Reva raced forwards, not willing to waste a single second. An instant could mean the difference between life and death for Leia. Panting hard, she continued to exert her exhausted body and pushed through the pain.

Just as she expected, her siblings were waiting for her out in the middle of the barren flatlands.

"Hello, Reva," Seventh Sister grinned maliciously as Leia yanked on her chains and tried to get away from her unsuccessfully. "Long time no see," she crooned.

"Hey, that's my kid!" Reva shouted. "Get your hands off her, or get your own!"

"Aw, that's no way to greet your favorite older Sister," Seventh Sister replied mockingly, her voice dripping with fake disappointment. "What happened to hello? How are you?"

"I'll kill you," Reva snapped. "What did you do to her?"

"Oh, I caught this little brat wandering the wastelands," Seventh Sister crooned, grabbing Leia's shoulder and pulling her closer. Leia shuddered and tried to lean as far away from her lightsaber as possible. "Thought I fancied myself a mother. What do you think? Would we make a good family?" she cackled.

Reva withdrew her lightsaber threateningly. "Let go of her, or I'll make you."

"Well, what if I don't want to?" Seventh Sister asked. "I think she'd be much better off with me," she smirked. "Vader is offering quite a handsome reward for the first real Inquisitor who can bring her back to him."

"Well, I found her first!" Reva growled. "So I'm afraid you're going to have to go through me."

"My pleasure," Seventh Sister replied. She brought her comlink up to her face and pressed a button to activate it. "How's the search going, Brother?"

"Negative," Fifth Brother's voice echoed through speaker. "Still can't find a trace of the farmer or the boy." Reva exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Forget that, I have something much more interesting," Seventh Sister replied. "Come back to the flatlands. Now."

"Why?"

"I'm holding a family reunion," Seventh Sister smiled. "You wouldn't want to miss out on celebrating the return of our dear Reva, wouldn't you?"

Fifth Brother paused. "I suppose I wouldn't," he muttered sarcastically.

"Did I mention, Vader decided to go ahead and put a bounty on her? We can sweeten the deal and bring in twice as much than our initial offer," Seventh Sister added.

"I'm in."

"Wonderful," Seventh Sister grinned, satisfied.

"What's all this about?" Reva demanded.

Seventh Sister just laughed. "All will be explained in good time."

Just then, the Fifth Brother came into and descended from his repulsorlift transporter. He narrowed his eyes at Reva immediately once he made eye contact with her. "You," he growled.

"Yeah, yeah, you're not too easy on the eyes either," Reva spat. "Anyways, what are you talking about? Why would Vader put a bounty on me? I'm his best man," she protested.

Fifth Brother looked over at Seventh Sister. "She really doesn't know," he remarked. "She's even stupider than I thought."

Reva frowned. Seventh Sister just laughed loudly, relishing how self-conscious the words made her feel.

"Oh, you weren't aware?" the Seventh Sister smirked as she activated her lightsaber. It whirred to life in her hand, spinning dangerously. "I suppose you haven't been checking your comlink as often as you should be." She turned to Fifth Brother, a sinister grin on her face. "What a pity. No one has told her the news."

"What news?" Reva snarled.

"Don't worry, Reva, I'll tell you. It's high time we let you in on our little secret," Seventh Sister motioned smugly. There, lying on the lapel of her uniform was a red-and-black metal emblem. Reva gasped and looked down at her chest. They were both wearing the same badge. "Vader has appointed me his new Grand Inquisitor."

"That's...impossible," Reva said, though deep down she should have already known. Her stomach began to feel queasy. "Why would he...he wouldn't...!"

"That's right," Seventh Sister replied brightly. "You've been replaced."

"Vader is sick of your weakness," Fifth Brother spat. "He has no more use for a has-been like you."

"I guess you could say you've been...retired? Forcefully demoted? You know what happens to Inquisitors who lose favor, don't you?"

Reva growled and ignited her lightsaber, the blade bursting to life and spinning rapidly. "Inquisitors do not retire," she sneered. "They are terminated."

"Correct," Seventh Sister replied. "In that case, I hope you won't have any hard feelings about this."

"On the contrary," Reva replied. "I thought this day would never come soon enough."

With that, she started to sprint towards the Seventh Sister, swinging at her head. Seventh Sister just cackled and pushed Leia in front of her. Reva immediately stumbled and nearly lost her balance as she was forced to swerve to the side to avoid hitting her. Fifth Brother then made a thrust towards her waist while Seventh Sister turned and ran. Reva barely dodged Fifth Brother's jab and rushed after Seventh Sister, panting as she started to get tripped up by the sandy terrain.

"Aw, poor, poor Reva," Seventh Sister taunted as she shoved Leia away from her. "After all these years, you're still the slowest of the pack."

Leia stumbled and was caught by Fifth Brother, who grabbed onto her shoulders so tightly that she cried out in pain. Fifth Brother let go of her with one hand while continuing to hold her in place with the other, his right hand unusually strong for a Pau'an. Leia soon realized that she could feel something underneath his black gloves, something that reminded her oddly of Vader.

