The two warriors trekked through the hot sand under the scorching sun. With the speeders busted, they had no choice but to use the Force to keep them aloft as they moved toward the only house for miles on this desert planet. The closer they got, the greater the magnetic pull. This was the Force, or some other cosmic entity pushing them toward their destiny.

Was something here they needed to see?

When they arrived, they found a small hill, where at the bottom was a part of the house that stretched outdoors. Over to the side was the entrance to the home, which resembled an igloo they'd see on planets such as Hoth, only this was made out of rock and stone instead of ice.

In the contents of the outdoor part of the house, they found a man walking around, having not noticed either of them just yet. Before they continued, they put their speeders on the ground and hid their sabers; Neither of them knew how these people felt about the Empire OR the Jedi.

"Excuse me!" Avlis called out to the man below.

Upon seeing the two children, the man smiled and waved, "Hello there!" He called out, "How can I help you?"

"We were hoping we could get some help fixing these speeders!"

It took only a moment for the man to climb the sand hill and greet the two children, "My name is Owen Lars. What do I call you?"

"I'm Avlis Bismur," Said the boy.

"Mara Dane," Said the girl, "We were hoping you could fix these speeders for us," She gestured to the broken speeder in her hands, "They've broken down and you're the only person for miles who can help."

Owen took a moment to examine the engines of the speeders. It wasn't hard to see that the cause was blaster fire, specifically that of Storm Troopers. It was suspicious, but If the fire came from Troopers, then these two clearly weren't friends of the Empire, "Drag them on down and we'll see what we can do."

Relieved, the two pulled the speeders down the hill, letting the momentum carry the rides most of the way. Neither of them knew for sure if they could trust this man, but right now he was their only hope.

"So, either of you live around here?" Asked Owen.

"No," Avlis answered, "Just tourists, from off planet."

"Weird place to take a vacation," He mocked, "Let's see what we can do about those speeders; why don't you two sit down over there and I'll take a look at them?"

Owen watched them as the two children took a place under his roof. The excuse of this being tourists was an obvious lie. No one comes to Tatooine just to sight see; they come to gamble and drink and farm. It's a barren world where anyone can hide from anyone. These two were here for a reason, and judging by the blaster marks on the speeders, someone didn't like the footprints they left in the sand.

He never wanted trouble, but trouble seemed to find him and his family.

"Beru!" Owen shouted, "We have guests! Do you mind fetching them some blue milk?"

A young woman came out of the shadows of the partially outdoors house with a smile on her face. Not often did they get guests around here other than the occasional storm trooper. She was delighted it was just two children and not some bitter old man looking for money. That's happened once before and it wasn't a fun day.

"It's nice to meet you both," She said, making her way to the kitchen just a few feet from where they sat, "What are a pair of young people like yourself doing all the way out here?"

"Visiting," Avlis answered, "We were traveling by speeder but we needed repairs. Yours is the only house for miles."

"We prefer the privacy," She answered, "It's just us three out here other than everyone in town, but that's only a short drive from here."

"Three?"

"Yes, our nephew Luke lives with us," She quickly stepped out of the kitchen and called out "Luke! Come meet the guests!"

At her call, a young boy came rushing out from the corner, holding a toy model of a ship in his hands. The child was no older than three with nearly bleach blonde hair. He waved quickly to Avlis and Mara but immediately continued to play with his toy ship. He was a child, after all, so his attention span was less than on point.

Luke was filled with energy that Avlis could feel from where he was sitting. Something about that energy seemed familiar and powerful, yet dormant. That same tingle he'd feel when using the Force is what he could sense from the boy, only unlike anything he had ever felt from the younglings he trained with.

Was this boy Force sensitive?

Beru placed two cups of blue milk on the table for them, insisting they enjoy it before she went off after Luke, who had run off again in a hurry.

Mara could tell there was something bothering Avlis, but she was too consumed by her own thoughts to ask him about it.

All she could think about was what she had done to Helene and the Empire. She had been doing nothing but question her decision since the moment she made it. The Empire was supposed to be her life, and she had thrown it away so easily for a boy she just met. Her choice felt so wrong yet so right all at the same time and it drove her mad.

