A/N: I do not own SW. This is AU. An OC of mine appears in a chapter or two. Hope you enjoy the fic and don't forget to review!
Jed Willston, twenty-four years old, Jedi Knight, sorrowfully made his way to his starship, the Silver Shadow in the hangar. In his arms, he carried a baby. A baby so strong in the Force, it was almost unreal and impossible, yet there it was in his arms. The baby had light blonde hair and blue eyes in contrast to the Knight's own short jet- black hair and emerald green eyes. His skin was clear and soft, and lay comfortably against the Knight's chest.
Nearly all of the Jedi in the galaxy had been killed save for a few who had managed to escape. They would try to remain hidden but they couldn't hide forever. Emperor Palpatine and his new apprentice, the Sith Lord, Darth Vader, would eventually find and murder them. That was their plan and they were very powerful, especially when it came to the Force, although they did not use it for good intentions.
About half an hour before, Jed had installed a baby carrier inside his ship. He would need it for now. He set the baby in the carrier, who had fallen asleep already. It was nearby so Jed could keep an eye on him while he prepared the ship for lift-off. He started up the engines and the ship rose steadily into the sky. Sadly, he watched the buildings of Coruscant in the night, disappear until all he could see were the lights. The capital of the galaxy was falling under a new power: The Imperials. A new empire had been born.
But something else had also been born. Two beautiful and Force-filled babies, twins named Luke and Leia. Luke was the name of the baby Jed had in his ship now. As his last duty to his Order, Jed had been instructed to take young Luke Skywalker to his father's homeworld, Tatooine. He had been informed of relatives there that would take care of him. Jed had offered to take Luke into his own care. He had a wife and she would be more than glad to help them out. But the Jedi Council had told him that it was Luke's destiny to go to Tatooine. The clouded future would take its course from there and Jed did not doubt the Force or his council.
Obi Wan Kenobi, former master of former Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, a.k.a. Darth Vader, would be taking care of the other twin. Obi Wan would be taking her to Alderaan where she would stay with Bail Organa, Alderaan's Senator and friend to Padme Naberrie-Skywalker. Padme was better known as Senator Amidala to Naboo and would be staying on Coruscant. Although it was dangerous for her to remain there, she insisted on staying. Despite her heavy grief, she was determined to bring the Imperial Empire to its knees. She believed she would succeed, even if it took many years. The Emperor had taken something else from her...
The Clone Wars were coming to an abrupt end. Dark times were ahead.
Coruscant was bustling with activity, even with the reign of the Empire beginning. The lit jewel of a planet was always busy and alive, be it day or night. The former Senator of Naboo didn't think it was possible for everything to be still or dormant on the Capital of the Universe.
Padme was holding Leia close to her as she and Obi Wan flew in a speeder through Coruscant and it's many starships, speeders, and ship taxis. Tailing them was another speeder, occupied by a servant of Palpatine. Currently he was trying to shoot them down and was fairly skilled in keeping up with them, avoiding the heavy traffic. However, a certain Jedi Master had no intention of allowing the agent to catch them. He could not let that happen.
"Hang on." Obi Wan murmured as he guided the speeder through traffic, using old tricks, trying to elude their follower. His attempt was successful. Their follower was lost for the moment but the small victory was fruitless. No matter what they did, Vader would find them and kill them, whether by orders or not. Anakin had become so corrupted in his transformation to Darth Vader. He had seen Padme carrying a baby girl but that was all he had seen and he knew the child was his. The child was Force-sensitive, and could pose a threat to the growing Imperial Empire. At least the Emperor didn't know about her or her potential. Not yet.
They reached the starport where Bail Organa was waiting. The man from Alderaan stood, shifting nervously every now and then. "Padme, you must be quick." Obi Wan told her, referring to the fact that she had to be quick in her good-byes. He would be staying on Alderaan with Bail, watching over Leia. Originally, he had been ordered to watch over Luke on Tatooine but after Vader had seen Leia...her safety was obviously more important at the time and Obi Wan was capable of protecting her.
The Jedi Master got out to give Padme and her daughter privacy for the two to bid farewell. Obi Wan walked swiftly over to where Bail stood, still as a stone. Bail was glancing around warily hoping no Imperial spy or a paid person, had seen them. The two nodded to each other, saying nothing. There was nothing to say after all but their eyes reflected the mixture of feelings and understanding about the current situation.
Inside the speeder, Padme hugged baby Leia close to her, holding the babe tightly as if she'd never let go. 'So this is what a mother feels like...' She thought very vaguely as he gazed into the deep brown eyes of her little girl. Obviously, Leia took after her mother in the looks department and wondered if she would be similar to her in the personality department. Unfortunately, she would never get a chance to see her daughter grow into a woman. "Oh Leia, I love you so much..." The woman whispered, stroking her brow. Leia gurgled, clearly having no idea what was going on or even giving a thought to the dangers of the galaxy. Understandable—she was young.
"Do not forget me." Padme breathed, willing her young daughter to understand the words she was saying. "I will never forget you. Live your life to the fullest, help others, love, trust, and I wish you happiness in your life. Whatever you decide to be when you grow up, I'll always be with you..." Her voice broke slightly and Padme paused, allowing silent sobs to shake her body. "I love you, my little girl." She whispered once more and prepared to leave the speeder. She was grateful no Imperial spy or soldier had spotted them here. Staying in the speeder was just as risky.
