When Luke entered the hangar he didn't expect to see the hunk of junk to be the glorious ship Mr. Solo had talked up, somehow making some Kessel Run in twelve parsecs. He expected something that looked similar to Rene's own ship, shining yet inconspicuous but this seemed to scream "HEY LOOK AT ME, WE'RE DOING BAD THINGS!" with pieces that seemed to fall from different areas of the ship. Luke wondered if he could possibly convince Rene to take her ship and fly to Alderaan, it'd probably make it in one piece compared to this garbage.
Unable to contain himself any longer, Luke's face scrunched up in distaste. "What a piece of junk!"
Han came down from the ramp just in time to hear the boy's exclam of disgust, his eyebrows pinched and frown deepening as he pulled his fingers from his leather gloves. Rene let out a scoff as she crossed her arms, eyes narrowed on the Falcon. "I thought you said this thing was good, it looks like it'll fall apart the moment you hit hyperspace." Han looked at her flatly while she let out a little laugh, shaking her head.
"Very funny," Han muttered, he gestured towards the ramp. "We're a little rushed, so if you'll hurry aboard we'll get out of here."
Luke and Obi-Wan entered with 3PO close behind. When Luke entered he found the Wookiee, Chewbacca and Ms. Solo sitting at a checkered table seemingly engaged in secret conversation. They seemed to pause in the arrival of the two men and the droid, 3PO wobbled over and gave a little jump as Ami raised from her seat and stood before them. She looked them up and down then looked to Chewbacca with a soft laugh, covering her mouth and turning away.
"Oh, something amusing!" 3PO noted, turning to Obi-Wan who seemed more interested in the area than what their pilots were doing. Although, Luke managed to look a little peeved.
"Excuse me," Ami turned back to them and curtisied them. "My manners are poor around royalty. Can I get you refreshments, towels, bantha fodder?"
Luke shook his head, his jaw moving back and forth. "You're rather rude." He huffed.
Ami raised a brow. "Oh, no, really?" She walked forward and poked him in the chest. "Listen, farmboy. While you're on this ship you'll listen to us and you can let go of that prissy attitude and take your things to the room on the left." She said shortly before she turned to Chewbacca. "Come on, Chewie, a certain seat is calling my name."
Rene waited until she saw Luke and Obi-Wan vanish up into the Falcon to saunter up to Han with R2 trailing on her heel, she placed her hand on her hip and watched him reach up and pull something from under the Falcon. Han blinked at the part and stammered, shaking his head while Rene huffed. He seemed like an absolute idiot, bumbling, didn't think before he talked and Rene found him incredibly irritating. They had probably known each other for a total fifteen minutes, yet she could probably write a summary of Han Solo quickly with three words: IGNORANT, SCRUFFY, SMUGGLER.
"You're Corellian, aren't you?" She inquired.
Han turned towards her, waving the small part towards her. "You're odd, you know that? And that kid you lug around, rude. That old man just seems to brood and-" he paused and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, I'm from Corellia. Anything else, sweetheart?"
Rene's eyes hardened, "Yeah, don't call me 'sweetheart'." She sighed and placed her hand over her face. "Is there any way I can bargain a lower price?"
"Ah, ah, dear." Han wagged a finger, stepping towards her making R2 let out an indignant trill. "You're old man-"
"Ben is not my old man." Rene said sharply, eyes hard.
"Okay, okay. That old man said 17,000 and you're not getting no less." Han leaned against one of the five landing legs, looking at her from over his nose. Rene rolled her eyes.
"Whatever you say, Solo." Rene turned away from him with R2 retorting behind her, something along the lines of him being a nerf-herder. Han stared at them in confusion and went to bark at the two seemingly criminals when there was thunderous and enraged, their voice bounced off the walls of the hangar: "STOP THAT SHIP!"
Rene only got a glimpse of the perpetrator, pulled back fiery red hair and sharp jaw. Their outfit was dark, dark black and held a logo of the Emperor's hand that made her gut drop but that was all she could grab at because Han pushed her into the Falcon while R2 avoided the shots the troopers took. Soon as the three were on the ship, Han slapped the controls causing the ramp to close up; the smuggler turned and called out: "Chewie, get us out of here!"
