   "I know. I don't buy it either, but we will have to deal with this first. Once Commander Klivian has given his assessment of the picture on the ground, I'll contact Coruscant and inform them of our delay."

~

   "We have made contact with a planet called Destonis on the outskirts of the Tritis system; an outpost there has requested humanitarian aid.  The first round of relief supplies are on the ground as we speak."

   "Jedi Luminas," Admiral Ackbar asked, "do you have any idea how long they will require your assistance?"

   "From Commander Klivian's description, it may take some time before we can completely stabilize the situation. I want to go down to the surface and meet with the local leaders as soon as it's safe to do so."  Atamvr paused.  "I'm afraid it may be a while before this vessel can continue the Burmui investigation as planned."

   "Very well," Mon Mothma decided heavily. "The Exonerator will stay in place until Jedi Luminas determines that the situation on Destonis is under effective local control."

   "Keep us apprised of your situation," Admiral Ackbar advised, "and stay alert for suspicious activity in the system. Laus may not have deserted this outpost altogether."

   Wary glances were exchanged among Senate Inner Council members, but Admiral Ackbar made no apology and offered no explanation for his assumption.  As far as he was concerned, any trouble in the Tritis sector was likely associated with the warlord, Wanton Laus, and caution was warranted.

   "Understood."  Atamvr bowed in response.

   "Coruscant out," Mon Mothma stated a moment later, and the view screen went blank.

   "What of the missing NRI agent?" Fey'lya was quick to demand.  "If he has been captured–"

   "There is no reason to suspect capture," Leia Organa Solo argued calmly. "NRI has been reporting strange energy fluctuations in that sector; the fluctuations are interfering with their readings–"

   "And causing ships to go missing?" the Bothan questioned pointedly.

   "Jedi Skywalker," Mon Mothma interrupted, "would you inform NRI of the Exonerator's delay, and have them continue their investigation.  Tell them we will authorize any additional equipment or resources they need in order to continue scanning the system for our missing ship until the Exonerator arrives."

   Luke nodded, and left for NRI headquarters.

~

   "What's the good news?" Luke asked over Han Solo's shoulder, quickly skimming the readout display in front of them.

   "What news?" Han murmured unenthusiastically.  "We've gotten a couple of agents in and out of that Red Eye base, but there's no sign of Laus or Tubanchin.  And absolutely no sign of the fleet Fey'lya is so certain exists," Han mumbled.

   "Well now there's something else for you to work on. A ship's gone missing."

   Han turned around to look at Luke, surprised.  "Not one of ours."

   "No," Allad agreed, nearing the two men, "not exactly," he corrected himself.  "We've been officially steering clear of this bit of space since we started getting strange readings in the vicinity about six months ago.  It's called the Burmui sector, and it's on the outskirts of the Myrtle system – right at the intersection of Myrtle, Tritis, and New Republic space.  The locals claim that several ships have disappeared there – probably the work of pirates."

   "Scramble the sensors a bit, then when the ship pulls up, prime target for sacking," Han Solo murmured.  "Not my style, but I guess it works."

   "Then NRI didn't send anyone to investigate," Luke surmised.

   "Not directly," Allad offered. "The agent who went missing is Bothan; in an earlier report he claimed that his ship had accidentally gone off course while on route to his extraction point, malfunction in the navicomputer. I'd say it's more likely that he was acting on one of Fey'lyas tips, though I wouldn't expect either side to own up to it."

   Han suppressed a curse.  "What does that furball know?"

   "The senator, you mean?" Allad questioned, hiding a smile at Han's bluntness.

   "Senator furball," Han murmured maliciously, and turned back to his readouts.

   Luke gave Allad a lopsided smile, and the two men walked back toward Allad's work station.

   "Believe me, we'd like to know his sources on this one," Allad conceded wishfully. "In the meantime I've just put out a coded hail to our agents in the vicinity: agent unaccounted for; investigate at your own discretion.  But between you and me, the sooner the Exonerator and its sensor arrays can get on the scene the better I'll feel."

   Luke grimaced. "Atamvr will get there as soon as possible; you have my word."

   Allad nodded hesitantly, but he looked slightly more at ease.

   "Allad?" Luke asked. "You think you could look into something else for me – off the record?"

   "No problem," Allad answered.  "Is it going to get me fired?"

   Luke chuckled. "No. Nothing like that. This is something Lara was working on. She thought there was a connection between Darlik and some strange occurrences in the Tritis system, years ago.  I don't have a lot to go on," he hesitated, "but something tells me it's important to find out the truth."

   Allad nodded cautiously. Luke was sure that his friend was about to offer some words of reassurance for Luke's lost apprentice.  Instead Allad placed a hand to Luke's shoulder.

   "Everything going all right on the home front, Luke?"

   Luke smiled. "As well as can be expected."

   "Listen, don't worry about anything. Laus is on the ropes.  You saw first hand what he's dealing with in Myrtle and Tritis; he can't even trust his own people at this point. Right now it's just a waiting game... waiting for the tipping point. Laus' days are numbered, and when he takes the fall we'll be ready. You just take care of that wife and family," Allad advised.  "That's the important thing."

   "I will," Luke whispered, fighting a smile.

   "And if you need anything at all, you know where to find me."

   Luke nodded gratefully.  "Thanks, Allad – I mean it."

   Allad shrugged off his thanks, as he always did.

   "I'll let you know as soon as I find something," he assured Luke, and went back to his duties.

~

   Luke walked home thinking about Allad's words. Luke's worries had become intertwined of late. There had been nothing new to report on Laus or Tubanchin, and he knew there had been no sign of the life form he had first sensed nearly two months ago; Luke had felt nothing since Red Eye.  He had hoped to ask Atamvr... but Luke suspected that Atamvr also had felt no trace of that mysterious being. Luke continued searching out that information in his own daily meditations, but to no success....  His meditations rarely consisted of calm, focused moments anymore; they had become a swirl of thought and energy showing the vastness of possible events which played out on dark horizons.  Events were unfolding quickly now, and Luke knew that the outcomes of those events would have great repercussions upon the future.

   Luke reached out again now, consciously seeking the Force's energy.  Its strength invigorated his weary mind as the Jedi took a deep breath. The lines between his duty as a Jedi Knight and his personal life had also never felt more blurred and under pressure. When he let his mind relax, a sea of emotion quickly washed over him. Worry for Lara and the new twins was never very far from him.  At just over seven months pregnant, she had been confined to bed rest to prevent early labor; her lack of protest over a diagnosis that would require her to spend hours confined to their suite had only betrayed her own worry and further emphasized her fragile state of health. Luke sighed. He also wrestled with indecision, uncertainty, and regret. The nightmares that continued to plague him had shaken his faith in himself in every way, as a Jedi, as a father.... His own uncertainty had shaken his ability to touch the Force without restraint, and to trust in it to lead him. 

   He stepped off the turbo lift wondering if he had already waited too long. He was as worried for Lara's health as he was for her reaction all this. He kept telling himself that the last thing his wife needed was worry over him in addition to concerns over her health and the twins... but he knew that his reluctance to tell her the truth had hurt her, and the truth was that he no longer knew how to put this truth into words.  Perhaps he had already waited too long....  Luke shuddered at the idea. What would she think if he told her the truth?

   His hand to the door, he pressed the pad for entry and walked down the hall. He could feel his wife and children in the room ahead of him, and looked inside to see Lara curled up under the bed covers, reading a datapad. Mark and Ben were on the floor nearby, coloring. Luke took care to step over their works of art and then bent down to kiss his wife's lips.

   "Everything all right? she asked curiously.

   Luke glanced toward Mark and Ben, who were carrying on with their coloring, and nodded.  There was no need for details in front of them, but he felt a brief flicker of disappointment in her emotions. His guarded silence troubled her, and his recent worsening sleeplessness had been impossible to hide.  Responsibility to the New Republic weighed heavily on him, but Luke had meant what he had said to his wife a short time ago about putting those burdens aside in order to be here for her and their family.  This was where he was meant to be, and he was determined to keep that promise as best he could.

   Lara's fingers grazed her husband's forehead worriedly.  Luke had slept little the night before; but that was no longer anything unusual. She often found him awake in the middle of the night, his thoughts and emotions restless. But last night when she had reached out to him, extending her arm in comfort to her husband as she had done a thousand times before, the touch had startled him. Lara had pulled back unexpectedly and whispered an apology, curiosity underlying the words as her touch lightened to fingertips.

   "What?" she had asked him softly, her hand finding his shoulder as she had shifted to face him. 

   Luke had glanced in her direction and quickly looked away.

   "It's nothing," he had whispered unconvincingly.

   "You've told me that before," she had persisted.

   "I know."  He had looked regretful when he faced her again.  "This was just a strange dream," Luke had confessed. "All I can remember now is a fuzzy landscape, some place I'd never been – it was dark, and there was fighting.  Someone was wounded and he ran. Chased, driven away...." Luke paused.  "But I felt this strange power; that sensation woke me. I needed to get away from it, but it just flowed over me... and it felt...."  Luke shook his head, unable to find words and struggling to remember as the images and feelings faded from his waking mind.

   "It was just a dream," Lara had whispered gently, though not entirely convinced.

   "What if it's more?" Luke had asked at a strained whisper.

   "Then you'll figure it out," Lara had answered.  Smiling, she had gathered his attention with a soft touch. "You know I still believe in you, with all my heart," she had breathed certainly.  "I still love you with all that I am, Luke."

   Lara smiled up at her husband as she caressed his forehead.  She could feel that same confusion and disconnection in him now that she had felt so often recently.

   "I know you wish you could be out there, fighting this," she whispered, guarding those thoughts and the emotions that they stirred in her very carefully.

   Luke took her hand in his and kissed her palm. "I belong here, with you."

~

   It had taken some time to get here, but NRI agent Traipe Presqur arrived at the coordinates that Allad Perril had transmitted some three weeks ago. He powered back his ship and pulled up slowly, watching the display in front of him.  Energy readings were fluctuating wildly out there.  Then there was an unexpected flash of light, and his ship gave a hard shudder.

   "What the?"

   Proximity alarms blared for a second, even though there was nothing around for as far as he could see, only a small moon off in the distance, then everything in his cockpit went dark.  His ship was dead in space with only emergency power available, which meant very limited life support and nothing else.  He flinched, his fingers coming to a halt over the controls. For a moment it was like he was looking into a mirage. Space shimmered and wavered in front of him; then he saw a sea of mystery fighters coming toward him.

   The pilot shook his head and squinted; his eyes were playing tricks on him, no doubt helped by the erratic energy field outside his ship. There was a single mystery fighter, only one fighter, coming toward him.  It must have emerged from a base on the far side of that moon.... But one mystery fighter would be more than enough to destroy a single ship that was floating helpless in space. 

   There wasn't much time.  The pilot hurriedly typed out a coded message and concealed the data disk that contained it in an escape pod, which he launched manually. Hopefully the small pod would go unnoticed by the mystery fighter among the debris of a destroyed ship... hopefully someone from the New Republic might come across his warning before another of their ships could fall into this trap.

~

   Atamvr looked over the mild surroundings of the planet Destonis as he was given a brief tour through some of the areas that had been successfully recovered over the past few weeks.  The citizens had had to work hard to rebuild common areas and commerce sights that had been damaged and destroyed during the turmoil of recent events here.  But their efforts were paying off.  Slowly, they were beginning to reclaim this planet.

   This world, whose distress call he had answered, had served as a construction yard and supply depot for Laus, and the outpost had been paid handsomely for that service. But the work had dried up when Laus had abandoned his lucrative contracts with them, without notice – probably due to pressure from Karrde.  After that, a coalition of several small-time groups had come in wanting to take over those contracts, salivating over the already constructed freighters sitting derelict in the Destonis shipyards for lack of a buyer.

   But those groups hadn't had the monetary power to back up their initial promises of fair payment.  Once the citizens realized that they were little more than cheap con artists, trying to swindle them out of the only valuable goods they had left, they violently ousted them from the planet. But their problems still hadn't been relieved.  With no market for their ships, there was no work to be had, no infusion of capitol to keep the planet running, and the people were going hungry.  Rumors started to swirl that there were massive government stockpiles of food and supplies. Desperate citizens didn't believe that the government's denials were truth, and nearly rioted. 

   Atamvr had been lucky to arrive here when he did.  After getting emergency supplies on the ground and helping restore the outpost to a state of calm, he had gathered the local governing leaders together with a group of citizens, negotiating an interim governing group between them which could work together to make key decisions and begin rebuilding trust between the two sides. His next order of business had been to help the outpost rebuild their damaged transmissions systems and establish contact with their neighbors.  Those contacts revealed that neighboring worlds were finding themselves in similar situations.

