So apparently you guys thought Leia was okay? Good! :) Enjoy the next chapter!

The twin suns burned his skin was he tried to shield his face under his hood. He had almost forgotten the heat of Tatooine after enjoying other climates for a while. His exile on this planet seemed so long ago after everything that had happened in the past few weeks.

Good Force… had it really only been a few weeks? Thinking about it, Obi-Wan realized it had only been two weeks since he had reunited with Anakin, and it had been a month since he had left Tatooine.

The familiar sight of the Lars homestead came into view, and Obi-Wan heaved a heavy sigh. This was going to be interesting trying to explain the situation to Owen and Beru; Owen already had no trust for Obi-Wan, afraid he would drag Luke into trouble or bring trouble to them. Beru was a little kinder, but she was just as protective of Luke and just as scared of the possibility that her nephew might be found by his father.

He had no idea how he would do this. Being delicate would make no difference… and he supposed he might as well just get to the point. Owen was a simple and gruff man, and he didn't appreciate beating around the bush. He just wanted the truth, plain and simple. It was amazing how he and his step-brother held such a strong character trait in common though they weren't actually related.

Owen was scouting the perimeter of his farm when he noticed Obi-Wan's approach. He immediately stiffened. "What are you doing here?"

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. He supposed there was no going back now. "Luke isn't safe here."

Beru, who had also seen Obi-Wan, exited the homestead and just heard his statement. Her eyes widened in horror while her husband demanded, "What do you mean?"

"The Empire will come for him," Obi-Wan explained. It wasn't certain if Luke's identity was revealed or not, but Obi-Wan was not taking any chances. He had sworn to protect Luke Skywalker, and that was exactly what he was going to do. "He has to leave."

Owen looked enraged and panicked. "You said he would be safe here! You said no one knew!"

"Things changed," Obi-Wan said, not bothering to explain everything that had happened. He doubted Owen would see Anakin's actions as proof of returning to the light, anyway, and he wasn't going to argue the point with him. However, he did have to make his point quite clear. "I'm sorry, but they will kill him or worse if he remains. He has to leave."

Owen glared at Obi-Wan disdainfully while Beru began to weep. "Things always change with you Jedi, don't they?"

"I can't leave him, Obi-Wan!" Beru sobbed.

Obi-Wan tried to be comforting, but Owen pulled Beru out of his reach before he could lay a hand on her shoulder. He could tell the moisture farmer was angry with him; after all, he had promised that Luke would be safe with them, and they had taken great care to be a loving family for him. Still, Luke had to go; if Palpatine read Anakin's mind…

Shuddering, Obi-Wan quickly said, "Beru, I'm so sorry… but Luke cannot stay, and you two cannot afford to leave your farm. I'll take good care of him."

"Like you took good care of Anakin?" Owen snapped, and the words bit into Obi-Wan like a poison-laced whip.

Beru noticed Obi-Wan flinch and immediately put her hand on Owen's shoulder to calm him. She composed herself and looked worriedly to her home before saying to her husband, "Owen… I don't want Luke to leave…"

Obi-Wan felt his stomach churn. He had to make them understand. Before he could reply, though, Beru continued. "But much worse, I don't want him to die,"

Obi-Wan stood there, stunned at Beru's relinquish. She began to sob again as Owen tried to argue the point softly with her, but she continually shook her head. Obi-Wan waited, holding his breath, and Owen finally looked grimly at him.

"Be it on your head, Jedi," he said in a low growl. His eyes softened for an instant, however, showing that he was vulnerable and worried. "He had better stay safe."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan immediately said, relieved. "I'll go get him."

"You'll do no such thing," Owen answered quickly. "We'll get him. We want to say goodbye first…"

Pausing, Obi-Wan allowed this last act from Owen and Beru, who entered their home in mournful silence. Obi-Wan waited outside impatiently, though, his nerves on edge as if Anakin would accidentally reveal his son's location at any moment. Any sound made Obi-Wan jump and he searched the sky for any sign of Imperials. As soon as he got Luke he would try to make contact with Senator Organa and ask where Padmé had gone with Leia. He supposed she probably wanted to head to Tatooine, but he wasn't sure. Either way, he had to make contact with her; he had a plan he and Anakin had set into motion, and he was going to see it through.

