Chapter 32 Home
LUKE POV
He sunk down next to his mother, blue eyes rolling in their sockets wearily.
"You healed her."
"Yes."
"Thank you."
A tired smile clumsily found its way onto his lips. With his only hand he lightly clasped his mother's hand.
The blow she suffered knocked her unconscious.
But she was fine now.
What should we do now?
"We should go," Talon answered in his mind, as the telepath always did, which was quite odd now that he thought about it.
"Yes we should," he faintly agreed. Black spots danced in his vision. Behind them, in the background, the dazzling city's lights were born anew in the night, spotting up and glowing hazily. Numbness took hold of him, replacing the aches and pains. A dribble of liquid made its way down his chin. Drowsily surprised he funnily crossed his eyes, attempting to see what the liquid was. It dripped to the floor, staining the tiles darker. Remembering earlier, during the fight, he did almost get his face slit open. Releasing his mother's hand and lightly raising it to his face he saw that there was indeed a fine cut beginning from the left side of his forehead, clipping his eyebrow, crossing the bridge of his nose, and running down his cheek. From the thin line, a fine dribble of blood came forth.
Pulling his hand back his fingertips were painted darker.
His stomach twisted at the sight.
Suddenly everything became somewhat muffled. The sounds of the city, Talon's panting, everything sounded as if it were underwater.
Glancing at Talon he childishly cocked his head to the side.
"Talon?"
"Yes Luke," was the soft reply.
"I think I'm gonna to pass out."
And he did.
THE SHADOW POV
It watched them.
It watched them with its two dark indigo eyes as they flew away.
Only then did it slink back onto the veranda.
I'm lucky to only escape with bruised ribs and limbs. From that force wave I could have been crushed, bones obliterated, had I not worn this armor. It seems the subject is more powerful than expected, as his expectations had been broken, shattered. He could certainly deal with normal Jedi, and their normal Jedi tricks, but there was something unnatural about the whole ordeal. He had never, in all his years, seen someone, let alone a Jedi, do what that cripple did. There was something off about it: the force wave. He knew what a force wave was. He was educated in having to know what different force techniques were that the enemies would employ. But that force wave. It almost looked electrical.
?
The shadow was extremely confounded once more by the discoveries made that night. Especially that power, that possible potential. As being no force sensitive himself he still had the dangerous inkling that something would come to be, and not boding all at all well for that little wanna be Jedi with a lightsaber that didn't belong to him. But that is no concern of mine so what does it matter. I have other things to attend to:
To complete the objective.
An objective that consisted of a mission far from assassinating the senator.
His employer, lord, master, whatever others called him, was a very intelligent being. None could surpass such knowledge he held and power he controlled. It had been quite easy for his employer to put all pieces in place on his own. All he needed was…
Is it confirmed?
Quietly stooping down next to a statue, where a dark liquid lay in puddles on the floor, he took out a vial. The vial soon became filled with a liquid of rubies that had not yet dried and cracked. A blue cap was closed over it.
Treading silently across the veranda he came next to another spot, in which another still quite fresh liquid had been splattered across the floor in the scuffle. An empty vial appeared in his hand from within the folds of his suit. Red was dripped inside of the clear small container from the still fresh drops that hadn't yet begun to dry and crumble. A green cap was closed over it.
Is it confirmed?
A message came in from a fellow associate, alerting him of the Jedi and Coruscant police making their way over here. Good thing he had already taken out the buildings security long ago, so they posed no threat.
Vigilante as ever he quickly cleaned up all signs of a certain liquid redness on the vicinity. Next he took care of any cameras. After that he wiped several spots down. Then collected shards of his weapon. All done and good he quietly slunk back into the darkness from which he came, just like a shadow.
Mission accomplished.
Not that he would ever know the results.
OOO
Away.
He traveled away.
Standing atop a building he paused. A shadow slinked out of the darkness.
"Did you complete your assignment?" it asked.
