Obi-Wan had thought, perhaps, that visiting the Sith temple with his new padawan might have been a good idea. After all, the site was long abandoned, and made by a Sith regarded as a laughing stock by any historians still floating around. The ancient Force-wielder had made many large, theatrical objects, most of which had either refused to work or backfired spectacularly.

Therefore, even with his sketchy knowledge, Obi-Wan had thought him and Luke would be able to have a safe and educational Jedi field trip.

Upon arrival on the planet's surface, this had appeared to be the case. As the two had manoeuvred carefully beneath the clouds, dodging the occasional rock formation, it had appeared exactly as expected.

Plants of all shapes and sizes dotted the landscape – the usual seed planet mix of tall trees, with lower-lying shrubs swaying in a light breeze. Unlike other worlds he had visited, most of the fauna was a deep, dusky orange, blending in with the tall gorges of a very similar colour all around. If not for the bustling life, it would have looked very similar to Tatooine. Thankfully, there was bustling life; Obi-Wan didn't think he would've been able to stand another second on any desert planet. Force, he could understand his old padawan's hatred of Tatooine. And sand.

"This is it?" Luke asked from beside him, both of them standing on a plateau, high up enough that the mountains and valleys laid out around them were shrouded in fog. Before them, the shelf of rock spread into the distance, with no discernible edge. But, breaking this horizon, the temple rose out of the ground – sharp angles and striking black stone.

Kenobi turned his face to the young man and smiled slightly. "Yes," He said. "Whilst we are here, follow my lead and do everything I ask without hesitation." Danger and warnings permeated the Force, which wasn't unusual for structures such as this. The ancient Sith had been adept at twisting the Force to convey obscure messages of doom. But, you could never be too wary. "Reach out with the Force; what can you sense?"

Luke closed his eyes, face scrunching into an expression of concentration. Even with only a few weeks of training, the boy was progressing incredibly fast. Kenobi turned away. The child looked painfully like his father.

"Its… Dark?" His padawan opened his eyes again and squinted at the monolith. "There is… Pain. Loads of pain…" Luke winced.

Obi-Wan hummed, reaching into the Force again. The boy was right; wistful longing and pain permeated the dark aura of the building. That wasn't too much of a surprise; temples like this had a knack for trapping unfortunates with little left to live for. Thankfully, most had been trapped for years, with little strength left to pose any sort of threat.

"You are right, son." The Jedi stared out at the temple. The amount of darkness seeping from it was somewhat more than he had expected from a galactically-known failure, but he was confident that Luke would be able to handle it. His father had been doing similar things at half the age. "Be wary of traps and follow my lead."

Luke nodded enthusiastically and walked after his master a couple of feet behind, looking about himself in wonder. After a life time of Tatooine, it wasn't very surprising – if Kenobi hadn't been concentrating on the Force, he would have found it endearing.

Surprisingly, the usual wall of furious Force energy was partly absent, with a few recently-destroyed tatters reaching out as malevolently as they could manage. Just before they came in range, Kenobi stopped, holding out an arm to make sure his charge didn't continue, either. "Luke; there is a barrier here. Can you feel it?"

The farm boy's eyes widened, and then scrunched closed again, the achingly familiar look of concentration back in force. Kenobi turned away, studying the pyramid before them. As usual for ancient structures, it was weathered, with holes in the wall every hundred metres. They wouldn't have any trouble getting in.

"I… Yeah. It's like a bunch of… Split rope? There's a giant hole right in front of us." Luke cocked his head curiously. "Is it supposed to be like that?" He asked, eyes opening once again, a confused blue. "Did someone break it, or something?"

Obi-Wan nodded, and then replied, since Luke was staring wonderingly at the air around him. "Yes, son. Probably within the last few weeks, too."

"So they're trapped in there?"

