Chapter Two

A small group of Galactic generals congregated in the meeting room of the Morning Star, clearly in the midst of an argument about the Rebel Hunters. The Storm troopers were gathered around the room, hands on their weapons just in case something went terribly wrong, considering the Host, one could never be too careful.

An older officer slapped his hand on the table set in front of him in frustration, "This battle station is not fully operational, and until it is, we are too helpless against the Rebel Hunters. They have the clear advantage, and are far more dangerous than you realize."

A younger officer squirmed angrily in his chair, "Dangerous to you, Commander, but not to this battle-station."

The other officer shook his head in aggravation, it was beyond him how these men, these commanders of a military organization, could be so blind, "The Rebel Hunters will gain more sympathy in the Imperial Senate, as long as-" He was interrupted as the door swished open, revealing Darth Zayder and Governor Uriel. They marched silently into the room, ignoring the generals as they stood and bowed before their commanders.

"The Imperial Senate is of no concern of ours any longer; I have received word that the Emperor has dissolved the council permanently. The last of the old Republic has been washed away." The governor intoned.

"But that's impossible!" The officer exclaimed, "How will the Emperor hope to maintain control without a government?"

Uriel smirked, "The Imperial Host now has direct control over the territories. Fear will keep them in line; fear in us and in this battle station."

"What about the rebellion, then? If the Rebel hunters have truly attained the complete technical readout of this battle station and somehow figured out a weakness, they are sure to exploit it."

Zayder exhaled with a metallic hiss, "The plans you are referring to will soon be back in our possession in due time."

The younger officer pursed his lips in annoyance, leaning over the table at Lord Zayder, "Any attack made by the Rebel Hunters would be a futile gesture, no matter what data they could obtain. This battle station is now the supreme power in the universe, I propose we use it!"

Lord Zayder squared his shoulders, "I wouldn't be too quick to congratulate yourself just yet, officer. The ability to obliterate a planet is irrelevant next to the power of the Faith."

The officer snorted, "Don't try to terrorize us with your mysterious ways, Lord Zayder. Your pathetic devotion to that archaic religion hasn't assisted you in conjuring the stolen data, or the foresight to find the Rebel Hunter's hidden fort-" His words were stopped suddenly as he started choking, quickly turning blue, as Lord Zayder's hand clenched tightly in mid-air.

"I find your lack of Faith upsetting."

Uriel put his hand on Zayder's arm, "Enough, my lord. I believe he gets your point."

The Dark Lord lowered his arm, stepping back, "Certainly." He tired of these officers, sitting around, playing at running the universe. He looked over at his companion, trusting him to take care of the formalities, before he started smiting everyone in the room.

Uriel nodded minutely, "This arguing is senseless. Lord Zayder will provide us with the Rebel Hunter's base in due time, once he deems this station fully operational. In one swift stroke, we will smite the Rebel Hunters once, and for all."

*****

Jimmy's speeder stopped in front of the wreckage of the Landspeeder, its great hulking mass smoldering. They exited the vehicle carefully, poking through the remains, gathering the small bodies. Bobby started a small fire, advising Jimmy and Chuck 3PO to burn them. Jimmy didn't understand the reasoning behind his instructions, however since this man was a supposed war hero, there was surely a reason behind it.

After clearing the site, Jimmy joined Bobby, "I don't get this, it certainly looks like the Sand People did this. There's gaffi sticks, Bantha tracks…but I just never heard of them doing something like this before."

Bobby crouched down, observing the tracks with a furrowed brow, "Because they didn't do it. We're supposed to think they did, these tracks here? They're side-by-side; Sand People ride single file to hide their numbers."

With a sick feeling in his gut, Jimmy whispered, "These are the same Jawas that sold my family the droids."

Bobby nodded to the wreckage, "And those blast points, too accurate for the Sand People. Only the Imperial Storm troopers are trained that precise."

Jimmy looked back at the droids, his heart beating wildly in his chest, "If they traced the droids here, then they had to have learned who they sold them to. That'd lead them home." Jimmy turned and ran to the speeder, quickly jumping into it.

"Wait, Jimmy!" Bobby called after him, "It's too dangerous-" He sighed as the younger man sped off, leaving him alone with the smoking ruins and the two droids, "Idgit."

With a heartfelt sigh, the older man pulled out a silver communicator out of his belt, punching the button that would connect him to the only two people that could, and most likely would, help them.

*****

Jimmy drove as fast as he possibly could, his heart pounding against his ribcage at just the mere thought of what he would find when he got back to the ranch. His hands were shaking as he approached his smoking home, his blood running cold. He stopped the speeder and jumped out, panting from fear as he called for his family, "Uncle Roger! Aunt Amelia! Uncle Roger!"

He jogged around the corner of their homestead, desperately hoping his family was alive and well. He fell to his knees, the breath punching out of his chest in horror as he witnessed the charred remains of his family. He looked around at the only place he had ever felt safe, feeling as though along with his family, his life was burnt to ash.

*****

Prince Castiel sat anxiously on the bench inside his cell, he had already paced the room more times than he could count, and he was no sooner finding a way out of the Morning Star than he was going to sprout wings and fly. He sighed, plunging his hands through his hair, there was no way out of this. The Imperial Host would never stop until they got what they wanted, until the universe burned. He straightened as his cell door opened, revealing the fearsome Lord Zayder and his gruesome torture droid. He gulped in sudden dread, they had very creative ways to find the truth from people, and most of them didn't make it through the process alive. He was willing to die for the cause, the Galactic Host needed to be stopped once and for all, but he was afraid of revealing anything that could jeopardize the Hunters.

