I don't own Star Wars. That honor still goes to George Lucas.
Shooting Star
Chapter Two: The Son Of…
"Darth Vader."
It was moments like this that Vader truly hated the sound of his steady, mechanical breathing. Usually he enjoyed the added theatrical fear it caused as people's fear increased by the mere sound. It resonated endlessly, puncturing the deadening silence around anyone he was near. No one could forget his presence with the constant, unnatural breathing. But there were moments where he wished to be truly left in peace, which was never possible as his own breathing seemed to mock his wish for silence, a silence that could never come outside his medically enhanced chamber. Naturally the sound bothered his pride to a degree; it meant he was still not whole. But all the same, he had become accustomed to it.
Yet what bothered him the most was the way people seemed to speak around his breathing, between the inhale and exhale. They needed the sound of their own piteous voices to fill the brief pause between the inhales and exhales of breath, usually breaking the silence by quickly speaking his name. It was pitiful.
"What is it?" Vader finally asked.
"There has been a report of rebel activity in the Sullust system. A group of X-wings attacked a convoy," Captain Wermis explained to him dutifully. The man was barely competent and extremely on edge around him. The only upside to his presence was the amount of fear that he produced acted as a heady stimulus of the darkside of the Force.
Vader mulled over Wermis's words. The situation in the Sullust system had been tense ever since an illegal takeover had gone astray. While the new leadership had acted independently outside the Empire's verbal consent, the dictator had declared its staunch support of the Empire which was why the Empire had not stepped in to stop him. However, Sullust's people were less than thrilled at the declaration, having hoped to side with the rebels.
"Captain, I believe it necessary to remind the Sullustans what happens to those who support the rebellion. Set course for the Sullust system."
"Yes, milord," Captain Wermis said before turning and carrying out his order.
"One moment," Vader said. He smiled perversely at the way Captain Wermis's entire body tensed and froze, waiting for his next words. "I will be in my chambers. I do not wish to be disturbed."
It was supposed to be lights out for the Ecliptic Evaders Squadron, but they were too elated from their victory in the latest skirmish against the Empire to settle down. Their latest exploit against an Imperial convoy in the Sullust system had gone more smoothly than they could have hoped. Biggs Darklighter felt especially euphoric. It had been his first fight against the Empire since he had deserted, and it felt a little surreal to be part of the rebellion. He looked at his friend and fellow deserter, Derek Klivian who was settling down in the bunk next to his. Both were lazily gazing around at their new rebel friends, feeling more welcomed than they could have hoped for. Biggs knew that what he was doing was for the best, though jumping ship had made him paranoid. He hadn't been sure the rebellion would accept two men who had jumped ship from the Imperials, but he'd been lucky enough to have been vouched for by rebel spy Heliesk who had helped them get to where they were now.
Yet he still felt guilt tug at his gut. If he were to die, his family would never know what had truly happened to him. If he had stayed with the Imps, they would at least be able to get word to his family. Even though he knew his new found friends would do what they could to tell his family if he had been killed, it could put both his family and his friends in danger. If someone found out that his father had a son in the Alliance…well, it could mean death. Until he could speak with his father face to face, his father and his friends would have to be kept in the dark, believing he was still with the Empire.
Biggs was looking forward to the day when he had time to return to Tatooine and tell his father about his decision to join the Alliance. That way he could at least let someone know. He would also hint to Luke at what he was doing. If he was lucky, he would hopefully convince Luke to fly away with him. Not that he expected Owen Lars to let go of Luke so easily, but Biggs would try. Owen was more protective of Luke than Biggs' father was of him. And that was saying something. The other reason he needed to tell Luke was that if Owen Lars ever did let Luke go to the Academy – the mere thought of Luke out in one of the TIEs he might come up against would tear him apart. He would always doubt himself if he knew there was a possibility he could be shooting at his own best friend. And that way Luke could join him. Fighting for the Alliance might not be like their original plans to buy a ship together, but they would still be flying together: for a good cause no less. Besides, it would be far less suspicious if Luke were to contact Tatooine than someone from the rebellion in the odd chance that Biggs were to die fighting for the Alliance.
Biggs pulled out the holo he kept of Kandji, thinking of how hard it had been during those hours when they thought her to be dead but couldn't be certain. He hated to think of his family and friends wondering the same of him. He didn't want them to have to experience that horrible feeling of uncertainty. No, it was not something he wanted them to go through: the knowing would make it easier to mourn. Not that he wanted to die, but he was realistic. If he did die, he wanted them to know and be done with it.
"Hey, Wedge, what're you doing?" Pilot Amil Karsk asked, nudging Wedge Antilles with his foot, distracting Biggs from his increasingly morbid musings.
