Chapter 2

AN: Well since I got more feed back on this one chapter over night than I did over a month for my other story, so I think I'll focus on this one for a while.

20 years later (on the Millennium Flacon)

Han Solo (AN: Han shot first), Luke, the newly named elderly man of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Chewbacca had just escaped the imperial blockade on Tatooine. They were now on their way to Alderaan to meet with Princess Leia who had sent Obi-wan a message pleading for help. Han and Chewy were currently in the cockpit, looking out for imperial star fighters and Luke was with Obi-Wan in a spare room discussing how Obi-Wan was involved with the princess.

"So you knew hers and mine fathers?" Luke asked.

"Yes, I did, but how I know him isn't important. It's who he is that we need to talk about." He answered.

"Well who is he then? Is he some sort of important person in the empire? Or is he a rebel leader? Maybe he's a-,"

"Before we talk about that, we'll need to give you a history lesson on before the empire was created. More specifically, the Jedi Order." The old man said cutting him off before he could ask another question. Seeing the young man nod slightly abashed, he continued his tale. "You see Luke, the Jedi Order was an organization founded and run by the Jedis. It contained thousands of them with the purpose of maintaining peace throughout the galaxy. In order to prevent the Jedis themselves from going against our own, they lived by set of principles. They were not to kill needlessly and discriminately, they could not form emotional attachments to others, they could not get personally involved in another's situation where it is not needed, and the one that was upheld the most, they could not have children.

"The Jedi Order lived by these codes and more for centuries, and during that time most of the galaxy new peace, but like all things it came to an end." He said sadly. "Your father was a Jedi Luke. He was easily one of the most powerful Jedi the order had ever seen, but not only was he your father," he said looking at Luke's shocked face, "he is also Leia's." Confusion now replaced shock as he could not quite understand what he was being told. "You and Leia are sister's Luke." He elaborated.

Luke was shocked beyond belief. Not only did he just learn that his father, who he had thought was a deceased bomber pilot, was a Jedi. Now he also knew that princess Leia was his sister. A Princess! "But how? Is he alive? Where is he? Why haven't I met him before?" Luke asked in disbelief as he once again fired off question after question. Kenobi just raised his hand to quell the boy.

"Let me finish. Your father, Anakin Skywalker, always was a bit rebellious and went against the rules and orders quite often, but even I was surprised to find out he was having children. He is alive, but I do not know where he is. Between visiting you and your sister, I had searched all over the galaxy looking for him, but he has disappeared without a trace. As for why you never saw him, I suspect that he was captured on the night the empire was born and the Jedis fell." He said answering all of Luke's questions.

"What about my mother," Luke asked, quieter now, "What can you tell me about her?"

"Your mother was a good friend, one of my best actually. Her name was Padmé Amidala, Queen of Naboo and later its senator. She was travelling with me and my master at the time when we met Anakin on the very planet we just left. He was here as a slave, but he still got along great with Padmé. She was bold, brash, intelligent, and very beautiful. Shortly after we had parted with Padmé, a war had started with a political faction that was called the Separatists. They were really the Sith's secret army that was used to try and destroy the Jedi Order at the time. Your father fought them on the battlefield while your mother stopped them in the Senate. It was during this time that I suspect they got so close to each other and near the end of the wars, well… you and your sister was the result.

"On the eve of your births, the emperor issued a protocol to all of the clone commanders that were stationed with a Jedi all around the galaxy; they were to execute their commanding Jedi that lead them into battle. It was this day that your father disappeared, he had left a holo message at the Temple saying he was going to confront the current emperor who was a Sith Lord in disguise. I fear that the emperor and his assassin, Darth Miran, were lying in wait and subdued him after killing the Grand Master Jedi called Mace Windu, who was sent there to finish off the Sith Lord on his own. That was the last I had ever heard from Anakin.

"I went to see your mother shortly after I had found Anakin's message at the Temple to see if she had seen him recently, she had not. When I told her of what was happening she became frantic and wanted to desperately search for him. As she was about to leave, she went into labor. To keep her safe and hidden in that time of uncertainty I took her to a secret Jedi medical facility where she gave birth to twins, you and Leia." Luke was now enraptured by the story and was looking at Kenobi expecting him to continue. With a sigh conveying his sadness he once again looked Luke in the eye and continued.

