1st place: Star Wars Fanfiction Awards
Luke Skywalker is turning 8 in just a few days on Empire Day. Unfortunately, the Empire has ordered a galaxy-wide census on Empire Day. Instead of heading to the pod races, like his Uncle Owen had promised him...
Anakin glanced ahead while his wife led his son up the rocky hillside under the summer sun. The sweat ran beneath his black suit, the itch unbearable.
Padmé never sweated. She glistened. She only looked more beautiful.
Luke tried his best to keep up, occasionally stumbling on the rocks. At last, he fell from exhaustion. "How much further do we have to go?" the boy whined.
Padme frowned and pointed at him. "No. No whining. Modulate your tone, young man."
"But—"
"Obey your mother, Luke."
The boy took a deep breath and tried it over, this time with a pleasant attitude. "How much further, Mommy?"
"Much better. Another kilometer. Think you can make it?" She handed him her canteen of water.
Luke shook his head.
Anakin picked him up from behind and settled the boy on his shoulders. "Let's go, Padmé. We'll still need to perform preflights before it gets dark. And how do you propose we get past the Imperial blockade?"
Padmé turned back to him with her smile. "We'll use the Force." She continued the ascent up the hillside.
The Sith Lord rumbled, "The Force doesn't work that—" Maybe it does. Force, I love that woman. How have I lived without you, Padmé?
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When they crested the top of the hill, a concrete dome appeared inset into the apex. As Anakin lowered Luke to the ground, Padmé led them to a plascrete stairwell and pressed a control panel.
The entire hill shook as the dome opened and a small door in the stairwell slid back, revealing a silver H-1 Nubian Yacht. The highly-polished chrome fuselage extended for almost fifty meters. It was triangular, with three tail-fins housing the ion engines. Padmé led them to the craft as the ramp lowered.
"So, you still have her." Anakin gazed in admiration at the craft he had flown so many times before during the Clone War.
"Of course. Not going to let this beauty go. Ani, can you do exterior while I start the pilot preflight? She hasn't flown in years."
"Is she fueled?"
Padmé smiled at him. "Should be. Kept her ready for an emergency evac."
Ani paced to the engine compartment. "Luke, come with me. If you're going to be a pilot one day, you need to know how to check out your ship. You don't want to find out something's wrong with her in space."
The young oby ran down the ramp to his father, watching as he pointed out the cabling on the engines, the flaps, the landing gear, and even the hull seams.
"Where are the guns?"
"Naboo is a peaceful planet. Their ships don't have weaponry of any kind."