Han glanced back at Rene. "You better buckle up, sweetheart."
Rene stumbled over to the seats where Luke, Obi-Wan, and 3PO had already buckled themselves in. She took a seat next to 3PO who let out a worrying grumble, his head falling forward. "I'd forgotten how much I hate space travel."
Ami looked over her shoulder when Han placed his hands on the back of the pilot's seat, turning her attention back to the Imperial TIEs and Star Destroyers blocking their path but she easily slipped out of their grasp. She pressed a button and activated their guns, although broken they could at least take a few pot shots at the TIEs.
"Don't worry, the big bad storm troopers won't get you." Ami teased as Chewbbac let out a chatter, flying one of his hairy arms in the direction of an on-coming TIE.
"Shut up and get us outta here!" Han snapped.
Ami's lips thinned as she observed the war zone in front of her. "Looks like an Imperial cruiser." The Falcon's readouts showed that there were about two more Star Destroyers coming up the rear; the woman let out a scoff while Chewbacca gave her a warning not to get too cocky.
"Try and hold them off. Angle the deflector shield while I make the calculations for the jump to lightspeed." Han advised. He raised an eyebrow and looked back at the entrance. "Our guests must be hotter than we thought-"
"Quiet!" Ami snapped just as said guests shoved themselves into the cockpit. She tried to calculate the jump, shaking her head and pounding the calculations into the control panel. "Stay sharp." She spoke to herself, jutting the Falcon out of the way. "Two more coming in from each side, Chewie, do your thing."
Chewbacca let out an excited roar while Rene rolled her eyes. "If you're thinking of doing a barrel roll, you'll regret it. The Imperials-" she didn't get the rest of the sentence out due to Chewbacca doing just that and sending Rene into Obi-Wan while Luke fell out of the cockpit with a cry, Han just wrapping his arm around one of the chairs. "Yep." Rene whispered as she helped Obi-Wan up.
"They're right behind us!" Luke whined as he stumbled back in, rubbing his head. "I thought you said this ship was fast."
Han whirled around and pointed his finger in Luke's face, causing the farmboy to jolt back with wide eyes. "Watch your mouth, kid, or you're going to find yourself floating home. We'll be safe enough once we make the jump to hyperspace. Besides, Ami and Chewie know some moves."
"Obviously," Rene muttered as she smacked Han's finger away from Luke's face. She directed Luke to sit down while she turned her eyes back to the fight outside, the stars almost lost amongst the fight. "This is where the fun begins."
Han whispered something under his breath before he grinned happily. "Ready, sis?"
"Yeah, will you all shut up and sit down?" Ami snapped, Luke grew increasingly interested on the control panel where various things were flashing. Especially one that was resting next to the two levers, his finger pointed towards it. Ami reached over and slapped it away causing the young boy to make a face at her head. "We're going into hyperspace so I'd sit down…"
The group flowed out once again and it wasn't very long before they felt the pull of hyperspace. Luke felt like he would have thrown up, his face paling and sweat forming on his forehead; he pressed his hand against his stomach while Obi-Wan and Rene got up like it was no problem. He needed a moment, directing his already wavering attention on the checkered table in front of him. What was he doing here? He didn't even say good-bye to Biggs! He began to feel guilty again, leaning forward with his chin resting on his arm; what if Biggs thought he was angry with him and never tried to communicate with him, what if Biggs died thinking Luke was angry with him? There were so many 'what if's and no 'this is how it is'.
Luke lifted his head a little, sniffling when that presence brushed his mind once again except this time, they were distressed. He reached out, wondering what was wrong but they wouldn't let up that easily and even pushed him back- causing him to wince. He wanted to try again but his sister's hollow voice cut off his attempts.
"Luke," Rene pulled out their father's saber and then a small red and white ball with various holes in it. Luke stumbled up with wide eyes, barely catching the saber when Rene tossed it to him; the cold cylinder bringing him back to the present and from his mind fully. Although Rene seemed unhappy with something, squinting at him before straightening and holding the ball out. "This remote is going to test your reflexes and various other skills you'll need to become a Jedi."
