Getting clearance to land in Anchorhead was surprisingly easy. Luke supposed that the Imperial TIE fighter and the presence of the largest, most powerful ship in the Imperial Fleet meant that there were very few people who would dare to deny a port. Luke climbed out of the ship and surveyed the primitive spaceport. His time on the Executor had gotten him quite accustomed to the best technology in the Empire.

He glanced at his surroundings. His father would most certainly be looking for him, and if he wanted to stay hidden, he would need to find passage off Tatooine. It didn't matter where he went, only that this was not the place to be. He looked around him, and saw a beat-up Corellian freighter with a man apparently arguing with a giant creature that Luke immediately recognized as a wookiee. The man wore casual garments, so Luke assumed that he was self-employed. He walked over, hoping to barter passage.

"Hey, kid, what're you starin' at?" The man snapped, taking in Luke's strange appearance—after all, someone who wore all black on a desert world was a bit of an oddity.

"I need passage off Tatooine," said Luke. If this man was as illegitimate as he seemed, then there would be much fewer questions asked.

"You jus' got here," said the man, indicating the shuttle. "And I did, too. You think I'm crazy enough to pick up some kid who stole an Imp ship?"

Luke fell silent. "How long will you be on Tatooine?"

"Not long, hopefully," said the man with another easy grin.

"I will pay you for passage to whatever planet you're going to," said Luke, hoping that he would accept.

The man snorted. "You think I'm gonna buy that, kid? How old are you, ten? I'm sure tons of kids have thousands of credits to their name!" Luke's eyes flashed with anger and the man seemed to notice. "Calm down, kid," said the man quickly. "I didn't to mess with you. I jus' can't take you is all."

Luke used a subtle mind probe to confirm that the man was a smuggler, as he thought. "How much do you think a TIE fighter will go for, then?"

The man paled. "You're sellin' it?"

"If you'll give me passage."

The man grinned. "I got someone you can sell it to, kid," he said. "I'm Han. Han Solo. This is my first mate, Chewie."

He motioned towards the enormous wookiee. "Come with us, kid," he said with another friendly smile.

"I have to go somewhere, first," said Luke. Han noticed the first sign that the kid was younger than he acted. The shadow of pain crossed his face, and Han noticed for the first time the strange, raw burn on the boy's neck.

"Hey, kid, what happened to your neck?" he asked him. It certainly didn't look like he got grazed with blaster fire.

Luke tensed. "Nothing," he said tensely. An image of Dase's body flashed in his mind and he beat it down savagely. It was not the time to reflect on his actions.

Han held out his hands in the universal symbol for peace. "Calm down. Where do you gotta go?"

"A farm near here," said Luke quietly. "It won't take long."

Han grinned. "No problem," he said. "Let's go."

Every single man and droid on the Executor knew very clearly that Darth Vader was not happy.

Vader had ruthlessly murdered two men who had given less than clear accounts of what had happened in the mess hall, and had then chopped ten droids to pieces with his lightsaber.

The Sith mentally sighed. Luke was not on the ship. The ship's scanners picked up no sign of him, and the ship's occupants had not found anything peculiar.

So, he was not on the ship. That meant he was on Tatooine, or on a suicide flight through space, unequipped with a hyperdrive. He wouldn't be that stupid, would he? TIE fighters didn't even have rations on board.

The question was, why had Luke been provoked enough to kill someone? Vader couldn't imagine a reason other than annoyance. Had he even realized he was killing the boy? Accounts told him that the Dase boy had dropped to the floor and Luke came to his senses, stared at the body, and ran away. One of the stormtroopers said that he had seen another boy run after him, but no one else had confirmed it.

There was no point searching space or Tatooine until Vader knew for sure where Luke was. It was time to find this boy, the one who had run after his son.

"This is it?" Han asked, raising his eyebrows at the remains of the farm where Luke had grown up. They jumped out of the rented speeders and Luke walked around, clearly subdued. "What's your problem, kid?" Han asked, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his trousers.

"He killed them here," Luke mumbled, falling to his knees on the dusty ground. "

"Who killed who?" Han asked, confused. "Why'd you want to come here, anyway?"

Luke didn't respond. "Listen, kid… We've gotta negotiate for the TIE, okay? Let's get outta here. This place is depressin.'"

