Chapter Text
Luke smiled as he successfully blended into the crowd, his recently stolen but purchased clothes helping the force make him inconsequential. Two more transports, and he would be home. Two more transports, and he would be truly free. His father would never think to look on the dry horrendous landscape of their home planet. Between the ingrained dislike he held and Luke's professed despisement of the place, anyone that knew him would look in the opposite direction. Years of pretending to be the lovable goofball from a dry, desolate backwater had helped him to become a very good actor. The force wrapped itself around his shoulders, blanketing him in its calm, comforting strength. He was safe, the force would protect him--even from his father. As he walked toward the transport, he felt that even the greatest bounty hunter would struggle to find him.
~~~~~
Din scowled at the passing crowd as he thought about everything that he knew about his target. He was a young man that had sandy hair and blue eyes. No one had seen anyone matching that description go through any transport terminals on any of the planets around the last place he was seen. If Din did not know better, he would think that the man had the ability to turn invisible. How could a person disappear in a location that had more cameras than people? He stormed out of the cantina and toward his ship. It was pointless to waste more time here. What he needed was information. All he had Was a name and description. Nothing about his past or family. He would get to know everything about his target. That was the only way he would have a chance.
~~~~~
Luke stared as the large desolate wastes of his home came into view. Tatooine was always considered the worst place, even by the people that called it home, but they still loved it. It was the place of his ancestors. The place where his father had been freed. It was the place where he had sat, staring out at the dunes, as his Aunt Beru had taught him how to brew the tea recipe his grandmother had learned from her own mother. He even learned the recipe from his aunt's family.
When he had asked why it was being given to him, she replied with a smile, “Even though your father was the step-brother of Owen, he was still family. Even though you are not my blood child, you are my son. You are my child and have the right to learn the tea recipe of my family.”
He knew the tea recipes were not unique to Tatooine. Many planets had the tradition of having family recipes. Tatooine was one of the ones that held to it so strongly. He missed the tea. He missed the taste of home. When he had been taken to the side of Darth Vader, his father, he had been a young boy. He had few memories of the woman who had raised him as her own, but he held those ones dear to his heart. He reached the small moisture farm that he had once known as if it had been a part of him. Now, it was looking lonely and empty–its residents long gone. It would be his sanctuary. A safe haven away from the place that had become his prison and a hideaway from his pursuers. He would start it back up. He would live and grow much like he had before, but he would also be ready to move. That is how things need to be. That is how anyone who lives in the Empire must live. You never knew when your planet, home, or people would be declared enemies.
~~~~~
Din scowled at the star map on his ship. If he were a runaway glorified prisoner, where would he go? He knew nearly nothing about this man. This man that they claimed was the most loyal, yet he ran. This man that was at a high position, but they were willing to turn into a prisoner. Just where did they find him? How did he get into that position? All he had was questions with no answers. The only thing he knew for sure was what the man looked like because of the fact that the courier had a holo pic of him. Otherwise, he would have been flying completely blind.
A thought struck him and made him reach for his com, “Bo-Katan, tell the planets with the least Imperial presence.”
Her confused voice responded promptly, “Tatooine, Dathomir, and Kessel. Is there a reason, sir?”
“Simple,” he replied gravely, “If you were running from the Empire, where would you go to get away?”
With that, he shut off the com and put the coordinates into his nav computer for the nearest planet to him. Even if he had to search each planet one-by-one, he was going to find this man.
~~~~~
(4 months later)
Luke shrugged on the clothes he had adjusted from what was left of his uncle’s closet. The routine had been easy to fall into. Wake up early in the morning, practice in the force–reaching far away from the darkness that his father had drilled into him–and get everything put together for the moisture farming for the day. It was one that he had fallen into quickly, as if he had never left it behind. He quickly finished his force training and began cleaning the moisture farmers. There were so many parts he needed to repair or replace. He quickly calculated the cost of each part. It would be close this month, but he should be able to make it through without many issues if he repaired everything. Hopefully, next month would have fewer repairs to buy parts for. He was jolted from his work when the sound of a speeder crashed across the sand dunes. It sounded like it was on its last leg, but that did not mean anything. A person could easily get that sound in a speeder after an encounter with a group of Sand people. He quickly crouched down, cursing his choice of clothes that morning. They were dark brown and stood out against the sand around him. The driver would have to be blind or just not paying attention if he missed him. The speeder came to a sputtering halt nearby, and a man in silver mandalorian armor got off of the battered machine.