"Shortly after giving birth, she named you both and died shortly after." Seeing the look of shock and horror upon his face, Obi-Wan decided to elaborate. "We don't know why she died, but we thought that it was that she couldn't bear to continue on with Anakin missing as he was. Before she died, she asked me to make sure you both new something, something I made sure both of your respective guardians told you daily. She wanted you two to know that she loved both, she loved you both with her last dying breath." He finished his tale with a shaky breath.

Luke was getting teary eyed at the news that his mother died loving him. It was then that Solo came in and ruined the emotional moment for the two. "So do you know what we're going to be expecting when we reach Alderaan in a few minutes?" he asked the elderly Jedi.

"I think she might be held hostage by the imperial fleet or worse, by Darth Miran himself." He answered.

"The fleet!?" Han exclaimed. "You expect us, known smugglers, to get onto a planet possibly surrounded by the imperial fleet!?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Obi-Wan scoffed. "She's might be a rebel spy but she's still a princess. It'll probably a small squadron led by Darth Miran." He answered with a bit of mischief that he thought had abandoned him with the fall of the Jedis.

Surprisingly, Han let out a sigh of relief. "So it's just a small squadron and commander with one of those lightsabers."

Obi-wan frowned at his interpretation of the information. "You clearly underestimate the power of the Sith. Just one of them was enough to set the entire galaxy at war with itself decades ago. They are also extremely proficient in using the lightsaber and that's not even involving how they can use the force to aid them in battle. You take the Sith too lightly (ha-ha, get it)."

"Oh please, so he can use that short ranged sword of his. Everyone knows the force doesn't really exist, or else you would see a lot more people using it. It's just a bunch of Hocus Pocus." Han said disbelieving the threat Obi-wan posed the Sith to be. Obi-wan just looked saddened and disappointed at the obvious disregard for his warning.

With a sigh, the elderly man stood up and reached for the pack he had taken with them from Tatooine. "Then you might want leave because I'm going to give as much training as possible to the young Skywalker here in this 'Hocus Pocus' as you so rudely put it." He said pulling out a helmet and a small spherical droid. With a snort of disbelief, Han turned around and headed back to the cockpit, leaving the two to their own.

Minutes later, Han had returned to the two and came upon the sight of Luke in a shaded helmet that blinded him, while blocking non-lethal laser blasts coming from a floating droid that circled around him with a blue lightsaber and the old man tinkering with a bunch of mechanical parts and two weird looking crystals. "We're about to exit out of hyperspace and into the Alderaan system." He informed the two, startling them both. Due to Luke's lapse in concentration, he got zapped by the blast coming from the orbiting droid. Taking off his helmet, Luke glared at him for breaking his concentration while Obi-Wan paused briefly before continuing what he was doing.

"Excellent," the old man said, "the timing couldn't be more perfect."

Luke looked over to him now curious on what it was he had been working on. "What are you building anyways?" he asked, his irritation with the smuggler now gone.

"Well I told you that the lightsaber you're using now used to belong to your father, and when we meet him again he might like to have it back. So what I'm making is a lightsaber for you to use Luke." He explained.

"Really!? Can I use it now?" the young man asked in excitement.

"NO! You just started using that thing and I don't want you messing up my ship!" Han shouted.

"Here Luke, activate it and give it a few swings to get a feel for it," Obi-Wan said deliberately ignoring Han. Luke grabbed the new lightsaber and activated it, causing a green blade of energy to come forth. After going through a few of the basic motions that Obi-Wan told him earlier, Luke adopted a contemplative look as he studied his new weapon.

"Why is this one green while my father's is blue," he asked, wondering what the significance the colors had in Jedis.

Obi-Wan hummed in thought and smiled slightly at the question. "Your father asked the same question when he built his first lightsaber, so I find it fitting to tell you what I told him, though I will rephrase it to suit this situation of course." He said looking at Luke as he nodded his head in understanding. "Well you see," he began as he leaned forward, motioning for Luke to do the same, "I don't have any blue crystals on me so I used green." He finished causing to Luke to stare at him dumbfounded at such a simple reason. Han just laughed at answer and sat down to see if they could make him laugh again… and so they don't mess up his ship as well.

