Author's Note: I'm sorry this chapter is so short. But the holidays were very busy for me, with family and all. Plus my birthday was yesterday. So for a late present, please review! And as soon as I can get another post up, hopefully by January 2nd, I will. So enjoy!!!

Chapter 9: Home

"Dash?"

"You got it kid," the old smuggler said winking a Luke. "Long time."

"A real long time. Were you the one that sent me the message?"

"Well Leebo did." Dash said referring to his droid copilot. "He was the one who intercepted the message between two people regarding a little girl with the last name Skywalker."

Luke sighed in relief. At least he knew his daughter was still alive. "Do you know where they are?"

"Of course. There is going to be a handoff on the edge of the Jundland Wastes tonight."

"Do you have any idea who it is?"

"A former smuggler named Quol and a guy named Trekk."

"Thanks Dash." Luke said as he stood up from the table.

Dash followed suit and he followed Luke outside. "So are you going to need any help?" dash offered.

Luke thought about it for a second. If they got pinned down and needed a quick escape, Kam could be hovering near by and swoop in to get them. "Yeah I think I will need your help. But be careful. This is my daughter we're dealing with."

"Don't worry. We'll get her out of there."

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Caylee sat shivering in the cold, dark room. She missed her daddy, Kandra, Artoo, Threepio, her friends and of course her mommy and brother. She pulled the tiny blanket around her tighter to block out everything -- loneliness, coldness, sadness, hunger, and pain.

She had noticed the there had been a small twinge of pain coming from her right shoulder, but she had paid no mind to it. But after being in this room, the pain began to grow and swell. It hurt her so bad.

She knew that she had to be brave. Be brave like her daddy had always been in the stories that Uncle Han had told her. She tired to make the pain go away, but it wasn't working. But what she had found was if she lied down against the cold floor, it made her shoulder feel better.

As she lay on the floor, she began to fall asleep. As her eyelids began to grow heavy, she felt something. Not physically felt, but felt in the Force. It was her daddy. Her daddy was close to her!

Daddy hurry. Please!

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Luke and Dash looked down from the highest rocks down into Beggar's Canyon. Luke wondered just how often things like this actually took place on Tatooine.

A sudden wave of pain hit him like a ton of bricks through the Force. Then next thing that Luke heard was a tiny voice calling out to him. asking him, no begging him to hurry.

"Caylee," he barely whispered. "She's in pain. I feel it."

They watched the bounty hunter's ship, waiting for whatever was going to take place. Luke was half tempted just to cut his way into that ship and save his daughter that way. But that would be too irrational. If this smuggler was any good, his ship would have several security systems, just like the Falcon had.

"Look! Off in the distance!" Dash whispered pointing. Luke turned to see the sand being kicked up by a speeder heading towards this general area. Luke didn't reached out in the Force. That maybe too dangerous to do.

Within minutes the speeder was stopped before the bounty hunter's ship. A figured draped in black was standing below the loading ramp waiting for the bounty hunter to emerge.

"No! I don't want to go! I want my daddy!!!!!!"

An older gentleman slowly made his way down the loading ramp, with a kicking and screaming Caylee in his arms.

Luke wanted to jump down into the canyon and fight both of these men for his daughter. Dash put a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"Here's the girl. Now where's my payment!" Quol demanded.

Trekk held out a bag full of credits. Quol reached for the bag as he handed over the kicking and screaming Caylee to Trekk.

Kick him in the knee. Then bite his arm.

Caylee wasn't sure whose voice she was hearing through the Force, but she did what it said. Just as Trekk took her in his grasp, she swung her leg back and nailed him in the kneecap. He yelped in pain and began to loose his balance. Then she bit his right forearm very hard. He dropped her and she tried to get out of the way from the two men, but Quol grabbed for her ankle.

Swoosh!

A green and white blade cut across the smuggler's hand barley burning it. Caylee scrambled away and hid behind some rocks. Quol and Trekk backed up closer to the ship as two men appeared in front of them. A Jedi, who was holding the green and white lightsaber, and another man, probably a New Republic fighter, Trekk figured.

"Ah Master Skywalker." Trekk said bowing.

"I know who you are. Now if you want my daughter you're going to have to go through me," Luke said holding his lightsaber squarely in front of him. Dash stood his ground across from the smuggler, who suddenly had a look of horror on his face.

"That shouldn't be hard. You're wife wasn't that tough of an opponent." Trekk said, igniting his lightsaber and lunged forward. Luke quickly blocked his thrust. Their duel had begun.

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Caylee watched from behind the rocks as her daddy and another man began to fight the two bad men. She watched in awe at how her daddy fought. Then the other man reminded her of Uncle Han, but it wasn't him.

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When the two Jedis started their duel, Quol tried to run back up into his ship and tried to leave, but Dash was too fast for him. He quickly shot Quol in the leg and watched him crawl back up into this ship. And Dash followed him right in.

"Now why did you take this little girl? Do you know who she is?" Dash said picking Quol up and starring at him directly in the eyes.

"The Chief of State's niece."

"And?" Dash said as he tightening his grip more.

"A Jedi Master's daughter."

"That's better. Now come on. Into the brig you go." Dash said putting him into the cold dark cell that Caylee had been in for a few days.

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Both of the Jedis' had cuts from their battle so far. And it didn't seem that the duel was going anywhere fast. Trekk was just as fast as Luke was. But suddenly there was a break.

Trekk stumbled backwards over a rock and Luke cut down and knocked the lightsaber from Trekk's hands. It landed a bit away from him.

By then Dash had rejoined his side and had his blaster pointed at the Dark Jedi. "Go find Caylee. I'll watch him."

Luke nodded and headed towards the rocks were he felt Caylee's presence.

Before Luke was even halfway to where his daughter was, she appeared and began to run towards him. Luke had a smile on his face, but something didn't feel right to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Trekk barely moving his hand. That was when Luke realized what he was trying to do.

He broke into a run to try to get to his daughter in time, but it was too late. The red Sith blade went flying past him, faster then he could run. "Caylee get down!"

Caylee knelt down just as the lightsaber flew past her. But it was too late.

The smell of burned flesh, Caylee screaming out in agony, coupled with the inability to get to her, made it feel like Luke was moving at a turtle's pace.

"DADDY!!!!!!!" Caylee was screaming through her tears. She lay on the ground in a crumpled heap. The entire backside of her clothes were cut away, along with most of her flesh along her spinal cord. The blade hadn't cut deep, but for a four year old, it could possible prove fatal.

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Dash's attention was briefly turned to Luke and his daughter. Trekk saw it as the perfect time to make an escape. He kicked the blaster out of Dash's hand then used the Force to push him against the rocks. It knocked him senseless for a second or two. Just enough time for Trekk to get up into Quol's ship and take off without any response from Luke or Dash.

And at the moment, Luke didn't care much about it. His little girl was in a lot of pain.

"Shh Caylee, it's going to be ok." Luke said calmly to his daughter, trying to calm her down.

But she wouldn't stop screaming.

"Caylee stop crying just for a minute."

The little girl did as her dad asked of her.

"Good. I'm going to make you fall asleep. Just until the pain is all gone."

"Don't leave me daddy!!"

"I won't sweetheart. Just close your eyes…"

Within seconds, Caylee was in a hibernation trance. It was the only thing for Luke to do with her until he managed to get her help. By that time, the Jade's Fire was landing in the canyon and Dash and Kam were both by Luke's side.

"Is she ok?" Kam asked.

"I sure hope so. Come on let's get back to Naboo." Luke said carrying Caylee onto the ship.