He could feel the self-satisfaction that seemed to pollute the air around Lord Zayder, the raspy voice dripped with smugness, "I'm going to make a deal with you."

Castiel frowned and growled, "I don't make deals with the Host."

"I think you will make an exception." As Castiel leaned back, Zayder folded his black leather encased arms, "Join us, Castiel." He had to stifle a chuckle as the young man's head reared back in indignation, "We'll take you back home, spare your family's life, and the lives of the people on your planet. As long as they disband, I'll even persuade the Emperor to leave the Rebel Hunters alone. The Host will just pretend this little rebellion never happened. No harm, no foul."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you."

"It is a fair deal, I don't make them lightly." At the prince's stony look, he shifted his hands to his hips, "That's your answer? No?"

"No."

Lord Zayder shook his head, "I'm sorry to hear that."

The door swung closed as the droid moved closer to the prince.

*****

The speeder cruised jerkily up to Bobby, stopping suddenly as Jimmy launched himself out of the driver's seat, "Did you know? Did you know what was going to happen?" As Bobby opened his mouth to talk, the young man grabbed him by his cloak, "Did you know my family was dead?!"

"Hey!" Bobby said sharply. He removed Jimmy's hands and grabbed his shoulders, "When it comes to the Host, all bets are off. Look, there's nothing you could have done, had you been there, you would've died right along with them."

Jimmy pulled away from him, trying to get himself under control. When he calmed enough, he faced the older man, smoke curling around them both as he said quietly, "I'll go with you to Alderaan. There's nothing for me here anymore." His fists clenched, "Teach me everything you know, I want to be a Jedi, like my father."

Bobby nodded sadly; this wasn't the way he wanted the young man to learn about his heritage, not for revenge. "Sure, kid. Let's get out of here." They loaded into the speeder, the droids behind them as they set off for the spaceport.

They stopped the speeder just outside Mos Eisley, the spaceport in which they would find their pilot to take them to Alderaan. Jimmy walked up to Bobby as he stood on the cliff overlooking the spaceport, adjusting the goggles on his head. The port below them was a haphazard mix of shelters. Being the desert, it was bound to look like some kind of refugee camp.

"Mos Eisley spaceport…never thought I would ever come back to this place again. You've never seen a crappier place than this, better stay close and keep your mouth shut."

*****

They soon had to slow, and then stop on the crowded street in front of two storm troopers. Jimmy scanned the surrounding area out of the corner of his eye; the place was crawling with the white-armored soldiers. The two before them sidled up to the speeder, keeping their blasters well in sight as one of them questioned Bobby, "How long have you had these droids?"

Jimmy coughed, "A-About four or five seasons now, sir." He figured he should be polite, these weren't the kind of people anyone should mess around with, and his uncle always told him to be courteous to the military.

"They're for sale if you want 'em." Bobby grinned.

"Let me see your identification." The man sounded bored, but it didn't stop Jimmy from becoming very nervous, fumbling for his identification.

Bobby leisurely waved his hand, "You don't need to see his identification." Jimmy froze and looked at the older man as if he grew another head.

Only to gape again as the man repeated naturally, "We don't need to see his identification."

"These aren't the droids you're looking for." Bobby intoned lowly.

The officer shook his head, saying to his companion, "These aren't the droids we're looking for."

"Move along." Bobby grinned, settling back in his seat.

"Move along." The officer said impatiently, indicating with his rifle, "Move along."

They pulled up in front of a run-down cantina on the outskirts of town, and away from any type of military surveillance. They climbed out of their vehicle, Jimmy shooing away a Jawa that decided to creep up to them to fondle the speeder gleefully.

"I didn't think we were going to get past those troopers." Jimmy shook his head in amazement.

"Those idjits?" Bobby snorted, "The weak-minded are no match for the power of Faith, son."

As they took their place in line to get into the cantina, Jimmy folded his arms and asked, "So, this Dean-guy, is he reliable?"

"He's one of the best pilots I know. Watch your step in here, though, this place is pretty rough."Bobby made sure the droids stayed by the speeder, they would catch undue attention in the cantina, attention that they really couldn't afford.

They entered the smoky, raucous bar, filled nearly to the brim with all manner of patrons. From slimy to scaly, they were gathered together, huddled over their drinks, some grouping into little groups and muttering in their native tongue. Bobby hustled him to the bar, and sat him down on the stool, "Stay here, and keep quiet." He then hurried off to speak with a very tall and muscular man in a corner.

"What'll it be, kid?"

Jimmy, startled, looked at the harried woman behind the counter, "Um, I'll-"

"You have this," she interrupted, plunking a glass of brew he knew that his uncle drank on occasion. Knowing full well he shouldn't accept drinks from strangers, he still picked it up and took a sip. His lips didn't burn, nor did anything else for that matter, so he figured he would be safe drinking it.

*****

"Sam, it's good to see you." Bobby said with a smile.

"Hey, Bobby," The hulking man before him broke into a sparkling smile, "Long time, no see." After their father died, Bobby took the two boys and raised them. Tattooine wasn't the best of places to raise children, being far away from any civilized planet, and rife with criminals. They made it the best that they could, and the two boys couldn't have turned out better in Bobby's opinion.

His smile faded, he really hated asking this of the boys, "I wish this was under better circumstances, kid. I couldn't tell you much over the transmission, but the Host is after a friend of mine."

"Really?"

"Yeah, that kid over there?" He nodded to the nervous young man sitting at the bar. Sam frowned slightly, giving Bobby a look, "He's why I couldn't leave Tattooine. I had to make sure that no one was going to come after him."

