What can I say? It's the continuation of the last chapter. Read, Enjoy, and Review!
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Chapter Five
Affavan Part II
Leia stood in front of an old building far from where she had last been. She wanted to go after Luke initially. But something told her to go here first. She smiled at some of the few good memories she had of the place and then winced at some of the bad ones that went with it. However, it was probably one of her better temporary homes.
She knocked on the door and out came a teenage togruta a few years older than her with a blaster in her hands.
"What do you want?"
Leia's heart beat rapidly, but she showed no fear as she looked at the girl and cautiously eyed the blaster.
"I'm here to see someone. I used to live here," Leia explained.
"Impossible. The only ones who live here are the girls who work here and most of them have never been anywhere else," she said and started to close the door.
Leia stuck her foot in the door. "Years ago, a little girl used to stay here and you helped take care of here. She had these weird abilities remember? She saved you once, when one of your clients was going to kill you. Eventually, your master thought she was too much trouble and she was sold. You remember her?"
The torgruta looked at her and muttered something to herself before gasping.
"Leia!" she said and wrapped the girl in a bear hug.
"Watch the blaster," Leia warned as she hugged the girl.
The torgruta looked around. "Did anyone follow you?"
"No."
"Come on. Hurry up before someone sees you," she said.
Leia followed the older girl inside and closed the door behind her. The brothel was just like she remembered it. The girls sat around lazily playing cards, gossiping, talking about their clients, smoking and drinking until the night came and it was time for them to get to business.
"It's so good to see you. After Admin sold you we had no clue what happened to you. Have you been okay?"
Leia smiled. "I've been fine Sandhya," she said. "In fact, I was recently freed from bondage."
Sandhya grinned. "That's wonderful. How did you manage it?"
Leia decided her old friend didn't need to know the details and shrugged. "A friend helped."
Sandhya held back a squeal. "A boyfriend! You've met someone? Who?"
"It's not like that at all," Leia said quickly not really wanting to get into this with the prostitute. While the seventeen year old thought thirteen was an appropriate age to start courting, Leia did not. Then again, the torgruta had gotten into this business when she was eleven.
"Where is he?" Sandhya asked.
"That's the problem," Leia replied with a sigh. "He's been taken by the Imperials. I need help from whoever was fighting them out there."
Sandhya suddenly hushed Leia and then grabbed her hand and led her through past the other girls through the kitchen and to the pantry. Leia raised her eyebrows as she turned to the woman.
"What did you see?"
Leia shrugged. "Not much I guess. Just blaster fire and smoke. Luke helped me get away and they took him."
Sandhya was silent as if trying to tell her something. Leia narrowed her eyes. The woman knew something. She could feel it.
"What? Do you know where he is?"
"Yes but-."
Leia cut the woman off and glared at her. "Tell me where?"
"You'll never get inside. They've already captured most of the rebellion," Sandhya replied. "Come on. I'll get you a place to stay and-."
Sandhya slid the pantry door open, but Leia shook her head eyeing the control pad. The door slid closed again and Sandhya frowned as she pushing the button again but to no avail.
"What-?"
"Tell me what's going on?" Leia demanded and then winced at her tone. Sandhya was her friend. "What's going on here? What's about a civil war and what was that?"
Sandhya looked at the door and then Leia again. "You did that, didn't you?"
Leia gave her an impatient look and then the woman sighed.
"You must have been related to a jedi or something," Sandhya said and sat on a crate putting one up for Leia. The girl sat down and waited expectantly for explanation.
"It was the Hutts," Sandhya began. "They made a deal with the Empire for permission to mine some precious mineral and metal for some secret Imperial project. The huts will do anything for money and since this is still Hutt space despite the facts that the huts rarely come here, they had the right to make a deal that would make them rich. You know huts. Greedy slimy worms… Anyway the empire needed workers and so the huts agreed to give them the population as their workers."
"Needless to say, we weren't happy when we found up. After being left alone so long to do as we pleased, the huts had no right to use us for their ever greedy ways, hutt space or not. So a group of people came together and formed a rebellion. When the empire came, they fought back, but they didn't have the resources they do. Many of the members have been captured…"
"And where so you fit in this?" Leia asked.
"I'm an informant for the rebellion. Some of the Imperials frequent the brothels. You won't believe the things you can get them to say with a little alcohol and some good ole-."
