What a desolate place Tatooine is. Astral knew that Darth Vader's homeworld would be awful. But she didn't expect it to be quite this bad. Tatooine turns out to be one of those remote Rim worlds that were only technically part of the Republic—meaning its citizens paid Republic taxes but received scant benefits in return. As a result, even now, the desert planet is largely undeveloped and sparsely populated. And still today, the biggest local employer is the Hutt gang. That unfortunate fact has made Tatooine something of a haven for all sorts of disreputable types who fly in and hang out.

Watch yourself, the Force projection of old Darth Plagueis had warned her, this place can be a little rough. Astral gulped and nodded. May the Force be with you, her father-in-law next blessed her like a Jedi. Then, Astral hopped in a speeder and headed for the first set of pre-programmed coordinates.

Her destination turns out to be an hourlong trip from the Mos Eisley spaceport where Darth Plagueis' nondescript cruiser is parked. To get there, Astral flies through a large expanse of uninhabited desert called the Dune Sea. She sees no one during the entire trip. Not the Tusken Raiders she has been warned about or the big sandcrawler vehicles the local alien scavengers use. All she sees is sand. Lots and lots of sand.

The boredom encourages her mind wander. To thoughts of her beleaguered husband who desperately needs a game changer if there is to be any hope of a reconciliation with his son. From there, she moves on to thoughts of poor hapless Luke Skywalker, whose whole life has been upended by the revelation that his father is his archenemy, the fearsome Darth Vader. And that encourages Astral to wonder about Luke's nameless, faceless, lost twin sister who is out there somewhere still ignorant of her heritage. The tragedy of the fractured Skywalker family—torn apart by politics, by the Force, and by war—is hard to ignore. Astral wants to do her part to make things better. For with Alderaan gone, these people are her only hope for a family.

Luke Skywalker is also her chance to explore a role that Astral thought she would never enjoy: mother. The possibility resurfaces old longings Astral struggled with years ago and moved passed. For as everyone matures in life, they are forced to grapple with opportunities forgone and roads not taken. By their inherent nature, life choices tend to narrow over time, rather than widen. But it's not like Astral affirmatively decided against having children. She would have done the kid thing, if she had stayed married. Part of what Astral lost in her divorce was the future family she and Leo would have built. Over time due to her single status, the chance to become a biological mother passed her by in a sort of creeping nonchoice.

That means Luke Skywalker is her last, best hope—belatedly, suddenly, and quite unexpectedly—to have a parent type relationship. The possibility of being a stepmother has Astral both scared and excited. It's a little late, she knows. Luke is a fully grown adult, obviously. But that doesn't mean they can't have a meaningful relationship in time. And so, Astral wants this first meeting to work out for her husband, but she also very much wants it to work out for herself. For in her own way and for her own reasons, Astral wants to reunite the Skywalkers.

A lot hinges on this surprise visit. The future of her family, perhaps the future of the Empire, maybe even the future of the Force. The context gives Astral butterflies in her stomach when finally she pulls her speeder up to the coordinates Darth Plagueis gave her. Yes, this is the place. It looks just like he described.

"Force, be with me." Astral now murmurs aloud the ancient prayer she's not sure she believes. Sure, she's a believer that the Force exists. She's seen her husband's magical powers too many times by now to doubt them. But does the Force really command the course of galactic events? Like every free and independent person everywhere, Astral wants to believe that she makes her own destiny. That it is her decision to present herself to Luke Skywalker today, not some directive of an unseen, all-powerful energy field that controls the universe. But whether it is her free will or the will of the Force—or maybe both—Astral really wants this to work.

She is expected. Was it the noise of her speeder or her presence in the Force that alerted her arrival? Either way, she's about to meet her stepson. That has to be him. The young man standing in the doorway of Kenobi's abandoned cement hut looks just like the boy from the photos. Still dark blonde with a now fading tan and a trim, athletic build. He's dressed in a vaguely military looking jumpsuit and boots that lack any insignia of belonging. Still, the clothes reinforce the impression that he's a covert Rebel. Well, he's really THE covert Rebel. This is the man the whole galaxy is looking for.

