Soundtrack - Trouble In Prison

Luke groaned as he came to - his head hurt like it had been hit hard. As his eyes slowly opened, he saw that he was in a dark room, but what really frightened him were the Stormtroopers standing at the entrance. What would the Empire want with him? He was just a farmboy... or he used to think he was just a farmboy... now he's not so sure.

"Welcome to the land of the living," a voice said.

He jumped as a chill ran up his spine. He looked over to see a woman sitting close, holding a blaster pointed right at him. It was the same woman that had entered the station.

"What do you want?" Luke asked, ignoring the way his voice shook.

"Answers." The woman leaned forward, bringing the blaster closer to his face. "And you're going to give them to me."

Luke gulped as he eyed the blaster. He had to keep a level head about this. "I think you have wrong person, miss."

The woman smiled, and it wasn't comforting. "The Togruta."

"I just met her - she came in looking for parts to repair her ship."

"Don't lie to me - she didn't buy anything. She was there to talk to you, and I want to know why. Are you a rebel?"

"No! I'm a moisture farmer! The Rebellion's not come out this far."

"So you say, but the Outer Rim would be the perfect place to do business and get recruits. Perhaps one day you met a rebel promising adventure and life away from this dust ball that you just couldn't help jumping on the opportunity."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "All due respect, miss, I'm far too busy surviving than to fight in your petty squabbles."

The woman chuckled. "Stubbornness is always a great trait - makes it more satisfying when I manage to break people." She moved the blaster closer to his face. "What's your name?"

He had a feeling he shouldn't give his real name. "Cliegg."

"Cliegg, what?"

"Whitesun."

"So, Cliegg Whitesun, what makes you so special that Ahsoka Tano would take time out of her day to speak to a child? You're what? Twelve?"

"Thirteen," Luke replied with a tone of annoyance. He was really getting tired of people thinking he was younger than he actually was.

"Close enough. Why was Tano talking to you?"

"Asking for mechanical tips. Repairing ships is not an easy task."

The woman narrowed her eyes at him. Luke tried not to shrink back under her gaze - he didn't want her to see how scared he was; he'd done enough of that already.

He suddenly heard the door open behind him and the woman looked up. "What?" She asked.

"Reva Sevander has arrived, sir," he heard the voice of a trooper say.

The woman nodded and stood as she returned her blaster to the holster. "Keep an eye on him," she ordered the troopers as she walked out the room.

Soundtrack - The Inquisitor

Reva stalked down the ramp of her shuttle. She could see why Tano chose to hide on this loathsome planet. It was unassuming, only used by slavers, smugglers, spice dealers, and all sorts of scum - as a rebel, Tano fit right in.

Rabé was waiting for her at the bottom of the ramp with a couple of Stormtroopers.

"Where's the boy?" Reva asked.

"Detained." Rabé began walking tkwards the outpost with Reva as the Stormtroopers followed them. "I attempted to interrogate him while we waited for you. He told me his name was Cliegg Whitesun, but I have a feeling he was lying."

"How does he know Tano?"

"He said he just met her and was only looking to repair her ship."

They entered the outpost and Rabé led the Third Sister to a viewing room where they could see the boy sitting in the interrogation room. He looked young and wore the garb of a moisture farmer, and she could feel his fear. He was projecting into the Force.

Reva smirked. "He's Force-sensitive," she said as they watched him struggle against his restraints. "Perhaps that is why Tano was speaking to him." She turned to Rabé. "I'll take over interrogations - stay on look out for Tano."

Rabé nodded and Reva turned and walked out of the room.

Luke was getting nowhere by simply struggling at his restraints - he had to think of a way to escape. He glanced around. There were a couple of Stormtroopers guarding him in the room, so trying to escape was not going to be easy.

He looked down at his restraints to study them. It wasn't anything complicated, just a pair of handcuffs holding him to a chair. He frowned. Did they underestimate him that much? He shouldn't be offended by that since it could help him escape, but still.

