Seventeen Years Later…
Chapter 1
Two gorgeously blue eyes peeked around the corner through the dim light, as Luke Lars tried to catch his breath, which was quickly running away from him. Relaxing, he tried to force his beating heart to once again resume a normal pace, but its deafening drone continued to block out the small noises he strained to hear so desperately. Hearing someone approach, Luke molded his body even more closely to the wall which was his only shelter from preying eyes, and held his breath, until…
A leather clad hand reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him around in a whirl that nearly made Luke shout. "Finally," the voice called, "Do you know how long I've been looking for you?"
Slowly, Luke let his breathing return to normal, and shrugged off the hand from the dark figure before him, cloaked in black from head to foot. "Well you found me. Now what are you planning?"
Luke could just imagine the evil grin spreading on the face before him, "It's sani-papering time."
Luke dropped his head and groaned, "Biggs, is this your big Friday night plan? Look, I might as well head back home before Uncle Owen discovers I'm gone and has me fixing moisture vaporators from the next two weeks straight."
He turned to walk away, but Biggs grabbed him by the arm, "No Luke! Wait a second, you haven't heard the rest of it yet. We're not going to sani-paper just anyone's house." Biggs leaned closer, and whispered, after a moment for dramatic effect, "We're going to sani-paper Old Ben's hut!"
"Oh, for the love of…" Luke mumbled under his breath, "Uncle Owen says Ben's a crazy old man. He's trouble, and we don't need any more than we already have. Goodnight Biggs." Luke turned his back on Biggs and resolutely strode towards his speeder, but managed to get no farther than a few steps before Biggs used the ultimate weapon against his friend – one which had never failed to work.
"Sure Luke, run home scared to your daddy. Oh wait, you don't have one… Well I'm sure Beru will make you a nice warm cup of blue milk before she tucks you in-"
Biggs got no further before Luke whirled around in a rage, ready to pounce on Biggs before the young man could say anything more. Having already predicted his response, Biggs laughed merrily and skipped away a few steps, out of Luke's reach, "You afraid, farmboy?"
"Never." Luke answered through gritted teeth, not quite ready to release the anger that came all too readily to his mind.
"Then let's go scaredy-cat! Come on!" Biggs called, racing for his speeder, and throttling up. Luke mirrored his actions, and soon the two boys found themselves surging forward through the darkness, their running lights dimmed to avoid detection. Luke drank in the thrill of it all, all blackness whizzed towards him, and his speeder deftly cut through its center with the smallest movement of his hands over the controls. Before long, he found himself laughing along with Biggs.
Then all at once, Biggs geared down his speeder, and looking ahead, Luke could just make out a faint light in a small hut before them. It was a modest dwelling, even for Tatooine, and Luke found himself wondering what on earth the old man did in the middle of the desert. He shuddered to wonder what strange occurrences might happen during the dead of night, when no one else was around to watch the behaviour of one old man. Luke had heard tales of people in Mos Eisley who performed rituals with animals, slaughtering them during the silence of the night in ceremonies beyond his comprehension. His blue eyes grew a little bit larger staring at the hut before him, and he gulped, a little bit too loudly.
"Come on Luke, the sooner we do this, the sooner we can leave." Biggs urged, yanking the sani-paper out of a knapsack and handing some of it to Luke to carry. Fear was beginning to weave its way into his heart as well, but the mischievous shine that usually inhabited his eyes still blazed strongly. Biggs began to laugh quietly again, and even let out a very unmanly giggle as he paced quietly over to Ben's hut. Seeing his friend acting so boldly, Luke set aside his fears, and followed his friend into the darkness, a smile beginning to tug at the corners of his mouth again. "Wait up Biggs!" he called softly.
"Shhh!" Biggs called back, from somewhere in the darkness ahead of him. Catching the sound, Luke headed forward in its direction. The light in the hut was growing brighter now, as he neared the threshold of the hut, and Luke walked a little off course, so that he might stay in the shadows – just in case the old hermit was still awake. Awake… planning out who knew what… 'No,' Luke told himself, clamping down on his fear. He found a rather large projection of rock on the wall of the hut. The roughness of the wall brought him into an entirely new world, as it dawned on his senses, which had been starved by the night of the desert. His skin registered new sensations, and everything in him stirred, including his spirit. Luke quickly set to work, winding his roll around the side of the house as best as he could, grinning all the time. Carefully, he walked backwards around the rear of the house, intending to wind the roll around the hut's circumference. His back met another body with a light thud in the darkness, and Luke muttered under his breath, "Watch it Biggs!" He turned around to scold his friend, but a very different sight greeted his eyes, as they saw a homespun cloak instead of an all black figure. His heart rate soared in sudden fear, and taking a step backwards, Luke accidentally stumbled on the sandy surface and landed hard on his back, still staring stupidly at the man before him. "I….I…" Luke babbled.