Owen emerged from the small home with Luke following him. Luke looked nervous, even frightened. Obi-Wan wasn't sure what Owen and Beru had told him, but their ravaging emotions were no doubt picked up by the Force sensitive boy.

Obi-Wan immediately walked over to Luke and gave him a reassuring smile to calm him down. Owen exchanged a meaningful look with Obi-Wan, locking eyes with him.

You had better take care of him, his look said. Obi-Wan gave a confident nod in response and then took Luke's hand.

"Where are we going, Ben?" Luke asked with a trembling voice.

"We're going on an adventure, Luke," Obi-Wan answered, and this drew out a wide-eyed look of curiosity from the five-year-old.

"What kind of adventure?" he queried as Obi-Wan took him farther from the homestead.

"We're going to find your parents,"

Luke gasped. "My parents? But—but Uncle Owen said they're dead!"

Obi-Wan paused and looked Luke in the eye. "He was wrong."

Ryatsi shuddered.

The Imperial Palace was just as enormous and foreboding as she had heard. The monumental proportions of the palace led it to be the largest building on all of Imperial Center, commanding respect. The ornate hallways showed the wealth, power, and prestige of the person who lived there. The hangar where the shuttle from the Star Destroyer had landed could probably hold the destroyer itself in there. The medical facilities in the palace were top notch, easily rivaling any hospital.

As wonderful as it all was, however, it only felt like an extravagant cage to Ryatsi. She had a feeling that Anakin thought the same, seeing as he was jumpier than she had ever seen him.

Anakin constantly looked around as if he was hearing someone talking to him or following him. Whenever Ryatsi asked what was wrong, he would just shake his head, and then she would grow frustrated at her lack of ability to communicate with him. She wished dearly that he could understand her, but then she remembered the ominous query from the doctor aboard Palpatine's flagship.

Although they had reached their destination, Ryatsi had still seen or heard nothing from Palpatine, which she found strange. She had figured she would have to justify her survival to the emperor, but he didn't seem to care enough to even bother to have her killed. She was thankful; the less he noticed her, the better. If only she could figure out what was bothering Anakin so much…

Anakin moaned a little, catching Ryatsi's attention. The two had been relaxing on a balcony that was attached to an empty ballroom. Anakin had been sitting on a bench and looking out at the view, but now he was huddled on the bench only looking at his feet.

"What's wrong?" Ryatsi asked. Anakin trembled a little. "Are you cold?"

Shaking his head, Anakin moaned again, making Ryatsi nervous. Had he shaken his head because he was in pain or because he had actually understood her? Was he catching on quickly? He had read Kerrick's mind last time in order to learn speech; had been reading hers without her knowing it?

"Does your head hurt?" she tried. Anakin ignored her. As frustrating as it was, Ryatsi actually sighed in relief. Anakin moaned again and she walked over to him, touching his shoulder lightly. "What's the matter?"

Anakin once more shook his head and then began to hold it.

"Your head is hurting, isn't it?" Ryatsi crouched in order to look Anakin in the eye. His eyes were squeezed shut and his face was forming a grimace. He let out another moan. "What is it, little one?"

The moment the words left her lips Anakin's eyes snapped open to look at her. She immediately regretted the slip; she hadn't meant to call him little one. The damage was done, though; he stared at her long and hard as if he was trying to remember where he had heard such a familiar term. Ryatsi begged heaven to prevent him from remembering anything, and he seemed to be struggling with any recollections, which relieved her slightly.

"Never mind," she quickly said, standing up. Anakin remained frozen, though, searching for something that his mind wouldn't let him find.

"What does daddy look like?"

Padmé smiled as she brushed her hand over Leia's hair. Her daughter had been asking nonstop questions since they had embraced; she was definitely her father's daughter. The two shared that insatiable curiosity.

"Well, daddy's tall," Padmé began. "He has brown skin, blue eyes, and a funny nose."

Leia laughed. "He has a funny nose?"

"It's a big nose," Padmé pushed her own nose to demonstrate, making Leia laugh even more. "He also has this really goofy laugh when he's being silly."