"I get it," Leia said holding up a hand. As much as she cared about these girls, if only because they took care of her when she was younger, they could be way to blunt for her liking, especially Sandhya. She imagined Luke would be scarlet now if he were with her. The girls here loved innocence and Luke was the very embodiment of it most of the time. Leia swore he needed to get out more.
"Anyway," Sandhya said. "If they took your friend, it's not likely you'll get him back."
Leia scowled. That was one of the things she hated about Sandhya and the other girls.
"Oh, I'll get him back," Leia shot.
Sandhya rolled her eyes. "You still haven't grown up little one. Always the idealist."
"Isn't being part of this rebellion idealistic?" Leia asked.
"No dear," Sandhya said. "It's called business. They pay me for the information I give them. But I'm a realist dear and realistically speaking, there's no way you'll be getting your friend out of there."
Leia felt her patience wearing thin all of a sudden and fought to keep her temper in check. "I will get him back. On my own if I have to," she declared.
"It's hopeless. You remember Mina?"
Leia racked her brain and she was vaguely remembered a Twi'lek that was a few years older the Sandhya. She scowled. That woman was crazy.
"What about her?"
"She got captured yesterday and you don't see me busting my ass to get in there to save her. It won't do any good if it gets me killed."
Leia stood up and towered over the woman. "You'd let your friend die!"
"It's a cold world dear. You and I both know it," Sandhya said unfazed by Leia's intimidation tactic. "You have to take care of number one first and always even if that means at the sake of others."
Leia lost it. "Why you selfish inconsiderate skank!" she yelled and then a feeling of déjà vu came over her as she remembered Luke had called her that a few days ago. Well, not the skank part, but close enough. Suddenly, it hit home what Luke had meant about her becoming the very people she had been enslaved by. Would she have ended up as cold and uncaring as Sandhya if Luke hadn't save her? Leia shuddered. She didn't even want to think about it. Instead she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She was losing time fooling around with Sandhya. Instead, she crossed her arms.
"I'm going to save Luke. Do you know where I can find the rebels?"
Sandhya laughed. "They won't be any help except to try to fight of the Imperials and failing before they get you captured. You might as well just let the damn Imps get you. Come on Leia. Stay here. You were taken care of when you were here. Remember?"
Leia was only focused on what Sanhya said first. Get captured by the Imperials… Now there was an idea.
Luke by then had now resorted to pacing about the cell he was in. He was going to get out of this place. That much he was sure of. The question was how. He stopped as the door to the detention area opened and in came another group of prisoners. For some reason, he found himself very interested in this batch of prisoners and as soon as Leia walked in, he knew why.
Leia brightened when she saw him safe and sound, or as safe and sound as one could be in prison. They opened up his cell doors and somehow, he wasn't quite sure how Leia skipped the line, Leia got into it. When everyone was placed and the guards left, Leia leapt over to him and wrapped her arms around him.
"I knew I'd find you," Leia said excitedly.
"Yeah you did. The only problem is now that we're both trapped in here," he said in a sarcastic tone.
"I know that, but considering the trouble we caused on Naboo, how much longer do you think this place will be standing?" Leia asked pointedly.
Luke shrugged and then became aware that Leia was a little shaky, kind of sweaty. He raised his eyebrow and gave her a look.
"I'm fine," Leia replied feeling his concern. "Just a little tired. I had to get in the middle of a fight to get here. So now what do we do?"
Luke looked around the cell. The door wouldn't be a problem. Leia could take care of that. However, the storm troopers guarding the area might be somewhat difficult to overcome.
"Leia," someone said from behind.
Leia and Luke turned around. Luke looked at Leia when he realized it was the Twi'lek he had talked to earlier.
"Mina," Leia said and kneeled next to the woman. "How have you been?"
Mina shrugged. "Considering I'm in this place, fine. But I should be asking you that. You have a boyfriend!"
Leia groaned. " He's not my boyfriend."
"But he's a boy that's a fried right?" Leia nodded. "Then he's your boyfriend."
Leia shook her head and fought back a smile when she felt the embarrassment coming off of Luke.
"Anyway, I'm good. I saw something about a civil war on this planet and wanted to come check on you guys," Leia said sitting down and Luke sat next to Leia, happy that she separated him from the woman.
