I decided to upload this today since it's the last day of my holiday. I gotta go back to school tomorrow, sadly. Anyway, please review!


Twist of Fate (Part 1)
Chapter 4 – Darth Vader


"Leia," A familiar male voice resonances through her skull; vibrating with a strong pulse and casting shadows and doubts in her lurching heart. Leia clenches her fists and took in her surroundings only to find an orbit of dark whirlpools.

"Who's there-" She struggled to follow the presence when a beam of light almost blinded her, forcing her to shut her eyes. The voice appeared to be mocking her even though there was no sense of humor in his tone of voice.

'Leia, Leia, Leia...' it repeated slowly, and it frustrated her.

"Do not call me by my name. You have no right to it!" She yelled angrily through scrunched eyes, but when the blinding light faded, she was surprised at the boy that now stood in front of her.

The one that had been with Kenobi earlier in Mos Eisley. His eyes were familiar somehow as if he were looking at someone else's. They were a bright blue that held no expression, making her feel uncomfortable.

"Who are you!"

"I am no one really." The boy looked away and smiled weakly, "Just a farm boy."

Leia's eyes flickered open but did not move. Gazing hard at the gray ceiling above the room she was in. Frowning hard she wondered what the message behind the vision could have been. Visions were no stranger to her, and father had taught her a lot about them; how to understand, control and bent them to your own will. They could provide you with information of essence if controlled flawlessly.

Her thoughts drifted back to that boy... Luke, was that what Kenobi had called him? Yes, that was his name. But why that vision? Letting out a tense breath, she tossed her legs beside the bedstead and straightened. 'I will get the answers from Kenobi myself', she thought firmly and walked out of her temporarily quarters onboard the ship.

[✩]

Obi-Wan sat in a meditative posture onboard the very same ship. He could only heave a calming breath, awaiting his inevitable meeting with Darth Vader. His hands were bounded by stun cuffs. Not necessarily an effective way to restrain him as it obviously held no effects on a Jedi Master. Though he supposed it was better than being kept in a Force-sensitive holding cell. His elderly body couldn't take being contorted in that uncomfortable position, and he was fairly sure Leia had known this too.

His eyes slowly narrowed down to the redhead standing on his right; the young guard that had taken to watch over him. Her eyes traveled outside and she seems to be troubled by something quite... interesting. Whatever it was, though, he could only guess. When he tried to touch her mind and observe her memories he found strong barriers blocking them. It resulted in a deadly glare from the redhead.

Ah, another Force sensitive.

I suppose I now know why they cuffed me, Obi-Wan realized tensely.

Slumping his shoulders, he hadn't even felt the jump to hyperspace before his mind started drifting back to young Luke Skywalker. Inquiring the possibilities before him, he figured it was certainly possible to contact the boy through the Force, but it would risk the danger of exposing him to Leia and the fellow guard on his right. He didn't want to risk it.

But Luke was safe for now and that was all that mattered. He had not failed yet.

[✩]

Darth Vader marched through the repetitious halls of the Executor, pondering on his thoughts as the recent battle had left him too tired to fall asleep, and too sore to even lie down comfortably. He was pleasantly surprised when the new in-coming affirmation of Obi-Wan's capture had caught his full attention.

So, Obi-Wan had managed to survive.

The sound of cracking objects and surprised Stormtroopers never reached his mind. His jaw tightened as he struggled to control his wrath. Obi-Wan, after all these years! That traitor would finally receive his punishment for everything he had done to him, Padmé, and to Leia. He would pay. Vader would make sure.

[✩]

Luke poked his head around the mountain hill encircling Mos Eisley. His face pale and tired from spending the night curled up inside a cave much too high in height. How he had managed to survive the freezing temperatures of the Tatooine night was questionable, but for the first time, he couldn't wait for the blazing wind to grace his skin.