Sam glanced him, then back to Bobby, "You mean he's the kid you used to tell us about? That whole 'twin' story?"

"Yeah. I thought I would have more time, but it seems like Faith has a different plan for him. He found the rest of his family today. The Host is gunnin' for him, something fierce."

"The homestead?"

"Torched, just like I thought it would be." Bobby sighed, "If I could just get him to Alderaan, get him away from the Host-"

"No matter what you do Bobby," Sam cajoled, "no matter where you take him, if the Host wants him, they're gonna find him."

"I know that." Bobby said impatiently, "But I was supposed to take care of him, get him away from all of that. I'll be damned if I abandon him now." He looked up in time to see the young man start to get hassled by the resident wildlife, "Aw, hell."

*****

Jimmy leaned on the counter, looking at either side of him, surveying the cantina as best as he could while trying to stay unobtrusive. He was taken aback as a creature suddenly got into his face, and screamed at him in its own language. The creature was obviously drunk, so Jimmy turned back to his drink, getting a rough shove for his trouble. A shorter man joined his companion, shoving himself into his personal space, "He really doesn't like you."

"I'm sorry?" Jimmy backed up a few steps.

"I don't like you either," The man growled. "You best watch yourself, we're wanted men. We got the death sentence on twelve systems."

He was saying that as though he was proud, which bothered the young man, "I'll…be careful then."

Obviously trying to calm them down, he thought that maybe he should have played it up a bit more, for the man grabbed him, "You'll be dead!"

Bobby shouldered his way through the gathering crowd, putting a hand on the man's arm, "This kid ain't worth your time, lemme buy you a drink-"

The next few events happened so fast, that Jimmy didn't exactly know what hit him. With a powerful shove, Jimmy was flung across the room, landing with such force that he saw stars. The foul creature that started everything took out a laser pistol, aiming it at the older man's head. Bobby whipped out his lightsaber quickly, swiftly slicing the man's arm from the rest of his body before he could fire off a shot.

He stood there for a moment, his saber humming, daring anyone else to come closer. After a few moments, he extinguished his saber, clipping it silently to his belt. The bar quickly went back to its original volume, and the other patrons decided to give the older man a wide berth. Jimmy stood, rubbing his head, suddenly very grateful he had Bobby on his side.

He joined Bobby at the bar, noticing the very fearsome looking man. He was rather intimidating; the bandolier stretching across his chest did nothing to take the focus away from the massive laser-bow strapped to his back. His clothes were dusty and worn, a few days' stubble and over-grown hair framed his surprisingly young face. Jimmy felt distinctly diminished as he stood next to the man; he wasn't used to having to look up so far to look someone in the eye.

"This is Sam Winchester," Bobby introduced proudly. "He's the first-mate on the ship that is going to bring us to Alderaan."

*****

Chuck3PO stood outside the cantina, nervously watching the streets, and the ruffians milling about. He didn't like the look of the creature that scurried out of the cantina, darting up to a Storm Trooper that was standing nearby. They talked for a few moments, the creature gesturing to the cantina and making chopping motions with his hand, knowing exactly who they were talking about. Jimmy seemed to attract trouble.

He looked over at BeckyD2 in dread, "That doesn't look good. Craaaaap."

*****

Dean Winchester settled in a dark booth in the back of the cantina next to the rear exit, facing the doorway to watch for any troublemakers; just like his daddy had taught him. He slowly swiveled the drink before him, some kind of dark liquid that was trying to taste like the barley brew from Corellia, but failing miserably.

He made a beeline to Tattooine as soon as Sam told him that Bobby called, needing them. He was too focused on their mission to listen to the transmission Bobby had sent. The mission involved smuggling a fairly large shipment of spice that could get him out of his deal with a local crime boss, but from the looks of his baby brother, whatever Bobby needed them for was more important. Not that Bobby ever entertained in idle chit-chat, but for Sam to look like he'd just seen a ghost; it made his decision that quick.

He stretched his arms out on the back of the seat, reclining in an elegant sprawl as his brother led their surrogate father and a young man over to him. The position showcased his rangy frame, and the blaster strapped to his side, a clear warning to any that wanted to screw with him at the moment. Sam settled beside him, while the older man and his companion slid into the seat across from him.

"Dean Winchester," he said to the younger man, of course Bobby already knew him for many years now. "So, Chewie here tells me you need to get to the Alderaan system. What's your name?"

"I'm Jimmy," he answered with a gulp, wide eyes trained on the shining blaster, "Jimmy Novak."

"Jimmy Novak," Dean repeated back slowly, "I can't believe I abandoned a job to babysit-"

"What did I tell about getting involved in your daddy's dealings?"Bobby growled.

"Look, I don't want to talk about that right now," Dean growled back, bristling about Bobby bringing up his father in front of a stranger. "Just get to the point Bobby, I'm a busy man, and you're not one to just call to check up on us unless it was something really bad or really important. Which is it?"

"Both."

Dean relaxed, nodding, "We've heard some things. So I take it does involve the kid, right?"

"I'm sitting right here!"

"Pipe down," Dean snapped. "You want everyone to hear us?" After Jimmy calmed, Dean looked back to Bobby, "You must be pretty desperate to call us."

"This has nothing to do with me being desperate." Bobby sighed, "It's unfinished business. I trust you guys to help, if not, I'll find someone else."

Dean's cocky smile disappeared, "Of course you can trust us, Bobby. I just need to know the basics, and how bad this is."

"Thanks, son. And yeah, it's bad."

Dean nodded, "Cargo?"

