The woman quickly ran through the partially finished Death Star. Her heartbeats were loudly pounding in her ears. She ran past what seemed to be thousands of faceless killers. Each Stormtrooper seemed to have an air of aggression and all the men seemed to have a short temper. All of the Imperials that were in military garb looked at her with the most disgust. She was frightened and she knew that the emotion lay plainly on her face. Against her own will she had to ask where the Emperor's Chambers were. A maintenance worker pointed down the claustrophobically narrow white corridor and grunted a few directions. She ran again, she hadn’t quite understood what the man had said but she did manage catch the phrase ‘You won’t miss it.’ Fear clutched at her heart and lungs. Gently she padded her round belly, thinking of the life within. In her mind she saw herself through the eyes of an Imperial Officer. She looked like a lost angel. She was wearing all white cloth. Her ankle-long dress rippled around her and she could distantly feel her white bonnet slipping off her head. Distractedly she reached up and ripped the bonnet off, causing her long golden hair to come loose. She could feel it tapping her on the back with each long stride. She came to an abrupt stop as a presence filled her. She looked around and saw a pair of great iron cast doors. She walked over to them and pulled with all her strength on the knocking rings. Slowly the doors opened and with a mighty whoosh cold air came rushing at her. She walked in, her footfalls sounded eerie. She could hear labored breathing and then she saw him. A black hunched shadow that lay on shadows. She could feel her jaw start to quiver as she saw him come towards her. She strained her eyes to the point of getting dizzy so she could make out what the man was doing. She saw him raise his hands and behind her she heard the great doors close.

"You s...summoned me?" she asked in a broken voice. She forced herself to hold still as he touched her chin with an ice cold bony hand.

"Yes," came his choked death like voice. "I did summon you."

"Why?" She asked as she shied away from his touch. "J’den is doing fine."

"I know." He raised his hooded head and a dim light came on. "But I want to give her something."

The woman backed away slowly and then stopped. She wouldn’t have but the Emperor was using the Force to keep her still. He walked over to her and laid his hand upon her stomach. A surge of energy ripped through her body and total blackness enveloped her.

Two weeks later:

"Push, you can do it," the doctor said encouragingly.

A nurse gently dabbed at the sweat that was accumulating on the woman’s forehead. She took the mother to be’s hand into hers and held it. The nurse had seen and had been a witness to many births, but none of them had ever gone like this. One moment the woman was crying out in pain, then suddenly she was quiet. It was startling. The baby had been quiet, at first everybody had thought that it was a stillborn but then they realized that it was just quiet. There was something different about it. Nothing physical, just an air it carried. The mother looked shocked and sad, but then a smile replaced her somber look. The nurse had never had a bad feeling about a baby before. Some years later, she found out what that feeling meant.

Five years later:

The town was in ruins. The houses were either burnt down to the ground in the first wave or were now being caught on fire in the second. People, at least the ones still alive, ran in a frenzy trying to find anybody else that was alive. An acidotic smell hung in the smoky air. The people looked for a sanctuary of any kind. Then the people saw it, a clearing. And in it stood a single house and a small child. As the people neared they realized that it was J’den. They all backed away immediately; they looked into her eyes and saw a raging fire. They looked around for her mother and to their surprise they did see her. But the young woman was clearly dead. She had lacerations on her face and on her arms. Pieces of fallen wood from destroyed homes lay on her lower body. Everybody knew that there was no hope, not anymore. They looked at the child again and fear clutched them all.

The survivors looked to the sky, which was filled with the smoke and the light from the burning fires. Amazingly they could see the stars. It was as if the gods themselves had opened their many eyes.

"May we greet death with open arms and eyes," one of the village people said as he looked straight at J’den. At the man’s words the survivors fell to their knees and opened their arms. They watched as another shockwave emitted from the girl. Quickly, as had the others, it burst into flame. Everybody was still, everybody was quiet, and before the flaming inferno of incinerating death could come in contact with them, the man that had spoken earlier said, "May we be welcomed."

Nicole was having a nightmare and she couldn’t wake up. The room, if it could be called that, was huge. It looked starred, small white twinkling lights littered the cold back drop of black. She felt cold. Her arms had goose flesh and the hair on her neck stood on end. Nicole’s thoughts wavered as she saw something come towards her. Suddenly a low hum filled the air as a reddish color washed over her and the other person.

He came at her, red lightsaber drawn. The figure was tall and wore jet black clothes. His movements were fluid, precise, and held a lot of power. "You don’t respect the Empire," the figure said. "You never respected the Empire!" The words were spoken in a loud echoed voice and they hit her like a slap in the face.

"No," she whispered. "I did and still do respect the Empire."

