I feel absolutely, positively terrible for taking ages to update. I'm sorry I'm one of those authors who take months to update. :(

Thank you for all your lovely and encouraging reviews. They mean the world to me. Also, I feel like a complete idiot, but I've only lately been informed that I am actually able to individually reply to the reviews. Mmm, would you like me to do that? :D

I hope you enjoy the new chapter. Loads of Starkiller this time.

CHAPTER VI

Luke Skywalker woke up gasping from a nightmare. Still the same dream, yet changed again. The blackness was darker than ever and the oppressive feeling of being watched worse than ever. And now it had a name.

The Emperor.

Luke had no idea who or what the Emperor truly was, but just the sound of it and the look on aunt Beru's face when she had pronounced the name that had silenced even Darth Vader was more than enough to convince him the Emperor meant something bad. Something very, very bad.

And now he could also name the person he was in his dreams. It wasn't really him this Emperor wanted. At least he hoped so. It was Anakin Skywalker. It was the father of his dreams who could no longer be, now that he knew the truth. The cold emptiness that filled him in his dreams and the hot flames that licked his body and the paralysing horror of not being able to breathe were the dreams of a hero father dying. Hero father who had never existed beyond his dreams.

"Luke."

Luke jumped at the unfamiliar voice and dived under his covers.

"Luke, don't be afraid. I'm not here to harm you."

Luke peaked into the room. To his horror, a blue, glowing man stood in the corner of his room.

He considered screaming for aunt Beru then and there.

"No, no, no! Don't scream", the man hurried to stop him. "You don't need to be afraid of me."

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi", the man said with a gentle smile on his face. "But you might know me better as Ben. I came to see that you are unharmed."

"Ben..?" the boy repeated, recognising the name. "How did you get in? And why are glowing..? I can see through you..!"

"I'm afraid my condition is something one might call a ghost", the man said, sitting down on his bed now that Luke seemed more curious than frightened.

The boy gaped at him in awe. "Really?! Wow... Just wait till I tell Biggs! He'll be so jealous."

"Ahem, no… I think it would be better you would not mention me at all."

"Why not..?" Luke whined. His friends in school would be thrilled if he'd tell them he'd met a real ghost!

"A few believe in ghosts", the man replied thoughtfully. "And you should not attract any unwanted attention to yourself, my boy."

Luke folded his arms and pouted his lips. "I'm not allowed to tell anything anymore..." he muttered.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not allowed to talk about it."

The man shrugged good-naturedly. "I'm a ghost, I can't see why you couldn't tell to me."

Luke lifted an eyebrow. "I'm not stupid, you know. I'm not falling for that. You could be a holo."

Obi-Wan looked at the boy for several seconds before laughing. "Very well, Luke. You seem unharmed. No one came here, then?"

Now it was Luke's turn to narrow his eyes in suspicion. "What do you mean?"

Obi-Wan brought his hand on his chin and stroked his beard, considering his words before talking. "Luke, a very dangerous man could be looking for you the very moment. You, your uncle and aunt might need to flee. Your lives could be in a terrible danger."

"You mean the Emperor?" Luke gasped, his eyes suddenly saucer wide.

"What?" Ben exclaimed. "Stars no, not him. Not yet, I hope. But he might as well, very soon. You–" Obi-Wan paused. "Who told you of the Emperor?"

"Aunt Beru said something about him when Vader wanted to–" Luke quickly slapped his hands over his mouth.

Obi-Wan, if possible for a ghost, paled. Was he late? Time was so difficult to determine now that he was part of the Force. It helped to understand why Qui-Gon, who didn't have a 'physical' form seemed to have even more difficulties. He gulped. "Vader was here?"

"I didn't say anything."

Obi-Wan leaned closer to the boy, all his concentration diracted at the child. "Luke, this is very important. Did Vader come here? What did he say?"

"I don't know what you're talking about", Luke insisted and futilely tried to hit him with a pillow. "Go away."

"Luke, listen to me" the Jedi pleaded, ignoring the attempted attack. "Darth Vader is very dangerous. He will hurt you. I must know what he said to you. Please, Luke. He killed your father."

