Rebel Pilot: A Star Wars Story

Chapter 11

"General Dodonna is going to be so mad about this," Luke hissed as Anakin, entirely unconcerned about this, fired up the controls to the Rebel Alliance-owned spacecraft they were currently "borrowing."

"I'm technically older than him in this timeline, and you know, respect your elders and all." Anakin shrugged.

Obi-Wan sputtered. "Did you, Anakin Skywalker, just use the phrase 'respect your elders' unironically?!"

Anakin once again shrugged as they took off into the air. "It's not like stealing a ship is any more crazy than your idea of overthrowing a galactic Empire that doesn't even exist in the time we're from. Besides, don't you love the idea of all of us going on a long space exploration mission, looking for my evil future self so we can yell at him and convince him to stop being dumb, in a stolen ship?"

"I do not, in fact, love that idea!" Obi-Wan protested. He looked to his older self for help, but older Obi-Wan was stubbornly staying out of it. Then he looked to Leia. "Your daughter seems to care about structure. Leia, should we be stealing this ship?"

"I think this one was stolen anyway." Leia shrugged, and Obi-Wan's jaw went slack. "What?! This is an organization attempting to overthrow the government. Most of what we do is illegal."

"Is anyone else worried about the fact that we're kind of taking off into space right now on Anakin's whim looking for a Sith that we have no idea where he is?"

"On my whim?" Anakin scoffed. "This was your idea, master. I'm just executing it."

"I'm not the most intellectual person on the world," Han interrupted. "But I think we need more of a plan than 'take off into the galaxy and hope we miraculously stumble upon Vader.'"

"I'm running with the plan Obi-Wan gave me," Anakin said.

Obi-Wan shook his head violently. "I gave an idea, Anakin, not a plan! Though I'm really not surprised you don't know the difference."

"Why don't you use the Forcey thing?" Luke asked, waving his hands around in a poor imitation of using the Force. "And like, I don't know, locate Vader somehow?"

"That's not how the Force works," both Obi-Wans said at the same time.

"Actually..." Anakin concentrated for a moment. Sure, it should be impossible, but Vader was literally him. They had possibly the most advanced Force bond anyone could ever possibly have. Reaching out, he looked for a presence anything like himself... but he didn't exactly know what "himself" was like, especially in this time. Then he tried something that was both internal and external, like he was both searching the galaxy and himself at the same time, and...

...he suddenly knew what direction he had to go. "I know where we're going!" Anakin announced.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. "Oh, really."

"I do!"

"Then where are we going?" Obi-Wan challenged.

Anakin hesitated. "I'm not sure. No, listen! I know what direction to go. I can feel my other presence in the Force, because, well, he's me." Anakin gave Luke a thumbs up. "Thanks for the idea!"

"Why did I let you talk me into getting on this ship," Han grumbled.

"I didn't talk you into it," Obi-Wan defended himself. "I don't even know who you are."

"He's a smuggler," Leia said, watching Han out of the corner of her eye for a reaction. "He was a low-life Luke and Obi-Wan paid to pilot them after meeting him on Tatooine."

"Did you just call me a 'low-life,' princess?"

"I said was . Now he's a hero of the rebellion." But Leia's smug look told Anakin she'd gotten the exact reaction out of Han that she had wanted to get.