Mina rolled her eyes. "Civil war. Imperial propaganda… I wish they would have just left us alone and let us go about our happy free lives…"
"Free?" Leia asked.
"Oh yeah. Our master died years ago and no one cares to come back and get us. The slave system here isn't as organized as it is on a place like Tatooine," Mina said. "Besides, I enjoy my line of work."
Luke looked at Leia to confirm the woman's line of work and she nodded her head. Luke didn't say anything but shook his head. Leia agreed with him. She would never know how Mina was happy in that line of work either with all the risks factors involved.
"Sandhya didn't tell me that?" Leia commented.
Mina laughed. "She wouldn't have. And you saw that realist bitch? She left me in the cold you know. Didn't even care…"
"I know," Leia said dryly. "But I do. Me and Luke do. We're going to get you out of here."
"How?"
Luke grinned. While Leia had been talking to Mina, he had been coming up with a plan to get them out. They only had one shot to get this right. He could only hope he could pull that trick he had done on Naboo when he took the blaster from the gunman.
"Leia," Luke said. "Come on."
Leia stood up and followed Luke over to a spot next to the door near the side with the door controls. Leia started to swipe her hand over it, but Luke stopped her.
"Not yet," he said and eyed the storm troopers. He discretely gestured to the bracelets on their hands. "We need to get these off first."
"I didn't see a key or remote… I don't know how-?" Leia suddenly stopped. "That guy who led us in here!"
"Who?" Luke asked.
"You know, he asks us if we speak basic before he brought us in here?" Leia asked and didn't wait for him to reply. "Well, he has to come back with more prisoners, right? I bet he has the scanner to get these off. In fact, I saw him use it."
"But Leia, how do we know he's even going to-."
The door opened again and the man came through the door. Luke and Leia abruptly stopped talking as the man talked to the storm troopers and the trooper nodded. The man came to the cell door and opened it beginning to let some of the ones who were there before Luke even was to come out.
"Time to get you people to work," he said.
Luke and Leia looked at each other. They only had one chance to get this right. Leia fell on the ground and started to tremble violently while holding onto herself. Then she began to throw a fit.
"Let me out of here! I want out. I hate this place," she yelled and began to scream.
Luke decided he would always be amazed by the girl's acting skills. She was convincing him. He rushed to her side.
"Leia," he said trying to act concerned. "What wrong?"
The man, who had just been about to close the cell door, stopped. He came over to where Leia was having her fit and thrashing violently and shouted to the storm troopers.
"This one's throwing a fit. We might have to subdue her. Set your blasters to stun," he instructed and one of the storm troopers came in the room setting his blaster and pointing it at Leia. Luke felt an urging somewhere inside him telling him to act and reached out his hand. The blaster flew to his hand and before the trooper could comprehend what was happening, he shot both the trooper and the man. Luke set the blaster off of stun just in case and Leia grabbed the other man's blaster.
Being that the troopers had been told about Leia's fit, none of the other guards came to see what was going on giving Luke and Leia the time they needed to shoot the rest of the guards. Leia ran back to the trader and grabbed the scanner off him and then shot him with her blaster when he began to stir.
"Luke!" Leia said waving the scanner.
Luke ran to her and Leia wiped the scanner over his bracelet. It fell off harmlessly. She then did the same to hers.
"Come on, we have to get out of here," Luke said starting for the door.
Leia stopped though. She had been thinking about what Sandhya said and it scared her that if she kept up like that, she'd be just like her. Leia looked at the other prisoners and smiled slightly. She always wanted to make a difference in the galaxy.
"Luke, we can't leave these people here with the Empire. We have to help them," Leia decided.
"How?" Luke asked and then it came to him. They passed a control tower on their way in and he was sure it had weapons capabilities. "Forget that. But just me and you?"
"Luke, look what we did on Naboo. If we could cause all that havoc and steal a ship and two droids, we can take these Imperials," Leia said determined.
Luke frowned. "I don't Leia. A lot of that was just luck."
"Or maybe it was something else…"
Luke understood what she meant. It felt like a higher being was with them, watching over them. And maybe, if it had been with them on Naboo, it would be with them now.
"Alright," Luke said to Leia. "But first we have to get all the people out this mine. I'm not shooting it down at the cost of all these lives."
Leia smirked. "I'll take care of that. There's got to be a base of controls inside the mine. Artoo can help me find it."
