Luke was excited that he would finally be going to an entirely different planet. All he ever wanted to do was explore the galaxy and visit different planets, and now he was getting the chance. Ahsoka said she had some business on Alderaan and explained that the royal family (along with other Senators and royalty) were secretly leaders of the Rebellion, going as far as providing ships and secret funding to aid in the fight against the Empire.

She said that she was a secret operative that went by the code name "Fulcrum" to keep her identity a secret, especially because her name was well-known considering her connection to his father; apparently, she used to be presumed dead by the Empire until Reva discovered she was still alive.

"So, do I get a special code name?" Luke asked as he leaned back in the co-pilot's chair.

"Why would you want one?" Ahsoka asked.

"Well, considering I'm your Padawan now, I'm part of the Rebellion by extension. Since my father was well known, I probably shouldn't go by my real name. The Empire may know you're alive, but they don't know you're Fulcrum, right?"

Ahsoka smiled. "Fulcrum is a title, not a code name - it's used by spies in the Rebellion. We gather and distribute intelligence and recruit new members to the rebel cause. We keep our identities as secret as possible. So, yes, while the Empire does know I'm still alive, they don't know I'm a Fulcrum agent."

"So... technically I'm a Fulcrum agent by extension," Luke replied with a grin.

He hoped she would agree because he desperately wanted to be apart of the Rebellion just as much as he wished to explore the galaxy. The Empire may not have had a presence on Tatooine, but that didn't mean they didn't hate it any less. They still got news about what was happening in the rest of the galaxy, and everyone felt it was only a matter of time before the Empire set its sights on Hutt Space and take over. Now, the Hutts were bad, but the Empire was worse.

Ahsoka chuckled. "I suppose you could count as a Fulcrum agent, but you're not getting any official missions until further along in your training." She smiled fondly. "It's fitting though, Fulcrum was the name of a subspace communications frequency your father used once."

Luke perked up. "Really? Did he need it for the Clone Wars?"

"Yeah, less than a hand full of us knew about it."

The ship suddenly beeped to signal they were about to go out of hyperspace. Ahsoka leaned forward to prepare the ship to exit hyperspace as Luke sat straight in his chair.

Soundtrack - Alderaan, The Throne

The ship entered Alderaan's atmosphere and Luke audibly gasped when they broke through the clouds. He saw mountains that was covered in snow, and there were trees, and grass, and a large body of water. Things he had only ever heard of from listening to pilots that traveled around. It was even more magnificent than he had imagined.

"There's so much water," Luke said. "You'd be as rich as the Hutts with that much. Maybe richer."

"This is nothing," Ahsoka replied. "I've been to planets that are entirely water."

Luke's jaw dropped. Planets made up of entirely water!? It sounded like something out of a dream. Water was such a valuable resource on Tatooine, in fact, it was the most valuable resource; he'd heard stories of people killing each other just to get water. He was raised to preserve water as much as he could and not to waste it, and yet there were planets out there that was made up of water.

They landed in a docking bay.

"I'm going to meet a Fulcrum agent," Ahsoka said as she shut the ship down. "You can explore, but there's still Imperial presence here so don't draw too much attention to yourself. Keep your shields up. When I'm done, I'll tell you through our bond."

Luke nodded. "Don't worry, my aunt and uncle taught me not to bring attention to myself." He frowned. "Tatooine isn't exactly the safest place and slavers are everywhere."

"Sounds like you were raised by some competent people."

And with that, the two got up, Ahsoka grabbing her cloak, and left the ship.

Handmaidens gathered around a beautiful young girl as they helped her get ready for the party that was about to begin. A beautiful white dress was buttoned up as brown hair was put up into an intricate braid hairstyle. A glittering silver outer garment was placed over the dress and a matching hood was placed over it. The handmaidens helped her put on her silver heels.

The queen entered the room just as the handmaidens finished getting the princess ready.

"We're going to be late," she said as she approached her daughter with a data pad in hand. "Come on, let's hurry it along. How is she doing?"

"She's ready," one of the handmaidens replied as she smoothed the princess's dress.

"Good." She swiped her finger on her data pad before turning to the attendant who had walked in with her and handed it to him. "Thank you." She turned back to her daughter. "Remember, my sister's whole family is coming," she said as she walked up to her. "We need their support, so try not to make anyone cry."

Breha took her daughter's hand and walked with her to the door. "There will be sweet melons at the reception after." She stopped and turned to her. "Ifyou behave, I will let you..."

