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Jedi Dawn - Part 1
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Rated PG-13

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The Planet Ithor, New Republic Ship Ralroost, Bridge
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It was calm - no sound could be heard. Every being on the bridge, human or non-human, stared at the man standing before the captain's chair, right arm brought up toward the battlefield in front of the ship, still and like a statue.

No one, not even Leia Organa-Solo herself, could quite believe what had happened just minutes ago.

For decades, people all over the galaxy had been discussing Luke Skywalker's power, his might, had guessed what he really could accomplish and what lay even beyond his abilities.

Their thoughts had ranged from realistic, underestimating, up to totally ridiculous - or so Leia had thought.

Her brother had proven everyone wrong. What he just had done - she would never have thought it possible.

Just three minutes ago, the space before the Ralroost had been ablaze with blaster fire and superheated plasma, warships pounding on each other while coral skippers and New Republic fighters chased each other, trying to get as many kills as possible.

Three minutes ago - Leia shook her head slightly, as if trying to clear it.

In three standard time parts, the combatants on Ithor had seen for the first time in their life what the Force could do when used by a true Jedi Master - by Luke Skywalker.

The fate of the galaxy had been decided over Ithor - the planet where the only known weapon against the Yuuzhan Vong had its origin, the planet which the Yuuzhan Vong had therefore decided to overthrow - or to destroy.

This incredible short three minutes ago, it had seemed as if the New Republic had nothing to counter the Yuuzhan Vong attacks - the enemies had wreaked havoc on their forces.

The Jedi had battled fiercely and bravely onto the planet itself, but they were heavily outnumbered and had no real chance to lead the New Republic to a victory against this terrible, unfamiliar power.

But then, everything had changed.

In her mind, Leia remembered the past four hours in lightspeed, wondering frightfully what this victory may have cost Luke.

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Ithor, 4 hours ago
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Leia Organa-Solo was all too aware of the things laying ahead of her.

After all these years fighting the Empire and building the New Republic, they had never ever faced such an enemy. An enemy who just wanted to make extinct or to force beings to believe in their proper gods, not interested in any truce or peace contract.

Leia guessed, out of the few things she actually knew about the Yuuzhan Vong, that they considered all species in this galaxy they wanted to make their own to be feeble beings without a trace of honor - especially the human race.

She would really like to learn from the Vong, as Elegos A'kla had done, in order to find somehow, some time, a way to establish peace.

But this culture from outside the galaxy had made it all too clear that it didn't think anyone of the New Republic's politicians to be worthy of negotiating with them.

President Borsk Fey'lya had taken care that Leia was totally excluded from anything formal going on between the Republic and the Vong, cutting her off from every possibility to get herself a clearer picture of the enemie's psyche and the things he wanted.

Leia sighed soundlessly. It hurt to see what had become of the New Republic. Borsk Fey'lya headed straight down the doomed path the Old Republic had taken so many decades ago.

He and the senate, they saw themselves as invincible, as wise beyond wisdom - all this while loosing the link to their people and reality - the reality of deathly dangers.

Old biases resurfaced quickly, people who became uncomfortable were disposed of quietly.

Fey'lya's special concerns were with the Jedi. He missed no opportunity to stir sentiments against them and he had no problems to get partners in his revengeful quest - underlining false decisions of Jedi like Kyp Durron was enough to get the arrogant, self-centered senators to help the Chief-of-State.

The Bothan especially relished in accusing Luke as an unable and dumb man loosing control of his people - or he charged him with treason, accusing him to encourage his Jedi Knights to act as they did.

True, the common humans and non-humans of the galaxy still believed in the Jedi, that they were there to do good only - but that was no reason to relax, Leia knew. As did Luke.

When Fey'lya continued, the people would sooner or later fall into his demagogic trap. And give the Bothan the possibility to get rid of the Jedi who threatened his every decision.

Leia could barely cover her anger and disgust when she remembered the way Fey'lya had refused to acknowledge the threat the Yuuzhan Vong embodied, his arrogant smile when he had assumed formal control over the defense fleet dispatched to Ithor.

This Bothan and his hand-picked senate would succeed in bringing down what she and all her friends had so hard fought to build. They would throw it right into the Vongs' hands - out of dumbness, arrogance and hunger for power.

