“I’m fine,” Obi-Wan replied quietly. He was sat in an armchair in a cabin aboard Bail’s ship, the Tantive IV.

“That bruise on your cheek looks nasty. How did you get it? Was it Vader-“

“Yes. It was. I should consider myself lucky he didn’t choke me or slice me in half. I’m fortunate to be alive. When so many are not…”
“I am sorry,” Bail told him solemnly, his cool demeanour faltering, “I know how hard it must be to lose a child. If I lost Leia…”

“You can’t possibly imagine what it’s like, Bail…To be able to access the Force again and find he’s not there. He has been part of me since he was born. I’m not used to being alone in my mind…For years I’ve always had someone; another person connected to me. First I had Qui-Gon, then Anakin and then Luke. All of them are gone, now. It’s like losing a limb; they’re gone and I know they are, but the phantom feeling still remains.” He looked up at Bail, who was now gazing at him with unwanted sympathy.

Obi-Wan gave a quiet laugh, “You know, even after all these years, if I’m startled awake, I automatically reach for my bonds with Qui-Gon and Anakin?”

Bail remained silent.

“I don’t even know if Luke’s dead,” Obi-Wan remarked after giving Bail a sad look.

“But, the Death Star-“

“He’s not stupid, Bail! He wouldn’t have remained on it.”

“Where do you think he is?”

“I don’t know.”

Bail narrowed his eyes, “There is something you’re not telling me.”

“What would give you that impression?”

“You’re drumming your fingers on the arm of the chair. You always do that when you’re nervous.”

Obi-Wan stopped tapping and sighed.

He hung his head, his hair falling into his eyes, “Vader knows.”

“Knows what? Knows...knows that Luke is his son?”

“Apparently he’s known about Leia all along.”

Bail bite his lip and then spoke hesitantly, “You don’t…You don’t think that your apprentice would join Vader, do you?”

“No!” Obi-Wan snapped, narrowing his eyes, “I don’t believe he would even tell him. And, Luke does have a name, you know. You could use it.”

“I barely know him; it seems strange to call him ‘Luke.’”

“I think you’re afraid of him.”

“Afraid! Don’t be ridic-“

“Afraid, Bail. You believe he’s like his Father. I assure you, Bail; he is nothing like Anakin!”

“Obi-Wan, I…We all see the similarities, why can’t you?”

“We? We?” Obi-Wan stood up, “Who is this ‘we’?”

“Padmé and I.”

“You don’t know Luke. Neither of you do!”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Wait just one second, Bail! You’re blaming me? Would you have rather had the Emperor find Luke and turn him to the Dark Side, hmm?”

“For all you know, he has!”

Obi-Wan closed the gap between him and Bail, his angered face only centimetres from Bail’s. Despite the fact that Obi-Wan was shorter, Bail felt cowed.

“You listen to me! And listen good; Luke would never join Vader! Never!”

“Luke is dead, Obi-Wan!” Bail shouted, trying to end the argument.

“I do not believe that,” Obi-Wan told him firmly, his demeanour going from livid to calm in an instant.

“Then you’re a fool, Obi-Wan. The Rebellion needs you…You’ll be of no use to us if you’re fooling yourself!”

“I’m not even allowed some time to mourn?” Obi-Wan held up his hand, dismissing any reply Bail might’ve given, “I’ll help the Rebellion, Bail. But not because I’m your friend, or even because I want to be here; I’ll help because it’s the only way of ridding the galaxy of the bastard we call ‘Emperor.’”

“Thank you,” Bail said tightly. He made no move to leave.

“Was there something else you wanted?”

“I was wondering if you might tell Padmé. About Luke.”

Obi-Wan gaped at him, stunned by his audacity, “You mean she doesn’t know?”

Bail fiddled uncomfortably with his sleeves, “No…She and Leia only just arrived from Alderaan. And I think she’d appreciate hearing it from you. You were his guardian…”

“She is your wife!”

“Obi-Wan, I really don’t have time for this, right now! I am leading a Rebellion! As much as it pains me to say it, the Universe does not revolve around the affairs of the Skywalker family.”

“The way you act, you obviously believe it revolves around your head! I thought you were different from the average politician; not pompous, arrogant or self-righteous. I can see now how wrong I was.”

