Hi! Hope you're all enjoying my story... Some of you asked about the emperor being
Luke's father. That will be explained in the next chapter, ok? Hope you enjoy!



The Final Dawn
by Star Bunny
rated PG


Chapter 2

---

Several days into Luke's stay on Coruscant, the Imperial Senate was called into session,
and Vader and the Emperor had to attend. Rather than leave Luke under the care of the
stormtroopers, they opted to bring him with them to begin his training to be a powerful
leader.

By this time, Luke had learned that if he just stayed quiet and did whatever he was told,
the mean people in charge wouldn't bother him too much. But if he started talking or
asked for too much stuff, they would snap at him, or leave him in the room by himself for
a while.

The Senate was very boring, especially for a five-year-old who didn't know what was
going on. The first opportunity he got, he tugged on Vader's cape and whispered just
loud enough to be annoying, "I gotta go to the bathroom." Vader sighed audibly and
pointed to the door right behind them.

"I don't have time for this. Just don't get lost."

So Luke skipped out the door, happy that he was finally getting to do something that he
wanted to do. He wandered around a bit, seeing all the new and exciting things that the
Capital Building had to offer. There were huge, long corridors with mammoth drapes,
and many, many places to hide. This would be a great place to play hide-and-go-seek
with Biggs or one of the droids.

As he rounded one corner, he skidded to a halt and tilted his head as if he were listening
to something. He walked over to a bookcase up against the wall and knocked on the
doors.

"Who's in there?" He pulled the doors open to reveal a small girl about his age. Her
eyes sparkled with mirth as she raised her head to meet his gaze.

"I knew you'd find me!" she cried.

"How'd you know that?"

The girl shrugged as she climbed out of the bookcase. "I don't know. I just did. Can't
you feel it?" She pounded on her chest for emphasis. Luke nodded. He knew what
she was talking about. He had felt her presence as soon as he had turned the corner.
He couldn't really describe the feeling, except that it was like a buzzing in his head and a
pounding in his chest. And he had somehow known exactly how she would look, right
down to her long, dark hair and sweet smile.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"My father is in the Senate right now... I was hiding from him." Luke had to laugh at her
grin. She seemed much too sweet and innocent to be that mischievous.

"Me too," he smiled.

The girl tilted her head, keeping her gaze fixed on him the whole time. "Can you keep a
secret?" she asked.

"I won't tell anyone!"

"Okay, then. My father isn't my real father."

"Mine either. My real father is dead."

The girl grinned even bigger. "Mine, too."

Luke hesitated, and then slowly reached out to her with his hand. "Are we friends?"

The girl thought about it for a moment, and then fiercely nodded her head. "Yes."

Luke sighed and ducked his head. "I really need a friend. My father isn't very nice."

Her warm, brown eyes softened in concern, almost as if she were feeling his hurt. "I'm
sorry."

"That's okay!" Luke suddenly brightened. "My name's Luke. I live here. What's yours?"

"I'm-"

"Young lady!" They turned to see a middle-aged man walking down the corridor. "What
have I told you about running off in the middle of Senate?" His face was stern, but there
was a tender note in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," she said as she ran into his arms.

"Now you know that we have to be getting back home. Your mother will be worried sick!"

"Okay." She turned to Luke and blew him a kiss. "Bye-bye, Luke!"

Luke watched her leave with her father, a confused look on his face. Was that the way a
family was supposed to be? They obviously loved each other very much... It wasn't until
they had already left that he realized that he didn't know her name. He was about to run
after her to find out who she was when a stormtrooper came up behind him and picked
him up forcefully. "The Emperor wants to see you," he said gruffly.

So Luke once again put on his obedient mask, forgetting that anything had happened
today, forgetting that he had made a friend.

---

"Who was that boy you were playing with, Leia?"

Bail Organa looked at his only daughter, a slight frown etched onto his face. He was
afraid that the rumors were true, and that she would be in danger.

"His name's Luke. He found me!"

"Oh? Were you playing hide-and-go-seek?"

"Nope. I just knew that he would find me."

"How did you meet him?" he asked, growing more concerned and agitated.

"He found me. I was in the bookcase and he knew that I was in there."

Bail tried valiantly to keep his voice light for her sake. Goodness only knew that she
needed to be spared from the bulk of the problems facing the galaxy today. "How did
you know that he would find you?"

Leia's eyes lit up, and she once again put her hand on her chest. "I just felt it."

"Well, my dear, we'd better get you home. Your mother and I need to have a talk."

"Another one?" she pouted. "You just had a talk last night. Do I have to leave the room
again?"

