By comparison, getting out was relatively straightforward, so far.

Getting in was ridiculously easy and Leia thought this was better than when they were trying to escape from the Inquisiting Place. No one ever came close to seeing her when she'd snuck in after Anakin. Seemed like a sloppy operation, if anyone was asking her. Which they weren't.

"Now's the perfect time to get out." Anakin was saying as he strolled quickly through the hall, cleaning a bit of blood off his face as though it were just a smudge of dirt. "Hondo's men are in total chaos. There's a mutiny underway."

"Oh, that doesn't surprise me in the slightest." Ben snorted as they made their way to where he thought Tala and the other's were being held.

Trotting along just behind Anakin and Ben, Leia puffed as she resisted the desire to remind them she had shorter legs. She didn't want them to remember she wasn't even supposed to be there. Still. For two men who'd just gotten themselves beat up and were in terrible shape to begin with, they were moving fast.

As if hearing her, Anakin threw yet another glance over his shoulder at her and his stride slowed so that she was nearly on his heels. She got the impression he wanted her within arms reach.

Guilt flickered in her chest at the gesture and Leia set her mouth in a straight line. While he'd softened Ben's scolding, she could tell he still wasn't happy with her for not staying on the ship. It bothered her, which was surprising. Leia was used to being in trouble and not worrying too much about it. The only people she hated disappointing were her parents. Why should she care so much what Anakin thought of her anyway?

"Leia. Stay close," Ben's hand was reaching back for her now as they slowed even more, nearing the next turn. Leia forced her feet to move a little quicker so she could reach Ben, letting him tug her so she was neatly between the two jedi as they moved.

They rounded another corner and came face to face with two more huge pirates. Ben's hand released her own instantly, his body moving to block her from view as he disarmed the pirate.

Leia shifted back a step and watched with big eyes as Anakin and Ben moved in unison, attacking the men and knocking them out almost instantly with a few strikes.

A shiver of healthy fear ran through her upon seeing how easily they did that and it was not for the first time since meeting Ben. She was glad there was no doubt now they were on her side. They fought without hesitation, and could kill in the blink of an eye. If this was them injured, Leia was almost afraid to see what they could do when they weren't, or if they weren't the good guys.

Unbidden the images of Vader and the Inquisitors rose in her mind and Leia tried not to gulp for air.

"Leia?"

Her eyes snapped up from where they'd been staring at the pirates on the floor and a flush rose in her cheeks when she realized they'd caught her stricken face.

Anakin automatically took a step away from her, his color turning grey as he avoided her gaze about as much as she was avoiding his. He busied himself with salvaging one of the pirates articles of clothing to cover his face with and stole his weapon.

Ben edged towards her, his expression so soft and gentle that Leia thought she might cry. Instead she managed a brave nod as she reached for his outstretched hand again.

"Come," Ben said softly. "It's alright. We'll keep you safe."

"I know." Leia answered, her voice smaller than she would have liked. The days were catching up to her. She needed to rally. Forcing confidence to the surface, she set her face and marched forward, practically dragging Ben with her. "Let's go! The other's should be close!"

"Leia! Wait!" Ben was reaching forwards already, grabbing her by the shoulders and lifting her to the side just as the bay doors at the end of the hall opened. His body curled around her as blaster bolts streaked past where they'd just been standing. At the same time, Leia could see Anakin throwing out his hands just behind them. Leia felt a weird swell in the air around them and the doors began to close again.

A body somersaulted through the doors just before they slammed shut and seconds later a Weequay pirate was on his feet, dusting himself off as he glared at the door.

"Those traitors!" He raged, pointing a blaster the direction he'd come. "After all I have done for them, this is how they repay me?!"

"Trouble, Hondo?" Ben relaxed and while he was still blocking Leia from view, his tone now held the driest sarcasm Leia had ever heard.

"Ah! Kenobi! I see you have escaped! Excellent! And with Skywalker no less! Now that is a good sight! I am pleased to see you!"

Ben swung round, "Anakin! I told you to-"

Anakin was already gesturing to his covered face with an air of annoyance, not saying a word.

