This is a short story I wrote just to practice writing. I'm not sure exactly what time period this takes place. My best bet is after Episode 6. Anara Skywalker and Lieutenant Tim Markall are characters of my own creation. All others belong to George Lucas and the Lucasfilm Ltd. I am not profiting from this in any way. And please, no flames! Mara Jade fans, don't read-she's not with Luke.
Rendezvous on Kashyyyk
"Thank you again for having me come here," Anara replied, inclining her head. "I know you have been busy, especially lately."
The two Wookiees by her noised their "your welcomes." All three walked along on a pathway among the beautiful tree structures. A cool breeze ruffled the fur on the Wookiees and gently tossed Anara's brown curls around. The vast lake to their right rippled gently. Soft rays of sun beamed down through the treetops.
"The Republic wishes to discuss your representation in the Senate," Anara stated. "Many believe that Chewbacca should be chosen-"
A strange ripple in the Force caused Anara to look skyward. The two Wookiees did as well. A transport flew overhead, a couple hundred feet above the treetops. In silence, the three watched the large ship until it landed a good distance away in the trees. Slowly, Anara drew her gaze away from the transport to the Wookiees. They returned her gaze curiously.
Anara leaned on the nearby railing as a sick feeling crawled into her gut. She felt as if the Force were screaming at her. Quickly, she looked in the direction the ship had landed. Then, she looked at the Wookiee dignitaries.
"Is that ship supposed to be landing?" she asked.
"/Yes, /" one of the Wookiees answered. "/it's a transport coming in from Coruscant. Originally, it was due here earlier today, but the flight got slightly delayed. /"
Anara merely nodded in reply. Taking a deep breath, she tried to shake off the uneasy feelings. However, they didn't leave.
"/Are you alright? /" one of the Wookiees asked.
"Yes, just a bad feeling," Anara answered. She felt slightly better when she realized her lightsaber was attached to her wrist. "I'm sure we'll be fine."
The two Wookiees exchanged glances, not entirely sure of what to think.
"/What were you saying about Chewbacca? /" one of the diplomats asked.
"Right. Well," Anara replied, "many believe, including me, that Chewbacca should be a representative of Kashyyyk in the Senate. He is highly popular, and would be useful for you."
The Wookiee diplomats looked at each other and nodded. Anara smiled upwards at them. Suddenly, another crippling wave of nausea hit her. She tried to maintain her calm façade, but a small twitch of her eyebrow gave her away.
"/Are you sure you're alright? /" one of the tall Wookiees asked.
"I-I'm not sure," she answered, wiping a cold sweat off her forehead. "Something just isn-"
A loud explosion sounded through the forest. The three turned quickly to see smoke and fire through the trees. The Wookiees cried out in surprise. Anara winced, feeling terrible pain through the Force, hearing the screams of Wookiees. She looked to the diplomats.
"You must hide," she hurriedly replied. "Or, if you can, get a ship off this planet and get to Coruscant. Be safe, and may the Force be with you."
She nodded quickly to the three Wookiee bodyguards who stood nearby. They approached quickly and escorted the diplomats away. Anara ran towards the direction of the explosion, occasional branches hitting her in the face. Down below her, Anara sensed scattering Wookiees, and enemies pursuing them. She flicked her wrist and brought the lightsaber into her hand, jumping down from the high branches at the safe time. Her heart raced as she fell. She landed safely, the Force guiding her fall. The blue blade hummed into existence. Her right hand tightened its grip on her lightsaber.
Wookiees broke through the trees next to her, pursued by battle droids. The droids opened fire on Anara. She deflected the shots and looked to the Wookiees.
"Get out of here!" she shouted. "Go!"
They ran. Anara turned and continued to deflect the blaster fire with her lightsaber. A stray shot hit her in the right arm. She cried out and almost let go of her lightsaber. Using the Force, she pushed the remaining droids into nearby trees. They short-circuited, then went limp. Anara looked at her arm, and saw blood coming out of the wound at a rather quick rate. At the same time, she felt more enemies approaching. She cast off her cloak as they opened fire. Shots pierced her cloak as she turned to face the enemy. With a cry, she leapt at them, blue blade gone wild.