Luke's face twisted in sudden anger. "Liar! He is my father! That's why he was here! You're one the enemies he warned us about!"

Obi-Wan's nonexistent heart skipped a beat. "He told you? Luke, listen, it's not the whole truth", he tried to explain desperately, but he knew he had misjudged the situation horribly, and his words had only done damage. Luke hadn't trusted him in the first place, now he might never trust him. "Darth Vader is an evil man. Your father, Anakin Skywalker was a dear friend of mine. He was a goodperson. But he was seduced by the Dark Side. The good man that was your father died and became the evil known as Darth Vader."

"No! Get away from me! Aunt Beru! Aunt Beru!"

"Luke, please, calm down–"

"Luke? Luke, what's wrong?" came a muted voice behind the door.

"Aunt Beru!" Luke jumped from the bed and pinned himself against his aunt as soon as she emerged from the doorway. "That suspicious holo-guy just appeared out of nowhere!"

"Luke, are you alright? There's no one in here", she tried to calm the boy down. "Did you have a nightmare? Who were you talking to before you started yelling? Are you playing one of those games again? You know what I've said about playing them after bed time."

Luke turned to point at the ghost, but Obi-Wan was gone. "He was just there!"

Beru frowned at him. Unlike usual, the boy didn't seem scared, just agitated. "Luke, honey, you had a nightmare again. There's no one in here."

"But–"

"No buts, Luke. Come on, back to sleep."

Luke gave one final glance at the room before climbing back to bed, but the glowing man had disappeared. Beru stayed again to check all the possible hiding places, even though he said she wouldn't need to. When she was gone, he waited for the ghost to appear again, but he was left alone to sleep in peace for the rest of the night.

It took full three weeks before Starkiller saw his Master again. His arrival was a surprise, as it usually took several months before Master Vader was able to return to Scarl System to see his apprentice personally. Which was why he was standing in his full training gear, clutching a broken datachip and covered in sweat when the black Eta-2 Actis interceptor gently landed on the docking bay's polished floor. PROXY hovered nearby. The droid did not want to stay too close when there was a possibility of the Sith Lord getting angry.

The engines died and he heard a familiar hiss of an airlock. Darth Vader emerged from the cockpit and Starkiller dropped on one knee. "Welcome back, Master."

Vader's boots hit the hangar floor almost soundlessly. It was amazing how gracefully the Sith Lord could move despite all the machinery in his body. Starkiller admired how effortlessly his Master could utilise the Force. He rose, but kept his head bowed down, reaching out his hand.

"Forgive me, my Master. I broke it. Please accept my deepest apology."

He had broken things before. None of those times had his Master been pleased and he expected nothing less than a severe punishment. He wasn't a child anymore, after all. But Vader hardly even looked at him, striding past his young apprentice without uttering a word.

"Master..?"

"Not now, Starkiller", came a stern reply. "Come."

Starkiller quickly tugged the datachip in his pocket and hurried after his Master. Vader led him into a familiar room with a huge panorama window. Once it was furnished it would serve as some sort of a lounge, and it was right next to the rooms Master Vader occupied whenever he came to Scarl, but would not be his permanent quarters. There'd be quarters closer to the bridge. Starkiller had never gone in any of these rooms, even though he was curious. Maybe one day when he had more confidence in his abilities to get in and out without Master Vader noticing. But he was not willing to test his Master on that just yet.

The said black clad man paused in front of the window. Starkiller knelt down to wait. Soon, Vader began pacing as was his habit whenever something was on his mind. At least that was how Starkiller interpreted it. Eventually, the Sith Lord talked.

"I have a mission for you."

Starkiller couldn't help but to lift up his head in boyish, tingling excitement. A mission! Finally..!

"It won't be anything like any of the previous missions I have given you."

And there was something else, something about his Master he could barely grasp... A feeling, a cloud of pitch black emotions that seemed to whirl around the Dark Lord. A dangerous, murderous intention and determination. He saw Master's hand pause right above his lightsabre momentarily. There were only so many people who awoke such animosity in his Master.

"Your spies have located a Jedi?"

