Hey guys! Here's your Tuesday evening update. Since the school year is coming up, I won't be posting as frequently, but I'll try for as many Tuesdays as I can. It might become irregular.

I got this Everything You Need to Know About Star Wars book and it's beautiful. It's outdated, made before The Force Awakens, but it's still beautiful. It has a bunch of fun facts and all that stuff. I sat down for like two hours and just read the entire thing.

Disclaimer: Lucasfilm and Disney own Star Wars and its EU. Dialogue from A New Hope is used in this chapter.

(published 8.14.18)

Chapter Nineteen: All This Sneaking Around

3 BBY

The first thing that Obi-Wan heard was panting. Then: "Obi-Wan! Obi-Wan!"

He sighed. That was Anakin, all right. "What is it?"

"It's Luke!" Anakin said, bursting inside. "Luke is gone. He's off planet by now, I can tell - "

"Anakin!" He said, jolting up and putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Explain to me, because I honestly have no idea what you just said."

He plopped down at the table. "Rex came to visit." Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "He wants us to join the Rebellion, but obviously I refused. So then Luke overheard stuff, we got in a fight, and now he wants answers. I assume he got on Rex's ship and went to the Rebellion or something." He was freaking out. His son was gone. He had only seen Anakin get this worked up a few times, and nothing good came out of it.

"Well, we have to do the only logical thing," he said after Anakin explained.

"What's that?"

"We follow him."

"Again, why did you think that going to a cantina was the best choice?" Anakin said through gritted teeth.

"There are pilots at cantinas," Obi-Wan said simply.

"And why did we have to go all the way to Mos Eisley for this great pilot of yours?"

He only smirked. "There are better pilots at Mos Eisley cantinas." Anakin shrugged and continued walking.

They attracted no attention, which seemed to be a good thing. Aliens of all shapes and sizes played sabacc, drank, and talked in tongues even Anakin couldn't decipher. The bartender called over, "Hey, you guys wanna drink?"

For all of Obi-Wan's slickness when it came to bars, he refused.

"That was very unlike you, Master," he teased. "Usually you're the one who takes the drink and I walk around and investigate."

"At least he wasn't offering me deathsticks." He turned to the bartender. "Do you know where we can find a pilot?"

He motioned with his thumb. "Back there." Anakin looked over to see a greasy-looking man along with… whoa, was that a Wookie? The man had a drink in front of him and was speaking in a hushed tone, eyeing them like he already knew that they were coming over to see them.

The two men made their way over to the table and sat down. For a few seconds, they just looked at each other suspiciously until the man spoke. "I'm Han Solo, captain of the Millenium Falcon. This is Chewbacca, my first mate. What've you got for us?" Chewbacca… Anakin recognized the name, but why?

"We're looking for safe passage to the Alderaan system," Obi-Wan said. Yeah, let Obi-Wan do the talking. "If it's a fast ship."

"A fast ship?" Solo looked at them like they had grown extra heads. "You've never heard of the Millenium Falcon?"

"Should I have?"

"It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs!" he boasted, but Anakin and Obi-Wan just stared. Sure, that was fast, but this man was probably just a fake. No one made the Kessel run in less than twenty parsecs; it was theoretically impossible.

Han set his arms down on the table. "Look, I've outrun Imperial starships, not the local bulk-cruisers, mind you. I'm talking the big Corellian ships now. She's fast enough for you, old man. What's the cargo?" Anakin nearly lost his temper. Old man? But Obi-Wan didn't seem fazed.

"Only passengers," he said calmly. "Myself, my companion, and no questions asked."

Han sneered. "What is it, some kind of local trouble?"

"Let's just say we'd like to avoid any… Imperial entanglements."

"Yeah. That'd be great," Anakin muttered.

The pilot smiled mischievously. "Now that's the trick, isn't it? And it'll cost you something extra… Eight thousand in advance."

Anakin gaped. "Eight thousand?"

"Anakin," Obi-Wan warned, then turned back to Solo. "We will pay you when we get to Alderaan. We have have ties there that could help us get the money we need. Two thousand here and thirteen when we get there." Anakin just glared at him. That money was hard to get. But he supposed, Senator Organa did have the money.

"Fifteen, huh!" Han pondered. "Okay, you got yourselves a ship. We'll leave soon." Solo peered over the two men's shoulders. "No, I think we'll leave now. I'm not the kind for 'Imperial entanglements' either." The four of them stood up and began to walk out the door.

"You'll have to sell your speeder, Anakin," Obi-Wan whispered.

He shrugged. "That's fine. If we find Luke, I'm thinking about staying on Alderaan."

"Huh," the older man said. "I wouldn't think you would say that, but maybe it's for the best that we find Padmé."

Yes. Padmé. Maybe I'll see Padmé.

"Hey! Old men! Keep up!" Solo called, which caused Anakin to become only more frustrated with the slimy smuggler. Who did he think he was? And how could Obi-Wan even deal with this guy when he was so rude?

