Apprentice (Star Wars / Alex Rider Crossover) (BOOK 1)

Chapter Nine

Lightspeed

When Earth had completely disappeared from view, he turned around and looked out the front. The view from the stars was breathtaking. There were millions of twinkling lights all around. He felt that he could reach out and touch them. He had never seen so many stars before.

Obi-Wan saw the look of wonder on Alex's face. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Alex nodded, still taking in the wonder.

"I'm still amazed at the beauty of the universe every time I travel." Obi-Wan remembered the first time he had traveled in space as a young boy. He had been taken with the view.

Just then the nave screen flashed a message. Obi-Wan tapped on the screen. "It's time to make the jump to hyperspace," he announced.

"What's that?"

"It's a speed faster than lightspeed. It's how I get around so fast."

Obi-Wan pressed several buttons on the dashboard. In an instant all the stars became blurred lines as they increased speed. Alex marveled. Nothing on Earth went this fast.

Alex enjoyed the ride with his uncle. He couldn't remember when they spent so much time together. The talked about all kinds of things, each telling about his experiences as a spy and Obi-Wan telling about his Jedi life. Alex was excited about being a Jedi. He could tell he wouldn't regret his decision to come along.

A good while later, they landed in what looked like the Sahara Desert. When the cockpit opened, it felt like the Sahara Desert. Alex had never been overly fond of sand, but he didn't mind.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"We," said Obi-Wan as he began to climb out of the engines, "Have just landed on the planet of Tatooine. It is a remote desert planet in the Outer Rim of the galaxy, and the planet of my exile. We are far away from anything, which means we are safe from the Empire."

Alex looked across the flat, sandy landscape. It was definitely a desert. He could have sworn he was in the Sahara, had it not been for one thing: there were two suns instead of one. That was something he'd have to get used to.

"Welcome to Tatooine,"his uncle said. "The entire planet looks like this, all one big sandy desert, Once you've seen one town, you've seen them all."

Alex looked around. They were in the middle of absolutely nowhere. "So, where do you live?"

Obi-Wan pointed to a large sand dune. "Just over there."

They set off for his house. It took a good deal of work to climb the sand dune, but they were both agile and moved quickly. Once on the top, they could see the stone hut Obi-Wan lived in.

"What about the spaceship? Are you just going to leave it there?" Alex asked. "Won't someone steal it?"

Obi-Wan turned to look behind him. "I'm going to trade it for a land speeder. It will be fine for now."

They reached the house and went inside. Alex felt like he was back in the Stone Age. First, he had been in the fastest spacecraft ever built; now he was in a stone house. What a drastic change. There were few furnishings, just enough for one or two people. It was quite spacious, though.

"Did you build this?" he asked.

"No," Obi-Wan answered. "It was here when I came. I was looking in Mos Espa, the nearby town, for a house, and I was directed here. It's completely concealed be the dunes."

Obi-Wan pulled out a chair at the table and sat down. Alex did likewise.

"I am very happy to have you here, Alex. It will be exciting to train you."

"I'm glad to be with you. It's all I've wanted since you...left."

Obi-Wan smiled. He felt the same.

"So," Alex said, "What exactly is involved in training me as a Jedi?"

"Well," he began, "First, you have to look like a Jedi. Those clothes will never do," he said, looking at Alex's jeans and t-shirt.

Obi-Wan rose from the table and disappeared into the other room. A minute later he returned with a pile of neatly folded black material and set it on the table.

"This belonged to my former apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, when he was your age."

Alex detected sadness in his voice. "What happened to him?"

The question seemed to have startled him, but the look passed. "He was killed, at the rise of the Empire, by a Sith Lord, Darth Vader. He was employed by the Emperor to destroy and kill all Jedi. He betrayed and murdered Anakin."

"What's a Sith and who is Darth Vader?"

"A Sith is like Jedi, but they use the dark side of the Force as the source of their power. They are very evil. And Darth Vader is the Emperor's second-in-command, clad in a suit of black. He is extremely powerful and wicked. He is a fallen Jedi.

"Did you know him?"

Obi-Wan nodded gravely. "I did," he said sadly.

Several minutes later, Alex stood in front of the mirror, looking at his new attire. He looked the same as Obi-Wan; only he was dressed in black, not tan. Alex looked closely. Something was missing.
"Don't Jedi carry any weapons?"

His uncle smiled. "Yes, they're called lightsabers. I'll give you one when you're ready."

"Now what?"

"We are going to have dinner and a good night's rest. Tomorrow we will begin your training in the ways of the Force."

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That night, as Alex lay in bed, he thought about the events of the day. It had been a long day. He hated saying goodbye to Sabina. He sighed. He would have to leave her in the past. He had enjoyed the long flight with his uncle, really getting to know him for real. They had talked about a lot of things. Never before had they spent so much personal time together. Alex realized that he really never knew him at all, but today he had discovered the real Ian Rider who wasn't Ian Rider at all. After all that he had been told about the Jedi and the Force, he was not longer reluctant to be a Jedi. It sounded like an exciting life.