Heart of Darkness

Cka3ka

Act 1, Chapter 12: Anakin's Legacy

Tatooine…

The two cousins had spent quite some time shopping during the day in Mos Eisley. For the most part they had been just window shopping, but they had made a few purchases. As they shopped the two had inquired discreetly about strangers in the vicinity. Leia had used her Force powers to push and prod where need be, but little had turned up outside of what the singer and her pimp had told them. They did receive confirmation that the slavers were probably in the area when they spoke to a moisture reclamation system seller. As early evening approached, there was a specific shop that Leia wanted to visit. The Skywalker-Nabierre cousins now found themselves in front of that shop.

"D4 wait here. Keep your eye out for any trouble," instructed Leia as she and Pooja stepped through the threshold of a mechanic shop.

The shop was old. Like most others of its kind on Tatooine it was sparse with little décor. There were old worn out shelves that ran along the walls that were filled with various parts without any labels. Those who worked and needed such things in the outer world knew enough about the workings of machines that if they stepped in, they knew what they were looking for already. Leia was no different from the locals in her knowledge of machines and though many shops had what she was looking for, she had chosen this particular one because it had something special or rather it was run by someone special.

The old blue grey skinnedToydarian knew immediately that the two human females that stepped in were not from Tatooine. First off, their skin had not been withered by the harsh Tatooine sun. Both were pale skinned that indicated that they were city dwellers. They were dressed in expensive looking clothes that exposed too much skin. Humans on Tatooine knew to keep themselves covered to keep the heat of the sun to a minimum. It might seem a strange way to keep cool, but it wasn't about keeping cool, it was about keeping hydrated and not dying.

He watched as the younger of the two began to peruse the shelves looking for something. A toothy grin broke over his face. Business hadn't been very good over the last few years. He had been forced to move from Mos Espa to the smaller Mos Eisley after the close of the war. Too many people had been looking for him. Now here were two customers that he could probably make a nice profit from. He was suspicious of them, but he had to sell something if he was to keep operating.

"Ahhh… esteemed customers," said Watto as he flew slowly towards the two. "I see that you are looking at my fine wares. You won't find anything better in this town. What can I do for you?"

The elder of the two human females gave him a small smile and then looked to the younger one. The younger one continued to look at one of the parts, an anti-grav gasket, for a few seconds before she looked up at him. A flash of recognition seemed to flash through her eyes and Watto wondered where they had met before. He was certain that they had never crossed paths before.

"I need to purchase this gasket," she said. "And… I am looking for a few other items that you might have."

"The gasket is of course for sale, it is a fine gasket, you won't find one in better condition anywhere."

The female gave a small laugh. "I'm certain it is. You will, of course, vouch for its condition then? I will hold you responsible if it blows out shortly after I install it."

"I cannot be responsible for how you install it. Gaskets installed improperly or in devices that are not… meant for it can fail. It is not the condition of the gasket that's at fault yes?"

"Of course," laughed the girl again. "You are what I expected. I will give you one hundred credits for it."

"One hundred!" gasped Watto offended. "Surely you can see that this product is worth ten times the amount you offer. It is practically new."

"New?" said the other female. "You call this piece of junk NEW!"

Watto was about to respond when the younger one placed a hand onto the older. "My dear Toydarian. You take us for idiots. You know, and I know this thing is over twenty years old… at least. It is clone war era and while it looks nice and shiny on the outside, it will last… a few months at most. I only need it work for a few weeks time only, but I am willing to pay your price if you can throw in a few… extra things."

"What else do you want?" asked Watto carefully. This wasn't the first time that someone had made him an offer like this.

"I'm looking for anything you have that relates to a past winner of the Boonta Eve Classic. I will pay your price if you can give me whatever you have on…"

"Anakin Skywalker…" finished Watto for Leia. "I'll tell you what I told all the others who came for information on Skywalker. I don't have anything, and I don't know where he is. Now if you don't want to buy the gasket you can leave or I'll call the Imperial garrison. I know you're rebels or Jedi fugitives or whatever."

"You won't call the garrison," stated Leia flatly.

"Your Jedi mind tricks don't work on me. Now buy the gasket or get out. I don't know anything about Skywalker."

"I'm not using mind tricks. I know very well that they don't work on your kind," said Leia placating. "You won't call the garrison because you have too much to hide. Too many… circumstantial folk have walked through here and asked questions. You don't want to be asked questions by the Imperials. Believe me you don't."

"Mr. Watto," interjected Pooja. "We aren't here trying to find Anakin or information leading to him. We're here to see if you have anything left that we can remember him by… anything of his child hood."

