The Jedi Knight
Thanks to Ironknight3307, skyjadeprincess and the stargate time traveller for favouriting and following this story
Luke and Malia both got up early next morning and they set off to find the missing Artoo. Soon, Luke and Threepio were speeding across the sand flats in Luke's landspeeder, while Malia rode alongside on her swoop bike. "Old Ben lives out in this direction somewhere, but I don't see how that R2 unit could've come this far." Luke said to Threepio, "We must've missed him. Uncle Owen's not gonna take this very well."
"Would it help if you told him it was my fault?" Threepio offered
"Sure. He needs you." Luke replied sarcastically, "He'll probably only deactivate you for a day or so."
"Deactivated?" Threepio stared, "Well, on the other hand, if you hadn't have removed his restraining bolt..."
"Wait a second." Luke interrupted, seeing something on the speeder's scanner, "Look, there's a droid on the scanner. Dead ahead. Might be our little R2 unit." He then gave a hand signal to his cousin and the two speeders headed in the direction the scanner indicated.
~8~
R2-D2 was trundling towards a canyon when the two speeders pulled up behind him and Luke, Malia and Threepio all came hurrying up in front of him. "Hey, whoa. Just where d'you think ya going?" Luke asked the runaway Astromech, who beeped something to Threepio.
"Master Luke and Mistress Malia are your rightful owners now." Threepio scolded, "We'll have no more of this Obi-Wan Kenobi gibberish."
Artoo beeped something else.
"And don't talk to me of your mission either." Threepio retorted, "You're fortunate that they don't blast you into a million pieces right here."
"No, it's alright, but I think we'd better go." Luke said. Now that they'd found Artoo, he just wanted to get back to the farm before Owen found out what had happened.
Artoo suddenly beeped and whistled frantically and rocked from side to side. "Oh, now what's wrong with him?" Malia groaned
"There are several creatures approaching from the south east." Threepio translated
Both Humans immediately began looking around uneasily. "Sandpeople." Luke said grimly
"Or worse." Malia added. She'd heard rumours that there were Krayt Dragons out here in the Jundland Wastes.
Luke went back to his speeder and grabbed a rifle. "Come on, 'Lia, let's take a look." he said
"Luke, I don't think we should." Malia said hesitantly
"Come on." Luke persisted, so Malia grabbed a blaster pistol from the equipment bag on her bike and she and Threepio followed Luke up to the top of the ridge where he took out his electrobinoculars and scanned the horizon. "Well, there are two Banthas down there." he said presently, "But I don't see any... Wait a second, they're Sandpeople alright. I can see one of 'em now."
"Then where's the other one?" Malia wandered. She knew that Tusken Raiders rode around on Banthas and if there were two Banthas, then there were two Tusken Raiders too.
Malia got her answer a moment later when a Tusken Raider jumped out of nowhere right in front of them, raising it's gaderffii stick and roaring loudly. Threepio gave a yell of surprise, lost his balance and tumbled down the hillock they were standing on. Malia immediately raised her blaster at the Tusken, who promptly swing it's gaderffii stick at her and caught her in the side of the face, knocking her out cold.
"Malia!" Luke yelled, rushing forward to help his cousin. Suddenly, a third Tusken came out of nowhere behind him and coshed him on the back of the head with it's gaderffii stick, knocking him out too.
Artoo meanwhile had taken shelter in a small alcove in the rocks and listened as the Tuskens' roars echoed through the canyon. Presently, the two Tuskens who had attacked Luke and Malia came into view, carrying the unconscious Humans. They dumped the cousins on the ground and were joined by the third Tusken as they headed over to the unattended speeders ready to help themselves to anything valuable inside them. Suddenly, a Krayt Dragon's howl echoed through the canyon and the three Tuskens promptly scarpered. From hiding place, Artoo watched as a figure in a brow-hooded robe approached the two unconscious farmers and checked their vital signs. Artoo beeped, attracting the stranger's attention and they lowered their hood to reveal that they were an elderly Human male with grey hair and a beard. "Hullo there." he greeted cheerfully, "Come here, my little friend. Don't be afraid."
Artoo cautiously came out of hiding, beeped a question about the state of the two cousins.