A weathered hand reached up to stroke his beard. "Without the correct training, certainly. And even then…"

Luke's Force presence became concerned, "We need to help them!" He started forwards again, only to be stopped by Obi-Wan's arm. "I can't just leave whoever it is, Ben."

"That is not what I'm suggesting, Luke," Obi-Wan replied. "However, we cannot just blunder in. This place is of the Dark Side, it requires caution." Slowly, his arm dropped, releasing his padawan. "For example, much further and those 'ropes' will snap your neck without proper protection."

Luke turned back to staring at the air, this time with a more appropriate amount of fear. "Okay, yeah." He backed up a step. Smart lad. "How do we get past it?"

"Centre yourself in peace, then reach to the Force, and wrap it around yourself," Kenobi instructed as he constructed a shield about himself. It wouldn't work against anything more powerful than an ancient, already weakened barrier, but it would do the trick this time around. "Imagine it as a protective blanket, keeping you safe."

As his padawan worked, his presence became calmer, mellowing out from the previous knot of anxiety that had curled about him upon realisation that someone could be trapped. It was soothing to experience, and, once the boy was ready, a quick test of his newly constructed shields showed them to be appropriately strong. It would take a few more tries before he could do it without intense concentration, but the fact that he could do it at all sent a powerful swell of pride through Kenobi, which he immediately forced away. He had gotten overly attached last time, and look how that had ended up; best to remain as distant as possible. "That will work, Luke. Now, follow me through the gap in the barrier. Do not drop your shield."

With that, Obi-Wan walked forward, the beacon of Light close behind him. About the two, the air shuddered under the invisible attack of Dark Side, deflected harmlessly. Luke shivered and shrunk in on himself, unconsciously hurrying to get closer to his teacher. The malevolence all about them was palpable; his first time truly experiencing it.

"Do not worry, young one. It shall not get through; your shields are strong," Kenobi reassured from a few inches ahead, old form leaning slightly forwards, as if against strong wind. "Not far to go, now."

Luke shuddered as he felt the tendrils reach for him again, but they were batted away. It was so strange, being able to feel what was happening, but there being no visual sign of the battle he was fighting against the very air. Moments later, however, the pressure which had been shoving at him eased, leaving him to sprawl onto the floor, balance completely lost.

Kenobi had stopped a metre from the edge of the barrier. At the sound of Luke flopping onto the rock, he turned around, a wry smile twitching at the corners of his bearded mouth. "You did well."

From his position sprawled on the floor, Luke laughed breathlessly, and then pulled himself up to a kneeling position. "At least I didn't get eaten alive by those things," He said, looking back at the supposedly-empty air. "Who could make something like that?"

"A Sith," Obi-Wan said, eyes narrowing. "They use their hate and anger to wield the Dark Side of the Force."

Luke shuddered. "I can't imagine being that… Twisted!"

"It is hard to imagine."

The Jedi offered his padawan a hand, which he accepted. Once Luke was on his feet, the two continued towards the base of the Sith temple, Kenobi alert for any more traps the ancient Sith had attempted to set. Thankfully, the tales of this particular Sith's incompetence didn't seem to be too exaggerated, and the few traps he did sense had become useless with age.

At last, they reached the pyramid's base. Standing before a break in the dark wall, Luke peered in curiously whilst Obi-Wan scanned the Force for any potential dangers lurking ahead. From what they could see, the passage appeared decrepit. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling and dust was mostly-undisturbed on every surface. Mostly.

"Someone's been here!" Luke exclaimed upon noticing the large boot prints in the centimetre-thick layer. Whoever it was hadn't even been trying to hide their presence; the marks were clear, and no effort had been made to disguise or hide them. "Looks like we missed them by a couple of weeks," Luke said, crouching down and reaching in to swipe some of the dust which had settled back inside the print. He looked up to Obi-Wan. "You think it's the same person who tore down the barrier?"