"How did you know it was him?" Leia asked, curiosity making her forget she was in disgrace and not supposed to be on this adventure at all. She almost instantly regretted speaking because both Jedi tensed when Hondo tilted his head, peering around Ben to see her.

He smiled, cunning and calculating as he studied her. "Skywalker? Oh, Ho! I would never forget that gangly, hulking, cranky presence. It always shadows Kenobi! And who might you be?"

"This is Luma," Ben said before Leia had a chance to answer. "We're taking her home to her parents."

"Ah," Hondo threw his hands in the air as he strolled towards them and bent over, resting his blaster on his knee so he was level with Leia's face.

Ben and Anakin grew still, danger rolling off both in thick waves that nearly made Leia's stomach clench.

"Of course. Always so noble, you Jedi," Hondo said thoughtfully, "And a lucky lady indeed to have such protectors, eh? Am I right, Luma? You must be special to have them both ready to shoot me where I stand just for speaking to you. And you're too regal and dignified to be just any little girl. A youngling? Child of a Jedi? A child of a leader, perhaps? What? Oh, don't look so surprised! I'm very good at judging these things."

"Leave it alone, Hondo." Ben's voice was cold now with a warning.

"So distrusting, Kenobi." Hondo tsked, shaking his head. "I have no ill intentions towards your little friend here, or towards you."

"Oh really."

"Yes! And just to prove it, I'll give you this back and show you which cells your friends are in."

The pirate dragged an object from his coat and tossed Ben's lightsaber to him as he hurried to one of the cell doors, keying in a code and stepping back to reveal Tala, Sully and Roken on the other side of the door.

"Ben! What's going on!?" Tala asked, moving around the pirate warily, ready to strike if need be.

"A rescue." Ben said drily, relief flooding his face upon seeing the three unharmed.

"We better get out of here fast." Hondo said, already going the way they'd come. "Come. I'll show you to the hangar and we can get off this rock. Your ship should be mostly fixed by now!"

"We?" Ben asked slowly as he ushered Leia into the care of Tala.

Leia grinned up at the woman who knew better than to ask why she was there, admiring the way she lost no time finding a weapon. On her other side she felt Anakin's shadow fall over her. He was silent and harder to read now with his face covered. He'd wrapped the black material around in a fashion that could have kept a sand storm out if needed. Only the eyes were visible. They were fixed on Hondo and his muscles were tight as he hovered near her. Leia wondered what kind of history the three had to make Anakin so on edge. The pirate was cunning, of course, but Leia didn't feel malice from him. Not yet anyway.

Hondo laughed, spinning carelessly as he pointed at Ben. "You are too funny, Kenobi. You know you owe it to me to take me along with you."

"What! I? I owe it to you?!" Ben practically spluttered, which was a new tone for Leia to witness from him. "Who took who captive, Hondo?!"

"Exactly! My men wanted to kill you all! I stopped them! You owe me your lives!"

"We aren't taking you with us. We can't risk it."

"You don't trust me!?"

"What sort of question is that? Of course I don't trust you!" Ben snapped.

"I'm helping you escape, I kept you alive, and now I'm on the run from my own men! This is how you repay me? Is this the sort of example you want to set for your child, Kenobi?"

Ben froze as Hondo pointed to Leia.

"My what? She's not my daughter. You leave her out of this!"

"Hah! She's not your daughter, no, but she may as well be." Hondo's eyes gleamed with triumph as they flicked between Anakin and Ben. "I'll figure out who she is eventually."

"There's a small flight pod hidden in the east woods. You can take it to whatever sewer you want and consider yourself in my debt, Hondo." Anakin growled, finally speaking. "And if you don't forget that you ever met this child, or if you breathe a word about meeting any of us-"

"Me? Tell anyone about you? Never!" Hondo held a hand to his chest as though offended. "But we could say that my silence might cover the debt I owe you, Skywalker."

