Chapter 4 - Journey to Cloud City

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars, even if we wish we did. xD

Author's Note: A surprise extra chapter! ;) This won't become a habit, but still, enjoy! :D

To the Guest who reviewed the last chapter, Ahsoka doesn't realize that Vader is Anakin, because for one, she assumes he's dead, and for two, she wouldn't want to think that he's the Sith terrorizing the galaxy. It's more logical to think him dead then that he Fell. She doesn't know exactly when Vader came into the picture, so she currently thinks that Obi-Wan got another Padawan a few months or so in her future who eventually joined the Sith. (And she's not thinking clearly. Lol.)

~ Amina Gila

I don't know how long it's been when I decide to ask another question that I've been wondering. This time, it's one I know I'll get an answer too – an answer that will hopefully make sense.

"Who are Han and Leia?"

"Close friends. How about I start at the beginning of the story?" he proposes, and when I nod, he continues. "Three years ago, when I was still living on Tatooine –"

"You lived on Tatooine?!" I interrupt, startled.

"Yes, why?"

"Oh, nothing. I've been there before, a few years back," I shake it off quickly. Luke lived on Tatooine? How did he end up there? I suppose… after everything happened, Anakin probably did still have a family there, not that he would have been impressed with the location of choice, because he's always loathed the planet.

"So, as I was saying, my uncle bought the droids Artoo and Threepio –"

"Wait, how did Threepio end up on Tatooine?" And why did I just say that? Luke has an uncle. Does that mean Anakin has a brother I've never heard about? I must ask my master about that if – when I get back home.

"You used to know Threepio?" frowns Luke, sounding confused.

"A friend of mine owned a droid designated C-3PO," I lamely attempt to explain. "Sorry for all the interruptions. I'll try to be quiet. Please continue the story." The last thing I want is for him to stop telling me because I can't stay quiet.

"So, when I was cleaning up the droids, Artoo played a recording of Leia – who is the former princess of Alderaan, Bail Organa's daughter." He had a daughter?! What else happened that I don't know? "And then insisted that he needed to find his former owner, Obi-Wan Kenobi. He convinced me to remove his restraining bolt, and later that day, escaped from my home and went in search of Ben." So, Obi-Wan was living on Tatooine…?

"I managed to find Artoo but got attacked by Tusken Raiders on the way. Ben came to the rescue, and we went to his hut to wait until it was safe. That's when Artoo – who was carrying the plans for the Death Star – played the recording of Leia asking for Ben's help."

"Wait, what's that?" I blurt out, then cringe. I've missed two decades of time, so I suppose it's not surprising I know so little. Still, it makes me feel like a complete idiot when I ask questions which I'm sure everyone knows the answers to.

"You don't know what the Death Star is?" he exclaims incredulously. From now on, I need to just try to play along and pretend I know what he's talking about. Uggghh.

"I've been in hiding and haven't really heard any news for a long time," I attempt to reason. Thankfully, he seems to buy the explanation.

"It was an enormous space station created to keep the galaxy in line – meant to destroy planets," he answers. "Oh, and the reason Artoo ended up on Tatooine to begin with was because Leia had sent them out of the ship in an escape pod after it was captured by Vader. Anyway, Ben asked me to come with him to Alderaan to give the Death Star plans to the members of the Alliance located there. I didn't want to go because of my uncle and aunt, but… when I was on the way back home, we ran into a camp of Jawas who had all been killed."

He pauses for a moment, and when he begins speaking again, I can sense whatever he's about to tell me is a really hard topic for him. "Then, we realized that those were the same Jawas I bought the droids from. They'd been killed by the Imperials. I rushed home right away but it was too late. When I got there, the house had been burned to the ground and my uncle and aunt were dead."

"I'm sorry," I murmur softly. Which means Anakin's family on Tatooine is probably dead now. I don't know how big it was, I suppose, so there may be more who are still alive… Regardless of how many there were, though, this is something else I must make sure doesn't happen. We fall silent for many long moments – I'm giving him time to gather himself – before Luke picks up the tale again.

"After that I agreed to go with Ben. We found a pilot to take us there named Han Solo. He had a Wookie copilot named Chewbacca." Wait, Chewbacca? That very well might be the same Wookie who I ran into not that long ago when I was kidnapped by the Trandoshans, even though it feels like a lifetime ago now. This time, I wisely decide not to comment aloud. Who knows what problems might arise if I mention having known him?

"They took us to Alderaan – only to discover once we got there that it was gone, blown up by the Death Star."

"They blew up Alderaan?!" I cry, horrified. There's like six billion people there! So many innocent beings killed needlessly… no wonder the Force brought me to the future.

"Yes… And then we were pulled onto the Death Star in a tractor beam. We managed to sneak off the ship without being discovered, and Ben went to deactivate it. Meanwhile, we discovered that Leia was on the Death Star and about to be executed. We went to her rescue and managed to get her back to the ship. But then I saw Vader and Ben fighting… which was when Vader killed him…" That really adds to the mystery of who Vader is. If I had any doubts left that Vader could in some remote possibility be Anakin, they're all gone now. He would never hurt Obi-Wan. Ever. Okay, so one of the first things I need to do when I get back home is make sure that Obi-Wan never ever gets another Padawan, no matter who it might be.