"Don’t you dare mock me!" the dark figure yelled as he stepped out of the semi-dark star light and stepped into a pool of bright light. She gasped in fear as Darth Vader drew himself up to his full seven foot height.

Abruptly the ground fell away from under her. Nicole fell and landed in a pitch black room. Her could hear her father’s laughter from behind her. She quickly brushed a strand of lightly wavy hair brown out from her face as she turned on her heel. Nicole saw a pair of yellow-orange eyes looking at her. From behind her she heard Vader’s mechanical breathing. She turned her head and saw Vader approaching.

Nicole realized that there was a light in the darkened area. It was foggy and made everything look slightly dull. Vader raised his hand, Nicole braced herself for anything but nothing came. Instead he placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. He turned her to face him. With a snap-hiss he ignited his light saber.

"Your siblings are going to avenge our death...unlike you!" Vader said accusingly. "Right now they are attempting to retake the Imperial Fleet." Vader removed his hand from her shoulder and side stepped to his left. The hunched, dark cloaked Emperor stood in Vader’s now vacant spot. He looked at her with his yellow-orange eyes, eyes which could make the most sane person in the galaxy go insane.

"Father," Nicole whispered hoarsely. "I’m sorry.’ She tried to move but her feet seemed to be stuck to the floor. She looked down and her stomach did a somersault. Nicole suddenly felt very ill. There was nothing under her. Only starry empty space. Her heart raced as her mind came up with things that could happen.

Vader stepped close and raised his lightsaber over her head. "You can warn somebody about what your brother and sisters are going to do. But who would believe the Emperor's daughter? Your siblings will succeed and the Rebellion will fall!" With that Vader brought the lightsaber down on her head.

Kirsten looked at the forward viewport and saw the matted blue of hyperspace. She looked to her younger sister, and a feeling of dread washed over her. Allie had been injured in their fleeing from their aunt's home, and her usually straight black hair was messy and slightly knotted. Together they were heading for Coruscant to find help.

The shuttle in which they sat was small. It was made to hold three people, but could be made to hold five. The cockpit could hold two people and the seats were soft and comfortable. Kirsten’s eyes rested tiredly on the control panel. She heard a small yawn. "How are you doing?" she asked as her sister slowly awoke.

"Sleepy, hungry, sore," Allie said tiredly, "I could go on."

"Well once we get out of hyperspace, Coruscant medical will fix you right up. You just have to wait a few more hours," Kirsten said as she placed her red pony tail over her left shoulder. "You just have to wait a little bit longer."

Luke Skywalker yawned as he raked a hand through his short brown blond hair. Artoo chirped and the droid's question appeared on the display. Luke looked back and saw Artoo, the astromech droids dome swiveling as he waited patiently for an answer. "Yes Artoo. I think that C-3PO will be happy to see you," Luke said tiredly.

Luke was in his X-wing, and for some reason Artoo wouldn’t stop asking questions. Although Luke guessed that it was his fault, because Artoo had gotten lost and stuck in Yavin 4's forests. He hadn’t been found for a week. Now the little droid was wondering why it had taken them so long to find him, and if Luke still liked him.

Luke looked intently at his reflection in the X-wing’s canopy. He looked slightly scruffy. He gently padded his right knee with his false hand. The dark green fabric was coarse and warm, which was the total opposite of his shirt. It was light red and silky. It was good for the warm weather on Yavin 4.

A sad beep brought Luke back from his musings. Artoo’s question was on the small display. It asked, "Did you miss me?"

"Of course I missed you Artoo," Luke said as a small smile crept across his face. "I can’t think of a life without you." Actually he couldn’t think of a life without Artoo. It was because of the little droid that Luke’s life had changed so dramatically at such a young age. In the long run it had been for the better. The life that would have happened if Artoo and he had never met was boring and repetitive. But thanks to Artoo and C-3PO that didn’t happen.

Luke looked out the cockpit’s canopy and saw the matted blue of hyperspace. The thoughts from his visions of something happening soon arose in his mind. The vision had been vague, but at least he knew where it was going to happen. It was going to happen on Coruscant.

Once morning arrived Nicole was jumpy. Her night had consisted of nightmare after nightmare. Each one ending the same, with her death. The same thing happening over and over again. As she got dressed in her grey jumpsuit, the words ‘The Rebellion will fall’ echoed through her head. Nicole tried the Jedi calming technique but it hadn’t worked yet. She walked past the mirror in her room and gave it a second glance. She didn’t look evil, in fact she looked a lot like any other twenty-seven year old. She was of average height and she had long features. Her face was in a stretched out heart shape, and the rest of her was more or less like thin pillars. ‘Boring, not unique in the least,’ she told herself with a sigh. She was just about to try the exercise again, when two of the other Jedi trainees came through her bedroom door.

