Luke steered the landspeeder in complete silence, hardly even seeing the sandy scenery-if it could even be called that-as it flashed by. His stomach roiled nervously and with guilt at his ultimate decision. Ben and his father were both right-she did need help, but...for some reason his mind was set on staying.
Even if every other part of him was telling him to go find her and rescue her.
Luke was lost in his musings, but somehow, out of the five people in the speeder-two of them droids-he was the one who spotted it.
"What's that?" Luke asked abruptly, already turning the landspeeder in a detour in the direction of the plume of smoke billowing into the sky.
"Whatever it is, it doesn't look good," Ben mused.
It might have been the fact he was already turning down helping the Rebellion, and the guilt might have been getting to him, but he ushered the speeder on a little faster. "We should see if anyone needs help."
As he crested the last dune blocking their view, Luke's eyebrows shot up in shock, and he gradually slowed the landspeeder to an eventual halt, staring at the carnage in front of him.
Jawa bodies littered the sandy ground all around, and a broken transport was found to be the source of the smoke. It didn't even look like a fight-it looked more like a brutal slaughter.
The youngest of the group-and not burdened by any droids-Luke was the first one out of the speeder, cautiously approaching the closest body and silently observing the scene around him. Nearby was a gaffi stick, and he frowned. "Sand People?" he wondered out loud.
Anakin stared at the scene before him with mixed emotions. He had never cared for Jawas either, but they could be useful. Even so, he knew slaughter was dead wrong.
Anakin grimaced at the unintended pun, and exited the landspeeder once Threepio was on the ground.
He wandered the site with a critical eye, observing Obi-Wan doing the same while Luke followed the white-haired man.
As they deliberated over the scene, Anakin made his own deductions, the first of which being that Sand People were not nearly this accurate, nor did their tracks go all over like the ones here.
In fact, those weren't even bantha tracks. They looked more like dewbacks...and Tuskens didn't use dewbacks.
So this was a set up meant to throw people off the real criminals. Anakin didn't like it one bit.
He tuned in on what the other two guys were saying when Luke voiced a similar concern about whether or not Sand People would hit this large of a target.
Anakin agreed with his son's logic; why would the Sand People raid a sandcrawler and not take the bounty to be had?
It didn't add up.
"But we are meant to think they did," Ben instructed wisely as he approached Luke. Luke kicked a charred remain of the sandcrawler aside, staring sadly at the murdered Jawas. "These tracks are side by side-Sand People always ride single file to hide their numbers."
Realization was starting to dawn on Luke. "These are the same Jawas that sold us Artoo and Threepio," he stated as Ben took a firm hold of his shoulder, steering him towards the transport.
"And these blast points-too accurate for Sand People. Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise."
Luke noticed his father frowning at the term Stormtroopers out of the corner of his eyes, but turned back to Ben with a concerned look, a fear starting to bubble inside of his gut. "But why would Imperial Troops want to slaughter Jawas?" he asked, looking back down at a dead Jawa at his feet. Something in his mind clicked, and his fear flared anew as he looked sharply up at the two droids waiting back by the landspeeder.
"If they traced the robots here, they may have learned who they sold them too, and that would lead them back-" Luke was saying in a rush, heart beating faster in his chest as he approached Ben. Realization hit him so hard the breath was knocked out of him, and panic strangled Luke's voice. "Home..."
In the next moment, he took off like a shot, feet flying across the desert sands towards the landspeeder, his father's lightsaber still swinging from his hip.
"Wait, Luke, it's too dangerous!" he heard Ben cry, but he didn't care. All he knew was that he had to get home before...
He couldn't bear the thought.
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Obi-Wan turned to Anakin. "Go after him, he could be killed and I'm afraid I won't be much help," he ordered urgently.
Anakin had already started to move when Luke's panic hit him broadside, and so it was an easy task for him to reach the speeder at the same time as his son.
Thought it was fair to say Luke probably didn't realize he had company, Anakin mused.
Anakin kept half an eye on Luke in person, and the other half on the landscape to make sure Luke wasn't going to drive them into danger in his blind race back home.
He also checked Luke's Force sense, but decided to give the young man some privacy.
However, the Jedi Knight didn't need the Force to sense Luke's growing fear and desperation when the horizon was painted in dull greys and blacks.
Anakin found himself a little wary of what they'd find, but even he-with his years of war experience-couldn't have prepared for what they found upon their arrival.
Luke brought the landspeeder to a rough halt when the burning homestead came into view, and fear closed his throat for several long moments as he clambered desperately out of the landspeeder, rushing towards the house.
"Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, praying that someone would answer him. "Uncle Owen!"
His words were warped with a dangerous array of emotions as he rushed forward. Why wouldn't they answer-
Luke skidded to a halt as he spotted something...wrong with the picture in front of him. Some of the black smoke billowed in a different direction, and the opening of the homestead suddenly came into terribly perfect view.
Luke started to slowly move forward, almost in a trance, his chest heaving as he laid eyes upon the smoking, twisted, charred remains of the aunt and uncle who had lovingly raised him through his nineteen years. Neither of the bodies were distinguishable, though one of them was lying in a way that suggested they had crawled from the burning house, and the other's body was bent backwards unnaturally over some kind of twisted debris.