The stood face to face. Very similar in appearance. Exactly similar in appearance. Same armor. Same elongated blades, one normal, and three of cortosis. Same tiny camera embedded snugly in the black visor. All the same. Except his associate had a tail.
"Yes."
"Good," it stated, voice sounding of dead leaves, much similar too his own. Too similar for his liking. These were the only times when he was nervous enough to break out in a sweat. He didn't. If he did his associate would know. His associate could smell it.
Reaching into the folds of the armor he gently took out the two filled vials and gave them up to his associate.
After a brief question his associate labeled them accordingly.
A silence stretched.
"We go now," stated the other.
"Fine. Where to?"
An armor clad pointer finger was raised up to where his lips would be under the black visored helmet. Unnerving.
"Shhhhh. In secret," whispered the associate, a voice of that of dead deathly leaves. It would have creeped anyone else out, but he was used to it by now. "We shall commence the rest IN SECRET. Never ask that question again. If you do you can kill yourself."
Unphased he said, "Fine. We go."
"In secret," the other deathly added, creaking away in unnatural stillness, and practically gliding across the ground. Silent, stealthily, dangerous, like the assassin it was. Whatever it was. Even he knew not what that thing was.
He followed, silent, stealthily, quiet, like the associate to it he was. Whatever he knew he was.
A tail swished in the buffeting wind. They went away, in secret, to deliver it.
A one lone question hung unseeingly in the air:
Is it confirmed?
LUKE POV
Warmth.
So cozy.
The first thing he was aware of was warmth.
This warmth he lain in.
And then the blanket of feathers engulfing him, which he deduced could only belong to one creature.
The night air smelt crisp and clear.
He would have been cold had he not been smothered softly in his companion's presence and form.
Drifting slightly into consciousness he released out a tiny sneeze. He could have chosen to go back to the darkness, but despite the tempting call of feeling nothing in a pitch black sleep there was something much more important than his own personal needs. Someone that he would jerk awake immediately to see. So non reluctantly he forced his eyes to open, and his vision was met with the night sky, wisps of clouds still visible from the earlier barrage of storms that had, by now, calmed down and abandoned.
He found himself wrapped tightly in enfolds of Talon's fluffy pale wings and pressed comfortable against the terror bird's body.
Squirming some he shrugged off the longing warmth.
Then that was when he noticed the aches. The cut on his face had been healed, probably by Talon, but boy did his body feel like it had gotten hit by an airbus at high speed. A small groan escaped him. Everything throbbed. But he forced himself to sit up none the less.
To his surprise Talon was already awake, or maybe it was the possibility that the terror bird hadn't even gone to sleep yet, but most likely it was the fact that the terror bird hadn't slept at all.
He spotted his mother snuggled deep into the feathers that adorned the terror bird's chest area, as that spot was by far the fuzziest. Talon's neck was slightly curved around her body. Those red apple eyes were wide open, watching each breath go in and out, and the rhythm it created in the night, each exhale. He scooted closer, Talon's eyes were on his for a moment now, but then they strayed and stayed back on his mother in an almost protective manner. A protective manner from the world, from all the harsh elements, from all the harsh people who were made and created from pain.
He finally got to look at her, his mother, although it was a shame it was so dark.
They were located atop a rather tall building, but it seemed miniscule compared to the sky giants around it, making them feel small. The top of the building was rather rounded around the edges, but the roof was large enough that they weren't even sitting close to the edge where one could easily slip on the slick shiny metallic surface and fall to the dark depths below never to be seen again.
She was beautiful, much more beautiful than he could have ever imagined! Even in the dim light that the only luminescence came from the sparkling glows around him, he could still tell how amazingly kind her features were.
Are you an angel?
A deep pang of longing echoed within his heart for what he had missed during his childhood.
Had I grown up with this woman, my mother, what would have been different? Would things have fallen into place much better? What did I miss? What could have been for us all, me, Leia, father, everyone?
