The Chase Through Time

by emerald veil

Anakin (before ep II) lands in the 21st Century through a freak accident. As if trying to find his way back home wasn't stressful enough, he learns that the rebel terrorist he was chasing also found his way to the 21st century. Fate throws him another curve ball when he finds himself protecting the one person he never expected to meet who could change his future. (time travel. AU)

4. Chapter 4

A/N: To readers who've been there at the time when chapter 3 was just published, I've updated chapter 1 and 2 as of Aug. 9. Tell me if you liked the old version better.

previously:

When the door finally opened, he swore.

Loudly.

And for a couple minutes.

One of the two gliders was gone.

Chapter 4:
Welcome to Earth, Anakin Skywalker

Goddamit! Is the universe playing some cosmic joke on me?

Fuming, Anakin strapped himself into the glider and flew out of the ship's bay to chase after the rebel. Looking out the window, all he saw was a sun, stars, and more stars. Then he redirected his senses on the force. Sensing the rebel's life force, he headed off in that direction.

Have to figure out where I am, he thought. He had some time before his glider would catch up in view of the rebel's glider.

Pulling up the star map, he stared at the message on the screen:

ERROR: LOCATION NOT RECOGNIZED. STAR SYSTEM NOT IN COMPUTER.

"What?! You piece of—"

Then the computer beeped, alerting him that there was another glider in range.

"Finally." He breathed. This would be over soon, and he'd take out his frustration on the guy who dragged him into this mess.

He came into view of a planet that the computer recognized as:

PLANETS IN RANGE: EARTH

"Yeah… there's something wonky with this computer. Getting you replaced as soon as we land," muttered Anakin to the inanimate glider. "Not recognizing the location. Bah!"

Tracking the rebel's trajectory, he followed. He would land, capture the rebel, and go home. Then have a good laugh about this with Obi-wan. It would be funny later. Yes, later, after enough time has passed that this wouldn't irritate him anymore.

The rebel didn't head to one of Earth's many landing pads, instead he decided to land in a grassy clearing.

:::

Settling his glider gently next to the other glider, he rushed out, hoping that the rebel, by some stupid miracle, had decided to stay in the glider. Maybe the rebel had decided to pretend to leave the glider, and once seeing that Anakin has left to go searching for him, fly off, leaving poor, pathetic Anakin wasting his time searching for someone no longer on the planet's surface.

Ha ha… smirked Anakin, if that's your plan, well… Anakin had fun imagining this scenario.

Once he opened the glider, disappointment washed through him.

Completely and utterly empty.

Anakin kicked the side of the glider. The rebel was like a pest infestation that just wouldn't die.

On foot, he headed off in the direction that he felt a faint presence. He guessed he might also find civilization there. He would: acquire a hovercar, find the rebel, and then go home.

After two hours, Anakin came into view of the outskirts of civilization. He found a road. And where there is a road, you would find people—hence civilization.

Walking down the strange grey road, he came upon a strange small house with plastic sidings. Over it, a sign read: Joe's Convenience Store. Out front, sitting on an old picnic table in need of paint, was a small group of teenage boys wearing odd, blue pants.

"Hey, you lost or something?" called a rowdy one, sitting directly on the tabletop, taking a sip from a bottle.

The second one looked up from the small flat device in his hand, then laughed. "Yeah, the anime convention's not here!"

They all burst out laughing, shouting calls of "Freak".

The what convention? And what's wrong with them?

He decided to approach them. After all, once they found out he was a Jedi, they would change their attitudes and help him. It was that simple. "I am a Jedi knight," he said, "I am currently on a mission to capture a dangerous terrorist. I require your aid. I need to borrow a hovercar."

They howled with laughter.

"Hovercar! He thinks he's Captain Kirk or something!"

"Fucking nuts," said the beefier boy.

The third one, after he finished laughing, sneered at him. "Look, this ain't Loserville. Get on out of here before I break your pretty mug."

Anakin's fist tightened. These… civilians, no matter how rude they were, he had no right to beat them up. They were civilians, not criminals he had to remind himself. He was a representative of the Jedi, he couldn't do anything that would tarnish the name of the Jedi.

Holding his anger in check, he left them.

Walking down the road, he heard the sound of a heavy engine. Looking back, he spotted what was—

Is that an automobile?

It had wheels.

Before the opportunity could pass him by, he waved his hands, doing a mad impression of a stranded man trying to get a rescue craft to notice him. The truck came to a stop, wheezing as it did so. On the side it had a large photograph of a beverage in a can, with the slogan, "Mmm… so good" right next to a logo.

The window rolled down and a heavy-set man with a beard and jowls eyed him up and down, then asked, "Kid, you lookin' for a ride?"

..

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Next Chapter: When Art Thou?

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Author's Note 2: Next chapter release: May/June 2015. This year, I'm unexpectedly busy. If, miraculously, things settle down, I will try to get another chapter out earlier (though it's highly unlikely).

Author's Note: Hey, I'd love feedback. Did you think this chapter was great, good, okay, or bad. Please tell me where I need to fix it. Thank you ;)