"The chief's coming out now, Captain." Captain Mod Terrik nodded in reply. Cadet Davin Felth, the trooper who had given him the message seemed uneasy.
"Relax Cadet Felth, nothing to worry about," he tried to reassure the nervous newcomer. "This is all routine," Terrik lied through his teeth. Terrik was one of few officers out here on this sunburned planet that knew the true purpose of their quest. Lord Vader himself had personally ordered this mission, a most unusual occurrence. It seemed to Terrik that these droids were worth more than he realized. The boarding ramp of the tall rust-encrusted land cruiser clunked down, and the door opened with a muffled whoosh. The chief Jawa scuttled out toward the sandtroopers. Standing at around one meter in height, the small brown cloaked rodent craned his neck back to peer at Captain Terrik. It chattered at him in Jawa speak.
< What! What is it? >
"We've received reports linking you and your clan to the sale of two stolen Imperial droids. One was a golden plated protocol model, while the other a blue trimmed white R2 astromech unit," he tilted his stare downward at the creature who laughed nervously.
< Y-your description sounds a bit familiar. We may have had some droids like that. >
"You lie. You were in possession of the droids in question and we know it," he pointed at the alien. The Jawa chief hopped backward in surprise. "You now have two choices, cooperate and tell me who they were sold to, or I can find out after your violent torture. Your choice, friend," he patted the blastech rifle held in his grasp.
< I-I seem to recall a moisture farmer- > Terrik abruptly fired several shots into the sand in front of the chief. < R-right, his name was, uh… > The trooper raised his rifle again. < Lars! Owen Lars! > He held his little hands up in a gesture of innocence.
"Good..." Terrik let it hang at that. Behind the unsuspecting leader, his clansmen were being marched out the sandcrawler. Their hands were held upward and their hoods gazed downward. The other Stormtroopers removed their weapons from their holsters. The Jawa chief turned at the noise.
< N-no! You can't do this! This isn't part of the deal- > his plea was cut short as a bolt of searing energy burned into his chest. The little rodent spun end over end and flopped down to rest in front of his clan's vehicle. Terrik gave the signal to his men as smoke rose from the tip of his blaster. They opened fire upon the other Jawas as they screamed, running in all directions. Felth fired several times, deliberately missing his mark. Terrik shot three more, all direct hits in the back. A final pair of Jawas scampered into the distance. A Dewback trooper with a long rifle held out the firearm to steady his aim. He clipped off two shots in quick succession, killing the creatures instantly.
Terrik turned to Felth, "Contact base, tell them to inform Lord Vader we have our moisture farmer. Name: Owen Lars."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A black uniformed officer crossed the Star Destroyer's bridge from the communications station. Vader had his hands clasped at the small of his back, he looked out into the stars. How long had it been since he had been on this planet. It seemed like ages. Memories of his childhood flashed into his mind. Watto. Kister. Wald. Jira. His mother…
"What is it Lieutenant?" He asked, not caring to face the cowering officer.
"Sir, we have received a transmission from our headquarters on-planet. Captain Mod Terrik of the mobile troop division searching for the droids has the name of the moisture farmer who purchased the stolen droids," he bowed curtly. Vader whirled around.
"Bring him onscreen," Vader plodded forward toward the viewscreen. The officer jogged just to keep up with the Sith Lord's long strides. He signaled the other communications officer who then pressed several switches on the control board. The large screen on the wall blinked to life. A helmeted Stormtrooper visage gazed back at Vader.
"Lord Vader," the trooper bowed slightly.
"The name, Captain Terrik," Vader skipped the pleasantries and got down to business.
"The moisture farmer is named Lars. Owen Lars." Inside his black helmet, Vader's eyes widened in amazement. What a nice surprise this was. His mind reeled from the shock.
"Terrik, take your men to the homestead and prepare for my arrival." Terrik gulped several times.
"Yes, Lord Vader," The Dark Lord waved his hand slightly and the transmission ended. He turned quickly, his cape flowing around him. "Prepare my shuttle," he called to an officer over his shoulder. Vader smiled inwardly, heading for the docking bay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Darth Vader stepped onto the soft soil of his home planet for the first time in years. The crunching sound under his boots gave him a welcome sensation he had nearly forgotten.
