0 BBY

Heavy Stormtrooper boots thudded across the hard, metal flooring of the Millennium Falcon. As they left the ship, going down the ramp, the floorboards popped up to reveal Han, Luke, and Chewbacca in one smuggling hole and Obi-Wan, Kal, and the three droids in the other hole.

"Boy, it's lucky you had these compartments," Luke mused to Han.

"I use them for smuggling," Han explained, holding his blaster tightly. He was always ready for a fight. "Never thought I'd be smuggling myself." The smuggler turned to Obi-Wan who stood awkwardly next to his daughter, neither particularly comfortable with being in the same smuggler's locker. "This is ridiculous. Even if I could take off, I'd never get past the tractor beam."

Obi-Wan pulled himself out of the smuggling compartment, sitting on the edge. "Leave that to me."

The expression on Han's face betrayed his thoughts more than his words could describe. "Damn fool. I knew that you were gonna say that." Han pried himself out of the hole, both amused and frustrated.

"Who's the more foolish: the fool or the fool who follows him?"

The old man's riddles never seemed to sit well with anyone who bothered to listen to him. Chewie stuck his head out of the compartment and howled quietly as Han shook his head and patted the Wookiee. The group quietly climbed out of the smuggling holes, Kal staying in hers in order to lift the droids out with the help of Han and Luke. With the droids out, Luke held his hand out to Kal, who swatted it away. Han snorted in amusement at the interaction as Kal pulled herself out, planting her feet securely on the floor.

"We better get ready," Kal said, jutting her thumb towards the lowered ramp. "A scanning crew should be here any moment. Or if you want, Gray and I can handle them alone."

Han rolled his eyes, sauntering over to the ramp with her. "Oh, stuff it, sweetheart. You aren't gonna have all the fun." Chewie's chuckle echoed behind them as he stood with the two. The sound of footsteps alerted the group. The moment two technicians lugging scanning equipment reached the top of the ramp, Kal dug her knee in the closest one's gut and backhanded him with her armored fist while Chewie and Han took out the other one. "Hey down there!" Han called to the troopers stationed at the bottom of the ramp. "Could you give us a hand with this?"

The troopers took a moment before making their way up the ramp, too. Han then shot them with his heavy blaster. Kal resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her friend making unnecessary noise as she stared down at the group of dead Imperials. "If we're going to waltz through the station, we're going to need disguises." Her suggestion didn't sit right with anyone. None of them wanted to don clothing worn by a dead person.

"Ugh," Han groaned as he started peeling the armor off of a trooper.

As she began stripping one of the technicians, Kal wanted to laugh at the smuggler's reaction. Neither her father nor Chewbacca donned disguises of their own, leaving that to Luke, Han, and Kal. Two stormtroopers and a technician.

Kal was the first to leave the ship with Gray clinging to her shoulder. As she stood tall at the bottom of the ramp, her dark eyes glanced around the hangar. There was barely any security, perfect for the group. She tugged at the technician sleeve that covered her comlink as Gray whistled. He urged her to the hangar door below a large glass window. "Will do," she muttered, trusting her droid's scanners. Kal then turned to her friends at the top of the ramp. "Follow me one at a time. Keep an eye out for troopers." She then took off at a brisk pace.

Luke, not having put on his helmet yet, turned to Han. "She acts like she's infiltrated an Imperial base before."

The smuggler shrugged, slipping on his helmet. "She has. She's a bounty hunter, not a smuggler. They get around." Chewie also nodded, being the next one to leave the Falcon. After Chewie, Han made his away across the hangar to where Kal and Chewie waited by the door. Kal then hurried to the stairs with Chewie as Obi-Wan rushed across the gap, then the droids. It was perfect timing, too.

Kal, Chewie, and Han were stationed right outside the command office overlooking the hangar as a gantry officer noticed no stormtroopers stationed outside the ship. Luke, exiting the ship, knocked on his helmet, not wanting to speak but hoping they would only think the comlink in the helmet wasn't working.

"Take over," the gantry officer said to his aide. "We've got a bad transmitter. I'll see what I can do." The moment the officer was no longer looking out the window, Luke rushed to Obi-Wan's side who took him up the stairs to meet the rest of the group.

The door to the command office slid open. Chewbacca howled as he flattened the gantry officer and Han blasted the aide. Luke removed his helmet as the door slid shut. The young farmboy wasn't happy. "You know, between his howling and your blasting everything in sight, it's a wonder the whole station doesn't know we're here," Luke exclaimed.

"Bring them on," Han challenged. "I prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around."

Artoo beeped, interrupting the bickering. "We found the computer outlet, sir," Threepio translated for Artoo.

"Plug in," Obi-Wan ordered. "He should be able to interpret the entire Imperial computer network." Artoo plugged one of his arms into the computer socket.

After a few seconds, Artoo whistled and beeped. Threepio looked from Artoo to the Jedi Master. "He says he's found the main computer to power the tractor beam that's holding the ship here. He'll try to make the precise location appear on the monitor." As Threepio said, the computer monitor flashed technical readouts. "The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations. A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave."