"Lledra?" Nicole asked in surprise as her friend grabbed her arm. "What are you doing?"

"Master Skywalker wants to talk to us," Lledra exclaimed excitedly.

"Just us?" Nicole asked, this time worriedly.

"Yes, just the three of us," Lledra purred as she pulled Nicole out of her room and down the ancient stone hallway.

The third party in the group was named Davis. He had honey brown hair and blue eyes with a purple tint. He was muscular and had an authoritarian face. Which masked his good nature. Also, he was native to Corellia. He normally wore leather-like pants and a white fabric shirt. And he always liked to wear mid-shin black boots.

Lledra on the other hand was a total opposite. Her body was that of a dancer, sleek, but covered head to foot with short auburn fur. And her face was like that of a child, it always held a mischievous smile. She only wore a tight white shirt and midnight blue pants. And her feet were bare, exposing her catlike feet. And she was native to a planet called K’neesh.

Davis and Lledra led Nicole to the conference room. The face of Luke Skywalker was on a ten by eight screen. He smiled as the three of them approached.

"Hello Master Skywalker," Nicole said with a forced smile. "How’s your trip going?"

"It’s going fine. Artoo’s finally quieted down," Luke said as his smile widened.

"Why do you want to talk to only us, Master?" Davis asked in a formal voice.

"I asked to talk to you three because I wanted to know if you wanted to meet me at Coruscant. I asked for you specifically because you're ahead in your studies and I may need your help. Also I’ve told my sister about you and your very unique powers. She would like to meet you." A small pause. "But it is your own decision. I won't force you to come." Luke wasn’t one to tell a lie, but he had seen the three of them in his vision. And part of him knew that he shouldn’t tell them straight out. He just hoped he had told them enough to satisfy their young minds. He nearly laughed as he saw Lledra literally jump at the honor.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say, we’ll be there," Davis said with a kind smile in Lledra’s direction.

"Good," Luke said. "I’ll see you there."

"See you soon Master Skywalker," the three trainees said in unison. Luke cut the connection and the screen went black.

An uneasy feeling settled in Nicole’s stomach as she looked at the black screen. ‘It’ll be fine,’ she told herself without any relief. ‘Everything will be just fine.’

It was late afternoon on Coruscant and Leia Organa Solo was happy. All the council meetings had closed for the day, and her brother Luke should be arriving within half an hour.

The Grand Hall was filled with the everyday noise of the Imperial Palace residents. They were going about their own business. A few people had tried to come over to her but had thought better of it once they saw Han. Leia yawned as she lightly placed her hand on her husband’s shoulder.

"You certainly look happy Princess," Han said as he looked at his wife’s slightly pointy face, while he wrapped an arm around her slender waist. He liked to think of her as petite, he would never straight out and tell her, but that was one thing he liked about her. The other thing that he loved about her was her gentleness.

"I am," Leia answered as she gently brushed a few strands of her light brown hair out of her face. "It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Luke. I’m glad he’s coming." She looked lovingly up to her husband. She liked his scruffiness, and she figured that that was what had attracted her to him. That and his rough charm.

"Yeah, it’s been a while. The kids’ll be happy to see him as well as Chewbacca and Lando," Han said as he surveyed the people around him.

"How about you?" Leia asked with concern, as they came to a slow stop. "Aren’t you going to be happy to see Luke?"

Han was taken aback by the question. Now as he ran through their conversation in his head, Han realized what his wife was getting at. He placed his hand warmly on Leia’s shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "Of course I’m looking forward to seeing Luke," Han said quietly. "Like you said, it has been a long time sense we’ve seen him. So come on, let’s get home. Lando and Chewie probably have their hands full," Han said with a lopsided smile.

"Yeah, I guess you’re right," Leia began as they started to walk again. Han and Leia made their way through the Imperial Palace. Little did they know that disaster was going to strike.

The three Jedi were soaring through Hyperspace. The shuttle that they were in was about as big as an X-wing is across and long. The ship though could only hold five people, because of the limit on the air tanks. It wouldn’t bother anyone about how small it was, except for somebody that was claustrophobic.

"Hey Max, how much longer are we going to be in hyperspace?" asked Monica nervously as she fiddled with a strand of her long curly black hair. She could feel her heart beating at what seemed to be a mile a minute. The shuttle was way too small. ‘I’ll be fine,’ she told herself, trying not to pass out. ‘Just take nice even breaths.’ She never liked small closed in spaces, the fear had been haunting her since she had been little. Monica wasn’t like her brother and sister. She was heavier set and she was smaller, only reaching 5' 2" in height. Also her skin was darker by a bit, giving her a perfect suntan color.