"This is my ship," announced Solo as they entered the hangar. "The Millenium Falcon."

"What a piece of junk!" Anakin yelled before he could stop himself.

"Hey, it's my ship, and she's definitely effective," Han said and they got aboard. Anakin went into the lounge. The ship certainly hadn't been cleaned in a while. The dejarik board was missing two characters, as he found out later, and the hallways were grimy.

Well, it would have to work out for now. They were on their way to Alderaan. They would find Luke. Anakin trusted Rex, and hopefully his son would trust him back.

Plus, they would be rid of Han Solo as soon as they landed. He was a smuggler, and all they needed was money. They wouldn't have to see each other ever again.

...Right?

He put the tracker on the freighter. Solo wasn't to be trusted.

"Agent Kallus, a Corellian YT-1300 freighter headed to the Lothal system. Should be there in a few days' time. Transporting two passengers to somewhere in the Alderaan system. Can't track while they're in hyperspace, but be ready for them when they get there."

Luke felt the ship dock. Where? He wasn't sure.

The trip had been cramped, smelly, and hot, and Luke was very ready to get out. He heard the clone get out with the hiss of a door.

Quietly, he squeezed out of the closet and followed. The ship that they had docked at was all white; white hallways, white floors, white ceilings. Silently, he saw the clone going going into another door. Making sure no one was around, he put his ear to the door.

Another man other than Rex was speaking: "I take it Anakin wouldn't come?"

"No, sir, he's determined to protect Luke." This was Rex's voice.

"I'm sorry to hear that he couldn't come, Captain," said the other voice. "But right now I need you to get straight back to Garel. I've heard rumors that the Imperial blockade over Lothal has left completely, and Captain Syndulla needs her ship back. Get back there as quickly as possible."

"Of course, sir," he responded. Luke heard footsteps and he darted to the side. Rex came back out into the open. The clone started to walk back to the ship that he came in, this time holding a helmet with blue markings. Luke began to follow him again, until he heard Master Qui-Gon's voice.

Not there, Luke, he said. Not with him.

Why not? he complained. I want answers, and I can find them on Garel!

Stay here on this ship, said Qui-Gon. Answers will be revealed… in time. Find a hiding place.

Luke sighed and tried to locate somewhere, possibly somewhere a bit spacier than in the other ship. He got into the nearest closet, this time filled with rations and rags of cloth. At least it seemed colder.

Outside, Luke heard muffled words. One voice said: "Hey, you know what we're doing?"

"No," said another voice. "But I'm beginning to rethink this Rebellion. I mean, supply runs? Really?"

Another voice, a girl's voice, entered the conversation. "Are you complaining?"

Luke felt the awkwardness in the air. "No!" one muttered. "But, uh, where are we going?"

"Lothal," the girl said. "It's been impoverished since the Empire decided to stick its nose into their business. We're bringing relief to them."

The two men's auras brightened. "Thank you, sir… uh, Your Highness!" one said and Luke heard footsteps retreating.

Huh. Lothal. Rex was talking about that with Dad. But Luke could tell that this wasn't a relief mission. There was something more to this.

It was then that he realized that he hadn't slept since two nights ago. He had been too tense to rest on the clone's ship, and it was too cramped. It wouldn't be a problem if he just took a brief nap…

Luke fell asleep, not realizing that the men had called the girl 'Your Highness.'

He woke up. He woke up with an immense feeling of change in the Force, a ringing noise much like when he had discovered Master Qui-Gon.

He jolted up and numbed his head - hard.

"Ow!" he yelled, rubbing his forehead in pain. He slowly opened his eyes to the darkness of the closet.

The Force rang in his ears and he turned around.

Staring at him with cold eyes was the face of a girl, no older than himself. She had brown hair thrown up in a complex bun and was wearing an off-white and gray jumpsuit. Her brown eyes flared down at him.

"Uh…" Luke sputtered. You kriffing idiot! You might as well have said, 'I'm Luke Skywalker! I'm here to rescue you!'

The girl growled, "Who are you, and what are you doing in the supply closet?"

So, the twins meet! I've had that last line planned out in my head ever since this story began. I wasn't sure what the context would be, but "What are you doing in the supply closet?" was one of the lines I based this story off of.

Not to spoil much, but the tracker that was put on the Falcon will be important in a few chapters.

Before I get a billion reviews asking why this is three years before A New Hope and Han and Chewie are at the Mos Eisley cantina, let me answer that question. I have my own personal headcanon that Han and Chewie, when they're not on a job for Jabba, hang out in the corner of the cantina. You know, because this is after Solo, and there's that BIG SHOT GANGSTER PUTTING TOGETHER A CREW.

CloneWarsNerd: You're evil. Did you know that? That review killed me.

Guest: Yeah, basically. Anakin is that over-protective dad, and Obi-Wan goes along with it.

May the Force be with you and God bless!

-HH