Disclaimer: George Lucas owns it all, although I wish I did.
Obi-Wan Kenobi poked his head into the kitchen of the Lars homestead.
Luke Skywalker was hunched at the table, tinkering with some
mechanical contraption. Then he went back to his conversation with
Owen Lars.
Ostensibly, Obi-Wan had visited the Lars Moisture Farm to talk to
Owen. What he really wanted was to see Luke. The boy was sixteen now,
and every time the old Jedi saw him he felt a mad urge to tell him
everything and start his Padawan training. But now was not the time.
If Owen had his way, that time would never come. He was a good man,
but he had never approved of the Jedi, and the very idea of Luke
becoming one revolted him. Owen's wife, Beru, was far more
understanding. She knew how seriously Obi-Wan took his charge, that he
considered a sacred trust. Luke was the last hope of the Jedi Order
and of the galaxy.
As for Luke himself. well, all the kids of the area were a little bit
afraid of old hermit Ben and his mysterious ways, but Luke wasn't.
They weren't the best of friends, but they got along fairly well.
He wanted a private conversation with Luke, but he wasn't sure how he
was going to manage that. Owen would not like the idea. As it was, he
lived in agony because Jabba the Hutt kept telling Owen to let Luke
participate in the Boonta Eve podraces. That was how Luke's father,
Anakin Skywalker, had taken his first step to being a Jedi and Owen
was not letting Luke go in that direction.
At that moment, Luke appeared in the doorway. It was dusk, and in the
faint light of the twin sunset he was the living image of Anakin.
smaller-built, but in every other way he looked exactly like his
father.
Obi-Wan saw his chance, and seized it.
"Luke, it's getting dark outside. I didn't realize it was so late.
Would you mind taking me home in your speeder?"
"Sure," Luke said. He even sounded like Anakin. Owen started to
protest, but Beru glared at him and he fell silent.
"So," Luke said, as they got into his little speeder. "What route will
it be? Want to go by Beggar's Canyon?"
"Actually, I've never flown Beggar's Canyon."
"What! Never? I'll take you that way. I've made some modifications to
the speeder and she can fly the canyon. You'll love it."
Obi-Wan had never flown Beggar's Canyon, but he had seen it and he had
heard about it. And from what he had seen and heard, only suicidal
lunatics flew Beggar's Canyon. And even they did it in daylight, on
swoops or in skyhoppers.
"Don't you think we should try that some other day, when it's
brighter?"
"Hey, no problem. I can fly Beggar's Canyon with my eyes closed."
Obi-Wan resigned himself to his fate. If he were alive at the end of
this he would know that Luke was as strong in the Force as he would
ever need to be.
He would have preferred to find out some other way.
Luke veered around and gunned the engine. Obi-Wan was sure they had
attained escape velocity. Only the son of Anakin Skywalker would even
consider flying the canyon at that speed. And only the son of Anakin
Skywalker could do it.
The canyon came up and Luke pulled them up over it, then cut the
engine. They dropped straight into the gorge, and Obi-Wan held tightly
to his seat as the ground came up to meet them. Barely twenty feet
left - surely Luke was going to do something?
Luke's hands were on the controls, and they stopped a foot from the
ground. Now they were skimming forward, still at a suicidal speed.
Calm down, Obi-Wan told himself. Didn't Luke's father win the Boonta
Eve podrace when he was nine years old?
The thought was not particularly comforting.
Something was coming up ahead of them now - a rock wall, with a two-
meter-by-two-meter hole in it. Luke couldn't be planning to go through
the hole! At this speed they would never -
Before he could finish the thought, there was a flash of rock above
him and they were through the gap.
Luke tilted the nose of the craft down a bit, and they dropped even
further. Now they were just a half-inch above the canyon floor. Obi-
Wan could hear tiny pebbles brushing the bottom of the speeder.
The twisting began here - now they were entering the really dangerous
part. Luke whipped the craft around deadly turns and through narrow
passages. Obi-Wan just hoped that it would end soon.
He had often seen the kids flying the canyon. He had never seen anyone
fly at this speed, and never with this much assurance. No wonder Jabba
thought Luke would make a good podracer - if they could make a pod his
size he would be incredible, maybe even better than Anakin had been.
And now another rock wall was coming up - and this one didn't have a
way through it. Luke did nothing until the nose of the craft was
almost touching the wall, and then suddenly they were vertical,
soaring up against gravity and skimming the side of the canyon.
He had always hated it when Anakin did things like that.
Over the wall and then the nose pointed down again. They were hurtling
diagonally down at a speed of which Obi-Wan had never imagined a
landspeeder was capable. This time Luke touched the controls while
they were still fairly high, and they flew in a smooth curve,
horizontal again at the end of it.
More hair-raising turns, and finally Luke took them up again. Obi-Wan
had shut his eyes long ago. He didn't want to watch.
Luke left the canyon and increased their speed even more - and then
suddenly they stopped.
Obi-Wan opened his eyes cautiously, and saw the Dune Sea behind them
and his hut in front.
