I'm a Skywalker too!
By: Tellemicus Sundance
Chapter 02

23:1:15 GrS
Denon Hyperspace Intersection
Imperial Star Destroyer, Fury of the Empire

Dropping into his starfighter's cockpit, the Fifth Hunter smirked in anticipation. Though he would never be overly powerful, with only a feeble midi-chlorian count of 7,000, he was still a very skilled pilot. His skill in all fighter-craft he'd ever flown was more than enough to enable him the very rare privilege of owning his very own TIE Advanced starfighter.

The TIE Advanceds were still very new ships, designs purposely recommended and approved by Darth Vader himself. But for all their power and high praise, after scarcely two years, they were still yet to be put into full production, not that the Hunter minded. He felt that keeping these starfighters in limited quantities helped to provoke an added level of fear among their enemies, since only the truly best of the best would be piloting them.

Running through all the standard start-up checks and finding his fighter was already fully fueled and armed as he'd requested, he quickly lifted off and flew out of the Star Destroyer's primary hangar bay. "Shadows Two and Three, are you there?"

"We're here, Shadow Leader," responded Shadow Two immediately as two TIEs flew up in escort positions on his flanks. "Ready and awaiting orders."

"There's a little dogfight taking place above the hyperspace line," the Hunter said, his anticipation for a good fight sparking a rising level of aggression, which fed his power all the more, causing him to sneer widely behind his flight suit helmet. "Once the appropriate warnings are given, if they don't comply, disable the vessels' shields and engines. Do not, I say again, do not destroy these vessels."

"Yes sir!" his wingmates confirmed.

As the three starfighters approached the dueling vessels, the Hunter had to shake his head. The larger and heavier Aurore was quite obviously the aggressor. The Aurore was firing upon the wildly spinning, juking, and swaying Baudo yacht with a single-mindedness that showed far too much aggression and not enough tactical thinking for it to be able to tag and cripple the Baudo. But, if nothing else, he could understand why the Aurore's pilot wasn't trying to outfly the Baudo. The Aurore had little for mobility or even any remarkable speeds, but it did have heavy armor plating and strong weapons for a ship of its size. The Baudo was practically the mirror opposite. It had incredible speed, agility, and an ease of movement that very few ships of that size could match. But it lacked strong weapons, armor, and wasn't designed with combat in mind, which really shouldn't have mattered since it could easily outrun or outfly many common commercial ships.

The Fifth Hunter could guess what happened. The Aurore must've ambushed the Baudo, damaging its engines or some other internal systems. The fact that there was obvious black scorch marks of recent blaster fire staining its otherwise pristine hull was credence to that theory.

"Attention, this is the Imperial Inquisitorius," the Hunter declared authoritatively over the comm. "Cease your activities, shut down your engines and shields, and prepare to be boarded for inspection. This is your only warning."

There was a long moment of silence as both ships started drifting slightly, their respective pilots no doubt caught by surprise and were attempting to figure what course of action to take. But after a moment, the Baudo straightened itself out and began slowing its speed, though its shields remained active. The Hunter raised his brow at that, but decided he'd let that slide since that ship was technically the victim and clearly didn't trust the Aurore's pilot.

With good reason apparently as a loud, gravelly voice barked across the comm, "This is the Imperial privateer vessel, Black Wind, identification codes DJ493-DU33-832O. We are pursuing a lead on a spice smuggler and a potential 'Force' kid, don't interfere with our operation. Now, why don't you fly back to your pretty little command ship and await our official report? If you really even are an Inquisitor!"

Even without the Force, the Hunter could've heard the lie in that voice from across the other side of the galaxy. And the derision in the pilot's tone of voice as he spoke not only of the Force-sensitive but also of his own status as an Inquisitor that sparked a fury so hot in his gut that it burned cold. Now, granted, the Aurore's pilot could be somewhat justified in his obvious disbelief in the Hunter's authority. The Imperial Inquisitorius was a shadowy entity that was only whispered about in fear, about as real as ghosts to the common folk of the galaxy at large. But this knowledge didn't dampen his rage in the least.