"Artoo?" Luke asked. "Where'd he come from?"
"And Threepio. I went back to the ship and got them and told them to discreetly follow the Imperials after they took me. They're waiting outside," Leia said.
"With all the guards!" Luke asked.
"You can drive anything once you figure out the controls right?" Leia asked remembering what Luke had said back on Tatooine once in effort to impress her.
"You think I lied?" Luke asked offended.
"No," Leia said. "I'm saying go take control of one of those Imperial tanks. You can distract them long enough for me to find the controls in here and set everyone free."
Luke nodded and then looked back at Mina.
"Think you can get all these people's bracelets off?" he asked.
Mina jumped up from her spot and Leia tossed her the scanner before both she and Luke started to sprint down the tunnels.
"That was a good act back there," Luke said. "You really had them thinking you were throwing a fit."
"It wasn't all an act," Leia admitted. "I'm claustrophobic."
Luke would have stopped and looked at her if their situation weren't so dire. He never would have thought Leia was afraid of closed spaces. Then again, it wasn't that surprising. She said she had almost died locked up in a hot cell before. No wonder she had been sweating and shaky when they put her in the cell. He started to say something when they came to a division in the tunnels.
"The exit's that way," Luke said pointing to his right. "We might not have time to go get Artoo."
"Then I need to go this way," Leia said and took off to the left.
Luke raced to the right and out the tunnel, abruptly stopping as two imperial officers walked by the front entrance. He scanned the area and groaned. Imperials were everywhere, including and tall one with a uniform that was a little different from a regular officer. Luke guessed he had a higher rank. The man was talking to a hutt.
Luke scowled in disgust. Hutts were some of the foulest creatures in the galaxy to him.
"Okay," Luke said to himself. "Think. How do I get out here…? How do I…?"
Luke saw one of the Imperial speeders that had chased him and Leia on Naboo. He pointed his blaster at it and got ready to run to one of the Imperial tanks. He only had on chance to do this. Leveling his blaster the same way Leia had on Naboo, he shot the speeder and as it exploded ran as fast as he could to an imperial tank. He climbed in from the top and dropped into the driver's seat and looked over the controls… There were a lot, but it shouldn't be too hard to figure out. He didn't need to drive it anyway. He just needed to get rid of all the imperials and that Hutt. He looked out the visor and then looking at the targeting monitor to get a good shot. He aimed at the high ranking Imperial officer and the Hutt.
He heard someone shout to watch out, but it was too late. Luke fired the cannon. He was surprised when the tanked flipped over from the force of the explosion as well. Luke yelped as the tank flip over a few times before landing upside down. He was stuck.
"Stars, what kind of bomb was that?" Luke asked as he began to kick around.
"Artoo," Luke heard Threepio's voice from outside the tank. "Miss Leia told us we were to stay hidden unless she or Master Luke instructed us to follow."
Artoo replied with and series of beeps and whistles.
"They need our help? Why Artoo, you don't know much about human behavior then. If they had wanted help, they would have asked for it," Threepio said.
Artoo whistled slowly and made more beeps. Luke didn't need Threepio to translate that one. He understood exactly what he said.
"Me and Leia are not troublemakers," he said kicking in the tank again. "We don't always need help getting out of the trouble we caused."
Artoo said something else and Threepio replied, "What do you mean he's just like his father?"
Luke wouldn't even begin to ask Artoo what he meant. The droid had been insisting he was just like his father since it followed him.
"Artoo, do you have some kind of laser you can use on the window. I'm stuck in here," he said.
Artoo beeped something to Luke and got to work while Threepio translated, "He said it may be a while Master Luke."
Luke sighed… Perfect.
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Inside the tunnels Leia was running from the troopers stationed in the building. They hadn't liked when she announced that everyone was to leave the mine. They also hadn't liked it when she destroyed the control room… They also hadn't like it when the explosion set the entire mine on fire and released dangerous gases. She tied her jacket over her mouth and ran when they found her. That had been about five minutes ago. The gases were starting to hurt her eyes and the fire was making the whole tunnel hot, not to mention the troopers that were chasing her. It was a miracle she hadn't been shot yet. She kept herself running and ran faster than she knew she could. That was it… some higher force was definitely working for her now.