The Dark Lord stopped his pacing and turned to face him. "Yes. And I have already taken care of him."

Starkiller smartly bowed his head. It was arrogant of him to think such an important mission would have been trusted to him just yet. He knew very well that he'd be chopped in half before he'd even have time to attack, were he sent to fight a real Jedi. He had barely come back in one piece when sent to fight a padawan.

"Of course, my Master."

Vader turned to face the blackness of space and for a long time the only sound in the room was his steady breathing and the distant sound of droids at work. Starkiller listened, but apparently his Master was lost in thought –not an unusual situation. He knew he should just stay put and not push his luck, but the curiosity was killing him.

"Who was it?"

As soon as the words left his lips he half expected to be Force pushed at the far end of the room, but today his Master simply answered the question.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Starkiller's eyes widened. Master Vader had been hunting down this man for years! Vader had even once mentioned that Kenobi had been a ally or something of his a long time ago. Before this "friend" turned against him and apparently caused master Vader his grave injuries, that is.

"You killed him", he gasped excitedly. How he wished his Master would tell him about it in more detail!

"Not nearly as slowly as I should have..."

Starkiller heard the leather gloves tightening into fists. The room's temperature seemed to drop. He could feel the dark energy pulsating around the dark robed man, and the anger, the pure hatred that was silently leaking into the room. It was cold, but he breath in the intoxicating Dark Side of the Force that had the taste of his Master in it. One day, he'd be as powerful as the Dark Lord. More powerful.

"His betrayal was far worse than I had ever expected. My child is alive and he had him hidden from me all these years."

A small gasp escaped from Starkiller's lips. Master Vader had a son?

"Were the Emperor to know of my son's existence, he would either have him killed or use him to replace me."

Starkiller's face twisted with hate at the mention of the Emperor. Vader had taught him well.

"The boy is strong in the Force. Like a shining beacon, and unable to hide it. Obi-Wan had wisely been shielding his presence, but now he may not stay hidden for long", Vader talked and turned abruptly. "I will send you to my son. You are to make sure he stays hidden. The Emperor must never learn of his existence."

Starkiller felt his heartbeat fasten with both, pride and excitement. This was far more important than getting to kill a Jedi. This meant his Master really must have trusted in his abilities, to trust something like the safety of his son to him. He could have jumped out of the sheer anticipation, but from the outside he was careful not to let his unemotional mask betray too much of his feelings. Still, he could barely keep out the thrilled note from his voice when he replied: "As you wish, my Master."

A small nudge in the Force told him it was time to stand up. Starkiller fixed his gaze at the black mask, waiting.

"You will leave tomorrow. I have already arranged for your transport. Once you arrive to your destination, there will be people to pick you up. You are to do as they tell you and treat them with the same respect you'd treat me. PROXY will have all the information you need. Now go. And do not fail me", Vader said, pointing his finger at him to emphasise the final threat. Starkiller had heard it often enough to know the threat was real, but this time he could feel cold darkness crawl deep inside his bones.

"I won't", he swore. It was time to go. He bowed before turning around to leave the room. Right before the doors closed behind him, Vader suddenly spoke. Starkiller gasped at the words, not quite sure if heard it right or if he imagined it altogether.

"One more thing. Your name is Galen Marek."

Starkiller lay on his bed, Vader's words spinning in his head. Galen Marek. Was that his name? His real birth name?

He didn't feel like Galen Marek. It was a stupid name. It wasn't a Sith name.

The cracked datadisk still lay untouched on his table. He should have confessed Master Vader he'd broken it, but there hadn't been any good moment to say it. He did not harbour dreams of keeping it secret, but now it looked like he wouldn't get a chance to tell any time soon.

He knew he should have been packing or at least training or meditating instead of wasting his time like this, but he equally knew he couldn't concentrate on any of those before PROXY would arrive with more information. It must have already been several hours since he had left his Master's presence, so he hoped the droid should be back soon. He ought to keep his senses opened. You never knew when PROXY decided it was a good time to ambush him. Today apparently wasn't, as he soon heard the droid walk in and there was no hologram on. He jumped out of the bunk to greet him.

"Well? What'd he tell you?" he asked immediately after the door had closed behind the droid.