"Open fire!" he barked.

He and his two wingmates fired their laser cannons with lethal precision, pummeling the Aurore as it turned one of its cannons to fire back at them. Pushing himself in a dizzying series of spins and barrel rolls, the Hunter swept low and under the firing arc of the Aurore's cannon. Instantly, he started pummeling the underside of the closest engine, rocking the entire ship visibly as the armor panels over the engine started reddening from the heat of the laser strikes. His two wingmates didn't accompany his maneuver, instead flying off in opposite directions to attack the marauding freighter from different angles.

As he flew underneath the Aurore, the Hunter grinned as he watched the Baudo try and flee the battlefield while he and his wingmates were distracted. "Shadows, continue your attack on the Aurore. I'm going after the Baudo."

"Yes sir!"

Black Wind, engineering room

"Hand me the hydrospanner," the elderly man said, holding out his hand expectantly from his position under the massive hyperdrive unit. Luke did so after a moment of fumbling, careful not to touch the sensitive points of it and giving it gingerly to him. "Thanks."

"What are you doing?" Luke finally asked from his position next to the door, where he was keeping an eye out for either of the Zygerrians.

"Leaving a little present for our dear captors," the man growled out sinisterly. "Next time they try to jump to hyperspace, they'll be in for an unwelcome surprise."

"What kind of surprise?" Luke asked, both knowing what the man was hinting at but also uncertain that his guess was right.

"The fiery explosive type," the man said, confirming Luke's suspicions. "We'll just have to make sure we're far, far away when that happens though." With one final sharp movement, the man dropped the tool to the side as he slid himself out from underneath. "All done, let's get to the cargo bay."

"Huh?" Luke said, blinking in surprise even as he helped the man back to his feet. "Why there? Shouldn't we go find that escape pod that the others are looking for?"

"No," the man said firmly. "Tell me, boy, have you ever heard of the swimming krayt dragon of Tatooine? It's the single most dangerous predator in all the galaxy."

"What?" Luke said, understandably confused as he hefted the man's arm over his small shoulders. "But there is no water on Tatooine. There are no rivers or lakes. So, krayt dragons can't swim!"

"Exactly," the man said, smiling down at the boy with a rather demented grin. "That's why the swimming krayt is so dangerous: it'll strike from the least likely spot imaginable!"

"I…don't get it," Luke admitted. Well, technically, he did understand what the man was saying. But how did that compare to their situation right now?

"I've been on this ship for weeks," the man said, his expression hardening again. "The Zygerrians stored a starfighter of some kind in the cargo bay. We can use that fly away and maybe even help protect the others' escape pod. The Zygerrians will never expect us to do such a thing as that. They'd think that all of us were aboard that pod, and that they'd easily recapture us because of that."

"Oh, okay," Luke said, smiling somewhat now that he understood what the man wanted to do. "I'll fly the ship! I'm a great pilot! You can be my gunner, old man."

"I ain't old, boy," the man snapped, though there was a hint of amusement in his tone now. "I'm just more dignified and experienced that a youngster like you."

"Sure thing, old man," Luke quipped, smiling happily at seeing the man seeming to come out of funk.

As the pair were slowly making their way back the way they came, the slaver ship started shaking violently. So much so that the man lost his feeble footing and fell to the ground, taking Luke with him. Even as they were falling, a panel on the wall next to them suddenly exploded, sending fire and shrapnel around them as they fell. Quickly climbing back to his feet and holding his hand up to protect his face from the heat of the burning fires, Luke grabbed the man's threadbare shirt and hurriedly dragged him away from the danger.

After several long moments, Luke finally stumbled to a halt and tried to lift the man back to his feet. But, unlike all the other times, the man didn't try to get his feet under him. His breathing had turned weak and ragged, seeming barely able to bring in enough air. It didn't take much for Luke to spot the rapidly spreading wet patch of redness in the man's side that had been closest to the small explosion.