It had cost Leia and Luke not so much as a minute to recognize that Fey'lya saw in Ithor just a possibility to further denunciate Luke, to shatter the public trust in the Jedi. Perhaps he would succeed in this.

The escapees of Dubrillion and Dantooine saw still the hero in Luke, the defenders and protectors in the Jedi - what they were in reality. But the myriads of beings not even aware of the Yuuzhan Vong threat, carefully shielded by the government, would be very prone to believe the Bothan's presumptious lies.

Leia sighed, aloud this time, and placed her hand onto the sensoric field in order to get the lift leading to the hangar bay of the floating city Tafanda Bay.

There was no use in breeding about this now. She had to concentrate on the coming attack of the Yuuzhan Vong.

And this attack would come. Although Corran and his team had done their best to blur their traces on Garqi, the enemy sooner or later would come after them, figuring out what had happened - that the New Republic had accidentally stumbled over a possibility to cause the sudden, violent death of the Vong's living armor.

And if they came behind this, they would destroy Ithor.

Leia would soon board the Ralroost, along with Fey'lya and the other Senate members, in order to watch the battle from there - and perhaps in order to die there.

Leia didn't permit herself much hope. True, Fey'lya and his "friends" didn't feel threatened, they didn't know any fear.

But Leia had seen what had happened on Dubrillion and on Dantooine. She knew that it was possible that no one survived the coming encounter.

And she had become used to being close to death while fighting for the Alliance. She accepted the possibility to die and so could be fully active until the moment would finally come.

Crouching somewhere in fear, hiding from the inevitable, was no option for her, denying her the dignity she deserved as a human being.

She would not waste the slightest second till she would have to become one with the Force.

When she entered the climatized, sun-filled hangar bay, she saw her brother Luke Skywalker standing before an empty ship place, staring up into Ithor's sky.

Curious, she followed his stare, recognizing the Jade Saber blazing away in high speed - as if fleeing from something.

"Luke?"

When he heard her voice, Luke turned around and stared at her. The barely surpressed desperation in his eyes and the feeling of incredible pain radiating from him let Leia go faster.

"Luke, what happened? Was that Mara?"

Even while standing beside him and laying her hand onto his shoulder, she felt Luke calling on the Force and calming himself with mental violence. But she was almost sure that he was all but calm deep in himself.

He nodded, smiling tiredly: "She said she wants to be alone. She can't stand me worrying so much about her."

Despite his smile and his best efforts to maintain his composure, he could not hide the truth from Leia. Perhaps from everyone else, but not from Leia.

"I'm so sorry, Luke. I'm so sorry." She whispered, embracing him tightly. He embraced her back ever so shortly, then withdrew himself again.

"That's unimportant, Leia. The Vong are coming. I can feel the danger. We have to concentrate on defending Ithor now."

Leia didn't think it would do Luke any good to ignore Mara's actions, but she knew that he was right. They DIDN'T have any time to think about feelings.

"Did Kyp accept your orders?" she asked instead, accompanying him to the ship intended to bring them up to the Ralroost. Luke frowned and Leia knew at once that this, too, hadn't gone as her brother had hoped.

"Kyp has left the Order. He has taken his followers with him. Said something about a new, better Jedi Order as soon as the Vong are taken care of - he doesn't believe them to be dangerous, you know."

The pain in his voice was carefully hidden behind the soft, mocking tone, but Leia could hear it nonetheless. She was his sister, she always knew what he felt or thought. Always.

The Jedi Order had been his dream - he wanted to create it new, for Ben, for Yoda, for his father. And now, this dream was gone. The government for which he had sacrificed that much had let him down, didn't believe in his powers, nor in his intentions. Often enough, Fey'lya had accused Luke of things which had hurt his peaceful and tender nature deeply. And Leia was the only one who really knew how deep Luke was affected by all this.

Now his dream was shattered without him being able to do something against it. He couldn't force Kyp to stand by him and to obey his orders. The respect and the obediance of the other Knights weren't the result of Luke somehow having the right to give them orders.

They followed him because they believed and trusted in him and his ways. That went at least for the ones still being on his side.

But this wasn't the time to talk to Luke and to soothe him. Not now. The first Yuuzhan Vong ships had been seen in the system.