Luke cautiously moved closer to Mos Eisley once he saw ships continue their flights after the blockade. This knowledge couldn't help but pull his mind back to Ben Kenobi; wondering whether he was okay or whether he might have been taken away, or worse... The signs of flying spaceships didn't calm his nerves in the least.

It wasn't until he traveled up the cities plaza that he noticed how lonely he was. There was no sign of him, and neither of Lady Vader or Mara for that matter. Luke's gut began to tighten. What should he do now? He had no landspeeder for it had been ruthlessly stolen, and the chances of survival traveling through the deserts to get back to his aunt and uncle were extremely low.

There was no time to waste; he needed answers.

"Hello, can I ask you something?" Luke inquired as he turned to a Twi'lek, but to his disappointment, she didn't seem to speak his language so he quickly stepped away and tried someone else.

His eyes settled on an old lady overlooking the plaza, a tiny strand of white hair stood out from her short jet-black hair. She appeared friendly but tired at the same time. Somehow Luke couldn't help but feel drawn to her.

Collecting his courage, he moved towards her, "Excuse me, but can I ask you something?" Luke asked nicely.

There was a little smile on the old ladies' face. "Of course you can dear."

In return, Luke smiled back. "I was wondering whether you've heard what happened to the Jedi Master."

"Oh yes. The legendary Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi," Her bright smiled contorted into sadness. "I've heard he was captured and has been taken custody."

Luke didn't know what surprised him more. The fact that Ben Kenobi had been considered 'legendary' as opposed to the 'crazy old wizard living beyond the Dune Sea' he knew him as, or that he had been captured just as he feared. Probably both.

He tensely raked a hand through his hair.

What was he going to do now? Steal a landspeeder too and go home? If there's one thing he learned from Ben it was that Jedi were peaceful people that did not reduce themselves to thievery. Clutching tightly onto his backpack, he glowered down at the sand beneath his feet.

"Are you interested in the Jedi?" The old lady tilted her head.

Luke shrugged leisurely. "Well, can't say I'm not."

The old lady took little effort to get back on her feet, startling him, "My name is Alaina Ansley. Follow me back to my hut, there's much I would love to share with you," her friendly voice left Luke bewildered.

"...My name is Luke Skywalker." Luke offered in return.

Something in the old ladies' eyes screamed recognition. As she visibly tensed in front of him Luke couldn't help but wonder what caused her to react that way, it strangely reminded him of the look Mara had been throwing at him before she decided to release him.

By the time they had reached the hut where the speeder was parked both humans went inside. Luke took his place on a soft cushioned bench and glances over at the friendly old lady who had been making him a glass of blue milk.

"Thank you for your generosity, Alaina. This place could use more people like you." Luke complimented as his eyes halted on a hologram of the old lady in her younger days.

"You have a daughter?" Luke couldn't help but ask once he saw a young woman smile next to Alaina. Her clothes strangely reminded him of Ben.

"I had one."

Luke winced. "What happened?"

He watched her gently place the glass of blue milk on the table in front of him. Once she sat down Alaina let out a tense breath.

"It used to be a normal routine for the Jedi to search the galaxy for Force-sensitive children," Alaina began slowly, her voice wavering ever so slightly. "so, when they realized my daughter had the gifts and potential, they decided to take her with them."

Luke arched an eyebrow. "And you let them?"

"Of course," She confessed much to Luke's surprise. "There was nothing for my daughter here on Tatooine. I only wanted what was best for her."

Luke nodded warily. Even though the concept of taking children away from their parents seemed questionable and to a degree unforgivable, he knew that anything was better than a life here on Tatooine.

"When she was older she often came back unnoticed. She would surprise me with remarkable objects and abilities the Jedi possessed. I knew she was happy." Her cheerful words turned into a tense whisper. "The last time I saw her was seventeen years ago."

"Then... she must've died during the Jedi Purges." Luke mouthed his words carefully. The most catastrophic day in Jedi history actually happened on his birthday; Empire Day. It was weird to think so many had died the day he was born.

