Adina slowly walked away from the Sith Lord, especially since weak tears started flowing from her dark brown eyes. Her slavers often beat her for allowing tears to show; no doubt, the Dark Lord would do it also; even though he seemed kinder than other masters. However, she dare not seek his wrath, why did he hurt her so. Is it because she sensed different conflicting feelings emanating from him? She often buried her feelings and quickly became lethargic and no longer cared if she lived or died. Versus continued slavery, death seemed to be the only way out, prior to meeting the Dark Lord in any case.

Lord Vader stood at the same balcony all those years ago, and even though he didn't understand it, he felt Adina's feelings she was releasing through the Force, obviously unwittingly. Despite the years as a slave and receiving end of many beatings, she still had a tad of light in her childlike innocence. She had yet truly harnessed the Force, despite her parlor tricks.

Adina pulled her favorite dark purple crystal and just looking at it brought her a sense of calming and peace. When she held the crystal, it warmed through her touch. Since she was still sulking after scolded by Lord Vader, when she heard him calling her she ignored him. When she saw his approach, she quickly ran and hid.

"Young one, you cannot hide forever."

Adina wouldn't respond and realized that as she pushed further into the cubbyhole, that she hit a secret panel and as she fell through the tunnel losing her favorite crystal in the process.

Lord Vader felt the shift in the Force and Adina's subsequent panic, which quickly turned into pure horror as several forgotten Separatists droids activated. Adina screamed and Lord Vader quickly ran to the room, to see the brown skinny droids start unfolding and pulling their weapons from their backs. Instinctually, Lord Vader pulled his lightsaber slashing through all twenty droids in a manner of seconds, but it was too late as Adina felt a searing pain through her left arm and right leg. Lord Vader rushed her after deactivating his lightsaber; he lifted her in his arms and returned to the campsite. Adina fainted from the shock of the shooting, as she slowly came around, she saw him removing some ointment that felt cooling as it whisked away the pain from the wound.

She remained silent as he tenderly tended to her wounds, securing a wrapping around her arm, slipped up her dress to see the wound to her leg, and secured another field dressing on the 3rd degree burn.

"Why did you hide from me, young one?" Lord Vader asked after helping her lay on the blankets.

"I thought you were still angry with me." Adina softly stated.

Lord Vader didn't know quite what to say, he wasn't angry with the child, he only wanted to teach her how to be independent and not to rely on others, but when he looked down at her face, he brushed a single tendril of brown hair away and rubbed her cheek with the back of his hand.

"I am no longer angry with you, now rest." Lord Vader placed his hand on her forehead and found her mind open enough to send a single message of sleep.

Adina closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

xXx

Luke awoke to hear Artoo screeching as the ship shifted abruptly out of hyperspace. When Luke approached the cockpit, Wrenga holding the side of his head as blood oozed between his fingers, "Jix, what's going on?"

"I don't know we weren't supposed to be out of hyperspace for another hour or so, and now we are being tractor beamed into another ship. Stay cool and stay hidden."

Wrenga opened the door to find himself surrounded by slave drivers; apparently, they were awaiting their prize Lord Vader.

"We do not have custody of him; we are going to Mustafar to pick him up and deliver him."

"We will accompany you, remain on your ship."

Jixton gave the slave drivers the coordinates and boarded the ship to let Luke know the situation.

xXx

Lord Vader meditated as Adina slept; there was a shift in the force as he felt Luke trying to communicate with him, there was something about a change of plans and more unfriendly guests to arrive on Mustafar. Lord Vader saw a ship descend.

However, prior to landing the head slaver, Master Vladimir, received a priority one message from the Emperor himself!

"Emperor Palpatine?" Master Vladimir asked as he lowered himself on one knee.

"Yes, you will leave the Mustafar system without delay! There is a Jedi boy on board, bring him to me immediately."

"But what about Vader?"

"Leave him he is of no use to me any longer."

"Yes, my Emperor."