Luke nodded slowly, still entranced. Raising his brow, Han got back in his speeder. "Listen, head back to the spaceport when you're ready, okay? I'll be there." With that, he turned his speeder around and zoomed away, leaving Luke in a cloud of dust.

Luke wasn't sure how long he sat at the place where Beru had fallen. When a shadow fell over him, though, he looked up to see a man he'd only seen once or twice in his life. "Crazy Ben?" he asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

The older man lifted Luke to his feet. "The question is, what are you doing here, Luke?"

Old Ben.

Crazy old Ben.

Crazy old Ben Kenobi.

Luke went very pale, and then anger filled him. "You," he hissed, stumbling back across the ground. "You're Obi-Wan!"

The man seemed to be sad. "Yes, Luke. I am."

"How dare you touch me? I know what you did!" Luke screamed, forgetting about his actions in the mess hall and the pain of Tatooine and remembering the dreams, the horrible dreams. "You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you!"

Luke tripped over a rock and fell to the ground. Despite himself, he felt tears start to fall down his cheeks. "Do you know what you did to him? I hate you! You deserve to die!"

"Luke, listen to me," said Obi-Wan softly. "Your father is corrupted by the Dark Side. The Emperor has made him a Sith, and thus made him evil."

"The Jedi are evil!" Luke shouted. "You're evil!"

"From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I made mistakes, Luke. We all have."

"How can you look at me? How can you look at me here and talk to me?" Luke cried out, his anger almost forgotten in place of pain. "If I had my lightsaber I'd kill you!"

"Luke, if the Emperor ordered it, your father would kill you," said Obi-Wan. "He is a slave to the Emperor, Luke."

"No! You're lying! My father wouldn't kill me, he told me so!" Luke said, the events of the day weighing him down. "You're a liar, and you betrayed him, like the rest of the Jedi! If he's corrupted, it's your fault!"

"Luke… You cannot let the Dark Side take you over like it has your father," said Obi-Wan gently.

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked, tears still streaming from his face. For an instant he remembered the power he had felt as he had choked the life from Dase's body… He shivered and focused on his father's mortal enemy in front of him.

"The Sith use the Dark Side of the Force, Luke. The Jedi use the Light Side," Obi-Wan explained. "The Dark Side is powerful, yes, but it warps those who use it. It can take the most noble of men and turn them into Darth Vader."

"What about you? You left him to die! You left him to burn alive!" Luke shouted. "Nobody would do that to someone! Nobody who claims to be good, at least!"

Obi-Wan looked truly sorrowful. "No one has ever returned from the Dark Side, Luke. I should have killed him that day, but I could not… My love for him was what stayed my hand." He laughed bitterly. "So, in a way, you are right. It is my fault that Vader walks this earth. I drove him from the Jedi, and I let him live."

"He was a Jedi?" asked Luke suddenly, despite himself.

Obi-Wan looked past Luke to the desert. "Yes," he said slowly. "Anakin Skywalker was a hero. He was the Chosen One, the man prophesied to destroy the Sith."

"You were the Chosen One, Anakin! You were supposed to destroy the Sith, not join him!"

Luke tried to absorb this information. He calmed himself enough to ask questions. "Then… Why did he become one?"

He again saw a flash of helpless pain in Obi-Wan's eyes. "He thought that the only way he could save your mother's life was to join Palpatine. Palpatine convinced him that it was his only option." Obi-Wan observed the newly subdued boy before him. "Come with me, Luke. I must speak to you."

"No!" Luke shouted, standing up quickly. "Maybe my father was a Jedi, maybe he wasn't. But if a Jedi left him to burn alive, I don't want anything to do with them."

"I regret that day more than any other in my lifetime, Luke," said Obi-Wan softly. "I am sorry for what happened. I cannot change the past, I can only use it to better my actions for the present and the future."

"Shut up! You don't know what he has to live through every single day!" Luke said angrily. "You pretend to understand what you did to him, but you have no idea. I know. I know what he has to do every day just to stay alive!"

Obi-Wan bowed his head. "I have made many mistakes, Luke. One of them was in thinking that I could train your father. Another was in not keeping close enough watch on you. Do not make the mistake, Luke, of thinking that the Dark Side is your only option. It was the Dark Side that made you kill that boy today. Do not let conquer you."

