Hey guys, I'm sorry, my parents forbade coming near my computer, and I couldn't write at all! This and the last chapter are merely introductions for the real business that will come real soon!
May the Force be with you!
Disclamer: I don't own anything besides the plot bunny and Krystal. I swear, she'll be the only OC... for now. Haha!
5 years BBY
"Happy Life Day, Luke!" Krystal congratulated him as she handed his present.
"Thanks. You too, Krys." Luke was slightly overwhelmed by the sheer number of presents he got. "You really went out of way, Krystal", he complained weakly.
"Nonsense, Lukey", she said with amusement, "I got just as many gifts as you did. Besides, I'm almost off-age in Underground, and you will soon be able to enter Academy. I say it's enough of reason to celebrate extravagantly." Luke was still in shock as Ben, Owen and Beru entered Luke's room in Lars' homestad.
"Happy Life Day, darling", Ben said giving his adoptive daughter a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you, Uncle Ben", she said with honest smile. "Sixteen finally."
"You're still not off-hook, young lady", he threatened with glint in his eyes. "You may be almost off-age, but you're way too young for any kind of off-planet adventure." Krystal snorted good-naturedly.
"Soong peetch alay." Luke snickered.
"Yeah", he agreed and doubled over seeing Ben's face pale.
"You snuck out?" Ben demanded incredulously.
"Tagwa, Ur-Damin", Krystal replied and laughed. "You really expected me to be goody girl?" Ben shook his head.
"You're really impossible", he muttered. Aloud he commented, "So you mastered Huttese. What else can I expect?"
"Well, Mando'a only", she admitted. "I didn't really have time for the rest." Luke whistled.
"Can you teach me some phrases? I'd like to insult Imps without them knowing anything." She giggled.
"Sure. Hey, your Aunt and Uncle want to give you a present." Owen gave her a thankful glance and turned toward his nephew.
"Erm", he started, "we think you're now old enough to drive your skyhopper, and Miss Kenobi is old enough to travel over the galaxy, so..." he trailed off. Luke's eyes widened.
"We can go on vacation?" he asked gleefully. Krystal's jaw dropped.
"Vacation? That's the surprise you've been talking about?" she practically shrieked. "Oh, now I have to pack, and..."
"Krys, chill", Luke rebuked her. "Damn, you really need to relax." She pouted, but gave in nontheless.
"And not just anywhere", Ben said warmly. "You're going on a exploring mission on Yavin IV for a month." Luke's and Krystal's faces sported identical wide grins.
"Wheee! Luke, we have to tell Han! I just got his message: we're needed there!" Luke's smile, if possible, grew even wider.
"Now that's something to look forward to. Comm him and say that we'll be there in 1700 sharp." Krys skipped off to her guest room, which held her comlink, while Luke remained with his guardians and Krystal's sort-of-father.
"Luke, can we talk outside?" Ben asked.
"Sure, why not? Uncle Owen, I'm outside", he hollered. "I'll be back in a minute!" He went outside and sat beside a man he regarded as honorary uncle.
"Luke, your uncle didn't want me to give you this, but to survive on Yavin you will definitely need it." He rummaged shortly around his bag, and pulled out a silver tube.
"What's that?" Luke asked his mechanical side wondering from what it was constructed.
"It's your father's lightsaber. An elegant weapon, but for more⦠civilized days." Krystal ran out full speed.
"Uncle Ben! Where are you?" She stopped suddenly, seeing her uncle and best friend speaking. "Am I interrupting something?"
"No, of course not", Luke said in slightly stiff voice. Her eyes narrowed.
"What's wrong?" She then spied lightsaber. "Oh, you're giving him Ani's lightsaber?" she asked with a pride in her voice. "Good. I'll start packing for both of us." She waltzed away then, humming some tune that sounded oddly familiar to both Luke and Ben.
"She knew about this?" Luke asked, betrayal in his voice. Ben shook his head.
"Yes. She decided to pick through my chest, and found this. I couldn't deny her a story. After all, your father was her half-brother."
Luke stared in incomprehension at old Ben, who just smiled benignly.
"Half-sister?" he asked, feeling dizzy. "She's technically my aunt?"
"Yes, she is", Ben said unperturbed. "She even adopted your surname to show just how much she adores your father."
"Krystal Kenobi-Skywalker", Luke said shaking his head. "Of all things, this was the last thing I expected."
"Yes, I know", Ben replied. "Now, Luke, I will ask you the same thing I asked Krystal nine years ago: do you want to learn the ways of Force and become a Jedi?" Luke looked at him in amazement and shouted:
"Yes! Yes, I do!"
