Apologies for the delay in this chapter. I hope you will all find it to have been worth the wait. Please let me know what you think about it in the reviews.

Star Wars

Twin Suns Early Rise

Chapter 8: We Meet at Last

She was almost there. Ever since learning about the existence of her twin brother, Princess Leia Organa had only one goal in her mind, to reunite with her brother, Luke Skywalker. It hadn't been easy, what with having to sneak away from her palace on Alderaan, stow away on board a cargo ship into the outer rim to avoid being tracked by her parents then find another ship to take her from Nar Shaddaa to Tatooine, and at last get one final ride to the farm where Luke was supposed to be living on; all the while keeping her identity as Princess of one of the most prestigious worlds in the galaxy a secret. Yet here she was, on route to her brother's farm in a land speeder driven by Luke's friend Biggs Darklighter, with her astromech droid, R2-D2, riding in back.

"So, what can you tell me about my brother?" Leia asked Biggs. Having known nothing about him except his name and the planet he lived on, Leia was desperate for further knowledge of her brother, and Biggs was more than happy to help.

"Luke is… extraordinary," Biggs responded. "Gifted pilot, a hard worker, skilled mechanic, fun to hang out with, and has a level of courage like no one else. He's done way more dangerous stuff around here than anyone else I know of. Some would say that his bravery is more of an inability to see danger when it's right in front of him, but I think he just has the guts to do what most can't. He's also got dreams to travel the stars, see the galaxy, do things besides harvesting water from vaporators."

Leia couldn't help feel amazed, her brother seemed like quite the interesting guy despite only being a simple farm boy while she was a princess who was about to run for senator of her home system while secretly aiding a rebellion to overthrow a corrupt, galactic empire. "And he's been living on this farm throughout his entire life?"

"Yep. Luke's been in the care of his… I mean your guys' aunt and uncle for as long as I can remember. Though he's never been interested in farming, prefers handling vehicles instead, especially his T-16 Skyhopper."

"How good of a pilot is he? You said he was gifted, but just how gifted would you say? Could he get into say an Imperial flight academy no problem if he wanted to?"

"HA! Are you kidding me? Luke's the best bush pilot in the Outer Rim Territories. He was born to fly. Could get into any one of those academics and graduate with flying colours no problem."

"Takes after our father then," Leia confessed. Since Anakin Skywalker was one of the few if only, Jedi not discriminated by the Empire, a lot was known about the Hero with No Fear; including how he was said to be one of the greatest pilots in the galaxy. Rumour had it he single-headedly took out entire fleets of Separatist cruisers during the Clone Wars and even blew up a droid control ship when he was only a child. What Leia didn't know about her biological father, however, was why or how he could turn from one of the galaxy's most idolized heroes into an evil monster that terrorized the galaxy.

"Interesting," Biggs said. "Luke told me his uncle said your father was a navigator on a spice freighter. But truth be told I always suspected Owen was lying. From what I heard about Anakin before he left Tatooine he was a successful podracer."

Leia was surprised by this. "Well, the podracing thing is new to me, but I know for sure that my father was no spice navigator. Owen was probably lying to Luke. Either that or he didn't know what my father was doing."

"What was he doing exactly?" Biggs asked. "Other than the navigator thing, Owen refuses to talk about his stepbrother."

Leia hesitated. She was still trying to grasp the concept in mind that her father had become the Dark Lord of evil, and the fist of the Empire's military. She certainly didn't want to tell some guy she'd only met less than an hour ago without first speaking to her brother and getting confirmation from him that he could be trusted.

"It's… it's complicated. In short, some stuff happened right before me and my brother were born that destroyed our family and separated us from each other."

Biggs thought it over a moment then nodded his approval. "I understand. If there's anything I can do to help Luke though, I'll be there."

"Thank you. By the way, what's Uncle Owen like?" Leia asked. "How has he been in terms of a guardian to Luke?"

