Chapter Three

When they reached Mos Eisley only to be stopped by stormtroopers, Leia felt a stab of fear. Luke was ahead of them with Obi-Wan Kenobi and the droids, she had Uncle Owen beside her, and they both stopped at a signal from one of the troopers. It wasn't the humans they were interested in, Leia realized with a sigh of relief even as troopers scanned the bottom of her speeder, but the droids in the back of Luke's vehicle. Somehow, they got through the checkpoint and were waved on down the street. For the purposes of getting off of Tatooine in one piece, she was posing as Uncle Owen's niece and Luke's sister. Her face was covered by a scarf to protect her from the blowing sand and also served to hide any defining features a stormtrooper might recognize.

Luke took them deep into the oldest section of the spaceport, and they entered a blockhouse cantina. The droids had to stay outside, their kind weren't welcome in the cantina. There was a disturbance with two of the rowdier patrons picking on Luke. Uncle Owen got between them, telling the aliens to go pick on somebody else and leave his nephew alone. Luke and Leia caught him when the humanoid alien took a swing at him, and a brawl broke out. It was all over very quickly thanks to Obi-Wan's quick thinking and even quicker action with his lightsaber.

"If we can get out without any more trouble, it won't be soon enough." Leia whispered as she helped Luke usher a woozy Uncle Owen to a table. Obi-Wan led the way with a tall Wookie, who only just sent a chill of fear through Leia. The creature wasn't likely to do her any bodily harm, but she knew what Wookies were physically capable of and didn't want a first-hand demonstration. A tall, lanky Corellian slid into the seat against the wall and introduced himself as Han Solo, captain of the Millenium Falcon. None of them had ever heard of it, which seemed to surprise the captain.

"It's the ship that made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs." Which was almost impossible and an obvious attempt to show off. He kept going, even though Leia was doubtful he'd ever done such a thing as he claimed, "Look, I've outrun Imperial starships, not the local bulk cruisers mind you." That got her attention. He grinned, "I'm talking about the big Corellian ships now. She's fast enough for you, old man. What's the cargo?" If the Millenium Falcon could truly outrun a Star Destroyer like Captain Solo claimed, Leia would pay him herself.

"Only passengers. Myself, the children, my step-brother, two droids, and no questions asked."

"What is it?" he was intrigued, and Leia knew he did his work purely for the money it made him, "Some kind of local trouble?"

"Let's just say we'd like to avoid any Imperial entanglements."

"Well, that's the real trick, isn't it?" he smirked, "And it's going to cost you something extra. Ten thousand, all in advance."

"Ten thousand?" Luke yelped, appalled by the seemingly large amount, "We could almost buy our own ship for that!"
"Yeah, but who's going to fly it, kid? You?" Solo jabbed. He was charismatic and far too sure of himself.

"You bet I could. I'm not such a bad pilot myself!" Luke wasn't about to be played for a fool by the cocky Corellian, "We don't have to sit here and listen…"

"We can pay you two thousand now, plus fifteen when we reach Alderaan." Leia spoke up before the contest of wills could escalate any further. Luke's eyes almost fell right out of his head in amazement.

"Seventeen, huh?" the Corellian pirate considered this for a minute and smiled lazily, "Okay, you guys got yourselves a ship. We'll leave as soon as you're ready. Docking Bay Ninety-Four."

"Ninety-Four, of course." Obi-Wan nodded in consideration.

"Looks like somebody's starting to take an interest in your handiwork, old man." Solo's eyes fixed on a point behind them, "You might want to make yourselves scarce." Leia twisted around and saw four stormtroopers looking over the bodies of the dead rabble-rousing aliens, asking questions of the bartender, who pointed to their corner. But when the stormtroopers looked, the only people sitting at the table were Han Solo and his copilot.

After selling the speeders for what Luke claimed was a fraction of what he thought they were worth, Leia and her party made their way to the Millenium Falcon's docking bay. When they reached the port entry, they found the copilot waiting restlessly.

"If the ship's as fast as he's boasting, we ought to do well." Obi-Wan said almost to himself.

"Optimistic old fool." Uncle Owen muttered darkly, still uneasy from the barfight. Chewbacca led them into the dirt-floor hangar that was Docking Bay Ninety-Four. Resting in the middle of the bay was a beat-up, ellipsoid scrap-pile that could only loosely be labeled a starship. It appeared to have been pieced together out of hull fragments and components discarded as unusable by other craft. The wonder of it, Leia mused, was that the thing actually held its shape. Trying to picture this vehicle as spaceworthy would have caused her to collapse in hysteria – were the situation not so serious. But to think of traveling to her homeworld in this pathetic…

"What a piece of junk." Luke muttered, putting her feelings to words. They walked up the rampway toward the open port.