"What!? That's the reason!?" Luke shouted in disbelief.

"Yes, and that brings us to the Jedi lesson involving the reason for that answer. 'Do not waste your time looking for secrets when there are none, follow what the force tells you instead'." He finished. And then he burst out laughing at his incredulous expression. Suddenly a low red light started pulsating throughout the ship.

"We're about to exit out of hyperspace," Han explained to the two worried looking passengers. "Come with me to the cockpit so we can see if there is any obvious problem." The three of them then made their way to the cockpit where they made themselves comfortable in the empty seats. Chewy then let out a series of roars and grunts to Han. "Alright fellas, exiting hyperspace in three… two… one." Then the streaked forms of the light bent stars snapped back into place and they came upon the view of a asteroid belt. "What the… sorry we must have gone to the wrong system, we'll get back on track in a minute." Han said slightly confused as he reached to re-enter the coordinates once again.

"No, that won't be necessary," Obi-Wan said in a strained, grief stricken voice.

"Eh, why not?" questioned Han.

"This is Alderaan, or what's left of it anyways." Obi-Wan explained as silent tears fell down his face.

"WHAT!? No that's not possible, nothing has enough fire power to reduce a planet to this," Han shouted with an edge of worry while gesturing to the view in front of them. "Chewy, fly through this belt and see if we can locate any life signs." He ordered his long time friend. All of a sudden, a TIE fighter came flying past them from above, weaving its way through the debris with ease. "Now what is one of those doing way out here?" Han asked to nobody in particular as he began to tail it. They followed the star fighter out of the asteroid belt and saw it flying towards a nearby moon.

"I didn't know Alderaan had a moon." Luke said.

"That's because they don't, and that is no moon." Obi-Wan said gravely. He then gasped loudly and clutched his chest and fell out of his chair. A look of shock, relief, and despair written all over his face.

"Ben, what's wrong?" Luke asked the downed man as he bent to help him up.

"Tha-tha-that monster an emperor built that thing. That warship." Obi-Wan explained getting looks of horror from all of his other companions. " but that's not all. Leia is being held prisoner aboard it." He informed the pilots who looked like they just woke up from a living nightmare. "And as I had suspected, Miran is there as well. What I had not expected was that there is also a small legion of the emperor's guard there with him."

Luke just stared, shell-shocked, between him and the planet sized weapon. He knew that there was something he was leaving out, but he trusted the man enough to let him keep his secret. A look of resolve came over his face and he said, "We have to get on there."

"Okay listen kid, that thing there is gigantic, so it only reasons that we wouldn't be able to sneak onto something like that." Han explained terrified at attempting the very prospect of it.

"It doesn't matter if those sensors find us or not. I just felt Miran locate us in the force, luckily I hid my presence in time." Obi-Wan informed the distraught man.

"Then we have to get the hell out of here," he said reaching once again for the hyper drive control. This time he was stopped by the shaking of the ship. "Damn it!" he yelled.

"What was that?" Luke asked him.

"It was a tractor beam. We're being pulled into one of the hangars." He answered.

"Can't you get out of it?"

"If I could have, we wouldn't still being heading towards it now would we."

"This is a smuggling ship. Isn't there somewhere you can hide us?" Obi-Wan interjected.

Han looked thoughtful for a second before slowly nodding. "Yeah, there is. Come with me, I know where you two can hide. As for me and Chewy here, well we are known smugglers but that doesn't mean they have anything on us." He said with a smirk as he led them down one of the few passages on the ship. He then stopped partway down the hall before facing the wall and pushing a hidden button that caused the wall to move and reveal a hidden space. "Alright old man, you're in here. As for you kid," he instructed before facing Luke, he then stomped his foot and another hidden space opened up in the floor, "you're in here."

Luke hesitated a second before jumping down into the dark hole. Han then closed both spaces and walked over to the ship's loading area to wait for his 'esteemed' guests to greet him. He didn't have to wait long, because a few seconds after he made himself comfortable on one the more…legal… cargo boxes, the walkway lowered to reveal a small company of storm troopers. "Greeting gentlemen, or ladies, can't really tell the difference with those big, bulky helmet you're always wearing." Han said, confidence radiating from him.

