Mod!Challenge Once Upon A Clue Final (Lengthy!) Guess - Fool's Hope (time travel) [Clue Challenge]

Grumpy cat is the real Sith Master. Palpatine is just it's loyal servant.

 

Thanks to everyone who read and replied to my guesses!

Here is the very last guess for this challenge, including everything I haven't been able to rule out yet. Since I was trying to include a lot of actions, locations and characters from different eras, it ended up rather long (even though it seemed shorter in my head). Sorry for that!
Note that there are also a lot of characters involved that I'm not guessing, simply because this is how the story came together in my head.

Without further ado, I present the kitchen sink story!




Title: Fool's Hope

Guessing:

Characters:
Padmè Amidala
Anakin Skwalker/Darth Vader
Luke Skywalker
Han Solo

Actions:
Baking a cake
Flying a ship
Petting a Pittin
Repairing a weapon

Locations:
Jedi Temple
Hoth
Ewok Village
Star Destroyer

Fool's Hope​

19 BBY, Polis Massa

Her world was pain.

Padmé Amidala screamed. Her entire lower body ached. Still more painful than childbirth was the knowledge that Anakin, her lover, husband and the father of her child, had tried to kill her and was now what the Jedi called a "Sith".

Tears rolled down her cheeks. She had been unable to stop him. Since the incident on Tatooine when he had killed the Tusken Raiders who had tortured his mother, she had known what he could do in anger, but she had never guessed......

A new wave of pain hit her and she pressed her lips together. Sweat pooled down her face. A gasp escaped her lips, but her mind was still occupied with the greater agony.

Could the Anakin she had fallen in love with really be gone?

It seemed impossible, but Anakin had attacked both her and later Obi-Wan, two people he loved dearly.

She hadn't been able to stop him. All of her love hadn't been able to reach him when it counted. Those thoughts kept haunting her, drifting in and out of her mind, mixing with the pain of labor. It was too much, simply too much.

Finally, after several hours of sweating, groaning and silent weeping, she gave birth to two children. Exhausted, she opened her eyes. Twins. What a surprise. She smiled slightly, marveling at how innocent they looked. Luke and Leia. She could only hope that they would have a bright future in spite of the horror that their father was bringing over the people of this galaxy.

She laid her head back. For the first time in her life, Padmé Amidala was done fighting. Her chest rose and fell slowly, heavily. It hurt just to think his name.

Obi-Wan leaned over her, worry lining his face. She whispered one last sentence to him, then closed her eyes to the world.

//What are you doing?//

Padmé's mind stirred, drifting away from the numbness.

//Are you going to leave your children alone?//

She blinked slowly, trying to focus her eyes. There was no one in the room with her except for a medic droid. Obi-Wan had left to take care of the children, she assumed. Her eyes fell shut again.

Who are you?

//That is of no importance now.//

The stern voice belonged to a young woman, that much Padmé could tell.

What do you want?

//I want you to live.//

What for?

//If you really believe that there is still good in him, you can bring him back. Darkness is falling over this galaxy. Your children and your people will need you.//

I couldn't save him.
Fresh tears rolled from her eyes. She could feel them run down her cheeks.

//You couldn't save him on your own. But with the aid of your children, you can redeem him. Believe me.//

She didn't have anything to lose. Even though she had no idea if this person even existed, Padmé somehow felt hope stir in her chest. It was crazy. Maybe, just maybe....

What should I do?

//I will help you fake your own death and make it appear as if the twins died with you in order to protect them from Palpatine and their father. You can entrust your children to Obi-Wan. He will find good homes for them. I will put you into a Force trance now. You will appear dead to others. When you wake up, I will take you to a different time.//

Time?

//Yes. It is vital that I do not alter the timeline I come from too strongly, lest I might undo my own existence or end up with a too different present from what I know. Then I will no longer be able to predict the influence of your actions on the future. Hence, I will make you skip a few years and only alter a few events. That way, my basic timeline should stay intact.//

Padmé's head seemed to spin. She tried to follow the words of the woman who sounded so strong and sad at the same time.

