Chapter 11: I'm Going to Go Back There Someday
"Well, how do you like the film so far?" Xanatos asked Granta as the film was being repaired.
"I've seen detergents that leave a better film than this." Granta said as Xanatos chuckled at the joke.
"Well I don't care what anyone else says!" Anakin protested. "I'm having a great time!"
"Good." Luke said with a smile.
"Okay!" Leia called down from the projection booth. "The film is fully repaired."
"Alright." Luke said. "A bit of a patriotic part's coming up."
"Should we stand up?" Anakin asked.
"No." Luke replied.
The gang, now including Galen, were riding through the Rocky Mountains as Wedge began singing the ancient song, America the Beautiful.
Oh beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain.
For purple mountains' majesty
Above the fruited plains!
America! America!
God shed his grave on thee,
And crowned thy good
With brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
"Not bad, Wedge." Galen noted from his seat.
"Thanks." Wedge said. "I always considered myself something of an Ancient America fan."
()()()()()
Not too far from where the gang was driving, a group of Gunray's new hired guns were practicing by shooting a cutout of Luke Haako was holding, and they were all missing by a mile.
Eventually, Gunray drove up in his limo and came out.
"Hold it, boys." Gunray said before raising his voice to be heard over the blaster fire. "Hold it!"
The men stopped firing and went to Gunray as Haako stood up and listened to what was being said.
"Now boys, no offense for the work you've been doing, but I decided to bring in a specialist." Gunray explained.
Just then, a Mandalorian in green armor with yellow shoulder pads and red lining came out.
"Boys, I'd like you to meet Boba Fett." Gunray explained. "Boba, tell them what you do."
"Kill people." Boba said as he took a blaster rifle and shot a hole right between the eyes of the Luke Skywalker cutout.
()()()()()
"How much longer is it to Hollywood?" Wedge asked as they continued to drive through the desert.
"Well, we have to get there by tomorrow." Luke explained. "So hopefully it should only be a couple more hours."
"Hey Luke, are you gonna get an agent like Mara had?" Han asked as Luke sighed and looked out the window.
"Han, you know he's touchy about that." Wedge said, exasperated.
"Yes, Han's more of a 'talk and think at the same time' type." Leia remarked.
Just then, Luke saw Mara waving them down.
"I don't believe it!" Luke called out. "It's Mara! Stop the car, Wedge."
"Okay." Wedge said.
The car stopped as Mara came in.
"Hey everyone." Mara said as she got in. "Thanks for stopping."
"How did you catch up to us?" Leia asked.
"Oh, my agent drove me out here after the commercial." Mara explained. "So Luke… How are things?"
"About the same." Luke said with a smile as he took Mara's hand. "Thanks for coming back."
"Well I promised to, didn't I?" Mara responded as everyone "awed" at the scene.
"So who are you?" Mara asked Galen.
"Galen Marek." Galen explained. "I was playing the piano at that restaurant from a few days ago."
"Oh." Mara said. "Glad to meet you, sir."
Just then, the music they were listening to stopped.
"You've been listening to music to hunt humans by." An all too familiar voice said over the radio. "This is Nute Gunray saying that if Luke Skywalker doesn't stop right now and agree to be my spokesman, he won't be doing anything else ever again."
The radio cut off as everyone was clamoring.
"Luke, what are you going to do?" Mara asked.
"Nothing." Luke said. "All we have to do is get to Hollywood, and Gunray won't dare try anything."
"Wow, Luke." Mara said. "You're really brave."
"Thanks." Luke said with a nervous smile.
At that moment, a loud bang emanated from the engine.
"What is that?" Han asked.
"It's nothing." Wedge said quickly. "We're doing fine. We just need to get to the gas station. No problems, we're fine."
The car stopped dead on the road.
"Oh, we're in trouble…" Wedge groaned nervously. "I wish I still had my Studebaker."
"Sounds like the radiator." Galen observed.
"Hey, don't worry!" Han assured them all. "Someone is bound to come along."