Luke drew in a deep breath as he meditated. Outside the window, he felt the numerous ships fly by through the Coruscant sky. Twilight was falling. The light slowly faded in the room. He stretched out in the Force, strengthening his connection to his beloved. What he felt surprised him: anxiety and pain. A sudden rush of adrenaline shot through his body when he felt it going through hers. Sounds of blasters firing rang in his ears. He couldn't begin to count the number of shots. He felt more panic, and heard more fire. All of a sudden, pain filled his right arm. His meditation broke, and he fell from his spot levitating in the air.
He stayed seated on the floor, panting. The pain in his arm slowly subsided. Luke looked at his arm, to see if anything was there, but there wasn't. Confused, he furrowed his brows and looked at his metal hand, flexing his fingers.
That certainly wasn't my phantom nerves, Luke thought. I'm going to Kashyyyk.
He jumped onto his feet. On his way out of his room, Luke grabbed his lightsaber and cloak. He jogged down the halls of the Jedi Temple. He strapped his lightsaber to his belt and fastened his cloak around his neck, continually growing more anxious.
Nearby, Leia was going for a walk through the hallways, just relaxing. Something about the Temple soothed her, and always left feeling rejuvenated. She lost all feelings of relaxation, however, when she saw Luke going down the main hallway, looking very distraught. She ran to catch up with him.
"Luke? Luke!"
With a surprised look, he slowed down and walked next to her. She looked up at him, but he kept his gaze fixed on the ground ahead of him.
"Luke, what's wrong?"
"I don't know…something happened. I have to go."
"Kashyyyk?"
"…yes…"
"Please, don't go alone. Bring a few soldiers with you, at least."
"I will, I promise."
Luke proceeded along on his mission, quickly moving down the hallway. Leia watched him go, hoping he would be alright.
"C'mon, you old pirate! Do something!"
With an annoyed sigh, Han continued to study his hand of cards. Lando impatiently tapped his fingers on the table. Chewie remained calm, a small smirk touching his lips.
"Han!"
"What?!"
"Do something!"
"I'm thinking!"
"Oh. That explains it."
Chewie looked at Lando and started to chuckle. Lando grinned mischievously and looked at Han. Han shot him an angry glance in return and glared at Chewie.
"What are you laughing at, fuzzball?" Han sighed and tossed his hand down. "I fold."
Laughing, Lando put down his cards as well. Chewie revealed his unbeatable hand with a smile. Lando, finding this situation extremely amusing, keeled over laughing. This caused him to fall out of his chair. Han started to chuckle after seeing his friend fall. It was a laughing fest when Luke walked in, looking quite opposite their jolly mood. Han was the only one to notice him. He stopped laughing and stood up, going to Luke.
"Hey, Luke, what's wrong?"
"Something happened on Kashyyyk. I'm going there to find out what happened."
"Don't think you're going alone, kid. I'm coming with you. Chewie, too."
Luke smiled. Han went and tapped Chewie on the shoulder, and the giant Wookiee stood up, stretching his arms. Without any more words, the three left.
Lando, who had been laughing on the ground the whole time, stopped when he heard the door close. He stood up, bewildered.
"Does this mean I won?"
Luke, Han, and Chewie left the Temple. Outside, there were troops waiting for them. Their leader, Lieutenant Tim I. Markall, smiled to the trio as they approached.
"Good evening," Tim replied. "Leia sent for us to come and assist you. There are twenty-five of us here."
Han grinned to Luke, who remained looking serious. Luke nodded graciously to Tim.
"Thank you, my friend," Luke replied.
"Anytime, Sir Luke," Tim answered. "There is a transport waiting for us this way."
The troops led the trio to the transport. Luke sat down next to Han and looked at the ground. He kept himself in the Force, trying to find Anara.
On Kashyyyk, Anara was ferociously fighting the battle droids. Her arm was becoming more covered in red as the fighting progressed. Sweat beaded on her forehead and dripped down her face. Then, she felt something in the Force, reaching out to her.
"Luke…"
She fought harder and tried reaching back to him, but a wave of dizziness stopped her. Lightheadedness swept over her and slowed down her reactions. Defending herself with her blade, she retreated into the dense trees. Anara thumbed off the blade and collapsed onto the ground behind a tree. Blood continued flowing down her arm. She reattached the clasp from around her wrist that had held her lightsaber around her upper arm. It slowed the bleeding greatly. She relaxed y taking a few deep breaths and stretching out into the Force. Luke's presence embraced hers, and their minds merged.