The ball was up and it wasn't long before Luke felt the first sting. Deep within the back of his mind, someone cried out.
When Imogen was dragged from her cell and brought to the bridge, she didn't expect to see Alderaan's gleaming blue planet outside the viewport. Her breath caught in her throat and her green eyes widened, confusion and worry immediately flowing over her; what could they possibly need to go to Alderaan for, why in the Death Star of all things? What if they...no, they wouldn't dare! Alderaan was a peaceful planet and that'd strike outrage amongst the Empire.
Tarkin eyed the Commander lazily, scoffing softly. "Miss Flores, I thought it best if you were to hear the conditions first and then give you a chance to answer." Imogen remained silent, watching the people around her. They were emotionless except one officer who looked a little unnerved, sweat at her brow and eyes shifting from Imogen to Tarkin numerous times. "You will reveal your Rebel base or Alderaan will experience the true power of this station."
A sudden weight slammed against Imogen's chest and she could only assume the look on her face was pure horror. Tarkin's lips turned up in a way that made Imogen want to jump from her place and take his neck in her hands. She bared her teeth at him. "I won't tell you anything!"
Tarkin huffed, hands clenching behind his back. "Then Alderaan's blood is on your hands."
"Imogen!" Said woman turned around and saw Leia being marched in by Vader and a few troopers, eyes widening in relief. The Commander couldn't ignore the welt on Leia's neck and the dark bags under her eyes, yet she still remained stern and relieved to see her friend. Leia moved forward but Vader's gloved hand latched onto her shoulder and pulled her back against his cold chest. Tarkin moved to stand next to Imogen and let out a hum of satisfaction while Leia's eyes narrowed. "Governor Tarkin, I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board."
Imogen closed her eyes, "Leia.."
Tarkin remained unfazed. "Charming to the last." He reached forward and took Leia's face in his skeleton-like hand, her face plumping as he squeezed. "You don't know how hard I found it signing the order to terminate your life."
Leia retched away, glaring at him with disgust. "I'm surprised you had the courage to take the responsibility yourself!"
"Princess Leia, before you and your dear friend's execution. I would like you to be invited to our ceremony that will make this battle station feared across the galaxy. No star system will dare oppose the Emperor now."
The princess leaned forward with smugness written in her eyes, lips twitching upwards. "The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."
"Leia, please!" Imogen said frantically, gaining attention- most of all, her friend's. She couldn't let Leia have Alderaan's fate on her mind, to feel as though it was all her fault. It was not the time nor place to drag Tarkin and his band of followers, they needed to save the planet below while keeping the Rebellion out of the hands of the Empire.
"I would listen to your friend, princess. We gave her the same choices." It was obvious that Leia was becoming more and more worried as Tarkin alluded to what was happening. He turned towards the viewport, hands tucked behind his back. "Your behaviour has determined the destiny of the planet that'll be destroyed first. Since you both are reluctant to provide us with the location of the Rebel base, I have chosen to test this station's destructive power...on your home planet of Alderaan."
With so much panic and pain, Leia lurched forward. "Alderaan is peaceful! We have no weapons!" She seemingly begged, eyes taking her eyes at the thought of her planet being destroyed.
Takin whirled around, eyes suddenly showing his rage. "You would prefer another target? A military target? Then name the system!" The governor now loomed over the short girl, almost like a predator with its prey. "I grow tired of asking this. So it'll be the last time. Where is the Rebel base?"
Leia's head dropped and she closed her eyes, mind raging with conflict. If she revealed where the Rebellion was then their fleet would be destroyed and all of this would be for nothing. If she didn't give them anything then the Empire would take her home away from her and would kill everyone she's loved. Leia opened her mouth, going to reveal the planet when Imogen's voice spoke: "Dantooine. The Rebellion is on Dantooine."
Leia's head shot up in shock, Imogen's eyes unwavering as she gazed at Tarking who had the grace to appear bewildered before he looked to Darth Vader who had been silent all this time. "See Lord Vader, they can be reasoned with." He turned towards Motti. "Continue with the operation. You may fire when ready."
"What?!" Leia cried out.