He's knows it, too. His demeanor is wary as he stands in the darkened doorway. "Who are you?" he calls as Astral alights from the speeder.

She too is wary now as she watches his right hand stray closer to the holstered blaster on his leg. This man is not overtly friendly, and not overtly hostile, but ready all the same. Observing him, Astral can't help but notice that his right hand has a generic light skin color and texture that does not quite match the rest of him. This must be the hand that is now a prosthetic.

"My name is Astral Sidhu," she announces as she walks up close. "I'm a friend," she adds nervously with what she hopes is a reassuring smile.

But the young man rejects this label. "I don't know you." He looks her over in silence for a long moment. Assessing her. Finally, he speaks. "You're not from around here."

"Does it show?" Astral is unabashedly self-effacing, standing there sweating in her Coruscant casual clothes that look nothing like the neutral colored utilitarian garments she saw the locals wearing. She's dressed to amble down the wide boulevards of the Upper Level on Saturday afternoon, not to ride a speeder through the desert and scramble over sand. "I've come a long way to Tatooine," Astral smiles sheepishly, knowing she appears a bit ridiculous in this setting.

Luke doesn't return the smile. He's not combative, just decidedly cool. Defensive. "Your skin is too pale. And those shoes are not for the desert," he observes.

She nods. This particular pair of boots is ruined. Trying to put the young man more at ease, Astral volunteers, "I'm from Alderaan, but I live on Coruscant now."

"Yeah, I can hear it in your accent." Luke Skywalker has the broad flat speech of the Rim, much like his father. Whereas Astral has the crisp upper crust inflection spoken in the mostly patrician Core Worlds.

Luke watches as she pulls off her headscarf and shakes out the sand. It's everywhere on her skin and hair. After one afternoon on Tatooine, Astral may never be clean again. "Why are you here? Are you lost?" Luke asks. "This part of the Dune Sea has lots of Tuskens around. They don't like humans," he warns, knowing she's from off world.

But Astral is reasonably safe with the wide perimeter Darth Plagueis' men have established around the Kenobi homestead. Her father-in-law had insisted she arrive unarmed—which was fine by Astral—but it also meant she needed backup who could swoop in to help if she signaled on her comlink.

As the young man looks to her expectantly, Astral answers, "I'm looking for someone. For Luke Skywalker."

He doesn't admit to his name, but Astral continues all the same. "I knew you would come back to rescue your friend from the Hutt. You came for him once already." She speaks softly as she holds Luke's gaze. His eyes are clear blue, making her wonder if they came from his father. From before her husband's eyes turned yellow.

The implications of her words are not lost on her audience. Luke's young face sets into a grim expression and his right hand drops down even closer to his holstered weapon. He's threatened. "Should I be expecting an ambush?" he asks plainly, in a manner that is strongly reminiscent of his father.

"No. It's just me. I am unarmed." Astral demonstrates by raising her hands in a gesture of surrender. "I mean you no harm."

Luke Skywalker looks unconvinced. "Who are you?" he demands again.

"I'm Astral Sidhu. I'm a friend."

Her secret stepson now tries to get rid of her. "Look ma'am, you need to move along. I've got a lot of work to do—"

"On your lightsaber?" Astral's eyes dart past him to the disassembled weapon and tools that lie on a table just inside the door threshold. Luke must have pushed the small work table near the doorway to take advantage of the sunlight, while still seeking shade. "I know what it is," she says softly. "This was Master Kenobi's home, right?" Astral drops another bit of information in hopes it will encourage Luke's interest.

It works. "Did you know him?" the boy asks hopefully.

