The Emperor glowered at the holo of Vader kneeling before him. "A son?"
"Yes, my Master," Vader replied. "There can be no doubt that he is my offspring."
Palpatine curled his lip. "Then you know what you must do, Vader. Kill him. Kill them all – Kenobi, the Jedi, and the boy. No trace of the Order can remain. Do you understand?"
Vader did not reply immediately.
"If the boy can be turned," Vader suggested at last, "he could be useful."
"And you dare to suggest that you know what is best for the Empire?" Palpatine sneered.
"No, Master," Vader replied, chastened.
"Then do as I say. You know as well as I do, Vader, that the Sith Order commands that there be only two at any given time."
"That was while the Sith were in hiding, Master," Vader argued, keeping his head lowered. "Now that we rule openly, why not take on followers, build our ranks…"
"Because the larger the Order, the more infighting within its ranks," Palpatine replied. "It is far easier to weaken and divide an Order with many members than an Order with a few loyal adherents. Such was the weakness with the old Sith Order – and the Jedi." He leaned forward threateningly. "The boy must not be allowed to develop his powers, Vader. And whether he be your blood or not, he must die. Do we understand each other?"
"Yes, my Master." The holo fuzzed out.
The Emperor frowned. For all his strength and cunning, Vader had his weaknesses. Traces of Anakin Skywalker still remained within that black armor. And as he had feared, his pursuit of this false Anakin was threatening to resurrect the Jedi within his apprentice.
All the more reason for Vader to do away with both the imposter and his offspring. Once the Skywalker name had been obliterated entirely, there would be no more risk of Vader turning back to the light… and possibly betraying the Empire. He would be irrevocably converted to the dark side, and the Sith's reign would go unchallenged, possibly permanently.
But he needed to be absolutely sure that Vader would carry the order out. There was the possibility that he would disregard the Emperor's order and seek to spare the boy.
He flicked on the projector again, this time revealing the face of an officer. The man bowed low.
"Prepare a shuttle. Set its course for Tatooine. I will be leaving shortly."
"Yes, your Highness."
Break…Jax Pavan was in a real bind.
That wasn't surprising. It seemed he'd been in a fix ever since the Purge went into effect. From his and his Master's narrow escape from the burning temple, to being shot down no less than four times by Imperial ships, to becoming separated from his Master while fleeing a Death Squad on Malastare, his luck had been absolutely rotten from day one.
But this was the worst.
The cave he and the boy had taken shelter in smelled like rancid carrion, unsurprising since he'd had to battle and kill a massif to make sure it was safe. But at least it would keep the two of them from freezing. Tatooine nights were as brutally cold as the days were cruelly hot.
Luke huddled up in a ball beside him, staring into the fire. Jax sighed. How was he supposed to know that Anakin had gone and broken the Codes by getting involved with some woman and having a son? He'd taken the name on in the hopes that it would attract the attention of Jedi Master Kenobi, that the last of the Jedi might be able to fight together. But instead it had attracted this farm brat.
/Well, he is kinda cute/ Jax thought. /And hey, maybe I can train him. If I can get him away from Vader…/
That was enough to send a chill up his spine. The infamous half-machine Jedi-killer, Darth Vader… he'd heard rumors of his ferocity and untiring determination in tracking and destroying the Jedi. It had been sheer luck that he'd escaped him, and he had a sinking feeling that he wouldn't be as lucky a second time.
He reached over and patted Luke's back. Best not to let this boy know his true identity just yet. He'd wait awhile, until they were off the planet. If Luke discovered his falsehood while they were still on Tatooine, he'd probably run straight back to his aunt and uncle.
And Vader would likely find the boy – and force him to reveal the identity and location of the man who had abducted him.
"So where we going to go?" asked Luke.
"I'm not sure yet," Jax admitted, adding a small stick to the fire. Wood was as precious a commodity as water on this planet, and he kept the fire as low as possible to conserve their fuel.
"Not sure?" Luke looked at him incredulously. "You don't even have a plan to escape Vader?"
"Don't smart-mouth your father," Jax ordered. "You've never faced Vader, Luke. You don't know how cunning he is. He can track an escaped Rebel across the galaxy. If I'm going to concoct a plan to get away from him, it's going to take time."
Luke stared glumly into the coals of their fire. "We can always go back to Uncle Owen. He can let us stay there until Vader gives up and goes away."