The door behind him suddenly opened and he stilled - a sinister presence entered the room. He looked up as a dark woman circled around to look at him. She smirked, and he didn't like the way her dark eyes were studying him.

"What's your name?" She asked with a tone that was absent of any warmth. Did no one here know how to speak to minors?

"Like I already told the other lady, it's Cliegg Whitesun."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "It would wise of you not to lie, boy."

"I'm not lying."

She laughed, and it was unsettling. She suddenly reached forward and grabbed him by the throat right under his jaw and forced him to look up.

"I can sense that you're powerful. After we capture Tano, you'll make an excellent addition to the Inquisitorious. Lord Vader would be pleased by this find."

"I would never join the Empire," he spat.

"Oh, you don't have a choice." She tightened her grip. "You can join us, or we can hand you over to slavers."

Panic shot through his body and his eyes slightly widened. Being handed to slavers was the last thing he ever wanted. His grandmother was a slave, and his father was a slave. He was the first free born in his family, and he wanted to keep it that way.

She smirked like she knew she hit a mark as she continued. "You've got a nice face, and you're Force-sensitive - slavers would pay a pretty penny for you."

"I'm still not telling you anything," Luke growled. His loyalty overcame his fear.

Her smirk turned to an unsettling smile. "Pity. Looks like I'm going to have to force it out of you."

She let go of him but kept her hand raised to his head. Excruciating pain suddenly spiked in his head, and he cried out as his hands balled into fists - he tugged on his restraints as his body twisted in response to the pain.

"I want your real name."

He could feel her digging around his mind and he tried to fight her back, but she was stronger, and more trained than he was.

"Luke Skywalker." She had found her information. "Where do you live, Luke Skywalker?"

More pain. Luke twisted more in his seat as he continued to cry out in pain.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Luke's reaction to Reva's torture was causing cracks to form on the wall, because she had been right: he was powerful, but he was also untrained. Her forceful search for information was causing him to unknowingly use the Force to effect his surroundings.

More and more cracks formed as the interrogation went on, until suddenly, Luke's restraints shattered and Reva and the Stormtroopers were pushed back as the building collapsed.

Soundtrack - Blasting Off

Ahsoka stopped in her tracks as she stared at the rubble. She had felt Luke's power, and his pain. Whatever they were doing to him in there caused him to use the Force in self-defence, but because of his lack of training, he managed to bring the whole building down.

She reached out with the Force and discovered that he was still alive. She rushed forward and pushed through the crowd that was gathering around as she caught sight of blonde hair coming out from the rubble.

"Luke!" She called.

Luke looked at her with eyes wide in fear. His face was covered in scratches, dirt, and some blood, as were his clothes. He immediately started towards her, climbing and stumbling through the rubble. As soon as he made it to her, she wrapped an arm around him and started away from the rubble before Reva dug her way out, or the Imperials sent a squad to check on the destruction.

She kept Luke close to her, afraid someone would snatch him away - they just had to make it outside Mos Eisley; she had flown her ship there to prepare for a quick getaway. Thankfully, either everyone was too busy focusing on the rubble to notice them, or they didn't care - she could imagine even people on Tatooine didn't like the authoritarian Empire.

She made Luke go up the ramp first before following him. They went to the cockpit and Ahsoka immediately slid into the pilot's seat as she started the start up routine. The ramp closed. The engines sprang to life. The shields were turned on.

Ahsoka piloted the ship up into the sky - she had the hyperdrive coordinates prepared, as well as her weapons system. She broke through the atmosphere and saw a Star Destroyer waiting there. Obviously, she was spotted and immediately did quick maneuvers to dodge the bolts, using the Force to guide her. She just had to clear by them to go into hyperdrive.

TIE fighters started pursuing them and she cursed. "Hang on," she told Luke before doing a quick spinning maneuver as she shot at them (she had seen Anakin do a similar move once during the Clone Wars).

She managed to hit two and made two others crash into each other. More TIE fighters were sent after them and she only made it halfway across the Star Destroyer. Why did they have to be so large?

