novel-bin Chapter 508 Arrival at Tatooine
Chapter 508 Arrival at Tatooine
Finally, Anakin and his party returned to the fleet on a spaceship. Amid the concerns of the crowd, Commander Cody brought a message: "Captain Rogers and General Secura have reported the destruction of the Ultron base."
Thor and the rest of the Avengers reunite after a long absence, and the atmosphere is extremely warm. However, for Anakin Skywalker, he has a more important and private matter to deal with.
……
On the Dusk, Spider-Man curiously asked Anakin: "So, this is where you were born?"
Anakin responded, "Yes, Tatooine."
After the events of Mortis, Anakin Skywalker always had a kind of uneasiness in his heart. When everyone returned to Coruscant and reported the situation, he decided to return to his home planet to seek inner peace and resolve some things.
This time, he is not alone. He is accompanied by his secret wife Padme, his Padawan Ahsoka, and the Avenger Spider-Man. The ship quickly lands on the desert planet of Tatooine.
After positioning the ship, Anakin and his companions stepped off the ship, and the Jedi Knight walked towards a seemingly isolated hut.
Spider-Man asked in confusion, "Where exactly is this place, Anakin?" Although he tried his best to be polite, he couldn't suppress his curiosity.
"It's a moisture farm," Anakin replied simply.
As they approached, two men came out of the hut. Seeing them, Anakin's expression became a little excited. He looked directly at the man who came out of the hut, staring at him quietly for a few seconds until the two men came closer.
"Anakin," the man greeted calmly.
"Owen," Anakin responded. There was a slight silence and tension between the two men, and neither spoke for a few seconds. However, they eventually broke into friendly laughter and reached out to each other, shaking each other's arms firmly.
"Owen, it's good to see you again." Anakin said in a friendly tone.
"Anakin, you too." Owen Lars (son of Anakin's stepfather) said with a smile, "Or should I call you a brave hero now?"
Anakin rolled his eyes and snorted at the word "hero," but his tone quickly returned to normal. "You can call me whatever you want," he said.
At this moment, their reunion was full of warmth and intimacy, as if time had not left any barriers between them.
"It's nice to meet you, Beru."
Beru (Owen Lars' wife) smiled and nodded at the Jedi Knight.
Anakin seemed a little restless, but the woman next to Owen responded to him with a warm and reserved smile.
Beru simply gave Anakin a faint smile in response.
Owen asked, "Anakin, is there anything we can do for you? Padmé, it's so good to see you again."
Padmé greeted warmly, "Hello, Owen, Beru. Glad to see you're all right."
Beru stared at Padmé and responded, "Same to you."
Beru then looked at Ahsoka and Spider-Man and asked curiously, "Who are these two?"
Anakin turned to the two younger teens and motioned for them to come closer. As Ahsoka approached, Anakin reached out and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, a proud smile on his face for both Owen and Beru to see.
"This is my student, Ahsoka Tano," Anakin introduced.
Ahsoka greeted politely, "Nice to meet you guys."
Spider-Man also introduced himself: "I'm Peter Parker, also known as Spider-Man." He extended his hand to shake hands with Owen and Beru.
"Spider-Man?" The two repeated the name in confusion.
Anakin explained, "He's a member of the Avengers. I guess they're pretty well-known in the galaxy, too?"
Beru looked a little surprised and said, "So this is what the holographic network and the news feeds have been discussing. After hearing so many stories about the Avengers, I was surprised to see them in person."
Anakin looked around, then turned to Owen and asked, "Where is Krieg (Anakin's stepfather)?"
Owen's smile faded a little. He pointed to the graves on the other side of the farm and said, "Anakin, there was only one grave where you came last time. Now there is one more."
Anakin's eyes widened, and he walked over and asked, "When—"
Owen replied with a heavy and sad tone, "It's been several weeks. His injuries are one thing... but after losing Mother Shmi (Anakin's mother), his heart is filled with endless sorrow and self-blame. He has no motivation to live because he knows that he has failed her. However, Dad's last wish was just to be with Mother Shmi."