Owen wiped sweat from his face as he picked up another tool, "The engines on these speeders have a few wires burnt, and others out of place, but it shouldn't take long to fix them up for you," The man walked over to the two children and sat down with them, locking his fingers together and giving them a very serious look, "Be honest with me; the Empire is after you, aren't they?"

With the condition of the speeders, perhaps there was no point in lying at all. "It's complicated," Said Mara.

"What's complicated about it?" asked Owen, "The Empire hates you, so you're hiding; welcome to the story of everyone in the galaxy. Enemies of the Empire are friends of mine is what I say. So, what did you do?"

What didn't she do, she asked herself? She betrayed her best friend and the army she'd sworn too, damaged the Empires name and ran away from it all like a coward. If she mattered to the Empire at all, they wouldn't stop until she was executed for treason.

"We got on their nerves," Avlis said, drinking some blue milk, "Let's leave it at that."

Everyone's story was their own, Owen thought. There wasn't a soul in the galaxy that didn't have a story to tell about the Empire, whether it was working WITH or AGAINST them in some way. You'd have to be very lucky to go your whole life without ever crossing paths with Imperials.

Avlis felt a tug on his pants and he looked to find the young Luke trying to get his attention. The boy was proudly trying to shove his toy ship into Avlis's face, "Look what I made!" he shouted.

"Wow! You made this?" Avlis asked as he examined the toys details. It was made from various materials likely found around the house, but it was put together rather well for someone his age. The wings were made of crafting paper, so it would likely glide if he had thrown it. Little laser pointers were attached to the side and he would press them to reenact laser fire.

"Here! Look at it!" Luke said excitedly.

The moment Luke had placed the object into Avlis's hands, a powerful feeling rushed through his body. Mara could see the change in his expressions vividly. He was seeing something; a vision, perhaps, of a blonde boy in the desert that looked just like young Luke. This young man he saw was to face great dangers ahead of him, and battle terrible foes with a power yet to be awakened.

Those innocent eyes would one day turn wise from the furnace of battle and hardship, and a new era would rise from the flames, and it was all because of this boy.

"That's …really nice," Said Avlis with a smile, "You're gonna go places, kid."

Luke ran off laughing as he pretended to fly his ship through space.

Owen was watching Avlis during the entire interaction. Not often did he see the ways of the old religion, but he knew enough from what he was told to recognize it on sight. The very thought of it diminished his friendly demeanor he had up to this point.

"You," Owen directed at Avlis, "You're a Jedi, aren't you?"

Mara tried to recover the situation by coming up with some sort of lie, one good enough to cover the truth. Unfortunately, Avlis didn't care much for covers at this point and answered only with "Who is that boy's father?"

"It doesn't matter," Owen said sternly, "I'm gonna fix up your speeders and then you two need to get going."

"It's him," Avlis said, "The boy's father, it's him, isn't it?"

Mara felt left out not knowing who he was referring too. Owen only answered with a stern brow before returning to the speeders.

Avlis now knew why the Force had brought them here; it was to see this Galaxy's last, best hope before it blooms.

…

Over an hour had passed since they arrived, and Owen hadn't said anything else to them since the strange interaction between him and Avlis. Mara didn't push it yet as she didn't want Luke or Beru hearing whatever they talk about, and Avlis didn't seem keen on filling her in just yet. It didn't take much longer before the speeders were finally repaired and they dragged them to the top of the hill.

Owen seemed more than happy to be rid of them.

"Be careful not to ride during the night," Owen warned, "That's when the sand people are most active."

"Thank you, Owen," Avlis said, giving one last wave to young Luke at the bottom of the hill.

Owen said nothing more as he watched Mara and Avlis ride away on their speeders, leaving a cloud of dust behind.

Mara looked behind her as they trailed away, and watched as the house disappeared into the dusty world. She, too, knew the Force had brought them there, but only Avlis knew why. Though she thought about stopping to ask him, she also knew that now wasn't the right time. They needed to wait until they were safely aboard the ship and far away from this planet of bad memories.