"You don't understand, Luke. Vader never gives up. The best thing to do is to get off-planet and stay out of sight. Someday Vader will be put out of power, but until that day comes we're both in great danger."
Luke didn't look convinced. "I always thought my dad would be smarter than this."
Jax sighed again. His Master had always said something along those lines – that Jax never used his brain and that he relied too much on strength and luck and not enough on logic and intuition.
"Get some sleep, son," he told Luke. "Things will be better in the morning."
Luke nodded. "I'll try to help you think of a plan." He curled up in a ball and almost immediately dozed off.
Jax shook his head. This kid was bound to be a handful. But maybe he'd have his uses someday. Pulling his robes around his thin body, he went to the mouth of the cave to keep an eye out for danger.
Break…The door to Kenobi's home rattled with the force of the blows some furious visitor was giving it. Obi-wan looked up sharply from his meditation. Who was raising such a racket at this hour? Standing with a wince, he opened the door.
"Where's Luke?" demanded a furious Owen.
Obi-wan kept his features composed in a look of puzzled curiosity. "What are you talking about, Mr. Lars?"
"Where's Luke!" bellowed Owen. "He didn't come home tonight! I know you have something to do with this!" He craned his neck to look around Obi-wan and into his house, as if expecting to find Luke inside.
"I have respected your wishes to have no contact with the boy," Obi-wan replied. "He is not here."
"Get out of my way, old wizard!" Owen ordered, pushing past him and striding into the house. "Luke! LUKE! Don't make me come find you, boy!"
Obi-wan turned back to the door. Beru had been standing behind Owen, and her eyes were red and swollen with worry.
"Come inside, Beru," Obi-wan invited, extending an arm. "This must be a terrible ordeal for you."
She nodded and entered the house. He embraced her comfortingly, but she pulled away after a few seconds. Beru Whitesun Lars was a strong woman, not normally given to hysterical fits. She was taking Luke's disappearance rather well, he thought.
"Have you contacted the Darklighters?" Obi-wan asked. "Luke may have gone there to spend the night."
"He wasn't there," Beru replied. "Biggs got home late, they told us. Something's scared him out of his wits, but he won't tell us what it is. He says Luke's not dead, but he won't say anything else."
The knot of tension that had been slowly building inside Obi-wan relaxed slightly. The Force confirmed that Luke lived. But where could he be? It wasn't like Luke to simply wander off.
Owen stormed back into the living room, having searched the entire small house. He looked rather embarrassed, but his anger – born more out of concern for Luke than out of actual hatred toward Obi-wan – still burned in his eyes.
"Sorry, Kenobi," he mumbled. "I was just…"
"You had every right to suspect me…" began Obi-wan, then froze.
Another, darker presence had just impinged on his senses, one that was subtly familiar, but older, blacker, colder. His heart grew heavy. If Vader was on Tatooine, then surely he knew about Luke. If he had abducted the boy, there was little hope of getting him back. On the other hand, if Luke had escaped, if he was on the run…
"I'll help you search for him," Obi-wan offered.
Owen's face betrayed his thought processes – first annoyance that Obi-wan was once again barging into Luke's life, but then gratitude for his aid. "Let's go, then, before he freezes to death or worse. Beru, we'll take you home first."
"I'm going with you," she said firmly.
"Beru, I don't want you hurt…"
"If you leave me at home, I'll just take the second speeder and go looking myself."
/And she would, too/ Obi-wan thought amusedly.
"Fine, then," Owen snorted. "Let's go."
Break…Vader set the thermal charge and threw it into the false Anakin's house. He turned his back on the hovel and strode away as the building went up in sudden flames.
The datacube had been little help. It had revealed Jax Pavan's identity, true, but it had not contained any hint as to why he'd taken on the name of Anakin in the first place.
He stared into the blackness of the night, seeking, questing. Pavan would die. Kenobi would also meet his fate. But Luke… despite the Emperor' insistence, he knew he couldn't kill the boy. That weakness infuriated him, but it also drove him to locate the boy before Pavan could spirit him away. Perhaps he could keep him hidden from his Master, training him in the ways of the dark side. Then, perhaps, they could overthrow the Emperor, ruling father and son…
But he would make no definite plans until his mission was complete. He still had Kenobi, a formidable foe, to contend with.
Sensing the dual presence of Luke and Pavan, he boarded the false Anakin's speeder bike and opened the throttle, following their signatures in the Force.
