Author: Hugo "Animal" Chikamori
E-mail: hchikamori@yahoo.com  
Rating: R - foul language, bloody battle scenes
Classification: War Story
Spoilers: None, except whatever comes out of Animal's 
demented mind...
Summary: Luke and Mara are forced to flee with the 
remainder of the Solo clan for Uncharted Space for 
help, as the Yuuzhan Vong claim Coruscant.  
DISCLAIMER: All characters, such as Luke Skywalker, 
Leia Organa-Solo, Han Solo, belong to George Lucas.  
Mara Jade is the brain-child of Timothy 
Zahn and is also copyrighted to George Lucas.  None 
of these characters are being used with the intention 
of making monetary gain, but just for the purposes of 
entertainment.

Chapter 1. 

The galaxy had become a more dangerous place since the 
Yuuzhan Vong had made their mark.  Worlds had fallen and 
the situation was becoming more and more desperate.  Help 
needed to be found, but where?  

Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master sat contemplating on a forward 
deck of the Errant Venture,  Booster Terrik's Star Destroyer.  
At times the situation seemed hopeless.  The Jedi were locked 
in battles all over the galaxy trying to stem the in-flowing 
tide of the invaders and yet, the losses mounted.  All 
resources were being pulled Core-ward but it was just a stop-
gap measure.  He sat and brooded. 

That was where Mara found him.  "Hey, Skywalker." She coaxed, 
"What are you thinking about?" 

"Nothing." Luke said //Coruscant is in danger of being 
overrun, the Vong have pushed past Corellia.  We are in enemy 
territory now.// he looked deep into his wife's eyes. 

//What else can we do, but try to find help elsewhere.// Mara 
responded. "Nothing's going to get done with you brooding 
like this."

"Han and Leia have gone into hiding." Luke suddenly spoke. 
"They're all right, but they're looking at pushing outwards, 
past the Unknown Regions and into uncharted space."  He 
looked chagrined. "And we have no maps.  We'll be charting our 
course by feel."

Mara looked out through the transparisteel viewport. "I don't 
believe the Force doesn't extend beyond this galaxy." 

"But what if it doesn't?" Luke insisted as he persisted in 
being in a depressed mood.  "What if we can't use the Force 
beyond the constraints of our galaxy?" 

(much later)

Ben was a 5 year old.  Silent and contemplative much of the 
time, he resembled his namesake.  Compared to Jacen and Jaina 
who were much older than him, he was like a miniature adult 
and Jacen and Jaina were already in their late teens.  
Remarkably strong in the Force, he did his lessons with 
little or no noisy display.  He treated the Force within him 
as he interacted with most non-Force entities.  They were 
just there as was his capability with the Force.  

Right now he was levitating a hydrospanner, spinning it 
slowly as Mara watched, she, being rather impressed that at 
this young age, Ben was already so proficient at it.  

"Mother?" he asked slowly. "Why is Dad thinking so much?" 

Mara sat up straight. "He's just worried." She responded.

"Do we have to run again?  Mother?" he asked, already asking 
questions that were beyond the comprehension of most 
children his age. 

Mercifully, Luke chose that moment to come into the room. 
"Here, Skywalker, You answer that question!" she rose from 
her seated position and headed for the kitchen area. 

"Dad?" Ben looked questioningly at him.  His eyes searched 
deeply into his, for some sort of reassurance that everything 
was going to be okay.  

Luke sighed. "Things are getting dangerous here, we have to 
ask for help to get us a ship to travel out from here.  We 
can't stay in one place for too long..." he paused. 

"...or the bad invaders will find us." Ben finished for him, as 
Luke's jaw hung slack in amazement.  Ben, at five, had 
already comprehended the seriousness of the situation.  "Dad, 
trust in the Force.  The Force will find a way." 

Luke looked up to see Mara looking in from the kitchen.  
"Can't believe he can figure that out?  Luke?" Mara stated, 
wiping the stunned look from Luke's face.  "He's your 
son?  Gotta give him credit for thinking about things more 
than most people." 

"I thought that was more your department, lately, Mara." 
Luke replied as he got up. "I'm going to have to go talk to 
Booster.  And get in a communication to Leia.  If we're 
going to breach the Unknown Regions and head outbound, we're 
going to need to band together." 

"Get in a communication to Jacen and Jaina too.  Last I 
heard, Jaina was with the Rogues still." Mara said. "And you 
can be contemplative too, but it seems to have escaped you 
lately." She replied with a smirk. "Now, you tend to brood." 

"And Jacen?" Luke asked smiling at her last remark.  

"He was on Honoghor helping Ruu'khar with some disputes among 
the Noghri people." Mara thought for a moment. "I heard 
back from Karrde.  He says that he's got his people on trying 
to get Jacen back to the Errant Venture.  He says that it took 
some doing, but he convinced Jacen that the reports were true 
that the Vong were planning on targeting Honoghor next.  
Hopefully he gets out of there in time." 

"That's good." Luke let out a slow breath that he hadn't n
oticed he'd been holding, guarded relief evident on his face.
They had lost Chewie and Anakin, and so many more.  He 
couldn't really stomach the thought of losing another family 
member.