"Cool your jets Mon. We’ll be out of hyperspace in five more minutes," said Max with a note of annoyance in his voice. He watched his sister pace around the confines of the shuttle's claustrophobically small cockpit. He cracked his fingers then placed them behind his head. Max had pale skin and reddish hair. His features were soft and gentle, but that softness only went skin deep. He liked to consider himself evil, just like his father. He was tall the tallest among himself and his sisters.

"No wonder father always took you with him with him, when he went on a trip. You hate being in hyperspace," mused Monica’s sister Katie with a wide smile. Katie looked to each of her siblings and the smile grew. She was the middle child, at least in height, she reached to 5' 8". Her features were sharp and deeply shadowed. She had seen the effect she’d had on men, some thought that she was beautiful, while others were intimidated by her. She really enjoyed that effect on men. Katie knew that good things were going to happen, and soon after that, they would have their revenge.

"Shut up, will you. So I don’t like being in hyperspace. At least I’m not afraid of the dark," Monica said challengingly.

Katie’s eyes went wide with anger as she heard her sister say those words. "Why I atta..." Her eyes narrowed as she spoke.

"Hey knock it off you two. Save your energy, we have a fleet to reclaim," Max said as an evil smile crossed his lean face.

"Right," Katie said as the smile lifted from her face. "But how do we prove that we are the rightful heirs to the Imperial Fleet?"

"Well for starters they have our word and second we have the Emperor's blood running through our veins. If that isn’t enough, I don’t know what is," answered Max. He sighed, then looked at the chrono and smiled a relieved smile. Slowly he turned his head and looked at Monica. "Hey Mon, you're going to be happy. We’re going to be coming out of hyperspace." He started the inevitable countdown. "In five...four...three..."

"Are we there yet?" Allie asked in an impatient tone.

"We’re going to come out of hyperspace in just a moment," Kirsten said as she placed her hand on the hyperdrive lever.

Allie looked worse than ever. Her already fair skin was paling and her injuries were starting to bother her again. Allie was trying to be strong but soon enough the pain would get too bad. Hopefully Coruscant medical would treat her.

"It’s time." Kirsten said as she pulled the hyperdrive lever towards her, but as the star streaks turned into stars they hit something.

James Larsen prided himself on how well he did his job as space traffic controller. He was resting easily as a quiet beep sounded on his console. Absently he was admiring his reflection in the shiny surface of the console.

"What’s that sir?" one of the younger crew workers asked, slightly startled.

"Probably nothing," James said as he leaned forward and studied the display. "A couple of ships are going to come out of hyperspace and-" James’s voice caught in his throat as he saw the ship’s trajectory courses. They were headed for the same dropout point.

"Alert the medical frigates!" he snapped as he quickly stood. "We have two ships that are going to collide with each other."

"Yes sir," the younger man said as he quickly stood and ran to a console. Everything which could be done had just been ordered. The younger man could handle anything else that posed a problem. All James could do was sit and watch the outcome. It pained him as he watched the display show the configurations of the two ships. A small shuttle and an X-wing. Suddenly the control room felt claustrophobically small.

James looked at the real time display and saw only the star spotted black of space. Then there they were. Less than a second the ships were apart then they hit. The captains never would have had a chance to see what they had hit. With a push of a button the view changed. He saw the medical frigates start towards the downed ships.

Nicole looked at the time and realized that they had only a few more hours to go until they reached Coruscant. Nicole sighed and sat down in the co-pilot seat. She thought about the nightmare she had. ‘That’s all it was,’ she told herself. ‘It was only a nightmare.’

"I thought they were dead," Nicole said absently, not knowing that she had said those compromising words aloud.

"You thought who were dead?" asked Davis as he came up behind her.

"Davis!" Nicole said with surprise as she stood quickly and turned toward the other Jedi, her heart pounding.

"Sorry," Davis started as he clearly sensed the surprise and slight fear from Nicole. "I didn’t mean to startle you." 'She must be tired.’ Davis thought. ‘Or how else would I have surprised her like that? And she looks worried.’

"It’s O.K.," Nicole said while sitting back down in the co-pilot seat. The shuttle the three of them were in could hold the maximum of six people. There were sleeping quarters and a small mess hall, for the people on a longer trip. Lledra was taking advantage of the carpeted bedroom floors. She slept almost thirteen hours out of a twenty-hour day.

"You want to talk about it?" Davis asked gently. Nicole looked at him as he sat down in the pilot’s chair. He had a kind look on his face, which filled her with the feeling that she could trust him.

"I should," Nicole said as she looked at him. "But I don’t know where to begin."

"How about at the beginning," prompted Davis.