"Hey, mister!" Luke said, suddenly fearful for his friend. "Come on, get up! We need to leave!"

"No…" the man gasped out, weakly shaking Luke's hold off of him. "You…go… I'll only…slow you…down."

"No!" Luke cried out. "I'm not leaving you! I'm gonna save you!"

The man looked up at Luke's pleading face, which already had a couple tears sliding down his cheeks. "You already…did…when you…let me…out…" Then, after taking a long but shallow breath, he gasped out, "Now…go…." His eyes slid closed as his pain and world faded away and ended, his body going limp and falling back to the floor.

Luke couldn't stop the tears that fell. He had…felt it. He had felt it as the man's life force faded away and vanished. It was terrible, so painful. He didn't ever want to experience something like that ever again! For a long moment, Luke just stayed there, crouched over the body of the man he barely knew but still wept for him all the same. But his grief was soon brought to a premature halt as the ship around him rocked violently once again. Rising quickly to his feet, Luke ran back the rest of the way to the cargo hold. He stopped only once to look back at the man as he reached the door.

Opening the door, he quickly spotted what he hadn't noticed earlier in his desperate desire to help the other captives. The front portion of the cargo hold was mostly dominated by a black and red painted starfighter. The starfighter had a pair of wings on either side of its long fuselage with a pair of long cannons upon the upper ends of them. The cockpit was a bubble shape just ahead of four engines mounted at the base of the wings and fuselage. He vaguely recognized this spacecraft as a Z-95 Headhunter.

Running forward, he climbed into the cockpit and pulled the canopy closed securely, quickly starting up the Headhunter's engines and computer. A quick check at the fuel gauge had him sigh in relief, the tanks were all full and ready. Although, it looked like the missiles were a little low with only three of the potential six loaded. 'Oh well,' Luke thought grimly. Finishing up the startup sequence, he hit the launch button that sent an order to the slaver ship's computer to open the cargo bay doors.

"What are you doing in there?!" a loud voice cried out from just outside the cockpit, surprising Luke as he flinched away from it. Looking up, he flinched even more when saw one of the Zygerrians just outside, trying to force open the cockpit hatch. "GET OUT NOW OR I'LL—!" Whatever he'd been about to say was forever silenced as the cargo bay doors swung open, the vacuum of space sucking out all air and loose objects. The unprepared Zygerrian was among those objects since neither he nor Luke had yet thought to set up the magfield to contain the atmosphere inside.

Unlike when his friend died, Luke felt almost no remorse when he sensed the slaver's life get extinguished in a far more abrupt and painful manner. 'He'd had it coming,' Luke quietly decided as he forced the sensation to the back of his mind, even as he boosted the thrusters and shot out of the confined space of the cargo hold. Almost immediately, he'd wished he could fly back inside as he found himself dead center in a space battle he felt he was woefully unprepared for.

Malastare's Pride, Leia's cabin

When the ship started rocking and shaking, Leia hurried over to the viewport to see what was going on outside. Sure enough, during some of the maneuvers that the ship she was on was doing, she caught a glimpse of that very same black vessel that she'd seen in her vision. It was attacking her vessel with a dogged fierceness that was terrifying to the young 7-year-old.

Seeing the larger freighter come rushing towards her, cannons blazing and the lasers striking the hull scarily lose to her viewport, Leia scampered away. She ran to the door and started beating on it, screaming for her captors to let her out. She beat it so hard that her small hands quickly started going numb from the throbbing pain. "Let me out!"

Apparently her screams and the banging on her door were heard, as the door slid open after several long minutes of relentless pounding. One of the thugs stood in the doorway, his hold-out blaster thankfully in its holster. "Will you stop making so much—HEY! GET BACK HERE!"