"No." Astral's eyes avert from the immediate excitement in Luke Skywalker's eyes. It's clear he esteems the man who maimed his father horribly. In this moment, Astral fully realizes that she has her work cut out for her. She swallows hard and replies, "I only know the pain that Kenobi caused." It's the pain her husband endures daily, and the pain that led to this boy's alienation from his own family. The Jedi are to blame for a lot, in Astral's opinion. Especially Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Who are you?" Luke stares her down. She clearly has his interest now.

"I'm Astral Sidhu and I'm-"

"I know your name," he interrupts. "Who are you?" He's not rude, he's just very direct.

Taking a deep breath, Astral plows forward. It's now or never. This is what she came for. And so, she reveals quietly and with much trepidation, "In some circles, I am known as Lady Vader."

"Vader . . ." Luke breathes out the name, his expression intense but inscrutable. "You're Lady Vader . . ."

"Yes." Trying to sound as non-threatening and welcoming as possible, Astral confirms, "I am married to Lord Vader, your father."

Luke digests this news. Again, he looks hopeful. "And that makes you—"

"Your stepmother," Astral answers quickly. Because he's not thinking that she is his mother, is he? Astral quickly adds, "Your mother is dead. The Emperor killed her."

"Oh." The word is full of disappointment. "Oh." Luke Skywalker looks down as he says it again. And yes, he had clearly hoped that she was his mother.

"I'm s-sorry," cringing Astral tries to make amends. "I should not have said that so bluntly. That was very insensitive of me." The crestfallen boy had hoped to find his mother alive, like his supposedly dead father who abruptly reappeared in his life. Now, Astral feels terrible. Her face flames with embarrassment. She should have guessed Luke would not know the truth. After all, the Jedi told him that Lord Vader betrayed and murdered his father. Who knows what lies this kid was told about his mother?

"My mother is dead?" the young man confirms woodenly.

"Yes, I'm sorry. She has been gone many years. She died about the time you were born. I'm sorry . . ." The conversation has now shifted from stilted and tense to incredibly awkward. "I thought you knew . . . I figured they told you . . . but I guess not . . ."

Luke Skywalker just nods. His face looks bleak as he looks away. Again, Astral is strongly reminded of his father. Because that's just the expression Lord Vader makes when he speaks of the past.

Astral continues softly. She hadn't intended to be the one to break the news to her stepson about his doomed mother, but now she feels she owes him an explanation. "The Emperor killed your mother and blamed it on your father. He did it to hurt your father and probably to kill you. The Emperor fears you."

Luke says nothing. He just turns and walks a few steps inside.

Maybe that is supposed to be a dismissal of sorts. That's certainly how his father would intend it. But Astral boldly takes the move as a silent invitation to follow him into the small concrete hut. It's dim inside, sandy and ransacked looking. Whatever possessions the Jedi Master kept, they appear to have been looted. There's not much left, and what remains is a mess. Luke Skywalker stands amid it all, facing away in silhouette against a sunlit window.

He knows she's here. "Are you sure there's no ambush?" the boy asks without turning around.

"It's just me." Darth Plagueis had assured Astral that his men will remain far enough away not to be detected in the Force.

"Did he send you?" The unspecified 'he' being Darth Vader, of course.

"He doesn't know I'm here," Astral admits. In fact, her husband is going to be livid when he learns she came.

Her eyes fall on the right hand that Luke clenches and unclenches in a fist. Astral recognizes the unconscious gesture. It's to cope with the pain from the new neural connections of his prosthetic fusing to his body. Astral recalls how excruciating that had been for Lord Vader at times. And so, she ventures softly with concern, "How's your hand?"

"It's fine."

That too is a response worthy of his father. Astral now reaches into her pocket for the medicine she begged from Dr. Levy. She offers the small pot to Luke. "I brought you some salve for the collar implant. In time, the swelling will go down and the pain will lessen—"

"It's fine."

"This really helps your father. It's specially compounded for him. You can't buy it."

Luke Skywalker says nothing, but the set of his jaw in profile betrays that he is gritting his teeth. Is it from the pain? Could it be from her?

