I, Jedi
Chapter Two
I, Voyager
"Tatooine?!" Chichi shrieked, looking at her eldest son in disbelief. "You're going to go to Tatooine, far out in the galaxy?! Oh no, young man, you are not going anywhere! We may not have a home, but you still have to go to school! You have to concentrate on your studies, Gohan! You can have your adventure later, when you graduate!"
He shook his head. "But Mom, don't you get what's going on?" he asked, trying to make her see his point. "Our house wasn't burned down by---" he looked at Goten who mouthed white-uniformed soldiers, "--- white-uniformed soldiers for no reason at all! They wanted to kill us because of we know about the beautiful young woman who needs our help!"
The female Son was about to contradict to her son's statements, but a phrase from all the words he uttered caught her attention. "Beautiful young woman?" she inquired, eyeing the demi-saiyajin suspiciously. "Who is this woman you're talking about? And what do you mean, she needs our help?"
Gohan shrugged. "I don't know who she really is," he confessed, knowing that his chance to go help her depended on his ability to convince his mother to let him go, "but she really needs our help. She had this holographic transmission implanted in Artoo, calling out to Artoo's former master, Obi-wan Kenobi, for help. And he lives in Tatooine." He gestured towards the little astromech. "If you want, Artoo can show you the message! Come on, little one, play that back."
The droid beeped, and although Gohan could not understand what the sound meant, he was sure that it was an affirmative. It didn't take long for Artoo to play the woman's distress call, which totally stunned the doubtful Chichi. Not only was the damsel in distress beautiful, she was genuinely in need of assistance. As the transmission repeated itself, she took a deep breath before resting her gaze at her son. "Very well, then. You can go to Tatooine, but on one condition."
"What is it, Mom?"
Chichi smiled. "You have to take me with you."
Biggs Darklighter suddenly grew silent, apparently in deep thought. He and his friend Luke Skywalker were walking around one of the many small towns scattered among the vast planet of sand and rocks called Tatooine. He stopped, glanced around to check if they were alone, and when he was sure they were, he leaned close to the younger man and said, "Luke, I didn't come back here just to say goodbye, or to crow over everyone because I got through the Academy," with hesitation and uncertainty. His voice was unusually solemn. "But I want somebody to know. I can't tell my parents."
Gaping at him, Luke swallowed. "Know what? What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about the talking that's been going on at the Academy --- and other places, Luke. Strong talking. I made some new friends, outsystem friends. We agreed about the way certain things are developing, and---" his voice dropped conspiratorially, "--- when we reach one of the peripheral systems, we're going to jump ship and join the Alliance."
The younger man could not believe what he just heard, so he stared at his friend, trying to picture him as a patriot burning with rebellious fever, which was contrary of his fun-loving, happy-go-lucky, live-for-today self. "You're going to join the rebellion?" he breathed, still unable to recover from his shock. "You've got to be kidding. How?"
Biggs glanced at the power station, making sure that they were still alone, before he continued, "A friend of mine from the Academy has a friend on Bestine who might enable us to make contact with an armed rebel unit. I know it's a long shot. If I don't contact them, then I'll do what I can, on my own." He stared at Luke intensely. "Listen, Luke. I'm not going to wait for the Empire to conscript me into its service. The rebellion is growing, spreading. And I want to be on the right side --- the side I believe in. The Empire may have been great and beautiful once, yes, but with the people in charge now... it's rotten."
"And I can't do a damn thing," Luke muttered morosely, kicking the sand that was present all over the distant planet he lived in. "I'm stuck here."
"I thought you were going to enter the Academy soon? If that's so, then you'll have your chance to get off this sandpile."
Luke could not stop himself from snorting. "Not likely. I had to withdraw my application." He looked away, unable to meet his friend's stare that was filled with surprise and disbelief. "I had to. There's been a lot of unrest among the sandpeople since you left. Uncle Owen might be able to hold off a whole colony with one blaster, but that's from the house. He can't guard the farm, with the vaporators and all, all by himself. I can't run out on him now."