She paused as she took in her daughter's appearance and removed the hood from her daughter's head. "Winter."

Winter was an inch taller than her sister, and her features were slightly sharper; anyone else wouldn't have been able to see it, but Breha knew her two daughters well.

"I tried to convince her not to, Mother," Winter said.

Breha looked at the handmaidens and they lowered their heads. She looked back at Winter before shaking her head and turning to the attendant. "She's either in the cellar, in the kitchen, in the woods... or in the city."

Soundtrack - Luke Meets R2

Luke gazed enthusiastically at everything as he wandered through the crowd. He'd never seen a city so big! He'd never seen a city at all - Owen never let him go to Mos Eisley. He was careful to take note of certain landmarks so he wouldn't get lost considering he was still learning about the Force and couldn't use it like Ahsoka could. Though his guard was down since he wasn't on Tatooine and he didn't see any signs of Imperials currently occupying Alderaan.

Something suddenly bumped his leg and he looked down to see a little blue and white astromech droid. The droid was beeping rapidly at him, almost like he was getting onto him for something.

Luke raised his eyebrows and held up his hands. "Woah, hey, hey, hey, sorry for bumping into you!"

The droid continued beeping and made a sound that sounded like it was blowing raspberries before finally calming down. This was the most interesting droid Luke had ever met - it had more personality than most people on Tatooine.

Luke kneeled in front of the droid. "Are you lost? Where's your owner?"

The droid beeped at him and Luke frowned as he remembered he doesn't speak binary. He had been meaning to learn it, but he was a little busy fixing things, flying his Skyhopper, doing chores, and basically trying to survive on a harsh planet.

Soundtrack - The Princess Appears

There was a sudden tug in his chest. He looked up, his eyes immediately falling on a girl dressed in white. She had a hood on her head and seemed to look around suspiciously as she pulled it lower to hide her face.

Luke knit his brows. Was she trying to hide from someone? Curious, he stood and began walking to her - the droid beeped at him and followed.As he got closer to her, he could feel the Force sing. Why was it reacting like that to this random girl?

The girl continued walking through the bustling crowd as Luke followed her, keeping an acceptable distance as not to get caught by her. She didn't look poor considering the quality of her dress. He wondered to himself what she was doing out here. It was clear she was trying to hide from someone, but why in such a crowded place?

She suddenly ducked into an alley way and Luke quickly followed her, only for her to whip around and glare at him.

"Who are you and why are you following me?" She demanded.

Soundtrack - Coffee

This was one of the smaller café's in Alderaan, but that didn't make it any less nicer. Alderaan was a peaceful planet, not dangerous like most in the galaxy. It was safe and you'd rarely see any Imperials around despite the planet being under Empire rule. But just because it was safe didn't mean she let her guard down. Spies could be everywhere.

She sat in a booth in the corner with a cup of caf. The booth had a perfect view of the door so she could see whoever came in, whether it was her ally...or a foe.

A Togruta entered the café wearing a grey travel cloak. She would recognize her anywhere, but she needed to be on the safe side - there were plenty of masters of disguise in the galaxy. The Togruta approached the counter and ordered a cup of caf.

She stood with her cup and approached the counter to pretend like she was getting sugar. "Pleasant day we're having," she said.

The Togruta glanced at her. "Yes, the weather is cool like Naboo's waters."

Sabé nodded and took a sugar packet and straw. "I haven't seen you in person in a while. Is everything alright?"

Ahsoka took her caf and thanked the server before the two women walked to the booth in the corner. "I was being chased by an Inquisitor," she replied low enough for only Sabé to hear. "I managed to get her off my tail." They sat down on either side of the booth. "But that's not why I'm here. I found someone - a boy. He's very powerful in the Force."

"Do you need help getting him to safety?" Sabé asked as she opened her sugar packet. She dumped it into her caf and used the straw to stir it in.

"Not exactly," Ahsoka replied before taking a sip of her caf. She set her cup down and stared at the dark liquid. "I was at Padmé's funeral."

Sabé froze and looked at her. Why was she bringing this up?

"I noticed she was pregnant." Ahsoka looked at her as if she was waiting for an answer.

"The baby died with her," Sabé said as she continued stirring the sugar into her caf. She took the straw out, tapped it on the edge of the cup to shake off any liquid, and set it on the napkin sitting next to her. She took a sip of her caf.

"Are you sure?" Ahsoka asked.

Sabé looked at the Togruta from over her cup before setting it down and waiting for Ahsoka to continue.