"All right," started Nicole. "About twenty-seven years ago a man went to five homes. From each home he took a child. The five of us were strong in the Force."

"Us?" came an unexpected voice.

Nicole looked over and saw Lledra, and inhaled shakily. "Yes, us. I was one of them." ‘Everybody is sneaking up on me lately,’ Nicole thought ruefully.

"I can go if you want." Lledra said, sensing Nicole’s distress.

"No. It’s fine," Nicole said. "You can stay."

"Thanks." Lledra said, not really convinced.

"O.K.," Nicole started softly. "Like I was saying, a man collected five children, who were strong in the Force. He had our families killed. Once he had spirited us away to one of his safe havens, we underwent surgery."

"What type of surgery?" Davis asked.

"An extreme blood transfusion. The man wanted to make us his children...or as much as he could. After our surgery we were stronger in the Force than before. I was the strongest out of the five. Then our training began."

"We were taught by a friend of our newly found father. He was pleased by the way my Force abilities were strong, but was angered by the way I was able to use them. My abilities to use my powers at that time were very limited. I would end up making things explode or send people sailing across rooms."

"Who was he? Your Jedi parent, I mean," Lledra asked as she rubbed her hands together, in barely contained curiosity.

Nicole thought long and hard about how she was going to say her next words. An uneasy feeling formed in her stomach. Regrettably Nicole saw no good way to tell them. It’s not like she had to, it was just that she’d been hiding from her past since she had been seven. It would be nice to finally be able to tell somebody. Also, they might be able to help her out about her vision. She took a deep breath and looked to Davis then to Lledra. "The man who took us was Emperor Palpatine," Nicole managed quietly.

Davis and Lledra couldn’t help but gasp. Davis’s hand went instinctively to his lightsaber which was clipped onto his belt. Nicole slowly stood and backed up until her back hit the side wall. Her clenched hands shook at her sides.

"Davis," Nicole said shakily as she saw his hand tighten its grip on his lightsaber. "I’m not like Palpatine. I’m not a Dark Jedi.’

"What?" started Davis. Then he realized what Nicole was getting at, he felt ashamed as he removed his hand from his lightsaber. "I’m sorry."

Nicole slowly moved back to the co-pilot seat. She sat down heavily. "Don’t be," Nicole said absently. "I should have told you two at least. I wasn’t sure how anybody would react and it scared me. That’s why I didn’t say anything."

Lledra and Davis looked at each other then back at Nicole. They smiled at her. Davis had a handsome smile while Lledra’s was slightly scary. The two rows of her sharp white carnivore teeth showed fully. Nicole couldn’t help but smile back at them. Davis gently took her hands and placed them between his.

"Lledra and I have known you for three years. We have seen nothing to indicate that you are evil in any way. I think I speak for both of us when I say, that we wish that you had told us sooner."

"So do I," Nicole said quietly.

"Hey, don’t go all soft on me," Lledra purred as she warmly patted Nicole on the back.

"Where are your other siblings?" Davis asked as he released Nicole’s hands.

The smile faded from Nicole’s face and was replaced with a look of deep worry. "Davis, Lledra. Before I answer the question, can you answer mine?"

"Sure, if we know how to answer it." Davis said, speaking for them both. "What do you need to know?"

"Can you have a vision while you’re asleep or is it just a dream?" Nicole’s tone was desperate sounding. Davis and Lledra looked at each other then looked at Nicole.

"A vision? While you’re asleep?" Davis said uncertainly. "I really don’t know."

"I don’t know either," Lledra said. "But I do remember Master Skywalker saying that Jedi don’t dream in their sleep. Why?"

"Last night I had a recurring vision...nightmare...whatever, and in it Darth Vader told me that my brother and sisters were going to retake the Imperial Fleet and that the Rebellion was going to fall."

"Maybe it was just a nightmare," Davis said. "You know, a fluke."

"Nightmares can seem real while you’re having them and when you wake up. But a lot of the time they're not true," offered Lledra. "Especially when you’re not used to them."

"You’re probably right," Nicole said doubtfully. "But when Vader said things...it seemed so real."

"If it was real, we’ll hear about it soon enough. But when we got to Coruscant you’d better tell Master Skywalker about whom you are. O.K.?" Lledra said. "And you should tell him about your nightmare, vision."

"All right,’ Nicole said. "I’ll tell him when we get there."

Three hours after coming out of hyperspace and a headache later, Kirsten woke. As her vision cleared, she saw a droid. It was boxy and it had red and white lights blinking on it. The medical droid, she guessed as she saw red and grey on it. She tried to ask what had happened, but all that came out was a small raspy breath.

"Don’t try to talk," The medical droid started. "You are very weak and are under a great deal of sedatives and medications."

