Another chapter and another chapter for my Justice League fanfiction coming soon!
As usual: comments, favorites and follows are greatly appreciated.
Chapter 2: A Special Kind of Ship
It took Obi-Wan, Luke and the droids three hours to reach Mos Eisley. Luke had gone there a few times, and each time he'd been eager to leave. This city was a hornet's nest of malice and crime but, according to Obi-Wan, also the best place to find a pilot that could take them to Alderaan.
As they drove through the bustling streets lined with food stalls and mechanic shops, Obi-Wan gripped Luke's forearms and told him to stop the speeder. Luke was confused but complied and pulled over by the side of the road.
Obi-Wan dismounted and entered a shop that Luke identified as a junk dealership. He followed him inside and saw the old Jedi looking around the shop nostalgically.
An old Toyderian with unkempt facial hairs flew out of a backdoor and approached his potential buyers.
"Ah welcome customers!" he grinned with a rather repugnant set of tusks and teeth. "What is it I canna help ya with?"
"Watto?" Obi-Wan asked with a smirk.
"Ye is a me," he answered with a suspicious look. "Who's asking?"
"Do you remember selling a slave by the name of Shmi Skywalker a couple years ago?" he asked. "Earlier still you may remember losing a bet with a Jedi master for a new hyperdrive generator."
Watto's blue and craggy face paled. Luke looked confusedly from one to the other. Do these two know each other? How does a Jedi Knight know a sleazy parts seller?
"I may remember that…" Watto replied cautiously.
"I'm sure you kept some of her belongings," Obi-Wan continued. "Perhaps hoping you could sell it for a good price later. I want you to show me what you have."
Watto stayed still for a couple seconds, except from his wings that kept him at eye level with Obi-Wan. This old man clearly knew a lot; and he was a Jedi. The thought briefly came to his mind about reporting him to the Empire, but as if hearing his thoughts Obi-Wan brought into view the lightsaber hanging at his belt.
"Let me get it," Watto relented. "It's in the back."
The old Toyderian flew to his backroom as Obi-Wan walked around the shop, examining the different pieces of equipment in varying states of disrepair. Luke stayed close to him, waiting for an explanation.
"Your grandmother and father were born on Tatooine as slaves," Obi-Wan said as he examined the head of an old protocol droid. "My master, Qui-Gon Jiin, and I found ourselves on this planet and he was able to free you father but not your grandmother. She was eventually bought and married to Cliegg Lars, your uncle's father. They were both very happy for several years before she was… killed by Tusken Raiders."
Luke was speechless. He couldn't believe how much more he'd learned about his family from Obi-Wan then from two decades living with his aunt and uncle. He was curious about his grandmother despite the fact he'd never met her, much like his father.
Watto came flapping back, carrying a box filled with various clothes and knick-knacks.
"All here." he announced, setting the box on a table.
Obi-Wan removed the lid and started to look through Shmi's old belongings. He put aside the clothes and examined the other objects. Most of them weren't very interesting except for what Obi-Wan was hoping to find: a half carved piece of Japor Snippet.
It looked to be some sort of bird with only its head having been fully carved. There was an impressive amount of detail and it was small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand; or around one's neck, Obi-Wan thought.
"How much?" he asked Watto, holding up the carving.
"That?" he asked unenthusiastically. "It's a junk. Free! I don't care, just leave."
"Why thank you." Obi-Wan nodded with a smile as his eyes fell on Shmi's discarded clothes.
He searched though the different robes and shirts, all made out of cheap and coarse fabric, until he found something priceless: a picture of Shmi and Anakin Skywalker.
The picture brought a wave of sadness to Obi-Wan. He remembered it like it was yesterday, meeting Anakin for the first time aboard Queen Amidala's Nubian starship. His headstrong personality had initially frustrated him but he'd grown to find it endearing and a good counterweight to his sometimes serious demeanor. Obi-Wan quickly stamped down these old memories and glanced back at the bored looking Toydarian.
"I'll take this too."
Watto waved him off with a bored expression and Luke followed Obi-Wan as he exited the shop. Once outside, the old master pulled Luke aside into the shade.
"I want you to hold on to both of these Luke," Obi-Wan asked, handing him the carving and the picture. "This carving meant a lot to your grandmother and father, and I feel it will come to mean a lot to you too. And this: is a picture of the two of them."
Luke observed the carving closely and noticed it had a hole where the bird's eye was supposed to be. He reached into one of the compartments on his belt where he kept a variety of bits of junk to tinker with and produced a small length of chain. He threaded it through the eyehole and tied it into a loop which he passed around his neck.
"Thanks Ben." he replied with a sincere tone.
He then observed the picture closely. It showed a woman and young boy crouching next to each other with broad smiles on their faces, their arms wrapped tightly around each other. His father had the same eye and hair color as himself but strangely, not she same as his mother. Strange, Luke thought.