"Just me, the kid, and two droids." Bobby knocked back the rest of his drink, "No more questions about it, the less you know, the better. I'll explain everything later, boys. Just remember that there is always a reason, and that we need to avoid the Host at all costs."

Dean leaned forward, "It would be nice to get everything out in the open, Bobby. Anyway," he stretched a calloused hand across the table, "we'll be honored to help. We'll get you to Alderaan in no time."

Jimmy tentatively shook the man's hand, "Is it a fast ship, then?"

"Fast ship?" Dean spluttered, and Sam quickly hid his grin with his drink, "The Millennium Impala is only ship that made the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs!" When it was clear that Jimmy was nonplussed by that information, Dean leaned his forearms on the table, "I've out run Imperial starships, and not the bulk-cruisers, mind you. I'm talking about those big Corellian cruisers, now. That fast enough for you, kid?"

Jimmy grinned at the other man, "I guess we'll just have to deal with it."

Dean glared at Sam as the bigger man snorted into his drink. His green eyes quickly flicked to the entrance of the cantina, as a Strom trooper walked through with the creature that left not more than just a few minutes ago. "Looks like we've got company." He turned back to their new clients, "I suggest you disappear for a bit, we're at docking bay ninety-four, we go when you're ready."

Bobby nodded, "Docking bay ninety-four." The four of them separated ways, Bobby and Jimmy ducked out through the back exit, while the brothers switched to the booth on the other side, hunching over their drinks so as not to attract attention.

*****

Bobby and Jimmy hurried down the alleyway behind the cantina, making a loop around to meet back up with the droids. Jimmy leaned against the bumper of his speeder while Bobby folded his arms, looking out into the square, "So, what are you going to do with your speeder? Have a friend that could take care of it for you until you can get it back?"

Jimmy looked down at the dusty, red finish, remembering when he first got the thing, he was so happy. His aunt and uncle fought over just what kind of speeder he should get, one wanted him to get something safe, while the other wanted him to have something that would last. It got so heated, that the two ended up not speaking to each other for the rest of the day. It seemed so silly now, looking back, and he wished he could have that time back.

He sighed, patting the bumper gently, "Nah, I think I'm going to sell it. There's nothing here for me anymore."

Jimmy looked up as Bobby put a hand on his shoulder, then looking away quickly, wiping at his face. The older man would have done anything to turn back the clock and change everything that had happened, but it was better Jimmy go through losing his final connections to Tattooine, there was a long and bright future in store for the young man.

Bobby just hoped that he would still be alive to see the young man grow into his own.

*****

Dean knew he should have joined his brother back on the ship, all he wanted was one last brew before getting the ship ready for their new assignment. His brother was only gone for a few moments, and the brew really wasn't all that good, so Dean decided to pack it in and head to the docking bay. Only, as he turned to leave, he saw Gordon standing right behind him, smirking at him like he was a funny joke. Gordon Walker was a devious bounty hunter, one who made a very bad reputation for being overly violent in his tasks, and his primary job was to 'take care' of those that over stepped their bounds.

Why Gordon was here on Tattooine, in the rattiest cantina known to man, Dean had no idea.

Gordon kept his laser-pistol at waist height, keeping it trained on the other man, "Where's the fire, Winchester?"

Dean's lips pursed, and sat back down in the booth, the hunter sliding in across from him, "I was actually on my way to see your boss. Tell Al I have his money."

Gordon clicked his tongue, "It's too late for that, Winchester. You know you should have paid him when you had the chance, but I guess all of you Winchesters like to live dangerously. Al's put a price on your head so large, only a fool would pass it up." He grinned, his white teeth flashing in the light, "Guess I'm just lucky I got to you first."

Dean shifted and chuckled slightly, "Yeah, but I got the money, Gordon. I just need to set up a meet with Al."

"You know it doesn't work like that," Gordon said, mockingly regretful, "But…if you give me the money, maybe I'll forget I found you…"

Dean snorted, flicking at a smudge on the wall behind him, he felt strangely comfortable talking with Gordon, even with a blaster pointed at him, "Well, I don't have it bon/b me. Look, just tell Al-"

"Alastair is done with you," The bounty hunter said seriously, the time for levity was over. "He's got no time for smugglers who drop their payload at the first sign of the Host. "

"Oh come on, even I get boarded sometimes. I didn't have a choice!"

Gordon shrugged, "You can explain to Al. He may only just take your brother as payment."

Dean's face froze completely, and he slowly inched his hand to the blaster strapped to his thigh, finger wrapping around the trigger, "Over my dead, smokin' body."

He'd be damned if Alastair or Gordon got their dirty hands on his baby brother. Dean and his father had known right away that little Sammy was different; he had a power about him, some irresistible quality that anyone meeting him had to partake in. It confused and frightened their father, who couldn't understand a damn thing other than his ship and his hunt, which left caring for his brother up to Dean. The older brother didn't mind taking care of the little boy, he was just his little Sammy, and nothing the boy would ever do would make Dean turn away from him. It was a lonely life, but one that Dean would never change.

Of course there were things in Dean's life that he would change in a heartbeat if given the opportunity. Working for Alastair, for one thing, would be at the top of the list of things he would like to wipe out of his life. Daddy Winchester left a debt behind for his sons to pay, borrowing money from Alastair to fund Sammy's schooling and their livelihood, a debt in which Dean wasn't so sure he could pay. He spent the better part of ten years working for the crime boss, doing things that made Dean unable to sleep at times, making him feel less like a human being with each passing year.

"Well that's the idea, man," Gordon leaned back in his seat. "I've been waiting to kill a Winchester for a long time now. It would have been better if it was Sam, but I'll take what I can get."