…

Their speeders managed to take them back to town, where their ship was still waiting in the docking area. After coming close to the settlement, they ditched their speeders in the sand as not to attract too much attention. By this point, the entire town was swarming with Storm Troopers all guarding different buildings and exits. There was no way they could maneuver through unseen. This was going to end in a fight, whether they liked it or not.

From where they hid, just out of range of the town, they could see their ship in the docking bay, guarded by Troopers. Though she was out of sight, Mara could feel her friend, Helene, near the ship as well. Both her and Avlis did their best to hide their presence in the Force, but they would eventually be discovered.

"I can keep them busy," Mara suggested, "And you can get the ship started up so we can get out of here."

"They'll kill you," Avlis warned, "After betraying them like that, they will kill you."

"They'll try. With me, at least they'll hesitate long enough for you to get the ship in the air."

He could see how hard she was trying to focus despite her feelings towards this. She gave up everything for him and whatever they were trying to chase. He knew how much is probably hurt her to do that for him. "I'm sorry," He said softly, "For making you choose."

The apology was welcomed, but she hadn't let herself show it just yet, "Make it up to me when we're off planet."

Helene stood in front of the Arrowhead and guarded it with her lightsaber in hand, ready to ignite and strike someone down should they attempt to board. The perimeter of the area was guarded by her squad of troopers; their guns were set to kill. Even if this was Mara, she couldn't hesitate to bring her down if necessary. She would only get one chance to surrender; one chance to make things right.

"Weapons ready! Target at 12 o'clock!"

Helene perked her attention to the sandy road in front of her, where Mara was walking down. She was still holding the pair of clothes she retrieved from the Temple, tucked in under her arm. Her other hand had her saber grasped in it, ready to be unsheathed should conflict arise. Fighting her best friend was the last thing she wanted to do today, but she may not have any choice.

"Mara," Helene called out, "Didn't think you'd show up."

"I figured I had to," Mara answered.

"You can make this right! Surrender to us right now, and the worst you'll go through is the Rejuvenation process."

Mara knew the Rejuvenation process as a type of punishment for Inquisitors. When a recruit's mind and morals don't match what is expected, they go through a series of torturous conditioning punishments to correct them. Mara had never been through one herself, but she knew people who had and they never came out the same. They lose everything about who they were, becoming more and more like Vader with each session. It's almost a right of passage for Inquisitors.

One she didn't want to take.

"The Force," Mara started, "It's leading me down a path and I have to follow it. I think this might be my destiny, and that it's tied to Avlis."

"What about ME? What about OUR destiny as Inquisitors? This is what we trained for, Mara! This is everything we have spent three years working toward and you're ready to throw it all out after a few DAYS with this boy? Do you …" She paused, "Do you have feelings for him, or something?"

"It's nothing like that," Mara reminded her, "I usually swing the other way half the time, anyhow."

As she kept her talking, Avlis snuck across the roofs of the buildings, silently taking out Troopers one by one as he made his way to the ship. He did his best to mask his presence in the Force so Helene wouldn't sense him coming; that meant not using the Force in any way, not even mentally. He hated being completely closed off like this, like being without your clothes, but he had no choice.

"I'm asking you, one more time, Mara," Helene raised her saber, "Come back to the Empire, to ME and our friends."

The offer, admittedly, was tempting. She always liked being with Helene; training with her, talking to her, and just being near her. There was still a part of her that wanted to return to how things were, and fix what she had done even if it meant rejuvenation. The Force, however, still pulled her in a different direction. If she went back, now, she would never forgive herself no matter how much she would try.

"I can't," Mara dropped the pair of clothes from her arms and ignited her saber. The Storm Troopers raised their guns and got ready to fire.

"No!" Shouted Helene, "She's mine."

Helene charged forward and began merciless swings against her friend, despite how much it hurt to do so. Mara didn't accept being on the defensive, so she pushed back against her with every strike. The Troopers could only watch as their blades collided and sent sparks into the burning sand. Neither of them used the Force, yet, not in a battle like this; they still respected each other too much.

As they fought, Avlis kept his body low and snuck onto the Arrowhead, keeping as quiet as possible by entering through the top latch.