He couldn't look away. It hurt so much to see them lying there, charred skeletons, but he couldn't look away! The pain was like a cold, bony hand had clenched its fingers around his heart and pulled, and a strangled sound made its way past Luke's lips before he finally managed to look away, squeezing his eyes shut as if that could somehow get rid of the reality in front of him. His chest heaved, but he wouldn't allow any tears to slip past his eyes. His fists clenched at his sides and he slowly looked back upon the scene, a new fire igniting in his chest as he stared painfully at the remains of his home-his home-and his Aunt and Uncle, his jaw clenched painfully. The wind whipped his hair around violently, but Luke paid it no mind, unaware of the determined look of righteous anger that had fallen across his face. He didn't know if he wanted to break and cry or scream in rage, though he seemed to be leaning more towards the latter at the moment.
Anakin hadn't yet left the speeder, having laid eyes on the skeletal remains as well. However, the deaths of Owen and Beru hit Anakin in a different way.
While he'd never been particularly close with either of them, he knew his dear mother Shmi had been. The thought of what this scene would have done to the tender-hearted Shmi was more than Anakin could bear.
He allowed a few silent tears to fall on behalf of his stepbrother and stepsister. Besides, in this life they had raised Anakin's son; that alone earned them respect, if nothing else.
Anakin dimly saw Luke standing rigidly in front of him, and Anakin saw an uncanny resemblance to the young Skywalker who had been here well over a decade ago. A young man who had come to this very farm in search of the mother he'd not seen in years. And a young man who, when he'd finally found her, had given in to his hatred and rage.
Anakin still lived with the guilt of his dark actions from that wretched day. But, determined not to let his son follow such a path, Anakin dragged himself from the speeder and silently moved to stand next to Luke.
However, once he had reached Luke's aide, words failed him, and so he bit his lip, thinking. Finally-tentatively and because he barely knew his adult son-Anakin placed a hand on the other's shoulder.
He said nothing for a time. What was to be said in a situation like this? Anakin refused to mar Luke's image of his guardians with a petty I'm sorry.
Luke jumped slightly when he felt Anakin place his hand on his shoulder before he relaxed again, grateful for the gesture. At the contact, Luke simply...wilted, the fight leaving him as the part that wanted to break won out. A tear escaped his eyes, and his fists unclenched, but he wasn't ready to leave...not yet.
Luke didn't know how long the pair stood there staring at the remains of Luke's life on Tatooine, but he did know that it felt right to stand with his father, and even though everything from his life here had been destroyed...he felt as if he did have something to look forward to.
A life with his father.
A life as a Jedi.
Anakin allowed Luke his time, but when the young man became restless, Anakin broke from the chaste embrace to walk towards the homestead.
Luke frowned at him, his befuddlement clear to Anakin even as he gingerly followed. Anakin walked straight over to where he knew the family graveyard to be, despite the lack of markers. Anakin felt a slight flare of anger at the removal of Shmi's marker.
How dare they just erase her memory from existence! But he calmed himself, knowing that it had been more than likely an effort to ward off scavengers and thieves. Anakin located the empty space near Shmi, understanding that Cliegg would have been buried beside her, and thus chose a space a respectful distance from his grave.
With a location chosen, Anakin then looked about for anything he could use as a shovel, well aware of Luke's keen gaze following his every move until he could contain his curiosity no longer.
"What are you doing?" Luke finally asked, though Anakin could sense he was already catching on.
"Burying them," Anakin replied softly. "Shmi loved them as her own, and I loved my mother. It is only right to honor her by giving her family a proper burial."
Luke afforded Anakin a slightly-awed expression before he too grabbed up something to dig with. However, he glanced back at the remains of the guardians he'd known.
"How will we tell them apart to bury them?" he asked softly, voice shaking just a little.
Anakin glanced at him as he worked. "A double grave with one marker. They were married, and they passed on together. It's only fitting that they be laid to rest with each other too."
Luke nodded to show his understanding, a small smile actually touching his lips. He then delved into the digging of the grave until it was as deep as they could make it. Anakin set his makeshift tool aside and walked over to the skeletons. Lifting a hand, he gently lifted Owen and Beru with the Force and walked them carefully to the grave.
After situating them in a respectable way, he looked to Luke. "Did you want to say anything before we finish?"
Luke swallowed hard, but nodded. "Yes," he whispered, gazing at his deceased family. "Thank you both, for loving me as a son. I promise I will never forget you. I love you both...and I already miss you."
He nodded to Anakin and they began to refill the grave until the sands were once again even with the rest of the landscape. Finally, Anakin took his lightsaber and cut away two stones from the house and brought them over, using his blade to expertly carve words.
When done, he levitated them into position, one over Owen and Beru, the other over his mother.
Anakin surveyed his handiwork, eyeing Luke for his input too.
Owen and Beru Lars, forever in love.
Shmi Skywalker Lars, loving mother and wife...never forgotten.
Anakin knelt by the second marker, running his hands through the sand as he'd done the first time so many years before.
"Hello Mom," he murmured. "I'm sorry I haven't been the perfect son or Jedi, and I can't tell you how much I regret my actions the day you died. You must be so ashamed of that. I promise I won't fail you again! I will take care of Luke the best I can while I can. I love you still, and I miss you so much!"