Kenobi stroked his beard again, considering. "I would be surprised if it were not." He stepped inside the building, carefully manoeuvring his weary bones over the broken rocks. "There are no tracks leading out again…"

"They're stuck in there?" Luke said, more of a rhetorical question than anything else, but Kenobi answered anyway.

"Unless they exited a different way, then it is likely." Kenobi looked about the hallway, taking it all in. The usual Sith markings decorated every wall, the edges worn away by countless years of exposure. "Stay close; anyone who can break that barrier could be a danger to us." The old Jedi waited for his charge to stand, then, with a nudge from the Force, started right down the corridor.

It felt like they had been walking, aimlessly, for hours when Ben finally stopped, probably sensing Luke's exhaustion. Force knew how the old man managed to keep up such a pace. He could really move when he wanted to. Before he could even be told they were taking a break, Luke flopped down to sit, leant against the dark stone wall. "How in the stars can you just keep walking like that?"

Kenobi did not look impressed. At the opposite wall of the corridor, he slowly set himself down, pulling his hood away from his face and running a hand over his balding head. "You will build your stamina soon enough, Luke."

"But we've just been walking! I should be fine; I grew up on a farm." Luke rebutted sullenly.

Ben smiled indulgently. "This place is shrouded in the Dark Side. If you are new to the Force, it can sap your energy, as it seems to have been doing to you, my boy."

"Can't you stop it? Sense it?"

"Only with extensive training and power can you consciously guard against and detect such a small drain. You are only noticing it because of the time we have spent here," Kenobi replied. "You have been automatically fending it off surprisingly well."

Luke mulled over that knowledge for a moment. "How close do you think we're getting to that person…?" He eventually asked, studying the floor yet again, as if hoping that the footprints would magically reappear.

With a sigh, Obi-Wan reached into his backpack, retrieving two ration bars. "It is impossible to tell with the Force so clouded, but we may run into them soon enough." He threw one to Luke, who curled his lip at the food, but ripped the packaging open and took a bite anyway. "Be wary."

"Why? We're gonna be helping them."

"Some people may need help, but will not accept it." Obi-Wan began to crunch into his bar. "Your new friend, the smuggler, comes to mind."

Luke smirked, "Han?" He said. "Yeah, he's the type. What do you think the odds are for Leia to have killed him and buried the body by the time we get back?"

"Lower than you might expect," Kenobi replied, his smile knowing. "Those two have got chemistry."

"Yeah, like a neutron bomb!" Luke snorted, but with an answering grin. "It could go either way."

The old man searched around in his bag, eventually pulling out his PADD, which looked almost as ancient as its owner. Curiously, Luke watched as his mentor navigated the device. He couldn't imagine why it had been brought anyway; he doubted the depths of a Sith temple had very good reception. Then, Obi-Wan leant forward, holding it out. Luke, surprised, took the object, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Kenobi simply made a go-ahead-and-look gesture.

He glanced down, only to freeze. An oddly familiar couple stared out at him from the screen. He couldn't tell where he knew them from, but the two looked deeply in love, even when obviously surprised by the cameraman. "Who are they?" He asked, softly, looking back up at his mentor.

Obi-Wan sighed. It was a sound as old and weary as he looked. "They are your parents."

Luke's eyes widened and he didn't waste any time gazing back down at the two faces. "They look so happy…"

Missed by the young Skywalker, Kenobi watched him wistfully, nodding in agreement with his assessment. "Indeed they were."

Silence descended. Luke couldn't tear his eyes away from the image he had been given.

The woman was caught mid-motion, her smile easy and relaxed. Her entire body was angled toward the man on her right, with eyes crinkled from the aftermath of laughter. Overall; Luke couldn't think of a more perfect woman to have as a mother. She looked caring, yet ready to fight for her beliefs in a strange cross between senatorial robes and a spacer's favourite fire-fight ensemble. His father appeared similar, with blond hair and blue eyes, similar enough to his own it was like an odd mirror version of himself. He had to be Anakin Skywalker. It was strange to be suddenly faced with the man, after years of having to imagine his appearance. Strangely, his daydreams as a young boy had been quite accurate. His father seemed less surprised by the picture being taken, and was still looking at Luke's mother, a gentle smile displayed on his face betraying utter devotion.

