Hi, I'm sorry this is so late. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to Jedi
Jade aka Ghostly Image for getting me back to writing it, And to Pallas-Athena,
mishi, mvdiva, Bob DeFrank, Padawan Jan AQ, Hau Tran Quang, KT, Renee,
Belladonna Jaide, Laura Jade, Keeper of Dreams, Lady Serenity Moon, Redone,
~Sparks~, and Twinnie, for all your conscientious reviews. They're like gold.
School has gotten it's slimy, ugly, creativity-killing claws into me. So, I'll try to
get into a writing streak, but if I can't, please still check in every once in a while and don't
hesitate to e-mail me with nagging about the story. Any suggestions would be great; I
can't make many promises. I know where I want Ani to go I'm just having problems
getting him there. Oh and can we name Ani's ship something please? Suggestions would
be great. I'm not kidding when I say school KILLS creativity. Here's the 3rd chapter, I
hope you like it.
The Star Wars Universe is the inspired creation and property of George Lucas, (he needs
to be awarded something. He just has to.). It is the delight of millions, and I hope he will
forgive my presumption, directing his people in my own story line.
~~~~*~~~~
Past and Future
Life was pretty good. He had a steady job as Saalot's pilot and had even bought a
ship of his own a month into his job. A husk of course. He was having the time of his
life making her spaceworthy in his spare moments. He had picked up the reputation of
not only being among the best pilots, but of having the talent of being able to cobble
together equipment from almost anything (and having it work better than factory new
parts). The friends Anakin made were calling him Ani in no time, but surprisingly, Ani
felt no pain at his old nickname.
Despite his new life, the past never lost its grip on him. It seemed sometimes that
Padmé would be around the next corner, laughing and singing along to that soloist she
had loved. Or Obi-wan would join in with his camaraderie. He could not seem to get
over the pain of losing his family.
One time, he had gone back to Naboo on a shipping run. It was nothing compared
to what it once had been. Its people closed and mistrustful. The Gungans had
disappeared without a trace.
On that first trip he had scoured the bookstores and antique shops trying to find a
holo of his wife. All he was able to come up with was a book that detailed her career
from Princess of Theed to Queen and all the way up to Senator. It was obviously an old
edition. It had holos, but they were of official gatherings and royal functions. The
woman that peered through the light at him was not his Padme. It was the Queen, or
Madame Senator. One old lady took pity on him and offered him a clue as to where he
could find Amidala's more personal effects.
It was a dusty, dirty place she had directed him to. The man in charge asked
exorbitant prices, but it had been worth it. Most of it was filled with palace treasures and
knickknacks, nothing he was interested in. Apparently one of this man's relatives had
kept a scrapbook of the Queen. Most of the holos showed Padmé doing more officious
things but some of them; he could almost forgive the breech of the privacy that they had
tried to surround themselves with. They were doing things together. Dancing, talking,
having dinner. There was even one of her in a garden. How this person had gotten the
angle, he'd never know, but her smile was shining up at him again, Ithorian roses framing
her face. There was even a shot of Obi-wan and Jade, his wife. They looked so perfectly
happy. Sinking down onto a dusty table, Anakin searched through every page of that
treasured book.
Ani had to be practically thrown out of the house he was thanking the man so
much. Amused by the mile wide grin that split the face of his customer, the storekeeper
promised that he would save anything about the Queen for this strange young man.
Some of his friends found it amusing that he apparently had a 'crush' on a long
dead old woman. Ani let it go, knowing that whenever one of them needed a "favor",
they'd forget all about it. Saalot was less amused. She tried to be logical. (Four months
after he got the ship)
"Ani, what planet are you from?" She asked in consternation.
"My earliest memories are from Tatoonie."
"Then why are you obsessed with some Nubian politician?"
What could Ani say to that? Gee, boss, she was my wife before I was made a
clone. "You wouldn't understand, Saalot. Anyway, what are the Starlight and I hauling
to Kuat this run?"
"You're not. We have a lag in our schedule, and I wanted to drop home for a bit.
I wondered if maybe you'd like to see Coruscant."
"I haven't been there for a while so, sure when do we…"
They were interrupted by a visitor.
"Ahoy the Starlight!" The words were heavily accented Basic. "Hey Saalot, I was
looking for you at your office and they said to try here. I need a favor before I get back
to…" The man entered the ship. "Oh. You're busy, I'll come back later." And he started
to edge out the door.
"Don't be silly, meet Ani, our new pilot. Or, at least he was new five months ago.
Ogin, where have you been?"
"What, I had to leave on an emergency and you just replace me? What happened
to all our years?"
"Ogin, we had deadlines and you just disappeared and no one knew where you
went."
"But I was on a business trip, Saalot. I found a new client for ya." The confident
smile that followed his appeasing tone really got on Ani's nerves. Ogin was being smug
in an abrasive, possessive way. Barely half a minute with this guy and Ani was almost
cringing.