"We've been ordered to search your ship for stowaways. We have reason to believe that you're harboring wanted fugitives." The trooper up front, who Han guessed was the captain, said while completely ignoring Han's jab.

"Alright, search away. There's nobody here besides me and my copilot. Isn't that right Chewy?" Han asked yelling back into the ship. A loud, throaty roar came in response. Han then turned back to look at the troopers. "Well, are you coming aboard or not? Unlike you, I'm actually very busy."

The storm troopers all came aboard at once and began to systematically search his ship. Han was about to go check up on Chewbacca when he suddenly felt a sense of unease about him. Turning around, he saw a hooded dathomirian staring at him from the other side of the hangar. It had a yellow face with black markings framing his eyes, mouth and cheek bones. He, like all the others of his kind, had a ring of horns protruding from his skull. Unnerved by the sight of the hooded figure, Han suppressed a shudder and turned back to go further into his ship.

When he turned down the hallway where he hid his clients, he almost ran into one of the storm troopers. "So did you finish looking for nothing?" Han asked.

"Yes, we have finished our inspection." The trooper replied.

"Really? Did you even check my safety room?" Han asked, feigning surprise.

"Safety room? Hold on a minute." The trooper ordered, before calling for two of his comrades to come with him to check out the supposed 'safety room'. "Alright, lead the way." The trooper ordered Han.

Han then led them down another corridor before stopping in front of a slightly discolored panel on the wall. He then pushed against it and moved the panel to the side revealing a small, hidden room. The troopers walked past him and proceeded to enter the room. When all of the troopers were in the middle, Han pressed a button on the side of the door, triggering an electrical burst to electrocute the troopers and knocking them unconscious. He then donned a concerned persona and called out, "Hey! Troopers! We need help over here, some of your guys just collapsed!" Sure enough, the other four troopers came racing down the hallway from both ends. Keeping on his concerned citizen expression he pointed to the fallen clones. "I just came down here and they were collapsed like that, do you know what's wrong with them?" Han asked innocently.

Three of the four new arrivals went to check on their fallen comrades while the fourth stayed behind in case there was a hidden enemy. Suppressing a smile of victory, Han drew his blaster and shot the fourth trooper in the back of his head before he quickly pressed the same button again, causing another electrical shock to pass through the interior of the room. He then went back to free his clients from their respective hiding spaces. "Alright, I got good news and better news. Which do you want to hear first?" he asked them.

"Surprise me." Obi-Wan said.

"Alright then spoil sport, the good news is that I knocked most of the troopers unconscious, the great news is that I got us a plan to go get the princess without getting caught." He said smugly.

"Really? What is it?" asked the ever curious Luke.

"Alright listen up; I'm only going to say this once got it?" Han said, and then he told them his 'brilliant plan.

"I can't believe this actually worked," Luke complained as he got rid of the last of the dead storm trooper's bodies.

"Relax kid; it's a classic for a reason," Han said, "now, to find out where they're keeping the princess." But R2 had already beaten Han to it and pulled up her location onto the main security screen. "Little show off," Han muttered under his breath.

Obi-Wan then got up and started heading off down the corridor that led to the prison cells. "I'm sorry, but this is where we part ways for now." He said.

"What!? Why? Where are you going?" Luke asked slightly distressed at the thought of separating from the experienced Jedi.

"I'm sorry Luke, but there is something I have to go do. Just make sure you get yourselves and Leia out of here as soon as possible, but please wait a few extra minutes for me. If I do not show up after five minutes when you get on the ship, leave without me." He then headed off on his own, not waiting for either of them to reply.

"Agh! We have to get going kid, before the next rotation of guards comes around." Han said, exasperated at their situation. With that the three of them then headed off towards the princess.

Obi-Wan was currently heading down one of the endless corridors, confident that he knew where he was going. He then stopped at a corner and silently, through the force, told the squad of troopers to go down the next corridor on their left, before they reached him. After hearing their footsteps fade into the distance, Obi-Wan then made his way down where the squad had come from. He soon came across two of the imperial guards standing side by side in front of a prison cell.

