Okay, so a super long chapter. Only one or two more until Luke and Vader are reunited, then I might make a sequel book but it's up in the air right now. Enjoy!

Luke looked at his new friends with curiosity. They thought he was a rebel? He didn't want to be one. It meant giving up his freedom for the rest of his life and if he was going to live with his real family that meant that they would be in danger too. He couldn't let his family get in trouble.

"I'm not a rebel," Luke protested.

Ranik laughed at him, "Of course you are. Weren't those guys beating you up for being a rebel? We saved you from them."

"But how did you know I was in trouble?" Luke asked.

"I heard them sneaking around in the bathroom, my room's right next to it. I had to go tell Ranik about it so I could have some back up," Jania explained. "Now you have to answer our questions, like what's your name?"

"Luke," he yawned, "Luke Lars."

"You seem tired, Luke, let's get you back to bed," Ranik offered.

Luke shook his head. There was no way he was going back to his bedroom with those lunatics after him all because of what he'd dreamt that night. "I'm not going back there," he said.

Ranik looked down at the little boy. He could tell how scared he was to be associated with the rebels. "We'll go with you, okay?"

Luke looked up and nodded his head. The three turned around and Luke led them to his room. He stuffed a few clothes into his suitcase and zipped it up. Then he turned to his bed and started to quickly fold the sheets and blanket. Ranik helped him carry his bedding to Jania's bedroom.

"My room's empty except for me. All of the senators really like having little girls to dress up and show off so we don't usually end up here," she explained.

Luke simply nodded his head in understanding. He still wasn't sure if he should trust the rebels. They were bad people, that's what the Stormtroopers on Tatooine had told him. They were the reason his Aunt and Uncle were dead. On top of all that, Luke was a ward of the empire and was needed to talk against the rebels in court when Darth Vader's ship arrived on the Imperial Center, at least that's what Frank had said. For now he decided to let it be and be grateful that they were offering him a bed to use for the night. He slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Luke, Luke you have to wake up or else you won't have time to take a shower and eat," Jania was lightly pushing on Luke's shoulder to wake him up. All night the little boy had been tossing and turning mumbling about Anakin Skywalker. She'd heard the name before briefly while her parents were stationed on a base that housed some exile Jedi, but didn't know a whole lot about him.

Luke grumbled and slowly lifted his head off of the pillows. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Jania took him to a different fresher than the one he'd been attacked in. She figured it would be better for him not to have to go back there.

Jania stayed back explaining that it was the boy's refresher and she wasn't allowed in. Luke stepped through the door and was assaulted by the smell of soap and steam. Boys of all shapes and sizes walked around either naked or clothed with a single towel hanging over their hips. Luke stood in line to use one of the showers. He didn't know anyone here, he was alone again. A shower finally opened up and Luke rushed in to take it. He let the water rush over him. He still found it odd that a planet could afford to use so much water just to stay clean when sonic waves did just as well. Not that he was complaining, there was something soothing about letting water wash over you.

After his shower he dried off and walked back to Jania's room. She had left to take her own shower so he took the opportunity to change into new clothes. He still hadn't worn every article of clothing Mrs. Chieves gave to him. He picked up a white tunic and brown slacks for today. He sloppily shoved the slacks into black boots. Not long after he finished dressing himself Jania stepped into the room.

"Oh, Luke, I almost forgot you were here. Do you… uh… mind leaving? I kind of have to get dressed. But I'll be out in a second and I can show you where Ranik, the other rebels, and I sit for breakfast," she said.

Luke nodded his head and walked out the door. He waited for Jania patiently playing with a loose thread on his sleeve. A group of aliens walked past him whispering to each other as they did. They spoke in a language Luke had heard once in a repair shop Uncle Owen took him to. He frowned at the thought of his uncle. Even if he kidnapped Luke he still missed him, Owen was the man who had raised Luke since before he could remember. Jania stepped out of the room, her hair still in the two braids from the night before.