Anni, what happened?
Battle droids attacked.
Are you hurt?
Not really. I'm worried about the Wookiees. I think their warriors are beginning to assemble, but I'm not sure. I don't know what to do.
Don't worry, love. I'm coming, with Han, Chewie, Tim, and some soldiers. Hang in there.
Okay. Thank you.
Are you sure you're not hurt? I felt an awful pain before.
I'm fine. Maybe you sensed a Wookiee.
Maybe…
See you soon. I love you.
I love you, too.
Anara shut her eyes, drawing back from Luke. She gripped her lightsaber tightly in her left hand. To calm her nerves, she drew in a few deep breaths. With a wince, she stood up and walked out from behind the tree. Her arm ceaselessly throbbed. Blaster fire sounded in the distance. She lightly jogged out of the dense trees. A pull in the Force told her to go where the explosion had occurred.
What she saw shocked her. Fire burned the surrounding trees. Dead, singed branches fell to the ground at uneven intervals. The side of the transport had been blown open. Furry bodies scattered the ground inside, and also outside. Some were crushed under debris from the ship. The air was absolutely still and silent. The sight sent a shiver up her spine.
"How could this happen…?"
A small noise from her left caught her attention. She ran over. A Wookiee child was trapped underneath a shard of the transport. It was having trouble breathing. Anara stroked the top of its head gently.
"Don't worry, little one. I'm going to help you."
It made another small noise, and smiled to Anara. She grabbed hold of the shard and, using the Force, lifted it up. The young child tried to move, but couldn't. Anara set the metal shrapnel aside and knelt down beside the Wookiee. She held her hands out above its chest. Taking one deep breath, she began to Force-heal the child. Slowly, she watched the Wookiee reach its full health. When the procedure was finished, the Wookiee stood up, grinning. It jumped around a little, glad to move, and then let out an excited yelp. Anara merely watched with a slight smile, feeling drained.
"/Thank you!/" the child exclaimed, hugging her around her waist. "/I owe you my life./"
"No, you don't. It was nothing, young one."
"/It is Wookiee custom, though./"
"Forget it ever happened. Get out of here, and get to safety. Go!"
The child smiled and darted away. The Jedi Knight merely watched with a small smile. Another wave of dizziness hit her, and she stumbled slightly. These waves kept getting increasingly worse, but Anara wasn't worried. The sound of distant blaster fire caught her attention. She ignited her blade and ran off to the source of the sound. Every step, her feet grew heavier. She felt completely exhausted.
When she arrived at the scene, Anara saw many battle droids fighting some Wookiees. She snuck up behind the droids. In an ambush maneuver, she jumped out of the trees, swinging her lightsaber wildly. She struck down four droids in this move, and cut down three more before they had time to comprehend what happened. The Wookiee warriors who had been there voiced their gladness at seeing her arrive. A brief nod was all she could return. The Wookiees opened fire on the droids, invigorated with a new confidence. Anara fought alongside her furry companions. The remaining droids were annihilated in all of about fifteen seconds.
Overhead, they heard a ship flying. A Republic cruiser was in the sky. Anara waved her blade as a signal. The pilot saw, and landed the ship nearby. Anara turned to the Wookiees.
"We'll be with you momentarily," Anara replied. "Go on ahead."
The Wookiees nodded and ran ahead. Anara went to go greet the ship. Halfway there, another wave of dizziness hit her. This one caused her to become completely disoriented. She stumbled, and hit a tree. Her eyes closed, and she slipped into unconsciousness.
Luke had been the first to see Anara's blue signal. He raised a ruckus on the ship, shouting to the pilot to land. He needed to get to Anara.
"Calm down, kid," Han said to Luke. "He knows. We're landing."
Han pat his friend on the shoulder. The ship hit the ground below. As the side door of the transport opened, Luke jumped out. He felt Anara nearby in the Force and went to her side. When he saw her, he gasped. He knelt down and lifted her into his arms, noticing nothing else. Gently, he wiped the hair out of her sweat-soaked face. He kissed her forehead, feeling her presence fighting to wake up her body.
"You'll be okay, my love," Luke whispered.
He picked her up, wedding-style, and went back on board the transport. One of the soldiers had stayed behind to be an on-board doctor. She gasped when she saw Anara's condition.
