Chapter Two
Leia and Zella
Obi-Wan, Mayli, and Zella worked the morning away on the homestead's vaporators. Talking about their plans to leave Tatooine and singing songs together to pass the time, Obi-Wan found their work pace decreased as the day's temperature increased. Right at midmorning, the usual TIE patrols flew over, and Zella stuck her tongue out at them as they passed.
"Chiss space will be a nice break from those stupid TIEs," Zella said, concentrating on re-wiring a device.
Obi-Wan glanced at Mayli to see her look longingly after the TIEs. "Yes, but honestly, as a pilot, I would love to fly one of those." She sighed. "The most recent design boasts the highest speeds of any ship of its kind."
"Grandpa would have been impressed," said Zella. "Even with his grumbling about the Empire."
Obi-Wan chuckled, remembering Mayli's father, who passed away the year before of a sudden stroke. Initially, the man did not like Obi-Wan, but after learning the truth about the father of his grandchild, he and his wife's visits to Tatooine were pleasant affairs. Obi-Wan felt a sudden sadness knowing he'd never see the man again, remembering both Mayli and Zella's grief when they'd arrived back from the memorial on Corellia, which he, forever stuck on Tatooine, missed.
Stuck on Tatooine…not for much longer. They would be heading to Chiss space in a few short weeks, Zella set to attend university, Mayli and Obi-Wan to relax and enjoy their golden years, getting work here and there. The location, a small terrestrial moon orbiting a gas giant in a system neighboring Csilla, consisted of a large university, the rest of the planet research laboratories, artist conservatories, and libraries supporting the institution. Perfect for Zella, not only gifted in the Force, but quite intelligent, particularly in the arts.
Having watched over Luke Skywalker for nineteen years, in which time he'd been forbidden to train the boy, Obi-Wan began to feel more and more his time on Tatooine to be wasted. Why not move with his family elsewhere, far away from the Empire? Nothing would ever happen with the Skywalker boy, destined to farm the land like his uncle. And Luke seemed relatively safe. If the Empire, and particularly Darth Vader, hadn't figured out the Skywalker living on Tatooine with Anakin's relatives to be someone of significance by now, then he seemed to be truly safe. Obi-Wan shook his head, almost laughing aloud at the thought. He hadn't bothered to change his own surname, nor Luke's.
Mayli began to sing a familiar tune, a Max Rebo song, and Obi-Wan joined in, their voices becoming louder as the song met its crescendo. When done, Mayli smiled at him beneath the hood of her cloak.
"Remember the Max Rebo concert?" she asked, winking at him.
"Oh yes," he said, smiling slyly back at her. "And didn't we first meet over a moisture device?"
"You were trying to steal it!" Mayli said in mock accusation.
Obi-Wan put down his tools and walked over to her, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her to him in an embrace.
"You know very well I was…"
"Oh would you two just stop. I've heard that story a million times," Zella said, giving them a spectacular eye roll typical of teenage humans across the galaxy. "And Max Rebo is a has-been. He plays full time over at Jabba's now."
Obi-Wan shared a knowing smile and a long kiss with Mayli before returning to his work.
"I can tell you it will be nice to head out in the Nebula Flame with you two," he said. He hadn't been off the planet since his kidnapping at the hands of the Sith Scholars. The last world other than Tatooine he'd set foot on had been the Forest Moon of Endor, nearly two decades ago.
Mayli began to laugh, stopping her work, almost doubled-over.
"What is it, darling?" asked Obi-Wan.
"I was just remembering the first time I took Zella off-world," she said, finally catching her breath. "You little troublemaker."
Zella grinned broadly. "Hey, it was all dad's fault for training me."
Obi-Wan listened as his two women reminisced, wishing he could have been there to see the look on Bail Organa's face.
Seven Years Ago
Mayli laughed good-naturedly at her eight-year-old daughter, who yelped as she gripped the armrests of the co-pilot's chair tightly.
"Welcome to hyperspace, sweetheart," she said, watching Zella's eyes grow wider as she took in the swirling landscape outside the viewport, seeming to adjust to the sensation of going in between time and space.
