Outer Rim
Planet: Yavin 4
Base One

Six months after the Battle of Endor

Luke Skywalker stared out the window of his bedroom at the deepening night sky. Dark blue and purple shades yawned above the Rebel base, slowly swallowing it until only the blackness of night existed. Beyond the base, a heavy forest of palms stood tall and still in a veil of mist, signaling another humid night. Further still, beyond even the shadow of Yavin Prime, there was an endless galaxy that had just experienced another day of peace.

Gazing at all those stars and planets, Luke thought about the races who inhabited them. He thought about their newfound freedom and their ability to live their days without the threat of death hanging over their heads. It had been six months since the Empire had been defeated. Six months since his father had found peace - and death - and the Rebellion had won the war. Since then, peace existed in the galaxy once more.

This should have left Luke feeling content, but it only left him with familiar heaviness in his heart. He could still see his father's face as he lifted the helmet from him, freeing him in a way no one else could. He could see his eyes - no longer red, but a brilliant, clear blue like his own. He could see his smile; a mirror to that of his sister's. Darth Vader had never smiled but Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi, did. The Jedi who had been his father. Who was his father.

That man had saved his life. Had saved all their lives. In doing so, he'd brought balance to the Force; a prophecy fulfilled.

And though his father had found peace after decades of hate, manipulation, and torment, Luke still couldn't find his own sense of peace. Not even six months later, after the galaxy - and his life - changed forever.

Drawing his eyes from the window, Luke shifted onto his back and felt the weariness of his thoughts weighing on his entire body. He pushed his legs out into a stretch that ended in a long yawn; proof that he should at least attempt sleep. It was late and he was tired, but apparently not tired enough. He knew that even if he did close his eyes, the Force would continue to speak to him and it had every night the past few months. It began as a faint echo through his body that grew more insistent, like a soft nudge in the back. Go, it seemed to say. Move. Keep going.

Why it felt like a nudge, Luke didn't know. If there was something out there that needed his attention, he couldn't fathom what it might be. Everything he needed and wanted was right here on Yavin 4: his sister, his friends, his life. A future awaited him that was as open and promising as it had ever been. And yet, each night the Force still called him to go. To move.

Luke pushed his hair away from his forehead in growing frustration. He settled his eyes on the ceiling within his dark room and tried to ignore the pull inside his chest to meditate. Slowly but surely, he felt himself surrendering to the subtle nagging inside him. The Force could be pushy, sometimes - that much he was certain of.

He closed his eyes for only a moment, and then he felt it.

Go.

Move.

He opened his eyes with a sigh. Glancing back over his shoulder, he stared once more into the vastness above the night sky and the stars that dotted the darkness. The tug in his chest grew stronger.

The boy has no patience, Master Yoda had said. All his life he has looked away...Never his mind on where he was.

Luke ground his jaw. He may technically be a Jedi Master now, but he still had plenty to learn - and the words Master Yoda said to him on Dagobah would not easily be forgotten.

So, in his need to learn and improve, he would focus on what was right here in this room. He would turn to the part of the Force that lived inside his body and mind, and would patiently listen to whatever the it spoke in return.

He willed himself into a seated position and placed his palms on his knees. Once more he closed his eyes, this time doing his best to still his mind. He quieted every muscle, evened his breathing, and tuned in to the infinite sensation of the Force that surrounded him. Instead of asking questions, he simply listened. Whatever the Force had to tell him, he would be patient and he would listen.

Calm.

Even.

Steady.

Strong.

To this day, his connection to the Force was as elemental to him as the air in his lungs and the blood in his veins. The strength and ease at which it came to him no longer surprised him. It was just another part of him, but still a part he was continuously getting to know and adjust to.

Calm.

Even.

Steady.

Strong.