"Daddy can be silly?"

"Oh yes, he's very good at being silly," Padmé sighed.

"We're going to rescue daddy, right?" Leia suddenly asked, excited. "You said he's the emperor's prisoner. Does the emperor have him locked in a tower like in stories?"

Despite the seriousness of her husband's situation, Padmé laughed out loud at the thought of him being a damsel in distress locked away in some tower. If only it were that simple. Of course to be honest, she didn't know what she would do to help Anakin. Her thoughts had been so bent on simply getting Leia to safety, and then just after that she had wanted to travel to Tatooine to get Luke. She remembered that Obi-Wan had said he was going to Tatooine himself; she hoped he hadn't left the planet yet. She wanted to make contact with him and meet her son. She also would love to finally face him for what he had done; they hadn't had time on Taris to discuss the idiocy of Anakin's plan, but she was still fuming over it.

"Mommy?"

Padmé jumped and looked at her daughter, who was watching her confusedly. "Sorry, dear. What did you ask?"

"Is daddy locked in a tower?" she repeated.

Smiling, Padmé indulged in her daughter's simple idea. "Yes, he is."

"Oh no!" Leia gasped, growing very concerned. "We are going to rescue him, right?"

"Of course we are, Leia," Padmé replied, hugging her daughter and looking away worriedly. "But first we have to get your brother."

Leia paused, and Padmé looked at her daughter to see she looked nervous. "Are you scared?"

Leia nodded a little and then shrugged. "I don't know… I've never had a brother…"

"Brothers are wonderful things, Leia," Padmé reassured her daughter. "You and Luke will get along well."

Before Leia could reply, a beeping sound emitted from the console. It signaled the ship's exit from hyperspace, and so Padmé stood and walked to the pilot's chair. She helped Leia strap into a passenger seat and then took hold of the controls just as Tatooine burst into view.

"There it is," she said, and Leia stared in awe.

"Where's the water?" she asked.

"In the air mostly," Padmé answered. "It's primarily a desert down there."

"Luke lives in a desert?" Leia sounded horrified at the notion.

"Well yes, but we're going to get him out of there, okay?"

"Okay…"

Padmé guided the ship into the atmosphere, flying near Mos Eisley. She remembered the location of the Lars homestead well enough; she could fly there directly if she needed to. However, as Padmé hovered near a landing area in the city she caught sight of Obi-Wan, who was running to the landing area and awaiting her arrival. Leia seemed to notice him too, and the two especially noticed that Obi-Wan had a young boy with him.

Landing the ship, Padmé helped Leia out of the straps and the two immediately went to the ramp. Padmé lowered the ramp and took her daughter's hand, leading the way off the ship.

Obi-Wan approached the two holding Luke's hand. He looked breathless, and Luke was panting. "I just sensed you; I didn't want you flying off to the homestead."

Padmé nodded, but her eyes were fixed on Luke. Before she could say anything, though, Leia said, "You're dressed funny."

Luke jumped and looked at his clothes before looking at her. "Well you are too, you know!"

"Mommy Organa dressed me like this!" Leia argued. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at Leia's address of Breha, and Padmé shrugged with the intention of explaining later. Ever since she had told Leia that she was the girl's mother, Leia had been differentiating by using surnames.

"Well Aunt Beru dressed me like this!" Luke stomped his foot stubbornly.

Leia gasped. "We have an aunt and uncle?"

Luke blinked. "Huh?"

Obi-Wan and Padmé laughed.

"Luke," Obi-Wan said to catch the boy's attention. "This is Leia and her mother… your mother."

Luke stared at Obi-Wan blankly. Then he looked at Leia and Padmé. He scrunched up his nose and slowly released his hand from Obi-Wan's. "Why did Uncle Owen say you were dead? Where were you?"

"I was…" Padmé began to answer, but Leia interrupted her.

"Mommy was in a sleep she couldn't wake up from and daddy's the emperor's prisoner and he's locked in a tower and we have to rescue him!" she explained urgently.

"Huh?" Luke stared at her in confusion.