“That isn’t fair, Obi-Wan”

“Life isn’t fair; I understand the notion of ‘unfair’ better than anyone else. I have lost everything that ever mattered to me! All my friends, my master, my padawan, the boy I thought of as my son…” Obi-Wan’s voice caught and he closed his eyes. Once he had collected himself, he sat down.

“Don’t you lecture me about fairness, Viceroy Organa. And don’t worry yourself about telling Padmé; I shall. She deserves to know the full story.”

Bail nodded briskly and left.

Obi-Wan put his head in his hands. He had a severe headache and constantly mulling over the events of the previous day wasn’t helping him at all.
Once Vader had locked him in the room, he had become aware of the fight going on outside. The thought that there were probably Alliance soldiers outside didn’t give him much hope. After all, they might lose and he’d be stuck, waiting, in that room for an eternity. It turned out, however, that he underestimated the ability of the Alliance soldiers and not fifteen minutes later, they cut through the door.

“Master Kenobi!” the captain said, “We’re here to destroy this thing! We thought you were dead! Can you walk, sir?”

Slightly dazed at the sudden rescue, Obi-Wan stood, “Yes…Yes, I can. Where’s Luke?”

He was pulled into the corridor and then through the smouldering remains of a blast door. He tripped over the armour of dead stormtroopers several times, do the enthusiastic ushering of the captain to ‘Move it!’

“Luke, sir?” the captain asked as they stepped into the hangar. They immediately ducked behind some storage containers as stormtroopers fired at them.

“The young Jedi. He was with you. I saw him.”

“Ah, Skywalker…Yes. He has gone to plant the last of the plasma charges by the main generator.”

“By himself? Plasma charges?”

“Yes. We‘re placing them at strategic points all over the station. He’s gone by himself because it’s a rather cramped place, apparently. He didn’t want to be noticed either. He has the detonator with him, so he’ll know when his time is up Right, let’s go!”

He shoved Obi-Wan out into the open and began running towards a small Nubian shuttle that was stood in the corner of the hangar. Obi-Wan had no choice but to follow him, as they were surrounded by Imperial troops.

“Can you fly?” the captain asked, panting, as they took cover behind the shuttle, “Our pilot’s gone down and we need to leave A.S.A.P.”

“This? Yes, I suppose. But shouldn’t we wait for Luke?”

The Rebel shook his head, “No time. He can get a TIE.”

“But-“

“Master Kenobi, we need to leave. I can’t wait for one boy. I’m sorry, but I really can’t!”

Obi-Wan assured himself that Luke would be fine- that he was a smart boy and that he would be safe- but he felt enormously guilty as he fired the ship’s engines and left the hangar.

“What are those things?” the captain asked, sitting down in the co-pilots chair. He was pointing at Obi-Wan’s wrists.

“Force-suppressing restraints,” Obi-Wan replied, trying not to sound as irritated as this guy was making him feel.

“Vader put them on you?

“Yes.”

“Oh. I suppose you hate the guy, eh? What with him killing all the Jedi?”

Obi-Wan decided that this captain was more tactless than Han Solo.

“A Jedi does not hate.”

“Ah, right…So, you don’t hate him, then?”

“No.”

“How do you feel about him then?”

“I-…” How did he feel about Vader? He had felt so many things about him in the last day. He wasn’t sure what he felt.

“Nothing. I feel nothing for Vader; not hate, or pity or even dislike. I just…do.”

“Oh.” The captain left him alone after that. When the Death Star exploded, Obi-Wan was glad he could not presently feel the Force; he did not have to feel the suffering of those who died. But at the same time, he wished he could. That way, he would know if Luke had survived. Even without their bond, he knew he could recognise Luke’s Force signature.
He hit the button the engage the hyperdrive. As space speeded past them, Obi-Wan did not look back.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes; he had only had six hours sleep in the last five days. All of them hours had been in Vader’s bed…

The self-disgust he had felt whenever he thought of the fact that he had kissed the monster returned and resisted the urge to gag.

‘You fool! You fell for his lies and his touches…And then, because of that, you told him of his connection to Luke. You believed that the knowledge of his son would affect him, because you let yourself believe that you had somehow affected him positively…You foolish man.’

