"This is the place?"

"According to the Lieutenant, it is."

"Incinerator troops, they never leave anything behind." Major Brasine sighed, shaking her head in annoyance.

"I'm not so sure Incinerators did this," I muttered, my arms folding over my chest as I surveyed the charred-out homestead. "Professional flame troopers wouldn't have even left the building standing. This feels different, less... deliberate."

"I suppose that's true… What do you think then?"

"Sand troopers, probably. Look at the skeleton, or rather what's left of it. Unlike his wife, Mister Lars made it out of the burning house but didn't make it up the stairs before he fell. Either he was hit with a flame thrower at the door or-"

"He was shot when he ran out and then burned to cover the evidence."

"Or the place was torched when a touchy officer was denied what he wanted."

"Why? Why would they target this place? This is nothing, it's nowhere."

"The droids were dropped from an escape pod, yes? Then I'd wager that they fell somewhere in the near vicinity."

"Or Jawas picked them up."

"I'm sorry, Jawas?"

"Tinkers, thieves, scam artists. They're desert scum and scavengers, but they'll trade with humans every now and then. Especially the moisture farmers. Water's more valuable than kyber in the desert."

"What do they have to trade?"

"Most typically? Droids."

"Well, there you go. So, odds are good either officer was hunting those droids, tracked them here, couldn't find them, and ordered the home burnt in retaliation?"

"It's probable."

"If that's the case then where did the droids get off to before they were spotted in Mos Eisley?"

"There are a number of hamlets scattered around within speeder range but one sticks out as odd," Brasine frowned as she handed her data pad over to me. My eyebrow climbed as I looked at the orbital image.

"That's… Small, even for Tatooine. And only one moisture condenser? I counted at least fifteen in close vicinity to this house alone."

"The Lars were moisture farmers, getting what they needed and selling the excess. Whoever lived in this hut obviously wasn't worried about money."

"Not in the least… one condenser barely would have kept him alive. Alright, what do we know?"

"The hut is approximately four and a half clicks from our location, so it's within walking distance if that was necessary and a quick speeder trip away."

"Hm… Something doesn't add up here. We have to assume the old Jedi lived in that hut, but why come here?"

"He was hiding."

"If you were going to hide from the Empire you wouldn't live this close to civilization without cause, even on a backwater like this. And you especially wouldn't hunker down this close to Geonosis with the Imperial presence there."

"Right, the Death Star began construction there, didn't it?"

"That's right. So, no, this planet should have been out of the question entirely. If you were a Jedi, where would you run?"

"So deep in the unknown regions that no one would ever find me again."

"While burning every single lead from your previous life."

"Which would be easy for a Jedi of the Order. Their lives were the Order, once it was gone they'd only need a starship with a hyperdrive or a ring to escape. Assuming the stormtroopers didn't get you first."

"Clones, Major, they were still the clone troopers at that point. But you're correct. So why would a Jedi come here, this close to this farm? Why here in particular? What's so important about it?"

"Admiral, maybe we're thinking about this backward?"

"What do you mean?"

"We assumed that the droids just ended up on this planet by accident, and they stumbled here to this homestead conveniently within walking distance of a jedi. That would be a hell of a coincidence, and I don't believe in coincidence."

"Neither do I. What are you saying?"

"The droids were sent to the Jedi."

"Damn it…" I frowned tightly, my eyebrows tightening as I thought over it. "If that's the case, this wasn't just any Jedi. This is one with close ties to the Rebellion."

"A Jedi Master?"

"Maybe even a council member, I know there were a few who got away from the clones and are still wanted." The Major nodded and tapped on her datapad.

"There are only two Jedi High Councilors unaccounted for: Yoda and Shaak Ti."

"Well, neither of those two would be mistaken for the old, human male Jedi on the Death Star. Yoda's certainly old but he isn't human, and Shaak Ti fits none of the criteria," I said before the Major sucked in a breath.

"Kenobi's date of death is consistent with the security breach on the Death Star."

"Kenobi? As in Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

"Yes."

"How interesting…"

"What's interesting, Admiral?"

"Something I'll have to confirm later. We need to speak with the locals, immediately."