"I wonder what Trilla would say if she saw you like this?" Seventh Sister mused as she looked down at Reva, towering over her. "Oh...that's right, she's dead isn't she?"

Reva's face darkened. "Take that back," she snarled.

Seventh Sister smirked. "Did you know, the only reason Vader decided to promote you...was because of her death? How ironic. Everything you've ever attained is all thanks to the deaths of those who foolishly protected and stuck their necks out for you. Even your poor, foolish sister."

"She was more of a sister to me than you ever were, that's for sure," Reva gritted her teeth. "You're all just a bunch of cowards. You couldn't imagine a life without stepping on someone else, so you turned to the Dark Side to save your own skin."

"Indeed, although you're no different from us," Seventh Sister retorted. "There's a reason we call you the Butcher, you know?" she laughed. "After all, you never properly learned how to earn others' respect, so the best you could do was take off arms until someone listened to you." Leia blinked and stared at Reva. Reva faltered slightly, then turned away and tightened her grip on her lightsaber.

"I'm different now," Reva breathed. "I'm not like you."

"Oh?" Seventh Sister drawled. "You think you're...better than us?"

"Yes," Reva panted. "I don't need any of your cheap tricks to get what I want," she snarled. "Let go of the girl, and fight me properly. I'll show you."

Seventh Sister turned to Fifth Brother. Reluctantly, he released Leia and she ran from him. Seventh Sister stretched out her hand and Leia tripped, collapsing into a heap of sand. Reva swallowed, feeling a nervous lump in a throat. However, her attention was quickly drawn away as she heard the sound of Fifth Brother unsheathing his lightsaber.

"Fine with me," he growled. "I'm in the mood for a fight."

He immediately charged Reva and swung at her. Reva shrieked and ducked out of the way, spinning back around to build momentum, but he was too strong and easily overpowered her. Reva fell back and was thrown towards Seventh Sister, clashing lightsabers with her instantly. Reva struggled as Seventh Sister grunted, aiming several slashes downwards in an attempt to break her block. Reva drew back and swiveled around, trading blows with Fifth Brother as Seventh Sister smacked her lightsaber, activating its second spinning. She tried to dodge but Fifth Brother held out his hand and used the Force to keep her in place, paralyzed.

"I always wondered why Second Sister wasted so much energy protecting you, when she could've been working towards being promoted to Grand Inquisitor herself," Seventh Sister murmured. Reva gasped and struggled to deflect her blade as it spun dangerously close to her neck, almost decapitating her. "Now I see that she was merely weak. Her weakness is what held her back, which ultimately led to her downfall," she growled. "You were her weakness."

Reva fought back against her, panting heavily. "No," she grunted.

"It doesn't matter whether you agree with me," Seventh Sister growled. "All that matters is, when this is all over, there will be only one true Grand Inquisitor standing. And I will be the one to take your pretty little princess back to Vader and be rewarded in full."

Fifth Brother frowned. "Wait, what about-"

"Silence!" Seventh Sister snapped at him. "I did not order you to speak!"

Fifth Brother grunted in annoyance and closed his mouth. Seventh Sister turned off the spinning mode and lowered her lightsaber. Reva also lowered her blade, breathing heavily from exertion. "I'm disappointed," Seventh Sister muttered. "I was expecting more."

Reva took some steps back and held out her double-sided blade in front of her with both hands. "You leave Trilla out of your mouth," she said, her arms trembling as she entered a defensive stance. "She would have been a much better Grand Inquisitor than you could ever hope to be. You're just jealous that Vader took notice of her first."

Seventh Sister looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. "That stance," she said. "Where did you learn that?"

"From my Master," Reva replied.

Seventh Sister snorted. "You? Taking on a Master? Don't be ridiculous," she scowled. "Who would even train you? Kenobi?"

"No," Reva said. "A friend," she said, slowly moving her feet apart to stabilize herself.

From her spot on the ground, Leia stopped crawling away and looked over her shoulder to see Reva split her lightsaber into two pieces and hold them using a reverse grip the same that Ahsoka had. She hesitated, looking up at Reva, but Reva broke their eye contact and turned to face the Seventh Sister.

"My, my," Seventh Sister observed. "Looks like your friend taught you some new tricks."

"Fancy tricks," Fifth Brother sneered, "But can they hold up in an actual fight?"

"Hold up, my ass," Reva bit back. "You're just a bunch of cowards who over rely on the Force because you have no actual combat abilities."

Fifth Brother growled and reached out for her, using his right hand to grab her wrist from behind. Reva cried as she felt metal fingertips digging into her skin, threatening to crush her bones with their mechanical strength.

"You're not the only one with fancy tricks, you know. I could break off your entire arm if I wanted to," he hissed in her ear, his hand creeping slowly towards her lightsaber hilt to shut it off.

Reva panted and jabbed her other lightsaber backwards at him. Fifth Brother cried out, letting go, and she barely wrenched her hand out of his grip before running a few paces away. "Not so fast," she said. "I was promised a real fight. When do you plan to deliver?"

