With a Tusken roar, Hett leaped forward, stopping Anakin in his tracks as he swung his saber downwards, forcing the younger man to steady himself and block in a powerful attack. Anakin grunted as the force of the blow reverberated through his body. It had been years since Anakin had held a lightsaber, much less been in a fight. He had tried to bury that part of him and replace it with the role of being a father.
But Hett decided to sharpen his warriors' edge. With each spinning strike and powerful swing, Anakin saw a true warrior. A leader. Hett had taken the effects of the war and forged a War Chief out of it. Hett personalized his saber form. His swings matched the savagery and strength of a Tusken, but with the finesse and elegance of a Jedi. It was unique. Powerful.
It was winning.
The green blades locked and Anakin drove them into the sand, before delivering a powerful right hook to A'Sharad. He stumbled back and Anakin slowly marched forward. The offensive was now his. He swung up, then cut right, twisting his body and feinting a follow-up. Hett was too smart for that, however. He parried Anakin's attack, pushing Anakin's saber arm to the side, leaving him wide open.
Anakin realized his mistake, fear racing through him. He felt the heat of the green saber near his neck, but it never passed through him.
Hett simply pulled his saber back and entered into his saber form, goading Anakin. He was toying with him. Anakin scowled and put two hands on his saber, growing tired of the duel. He delivered an overhead strike, power and fury crashing down upon the Jedi Master. He stepped back, deflecting the powerful yet sloppy blows. He frowned. This wasn't the legendary Jedi Knight that inspired the Temple itself. He had expected more from Anakin. Something was holding Anakin back. Or he was holding himself back.
"Your form has grown sloppy, Anakin. You would never have let an opponent pull such a stunt on you."
"Stop toying with me, A'Sharad. If you're going to try and kill me, do it."
The two swung their blades with speed and ferocity that brought shock and awe to the bystanders. Luke had never seen his father in such a light before. The tribe had seen their leader strike down bounty hunters and settlers but never had he fought against another like him before them.
Hett flipped over Anakin, swinging his blade at his neck. Anakin leaned backward, narrowly dodging the strike. A second later and there would be a deep cut in his throat. He barely had time to react as Hett gained the offense and delivered blow after blow, forcing Anakin to rely upon his defensive side. Something that was never his strong suit. Hett's saber crashed down at Anakin, locking the two blades. Anakin scowled as he gripped his hilt.
Summoning all his strength, Anakin had one hand let go of the hilt. The change in resistance caught Hett off caught and he was brought forward by his own momentum. Anakin turned to the side and slammed his fist down on Hett's neck. The Tusken Jedi grunted and dove forward to avoid an incoming stab. As he stood up, Anakin ran forward but was promptly thrown back as Hett pushed him to the ground with the Force.
Hett laughed. "It's not easy fighting against a Tusken that knows how to fight back, is it?"
Anakin's face darkened.
"I'm not some youngling, Skywalker," Hett said as he deflected Anakin's wild strikes. "At least put some effort into this fight. Die with some dignity. I'll grant you that mercy. It's more than you showed that tribe."
Anakin roared and leaped at Hett, clashing their blades again. "I did what I had to do! They tortured my mother! Beat her! She had scars all over her body, her face, and her hands. She was kind and gentle. I showed them the same mercy that they showed her!"
"And where is that fiery fury? When the Empire comes for your son, will they encounter a broken man who faded into obscurity, who can't even protect his child?"
With a dark glare, Anakin delivered an overhead strike, his blade bouncing off of Hett's. Using the momentum, he spin around, his saber spinning with him, and he swung upwards, knocking Hett's guard upwards. Seeing the opening, Anakin kicked his opponent in the chest, seeing the air race out of Hett's lungs. Stepping back, he held his lightsaber in line with his body, his hands up by his face and blade pointing down. He didn't realize the stance he was in.
It was his old Clone Wars stance. The one he used when dueling Count Dooku. It was an echo of the man he used to be. Hett could see that under the skin of a dirty, dusty moisture farmer, there was still a Jedi Knight there. Grinning under his mask, Hett tightened his grip on his saber and grabbed a fistful of sand. He threw it at Skywalker, who grimaced and shielded his eyes, opening them with just barely enough time to block an incoming attack.
The flurry of green raced through the dim camp. Tuskens cheered and roared for their Chief as he dueled. It was a glorious battle. Anakin and Hett traded blow for blow, but Anakin was beginning to lose stamina. Between his lack of practice and improperly healed leg, he was losing. Hett knew this. Both of them broke away for a moment.
Anakin ran forward and swung his blade, but Hett swept his legs out from under him and Anakin tumbled to the ground. He rolled over and felt the hot heat of the blade pointed at his neck. He looked up at Hett's soulless lenses. He gritted his teeth.