"Look, Ogin, let's go back to the office and talk about it there. I'll see you later
Ani." She tried to send him a reassuring smile before she led Ogin off.
To cool down a little bit, Ani went and fiddled with his ship. It was pretty much
spaceworthy now; it had a hyperdrive, shields, and all the basics, he was just tweaking
them a little bit. The weapons and security systems were done; you don't dock a ship on
Ord Mantell without some means of defense. And the hyperdrive was… his kinda son-
in-law, would not have been able to keep up. She wasn't a large ship, Ani could fly her
alone, but she had a decent sized cargo hold and room for three, if they didn't mind being
a little squashed. So, when anyone came on board, Ani couldn't help but notice them.
"Well Ani, the regulator I got won't fit my ship, do ya think you could have a
look?" Jain was a trader who skirted the edge of legality. Most of the time, his cargo was
just innocent goods, but other times, well, just how much riifflefruit did Ryloth really
need?
"Sure, let lock up here and we can head over to Jorrin's for lunch and then fix that
thing." The two headed over to the tapcafe and inside.
"What will it be gents?" Jorrin asked, turning around. "Ani! Giinger Ale or Hot
Chocolate?"
"We're never gonna get you to try something stronger are we?" Jain commented.
"You just don't know what you're missing. I'll have a Corellian Brandy."
"The Ale, please Jorrin." Though a friendly smile was on his face, Ani felt
relieved. Even after five months and whatever number of decades not actively using the
Force, he still burned inside with that power that never left him. He was not going to lose
control over it. The Universe had already seen a Skywalker Sith; it was not seeing a
Skywalker drunk.
Normal, everyday banter rose at the table. How trade was going, how much the
Hutts were interfering with business, the recent romantic affairs of the group, etc.
Caught up, Jain led Ani to the berth where his ship was docked. As they neared
the ship, Imperial tie-fighters screamed overhead. Ord Mantell was still an Imperial held
world, one of the last this close to Coruscant, and they defended it jealously. They exited
the atmosphere and Ani was met with a surge of Force, but he wasn't using it. Lightly
touching the mind of the pilot of the X-wing the Ties were engaging, he felt, quite
clearly….
"My son." The words came unbidden to his mouth. Quickly, before Luke could
feel his presence, not really thinking, Ani reached towards the Ties with the Force and
swatted them. They spun in space, living, but losing their prey and the X-wing
disappeared into hyperspace with a flash of light. Before it did, Ani felt the surprise and
excitement coming from its occupant.
'Sith!'
Jade aka Ghostly Image for getting me back to writing it, And to Pallas-Athena,
mishi, mvdiva, Bob DeFrank, Padawan Jan AQ, Hau Tran Quang, KT, Renee,
Belladonna Jaide, Laura Jade, Keeper of Dreams, Lady Serenity Moon, Redone,
~Sparks~, and Twinnie, for all your conscientious reviews. They're like gold.
School has gotten it's slimy, ugly, creativity-killing claws into me. So, I'll try to
get into a writing streak, but if I can't, please still check in every once in a while and don't
hesitate to e-mail me with nagging about the story. Any suggestions would be great; I
can't make many promises. I know where I want Ani to go I'm just having problems
getting him there. Oh and can we name Ani's ship something please? Suggestions would
be great. I'm not kidding when I say school KILLS creativity. Here's the 3rd chapter, I
hope you like it.
The Star Wars Universe is the inspired creation and property of George Lucas, (he needs
to be awarded something. He just has to.). It is the delight of millions, and I hope he will
forgive my presumption, directing his people in my own story line.
~~~~*~~~~
Past and Future
Life was pretty good. He had a steady job as Saalot's pilot and had even bought a
ship of his own a month into his job. A husk of course. He was having the time of his
life making her spaceworthy in his spare moments. He had picked up the reputation of
not only being among the best pilots, but of having the talent of being able to cobble
together equipment from almost anything (and having it work better than factory new
parts). The friends Anakin made were calling him Ani in no time, but surprisingly, Ani
felt no pain at his old nickname.
Despite his new life, the past never lost its grip on him. It seemed sometimes that
Padmé would be around the next corner, laughing and singing along to that soloist she
had loved. Or Obi-wan would join in with his camaraderie. He could not seem to get
over the pain of losing his family.
One time, he had gone back to Naboo on a shipping run. It was nothing compared
to what it once had been. Its people closed and mistrustful. The Gungans had
disappeared without a trace.
On that first trip he had scoured the bookstores and antique shops trying to find a
holo of his wife. All he was able to come up with was a book that detailed her career
from Princess of Theed to Queen and all the way up to Senator. It was obviously an old
edition. It had holos, but they were of official gatherings and royal functions. The
woman that peered through the light at him was not his Padme. It was the Queen, or
Madame Senator. One old lady took pity on him and offered him a clue as to where he
could find Amidala's more personal effects.