Luke paled. "How do you know about that?" he whispered, trying desperately to keep his actions in the back of his mind.

Obi-Wan sighed. "The image projects itself from your mind, Luke. But you must fight the Dark Side. You must not let it overcome you."

"But what side is good, then?" he asked softly, subdued.

"It is the Light Side of the Force that does good, Luke," said Obi-Wan, sensing that he had made an impression on the boy. "Renounce the Dark Side. It will only bring death and destruction. The Light Side brings serenity and peace. Come with me, Luke."

Slowly, as though he was still processing what the old man told him, Luke stood, and Obi-Wan rested his hand on the boy's shoulder. "The Dark Side's hold on you is not strong, Luke," said Obi-Wan gently. "Don't fear."

Luke jerked away from Obi-Wan's hand. "Don't touch me," he spat.

"Release your anger into the Force, Luke," said Obi-Wan. "You cannot seek revenge. Your hatred for me, for what happened to your father, is what made you kill. Forgive me."

"I can't," Luke whispered, staring up at the man. "You don't understand. I can't."

"Why not?"

Luke's eyes flashed. "I know exactly what happened. I lived it."

Obi-Wan felt the prickle of unease. "What do you mean?"

Luke shuddered as if caught in some long-ago memory. "I dreamt it," he said shortly, glancing up to the Jedi.

Obi-Wan froze and attempted to collect himself. No wonder the boy hated him as much as his father did! It was this same hatred on Vader's part that kept him a slave to the Dark. If Luke was suspect to the same… "Luke, listen to me," he said urgently. He turned towards the boy. "I am sorry for what happened. But that does not change that it did. Your anger over it does not change it. Revenge will not change it, will not heal him. If you want to save your father from his hate, you must become a Jedi. That is the only way. But first, you must release your own anger. You must achieve calm."

Luke stared at him. "How?"

"Come with me, Luke," said Obi-Wan gently. "I'll show you."

Luke looked at the Jedi Master a long time. Finally, he nodded slowly. "Okay."

Vader surveyed the boy with interest. He was not nearly as afraid of him as normal people were. He was scared, of course, but he was composed, much like his transmissions from the Kessel incident had indicated. He had a good head—Vader would welcome his presence as a fighter pilot. "You are Cadet Captain Lang, correct?"

"Yes, my lord," said the boy, standing with his legs set slightly apart and his hands behind his back.

"Tell me what happened in the mess hall." Vader didn't need to ask, of course, but he wondered what the boy's interpretation of the event was.

"Cadet Dase attempted to provoke him," said Lang. "He tried several times, making references to Skywalker's prosthetic hand. He failed to get a substantial reaction from Skywalker, so he turned his attack on something else."

Vader winced almost imperceptibly. So Dase had found out about Luke's hand. He didn't notice Lang shrewd eyes on his body posture. "And what was the new subject of his attention?"

"You, my lord," said Lang, showing the first sign of discomfort.

Vader was slightly surprised. His son had been provoked over his father? "And in what way did he attack me?"

Lang clearly didn't want to say. "My lord… I don't know if that is important…"

"Cadet Captain Lang, I will decide what is important and what is not," said Vader immediately, inserting a tone that he knew would strike fear into the boy.

The boy sighed and looked at the floor. "If I recall correctly, Cadet Dase indicated that he had nothing to fear from Skywalker if his father could not manage to keep himself off of a respirator."

"I see," said Vader, more than a little surprised. Luke had killed a boy in defense of his father? This was an interesting development. "And what happened then?"

"Skywalker Force-choked Dase. He didn't seem to realize what he was doing, however, until after he was dead. He looked at the body and ran away. I followed him to the main hangar, where he was preparing a TIE for flight. I asked him what he was doing and he told me that he was going home. He then used the Force to make me leave."

Vader sighed to himself. So he was on Tatooine. Why? The boy had told Vader himself that he disliked the planet. At least he wasn't trying to fly through space in a snub fighter, but leaving for Tatooine showed that his actions had scared him. Vader hadn't meant for the boy to progress this rapidly. If he could already kill people in the manner that his father preferred, then the Emperor would find him dangerous indeed.