"Let me try," she heard Luke say. She looked back to see Luke standing up and gripping the back of the two chairs.

"Luke, these TIE fighters-"

"I've flown through Beggar's Canyon many times and shot womp rats. Trust me, I can do it."

She wanted to say no, but then remembered how skilled his father had been at flying. Perhaps Luke had inherited his skills.

"Okay."

He quickly took his seat in the co-pilot's chair and she transferred controls over to him. She had been correct that he had inherited his father's skills - as soon as he had control of the ship, he started doing maneuvers that matched the skills of TIE fighter pilots. He dodged and shot at them, and even flew close to the Star Destroyer to make them crash. He flew straight at one while being chased by another and pulled up at the last second to make them crash into each other.

Thanks to Luke, they cleared the Star Destroyer and could go into hyperspace.

Reva broke the rocks around her in an act of rage. She had underestimated just how powerful the boy was. He had raw, untamed power. How had he not been discovered years ago? She was going to have to bring this to the Grand Inquisitor's attention, and possibly Lord Vader's as well.

She sensed the Rabé was still alive under the rubble and threw out her hand to fling the rocks away, not caring if they hit anyone in the crowd - she had lost Tano and the boy, she would not lose one of the Empire's best operatives. Rabé was unconscious and needed medical attention.

Reva stooped down to pick her up and started towards the shuttle. "Out of the way!" She commanded the crowd.

Obi-Wan watched from the shadows as the Inquisitor stormed off while carrying her comrade. This was bad. He knew Luke was powerful, but he never realized just how much, and now the boy would have all the forces of the Empire after him.

He turned and walked away. Luke had faded from his senses - he had escaped. He knew Luke was resourceful and smart - the boy would not return home and put his guardians in danger. He had left Tatooine, whether it was with help or on his own, he did not know, but he was going to find him. He would not fail Luke like he failed his father. But first, he had to warn Owen and Beru. It wouldn't take the Empire long to find out where the boy lived. They would no doubt either kill them, or take them prisoner, and he couldn't let that happen.

Luke stared at the blue hyperspace as it streaked by the window. He was finally out in space, but with the events that just happened... he couldn't process the fact yet. He was still trying to process what had happened on Tatooine.

A hand touched his shoulder and he looked over to see Ahsoka looking at him with concern in her blue eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," he replied with a small smile.

Ahsoka frowned. "I could feel you were in pain."

Luke thought back to his short imprisonment and shuddered as the pain he had felt came rushing back for a split second. "That woman... I don't know how she did it, but she managed to get in my head to get the information she wanted."

"The Dark Side of the Force... it's capable of terrible things and corrupts those who use it."

"So... was she a... a Jedi?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "No, she was an Inquisitor - she hunts Jedi and finds Force-sensitives." She sighed. "I should've left as soon as my ship was fixed. If I had, you wouldn't have been in danger like that."

"Well, if she hunts Force-sensitives, she probably would've found me with or without you. Don't blame yourself for other's actions - they're the ones that decided to kidnap a thirteen-year-old kid. There's some serious moral alignment problems going on there."

Ahsoka chuckled. "Good to see you have a sense of humor after everything."

Luke smiled. "I lived on Tatooine - you have to have a sense of humor. My uncle used to say-" his smile dropped at the reminder of his guardians who no doubt would start freaking out when he doesn't come home later. "Schutta! I completely forgot about my aunt and uncle! They're gonna freak when I don't come home!" He rubbed his face with his hands as he groaned. "I'm so dead."

Ahsoka smirked in amusement. "Once time has passed, it'll be safe enough for you to message them. But for now, you should get cleaned up." Luke looked up at her as she continued. "I'll see if I have some clothes for you - sometimes I help people get off planets and they leave stuff behind."

Soundtrack - Learn The Force

Ahsoka managed to find some spare clothes for Luke - they were a little baggy, but they would do until she was able to find him something else - and he cleaned up in the fresher and she tended to his cuts and bruises with some bacta. She told him some more stories of his father as she did, but this time she could tell him stories of what he was like as her Master.