"This thing couldn't possibly make it into hyperspace." She had to agree, "I've seen tow-yard hauls in better condition than this." Obi-Wan and Uncle Owen didn't comment, but pointed toward the port, where a figure was coming to meet them. Either Solo had supernaturally acute hearing, or else he was used to the reaction the sight of the Millenium Falcon produced in prospective passengers.

"She may not look like much," he confessed as he approached them, "but she's all go. I've added a few unique modifications myself. She'll make point five past lightspeed."

Luke scratched his head as he tried to reassess the craft in view of it's owners claims. Either the Corellian was the biggest liar this side of the galactic center, or there was more to the vessel than met the eye. Luke thought back once more to Obi-Wan's admonition never to trust surface impressions, and decided to reserve judgment on the ship and its pilot until after he had watched them in operation. He heard a series of barks from the ramp and turned to see Chewbacca, who must have stayed behind to make sure nothing stalled their departure. Solo just nodded as his copilot charged up the boarding ramp.

"We're in a bit of a rush, so if you'll just get onboard, we'll get out of here." He waved them aboard and Luke hurried up the ramp with Leia. Obi-Wan, Uncle Owen, and the droids followed them. Any questions he may have had about their sudden hurry to get out of the hangar were answered when, upon reaching the cockpit, he saw a squad of stormtroopers flood into the bay.

"Chewie, get us out of here!" Solo shouted from the back. Luke went back with the others and strapped in for what was promising to be a bumpy ride.

Siria Keray had not broken down and told them anything, and they still believed she was Princess Leia, but she had the awful feeling something horrible was about to happen. That feeling was justified when, upon reaching a wide chamber that serviced as a control room of sorts aboard the Death Star, she saw her homeworld framed in a viewport. But any fear she had was dispelled by the sight of the tall, willowy man clad in Imperial gray. She bristled in disgust as Vader brought her to the Governor, "Governor Tarkin. I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash." She spat, "I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board."

"Charming to the last." He tipped her head up, "You don't know how hard I found it to sign the order to terminate your life."

"I surprised you had the courage to take the responsibility yourself!" she hissed, jerking away from his touch. He just smirked at her attitude in the face of certain death.

"Princess Leia, before your execution I would like you to be my guest at a ceremony that will make this battle station operational." He looked at her, "No star system will dare oppose the Emperor now."

That's what you'd like to think, slime-bag. She thought acidly, refusing to let this man intimidate her. "The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."

"Not after we demonstrate the power of this station. In a way, you have determined the choice of the planet that will be destroyed first." He snapped, but quickly took a more patronizing tone, "Since you are so reluctant to provide us with the location of the Rebel base, I have chosen to test this station's destructive power…on your homeworld of Alderaan." Now it made sense, why she could see her homeworld so clearly displayed!

"No, Alderaan is peaceful!" she pleaded, "We have no standing armies. You can't possibly…"

"You would prefer another target? A military target? The name the system!" he roared, "I grow tired of asking, so it will be the last time. Where is the Rebel base?"

"Dantooine." Siria looked sadly at Alderaan, naming a former base-world, "They're on Dantooine."

"There. You see, Lord Vader, she can be reasonable." He turned then to the officer beside him, "Continue with the operation, you may fire when ready."

"What?" Siria couldn't believe her ears, she didn't want to believe, "You can't…"

"Dantooine is far too remote to serve as an effective demonstration. We will deal with your Rebel friends on Dantooine as soon as possible."

"But you said…" Siria protested uselessly.

"We will proceed with the destruction of Alderaan as planned." He gestured to the two soldiers flanking her, "Escort her to the principle observation level and make certain she is provided with an unobstructed view."

"You can't do this! You can't! We have no standing armies, we are peaceful!" she shouted, "You are no better than your master! Eldipa cruche!" She spat a very nasty Corellian insult at the Governor, putting all her force behind those two words. If only Siria had known there were a handful of survivors, unnoticed by the Empire as it prepared to obliterate Alderaan from the face of the galactic map. She watched her homeworld as it was obliterated and wept, thinking her family had died in the destruction. How wrong she was.

As they shot away from Alderaan, Bail Organa looked back once at the monstrosity that hovered in close orbit. When his wife had come to him three nights ago with a nightmare, more of a dream warning from an old friend, he had begun evacuating his world. Most of the armed forces and citizens were safely offworld, there were only ten ships left to launch. His was among four of the first to depart, all under cloaking-devices to hide them from the Empire.