"A massive jerk," Biggs flat out stated. Didn't bother to even take a moment to think it over. "Constantly scolds you brother for minor things like not adjusting a gear tight enough or getting home less than a minute after curfew, or even when he hasn't done anything wrong. Luke's had a few occasions when he found missing items in mere seconds, and Owen insisted that he hid them on purpose. He never supports Luke's dreams of being a pilot. Is obsessed with having Luke take over as owner of his farm, despite his protests, stating out loud that he doesn't want to be a farmer. Heck last night after Luke's little crash, Owen wasn't even concerned if he was injured, or afterwards when your brother revealed that he'd been having bad dreams the last few days. Instead, he turned it into another one of his lectures about Luke needing to become a farmer like him and give up his ideas of flying. For Hutt's sake, you think he'd show more concern for the boy he raised from infancy over that dam farm."

Leia couldn't help grinding her teeth upon hearing what kind of life her brother had been living. She already felt guilty that she got to grow up as a princess on such a beautiful planet like Alderaan while her twin was sent to a harsh desert world with little money and privileges. Now it only felt worse as she learned about how cruel one of his guardians was treating him. Did her adoptive father know about the life Luke was living, did he ever consider helping him? Could it not have been possible to have adopted Luke when he took her in, instead of giving one twin a good happy life while the other suffered a miserable childhood? "I can't believe it," she said.

"Well, you better because that's how it is. Honestly, I think Owen's a jerk, and Luke deserves better, same with his wife Beru. Bet if she tried, she could find a partner that shows more compassion in a single day than Owen's ever done in his entire life."

"What is she like?"

"The complete opposite of Owen. She's kind, cares greatly about Luke and has stood by him whenever he and Owen fight. She supports Luke's dreams and shows compassion whenever he's in trouble. One time Luke got dust fever after getting caught in a sandstorm and Beru spent the next few days by his side nursing him back to health, only leaving when absolutely needed and for very short amounts of time."

That brought some comfort to Leia knowing that Luke had an aunt who loved him. "Well at least he has someone who cares about him," she admitted.

"Yeah, I know. I always hoped his uncle would eventually see Luke differently, but as the years went by that hope shrivelled up and died. Kinda like a plant from a lush jungle world facing Tatooine's unforgiving suns day and night. Maybe you can help Luke break free of your guys' uncle's grasp and get him off this rock so that he can fulfill his dreams."

That was something Leia was more than ever determined to do. "I'd be glad to help my brother out," Leia stated. "Upon arriving on this planet one of the things I planned to do after reuniting with my brother was to take him offworld, show him the galaxy. I've spent the first seventeen years of my life without my brother in it and I don't plan to let him slip away from me now."

Biggs smiled when he heard this. Having only met her not too long ago, and he could already tell that Leia cared for her brother deeply. He really hoped she could be Luke's ticket off Tatooine. If the Imperial academy didn't take him, then the only other way would be for him to run away.

"Good to know. We're coming up on the Lars homestead," Biggs said as a small dome came into their sights. "Heads up most of the compound is located below a large pit. The only thing you'll see up top is an array of moisture vaporators surrounding the area and a dome that leads to the rest of the home. If we come across Beru and Owen before Luke, let me do the talking," Biggs advised. "Most folks around here wouldn't believe it if some wealthy-looking girl showed up out of nowhere claiming to be their long-lost relative."

"Yeah I understand," Leia replied.

Reaching the dome, Biggs parked his speeder. As he was helping Leia get R2 off the speeder, an older woman came out of the dome and headed towards them.

"Biggs, what a surprise," the woman, who Leia figured was Beru Lars, greeted Biggs. "You're just in time for dinner."

"Hey Beru," Biggs greeted. "Leia this is Beru Lars, Luke's aunt. Beru allow me to introduce you to Leia, and her droid, R2-D2."

"Greetings," Leia responded, while R2 whistled his own little greeting.

"It's nice to meet you too," Beru said, understanding R2's binary language.

"Is Luke here?" Leia asked.

Beru froze when she heard this, though Leia couldn't blame her. A stranger she'd just met a second ago suddenly asking about her nephew, that's weird, but Leia couldn't help herself; she was finally here and she could feel her brother within reach.

Beru quickly regained her composure and turned towards Biggs, still looking confused.

"It's alright you can trust her," Biggs said, reading the older woman.

"Very well," she then returned her attention towards Leia. "Yes, Luke's downstairs in the garage."

"May I see him?"

Again, Beru appeared suspicious and turned towards Biggs for assurance, which he gave with a simple nod of the head.