"Nice flying," he commented.
Obi-Wan Kenobi poked his head into the kitchen of the Lars homestead.
Luke Skywalker was hunched at the table, tinkering with some
mechanical contraption. Then he went back to his conversation with
Owen Lars.
Ostensibly, Obi-Wan had visited the Lars Moisture Farm to talk to
Owen. What he really wanted was to see Luke. The boy was sixteen now,
and every time the old Jedi saw him he felt a mad urge to tell him
everything and start his Padawan training. But now was not the time.
If Owen had his way, that time would never come. He was a good man,
but he had never approved of the Jedi, and the very idea of Luke
becoming one revolted him. Owen's wife, Beru, was far more
understanding. She knew how seriously Obi-Wan took his charge, that he
considered a sacred trust. Luke was the last hope of the Jedi Order
and of the galaxy.
As for Luke himself. well, all the kids of the area were a little bit
afraid of old hermit Ben and his mysterious ways, but Luke wasn't.
They weren't the best of friends, but they got along fairly well.
He wanted a private conversation with Luke, but he wasn't sure how he
was going to manage that. Owen would not like the idea. As it was, he
lived in agony because Jabba the Hutt kept telling Owen to let Luke
participate in the Boonta Eve podraces. That was how Luke's father,
Anakin Skywalker, had taken his first step to being a Jedi and Owen
was not letting Luke go in that direction.
At that moment, Luke appeared in the doorway. It was dusk, and in the
faint light of the twin sunset he was the living image of Anakin.
smaller-built, but in every other way he looked exactly like his
father.
Obi-Wan saw his chance, and seized it.
"Luke, it's getting dark outside. I didn't realize it was so late.
Would you mind taking me home in your speeder?"
"Sure," Luke said. He even sounded like Anakin. Owen started to
protest, but Beru glared at him and he fell silent.
"So," Luke said, as they got into his little speeder. "What route will
it be? Want to go by Beggar's Canyon?"
"Actually, I've never flown Beggar's Canyon."
"What! Never? I'll take you that way. I've made some modifications to
the speeder and she can fly the canyon. You'll love it."
Obi-Wan had never flown Beggar's Canyon, but he had seen it and he had
heard about it. And from what he had seen and heard, only suicidal
lunatics flew Beggar's Canyon. And even they did it in daylight, on
swoops or in skyhoppers.
"Don't you think we should try that some other day, when it's
brighter?"
"Hey, no problem. I can fly Beggar's Canyon with my eyes closed."
Obi-Wan resigned himself to his fate. If he were alive at the end of
this he would know that Luke was as strong in the Force as he would
ever need to be.
He would have preferred to find out some other way.
Luke veered around and gunned the engine. Obi-Wan was sure they had
attained escape velocity. Only the son of Anakin Skywalker would even
consider flying the canyon at that speed. And only the son of Anakin
Skywalker could do it.
The canyon came up and Luke pulled them up over it, then cut the
engine. They dropped straight into the gorge, and Obi-Wan held tightly
to his seat as the ground came up to meet them. Barely twenty feet
left - surely Luke was going to do something?
Luke's hands were on the controls, and they stopped a foot from the
ground. Now they were skimming forward, still at a suicidal speed.
Calm down, Obi-Wan told himself. Didn't Luke's father win the Boonta
Eve podrace when he was nine years old?
The thought was not particularly comforting.
Something was coming up ahead of them now - a rock wall, with a two-
meter-by-two-meter hole in it. Luke couldn't be planning to go through
the hole! At this speed they would never -
Before he could finish the thought, there was a flash of rock above
him and they were through the gap.
Luke tilted the nose of the craft down a bit, and they dropped even
further. Now they were just a half-inch above the canyon floor. Obi-
Wan could hear tiny pebbles brushing the bottom of the speeder.
The twisting began here - now they were entering the really dangerous
part. Luke whipped the craft around deadly turns and through narrow
passages. Obi-Wan just hoped that it would end soon.
He had often seen the kids flying the canyon. He had never seen anyone
fly at this speed, and never with this much assurance. No wonder Jabba
thought Luke would make a good podracer - if they could make a pod his
size he would be incredible, maybe even better than Anakin had been.
And now another rock wall was coming up - and this one didn't have a
way through it. Luke did nothing until the nose of the craft was
almost touching the wall, and then suddenly they were vertical,
soaring up against gravity and skimming the side of the canyon.
He had always hated it when Anakin did things like that.
Over the wall and then the nose pointed down again. They were hurtling
diagonally down at a speed of which Obi-Wan had never imagined a
landspeeder was capable. This time Luke touched the controls while
they were still fairly high, and they flew in a smooth curve,
horizontal again at the end of it.
More hair-raising turns, and finally Luke took them up again. Obi-Wan
had shut his eyes long ago. He didn't want to watch.
Luke left the canyon and increased their speed even more - and then
suddenly they stopped.
Obi-Wan opened his eyes cautiously, and saw the Dune Sea behind them
and his hut in front.
"Nice flying," he commented.