4 BBY
Tatooine
Fifteen-year-old Luke Skywalker was gathered around a table at the Lars homestead with his aunt and uncle, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano eating dinner. In the five years since Ahsoka's arrival she had been integrated into the small extended family almost immediately. She had largely taken over Luke's training while Obi-Wan had merely offered guidance when needed. Luke had learned a lot about the Jedi order before they were outlawed from the two Jedi. Including the fact that Ahsoka had trained under Luke's father but that was where discussion of Anakin Skywalker ended. Luke's father was still a touchy subject for the two Jedi and Luke knew better than to push the topic. There had been many discussions between the two Jedi on the strengths and flaws of the old order and that should it be rebuilt some changes would need to be made. Luke learned this wasn't the first time the Jedi had come close to extinction and wouldn't be the last. Four thousand years ago the Sith Triumvirate had come close to wiping out the order but we're stopped by someone called 'The Exile', This gave Luke hope.
After they had finished eating Luke and the two older Jedi moved to the ground above the courtyard for a bit of lightsaber sparring. Tonight it would be the two older Jedi against Luke. Obi-Wan felt and Ahsoka agreed, that Luke should be prepared for anything. This was the first time Luke would face multiple opponents. The rules were they would continue until there was a clear winner no matter how long it took. Luke ignited his yellow training saber as Ahsoka ignited her green blade and Obi-Wan his blue one, lowering the power to avoid injury. The two older Jedi circled the Padawan who took a defensive stance and waited for one of the other two Jedi to make the first move. Ahsoka struck first, swinging for Luke's right side. No sooner had Luke blocked the strike than a strike from Obi-Wan aimed for his left side. He blocked this one as well and began to back up to avoid being caught between his two opponents and put them both to his front. Ahsoka and Kenobi kept up a steady pace of their attacks.
The three battled for about ten minutes before Obi-Wan once again added an unexpected twist to the unfamiliar circumstances. As Luke deflected a strike from Ahsoka and attempted to counter he sensed a large rock coming towards him. He stopped mid strike and rolled out of the way deflecting the rock with his blade and blocking a strike from Obi-Wan in one fluid motion. Taking a cue from the Jedi Master Ahsoka did the same, hurtling small projectiles at Luke as her and Obi-Wan pressed their attacks. No matter what they hurled at him Luke was able to dodge and defend and against the blades and projectiles. He was even able to hurl a few objects himself much to the surprise of Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. After another fifteen minutes of sparring Obi-Wan was finally able to penetrate Luke's defenses and score a "killing" blow.
As the three deactivated their lightsabers and caught their breath Obi-Wan ran his fingers through his grey hair. It was time for the boy to build his own lightsaber and get rid of the training blade he had been using for the last ten years. He had discussed the matter with Ahsoka a few days prior and she agreed, on the condition he be given one final test, which he had just passed. This was the next major step in the boys training. Luke was already far exceeding Obi-Wan and Ahsoka's expectations and they knew he could no longer put off the construction of the Jedi weapon. Ahsoka walked up to Luke and Obi-Wan who were sitting looking down into the courtyard.
"Luke" she said as Obi-Wan walked up and joined the two "let me see your lightsaber"
Luke handed his lightsaber to Ahsoka confused as to why his master would want it. She took the weapon and put it the fold of her robes and at the same time pulled out two lightsaber crystals Obi-Wan had given her, one blue and one green.
"As you know there comes a time when a Jedi must construct his first lightsaber. Now normally a Padawan would be sent to a world that is home to a crystal cave to find the crystal for their blade. However, we don't not have such a luxury anymore" she told the boy as Obi-Wan watched with silent approval
"So, that being said I happen to have two crystals here for you to choose from" she said holding up the crystals.
Luke rose to his feet and looked at the two crystals for a moment before choosing the blue one. After he had taken it from her hand he held it up with a smile on his face. The moment he had been dreaming of for ten years was finally here.
"Thank you Master Ahsoka" Luke said as he put the crystal in his pocket
Obi-Wan finally spoke "You have far exceeded our expectations and have shown you are ready for the next step. I believe tonight's exercise can be counted as your trial of skill. The way you handled the unexpected and adapted is to be commended."