The two guards caught sight of him almost immediately. Both dressed in their crimson red uniforms, they activated their Qinatas and advanced upon the former council member. The first one, when he got in reach, thrust his spear forward in an attempt to stab him in the stomach. Obi-Wan side stepped the attack and swung his own weapon at his head. Before his attack could connect however, he had to step back to avoid being skewered on the second spear that was thrust over the first guard's shoulder. Before either of the guards could take advantage of his opening, Obi-Wan had once again swung his light saber, but instead of trying to wound or kill his opponent, he swung to disable their weapons. He succeeded in slicing the second guard's spear, but the first had managed to pull back his weapon enough to catch the light saber on his own light weapon.

When he thrust his spear forward once again, Obi-Wan moved to the side and swung down towards the guard's hands. Since the second guard was now weaponless, his swing went on its course unimpeded. The guard fell to the ground due to the force of the blow. Obi-Wan had to give him credit for the only sound he made was a grunt of discomfort instead of a scream of pain at having both of his hands cut off. He quickly capitalized on his small victory by thrusting his blade forward to the other guard's chest, killing him quickly. He then spun around and decapitated the kneeling guard. Deactivating his light saber, he made his way to the cell they were guarding.

Seeing a force lock for the door only confirmed who he believed to be on the other side of this door. Opening it quickly, he stepped into the room only to find a figure standing before him, illuminated by a single light above. Removing the hood on his head, he tilted his head forward in acknowledgement and respect for the individual before him. "It has been a long time hasn't it, Anakin?"

Seeing his former padawan for the first time in years brought a smile to his face. It soon disappeared as he saw that he was frozen in a form of carbonite. Unlike the carbonite prisons used now that trapped the person in a block of carbonite, this one only covered the person a layer of it. Sighing softly he said, "You always did manage to get in the worst of trouble." He then moved him into a transporting chamber that he saw on the side of the wall and moved it with the force to make it trail behind him. "Now to take care of that pesky tractor beam so we can get out of here."

He found the generator for the tractor beam after a bit of guidance from the force, and he quickly deactivated it before any patrols came by. Just as he was about to leave, he saw Han, Chewbacca, Luke, and Leia all crossing a bridge parallel to his. Luke was the first to notice him and yelled out, "Ben! What are you doing over there?"

"I was shutting off the tractor beam," he replied calmly.

Luke then noticed the strange looking box, but could not see into it as it didn't have any windows that allowed him to do so. "What's in the box?" he asked.

"The reason I came here in the first place, now catch boy," he called out to not only Luke, but Han as well. He then lifted the box containing Anakin with the force and gently pushed it across the chasm and set it down on the other bridge. "Now take that to the ship and no matter what, you mustn't leave it behind."

Luke scratched his forehead and looked a bit sheepishly before saying, "Uh, we're kind of lost actually."

Obi-Wan just sighed. Just like his father I suppose he thought. "Go that way and take the second right, I'll meet you there." He instructed before he took off. A short time later he met up with Luke and the others at where he told them to.

"It's good to see you again Master Kenobi," Leia said to him.

"And I you little one. Now we can exchange more pleasantries later, after you tell me why you all smell as if you were in the dung pile of a rancor. Now I suggest we get moving before Miran finds out I took this." He said looking at the box that contained Anakin.

"What's in the box anyways old man," Han asked.

"Something very important, I will tell you more later so let's go already," Obi-Wan said, beginning to become a bit impatient.

"Alright, so which way then oh wise leader," Han said mockingly, only to be hit on the back of his head by Leia who was glaring at him for his blatant disrespect.

"This way obviously," he said pointing at the direction he was heading in. They all then proceeded to follow Kenobi, with Han and Chewy pushing the newly acquired cargo along.

After a short time, they came into the hangar once again. "Now let's get on board and get the hell out of here," Han eloquently said. As they were heading towards the ship, Leia noticed the distinct lack of storm troopers.

"You are not the only one who can hide their presence in the force Master Kenobi," a voice called out. "I have spent a long time hunting you, and every time I would catch up you would slip away." This caused Obi-Wan to tense up as he suspected who it was that was talking. "I would love to enjoy taking my time with you, but alas, you have taken something you shouldn't have so I have to kill you quickly and put it back." Then a cloaked individual stepped out of the Millennium Falcon. Han recognized him as the dathomirian from earlier.