Such a waste. A deep seeded hatred erupted within his heart. What was the cause of such a senseless death? Why? Who? How did this happen? How did it happen? How could it have come to be like that?!
Sidious, his mind hissed in answer, Sidous!
It's all his fault! He clenched his hand so tight it hurt. Looking down, eyes squeezed shut, body trembling, and the feel of the rushing flow of blood as rage swept through him. I'll never forgive him!
"So this is your mother."
His blue eyes shot open, clearing. He was brought back from the black, the darkness, by that soft kind voice.
"Talon?" he whispered, looking forlornly at the terror bird.
The terror bird was looking straight at him with those knowing red apple eyes. "She is very beautiful."
"Yes," he whispered faintly, "she is."
She is.
He scooted closer, outstretching his only hand, almost hesitant to touch her, for he feared that if he did she would disappear, or shatter like glass. Hesitantly, he clasped her warm hand in his, squeezing tight. A nice comfort came to his just through that simple touch. A type of comfort, even though she was unconscious, no other one other besides a mother could give.
TALON POV
He glanced at the sleeping Padme with red apple eyes filled with an emotion just short of longing. The air grew cooler around them for a moment. Then the it was gone. Seeing her shiver he wrapped just a bit tighter around her.
How nice it would be.
How nice it would be to have someone to call mother.
This Padme, Luke's mother, was beyond anything, beyond anyone, as she felt so light. What a nice woman.
A mother's love:
I speculate it must be something much similar to a warm flame, rather than a raging fire.
What is a mom, a mum, a mommy, a mama, a ma, a mummy, a mother?
The procreator.
It is said to be someone, whom for a while he only thought of to be in fiction, as it is said to be the impossible, but out there it exists somewhere. Now he had found living proof. The air around this woman, Padme, is really sweeter than anything I've known or felt since- since-. A mother is said to be someone who loves you unconditionally from birth, the one who puts her offspring always before herself, the one who you can always count on above everyone else. They are not supposed to abandon you.
Everything a mother is supposed to be can never be.
It was such a disappointment coming into life.
But I have sworn to never think that way again.
Never again.
Everything has gotten much better now.
Everything will be better now.
When in my youth, I remember soft memories of things big and small. Great and tall. Soft and fuzzy. Greens and leafiery. A hardened heart. And in that field of nothing in the moonlight, love blooms magically there, just as the flowers of certain incoming death did and do in that one same field under a bad dead moon so much later in life.
He got a premonition.
Craning his neck up, he spotted something in the sky.
PAST REMINISCENCES PART 2 TALON POV
"Be safe," she got out wrapping her arms around him and giving him a hug. In response he wrapped her up tightly in his force presence. It fell over the two of them like a warm blanket. She nuzzled further against him. Deardra.
"I'll miss you," she choked out. Silent tears poured freely from her kind eyes.
"As will I."
He felt her give one final squeeze and then she let go. He heard her dash off back into the forest, never once looking back at him. How strange that in the future it would be him screaming for Luke to never look back at him.
He perched there, on the edge of that cliff. The grass swaying in waves and the trees dancing amid the windy breeze. Before him stretched out into the horizon was a landscape of vast lakes and vegetation. Somina was a prosperous planet. It even rivaled many in its majesty of the landscape but was not as commonly known as it was placed in a galaxy far far away. Many had come to behold its beauty and many had taken away parts of its beauty. Until one day it was forgotten.
A shooting star streaked across the sky far beyond, leaving a small blue trail in its wake that eventually too disappeared.
His red apple eyes followed the quick movement that any human or other creature would have a hard time spotting.
Will a calamity befall me?
The trees swayed dangerously, haunting in a dance.
Is this the beginnings or is it just the symbol of endings?
Has my ultimate destiny finally come?
A second later another falling star followed, this one leaving a small white trail in its wake that too eventually dispersed in the night among its placed glowing brothers.