"You are right," Alaina painfully answered. "I can't bear to think what she had to go through during her final moments. My poor child was only twenty-one years old."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Luke replied in honesty.

As he took his glass of milk, he couldn't help but stare back at the hologram of Alaina and her daughter. Somehow, he imagined himself standing there. A bright smile on his face as he swung his own lightsaber. Next to him the proud figure of his faceless mother, and on the other side his faceless father.

"My father died during the purges too..." Luke mumbled absently, voicing his thoughts clearly without really thinking about them.

The old woman frowned, tilting her head in confusion. "Your father was a Jedi?"

"He was friends with Obi-Wan Kenobi," Luke nodded, "His name was Anakin Skywalker."

"So that is what it was." Her chocolate eyes widened in recognition, "My daughter spoke of him many times before."

"What did she tell you?" Luke breathed, taking a slight sip before placing it back on the table.

"He was one of the strongest Jedi Knights out there. Never afraid, and extremely popular within the Galactic Republic when it fell."

Luke listened with astonishment and quickly tried to process all of the information. His father had not only been a Jedi but a true hero. He could feel his pride grow as he sat staring with a huge smile on his face. Despite the good news, Luke could feel some sort of suspicion flicker in Alaina's eyes. They shifted away from him, thinking deeply about something that seems to be troubling her greatly.

"Is something wrong?" Luke asked before his mind caught up.

"Ah, my apologies," Alaina blinked to herself before scratching the back of her neck slowly. "Another rule of the Old Republic was to forbid any form of attachment. If you truly are his son that means he obviously broke the rule."

Luke lifted an eyebrow, growing uncomfortable. "I don't know about that. I... wasn't there."

No attachments. That sounded horrible. And if what the old lady said was true, chances of him being an illegitimate child were incredibly high. Gulping uncomfortably, Luke remembered a time when he was little and heard stories of his parents. He only knew his mother died in childbirth. But he didn't even have her name. All of the stories he heard were of his 'reckless' father.

"It is not my place to give judgment," Her voice regained a fraction of its positive tone. "trust me it's safer that way. The Empire is strict when it comes to Force-sensitives. You should take care of yourself."

Luke nodded, rising from his seat and bowing slightly, "Thank you for everything." he halted before the entrance door, glancing one more time over his shoulder to show her his appreciation. A gentle smile crossed his features.

"Thank you, and I'm truly sorry about your daughter."

His mind stopped, however, when his eyes focused on a porcelain bowl, and he slowly stepped towards it.

Unaware of Luke's behavior, Alaina shook her head and smiled. Waving her hand with slow movement. "Come by whenever you can, alright?"

"Of course," Luke replied absently hunching over a porcelain bowl, in it lay several objects he had never seen before. To say the object bothered him was an understatement. There was something about it, something special. Blinking, he glances over his shoulder to Alaina, "What are those?" he couldn't help but ask.

"The last of few mementos I have of my daughter." The mournful voice struck a chord within Luke's and he nodded stiffly. He couldn't help hold tightly onto the backpack.

Lightly touching the red crystal with his spare hand send a shiver down his spine. In a reflex, he took back his hand. Gasping in confusion.

"My daughter told me she had slain a Sith and obtained its crystal. When she told me she had no use for it, she gave it to me as a gift." Alaina explained to him.

Luke's lips set in a grim line when he heard the word 'Sith' being uttered. So her daughter had given her a Sith crystal as a parting gift before her impending death? To him, this could be a sign of the crystal being a cursed item.

The crystal of death.

"These are other relics that once belonged to her." Alaina continues, startling Luke out of his thoughts. He moved over to the second porcelain bowl and saw several relics in it. That was something interesting, to be able to see all these objects. They must have been ancient.

"You should treasure them well."