"Hang on. I think I'm getting it," Wedge said, fiddling with something over on his bunk. Biggs turned toward his new friend in interest.
"What're you doing?" Biggs asked, repeating Karsk's question.
"My cousin, Mirax, is supposed to have a documentary on the holonet. The last one she did labeled her as anti-imperialist. I'm hoping this one will be something a bit more damaging than the last," Wedge said, grinning. He finally moved his hands out of the way to reveal that he was fiddling with a small holonet unit.
"Come on. It's supposed to be lights out. It's one thing if we're chatting, but another if we're trying to hack into the Imperial News Network," Karsk said. But none of the other pilots in the squad were paying him much attention: all curious (and hopeful) that someone would expose what kind of horrors the Empire committed.
"I want to see it. I'm curious if they actually found something worthwhile, and if they let her air it. Doubtful if you ask me, but I still want to see," Klivian said.
"Derek-"
"I said for you to call me Hobbie," Hobbie said with a roll of his eyes.
"Fine, Hobbie, you don't have to be so pessimistic," Wedge said.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's see this documentary."
"There! This is the channel. Should be on in five minutes!"
Former Senator Bail Organa looked around his home with a sense of bewilderment. His daughter, Leia, had recently taken over his position as the Alderaanian representative in the Senate so he could pursue other interests. He had hoped that by leaving his position as senator he would have more time to focus on the fledgling Alliance. There were days when it seemed like there were so many things to prepare, so many thing to consider. He focused mainly on distributing the funds to the Alliance without causing suspicion, but unfortunately for him recent events had almost certainly informed Darth Vader that he was no longer the perfect Imperial citizen he had pretended to be. And while he knew Leia was not one to back down when it came to discussing her beliefs, he trusted her to keep her wits about her and hoped her true allegiance would not be revealed. The last thing he needed was for Leia to be marked as a rebel sympathizer. For now, it was best that he let her handle the political tier in the Empire while he handled the affairs of the Alliance.
Bail tapped his fingers impatiently on his desk. He'd had a meeting scheduled for this evening, but Mon Mothma had had to cancel at the last minute. Their talks were always brief, but he had cleared his schedule because whatever they discussed usually resulted in hours of work afterward.
Something had him on edge: a bad feeling about something he couldn't quite place his finger on. He hoped it had nothing to do with the reason that Mon had had to cancel on him. The constant worry that someone would get caught as a traitor always strengthened whenever someone had to hurriedly cancel a meeting. He knew he should be relishing the brief respite to rest as he had so few of those moments, but the growing feeling that something was amiss prevented him from settling down.
His comm unit buzzed. Bail jumped at the sound, hoping that Mon was able to reschedule.
"Yes?"
"There's something on the holonet you need to see," Captain Raymus Antilles' voice came over the comm. The connection was fuzzy, and Bail idly wondered what part of the galaxy the other man was contacting him from.
"What is it?" Bail asked, turning on the holonet.
"Another documentary by Mirax. Only this time it's worse. Far worse."
Bail frowned. Mirax Antilles had an interesting set of parents and an even more interesting set of ideals. Her Alderaanian mother had gone and married a Corellian man with the same surname, (though they were of no blood relation). She came from a mix of Alderaanian values with the usual Corellian fearlessness and her own independent ideas. As her mother had moved to Corellia and cut off most ties with the majority of her Alderaanian family, he'd only learned of the girl's existence recently when there had been an issue with one of his former colleagues in the Senate. Mirax had been a researcher and camera operator with the reporter Shell-Mar. They had been thrown into the limelight after doing a documentary about an endangered bird.
The holovid had given her the label of "anti-Imperialist," and Bail had hoped to enlist her help in aiding the Rebellion: that was until he had found out that her intentions had not been to show the Empire in a poor light. She, like many others before her, had just happened to upset the wrong people. Which meant that the next thing she would film would have to prove her allegiance to the Empire if she wanted to keep her job.
Fear welled up within Bail. He hoped that she hadn't found something to incriminate her truly anti-Imperialistic relatives – like Bail himself. Or worse: Leia. That would definitely help her to persuade others that she wasn't anti-imperialist. Turning in family, even though she was only very distantly related to his wife's side of the family, seemed to be a very imperialistic thing to do.
The Force emanated from every living being. Darth Vader could feel the Force swirling from the crewmen aboard his current flagship the Devastator, could feel the way most of the men's minds concentrated on mundane tasks, while some of the superior officers were brooding, angry. Vader reached out, relishing in the impenetrable feeling of immersing in that which fed and enriched the darkside.
As he sat in his meditation chamber, breathing the crisp air into his damaged lungs, he could feel the spike of fear from Captain Wermis. The man was fearful frequently, a fear which Darth Vader increased each time he used the Force to partially choke the captain. Truly the man was beneficial to keep around if only to feed from the fear he radiated.
