"Years Ago You Served My Father in the Clone Wars..."
The little girl with brown hair scurried past him giggling. "Oh no you don't, Leia!" Bail Organa stated chasing after her. Leia dashed further down the hallway. Her tiny feet pattering against the floor. She took a sharp left into the living room. Bail found her jumping on the sofa with no intention of stopping. "Leia, I told you it was time for bed." he couldn't help but laugh a little too.
"But I don't want to go to bed." Leia responded, continuing to jump. It was expected from a five year old. Her wet hair from the warm bubble bath was starting to frizz a little as it dried.
Bail caught his adopted daughter in mid-jump. "That's ok. We'll go together." He smiled. Leia started to squirm.
"I don't want to though!"
Bail had an idea. "Are you sure? You might get tired from all this tickling!" He immediately proceeded to tickle her tummy. Leia squirmed even more and tried to get out of his grasp.
"No!" She giggled uncontrollably, gasping for breath.
Once they made it to Leia's room he let her down and she jumped up onto her own bed and started to bounce. Her little lavender nightgown twirled around her like a flower.
"Leia, if you sit down I'll tell you a story." Bail suggested as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He pulled back a corner of the covers for her.
"What kind of story?" She asked, unwilling to stop her bouncing.
Bail considered for a moment. His grin widened when the idea came to his mind. "A legend." he said in an excited tone.
Leia finally stopped her jumping and plopped down onto the bed. "What's a legend?" she asked curiously.
Bail brushed some wisps of hair out of her face. "A legend is an old story about something or someone. And it's up to us to decide whether or not it's true." He explained. Leia beamed at him.
"Well, what's it about?" She demanded.
Bail chuckled. "Lay down first, Leia. I'll tell you." he instructed and helped Leia get under the covers. "It's about a peace-keeper. A long time ago the galaxy was protected by peace-keepers. These peace-keepers were brave warriors. They helped people. They protected the innocent from evil." Bail explained.
"They sound better than stormtroopers." Leia laughed.
"Yes, they were a lot better than the stormtroopers." Bail agreed with a chuckle. He continued. "You see Leia, when a war broke out, the peace-keepers became soldiers. One of those brave peace-keepers became a general. His name was Obi-wan Kenobi. He had a blue laser sword and he and his best friend fought side by side. They fought evil droids together and freed entire planets from them."
Leia gasped. "How many were there?" She asked, sinking deeper into her bed covers.
"Millions." Bail grinned.
"But there was only one of him?" Leia wondered, patting the bed sheets pulled over her stomach.
"Yes, there was only one Obi-wan Kenobi." He replied. "But he was brave, strong, and kind. He brought hope to everyone."
Leia listened to Bail thoughtfully, intrigued by this story. "And you know, Leia," He began. "One time, Obi-wan, his best friend, and the soldiers freed a crystal planet from a huge droid blockade." Bail unfolded the story of the Battle of Christophsis in the simplest terms to her. He conveyed to her the legends and tales of the famed Jedi master. He was careful not to mention that he was actually there at that event. Even though he never told Leia that Kenobi was a Jedi, Bail knew she needed to know about them eventually. She needed to know who the Jedi truly were before these dark times, not the evil, corrupt sorcerers that the Empire makes them out to be.
Leia's soft brown eyes began to droop in sleepiness. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Alright, Leia." Bail said softly as he ran his fingers through her soft brown hair. "That's enough legends for one night." He bent down and kissed her forehead.
He stood up from the edge of her bed. A small whine rose from Leia. "Wait daddy!" She exclaimed. She pulled her blankets around her tightly. "Where is Obi-wan now?"
Bail stood in her doorway, a finger at the light panel. "No one knows." Bail said softly with a hint of mystery. He knew that was half truth, because he knew exactly where the Jedi master was hiding, but she would know the truth when she gets older. "Good night Princess." Bail dimmed the lights. Her pink stone night light glowing softly on her night stand and Bail quietly closed the door and left it open a crack.
8 years later…
Leia stared at the word "Jedi" on the holo screen at her desk. Her Galactic Heritage class at school was just finishing up covering the last 1000 years of history. Their unit on the Old Republic proved to be the most intriguing to her. Especially that particular word hovering in front of her face.
"Most of you were born around the time that the Republic fell and the Empire rose." Leia's teacher carried on with the lecture. "As you all recall from your text, that was the same year that the Clone Wars ended."