"Alright, are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"An old war rumor," was all I said as I turned back to the Reaper. My Death Troopers fell in step with me as Major Brasine rushed to keep up.

"That's all you're going to tell me?"

"Look up Kenobi's connection with Tatooine, Major."

"I didn't know he had any connection at all."

"It was shortly before the death of Qui-Gon Jinn, his master. Which happened at the battle of Naboo when the Naboo took back their planet from the Trade Federation. Many consider it the opening skirmish of the Clone Wars even though it was fought a decade before the war officially began."

"Which explains how you know about it. I didn't know they taught much modern war history at Prefsbelt."

"Well, I took a class that specifically dealt with the prewar state of the Republic, so pretty much modern war history," I chuckled slightly as we took our seats, with her sitting across from me. Seconds later, the Reaper lifted off and shot forward.

"Where to, Admiral?"

"The closest settlement we can find."

"As you wish." The pilot said as Brasine frowned.

"I can't find anything for Kenobi and Tatooine."

"There was a pod race, it would have been… Uh… twelve, thirteen years before Imperial Formation?"

"A pod race?" Brasine scoffed but tapped rapidly on her datapad anyway. Her eyes widened when she found what she was looking for. "A human won a podrace? I mean that's impressive but- wait… a nine year old? That's insane! He'd have to be Force Sens- oh… oh my… General Skywalker was from here? Not as in just Tatooine, but he was born in Mos Espa?"

"Yes."

"Oh sweet Force… Oh, you don't think–"

"I don't think anything, Major, but the facts are that Kenobi (and it likely was, in fact, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi of the Jedi High Council) returned to his old Padawan's home planet just minutes from where Skywalker grew up - and right under the Empire's nose while he was at it. I don't know what happened to Skywalker, but reports say Lord Vader himself killed Anakin. So, if you were Kenobi, why come to the most obvious place in the galaxy?"

"Because it's the last place you'd look."

"Could be, but I get the feeling there's more to it than that."

"Sir, we're putting down," the pilot said. I nodded and stood up as the Major scrambled to her feet as well. The hatch opened, and the desert heat rushed into the cabin. I jumped out, my boots thudding against the sand, echoed by my Death Troopers.

The Reaper had been set down in front of another hamlet, a dingy little thing with fewer moisture condensers than the Lars homestead but still a respectable twelve.

"Now, I'm just 'bout tired uh y'all 'perials comin' to my door unan-!" A man barked as he ducked under the door, only to freeze as he put eyes on me.

"I do apologize for the disturbance, sir, but I assure you we will be gone rather quickly."

"Th-those ain't storm troopers…" his voice quavered as he came closer. "Who are you?"

"I am Admiral Thorn, may we finish this discussion inside?"

"Aw, hell… Marj!" The man called over his shoulder.

"What!?" A woman's voice called before a wrinkled, plump lady wobbled out of the house intent on berating her husband until she laid eyes on me. "Oh- Guests, is it?"

"Yes ma'am, we won't be long. We're just trying to get some answers."

"Oh, of course dear… though I am afraid your- er, friends? Won't be able to fit inside. The roof is rather low…"

"I'm afraid they're going to insist, ma'am. They'll also want to make a quick sweep before I go inside. They are rather protective of me."

"Damn straight. Privates Alpha-0787, Beta-5555 on me." The Sergeant said as he and the two troopers slipped into the house. Two minutes later, they returned with a twenties something and tossed him on the sand. He got to his feet and stood in front of his parents protectively.

"Why do you people keep coming back!?" The kid roared. I raised an eyebrow as the Sergeant pushed him back to his knees.

"Do not make this difficult on yourself, we mean you no harm."

"That's what the last Imp who came here said, then the Larses were dead!"

"That's the reason we're here," I said easily. "In the course of our investigation, we've found that what was done to them was reprehensible."

"So you- you're getting justice for them?"

"In a matter of speaking," I nodded as the older duo looked at each other while their son scoffed.

"Ain't no Imperial justice, not that I've seen."

"Then perhaps we will change your view." I said easily. The parents nodded uneasily.

"Do you want to come inside?"