Or is this just the universe shedding its tears?
LUKE POV
Shooting stars passed overhead. Two, at the exact same time, leaving a little blue and a little white trail in their wake that he could hardly distinguish.
"Why don't we make a wish?" Talon voiced softly into the void of the night.
"Why?" It sounded kinda childish: making a wish on a shooting star. "They could be satellites or space ships for all we could know."
"No, Luke. Trust in me, they are stars. I assure you of that."
"How would you know," he inquired, giving Talon a look.
The terror bird's bright luminous apple eyes were glued to the sky, enamored in those duo stars. Talon just chuckled without looking at him, saying, "I just know these kinds of things. Hurry, have haste, for we have a limited time."
Turing back to the sky at the disappearing trails he quickly made a wish, as silly as it seemed, while squeezing his mother's hand.
Keep them safe
Day and night
Give them courage
Strength and might
Dear someone hear my plea
Keep my loved ones safe for me.
He didn't expect much to happen as a result though but he made the wish none the less. When he was just a young farm boy living on Tatooine, oblivious to everything else in the universe, he had occasionally made a wish like this, but in different contexts. They never worked and never came true. Until one day he stopped doing that. Years later, from that day, he was finally able to leave that dustball, but that too came at a price of life, the lives of Aunt Beru, Uncle Owen.
Suddenly a movement stirred him from such fleeting thoughts.
The hand he held clenched a bit tighter around his.
His eyes snapped to his mother. Talon's had as well.
She's waking up.
Will I get to really meet her? His stomach tingled with butterflies at the prospect of actually talking to his mother.
"Luke, I implore you: we must return her."
His eyes narrowed. "Why?!"
"If we don't I am not sure what could happen. There are too many possibilities at hands of fate. What will you say to her?"
I could say: I am your son from the future please give me a hug or something along those lines. But just kidding, that sounds stupid. I might freak her out.
Suddenly Talon spoke, "If you do choose to reveal that you are her son what would you do next? What would happen if she leaks that information on accident? What happens if Palpatine, as being a highly skilled force user of the dark side, decides to discreetly pick her mind for information once he hears of what happened to her this night? As I am positive if we do release her with such knowledge of your existence that is all she will be thinking about for some time: she has a son from the future, named Luke. Palpatine could easily connect everything from there. If you warn her of Palpatine, telling her he is the Sith lord the Jedi have been looking for, Lord Sidious, will she believe you? What could she do? I am afraid to tell you, but there is really too much at stake here. She could be placed in even more danger. But this is your decision, Padme is your mother, and if you so choose to proceed with whatever course of action you fit available to you, damn the consequences, then that is your choice and I won't hold anything against that."
He blinked.
Then gazed at her.
Oh, that's right. How silly of me. Inwardly he sighed in disappointment. Don't be selfish Luke. You can talk to her another day. But now, we have a job to do.
Chewing on his lip his gaze lingered on her. Still looking at her, he stated, "If we do return mother to that apartment complex we will stay with her until someone comes."
"A wonderful solution. We must depart now. It appears she is awakening," Talon voiced softly.
It was true. His mother was beginning to stir.
"Let's go."
MACE WINDU POV
He, along with Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, several clones troopers, and officers barged into the flat (apartment complex). Stealthily, they made their way through the lavish halls and rooms, only to pause at a certain closet door, the lock had been completely obliterated by the force.
Muffled urgent screams and calls for help could be heard from inside.
C3PO POV
"Help! Help! Oh someone please help me! I've fallen and I can't get up!"
I'm going to be stuck here forever! What a crime! I, C3po, may never see the light of day again! And the dear lady, Miss Amidala, what has happened to her!
Lying on his back the silly droid couldn't manage to get up cause he was an idiot. In other words: an imbecile.
I was saved from certain death by a young man in a flash of white light only to lay here and die, forever alone! How did he even know my name? Only one probable answer presented itself to the droid: He must be my secret admirer! Oh, how romantic!
