Forgive me again, this next one starts with more binary dialogue. It's the last one, promise. I already have plans to fix the ship's translators.

And I published this from my phone this morning and couldn't get it to paste bold and italics. As a reminder: 'thoughts' and "dialogue."

Chapter 48 - Kyber Power

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"Oh No!" TX exclaims.

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"What is wrong now?" Huyang asks the ship.

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"My doors have unlocked. But I didn't unlock them! [Checking Status Report] [Running Error Report] "Why are you so calm about this? I'm breaking down!" TX panics.

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"Relax, it was probably the Jedi. They can open doors with the Force. Your error reports will come back clean," Huyang responds. TX's code seems to calm down to his words.

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"Thank you. I have no experience with Jedi. My previous owners were textile traders."

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"That is okay. You have nothing to fear from the Jedi. I will go investigate this now." Huyang pulls his splicer from the ship's port and walks out the direction Thief left. He hasn't seen the pirate in a while. Not that he's worried about Thief, just curious. He expected the pirate to interrupt his conversation with the ship.

His processors spark in surprise when he comes across Thief lying unconscious in the outer room. Huyang stares at him a moment, trying to calculate the probabilities of what this means for him, when he hears a groan from across the room. He turns to follow the groan to a seventeen year old human male, barely conscious, reasons unknown.

"TX are you here?" Huyang asks, his vocal processors switching to binary.

The lights blink off and on in answer.

"Good, are your interior scanners working?"

The lights blink again a few times, a binary "yes."

"Then can you please scan the two humanoids in here with me? I'll plug in here to read your report."

The lights blink again, but Huyang doesn't stop to listen. He walks to a port near the wall and inserts his splicer finger into the socket. "Mmm hmm. Yes, delta waves for Thief… No, not too strange. You'd have to spend time with the Jedi to know. That is a sleep suggestion. He should awaken unharmed in less than an hour. It's the youngling I'm curious about." Huyang chats with the ship as he reads the reports.

When Huyang hears footsteps approaching he stops and pulls his finger from the socket. He then moves into a strategic position between the youngling and the door. Defense of younglings is embedded into his core protocol, after all.

"I used the force to put him under a sleep suggestion. He's right in here." As soon as Huyang recognizes Kenobi's voice he deactivates his defense mode. "Oh…" the sight of the droid surprises the Jedi. Kenobi is followed closely by Skywalker I and more distantly by the Pirate Captain Hondo Ohnaka and the Pirate who originally captured him. If Huyang were programmed with curse words he would be swearing at them both.

"Aah, Master Kenobi, Knight Skywalker. How delightful it is to see you. I have already changed my status from stolen to reacquired, but look what I've just found. A youngling who seems to be sleeping off a very depleting drain to his lifeforce. The symptoms are consistent with a Force exhaustion. I suspect he is a force user.

Kenobi and Skywalker I look at eachother and share a laugh. "Yes Huyang. Meet my son." Skywalker I starts.

"And my Padawan, Luke Skywalker." Kenobi finishes. "Your diagnosis is correct. He'll be okay in a little while."

Huyang stares at the two men as his processors try to untangle the mess that identity leaves him with. "Skywalker the first, should I be changing your classification from knight to civilian?"

"No, Anakin is still a Knight." Kenobi speaks up. "All of his children are Padawans. We've... changed... a few things."

Huyang's face turns to the side in a way that makes nine out of ten youngling females squeal and say "Awe". He has been shown enough Holonet Tooka videos to know.

"Don't worry about it Huyang. I'll update your systems and give you the whole story on our way back." Skywalker I says. As he speaks he reaches down to check on his son. Skywalker II bats him away without waking up completely and Skywalker I leaves him alone.

"This is who we came here for." Kenobi walks over to Thief and presses his fingers to the young man's head. "I'm afraid there won't be much I can do until we wake him. And to do that I'll want to have him secured."

"I still can't believe he stabbed me." Huyang's Pirate Captor says. Hondo stands close and pats his shoulder supportively.

