Rescue for a Sith Princess

Chapter 3

Leia sat on her bed and allowed the darkness to surge through her. The power that she experienced when she let the Dark Side wash over her had become like an addiction. Alone in the evenings, Leia let every memory of loneliness, frustration, and anger consume her, furthering her turn to the Dark Side.

She remembered the lonely nights at sixteen when she would work for the Senate endlessly while her friends went on dates and or went dancing. She recalled how frustrated she became whenever a man in the Senate wouldn't take her seriously and merely treated her like a dainty princess. And with every memory of how hard it was for her to prove her strength to others, Leia became more and more angry. She would show them.

On the dresser, Leia spotted the lightsaber that Darth Vader constructed for her. She had not yet ignited it, but with the darkness flowing through her, Leia felt called to the weapon. She wrapped her hands around the cool metal, and with a jolt of energy a bright red blade was born. The humming of the lightsaber was like music to Leia's ears, and she swung the weapon back and forth.

This is it. Leia thought. This lightsaber is what makes me feel complete. It is mine, and I am a Sith.

~~~

"Chewie, how are we supposed to get on the Death Star? That man is crazy if he thinks we'll be able to save his daughter," Han complained.

The Wookiee suggested an idea to Han.

"Allow ourselves to get trapped?! Are you out of your mind? Who knows what they would do to the Falcon?" Han yelled.

Chewie responded to Han with equally loud grunts and barks.

"I think it's an insane idea!" Han threw himself into a chair and rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "How did I get myself into this mess..."

Luke and Obi-Wan walked into the room Han and Chewie were fighting in.

"Do we have a plan?" Luke asked.

Han sighed. "Chewie thinks it would be a good idea to get ourselves trapped in the Death Star's tractor beam and practically throw ourselves into Darth Vader's slaughter."

"Chewbacca does have a point. We don't have a stolen Imperial starship to travel on. There is no way we can approach the Death Star in the Millennium Falcon without getting caught," Obi-Wan said.

"Yeah, we could find a way to disguise ourselves once we arrived on the Death Star. We wouldn't have to surrender," Luke continued.

Han looked around at everyone in disbelief. "You're all nuts. I am certainly not going to sacrifice myself to the Empire!"

"So you'll sacrifice the princess instead?" Luke snapped.

Han pointed a finger in Luke's face. "Better her life than mine!"

Luke was livid, but he decided not to show it. He merely sighed and looked away from Han. How could that man end up being so selfish?

"Captain Solo, there is really no other way for us to go about this. If you want your reward, you are going to need to trust our plan," Obi-Wan said. He stared at Han and Han stared back. Obi-Wan hoped Han could find something to trust in his eyes.

Han swore under his breath, then muttered, "Fine. This princess better be worth it."

~~~

Luke and Han would be forever grateful for the stupidity of stormtroopers. Once the pair knocked a couple out and stole their suits, they had the perfect disguise for maneuvering around the Death Star. They led Chewie around like a prisoner, and Obi-Wan snuck off to find a way to deactivate the tractor beam.

As they walked around hoping to find a central computer, Luke perked up and stopped walking.

"What's wrong, kid?" Han asked.

"Do you hear that?"

Han listened closely and suddenly heard the sound of lightsabers in action. The group followed the sound until they heard it emanating from a large chamber. The door was open, and a deep, bellowing voice echoed out into the halls.

"Use your hatred, let it fuel your power!"

Luke gasped softly. "Darth Vader," he trembled.

Han motioned to Chewie to stay put, and ventured to peek inside the door, curiosity eating away at him.

"Han, don't!" Luke fiercely whispered. Seeing that Han wouldn't listen, he followed closely behind.

What the two saw inside shocked them to their cores. A young girl about Luke's age grunted with ferocity as she wielded a red lightsaber, striking Vader's matching lightsaber and blocking his attacks. Sweat dripped from her forehead, and she bared her teeth from the effort.

Next, they heard a sinister voice that scraped their ears and sent chills up their spines.

"I am not impressed, Darth Tochter. There is not enough aggression flowing through you. You obviously do not hate me enough yet. Let's see if we can change that." The Emperor stood from his throne, held out his hands, and began to strike the girl with purple bolts of lightning. She fell to the hard floor and began to scream with agony, writhing back and forth.

Luke screwed his eyes shut underneath his stormtrooper helmet; he couldn't bear to watch.

After what seemed like forever, Palpatine finished his punishment with one final blow, leaving the girl to lay limp on the floor.

Oh no, is she dead? Luke panicked.

But Palpatine barked at her, "Get up, you weakling! A Sith never gives in, but always fights to the death. I can see where we need improvement, Lord Vader."

The girl attempted to rise, but her legs gave out beneath her and she stumbled back onto the floor. At this moment, she fell so that she was looking directly out the door to where Luke and Han were standing.

They both darted back behind the wall, but not before Luke caught a glimpse of her face. The look on her face would haunt him until the day he died. Her eyes were not cold and empty like he expected a Sith's would be. They were full of pain and fear. And he even noticed two tears streaming down her face.

Han, Luke, and Chewie hurried away from the Emperor's chamber to a private, safe room. They closed the door and ripped their helmets off.

"Is that...who I thought it was?" Han stammered.

Luke gulped and pulled out a picture Bail Organa provided them with. The girl in the picture was more ruddy and less gaunt than the girl in the chamber, but there was no doubting that they were the same person.

"That's Princess Leia."