Chapter 5
Obi-Wan Kenobi couldn't remember the last time he had been on board of a ship with the same feeling he felt now. It'd been decades since he really was prepared to fight for a cause of some sort. The Chancellor made the Republic corrupt and led it to its downfall with the death of the Jedi. He'd remembered times with Anakin, especially throughout the final missions of the Clone Wars where they waited, both with eager anticipation as every battle brought a closer end to the war.
Oh, how times have changed indeed.
Instead of a swift end to the conflict, Anakin succumbed to the Dark Side and made a deal with the devil. Padmé was dead, and the Jedi Order was exterminated. All of his friends and family left due to the boy he raised. Now, Kenobi was going to train one of the last hopes in the galaxy to actually rival Vader and the Emperor by his own choosing.
Luke had so much Force potential within him as did Leia. They were always the silent fears that one of them would be discovered by their father and his Master. Owen Lars forbidding him from training Luke left Obi-Wan with the backup plan of keeping him and his family protected until he could approached Luke when he was of legal age and train him to become a Jedi without requiring the consent of his uncle.
The boy was restless just like his father and could follow the same path, but Obi-Wan saw a destiny where he'd succeeded his father and became the man he could have been in another life.
That thought always sent a pang up Obi-Wan's chest. There were times where he had visions of a happier life where things ended up differently, where Anakin made the right decision, where the Republic remained intact, where Order 66 never happened. Instead, the Chancellor played them all for fools and twisted his brother into Darth Vader, the Republic into an Empire, and where his own men turned against him with the intent to kill him as if their bonds meant nothing to them.
"Well, we made it to Alderaan," Smuggler Han Solo said, snapping the Jedi out of those sad thoughts.
He noticed something faint in the distance and fought a frown at it.
"Take us in for a landing," Obi-Wan commanded, receiving a nod from the Captain who began following his orders.
That was until the sounds of beeping gained their attention.
"What is that?" Luke asked.
"There's another ship coming in," the Captain answered.
"Maybe they know what happened," Luke suggested.
"It's an Imperial fighter," Obi-Wan said.
"It followed us," Luke declared.
"No. It's a short range fighter," Obi-Wan answered.
"There aren't any bases around here. Where did it come from?" Han wondered.
"Sure is leaving in a hurry. If they identify us, we're in big trouble," Luke complained.
"Not if I can help it. Chewie, jam its transmissions," Han directed.
"Let it go. It's too far out of range," the Jedi ordered.
"Not for long." Han pulled back on the levers and steered the Falcon toward the small fighter.
"A fighter that size couldn't get this deep into space on its own," Obi-Wan pointed out.
"He must have gotten lost, been part of convoy or something," Luke suggested.
"He ain't gonna be around long enough to tell anybody about us," Han promised.
There was something spherical in the distance.
"What's that?"
Luke noticed it, too.
"He's heading for that small moon." He pointed at the gray ball in the distance.
They looked at the spherical that was standing over Alderaan.
"It's no moon. That's a space station." Obi-Wan said. He felt the signature that he hadn't felt for two decades. His fallen pupil, Darth Vader, was on that station.
"It's too big to be a space station," Han argued.
They all stood watching the sphere grow closer and closer.
"I have a very bad feeling about this," Luke said at the same time.
Obi-Wan agreed.
"Turn the ship around," Obi-Wan ordered Han.
"Yeah, I think you're right." Han turned to the Wookiee. "Full reverse. Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power."
Ben extended his senses, finding the sensational waves fueling through him just as exhilarating as they were long ago. Accompanying Vader was the Princess. Hopefully, Vader wouldn't go as low as to kill an innocent girl but given when he slaughtered a bunch of children in the Jedi Temple, the old Jedi couldn't say he was above the simple act.
Fortunately, the space station must have been occupied with securing Alderaan. If the planet was being raided by the Empire under the Emperor's orders or were intimidating the locals on the planet now with something of that size, well it was better than to retreat and fight another day when Luke was prepared.
"Alright hit it!" Han pulled on the lever, and they jumped into hyperspace.
The Jedi felt worry and slight horror flooding through him. If Vader killed Leia or found out about her Force sensitivity and connection to him, it would be a path to disaster. At that point, Luke was truly the Jedi's last hope.
