9 BBY
Tatooine
Ten-year-old Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi were outside his small hut training as they usually did. Today Obi-Wan was having Luke conduct his meditation while doing a handstand and levitating rocks. It was an exercise he had Luke do on a regular a basis to teach him to stretch out with the force and sense his surroundings. In fact, Luke had become so proficient at it that his master had a new twist up his sleeve today. One he had learned from Master Yoda when he was a youngling.
From where he sat Obi-Wan watched the boy sweat as he tried to focus on three things at once. Now he would throw a fourth and fifth thing into the mix to see how boy responded. "Luke, please recite the Jedi code for me"
This was also something the Jedi Master had him do on a regular basis. Without opening his eyes or dropping one of the rocks he recited the code. "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force."
Obi-Wan stood up and began slowly circling his Padawan as he stroked his beard seeing that the boy was still focused on his endeavors. Once he was satisfied he sat back down and told Luke to recite it again, this time as he recited it Obi-Wan pelted him with pebbles from all angles.
"There is no em…there is no emotion, there i…. there is" try as he might, before he fell to the ground he wasn't able to get the first line out.
The ten-year-old looked up at his master confused and a little hurt thinking obi wan had played a cruel tick on him. He got up and brushed himself off before turning back to his master who had a very amused look on his face much to the boys' chagrin.
"That was cruel Master Kenobi, I was trying to focus and you weren't helping by throwing rocks at me!" the boy fumed.
Kenobi chucked, in many ways Luke was very much like his father at the same age but in stark contrast to Anakin, Obi-Wan usually had to explain the reasoning behind things he did once or twice before Luke understood. "The rocks were part of your training Luke. It's to help you focus amidst the many distractions you will encounter. I'm preparing you for the trial of skill Padawan"
"the trial of skill? The boy asked a little intrigued
"There are several trials a Jedi must face Luke. There is the trial of skill which tests your ability to focus. The trial of courage to test your bravery, the trial of flesh which tests your ability to overcome physical pain, the trial of spirit where you will face the darkness inside of you and the trial of insight which will test your ability to see what's right in front of you" Obi-Wan said. "To reach knighthood a Jedi must pass all the trials unless the council decides otherwise. "
"they sound difficult master" Luke said as he sat beside his master "when will I be ready?"
Obi-Wan chuckled again at the boy's enthusiasm. "it will be several years before you are ready and without the trial chambers we will have to improvise. Luckily for you since there is no council anymore I will be the one who decides when you're ready. Luckily for you, you won't have to prove yourself to Master Windu, he was a very strict teacher. Many believed that passing his scrutiny should have been considered the trial courage" Obi-Wan said as he laughed at his own joke.
"Who is Master Windu? Luke asked once again confused
"He was one of the last council members on Coruscant he was one of the Jedi who attempted to arrest the Chancellor when we realized who he was" Obi-Wan said
"Did he know my father?" Luke asked enthusiastically. He was always trying to learn what he could about the man but it was subject Obi-Wan never wanted to talk about.
"Yes he did" Obi-Wan said as he stood up and changed the subject "come on Luke I think it's time we go see how your aunt and uncle are doing. We haven't visited in almost a month."
Luke followed along behind his master knowing better than to push the subject of Anakin Skywalker. He wasn't sure why but even at ten years old he could tell it was still a very sore subject with the Jedi Master. All he had been able to learn was that he had been Obi-Wan's student and that he had been killed by Darth Vader. From the obvious pain Obi-Wan still felt when he was mentioned Luke figure that his father and his master had been very close.
Vjun
Darth Vader's shuttle was approaching his castle, he had away for a month tracking a Jedi on Imperial Center of all places. He had finally tracked through old Jedi temple down to the dark underworld of the city planet where he quickly dispatched the outlaw. Thought he was unable why the Jedi was there in the first place. It didn't matter whatever his mission was it had ended in failure. Then he had spent two weeks training the boy on his still incomplete Super Star Destroyer Executor. As his shuttle approached the landing bay he could sense his daughter waiting for him. Vader had long replaced any staff members who might be spying for the Emperor with those he knew to be completely loyal allowing her to roam the castle freely. In the 5 years since Vader had found her she had never left the castle on Vjun.
As he exited his shuttle he could see her waiting by the door for him to finish issuing orders to Colonel Redstar before approaching. She knew better than to disturb him until he was ready for her.
"Colonel, there is a prisoner on board the shuttle. Bring him to my sparring room and do so quietly"
"Yes my Lord" the major replied before hurrying up the ramp.