“I’ve failed you,” he whispered, “I’ve failed all the Jedi who have gone before me. I was given the responsibility of protecting our last hope and I failed…I’m sorry.”

He peered around the room, as if the dead Jedi he referred to were standing there, “I’ve failed. But I promise you, I won’t fail again. I will do what I can to save this galaxy, even if it kills me.”

The grim statement echoed off the walls and Obi-Wan sighed again. Where had everything gone so wrong?
When he volunteered for the mission the Death Star? Or even when he began caring for Luke? Had it been when he had taken Anakin as his lover? Maybe, it had been when he had first met a young boy all those years ago on Tatooine.

‘You can’t change that now,’ he thought with a grimace. No; he couldn’t change anything. But he could look to the future. He could look to a day when the Empire ruled no more.
Just because he had resolved to help the Rebellion did not mean he would gladly put his heart and soul into the endeavour. How could he? His heart was finally dead.
It had been wounded severely when Qui-Gon had died, but, over time, Anakin had helped heal that pain. In turn, Luke had helped to mend the whole in his heart Anakin’s turning had created. Now Luke was gone, possibly by his own Father’s hand.
What did he have left to live for except duty?

She dropped the clothes she had been folding and ran across the room, flinging her arms around him. He tensed slightly at the greeting, before relaxing into the embrace of his old friend.

“Oh, Obi-Wan,” she breathed, clasping his hand in her own, “I thought you had died! When Luke lost contact with you…Are you well?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Obi-Wan saw Leia, unpacking cases, looking at them with a slight frown.

“I’m well enough,” he replied stiffly.

“That’s good to hear,” Padmé stared at him, apparently searching for something in his expression. After a short moment, Obi-Wan became uncomfortable under her intelligent and searching gaze. Helooked away.

“Is something the matter?” she questioned. She walked away from him, taking off the pair of bejewelled earrings that hung from her ears and placing them in a small, decorative wooden box on a nearby desk.

She looked back at him, putting her hands on her hips, “Obi-Wan, what is it?”

He rubbed his cheek. He was startled to find he was clean-shaven. When had that happened?
‘Oh, yes, I remember…In Vader’s quarters,’ he recalled, irritated he had forgotten.

“Obi-Wan,” Padmé repeated, quietly, “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“It’s Luke,“ Obi-Wan said.

Padmé’s eyes widened slightly and then she turned to Leia, “Sweetheart, could you leave us alone, please?”

Leia gave her a questioning look. Padmé just shook her head.

“Alright, I’ll go find Father,” Leia walked towards the door, pausing by Obi-Wan to nod and say, “Master Kenobi.”

He nodded back and his eyes followed her out of the room. Just then, that look she had given her Mother…she had looked so like Anakin.

“Obi-Wan?”

He faced Padmé, who had let her mask fall and was now looking at him with unveiled worry, “Where is Luke? Why is he not here?”

“Padmé…” How was he meant to tell her that her son- the son she had not seen since he was a baby- was most likely dead?

“Padmé, you know Luke was part of the team who went to the Death Star?”
“Yes. But what-“ her hand flew to her mouth suddenly and she shook her head, “No, he didn’t…He’s not…”

“Padmé, it is believed he was on the Death Star when it exploded.”

“No,” Padmé said weakly, “No…Not my Luke…Obi-Wan?”

He just stared at her, unable to conjure any words of comfort. To offer comfort, he would have to accept that Luke was dead and that was something he could not do.

“I’m sorry, milady,” he said, his voice sounding so strong in comparison to how weak he felt.
“Is that all you can say!” Padmé screamed, suddenly, startling Obi-Wan, “What’s wrong with you! Do you not care!”

He gritted his teeth and then nodded, “Of course I care. I just don’t-“

“What did he do to you, Obi-Wan? What did he say?” Padmé narrowed her eyes, standing shakily. She walked closer to him.

“Who?” Obi-Wan asked, feigning ignorance, although he knew full well to whom she was referring.

“Vader, Obi-Wan. What did he say?”

“Nothing of relevance.”

“I’m not stupid, Obi-Wan. Why are you acting like this?”

“Like what?”

“Like a…a Jedi!”

He looked at her sharply, “I am a Jedi.”

