Fourth Chapter up! I'm doing better than I thought I would.
-CW-
Luke sighed as he sat on the crates in the Hangar of the Jedi Temple. He had been brought in after being 'rescued' on Hoth, where he had been founded by Clones in
a ruined Base. At first, Luke had been in shock, refusing to believe anything he had been told. It was still difficult for him to accept the truth. He had time-traveled. At
least, that's what he learned. How else was this possible? Unless this was some whack Force vision, which he highly doubted. Visions didn't feel this real. He had been
ushered into the Emergency Med-Bay where several Healers worked on him for hours on end. Luke hardly remembered it. He remembered meeting into the five Clones
on Hoth, and barely remembered the General who took him to the Temple, but he didn't remember his prolonged visit to the Med-Bay. He was there for two weeks.
Two weeks before he was deemed fit enough to leave. Almost at once, he was called in to the Council to explain to them everything. Luke carefully shielded his mind
and lied.
As much as Luke hated to admit it, he did lie. Well...Only partially. He created some random, but convincing, story that paralleled the truth so that the Jedi Masters
wouldn't suspect him. He made sure to construct answers that partially rang with truth then blamed the rest on memory loss and shock. After all, losing two Jedi
Masters was a heavy weight for a young Padawan to bear. Or so the Council believed. Luke didn't lie about being in shock. In fact, he was very much in shock from
waking up and discovering he was in the past. It was also strange to be surrounded by thousands of Jedi when, in his time, he was the only one. Then he met the
Council where he saw Yoda. Not only that, but there were Clones everywhere! And every single one of them had names!
That wasn't even the worst of it all.
Luke, when he caught a glimpse of his reflection in a mirror, found that he was no longer the twenty year old Jedi from his time. Oh no, the Force had decided it
would be amusing to banish Luke into the past trapped in his fourteen year old body!
Oh yes, very amusing indeed.
After the Council session, Yoda had called Luke in to speak with him privately. He knew immediately that Yoda had seen through his facade. Once alone, Yoda had
bluntly stated that he knew Luke had lied during the whole session and asked for him to state a reason he did. Luke only said that he had lied because the Force had
wanted him to. It wasn't totally untrue. The Force had warned him to be cautious in everything that he said and did. Yoda had narrowed his eyes then jabbed his
stick into Luke's chest, stating that he would be watching the boy. But since he didn't sense any deceit or darkness in Luke, he allowed Luke to remain at the Temple.
As if he had a choice. With the Force Signature Luke had, it would have been too dangerous for him to be tossed out into the outside world.
Luke had joined in a few of the training sessions to better his swordsmanship and connect with the Force. It wasn't long before he had gained Yoda's trust and was
thrust into the Padawan program. It was abnormal for there to be a fourteen year old Padawan-in-training, but no one questioned Yoda, knowing he had to have
some reason for doing so.
"The Force's will, it is." Yoda had said to him, baffling the boy. "Sense it was no accident, I do. Much to work on, you have, if to fulfill its will, you are to."
Before Luke could even question the Grandmaster, he hobbled away, leaving Luke to ponder over the possible meaning behind Yoda's words. During his time spent
on Coruscant, Luke also searched tirelessly for his sister. If he had come to the past through the void, she had to be there too!
It had been a full month now, and nothing had turned up.
He felt utterly alone.
He had been unable to make any friends seeing as he was older than his fellow Padawan-in-training companions and everyone else was either a Jedi Knight, Master,
or a Clone. And Luke was certainly not going to talk to any Clones. Unless they addressed him-but only to be polite. Many recognized him from his multiple visits
to the Hangar. He spent most of his time examining each ship and starfighter, memorizing the different models and sometimes, fixing any issues the ships had. The
mechanics, who happened to be Clones, had quickly discovered he was a skilled pilot and mechanic. Oftentimes, whenever Luke would wander down to the Hangar,
they would invite him to check out some of the new ships that came in. Luke was ecstatic to, and would immediately set to work fixing any problems he would find.
Today, however, was a boring and dull day.
There were no ships to be fixed, no models to be worked on, and absolutely nothing to do. He sighed, his shoulders slumping. He didn't know what he was supposed
to be doing. What was there to do? He was in the past now. How was he going to fix the imbalance when he had no idea what it was?