Anakin had to take a moment to collect himself, and when he climbed to his feet, it was to find that Luke had moved to a respectful distance. He smiled gratefully as he joined Luke once again.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
Luke cast a farewell gaze over his ruined home, and nodded silently. Anakin granted him his silence as they piloted away.
*****************************************************************************************
By the time they'd returned to the Jawa transport, old Ben had already made a small funeral pyre and taken care of all the Jawa bodies. Artoo and Threepio were wandering around aimlessly it seemed as the three waited for Anakin and Luke's return. Luke hopped out of the landspeeder and slowly approached Ben, getting his breathing under control again. It had been a silent drive back, and Beru and Owen's death was actually still sinking in for Luke. As Luke approached Ben, the elderly man placed a caring hand on his shoulder.
"There's nothing you could have done, Luke, had you been there. You would have been killed too, and the droids would now be in the hands of the Empire."
Luke looked up to meet Ben's gaze with steady, clear eyes. "I want to come with you to Alderaan. There's nothing for me here now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi..." Luke looked away here, the conviction still in his voice as he looked towards Anakin. "...Like my father."
Anakin had no adequate words for how he felt when Luke said that last part, his blue gaze steady in Anakin's. He was still getting used to being a father, and now to have his son want to be just like him...It was both frightening and humbling.
Anakin recalled his time teaching Ashoka, and how nervous he'd been then. But this was his son they were talking about.
Abruptly, Anakin realized that Luke was still waiting for his response.
"I can't wait to get started." Anakin sincerely hoped that didn't sound shallow.
Luke perked up at his father's acceptance, a smile sliding over his features. Ben smiled at Luke and Anakin, squeezing Luke's shoulder reassuringly before they collectively made their way back to the landspeeder.
************************************************************************************
Anakin sat on the back of the speeder once more, with the hot desert wind whipping past his face, causing his hair to flare out much like one might see on a holofilm. He had already moved on from the homestead incident since he wasn't very close to the Lars's anyway.
But though Luke tried to put up a calm front, the older Skywalker could feel his underlying grief still trying to drag him under.
Anakin sought for some way to bring him around, or to at least get his mind off the horror he'd gone home to.
Then it hit him.
"Luke, have you ever heard of Mos Espa?" he asked loudly enough to be heard over the landspeeder.
"Of course, the Boonta Eve Classic is done down there," Luke replied, eyes kept mostly forward as he drove. He was occasionally glancing backwards to make sure the droids were still secure with his father in the back of the speeder.
Anakin wondered how interested Luke was in mechanics and flying.
"Did you know that there was one human in podracing history to win that race?"
"Really? I didn't know there was any human to race in them-I thought it was impossible?" Luke replied with a frown. "Well...I guess threading the Needle in Beggar's Canyon is supposed to be impossible too...aren't pods usually built really small, though?"
Anakin grinned. "Small enough for a human child to fit inside, sure."
Luke's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "A kid? You're joking!"
Ben sighed next to him, rolling his eyes but smiling to himself. "Anakin, you're showing off. Quit beating around the bush and just tell the poor boy."
Anakin shot a mock-pout at his former Master. "Spoilsport."
Looking back toward Luke, Anakin let loose. "I'm the boy that won the Boonta Eve race."
The landspeeder jerked when Anakin's words registered in Luke's mind, but Luke was too surprised to really care. "You won the Boonta Eve?" he asked in excitement, pride, and awe, glancing back at his father several times despite the fact he was driving.
Anakin used the Force to keep himself and the two droids stable on the rear of the speeder, his grin never fading. "You bet; it wasn't my first race, but it was my only win." he shrugged, still slightly embarrassed by that fact. "But you said something about threading the Stone Needle? Have you done it? Do you like to fly?"
"Yes, I love it!" Luke exclaimed. "My friend Biggs and I are the only ones who've been able to thread the Needle. I did it in my T-16 a few seasons back."
Anakin pursed his lips. "I'm not familiar with that ship model, but that's impressive, Luke!"
Beside him, Artoo whistled excitedly, making Anakin laugh. "That's right, Artoo helped me fix up my pod before the Boonta Eve, I forgot about that. It's when I met him." Anakin patted the droid's dome affectionately. "Artoo's the best droid a man could ask for. He's had my back since before the Clone Wars began."
Luke raised an eyebrow at the little droid. "And he never thought to mention it..." Luke said with a shake of his head before switching the topic. "I was going to join the Imperial Academy this season and get some experience before breaking off to find the Rebels, though plans of that have obviously changed."
Anakin nodded, thinking of Luke's topic change. "So, the governing body in this time period is called what, exactly?"
Luke sighed. "The First Galactic Empire. The soldiers are called Stormtroopers, and they fly TIE fighters. That would be the basics."
Anakin nodded. "All right, and what do these Stormtroopers look like?"
"Like clones, Anakin. At least in armor," Ben responded calmly.
Anakin did a sharp double-take at that pronouncement, nearly dumping himself and Threepio off the side of the speeding vehicle.
"What?" he exclaimed, spluttering. "No way! The clones would never..." Then Anakin recalled the last part Obi-Wan had said. "Only in armor?"