"Allie," Kirsten breathed hoarsely as she gently hopped off the medical bed.

"Ma’am I must advise that you not go," the medical droid started. "You are very weak and are still recovering."

"Have... to...find Allie." Kirsten said weakly. She started to take small steps and pangs of pain ran through her body. Her sight blurred then cleared as she slowly made her way down the grey hallway.

"Someone help," Kirsten distantly heard the medical droid. She staggered down the hall; the sound of voices greeted her slightly muted ears, causing the voices to sound muffled and far away. Her blurry vision briefly allowed her to see an open door. As she neared the opening, the sounds got louder.

Kirsten could feel her mid-back long red hair hanging over her arms and into her face. She placed her hands on the doorframe as she entered the room. The talking stopped and all eyes turned to her. There was a man sitting up on a low bed who had short brown blonde hair. "I’m sorry about your X- wing," Kirsten said oddly.

Suddenly strong hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back. Out of protective reflex Kirsten slammed her elbow into the man’s stomach. As the air escaped from his lungs, Kirsten wrapped her right leg around his legs and grabbed his arm. The man lost his balance but she pulled his arm hard, causing him to flip over her back as she ducked. The man landed hard on his back, he hit the ground with enough force to knock him unconscious.

Kirsten felt dizzy and she fell hard to her knees. Spikes of pain ran through so violently that stars flashed before her eyes. Her head fell forward and she saw the man’s red brown hair. Dazed, Kirsten forced her head to rise. She looked to her right and saw the people in the room start towards her. Then everything went black.

Kirsten woke up in her own room. But this time she didn’t have a headache, blurred vision or any pains. She sat up and looked at the medical droid. Now that she wasn’t as dazed as she had been before, Kirsten could see the layout of the room better. It looked to be a surgical room. The bed on which she sat on was in the middle of the squarish room. "It’s nice to see you awake," said a voice from behind her.

"That was a neat flip you made that guy do," said a man with slightly shaggy brown hair. He was nicely built and had brown eyes.

"Uh, thank you," Kirsten has absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

"You don’t remember?" asked a man with short black hair and dark skin.

"She wouldn’t remember. At the time she was still under a great deal of sedatives. I was not expecting her to wake up, let alone walk," the medical droid commented.

"My name is Kirsten. Who are you?" she asked.

"I’m Leia Organa Solo, this is my husband Han, my brother Luke and a good friend of the family Lando Calrissian," Leia said, indicating to each person.

"It’s good to meet you," Kirsten said. Suddenly a questioning look crossed her face. "Where’s Allie?"

"Is Allie the girl you were within the shuttle?" Luke asked as he walked over to her.

"Yeah, she is," Kirsten said. "Where is she?"

"She’s with my children," Leia said. "It’s okay. She’s safe and healthy."

Kirsten gently hopped off the medical bed. She looked to Luke and noticed something clipped to his belt. She peered at it and quickly realized that it was a lightsaber. "A lightsaber," she breathed.

"Yes, I’m a Jedi Master," Luke said in a calm voice.

Uncontrollable fear filled Kirsten and she took an instinctive step backwards, causing her lower back to hit the edge of the medical bed. Luke stepped back as a wave of fear hit him. He watched as the girl lowered herself to the floor. She suddenly reminded him of a cornered or trapped animal. Her breathing had become ragged and forced, every muscle in her body seemed to be tense. She backed up in her crouch-like position on all fours until she hit the near back wall. She looked around with wide wild eyes. When she realized that there was no other place to go she seemed to shrink into herself. And just above a whisper she pleaded. "Please...please don’t kill me. I’m all my sister has left."

Everybody glanced at each other with freighted looks. They had had their thoughts about what could have happened to the young girls. Their proof, the numerous wounds that were found on the younger girl. But suddenly all their fears seemed to be tame compared to the girl's reaction to them. They realized that whatever had happened to them, it must’ve been quite an ordeal. Leia watched as her brother knelt where he stood. The move must have made him look less threatening because Kirsten started to crawl towards him.

"You're not like the others," she whispered. "You’re not going to kill me?"

"I would never think of doing such a thing," Luke said seriously.

She looked briefly into his eyes and saw nothing to indicate otherwise. Suddenly Kirsten was filled with dread. "Oh, no," Kirsten whispered as she looked to Leia. "Ma’am, are your children Jed as well?"

"Yes they are. Why?" Leia asked.

"Because Allie’s worse with Jedi than I-" Kirsten’s voice was cut off by a high-pitched scream.

Allie ran at full speed. She was trying to get away from the Solo children. ‘Jedi! Evil Jedi. They destroyed our home.’ Allie tried to run faster but at the moment her legs were starting to go numb. She had to keep on moving her hair out of her face so when she breathed she didn’t get a mouth full of the stuff.