“But that is not all you are! You always showed your feelings. Maybe not obviously, but to those who were looking…And now; now you’ve shut off.”

“I find the best defence mechanism is to not care. Where feelings are concerned, at least.”

“What are you defending yourself against?”

Obi-Wan gave a soft snort, “I don’t know.”

Padmé bit her lip and stared at him. The only noise was that of the engine. Like the engine noises that had lulled him to sleep aboard the Death Star-

‘No! Don’t you dare think about that!’

He looked back at Padmé, “Vader knows. About Luke and Leia, that is. He claimed to know Leia’s true parentage already, but he found out about Luke from me.”

“He has never sought Leia before…”

“Then we should presume he never shall.”

Padmé nodded and sat back down. She spoke suddenly, “You don’t think Luke’s dead, do you?”

Obi-Wan gave a half-shrug, “All the evidence points to him being dead-“

“Yes. But you don’t believe that, do you?”

“No,” Obi-Wan confirmed, ”I don’t.”

“Can’t you sense him? I thought you had a bond with him?”

“I had to break it when Vader-…Well, when I met with Vader. I was worried about him sensing Luke.”

“That doesn’t matter now Vader knows, does it? Can’t you form the bond again?”

Obi-Wan sighed and shook his head, “A bond can communicate messages when one of the bonded is over half a galaxy away. But to be formed, the two parties need to be close together. It’s to do with intertwining Force-signatures and focusing energy in the right place.”

“Can’t you sense him anyway?”

“If I had any idea where to look. If he is alive, he’s too far away for me to immediately sense.”

Padmé put her head in her hands. Her despair washed over Obi-Wan, causing him to hold back the tears the sensation evoked.

He went and sat down by her.

Obi-Wan put his hand on her back, rubbing comforting circles, “When the Death Star was destroyed I was still wearing the Force-suppressing cuffs. So, I couldn’t feel it if he lived or died. There is a chance he still lives.”

“There is as much chance that he doesn’t, “ Padmé said, her voice muffled by her hands

What could one say to that? Obi-Wan squeezed her shoulder and got to his feet. He took one last look at her before he left the room. She looked so young; so fragile and much younger than she had looked when he had first met her. She had only been fourteen then. Perhaps he had underestimated how much Anakin’s turning had affected her. It was funny how he only saw it now.
Quietly, he made his exit, to the sounds of Padmé’s sobs.
‘Best leave the mother to her grief.’

Bail stood, drawing his attention back to the discussion.

“It has come to our attention,” Bail began, “That the Imperial’s have pin-pointed our location.” Here, he gestured to one of the Generals, who brought up a holographic image of the Imperial Starfleet in orbit around a planet named Mustafar, less than three hours from the Alliance’s current position. Obi-Wan vaguely recalled Mustafar. It was the planet where Vader had slaughtered the Separatist leaders. As much as they had deserved it, the fact that Palpatine had deceived and betrayed everyone- even those who swore allegiance to him- made him dislike the Emperor even more; no one deserved to die like they had. Cut down ruthlessly by the boy he had trained, the man he had loved-

“We have decided not to seek shelter in any system, but to keep moving. That way, the Empire will have difficulty tracking us,” Bail was saying.

There were murmurs of agreement from around the room. Obi-Wan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. That seemed like the most obvious choice of action, but also the one the Empire would expect. Few systems would want to hide the entire Alliance fleet, though, so they didn't really have much of a choice, anyway.

The meeting concluded and Bail called Obi-Wan back. Padmé also remained, sitting at one end of the table. Something that greatly resembled hope shone in her eyes.

Obi-Wan looked to Bail, “Well?”

The Viceroy glanced at his wife and then back at Obi-Wan. He walked around the hologram control panel and pressed several buttons. An image soared into the air above the table, accompanied by lines of writing and a banner across the top which declared the data as ‘Imperial HoloNet; Warning for galaxy-wide circulation.’

“It seems that you are not the only one who believes that Skywalker is still alive,” Bail said, pointing to the picture.