Ben sighed. "They are now. However, in the early days of the Empire...they were the Stormtroopers. Not all of them, there were some who refused, like your Captain, Anakin; Rex."
Luke looked at Ben curiously. "Refused what, exactly?" Luke asked.
Ben's expression darkened. "The Jedi purges; Order 66. The event is not as the Empire says it is-it rarely is-especially in this case. The Jedi were not plotting against the Republic, and we did not try to take over the government. That day..." Ben shivered. "There hasn't been a disturbance in the Force like that in Yoda's lifetime. So many Jedi killed at once as their own men turned on them and slaughtered them the moment they heard the order...and those who managed to survive...hunted down and killed by Darth Vader...I saw Vader's carnage myself at the Jedi Temple, where he took an army of clones. They were...everywhere. Old, young, men, woman...even the younglings...cut down like livestock..."
Ben trailed off, unable to speak anymore, his complexion ashen, his eyes staring at the dunes without really seeing them. Luke was stunned into silence, trying to comprehend what Ben had been through, what he had seen...it made Luke ill just thinking about it. He couldn't imagine how his father felt at the moment.
Anakin was glad the others couldn't see his face, because he was certain he was either white as a sheet or green from the urge to be sick. Younglings? The adults were one thing...but younglings?
Oh dear Force, Anakin thought, looking out across the dunes with a churning feeling in his gut.
Then Anakin felt a surge of guilt flood his veins like ice water, and he had to work hard at hiding it...especially from Obi-Wan as the memory of his time in a certain Tusken Raider camp surfaced.
A tidbit of his conversation with Padme also resurfaced to haunt him.
And not just the men...but the women...and the children, too. They're like animals, and I slaughtered them like animals!
This revelation was made all the worse to him because of his new knowledge of Padme expecting a child. Would Luke have been slaughtered too had he been there at the time of Order...66?
Anakin chose not to think of that, especially since his son was alive and well and right before him.
But...who was this Darth Vader? What sort of sick, twisted monster slaughtered others like that? And for what purpose?
Anakin tuned out anything else that was said as he struggled in vain to come to grips with just how the Jedi Order had met its end. And according to this Obi-Wan, Anakin had...what, perished? In the Purges, too? So if that was the case, what did he do with that knowledge? Why was he here in the future? Was it to spend time with his son before he too died? Or was he here to learn something of value that he could take back to his time with him?
So many questions and so few answers.
****************************************************************************************
Luke was eventually able to control his raging emotions just as they were about to reach Mos Eisley. He let out a slow exhale, trying to relax and filing the newfound knowledge of the Jedi Order away for another time as they approached the outskirts of town. He could see Stormtroopers at the entrance they were headed for and he stiffened slightly, glancing back at the droids.
"Easy..." Ben murmured. "Just relax. They know they're looking for droids, but I believe that may be all that they know."
Anakin decided to keep his mouth shut and look innocuous. He'd let the members of this timeline deal with the authorities this time around.
Luke did his best to look every bit the part of the innocent Farmboy as they approached the Stormtroopers, slowing to a gradual stop as the Stormtrooper waved them down. Four soldiers were soon surrounding the landspeeder, blasters in hand.
"How long have you had these droids?" the soldier closest to Luke asked suspiciously.
"About three or four seasons," Luke lied innocently, looking up at the man and squinting against the twin suns.
"They're for sale if you want them," Ben added cheerfully, leaning over slightly so he could look the Stormtrooper in the eyes.
"Let me see your identification," the soldier asked rather harshly. Luke felt a quick spike of panic. Any identification he might have had was lost in the homestead fire.
"You don't need to see his identification," Ben replied calmly, waving his fingers ever so slightly.
The man was silent for a moment and then, to Luke's utter amazement, he complied. "We don't need to see his identification."
"These aren't the droids you're looking for," Ben added, inclining his head towards the two in the back.
"These aren't the droids we're looking for," the man echoed. Luke glanced between Ben and the Stormtrooper in confusion, trying to figure out just what was happening.
"He can go about his business..." Ben told the soldier calmly.
"You can go about your business," the man told Luke, who gave the soldier a bewildered look.
"Move along," Ben muttered, turning away from the Stormtrooper.
"Move along, move along," the Stormtrooper said briskly, waving them away. Not one to be stupid enough to ask why, Luke eased the landspeeder forward, making a beeline for the first cantina he saw just around the corner, bringing the speeder to a gradual halt a few paces away from the door. He hauled himself out of the speeder, shooing away the Jawas that were eyeing the vehicle greedily.
"Go on, go on," Luke told the little creature in a gentle but firm tone of voice, lightly tapping the being on the shoulder as he spoke. As soon as the creature hustled away, he turned to Ben.
"I can't understand how we got by those troops, I thought we were dead," Luke stated, his confusion clear in his tone.
Anakin piped up before Ben had the chance, adding his two credits whether the older man wanted them or not.
"The Empire rules the galaxy with weak-mind fools like that?" He shook his head, then turned to Luke with a two-word explanation that he was certain Obi-Wan would expound on in his usual manner. "The Force."
"Those are just the underlings, Anakin-the disposables. You will find that there are many...others...who are not so weak willed and far more formidable. These Stormtroopers are like the Separatist Droids, except they can think." Ben sighed, turning to Luke. "The Force can have a strong influence on the weak minded, if one knows how to use that influence."
