A/N: Here they are--the long-awaited explanations! This is a huge chapter, but rest assured that the following chapters will be much more normal-sized.

Chapter 10

Inside the pub was dark, disorderly, and abandoned. There wear almost no windows, and the distinct lack of ventilation meant that the stuffy, languid air stunk heavily with left-over cuisine and the smoke of death-sticks long since spent. Chairs were pulled out here and there at odd angles. Half-eaten food littered the polished tops of tables and counters. A few waitress droids stood slumped forward wherever they had happened to be at the time of crisis; all the light gone from their artificial eyes.

Anakin knew the unanimated droids had been programmed to shut off in the event of an emergency to allow the business's living patrons a better chance of escape. The coppery gold plating of one reminded him of C-3PO. Sad to think that, in the future, his own creation wouldn't even been able to remember him. I hate to even think this, but I prefer this reality over Luke's. Sure, we're both evil Sith Lords, but at least we're alive and well.

To the far back of the room--over the sea of tables and chairs--rose an elevated platform several feet longer than it was wide. On a busy night, entertainers would gather there to perform all sorts of music, dances, and exotic tricks in order to try and grab the attention of their more-often-than-not preoccupied audiences. Now not so much as a forgotten instrument lingered onstage. Nonetheless, the velvety red curtains were drawn back, as if in anticipation of the next performer.

It was to this platform that Maya headed, drifting between tables and chairs like a furry white ghost.

Hot on her heels, Anakin followed, albeit less gracefully.

" Ow! " The Jedi padawan yelped when he rapped his knee on an overturned chair. His eyes were only beginning to adjust to the nearly lightless setting.

" Careful," Luke cautioned from somewhere behind him, " I hear those chairs come out of nowhere. Use the Force this time."

" Hah, very funny." Anakin returned, the incident in Rajad's cave still all too fresh in his mind, " I just wasn't paying attention is all."

" You make that a habit, don't you? "

Before Anakin could come up with a witty comeback--and he had a good one ready on the tip of his tongue--Maya reached the stage, leapt up onto it, and turned around to face them. " Please, do have a seat."

The Skywalkers did as instructed and sat at a choice table for two right in front of the stage; one that just so happened to have a perfect view of the bar. They were so focused on Maya that neither of them noticed the elegant sweets and flowers laid out before them, or the pink card that passionately proclaimed: ' If all the water in the universe were ink and all the land paper, I could not being to write of my love for you….'

Onstage, Maya was perfectly still. It was too dark to read her expression, but both Anakin and Luke could sense her unease, and both suddenly felt a little less good about whatever it was they were about to hear.

" You've come for the Cindray." Maya's tone was suddenly as serious as her posture, all traces of the humor she'd been expressing earlier gone, "And I want you to have the best chance of getting it. I tried earlier, but alas I am very young and not yet capable of things like teleportation and walking through solid objects. Even my shape shifting is limited." She looked almost embarrassed. " I wish I could do more, but in this instance knowledge is the only power I can give you. The more you know about your enemies, the greater your chances for success. While my studies here are far from complete, I have put together a fairly detailed compilation of visuals from Evil Anakin's past which may prove…"

" Hold on here," Anakin cut in quickly, " Evil Anakin? I thought he was Darth Vader! "

Suddenly the room seemed a whole lot darker.

The shadowy outline of Maya remained as stiff as a statue. Not even the tip of her tail twitched. " Well he is, but if I were to call him that in my journals I'd have to be a bit more specific. Despite the tag he isn't truly evil, but when I first encountered him I thought him to be. I will share my visuals with you, but I warn you ahead of time that you're both going to see some things you wont like, especially Anakin."

Anakin forced a wry chuckle. " Why not? I've already heard a ton of things I didn't like; getting the visuals isn't going to scare me."

Luke had to admire his courage. If he were in Anakin's place, and if he had had to go through everything he had, he wasn't so sure he'd be coping as well. Losing loved ones was bad enough, but finding out you were going to be the cause of losing those loved ones went so far beyond horrible it was worse than being digested alive over a period of a thousand years in the stomach of a sarlaac.

Black as they were, Maya's eyes still seemed to penetrate the gloom. Even before she spoke, Anakin knew her gaze rested with him. " You have a brave soul, but this will be hard for you. Just remember, Anakin, everything you hear, everything you see, is Evil Anakin, not you."

" Understood." Without even realizing, Anakin laid his hand to rest on the card.

Luke couldn't see very well in such dim lighting, but when his fingers brushed against the box of sweets he looked down and noticed the outline of the flowers and a splash of pink under Anakin's left hand. What, are we on a date here or something?

He was about to bring the matter to Anakin's attention just for the sake of giggles when the wall behind Maya suddenly blazed to life with a brilliant bluish light. Maya stepped off to the side and the glowing apparition took the shape of a giant rectangle--a viewscreen.

As they all watched, the solid blue color of the screen was swiftly replaced with the image of a little blond-haired boy who looked between the ages of seven and nine racing through the marketplace of a happier Mos Espa in a dull gray outfit.

" Hey! " Anakin exclaimed, " That's me when I was little! "

Luke's eyes widened slightly in mild surprise. " You looked like that? " It was hard to imagine such a cute little boy could be the cause of so much misery.

" At one time." Anakin said dryly. Seeing the images on the screen brought his childhood back to life, and the memories saddened him. Those days were dead. He would never be that innocent little boy again.

Onscreen, the child Anakin dashed to an almost-finished pod hidden out back of the junk shop and began working feverishly on it. He looked so excited, so happy.

Maya's words were so soft that her company almost didn't hear them. " As hard as this may be to believe, that's Evil Anakin."

It is hard to believe, the grown-up Anakin thought in silent amazement, I know this! I remember being in his place doing the exact thing he's doing! He knew what happened next, and was not at all surprised when a group of his old friends arrived in the scene and startled him, causing him to accidentally fry one of the pod's circuits with the small hand-held gatla he'd borrowed from the shop.

Child Anakin became frustrated and his friends all laughed at him.

" What's the matter Ani, blow a fuse? " Young Greedo's voice came over loud and clear, like in a movie.

" Come on Ani, that thing's never going to fly! " A little girl agreed, " Why don't you come play with us? "

" I will once I get it done." Child Anakin sounded harried. He bent back over, re-immersing himself in the machine's guts.

" Oh, how cute! " Luke chuckled.

Anakin only shook his head. " You won't be thinking that for long."

Maya spoke. " This universe started out exactly the same as yours, save one thing: Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One, was born with five times the midi-chlorian this Anakin was."

Anakin was visibly startled. " Five times! " He echoed, his voice becoming a tad nasal, " How! Why! "

To the far left of the bright screen, the shadowy silhouette of Maya answered. " How were the midi-chlorians able to impregnate your mother with you in first place? Why did they specifically choose her? Why five times more midi-chlorian instead of, say, seven…or ten? If we are going to discuss the how's and why's of the situation, we will be here all night. Alternate universes are spontaneous. There's no rhyme or reason to the way they differentiate in the specific ways that they do, or why they sometimes seem to favor or disfavor one person or event over another.