"She does have a point," Seventh Sister sneered. "Let's not keep her waiting, Brother."

"Agreed," Fifth Brother scowled and entered an offensive stance. "Let's finish this now. Vader is waiting for us."

With a loud shout, Seventh Sister charged forward and rammed her lightsaber against Reva's two blades. Reva struggled and crossed her blades in front of her defensively, creating a block. Seventh Sister spun around and swung at her legs, causing Reva to jump into the air and flip fast enough that she managed to kick Fifth Brother's head before he could react. Fifth Brother yelled out and lost his balance, but Reva landed a few feet away and powered up, started spinning both of her blades aggressively. By the time Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister both charged her, Reva had built up enough momentum that she managed to knock both of their lightsabers out of their hands. Seventh Sister growled and swiveled around, using the Force to summon her saber back into her hands.

"I see you've learned a thing or two about Ataru," she sneered. "Bit of a late start, if you ask me. But no matter. I've been doing flips and spins for longer than you could walk, Sister. You can't possibly hope to defeat me at my own game."

"Really?" Reva asked mock-innocently. "Funny, because I could've sworn the female Jedi Master you came running to me to complain about did exactly that."

Seventh Sister's face flushed and darkened to a deeper shade of green. "You...you..." she stammered angrily, realization dawning upon her. "You traitor!" she spat. "I knew you were conspiring with the Jedi," she panted. "Lord Vader was RIGHT to not trust you!"

Reva spun around and aimed a back-swing at her neck. Fifth Brother reached out with his hand and immobilized her using the Force again. Reva struggled for a few moments, then closed her eyes and concentrated. Before he could react, she reopened her eyes and broke free of his Force barrier. Seventh Sister gasped and stumbled backwards, falling to her feet as Reva aimed a series of kicks and slashes towards her. Fifth Brother snarled and splayed out his hands, intending to use the Force to push her, but Reva drove her blade right through his right hand. Fifth Brother screamed and watched as the black glove and metal melted before his hand, turning into a molten charred mess that started to burn his arm. He let out an angry howl of pain and dropped his lightsaber hilt. Reva immediately kicked it away from him, then stepped on his left hand when he forgot himself and tried to reach for it.

"Uh-uh," Reva sneered. "None of that."

Fifth Brother screamed angrily, and Reva stabbed him right through the side, making sure to cauterize the wound before she withdrew her saber. He let out another cry of pain and collapsed, unmoving. Reva then turned around to face Seventh Sister, who was still lying on the ground paralyzed with fear.

"You're next," Reva announced, pointing her saber at her. "Prepare yourself."

With renewed confidence, she started charging down Seventh Sister and aimed several swings at her. Seventh Sister screamed and crawled backwards, kicking up clouds of sand as she struggled to get away from her. Reva spun around and jabbed her lightsaber at her, leaving small pools of molten glass in her wake. Seventh Sister howled as she barely managed to roll out of the way, accidentally burning herself on the hot liquid sand.

"You should've surrendered while you had the opportunity," Reva remarked.

Seventh Sister grabbed her lightsaber and narrowed her eyes, holding it by the ringed hilt as she activated the spinning contraption. "Not a chance," she hissed, using her legs and the Force to jump back onto her feet and face her.

Reva now knew how to handle the spinning lightsaber. When Seventh Sister swung at her, she backflipped out of the way and then carried out a few strategic blows to her defenses. She could tell that Seventh Sister was growing desperate and starting to rapidly lose her patience. When she made a fatal swing at her head, leaving her lower torso completely open, Reva ducked down and sliced her through the waist. Seventh Sister cried out and let go of the spinning saber, which immediately began to spin out of control. Reva let go of her own hilt and used her arm to direct the spinning weapon out of the way, shutting it off before it hit the ground, then grabbed her other saber with both hands so she could continue to hack at Seventh Sister's armor mercilessly. As she writhed on the ground, the Mirialan screamed and cursed angrily.

"Yield," Reva panted.

"Never," Seventh Sister sneered.

"Have it your way." Reva raised her saber over her head, intending to dismember the Mirialan. It would be enough to incapacitate her without resorting to actually killing her. However, the Seventh Sister had other plans. Raising her hand one final time, she summoned her lightsaber and ignited it, holding it out in front of her.

"I will never surrender to the likes of you," Seventh Sister snarled. "I would rather die."

Reva drew back, expecting her to use the Force to push her over so she could take her down with her, but the Seventh Sister was not interested. Instead, she held onto the ringed hilt with both hands and closed her eyes.

"Goodbye, little sister," she whispered. "It's a shame things had to end this way."

With that, she ignited her blade and reactivated its spinning function.

"No!" Fifth Brother cried out as the red plasma blade jutted out and spun right through her own body, instantly killing her. Reva jumped forward and reached out instinctively, trying to catch her, but it was already too late.

As she stared wide-eyed at the lifeless body in her hands, Fifth Brother screamed as if he himself was the one who had been stabbed through the stomach.

"What have you done to my sister?" he sobbed furiously. "Speak to me! Say something!"