[✩]

As soon as Leia circled her way onto the empty flight deck of the Super Star Destroyer and opened the hatch, she distractedly smoothed down the wrinkles that had crept into the soft material of her dark jumpsuit. Observing her surrounds, she took in the sight of Imperials surrounding the ship; kneeling and preparing to shoot if a certain Jedi Master would come to entertain them. The sharp sound of a closed-door opening brought her to attention.

A tall figure emerged from the blackness beyond the door. Her mouth curved into a smile as she watched Darth Vader march inside.

"Leia."

"Father." She joined him as they stalked through the other side of the flight deck for a private conversation.

"Leia. I am proud of you," Vader said as his hand softened on her shoulder. "not only did you find Kenobi on that forsaken dust ball. You also managed to capture him, and bring him to me alive."

"Thank you, father." Leia smirked proudly. "I told you I wouldn't fail you."

"Told me that you did," There was a hint of amusement in his low rumbling. "I would never underestimate my own daughter."

Leia appreciated the compliment, but the smirk on her face faded nonetheless. "–though I must admit we never finished our diplomatic consolations with Jabba the Hutt."

"No matter. I will simply send another at a different date," Vader articulated. "What did you make of Kenobi?"

"His presence on Tatooine is worrisome. Unless he went there to cower away from you, of course." Leia shrugged nonchalantly, before wincing as she remembered something she had nearly forgotten in her showdown with Kenobi...

"He was with a boy my age." Leia highlighted abruptly.

This provoked an emotion within her father, and he cocked his head curiously at her.

"A boy...?" Vader asked.

"Yes. A boy named Luke, who I assume is capable of using the Force," Leia hypothesized. "though I am afraid he managed to escape."

The air around them stilled before it exploded.

"So Obi-Wan decided to take on a new apprentice... a Padawan." Vader accused bitterly, his hand clenching into tight fists. The source of his anger was so powerful a deporting bacta tank had exploded and Leia had to cover her eyes in order to evade the shattering glass.

"Father, can you watch it!" Leia sibilated as Vader stopped in his tracks and apologized.

Had anyone else hear the Dark Lord of the Sith, Lord Vader, apologize to someone they would have slapped their forehead and break down in laughter.

"So, Obi-Wan's apprentice is a boy named Luke." Her father's voice echoed throughout the place sounding extremely frustrated, and Leia wouldn't put it past her father to be extremely resentful and envious of the boy.

"Yes. Though he didn't support Obi-Wan Kenobi in our battle, rather... he ran away," She added thoughtfully, leaning against the cold walls of the spaceship. "I wonder why."

"I will find out." Vader finished, but as he turned to confront Kenobi soft hands grabbed tightly onto his arm. Stopping him in his tracks.

"Wait. There's more," Leia interjected, her heart throbbing, "last night I had a vision."

"A vision you say?" Vader repeated as he turned back to face her in adamant surprise and confusion.

"It wasn't related to any future events, rather..." Leia started, her voice wavering with uncertainty. "it's something else, but I don't know what."

"Just tell me."

"It was about the boy who was with Kenobi."

"What about him?"

What about him? Her fathers' words echoed silently through her mind. Yes... why was she suddenly so focused on the boy? Why did she have the vision in the first place, surely there was something going on. Force visions were no ordinary thing. There were reasons.

"There's something about him." Leia murmured instead.

"The Force vision... what happened?" Vader asked.

"That's just it, father. Not a thing that could be regarded as useful!" Leia snapped. "He just stood there echoing my name, and when I asked him who he was he said he was a farmer."

"Tatooine's full of farmers. It is no surprise." Vader responded promptly. "But this gives us new insight on Obi-Wan's plans. He must have been hiding on Tatooine and found the boy by accident."

"I suppose you're right." Leia finished deftly.

And yet...

Leia gazes hard at the mask with her fathers' crippled face behind it. The face Kenobi had destroyed so many years back, Leia couldn't help sympathizing and agree with Vader. Even though in the back of her mind, something didn't feel right.