"We'll never see it again." He whispered.

"Sir, we're prepared to make the jump to hyperspace." His pilot confirmed. He just nodded and a moment later, they vanished into the safety of hyperspace. He had his ship on a direct course for Yavin 4, the outpost world of the Rebel Alliance. The four in his cluster were all going to the outpost, everyone else had scattered to worlds friendly to the Alliance, or to jump-stop rendezvous points of the Alliance's massive fleet. He thought for a moment of his daughters, Siria and Leia. Both were adopted and both were loved dearly. When they had come of age, he had inducted them into the ranks of the Alliance. Leia had gone on to serve in the Imperial Senate, taking his place, and of course Siria was never far behind her sister. They looked so much alike they had often switched places. He could tell when it was Siria and not Leia, but very few others were even aware of the switch-around. They were best friends, nearly inseparable, and he doubted even the Empire could part them for long.

Meanwhile, the destruction of Alderaan was felt by Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had to sit down. Leia hurried to help him to one of the couches along the walls, "General?"

"What's wrong?" Luke left off practicing with his father's lightsaber, "Are you alright?"

"I felt a great disturbance in the Force…as if hundreds of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced." He looked up at them sadly, "I fear something terrible has happened."
"Siria?" Luke put one hand on her shoulder as she grew very quiet. She said nothing, lost in thought. The hand on her shoulder moved to her waist and turned into a hug. Her first thought was for Siria, what she must be going through.

It should be me in her place! She thought miserably. When Han Solo came back to tell them that the Star Destroyers wouldn't be giving them anymore trouble, Luke was back at practice, the droids were playing a chess game with the copilot, Obi-Wan offered advice to Luke, and Leia had just brought Uncle Owen to the lounge from the cabin where he had spent much of the lift-off and subsequent escape from Tatooine.

When they arrived at Alderaan to find it gone, Leia felt a sadness but no urge to cry. She was shocked by the destructive power of the Death Star to obliterate a planet so completely.

"Judging by the wild energy and the amount of solid waste, Alderaan must have been blown straight to Kingdom Come, but that would take more concentrated firepower than the entire Imperial fleet put together." Han maneuvered the Millennium Falcon through the debris field, shaking his head in disbelief. Suddenly, an explosion rocked the Falcon as a TIE fighter raced past the cockpit.

"It followed us!" Luke cried in disbelief.

"No, TIEs are short-range fighters." Leia shook her head.

"There aren't any bases around here. Where'd it come from?"

"It sure is leaving in a big hurry."

"If they identify us, we're in big trouble." Leia whispered faintly.

"Not if I can help it." Han was all business, "Chewie, jam it's transmissions."

"It'd be just as well to let it go. It's too far out of range." Obi-Wan cautioned.

"Not for long." Han grinned and Leia wondered if he was actually suicidal.

"A fighter that size couldn't get this deep into space on its own." Obi-Wan mused, stating a fact.

"Then he must have gotten lost, been part of a convoy, or something…" Luke tried to make sense of it all. Leia shook her head.

"Imperial pilots don't just get lost, or separated."

"Well, he ain't going to be around long enough to tell anybody about us." Han coaxed a little more speed out of his ship.

"Look at him." Luke pointed, "He's heading for that small moon."

"I think I can get him before he gets there…he's almost in range." Han studied readouts while Leia eyed the object growing larger in the cockpit's viewport. A shiver ran down her spine and she wheeled, running from the cockpit.

"Leia!" Luke called after her.

"That's not a moon! That's a battle station!" she called back, running to the cabin where their scant belongings were kept. She snatched up the cloak and scarf that served as the rest of her disguise. She heard the engines whine in protest as she reached the cockpit, and felt a shudder run through the hull.

"Why aren't we moving away?" Luke asked in a small voice.

"We're locked in a tractor beam. I'm on full power right now, I have to shut down before the engines melt." Han went about shutting down all but the most vital systems, "But they're not getting us without a fight." Leia shuddered to think of what they had done to Siria, what could happen to her if she was taken captive.

"You can't win, but there are alternatives to fighting." Obi-Wan cautioned. Han looked at the old Jedi.

"Yeah?"

"Deception can be a very useful tool in times of danger, captain." Obi-Wan glanced at Leia, smiling. He knew! The crazy old Jedi knew she wasn't Siria Keray! Leia had the feeling she would be part of this plan, whatever it was. Han grinned and got up, "You, come with me." Leia hurried after him and found him digging around in his closet, clothes flying in all directions.