//I will take you to a time when your children will already be grown up. Help them as best as you can and never forget the words you said to Obi-Wan. Don't reveal yourself to the Emperor or Anakin Skywalker before the time is right.//

What about you?

//I cannot interfere too much beyond this point. But you should know that you are not alone.//

If this saves him....
Padmé's mind drifted into unconsciousness.

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3BBY, Orbit around Alderaan

Padmé gently steered her ship into the approach vector given to her. From her new friend she had learned that her daughter, Leia, was being raised here by her old friend and fellow senator, Bail Organa. It made her very happy to know that he had taken care of her. Bail had remained a true friend, even after her "death".

As far as she had learned, Leia was active in the Rebellion against Palpatine's Empire. Maybe Padmé could lend a hand.


In Hyperspace, Star Destroyer

Darth Vader glanced out of the window. Stars streaked by as white lines. Around him, the bridge was almost completely silent, every officer working efficiently and trying not to attract his wrath. Nonetheless, something had caught his attention. He had come to connect the strange, tingling sensation in his chest with a Jedi's presence, but this time he couldn't feel any Force sensitive close-by.

Irritated, he glances around the bridge again, but nothing had changed. Senior officers still peered over the shoulders of junior officers, a technician was still running checks on a recently repaired sensor station and the captain was still giving instruction to the navigation officer about their route.

Vader looked out of the window again, then turned back to his crew. Maybe it was nothing.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

0BBY, Yavin 4

Han Solo lifted another box and stacked it on top of the others. He pointedly ignored a disappointed Luke, who was walking off to join some suicidal mission. There was no way Han would get even deeper involved in this.

A petite woman with brown hair and eyes walked over to him with soft steps. He pretended to be busy. After several minutes, he acknowledged that she wouldn't simply go away.

"What?" he glared up at her, then froze before he caught himself. She looked startlingly similar to Leia, only that this woman seemed a bit gentler. But there was the same determination in her eyes.

"I want you to participate in the attack," she cut straight to the point.

"Not going to happen, sweetheart." He quickly turned his back to her and busied himself again.

"If you won't go, Luke and Leia will die here."

Han hesitated briefly, then adjusted the position of a box.

"And what's in it for me if I go?", he asked, voice indifferent.

"Fame, wealth and later on, love," the mysterious woman said. He could hear the smile in her voice.

"I would also become an outlaw."

"You would gain a family."

"How do you know that? Can you use the Force or what? I don't believe in fortune-telling," Han grumbled at her.

"Of course, if you want to live the rest of your life with the guilt of being responsible for your friends' death, that is your decision," she added nonchalantly and shrugged. Turning around, she added, "I hope that money there will make you happy."

"I don't really care for other people."

"You're certainly doing a good job of convincing yourself of that," she murmured before walking off.

Han rested his elbows on the stack of his payment for saving the Princess. Why couldn't the world just leave him alone? Chewie growled a question at him.

"I still think it's a stupid idea."

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3ABY, Rebel Base, Hoth

The icy walls reflected the light from the lamps they had installed in a way that reminded Leia of the polished walls of her cell on the Death Star. She tried to ignore it, focusing on the task at hand.

Carefully angling her hydrospanner around a wire, she removed the frozen circuit and replaced it with a new one. Weapons and machines needed frequent maintenance and a lot of repairs in the arctic climate of Hoth. Leia didn't mind it right now because it gave her something to concentrate on.

She shivered. The cold also reminded her of the Death Star. Back then she hadn't cried out of pride. She hadn't wanted to let the Imperials know how badly they had hurt her. Losing a loved one was already bad enough, but she had basically lost almost everyone she knew and treasured on the same day. Classmates, friends, people she saw every day, palace servants and of course, her own adoptive parents too, had all died. What's more, Leia knew there was no way she could have saved them even if she had betrayed the real base of the Rebellion. Tarkin had wanted to make an example.

Her mother had been her only comfort at that time. Her biological mother, who had suddenly appeared a few years ago and looking not much older than Leia, had only come to Alderaan for short periods of time. Padmé had greatly helped Leia in becoming the politician she was today. Most of the time her mother was traveling the galaxy, though, helping the Alliance, negotiating with other rebel groups and making plans with Mon Mothma, who was still reeling from the shock of meeting Leia's mother. Apparently they knew each other. Mon Mothma often stared at Leia now, studying her face. It made Leia wonder what the older woman knew about her parents.