Astral nervously begins explaining. "Your father just got new collar implants last year. I know how painful that is. I know how long it takes to fully heal. Did you know that he has four bionic limbs? Most people don't . . . He hides it well . . . " Astral's rambling voice trails off as she settles on the cogent point: "I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry about what happened." Can Luke sense how sincere she is?

Again, "It's fine."

"He regrets that. He is ashamed of that." Astral looks down and mutters, "I guess you're afraid of him now . . . "

That comment provokes a reaction. Luke Skywalker turns to declare staunchly, "I'm not afraid of him."

He is emphatic, but neither of them is convinced.

"It's okay," Astral soothes. "Everyone is afraid of him at first. But confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi, right?"

Luke Skywalker blinks at her. "Where did you hear that?"

"From an old Jedi-your father."

"He's no Jedi," Luke hisses back with a steely blue glare.

From the offended look in his eye, Astral can see that she just put her foot in her mouth again. Yikes, this is going poorly. Anxious to change the topic, Astral now reoffers the salve. "Here, take it. Rub it in well. Massage helps to prevent scar tissue from forming."

"I said it's fine," Luke grumbles testily.

"Yes, of course. I'll just leave it here." Astral places the salve pot on the table next to the disassembled lightsaber. "I have a really good doctor who can help," she ventures weakly, "if you change your mind, that is."

"I won't."

"Alright," Astral concedes defeat and backs down.

And now, a long, uncomfortable silence falls. Luke peers at her and she stares back. He doesn't ask her to leave, though. So that's somewhat encouraging. Still, the young man looks absolutely miserable. And frankly, she can't blame him. This is painfully awkward.

Finally, curiosity wins out over hostility. Luke asks tentatively, "Was her name really Padme Skywalker? My mother's name, I mean . . . "

"Yes." Astral's heart goes out to this poor motherless boy whose life to date has been riddled with lies. "She was called Padme Amidala Naberrie Skywalker. She was from Naboo. Your mother was a queen and a-"

"She was a queen?" shocked Luke interrupts. "I never knew that."

"Oh, yes. She was very respected and widely admired. And she was very beautiful. Your father loved her dearly," Astral asserts. "He mourned your mother for years. Her people mourned her too."

Luke nods and Astral takes that as her cue to continue. She is trying to follow Lord Plagueis' instructions to reveal the truth in order to promote trust and to stoke doubt.

And so, she muses, "It was a mésalliance in many ways, I suppose. Your mother was a queen, but your father was born a slave to the Hutt clan here on Tatooine."

Did Luke know that? Did he know that his father was born the lowest of the low? He didn't. Again, the boy looks shocked. Apparently, that part was left out of the family history as well.

"A Jedi Master passing through Mos Espa recognized your father's potential. He wagered for your father's freedom over a podrace. He was owned by an alien who ran a junkshop." Luke Skywalker blinks in disbelief and Astral has to concede, "It's an amazing story, I know. But it's true. Anakin Skywalker," she uses her husband's forbidden birth name, "was ten years old when the Jedi essentially bought him. They thought he was too old to begin the training . . . and too independent probably. Initially, they turned him away."

"I don't want to hear this," Luke abruptly shuts her down even though his face betrays all of his curiosity. He does and he doesn't want to know about Darth Vader.

"You need to hear this," Astral persists. "There is a person in that black suit. There is a man beneath that mask—"

"He's a monster!" Luke lashes out in anger for the first time.

Astral knows it's not really directed at her. She counters calmly, "That's not fair."

"He's a monster!" young Luke doubles down with righteous certainty.

"Never let him hear you say that," Astral warns in a low voice. "Darth Vader can be a monster. I've seen that side of him. He will show you that side of him, if you call him that. But there is more to Lord Vader than violence-"

She doesn't get to finish. Her Jedi stepson now accuses, "He blew up Alderaan! Your home planet, right?"

"He didn't make that decision. Moff Tarkin did."

"He was there! He did nothing to stop it or to oppose it! He just watched those people die."