He ruffled her hair affectionately. "Yeah. But just for a little while. It's really important."

"Okay, Daddy," she said as she climbed out of his arms. "Race you to the rooms!"

As she took off running, Bail had to chuckle at her innocence. They really were going to
have to teach her to be more of a lady, but for now he would let her enjoy being a kid. If
events kept heading in the same direction, Leia might have to grow up much sooner than
she ought.

---

Back in their quarters, Bail sat down heavily on his bed and rested his head in his hands.
His wife was taking care of Leia, thus giving him time alone to think.

"By the Force... they have Luke!" He had known that the Lars house had been burnt
down, but rumors had been running rampant on what had been the actual fate of the
family, especially Luke. Some had said that the Lars had purposefully burned their own
home as a decoy and had escaped to some other system. Others said that the entire
family had been burned alive, with Darth Vader overseeing the entire process. But to
think that Luke, their greatest hope for the future of the galaxy, was in the clutches of the
Emperor... it was a thought too overwhelming to imagine. What would become of them
all? If they managed to turn Luke into a monster like themselves, he might very well be
capable of the destruction of the entire galaxy.

He looked up to see his wife walk through the door. "She's asleep," she whispered.
"What's wrong? You look like you've lost a war."

"Vader has Luke." It was a simple statement, yet it conveyed everything to her. She
closed her eyes as if in prayer, and opened them with a new determination.

"Then we must protect Leia. They'll be after her in an instant if they find out about her."

"Where should we send her?"

"Obi-Wan would know. We must contact him!"

"Not from here," he warned her. "All of the communications are tapped. We leave for
Alderaan tomorrow morning. We'll contact him when we reach the palace."

"I only hope it's not too late."

Bail looked at the closed door, which was the only protection that his adopted daughter
now had, and nodded. "May the Force be with us."

---

The next morning, the Organas made their way to their ship as quickly as they could
without attracting any unnecessary attention. The plan was to contact Obi-Wan as soon
as they made the jump to light-speed. From hyperspace, the Emperor could trace any
transmissions they made, but he couldn't decipher them.

They all breathed a bit easier once the coordinates had been set and they finally made
the jump.

Bail immediately contacted Obi-Wan, who had kept in close contact with their family to
help them out of any difficult situations. Obi-Wan knew that he was placing himself in
great danger by not hiding, as Master Yoda had, but the Skywalker twins really were the
only hopes for the galaxy... if they were lost, there would be no one left to oppose the
Emperor.

Once Obi-Wan's face was visible on the view-screen, Bail began to talk.

"Vader has Luke!" he exclaimed frenetically.

"Are you sure?" Obi-Wan asked, voice as calm as ever.

"Yes! Leia was playing with him the other day... she told me that he lives on Coruscant
with someone who is not very nice to him."

"Leia was playing with him?" Obi-Wan fingered his beard thoughtfully. "Then the
Emperor might already know about Leia."

"How?"

"If the twins were ever together, they probably produced a tremor in the Force that
Vader would have been able to pick up on. He might not have recognized it for what it
was... But if he did, then we can assume that he at least knows about her. Did Leia tell
him who she was?"

"I don't know," Bail answered, frustrated at himself for bringing her to the Senate in the
first place.

Obi-Wan sighed. "With Luke captured, I'm afraid that we have little other choice but to
take very drastic measures."

"What do you mean...?"

"As soon as you arrive on Alderaan, send Leia on a ship to Dagobah. She will be safe
there."

"Dagobah? I've never heard of Dagobah... Where is it? Why will she be safe there?"

"Dagobah is a forgotten world. It is on none of the charts, and it is the home of the last
remaining Jedi master. He will take care of her for as long as is necessary. He will train
her in the ways of the Force."

"No. I don't want to mix her up in all of this foolishness. She's just a child. Maybe when
she's older, but I don't want her to fight."

"We have no choice, Bail. Right now, the galaxy is relatively at peace. But if they find
out about her now, she will either die or join them, and the galaxy will only fall into greater
corruption and misery. If she does not become a Jedi, there will be no hope for any of
us. Only a Jedi Master would be able to defeat Vader, Palpatine, and Luke."

"Why must we risk my daughter's life? There must be another way!"

"Vader is her father. Luke is her twin. If anyone can save them, it is Leia." Obi-Wan
sighed. "The choice is up to Leia, of course. But if she decides to go, make sure that
no one knows where she is headed. Send only a droid with her. I will help her get to
Dagobah."

Bail hesitated for a second, before his shoulders sagged slightly. "I'm sure you know
what's best."

---

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Bunny ^_^
bunny28@hehe.com