She walked Luke down some hallways until they entered a large room. It was filled with humans of every shape and size. They were all chattering away while eating from trays. Luke thought the trays were cool, he'd never gotten to use one before. Jania led him to the line for food and gave him a tray.

"The food here's worse than the stuff the rebel bases have," she whispered to Luke. He looked at the food the alien behind the counter had given him. Some sort of tan mushy food, a fruit Luke had never seen before but was sure it was well past rotten, and a glass of metallic tasting water.

"It looks really gross," Luke said as they sat down next to Jania's rebel friends. There weren't many of them. Luke recognized Ranik sitting between two boys he didn't know. Besides the three boys there was only one other girl at the table. They were all laughing at one of the boys trying to balance spoons on his face. Jania walked Luke over to two of the empty seats near the other girl.

"Ora, Maverik, Vin, this is Luke. Luke these are our rebel friends," she said. She first pointed to the older boy on Ranik's right. He was about the same age as Ranik, around fifteen standard years, only much shorter. Even sitting down one could see the difference. His brown hair was shaved on one side, the other held two small braids decorated with beads and feathers, "That's Maverik, his parents ran a base on Aquilae before Darth Vader personally destroyed it about four years ago. He and his Stormtroopers killed every man and woman in the base, they only let Maverik live to warn other rebels."

"Nah, I think Vader's just a softy and couldn't kill a cute kid," Maverik said.

"What, he let some other kid live and you hid?" the other girl joked. Maverik just pouted. "I can introduce myself," she said. "I'm Ora," she said sticking out her hand, Luke took the hand and shook it.

"Ora's aunt worked for the rebellion on Imperial Center so when the emperor found out he had her entire family rounded up and killed until she gave up information, then he arrested the ones who were still alive for treason," Jania explained. Luke looked over at the dark skinned girl, her hair was elaborately done into braids with different ornaments sticking out. He felt bad for her, having to watch her family be killed in front of her.

Jania pointed her chin in the direction of the final member of the group, a scrawny teenager with lanky arms and thick circular glasses "And that's Vin. He's the oldest out of all of us. He graduated high school early and was ready to go to a university in Naboo for medicine until his parents became sick with an incurable virus they were working on weaponizing for the empire. The emperor didn't do anything about it and his parents ended up dying before a cure was found. He was forced to come back to Imperial Center to live in an orphanage until he turns eighteen which is in like two weeks."

All the new information was swarming in Luke's head. He was still stuck on the fact that he was a rebel. No, scratch that, he was still trying to deal with the fact that he would never again be able to fall asleep to Aunt Beru's lullabies or wake up to Uncle Owen grumbling about work needing to be done. How had his life ended up like this? On a planet lightyears away joining the very group that helped to kill his aunt and uncle? He was starting to feel dizzy.

"You okay, buddy?" Maverik asked.

"It's probably the bluefruit, it's never in season. One time Marverik ate one and a maggot fell right out," she laughed. Maverik joined in.

"Yeah, it was pretty gross. That's why I won't eat the fruit here," he said.

"Really? Because I thought you just wanted all of your teeth to fall out and blame it all on Vader," Ranik joined in on the teasing.

They continued laughing and joking with each other as Luke sat back and watched. They were clearly all good friends and were much more welcoming than his three roommates had been. Luke had always thought that rebels were mean and scary but these people were kind and open to him.

"Don't you think Maverik kind of looks like a Gungan, Luke? If he just had smaller ears," Jania said to Luke. Luke smiled and nodded.

"Aww, not the kid too! What, is it national pick on Maverik day or something?" Maverik whined.

"Every day is national pick on Maverik day," Ora said.

Luke was confused. Rebels weren't supposed to be funny or joke around. They were supposed to be mean and evil. They didn't just sit around talking and poking fun at each other, they had an empire to ruin. "I don't understand," Luke said under his breath.