The duo headed toward a week-long visit with Zella's grandparents on Corellia, with a stopover on Alderaan to attend a gathering of some of the leaders of the ever growing Rebellion, which Mayli had a hand in first bringing together. She hesitated in bringing Zella away from Tatooine until she was old enough to understand not to mention Obi-Wan or the Jedi. While she felt heartbroken having to tell her daughter to claim her father to be dead, Zella understood, learning more and more through her training and time with her father the tragic history of the Jedi Order.
"When we land on Alderaan, we need to change into something nice before going to the palace," Mayli said, putting in the next set of hyperspace coordinates.
"Can I wear the pink outfit Grandma Rey got me?" Zella asked happily.
"Oh yes, that would be perfect," Mayli said. "What should I wear?"
"I like when you wear green. Daddy does too," Zella said. "Do you think Grandma Rey will have more clothes for me?"
"I'm sure she will," said Mayli, sighing and shaking her head. Rey, Mayli's mother, recently retired from working for decades at a cosmetics firm, enjoyed all things feminine. And while Mayli loved her work coveralls best, Zella enjoyed dressing up, having nice clothing, putting ribbons in her hair. Mayli often wondered if fashion-awareness skipped a generation and wished she knew Obi-Wan parents.
Hours later, Mayli walked with her daughter from the Alderaan royal landing strip to the side entrance of the palace. Zella stared in awe, her mouth slightly opened, as they made their way along the building.
"I thought it would be like Jabba's Palace," Zella said. "This is…wow!"
Just approaching the entrance, Senator Bail Organa's offices, several teenagers came out, dressed in flight suits, laughing and following an older man. Pilots in training, Mayli mused, and she smiled at them.
One boy stopped cold as she passed.
"The Bird," he said, grabbing her by the arm. "Mayli?"
Mayli's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ewok Brother!" she cried, embracing the young man. "You are joining one of the squadrons?"
"Yeah…I'm…"
"Sky! Now!" cried the man as the group disappeared around the corner.
Sky looked down at Zella. "Is this…this is the baby?"
Mayli laughed. "This is Zella." She looked to see the man in charge of the teens now coming back, looking angry. "You better go. Tell your father hello for me."
Sky nodded and gave her another quick embrace before running in the direction of the group.
Mayli grinned broadly as her and Zella entered the office, but the smile soon slipped from her face. Trying not to groan, she waited as the golden protocol droid C3PO approached.
"Welcome Mayli," he said in his ever-so-proper voice. "You are the last to arrive. The rest have assembled."
"Oh…I didn't realize I was late," Mayli said, turning to Zella. "Baby, why don't you sit here in the office and…"
"Oh no! Senator Organa instructed me to take all children of those attending to the nursery," C3PO said as a blue, silver, and white astromech rolled in. "I will guide the young mistress to the nursery, and you can follow R2D2 here to the meeting."
Mayli looked into Zella's face, seeing worry in her daughter's eyes. She hugged the girl.
"Don't worry," Mayli said. "I will see you right after the meeting. The people here are very nice."
"Yes. And you will get to spend the afternoon with the princess," C3PO said, taking Zella's hand.
"A princess?" gasped Zella, who turned to Mayli. "Like in the stories?"
Mayli just laughed at her daughter's delight, watching C3PO lead the girl away before following R2D2 down another long corridor.
Zella half listened to C3PO's talk about the construction of the palace, too excited to meet a real, live princess. She'd only been on Tatooine, which boasted royalty of the mafia kind. But several of the stories her parents read to her featured royalty, and her father, in his days as a Jedi Knight, had even been friends with a queen.
She imagined Princess Leia, as C3PO now mentioned as they approached the door to the nursery, beautiful, dressed in a shimmering gown, her hair curled and decked out in jewels. Zella looked down at her own simple outfit, worried she'd be underdressed.
But she had no time to consider anything else, as C3PO opened the intricately carved wooden door to the nursery. Zella gasped softly at the room as they entered. Art covered the walls of the high-ceilinged room, which appeared bigger than the entire Kenobi house back on the edge of the Jundland Wastes. A large holoscreen in the corner had several entertainment devices plugged in and shelves upon shelves of datapads, toys, and games leaned against the walls. Comfortable furniture abounded, and in the center of the room, at a large wooden table, sat two girls older than Zella, perhaps twelve, she guessed. They looked up as the door opened.
"Princess Leia, Mistress Winter, may I present to you Mistress Zella. Her mother is attending Senator Organa's meeting, and she will be spending the afternoon with you," announced C3PO. "Is there anything you require at this time?"