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan-
Luke jerked his head up, eyes wide.
Obi-Wan!
Obi-Wan was alive! He leaped to his feet, a smile growing on his lips. How had he not thought of that before?! Wait, and not only that, but he could find his Father
too! The smile fell. His Father...He had only known him as Darth Vader. What was he to do when they actually met for the first time?
"Hey, kid!"
Luke started, whipping his head in the direction the voice had come from. It was the Clone he recognized as Oddball. He fought another smile that threatened to rise.
Oddball. The name was strange but funny. Oddball strode over to him, giving him a friendly grin.
"It's been a while. How're you feeling?" He asked Luke. Luke blinked. He'd never get over it. These Clones were far different than the Clones he'd met during the
Empire's reign.
"Fine." Luke replied. "Thank-you."
"That's a relief. Well, I've heard from my brothers that you've been a big help here." Oddball gestured to the Hangar. Luke shrugged.
"I just like fixing things." He modestly said, shying away from the praise.
"From what I've heard, you're a pretty good mechanic. Which reminds me..." Oddball trailed off for a moment, scanning the Hangar. It was empty and Oddball
cursed. "Sith! I was hoping one of the mechanics would be on duty. Looks like I caught them during one of their breaks again..."
"Do you need something fixed?" Luke asked, looking up at Oddball, hoping he'd say yes. He was willing to do anything! He needed something to do, to distract him
from the numerous thoughts flying through his mind. He was surprised he hadn't mentally collapsed from everything that had happened yet.
"Well, the General's ETA-2 interceptor's been damaged and we need it fixed before the next mission."
"ETA-2." Luke repeated, faintly recalling what the ship looked like. "Should be simple enough...I could help!"
"I don't know..." Oddball looked back to where the damaged ETA-2 was then back at Luke, who was staring at it with longing in his blue orbs. The red ETA-2 was just
calling to him! Begging for him to fix it. "Alright, come on then." Oddball relented with an amused smile. Luke jumped up and all but ran to the small ship, inspecting
it for damage. In a split second, Luke surmised exactly what was wrong with the ETA-2.
"Engine's been damaged..." he murmured to himself, glancing underneath the ETA-2 to see exactly how bad it was hit. He bit his lip when he surveyed the damage,
but it was repairable. He knelt to the ground then crawled underneath the small ship to get a closer look. Tapping his chin, Luke mentally drew a list of items he
would need and items that would have to be installed. He crawled back out and asked for a flimsy. Oddball handed him one and Luke jotted down the list of parts he
would need and gave the flimsy back to Oddball. Scanning the list, Oddball nodded, surprised at how much the kid knew about mechanics.
"You could give our mechanics a run for their money!" Oddball joked, ruffling Luke's hair as he left to gather the supplies. Luke started his work, dragging a large
toolbox over to where the ETA-2 was then crawled back under the ship. He rummaged about, pulling apart wires, flinching at times when they would spark, and
taking apart the engine. Parts that he knew were of no use, Luke threw to the side. They were literally fried. How they were able to pull this ship in, Luke would never
know.
Footsteps told Luke that Oddball had returned.
"Here you go, kid." Oddball said, setting down a box of parts next to the ETA-2. "Everything you asked for. How's it looking?" He crouched down to see Luke's
progress, blinking when he found how much Luke had already gotten done during his short trip to the Garage. "You work fast..."
"The Engine will probably have to be replaced. This one won't be much use if the General reuses it. It can still jump and fly pretty smoothly, but it will be too frail to
withstand flying in battles. There's a high chance of it short-circuiting and a low chance of malfunctioning...Either way...It'd be better to get a new engine."
"Thought so." Oddball nodded, agreeing with Luke's analysis.
"I can fix the hyperdrive and probably reinstall the navigation system...Other than that...Well, there isn't anything else to be concerned about."
"You sure know a lot for a kid." Oddball remarked, and Luke grinned.
"I love fixing things! I've been fixing things for as long as I remember."
"I can tell." Oddball stood. "Well, I have to get back to my post. I'll be back to check your progress during my break. See you then, kid!"