That's true, but like so much of Darth Vader, it's not the whole truth. You cannot understand the man without understanding the full context of his decisions. "It wouldn't have changed anything if he did object," Astral explains sadly. "Your father opposed the Death Star almost from the beginning. And he did oppose Alderaan directly to the Emperor afterwards. I was there. I watched the Emperor nearly kill him for it. Luke, you shouldn't assume that what you see on the holonet is the complete truth. There are sides to your father—"

"I watched him kill Ben Kenobi," Luke hurls yet another accusation. "He struck him down in cold blood! It was an execution."

Luke needs to get past his hero worship of that particular dead Jedi. There will be no common ground between father and son where that topic is concerned. So, Astral starts explaining the other point of view. "Obi-Wan Kenobi is the reason your father wears the mask and the suit. He left Lord Vader in agony, burned and maimed, and walked away. He didn't even have the courage to kill him because he is the Cho-"

"Ben was a great man," Luke informs her hotly. It's a true argument now.

"Maybe so," Astral allows, "but not everything he did was good. Just like your father is not all bad. Luke, there are two sides to every story, and you need to hear—"

He cuts her off. "Look maybe you mean well, but you are blinded by your allegiance to the Empire. It clouds your perspective."

The words come out rather condescending, which doesn't sit well with Astral coming from a man so young and ignorant of the full truth. She argues back, "Have you ever considered that your hero Kenobi had an allegiance and an agenda too? He stole you as a baby. That's right—stole! Raised you in obscurity in the Rim totally ignorant of your family and the Force. Fed you lies and sent you to confront your own father without confessing his deceit. You are the instrument of the Jedi's revenge! You are being used!"

"Jedi don't seek revenge," Luke informs her coolly. His gaze is firm and his tone is quelling as he claims the moral high ground. "It's the Sith who are vengeful."

Astral takes a deep breath, lowers her volume, and takes the heat from her voice. She got a bit shrill there for a moment, mostly because she is so invested in this situation. Plus, she feels her chances of getting through to her stepson slipping away fast. "Your father doesn't want revenge." She wants to make this very clear. "He wants you to come home."

"I think it's time for you to leave," Luke Skywalker responds curtly.

"Please come home," she persists. It comes out a half whisper, for her voice is now surprisingly choked. "Come away with me now. Leave everything else behind. Come and let's try to work things out. No one will make you stay, I promise. But please give your father and I a chance."

Luke Skywalker's face hardens. He is unmoved. "I had a home. Less than four miles from here is where I grew up. The farm is destroyed now. All my aunt and uncle's hard work is gone. They're gone too. Destroyed by the Empire."

Yes, she knows. The Lars homestead was the second set of coordinates she was given for where to find Luke Skywalker. "I'm sorry," she replies weakly, feeling more and more like this meeting is an absolute failure. She has a new appreciation now for how quickly things went bad on Bespin. This boy is justifiably aggrieved for how he has been treated and that was before he had his tyrant Sith father to blame it on.

Luke vents now, raising his voice again. "Their lives were cheap and expendable! Like Alderaan! Like so many other victims of the Empire—"

Astral interrupts, "They were never meant to die." Luke thinks their deaths were intentional, but they weren't. "The local guy here overstepped. Your father was very angry when he learned what happened. He killed the guy in charge for what he did to his stepbrother—"

It's the wrong thing to say. "Killing is what he's best at, isn't it?" Luke jeers. He looks miserable about it, too. His eyes are so full of pain. It's clear that even after a year, the loss of his aunt and uncle cuts deep. Luke now looks askance at her and demands, "Are you a killer as well?"

Is that a serious question? Astral disavows, "No!"

Luke looks dubious and Astral fesses up. "Well, I did kill someone once. But it was in self-defense!" she yelps. "The Emperor sent an assassin to kill your father, but the guy found me first hiding in the closet. I shot him." Her face is hot and her eyes are watery at the memory. "I'm not proud of it . . . but I shot him. He would have killed me. Your father wouldn't have gotten there in time to save me. There were too many of them. So, I saved myself."

