Empire's Child

Chapter 12

The troopers cringe away. Leia back up against the truck. I stay by her. All we can see are blaster shots, but I can hear Freck whimpering and people grunting. The trooper on top of the watchtower is shot down, and most likely cut in half on the lasers. A stormtrooper grabs Leia. I duck in time to avoid a blaster shot, then roll behind the trooper. I quietly take my lightsaber out of my pocket. "Put it down! Put it down!" The trooper can't see me, so I assume he's talking to Obi-Wan.

"All right, I'm putting it down." Obi-Wan says. I carefully aim, then ignite my lightsaber. It cuts cleanly through the trooper's chest, killing him instantly. The trooper falls, releasing Leia. She turn to look at me. I deactivate my lightsaber and put it back in my pocket. They both stare at me.

"Are we going or not?" I ask, frowning. I pull Leia over to the gate, which I open using the Force. The three of us run through, only to be met with a transport carrying three troopers and an officer.

"Get down! Get down on the ground!" A female stormtrooper shouts. We do. The officer exits the transport and approaches us. "Put your head down." the trooper orders. Obi-Wan does. The officer lifts her gun. I duck my head, all thoughts of rank flying from my head. And besides, a quick, clean death here would be better than anything the Empire would do if they found out I killed a trooper to help Obi-Wan Kenobi. Three blasts echo and the three troopers fall to the ground.

"Come on." The officer says, walking toward us. I hesitantly get to my feet. "They'll have sent a transmission. We have to hurry. I'll take you the rest of the way." We follow. Obi-Wan reaches for both our hands, pulling us along.

"You know, sometimes it's better to not know about your parents." I whisper to Leia. We're seated in the back of the transport. Obi-Wan and the officer are driving in the front.

"What do you mean?" Leia asks.

"Things changed a lot once I met my father. I drafted into the Empire and started training. Your parents are good people. Bail and Breha Organa, right? You're lucky to have them." Leia looks at me again, harder this time. I have a feeling she sees right through the shell I've put up to protect myself. Her eyes linger at where she noticed the burn earlier.

"Maybe after this is all over, you can come visit on Alderran." She says. I give a tentative smile.

"That would be nice. I'd invite you to come visit on the Star Destroyer, but I don't think you'd like that." Leia laughs.

"No, I don't think I would."

We hurry around the outskirts of a small town. It's just a few houses, with people going about their business. "He gave you the right coordinates. I was on my way when the probes arrived, but you'd already gone." The officer says.

"I hadn't expected anyone to come." Obi-Wan whispers. We press against the wall as stormtroopers pass outside our small alley.

"The Empire's gone into high alert. They've locked everything down." The officer says.

"Can we still get out?" Obi-Wan asks.

"I can get you to the port. There's a pilot who's agreed to take you, but he's not scheduled to leave for a few hours, so we need to lay low. Wait here. Wait here. I'll make sure it's clear." The officer walks into the street, then disappears inside a building across the way. Leia takes her droid out of her pocket, turning her on. Obi-Wan crouches in front of her.

"Everything will be all right, Leia. We'll make it out." He says.

"I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't mean to run away. I used to do it all the time. It was just...it was just for fun." Leia says, her voice slightly choked.

"It wasn't your fault, Leia." Obi-Wan says.

"I miss home." Leia whispers after a few seconds. Obi-Wan puts a hand on her shoulder.

"You'll be home very soon." He comforts. Then he stands, peering over a few barrels at where the officer had disappeared. "Come on." He whispers, pulling us out into the open. We hurry inside a small, dark building.

"Droid maintenance. It's all automated. No one ever comes in here." The woman says. A huge droid blocks our way as Leia and I make our way to the back. "Oh, it's all right. He's on our side. Designation's NED-B." The woman says.

"Hi, NED-B. This is L0-LA59. Lola, say hello." Leia holds up her droid. Lola beeps.

"Uh, he's just a loader. They don't allow them to communicate." The woman explains.

"But what if he has something to say?" Leia asks.

"Actions speak louder than words." The woman says. NED-B walks to the back, pulling a lever. A secret door opens, and the four of us enter. Inside it's mostly made of wood, but a little tiny window high on one wall and rugs on the floor.

"What is this place?" Obi-Wan asks.

"We have safehouses like this throughout the galaxy. Trying to link the systems. Some call it the Path." The woman says. "You're not the first Jedi to come through here." Obi-Wan looks around, looking at the walls. "It all leads to Jabiim, and from there, we give them new identities and get them out. There's a lot of good people risking their lives out there."

"Are they all Jedi?" Leia asks.

"Not all." The woman chuckles. "These days, the Empire hunts anyone who's Force-sensitive. Even children." I look away, biting my lip and clenching my fists.

"What happens to them?" Leia asks.

"We're not sure. But no one ever sees them again." The woman says.

"They're trained in the Force, experimented on, or killed." I say.

"How would you know that?" The woman asks. I tense and curl my shoulders defensively.

"'Cause I'm one of them." I say quietly. There's an awkward silence where no one knows what to say. Leia whispers something to her droid, which flies over to me. I smile as it lands in my head, beeping comfortingly.

"Quintan was here." Obi-Wan says, his hand on some writing on the wall.

"Yeah, he helps now and again." The woman says. "Smuggling younglings."

"What does it say?" Leia asks.

"Only when the eyes are closed can you you truly see." Obi-Wan reads. I close my eyes, but all I can see is the insides of my eyelids. I open them again.

"See what?" Leia asks.

"The Way." Obi-Wan answers without actually answering. I sigh. There's a knock on the door. I hear a stormtrooper faintly, but I can't make out words. More pounding and muffled sound. The door opens and troopers step in.