"Oh, don't worry. They'll be alright." the man reassured him
Malia suddenly gave a moan and opened her eyes. "Ooh, ah, that hurts." she groaned as she sat up and rubbed the side of her head, then she noticed her cousin. "Luke? Luke, wake up!" she urged, shaking him slightly.
Luke promptly regained consciousness too. "Rest easy, you two." the old man advised the cousins, "You've had a busy day. You're both fortunate you're still in one piece."
Luke sat up and rubbed the back of his head, then he noticed the old man and recognised him. "Ben? Ben Kenobi? Boy am I glad to see you!" he said
"The Jundland Wastes are not to be travelled lightly." Ben said as he helped the farmers to stand, "Tell me, young Luke, what brings you and your cousin out this far?"
"This little droid." Luke replied, pointing to Artoo, "We think he's searching for his former master but I've never seen such devotion in a droid before."
"Yeah, seems like nothing's gonna stop him." Malia said, brushing some sand off her tunic.
"He claims to be the property of an Obi-Wan Kenobi." Luke told Ben, "Is he a relative of yours. Do you know what he's talking about?"
The moment that name had been mentioned, Ben's expression changed. He sat down on a rock with a thoughtful expression. "Obi-Wan Kenobi... Obi-Wan." he murmured, "Now that's a name I've not heard in a long time... a long time."
"I think my dad knows him." Malia ventured, "He thinks he's dead."
"Oh, he's not dead." Ben replied, "Well, not yet."
"You know him?" Luke asked
"Well, of course I know him. He's me." Ben replied
"You're kidding." Malia stared, while Artoo beeped something, apparently happy that he'd found his former master.
"But I haven't gone by the name of Obi-Wan since, oh, before either of you were born." Obi-Wan told the cousins.
"Then the droid does belong to you." Luke said
"Don't seem to remember ever owning a droid. How very interesting." Obi-Wan remarked. Suddenly, Tusken roaring could be heard in the distance. "I think we'd better get indoors." Obi-Wan said as he stood, "The Sandpeople are easily startled, but they'll soon be back. And in even greater numbers."
Luke and Malia got up to follow Obi-Wan when Artoo beeped, reminding them of someone they had forgotten. "Threepio." both cousins said as they rushed off to find the Protocol droid.
Threepio had landed nearby and had managed to withstand the tumbled relatively intact, but he had lost an arm which Luke retrieved and he and Malis hurried over to where the rest of Threepio was. "Where am I?" Threepio moaned, "I must have taken a bad step."
"Can you stand?" Luke asked him, "We've gotta get outta here before the Sandpeople return."
"I don't think I can make it." Threepio said pathetically, "You go on, Master and Mistress. There's no sense in you both risking yourselves on my account. I'm done for."
"Oh, don't be silly, Threepio." Malia snorted, "C'mon, we'll soon get ya fixed up." And she and Luke helped Threepio to stand.
~8~
Obi-Wan had soon taken Luke, Malia and the droids to his hut where the cousins got to work reattaching Threepio's arm. Obi-Wan had just been telling Luke of how he had known Anakin Skywalker. "No, my father didn't fight in the wars, he was a navigator on a spice freighter." Luke laughed
"That's what your uncle told you." Obi-Wan replied, "He didn't hold with your father's ideals, thought he should've stayed here and not gotten involved."
"Hmm, sounds about right." Malia commented, recalling her father's reluctance to let Luke leave the farm and join the Imperial Academy.
"You fought in the Clone Wars?" Luke asked Obi-Wan
"Yes, I was once a Jedi Knight the same as your father." Obi-Wan replied
"I wish I'd known him." Luke sighed, and Malia gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze.
"He was the best star pilot in the galaxy, and a cunning warrior." Obi-Wan told Luke warmly, "I understand you've both become quite good pilots yourselves." he added, causing Luke to smile and Malia to shrug bashfully. "And he was a good friend." Obi-Wan sighed in reminiscence, "Which reminds me... I have something here for you, Luke." he said as he stood and walked over to an old chest. "Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough, but your uncle wouldn't allow it." He reached into the chest and produced a silver cylindrical object with several knobs and buttons on it. "He feared you might follow old Obi-Wan on some 'damn fool idealistic crusade' like your father did."
"Sir, Mistress, if you'll not be needing me, I'll close down for a while." Threepio offered as the cousins finished reattaching his arm.