Holonet motion captures from the Clone wars flashed on the screen at the front of the classroom. There were soldiers, clones, shooting skeletal looking battle droids alongside a heroic looking Twi'lek Jedi that wielded a shimmering blade of blue light. She learned that such weapons were called lightsabers, but they were now relics of the past. More images from the Clone Wars were projected. The teacher stopped on one image for a moment longer than the rest.
Leia read the caption at the bottom. Hero With No Fear, it read. Before the slide changed she caught a glimpse of the Jedi's bright smile despite lasers and smoke taking up most of the frame.
"Unfortunately, the Jedi Order was corrupt and they sought to overthrow the Republic." Her teacher continued. "So they were eradicated." The teacher's face was void of any emotion towards the statement.
Leia wrinkled her nose at the thought. That can't be right, she thought to herself.
Continuing to go through the Holonet motion captures, the teacher halted on another image. The bearded Jedi clad in white armor and beige robes, he was frozen in action. His blue lightsaber ignited and held by his side as he appeared to be shouting orders to the clone soldiers. Leia's eyes went to the caption. General Kenobi Leads Hunt For Separatist Leader Grievous, it read. Her eyes widened slightly as a memory prodded at the back of her mind.
Her breath caught in her throat. Leia had a feeling that she shouldn't ask questions about the Jedi in class, much less the one on the screen in front of them. She knew the name was familiar to her. The bedtime stories her father used to tell her were the first thing to come to mind.
One of her classmates raised his hand. "Yes." the teacher allowed.
"Are the clones still around?" he asked curiously.
"At the peak of the Clone Wars there were around ten million units in force. Their numbers dropped by the end of the war but some are still around to this day." The teacher explained.
"What do they do now?" Someone else asked.
"They were decommissioned from fighting. Some still work for the Empire but I imagine most are living out their lives elsewhere." the teacher answered. Leia saw that the chrono on the wall was about to signal change of class. "Class is almost over. Don't forget to review your notes from this week and start on your Galactic Heritage essay." There was a faint groan from Leia's classmates at the mention of the dreaded assignment.
She ignored the fact that she had mountains of homework to do later and hurriedly and packed up her data pad and other class materials. She left the classroom with more and more questions burning at the back of her mind.
Later that day . . .
When Leia got home that evening she ran to her room and threw her pack against the side of her bed. Not bothering to take her boots off she ran towards her father's office. She spotted her mother cooking in the kitchen.
She skid to a stop before going any further down the hall. "Wait, mom." Leia went up to her mother, Breha. "Is Dad in his office?" she asked quickly.
Breha regarded her adopted daughter for a moment. "He is." she said, resuming to cut up the vegetables on her slate-colored cutting stone. "But you can't barge in on him just yet. He's in a very important meeting right now."
Leia dared to ask, "Is it…" She found that she couldn't bring herself to ask. Breha pursed her lips and gave her a stern yet gentle look that told her everything she needed to know. Leia knew her father was organizing something big and important. Something dangerous. Something that could easily be labeled as a rebellion. Her parents constantly reminded her of the delicacy and the gravity of what they were embarking to accomplish. They were going to change the galaxy.
"Well, when will he be done?" Leia asked instead. "I need to talk to him. It's very important."
Breha scrapped the vegetables off of the cutting board with a knife, into a boiler on the thermal cooking panes. "Is it something you can talk to me about?" she pursued.
Leia hesitated for a second. "I… I don't know." she replied.
"Leia, dear. What is this about?" Breha set her cooking utensils down and walked over to her daughter to give her a hug. Leia didn't refuse the affection. "Hard day at school?" Breha suggested.
"No." Leia shook her head as she pulled back from the hug. "It was something I heard at school."
"Well, what was it?" Breha asked intrigued.
Leia stared at nothing on the pristine kitchen floor. "It was about the Jedi." she stated plainly. Breha's eyes widened slightly. "We were covering the Clone Wars in Galactic Heritage today."
Breha rubbed her daughter's shoulders. "You father would definitely know about the Jedi." she said softly.
"What's this about Jedi?" a familiar voice asked seriously behind them. They turned around to see Bail join them near the kitchen island.
Breha looked at Leia. "I need to talk to you about something. Something I heard… or saw, today." she swallowed hard. Bail regarded her with kind eyes.
"Let's go talk about it then." Bail offered for his daughter to follow him to the office. Bail glanced at Breha, and she nodded back to him reassuringly with a gentle smile.