   These beings had little to no respect for local government, given the present circumstances. But Atamvr's status as a Jedi Knight had elevated him beyond the level of local politics and allowed him to gain trust as leader who would work impartially toward the common good.  Atamvr hoped that in the coming days and weeks he would be able to negotiate a treaty which would start the scattered planets in this system on a path of working together to rebuild their system. 

   There was still a long way to go, but he was hopeful.  Perhaps soon he could get back to his larger mission. As much as he had accomplished here, there was no time to sit still and bask in momentary success. The crew of the Exonerator continued to follow ongoing events between Laus and Karrde, and matters were getting more intense between the two sides almost daily....

~

   A couple of nights later the beeping of the comm shook Luke's thoughts loose from the persistent, recurrent warnings of danger that he contemplated while lying awake, staring up at the ceiling.  The Jedi slid out of bed to walk to the living area and seated himself at the comm station.  He muted the alarm before he paused to run a hand over his face, clearing his thoughts from the swirling darkness of unknown peril, and the dangers that he understood all too well.  Luke opened his eyes a moment later and hit the receive button; he quickly recognized Atamvr's transmission codes.

   "Atamvr," Luke answered with a smile as his friend's face came into view. 

   "Hello, Luke."

   "How are things on Destonis?"

   The younger man nodded readily.  "There's been a lot of progress.  The local leaders are making the changes they need to make for this outpost to survive, and the citizens are coming around. But the real progress is in the beings themselves; they were on the brink of desperation when I got here. I see hope in their faces now. They believe that they have a future here again." 

   "It sounds like your presence has helped them greatly."

   "I'm proud of what they've been able to accomplish, but I can't take credit for it.  They've done the hard work and made the difficult choices themselves; they just needed a little leadership."

   "Leadership that they could trust," Luke persisted.  "Give yourself credit, Atamvr.  You inspired their trust because they saw that you acted with wisdom and treated them with respect. They saw that you would guide them honestly toward the best circumstances for all parties; you earned that trust."

   "Some of it," Atamvr conceded, "but it also took a leap of faith.  At the beginning, these beings were willing to have faith in me because I was a Jedi Knight. I'm just gratified that their faith has been rewarded." Atamvr shook his head in amazement.  "And I will come away feeling strengthened by this experience because of their trust in me."

   Luke nodded.

   "There is one thing we haven't been able to figure out," Atamvr offered worriedly. "When we first came into orbit here we picked up some strange sensor readings; my crew has narrowed them down to an area of the planet that the locals assure us is deserted.  It's probably nothing; I had planned to investigate anyway, but now... we're getting word that Karrde is on the verge of defeating Laus."

   Luke sat back heavily. "We haven't heard anything concrete," he admitted, "but Allad's been saying the same kind of things recently.  He thinks something has to break soon, and that Laus is going to take a fall when it does."

   Atamvr nodded warily.  "I don't doubt the rumors; Karrde's been hunting Laus, hounding him, for the past six months."  Atamvr paused briefly.  "But things are coming to a head... I can feel it," he intoned. "And if Laus really is on the ropes, I want to take the Exonerator and rendevous with Karrde."

   Luke nodded. "Why don't you forward your data to Allad; if he has anyone to spare, he can put them on it."

   "Agreed. What else?" Atamvr asked.  He could read hesitation in his friend's features.

   "Another of our agents near the Burmui sector missed a rendevous."

   Atamvr frowned.  "You think it's related to the first missing ship."

   "It could be."

   Atamvr considered that news for a moment, his jaw tightening. "Then I'd better check out that sector first.  I still need a little more time here to finish negotiations with the neighboring planets, but as soon as I can I'll head for Burmui."

   "And then on to Karrde."

   Atamvr nodded

   "You haven't sensed anything, ususal, in the Force?" Luke asked.

   Atamvr shook his head reluctantly. "I haven't.  But..." Atamvr hesitated, unsure if he wanted to talk about a handful of disturbing visions of his own, "I'm keeping aware for any strange disturbances," he finished.  The truth was that he was worried about Luke, and about Lara; in his meditations he had seen images of pain and loss.... And there were visions of an unfamiliar landscape where events unfolded much like the persecution of his past... but Atamvr felt something new in those visions... a power that was unfamiliar and dangerous.

   Luke saw his friend's hesitation, and he waited another heartbeat. "Keep me updated – and take care."

   "You too.  Give my love to Lara and the twins."  Atamvr hesitated again. "And make sure she takes it easy."

   "Right," Luke smiled at the admonishment.  "I'll do my best. May the Force be with you, Atamvr."

   "And with you, Luke," Atamvr said softly just before the transmission flickered out.

~

   Luke reached to turn off the comm and sat back in his seat a second later. A few minutes passed before he walked back to bed, pausing to look in on Mark and Ben.  A smile turned the corner of him mouth; they were sleeping soundly. Luke let their door close and took a few steps toward his own bedroom. Lara was sleeping soundly too. He bent down to kiss her, then walked around to the other side of the bed and crawled under the covers.  Exhausted, he was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow... but his sleep was as dark as the dreams that plagued him....

   "You are beaten." 

   The dark voice boomed in his ears and every syllable reverberated throughout his body.

   "It is useless to resist.  Don't let yourself be destroyed...."

   A familiar coldness crept down his spine as he recognized his surroundings, and a brutal chill filled the part of Luke Skywalker's mind that understood what he was experiencing, in every horrid detail.

   "There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you," the vision persisted, coming to pass the same as it always did. It was like a speeder wreck. Luke knew what was coming, and it turned his stomach to be a part of it; he just didn't know how to stop it. "You do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power. Join me and I will complete your training...."

   "I'll never join you," a young voice bit back, desperate and determined, wounded, but not yet defeated.

   "If you only knew the power of the dark side.  It is your destiny," the dark voice persisted.

   Luke flinched, willing himself to look away from the clashing of lightsaber against flesh and bone, and the endlessness of falling and falling.... He blinked his eyes, fighting back the emotional intensity of those images as he struggled to come awake.  The vision had returned... and all the questions with it, all the questioning his life.... He felt hopelessly lost in its wake.

   Luke let go a deep, strained sigh, trying to regain control over his own heartbeat and breathing as he sat up... and his eyes slowly wandered the darkened room.  He watched his wife sleep, and he looked past her to the bassinet in place by the bed, expecting the new twins in just over a month now.  The usually happy thought gripped like a cold knot in his gut. His responsibility to them only added to the unbearable weight upon his spirit, the cold fears that gripped at his heart. He reached to the Force to try to clear his mind, but that familiar source of peace managed to allude him.

   With another sigh Luke closed his eyes and hung his head, deeply exhausted.  There had to be some way to prevent the brutal pain and suffering that his mind so vividly and relentlessly warned him that he was capable of.  He had to find it – there was no other option.  Luke took a deep breath and pushed back the covers.  But he stopped in mid-motion, filled with disbelief.  An entirely different and unexpected vision stood before him now.

   "Hello, Luke."

   Luke's feet brushed the floor but he made no move to stand.  He was having a hard time comprehending the sight as his blue eyes fluttered over the spectral form which was calmly making its way toward him.

   "Father," Luke finally felt himself breathe, stunned and confused. The figure nodded slightly and came to an easy halt after a few forward steps.  "It's been so long," Luke whispered.  "Why–"

   "Luke," Anakin interrupted him easily, "listen to me now, my son.  I have only a short time to be here, to warn you.

   "To warn me? Of what?"

   Anakin Skywalker smiled, a look of genuine affection shining on his luminescent features as he came closer to face the son whom he had not seen since Endor.

   "Even now, you do not yet realize. You have only begun to understand what you are capable of, Luke, to recognize the enormous power that you possess."

   Luke winced, his stomach giving an uncomfortable jolt; those words were too familiar, and yet filled with chilling new meanings... what he was capable of....

   "I don't understand," Luke confessed hesitantly.

   "Luke. In many ways your life is just beginning.  Some of your greatest challenges are still to be met – in making a family, in being a father. This is what truly matters, and what will truly define you.  More than anything you have or will yet accomplish, your children's lives will show you and teach you the value and purpose of your own."  Anakin Skywalker continued studying his son curiously.  His eyes were very serious, but his voice was gentle. "Of that, I am living proof," Luke's father acknowledged with a proud smile.

   "You mustn't loose sight of that truth, Luke," he persisted a second later.  "You mustn't let yourself lose your family, as I did."

   "What?" Luke questioned, the chill he had been feeling had just turned his blood as cold as ice.

   "You still have within your grasp, Luke, things that I let slip away.  Friendships.  Family. A beautiful woman, who loves you, so very much...."  His voice trailed off, leaving Luke unsure if Anakin was still talking about Luke, or about his own life... Luke's mother.

   Luke stared wordlessly as Anakin's figure slowly crossed the room and sat in a chair by the bed. It was the same place where Luke had spent many a worried hour of late, sitting close enough to watch his wife sleep without disturbing her from her needed rest.  Luke thought that he detected a brief flicker of emotion before his Father's blue-grey eyes focused on Luke to continue their conversation. 

   "Years ago, before so much had happened, I had a vision. I saw two warriors: one familiar to me, and one a mystery. There was a hard-fought battle, waged with something vital in the balance. I didn't completely understand at the time, but something I saw in that vision pushed me to action. I had to find this warrior, who was still little more than a child."  His voice trailed away and lowered as he looked Luke in the eye.  "I didn't know it would be you that she would save, and then you, me. I didn't yet know, even of your existence. But I saw her extraordinary strength in that image, standing over Jade so certainly, nobly even.

   "But I still had no idea of her true strength," Anakin stated more quietly.  "You are the strongest person I faced in my life, Luke. Strongest in every way.  I am very proud of you, my son. And she is truly your match in that strength, and in your incredible capacity for love and compassion."

   Luke heard the uncomfortable falter in his father's voice just then; he saw it in his worried expression.

   "That is why the reality I see so disturbs me," Anakin confided at a whisper.  "I see a man too easily becoming lost in the darkened corners of his own heart... and a woman who believes in all the things he cannot see, despite the pain she would choose to hide deep in her own heart.  And all the while, all the things that matter – the only things that truly matter – slowly slip further from his grasp."

   Luke looked away, his eyes unconsciously falling to Lara, asleep, close beside his pillow. He watched her breathing, seeing so much more, suddenly unable to take his eyes away.

   "She believes in you, still," Anakin whispered, "and she knows that there is more pain down this path, not yet done.  She's willing to walk that path, as far as she can, with you, Luke. But it doesn't need to be.  It doesn't need to be."

   Luke looked back to Anakin, emotion shaking his voice as he asked, "What about the vision, the future I've seen?" Simple words struggled to reconcile years of confusion and unrelenting self-doubt, struggled to direct that confusion and doubt back to the source, to the place where it had begun long ago.

   "A possible future," Anakin acknowledged heavily.  "But only one of infinitely many."

   In his eyes, Luke doubted the ease of that explanation.

   "And one chosen by your fears, Luke," Anakin added, himself becoming more emotional as he spoke to the depth of his son's fears. "You're not doomed to repeat my mistakes.  Already you're a much stronger and wiser man than I was.  Learn from me, yes. But you have faced down your demons, and you saved me from the worst in myself, Luke. Let me do the same for you."

   Both remained silent for a long moment as the weight of that heartfelt plea reverberated in the quiet space between father and son.  Luke nodded cautiously, accepting the compassion and truth that his father was offering to him.  But another troublesome thought occurred to the young Jedi.

   "You didn't come back to give me that warning alone."

   Anakin's voice gentled as he smiled. "I've wanted to come to you long before now," he assured his son, "but I was able to come back at this time because I bring a different warning to you, Luke." 

   Luke lifted his chin slightly. He didn't like the dark expression that had come over Anakin's face.

   "The challenge, the danger that you face in the times ahead is far greater than you know.  It is a threat that has not been seen in this age, a threat once eradicated by the Jedi of long ago: the first generation of Jedi Knights."

   "The being I've been sensing – the one I saw at Red Eye."

   Anakin gave him a half nod.

   Luke swallowed hard. "Then the New Republic is in grave danger."

   Anakin's voice lowered.  "It is. But this threat is about far more than defending the New Republic from invasion. Luke, the being you have sensed is Altervarian."

   "Altervarian?"

   "Yes.  An ancient race, an enemy not just of the Jedi but of the Force, itself.  At the beginning of the modern ages the Altervarian race grew strong, and the powers that they yielded endangered the existence of the Force, itself.  In those times warriors were needed, beings who were able to wield the power of the Force."

   "And those warriors were Jedi Knights."

   "Yes.  The first Jedi. They were knighted as defenders of the Force."

   Luke's gaze narrowed curiously.  "How do you know this?"

   "My coming here now was not entirely my own decision, or my own doing. A messenger was needed, and naturally I volunteered."  Anakin smiled.  "Luckily, I was not the only one who believed I had the ability to persuade you."

   Luke nodded. "I will do what I can, Father."