" In any case, being born with such a high midi-chlorian count gave this universe's Anakin a huge advantage over his AU doppelgangers. He was so strong with the Force that by the time he was five he could already float things around, even without having been trained and having no knowledge at all of the Force. It just came so easy for him. Thankfully, this universe's Shmi had him keep his abilities a secret

"By the time Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan arrived on the scene, little Anakin was already almost their equal in Force abilities. What he lacked was skill and refinement. Just like in your universe, Qui-Gon sensed his potential to be a great Jedi. Just like in your universe, Qui-Gon died early on in battle with Darth Maul, and the task of training young Skywalker fell to Obi-Wan. History ran it's course with nothing major changing from your universe until the Clone Wars rolled around."

As she was saying this, images sped by the screen in rapid-fire succession--images of Child Anakin slaving away in Watto's shop, Child Anakin floating things around when nobody was looking, Qui-Gon, 14-year old Padmé, the pod race, Obi-Wan, Darth Maul, Child Anakin's heroic flight, Child Anakin training with Obi-Wan….all of that flashed by in a five-second blur.

When the images finally slowed back down to real-time, Anakin was startled to find himself staring at his identical mirror-image, right down to the Jedi garb and padawan braid! Wow, he looks exactly like me! Despite having braced himself for such an experience--after all, it was another him--seeing an exact carbon-copy of himself whizzing through the busy airways of Coruscant in a bold yellow speeder in hot pursuit of Padmé's would-be assassin was just too eerily close to home to ignore. In every way, it was a perfect replay of the past.

Well, almost perfect--it seemed to Anakin that his evil twin was slightly more in control of the situation than he had been. Not to say his driving was any less--how had Luke put it?…scary?

Anakin liked to think of it as being more adventurous.

Apparently, Evil Anakin shared the same views. He flew between a pair of power couplings, eliciting a jittery complaint from his master. " Anakin…how many times…have I told…you not to fly between…power couplings? "

Evil Anakin just laughed, a wild, maniacal grin splitting his face.

" How about that? " Luke chortled, " Even evil you can't drive! Poor Obi-Wan."

" Hey, don't be too hard on him. He's actually doing a little better than I did." Anakin admitted honestly, never taking his eyes off the screen.

He never saw the look of horrified disbelief Luke sent his way.

Without warning, the images suddenly fast-forwarded the way they had before, and now both Skywalkers recognized the inside of the Lars' home. Evil Anakin was sitting at the table with much younger versions of Owen and Beru, along with an older man who was missing half of his right leg.

Cliegg Lars? Luke only recognized him from old pictures and stills. The man had died when he was just an infant. Everything he knew about him came from Owen and Beru and the stories they told.

Cliegg was speaking, but his words were so heavily muffled for some reason that they could not be understood. Nevertheless, the solemn faces of everyone present betrayed the fact that this was not a happy little gathering by any stretch of the imagination.

A tear welled up in the corner of Anakin's eye. He didn't have to hear the words to know what his stepfather was saying. He would never forget for as long as he lived.

Evil Anakin's reaction to the news was to slouch back in his seat and glare daggers at the wall. He was very obviously upset, but the emotion that far eclipsed that anxiety was anger. Indeed, he looked almost as if he were ready to jump up and murder Cliegg just for breaking the news to him.

Maya continued the story. " The first major turning point for this universe was the death of Anakin's mother at the hands of the Tusken Raiders. Anakin was so devastated by his loss that he flew into a violent rage, destroying every living thing within the Tusken camp. It was there, by accident, that he learned to throw Force fire."

The scene shifted again. A blue blade, guided by a furious Anakin, split the screen, slashing and rending wildly. The Tuskens never stood a chance. They were cut down where they stood, their death-cries muted by Maya's decree. A spark of something truly frightening crossed Evil Anakin's eye, and when he raised his left hand to a fleeing Tusken--perhaps to try and knock it down with the Force--an incinerating jet of fire shot out and caught his victim ablaze.

This totally surprised Evil Anakin, who's expression quickly changed from murderous to awe-struck. His eyes kept ticking back and forth between his hand to the flaming Tusken. Then his face settled into a lethal smirk, and he threw the fire again--this time at a Tusken child that was trying to escape from a nearby hut.

Anakin and Luke never got to see if the attack hit the child or not, though it almost certainly had.

The next scene showed a distraught Evil Anakin walking away from the smoldering remains of the Tusken camp. He was cradling the limp body of his mother, who was wrapped from head to toe in an assortment of torn rags.

" The next critical turning point came in the battle with Count Dooku."

Right on cue, the scene changed to fit the description.

Now Evil Anakin and Obi-Wan entered a hangar just as Count Dooku was preparing to leave.

Anakin bristled at the sight of his nemesis. " I remember that! That's the fight I was plucked out of! " He felt something wet trickle down his cheeks, and realized he'd been crying a little more than he'd thought. Before anyone else had a chance to see, he quickly wiped the tears away with the back of his hand. Now was not the time for mourning.

" You go in slowly and I'll…."

" I'll take him NOW! "

" No Anakin, no! No! "

The infamous exchange took place, and Anakin physically flinched when his double rushed the Sith Lord exactly as he had. Foolish! So foolish! Why did I ever think that would be a good idea?

Hindsight really was 20-20. Seeing the action replayed back to him opened his eyes to the ugly truth: he had been an idiot. A hot-headed, impulsive idiot.

Count Dooku's hand shot out just the way it had before…only this time he never got the chance to throw any Force lightning, because Evil Anakin's own hand had had shot out an instant sooner and he was struck full in the chest with a fireball.

" Anakin, how did you do that! " Came Obi-Wan's yelp of surprise.

" Power of the Force, Master." Evil Anakin replied proudly, keeping his lightsaber trained on Dooku.

The white-haired Sith had been forced to drop to the floor and roll to extinguish his clothing. Evil Anakin lunged at him, and he managed to regain his footing and dive aside an instant before he would've been slashed on the diagonal.

Still, the blow had weakened him. He reached for his lightsaber and for his effort came only a fraction of a second away from getting what would have been the shortest haircut he'd ever had in his life. Evil Anakin was not a patient little Jedi.

" The fight was incredibly brief. What Anakin lacked in sabering skill and technique he more than made up for in his connection with the Force"

Dooku had his saber now, but it didn't do him any good because his hand was liberated from his arm before he could use it. With a sharp cry of pain, the injured Sith staggered backwards until his backside slammed against a wall. In an act of desperation he thrust his remaining hand forward and sent writhing tendrils of Force lightning at Evil Anakin.

The effort was futile. Evil Anakin held his lightsaber up in front of him and absorbed every last bit of the charge into the blade.

Dooku tried a different approach. Using the Force, he brought a mass of rocks down from the earthen ceiling right over his foe's head.

This didn't impress Evil Anakin, who caught the falling debris with his own Force powers and tossed it aside with an ease that would put Master Yoda to shame. " Your age is catching up with you, Dooku." He snickered with glee, " I'm just a padawan and already my Jedi powers are far beyond yours." He closed in on his adversary, lightsaber poised for the death-blow.