Krystal already packed everything by the time Luke and Ben got back in the homestead. She was swinging back and forth on her toes listening to the blaring music over headphones Wedge gave her for her last Life Day.
"Hey, Krys!" Luke yelled throwing his bag in the landspeeder. "Your old man wants to give you something!" Krystal shut the device and walked over. After a short talk, Ben gave her a box which made her smile brilliantly.
"Are you ready for this, Farmboy?" She shouted.
"Sure as hell, Witch Girl!" he shouted back at her and jump-started the speeder.
"Skywalker speed, nephew!" she chuckled, ready for a joyride Luke always gave her. Thankfully, she appreciated crazy speeds, so she wasn't surprised that they got to Mos Eisley in about half a standard hour.
"They're waiting for us", Luke observed climbing out of speeder. Indeed Han, Chewie and Wedge waited for them in front of their HQ.
"Happy Life Day, kiddos", Han greeted hugging Luke and planting a kiss on Krystal's cheek.
"Thanks, Han", Luke replied. "Have you heard the news? We're going on a vacation on Yavin IV!" Han's eyes widened.
"And me an' Chewie have just gotten a vacation ourselves", he said with a smirk. "Wanna hop aboard tommorow?"
"Hell yeah!" Krystal exclaimed. "Now, let's go inside before Imps spot us!"
Party was a blast: it lasted until the early hours of the next day, and extravagantly didn't even begin describing it. Krystal and Luke might've said something about it, had Biggs not reminded them of his 18th Life Day party before he went to Academy. Naturally, most of the original members brought beverages, so it wasn't really surprising to see strange mixture of aliens and humans lying around. Krystal, Han, Lando, Chewie and Luke were the only ones that managed to fight off the intoxication: Krystal and Luke because of their Force training, Chewie because of his huge body, and Han and Lando simply because they were used to it.
"What a mess", Krystal commented delicately weaving around and administering detoxificator to her guests.
"Hey, we knew something like this would happen", Luke shot back moving Wedge onto the couch with Force. "Besides, it's a good thing our reputations have been untouched." Reputations, as Luke put it, was a code word for their aliases under which they hid. Empire didn't know Luke Skywalker, Krystal Kenobi and Biggs Darklighter: they knew Light, Prophetess and Star as leaders of the mysterious Shadow Flight. All of members that knew their real identities had aliases as well: Han and Chewie were Falcon I and II, Lando was Luck, Talon Wild, Winter Frost, Wedge Rogue, and so forth. They were created for communications, so that no spy could identify them.
"Ah, well", girl relented, "at least my old geezer wasn't here. He would've flipped." Ben, or Obi-Wan was really strict: Krystal often said that her father was the most overprotective parent she knew, aside from Luke's aunt and uncle.
"Speaking of which, will he come to see you off?" Han asked nervously.
"Erm, yeah, why you ask?" Luke replied. Chewie roared, and Krystal giggled.
"Don't worry, Chewie, you'll see 'im." Another roar. "Yeah, yeah, I know, he'll come, he promised. Besides, I'm sure he'll be glad to see you: after all, he's not the first Jedi General you've met." Chewie chuckled as Han's and Lando's jaws dropped down.
"Your old man was a general in the Clone Wars?" Lando asked in disbelief.
"And not just any general", Luke said with a smile.
"He was the famed Negotiator", Krystal explained. "Why do you think I have surname Kenobi, huh?"
"Whoa, man", Han said with an awe-struck face, "I got to meet the Negotiator." Unable to hold any longer, Chewie and Luke exploded into laughter, Krystal barely holding herself from joining.
"Damn, Solo, I didn't know you were a fangirl of 'The Team'", Krys teased him. "Oh, this is perfect for blackmail." Han finally got to his senses, and blushed.
"If you ever repeat this..." he threatened.
"Not to worry, it'll be our little secret", Prophetess smirked. Oh, how she loved holding stuff like this over Han's head.
Few hours later Ben appeared in Mos Eisley cantina and went straight for Han's usual table.
"Hello, young Solo, Chewbacca", he greeted Corellian and his copilot. Chewie roared quietly and hugged the old Jedi General.
"Good, thank you for asking", Ben answered. "To the business, gentleman. I hear you're going to fly my daughter and her friend to Yavin system?"
"You got that right, General", Han said with slight sarcasm.
"Krystal was bragging again, wasn't she?" he said with a knowing glint in his eyes. "Very well. How much do you need?"
"Nah, don't worry about that old man", Han reassured him, "that part of deal is already covered. Now, will you come to see 'em off or not?"