Luke nodded, figuring by now he should just accept that the Force had a hand in practically everything. He glanced at the cantina door warily, hands on his hips. "Do you really think we're going to find a pilot here that will take us to Alderaan?" Luke asked dubiously. It was a hole in the wall, and looked like a rather dingy place.
"Most of the best freighter pilots will be found here, only watch your step-this place can be a little rough," Ben cautioned, already moving forward.
"I'm ready for anything" Luke said confidently as he started after Ben.
Anakin, used to low-life attractions such as this from his journies about the galaxy, merely shrugged and followed Ben while Luke was more hesitant.
Feeling he should help comfort his son, Anakin touched his arm. "Just keep to yourself and you'll be okay."
Luke nodded slowly, keeping the I'm not scared to himself as he was sure his father would see that he was attempting to convince himself as much as Anakin. He took a deep breath, stepping into the cantina right behind Ben, his father at his side.
Jovial music immediately reached his ears as he stepped into the dark cantina, and immediately he was captivated by the alien species all around him. Some he could put a name too, but others were so bizarre he was certain he'd never heard of their race in his life. Almost everyone in the cantina looked intimidating and rough in some way, though Luke managed to keep any fear he might have had under control. He was mostly awed by the sights around him, and he hardly heard as Anakin ordered the droids to wait outside, gradually making his way to the bar. Ben had already disappeared into the throngs of the crowd, though Anakin stayed close by, giving Luke a sense of protection as Luke took a place at the bar. His father was an intimidating figure; tall, well built, and obviously battle worn. He sort of fit in this place.
Trying to look like he belonged, Luke pulled on the bartender's shirt and nodded towards...something, even Luke wasn't entirely sure what it was. The bartender turned back around immediately as Anakin took up a spot beside him, and Luke took the opportunity to shoot a few more curious glances around the cantina as he was handed the glass. Not wanting to be caught staring, Luke looked away, staring down at his cup.
Anakin glance toward the questionable drink the bartender had just handed Luke. Grimacing when his son lifted the glass to take a drink, Anakin leaned in.
"I don't think you'll want to actually drink that." He cautioned. "Just pretend to sip it."
Anakin put actions to words with the drink he had received, using the action of drinking to hide his roving gaze. Meanwhile, he kept tabs on Obi-Wan's presence in the Force, and also for any immediate threats.
"Oh, I didn't plan on it," Luke murmured, wrinkly his nose at the smell that was coming from the glass.
Before Luke could comment further, someone shoved his shoulder, and Luke found himself facing some creature growling at him in a different tongue. Unable to understand what was being said, Luke turned away, back to the bar. Hardly a few seconds later Luke felt a tap on his shoulder, and a man with a snout and scarred face stood beside the alien.
"He doesn't like you," the man translated. Luke shrugged
"I'm sorry," he offered. What else was there to say? Okay, so the guy didn't like Luke; so?
Another tap on the shoulder. Begrudgingly, Luke turned again. "I don't like you, either," the snout nosed man said. Other people were starting to watch with interest. "Just watch yourself; we're wanted men. I've got the death sentence in twelve systems!"
"I'll be careful," Luke told him, turning away to hopefully end the conversation.
Apparently, it was the wrong thing to do.
The snout nosed man grabbed Luke's shirt, spinning him back around to shout in his face. "You'll be dead!"
Anakin had of course seen the Aqualish coming, but hadn't initially been concerned. It wasn't uncommon for patrons to approach other guests in a bar to sell something. Obi Wan had been offered death sticks once, he recalled.
So when the man got Luke's attention, Anakin passed the roughness off as inebriation. However, when it became two-on-one against Luke-who, bless his heart, was trying to remain innocuous and innocent-Anakin paid much more attention.
He didn't immediately interfere, allowing Luke another chance to work it out for himself.
Then the crooked-nosed man grabbed Luke by the shirt, growling dangerously. "You'll be dead!"
Anakin leapt from his stool and was upon the man faster than the eye could follow, grabbing him in turn and slamming him against the bar. His body leaned over when it hit, knocking drinks over and eliciting indignant shouts from their owners.
The man's alarmed gaze was on Anakin, who was giving the man an expression he'd once only reserved for Count Dooku.
"You want to run that by me again?" Anakin's voice was low and deadly.
The man in his grip swallowed hard, but glanced over Anakin's shoulder. Anakin felt the warning in the Force and tensed in anticipation, but instead of tackling Anakin, the alien grabbed Luke, hurling the boy across the room and into another table, then pulled a weapon and held him at blaster point.
"The runt for me," Anakin's thug sneered, finding his confidence now.
Anakin lifted a brow at the alien, released one hand and grabbed the blaster of the nearest spectator, who just happened to be sitting next to his hand-held thug.
He then lifted the weapon faster than the alien could follow and took a shot. The blast hit the alien in the shoulder and sent him careening into the nearby wall, where he crumpled to the floor, hollering and grabbing at the injury.
Using Anakin's distracted state to his advantage, the man under his grip somehow squirmed free and pulled another blaster, firing swiftly.
Anakin drew and ignited his lightsaber in one fluid move, deflecting the shot and then severing the man's arm at the elbow.