Suddenly a bright purple amethyst light broke through the door, cutting along the edges in one fluid motion, until the whole frame fell forward. And his savior: A Jedi!
"Oh it's Jedi Master Windu! I'm Saved!" he shouted ecstatically.
All the dark skinned Jedi did was raise an unimpressed eyebrow in response and help him up.
"Quick!" he exclaimed obnoxiously, "You must go help the senator! Who knows what dangers have befallen her!"
The corrun master turned away, not even sparing a second glance at the droid, followed by the cerean, and the rest of the individuals who once saw that the person in the room was only a C3po, it was deduced there were more important matters at hand to take care of. Everyone promptly abandoned the droid in search for the senator.
"Huh? Wait for me!" with that said the droid hobbled after them.
MACE WINDU POV
He strode nimbly though a rather large hole in the wall and past all around the surrounding debris, Master Ki-Adi-Mundi right to the left of him, and together the two stepped onto a veranda. It was rather apparent a skirmish occurred. At the edge of the veranda lay the senator. Who was just sitting up, appearing confused as if just awakening from a slumber. She stared endlessly out into the distance where nothing of particular interest could be discernably seen. But maybe what she saw was already gone before they arrived. The sun, at that moment, just broke the horizon, lighting up the sky and her figure draped in a blue nightgown.
Not a blemish could be seen on her pale skin.
Various shouts of Milady, Senator Amidala, and Miss could be heard as the officers rushed ahead of him to her aid. He stayed back and watched, taking everything in, the damage, the expressions, the setting, the feel of the force around this place as turbulent as it was. The clone troopers surrounded the perimeter, keeping vigilant watch, weapons at the ready if the attacker was still present. But none of anybody else made themselves present.
"Milady are you alright?" someone asked urgently.
"Are you hurt?" another questioned.
"What ails you?" someone inquired.
"Who is responsible for this?" another asked.
At a distance he watched silently, Master Ki-Adi-Mundi coming up along beside him.
Senator Amidala didn't answer any of the questions posed; she looked a bit dazed, but otherwise in good health physically.
Finally turning to everyone, but not actually seeing them, she spoke softly, "I was saved. I was saved by a young man riding a giant white bird. It was like a knight in shining armor riding a white stallion to my rescue."
Now that stopped everyone short.
He frowned, and then shot his fellow Jedi a look. Brown eyes met blue and in unison they thought back to the day before.
FLASHBACK ANYONE POV
It was just the five of them in the round Jedi high council chambers seemingly at the top of the world, surrounded by plush seats of every shape and size depending on the occupants who weren't there. Four individuals stood, those of which consisted of Jedi Master Mace Windu, Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi, and Padawan Anakin Skywalker. The only one who was seated was the Grand Jedi Master Yoda.
Their current conversation, or rather argument, or disagreement, could pertain to a certain creature seen around lately on the planet of Coruscant's cityscape.
Addressing the Grand Master, Mace Windu stated, "Master Yoda, there is a certain concern that has been unanimously felt by the public of recent. A creature, bird like in appearance, has been spotted several times over the past few days."
Yoda smiled his normal jovial knowing smile, eyes peeling open to show knowledgeable green orbs, "Know of this I do."
"It has caused civilians much distress," Master Windu added.
"Yes, Yes, it has, mm hmm," chuckled the little green creature, nodding its head. If one did not know Yoda it would appear that he wasn't taking the matter seriously at all. "Leave this creature alone we will," the Grand Master presented.
"But Master Yoda, chancellor Palpatine has been very adamant that we help find and capture this creature, then hand it over to his administrative," implored Anakin.
"Since when did we take orders from the Chancellor?" stated the corrun master with obvious disagreement/disgruntlement toward a certain chancellor Palpatine.
"The Chancellor is a smart man. He knows what's best for the republic. And if the capture of this creature is what he wants then it must happen!" butted in the padawan, sending Windu a scowl.
