Two weeks later

Darth Vader deliberately stood up and moved to the door of his former master's hut, situated in a rocky area of the Jundland Wastes on Tatooine.

Outside, the twin suns were setting. With darkness approaching, he would need to shut down the power and lights in the hut and move to his concealed ship, currently disguised with desert camouflage fabric, rocks, and a fine covering of the pervasive sand.

When he had landed on Tatooine, 3 weeks ago, he had originally intended to settle near the old Lars homestead. He was confident that hiding near his mother's grave would be so out of character that Palpatine would not think to search for him there.

But to his surprise, a long range Force probe indicated that the Lars homestead was inhabited, though he was not sure by whom. He had thought that the destruction by fire, 4 years ago, would discourage anyone settling there, but the people of Tatooine were hardy and had rebuilt from the ashes.

While he obviously could have destroyed the current occupants, his sole focus was to be secretive, so he had flown vaguely towards the Jundland Wastes in the hopes of finding a suitable habitation.

And to his amazement, he had been both pulled and repelled by an aura of the Light Side. He had landed his ship, searched briefly, and stumbled upon the now derelict home of his former master, Obi-wan Kenobi.

The Light Side aura? On one hand, he sensed the old, grating presence of his former Master. On the other hand, he sensed the more recent, warm presence of his precious son.

Vader had landed his ship that first night, covered it and disguised it, and settled in. The ship, while not especially large, was well stocked for his own particular needs, with water and the specific nutrient packs suitable for his life support suit. He would be able to stay here for several months if he wanted to. A small but fully operational hyperbaric chamber resided inside, and there was a large enough chamber for him to practice his lightsaber skills with remotes. Lastly, the ship carried an extensive array of tools .

That first morning after he landed, he had hesitantly walked through the hut where Kenobi had likely spent most of the last two decades of his life. It was not a large place. There was a small kitchen, a living area, a bedroom, and a fairly primitive refresher. There was also some kind of storage area underneath the hut, though the opening was too small for his large frame. He could have cut open a larger hole with his lightsaber, but for now, he decided to refrain.

The place reeked, or sang, of the Light Side of the Force, depending on one's perspective. Vader would have found it almost unbearable except that Luke had been here, and somehow that made the hut a rather comforting place. There were signs – a robe for a small adult male, left behind. A furnace, clearly used recently to create the crystal for the lightsaber which Luke had been witnessed wielding. Even a few hairpins, doubtless from the Alderaanian princess who was so often in his son's company.

At first, he had felt bitter pleasure about his former master Kenobi who – hero of the galaxy, the Great Negotiator, the quintessential Jedi- had wasted away in this primitive hut for 19 long years on this sand blown planet. While Vader himself lived daily in the prison of his life support suit, he at least had been able to travel the stars. It was sweet revenge that Kenobi had been forced to cower here in hiding, terrified of the Empire, not daring to travel openly for fear of discovery.

A few hours of gloating did not, however, bring him the Dark Side pleasure he expected. Because he knew why Kenobi had settled here. He was watching over Luke. And while Vader was enraged that his son had been stolen from him, he knew – he knew – that Kenobi, that Obi-wan, had gladly sacrificed his own comfort and safety and desires to keep Luke secure. He had to be grateful for that.

That first day, Vader had returned to his ship and spent many hours working on his master plan, the plan to kill Palpatine. And the first task was to completely understand his life support suit and consider what upgrades he must have in place to survive an encounter with his Sith Master.

He used to trust his Master. Indeed, there was a time when he trusted the then Chancellor Palpatine more than he trusted his own wife. He had always loved Padme, he adored her, but he believed that Palpatine's wisdom and experience trumped Padme's idealism and trust in democracy. Indeed, he had turned to the Dark Side at least partially because the elder Sith Lord had wooed him gently for so long. The young Sith Lord Darth Vader had thought he could have it all – his wife, his child, his master – and then, not his master. He had truly believed he was powerful enough to overcome Palpatine at his leisure, and rule the galaxy with his family.