She ducked into a small crevice and the troopers ran right past her. When she was sure they were gone, she looked around. She was now hopelessly lost and something was telling her she needed to get out here now. The warning was getting progressively louder. But she didn't know how. Leia stopped and closed her hands around her japor snippet. It was the only connection to her past that she had, the only distinct memory she had of her life before she was kidnapped. The faces and the places were blurry, but she remembered what was said.
"Daddy," she asked innocently. "Why don't I look like you and mommy?"
He revealed to her that she wasn't really theirs in flesh, but that regardless they loved her anyway. They made that very clear to her that they were still her parents. It saddened her still though, that her real mother had died. She loved her parents, but she felt sad for the woman who never knew her daughter. And so her father, whoever he had been gave her the japor snippet. It was going to be buried with her mother, but upon rethinking it, it was kept so Leia would have something left from her, if only her mother's most prized possession. Why it was, Leia wasn't sure.
She hadn't even told Luke the reason she so cherished it. Leia wondered if it had been buried with her mother like it originally was supposed to, if she would have been kidnapped at all. The reason she was taken was because she went back to get it in the first place. She didn't remember the people who took care of her before and while it would have been nice to see them again, any attachment she had to them was long gone. She had no memory of them really. Luke would scold her for feeling that way but whatever. However, the connection she had to her real mother, even though she was dead, would never be broken. She'd never forget the kind woman that looked like her, but wore a sad smile on her face as if longing for something she couldn't have.
"Please," Leia said hoping her voice would transcend the barrier between life and death. "Help me mother. I know you're watching. Please."
When Leia opened her eyes, she rolled her eyes at her antic. How silly of her? There was no way-. She saw a light appear in front of her and Leia blinked. The gas must have messed up her vision. They were still burning. The light zipped forward and then back to Leia before zipping forward again.
"Follow you?" Leia asked, convinced she was insane. The light bounced up and down before darting off.
Leia shrugged. She didn't have a better idea. She ran after the light not completely sure where it was taking her since it was taking so many twists and turns. Then she saw the exit to the tunnel ahead and sighed out in relieve. She turned to look at the flashing light and smiled.
"Are you… Are you my mother?" Leia asked.
The light moved from side to side and Leia took it as a no. Leia started to go but then stopped.
"Did my mother send you?" she asked and the light began to bob up and down.
Leia grinned. "Thank you. Tell her… tell her I wish she were here."
The light bobbed up and down again, Leia nodded gratefully and ran out the tunnel. She stopped when she stepped out. It was crowded of course, with all the people from the mine of course, but on the ground were imperial officers, some of them dead, and some of them just severely injured.
Leia looked for Mina and found her scanning the bracelets off a few more people.
"What happened out here?" Leia asked.
Mina shrugged. "I don't know honey, but it looks like someone set off a bomb. It was like this when we came out here," Mina raised Leia's head to her. "Darling your eyes are red. We're going to have to take care of that."
Leia blinked her eyes. "I'm okay. Where's Luke?"
Mina frowned. "I'm not sure where that little cutie is… He must be somewhere around here."
"Hurry up Artoo. Master Luke must be running out of air by now."
Leia heard Threepio's prissy voice and followed it. Threepio was standing behind Artoo who was trying to cut a hole in the window of a turned over tank.
"What's going on?" Leia asked the two droids.
"Leia," Luke said kicking again. "Is that you."
"Hold on Luke," Leia said getting on her knees. "Artoo almost has it."
"I know. Do you know how many times he's stung me with that laser?" Luke asked.
Artoo began to beep and whistle in excitement as the window pane dropped from the whole had cut into in. Leia crawled underneath and grabbed Luke's hand pulling him out.
"You okay?" Leia asked as Luke brushed himself off. "What happened? It looked like a bomb went off out here."
Luke shrugged and inspected the damage. "I guess it wasn't a laser. Must have been a torpedo or something… Hey, do you smell that?"
"What?" Leia asked and paused. Then it clicked. The mine, the gases, the fire!
Both of them felt the same warning in the force and looked at each other before running to the tower. They climbed it and when they got in, two officers were trying to contact reinforcements.
"Hey!" Leia shouted and pointed her blasters at them. "We can do this the easy way or our way. Take your pick."
"What's our way?" Luke asked raising his own blaster.
"This," Leia said and shot both of them.
"Leia," Luke said heading for the controls and checking the last few sent messages.
