Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars; I just write stories for fun. :-)

Warnings: None really...pretty tame.

Story: Taneth tries to protect Luke and Leia.

Many thanks to my buds that have been supportive in commenting on my stories. ;-)

Hidden Daughter

The heavy stench of swamp water and decaying plants filled the air as another morning peeked through the dense foliage. Taneth Kenobi looked around to see the same thing that she has looked at for the past 18 years. The little green troll that she called her master had taught and kept her all this time. Her father, Obi-Wan Kenobi, had to hide her after she was born. A year before Queen Amidala of the Naboo was to marry Anakin Skywalker, her father's learner, Obi-Wan and Amidala had a 'get-together' one night. Because of the fear of her discovery after Taneth was born, she was hidden from Anakin knowing her discovery would lead to her death.

Not too long ago, she felt her father die by the hand of Darth Vader. He concerned her especially when it came to her younger half-brother and sister, Luke and Leia. Both of them knew nothing of their 'sibling' relation, nor did they know she existed in this universe. Under an oath, she vowed to protect them no matter what.

When Taneth finally stood up to wipe the funk off her suit, she peered around not seeing Yoda anywhere. Supposedly her trails were today, but the little Jedi Master wasn't there to test her. Just great. Most of the time, this wasn't a bid deal, but Taneth wanted out of the dense swamp. Occasionally, she traveled around to different planets to see the sites and to venture out in the unknown in general. A hard hit to her calf made her look down.

"Daydreaming again? Ready for the trails are you not?", the green master asked chuckling a bit. Taneth turned around and kneeled down to his level.

"I am, Master.", she said becoming very serious.

"Good. Leave this place you shall. Venture out you will.", he said and walked away. Taneth was confused.

"What do you mean?", she asked Yoda quizzically.

"No more I can teach you. Prove yourself you will when you face the dark side and Vader.", Yoda said and walked off. In the distance Taneth felt a disturbance, a ripple in the force. Someone else was here. Apparently, if the presence didn't bother Yoda, then it must not be that important. Taneth hopped in her ship and took off away from Dagobath. Once in space she looked for a planet to head to. Closet was Bespin, which was about a day and a half journey. She set the coordinates and watched the star lines appear in her viewer. Taneth closed her eyes and relaxed her body. Deep meditation often helped her relax, let go of herself and sleep when she was overtaken by insomnia. Taneth welcomed the deep sleep.

A few minutes before she came close to reaching Cloud City, Taneth was awake and alert to the new surroundings. This place amazed her. Built high in the clouds on platforms that connected down to the surface. Mining was performed on the surface, illegal mining if she read correctly. This place was isolated from the rebellion between the Imperials and Rebels. Good. It was a quiet place to recuperate then search for Luke and Leia.

A signal came in along with a voice, "Unidentified ship, please state your purpose." Two ships had joined her side as Taneth answered the call.

"This is Kenobi requesting permission to dock Cloud City." Silence fell then was disrupted when the voice came back.

"The ships beside you will escort you to landing pad 8." Taneth followed the ships and touched down. She was surprised to see people already gathered around. She lifted her hatched and gazed down at the people. Taneth decided to have a bit of fun with this trip. With the aid of the force, she jumped out of her ship, flip twisted down and landed in front of the group. She let a smile cross her lips as some of the men were in shock while others gave a small applause. A dark skinned man stepped up to her.

"Amazing trick. I'm Lando Calrissian, and I'll be your host for this evening. Would you like a tour of the place, or would you like a room to stay the night in?", he asked taking her hand and gently kissing it. Despite the fact Taneth was still filthy from Dagobath, Lando still couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"I would love to take the tour, but I really need a room first to refresh.", she said smiling.

"Of course.", he said and raised his arm up. She took it and let him lead her into the city. He babbled on and on about the wonders of the city as he took her to the rooms. Through the force, Taneth searched for Luke and Leia or anyone she knew for that matter. He brought her to a room.

"Thank you very much for the room.", Taneth said.

