Precipice by shadowsong26

Milestones: Chapter 11

After leaving Jedha, Dad took Leia to a completely different planet to build her 'Sabẻr. It was cool and slightly damp; and seasonal-more dramatic seasons than most planets she'd visited. Or at least a more dramatic season than she'd ever seen.

The area they'd landed in was forested, but not green. Or, not entirely. Most of the leaves were shades of red and gold; the air smelled heavy and just slightly smoky. The whole place felt quiet and peaceful, in a natural way. Like the forest was about to go to sleep.

"We're pretty far away from any population centers," Dad had said, when they landed. "And air traffic control is pretty lax here. So take your time. We're good for as long as you need."

Leia wasn't sure exactly how much time people were supposed to spend on building their actual lightsabers, and Dad refused to tell her if she was taking too long or going to fast or just the right speed.

"It's different for everyone, Princess," was all he'd said, the third time she'd asked. "The Force is slightly different for all of us, and every individual being is unique. Why would every lightsaber be the same?"

Which made sense. She supposed. And after everything she'd seen and heard in the Jedha Temple, the last thing she wanted to do was rush this. Not with the warnings she'd gotten from her other selves still echoed through her mind. Be careful. Think things through. You can burn it all down, if you really want to.

With a weapon-her own weapon-almost in her hand, those warnings felt very, very real.

So, she had maybe taken a little bit longer than was strictly necessary, building her 'Sabẻr, but now she had it, which was the important thing. And it was completely hers. She'd based the hilt on a few designs Dad had shown her, or at least used those as a starting point. But it wasn't exactly like any of them, really.

After all, like Dad had said, why should every lightsaber be the same?

Hers was smoother than either Dad or Uncle Obi-Wan's; the grip was wrapped in scraps of soft, worn bantha leather she'd repurposed from a pair of work gloves Aunt Beru had made for her a while ago, that didn't really fit anymore. She'd etched the leather with designs that reminded her of the crystals and other gifts Dad had brought her over the years-even if she'd had them with her, trying to attach the actual things would make the hilt too rough and bulky to be useful, but having the suggestions of them at her fingertips felt right all the same. The rest of the casing was made out of a shiny metal framework that reminded her of Mom and Luke and their ship.

Because, if her 'Sabẻr was supposed to be, as Uncle Obi-Wan put it, her life, what better way to do it than to wrap it all up in the bits and pieces of her family? All the people who, one way or another, had made her who she was? Had gotten her to this point where she was ready to build this thing, where it felt like it belonged in her hand?

Anyway. It was hers, and it felt-different, from what she'd expected. Lighter than she'd thought it would be, for one thing. Not as heavy as Dad's, for sure, although it was maybe a little heavier than Aunt 'Soka's shota, which she'd practiced with a couple of times, to get used to how a plasma blade felt, and how it was different from the bone one.

But now her blade was finished. All that was left to do now, really, was turn it on and see what it was like..

She took a breath and held it, counting to seven with her eyes closed; she let it out and opened them, settling into a very basic Form I stance-the first one Dad had ever shown her with her bone sword, what felt like forever ago.

She hit the activator, and with a comfortingly familiar and yet completely new-sounding snap-hiss, the blade spilled out from between her hands.

It was blue-mostly; but a greener shade than either Dad or Uncle Obi-Wan's 'Sabẻr. Closer to some of the turquoise stones Aunt Beru had in her good jewelry; the earrings and brooch she only took out on birthdays and major holidays.

It was beautiful.

She just stood there for a moment, basking in the dim glow from her blade and feeling the way its hum resonated with her heartbeat and her breath, before shutting it off and going to find Dad.

She'd done it, and she couldn't wait to show him.

Leia found Dad right where she'd left him, with one of his fiddly mechanical projects spread out around him, taking advantage of having more room than in the cluttered hold of the Waterfall.

"You at a stopping point?" she asked.

