Special thanks, as always, to my Beta's Fallenstar2 and Winterd for all or their help.

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

Episode 4 Chapter 5

The Skywalker Legacy

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Owen and Beru Lars stood stock still in their living room as Imperial Storm Troopers ransacked their once-pristine home. Owen could do nothing but bite his tongue and hope the emergency transponder Buffy had given him worked. And the most ironic thing about this whole situation was the fact that they weren't after Luke, like they had feared; but after the two droids they had bought yesterday.

Both Owen and Luke had recognized the droids at once when the Jawas brought them out. Buffy had told him of how she had given Artoo-Deetoo and See-Threepio to Bail Antillies and Luke had gotten to know the droids lately when they had paid visits to Leia on Alderaan during her recent apprenticeship with the Senator. So when they had shown up in the presence of the scavengers, Owen knew he had to buy them back. His feelings of trepidation had only increased when Luke had stumbled onto a partial message from his sister, beseeching the help of the Jedi. Luke had immediately thought of old Quinn, the old hermit who lived out in the Jundland Wastes who had regaled Luke with stories of the Jedi of old and he had set out, with the droids, to see him earlier this morning. Thankfully, it was after he left that the Storm Troopers showed up, commanded by an arrogant, cocky Lieutenant who was taking an inordinate amount of joy in bullying the aging couple as the troopers tore their home apart.

"If you told us what you were looking for, we might be able to help you find it. WITHOUT tearing apart my home," Owen growled. Without hesitating, the Lieutenant backhanded Owen.

"You will speak only when spoken to, peasant," the Lieutenant drawled. "We know you purchased two droids from some Jawas late yesterday afternoon. Where are they?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure they're not under the couch," Owen quipped, earning another backhand. "You're right. I did buy two droids. And I wanted them in tip-top shape, so I sent them with a farm hand into Anchorhead to get them checked out and have their memories wiped."

The Lieutenant narrowed his eyes. "That's unfortunate… for you," he said. "Those droids are Imperial property and contain classified information needed by my superiors. Since you willfully bought obviously stolen property…"

"Hey, I bought them from the Jawas legitimately!" Owen protested, but the Lieutenant carried on without stopping, only raising his voice a little.

"And since you willfully destroyed Imperial military files by having their minds wiped, you are obviously guilty of treason and sedition; the penalty of which is death." He snapped his fingers and three Storm Troopers came forward and raised their blasters at the couple. Beru held her head high and Owen held his ground defiantly.

"You don't scare me, kid. I've faced worse things than you and your little cronies cleaning off the vaporators."

"The problem with you backplanet simpletons is that you just don't have the proper respect for your government," the Lieutenant said cockily. "Rest assured, after we've made an example of you, the rest of these mindless oafs will properly fear us. Eliminate them," he ordered the Storm Troopers, who aimed at the Lars'-

…And suddenly dropped as their heads were severed by a blade of pure silver energy. The Lieutenant looked on in shock was the rest of his troopers fell to a glowing blue blade. The Lieutenant backed up, desperately trying to draw his holstered blaster as a blonde in what he believed to be Jedi robes came towards him, her lightsaber held at the ready.

"Haven't you heard, son?" she asked as he desperately tugged on his weapon. "People shouldn't be afraid of their governments; governments should be afraid of their people."

The last thing he saw was the silver blade flashing at his neck as he finally drew his blaster…

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Luke was in full panic mode, as his Aunt Buffy would say, as he made his way back to the farm.

He had made it to the outskirts of the Jundland Wastes when Sandpeople started taking potshots at his landspeeder. Taking refuge in some cliffs, Luke had tried to find where the Sandpeople were so he could go around them - and ended up being jumped by one. The next thing he remembered was waking up with old Quinn leaning down over him, his long grey hair tied behind his head and his short beard neatly trimmed as always. Luke didn't know what happened to scare off the Sandpeople, but he wasn't really complaining either. When he was finally able to tell Quinn about why he had come to find him, the old hermit had suggested going back to the safer confines of his dwelling.

That's when they had spotted the smoke.

Making their way to the source, they had discovered the wrecked remains of a Jawa sand crawler. Further investigation had determined that it was the same Jawas that had sold the two droids to Luke in the first place and, when Quinn had pointed out the attack looked to have been carried out by Imperial forces, all of the old warnings that had been instilled in him by his parents over the years had kicked in and he had immediately set off for home.

And now he arrived there to see smoke billowing out of the courtyard. Moving quietly, he pulled out the old long necked blaster rifle from the land speeder and softly made his way down he stairs. He paused before the final turn that would expose him to the open and took a moment to compose himself. Then with a loud yell, Luke charged around the corner, the long barrel of the blaster rifle thrust forward like an old bayonetier.

