Summary: A galaxy-shaking change of events, told from many perspectives, vignette style.
Luke
He was running, as quickly as his legs would carry him, across the dry sand. He didn't know where he was going - all he knew was that he needed to get away, fast.
Breathe in, breathe out
He stumbled and fell on one knee, crying out in pain and biting back tears of anger. He couldn't cry now; no, he needed to be strong. Scrabbling to his feet, he continued forward without looking back.
Breathe in, breathe out
He felt the blood running down his leg from the cut on his knee, felt his tunic soaked with sweat, felt the coarse sand stinging his skin and his eyes, felt the wind whipping his shaggy hair. He also felt the chill in the air as the twin suns dipped lower on the horizon.
Breathe in, breathe out
But he wouldn't, couldn't stop. They were coming for him. If they caught him, he'd surely be killed, just like his aunt and uncle - in the cruelest, most violent way possible.
Breathe in, breathe out
His lungs were on fire and his legs had gone numb. His throat was parched. How long had he been running? How far had he made it? Had he escaped the Imperials? No, of course not - they knew he was out here somewhere. After all, Darth Vader himself had come for him.
Breathe in, breathe out
The reason why escaped his eight-year-old mind. He was a nobody, just an orphan under the care of his loving aunt and strict yet amiable uncle. And why now? They had been living normally; nothing out of the ordinary had happened until the shuttle touched down. He still remembered the beating of his heart as the stormtroopers, their masks white as death, entered.
Breathe in, breathe out
Somehow - he still didn't know how - but he had hid as they forced Owen and Beru outside. He had thought that they were taking them away, but then he had heard it: the mechanical sound of pure evil.
Breathe in, breathe out
He had almost been sick. Frozen in terror, he had watched the perfectly polished raven boots pass by his hiding place once...then twice...then they stopped.
Breathe in, breathe out
He hadn't even looked up at the black-masked man as he bolted to the door, pure terror and adrenaline fueling him. He had only stopped short when he noticed a red stain on the sand. His eyes slid up, following the trail -
Breathe in, breathe out
He dropped to the ground on his back, finally exhausted of all his strength. The wind and the sand blew around him, threatening to bury him alive. But he didn't care. He was all alone now. He would never be able to escape. Let the elements or the Sand People claim him...it would surely be better than being taken by the Empire.
Breathe in, breathe out
No shelter in sight, no sense of direction, and the heat was quickly vanishing into the cool night Tatooine air. He had never felt such anguish as he did in that moment. Such hopelessness. Such grief.
Breathe in, breathe out
Finally, the tears came. He didn't push them away or dry his cheeks. He let them fall, wetting his tunic and the sand below him as he cradled his head in his arms.
Breathe in, breathe out
Closing his eyes, he wished it was all just a dream.