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Above the planet Ithor, Bridge of the Ralroost, The Present
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President Borsk Fey'lya had stopped smiling for a long time. In face of the burning planet and bursting, exploding ships before him, he couldn't possibly deny the deadly peril the Yuuzhan Vong were - as much as he would want it.

The Ralroost was the last intact warship left to the defenders - the rest had been badly damaged or totally destroyed, although everyone still able to fight didn't surrender.

The Ralroost wouldn't have much means to withstand the Yuuzhan Vong warship approaching it mercilessly for long.

The infantery on Ithor itself had had no chance against the trained Yuuzhan Vong warriors. The Jedi fought better, but still were without any real chances - there were just too few of them.

The Bothan glanced nervously around.

Luke Skywalker sat at one of the communication consoles, giving orders with this unnervingly calm voice of his, coordinating the small group of still intact fighters - between them Rogue Squadron, the only squadron still more or less complete.

Besides, he received reports from his Jedi teams which tried everything to hold onto the planet.

They had suffered heavy losses and at every new loss report, Skywalker shuddered, as well as Organa Solo, who sat beside him and led the rescue missions of the still maneuverable medicinal frigates.

"Kyp's Jedi..." Luke's voice was rough, his eyes full of pain.

"They are all dead - Kyp is the only survivor. I dispatched Daeshara'cor and Ganner Rhysode to go get him out if possible."

Leia nodded, her lips thin lines. She was worried deeply by the lifelessness of Luke's voice, his face.

Even she, as untrained as she was, could feel the tremors in the Force caused by all these victims of the battle and the myriads of living beings dying in the burning forests of Ithor.

"46." Luke said calmly.

Leia was jerked back to reality: "What?"

"46 of us alive. 46 Jedi Knights. And the battle is not over yet."

Before Leia could even think of something to answer, the Ralroost shuddered violently. For a moment, all energy was cut off.

Some seconds later, the emergency lights popped on.

"A piece of debris just hit us starboard. It came from the Pride of Yavin. The Pride is destroyed. Thus, we're the only rational choice for the Vong to attack. Their ship hasn't so much as a scratch. Should anyone have the slightest idea how to get out of this situation alive, I'd appreciate it if he or she would speak freely now."

Leia admired the admiral's composure in face of almost certain death and remarked surprised that she wasn't as afraid as she'd have thought.

Luke was with her, she mused. As long as Luke was with her, nothing could be so bad.

"He!" a voice shouted over the bridge, followed by a furred arm pointing straight at Luke.

President Borsk Fey'lya stumbled over to the Jedi, a nasty-looking scratch on his forehead.

"He shall use his ominous Force. He's a Jedi Master!"

Teeth shown in anger and fear, the Bothan presented the contrary of his composed relative.

"A Jedi Master whose use of the Force you have often enough condemned, Your Excellency. Whom you have accused of being a liar."

Luke's characteristic calm, his natural dignity, earned in all the trials he had been through in his life, let the Bothan seem to be nothing more than a crying child - and Fey'lya knew it.

He knew that Luke was aware that he was right. He knew that Luke had known from the beginning that Fey'lya didn't believe with all his heart in the principles of the New Republic.

"I've always known you're a traitor, Skywalker. Just as your damned Jedi." Fey'lya snarled enraged.

Luke just smiled, somehow sad, while he rose and went over to Admiral Traest Kre'fey, to a point from which he could overlook the entire battlefield.

"You understand nothing, Your Excellency. You understand nothing of the way of the Jedi, the way of the Force. But that's not necessary."

Leia watched when her brother lifted his arm and closed his eyes. She knew he didn't do this in order to take a point over Fey'lya or anyone else.

Just minutes ago, she had caught his decision to end this battle. She also had been aware of his inner torment going on for hours - it went against Luke's very nature to use the Force in attack. Though Leia didn't doubt that he was a very capable warrior.

But she wasn't prepared for what happened next. Never ever had she imagined her brother being THAT powerful.

At the moment he lifted his arm, she could feel the Force around her, everywhere, could feel how all these fine strings of life were drawn into one direction - in Luke's direction.