Well, decades of servitude had showed Vader one thing. Palpatine was incredibly powerful. And intelligent. And he saw around corners. Vader had never tried to openly overthrow his master, but even his subtle failures and rebellions had brought about harsher and harsher punishment as the years went by.

Palpatine called him "friend" but the term was more an insult than a compliment. Vader was a slave, pure and simple, and Palpatine wanted him that way.

So, the suit. He had been placed in it while unconscious, and he had never been permitted the resources or time to truly understand all its inner workings. So for at least a season, he would devote his time to uncovering the suit's limitations. He had always been remarkably adept with mechanical things. With time, and focus, and tools, he could make alterations necessary to, among other things, survive a high level blast of Force Lightening. He knew from painful experience that even a low level attack of Force Lightening would bring him to his knees. And Palpatine was such an expert that even with his lightsaber in hand, Vader was afraid he would be overcome, he would fail, in an open fight between them.

And he must not fail. He must not. Luke would never be safe with Palpatine roaming the galaxy. Vader was not sure what the future held. He was not sure if the tattered remnants of the Empire could be pulled together under his rule. But for his son's sake, he would kill the Emperor. If it was the last thing he did.

The days of working on the suit, of practicing lightsaber drills, of spending time in silent meditation, worked strange things on Darth Vader. He had been so busy for so long. Even when meditating, he was constantly thinking of the future and of his son and about his plans for conquest. Here, on this planet that used to be his home, he found a strange and surprising peace. He had hated Tatooine, hated it for its dust and its sand and its heat. Hated the slavery. Hated the Tusken Raiders. Loved his mother desperately, and hated himself and everyone around him for failing to save her.

But now, with quiet and silence and time to reflect, with a ship that would allow him to leave whenever he chose, he found himself relaxed and even quite content. And while he continued to harbor hatred towards Kenobi for his mutilation at Mustafar at his former Master's hands, he found himself, day after day, going into the old hut and working there on the suit. There were times when he almost expected to see Obi-wan step out of the kitchen, he almost thought he saw his old friend's face in his peripheral vision. It should have been frustrating, but in a way it was almost comforting. For many long years, they had been devoted comrades and friends. It was odd to think of that now.

The first sun slipped below the horizon. Vader turned and flipped off the lights and power generators with the Force. He was probably being overly cautious – few came out this far – but it seemed wise to be in his ship, under cover, once darkness fell. The lights of the hut would shine for quite a distance in the darkness of the desert sky.

Vader stepped out of the hut and moved slowly towards the concealed entrance to his ship, when a distant sound reached his amplified hearing.

He stretched out with the Force and turned suddenly. A ship was approaching, and rapidly. Who would be out this far in the desert at night? Who would dare the Jundland Wastes in the darkness, where the Tuskens roamed and the krayt dragons hunted?

A fear clutched at his heart. If the Emperor had located him, he could expect no mercy and he was not ready.

He forced himself to relax, and stretched out with his Force sense towards the ship, which was now nearly overhead. And in an instant, his mind touched that of the pilot. Of his son.

Luke was here. Here? How had his son found him? And were there other rebels nearby, plotting to take him captive or kill him?

He expanded his Force probe. No one else was around. It seemed that his foolish and determined son had done exactly what Vader had told him not to do. Luke had found him and decided to confront him on his own.

The X-wing, for that is what it was, hovered and then gracefully sank to the ground only 100 meters from Vader. The Sith Lord moved forward, lightsaber in his hand, though he did not light it.

There was the faint beep of an R2 unit. Then the hatch opened, and he saw his son remove his helmet, stand up, and leap lightly to the sand.

Though the second sun was below the horizon, there was still enough light to see his son's face. The boy looked and felt calm, and there was no antagonism in his spirit.

Vader relaxed slightly.

"Hello, Father," Luke said solemnly.

Vader sighed, "Welcome, my son."