Obi-Wan glanced between his daughter, the two men, and the Wookiee. "I don't think you can help. I must go alone."

Kal's jaw clenched at his words as Han made one of his typical remarks. Ignoring the men, she looked at her droid. "Calculate a path for me to the closest terminal," she demanded quietly. Gray hovered over to the computer terminal and plugged in as well, not paying attention to Artoo's minor protest at him invading his space.

"They must be delivered safely or other star systems will suffer the same fate as Alderaan. Your destiny lies along a different path than mine. The Force will be with you, always."

Her father's words were sad, but they did nothing to dissuade Kal from speaking up. "I'm going with you."

Obi snapped his head towards her, not happy with her pronouncement. "No, I must go alone." He was standing by the door, ready to go.

Kal's eyes hardened at his stubbornness. "Please let me go with you."

"You must stay here."

"But-"

"No."

"Dad!" she blurted out. She wasn't sure what she was thinking, but it definitely got his attention, along with the others in the room. Her head dipped down for a moment as no one made a sound at the revelation. She'd never told anyone who her father was, just a man she ran away from. No matter what their conclusion was when she told people that she had run away from him, Kal had never been ashamed to be the daughter of the great Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Kaleena held her chin high as her dark eyes met her dad's familiar lightsaber blue eyes. His were sad and wide. He hadn't heard that word in a few years. "One last mission together," she coaxed. "It's what mom would want." Obi-Wan nodded his head, albeit reluctantly. Turning back to Han, Kal spoke. "I'll be back. Stay safe." Gray flitted back to her shoulder, beeping excitedly.

Obi-Wan pressed the button to open the door, and together, father and daughter left the command office. They followed Gray's directions silently as they made their way through the long grey halls. The technician cap itched as they hid while a few troopers marched passed. He glanced at his daughter once the Imperials were gone. "You've grown," he stated offhandedly.

"Obviously. It's been, what, four years? I'm twenty now, not a sixteen-year-old kid." Kal glanced through the hall before gliding into the next one, her father following.

"You'll always be my little girl."

"So not condescending."

"Kaleena-"

The woman stopped in her tracks and turned to her dad. "Stop. Now is not the time to try and make up for everything. We have a mission to complete. We should get to it. We can talk later."

They ducked through more halls and corridors before entering a humming service trench that powered the tractor beam. The trench was hundreds of miles deep. As Kal glanced down the shaft, she wondered how her boys were doing. Han was surely wanting to strangle the farmboy. Chewie would gladly watch it happen. The two Jedi edged their way along the narrow ridge that led to the control panel. As Obi-Wan messed with the switches, Kal plucked the hat off her head and tossed it down the shaft, happy to be rid of it. Her father grinned briefly, but his merriment ended as troopers entered on a different platform. The two hid quietly, Kal placing a hand on Gray as a silent way to tell him not to beep.

As the group of troopers passed by, they made their way to the lower level, entering the trench the same way Obi and Kal did. Obi-Wan raised one of the switches quietly. "Give me regular reports," a trooper ordered.

Some of the troopers left, leaving two behind. "Do you know what's going on?" one of them asked.

"Maybe it's another drill," the other replied.

Kal waved her hand, pointing to the other end of the walkway. The two Jedi quietly inched their way away from the troopers who had turned a little away from them. Obi-Wan waved his hand, moving something in the far corridor to get the attention of the troops.

"What was that?" the second trooper asked, not noticing the Jedi slip out of the trench unnoticed.

"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

The Jedi glanced at the troopers and each other before leaving completely. Once they were safely away from any Imperials, Kal turned to her father. "I almost forgot how fun this was," she said lightly, a smirk lightening her expression.

Obi sighed, smiling. "You always had a knack for adventure. Come, you should reunite with your friends."

Kal's eyebrows furrowed, not liking his insinuation. "What, and you're not?" she asked.

The Jedi Master glanced around them, not sensing anyone coming there way. "Do you feel that?" Kal took a moment to think, breathing deeply through her nose. She wasn't absolutely certain what he was meaning before her senses honed in on one thing in particular: an eery cold. The young bounty hunter nodded. "Do you have any idea what it is?" Kal didn't want to answer. "It's Vader."

"You said Luke has to face him."

"I know."

The sense of dread filled Kaleena, making her feel like a small child again. "So why do you have to?"

Placing a gentle hand on her upper arm, Obi-Wan offered her a sad smile. "There is no way we all get out of here alive. I know you know that. You must train the boy. I will see you again. The Force will guide us. Go find your friends."

Before Kal turned away, she looked deep into her dad's eyes. There was one more question she had to ask. "Would mom be proud? Of me?"

"She would be proud of you, as I am. I love you, Kaleena. May the Force be with you."

