Balance and Victory: A Star Wars Alternate Universe [COMPLETED!]

Interlude

Luke and Leia were stuck in the single most boring place in the galaxy, and they knew it. Artoo and Threepio came up with some random games in a lame attempt to keep the twins occupied, but the latter could not be fooled. Leia, especially, understood that they were missing out on the real action.

"Threepio, can we at least find Mommy and see if we can watch the space battle with the grown-ups?" Luke whined, staring dully at the pile of cards the droids had put out. "We wouldn't be causing any trouble, especially if we're really quiet!"

"I'm sorry, Master Luke," Threepio chirped. "The four of us have strict orders to remain here and not leave the premises."

Leia rolled her eyes visibly. "Threepio, I think you're miscalculating. We're not on the sea, and I don't even know if the Premmy Seas is a real thing."

"No, Mistress Leia, premises. P-R-E-M- "

But before the protocol droid could complete his enrichment of Leia's vocabulary, a crashing noise outside made them all jump. The twins finally seemed interested in what was going on.

"What was that?" Leia exclaimed.

"While there is no way we can be absolutely certain, I estimate a 95% chance that it was a massive object orbiting the planet- "

Artoo interrupted Threepio with a sequence of harsh beeps. Leia blushed bright red when she understood a couple of his words. Luke didn't know any Astromech language or any curse words in general, so his face remained blank and confused.

"Artoo! You mustn't speak that way in front of the children! What would Mistress Padmé say?"

The droids continued to bicker. Artoo's beeps were too fast and complex for Leia to understand, and Threepio was too busy arguing to translate, so eventually Leia took it into her own hands to interrupt them. "Would you guys please tell me and Luke what's going on?!"

"Nothing," Threepio said in a rather suspicious voice. "Artoo, I don't know what sort of misadventures you may have had with Master Anakin, but they must have messed with your circuits, because that is the most absurd idea!"

"What? What is?" Luke demanded.

With a few more beeps from Artoo, Leia gasped as she realized something. "He's trying to say he thinks someone is outside! Everyone shut up and listen!"

The room fell silent. Everyone could hear a soft pounding on the emergency door, coming from the outside of the base.

"Someone's trying to come in," Luke whispered. "Now what?"

Artoo gave a complex series of beeps, and Threepio hesitated before translating.

"Tell us what he said, don't hide it!" Leia hissed.

"He... he recommends setting up a tripwire by the door, unlocking it, and letting the intruder in. Then, he would shock the intruder and we could bind him. Personally, I am against it, it is far too risky!"

"Well, I'm for it," Leia said. "Daddy always does risky things, and they usually work. We'll be okay!"

"Yeah, let's do it!" Luke agreed.

As Artoo and the twins quietly worked to set up the tripwire, Threepio just paced anxiously around and moaned about how he "ought to have a word with Master Anakin and his questionable parenting skills."

In less than a minute, the tripwire was set, Artoo was in position, and even Threepio was quiet. Then Luke used the Force to nudge the door open, and a figure covered in black armor burst in, wearing the dark helmet of an Imperial TIE fighter pilot. As Artoo predicted, the tripwire sent him sprawling to the floor, and a quick electrical shock made his body go limp.

"Yesssss!" Luke exclaimed, helping Leia and Artoo put their prisoner in laser binders on his wrists and ankles so that he wouldn't go anywhere. Leia yanked off his helmet to reveal the face of a dazed-looking teenage boy.

"Ha! Look at the stupid look on his face!" she said, grinning.

"Now what? Do we tell Mommy?" Luke said.

"No!" Leia snapped. "She's busy!"

"Master Luke, why don't you close the door?" Threepio suggested.

"Yeah, and not with the Force or something." Leia glanced warily back at the prisoner, knowing that people did not take kindly to seeing someone use the Force, and she gasped when she saw that the prisoner looked more lucid already.

"We all know that the Force isn't real, kid," he said dully.

Leia scowled, trying to think of a good retort, when a loud thump sounded and Luke burst into tears. She ran up to him, concerned. "Luke, are you okay?"

"No, I... I tripped on the wire!" Luke wailed, picking himself up from the floor and running towards Threepio (who would undoubtedly be sympathetic).

Leia huffed in annoyance. "Oh, don't be such a crybaby! Daddy got his whole arm cut off, and he's fine now. And then he- "

"Wait a second!" the prisoner interrupted. "The metal arm, the blue Astromech, it all makes sense. I know your dad, he's the jerk who almost didn't take me to Coruscant!"

Luke's face went pale, while Leia's flushed bright red.

"He's not a jerk!" she yelled, marching defiantly up to the captive. "You're the jerk! Especially if you like Coruscant and the Empire! Artoo, get this laser brain to shut up, will you?"

With one more zap from Artoo's shocking device, the prisoner once again fell unconscious. All was silent except for Threepio quietly muttering, "Oh, dear..."

"How did an Imperial Pilot get here, anyway?" Luke said, half to himself.

"No idea," Leia whispered. "We'll find out soon, though. I'm just mad that we probably caught the most annoying guy in the galaxy."

(Author's Note: Hopefully you all have figured out who "the most annoying guy in the galaxy" is! ;) On a more serious note, how did Imperials get to Yavin? They're supposed to be in the battle over Dantooine right now.... Stay tuned for the next update! Chapter release deadlines are kind of out the window but it will be sometime this week or next week. Thanks for reading!)