It was a dusty, dirty place she had directed him to. The man in charge asked
exorbitant prices, but it had been worth it. Most of it was filled with palace treasures and
knickknacks, nothing he was interested in. Apparently one of this man's relatives had
kept a scrapbook of the Queen. Most of the holos showed Padmé doing more officious
things but some of them; he could almost forgive the breech of the privacy that they had
tried to surround themselves with. They were doing things together. Dancing, talking,
having dinner. There was even one of her in a garden. How this person had gotten the
angle, he'd never know, but her smile was shining up at him again, Ithorian roses framing
her face. There was even a shot of Obi-wan and Jade, his wife. They looked so perfectly
happy. Sinking down onto a dusty table, Anakin searched through every page of that
treasured book.
Ani had to be practically thrown out of the house he was thanking the man so
much. Amused by the mile wide grin that split the face of his customer, the storekeeper
promised that he would save anything about the Queen for this strange young man.
Some of his friends found it amusing that he apparently had a 'crush' on a long
dead old woman. Ani let it go, knowing that whenever one of them needed a "favor",
they'd forget all about it. Saalot was less amused. She tried to be logical. (Four months
after he got the ship)
"Ani, what planet are you from?" She asked in consternation.
"My earliest memories are from Tatoonie."
"Then why are you obsessed with some Nubian politician?"
What could Ani say to that? Gee, boss, she was my wife before I was made a
clone. "You wouldn't understand, Saalot. Anyway, what are the Starlight and I hauling
to Kuat this run?"
"You're not. We have a lag in our schedule, and I wanted to drop home for a bit.
I wondered if maybe you'd like to see Coruscant."
"I haven't been there for a while so, sure when do we…"
They were interrupted by a visitor.
"Ahoy the Starlight!" The words were heavily accented Basic. "Hey Saalot, I was
looking for you at your office and they said to try here. I need a favor before I get back
to…" The man entered the ship. "Oh. You're busy, I'll come back later." And he started
to edge out the door.
"Don't be silly, meet Ani, our new pilot. Or, at least he was new five months ago.
Ogin, where have you been?"
"What, I had to leave on an emergency and you just replace me? What happened
to all our years?"
"Ogin, we had deadlines and you just disappeared and no one knew where you
went."
"But I was on a business trip, Saalot. I found a new client for ya." The confident
smile that followed his appeasing tone really got on Ani's nerves. Ogin was being smug
in an abrasive, possessive way. Barely half a minute with this guy and Ani was almost
cringing.
"Look, Ogin, let's go back to the office and talk about it there. I'll see you later
Ani." She tried to send him a reassuring smile before she led Ogin off.
To cool down a little bit, Ani went and fiddled with his ship. It was pretty much
spaceworthy now; it had a hyperdrive, shields, and all the basics, he was just tweaking
them a little bit. The weapons and security systems were done; you don't dock a ship on
Ord Mantell without some means of defense. And the hyperdrive was… his kinda son-
in-law, would not have been able to keep up. She wasn't a large ship, Ani could fly her
alone, but she had a decent sized cargo hold and room for three, if they didn't mind being
a little squashed. So, when anyone came on board, Ani couldn't help but notice them.
"Well Ani, the regulator I got won't fit my ship, do ya think you could have a
look?" Jain was a trader who skirted the edge of legality. Most of the time, his cargo was
just innocent goods, but other times, well, just how much riifflefruit did Ryloth really
need?
"Sure, let lock up here and we can head over to Jorrin's for lunch and then fix that
thing." The two headed over to the tapcafe and inside.
"What will it be gents?" Jorrin asked, turning around. "Ani! Giinger Ale or Hot
Chocolate?"
"We're never gonna get you to try something stronger are we?" Jain commented.
"You just don't know what you're missing. I'll have a Corellian Brandy."
"The Ale, please Jorrin." Though a friendly smile was on his face, Ani felt
relieved. Even after five months and whatever number of decades not actively using the
Force, he still burned inside with that power that never left him. He was not going to lose
control over it. The Universe had already seen a Skywalker Sith; it was not seeing a
Skywalker drunk.
Normal, everyday banter rose at the table. How trade was going, how much the
Hutts were interfering with business, the recent romantic affairs of the group, etc.
Caught up, Jain led Ani to the berth where his ship was docked. As they neared
the ship, Imperial tie-fighters screamed overhead. Ord Mantell was still an Imperial held
world, one of the last this close to Coruscant, and they defended it jealously. They exited
the atmosphere and Ani was met with a surge of Force, but he wasn't using it. Lightly
touching the mind of the pilot of the X-wing the Ties were engaging, he felt, quite
clearly….
"My son." The words came unbidden to his mouth. Quickly, before Luke could
feel his presence, not really thinking, Ani reached towards the Ties with the Force and
swatted them. They spun in space, living, but losing their prey and the X-wing
disappeared into hyperspace with a flash of light. Before it did, Ani felt the surprise and
excitement coming from its occupant.
'Sith!'