"Yeah, carry on." Malia replied, and Threepio powered down.
Luke got up and approached Obi-Wan. "What is it?" he asked as Obi-Wan handed him the cylindrical object.
"Your father's lightsabre." Obi-Wan replied, "This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster." Luke pressed a button on the cylinder and a bright blue beam of energy shot out of it, forming a blade. "An elegant weapon for a more civilised age." Obi-Wan said as he sat down and watched Luke play around with the lightsabre, the blade humming with power as he swung it around.
"I'm sorry, what are 'Jedi Knights'?" Malia asked Obi-Wan, scooting closer to him to avoid Luke's swinging.
"For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic." Obi-Wan replied, "Before the dark times... before the Empire."
Luke switched the lightsabre off and turned to Obi-Wan. "How did my father die?" he asked as he sat down again.
Obi-Wan was silent for a moment and both cousins assumed he was trying to find the right words, then he answered; "A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights. He betrayed and murdered your father." Luke's eyes became downcast at this news. "Now the Jedi are all but extinct." Obi-Wan sighed, a look of regret in his dark eyes, "Vader was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force."
"The Force?" Luke questioned
"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power." Obi-Wan explained, "It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together."
Luke was silent as all this sunk in. Malia wisely said nothing, deciding to let her cousin process everything he had just learned. The silence was broken by Artoo beeping, attracting the Humans' attention.
Obi-Wan got up and walked over to him. "Now let's see if we can't figure out what you are, my little friend, and where you come from." he said, tapping the Astromech on the back of the dome.
"We saw part of the message he was..." Luke began
"I seem to have found it." Obi-Wan said as Artoo began projecting the holographic message.
"General Kenobi, years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire." the woman in the message said, "I regret that I am unable to present my father's request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack and I'm afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed. I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit." Obi-Wan's eyes shifted to Artoo as he recognised the droid from their adventures in the Clone Wars. "My father will know how to retrieve it. You MUST see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope." the woman finished pleadingly before the recording finished.
There was a moment of silence as everyone in the hut processed the message. Obi-Wan leaned back in his seat, stroking his beard thoughtfully, while Luke and Malia exchanged looks. Then Malia broke the silence. "That woman, who is she?" she asked Obi-Wan
"That is Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan." Obi-Wan replied, "Her father is Bail Organa. He was a senator in the last days of the Old Republic and is currently one of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance." He then turned to Luke. "You must learn the ways of the Force if you are to come with me to Alderaan." he said
"Alderaan?" Luke frowned, "I'm not going to Alderaan. We've gotta get home. It's late and we're in for it as it is."
"I need your help, Luke." Obi-Wan said earnestly, "She needs your help. I'm getting too old for this sort of thing."
Luke's eyes shifted to Artoo. He was really tempted to go with Obi-Wan on this adventure, but then his eyes met Malia's and he remembered his family responsibilities. "I can't get involved, I've got work to do." he told Obi-Wan, "It's not that I like the Empire, I hate it! But there's nothing I can do about it right now."
"Yeah, it's all such a long way from here." Malia added, trying make Obi-Wan understand Luke's torn loyalties.
"That's your father talking." Obi-Wan said dryly
"Oh, my uncle." Luke sighed, "How're we gonna explain this?"
"Learn about the Force, Luke." Obi-Wan pushed
Luke turned back to him, deciding to compromise. "Look, we can take you as far as Anchorhead. You can get a transport there to Mos Eisley or wherever you're going."
"You must do what you feel is right, of course." Obi-Wan said simply.
~8~
En route to Anchorhead, the group noticed that a Jawa Sandcrawler had been attacked, apparently by Tusken Raiders. It was a terrible sight, with the Sandcrawler ransacked and burning, and all of the Jawas had been ruthlessly slaughtered. "It looks like the Sandpeople did this all right." Luke said as they surveyed the carnage, "Look, there's gaffi sticks, Bantha tracks, it's just... I never heard of 'em hitting anything this big before."
"Me neither." Malia replied, "I know Sandpeople are vicious, mindless monsters, but they've never attacked Jawas before so why now?"
Obi-Wan meanwhile had been surveying the footprints in the sand. "They didn't." he told the farmers, "But we are meant to think they did. These tracks are side-by-side. Sandpeople always ride single file to hide their numbers."