With his increasing fear almost palpable, Vader was unsurprised when this supposedly powerful naval officer stopped outside of his private chambers. Most of Wermis's fears revolved around Darth Vader, the spark of fear coming from the mere fact that he had to report to the dark lord. Usually such reports could easily be made via comm, but Vader had wished not to be disturbed during meditation and had turned it off. It was amazing the types of things they would speak about when they thought his comm channel wasn't on. They foolishly thought that because the comm was off that he could not hear or reach them. Those fools did not comprehend that the Force was everywhere.
Since Vader had asked not to be disturbed, it was clear that those who disobeyed him better have vital information or expect a slow, agonizing death. Of course, if Wermis was coming to him it meant that the information had to be of great importance as the man hated to risk Vader's wrath, something that generally occurred when he had to physically leave the bridge and report to Vader's private quarters. Vader began putting his mask back on in preparation for Wermis's report.
"What is it Captain?" Vader asked as he allowed the captain to enter.
"My lord, forgive the interruption, but a recent holovid documentary just aired which gives new, key information to someone vital during the Clone Wars, someone whose name you have marked down to be notified immediately if any information arises in regards to-"
"Get to the point, captain. Who did this holovid mention? It better be someone of great importance. Your life depends on it."
Luke heaved a deep sigh of relief when he'd finally finished maintenance on the last vaporator. There were some days when it felt like each one decided to be as finicky as possible. It made the day seem to last forever. He wiped the oil from his hands as he stopped to lean against the wall of the homestead, watching as the three moons of Tatooine began to appear in the sky. He used the rag to wipe the sweat off the back of his neck, watching as the third moon, Chenini, appeared on the horizon.
There had been several more attacks from the Tusken Raiders over the past month: the first starting on the day that the two off-worlders had stopped by. His uncle told him that sometimes the sandpeople had rituals that revolved around the moons and especially around the appearance of Chenini as it wasn't always in the night skyline. Speculation was going rampant that the sandpeople felt threatened and believed danger was coming, and it supposedly had to do with Chenini's revolution which was why there were so many extra raids. They felt threatened and were therefore more active. Not for the first time Luke was grateful he didn't believe in any mystical forces that controlled his destiny.
Because of the increase of the attacks, he hadn't been able to go into Anchorhead and visit his friends or to do much of anything. He was becoming ridiculously stir-crazy. He hadn't flown in what felt like years, and even though he knew he had gone longer without flying, he couldn't explain the urge he had to just get into his skyhopper and fly as high and as far away as he could go. His gut told him something dangerous was coming. He might not believe that it had to do with Chenini's cycle and other supernatural forces, but there was unmistakably something going on in the galaxy.
It was times like this that he wished his uncle would just cough up the money and buy an astromech droid so that it could scan the horizons and warn them of approaching lifeforms. That way he might be able to take it with him so he could fly even at night. He'd had the argument with his uncle before that the scanners on the skyhopper would be enough to warn him of danger, but his uncle was always concerned something would happen to him. It was as though his uncle expected him to fly out somewhere, crash, and be unarmed.
Not that he wasn't armed when he flew. His skyhopper was well equipped with weapons. He and Biggs had tagged enough womprats that he was pretty sure he could hit Tuskens without much problem even though they were more agile targets. The only real difference was that womprats didn't fire blasters back at them like sandpeople. Speaking of Tuskens...
Off in the distance Luke swore that he saw something coming.
"Luke! You should come on inside for the night!" Aunt Beru hollered from below.
"Alright, I'll be there in a minute!"
He quickly grabbed his binoculars from his belt and focused. What he saw made his heart drop. Luke wished he was hallucinating, but looking again, it appeared to be a speeder driven by an Imperial officer guarded by stormtroopers.
Luke swallowed the sudden lump in his throat before dashing into the courtyard of the homestead.
"Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru! There's a speeder filled with stormtroopers coming this way!"
His aunt appeared from the kitchen looking stunned.
"What did you say?" his uncle asked, appearing behind her.
"Just now, when I was coming in, I thought I saw something moving in the distance and thought it might be sandpeople. It's a landspeeder with an Imp officer and stormtroopers."
"Luke, stay calm. We'll see what they want. They might just be wondering why the Tuskens seemed to have started acting out more recently. Or maybe those two women you rescued were wanted by the Empire."
Luke had never liked Imperials, despite the fact that he wanted to go to the Academy. But to have them coming to his house made him doubly on edge. And there was no mistaking with their current trajectory that they were coming directly for the homestead.