That made his friend sigh sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Luke," he said before patting the younger man on the shoulder encouragingly. "Someday, you're going to learn to separate what seems to be important from what really is important." He pulled away, his gaze far. "What good is all your uncle's work if it's taken over by the Empire? I've heard that they're starting to imperialize commerce in all the outlying systems. It won't be long before your uncle and everyone else here in Tatooine will become slaves for the greater glory of the Empire."
"That couldn't happen here," Luke protested in a seemingly confident tone, although his face didn't quite show it. He looked around the area, seeing dust and sand all over, and then shook his head. "You said it yourself. The Empire won't bother with this planet. It's all dirt, dust, sand and rock. Nothing interesting."
"Oh, but things change. After all, there are two things men have never been able to satisfy: their curiosity and their greed."
At that, both men stood silent. Biggs waited for his friend to react on what he had just told him, while Luke pondered on the situation. True, the planet he was in wasn't much, but things do change. The Empire might one day creep up on them and enslave the whole of Tatooine, giving themselves a handful of soldiers and workers that they can control.
"I wish I was going with you, Biggs. But I don't think I would ever be able to see you again. Even if I'll be able to get into the Academy, I won't be drafted into the starfleet, so if I'm going to see you again, it'll be when the worst happens, when we all have to come together." He sighed. "And even if I would want to see you again, I don't want the worst to happen either."
"We'll never be sure about the future, so we'll never know what'll happen in the time to come. Who knows where I'll end up? Who knows where you'll end up?" Biggs declared, before he brightened, grinning widely as he usually did. "I'll keep a look out for you, hotshot. Try not to run into any canyon walls for the meantime, though." He stepped back. "So long, then, Luke."
Things said and done, Biggs turned around and reentered the power station, while his friend watched him disappear through the door, lost in his own thoughts. What indeed was really important? What if the Empire would really settle down in Tatooine? What good would his presence do in the Rebel Alliance?
Luke shrugged. He didn't know. He didn't know at all.
"Hi, Gohan. I brought you today's homework."
The demi-saiyajin whirled around, surprised at who came to see him. "Hey, Videl," he greeted, wiping the sweat off his brow. He had been helping Bulma on the starfighter she was upgrading for their trip to the distant planet of Tatooine, and it had been hours since he took a break. He moved forward to welcome his classmate before he gestured towards a block of metal that was sturdy and big enough for both of them to sit on.
"Thanks," he said, taking the piece of parchment he was offered. He paused to look at what the young woman scribbled on it, and then shook his head with a soft smile. "Guess I didn't really miss much... so, how are you? I hope you didn't have to go fight crime alone today --- not that I think you can't handle it on your own," he quickly added, not wanting to get in trouble with her, "I was just... uh... I just didn't want to miss the fun."
Videl's attention, however, was completely on something else. "What's the spaceship for?" she asked, staring at the majestic-looking silver-hued vessel that her classmate and the famous scientist Bulma Briefs-Vegeta had been working on. She cocked her head to the side to bore her gleaming blue eyes into Gohan's black ones. "You're not going to keep another secret from me, are you?"she asked in a threatening tone.
The young man paled considerably, as he never planned to tell anyone else about his plan to go to Tatooine with his mother and brother, but here was the very woman who figured out that he was the green-costumed Great Saiyaman. Looks like she won this game again, he said to himself before he stood up and motioned that they talk outside.
The female fighter nodded, standing up and following the other to where he wanted them to discuss the matter. Gohan chose a corner of Capsule Corporation's extensive front lawn, squatting down on the green grass that served as a very nice and comfortable carpet. Videl sat across him, but not very far away, as she knew that what he was going to tell her was supposed to be some secret.
"Well?" she prompted.
"Remember the message Artoo showed us? The one of the woman asking for help from a certain Obi-wan Kenobi?" he asked, and Videl had to stop herself from scowling at the memory of the woman who seemingly captivated the demi-saiyajin. "I've decided to go see him in Tatooine, for I believe that the men who burned our house down and nearly killed my family had something to do with her, or at least, the situation she's in right now."
"Who's going with you?"
"My mom and Goten. Just us."
"I'll go with you."