Leia hadn't bothered trying to listen to him, she'd slid around his large body will all the speed that her small frame could muster and slipped out into the long hallway beyond. But, as frightened as she was, Leia's wits hadn't deserted her entirely. Once she was out in the hall and behind the man, she felt her connection to that strange power return. Her heightened emotions and terror allowed her to touch it much quicker and easier this time. So, when she was behind the rapidly turning man, she'd thrust forward with her hands and blasted him at point-blank range with a strong push. The man rocketed backwards into her room, slamming into the opposite wall with bone-crushing force before slumping unconscious to the floor. Not willing to risk the man waking up, Leia quickly shut and locked the door.

"Now, to get to the cockpit!" Maybe if she could reach the cockpit, she could find the comm system and call for help. Or, failing that, maybe she could fly the ship herself. The fact that she had neither the skills nor the knowledge necessary to perform either of those tasks adequately didn't really matter to her at this moment. All she knew was that she had to do something!

Hurrying down the hallway, she came upon an open hatch that had a ladder that led up and down into what looked like little windows. "Harrus! Get into that turret and give us some kriffing covering fire!" a loud voice cried out over the intercom.

Knowing that she was also in danger, Leia quickly grabbed the ladder and lowered herself down into the gun turret below. Climbing into the gunner seat that was several sizes too large, she easily found the activation button and grabbed ahold of the firing controls, spinning the chair around to search for her enemies. Seeing the approach of some kind of TIE fighter that was firing its lasers upon her ship, Leia quickly squeezed off some shots, not really bothering to try and zero in on the fighter, just trying to fill the space with laser fire and scare off the attacker.

The strange, bent-wing TIE fighter didn't slow its approach as it fired, scoring a couple hits on the hull. Seeing that she was missing badly, Leia started focusing on the targeting computer more, watching as the small fighter zipped and danced around the center. Chancing a shot as it drew closer to the center, she let out a cry of triumph as her shot hit the starfighter. But her joy quickly faded when she saw the starfighter was largely unaffected by the blast. 'It's got a shield?! But TIE fighters aren't supposed to have any!' a childish pout spreading across her face at that revelation.

In response to her hit, the TIE launched a missile. Knowing just how dangerous missiles were, Leia frantically opened fire, aiming for the small and fast-moving object of destruction. None of her shots were connecting! In her fear and desire to survive, Leia once again delved into that power again. She could feel it, giving her gentle nudges in the right direction. As a result, one of her shots struck the missile and caused it detonate prematurely. Letting out another cry of victory, Leia swung her gun turret around, tracking the TIE as it flew past the vessel.

Her cry was once again silenced when she suddenly felt it again. In that strange awareness, Leia could feel that cold, hungry aura that she'd felt earlier. She could feel its mounting aggression and anger, but also anticipation for a good fight and even a faint touch of respect at her marksmanship. To her great frustration, she saw the bottom portion of the fighter as it pulled upwards and out of her field of fire.

'LEAVE ME ALONE!' she shouted into that strange power, knowing that her opponent could hear or at least understand her. And, indeed, he most assuredly did. She could sense his dark amusement, even as the ship above her started rocking violently from his shots.

As her frustration was starting to mount, something else happened. It was like a warm, calming breeze suddenly swept over her, filling her up, rejuvenating her. And suddenly she smiled, knowing that she wasn't alone anymore.

Z-95 Headhunter

The battle had carried the cluster of ships quite a ways away from the main traffic lanes. That was good for the freighters and transports, since there was less of a chance of them getting struck by errant laser fire. But it was also bad for the combatants as it gave them more chance to focus on one another than their surroundings. The two TIE fighters were circling the damaged Aurore freighter like a pair of carrion birds stalking a wounded prey. The Baudo was still trying to flee the scene, but the TIE Advanced was relentless in its pursuit, hammering at its shields and vulnerable areas mercilessly.

This was the chaos that Luke entered when the Z-95 shot out of the cargo hold.

"This is intense!" Luke cried out, swinging the Headhunter into a dizzying spin as he fumbled to activate the starfighter's shields. One of the TIEs had peeled off from their assault on the Aurore and was now chasing Luke, blasting its cannons at the smaller and faster target than the freighter, though it was still slower than the TIE. Pulling back on the joystick and throwing the Headhunter into a roll, Luke swung around in the opposite direction that he'd been fleeing in. This maneuver caught the TIE pilot by surprise, but the experienced pilot quickly adjusted and followed.