The old man spared him the struggle of speaking, and uttered the first words himself, "I didn't expect to see you at this time of the night, Luke. Rather far from home, aren't you?"
And in those words was something infinitely creepier than the worst threat or curse that man could have raised. An old hermit in the middle of the desert somehow knew both his name, and where he lived. "How do you know my name?" he asked, recovering his tongue, and sliding the roll of sani-paper behind his back as stealthily as possible.
In the dim light that came from the hut, Luke could just barely see the old man smile, with the curves of his face taking on a shape that screamed, 'If only you knew.' Old Ben took a step back, and leaned against the wall of the hut, "Just because I'm a hermit doesn't mean I'm completely bereft of knowledge from outside my hut. I haven't always lived here, you know." He looked quietly at Luke for a moment, seeming to study his face very carefully, despite the bad lighting conditions. He gave a little sigh after a moment, "You're turning into a very fine young man Luke. You have your father's eyes."
When Ben first started speaking, Luke noticed for the first time that his accent wasn't from Tatooine. But then, he heard Ben's comment about his eyes, and everything else fell out of his mind in one shattering moment that defied reason. There was nothing to suggest the old man was even in possession of his senses, yet somehow his words evoked a thunderstorm of questions in Luke's mind that drove out all fears from his mind.
He wanted to shout out all his questions at once, but just then he caught the sound of muffled footsteps landing in the sand close to the hut, and the angry muttering of Biggs, "Stop making so much noise Luke!" Biggs called out, as he rounded the hut. Then his eyes caught sight of Ben, and he reacted far more than even Luke had, "AHHH!" he shrieked before gaining control again over his voice, and stumbling backwards into the wall of the hut. His eyes remained glued to the man in front of him, "We didn't mean any harm, honest!" he started, beating the accusations before someone else beat him.
Old Ben grinned more mischievously than either Luke or Biggs had managed before, "Then what did you intend, young Darklighter? Did you consider it an act of charity to sani-paper an old man's house?"
"No..no sir." Biggs stuttered.
Ben laughed loudly, and turned his back on both boys, "The night is too cold for an old man's bones. Would either of you care to join me for a warm drink?"
"No thank you." Biggs shot out before Luke could even think of a response, "Our parents are probably wondering where we are."
"They certain are." Ben added wryly, as he strode away from the young people back into his hut. Luke was about to follow him as if in a daze, but Biggs grabbed his arm firmly and dragged him back.
"No way are we going in there Luke! We're getting' out of here now!" Biggs whispered frantically, eyes still darting every few seconds to the path the old man had taken, in fears he would return, "Come on!"
Still lost and not understanding everything that happened, Luke found himself ushered back to his speeder, and instructed to head home without any delays. Numbly, Luke complied, though he still entertained the wild thought of jumping off his speeder and charging back to the old man's hut. Caution won out over his urges, and Luke throttled up the speeder and raced back towards his home, parting ways with Biggs before the friends had time to discuss their little adventure. The daze gave way to excitement, though Luke had no idea where it came from. He felt very alive all of a sudden, and so very aware of everything that went on around, as if the darkness made no difference to his eyes. Brashly, he turned off the speeder's running lights and closed his eyes, feeling the wild exhilaration of piloting his speeder completely without sight. He felt, rather than saw, landmarks whiz by in quick succession, and felt his home approach. He slowed down, but still didn't open his eyes, until at last he had brought the craft to an easy halt. And then, with his eyes open, he saw that he had parked his speeder with utterly accurate precision in the garage, precisely where it belonged - down to a micromeasure. With the thrill still upon him, he felt a brief impression upon his mind, as light as the touch of a feather, but so completely beyond the scope of his experience, that he had no idea what it was. As soon as he began to probe the new experience, the sense vanished like mist in the sun. He was too tired to wonder at it then, and made a bee line for the house.
It was a restless night for Luke, after he silently made his way into his room and the safety of his bed. He was most likely still covered in sand and grime from the trip, but he had neither the energy nor the desire to effect a change to that condition, though he knew he would face Beru's fatuous demands regarding personal hygiene the following morning. Strange dreams danced through his head throughout the entire night, of vague pictures and impressions which refused to mold together into anything intelligible. When at last he awoke from their grip, Luke immediately remembered the events of the previous night, and dashed up to get a shower before Aunt Beru caught sight his begrimed visage. After showering, he quickly hid his sandy clothes from the night before, and straightened up the bed to hide the sand which had crept into its folds. At last satisfied with his handiwork, Luke headed to the kitchen, to partake of the common repast.
"Morning Luke," Aunt Beru called softly.
"Good morning Aunt Beru," he answered, with as much cheer as he could muster.