"No, thank you Threepio," the Princess said.
"Perhaps I could continue your history lesson today. We left off…" said the droid.
"No, thank you Threepio," Leia said firmly. "You should return to the office. Winter and I have things to discuss."
"Well, I…humf," C3PO mumbled, then turned and left, closing the door behind him.
Both Leia and Winter turned back to each other, continuing to talk in low voices, completely disregarding Zella. Not knowing what to do, Zella stood fidgeting with the bottom of her shirt, studying the girls. Both dressed in simple tunic and pants, like Zella, but Leia had her long brunette hair wrapped up in an elaborate braid, Zella wanting to know how to accomplish this, perhaps for herself sometime when they went into Anchorhead for a restaurant dinner, a rare treat for the Kenobis. Winter looked similar to Leia in all things except hair color; her silver hair stood out in the lush deep colors of the room.
Beginning to feel more and more awkward, Zella finally moved swiftly, sitting at the table with the two girls, catching them in mid-conversation.
"Father should be letting me attend these meetings," said Leia. "He underestimates me. Everyone does. I'm going to be a leader in the Rebellion someday, Winter. You'll see."
Winter smiled at the princess. "Your father knows this. That's why he's been educating you so well. Having you train with the blaster, different fighting techniques. Just maybe he…"
"He's just being unreasonable," interrupted Leia, slouching back, sighing in exasperation as she folded her arms. Then her dark, intelligent eyes lit up. "Let's sneak in. I know what conference room they're using. I saw them moving the tables and chairs earlier. It's near the kitchens."
Winter's eyes widened. "But Leia, we'll get caught."
"Chef loves us. He won't tell. Remember, he always gives us extra sweets if we sing him the Alderaanian anthem," Leia said.
Winter giggled. "He's so sentimental. Yes, let's go!"
"Me too!" cried Zella, wanting to go on the adventure with the girls.
Leia and Winter froze and turned to look at Zella as if just noticing her for the first time.
"You're too young," said Leia.
"I am not!" Zella protested. She felt angry to be casted aside. "I can do a lot of things you can't do!"
Leia and Winter both raised their eyebrows, looking amused, which angered Zella more.
"What can you do?" Leia asked in an almost teasing voice.
I can move items without touching them. I can climb quickly and drop from high places without getting hurt. I can anticipate things moments before they happen. I can use the Force to sense others. I can sense a secret passageway hidden behind that moss painting above that high shelf, a secret tunnel you don't know about, Princess.
But she said none of these things, knowing she could not reveal herself as a Jedi. Instead, she scowled and fixed her gaze on the table.
Winter came up and squeezed Zella's shoulder. "You seem very sweet, Zella."
"Yes, we can play some games together when we come back," said Leia hurriedly. "Come on, Winter."
And with that, Zella found herself alone in the nursery.
Zella sat for several moments, using the meditation techniques her father taught her to calm down, not let her anger get the best of her. Finally, taking a deep breath, she smiled, looking up at the moss painting, feeling again the opening behind it, the tunnel leading into the hidden network of the palace, the servants passages as well as areas set aside for emergencies, for spying. She knew from several stories a lot of castles had these. She giggled, thinking about the princess spending so much time in this room and not knowing about the passage.
Nodding to herself, she made the decision to spy on the meeting as well. She could feel her mother's Force signature at a distance. She would follow the passage to her, and thus the secret Rebel meeting.
Moving quickly, she scaled the shelves, slid the painting aside, and ducked into the dark passageway. She did this with ease, her father having taken her to several of the caves on Tatooine to practice climbing, jumping, and sensing the air, the molecules, the gravitational pull, through the Force.
Closing her eyes and reaching out to her mother, Zella latched on to the familiar Force signature, one she'd known since before birth. Then she moved, quickly, sure-footed, along the narrow passageway, knowing exactly which way to go when she came to a fork in her path. On her journey, she occasionally stopped to glimpse through cracks in the walls, seeing different parts of the palace. Finally, she arrived to her destination, having to climb a small staircase to reach what looked like a vent cover. She guessed from the other side this looked like part of the heating and cooling system. Hearing voices within, she used the Force to enhance her audio sensitivity. Yes, the light, pleasant, melodic voice of her mother.