In an instant, a silver blade of energy sliced the barrel clean in half and the figure swiftly pirouetted and brought the blade up under Luke's neck, stopping him in his tracks.

"Luke, I'll ask you this only once." Buffy said calmly, switching off her lightsaber. "What in the fracking hell are you doing! Running in here like that, antique guns a' blazing?"

Luke stared wide-eyed at his Aunt, seeing her in a new light. Then his eyes moved to the burning pile of bodies in the courtyard of his home. "Son of a Sow!" he exclaimed. "Are those Storm Troopers? And why are you two carrying lightsabers?" he added noticing for the first time the lightsaber hanging off of Obi-Wan's belt.

"Yes, those were Storm Troopers," Buffy said. "And if they had been alive, you'd have been dead after a stunt like that!"

"What's going on? Where're Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru?" Luke demanded. Obi-Wan stepped forward and put a comforting hand on Luke's shoulder.

"Your Aunt and Uncle are fine, Luke. We sent them to stay with your parents for a time. As for why we're carrying lightsabers…" he shrugged. "I'd thing that was self evident."

Luke shook his head in disbelief. "Uh-uh. No way. You two aren't…you can't be…"

"Jedi," Buffy confirmed. "Just like your father. And now you know why we could never stay long - and why your father always had to leave."

"And now we must leave as well," Obi-Wan said, nodding to the burning pile of bodies. "When they don't check in, the Empire will send reinforcements."

"Wait, I can't leave!" Luke exclaimed. "I can't go back with you, not now! Something's happened to Leia!"

"We know, Owen told us," Buffy said. "When we said go, we meant go to Quinn. We should be able to access the information in Artoo."

"My speeder won't hold all of us," Luke said. Buffy thought for a moment.

"Does Owen still have his old swoop bike?" she asked. "Ben and I can use that."

"It's in the garage," Luke replied.

"All right. Lead the way."

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In no time at all, Buffy and Obi-Wan were following Luke's speeder over the desert sands on Owen's old swoop bike. Soon they came upon the burning wreckage of a Jawa sand crawler and the three figures standing beside a burning pile of bodies.

"Master Qui-Gon," Buffy said formally, smiling as she bowed in respect. Obi-Wan bowed in kind before the amused former Jedi knight as Luke stared on in amazement. Qui-Gon chuckled good-naturedly.

"I do remind you that you both outrank me, Masters," he said, bowing in return. He then turned to Luke. "You look surprised, Luke. You didn't think I made up all of those stories I've told you over the years, did you?"

"You….my Aunt Buffy…my father - is there anybody else who's a Jedi that I should know about?" Luke demanded, getting angry. "And why wasn't I told about this! I had a right to know!"

"We're going to have to watch that temper of yours," Qui-Gon said. "As for your answers, you shall have them. But let us move to more comfortable surroundings.

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A half hour later the small group found themselves in Qui-Gon's small hut on the edge of the Wastes. As they got situated, Qui-Gon turned to Luke.

"You've known me for many years, Luke, as the crazy old hermit named Quinn. But as you have surmised, I am much more than that. I was a Jedi Knight, the same as your father. As was your Aunt Buffy; as was Ben."

"For over a thousand generations, the Jedi were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic," Obi-Wan added. "Before the dark times. Before the Empire. Now, we are all but extinct."

"And that is why we couldn't tell you, Luke. At least, part of the reason," Buffy continued. "The Jedi have been hunted to the brink of extinction by Darth Vader and the Emperor's Hands. We couldn't let ANYBODY know who and what we really are."

Artoo let out an excited beep. "Mistress Buffy, Artoo wanted to remind you that he does have an urgent communiqué from Senator Naberrie for the Jedi…"

"Yes, Threepio. Thank you," Buffy told the golden droid and then turned to Artoo. "Artoo, play the message. Confirmation code Gamma-Epsilon-four-two."

Artoo beeped and whistled frantically and then the photoreceptor flared to life, projecting the familiar image of Leia, former Princess of Naboo and current apprentice Senator of Alderaan onto the floor of Qui-Gon's hut.

"Honored Jedi," she began, "years ago you served the Old Republic in the Clone Wars. Now Senator Organa, once one of your staunchest supporters, begs you to aid us again in our most desperate hour. I regret that I am unable to present my mentor's request to you in person but my ship has come under attack by Imperial forces and my mission to meet personally with you has failed. Hence I have been forced to resort to this secondary method of communication.

"Information vital to the survival of the Alliance has been secured in the mind of this Artoo droid. Senator Organa will know how to retrieve it. I plead with you to see this unit safely delivered to Alderaan."

