Pilot Dreams (Star Wars)

Part 8 - Imagine What Could Be

100 reads!! XD You all are awesome! Thanks so much for sticking with the story! Reaching 100 reads was really an unexpected pleasure. (get it? get it?) Unexpected, this is. And fortunate! Now it's time for me to give you an unexpected pleasure. It's called...a new chapter! So sit back relax and enjoy!

Luke plopped down on his seat and stared down at the food and the usual cup of blue milk he had been drinking since, umm, a long time ago. He put on a calm expression. At least, he tried to.

"Uh." he said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes?" Aunt eyed him sharply. "Is it about Biggs?"

"No." Luke said, deciding quickly that he would leave out the part about Biggs. "Just...umm...what's a podrace like?"

Uncle's face paled slightly, and Uncle and Aunt exchanged a glance. Luke wondered why.

"It's a very dangerous sport. People die in it. And it's also illegal, so don't you go dreaming of taking part in a podrace. And besides, no human can, anyway."

"Has any human ever tried?"

Uncle hesitated. "Not as far as I know."

"Can I watch one then?" Luke pressed. "Just watching. It's called the Kyaal Classic and it's at Mos Espa."

"We'll consider it." Aunt said abruptly. "Now, no more questions from you, young man."

Luke fell silent and...he felt hope. An almost empty hope—why would his overprotective guardians ever let him see a podrace? Maybe on the datatpad, but a live one?? Also, they would probably never take him to a place as far as Mos Espa. It was really quite a distance from here.

"Maybe I'll just watch the podrace on Uncle's datapad," he thought glumly to himself.

~~~~~~

Night had fallen. The last rays of the suns had finally dipped below the horizon, and the desert fell into a shroud of darkness. Hot as Tatooine was in the day, like all deserts, it was very cold at night. Luke pulled up his blanket, and thought.

He thought, like every night, about that one thing he wanted, to get off Tatooine, to fly in space. He thought about Biggs. He thought about the podrace. He thought of them. The landspeeder. The skyhopper. The X-wing he'd always wanted to fly. Then everything melted together and he fell asleep into the land of dreams.

A bright yellow podracer, with faded blue markings and cool silver things running down the sides. Beide it stands a young blond boy at a podracing arena, slightly younger than him, with a helmet in his hand. He looks anxious. Yet happy. As if the podrace means everything to him.

Something about the boy looks eerily familiar, but Luke can't place it. Something about his azure blue eyes. Something about that cleft chin. Something about him.

The boy turns to an older woman and hugs her tightly, before getting into the podracer. He ignites the engine and an electric purple bolt comes to life, connecting the two gigantic engines. The whirring sound of the podracer fills his ears and the scene fades and changes.

The same boy is seated in a starfighter, zipping through space with his hands gripping the controls tightly. Moments later a gigantic structure behind the boy's starfighter explodes and light is so bright, so bright.

When the light dims and fades away, he finds himself at the controls of a starfighter, an X-wing based on what he had learnt from close examination of his X-wing model. Amazing!...Cool!...An X-wing!

He turns his head back and sees an explosion too, so big, so bright and could probably be seen from miles away. A smile plays on his lips as he directs the X-wing down to a small, swamp-green moon orbiting a huge orange planet. Then the scene slowly fades away in a bright white light.

"Wake up Luke. The sun's awake, so you should be awake too!"

"The sun is always awake." Luke moaned, opening his eyes. Why did it have to end?

He dismissed it as a figment of his imagination, for he could imagine quite a bit, his dreams often about flying tiny starfighters, controlling giant starships, speeding in skyhoppers, landspeeders and the like. But years later, as he zipped out of what remained of the Death Star, with Han Solo congratulating him in his ear, he would think back on this dream.

But now he was thinking of the podrace. "So can I?"

Aunt was mildly surprised by his eager tone. "What?"

"The podrace!"

"Well." Aunt said. "We have not decided yet."

"Can I go? Pleeease?" Luke knew he was pushing his luck. Aunt was not one to be irritated. "I really really really want to go."

"We'll try our best, honey." Aunt smiled. She must be in a good mood today, Luke thought.

Luke was tasked with emptying the water vaporators again as Uncle and Aunt did their work inside. Secretly, he sometimes wondered if they actually did work. His mind would wander off and started imagining what they could be doing.

Aunt resting elegantly on her bed with her legs propped up on the table, smiling idiotically at her reflection in a tub of water. Luke giggled at the thought as he watched his own quivering reflection in the tub of water he had just filled. He thought of Aunt, eyes widening and her hand stroking her face, and leaning in close to the tub with her lips pursed, getting ready to kiss her own reflection.

Splash! Water splattering over her big fluffy gown and Aunt's shrieking, her face in the water. Luke burst out laughing.

"Luke?" came Aunt's confused voice from the house, only making him laugh harder. "Why are you laughing?"

"N-nothing." Luke choked out between mirthful tears, clutching his stomach. "I'm fine." He covered the tub and sped into the storage area with the cart.

All too soon it was time for lunch. As he gulped down his water. Uncle and smiled at him and said, "We've got good news for you."

The podrace. It clicked into his mind instantly, but he said nothing, just in case Uncle and Aunt would change their minds.

"We will take you to watch the Kyaal Classic at Mos Espa." Uncle smiled broadly. "Next week, the tenth of the month."

Luke grinned. "Thank you so much!"

And so he got permission, a precious thing to be treasured. Permission, the key to all the fun things behind locked doors. And now, he held that golden key of permission, and he wanted to make sure Uncle and Aunt would not take this key away.

That's the end of the chapter! I don't think the podrace will be in the next chapter, but it may possibly be. :) Again, please vote if you enjoyed! <333 Thank you!