Owen had a great a great time at Beru's place. They spent a great amount of time talking about Anakin. His brother had gone off to be a Jedi and he still couldn't believe. Having adventures, stopping criminals, Anakin was probably having a blast. He always seemed a bit too serious but he was his brother. Owen had gone to sleep smiling at that.
The next morning, Beru's dad dropped him back home. "Mom, Dad, I am back." There was no response. Owen shrugged and went to his room to put away his pack. He had done some of his school assignments with Beru, but it just wasn't the same without Anakin. He always seemed to be lightyears ahead of anyone else in the class. Heck, he had even built a droid by himself. He let out a slight groan and went to look for his parents.
"Master Owen-"
"Hey C-3PO, where is dad and mom?" He asked.
"Master Owen, they are in the kitchen but-"
"Thanks." The droid was useful but incredibly wordy and annoying. Owen shook his head a bit at the droid's antics as he moved into the kitchen. Lying there on the floor were his parents. It took him a moment to process what he was seeing. "DAD!" He rushed over.
The man had been melted apart with barely anything recognizable. His flesh and clothing burned to cinders. Owen didn't care as he knelt next to his father's head. "Dad...." He began to cry as the lifeless eyes and the look of terror on his father's face stared up at him. He cried and cried. Even when his tears ran out he kept crying. His dad always liked to joke that he shouldn't cry since each tear was worth a small fortune here on Tatooine. That just made him cry harder.
"Master Owen, I tried to place an emergency call but the comm system was disabled. I am unable to repair it. Perhaps we should-"
"What happened?" He whispered the words, but he still said them. His tears had dried on his face.
"It was dreadful. I was in the other room and heard him ask about the Jedi. Your parent's told him they had gone to Coruscant, but he killed them anyways. He also laughed." While it wasn't possible it seemed C-3PO had grown quieter at the last statement. Owen could barely understand all of this. His dad, his loving dad with a heart of water had been killed. And his mom. He looked over at her and his tears threatened to come out again. There was even less of her as a burnt pile of flesh than his dad.
"Why....just why." C-3PO for the first time in his creation had the foresight to not even try and answer that question. Owen didn't know what to do. His dad had always protected him. Normally the other farmer's helped each other against the Tuskan Raiders, but this....it was so pointless and stupid. No one bothered the moisture farmers since everyone needed water. Even the Hutts that ruled this world were hesitant to interfere in such difficult and technical work that had tight margins. Also, everyone needed water.
The Jedi. The....the thing that did this came here because of the Jedi. It was the only thing Owen could latch onto. The Jedi let this happen. They never visited this world before and when they did they took Anakin away and let this happen.
"Master Owen, perhaps you can contact someone?" C-3PO spoke up.
"I....yes." He would be strong for his parents. He would continue onwards. Tatootine was a harsh mistress and death around every corner as his dad liked to say. He got up and went to look at the comm system. It was a smoking wreck. There would be no way it could be repaired. He would have to take the speeder to another farm and get help. Beru's family was trustworthy, so they would be good people to ask about the farm and sorting things out. Owen looked down at his hands. They were covered in blood, his clothes also.
He went to the fresher to get new clothes and cleaned off. He ignored C-3PO as the droid talked pointlessly. Night was already falling. He had cried the whole day away. Unfortunately for Owen, Maul also disabled the proximity sensors during his approach. There would be no warnings if the farm was attacked as the Dark Side energy from the events lingered about the place. The hatred and misery inflicted here had been reflected into the Force that existed around the Farm. While it was nothing compared to the Sith Tombs of old, there was an unnatural chill that was easily dismissed at first.
Unfortunately, Owen was unable to sense the Force and was too shocked to consider all the implications of his parents' murder. With only a single protocol droid for company. Owen's thoughts drifted towards revenge, possibly selling the farm to place a bounty. Maybe he would become a bounty hunter and hunt down the criminal. He had trained for years to learn how to fight, he could follow up on that. Hatred and anger filled his heart where there had been rage and sadness. His parent's hadn't just been killed, they had died screaming while their killer laughed. They had been burned alive. He began to cry again.
***
Posted with pre-approval of GM.