"Yeah," Dean said slowly, "I'm sure you will." Gordon looked shocked for a moment, the light dimming in his eyes as he slumped forward, his head hitting the table with a dull thud. Dean watched the body for a few moments, feeling the pressure of the inevitability of his situation, and he could easily tell that this would be him in only a few short years if he didn't get out soon. "Goodbye, Gordon."

He silently stood, sliding out of the booth and reattaching the blaster to his thigh. He smoothly walked out of the cantina, the patrons being none the wiser as he attached a silencer on the blaster just a few months ago. As he walked by the bartender, he flipped her a few coins, "For the mess."

*****

Governor Uriel stood with Lord Zayder in the middle of the conference room, arms folded tightly across his chest and looking out through the plastisteel window, "His resistance to the mind probe is substantial; I believe that it will take something drastic before we wring any information out of him."

"Mind probes can only be successful when used on the weak-minded, Uriel."

"But why does he have to be so difficult?" Uriel growled.

"Because he believes that he can change the fate of the galaxy," Lord Zayder said beside him, "None of your pathetic attempts will ever break through that wall of righteousness."

Their conversation was interrupted just as an officer walked up to them, "The final diagnostics are complete. All systems are fully operational, what course do we set?"

Uriel idly rubbed his chin in contemplation, "Perhaps he would respond to a more…radical form of persuasion?"

"Your meaning?"

"I think it is time to show our guest the full measure of this battle station." He turned to the officer, "Set our course for Alderaan."

*****

Sam stood nervously at the entrance to the docking bay; he was already done with the diagnostics on the Millennium Impala. He found nothing wrong, but while he was running some minor repairs to the navigation system, he had a feeling of trepidation chill his blood, before the blinding pain lanced his skull. He knew it had something to do with the droids; the Host was only going to keep searching for them, and seeing how the town was crawling with the troopers. It was only a matter of time before they would find the droids, and Jimmy would soon fall into their clutches.

He didn't know why, but Sam knew they had to keep Jimmy far away from the Host. The young man held the key to bringing peace back to the galaxy, and Sam wasn't going to stand in the way of that, no matter what happens.

Dean was already on his way back from the cantina, so that only left their cargo to join them. He stood at the opening of the docking bay, gripping his rifle in a nervous, sweaty grip. His anxiety only racketed up a few notches as he saw a small group of troopers searching the neighboring docking bays, looking for two droids that matched the descriptions of the ones that Bobby brought with him.

He didn't notice the black robed figure behind him until it was too late, they must have followed them from the speeder parking lot, and Sam cursed his obliviousness. He fired a single blaster shot just as they spoke into transmitter, alerting the troopers to their presence.

"Dammit! Dean, gear her up!" He spoke into the small microphone attached to his collar, breathing a sigh of relief as their passengers hurried up to the docking bay, "Hurry guys! We've got a problem."

Jimmy stopped in the middle of the large docking bay, looking incredulously at the old, beat-up ship, "Are you kidding me with this? What a piece of-"

"Don't you dare finish that statement if you want to leave here alive," Dean warned, striding down the boarding ramp of the ship. "My baby makes it past point five past light speed. She's seen better days, but she makes up for it."

"Yeah that's all well and good, dude," Sam said sarcastically as he rushed up the ramp, "but we better get a move on. Now."

Their passengers made their way up into the ship, Dean looking at his brother in concern. Sam sighed and shook his head, "It's nothing, don't worry about me."

They took their places in the cockpit as Jimmy and Bobby strapped themselves into their seats in the main room, nobody uttering a word through the tense silence. Sam hissed as troopers flooded the docking bay, firing their blasters at their ship. In just a few moments, they shot out of the docking bay, none the worse for wear. Dean hoped that this would be the most action they would be seeing on their little excursion, but something told him that would not be the case.

*****

A large hologram of Alderaan shone before Governor Uriel, he stood beside Lord Zayder, studying the blue-hued surface with the intensity of a cobra stalking its prey. Soon, he would get the information needed to smite the uprising of the Rebel Hunters; they had been in the Imperial Host's way for far too long. It was unfortunate before the civil war started that Uriel and Prince Castiel were comrades, he would mourn his good friend's fate briefly before smiting him.

"We entered the Alderaan system, sir."He nodded silently at the officer, and turned as the guards led Prince Castiel into the room.

He looked frail between the two armored guards, his hands bound before him and glaring at Uriel in betrayal, "Governor Uriel, I wish I was surprised that you are the one behind this. I could feel your presence the moment I was brought on board."

Lord Zayder was grateful for the helmet that covered his features, because the sudden and shark-like grin that stretched across his face would have terrified the man standing beside him. Uriel had no idea what he was up against, who he had brought onto this ship, or how powerful the young prince was and could become. Lord Zayder knew however, it would only take some time, and some more persuasion for the young man to see things his way.

"You don't understand how hard I found signing your death warrant," Uriel intoned. "You could have joined us." He smiled genially at the young prince, "I suppose we should thank you, you have just determined what planet we will be demonstrating our power on." Castiel's brow furrowed as Uriel continued, not noticing as Lord Zayder moved behind him, "Since you refuse to tell us what system where the Rebel base is located, we have decided to test our newfound power....on Alderaan."

"No!" Cas screamed, struggling against Zayder's hand on his shoulder, pulling him backwards, "We have no weapons! Alderaan is peaceful!"

"You'd prefer a different target?" Uriel swooped down, face inches away from Castiel's, his black eyes boring into his soullessly, "Then name the system!"