Satisfied with her repair work, Leia closed the hatch at the side of the cannon. When the Empire found them, which was always just a matter of time, they would be in for a surprise.

---------------------------------------------------------------

4ABY, Ewok Village, Moon of Endor

She could tell that it was hard to accept. Holding her son tightly, Padmé whispered into his ear. They were standing outside an Ewok house on the night before he would face his father in battle. In a low voice, she told him everything about his father that she knew, including the most painful parts and not hiding her own inability to stop him.

Her poor son had such a big weight resting on his shoulders. She had just met him, but she hoped that she could bear some of his burden. However, she could tell that he believed her that his father could be redeemed. Maybe, as her friend had said, they would be able to bring Anakin back to the light together.


Second Death Star, Orbit around Endor

Luke hesitated, staring at his green lightsaber blade. He finally realized what his mother had been trying to show him: This was not the way to defeat the Sith. Luke had almost gone down the same road as his father, killing in order to save the ones he loved.

He looked down at his father lying in front of him and found that he couldn't hate him. Not even or maybe because of everything that he had learned about this man, he couldn't hate him.

He deactivated his lightsaber and threw it away. As he turned around, he met the Emperor's gaze and shook his head.

His action seemed to surprise the Emperor a bit, but before Luke could use this in any way, blue lightning crackled from the old man's fingers, dancing over Luke's body and causing muscle spasms that threw him to the ground. The lines of the Emperor's face deepened, mouth turning into a scowl.

Vader rose from the floor, taking his usual place behind his master again. Unmoving, he watched as his master tortured his son.

His pleas were directed at him. How could this boy call him his father? He knew nothing about who he was and how he had become the person he was today. Yet, strangely enough, this boy seemed to accept him.

Vader could tell that Luke wouldn't last much longer. Padmé's presence hung heavily around the boy.

The doors of the turbolift hissed open. Entirely consumed in his actions, the Emperor failed to notice the arrival of a guest - a guest that seemed strangely familiar. Short and slim like Leia Organa, with the same brown hair and eyes. Her hands clutched a blaster rifle that she must have used to get up here.

Vader staggered back. It was impossible. His master had told him that she was dead, killed by his own hand. The woman stopped and smiled at him. After all that he had done - to her and to others - she could still smile at him. In the Force, he felt only love coming from her.

Quickly, he stepped forward and grabbed the hooded figure of his master. Lightning flared over his armor, damaging vital parts. Before the Emperor had time to react, Vader threw him down a shaft and then collapsed. His artificial breathing came heavy and louder than ever before, but he forced himself to get up and look around to see if she had been an illusion.

She was still there. His beautiful Padmé was helping their son up. For a while, the three just looked at each other in silence. Then Luke and Padmé dragged him to the turbolift together, down a long corridor and into a transport ship before the Second Death Star exploded. On their way to Endor, they watched the Imperial Fleet scatter and flee. The Rebellion had won.

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12ABY, Jedi Temple, Yavin 4

Padmé Amidala kneaded the dough with her bare hands and smiled at the young boy chasing a pittin around her legs. Jacen finally caught it and hugged it to his chest, grinning broadly.

In the living room, Darth Vader was watching Jaina disassemble a commlink. The young girl seemed to know exactly how to take mechanical things apart, but often she couldn't put them back together.

It was the twins' third birthday. Thinking back to the time when she had almost given up, Padmé was glad that she could be here now and witness her grandchildren play with her husband.

Darth Vader had become Anakin Skywalker again. Unfortunately, old wounds heal slowly and he had only been left alive on the condition that he would not leave the grounds of the newly-established Jedi Temple. But with his help, Luke had begun to train his own students and had avoided several mistakes of the Old Order.

Not everything was going well, though. Padmé could tell that many people still hated Anakin today. Even Han and Leia were wary around him with their children. Only Luke seemed to have forgiven his father completely. Sadly, no one was aware of it yet that Anakin was dying. His suit that kept him alive had been badly damaged by the Emperor's Force lightning. Even though that damage had been repaired, the failure of several vital systems had caused lasting injury to his body. Anakin didn't want to receive more cybernetic parts. In fact, Padmé feared that the continuing discrimination and hatred against him was taking its toll, depressing him to the point that he was ready to die to atone for his wrongdoings.