The boy would have to begin training! And Ben couldn't do it alone.
"Captain," Ben said, falling back on the nearby seat, "set course for Dagobah."
"How much you going to give me this time, old man?" Solo asked sharply. "I'm getting pretty tired of you people already and this is not a transportation yacht for free. Where is my money?"
"There's some things far more important things on board this ship than money, Captain," Obi-Wan answered ominously.
The Dark Lord moved to his chambers and established a link to his Master on Coruscant. The conversation with Organa left him unbothered. The two traitors would serve a use alive for use. Killing them now would only finalize his daughter's hatred which could be beneficial in the short term, but ultimately would lead to a falling out to the point where the Emperor would have more of a bargaining chip over her.
Cleansing the thought of Leia and her adoptive parents for now, the Dark Lord kneeled before a large projection of his Master, beginning to speak. "My Master, as of an hour ago, Tarkin's ambition got the better of him and he intended to destroy Alderaan to intimidate the Princess to spit out the plans. I'm now in command of the Death Star."
The only sign that the Emperor reacted with was his eyes narrowing. "Ah yes, he had far too much ambition, and his days were numbered. Annihilating Alderaan would have sent this Empire into disarray. Lord Vader, while Tarkin's replacement is arranged, your orders stand to keep things in order. I take it the Princess is still in your captivity."
"Yes," Vader confirmed, doing his best not to curse the Moff for informing the Emperor about that detail. "She has been persistent that there's no plans in the time being. We are currently in orbit over Alderaan. What is your will, my Master?"
The Emperor ordered. "The Death Star is to be returned to Geonosis. Both Organas are to be executed for their public treason. The Senate will no longer be a problem. Make it done."
"As you wish."
"And Lord Vader," the Emperor grinned, his eyes burning, "make the girl watch, and kill her as well."
The form of his Master disappeared. For the first time in a long time, the Dark Lord hesitated.
While none of the Organas deaths would trouble him, he knew that his daughter would take it the hardest. A big part of him would hope that the Emperor would have them executed successfully. It would be the chance that the Sith would gladly take to twist Leia to the death.
However, if he simply did the deed, Leia would be unstable, far more than Anakin Skywalker which led to his crippling injuries on Mustafar. It was best to hone the girl's skills while making the Organas demises a tragic accident out of his control.
He could also deceive the Emperor that the Organas escaped before he would have executed them. While that would warrant a punishment, it would all be worth it when Vader snapped his throat and framed his death on Jedi's survivors and gave Leia the throne that was within her blood.
Yes, that was not an endeavor that he was going to waste.
The Sith Lord stood up and walked to the quarters where Bail and Breha Organa were tending to his daughter. Once the door shut behind him, Vader looked at them, doing his best to resist the urge to cut them down for that moment. Leia was his daughter. She was his to comfort.
In time, she would come to understand the power of the Dark Side, and these two people in front of her would mean nothing to her. That day had not yet arrived.
"Organas," the Dark Lord said coldly, receiving waiting looks by both of the elders, "the Emperor has declared that you be terminated."
The reactions to that vary. It would appear that both of the older Organas weren't particularly surprised. Leia, however, was completely stunned, her jaw falling slack.
"Ah, so you are going to execute us then?" Breha asked, seeming to come to the conclusion that Vader was here to do the deed.
At that, the girl looked up at him, spitefully. She was waiting for him to just pull out his lightsaber and strike them down. After all, he'd threatened her with their deaths when he suspected that they were hiding her.
However, the future was always in motion.
"No," the Sith answered coldly, "the Death Star would be returned to Geonosis for the time being."
"Where will you be?" Breha asked tightly, eyes glaring at the side of his helmet.
"Taking my daughter to safety," Vader answered, gripping his daughter by the arm and forcing her up. "The Emperor mustn't discover her connection to me, nor must she stay with the Rebellion."
"But what about this space station?" Leia asked. "Even if you'd saved Alderaan from destruction, the Emperor could see it be used somewhere else."
"In the Outer Rim," Vader said simply.
"There are dozens of lives at stake!" She snarled.
"I care not about those criminal scum," the Sith answered, growing tired of her delay to come with him willingly for excuses. "Your place at my side is all that matters to me."