"Yep," he said, then rewound and taped off a set of wires before standing up, brushing dirt and leaves off his pants. "You've got it?"

"Yeah," she said, and held out the hilt for him to inspect.

He took it from her, turned it over in his hands; ran them along the grip and the etchings, then handed it back with a smile. "It suits you."

"I thought so," she said, and grinned.

"Go ahead, let's see it, then," Dad said, and she nodded, and hit the switch again. He watched the blade-what he was looking for, exactly, she wasn't sure-then tilted his head, listening. For what, she wasn't sure-probably some kind of flaw, but...he seemed satisfied with what he heard. Or didn't hear.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Everything's great," he said. "Now, it's just a matter of lots and lots of practice with it."

She blinked, shutting it off, and her eyes darted over to his weapon.

"No, not yet," he said. "No sparring for a little while. Not until you're used to it. Why don't you run a few forms, instead? Slowly, princess."

Leia didn't roll her eyes, because she knew that, obviously, but it was good to have a reminder. Just because she'd worked with a true lightsaber before…each one was different. And this one was hers, so it'd be all at once easier and harder, until it felt not just right, but like an extension of her hands and arms.

"Yeah, you're probably right," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Only probably?" he asked, but she could hear him half-laughing as he said it.

"Well, obviously," she said. "I mean, as long as it's been since you did this, I'm sure you've forgotten a few things."

He did laugh then, and shook his head. "I'm wounded," he said. "Here, just give me a minute to clear some of this out of your way, and you can get started. We'll see how much of the basics I remember after all, hm?"

"Deal," she said, and set to helping him put the parts away.

She ran forms for a couple hours on her own, with Dad keeping a close eye and occasionally correcting her stance. She picked up the pace until she as moving almost as fast as she could with her bone sword-probably would've been faster, even if she wasn't tired.

"Good job, princess," Dad said, smiling at her. "Break time."

It was getting later than she realized, anyway. The planet's sun was sinking, and the sky was almost the same colors as the leaves.

She nodded, and put her lightsaber away. It took her a couple tries to clip it to her belt, which was a little embarrassing, but Dad didn't say anything.

He pulled out a couple meal packs from the pack they'd brought with them and tossed her one. "I think we should head out soon," he said. "Tomorrow morning, probably. I think you've got enough of a handle on things that you can keep this up with regular lessons with Aunt Ahsoka once we get back to Crait."

Leia nodded again. "Okay," she said. "And then missions? Real missions?"

Dad made a face. "Not right away," he cautioned her. "But it's...that's gonna be Aunt Ahsoka's call, in the end."

Leia blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah," he said. "She's been doing most of your training, so she's got the clearest picture of what you can and can't handle."

"Right," she said, because that did make sense. She'd gone on trips with Dad and Uncle Obi-Wan and Uncle Rex, separately and in all kinds of combinations, but when she thought back…

If she had a single Master, like under the old system, it probably was Aunt Ahsoka.

And now…

The 'Sabẻr was heavy at her waist, and the lessons from the Temple weighed on her mind.

She'd be going on real missions now. And as much as she'd wanted that, as much as she'd wanted to be a better help to the people she loved...it was a lot of responsibility.

Everything was changing. She could sense it now. Like the leaves on the trees here, that were probably green a few standard months ago, but were now set up for a new stage in their lives.

Things were going to be a lot different, from now on.

Dad was watching her. "...everything all right, princess?" he asked

But, before she could answer, the air went still around them; an unnatural, dangerous still, like the air just before a really bad storm blew up. Only-only more. Only unnatural.

And cold.

Almost like…

Almost like her first vision, in the Temple on Jedha, except somehow-somehow less natural and yet more real.

For a split second, she thought she'd imagined it, or something, except it didn't fade, and Dad was already moving.

He got to his feet in one fluid motion, the hilt of his lightsaber in his hand faster than she could see it moving. Leia scrambled to stand, too; resisting all her instincts-the ones that she'd been taught over and over again over the past seven years-stepping up beside her father instead of taking a step back so he was between her and-and whatever was making the air and the Force go still like that.

