The Legio Twins Saga: New Day Dawning/Chapter 6

Mark

"You are not Luke Skywalker, are you?"

My jaw hung open stupidly. Oh shit, I thought, He knows!

Somehow I managed to stammer, "No... I'm not." Obi-Wan looked at me; was that a smile on his face? "Belive me, I'm not trying to be him, or anything, I mean, I just... well, I don't exactly know what's going on right now, and I know this is gonna sound strange, but... I know who you are," I rambled on, not knowing what to say to the Jedi Master I had idolized for as long as I could remember. What could he possibly think of me? Did he know who I was? Did he think I had done something with the real Luke? Was there even a real Luke? He seemed so perfectly calm and at ease that it was impossible to even guess at what he was thinking.

"Don't worry, son, I'm sure that there's an explanation for all of this," he said, "It wouldn't surprise me that you are confused. I was too, when I found you out there. A disturbance in the Force is what brought me to you; I thought you must be Luke, you do look exactly like him. But I knew soon enough that you could not be him; I could feel it. Come," he motioned to the seat next to his,"let's here you're story."

I hesitated, then jumped up as a sudden realization hit me. "Wait, you said I looked like... oh my God, did I change? Wha-what color is my hair?"

"It's brown," he said uncertainly. I looked around the room, but there didn't seem to be a mirror or reflective surface of any kind. The thought that I might have somehow ended up in Luke Skywalker's body freaked me out to no end. I held my hands in front of me, examining them, making sure that they were mine. Then I noticed my costume, which, although it was pretty authentic, I could tell was still just that, a costume. And my lightsaber replica still hung on my belt, too. I was certain that it had drawn Obi-Wan's attention, but he hadn't mentioned it yet. I let out a sigh of relief. I was still myself. At least I still had that measure of control.

"Sorry about that, um, Master Kenobi," I said, "It's just, I mean, I don't look anything like Luke Skywalker, and I just don't know how..."

He nodded understandingly, motioning again for me to sit, which I did. "It's alright. Now, just tell me everything you know about how you ended up here."

I took a deep breath; how could I begin? I would have to tell him all about Star Wars, no doubt. He listened patiently as I explained to him about how I came from some other universe, in which he and Luke Skywalker were merely characters of a widely-popular movie series (I was surprised to find that he knew exactly what movies were; apparently, the word "movie" was as commonly used as the term "holofilm"), of which my sister and I were fans. I showed him my costume and prop lightsaber, explaining that it was all part of a holiday tradition. I told him about the prequels and his role in them, and my knowlege of the relationship between Luke, Leia, and Darth Vader, but I neglected to tell him about the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. After all, connsidering the fact that I was most likely currently stuck in A New Hope, those events were still a long way away. But I also didn't want to have to think about him being dead during those two films. Finally I came to the Halloween party and what had happened in the attic, which was the easiest to describe but, strangely, the hardest to remember. Back on Earth, it couldn't have happened more than about an hour before...

An awkward silence settled over us after I had finished my story. Amazingly, Obi-Wan seemed to believe every word I had said, though he didn't seem to have any explanations for what had happened or why. At last, he broke the silence.

"And this movie we are in now, do you know how it ends?" he asked. I hesitated, not knowing what to say, but knowing that I couldn't lie to Master Kenobi.

"Yes, " I said quietly, "Would you like to know?" He shook his head, smiling slightly and told me no, he would not. He stood up and moved to where a gold metallic droid lay slumped in a corner, obviously deactivated. C-3PO! Next to him was R2-D2, who had been silent throughout our entire conversation, but came to life with a friendly chirp as Obi-Wan approached. I watched transfixed as the little astromech beeped and whistled something that sounded like a cheerful greeting at me and rolled himself over to the low table. Grinning, I got up to help Obi-Wan carry 3PO over to my seat and prop him up in a sitting position. With the flick of a switch, the Jedi re-activated the protocol droid, sending R2 into a beeping frenzy. The droid's eyes glowed, then he looked around, starting in surprise when he saw me.

"Master Luke! It is good to see you, sir, I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me! My goodness, where is my arm?"