"It was on stun."
"Forget that, we've got bigger problems. They sent for reinforcements," Luke replied and then looked at the mine. Was he the only one seeing those flames popping up from the top?
"Everyone run!" he shouted through the microphone. "Get away from the mine!"
"It's going to explode!" Leia added though she wasn't entirely sure. But that's generally what happened when fire and gases mixed.
"Hey Leia," Luke said playing with the computers a little. "Look at this. It's information on something."
"What?" Leia asked looked at the monitor.
There was a large body of text describing the material needed and the progress being made for something. Leia assumed it was the Imperial project everyone was talking about.
"The Death Star," Luke said reading the name and then scrolling down to see a picture of what the completed project would look like.
"Stang…" Leia muttered in awe. "I's going to be the size of a small moon."
Luke shook out of his stupor first. "I'm going to hurry up and download it onto a disk. We have to get out of here," Luke said. "The Empire's coming."
"Way ahead of you," Leia said climbing down the tower. She waited under it for Luke as the warning in her mind got louder. "Luke come on!"
"I'm coming. I was just waiting on it to download."
Luke slowly started down the tower and Leia sighed. "Hurry up!"
"It's not my fault. My ankle still hurts," Luke snapped getting down.
"That won't be all you'll have to worry about if you don't hurry up," Leia said running for cover in the forest with everyone else.
"Everyone duck."
Everyone got down just as the mine exploded, throwing rock and smoke even as far as the forest. When the debris cleared, everyone stood up and Leia fanned her eyes. They were burning even worse now.
"You okay?" Luke asked.
"My eyes," Leia moaned.
"Let me take a look at them," a male Twi'lek said coming over to them. Leia stopped fanning her eyes long enough to let him looked and he sighed in relief. "You eyes will be fine. Just put some ice on it."
"Come on Leia," Luke said decided he would have to guide her. "There's some ice in the ship. But we have to leave right now or we'll both be in trouble. Threepio. Artoo. Let's go!"
Leia nodded and started to follow Luke, but the Twi'lekstopped them.
"Wait," he said. "Perhaps we can help you. We have an underground base we can hide you in. We owe you our lives."
Luke looked at Leia who shook her head. He turned back to the man who must have been the leader and said, "We really don't have much time. It's too dangerous. We have to get off planet before the Empire blocks all entry and exit or something."
"At least let us get you some supplies. Food to take on your journey. Money perhaps?"
Luke stopped walking at that point. They definitely needed some funds.
"How long do you think it'll be before the Empire get's here Leia," Luke whispered.
"I don't know," Leia said as tears started to run down her face. Luke didn't know if it was just her eyes or if she was really crying. "But my eyes."
Luke turned to him the man. "We don't have long. We'll go to your base and I'll go get our ship. You mind taking care of my sister?"
The man agreed and an hour later, Luke and Leia were on the ramp of their Naboo Star skiff.
"Alright cutie," Mina said with a wink. "When you get a lil older come back and see me."
"You always get the cute ones Mina. Let me lay a claim for once," Sandhya replied.
Luke blushed and Leia rolled her eyes turning back to the rebel leader.
"We can never thank you enough for your help," the male Twi'lek said bowing slowly and then handing Luke a credit chip. "For your troubles."
"No," said Luke. "You've already-. Ow!"
Leia smiled as Luke rubbed where she pinched her. "Oh don't try and be a noble hero. We really appreciate this although we didn't do it for the money."
"Of course," he said as Artoo rolled down the ramp to tell them the ship was ready.
"Alright. We're coming already," Luke said. "Thank you. And good luck with the Empire."
"We believe it's you that shall need the luck."
"He's right you know," Threepio said following Luke and Leia up the ramp as it closed behind them.
Luke started to take off and Leia sat down next to Threepio in one of the passenger seats.
"Where to?" Luke asked and Leia shrugged. She had something else on her mind.
"You know. I asked that rebel leader what he knew about the jedi."
Luke turned to look at her. "The jedi?"
"Yeah and get this. They had powers like we do," Leia said excitedly.
Luke regarded Leia guardedly. "So…"
"I'm saying that we may be related to a jedi!"
"But jedi weren't allowed to have families. You heard what Threepio said," Luke pointed out.
"I know that," Leia replied. "But according to the rebel leader, they weren't required to be celibate either."