At first, she couldn't tell what it was-she knew it was real, obviously; she trusted her feelings enough for that, and besides, Dad had felt it too. She opened her mouth to say something but he hushed her with a quick hand motion.

And then she saw him.

He was Mirialan, but bigger than any other Mirialan she'd ever seen; wearing a black cloak and a simple flight suit underneath; there was a long, heavy-looking lightsaber hilt hanging at his belt.

She knew who he was, without needing to be told.

Infernalis.

Dad pushed her behind him, but it was too late.

"...well, how about that," the Sith Lord said.

Leia fumbled for her brand-new lightsaber. Dad would need her help here, he would-

"Princess," Dad said, sliding his cloak off his shoulders, "go back to the ship. Find Uncle Ben. Tell him I have everything in hand. It's something of a specialty of mine."

"But-"

"Leia."

Dad didn't use that tone with her very often. The kind of tone that made people shut up and listen and do what he said.

It was a kind of tone even she couldn't argue with.

She nodded, and nudged his mind a little with hers since she couldn't take his hand. A brief flash of warmth in response, then his shields shut down.

She didn't want to go. She didn't want to go. But if she hesitated-she wasn't good enough yet, not strong enough. She'd just got her proper 'Sabẻr, and…

And Infernalis would take her hostage. He would use her against her father.

Dad was right. She had to get Uncle Obi-Wan. He'd be able to help. He'd know what to do.

Leia backed away slowly, then turned and ran back to the Waterfall.

Leia had never flown the Waterfall by herself before-well, Artoo was there, still, technically, but she'd never done this without Dad or Uncle Obi-Wan or Aunt Ahsoka to help, too.

Artoo greeted her with a worried beep.

"We gotta go," she said. "Um. To…" She closed her eyes, ran through the rendezvous points Dad and the others had drilled into her, trying to remember which was the easiest to get to from here, and hopefully fast to get to from Crait, which-

She needed to brush up on her astronav. Like. A lot.

She took a breath and let it out slow. There is no passion, there is serenity. Worry about all of that later. Pick a place, and Uncle Obi-Wan will get there in time to help Dad and everything will be okay. It'll be fine. We'll all be fine.

Artoo beeped again.

"Ketry," she decided, opening her eyes. "We gotta go to the Ketry point. Okay? And-and I need to send a message to Uncle Obi-Wan. But not-not 'til we're...no, I should send it now. Okay. Encryption first, then get us moving."

Artoo crooned wordlessly and bumped into her lightly, and she hugged him tight. "Dad's in trouble," she said. "So work fast."

He swore creatively, then zoomed back into the cockpit, plugging himself in and whirring his head back and forth for a second.

/Encryption ready. I'm running the calculations for lightspeed. Send your message./

"Thanks, buddy," she said, and booted up the comms. Keep encrypted messages brief, just like Uncle Rex said. Bare minimum of what your partner or contact needs to know, and if you can use a reference code on top, so much the better.

She could do that.

...text. Text is better. That way, if he's with anyone who shouldn't overhear-except he's at Crait so he shouldn't-better safe than sorry.

Deep breath.

Ketry, she typed in. Hurry.

If she could've underlined it or bolded it or made it stand out more somehow, she would've. But Uncle Obi-Wan would know what to do.

"Sent," she told Artoo, even if he probably knew. "We good to jump?"

/Go./

She slid into the pilot seat-which was set up for Dad and way too far from the console for her, which was almost enough to shatter her resolve and make her start crying.

Deep breath. Focus. You got a ship to fly.

She hit the switch to adjust the seat, then booted up the engines.

And then she relaxed, as the familiarity of the specific task took over. She wasn't quite as physical and hands-on as Dad was, needing something concrete to ground her, but she couldn't deny it helped.

Or maybe it was Uncle Owen's influence, even more than Dad's. She'd never met another being so firmly rooted in the here-and-now as him.