“Luke,“ Obi-Wan uttered, staring at the holograph of the boy he knew so well. It had been taken aboard the Death Star; a close-up of Luke holding his lightsaber above his head. He read the paragraph next to the picture.
‘LUKE SKYWALKER.
WANTED FOR CRIMES TO THE EMPIRE. DESTROYED THE DEATH STAR SPACE STATION. SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ARMED AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. REWARD FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO CAPTURE CAN BE DISCUSSED WITH YOUR LOCAL IMPERIAL OUTPOST. WARNING SKYWALKER IS A FOLLOWER OF THE TRAITOROUS JEDI RELIGION AND WELL-VERSED IN THE WAYS OF THE FORCE. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE!’

“Vader also appeared live on the HoloNet,“ Padmé told him, “He launched an appeal for ‘this traitor to be found.’”

“If he doesn’t believe he is dead, there must a large probability Luke is alive. That, or Vader is being very cautious,“ Obi-Wan reflected.

“If he is alive- if- why hasn’t he contacted us?” Bail questioned.

“Vader,” Obi-Wan said simply.

“What about him?”

“It would be out of character, I admit, but we must consider the possibility that Vader told Luke thathe is his father. I thought it unlikely at first, but now...Well, I feel it is possible.”

“And not have killed him?”

“He wouldn’t kill him if he saw the potential to use Luke’s power to help to Empire. Vader may be ruthless, as well as rash, and yet, I do not believe he would simply destroy his own son.”

“Why? He would gladly kill you or Padmé. Are you saying he might hold some affection for Luke?”

“No. I am saying that, knowing how powerful his son is, Vader would see it as a waste to kill Luke.”

“Should we look for him?” Padmé asked, directing the question the Obi-Wan.

“If he has not returned to us, there must be a reason. When he wishes to, he shall come back. Assuming that he is alive and this isn’t just some ruse of Vader’s.”

And how he hoped it wasn’t.

He stood motionless on the platform, watching the traffic speed past.

“Yes, Captain?”

“The healer has agreed to let is in. Without protest.” The Captain sounded as if he feared Vader might kill the healer and was trying to save his neck. The very notion made Vader grimace. Perhaps, before the Death Star had been destroyed, he would’ve been amused.

But not now. Now, the doubts that had long-hindered him were gone. His loyalty was to his Empire and the Empire alone; no longer exclusively the Emperor, who he was almost certain had knowingly lied to him concerning his son.

His son.

The reason he was there in that region of Coruscant. The region where healers, bankers, lawyers, cosmetic surgeons and other galactic services made their money.

He was there to a pay a visit to a healer named Zanis, who specialised in prosthetic limbs. In his search for the Skywalker child, he had paid a visit to many such specialists across the galaxy, as it was unlikely that the boy was going to go around with half an arm for an extended period of time. Zanis’ practice had been one of the first to come to mind, but Vader had thought that Skywalker would perceive it too risky to venture into the heart of the galaxy where both he and the Emperor had their permanent homes.

However, searches of other establishments had turned up nothing and after several months of no leads concerning Luke, he had decided to search the place.

“Very well,” Vader replied finally. He loved seeing the officers squirm while he ‘contemplated’ in silence. They always seemed to think he was deciding whether or not to kill them. Usually he was; but not today. Today, he had a teenage Jedi to find.

“I’m sure it is, Healer,” Vader said, folding his arms over his chest.

“What can we, ah, do for you?”

“I’m looking for a boy.”

Zanis looked alarmed for a moment, before he smiled as if he found something funny, “Well surely the pleasure district-“

“Do not be disgusting!” Vader hissed, stepping closer to Zanis. The healer took a step back.

“I did not mean like…that!” Vader closed his eyes, willing himself to be calm; it would not do to kill Zanis before he had the information he needed.

“I am looking for a teenage boy who may have sought out your services. Slim build, slightly below average height with blonde hair and blue eyes.”

“Many teenage boys like that pass through my practice, Lord Vader. We have over seventy thousand families registered with our general practice across the planet.”

“This boy would not be seeing you for a general ailment, Healer. Nor would he be part of a family. He would be here by himself for specialist treatment.”

“Specialist, my Lord?”

“You specialise in prosthetic limbs, do you not?”

Zanis smiled, “There is not much call for such things anymore. Back in the day, my clients were Jedi…” he paused, checking for Vader’s reaction. The Sith inclined his head, gesturing for him to go on.