"Looking a little tired this morning," Owen grumbled, catching sight of his nephew, "What have you been up to Luke?"
"Just another wild and crazy Tatooine Friday, Uncle Owen," Luke answered, with a winning smile.
It seemed to work. "Hmmph," Uncle Owen answered irascibly, "Just make sure you get your chores done."
The family ate on in silence for the next few moments, until Luke eagerly looked up from his bowl, "Uncle Owen, where did Old Ben come from anyway?"
"What, that old hermit?" Owen snapped, is voice rising, "It's no concern of yours. That man is crazy, and we'd all do well to stay away from him." He eyed Luke fiercely, and pointed a calloused finger at him, "Especially you. He's always enjoyed telling lies to young people. Done it all his life."
"Owen…" Beru soothed, placing her hand on her husband's shoulder, "The boy is just curious."
"Curiosity is the symptom of a mind without enough work. Get to your chores Luke, and then you can fix the extra patch of moisture vaporators I bought from Darklighter the other day." Owen answered firmly.
Luke knew better than to argue, but he wasn't above mumbling and complaining as he set about his work. It wasn't fair that his Uncle reacted so violently to all his questions, yet Owen had always been exacting in revenge whenever Luke had asked too many questions – particularly about his father. There was some family secret that they did not want Luke to find out. Most likely, his father had gotten involved in a scandal which had cast shadows over the entire family. Perhaps that was why they were on Tatooine in the first place, hiding from that bad reputation. But Luke was nearly eighteen years old, and he felt ready to know the whole truth, no matter how awful his father's actions had been. Far from discouraging him to wonder about his father, Owen's treatment about the whole matter made him wonder, and daydream, about what his father had really been like…
"Luke!" a voice whispered to him, startling him out of his revere. Luke spun around for the second time in two days to see Biggs.
"What are you doing here Biggs?" Luke asked, half annoyed and half pleased at the sudden sight of his friend during his working hours.
"Shhh!" Biggs answered, frantically motioning for him to be quiet, "I don't want your Uncle Owen to know I'm here! He'll put me to work before you can say Biggs Darklighter."
"Maybe some work would be good for you Biggs." Luke replied, turning back to his work with screwdriver in hand, "Maybe that way you wouldn't get us into so much trouble."
"Hey Luke, last night was great!" Biggs affirmed, eyes beginning to glow again, "Can you believe we got away with that? Oh-ho, that was classic!"
"Biggs…" Luke groaned, "Please don't tell me you have another crazy scheme up your sleeves. I haven't recovered from the last one."
"This one's different Luke, there's nothing dangerous about it." Biggs declared, stepping closer to Luke, "Have you heard yet? The Emperor and Empress are coming here – to Tatooine! – for the first Galactic Podrace in twenty years on the planet. Here Luke! And we're going to be there."
Luke's face lit up, "That's….amazing! But… you know we'll never get in there Biggs. Neither you nor I can pay the price for a ticket to an event like that."
"Here's the good part Luke," Biggs exclaimed enthusiastically, "They're hiring track hands today and tomorrow. All we have to do is get hired, and bingo, we get access to the track, and we get paid while we're at it. What could be better? And with your mechanical genius and my charms, we're sure to get hired."
"Uncle Owen is never going to let me get a job like that. He needs my help on the farm." Luke replied, his bright expression falling.
"Simple, we work nights!" Biggs answered brightly, "The race is in two weeks; once it's over, we can quit if we like. No sweat."
"Biggs, please tell me I'm not about to let you talk me into another wild scheme…" Luke pleaded, closing his eyes.
Biggs grinned, "And by the way, Mr. Brains has already figured out a way to get you into town in time for the interview."
"And how, may I ask, is that going to happen?" Luke asked skeptically.
"I found an old box of droid motivators in my garage that no one was using. Your Uncle Owen always goes for a deal, so we tell him they're selling them dirt cheep in Mos Eisley. He lets you off work early so you can go buy them. We'll use the money he gives you to, errr… enjoy ourselves while we're there, and we make it to the interview before the day is over. So Luke, what are you waiting for? Congratulate me." Biggs beamed.
Luke eyed him cautiously, "I don't know whether to do that or kill you Biggs. I still haven't agreed to this crazy scheme yet."
"Ahh, well," Bigg began, "Did I mention I already told Aunt Beru?" An evil glint was in his eye, and Luke groaned.
"Luuuuuke!" Owen called from inside the house, "There's something I need you to do!"
Biggs winked at him, "My bag's outside, let me wander on out and get it while you clean up, and then we're all ready to hit the road. You're going to love it this time Luke, I know it." He raced out the door before Luke could catch him.
"One of these days…" Luke mumbled under his breath.
LUUUKE!" The call came, even more persistent.
"Coming, Uncle Owen!"