"No.." Imogen whispered.
"You're far too trusting." Tarking addressed them again. "Dantooine is too remote to make an effective demonstration. But don't worry. We will deal with your Rebel friends soon enough."
"No!"
The station seemed to hum to life before a green glow formed above the viewport. Imogen's eyes gradually widened and she shook her head, looking at Leia who seemed stoic as she watched the beam fire from the Death Star and right into her planet. Leia's mind stuck in her past as she watched the beautiful green and blue planet turn into rocks, her mother and father's faces as she held up a colorful bug. Numerous children flash before her eyes as they celebrate her birthday, her best friend Winter by her side (the one girl that was easily mistaken for Leia), the times Bail would tuck her in and tell wild stories of Jedi and adventures. Breha's smile as Leia would ask every question under the sun about what it was like being queen.
And the last hug she had shared with her parents before she went on this ridiculous mission. Breha had caressed her back, whispering how proud she was of her daughter and Bail's hug had been almost the same but seemed to show how much he trusted her. Leia's legs gave out as she let out a loud cry, hands pressed against her eyes as numerous screams came out all at once and then were suddenly silenced. The everlasting numbness took Leia's mind and she could only stare at the ground as two stormtroopers lugged her up onto her shaking legs- not hearing Tarkin's orders that she and Imogen be dealt with immediately. Not even hearing Darth Vader's harsh breath as he told Tarkin that the Emperor would be less than happy with the destruction of Alderaan. The only thing that Leia could think about was how she had failed her people, she had caused all their deaths and she would remain the last Alderaanian.
Leia did not think herself worthy of that title, she was no longer a princess or a senator she was simply a woman that would be dead after today. She spared Imogen a glance over her shoulder, the other woman stared at her with so much guilt that Leia was sure that Imogen was blaming herself for all this. Leia used most of her strength to give a shake of her head, this wasn't her fault. The Onderon woman was only trying to help and the Empire had used them as an excuse to kill everyone and everything she cared about. No longer could the ex-princess seek comfort in the clear teal waters and the fish that swam in them, the mountain peaks would no longer hide a sun for the night. Alderaan and everyone on it were now dust in space, nothing more than an asteroid field.
Her cell door opened and she was pushed to the ground, no longer did they have to treat her with care because she was no longer a princess or a senator. Leia stood and looked back in time for the black steel door to be shut in her face with a resounding slam, it echoed in her mind just like the cries she had heard. She let out a sniffle, clenching her hands and her head dipping. Hopelessly she returned to her hard bed and laid down, curling up and silently crying to herself.
Leia Organa was now alone.
"You're not paying attention!" Rene pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes shut as Luke was once again shot in his side. The boy had managed to only deflect one shot and it had scorched the floor below them but Rene waved it off, saying that Solo wasn't bound to notice something that small when his ship was already trashed. Yet she didn't seem frustrated about the Falcon being trashed but yet that Luke wasn't deflecting as he should; her hopes had been high because of his enthusiasm but it might just be that enthusiasm that prevented him from sensing it.
Luke huffed and turned his back on the ball. "I am! You're just yelling at me this whole time- OW!" The boy turned back to the ball that had managed to strike again in his upper back, his scowl probably the darkest thing he's ever mustered. The Seeker bot didn't let up and nicked him in the arm.
Rene's eyes widened. "Don't blame this on me. It's your own lousy fault that you can't deflect the shots!" Luke and Rene started to argue over each other while the Seeker bot took shots at him, Obi-Wan gave a heavy sigh and his face landed in his hands. He had told them time and time again that they were a lot like Anakin and it was very clear that they were too much like him. Their arguing grew louder as Rene jammed a button on the Seeker and made the shots come at a rapid pace, Chewbacca entered the lounge and gave a confused roar in the man's direction.
Obi-Wan waved a hand. "They're just…" he looked back at Rene who was lecturing Luke while he glared at her. "training."