Leia broke from her mother's grip and marched towards Luke with great importance, spouting all the things that Padmé had been telling her on the way to Tatooine. Luke tried to listen with rapt attention, but sometimes he interrupted, sparking an argument between the two. Obi-Wan and Padmé exchanged glances of amusement and bewilderment, but they left them alone for the time being.

"What did you tell Owen and Beru?" Padmé asked.

Obi-Wan sighed. "I told them what they needed to know; I said Luke was in danger and had to leave."

"You gave them a chance to say goodbye, right?"

"Of course I did… after this is over Luke can see them again."

"Over?" Padmé snapped. Luke and Leia were still busy arguing details over their parents' lives and therefore did not notice. "I don't see how any of this will be over anytime soon after the stunt you and Anakin pulled on Taris."

"Padmé, this will be sorted out," Obi-Wan stated. He was about to continue when Padmé interrupted, shaking her head.

"My children are safe so long as they're with me and away from the Empire… but now what, Obi-Wan? I can't just leave Anakin in Palpatine's clutches!"

"We're not going to, Padmé," Obi-Wan answered quickly to reassure her. Padmé raised an eyebrow, her eyes hard from anger, but the Jedi continued. "We couldn't fight Palpatine on Taris; no one was prepared for an invasion, and Anakin wasn't ready to fight him. However, if we can amass enough forces, we can take Anakin back no matter how strong the Imperials may be."

Padmé's anger subsided partially as the Jedi Master finally seemed to be making sense. However, this new train of thought didn't seem to match up with his and Anakin's original plan of wiping Anakin's memory. "What are you saying? That was your plan originally?"

Obi-Wan seemed to be growing more exasperated and frustrated than Padmé. "Of course it was; good heavens, did everyone just assume I was automatically insensitive and heartless simply because I'm a Jedi? Anakin and I both knew no one would survive against the Imperials on Taris, and there was no way they were leaving that planet with the manhunt they were doing. Anakin had to return to Palpatine… but since I wiped his memories Palpatine would not be able to do much until Anakin was at least able to understand him. I know the emperor would have no patience with retraining Anakin to speak and do basic habits and skills; he would leave that to Ryatsi, so long as she played her cards right. That would give the rest of us enough time to get our loved ones out of danger and organize a counterstrike; we would be the ones with the element of surprise, not the Imperials."

Padmé stared blankly at Obi-Wan. She was certainly relieved that the plan actually had some logic to it, but now she was annoyed for another reason. "And you didn't feel like informing the rest of us?"

"Padmé, no logic would get through to any of you once you found out I had wiped Anakin's memory. You were too enraged… I can't say I blame you. But that's the past," Obi-Wan explained and then waived his hand dismissively. "We have to get to the others."

The others? As in the other Imperials? "But they're scattered! Since they didn't know we'd be regrouping they could be anywhere!"

Obi-Wan smiled. "You didn't spend as much time with them as I did. I know one Imperial who can probably boast knowing everything about every single member of the navy."

Walking towards the ship, Obi-Wan motioned for Padmé to get the twins and follow him. "We're heading to Nihoma."

Little One.

Somehow those sounds, those words, stuck. When the nice lady had said 'little one,' he had actually understood her.

Speech had been becoming more accessible to him as soon as they had arrived at the big foreboding building. He hadn't liked being there, and he still didn't—there was something sickening in the air, something stale as if the dead lingered in the halls. Nothing brought warmth to him here, and he hated it. What he hated the most, though, was that he kept hearing the frightening man's voice in his head, whispering words he didn't understand. Images would go through his mind, leaving him confused and in pain as if someone were scraping his skull to find something in there. Nothing about this place was pleasant, and nothing about hearing words spoken was comforting…

Until she said little one.

Somehow, somehow he knew those words were significant. Were they his name? Were they a title for something or someone? He'd heard them before, that much he knew.

"It's okay, little one. We're not here to hurt you."

That voice sounded so familiar… he could almost put a face to it…

Lord Vader.

Jumping as he heard the man's voice in his mind once more, he moaned and held his head in pain. The nice lady with him gave him a worried look but she didn't seem to know what to do. He didn't know what to do either… he just wanted that man out.

