`The Gate'-(Luke,ROTJ AU)

Luke Skywalker had not expected this.

This was not part of the plan.

Standing outside the palace of Jabba the Hutt in the first moments after dawn,Luke found himself at a loss.He had a plan,and things were not supposed to go like this.

He had approached the heavy gate,where he had waited until his presence was ackowledged by some kind of robotic eye which was attached to a mechanical arm.The "eye",as it were,asked Luke what he wanted.Luke replied in Huttese,as a sign of respect to the master of the house.

"I am Luke Skywalker,Jedi Knight,"he said."I am expected."

The eye quickly looked from left to right and over Luke's head before retracting back into the wall of the gate.It re-emerged not more than a few seconds later.

"Sorry,never heard of you.No such thing as Jedi".

The eye did not wait for a response before retreating once more back inside the wall,leaving Luke with a big problem.He had a plan after all,but in order for it to work,he had to be able to at least get inside the palace.He had to be able to at least speak with Jabba.

Everything so far had gone without a hitch.One by one,his friends had infiltrated the ranks,disguised as either gifts,captives,or would-be allies.Once inside,all they had to do was stay alive and wait.

For him.

And here he was.

There were no other entrances to the Hutt's lair;they had all been sealed up long ago.There was a small hanger around back,but that would mean more guards.He could have gone in disguise like some of the others,but Luke knew that approach would never have worked.He had come to bargain for the life of one of Jabba the Hutt's most despised enemies,and Hutts would only bargain with those they respected.Jabba was not likely to respect someone skulking about in the shadows.No,if he was to have any chance of striking a deal,he had to gain Jabba's respect.Walking into the crime lord's palace unarmed was an audacious move,to say the least,but Hutts were known to admire that kind of foolishness.Not that Luke really expected the gangster to want to make a deal with him,but he had prepared for that as well.

Luke took a few steps back from the gate and looked up at its massive height.It was almost a certainty that he was being watched from somewhere.,and it would not take long before Jabba's men would show him just how they dealt with unwanted guests.Standing here,in the open,with no cover,Luke would not stand much of a chance against a barrage of blaster fire,Jedi or not.He was running out of time,and options.

Truth was,Luke was not even sure if his friends were still alive inside this place.Lando was smart,and not likely to blow his cover.Chewie and the droids could at least be useful to Jabba,and Han,well as long as he was still frozen,he would be okay.Luke despised the thought of his friend suffering the indignity of being displayed as a trophy,but his predicament would keep him alive.The only one Luke was really worried about was Leia.She was to deliver Chewbacca and wait,that was all.Luke hoped that she would not get impatient and try anything foolish;well,no more foolish than his idea had been anyway.

Bowing his head and closing his eyes,Luke reached out with the Force and let his senses go wide.Almost immediately,he felt the warm,familiar presence he had been searching for:Leia.She was in pain,but she was alive.She must have been captured,which probably meant that Han was free as well.

This was not part of the plan.


Time for a new plan.


(to be continued)

 

Now this is intresting, and a rather new direction, (at least as far as I've seen). Loving Luke's thought process on this problem, and can't wait to see how you go with this.

 

Hrm, never really thought about what would've happened if Luke never managed to get past the front door of Jabba's. Guess I'll find out soon enough now though. Can't wait to see just what he does.

 

There was only one way in,and Luke could think of only one way to do this.Although it was probably crazy to even assume it could work.

No,he must not think like that.

Luke thought about Yoda,and what his master had said to him on Dagobah.Anything was possible,but you had to believe in it first.It wasn't how much power you had,it was how much you trusted that power.

Luke bowed his head again,closed his eyes,and felt as he always did the gentle presence of the Force,and the warm sensation as it flowed through him.He let go of his thoughts and surrendered all of his senses to the energy all around him.Luke could now see the world around him and inside of him with new eyes,hear it with new ears.All of his senses had become one.

One with each other.

One with the Force.