Leia always considered her father's office a safe space. She spent countless hours and late nights talking with her dad about anything and everything. This office was a space for Leia to be open to listen, learn, and ask questions about the galaxy she would someday influence. Leia was studying and training to become her father's senatorial aide and one day, actual senator of Alderaan. Who better to learn from than her own father who was senator before becoming Viceroy of Alderaan. She trusted her father like no one else.
Leia sat in her favorite faded blue sitting chair while Bail brought his own brown leather chair to the front of his desk. "Did you hear about the Jedi in school today?" Bail wondered with a soft smile.
"Yes, we were covering the Clone Wars in Galactic Heritage today." Leia started. "But first I wanted to ask something else. Otherwise, this won't make any sense." Bail nodded. Leia felt so eager to let out all of her thoughts and questions. "Do you remember telling me bedtime stories when I was little? Stories about peace-keepers and battle droids?" she pulled her knees to her chest.
"Yeah," Bail smiled at the memory, leaning forward in his chair.
"Those peace-keepers, they were Jedi, weren't they?" Leia tried piecing it together. "You talked about laser swords and droids and it all matches up with the Clone Wars, like we've been talking about in class."
Bail nodded attentively. "I think you might be right, Leia."
"There's more, dad." She wanted to elaborate. "There was also this one Jedi you told me so many stories about. I thought he was just some made up character, until I saw him! Today!"
Bail's eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean you saw him?" He asked quickly.
"My teacher was showing us Holonet News captures from the war." Leia explained. Her father seemed to relax a little a moment later. "One capture was of a Jedi General by the name of Kenobi." Leia resituated herself in the chair. "Dad, you used to tell me stories of a peace-keeper named Obi-wan Kenobi."
Bail hadn't stopped nodding since Leia began relating all of this to him. He stroked his goatee in thought.
"Dad." Leia said his name seriously. "It has to be the same person." she paused. "Those legends... he's real, isn't he?" Leia's burning curiosity to know more was growing like wildfire. "Obi-wan Kenobi was real." she said confidently.
Bail stood up and began to pace the office. There were a few moments of silence. Leia couldn't tell if her dad was smiling or scowling or trying not to laugh. She couldn't make sense of his reactions. Bail paced over to his desk and tapped at some of the controls. A shimmering blue holo appeared above the desk. Leia sat up more straight in her chair. This holo wasn't a Holonet motion capture, it was a recording.
It was the same bearded Jedi general in beige robes and white armor as she had seen in class hours ago. Leia couldn't help but watch in awe as the Jedi general swung the blazing blue lightsaber in an arc over his head with ease and precision, all while deflecting dozens of red laser bolts. "That's him." Leia whispered.
"Leia." Bail started. The holorecording of the Jedi paused. "Obi-wan Kenobi is real." The blue holorecording crackled a little and then disappeared. Bail joined Leia back in his leather chair facing her.
Leia was trying her best to put two and two together again. "Wait, he is real?" she wondered. "What do you mean? I thought the Empire wiped out all the Jedi."
"Not all of them." Bail sighed. Leia hugged her knees tighter. "Some of them escaped. And they're in hiding."
"You're saying Obi-wan is alive? And all those stories you told me were true?" Leia shrieked.
Bail nodded quietly. "He was a Jedi master, one of the very best." he folded his arms over his chest. "I'm sure you've learned in Galactic Heritage that when the war began the Jedi became Generals and leaders over the clone armies."
"Why did the Empire try to kill them all? My teacher was saying that they were corrupt and other terrible things." Leia wrinkled her nose as she recalled the lecture.
"That's what the Empire wants the rest of the galaxy to believe about them." Bail said, lowering his voice. "It isn't true though. You remember from the bedtime stories, they were brave and loyal, and they helped people. They even helped me more times than I can count."
"You knew him, didn't you?" Leia wondered. Bail looked back up at her.
Her father smiled warmly again. "Yes. He was a good friend. He's saved my life on multiple accounts."
Leia laughed a little. "So you were there, in the stories you told me?"
"More often than not, yes." Bail responded and clasped his hands together in front of him.
"Where is he now?" Leia asked, genuinely curious.
Her father remained quiet for a few moments. Leia had grown accustomed to his silence when he was deciding whether or not to let her in on certain secrets. Bail got up from his seat again and went around to the other side of his desk. She watched him open a drawer and pull out a comlink data chip. "These," He started. "Are his coordinates." He sat back down in the leather chair. "We can't let the Empire find him, Leia. He's our last hope when all else fails." He handed her the data chip, "Here."
"Why are you giving it to me?" Leia wanted to know. She held the data chip in her fingers firmly.