She could feel how he took them together, more and more of them, and how he threw them against the Yuuzhan Vong ships. She felt his taking on his very reserves to hold on to so much power, to control it and not letting himself being controlled and destroyed by it.

If one could forget the dead inflicted by it, the spectacle was just fascinating. Leia watched in awe while her brother skillfully took control over the enemie's black holes, using them against their very owners, dropping coral skipper after coral skipper, ground vehicle after ground vehicle, into their own defense gravity anomalies.

No less skillfull, he manipulated the weapons of the big ships, causing them to implode spectacularly by sending the superheated plasma right back into its holds.

Leia felt herself vibrating with the Force flowing around her, thick and mighty, unleashing all its power under Luke's guidance.

She shifted uncomfortably when she remembered what such a use of the Force had cost Luke at Dantooine.

It took barely fifteen minutes and the Yuuzhan Vong fleet had been nearly extinguished.

No one spoke a word on the Ralroost's bridge. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Luke, unbelieving and shocked. Even while Leia hurried to his side, Luke turned and looked straight at Fey'lya.

The Bothan stepped back, violet eyes wide with fear of the Jedi Master. Luke's voice trembled, but his words were clear and understandable all over the bridge - and all surviving fighters could hear them over intercom.

"The Force is created by life and protects it. The Jedi are the protectors of the Force and of the weak. A Jedi never feels contempt upon killing or hurting. You and the senate, and only you, are responsible for the deaths of so many beings."

When Leia took his arm and lead him out of the bridge, she suddenly felt the wave of panic appearing in her brother - a wave he could barely control.

Luke trembled all over his body when they arrived in the captain's chambers and Leia had some problems to get him to the bodyform couch in the corner of the narrow cabin.

The panic and fear radiating from him almost knocked her off her feet. This storm of emotions, enhanced by their bond in the Force, almost led her to flee and her heart broke when she imagined what passed through Luke's head, his soul, right now.

He had killed thousands of beings deliberately - for the first time in his life, he had let free this incredible power which had slumbered in him.

But it had cost him every single reserve. And though Leia was sure that his body would recover exceptionally soon, she didn't know whether his soul would equally be able to.

But she could worry about this later.

She had barely helped him lay down onto the couch, as Luke already slipped into blissful, deep unconsciousness.

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Jedi Dawn - Chapter 2
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Rated PG-13
For disclaimer, see part 1

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Ralroost, Captain's Quarters, 3 hours after the Battle of Ithor
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"I still can't believe what your brother has done, Your Highness. I never
imagined what power he can summon." Traest Kre'fey, never a being for formal
chit-chat, bowed respectfully before Leia Organa-Solo, then gazed over to
the bodyform couch.

Skywalker lay there, seemingly deeply asleep, but unnaturally pale and
still. It took Traest over a minute to confirm that the human man really was
breathing.

The alderaanian princess smiled faintly: "I think no one could, Admiral. Not
even I would have thought this possible."

Although not very familiar with the body language of human beings, Traest
noted the somewhat haunted look in the female's eyes, directed straight at
her brother's unmoving form. "Excuse me, Ambassador, but wouldn't it be
wiser to send for a medic? I'm sure that we can arrange for anonymity some
way or the other. I even would offer my personal medic droid." This time,
Organa-Solo's smile was genuine and broad.

"Thank you, Traest, I appreciate this offer. But my brother is all right."

"But, Leia, he."

"He is currently in a Jedi healing trance. Even as we watch he's gaining his
strength back. You don't have to worry about him."

"If you say so, Your Highness, then I'll have to trust you. I hope you
understand me, I don't want to be blunt. Your brother saved the New Republic
from a hopeless future and I just want to make sure he's fine - we owe him
our lives."

A low sigh let the both of them, woman and Bothan, turn around to the
bodyform couch.

Luke Skywalker's eyes were open and now looked straight at them.

The Bothan went over to the Jedi Master and grasped his hand in his furry
paws.

"Master Skywalker, I want you to know that I'm eternally grateful for what
you did just hours ago. You saved not only my men, but Ithor and probably
the whole galaxy from certain doom. I always held you in high regard, but I
only now see what an exceptional being you really are. I'd be honored if
you'd stay here in my quarters for as long as you wish."

Skywalker just sat up and stared at the admiral, trying to find words to
answer, but nothing came over his lips.

