Chapter 29: The Space Station

Leia watched as the door closed and heard the soft click of the lock. Papa and Mr. Kenobi had left Luke and her alone in the apartment. They had left the damp Sump base a few days ago. There had been a long flight in a small spaceship until they reached this huge space station.

It looked like a floating castle. Or a cake. Or a floating castle space station cake. The whole thing was round and had different tiers. The top part appeared to be that of a city with towering and large buildings. The middle section was just a bunch of lights and viewports. The bottom part was big and open, which allowed really big ships to dock there. It was shaped like a hexagon. (Leia was a really smart girl. She had already learned her shapes.) About three big ships could fit in there. There was one large ship there already. It was one of those white pointy ships that she had been on when she was with her birth mother and father.

Leia had hoped that when they left Sump that the new place would be nice with grass. But it wasn't nice. It wasn't as wet as Sump had been, but the place they were staying in was small and brown and dirty. Everything was dirty. The furniture was torn and ragged. The walls had peeling paint. Even Leia's clothes were dirty looking though Papa promised they were clean. Papa said they needed to 'blend in' and 'stay hidden.'

Papa and had changed how they looked. Mr. Kenobi had shaved all of his hair off. He had no beard or hair on his head. He looked really funny. He didn't wear his soft robes anymore either. Instead he wore plastoid armor and leather. Papa had also shaved off his beard, but luckily not his hair. She thought he already looked funny enough without the beard. Papa had always had a beard. But he had also changed the color of his to blond. It was darker than Luke's hair, but still much brighter than his brown hair from before.

With Papa and Mr. Kenobi gone, it was now just Luke and Leia. Luke sighed and sat back on the floor of the small dirty living room next to his toys. He didn't seem like he was in the mood to play with Leia. She debated on what she could do. She could work on her lessons Papa had given her or read a book.

That was when she felt the soft breeze in her hair. She whipped her head around, but there was no wind. The apartment had windows but they looked out to space and couldn't open. The door was still locked and closed. And yet she felt a soft touch in her hair. It almost felt like someone was gently stroking her hair. She had felt this same strange sensation when they came out of hyperspace right outside the space station. But like back then, there was no one around her and no wind. It was odd.

Shaking her head she crawled up on the threadbare couch where her datapad was. She brought up one of her math lessons, but found she really wasn't paying attention.

"Leia?" Luke asked.

She looked up to see her brother staring at her. She was about to ask what he wanted when she felt something. It started low inside of her and started to rise rather fast. Her heart started to beat really fast. Something in her ear seemed to whisper, 'Danger.' She looked around and noticed Luke was doing the same. He felt it too.

She slid off the couch and walked over to him. The two grabbed hands and continued to look around the room. There was nothing there, but yet the bad feeling didn't go away. That was when they heard the soft sounds on the other side of the door. They both heard it. They both squeezed their hands tighter. The sounds didn't stop. Slowly the two approached the door so they could hear better.

Yes, there was someone on the other side of the door. Leia tugged on Luke's hand. They should go hide. She didn't think this was Papa or Mr. Kenobi coming back. The soft sound of the door unlocking was heard. Luke pulled Leia under the small table that sat right next to the door. They both curled themselves up to be as small and tight as possible. The door slid open. After a short pause Leia saw two thin legs with tall boots walk into the room. Shortly after two very mechanical legs of a droid walked in. Leia barely got a look of a woman and a droid walking into the room, before Luke tugged at her. He pulled her out from under the table and out the door.

The door of the apartment slid close with a soft swoosh. The two just stood there half expecting it to open back up and the woman and the droid to come out. But nothing happened. So hand and hand they trotted down the hall to the turbolift. Leia pulled at her itchy clothes. Like Luke's, they were brown and gray. Luke kept glancing over his shoulder to the door of their apartment. The door was still close. The woman and the droid were still inside.

The turbolift doors open and closed with the twins inside. They rode down to the lobby. This was only their second time in the lobby. The only other time before was when they first arrived at the space station. They exited the lift and walked across the silent lobby. It was small and filled with mismatched chairs. Some of which were broken. No one else was there, and so the children were able to exit the building with no problems.