   "I know you will, Luke.  But that may not be enough. The Force is leading you to meet a danger that will require all of your strength; I mean even that which you are still unsure of.  The old doubts must be put to rest now if you are to successfully face this challenge.  And facing it is your destiny. 

   "You must be willing to draw on every source of strength available to you if you are to defeat this threat.  Depend on the light of the Force. Lean heavily on the love of your family and friends. Let those strengths drive away the lingering vestiges of fear and doubt. You are stronger than you know, Luke.  You must believe," Anakin urged his son, "and do not be afraid of your own strength."

   Luke nodded determinedly, lowering his eyes.

   "Believe, Luke," his father implored of him once more, his voice fading as the luminescent sheen faded from the room. It wasn't surprising to Luke that when he lifted his eyes the image of Anakin had gone. 

   Luke took a deep breath. He couldn't help the sadness that washed over him in the knowledge that his father was again gone from his reach... and Anakin's warnings left worry at odds with stubborn determination in Luke's mind and emotions. He knew more about what would have to be faced than he ever had before, and he knew that the stakes were as high as they could possibly be, but he still had no clue how to face this challenge, this threat.

   A moment later he saw a motion from the corner of his eye. It was no less surprising when Lara moved close enough to place her hands on his shoulders... but he could feel caution in her emotions as his wife reached to touch him. That was unexpected, it was something that he had never felt from her before.  Lara felt his sense of loss and confusion, and the enormous pain of lingering self-doubt that threatened to creep back into his emotions.  Those were demons that he would have to face within himself; she no longer knew if she could help him through that inner battle, and he had pulled away from her often enough that she didn't know if he wanted even a simple show of comfort from her.

   "Lara–" he whispered, finding his voice hard to manage.

   She drew closer to his side, her arms moving around him without another word, and she stayed there for a long moment, asking nothing from him.

   "What ever it is," Lara whispered, "you know it's safe with me, Love.  You're safe with me," she breathed.

   Anakin's words echoed in his mind, about the things that truly mattered and the pain not yet done....  Luke winced at that. He could feel the uncertainty in her emotions, the lingering pain behind it – neither of those things stopped her from reaching out to him, but the imagination of more of this pain, not yet done, was unfathomable and unbearable. He began speaking out of instinct, without thinking; there was so much he needed her to know.

   "I started having this dream.  This vision," Luke explained, the beginning of things he hadn't been able to tell her before. "It began after Darlik turned, and I should have told you then," he breathed the last regretfully.

Lara didn't speak; she only pulled closer to him, lightly resting her cheek against the edge of his shoulder as she listened to him. "Instead I tried to hide it, and it only grew. Its power over me only grew." He took a deep breath, and shook his head. "I thought I could handle it – thought I could protect you from it. I was wrong. The more I tried to deny it... it just kept getting worse. I knew I needed to tell you the truth, but I couldn't.  You were struggling with your own pain, and I had already let myself make the mistake of thinking that, because I couldn't handle it in myself, it would be too much to ask you to– " 

   "It's okay, Luke." Her reassurance cut smoothly through his regret. Her cheek nuzzled his shoulder and her lips pressed warmly against his skin.  "You can tell me now," she whispered.

   Luke swallowed hard. "I – I was back on Bespin," he whispered. 

   Her arm moved around him protectively; a slight flinch recognized his discomfort, and understood it.

   "I could see every awful moment," he continued haltingly, "relive every detail, as clearly as if I were there again. But I wasn't facing Vader this time."  Luke stopped, hesitant, in spite of himself, to speak the worst of it. "This time, I was Vader."  He turned toward her. "And I was facing my own son."

   There was a look of intense empathy in the eyes of the woman he loved, and the curious feel of sad fascination in her emotions. There was none of the horror and repulsion that he had half expected, and had allowed to cloud his own judgement with fear.

   "How terrible," she breathed. 

   "You're not scared by that," Luke managed, feeling through the remnants of his own fear and lingering disbelief.

   She shook her head.  "I don't believe it for a second," Lara stated. "Luke," she smiled at him. "Of all the ways I love you, I love you best as a father – my children's father."  Her hand found his face.  "I see you in them, and them in you.  I don't doubt the men my sons will become when I know they have you to look to, to guide them. And nothing could ever make me believe that you would do them harm." Tears shimmered in her eyes as her fingers moved against his face. "I know your heart.  Even the imagination that you could do such a thing – it's been tearing you apart.  And I don't believe it, Luke, not for one second."

   Luke lowered his head and felt her lips touch against his forehead.  Between Anakin's words of encouragement and Lara's confidence in him, a great weight had lifted from his heart, one that he felt exhausted from carrying.

   "That vision," she whispered, "it's no more than a shadow of a possible future – it torments you because it's the one you fear the most."

   "My father said the same thing," Luke murmured.

   "Your father?" Lara whispered in surprise.

   Luke lifted his eyes to her. "He came to me," he hesitated, "to warn me."

   "To warn you," Lara prompted easily, "of what?"

   Luke turned and wrapped his arms around her. He could feel that he had caught her off guard with the motion, but Lara didn't resist his hold and she didn't draw back from the touch of his mind. Luke closed his eyes when he felt her mind open to his. In an instant he had shared with her his experience of the nightmare vision, Anakin's visit, and everything that he had said to Luke.

   Luke's hands moved to her shoulders when he let his contact with her mind lighten, and he felt the slight tremor that betrayed her, reminding him that his wife was not well. Immediately the feel of his unborn children flooded his senses; he could feel them as strongly and as intoxicating as the presence of the woman he loved. But he sensed something more.

   "Lara – I. I'm sorry."  He had just become acutely aware of a deeper pain.

   Her immediate rush of frustration made it evident that she hadn't intended him to feel that.

   Luke shook his head. "I told you I wouldn't hurt you," he whispered.  And he swallowed hard.  "I don't know how to begin to erase that hurt," Luke admitted sadly. 

   "It doesn't matter," she whispered back, and she meant it. She understood Anakin's warning. It was Master Neese's warning too.  Luke's greatest weakness had always been a lack of faith in himself... but Lara felt a change beginning to take hold within him in the wake of his confronting his father and the nightmare vision. "I'm happy for you, Luke."

   Luke could feel the mix of joy and pain within her emotions; he had caused that pain, but she chose to focus on the joy, on her love for him.  He pulled her closer, answering the need that he sensed in her voice and her emotions.  Lara returned his embrace, remaining face to face with him.

   "There's nothing you can't do, and there's nothing in you to fear," she whispered. "I only wanted you to believe that, Luke. And I still want our children to learn to be everything that you are."

   "I know you do." His eyes flickered over hers as he bent close to her.  "And that means everything to me."  His lips softly brushed hers as she lifted her chin, her eyes staying on his. The silence held for one more moment as Luke caressed her face, wiping away the tears that fell in spite of her effort to hold them back, in spite of her smile.

   "I was worried for you," she whispered.  "I hurt for you, and I hurt for not being able to help you. But I love you so much, Luke.  Nothing will ever change that," she promised him, smiling. 

   Luke had meant it when he said that he didn't know how to erase the hurt that had been already been done, but he was ready to try and right it. Her smile dismissed that possibility with ease, reminding him that she didn't want a debt to be repaid or a wrong to be righted. All she wanted was him.

   Luke closed his eyes; a smile played on his lips too as he moved to kiss her.  Her breath touched his as he kissed her slowly, drinking her in, and feeling her return his emotion with all the strength of her own. It felt like a lifetime later when Luke opened his eyes. He watched his wife's eyes open to him as their lips slowly parted... and the pain and turmoil felt like a distant memory for each of them. A familiar soft smile pulled at her lips, encouraging Luke to gently pull her closer.  Lara buried her head against his neck, and the two of them stayed in the shared embrace for a long while.

   "And the other warning?" Lara finally asked.

   Luke took a deep breath. "It will come. I have to trust that I'll find the strength to face it when it does."

   "You will," Lara whispered, her breath soft against his skin.  "I know you will."

   Luke smiled. "You know I love you with all of my strength."

   "I know," she answered softly.

   After another moment the pair moved apart. Luke helped Lara settle back into bed and he pulled the covers up around her.  His emotions reached out to hers again as he lay down beside her. He was awed by the fresh hope he felt in her, and he opened his own mind and emotions to those feelings as his arms found their way around her, one hand softly caressing the expanse of her belly before settling to hold her. Lara's fingertips moved lightly over his forearm in response, her body relaxing against the feel of his strong frame as her breathing gradually grew deep and steady.

   Luke closed his eyes.  Feeling his wife slip quietly into the abyss of peaceful sleep, his mind reached out once more to the lives within her. He caressed their minds with the peace of the Force and the warmth of his own emotions for them. Assured of their well-being, he softly drew back and allowed his own mind and body to slowly relax. This time his sleep was peaceful and uninterrupted by dreams.

~

   In the heart of the Myrtle system, a shady cantina straddled the edges of a small outpost town that surrounded the only spaceport on Myrtle's nearest moon, its small, blue-green sister planet called Marnia.  Two hulking aliens, Hack and Govin, still stood guard by the doors, turning away any unwanted patrons.  In the small park across the street from the cantina a man was crouched down behind the waist high wood-worked wall.  From under the cover of low-hanging trees he surveyed the scene across the street; occasionally he pulled a small hand-held device from his pocket and spoke into it, recording his observations.

   Deep into the warm and misty night, the cantina finally closed its doors.  The man behind the fence crept away from his watch and returned to his ship.  Hack and Govin made their way inside, continuing past the bar and through the scattered tables that filled the dimly lit club until they entered a dingy hall that led to the run-down building's back room. Govin watched the door from the inside while Hack activated a transmission console.  A few seconds later Laus appeared on the other end of the feed.

   "What have you found out?" he asked.

   "It's Dangin.  He's been watching the place every day for the past week. He returns to his ship in the spaceport at regular intervals, but makes no transmissions – only maintenance calls."

   "Maintenance calls?"

   "The ship blew out one of its alluvial dampers when it put down. He's trying to locate a replacement part."

   Laus nodded. "Interesting.  He won't be lifting off until he gets that part... yet he hasn't made contact with any of our sources there for help.... Dangin.  He's the one, then."

   Hack waited.

   "I'll make my move soon. When I do I'll need you to be ready. I want Dangin taken out before I set down on the planet."

   "Consider it done, Boss."

   "Good. I'll contact you when I make orbit."

   "Understood."

~

   A few blocks away Dangin downloaded an encrypted message into his ship's computer and broadcast it via emergency relay to the neighboring systems. On the surface it was no more than a wide scan call for aid; in reality his report to Septis Morph was carefully embedded within the routine message.

   On the outskirts of the Tristis system Morph seated himself at a console and ran the program he had had specially developed for this mission.  Interwoven within a routine call for a ship's replacement part was the following fragmented message: Business proceeding as usual.  Operation normal. Guards in place.  No sign of proprietor.

   Morph read the message several times before closing down the program.  What game was Laus playing at?  Even the New Republic had begun to notice that Laus was stretching his resources too thin; and that carelessness could eventually put Morph's plans in jeopardy.  The Exonerator's investigation into Destonis and the missing ships off the Burmui sector was trouble. If the Jedi started to get suspicious....  Morph could be forced to move up his timetable.

   It might go smoother for Morph in Tritis if he didn't have to be the one who took Laus out... but the bottom line was that if Karrde didn't eliminate Laus soon, Morph would do it for him.

~

   Aboard the Exonerator search teams continued to scan the Burmui system and to launch scouting missions to patrol the perimeter of the mysterious energy field, collecting data but staying well clear of the area.  They still had no explanation for what was causing the erratic energy readings, or why two New Republic vessels would have disappeared here.  The only evidence found at the scene had been a recovered escape pod, but the pod had carried no life forms, simply an encrypted data disk which they had submitted to NRI for decoding.  Atamvr was hoping that the nearby moon might provide them with some answers.

   "Exonerator, this is Crusade Squadron Leader."

   "What have you got, Hobbie?" Atamvr answered

   "We've completed our search of the moon. It looks like there was a colony here at one time, but not recently.  This rock's uninhabitable now, sir."

   "Did you pick up any energy readings like the ones on Destonis?"

   "No. Nothing. I'm ready to send my team back."

   "Go ahead, Crusade Leader. We'll see you soon."

   Atamvr walked the length of bridge, keeping his stride steady and casual despite the confusion and agitation that muddled his thoughts. That moon was the only structure in the area that could have served as a base for pirates or smugglers seeking to ambush ships here, and they now had no theory as to what could have happened to those ships. If it hadn't been small-time criminals... Atamvr was beginning to wonder if there might be something a lot bigger going on here.

   "Lieutenant, pull up the NRI databank on Laus and begin checking it against the information Talon Karrde transmitted.  I want to be absolutely certain that Laus has no bases in the vicinity."

   "Yes, sir."

   "Captain, notify me immediately if anything changes. I'll be in my quarters."

   "Yes, sir."

