LOST KINGDOM ─ star wars

IV. What's To Come

Chapter Four
Jayce

Dad rubs a hand over his beard, deep in thought as Luke and I wait patiently for him to talk. We are sitting on the couch in our living room, with Dad sitting in the chair across from us, glancing between the two of us as he thinks.

"That woman we saw in that vision is Leia Amidala. She's the daughter of my friends Aiden Parr and Padmé Amidala."

"Is that who you were calling?" I ask him.

He nods. "I called Aiden and told him what we saw. He explained that he sent Leia on a mission to meet with an Imperial spy to retrieve some information he had. Jay and I saw Leia being captured by the Empire in our vision. Aiden and Padmé are the leaders of the rebellion against the Empire."

Luke and I share a stunned look, giving my father an incredulous look. Luke, however, is the one to voice our shock; "You are friends with the rebel leaders? And you didn't tell us?"

"It was a matter of safety, yours and theirs. I met them back when I was a Jedi and we have remained friends since then. It is because of this friendship that I have agreed to rescue Leia from the Empire."

I shake my head, my eyes widening in fear. "Dad, you can't. You told me yourself that the reason we live on this planet is to stay far away from the Empire, to stay hidden. You're one of the last living Jedi. If they capture they'll—"

"I have to do this," Dad says, letting out a sight as he says; "And so do both of you. I told Aiden the three of us will find Leia and bring her back to the rebel base."

I smile in disbelief, unable to fathom the dream that is now becoming a reality. Ever since I can remember Luke and I have dreamt of escaping Tatooine and having adventures of our own. Year after year we grew so tired of hearing Han's stories, wishing more than anything that we could see the galaxy, meet new people, maybe even join the rebellion, fight against the organization that took everything away from my father.

I look over to Luke, expecting to find him to look as overjoyed as I am, but he looks serious, focused. His voice conveys as much as he asks my dad; "Do you think Vader will be where Leia Amidala is being kept?"

Obi Wan tenses up, looking saddened by the mention of Darth Vader. When Luke's aunt and uncle died a few years ago, Dad revealed something that neither Luke nor I had known. Luke's father was a Jedi like him, the two had been best friends before the Empire's reign. But when the Emperor rose to power, and the Jedi were hunted down and killed, Luke's father was murdered. He was killed by Darth Vader, the Emperor's right hand man and Dad's former Jedi apprentice. He brought Luke and I here to hide out, to keep us safe from the Empire. Luke's aunt and uncle didn't want Dad to tell Luke any of this because they didn't want him to be a Jedi like his father and get himself killed, but that's exactly what Luke wanted. He's been training ever since, trying to master the skills of a Jedi to avenge his father's death.

Dad knows this as well as I do. Luke wants to help the galaxy, he wants to fight against the Empire and free the people they have enslaved. But he wants to kill Vader, which isn't the Jedi way.

"I don't know, but if he is, you won't go anywhere near him."

"Ben, he killed my father, your best friend, how can you—"

"Because Vader is too powerful. I promised your father that I would keep you safe and I plan to do just that. Vader is not our priority, it's Leia."

I clutch onto Luke's shoulder, giving my best friend a small smile. "Dad's right. One day your father's death will be avenged, but right now we need to put all that aside and focus on getting Leia home to her parents. You and I have wanted to join the rebellion for so long, and now is our chance to do so. We get to make a difference in the galaxy, we get to have some real adventures."

Luke nods slowly, smiling back at me. He glances back at my dad, letting out a sigh. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow. Han should be back from his trip, so I will explain the situation to him and convince him to fly us to rescue Leia."

Luke lets out a chuckle, leaning back against the couch. "You'll have to offer him some money to convince him to do this mission."

As much as I like Han, he is definitely a materialistic man. "He doesn't even know you're a Jedi, he'll pay you double just for that."

Dad lets out a sigh, rolling his eyes. "Yes, I'm aware. But that's not something for you two to worry about. Go get some sleep, both of you. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow."

Luke nods, sending a smirk my way before heading to his room. It used to be the storage room of our house, but after Luke's aunt and uncle died, Dad and I didn't want him to live in that house alone, so he lives here. He still works on the farm, after all why let good income go to waste? He gets exhausted working on both the moisture farm and Dad's shop, so he tends to just come home and go straight to bed. Its been nice having him live here, even if his room is next to mine and he does have a tendency to snore.

Once Luke is gone, Dad gives me a soft smile, making his way over to where Luke sat moments ago. He places his hand on my shoulder, gripping it tightly. "You ready for this?" He asks me lowly.

I nod, giving my father a reassuring smile. "You've trained me as a Jedi ever since I was little. I always knew that you were preparing me for something big, and this is it. All I've ever wanted is to fight the Empire, and now I finally get to do it."

Dad gives me that sad smile again, the smile I see every now and then, one I don't quite understand. He grips my shoulder tighter. "Jay, you must promise me that no matter what happens you will look after Luke and Leia. The galaxy depends on it."

It isn't very often that Dad speaks so vaguely, but when he does, I know it is because he's sensed something, or the force has given him a vision. I know how important those are, I know what they mean. So I nod, my voice low as I respond; "I promise, Dad."

Dad pulls me towards him and wraps his arms around my shoulders, hugging onto me tightly. I return my father's embrace, feeling his hand reach off to stroke the back of my head, calming me as it always seems to.

As Dad pulls away, that unexplainable sadness is still there, maybe even more so. But instead of explaining why, he just kisses my forehead, wishing me goodnight before he walks out of the living room and towards his bedroom. As I walk into my own bedroom, already hearing Luke's snores, I find myself wide awake, unable to even think about sleeping. It feels like my life up until this moment has just been preparation, that my life is truly beginning tomorrow. So as I get into bed, I think of all that is to come now, all that could be. I think of the rebellion, the place I might have in it. I think of the Empire doomed for destruction. But most of all, as I finally start to drift asleep, I think of Leia Amidala, the beautiful rebel girl we are going to rescue.