"But I lost" Luke said confused
"Luke, when I was at the temple there were Padawans much older than you that wouldn't have been able to adapt to the sudden change in circumstances. For you to do so and then use it your advantage is quite remarkable. Yu kept your focus when it was extremely difficult to do so." Ahsoka told her Padawan
The three sat and discussed how Luke should go about building his lightsaber for the next hour before deciding Luke would go back their shared hut alone and return when he had completed his task. Building a lightsaber required intense concentration and focus and could sometimes take weeks or months in seclusion with as few distractions as possible. Obi-Wan told him where to find a journal with instructions on how to begin. After Luke had left Obi-Wan and Ahsoka made their way down to the courtyard heading to the two guest rooms Owen Lars kept available to them. Before parting for their separate rooms Obi-Wan stopped Ahsoka.
"Ahsoka, I have a mission for you." He told her
"What mission is that Master Kenobi?" she asked
Obi-Wan gave his instructions and asked if she had any questions. She had a few which were easily answered and with that two went to bed. In the morning Ahsoka woke early and left without saying a word heading to Mos Eisley spaceport.
The Executor- Kuat Drive Yards
Starkiller sat in the dark chained to flooring of the hold he lived in. He had ordered PROXY to bind him as he attempted to constructed his own lightsaber. He been this way for three days without food, water or sleep as he focused his hate and anger on the red lightsaber crystal Vader had given him. When he felt he was ready he gathered the lightsaber pieces through the force and attempted to assemble them. Just as he felt it was assembled the crystal became unstable and began to vibrate throwing the pieces in all directions. Frustrated he let out a scream of anger.
He focused himself and picked the crystal up with his mind and once again focused on making it stable. He thought of the way Vader treated him, barely better than a prisoner or a slave. How the training he was subjected to bordered on torture at the hands of the dark lord. He focused the loneliness of the hold and his lack of contact with the outside world. How PROXY, the closest thing he had to a friend and companion was programmed to attempt to kill him. He focused on these feelings on the crystal for three more days before attempting once again to assemble his weapon. Once again just before he was able to complete the lightsaber it flew apart as the crystal destabilized. Frustrated once more he ripped up the chains that bound him and flung them to the other side of the hold.
"Master, such failure on your part is surely not a good sign" PROXY said behind him
Starkiller turned to the droid. "On the contrary PROXY it only makes me stronger"
"How so master? Clearly you are unable to create the symbol of what you are" the holodroid argued
"This exercise has allowed me to focus more heavily on the dark side and thus made me more powerful" Starkiller said "Soon I will build my lightsaber and with it Lord Vader and I will strike down the Emperor and I will take my rightful place at his side" he told the droid.
He ate a ration bar and laid down to rest and after a week with no food or sleep was out as soon as he closed his eyes. When he woke up PROXY was nowhere to be found. Normally on waking he would spar with the droid for a few hours and then meditate. With the droid nowhere to be found he decided to once again attempt to build his lightsaber.
He gathered the pieces before him and once again meditated on the dark side. This time it only took a few hours, instead of days, before he felt the crystal was ready. Hovering before him the lightsaber crystal glowed a bright red and the pieces floated up to join together. At the final moment the crystal remained stable as he completed the weapon. He opened his eyes and saw the final product before him and reached out grabbing the weapon. Behind him he heard the snap-hiss of another lightsaber coming to life. He rolled to the right just in time to avoid being struck by the red blade of Darth Tyranus.
Jumping to his feet he activated his new weapon and held it in the reverse grip he had grown accustomed to years before. Leaping forward Starkiller hacked at Tyranus relentlessly until he was forced to go on the defensive. He had battled PROXY many times and every time PROXY seemed to get better. He knew the droid being programmed to kill him was to keep him alert and vigilant at all times. This made Starkiller better in return. After battling for several minutes he was finally able to impale his opponent and the image of Darth Tyranus flickered away revealing PROXY once again.
"Haven't seen that one before" he said as he deactivated his lightsaber.
"I have many more tricks up my sleeve master. Rest assured one day I WILL kill, you" the droid said almost gleefully.