He felt his breathing slow even further as he gave himself completely over to the power that came so easily to him. His mind emptied until there was only his breath. All else faded, and only then did he feel the tug in his chest turn into a bloom of energy. It filled his entire body and awoke within his mind in the form of a Force vision. At first, there were only murky images. Luke centered his concentration on the vision until the images quickly sharpened, as though a camera lens was coming into focus. And then a dark orange landscape highlighted by twin suns appeared. A feeling of heat spread across Luke's skin as though he were standing beneath those two familiar suns, with rolling plains of sand and rock stretching out as far as his mind's eye could see.

Tatooine.

The vision changed: A familiar sitting area. A comfortable, simple home. Deserted, but not empty. Preserved beneath years of windblown sand.

Old Ben's home.

Luke felt his heart rate start to increase, but he willed it to still. He listened. Waited. Patient, but open to whatever came next. He inhaled deeply, and when he exhaled the vision changed a final time.

What he saw next caused his brows to knit together. It was some kind of rectangular object; bound with dark leather but covered in sand.

A notebook?
Journal?

Before Luke could examine it further, the vision ended and the images vanished; yanked back to wherever they came. He blinked his eyes a few times and thought he could still see the notebook as if it was before him, but it was no more than an imprint in his memory. If he was meant to locate this notebook, journal, whatever it was...he would go. What the Force asked of him, he would do. There was nothing he trusted more.

Letting out a wistful sigh, Luke turned his gaze back to the night sky beyond his window. The corner of his mouth tugged into a smile. "Guess I'm heading home again."


The following morning, Luke walked the halls of the base down to what used to be the main operations center during the war. Once the epicenter of the Rebellion's communications, the area now functioned more as an office for Leia and a few of the other generals still on the planet. She and the others would gather there, working to allocate supplies to planets in need or dispatch squadrons to break up lingering Imperial cells.

But most importantly - for people like himself, Han, and countless others - the room had become a place to escape to; a place where socializing became more frequent and one could go to relax and chat. Many long evening talks had taken place in that room since the Empire fell. Accounts of battles past were discussed, always remembering those lost in said battles, and all with glasses of brandy raised in their honor. In a way, emotional wounds were healed in that room now. It became an area for friendships to thrive, allowing the characteristics that marked the Rebellion to live long past the Empire's fall. It made Luke happy, and it made him proud.

As he turned the final corner that lead to Leia's office, Luke was surprised to find General Hera Syndula emerging from the doorway. She was dressed in her usual orange and beige flight suit, though Luke hardly suspected she was flying anywhere. It was Hera's unofficial uniform no matter the day or the occasion.

Upon seeing him approach, the Twi'lek's cool smile appeared, though her arms crossed over her chest expectantly. "Skywalker." One of her shapely brows lifted, humor thick in her voice. "Haven't seen you in a while. Don't tell me I did something?" She cocked her head, her green lekku shifting behind her.

Luke felt a twinge of guilt at her joke, but he couldn't help but chuckle. "You know that's completely false. You couldn't possibly-" He was cut short by a brisk nudge of her elbow.

"-C'mon, Skywalker." Hera smiled, and every bit of it was genuine. "I thought Jedi could sense things like sarcasm?"

Though it was meant in jest, Luke felt the pulse of sadness that emitted from Hera's aura at the mentioning. The hurt she felt for the loss of the Jedi, Kanan Jarrus - her late partner, crew mate, and father of her young son - was easily felt through the Force. As Luke knew all too well, the hurt of loss never truly went away. It ebbed and waned like ocean waves; sometimes stronger, other times lighter as easier to bear. Despite the years since Jarrus' passing, Luke could still feel the hurt that lay beneath Hera's exterior, even though she stood before him with an open and friendly expression.

"Believe me, General" Luke began, his own humor brimming within his voice, "it's impossible not to sense sarcasm, especially with some." With this, he winked at her. He was happy, and a little relieved, when Hera chuckled.

"Fair enough" she replied playfully.

Luke shifted his gaze to the office behind her with a nod. "Is Leia free?"

"Yes, but beware: she's also been asking about you this morning." With this, Hera patted Luke on the shoulder as she walked past. "Seems all the ladies are after the infamous Luke Skywalker."