Those words made Gohan jump up in surprise, hovering a few feet into the air. "W-what?!" he stuttered, disbelief etched on his features. He stared at the young woman who continued to sit down on the grass, a determined, confident expression on her pale, striking features. Finally regaining his composure, the demi-saiyajin squatted back down, but still doubtful. "Are you sure about that, Videl?"
She glared at him. "Of course I am! And don't even think of talking me out of this!" she answered with a snap, folding her arms in front of her chest in resignation. She wanted to go not only because of the adventure the said trip offered, but also to find out who the mysterious woman was, and what she had to offer. When her friend had a look of uncertainly on his face, she assured him, "I'll be fine. I won't get in your way, or bring you trouble. It's better to bring me along that your mother and Goten, because I'm stronger than they are. Besides, Goten's only seven."
But a lot stronger than you, not the other way around, he told himself, but did not even think of voicing it out, as he knew it would offend the Champion of Justice of Satan City. He considered her offer for a few silent moments, and because he cared for his family so much, he decided to go with what she proposed to do. "I don't really want to disobey my mother, but... you got a point. All right, we're going."
The two boys stared at the impressive-looking starfighters that were stationed on the grounds of Capsule Corporation in awe. They had never seen anything like them, so as much at that close a distance. "You're so lucky," the eight-year-old demi-saiyajin began, eyeing the vessels enviously with his sparkling cerulean eyes. "You get to ride on something like that on a trip through outer space. I wish I could go with you!"
"Why don't you?" his best friend asked, turning to look at him with raven eyes.
"My mom's going to kill me, to begin with. And if that's not enough, my dad will most probably kill me, too, for sneaking out just like that. But then again --- your mother's coming, right?" he asked with hopeful eyes. When the younger boy nodded, a smirk appeared on his face, drastically changing the expression he was sporting. "All right, let's sneak aboard! Which ship are they gonna be taking?"
Goten paused thoughtfully for a moment, before he pointed at the bigger spacecraft. "That one."
"When are they leaving?"
"Tomorrow morning, at seven o'clock."
At that, Trunks pulled his best friend close to him, close enough to whisper his plans to the other's ear without anyone else from hearing. Afterwards, he took a step back and grinned crookedly; the younger demi-saiyajin doing the same. "Well, it's time for the adventure of a lifetime," he announced proudly, lifting his hand for a high-five. As the other boy's palm touched his, he exclaimed in an excited whisper, "Tatooine, here we come!"
The holding chamber was undeniably dim, with only the bare minimum of illumination provided that was merely not enough, compared to the vast expanse of black and its neighboring shades. There, too, was barely enough to see, as the cell was mostly comprised of metal walls and a high ceiling and was mostly designed to maximized the prisoner's feelings of helplessness and impotence.
The occupant of the said room nearly jumped up as a hum came from one end, causing her to tense even more than she already was. The metal door that was as thick as her body, unbelievable as it may seem, began to move aside. She knew that they were afraid that she would escape through anything less massive with only her bare hands for a weapon. They didn't like to underestimate their captives, and they weren't underestimating her at all.
Straining to see what was going on, she saw several Imperial guards position themselves just outside the doorway, preparing to welcome their master, the Sith Lord, Vader. Eyeing all of them as defiantly as she could, Princess Leia Organa backed up against the far wall, but her determined facade disappeared into oblivion as soon as a monstrous black form strode into the room, gliding smoothly almost as if he was floating.
Darth Vader's presence overwhelmed her, crushed her like she was the most fragile object in all the galaxy. He was followed by a man who was only slightly less terrifying, despite his miniscule appearance alongside the Dark Lord. At that, he made a gesture to someone outside, and it didn't take long for something that hummed like a huge bee slipped through the doorway. It hung suspended in the air, a mixture of metal arms coming out from all sides, arms with a multitude of delicate instruments.
The young woman studied the contraption fearfully. She heard rumors about such machines, but she never really believed that the Empire constructed such monsters. Incorporated into its soulless memory was every barbarity, every substantiated outrage known to mankind --- and to several alien races as well.
The two villains stood there quietly, giving the princess plenty of time to study the hovering nightmare. The Governor, Tarkin, in particular did not delude himself into thinking that the mere presence of the device would shock her into giving up the information he needed. Not, he reflected, that the upcoming session would be especially unpleasant.