Castiel's face froze, mouth clamping tightly. He couldn't tell him where the Hunters were, it would undo everything he had worked all his life for, to free the galaxy. Though those people, his family, his whole life would be destroyed in one fell swoop if he didn't give them what they wanted. Should he trade one sacrifice for another?

Uriel snarled, "I grow tired of your stubbornness, Castiel. I will ask you one last time. Where is the Rebel Hunter base?"

Castiel shuddered as he overheard a computerized voice announce their approach to Alderaan, blurting, "Dantooine." He lowered his head in shame, softly, "They're on Dantooine."

"See Lord Zayder?" Uriel smiled at him slowly, "Our little prince can be reasoned with." He turned to the officer at the controls, "Proceed as planned, fire when ready."

"What?!" His blue eyes widened, struggling more now, "No! Please!"

"You are far too trusting, my old friend." Uriel shook his head, "Dantooine is too unimportant to be a successful target. Have no fear," he leaned in closer to whisper in his ear, "we shall deal with your Hunter friends soon enough."

Castiel's eyes slipped shut in remorse, sagging under Lord Zayder's hand. He failed; he did everything he possibly could do to keep his people safe, and all for nothing.

*****

Bobby watched the boys as they trained, remembering the days when he did the very same things; Jimmy parried the short blasts from the tiny floating droid as best he could, only missing a few, hissing as they stung sharply. Dean sat at the table surrounded by various blasters and rifles, methodically and ritualistically cleaning the small metal parts, looking up and chuckling every time Jimmy missed a bolt. Sam on the other hand sat away from the rest, his eyes closed and his large hands resting on his knees, meditating.

If John Winchester knew that Bobby had been training his sons ever since he met them, the man would have killed him. John was never one to teach his boys about the Faith, his life was too hard and tragic for him to ever believe in anything other than his blaster and his ship. Bobby knew from the very beginning that the Winchester brothers had a bright destiny in store for them. Dean's aura shone brightly with Faith, while Sam's rippled with bridled power that was unmatched in many fully-knighted Jedi. To his bemusement, he wasn't entirely sure that if approached by the Temple, if John ever would have let his children be trained, though it would have been better for them in the long run had they taken the boys as infants. By the time Bobby took them into his care, any trace of belief was burned out of the boys.

He had to be a little devious while training the boys, Dean was an excellent judge of character, if he caught even a slight whiff that something was off in Bobby's interaction with either one of them, the boys would have disappeared completely. Sam had suffered from painful migraines as a child, unable to burn away the excess energy; Bobby taught him how to meditate to release that buildup into the Faith. Dean cracked that it was just an excuse for the boy to catch extra sleep, but Dean soon had training of his own.

The young man was unmatched in hand to hand combat, and was exceptional at tracking; he would have made an excellent scout in Bobby's opinion. He had the most indomitable spirit, unbreakable considering the boy's history at the time. He was almost there to achieving his full potential, if only he could break the pre-conceived notions his father gave him. The boy lacked concentration and focus, which was why Bobby stressed the importance of well cared for weapons, ship, and lodgings. The tasks were menial, but it kept Dean alert.

Bobby's smile faded, a bolt of pain lancing through his chest. He paled, and grabbed onto the chair behind him. The bolt-barrel Dean was cleaning fell out of his hands as he hurried over to the older man, Sam's eyes snapping open in alarm. Jimmy extinguished his light saber, standing back as Dean guided the older man to sit down, and moving aside as Sam brushed past him to get Bobby some water from their canteens.

As the older man waved the two boys away, Jimmy stepped closer, "What's wrong Bobby? Are you going to be okay?" Dean went into the cockpit to run a few minor diagnostics on the ship, and checking the navigation, while Sam started a game of holographic chess with BeckyD2, watching Bobby through the corner of his eye in concern.

"I…felt a disturbance," Bobby whispered in pain. "Like a million voices cried out in fear…then nothing." He put a hand to his head, leaning an elbow on the counter beside him, entering a short healing trance for his aching head. He looked at Jimmy with a hard stare after a few moments, "Better get back to your training, kid."

Jimmy stared him as he closed his eyes again, after hearing something like that, how could he just go back to his training like nothing happened?

Dean strode back into the main room and plopping into a seat beside Bobby's, resting his hands behind his head, "Man, I am awesome. I just cut ten hours out of our travel time by getting us into hyperspace ahead of schedule; we'll be in the Alderaan system in oh-two-hundred hours." Dean pursed his lips as he received no response from his companions, "Don't everyone thank me at once."

He rolled his eyes and went back to his table full of blaster parts, intent on finishing his cleaning. Sam was engrossed in his chess game with the little droid, with Chuck3PO watching. They made a few short moves that set the youngest Winchester up to win, relaxing back in his seat and stretching his arms behind his head in satisfaction.

Before BeckyD2 could make a move, Chuck3Po whispered nervously, "Now, be careful," making a significant look at the rugged man across the table from them. BeckyD2 beeped at him in annoyance and made her move, putting Sam in check. Sam gaped, sitting back up, "What the-But that's not-you cheated!"

"How could she cheat?" Chuck3PO asked in annoyance. "That was a fair move buddy, whining about it isn't going to help."

"Just let him believe what he wants," Dean interrupted, "not smart to upset a Wookie."

"Ha. Ha." Sam deadpanned.

Chuck3PO scoffed, "Yeah but nobody cares about upsetting a droid."

Dean smiled, "Droids don't rip peoples arms out of their sockets if they lose, Wookie's are known to do that. Especially this one."

"I'm not a freaking Wookie!"