" Anakin! No! He is helpless, we can take him alive! " Obi-Wan may just as well have been screaming at the wall.

Though he had to have heard, Evil Anakin lunged forward and chopped the old Sith's head off anyway.

" Alright! " The non-evil version of Anakin cheered as he leaned forward in his seat, " Now that's what I like to see! "

Apparently, it wasn't what AU Obi-Wan liked to see. The screen faded to black on what appeared to be the start of a heated argument between him and Evil Anakin.

Maya continued the narrative, letting the images speak for themselves." Afterwards Anakin secretly married Padmé and continued for the next three years to fight in the Clone Wars, but here's where this universe really began to diverge from yours. You see, all throughout his life, Evil Anakin's exceptionally strong Force powers and countless victories had served to make him arrogant and self-assured, even more so than other Anakins. Such an easy victory over the dark lord Count Dooku only made him all the more conceited. Having discovered that his new powers were rooted in darkness and rage, he began to wonder what more he might be capable of. Behind everyone's backs, he began experimenting with the dark side of the Force"

Flashes of Evil Anakin fighting various foes flew by the screen in a few blinks of an eye. His Force powers had indeed grown: in some instances he threw fire, in others lightning. In one scene it even looked like he threw ice, but that image streaked by so fast it was impossible to be sure. This time the viewscreen didn't mess around with fades--it just went black.

When it next lit up, Anakin and Luke almost didn't recognize imposing young man in the center frame.

" Wow, is that me!" Anakin gasped, barely able to believe his eyes.

" Evil Anakin." Maya supplied.

Anakin shook his head quickly, a little irritated that the Senttian would think him that dense. " No--I know that--I mean, is that how I'm going to look in a few years? "

" More or less."

Anakin thought she sounded a bit sad about that, though he didn't see why. In his eyes, his future-self was perfect; he'd filled out his form nicely and no longer looked even the least bit scrawny or gawky. His padawan braid was gone and his wavy blond hair came down to his shoulders. His face, too, had changed a little--the soft contours of youth traded in for the visage of a mature adult. Despite all the battles he had been through, not so much as a single lonely scratch tainted his image.

Under the cover of darkness, he smiled a bit. That is definitely how I want to look. Then a darker thought reared it's ugly head. Wait, what does Maya mean by 'more or less'?

He was about to ask when the cat-like Senttian started up again. " By the time Anakin attained the level of Jedi Knight, he was already the most powerful Jedi that had ever existed. Whenever he wasn't out fighting the good fight or spending quality time with Padmé, he trained with the Council's elite lightsaber duelists, intent on becoming the best of the best."

Now Evil Anakin sparred with Jedi Master Cin Drallig in one of the Jedi Temple's many training rooms. Though Cin was obviously more skilled with the lightsaber, the mock-duel seemed to be pretty even, with both Jedi getting in good 'hits' here and there. Evil Anakin appeared calm, in control, and completely at ease.

"Very good," the older man was saying, " Excellent job of relaxing your mind and tapping into you hidden intuition. Your connection to the living Force is very strong."

Evil Anakin flashed him a satisfied grin. " I know."

" Still," Cin cautioned, his displeasure at the incredibly arrogant remark thinly veiled, " You never know whom or what you will be up against. When battling with the lightsaber, be mindful of your opponent's attack-schema and the position of his hands. The faintest twitch of the wrist can betray the nature of the attack. Sometimes, it isn't the strength of your blow but rather the angle of your swipe that counts most."

To illustrate this point, the white-haired Jedi Master drew his lightsaber into a swift downward arc that curved up at precisely the right angle to bump his opponent's blue blade right out of his hand.

Evil Anakin retaliated by flinging his now-empty right hand out in front of him and blasting Cin with a stream of blue-white ice substance.

Cin leapt back, dropping his own lightsaber and barely stifling a cry. His entire right forearm from hand to elbow was covered in a fine white frost.

" Oops! Sorry! " Evil Anakin apologized, and to his credit he appeared to really mean it, " Reflex. It won't happen again." He lowered his head.

Cin shot him a severe look. " See to it that it doesn't, or else you can look for a new sabering tutor. You're a great pupil Anakin--extremely gifted--but you really must work on keeping your more…unusual…abilities under control."

EvilAnakin nodded respectfully. " I will try."

Cin frowned, but it was more out of concern than anything else. " You're going to have to do more than try, Anakin. I mean it. I've been talking with some of your other instructors, and we all know you don't mean to, but you do have a tendency to get a bit rough during some of these training exercises. Makaji says you nearly sliced her arm off a week ago, and before that you Force shoved Master Windu into the floor so hard it cracked a few ribs and knocked all the wind out of him for a good five minutes. Not to beat a dead tauntaun, but you really are going to have to be more careful. Force-wise, you happen to be a lot stronger than us, and you can seriously injure someone without meaning to."

Evil Anakin quirked an eyebrow at his mentor. " So you're saying…what? My Force powers are too strong, don't use them? "

The older Jedi shook his head and picked at the frost on his arm. " No. What I'm saying is that you should exercise more control and tone it down a bit when practicing with your fellow Jedi. Remember, these fights aren't real. You don't have to prove anything. Try not to get so carried away, or else before long no-one's going to want to risk practicing with you." He recovered his lightsaber and turned to leave. " That concludes our lesson for today. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to thaw out my arm."

Evil Anakin watched him go, and the scene faded.

Maya filled the gap. " As the clone wars progressed, the Jedi began to fear Anakin more and more. His loyalties seemed questionable, and his vengeful nature, brash behavior, and fiery temper combined with his continuous defiance of their orders made him both too unreliable and too unpredictable to be trusted. He would have been kicked out of the Order if not for the fact that Yoda and the other Council members feared such an action would make him by far their most dangerous enemy.

" Anakin didn't learn of Padmé's pregnancy until she was only a couple weeks away from giving birth, but from the night he found out he started having bad dreams. All I know about these nightmares is that they apparently involved Padmé's premature death, and that Anakin feared they were prophetic visions of the future. Thus, when Palpatine finally revealed himself as Darth Sidious and told him he could save Padmé's life if only he would do as he was told, a desperate Anakin bought every word"

-Flash- Evil Anakin and Palpatine were talking alone in the hallway just outside the Senator's office. The words were too muted to hear, but it was a predominantly one-sided conversation with Palpatine doing most of the talking and an overly-grave Evil Anakin adding a word here or a nod there.

-Flash- Palpatine's office. The old senator/Sith lord was down and cornered against his own window with the imposing figure of Mace Windu closing in on him. He lashed out with Force lightning, only to have it deflected off of Mace's violet lightsaber and back into his face; wrecking havoc upon his features.

" There goes my acid-bath theory." Luke murmured.

Normally this remark would have drawn a small chuckle from Anakin, but by this point he was so immersed in the little history 'film' that Luke could have offered him the flowers and called him his gay lover and he wouldn't have even noticed.

Onscreen, things were really heating up.

Evil Anakin flew into the room, and now the sped-up images slowed to real-time.

" He is a traitor, Anakin! " Palpatine was almost screaming.