"What don't you understand?" Jania asked.

Luke looked at her surprised she had heard, "I thought that you guys were rebels, rebels don't just sit around making jokes and talking, they're mean and they hurt people!" Luke began yelling.

"What, you really thought that we just sat around all day plotting to overthrow the empire? Pipsqueak, we're in a secured empire containment center, there are troopers and cameras everywhere. We can hardly even say the word 'rebellion' without some Stormtrooper yelling at us," Maverik said. As he finished one of the men in white armor walked up to their table. "See what I mean?"

The Stormtrooper in question walked up to the table followed by the three boys Luke had been rooming with and they looked angrier than a Tuscan raider during a raid. "Which of these scum locked you in the bathroom?" the trooper asked.

Heb looked up and pointed in Luke's direction, "It was that one sir, the little guy with blond hair."

The trooper seemed confused, "The six year old beat up three boys twice his size in a three on one match? What is he a Jedi too?" the Stormtrooper chuckled. The three boys turned red.

"Well… he was there," Harvey said.

"If you boys are trying to pull something on me I swear I will place you in solitary faster than you can shout 'rebel'," the Stormtrooper said while crossing his arms. He escorted the three boys away from the rebel's table.

Vin looked up and raised an eyebrow, speaking for the first time during the meal he said, "Do I even want to know what that was about?"

Ranik looked down at his food, suddenly interested in the gray mush. Vin looked over to Jania and Luke. After a few seconds under his cold stare Jania cracked. "They were trying to hurt Luke! I heard them picking on him so I woke up Ranik and we rescued him. I couldn't just let them beat him up because they thought he was a rebel," she pleaded.

Vin shook his head. He took a glance at Luke then turned back to Jania, "We've talked about this. Until the boss comes out of solitary we can't go picking fights. It's like what the great Queen Amidala of Naboo said, 'I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war' I will not allow you start fights with the imps."

"But Luke could have died! They had a-,"

"Luke would have been fine. He lasted a while without you didn't he? You heard them attacking Luke in the bathroom and then rushed to find Ranik, correct? Given your top speed, the distance, and the time it would take to wake Ranik up and for him to find a weapon in that time I'd say Luke was on his own for approximately twelve minute and forty-three seconds before you showed up, is that correct, Luke?"

Luke nodded his head, "But it felt like forever and ever."

"Twelve minutes given that the attacker had a knife, which he most certainly did considering the bulky one with the facial hair was carrying a knife in his left pocket when the Stormtrooper walked him over here, would have been more than enough to kill a six year old," Vin explained.

"But he's not dead," Ora pointed out, "So how is he alive."

"It's simple, really, either Luke somehow was able to defend himself or, the more likely version, they couldn't bring themselves to kill a six year old boy. I think we need to ask Luke what really happened," Vin said as he and r=the rest of the rebels turned to Luke.

Just as Luke was about to answer a bell rang signaling the students to go to class. "We'll continue this during lunch, same place," Vin said.

"Wait, where am I supposed to go?" Luke asked. No one had given him a class assignment or even a schedule to find his classroom.

Maverik shrugged, "I don't know, ask a bucket head."

Luke stayed back as the rest of the students walked to their classes. He looked around for a guard or a Stormtrooper to help him out. He finally found a guard leaning against the wall half asleep. Luke walked up to him and tapped his arm. The man looked around startled. "Huh… wha- kid what are you doing, get to class!" he yelled.

"I don't know where it is," Luke innocently said.

The guard looked down at the boy, "What are you, five standard years old?"

"No, I'm six!" Luke pouted.

The guard smiled at him, "Wow, six years old, you're so small I really figured you'd be younger," Luke's frown deepened. "So six huh? I think that puts you in with Ms. Starfall down the hall. She can be a real-," the guard stopped himself before swearing in front of Luke.

"A real what?" Luke asked.

"Uh… nasty lady. Let's get you over there before the second bell."

