LOST KINGDOM ─ star wars

I. The Prince & The Farm Boy

Chapter One
Jayce

"Do you think we can do it?" Luke asks me, tilting his head sideways as we look at the giant nest of womp rats.

I let out a deep breath, trying to make a guess on the distance between us and the nest. "It's a few yards away...and it's on a hill...yeah I think we can do it. How much time until we have to be at my dad's shop?"

"Twenty minutes or so."

I nod, reaching out and clasping Luke's shoulder. "I call flying it this time."

He lets out a huffed laugh. "In your dreams."

"You owe me after last time."

"It's not my fault we crashed into that ravine."

"You were the one flying it."

He gives me a glare, his voice defensive. "The controls jammed."

I squeeze his shoulder, nodding towards the T-16 parked a few feet away. "Suck it up just this once, besides, we both know I'm the better pilot."

He rolls his eyes. "Now you're really dreaming." he says, pushing my arm off of him and beginning to sprint towards the ship. I curse lowly and sprint after him, feeling thankful that I have longer legs than he does, because I make it to the ship first despite him having the head start. Luke doesn't seem too pleased about it.

I smirk at him as I get inside the pilot seat, making Luke roll his eyes again. He reluctantly gets in the co-pilot seat, making my smile grow more.

As I grip the handles of the ship, I glance at Luke, nodding to him once. "You ready?"

"Like you even have to ask."

I pull on the handles and bring the ship off the ground, only raising it enough to glide over the surface. Luke grips onto the controls for the gun of the ship, readying himself as I fly closer and closer to the nest.

"Alright...now!" Luke shouts. I pull up a few feet higher, giving Luke a perfect view of the nest. He doesn't hesitate, he shoots at the womp rats with a look of pure concentration, making his mark on three of the seven little beasts.

Luke groans as I set the ship down on the other side of the nest, glaring at the controls. "The trigger froze."

I let out a laugh, nodding my head in sarcasm. "I'm sure it did."

Luke shoves me playfully, making me laugh harder. I pull the ship back up and fly back towards Luke's house, giving Luke a sympathetic look as I do so. "You want to fly us to the shop? I'm sure the controls won't freeze."

"You think you're really funny don't you?"

I grin. "When it comes to making fun of you, I think I'm hilarious."

-

Dad's shop doesn't seem very busy today, I hardly see anyone coming in or out of the tiny stone structure. He has owned this mechanical parts shop since before I can remember. He sells parts for all kinds of ships and speeders, which is really needed in a place like Mos Eisley. I can tell it isn't the job Dad would like to have, but I think he's content with it. He's enjoyed it more since Luke and I both started working here, although Luke only works part time because he still has to work on his aunt and uncle's farm.

Luke parks the T-16 just outside of the shop, commenting on how he wants to see if Dad has a new trigger for the gun controls. I'm sure he does but nothing in my dad's shop will fix his horrible aim.

It is indeed a slow business day. No one is in the shop, and Dad is standing behind the counter polishing up a power converter. He's wearing his usual cream colored long sleeve shirt and brown pants, his cloak draped neatly over the edge of the counter. His auburn hair is now mixed with grey, his face aged with time, his demeanor worn and quiet. Dad has always been a distant man, always off in his own mind, lost in another life. It's no wonder, I know what horrors he must have seen as a Jedi, and even more so when the Jedi were hunted down and he had to hide away here with me. Even though he is distant in a general sense, he has never been that way around me. I'm probably the only one that has seen his true self, a man filled with the liveliness that he had in his times as a Jedi.

Luke starts sifting through the shelves of parts, asking Dad without turning his head; "Ben, do you have any new triggers for a T-16 gun?"

Dad chuckles softly. "That bad?"

"I only shot three of them," Luke says, shaking his head to himself. "I think it's safe to say I'm better with a lightsaber than I am with a gun."

Now I'm the one to chuckle. "That's still debatable," I tell him, walking over towards the counter and pushing myself on top of it, dangling my legs over the side. "I wonder why things are so slow here today."

Dad shrugs, glancing at the entrance. "Who knows, but if we don't get many customers we'll be fine. The last shipment of hyper drives will last us a while."

"Is Han delivering them now?"

"He's doing his last stop on Christophsis, he should be back tomorrow."

Han Solo has been working for my dad for many years. It all started when Dad helped him get out of a debt he owed to the Hutt clan, in return for Han working for Dad and helping him with shipments. He got into trouble because of his smuggling endeavors, which he still does on the side. Dad lets him hide out here when he gets into trouble, and he always pays him a good wage. Luke and I both like Han a lot, he's our window into life outside this barren planet.

Luke about sums it up as he lets out a groan. "He's so lucky. I want to travel like he does."

I nod in agreement. "Hopefully in the next harvest or so you'll be able to save enough money to leave."

Luke sits himself on top of the counter next to me. "Here's to hoping."

Dad waves his hand as he gestures to us, a stern look on his face. "Get off my counter and start working, just because there isn't customers doesn't mean there's work to do. Luke, go polish the rest of the power converters."

Luke nods and jumps off the counter, making his way towards the bin of power converters next to Dad and taking the rag from his hand. I jump off the counter as well, now standing next to Dad, whom I am now equal in height to.

"What do you need me to do?" I ask.

"You can help me with the power cores in the back."

I sigh. "You know I hate those."

Dad brings his hand up and caresses my hair gently, something he's done my entire life. He gives me a fake sympathetic look, his voice dripping with sarcasm; "I know, it's so terrible."

I roll my eyes, gesturing towards the back as I say; "How about if I help you with the power cores, you do some lightsaber training with us today after dinner?"

"This isn't a democracy, Jay."

"I'm simply negotiating terms."

Dad smirks at me, reluctantly nodding his head. "Fine, but those power cores better look brand new when you're done with them."

I grab a rag and the box of tools off the ground, walking backwards towards the back as I say to him; "The power cores will be better than they were when they were first built."

Dad shakes his head, a smile still grazing his lips. This smile quickly dies though, replaced by dread as he leans back against the counter, his breathing growing shallow. I set the tools down and run back towards him, gripping onto his shoulders as I look him over, trying to see what's wrong. "Dad, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

Dad nods slowly, his blue eyes meeting mine. "Yes...yes I'm fine. I felt a disturbance in the force, something bad happened."

"What?"

He shakes his head, his eyebrows creased in concentration as he tries to sort out what the force is trying to tell him, but it's not giving him any answers. "I'm not sure. But all will reveal itself in time, that I am sure of."

I nod my head, my worry not subsiding. Ever since I was little, Dad has taught me the ways of the Jedi, the ways of the force. If there's one thing I've learned is that the force works in mysterious ways. If it's trying to tell Dad something, then it will when the time is right. All I can do is hope that whatever bad feeling Dad got isn't too serious. But these days, with the tyranny of the Empire, I doubt whatever the force is trying to tell him is anything good.