Leia watched as the aura around Anakin darkened and she held her breath, heart quickening. He'd stepped in front of her, putting himself between her and the pirate. Everything about him screamed danger as he stared at Hondo. Everyone grew still and even Hondo had the sense to sweat a little.

"Now, there's no need to get all excited. Perhaps my silence would cover some of the debt. My men want me dead, after all, and the ship is a significant favor..." Hondo said as lightly as possible, though his fingers were closing around his blaster defensively.

"Oh, you'll stay quiet and you'll still owe me the full debt." Anakin told him with deceptive quiet.

Leia shivered again as cold intimidation seemed to press in around her and her stomach started to turn. She glanced at Ben. The other jedi was staring coldly at the pirate as well, his own posture radiating the truth that this man had come to the end of his luck.

"All of this just because I mentioned the girl…"

"Hondo…" Ben warned again, his teeth grit together.

"Don't you all think you had better argue about this later?" Tala asked, utterly exasperated and seemingly unaffected by the whole thing. "We need to get out of here!"

"Of course!" Hondo threw his hand to his face. "How could I forget! This little mystery has me distracted. This way!"

Just like that the weight lifted, warmth seemed to wrap around Leia from the inside out and Anakin felt normal again. He still hovered just to her left, his arm reaching out every so often to ghost just behind her shoulders as though he wanted to make contact to reassure himself she was still there but wouldn't let himself.

The whole thing only confirmed what Leia already suspected. Ben and Anakin both knew who her birth parents were. Ben knew them, and cared about them, but Anakin? The man knew a great deal more than he let on.

Escaping from Antal ended up being without major incident.

Hondo, in a fit of unexpected honor and scheme to have Obi-Wan owe him a favor, drew the attention of his men, drawing them away and providing the distraction they needed to retake their ship. They were into the sky before the pirates knew what happened and on their way to Jabiim.

Obi-Wan should have been relieved, however he had to admit there was a residual dread. He hated the idea of owing Hondo anything, let alone a favor.

"I'd say chances are you won't cross paths with the scoundrel again, but past experience tells me not to believe in false hope." Anakin told him as he sank into the seat next to him.

"I fear you're right." Obi-Wan sighed, rubbing his neck gingerly. "How's the ship?"

"Pirates didn't do a terrible job, but there are some issues that will need work. Nothing major yet. I'm worried about the hyperdrive. It needed an overhaul years ago."

"Well, perhaps you can volunteer your time later." Obi-Wan answered, amusement coloring his words. It seemed silly that such a little thing like Anakin's quirk of hating when ships were not functioning at their peak capacity would make him so happy.

"Perhaps." Anakin closed his eyes and seemed to rest, although with their training bond reopened and Anakin's willingness to let his guard down around him, Obi-Wan could tell his old padawan's attention was on Leia.

"She's got a lot of her parents in her." He commented, enjoying the irritation that flickered around Anakin and carefully gauging his mood.

"Too much." Anakin grumbled, opening an eye to peer at her as she spoke animatedly with Tala. "I should have known she would follow me."

"Lesson learned. She's got more sense than you ever did, if that makes you feel better."

Anakin smirked and settled back comfortably. "Yes. It does. What about the other one?"

Obi-Wan hesitated, debating with himself before finally letting go.

"His name is Luke. He's a good, kind, imaginative boy who seems to be enjoying his childhood."

A pained smile stretched across Anakin's face and he swallowed thickly. "Luke. It's a good name. Where is he?"

Obi-Wan could feel the shaking grief and pain beneath Anakin's calm exterior.

"Don't be upset with me…"

That got his attention and Anakin straightened.

"Where is he…"

"I know how you feel about the place-"

A growl rumbled through Anakin's chest and he turned to Obi-Wan, blue eyes pleading for him to be lying. "You didn't. You took him there?! It's not safe there, Obi-Wan! Who did you even leave him with!? What sort of life is that for him!? It's a planet full of the worst scum and slavers!"

"Keep your voice down. He's with Owen and Beru Lars." Obi-Wan told him quietly, casting a warning look as Anakin's outburst had drawn Leia's attention. "They're the only family he had left, Anakin! And I'll have you know they love him as if he were their own. They won't even let me near him for fear of him getting caught up in the horrors of being force sensitive in this galaxy."

