Chapter 20: The Parents
"No!" Leia screamed. "I want my real mommy and daddy!"
She ran from the bedroom she shared with Luke, leaving her brother and mother behind. Her other mother. Not her real one. Her real mother braided Leia's hair the proper and correct way and told her stories about Alderaan. She missed her real mother so much. And her real father.
She ran into the living area and glanced around wildly. There were no good places to hide in there. There were only two couches and a bookshelf. She wanted to be alone, so she kept running into her fake parents' bedroom. This room was also very empty. She glanced at the two doors to her right. She jogged over to the closet and keyed the door panel. She rushed into the closet and wove herself into the many long dresses and clothes. Once she felt she was hidden enough, she sunk to the floor and brought her knees to her chest.
Hot tears flooded down her face. She didn't want to live on this ship any more. She wanted to go home. To Alderaan. But that stupid man wouldn't let her. Her so-called father. He was nothing like her papa. Leia knew that her father was the Emperor. Her birth father. The stupid father she now had to live with. That had taken her away from her family. She was just so tired of having to be nice to him and to everyone.
Leia heard the door to the closet open and she stiffened. Soft footsteps were heard and soon clothes were being pushed back. Small hands pulled open the dresses Leia was hiding in. Luke looked sadly down at his sister. He didn't say anything. Instead he sat down next to her.
"It's not ok," Leia snapped at him. Luke looked over at her questioningly. "I know that's what you're going to say. It's going to be ok. But it's not!"
Quiet fell between the two. Leia just wrapped her arms around her knees and squeezed them. Luke put a hand on Leia's arm. She looked over at her brother's blue eyes. The same blue eyes as that guy. Unlike Leia, Luke seemed to love his new family. Leia could feel it. Luke loved his new mother and father. But then again Luke didn't have a mother or father before. Just some aunt or uncle. Luke didn't really understand what Leia was going through.
"Aunt Beru is on this big ship," Luke said quietly. Leia had not been expecting Luke to say that. "I asked Father if I could see her. I miss her. I wanted to tell her all about my new home. But . . . Father wouldn't let me."
"Hmph. Of course," Leia mumbled.
"Father said it was because Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen were helping some very bad man that wanted to take me and you and Mother away from Father," Luke explained.
"Good," Leia said. "I hope someone does take me away from him." Leia could sense Luke was uncomfortable. But as Leia thought about Luke's words, questions started to form. She turned to her brother. "Do you have nightmares about your aunt and uncle?"
"No," Luke said.
"Then how do you know they're here?" Leia asked.
"Because I feel them?"
Leia looked at her brother. "What does that mean?"
"Well if I think about my aunt really really hard and close my eyes, I can feel she is on this ship. Like I can feel you."
"That sounds silly."
"It's not silly!" Luke said. "It's just as silly as your stupid nightmares!"
"My nightmares aren't stupid!"
"Neither are my feelings!" The tension was high between the twins. Neither of them spoke for a while. Both too mad and too proud, but it was Luke who finally spoke. "Maybe you could try? To feel your parents? Like I feel my aunt?"
Leia gave her brother a long look. Finally she nodded. Luke walked her through it. He told her to close her eyes and think really hard about her parents. She felt like she had done this before plenty of times. She closed her eyes and thought about Alderaan and her parents, but she had never felt anything. But she followed Luke's words. She scrunched up her eyes and thought really hard about mama and papa. Through the blackness she slowly became aware of something. A familiar warmth.
Mama! Papa! Leia realized. It was just as Luke had said. She could feel them. They were close. Here on this ship. She just somehow knew that! She opened her eyes.
"I felt them! Luke! I felt them! They're on this ship too! I just know it!"
Luke beamed at his sister, excited with her success. "I knew you could do it!"
"I can go to them! I can be with my real family!"
Luke's face fell immediately and Leia felt guilty. She did like Luke. She didn't have any siblings back on Alderaan. She would be sad to leave Luke behind. Luke took a deep breath and then looked over at his sister with sad smile.
"Ok," Luke said. "Let's get you to your real family."
"Luke . . ."
"Which direction were they?" Luke said ignoring her. Leia paused and simply pointed down and to her left. "Hmm," Luke said. "You know that's the same direction my aunt and uncle are."
"Do you think they're together?"
"They might be!" Luke said excited.
"How do we get there?"
"We can take the big turbolift! Father took me on it when he took me flying!"
"But how do we get to the turbolift?"
"You go through the door by the kitchen!" But then Luke got quiet as he looked away. "But then there are those scary red guys."
"Scary red guys?"
Luke explained to Leia what he had seen on his way back from the hangar. It was a shame Luke had fallen asleep on the way there, but at least one of them had been beyond the rooms they lived in. Yet it sounded easy enough. All they had to do was go through the two doors out by the kitchen. Go down the hallway. Somehow get past the scary red guys, and get on the big turbolift. That would take them down to where Leia's parents were. They made their plans.
That night Leia laid awake. She and Luke had pretended to fall asleep after Mother put them to bed. Luckily Father was gone. Leia waited until she heard the soft sounds of the cleaning droids. She had learned they came late night due to waking up so many times due to her nightmares. She got her brother and the two slipped on some shoes and carefully walked out of their room.