Finally, it seems, she has Luke's attention again. He's doing more than just reacting. He is listening. "The Emperor sent assassins against Darth Vader?"

Astral nods slowly. "It's kill or be killed among the Sith. The Emperor neither respects nor trusts your father." Again, she implores her stepson to look beyond what he knows. "Luke, don't believe everything you see and hear on the holonet. Your father might be the poster child for the Empire, but behind closed doors, he's something of a Rebel."

It's an incredible thing to claim and Luke Skywalker is, of course, incredulous. "Oh, come on! He slaughtered half the Alliance on Hoth."

"He was hoping to find you."

"So he could recruit me?"

"So he could save you," Astral corrects.

"The only person I need saving from is him!" Luke snaps back.

But Astral doesn't back down. In fact, she steps forward now to warn, "You haven't met his boss. Darth Sidious is a cruel, unreasonable, power mad killer. Many of the sins your father has done, he did at the Emperor's behest."

"He chose to serve him."

"Maybe so, but now he wants out. But he can't do it alone. Together, you could do it," Astral urges. "With his insider knowledge and your ideas for reform—"

"Together we could put Vader on the Imperial throne? Is that it?" Luke sneers. His young face is twisted and ugly with scorn.

"You'd be there with him," Astral argues quietly.

"I don't want that. I want democracy," Luke proclaims.

And that's not a dealbreaker. Astral starts bargaining. "He would bring back the Senate."

"I don't believe it."

"Believe it. Your mother was a Senator."

"She was?" Luke looks surprised and pleased. For a second, his guarded expression drops and Astral sees the earnest, likable young man from the pictures. But then, his eyes narrow with suspicion. "Wait—before you said she was a queen."

"She was both. Look up Senator Padme Amidala Naberrie from Naboo. She's all over the holonet opposing the Separatist Crisis trying to keep the Republic together as it crumbled."

"Oh."

Astral now asserts again, "Your father is far more moderate than his public persona suggests."

"Well, I don't believe it."

"He has to appear the way he does. If he doesn't, the Emperor will kill him," Astral states it bluntly. Luke needs to understand the stakes.

But the threat of death doesn't impress Luke Skywalker who would rather jump into an abyss than join his father. This boy would gladly be the martyr his father refuses to be. He lifts his chin and declares, "Better to die than to live as a servant of the Sith poisoned by the Dark Side."

Astral didn't come here to debate the Force. She quickly abandons that line of argument. "Fine. Look, this doesn't have to be about politics. And it's not about the Force—"

"Of course, it is. He wants me to join him on the Dark Side."

"You don't have to join him."

"Of course, I do. He's a Sith! This is about power!"

"No," she counters staunchly, "it is about family."

Framing it that way seems to perplex young Luke.

Astral presses her advantage. "He wants a son, not an Apprentice. He will welcome you home to our family. Come with me now and let's try to undo the damage done by the Sith and the Jedi. And . . . by your father's clumsiness at Bespin," she adds awkwardly. "That wasn't his best moment," she glosses over the violent events with a huge understatement. "Luke, your father is fine with you training as a Jedi. He wants you to learn both sides of the Force. And he doesn't care about your Rebel politics. He was privately glad that you blew up the Death Star."

Luke shakes his head. "I don't believe it. This is about him getting help to kill his Master. It's a classic Sith power play."

Too late, Astral sees she should never have raised the issue of deposing the Emperor. But she thought it might resonate with her stepson the Rebel who plots revolution with Mon Mothma. So, Astral gamely tries to focus on the larger point. "This is about reuniting our family. Luke, you were stolen from him. Hidden from him."

But the young man rejects that narrative. "The Jedi were protecting me. Ben Kenobi gave his life so I could escape Vader."

"And to make sure that you wouldn't learn the truth!" Astral asserts. "Don't you see how manipulated you are? How Kenobi and others close to you were in on it all along? Had your father not told you the truth, would you even know it now?" she challenges.