Reva stared down at Seventh Sister, shaking her and trying to rouse her. But it was no use. She was already gone.

"You killed her, you freak!" Fifth Brother wailed. "She's dead!"

Reva let go and the body collapsed back into the sand, creating a small cloud of dust. Silently, she reached down and closed Seventh Sister's eyes. Once she was finished covering the body with sand, she turned around and saw Leia standing several paces away, swaying uncertainly. Hesitantly, she reached out towards her. Leia looked towards Fifth Brother then made her decision and slowly walked towards her.

"Monster!" Fifth Brother howled. "Traitor! Murderer!"

Reva glanced over at him as she helped Leia out of the shackles binding her. "I didn't mean to," she said quietly, although her words were lost on him. Leia reached up and silently took her hand. Reva wrapped her other hand around her, and slowly led her away.

"You will pay for this!" Fifth Brother shouted again. "You may think I have forgotten, but I never will!" he sneered. "I'll tell Vader! I'll tell the Emperor! I will avenge her if it's the last thing I ever do!"

Reva stopped, and Leia also stopped walking and paused next to her. Taking a deep breath, Reva finally turned around and faced him.

"Go ahead," she said. "Tell them. I'll be waiting," she muttered.

Then with that, she turned her back to him and walked away.

"Why did they talk to you like that?" Leia asked bluntly, once they were out of the flatlands. In the distance, they could see the two twin suns blazing a fiery amber red. "What were they talking about, when they said you had a sister? What happened to her?"

"Hm," Reva said, looking away. "We'd better hurry. If we're not out of here by sundown, the sand people will get to us. And then there won't be much left of us to tell the story."

"Don't change the subject," Leia said crossly. "What was all that about? Can't you tell me?"

"I think it's best to not discuss it," Reva replied stiffly.

"But it's important," Leia insisted stubbornly. "That...that lady said that you had a sister. Were you related to her? Maybe she would've known something about your family, if they're still out there."

Reva closed her eyes and exhaled slowly.

"She wasn't my real Sister," she replied. "And I don't want to talk about it, thank you."

"When I was scared, Ben said it was a good idea to discuss what was on our minds," Leia declared. "Whenever there was anything stressful, or...or..."

Reva stared at her blankly. You mean like, when I was holding the two of you captive? Yeah, I'm glad to hear you were able to bond over the experience.

"I mean, Ben also said that the Force will reflect whatever your feelings are at all times," Leia clarified. "So if you are angry, you will find yourself consumed by anger. If you are sad...the Force magnifies it and makes it a thousand times bigger. That's what Ben said to me."

Reva blinked slowly, then sighed. "That does sound like something he would say. Crazy old man," she muttered irritably.

"He's not crazy," Leia said defensively. "Anyways, you didn't answer the question."

"Which one?" Reva asked snarkily.

"Any of them."

Reva wanted to roll her eyes, but she just sighed and her shoulders sagged. "I suppose there's no use in trying to keep it hidden," she muttered. "Let's just say...I wasn't the most popular person in the Inquisitorius. All of us were surviving Jedi that had been turned over to the Emperor, but..." she snarled. "There was something about me that set me apart from them. And not just the fact that I was a runt or a gutter rat."

Leia stared up at her, confused.

"All of them willingly turned to the Dark Side because they wanted this," Reva said bitterly. "They idolized Vader, looked up to him, longed to have him as their Master. All they would talk about at first was how much they were looking forward to being trained by him once the Emperor announced that we would have our first trials."

"And you?"

"I did not," Reva said stiffly. Leia stared at her, taking in her slightly messed-up braid and the baby hairs that had gotten loose and formed a small fuzzy halo around her forehead. Reva swallowed, struggling to piece the words together as the memories slowly came back. "I hated him from the very moment they took me in. They told me that I was to be obedient to him and I refused. I said I would rather die. They told me that I might have to."

Leia continued to stare at her, not breaking eye contact. Reva frowned and turned away.

"Eventually, the others changed tune once they actually started training with him. Sixth Brother would always pick on me, but one day I came back and I saw him limping...because Vader had cut off his leg." Leia's eyes widened slightly. "Then, I noticed that Ninth Sister lost one of her eyes. I asked her about it, thinking maybe she was in pain, and she told me to piss off. As for Fifth Brother...well, you know," she said darkly.

Leia nodded. "His right hand," she said.

"Indeed." Reva exhaled shakily. "But Trilla was different. She was...kind to me. She didn't just see me as another competition to crush. She helped me, took me under her wing and trained me. When she was promoted to Second Sister, I thought I would never see her again, but she promised me that we would. 'Someday, I'll be the Grand Inquisitor, and you'll be my Second Sister,' she said. It was the first time since I left the Jedi Temple that I actually felt a connection to someone, that I felt as if I could trust them," she murmured quietly. "After that, she left for Fortress Inquisitorius."

Reva stopped walking and her face took on an absentminded expression, her eyes glazing over. Leia held her breath, waiting for her to continue.

"But she never did come back."

"What happened?"