This was another reason to be grateful that the Emperor seemed to have accepted Luke's supposed weakness. If they returned to Coruscant and Palpatine learned of Luke's true potential… Vader suppressed a shudder.

He turned to the lieutenant at his side. "Prepare my shuttle," he told the man. "I am going to Tatooine."

Luke sat silently in the humble house that belonged to Obi-Wan Kenobi. "The Anakin I knew would have wanted you to have this, Luke," said Obi-Wan, handing the lightsaber that his Padawan of old had made. "He loved this weapon."

Luke accepted the metal cylinder, marveling at the workmanship the maker had obviously had with mechanics. "You took it from him," he said slowly. "On Mustafar."

Obi-Wan winced. "It was the worst night of my life," he murmured to the boy, who looked at him, eyes dull. "I loved Anakin."

"Like a brother," Luke finished, his eyes still on the weapon. "He told me the Jedi tried to take over the Galaxy. He told me that the Jedi had betrayed him."

"No, we did not," said Obi-Wan heavily, moving and sitting across from Luke on the table. "But… in a way, we did betray him."

"What do you mean?" Luke asked, tearing his eyes away from the lightsaber and looking back at Obi-Wan, whose face he remembered so clearly, albeit he remembered the man thirteen years younger.

"We asked Anakin to spy on Chancellor Palpatine," said Obi-Wan. "Palpatine found out and used that to help sway Anakin to the Dark Side by convincing him that the Council did not trust him."

Anguish came over Luke as he remembered the body at his feet, the lifeless eyes of the boy that he had killed… That was the Dark Side. "What if I'm already too deep in the Dark Side to get out?" Luke asked quietly.

"Luke, you can overcome it!" said Obi-Wan quickly. "Forgive those who wrong you and control your anger! Do not let fear, guilt, and pain rule your actions!"

Luke stared at Obi-Wan for a few moments. "My father used the Light side the night after my first dream"—He stopped himself.

Obi-Wan winced as he remembered the failure. "I…" he didn't have any words to say.

Luke ignored him. "But… that night, he calmed me down," he said. "It was peaceful. He told me that I could do it through meditation, but it never felt like that."

Obi-Wan felt a faint spark of hope. He tucked it away quickly, as though it would shrivel if he spent too much time thinking about it. He swallowed. "That was the Light Side."

The boy looked at his gloved right hand, and Obi-Wan remembered with a sickening jolt the hand that he had found clutching the Padawan's lightsaber. "Then if I can return, can't he?"

Obi-Wan didn't know what to say. "Luke… I fear that he has delved so deep that it is impossible. He cannot let go of his anger and hate, and thus he cannot escape the Dark Side.""I don't accept that," said Luke firmly. "He can come back. I can bring him back."

"Luke… it is pointless," said Obi-Wan sorrowfully. "He is more machine now than man, twisted and evil."

"Only because you made him that way!" Luke shouted suddenly, and then hung his head, trying to calm himself. Obi-Wan ignored the barb of guilt that wormed its way into his stomach. "He can still come back," Luke persisted. "You don't know him."

"I knew Anakin. He was very stubborn," Obi-Wan reminded the boy. "There is no return from the Dark Side."

"Then how can I come back?" Luke countered.

Obi-Wan hung his head. "You must, because you are our only hope," he said quietly. "We have no choice but hope."

They sat in silence for a while until Obi-Wan said finally, "You need to get off this planet. You need to escape your father and the Emperor."

"Why?"

Obi-Wan shut his eyes in frustration. How like Anakin Luke was, he thought to himself for a moment. Incessant questioning. "Your father is here, Luke. You must not let yourself be caught. You will become a Sith like he is."

Luke swallowed. "Then where do I go?"

Obi-Wan started, feeling for a moment that he was back with Anakin, that he was reprimanding him for a foolish trick… He heaved a sigh. "You will know when it is time," he said. "Good luck, Luke. I only wish that I could help you."

"That's it? You're just going to tell me to abandon my father?" Luke asked, furrowing his brow. "He's my only family. I can't leave him."

"You must," Obi-Wan urged. "You don't understand, Luke."

"What if I try to turn him?" Luke suggested. "Then he could leave the Emperor!"

"He is bound to Palpatine, Luke," said Obi-Wan. "The bond between Master and Apprentice is one almost impossible to break."

