The room flashed as the two green lightsaber blades met again and again. Swan was a blur, striking swift blows against Luke's blade. Luke took one step back as he parried the blows, regained his balance and pushed back against the shorter girl. His gray sleeveless undershirt was soaked in sweat much like Swan's own tank top. The two backed away from each other for a brief moment, encircling each other. Swan's hair was tied behind her head in a ponytail, her padawan braid slapping the side of her face. Luke noticed her grin.
"Enjoying this?" he panted.
"You're good, Skywalker," she responded, bringing her blade up. "It's been a while since I've sparred with someone so skilled. I've got to admit, this is a little fun."
Luke brought his breathing under control. He had been training with Swan for little over two hours and had learned the basics of both the Soresu and Ataru forms.
"You're a good teacher."
"Good," Swan said in between breaths. "You're learning fast, Luke. But there are still a few things I can show you. Ready?"
"Ready," Luke corrected himself and Swan lunged at him again. This time Luke was able to parry and counter, pushing Swan back. Swan spun and brought her blade up. The two danced around each other, their blades blurring around them. After several dozen strikes, the two met again and their blades locked, sizzling between them.
Luke found himself face to face with Swan. Her face glowed with the green energy of their interlocked blades. He found himself looking into her dark eyes and she stared back into his. For the first time, Luke noticed that Swan was actually really beautiful. The moment didn't last. Swan peeled her gaze away, deactivating her lightsaber and turning away from him.
Luke immediately felt stupid. He was a Jedi Knight and here he was entertaining feelings like an infatuated school boy. No time for silly crushes, he told himself mentally. Luke deactivated his lightsaber and turned away to drink water. Swan stared away from him for a moment that seemed to last forever before finally turning to face him.
"You did great, Luke," she said. "That was actually a lot of fun. There's one more thing I want to teach you. Come over here."
She knelt down at the center of the room as if in prayer. Luke walked over to her and knelt in front of her, too. "Sometimes," she said, "you will find yourself having to defend yourself from attackers in places that are deserted or far from a medbay. In that case, you will have to draw on the Force to replenish your energy and heal your wounds. Do as I do."
Luke nodded, bringing his breathing under control and closing his eyes. Through the Force he could feel Swan's energy. The Force was like a golden blanket that wrapped around her. Luke reached out for that blanket, too, feeling its warmth wrap around both of them, soothing their wounds and replenishing his stamina for a brief moment. His grasp on this healing technique was still new, however, and he felt the feeling quickly slip away. When he finally opened his eyes, though, he felt renewed energy coursing through him.
"That's amazing!" he said. "But it looks like I'll still need to practice this one."
"It takes time," Swan nodded. "But once you master the technique, you can use it to heal yourself and others to a certain extent."
Luke stared in wonder at the palms of his hands.
"All this time, Swan, I knew that there was a great power in me. The Force runs strong in my family. All this time I had just scratched the surface of my potential."
"Yes," Swan nodded. "Master Yoda always says that the Force is a powerful ally. It binds us all together and makes the unthinkable, possible. It's a larger world, and with time and training, you will learn even more."
"Yeah," Luke looked down. "If only I had more time..."
"What do you mean?" Swan asked.
"Oh," Luke kicked himself for not biting his tongue. "Well it's complicated, Swan. You see-"
A series of beeps interrupted their conversation. Luke felt a twinge of relief. He wasn't ready to tell Swan the truth about his purpose in her timeline just yet. It would have to wait.
"Excuse me," he said quickly, rising to his feet and retrieving his holocomm unit from his robe. He took it to a corner and answered the call. A miniature blue image of Senator Amidala materialized in the unit he held in his palm. She wore thinly veiled sleep wear and by her messy hair and tired expression, Luke could tell that it was well past midnight in Naboo.
"Luke?" she said. "Is Obi-Wan around? I tried reaching him but his holocomm seems to be off."
"I'm sorry my lady, but he's not available at the moment," Luke replied. "Is there something wrong?"
"Yes," Padme said, her voice underlined in worry. "Well- I'm not sure. It's Anakin. I'm worried about him. He's been having really bad nightmares and it's getting worse. Just tonight I had to wake him up because he was screaming for his mother." Padme shook her head, bringing her hand up to her forehead. "Luke, I'm worried about him. Is there anything you or Obi-Wan can do?"
Luke blew out a worried sigh, thinking about the vision he had had earlier that day at the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Could the woman in that vision be Anakin's mother? My grandmother?
"I will let Obi-Wan know, Padme. I'm sure he will know what to do," he assured her. "For now, just watch him. If you notice his behavior getting worse, please contact us."
Padme nodded.
"Thank you, Luke. Please tell Obi-Wan to call me back as soon as he's available."
"I will."
Padme ended the transmission from her end and Luke looked up from his holocomm.
"It sounds pretty serious," Swan said.
"I agree," Luke said. If indeed the woman from the vision was Anakin's mother, it seemed like the Force was willing for him to save her.
Save her, save me. Save the Jedi, save the Republic. He had heard a voice say those words in his vision. Could saving this woman be the first step in saving the Republic? But Luke didn't even know where to begin looking. He had to find Obi-Wan immediately.