"Dont worry, I'll fix it, Threepio," I said, realizing how strange it felt to say those words. Obi-Wan looked at me, eyebrows raised just slightly.

"I'll need your help; are you sure you can fix this?" I frowned, but nodded. I had heard somewhere that Luke had apparently been able to easily fix 3PO's arm because it had broken off at a joint, and from my perspective, it did infact look fairly simple to fix, although this may have been only because of my own skills with electronics (I don't mean to brag, but just ask anyone I know; I can fix almost anything). And yet, I had never been asked to repair a protocol droid before in my life, so what did I know?

Thankfully, reattaching the arm turned out to be nearly as easy as it looked. But as I worked, a new worry began to gnaw at my insides: that of my sister. Of course, I had mentioned her name while telling my story, but I had tried to push the thought of her to the back of my mind, not wanting to consider the possibiliites of what might have happened to her. I did have a theory, though: if Obi-Wan Kenobi had mistaken me for Luke Skywalker, then could Steph have been...

No, I told myself firmly, You're no allowed to think that. Who knows? Maybe she really is still safe at home.

But I knew I didn't really believe that. I had seen her disappear into the mirror even before I did with my own eyes. But I had to try to convince myself that she was safe, and not follow that thought through to conclusion. Because if I did let myself think that, then I would soon realize that it was the only realisitic possibility. If it were true, then I did in fact know exactly where she was at that moment, and only guess at what she was being put through...

I shuttered and shrugged the thought away. As I was making the final adjustment on C-3PO's arm, Obi-Wan inquired, "You mentioned something about a message earlier, am I correct?"

I nodded, giving 3PO a pat on the shoulder and hoping that nothing would fall off. "Yes, why?"

"I seem to have found it."

Obi-Wan sat back down in his seat to watch as the blue hologram flickered into life. "Sir, if you'll not be needing me, I'll shut down again," 3PO said, but I was barely aware of my own response as I heard the miniature holographic princess begin to speak.

"General Kenobi, years ago you served my father in the Clone War *..."

I felt my heart plumit like a rock into my stomach. My worst fear had been confirmed.

My sister had become Princess Leia.

I buried my face in my hands, not sure what to do. All the proof I needed was right there. Oh sure, the monologue was the same, but the speaker had Stephanie's voice, Stephanie's face. An overwhelming feeling of guilt washed over me. I couldn't be mad at her now; but would I ever see her alive to apologize to her?

I was only vaguely aware of when the message finally ended. Obi-Wan must have noticed my distress, because it was only a short time before he said, "That was your sister, wasn't it?" It wasn't really a question; more likely a consolation. There was no need to answer. My reaction to the hologram spoke louder than words.

I looked up at him. "I have to save her," I told him, "But I don't know if I can. I'm not Luke Skywalker, I'm only Mark Legio. I can't do any of the things that he can, I mean, I can't use the Force..." But a little nudge at the back of my brain seemed to be telling me otherwise. Afterall, I had been feeling somehow different since I had woken up here.

He smiled grimly, then walked over to the large chest in the corner and opened it. "Not yet you can, young Mark," he said, pulling something out of the trunk, "But I think it's time that you should learn the ways of the Force, if we are to travel to Alderaan to save your sister." He walked over to me, and I couldn't help but gape at him (again) when he held out the object.

"This once belonged to Anakin Skywalker, as you no doubt know," he commented as he handed my the lightsaber, "and I had always meant to give it to Luke when he was old enough. But I think you'll find it much more useful than that toy you have hanging on your belt."

As I took the saber and ignighted it, I felt the breath catch in my throat. It amazed my just how right that very real lightsaber hilt felt in my hands. Deactivating it again, I looked at Obi-Wan Kenobi, not flinching as he looked me straight in the eyes. This Jedi Master had possibly saved my life. He had picked me up, unconscious, and taken me to his home. I was certain that Luke's landspeeder was parked right outside. Now he was about to help me rescure my sister from the Death Star and begin my Jedi training. I had a lot to thank him for, but at the moment, words seemed to fail me. I took a deep breath.

"Looks like we're going to Mos Eisley," I said at last.