She paused, and when she continued, her words were hurried and less laced with formality. "Bail has assured me that you Quinn, and only you, know how to contact the remaining Jedi. He has even gone so far as to tell me that you were a Jedi once yourself. I do not know if this is true or not, but if it is I beg of you to help me. Help me Qui-Gon Jinn. You are my only hope."

The image faded out as the rest looked on in shock and sorrow.

"Ai ya, hwai luh," Buffy muttered to herself. Obi-Wan nodded in agreement and then looked over at Luke.

"You must learn the ways of the Force if you are to travel to Alderaan with us."

"What? Alderaan?" Luke asked, stunned. "What about Leia? We have to find her, rescue her!"

"And we will, Luke," Buffy said, laying a placating hand on his shoulder. "But we have to move carefully now. Soon, the Emperor and his disciples will be able to sense our presence in the Force, making it dangerous for us to move about. If we want any hope of getting her back, as well as getting out alive, we need to start training you."

"And to that end, I think it's about time you've received this," Qui-Gon said, pulling a long, slender silver tube out of an old chest. "Your father wanted you to have it, when the time finally came. I dare say it has."

Luke took the cylinder from Qui-Gon and studied it carefully. It consisted primarily of a short, thick handgrip with a couple of small switches set into the grip. Above this small post was a circular metal disk barely larger in diameter than his spread palm. A number of unfamiliar, jewel-like components were built into both handle and disk, including what looked like the smallest power cell Luke had ever seen. The reverse side of the disk was polished to a mirror-like brightness. But it was the power cell that puzzled Luke the most. Whatever the thing was, it required a great deal of energy, according to the rating form of the cell. He looked up from the strange device, and his eyes fell on an almost identical device hanging off of Buffy's belt and realization dawned.

"His lightsaber?"

"Right in one," Buffy confirmed. Luke held the device out and hit the activation switch, igniting the blue blade. "That is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. It's a more civilized weapon, from a more civilized time."

Luke deactivated the blade and set it down next to Threepio. After a moment he looked back to the Jedi.

"Why has my parents been in hiding for so long? The truth, Aunt Buffy."

"The truth was that your father was a Jedi and a damn good one at that," Buffy said at length. "Still is, for that matter. But here, now, being a Jedi is a crime. The Emperor wants us all dead. At the end of the Clone Wars, the Emperor put into motion his plan to eradicate our order. He sent his two greatest apprentices - Darth Traya and Darth Vader - to the Jedi Temple to kill the Jedi, while he sent a message to his troops to kill all of the Jedi that were in the field fighting for the Republic. Anakin and your mother managed to escape, but there was a complication - the Emperor wanted him. He knew the only way to keep his family safe was to leave this place and come back to Earth with me."

"But why would the Emperor want him?"

"Anakin is an exceptionally powerful Jedi, Luke," Qui-Gon explained. "And if there is one thing the Emperor craves, it's power. The longer he stays in this realm, the more likely it is that he will be sensed through the Force. You remember what I told you about the Force, don't you Luke?"

"Yeah, it's an energy field that bind all life together."

"Very good," Qui-Gon said. "The Jedi and the Sith can both use the Force to aid them, as well as sense other Jedi or Sith through it."

"Though it's been proven that it's harder to find a Sith," Buffy added sourly.

"That's true," Qui-Gon conceded. "That is the reason why your parents left this realm, Luke. Palpatine knew your mother and her presence in the Force is strong for a non-Jedi. And your father stands out like a beacon."

"Then why didn't he take Leia and I?"

Buffy sighed heavily. "Luke, many years ago, I was told by someone I had never even met that I had this great destiny. The same thing happened to your father and now the same thing is happening to you. Now I didn't want it. I resented him for telling me about it. But in the end, I was forced to embrace my destiny. As did your father and, as will I expect, you."

"I don't understand."

"We're both children of destiny, Luke. And now it's time for you to embrace yours."

"By becoming a Jedi," Luke reasoned.

"In a way, yes," Obi-Wan said. "You will be the first of a new generation of Jedi, Luke. Free of the constraints that bound the Jedi so rigidly that they were oblivious to their own destruction until it was upon them."

"It's fallen to you to rebuild the Jedi Order, Luke," Qui-Gon said. "But to do that, first you must become a Jedi. So the question is: will you embrace your destiny?"

Luke was silent for a few minutes before finally speaking.

"My parents are in exile and my Aunt and Uncle were just forced to join them. And right now my sister is in the hands of the Empire. So my choice seems clear." He looked to Buffy. "I'm in."

TBC…

Not a big fan of this chapter, too much leading. And on top of that, the end really didn't click with me. I'm open to any and all suggestions on how to make this better, please don't hesitate.

The next chapter will head into Mos Eisley spaceport, where the Jedi hire a familiar ship…