"Allie, wait!" called the son named Anakin. Allie looked back and saw the Solo’s along with their friend Chewbacca.

The Imperial Palace was huge. The large hallways, the many corridors, all the people, the whole thing was pretty overwhelming, she thought as the crowded halls parted so she could get through. Allie realized that she was lost. Actually, truths be told, she was lost the moment she stepped outside the Solo’s front door. She looked back again and saw Chewbacca catching up. ‘All these people can see that the Solo’s are Jedi. Jacen has a lightsaber clipped to his belt. Why isn’t anybody helping me?’ She looked back to where she was running and someone stepped out in front of her. Allie wasn’t able to stop and she hit the pedestrian.

On the bridge of the Star Destroyer Dark Fire its captain paced the gloomy, uninviting looking bridge.

"So you're telling me you're Emperor Palpatine’s children?" the captain asked in a slightly amused voice. He regarded the three twenty-seven-year-olds with interest. The one who had introduced herself as Monica seemed nervous. She had black curly hair and her skin was tan in color. Katie had blonde hair and fair skin. One thing that surprised the captain was that she was slightly imposing. He hated that in a woman. And the only man in the group was Max. He had red hair and pale olive skin. It was quite an ensemble. "If you don’t mind me asking, why don’t any of you look alike?" he asked as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. He could feel the cruel smirk cross his face, ‘This will be good.’

"To answer your questions we're only related by blood," Max said while crossing his arms over his slender chest. "We’re from separate families but we share the blood of one man."

The captain looked over to the out of place medical droid. It has been working on Max’s blood for some time. And Captain Hexane was getting very impatient very quickly. "Well?" he asked the inanimate object in an annoyed tone. "Is it true or not?"

The droid seemed to hesitate for a moment then he answered. "The young man does indeed have the late Emperor’s blood. But I’m not sure about the other two, because I didn’t take a sample from either of them."

Captain Hexane turned sharply and looked directly at Katie and Monica with drawn brows.

"Captain, do you really think I would hang around with Jedi posing as my sisters?" Max asked mildly.

"All right," Hexane said unconvinced. "But tell me, how did you survive the destruction of the Death Star?"

"Simple," Katie said. "We weren’t there. We were at an Imperial Guard training center."

"Which one?" Hexane asked darkly.

"We were at a secret location. You wouldn’t know where it was even if we told you," Max answered curtly.

"Very convenient for you three. All right then answer this," Captain Hexane began. "There are supposed to be five of you, where are the other two? And I want Monica to tell me?" The captain knew a weak link when he saw one.

Monica looked to Hexane. He had grey hair and steel blue eyes, also he was taller than she was by a good half foot. "Uh," She started as she swallowed. "There was an accident some years ago. James and Nicole were killed."

Hexane seemed to consider this. The answer to him sounded rehearsed but he would let it slide...for now. "Why are you here?"

"We," started Max as he strode towards Hexane, "came here so we could have our revenge on the Rebellion."

"We want to destroy the life of the man who did this to us," Katie said as she walked up to her brother's left side.

"And he’s with the Rebellion," Monica said as she walked up to her brother's other side.

"And who is that? Who is the man you wish to destroy?" Hexane asked.

"We want," there was a small pause as evil grins crossed Katie and Max’s faces, "Luke Skywalker."

"What am I paying three you for?" Captain Guthrie asked angrily. His three Jedi looked at each other and shrugged. They looked around the confines of the meeting room then looked back at him and shrugged again.

"If you don’t pay us, we don’t work. Besides, Captain, you need us," Jaxson said optimistically as he ran a hand through his pale blonde hair.

"Damn you," Guthrie said through clenched teeth.

"Now, now. No need to get angry captain, remember your blood pressure," Amber noted with a cocky smile as she removed her lightsaber from her belt.

"Shut up about my blood pressure!" Captain Guthrie snarled angrily. "And get those idiotically smug smiles off your face." He watched as the three Jedi faces turned serious.

"Why do we want the kid anyway?" Matt asked, breaking his silence.

"Why? Why! I’ll tell y-."

"Take it easy captain," Jaxson said smoothly as he saw the captain’s hands clench and unclench. "The kid's new. Matt replaced M’per. But to be fair why don’t you tell us why you want her?"

Captain Guthrie thought about the request. He decided that he might as well tell them...again. Guthrie fixed Matt with a glare before he started. "I want the last child of Palpatine. It is said that she is the strongest Jedi in the galaxy. I want to present her to Admiral Pallaeon. So she can turn that ultimate power of hers and destroy the Rebellion. Then these petty battles between them and us will be over."

