Obi-Wan paused for a brief moment. He felt another familiar presence, other than that of Vader. This one was bright, and there was no storm around her heart as there had been all those years ago. That old grief of hers that he knew so well, was still there but it had faded, no longer a wound but a scar instead. He knew she was here as well, and something told him he knew why she was.

Grim was slightly impressed by how the Empire suspected nothing of the two stormtroopers walking around with a free wookie, two droids (both aligned with the Rebel Alliance), and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Of course, the Empire also hadn’t taken notice of her, but that was because despite her armor sticking out amongst the others, she took care to hide and wait until no one else was around as she followed the group.

Luke closed the door, and as it was closing she took care to use the Force to increase her speed and enter before it could close.

“You know between his howling and your blasting it’s a wonder the whole station doesn’t know we’re here!” He snapped at Han, as he took off his stolen helmet.

“Bring ‘em on! I prefer a straight fight to all this sneakin’ around,” he snapped back.

“Me too, but to do so in this situation would be unwise,” said Grim calmly, at last revealing her presence, as they hadn’t seen her enter the room.

“Who are you, Lady Purple?” Han asked, eying her armor.

“A friend,” she replied. She looked at Obi-Wan and nodded at him, giving him a sad smile. “Hello there, Master.”

Obi-Wan smiled at her. “Grim, it’s been some time. What brings you here?”

“Same as you, in a way.”

That told him all he needed to know - once again she had seen this before.

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but we found the computer outlet,” said Threepio.

“Plug in. He should be able to interpret the entire Imperial network,” Obi-Wan replied.

Artoo did just that. Threepio translated for him. “He says he’s found the controls to the power beam that’s holding your ships here. He’ll try to make the precise location appear on the monitor. The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations. A power loss at one of the terminals will allow your ships to leave.”

“I don’t think you boys can help, and Grim, we both know I must do this alone.”

“I know, but…” she trailed off. “I want to go with you.”

“Me too!” agreed Luke.

He looked at the both of them, he held a sad smile, likely thinking of the past. “Be patient, both of you. Stay and watch over the droids. They must be delivered safely or other star systems will suffer the same fate as Alderaan. Both your destinies lie along different paths than mine.” He turned to Luke. “The Force will be with you…always.”

He began to leave. Grim couldn’t take it. “Obi-Wan wait-!” He turned around and she ran to him. Without thinking she wrapped him in a hug. He hugged her right back. “I’m sorry for everything,” she whispered.

For failing him all those years ago, for never telling him the truth about Vader, for never saying goodbye - for every way she had wronged him in the years she had known him. For all of it.

“So am I, little one,” he replied. He let go of her and smiled a little. “The armor suits you.”

She let him go as well and laughed as tears filled her eyes. “I was inspired by you.”

“Goodbye Grim.”

Because both of them knew there would be no reunion after this.

“Goodbye dad.”

Obi-Wan walked away, and she stood there for a moment, trying to prevent herself from crying. Their reunion was short, there was nothing she could have said, and there was no time for her to say anything at all. He had to go alone, she could not join him.

Grim went back inside, and shut the door.

Chewbacca grunted. “You said it, Chewie,” Han replied. He turned to Luke, “where did you dig up that old fossil?”

“Ben is a great man!” Luke argued.

“The best I’ve known,” Grim agreed.

“Yeah, great at getting us into trouble,” Han shot back at the two of them. “And who even are you, lady? You just showed up out of nowhere and claimed to be a friend, and it looked like you knew that old man, are you his daughter or something?”

“You could say that,” she said, shrugging. She couldn’t argue about being Obi-Wan’s daughter anymore when he had adopted her after the fall of the Republic. “My name is Grim Kennet, I’m a Jedi Knight, and I’m here to help.”

“I thought only people like that old man were space wizards,” he said.

“Actually, most of us that are left, who were alive during the time of the Jedi, were only children when the Empire came to power,” she said. “And that’s beside the point anyways.”

“Yeah, like what do you mean you’re here to help us? We’re only trying to get out of here, and the old man is taking care of that.”

“Well, you’ll see. Artoo, have you found the princess yet?”

“Princess? What princess?” Han asked. “What’s going on?”

“Wait, the one I saw in the recording?” Luke asked.