()()()()()
Three hours later, it was nightfall, and not a single person had driven by. The gang had started a campfire to keep warm as everyone was starting to get dejected.
"Well," Galen said as he stoked the fire. "I guess we blew it, huh Han?"
"Yeah." Han said with a sigh before looking at the stars. "But the sky sure looks beautiful tonight."
"That is what I love about you, Han." Leia said with a smile as she took his hand. "You always find the silver lining."
"We uh…" Wedge began as he turned to Luke. "We're gonna miss the auditions tomorrow, right?"
"Luke?" Mara asked.
Luke could only look at the fire, saddened at all the new friends he'd made, and how it all led to being stranded in the middle of the desert for nothing.
"Boy, you could get lost in a sky like that." Han noted. "I wish I still had those balloons."
"So much for Hollywood." Mara said with a sigh.
"Listen gang," Luke said, though he doubted anyone really heard him. "I never promised we'd make it. I… I never promised anything."
Eventually, Galen began playing a harmonica. Inspired, Wedge grabbed his guitar and began strumming.
This looks familiar, vaguely familiar,
Almost unreal, yet, it's too soon to feel yet.
Close to my soul, and yet so far away.
I'm going to go back there someday.
Sun rises, night falls, sometimes the sky calls.
Is that a song there, and do I belong there?
I've never been there, but I know the way.
I'm going to go back there someday.
At this, Mara began harmonizing along with Leia.
Come and go with me, it's more fun to share,
We'll both be completely at home in midair.
We're flyin', not walkin', on featherless wings.
We can hold onto love like invisible strings.
Eventually, Luke just wandered off to be alone, barely listening to the rest of Han's song.
There's not a word yet for old friends who've just met.
Part heaven, part space, or have I found my place?
You can just visit, but I plan to stay.
I'm going to go back there someday.
I'm going to go back there someday.
"I didn't promise anybody anything." Luke insisted out loud. "What do I know about Hollywood anyway? Just a dream I got from watching too many double features."
So why did you leave the farm anyway? Luke asked himself.
"Because some agent guy said I had talent." Luke said as he scoffed. "Probably says that to everybody."
On the other hand, if you had stayed home, you'd be feeling pretty miserable anyhow.
"Yeah, but then it'd just be me being miserable." Luke argued with himself. "Now I've got five other people miserable and freezing too. I brought them out here into the middle of nowhere. It's all my fault."
Still, whether you promised them something or not, you've gotta remember that they wanted to come along.
"But that's only because they believed in me."
No. They believed in the dream.
"Well, so do I, but…"
You do?
"Yeah!" Luke called out. "Of course I do!"
Well then?
"Well then…" Luke realized as he finished talking with himself. "I guess I was wrong when I said I never promised anyone. I promised me."
As Luke looked at the sky, somehow renewed, he all of a sudden heard band music and rushed back to camp to find Carth Onasi and the Electric Heroes having a jam session with the others in a decked out bus.
"Hey, what's happening?" Luke asked.
"At the moment, we're what's happening." Revan said with a smirk.
"So you're finally back." Carth said with a smirk. "Hey Jolee?"
By this point, everyone but Jolee had stopped playing.
"Jolee!" Bastila called out. "Cool it."
"Sorry." Jolee said with slight embarrassment.
"Hey look," Luke began. "It's wonderful to see you guys, but how'd you ever find us?"
"Oh, you left your script with us." Revan explained.
"Right." Carth went on. "We read ahead and found out you were going to be stuck in the desert outside the Rocky Mountains. We knew just where to find you."
"Pretty fortunate, eh?" Bastila said with a smile.
"Hey listen, when do you guys have to be at that audition?" Carth asked.
"Two o'clock tomorrow afternoon." Luke pointed out.
"Then hop on the bus." Carth said with a smile. "We'll have breakfast in Hollywood and Vine."
Everyone cheered. They were almost home free, now.
Only two more chapters left, people.