When he was inside, he was immediately greeted by Troy, who was holding a large wrench in his hands and had nearly swung it at him. Upon seeing it was Avlis, he dropped it quickly, "Avlis! Oh, thank goodness! Those Troopers came to search the ship and I knew I had to hide! I wasn't sure if you were coming back! Where's Master Mara?"

"Outside," he answered, "We need to get the ship started. She'll join us once we're ready to take off."

"Aye aye!"

Mara's battle continued outside as the intensity between them grew. They trained under the same teacher, so their skills were nearly equal. As they fought, however, Helene could feel a strong power coming from within her former friend, one that has yet to fully flourish, but has already broken to the surface.

Their blades collided and pushed against one another, trying to get the upper hand as their eyes locked.

"You were my friend!" Helene shouted into her face, "We were supposed to always trust each other!"

"I'm following my heart to something better!" Mara shouted back.

The starting of the Arrowheads engines startled the Troopers. Its engines powering up released a wave of air that knocked most of them down. It was now that Helene could sense Avlis in the Force, aboard the ship that began floating before them with its main entranced opened. Mara shot a Force blast at Helene that sent her flying into the sand, before grabbing the pair of clothes from the temple and jumping onto the ships doors as they closed.

Mara and Helene's eyes were still locked together, right up to the moment the doors closed. The feeling of betrayal was all they could feel from each other; of being betrayed, and the guilt being the betrayer.

There was nothing the Troopers could to as they watched the ship take off into the atmosphere. Immediately they tried scrambling to their ships which were too far away to catch them in time. Helene stayed where she was, watching the ship leave with a tear in her eye. Her one, last friend in the entire galaxy had broken her trust. It was a feeling of pain and rage she never thought was possible, and all she wanted to do was scream.

…

With the Arrowhead now in hyperspace, they finally felt as though they could rest. The air-conditioned spacecraft was a relief compared to the scorching suns of Tatooine. Troy couldn't stop bouncing around, just thankful that he wasn't disassembled or melted down today.

They had not yet deciphered the symbols on their hands, needing a few minutes of rest and peace before getting back to work. As Troy flew the ship, they rested in the living area, allowing their muscles to loosen. Their skin still felt scorched from the suns; nothing a little Force meditation cannot easily repair.

In this moment of calm, Avlis chose to speak up, "I'm sorry I made you betray your friend," He said, "I saw the look in both your eyes as you fought. I know you didn't want to do that, but you did, for me."

"…I did," She sat up straight, letting out a large sigh, "It was hard. You know, I actually used to have a crush on her when I first joined the Empire."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah," Mara's smile dwindled into a frown, "But my training took priority and I …put it off."

"…I never wanted you to …to give up everything you know."

"I'm trusting the Force," She tried to reassure, "I have to believe wherever this goes, wherever it ends …it'll be better."

There was a silence that birthed between them, whether it be out of respect for the others pain and sacrifice, or the uncertainty of what to say. In this moment of peace, however, Mara finally remembered a question she wanted to ask.

"Did you have a vision back at Owens house?" Mara's voice cracked, "When you held that boy's replica ship, you saw something, didn't you?"

He figured she would ask eventually, and now seemed like the right time to finally answer her, "I didn't just see something, I felt something," he sat up, "I saw Luke, all grown up, and wielding a lightsaber."

"He's Force sensitive?"

"Very. The Empire is going to live for a long time but this kid …he's going to be what ends it. I saw glimpses of his future, images of a great planet-sized ship, a battle between blood in the clouds, and …a possible future where the Empire is brought down, and peace is restored."

"Because of Luke? Are you sure?"

"I am …because his name is Luke Skywalker," Avlis paused, "And …I think Darth Vader is his father."

Mara sat back to take this in. She, of course, knew he was telling the truth due to their connection, but It was still a truth she couldn't believe. Vader, the most feared man in the galaxy next to the emperor, had a son? How could that be possible? Why was he on Tatooine and not with his father? "I can't believe it."

"Neither can I, but the future I saw is only one possibility. If it does come true …then Luke will be the most powerful Jedi that I have ever seen …"

This had to be why they were led to Luke's home; it was to see the galaxy's new hope.