Chapter 2

Kenobi inspected the lightsaber that Leia had brought with her. He extended the green blade, swung it experimentally a few times, then handed it back to it's maker and put her through her paces. He even cracked a smile at the end of it.

"Well done. You're almost ready for the final tests. A bit more practice with the new saber, and we'll see." Leia tried to give him Anakin Skywalker's saber back, but Obiwan refused.

"Keep it. There will be a use for it later." Then he turned his attention to the two droids the girls had brought with them. He managed to play back the entire message as the two girls watched. It ended with a young blond man in similar diplomatic robes and carrying a pistol taking hold of the man's arm. "Father? Now! Hurry!" C-3PO provided their names, Bail Organa, the Viceroy of Alderaan and his son, Prince Luke Organa. Kenobi addressed Leia.

"Come with me to Alderaan. The Alliance needs our help to get these droids back. Those two need our help."

Leia looked doubtful for a moment, then hefted her lightsaber.

"Sure. We'll just have to drop Beth off." She turned to her friend who was staring wide-eyed at them both from her seat in the corner.

"You could hold off my uncle long enough for us to get off planet. We'll all go to Anchorhead, us and the droids will get to Mos Eisley and you call uncle to pick up the speeder. Or I'd bet if you smiled at Wolf, he'd help."

"What's wrong with me going with you?"

"How're we going to get the speeder back to Uncle?"

"Wolf. Fixer. Windy. How're you planning to get to Mos Eisley?"

"Rent a speeder."

"So you or I call your uncle from Anchorhead, park the speeder at Bigg's folk's place. No problem." She paused a second. "Leia, are you alright?"

Leia looked confused and pale. "I think. . ." she swallowed, "Right now, I don't feel so good."


On the Death Star, the prince lay in a dark holding cell, the lights and walls designed to maximize the prisoner's feelings of helplessness. He'd been moved there he wasn't sure how long ago, his broken bones treated for the ease of his captors. Now he sat up painfully as the door, almost as thick as his body, opened. Through it he could see several imperial guards taking up positions. Then the tall dark shape of Vader entered, followed by Tarkin, then followed by a spherical shape that the prince quicklym recognized as a thing that should never have been made, a droid with a database of every torture known to man, and several other races as well. He had heard rumors, but up to now had refused to believe that anyone, even the basest, cruelest representative of the Empire, would build one. His defiance wavered under the hum of the machine, and his goal changed from defiance with dignity to simply being able to not answer the questions that would be put to him. A glance at the governor reminded him there would be no sympathy here, the man was looking forward to seeing this machine in use. The prince shrank against the wall as the machine blotted out Vader and Tarkin in his field of vision, then the cell, then finally the light.

The men stationed outside the cell found any excuse to edge far enough away from the door until the muffled sounds coming through, while faint due to the soundproofing applied to the cells, could no longer be heard at all.


They found the Jawa trawler five minutes into the journey. As Kenobi pointed out why it couldn't have been Sandpeople, Leia recognized them as the Jawas who had sold the droids to her uncle. She was gone within a minute, speeding across the desert, ignoring Kenobi's admonitions that she could do nothing. She returned 20 minutes later, far more serious than when she'd left. She nodded at Kenobi.

"Let's go."


They passed easily by the white-armored imperial stormtroopers when they entered Mos Eisley. Kenobi instructed Leia to drive them by a run-down blockhouse cantina on the outskirts of town. They disembarked, shooed away the jawas from the speeder and left C-3PO and R2D2 there. Beth was doubtful, but Kenobi insisted that the best freighter pilots were to be found there.

"Only watch your step. This place can be a little rough."

Both Leia and Beth assured him that they would stay right with him. Once inside, Kenobi moved to an empty place at the bar and the girls followed him, looking for other spots. He moved out of the space in response to the words of the bartender; over to speak to a furred and fierce-looking 8-foot-tall fanged giant, wearing nothing but a bandolier. Leia slipped into the spot to order two drinks. Beth was trying not to stare at the immense variety of creatures in the bar and accidently brushed against the man two seats over from Leia. He and the hideous large-eyed creature he was talking to turned around with angry snarls, but his expression changed as as he saw what had bumped him. He pointed to his companion.

"He likes you."

Beth backed away as he grabbed her wrist.

"I like you, too." He pulled her close and smothered her protests with a drunken, slobbery kiss. Beth struggled as he groped her.

Leia noticed Beth's predicament and came over.

"Leave her alone. She doesn't want to be with you."

The disfigured human sneered belligerently at her without releasing the struggling girl. "You want to watch yourself, I'm a wanted man."

Beth complained from within his arms, "Not by me, you're not." The man ignored her and continued. "I've got the death sentence on 12 systems."

Leia retorted, "I'll be careful."

"You'll be dead."

Kenobi moved in behind them. In a calming voice, he spoke to the man, "They're not worth the effort, come let me get you a drink." The drunk gave a bloodcurdling shriek, threw Beth into a nearby table and pulled out a wicked chrome pistol, trying to aim it at Leia. Kenobi grabbed his arm from behind, twisting it in a show of strength unexpected from such an old man. The other creature threw himself at Leia, and was met with a knee to the groin and a knockout blow to the back of the head. By the time the panicky bartender managed to yell, "No blasters! No blasters!" the fight was over, both attackers unconsious. Kenobi handed the blaster to the bartender. Leia helped Beth to her feet as the beings put their table back up, glaring at the girls, but declining to start anything else. They turned back to Kenobi as he gave the bartender some money along with a pointed glance at the table Beth had been thrown into, then indicated the large furry being he had been talking to.

"Chewbacca here is the first mate on a ship that might suit us."

Chewbacca escorted them over to meet his partner, who had been watching the fun. The thirtyish handsome human male introduced himself.

"Han Solo. I'm captain of the Millennium Falcon. Chewie tells me you're looking for passage to the Alderaan system."

"Yes, indeed. If it's a fast ship."

"Fast ship? You never heard of the Millennium Falcon?" The captain was obviously insulted.

"Should I have?" the old man remained unimpressed.

"It's the ship that made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs!"

He glanced at the two girls watching him and continued.

"I've outrun Imperial starships, not the local bulk cruisers, mind you. I'm talking about the big Correllian ships now. She's fast enough for you, old man. What's the cargo?"

"Only passengers. Myself, the two girls, two droids and no questions asked."

"What is it? Some kind of local trouble?" Han asked.

Kenobi frowned, then continued. "Let's just say we'd like to avoid any imperial entanglements."

Captain Solo went into an elaborate display of relaxing into his seat. He had them. "Well, that's the real trick nowadays. And it's going to cost you something extra. Ten thousand, all in advance."

Beth started to object, "We could almost buy our own..." but Leia kicked her under the table. The old man had a slight smile on his face as he watched the trio.

Solo turned on her, "And who's gonna fly it, little girl, you?"

Beth opened her mouth to answer and Leia kicked her harder. She shut her mouth with a snap, turned beet red, and both she and Leia listened quietly as Kenobi negotiated 2000 in advance plus another 15 once they got to Alderaan. Han checked out the two girls from behind as they followed Kenobi out, smiled at a couple of pleasant visions involving either one or both of them, a further cheery thought involving getting the price off his head, and sent Chewbacca to ready the Falcon.