As they walked down the small alleyway towards the bigger road, Leia felt that strange feeling again. The breeze was back. But this time it wasn't as soft or gentle. 'Stop!' The air seemed to be pushing on her. Luke looked around wildly and struggled as well. The two took a step back and at once the sensation disappeared. The children shared a silent glance at the other.

Red and blue lights flashed around them as a speeder lowered itself down into the alley. A white and black humanoid droid stepped out of the speeder. The droid held a blaster in its hands as it walked up to the twins.

"Children," it said in a robotic voice. "Where are your parental units?"

Luke and Leia shared another look. What were they going to say?

"Kwenn Space Section Code 75-28.04 states that all minors under the age of ten be accompanied by an adult of maturity age," the droid rattled on. "You two are not ten. Where is your parental or caregiver unit?"

Before either child could say anything, footsteps were heard running up behind them. Leia turned to see a woman running up to them. "Officer!" she cried out. "I'm so sorry! They got away from me."

"Are you the parental or caregiver unit of these children?" the droid asked.

"Yes. I'm their babysitter," she said as she handed over a datapad to the officer. The officer looked at the datapad for just a brief glimpse before it handed the pad back to the woman. The droid gave the woman a reminder of the code, got back into his speeder with the red and blue flashing lights, and left.

Leia looked up at the woman. She was a human with dark skin and dark hair that was done in many thick braids. When she looked down at Leia, she had bright yellow-green eyes that almost seemed to glow in the darkness of the alleyway. Leia couldn't hold the woman's gaze so she looked down. That was when she noticed the thin legs and the tall boots. The very same she had seen in the apartment.

The woman moved faster than Leia could keep track. Her hands grabbed the outside arm of each twin. Leia and Luke both let out a small yelp of pain. White teeth showed as the woman smiled at the scared children. "Hello there young ones," she said in a voice that sounded sweet but it wasn't. The woman's grip was tight and it hurt. At once both children tried to pull away but the grip was too hard. It wasn't long before the sound of a speeder was heard over the small grunts and yelps of the twins. A speeder landed right next to them. A tall skinny droid exited it.

"Os-Seven," the woman said. "Help me get them in the speeder."

The droid said nothing. It had several red optical lenses on its head that pointed in different directions, but the biggest one was focused on the children. The droid grabbed both of Luke's arms and hoisted the boy up.

"No!" Luke cried.

"Luke!" Leia shouted out as the woman grabbed her.

The droid threw Luke into the backseat of the speeder. Leia was thrown on top of him. Before the twins could sort themselves out, the speeder was in the air. The woman was driving and the droid was in the passenger front seat. It's large red optical lense was focused on the children. By the time the children crawled to the side of the speeder, they were already dashing through traffic.

"It's me," the woman said. Leia looked over to see the woman speaking into a comm link. "I've got the kids. Yes, they're safe. Nothing happened to them." A pause. "We'll be there soon."

Luke and Leia settled into the backseat side by side. They again wrapped their hands into one other, squeezing the other's hand tightly. Leia could feel her brother trembling slightly. The droid's large lense was still focused on them. Leia hated this. She wanted to be back in the apartment. She wanted to be with her papa or Mr. Kenobi. She wanted to be with her mama or even her birth mother.

Then there was that feeling again. The soft breeze rustling through her hair. It made her think of her mama and her mother. How they would stroke her hair when she had nightmares and tell Leia everything would be ok. She fought back a sob that was growing deep in her throat. She just wanted to go home. To Alderaan. She wanted to be away from stupid space ports and stupid ships and stupid bases. She just wanted to be home.

The speeder slowly started to descend. Leia didn't bother crawling to the side, but Luke did. The speeder sat down in front of large rectangular building with many large doors. Again Leia was grabbed by the woman and Luke by the droid. A steel grip held Leia by her upper arm. The droid and the woman pulled the children into the large building through a small door. They dragged them down a long hallway into a small, dark, gray room. The woman and the droid finally let go of the children. Leia tried to kick the woman, but the woman had stepped away.

"We're here," the woman said into her comm link.

"I want to go home!" Leia shouted. The woman looked over at the girl scowled. "I want my papa! Take me back!" The dark-skinned woman only looked down at the child in annoyance and disgust. Leia pursed her lips as she tried to think of what to do next. She could run up to the woman and kick and punch her. Maybe that might make her fall over. But then what about the droid? It stood quietly off to the side. It's large lense focused on Leia. She huffed at it.