"Lord Vader has informed me of our new mission. We are to leave tomorrow morning of Imperial standard navy time."

"I know, I know. Details, PROXY, tell me the details", he said impatiently and sat back on the bed, drawing his legs on as well.

"Master, I am afraid I am not authorised to tell you our final destination."

"What? Why not?"

PROXY ignored him. "A pilot will fly us to Corellia. You are not to leave him alive."

"Got it", he shrugged. "But I thought I was supposed to go to wherever Master's son is. If Corellia is not our final destination, does that mean he's not there? Or will we pick him up and take him somewhere else?"

Starkiller was dying for more details. His mind was racing with ideas.

"I'm sorry, master. I cannot answer your questions."

The boy sat down with a sigh. "It's alright. I know you're just following your programming."

"Speaking of which, I'm devastated to inform you that my primary programming has been overwritten", PROXY said, looking as miserable as a droid just could.

"What!? You– Master re-programmed you to not kill me?" Starkiller could hardly believe his ears. PROXY had, as long as he had known him, been trying to kill him on a weekly basis.

"Yes", the droid sighed. "I am sorry to disappoint you. My current main programming is to take you to his son without anyone following us or knowing where we are heading to."

"That's...umm... I'm sorry PROXY. I'm sure you get used to it", he tried to reassure the droid and patted the metallic arm of his friend. To him it sounded more like a temporary re-programming. Once they'd found master's son, the main program was likely to kick back on and they'd be back to normal. Better not get used to it.

"Guess I better start packing then", he muttered, throwing his feet on the floor again. "What time are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow at 0700. Master, I advise you to pack all you have. It will take us some time to reach our destination."

"Oh..." Starkiller sighed, opening his drawer. He didn't have much, especially now that half of his clothes were either useless rags or needed to be sewn together. Another thing he should have brought up with his Master. He had never had much clothes, just the amount that he could survive a week without having something washed. Now he didn't even have that. He threw everything into the only rucksack he had while the original question popped in his head again.

"PROXY... Did my Master say anything about 'Galen Marek' to you?"

The droid had plugged himself to his usual place in the wall for re-charge. "Isn't that your name, master?"

"It is?" The boy got up and headed for his collection of canned foods and ration bars. "That's what he said, too, but... He's always called me Starkiller."

"I am not an expert of human behaviour, but perhaps Lord Vader sees it fit for you to have a name instead of a code name for this mission?"

The boy picked a can of food he had no idea what it was, but it was eatable. The label only said 'artificial nutrient paste'. There wasn't much to choose from on an unfinished Star Destroyer. He popped it open and rummaged a drawer for a spoon. There already was a fully equipped kitchen and dining hall several floors down from the staff's living quarter area he spent most of his time, but the turbolifts weren't working yet and the emergency stairways were not lit, so he didn't often go there. It was easier to snatch a weeks supply of whatever he might need and return only when necessary.

"I guess so", he mumbled while chewing his first spoonful of the greenish goo. "So, are you going to call me that from now on? Galen..?"

The name had an odd taste. He wasn't sure if he could get used to being called by it. Could it possibly be the name he had been born with? Or a name Vader had simply given him for this mission? The latter seemed more likely, but then again, it was a stupid name...

"Not yet at least, master."

"Great..." Apparently this also fell into the category of 'un-authorised matters of discussion'. On a sudden whim he also added a small tool kit and the only datapad he owned into his bag along with some more food. All he could do now was to wait patiently. And as his Master had taught him, the patience of Darkness was infinite. It was where he should aim as well.

Starkiller was up with plenty of time to spare. After his usual morning exercises, he headed to the hangar and found an unfamiliar small vessel next to Master's specially modified one man ship. His own ship, the Rogue Shadow waited further away from the airlock.

"Ah, our ship has arrived", PROXY commented upon seeing the new vessel.

"We won't be taking the Rogue Shadow?"

"We are to abandon our pilot and our ship", the droid explained.

Starkiller nodded and walked closer to examine the vessel. He wasn't an expert when it came to starships, unlike his Master, but he could tell it was a fine, Corellian made vehicle and definitely not meant for military use. Not too fancy to attract attention, yet not too plain to assure it would get stolen in no time when left behind.