"Vader killed her," Reva whispered, a tear slipping out of her eye. "It was like my nightmares of the Jedi Temple all over again. He slaughtered her, just like he killed my friends," she choked back a sob. "Even if I could forgive him for what he did to me, I will never forgive him for killing her."

Leia paused and reached up, pressing her small hand to Reva's arm. Reva looked down scornfully as the small girl began to pet her awkwardly, as if trying to relieve some of the grief from her.

"You don't have to forgive him for anything. You can stay angry with him for as long as you like."

Reva grunted and wiped her tears off, then regretted it instantly as she realized her hands were covered in sand and grit.

"I thought your Jedi friends said anger leads to the Dark Side?"

"It does," Leia replied. "But Ben says that being a Jedi doesn't mean you aren't allowed to have feelings or that you have to be nice to everyone. Sometimes, it's okay to not forgive people."

Reva inhaled deeply. "Hm. Maybe he's onto something," she mumbled. Looking up, she realized that one of the suns had set. "Well, we had better get going. Lars will be wondering where we went, and the last thing we need is a search party drawing the entirety of Tatooine's attention onto us."

Leia nodded. Reva straightened back up and got ready to start walking again. She didn't even notice, but she absentmindedly reached out towards her. Leia silently slipped her hand into Reva's and followed along.

"Are you going to keep being an Inquisitor?" Leia asked quietly. "Or will you change your Path?"

Reva paused. "I don't know." She narrowed her eyes. "Not like I have much of a choice, anymore. Now that Vader's fired me, I won't be able to show my face anywhere within the Mustafar system ever again. Forget returning to the Fortress."

Leia bit her lip. "So, does that mean...you'd consider becoming a Jedi?"

Reva snorted. "As if," she scoffed. "You see this?" she motioned at her red lightsaber. "Jedi don't carry these."

"Ahsoka could heal your kyber crystals for you," Leia perked up. "She told me about it, she did it once after she took her kyber crystals back from an Inquisitor she fought on Raada."

Reva raised an eyebrow. She had heard some rumors about Sixth Brother confronting and losing to a rogue Jedi on Raada. She had heard that ultimately, he died when the kyber crystals in his lightsaber overloaded with energy and exploded. Now that she had met and fought with the same person who sealed his fate, she wasn't surprised at all.

"I didn't know she had sabers of her own," Reva retorted. "Why didn't she bring them?"

"She said she traded them away to rescue someone during a battle just a few years ago," Leia shrugged. "Ahsoka says lightsabers can be replaced, but not people."

Reva nodded silently.

"Why don't you want to become a Jedi?" Leia asked curiously. "Are you worried that you won't be as strong without the Dark Side fueling you?"

Reva hesitated. "That's not it," she replied. "I just...I don't know. The Jedi are all about fighting evil and trying to save every life, and I just don't care about that kind of stuff."

"I know you do care," Leia argued back. "You don't say it out loud, but...I can tell that you do. Even when I was being held prisoner at Vader's, you're the only one that remembered to feed and take care of me. If you didn't stand up to him for me, he probably would never have remembered that human girls need food to live."

Reva sneered. "And how do you know I wasn't just doing it so Vader wouldn't kill me?"

"Because," Leia said, "I'm still standing, aren't I?" She splayed out her arms, taking up as much space as possible. "You could've just as easily handed me in. But you didn't."

"I see," Reva snarked. "Well, it's good to know the Jedi have such a low requirement for turning over a new leaf," she muttered. "I suppose I should be thankful for that."

"Not just that," Leia said. "Obviously, you have to put in the work. Ahsoka told me, being a Jedi is a lot of effort. You need to meditate, and think with your mind, and try to not kill people if you can."

Reva shrugged. "Well, I'm clearly out of a job, so I suppose now is as good of a time as ever to try," she muttered sarcastically.

"That's the spirit," Leia replied.

Within a few minutes, they arrived finally at the farm. Beru immediately saw them and dropped her bucket. Confused, both of them froze as she ran up to them and grabbed Leia, hugging her tightly. Leia's eyes widened with surprise, and in the distance Reva could see Owen came out running with Luke not far behind him. As soon as Beru set her down, he immediately picked her up and swung her around joyfully.

"You're alright!" he shouted. "You made it back!"

Leia felt the shock leave her body and she grinned, finally giggling like the eleven-year-old she was. "Yes," she said. "I'm back!"

Owen set her down, and Luke ran up to her. However, instead of hugging her, he tackled her violently and Leia made an unladylike grunt she fell backwards onto the ground with an explosion of sand. Reva gasped out loud and ran to check on her, stopping just a few feet away. For a moment, all adults watched nervously and Luke froze, worried that he might have hurt her. However Leia just got back up, laughing mischievously as she grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at him. Luke shrieked fearfully and ducked, now forced to dodge as Leia chased after him like a miniature sandstorm. Soon, the both of them were giggling and screaming with laughter as they ran and threw sand at each other in turns.

Owen shook his head. "Kids," he said. "Just when you think they've hurt themselves, they start guffawing like it's the biggest fun they've ever had. Little bugger's taken years off of my life, just making me worry for him."