A door slid into the room slid open with a soft woosh. Leia hadn't turn her attention away from the droid when she heard a new voice.

"Leia?" came a woman's voice.

Leia at once whipped around. It couldn't be! Her eyes went wide as she saw the woman who walked in. Her brown hair was pulled up into a loose brown bun on top of her head. She wore a simple grey jumpsuit. Leia at once was running across the room with her arms wide open.

"Mama!" she shouted as she jumped into the arms of Breha Organa.

Something soft and cold rustled Luke's hair. He woke up. He was still on the hard floor where he had fallen asleep. Leia's mama had put a blanket down for him and Leia to sleep on. After she had shown up, the bad lady and her droid left. Leia's mama was very nice. She brought the twins to this room. It had lots of desks with glowing buttons and terminals and view screens. Leia's mama gave the children some warm blue milk and put the blanket on the floor. She said they should try to sleep.

Luke got up and looked around the room. There was no sign of Leia's mama, but he heard her voice. It sounded odd. He listened.

"It was a fake!" she said.

"Breha, are you sure?" a man's voice said. One that sounded like Leia's papa. That was when Luke noticed two figures in one of the large view screens. It was Leia's mama and papa. Luke walked over to a chair in front of a desk and climbed on. He was barely aware of Leia calling his name sleepily as she woke up.

"Vader faked my death," Leia's mama said.

"How did you escape?" Bail asked.

"When you got free of the Devastator, there were a group of Rebels who got seperated from Obi-Wan. When Vader left the ship, they were able to free me."

"But how are you on Kwenn?"

"Kwenn isn't that far from the Velm system. It was decided it would be a good safe place to hide. I see I was not the only one who thought that. When you contacted the Rebel base here, I recognized your voice at once. I knew it was you."

Leia climbed into the seat with Luke. The two children barely just fit into the chair.

"Mama and papa," Leia said.

Luke nodded and looked at the viewscreen. The two were hugging, but something didn't seem right. He looked hard at the view screen. That was when he realized where he had seen Leia's mama before. He had seen her on that hologram with Father in it. She had been the lady that lost her head! Luke glanced over at Leia and decided to keep that information to himself for now. But that wasn't what was bothering him now.

Something else was off. There was a lie here. Where Luke didn't know. But it was just like back on the base when the adults would lie to him about his mother. Something wasn't right here. The hair on the back of Luke's neck stood on end as he watched.

"Leia is safe," Bail said as the two parted after their hug.

"Is she?" Breha asked.

"Yes, yes of course she is!"

"Then why is she here?"

"What? What do you mean? Breha?"

"Two bounty hunters were paid by some Rebel to get the children. Apparently Vader has been capturing Rebel families and threatening them. He would release the families if the Rebels told them about you, Obi-Wan, or the twins' locations. The Rebels here didn't recognize you with your beard shaved off and your hair dyed, so they didn't know it was you. But they did recognize the children. I paid them off to bring the children to me instead . . . I sold off my wedding ring . . ."

There was a moment of quiet as Bail and Breha stood staring at each other. Bail turned sharply away from Breha. He marched to the other side of the room, out of view from the camera, and then marched back.

"Where is she? Where is Leia? Where is Luke?"

"They're sleeping and safe," Breha said calmly.

"But where?" Bail shouted. Leia jumped slightly next to Luke.

"Is . . . is something the matter, Bail?" Breha asked. Luke leaned forward. Had it been his imagination? Had he seen something off with the view screen? For a moment it appeared as if the image jumped.

"I need to get Leia," Bail said. Luke was watching closely to Bail's mouth. Did his mouth match up to the word he was saying? Luke wasn't sure.

"I just told you she is safe. Let her rest," Breha pleaded.

"No!" Bail shouted. Luke frowned. The voice sounded like he was shouting in anger, but his face . . . his face looked more like fear. "Leia . . . Luke . . . where are they? I must find them! They are our only hope to kill Vader!"

Kill Vader? Kill his father? Why would Luke do that?

"Leia is just a child! So is Luke!"