"Not if I have anything to say about it PROXY" Starkiller said with a slight smile.
Tatooine
Ahsoka Tano had arrived in Mos Eisley the night before after leaving the moisture farm that morning. Obi-Wan had had given her an assignment that required her find transport off world and this spaceport was the best place to do so. After spending the night at local inn. She had awoken late in the morning and made her way to the cantina to find a pilot that would take her to her first stop. While she was fairly certain nobody knew she was on Tatooine or even in the outer rim she couldn't be too careful. Her plan was to go join a crew heading off world, the destination didn't matter, and keep doing so until was certain nobody was following her then head to her final destination.
She entered the cantina and surveyed her surroundings. Not seeing anything amiss she made her way to the bartender and asked if anyone was looking for a crewmember. The bartender motioned to a man sitting alone in the corner drinking Corellian whiskey. She made her way over and sat down.
"I hear you're looking for a crewmember for a run to Alderaan" she stated as she sat down.
The pilot gave her a once over and sized her up before answering. She didn't look like much but he had been wrong about such assumptions before. "You ever work on a freighter before?"
"That's how I ended up on this rock. Was working a crew that took a job I didn't like so I decided it was time to part ways" she told the young pilot leaving out the fact that in the process she had run into an old Jedi mentor and his apprentice and spent the next five years teaching the boy the ways of the force.
"Yeah? What ship was it?" The pilot asked suspiciously
"The Blood Moon, Raikes is the captain" she stated as she looked around noticing a rather large individual watching the conversation intently.
"You mean WAS the captain" the pilot said sliding his hand to his blaster
This caught her attention and she turned back to the freighter captain. "Yeah well, five years ago when he left me here he was the captain. I don't know who owns her now"
"Nobody does, Raikes and all hands were killed trying to outrun an imperial patrol near Imperial Center. He should have known better" he said keeping his hand on his blaster "five years huh? Why you been here so long?"
She could sense the captains suspicion but she could also tell her was buying her story far. She decided the best option was to stick as closely to the truth as possible. She noticed they were still being watched from the corner as she replied. "Yeah well I ran into an old friend I've been staying with on his moisture farm but somethings come up and it is time to leave."
He took his hand off his blaster but kept it close. For a second he had assumed she was an imperial agent but was quickly dismissing the idea. For one the imperials didn't usually recruit non-humans for their dirty work. For two, she definitely had the look of someone who had spent time on a moisture farm.
"Well just so you know this run isn't exactly the kind of run imperials like people making" he said "I've got to take some…ummm parts. To Alderaan for Jabba the Hutt and pick up some cargo to be delivered to Hutta" he told her as he relaxed a little bit more. "I only need someone to deal with the Alderaanian authorities. I'm not a wanted man on the planet but I'm not exactly welcome either. Someone unknown would definitely make things run smoother. Pays a thousand credits."
"Well that's as far as I wanted to go anyway…Captain ummm…I'm sorry I never asked your name. "she said
He gave her a crooked grin "Solo, Han Solo. The big wookiee you've been staring at is my first mate Chewbacca, and you are?"
She was tempted to give a false name but she had a feeling even on the outside chance Captain Solo knew who she was, he wasn't the type to go anywhere near the imperials willingly. So she told the truth.
"Ahsoka Tano" she said
"Great! Ships in hanger 1381 were leaving first thing tomorrow morning. Don't be late" he said as he got up to leave and motioned for the wookiee to follow. As he walked away he called back to her "The ships the Millennium Falcon in case you were wondering" he said before walking out the door.
Cato Neimoida
Leia was hiding behind some crates on a landing platform on Cato Neimoida, a planet constantly covered in fog. Colonel Redstar had dropped her off on the planet two days prior after her father had given her first mission. She was to find her way to Nar Shaada and kill Gardulla the Hutt in response to Jabba failing to come to agreement with the Empire over rights to build a TIE factory of the moon. The Emperor had ordered Vader to see that Gardulla was made an example of. Vader, had seen as an opportunity for Leia to prove her worth and sent her to handle the job. Before sending her off he told if she succeeded she would prove herself ready to begin the next phase of her training, if not she would die and prove herself unworthy.