After about five more minutes, Padme came out with tears shining on her face. She said nothing as well and merely handed Leia to Bail. Her eyes told Bail to take good care of her, as she had told Jed for her son, who also had to tell the relatives on Tatooine. As Padme watched the starship depart from Coruscant, a new much stronger determination filled her. She would survive to see the end of Emperor Palpatine and his Empire. Though she knew it was hopeless, she hoped anyway, with all her heart, that Anakin would find his way back to the Light. And that she would see her children again.
A few days had passed and Jed found himself staring at the golden planet of Tatooine, a sand desert planet. 'So this is Tatooine...' He thought to himself. He glanced behind him and saw that Luke was just waking up. The Knight smiled at the baby. "We've arrived, little one." He said in a gentle voice. The last few days had been nightmares, dealing with a baby's normal behavior. Jed had only little experience in taking care of a baby and that was at the Temple. He had no kids of his own yet and now he wasn't sure he wanted to. Babies were a lot of work!
Luke cooed at the Jedi Knight and he looked as if he was going to fall asleep again. That just wouldn't be possible with the turbulence they would be experiencing upon entering Tatooine's atmosphere. "Sorry Luke but we've got to get through this." Jed tried his best to make the descent into the dry atmosphere as smooth as possible for not only himself and the ship, but for the son of Padme Naberrie.
The baby almost immediately began crying. He didn't like being jerked awake but then, since when do most people like it? Memories of a recently dissolved headache began to return to Jed's mind. "We're almost there, we're almost there!" The Knight knew he was in the right place as he prepared to land. The Lars Homestead was nearby; he could see it in the distance.
Shmi Skywalker-Lars was still alive.
She now only lived with her stepson, Owen, and his wife, Beru. Several years ago, Shmi had been taken by Sand People and tortured. Anakin had rescued her and was able to heal her wounds. That group of Tusken Raiders paid for their deeds and was slaughtered by the angry Skywalker Jedi. On that night they had experienced the dark side of Anakin, the dark side of the Force.
Shmi had said a tearful good-bye to her son who promised to return again someday but he never did. Cliegg Lars died a year later and up to this point, Shmi was thinking of returning to Mos Espa where it would be a little more safer considering there wouldn't exactly be Sand People around Mos Espa but it was still very dangerous.
Jed went and grabbed all of Luke's belongings in one arm, and Luke himself in the other arm. The ship's doors opened, revealing sand, sand, and more sand. It was a short distance to the Lars Homestead where Owen was already standing, watching. The two descended down the ramp and began to long walk to the homestead.
As Jed and Luke walked under the hot sun, Jed spoke softly to the boy. "Luke, this is probably the last time you'll see me. We only saw each other a couple of times before." A wistful smile appeared on his face. "I know you'll grow up to do great things. But for now listen to your relatives and keep safe. Okay?" Big blue eyes looked up at him sadly, as if the baby understood. Jed straightened himself up and called to Owen. "Greetings!" Two women appeared at Owen's side. One was much older than the other with graying dark hair.
Owen frowned, wondering who the man was and where had come from. "Hello...who are you and what are you doing here?" He asked almost sharply. Beru jammed her elbow in his side, indicating he was rude in his reply. Owen grimaced and cleared his throat. They had to be careful.
"My name is Jed Willston, Jedi Knight of the former Jedi Order." He reached them and stopped, a pained expression on his youthful features. "There are many things going on in the galaxy right now. I don't know if you are aware of them but you'll find out soon. This is Luke, son of Anakin Skywalker." Jed dropped the travel bag onto the sand and bringing Luke up close. "And I believe you are Owen and Beru Lars and Shmi Skywalker-Lars." He stated.
The older woman gasped. "Ani..." She breathed. Why hadn't he told her about Luke? Shmi had never heard from Anakin after he had left and it had nearly broken her heart. It was like he had forgotten all about her.
Jed took a deep breath and spoke. "You must take Luke into your care."
Owen spoke again, frowning. "Hold on-"
"I'm sorry but don't make me make this an order." Jed warned, raising an eyebrow. "I don't want to force you into taking Luke. I want you to take him willingly. This boy needs a home and he needs it now. I cannot give you the full story but..." Jed hesitated. He couldn't tell Shmi about her son's transformation. He would have to do what a Jedi should not do. Lie. "His father is...has passed on." He finished, choosing his words carefully. To tell a mother her son was dead was terrible. But to tell a mother of her son becoming evil or close to it, was another and more heartbreaking.
Shmi gasped once more and tears came to her eyes. Beru bit her lip and moved to comfort Shmi. Owen's mouth formed a thin line. He took Luke from Jed's arms. "Very well. We will take him." He knew his stepmother would intervene soon.
"I'm sorry to have told you that." Jed apologized to the older woman, his heart going out to her. The Knight looked at the blue sky and sighed. "I must be going. Take good care of him." He smiled grimly. "By orders of his mother, Padme."
The name brought recognition to Shmi. Jed turned and left for his starship. "Farewell!" He called back to them. He would be going to his wife's homeworld, which was one of the moons of Iego. She was native to there. The ancient powers of the mountains in which she lived in, or rather nearby, would protect and conceal him from ever being found. That was the main reason Jed wanted to take one of the twins or even both, into his care. Padme could've even gone too. But no, life held a different path for the twins. He only hoped they would grow stronger in the Force and maybe even, save the galaxy.
Jed smiled to himself. Those twins were something special all right.