Chewbacca gauffed, shaking his head as he sat down at the small boothed seats. 3PO and R2 soon joined him and the Wookiee seemed to explain something over the two siblings arguing. Just as Obi-Wan was going to interrupt, Rene went silent and flushed. Her finger was raised and pointed at Luke but she was no longer yelling and just gasped softly as she turned her attention to Obi-Wan who held a grave expression. So not only had she felt it but the old Jedi had too. Billions of voices just seemed to cry out only to be silenced, Rene pressed a hand to her forehead and fell back into a chair with a small mutter. Obi-Wan almost looked unaffected but his eyes held the pain of the galaxy.
"Hey," Luke's expression was no longer existing now replaced with worry. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"
Rene only waved a hand and hummed while Obi-Wan appeared more open to explain what they were feeling. "I felt a great disturbance in the Force…" Luke frowned, eyebrows drew together as he silently pried for more. "..as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."
Obi-Wan's eyes grew distant and his hand went to his beard once again to stroke the greying hair. This had never happened before. He had experienced a handful of people crying out at once but never once had he heard it at this scale. It made the ancient Jedi worry for what the Empire could have possibly gotten their hands on, what the Emperor could do with even more power.
"Go on with your practice," Rene turned her attention back to Luke, trying to banish the dread on her face. Luke gave a child-like groan and turned back to the seeker droid. With his full attention on the droid, Rene decided to look at Obi-Wan with hard and assessing eyes.
"Yes?" Obi-Wan asked, disliking her gaze on him. It almost reminded him of the way Padme's eyes would harden when Anakin said something rather offensive.
Rene scooted next to him. "Now, I probably should've said something earlier. But there's an explanation for what just happened.." She nibbled on her lower lip, her arms coming to hug her waist. "The Empire created a tactical weapon and named it the Death Star. It can destroy a whole planet in the matter of minutes."
Obi-Wan's eyes snapped to her and his face was suddenly blank, lips thinning as he spoke- voice flat. "You didn't think it was better to mention this before?"
"No, because we were just going to Alderaan and didn't feel millions of people die."
Han entered the lounge with his sister close in tow, the woman's eyes glancing over at Luke before scoffing and joining Chewbacca's side. The smuggler raised his arms as he fell back in the chair that Rene had occupied moments before, his feet coming to rest on top of the control panel. No one looked over at him which made him frown, his head tilted.
"You can forget your troubles with those Imperial slugs. I told you we'd outrun 'em." He brought his hands to rest against the back of his head but yet again no one addressed him. Chewbacca and the two droids played their game of Dejarik, Ami whispering moves to the Wookiee, the kid was doing only god knows what with his laser sword and the only semi-attractive guest was ignoring him like he was a Bantha. He huffed. "Don't everyone thank me at once."
"Oh, thank you so much for saving our lives, Captain Solo," Rene said in faux awe, making Han scowl at her. "How could I ever repay you?"
"I could think of a few things.." Han yelped when a small metal box hit him in the abdomen, Rene's face pulled up in disgust as she turned back to Luke. The smuggler rubbed his stomach and glared at her head. "We'll be at Alderaan at 0200 hours."
Rene only muttered under her breath in response, not really caring. Once they got to Alderaan and they gave the plans to Viceroy Bail and Queen Breha Organa, her and Luke were going somewhere in their mountains to train. The plans, with the support of Alderaan, would prove to be useful in the destruction of the Death Star and the Empire would be dealt with the outcry from various senators and people. Meanwhile, Luke would become some big Jedi and Rene could die in peace.
A perfect plan for a perfect life.
Chewbacca let out a roar trying to swipe the holographic monsters off the Dejarik table. Ami hummed comfortingly at her best friend, hand rested on his shoulder and gave a squeeze. "
"It's okay, Chewie, you've still got a chance."
3PO, however, wasn't impressed with their competitor's behavior. "He made a fair move. Screaming about it won't help you."
Ami gave the droid a flat look. "Just continue helping your garbage can, Golden Rod. It's no use."
3PO let out an indignant huff while R2 went on a flurry of upset binary, insulting the woman who childishly stuck out her tongue.
Han rolled his eyes, "Ami, leave the posh droids alone." He couldn't wait for this mess to be over and to pay Jabba back. Lips pulling up in a smirk, Han was suddenly in the mood for some good teasing. "I'd listen to her though, it's not wise to upset a Wookiee."