Luke quickly showered at the refreshers in the training room, catching up to Swan as she toweled her hair dry, fresh from her shower as well.
"Swan," Luke said. She looked up at him inquisitively. Luke took half a moment to think about the best way to say the next few words without making it awkward. "I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stay at the Temple, but I would like to, ah, see you again. That is, if you don't mind. For training, I mean." She's going to think I'm an idiot.
Swan just flashed him a warm smile.
"I would like that," she said. "And I'm sure the younglings would be thrilled to see you again."
"Deal. I will look for you tomorrow. Thank you for your time and training, Swan." Luke bowed shortly, clipping his lightsaber to his belt and turning to leave.
"Luke?"
"Yeah?"
A brief pause. "Nevermind, it's nothing. May the Force be with you."
Luke returned a courteous smile and turned to leave, only able to wonder what Swan had wanted to tell him.
(...)
After wondering around the winding halls of the Jedi Temple and getting lost a few times, Luke was about to give up when he saw the familiar bearded Jedi staring out one of the Temple's many view panels, facing the Senate Tower. He stroked his beard, deep in thought as he paced back in forth.
"Obi-Wan, I've been looking everywhere for you," Luke said as he approached him.
Obi-Wan pulled away from his thoughts and turned to him.
"Luke, forgive me, I've been so busy. I've been getting bad news after bad news all morning long."
"What happened?"
"Well, it appears that our mystery planet Kamino has been deleted off the official Jedi Archive files. Without precise coordinates, I could be flying circles without actually knowing where to look. Or what to look for."
"You'll be going alone?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "I'm having a starfighter prepared as we speak."
"I really think I should come with you," Luke insisted.
Obi-Wan shook his head.
"Without those files, I could be searching for a very long time. There wouldn't be much sense for both of us to be out there flying in the middle of nowhere, so I think it's best that we split up. Follow up on the lead we have on the IBC droid that Dex was going to have decrypted for us. See if it gives us any clue to the Emperor's next move."
Luke did not like the idea of splitting up, but he knew Obi-Wan was right. They had to gain ground on both the assassination attempts on Amidala's life as well as where the Emperor might be. And there was also the issue about Anakin's nightmares.
"Obi-Wan," he said. "I received a holocall from Senator Amidala a little while ago. She's worried about Anakin. She says he keeps having violent nightmares. Maybe we should bring him back and send another Jedi to protect the Senator."
"Believe me, Luke, I've thought about it ever since the Council elected to send him on that mission. But the Council is confident in his abilities. I'm choosing to trust their judgment over my own."
Luke looked at the floor and nodded. Obi-Wan smiled and patted his arm.
"Call him," he suggested. "See if he will talk to you about it. Maybe you can cheer him up. But if it gets any worse, contact me."
A young Jedi approached Obi-Wan and Luke and bowed respectfully.
"Your starfighter is ready, Master Kenobi."
"Very well, then. I will depart at once. Good-bye, young Luke," Obi-Wan said with a warm grin. He placed a hand on Luke's arm, grabbing Luke's attention. "Remember, the Force will be with you. Always."
Without another word, Obi-Wan turned and followed the young Jedi down the hall. Luke was left alone staring out of the panels towards the senate tower.
That night, Luke could not sleep well. Every time he finally fell asleep, he would see visions of the dying woman. Each time, the details became slightly more acute. He could distinguish several dozen huts in the camp. Several fire pits blazed, sending embers into the night sky. Even his eyes seemed to adjust to the darkness and Luke could see large mountains in the distance. It was so tangible, so real. He followed the pillars of smoke as they rose towards the sky. That's when he saw a major clue. Twelve stars in three rows that underlined three moons.
"The Sandman constellation," he heard himself say. There was only one place that constellation shined; Out past the Jundland Wastes in Tatooine. With that realization, the visions seized and he was finally able to drift into a deep sleep, dreaming of many things. The Rebellion. Han and Leia. The Empire. His father.
And Swan.
A/N I honestly hate this chapter. I had the worst writer's block these past few days and it was so hard to get Luke past this slow point in the story. It was a bumpy ride, but we made it through. I think it's safe to say the next chapter will bring some interesting details and revelations as well.
Some of my beta readers find it strange to use Bultar Swan as the potential love interest for Luke, being that she's kinda granny in Episode 2. Well, when I write her, I'm thinking more of a younger Swan. I used AngelaBaby's freaking adorable face as inspiration rather than Episode 2's Mimi Daraphet. Hey! Luke needs some love too. Unfortunately, Mara Jade isn't be born yet, at least for a few more years.
Oh well, we'll see what happens. They've only just met, though Luke already has a crush on her.
Let me know what you guys think. I kind of have an idea of where I want to take this relationship and how far, but I would love to know what you all think about it.
Again, sorry for the lame chapter. I forced myself to write through this stupid writer's block, but next chapter well be ten times better. Promise. And thank you all for your kind reviews and all the new follows/favs. I will do my best to deliver a satisfying story without any further long term hiatuses!
See you all next time!