Young Luke shifts his weight a little uncomfortably. But still, he maintains, "They were saving me."

"The only person you need saving from is the Emperor," Astral contends. "Luke, do not underestimate the power of the Emperor. He will kill you if he gets the chance. Come home and we will plot a strategy to keep you safe. That matters more than politics and the Force." Righteous Luke looks unconvinced, but Astral preempts him with another plea, "Come home. Let's try to be a family," she coaxes.

"I told you-I had a home. It's gone. I had a family. They're gone too."

"Luke, we're still here," Astral counters softly. "Give us a chance. When you and your father get to know each other, you might find that you have more in common than you think."

The boy is offended by this notion. "I'm nothing like him."

Astral takes in the stubborn youth with the mechanical hand and silently disagrees. For surely Luke Skywalker is another version of the self-described cocksure Jedi trainee his father had once been. The kind of upstart, inexperienced but valiant soul who took on Count Dooku and lost an arm when the turncoat Sith Lord schooled him on saber practice. Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker are young heroes both, she knows. And a big streak of Anakin Skywalker still lives in Darth Vader. The Emperor hasn't chased it away.

And that is the real message she wants Luke to hear. "There is good in Darth Vader. It's not hard to see, if you will only look."

But her stepson refuses to relent. "Look, Lady, I don't know who you are or where you come from, but you're not my family. He is not my family," the boy announces with hushed vehemence.

"He will be, if you let him." Astral holds out her hand even as she digs in her heels. She can be stubborn too. "Come with me now. Let's go to him."

"I'm here to rescue Han."

"Okay. Then come after you rescue your friend. Luke, your father has so much to tell you . . . so much to teach you."

"I have a teacher."

"Not like Darth Vader, you don't. Your father has been a Jedi and he has been a Sith—he has a perspective that no one else has. You would do well to listen to him."

But the young man has heard enough. "Look, maybe you mean well . . . you seem like you mean well . . ." Luke reaches up to run his fake hand through his hair as he exhales in frustration. "But you're wasting your time." He shakes his head. He is resolved. "I'll never join him."

"Do you understand the chance you are being given?" Astral is not sure Luke does. "Together, you and your father could bring peace, freedom, justice, and security to the galaxy. You could make things the way you want them to be—"

"I'll never join him."

"—and then, there will be no more Death Stars and no more Alderaans, no more war and no more Rebellion. No more fear and hate and suffering caused by the Emperor—"

"I told you-I'll never join him!"

"You could be a hero for all ages. The Light Side Jedi who joins the Dark Side Sith to bring balance to the Force—"

"I'll never join him!" Luke's refusal is not loud, but it is intense.

"But he needs you. He can't do it without you. Help your father to help us all," she pleads.

But Luke Skywalker refuses to entertain the possibilities. He's too certain that he is being misled. "The Sith lie. They deceive," he mutters, giving Astral another suspicious look. "If you believe all this, then he has deceived you as well."

Astral resents that remark and so her rejoinder comes out a bit sharp. "The one who has been lied to is you." She makes a face at her own intemperate tone and immediately tries to begin anew. "Don't be afraid of who you are. We only want to help you." Luke opens his mouth to issue another automatic rejection but Astral lifts a hand to forestall him. "I know that this is sudden and confusing. And after what happened at Bespin, I can't blame you for doubting us. Please just think it over."

Now again, Luke shifts his weight uncomfortably. The poor guy looks lost. The comfort zone of his Jedi Rebel allegiance has been challenged in a fundamental way by the reveal of his enemy father. Is that why Luke is clinging so hard to his stance of rejection? Because he fears his understanding of his place in life will be negated by the truth if it is revealed in its entirety?

"Don't be afraid of who you are," Astral repeats softly.

"It's time for you to leave," Luke replies as politely as possible under the circumstances.