"If you cannot protect yourself, you will not be able to protect your children. Do you understand?"
The lightsaber retreated into the hilt.
"You are powerful, Anakin. But grief has eaten away at who you were. You cannot let it overcome you. You cannot let it define your life. You must define how it impacts your life," Hett said.
Silently, Anakin nodded. Hett extended a hand forward and Anakin took it, hoisting himself.
Hett turned to his clan and shouted to them in their Tusken language and the crowd chanted in celebration, some taking their gaffi sticks and hoisting them in the air. Satisfied with the event, they dispersed and retreated to their tents. Luke rushed forward to his father, confused, terrified, and tired, yet happy relieved that his father was not hurt. Anakin picked his child up into his arms, consoling him.
"Shhh, shhh. It's okay Luke. It's okay. Everything is going to be okay," Anakin said softly as he kissed his son's forehead.
Hett stood by Anakin's side, observing. There was a flicker of hope in Anakin's eyes as he said those words.
Lars Homestead
Leia sat on the countertop, watching her Aunt Beru chop food for dinner. It had been two days since her father went out to find Luke. Leia had been beside herself, crying and blaming herself. She thought Luke was gone forever and her father would hate her until the end of time. No one could console her. Owen couldn't focus on her, as he had to keep the farm running to get the money. Beru did what she could and reassigned Threepio to take over her tasks as she took care of Leia.
Glancing at her niece, Beru gave a smile. "Whatcha thinking, sweetie?" She asked softly, tilting her head.
Leia looked up a small frown on her face. "I miss Daddy. And Luke."
"I know. I do too. But I believe he's coming back. He always does," Beru responded, careful not to bring up the incident with Leia's grandmother. They knew that she existed and that she had died, but not how. That was for when they grew up.
"Your Daddy is a big strong man. He does so much for this family, especially for you and your brother. There's nothing he can't do."
Leia's frown disappeared as she continued to listen to her Aunt talk about her father.
"One time, when your father was young, he was with his friends. They were playing in a scrapyard. But he got lost and his friends left him alone. He was so scared. But he managed to find his way out and get back home. He was very angry with his friends for leaving him. But, your grandmother told your dad that he can't go around in life being angry all the time. And so the next day, when he finished working, he found his friends and forgave them."
"He did?" Leia asked with curiosity.
"He did. And I know for a fact, that when he comes back with Lukey, everything is going to be okay. And your dad isn't going to be mad at you. Because he loves you sooooo much. His love for you is bigger than Dewy!"
Leia giggled at that comparison. The twins loved anything that had to do with the dewback.
Sensing that Leia was at ease and not as worried as she was before, Beru smiled and continued cooking. Leia kept peppering her questions about her father and Uncle Owen. Beru would make up some stories about them growing up together. To explain the full relationship between the two would require them to understand slavery, the Jedi, and the evils of the galaxy. It was too much, and inappropriate, to explain that to such a young child. Things would make sense in time.
Threepio hobbled into the dining room, his servos moving as fast as they could. There were slight creaks and groans as the protocol droid moved. Sand always seemed to find its way under the gold plating and the droid would require cleaning occasionally. With Anakin gone for the past few days, Threepio hadn't been cleaned in some time.
"Mistress Beru! Mistress Beru! They're back. Oh, thank the Maker, they're back!" Threepio exclaimed with joy, throwing his arms up in the air.
Both Beru and Leia turned to the protocol droid, surprise and hope on their faces.
"They're back? Anakin and Luke?" Beru asked hesitantly, making sure that she had heard Threepio correctly. Leia didn't need clarification from Threepio though. Something inside of her felt at ease. She could feel that her father and brother were back. Pushing herself off the counter, she landed with a thud on the floor. Scrambling to her feet, she ran up the stairs as fast as she could.
At the top, she could see her father holding Luke's hand as they talked with Uncle Owen. Luke looked up and made eye contact with his twin. He squirmed his way out of his father's loose grip and ran towards Leia, who was running at him as well.
The two twins hugged each other and began sobbing, both of them apologizing to each other. The family was reunited.
Leia lay in bed, listening in absolute awe as he brother recounted the tale of how their father rescued him. Luke and Leia sat on their beds across from each other, the lights on in their room as Luke tried his best to mimic the actions of their father as he explained the events. She was hooked on every word and was shocked to hear that they spent time in a Tusken camp and that her father and the Tusken Chief dueled with green sticks of light that hummed and sparked.
"And then the Tusken raised his hand and Daddy was pushed back. It was a big gust of wind. I think he was a wizard!"
"A wizard?"