"Sure thing." Luke absentmindedly replied, focusing on the task at hand. He whipped out many tools that he would need and started reinstalling the system.
-CW-
It wasn't long before Luke had finished. A couple hours at most. Oddball had checked on him once as he was working, but that was all that had happened. When he
had finished Luke found that the Hangar was filled with people. Younglings wandered about, touring the Hangar with their Crèche Masters, Padawans following after
their Masters who were preparing to leave on missions, and mechanics working on other ships that needed repairs. He hadn't realized how much time had passed.
Glancing at the chrono on the wall, Luke found that it was 12:00. His saber training class wasn't until 13:00, so he still had time to kill. Running a critical eye over
the starfighter, Luke ensured that he had fixed everything that the ETA-2 needed fixed. Satisfied, Luke leaned back when something caught his eye.
Tilting his head, Luke found himself staring at the hyperdrive. There was something about it that seemed...off. There was a part missing.
"The booster!" He snapped his fingers together, face-palming when he reminded himself about that part. That was a vital part of the hyperdrive! Without it, the ETA
wouldn't be able to jump into Hyperspace. Standing, Luke went to search for an energy booster. Spinning on his heel, Luke smacked into an incoming person.
Startled, Luke stumbled and fell back onto the ground with a grunt.
"What the-?" A familiar voice started and Luke looked up. He found himself staring into two eerily familiar blue eyes.
-CW-
Anakin Skywalker was headed for the Hangar after having met with the Council. He and Obi-Wan were being sent on yet another mission where it was rumored
Grievous had been spotted. Supposedly. He and Obi-Wan had been chasing down Grievous in the hopes of retrieving information on the Sith that could prove useful
for the Jedi to use. It had been a few months since the two Jedi had run into the General, but they knew it wouldn't be the last.
"What's the plan, General?" Rex's voice broke into his thoughts and Anakin looked to find the Clone Captain fall into step with him.
"Well, we have another mission. We've received word from Liyda that Grievous and a band of Separatists were spotted in the Desolate Plains and the Council's
sending us to check it out."
Rex nodded. "Hopefully, it's not another wild chase." The Clone Captain said. Anakin grinned.
"What do you mean, Rex? It's always a wild chase no matter what the mission is."
"Very true, General." Rex agreed. "Even the simplest of missions turns into something far more complex when you and General Kenobi are involved. No offence,
General Skywalker."
"I can't say it isn't true." Anakin admitted, letting Rex know he hadn't taken offence. All Clones and Kenobi knew Anakin thrived from the thrill of excitement and
danger while on missions. It was one of the foremost reasons they ended up into more trouble than was necessary. The two entered the Hangar, walking through
the large blaster doors and heading in the direction of Anakin's ETA-2. "I hope they have it fixed by now." Anakin muttered, making his way through the obstacle
course of ships and crates until he reached his starfighter. "Rex, tell the Clones to get ready. We leave in-" Anakin cut off when something small suddenly ran into
him. "What the-" He grunted and watched as whatever it was stumble back and fall onto the ground. Well, that definitely wasn't R2. The astrodroid usually was the
one to bump into Anakin, but the being staring up at him from the ground certainly wasn't and astrodroid. It was a kid. A young boy.
Anakin blinked. What was this boy doing in the hangar? And what was he doing around his starfighter? From the looks of it, the boy had been working on one of the
ships. His tunic was stained with dark spots, black dots decorating his youthful face and light, sandy blonde hair. Piercing blue eyes locked onto his and Anakin was
struck with how much they resembled his mother's.
Neither moved until Rex shifted. Anakin blinked again then watched as the kid slowly picked himself back up, still watching him.
"Who the Force are you?" Anakin could have face-palmed. He had nearly run over the poor kid and the first thing he does is ask who the kid was. The kid didn't say
anything, still staring at Anakin. "Um...Are you alright?" Anakin decided to ask.
Still nothing.
'Well, this is awkward.' Anakin thought to himself.
"You're the kid we found on Hoth, aren't you?" Rex's voice seemed to divert the boy's attention from him to the Clone Captain, recognition flickering in the blue orbs.