“That would be the one,” she answered. “Well, Artoo?”

Artoo beeped. Threepio translated: “He says Princess Leia is being kept on Level five, Detention Block AA-Twenty Three.” Artoo beeped again. “I’m afraid she’s scheduled to be terminated.”

“Oh no. We’ve got to do something,” said Luke.

“I agree, she’s the reason I came here, I promised her parents I’d rescue her,” said Grim.

“What are you talking about?” Han asked.

“The droids belong to her,” she answered.

“She’s the one in the message,” Luke added. “We gotta help her.”

“We will,” Grim promised.

“Now look, don’t get any funny ideas,” said Han. “The old man wants us to wait right here.”

“Master Kenobi didn’t know she was here,” said Grim. “And saving her was my mission in the first place. Artoo, see if you can find a way into the detention block.”

“Well I’m not going anywhere,” said Han.

“A few minutes ago you said you didn’t want to just wait to be captured. Now all you want to do is stay?” Luke asked him.

“Marching into the detention area is not what I had in mind,” he retorted.

“But they’re gonna kill her!”

“Better her than me.”

Grim shook her head and sighed. “One day, you’re going to wish you didn’t say that, Solo.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Lady Purple? And wait a minute, how did you know my name? I don’t believe we introduced ourselves to you yet.”

“I tend to know a lot of things,” was all she said.

“And never mind that,” said Luke. “We’ve got to save the princess.”

“I told you, I’m not doing it.”

“She’s rich,” Luke tried.

“Rich?” Han asked.

“Rich, powerful. Listen, if you were to rescue her, the reward would be…” Luke trailed off.

“What?”

“Well, more wealth than you can imagine!”

“I don’t know. I can imagine quite a bit.”

“You’ll get it.”

“I better.”

“You will.”

“All right, kid. You better be right about this.”

“All right,” said Luke.

Han looked at Grim. “What’s your plan?”

“Chewbacca and I will be your prisoners,” she said. “As the two of you are disguised as stormtroopers, no one will bat an eye. Threepio can you hand them those binders over there?” He handed Han and Luke the binders. “Great. Solo, you can put those on him, and Luke, you put them on me.”

Han put the binders on Chewbacca and as Luke moved to do so for Grim she held out her hand. “Wait a minute, I shouldn’t have my weapon on me, if I’m your prisoner, now should I?” She asked him. She unclipped her lightsaber from her belt and handed it over to him. “Now you can proceed.”

Luke took her lightsaber and put it on his belt opposite to the blaster, and then put the binders on her wrists.

“Pardon me for asking, but what should Artoo and I do if we’re discovered here?” Threepio asked.

“Lock the door,” said Luke.

“And hope they don’t have blasters,” added Han.

“That isn’t very reassuring,” said Threepio.

They left the room, with Han in front, Chewbacca and Grim in the center, and Luke behind them. She found herself calm despite everything, it was reassuring to know all of the plot points that were happening again, before she could only grasp at things, aside from when she was with the Ghost Crew, which had been why she had stayed even after her wife’s “death” at Vader’s hands.

They reached the elevators and waited patiently for one to arrive. Imperials passed them without questions or clues. When the elevator arrived the imperials inside stepped out and they stepped in.

“I can’t see a thing in this helmet,” Luke complained.

Grim chuckled a little.

Luke began to loosen the binders on Grim and Chewbacca so they could escape when they reached the detention block.

“This is not going to work,” said Han.

“And if it doesn’t, it’ll still work,” said Grim. “I’ve been on plenty of missions where things have gone wrong and still worked out fine.”

“Oh, great.”

The elevator door opened to their destination.

“Where are you taking this…thing?” An Imperial asked upon seeing them, then his eyes landed on Grim and widened in recognition. “And…the Oracle?”

She could feel the confusion in both Luke and Han at her codename’s mention. However, Luke proceeded as per the plan. “Prisoner transfer.”

“I wasn’t notified.” He replied. “I didn’t even know we had,” he looked at Grim. “Her on board. I’ll have to clear it.” He signaled to another Imperial to head over to them.

Chewbacca attacked.

“Look out he’s loose!” Han called.

Grim set herself free and picked up the blaster of the fallen Imperial.