3PO's head swiveled to the smuggler. "But sir, nobody worries about upsetting a droid."
"That's 'cause droids don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose." Ami gave a small cry as Chewbacca jokingly tugged on her arm, the woman falling back with her arm hidden.
R2 gave an unimpressed string of binary while 3PO turned to his friend. "I suggest a new strategy, Artoo. Let the Wookiee win!"
Ami snickered and rested her head against Chewbacca's thigh as she turned her attention to the farmboy's training. Her attention on the lightsaber. She used to watch holograms of Jedi near the end of the Clone Wars, having only been four-years-old she didn't really remember too much about them.
What she did know now is that they were very illegal and worth a lot of money to the Empire.
"Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through them." Obi-Wan spoke while Rene pressed a button on the remote to make the seeker faster, making Luke grunt in concentration.
"You mean it controls your actions?" Luke asked and hopped away when he was shot in his backside.
Obi-Wan opened his mouth to respond when Rene beat him: "No. It leads you towards your path but it does not control you. You control it." The older man looked to the woman and raised an assessing eyebrow, finding her expression pulled down in a scowl and hand clenching the remote tighter. He felt waves of anger coming from her an obvious tell that she didn't want Luke to fail, that she wanted him to open up to the Force. It didn't come easy and he didn't blame the poor boy for having his mind somewhere else but they were a bit rushed in the training.
As if sensing his sister's pressure, Luke narrowed in on the ball and called upon the Force to help him deflect the stinging bolts. The seeker swooped down to his eye level and when Luke didn't move, took position at his side. "You should be able to deflect from any position." Rene had said earlier, looking lamely at the ground in front of her. He had slumped slightly at the defeat in her voice but he swore he tried to work harder, he should be grateful that Rene and Obi-Wan were teaching him. Yet here he was disappointing them with his sloppy work.
Luke cried out again when the bolt got him in his stomach.
Han let out a laugh, slapping his knee. Rene seemed to snap to him upon the first breath, hands on hips. "And what is so funny, Solo?"
Han wiped away fake tears from under his eyes. "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side."
"Is that so?"
Luke put down the lightsaber to frown at Han, "You don't believe in the Force, do you?"
Han sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other. I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one all-powerful force controlling everything." He met Rene's eyes again and smirked, "There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny."
Ami raised an eyebrow and looked to Obi-Wan to gauge his reaction to just see a distant and amused smile on his lips. She wondered what was so amusing about her brother's observations about the Force when Chewbacca gave an impish roar catching everyone's attention.
Luke looked to Rene, whispering: "What did he say?"
Han waved a hand, rolling his head. "You've never seen a Jedi!"
Chewbacca barked back at him and Obi-Wan stroked his beard. "You must've been stationed at Kashyyk during the Clone Wars?" Chewbacca threw his arms in the Jedi's direction with an almost mocking yelp towards Han. The smuggler only huffed in response while Obi-Wan continued: "Master Yoda went there and then…" he trailed off quietly, sparing the siblings a glance.
"Still a bunch of mumbo jumbo created by the Old Republic to give kids something to look up to." Han hissed.
Rene peered at him. "You had to be, what, 13 when the Republic fell? You must've remembered some holoshows about the Jedi- news, anything?"
Ami was the one who spoke, "They were on quite a bit...but it wasn't really anything we were really worried about back then."
Han turned towards the control panel with a bitter laugh, obviously not wanting to reveal his past life to a bunch of strangers. Rene didn't blame him, she hardly revealed too much about her childhood to her own brother but.. The Jedi were everywhere back then. It was almost laughed upon when someone said that the Jedi were fake because there was so much proof of it. The Skywalker glared at the side of Han Solo's head wondering just what a cocksure man like himself would have gone through to make him so bitter about this topic.
"I suggest you try it again, Luke." Obi-Wan grabbed a helmet and pulled down the blast shield, placing it on the boy's head. "This time, let go of your conscious self and act on instinct."
Luke let out a laugh as he lifted the helmet to look at his master. "With the blast shield down, I can't even see. How am I supposed to fight?"
"Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them."