"Can I join you later at Ginger's Bar down the hall?", he asked putting on a huge grin. This guy was a card. Taneth thought about it for a second then looked into his eyes. If she said no, he would probably stalk her for the rest of her mission. If she said yes, then she would have a scoundrel to deal with. Ah, what the heck.

"Sure.", she said and closed the door. The room was quite big with a huge bed draped with maroon sheets and maroon curtains. The refresher had dark green tones to it that gave the room an overall astounding appearance. Taneth was in desperate need of a shower decided to relax in a hot tub of water. It had been so long since she had a decent bath.

After washing her hair and body thoroughly, she stepped out and draped herself with a towel. In the huge mirror, she saw her long hair fall in strands around her face. Taneth had her mother's deep brown hair and brown eyes with her parents' fair complexion. Every time she looked in the mirror, she could literally see Amidala's face within hers.

Taneth changed in her usual very dark blue pants with many holes. The pants had practically gone through hell and back yet they still remained in one piece. She wore a very short white spaghetti strap shirt with an another dark blue shirt over it but tied in front letting her slightly built stomach show through. Taneth braided her long dark hair then adjusted her saber, which hung at her right side, and blaster, which was holstered in the left. Most of the time she would put a long coat or jacket over it to cover the weapons but such an act didn't seem needed. With her knee-high boots on, she headed out.

When she finally left the room, Taneth looked around. Finding the bar was the easy part; avoiding the crowd was a bit of a chore. Seems like she beat Lando here. Taneth took a seat by the bar and ordered a light Tatooine ale.

"You look very beautiful.", a voice said from behind her. As Taneth turned to face the strange, Lando took a seat beside her.

"Very kind words, Calrissian.", she said taking a sip of the ale.

"Please call me Lando, and what may I call you?", he asked very sly. 'Oh good grief', she thought.

"Kenobi.", Taneth said then purposely watched his expression. It didn't change. He's either really good at hiding surprise, or he has no idea who her father was.

"Lovely name.", he said not faltering one bit. Taneth could laugh but remained quiet. Lando began again, "What brings you here?" Taneth knew what his hidden question was.

"I had just come from Dagobath after completing some business. I needed a place clean up and rest. This seemed like the place.", Taneth said.

"I hope you will stay here for a while. This place has a lot to offer.", Lando said giving yet another grin. Taneth had a feeling that there was a reason she came here and planned on staying till she figured out why.

"I might." Lando received a message and answered it. After the brief chat, he turned his attention back to her.

"I'm truly sorry, but I have something urgent to attend to." Taneth nodded in understanding and watched him leave. She took one more sip of ale then left to look around. To her right was the dinner hall that contained rooms with elaborate tables for parties and gatherings. To her left were the rooms and tours. Taneth had everything either with her or in her ship so there was no need to head back to her room. Then again, she needed the rest. Her investigation would continue later for now sleep called her.

The next morning Taneth was up bright and early. Her Jedi senses had told her something was deeply wrong. After getting dressed in her usual attire, she gathered her things and left the room. Several men were outside the halls. It happened to be Imperials checking the guestrooms. What are they looking for? Taneth exited her room quickly but was greeted by an armed trooper.

"Please remain in you room.", he ordered.

"I don't need to stay in the room.", Taneth said touching the mind of the trooper.

"You don't need to stay in your room.", he said hypnotized.

"I can move along.", Taneth said again using the mind trick.

"You can move along.", he said and moved to let her by. She walked away and let her pace quicken as she reached the dinner halls. A dark presence touched her Jedi senses. Vader here? A small group of troops entered a room. The doors briefly opened to show the Vader's tall stance at the end of the room.

Beside the room was an empty hall. Taneth went down the hall and took out her saber. 'Igniting the bright blade would attract some attention; I'll have to work quickly.' She made a small hole in the ceiling and pulled herself up into the air ducts.

She crawled through the cramped walls and saw a vent. Taneth peeked through the mesh and saw Vader standing at one side of the room with a small group of people in the other. Taneth made another hole and fell/flipped down into the room. She looked around to see a lot of people looking at her as if she were crazy. Among them was her dear sister, Leia. Her feelings of responsibility came back along with an over-protective duty to her half-bro and sis, and now Leia was in trouble. Taneth twirled her blade and faced the dark lord.