There was always enlightenment and knowledge to be gained from such encounters, and the young woman promised to be a most interesting subject. After all, not only was she stubborn, she was determined to keep the location of the rebel base a secret, even if she would lose her life for such defiance.
After a suitable interval has passed, Tarkin motioned to the machine and smiled at their prisoner. "Now, Senator Organa... Princess Organa, we will discuss the location of the principal rebel base," he whispered as the machine slowly moved toward her, traveling on a rising hum that sent her against the wall in absolute fear. Its indifferent spherical form blocked out Vader, the Governor, the rest of the cell... and finally, the light.
Videl could not understand what she felt as the darkness gave way to daylight; all she knew was that she was going on an adventure to the far end of the galaxy with a certain Gohan to save a princess. She didn't know what to think; she didn't know what to expect --- and that caused her to stay up and not sleep at all.
The next thing she knew, it was half past five in the morning. The sun had just crept out of the mountains, and was illuminating the world in its light. Quickly, she grabbed her bags and prepared to leave; Capsule Corporation was quite a distance away, after all. And most importantly, she did not want anyone to see her soaring through the light-colored sky, carrying everything she would ever need in their rescue operation.
Meanwhile, in Capsule Corporation, the troublemaking duo crept up to the large black-hulled spaceship and positioned themselves in the secret compartment at the bottom of the vessel, waiting patiently for everyone else to go on board. They could already hear voices, and they knew that they would leave the planet anytime soon.
"Everyone still asleep?"
"Not really. Mom's in the shower. If we want to leave on our own, we have to do it now," Gohan replied, loading his classmate's stuff into the majestic-looking silver-tinted starfighter. "I spent the whole night studying the controls, and I'm sure I can get us off here and towards Tatooine without trouble."
That was the last thing the boys heard, before the loud roar of the engines and the booming noise of a departing craft. At that, Trunks looked at Goten in confusion. "Is it just me, or aren't we moving at all? I feel like we're still on the ground."
They waited for a few more moments to see if the situation would change, but it didn't. Instead, they heard shrieks and screams from the outside, and disappointed cries that could only come from Chichi. Thinking that something had gone wrong, they popped out of their hiding place and rushed to the window to see what was going on...
... only to find the silver spacecraft missing.
While confusion overcame the other expressions of the younger demi-saiyajin, the older of the two slapped his forehead. "Goten, you idiot," he began with irritation, his face a jumble of emotions. He knew his best friend wasn't very smart, but he didn't think that he was really that dumb. "We're on the wrong ship!"
"Gohan, sir," See-Threepio began politely, struggling towards the cockpit where the two teenagers sat. He was having a particularly hard time, as his master wasn't a pilot and he was steering the piece of metal with too much force, sending them either too far to the right or too far to the left. He continued his statement, anyway. "I don't think it was wise that you left your mother like that. You agreed to take her with you, but you left her behind."
"It's for her own safety, Threepio, as well as that of my brother," the demi-saiyajin answered, clutching the controls tightly in concentration. The trip past the Earth's atmosphere was particularly difficult; it was too turbulent and too tough to maneuver. Finally, their spaceship broke past the exosphere, and they were in outer space at last. "All right, we're about to enter hyperspace. Hang on to something."
"Master Gohan---"
The droid's prissy voice was cut off by a blaring sound as their ship plunged into hyperspace. As the stars turned into starlines, a lonely expression crossed the teenagers' faces, for they knew that it would be a long time before they would be able to return from where they came from.
Beru Lars, Luke's aunt, was filling a pitcher with blue liquid from a refrigerated container. Behind her, in the simple-looking dining room, a conversation between her husband, Owen, and her nephew, Luke, was taking place. As their talk went on, she sighed sadly. The men's discussions had grown steadily more quarrelsome as the boy's restlessness pulled him in directions other than farming, which was something the older man didn't like. He was a man of the soil --- if there was ever one --- and he absolutely had no sympathy.