He had told her she couldn't take a ship from Bast Castle because part of her task was to find her own way there and return to Vjun on her own. So the colonel had given her a ride here and dropped her off. After her arrival she made her way to the local cantina and listened in on various conversations, waiting for an opportunity to present itself. On her second day she had overheard two neimoidians discussing a shipment of illegal blasters intended for Nar Shaada. Listening closer she had learned what platform their ship was on and when they intended to leave.
Leia watched as three of the crew members loaded crates marked ration packs onto the ship. When she felt they were as distracted as they were going to be Leia focused her energies on cloaking her presence through the force. Moving forward she slipped by the three workers and up the ramp undetected and made her way to the cargo hold. She could hear voices coming from the cockpit belonging to the two neimoidians from the cantina, the captain and the first mate. She paid them no mind as she entered the hold and made her hiding space behind a stack of crates and settled in for the long journey.
She could have easily killed the entire crew as lax as they were about security. After they had finished loading the crates none of them bothered to check for stowaways, even after food had gone missing from the galaxy during the week long journey. Leia decided they were either very careless or she didn't eat nearly as much as a neimoidian did. Luckily for them she had strict order to remain undetected until after her mission was accomplished.
Alderaan
The Millennium Falcon dropped out of hyperspace above Alderaan and headed into orbit. In the back Ahsoka sat at the dejarik table with Chewbacca. Han came back and told them they dropped out of hyperspace and we're waiting for clearance to land. At this news Ahsoka ceded defeat to the wookiee, who didn't seem too pleased with the way the game was going anyway. An hour later they were all sitting in the cockpit when permission came through to land. They made their way to the capitol city of Alderaa and landed in the spaceport shortly after dawn on this side of the planet.
"Well, you're up farm girl" Han said as he pointed out the window to a customs official approaching the ship.
"I'm on it" she said as she unbuckled and headed towards the ramp. As she made her way down the ramp the customs officer was already there waiting for her. When he saw her he pulled at the bottom of his jacket and stiffened his posture.
"Good morning" Ahsoka greeted him as he took on an expression even more stern than one he had.
"Yes, this is the Millennium Falcon our database shows that all cargo is to be opened and inspected as well as the entire ship. Where is Captain Solo?" the official asked.
Now she understood why Solo wanted someone else to deal with the authorities. He clearly had a reputation on Alderaan and it definitely wasn't a good one. This official could be a lot of trouble getting out of here quickly, both for Han and herself.
"You've already inspect the ship" she said with a slight wave her hand using the Jedi Mind trick.
The customs official got a blank look in his eyes as he repeated what she had said "I've already inspected the ship"
"There was nothing of note in the cargo or with the crew" she said with another wave.
"There was nothing of note with the cargo or with the crew"
"It was only Captain Solo and the first mate on board" she said
"Just Captain Solo and the first mate on board" he repeated
"You should go remove all notes in the database on the Millennium Falcon" she said with a final wave of her hand.
"I should go remove all notes in the database on the Millennium Falcon" he said before turning around and going to his office to remove the notes.
After he disappeared from sight Ahsoka went back up the ramp and found Han and Chewbacca in the cargo holds waiting to be inspected.
"Well, how many crates do we need to open?" Han asked
"None, you're free to unload whenever you'd like. I don't think they're going to give you any trouble this run" she said to the shock and bewilderment of both Han and Chewbacca
"Really?" he asked incredulously as Chewbacca growled
"No I didn't bribe him Chewbacca I just made him see that the rumors about you two are simply untrue" she said as both of them looked at her shocked.
"You speak shyriiwok?" Han asked in surprise
"Doesn't everyone?" she said with a wink "Now if you don't mind I'd like to be paid and be on way"
"Yeah sure thing" Han said
After they paid her and she gathered her things she said good bye to Han and Chewbacca at the door to the hangar. As they watched her walk away Chewbacca growled.
"No, I don't know she could understand you" he said as Chewbacca growled again.
"Yeah I'm pretty sure she heard your comment about her head tails since she was sitting with you at the dejarik table when you made it" he said shooting a look at his copilot.