Vader then made his way to his daughter who was dressed in a casual red dress with black trim. It vaguely reminded Vader of the Sith Lord he had seen on Naboo as a boy. Her face betrayed no emotions as he approached her. Since she had been brought here she had been treated almost the same as on Alderaan the difference being where Bail was a kind loving father, Darth Vader displayed no emotions. For the last five years he had been training her in the force. How to shield her presence from force users, how to read thoughts and sense emotions and how to manipulate it to her will. Vader was pleased at her progress with her Sith training which was far different from the Jedi training he gone through. Instead of holding Vader was helping her reach her full potential.
Where the Jedi told you what your task was and gave you the means to help accomplish said task the Sith training was the opposite. Sometimes when he left he ordered the kitchen not to bring her any food while he was gone with instructions to try to catch her stealing it. At the same time, he would tell Leia she would not be fed and to stay away from the kitchen and food storage areas or else there would be harsh punishment. The first couple time she had been caught he had locked her in a cell with a bright light shining around the clock for days at time with only one ration bar every eighteen hours. While she was in there he would not allow her to sleep and force to recite Sith and Imperial history and question her about who her enemies were. Eventually she got quite good at sneaking into the various parts of the castle undetected. He would come back from missions with the kitchen reporting several items missing but no proof the girl had taken anything.
"Hello Lord Vader" she greeted him with a bow. That was another difference, where she called Bail father Vader insisted on being called Lord Vader, My Lord or Master whenever they weren't in private.
"Hello Leia, I believe you are ready for the next phase of your training. Follow me" he commanded as he greeted her. She bowed once more and fell in step two paces behind and followed him to the sparring room which she had never been allowed in before. The dim lights came on as they entered and walked to the center of the room. When he finally spoke it was to ask her a question.
"what is the terrible thing that was done to our family?" he asked
"We were lied to and betrayed by all those we loved and called friends. My mother was murdered. I was kidnapped and you were lied to by the Jedi and even the Emperor" she replied feeling her anger rise as her father, her real father, reminded her of the crimes perpetrated against their family.
"Correct, and how does that make you feel?" he inquired
"Angry, I hate them and I want revenge. I want them all to feel or pain and suffering" she answered making no attempt to conceal what she felt. She had been told that passion was what gave her strength, that her emotions would empower her to do the things that needed to be done.
"And who do we trust?" he asked
"Only our family" she replied
"Recite the code" he commanded
She did as she was told and recited the Sith code "Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me."
"Good, Good you are learning your lessons well" he said "Do you wish to prove yourself worthy to be called Sith and learn the way of the dark side so you may join me in revenge?" he asked her
A small smile creased her face though she expected that question she still felt pride at the offer and was indeed ready do just that. "Yes father I am ready"
As she called him father a corner of sparring room which had remained dark during their conversation lit up revealing a man in stun cuffs with a blindfold and gag in his mouth. His hair was long and grey and he had a long scraggly beard. He was dressed in rags and looked like he hadn't been fed in ages.
Vader reached under his robes and pulled out a long silver cylinder she recognized as a lightsaber though she didn't know whose lightsaber it was. He handed it to her saying "This is an old lightsaber that once belonged to a great Jedi and Dark Lord of the Sith named Darth Revan. I took it from the vaults of the Jedi temple on Dantooine ten years ago when I went there to bring them to justice. This lightsaber is over four thousand years old and holds much power" he told her.
She took the lightsaber from his hand and held it up for a better look. It was slightly heavy but so heavy she couldn't wield it for short period of time before she grew tired if need be. She activated the button and with a snap-hiss a violet blade sprang to life.
"Who is the man responsible for your kidnapping?" he asked her
"Bail Organa and Obi-Wan Kenobi" she said as the man in the corner gasped causing her to look in that direction and notice him for the first time.
Vader watched her closely for a second before proceeding "As you know he was sentenced to the spice mines of Kessel for his crimes when I rescued you. The Emperor has decided that Bail Organa is no longer a threat and ordered him released" he told her, the truth was though the Emperor had not ordered him released nor did he even know the man was still alive and had in fact forgotten about him years ago. Vader was turning her hatred of Organa to hatred for the Emperor. If his plan was to succeed it was imperative that she see the Emperor as the enemy.
"He can't! Bail Organa must die for what he's done!" Anger dancing in her eyes as she screamed at her father.