"If they were so happy… Why did they leave me?" Luke asked, eventually. "Did I ruin it? Did they not want me?"

Obi-Wan stared at him, floored by the sudden change in direction their conversation had taken. "Luke; believe me when I say you were wanted. Your father… He went mad when he thought you died."

"What…?"

Kenobi sighed. "Your father believed you died in child birth. There was no time to correct him before Vader betrayed us and murdered your father… You were very wanted, Luke. Do not ever think otherwise."

Thankfully, the child accepted it, and returned to studying the faces of his parents. "I just wish they were still around…" He mumbled to himself.

"Me too, son. Me too."

There wasn't much to be said after that.

After a half hour of rest, the two had gotten back to their feet, continuing to explore the ancient temple. Every so often, Obi-Wan would remind his padawan to reach out with the Force – this was meant to be a learning exercise, after all. If the boy could locate whoever it was, then that would be an extra bonus. Picking up on signatures whilst everything was shrouded with the Dark was no easy feat.

Every so often, they would come to a junction. At these, Oni-Wan made a point of waiting, stretching his senses out as far as he could, despite their oppressive surroundings, to search for a hint of where they should go. Luke tried his best to copy and, if he managed to come up with a direction from the Force, they would follow it.

However, at least two hours from their last stop, with even the experienced Jedi beginning to feel strain from continued exposure to the Dark, Luke halted. He stiffened, looking as if someone had replaced his spine with a durasteel rod. Luke's eyes were fixed on the wall directly next to him. He turned to face it completely, brows furrowed.

"Luke?" Obi-Wan walked back to stand by him, "What is it?"

"Can't you feel it?" He said, sounding surprised. "We need to get through this wall."

Kenobi had no idea how they were going to manage that, and made his opinion quite clear. Because, despite the cracks and seeming fragility of the wall, he had no doubt that it was still nearly a metre thick. As a General of the Clone Wars, he would have been able to shift these rocks, if with some effort, but now, after nineteen years stranded on Tatooine? After not using his abilities for nearly two decades, the task seemed far harder. "And how, exactly, do you plan on doing that?" He could feel some of that long-buried sarcasm creeping back into his voice.

Luke seemed to be genuinely considering his question. Then, without warning, he whipped out his 'sabre, activated it and plunged it into the wall. Force, he had forgotten how irritable that Skywalker rashness was.

"What are you doing?!" He hissed, grasping his charge's shoulder

Luke glanced back at his mentor, confusion on his face and he faltered. "Cutting through the wall…? Should I stop?"

Kenobi reached out, his attention firmly on the large bricks before them trying to determine if something truly awful were to happen should his reckless padawan succeed. "No… But, check before you do this next time."

Luke nodded and returned to carving a hole for them. "Can you feel them on the other side?"

Again, the Jedi reached out, this time focusing more on living signatures. To his surprise, a very distinct presence immediately shoved its way into his mind. Despite not having felt it in two decades, it was recognisable. If only barely.

The mind he brushed against was vast and crumbling, remnants of a once-great man. Everything was wrapped in dangerous cords of Darkness, spiralling out from a diseased centre. It was… Horrifying. He could not allow Luke come into contact with that monster, related or not.

Without bothering to try and read the situation any further than that, Obi-Wan stumbled backwards, automatically putting distance between him and the monster. Even trying his best to disconnect from the Force, he could still feel that presence. It didn't seem to want to let go. "Luke!" He managed to gasp out, "Stop! Now!"

But it was already too late; the wall was crumbling, even as the boy deactivated his lightsabre. Stones tumbled out, leading to a cascade, until the wall had tumbled out up to halfway down the hallway, the sound of crumbling rock deafening after the silence of preceding hours.

