WAYS OF THE FORCE
Chapter 1- 13
What if Leia and Luke grew up together?
Rated T
Disclaimer: I do NOT own any material WHATSOEVER in the Star Wars Universe!
A girl, age 13 to be exact, stood in front of the mirror. She tied her long hair back into a braided bun, secured by a blue ribbon. Brown trousers lay tucked inside leather boots. She wore a belt fastened by a silver buckle wrapped around a fleecy light blue shirt, the precise same color of her ribbon, that was folded upwards at the elbow. Sighing, Leia unlatched the door from her simple room. She glanced quietly at her familiar surroundings. A handmade stuffed bear, fashioned by aunt Beru, laid on a twin bed. This was a sight that she was sure to see again, day after day. For that is what happens when an area becomes a place of residence.
Yawning still, she escalated the stairs and joined her aunt, uncle, and twin brother at the breakfast table. Without glancing away from his meal, Uncle Owen barely acknowledged the young lady. "Sleep well?" "Slightly," murmured Leia as she sat down beside her brother Luke. "How come dear?" Aunt Beru asked, displaying prominent signs of concern. Much unlike Owen. Sighing, she responded. "Since its summer, the sand flies are here." Technically speaking, it is always summer on Tatooine. The two twin suns, Tatoo 1 and Tatoo 2 are always close near. The effects of this greatly affect the citizens of Anchorhead, as well as the whole planet. Having two sources of light proves tiring and the days become long. "Agh." Luke says in agreement. "I don't think I slept more than thirty minutes uninterrupted!" "Thanks for your input, Luke." Beru said. "Owen and I will address this soon."Family ate rhythmically, enjoying the serenity before the workday prevailed. After they had ate enough, Uncle Owen sent the twins to their daily duties of farmwork.
The Lars homestead was a moisture farm, with 63 vaparators to be exact. Their job was satisfying one of the most primitive and necessary needs; water. Tatooine was just one planet of endless desert, and water was hard to come by. It is mostly underground, and provides adequate room for leisure and residence. The dining room was in a small dome next to the main living pit, a crater in the courtyard from which occupants could have access to all the comforts of home. Vaparators, machines that collected water from the atmosphere, were strategically placed so that they didn't interfere with daily life.
"I call the 31 vaparators, you get 32 Leia!" Luke called, already bounding down the main ramp placed around the sides of the crater. "Good god, Luke!" she screeched. "Who cares, its one difference?" But Luke obviously did care. Finishing all of the vaparators took a minimum of an hour. They had to be reset at least twice a day, not to mention taking the provided water, or fixing leaks. Luke did his job rather efficiently, yet he was not happy. Not unlike other teenage boys, he hated to do chores. Every year he dreamed and protested. He thought that he could be a pilot.
Before long, the job was done. A silent time for reflection, and resting your aching body. Luke and Leia sat in the main room, just enjoying the comforts of relaxation. Leia pondered as a sand fly flew near. What was the meaning of sandflies? For they were not intentionally being an annoyance. Their unintelligent mannerisms probably couldn't comprehend that. But she had never been a sand fly, so that was another one of her millions of questions that remained unanswered. They were just organisms among the others that could dwell in the desolate plains of Tatooine. Of course, the Mos Eisley Catina, she knew, provided many excellent examples. Aliens roamed freely, and displayed unmistakable signs of immaturity. But not all. It was filled with scavengers and smugglers, all just sitting down to relax.
"C'mon Leia, while Uncle Owen can't give us chores, lets do something." Beru usually spent her days sewing clothes and crafting furniture and comfort items, while Owen fixed leaks and vaparators. Unfortunately, their wish wasn't granted. "Kids!" shouted Owen, appearing at the top of the ramp and making his way down into the den.
"What?" snapped Luke, making a pathetic exhaustion gesture. "I don't have enough spare valves for the vaparators and my pliers broke, please go to Anchorhead and buy me some more." Almost immediately, Luke sprung up like toast from a particularly energetic toaster. "By ourselves? With the speeder?" Sighing, Owen took a moment to contemplate the request. "I suppose you're old enough. Watch out for sandpeople, although they usually don't live near this part. Just don't kill yourselves." "We promise Uncle Owen." responded Leia giving a small hug. "Maybe I'll try to rid of the sand-flies during your absence." "Yesss!" Luke said. "Here's some money. Well bye," added Owen. "The speeders up front." With that, he diapered into the depths of the moisture farm.
Upon his absence, they raced out of the entrance dome and ran onto the speeder. "I call driving!" called Luke. "What? No fair. Fine, I'll be the responsible one." queered Leia. "Just don't murder me!" Luke stuffed keys into the overheated slot and turned. The familiar roar of the engines was finally his. The whole speeder seemed to churn with energy. Bracing herself, Leia turned knobs and set the speeder to the right gear. She mournfully glanced at her desert surroundings. Would that be the last time she saw them?
