Star Wars - A Father's Presence Missed - YTEEN - Complete

[bistyboo1974]

This is my companion piece to A Mother’s Love Remembered. If you haven’t already done so, please check that story out as well. :)

***

A Father’s Presence Missed

Disclaimer: I’m borrowing characters from George Lucas’s vast universe. I own nothing, so don’t start thinking I do. I also got a great deal of inspiration from Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith, which is obviously based on Lucas’s screenplay for the movie.

Rating: YTEEN

Author’s Note: This takes place fifteen years after the final prequel, and I dunno how many (five-ish?) years before A New Hope.

***

Perishing heat from twin suns blazed on the back of a young boy as he trod alone across a barren landscape. With each footstep he kicked up a cloud of sand, and with each hot, dry breath he drew, he felt as if he were coming one stage closer to dehydration. He glanced over his shoulder at the broken-down speeder he was leaving for scrap metal in the middle of the arid wasteland. He would have bet a whole month’s allowance and his next two trips to Tosche Station that it would be scavenged within fifteen minutes of his departure. And he also would have risked wagering a whole year’s worth of allowance, plus his future acceptance into the academy that his uncle would be ready to throttle him once he found out about the abandoned speeder.

Not that it was his fault, but his pragmatic uncle would scold him nonetheless, and he’d use the same tone he always took when frustration about his nephew’s actions took hold of him – “Luke, if your head wasn’t always up in the clouds, this sort of thing wouldn’t happen!” he’d say, his voice filled to the brim with disappointment.

The boy – Luke – scoffed as he trudged across the desert. He glanced around and realized he was in the middle of nowhere. Well, in the middle of the Jundland Wastes at any rate, which was just like being in the middle of nowhere. His mouth was parched, and he immediately regretted not having enough common sense to have packed a supply of moisture pods in the speeder before he’d left home to head into Anchorhead on his aunt’s errand. A lifetime of living on a desert planet should have made him wiser to the fact that you could die in a matter of hours if caught unawares in the Tatooine wilderness. Maybe his head was in the clouds.

Luke took a look at the sky – brilliant blue with a pair of fiery beacons shining high. It must be around noon, he thought. For nearly twelve hours he had been fifteen years old – he’d just now remembered it was his birthday. How ironic, he thought. I was born today, and I just might die today. Convenient.

He gazed at the sky a moment more before he continued his trek onwards, in search of some sort of settlement. He considered his uncle’s stance on his affinity for daydreams and thought firmly to himself, My head’s not in the clouds at all – it’s in the stars.

It was Luke’s fondest wish that one day – hopefully one day very soon – he’d be teleported off of this miserable rock he lived on so he could begin a new life as a starpilot. The only vehicle he’d ever had the fortune to pilot on Tatooine was a landspeeder, but one day he knew he’d break free. He knew he’d fly among the stars.

After all, piloting was in his blood. His very own father had been a pilot, albeit not as starfighter or anything as showy as all that. No, Luke’s father had held the relatively unflashy designation of navigator on a spice freighter. But even something as simple as shipping spices all around the galaxy, from system to system, held Luke in awe. If Anakin Skywalker had been able to break free from the chokehold of Tatooine in his youth, then there was hope for Luke Skywalker.

As Luke plodded further across the scorching sandscape, he tried to picture an image of the person to put with the name – Anakin Skywalker. In his mind, Luke had always pictured his father as a taller, more rugged version of himself, but with subtle differences. For instance, his hair color would be slightly darker than Luke’s, because he’d not have had it bleached from endless days spent outside under the blistering suns, tending the vaporators of the Lars moisture farm. And his face would be a few shades paler as well for the same reason. He’d be clad in the uniform of a pilot, and he’d be smiling, as if he’d just returned from a trip to a faraway system and was pleased to see his son after such a long journey. Luke imagined a voice, pleasant and cheerful, saying that he’d missed his son while he’d been away, and when Luke imagined hearing the word “son,” his chest felt a pang.

He was starting to feel tired. There was no telling how long he’d been walking, and he hadn’t a clue how far his feet had carried him. Without resisting, he let himself topple to the hot sand in a collapse. He tried catching a few desperate, hot breaths, but it was difficult. He closed his eyes and concentrated. The last thing he wanted was to pass out here and be carried off to a Tusken Raider camp. He’d be dead by the next morning, but not before having his spleen ripped out through his nostrils by a blunt shaft. No thanks.

He opened his hazy eyes as he finally caught his breath, then suddenly made out a figure dressed in long brown robes walking toward him across the sea of shifting sand.

“Young Luke!” the figure called.

Luke recognized the man’s accent right away. No one on Tatooine spoke with such a voice, no one save old Ben Kenobi that is. Luke’s Uncle Owen always referred to the reclusive Kenobi as an “old wizard,” but Luke had always been more courteous. Certainly he was a bit of a hermit – he always kept to himself, and even on the rare occasions Luke had seen him venture into Anchorhead for provisions, he talked only to the shopkeepers and then hurried back to his home in the Wastes. And he definitely had an eccentric air about him, but he had always been kind to Luke, and today was no different.

He extended a hand to Luke and pulled him to his feet with more strength than Luke had imagined a man of his age would have.

“What’s happened that you’re wandering in the middle of the wasteland, Luke? This is no place for a person with no transportation and not a drop to drink.”

