Saga There Is Another (AU, OT) updated 10/16/15!

Getting near the end. There are 10 chapters total. Thanks for the comments and thanks for reading. Enjoy!

Chapter 7: Breaking The Chains

Like my brother. Kenobi's words echoed in her memory. How could that be? She tried to imagine Kenobi and Vader...Anakin...as younger men. An image came to her - whether a flash of insight or a vision, she could not tell - of the two friends embracing each other excitedly at the end of a combat mission, each joyful that the other had survived, proud of the other's accomplishments, much the same as she and Luke had after the Battle of Yavin. She tried to picture Anakin smiling, perhaps with the same smile as Luke's. She really had no idea what he looked like, under the mask. Which parent did she most take after?

Anakin must have once felt the adrenaline rush and the trepidation as a mission began, much as she was feeling now. The tense pause as Han relayed the clearance codes for their stolen shuttle to the fleet guarding Endor's moon...

Leia gasped as a dark presence brushed against her mind. Vader! She sensed recognition and what almost seemed like quickly guarded surprise from him. Leia had a sudden urge to run away, afraid of compromising the mission if Vader discovered them. Her. But the Imperial officer on the comm gave Han permission to land, and the danger seemed to pass.

For a while, the threat of Vader slipped from her thoughts as the Rebels' small strike team made its way through the immense forest. Leia chased after some Imperial biker scouts, and after crashing her stolen speeder bike in pursuit of the last one, found herself lost and stranded. Aching from her fall, Leia let her head drop to her arms to rest for a moment.

She must have fallen asleep, because she was awoken by something poking her cautiously in the side. A small furry creature with a spear chittered nervously at her. She sensed no malice in the Ewok; with a little cajoling his curiosity got the better of him, and he tasted her offered ration bar. Leia, as a diplomat, knew that a gift of food was one of the few universal ways to break the ice with a stranger.

Together, Leia and the Ewok easily dispatched a pair of scout troopers that snuck up on them. The Ewok tugged excitedly at the hem of her camouflage poncho, awed by her golden saber. Clearly he wanted her to follow him. Leia hesitated. Han and Chewie would probably come looking for her, and she would be easier to find if she stayed put. But clearly this wasn’t a safe place to stay; more troops would come looking for their missing comrades. She followed the Ewok deeper into the forest.

At the Ewok's village, he presented Leia to the elders. She had an uneasy feeling that some of the Ewoks thought her lightsaber might be some kind of mystical relic. Hoping to gain their trust, Leia accepted the gift of a dress they made and wore it with her lightsaber clipped to her belt, lest one of the Ewoks accidentally get a hold of it and turn it on.

Near evening, a hunting party returned bearing Han, Chewie, and R2D2 bound to poles and carrying C3P0 in a litter. After a bit of a rough start (Leia had use the Force to convince them that C3P0 had magic powers, so that they wouldn't roast Han and Chewie in the droid‘s honor), the Ewoks accepted the Rebels into their tribe. With Threepio’s translation, they managed to get a promise of help fighting the Imperials. Now the droid was telling stories of their adventures, and Leia took the opportunity to slip outside.

The gas giant above reflected light down on its forested moon, and Leia stood alone on the suspended walkways of the Ewok village. In the quiet, she was once again struck by Luke’s absence.

She could still sense Vader, distant but too near. The Dark Lord kept his presence in the Force guarded, but occasionally she could sense a hint of curiosity. When last they met, she had not had any Jedi training, nor had she known of their relationship. What was Vader thinking, now that she could touch his mind through the Force? Did he have any idea that she was his daughter?

Leia knew that she would have to leave her friends soon. Her growing connection with Vader was too dangerous for them. How should she confront him? Luke said there was good in their father, but Leia was not so sure. Still, she had to believe Luke. Without that hope, the thought of facing down Vader was almost too much to bear.

A fragment of an ancient saying floated to her mind: ‘through victory, my chains are broken.’ But that wasn’t true, was it? What if, in order to achieve victory, the chains must be broken first?

“What’s going on?“ Han’s voice broke into her thoughts.

Leia shook her head, not meeting his gaze. “I...I can’t tell you.”