Upon Leia's unmistakable slumping in her seat, Luke assured her that they would be fine. "Don't worry, we haven't even left yet!" "That's only marginally convincing," she responded. "Better be a wide margin. Luke pulled on the thrust, and they were off. Almost instantly, Tatooine became a blur of sienna. The tiny clusters of hair that managed to escape Leia's tight bun whipped like miniature whips. "Slow down!" she squealed, bracing herself apprehensively once more. "This isn't pod racing!" Despite her calls of defiance, and a constantly churning stomach (all though he would never admit it) Luke pulled back on the acceleration.
"Slow down!" Luke simply threw the speeder into a tight corkscrew and continued on. "I can't even see!" Realisng that he should indeed listen, he slowed the speeder. They finally could make sense of their surroundings. They were nearing the village.
Metal and sandstone buildings lay in rows, bleached by the wrath of the two stars. They formed the farming community of Anchorhead. The dusty, unpaved streets were quiet. Flies buzzed lazily in the cracks of old buildings. Luke and Leia seemed as if they were the sole sign of habitation, until an old woman made her way down the street. Waving an angry fist, she exclaimed. "Slow down!"
Luke pulled into a driveway, of a shop called "Hardys" although the sign indicating it was barely readable. It too was a significant sign of the terrible environment of Tatooine. They unbuckled themselves, and Leia propped the rucksack full of money onto her weary shoulder. They heard their footsteps echo among the village, for it seemed as though the old woman had left the open. Today was particularly hot, and anyone who dared leave the outdoors had to put on endless amounts of sunscreen, just as Beru had done earlier. Luke pushed into a heavy wood door, and they heard the distinctive jingle of bells.
"Biggs!" Luke exclaimed when he saw the young man leaning against the counter, buying some motors. "Hell Luke, what are you doing here!" "Hey," He clapped him on the back. Biggs was about sixteen, and had been one of Luke's earliest childhood friends. "We're buying some vaparator valves, actually," said Leia setting a few coins on the front desk. An alien of some sort took it eagerly, and Leia got the valves and a pair of pliers. "Ahh, farmers." Biggs himself ran a shop with his father, not to far from here.
Biggs and Luke instantly joined in conversation about the current rebellion.
"You know, I want to be a pilot for them. Maybe lead an X-wing squadron." Biggs said, gesturing a leap into light- speed with his hand. After ten minutes of Leia standing next to Luke talking to his friend, they finally left.
"C'mon Leia, admit it Biggs is pretty cool." said Luke once assured the cracked door had been shut. "You didn't say that when you were twelve!" reflected Leia, grasping her rucksack and making her way to the speeder. "I'm driving by the way." "Agh, but Biggs changed! That was almost two years ago!" He had embarrassed him in front of a particular girl he liked. Ever since the incident, he never really crossed paths with her again.
Leia fastened herself into the drivers seat. They were making their way across the desert back home when something happened...
A group of sandpeople noticed the speeder. Luke noticed a group of riderless banthas in the distance.
This was not good. "uh, Leia!" Without warning, a tall monstrous figure raised a double bladed ax, threatening a deathblow. The speeder instantly stopped when he slashed the engines.
Leia let out a large squeal, and rolled away, rigid. Luke jumped on the motionless speeder and felt contempt upon seeing the group. She grabbed the pipe and struck one in the neck, it fell to the ground bleeding. "What did I do!" she cried. There was no time for mourning the raiders who tried to kill her, apparently. One raider tried to bear-tackle her, and in response she kicked him in the groin. They attempted to run away with little success, they were surrounded. Luke, on the other hand, displayed no signs of empathy. Or at least, obvious signs. He punched and kicked raiders, very irrationally. They were twice his size and armed with large sticks. One hit Luke square in the middle finger. Luke rolled across the sand, cursing as he massaged the bone. "I think I broke it!" he winced, crying. Before he could get hit, a large figure sliced the raider down the middle.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, or Ben Kenobi, as the villagers referred to him as, stood in front of Luke, extending an arm. Why this hermit found them at the essential moment, he was unsure. Even the Tusken raiders had some common sense. They instantly ran away at seeing the raider being chopped in half. The twins were obviously shaken. "Here," said Ben. Your engine is fixed.
So, that left Leia, Luke, Ben, and the bodies of a few raiders laying there in the glow of the sunset. The sky was a brilliant mix of orange and red, and only the most beautiful hues were included. Such a beautiful phenomenon of bursting color was not appropriately mirroring the horrors that just happened.