" He's the traitor, stop him! " Mace shouted with equal passion.

Evil Anakin lingered in the doorway, the picture of confusion.

Palpatine pressed harder. " Come to your senses, boy. The Jedi are in revolt. They will betray you, just as they betrayed me."

Still, Evil Anakin hesitated. He looked very unsure of what to do.

Mace moved in closer to Palpatine, and the Sith Lord's howls of pain intensified as more of his lightning arced back on him.

Again, he tried to sway Evil Anakin. " I can't…I give up. Help me. I am weak…I am too weak. Don't kill me. I give up. I'm dying. Anakin…I have the power to save the one you love. You must choose. You must stop him."

" You Sith disease," Mace grunted, " I am going to end this once and for all."

This seemed to break Evil Anakin out of his trance. Quickly, he rushed to the fallen senator's side and pinned Mace with a steely gaze. " You can't kill him, Master. He must stand trial."

" He has too much control of the Senate and the courts," Mace pointed out, " he is too dangerous to be kept alive."

" I'm too weak. Please don't kill me." Palpatine pleaded feebly. He had stopped his lightning, but he was still trapped under Mace's poised lightsaber.

" It's not the Jedi way…" Evil Anakin continued.

But Mace's mind was made. His lightsaber came down….right onto a humming blue blade.

" Are you even listening? " Evil Anakin hissed, " You can't kill him! "

Mace suddenly flew back into the wall with the force of a small rocket--the victim of a tremendous Force push. The impact jarred his lightsaber out of his hand and he crumpled to the floor like a discarded rag-doll.

Though he was free now to stand up, Palpatine chose instead to remain cowered in the corner of the windowsill like a small wounded animal. Mace was already getting back up and he apparently didn't want to deal with that.

The dark-skinned Jedi master regained his lightsaber and gave Evil Anakin a look usually only reserved for escapees from the mental hospital. " Anakin, what are you doing! The man is evil! "

" He has done nothing! " Evil Anakin maintained vehemently, " When I came in this room all I saw was a Jedi attacking an innocent man."

Mace reactivated his lightsaber and pointed it at a trembling Palpatine. " He is not innocent. He is a Sith Lord, and he has corrupted the Republic! "

" Prove it."

Mace was taken aback. Clearly he hadn't anticipated Evil Anakin to put up this much of a fight. " Look, I can't even believe we're having this debate. He is a Sith!You just saw him throw lightning…"

" So?" Evil Anakin cut in, " I throw lightning too, does that make me evil? " Holding out his free hand, he let a few electrical sparks fly between his outstretched fingers for show.

Mace's face twisted into an expression of pure horror. " Anakin! You've been tainted with the dark side! "

" Me? " Evil Anakin snapped, killing his sparks, " You're the one who would murder a defenseless senator! "

Mace shook his head, scowling. " That's guy's about as defenseless as a prickly-pine in a nudist colony. He's playing you, Anakin! He's playing you and you are falling for it! "

" Please," Palpatine squeaked from his sill, " What have I done? "

Mace shot him an icy glare. " I would make a list, but I don't have all night."

" He's the traitor Anakin! Don't listen to him! Remember what I told you! "

Mace moved in. " Move aside, Anakin."

Evil Anakin narrowed his eyes and refused to budge. " No." Mace tried to step around him, and he moved to block his path.

Palpatine was finally up now, and the old Jedi Master saw what Evil Anakin didn't: the now hideously disfigured Sith Lord smirking. He could stand it no more. " Sorry Anakin." He said, right before taking a swing at the other Jedi's shoulder.

With a speed unequaled by that of any Jedi or Sith, Evil Anakin caught the lightsaber with his.

Palpatine did not miss his chance to add commentary. " See? He would strike at you. He has betrayed you! Get him Anakin! Get him before he gets us! "

He needn't have bothered though, for Evil Anakin and Mace were already battling.

It was possibly the shortest lightsaber duel in the history of lightsaber dueling. After about one strike and two defends, Evil Anakin appeared to just get fed up and used the Force to fling Master Windu out the window, where he would fall several stories to his death.

That was it.

No snarky comments. No overly-dramatic death cries. Just silence.

Silence that encompassed at least fifteen seconds as Evil Anakin considered the ramifications of his actions.

" What have I done? " He croaked at last, his face a collage of horror, confusion, and disgust all rolled into one. He looked almost ready to cry.

Palpatine approached his side, suddenly all better from his near-death encounter. " You are fulfilling your destiny, Anakin. Become my apprentice. I would say to learn to use the dark side of the Force, but it seems as if you already have some experience in this area. That is good. Under my guidance, you will become even greater."

Evil Anakin stared at the wall. " I will do whatever you ask."

Palpatine smiled; an unpleasant contortion of his face that made it all the more horrifying. " Good."

Evil Anakin turned his gaze upon his new master, and anyone could see he was fighting the urge to look elsewhere. " Just help me save Padmé's life. I can't live without her. I won't let her die. I want the power to stop death."

" Then boy, you really went to the wrong guy! " Luke scoffed. He might have said more, but Anakin motioned him to be quiet.

" To cheat death is a power only one has achieved, but if we work together I know we can discover the secret." Palpatine told his new apprentice.

Evil Anakin nodded solemnly and kneeled before him. " I pledge myself to your teachings. To the ways of the Sith."

Palpatine grinned so widely it had to hurt, displaying a row of yellowed teeth that betrayed the fact that he did not practice dental hygiene. " Good. Good. The Force is strong with you. A powerful Sith you will become. Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth…Vader."

Evil Anakin/Darth Vader nodded. " Thank you, my master."

The scene faded out, and Anakin nearly choked. Suddenly this wasn't fun anymore. Sure, it had started out pleasant enough, but now watching the replay of Evil Anakin's past was starting to make him physically sick. It was like watching a horribly tragic play of events to come…

No, not events to come. Anakin swallowed back the lump that had been rising in his throat and forced himself to take deep, calming breaths the way Obi-Wan had taught him, This is Evil Anakin, not me. Evil Anakin. I'm sure my future went a lot differently…why am I even bothering? The only difference between me and Evil Anakin is that he's a lot stronger.

As grim as it was, facts were facts, and the fact was that all that Anakin had seen of his AU counterpart's past that he himself could remember living had closely mirrored his own experiences. Given this trend, it would mean that, even if it didn't happen in exactly the same way, he was destined to become Darth Vader in a similar fashion to what he had just witnessed.

Then again, maybe not.

Even in a few years, Anakin didn't see himself as being able to defeat Master Windu that easily. Evil Anakin definitely had the edge there.

" To his credit, Palpatine was a master manipulator." Maya went on, " He'd been yanking Anakin's strings from the moment he'd first met him in hopes of one day acquiring him as an apprentice; always telling him what he wantedto hear rather than what he needed to hear. That's why his words held so much sway. That's how he was able to get Anakin believing that the Jedi were really the ones standing in the way of galactic peace, and that they were all traitorous liars jealous of his power."

The 'camera' zoomed in an extreme close-up of Palpatine's partially cloaked face, and both Skywalkers had to take a second to wonder why Maya had it in for them.