"What do you think will happen if we let him go back to Alderaan?" Vader asked
"He'll just defy the Empire again; he'll help the rebellion. He's our enemy he must be destroyed" she said her voice rising.
"Leia, I've never done anything but loved you" the man in the corner finally spoke having worked the gag out of his mouth.
Leia turned recognizing the voice immediately and felt her anger rise even more. She looked back at Vader who nodded his head confirming that her ears were not deceiving her, that it was in fact the former Viceroy.
"LIAR!" she yelled turning back to Bail and slowly walking toward him, the lightsaber quietly humming in her hand. "I know the truth! You took me from my mother, you hid me from my father, you and the Jedi betrayed them! You caused her death with your jealousy! You couldn't have kids so you stole me! Then you claim to love me!?"
She was now less than a meter away, she could smell the stink of years in the spice mines on him. She could feel his fear, it was palpable and she drew strength from it.
"Leia please" the former Viceroy pleaded with his adopted daughter "I do love you"
"Enough!" she yelled swinging the purple blade and slicing through his chest before bring it back up and decapitating him. She deactivated the blade and fell to her knees sobbing as her anger subsided after killing Bail Organa.
"what have I done?" she exclaimed
Vader watched all this happen silently knowing that one way or another the Viceroy was never going to leave Bast Castle alive. He walked over to his daughter and knelt down beside her putting a hand on her shoulder. He remembered the first time he had taken a life in anger. It had been the sand people on Tatooine who had kidnapped his mother.
"Leia, this was a test and you passed. I know it was painful to do but you did it anyway. You did what needed to be done. No matter what others might say it's always harder to be vilified for doing your duty than to be a glamorous hero. I know I have been on both sides. You showed that you were willing to sacrifice what you hold dear, yes I know part of you still called this man father, to prove you are willing do what it takes to be a Sith." He said explaining the lesson. It was lesson all true Sith faced at one point. The taking of an innocent life or sacrificing one they loved. It was the only way to prove their dedication. Vader's had been when he cut off Master Windu sword hand. Though it hadn't killed him it had left him defenseless and allowing him to die.
Leia finally got her sobbing under control and looked up at him with tears in her eyes and finally spoke "I am ready father. Teach me and together we will be unstoppable"
"Good, very good my child" Vader said as he got up and pulled her to her feet. He took the lightsaber from here and crushed it in his mechanical right hand letting all the pieces fall to the floor save the purple crystal. "Now your will construct your own lightsaber and your true training shall begin in earnest. But remember, even though you're my daughter I will not hold back. Many have died trying to obtain the title of Sith, but only the strong will prove themselves worthy. In your room you will find a holocron with instructions on how to proceed."
"Yes father, I will prove how strong I am" she replied before taking the crystal and leaving the sparring room.
Tatooine
Obi-Wan and Luke were walking through Anchorhead looking for power converters. Earlier that morning Obi-Wan had stopped by the Lars homestead to pick up Luke for a training session. When Owen happened to mention he was heading into town for power converters the Jedi had sensed an opportunity for further training. He volunteered to run the errand for him and take Luke along with him. Owen Lars had readily agreed knowing that Obi-Wan probably had something in mind for Luke. They approached a dealer known for his shady reputation.
"Luke, why don't you look through the parts and see what you can find" Obi-Wan suggested.
"Sure thing Uncle Ben" was the boys' response as hurried forward to look at the parts for sale. Normally Luke referred to him as Master or Obi-Wan but around anyone other than his aunt or uncle Obi-Wan became uncle Ben, a distant relative of his aunt from the core. Even out here on the outer rim they had to careful, there was still a bounty out for Jedi even after ten years. Tatooine was known as a haven for all types of bounty hunters and smugglers so he was extra careful in town. He didn't even wear his robes, just the modest tunic and trousers of a moisture farmer. As far as anyone knew he lived with the Lars family as a hired hand. He preferred to keep it that way.
He watched as Luke picked through the parts the dealer had to offer. He picked out three decent looking power converters and placed them on the dealers table before going through another bin looking for more. Obi-Wan was well aware that Luke had never had to deal with the dealers before and had no idea how much power converters cost. But that was part of this test to see if the boy could sense the intentions of others. That was why he had picked this particular dealer. A Toydarian named Watto.
"Well looks like you only have three of the parts I need" Luke stated "how much?"
"Ninety wupiupi." The Toydarian replied
Luke thought about it for a second not quite sure if that was a good deal. His uncle hadn't mentioned how much the parts should cost and neither had Obi-Wan when he told him to find the ones they needed. He looked back at his master to see what he thought but all he got was a stare as Obi-Wan stroked his beard watching him. Turing back to Watto he hesitated for a second before saying anything.