Either way, it cut through her worry for her dad, her guilt that she couldn't help-all of the messy tangle that stole away her focus. She guided the ship out of the atmosphere and then hit the lever to take them into hyperspace.

...of course, then the task was done, and all those worries came crashing back down on her.

/He'll be fine,/ Artoo said.

"I know," she said. "I know."

He backed off a little, leaving her alone to fret.

For her part, she stayed huddled in the cockpit, trying to relax into a meditative posture and calm herself down with something more long-term, more Jedi -like, than just losing herself in immediate needs. She'd gotten away, so she couldn't be used as a hostage. She'd gotten word to Uncle Obi-Wan, who hadn't pinged her back yet, but he would soon and then he'd be there and everything would be okay.

She'd done everything she could. Except stay and help Dad, except-

She hugged her knees to her chest as the autopilot dragged them through hyperspace. Breathe. Breathe. Let the Force flow through you, like a soft breeze through your hair. Breathe with it. Center. Come on, come on, Leia, you've been doing this since you were two-

It wasn't working. Nothing was working.

"Luke," she whispered. She needed Luke.

She sat up straighter, and let her eyes drift shut, and reached for him. Even though she knew she shouldn't, she didn't know what time it was on Coruscant or on the farm or anywhere right now. Even though they'd never connected outside of their dreams before-she wasn't even sure they could, not through the shielding Dad and Uncle Obi-Wan had built around her brother, but-

"Leia?" his voice echoed in the back of her head. "Leia, what's wrong?"

"Dad's in trouble," she said. "I'm going to get Uncle Obi-Wan, but...but Dad's in trouble. Real, serious trouble."

There was no answer for a moment, and she felt her brother's fear echoing hers, then a sensation like he was taking a deep breath.

"He'll be okay," Luke said. "This is Dad, remember?"

You don't even have the training, and you're already better at this part of things than I am.

But that was why-part of why-they fit together so well. It was like she'd told Aunt 'Soka, ages ago, before she'd even known what her dreams meant- just having Luke in the back of her head helped her be...nicer. Keep her fears and her rage, when it came, under control. The right way.

Besides. He was right. Infernalis hadn't even been training for as long as she had. And, sure, he was a fully-grown Sith Lord and kind of intimidating, but Dad was probably already running circles around him back in those woods.

She very firmly did not think about her sixth birthday, and seeing Uncle Rex pull Dad out of that speeder at the farm.

This was different. This was way different. She didn't know how she knew, but she did.

"I know," she said. "I mean, I know, but…"

"Do you need me to distract you? Just keep talking until you get to wherever you're going?"

She nodded, and sniffled a little, despite herself. "Please?"

"Okay," Luke said. "Okay, we can talk."

"Okay," she said.

"I'm gonna learn how to fly," he said.

"Like, starfighters?" She was pretty sure that he already knew the basics of his way around a speeder or a regular ship-Mom would've taught him that, right?

"Yeah," he said. "Aunt Sabẻ and I talked about it, and I've got a couple flight schools I'm gonna apply to."

"That's great," she said, and latched on to his good news so she didn't have to think about her own fear. Because, yeah, okay, Luke helped her be nicer, but part of it was also that...it was easier for her, it had always been easier for her, to deal with her own problems by trying to work her way through someone else's. Not the best way, but better than wallowing or lashing out, right? "I know you've been wanting that for a long time."

"Yeah, ages," he said. "Since I was...I dunno, three or four? First time I saw the fighters at home on Naboo do some display tricks for a parade…"

"Empire Day?" she asked, dryly.

"Well, it was always the biggest one."

"Yeah, I guess," she said. "Maybe next time, you'll fly in it. Bet that'll make all the newsreels."

"Ugh," he said. "Yeah, it probably will. ...totally worth it, though. To fly like that."