~

   "Hello, Leia.  I'm sorry to bother you so early."

   "No bother, Atamvr." Leia Organa Solo adjusted the transmission feed on her office desk.  "What do you need?"

   "I wanted to find out if there was any progress on deciphering that coded message we found in the pod."

   "As a matter of fact, NRI broke it a few hours ago.  It's a warning. According to Agent Presqur, his ship was disabled by the energy field and rendered dead in space.  Immediately after that he said he was coming under attack by a mystery fighter. He called it a trap."

   "I don't understand how that could have happened," Atamvr admitted his confusion.  "As far as we can tell, Laus has no base near enough to launch a sublight fighter, unless it was a IC fighter, and even then why would there only be one?"

   "It doesn't make sense," Leia agreed, "but according to Agent Presqur, he saw one HTS fighter."

   "You don't sound convinced," Atamvr pointed out.

   "It just feels like there's more to this than meets the eye," Leia conceded. "Were you able to contact Karrde?"

   "Yes, he sent a list of known bases that Laus has used in the past and could still be using. My people are running it now. What about the Destonis energy readings? They're so similar to the readings here, only more stable; that can't be coincidence."

   "We're working on it." Leia hesitated.  "Han and Allad ran a check last night.  Unofficially, the only other place we get readings like the ones on Destonis is in Tritis space.  And here's the weird part; the readings are arranged in massive grid along the outer rim of the system, all of it along the border with the New Republic."

   "Could they be trying to develop some kind of defense shield?"

   "Possibly," Leia conceded, "only one problem with that theory; there are no planets in that sector.  It almost looks like they're trying to quardern off the entire border."

   "Does Karrde know about this?"

   "Leia shrugged.  He hasn't mentioned it; your guess is as good as mine."

   "Do me a favor and don't tell him yet. After we get finished here we're set to meet with Karrde and Mara.  I want to see if he can make anything of the Destonis readings, and it'd be nice to have a little something to offer as incentive."

   Leia smiled. "Understood. When you spoke to Karrde, did he say anything about Laus, his last location, or status?"

   "I pressed him, but he wouldn't commit over the transmission.  If I had to characterize his attitude in one word, though, it would be confident. I think the rumors we've been hearing about Laus' coming demise are right on. Karrde will move soon."

   Leia nodded. "I feel that too," she said softly.

   Atamvr smiled. "From what I hear, congratulations are soon in order."

   "Not quite.  I still have a project to complete first," she countered.

   "And I take it Luke has other matters to attend to."

   "He and Lara have an appointment at the med center this morning. She's had a couple of false alarms this past week. The meds are keeping a close watch on her; they say they may induce labor any day now if she starts to show signs of strain."

   "Even a month early?"

   "The twins are healthy and doing well. The meds don't want to risk running into any complications between now and their delivery date."

   Atamvr paled a bit, but he nodded, keeping his composure.

   "Don't worry," Leia whispered, seeing his discomfort.  "She's in good hands."

   "I know."  Atamvr smiled back. "Keep me informed?"

   "I will. You take care, and may the Force be with you."

   "And with you, Leia," Atamvr offered.

   The transmission console went blank and then powered off, and Atamvr paced his quarters restlessly.  Everything had gone so well on Destonis, much more so than they had expected. Then they had stepped headlong into this mystery.  There had to be a connection between Destonis and Burmui, and now Tritis... which meant the whole thing was connected to Laus.

   "Jedi Luminas."

   "Yes, Captain," Atamvr answered the captain's hail.

   "According to Karrde's data there is one planet in this sector that Laus may have been using.  It's called Cesde; NRI has no record of it."

   Atamvr thought for a minute. "Set in a course and break orbit as soon as Crusade Squadron is safely aboard the Exonerator.  I want to investigate that planet."

   "Yes, sir," Captain Senesca answered with satisfaction.  He and the rest of the crew were eager to be returning to their original goal of tracking the dangerous warlord and bringing down his criminal organization.  It was the work that Atamvr had come out here to do, and he also was eager to be returning to the task. But unlike the crew he knew there was more to these detours than met the eye.  Destonis and Burmui weren't separate diversions from the overall mission, but smaller pieces of same puzzle; he only needed to figure out how they fit together... and Atamvr regretted more than ever that his rendevous with Karrde would have to be delayed again.

   The Jedi Knight took a deep breath and cleared his mind for meditation, hoping to find some answer for his unsettling emotions within the Force's peace. He felt that familiar window gradually open to his relaxing mind, showing him glimpses of so much that it was hard to find focus. But he pulled himself deeper into the Force, letting it guide his thoughts and emotions, allowing it to show him what he needed to see.

   Images came to him of what appeared at first to be a familiar confrontation, but these images revealed a little more than before.  There was a struggle, a fight over a blade, and then a blinding pain. But intermingled with that struggle were flashes of a different struggle.  The blinding pain startled Atamvr, as did the presence of a familiar being in the Force.  It was all she could do to hold on to her concentration, to continue her effort....  Lara's sense in the Force burned brighter than Atamvr had even seen; she was relying on the Force more completely than she ever had before, but despite that Atamvr could feel her uncertainty.

   "You'll regret this," a cold voice threatened her continued resistance.

   Though confident in her defense, Lara did not understand the source of the strength she was facing or its limitations, a circumstance which was frightening and unnerving to her. But she reached out to the Force and held her ground, determinedly resisting.

   Atamvr cried out in pain; his concentration broke, and the scene shifted violently.  Another image caught his attention, startling him, and Atamvr struggled to regain focus enough to hang on to that image through the turmoil in his emotions. He could see Lara again; her eyes closed and breathing strained, she was reaching to the Force, trying to rely on its strength to help her bring her breathing and her emotions under control. 

   His first assumption was that her condition was a result of the altercation he had seen moments earlier. She cried out in spite of herself, in pain, and Atamvr jerked forward, having to remember that he could do nothing to help her, and quickly refocusing his concentration, afraid that he would lose her image for a second time. She opened her eyes and stared hard at the ceiling, trying not to think about what was happening.  He could feel that in her emotions.

   "Lara, you've got to try to relax," came a stern but gentle voice.

   She nodded and tried again to comply, to tolerate the pain. 

   He knew now that this wasn't an injury; it was the twins – but it couldn't be, unless what he was seeing was the future....  Her head tilted back and tears ran down her cheeks. The invasivness hurt her, more than the pain, but this time she managed to blank her mind and ignore the pain until it was over.  Then the busy room emptied. Alone in a med suite, Luke's hand moved over hers, and she opened her eyes to him reluctantly.

   Atamvr watched his slow and careful touch as Luke settled the blankets around her, and gently helped her settle herself into a comfortable position, moving slowly, trying not to cause his wife any more pain. Her eyes lowered, watching the hand that had come to rest against the blankets that covered her lower body.  And this time Atamvr could see what he had been trying not to notice. As the covers settled around her, there was no expected bulge to her figure, no welcome indication of the twin lives that she should still be carrying. 

   Atamvr came out of his meditation with a startled jolt; sadness, shock, and grief all mixed in his emotions.  He was sure he had seen a possible future in that first set of images... but his spirit filled with a profound sadness for the second set of images. For the immediate future Atamvr feared that an even more profound sadness awaited his closest friends.

~

   "Are they here yet?  Are they here yet?" Mark and Ben came racing in from the living area just as their parents returned home from their med appointment.  They understood that the med center was linked to their new brothers' or sisters' arrival, but they didn't yet grasp the concept that it would take more than an hour visit there to bring them home.

   "Not yet," their father answered, much to the twin's dismay.

   "Soon," Lara grinned.  "Dad's already getting nervous."

   Luke smiled at her ribbing.  "That's okay. Mom's going to take it easy for a little longer," he retorted.

   Mark and Ben were thrilled at the idea of having new brothers or sisters, and their parents were growing equally eager to see their new arrivals come.  According to the medic, the twins were showing strong vital signs; they would be a little underweight if they came early, but they were ready. 

   Those little lives were strong in the Force, their minds and emotions calm.  As it should have been, they were secure in their own little world of safety and well-being, oblivious to any feelings of want or need.  Luke knew that was Lara's doing; she was constantly mindful of them, making sure that none of the deficiencies in her own well-being reached them... but Luke could feel those things too. The twins' development continued to put more and more strain on her body's resources. Despite his efforts, there had been nothing Luke could do to ease the strain or to strengthen the physical connection to their mother that ensured the twins' survival. Lara never complained about that; quite the opposite, she insisted that she would hold out as long as possible to give her children the best chance at a strong and healthy start when they did make their way into the universe.

   Luke and Lara had been told this morning that the placenta would only continue to weaken as the twins grew, and they wanted to avoid having it loose contact with the uterus between now and the delivery.  If that happened the birth would become an emergency procedure, risking both the health of the mother and the lives of the children.  Luke was determined not let Lara take that risk; he didn't want her health to be placed any further at risk, and he had been relieved today when the meds had agreed.  It was settled that they would induce the labor if necessary any day now.

   But early induction proved unnecessary.  Aside from a couple more false alarms the remainder of the pregnancy went by smoothly, and about a week later, in the early hours just before daylight, the twins decided of their own accord that they were ready to begin making their way into the universe.  Having been through all this once before, there was none of the mad, panicked rush by the parents to make it to the med center in time. Luke simply lay awake beside his wife, watching the time gradually draw closer between her contractions, and trying not to be nervous.  Of course it was a losing battle; he was nervous and Lara picked up on it, in turns reassuring him and teasing him.

   His hand brushed hers reassuringly as he reached out to the lives within her, and Luke could feel Lara doing the same. Together they offered comforting emotions, feelings of love and safety, to counter the ever-strengthening feelings of disruption and unease that the twins were beginning to experience.  Then Luke felt surprise, followed by a wave of worry from Lara. He knew that the last several contractions had become steadily more sustained, but her reaction was unexpected.

   Luke, her voice whispered in his mind just as he understood the cause for those emotions.  The surprise had been hers, but the worry was not entirely her own.  Mark and Ben were outside the door. The boys had felt their mother's distress.

   It's all right, Luke called to them in the Force, "you can come in."

   The boys came inside, moving forward a few cautious steps before standing still again. Finding nothing amiss or even unusual only seemed to deepen their worry and uncertainty about what they were feeling.  Their mother and father were exactly as they should have been, except for the fact that they were awake. They were settled in bed, Dad with his arms around Mom, both of them watching their children curiously for a moment. Then his hand moved over hers, and she squeezed his fingers just as her eyes fluttered closed, as if she was concentrating very hard on something... and that something was hurting her.

   It only lasted a moment, and their father's expression remained very calm, as if nothing was wrong, but the twins' faces darkened. They didn't like the fact that their mother was in pain. They didn't understand why, and didn't know whether to be scared or angry about that. 

   "All right?" Luke whispered softly, but loudly enough for the boys to hear.

   Lara nodded, and she took a second to regain her composure.  Then her eyes opened and her gaze settled on her sons.

   "Come here," she asked softly. "Pain is nothing to be afraid of, and it's nobody's fault," she whispered. "I had pain when the two of you came, and I wouldn't trade that for anything."

   Luke smiled and touched his lips to her head affectionately.

   "Come on," Lara prompted them again, seeing that they still had yet to move any closer.

   Luke watched his sons come up to the side of the bed and climb in cautiously.  They were more assured that this was okay, and Lara was ignoring the pain as best she could while they asked curious questions about their own birthday.  Luke waited patiently for their curiosity to be satisfied, but all the while he could feel the time drawing nearer. Now he just wanted to get the twins born.

   "Why don't you two get dressed now," Luke suggested once the boys had fallen silent, their emotions settled.  "Your mom and I going to go to the med center and you're going to stay at your cousins' while were there, remember?"

   They each nodded.

   "Go ahead then," Lara whispered.

   The two little boys jumped down and ran from the room. Lara released Luke's hand and took a deep breath before she moved to sit up.  He could see surprise come over her face as she took another breath, trying to keep her voice calm as she turned back to him.

   "I think these guys are in a bigger rush than Mark and Ben were," she whispered as her hand rubbed over her belly. Luke wasn't fooled by the attempted humor, but he was calm.  He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he reached a hand to her shoulder.

   "I'll help you to med," he offered gently.

   "No. Get Mark and Ben over to Han and Leia's first; I'm all right for now."

   Luke pushed back the impulse to argue; he kissed her cheek and followed after the twins. A few minutes later Luke had the boys and their things ready to go.  Lara kissed them each, told them to behave for their aunt and uncle, and promised that they'd see their new brothers or sisters by tonight.

   "I love you," Luke whispered kissing her lips.

   "I know," Lara whispered in return.  "Hurry back," she added with a smile.

   "We won't be long," Luke promised. She felt the touch of his mind, and without even a word she knew that he wouldn't be far away.