"As I was running from the Inquisitor, my ship took some damage and I crashed on Tatooine. I needed parts to repair it, so I went to the nearest town to buy some - that's where I met the boy." Ahsoka leaned forward and lowered her voice. "His name is Luke Skywalker."

Luke... Padmé said that was the name she would name her son - it was a name Anakin had suggested and she had loved it.

Sabé frowned. "Padmé had asked me to help her prep the nursery in her villa - she said to prepare for a boy. I had no idea he was still alive. How...?"

"I don't know, and I don't think Luke knows either. He didn't even know his father was a General in the Clone Wars; and he'd never heard of the Jedi."

"Padmé told me Anakin's mother married a moisture farmer before she died and that he has a step-brother on Tatooine."

"That's probably who his uncle is then. Luke said he was told that his father was a navigator on a spice freighter. Maybe his aunt and uncle lied to protect him."

"It was smart of them to; the Jedi are considered to be traitors of the Empire. Still... who delivered Luke to them?"

Ahsoka shrugged. "I suppose it's a mystery we won't figure out for a while." She took a drink of her caf. "But that's not all. The Inquisitor who was chasing me discovered Luke, he was taken into custody and she tortured him, causing him to subconsciously use the Force in defense - he managed to bring the whole building down on him."

Sabé's eyes widened slightly. "Wow..."

There were a few times Padmé had expressed she felt like her baby was speaking to her, and that's why she knew it was a boy. She didn't know anything about Force-sensitive babies so she assumed that was a normal occurrence for the mothers of Jedi, but perhaps... it was just because Luke was powerful.

"I'm teaching him to control his powers. I've already taught him to shield himself so the Inquisitors can't find him."

"So he's here right now?" Sabé asked. "On Alderaan."

Ahsoka nodded. "He's exploring right now. Alderaan is a relatively safe planet, and his survival skills are good. Plus, if he's ever in danger, I'll know right away." She leaned forward again and lowered her voice. "I'm going to need a couple disguises. I want to take him to Naboo to visit his mother's grave and family."

Sabé nodded. "I'll get you everything you need."

Luke was dumbstruck. He'd never seen a prettier girl in his life - he hadn't met many pretty girls, but still, she was beautiful.

She was still glaring at him as she put her hands on her hips and got in his face. "Well? Who are you and why are you following me? Are you an Imperial spy? You look a little short to be an Imperial."

Did she really have to bring his height into this? He already got enough trouble from his friends on Tatooine for his stature.

Luke stammered. "I- I saw you walking around and got curious. I'm sorry for following you."

He specifically left out the part of the Force calling him to her because Ahsoka had made him promise he wouldn't reveal to anyone that he was Force-sensitive.

"My name's Luke, what's yours?"

The girl faltered. "You don't know who I am?"

Luke blinked. "Should I?"

She looked him up and down curiously. "You're not from around here, are you?"

He shook his head. "No, this is my first time on Alderaan. Actually, this is my first time on any planet outside the Outer Rim."

"So that's where your accent is from." She tilted her head curiously. "I've never met anyone from the Outer Rim."

Luke chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, it's not that interesting, trust me."

Soundtrack - Rescue of a Princess

The girl opened her mouth to reply when shouts were suddenly heard from the end of the street. Luke turned to peak out of the alley way and saw several armored guards rushing towards them. He was about to ask what was going on when she grabbed his arm and pulled him with her as she ran out of the alley way.

Luke yelped as he was yanked forward and ran to keep up with her as they dodged people through the crowd, and he accepted his fate as an accomplice to whatever reason this girl was running for. Lucky for her, he was an expert at running from people - he's had several rebellious streaks back on Tatooine.

He spotted a market place and grabbed her hand to change their course; she yelped in surprise as she was pulled in a different direction but didn't resist. The market place was more crowded than the street they were on which helped slow their pursuers, but he knew they wouldn't be in the market place forever and needed to come up with a plan quickly. On Tatooine, he knew Anchorhead like the back of his hand, but he didn't know Alderaan like he knew Tatooine.

Luke spotted some empty barrels at the end of the market place, so he made sure to knock them down and let the girl take the lead to where they were going. They continued running until Luke spotted a building that looked barren and not brightly lit like the others - it looked like it had been an apartment complex.

They ran into the abandoned apartment complex and up stairs, down halls, and around corners. It seemed as if there had been a fire there considering the burn damage everywhere.