The loud knock at the door made Luke and Aunt Beru jump. His uncle gave him a look to stay put, but Luke was hot on his uncle's heels as he followed to see what was going on. Owen saw the attempt and hastily pushed his nephew out of view of anyone looking in the doorway, gesturing for him to go away. Luke glared at his uncle but headed down the stairs and out of immediate view.
"Yes?" Owen asked shortly, not bothering to allow the Imperials to come inside. The first horrible thought that went through Owen Lars' head was that they somehow knew who his nephew was. He had spent the better part of the last eighteen years shielding Luke from the Empire.
At first Owen had had no idea and really hadn't cared too much about what had happened to his step-brother after Shmi's funeral. He'd resented him for following the Jedi, leaving Shmi behind as a slave in the first place, but for him to then leave his son behind as well...
It was an irrational thought, but it made him almost bitter toward his step-brother that he could so easily leave everything behind, even his own son. Of course, from what little he knew, that thought was uncalled for as his step-brother apparently didn't even know he had a son.
Which was just fine with Owen as he had quickly come to love Luke as his own. He hoped that one day Luke would understand all the limitations placed on him were for his protection. It was one of those things he had never realized his father had done for him until he had to do it for Luke. And on a much greater scale. If anyone ever found out that Luke Skywalker was the son of the former Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, they could come for Luke merely to kill off the Jedi offspring. It was one of the reasons Owen always told Luke that anything to do with the Jedi and their supposed abilities weren't real.
Even worse than the thought of them knowing Luke was the son of Anakin was the thought of someone finding out Luke was the son of Darth Vader. That would cause pandemonium beyond belief. It was hard to believe at times that Luke was that monster's son, but it was still true and therefore something that he still feared someone (most of all Luke) would find out.
Owen would protect his family: even if it meant blasting each and every stormtrooper at his doorstep.
"You are Owen Lars, correct?"
"Yes," Owen replied shortly.
"Sorry to bother you at this hour, but Governor Tour Aryon herself sent us."
"Excuse me?" Owen said taken aback. Governor Tour Aryon was a well-respected woman who ruled Tatooine effectively and efficiently – to a degree. As far as he knew, she stayed in the capital of Bestine, not bothering to come out this far, letting havoc reign on Mos Espa and Mos Eisely, choosing to stay on the Tatooine capital rather than deal with the riffraff on the rest of the planet. Owen wouldn't put it past her to label moisture farmers in the riffraff category, making him wonder why she would send someone out to speak with him. Quite frankly he wasn't sure he wanted to know. She was a good governor compared to others he'd heard about, but she was biased against those who were of lower social status, which was what likely caused her to only have minimal interaction with the populations near Mos Espa and Mos Eisely. Still, the stormtroopers weren't shooting at him or demanding entrance. That was a good sign at least.
"Yes. She sent us out to speak with your nephew after the holovid documentary aired about him. I must say it was very moving-"
"What? What are you talking about? What holovid? You must have the wrong person."
The Imperial officer seemed a bit taken aback.
"There's no mistaking it. This very homestead was on the holovid," the officer said. Owen stared at the man, confusion and distrust evident on his face. "And you did say you were Owen Lars, didn't you?"
"Owen, why don't we invite them in so we can discuss this," Beru said, coming to stand beside her husband. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Luke stood behind her, bouncing on the balls of his feet, trying to see what was going on. He stopped trying to see over their heads once he realized the Imperials were coming inside. Luke looked at his aunt and uncle questioningly but neither said anything.
"Ah! Luke. The young man himself," the imperial officer said, smiling. Luke looked at him with raised eyebrows. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Uh, nice to meet you too, uh, sir. Who're you?" Luke asked, surprised at the greeting and that the man seemed to know who he was.
"I am Lieutenant Tehax of his majesty's Imperial Army," he puffed out his chest proudly, showing of the insignia on his shirt. As far as Luke could tell, he was just in charge of the squadron, but the guy made it seem like he was in charge of the entire army. The stormtroopers followed the man inside, making Luke uneasy.
Lieutenant Tehax put a reassuring hand on Luke's shoulder as they entered the courtyard.
"I hear that you want to be a pilot," Lt. Tehax prompted.
"Uh, yeah. But I thought that was the Imperial Navy's department."
"It is, but Bestine's Storm Squadron also recruits some of its pilots from the Army. We are here to offer you training to become a Storm Squadron pilot."
Luke swallowed, stunned. He didn't know what to make of the situation. He knew about Storm Squadron. He knew that they were one of the elite TIE Fighter squadrons with a recruitment base located out of Bestine, but why they were coming to look for him and why they were offering him training made no sense. It was truly an honor. Storm Squadron used TIE Advanced starfighters, fighters that came equipped with shields which most TIEs didn't have. Though it wouldn't get him off Tatooine right away, flying all day instead of working on vaporators didn't sound so bad, even if it wasn't the Prefsbelt IV Academy like where Biggs had gone.
