Tattooine

Leia landed her ship safely enough and soon found herself in the dunes wondering around looking for Mos Eisley. Maybe they would know what happened to Artoo and Three-pio. Also, General Obi-Wan was here. She kicked at the sand around her ankles. "I hate sand," she muttered. Just who were these Lars and who was Skywalker. She traced the initials she had never notices until Darth Vader had pointed them out. Perhaps they had something to do with who Darth Vader had been. A.S, A. Skywalker. He had been the Skywalker she was almost positive. So he had been from Tattooine. Which only meant that those Lars knew something about Darth Vader's past. Why was she feeling sorry for a monster? He had never acted like a monster with her. Maybe that wasn't entirely true, before he had noticed the japor snippet, he had been about to torture her. What was so important about that japor snippet?

For hope is stronger than hate,
And love is stronger than death.

Leia turned around, but didn't see anyone. It had been a female voice, a motherly voice. She looked behind her but didn't see anything. She pulled her hood over her head, after all this was the world of Jabba the Hutt. Just why had Darth Vader sent her here, and why had she listened?

For hope is stronger than hate,
And love is stronger than death.

There it was, that voice again. She was nearly knocked over by a boy on a speeder. He stopped and stared at her.

"I'm sorry, I was looking for my droids." Leia stood up and brushed the sand from her white dress.

"It's okay," she stated with a small smile. "I'm actually looking for some droids too," she stated before she noticed Three-pio.

"Why, Princess Leia, what are you doing here!"

"Three-pio, where's Artoo?"

"He kept going on about his mission. He's gone to find Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"So we own the same droids. Uncle Owen won't be happy about this."

"I'll make you a deal, you can keep Three-pio if you help me find Artoo, and I need a communicator. I have to let Alderaan know that it's about to be blasted to oblivion."

"You're from Alderaan?"

"That's right. I'm Princess Leia Organa."

"Name's Luke Skywalker," he stated shaking her hand as he smiled at her, a smile full of innocence. "Hop in, and we will locate Artoo."

"Can you drive this thing?"

"Strap yourself in," he stated, fastening the seat-belt as the took off. He passed her the electrobinoclers. She looked in them and pointed.

"There, over there, Luke." Luke breezed over there and came to a screeching halt.

"Artoo," she stated with a smile as she rubbed his dome. "It's okay, I'm here now." Artoo beeped a warning and the sand people attacked Luke knocking him out flat. Leia stood up and took out the blaster she'd been hiding and shot at them, while out of nowhere a man came brandishing a lightsaber. Soon they left.

"Luke will be fine," Leia told the man who had yet to reveal his face.

"You are as fine as shot as your mother."

"You knew my mother?"

"I did," he knelt by Luke who smiled up at him.

"Ben Kenobi. These droids are looking for you."

"Ben Kenobi? You are Obi-Wan Kenobi. You served with my father in the Clone Wars. I ask your help. This is our most desperate hours."

"Princess Organa, the little one is dehydrated, if you don't mind we should get him indoors before you begin the speech you've got worked up."

"Of course," she hopped into the driver's seat of the speeder and waited for Artoo to hover into it. "I'm not forgetting you." She followed Ben and Luke back to his hovel. Ben put Luke in a sleep trance while he and Leia talked.

"You have some questions for me."

"Yes, but first you must warn my father. Darth Vader, he told me that Alderaan will be destroyed. Please, we have to save as many as we can."

Ben Kenobi sent out a message to warn them and then smiled back at her. "Will that be sufficient?"

"Yes, thank you General Kenobi."

"That is a title I haven't heard in a long time. One that I didn't care much for."

"You may call me Ben as Luke does, or..never mind the title is one for a time long gone. How does the Rebellion fare?"

"Not so good," she activated the plans in Artoo. "See this is the Death Star. I'll have to have this analyzed for a weakness. Darth Vader said there's enough firepower to blow up a planet. He doesn't like it either."

"Let me get this right, you spoke to Darth Vader. He's a monster, Leia," he said softly.

"He knows about this," she fingered the japor snippet. "It belonged to my real mother."

"Yes, it did. I knew her once. She was the Queen of Naboo before the Clone Wars."