“I know you are there. You shouldn’t bother trying to run. Also, don’t try claiming you aren’t who I am looking for. I spent way too long looking for you to have the patience for your attempt at deception,” he said, the helmet changing his voice.
“I’m not going back,” Luke called back, “I will not be a bargaining chip for a trap. I am sick and tired of the Empire. You’ll just have to kill me if you want your bounty.”
The helmet tilted as the man groaned, “There is no bounty. You will need to come with me.”
Luke shook his head and grabbed his lightsaber, the red blade a haunting sight. Seeing the color felt like a collar around his neck, chaining him to the Emperor and his father. He would endure it. He would escape. He would disappear and then try one more time. Try living a quiet life one more time. It was all he had left to hold onto. He would not be a slave of the Empire again. He would not return to the gilded cage.
“Go kiss a hutt,” he spat before he turned and ran for his speeder a short distance away.
The mandalorian cursed and shot at him with the blaster he had been holding loosely in his hand. The sand went flying as it missed by a hair’s breadth, and Luke scrambled onto the speeder.
“Thanks for the fun, but let’s not do this again,” he quipped as he started the engine and sped forward, towards the rolling sand dunes.
~~~~~
Din was left staring in shock. Sure, he had expected resistance. What he had not expected was the vehement decision to not be a part of a trap. While had not expected anything good from the Empire, that they would resort to that was the one thing he had not been planning on. Change of plans, he was going to track down the man to get more information. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend–or my informant in this case. Surely he would be willing to talk.
Din later discovered that this was not the case. His prey was doing a great job at almost making him crash into walls as he raced through the valley that most sane people would be cautious of. He took the sharp curves with the confidence of a man that had performed the action a thousand times with the same results. Din, however, did not have such luck. His already battered speeder was looking sadder and sadder as it scraped and sparked against the rock face on either side of him.
“I’m not taking you back to the Empire. I am from Mandalore!” Din attempted to shout over the wind.
Fortunately for Din, a dead end appeared in front of them. There had apparently been a rockslide that had taken out the path and trapped the young man between Din and an itself.
Din, quickly parking the speeder to best block the path, rushed to get himself heard, “I have no intention of returning you to the Empire. I just want your help. I am here on behalf of the Mand’alor. Please, help us avoid the Empire’s influence.”
Luke sighed. He wanted to avoid this, but reality hardly ever followed the wants and wishes of those that are subjected to it. He turned to his pursuer. There was so much of him that wanted to believe in the man. That wanted to believe that not everyone had given up on honesty and trust in the galaxy, but it was hopeless. It had been nineteen years that the Empire had reigned, but so many people had forgotten what it was like before. It had taken over completely. Raising his hands, he turned on his speeder. The blaster lowered ever-so-slightly. That was all that he needed. Reaching out to the force, he yanked his hand down, pulling several boulders off of their perches on the ledges of the canyon.
“Karabast!” Din yelled as he dove for cover from the falling rocks.
Luke spun his speeder around and shot for the small gap next to the worn speeder that blocked the path. It was time to thread the needle. As he successfully passed the speeder, Din shot at the steering drive, his aim hitting true this time. With barely a moment to think, Luke dove off of the speeder and let it crash into the canyon wall.
“Would you just listen to me?” Din exclaimed in irritation, “I just want to talk!”
“I seriously doubt that,” Luke scoffed. “You just want to take me to be a glorified slave for the Empire! I will not let that happen! I am Luke Skywalker! The first freeborne of my line! I will not let anyone make me their slave!”
Din paused, struck by the realization. This soldier of the Empire was not loyal. He was merely waiting for the chance to escape. He had been enduring whatever position they had placed him in–dreaming and hoping for the chance to get away from the hands of the Empire. Then, Din had come barging into the new life he had created–sending his freedom into jeopardy. He understood why the young man–and he really was young. His face held desperation and determination. It was jaded from his experiences, yes, but it still held some form of hope. There was no other way to describe the expression on his face. It was a guarded hope.
“I understand your position,” Din said, lowering his blaster again, “but I also am trying to prevent my people from becoming enslaved by the Empire.”
Sky blue met earthy brown, and understanding finally crossed the chasm that had been between them. They both hated the Empire. They both wanted to be free of it.
“How about we work together,” Din suggested, reaching out a hand.
“Yeah,” Luke said, smiling as he shook the man’s hand, “let’s join a rebellion.”