There was a sudden large gap in their path and Luke stopped, almost falling over the edge but he managed to steady himself as the girl grabbed his arm to pull him back. He guessed the floor must've collapsed in the fire that had been there.

"I think we took a wrong turn," Luke said. His instincts kicked in as his eyes scanned every inch of the room. They could hear the footsteps of the soldiers echoing in the building.

"It doesn't matter," the girl replied. "Let's go back and-"

"Wait."

Luke noticed a grappling hook that had been abandoned in the corner - it was probably left behind by any youth that liked to hang out in the building; it was the same tactic Luke and his friends used on Tatooine.

He picked up the grappling hook and turned around, looking at the ceiling above him. There was a pipe.

He threw the hook at the pipe and tested that it was secure - and prayed that it could hold both of their weights. He grabbed the girl's waist and pulled her closer.

"Hold on tight!" He said.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and placed a kiss on his cheek. "For luck."

With his survival instincts kicked in, he hardly processed the kiss as he tightened his arm around her waist before leaping across. They swung over the gap and landed on the other side. By the time the soldiers made it to the edge, Luke had removed the grappling hook and discarded it in a corner so they could get back across. The guards couldn't get across as the two teenagers continued running.

Soundtrack - Luke and Leia

Luke was out of breath when he and the girl finally stopped running in one of the less damaged apartment rooms; he'd never run for that amount of time in his life - granted, Anchorhead was much smaller than Aldera.

"That was quick thinking back there," the girl said. She didn't seem to be as out of breath as he was and not a single hair was out of place despite the amount of running they had done.

He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Thanks, I have experience running from people."

She arched a brow but didn't ask him to elaborate on that.

"You said your name was Luke, right?"

He nodded.

"Nice to meet you." She smiled. "I'm Leia."

Leia... it was a beautiful name. Sounded exotic to Luke's ears.

"So... uh, why were those men chasing you?" Luke asked. "Or us, I guess."

She shrugged. "Doesn't matter."

It seemed she didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't press her on it.

Leia walked over to the old couch that had been pushed to in front of a window and sat down. Luke sat next to her, keeping a respectable distance.

"So, where in the Outer Rim are you from?" She asked.

"Tatooine."

She looked at him with curiosity in her brown eyes. "What's it like?"

"The opposite of Alderaan. Extremely hot - Tatooine has two suns - and there's a lot of sand that gets everywhere. No large bodies of water - we have to get ours from moisture farming. It's also dangerous because of the Tusken Raiders, and sometimes Jawas, and, of course, the slavers."

He felt like he was rambling, but she still seemed interested in his home planet despite how horrible he was making it sound.

"The... um... sunsets are pretty," he added to give a bit of optimism to his ramblings. "Because of the two suns, the sky turns into two different colors. I always liked to go out and watch the sunset before bed. The stars are pretty too. Growing up, I'd always stare up at the stars and dream about exploring the galaxy."

"So, you've never left Tatooine before?"

Luke shook his head. "This is the first planet I've ever been to outside of Tatooine." He looked out the window which gave them a nice view of the mountains. "I've never seen snow before."

A comfortable silence fell between them. Luke couldn't explain it, but he felt a connection to Leia. He wasn't sure what it was. A crush? No, nothing like that. The Force wasn't giving him an answer; all he knew was that it wanted him to find her, but wouldn't say why.

"Are you staying long?" Leia asked.

Luke looked over at her. "No, my aunt said she needed to meet someone and then we'll be leaving."

"Oh..."

She actually looked disappointed.

"But I'm sure we'll be back again. My aunt does business on Alderaan a lot."

Leia smiled. "Let me give you my com code then. Tell me when you're coming to Alderaan and I'll take you to the mountains to see the snow up close."

Luke brightened. "Really?"

He'd always wanted to see snow, and now that he had, he desperately wanted to touch it. He took out the comlink Ahsoka had given him and exchanged com codes with Leia. He could hardly believe that he had made a new friend on an entirely different planet.

"There, now we can talk to each other no matter where we are in the galaxy," Leia said with a smile.

Luke smiled back. He was so fascinated by her. Why was there this connection between them? Why did he feel so warm and complete around her?

"Luke?"

Luke blinked as he shook himself out of his thoughts. "Sorry, I was thinking about something."

He didn't want to elaborate on that. Mainly because he didn't know enough about the Force to explain, but also because if she didn't know he was Force-sensitive, then she was safe.

There was a sudden beep, making the two teens jump and turn. The blue and white astromech from earlier rolled into the room and approached them.