~**

Alarmed, Leia went over to her brother, slid beside him onto the couch and
lay an arm around his shoulders.

"Luke? Are you alright?" she took his free hand into her own, startled to
feel how cold it was. He gazed at her, eyes wide and shocked, then stared
again at the Bothan's hand holding his own.

"I destroyed them all?" he asked lowly.

The Bothan's face lit up in an admiring smile, but Leia couldn't bring
herself to such a reaction. Luke's voice sounded different. Absent,
irritated - scared. *Luke?*
she asked tentatively over their bond in the Force, furrowing her forehead
worriedly when no reply came from him.

"Almost, Jedi Master. The command ship and several smaller vessels managed
to escape and we took one coralskipper and its pilot alive. The rest of
their fleet has been completely destroyed. And we owe this to you - you and
the Jedi. This debt will never be repaid."

"Thank you." Luke whispered, then rose and went over to the small bulkhead,
showing the planet Ithor slowly rotating on its axis.

His hand slipped out of Leia's grasp as a non-living piece of stone would
have done and finally, even Traest seemed to recognize that something was
wrong. The Bothan cleared his throat.

"I think I will leave the both of you alone. You surely are tired. As I
said, feel free to stay as long as you want. Princess Leia, Master
Skywalker." He bowed once again deeply and vanished without another word.

For some moments, it was quiet in the room. Leia hoped her brother would say
something or turn around to look at her, but he did nothing but stay there
and stare down at the planet.

Worried, Leia joined him, taking his left hand into her own, frightened by
the lack of reaction from him.

"Luke?" he didn't even look at her when she said his name.

*Luke! Come back to me!*

The mental shout sent him a step away from her, gazing at her in wide-eyed
fear and panic. Leia began to get a very bad feeling about the situation and
was careful not to scare him anymore when she took a step toward him.

"Luke, tell me what's wrong." She demanded lowly.

"I. I just killed over five thousand living beings. I just killed them. And
Ithor ----" he stopped, gazing at the black scars all over the otherwise
green continents of the once peaceful planet. All around it, battle debris
was floating, burning wrecks, ugly crippled corpses - through the Force and
the eyes of a man like Luke, it had to be a picture of horror.

Since the destruction of Alderaan, Leia had just lost the ability to become
so utterly confused and shocked - even faced with incredible pain and
numerous death.

But although her brother, her dear brother, had seen so much in his life,
had fought so hard and lost so much, he had always been the purest being she
had ever encountered. Violence, death - these things were deeply troubling
for him and the fact that he himself had caused them this time had to be
downright disastrous for his soul.

"I killed them all." Luke whispered, beginning to tremble once again, eyes
transfixed on the bulkhead and the space beyond it.

"Luke, you had no choice. If you hadn't done it, we all would've died and
the Yuuzhan Vong would have overrun the entire galaxy. Millions of innocent
beings would have been killed." She assured lowly, tentatively touching his
forearm with her right hand.

Luke's gaze shot at her hand unbelieving and unsure and Leia began to see
that her fears had come true. For all the pain and distress this war had
brought to his body, his heart and soul had been onslaughted even more.

"You.you touch me." He murmured, sounding that irritated and startled that
Leia felt as if her heart would break any moment. "I'm a murderer. "

"No." she interrupted him softly, but firmly. "Luke, you're not. You've
saved billions of lives. You're no murderer."

"But they're all dead - I killed them all with my thoughts. I." he
stammered, retreating from the small window and deeper into the shadows of
the room.

"Luke, you are NO murderer. Do you hear me? You didn't MURDER anyone. You
defended your galaxy, your people - INNOCENT people. A Jedi can't let
innocent people be butchered, can he?"

"Innocent. no. A Jedi has to defend the innocent and the helpless." Luke
searched her eyes, obviously unsure and even more irritated than before.

"Absolutely right. So you did what was necessary. No one blames you for
anything."

Leia made another step toward him and this time, Luke didn't shy away. But
that was no relief for her for it seemed only to result out of complete
irritation.

Slowly, she swung her arms around him, pressing him gently against herself.
She felt his trembling and knew, even before he actually blurted it out,
what was going to be his next word.

"Mara!"