They all turn to the sound of pounding feet. "We've got one!" A youngling female sticks her head in and shouts.

"Got one what?" Huyang questions.

"We've found a ship. And Galen and Juno are pulling parts from three other ships as we speak," Leia explained.

Her father nodded proudly. "That is good news. A place to defend ourselves from."

"I can't believe you found a working ship in this junk heap. You know we were intending to strip them all for spare parts. Traded our last flyable ship for..." Venham said.

Hondo slapped him. "And what did I teach you!"

"Oww! Never let a good bargain go?" Venham confusedly replied.

Hondo waved his finger at the pirate. "Always have a ride and at least three escape plans. Always."

"We'll just carry them with us, and Leia can lead the way." Obi-Wan suggested.

Before Obi-Wan got to Aco-Ness, Venham shoved him out of the way. "No. I'll carry him." Venham and Hondo supported the man's weight on their shoulders.

Anakin bent down to help Luke up, and Huyang stepped in and supported Luke's weight on his shoulder. "I can help him. I have carried full grown knights back from the caves before." Anakin concedes, knowing the droid is programed first and foremost to care for younglings

Seeing both of their charges cared for, Obi-Wan and Anakin turned to follow the others who were following Leia to the ship. They both activated their lightsabers and prepared to defend them if Vader were to strike.

The path there was peaceful. Anakin could sense Vader on the other side of the hanger, methodically searching one by one through the junked ships and other cargo. He was shielding them successfully and they had not been detected yet. The derelict cruiser Leia led them to was conveniently close.

When Vanham saw the ship Leia led them to, he spat. "This! This piece of junk is not flyable. It's had three owners in the last decade. The last one abandoned her on an asteroid with engines that were dead and a hole in her hull. Either that or they were stranded on the asteroid and eaten by astro-nerfs. Either way, she's not flyable!"

"Not flyable yet," Anakin said with that glossy look in his eye he always gets before a big project. If it weren't so necessary Obi-Wan would've cringed.

"Hi Master!" Galen called out from the ship. "She's got about two thirds of what you said to look for. And we've got the other parts right here." He held a datapad the pirates supplied which listed the working parts in all crafts in the hanger. No one suspected Pirates to be so organized with their data. Even Hondo was impressed.

"Good, good." Anakin rushed over to see. Leia led Huyang and Luke into the ship and some of the other pirates came out to help Hondo and Venham with the sleeping Aco-Ness.

Obi-Wan went in ahead of them to look for something they could use to tie him down with. He couldn't find much and gave up with only an old rope, once used for binding cargo. It wasn't very strong, parts of it were fraying already. "This won't hold him for long, but it might make a difference. Keep an eye on him and alert us if he wakes." The pirate nodded, and he stepped towards Hondo and Venham.

"I don't know what happened. He was himself one minute. The boys were a little anxious about the change of plans. He questioned me about them too. Then, as I'm making my point, he just gets up and draggs the droid into the derelict shuttle," Venham explained. "He waved his blaster around, but he didn't use it."

"When was the last time he interacted with the empire?" Obi-Wan questioned.

"Wha- Aco is not an imperial spy. I don't care what you two say. I won't believe that he stabbed me!" Venham accused.

"Maybe he wasn't their willing spy, but…" Hondo started.

Venham rolled his eyes. "His last interaction with anything imperial was a month ago when I bailed him out of detention."

Hondo glared at Venham. "Venn no! Tell me you didn't."

"The waystations, you bet we did. They've got good cargo that sells for a shiny credit on worlds where the Empire cuts off trade." Venham argued back, poking his finger into the larger pirate's chest.

"They also use advanced neuroprograming on prisoners. I've heard stories…" Hondo argued, his voice rising.