Two human shaped droids were cleaning the kitchen. A large hovercart sat next to the kitchen door. Leia looked at the cart and back at Luke and nodded. The two without saying a word snuck up to the cart. Leia slid open a door at the bottom open. Inside were folded towels. Leia wiggled her way in and Luke followed. Then Luke slowly shut the door.
When they heard the droids come closer and the cart start to move, Leia just squeezed her eyes shut and tried to be as still as possible. Please don't find us. Please don't find us, Leia repeated to herself. The cart seemed to move then stop. Then move. Then stop. Then it moved for a long time. Leia wondered how far away they were. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her parents. She was getting closer. Her heart pounded in her chest. She was going to be with them again!
"Leia," Luke whispered. "We're in the big turbolift."
She nodded and he slid the door open in the cart. The two cleaning droids stood facing the lift doors. Their backs were to the cart. Luke as quietly as he could crawled out of the cart. Then Leia did the same thing. The droids never turned around. Then they both crept behind the cart.
The lift stopped, the two droids left with the cart following behind them. The twins stayed. The doors closed silently. The two shared a victorious smile. They had done it! Luke closed his eyes. Leia knew he was trying to feel where his aunt was.
"They're down lower," Luke said. Leia nodded. Her parents were down lower too. Leia walked over to the large panel of the lift. She clicked a button she could reach and the lift started down again. It took them a few tries to actually get to the right floor. Leia had to fight back her excitement. She was so close to her mama and papa! She could go home soon!
They slowly made their way through a few hallways. There were stormtroopers walking around here. Each time they came close, Luke and Leia would duck into another hallway or hide behind a small wall. Please don't see us, Leia would repeat in her head. Surprisingly the troopers never did. They didn't seem to look down.
They finally came to a set of big double doors. This was it. They were so close. Leia was gripping her brother's hand so tight. They two hesitantly walked up to the doors. They slid open.
"What is that?"
Both twins' heads snapped up. A large desk sat inside the two big doors. A man in a gray uniform had his hands on the desk as he leaned over to take a good look at the children.
"Children, sir?"
Two white stormtrooper stood on either side of the desk.
"Who are you? How did you get here?"
No, Leia thought. They were so close. She could feel it. One of the stormtroopers started to approach the children cautiously. Without another word Leia ran pulling Luke with her. She was so close! She could hear the troopers chasing them. But she getting closer. She was almost there. Then finally she felt it. The door her father was behind. She ran up to it and pounded her little fist on the door panel, but nothing happened. She jumped at it again and again.
"Papa!" she shouted. "Papa!"
"Leia!" Luke shouted.
She turned just in time to see the stormtrooper lean over and grab her. She screamed and kicked. The trooper's grip loosened a few times, but he always seem to regrab Leia. Leia fought. She pushed and pulled and kicked and hit.
"Throw her in here," one trooper said. Then Leia was thrown into a small dark room with Luke. The man in the gray uniform walked in with the troopers and the door shut.
"Now," the man in the uniform said. "Who are you?"
"I'm Leia Organa," Leia said standing straight and tall. "Princess of Alderaan. I demand you take me to my father. He's right over there." She pointed through the wall to where she knew her father was.
"Organa?" the uniform asked. He glanced over at the two troopers. "And you boy?" The uniform man asked Luke, but Luke didn't answer. "How did you two get on a star destroyer?" Neither child spoke up. "Alright then," the uniform said. "You two just stay here."
Then they all left leaving Luke and Leia alone in the small room. It was not a comfortable room. The floors were made of metal grates. A long bench ran across the back of the room. Luke climbed up and sat on it. Leia wasn't ready to just sit down. She ran to the door. There were no door panels. She kicked the door. Pounded on the door. She screamed and then called out for her mama and papa. Surely they would hear her. They were so close!
But the door didn't open. Tears filled Leia's eyes. It wasn't fair! She was so close! She stomped over to the bench and climbed up next to Luke.
"I'm sorry Leia," Luke said sadly. "My aunt and uncle are here too. They're in this hallwa-" Luke suddenly stopped talking and snapped his head to the right.
"Luke?" But then Leia felt it as well. The room was getting colder. It felt like there was something in the room with them. It started from the floor and then seem to slowly wrap around them until it completely cocooned them. It was oppressive and possessive.
"Fa-father," Luke said. "He's coming here. He's angry"
Luke was wide eyed. Leia frowned. She wondered how Luke knew that, but then she realized Luke must have felt him. She didn't think she could feel out that man. She closed her eyes and thought of the Emperor. She found him far quicker than she had her parents. The Emperor, her birth father, was much different in feeling as well. He was big and bright and angry. Very angry. And he was getting closer. Very close.
She scooted closer to Luke to where they were touching. Luke wrapped his arm around her and Leia did the same. The two hugged each other. That's how they were when the door slid open and their father walked in. He was dressed like the first time Leia had seen him. He was wearing all black with a black cloak. A metal stick was clipped to his belt. Leia realized he really looked like the Emperor. The one she had seen in the holonews back on Alderaan. He looked nothing like the man she had gotten used to seeing in their rooms with their mother.
The most striking difference was his eyes. His eyes weren't blue. His eyes were yellow. A deep burning yellow.