Chapter Text
After closing his eyes and stilling his arms, Luke lowered his wooden practice sword to his side, cleared his mind, and took several deep breaths. The cool, crisp air gently brushed past him, blowing blond strands from his face as the sun warmed his skin. It was the perfect morning to head out to the local farmer’s market - by the time his sister returned home after her morning at work, Luke would have everything on hand to make his and Leia’s day in a fun, relaxing, and delicious one.
The market was the same as always - a clear, blue sunny sky above him; the scent of sweet herbs and baked bread in the air, with a thread of rich coffee woven throughout; vendors waving out to him, accustomed to his regular visits; and the muted sounds of cars whizzing by on the main road. Despite his urban surroundings, Luke was pleasantly surprised by the many times his life in the city reminded him of life as a child in the countryside.
After a few more moments of reminiscing about the past, Luke jumped into action, efficiently navigating his way through the stalls, picking up everything on his list plus a couple other items that caught his eye - like the pastel, rose-scented bath bombs Leia had a weak spot for and the freshly made pasta that Luke decided to try out that day.
Two hours later, Luke was back in the middle of the city, still straddling his bike as he looked up at the high-rise building he now called home. Technically, it was Leia’s home - one she inherited after her parents passed away, but after he and Leia had reunited at college several years ago, she insisted on him staying with her and Luke agreed. Though Luke still found himself out of place every once in a while, he’d grown accustomed to urban life and enjoyed living with family again after many years alone. After glancing back at the park across the street, Luke opened the doors and headed upstairs.
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“Huh, not bad - you got back pretty quickly!”
Upon opening the door, Luke found his sister sprawled over the couch, casually eating an apple while watching a movie. Her eyes met his and a smile tugged at her lips.
“Decided not to wander around like usual?”
Luke sighed at his sister’s all-too-familiar ways of teasing him.
“You know, I was going to make something nice for lunch today while waiting for you to get back… speaking of which, you’re back way earlier than expected. What gives?”
Leia swung her legs off the couch, stood up and stretched her arms, forcefully grabbed a few bags away from Luke’s hands, and followed after her brother into the kitchen.
“I finished my work earlier than expected… and I thought, why not relax for a bit?”
That answer gave Luke pause, making him look up from the cutting board.
Looking closely at his sister’s face… it didn’t seem like she was lying about finishing her work quickly or wanting to come back to the house to spend more time with him, but there was something strained in her voice… something else. That, and Leia was the type to work diligently through the end of the workday… even a half-day like that morning.
Well, Leia would eventually tell him what the issue was, so Luke let her be for the time being.
“Sounds like a plan! You can start by helping me dice those carrots for the soup.”
The pair worked in tandem over the next half-hour to cook and assemble the lasagna and just as Luke pulled the tray out of the oven and set it down on the kitchen counter, Leia placed the full cups of soup beside their plates and spoke up again.
“Hey, Luke… do you sense anything strange today?”
Strange… was it? Luke hadn’t given it much thought since the morning had been so peaceful - conducive to his training and relaxing while at the market. Now that he thought about it, he’d been able to tune out his surroundings and fall into his training routine much more easily than usual. Even considering the park’s thick forest, it was still a weekday morning in the city center… and it had been rather quiet at the time.
He said as much to Leia, only to see her face to fall even further.
“So you felt it too, huh? Almost like it’s too peaceful and quiet…”
As if waiting for that exact moment, a phone rang out, startling both of them.
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With each passing moment, Luke could see his sister’s previously open expression slowly disappear beneath a familiar mask. After quickly clearing his plate and putting leftovers in the fridge, Luke retook his seat at the dining table, closed his eyes, and quieted his thoughts. He tuned into the Force field and let his mind meticulously crawl over every little current of invisible energy coursing through the space around him, hoping that he might find a clue or hint as to what was wrong.
The only thing he discovered was an eerie stillness, even quieter than before.
“Luke. Luke! Luke-”
His eyes snapped open at his sister’s frantic voice, only for both of them to startle yet again when loud banging echoed from the front door. Leia scrambled over to the closet, grabbed the blaster she hid there, and threw the inactive saber in Luke’s direction. Upon pulling the saber to his hand, Luke carefully approached the Force-fortified door, ready to attack when another familiar voice called out to them.
“Leia? Luke? You there? You two better be there!” After a few more knocks, the voice muttered, “You gotta be kidding me. What a pain in the ass…”
Luke quietly approached the door, checked for any other presences, gave Leia a quick nod to put her at ease, and opened the door - only to drag his sister’s boyfriend into the apartment and slam the door shut behind them both.
“Whoa, watch the weapon!”
Luke gave Han a flat look and Leia carefully approached him, blaster still in hand.
“Han? What are you doing here?” she asked after giving him a quick hug.
“You didn’t think I’d leave you two out to dry like that, did you?”
“...so you heard about the situation too, huh?” Leia said before sighing.
“Someone care to tell me what’s going on?” Luke asked, looking between the pair.
“We don’t have much time left, if this is really true.”
“We gotta get outta here in the next half-hour, tops.”
Leia and Han spoke simultaneously, before Han gestured at his girlfriend to speak first.
“We need to leave now. Go get whatever you need and assume we’re not coming back.”
After Leia left to presumably do the same, Luke looked to his friend for clarification.
“She’s right. It’s a long story,” Han said, his voice unusually serious and muted.
That did not bode well for any of them.