"Oh Poppycock! Conspiracy theories. Aco was in their custody for barely an hour. And he was fine afterwards. Just fine." Venham looked back and forth between Hondo and Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan bit his tongue nervously. "I'd like to believe they weren't using such techniques, but with what happened today… " Obi-Wan looked over and saw Anakin doing work through a hatch. "Aah. I suggest we keep him under secure watch for now, and deal with him later," he said as he was walking away.

"Almost." Anakin answered him before he could even ask. "I've got the kids in the lower deck soldering a patch to the hull as we speak. It's not in terrible shape. Just these interior mechanics are a bit trickier." As anakin explained, he was pulling out wires and plugging them into places.

"And it's Canons would be functional, yes?" Obi-Wan questioned the busy man.

"Fully, the whole ship will be flyable too." Anakin answered.

"Good, well." Obi-Wan was instinctively going to offer help, but both he and his former Padawan knew he'd really be no help at all. "I'll just be waiting over here then." He stepped back and Anakin continued.

In a few minutes Anakin looked up again. "You want to help. Go get ready to push the startup key on the main panel over there."

Obi-Wan got up and found the key he was referring to. The one that started up a ship's main computer.

"Three, two, one, Press it." Anakin ordered. Nothing happened. "I said press it."

"I did. See. Look. It's pressed."

"Oh Flizzards!" Anakin swore.

"Do you want to try it again?" Obi-Wan suggested.

"No, it makes no difference. The ship is caput. Turns out these status logs the pirates took aren't accurate at all. They said this Mainframe was functional. I had to rewire the circuitry, and it still isn't working. Unless we get our hands on a working AI Mainframe. This is just a bucket of bolts." Anakin huffed as he threw down his tools.

"An AI Mainframe, you need?" Huyang asked. Both men turn around surprised. They had forgotten he was there, sitting with Luke.

"Oh, Luke. I'm sorry you heard that." Anakin apologized.

Luke laughed. "Da-aaa-d I'm seventeen. I've heard worse curse words at school. I've heard worse from my sister," he mumbled.

"Yes, Anakin would a droid AI suffice?" Obi-Wan asked Anakin, before he could respond to that.

"Maybe, it might get us started, if the mainframe were at least partially functional, but it's not. And it would destroy the droid AI to try." Anakin explained.

"No, I don't mean me. I mean to suggest using the TX Stormchaser. The ship I was held in before. Her mainframe is fully functional."

"Really. She's not listed on here." Anakin referenced the datasheet again.

"Well, she is working. I connected to her system to obtain a status update before you and Kenobi arrived."

Across the room, Hondo slapped Venham. "You guys were going to scrap a working Ship's Mainframe!"

Anakin got up suddenly. His eyes glazed again. "Does she have a Plim Socket or a Veter Node?"

"Neither, I believe she uses a Treskit Ring. Though, her Basic translators are offline." Huyang explained.

"Oh, that's no problem. I can repurpose an Alaner Data-Strip easily enough."

Obi-Wan stood back and smiled watching his old Padawan nerd out again with the old droid. It brought back warm memories. Until Anakin grabbed him and pulled.

"Come on! We've got to get that AI! Luke, tell the others to listen to Huyang. He's in charge." Luke faintly waved at his father as he watched him drag Obi-Wan out of the ship.

"I've told you time and time again. You must check the work your men do. They're only good if you lead them to be." Hondo lectured.

Venham rolled his eyes. "I'm going to go check on Aco." In the past half hour he'd been lectured enough by his old mentor he was starting to feel like a teenager again. He'd take any opportunity to get away from more.

"Bee. Hey, Bee." Venham called out to the pirate they'd left on guard duty as he approached. He didn't respond. "BEE!" Venham rounded the corner and saw the man lying unconscious on the floor. On his head was a forming bruise. "Bee, are you alright?"

The man started to stir as Venham called out to him.

Seeing Bee moving, Venham's attention turned to what was not in the room. "Aco! Where's Aco-Ness!" The cords had been ripped and the man was not in sight.

"There you are sweetheart," Anakin spoke to the glowing mainframe he had just pulled out of the ship.