"Artoo," Leia scolded. "What are you doing here?"

Luke blinked in confusion and looked at her. "You know this droid?"

Leia glanced at him. "He works for my family." She fixed her gaze back on the droid named Artoo. "How did you find us?"

Artoo beeped a reply followed by the sound of footsteps. Leia immediately stood and Luke followed.

"Did you lead them here!?"

Artoo beeped in a way that sounded like he was offended by her accusation.

Soundtrack - Wasn't Me

Bail was relieved when he received word that his daughter had been found. She seemed to be running off more often lately. He understood her reasoning - she needed to breath. He remembered her mother had said there were times she needed to run off and have a moment to herself, even when she was Queen of Naboo.

He was led through the back entrance of an apartment complex that was forced to close down due to a fire not that long ago - they were still working on getting resources to rebuild it - and to a room where they had apparently found her.

As soon as he saw her among the group of guards, his worry vanished.

"Leia," he said with a sigh as he approached her. "You can't keep running off like this. We-"

He paused. His daughter wasn't alone.

He looked over at the boy who looked like he had been caught doing some kind of crime. He looked familiar... "Well, hello young man."

"Father, this is my new friend, Luke," Leia said as she motioned to the boy. "He looked after me today."

Luke? What were the chances...?

He studied the boy more closely as the boy squirmed a little under his gaze. He could see Anakin's facial features mixed with the soft features common to the Naboo people, the blonde hair bleached by years under the sun, the tanned skin, the blue eyes as bright as Anakin's were, the stature... and he was the right age.

Bail kept his face neutral, careful not to make any reactions that might scare the boy off. General Kenobi had said he was now under the Empire's radar, which meant he might be a bit jumpy.

"I see... thank you for taking care of my daughter, Luke. She has a habit of running off, something I hoped she would grow out of as she got older."

Leia flushed in embarrassment as Luke shifted uncomfortably.

"Ah, it was nothing," Luke replied. "I wasn't aware she was a princess though."

"You must be hungry after a long day. Why don't you join us back at the palace?"

Luke's eyes widened in fear and Bail knew he made a wrong move.

"Thank you for the invitation, but my aunt must be looking for me by now!" He turned to Leia. "It was really nice meeting you, L- Princess Leia!"

And with that, Luke ran off before anyone could protest.

"Would you like us to go after him, sir?" One of the guards asked.

Bail shook his head. He didn't want to scare the boy more than they already had. "No, let him go." He turned to his daughter, who looked confused about Luke's strange behavior. "Please escort my daughter to the speeder."

Leia begrundgingly accepted her Faye as she let the guards lead her out of the room. Once the room was empty, he turned to Artoo.

"Take care of him," he told the loyal droid.

Artoo beeped and rolled off to find Luke. Bail knew the little droid would be as loyal to Luke as he was to Padmé and Anakin.

Luke ignored the sense of loss and emptiness he felt as he left the princess behind.

He didn't dare go back. Ahsoka specifically told him not to bring attention to himself, and yet he not only gained the attention of the royal family, but aided the princess in escaping her guards and causing multiple scenes.

Ahsoka was going to kill him.

He didn't stop running until he made it to the docking bay, stopping to catch his breath so Ahsoka wouldn't ask any questions. He calmly walked to the docked ship that had become his home.

"There you are," Ahsoka said from the top of the ramp. "I thought I was going to have to hunt you down."

Luke smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Lost track of time."

There was a series of beeps that made him jump and spin around to see that same astromech droid.

What was this droid's problem?

"You!?" Luke exclaimed.

"Artoo?"

Luke turned to Ahsoka in surprise. "You know this droid?"

"Yes, he was your father's droid."

Luke's jaw dropped. "He's what!?"

Ahsoka frowned as she addressed. "What are you doing on Alderaan? I assumed you went back to Padmé's family."

Artoo beeped a reply before rolling up the ramp and inviting himself onto the ship.

Luke looked at her in question.

"He said it's a long story and he's coming with us." Ahsoka chuckled as she crossed her arms. "I think he recognized you."

"I've never met him."

"No, but you look like your father. And considering Artoo spent almost every single day with your parents... I'm sure he put two and two together."

Luke frowned, suddenly wishing he could understand binary because he had so many questions for Artoo.

"Come on, we need to get going," Ahsoka said as she turned to walk into the ship. "There's something I want to show you on Naboo."

Luke's interest was peaked as he boarded the ship.