Audio reading available for Chapters 1-2 on YouTube:
watch?v=p3WdnmKrDwg
- - - - - Nineteen Years Later - - - - -
- - - - - 0 BBY - - - - -
- - - - -Fields of Benir on the Planet Dantooine - - - - -
Tess Naberrie woke up to an unusual quiet with a sense of something coming in the back of her mind. Slowly, she allowed herself to open her eyes. Her small room was as she left it—the hay-colored walls matching the golden light of the Dantooine sky that peeked through her windows. She could see the two moons of the planet she had called home for the past two years from her bed, giving her the assurance of familiarity needed to make her forget her worries from moments ago.
The green Fields of Benir awaited her right outside her small cottage-like home if she wished to entertain herself with a walk through the extensive pastures, which would eventually lead to an exploration of the ruins of the Jedi temple nearby. Despite her eleven years of age, Tess had quite a child-like curiosity. She had grown up sheltered by three different guardians—her current one a middle-aged woman named Inny—and knew little of the world that she didn't explore on her own.
Dantooine was remote and consisted mostly of fields and little technology that would give her a peek into the outside worlds, but Tess learned all she could from the very few people around her. Her guardian would share with Tess the many stories Inny's uncle had helped pass down—stories of the Jedi who lived in the ancient Jedi Temple, which was once a sight to behold illuminated by a power of the Force that Tess had concluded was no more than a myth now. Tess would beg Inny to continue her stories into the late hours of the night, but the guardian would leave and Tess would have fascinating dreams to finish the stories. She dreamt that she joined the Jedi Order over 3,000 years ago, took her Jedi oaths and fought with them to destroy the Jedi-turned-Sith Darth Malak with her lightsaber in hand.
But there were no dreams to reminisce about this morning. Today was one of the rare occasions where her mind seemed to stay silent all through the night.
Tess finally pulled herself out of bed and slipped into a dark blue tunic and dirt-colored pants that matched the Dantooine soil. She could smell the lingering aroma of a delicious breakfast waiting for her in the main room of her little cottage.
"Good morning, Inny," Tess sang as she untucked her long, dark hair from the collar of her tunic and sat at the table where her breakfast was already in place. Inny turned around to smile at Tess, her beautiful green eyes shining beneath the slight crinkles of age around them.
"Good morning, Tessie," Inny returned. She crossed the kitchen to give the child a kiss on the head before pulling the long brunette locks together for a braid. Of all the guardians Tess had—Twisha, Chid, and Vika—Inny was Tess' favorite. Twisha was an older woman that watched Tess in infancy whom she hardly remembered. Chid was a strict, militaristic man who was more focused on educating her than being the parent-like figure that Tess wanted her guardian to be. He was around from when Tess turned four until she was seven. And Vika was a young Twi'lek who was nice but Tess didn't feel very wanted or loved with her. She only lasted about three months before she decided being a guardian was not for her. Then came Inny, a motherly woman who always wanted children. She was a bit overweight with red hair that she wore up off her neck and the kindest eyes anyone had ever seen. She was a visitor over the years—a sort of friend of the family, as far as Tess' lack of family went. As soon as Vika quit, Inny realized she loved Tess like a daughter already and jumped at the chance to care for the girl.
A knock on the door and a voice interrupted the breakfast.
"Surprise visit," said a man from outside. Tess immediately recognized the voice.
"Uncle Bail!" she exclaimed, running to the door, throwing it open, and jumping into the familiar man's arms. Bail Organa laughed and hugged the girl back, stroking her half-braided hair.
"I hope I didn't interrupt one of those amazing Inny breakfasts," he chuckled, putting Tess down and guiding her to the table to finish eating. Inny smiled at Bail, then at Tess.
"I was going to tell you about his visit today, Tessie," Inny explained. "But he insisted that he surprise you."
"I'm surprised!" Tess admitted, unable to resist going in for another hug. Her Uncle Bail was Tess' favorite person in the world. She didn't get to see him a lot, but he was the closest thing to family that she had besides Inny.