" Execute Order Sixty-Six." The less-than-beautiful Sith Lord commanded.

" Yes Sir!" An overly-zealous Clone Trooper obeyed.

The scenes that followed all crossed the screen pretty rapidly, and it was for the best that they did because not one of them was enjoyable to watch.

All over the galaxy, Clone Troopers turned on their former allies and became Storm Troopers. The overwhelmed Jedi were outnumbered hundreds to one and shot down like animals in some sick canned hunt.

" This doesn't make sense," Luke said in a tone of disbelief, " how could they wipe out the Jedi so easily? Storm Troopers aren't that tough. Back on Endor, my friends and a handful of Ewoks beat an entire army of these guys--and the Ewoks were all fighting with sticks and stones! "

Anakin shook his head, processing. " Yes, but your friends were fighting twenty years in the future. They're all clones of the same guy--maybe they all developed arthritis or something. Or maybe clones are stronger in this universe."

" That has to be it," Luke slumped back further in his chair, still trying to make sense of the images on the screen, " because I wouldn't consider myself to be the strongest or most skilled Jedi, and I walked right over these guys almost before I learned what the Force was."

Images of the Jedi Temple played over the ethereal viewscreen. The Storm Troopers were overrunning it, blasting everyone and everything in sight. Evil Anakin/Darth Vader stalked one of the hallways at the front of a troop, his head framed by the hood of a dark brown cloak. His eyes burned a fierce yellow and red.

I have a very bad feeling about this, Anakin thought with a rush, and his anxieties were not misplaced because an instant later 'Evil' Anakin really lived up to his tag.

The Jedi never even had a chance. In addition to steering clear of Vader's lightsaber, they had to worry about dodging fireballs, lightning, flying shards of ice--plus anything else that was thrown at them---and all this they had to do while evading a swarm of trigger-happy Storm Troopers. It was the universe's deadliest obstacle course. Padawans, knights, masters…none lasted more than a minute in the same room with Darth Vader. It was incredibly brutal. Not even the younglings escaped; in a scene that was over almost as soon as it started the now very-appropriately-dubbed 'Evil' Anakin entered the room in which they were hiding and slashed them all to pieces.

Stern. That was the best word to describe Vader's expression. He had hardened his heart, and it reflected on his face. He did not appear to take delight in the slaughter, but he did it nonetheless.

" He really is evil! " Anakin gasped, horrified.

" No kidding," Luke agreed, equally as stricken, " I knew he killed children, but I didn't think that…" he trailed off, words failing him.

" Remember," Maya comforted, " This is a replay of Evil Anakin's past. Things went a little differently in your reality."

" But I still betrayed the Jedi, right? Killed them? " All the color had drained from Anakin's face. He looked almost as pale as a ghost, even in the dim glow of the viewscreen.

The terrible images were still gliding by when Maya replied. " Yes. You were no saint either, Anakin, but I can honestly say that Evil Anakin was much worse. He killed far more people than you ever did."

But the younglings…Anakin refrained from asking the question. He was afraid of the answer. Afraid to think that he, Non-Evil Anakin Skywalker, would ever be capable of such a nefarious deed. Just the same, there was that small demon--the one forever lurking somewhere in the back of his consciousness--that said, You know you are. If you were in Evil Anakin's place, you would do exactly the same thing. If Padmé were in danger, you'd kill the other Jedi to save her. Don't pretend you wouldn't.

No! Anakin tried to force such unsavory thoughts from his mind. He hated himself for even thinking it. Hated that it could hurt this much watching little more than a movie of what that horrible double of his had done. I would never do those things! Not me! Not me……the only difference between me and Evil Anakin is power……

Luke sensed his father's unease--it was rolling off him in humungous waves. He had a pretty good idea of what he must be thinking about, and he wished he could say something to help, but what was going to do? Tell Anakin that everything was going to be okay when he didn't know for sure if it was? That would feel too much like lying.

Maya continued the story. " His mind poisoned, Anakin turned his back on Obi-Wan and the Jedi and became Darth Vader. Under his new master's command, he attacked the Jedi Temple and annihilated everyone there. Then he journeyed to Mustafar and destroyed the last obstacle in the infant Empire's way. Around that time Padmé and Obi-Wan caught up with him. They'd learned of his massacre in the temple and his new allegiance to Sidious and the Dark Side, and they were horrified. They tried to reason with him, but were unsuccessful. Vader's mind had become clouded to the truth. In his eyes, what he and Palpatine were doing was not only just, but the best solution to the galaxy's problems. From the moment he started believing the Jedi were traitors, he started seeing deceit all around him, even where there was none. Thinking that Obi-Wan had turned Padmé against him, Vader completely lost his head and attacked his former master."

Two blazing blue lightsabers slashed across the screen, humming and buzzing with a fierce intensity as they repeatedly struck one another. Obi-Wan and Darth Vader were fighting on the barren, scarred landscape of an extremely volcanic world. It was a very vicious battle, with quick, energetic saber-thrusts and a lot of last-second shunting and side-stepping.

The duel was very much going Vader's way. No matter how well aimed or perfectly timed Obi-Wan's strikes, the only thing his lightsaber found was his opponent's. At least Vader was giving him some semblance of a fair fight; he refrained from using his deadliest Force powers even though he easily could have.

The pair seemed to be arguing--or, in Obi's case, perhaps pleading--but again, the events were rushed and the talking muted.

It was for the best, Anakin decided. Maya was probably picking and choosing which events to display and whether or not to mute them to protect him from becoming too depressed. Maybe if he knew everything, he wouldn't be able to live with it. Maybe that was how closely Evil Anakin's past mirrored his future.

" The fight was incredibly dynamic." Maya stated, as if anyone needed that pointed out.

Obi-Wan used the Force to hurtle a decent-sized boulder at Vader, but the Sith raised his hand and batted it away with his own Force powers as if it were nothing. Then he chased his former master from one platform to another, and quite a bit of rapid-fire banter took place between the two as Obi-Wan struggled to hold his own.

Eventually, the fight moved to a huge chunk of rock floating down a burning river of lava, and both combatants were forced to leap to safety when it tipped too far to one side and sank in.

Now they stood almost toe-to-toe on a not-so-roomy square platform that glided along down the middle of the lava river; suspended several feet above the surface by the technology of levitation. Though the craft was not actually touching the lava, it was still unbearably hot. Both Obi-Wan and Darth Vader were sweating buckets as they shunted around and tried to get in good hits.

Obi-Wan almost got one--he swung his blade in a path aimed for his former apprentice's elbow--but the blow didn't connect because Vader was no longer standing where he had been a moment ago. Taking advantage of Obi-Wan's botched attempt, he slid in quickly and struck him in the jaw with the back of his very flesh-and-blood right hand.

Obi-Wan staggered back a few paces, stunned. He still had enough wit about him to avoid falling off the rail-less platform and into the lava, but now his defenses were down, leaving him wide open for attack.

Vader waited patiently for him to recover.