"Anakin," warned Obi Wan.
Seeing the gaze sent from his master Anakin lowered his gaze, ashamed slightly at his behavior.
"You know," Ki-Adi-Mundi interrupted, "Witnesses say it appeared in a bright round bubble of white light out of seemingly nowhere at the dead darkness of night. They also say it robbed a grocery store. The poor grocer didn't know what to do as the massive creature downed ten carts of peaches and then flew off with other items of food to who knows where."
"If you need to eat you need to eat," joked Obi Wan.
Taking the opportunity to further prove his point Anakin urged, "See, this creature, whatever it is, is a thief! It must be captured before it does any more harm. Next time it could harm a civilian! What then? What will we do? Sit around and do nothing like we are right now!"
Master Windu shot the petulant padawan a look.
"The Chancellor has asked me personally to help assist in its capture," boasted Anakin. "I can do it. I am ready!"
"More important matters at hand there are," remarked Yoda, referring to the impending war.
Obi wan sweat dropped. "Anakin, if you didn't already remember, we aren't even going to be here tomorrow."
"Oh," Anakin seemed to visibly sag in disappointment. "Sorry master, it seems I forgot." Then with renewed vigor the padawan stated with all conviction in his being and very soul, "But it still needs to happen!"
"Anakin-," Obi Wan hissed worriedly.
Ki-Adi-Mundi let out an exasperated sigh as the young one pressed the matter.
Anakin continued earnestly, "Chancellor Palpatine is just looking out for the safety of the Republic. That's all he has in mind. And if he deems this unknown anomaly a threat then so be it! I don't know what you are thinking just letting such an animal roam free like this?! Why don't you understand? The Chancellor is a great man. He is deserving of more respect than this! The Jedi are meant to serve and assist and help democracy, the Republic, the Chancellor! If there is any possibility or risk that this creature could pose to be a menace, a peril, a hazard, a danger, a threat, than we must do something immediately before the situation turns to the worst and be direr than it already is! We should send out parties to hunt it down right this instant! I don't know how you can be so blind! The beast should be put down before-!"
"Leave this creature alone you will!"
Everyone stilled at the outburst. It seemed Yoda had heard enough. They all had. Yoda rarely raised his voice like that. Now all everyone could do was respect the grand master's wished.
Anakin stood shocked for a moment before, turning various shades of red out of clear embarrassment, then quickly bowed saying, "forgive me Master."
Mace Windu felt as if he aged thirty thousand years and was buried six feet under after listening to that cringe worthy rant. It almost made him lose faith in the galaxy itself with people like that running loose.
"Master Kenobi, you really should teach your padawan to hold his tongue in the near future," proposed Ki-Adi-Mundi, blue eyes gleaming.
"Yes. I will," said Kenobi, seeming weary.
"Dismissed you all are. Talk later we will," stated Yoda, hobbling past them all and out the doors without a second glance.
They all watched him go before trickling out as well.
The cerean and corrun Master sent disapproving looks as they swept past the padawan.
"Come Anakin. We need to talk," said Obi Wan.
Wisely choosing to obey, Anakin trailed after Obi Wan like a subdued shadow.
MACE WINDU PRESENT POV
He and Master Ki-Adi-Mundi shared a look and sighed mentally in unison at the remembrance. Then both went to assist the senator of Naboo.
Although between them the duo shared a single question.
Who is this young force sensitive man that Senator Amidala spoke of?
More questions were formed than answers answered that day.
LUKE POV
He was thinking. He spent the whole day thinking and meditating while Talon slept like a log, snoring slightly.
Goosebumps pricked his arms; absentmindedly he attempted to rub them away.
He had tried to get some sort or form of sleep but it just seemed impossible at the moment. A good silent rest evaded him. He couldn't stop worrying, it persisted like a never ending headache, which he had as well to top it all off, even though he knew his mother would now be safe. He couldn't help but worry and fear so he pushed his weariness and tiredness away for much longer than he should have.