It was a desperate cry, filled with the strong sense of betrayal, longing
and the feeling of not understanding anything what happened.

"She's gone!" he cried, burying his head in her shoulders, shaking and
sobbing violently. But it took him only seconds to free himself again from
her tight grasp and he stumbled away from her.

His eyes wandered around the room, as if searching for something - or
someone. Then he turned towards the door.

"I got to talk to her. I got to find her and talk to her." He mumbled.

Leia forced herself not to cry and approached him again.

Luke's appearance stroke her deep in her heart. He stood there, right in the
middle of the room, still pale, eyes red-rimmed, hairs in total disorder
from his trance and gazed around unfocused, arms wrapped around himself.

"Luke.., "she said quietly, taking his arm and guiding him back toward the
bodyform couch.

"Got to find Mara." He repeated, his voice clearly showing that he didn't
realise anymore where he was or who was leading him to the couch, forcing
him gently to lay down.

Leia pushed the hairs out of his forehead and knelt down. Taking his hand
into hers, softly caressing the trembling fingers, she whispered: "Try to
sleep, Luke. Everything will be all right again, dear brother. Everything."

She bent forward and planted a light kiss on his lips which moved steadily,
repeating one and the same over and over again. "Got to find Mara."

"Sh.." she whispered compassionately, startling him by laying her hand
firmly over his mouth. For this, she received a look she knew she would see
in her dreams.

There was not a trace of the Jedi Master in these pure, blue eyes, so wide
with fear, helplessness and self-hatred.

She held her hand firmly on place while she lay down beside him, then
released him only to cradle him in her arms, stroking his hair and sending
soothing thoughts of love and peace into his soul.

His azure eyes met once again with hers, giving the impression of a little,
frightened child more than the one of a distraught Jedi Master.

"Got to find Mara." He said again, curling up into a ball and leaning into
Leia's embrace.

While Luke continued to mumble softly to himself and occasionally convulsed
and twitched uncontrolled, Leia reached over him and pressed the button of
the comlink built into the console beside the couch.

"3PO?"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Please call for a medic - take on Kre'fey's offer and get his personal 2-1B
droid. It shall prepare itself to treat a shock patient."

"Why, of course, Princess Leia. Poor Master Luke! I'd never have thought
Mistress Mara to be so cruel and leave.."

"3PO, please. Just get the 2-1B." Leia interrupted the protocol droid
tiredly.
"And check if anyone of our friends or family is currently aboard the
Ralroost. Send them here, if you find them." She added as an afterthought
and, without waiting for 3PO's confirmation, cut the link.

~**

Corran Horn and Kre'fey's personal medic droid arrived at the same time, the
first one sinking baffled and somewhat horrified in the chair 3PO had
brought into the room, the latter immediately attending to Luke who had
stopped mumbling.

Instead, his body shook with steady convulsions and it became obvious by
Corran's pain-filled eyes that Leia wasn't the only one to receive the
ripples of pure mental agony radiating from her brother.

It took the droid, named C-12, only three minutes to state in his cool,
unemotional voice that the patient had suffered an acute nervous breakdown,
due to extreme physical and psychological exhaustion.

After an affirmative nod from Leia, it took only another minute to prepare
an infusion and give Luke a sedative. Mere seconds later, the Jedi Master
became still, his arm slipping lifelessly from the droid's own body
extension.

Although C-12 seemed eager to explain every single symptomatic specialty of
a nervous breakdown, 3PO, for the first time in his life catching on the
moment's sadness, guided him out of the room, not without glancing one final
time at Luke and muttering something about locating R2 as soon as possible.

Once alone with Corran and her now peacefully sleeping brother, Leia
practically fell onto the chair in front of the Jedi, suddenly near to
tears.

The silence was long and uncomfortable, but neither of them quite knew how
to begin such a conversation.

Finally, Corran cleared his throat.

"We heard rumors that Luke destroyed the enemy fleet single-handedly. And we
felt a movement in the Force - I can only describe it as exceptional. Is it
true, Princess? Did Luke do this?"

Leia nodded glumly: "It is true, Corran. He did it alone. I've never seen
him wield such power. If I hadn't seen it for myself, I would've never
believed that such a thing is possible."
"I understand." Horn murmured, though his expression clearly showed the
contrary.