Hearing this, Luke had to laugh. "Talk again soon, General?"

"You know where to find me!" she called back, then continued down the hallway.

Luke watched after her, shaking his head with humor. He entered into the office where he found Leia leaning back against a large table in the center of the room. She seemed to be deep in thought about something, as she so often was since the war's end. She was dressed in a simple gray body suit, her blaster still securely attached to her hip where it always was. Some habits died hard, even months after the war's end.

Because her hair was pulled back into a braid that encircled the crown of her head, Luke had a clear view of Leia's focused gaze as it remained directed at the cement floor. When she heard the sound of his booted footsteps, her eyes rose and her smile was immediate. "Well! There you are."

"This seems to be a trend this morning." Luke pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. "Did you need me?"

Leia shrugged a shoulder, making no move to get up from her position leaning against the desk. "No. I just haven't seen you since the last sabbac night."

Luke gave her a look. "Maybe because you took all my winnings?"

"Han lent you those winnings, first of all" she countered smartly, though her dimples were quick to appear. "I was just simply ensuring that we...you know...kept them amongst the three of us."

"The three of us, huh?" Luke rolled his eyes playfully.

The twins stared at one another, their smirks more alike than either realized.

Leia couldn't hold it, and her expression burst into a giant grin. She finally stood, but only to lightly punch Luke in the meat of his shoulder. "Can't I just miss my brother?"

"Of course - just not as much as I might miss my sister." He wiggled an eyebrow at her.

Leia walked past him with a sharp look, her brown eyes simmering with another comeback that was poised to release but was instead held back. Luke gave her the chance to speak, but she remained uncharacteristically quiet. He wondered if it was somehow tied to the concerned look she'd been wearing. "I ran into General Syndulla outside your office" he mentioned, hoping to get more details on their meeting.

"Yes...she and I were discussing where our relief efforts will be placed next." She rubbed her brow and let a sigh slip from her lips. "Seems every corner of the galaxy was affected by this war in ways I never expected."

Luke folded his arms over his chest. "Did someone new reach out?"

"A settlement on Kiffu. A small outpost once wealthy for its minerals, but now it's just a wasteland. The Empire stripped it of every valuable resource and left it discarded when it was finished with them. Hera and I will visit the outpost to see what the damage is, and we'll go from there." A muscle tightened along Leia's jaw and she shook her head. The invisible weight on her shoulders seemed to weigh them down even more. "Every day a new settlement reaches out; looking for help in the way of provisions or bodies to help them rebuild. It's what we want, after all. We 're glad they reach out and trust us to make things right. But even after everything...our numbers aren't large enough to help everyone all at once."

"But we will help, and that's something they can count on" Luke added, knowing very well his sister already knew this; she just needed to hear it from a trusted source. "Little by little, as much as we can, we'll help rebuild this galaxy."

Leia smiled, though it was the smile of someone very tired. "Always so optimistic."

"It's what I'm here for," Luke replied rather proudly. He watched Leia's smile brighten further, and through their bond he felt a bit of her spirit rise.

"Well...I'm guessing you didn't come down here to listen to me grumble?" she said, sounding as though she needed a change of subject. "Unless you really are a glutton for punishment?"

"Actually, I was...hoping to talk to you about something." He hesitated, trying to figure out a way to bring up his abrupt decision to travel back to Tatooine, especially after his sister had just told him they don't have enough bodies around to help those who were in need. If his help was needed here or Kiffu or some other planet that needed bodies - he would go there first; personal escapades be damned.

As if sensing his very thoughts, Leia's smile quickly dulled as concern slipped into her gaze. She paused; and Luke could sense her feeling through the invisible tether that was ever-present between them.

"You're leaving?"

Their bond was something Luke was still getting used to. It shouldn't have taken him by surprise like it did whenever Leia sensed in him the same Force bond he sensed in her. Nevertheless, he stood staring at the concern in her eyes with awe that she'd known it without him even saying a word. "I had a Force vision last night" he admitted. "A strong one."