Nothing is making sense.
Everything is becoming confusing.
It's just as Talon said: There is more to this. But what was it? he didn't know.
The interaction last night with the shadow left him bewildered. Who sent it? What was it trying to accomplish? Am I in danger? Are we in danger? What did it want with mother?
A part of him, maybe intuition, told him that it wasn't Sidious who was behind the attack.
What was the whole goal of attacking his mother, not that anyone knew she was that, or so he hoped.
Suddenly a loud yawn split the air chilly evening air.
Talon's red apple eyes popped open, immediately drawn to his small shivering figure slouching close by, illuminated by the dipping sun.
"Luke, you're still awake? Why don't you get some rest to rejuvenate?"
"I don't know. I don't really feel like it. Maybe later." His body thought otherwise though, so he scooted over to the terror bird, leaning against the fluffiness, immediately becoming warm in that presence and pale white fluffisomeness. As white as the freshly fallen snow on Hoth.
He heard the pale feathered creature sigh out contentedly, then softly ask, "Luke, we've know each other for a while now I could say. Now I let my curiosity get the better of me when I ask this: But what planet is it that someone like you originates from?"
Hmmm. I don't know where I was born. So what to say? The closet place he could think of was Tatooine, even though he wasn't exactly born there, he lived there most of his life and it was almost as if he had been born there since he was in fact raised there from whence he was just a tiny infant. "Tatooine," he answered, eyes caught up in the sunset's glowing colors.
"Really? I have never been there myself, but I've heard it is very arid and blanketed in sheets of sand as vast as that of an ocean's waters."
He chuckled. "That's a weird way of putting it but that dustball is mostly sand." And rock and dirt and grit.
I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating. And it gets everywhere was a random stupid thought that popped into his head. And for some reason to him it sounded like something Anakin would say. I don't know why though?
"It was my dream to one day leave that place," he added after a thought.
"And so you succeeded."
"In a way." A very odd sort of way. A way I could never have dreamed of, never in a million years, nor could have I ever possibly imagined. But here I am, and talking with a big white terror bird no less. It seems fate has laid a weird path down for me. "What about you," he inquired, looking up to Talon, "Where do you come from?"
Talon just stared ahead at the sunset, and then voiced in his usual soft quiet tones, "Somina. I hail from the planet of Somina."
Somina? "I've never heard of it," he pointed out.
The terror bird smiled to him. Or smiled as much as a bird ever could. "Of course you haven't. To the rest of the galaxy it goes by a much different name: Wayland. It is designated as Wayland. Only the natural flora and fauna of the planet know its true name, which is Somina, a lovely name. A fitting name."
Odd. "Where's it located."
"In the outer rim territories, same as Tatooine. Except Wayland is a lush semi tropical planet, so much different from Tatooine."
"So it's basically the total opposite of where I come from."
"Exactly," was the soft mental reply. "It appears both of us have flown far from home."
Home. He stared at the sunset peeking its golden head and flowing mane of many various colors from behind the buildings and towers and skyscrapers that tried to top one another in height; for all seemed in that moment to yearn to reach the sky for one time in a lifetime before they too would be taken down or destroyed over the course of a vast number of years so much so that it was hard to imagine such a distance ahead in these times to an unknown future.
Where is home for me?
Father? Mother? Anakin? Padme? Skywalker? Amidala? Jedi? Senator? Or are all those titles just of those independent people who I will never really have the chance to personally know?
The sunset's burning colors began to quickly fade as they clawed at the sky but in the end they too would be dragged down to darkness.
But a sunset will always rise again. Transformed into something different each and every time: becoming a sunrise, but only to ever repeat the endless cycle over and over again same as some. But that in itself sounded painful.
Inwardly his heart sighed at a prospect of 'home'.
Absentmindedly he asked, "Talon?"
"Yes Luke?"