He led Luke down the hall and into a small room the size of a broom closet. An old woman sat in the front of it, her wrinkled face was set in a permanent frown. She looked up at Luke, her pale gray eyes burrowing into him. He shrunk down as much as he could. He looked around to find only four other students at the desks, all older than him. As he walked up to the open desk in the front of the room he noticed Jania sitting in the back waving at him and smiling. The guard left the class room once Luke was seated.

"And who do we have here? A new orphan?" Ms. Starfall said.

"I-I'm Luke," he stuttered, "Luke Lars."

Ms. Starfall nodded her head and took Luke in noting he looked vaguely familiar. She shook off the feeling and started her lesson. "Today, class, we will be learning about the siege of Naboo. It's said that this battle may be what helped set up the Clone Wars," she droned on.

Luke was beginning to fall asleep. All of the politics and names were starting to confuse him. The Trade Federation. Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum. Nute Gunrey. Theed. Otoh Gunga. Boss Nass. The names just seemed to melt together. He had already forgotten who had done what. None of this seemed all that important to him. Why would he need to know what a bunch of dead people did anyway? Especially now that there was the Galactic Empire. He hadn't paid much attention until the teacher uttered a familiar name.

"Queen Amidala was finally able to settle this mess when she called a vote of no confidence on Supreme Chancellor Valorum. Due to her actions Emperor Palpatine was able to become the Supreme Chancellor and win the battle," she explained.

Luke looked back to see Jania rolling her eyes at the explanation. "Is there something wrong with my teaching, Ms. Fenn?" Ms. Starfall impatiently asked.

"Yeah, there is. Where are all the Jedi? They were sent to negotiate everything. Queen Amidala didn't just elect the emperor supreme chancellor, she set it into action and then left to help the battle in Theed. The Jedi helped her to win and without them Naboo would have been destroyed. Where's all that in the story?" she asked.

"In the hallway, right now you rebel," Ms. Starfall demanded. Jania picked up her things and stomped out into the hall. She seemed to be well practiced in it. "Any other serious questions?" she asked. Luke raised his hand. "Yes, Mr. Lars?"

"Who's Queen Amidala?" he asked.

"We went over this yesterday but I suppose you weren't here for that. Padmé Amidala Naberrie was a politician from Naboo during the Republic. She became one of the most beloved elected Queens in history and was later a senator. Many began to question her morals towards the end of her life considering how close she was with the traitorous Jedi and her pregnancy out of wedlock. Is that enough for you, Mr. Lars?" she asked rudely.

Luke nodded his head, "Yeah, I think I know enough."

Luke walked into the cafeteria and looked around. He knew where he was supposed to sit but after seeing the way rebels were treated he really didn't want to be a part of them anymore. But they had saved his life. He walked to the table from earlier and found Jania sitting by herself. She waved at him as he sat down.

"So, how do you like Ms. Starfall?" she giggled.

"She's so mean. Uncle Owen would never be that mean," he said.

"Well, in another few years you'll be going to Ms. Ra' Shudd's class. I heard she's the nicest teacher here. You only get into her class the beginning of the year after you turn nine, just do that everyone goes together,"Jania explained.

"I hope I'm not here that long," Luke said. He suddenly became very interested in his mush.

"What do you mean, aren't you an orphan?" Jania asked.

Luke shrugged, "I don't know, I was kidnapped as a baby. My parents could still be out there searching the galaxy for me and I'd never know."

Jania frowned at the boy, "I'm sorry, Luke, I didn't know. Did they process your blood yet?" Luke shook his head, not feeling like talking anymore. "Well, there have been a lot of new kids lately, and they do have to go through every single sample and every database in the galaxy. Then after all that they have to get in contact with the families and arrange transport and all that. I'm sure they'll get to you soon," she smiled.

"I hope so."

The rest of the rebels gathered around the table and began eating and chatting. Vin was the last to arrive and looked right at Luke. "So, you were going to tell us how you escaped being killed," he said.

