Here comes another!
I don't own Star Wars.
Chapter 38: City in the Clouds
Artoo whined, as it began pouring around him. He hoped that Luke, Mara and Aisha returned soon...
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The strange little creature went about cooking his gruel in his small little hovel, while Luke paced.
"Look, I'm sure it's delicious, but we really need to find Yoda," he insisted.
"Patience. Jedi need to eat too," the creature replied.
"He's right, and this is better than those ration sticks," Aisha said, eating some gruel.
Luke tasted the gruel and while it wasn't his mother's cooking, it tasted better than his ration sticks.
"Will it take long to find Yoda?" Mara asked.
"Yoda not far," the little creature replied. "Tell me, why must you become a Jedi?"
"My father is a Jedi and I've been training with him and Obi-Wan Kenobi. They sent us here to train with Yoda," Luke replied.
"Actually, all three of us have parents that are Jedi," Mara added.
"Powerful Jedi, they are," the creature replied.
"Thank you, Master Yoda," Aisha said, surprising Luke and Mara.
"What? You're Yoda?" Mara questioned. Yoda chuckled.
"Told you about me, your Mother did?" he asked.
"She always spoke highly of you, next to Anakin of course," Aisha responded.
"Master Yoda, we won't fail you," Mara said with determination. "We're not afraid."
"You will be...you will be..." Yoda promised.
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The Imperial Star Destroyers loomed slowly into the asteroid field, destroying the asteroids with laser blasts. TIE fighters roamed around the field, frantically searching for the Millennium Falcon at the order of Lord Vader himself...
~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~
Inside the cave aboard the Falcon, Leia and Padmé sat in the cockpit while Anakin and Han continued to make the needed repairs.
The ship continued to tremble and both were growing worried. Leia stood up as she thought she saw something moving outside the window. Padmé followed her line of vision and suddenly a creature of some kind latched onto the view window. The two screamed in surprise and ran out of the cockpit to tell Anakin and Han.
"There's something out there!" Leia cried.
"Out where?" Han asked.
"Outside," Leia replied. Han and Anakin exchanged glances as they heard something break apart outside. Anakin drew his lightsaber from his belt, but didn't ignite it.
"We'll go out and check it out," Han said grabbing his blaster.
"We're coming with you," Padmé said, latching on to Anakin's arm. The ramp lowered slowly and the four of them stepped out, each having an oxygen mask around their noses and mouths. The minute Anakin stepped on the ground, he knew something wasn't right.
"The ground feels funny," Padmé said.
"It doesn't even feel like rock," Leia replied.
"There sure is a lot of moisture in here," Han mentioned.
Suddenly, a flying creature came out of nowhere. Padmé screamed and ducked against Anakin as it flew over their heads.
She drew her blaster and shot one down.
"A Mynock," Anakin said.
"Mynock?" Leia asked. Curiously, Han shot a blaster bolt at the ground and the everything around them began to tremble violently.
"Get back on the ship!" Anakin called as he steadied himself and Padmé as they made their way up the ramp. They threw off their oxygen masks once they were back inside and Han headed for the cockpit.
"Chewie, get us out of here!" Han yelled.
"But the Empire is still out there looking for us!" Leia protested.
"I don't have time to discuss this with the committee," Han retorted. Leia balanced herself before following him.
"I am not a committee!" she shouted angrily. Anakin helped Padmé strap in before strapping in himself. Han fired up the engines and began accelerating. The opening was beginning to close.
"The cave is collapsing," Leia said.
"This is no cave," Han replied as he squeezed through the teeth of the creature.
As the Falcon ascended into space, the space slug made one last lunge at it. When it missed, it retreated back into the ground of the asteroid. Padmé heard Bella cry out on the baby monitor, followed by Aiden's voice calling for her.
"They must be scared to death," she cried as she undid her harness and make her way back into the cabin, using the Force to steady herself.
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Luke painstakingly climbed the vine in the swamps of Degobah, carrying Yoda on his back. He swung from the vine and front flipped over a tree log. Mara and Aisha followed after him, keeping close to hear Yoda's instructions.