“…Jedi and casualties of the Clone Wars. It is very rare to find people on Coruscant who need appendages replacing now.”

“So, you no longer perform operations of that description?”

“No, my Lord; I do. It is just rare…”

“No boy of that description has come through here? He had a severed right arm.”

“No boy of that description,“ Zanis confirmed with a nod.

Vader blew out a frustrated breath, feeling both angered and strangely disappointed.

“Very well, Healer. Thank you for your time.”

He turned, preparing to leave.

“Lord Vader,“ Zanis said hesitantly.

“What?” he snapped. He hoped that the extremely talented surgeon would not ask for a contract with the Imperial Army, or he would soon be an extremely dead surgeon.

“I…Do you have a holograph of the boy?”

Vader reached into one of the pouches on his belt. He pulled out a small circular holoprojector and pressed the switch. A small image of Luke standing stationary appeared, rotating slowly on the spot.

Zanis leant closer, peering intently at the boy.

“Well?” Vader inquired.

“I have seen this boy.”

“Then you lied?”

“No!” Zanis cleared his throat, flushing red with shame at his panicked exclamation, “No. It is just…At the time I saw him, he had black hair.

‘Finally! Something!’

“He was here? You repaired his arm?”

“Yes. I put on one of the latest models. It uses a high-tech Bacta technology to grow new life-like skin over the robotic limb.”

“How did he pay?”

“Straight credits.”

‘If he had used a credit chip I could’ve tracked him. Clever, Luke; very clever.’

“Did he give any indication of where going? Where he had been? What name did he use?”

“I inquired, of course, in a conversational kind of way. He said he was going off-planet. He said his name was Selen. Selen Kenobi.”

“Ken-…Do you not watch the HoloNet! There is a galaxy-wide search for a Jedi named Kenobi! Did you not think it odd that a teenage boy was coming alone for repair to his severed arm?”

“I thought it was a coincidence…He told me his parents were researchers on the Outer Rim. He said he had lost his arm in an accident with a laser cutter!”

“What kind of idiot would cut off their arm with a kitchen utensil!”

“I-“

“You are very lucky, Healer. Very. The only reason that I’m going to allow you to live is because you once repaired my arm!”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Vader thought, ‘Oh fuck!’

“Lord Vader…You must be mistaken. I’ve never met you before.”

“Are you so foolish to believe I always wore this mask, Healer?” Before Zanis could answer, he stepped closer, towering over him, and grasped him by the collar, “Tell anyone what you heard today and I shall string you by your entrails from the top of this building!”

He pushed him away roughly, causing Zanis to collide with a desk. The datapads piled on the surface scattered onto the floor. Vader stared at them as if he found them offensive and then walked over them, their screens cracking under his weight.

As the sounds of a speeder engine firing up met his ears, Zanis stood and straightened his tunic.

“Skywalker,” he said to himself quietly, as if scared someone might hear him, “Jedi Skywalker.”

In his speeder, Vader turned to his aid, who gave him a questioning look.

Then, Vader gave a slight nod of his head, before uttering, “Make it covert.”

“Apprentice.”

The clash of two lightsabers…Sizzling heat against his face…Searing pain across his cheek.

“Balance,” the voice was murky, as if he was hearing it through water, “Let the Force flow and conquer you will.”

“Yes…Master,” that voice was quiet and weary.

The lightsabers were ignited again, two sparks of green in the darkness.

They swirled and then joined with a violent hiss-

…and for a moment, the darkness was faded away and was replaced by a view a dense jungle. A human figure flipped in the distance and he suddenly he became aware of the bright-blue eyes staring at him with their searing gaze. The scene disappeared and he was somewhere else…a crowded cantina. He was dodging between the members of the crowd and then, he came to a stop at a table in the corner.

‘Obi-Wan,’ he thought viciously, recognising the figure. But this was not the Obi-Wan he had seen recently; this Obi-Wan was haggard, his long, stringy hair pulled back with a hair tie. There was no spark in his eyes as he nursed his beverage.

‘Perhaps I finally succeeded in breaking him!’

Obi-Wan looked straight at him..

“Anakin,” he said, as if the word was a prayer. He held out his hand.

‘I hate you!’ he thought. He was surprised when he heard himself yell the words.