Something occurred to Luke. " Anakin? Would you say you're more right-handed or left-handed? "

" Right," Anakin answered quickly, a small quiver of excitement in his voice as he picked up on Luke's train of thought, " which means that…"

Luke finished for him, " Evil Anakin's deliberately handicapping himself. He wants a fair fight! "

Anakin shifted back in his seat. Under his breath, in a voice much too quiet for even Luke to hear, he muttered, " I wish he'd go jump in the lava. Homicidal maniac." He was angry with his doppelganger for attacking the AU Obi-Wan, true, but by the same token he was also incredibly jealous of his power and skill. Even for handicapping himself by using the wrong hand, that was some fine sabering. He'd have to work twice as hard to be half as good.

" Your observations are correct." Maya's lithe form was now almost indistinguishable from the shadows, " Darth Vader could have killed Obi-Wan almost as easily as he did all the others. Perhaps because he had been so close to him he felt he was worthy of a fair fight."

Just like that the scenes slowed to real-time. The floating lava platform reached a point where it was not as far from the 'riverbank' as it had been, and Obi-Wan seized upon the chance to jump off the potential death-trap and onto dry land. He landed halfway up a somewhat steep bluff and immediately turned to face his former pupil. " It's over Anakin! I have the high ground! "

" Do not underestimate the power of the dark side." Vader replied almost passively, gathering his legs up under him to summon a mighty Force-powered leap.

Maya paused the image. " The single most defining event in this universe's history, and the one that set it most apart from your universe, is this moment here."

Anakin swallowed nervously. He knew where this was heading. " I don't make the jump, do I? "

Even in the darkness the Skywalkers could see Maya drop her head an inch or so. " So far all the Anakins I've seen make the jump, just not all make it in one piece. Luke, does he know about…"

" The life-support suit? " Luke turned to Anakin, a genuine sympathy in his eye, " I think I may have mentioned it once or twice…"

Anakin quickly averted his eyes to the floor. What do you know? My universe is worse than this one. " You don't have to spell it out for me," he said softly, " I get the picture." And it isn't a pretty one.

He didn't look up, but if he had he would have noticed that Luke was just as upset as he was.

This has to be hard on him. The other Skywalker thought, Maybe having Maya show us the visuals wasn't such a good idea. He glanced back up at the screen. Saw the same over-the-top confidence he'd seen in Vulcanus manifested on Vader. Briefly, he wondered if his Vader had been the same way, or if that kind of cocky fearlessness only came with hopped-up Force powers. Then again, we could use all the information we can get. In this case, what we don't know could kill us.

" Go on." Anakin prodded the Senttian, returning his gaze to Vader's fateful jump. " Let's see how the evil me handles this."

Instantly the movie picked up where it had left off. Vader was ready for the jump, but instead of leaping in Obi-Wan's direction he propelled himself straight up into the air. After he had risen about fifty feet he began to fall, but he only dropped a few inches before his feet struck against some invisible barrier and he tore off after his former master, running on air as if it were solid ground.

" No waaay…" Anakin gasped, sure he must be seeing wrong, " he can RUN on the AIR! "

Beside him, Luke's reaction was pretty much the same: pure, slack-jawed shock. About the only thing that would have surprised him more would have been if Vader and Obi-Wan were to suddenly leap into the lava and take a swim without getting burned.

" No." Maya answered in the same calm tone she'd been using throughout the entire movie-sequence, " He isn't running on the air. He's running on the Force. Vader and Vulcanus can not only access the living Force, they can also, to some extent, control it. That's what makes them so dangerous."

As she was saying this, Vader ran over Obi's head and dropped to the ground behind him.

Obi-Wan spun around and lashed out at the blond-haired Sith, but for some reason his attempt was a bit clumsier than usual and easily blocked. He swung again, and this time Evil Anakin executed the same move Cin had taught him in the earlier sequence and knocked his lightsaber right out of his hand. Weaponless, the Jedi Master started to reach out--perhaps to shove his ex apprentice back with the Force--but he never made it that far.

With an almost fanciful spin, Vader released a shockwave of Force energy that knocked Obi-Wan flat on his back. As his father figure looked on, helpless, he pinned him under his boot, raised his lightsaber, and…paused.

Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes shut tightly, plainly expecting death at any moment. He had a look on his face that said: I prayed it would never come to this.

Still, the deadly blade hovered in the air.

Vader appeared deeply troubled and confused. His watery blue eyes brimmed with unspent tears. There was anger there, yes, but also sadness.

Noises started up from someplace off screen--the steady roar of a large ship landing somewhere in the nearby vicinity. Vader's eyes darted to the source of the racket, then quickly back to his old mentor. Lowering his lightsaber, he took his foot off of Obi-Wan and took a few steps back. Obi-Wan sprang to his feet, and now Vader looked more anxious than ever.

" Go. Now." He barked harshly, his voice devoid of the warmth and respect he had once held for his former friend and mentor, " I have seen enough death today."

Obi-Wan didn't wait to be told twice. With a grave nod of appreciation he retrieved his lightsaber and fled out of view.

The rest of the sequence was lost in darkness.

As always, Maya filled in the blanks. " Palpatine had arrived, and he gave Vader flak for not killing his old master. By the time either of them noticed the ship in the air, it was too late to do anything about it. Vader decided to give it a few days before going after Obi-Wan and Padmé. He thought that would give them all some time to think. What he didn't realize was that Padmé didn't have that time and did indeed die shortly after giving birth, just like he'd feared. Just like in your universe, Obi-Wan took her children and split them up; leaving Leia to be raised with the Organa family on Alderaan and entrusting Luke to Owen and Beru Lars on Tatooine. But, as you can imagine, Evil Anakin was none too pleased when he heard that Padmé was dead and his offspring missing. In fact, he was downright furious.

" The masterful strategy that worked so well for Palpatine in your universe backfired on him early on in this one. He had been prepared for the possibility that Padmé may die and had already whipped up another batch of lies and excuses for just such an occasion. Unfortunately for Palpatine, in his well-crafted plan to take over the galaxy he had vastly underestimated his new apprentice's power, and now no amount of lying could save him from Darth Vader's wrath."

Again, the ghostly viewscreen provided the visuals to go along with the tale.

Darth Vader, wearing the same dark cloak as before, was closing in on Palpatine, who was cornered in some nondescript metal room.

" No! Wait! You don't understand! " The emperor was saying, his voice haggard and weak.

He looked awful--even more so than usual. Like maybe he'd tried to kiss a rabid nexxu and then been mauled by a fire-breathing wampa. One arm was gone, the other burned and bloodied almost beyond recognition. All the hair was scorched from his head, leaving behind only a charred, reddened mess. His face, too, was even more hideous to behold with sagging flaps of skin hanging limply from deeply-cut wrinkles. In fact, he was so abysmally disfigured that he was barely recognizable as being a member of the human species.

If he had hoped his plea would have some effect, he was in for a sour disappointment.

Darth Vader did not slow his approach. His expression was that of pure rage as he leveled his lethal red lightsaber, aiming straight for the old Sith's heart.

" Please! " Palpatine begged, his breath coming in short, ragged bursts, " I didn't know this was going to happen! I thought we had more time! " He hunched his shoulders defensively and pressed farther back into the cold metal walls.