He screamed and finally took a hint while Anakin stood tall and unafraid. It wasn't until the coast was clear and the cantina had returned to its disinterested state that Anakin made his way over to where Luke was.
He offered a helping hand. "Are you alright?"
Luke gratefully took the offered hand and allowed Anakin to hoist him to his feet. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, brushing himself off and warily eyeing the severed arm. Calmly, Ben approached them from off to the side, shaking his head. "Still not one for subtlety I see, Anakin. And yes, there was a quieter way to handle that." Ben sighed and nodded towards the Wookiee standing beside him. "Chewbacca here is first mate on a ship that might take us to the Alderaan system."
Anakin had started to roll his eyes at Obi-Wan's remark, until he realized that he was now the focus of many more sets if eyes.
Apparently his sudden display of Jedi status hadn't been a wise decision. But Luke had been in trouble, so he felt his actions were justifiable.
Anakin sighed and followed Obi-Wan and Chewbacca, though he hovered a half-step closer to Luke now. When they arrived at a table, Anakin spied a man sitting at the table, looking bored.
But Anakin wasn't fooled by the man's façade. There was intelligence behind those eyes, and a world of experience.
Anakin took up a standing position near his son and observed as the man started to speak.
The man pointed to himself as he leaned forward. "Han Solo, captain of the Millennium Falcon. Chewie here tells me you're looking for passage to the Alderaan system."
"Yes," Ben said easily. "If it's a fast ship."
"Fast ship?" Han Solo asked incredulously. "You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?
Ben blinked, putting on an expression of mock innocence. "Should I have?"
Luke resisted the strong urge to snort at the reply.
"It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs," Han announced flatly. When he still didn't receive any reaction, he leaned back a little, fixing them with a determined stare. "I've outrun Imperial starships; not the local bulk cruisers mind you, I'm talking about the big Corellian ships."
Seeing the spark appear in Luke's eyes that showed Luke was impressed, Han leaned back, confident. "She's fast enough for you, old man."
Anakin didn't bother to hide his disdain, and he allowed his dubious disposition to show plainly. Still, he couldn't resist ribbing the man to see how far he would bend.
"Only twelve parsecs, Solo?"
"You know I don't have to take the job," Han said through clenched teeth. "But lucky for you I'm in need of a quick job like this"
Solo studied the three of them. "What's the cargo?"
"Only passengers," Ben said quickly before Anakin could irk their chance of heading to Alderaan any further. "Myself, these two young men, two droids...and no questions asked."
Han smirked. "What is it, some kind of local trouble? I wouldn't be surprised after that display back there."
Ben hurried to reply before Anakin could retort, well aware that Anakin was about to make another jab at the captain. "Let's just say we wish to avoid any...Imperial entanglements."
"Well that's the trick, isn't it?" Han responded smoothly. "And it's gonna cost you something extra...ten thousand, all in advance."
Luke was in shock. "Ten thousand? We could almost buy our own ship for that!
"And who's gonna fly it, Kid? You?" Han asked in a degrading tone of voice.
Anakin's own jaw was hanging loose now. "You're nuts! To hell with this, I'll fly us out of here!"
"We don't have to sit here and listen to this-" Luke started to fume the same time his father spoke, already getting up to leave. Ben, however, put a calming hand on Luke's elbow and gently pulled him back into the seat while waving off Anakin's comment with his other hand. Luke shut his mouth immediately, seeing the calm, determined way Ben was meeting Han's gaze.
"We can pay you two thousand now and fifteen when we reach Alderaan," Ben told Han calmly. Luke, however, looked at the elder Jedi in shock, barely hearing Han's exclamation.
"Seventeen?" Han asked, surprised. "All right, you have yourself a ship."
The only thing that kept Anakin from taking Solo's head off for daring to accept Obi-Wan's crazy offer was the fact that they really had no way off planet without the smuggler.
As it was, he gave the man a fierce glower before he left with his companions, though he let Obi-Wan have it upon their exit from the cantina after the smuggler helped them evade the trooper patrol who'd been called into the cantina.
"Seventeen thousand?" Anakin burst out, facing Obi-Wan fully. "Are you mad? He's not worth that much! And in any case, where do you propose we get that kind of money?"
"He's the best pilot we're going to find," Ben replied calmly. "And on the money; do you realize who the woman in the message was?"
Anakin faltered, knowing he was caught. "No," he admitted reluctantly. Then he narrowed suspicious eyes at the other. "But if she's worth that much, she's likely important. Who is she then?"
"The Princess of Alderaan. Her father, the man we're going to see, is Bail," Ben replied smoothly. Luke's jaw popped open in shock. He'd been admiring a princess?
There went any romantic daydreams he'd had of her.
Luke struggled to compose himself as Ben turned to look at him. "You'll have to sell your speeder so we can come up with the two thousand."
"Don't worry, I won't be coming back to this planet again," Luke muttered in a rather bitter tone.
Anakin gave a short laugh at Luke's pronouncement. "I wouldn't be so quick on that particular retort, Luke. With the Skywalker luck, we'll be back here in no time." Turning to Obi-Wan, he cocked his head. "Bail of Alderaan? As in Bail Organa?"