"Mara left." Leia blurted out after some more minutes of silence. She had to
talk to someone. To see her brother in a condition like this, her beloved
Luke, felt as if someone had cut her heart into neat little pieces. She
longed for Han's embrace right now, someone to lean on, and was angry at him
for not being there for her - and for Luke.

Corran's green eyes narrowed, a sudden understanding dawning in them.

"When?" He asked, his tone slightly changing to the one he always assumed
when falling back into his famous CorSec manners.

"Before the battle started. She took the Jade Sabre and vanished without a
trace."

Leia felt hollow when she leaned back and stared at Ithor, continuing its
path behind Corran's head, not influenced by the fates of the humans and
aliens who had fought and died around it.

"So that's why he broke down." The Corellian stated, throwing an even more
compassionate gaze toward Luke's sleeping form.

"Partly. His use of the Force was not only an ordeal for his body, though.
It shattered his soul, shattered it very deeply." She paused, breathing
deeply, then added:
"He considers himself a murderer, a butcherer, everything we call the
Yuuzhan Vong for their actions. He feels betrayed by Mara and doesn't know
why she's gone."

Corran nodded, some of his brown hairs bobbing in front of his eyes: "I can
feel his loneliness and his despair. Did they have an argument before Mara
left?"

Leia had to smile unintentionally. Already now Corran was beginning to
investigate, to search for reasons and certainly already forming some plan
to help Luke in this stubborn Corellian Jedi brain of his.

"I don't think so. Luke just told me that Mara said she couldn't stand his
worrying anymore."

Corran snorted. "I really like and respect Mara, Ambassador, but I doubt
that she's ever fully understood what she demanded from Luke by forbidding
him to worry about her. For me, that sounds like a feeble excuse for her
true reasons."

Leia considered this some moments, then nodded hesitantly. "You could be
right, Corran. I never actually saw him worry about her openly. She didn't
allow this a bit. But we can only be sure about that after speaking to her -
or to Luke."

Corran glanced again to the Jedi Master. "That could take some time." He
murmured.

Leia forced a smile. "It could. Corran, would you please stay here with
Luke? I have to contact Han. He has to come here. Luke needs him."

"Of course I'll stay. Don't worry, Your Highness, I'll take care of him."
Leia smiled, this time genuinely, and vanished.

~**

The communication room had been emptied for her, so she could be alone and
talk privately to her husband who was currently on Coruscant. Although they
had parted in the middle of another argument, she really looked forward to
see him again and talk to him.

Thus, she almost fumed when no one answered her call. So she had to record
the message and hope that Han cared to check the message box sometime in the
future.

Sure that her message was all but kind, she just gave him a summary of
Luke's condition with the plea to come to Ithor as soon as he could.

When she severed the link to her home, she was surprised to see a blinking,
red light, indicating that someone called her from Coruscant.

Well, if that was Han, she would consider forgiving him.

To her utter surprise, though, the head of former Chief-of-State Mon Mothma
appeared. The elder woman gently smiled at Leia.

"Greetings, Leia."

"Mon Mothma! What can I do for you?"

Mothma grew serious. "I've got not much time, Leia. Since we got word from
Ithor an hour ago, everything has been pretty busy in the Senate. I just
thought you'd find it interesting that there's been the word of a
vote-of-no-confidence against Fey'lya."

Leia's eyes widened and she could not oppress a satisfacted, little grin.
"Well, they seem to finally get some brains working again." She just stated.

Mon Mothma smirked. "You could say that. Anyways, the almost-disaster of
Ithor is blamed on Borsk and I think he and his fellow Jedi-haters will have
a bad stand with everyone here in the future."

"That are the first good news for today. But why did you want to tell me
this personally? I'd have learned it soon enough."

Leia frowned when her counterpart became serious again.

"I just wanted to warn you."

"Warn me?"

"Yes. If they succeed and Fey'lya has to step down, then they will press you
to come back. They have already silently elected you to replace him, once
the formalities are taken care of."

Silence.

"I've got to go now, Leia. Take care."

The line was cut and left Leia dumbfounded.

~~~~~~~~~~~
To Be Continued
~~~~~~~~~~~

Updated 10/29/02