"I don't have anything," reaffirmed the Toydarian.

"You're lying," said Leia. "You must have some holos of him and his mother.

"And if I do, they are personal and not for sale. I don't have anything of use to you. You aren't the first ones to ask."

"Mr. Watto. We want some holos because we are his family. My name is Pooja Nabierre. My aunt once came to this shop. You might remember her. She was the young woman who came in need of a hyperspace drive with the Jedi who you lost that bet too."

"BAH! I knew that I would lose that bet. I just couldn't sell Ani, and I wouldn't give him away for free! I had to find some way to make it look good. Who didn't know that Ani would win? He was the best pod racer ever and just as a boy!" claimed Watto bombastically.

"So you remember her? My aunt."

"Yes… Padwe or Paddawai or something. I remember her. Ani was quite taken by her," mused the Toydarian nostalgically.

"Padme, and they were married," explained Pooja. "Anakin became my uncle. I remembered him when I was a child. We know almost nothing about his childhood and I was hoping that you could tell us some things about him. Maybe even let us see some of your old holos of him that you have."

"He married her?" asked Watto with interest. "He was a Jedi! How can he marry?"

"Uncle Anakin was.. unique. Certainly you knew that?"

"Of course he was! He could fix anything. Anything I wanted to he fixed but only if he wanted to. You don't understand how much of a pain that brat was! I had to bribe him to get him to do work, and he was my slave! He should have done all that for free!" scowled the old alien. "Slaves these days. They don't have proper appreciation for their masters."

"So, let's make a deal. You tell us about him when he was young and we'll tell you all we know about his later life."

The Tolyndrian hesitated. Over the years, many had shown up at his shop looking for clues on the whereabouts of the Hero with No Fear. He had grown up on Tatooine and had a small fan following after his win of the Boonta Eve Classic. Most of them had been Jedi fugitives looking for someone to lead them. They had come to him hoping that he would have clues on Anakin's whereabouts. Apparently all traces of him had vanished after the Clone Wars. Maybe he had been killed in the purges, but most seemed to think that if anyone could survive the purges it would have been the Son of Suns. Watto had turned them all away. In the past few years, interest on his whereabouts had resurfaced. Rebels, or he had been sure that they were rebels, had been asking about young Ani. They too were interested in him leading them or helping their cause. Again he had turned those away. He had given them no information. But these two, these two were different and he felt that the self proclaimed niece of Anakin was telling the truth. Yet, as he looked at the younger one, a suspicion began to creep up within him. The similarities were there, but he couldn't be sure. "It's a deal if you buy the gasket for a thousand credits," said Watto. Of course, there was still a profit to be made. He had to eat after all.

Leia laughed. "Yes, you are certainly what I expected. I want to see holos and make copies of them if you have them. You have a deal if you agree to that."

"Five hundred more for the copies and you better be careful with them. I don't have any backups," bartered Watto.

"That's ridiculous! We have a right to those holos," snarled Leia.

"Deal," said Pooja quickly. She had begun recognizing Leia's danger signs. It was amusing how fast Leia went from good cop to bad. "I'll pay for it." She quickly handed over a credit chit. "There are two thousand credits on that chit. Write it down for the gasket only."

"Do you think I'm stupid?" replied Watto. "You think that only friends of Ani came looking for him or his mother? The boy made enemies over the years too. I know how to keep my mouth shut and how to keep attention away."

"So… then…"

"Alright! Alright, let me get the holos," said Watto. He walked over to his counter and dipped below and came back with a carefully sealed container. "I didn't want them to get ruined you know," he explained. He carefully opened it and took out a cube. "Now this… this is Anakin's greatest moment! No matter what he did as a Jedi, he beating Sebulba was the greatest victory he could have ever accomplished! The race was beyond amazing! So… watch closely… you'll never see anything like this."

And the two cousins sat down and watched. They watched as a young sandy hair boy won against the greatest of odds in one of the most prestigious pod races ever. It was a moment of legend.


The sun was setting by the time Leia and Pooja left Watto's shop. The two cousins had lost themselves in their recollections. Leia had felt at home, and for the first time outside of the inner circle of her father, Jix and Nura, let herself be herself. She was not the Sith, not the bounty hunter, not the princess. She could just be Leia. As she stepped out of the shop with Pooja, she caught the sunset of the latter of the two suns. The orange light that flowed across the streets of Mos Eisley was breathtaking.

"Did your meeting go well Mistresses?" asked D4 to Leia and Pooja as they stepped out into the cooling evening.

"Yes… Yes it went better than I expected," replied Leia. She stood at the entranceway and soaked up the sights and sounds of the city.

"You know… I could get to like it here. It is so… relaxing on the soul," said Pooja softly as she watched the sun set. "I'm very glad to have come with you here."

"It is… it certainly is that. The desert has its own beauty. And I am happy to have you come."

"What now? Should we head out to Anchor Head or should we wait until tomorrow?"

"It's probably not a great idea to go out to the air car now. I'll need light to fix the part anyway."

"Find a hotel then?"

"Yeah… Let's go," answered Leia taking her cousins arm in hers. "I could use some rest. You know this really is like a vacation. After we visit my aunt and uncle, I think we can begin to search for whoever that scout droid belonged to."

"Alright. This is probably the last vacation I'll have in a while," agreed Pooja. "The Senate is going to be brutal on the social life."

Leia gave a little chuckle as the two began walking down the street looking for a vacancy at some local hostel. "I bet it will… I bet it will."

The two descended into small talk and Leia just let herself enjoy the moment. The cool evening air and the company of close kin relaxed her more than it should have. She had faith in her droid to protect them, and there was no doubt that if anything had attacked them D4 would have returned the sentients back into their basic organic parts. There was little on remote Tatooine that could harm a fully armored droideka—let alone one of D4's enhancements. Yet, it wasn't physical protection that Leia needed. It was protection from recognition.

As her cousin and her walked and talked merrily down the street, Pooja unknowingly said her name slightly too loud. It was a simple shocked exclamation at a slightly raunchy remark Leia made about a handsome human that had walked by them. It was something that friends did… a simple admonishment of "Leia!"

The name caught the attention of a hooded cloaked figure. Recognizing the name, and suddenly curious, the figure turned and caught sight of Leia's face. They had not seen each other in quite some time, but Leia was instantly recognized. After all, Winter of Alderaan had an endemic memory. She never forgot a face, or a voice, or anything at all.

Perhaps if Leia had been paying more attention she would have felt the shock and disbelief radiating off of her childhood friend. But she wasn't. She and Pooja walked by obliviously.


The next day… Tatooine…

"So this is it," stated Pooja as the air car settled gently down in front of the Lars homestead. It was late in the afternoon. The two had spent more time in Mos Eisley then expected and had gotten a late start towards Anchorhead and then the Lars household. "Wow, this is truly the middle of nowhere."

"Yeah… it really is," agreed Leia looking out at the small building. No other structures stood as far as the eye could see. This wasn't quite what she expected. She didn't exactly know what she was expecting, but whatever it was it wasn't this. The building was old and worn down. While everything seemed well maintained, it still held a sense of hardness. "I'm pretty sure they know we are here. We crossed some sensors a few miles back. Let's be careful lest they think we are some crazies looking to rob them."

"My dear cousin, do we look like bandits?" chuckled Pooja with a wave at their clothes. Both wore semi-casual, but extremely expensive semi-casual outfits. Leia had on fresh tan slacks with a light blue blouse. Her black Sith cloak wrapped around her but open in front. Pooja also wore light pants, but she wore a light green halter under a white shirt.

"We're bandits with good tailors," smirked Leia.

"And good fashion sense," added Pooja. She then turned and looked at the massive battle droid behind them. "What do we do with your droid?"

Leia shook her head. "D4, I'm going to put you in standby mode for a bit. Power down and don't wake up unless I specifically call you. I don't want any incidents."

"But Mistress! How am I suppose to kill in your name if I'm powered down? And the sand will be horrid on my circuits."

"That's the point, you aren't," said Leia. She reached out with the Force and flicked a number of hidden switches within the droid. D4's the sensors that made up D4's eyes slowly dimmed and then went dark. "This droid is going to get me into so much trouble one day."

Pooja just shook her head and laughed along. "Your aunt and uncle are probably holed up with blaster rifles trained at us right now trying to figure out who we are." Pooja led Leia towards the door of the compound. "Ok knock?"

"So what am I going to say? Hi I'm Leia your long lost niece?" asked Leia rhetorically. She was nervous. For some reason she was a lot more nervous than when she had decided to divulge her family connections to Pooja. Maybe it was just Pooja's younger age made her easier to connect with.

Pooja smiled reassuringly. "No worries, I'm sure they won't bite."

"Uh huh," replied Leia dumbly. She took a deep breath. "Ok here we go."

"This from a girl who barely broke a sweat after slaughtering a dozen heavily armed slavers."

"I'm good at killing things. I'm not so good at meeting long lost family," shrugged Leia. She reached out and hit a buzzer near the door. She shifted nervously from foot to foot and smoothed out her black cloak.

"Well, that's not what I was trying to point out," sighed Pooja. "Quit fidgeting, you're making me nervous now too. What name are you going to introduce yourself as? You have so many."

"I have no idea. I'll let the Force guide me."

"Good idea."

The two only had to wait for a few more moments before there was a click, and a gruff masculine voice sounded from a speaker somewhere. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"Hello? Is this the Lars residence?" called out Leia.

"Who wants to know?" came the same gruff voice.

"I'm Shmi Skywalker's granddaughter, Leia… Leia Nabierre," answered Leia. "My companion is Pooja Nabierre, my cousin."

There was no reply to that. Silence loomed for more than half a minute causing Leia to turn to Pooja, "I don't think they believe me. Holy paranoia."

"Maybe they think we're Sand people or something," joked Pooja light heartedly.

"Don't those folk talk in grunts and squeals?" laughed Leia lightly. As she did so, there was a sudden clink and the sound of the door being unbolted. An elderly man and a woman stood at the door. Both looked at them suspiciously and the old man had a blaster rifle in hand.

Leia put on her best smile, and greeted them, "Hi, you must be my uncle Owen and aunt Beru. I'm Leia. I'm so glad to meet you both."

"You don't look much like mom," remarked Owen as he looked sharply at her.

"I've been told that I take after my mother in looks… the Nabierre side over the Skywalker. I use my mom's name since Skywalker is a bit too famous… it attracts notice. A lot of people still remember father."

At her remark, Leia felt a bolt of fear course through the both of them. Mistaking their fear for concern for their own safety, Leia tried to pacify them. "I'm sorry. Perhaps I shouldn't have come. My cousin and I were traveling through the area and I felt… well I thought that it would be wrong if I didn't come and introduce myself. We meant no harm, but if we're causing any trouble, we'll be on our way."

It was Beru that broke the tension. "No of course not… please come in. It's not safe for you to travel at night. I'll put a spot of tea on for us."

Owen looked about to say something, but he just took a deep breath instead. "Right, come on in girls. We can't turn away family."

Leia thanked them as she and Pooja entered the Lars farmstead. As they stepped through the doorway the room immediately opened up around an open air area that descended downwards. She could see several levels that sank beneath the ground connected by stairs to the main level. "What an interesting design," she remarked.

"Tatooine is a hot place. Being underground saves energy that we would otherwise use for cooling."

"A very practical design," said Pooja. "On Naboo we do much the same except we design our buildings to funnel breeze for cooling."

"So, Leia, where did you grow up, Naboo?" asked Beru politely as she seated them at a table. The motherly woman began making tea and set out some cups for the foursome.

"Alderaan at first, and then Kuat. I was raised by a man by the name of Wrenga Jixton. It wasn't the most comfortable life on Kuat but I enjoyed it," answered Leia. She didn't think that the Lars needed to know that she was the former Princess of Alderaan.

"You seem to be… comfortable now," pointed out Owen. The clothes they were wearing made it clear that they weren't paupers.

"Owen!" chided Beru.

"Certainly, we are a… leading family on Naboo," said Pooja smoothing the situation with a calming voice. "Aunt Padme left us a great deal of wealth after she passed away."

"She was a wonderful woman," said Beru. "We only met her once, but we could see how much she loved your father. She was very beautiful and I can certainly see her traits in you, Leia. Did you two grow up together on Alderaan? It's very nice to see that you've been together with family."

Leia nodded. "Aunt Beru, since the tea is still preparing, one of the things I wanted to do was to visit Grandmother's grave. I would like to pay my respects."

Beru nodded. "Owen will you take her up there?"

The old man looked at his wife and a moment passed between them. He got up slowly and gestured to Leia. "Come on girl, I'll take you there."

Leia followed Owen Lars back up the stairway. She sensed that the man didn't trust her. She had been invited into their home, but not their family yet. There was no doubt that Lars probably didn't believe her claim. That was fine with Leia. Better the Lars be paranoid than them giving information about her father away to anyone who could do some research.

Her uncle seemed like the type that didn't speak unless there was something to say. Leia stayed silent as she followed her uncle out of the building and a short ways from the homestead to a small grave. The tombstone had been worn over the years by the desert sand and Leia could barely even make out the name Shmi Skywalker Lars. Next to that tombstone was one she saw one that said Cliegg Lars. Another small plaque lay in between the two small mounds which simply read, "Husband and Wife. May they continue on together in peace."

The simple epitath seemed to suit the Tatooine spirit. It was simple, short and to the point. Leia closed her eyes and let the Force fill her. She could feel the powerful emotions that radiated near this small plot. At first she felt a profound sense of sorrow, loss and peace. Then, just as she began to withdraw, it was as if an icy dagger plunged into her stomach. Hatred, anger, resentment and bitterness, burned through the sense of sorrow and peace. It welled through her and the Dark Side flowed so strongly through her that it caused her to cry out and drop to her knees. She knew instantly that these were her father's feelings when he buried his mother. Out of the corner of her mind she felt Owen Lars call her name and kneel down next to her asking if she was alright. She vaguely heard herself snarl out, "They killed her… they tortured her… beat her… used her… I'll kill them all… ALL!"

She turned her attention to Owen and saw that there was shock and more than a little bit of fear in him. The Dark Side wanted her to strike out at this interloper. This man that dared call himself the son of Shmi Skywalker. Leia nearly succumbed—nearly. Years of taming the Dark Side to her will let her control it and not her to it. Then, as the Dark Side ran its course, she suddenly felt a love so strong it caused her to gasp wrap around her. It was a mother's love and a wife's love. It flowed itself around the Darkness and trapped it. It kept it at bay like a magical seal. She recognized her mother's emotions. She had long carried the Jappor snippit with her and now she reached out and clasped it.

"Father… I understand. This is where it all started," she whispered. Tears flowed openly from her eyes as she realized that this is where her father had begun his road to the dark side. He had never recovered from the horrible death of his mother. He had so much power and he hadn't even been able to protect the ones he cared for most. Had it not been for her mother he would have turned to the Dark Side long ago, but she had kept that part of him at bay. So much of her father's past was becoming clear to Leia.

"I'll make him see," she whispered to herself. "There is no shame in loving, there is no shame in wanting to protect those that you love, not to lose them. I'll make him see Grandma."

She rose more determined to help her father overcome the guilt and self loathing that she had always sensed in him than ever. Leia smoothed her clothes, brushing the sand from her cloak and her pants. It took a moment to compose herself. She turned and saw Owen looking at her with a strange look in his eyes. He had seen the Force at work, and it made him believe now. "I have my father's gift," she said softly to him.

The older man nodded at her and turned to lead her back to the homestead. Again they walked back in silence. Leia could hear laughter coming from the kitchen and smell the scent of fresh tea coming from there. She smiled at the warm feeling that emanated from her cousin and her Aunt.

"Excuse us for a second," said Owen to Pooja and Leia interrupting whatever conversation Beru was having with Pooja. Beru looked at her husband quizzically and then quickly followed him through the door.

Pooja raised an eyebrow questioningly at Leia.

"There was a great deal of emotion lingering at the grave—mother's, father's, grandmother's, and Cliegg's most likely. I think I understand father better now… I was meant to come here."

"You look as if you've just been hit by an air train," noted Pooja.

"It was intense," answered Leia simply. "Do you know where they keep their cups? I really need a drink."

"Let me get you some tea," said Pooja rising and shuffling to the stove where a pot of water was being kept warm. She took a cup that Beru had already prepared, poured the water into it and brought it back to her cousin.

Leia took a sip and sat quietly looking over the room. It was then that she noted a picture of the two Lars and a young boy. "I didn't know they had a child," she remarked to Pooja.

"Beru didn't mention anyone," frowned Pooja as she also looked at the picture. The boy looked as if he were thirteen with sandy hair and bright blue eyes. His skin was weathered from the Tatooine sun, but he still looked young and fit.

"Leia," called Beru as she and Owen walked back into the kitchen together. There was a very unhappy look on Owen's face. The two stopped as they saw the cousins looking at the holo.

"Aunt Beru, Uncle Owen you guys didn't mention that you had a son."

"He's not our son," said Beru slowly as she and her husband took a seat. "Please sit, we need to tell you something." The sense of revelation that hung in the air was so palpable that there was no need for the Force to tell Leia that something was happening.

Beru got no further when there was a shout from the entranceway that broke the moment, but created its own. "Aunt Beru, Uncle Owen," cried a young voice. "I'm back!"

It was only moments before a young man Leia's age bounded into the room obviously in a good mood. He was dusty and disheveled from the outdoors. Leia instantly recognized him from her vision.

"You won't believe it Aunt Beru. Biggs and I just had the most amazing race," began the boy. He paused as he saw Pooja and Leia. "Oh you guys didn't tell me you had guests." He gave them a smile and then introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm Luke Skywalker."

And Leia's world froze.


Author's note will be posted in Forums - Review pleeeeeeease. Thanks and Ciao, CK.