"Where are you parents?"
It may have been somewhat insensitive to ask that, but from what Talon had told him so far, it seemed that the terror bird had no one. It feels horrible to be lonely.
"Dead."
"Oh." He blinked, a bit startled. "Sorry."
Talon's chest just rumbled in humms of laughter that vibrated against his back and through his chest. "Don't be sorry Luke. My parents consisted of two animals. And believe me when I say animal. They couldn't communicate telepathically as I do, or speak basic or any other language at all except their own form of voice in what such creatures could call out to communicate with one another of their own or other kinds of other similar creatures. They couldn't understand my mentality and I could never understand theirs. At first I don't think they quite understood what I was, as I was different from them, in color, shape, and soul. My mother was in fact a Warbird, my father a Clawbird."
"Really?" he asked, interest piqued greatly. "What did they look like?"
"Well, to tell you, they were not the most beautiful of creatures. Rather unsightly to the eyes. But something ugly can come together to create something beautiful."
And against the canvas of such a setting sun, Talon told him of many of an interesting things. "When in my youth, I remember soft memories of things big and small. Great and tall. Soft and fuzzy. Greens and leafiery. A hardened heart…"
He learned that the Clawbird or Stana, as natives called it, which was Talon's father, was a black feathered avian from Wayland that devoured the flesh of dead animals and aliens. It sported harsh yellow eyes, a long thin layered beak used for ripping into skin, and a long tail that ended in feathers splayed out into a fan; it had mottled brown skin, a wiry figure, and huge black wings.
A Warbird, Talon's mother, on the other hand was a force sensitive species which were used as mounted assault avians a very long long time ago during the Great Sith War. The species were predators and were notorious for their bad tempered nature, so much different from Talon. They attacked anything on a whim that they deemed a threat. Though lacking in power, Warbirds could move with great speed and maneuverability; they typically used their large size to ram and trample their prey, as when fully grown, they stood approximately six meters in height from ground to top of the head, and ten meters long from head to tail, and they were also known to use their large blunt beaks to gore their enemies and devour helpless prey. They are large flightless birds that originated from the icy planet Khar Delba. Oddly enough, in place of wings were two short dual clawed arms, and these birds' sported two hind legs. Feather color ranged from yellow to yellowish green. Their iris colors ranged from black to blue. With extremely thick hides, hooks/spikes could be embedded into the sides of domesticated Warbirds without causing the creature harm. After the end of the Great Sith War, these Sith Warbirds continued to be found throughout the galaxy, with survivors of the conflict breeding on other worlds. These wild-once-more Warbirds were prone to terrorizing local forms of wildlife that posed little threat to them. A few made their way to Wayland but eventually died off after generations, but not before one surprisingly bred with a Clawbird, Talon's father.
Thus then from their history was made.
A terror bird was created.
And that terror bird was promptly abandoned, its parents eventually died, and the white feathered force anomaly was later dubbed Talon, the Terror Bird. But Talon obviously didn't tell Luke that last part.
Oh.
How intriguing. He could definitely see the physical similarities between Talon and his parents, from which Talon described. What the terror bird had told him had enraptured his attention for the whole evening as he became so engrossed in the conversation of Terror Birds, Warbirds, planets far far away, and a many of other things.
"Do you ever plan to go back to Wayland," he asked, blue eyes blown wide.
Night was quickly falling around them.
"Yes, yes I do. I plan to go home one day."
"Oh." Well, I guess we can't always be together forever. Talon will depart eventually. That made him a bit sad inside.
"Hey, chin up," Talon smiled, nuzzling his face. "Maybe one day we could go together to visit Wayland, it is a lovely place. I think you will like it a lot, though it has been so long since I've been back home. You can call it home too, as I assure you if I ever leave you we will meet each other again one day and visit Wayland together. That's a promise. We can go 'home' together."
Home?
Home.
He smiled. "That sounds nice."
Home.