"Darth Miran," Obi-Wan identified the man, "You cannot have this back I'm afraid. It belongs to nobody and I plan to set it free," he said stating his intentions with the mysterious box.

Miran took an unconscious step back as a look of worry crossed his face. Realizing what he had done, Miran became slightly angry and said, "You saw the state it was in, do you believe you won't be attacked as soon as it is free?" Miran said, spitting out the word 'it' in disgust.

"Don't worry, I have always place my faith in him," he responded while patting the box fondly. Now all the others in company were severely confused on what was going on, they had initially thought that it was some sort of device inside the box, then an animal with how Miran addressed it, but now Obi-Wan was saying it was a man. They did not know what to believe. "Luke, I need you to take this box away and protect it no matter what. Leia, you too need to protect it, for the man inside could very well change the tide of the rebellion." He informed the two. The two of them looked determined to do as they were told, Luke because he had never seen him look so serious and Leia because now she knew the rebellion needed whoever it was.

"Finished saying your goodbyes? Good, then now you can all… Die!" Miran yelled while lunging forward and drawing his lightsaber simultaneously. Obi-Wan brought his lightsaber up to parry the Sith's attack.

"Go now!" the Jedi yelled, "I will hold him back while you get on the ship!"

Luke hesitated, "What about you? Will you be alright?" he asked.

"I have faced two different Sith before him and killed one of them." He said. Seeing Luke still hesitating to go with the others he also said, "There are only three people alive who can currently best me in a fight, this man is not one of them. Now GO!" he yelled. Reluctantly, Luke did as he was told and ran off towards the ship.

Miran kept on thrusting and slashing at him from all angles, but the old man parried, blocked, or dodged all of them with apparent ease. "You are outclassed. Give up Miran," Obi-Wan said, a bit of the old general coming back to him. Miran just growled at him angrily. "Then let me show you how out of your league you are." He said. Then he used his control over the force to stop the next swing of Miran's blade abruptly. Seeing the shock on Miran's face, Obi-Wan sighed before using the force to send help him push the Sith Lord. The Sith Lord was expecting to be pushed back a few meters; he was not expecting to be pushed through one of the steel walls on the other side of the hangar.

Pulling himself out of the hole he made in the wall, he shook off the debris that was clung to him. Looking back to the Jedi, he saw that he was missing. Looking around, he saw him boarding the ship. Slightly panicking at them leaving with his prisoner, he raced to try and reach the ship before it took off. Unfortunately for him it was too far away and by the time he got there it had already left the hangar and entered hyper space. Anger and fear consumed him, anger for letting the Master escape once again, and fear for now he had to tell Sidious. Seeing red, he turned and destroyed the closest thing to him, which happened to be the squad that inspected the Falcon. After severing them into pieces, he left to go inform his master of his failure.

Meanwhile with the crew on the Falcon, most of them were allowing themselves to celebrate their small victory. Finally, they exited out of hyper space and appeared somewhere in the Outer Rim. Obi-Wan walked up to Han Solo and asked him, "Is there somewhere private I can go to get some peace? Preferably away from the others if possible." Han understood as he took a quick glance between the Jedi and the box, he then led him down a hall to his 'safety' room.

"Nobody should bother you in here, just be careful. From the way Darth Miran talked about what's inside that, it's not very pleasant."

"Well I doubt you would be very happy if you learned that everything you ever knew, and all that you loved, was gone." He then waved his hand to Han in a dismissive gesture and turned to face the container. Han, taking the hint, took his leave and left him to open whatever was inside it. When Obi-Wan was sure that he was gone, he opened up the container, and with the force, lifted the carbonite form of Anakin out and onto the ground. About to dismiss the container entirely, he saw the gleam of a device at the bottom of it.

Taking it out, he saw that it was a unfreezing device. "Everything you ever needed always did fall into you lap, didn't it." He said to Anakin. When he activated the device, he put it on the ground by Anakin as it released the anti-carbonite gas that would eventually free Anakin. He then sat down, made himself comfortable, and then proceeded to wait for his surrogate brother to awaken.