Luke looked up from his tray. All eyes were on him eagerly awaiting him to tell them whether he was lucky or his attackers were weak. He gulped down the food he'd been chewing and looked up, "They were attacking me, Heb and Dexten. Dexten had a knife but I kept dodging it," Luke explained.

"That's not possible. I'm assuming Dexton was the boy with facial hair, correct? He had weight, stamina, and strength against you. You should be dead," Vin said.

"Vin, leave the kid be, he had a near death experience just last night," Ranik said.

"Unless he's a Jedi he should not have been able to dodge a knife for twelve minutes. I've studied Jedi, I had met a Jedi, and he is not one of them," Vin said.

"He could have force potential though," Jania piped up.

Ranik looked over to her, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jania looked over to the boy sitting next to her and thought about it some more, "I mean he was kidnapped as a baby. What if a Jedi saved one of the younglings at the temple and took him to safety?"

"Jania, you've had some pretty stupid ideas since I've met you but this goes above them all. Every single Jedi died that night, no survivors, remember? I get that you were only two when it happened but all the rebels know only a few off world Jedi lived," Ora said.

Jania mumbled that they were right. The meal continue in an awkward silence. The rebels got up and walked towards their classrooms. Luke tagged behind Jania neither saying a word as they entered the room. Ms. Starfall began teaching about math and before Luke could fall asleep they were dismissed to go to their chores. Luke made his way down to the director's office in order to get his assignment and to ask about switching rooms.

He knocked on the metal door and heard it squeal as it slid open. The director sat at the desk, a mountain of datapads stretched out in front of him. He looked up from one meeting Luke's eyes.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, clearly annoyed.

"I… I was never given any chore to do…" Luke said.

"You're Luke Lars, right? Just came in yesterday?" the director asked. He got up from his chair and walked over to a filing cabinet looking through old datapads to find Luke's.

"Yes, sir," Luke said. He took a seat in the chair opposite the desk and watched the director fumble around the drawer.

"I got an update on your blood an hour ago," he said as he pulled out a newer looking datapad from the cabinet. Luke perked up. The director started reading through it and nodded to himself, "They said that your blood is being looked at as we speak. They should have analysis and match by the end of the week."

"By the end of the week I'll know who my family is?" Luke asked.

"Hopefully you will, as long as you have a living relative who wants you," the director explained. "Until then, you're on sandwich duty. You'll just be making sandwiches for the alien kids."

Luke hopped off the chair and ran towards the kitchen. He had never been so excited in his life. In one short week he would finally know who his parent are and how he was kidnapped. Only one more week until he met his true blood relatives.

He ran into the kitchen and looked around at the workers. He was placed on bagging duty, all he had to do was put the mystery meat sandwiches in little baggies for the aliens to take to their rooms to eat. Luke thought it unfair that the aliens had to eat in their rooms when the humans got to eat where ever they wanted to but kept his opinion to himself. He didn't want to be thrown in jail when he only had a week left until he could go home.

He had been stuck in his own world the entire time thinking about the day he'd get to finally know what his parents were like. So caught up that he didn't even notice the bad feeling growing in his stomach or the shadow following him.

Luke sat down at a desk in Ranik, Vin, and Maverik's room. The orphanage had placed them together hoping it would stop the spread of rebellion. Maverik was throwing pencils at a picture of the emperor he'd taped to the wall opposite his bed. Vin was reading a datapad on the history of the Hutts. Ranik was doing pushups in the aisle between the two bunkbeds. Luke and Jania were helping each other out with homework from Ms. Starfall's class asking Vin for help anytime they were stuck on a question. Vin always knew the answer.

Ora burst through the door and threw her bag onto the ground. "I envy you so much, Jania," she sighed.

"What's wrong with the roommates this time?" Maverik asked.