All of Leia's attention became intensely focused on him. "A bad one?"

"No, not bad. More like..." Luke tried to find the correct words for what he'd seen, even though he wasn't entirely sure of it, himself. "More like an urge to find something. Something, I think, I'm meant to see." His eyes centered on Leia's. "Something back in Old Ben's home."

"Tatooine?!" Leia exclaimed. "Oh Luke..."

"What?"

"I'd strongly encourage you to reconsider going back there at all costs."

Luke leveled with her. "There's no threat there that could hurt me, Leia."

She shook her head. "I'm not worried about Imperial forces." She pushed the pad of her index finger into the center of his chest and held it there, directly over his heart. "I'm worried about what going back there might do to this."

A flicker of energy rippled between them; a current of shared emotion felt through their unique bond. It made Luke's love for his sister course through his hand as he enclosed it around hers. "I'll be okay. The Force would never lead me astray, especially not after everything that's happened." No sooner had he said this did he feel another ripple of energy through their bond. This time, it was one of fear and apprehension.

"That's exactly why I wish you wouldn't go." Leia's shoulders lowered. "Haven't you gone through enough? Witnessed enough?"

This very sentiment was something he thought about every day. Since seeing his father's Force ghost the night of his funeral pyre, Luke thought he'd seen all he needed to. He'd seen the Jedi his father was...at least physically. And yet, there was so much more he wished to learn. More than anything, he wished there had been more time to learn about the Jedi named Anakin.

"You're thinking about him again." This time, Leia's voice took a harder edge. "About...Vader."

"Our father" Luke corrected her. "Anakin."

Leia turned away, arms folding over her chest as if in protection of the name itself. Luke crossed the short distance between them and placed a gentle hand on her arm, turning her towards him again. Knowing how headstrong she was, he waited until her dark eyes found his before continuing. "Why do you find it so difficult every time I mention him?"

"The man who tortured me? Who tortured an entire galaxy? The man who obliterated my home and everyone I loved without a second thought?"

Her voice cracked ever so slightly, and it would have been the only indication that she still felt the loss of Alderaan heavy on her heart had anyone else been in the room. Leia was a pillar of strength. And so often, she was his pillar of strength. She was a living testament of her unshakable perseverance, something that he admired beyond words. But whenever she talked about their father, Luke could feel her energy warp and change. The pain she felt came rushing at him in a torrent of emotion; deep and black and unforgiving. It saddened him, but he understood her pain. Vader had done terrible things, and it left poisonous scars on Leia's mind that would be difficult to change. Despite this, Luke refused to give up hope. Some day he would prove to Leia that their father had once been a good man once. It would take time, but Luke believed it would happen.

And that was enough.

"Maybe what I'm supposed to find in Obi-Wan's home will help." He kept his voice gentle so as not to gloss over the hurt his sister felt. "Maybe it's something to help us understand who he was. Not as Vader, but as Anakin."

"What difference would it make?" Leia challenged. Though her expression had softened a little, there was defiance in her stare. "What does it matter what or who he was if he chose the path he did?"

"Because he chose differently on the Death Star" Luke answered honestly. "He chose me, and his love for us, over the Empire. Over the Emperor. Over his own life, whatever he thought of it." He felt a sudden pull inside his chest when he said this; similar to the nudge he'd felt the night before. It was if the Force was reinforcing what he was saying; comforting him as he spoke. It gave him the courage to continue. "That is why it matters. And that makes all the difference to me." Luke reached out with his other hand and held Leia's shoulders and squeezed. "I only wish you could see it, too."

The tension in Leia's body eased under his touch. As his words began to sink in the hardness of her gaze finally dissolved, as if being reminded of the sacrifice that Anakin - not Vader - had made only six months ago was all she needed to hear. Luke didn't need their Force bond to know Leia desperately wanted to think of their father in a better light, and not as the cloaked terror most of the galaxy knew him as. The hesitation he sensed in her proved that she wanted to believe. She wanted to believe the image of their father that he so easily clung to.