~

   Fresh from her morning meditation, Leia settled herself at the small workbench in the rec room and looked down at a collection of unfamiliar tools, casings, and power sources. There were no instructions for this kind of work.  She took a deep breath, relaxed her mind, and began to assemble the weapon that would be her defense.  It would become a part of her, and its creation was also a part of her.  An act of creation... kind of like parenthood.  She smiled at that thought; you had no clue how you would do it, and the responsibility was overwhelming, but somehow you put all that aside and found your way forward.  It was love, self-sacrifice, determination, and the ability to trust in something greater than yourself. You learned to become part of a family... a part of the Force.

   Dawn was just beginning to lighten the Coruscant horizon when she reached a stopping point.  Leia had hardly been aware of the passing of time as she worked, her thoughts dwelling on the past as well as the present and future. She couldn't imagine how many Jedi had completed this task before her. Now only a handful remained. Luke had brought Jedi back from extinction with himself, and then Atamvr.  Now Leia and Mara, and perhaps Lara, would follow in his footsteps. Then Jacen and Jaina....  They were giddy over the prospect of their mother as a Jedi; Leia and Han still had a harder time embracing the thought of their children as young Jedi-in-training, but she knew that their time would come, and soon.  She could feel it.  The Force ran strong in their family. Leia had always known that that truth would be a part of her children's destiny, the same as it was a part of Luke's destiny, and had now become a part of her destiny.

   Her comm link buzzed, and Leia picked it up to answer.

   "Hey, Sweetheart.  Luke just came by to drop Mark and Ben off; he and Lara are on there way to the med center."

   Leia let her senses stretch out, quickly locating her brother and sister-in-law. She could Feel Luke's nervousness, but there was nothing out of the ordinary in her brother's emotions.

   "Jacen and Jaina are already off to school.  Winter says she'll keep Bail and the boys so we can go to the med center too," Han finished. 

   "All right," Leia decided. "I'm almost done here. I'll see you in med in an hour or so."

~

   "At this rate it will all be over in a matter of minutes," Lara joked with her husband.  As she had noted earlier, the twins appeared to be in a bit of a hurry to make their appearance.  Almost as soon as she had been settled into a med room, the first child was ready to be born.

   "Good."  Luke kissed her temple; he had just moved behind her. "Nice and easy this time."

   "I wouldn't go that far," she quipped, grinning back at him, but she couldn't argue that the labor was progressing smoothly and, compared to Mark and Ben's birth, very quickly.

   Lara felt Luke reaching out to the Force.  The familiar touch of his mind seemed to meld with her own as the pair concentrated on their unborn children. Lara focused all her attention upon those little minds, and put all of her strength into the task of bringing them safely into the universe... and she felt Luke there beside her, adding his strength and comfort to her efforts. Only a few pushes later they were met with a new son.

   Luke took the tiny newborn in his arms and held him for a moment before placing him gently in Lara's arms. Despite his early arrival, the little boy was vigorous and healthy.  And gradually their next child started its entry to the universe.

   Luke reached out to Lara and to their child, again adding his comfort and encouragement to the effort she was giving as the contractions strengthened again.  With each one Lara pushed as she had before, but with no more progress. Then he felt an unexpected flash of intense pain.

   "Lara?" Luke whispered, surprised at the sudden strength of the sensation.

   "I'm okay," she breathed through it. The pain gradually passed as the contraction faded and Lara rested. 

   The medic checked her and the baby's progress again. And he shook his head, worried.  Another contraction was coming   Luke tightened his grip on her hands as he felt the contraction start; then Lara's grip loosened, and he knew beyond what he could see and feel from the medics that something was very wrong.  Luke kept talking to her, holding his wife's attention, keeping her mind on the delivery while the meds worked frantically to figure out what was going on.

   "We've got a loss of blood pressure."

   Luke felt his own blood run cold as he suddenly understood: the pain she had had a few moments ago; she was bleeding internally.  He held her closer as her fingers tightened against his again, and Luke made an effort to put his worry for the safety of his wife and child out of his mind. He had to concentrate on Lara, holding her and helping her reach out to their unborn child as they had a million times before.  He felt her relax a little when the contraction passed, but his eyes were on the room around them.

   He had felt the intense pain that had come again during that contraction, and he could see it in the worried faces of the meds as they worked in the space between contractions, checking the baby's progress again.

   "What's happening?" Luke asked one of the nurses. 

   "Most likely a uterine tear. We need to try and slow the bleeding." She looked to Luke hesitantly. "Do what you can to keep her alert."

   Luke nodded, and tried to push back his own worry. Lara was weakened from blood loss but she was alert, and she was fighting a frightening feeling of urgency to get her baby born.

   "Luke–" her voice broke as she struggled with those emotions.

   Luke took her face in his hands and looked in her eyes.  "It's okay," he breathed. "We'll do this together; hear me, Sweetness?" She nodded back. Her emotions were steadier but he could feel how shaky she was physically, and he held her a little closer. "It'll be okay," he breathed, his own breath coming short.

   The next contraction had already started to build. And again he held her through it, but this time Luke was trying as hard as he could to repress the pain, which was only becoming more intense. The worry he was feeling for her safety had become a stab of fear that was hard to force from his mind.  He pressed his lips against the top of her head, feeling her relax a little when the contraction finally passed, and her attention shifted from the contact she was keeping with their unborn child to the room around them. There had been no frantic burst of activity from the medics following this contraction.  One of them simply came to speak to Lara quietly, urgently.

   "Lara, we need to get this child delivered in next contraction.  This is the best chance we can give you at a normal delivery.  Either we get this baby born now, and get you treated, or we risk your losing consciousness; and none of want to have to deliver this baby without you."

   Lara nodded and squeezed Luke's hand.

   "Help me," she asked of him softly as she looked back at him. 

   He could see determination take over her face.

   Luke nodded. "You know I will."

   When the next contraction came she gave it all her strength; Lara brutally forced herself to ignore the weakness and the pain... but the pain became severe and she felt herself slipping closer to unconsciousness. Luke pulled closer to her, both physically and mentally. She could feel the touch of his mind as he fought alongside her, pushing back the pain, helping her to stay conscious.

   "C'mon Lara. I can't do this without you," he breathed as he reached out. "Just one more time–" he urged. And he felt her answering surge of effort, as she reached to the Force for strength, for focus.  "That's it," he whispered, helping her as she pushed again.  Then he held his breath as the last of the contraction passed.  He could feel her weakness in its wake. And the baby hadn't been born.

   "Hang on, Lara," he whispered in her ear.  Lara shook her head in denial at the fogginess in her mind, as she battled to stay conscious despite blood loss, and fatigue, and pain.  "Stay with me, Sweetness," she felt him plead again, and she realized that she was already fading in and out.

   "We've got to take the baby now. We're losing her."

   Lara was slipping. A horrible wave of helpless despair overcame Luke.

   A short distance away, in the Imperial Palace, the tool she had been using dropped from Leia's grip. She felt panicked and could hardly breathe; helplessness and despair had suddenly overcome her emotions.  The feel of her brother's mind had become so familiar to her... Leia knew that she was feeling his emotions, but she had rarely felt anything so intense or uncontrolled from him.

   Luke.  What's wrong?

   I'm losing her, Leia.

   His sister was with him in a second; her mind opened to him, offering all of her strength and determination.

   Not if there's anything we can do to stop it.

   Leia's strength felt like a luminescent energy in the Force, holding him together past the point where Luke was sure he would fall apart, and pushing him to act. The two of them reached out to Lara in the Force.

   She won't give up, Luke, his sister whispered.  Don't you let her.

   "C'mon Lara," Luke whispered, "please. You've got to fight," he urged her again as he sensed the time growing closer. "I need you to keep fighting."

   Where Luke's emotions overwhelmed him, Leia found peace, and the twins combined to reach out to the Force as one essence. Their combined strength pulled Lara back with a mixture of intense love and calmly determined focus... just as Lara and Leia had once combined to pull Luke back.

   Lara cried out in pain, but she pushed as hard as she could. Luke held her tightly, trying to give her some comfort and relief through the tremendous pain. He was almost oblivious to the flurry of activity that surrounded them as the meds took the new baby and began working to get her stabilized.

   Again, it was close, but he could feel her fighting. In the connection they shared, she knew that her child was safe.  That urgent fear was gone.  Lara felt new peace and new determination, and after a few more tense minutes her condition began to stabilize.

   Thank you, Leia, Luke whispered.

   Luke felt the touch of her mind gently recede. I'll see you soon, she promised.

   Luke held his wife a little closer, and again he asked her to stay.  "I can't do this without you, Lara," he whispered, but his worried voice was filled with love and awe this time.  "What do I know about raising an incredibly beautiful, strong, little girl?" he asked her.

   Lara looked back at him, stunned.  "A girl?" she asked, smiling.

   Luke nodded, tears in his eyes as he smiled back at her.

   "We have a daughter?" she breathed, her voice threatening to break in surprise over the unexpected joy.

   Luke laughed, the tears spilling down his cheeks as he nodded once more. "She's beautiful," he managed through his smile, "and strong," he added, struggling for his voice, "just like her mother."

   "Can I see her?" Lara asked through hopeful tears.

   "We'll have plenty of time for that," he insisted gently, stroking his fingertip along her face. "Just rest now." 

   Lara nodded, and Luke pulled away from her slowly, gently helping settle her back against her pillow.  She winced a bit as the motion further strained already strained and torn muscles.  Luke brushed her forehead with his hand, trying to ease the pain, but her eyes had already closed tiredly in its wake.

   "I thought you knew by now," she whispered.  "I'm not so easy to get rid of."

   His lips touched her forehead. "You keep scaring me through," he chided her weakly.

   She knew he meant it as a joke, but she could feel his breath against her, the way all the breath seemed to flow out of him; and she knew that she had scared him.

   "You know I love you too much to ever leave you," she insisted.

   "I knew there was a reason I married you," Luke whispered, teasing her again. He brushed her hair back, and watched the smile gently fade from her features as she fell soundly asleep.  "I love you so much, Lara," he whispered, the tears falling down his face.

~

   One of the medics stepped out into the waiting room instead of a nurse, and Han abruptly stopped his bickering with Chewie and got to his feet. A worried expression creased his worn features as he glanced between Leia and the approaching medic.  Medics didn't usually make an appearance for good news.

   He explained to the family that there had been a difficult labor and complications had arisen with the second birth, but Lara had given birth to a healthy boy and girl. 

   "Mom will just need a little time to recover; we want to keep an eye on her for a few days."

   "But she's not in any danger?" Han questioned, or more like he demanded. Leia gave his arm a squeeze. She knew he didn't mean to come on so strong, but Luke and Lara were family; as far as Han was concerned Luke was his little brother. There was nothing Han wouldn't do for him, and he had seen the Kid through too much to let some medic try to feed him a sugarcoated truth if something was wrong.

   "We expect her to be fine."

   "You're sure?" came the nervous question.

   "Positive. But I'll see if I can swing visitors," he assured the anxious family, his gaze resting warily on Chewbacca for a handful of heartbeats; the last thing he wanted was to upset an overprotective Wookie.

   Han pursed his lips as the medic retreated.  "You looked worried, Princess."

   "I think the news is just a little more mixed than he lets on," Leia admitted. Lara and the twins were safe, but when the medic had spoken about Lara's recovery Leia had sensed a great deal of caution in his emotions.  She smiled at her husband reassuringly. "Why don't you two go tell Mark and Ben the good news. I'll wait here to see if they'll allow visitors."

   They did allow Leia to go in a few minutes later.  Luke stood from Lara's bedside where he had been watching over her, holding her hand as she slept. He hugged his sister, and Leia held on to him tightly.

   "What did they tell you?" he whispered, feeling caution and worry in her emotions.

   "They say Lara's going to need a little time to recover, but she and the twins are okay now," she assured him.

   Luke held her a little tighter.  "If it hadn't been for you...."

   Leia leaned back from him cautiously.  "She just needed a little help."

   Luke grinned in spite of himself.  "One minute you're elated beyond words, and the next... it's terrifying how quickly that can happen.  And that feeling stays with you."

   Leia smiled that reassuring sister smile of hers, and she shook her head.  "Your family is what stays with you," she stated certainly. "Now introduce me to my new niece and nephew."

~

   "How you feeling?" Luke was by his wife's side when she woke, and he bent to gently kiss her forehead. 

   "Like I've been tangling with a Wampa," she admitted honestly. Then she gave him a weary smile and amended her answer.  "Tired. But happy," Lara whispered.

   Luke smiled, feeling the truth in her words. "I hope you're up for some special visitors," he smiled, and he turned away to bring her new son and daughter to her. "Leia just left a few minutes ago; she's going to bring the boys by; she says they've been waiting impatiently all day."

   "How were they, earlier?"

   "Far enough away not to feel anything wrong," Luke answered.

   Lara nodded, relieved. "After they picked up on the pain this morning, I was worried about that."