"Not to mention that Pallaeon will give Guthrie a raise," Amber said. "If it works."

"It would work if I had better Jedi," Guthrie scoffed. "I’ve let you flounder around for the past five years. I would kill anybody else if they took that long."

"Oh really," Matt started. "Then maybe you want to go out and find new Jedi. Ones which are better. Ones which would probably kill you and your crew. Or if you really wanted results really fast, you should have hired a Bounty Hunter. But you said you wanted her venerable, you wanted her alone. Well we’ve done just that. Now all we have to do is go and pick her up."

Guthrie seemed to consider Matt’s words carefully. Then he sighed in an exasperated tone. He ran a hand over his brown crew cut hair. He looked at Jaxson and looked into his icy blue eyes, then to Amber. She smiled at him. Her copper hair hung slightly in front of her teal eyes. Then he looked at Matt. He had cherry red hair and a handsome face. ‘I’m a babysitter.’ Guthrie thought ruefully. Their youthfulness came to him in a moment of annoyance. "Do you at least know where she is now?" Guthrie asked, suddenly feeling tired.

"Sure we do, she went to Coruscant. We can get there and bring her back with us," Jaxson said. "We just have to flatten out a few crinkles in our plan and we’ll be set. Then you can confidently say that she’s yours."

"Good," Guthrie said as he started to leave the meeting room. "But before I go, I want to know. Is she still stable?"

"Well, if over five years your family was slowly picked off one by one, and you were as young as she, how would you be?" Matt asked challengingly.

Guthrie nodded, then walked out of the meeting room. ‘I’d probably be on the verge of madness.’ Luckily she’s a Jedi. Hopefully, they're able to cope with things better than ‘normal’ people.

As he walked away and into the comforting white corridor he could fell himself smile. He could taste his promotion. It was so close now, it felt like he could reach out and grab it.

Nicole was a wreck by the time they got to Coruscant. She fidgeted nervously while sitting in the co-pilot seat.

"Take it easy," Davis said soothingly as he stopped the ship just outside of Coruscant’s atmosphere, "you’ll do fine. Why don’t you try some calming exercises?"

"They don’t work on me. I’ve tried already," Nicole said tiredly.

Davis looked at her and smiled. "Just don’t think about it. I know it’ll be hard, but as long as you don’t let it worry you, you’ll be fine. Besides if Master Skywalker does detect your worry we can just tell him about who you are. It’ll be as good a time as any."

Nicole managed a smile. "Thanks," she said.

"Now, do you think you could do me a favor?" asked Davis.

"Sure," Nicole answered. "What do you want me to do?"

"Could you go and wake Lledra up so she’s ready when we land?" With a slight nod Nicole left the cockpit and headed down the small hall. Nicole stopped outside Lledra’s door. She could sense her friend sleeping. She touched the wall panel and the door opened with a slight hiss. She giggled softly and then watched as Lledra’s ears twitched then swiveled towards her. Lledra’s eyes opened then she stretched. Her mouth opened wide as she yawned, showing off a full two rows of sharp carnivorous teeth.

"Hello," Lledra said. "How are you?"

"You know very well how I feel," Nicole said sternly.

Lledra walked over to her and placed a hand on Nicole’s shoulder. "Don’t worry about it, you’ll be fine."

"Thanks for the confidence. I just hope you’re right."

"I always am," Lledra said with a toothy smile. Suddenly Lledra’s ears turned towards the door then moved back to their original position.

"What is it?" Nicole asked.

"The bottom thrusters are on."

"Huh? You can hear them?" Nicole asked disbelievingly. Then the sudden realization of what the bottom thrusters were used for sank in. "Oh no. We’re landing."

"Don’t worry about it," Lledra said as she removed her hand from Nicole’s shoulder. She gently turned Nicole towards the door and then gave her a gentle push on the back. Nicole took a step towards the door and it opened. The two to them stepped out of the room and headed for the cockpit. The feeling of dread once again seized her and settled uneasily in the pit of Nicole’s stomach.

"This is Davis McDowel. Can I have clearance to land?"

"Mr. McDowel you have clearance to land in docking bay seven," came a male voice.

"Thank you," Davis said, then he gracefully steered the shuttle towards Coruscant. A small feeling of inevitable dread filled him. ‘I’ve been hanging around with Nicole too much, she’s even got me paranoid.’ Nicole’s words though echoed through his head. If anything like evil Jedi taking over the Imperial Fleet were to happen...the thought wavered. He took a shaky breath and released it.

Davis watched as the docking port slowly became visible, then bigger as he neared the planet. ‘Everything will be fine,’ he told himself sternly. ‘Everything will be just fine.’