"Captain, what are you doing?" she demanded.

"Finding something else you can wear. Ah, this should do the trick. Here, try that for size, kid." He tossed out a skin-tight jumpsuit of dark green with high polished boots and a holster-belt. She picked it up, shocked at the thought of even wearing it.

"Oh, you must be joking!"

"Nope. Had a passenger a few years ago just about your size. She left her stuff behind and never came back for it. Here, this goes over it." He threw out an ankle-length trench-coat of black and slipped past her out the door, "Don't take too long." She waited until the door was closed, looked at the jumpsuit then at what she was wearing, and shrugged.
"All in the name of getting out of this alive." She muttered, changing clothes with the same speed she had back on the Tantive IV. When she was done, she studied her reflection curiously.

"Hmm. This looks like something Siria would wear." She smirked at the thought of her sister wearing these same clothes for an undercover mission.

"At one time, she did." A quiet, laughing voice startled her and she spun around to see Obi-Wan standing in the doorway behind her.

"You knew?"

"Don't worry, your secret is perfectly safe with me." He smiled, "I won't be the one to reveal the truth."

"Thank you." Leia went to the older man, once the greatest of Jedi Knights, and embraced him, "For understanding, for keeping my secret."

"Your mother was a very resourceful woman, Leia, and you remind me a great deal of her at your age." He led her out of the cabin, "She would have been very proud of you."

"You knew my mother? My real mother?"

"Yes, I knew her well. Her death has haunted me for twenty years." He grew sad and Leia wondered if this quiet, unassuming old man had once loved her birth mother, a woman Leia had never known. Her adopted father, Bail Organa, never spoke of her often and didn't like it when Leia and Siria got too curious about the mysterious woman who had been a queen, a senator, a wife, and a mother. Han was fiddling with the log and asked if she had a cover-name she wanted to go by just in case the Imperials got too nosey.

"The name Kip Rikki has served me in the past." She used a cover-name Siria had made up for her on a whim once when they were sixteen.

"Works for me, kid." He did something with the log and when he was done closed out and got up, leaving that station, "I hope you don't mind being captain of the Falcon at least until we blow this party."

"You made Siria the captain? Why?"

"It'll keep the Imperials scratching their heads for a while, make 'em think it was stolen from me back in Mos Eisley."

"And you think it will actually work?" Luke obviously thought very little of this particular plan.

"You never know, kid. Now shut up and get in, we're gonna have company soon and I don't need to stare up the wrong end of a blast-rifle just yet." Han ushered them into sub-deck compartments, going last to close the panels that served as covers. Leia felt Luke's arms snake around her as the light was cut off and smiled wanely. It wasn't long before they heard heavy footfalls and Leia tensed as they stopped right overhead. Luke just tightened his grip. They were so close, Leia could just see the panels flying up and the five of them being arrested. But the footsteps moved on and once they were gone completely, she and Luke pushed back their panel and she pulled herself out of the hold. Luke helped her up and she sat on the edge of the compartment.

"I thought they would find us down there!" Luke gave voice to her thoughts and she looked at the shy farmboy. His white tunics and trousers, more appropriate for Tatooine's unforgiving climate, were gone. They had been replaced by brown trousers and matching boots, a dark green shirt, a holster-belt, and a brown jacket like the one she wore. She arched an eyebrow.

"What's with the disguise?"

"Part of Han's ingenious plan, whatever it is."

"You kids are the brother-sister pair of sand-rat pirates who stole the Falcon from me just before we were set to blast out of Tatooine, and those two were my original passengers." He pointed at Uncle Owen and Obi-Wan, who exchanged a look that said they thought the smuggler was full of it. Maybe he was, but the crazy plan might just work.

"Owen won't be able to keep up with the rest of us, I feel we may be doing quite a bit of running about, so he has elected to stay aboard."

"Just don't touch anything, and don't let the Imps know you're up here." Han grinned, getting to his feet. They waited in hiding for a scanning team, and dispatched of the scanners. Han then coaxed a pair of stormtroopers aboard, clocked the tall one. The other stormtrooper then did something entirely unexpected and dropped his rifle, throwing his hands up.

"Don't shoot! Please don't hurt me!"

"Why?"

"I can help you! I swear, just don't shoot!" from the tone of voice, Leia half expected the trooper to drop to his knees and beg. Instead, he pulled off his helmet and offered a lopsided grin, "Hi, Tag Greenley. Nice to meet you. Sorry about the confusion."

"I know you from somewhere." Leia studied the trooper more closely, "Weren't you on the Tantive VI above Tatooine?"