Zella peeked through the vent to see that like the entry to the tunnel in the nursery, she was up high. Moving aside the vent, she slowly moved out, seeing her mother at a distance below, this room having an even higher ceiling than the last. She looked up to see stunning pictures of Alderaanian landscapes painted above, and froze for a moment, taking in the beauty. She then looked down to see the top of another cabinet directly below her, probably not wide enough for someone like her father to perch on unnoticed, but definitely wide enough for an eight-year-old girl with the Force on her side. The shelf stood about three meters down. An easy jump, but could she be silent?
Making the leap, Zella landed softly, still high above the meeting, but rather exposed. She wished she hadn't wore her pink outfit, as the walls were a deep shade of hunter green. Still, the members of the meeting seemed very engaged and didn't notice her.
Five sentients sat at the table, three humans, her mother, another older woman, pale with short hair, and an older man with dark features, a Twi'lek male, and a Mon Calamari male dressed in captain's garb. Her mother spoke to the group as she studied a holospec of a ship, the rest taking notes on their datapads. Zella felt her heart swell with pride at her mother, the brave pilot, the rebel, someone who stood up against injustice.
The holospec disappeared and the man spoke, the others gathering their things together. This seemed like the end of the meeting.
Suddenly, a loud clatter from the other side of the room sounded, and C3PO entered, dragging Leia and Winter with him in his tight droid grip.
"Senator Organa, I am sorry to interrupt, but I just discovered these two listening at the door leading to the kitchens," C3PO said.
Zella put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing at Leia's angry face. Her mother, the short-haired woman, the Twi'lek, and the Mon Calamari smiled good-naturedly at the girls as they moved toward the door.
"Leia, Winter. Go to the nursery now. I will be up to speak with you soon," the man said angrily.
"But dad! I can help! I can! I have ideas…plans! I…" at that moment, Leia's gaze rose and locked on Zella. "Hey, how come she gets to be here!?" She pointed angrily up at Zella, who now froze in fear.
"Zella!" cried Mayli.
The man stared at Zella, his mouth open, eyes wide. Then a smile slowly stretched across his face.
"Out, Leia," he said.
"But…" Leia began, but the pale woman put her arm on Leia's shoulder and led her from the room, whispering something in her ear.
Now only her mother and the man remained, walking slowly to the large cabinet Zella sat upon.
"Zella, sweetie, how in the world did you get up there? Come down now," her mother said.
Looking down, Zella found she could easily jump to the marble floor without getting hurt. But then the man would know she could use the Force.
"You can jump down, Zella," came the man's voice. "I know you are a Jedi."
Zella gasped, her body tightening up in fright. She looked to her mother in desperation, but found her smiling lovingly up at her daughter.
"Baby, it's okay. Senator Organa is daddy's friend. They knew each other before the Empire," her mother said. "Come down, please."
Zella leaped down, landing expertly in front of the senator and her mother. Straightening her clothing, which got a little dusty from being on the top of the cabinet, she stood up as the man approached her.
Senator Organa stopped a couple of feet before Zella, regarding her with kind, sad eyes.
"Zella Rey Kenobi," he said softly, his voice deep and pleasant. She saw tears suddenly in his eyes. He reached out and took her hands in both of his. "Obi-Wan's daughter. It is an honor to meet you."
"An honor to meet you too," she said, her voice sounding small in the large space.
"Senator Organa is the only one who knows about daddy and Master Yoda," her mother explained.
Zella nodded. "I'm sorry I spied. But the princess would not let me come with them. And I found the secret passage in the nursery."
The Senator let go of her hands and laughed jovially, tears now falling down his cheeks. He had a pleasant laugh, and Zella realized he was quite handsome, for an older man.
"Of course you found the secret corridors, Zella," he said, putting his arm on her shoulder, her mother on the other side of her as they walked toward the exit. "You're a Kenobi." He sighed, wiping his cheeks. "Leia's found some of those passages, but never the nursery entrance. I'm assuming that's changed now." He looked down at Zella, his eyes suddenly sad again. "Leia is just angry because she wants to be a part of the Rebellion. And she will be a part of this soon enough. Give her a chance, please Zella. She is wonderfully funny."
Zella joined her mother, the Senator's family, including the princess, and the other rebels for dinner before heading to Corellia that evening. She left with many questions for her mother, and even more for her father when they returned to Tatooine the following week.