Padme and Bail were good friends, and Anakin also held the man in high regards. He was honorable, quick, and loyal.
Luke simply huffed. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't end up back here.
"The very same," Ben told Anakin. "His daughter, Leia, is adopted, and the same age as Luke. She's been...very outspoken against the Empire. I can only hope that she'll be all right."
Anakin liked her already; she sounded like a firebrand of a princess instead of one of those spoiled brats.
Turning to Luke, he gestured. "Shall we get the speeder sold?"
"Yeah, probably. We need to hurry up to that docking bay anyway; it's gonna be hard to find a vendor who won't try to con us though." Luke muttered.
Anakin lifted a brow. "You just need to know how to barter. Start low, let him start high, and find an acceptable middle."
"Well I know how to barter, but this is still Tatooine," Luke said pointedly. "Plus ever since those new models came out the value on my landspeeder's model has dropped quite a bit. It doesn't sell as high anymore."
"It should still be enough to make the first two thousand, right?" Ben asked.
Luke sighed. "Maybe."
Anakin gave Luke a look, and ignoring Obi-Wan's expression of disapproval. "We could always test the strength of the buyer's mind if he won't give us what we need."
"Why not, if it comes to that? If he's trying to cheat us I don't see anything wrong with that," Luke said with a shrug. Ben sighed.
"I'm too old to handle two Skywalkers," he muttered, starting down the street.
Anakin grinned unrepentantly. "Come on, Master, we're not that bad at making plans..."
He nudged Luke when the other gave him an odd look. "He doesn't think we know how to make a solid plan...and have it not fall apart around us."
"No, I'm just well-practiced in things going horribly wrong when a Skywalker is involved. Especially with you, Anakin. There's a planet coming to mind...ah, yes, Geonosis." Ben smiled innocently and turned to Luke. "Him and your mother came to rescue me and got themselves captured, and we all went into the execution arena with the hungry animals. Wonderful rescue work, Anakin, good job."
Anakin glowered. "It wasn't my fault that you got yourself captured in the first place, now was it, Master?"
"And it wasn't my fault that when you came to conduct a rescue mission despite orders to keep Padme safe and remain where you were, you were captured-and your lightsaber was destroyed as well, if I remember correctly." Ben said breezily. Luke was trying to hide the grin at watching Ben and his father go back and forth, but it wasn't entirely working out-it was too amusing.
Anakin turned somewhat lackluster at Ben's reminder of Padme, and the reason he and she had ended up going to Geonosis. Before the others could catch on, Anakin formulated a reply.
"Yes, well, we made it out alright, didn't we?" he shrugged. "That's what counts."
"I want to hear this story at some point," Luke piped up. "It sounds rather interesting."
Ben smiled at him. "Another time, perhaps. Right now, we need to focus on getting off planet, and then we will need to start your training."
Luke blinked in surprise. "Already?"
Ben's smile grew. "Becoming a Jedi is no easy task, Luke. It can take years of training. Even now, I'm still learning."
Anakin smirked. "I guess it's never too late to teach an old nek-dog new tricks, is it Obi-Wan?"
At Luke's somewhat odd gaze, Anakin drew his attention to the vendor, and they set to work.
**********************************************************************************
Luke, who was walking between Ben and Anakin while the droids followed them from behind, couldn't help but notice that the pair had shared a few looks that they both seemed to understand perfectly, as if they were speaking some sort of silent code. Around the same time those looks started, they had sped up their group's pace.
Still, since they didn't say anything, Luke tried not to worry about it...much.
They rounded the corner into the docking bay where Luke, adjusting the poncho he'd put on so he wouldn't have to carry it, expected to see some sleek, grand ship waiting for them after all of Han Solo's boasting. What he did see sitting in the bay, however, made him think...
"What a piece of junk!" Luke exclaimed, coming to a complete standstill as the others walked past him. Whoops, I didn't mean to say it out loud...or that loud for the matter...
Han Solo appeared from below the ship, wiping oil and grease off of his hands with a dirty rag. "She'll make point five past light speed," Han said in a surprisingly calm, steady, even patient tone of voice, almost like he was teaching a friend something he knew well. What had happened between here and the cantina to change his demeanor so much? "She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, Kid. I made a lot of...special modifications myself. But we're a little rushed, so if you'll just get on board, we'll get out of here."
Anakin actually had to agree with Solo on that one, though he spared Luke the humiliation of correcting him in front of the smuggler. Even so, images of his and Ashoka's many missions in the Twilight flashed through his mind. The thing had been a clunker alright, but she'd proven reliable.
Anakin remained silent, allowing Solo this one thing. But then his danger sense shouted a warning, and he spun in a swift circle to put himself between Luke and whoever was coming through the docking bay entrance.
"Stop that ship! Blast 'em!" Luke heard a Stormtrooper shout, and he spun around on instinct to see what was happening just as the Stormtroopers took some shots at Han, who was still under the ship. Anakin reached for his lightsaber, but Ben grabbed his arm.
"No, Anakin-don't give yourself away. That is a secret to be kept as long as possible," Ben warned firmly, ushering them all on board. "Hurry, we must leave!"