Once she was done, she put the medkit away and returned to the main hold to see Luke looking out the window at the blue hyperspace streaking by. He looked so much like Anakin in that moment.

He turned to look at her. "I want to be a Jedi like my father."

Ahsoka frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea."

While the Jedi did fight for peace and justice, they had a lot of flaws - she knew from first hand experience. She had walked away from the Order.

"But I thought you wanted to train me!"

Ahsoka approached him. "To use your powers - you're practically a beacon for Force-users. I gave up the life of a Jedi a long time ago, and it saved my life."

"I thought you said my father's training saved your life!"

"Yes, more times than I can remember, but that doesn't mean he didn't have complex feelings about the Order. Your existence proves that - they didn't allow romantic attachments."

"Okay, so, the Jedi weren't perfect, and they made mistakes - nothing's perfect. But you said it yourself, they fought for peace and justice, and I imagine they gave hope to people. We can't just let that die! We have to rebuild it, and not make the same mistakes the Jedi did before - the new Order will be different."

Luke said it with finality, like he had already decided he was going to rebuild the Order. But something about the way he argued with her - the knit in his brows as he made his points, the determination in his eyes - it reminded her of his mother, and she smiled fondly.

"What?" He asked, noticing her smile.

"Nothing, just... you reminded me of your mother."

His eyes widened. "You knew her too?"

Ahsoka nodded. "Yes, if it's the person I'm thinking of, and she was very good at arguing in her favor - you seem to have inherited that gift." She crossed her arms. "I'll think about your argument and give you an answer, but until then, we'll start on your training." She began pushing him towards the cabins. "Now, go rest. You've had a long day."

Soundtrack - Anakin Crawling

"Our normal protocol is to terminate the subject if it proves to be difficult," the Grand Inquisitor said to the Dark Lord walking next to him. "But given the rare traits this one exhibited, I've referred the decision to you."

Matters on Arkanis were normally handled by the Grand Inquisitor - he would pick out the best candidates and send them on their way to be trained by Vader - but he had insisted that Vader himself check out this one.

"The next generation of Inquisitors are to be an asset to the Empire, not a threat," Vader replied. "If it is as powerful as you imply, it should have been disposed of."

"This one is quite remarkable."

"So you've said, but you've yet to provide me with any proof of its unique nature."

"It has shown immense progress in the physical manifestations of the Force, utilizing it when it feels threatened or scared."

The two stopped at a door and the Grand Inquisitor waited for Darth Vader to enter first. They stood in front of a one-way window looking into a cell where a malnourished boy in ragged clothes sat against the wall.

"The child was found by Third Sister on Lothal," the Grand Inquisitor explained. "It seems that, without the child knowing, he can connect with animals."

"Hardly interesting," Vader replied as he crossed his arms.

"It's shown a surprising ability to resist our training methods. He's been here a month and still hasn't relented to the Dark Side."

The boy looked up.

"I have a feeling this is a politician's child."

"Senator Ephraim Bridger's child to be exact. He and his wife, Mira, were imprisoned a few years ago when the boy was seven - traitors of the Empire."

"If the child is that impressive, I'm sure the Empire could comb the family line for a weaker candidate."

"It has no other family, but we did find something interesting about its birth. The child was born prematurely on Empire Day, like many of the other children we've come across - and his midichlorian count is impressive."

The boy slowly stood and staggered towards the window, placing his hands on it as he glared at the two men.

"What is he doing?" Vader asked.

"The transparasteel is one-way - the child is responding to our presence."

Vader stared at the boy glaring back at him. He had dark shaggy hair, bright dark blue eyes, the features of a Lothalite native, and a scar going across his nose from his left eyebrow to under his right eye. The boy was angry, at his captors, his parents, the galaxy; Vader could feel the boy's anger, and it was strong.

"He has a lot of anger," Vader said. "That's good."

"You've decided the child's fate?"

"He may become an asset to the Empire. For now, I want to see how he uses his abilities in the field."