"Seems I missed a Jedi. No matter. Who are you young one?", Vader asked breaking the eerie silence that feel on the group before. Taneth brought her saber close to her face and for a brief moment resembled her father just before he was struck down.

"Kenobi." If Vader wasn't wearing a helmet, the group would have seen him raising an eyebrow at the newcomer.

"Impossible. He's dead.", Vader confidently said.

"I never said I was Obi-Wan Kenobi. I'm Taneth Kenobi." Once again Vader raised yet another questionable eyebrow about the Kenobi girl.

"Release them Lord Vader." Vader gave a signal, which she didn't see, and troopers came in firing. Kenobi blocked as many shots as possible, but she couldn't get to Leia. The blasts were bad enough to force her to retreat in the air ducts again. She had failed Leia, but she couldn't give up now. Taneth went back to the hall she had cut the ceiling out of and jumped down. Stormtroopers came sending blast fire her way. With a few blocks, she sent most of it back on them and went into a tunnel to escape. Taneth took this time to catch her breath and re-think her plan.

They have Leia. How is she to get there? Probably through Vader. She traveled through the tunnel. A door opened leading her into a chamber. A group had been here recently and now one remained. Vader's dark presence was around, but for some odd reason she couldn't find him.

"Another Kenobi?", Vader sinister voice began, "What relation are you to Obi-Wan?" Taneth looked around still keeping her blade ignited.

"He's my father.", Taneth said. She could barely hear Vader chuckle.

"Obi-Wan has a daughter? Another thing he kept from me, but one must wonder why he hid you, and what are you doing here?", he asked enjoying the fact he had the upper hand at the moment.

"I'm a Jedi. Is that reason enough for you?", she said sarcastically. Vader dropped down from the ceiling and swung his saber at her throat. Taneth ducked and rolled to the right barely avoiding the slash. She jumped up then brought her blade up to block another slash attempt. Back and forth they traded blows. Taneth was nowhere near Vader's size or strength. When she least suspected it, he used the force to slam her into a wall then used the cables above to tie her to it. Taneth was trapped. The dark lord slowly made his way to her. He raised his blade up as if to cut her head off but paused.

Taneth waited for the deadly blow. What is he doing? He's just standing there. A slam to Vader's side sent him tumbling back. Luke now stood between her and Vader. He cut her free then resumed the battle with Vader. Taneth called her fallen saber to her then raced to Luke and Vader. Both had left the chambers. Taneth carefully made her way down some corridors. There was no sign of the two. It was not until a scream of agony passed through the force. Luke was in serious trouble. Taneth raced to a window and saw Vader and Luke. Luke was huddled near a platform while Vader stood opposite of him. She jumped/flipped down and landed behind Vader but a safe distance away.

Before she could launch a surprise attack, Luke let go and fell to the bottomless looking pit. Taneth screamed out her brother's name dropping her blade to the ground. Her shoulders slumped forward a bit showing a sign of utter defeat. 'I've failed you both.' Vader's gloved hand gripped her throat making Taneth grasp. He brought her up to his level and stared at her for a second.

"What secret do you carry?", he asked. Taneth placed both her hands on his hand. Her head was spinning as her lungs screamed for a breath of air. Finally, he let her go. He took out his saber and put the blade to her throat.

"I won't tell you. Besides, you can figure it very easily, Lord Vader.", Taneth said slowly moving back from the blade. She laid on the ground with the lord of Sith standing before her ready to kill.

"Obi-Wan should have killed when you were born to save you from the pain and suffering you'll receive. Again, he's mistaken.", Vader said. The more he talked the more she realized that he must be Anakin.

"Your suspicions are correct.", Vader answered her thought.

"I won't run. My father's dead, and so died your hatred for him. There's no need to kill me except for the fact I am a Jedi.", she said still watching the blade.

Vader disignited his blade and raised the saber handle up and slammed it into her head. Taneth was knocked out cold.

To be continued....

***