"Get away from there!" Obi-Wan frantically shout-whispered, something in his tone making his padawan move without hesitation until he was in relative safety hidden behind Kenobi.

As the dust settled, they got their first good look into the adjacent corridor. Similar to the ones they had been traversing, but with noticeable differences. The first was the rubble littered over the place – dark pieces looming up, some as large as Luke, with ominously sharp edges. Dust coated every surface, not unlike the rest of the temple, but this time it swirled about every so often, as if moved by a great beast's breathing. Which, apparently, wasn't the wrong impression. As the last pieces clinked to the floor, echoing, slow, far-too-familiar breathing slowly emerged from the utter silence.

It would cease for what felt like an age, and then the sound would appear again. A deathly ghost rattle. It stirred the dust into eddies, allowing it to almost settle, sometimes, before swirling it up again, the motes gathering in swirling clouds about the kneeling figure.

Luke knew who this had to be. He couldn't imagine anyone else making his tutor react so strongly. But it was hard to believe.

His father's murderer couldn't be like this.

The man hadn't moved from his position; kneeling. Vulnerable.

It would be a simple thing to decapitate him. To cuff him, turn him over to the Alliance. To fucking destroy this murdering, emotionless, traitorous bastard.

He wanted to. Luke really wanted to.

He could imagine the feeling of completed revenge as Vader's head left his body.

Could imagine the relief it would bring the population of the Galaxy, to be rid of this tyrant.

He moved. Without thinking, his hand, still holding his 'sabre, rose, thumb hovering over the switch. He couldn't remember flicking it on, but then the weapon's hum vibrated his arm, bathing the dark room in a cold blue glow, illuminating his target's still form. A single step and swing was all it would take-

"Stop!"

Luke froze, blade held above his head, poised to swing down.

Obi-Wan Kenobi did not know why he had called out. This was what he wanted. What he had planned for, painstakingly, for years. Vader (his padawan) was too dangerous to be kept alive. All of this was retribution for his own weakness. He should have stopped all of this. He could not. Luke could.

But.

But, the idea of that terrible presence snuffing out permanently… He couldn't. He just… "Stop." Kenobi repeated, voice barely above a whisper, hand reaching up to clasp his friend's son's wrist, lowering the arm.

"Ben?" Luke asked, confused, looking up at him, so full of trust. "But that's-"

"I know who it is."

They stood stock-still. As time passed, the behemoth didn't move. The singular indication of his continued life was the mechanical, dreaded breathing. Even his presence in the Force was muted, upon closer inspection, as if deep asleep. It explained why Kenobi hadn't detected him upon entering the planet's atmosphere.

"… What do we do?" Luke eventually asked, deactivating his 'sabre, but keeping it firmly in his grip.

Obi-Wan rubbed his beard, assessing the situation. They couldn't kill Vader. That didn't mean Vader couldn't kill them. "Tie him up. I will find out why he appears to be comatose," He said, swinging his bag from his shoulder. Quickly rooting through the meagre contents, he procured the tow cable he had brought upon the Force's insistence. At least this all seemed to be planned, if not by them. He held the metal cable out to Luke, who took it and began to wrap it about his fa- Vader.

He couldn't start confusing his former padawan and this monster. Not now. He had to remain strong if he wanted to get Luke through alive and unharmed. And without him turning to the Dark.

With renewed resolve, Obi-Wan studied Darth Vader, kneeling in the dirt, with a sense of grim satisfaction. But, he wasn't there to gloat. The Jedi turned his concentration to the Force once again. Perhaps it could provide answers.

Taking a deep breath, he dove into the presence of the Sith before him, trying to figure out what was going on. He ignored the suffocating Darkness and pain as best he could, studying the intricate patterns of the cyborg's mind.