Obi-Wan flinched, but his hand remained offered to him, his expression imploring.

“No!” he ignited his lightsaber, the red light reflected in Obi-Wan’s desperate stare. He slashed across Obi-Wan’s chest and the Jedi groaned in pain, falling forward. Before the scene faded, he noticed that Obi-Wan’s hand was still reaching for him.

Vader opened his eyes slowly, staring at the ceiling with a frown. He hadn’t had a dream like that in years. Usually, his dreams consisted of brief flashes of moments in time; past, present, or future. Not so in-depth…Not dreams that weren’t straight-forward. It wasn’t possible that he might meet Obi-Wan, was it? Even if he did, he doubted that his former master would act like that. He’d never let his guard down like that,allowingVader to kill him without a fight.

No; the dream must’ve been cryptic. How he hated dreams like that. Cryptic remarks reminded him of Yoda- Yoda! The little green moron had been in his dream!

But why would Yoda be in his dream?

‘The boy,’ he mused, a grimace curling his thin lips. The Skywalker child was an unwelcome revelation. It had taken a lot of planning to orchestrate that lie; the lie that Kenobi had ruthlessly murdered the boy. Of course, when Vader had told him of the living boy, he had feigned ignorance. He had the distinct feeling that Vaderhad not believed him. He needed a way to win Vader’s trust back, as it would not do to have an apprentice that was wary of him.

“The solution will present itself,” he murmured to himself.

Perhaps the dream had not been of the boy. Perhaps it had been of the former Mrs. Skywalker, now Lady Organa. Vader never spoke of her. He had not done so since she married that pompous Viceroy. He supposed one could call that ‘a wife’s last betrayal’; marrying a politician as if her first husband had never existed and letting the new man raise the first husband’s child as his own.

Palpatine had often wondered why Vader had chosen not to pursue to girl. Vader would need an apprentice one day and who better than his own child? Vader’s explanation had been ‘if the Jedi did not think her powerful enough should train, then why should I waste knowledge on such a weak brat?’

Maybe, now that he knew of him, Vader would take his son as apprentice. From what Vader told him, Luke was very powerful with great potential for the Dark Side.

“More powerful than you, Lord Vader?” Palpatine mused aloud, “Do you intend to use him to help over-throw me? Or something else…?”

Vader had always been more complex than his previous apprentices. Maul had been a beast; vile, unfeeling and aggressive. Tyrannus had been more calculating, yet just as cool. Both of them, however, had selfishly wanted power and control.

Darth Vader had joined him out of the desperate desire to protect those he loved. Strangely, he- a person of good intentions- fell far quicker than those whose only desire was to gain power for themselves. He had fallen further too; he was far more murderous than his previous apprentices, especially recently.

“Your meeting with Kenobi shook you, did it not, young Vader?”

Indeed, it had shook Vader. But in a way that was positive for the Empire. The last positive feelings toward Kenobi had been erased. Of that, Palpatine was almost certain. He had, after all gone so far as to cut off his own son’s hand. If Palpatine himself had been there, he wouldn’t have let the boy get away. Then again, Vader had been deeply unsettled after coming face-to-face with Kenobi, so he could- reluctantly- excuse that.

At first, he had thought that ridding Vader of his loyalty to Kenobi would be easy. It appeared to be very simple, but Palpatine quickly discovered that Vader was a very actor; it seemed like Vader despised him, with Palpatine could sense a hidden desire to be with the Jedi again. Thus, making Kenobi the biggest threat. The man had been Vader’s mentor and friend, not to mention lover. Their bond in the Force bound them also and the nature of their bond meant that- to Palpatine’s displeasure- it could not be broken.

‘Unless Vader died,’ he thought, his frown deepening the wrinkles in his forehead yet again, ‘If Vader died, so would Kenobi. If Kenobi died so would Vader…Had my apprentice forgotten this when he was prepared to execute him?’

What a puzzle; how could one forget something as important as that? Although, Vader’s power had made him more arrogant than ever. Could his arrogance have made him believe he was stronger than the Force?