"Yeah, I figured you'd say that," she said. "...what else is going on? You guys were just back on Naboo, right?" She both hoped and didn't hope he'd have stories-the green place, like she still called it in the privacy of her own mind, did more to help her relax than pretty much anything else ever, except those rare times when Dad was home for more than a couple days and they could just talk; but on the other hand, she didn't like the idea of anything dangerous coming near her mother and her brother and their home.

Which, of course, given where they spent most of their time, was stupid, but it made sense in her head.

"Yeah," he said. "Got back a couple days ago."

...huh. She got the impression that he didn't really want to talk about it, or at least not mind-to-mind like this-probably he'd write her an actual letter later, when he could have a bit more distance from whatever he didn't like.

And, on the one hand, she sort of couldn't blame him, since she was kind of hiding from her problems, too, but on the other hand...he was her brother, and she wanted to help.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said again. "I'll tell you later, okay?"

"Okay," she said.

"There was something funny that happened in the Senate rotunda right after we got back, though. I've told you about Senator Taa, right?"

Leia focused in on Luke's steady stream of Coruscant gossip, just letting it wash over her and not really paying attention to the words, because they didn't matter. He'd've led with it if there was anything Important that Dad or Uncle Obi-Wan or anyone else should know, anyway. And it was funny-even her concern over whatever was bothering him, let alone her worries about Dad which it had already halfway distracted her from, didn't bother her so much anymore. Luke's voice, that sense of her brother at her side, whatever else happened…

That worked much better than breathing and imagining the wind in her hair.

It was only a couple more minutes before the Waterfall beeped at her, signalling time to drop out of hyperspace and take over manual control.

"Luke?" Leia said. "I'm here."

"Okay," he said "You're okay now?"

"Yeah." She took a deep breath and uncurled, reaching for the steering column. "...thank you."

"Always," he said. "And...um...tell me...when you know…?"

"I will," she promised. She checked the ship's chrono, and now her brain was working well enough for her to do the math. "Sixteen hours, right? That's when we're meeting?"

"Uh-huh," Luke said. "I'll talk to you then."

"I'll let you know everything I do," she said. "I love you. Thank you."

She felt the impression of his arms wrapping around her, and she gave him a mental hug back, as tight as she could, before bulking up her shields again and letting her sense of him dwindle down to a pinprick.

She pulled the lever to bring the Waterfall out of hyperspace, and found nothing.

Just the planetoid, drifting at the innermost layer of this system's asteroid belt, spinning lazily off to her left.

No other ships.

No Uncle Obi-Wan.

Her heart sank for a minute. Sure, Uncle Obi-Wan hadn't replied to her message yet, but at the same time, she'd hoped...she'd hoped he'd just forgotten, that he was already on his way, that…

/Incoming,/ Artoo interrupted her thoughts.

Leia held her breath. Please, she thought. Please…

The ship that dropped out of hyperspace, just barely in visible range, wasn't one she recognized. It was a beat-up little freighter, practically a shuttle, that looked like it had seen better days and probably a lot of illegal cargo.

But there was a presence on that ship, one she would have known anywhere.

"It's him," she told Artoo. "He made it."

Artoo beeped once, to acknowledge, then exchanged confirmation codes with the other ship and began maneuvering into position to link up.

It's gonna be okay, she told herself, and she actually started to believe it now. Uncle Obi-Wan's here, and he'll know what to do. Just a few more minutes, and then…

Everything will be okay.

Original Author's Notes: One of the things I miss about the broader Legends canon re: lightsaber crystals, was the wide variety of colors you could get. And I did decide to stick to canon rather than Legends, at least for Leia's crystal. But I really wanted her to have a turquoise lightsaber. Plus, I figured-it stands to reason that different strains of kyber crystals, so to speak, might have slightly different colors, right? And Leia got hers from Jedha, rather than Ilum, so...right?

...anyway, all of that aside, thank you all for stopping by again as the Plot catches up again, and for sticking with me through all this time and all these words. Hope you're still enjoying the ride, and see you next time! ~3 shadowsong