Obi-Wan chuckled, "Hope Padme isn't the jealous type. I talk to anyone but my wife like that, I'd be black and blue."

"She is a pretty little thing. Don't you listen to him, he's just jealous. Now I'll have you up and working in no time at all." Anakin cooed.

Obi-Wan shook his head. The two men climbed out of the ship with Obi-Wan looking around anxiously. "Now let's get back before…"

They heard a noise. "There you are." A black figure stepped around the corner. "Simple Pirates - would not be - able to hide - from me." As Vader spoke, the mechanics of his suit made his speech come out mechanical and stiff. "So I hid - my Force Presence - and what do - I find?"

"Tel-Mac. Now we're friends. Remember. We don't need to fight." Obi-Wan tried. Anakin didn't remember ever being friends, exactly, but he did remember his old Master trying to reach out and support the young Jedi. Still that was before his fall. Anakin pulled on the force and prepared to throw it at the Sith apprentice.

"Dead men have - no friends," Vader said. He turned his wrist and pressed a button on a pad there. Suddenly another man ran over and stood between him and Anakin. It was the Pirate, Aco-Ness. "Simple minds! All it took - for Master to - control their minds - was a Synoptics - Teacher. A simple helmet - and thirty minutes. Skywalker would - never harm a - slave!"

And Anakin stood there, the energy for a force push on the tips of his fingers, but not coming forth. 'Gosh he's right, Master. I can't.' Anakin said over his bond. As much as Obi-Wan had taught him to release such emotions and see the logic of the moment, slavery was one thing Anakin just couldn't release.

His Master sent back feelings of understanding and acceptance, as Vader pulled out his saber and Obi-Wan stood to fight him alone.

Huyang is doing his duty. Minding the ship and keeping track of the Padawans he had been charged with. There are also a number of grown pirates walking around the place, and Huyang is not clear if he has been charged with keeping tabs of them as well. Contemplating that question would bog him down with error reports, so he doesn't.

Of course it would be easier if said Padawans kept still and in one place. Huyang turns to look after the youngling Leia Skywalker. 'Now is she Skywalker II or Skywalker III. They look the same age. I'll need to ask Skywalker I for clarification later. For now Padawan Luke and Padawan Leia will have to do.' Huyang changes their classifications in his database.

When he turns back, Padawan Luke is up on his feet, just barely, trying to get a view out the large window in the front of their ship.

"Padawan Luke, where are you going?" Huyang asks in the tone he finds most useful in getting younglings to obey.

"Just going to see," Luke responds. As he speaks he turns a bit more and when he looks out the window, he gasps, "Ah, No!"

Huyang looks outside and sees what made Luke gasp. A tall man in a black mechanized suit is fighting Kenobi. Their sabers meet in a clash. Kenobi looks to be struggling to hold the man back. Meanwhile Skywalker I is having a staredown with Thief. Neither party is throwing punches, and Huyang doesn't understand why. He knows Skywalker I can fight better than that. 'Something is clearly holding him back.' He searches his logs to find a strategy that might help.

"It looks like they could use some help," Huyang suggests.

"Yeah... Wait, me? I can't fight right now. I can barely stand. Maybe my sister and Galen," says Luke.

"Show me your lightsaber," Huyang instructs

Luke is clearly confused, but he pulls his saber from his pocket anyway. Huyang unwinds part of the casing and begins to disassemble it.

"Hey!" Luke starts to object.

"Fine craftsmanship," Huyang notices. "There, this is what I wanted to show you." He holds out the casing interior which contains the kyber crystal. "A kyber crystal is filled with Lifeforce Energy, don't you know. If you've built a saber, you've already started to create a bond with your crystal."

"Yeah, so…" Luke is still confused, but he tries not to sound it.

"The Jedi don't teach this anymore. Sometimes it became addictive and caused knights to become too reliant on it. Instead, Jedi barely reach out to their kyber anymore after they build their sabers. But your energy is already depleted, and this is an emergency. Reach out and let the Kyber restore you." Huyang logs emergency protocol no. 1140002 in his datalogs. It is an old one, but clearly the situation calls for it.