"I don't understand," Luke finally admitted. He didn't understand why these stormtroopers and Lt. Tehax had come to his house to recruit him or how they even know he wanted to be a pilot. He also didn't understand why they had sent an army officer instead of a naval officer. Then again, stormtroopers were part of both the Imperial Navy and Army. But still…no matter how many times he repeated these facts in his head, nothing clicked as to why they had appeared so suddenly.
"Yes, your uncle also appeared to be confused. Were you not aware the holovid documentary you recorded aired galaxy wide this evening?"
There was silence for a moment.
"What documentary?" Luke said. Lieutenant Tehax looked almost as confused as Luke felt.
"Reporter Shell-Mar Tanna -"
"She was a reporter?" Luke demanded, incredulous.
"Yes. Didn't you know?"
"They...they recorded me? What was I doing?" Luke asked. He couldn't for the life of him remember when he'd seen them with a holorecorder. And he hated to think of what he'd been doing.
"They recorded him? They didn't ask for his consent!" Owen roared angrily. The smile Tehax had been wearing almost the entire time diminished.
"I see. Give me the copy of the holovid." This command was aimed at one of the stormtroopers standing off to the side who handed over a datachip. "Do you have a holo projector we can show this on?"
Wordlessly Uncle Owen gestured toward the small room where the holovid projector was set up. There wasn't enough room for them all, so most of the stormtroopers waited outside in the courtyard as they sat down.
It started off like a cross between a documentary and a holothriller. The opening scene began with a sweeping aerial picture of the barren Tatooine landscape that Luke recognized as Beggar's Canyon. The scene changed to a shot of what Luke recognized as his skyhopper racing wildly through it.
"But that's-" Luke started, giving lurch. He watched in disbelief as he saw his and Biggs' skyhoppers soaring through the canyon for a brief moment. He shook his head. How had they gotten this? This had happened months ago! Then again, it looked like something Windy might have taken the last day they had all raced together before Biggs had left for the Academy, but still…how had they gotten it?
Shell-Mar's voice came from the holovid as the screen showed a shot of Bestine with TIEs soaring above the city.
"Tatooine. It is the home to the elite Imperial TIE Fighter Storm Squadron, renown throughout the galaxy for their dedicated service of bravery to its Imperial Citizens. Men of only the highest caliber make it as pilots here. Yet there is one heroic young man with the abilities to become a great pilot whose dream to faithfully serve the Empire is so close, yet so far away. For one brave youth living right here on Tatooine who only wishes to serve the Empire, he may as well be light years away."
The next holoshot was of Luke standing outside the homestead, his eyes searching the horizon. Luke felt his jaw drop as he realized that the holovid was talking about him as the youth "wishing to serve the Empire."
Luke could only stare in shock as the video proceeded to explain how the lucky reporter's life had been saved by the young Luke "Lars." They hadn't even gotten his name right! Though he guessed he had never actually told them his last name was Skywalker.
He realized, fuming, that what he thought had been Mirax's binoculars was actually a holovid recorder. Shell-Mar explained that she and her camerawoman had been out to report the historical past of moisture farmers when they had been viciously attacked by sandpeople and then miraculously saved by a heroic youth with no fear for his own safety who risked his life to save theirs. They began to show the holovid of Luke "coming to the rescue."
But it wasn't this information that began to worry Luke. The shot was cut differently than what had really happened. They showed the Tuskens firing at the two women first, followed shortly by a rather dramatic appearance of Luke in his speeder (even though Luke had appeared before they started shooting). He really had looked a bit crazy, especially with the way he was driving with his knees.
Luke felt surreal as he watched himself speeding toward them with his blaster in one hand and his binoculars in the other. His uncle gave him a look at the reckless way he was driving but didn't say anything. Luke was pretty sure he was going to get more than an earful once the Imperials left. Driving with his knees was probably not the best way to show his uncle that he was responsible.
Despite his mortification at the situation, Luke couldn't help but feel proud at how cool he looked as he shot down the Tuskens who were shooting at the two women. His elation was short lived though as the scene cut to Luke treating Shell-Mar's blaster wound.
Luke watched, incredulous, as the holovid incorrectly showed him ripping his shirt from his torso. He shook his head, mouthing wordlessly at the holovid. He had used a bandage from the medpac to wrap the bactapatch on her blaster wound! They had managed to edit it so that it looked like he ripped pieces of cloth from his clothes to wrap around her. He was thoroughly mortified as they showed him bare-chested, disturbed at how accurate they had managed to edit in his naked upper body.