The lady walked over and hugged him. The motion was comforting enough and he relaxed, holding her tightly and willing the voice away. It whispered again before fading. So long as he was with the woman he would be safe. So long as he didn't talk he'd be safe.

But he would find out what little one was.

"So you had the intention of getting him back all along?"

Obi-Wan sighed heavily. "Yes, Padmé; I know he's your husband but try to bear in mind that he's part of my family too. I don't intentionally try to get him hurt."

Padmé looked away. "I'm sorry, Obi-Wan… but what did you expect me to do? All you told us was that you and Anakin had made up the plan on the basis that it was 'too dangerous'… nothing about getting him back!"

"Did you think I was just going to abandon him? I told you before we left that we would get him when the time was right."

"I figured your timing would take longer," Padmé shook her head. "Forgive me."

Obi-Wan gave a smile that said he did just that and then turned his gaze to the viewport. Hyperspace swirled around them as they traveled; they had left Tatooine about an hour ago at this point, but it was still another fifteen hours to Nihoma. After all the traveling that they had all done he knew they would need some sleep en route.

"Did you always intend on gathering the others once more?" Padmé asked.

Obi-Wan furrowed his brow a little as he considered the question. "I suppose I did… when I saw them part on Taris I had a sense that we would hopefully see each other again if we weren't killed in the process of reuniting."

"I'm still doubtful we'll be able to find all of them," Padmé sighed. "After all they are trying to go into hiding."

"They have to find their families first and uproot them, and that will take some time… enough time for us to get to them before the Imperials,"

"Why haven't the Imperials come after us yet? Or do you think they're already honing in on the others?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "It's possible they might already be searching for us, but I doubt it. Palpatine's fleet probably just reached Imperial Center at this point; the orders for other fleets to search for us won't be going out until tonight or tomorrow."

Padmé nodded and the two watched hyperspace in silence. Obi-Wan pondered their predicament and he couldn't help but grow nervous. Anakin's amnesia would not last nearly as long as it had last time; despite Obi-Wan's efforts to keep the young man's memories locked away, he knew Palpatine would probably be trying to break through. The chronometer was ticking, leaving Obi-Wan jumpy. He kept expecting to sense Anakin simply crack under the pressure, and his stomach churned. This was Anakin's idea, but Obi-Wan had agreed to it and gone through with it; if anything happened to Anakin…

Trying to banish the thoughts from his mind, Obi-Wan started a different conversation with Padmé. "So where are the twins? Have they been getting along?"

"Last I saw they were telling each other their favorite color," Padmé smiled. "They're getting along better than I expected."

"What did you expect?"

"I don't know…" Padmé's eyes clouded as she became pensive. "They just seem to be taking it awfully well; how would you have reacted if someone had told you at age five that she was your mother, you had a twin sibling, and then she took you from your home to your biological family?"

Obi-Wan pondered the concept for a moment. It was a strange thing to consider, at least for him; the Jedi had always been his family. He supposed a big difference between his sort of upbringing and the twins' was that they were told their parents were dead and that was why their parents weren't there. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, never even considered his parents until he was almost a teenager; it was simply normal where he lived to grow up with younglings in a clan with a master to parent them. If someone were to have approached him when he was five and claim she was his mother, he probably would have thought she was insane and run off to his crèche master.

"Obi-Wan?"

Jumping, Obi-Wan looked at Padmé once more. "To be honest, Padmé, I don't know how I'd react… my situation was different from Luke and Leia's. It would probably be better to look at if from their perspective rather than reason it from ours."

"I'm trying to look at if from their perspective," Padmé replied. "But I can't make it out; Leia seems to be more like Anakin, which would imply that she's very close to her family, that being Bail and Breha. It took some explanation and comforting to get her to accept the fact that I was her mother, but still… she seemed to accept it awfully quickly."

Padmé then looked at Obi-Wan shrewdly. "Did you know they were Force sensitive?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "Yes, I knew. That was part of the reason why we separated them; they were less likely to be noticed in the Force that way. Since they are Force sensitive, though, that probably is what's guiding their decisions and acceptance. You've seen it with Anakin; the Force can be quite useful in detecting deceit in a person. If they sensed none in you, then, as the trusting five-year-olds that they are, they will simply accept it as truth. It's amazing how simple life is through the eyes of a child."