She added some fruits to the dough, covered it with a cloth and set it aside to rise.

Even she and Anakin couldn't go back to what they had before. Due to her time travel, 20 years separated them from each other now. In those 20 years, Anakin had done unspeakable things that he wouldn't tell her about. His dependence on the suit for survival also drove a physical wall between them. Still, she loved him and she could see his love for her in his actions, even though his face remained hidden by his mask. His ability to love deeply had been what had caused his fall to the Dark Side in the first place.

Padmé knew that she wouldn't outlive Anakin by a long time. But she was grateful for the peaceful years they'd had and looked forward to their time together, in spite of all the things between them. Staying with her imperfect husband had taught her much about love.

Humming to herself, she pushed the dough into the oven.

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41ABY, Hapes

Tenel Ka stepped out of the machine her scientists had constructed. The time travel device was a small, dark chamber that could transfer a body back in time. She had gone back to the time of Jacen's grandmother's death, established a mental connection with the woman and convinced her to stay alive.

Hopefully she was right with the assumption that Padmé Amidala's death was a major deciding point for the future - or rather, Tenel Ka's past.

She received a report from one of her advisers. That alone had to mean that she still existed in this timeline and held the same position as Queen of Hapes.

Time travel was risky. She could accidentally undo her existence or that of her daughter. By preventing one horrible event, she could also unwittingly cause even greater tragedy. The possibilities for errors were endless. Bringing about a certain future was very unlikely and required a lot of planning for all eventualities and the discovery of key events.

She quickly studied the text. As she had hoped, the Galactic Civil War with the Empire had ended earlier due to Darth Vader openly supporting the Alliance after killing his master. As a result of the quick end to the Civil War, the New Republic had been stronger when the Yuuzhan Vong arrived and with the help of a united, powerful new Jedi Order, they had repelled the invasion before it had engulfed half of the galaxy in flames. Jaina and Jacen would never know what it felt like to lose their little brother and a lot of their friends.

Lastly, the reason why she had started this risky gamble....Smiling slightly, she handed the datacard back.

She returned to her chambers. Her daughter Allana was sleeping peacefully inside her big bed, cuddled closely to her father.

Tenel Ka watched them for a while. Then she quickly recorded her actions into a datapad and added the plans for the time machine. Already her memory of the original timeline was beginning to fade. In case a future queen should ever find herself in a desperate situation again, she would be able to discover all the necessary information in the royal archives.
Tomorrow, Tenel Ka would not remember what it feels like to witness your lover fall to the Dark Side.

She had long suspected that Jacen's fall had been closely tied to his grandfather's fate, but found it impossible to trace all the events that had led to Anakin Skywalker's fall. Instead, she had hoped that by reuniting them, Anakin Skywalker's family would come to understand his fall better and that Jacen would learn from his grandfather's mistakes. While she couldn't yet tell exactly how successful she had been and what other consequences her actions would have that she hadn't been able to predict, she would discover that in time.

Settling down to sleep beside Jacen, she closed her eyes and let the painful memories disappear.

 

Nice. I like happily ever afters. I can disprove this though.

 

I can disprove some

 

Oooh, i liked this last one. It kept me guessing and then when i found out who was timetraveling i quickly realized why the person did.

 

Chilla! SQUEE! I love this reboot of yours, very much! Woot! Yay for Tenel Ka's intervention.

 

So do I. Thank you!

Thanks, dear!

There were two things that irked me: Padmé simply giving up and dying in the third movie and Tenel Ka not really taking action against Jacen. Both struck me as out of character.
I also chose Tenel Ka because she has both the motive and possible access to the technology through royal archives/can have it made by one of her scientists (being a queen and all).
Thanks! I'm glad it makes sense!

It's heartwarming to read your enthusiastic comment. Thank you!

 

Awww.... I love it! Happy endings for all! I wish I could "like" this more than once.

I can disprove.