Even though he looked pretty darned good, it was mortifying that they had made it seem like he had ripped off his shirt like that. Apparently they were going for the heroic-barbarian-who-rips-off-his-clothes-around-women-look. Luke couldn't bear to think of anyone else he knew watching this. He'd never live it down.
"Luke risked his own life to get us safely back to his aunt and uncle's homestead before more Tuskens arrived."
At this Luke rolled his eyes. It made it sound like he was running from more sandpeople the entire ride home. It was a bit ridiculous.
What was even more ridiculous, however, was the next segment. Again, Luke could merely stare in disbelief as his own words were spliced and segmented back together, making him say things he had never said in his life. It made him sound like he had a personal vendetta against the sandpeople with nothing but awe for the Empire. It wasn't like he liked Tusken Raiders, but it wasn't like he purposefully went out looking to kill them either.
At least his shirt was on in this scene.
"My research assistant was able to speak with Luke while I was resting from my near death experience. During their discussion, it was clear that Luke was no ordinary youth. His greatest ambition is to serve the Empire, though he's conflicted about leaving his family. And it's understandable why he is fearful about losing them. Tragically orphaned at birth, Luke has faced other, horrific family tragedies," Luke winced, hating how they made it sound like just because he was an orphan that it gave him a greater depth or something. "Luke fears losing those closest to him and will risk his own life to protect his family and friends…and even helpless strangers."
"Many people have been killed by the sandpeople. My grandmother was kidnapped and held by the Tuskens. My grandfather and about thirty others went out to rescue her. Most everyone died before they could save her. My grandfather came back alive, but he was pretty badly wounded, and he ended up dying several months afterward.
"They killed her. It's rare that someone is saved when a rescue party goes out, but how can you just sit and wait, knowing your loved ones could still be alive?"
Shell-Mar's voice cut back into the recording while the holovid showed Luke once again looking off across the desert skyline. It was all so corny. They'd cut out him talking about Biggs' crush, Kandji, and used it to talk about his grandmother, and they had completely cut out how he'd mentioned his uncle had gone looking for his grandmother. He didn't understand why they would do that.
"Clearly young Luke feels it is his duty to protect his family from the Tuskens, though he is torn each day about wanting to help protect the rest of the galaxy," Shell-Mar said, a deep reverence in her voice. "Perhaps it is because of the significance of the date of his birth.
"I'm eighteen. I was born on Empire Day."
Luke groaned. They must have had to cut that up pretty choppily because he hadn't said too much about that at Mirax's prompting. She'd really tried to press him to admit he was born on Empire Day, no matter that he'd told her he'd been born three days later.
"Clearly he was born to serve for the greater good having been born on the very day of the Empire's birth!"
"I have great love for the Empire. My best friend Biggs recently left for the Academy to become a pilot. I also want to be a pilot. I love to fly. I want to be able to make a difference. I don't know that I do much good here. But I know my uncle needs help with fending off sandpeople, so I stay."
There was a dramatic pause, a pause where he remembered Mirax prompting him. His uncle gave him a look, but Luke hoped it was clear on his face that he hadn't said he thought his uncle needed help fending off sandpeople. Anyone who knew his uncle knew that he could probably take on a whole tribe with a single blaster. Luke remembered quite vividly telling them his uncle needed help with the harvest which was why he stayed. He couldn't believe how much they had edited his actual words!
"I'm not afraid to risk my life, especially if it's for the Empire. My father was a navigator on a spice freighter. He died before I was born, and I feel like every time I fly that I'm somehow closer to him in the stars. And flying isn't really that dangerous if you know what you're doing. I'm the best pilot in this area."
Despite all the lies he had been hearing since the holovid started, Luke still couldn't believe how much they had mangled what he'd said, taking out a few of his words from one part and putting them in where they'd be taken as something else!
They cut to another scene of him flying over Beggar's canyon with Biggs.
"Before his best friend, a young man named Biggs Darklighter, left for the Imperial Academy, the two men, dedicated to serving the Empire used to race here, practicing their techniques. They would also frequently shoot down the dangerous kryt dragons that roamed the area to help further protect their families."
Luke held back a groan. Usually he and Biggs would shoot womp rats. Yeah, maybe once or twice they'd taken out a kryt dragon, but it made it sound like they went out of their way to purposefully rid the area of them.
The holovid of him and Biggs racing was clearly footage that Windy had taken not long before Biggs had left. There was actually a good shot of Luke doing some pretty impressive flying through the canyon, and they even had a few clips of him shooting at womprats, which they edited enough that it was impossible to tell what he was shooting at. He supposed womprats weren't impressive enough targets.