Anakin's eyes revealed a complex emotion, and his dignity as a Jedi Knight seemed a little lonely at this moment. Padmé gently placed her hand on his shoulder, held his hand with the other hand, and then snuggled up to his shoulder.
Soon after, they arrived at the cemetery where the pair of tombstones were located.
Owen and Anakin stood together, communicating silently.
“I hate that your last memory of them is during their hardest days,” Owen lamented.
Anakin replied grimly, "I'm deeply sorry." But then Anakin added, "At least she was well taken care of during these ten years."
Hearing these words, Owen smiled and comforted him: "You know what? Mother Shmi always talks about you, her son, the future Jedi hero of the galaxy. She always believes that you will come back. She knows that you are a man who can become a great man."
Hearing these words, Anakin closed his eyes in pain and looked away from the two tombstones. Despite the mixed emotions in his heart, he still managed to shake his head and stared at the tombstones of his mother and her husband.
He murmured to himself, "I used to be very cold to him." His tone revealed obvious self-blame and regret.
Owen gently placed his hand on his shoulder and said to him soothingly, "Don't say that. We all know that you hate that you couldn't be with your mother and that you couldn't bring her back to this world. But remember, we are all doing our best."
Beru also patted him on the shoulder gently, "Anakin, come on. That's a thing of the past. We'd better not dwell on it anymore."
Anakin stared at the two tombstones and sighed tiredly. He slowly walked to Krieg's tombstone and knelt on one knee to express his deep respect. The Jedi Knight gently scooped up some sand with his gloved hand, clenched his fist, and let the sand slip through his fingers, as if releasing the heaviness in his heart.
He said to the tombstone seriously: "I don't remember if I ever mentioned this to you, but... thank you for taking care of her." Anakin's voice revealed sincere emotion. "I was too focused on finding her at the time. Apart from the grief of losing her, did I talk to you as I should have?" He was silent for a moment and continued: "When I learned about your marriage, an inexplicable emotion welled up in my heart. We were each other's only one, but I chose to leave her just because she told me not to look back. I regret it every day."
His eyes closed slightly and then opened again, looking softer. He stared at the grave and said, "But I am still grateful that you can give her a better life. I can never repay the love and kindness you gave her." After saying these words, his eyes turned to his mother's grave.
"Mom... I have so much to say to you." He tried to calm down and took a deep breath. "One of my biggest regrets is not meeting you sooner. Because of that, I'm filled with resentment. I tried my best to be the person you always wanted me to be, or at least my attempt at growing up. It wasn't easy... I miss you. I wish you were here right now. You always knew what to say to me."
His eyes became distant, as if time had gone back to Mortis. The Son destroyed his memory of his mother, and the dark god pretending to be his mother made him let down his guard, which made his emotions more complicated.
Hoping that time would slowly repair his memory of his mother, Anakin felt the others surrounding him, his wife gently holding his hand, the two of them supporting each other.
"Mom?" Spider-Man asked softly.
Anakin nodded silently. "She'll be proud of me... but also angry."
Spider-Man continued, "Because of your recklessness and madness?"
"He's not that bad," Ahsoka said in her Master's defense, "but he does leave a lot to be desired."
Anakin snorted, reaching out and flicking Ahsoka's forehead.
"What do you mean, little one? I thought you were going to encourage me."
Ahsoka's eyes widened in disbelief: "Did I encourage you??"
Anakin even tossed his hair back with confidence, "I must be a model Master to my 'adorable' little Padawan; otherwise, what kind of Jedi would I be?"
Owen watched their interaction from the side, smiled, and then cleared his throat, wanting them to all hear him. "Since everyone is here, why don't you stay for dinner together?" He said, and put his arm around Beru's shoulders. "Beru cooked her best dish tonight."
Padme agreed, "I'll help."
Soon after, the six of them arrived at Lars Manor and sat down to enjoy a simple dinner. Despite the war still going on, despite the crazy things the Jedi and the Avengers had been through recently, and despite everything going on in the galaxy at the moment, they all cherished this moment of peace.
It was a simple dinner among friends and family, filled with warmth and tranquility.