Returning the bulk container to the refrigerator unit, she placed the pitcher on a trap and hurried back to the dining room. Beru was not a brilliant woman, but she possessed an instinctive understanding of her important position in this household. As long as she was present, the men in the family would not explode into catastrophic arguments that would tear them apart.
As she stepped into the room, the two lowered their voices to something civilized and shifted the subject. She, on the other hand, pretended not to notice the change. But it didn't take long for the friendly conversation to get going, for a moment later, Luke said, "Uncle Owen, I think the droids are going to work out just fine. In fact, I---" He paused, hesitating. "I was thinking about our agreement about me staying on for another season."
His uncle failed to react, so Luke rushed on before his nerve failed. "If these new droids do work out, I want to transmit my application to enter the Academy for next year."
Owen scowled, trying to hide the displeasure he felt with the food they were eating. He wanted the boy by his side, to help him with the harvest, but here he was, persisting that he go to that Academy so he could eventually go up to the stars. "You mean, you want to transmit the application next year --- after the harvest."
"You have more than enough droids now, and they're in good condition," the younger man insisted.
"Droids, yes," the farmer agreed, "but they can't replace a man, Luke. You know that. The harvest is when I need you the most. It's just for one more season after this one." When the silence became deafening, as Luke simply toyed with his food and did not eat a bite nor say a word, he continued, "Listen. For the first time we've got a chance for a real fortune. We'll make enough to hire some extra hands for the next time. Not droids --- people. Then you can go to the Academy."
"It's another year," his nephew objected sullenly. After all, how many times had he heard that before? How many times had they repeated this identical charade with the same result? He sighed. "Another year."
"Time will pass before you know it."
"That's what you said last year when Biggs left."
At that, the young man abruptly rose, shoving his barely touched plate of food aside. He then spun around and half ran from the room, making his aunt call out to him worriedly, asking where he was going. He stopped, his head bowed, and replied, "Looks like I'm going nowhere." He paused to swallow the painful lump that crept up to his throat, then added out of consideration for his aunt's sensibilities, "I have to finish cleaning those droids if they're going to be ready to work tomorrow."
Silence hung in the air of the dining room after Luke departed. Husband and wife ate mechanically, not saying a word. Eventually, though, Beru stopped shoving her food around her plate, looked up and pointed out earnestly, "Owen, you can't keep him here forever. Most of his friends are gone, the people he grew up with. The Academy means so much to him."
"I'll make it up to him next year. I promise. We'll have money --- or maybe, the year after that."
"Luke's just not a farmer, Owen," she continued firmly, not lifting her gaze off her husband. "He never will be, no matter how hard you try to make him one. He will never stay here forever, no matter how hard we try to keep him. He will go away, to the stars, just like the man who came before him. He's got too much of his father in him."
For the first time during that meal, the farmer looked thoughtful --- and more importantly, concerned --- as he gazed down at the passage Luke had taken. "That's what I'm afraid of, Beru," he whispered, "That's what I'm afraid of."
First of all, I would like to apologize for the delay of this chapter. It's called lack of inspiration, the cousin of writer's block. Whee. Second, I would like to apologize for not covering all the parts that I intended to cover in this chapter; Gohan's encounter with Luke and Obi-wan, I'm afraid, would have to wait until the next installment. Third, I would like to thank all of you for reviewing, and most especially for your wonderful ideas! I had trouble picking from everything you suggested, but eventually I managed to iron everything out. But if you have anything more to suggest, please do! I'd love to hear your ideas.
Some other things... yes, Goten's supposed to understand Artoo's binary. He had some kind of empathy towards animals in the series, so I was thinking of giving him the ability to understand other beings that can't speak human languages. And even though he was not able to go with Gohan in the trip, he will make an appearance in the later chapters. After all, we can't have the troublemaking duo just shoved aside without doing some fun damage, can we? So if you have bright ideas on where to make them show up again, please let me know.
Next chapter: Gohan, Videl and the droids arrive in Tatooine, where they meet Luke, and the Jedi Master Obi-wan who teaches them a thing or two about the Force. But what's this --- Videl's crushing over a naive farmboy? Things are beginning to get complicated...
I,
Jedi © Kaz, 2003
Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama
Star Wars © George Lucas