"You're hairy like one, you smell like one, you eat like one," Dean counted off his fingers. "When it looks like a fish, swims like a fish…"

Sam rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in front of himself and slumped in his seat. Chuck3Po studied the man for a moment before nodding, "Let the Wookie win."

"Whatever!" Sam exclaimed, standing up and walking out of the room in a huff, "You guys are dicks."

*****

They led the prince out of the control room, Zayder smirking at the dejected figure between the two burly guards. They had to hold the frail figure up, each gripping tightly to his upper arms. The pieces were falling into place quicker than he had imagined, but he was nonetheless satisfied. He had wanted to annihilate the people that had taken his son from him, only figuring out a year ago where exactly they had been keeping him. His son's true identity wasn't that hard to find out after that. He could easily sense Castiel in the council meetings and whenever they were on the same planet from that point forward. Zayder knew his son and he knew he would turn. To think, a planet that had no cause for war, no weapons, no means of defending themselves trying to keep the child separated from the very same man that destroyed the Old Republic only twenty-three years ago. Like he wasn't going to hunt him down and turn the child to the Dark Side. It was almost laughable.

"Was it wise to conscript his death warrant?" Uriel asked, standing beside him.

"What wasn't wise was for you to tell him of it," Zayder answered softly. "I had a plan Uriel, and you almost ruined it with your incessant need to gloat."

The governor stiffened beside him, and all grew quiet in the control room. The various officers grew nervous, glancing behind them warily, none of them wanted to attract the attention of the unpredictable commander.

Lord Zayder continued, "But all is not lost because of your slip. You are fortunate that you are still of worth to us, Governor, or I would have squeezed the life from you in a heartbeat."

Uriel wasn't sure if he should have been more concerned by the threat, or how pleasantly it was delivered. Trying desperately to save his situation, Uriel asked, "What do you suppose we do now? It isn't like he would tell us anything now; he would gladly sacrifice himself for the good of the resistance."

"We are going to show him that the Galactic Host is not the antagonist in this little plot the Rebel Hunters came up with." Zayder nodded his head, "He will see the light, and he will be standing beside us as we crush the Rebel Hunters once and for all."

*****

Bobby and Jimmy decided to move the young man's training from the confined living area of the ship, to the airy storage room. The older man could feel the coldness of the room through his robe, and cursed his age for the first time in a very long time. Space was always colder than any planet ever could be, but it never seemed to bother him in the slightest when he was young, and he figured that he was used to it. Zachariah certainly wasn't as used to it; they had found him on Tattooine and brought him to the Jedi Temple.

That was so long ago, Bobby thought mournfully, watching Jimmy practicing his lightsaber forms. The boy reminded him so much of his former pupil, it made Bobby question his ability to train anyone properly in the Faith.

"Just remember," he spoke with difficulty, a lump forming in his throat, "a Jedi can feel the Faith flowing through him."

Was he himself cursed to lose the ones he cared for to the Dark Side?

"You mean it controls you?" Jimmy questioned, parrying the blows of the tiny droid floating around him.

Was his grief, his inability to control the roiling emotions inside himself from losing the ones dearest to him, the cause of Zachariah's fall?

"At times it controls your actions," Bobby corrected, "but ultimately, it bends to your will."

Did he ultimately cause the Galactic Host to take over the galaxy?

He took a deep breath to calm himself as he felt Dean standing beside him with his arms folded; the boy always seemed to know when anyone he was close to was feeling down in any way, the fact that Dean always comforted the ones who needed it, brought a smile to the older man's face.

"Yet a blaster solves every problem," Dean smiled mockingly.

Jimmy extinguished his blade, "I take it you don't believe in Faith."

"Jimmy," Dean rolled his eyes and sighed, making his way to a chair nearby, "I've traveled from one side of this galaxy to the other, and dude, I've seen a lot of crazy things." He leaned over to face him in all seriousness with his elbows on his knees, "But not a god-damned thing I've seen made me believe that there's some all-powerful force out there controlling anything." He put his hands behind his head as he reclined in the chair, setting his feet on the counter beside him with a thump, "There's no all-knowing energy field out there that rules my destiny."

Bobby couldn't help smiling quietly at Dean's resolve; the boy had still a lot more to learn, "Let's try something else." He walked over to Jimmy and tied a bandanna around his eyes, "This time just relax and let your instincts take over."

"Well, now I can't see anything," Jimmy laughed incredulously.

"Your eyes will play tricks on you," Bobby clarified, "You can't trust 'em."

Dean laughed as Jimmy started swinging wildly, the droid anticipating every move and swerved away accordingly. Swooping around behind him, it fired a laser bolt at the seat of his pants, Jimmy letting out a sharp cry.

Just before Jimmy turned to slice at the offending droid, Bobby interrupted, "Again. And this time, use your head."

Jimmy bit his lip, before settling down in a fighting stance Bobby showed him before he started using the droid, freezing in place as the robot whirred around him. The tense silence filled the room, making Jimmy slightly self-conscious as he knew that Dean was watching. It was one thing for the older man to teach him and watch him train; it was yet all together something different when a battle-hardened skeptic stood there with his judging eyes.

Just as the droid made a sharp dive at him, he smoothly spun and deflected the bolt. It ceased fire and swung back into position. Bobby smirked, "See? I knew you could do it."

Dean snorted, "Luck."

"No such thing as luck, kid."

"Whatever," Dean huffed. "Look, going up against a droid is one thing, but going up against a living being is something else entirely."

"You're welcome to help you know." Bobby suggested carefully.

"Not going to happen," Dean answered easily. He turned to the flashing light on the console beside him, "Looks like we're coming up on Alderaan." He stood and walked to the cockpit, Bobby looking after him in slight disappointment, he didn't know why he kept trying to hurry the boy.