Turning from him for the moment, Leia walked back over to her desk and stood before the base's main data control center. Luke watched as she flicked on one the controls, bringing forth a glowing blue holographic map of the galaxy. She flicked another button and a planet became front and center, spinning slowly as it hovered before them.

"So..." Leia placed her hands on the curve of her hips, a subtle smile playing at her mouth. "Tatooine, then?"

By this simple gesture, she was giving Luke her support. Whatever journey he was about to take, she was going to support him as she always had. No matter the odds, no matter the age or distance, one thing remained certain in Luke's life: Leia would always support him.

He stepped in beside her, one arm going about her shoulders. "Tatooine it is."

Their eyes turned and stared at the planet hovering before them. Leia wrapped her arm around Luke's waist, holding on to him as though she didn't want to let him go. "Please be safe."

"I will" Luke answered, then pressed a kiss to her head. "You know I will."

In Hangar Bay 3, Luke readied his trusty X-Wing with supplies needed for his short trip. At least, he planned on it being short. He was open to whatever the Force was leading him to back on Tatooine, so if he needed more provisions - he'd return to get them. Until then, this was going to be a short jaunt back to his home planet to see what his vision was trying to tell him.

As he made all his final pre-flight checks from the cockpit, he motioned with a wave of his hand to R2-D2, who waited below. "All set, R2! Ready when you are."

The Astromech whirred and beeped a cheerful reply, which put a broad smile on Luke's face. It was nice to know that while he would technically be alone on this journey, it was a comfort to have R2 along with him. The droid was as good a company as any, as he'd learned, and was forever trusty in a tight spot.

Luke disengaged the metal arm from the back of the ship as R2 rolled over, its magnetics tightening over the domed head of the droid. It pulled him up into his co-piloting spot behind the cockpit, to which R2 settled in rather comfortably. Once the droid was locked into the ship's computer system, it gave its own signal up to Luke.

"Soon enough, R2" Luke told him. "Just a few more diagnostic checks. It's been a while since I flew in this thing - I might be a little rusty."

The droid let out a long string of sassy beeps in response to his joke, and it only made Luke smile further. Knowing how impatient his co-pilot could be, Luke quickly wrapped up what was left of the final flight prep checks and re-checked the coordinates he'd locked into the computing system. As he stared at the computing system on board, the numbers and letters of Obi-Wan's home on Tatooine staring back at him, a rush of emotion came flooding back into his chest. Only a singular voice could draw him out of his emotions at that moment, that was the voice of Han Solo.

"Hey, kid! Not so fast!"

The familiar voice echoed through the hangar, drawing Luke's back into the present. He wheeled around to see his friend approach, which brought him to his feet within the cockpit. "Well, well" he teased. "Word sure travels fast around here, huh?"

Han's long, casual stride brought him to the edge of the X-wing where he leaned against the S-foil. His lazy smirk spread across his face. "Leia just informed me you were heading out. Figured I might be able to catch you before you left." He gave a nod towards the opened hangar door beyond. "You planning on being gone a while?"

Luke sensed Han's honesty in the question before he even asked it. Because of his friend's genuine concern, he decided to jump down out of the cockpit and talk to him one-on-one. He motioned a quick gimme one minute to R2, then swung down to the ground below. "I'm only planning on staying a day or two." He shrugged. "Whether that actually happens or not..."

Han uttered a healthy laugh. "You know as well as I do, these kinds of trips tend to get..." He wiggled his head back and forth, his eyes half-rolling. "...you know, out of our hands."

"Do I ever" Luke replied with a chuckle.

They'd been through so much together. Any time either of them referenced the craziness of the past several years, it was a way of subtly honoring the manner in which they'd come together and became friends. It was bittersweet, and it seemed to Luke that Han knew that. They fought together in the war and had come out the other side as changed men...in their own ways. Han wasn't the most sentimental guy in the galaxy, but Luke could read between the lines. Plus, the energy coming from him through the Force - that was unmistakable. Han cared for him more than he let on, and Luke never took it for granted.