"If it's not too much of a bother, ma'am."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all!" She said, nerves obviously frayed but she was still trying to be civil.

"Your son will have to stay here until we're finished, I don't believe he likes me very much and we wouldn't want him to do something he'd very much regret later."

"O-of course, Admiral," the father said. The boy's eyes almost popped out of his skull as he looked at me, then my rank placard, and then me again. He swallowed thickly before looking at the sand.

"Please, no need to stand on ceremony," I smiled, but neither of them returned it.

"Right this way." I nodded and followed the two inside as my troops fanned out and secured the doors. "What is it you want to know?"

"We visited the Lars homestead, I am sorry to say we recovered two bodies-"

"What about Luke?" The woman asked. "Do you know what happened to him?"

"Luke…" I frowned, pulling a datapad and tapping it. "No, I don't have a reference to a Luke here. Was he their son?"

"No, no, Luke was Owen and Beru's nephew. Poor dear, they took him in after the war, he's an orphan, you see."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it's a damn shame," the father sighed, shaking his head. "Both his parents died at the end of the war… Actually woulda been just as the Empire formed, least that's what Owen told me. His Grandmama died years before that. Sand people… That was a tragedy… His daddy was from here. Fought in the Clone War and all, would never say anything about his momma though."

"Oh, Jer, you know Beru was that boy's momma! She might not'a birthed him but she raised that boy as her own. You see, Beru couldn't have children and she always wanted a boy. Luke was her little miracle."

"So we have Owen and Beru accounted for, but Luke Lars-"

"Oh, no Luke wasn't a Lars, dear, he's a Skywalker."

"Anakin Skywalker had a son? Why didn't we know about this?"

"His own aunt and uncle likely didn't even know who his mother was, Major-"

"No, for this conversation, you can call me Artemis. I think I've earned that at least."

"Artemis, alright then. Call me Thomas," I said, reaching into my desk. "You want a drink?"

"Hell yes," she muttered as I pulled a bottle of Alderaanian sweet brandy and a pair of glasses from the bottom drawer. "So, anyway, where were we?"

"Luke Skywalker's mother." I poured a few fingers into each glass and pushed one toward her. She nodded appreciatively and took the glass.

"Right… I still can't believe it," she shook her head slowly as she sipped the drink.

"I can't either, but at least we know who this new Jedi is. Anakin Skywalker was a monster of a Jedi Knight, what will his son be capable of?"

"I don't think either of us will want to figure that-" She was interrupted by a beeping from my desk. I frowned as I checked what the alert was.

'Incoming traffic, Imperial Centre,' flashed across the screen. I swallowed my whiskey in one go and turned to the Major.

"Excuse me, Major, but you may want to make yourself scarce." She raised a blonde eyebrow at me as I stood up and pulled back on my uniform shirt and cap.

"What's happening?"

"I have an incoming call on the holo from Imperial Centre." She immediately stood but before she could walk out of the room, the holo sprang to life without me touching the receive call button.

"Admiral Thorn, I do not appreciate being kept waiting." Lord Vader growled. I blinked in surprise but didn't let any other hint of shock show on my face.

"My apologies, my Lord, I was not expecting your call. Major Brasine and I were discussing a break in the case."

"What have you found?" He still sounded peeved but slightly less so now that he was getting answers.

"The YT-1300 freighter belongs to a smuggler named Han Solo, he's wanted by Jabba the Hutt. He owes the Hutt in excess of 20,000 Imperial credits."

"And the passengers?"

"We believe the old Jedi to be-"

"Kenobi."

"Yes, my Lord."

"An old man that's been hiding in the desert for nearly two decades. He is connected to the Rebellion, is he not?"

"Yes, my Lord, he is. The droids were sent to him intentionally by Leia Organa, they carried the plans for Project Stardust. We also have a theory as to why Kenobi was hiding in the desert." Lord Vader gave nothing away as he spoke.

"What is this theory?"

"We have found a likely candidate for the Jedi Pilot, and we believe this with greater than 90 percent certainty, my Lord. There was a boy who lived in the home of one Owen Lars by the name of Luke Skywalker. Kenobi's hamlet was less than five kilometer's from the Lars' homestead."

