Finally, a comprehensive pamphlet had been written to counter Imperial propaganda and provide information on Imperial atrocities. The pamphlet was called A Call to Reason, and its existence filled Bail with both terror and excitement...But he knew it was a natural step after the Declaration of Rebellion had been created. Finally, the Alliance to Restore the Republic was beginning to gain momentum.

Bail just hoped that Palpatine would not discover his involvement. If Leia and Winter were murdered by the Empire as Bel Iblis' wife and children had been, Bail didn't know what he would do. He lived for his daughters—the thought of them affected everything that he did. If they were to die because of him, it would break his heart...

He moved past his twelve-year old daughter's room, pausing as he heard a strange noise inside it. Leia was supposed to be napping, wasn't she? Concerned, he pressed his ear against the door to listen.

****

Leia blinked repeatedly. Her vision seemed hazy, and for some reason she couldn't move her legs. Since she couldn't do anything else, she simply looked around.

She appeared to be in a canyon, and desert sands were beginning to swirl all around her. Was she in the midst of a sandstorm?

She craned her neck upward, gazing at a nearby rock overhang. Frowning, she focused on something strange on the cliff—what was that?

After concentrating for a few moments, she realized that she was staring at a humanlike creature.

The being's tan coverings blended in well with the rocks, and the humanoid would have been easy to miss. She thought it looked a little small; perhaps it was an adolescent from a species that was smaller than humans? It seemed as if it were feeling wary of something, but it appeared unable to see Leia.

Leia turned, blinking in surprise as she saw a human teenager around her age stumbling toward the cliff. His black hair was mussed by the winds, and sand was swirling up and biting at his face. The teenager coughed, trying to cover his face with his sleeve so he could breathe better, but the winds were gaining in intensity, and Leia suspected he wouldn't last much longer.

The cloth-covered being seemed to reach a decision, climbing down the cliff and touching the teenager's shoulder. Upon seeing the creature, the teenager gasped and began backing up. The humanoid made a sweeping gesture at the rock overhang, walking forward a bit and gesturing some more. Caught between a raging sandstorm and a dangerous stranger, the adolescent seemed to decide he preferred the latter, and he began following the humanoid.

Leia was finally able to move her feet, and so she went after the pair, remaining strangely unaffected by the swirling sands. The humanoid brought the teenager to a small cave hidden among canyon rocks. Inside, they were protected from the sands, though the wind's hollow howl made the dark cave seem very foreboding.

The boy finally spoke. "I don't know why you're helping me, but thank you."

The creature's response was a hand gesture.

The adolescent still seemed a little nervous, however, and he continued talking, though it seemed as if he were mostly speaking to reassure himself. Leia doubted the humanoid could understand him; otherwise, the creature would probably have spoken sooner.

"I'm Biggs Darklighter," the human introduced himself. "I was exploring, and—well—I guess the sandstorm came faster than I thought it was going to...Beru's probably worried sick, and Owen's probably ready to skin me alive..."

The humanoid was staring at Biggs as he talked. He seemed to be interested, though Leia was unsure why.

As if somehow encouraged, Biggs continued, though he was looking down at his hands while he spoke. "They're nice people, really...I just sometimes wonder what it would be like if my parents hadn't died when I was little..." The youth finally looked up, staring at his strange savior with a confused look on his face. "They were killed by your kind, you know. I don't understand why you're saving me...You probably don't even understand me...But—thank you. I guess there's always some good among the bad, huh?"

The humanoid seemed to hesitate before reaching out to grab a gourd of some kind that was hidden beneath some rocks. The being offered it to Biggs, who accepted it while blinking in surprise.

"But water's so precious—why are you giving me this?"

But the creature simply stared at him. Something seemed to tell Leia that he was sad, but she was unsure why. She tried to ask the humanoid why he was sad, but her mouth felt too thick to talk. Her attempts to speak louder were also in vain, so she finally ceased her efforts.

The human boy continued to talk. "I want to be out among the stars, but they don't want me to, you know. Owen just lost an arm to your kind, and they really need me on the farm...But I think that one day I'm going to leave anyway...I'm not meant to stay here."

Leia attempted once more to speak, but she found herself being pulled away by some strange force...She struggled against it, but the force was too strong for her to resist. She wanted to scream—she wasn't ready to leave. But silence surrounded her, suffocating her—

She shot up in her bed.

A dream. Just a dream.

She took in a few deep breaths before she noticed her father standing beside her. "Are you all right, Leia?" he queried, sounding concerned.

Leia paused for half a second before nodding. "I had a strange dream...I was in a desert, and there was a boy and this other creature..."

Bail seemed surprised for a moment, but he was quick to hide it. "I'm sure it was nothing, dear." He smiled at her. "I have some documents to look over. If you need me, I'll be in the living room."

Leia nodded and watched as her father disappeared. He was right. It was just a dream, wasn't it?

****

After Chinnatah had lived through six bantha birthing seasons, his gaffi stick training was finally to begin in full. He already knew the basics, but now he was to meet the real challenge. He would be wielding his gader stick, a staff given to uli-ah for training and primitive defense. The gader stick was a simplified and slightly shorter version of the gaderffii, possessing either a spear or a hook on one end—Chinnatah's possessed the former.