Han frowned. “You miss him, don’t you? You loved him.”

“Yes.”

“Fine. I understand,” Han said angrily, beginning to walk away. He stopped. Sighing, he turned around. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

Break the chains, she thought. “It’s not like that. Luke was my brother,” Leia admitted, one burden lifting from her, though the heaviest one took its place For a moment, darkness threatened to overcome her. “Hold me,” she choked, and buried herself in Han’s uncertain arms.

They stood that way for a long time. Regaining her resolve she pulled back from Han, and they began to walk. “I have to leave,” she said eventually. “I’m endangering the mission. I can sense Vader, and he can sense me.”

“So let’s get out of here,” said Han. “We’ll call off the fleet, and -”

She shook her head. “No. It’s too late for that. You and Chewie have to get that shield generator down. I...I have to face Vader. Alone.”

“Are you crazy? What did that Yoda put in your head, some kind of crazy Jedi death wish? You know what happened to Luke.” Han crossed his arms skeptically and sat on the walkway railing.

“Luke wasn’t ready. I’ve had more training, I know things...” her voice trailed off. But it had to be said. If she couldn‘t tell Han, who could she tell? “Darth Vader is...my father,” she whispered.

Han was speechless. Leia reached for his hand, but he jumped to his feet and back a step.

“Please, Han,” she begged, catching his arm. “I have to face him. Maybe I can stop him. At the very least, I can distract him from what you’re doing.”

Han pulled away. “How long have you known?” His accusing eyes showed disbelief and hurt at the idea that she might have been lying to him.

“Not long. On some level, I always knew Luke and I were connected, but I didn’t know anything for sure until Yoda confirmed it.”

“How do you know Yoda wasn’t lying?”

“I know. And Luke was trying to tell me. I think he knew, at the end. Look, it‘s a long story. When all this is over, I‘ll tell you everything.”

Han’s brow furrowed in worry as he took her hand in both of his. It was a lot to take in. “Well, Princess, come back to me, ok?” he said at last. After a moment, he added, “I love you.”

Leia reached up to kiss him, a smile of relief creeping across her face. “I know.”

 

Lovely insights and resolve and a squee!worthy conversation.

 

Sorry I missed the last chapter. I loved that Leia confronted Obi-Wan on why he didn't stop Vader and his answer!

This was also a great update! I could visualize their conversation very well!
I look forward to more!

 

Thanks for the comments and likes!

A quick update for you all: there will probably be a delay in finishing the story. My computer has died and it wasn't backing up properly on my external drive. So I may have to get the Geek Squad to retrieve the data. There's a small chance I can still do it myself, when I have a day free, but otherwise I'll have to re-write. But I promise, the end of the story is coming!

 

Oh, jabarri, that is My commiserations. For the story and the computer.

 

I missed some this is going great

 

Arise, zombie thread!

The original ending of this story is still lost, so I decided at long last to re-write it. And so we continue...

Chapter 8: Knowledge, Ignorance


Leia closed her eyes and breathed deeply, releasing her shakiness as the turbolift doors opened. Her emotions became glass, the deep clarity of an Alderaanian mountain lake.

Her soul irked at the thought of Alderaan, but she let it pass.

Vader was turning her weapon over in his hands. “I see you have constructed a fine lightsaber. You have learned much of the ways of the Jedi since last we spoke.”

She let the cold chill of memory dissipate before calmly meeting Vader’s masked gaze. “Yes, I have learned many things. I have learned you were once Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight. A hero of the Republic, and of Democracy. Luke, your son, believed to the very end that there was good in you.”

Vader thrust her golden blade toward her, and she recoiled involuntarily at the sudden wave of anger he openly radiated. “Do not underestimate the power of the Dark Side. The son of Skywalker was a fool,” he growled.

“But the daughter of Skywalker is not,” she said, and suddenly the angry inferno turned icy. “I sense your loss,” she said, suddenly realizing it was true, “and I don’t think you’ll take me to your Emperor now.”

Vader’s presence in the Force became unreadably cold once more. “You are wrong.”

 

Hi! Excellent - Leia is terrific and forthright in this.

 

Great Story-- Enjoying your AU