"Yeah! Like in the ancient stories Threepio, Daddy, Uncle Owen, or Aunt Beru read to us."
"Were you scared?"
Luke shook his head furiously. "No! I wasn't scared at all."
Something told Leia he was lying.
Before Luke could continue, the door opened and Anakin walked in. The twins froze, realizing they were busted. He winced as his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room. In his hands was an astromech dome.
"What are you guys doing up?" Anakin asked in a teasing manner, already knowing the answer. He could hear Luke from outside and had already suspected that he would tell Leia about the events. Such an adventurous past few days would have been hard to keep quiet about, especially in the boring life that the twins lived.
"Nothing" the twins responded in unison, trying to act like little angels.
Anakin grabbed one of the chairs in the room and put it in the space between the beds, before sitting in it and running his hand through his forming beard. He took a deep breath before speaking.
"Luke, Leia, I think we all need to put the past few days behind us."
The twins frowned, looking at him in confusion.
"There might be people who are looking for our Tusken friend because of his 'wizard' abilities. We need to keep it a secret though. In time, I can tell you why, but I need you both to listen to me. And I need to hear you say you understand and that you will obey me. Okay?"
The twins nodded and shifted their gaze to their father. "We understand."
Smiling, Anakin leaned over and hugged both of his children. "I love you both so very much. Never forget that."
Breaking away from the hug, Anakin grinned as he held the astromech dome in his hands. "Before you guys go to bed, do you want to see something cool?"
The twins nodded with excitement, their eyes widening with curiosity. Anakin told Luke to shut the lights off and the young Skywalker bounced over and did so quickly, not wanting to waste any time. With the room now dark, Anakin flicked a switch on the astromech's head. Its blue light turned on and the projector lens spun around a few times, and with a soft whirr, it displayed a massive holographic map of the galaxy.
The hologram lit up the room and Anakin's heart swelled with joy as he saw his children's jaws drop in total awe at the picture before them. They reached forward, looking shocked as their hands passed through the projections of the planets and solar systems.
"Now this, twins, this is the galaxy. Right here is Tatooine, where we are. I was born here. And this planet, this is Alderaan. A beautiful..."
Pagodon
Obi-wan gave a depressed huff as he exited the back of bar, his breath turning into mist due to the icy cold temperature. Its frozen surface reminded him of Ilum, when Qui-gon took him to make his first lightsaber. Simpler times.
What a fall from grace, Obi-wan thought to himself as he donned his thick jacket and began his walk to his small hut. From a former Jedi Council Member to a dishwasher. The voice of Master Yoda or Master Tinn entered his mind, chiding him for his negative outlook and pride. But Obi-wan pushed them from his mind. He hadn't seen Master Yoda since their failed attempt to kill Darth Sidious. And Master Tinn was confirmed dead according to official Imperial records.
His journey of survival had been a brutal one. He first found solace on the planet Dantooine, amongst some farmers. But when wild Kath Hounds attacked a band of children, Obi-wan used the Force to calm the beasts and send them away. Instead of the children thanking him, they ran away, screaming to their mothers and fathers about the evil Jedi that had been living with them. Obi-wan left the planet quickly.
Nar Shadda had been a mistake. It was a dark and violent world, one that Obi-wan thought he could hide in. But he felt convicted to do something. To try and make a small change, to try and save one life from the miserable existence the planet provided. It only backfired. He ran into some powerful enemies that forced him to draw his lightsaber and cut them down. He was able to lay low for a while, but when an assassination attempt on him failed, he left right afterward.
And here he was on Pagodon. A frozen ice ball in the middle of nowhere. He figured he would've had more trouble finding residency than he expected, but the owner of the hut he lived in was eaten by a ravinak two days before he arrived. He used most of the remaining credits to purchase the dump. Pagodan would be the best place for him to spend a good amount of time. Nobody expected the drifter "Ben" of anything and he didn't have any crime around to worry about. Nature was the biggest enemy out here.
As Obi-wan drew nearer to his hut, he noticed something odd at his doorstep. There were footprints leading into his door. They had to be recent too, as the wind typically blew away any tracks left behind at all. Reaching into his jacket, Obi-wan put one hand on his blaster that was holstered on his side. The door opened with a hiss and he carefully stepped inside, closing the door and locking it with the Force.
Someone scoffed in the corner and Obi-wan whirled around, blaster raised.
"Come now, Obi-wan. Is that any way to treat an old friend?" The figure said as they stepped forward, activating the lights behind Obi-wan with the Force. The lights revealed Mace Windu, old and battered. Helping himself to a seat at the table, Windu motioned for Kenobi to do the same. "We've got a lot of catching up to do, Kenobi."