Kal threw herself at her father, holding him tight. His arms embraced her in one last hug. "Always." With that, the two broke apart and tore down opposite directions. Kal ran as fast and quiet as she could through the halls that lead back to the Millenium Falcon. She skidded to a stop at the sight of the mighty Chewbacca. He and Han whipped around, brandishing a bowcaster and blaster, respectively. Kal immediately threw her hands up, staring wide-eyed at Han, Chewie, Luke, and a small woman in white. "Don't shoot!"

Han sighed loudly, lowering his blaster. "You scared me, kid. Why are you still wearing that?" He pointed at the ever-present technician disguise that Kal was still wearing.

"Well, I'm sorry for being too busy to strip," she replied with attitude dripping from her voice. "What's going on?" As Han explained the situation, she unzipped the uniform to reveal her regular outfit.

"We just need to make it to the Falcon, then we're home free. Come on!" The moment the uniform hit the floor, the group took off running down the hall, rounding straight into a group of stormtroopers.

"It's them! Blast them!" a trooper ordered

Han shot first, killing one, before charging at the others with Chewie. "Get back to the ship!" Han yelled. Kal groaned, unclipping her sporting blaster, before chasing after him. She wasn't going to let him get himself killed.

"Where are you going? Come back!" Luke exclaimed, but no one answered as the three rounded a corner.

Han yelled as he ran through the hall, chasing the small group of stormtroopers while brandishing the stolen blaster. Han followed the troopers into a hangar filled with even more troopers, causing him to turn and run after shooting at the Imperials. Kal and Chewie heard the firing before they saw Han barrelling towards them, shooting at the troops that followed. Kal and Chewie shot a few times, following the captain back towards the ship.

The three ran down a long corridor as several troopers chased them. At the end of the hall, the large blast doors began to close, the three barely making it through before it closed completely. The troopers were cut off. The three didn't take any time to catch their breath, hurrying back to the main forward bay. Once back, they leaned against the wall, watching stormtroopers outside the Falcon.

"Didn't we just leave this party?" Han muttered. Chewie growled softly in agreement. Luke and the new woman then arrived. "What kept you?"

"We ran into some old friends," the woman replied.

"Is the ship alright?" Luke asked.

Han nodded absent-mindedly as he stared at his baby. "Seems okay, if we can get to it. Did you and the old men get the tractor beam out of commission?" The smuggler looked at the bounty hunter.

"Do you doubt me?" Kal questioned, almost offended. Han didn't reply. Something then seemed to draw the attention of the troops. Whatever it was caused the troopers to leave behind the ship.

"Now's our chance, go!" The group then made a run for the Falcon. But Kal and Luke spotted what was happening.

"Ben?" Luke wondered, seeing the lightsabers glow.

Kal frowned at the sight. The dark cloaked figure was holding a blood-red saber. She could feel the anger and hatred radiating off of the Sith Lord. Darth Vader. Luke's father. Kal then felt it better than she saw it. The lightsaber sliced through Obi-Wan Kenobi. Pain tore through her very being as her mouth gaped wide and her eyes filled with tears. She knew it was coming, but knowing was something far different than it actually occurring. Her heart became empty as Han grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the freighter, narrowly avoiding the oncoming blaster fire from the Imperials.

Han shoved her up the ramp as he shot at the troopers, trying to get Luke inside as well. Kal stumbled inside, landing heavily on the cold metal floor. Heart racing, the young woman propped herself up against the padded tunnel walls as Han raced by to the cockpit. Luke shut the ramp and Han took off, flying out of the hangar.

Kal clenched her eyes shut briefly then tore them open. Her legs were practically jelly as she made herself go to the gunports. It wasn't over. They still had to leave the system alive. As she lowered herself into the bottom one, she heard Han climb into the top one. Kal put on the headset while Han did the same. "You ready?" Han asked. "Stay sharp!"

"Here they come." The new woman's voice echoed through Kal's ear. Who even was that woman? Kal ignored the computer readout in front of her, focusing only on what she could see and feel through the Force to blast away at the incoming TIE fighters. The fighters made a few passes, hitting the Falcon a few times. "We've lost the lateral controls."

"Don't worry, she'll hold together," Han reassured. "You hear me, baby? Hold together." He hadn't meant for anyone to hear him, but Kal definitely did, smirking at his words.

The familiar feel of the gunport was soothing as she and Han shot the fighters into a million pieces. It took a minute, but they were free. Both Han and Kal leaned back in their seats, taking a moment to themselves after the rush of excitement.

Kal glanced around then climbed up and out of the gunport. Han made his way out afterward. At the sight of her expression, Han's smile dropped and he pulled her into a hug. She relaxed in his arms. "I'm not much of a talker, but I'm here if you need it."

A small scoff escaped her. "All you do is talk." Kal pulled away. "But thanks. Why do you smell like sewage?"

His sharp laugh echoed through the hall. "That's a story for later. Go take a breather." He then made his way to the cockpit, leaving Kal alone with her thoughts.

As Kal started towards the crew's quarters, she spotted Luke. The farmboy looked sad, miserable even, like Kal. She wondered just how close he and her dad had gotten. Giving him a quick nod, she rushed passed him. She really needed to use the refresher.