Palpatine chuckled darkly to himself; Kenobi and the Skywalker boy were unwelcome annoyances. But he had faith in the Dark Side of the Force; faith in his visions of the future, but- most of all- faith in the plans he had made so many years ago. No half-trained Jedi padawan and Master of an extinct religion could halt his plans. Vader might succeed in stopping him if he tried. But why would he try?

“Why, indeed,” Palpatine murmured, staring pensively into the obsidian sea of space.

“Language unbecoming of a Jedi, that is,” said Yoda’s voice amusedly from within the hut.

“Yes, Master,” the figure- Luke Skywalker- replied, rolling his eyes.

“And stop thatalso you should.”

Luke- who, incidentally, was not at all amused by the fact he had just banged his head (for what must’ve been the hundredth time) on the roof of his Master’s home- stomped off in the direction of the swamp. Once there, he sat down on the edge of the murky water. Silently, he watched as the eye of some swamp beast rose from the water and looked at him. He wasn’t worried that itmight attempt toattack him; they had stopped trying about a week after he arrived on Dagobah, probably because he blinded one of the monsters with a pointed stick.

Despite the fact that they didn’t provide the best conversation (as in, they didn’t speak basic) they were the only company he had on this Force-forsaken planet apart from Yoda, who was mildly annoying at the best of times.

Not to say that Luke didn’t like the old Jedi Master- he held a great affection for him- but after spending weeks on end with him, his words and behaviourbegan to grate on Luke’s nerves. Luke longed for the company of his friends from Tatooine or anyone really. Maybe even that snobby Organa girl or Solo. The only person he wouldn’t like to speak to at the present was Obi-Wan. He simply could not bear the thought of having a ‘normal’ conversation with the man after what he’d recently discovered. Why had Obi-Wan lied to him for so long?

“Thinking?”

Luke looked over his shoulder at the shimmering form of Qui-Gon Jinn.

He shrugged, “A little.”

“Better than a lot, my young friend. Too much thinking is rarely a good thing.”

Luke smiled, “Always ready with a valuable sentiment, Master Qui-Gon.”

“Not always valuable, Luke. Although often justified.”

Luke had first seen Qui-Gon some five years ago and had heard about his visits from Obi-Wan when he was very young. The dead Jedi- in Luke’s experience- could be as cryptic as Yoda and as light-hearted as Obi-Wan, depending on his mood.

“You’ve spent a lot of your time thinking lately,“ Qui-Gon remarked.

“There isn’t much else to do when I’m not training.”

“You could contact Obi-Wan, Luke. There’s a perfectly good comunit back-“

“I’m not talking to him; not yet.”

“He lied to protect you.”

“Protect me from what?” Luke snapped. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. He wouldn’t lose control in front of Qui-Gon.

“From growing up.”

“Growing up to become like Vader, more like.”

Qui-Gon placed a ghostly hand on his shoulder, “Obi-Wan has never believed for one second you would follow the path of your father-“

“He is not my father!” Luke got to his feet, heading towards the jungle, “My father is dead! Obi-Wan is dead to me!”

“You cannot run from your destiny forever, Luke.”

When Luke showed no signs of stopping, Qui-Gon spoke again, “It’s going to catch up with you one day, whether you like it or not. Are you going to wallow in a past that isn’t yours or build your own future?”

Luke paused and turned, walking back towards the ghost, “I am going to do what I want! All my life, I’ve done what the Force has urged me to do! Yet, all along, it seems to Force has been playing some big joke on me! Vader my father! The man who so ruthlessly slaughtered thousands of people gave me life! I wish I’d never been born! I feel dirty, contaminated, diseased-“ Luke broke off as tears filled his eyes.

“You feel fear,” Qui-Gon pronounced softly.

Luke shook his head, “ Not for my myself. For them. Everyone else.”

“You fear becoming like him,” Qui-Gon said after a pause.

Luke looked him in the eye, “Wouldn’t you?”

And then he was gone; sprinting through the undergrowth in a blur of beige. Qui-Gon watched him go as Yoda hobbled out of hit hut, coming to stand at his side.

“He doesn’t deserve it. Not at such a young age. He’s not even a man yet.”

“Make a man age does not. Experience does.”

“And what, Master Yoda, makes a Jedi?” Qui-Gon smiled.

Yoda looked at him, sighed, and then looked into the jungle, into which Luke had so recently disappeared.