"It was clear from the moment Luke saved my life that he was no ordinary man. He is an extraordinary pilot whose talents the Empire could use. And what is more, Luke is a hero. He wanted to save the life of someone he didn't even know with no thought of reward or what might happen to him. Luke is a gifted pilot who wants to serve the Empire by offering up his abilities, yet torn, knowing he should stay home to protect his family. Clearly this boy was destined for something far greater."
Thinking that the holovid was almost over, Luke hadn't prepared himself for the final segment.
"And startling information discovered on his likely parentage sheds light on how Luke may be even more important than even he knows."
Luke noticed both his aunt and uncle tense, as though their worst fears were confirmed. He hadn't mentioned much about his father other than how he'd been a navigator on a spice freighter, but maybe they had found some documents about him. He sat up straighter, intrigued, despite his anger at everything they had twisted.
"While speaking with Luke's aunt, we discovered some interesting information."
"Luke's father was a navigator on a spice freighter," aunt Beru's voice came over the holovid, repeating the brief information Luke had already divulged. It showed her preparing lunch for Mirax and Shell-Mar. She looked like the ideal, kind, motherly woman who anyone would be proud to have as their mom. "His mother, well, we didn't know her well. I only met her once. A very pretty young woman from Naboo. Padme."
Those who didn't know his aunt wouldn't be able to tell, but Luke could clearly hear the way her words were broken up, showing how whatever she had said had also been altered to make the story more interesting. Shell-Mar's voice cut back in.
"And is it coincidental that the day of Luke's birth, Empire day, is the recorded date of death for the dearly beloved Padme Amidala, the former Senator and Queen from our great Emperor's home planet of Naboo? She was believed to have died carrying a child. Yet could there be more going on here? Is the child of Padme Amidala actually alive and well?"
Shell-Mar's voice took on a hint of excitement.
"The very first time I saw him there was something instantly likeable, not to mention familiar about Luke. For those too young to remember, Senator Amidala played a vital part in helping put the Emperor in power, as well as to help shape the infant Empire before its birth during the Clone Wars. And anyone can see the resemblance between Luke and the late Padme Amidala."
A picture of his face was posted next to a beautiful woman whom he could only assume was this Padme Amidala they had talked about. Luke could barely listen as a computer scanner showed similarities between their faces, little lines and data parts indicating similar feature aspects giving them a 72.3% likelihood of being mother and son.
"The fact that the analysis scored a 72% without the cross reference of a father is astoundingly high odds to show that Luke is almost undoubtedly the son of Padme Amidala. The child who was believed to have died with her is apparently not only alive and well, but a hero."
An old recording of the woman in the senate, looking regal with an unmistakable baby bump flashed on the screen.
"It was an open secret that the senator was pregnant, though the identity of the father was never revealed. Many have speculated about her mysterious death. There were always questions as to why no attempts were made to save her unborn child who would have been a rallying point for her supporters. Could Luke be the late Queen Amidala's flesh and blood? Certainly. Luke shares many characteristics as the late queen, including having great loyalty to the Empire, being compassionate toward others, and being passionate about his beliefs."
There was a segment a few minutes long that showed the woman heatedly debating with others in the senate. She looked both regal and fierce, something Luke was sure he wasn't. How anyone could mistake him for her son was laughable! Still, there was something about the woman…something familiar. Having a mom like her would have been amazing, Luke thought wistfully. The wish was so strong, Luke started to hope that maybe it was possible. But then he realized how stupid that was considering all the other lies they had said about him.
"Given Naboo's history of spice miners on Naboo's moons, we can easily conclude that one such navigator caught her fancy. And in her unfortunate and tragic death, the boy was whisked away to his father's family in order to prevent her foes from attempting to kill the boy. Her suspicious death has always been accounted to assassins, as many attempts had been made against her life during her days as both queen and senator. It would have been difficult to hide him on Naboo with the unrest there after the establishment of the Empire. Clearly Luke is more than just a moisture farmer; he is the son of a senator: the son of a queen.
"But he has grown into an exceptional young man who should be hidden no longer."
At first, the idea enthralled him, but Luke knew that it just wasn't possible. Especially if this woman had died on Empire Day, there was no way she could be his mother. Then again, something about the way Shell-Mar said her "recorded" death as though she too were skeptical about the dates. What did it matter? Luke was sure that he wasn't the son of a queen. Why should he believe them? After all, they'd made up everything else he'd said.
"Luke is a great hero, a great pilot, and if only given the chance, he might just be the next up and coming prince in the Empire."
The holovid ended. There was silence for a moment. Lieutenant Tehax beamed down at Luke.