"Indeed,"

"But they are getting along well, right?"

Padmé nodded. "Yes, they're getting along very—"

"Mommy! Mommy look!"

Padmé and Obi-Wan turned to see Luke and Leia rushing into the cockpit. The two had an enormous stack of papers in their hands with what appeared to be drawings all over them. Leia reached them first and sifted through the papers until she found one and showed it to them.

"This is Mommy Organa and Daddy Organa!" Leia pointed to the drawings of Bail and Breha. She was mostly showing Obi-Wan, who had been introduced to her as a relative of her father.

Just as Leia was about to pull another drawing out Luke shoved passed her in a thick blanket that had been given to him and held out his drawing proudly. "This is Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, Mother!"

Obi-Wan did his best to hide a smirk as he gazed at the drawings. Padmé was saying something along the lines of 'that's pretty,' which was a typical doting mother's response over her children's astonishing works of art. As Obi-Wan looked at the drawings, he could detect some similarities between the drawings and their inspirations, though he didn't recall Bail's feet being longer than his legs, nor did he recall Breha's hair engulfing her head rather than simply sitting atop it. Luke's masterpiece was especially interesting seeing as he tried to put a background in it; in the end the moisture vaporator he had drawn towered over Owen and Beru, who looked like two jawa stick figures beside a monolith.

"I just wanted you to see them," Luke said happily. He was about to continue when Leia interrupted.

"So where's Daddy?" she asked. "Luke and I were coming up with a way to get him out of the tower! What's the tower look like? Is it really tall?"

"We could go back to Uncle Owen and borrow some rope if we need to climb it!" Luke interjected earnestly.

Obi-Wan threw a bewildered look at Padmé. "Tower?"

"It's complicated," Padmé sighed. She then faced the twins. "Children, we can't go back to see Owen, Beru, or the Organas. You see, Palpatine is… Palpatine is looking for anybody who could rescue your father; he will capture you too if you let him find you."

Luke and Leia looked frightened and exchanged looks of horror.

"But how are we going to get Father out?" Luke asked worriedly.

Obi-Wan gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, little ones. We'll get your father out very soon, but you have to listen to everything your mother and I say, okay?"

"Okay," the twins nodded. Then Leia pursued her previous venture. "But what does the tower look like? Where is it? Is it on some planet in Wild Space? Are there monsters around it?"

"Is it cold there?" Luke added, sounding quiet and small in the enormous blanket.

"It's colder than Tatooine," Padmé answered. "It's very tall, dark, and surrounded by and attached to other towers."

Leia immediately grew silent and tried to think through the predicament. She then turned to Luke. "Well we won't need a rope, then."

Luke shrugged and then came to a realization. "We'll have to go through the other towers!"

The twins looked at each other in astonishment and then ran out of the room to discuss this new revelation. Padmé and Obi-Wan exchanged glances before laughing loudly.

"They certainly are quite a pair," Obi-Wan noted.

"Yes, they seem to be," Padmé shook her head as she stopped laughing, but a smile still shone on her face. "Nihoma will certainly be an interesting surprise for them."

"Luke will at least be used to the dragons," Obi-Wan chuckled.

"True,"

The two calmed and retreated into their own thoughts as they watched hyperspace. The sound of Luke and Leia's scheming echoed down the hall from another room. Obi-Wan simply took the time to try and relax; the quiet was making him think about Anakin's predicament again, though there was a touch of amusement to it when he caught snippets of the children's conversation.

Eventually Padmé left the cockpit to spend time with the twins. They were still brainstorming over how to break Anakin out of his supposed tower and they constantly ran ideas by her. Obi-Wan listened as the three bonded over escape plans—something that only the Skywalker family would do, naturally… it didn't surprise Obi-Wan in the least that his family would be just as bizarre and completely different as he was.

Hours passed, leaving Obi-Wan tired from the stress of everything that had happened. He hadn't slept since the night before the Ria Dance, and at this point that was two days ago. Padmé had long since put the twins to bed, and she no doubt had gone to sleep as well. Settling deeper into his chair, Obi-Wan crossed his legs, folded his hands over his lap, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.