"Perhaps they should be executed," Reva grumbled.

Owen just snorted drily, crossing his arms and watching as the two kids played with each other in the sand as if they had been doing this for their entire lives. "Sometimes, I wish they'd stay like this forever. Happy and innocent."

Reva looked down, remembering with a jolt that she was a woman on a mission, and not taking Leia to a moisture farm to play around with a little boy her age. "Right," she said quietly. "Happy."

It pained her to realize that this could've been her, too, in another universe.

"Come on in," Owen said, gesturing at her. "You can stay with us now. We'll prepare our nicest guest rooms for you. Both of you."

Reva blinked, incredulous. "You'd...you'd be fine with that?" she asked nervously.

Owen shrugged. "You've earned my trust," he replied simply. "Now that's not an easy accomplishment. I'd say yes, if I were you."

Reva looked around her. All around them was swirling, dry sand. She scoffed. "I suppose I will," she said. "But only because the kid would want it."

Owen grinned drily and lead the way forwards.

It turned out that despite its dry barrenness and scorching heat, Tatooine had a way of being cozy. Even though she had spent most of her time there cursing it and the blasted sands sucking up all the joy from everything, she had to admit that there were some nice things about it. Like Beru and Owen's sand dome, which was surprisingly well-built and solid enough to keep out the harsh desert winds. The entire hut smelled of bantha oil thanks to the tallow in the lamps they were using, but she didn't mind it very much. Their warm amber yellow light kept them warm.

"What do you think?" Owen asked, clearly proud of his handiwork. "I built it myself, with my bare hands. Lasted me for a good ten years. I expect it'll last us ten more, with some good maintenance."

"Mm, it's alright," Reva replied, digging her feet into the bantha-skin rug and leaning back into the warmth comfort of the bantha-fur chair that Breha had graciously brought out for her. "I've seen worse."

Owen chuckled, and Leia giggled mischievously as she rolled a tumbleweed back towards Luke. "I won again!" she said excitedly. Luke smiled warmlly, not at all fazed. Reva raised an eyebrow. The boy had just met Leia a few days ago, and already he was letting her beat him at an imaginary tumbleweed ball game like a good older brother.

"What are the rules?" she asked, leaning over so she could see better. As she did so, she noticed a few clay pots that had been arranged on the ground near them. It appeared the objective was to knock over the opponent's vases to get as many points as possible. "Well, no wonder you're losing," she remarked sardonically. "You haven't even knocked over a single one of Leia's pots. If you want to beat her, you're gonna have to way better than this."

Luke just turned back towards her and grinned sheepishly. Leia giggled loudly again and Reva narrowed her eyes at her.

Little bugger must be cheating with the Force, she thought to herself. Secretly rearranging her vases right after Luke knocked them down. What a smartass.

Leia finished rearranging her clay pots by hand and, ready to start a new game, threw the tumbleweed at Luke's clay pots. He then returned the favor, taking out at least half of her pots. As she turned her back to start picking up the ones that had fallen over, Luke grinned and held out his hand, splaying his fingers in a familiar motion. Instantly, the remaining clay pots behind Leia fell down. Once Leia turned back around, her jaw dropped as she tried to remember if they had always been knocked over or if she was forgetting something.

Reva's eyes widened, amazed.

So...Luke is Force-sensitive too, she thought to herself. I guess he must have been learning some tricks from her.

Owen, too, watched her reaction carefully as she puzzled this over. "As you can see," he said quietly. "We're mighty protective of him. You know what they would do to his kind, Miss Inquisitor. We can't afford for anyone to find out...not the moisture farms, not the Sand People, not the Empire. He's too precious to us."

Reva nodded slowly. "I see now," she said quietly.

Leia and Luke continued to play tumbleweed ball, occasionally interrupting their game to accuse each other of cheating, denying the accusations and then cheating again once the other one's back was turned. Eventually, Owen had enough of tumbleweed ball and stood up to go fetch something ("That means he's going to sleep soon," Luke translated). Beru continued to watch them, rocking slowly in her chair, but she dozed off eventually. Only Reva was left to watch them as she sat back in her bantha-fur chair, her eyelids growing heavier by the second. She yawned and closed them, too drowsy to struggle against their weight.

Just then, she felt something roll over and nudge her ankle slightly. Blinking, she opened her eyes and looked down to see Luke looking up at her. He did not say anything, just continued to nervously fumble with the tumbleweed ball in both hands.

Reva blinked, looking around for Leia. She immediately located a sleepy bundle lying among a fortress of clay pots. Her immediate reaction would have been to stand up and go over to her, but the little bugger was blocking her way and staring at her as if he expected something.

"Hello," she said gruffly, not sure how to react. "Can I help you with something...?" Luke continued to stare at her silently. Reva felt a prick of irritation at the back of her neck. "What?" she snapped.

Luke held out both hands towards her, his palms facing upwards.

Confused, Reva accepted his prickly, tumbleweed-y gift.

"Um...thank you," she said awkwardly, handing it back to him. "It's a very nice ball." She hoped she sounded like she meant it.