Luke looked at Leia in disbelief as he punched in a random coordinate. She didn't even have to ask what she was getting at. He just knew.
"Are you trying to tell us we're the children of jedi?" Luke asked.
"Exactly. The jedi used to use the force. It was some kind of energy and it gave them the ability to do incredible things. Your reflexes, my telekinesis, empathy, you name it. Everything we can do points to it. We're force… force… sensitive he said. We can feel it, reach out to it and use it," Leia explained excitedly.
"Leia," Luke said patiently.
"Don't tell me you can't fell that it has a certain truth to it," Leia challenged.
Luke calmed down and had to agree. Something about it sounded true. Being force sensitive would explain a lot. Everyone had heard of the jedi. His aunt and uncle didn't like talking about it much, but Luke always had felt a connection to them. Being the children of Jedi might explain why his guardians never mentioned his parents, and it might very well explain his and Leia's weird abilities. It might also explain why he could sometimes hear Leia in his head…
"So?" Leia asked after a moment and Luke shrugged.
"I always did feel like I was meant to play a bigger role in something. Like I was more than just a farm boy I guess," Luke replied.
"See," Leia said jumping up and down. "Me too. You know what this means right?"
Leia started to keep talking, but Luke butted in to her surprise. "I don't know, that maybe we're meant to make a real impact on the galaxy and that saving those people Affavan was just the beginning of what we were meant to do?"
Leia blinked. "That was exactly what I was going to say. How did you-?"
Can you hear me?
Leia looked at Luke with her head tilted. "Was that you?"
I guess you did hear it.
Leia relaxed and with a little more effort touched the mental link. She felt Luke emotions and could even read some of his more immediate thoughts.
"That's amazing," Leia said out loud.
Luke nodded and then looked away from her. "Maybe… Maybe we could become jedi."
"Luke. The jedi are wiped out. There's no one to teach us. Besides, the empire kills force-sensitive people," Leia pointed out.
Luke shrugged. "So? They're already after us. And who says we have to find a teacher? Somebody figured out how to use the force and became the first jedi so why can't we figure it out?"
"Alright Luke," Leia said shaking her head. "Just because we're children of jedi doesn't mean-."
"Come on Leia. We have a legacy to live up to and it doesn't mean we have to do everything the jedi did. But it would help if we could at least use the force to help us free some more slaves," Luke suggested.
Leia gave him a look and didn't even have to speak her response because Luke heard it in her mind.
"I'm saying we could do some freelance slave smuggling… except we free them instead," Luke explained. When Leia just stared at him blankly, Luke kept going. "Besides, we need to keep money somehow. If they were willing to pay us what they did in gratitude, think of what other systems would pay. It's good somewhat honest work if you think about it.
Leia kept staring for a moment before smiling widely and leaping up to hug him. Luke stumbled from her sudden weight.
"I'm so glad you said that. I wanted to say something about that, but I didn't want to force you into it," Leia muttered.
Luke grinned. "Well, we're certainly not just going to fly through space forever. And I know exactly where to go next. When we were at that base I found info about another mine similar to the one on Affavan, except this time it's just an environmental hazard. We can head there next. Oh yeah and we should try to find out more about the Death Star. What it is? What it's for? You know."
Leia shook her head. "No. We'll do all that later. First we're painting this ship. Anyone could see the color of this ship and spot us. Oh, and we're going to need more weapons."
Luke rolled his eyes at Leia's demanding tone although she couldn't see.
"Whatever you say princess," Luke sighed and Leia smiled.
"Princess," she asked.
"Don't flatter yourself. It wasn't a compliment," Luke pointed out dryly.
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In the next chapter, Luke and Leia are now fifteen and running low on money and supplies. So Luke decided to help a torgruta tribe on shili get their princess back from another rival tribe in exchanged for payment. But Leia doesn't like the idea of being on Shili. She feels like something dark is after them. However her feeling becomes the least of their worries when their caught trying to take the princess back and scheduled to be executed.
Meanwhile, Darth Vader has found out that Luke and Leia are on Shili and has contacted the nearest star destroyer to retrieve them.
Alright that's that. I found this chapter difficult to write eventually, but decided that one more chapter was critical to show how they get into their new lives before I moved on to the next phase of the story.
Hope you enjoyed. Review Please!