Glancing at his computers, Luke let out a small sigh of relief when he saw the shields were glowing blue, fully powered up and ready. Continuing his turn, the Aurore came back into view and Luke was able to glimpse the rear portion of the vessel suddenly detach and start fleeing away. The sight of that put a smile on Luke's face, the others had managed to escape after all! But his relief was quickly washed away as he watched the other TIE shoot off after the escape craft.

"No!" Luke cried, gunning the throttle as he brought the targeting computer online. "Leave them alone!" Blue laser bolts shot out of his cannons as he rushed the TIE from the side, its solar panels blocking his approach from the pilot's view. One of the lasers struck the rear of the panel and sent the TIE into a chaotic spin, though it didn't explode. "YEAH!"

His triumph was short-lived as the TIE that was still behind him opened fire on him, pummeling his shields with obvious anger and aggression. Swinging his head around, Luke caught sight of the TIE as it was in the process of lining him up for a kill shot. "You want me?! Come and get me!" Somersaulting, spinning, and rolling, Luke's Headhunter went into a dance that would've caught any pilot by surprise if they'd known that it was only a child behind the controls. The TIE did it's best to keep up with him, but it found itself slipping farther and farther behind the wildly dancing Headhunter.

"Where you at, you big fat bantha?!" Luke called out, smiling far more widely as his enjoyment of the dogfight started reaching him. This was the type of adventure he'd been dreaming of having! "Come on! Come on!" A series of green lasers shot past his cockpit, missing him but hitting the Aurore inside its still open cargo bay. "What're you shooting at, sleemo?!" Luke cried out, swinging away from the Aurore again and flying off to the side. "I'm the one you want!"

The TIE continued its pursuit, chasing after the Z-95 Headhunter with a single-minded determination to see its target destroyed at all costs. Grinning as an idea hit him, Luke abruptly slammed the brakes on, throwing his starfighter into a reversal. This maneuver caused him to end up facing backwards even as his ship continued on its previous course. The sheer unexpectedness of this move caught the TIE pilot by surprise for several critical seconds. Seconds that Luke wasted no time in using to blast the fragile starfighter straight through the cockpit, killing the pilot and destroying the craft instantly.

Reorienting his craft and boosting his thruster, Luke swung the Headhunter to the side. A relieved smile crossed his face as he saw the escape craft filled with his fellow slaves making its escape to Denon nearby. 'They'll be alright now. Thank goodness.'

That was when he felt them again. That cold, evil presence and the bright, warm presence that he'd felt earlier were nearby. And they were in battle, he could feel it in the emotions that the two were giving off. The anger, the hate, the aggression, the frustration. For the dark presence, it was like a bad smell getting even worse. But for the brighter presence, it was like a terrible stain that was ruining the quality of a priceless painting.

In response, Luke swung his Headhunter back around and raced towards the second vessel and the last remaining TIE fighter. Unlike last time, he didn't pull back from the strange power that he'd felt. He didn't shy away from the dark presence as it soon turned its attention to him. He embraced the power, allowed that strange awareness to consume him, let his presence be felt by all who could feel him nearby. He wanted them to know he was here. He wanted to let them know that he was coming. He wanted that stain to be cleansed as quickly as possible. And it seemed that in doing so, letting himself be known, that the dark stain rapidly diminished.

Turning his attention to the strange bent-wing TIE fighter, Luke glared at it. "You want us, don't you? Not if I have anything to say about it!"

But before their dogfight could begin, something happened. It originated from the damaged Aurore. The remaining Zygerrian slaver, knowing that he was in deep trouble and alone, had attempted to get his ship to jump into hyperspace and flee the scene. One of the Aurore's engines was damaged, a burning wreckage that would need to be repaired immediately. Even with just one functioning engine, the ship was still hyperspace capable, as was in its design features. But, when the Zygerrian pulled the lever to make the jump, whatever the elderly slave had done to the hyperdrive was triggered.

