He had to figure out a way to save his daughter from the imperial forces. As he was racking his brains to find out a way, he sensed a rebel fleet coming to rescue her. He thought to himself : "I'd just have to say she used the Force on me to escape and I'll escort her to the rebel fleet."

After a long pause, Princess Leia finally dared to ask him :

"Are we done here yet?" Since she didn't know what was going on in his mind, she couldn't know he was planning to save her.

"Save your breath, come with me, Your Highness." His usual sarcasm dropped as she noted it herself.

"Where are you taking me?"

He didn't know how to take a headstrong woman, the only ones who dared to question him were his mother and his wife. So he merely answered her :

"Just come with me."

"I bet you'd put me back in my cell."

"If that's what you want, then it'd be my pleasure to do so." He said without much enthusiasm, now knowing she was his own flesh and blood. Could she be hot-headed! Just like her when he first met her, fiery and headstrong.

She sensed there was something wrong with him, so she quieted down and calmly resigned herself to her fate, which was for her to go back to her cell. But she didn't know that the Sith Lord had other plans in store for her.

"Well, are you coming or not?" He asked her in his robotic voice.

"Yes, yes, my Lord."

Lord Vader took her arm forcefully and led her to the rebel fleet he sensed and said to her :

"Well, there's your rescue, Your Highness."

"What, why are you doing this? Being so kind to me all of sudden?" She asked, shocked.

"My reasons are without importance, what matters to me, is that your get home safe."

She found his behaviour towards her not comprehensible at all, even irrational. The most feared Sith Lord, showing her kindness? She didn't understand at all. At home, she had to ask Obi-Wan what's gotten over the most fearsome Sith Lord in the galaxy and his final words to her. But for now, she just climbed up the rebel fleet's mothership and was ready to go home.

Alone, Lord Vader said to himself : "Padme, beloved, at least, I saved our child, although I did unforgivable things to her. I know it won't redeem me in her eyes at all, but I felt I owed it to you."

On her way back to Alderan, she just told Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, her lover, about what happened on board the Death Star. Both couldn't believe her.

"So, he just asked you questions about your necklace and saved your life?" asked Han for the nth time.

"Yes, when I told him where I got it, he released me. I don't know his reasons why he did that."

"Must be your lady-like charm. Lord knows that an old Sith can get seduced by a beautiful young woman like you."

"Shush, Han, I don't think I charmed him, but there must be something about my necklace."

"Well, Leia, there must be something about it all right." chimed in Luke.

"Yes, I've got to ask Master Obi-Wan about it. It's been nagging in my mind ever since I left the Death Star."

"Do you think he'd answer you though?" That was Han.

"Yeah, the old man's full of secrets." added Luke.

"Well, I think he would if he could explain something."

They were chatting as they went back home.

Back in the Alderan's royal house

"I just knew we shouldn't have sent her on a mission, Breha." said very loudly Bail Organa, the Alderanean king.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine, in fact, Master Obi-Wan just got her message, she's on board with Luke and Han now, she should be home any minute."

As Princess Leia was already in the palace, she overheard them arguing about her. She said to them herself :
"Can't you see, I'm more than fine?" She challenged them.

"Leia, I was so worried about you." The Queen of Alderan said to her.

"So was I, worried sick about you."

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She brushed her two parents aside.

"But, there's something I'd like to ask of you, why did Darth Vader save me today and asked me questions about my necklace?"

"What? He saved you?" Both chorused in unison.

"Yes, it was he who sensed a rebel fleet and escorted me there. Would you happen to know why?" She asked them with her usual composure.

"Why don't you sit down, and have something to eat, my dear, you must be starving after your ordeal." said Breha Organa.

"No, I don't want anything to eat, I want answers."

"Not now, Leia, why don't you rest until I talk with your father about it, all right, my dear?" soothed Bail's wife.

"Fine, I'll rest."

The two went in a separate room to discuss about today's events. Leia, who really didn't think she'd fall asleep so fast, fell right asleep on the sofa. Her personal maid brought her to her luxurious bed. Breha went to her room, and opened a little her door to peek if she were sound asleep, and she was. So she went back to her husband to ask him :

"So, what do we tell her now?" asked Breha to Bail.

"We should maintain that we don't why he did that for her."

"What if she doesn't believe us?"

"Well, then, it'll up to her. If she wants to find out the truth so badly, to ask Master Obi-Wan."

"Yes, that's what we'll answer her. He might be able to help us in our dilemma."

"She's our daughter, after all."

"That she is, she's not that Sith Lord's own flesh and blood. I'm sure Obi-Wan won't tell her anything."

"Do you remember, when we asked her where she got her necklace, she just said a random woman gave it to her and told her : 'One day, it'd save her life?'"

"Maybe, there's some secrets to her japor pendant necklace that even we don't know about."

"Yes, if there were secrets, then we should keep them silent."

"Yes, I agree with you, Breha. Now, you go get some rest."

"What about you?"

"I'll be there to soothe Leia when she wakes up. Don't you worry about me."