Chid once told Tess it was rude for her to speak of such things so she never did, but Tess had always wished that Uncle Bail would take her home with him to Alderaan to live in his castle. She had never even been inside it before, even when she lived on Alderaan with Chid. Still, during her exploring Tess would see the palace and watch people go in and out. They always wore fancy dresses and robes—whites, pinks, light blues—and each one could have been a king or queen. Uncle Bail's wife was the Queen before she died—or so Tess was told—and sometimes Tess imagined she was Uncle Bail's daughter and therefore a princess.
One time, when Tess was relentless in expressing these wishes to Chid, he blurted out that Uncle Bail already had a daughter—a princess—and he didn't need another one as unintelligent as Tess. Of course, Tess ignored the unintelligent part—she had learned not to care much for intelligence considering it seemed to make Chid so mean and boring—but the fact that Uncle Bail had a little girl of his own put a halt to Tess' fantasies.
Uncle Bail joined Tess and Inny for breakfast, and after a brief study lesson with Inny—which Tess paid particular attention to with her uncle watching—Uncle Bail took Tess out on a walk. She told him all about how the fields never ended, much like the seas of Alderaan. She told him about the abandoned Jedi Temple, but soon changed the subject because he seemed to tense up a little every time she talked about it. She told him how much she missed the dresses and the silk of the common Alderaanian fashion and he promised to bring her back a dress next time he visited her.
"Uncle Bail?" Tess said, looking up at the man a bit nervously. "If I ask you something, do you promise not to think it's rude?" Bail Organa chuckled, squeezing Tess' hand.
"Well, of course," he assured her. "Even if it would normally be rude, you gave me fair warning, so it doesn't really count." He winked down at Tess, but it didn't give her much reassurance or courage to ask what she was about to ask. She forced herself to just spit it out.
"Do you have a daughter?" Not the exact question she meant to ask—Tess already knew he had a daughter—but good enough. Bail was a bit taken aback. It took him a moment to answer.
"That was a bit unexpected," he admitted, his expression blank. "Yes, I do have a daughter. Who told you? Inny?"
"No, Chid," Tess confessed. "A long time ago. I just…sorry…" Tess looked down. Bail obviously saw something was bothering her. He dropped to his knees and tilted her chin to look at him.
"Tess," he said. "You don't need to be sorry. I just didn't want you to feel less special knowing that you're not my only little girl. But you're still my little girl, Tess." He gave her another smile, which resulted in just the slightest return from the eleven-year-old.
"How old is she?" Tess asked. "Is she my age?"
"She's older," Bail said. "She is almost nineteen years old. She's quite a young woman now - she has even participated in the government on Alderaan like I do. And I can see you creating just as amazing a life for yourself when you are her age. You look almost exactly like she did at eleven years old." That got a smile out of Tess.
"Really?" she asked. Bail nodded.
"She had the same brown hair and brown eyes, same little nose, same beautiful smile…you two could easily be—"
Their conversation was interrupted as Bail Organa's comlink made a noise. He patted Tess on the shoulder and excused himself as he paced a few feet away to answer the call. Tess could pick out a few words.
"She…she what? What happened? …Winter, slow down, I can't understand you… Oh… Oh no… Have they tried to contact me on Alderaan? …How many? …I'm on my way back now."
At that, Bail returned the comlink to his pocket and took Tess by the shoulders. He could see that his nerves had made her panic.
"Tess, everything's fine," he assured her. "But I'm going to need you to go back to the cottage on your own. There's an emergency back at home." Bail tried to leave at that, but Tess grabbed his hand.
"Is it your daughter? Is she in trouble?" she asked, her eyes welling up as her emotions got the best of her.
"I don't know," Bail said softly, trying to wiggle his hand out of her grasp. "I have to go now, Tess."
"No!" Tess cried. She ran after him as he freed his hand from hers and rushed ahead towards his ship. "Please! Uncle Bail, take me with you! Please! I want to help! I want to help her!"
Bail turned around, tears in his eyes, and scooped the girl up in his arms.
"I can't, Tess," he sobbed. She had never even seen him cry. It made her cry harder. "I have to go. I love you, Tess." He gave her a kiss on the forehead, set her down, and raced back to his ship.
Tess watched him run. She strained her eyes through the golden Dantooine brightness as he became smaller and smaller, and finally as his ship ascended and left the atmosphere.
Twenty-three days later, Alderaan was gone, and Uncle Bail went with it.