The hyperdrive ruptured and, fed by the ship's explosive fuels, a devastating explosion ripped the ship to pieces. But that was only the first pulse of the detonation. The second detonation caused a vast shockwave of blue and white energy that rocketed outwards in all directions at speeds no ship could possibly outrun. When the shockwave struck the long line of civilian transports and freighters, it seemed to split the ships into many tiny pieces, incinerating all within its blast radius. However, when that same blast reached trio of ships that were closest to it, something unique happened.

Because Luke, Leia, and the Fifth Hunter had submerged themselves into the currents of the Force, they had unknowingly provided themselves with a powerful protection. The Force worked to protect them from the lethal hyper-energies that had been unleashed, forming bubbles of impenetrable energy around them and their ships. Yet that same protection also caused an unforeseen event to occur. The hyper-energies pulled at those bubbles of power and started sucking them into the heart of the hyperdrive explosion, not unlike how a black hole would affect any other galactic matter. When all of them reached the centermost point of the explosion, they were suddenly expelled outwards at high speeds. Their ships were sent spinning and tumbling uncontrollably for long moments as the three of them were deeply disoriented from the harrowing experience.

All of this occurred within the time span of less than a micro-second.

Fighting against his urge to vomit, Luke managed to aim his Headhunter at the TIE and fired one of his precious three concussion missiles. Thankfully for him, the dark pilot of the TIE didn't have his same reflexes or reaction speeds and couldn't evade the missile. The missile struck his starfighter in its armored chassis next to the cockpit and exploded. Despite the direct hit, the armor and the TIE's shields were strong enough to negate much of the damage, but the explosion still sent the starfighter flying off uncontrollably in a different direction, far away from the still tumbling yacht.

Seeing the yacht wasn't regaining control of its flight, Luke reached out his awareness towards it. He couldn't sense anyone left alive aboard it, except that one bright presence that had originally drawn him to it. 'Get up!' he pled to the person. 'Get control! Fly it! You're in trouble!'

Despite still being disoriented and even a little concussed, the Fifth Hunter was able to get his ship under control and flew his starfighter off towards where his Star Destroyer had been waiting in the distance. He needed to reorient himself. Those two Children were far more powerful than he'd first thought, but they likely were in no better condition that he was. He could send his other pilots and underlings to capture them now. They'd likely meet with no real resistance at this point.

Neither Luke nor Leia paid the fleeing TIE any mind as they each tried to find a way to get the tumbling Baudo back under control.

Malastare's Pride, lower gun turret

'Get up!' a voice was crying in her mind. 'Get control!' Leia opened her eyes from where she was slumped over the firing grips of her turret cannon. Her body felt unbelievably exhausted, like she'd spent the last 10 hours doing hard labor with no breaks to rest. Her head was throbbing. 'Fly it!' What was going on? What had happened? Leia's disorientation was slowly starting to clear she stared around the gun turret she was in. 'You're in trouble!' That frantic shout finally penetrated her befuddled mind, as well as the boy's genuine concern and fear for her well-being.

Hastily climbing back to her feet, Leia hoisted herself back up the ladder she'd descended. Pulling herself up one rung after another was an exercise of strength and endurance she wasn't accustomed to doing, but she pushed herself on regardless. The voice in her mind egging her on, pleading for her hurry, also helped to motivate her onward. Reaching the hallway, she stumbled out of the ladder well and took a few precious seconds to regain her breath.

'Hurry!' the boy was yelling. 'You're falling towards the star!'

"The star?!" That realization ignited a burst of strength in her limbs, allowing her to jump to her feet and rush towards the cockpit. She honestly didn't know where the cockpit was. She was just following her gut instincts, feeling some kind of strange force that was guiding to where she knew she needed to go.