"What?" Vader growled. My throat felt tighter, and it was becoming difficult to breathe.

"Yes, my Lord, we have come to believe that at the end of the Clone War, Anakin Skywalker had a son. Kenobi was either asked by his former padawan to watch over him or he took it upon himself to do so. We do not know much regarding the boy's history, but what we do know is that it is unlikely that Kenobi was training him. Everyone we've interrogated said that Luke Skywalker was a normal moisture farmer, if an exceptional pilot.

"Most likely, Kenobi was simply hiding and watching over the boy. We know that Skywalker's aunt and uncle raised him on a moisture farm and that he did not do much to standout among his peers. He even had plans to try to join the Imperial Academy or Flight School. As for the Jedi? Kenobi, using the moniker of 'Ben,' has apparently been somewhat of a hermit; the aunt and uncle never permitted Kenobi to spend much time with Skywalker."

"What is their status?"

"With the exception of Skywalker whose whereabouts are still unknown, they are all dead, my Lord. In regards to the Larses, I am unsure if the fault lies with the Garrison Captain (who is now a lieutenant) or a Commander Auril. We know for certain that when we arrived at the farm we found it burnt to a husk yet the structure remained. It was not the work of professional flame troopers."

"There is a bounty hunter who is well known for disintegrating his targets."

"You're talking about Fett? The Clone?"

"Yes."

"It's possible… He is well known for taking contracts with the Hutts, especially Jabba. But this wasn't the work of a professional. Whoever did this was angry, unprofessional to the extreme in my opinion. They let their anger get the best of them and had everyone on that homestead killed. If it were Fett's work, I would wager the Larses would be alive today or we'd never find their bodies."

"Owen Lars?" Vader asked. I blinked in surprise again but tried to keep it off my face, but it was getting more and more difficult to do so.

"Yes, my Lord." Vader turned his head to look at me even more directly - even though I didn't know that was possible.

"Do you believe they knew what project Stardust was?"

"No, I do not. I believe they were the unfortunate souls to stumble across the droids. We located the escape pod some thirty kilometers from the Lars' homestead, no droid would have made it that far in Tatooine's conditions without shutting down. The working theory we have is that the Jawas captured the droids first and traded them for water. This is made more concrete in that we found a Jawa crawler full of droids disabled in the desert nearby. As the Lars' are known to be some of the more successful moisture farmers in the area, we believe that the Jawas went to them first."

"Yes, I agree… The droids' objective was Kenobi, was it not?"

"Indeed. He lived four and a half kilometers from their homestead."

"Four kilometers." Vader's basso rumbled my office even through the holo. A chill ran down my back, but it was gone as quickly as it came. "You have done good work, Admiral. I will expect an update should you find anything else."

"As you wish, my Lord." I saluted before Vader cut the connection. I stood stock still for a few moments longer before my eyes found the wide-eyed Major.

"Lord Vader himself has your Holo contact?"

"Yes, it appears he does." I frowned, looking back down at my glass and picking it up. I was far too on edge to sit down now.

"The next time your holo goes off, remind me to run…"

"Lord Vader does have that effect on people, and it's even stronger face to face."

"Force…"

"Indeed."

"Do you think Lord Vader will join the hunt now?"

"For Skywalker? Absolutely. The Inquisitorious is likely frothing at the mouth knowing there's a new Jedi out there for them to catch - and Lord Vader still has the highest Jedi headcount in the Empire. The best we can do is focus on finding the Rebellion. We find them, we find the Jedi for Lord Vader." I sighed, removing my cap and running a hand down my face. I sniffed, poured another glass, and downed it in one go. I sucked in a deep breath through my nose to try to soothe my fried nerves, then looked at Artemis who still looked ready to run. "Now, Major, would you care to join me on the bridge? I was planning to do this in the morning but now… I doubt I'll be able to relax for a few hours at least and have a Commander to question." The Major smirked and downed her drink, too.

"With pleasure."

"Admiral, you wished to see me?" Commander Auril asked as he nervously shuffled aboard my bridge. He was a gaunt man bordering on sickly, accentuated by the fact that he was already in the later stages of male pattern baldness, even if he couldn't have been older than 35, and twitchy as a wamprat. He fidgeted with his uniform nervously as I raised my eyebrow and looked him over.