Han's smirk grew. "You sure you don't need someone to tag along?"

"This might be one you should sit out on" Luke told him, knowing full well Han had no intention of going back to the land of the Hutt family. That was exactly why the smirk he wore beamed so brightly. "Besides - what would my sister say if both of us left?"

This made Han push off the S-foil, readjusting his stance. "Anyone ever tell you how wise you are for being so young?" This garnered a chuckle from the both of them, and then Han nudged him in the side. "You be careful out there. And don't stay too long - I don't wanna have to answer for your whereabouts when the Princess undoubtedly gets antsy."

Luke could only laugh. "Sure thing, Han. I'll be back in no time, alright?"

Han gave a nod, watching as Luke climbed back into the cockpit. A smile lingered on his face as he backed away from the ship, lingering long enough to watch Luke fired up the engines. After Luke placed his helmet on and adjusted the straps, he gave a final look back at Han and gave him a thumbs-up.

Han gave him one in return.

As Luke pulled the X-wing out of the hangar, he realized that some things never changed. R2 would always be his faithful partner on lone trips. His sister would also have his back, no matter what the occasion. And Han Solo - former smuggler, now turned war hero - would always be there to see him off whenever he flew somewhere.

Though the galaxy had been changed forever, Luke was thankful that some things stayed the same.


Outer Rim
Planet: Tatooine
Southwestern Edge of the Dune Sea

Luke could feel the heat within the X-wing seconds after lowering into Tatooine's atmosphere. Even with all the internal cooling jets on full blast, the unrelenting temperature of his home planet seeped into the ship, causing sweat to form beneath the visor of his helmet. As he descended further, the orange-brown landscape swelled before him as curtains of heat rose on the horizon. Dust and microsilt left in the wake of his ship was all the welcoming Luke received. As he neared the location of Obi-Wan's home, the endless sea of sand transformed as pillars of rocky outcroppings began to jut out the landscape. These signaled the final approach to his destination, and once more Luke began to feel a tug in his chest. Whether it was his emotional tie to this place or the Force urging him ever onward into this new quest, he wasn't entirely sure. It very well could have been a little of both.

Knowing the location around Ben's home like the back of his hand, Luke circled his ship around the rock and dunes until he came to a spacious, level area only a short distance away. He lowered the ship slowly, the landing gear easing down onto the surface in a swirl of orange and rust. He quickly cut the engines and the dust cloud around them quickly settled, but not without some consternation from the astromech behind him.

"Sorry, R2. I know - I should have been quicker," Luke said with a chuckle. "I promise to dust you off once I get the chance, alright?"

Sure, sure, the droid seemed to say, though it came out in a low rumbling whoooooo.

Wasting little time inside the now-sweltering cockpit, Luke removed his helmet and disengaged the cockpit shield. Immediately, a wall of dry heat slammed into him, overcoming the protective fabric of his flight suit. He jumped down onto the silty ground, feeling his legs adjust from space flight to solid land. It felt good to fly again; even just to come back to a place he'd been so many times before. Though it occurred to him that this was the first time he'd ever traveled to Tatooine without the Empire looming over him. He wouldn't have to double-check himself at every turn. There would be no need to worry about talking to the wrong people or saying the wrong things to potentially dangerous characters. For the first time since that fateful day he'd met Ben Kenobi, he was free to just be.

How strange it was to feel free, Luke thought sadly.

Leaving R2 behind to tend to the ship, Luke approached the home of his old friend and tried to look upon the humble abode with new eyes. It remained unchanged, even after all the years since he'd last seen it. It was covered in dust, as it usually was, but overall the home still remained an unremarkable fixture built from the landscape itself. The entrance was still sealed, which Luke was glad to find. He'd had the entrance reinforced after his previous trip to the planet, and by all signs he could see from the outside, his work remained perfectly intact...just as he'd left it.