His Ghorfa teacher, Hinalg, roared out instructions in the harsh Tusken language, holding his double-edged staff threateningly in the air. Uli-ah were not coddled; when they trained, their instructor always carried his gaderffii rather than a gader stick. For an adult Tusken, it was unthinkable to stoop to using a gader stick, and it was not uncommon for uli-ah to be injured by gaderffii during training.

Chinnatah exchanged a glance with the other practicing student, Mrekln, practically feeling the sneer beneath the other's tattered face coverings.

And then Hinalg attacked.

The two uli-ah were hard-pressed to keep up with the adult Ghorfa's vicious slashes and feints. They parried and attempted to make attacks of their own, but Hinalg was merciless with his pupils, knowing they had to learn the hard way or die.

Mrekln snarled as Hinalg's gaderffii stick nicked his arm, and he fiercely tried to start in on the offensive. But Hinalg was ready for him, easily meeting his and Chinnatah's attacks. Hinalg kicked Mrekln in the stomach, turning on Chinnatah, who ducked under the gaffi swing Hinalg threw at him and swiped with his leg at Hinalg's feet. Hinalg jumped backwards, narrowly missing a swing from the gader stick Mrekln brandished.

Chinnatah and Mrekln looked at each other and then, simultaneously, leaped at Hinalg and brought him to the ground, pointing their gader sticks at the downed instructor's throat.

Hinalg growled, [You uli-ah still need practice; with it, the two of you could become great.]

Mrekln scoffed, [Chinnatah will only be deemed great when put next to a womp rat.]

Chinnatah stared at him, not offering a reply. Mrekln stalked off clutching his gader stick, angry that the other Tusken uli-ah never responded to any of his goading.

Chinnatah switched his gaze to his own gader stick, lightly twisting it in his wrist. He felt like he should be holding a different kind of weapon, one much more elegant...

****

Leia Organa lightly rotated her training saber. At Bail's request, Obi-Wan had agreed to instruct her on how to use a lightsaber. He had protested at first, but Bail had argued that self-defense training would not be enough should Leia come into contact with a highly skilled assassin. Although Bail had mentioned no names, Kenobi had known fully well that while assassins were nearly the greatest of what he privately dubbed Bail's "Fears For Leia's Well-Being," it was the ever-looming threat of the youth's coming into contact with a Sith Lord that had Organa worried. And so Obi-Wan had finally conceded.

The Jedi began his lesson, slipping more easily into teacher mode than he had thought he would after so many years. "First, I'm going to teach you the basics. You cannot simply jump into a lightsaber battle. You must learn to trust your instincts. Only then can you truly begin to understand the complexity of this elegant Jedi weapon."

Biting her lip, Leia nodded, trying to concentrate.

She suddenly frowned. It felt as if a wisp of a spirit had momentarily entered her mind and then fled as quickly as it had come.

********************

Half of a birthing season (or one Standard Galactic Year) had passed by, and Chinnatah was finally to learn about projectile rifles. In some ways, he was dreading it, for Tuskens would usually just use the rifles to shoot at passing vehicles and at podracers in the Boonta Eve Races. Each kill and hit was noted with pride—for Tuskens, it was both a sport and a way to show good marksmanship. Violence was prevalent in Tusken society, for violence on Tatooine seemed necessary for survival. A reminder of this necessity was always thrown at him, but still Chinnatah could not help but feel there had to be another way...

Listening to his teacher's directions, Chinnatah shifted the weight of the Tusken Cycler rifle he was holding. It wasn't exactly light...

The first objects the uli-ah were to shoot were immobile targets. After being instructed to aim, Chinnatah and a few other Tusken children prepared their projectile rifles and then fired.

Only two of the targets were hit, and even the keen-eyed instructor seemed unsure as to which uli-ah had hit which one.

Finally, after considering the matter, he barked out, One at a time!

The first to try missed it, while the second Ghorfa nicked the target on the side. Chinnatah lifted his rifle, aimed, and—after a moment of hesitation—let his feelings guide him. A dead hit.

Yrketh, the rifle instructor, stared at Chinnatah through his eyeslits. Chinnatah kept his head up, not daring to move. Yrketh snarled, [Have you been stalking off to practice?]

Chinnatah gave one sharp negative hand motion, not showing fear but instead respect for authority.

[Hit the target again!]

Chinnatah lifted his projectile rifle, aimed, and then shot. Right in the middle.

[We will see how well you shoot when mounted. Retrieve a bantha,] the teacher instructed Chinnatah, turning towards Mrekln to spit another order: [Shoot.]

As Chinnatah walked off to find Vrentlla, he couldn't help but notice that Mrekln missed.

****

"Aim carefully, now," the Weapons Master, Giles Durane, cautioned. He had been teaching Leia Organa self-defense and combat skills and found her to be a willing and skilled student.

Leia rolled her eyes, brought up the small blaster pistol, aimed, and then pulled the trigger. "Bullseye!" she said triumphantly.