"Then how did it break between you and him?" Luke asked shrewdly.

Obi-Wan bowed his head. "They are mistakes of the past," he said. "Focus on the present. Find passage off of Tatooine, Luke. You must go."

Luke seemed resigned to what the Jedi Master said. "I will," he said finally. He stood, and clipped his father's old lightsaber to his belt.

"May the Force be with you, child," said Obi-Wan as the boy climbed onto the landspeeder and left him in a cloud of dust. He hung his head, the guilt and sorrow overwhelming him for a brief instant before he reached for the Force to calm himself.

Vader could not feel his son's presence on Tatooine as his shuttle drew nearer to it. Of course, the shields that he taught his son to create were hiding him. The irony caused Vader to clench his fists. Luke certainly did not want to be found.

Suddenly, he felt a flicker of the force, one that was familiar. In surprise, Vader nearly let go of the controls. Obi-Wan. That his former Master was on this planet infuriated Vader. So he had hidden Luke from him and stayed here in hiding, knowing that he could not defeat the Dark Lord of the Sith. Gunning the ship, he flew towards the flicker. Luke was not getting off the planet in a TIE fighter, he reasoned. The time to seek revenge had come.

"She's in prime condition," Han told Jabba's cronies as they inspected the fighter. "Pristine. She'll fetch my price easy."

"And where, exactly, did you get her?" the taller one asked.

"A little kid dropped it off," said Han truthfully. "What matters is that it counts for my debt. Have we got a deal, gentlemen?"

"Fine, Solo. But if she self-destructs, or something"—The taller one let the threat hang.

"She's not gonna explode," Han said exasperatedly.

"Deal," said the taller one finally. "Jabba may accept this."

"Good. He'd be an idiot not to," said Han, grinning, just as a blond boy sprinted into the spaceport. "Have we got a deal?"

"We can't know for sure," said the first one.

"Come on, she's a beauty! Her guns are even charged," Han protested as the boy skidded up to him. "You know he'll take it."

The second alien looked with some suspicion at Han. "All right," he said finally. "Deal."

Han beamed. "Great. You can take care of everythin.' Come on, kid," he said to Luke, who looked far different than the boy he had first met. He seemed calm, somehow, and he had clipped a metal cylinder to his belt. Han's eyes widened as he recognized the weapon of the Jedi. Swearing to himself, he climbed into his beloved ship and called out, "Comin?'"

Vader felt the presence of his former master as though he was standing in front of him. He clutched his lightsaber and climbed out of the shuttle, alighting on the ground. He saw the ramshackle house. Obi-Wan was standing in front of it, his face troubled. "Vader," he acknowledged.

Vader stalked forward. "Lord Vader, Kenobi," he said, showing as much venom through his mechanically aided voice as he could, not that he needed to express his anger through words. The very air crackled with the Dark Side.

"Anakin…" Obi-Wan began. "Pull yourself free from the Dark Side. It corrupts you, yes, but you have not completely succumbed to it. I know that you have not."

"That is not my name," Vader said, raising his lightsaber and activating it.

"No, Darth Vader is not your name," said Obi-Wan forcefully. "You have a son, Anakin! Your life is not lost! You no longer need the Emperor!"

"The Emperor is my Master," Vader said, walking to the older Jedi.

"No, the Emperor is your owner! Anakin, you were a slave once, do not let yourself be one once more!"

Obi-Wan suddenly knew that he had gone too far. He barely had time to reach his own lightsaber before that of his former Padawan's was brought humming through the air towards him. "Kenobi, you are the last of the Jedi!" Vader said angrily as they dueled. "Once I kill you, the Jedi will be no more!"

"You're wrong, Anakin," said Obi-Wan, beginning to tire under Vader's furious assaults. "There is still a Jedi within you. And Luke will become one."

"I am Darth Vader," Obi-Wan's opponent hissed as he swept the blade up in a viscious chop. Obi-Wan blocked it with some difficulty.

"Listen to me, Anakin," Obi-Wan wheezed as he was forced to use physicality with the man whose limbs were made of durasteel. "I am sorry for what happened!"

That his former master was as presumptuous to speak of his injuries infuriated Vader, and with one last strike, he whipped his lightsaber around in a fatal stroke.