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A burst of scarlet flames reached for the sky, the bright skyline visible from Han’s truck even though the trio were far from the city center. Luke wasn’t sure where the source of the fire was, but the few context clues he had and the eerie energy told him everything.
It was the high-rise. Their high-rise.
Even though Luke had only been at his sister’s apartment for a few years, his stomach dropped at the idea of everything he had… of everything he owned that wasn’t in Leia's go-bag or his backpack burning to cinders. Fortunately, he had everything of value with him… but he couldn’t begin to imagine what was running through his sister’s mind.
‘Shari Blackwell is on the scene, following news of the explosion at Sunset Tower at 1:53pm.’
“One fifty-three… that’s just under an hour after we left.”
Luke looked over at Leia, sitting beside him in the backseat. Han had suggested they remain hidden in the back seat - Luke wasn’t sure why, but since Leia emphatically agreed and pulled Luke in behind her, he wasn’t going to question her. However…
“I think you two need to tell me what’s going on now.”
Luke crossed his arms and stared between his sister and his friend, waiting for an explanation until Leia sighed and began her story by confirming his suspicions.
“It’s exactly what you think, Luke - we were the targets of the explosion.”
“Why would someone target us?”
“That is… do you know anything about my parents?”
“Only that the Organas were influential, high-ranking officials in the government.”
“That’s true and it’s related… but I meant our parents, the Skywalkers.”
Luke’s eyes grew wide - he wasn’t sure when he last heard the name ‘Skywalker’ applied to anyone other than himself. Even his uncle and aunt carried a different name from him and very rarely spoke about his parents. After Luke shook his head, Leia continued on.
“Our birth parents were pretty influential in the government as well, and carried a lot of secrets and powers. The Organas held onto many of their possessions… some of which include highly classified information and very powerful weapons. In fact, that saber I gave you came from them. It’s a rare, older weapon… one that was meant for you.”
“Meant for me?” Luke looked down at the inactive saber, sitting quietly in his lap.
“Yeah.” After a few silent moments, Leia continued. “I knew that there were certain… groups and individuals that wanted everything our parents left with the Organas. I was on alert, but protecting confidential information is standard practice in the political world, so I didn’t give the matter disproportionate attention. However…”
“They found out about our parents- about you and also me.”
“Yeah. Our parents were unusually powerful - our mother in politics and our father in the ways of the Force. Now, we aren’t just gatekeepers of important information - our existences are an active threat to them, and I don’t doubt that they would cause an explosion downtown, just to be rid of us.”
Ways… of the Force.
Luke had always been aware of the invisible energy field that permeated everything in existence, and he knew that he was unusually in tune with that energy… but he didn’t realize just how rare his circumstances and powers were. Especially since he had little need for that energy in his rather average, daily life. He never wanted to stand out.
“...and? Who are they? Who’s targeting us?”
Right then, static noise from the radio grew louder and louder, washing out the voice of the news broadcaster until the channel went completely silent.
‘Hello there, Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker.’
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Luke couldn’t have even imagined running for his life, let alone a situation - this Purge, where he and Leia were being hunted down by everyone around them. Technically speaking, the Purge suspended the rule of law, allowing people the freedom to commit whatever crimes they wanted minus a few exceptions… but really, it was a manhunt. Sure, there were several other bounties up for grabs, as the eerie voice over the radio listed in full detail, but he and his sister were the grand prizes… and suddenly, Luke found himself in a situation where Leia and Han were the only people he could trust.
“Come on, come on! Let’s go already!” Han hissed as Leia gestured at him to follow.
Luke quickly grabbed his backpack and his sister’s go-bag from the front seat and scrambled away from the truck, finding cover with Han and Leia behind another row of cars when bullets rained on Han’s truck, now dead and also up in flames. The goal had been to get out of the city and find a place to hide safely, far away from dangerous figures and prying eyes, until they put a new plan together and found potential allies.
Alas, that plan was a bust… at least for the time being.
The trio quietly slid away from the cars, carefully keeping themselves out of sight, and scrambled into a nearby alley. On one hand, Luke was grateful that the city metro was so large that even miles away from the city center, the buildings and roads were still so densely packed, leaving the three of them with plenty of places to hide.
On the other hand, that also left anyone hunting them down a place to hide as well.
Which was exactly what happened.
“Shit, run for it!”
A blade flew just inches away from where Luke was previously seated. With their cover blown, the trio threw discretion to the side, instead prioritizing speed, defense, and above all, escape. As they rushed down the alleyways, Leia turned to Luke.
“If we get separated, ask for the Resistance and meet me at their base. Check your bag!”
As if perfectly timed, before Luke could ask her what she was talking about, another blade flew between them, forcing the siblings apart as Luke fell behind Leia and Han.
“Go! I’ll find you later!”
Before Leia could protest any further, Luke urged Han to take her away before quickly turning around a corner and speeding away himself. After a few minutes, Luke made sure that the couple was well out of sight, then found a secluded corner where he could catch his breath and figure out his next steps. As he pulled a water bottle from his bag, he remembered his sister’s words and continued to search the backpack for whatever Leia was referring to - likely something related to this ‘Resistance’.
Not wanting to risk drawing any attention, Luke found himself rummaging through items in the dark, when his hand stumbled across a small notebook he didn’t recall stashing in the bag. Before he could pull the notebook out, though, a voice sounded out.
“So you’re the Skywalker boy, huh?”