"Hey! Kid! What are you doing there? Get away from my ship!"

Starkiller and PROXY turned to face a man in his mid-thirties running towards them. He was dressed in civilian clothes, but they way he held himself proposed an army background.

"What are you doing here?" the man repeated once he'd reached them.

Starkiller frowned. "I'm waiting for my pilot. You?"

"Accessing Imperial records", PROXY started, nailing the man's cocky Corellian accent upon activating a simulation of the man standing in front of him. "Captain Misca Cobber, 36-years old. Born on Corellia, graduated from the Imperial Academy on it's third operational year. He served the Republic during the final months of the Clone Wars–"

Starkiller stopped listening. So, a Corellian man on a Corellian ship in Corellia, he thought. Who would also soon die in Corellia. The man was probably officially on leave, so the death wouldn't even be dealt by the Navy, but the the local authorities on Corellia.

"What the... Who are you two?"

"Should I provide you with more specific information, master?"

"No PROXY, that's fine, thanks", Starkiller waved his hand at the droid, who dropped the simulation. "I believe you're here to take me to Corellia", he said to the man, ignoring his questions.

"You?" The captain didn't seem convinced. No wonder Lord Vader had sent him on this suicide mission. He didn't seem like a person who could just shut up and do what he was told to without questioning it. His voice took even a slightly whiny tone when he said: "I was told this was an important mission."

"You think Lord Vader lied?" the boy challenged.

Patience, he reminded himself. He couldn't kill the man before they'd even left the construction site.

"Ah, no, but... Well he did mention some agent I was supposed to give a ride." Captain Cobber eyed him suspiciously and then moved to PROXY.

"The droid is Vader's agent? Well, what do you know..."

Starkiller's lightsaber was on the man's throat before he had even finished his sentence and had time to notice it. No point hiding the man he knew how to handle such weapon, when the man was already dead. He just didn't know it yet. Cobber drew a surprised breath.

"My job is to bring Lord Vader's enemies to justice. PROXY only assists me. Now get the ship ready, so that we can be on our way. The quicker we reach Corellia, the quicker I don't need to see your face ever again."

The captain gulped. It wasn't like he was used to taking orders from someone who looked younger than his own son. The whole thing seemed ridiculous to him, but then again, this kid was holding lightsaber on his throat despite being a lot shorter.

"Right...I apologise, sir. I'll get the ship ready."

Starkiller lowered the 'sabre. "Good."

The man saluted and hurried to do whatever was needed to fly this ship. The apprentice knew little to nothing about spaceships apart from the Rogue Shadow and the one he was living in. And no way could he fly the latter, even if it had been fully constructed.

The vessel in front of him was small and apparently not made for long Hyperspace jumps. It wasn't as small as a fighter, but a lot smaller than a standard imperial shuttle he'd seen or the Rogue Shadow. He followed the man indoors with the little he had. There was no separate cockpit. Instead, there were three seats behind the confined pilot's seat and none for a co-pilot. Apparently a ship this small didn't need one. Definitely not a ship for overnight jumps.

Starkiller took a seat next to the wall and laid down his rucksack on the middle one. PROXY followed behind and placed himself to the seat left. Lieutenant looked at him over his shoulder.

"Everything ready, sir?"

A pleasant change of an attitude. Starkiller glanced at PROXY. He had hoped Master would have come and said him some final words or given more specific information, but apparently it was just the two of them now.

"Yeah..." he muttered and closed his eyes. He heard the ramp and the door close behind them, and the engines hummed to life. PROXY would soon shut himself down and he didn't care what the pilot did. Starkiller had only a vague idea of how long it'd take to reach Corellia. It was all very exciting. He'd never been that close to the Core and with all the secrecy this was far the most important mission he'd ever had. He could not let his Master down. Failing was never an option, but he would have felt better if he would have known where he was going and what exactly he was supposed to do there.

The boy let out a small sigh as he felt the ship rise. Oh well, he'd have several hours to meditate on the matter.