"Of course, right this way," she said motioning Leia to follow her into the dome.

Leia couldn't help feel goosebumps as she headed into the farm. At last, after so long she was about to meet her long-lost twin brother.

Despite all the bantha shit Luke went through in his life, two things in the galaxy managed to settle his mind and bring him peace, flying and fixing machines. When he flew, it was like all his problems were far away from him and he was the one in control of his life, not his uncle. With machines, you could tinker with them and fix them up so that they were good as new, even modify them so that they wouldn't break as they did previously. They both gave Luke a sense of peace. Which Luke felt right now as he worked away at repairing his damaged T16-Skyhopper in his family farm's garage.

Some say real life was like a machine, though Luke could never see this. No matter how many times he tried, he could never put the pieces together that were his life to create the future he dreamed about so much. The same could be said in terms of upgrading his uncles' opinion to make him see that he wasn't meant to be a farmer like him, that he was destined for the stars. Nor could he convince Owen to tell him more about his father, Anakin Skywalker. If he did, then maybe he could figure these dreams he'd been having and put a stop to them.

"Luke?" his aunt called out, snapping him out of his train of thought.

"In here Aunt Beru," Luke called back. Standing up and wiping away the grease from his hands, Luke turned towards the garage entrance. expecting his aunt to be coming in. Whenever he and Owen had a massive argument, like the one that happened the previous night, Luke did his best to avoid the man at any point. He even tried to skip meals, which caused his aunt to come in herself and drag him to the dining room. But instead of his aunt walking in, Luke saw a beautiful young girl enter; one around his age, with dirty, but yet still sparkling white clothes, accompanied by a blue and white astromech droid. She held a massive smile on her face and with tears of joy coming from her sparkingly brown eyes.

Luke couldn't help feeling dazed by this beautiful girl. He'd never seen anyone like her before except for in his dreams. He didn't know what to do or say that is until the girl spoke.

"Luke Skywalker?" the girl said, starling Luke and causing him to step back.

"Yes?" he responded, not understanding what was going on.

Without another word, the girl ran straight up to Luke, shocking the farmer boy even further by extending her arms around him, locking him into a massive hug.

When she said released him, Luke was already paralyzed in shock, not knowing how to respond. Then the girl spoke again, and his confusion amplified a hundredfold. "My name is Leia Organa," she said. "I'm your twin sister."

The twin suns had set. Night had fallen on Tatooine. The only time that the planet felt natural cold air, which on this desert world was a relief to the world's occupants after countless hours of scorching heat blasting down on them. It was cold enough that fires and electric heaters were required to provide warmth at temperatures nowhere near as high as the planet itself.

One fire, in particular, had been set up by old Ben Kenobi in the middle of nowhere. He sat along, meditating as he waited for his adversary to locate him, using the force to amplify his presence like a beacon of light in the darkness. He knew this would draw Maul's attention who'd been scouring the deserts looking for him to no results. The only reason the Sith Lord hadn't located him sooner was that the Jedi Master had been using the force to conceal himself from the galaxy ever since arriving on Tatooine with baby Luke. But by opening himself to the force, Maul would find him easily. He already had.

"Look was has become of you. A rat in the desert," the Sith snickered.

Gazing up above the fire, the old Jedi Master saw the all-to-familiar presence of a creature covered in black and red tattoos, with a crown of horns on his head, surrounded by black clothing and consumed by anger and hate.

"Hello there," Kenobi greeted.

Growling in anger, Maul activated and used one of these twin blades to slash at the ground, sending sand towards the fire and extinguishing it. "After all these years, after everything you've been through, and you're still making wisecracks."

Obi-Wan didn't take the bait. Instead, he stood up, keeping his eyes and mind focused on Maul. "I like to think of it as a way of showing that I haven't given in to my emotions. That I've accepted the pain of the past and instead choose to move on; live in the present but still keep an open mind on the future. Not the what could have been, as you still do."

"Yet here you are, rotting away on a forgotten, useless desert rock. And for what? The Jedi are extinct. Your cherished Republic has been broken. The Sith now rules the entire galaxy, and the force has been consumed by the very dark side your order fought so hard to overcome."