"No! They are weapons! Tools!" Bail hissed. Luke barely missed it, but this time it was there. A jump in the screen. The lips not matching up to what was being said. Luke looked over at Leia to point this out, but Leia was leaning forward on the edge of the chair. Her eyes wide and mouth slightly open as she watched the view screen.

"Leia is our daughter!" Breha cried. "We love her! You love her!"

"How can I love that thing?" Bail hissed. "When she's the daughter of that monster?"

Leia let out a gasp. "Papa . . ." she said softly.

"Leia . . ." Luke said. "I don't . . . There is something wrong . . . There is a lie . . . I just don't know where." It was true. He didn't know where there was a lie. But there was here. Where was it?

"Bail . . ." Leia's mama said softly. Leia didn't seem to be listening to Luke.

"And one of these days she'll turn into a monster just like Emperor Vader," Bail said.

"How could you?" Breha asked. She wiped at her eyes as if knocking away tears.

"Tell me where she is Breha!" Leia's papa shouted.

"No . . . not when you're like this," Breha said.

"Tell me!" Bail shouted. He brought out a blaster and aimed it at Breha. "Breha," he hissed. "Tell where that little whelp is."

"I can't," Breha said. "I won't."

"Papa! Mama!" Leia cried.

"Breha . . ." Bail said. It sounded pained. "Please don't make me do this." This wasn't a lie. This was the truth! Luke leaned forward. He just didn't know. It was all too confusing. Sometimes there was a lie and sometimes there wasn't.

"Bail!" Breha shouted. A red beam of light shot through across the view screen.

"Mama!" Leia cried. Breha laid still on the ground. Bail looked down at the woman. Then he tucked his blaster away and ran from the room. "Mama!" Leia cried again. She jumped out of the chair and ran to the door. Luke scurried after her.

"Leia!" Luke cried, but Leia had hit the door panel button. The door slid open, and she was running down the hall.

"Mama!" she cried. "Mama!"

"Leia!" Luke called as he ran after her.

Then there was a high pitched scream of a desperate and sad, "Mama!" Luke reached the room to see Leia's mama lying still on the floor. Leia threw herself on to the body. "Mama," Leia cried. "Mama."

Luke slowly walked up and knelt down next to Leia and Breha. He gently touched Breha's face. She was cold. Very cold. And pale. That wasn't right. People weren't supposed to be this cold or pale. Her eyes were open and glassy. She was dead. Luke could feel it. She didn't feel like Luke or Leia did. She was empty. Gone.

Tears started to well up in Luke's eyes as well. Why was this happening? Why did Leia's mama have to die?

"Luke? Leia?"

Luke lifted his head and even though his vision was blurry, he recognized the figure at once. His was up at once and running across the room. "Father!" he cried as he flung his arms around his father's waist and buried his head into his father's side.

Father knelt down and pulled Luke into a hug. "I'm here," Father said softly as he kissed Luke's head. "I told you I would come to you. I'm here."

"Father!" Luke cried again so happy to have Father here. To have him really here. When he had told Father they were going to a place called Kwenn and then he never showed up, Luke was afraid he would never see him again. But he was here now!

Father slowly stood up and walked over to Leia. "Leia," he said softly as bent over and gently grabbed her. Leia grabbed Breha's jumpsuit.

"Mama! Mama!" she cried.

"Let go, Leia," he said. "She's gone."

Father slowly pulled her off. He picked her up into his arms and cradled her. Leia curled into him, grabbing his shirt, and cried. Luke was at Father's side at once. He wrapped an arm around Father's leg. Father looked down at Luke with sad eyes, yet Luke didn't feel any sadness from him. Luke felt happiness from his father.

"Come," Father said. "Let's go home."

AN: I wanted to thank all the commenters, especially those who comment on every chapter. They all bring a smile to face and really help motivate me to keep writing. I know for this chapter a lot of commenters were expecting Vader to bust into that Sump base and just go to town, but alas sorry that did not happen. To make up for that- next chapter is a Vader POV chapter. Also I am going to shamelessly plug my tumblr. I'm silvereddaye on there. I also draw fan arts. Recent Anidala arts: (( silvereddaye dot tumblr dot com/post/176916242392 ))