Luke beamed at her, and she immediately felt guilty for snapping at him. For all the trouble he'd put her through, he really was just a nice kid. She looked over at Leia's sleeping form and started to stand up, reluctantly pushing aside the warm knit blankets that Beru had given her. "She needs to be put to bed," she said.

Luke nodded silently. Reva walked over and scooped Leia's sleeping form into her arms. Immediately, she felt tiny hands latch onto her hair in a painful iron grip. "Ow! Ow! Hey, don't touch the hair!" she growled, irritably prying grabby fingers away. Leia snored and burped slightly in her sleep, making Luke giggle. "Can you show me to her room? I'm afraid the princess won't wake up for anything in the world now," she grumbled.

Luke nodded and dropped the tumbleweed, skipping ahead. Reva struggled to follow behind him as he lead her to Leia's room. Once they ignited the bantha-oil lamps, she saw that the room they had picked for her was very nice indeed. The walls were stark white, each of the sandstone bricks carefully bleached by laying it out in the sun. The beds were covered in some cheaper knockoff of synthsilk, much softer than the coarseweave fabric of Luke and Owen's clothing. There was even a small alcove with a fake window that did not open, completely useless in Tatooine but a nice aesthetic choice on some other world. It seemed as if Owen had deliberately chosen this room due to it having the closest resemblance to Leia's home on Alderaan.

"This is nice," she mused aloud, and Luke beamed at her proudly. "You really thought of her when you picked this place to stay."

Luke helped to pull the bedcovers aside as Reva gently laid Leia down and made sure her neck was properly supported by the pillows. As she fluffed them up, she also noticed that they had been stuffed with some extra bantha fur and then re-stitched hastily. It seemed as if Beru was very intent on ensuring that their little princess had every comfort their humble farm could provide. "Alright. You can run along now, kid."

Luke stared at her for a few seconds, still not leaving.

"What?" she asked, wondering if he was hiding another tumbleweed ball behind his back. Or maybe a dead rat. Please, don't be a dead rat, she thought to herself. Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother had already pulled that prank on her as kids.

Luke opened his mouth. "Thank you," he said, his mouth wobbling slightly as he made the words come out. "Miss...Inquisitor."

"Oh..." Reva swallowed awkwardly. "You...don't have to thank me," she said wearily. "And you don't have to keep calling me that. My name is Reva."

"Okay," Luke nodded slowly. "Thank you, Miss Reva," he said shyly.

Reva stared back down at him.

Eleven years old...

Only a year younger than her when she herself was thrust into a dangerous world, afraid and unprepared for the horrifying violence.

She nodded back. "You are welcome...Luke," she said, hesitantly using his name.

Luke grinned back awkwardly and then turned, running out like a madman. Reva let out a sigh of relief and collapsed against the wall, relieved.

The next morning, Beru came to wake her up early. Reva groaned and rubbed her eyes, peering out of her window. The sun had not risen yet. The sand dunes looked still and placid, barely reflecting any light. The desert seemed to stretch on for miles and miles, peaceful and serene. Outside, the wind blew gently, stirring the sands back and forth and creating a silvery haze. The air seemed different, too. Although it was still dry, the early morning chill made her feel as if she was in a trance, barely half-awake. "Best to get a leg on before it gets too hot," Beru said. "Or before any wandering eyes notice. Owen's outside, loading Berfa with your stuff."

Reva nodded and followed her to the kitchen, sitting down at the Lars' plain sandstone table. Beru served her a bland but nutritious breakfast of Bantha milk, ahrisa and haroun bread. Reva cautiously reached out and broke apart the round balls of brown ahrisa with her fingers, careful not to burn herself, just as she had done during her time as an Inquisitor. Who had thought that after all this time, she would return to the very same planet that resented her...

"You seem quite well-adjusted for a non-local," Beru observed, pacing around nervously while holding a mug of smoking hot caf. Reva longed to ask her for some caf as well, but she did not want to seem rude. "Most outsiders don't know how to deal with the heat. They tell me my house is like being baked in an oven."

Reva smiled wryly. "I guess I'm just used to it," she replied.

Just then, a door opened and Owen walked in, Luke trailing behind him sullenly. "Beru, are they awake yet?" he called out.

"The Inquisitor is here," Beru yelled back, and Reva flinched. Owen turned around and noticed her sitting at the breakfast table with her. She swallowed and nodded, unsure how to act. He nodded back at her.

"You eaten yet?" he asked.

Reva nodded silently again.

"Good," Owen replied. "Come, follow me."

Berfa was standing outside, grunting with the weight of a harness that had several packs attached to it. Owen walked over and patted her on the head, cooing until she stopped grumbling . As she got closer, Reva also saw that there was a second smaller saddle attached to the front, one that Leia could sit in without worrying about slipping.

"Here's your fuel tanks," Owen grunted. "And here's some water to tide you over until Alderaan. As much as I can afford to spare, anyway."