Lord Vader watched as the ship swept over them and ascends to the skies once again. As Wrenga Jixton felt the sudden power boost the engines, he knew there was trouble. Master Vladimir searched the ship and pulled the Jedi out of his hiding spot. Wrenga attempted to fight, but Luke stopped him.

"Let my friend leave and I will come willing." Luke replied.

"Luke, no!" Jixton yelled.

"Get rid of the Corellian!" Wrenga ran to the docking bay and managed to pull his ship out of tractor beam, he suspected that Luke had something to do with that.

Wrenga descended out of the docking bay and returned to the planet's surface without Luke, he hoped desperately that Lord Vader wouldn't kill him.

The ship jumped into hyperspace, not even bothering with the ship, as Master Vladimir didn't want to keep the Emperor waiting. He knew that he would be lucky to escape with his life, especially since he didn't meet with his fellow slavers on Mustafar earlier to kill the Sith Lord. They wanted him to enter a bidding war on Vader with the Black Sun Syndicate; Master Vladimir didn't think that was wise.

Wrenga Jixton descended and landed on the platform and saw Lord Vader approach with a young girl. Wrenga sighed deeply and knew that he should accept any punishment that Lord Vader deemed necessary for his failure to bring Luke to him. "I just hope it isn't fatal." Jixton whispered.

"Jixton, where is my son?" Lord Vader asked directly.

Wrenga knelt in front of him, "Milord, Master Vladimir still has custody of him. He received orders from the Emperor to leave you here and to bring Luke to him."

Lord Vader grabbed the Corellian and lifted him as he bellowed, "There is something else you are not telling me, Jixton!"

"Luke told Master Vladimir that he would go willing if he would let me go."

"Luke cannot handle the powers of a Master Sith, he is too young!" Lord Vader yelled as the fierce protectiveness overcame him.

Wrenga felt Lord Vader's hand starting to squeeze around his throat, which he didn't fight. Perhaps that is why he thrown fifty feet and landed at the bottom of the ramp of the ship.

"Adina! Get your things and let's get out of here!" Lord Vader bellowed as he boarded the ship. Jixton rubbed his neck and coughed.

Jixton grateful to still be alive, stood and Adina looked at him quizzically.

"Hi, my name is Jix." He smiled as he rasped.

Adina smiled as she pulled the rucksack on her small shoulders and boarded the ship. Lord Vader piloted the ship and saw that there wasn't enough fuel to return to Coruscant.

"Wrenga Jixton!" Lord Vader shouted not understanding how his assassin could fail to fuel up the ship prior to his arrival at Mustafar.

Adina laughed, "Ooh, you are in so much trouble!"

"Yea, kid, tell me about it." Wrenga rolled his eyes and walked to the cockpit, as he meanders on the thought, at least he doesn't know my middle name, Abhay.

"We do not have enough fuel to make to Coruscant. Explain."

"Well, Uncle D, its like this, we were looking for you and we didn't have time to stop for fuel and besides Luke was excited to meet you."

"Do not lie to be me, Jixton. Luke wasn't excited to meet me, nobody ever is and that is no excuse."

"You're right, Uncle D." Wrenga replied feeling defeated, but actually, Luke was looking forward to seeing Lord Vader again.

"Set a course for Rutan without delay."

"Yes sir."

Lord Vader returned to see an astromech droid playing with Adina; was the same droid that had befriended him all those years ago?

"What is your designation?" Lord Vader asked of the droid.

Artoo screeched and rolled out of the room warning Jixton that Darth Vader was amongst them! Adina started laughing at the droid's antics, which broke the seemingly overwhelming tension between Lord Vader and Wrenga Jixton.

Lord Vader knelt to the droid as it cornered itself, "I mean you no harm, you look familiar to me, tell me your designation or else I will be forced to shut you down and find out for myself." Lord Vader sternly stated.

Artoo Detoo replied and tooted out his designation; which Lord Vader still understood binary, despite the number of years he spoke with an astromech.

Author's note:Thank you to everyone for your kind reviews and I appreciate all my anonymous reviewers even though I am unable to reply to their specific messages. As you are aware, none of the canon Star Wars belongs to me.—Lady Gladiator45