Han stepped cautiously into the cave, wondering if he had gotten lost somewhere along the way. This didn't look like a place where Luke would hide out, but then again it was cool and sheltered from the harsh Tatooine suns outside. Han did a double check of the directions he had been given. He was sure he had followed them correctly, so this must be the place.

Nevertheless, he pulled out his blaster and proceeded with caution.

Han rounded a sharp bend and there, only a couple of metres away from him, was Luke, wrapped in a long black cloak and seated with his back turned to Han.

"Luke!" Han called, relief washing over him.

But then suddenly he was surrounded, blaster rifles pointed at him from all directions. Han dropped his blaster in an instant, knowing better than to go up against a small squadron of stormtroopers.

"Luke?" he whispered cautiously, his hands raised above his head. The kid hadn't even moved. Was he okay? Was he hurt?

Luke gave a short laugh and Han frowned, failing to see what was funny.

"You pretend to care for no one, Han, but your compassion is your downfall." Luke's words echoed around the cave walls and Han froze. The kid's voice wasn't normal. It was dark and cold and had a vicious bite to it. What the hell was going on?

Han watched silently as Luke got up and turned around to face him. And it was then that Han realised something was terribly wrong here. Luke was dressed from head to foot in black and on his chest was an Imperial military insignia. But that wasn't the worst of it. Luke's usually soft eyes and kind smile were nowhere in sight, replaced instead by a cold, crystalline stare and a wicked smirk.

"Wha..." Han's voice faltered as his brain failed him.

"This was all too easy," Luke said quietly as he approached Han, hands behind his back and a feral grin on his face. "You disappoint me, Han. I thought you'd be harder to catch than this."

"What the hell happened to you?" Han asked, his voice now fully functional again. Luke had been gone for many months now and it had taken Han so long to track him down. He had been searching for his lost friend but what he had found was a monster.

"A monster?" Luke scoffed and Han was taken aback at the clear implication that Luke had been reading his mind. "That's a little harsh now, don't you think?"

"I don't know," Han grit out. "You tell me. What exactly have you become, Skywalker?"

Luke's eyes flashed at the use of his last name, although Han couldn't tell whether the kid was affronted or pleased.

"Well, I'm not exactly a kid anymore, Han," Luke replied coolly. "So, I think you should stop calling me that."

"Stay out of my head!" Han growled. His heart was racing now and he was beginning to become angry. At first he had thought that maybe it was all an act, but now... Well, one thing was for certain: Luke was no longer the man he had once known. His friend, it seemed, was long gone, replaced by this... thing.

"Was it Vader?" Han asked quietly, his anger simmering just below the surface. "Is he the one that did this to you?"

"Vader didn't do anything to me, Han," Luke replied casually, staring at Han with his cold, blue eyes that were once so warm and welcoming. "Although he did offer me something."

"And what was that?" Han felt sick. His question had hidden another and Luke had just answered both of them. Luke was loyal to Vader now - loyal to the Empire. Of course, the Imperial insignia had implied that, but Han had just had to check.

"Power," Luke said simply with a shrug of his shoulders.

Han scoffed. "Is that all it took?" he asked incredulously, eyebrows raised. "Is that all it took for you to betray the Alliance and defect to the Empire? Power? I had so much more faith in you, Luke. You could have done so much!"

"Oh, but I will," Luke whispered, stepping closer to Han, who forced himself not to step back. "With my new found power I will rule the galaxy!"

Han gave a sad, shaky laugh. His anger had dissipated now and had instead been replaced with a sad sense of finality. "We were friends, Luke," he whispered softly. "What happened to that? I trusted you."

Luke's eyes flickered for a second as he scanned Han's face. Then he stepped back and his eyes were wide. "But don't you see, Han? I'm doing this for you - for all of you! For the Alliance. For you. For Leia. I will restore peace and freedom to the galaxy!"

"Listen to yourself, Luke," Han replied sadly. "Don't you see who you've become? You're like Vader: power hungry and blinded by the Dark Side. You may think you're doing the right thing, but you'll probably end up destroying us all in your attempt to save us."

"Well, it would be fitting, wouldn't it?" Luke snapped harshly. "To liken me to Vader. I am his son, after all."

Of all the things that Han had been expecting, that had definitely not been on the list. This day was getting wilder by the second and Han was struggling to keep up.

"His son?" he repeated hoarsely.

"Yes. Is that so hard to believe?"

Han gave Luke a once over, scanning him from messy blond hair to shiny black boots. Then he looked Luke straight in the eyes. "Not anymore," he said. And it was true. Luke looked every part the son of Vader, from the long black cloak to the stiff, rigid way that he held himself.

Luke smirked and motioned to the stormtroopers. "Take him away."

Han stared at Luke sadly as his hands were bound and he was dragged from the cave.

"You won't win this, Skywalker," he called out as Luke followed at a distance.

Luke's eyes glinted with malice and his mouth curved in a wicked grin.

"Just watch me."