"Yes, run. A Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware of anger, fear, and aggression. The dark side of the Force are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny," Yoda said.
"Like Vader?" Luke asked. Yoda nodded.
"But he didn't have a choice. He was a clone created only to know evil," Mara said.
"Sadly no, a choice he did not have. But you do," Yoda replied.
"How will I know the good from the bad?" Luke asked.
"You will know. A dangerous thing love and attachment can be. Fear of losing one's loved ones can lead a person to the dark side. Down that path, your father could have gone. But saved him, love did. Learned to draw strength from love, your father did," Yoda explained. Luke nodded.
"Is the dark side stronger?" Aisha asked. Yoda shook his head.
"No, but easier it can seem. Now, clear your mind of questions," he ordered as Luke put him down. He looked around and felt that something was off.
"Something doesn't feel right. It feels cold," he said.
"That cave. Strong in the dark side, it is," Yoda said.
"What's in there?" Luke asked.
"Only what you take with you," Yoda replied. Luke began to put his weapons belt back on.
"Your weapons, you will not need them," Yoda warned but Luke took them anyway. Mara and Aisha sat down beside Yoda and waited.
Luke climbed inside the dark, narrow cave and began trekking through it. As he got deeper into the cave, the darkness became stronger.
Suddenly, Vader appeared, his crimson saber blazing. Luke backed away, igniting his own emerald blade.
Vader and Luke clashed sabers furiously. The young padawan took an angry swipe at the Sith Lord, beheading him. Vader's mask melted open and Luke was shocked to see his own face inside.
He extinguished his saber and quickly made his way out of the cave. Yoda sat outside the cave, looking disappointed.
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On board Vader's Star Destroyer, bounty hunters from across the galaxy had gathered. They listened with rapt attention as Vader spoke of a reward for the capture of the Millennium Falcon.
"There will be a hefty reward for the one who captures the Millennium Falcon. Use any means necessary, but I want them alive; no disintegration," Vader ordered, looking particularly at Boba Fett.
"My Lord, we have them. The Avenger is pursuing them out of the asteroid field," Admiral Piett reported.
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"All right, get ready for light speed," Han said as Chewie began flipping the switches.
But nothing happened again as the hyper drive was still malfunctioning. Leia lowered her head in disappointment. Another blast hit them and everyone knew that they couldn't take many more like that. Bella cried and Padmé rocked her gently, trying to console her.
"Daddy...I'm scared," Aiden cried as he clung to Anakin's chest and then buried his face when the ship rocked violently again.
"It will be okay, I promise," Anakin whispered to him. Padmé sent waves of comfort to Bella through the Force and she calmed considerably, allowing her to gently rock her to sleep.
"Chewie, turn us around. I'm switching all shield power to the front," Han said.
"Are you crazy?" Leia exclaimed.
"It'll be okay Leia, I think I know what he has in mind," Anakin replied.
"Sir, the odds of surviving a direct assault on an Imperial-" Threepio started ranting again.
"Shut him up or shut him down!" Han snapped.
He charged the Falcon at the Star Destroyer and then disappeared up and over it. The Imperials couldn't find any trace of them. Captain Needa had a shuttle prepared so he could go apologize personally to Lord Vader for losing them.
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Luke, Aisha and Mara concentrated as sweat poured down their faces.
They held themselves in a hand stand position, while Yoda stood on Luke's feet, instructing they.
They carefully moved the rocks as Yoda instructed, but Artoo's incessant chirps and whirls caused them to lose concentration. They fell to the ground, along with Yoda, only in time to see their X-Wing sink below the murky swamp.
"Oh no, we'll never get it out now," Luke said with dismay.
"So sure you are? Feel differently your father would, if here he was. Feel differently Obi-Wan would as well," Yoda said.
"My father always tells me that with the power of the Force, the impossible becomes possible," Luke sighed. "And maybe dad could lift that ship...but I can't. It's too heavy."