"She'll be taken care of right away, Master Luke," the doctor declared. "Leave here right here."
Luke set Anara down on a small cot. He stroked her cheek once before stepping back to let the doctor do her work.
"Thank you," he replied.
"No problem, Master Luke," she answered.
With a small sigh, Luke turned and left the transport. He put his lightsaber in hand, but his mind remained focused on Anara.
Great. I'm all alone.
Han was hiding behind a tree, waiting to shoot. Chewie had gone to join his fellow Wookiees in combat. Han had tried keeping up with him, but got lost in the forest labyrinth. Quietly, Han took out his blaster and peeked around the trunk of the tree. There was a lone battle droid walking by.
Alright. I can handle this.
He jumped out from behind the tree and shot the droid in its metal chest. It fell to the ground with a metallic clunk noise. Han walked over to it with a sly grin. He was about to make a smart remark when a voice from behind interrupted his thoughts.
"Drop your weapon."
Glancing over his shoulder, Han gulped at the sight of four battle droids. He dropped his blaster and lifted his arms up over his head.
"Okay, you've got me," Han stated.
Suddenly, someone jumped out from behind a nearby tree, swinging a green blade with precise skills. Parts of the droids dropped to the ground, each landing with a small thud.
"Thanks, Luke."
"Someone's got to look after you."
"How many do I owe you now? Two? Three?"
"Hm…let's call it even."
Han breathed a sigh of relief. He turned and looked at Luke. Something about him seemed…Han couldn't place his finger on it. Then, he noticed blood stained on his sleeve and torso.
"What happened?"
"Anara."
"What do you mean, 'Anara?' Is she okay?"
"She will be now."
The sound of blaster fire close by caught their attention. Han picked up his blaster and turned to Luke.
"Let's hunt some droid."
Luke smiled to himself, glad to have Han around. The two took off in the direction of the noises.
By the time Han and Luke arrived at the battle site, the droids had been eradicated.
"Wow," Han replied. "That was fast."
Chewie stood nearby talking to his Wookiee compadres. When he spotted Han, the Wookiee went to him and gave him a monstrous hug.
"Hey, Chewie. Yes, it's good to see you too."
Chuckling, Luke walked away to where the Republic troops were stationed. Tim greeted him with a grin.
"Sir Luke! It is good to see you well."
"Please, Lieutenant Markall. Just Luke."
"Then call me Tim."
"Okay, Tim. It's good to see you too. Were there any casualties?"
"One wounded. Luckily, no one was killed. Are there any more droids?"
"Let me check." Luke stretched out in the Force, feeling for droids. "No. They're all gone."
"Should we get to the transport?"
"Yes. Go on ahead."
The troops went to go wait in the transport. Luke returned to where Han stood with Chewie.
"Ready to go?" Luke asked.
"Yeah," Han answered. "Chewie, you comin'?" The Wookiee shook his head. "Alright, we're leaving without you!"
Han disappeared into the trees as he made his way to the transport. Luke went to go follow Han, but two Wookiee diplomats stopped him, as well as Chewie.
"/We owe you a huge thanks/" one of the diplomats replied. "/We are in your debt./"
"It's the least we could do," Luke answered nonchalantly. "We will send you a team to help you rebuild, if you would like."
"/No, thank you. We'll be fine./"
Luke pat Chewie on the arm and gave him a smile. He inclined his head to the diplomats, who did the same in return. Then, he hurried off to the transport. He needed to check on Anara.
The transport took off right when Luke stepped on board. Han was seated next to Anara, who was stretched out on a cot. Luke rushed over and knelt down by her.
"Anni?" Luke asked quietly.
"Hey," she whispered back.
"Oh, Anni!" Luke gently took one of her hands in his. "I've been so worried about you."
"Please, my dear, I only got shot. How are you? Are you okay?"
"Got shot?! Where? Who?"
"Luke!" Han exclaimed. "Calm down. She's doing well now. Quit shouting, you're embarrassing yourself. And Anara. And me."
Luke looked up at Han. Han grinned to Luke, causing the young Jedi to chuckle.
"Thanks, Han." Luke looked to Anara. She smiled lovingly at him. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Especially now that you're here."
Luke smiled, pink touching his cheeks lightly. He pulled up a chair and stayed seated by his Anara. He didn't move for the whole ride.
Their troubles were over. For now…