He also noticed the pendant hanging around both their necks which appeared to be of the same material as the one he was now wearing. He gripped it tightly and put the picture in his pocket, feeling instantly closer to both of them.
Obi-Wan patted Luke on the back and they both got back on the speeder, continuing their drive through the crowded streets of Mos Eisley.
After a couple minutes, Obi-Wan signaled Luke to stop again, this time in front of an ominous looking cantina.
Obi-Wan and Luke entered the infamous place where the best freighter pilots in the sector were said to hang out. They'd had to leave R2 and 3-PO outside. Luke was leaning against the bar trying to make himself discreet as Obi-Wan struck up a conversation with a Wookie next to him.
Luke was amazed by the diversity of species in this one cantina. They each had a different home planet; in this one room there was easily a hundred different worlds represented and for all of his life Luke had only known one: Tatooine. He was getting butterflies in his stomach in anticipation for all the new things he was about to learn and discover.
Suddenly, an angry looking Aqualish shoved Luke aside and growled something incomprehensible to him. Luke kept his head down and moved away slightly, anxious to avoid a confrontation.
Luke felt a tap on his shoulder and when he turned around, a horribly disfigured human was inches away from his face.
"He doesn't like you." the man stated distastefully.
"I'm sorry." Luke replied, trying to return to his drink.
"I don't like you either," he insisted, pulling Luke towards him. "You just watch yourself. We're wanted men. I have the death sentence on twelve systems!"
Luke was getting uncomfortable and more than a little scared. Some patrons were turning towards them clearly eager to see if a fight was going to break out. Luke felt the best approach was to not provoke this guy.
"I'll be careful." he replied evenly.
"You'll be DEAD!" the man shouted back threateningly.
So much for that, Luke though.
Finally, Obi-Wan turned away from his conversation with the Wookie to weigh in on the exchange.
"This little one's not worth the effort," he said, smiling at the scarred pirate. "Come let me get you something."
Next thing Luke knew, the man threw him across the room and he crashed into a table. He heard the sound of a lightsaber igniting, then a blaster firing, followed by a guttural cry of pain. When he looked back towards the counter, his eyes fell on the bloody severed arm laying on the floor. Its owner and his friend ran out of the cantina, terrified.
Luke watched in awe as Obi-Wan kept his lightsaber ignited a few more seconds, sweeping his gaze across the room as if daring anyone else to challenge him. When no one seemed to volunteer he extinguished his lightsaber. The music and hum of voices resumed immediately like nothing had happened.
Obi-Wan walked over to Luke and helped him up under the impassive eyes of the Wookie he'd been talking to.
"I'm alright." Luke assured him as he shook of his daze.
"Chewbacca here is first mate on a ship that might suit us." Obi-Wan explained, leading Luke over to a nearby booth.
A cocky looking man dressed in a white shirt and black bolero jacket slid into the booth next to Chewbacca.
"Han Solo," he introduced without preamble. "I'm captain of the Millennium Faulcon. Chewie here tells me you're looking for passage to the Alderaan system."
"Yes indeed, if it's a fast ship." Obi-Wan stated.
"Fast ship?" Han asked in mock insult. "You've never hear of the Millennium Faulcon?" His tone was absolute shock and disbelief.
"Should I have?" Obi-Wan said distractedly.
Luke already disliked this guy. His self-assured attitude that didn't answer to anyone reminded him of the bullies who used to pick on him when he was a kid. He did his best to stay neutral and almost felt Obi-Wan's thoughts telling him to control his feelings.
"It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs." Han boasted smugly. Seeing that he was getting no reaction from his audience, he put on a confident smirk as he leaned in closer. "I've outrun Imperial Starships. Not the local bulk cruiser mind you, I'm talking about the big Corellian ships now." Seeing that he was still getting no recognition from Obi-Wan or Luke, Han decided to just cut to business. "She's fast enough for you old man. What's the cargo?"
"Only passengers," Obi-Wan replied with a knowing smile. "Myself, the boy, two droids… and no question asked."
Han smirked broadly at the seriousness in the old man's tone.
"What is it some kind of local trouble?"
"Let's just say we'd like to avoid any Imperial entanglements."
"Well that's the real trick isn't it?" Han stated rhetorically, leaning back in his seat. "And it's gonna cost you something extra…"
Here it comes, Obi-Wan thought reflexively.
"Ten thousand. All in advance."
Luke's jaw hit the floor. That was an insane amount of money. This guy was clearly trying to scam them; he couldn't keep quiet anymore.
"Ten thousand?!" Luke asked in disbelief. "We could almost buy our own ship for that."
"But who's gonna fly it kid? You?" Han said with a goading smirk.
"You bet I could," Luke huffed in exasperation. "I'm not such a bad pilot myself. We don't need to sit here and listen…"
Luke tried to get up but Obi-Wan gestured for him to stay put. Frustrated, the boy plopped back in his chair.