Luke handed Chewbacca his blaster as he shouted: “He’ll tear us all apart!”

Blasterfire began to erupt. Grim was almost at home in the chaos. Luke passed her lightsaber back. She clipped it to her belt but did not use it. She elected for the blaster for now, as she shot at the Imperials and security cameras.

When the Imperials were defeated she tossed the blaster aside and shook her head. “How uncivilized,” she muttered to herself before laughing at a joke that no one would understand.

Luke, Han, and Grim ran over to the control panel. “We gotta find out which cell this princess of yours is in,” he said. “Here it is. Twenty-one eighty-seven. You go and get her, I’ll hold them here.”

Grim and Luke began to run to the cell, before they reached it Han shouted; “We’re going to have company!”

They quickened their pace and reached Leia’s cell. She seemed to be asleep, but woke up when they entered.

“Princess Leia, I’m Grim Kennet, and this is Luke Skywalker, he’s here with Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I’m here on the behalf of your parents,” she introduced herself. She looked back at Luke and then said, “Skywalker, remove the helmet.”

“Oh, right,” he said, before doing just that.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi?” Leia asked. “Where is he?”

“Come on,” said Luke.

The three of them raced out of the cell. As they did, blasterfire started up again. Han ran over to them. “Can’t get out that way,” he said.

“Looks like you cut off our only escape route,” Leia remarked.

“Maybe you’d like it back in your cell, Your Highness,” Han retorted.

A blaster bolt went over their heads as they ducked down. “Let’s save it for later,” said Grim, as they took cover. Leia with Luke and Grim with Han. The stormtroopers continued to shoot at them, as Han provided cover.

Luke tried to contact Threepio only to learn there wasn’t any other way out. He relayed the information to the others.

“Well I can’t hold them off forever, now what?” Han asked.

“This is some rescue,” Leia remarked.

“Eh, I’ve had worse,” Grim replied.

“I don’t think I want to know what those were like,” she retorted.

“No you do not,” Grim agreed.

“Well when you came in here did you have a plan for getting out?” she asked.

She only smiled.

Leia took Luke’s blaster and shot at the vent to the garbage chute.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Han exclaimed.

“Somebody has to save our skins,” Leia retorted. She shot at the stormtroopers as she went over to where Han and Grim were. “Into the garbage chute flyboy!” She shouted, and then she tossed Luke his blaster back before jumping inside.

Grim followed her right after, and was soon joined by Chewbacca, Luke, and Han.

“The garbage chute was a really wonderful idea, what an incredible smell you discovered,” Han told Leia sarcastically.

  “Oh fuck this, I’ve lived through enough iconic Star Wars moments, I’m opting out of this one,” she complained, as she activated her lightsaber.

“Your laser sword is purple too?!” Han exclaimed. “You’re just a walking beacon of purple.”

She rolled her eyes. “Do you want out of here or what, Solo?”

“I’d listen to the Jedi,” said Leia.

She smiled, then turned around. “Chewbacca, can you please move?” She asked politely. He did so and she stabbed the door with her lightsaber, she quickly cut a hole through the door and kicked it down. “Now, shall we get going?” She asked as she deactivated her weapon.

She didn’t wait for anyone to respond before exiting the garbage compactor. The others followed after her. Grim and Leia fixed themselves up as Luke and Han changed out of the armor.

“Let’s get moving,” said Luke.

They did, Chewbacca ahead, followed by Grim and Leia, followed by Luke and Han.  Leia began to walk ahead, “will someone get this big walking carpet out of my way?” she asked.

Chewbacca moved to the side and Leia took the lead. Grim had an amused smile on her face.

“No reward is worth this,” Han complained.

She shook her head and went to walk by Leia. The group made their way to a window at the main hangar where they saw their ships. “There she is,” said Han as he looked at the Millennium Falcon.

“C-3P0, do you copy?” Luke asked into the commlink.

“Yes sir,” he replied.

“Are you safe?”

“For the moment. We’re in the main hangar across from the ship.”

“We’re right above you, stand by.”

“You came in that thing?” Leia asked, pointing to the Falcon. “You’re braver than I thought.”

“Well, the boys did, I came in my own shuttle,” said Grim. “Come on, let’s get moving.”