How to Take an Empire

Chapter Thirty-Three: Mission

"Remember, Leia—"

"Hold it with both hands, feet spread, lean forward slightly so I won't go backward from the recoil, aim, keep my breaths steady, listen to the Force," Leia repeated sagely.

Ahsoka smiled and readjusted the girl's earmuffs before stepping back and nudging her in the Force to go ahead.

Leia pulled the trigger on the blaster, hitting the practice dummy right in the marking over the heart. She squealed in excitement, jumping and turning to face Ahsoka.

"I hit it!"

"I saw. Good job. Now let's see if you can do it again," Ahsoka suggested.

Leia whirled back around again, and while she adjusted her stance, Ahsoka took a moment to look over at Luke. He was sitting in the corner of the blaster range of the Alderaanian Palace, studying the flight simulator manual for the test he had to take to advance to practical lessons. Ahsoka had never seen him so quiet and studious before. Not to say that he wasn't intelligent. But it was to say that if she didn't know what he was studying for, Ahsoka would be suspicious that he was so quiet.

Two blast shots in a row caught Ahsoka's attention, and she turned back just in time to catch Leia as she stumbled back from the recoil of the consecutive shots.

"Leia."

"I know. One shot at a time. For now," the girl added, rolling her eyes.

Ahsoka laughed. Skywalkers. Always wanting to run before they could even stand.

"Let's try it again," Ahsoka said. "Aim for the head."

Ahsoka was only a little worried about how eagerly Leia did so, but it wasn't any different from the training that she'd received in the Jedi Temple. Learning instant kill points was one of the prerequisites to the more advanced lightsaber training they received further into their initiate training. It was as much to learn how to avoid them as much it was to learn how to hit them if needed, especially once the war came. Besides, if anyone came after Luke and Leia—especially when the reasons would likely have to do with their Force sensitivity and who their parents were—better that Leia learned to shoot to kill so she and brother could live free and uncorrupted another day. Luke—too sweet to want to have anything to do with something that could hurt someone—would drive the getaway speeder, the twins determined together when they had playfully planned a possible future escape. Neither had grasped the seriousness of what they were discussing, and Ahsoka silently prayed to the Force as she listened to them that such a day never came. She'd prepare them just in case anyway.

"Mama," Leia asked suddenly. "What's that vibrating?"

"Vibrating?" Ahsoka repeated. Her hand went to her comm. Nothing from there. Then she remembered that today she had her second comm on her—the one she used to contact Vader. That one was vibrating.

The only reason she had it on her was that it was Empire day. And to keep up the pretense that it was loyal to the Empire as a core planet, Alderaan made a big ado over the Empire celebrations. Like every year, Ahsoka used the palace's many hidden corridors and rooms to remain hidden but kept everything on her that she would need in case she suddenly had to flee the planet.

Soon, Luke and Leia would have to go with their handmaidens to make the appearances that were expected of them as wards of the House of Organa. It was only early morning right now, though, and because she knew that they both hated the celebrations, she'd decided to spend time with them to make up for it. She guessed that would have to be cut short because the only reason Vader would be comm'ing her first rather than sending a message was that it was an emergency.