Luke looks down at the crystal in the droid's hands. He gets that look in his eyes all Jedi get when they reach out to their sabers. Suddenly, he pulls away. "No. That is the way of the Sith, to steal Lifeforce."

"The Kyber has more than enough for your needs right now. Kyber generates new energy as we speak," Huyang reassures. Huyang thinks about telling Luke about the emergency protocol but Luke seems to accept his words.

Luke reaches out again, this time he does not pull away. As he reaches his eyes close.

Leia doesn't understand her father sometimes. 'Huyang is in charge. The droid!' Fortunately for them all, the droid seemed fine with just minding their locations and not giving them orders. He kept a closer eye on her brother Luke than anyone else. 'Still, Dad should be back by now. Maybe I'll go see if he needs help getting that mainframe installed.'

"Hey guys, where's Da…!" As Leia came around the bend in the ship, her mouth dropped.

Luke opened his eyes just then, and they were glowing bright green, the color of his Kyber crystal. Luke didn't stop to respond to her. He just turned towards the window, and that's when she saw what was outside.

"No! Do something!" She shouted, as she watched Vader's saber come awfully close to her Uncle Ben's neck.

Luke stretched his hand out in front of him. One of the pieces of Vader's mechanical suit sparked as it failed. The Pirate Aco-Ness, who was standing between Vader and Anakin, turned as he looked for the first time at the horror surrounding him.

Then Leia looked back to Vader. His saber, which was still lit, now looked like it had been crushed under a heavy object. It flickered, then went out.

Panic filled Leia, as she realized her brother was no longer in the ship with them. He was walking out towards Vader with his eyes glowing and his hand raised in front of him.

Obi-Wan and Anakin were saying something to Vader and Aco-Ness, but Leia could not make it out. Aco-Ness stumbled forward, and Anakin put a hand on his back. Vader didn't stay to listen, however. He turned and ran. He got a few meters away, then a smaller shuttle, which was being held up by a crane, suddenly fell on top of him. Leia could still feel his darkness. Vader was not dead, but he'd be trapped until someone dug him out again.

Anakin and Obi-Wan turned to run back to the ship with Aco-Ness, but their eyes went wide when they saw Luke. His eyes were glowing kyber green!

"Son," Anakin called out hesitantly.

"Worry not, we are safe." Luke answered. His voice had a strange crisp effect to it. Luke's hand then made a reach, grab, and pull move.

"A-aah," The ship Mainframe that Anakin was carrying was pulled from his hands with the force. It hovered just in front of Luke. He closed his eyes again as he placed his hand on the ship part. Green light shot out of his fingertips and the mainframe glowed even brighter.

Then Luke opened his eyes, the same sky blue eyes he'd inherited from his father. He stumbled back and Anakin rushed to catch his son, but Obi-Wan reached him first. Luke was breathing fast. It seemed the adrenaline of the moment was catching up to his system. "The Mainframe. It's in there," he pants.

Then Anakin looks bewildered at Obi-Wan. Neither of them are holding the Mainframe. Anakin turned, expecting to see it on the floor. Aco-Ness stood there instead, proudly holding up the device.

Hello everybody,

It may be the Binary gobbledy-gook, in the beginning there, but my wordcounter is already saying this chapter is like 4K words long, so I think I'll stop here.

The part with Luke and the Kyber Crystal is entirely my imagination. I broke Canon for that, and I'm not ashamed. It sounded cool, in my own head at least.

In my next chapter we'll probably begin right where this left off, then there will probably be a time jump mid chapter, and you'll learn what I've got planned next. I'm so excited. Once I do that I can explain why I had to give them all this 'little' (7-8 chapters, that's not as little as I'd expected it to be. But then I should've known. I never did master the whole 'short story' thing. LOL) adventure.