The other man grew quiet as he studied him with a steely gaze. He softened after a moment of realization.

"You've been watching over him. That's why you've aged so poorly. The desert will do that."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Well, the planet's not forgiving, and I haven't slept properly in years. And yes. Leia had a life that afforded her a great many protections that Luke did not. I had to stay with him. I also figured it would be the last place you, or rather Vader, would set foot on."

"True." There was a long silence before Anakin asked, "Is he happy?"

"I think so, yes."

"Good." Anakin closed his eyes again and leaned back, exhausted. The air around him grew heavy as he tucked his chin down into the imperial coat he still wore and crossed his arms. "At least there's that. I still hate that he's on Tattonine."

Roken's voice came over the speakers before Obi-Wan could reply.

"We're approaching Jabiim. Better strap in. It can be a bumpy entry."

As they landed, Obi-Wan could make out the figures of a group waiting for them and he sensed nervous apprehension as the group resounded with a silent prayer. So many people, all fleeing the Empire. He felt a kinship to them that he hadn't experienced in a long while.

"They're worried about Leia." Anakin said softly, gazing out the window next to him as Leia scrambled across the deck and grabbed her green coat, oblivious for once to the world around her. "They're good people…I hope we haven't brought them too much trouble."

Hearing the hint of protectiveness in Anakin's words, Obi-Wan smiled a little. This was the man he knew. This was the selfless, kind and loyal Jedi who risked his life to keep others safe.

"We'll be in and out soon enough. Leia needs to go home."

"Right." Anakin looked away as though stung by the thought. "Do…do you think anyone will recognize me? I mean, there's no one out here who saw Vader in the temple? I don't want there to be a misunderstanding, or traumatize someone."

The thought had occurred to Obi-Wan. Along with many others.

"Listen, everyone," Obi-Wan caught all their attention as he crossed his arms. "Before we go out there, I need to make sure we all understand that Anakin cannot be recognized. He's too valuable to the Empire if they discover he's alive. With the flooding and damage done to the lower levels of the Fortress, we're hoping the Empire thinks he's been lost for good. It needs to stay that way."

"That's going to be hard to accomplish." Roken sighed. "Even Sully has vague memories about seeing the Hero Without Fear on the Holonet."

Anakin grimaced, rubbing at the new stubble growing on his face. "I really hate that title."

"He's right though." Obi-Wan said, sympathetic of his dislike for the grandiose title. "You'll need to keep your face hidden. Even some might remember your voice, so speak as little as possible. And you'll need a new name."

"What about Ani?" Anakin suggested softly as he turned his makeshift face cover over in his hands.

"No." Obi-Wan shook his head. "Someone might even recognize that. People from the old days. Vader especially would know that name."

"What about Orden?" Leia piped up as she hopped off her seat and came to stand next to Anakin. They all took a moment to look at her. "What? It's a nice name!"

Obi-Wan looked questioningly at Anakin who was giving Leia the gentlest of smiles. The irony of Leia's name choice was not lost on him even if Anakin had no idea. He would have to tell him later about their cover story about being farmers from Tawl.

"Orden is an excellent name, Leia. Thank you." Anakin told Leia, earning a bright smile from her.

"Alright. So we're all agreed?" Tala asked, glancing at the others for confirmation. "The name Anakin Skywalker stays behind. He was never here. This is Orden, an enemy of the Empire that we also rescued along with Leia? Someone Ben knows and therefore we can all trust?"

Roken and Sully nodded in agreement.

"Why does Orden have his face covered all the time?" Leia asked as they walked to the ramp. "Does he have a skin condition? Scars? Where is he from? What did he do to make the Empire so mad?"

Anakin chuckled as they headed to the doors and he re-wrapped his head. "I'll let you figure those details out, princess."

Behind them, Obi-Wan winced again at the irony of the words.

The child was too smart for her own good. She would undoubtedly figure out certain details, but they would be details that could put her in danger.