Luke closed his eyes and focused on calling forth the power of the Force, then stretched an open palm towards the door. The Force flooded his body, filling him with an essence of the life around him, brightening his senses as it traveled through every inch of his being. He spread his fingers a little wider and ushered the power he felt through his arm and into his hand, then out through his fingers.

Before him, the sealant that had protected old Ben's entrance began to erode away from the doorway. The rock that lined the door rumbled beneath Luke's power; layers of dust sifting off the surface and falling in a thin sheet before him. Inch by inch, he concentrated on peeling back the layer of security he'd placed on the home, which he'd done by using the Force, and only the Force could be used to remove it. And so it was, when the last of the binding he'd used to secure the home released and peeled away, he felt the restraint in his connection to the Force disappear.

He opened his eyes. The bright blue layer of sealant - visible only to those gifted in the use of the Force - had been completely removed. The door swung open a few inches as if Ben had opened it himself and was waiting for Luke to join him. So he entered the home for the first time since the galactic war ended, and found that the inside had not changed one bit. Everything was left as he remembered, which brought the return of the emotions he felt any time he came back to this place. But what had brought him here this time was the book that had appeared in his vision, and he needed to find it.

He glanced around the home, feeling a bittersweet sadness at the items that remained behind all these years. It felt wrong that someone with the knowledge, training, and accolades that Obi-Wan Kenobi boasted should have his belongings left behind in such a manner. A forgotten museum of artifacts unseen and untouched except by him. But Luke knew it was what Ben would have wanted. He had never been the showy type, at least not to Luke. If a simple home full of humble items was all that remained after an honorable life, Luke supposed it was precisely what Obi-Wan would have chosen anyway.

Then again, he thought with a half-smile, he left behind a legacy with me...and perhaps that was his greatest wish of all.

And there it was: the nudge. The pull. That sensation filling him as it had the night he'd had the vision.

Go. Move. Search.

Luke closed his eyes and tried to feel through the sensations filling him, wondering if maybe he could sense the location of the journal or book or whatever it was through the Force.

And he was right.

He opened his eyes and spun, facing the small kitchenette off the far-right side of the home. He moved in that direction, feeling the nudge in his back like someone was actually there, pushing him gently forward. He passed the kitchenette and came to what had been a modest pantry area. Beyond was a side entrance that had been rarely used, as Luke recalled, and was now obstructed by years of sand and rock collecting in the angled corner of the old passageway. This, of course, made this area a dead end in Luke's search.

With his hands resting on his hips, Luke turned back towards the pantry and tried to look once more with new eyes. Wooden shelves lined the rock wall and were covered in sand. They were mostly bare; only one or two sealed containers remained sitting on the shelves and Luke wasn't about to explore the contents for fear of smelling what might still remain within.

He felt his patience waning quickly as he wiped the back of his hand across his damp forehead. It couldn't possibly be here, so maybe he'd been wrong in what he felt within the Force?

Another nudge.

Go. Move. Search.

"But where?!" he asked aloud. He threw his hands up, looking once more at the shelves before him and the wind-blown entryway that was now closed by decades of settled sand. "Ben wouldn't just leave his journal on a shelf like that. Not something he deemed important, anyway."

Search.

Luke exhaled heavily and closed his eyes once more. Patience. He needed patience. Yoda told him so and he'd yet to learn it, apparently.

He settled his mind and opened himself to the Force again, feeling through his frustration to whatever waited on the other side.

On the other side was another nudge.

Doorway.

Luke turned back towards the pile of sand with a furrowed brow. "Here?" He almost laughed out loud. "Oh, great. So I have to dig through all this?" He shook his head and was about to turn back to see if he could find something to help him dig through the hardened sand, but he stopped.

He didn't need to dig.
He needed to search.

Ben wouldn't have put something important in an old doorway he never used, because maybe that wasn't the doorway the Force was nudging him towards.

Facing the shelves, Luke took one more look at simple structure of the wood and the two containers covered with sand. One was at the top left corner. One was in the bottom right corner. Both vacuum sealed. Both the same color.

Hidden in plain sight, Luke thought.