The air suddenly grew very serious. Bail leaned forward in his seat and clasped his hands together. "I want you to hold onto it, Leia. This is very important information." He began. "If something were to ever happen to me, for your sake, for the sake of the Rebellion, and the whole galaxy in fact, I want you to go to him. I trust him with my life and I trust him with yours." Leia nodded furiously, clutching the data chip closer to her.
Bail looked up at her with deep concern in his eyes. "When all else fails, Leia, he is our only hope."
"I understand." Leia breathed.
Six Years Later…
There was an incessant rumbling throughout their smaller star cruiser, Tantive IV. The viewport was being taken up by the mammoth white star destroyer. "Your highness, we've been caught in their tractor beam." The captain told her grimly.
Princess Leia gazed out the viewport, unable to rip her eyes away. "I know." was all she said. She wasn't focused on the star destroyer about to engulf their starcraft. Her gaze was affixed to the sandy planet beneath them. One of the system's twin suns glinted off of the blue haze of the atmosphere encasing the planet.
"Princess?" One of her guards asked, concerned.
"There's a good chance they know our true intentions now, your highness." the captain explained.
Leia gripped the data chip in her hands tighter. Finally tearing her eyes away from the viewport, she looked down at the flat object. Her father's voice as they departed was at the back of her mind, I need you to get those plans to him. He's our only hope, Leia. "There's something I need to do." Leia said suddenly and whipped around.
"Wait, Princess-" Her guard called after her as she started down the corridors.
The ship's shuttering stopped and they all looked at the ceiling, knowing that the airlock had just been connected.
"I need to do this." Leia repeated. "This is our last chance. Trust me." Gripping the data chip tightly, she dashed down the corridor until she found the two droids she was looking for. She never thought she'd need them for something as important as this.
"Oh! Princess Leia!" The golden protocol droid piped. "It appears that we have been captured by the Imperials!"
Leia sidestepped her protocol droid. "We know, Threepio. Artoo, follow me." she motioned for the droid to follow. The little blue and white astromech droid chirped in excitement. Leia glanced back at her droids. "Artoo, do you still have that comlink chip I gave you?" Artoo responded in a chortle of beeps. "Good." Leia nodded and they hurried down the corridor. In the hurry they lost Threepio along the way.
Leia motioned Artoo to follow her to the escape pod bay. Artoo beeped a series of questions. "I'll explain after you let me record this message, Artoo. It's extremely important." Leia heard blaster fire ringing out in other distant corridors. Heart racing, she knew it was only a matter of time until the stormtroopers discovered her.
Artoo beeped once more and then started the holorecording. Leia inhaled and tried to compose herself.
"General Kenobi." She began. "Years ago, you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to present my father's request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack and I'm afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed. I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan." She shook her head. "This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope." Leia had just finished her recording when she heard blaster fire much closer to her position. She glanced to the right and quickly inserted the data chip with the plans on it into Artoo's memory unit.
Artoo beeped softly. "Artoo, you need to bring these plans to Obi-wan. Take Threepio with you in an escape pod and find him." Leia instructed. Artoo retorted with a more concerned whistle. "I'll be fine. This is the most important." She patted the droid on his domed head and gave a weak smile. Threepio had finally found them and Leia ducked to the side of the corridor supports while she drew her blaster.
Threepio muttered some complaints as he ducked to fit into the escape pod with his more stubby counterpart. Leia watched them jettison from Tantive IV into space. She wished with all her heart that the Imperials wouldn't shoot down the pod. Everything depended on it. Closing her eyes, she tried to block out the sound of her loyal guards crying out as they came in contact with the Imperial stormtroopers. Leia felt disappointed in herself. Her father sent her to bring back Obi-wan but her mission had failed and now she feared she would never meet the legend that she looked up to. If Artoo and Threepio don't make it, then the rebellion could very well be doomed to be destroyed by the Empire's new weapon.
Shuddering at all the possible ways that the mission could get further out of hand, Leia clutched her blaster tighter until her knuckles turned white. She pressed herself further against the wall, hoping she wouldn't be seen. She heard footsteps approaching and knew instantly that there was no way out of this one. "There's one." She heard the voice of a stormtrooper. "Blast them!"
She stepped out of her hiding place and got one shot at the stormtrooper who spotted her. With a zap he dropped to his knees and In response she was met face to face with a blue stun beam. Leia gasped and remembered the last words of her message before the stun blast knocked her out.
Help me Obi-wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.