"Who was A. S.? Was it a Skywalker? Was it Luke's father?"

"Yes, it was Anakin Skywalker."

"If Luke's father was this Anakin guy, and he gave the japor snippet to my mother. Isn't he my father as well? And that would make Luke.."

"Your brother, your twin brother."

"Does he know about any of this?"

"No, it was safer this way."

"So how does Darth Vader fit into all of this?"

"I trained the man who became Darth Vader."

"I'm so sorry."

"What we need to do is wake Luke, he must come with us. I have to get to the Rebel Base so that we can destroy this Death Star."

"I agree. First, we will need a good pilot. Leave that to me. Stay with Luke. I'll be back," a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. "Leia, may the Force be with you both."

"May the Force be with you, Obi-Wan."

Leia stared at her brother, looking for the similarities between them. They both shared the same nose, she thought looking at him. Though his hair was a sandy brown while hers was much darker, she thought that the suns of the planet may have bleached it. She suspected that once he were off planet the color would darken. As she watched her twin brother blinked his eyes and stared up at her.

"Wake up sunshine," she teased, looking into his blue eyes. She knew she had seen him before, he was from her dreams when she was a child. As if that realization set off others, this planet had been in her dreams as well. She suspected that General Kenobi's presence had kept him asleep while they talked least she reveal something she didn't want Luke to know. "Remember me, I'm Leia, Leia Organa."

"The princess?"

"Yes, but you can call me Leia." She watched as a soft smile lit up his face. It was a smile filled with comfort, of quiet strength, of sunlight.

"What was going on with the droids?"

"They were carrying an important message from me to General Kenobi."

"Old Ben?"

"Yes," she glanced around quickly and nodded. "I am a member of the Rebel Alliance."

"You know of the Rebellion Against the Empire?" his eyes widened and he seemed impressed.

"I don't just know of it Luke, I have led several of the missions. I trust you to keep that private."

"On my father's honor."

"Your father was Anakin Skywalker?"

"Yes, he was a space pilot on some freighter for the old Republic. He was killed in space when his engine malfunctioned. Uncle Owen said my mother had just sent him a message about me and he had overshot something, exciting to be with my mother when he found out about me," Luke shrugged as if it wasn't important.

"And your mother?"

"She died in childbirth. Uncle Owen said after my father died she had lost the will to live and had lived just long enough for me to make my entrance in the world. Then, it was as if she had completed her soul mission in life." Leia frowned that was much different than she had been told. Luke obviously idolized his father, their father she corrected herself. How much of what they had both been told was the truth? How much was a lie to cover up the truth? Had her mother been a Senator? Had her father been a Jedi? Or had her father been the space pilot that Luke believed? She was inclined to believed her own adopted father rather than whomever had spun those stories to Luke but still wasn't there at least a shread of truth?

"Who raised you?"

"Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru?"

"Lars?"

"Well, yea."

"I need to find them. Can you take me to them?"

"Well, yeah. I'm actually in trouble now for staying so long. I was supposed to have the droids in the South Side by noon. Don't you think, Leia, that we should wait for Ben?"

"No, if you won't carry me. I'll drive myself."

"No, you don't know Tattooine like I do. You will get lost."

"Then I guess your coming," she replied grabbing the small bag that carried her things and placing it in the speeder. He sighed before hoping in and taking the controls.

Previews:

"Darth Vader betrayed and murdered your father," Obi-Wan explained to the twins.

"Anakin Skywalker? That was his name right?" Leia asked.

"Yes, yes it was. He was a cunning warrior and a good friend."

"Then they were good friends, then right? How else would Darth Vader be able to get close enough to Anakin Skywalker? Expecially if he was as good a warrior as you claim. How else would he know of Anakin's only family?" Leia presisted.

"Is that true, Ben? Were they friends? Did you train my father as well?" Luke asked.

"Yes, I trained them both."

"Obi-Wan, how well did they know each other? Did Darth Vader know Luke's mother as well?" Leia asked, careful not to reveal the fact that they shared the same parents. She wanted to get to know him first. "How did they meet?" Leia noticed Obi-Wan's shifty gaze before he replied.

"I'm afraid Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker loved the same woman, your mother."