"Rex!" The boy grinned up at the Clone. Anakin looked from Rex to the boy. This was who they rescued from that Force-forsaken planet? He looked different...
Perhaps it was because when Anakin had last seen him, the boy had been severely wounded and not in good shape. He had left him in the med-bay since the Council
had decided to call him out on yet another mission.
"You look better." Rex said to the kid, who nodded.
"Thanks. If it weren't for the Clones, I probably wouldn't be." The boy said.
"We're just glad we found you in time, kid." Rex replied.
"Shouldn't you be in class?" Anakin asked, the boy returning his attention to him. The boy craned his neck up to see Anakin, and the Knight had to bite back a smirk.
"You're really tall."
Rex chuckled and Anakin didn't bother to hide the smirk. He could tell the boy was mentally berating himself for not answering his question and instead blurting the
first thing that had come into his mind.
"Or maybe you're just short." Anakin retorted, a twinkle in his eye. The boy's eyes sparkled as he pinned Anakin with a serious look.
"Sorry? Didn't hear you from way up there." He shot back. Rex and Anakin laughed at this.
"I like this one." Rex remarked, and Anakin had to agree. Even though he hardly knew the boy, he knew he would like him immediately.
"You've certainly got spunk, kid." Anakin commented. The boy shrugged in response.
'His Force Signature...' Anakin thought to himself, studying the young boy. The Force enveloped the boy in a warm glow. His presence was bright, but not too
blinding. The boy basked in the white glow that was the Force, telling Anakin he was definitely a powerful one. His presence could rival that of his own, Anakin
realized, wondering if the boy had been tested yet. There was also something about the boy...Something familiar. Anakin felt that he should know him, but he had
never met him before. Except on Hoth, though the boy had been unconscious at the time.
"What's your name?" Anakin decided to ask, hoping the boy's name might tell him a little more about the kid. Maybe he would recognize the name. The boy opened
his mouth to answer when a call rang out.
"Luke!"
The three turned to see Oddball jogging in their direction, waving something in the air. Upon taking a closer look, Anakin recognized it to be an energy booster. One
specifically made for the hyperdrive of an ETA-2 interceptor. Once the Clone pilot reached them, he handed the boy, Luke, the booster.
"I found this when I was passing through the Garage. I forgot to put it into the box I gave you. Figured it might be useful." Oddball explained, and Luke took it.
Anakin was confused. Why did Oddball give Luke the energy booster? What did he need with it? Was it for a class assignment?
"This is the energy booster that was missing from the hyperdrive." Luke explained, turning the tube-like booster in his hands. "This is what the hyperdrive uses to
make the jump into hyperspace. Without it, the hyperdrive would stall and malfunction."
Anakin was taken aback. How had he known that? He watched as Luke slid underneath his ETA-2 after quietly thanking Oddball and was struck by another realization.
"Wait, he was the one who fixed my ship?!" He incredulously asked, facing Oddball. Oddball nodded.
"He's pretty skilled, General. Fixed it in no time."
Anakin looked back at his ship. It looked as good as new! The boy couldn't have fixed it. Crouching down, Anakin watched as the boy removed the cover hiding the
hyperdrive and tug at a few of the wires there. He rearranged the wires then snapped the booster into place, attaching the wires to it and the hyperdrive. He clearly
knew what he was doing. He analysed everything else that he knew had been damaged during the last battle. The engine had been carefully taken out, the
navigation system reinstalled, and the hyperdrive didn't look as if it had been obliterated like it had before.
'Impossible...' Anakin found himself thinking, watching Luke in disbelief. If he hadn't been witnessing this, Anakin would have believed the mechanics had repaired his
damaged starfighter, whipping it back into shape. But no...It had been this boy who had fixed it. Glancing back up at Oddball, Anakin asked,
"Where are the mechanics?"
"I caught them during one of their breaks." Oddball explained. "When I arrived, there was no one here except the kid." He gestured to where Luke was working. "He
asked if he could take a look at it and I let him."
"You just couldn't resist..." Rex shook his head at the Clone pilot. Everyone knew Oddball had a soft spot for children. He had a hard time saying 'no' to the initiates.