"Right your father is. Powerful ally the Force is. Lift it you will," Yoda said. Luke stood up.
"Alright, I'll try," he replied.
"No...do or do not. There is no try," Yoda instructed.
Luke nodded and reached into the Force. He concentrated heavily on the ship and slowly began to lift it out of the water. The concentration was soon lost and the ship sunk back into the swamp. Yoda looked on, disappointed. Mara and Aisha winced.
"I can't...it's too big," Luke panted in exhaustion.
"Size matters not. Judge me by my size, do you? A powerful ally the Force is...powerful ally. Life creates it, makes it grow. It's energy surrounds us, binds us. Feel it around you," Yoda instructed. "Here, between you, me, them, the tree, the rock, everywhere. Yes, even between the land, and the ship."
"You want the impossible," Luke replied.
Yoda looked down and sighed. Before he could demonstrate, Aisha stepped forward. Her Mother had told her the same thing about the Force; how it's energy was everywhere.
Closing her eyes, she reached deeply into the Force. Luke watched on in amazement as she lifted the ship from the murky swamp and floated it to solid ground.
"Still impossible?" Mara questioned Luke. He just chuckled in response.
But, his faith was renewed.
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Captain Needa gasped for air as he fell to the floor at Vader's feet.
"Apology accepted, Captain Needa," Vader replied. A few of his men dragged the body away as Admiral Piett stood at attention.
"Calculate every possible destination. Find them and don't fail me again...admiral," Vader ordered.
"Yes my Lord," Piett responded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Millennium Falcon sat on the hull of the Executor. Anakin was in the back, trying to get the hyper drive repaired.
"Captain Solo, this time you've gone too far," Threepio complained, only for Chewie to rawl at him in annoyance. "No, I will not be quiet! Why doesn't anyone listen to me?"
"What now?" Leia asked as she shifted Aiden on her lap. Padmé had gone back into the bed chamber to feed Bella in private.
"Well, they'll dump their garbage before they go to hyper space and we'll just float away with the trash," Han said. Leia smiled, as they looked over the star charts.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"Anoat system," Han answered.
"Anoat system...not much there," Leia replied.
"No...wait, this is interesting...Lando," Han said.
"Lando system?" Leia asked.
"It's not a system, he's a man. Lando Calrissian. He's a card player, gambler and scoundrel. You'd like him," Han replied.
"Wonderful," Leia replied sarcastically.
"He's an old friend, we go way back," Han replied.
"You better run this by dad first," Leia replied.
"Bespin. It's pretty far, but I think we can make it," Han said.
"Do you trust him?" Leia asked.
"No, but he has no love for the Empire," Han replied. He set the course and they headed for Bespin.
A strangely familiar ship began following them, unnoticed by them.
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"Concentrate...feel the Force. Things you see–the future, the past," Yoda instructed. Luke shuddered, as he had a vision. He lost concentration and fell from the hand stand.
"Control...control you must have," Yoda scolded.
"Han...Leia... I saw a city in the clouds," Luke said.
"Yes, friends you have there," Yoda replied.
"They were in pain," Luke said, causing Mara and Aisha to lose their concentration. They had been doing better at meditation than Luke, but learning that their friends might be in danger...
"The future you see," Yoda replied.
"Will they die?" Luke asked. Yoda closed his eyes.
"Difficult to see. Always in motion, the future is," he said.
"But I didn't see my parents there. What if something is going to happen to them?" Luke asked.
"Leave here and help them you might. Or destroy everything they've worked for, you could," Yoda replied. Luke nodded.
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Padmé gently rubbed Bella's back as Leia walked over to her.
"Mom...can I ask you something?" she asked as Bella fussed to be put down so she could go play with Aiden. Having given a decent burp, Padmé put her down and let her crawl around to play with some toys.
"Sweetheart, you know you can ask me anything," she replied. Leia smiled and nodded.
"How did you know that Daddy was...the one?" she asked, awkwardly. Padmé smiled at her.