"That's ridiculous!" Luke blurted out. Tehax looked affronted at the outburst. Luke blushed. He realized he shouldn't state that everything he'd said about the Empire had been twisted, especially not in front of a bunch of stormtroopers. "I'm – I can't be her son." Luke nodded as though that settled things and looked at his aunt and uncle. Of course he'd heard his mother's name was Padme, but it was Padme Skywalker because his parents had been married. He was pretty sure about that fact. And he'd never really thought to ask where she was from; he'd always assumed she'd been from Tatooine too, though why his aunt would have mentioned Naboo to Shell-Mar and Mirax and not tell him that he wasn't sure. Probably something they had coerced her into saying.
He looked at his aunt and uncle expectantly, waiting for their outburst. Instead he could merely watch as his aunt looked at her hands. His uncle didn't seem to know what to say. Though Luke could tell that it was more due to the fact that there was too much he wanted to say and they all knew it wasn't a good idea to speak about certain things in the presence of their current company. That had to be why they weren't speaking to him.
"I knew she was someone important, but I didn't know she used to be the queen of her planet or a senator," Aunt Beru finally said. It took a few moments for her words to register in Luke's brain.
"What are you talking about? She's not my mother." His aunt and uncle shared a look.
"Luke, when we adopted you, we knew that your mother had died, but we didn't know much more about her. We met her once when she visited with your father. The woman they showed was definitely your mother."
Luke was grateful he was sitting down. He didn't quite know what to say. His mind tried to replay what they had said about her briefly. She was from Naboo. She had been a queen and a senator. Her death had been mysterious and thought to be the work of assassins. It sounded like the plotline to a holomovie, not something from his boring life.
"I'm very sorry, son. I didn't realize you were unaware of what was being recorded. And of course the revelation of your mother must be a shock," Lieutenant Tehax said. Luke swallowed. It made it almost worse that this Imperial was being so nice. He had very little experience with Imps, but the ones who he had met he hadn't cared for. The fact that this Imperial, a man who seemed like a genuinely nice guy, believed that Luke was likewise an avid Imperial supporter made Luke feel even worse. He felt like a fraud, and he hadn't even done anything. They had twisted his words, making him appear completely different than what he truly believed and who he truly was.
"Could you give us a few minutes?" Aunt Beru asked quietly. Lt. Tehax nodded and motioned for the stormtroopers to head out back into the courtyard.
"I didn't say all that stuff on there!" Luke said in a rushed whisper.
"I hope not," Uncle Owen said.
"But, was that woman really my mother? I mean, weren't my parents married?" Luke asked, feeling like everything he thought he knew about himself was crashing down around him.
"Yes, but they were married secretly. Luke, the reporter did get something right," Uncle Owen said. And Luke was surprised to see his brave uncle shaking. "There are people who will be after you now that they know who your mother was."
"At least they said his name was Luke Lars. That will help," Aunt Beru said.
"What do you mean 'help?'" Luke asked.
"You're going to need to leave Tatooine as soon as possible for your own safety," Owen said, his face thoughtful – yet fearful. The thought that his uncle, his uncle who had never wanted him to leave was telling him to go just didn't sit well with Luke. It was almost a naïve notion, but his uncle always seemed so invincible. That Uncle Owen believed he couldn't take on whatever might come their way made Luke fearful.
"Do you think he knows? Do you think-?" Beru started. Owen shook his head. A cold feeling that this "he" could be after him made Luke's stomach plummet. It looked like there really could be people coming after him. It had sounded so farfetched on the holovid that anyone would want to kill him. But it took a lot to make his uncle look so fearful. The thought that his mother had been assassinated, murdered, began to fill him, leaving him feeling hollow.
"Who knows what all he knows? But we can't take that chance. If this was broadcast all over the holonet-" Luke felt another swoop in his stomach realizing that millions – even billions – of people might have seen that holovid about him, "– then we can't waste any time. We don't know who might have watched it."
"Excuse the interruption, but you appear to have a neighbor seeking help," Lt. Tehax said from the doorway. "He says his name is Ben."
Next Chapter: A Rise in Popularity
So, was that the reveal you expected me to make about Luke's parentage? :) And no worries; Vader's reaction will be in the next chapter!
And thank you to all those who have faved and reviewed this fic! I honestly wasn't sure how this story would be received since I haven't written a Star Wars fic in years, and I must say the reviews have been very encouraging so far. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Just to clarify, Wedge Antilles is from Corellia, and Captain Raymus Antilles (you know, the guy who Darth Vader chokes from the Tantive IV in the very beginning of A New Hope), is from Alderaan. And I know there is some discrepancy as to whether or not the same Captain Antilles seen in Episode III is the same who Vader kills in Episode IV. But as it has been "confirmed" to be the same person (despite some rather major inconsistencies) that's what I'm going with.
Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the fic. What do you think so far? ~ Jelp
