Learning Dad

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A/N1:Major AU story!

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A/N2: I do not own Star Wars.

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A/N3: This is my first attempt at a time-travel outside of my co-authored story "Binary Stars" with AngelDesaray. Please be kind in your reviews.

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Timeframe: 42 ABY for where Ben comes from (Between the Legacy of the Force and Fate of the Jedi series.) and a few years before ANH for the bulk of the story.

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Chapter One:

Blasterfire raked across the area, and Ben Skywalker whipped his lightsaber out to deflect whatever shots came his way. Behind him, his trio of Galactic Alliance troopers returned fire while Ben acted as a living shield for them.

Across the distance, Ben spied a familiar figure with a green lightsaber making a much larger dent in the enemy forces, and Ben was caught between envying the man, and respecting him.

Ben shook his head. Why was he jealous? It wasn't as though his father was showing off; it was just that Luke Skywalker was really that good.

And it was because of years of experience... Ben knew this. But still, at times it was hard to not be a little put-off by his father's... status. Yes, they were closer, but Ben still had a few lingering issues with his father.

He and Luke weren't as distant as they had been before the death of Ben's mother, Mara Jade Skywalker, but nor were they as close as they could have been. Ben felt as though they were in a transitional phase.

After all, one didn't just suddenly like their father as though they'd never done wrong after too many months wanting nothing or little to do with him.

But part of Ben knew he was being childish. Luke had only been doing what he felt was best, even if Ben couldn't see and accept that then.

A singe of blistering heat to his right forearm woke Ben up to the fact that he'd lost focus... and he bit back a cry of pain. Ben intensified his defense, though his men had moved on, trying to flank the black-clad figures who'd set up this ambush on Toydaria.

The enemy in this fight was a faction of Darth Caedus supporters who, for whatever reason, had decided to set up shop on Toydaria, and their terrorizing of the natives had caused a stir among the Galactic Alliance.

Naturally the Jedi had been sent to investigate, since it was their rogue-member-gone-dark who'd been the cause of the latest war. Luke had brought Ben, Saba Sebatyne, Kyp Durron and a few other Knights to assist in the liberation of the Toydarian royalty that had been held hostage.

What had begun as a semi-peaceful negotiation had swiftly melted down into an ambush. Now they were trying to fight off multiple waves of Caedus supporters while Kyp and Saba tried to rescue the captives.

"Sir look out!" someone shouted from behind Ben, and he once more snapped back to reality... only to realize that there were a trio of thermal detonators headed his way.

Ben swore under his breath and lifted a hand. Two shifted course back the way they had come, but the third got through. Ben leapt back with the aid of the Force, but the grenade hit the ground and created a massive hole. Ben landed just on the edge of said hole... and felt an odd tug.

Frowning, Ben stepped back... only to be surprised from behind as he recovered from the effects of the detonation he'd been too close to for comfort. He felt his father's worried touch in the Force moments before the Force screamed a warning at him.

Ben spun, lifted his lightsaber to block... and was literally blasted off his feet and down the hole when a powerful blaster-rifle was used at point-blank range against his sapphire blade.

Ben expected to hit the bottom, but instead he felt that odd tug from before, only this time it was far stronger. Frowning, Ben craned his neck to try and see, but before he could, he felt his back hit something and he lost consciousness from the impact.

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"Ben!" Luke cried when he saw his son get shot at. But Luke had his hands full with a quartet of trouble-makers.

Luke felt true fear grip him, but he ruthlessly shoved it aside until he could get the enemy taken care of. Finally he just blasted the entirety of the remaining forces off their feet, rendering them immobile for long enough for them to be stunned or cuffed.

But Luke paid this no heed: he instead sprinted for where he had last seen his son.

"Ben!"

No answer.

Fearing the worst, Luke reached the edge, and stopped. He could have sworn Ben had fallen down into the crater... but he was nowhere in sight. Frowning, Luke stretched out in the Force... and felt his heart stop for long milliseconds.

He couldn't feel Ben. At all.

"BEN!" Luke screamed.

With the control only his decades as a Jedi could allow him, Luke worked through his natural urge to panic and began a search for Ben. He had to be here somewhere, and Luke would not stop until he found his boy.