"How did you—?" Durane cut himself off. "I should expect that from you by now, princess."

Leia just smiled. Little did he know that Obi-Wan's "Force" had helped her in ways he couldn't imagine.

Really, she still wasn't sure how the Force worked. But even though the Jedi had been strangely hesitant to teach her at first, his instructions had resulted in things she would have never thought could happen.

The first thing Obi-Wan had taught her was how to put up a mental block. She hadn't understood the purpose of this exercise, and she still didn't know if it actually worked, but she tried to keep the mental block up at all times, for the Jedi Master had stressed it. He claimed that he was constantly helping her maintain the shield, and he had told her many times that she was forbidden to tell anyone of his existence on Alderaan. She knew the reason to that, however, for the Jedi Purge was reason enough. She had her suspicions that it was the Purge that was the real reason behind her need to maintain a "mental shield," but even as she formed those suspicions she couldn't help but think that there was an even bigger reason she was unaware of...

****

Chinnatah stared down at the ground. The tribe his Ghorfa clan belonged to had temporarily banded with two other Tusken tribes, and they were planning to attack the outskirts of Anchorhead, one of Tatooine's smaller towns. Most of the Tuskens were looking eagerly on and clutching their gaffi sticks as the Tusken leaders quietly talked.

The citizens of Anchorhead had become more confident, venturing more often into the rocky Jundland Wastes, the place that the Ghorfa clans called home. The Sand People were very territorial, and they were ready to retaliate despite such little provocation. Ordinarily, Tatooinian colonists refrained from wandering far from their isolated communities, but now the colonists had unknowingly given the chance for the Ghorfa to kill two womp rats with one stone: they would be warning Tatooinian colonists to stay away from the Jundland Wastes while also "confiscating" useful tools and equipment from them.

The adult Tuskens were even recruiting some of the younger Ghorfa to aid in the attack (as well as some of the women, which was especially shocking since males tended to be the aggressors), and Chinnatah had the feeling that he was to be asked to help. He glanced over at Vrentlla, who was gazing at him knowingly. She let loose a low moan.

They couldn't ask him if they couldn't find him, he mused as he fingered a smooth pebble he had found moments ago. He was a collector of small rocks, hard to find though they sometimes were due to Tatooine's ever-indecisive sand. Though most of the rocks he found were as drab as the rest of the Tatooinian landscape, occasionally he would find one with remarkable coloring. He motioned to Vrentlla after placing the pebble into his small carryall pouch, walking over a dune to remove himself from the eyesights of the other Tuskens. He hopped onto the cub's back, even though he knew that if he, a mere uli-ah, were spotted on a bantha he would face the disapproval of other Tuskens. Only rarely did the Sand People approve of a Ghorfa that had not yet reached adulthood riding a bantha alone, and then it was only in situations where it was necessary to practice combat skills while mounted.

The bantha knew where to go: the large cave she and Chinnatah had found that not even the eldest Tusken Raider knew existed.

****

Leia smoothed her white dress nervously, resisting the urge to play with her hair, which had been intricately and painstakingly styled by her aunts. The three women were determined to turn her into a "Proper Princess" and marry her off to some incompetent male from one of the other ancient ruling houses. Normally, she would do a lot of grumbling after they subjected her head to one of their more elaborate hairstyles. For the moment, however, any annoyance she felt toward the three dowagers was gone, replaced by a sort of apprehensive excitement.

This was the first time she was allowed to accompany her father to a meeting of the Imperial Senate at Imperial Center (or Coruscant, as it was formerly called), and she could practically feel the tension radiating off her father. For some reason, Obi-Wan had stayed at home, but he had made sure to emphasize—repeatedly—the importance of her maintaining a proper mental shield.

Exchanging a smile with her father, the thirteen-year old girl stepped out of the landspeeder, following him.

When Bail brought her into the building, she had to keep her jaw from dropping. Her own home was more luxurious than most, but this place was enormous.

Her father introduced her to several people whose names she instantly forgot, but it wasn't long at all before she saw them, two people with names she could never forget...The two most infamous humans in the galaxy—the heads of the Jedi Purge.

Both the dark helmet and the pair of piercing orange eyes turned her way, and she felt as if the two men—if they could still be called that—were able to see into her soul. Shivering, she looked almost pleadingly at her father, who was busy talking to a Rodian and a member of a species she could not identify. Her eyes drifted over the heads in the court as she tried to take her mind off the two Sith Lords.

...Over there was an alien whose species she had never seen before (she should have paid more attention in her classes!), there was a Twi'lek who looked vaguely familiar (an acquaintance of her father's, perhaps?), there was an obviously plotting Bothan (when weren't they plotting?), there was a redheaded human—

—who was staring at Leia with piercing green eyes.

Biting her lip, Leia decided that the atmosphere was too constricting for her taste, and she disappeared out a door she had seen earlier and been curious about. Her father wouldn't miss her for a while. He might be angry when he found she had left, but she would rather face a lone kidnapper or assassin than the tension choking the inhabitants in this room.

Continuing down the corridor, she finally found an entrance to a small, empty courtyard where she melted onto a bench. At last—privacy.