"Well...I just knew. I knew it before I was prepared and ready to admit it to myself. I convinced myself that it was simply an infatuation that would pass at first, because a relationship between a Jedi and a Senator seemed so impossible at the time, not to mention scandalous. But your father knew our love was the Will of the Force and he loved me unconditionally, even when I was pushing him away and telling him that we could never be. It was in his eyes, in the way he looked at me. I guess with your father...I just knew and my guess is that if you're asking me this; it's because you have very strong feelings for someone and you're not ready to admit it to yourself," she said, giving her a knowing look. Leia looked away shyly and Padmé put her hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"Sweetheart, I was unsure of my feelings too, but when I stopped fighting them; I started being happy and found amazing love with your father. Maybe Han isn't the man you imagined yourself with, but love has a way of throwing the unexpected at us. But it's a good unexpected, at least when it's true love and from my experience; Skywalkers fall in love usually once and very deeply," she told her.
"Mom...I didn't say it was Han," Leia protested. Padmé smiled mischievously at her.
"I know, but I know that it is. I'm your Mother, after all," she replied.
"But Han is so..." Leia said, not able to find the words.
"An infuriatingly handsome, reckless flyboy?" Padmé asked.
"Yes!" Leia exclaimed and then looked at her Mother, who giggled.
"When you're ready to stop denying and start loving, you'll be happier than you ever imagined. Believe me, I know; I married an infuriatingly handsome, reckless flyboy myself," Padmé said as Anakin returned from the cockpit.
"Looks like our little ruse worked. I think we lost them," he said as he sat down next to Padme and watched their children play. Padmé turned to him and kissed him with tender passion.
"Wow...what was that for?" he asked.
"Because I love you, flyboy," she teased with a giggle. His brow furrowed in confusion.
"Flyboy?" he questioned.
"Just go with it, handsome," she whispered. He shrugged as she kissed him again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sometime Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Millennium Falcon entered the atmosphere on Bespin and into Cloud City.
"I know we don't have landing clearance. I'm trying to reach Lando Calrissian," Han said into the comm with annoyance dripping from his voice.
"You will not deviate from your current course," the voice replied.
"I thought you knew this person," Leia said.
"That was a long time ago," Han replied.
"This is a bad idea," Anakin said.
"What are you sensing Ani?" Padmé asked.
"I'm not sure. The dark side seems strong here. It clouds everything," Anakin replied.
"Permission granted to land," the voice said over the comm.
"See, nothing to worry about. Lando and I go way back," Han replied.
"Just keep your eyes open Han, something doesn't feel right," Anakin replied.
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The Millennium Falcon landed on the designated platform and the ramp lowered.
"Oh, no one to meet us," Threepio mentioned.
"I don't like this," Leia said.
"Me either princess," Anakin replied.
"Well, what would you like? It'll be fine, trust me," As Han said that, the door slid open and Lando Calrissian approached them followed by his people.
"See, my friend," Han replied. Padmé clutched Bella close to her chest and Aiden hid shyly behind his father's legs.
"Hey!" Han greeted happily.
"Why you slimy, double crossing, no good swindler. You've got a lot of guts coming here after what you pulled," Lando said menacingly.
Anakin's eyes narrowed, but he couldn't get a clear read on the man, since he had strong mental shields. Lando faked a punch, before laughing and pulling Han into a hug.
"How you doin' you old pirate?" Lando asked. "So good to see ya!"
"Well, he seems very friendly," Threepio said with delight.
"Yes, very friendly," Leia agreed with sarcasm.
"What are you doin' here?" Lando asked.
"Ah, repairs. I was hopin' you could help me out," Han replied.
"What have you done to my ship?" Lando questioned.
"Your ship? Hey, you lost her to me fair and square," Han retorted.
"And how you doin' Chewbacca?" Lando greeted and Chewie rawled. "You still hangin' around with this loser?"
"Hello, what have we here?" he asked, as he spotted Leia and Padme. "Welcome, I'm Lando Calrissian, the baron administrator of this colony. And you lovely ladies are?" Lando asked.
"Leia," Leia answered.