"I've seen him work on the shuttles and other ships before, Captain." Oddball defended himself, a little embarrassed. Luke rolled out and gave Oddball two thumbs
up.
"It should work now." Luke said, patting the ETA when he stood. He fixed his crumpled tunic, frowning disdainfully when he realized how dirty he was. "I'd better
wash up before class." He murmured to himself, earning an amused look from Anakin. He reminded him somewhat of Obi-Wan. His former Master was known to
being meticulous with his appearance. He would do his best not to get dirty, but if getting dirtied couldn't be avoided, Obi-Wan would strive to stay as clean as
possible, which, to Anakin, was too tiresome. He didn't mind getting dirty at all. It made the missions all the more fun, in his opinion.
"What class do you have, Luke?" Anakin found himself asking.
"Biochemistry." The boy's lip curled, telling Anakin that he did not like that class at all. "I'd rather be in astrophysics."
"Wait...Biochemistry?" Anakin repeated, looking back down at the boy. "How old are you?"
"Thirteen...Almost fourteen."
'So, he's excelled the other classes then...He has to be at least two to three years younger than everyone in that class.' Anakin thought to himself, impressed. But...
The boy was almost fourteen. How come he didn't have a Master? Anakin nearly face-palmed. Rex had told him the boy had had two former Masters, but both
died, the first having been killed and the second because it was his time. A pang of empathy ran through Anakin. He knew what it was like to lose someone close,
having lost his Mother. How the kid was still holding himself together, Anakin would never know.
"I hated that class." Anakin found himself saying. "Do you know the way to the shower rooms?"
Luke thought for a moment then sheepishly shook his head.
"I haven't really been shown around the Temple..." He bowed his head, a red tinge dusting his cheeks. Anakin raised an eyebrow. Luke had been here for at least
two months now. No one had given him a tour yet?
"Here, I'll show you where the shower rooms are. When is your break?" He asked, wondering why he was going out of his way for a boy he had just met. Luke tapped
his chin.
"15:00. 17:00 is Aerospace."
"That gives you two hours..." Anakin murmured aloud. "How about I give you a mini-tour of the Temple, as thanks for fixing up my starfighter?"
Luke gave him a shy smile.
"I would appreciate that, thank-you."
"Alright then. Come on." Anakin indicated for the boy to follow him. Luke jogged in order to catch up with him, glancing over his shoulder to wave at Oddball. Rex
appeared next to Anakin.
"General Kenobi has dispatched the last of his men." He reported. "He will be leaving as soon as the Council ends their session."
"Good. Tell the Clones to have everything ready by 18:00 sharp, Rex. Let Obi-Wan know that I'll be right behind him."
"Yes, sir!" Rex saluted and left. Anakin glanced down at Luke only to find the boy staring at Rex, a strange look in his eyes.
"Luke, are you alright?" He asked, feeling slightly concerned. Luke seemed to shake himself from whatever daze he was in and slowly nodded.
"M'fine." He replied, but his voice stated otherwise. Anakin could sense excitement and...was that sorrow? Emanating from Luke's Force presence.
"If you say so." Anakin shrugged and continued down the corridor in the direction of the shower rooms. It wasn't long before Anakin could hear the soft puffs of
breaths Luke was taking as the boy struggled to keep up with Anakin's long strides. He slowed his pace, allowing Luke to catch up. It was silent when they reached
the shower rooms and Luke thanked Anakin for showing him the way but before he left to take a refreshing shower, he turned back around.
"You never told me who you were."
"I never did, did I?" Anakin asked no one in particular, realizing the boy was right. "Wait, you mean...You don't recognize me?"
That was unheard of! Especially for Anakin! He was used to being swarmed by several fans, especially when he was with Obi-Wan. Literally everyone in the whole
galaxy had heard of the famous duo.
Luke tilted his head, baffled.
"Should I?"
"You don't watch the holonet, do you?"
"No...It's a waste of time and boring." Luke stated. This kid was very strange...
"Oh, well then..." Anakin straightened and allowed his trademark smirk to grace his features as he went to introduce himself. "They call me the Hero with No Fear.
I'm Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight."
So they finally meet! But how will Luke react? I hope you guys are enjoying this story! Next chapter, coming up soon!