Darth Vader watched from afar the ship take off. He had not gone to see Starkiller, for he did not know what he would have done. He might have killed the boy on the spot. In Owen's garage, with his son sleeping on his lap it had all felt so clear. It had felt like the only possible solution.

Had he done the right thing?

The first thought to cross his mind had been that he would not need Starkiller anymore. Together with his son they could defeat the Emperor, he could feel it. An apprentice was not needed. He could either banish the boy or just kill him to assure his silence. Or just send him to his doom by some other means. He had Luke now. He could train his son in secrecy, just as he had done with Starkiller–

But no. Even now he was not completely sure if Starkiller truly was a secret from his Master. He could not risk Luke by starting to visit Tatooine like he had done with the Scarl shipyard. Neither could he take Luke with him. If he could not see his son, he could not have him trained either.

He would have to leave Luke with Owen and Beru. It was the safest place for him to be. And Vader himself could never go back. He would never get to see his son again. Her son. Their child.

And Luke would be denied the training that was his birthright. With such a massive Force potential it ached him to think his son would have to live half blind I order to survive. Such a bright and magnificent aura...

...currently hidden only because of Obi-Wan's shielding. But it would not stay so for long without the Jedi amongst the living. For now, Vader could strengthen the shielding, but eventually it would fade away. When that happened, would the Emperor notice him? He could not tell for sure, but the possibility existed. He needed someone to shield Luke, for he had no time to teach the boy to do so himself.

So Starkiller could still prove useful for his plans, after all. But just seeing the boy yesterday had sickened him. For so long he had poured all his time and patience and hopes to this child, while Obi-Wan had been hiding his true heir. A part of him, a part undoubtedly left of Anakin, had wanted to substitute the lost child with Kento Marek's son. And that sickened him more than anything.

It baffled him to see the blind trust in Starkiller's eyes. The boy believed and knew full well he could get killed any second, yet he placed all his trust on his Master. Vader had come so close to the point where he would have drawn his weapon and beheaded the child. The boy's open admiration offended him.

A screech pulled Vader back to the reality. He looked down to the railing he had been leaning into with both of his hands. Without noticing, he had gripped the metal bar harder and harder, until he had accidentally pulled it out of the wall.

Slowly Darth Vader uncurled his fingers. The railing was left hanging mutilated, still supported by the vertical bars.

What is done, is done, he thought, giving a one last glance to the airlock. All he could do, was to trust Starkiller. But if becoming a Sith had taught him one thing, it was to never trust anyone. He had thought he knew this before, but only the last nine years had truly taught him its true meaning. The least he could trust his own Master. For all he knew, Starkiller was still a secret, but he could not be sure. The Emperor's games were endless and he was always several steps ahead of his apprentice –which was why he had sent Starkiller on a long detour without any knowledge of his destination.

He was still able to change his mind. Just a word from him, and PROXY could activate all of the training modules in its memory. Starkiller was good, but not good enough to yet beat the best opponents PROXY had to offer. All he needed to do was to give an order and Starkiller would die.

He knew he could trust PROXY. He had assembled the droid himself. And just yesterday he had literally taken the droid apart to make sure it was not tracked or being listened. It hadn't been. Perhaps he was acting paranoid, but he felt better when he knew he had done all he could.

Despite the harsh reality of trust and the conflict within himself, he was fairly certain he could trust in Starkiller's loyalty. The boy would not betray him, he had no loyalties to anyone else. That he could trust. But the boys abilities...he could not. No matter how loyal and eager to prove himself, Starkiller was twelve years old. He was a child. And at that age he himself had made more mistakes than he cared to remember.

Starkiller opened his eyes just in time to see the blue haze of Hyperspace turn into normal blackness of the space. Except that there was a planet not far away from them and their small vessel wasn't the only one. Corellia had one moon, but from the direction they were coming, it was almost hidden behind the planet. When they got closer, he could see ships leaving and entering the planet's atmosphere all the time. There were several bigger ones orbiting the planet, one of them being an Imperial Star Destroyer. While captain Cobber communicated with the Corellian air control, Starkiller set up to wake up his droid.