"Padmé," Padmé said, as Lando kissed the back of both her hand and Leia's.
"And who might you be?" Lando asked Anakin.
"Anakin. Padmé's husband and Leia's father," he replied, warning him with a stern look.
Lando nodded, noticing the children now and motioned for them to follow him,
"So what's wrong with the Falcon?"
"Hyper drive is malfunctioning," Han replied.
"I'll get my people to work on her. She's saved my life a few times. She's the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy," Lando mentioned as he led them to the accommodations he had prepared for them.
A door slid open and Threepio spotted a silver protocol droid that looked a lot like him.
"Oh, nice to see a familiar face," he said.
"E chutta," it said before walking off.
"How rude," Threepio said as he heard something that sounded like an Artoo unit. But before he could wander off, Anakin came back and grabbed the droid's arm.
"No wandering off Threepio. Everyone needs to stay close in case we need to make a quick get away," he said.
"Oh, but that Lando fellow seemed so nice, master Anakin," Threepio replied.
"Yeah, really nice. Too nice," Anakin replied. Lando led them to their quarters and left them to freshen up a bit.
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Luke and Mara went about fixing the ship, making sure it was in working order.
"Luke, Mara, you must complete your trails," Yoda insisted.
"I can't get that vision out of my head," Luke replied.
"Stay you must!" Yoda insisted.
"But Han and Leia could die if we don't!" Mara retorted.
"You don't know for sure. Even Yoda can't see that," A deep voice spoke out, and Yan Dooku appeared in a glowing, ghostly form. "Let your parents handle it."
"Dad and Mom weren't there in my vision! What if Vader has captured them? My parents could be in danger too. What if the Emperor gets his hands on Aiden and Bella? I have to go," Luke insisted.
"Not ready to face Vader, you are," Yoda said quietly. But Luke didn't listen.
"Artoo, fire up the converters," Luke ordered as he, Mara and Aisha hopped into the cockpit.
"Strong is Vader. Use what you have learned!" Yoda called.
"We will. And we will return Master, I promise," Luke said as he lifted off and blasted out of the atmosphere. He set a course for Cloud City and jumped to hyperspace.
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Anakin wrapped his arms around Padmé as she looked out the window at the busy city. She wore a long blue dress now, as opposed to the white uniform she had been wearing. Her hair spilled around her in loose ringlets, the way Anakin liked it best and she leaned back against him as he kissed her lips softly.
"Are you okay Ani?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just this place. It's so...busy, I can't get a good reading on anyone here. The Force is very clouded. Master would be complaining like crazy right about now," Anakin chuckled.
"I hope the transport made it to safety okay," Padmé mentioned.
"They're all fine. I would have felt it if they weren't. Hopefully, we can try and contact them soon," Anakin said.
"The transponder codes are still in the Falcon, so hopefully we can try once we're on our way again," Padmé replied. "And the sooner, the better. The kids don't like this place."
She gently rocked a fussy Bella up and down. Anakin kissed their baby's forehead and put his hand on her head.
"It's okay my little angel," he whispered and she calmed a little. Padmé smiled.
"We have the magic touch," she told him.
"Aiden and Bella don't like this place, because the dark side is so thick," Anakin replied as they looked to their young son, who was in the kitchen eating the snack Leia was making for him. Lando entered and smiled at his guests.
"I trust that everything is acceptable?" he asked. Padmé nodded.
"Thank you for the accommodations, Mr. Calrissian and having a crib brought up for the baby," she thanked him graciously.
"It is my pleasure, but I would like it even more if you would all agree to join me for dinner," Lando requested. Padmé looked at her husband and he shrugged.
"I don't see why not," Anakin replied. He wasn't crazy about a big formal dinner, for he wanted to get his family off Bespin as soon as possible, but they had to eat, so he saw no harm in it.
"Excellent. I'll see you in the dining hall in two hours," Lando said as he left swiftly.
"He didn't bother to mention how the repairs on the ship were coming," Leia mentioned.
"I'll go catch up to him and see how it's going," Han said as he followed Lando out.
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