Watching him now, Astral is reminded of the intelligence report Lord Vader has on his son. The report that speaks of an affable, hardworking farm boy who got along well with all of his classmates. If she squints, Astral can still see that kid beneath today's hardnosed posturing. It's buried beneath the fear that an evil Sith has appeared to steal his fragile Jedi soul. It's hidden behind radical Rebel politics that are a reaction to terrible loss. For try as he might to be harsh, this young man is nice. Maybe even gentle. War, death, and injury haven't taken those qualities from Luke Skywalker . . . yet. It makes Astral wonder if Anakin Skywalker was ever the nice guy like his son appears to be. For a brief second, her mind flashes back to the portrait of the Jedi General who her husband spoke of like he was an entirely different person.

Luke's prod interrupts her reverie. "I'd like for you to leave."

Fearful that she has made no headway, Astral concedes, "Alright. I'll go." She digs in her pocket now for a datafile. "I have something else for you besides the salve."

Luke rejects it immediately. "No, thank you."

But Astral holds out the datafile insistently. "Take it, please. Use it."

"What is it?"

"It's a map of Jabba the Hutt's palace where your friend is kept. You want to rescue him, right? I have it on good authority that the Hutt is hiring on new guards. Get one of your friends on the payroll so they will be on the inside when you strike."

Only half convinced, Luke nonetheless gingerly accepts the datafile. "Is this a setup?" As usual, the youth is anticipating a trap. He doesn't trust her, but that's understandable given the circumstances. It's also precisely why Darth Plagueis had sent Astral with the map to the crime lord's palace.

"Why are you helping me?" he wonders aloud.

"I want to help you," she answers, reiterating her earlier point, "we're family."

This time, Luke makes no reply. He just turns the small datafile over in his hand.

"Goodbye." Astral takes her leave. But she pauses at the doorway and half turns. "I am not giving up on you," she vows. She will choose hope in the face of futility. And maybe that's foolish, but if there is no hope, then what is there? Astral now promises to Luke Skywalker, "I will be back two weeks from today. If for some reason I'm not here, it's because I was prevented from coming."

"By him?"

"Maybe. Or by the Emperor. Darth Sidious fears you. He fears the Skywalkers."

Luke catches the use of the plural. "There are more of you?"

"More of us," she corrects him gently. "And, yes. There are more." She declines to elaborate. She'll keep him guessing a little. It will give him a reason to come back to meet her in two weeks. So, Astral just nods over at Luke Skywalker and bids him, "May the Force be with you," before she heads for her parked speeder.

And maybe that's the wrong thing to say, she worries on her ride back. Perhaps Luke will interpret her use of the Old Republic Jedi blessing as insincere pandering. That's not how it's meant, of course. The old Sith Darth Plagueis told her the very same thing two hours ago. Snoke wants god the Force to be on his side, much like Luke Skywalker probably does as well. Except Luke is thinking of the Force in terms of Dark Side and Light Side, whereas she and Snoke want him to think of it as being on the side of the Skywalkers.

But for all Snoke's claims that the Skywalkers are the first family of the Force, something doesn't seem quite right to Astral. For why would the Force so mistreat its own clan of Chosen Ones? Shouldn't they be luckier than most? They are certainly more powerful than average people. But also, more troubled. Astral can't help but think that the Force is not all-powerful and all-knowing or things would never have become such a tangled mess. She rejects the assertion that recent events are fate unfolding by design. No one would plan this conflict. It's inefficient and unnecessary.

More and more, Astral thinks that the Skywalker family struggle is what happens when human frailty meets the power of the Force. That this discord is the result of the free will of humanity's demigods bumping up against each other as they and their ideas jostle for dominance. Luke, Lord Vader, and Lord Plagueis are all endowed with the magical Force. Yet each too in their own way is burdened by romantic ideals and burning with ambition. And actually, that understanding of the situation encourages Astral. For if this tragic mess isn't entirely the will of the Force, then there is hope that a Force blind nobody like herself might have some chance to make things better.