He extended his palm and closed his eyes. Reaching out through the Force, he moved his hand as though he was opening an old-fashioned doorknob. Before him, the two vacuum sealed containers spun slowly clockwise until there was an audible click.

Luke opened his eyes to see the wooden shelves with the two containers slide open to reveal a crudely carved space out of the sandy rock wall. Within the space sat a metal container. Apparently, the shelving unit had actually been a makeshift safe only penetrable by use of the Force.

Smirking despite himself, Luke lowered his hand. "Used the same tactic I did when I sealed his home, and I didn't even realize it." He nodded and smiled. "Nicely done, Ben."

He stepped into the space where the shelves had parted and brought forth the metal container. He did his best to dust off the top, wiping the excess silt on the pant leg of his flight suit. Upon opening it, he found exactly what he knew he would: the leather bound book he'd seen within his vision. It had a simple leather tie that kept it closed; still fastened by Ben after so long alone in its hidden cubbyhole in the wall.

Luke replaced the metal container and brought the book with him into the living area, trying to work past his own apprehension at what could lay beyond the leather cover. Whatever it was that the Force wanted him to see so badly was about to be revealed and it left him a little nervous.

Pushing past his nerves, Luke tugged at the leather tie and then opened the cover. An old writing utensil - one fashioned in such a way that Luke had never seen before - still lay within. He carefully removed it and began to read the neatly written script of Obi-Wan Kenobi:

What is presented on the following pages are my attempts to reconcile thoughts and questions that haunt my waking hours. They will serve as a review of my life, my misgivings, and my failures. Written memories of signs that I missed that have lead to the moments of the present; a potentially futile attempt at clearing the murky waters of one man's memory to reveal where the failure occurred. Perhaps, at the end of my written search, I will have found answers to my questions.

Luke read the paragraph three times. Each time he felt a tightening within his chest that clenched harder with each read.

He turned the page and read Obi-Wan's first journal entry:

Year One of the Clone Wars
Geonosis Weapons Factory raid, Point Rain.

For all that I can recall, Anakin had been a remarkable leader under crippling circumstances. Though it was not his leadership, fighting, or strategical knowledge that I now question, but his emotional response to his padawan that I recall being troublesome.

Luke stopped reading. His eyes slowly rose from the page to stare blankly at the wall as he digested the first few sentences of the entry, realizing what was being called into question on the page.

Quickly, he flipped past the pages of this first entry until he found the beginning of the next entry:

Year One of the Clone Wars
The incident above Christophsis.

Anakin's strategical prowess was never more apparent than his piloting above Christophsis, however his lack of respect for authority and his decision to directly ignore commands from myself and those in higher positions were made in favor of his own decisions, despite their positive outcome.

Luke stopped reading and flipped past a few more pages:

Sometime between Year One and Year Two of the Clone Wars
Blue Shadow Virus incident, Naboo.

The impatience of Anakin is most notable within my memory here. His hasty disregard for structure, planning, and consideration under which the containment of the virus was crucial nearly lead to what could have been a fatal outcome. Anakin's emotional attachment to both Senator Amidala and his padawan proved to be his greatest challenge during this time, though his heart had been in the right place.

Luke saw the name of his mother and felt his heart jump into his throat. He closed the notebook and tried to slow his breathing as he sorted through the little bit he'd seen so far. From what he could tell, the journal was a collection of Obi-Wan's memories that recounted the missteps he made with his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker. There were pages upon pages of details that spanned the course of the Clone Wars. It was, from what Luke could gather, Obi-Wan's attempt at trying to find where he'd gone so terribly wrong in causing his best friend to become his enemy and, eventually, a monster to an entire galaxy.

A monster who had traded it all to save his son in the end.

Luke stared down at the notebook. The Force had called him here. Had called him to find this notebook and to read its contents, whatever they may be. What lay inside Obi-Wan's memories were the answers he'd been asking himself for months. He wanted to know who his father had been before he'd fallen to the Dark Side, and it appeared that he was about to get his answer.