"It's just all, 'Captain this' and 'Admiral' that or 'You know, Palpatine was pretty hot before the Jedi melted his face.' I don't think I can take it anymore. Can I just move in with you, Jania?" Ora said giving each quote a new accent and voice.

Luke laughed at her retelling of her awful roommates. Jania looked over to her friend, "Ora, I feel bad for you, I really do, but Luke's staying with me until we know what's happening with his family."

Ora shouted something jokingly about them not being friends anymore but Luke hadn't heard it. He was too focused on a weird feeling in his gut like the one from last night. Before he could say something he turned to the side as Dexton ran into the room and threw a knife at where Luke's back had just been. Instead of hitting his back it hit Luke on his side. He had followed him all the way from the kitchen. Luke screamed out in pain. Ora and Jania each picked him up while Ranik and Maverik chased Dexton down the halls. Vin ordered Ora and Jania to put Luke down. He looked at the knife wound and swore under his breath. It had gone almost clean through.

"He needs to go to the medical wing. Don't lift him, it could move the knife around too much and cause more damage. Luke, Luke, how did you know he was going to throw a knife at you?" Vin asked.

Luke looked over to him confused. He didn't know Dexten would throw a knife, he didn't even know Dexten would be there. At all. "I...I…"

"Luke save your breath. Vin, there's no way Luke could have known about the knife now help us out," Ora said.

"He did, he had to know. The way he perfectly angled his body to take the least amount of pain, how he was holding his stomach beforehand. Luke knew about the knife. He had to of known," Vin argued.

"Would you two please stop and help Luke? Ora call a med droid. Vin, do whatever medical thing you know how to do. Don't let him die on us," Jania ordered. "It's okay, Luke, you'll be okay."

Soon enough medical droids swarmed into the room. They surrounded Luke and gently picked him up and placed him onto a floating medical bed. They moved the bed back to the medical center and operated on Luke for what felt like months. Ora, Vin, Ranik, and Maverik sat at the chairs outside the med bay. They had been given special permission to wait for their friend. Jania paced back and forth hoping Luke would pull through. Ranik and Maverik had caught up to Dexten only to get in trouble themselves for tackling an unarmed civilian. Dexten would not get in any trouble for stabbing Luke because there was no footage of it. He had made sure to cut the wires of the cameras like he had in the bathroom.

A medical droid finally exited the room and hovered over to the group. "Your friend is in stable condition but will remain in the medical wing until he is ready to move again."

"How long will that take?" Ora asked.

"He should be fully recovered in a few days. We have stitched the wound and placed bacta patches over it. You may say good night to your friend and then kindly leave," the droid said.

The group entered the room and looked at Luke. He was fast asleep, Jania guessed he had been dreaming about Jedi like usual. He started mumbling again like he had the night prior.

"No…no…Ben!" he screamed. He began to toss and turn. The bacta patches were becoming loose. "Father! Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru! No! No!" the lights flickered a bit as his turning became more violent. Ranik and Maverik grabbed Luke on each side and held him steady. Ora and Jania each grabbed a foot to help. Vin ran to get help. As he left Luke stopped shaking and a medical droid rushed into the room.

"ALERT ALERT. ATTACK ON A PATIENT IN THE MEDICAL WING. I REPEAT ATTACK AT THE MEDICAL WING." Its sirens buzzed loudly as guards and Stormtroopers rushed into the room. The four friends placed their hands in the air and tried to explain themselves.

"There'll be plenty of time to explain in solitary, rebels. Attacking an unconscious patient, that's low even for you," one guard said.

Vin looked on from behind a corner as his friends were walked away by Stormtroopers. He knew that the kid was a bad idea.

Okay, no Vader or Stormtroopers. I just wanted to make this chapter about Luke and what it's like to be discriminated against as a rebel in the orphanage. Vin's starting to rethink the whole Luke being a force sensitive thing so who knows what he'll do. Anyway thanks and don't forget to review