Reva helped him hoist the heavy tanks onto Berfa's back. "Thank you," she said. "What do you want me to do with her, by the way? Should I pay someone to send her back to you at Anchorhead, or-"

"No need," Owen said firmly. "Just leave her in a nice sand field with plenty of other banthas to keeper her company. That's all I ask."

Reva blinked, confused. "But I thought you said you wanted to sell her so you could buy a land speeder-"

"Speeders are for lazy folk," Owen replied. "I'll just walk, same as every moisture farmer before me."

"I can't just-" Reva protested.

"Forget about it," Owen cut her off again. "I don't need one."

Reva went silent, unable to argue against him.

Luke walked up to them, his face red and tears streaming down his chubby cheeks. "What's wrong, buddy?" Owen asked, concerned. "Something got in your eye?" Luke shook his head, then turned to Reva and peered up at her.

"Is Leia going with you too, Miss Inquisitor?" he asked shyly.

Reva opened her mouth, unsure how to respond. She did not know how to react to a crying child. "I...suppose so, yes."

Luke's lower lip quivered. "Why does she have to leave? Can't she stay for a few more days with us?" he pleaded.

"I...well, we..." Reva froze uncomfortably. Luke turned towards Owen, who knelt down and patted him affectionately on the head.

"Everyone has to leave sooner or later, Wormie," Owen said gently. "Although I'm sure you'll make plenty of other friends next year, at school."

Luke wailed. "I don't want to go to school anymore," he said in a whiny tone. "I hate it."

"How do you know you hate it, if you haven't even started it yet?"

"I hate it," Luke whispered. "I don't want Leia to leave. If I don't go to school, can she stay longer?"

"No, Luke," Owen said gently. Luke took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. Eventually, he was able to regulate his breathing rate and his eyes looked less puffy. Owen stood up and sent him on his way. Luke ran out, presumably to go say goodbye to Leia (however, Reva suspected he was probably just going to burst into tears in front of her and then beg her to stay longer).

"He's a good kid," Reva remarked. "You've raised him well."

Owen stood up. "He will always be my boy," he said slowly. "But I'm not the father."

"You aren't?" Reva asked, surprised. She had thought that the blond boy looked a little familiar, although she couldn't figure out why. She had assumed it was just because he closely resembled Owen, but now that she took a good look at him, they were very different. Owen's light brown hair and eyes were vastly different compared to Luke's blond hair and blue eyes.

In fact, now that she thought about it, he looked more similar to Leia out of all people.

But it couldn't be...

Reva shook her head. She was probably seeing things, hallucinating delusions brought on by spending too much time in the desert. The locals had a work for it. Sand-sickness, they called it.

"He's my brother's son," Owen explained. "I'm just his old Uncle."

"Ah," Reva said quietly. "What was your brother's name?"

Owen turned slowly and looked her in the eye. "Skywalker," he replied. "Anakin Skywalker."

Reva froze, feeling every bone in her body snap as a chill ran down her back.

"I...see."

Just then, Luke and Leia came running. Luke hugged her in a sloppy, awkward way as if he had no idea how to do it properly. Leia smacked him on the head reproachfully, then grabbed him and squeezed him in a hug that was so tight he started to choke. Once she let go and everyone was reassured that none of Luke's ribs had been broken, Owen helped lift her back onto Berfa's back.

"Remember," he said. "Follow my directions, and you should make it back to your ship without any encounters with the sand people."

"Got it," Reva replied, trying not to let him see her shaking hands as she grasped Berfa's reins.

"And say hi to old Ben for me, would you?" Owen asked. "I...feel as if perhaps I have judged him a bit too harshly," he muttered.

"Of course," Reva said, feeling as if the words were coming from someone else's voice instead of hers. "I will," she said robotically.

Satisfied, Owen walked over to Luke and held him up so he could see better. Leia kept turning around and waving to them, watching them wave back, until finally they both became a tiny dot in the distance. Reva gazed ahead with unseeing eyes, her mind blank.

Skywalker. Anakin Skywalker.

Luke is...

Luke and Leia are...

"Were you able to connect to the Holonet again?" Leia asked suddenly, interrupting her thoughts. "Before I left, I told LOLA to go after Ahsoka...I wonder if we might be able to pinpoint her location by connecting to LOLA's motherboard."

Reva snapped out of her haze and looked back at her. "Yes, I was," she said breathlessly. "Why?"

"I want to try and find them," Leia said quietly. "I know, we might run out of fuel. But I want to see if they're okay."

Reva looked down. "I do too," she said quietly. "I'm just...afraid to find out," she admitted.

Leia reached out and squeezed her hand, the same way Reva had done for her before. "It's okay to be afraid," she said. "Whatever happens, we'll face it together, alright?"

Reva closed her mouth. Part of her was fighting to tell Leia the truth, to scream out to her that no, this was something that they could not face together. But she closed her eyes, trying to remember what Ahsoka had taught her about mediating and quieting her feelings by using the Force.

"Yes," she said quietly. "Together."

She hoped that somewhere out there, Ahsoka was listening to her plea.

Please, Tano. Come back, she begged. You have to survive. Don't you dare die on me after everything we've been through. I don't think I can handle this by myself.