Jimmy pushed up the bandanna as he came up to Bobby, "You know, I felt something back there…for a minute there it was like I could see the droid."

Bobby grinned and slapped a hand on his shoulder, "That's good, kid."

*****

"The Rebel Hunters surrendered." Zayder said seriously, leaning against the far wall. "We let them know they had you to thank."

Prince Castiel looked up blearily in his darkened cell, he wasn't sure if what he was hearing was the truth, or another manipulation of Zayder's. He wasn't sure of anything any longer. After he refused to give them any more information, they ceased to 'coddle' the young man. When they finished with their daily interrogations, they chained him to the wall, bringing a 'specialist' in to see the error in refusal.

"I don't believe you." Castiel said with difficulty, shaking in his bonds. Blood dripped steadily down his forehead, mingling with sweat.

The prince didn't exactly care what they did to him; he failed in his mission and soon believed that he deserved every punishment. He no longer tried fighting back, being futile in the long run; Zayder would always came in to stop them if it got too out of hand, and every day he would ask Castiel to join them, to stop the circle of pain.

"Believe what you want Castiel, but I would never lie to you. Not to you." Zayder snorted, "And before you say another word, I know that Dantooine is deserted. Clever lie that you constructed, but it didn't do you any good. They still surrendered. Alderaan exploding was a great incentive for them to surrender."

Castiel was sickened to hear it, but he couldn't fault them for it after his betrayal, "Why do you torment me like this? I will never join you or your flawed cause."

"My flawed cause?" Zayder put a hand to his chest, "What about your own, little prince? Did you really think this was some holy crusade; that you and your pathetic group of Hunters would come out the victor?"

"At least we never killed innocent people. Children. At least we stood by Faith and didn't let the Dark Side destroy us."

Castiel jerked away as Zayder gently took a hold of his jaw, moving to face the black helmet, "What about the innocents caught in the cross-fire, Castiel? What about those children that lost their fathers, those men that lost their sons to something that they couldn't stop?"

The shining black eyes of the helmet seemed like they could see into his very soul, "We never asked more than they could give, Zayder. That is the difference between the Host and the Hunters, we never forced families apart, we never sacrificed innocent people for control."

Zayder's breath rasped, his hand dropping, "You have much to learn, boy. You would be disgusted by all of the things that are done in the name of justice and peace, and how much they corrupted you."

Castiel drew back in anger, "'Corrupted' me? I have not been corrupted, I see the Light. It is unfortunate that you cannot."

The other man's head cocked to the side, "You have lied, you have stolen, you betrayed everyone that trusted you, and killed. How are you not corrupted?"

Castiel hung his head in shame, it was all true, every single word. He fanatically stood by their code of honor, all the while turning his back on everything when tested. He was no soldier, no protector of the weak, he was no guardian for peace. He was nothing, for how could he deny the truth of Zayder's words. He hung there limply as Zayder drew closer once more.

"Because of you, we found the other bases located all over the galaxy," Zayder said softly, brushing the young prince's hair back. "We are going to destroy every single one of them, Castiel. They will all burn unless you join us. You have an hour to decide."

He didn't hear as the other man stood, and walked quietly out of the cell, the soft sound of the cell closing behind him the only sound as the prince was enclosed in darkness once more.

"Bring him back to the detention area so he can decide his fate." He heard Zayder command through the door.

*****

They descended from hyperspace, slowing down and then shaking violently, asteroids flying at them. Dean gaped, maneuvering the ship around the flying rocks, "What the hell? We get out of hyperspace and into the middle of a meteor shower. This isn't on any of the charts!"

"Calm down, dude," Sam advised calmly, pushing a few buttons over his head. "We'll figure this out."

Jimmy walked into the cockpit, gripping on the back of Sam's chair to steady himself, "What's going on?"

"We're in the right place, but no Alderaan," Dean said tightly.

"What do you mean?" Jimmy asked. "It's not like a planet can just fly away."

Dean glared at him, "I know that, Chuckles. But it ain't there."

"But how?"

"Destroyed," Bobby said quietly behind them, "by the Host."

Dean shook his head, "Not possible. It would take a thousand ships, more fire-powerful combined and-"

An alarm blared, and Dean looked at it in concern, "Ship's gaining on us."

"Maybe they'll know what happened." Jimmy suggested.

Sam cursed, "It's an Imperial fighter. Dammit."

An explosion rocked the ship, the ship racing past the cockpit, Dean pursed his lips, "There's no base around here, where the hell did it come from."

Dean made a split decision, and set after the tiny Imperial fighter, swinging around the asteroids perfectly. Ahead of them, a star grew brighter as they came toward it. Bobby's hands gripped Dean's chair in concern, all would be lost if this was some cleverly made trap, "Fighters that size couldn't get out into deep space on its own."

Jimmy shook his head, "It could have gotten lost, maybe have been part of a search party or something."

Dean frowned, "It's not going to around long enough to tell anybody about us. That's an Imperial TIE-fighter, Jimmy. They aren't out here to find anybody; they're here to pick off any survivors."

Jimmy gulped, "I have a very bad feeling about this."

The Millennium Impala grew closer, the Imperial fighter losing ground to the much larger ship. As they drew closer, the star resembled a large moon, gray and foreboding. Jimmy's gut roiled in fear, there was something not right about the moon, and he suspected that the others could feel it too.

Jimmy squinted, "Look at him go, he's heading for that moon."

Dean pushed the targeting button, "I think I'll be able to get him, he's almost in range."

After a few moments, Bobby paled, "That's no moon."