Vader's eyes were two live coals burning with the deepest kind of hatred. His mouth was fixed in an unforgiving snarl. " More time! " He spat through gritted teeth, " Surely you would know better than to make such stupid presumptions." He stabbed the lightsaber at Palpatine's chest, freezing inches short of running him through, " You lied to me. You promised me the power to stop death. I never received such power."

" No! " Palpatine croaked hoarsely, dull red-tinged eyes wide with fear, " I promised you that we would work together to discover the secret! "

" We never did any such thing! All you did was sit back on your butt while the clones and I did all your dirty work for you. You said Padmé would live if I did exactly as you said. She didn't. You promised me power beyond my wildest dreams. So far you have not shown me a thing I could not already do on my own. You're useless. And you know what, Emperor? " He spat the title, " I'm not convinced there ever was a Sith who discovered the power to cheat death. I think you made that story up just to turn me to the dark side. Congratulations, it worked."His laughter was cold and cruel, " This dark enough for you, Sidious? I killed the Jedi for nothing! You lying son of a Hutt! "

The blade jerked down and Palpatine screamed. Then everything went pitch black.

Anakin's eyes were, by this point, as wide as saucers. " Did I…I mean, Vader, kill him? "

" Yes." Maya was still shrouded in shadow, " But he tortured him first, and trust me, those visuals you can do without. After killing him he took over the Empire. He could have ended the tyranny right then if he'd felt so inclined, but by that point he'd strayed too far down the path of darkness. His heart and soul were full of anger, pain, and hatred. He was so miserable that he lashed out at the galaxy, taking his hurt out on anyone who didn't follow his code. After a while he became so numb to death that killing anyone who displeased him in any way became second nature for him, even after the hurt had subsided. But there's more to this story. Ever since Padmé's death, Vader had been tearing the galaxy apart searching for the child he knew he had. With none left to oppose him he was able to make it his top priority. It took him only four years to find Luke and rip him from his aunt and uncle. Actually, it wouldn't have taken him that long if Tatooine weren't such an obvious place and he had remembered his stepfamily sooner."

Now the bright, blindingly orange-white image of the Lars' moisture farm filled the frame. A little boy about four years old was playing with his toy X-wings in the sand out in front of the half-submerged home.

Luke recognized him instantly. " Hey! That's me! That's me when I was little! "

Anakin's face lit up with a small smile. " You were cute. Playing with your little X-wings."

Luke bit his tongue and refrained from gushing out the embarrassing truth: the habit had carried into his adulthood. Okay, so he did it far less now, but every once in awhile when no-one was watching he'd grab out the old model ships and engage them in dogfights.

Purely for tactical reasons, of course.

Suddenly Vader emerged from seemingly out of nowhere--looking absolutely no different than he had four years ago--and a shadow fell over little Luke. Startled, the youngster looked up, clutching his toys tightly as if afraid this strange new man might take them away.

Their eyes met.

Then Beru burst out the front door, her face ashen with fear. Throwing her head back over her shoulder, she called, " Owen! Owen come quick! It's him! " Then, turning forward again, she shouted, " Luke get away from him! Hurry! "

Child Luke may not have understood the gravity of the situation, but the frantic, urgent tone of his aunt's voice was enough to make him take her seriously. Rising to his feet, he drew back several paces, fearful blue eyes fixed firmly on the cloaked stranger.

Vader made no move to stop him. Instead he flashed him a friendly smile. " What's the hurry Luke? Your aunt's overreacting--I'm not here to hurt anyone." His sharp eyes bore a hole through Beru and Owen, the latter of which had just appeared from below.

" W-who are you? " Child Luke stammered, unsure of whether or not to trust this stranger.

A sly smile bridged Vader's face. He returned his gaze to the Lars, but now his expression softened. " Go ahead. Tell the boy who I am."

For a moment, neither Lars said a thing. They just stood there, their faces wrought with a heavy cocktail of shock and fear.

It was Owen who finally found the words--and the courage--to speak. " That's Anakin Skywalker…Luke, that's your father."

" But Uncle Owen, you said my father was dead." Child Luke stated dubiously.

Owen acted like he had something stuck in his throat. " That's because I thought he was."

Vader forced a wry chuckle. " Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."

Beru wasn't any less bothered. " Is it true what Obi-Wan said then? That you've turned to the dark side? " She kept perfectly still, as if afraid any form of movement might provoke her stepbrother in-law to attack.

Vader tiled his head in an almost playful manner. " Dark side? Depends on where you're standing. You'll find I can be quite lenient with those whom I regard as friends."

Beru flung a hand up to her mouth and gasped. " You really have turned! You've allied yourself with the Empire! "

Vader laughed, and this time it was genuine. " No. I am the Empire. Nothing goes on in this galaxy without my consent."

" Why have you come here? " Owen asked, trying to appear brave.

Vader went over and placed a hand on Child Luke's shoulder. " I would think it would be obvious, even to morons like you."

" No…not Luke! " Beru was a step away from tears, " Don't take him from us, please! "

" Now let's just hold on." Owen thrust up both hands, signaling his wife to calm down while at the same time conveying to Vader that he didn't want any trouble, " We're all family here, I'm sure we can work this out."

Vader glared at him. " We're not brothers, Owen. I barely know you. Luke's coming to live with me. You should be happy for him. I can offer him a much better life than you ever could."

It was a direct slap to Owen's face, but he remained silent. Apparently he knew better than to get testy with someone as dangerous as Evil Anakin.

Beru had to fight back her tears. " But we raised him! "

" Yes, and you did a wonderful job of it." Vader's reply was tactless and to the point, " But I can take it from here. It's me, his father, he belongs with--not you. You're no longer needed." He gave Child Luke's shoulder a gentle squeeze. " Come on, Luke. Let's go have some fun."

" Fun! " Child Luke's eyes sparkled with glee, the skepticism of earlier forgotten. Vader nodded and started to pull him away. He started to follow, but the saddened faces of his aunt and uncle stopped him. Turning back, he said, " But what about Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru? Won't they be sad without me? "

" They'll be fine. I promise." Vader grinned in a way that was meant to be reassuring, but in actuality appeared quite ominous. Luckily for him, his son didn't notice. " You and I are going to have lots of fun together! I'll take you into town, and you can have everything you want. Everything." He winked, a very non-threatening gesture to help ease the kid's mind, " Not even the sky's the limit. And we'll go anywhere you want! Toy shops, arcades, the Faire…"

" Faire! " Little Luke echoed, and there was so much excitement packed into that single word. " Oh, that would be great! 'An we can go on the Twisty Twirly! "

" Oh, that thing would make me sick." Padawan Anakin groaned, the mere thought of being on a ride that spun in one place in super-fast circles enough to make his stomach turn.

Darth Vader appeared to be of the same opinion. " Twisty Twirly? " He repeated in a note of horror. Child Luke's smile started to slip, and he put on a phony grin. " Of course! " He brushed a hand through the boy's fluffy dark-blond hair. " Anything you want. We'll both have a blast. And at the end of the day I'll take you to your new home. Trust me, once you see it, you'll forget all about the Lars and this pathetic shack they call a farm."