With a deep breath, Luke let the helmet fall over his head again and he activated the saber. He could feel everyone's eyes on him and hear Han's mumbles of how ridiculous this was. Obi-Wan's words echoed in his mind and he took another breath, trying to block out the surrounding noise before it was just him in the blindness. His hand tightened around the hilt of his father's lightsaber, his legs moving into a stance that felt like true instinct.
Luke could no longer see with his eyes but his mind was filled with the vivid picture of himself, helmet on his head, and the seeker droid in front of him. Every so often the seeker would spin to adjust the blaster position but there never seemed to be that noise, something Luke hadn't paid so much attention to before but it was the one thing that he should've been listening to all along.
CLICK.
Luke's arms bolted up before he could even process what was happening. He flinched, expecting to feel that familiar sting but he felt nothing. His hands tightened around the hilt as he felt a pressure push against it and then leave. He could distantly hear a yelp from Ami who then yelled at him only to be silenced as he deflected another shot.
CLICK.
CLICK.
CLICK.
Five shots in total and all of them didn't hit Luke. He raised the saber again but he no longer heard the humming and could no longer sense danger. He thumbed the saber off, reaching up to lift the blast shield revealing a room full of shocked people.
Han gaped at the boy, eyes wide and Ami stared at him flatly. While, for the first time since she'd come back into this life, Rene held a genuine grin on her face and Obi-Wan watched the boy- clearly impressed.
"See? You're a natural." Rene lightly tapped his cheek and turned towards Han. "How 'bout that?"
"Luck." Han spat at her, closing his eyes irritably. Luke couldn't help but feel a build up of pride in his chest even as Han said that; this was the first time he had ever been even slightly praised for using his gift.
Memories of Owen locking him in his room without supper conjured up in his mind. That night had been like any other, Luke was playing with toys on the floor while Rene did some schoolwork she got earlier that day next to him. Beru was fussing around, something about how she lost a clip and Owen was growing more and more annoyed with her fussing and Rene's whines about her schoolwork being hard.
Luke had set down his toys and closed his eyes, wobbling over to Owen's chair and crawling under. He found the clip and held it up with a toothless grin; he hadn't seen the way Rene's face paled, he could only watch as Owen's own reddened rage. He burst into a rage, accusing Luke of hiding the item while the little boy could only flinch away, swearing that he did no such thing.
"How did you know where to find it then?"
"I just did! I swear!"
He'd been punished that night, no supper and a lash on his rear. He had cried and cried all night until Rene came into the room, exhausted and telling him that Owen could eat Bantha fodder, that she understood him.
Luke looked to her and realized that Rene had known about the Force all along. And that made him shudder.
"We should arriving to Alderaan soon," Han stood, running a hand through his hair. He looked slightly unnerved but nevertheless schooled his features to give of his usually annoying smuggler's grin. "I'll be taking my leave."
Soon as Han turned, his mind was plagued with thoughts. He wondered what fool would believe the old man's rambles and why that pretty- but stuck up woman- would follow that wack-o. She was obviously intelligent, she had the brains to turn Han away but she was obviously naive- just like that kid. Skywalker seemed to be in his own world, a little sweet talk had him deflecting bullets like he was a true boy wonder, the idea made the captain scoff.
Soon enough these three and their droids would no longer be his problem. He'd be 17,000 credits richer, Jabba off his back, and probably go join Chewbacca on a little visit to Kashyyk. Ami would get a pretty necklace, maybe even that leather jacket she's been eyeing, and he could finally finish all his upgrades for the Falcon.
Falling back in his chair, he let out a blissful sigh. This was all going to play in his favor, no mishaps will take him away from his end goal.
The blue streaks of hyperspace pulled him back to the harsh reality that he would probably explain that he smuggled these lunatics onto Alderaan (which was always boasting about their crime-free lands). He hoped that they actually had something valuable or Alderaan wouldn't let his ship touchdown in any space port in the system. He's had some previous run-ins with the Alderaanian government, no one would sell any spice on the planet- criminals respecting laws! It made him laugh. He thought of that leading man, Bail Organa and his little daughter in his arms which caused his blood to boil. Alderaan really had no worries for the common folk.