"Yeah. So was my buddy. By the way, nice right hook." Tag flashed a grin at Han, who just stared in dumbfounded shock.

"How can you help us?"

"Easy. You need at least two stormtroopers. Cail and I can help in that department. Where exactly were you headed in this place?"

"The detention levels, my sister is being held prisoner." Leia looked at the others. Obi-Wan didn't seem all that surprised to see Tag. Han pulled off the other trooper's helmet and slapped the kid to bring him around. After a brief argument that included several Corellian insults, they got off the Falcon, leaving Uncle Owen behind on account of his weakened state. They found refuge in a gantry office, effectively dispatching the guards and officers inside. Han clocked the officer in charge, and before Leia or the boys could ask why, he was busy stripping the officer and switching clothes.

"Oh, smart move. I hope you can pull it off." Tag snickered. Amazingly, the uniform fit just perfectly.

"We might just pull this crazy charade off!" Luke looked at the undercover stormtroopers and then at Han, beaming. Artoo, meanwhile, had plugged into a computer outlet and hacked into the Imperial network. He let out a series of whistles.

"He says he's found the main controls to the power beam that's holding the ship here. He'll try to make the precise location appear on the monitor." Threepio translated the astro-droid's electronic language as readouts flashed across the screen, "The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations. A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave."

"Seven terminals? Geeze, no wonder the Falcon got the shakes." Han whistled. Obi-Wan moved towards the door.

"I don't think you boys can help. I must go alone."

"Whatever you say, old man." Tag's partner Cail Otauna flipped a cocky salute to the old Jedi, "I've done more than I bargained for on this trip already."

"I want to go with you." Luke stopped Obi-Wan.

"Be patient, Luke. Stay and watch over the droids."

"But they can – "

"They must be delivered safely or other star systems will suffer the same fate as Alderaan. Your destiny lies along a different path from mine now. The Force will be with you…always." He looked at Leia and smiled sadly, "Good luck to all of you." Tag and Cail offered hesitant waves as the old Jedi disappeared. Cail and Han got into an argument over something, broken up by a blue streak from Artoo. Leia followed Luke to the droid.

"What is it?"

"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure, sir. He says 'I found her' and keeps repeating 'She's here'."

"Well, who…who has he found?"
"Princess Leia."

"The princess?" Luke yelped, "She's here?"

"Princess?" Tag, Han, and Cail chimed in confusion.

"Where…where is she?" Leia was amazed her voice was so steady.

"Princess? What's going on?" Cail demanded.

"Level five, detention block AA-twenty-three. I'm afraid she's scheduled to be terminated."

"Oh no!" a look of horror swept over Luke's face and Leia felt quite faint all of a sudden, "We've got to do something!"

"What are you talking about?" Han snapped, just as confused as the other two.

"The droids belong to her. She's the one in the message." Leia said, "We've got to help her."

"Now look, don't get any funny ideas." Tag cautioned, "The old man wants us to wait right here."

"But he didn't know she was here!" Luke shot back. This led to a whole new round of arguing. It was mostly between Han and the other two, Luke just sat with his head in his hands. Leia put one hand on Han's shoulder, breaking up the argument for a moment.

"Han, if you rescue Leia Organa, you have not only the gratitude of the Alliance, but of a princess."

"Huh?"

"If you were rescue her, the rewards would be…"

"What?"

"Double." She knew that would get all three of them.

"Double what?"

"Seventeen thousand promised at Tatooine, plus the reward pay for rescuing Leia."

"Keep talking."

"If you have any debts to pay off, you'll have more than enough to square things off with your boss."

"How do you…?"

"Han, you're a smuggler. All smugglers work for someone, and often those people require a nice sum of money."

"Yeah, if I can pay off the Hutt once and for all, I'll be a happy man."

"Consider it done."

"But?"

"Please, Han, Leia needs your help, and she's no good to the Alliance dead." And she might be the only thing I have left in the galaxy. Leia thought miserably. The boys eventually agreed to help, and Leia and Luke got to play up the role of prisoners with Chewie. The Wookie almost ripped off Tag's head when the trooper tried to cuff him, and Leia had to laugh as Han calmed his jumpy copilot and tried to reassure him that this was all part of a grander plan. Besides, this run alone could make them very rich beings. Nothing wrong with that, right? Once she and Luke were properly restrained, they set off in search of the detention levels. What a strange parade they must have presented to the officers and stormtroopers who passed them in the hallways. An officer, his two stormtrooper underlings, and a bizarre trio of prisoners. She could only hope Obi-Wan's mission was going as well.