Luke saw Han returning fire towards the Stormtroopers, making a mad dash towards the landing ramp and miraculously avoiding getting hit by any of the Stormtroopers. "Go, go!" he shouted when he saw some of them were still on the ramp. Luke and the others hurried inside with Solo rushing past them in a sprint towards the cockpit after closing the ramp. "Chewie, get us out of here!" he bellowed.
Surprisingly, it was Threepio that reached the lounge area and strapped in first, with Luke following close behind him. Still, as soon as they were out of the atmosphere, Luke was going to let himself out to go to the cockpit and see what was going on. He tensed in automatic anticipation as he felt the ship rise into the air, the Stormtroopers below unable to stop their flight now.
Though that still left the blockade.
Anakin's first instinct when he heard alarms go off in the cockpit was to take the helm himself. But he reminded himself that the Millennium Falcon wasn't his, and that he didn't know the controls well enough to fly right then anyway.
So he resorted to walking on steady legs for the cockpit, ready to assess the situation. Luke scrambled to follow him, though he stumbled a bit.
Anakin steadied him with one hand. "Is this your first time in space?" He asked in a low voice, more curious than anything.
"On a ship, no, space...well...yeah..." Luke admitted sheepishly before they hurried forward to the cockpit.
"...stay sharp there's two more coming in, they're going to try and cut us off," Luke heard Han saying as he rushed inside, his father at his side.
He couldn't stop the comment from leaving him.
"Why don't you outrun them, I thought you said this thing was fast?" Luke said instantly. Han whipped around, an insulted look on his face as well as a light of stress in his eyes.
"Watch your mouth kid or you're going to find yourself floating home!" Han snapped. As soon as the words left his lips, his eyes darted over to Anakin, and Luke was reminded of the bar. Han was probably hoping that Anakin realized it wasn't...quite the same. He calmed his tone as he continued, turning back to the controls that Luke was also taking in hungrily. "We'll be safe enough once we make the jump to hyperspace. Besides, I know a few maneuvers...we'll lose them."
Anakin didn't miss the look Solo shot him, and it pleased him to no end that the smuggler knew not to actually threaten Luke. One point for the smuggler, then.
Anakin looked out the forward viewport and had to choose between a whistle of administration for the Imperial shops headed their way, or indignation that they were so similar to his time's current Republic ships.
When Obi-Wan entered the rapidly crowding cockpit, Anakin turned to him with a quiet, but insistent question.
"Why do those things look like the dreadnaughts we used in the Clone Wars?"
Luke barely-barely-heard what his father asked Ben, so he was sure that Han and Chewie hadn't. He listened curiously, momentarily distracted from the scene outside.
Ben was silent for several long moments. "The Sith Empire wasn't born out of the Separatists, Anakin...it came from the Republic."
Anakin gaped, the part of his mind not subconsciously keeping tabs on the escape sputtering with denial. He was partly offended on his behalf, and partly on Padmé's, since she had spent so long serving the Republic.
And to now hear that their efforts would be fruitless in the end...It was depressing.
The ship rocked, bringing Anakin to the present once more. And as such, Anakin took a closer look at the ships Solo had called Star Destroyers.
They were definitely built for war and to instill fear, Anakin saw that much. However, their large bulks, like most massive vessels, were ponderous to turn on a radius.
"Use their size against them," Anakin said to Han.
"I know, that's what I'm doing," Han said in a low voice. As he spoke he maneuvered between the two Imperial ships, going into a tight barrel roll to avoid the incoming laser fire. "This is where the fun begins...Chewie, how are those coordinates coming?"
His question was drowned out by an alarm that suddenly blared to life, the light flashing on the main control panel. Luke leaned over, pointing at the light. "What's that?"
Han's hand snapped out faster than Luke could follow, slapping Luke's hand away so hard it still stung after Luke had jerked back. "Don't touch that!" Han reprimanded him, obviously annoyed. Another alarm blared to life and Han reached up and hit the control panel above him, immediately silencing the alarm. "The only ones that should be in this cockpit right now are Chewie and myself, so why don't the rest of you go strap yourselves in, we'll be leaving in a bit," Han ordered. Obviously he didn't like having his cockpit so crowded with backseat drivers while he was trying to steer the ship.
The alarm came back to life and Han reached up to hit it even harder this time, and it went ominously silent. Han paid it no mind, turning around to see everyone still there. A scowl flashed across his face. "Now, please?" he asked.
Anakin suppressed a wide grin as he dutifully filed from the cockpit, actually finding amusement in how Solo interacted with his ship. It rather reminded Anakin of the laid-back but deep relationship he shared with Artoo.
Luke didn't seem nearly as complacent, and Anakin jotted that one down to embarrassment that the younger man had gotten his hand slapped.
Anakin leaned over to Luke with a half-reproachful, half-loving expression. "Word to the wise; never actually touch the controls of another person's ship unless they tell you to."
"Yes I've, ah...gathered that," Luke replied with a blush as they returned to their respective seats.
Ben sighed, leaning back. "I guess we'll just have to hope we don't get blasted to smithereens."
Luke grimaced. "That's not helping. It's bad enough feeling helpless while were getting attacked."
Anakin smirked at Luke's pronouncement, but otherwise didn't comment. He, like the others, breathed a sigh of relief when Solo announced their impending jump and then the ship gave the tell-tale tug of making the jump to hyperspace.