Rescue for a Sith Princess

Chapter 13

A.N. Hello again, my loyal readers! I have returned with another action-packed chapter. Sorry to all of you who were on the edge of your seats for this whole time; your butts must be really sore. Unfortunately, school demanded my attention again. As always, thank you for your passion for my stories, you all bring me such joy!

"Luke Skywalker, Your Majesty."

Two stormtroopers held his arms on both sides as they brought the Jedi before the Emperor's throne. For some reason, Leia was shocked at how young he was. He had a mop of blond hair atop of his head and a smooth face. Leia pulled back her shoulders and stood tall, trying to appear confident and powerful. She made eye contact with Luke and held it, examining their striking blue quality. Leia expected him to stare back at her with hatred, but was surprised by kind, compassionate eyes. Why are they all so kind to me? Him, Han...

"Ah yes, the young Skywalker. I would like you to meet your sister...Darth Tochter." The Emperor gestured a wrinkly hand towards Leia.

Luke gave her a boyish grin and stated, "Leia. I'm glad to finally meet you. I wish we could have met under better circumstances."

Leia scoffed and rolled her eyes. "The circumstances are fine for me. Perhaps you are afraid of what will happen to you today?"

Shaking his head, Luke replied, "On the contrary. I'm looking forward to returning to the Rebel base with you. Bringing you home to your father."

A wave of sadness and guilt passed through Leia's heart. She parted her lips and tried to retort, but words fell flat. How do you conceal when you miss someone so much?

"Don't let him tempt you, Tochter," the Emperor snarled. "Your dearest father did not even come back for you. Abandoned you, left you to fall to the Dark Side, practically left you for dead. He doesn't care about you, only his precious Rebellion."

Leia started to sense the fury swirling inside of her, thinking about how Han lied to her, told her that her father still loved her and wanted her back. There was so much deception, she didn't know who to trust anymore. The anger continued to swell, the Emperor's cackling laugh filled Leia's ears, and her hand tightly gripped the hilt of the lightsaber at her side. She wanted this to be over.

Through the storm of emotions inside, three words penetrated Leia's consciousness. "Kill him, Tochter."

Before Leia's mind could comprehend her actions, blue and red lightsabers clashed for the first time, brother and sister brought to reunion by the crackling of blades.

~~~

"We meet again at last, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Obi-Wan simply stood his ground, his gentle eyes staring into Darth Vader's mask, trying to envision Anakin's face underneath. He recalled the shaggy mop of hair that hung from his head, his mischievous grin, the scar that was carved down the side of his face, his fierce blue eyes. But now, Obi-Wan was only met with the cold, expressionless countenance of the black mask.

Vader's red lightsaber shot out from the hilt and he approached Obi-Wan slowly. "You should not have come back."

"I had to," Obi-Wan replied, reaching for his weapon. "You captured the hope for the galaxy, forcing her to evil. I could not stand by and watch you destroy her. How did you do it?"

"What?" Vader's lightsaber lowered slightly.

"How did you get her to turn? Leia is one of the strongest people in the galaxy, the Rebellion meant everything to her. It couldn't have been easy. What did you do to her?"

Vader whipped his lightsaber up and struck Obi-Wan's, who artfully deflected the attack. "I am not answering your pointless questions anymore."

Their lightsabers engaged in clash after clash, and Obi-Wan grew frustrated. He shouted over the hum of the sabers, "Did you torture her for days? Threaten her family? What possibly could have caused her to fall? Tell me, what did you do to your daughter?"

"Enough!" Vader roared, as his weapon grazed Obi-Wan's shoulder. The Jedi cried out in pain, but maintained his composure.

"You knew she was your daughter!" Obi-Wan yelled. "Yet you allowed her to suffer."

An unwarranted memory flashed in Vader's mind. The moment of weakness during Leia's training.

"I will have to report the outcomes of this session to the Emperor. He will not be pleased."

Leia's eyes widened with fear. "No, please, please," she begged weakly. "Don't tell him, I can't go through his torture again. Isn't this torture enough?"

"You know there is no room for compassion here," Vader droned.

"Please, please..." Leia mumbled before passing out. Vader waited until she was unconscious, then let feelings of compassion wash over him. Seeing Leia lie limp on the floor reminded him of the pain he had suffered too often, the pain he didn't want her to experience. He scooped Leia up into his arms, and a small glimmer of warmth settled in his heart as Leia's head rested on his shoulder.

"You know nothing!" Vader lashed out at Obi-Wan again, acidic anger rising in his throat.

Obi-Wan retracted his lightsaber, defenseless before his old friend. He spoke in lower tones, "I know there is still good in you. I've always known. Don't allow your daughter to suffer any more. Don't let her complete her journey to the Dark Side."

The pair stood facing each other, with Vader's mechanical breathing and the hum of his lightsaber as the only sounds in the air.

"You are unwise to lower your defenses," Vader growled as he lurched forwards towards Obi-Wan. There was no time left for defense. Vader's weapon came down on Obi-Wan's right hand, severing the limb from his body. Obi-Wan fell to his knees, grimacing and clutching his right arm.

Vader pointed his blood-red saber at the Jedi's face. "You are beaten, my old Master."

Obi-Wan breathed heavily, pain coursing through his arm as Vader swung back for the final blow. "I saw them. When they were born."

The lightsaber stopped in mid-air. "What?" Obi-Wan could almost sense the disbelief in his voice.

"I was there when Luke and Leia were born. They were beautiful, so tiny and pure. All I could think was that Anakin should have been there. You should have been there."

Vader's lightsaber quavered, although still aimed at Obi-Wan's neck.

"Padme knew there was good in you too. She told me. Don't prove her wrong."

Vader felt something trickle down his face that he hadn't felt in years. He tried to convince himself it was sweat, but he could not deny it. He was crying. No one had spoken Padme's name to him in twenty years.

In one swift motion, he brought back his weapon and placed it on his belt. Obi-Wan's eyes went wide with hope.

"We are not finished yet," Vader drawled, before spinning around and marching back down the Death Star corridor. As the billowing breeze of Vader's cape hit Obi-Wan's face, the Jedi let out a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding.