- - - Interlude - - -

Obi-Wan Kenobi watched as the Twilight II lifted out of the hangar and into the sky. He stood there a while after it had disappeared. There was a pull on his heart. A tightness to his chest. If he was honest with himself, he was not ok with any of this. He wasn't okay with Anakin running off with Luke, who was Anakin's time-traveling son, to go face his time-traveling future Sith self.

Obi-Wan's tongue felt heavy. There was already a bit of regret creeping up inside of him due to what he had said to Anakin. He didn't really want Anakin to leave the Order. Anakin was supposed to be the Chosen One. He was supposed to bring balance to the Force. It was a belief that Qui-Gon had held on to with his dying breath. But . . .

He recalled facing Darth Vader in the lower levels of the Temple. The pure anger and unbelievable darkness that had poured off the Sith. Darth Vader hated Obi-Wan. He wanted him dead. It sent a chill through Obi-Wan to think that Darth Vader was once Anakin Skywalker, but it made sense. Darth Vader knew Obi-Wan's moves. Knew them intimately. Obi-Wan had even commented how it felt like he was dueling Anakin not knowing at the time he was. At least from a certain point of view.

Obi-Wan was left with various questions. Why had Anakin fallen? Why did Darth Vader hate him so much? What had happened in Darth Vader's past between the two of them? Obi-Wan doubted it was anything good. Sith were the enemy of the Jedi. They were to be detained, locked away, or killed. Had Anakin fallen and the Council ordered Obi-Wan to take down his once padawan?

Answers were needed, and Anakin was right. Darth Vader seemed to be the one with them. Only he would truly know what drove him to the Dark Side. Though Obi-Wan was skeptical if Vader would share how it happened. Hopefully, Obi-Wan had imparted some negotiating skills on to Anakin. He may need them, or he may not. Negotiating between two Anakin Skywalkers sounded like an absolute headache. Who else to deal with Anakin's bullheaded nonsense than another Anakin?

Anakin needed to face these questions and truths. Even if it meant he would leave the Order, and even though such a thought caused Obi-Wan to despair. But Anakin turning into Darth Vader caused him to despair more. Obi-Wan would rather Anakin leave the Order to be with Padmé and their child than ever become a Sith.

Anakin needed to know which path he wanted to take by the time he returned to the Temple. He had to be confident in himself. Anakin liked to put on a good front of arrogance and confidence. And the argument could be made that at least some of it was well founded when it came to Anakin's Force abilities or results in the war. But Anakin was not completely confident in himself as a Jedi.

He had always wavered. Coming into the Temple as nine-year-old had been harsh. He hadn't been accepted by the other younglings, especially when he quickly surpassed them in use of the Force. He was teased due to his status as a former slave. As a young teen he debated on leaving the Order. Anakin always butted heads with the Council. He always felt like he was being held back.

Obi-Wan wasn't surprised to learn that Anakin had broken the code. That he had grown attached to Padmé Amidala. Anakin's attachment had always been a concern for the Council. His multiple starships had always been a headache. When he lost the Twilight and the Azure Angel, he quickly replaced both with the Twilight II and Azure Angel II. Yes, Anakin had problems with attachment and letting things go. The Council had hoped that giving him a padawan would help him learn to let go, but Ahsoka's departure had not gone to plan. Perhaps it had done more damage to Anakin's heart.

Obi-Wan fished his comlink out of his pocket and turned it on. At once it beeped with several missed calls and messages. He looked back up at the sky. The Twilight II had long since vanished. He reached out in the Force and sent a silent prayer to it. A prayer for Anakin that the Force would be with him. He was going to need it.

Padmé glared at her Sith captor. He was pale with scars that crossed his face. There were prominent ones in a series along the top left on his bald head, the left cheek, and a very curious one next to his right eye. His eyes were a sulfur yellow and the skin around them a darker shade of gray. He was tall. Very tall. He had changed out of the Jedi robes, and now wore all black including black gloves.

Despite his appearance, he looked a bit uncomfortable. He always seemed that way in her presence. His eyes glanced around a lot. He fidgeted with his hands. He never seemed to know where to rest them.

She sat at the small table in her bunk on the ship. At least she assumed it was a ship. It was built like a ship. Hummed like a ship. The Sith had brought in a small tray of food. He stood next to the table and eyed the room. The room was a mess. Anything and everything that wasn't bolted down, she had thrown at him at some point.

The previous time he had come in before this was right after Padmé had woken up from a nap. She found fresh blankets on top her, and she realized he must have come in and put them on her. She decided not to throw things at him this time. When he asked if there was anything she wanted, she had requested silver-leafed Seo tea. He only nodded and left. She had not been expecting him to procure it.

Sitting on the tray he had brought in was a cup of silver-leafed Seo tea. The tea left a silvery sheen to the water. She gently picked up the cup and smelled it. It had a beautiful and delicate armora.

"Where did you get this?" she asked. There was no way he had it in stock on this ship. The tea was rare. It only grew in mountains on Alderaan. The tender downy buds had to be handpicked within a two-day span right before the leaf would open. It was expensive and not easy to find.

The Sith, Darth Vader, said nothing. Padmé sipped her tea. If he had acquired the tea that easily, it meant they were in a place he could easily get it from. The viewports in her room were closed. She had no view outside the ship. She could feel the gentle hum of the ships engines, so the ship was at the very least in space. They hadn't jumped to hyperspace while she had been awake. So were they just in orbit around Coruscant?

"When will you let me go?" she asked when she was halfway through her cup. Again he was silent. "I must admit," she continued, "I have been captured by the Separatists several times. You have the best accommodations. Generally prisoners are kept in a cell. Perhaps you should com Count Dooku or General Grievous to get some tips from them."

His face darkened and he scowled. "I am not a Separatist," he said.

She had the cup right up to her lips and she paused. "Then what are you?" she asked, and took her sip of tea.

"A Sith," he said.

"Yes, but beside that." Again he said nothing. So she decided to push. "A father?" she asked raising the pitch of her voice slightly.

His eyes narrowed and he frowned. He crossed his arms across his chest. She didn't stop the small smile that came across her face.

"Just tell me," she said. "Is this about your son? Luke, was it? The one in the Jedi Temple? Are you using me to barter for your son?"

He glared at her for a few seconds before he answered, "Yes."

She placed her cup back down on the small table. "Then how did you know I was pregnant?" she asked.

He seemed taken aback by the question. His eyes widened and he blinked a few times. "What?" he finally said. His voice had lost the dark edge it usually had.

"You revealed to the Jedi you knew I was pregnant. I had told no one else, and yet you knew. What did you do? Sneak a sample of my DNA? Run a pregnancy test?"

"What? . . . I . . . No!" he stuttered.

It was interesting seeing him all flustered. Perhaps it was time to push a bit more.

"What did you mean you are trying to help me? That I would die?" she asked. She couldn't help but recall his words from her apartment.

At once he looked down. A look of pain clear upon his face. Then slowly he looked back up. The pain still heavy in his eyes. Padmé's heart skipped a beat. He looked so much like- No, that was silly.

"There are those out there who wish you harm," he said. Each word felt heavy. Like he was forcing them out.

"And you're not one of them?" she asked.

"No."

"Who are they? The ones who wish me harm?"

He paused as he considered telling her. "Enough of this," he muttered. He turned sharply and left the room. She sat there staring at her tea thinking about Darth Vader.

Sheev Palaptine stood in his office in the Republic Executive Building. He stood at the large windows. His hands were clasped behind his back. His plans . . . His plans had gone off track.

Darth Vader and his son, Luke.

Who were they?

What were they?

Darth Vader was clearly a Sith, but how. Who had trained him? There should be no other line of Sith. Sidious knew of no others, and yet Vader claimed Sidious knew Vader's master well.

Was it a Jedi who had fallen?

Sidious scowled. He tried to seek answers from the Force, but when it came to Vader and his son, the Force was clouded. The Force always provided! Sidious scowled some more.

He had changed the bounty on Luke and Vader. He wanted them alive. He wanted answers. The boy's words Palpatine heard at the Jedi Council meeting still haunted him.

"Sidious? You mean . . . wait . . . the Emperor?"

Darth Vader not only knew that Sheev Palpatine was Darth Sidious, but also several of Sidious' plans. Did Vader hold the power of foresight as well? Had he passed on his visions to his son?

Sidious. Emperor. Sidious. Emperor.

What had the boy meant by that? Sidious returned to what Vader had said.

"Plan your attacks. Ready your sweet speeches to the Senate and to the galaxy. Continue pushing Skywalker. Bring about the destruction of the Jedi. Let the Sith Empire rise."

So at the very least these two Force users foresaw Sidious as Emperor. How very interesting. Sidious wondered what else they had forseen, because at the moment his carefully laid plans were a mess. Everything had been going so well. He could sense the birth of his Empire coming. Then Vader and Luke entered the picture.

Yet something didn't sit quite right with Sidious. Foresight didn't seem to fit with Vader or Luke. There was a weight and truth to Vader's words. No matter what, there was always a sense of uncertainty when one talked about the future. Even with Sidious' impressive foresight, there were surprises even he didn't foresee. Vader talked as if knew the Sith Empire would happen. He spoke from truth.

And one rarely spoke so confidentiality unless one had seen it. Not just in visions. But had lived it. Felt it. Even Luke's words had a finality about them when he called Sidious the Emperor.

Yes, what an odd pair Luke and Vader were. And Sidious desperately wanted to meet them.