   Luke moved the bassinet close to her bedside and gently picked up the sleeping girl to place her into her mother's arms.

   "You were right," Lara breathed, smiling as she watched her daughter stir for a second then settle back to sleep. "She's beautiful."

   Luke picked up her brother and, holding the little boy in his arms, returned to his seat by the bed, positioning his son so that Lara could see and touch him.  Lara reached to brush her hand affectionately against his head, and she smiled at Luke proudly. These tiny lives... they were here, and well, and Lara knew it was worth every moment of sacrifice she had willing given for them, just to be able to hold them and touch them now.

   Luke's hand found hers as he sat beside her, happy, content, and just enjoying the moment.

   "You know, we need names again," he noted lightly.

   She looked up at him.  "Any ideas?"

   His grin widened.  "I know what I'd like to call our daughter."

   Lara shook her head at him in warning. "Oh no," she smiled. "I don't want Lara any more than you want Luke Jr.," she teased him, and Luke conceded.

   "Then compromise with me," he smiled.  "Laramar," he stated gently, watching her face.

   "Laramar," she repeated softly, considering the name.  "You are a dream, little one," she said, smiling down at her daughter.  "And our new son?" she asked, looking back to Luke.

   Luke looked down at the boy. "When I first held him, Lara," he said slowly, "I had such a feeling of new beginnings.  All the past, and all the unresolved questions – it didn't matter; there was nothing but joy in holding this beautiful child, my son, in my arms."  He looked to Lara for a long moment, watching her face; he knew that she would understand what he felt, what he meant.

   "Anakin," she stated quietly.

   Luke nodded in return. "Anakin."

   Then both of them looked toward the door.

   "And here come your big brothers," Lara breathed. 

   Mark and Ben came inside, flanked by their Aunt Leia.  Luke gave little Anakin to Lara, and once both of the newborns were settled near their mother, Luke sat Ben on the bed and picked Mark up in his arms so that each of them could get a good look at their new brother and sister.

   "They're so little," Ben whispered.

   "I was never that little," Mark stated certainly.

   "Sure you were," Luke grinned. "And before you know it they'll be big enough to play with you guys."

   Lara smiled. "It seems like yesterday we bringing you two into the universe," she whispered to Ben. "Now you're big brothers."

   Lara stifled a yawn, and a concerned look passed between Luke and Leia. 

   "C'mon you two," Leia interjected. "You've gotten to see them, as promised, and your Mom needs her rest."

   "Just a little longer?" Mark asked hopefully.

   "No," Luke answered, placing him back on the floor and helping Ben down. "Your aunt's right, as usual. And she'll bring you back tomorrow for another visit."

   Luke hugged them each. "Thanks, Leia," he added as Lara kissed her sons goodbye. 

   Leia could feel the combination of his worry and gratitude, and she found herself remembering the medic's earlier words. He hadn't been so certain that Lara's recovery would be as simple as a couple of days' rest.

   Leia smiled, deliberately putting those thoughts aside for the time being. "Anything you need, just let us know," she whispered, kissing her brother on the cheek.

   Luke nodded gratefully.  Mark and Ben watched their father carefully settle the newborns back into their basinet for the night, and then, finally convinced that they wouldn't be missing anything exciting by leaving now, they went with their aunt.

   Leia playfully ushered the twins out the door, but as she did she caught a glimpse of Luke tucking Lara in. Lara's wince at the slight shift in position didn't escape her notice, and Leia felt a heavy weight come over her emotions.  She was afraid there would be a difficult recovery for Lara to endure before she was fully healed, and something told her that Lara's recovery would be as difficult emotionally as it would be physically.

~

   A vibrant green energy blade slashed through the air as Leia Organa Solo deflected the training remote's onslaught of blast bolts with deceptive ease. Her attention was only partly on that task, however; her thoughts dwelt on Laus, Tritis, and the mysterious energy readings... too many loose threads, and too many unanswered questions.  A curious shift in the Force brought her attention back to the room around her.  She felt a rush of pride, which was quickly dampened as she extended one hand toward the remote.  Deactivating it, and shutting down her newly constructed lightsaber, she turned toward Han. He offered a lopsided smile as he stood casually in the doorway.

   "That thing actually works."

   "Better than the Falcon," Leia quipped in return.

   "Nice."  Han came inside.  "Allad wanted me to give you this," he explained, offering her a data pad.  "He said something about a project Luke asked him to work on, off the record."

   Leia nodded, curious, and activated the pad's holo unit. A small projection of Allad appeared. 

   "Hi, Leia. I know your brother has lot on his mind just now with new twins coming early and all, but he asked me a while back to see if I could find some facts about Darlik and how he night have related to some strange happenings in Tritis." Allad paused.  "Facts have been hard to find; mostly I've uncovered a collection of rumors, but they lead me to believe Luke's theory has merit.

   "Something happened in Tritis around the time rumors started swirling about a renegade Force user. The system was virtually in a state of panic.  Then the rumors and the panic stopped.  A man known by the surname Morph is said to have liberated the system from un unnamed Force user.  According to the locals, this man was immune to the power of the Force."

   Leia glanced toward Han, who rolled his eyes, clearly unconvinced.

   Allad seemed to anticipate that reaction.  "I know, it reads more like mythology than fact." He smiled begrudgingly. "But then I used to think that about the Force until I met Luke," Allad stated pointedly. Then his image flickered out.

   "Wonder what that's all about," Han asked.

   "I don't know," Leia admitted, "but I don't like it," she finished softly.

   "Sounds like a bunch of bunk to me," Han decided.

   "Just because it doesn't make sense doesn't mean there's not truth to it," she decided warily. "Did Atamvr break orbit?"

   "Yeah. He's in route to that planet he plans to check out before meeting with Karrde and Mara."

   Leia nodded, distracted. She felt a curious pull in the Force.

   "What?" Han asked.

   "Just a feeling, like time's running out...."

   Han placed an arm around her shoulders.  "Tomorrow's a big day; it's probably just nerves."

   Leia laughed and poked him in the side with the hilt of her saber. "It's only an announcement," she warned, "don't go making a big deal of it." 

   "Hey!  Watch it with that thing."

   "I thought you were surprised it worked, flyboy," Leia teased her husband.

   "I am, but I don't need you testing it on me, Madam Jedi," Han answered back.

~

   Lara's eyes were shut tightly, but in concentration and not in pain. Luke held her hand, but for encouragement instead of comfort.  The few days that the medics had initially predicted for her recovery had stretched out into a week, and those days had brought a blend of joy and pain.  The new parents were awed at learning all the joys of newborns again, and at seeing Mark and Ben's unbridled joy in their new brother and sister. Lara was healing, but there had also been a grueling regimen of treatments and exams that she had had to endure.

   Luke had encouraged her to practice a healing form of meditation, if for no other reason than to take her mind off the painful and intrusive examinations and to ease her feelings of helplessness over her own recovery.  Over the past few days the treatments had become easier; she was healing, but Luke was surprised at how she had taken to the meditations; after these sessions she was encouraged and strengthened, and her connection to Force was strengthening almost daily.  She had so much potential.

   Lara smirked at him, picking up on those thoughts. "Leia's just announced that she's going to be Knighted, and you're already looking for new student." She knew that her teasing wasn't that far off the mark.  He did hope that she might eventually decide to renew her training in the Force... and he knew that she wasn't yet ready to make that leap of faith.

   Luke smiled and shifted his hold on her hand affectionately. "When you're ready," he whispered, just as he had when they had last spoken about her unrealized potential. But she had made so much progress since then....

   "Right now I just want to get out of here," Lara admitted.

   "I think I can help you with that."  Her medic stood in the doorway, looking over her records. "Today's test results were better than expected," he explained as he came inside.  "You're very nearly healed, enough for us to let you go home."

   Luke and Lara's relief over that news was short-lived however. The medic wasn't done yet.

   "I'm afraid the news is not entirely good though... and there's no easy way to say this."  He sat down.  "Lara, your body is healing well. There's no further danger of the tear reopening and no sign of infection, but there is a great deal of scarring that will remain permanently."

   Lara felt her heart skip, and Luke's hand tightened against hers as the medic broke the news to them.

   "We've done all we could to minimize the effect, but–" The medic took a cautious breath, clearly not wanting to say what had to be said.  "I'm sorry, but this will prevent you from being able to carry another child."

   The next few minutes were a blur.  She felt it hit her physically; for a moment it was hard to breathe.  She couldn't meet Luke's eyes, and time seemed to stop as she worked at each breath. The medic left them alone.  And she cried.  Inconsolable tears. Luke felt the strength of the turmoil raging inside her, and he held her until it was spent, understanding that she wasn't ready to hear reason just yet. Then, when the tears began to wain, he kissed her, trying to give reassurance.

   "I love you," he offered the reassurance, the truth, resting his head against hers.  Somewhere beneath her own turmoil Lara could feel his emotions still reeling from the unexpected shock.  She reached for him as the tears started to come back over her again, and they held each other tightly.  "It's all right," Luke whispered.  "I love you so much," he said again.  Luke pulled back to look in her eyes. "You know I don't need any more than you can give me." And he grinned through his own tears.  "You've given me so much more than I could ever have asked."

   Lara nodded. He leaned back and she felt him gently wipe the tears that still came.

   "I love you, Luke."  She smiled. "We're lucky," she managed, her voice giving her away.

   Without another word Luke bent to kiss her lips, and he lay down beside her, to hold her.  The motion felt a little too familiar to Luke as his arms curled protectively around her.  There had been a lot of pain and a lot of tears over the past week.

   "We are," he murmured softly, words of comfort. 

   He could feel the heavy weight she carried... too many physical and emotional stresses.  In a little more than a week's time she had gone from carrying two children, and giving them birth, to being a new mother again, to being told that she would never experience any of those things, ever again. Something very real and very special had suddenly ended for her. Something of herself, intangible and unrecognized, had unexpectedly been lost.  And she wasn't ready yet to feel peace through all of the turmoil that was still fresh in her mentally, and physically, and emotionally. She leaned her forehead into his chest, and her voice muffled against him when she spoke again. 

   "It still hurts, Luke."

   Luke closed his eyes and let himself feel it with her: an inexpressibly personal loss of self that defied any attempt at logic. 

   "I know," he whispered.  He felt the loss with her, he held her, and he gave her time to feel those things.  "It'll be okay," he whispered, gently stroking her hair. 

   "I promise, Sweetness," she felt him whisper through it. "I promise," he said again.  "We'll be okay." 

~

   The Tea Room was once again decorated in shades of muted creams and browns as Luke prepared to pronounce Leia a Jedi Knight.  But unlike Atamvr's Knighting, which had been a small gathering attended by jubilant friends and a handful of dignitaries, tonight the Tea Room was overflowing with important guests. Deep inside Coruscant's Imperial Palace, it seemed dignitaries had come from all across the galaxy not only for the novelty of the ceremony itself, but for the person at it center.  Leia Organa Solo, sister of Luke Skywalker, Princess of Alderaan, Imperial Senator, hero and leader of the Rebel Alliance, and New Republic Senator was about to become a Jedi Knight.

   The announcement came that the ceremony was to begin, and the buzz of quiet conversation died away, replaced by an air of anticipation.  The guests began to find their seats as Luke Skywalker walked to the front of the room to address them.

   "You all know the many accomplishments of Leia Organa Solo.  Today she will undertake a new and different path of responsibility in her continued service to the New Republic. I have been proud of the dedication and perseverance she has shown in reaching this point, and I have great confidence in her ability to lead and to serve the New Republic in the years to come as a Jedi Knight."

   Luke turned aside, and Leia entered the room to a polite scattering of applause. She was elegantly dressed, as if for a formal occasion, wearing a cream-colored floor-length dress which was overlaid with a brown high-necked sleeveless jacket.  Her hair was done up in an elaborate pattern of braids that twisted and curled around each side of her head, but at the back her hair hung loose and straight, falling down her back like a soft blanket. Luke knew she had put great thought into her appearance for this occasion, trying to blend the austere look of a Jedi with the more stately sensibilities of her position as senator.

   She walked toward him, removing her training lightsaber from the inside pocket of her jacket, and Luke could not hide the great swell of pride he felt for his sister today. With a feeling of great reverence, Luke ignited the blade that Leia had constructed and held the weapon aloft, allowing its green light to bathe the room in energy for a handful of heartbeats. An awestruck murmur filled the room as Leia bowed down to one knee.

   Luke took a half step forward to place his hand on Leia's shoulder, and the blade that he held passed over her head with a faint buzzing hum. She remained kneeling until the weapon had been retracted. Then Leia lifted her head and slowly rose to feet to offer her weapon to Luke, an exchange of lightsabers: the student's for the Jedi's. 

   "I give you the Jedi Knight, Leia Organa Solo," Luke offered proudly.