At the end of the hallway, she came across a locked door. Reaching out her hand, she imagined the door locks unclamping and the door sliding open. The power she felt enacted what she wanted to have happen. In response, the door slid open easily, seeing a blinding yellow star up ahead of the ship whenever the tumbling ship's viewport swung in that direction. The cockpit was empty, so she had no problem rushing into the pilot seat and grabbed the controls. Adjusting the stabilizers and boosting the engines, she pulled back on the controls.

After several long moments of tension, the chaotic tumbling of the ship finally halted. Leia's grip on the controls tightened as she continued pulling the ship upwards, pointing the bow away from the star. It was an agonizingly slow process for the young girl. When she felt it was time, with the bow angled upwards suitably, she boosted the engines to their full thrust, blasting forth with all their power.

Long moments later, the blaring alarm and flashing red lights that had filled the cockpit finally died down. Leia eased off the throttle and leaned back into the chair, feeling exhausted and weary in more ways than she'd ever felt before. In her exhaustion, the pilot's seat suddenly felt so much more comfortable than any other chair she'd ever sat in and she felt herself starting to drift off to sleep.

Just before that could happen, a chime lit up on the control panel, snapping her back to the present. Reaching forward, she hesitantly hit the comm system button. "Y-Yes?"

"You okay?" the voice was clearly that of a young boy. Movement and light outside her cockpit window drew her attention as a black and red starfighter pulled up level with her ship. Across the distance, she could faintly make out the small frame of the pilot in white clothes. "Is everything alright in there?"

"I'm…I'm fine, just tired," Leia admitted, looking curiously over at the starfighter. "Who are you?"

"Is it okay if I come aboard?" the boy asked instead, exhaustion evident in his voice. "I'm really tired too."

After a moment of contemplation and slight pouting at the boy avoiding her question, Leia nodded, "Yes, please come aboard. I'll meet you at the airlock."

Setting the ship to standby, she set the computer to accept the docking of the starfighter against the airlock. Normally, linking up and docking a starfighter and a regular vessel would've been an act of futility since there was no easy way to get from one to the other without the pilot getting exposed to hard vacuum. However, the children were fortunate that the Baudo had a special lower docking clamp underneath it with an adjustable magfield-protected ladder section for such occasions. This was how the two children found themselves facing one another a few short minutes later, the boy climbing slowly out of the cold tunnel into the ship above.

Helping the boy to his feet, Leia stepped back and stared at the sandy-blonde boy, who was also staring at her with an equally evaluative gaze.

"Hi," the boy said, somewhat timidly now that he was face to face with her. "I'm Luke Skywalker of Tatooine. Who are you?"

"I am Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan," Leia said, nodding her head slightly. "Thank you for saving me."

"Thank you for letting me on," Luke said, smiling weakly before a wide yawn hit him. "Can I borrow a bed? Please?"

Leia nodded, also desiring some sleep and rest from their big adventure. "I'll go set the autopilot for Alderaan, then let's find you somewhere to sleep." It was a sign of Luke's exhaustion that he didn't question her when she said where she wanted to go. All he wanted was a bed, or at least a blanket, to sleep on. His eyelids were already drooping heavily as he shuffled after the girl, who was only marginally less tired than him.

(Author's Note) Wow, I really wasn't expecting this chapter to come out so quickly after the first. Maybe it's the recent Third Trailer of Star Wars 7 that inspired me to keep working? Regardless, I hope you guys enjoyed this little space battle. I know I probably made Luke a lot more badass than he should've been at this point in the story, but I just couldn't help it. Look at how badass Anakin was when he was nine in a N-1 or a podracer! I didn't think it was too much of a jump to say that Luke could've mirrored his father in this regard.

Big time thanks to my friends animefan29, Fiori75, and SulliMike23 for reviewing this chapter for me!

Anyway, the next chapter is probably going to be the make or break one for many of you readers. It's going to be the one that shows exactly what kind of story this is going to be. I hope you're ready for it, because this story is going to go way, way off of the beaten path of canon in some regards!