Obi-Wan's body vanished, leaving nothing but a pile of robes and his lightsaber.

Vader stood there for some time afterwards, until he remembered his former master's last words. "And Luke will become one."

And in realization, Vader was filled with fury that he hadn't felt since he had learned that Padmé was dead. It had been a set-up—Obi-Wan had let Vader become aware of his presence, had fought him, and had died, just to allow Luke time to get away. And he had fallen for it—Luke was lost to him because of his own thirst for revenge.

Finally, he roused himself and returned to his shuttle. This was not over. He would find Luke.

"Hey kid. Ever been to Alderaan?"

The boy looked up at him. "Once," he muttered.

There was a slight jolt as the Millenium Falcon leapt into the air, and began to leave the atmosphere. "Yeah, well, we're there for the wine," said Han with a roguish grin. "Fetches a high price, if you take my meanin.'"

Luke stared at Han for a moment, without saying anything. "Thanks for the ride," he said quietly.

"No problem. Your pretty little TIE fighter took care of a debt. We're square," said Han. "What's your name, anyway?"

Luke thought a moment. Should he tell the smuggler his true name? He sighed, realizing that if his father was going to release his name, he'd give out his picture as well. "Luke Skywalker," he said. "I was a pilot trainee on the Executor."

Han nearly choked as the left the atmosphere and saw the immense ship before them. "What?" He whipped around. "You stole a TIE from that ship?"

Luke nodded.

Han pointed to it. "That one?" He let out a barrage of curses. "Sith, Luke! Don't you know that that is Darth Vader's ship? Do you really think he'll be okay with having one of his TIEs stolen?"

Really, Luke thought to himself wryly. Darth Vader's ship? Feeling a tinge of nervousness, he mentally checked his mind shields. Still up. "He won't miss it," Luke said aloud, which was true. He'd be much more concerned over his missing son.

"I'll be the judge of that," Han said, pushing the freighter to its limits and finding a clear space to activate the hyperdrive. What had he gotten himself into?

"—so I had jus' been taken pris'ner, right, and the wine that I gave the twi'lek earlier finally started to work! He fell asleep two feet from me, with two blasters and the key for my binders. I got outta there in five minutes!" Han finished his story and looked expectantly at Luke, who had not seemed to realize that it was over. He groaned. "Look, kid, I'm not gonna be so happy to give you a ride next time if you don't lighten up. What's your problem, anyway?"

Luke glanced up. You mean besides the fact that my father is Darth Vader and is currently probably unleashing the entire Imperial Navy to find me? He sighed. "Nothing."

"Then you're always this depressed?"

"I'm not depressed," said Luke, sitting up. He touched the burn on his neck and winced. Sith, it seemed like it had been ages ago… Once more, he saw the lifeless body of Dase before him. He shut his eyes and shook his head quickly to rid himself of the image.

"So, where'd that happen?" Han asked, rummaging around in a drawer.

"I dueled Darth Vader. He took the worst of it, though," said Luke, knowing that the smuggler wouldn't believe him.

Han stared at him for a moment before breaking out into laughter. "Good to know you have a sense of humor, kid, at least. Here." He handed Luke a Bacta patch. "Bacta patch. Heals anything."

"Thanks," said Luke, applying the bandage to his neck. It heals anything? If so, why wouldn't it heal his father?

"Don't mention it. Though, if the Big, Black Battery Pack decides to come after us, you're gonna need more than a Bacta patch when I'm done with you," said Han.

"The what?"

Han rolled his eyes. "Darth Vader, kid." Han could have sworn that he saw a flicker of anger pass through Luke's eyes before it disappeared.

"Oh." The response was terse and controlled. "Where are we?"

Han glanced at the control board. "Dunno," he shrugged. "Chewie always sets the route for hyperspace. We could be near Coruscant or circling Dantooine, for all I know."

"I'm going to get some sleep," said Luke. "Or try to," he added, as another image of Dase's body flashed through his mind.

"Sleep tight!" Han called as Luke disappeared into the passenger lounge.

"He's fine, Chewie," Han muttered crossly as the wookiee roared something. "What could have happened to a ten-year-old, anyway?"

Chewie replied with a seemingly angrier growl.

"Ah, what do you know? Who's the human in this outfit, huh?"