Obi-Wan smiled as Zella recalled meeting Bail for the first time, and he longed to see his friend, having not laid eyes on him since parting from one another, each with a Skywalker twin in his arms, nineteen years before. Zella knew nothing of the great Skywalker secret, only knowing Luke from occasional encounters in town, seeing Darth Vader on the holoscreen as an empty, vicious machine, Obi-Wan and Mayli keeping this secret from her for her own protection.
And since this first meeting, Zella and Mayli made regular stops to Alderaan, but Zella never had any more encounters with Princess Leia, who'd often been away for her lessons. Obi-Wan now knew her to be a leader in the Rebellion, courageous, smart, and feisty, not unlike her own father in his early years as a Jedi apprentice.
Bail did well with his charge, but what of Luke Skywalker?
Obi-Wan sighed again as he continued to work on the vaporator. He needed to focus on his family. He'd successfully trained a new Jedi, Zella. Perhaps Luke was meant to forever farm on Tatooine, safe and sound and away from the Empire.
Plus, Zella exhausted all the education on Tatooine; they needed to move along. When Obi-Wan and Mayli taught her all they could from home, she attended lessons with tutors in nearby Water, purchased several years ago from a wealthy land baron and renamed Tosche Station. Mayli and Obi-Wan's good friend from Jabba's cantina, Solla, taught Zella to love art before she joined the Force, and now Zella knew mechanics, math, and science from her mother, the ways of the Force from her father, literature and history from tutors, and art from Solla and her own exploration. She currently dabbled in sculpture. No, staying on Tatooine would stifle Zella. The Kenobis needed to move on.
"Whew, I think we're done," Obi-Wan said, sitting back to regard their work. "Good job, girls."
Zella leaped up, running into the house. "I'll fix lunch and then we need to spar, dad." She disappeared as Obi-Wan turned to Mayli.
"I think I've created a monster," he laughed, rubbing his lower back, which ached from crouching for so long. Yes, the pains of growing older. While he gave up on his hair long ago, he couldn't just give in to the aches of aging when he had a Jedi to train.
"Let me rub your back before you take on Zella," Mayli said, putting her arm around him. "She's getting good, and I'm afraid you're going to get hurt."
"Me too," Obi-Wan admitted, laughing.
The couple entered the house after their daughter.
Light years away, on Coruscant, in the laboratories of Emperor Palpatine far beneath the Imperial Palace, Sith Scholar Jac sat staring at the blank wall, his heart stone, his body frozen in deep grief and anger. He'd let the rage grow in him over the past three days since the horrifying incident, and now clarity dawned on him suddenly. He knew what he needed to do. He needed to go to Tatooine. He needed to go to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Now.
Alone in the expansive Dark Side laboratories, he turned on his holoscreen and went to work downloading his work, years of research, onto data chips. He then moved over to the research and development files of other departments, all of which he had access to as Darth Sidious' leading scientist in all things Force-related. Weapons, new ships, he download all the specifications. Finally, he accessed the files for the Death Star, the Empire's pride and joy, and filled another data chip with those plans. Sidious would not think anything of this, as Jac insisted on backing up work all the time, speaking from experience, seeing his original home destroyed. Three safe houses of Jac's research findings existed throughout the galaxy, all deep underground bunkers guarded by frightening Dark Side traps.
Placing the data chips into the pockets of his robes, Jac calmly worked his way toward the turbolift to rise to the surface and head home. The visions of the past two decades fell together like a puzzle in his mind, revealing the final answer. The Death Star. Obi-Wan Kenobi fighting Darth Vader. Kenobi disappearing. The holocron Jac kept in his apartment. The vision of himself, Kenobi, and that very same holocron. Sam and Kenobi's daughter. Everything…everything suddenly made so much sense, now that his heart…no, his soul…had been shattered by Darth Sidious.
Ah, but he would have his revenge. Yes, he would. And Obi-Wan Kenobi was the key.
Author's Note: In the next chapter, we witness Zella and Obi-Wan sparring with their lightsabers and learn how Zella created her own blade. Also, Jac begins his journey to Tatooine.
Thank you for reading. I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful weekend watching the new Star Wars movie. I can't wait to see it in a few days. Take care, everyone!