   Applause rang out more loudly than before but Leia did not yet acknowledge it. She hugged her brother, and the pair embraced for a long moment, exchanging private words of thanks and encouragement before they finally acknowledged the crowd, which only seemed to grow louder, led by three rumbustious children, a former smuggler, and a roaring Wookie who were seated as guests of honor.

   Jacen, Jaina, and Bail were the first to break ranks and rush forward for congratulations. Jacen was soon bartering hard with his uncle for possession of the training lightsaber Leia had just returned to him, and Jaina was watching their negotiations with more than idyl curiosity.

   "But when, Uncle Luke?"

   "Soon enough.  A Jedi is patient, Jacen," Luke reminded his nephew firmly.

   "What about me?" Bail insisted, standing on tip toes in an effort to make himself as tall as his older brother. The sight prompted Luke to chuckle and drop down to his youngest nephew's eye level.

   "You too?  Han," Luke asked, "you ready to have three little Jedi on your hands?"

   Han released his wife from a close hug.  "Not if I have anything to say about it," he answered, drawing groans and a chorus of Aw, Dad, from all three of his children.

   Leia kissed him on the cheek.  "I'll just leave you to settle this," she decided with a mischievous smile, pulling away to mingle through the crowd.

   Han watched her go, his mouth hanging open in silent protest. 

   "There's enough diplomats in this room to keep her busy for hours," he murmured despairingly.

   "Look at the bright side," Luke offered wryly. "It could be worse; at least we managed to keep the media out."

   "Right," Han remembered, unswayed by Luke's optimism, "in exchange for giving them a press conference later tonight.  Something to really look forward to." Han stole a glance at his brother-in-law.  He was expecting another optimistic retort, but all he got in return was a tired smile. "You look beat, Kid; don't tell me you'd forgotten how much fun newborns can be."

   Luke laughed, but it was wearily.  "You could say that.  It's been a long couple of weeks."

   "Lara doing all right?"

   "Yeah."  Luke smiled.  "You know Lara. She's pushing herself too hard, but getting stronger all the time.  I know she hated to miss this.  It's just been difficult...."

   Han looked down. He knew the last few weeks had been difficult and painful ones for Lara and for Luke.

   "No matter how tough the pregnancy was on her, I think she'd do it again in heartbeat," Luke admitted softly.

   "Those would seem like the good old days now that you've got the goldenrod trying to play nursemaid."

   Luke laughed outright. Threepio had his talents, and nursemaid was not really one of them, but when the med center had sent them home with a maturity droid to help out while Lara was recuperating, Threepio had been mortally offended. As far as he was concerned it was an insult to his programming for anyone to assume that his master's family had need of any other droid. In his own way Threepio was as loyal and as dedicated to his master as R2D2... and C3PO had never been one to suffer insult quietly.

   "He tries," Luke admitted. "Anyway, it won't be for much longer.  The meds say Lara'll be back to full speed in a month or so, but knowing Lara it will take half that time."

     ~~ ~ () ~ ~~

   Lara stepped inside her family's suite and waited for Ben to follow before she keyed the door closed behind them, and once more she tried to focus her thoughts enough to formulate a valid explanation for him. She was starting to get the familiar feeling that her young son was doing a better job of understanding than she was of explaining when the door opened again. 

   Luke carried Mark through and let him down just in time for him to race the rest of the way inside.  Artoo Detoo gave a series of beeps as he rolled inside after them; based on the layer of dried oil and engine grime that covered his dome Lara would have guessed that the three of them had spent the afternoon helping Han and Chewie work on the Falcon. 

   Ben looked anxiously at his mother.

   "Go ahead," she complied.

   Luke jumped out of the way as the twins raced past him, some new game already in motion between them, and the pair of them nearly ran over Threepio, which caused something that sounded like a chortling laugh to be emitted by Artoo.

   "Oh! Master Mark, and Master Ben, please, do try to be quiet... oh my."  Threepio took a few shuffling steps down the hallway before he caught sight of Luke. "Master Luke, oh, thank the maker. That awful droid has insisted on waking young Master Anakin and Mistress Laramar for feedings every few hours this afternoon.  Why she won't simply let them sleep until they become hungry, I cannot comprehend."

   Luke glanced in Lara's direction, but she only sat back on the sofa, no help to offer. They had already learned that anything the maternity droid did was certain to differ with what Threepio believed was an obviously better course of action, according to multiple sources which he could quote at will... and it was best not to get him started.

   Luke suppressed a sigh and patted Threepio's shoulder reassuringly.  "I'm sure it will be okay, Threepio.  Thank you for staying here this afternoon so Lara and I could have a break."

   "Oh, of course, Master Luke," Threepio beamed. "I am pleased to help, though I will be most grateful when that awful droid returns to the medical center.  I find her programming to be rather lacking."

   Artoo beeped a question, and Threepio could be heard resuming his litany of the maternity droid's many faults to his counterpart as the two of them left the suite.

   Luke watched the droids go with a good-natured shake of his head before he crossed the room to sit beside Lara. He removed a data pad from his pocket and tossed it onto the table in front of them before he gingerly sank down onto the couch by her side, his arm moving around Lara's shoulders. She could sense satisfaction in his emotions, mixing with gratitude in the wake of a busy day's completion; he was glad to be home, glad for a few quiet moments of peace and comfort.

   Her eyes briefly fell to the data pad as she reached an arm around his waist and leaned tiredly against his side.  Lara found herself hoping that the maternity droid's new approach might result in a couple more hours of uninterrupted sleep tonight.  Even with the droid's help, taking care of two newborns and still finding time for two rambunctious three-year-olds was no easy task. She and Luke seemed to be constantly operating at near exhaustion.

   "I didn't interrupt anything big, did I?" Luke asked with worried curiosity.

   "No," she assured him with a wary smile. "I had Ben with me at the med center today." Since his recent visits there, Ben had been fascinated with the medical center and the medics, and had very much wanted to go back.  Lara had been given a clean bill of health a couple of weeks ago, and being more comfortable with the giving than the receiving side of affairs at the med center, she had begun making an effort to take Ben with her whenever she went there. "Ben, he was trying to befriend this patient who obviously wanted nothing to do with a little boy." She smiled begrudgingly; her expression was both wary and exasperated. "You know Ben, he just knew that this guy was in need....

   "It got under my skin," Lara admitted, coming to a pause, and Luke could feel her frustration. "Let's just say this guy could have been a lot, kinder," she added bluntly. "But then, about a half hour later, I looked up and the guy had suddenly changed his entire outlook on Ben." Her voice showed that she was less than pleased with the apparently good outcome.

   "Somebody changed it for him," Luke gathered from her quiet tone.

   "As soon as he found out his last name," she finished, frustration thick in her voice, "then he couldn't wait to make nice," she added icily. Lara looked down, her expression softening as her emotions shifted. "I hated it for him, Luke," she said softly. "How's that supposed to make him feel? One minute he's not good enough, but the next he suddenly is – because he's your son?"

   She took another deep breath.  "So, I was trying to explain to Ben that it's good that people respect you for who you are and what you do. You've earned that, and you deserve it.  But his value is his own, as the incredibly special kid that he–"

   That explanation was cut short when the twins raced back through the living room, pretending that they didn't realize how close they were coming to their parents' arm length. And they laughed wildly as they were lifted off the floor and onto the sofa, pulled into a game of play wrestling and tickling. It continued until everyone had had enough; then it was enough to lay still for a moment, each catching their breaths and fighting recurrent laughter.

   Tickles faded into warm hugs and familiar joking.... Luke would be stuck with the dreaded dinner duty tonight.  And, to his mock offence, each of them was sure to wonder in turn if the resulting meal would be edible. Once they all had a chance to chime in, Luke grinned deviously.

   "If you boys don't hurry and get washed up, you might never find out," their father warned them.

   The boys decided to take his warning seriously and they took off at top speed toward the washroom at the end of the hall. Lara laughed as Luke laid out flat on the sofa in their absence. Then she flopped down beside him a moment later when one of the twins started to cry.

   Luke kissed her forehead.  "You go make sure that awful droid has everything under control.  I'll get dinner started."

   Lara nodded. She saw him take the data pad from the table and slip it back into the pocket of his robe, which he discarded across a chair before heading into the kitchenette. She realized with a frown that she had forgotten to ask him about its contents.

~

   A few hours later, Luke's dinner had been more than edible, the twins were fed, changed, and sleeping peacefully. Mark and Ben had been tucked in and read to, the maternity droid was in the living area recharging, and despite the relative earliness of the hour Luke and Lara were getting ready for bed.

   "Is the Falcon still giving Han trouble?"

   "No more or less than usual," Luke answered with a grin before he headed into the washroom.

   "Did he give you that data pad?" Lara asked. She couldn't see his face, but she felt the shift in Luke's emotions.

   "Yes.  It's from Allad."

   Luke didn't say anything more. Lara slipped into bed, waiting for the light in the washroom to go out. A few minutes later the bedroom darkened, and Lara opened her eyes when Luke slid under the covers beside her. He settled himself on his back and returned her curious gaze.

   "Allad thinks the being we're looking for is called Morph."

   "Morph."

   Luke nodded slightly.  "He's still looking, but hasn't found anything further. According to Allad's information, around the time rumors started swirling about a renegade Force-user, a man known in Tritis by the surname of Morph liberated that system from un unnamed Force user. The locals claim this man was immune to the power of the Force."  Luke paused.  "But it's proving difficult get more information. The system was virtually in a state of panic at that time. Very little factual record exists, and the locals who were there are wary of discussing what happened."

   "Like they can pretend it didn't happen," Lara surmised softly.

   One of twins cooed in his or her sleep, causing two sets of eyes to flicker to basinet by the bed; but the babies continued sleeping peacefully for now.  They would wake again in a few hours....  Their parents had learned to get their own sleep whenever they could.

   Lara moved closer to his side, and Luke reached an arm around her.

   "Did Mark like the hanger?" she asked.

   "He was amazed seeing the ships come and go; he knows more about some of them than I do," Luke added, impressed. "And he loved it when Jaina showed him and Bail the Falcon's hidden compartments." Luke stifled a laugh.  "Of course, she was threatening to shut them in there if they didn't stop interrupting her with questions."

   "I take it Jaina's still showing an aptitude for ship's repairs. What about Jacen?"

   "I think he could do it if he wanted to, but Jacen's a bit bored with the process of parts and machinery. It frustrates Han that he won't try, but that only makes it into an act of rebellion for Jacen.  I tried telling Jacen that at times even a Jedi is only as good as his ship, and a good astromech droid."  Luke grinned.  "I think he suspected his father put me up to saying it.  He didn't much understand my fascination with the Falcon.  Honestly, I think I'm going to have my hands full with him much sooner than Han would like to admit; Jacen knows he's meant for something more than an ordinary life, and he's getting impatient to prove that to himself.

   "Of course Jaina won't be outdone; when Jacen starts his training, she'll be right there with him. Jaina is as much like Leia as Jacen is unlike Han. I think Han sees it too; he dotes on her something fierce.  But whether it's ship's repairs or Jedi training, Jaina'll push herself to be the best. Bail simply worships Han, though; follows his and Chewie's every move. I get the feeling he's Chewie's favorite...."

   Lara felt a swell of pride as she listened to Luke's assessment of his niece and nephews.  She couldn't help but remember a time when Luke hadn't expected Leia to finish her training and had wondered at his own ability to train her children. Since then he had Knighted Atamvr and Leia, and he no longer felt so uncertain in the knowledge he possessed; the difference was staggering as he spoke about the challenges that the Solo twins would present to him in a short while....

   "But Jacen... Jace reminds me a lot of myself as a kid."

   "That bad, huh," Lara teased, causing Luke to laugh.

   "I was such a daydreamer, bored to death with the farm.  Nearly drove my Uncle Owen to madness. I could see that a bit in Jacen today. Wishing he was somewhere else and imagining the adventures he would go on one day. Boredom breeds rebellion... and rebellion leads to recklessness," Luke said thoughtfully.  He glanced in his wife's direction, giving her a half smile.  "Fortunately, neither Mark nor Ben seem to have inherited that particular trait from me thus far," he added dryly.

   Lara smiled back at him. "You seem to have survived it," she noted playfully.

   Luke laughed.  "But I chose the hard way, and took way too many chances trying to prove myself.  Lucky I didn't end up splattered across Beggar's Canyon; if I hadn't had the Force guiding me I probably would have," he amended softly. "It's not a path I'd recommend," he finished lightly.

   "Mark and Ben will have guidance that you didn't get until much later, Jacen and Jaina too.  They'll learn how to use their connections to the Force, and their own gifts, responsibly."

   Luke nodded, encouraged. "Ben still fascinated by the med center?" he asked.

   Lara nodded. "He asks questions about everything, and the meds are just as fascinated by him. They can't believe those questions are coming from a three-year-old boy."

   Luke sighed. "They're amazing, aren't they?"

   "They are," Lara whispered in return.