"I offer you a chance to let go of your hate, to find yourself peace. Leave now and never return."

"And what? Leave you here to live out your remaining days festering away." Then something came to Maul. "No… there's something else. Oh, you have a purpose here. Perhaps you are protecting something. No, protecting someone." A sinister smile formed on the Sith Lord's menacing face as he said those final words.

It was then that Obi-Wan knew he could any longer avoid this fight. Reaching into his cloak he pulled out a weapon not his own that he used throughout the Clone Wars, but one that had seen countless duels in its time, yet not activated in decades preceding the wars.

Maul's eyes widened when he saw what his nemesis was holding. Though its blade hadn't even been ignited, he recognized the weapon instantly. It was the one used by the Jedi Master he'd killed a long time ago in front of said Master's own student. Was the same weapon that the apprentice had used to rob him of his legs, ruining his life and sending him down the maddening path of failure he'd been living in for decades.

Obi-Wan could sense Maul's rising anger at the sight of the weapon before he activated its green blade. "I've kept this relic safe in the Jedi Temple since Naboo. When the purge began, I retrieved it after going back to stop surviving Jedi from falling into a terrible trap," Obi-Wan explained. "I don't want to have to use this on you, but if you don't leave now, I shall be forced to do so."

Maul did not appear to back down. Instead, he bents his mechanical knees, angling his blades, his yellow eyes glowing brighter now more than ever as he focused on his opponent, ready to strike. "This. Ends. Now!"

With all chances of avoiding conflict gone, Obi-Wan raised his blade in a Soresu stance, with the blade pointing straight at Maul but then adjusted it again, switching it over so that the sabre positioned on his right and pointed up at the sky a stance belonging to the traditional fourth fighting style in lightsaber combat. It was the same fighting style used by Kenobi's deceased master during his own duel with the Sith back on Naboo years ago; which Maul recognized.

The two stood their grounds, each in silence as they waited for the other to make the first move, the only sound coming from the hum of their respective weapons. Then, spinning his lightsaber in circles, Maul jumped over the firepit, slashing his blades right and left at Kenobi who switched into defensive mode, blocking both the Sith's attacks, pushing his opponent back. In response Maul made a counter-attack, lunging towards Kenobi, aiming the handle of his lightsaber at Jedi's face, a tactic that had allowed him to kill his opponent's master years ago. Kenobi, however, wasn't cut off guard as his Master Qui-Gon Jinn had been. With his master's blade, Kenobi made a downwards lash, slicing Maul's handle in half, simultaneously cutting through Maul's torso in the process.

The determination on Maul's face faded instantly as his blades deactivated and body collapsed, which was caught by Obi-Wan who'd already deactivated his own weapon.

With his life force draining from his body as his spirit began to drift into the netherworld of the force, Maul used his last bits of energy to ask an important question. "Tell me… is he the chosen one?"

"He is," Obi-Wan nodded.

"He… he will… avenge us…" Maul's said before his body, at last, embraced what he'd resisted for so long, death.

Obi-Wan sighed in pity for his old adversary. Even in his dying moments, revenge was all the old darksider could think of. It was a sad thing to see someone die like this. To spend all their life focused on taking another man's life, under the belief that it would settle scores, and make everything better. Even if he'd done terrible things to him, Obi-Wan felt regret for Maul. The Jedi then used his fingers to close the dead Sith's eyelids, allowing him to finally rest. Afterwards, he placed Maul atop the campfire's remains then restarted the fire, allowing Maul's body to rejoin the force.

As he sat by the burning corpse, meditating as he'd done before Maul's arrival, the old Jedi Master felt another presence he had not felt in a long time. Though, unlike Maul, Kenobi felt this belonged to that of an old friend; one who'd come on a mission of preservation, not vengeance.

"Hello, Rex," Kenobi greeted, not moving from his position by the fire.

"Master Kenobi, it's been a while," Rex responded from behind the former general.

To be continued…

Well, this one was not an easy chapter to create, specifically the duel between Kenobi and Maul. Had to do some extra research and reading of their duel in rebels on the Wookieepedia page. Hope you all enjoyed it. Please feel free to continue following, favouriting, and reviewing this fanfic. I'm always curious to hear your guy's opinions.