Galaxy's Edge

Chapter 1

Luke Skywalker was never one to turn down the opportunity to fly. The exhilaration he felt as he soared through the vacuum of space was unlike any other. The serene calm he associated with the mottled view of stars in hyperspace could not be found elsewhere.

He supposed it might have something to do with the fact that he grew up on Tatooine. The deserts that stretched on for miles never provided quite the adventure he was looking for, and so when he finally left it behind he was eager to stretch his wings and see where it took him. The stars provided that escape, satisfied his need to look beyond, to do something with his life.

That, and well... Ben had said his father was the best pilot he ever knew. If that were true, wouldn't it mean that Anakin had loved it there too? It was here in the stars that Luke felt closest to his father, the vastness of it all somehow bringing them together.

The thought made him uneasy for a moment, reminding him of Darth Vader, but he forced the feeling down. Darth Vader was not his father, no matter what tales the Sith Lord tried to spin. Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, renowned star fighter pilot, hero , was his father. And he'd just gotten a little lost, that was all.

Luke was sure that his father still existed. Darth Vader had just buried him, but that didn't mean that Luke couldn't still reach him. He had to.

Luke refocused his attention on the view of stars outside of his cockpit. Their faithful glow reminded him he wasn't alone, and that there was still good out there. Somewhere.

Unfortunately, there hadn't been any good on the planet Luke had just scouted.The Alliance had sent him out in search of a new base, since their headquarters on Hoth had been thoroughly beaten a few months prior, but the territories he'd seen were crawling with Empire goons. No good base locations there, he was afraid.

When his mission had proved a failure, Luke quickly set his hyperspace coordinates for the rebel flagship, Home One. A quick glance at his controls told him he was rapidly approaching his destination.

3... 2... 1...

Luke sighed as his ship reverted out of hyperspace, but his comfort didn't last long. Almost immediately, the Force sent him a warning.

Alert, Luke glanced around frantically, wondering where the blasted ship had gone. Home One was nowhere in sight, but Leia had promised they weren't going anywhere while he was away. Had something happened in the short time he'd been gone?

Luke's heart skipped a dangerous beat. Had Vader found them?

He quickly commed Leia, allowing himself to relax for the fraction of a second when she answered almost immediately.

"Oh, Leia, thank goodness! Are you alright? Where are you?"

Leia frowned a little. "I'm still onboard Home One. Why? What's wrong, Luke?"

The princess didn't offer any explanation beyond that, making Luke wonder if maybe he'd overreacted and that he'd simply punched in the wrong coordinates. It was unlikely, but without R2 there to check, it was plausible. Maybe that was all that had happened...