   "And then, sometimes, they're just three-year-olds," Luke added at a wondrous whisper, remembering his sons' smiles as they had waged play battles with raucous laughter and tickling.  And more quietly, he asked Lara if her childhood had been like that.

   "Some," she replied gently, lifting her gaze to smile at her children's father.  "Some of the happiest times I remember," she amended. 

   Luke nodded and gently tightened his arms around her.  "I love that we can give them that," he confessed. "They need it," he said softly.  "They need balance for all the seriousness, the responsibility that we have to show them."  He sighed.  "They need that too.  Both."

   She nodded her agreement, and felt his mood lift again as his thoughts returned to those joyful moments.

   "They're so easy to love," Lara confessed lightly. Her arm wrapped easily across him. "I want so much for their childhoods to have the happiness ours didn't always have, the lightness in times like tonight."

   "I want that too," Luke whispered, his breath warm against the top of her head.  Lara smiled at the way this voice had suddenly become sleepy... or was it the warmth that she could so easily sense in his sleepy emotions that drew her smile?

   "Goodnight, Luke," she whispered softly, and her smile widened.  He had already drifted asleep.  Lara gave his arm an affectionate rub as she closed her own eyes, and was soon asleep.

~

   Halfway across the galaxy, aboard the Wild Karrde, Mara Jade woke the familiar vision turned nightmare still vivid in her mind. She only allowed herself a moment's hesitation before she rolled out of her bunk and pulled on the previous day's jumpsuit to make her way to the bridge, where she knew Talon Karrde would still be on watch.

   "Mara, your shift was up hours ago." Karrde's greeting made clear his surprise to see her back on the bridge and expressed his concern that she should be using her down time for rest.  But he could easily read cause for the deeper concern he suspected in her expression. "What's going on?" he asked quietly as she came within speaking distance.

   "We have to go to Myrtle Major," Mara stated tightly.  She still felt a twinge of discomfort at revealing this side of herself.  For so long it had been a vulnerability, these Force-guided hunches.  It still seemed a little odd to recognize them as a source of strength, and to remember that Karrde would do the same, no questions asked.

   He nodded. "Do I get to know why?" Karrde asked after a brief pause.

   "This is it," she stated the finality softly, and she took a deep breath in the wake of speaking that knowledge. "A lot is about to be settled," Mara clarified, her brow furrowing with the words, "some of that will involve you, but I have to be there," she added, certainly. "I can feel that."

   Talon Karrde shifted his weight. "Lando is waiting for us, and Atamvr," he stated neutrally.

   "This has to happen now, Talon.  It's a matter of life and death.  And it could change everything," Mara finished, caution and certainty mixing in her voice.

   His eyes didn't leave hers.  "Well, if that's all," Talon stated in heavy mock nonchalance, "we'll leave immediately." 

   Karrde turned away and gave the order that would set their course for the heart of the Myrtle system, but Mara could hardly hear it over the pounding of her own heart.  This was it.  This was the moment that she had known would come all those months ago when she had first stood nervously before Luke Skywalker and hoped that he would be willing to train her.

   She took a deep breath and hoped that she had done enough to meet this moment, that she had enough in her to play her part.  A Jedi's part. 

   "My destiny is there," Mara whispered.

~

   Atamvr stood and carefully retraced his footsteps, picking his way back through the heavy brush that consumed this part of the planet Cesde. One of his officers met him with a hovercraft. Atamvr got aboard and their scout team started back to the main base. They had found little additional information in the defensive outposts scattered throughout the planet, except for this one.  Here, they had picked up the same kind of energy readings they had gotten at Destonis.  Atamvr still didn't know what it meant, but he was more determined than ever that they had to find the answer.

   Their speeder drew to a halt beside the shuttle craft that would return them to the Exonerator.   

   "Should I have Captain Senesca set course for the rendevous point with Karrde?" the officer asked.

   "No," Atamvr mumbled distractedly. Then he turned to meet the man's gaze. "We had better head for Myrtle Major," he decided. "I have a feeling Karrde will decide to do the same."

~

   In another suite in the Imperial Palace, Leia sat down at the comm panel to receive a transmission. 

   "Lando," she greeted her old friend, "don't tell me you've already tired of the royal treatment you've been getting on Pacibec."  Pacibec had been chosen only a few months ago as an operations center for Lando's newest endeavor. It was just one of the many planets among trade routes once frequented by Laus that were now under Lando's governance, for a small profit. The planet was beautiful and serene, with a mild climate, and the locals there treated Lando like royalty for rescuing them from Laus' oppression.

   "Leia. I've got a problem," Lando cut straight to the point.  "I've just gotten a message from Karrde saying that he is on route to Myrtle Major.  I was expecting him to rendevous with me here; a while back he told me look out for a certain type of energy reading. Well, it took us a while to find anything; it was over on a deserted part of the planet, nearly unapproachable by speeder... but the readings he described are here too, kind of. What we're getting is a residual reading.  My people can't figure out the cause or what it means.  Karrde obviously thinks the readings are connected to Laus. How do I know I'm not sitting on some booby trap that's rigged to go off if Karrde succeeds in bumping Laus from power?"

   "Good question," Leia admitted.  "We don't know what the readings mean either, but I think I've got a way to find out."

   Lando waited for her to continue. 

   "Aside from the Tritis borderlands, the only place we've found readings like this that are stable and in tact is on a planet called Destonis.  I think you should meet Han and me there."

   Lando agreed, and Leia sat back in her seat as the transmission flickered off. If they could solve that mystery they would also solve the mystery of what Laus was doing at the edge of Tritis space.

   The suite's door opened, and a young noise thundered in, accompanied by Chewie's rumbling grunts.  Leia gave them a moment to head for their rooms before she called Chewie over and quickly told him what was happening.

   "Take Artoo with you.  Tell Han we need the Falcon up and running as soon as possible. We're meeting Lando at Destonis. We're going to get to the bottom of this."

~

   It was almost midnight and Han and Chewie had been working on the Falcon at a more frantic pace since Chewbacca had returned with R2 hours ago. Han stood up, stretching his back from the awkward position at which he had been leaning into the service hatch for at least the last half hour.  They still had a long way to go.

   His comm link buzzed, and Han paused to rub the grime from his hands before answering. It was Leia.

   "Hi, Sweetheart," he greeted her wearily.

   "How's it going, Han?" she asked.

   "Slow. We might be here a few days at this rate."

   "I'm afraid that's not an option.  We just got word that Karrde has engaged Laus over Myrtle Major. Early word is that Laus has been killed or captured in the exchange. And that news has set off chaos in the region. We need to move now; I contacted Lando, and he's already on his way." 

   Han thought for moment.  "All right. I think we can patch her up enough to get us underway; the rest of work will have to be done in hyperspace."

~

   Early the next morning Luke woke to the feeling of two snickering little boys peeking through their parents' door as they slept. Luke opened his eyes and raised his head to look over Lara's side, and he smiled as he put a finger to his lips. They tiptoed in and excitedly edged into bed beside him and Lara, trying carefully not to wake her.  This had been happening more often since the arrival of the new twins. Mark and Ben wanted their share of their parents' time and attention.  Over the long run the extended sleeping arrangement could prove problematic, but for now he and Lara were allowing it.

   Objectively, Luke told himself that it was just a way to help ease the transition for Mark and Ben.  Truthfully, Luke enjoyed these early morning wake up calls as much as his sons did.  He smiled as he let go his hold on the blankets and returned his arm around his wife's sleeping form.  Mark and Ben had already snuggled under the covers near to their mother, and Luke stroked at his sons' hair and their backs as he settled the covers a little closer around them.  The boys giggled quietly at themselves, as though they had a wonderful joke between them, so excited that their mother was still sleeping unaware.

   Luke lay awake, watching the room around them slowly lighten, smiling to himself.  Only a few minutes passed before the boys were asleep too.  And Luke knew... Lara would wake and gently kiss her sleeping children. Then, later on, when they were awake, she would be surprised by their presence and ask their father wryly, how did this happen?  And Luke would play dumb, let the twins gleefully tease their mother that they had snuck in all on their own... and know that she loved it all, just as much as he did.

~

   It was a steady beeping that gradually broke into Lara's sleep, and she reached out with her senses as her waking mind tried to put the pieces together. She could feel the peace of her children, still asleep by her side, and safe in their basinet by the bed.  And she could feel her husband's quietly worried sense in the next room.  Easily, so as not to wake Mark and Ben, she pushed back the covers and padded into the living room. She caught the conversation in mid sentence, and Luke glanced up at her as she stepped to his side.

   "But no one truly knows the state of the Tritis system at this point," Atamvr was saying.  "It's gone from an Imperial loyalist sector to a guerilla-like status overnight; same insurrection there as in the Myrtle system. Our sources can't say with any certainty who's in charge now.  My guess is that it's not Laus; the locals are fighting amongst themselves for control."

   "I just spoke with Leia. That's what she's hearing too. Once again," Luke said softly, "what's left of the Empire looks to be self-destructing without a leader."

   Atamvr nodded through a grimace.

   "What have you heard about Karrde?" Luke prompted.

   "We think Karrde may have finished it," Atamvr said softly, "but we need to go to Myrtle Major to find out for sure."

   "Why Myrtle Major?" Lara breathed, already suspecting the answer.

   "Karrde was headed there.  Laus was last believed to be on or near Marnia."

   For many months there had been rumors and leads that Laus had been showing interest in his Marnia base. No one had been able to come up with a solid explanation for why he might be considering such a risky move. Now it seemed that Laus had returned there in spite of the risk, and had been ambushed by Karrde, possibly killed or captured.

   "But why would Laus choose to go back there now?" Luke asked rhetorically, confusion thick in his voice. "It's too risky. It doesn't make any sense."

   "That's what we need to find out," Atamvr answered heavily.

   Lara's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Like Luke and Atamvr, she didn't believe that Wanton Laus was suddenly becoming reckless.  Too many things didn't make sense.  And Lara Dare Skywalker wasn't about to believe that Laus had been defeated until she saw him behind bars or dead.

   A long moment passed, one filled with questions and answers that stayed unspoken.

   Luke looked to his wife, and she nodded to him in agreement.

   Then he turned back to Atamvr's image on the view screen. 

   "We're in. What do you need?"

~

   Daylight was just beginning to break in earnest over the Coruscant skyline as Han and Chewie made final preparations to get the Falcon ready to fly. Han nearly did a doubletake when he saw Leia walk up the boarding ramp, lightsaber attached to her side, Threepio scuttling along behind her. The latter was managing a fair bit of luggage, easily enough for two humans and a Wookie.  Han scowled; he hadn't fully considered the possibility that Leia intended to come on this mission, and he could see in her expression she wouldn't be talked out of it. He quickly decided to try an alternate approach.

   "Think maybe we should contact Luke, get a little backup?"

   Leia shook her head slightly, leaving Han certain that Leia and Luke had already communicated on this matter.

   "Luke has a mission of his own to see to," she answered.

   Chewie gave a questioning rumble.

   "Winter okay holding down the home front?" Han asked in translation.

   Leia smiled. "Between Winter and the Nogrhi, the next generation should be in good hands. I only feel sorry for Winter when she has to explain to the twins that they weren't included in the adventure."

   Chewie gave a chortling laugh of agreement, and the four of them headed into the cockpit.

~

   Within a few minutes, it was finalized.  Luke flipped off the transmission and took a deep breath. Things were certainly coming to a head.  Han, Leia, Chewie, and Lando were on their way to Destonis.  Karrde, Mara, Atamvr, Luke, and Lara would all soon be at Marnia. Luke winced. Without even looking to her, he could feel in Lara's sense every bit of the tension that he felt.  And he could also feel a sense of growing reservation in her emotions.  She met his gaze slowly as he stood from his chair and faced her.

   "You can back out of this, if you need to," he offered quietly, honestly, his eyes staying on hers.

   She shook her head.  "No, I'm a part of this; I need to be there."

   He nodded heavily, and he saw something change in her face as her mood shifted again. 

   "It'll be dangerous," he spoke her emotion.  He could feel the same conflict he was well-familiar with at work in her emotions: the pull of shifting responsibilities.  The reservation showed in her voice when she spoke.

   "This means going back to Marnia, finally facing off against Laus... everything that he's built, and everything that he has planned.... I know it will be dangerous," she whispered. She felt the pull of that responsibility.  Her destiny was tied up with Laus, and she was certain that she had to go.  That knowledge clashed mightily with thoughts of her children, her responsibility to them. 

   She did not worry so much about their care in the short term; between the maternity droid and the Nogrhi, they would be cared for and kept safe. And she and Luke had a close circle of friends who would readily watch over their children in their absence.... It was the long term that left her feeling nervous and anxious. After all, Laus had been planning for a long time. His plans for her and for his organization had always been a mystery.  Those plans were about to be revealed, and they had to be foiled.

   "This has to be done," Lara decided quietly. ~@ ~ ~