"We can pay you two thousand now," Obi-Wan began locking eyes with the smuggler. "Plus fifteen when we reach Alderaan."
The reactions from everyone around the table were priceless. Chewbacca simply raised his thick eyebrows in disbelief while Luke turned to Obi-Wan in utter shock. How can he even promise money like that? Is it a trick?, the boy thought.
Han's eyes gleamed with the promise of a much larger payout than he'd initially asked for.
"Seventeen huh?" he asked slowly, to which Obi-Wan nodded. Han paused for a moment. "Okay you guys got yourselves a ship. We'll leave as soon as you're ready. Docking bay ninety-four."
"Ninety-four." Obi-Wan repeated.
Han's eyes slowly shifted behind them where a group of Stormtroopers were talking with the barman.
"Looks like somebody's beginning to take an interest in your handiwork." he remarked drily.
Obi-Wan had known they were there before they'd entered the cantina and already had his escape plan figured out. Before he left, he leaned over to Han and whispered:
"I'd recommend you shoot as soon as you have the chance."
The smuggler looked back at Obi-Wan with a confused look but he and Luke had already disappeared into the crowd.
"If the ship's as fast as he's boasting, we ought to do well." Obi-Wan said to Luke as they approached the Millennium Faulcon's docking bay.
They met Chewbacca outside, who led them down to see the ship. Obi-Wan could sense the figure that had been following them for most of the day. It was reporting them to the Empire and Obi-Wan knew they would have to leave very soon.
They went down a flight of stairs and arrived face to face with the Millennium Faulcon. It wasn't the most elegant ship Obi-Wan had ever seen but Luke's comment summed it up even more concisely.
"What a piece of junk!"
Han, who was doing final checks on the undercarriage, gave him a sardonic glare.
"She'll make point five past light speed," he announced proudly. "She may not look like much but she's got it where it counts kid. I've made a lot of special modifications myself. But we're a little rushed so if you'll just get onboard, we'll get out of here."
Han's fake welcoming smile didn't fool any of them but Obi-Wan appreciated his urgency to leave. He could sense a squad of Stormtroopers closing in on the hanger.
The old Jedi hung back a little as Luke and the droids boarded the ship. He eyed Han and the doors to the hangar closely as the smuggler finished doing the final inspection.
Just then, a squad of Stormtroopers burst into the hanger.
"Stop that ship!" the leader called out. "Blast them!"
Obi-Wan quickly deflected the first shot back to its owner and Han's quick reflexes took out another Stormtrooper with a well-aimed shot from his pistol. Both men turned to each other and the younger man gave Obi-Wan a slight nod of acknowledgment. He fired off shots and the Jedi deflected blaster bolts until they'd both backed up the boarding ramp and onto the ship.
Once they were both inside, Han sealed the Faulcon and ran towards the cockpit.
"Chewie get us out of here!" he called to the Wookie.
Obi-Wan quickly joined Luke, R2 and C3-PO and fastened his seat belt as the entire ship started to shake and lift away from Tattooine's gravitational pull.
"Oh my, I've forgotten how much I hate space travel." C3-PO lamented in response to R2's cheerful beep.
After a few more seconds the ship stopped shaking as they entered the vacuum of space.
Luke quickly unfastened his seat belt and made a beeline for the cockpit. Always on the move, Obi-Wan mused as he followed the boy into the cockpit.
"Stay sharp there's two more coming in they're gonna try and cut us off." Han pointed to Chewbacca as he calculated the jump to light speed.
"Why don't you outrun them I though you said this thing was fast!?" Luke commented in frustration.
"Watch your mouth kid or you're gonna find yourself floating home." Han rebuked him sharply. "We'll be safe enough once we make the jump to hyperspace… Besides I know a few manoeuvers. We'll lose them."
The ship started to shake dangerously as the deflector shields were battered by a barrage of laser cannon fire from the Star Destroyers behind them.
"This is where the fun begins." Han said with a grin.
"How long before you can make the jump to light speed?" Obi-Wan asked urgently.
"It'll take a few moments to get the coordinates from the navicomputer." Han replied.
Obi-Wan nodded and moved out of the cockpit.
"I'll try and buy you some time." he announced to everyone before disappearing down the corridors of the ship.
Obi-Wan moved towards the end of the ship and slowly emptied his mind of all distractions. He reached deep into the Force; sensed all the living beings on that Star Destroyer and found the ones that were firing the cannons.
Reaching out through the Force he clouded the gunners' senses; made their hands slip and misfire or fire completely off target.
For several seconds, not a single shot came even close to the Millennium Faulcon until the coordinates were finally obtained and the ship disappeared into hyperspace.
Once Obi-Wan saw those familiar blue swirls and streaks he knew they were safe, at least for now. He slowly made his way back to the front of the ship.