Owen couldn't help himself. " You ungrateful, cold-hearted…"

Vader cut him off with a wave of his hand. Turning on his heel, he didn't so much as glance back to make eye-contact with the man who had helped raise and nurture his son during his absence. " Careful Owen. You wouldn't want me to have to break my promise." He took little Luke by the hand, and the child followed him readily.

The image faded on the Lars hugging each other sadly, helpless to do anything but watch as the boy they loved like a son walked out of their lives.

The scene saddened Luke. Even though this was an alternate reality, he couldn't help but to feel they should have fought a little harder to keep him. No, I'm being selfish. He told himself, Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru turning kid Vulcanus over to Vader without much of a fuss makes them smart, not uncaring. Vader would've creamed them if they'd gotten too annoying. Or sent someone else to do it for him.

" As I said earlier," Maya reiterated, " Vader spoiled young Vulcanus. Horrible as he was to everyone else, he was a pretty good father. Very protective. Which was good, because several assassination attempts were made on his son's life. He even went so far as to hire bounty hunter Boba Fett as Luke's personal bodyguard and babysitter. Now, I admittingly didn't observe much between then and now--I tend to not always study events in chronological order--but I do know that Luke was christened Darth Vulcanus at 15 years of age, and that by then he was fully capable of defending himself."

" Yeah," Anakin grumped sourly, " he didn't seem to have a problem kicking my butt."

" He wouldn't." Maya agreed, " You have to remember that he spars against the stronger version of you all the time, and that he received training at a much earlier age than you did."

From the way she'd been talking, Anakin and Luke figured the Senttian must be done with the 'show' portion of her little show and tell. But no--it seemed she still had one last clip to show.

This time the setting was a faire on Tatooine. It was a typically hot, sunny day with the twin suns beating down fiercely on a smorgasbord of beings, creatures, stands, exhibits, games, and rides--many of which spun like an out-of-control-top that was spinning on an out-of-control top. The scene was chaotic, noisy, and extremely crowded.

" I know that! " Luke piped up, eyes sparkling with remembered excitement, " It's the Velex Faire! I used to go there every year with my uncle and aunt! Fun times."

" I'm glad you got to go." Anakin said, " Watto never let me."

Suddenly the focus of the screen shifted to a bright yellow structure with eight mechanical arms each supporting two large pods. Pods that rotated faster than the blades of an industrial-strength fan set on full blast while the bottom platform tilted and whirled at a ludicrous speed.

The infamous Twisty Twirly.

The ride was just stopping when the 'camera' zoomed in on one of the pods--this one emblazoned with the happy caricature of a laughing pink fuzzy thing. The pod finally slowed to a complete stop, and the opaque door slid open.

Out shot Child Luke, a planet-sized grin on his face.

Behind him, Vader almost fell out of the contraption. Dizzy and disoriented, he looked anything but thrilled. In fact he looked quite ill. His face was all pasty and fevered and he seemed unable to keep his balance very well. He staggered like a drunkard to the metal railing encircling the ride and leaned on it heavily for support.

" Ugh…they should judge that ride unsafe for humans." He panted, gripping the railing tightly with both hands, " I am so glad I skipped breakfast."

He didn't get much chance to rest though, as a pint-sized Luke was avidly tugging on his clothes. " Come on Dad! Hurry up! I want to go on that one next! "

Wearily, Vader lifted his head and gazed off in the direction his son was so excitedly pointing. What color he had left in his cheeks vanished when he laid eyes on the 'Cyclone': a monolithic ride not too different from the Twisty Twirly except that, instead of twirling in tight circles only a few feet off the ground in one direction, children and thrill-seekers alike were treated with the privilege of twirling in tight circles twenty feet off the ground in all directions.

" Just…wait until I rest up a bit, okay? " Vader replied woozily, taking his eyes off the sickness-inducing Cyclone. He leaned even further into the railing. " For the love of the Force, aren't there any rides that don't spin? " He looked about ready to pass out.

Child Luke waited for about one second before deciding that his father had gotten enough rest. A small green thing went by holding a container of fluffy pink candy, and that was all it took. Squealing in delight, he grabbed Vader's sleeve and yanked him along after him. " Come on Daddy! I want some CANDY! "

" No! Wait! Luke, I'm not feeling so well…" Vader pleaded, but in his impaired state he was too weak to put up much resistance. Little Luke managed to drag him along for five feet before he tripped over a discarded beverage container and went down flat on his face. The scene ended on a roar of laughter.

Luke in particular couldn't stop giggling. " Oh, that was hilarious! Good one, Maya." He gave her a thumbs-up.

Anakin remained eerily quiet.

" I thought I might show you something a little less dark." The Senttian explained, " Something to remind you that there will always be hope. Because I know it doesn't seem like it now, but you can defeat your doppelgangers."

" I don't see how." Anakin muttered, keeping his head low and his expression hidden in the shadows, " They're so much stronger than us."

Luke nodded in solemn agreement. His humor had been short-lived. " As much as I want to believe that, Anakin has a point. I'm all for not giving up the hope--sometimes it was the only thing that kept me going when everything else failed--but Vader and Vulcanus are too powerful. We'd never win in a fight against them."

" No, you wouldn't." Maya surprised her company by openly agreeing with the pessimistic statement, " Either of you picks a fight with your doppelganger, it's likely to be the last mistake you'll ever make. They'll crush you with ease. Even both of you together on your best day with a small army to back you up couldn't take Vulcanus alone on his worst day. Nevermind Vulcanus and Vader. It's not terribly encouraging, I know, but it's the truth and I'm not going to cloud your minds with false idealisms.

Your best bet for getting the Cindray will be to infiltrate the volcano lair as swiftly and quietly as possible, because if Vader and Vulcanus are allowed to leave the planet with it you'll both be stranded here until they return. There will be guards, of course, but they should pose little challenge for Jedi such as you. Once you get in you'll have to keep moving quickly, since your dark doubles will be able to sense your presence through the Force and odds are very good that such an experience will invoke feelings of curiosity in them. While it is recharging, I would guess that they probably keep the crystal in a heavily-guarded room; or, in a worst-case scenario, one of them will be carrying it. Do everything in your power to avoid an encounter with either of them--especially Vader--but if worse comes to worse and you find yourself in that situation, I have already given you the greatest weap..."

An explosion like a dozen bombs going off all at once shook the room forcefully. The entire right-hand side of the building crumbled in on itself, giving way to the harsh light of day.

Instantly Anakin and Luke were up on their feet. As one they ignited their lightsabers, praying for the best but fearing the worst…

X-x-X

A/N: I know it may seem like I made Vader and Vulcanus way too powerful for poor light-side Ani and Luke to have the ghost of a chance against, but they DO have limitations and weaknesses, as you will see later on.

If you have any questions or anything you want me to reply to in the next chapter, just end your review with PR ( short for Please Reply ) and I'll be sure to do that. (smiles)

Lastly, I now post the chapter-progress for this fic in my profile, so be sure to check that frequently if you want to know how close I am to my next update!

Until next time!