"Hey, these're the same Jawas who sold us Artoo and Threepio." Malia suddenly realised
Obi-Wan pulled both cousins round to look at the wrecked Sandcrawler behind them. "And these blast points... too accurate for Sandpeople." he told them, pointing to the destroyed caterpillar tracks, "Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise."
"But why would Imperial troops wanna slaughter Jawas?" Luke wandered
Malia happened to look at Artoo and Threepio at that moment and she suddenly remembered what was inside Artoo, causing her to gasp in horror as she realised. "If they traced the droids here then the Jawas could've told 'em who they sold 'em too and that would lead them right back..."
"Home." Luke finished, coming to the same realisation.
"Come on!" Malia yelled, running back to her bike, and Luke ran to his speeder too.
"Wait! It's too dangerous!" Obi-Wan called after them, but neither cousin paid any attention. Malia mounted her bike and kick-started it into life while Luke jumped into his landspeeder and they both sped away.
~8~
The two speeders tore across the sand flats as fast as their engines would let them. As they approached the Lars homestead, Luke and Malia could see black smoke rising up in the farm's direction. "Come on!" Malia growled to her bike, pushing it even faster. When she arrived at the farm, she was horrified at what she found, for the farm had been ransacked and torched, just like the Sandcrawler. Almost before the bike had stopped, Malia jumped off and ran towards the burning homestead. "Mom?! Dad?!" she yelled, hoping that they'd managed to hide somewhere.
Behind her, Luke pulled up in his landspeeder and jumped out. "Uncle Owen?! Aunt Beru?!" he called, then he saw Malia suddenly stop in her tracks. He came up beside her to see her frozen in absolute shock and he followed her gaze to see two charred skeletons lying on the ground outside the entrance to the homestead, the skeletons of Owen and Beru Lars.
Malia promptly snapped out of her shock and raced over to the remains of her parents. "No! NOOOOO!" she screamed in anguish, kneeling down in the sand beside the skeletons, "Mom! Dad!" And she collapsed into tears which streamed down her pretty face as she bawled her heart out.
Pushing down his own grief, Luke came up beside her and pulled her into his arms, letting her sob into his chest as they grieved the deaths of their family.
~8~
Obi-Wan, Threepio and Artoo had made a funeral pyre for the Jawas by the time Luke and Malia returned. As the two cousins disembarked from their speeders, Obi-Wan immediately realised what had happened. Both cousins were ashen-faced with grief and Malia's eyes were red from all her crying. "Are you both alright, Master Luke and Mistress Malia?" Threepio asked them
"The farm..." Malia began shakily, "We could see the smoke from miles away. Everything was gutted... and burning. And mom and dad..."
"It's alright, 'Lia." Luke consoled his cousin, "It's alright."
"There was nothing left of them!" Malia sniffled, "Oh, Luke, they're gone! They needed me and I wasn't there!"
"I know. I'm so sorry, 'Lia." Luke sighed
"There was nothing either of you could've done had you been there." Obi-Wan said sympathetically, "You'd have both been killed too. And the droids would now be in the hands of the Empire."
"We wanna come with you to Alderaan." Luke said, "There's nothing for us here now. I wanna learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father."
"And I wanna join the Rebellion." Malia added. The Empire had taken her family and home from her, so she'd decided on the ride back that she was going to join the Rebellion when they reached Alderaan and make the Empire pay for what they'd done.
Author's notes: And here's chapter 2 of this story. Malia certainly suffers in this chapter, having her parents brutally murdered by the Empire. This is the catalyst for her journey from now on. She's going to join the Rebellion, initially to avenge her parents' deaths, but will ultimately become dedicated to the Rebels' cause to bring down the Empire and restore the Republic. Bit of trivia, I picture Malia's swoop bike to be the same one that Anakin rode in Attack of the Clones. That bike supposedly belonged to Owen Lars, so I imagine it passed down to Malia when Owen became too old to ride it. I also mentioned that Malia has some piloting skills in this chapter. We'll see her having a crack at piloting later in this story, I promise. So, hope you all enjoy this new chapter. Next time it's off to Mos Eisley, where we meet Han Solo and Chewbacca. See ya then!