"We barely managed to escape and immediately flew to the Rebel base, although we soon realized that they were tracking our ship. With the Death Star on its way there, we used the plans to find a way to destroy it. I and a number of other pilots flew to the Death Star, and although most of us were shot down, I managed to hit the exhaust port, which caused it to blow up. Oh, and Han had claimed he was going to leave after getting his money, but he stayed around and came back to rescue me in the nick of time. If not for him, we may never have managed to destroy that monstrosity."

"What happened to you after that?" I inquire interestedly. Though he's keeping his voice fairly casual, I can sense that there's a lot of feelings about this and everything which he hasn't dealt with.

"I joined the Rebel Alliance," he answers, "And Han stuck around also."

"So, when did you decide to go to Dagobah?" I ask, "And why?"

"Only about a week ago, after the Rebel Base on Hoth was attacked. Ben told me to go find Yoda to continue my training after that, which is why I went there." Oh, so that explains why he's such a terrible fighter. He's hardly been trained at all.

We lapse into another brief silence which Luke breaks this time. "How old are you, anyway?"

"Sixteen," I reply.

"Who trained you as a Jedi?" he asks. Oh, nice. Another question that I don't know how to answer. After all, I can hardly say Anakin. I mean 'your father trained me even though he died six years before I was born! And no, I'm totally not from a different time period!'

"I –" my thoughts scatter as I scramble to think of something. Nothing sensible is coming to mind at the moment. "Master Yoda trained me until a few years ago when I was old enough to become a Padawan," I explain, hoping this explanation is remotely sensible. It's true from a certain point of view because Yoda did help me when I was still an initiate, even though he was, by no means, my only teacher.

"So, you lived on Dagobah?"

"Not exactly, but Yoda always stayed there," I reply. Well, at least I should probably congratulate myself for telling the truth from a certain point of view again. And leaving out all the most important details, of course.

"Did anyone train you after you became a Padawan?" he inquires.

"Yes," I reply, practically holding my breath. Please don't ask who. Please don't ask who. I chant over and over in my mind. "I… I think he might be dead now, but I'm not sure." I stare out at the colors of hyperspace, trying to suppress the surge of emotions at the statement. I can't let myself think about that. Not right now. A heavy silence falls over us again.

"And… who is Skyguy? You mentioned when I first saw you that I looked like him." Does this boy ever miss anything? It doesn't seem like it.

"Um… He was… someone I know." I better not give any more information. Seriously. I'm getting slightly tired of keeping this a secret. There's only so much longer I'll be able to continue the charade without slipping up.

"Have you helped with the Rebellion at all? Openly?" Luke queries.

"No," I respond. If I had, I should have heard of this Death Star, right? "But I would like to join."

"I can take you to them after this is over, unless you'd rather come back with me to Dagobah," he offers.

"I…" I hesitate for a moment. I'm really not sure what I should do. I'm torn between accompanying Luke, which I really want to do since he's the only person I really know and doing something that will probably give me more of my much-needed answers. "I don't know. How about I decide once this is all over?" I suggest.

"Alright," he agrees.

Before long, the ship exits hyperspace, revealing a brownish colored planet in front of us. "Hope you're ready to face Vader," I remark dryly, gliding the fighter down towards the landing dock.

I'm anticipating a space attack, but instead we're allowed to land unimpeded. Strange. But then again, based on what Yoda said about Han and Leia being hurt because of Luke, maybe they're hoping for us to come here. Perhaps this is some sort of a trap.

Well in that case, we're going to have the advantage of surprise. No one will be expecting another Jedi to be coming with Luke – especially not one who has far more training. So, the next step is to spring the trap, like I always did when fighting with Anakin and Obi-Wan.

"Come on, let's get moving," I urge, as the fighter finally comes to a stop. Pushing the hatch open, I scramble out, leaping to the ground. Finally, out of that awkward position. And when we return to Dagobah, this time, we'll be taking two fighters. Luke climbs down after me as I look around, taking in the scenery.

Reddish clouds hang low in the brownish orange tinted sky. A huge city with towering buildings looms in front of us, though it's not nearly as magnificent as Coruscant. A number of other spaceships fly about between the buildings, giving it the appearance of a typical bustling city. The building in front of us, that from the feel of it we need to enter, is quite tall. The entrance way has a door that looks like a lift door, but only opens from the inside. Well, that won't be a problem for us.

"Shouldn't there be more security around here?" frowns Luke.

"You would think so, but let's not complain about our good fortune," I advise, heading for the door.

Reaching out with the Force, I push the door open, revealing a long hall with towering, light colored walls. There are huge windows throughout the hall, some of them practically from floor to ceiling. A number of different rooms branch off the hall as well.

I reach out to the Force once more, letting it guide me on which way to go. Darting forwards, I enter one of the nearest doorways on the left side of the hall, Luke and Artoo close behind.