The surface was calm, like a lake on Naboo. Beneath that, however, the waters of the Sith's mind were muddied and swirling. There was a specific emotion to it, but he couldn't pin it down. Anger and hate was a good guess, even if it seemed wrong. After what felt like far too long, the seemingly random and chaotic mess seemed to resolve into something that made sense.

The Imperial's conscious mind was barely inside his body.

Swirling emotions remained there, but there were no thoughts. Faint trails of an intelligent, conscious mind pulled him through the man's arm, down until it reached a stump, through the metal and into the wall, where his hand rested.

Obi-Wan's eyes shot open, immediately glaring at the shadow-shrouded stones. "Luke; don't touch the wall," He said, a quick warning. If whatever this was could incapacitate Vader, he didn't want the boy anywhere near it.

Luke nodded absent-mindedly, still focused on tying up the Sith. He appeared to be running out of cable.

Waiting for his padawan to finish, Kenobi wracked his mind for any mention of traps like these in Sith temples. What could it be? There were so many.

Then it hit him.

This was Vader they were talking about – the most powerful Force user to ever be born. But, one of the most attached. In the ancient texts he had been made to read whilst studying at the Jedi Temple, there had been a few mentions of traps which, once triggered, used the victim's greatest emotional attachments and wants against them. Combined, these two factors would keep anyone trapped within, slowly draining the Force from the individual, like a living battery. Only a few Jedi had managed to escape these over the years, and they had been the ones who had managed to completely distance themselves from everything. Yoda was a perfect example. Ana- Vader, however, was certainly not.

How the apparent failure of a Sith who built this temple had managed such a complex working was utterly beyond him.

"I know what it is," Obi-Wan said, looking over at Luke, only to see the young man stepping back from a thoroughly bound Sith Lord.

He smiled and nodded to himself, satisfied, then turned his attention back to his mentor. "I'm guessing something quite nasty."

"That is one description I would use." Kenobi ran a hand over his face. "It is a… Desires trap. The victim's greatest wants and attachments are used against them. The trap creates a reality where the person will be with their most loved, doing what they wish. It is, essentially, the perfect dream."

Luke had a vague look of disgust on his face. "I do not want to know what Darth fucking Vader's greatest desires are."

"Neither do I," Obi-Wan said. He didn't want to see the destruction of the Jedi yet again. Once had been painful enough.

"How do we get him out of it?"

That was a good question. None of the texts he had read ever said – or his age was catching up with him. But, if it was the wall which was causing this, then perhaps breaking contact would free the Sith? It was worth a try. So, with a quick warning to Luke as to his plan, the Jedi gripped the prosthetic forearm and yanked it from the wall.

Nothing happened.

Crap. They were going to have to go in there, weren't they? Nothing was ever simple, was it? Force-damned Skywalkers.

Luke sighed, as if picking up on his mentor's apprehension. Which was very likely. "I'm not going to like what we have to do, am I?"

"I would be surprised if anyone would like it," Obi-Wan said. "We have to go into the vision with him. Convince him it is fake."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Luke said apprehensively.

"We should not be in danger, so long as our physical bodies are safe."

The young Skywalker pulled a face, "That's reassuring. How do we do this?"

Obi-Wan sat, his legs crossing into the lotus. Luke attempted to follow his lead, but ended up simply crossing his legs after a few failed attempts. "Reach into the Force." The boy's eyes drifted closed, the familiar look of concentration slowly mellowing out into one of peace. "You will be able to feel Vader's presence. Flow into it, follow his consciousness," As he spoke, Kenobi felt himself slipping into meditation, intimately aware of the Sith's mind, so close to him. "Let it take you, and you shall find yourself in the vision."

Following his own instructions, the Jedi immersed himself in Vader's mind, doing his best to ignore the haunting familiarity of it. Thankfully, the currents of consciousness were incredibly strong, battering him relentlessly towards that point where Vader was submerged in whatever dream world made him happiest.