He sent his senses wide,and saw many things.He saw the guards in the hidden towers,their guns following him,waiting for him to draw a weapon or to show any sign of aggression.He touched their minds,reassuring them that he was no threat and that they should just ignore him,which they did.

He could sense the Force in everything around him,in the air and the space between.He felt it in the ground beneath him,and the rocks behind him where the tiny sand lizards were just emerging from their nocturnal hibernation.He felt it in the breeze which blew past,stirring up sand.A sandstorm was coming;he could feel it.

Luke then brought his concentration in closer,focusing only on the palace.He felt a sudden chill,as the energy was different here.This was a place of despair,and death.Of power assumed.This was the home of a monster.A monster who had mocked,tortured,and enslaved those whom Luke had cherished the most.

Luke would teach this monster about power.

He felt the suffering and the agony of souls being tortured and killed,and he regarded their pain as he did his own.He tried to offer comfort to those he could,and mourned for those he could not,as the Force around him mourned its loss.

He went deeper into the blackness,into the depths,searching for the warm presence which was always calling to him,the one he felt closest to in all the universe.He finally found her,asleep,as she had been the first time he saw her.Luke reached out to her heart,which never slept,but burned with such fire and intensity.Her heart leapt out to him immediately and Luke could feel all of her joy and her hope,and these he also regarded as he would his own.Luke told her that he loved her, and he promised her that they would all leave this place soon.

All of them.

Together.


(to be continued)

 

Very, very interesting...

 

Luke then brought his concentration into even sharper focus,blocking out everything around him.All of the pain,the suffering,everything.Even Leia.He focused his energy only on that which was in front of him,only on that which separated him from his loved ones.

The gate.

He wrapped all of his senses around the massive stone wall.He felt its weight,its density,and its power.He felt the Force flow through each bit of stone and metal,and through every weathered crack on its surface.He could nearly touch the damage done by weapons and blaster bolts,and the deep scratches left by those who had tried to claw their way out.

Luke could feel other things,too.Hope.The hope of those who had sought to find freedom beyond this door,and the despair and deaths of those who had hoped in vain.Again,Luke allowed himself to be filled with these sensations,allowed them to become part of him,as he was part of them,and they were all part of the Force.

He felt the energy from the electronic lock,and he simply willed the energy in the other direction.

He gathered the Force between himself and the gate and he willed the energy upward,as high as it would go.The energy felt heavy,and Luke could feel his mind straining,but still he pushed his thoughts upward.He felt a sharp pain in his head and in his back,and he almost stopped.No,he thought to himself,there is no pain here.There was only the tranquility of the Force around him,doing what he asked of it.Going higher.He began to hear noises,stone scraping agaist stone and metal,and he felt a rush of cool air on his face,and all these he blocked out also.He concentrated only on the Force,on sending it as high up as he could.

Suddenly,Luke heard a voice call to him.Not a voice really,but more like a feeling.It was something he had heard many times in his life,but only in recent years had he learned to listen to it.

It simply told Luke to look up.

He opened his eyes and looked up.He saw that the gate had been raised nearly two meters off the ground.Luke nearly smiled,but decided against betraying any expression of surprise to those who may still be watchng him.In the distance,Luke could make out the shadows of two surprised guards rushing out to meet him.No doubt they were wondering why their locked gate had malfunctioned.Luke stepped forward,past the threshhold,and felt the cool air of the archway on his face and his hands,which were still shaking a bit.Behind him,the second of Tatooine's twin suns cleared the horizon and flooded the entryway with the blazing sunlight of a new day.


The End

 

that was it? pretty interesting take on Luke's entrance to Jabba's Palace.

 

Such a seemingly insignificant moment in the movies - you never think much of it, anyway - and yet you still weaved an interesting story from it. Not much except what's going on in Luke's head, but maybe that's it - this was an interesting peek inside the head of a character I've kind of overlooked lately. Nice job, Idgie.

 

I liked it!!!

 

A cool little story. Nice job.

 

Thanks for reading my story and for the feedback.