Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, or anything affiliated with it. I don't even own a sense on my own reality. (OhmyGOSH am I glad I can escape into this wonderful world not created by me...)

A/N: Sorry for the lack of update...hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I'm gonna try to get a new one out soon.

There was a loud uproar in the debriefing room when Leia announced the plan to destroy the Death Star.

"You mean to tell us that we're going to let the Empire know where we are, just to have a one in a million chance of destroying it, all the while on the ground, not doing anything to alert the empire that it's a trick, such as, oh I don't know, getting our ready for escape if the plan doesn't work?" one young rebel demanded, staring at Leia in the eye.

Leia let the young man let all of that out; she knew that he only spoke was on the minds of all the rebels, even if they didn't have the guts to say it out loud.

"That is precisely what I am saying," Leia said evenly.

That caused an explosion of anger. Leia tried calming them down, but she couldn't even hear her own voice over the noise. "Quiet!" she yelled. Seeing the young princess yell shut everyone in the room up.

Leia recomposed herself, straightened out her skirt, and stood up. "We will not be caught unaware by the Death Star. The battle will be on our terms. We will be ready. We will have a plan. I can understand how this seems like one big suicide mission. Trust me, I know what you are all feeling, and if you do not wish to take part of this," Leia paused in her speech here and took a breath. "Then you can be part of the team that secures the escape transports."

Silence followed Leia as she walked away from the assembly of rebels and into one of the back rooms where she fell down in complete exhaustion. A moment later, a lanky body slid down the wall and joined her on the floor. "I'm so glad I don't have your job," the voice belonging to the body said.

Leia gave a small smile and looked up into the blue eyes of the farmboy turned rebel. "So am I," she teased.

Luke let out a laugh. "Hey! I don't think I'd be half bad," he joked back, and after that, the two lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few moments.

Leia pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. "You are so lucky you don't know what it feels like," she whispered.

Luke turned to her. "What feels like?"

"Sending people to their death," Leia said. "Telling them that everything will go according to plan. Pretending that it will go according to plan. And when it doesn't, everyone blames the Empire, when everyone knows it was poor planning. Poor planning on my part."

Luke frowned. "Leia, you are not the only commanding voice of the rebellion. And in fact, sometimes it just seems you're the face of the rebellion, not really the one pulling the strings, making those decisions."

Leia couldn't tell if she was thankful for what he said, or offended at it. Either way, she sat up straighter and let her knees sink to the floor. "I do make decisions. Alderaan was my fault," she said, not looking at Luke.

"Don't say that. Don't ever say that. That's like saying….because I told Uncle Owen to buy R2, it's my fault the Empire killed him and Aunt Beru. It's not my fault."

Leia let out a long breath she had been holding, and gently leaned her head on Luke's shoulders. "I don't understand something," she said at last.

"What's that?" Luke asked, not moving, fearing that the vulnerable would vanish if he moved.

"How I can know you for less than a week, and you understand me better than anyone I have ever known," she said in a soft whisper. She looked up at Luke, who returned her gaze.

"I'm here for you Leia," was all he said.

The burning embers of the crash site filled Ahsoka's nostrils. One of her eyes twitched as she slowly came to. With a soft groan, she pushed herself off the ground and rolled over so that she was sitting. "What in kessel happened?" she asked herself. Quickly, she deduced that her ship had somehow been shot down, and she had crash landed on this planet. Where ever this planet was. She stood up, shakily, and started walking away from the crash site. She needed to find shelter, and soon.

She found a few small animals, which she killed and ate. She found a small stream, and rested there. She still didn't have a clue about where she was, but figured it wasn't a well-known planet, or there would be signs of the Empire here. Perhaps a future sight of the Rebellion? Maybe, maybe not. Ahsoka continued to think about her situation when she dozed off into a fitful slumber.

When she awoke, everything was different. The air had a distinct smoky smell, and the sky was hazy. She could hear talking in the background, and there was an unsettledness about the place that hadn't been here before. Ahsoka jumped to her feet and immediately grabbed her lightsaber. Cautiously, she peered into the clearing, eyes searching for the cause of the disruption.

Her eyes found the cause in the form of her old Master. Towering above the rest of the Imperial troops, Darth Vader looked even more menacing in the smoky haze. Ahsoka felt a small growl escape as she glared at the man in the suit. She would do anything to destroy him at that moment and end the pain that continued to bubble up in her.

And her anger completely alerted the sith lord to her presence. He turned from his troops and she could see him looking in her direction. She slinked backwards, and walked away, sure that he would come after her.

She had been right. Meditating in one of the clearings, Ahsoka could hear Vader's metallic breathing as he neared.

"So you have finally caught up to me," she said, opening her eyes and looking up at him.

Vader hesitated only a moment before saying, "The Emperor was growing impatient and was willing to take matters into his own hands."

Ahsoka snorted. "Did you get fired?" she asked, standing up. She gripped her lightsaber and ignited it. Vader mocked her movements. They stood there, facing each other in mirror images, for a long time before Vader finally broke the silence.

"You are in grave danger, Snips. You have to run. Hide yourself away." Slowly, the cold image of Vader melted away, and Ahsoka was facing her Master.

"What in the force is happening?" Ahsoka whispered, taking a few steps back.

"Watch your back, Snips," Vader/Anakin said. Ahsoka frowned and was about to ask why when she felt a piercing stinging in her midsection. She looked down and saw the tip of a blood red blade emerging from her stomach. She slumped into Vader, and the two fell.

With a cold start, Ahsoka jolted awake, her heart still pounding. Her hands were shaking, and she was sweating really hard. Taking in long breaths, Ahsoka tried to calm herself down, but she didn't seem able to.

She hadn't had nightmares since the one before Obi-Wan had died, before she had met Luke. Ahsoka gripped the seat she was sitting on for a moment before slumping into it.

Watch your back, Snips.

What did it mean? Was something after her? And would it kill her? Ahsoka remembered her dream counterpart falling onto Vader, who had morphed into Anakin's persona. Shaking her head, she shoved the thoughts away and focused on getting to a civilized planet as soon as possible.

Alone in his breathing chamber, suit-less Vader felt even more vulnerable than he did normally in his chamber. The force had just given him a vision, a vision of his murder. The most disturbing part about it was his former apprentice was killed right along with him. Could Sidious be planning on disposing of them both? Vader shut his eyes and concentrated on the force, and what it was trying to tell him, but it was mysteriously silent. In frustration, Vader turned and squeezed the life out of a medical droid.

Frustration bubbled up inside of him, and he placed his head in his hands. The cool feeling of his metal fingers against his sensitive skin painfully reminded him of better times; times he tried very hard not to remember.

Composing himself, Vader stood up and walked to where his suit was resting, the ominous, unseeing eyes staring right at him, laughing at him.

Okay, so this is a shorter chapter, but I don't really have anything else to add. Not much of an action chapter, for that I'm sorry. I'm trying to delve into every one's heads and figure out what they are thinking and all of that. It's both entertaining and kind of scary, Vader especially.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll try to get the next one out as soon as I can.

MLV