"Well, if you want me to come with you willingly, you will dismantle this battle station permanently!" She snapped. If it was anyone else, the Dark Lord would have snapped her throat. Her continued persistence that he'd carried out her orders like he was a lapdog never failed to be grating.
Her pathetic grip on morality was grating onto his patience. She would have to understand the realities of life and shrug her conscience to the side.
This reminded him of Skywalker's sickening loyalty to Sidious, his arrogance costing him everything, including his wife, and potential. Sidious groomed Skywalker for a decade, played the friend and father figure that Skywalker needed that Kenobi never was able to fill.
If he'd played the pawn as the Emperor once did, making small bugs into ear monsters, when she was finally prepared to take her place at his side, it would be with full loyalty.
He came to a decision.
His place as the Emperor's Enforcer was unimportant. He cared little for this technological terror, nor for any of the lives that would be claimed. Let the Empire burn that pathetic Rebellion and lay waste to their traitorous sympathizers once and for all. Leia was his. The Empire would one day be as well.
The Dark Lord sneered, "Very well, Leia, but the Organas have to leave."
"And go where?" Bail asked, not liking the implications of what this could all mean.
"I care not," Vader declared icily, digits wrapped around his hilt. "Scurry off with the rest of the traitors or disappear. The choice is for you to make. Do not remain behind on Alderaan. Your planet is lost to you."
If he could give the impression that he cared, it would add some points from his daughter.
They sat up and followed behind him, moving back to the hanger, no one even looking at them.
"They are to be relocated back to Alderaan," the Sith informed the Commander of the escort from earlier who nodded with some faint surprise. Very rarely does one survive being captured by the Empire. Less so under Vader's own hands. "Princess Leia is to remain under my charge. Ensure they are unharmed."
"As you wish my lord," the Commander snapped to attention before motioning them on board the shuttle with the rest of his troopers following short.
"I wish there was a way to guarantee their survival," Leia said once they were alone, closing her eyes.
"...The Organas, if they were intelligent, would leave Alderaan immediately." the Dark Lord said.
"Thanks," Leia said sincerely, "for not hurting my parents. I guess there is a human behind that mask after all."
"They are not your parents," Vader snapped. "I am your father. Bail Organa stole you from me."
"Then again, maybe not," Leia sneered. "What are you going to do if I keep refusing your generous proposal?" she added with sarcasm.
"I am your father, Leia." Vader declared angrily. He watched as a chill traveled up her spine, stirring many emotions inside of her. "Leia," he repeated, "you must learn not to fear me. Your anger can be an instrument for the Dark Side, but I am your father. I can never hurt you. Turn your anger on others deserving of it. Together, we will bring peace."
"You can't restore those planets you've decimated. Even if you're sincere in trying to bring peace though I doubt it, you can't bring back the people you murdered or comfort their widows and orphans. You can't undo what you did to countless people and their families. You can't bring back my mother or give me the family that I wanted." Old pain jabbed her like a fresh wound.
"...Leia, your mother would have wanted you to join me so we can bring order to the galaxy."
She crossed her arms and clenched her hands around her elbows. "You can't bring peace through destruction, Vader. I'm not your sympathizer. Or your teacher. Or your confessor. I'm only your daughter by a cruel trick of fate."
"Of the Force," he insisted. "Even that served a purpose. I am proud of your strengths. The heart of a leader burns within you. It can be nurtured into so much more."
"I can almost forgive you for the evils you did to so many people because they drove so many worlds into the alliance. But cruelty to Galen Marek. Yes, I know about him. You betrayed him for the Emperor...you robbed a boy of his life and raised him through so many cruelties to where he died facing the Emperor. No. You won't gain any sentimentality from me, Vader."
Something burned within Vader. Something dark within him always had... fondness for his former apprentice. He squashed this feeling. Marek wasn't strong enough to be anything more than a pawn. "Starkiller served his purpose. He was an instrument. We would not have been able to stand against the Emperor together. My blood is in your veins, Leia, accept it."
Leia's eyes snapped up. "Bail Organa will always be my father. No matter what you do to me in attempts to make me serve you, you will spend the rest of your life with no one but yourself, and if you have some sort of a conscience behind that armor, the cries of your victims. In. Your. Sleep." she drew the words out. "I will never forget my principles."
Leia's biting words wounded something within Vader thought dead long ago.