"It's been a long time…" He murmured as he looked out across the dunes near the hidden landing strip. In the distance, he heard the faint moans of a wild herd of Bantha. Vader sighed. This was it. Home. Despite his breathing difficulties, he longed to remove the mask that sustained him in order to inhale the familiar aromas of the desert.
"Lord Vader," a trooper interrupted his pleasant thoughts. "Your speeder is ready." In wordless agreement, Vader stepped into the enclosed black landspeeder. The driver started the vehicle and headed into the city.
"Faster," he beckoned the pilot. This was nothing compared to the Pod Racing of old. He reminisced about the events and beings he experienced during Boonta Eve. The hair-pin turns and narrow crashes, Qui-Gon, Jar Jar, 3PO, Sebulba… Padme.
No! He chided himself. Those were the old days, gone forever! You are a Sith now. They rounded a corner, sending pedestrians running out of their path. "Faster," he motioned the chauffeur.
Shortly, the matte black landspeeder arrived at its destination. The rear section of the roof slid forward, allowing Vader to exit the vehicle. A Stormtrooper, Vader knew it to be Terrik, boldly marched toward the Dark Lord.
"Lord Vader," he lowered himself to one knee. Vader passed him by. He had no time for a welcoming, his excitement guided him onward. Feeling absurdly foolish, Terrik sprang to his feet and trotted after Vader. The other troopers surrounded the pair of humans, the group stood just above the entranceway to the moisture farm. Owen Lars saw the dark shape of his inquisitor treading nearer. He turned to his wife, Beru, staring into her eyes. They knew what was coming, this was it. The end was closing in. Vader stopped several feet from the apprehensive couple.
"Owen…" The deep voice began.
"Anakin don't do this," Owen held out his arms in a gesture of brotherly love.
"Anakin no longer exists, brother. I am Darth Vader, a Dark Lord of the Sith. It is you who remain what you were," the tinted lenses seemed to narrow themselves upon Owen. "A worthless old man," Vader sneered.
"Please, Anakin, the droids are no longer here," Beru begged. "Our boy, Luke-" Vader flicked his wrist and hurled her into a nearby vaporator. A loud snap filled the air as her back broke in two. She fell to the sand, lifeless. Owen's face showed the horror he felt, the tearing of his heart.
"Now you know how it feels." Owen knew what his stepbrother meant. Padme. Fighting back tears, the elderly man took a step forward. The effort was futile, and he knew this well.
"Anakin, you will pay for all the harm you've caused," Owen's heart rate intensified, his breathing grew more rapid.
"Your pathetic attempt to arouse any feelings of remorse in me is in vain Owen, you will perish for your crimes against the Emperor. There is no escape."
"Just wait, you will get yours," Lars felt his esophagus begin to constrict. "You forget… he will make you… suffer…" Vader's anger flared. He clenched his fist. The farmer's eyes clouded over and his neck cracked as it shattered. Vader watched his stepbrother's body fall to its knees then lay facedown in the soil.
What had he meant? Who is this mysterious 'he' Owen referred to? Kenobi, it had to be Kenobi. Vader shook the thought from his head, his former Master was long dead. The man had been crazy, he knew not what he spoke about. Darth Vader released a long sigh, which sounded like a serpentine hiss through his vocoder.
"Torch the farm, burn their bodies, leave no evidence," he made an about face, heading for the speeder. Vader took one last look at what could have, long ago, been home and entered the vehicle. Never again would he return to this dreadful place, it served no true purpose in his mind. He would return to his ship and assist the Emperor in suppressing the Rebellion. As far as he was concerned, Anakin Skywalker, and all he knew, was no more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A chill ran through Luke Skywalker, as if his insides froze over. He shivered for a moment, and the feeling passed. Obi-Wan Kenobi smiled meekly at the young man sitting across from him.
So he felt it too, he thought to himself. Owen Lars was dead. His leaving sent had ripples through the Force, Ben and his new pupil just now sensed the reverberations. Kenobi's mournful smile faded quickly as he recognized another presence, a darker one. His own apprentice, and the boy's father. The wizened Jedi Master got to his feet and reached into a lock box.
"Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough…"
The End