Ben Kenobi didn’t sound scolding, as Luke’s uncle would have. No, Luke detected deep concern in Kenobi’s voice. Oh, not that Owen Lars wouldn’t have been concerned to find Luke dehydrated in the desert. No, he just wouldn’t have dared allowed Luke to hear it in his voice.

“My speeder’s shifter is broken,” Luke mumbled. His throat was dry. It wasn’t easy to form words at the moment, but he went on. “It’s probably being taken for scrap by Jawas even as we speak…it’s a few dozen dunes or so that away.” He pointed vaguely over his shoulder, but he wasn’t really certain which direction he’d actually come from.

“Here,” Ben said, reaching for a small pod-shaped item on his belt. “Drink this.”

Luke gladly took the moisture pod and within a moment had drained it dry. “Thanks.”

“Now, let’s get you home,” the man said with a gentle smile.

Luke nodded. As Ben Kenobi led him over a sandbank to his own speeder, Luke chanced a backward glance.

Maybe it was just a mirage, or maybe it was Luke’s mind playing tricks on him as a consequence of the dehydration, but he could’ve sworn he caught a glimmer of a grinning pilot standing out there in the vastness of the desert, waving as he departed. And as a warm breeze kicked up small clouds of sand grains and blew them into softly swirling vortexes, Luke saw the image fade, but heard a whisper on the wind.

“See you later, son.”

A voice in the void.

[majiklmoon]

OMG Bisty...that was PERFECT...you totally captured the longing in Luke - the longing for a life off of Tatooine, and for the father he wished he had...it was great! <p><center><a href=http://pub84.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsrealm><img src=http://members.aol.com/majiklmoon/image ... a></center> <center><img border=0 src="http://www.majiksfanfic.com/banners/Kyle.jpg" /></center><center><a href=http://pub84.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsrealm></center> </p><i></i>

[isndbreeze]

That was beautiful! <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :love --><img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/love.gif ALT=":love"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :heart --><img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/heart.gif ALT=":heart"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :thumbsup --><img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/thumpup.gif ALT=":thumbsup"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :thumbsup --><img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/thumpup.gif ALT=":thumbsup"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :thumbsup --><img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/thumpup.gif ALT=":thumbsup"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br>I was very, very impressed with how deep your knowledge was of the whole Tatooine and Star Wars mythos and everything about Luke, his uncle, Ben Kenobi, the jawas, and just everything... Amazing! Very, very impressive! And beautifully written! <br><br><br> <p><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://users.aol.com/isndbreeze/skysymb ... <!--EZCODE IMAGE END--><br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong><br><!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:gold;">Gerry<br>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -<br>Hopeless Candy-Coated, Stargazing, <!--EZCODE UNDERLINE START--><span style="text-decoration:underline">Dreamer</span><!--EZCODE UNDERLINE END-->!<br>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--></strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--></p><i></i>

[bistyboo1974]

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Tracie</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> - <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :o --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/embarassed.gif ALT=":o"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> Thanks, dahling.<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Gerry</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> - My sisters and I were Star Wars geeks in our youth. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> We had so many "adventures on Tatooine" when we were kids that I practically know the place like the back of my hand. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :lol --><img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>Thanks for your wonderful comments! <p><center><img border=0 src="http://img34.exs.cx/img34/3439/hbpsig6sz.jpg" /></center><BR><center><img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v344/ ... /marye.gif" /></center></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p199.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsrea ... boo1974</A>  <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v344/ ... izard4.gif" BORDER=0> at: 4/5/05 7:54 pm<br></i>

[isndbreeze]

That's so cool! <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br><br> <p><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://users.aol.com/isndbreeze/skysymb ... <!--EZCODE IMAGE END--><br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong><br><!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:gold;">Gerry<br>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -<br>Hopeless Candy-Coated, Stargazing, <!--EZCODE UNDERLINE START--><span style="text-decoration:underline">Dreamer</span><!--EZCODE UNDERLINE END-->!<br>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--></strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

<!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="font-size:xx-small;"><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>*bump*<br><br>Ignore this post. Assisting in recovering lost threads only. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> </em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></span><!--EZCODE FONT END--> <p><center><font color="red"><i>~*~ Maji ~*~</font><BR><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/m ... "><br><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/ ... "><BR><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/ ... </p><i></i>

[isndbreeze]

I'm so glad this fic is still here! Woo hoo! <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :heart --><img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/heart.gif ALT=":heart"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :heart --><img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/heart.gif ALT=":heart"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :heart --><img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/heart.gif ALT=":heart"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br><br>Gerry<br><br><br> <p><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://users.aol.com/isndbreeze/skysymb ... <!--EZCODE IMAGE END--><br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong><br><!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:gold;">Gerry<br>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -<br>Hopeless Candy-Coated, Stargazing, <!--EZCODE UNDERLINE START--><span style="text-decoration:underline">Dreamer</span><!--EZCODE UNDERLINE END-->!<br>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--></strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--></p><i></i>

[LMiC2001]

This is a very cool story. I enjoyed it very much.

[Ti88]

the longing you depict makes the final scene in 6 btw him and his father as well as their first meeting when he loses his hand all that much more profound. as well as seeing his father kill obi. great job