"Commander James P. Auril, is it?"

"Yes, sir, that- that's me."

"Hm." I frowned, tapping my datapad as a pair of Death Troopers loomed behind the Commander. "You're the one who was responsible for recovering an escape pod from a CR90 corvette - the Tantive IV?"

"That's right…"

"Your report states that you found it but did not find anything of interest."

"That is correct, sir." The man marginally relaxed as he settled into the familiar pattern of a debrief, even if it wasn't with his direct superior. "The pod touched down roughly fifty kilometers from Mos Eisley. It was empty when we found it but the hatch was open."

"What did you do next?"

"I recalled my stormtroopers and sent a missive to the Garrison Commander at Mos Eisley. I ordered Captain Cain to dispatch his Sand Troopers as they were best equipped to handle the situation."

"I see."

"Yes, sir, I would have dispatched a Company of Storm Troopers to hunt them down but I was on strict orders to do no such thing."

"On whose authority?"

"Admiral Crowe's, sir," he said. "He wanted all assets ready if a starship should escape. We had the entire planet picketed, I happened to be on the far side of the planet when the YT-1300 launched. His ISDs were also unsuccessful in apprehending the YT-1300 when it escaped the planet's gravity well."

"I see… I've been informed that this particular vessel had been heavily modified and outfitted with a .5 rated hyperdrive. No ship in our fleet could have caught that haulcraft when it made the jump."

"Understood, sir."

"Very well. What do you know of Owen and Beru Lars?"

"The Civilians the Captain ordered killed when he couldn't find the droids?" The commander's nostrils flared.

"When I spoke to him, he insinuated that it was you, Commander, who gave the order to torch the homestead."

"Sir, my only interest in this case was recovering the droids. As I said, I did not deploy any of my own forces nor was I the Sand Trooper's acting commander during this time. I do not know why the Captain gave the order he did, nor could I hazard any guess, but I find his actions unbecoming an officer. However, I'm afraid I could not oversee his court martial myself as he is an Army asset but I would have seen him spaced for what he ordered, sir."

"Do you know what happened to him?"

"No, sir, I do not."

"He was busted down to Liuetenant, junior grade, but allowed to keep his command."

"I- Sir, that doesn't make sense."

"No, it doesn't. Rest assured, Commander, I will see to him." The Commander smirked slightly at the thought before he went back to slack-faced. Still slightly on edge but nowhere near as jumpy as he was when we began the report. "What vessel do you command?"

"Sir, I'm assigned to a Raider II class corvette."

"Designation?"

"Aquila, Sir."

"Very well. Captain, have your men escort Commander Auril back to the Aquila. Commander, thank you for your time. The information will be useful in the coming days."

"Yes sir, thank you sir." He saluted, glancing at the Death Troopers before steeling his back and marching off the bridge. I watched his back as he went, turning to the viewport as the second shift went through their everyday tasks behind me while I observed the godforsaken rock underneath me.

"So Cain is the issue?"

"It appears that way, Major." I snorted as I turned to the Captain next to me.

"You want us to get him, boss?" I didn't even say a word; just nodded once. "Yessir. He'll be here shortly."

"Have him confined to the brig."

"On what charges?"

"Falsifying a report to a superior." I got the distinct impression that if I could see the Captain's face he'd be grinning ear to ear.

"You do understand that he is an Army asset, yes?" Major Brasine sniffed.

"I do, but it's a good thing the ISB oversees all the branches, isn't it?"

"You're handing the lead off to me?"

"Yes. I want to know how a Captain can execute two civilians – and almost geriatrics, at that – and get away with only being busted down to the bottom of the chain of command while still keeping his commission and his command. If that means giving it over to the ISB, so be it."

"Maybe they haven't found an officer to command the garrison yet."

"Whatever the situation, the case is yours Major."

"Thank you, Admiral. I do believe I shall retire for the evening." The message was clear: she would let the bastard sweat in the brig for a few hours while she caught up on her sleep.

"As shall I. Tomorrow, Major?"

"Tomorrow, Admiral."