"I would have automatically switched on in 48.7 seconds", PROXY informed him. Starkiller just rolled his eyes and watched fascinated as the planet surface came closer. There were high buildings reaching for the skies as far in the horizon as he could see, and the city's air was filled with speeders. He assumed it was Coronet, the capital, the Jewel of Corellia. It reminded him of the holos he'd seen about Coruscant, just not as extreme.

They landed in building entirely made for parking small ships. Theirs was among the smallest ones.

"Here we are, sir", the captain said. "Corellia."

"Good job", Starkiller smiled. One slight movement of a wrist and the man's blaster flew to his hand. "And now I don't need you anymore."

One shot to the back and the man was dead. Starkiller dropped the gun on his seat and quickly searched the man's pockets. He was in serious need of money as Lord Vader would give him only very small amounts of cash to spare. His master never encouraged the boy to steal, quite the opposite, but in delicate situations as this, it was important the credits could not be traced back to Darth Vader under any circumstances.

"Come on, PROXY. Time to go."

There were no people outside and the only visible staff seemed to be droids. It took him a while to convince the droid to let him pass as he was clearly under age, but eventually he managed to make the droid believe that his father was still in the ship and that he would take care of the parking ticket, once he'd leave.

"So, where do we go now?" Starkiller asked the holodroid and stretched his arms after they were at a safe distance from the building.

"We will move to the main spaceport of the city, where we will find our next ride", PROXY answered and led the way.

"And I suppose you're still not going to tell exactly where we are going?"

"Quite correct, master."

The boy followed the droid through the city. There were people of every age, seemingly from all sides of the galaxy, although the great majority were humans. For a boy who had lived most of his life alone on a huge construction site, the crowd was startling. And the crowds just got worse as they approached the Blue Sector, as PROXY had called it. Cantinas, tattoo parlours, casinos and cheap hotels were everywhere. It reminded him of a place he'd been before the disastrous mission that got his pilot killed. Lord Vader had sent him on some Outer Rim planet to dispose a traitorous spy. He never got to know the planet's name, but like it, the Blue Sector seemed like a dangerous place at night.

"Master, according to my databanks there is a famous bazaar near here. I suggest you buy yourself some food. The flight will be long."

Starkiller frowned. "How long exactly?"

"I'm sorry master, I cannot tell you that until we are on-board."

"Great..." the boy muttered, but followed the droid.

"Welcome to Treasure Ship Row! Welcome to Treasure Ship Row!" a young Human woman called with a megaphone and handed out leaflets for everyone passing her.

"Please visit The Great Blue Rancor! The best game arcade on the street!"

"Come in, come in people!"

"Sale! Sale! Only for today! Sale!"

The noise was overwhelming. The streets were packed with people, everyone trying to sell them something, hand leaflets, offer free samples or just call the crowd with the megaphones. Some of the shops were simple and small stalls, some were tall buildings with neon signs, flashing lights and loud music, where as the neighbour might have been a stylish and modern clothing store next to a antique shop. Whatever one was looking for, it was very likely one could get it from the Rows -if one had time to search for it.

"PROXY, we need to find a place that sells food", Starkiller called over his shoulder. And he needed more credits. Fortunately, with the Force by his side, all he needed to do, was nicely ask someone to hand over their money. He'd just need to find a suitable person... "PROXY?"

No answer came from the droid. Irritated the boy turned around, but to his horror, there was no holodroid at sight. At all. He was gone.

"PROXY?! PROXY, where are you?" he called, a slight panic dripping to his voice as he realised it had been quite some time since he'd actually been sure the droid was with him. Now that he thought of it, the last time he remembered seeing the droid was when he'd been the one doing the following. At some point he'd lost the droid from his sight, but too distracted by all the bustle around him, he'd assumed the droid was following him instead.

"Oh no..." What do I do now, what do I do now..? He'd have to find PROXY, there was no other option. He couldn't -he would not fail this! He had a mission, his first important mission, but he could not go on without the droid's information. He'd rather die while searching, than go back to his Master, to admit he was just a ridiculous, miserable failure and get killed for wasting so many years of his Master's life.

"Shit...PROXY, where are you..?"