"Alright, ninety sounds good" Luke told the dealer reaching into his pocket and placing ninety wupiupi on the table.
"No, ninety apiece" Watto told the boy shaking his head.
That was the moment Luke sensed something about the flying junk dealer he hadn't before. He wasn't quite sure what it was but his senses told him to turn the deal down and walk away.
" two hundred and seventy for three power converters? No thanks" Luke said as he grabbed the money and turned around to walk away.
"okay, okay how about one hundred and eighty for all three?" Watto offered
"no thanks" Luke replied still sensing something amiss
"Fine, all of them for one twenty and that's my final offer" Watto tried one last time
Luke stopped and looked at Obi-Wan again who gave a slight nod of approval. Turning around he looked at the junk dealer and placed the money on the table and grabbed the parts and left without saying another word. After he and Obi-Wan were back on the street Luke looked at his master wondering why he hadn't intervened.
"Uncle Ben how come you didn't say anything" he asked as they walked along.
"You handled yourself just fine Luke, you didn't need me to interfere" Obi-Wan said "come on your Uncle Owen said he needs seven so we need to find four more"
For the next hour they went to several different junk dealers to find the kind of power converters they needed. After getting the last of them they decided to stop for lunch. While they were eating they a saw a commotion taking place down the street. They watched curiously trying to make out what it was all about. His Jedi instincts taking over Obi-Wan looked at his Padawan who was still watching.
"what are you thinking Luke?" he asked
"let's go down there and see what it's about. Who knows maybe we can help" Luke said before wiping his mouth and getting up to head down the street. Obi-Wan left some money on the table for their meal and followed the boy. As he got closer he could see the father of Biggs Darklighter exclaiming that he couldn't find his son.
"HE WAS JUST HERE A MINUTE AGO! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME FIND HIM!" Biggs' father exclaimed.
Luke looked at his master for approval once again Obi-Wan nodded his head without saying a word and motioned for Luke to lead the way. Biggs was one of Luke's friends from school so Luke knew where his friend might have gone. After searching the likely places for his friend with no luck Luke was at a loss. He turned to Obi-Wan for answers.
"I don't know where he could be Uncle Ben, I looked everywhere he might have gone" Luke said
"Calm yourself young one. Reach out and let the force guide you" Obi-Wan quietly instructed so no one overheard them speaking.
Luke closed his eyes and centered himself in the force, he could see pods racing through beggar's canyon. His eyes snapped open and Luke knew where to go though he didn't understand. Biggs had never shown any interest in pods before. Luke took off running towards where the pod owners kept their racing pods. As soon as he rounded the corner he saw his friend leaning against a railing staring at the pods lost in a daydream.
"Hey Biggs! Everyone's looking for you, your dad is about to lose his mind." Luke told his friend as he ran up.
Biggs looked up surprised anyone had found him "Hey Luke, aren't these pods wizard? I've heard people say humans can't fly them but my dad says when he was kid a human about our age won the boonta eve classic. But he disappeared right afterwards"
"I've heard that before myself Biggs" Obi-Wan said walking up behind Luke "But Luke is right, your father is quite hysterical with worry."
Biggs took one last look at the pods before pushing himself off the railing. "one day I'm going to be a great pilot" he said before heading off with Obi-Wan and Luke to find his father.
After getting Biggs back to his father and loading up their speeder with the parts they had bought Obi-Wan and Luke were heading home. Strangely for them their ride was quiet as Luke was lost in thought about the days' events. He didn't speak until after they had finished unloading the parts for Luke's uncle and they were sitting overlooking the courtyard.
"Master Kenobi, today was another test wasn't it?" he asked
Obi-Wan smiled and looked at Luke "you're wise beyond your years my boy. Today I wanted to see how your insight was and between sensing Watto's greed and finding your friend I believe I can safely say that you have passed the trial on insight."
Luke looked at his master and asked "because I let the force guide me." He stated more than asked.
"That's correct" said Obi-Wan" But remember you must always be willing to learn and never be arrogant in your abilities. Every being has a lesson to teach, all you have to do is listen"
Luke sat there thinking about the lesson his Master had just taught. He was also a bit excited, he had passed his first trial. But no matter much joy he felt at accomplishing this feat, deep down he knew he had a long road with many trials both planned and unplanned ahead."