Balance and Victory: A Star Wars Alternate Universe [COMPLETED!]

Chapter 8

(Note: The artwork is not mine, it belongs to shorelle on DeviantArt.)

At seven years old, little Luke Skywalker was looking more and more like his father every day.

It was more than just the way he shared Anakin's facial features, dark blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Luke was full of energy and curiosity, wanting to run around and touch and examine every little thing. His attention was everywhere. He clearly craved adventure. And sometimes, he would sit perfectly still and stare thoughtfully off into the distance, as if he was aware of something that no one else could see.

Padmé didn't know much about the Force, but she was certain that her son was acutely aware of it, even in his young age. Maybe it was just her motherly devotion to him, but she thought his observations were too insightful, his childish predictions too startlingly accurate to come from anything but the Force.

She wasn't able to spend nearly the amount of time with him that she would have liked, because she had so many responsibilities here at the Rebel Base on Dantooine. But she made it a habit to go see him every day after dinner, and they would spend the rest of the day together.

The Rebel Base was small at the moment; it was hardly more than a single hangar and a utility building. But it did have enough space and people to require one room just for child care. This was where Luke, along with the other Rebel children, spent most of the day.

When Padmé picked him up, he was tired and grouchy, like he usually was after a long day of tutoring and socializing. Luke was quite different from both his parents in this way. Being around people too much would tire him out; he needed plenty of alone time.

"How were your lessons today?" she asked him as they walked down the cramped hallway.

"Boring," he grumbled, twiddling his fingers and glancing around in every direction.

Padmé tried her hardest to be patient with his lackadaisical attitude towards school. Anakin had always been the same way.

"Now, Luke," she said gently, "you know your lessons are important."

He looked her sharply in the eye. "Important things can be boring sometimes."

Padmé couldn't help but laugh. She knew this truth all too well from her own experience.

Luke grinned slightly at her laughter, his sulky mood beginning to fade. It usually did once he was free of all his classmates.

"Look," Padmé said, showing him a small package she had been carrying. "I bought this in the city. It's for you."

"Me?" Luke's eyes widened. No one in the Rebel Base received presents frequently; money was too tight. But Padmé had seen this and was unable to resist spoiling Luke with it.

He tore off the packaging paper voraciously, and stared long and hard at the box with a picture of an X-Wing Fighter on it. "What's this?"

"It's a model-building kit. If we put all the pieces together correctly, we'll have a mini-version of an X-Wing."

"But it's not a real ship?"

Padmé chuckled softly. "It's far too small to be a real ship. But we can imagine it's real."

Luke shrugged. He looked as though he was disappointed, but trying not to be.

"Why don't we get started working on it, right here?" Padmé suggested.

"Okay," Luke agreed, so they sat down right where they were. It was common for people to spend their free time sitting in the hallways, leaning against the walls, and play card games or Sabacc or some other game. The Rebel Base had no recreation area. And Padmé, being thirty-four, was still young enough that she didn't mind sitting cross-legged on the floor.