Chewbacca had wandered back into the cockpit to announce it was fine to unstrap now, and everyone had eagerly freed themselves from the seats. Strangely enough, Anakin had taken off on his own, and when Luke had tried to go after him, Ben had stopped the youth, taking ahold of Luke's shoulder and wordlessly shaking his head. However, it had been a while since Anakin had disappeared, and Luke was starting to worry.

"Shouldn't we go find him?" Luke asked Ben. The man sighed, standing up from where he'd been sitting.

"I'll look for him. Stay here," Ben told Luke tiredly. Luke didn't exactly want to stay, but he didn't want to argue with Ben either. So he watched restlessly as Ben left the lounge, taking his father's lightsaber into his hands to be admired once more to pass the time until Ben returned.

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Anakin had initially disappeared shortly after their jump to lightspeed to use the refresher. However, once done, instead of returning to the main seating area he sought solitude after a certain heaviness settled over him.

He hadn't had much time in his short time spent in the current time period to really think of everything...aside from his few minutes outside of Obi-Wan's hut.

But this...this was different. Anakin had always felt most at home among the stars, on a ship. It was where he did most of his thinking and it was usually the only time he was truly at peace.

Though usually he was in a pilot's couch and staring at the mottled view of hyperspace.

Still, he was in his comfort zone being on the ship and usually it worked wonders for his soul...except this time.

He now had down time, and the information dump he'd been administered before was now truly downloading.

First and foremost on his conscience was the almost implied relation between the Chancellor and this Sith Empire. Anakin hadn't made that particular connection before, but the more he replayed Obi-Wan's words in his mind, the more the idea seemed to just fit together.

Or maybe it was just him.

Anakin sighed, dragging his mind along. He felt an almost subconscious brush against him in the Force and recognized Luke's concern for his absence.

Luke.

Anakin felt torn there too. He loved his son...but what did he really know about fatherhood? Didn't he usually have the last nineteen of Luke's nineteen years to figure that out? And now he was just supposed to be a great dad?

Anakin had never felt so inadequate in his life. His son was sitting here, feet away, and Anakin was afraid. But was it a fear of Luke? Or of the responsibility?

Anakin thought of how Padmé would make a wonderful mother. Her nature was already caring and open. She'd have excelled in that department.

Speaking of his wife...

Anakin's heart clenched with the loneliness he felt when separated from her. They had already been apart for so long before his time jump and now...he wasn't sure when he would see her next. He missed her so, so much.

A soft scrape of a boot on the deck accompanied Obi-Wan's presence as he entered the hold behind Anakin. The older man stood quietly for some time, but Anakin felt his less than ecstatic mood.

Still in the grip of thoughts on Padmé, Anakin spoke in a soft voice.

"Obi-Wan? Thank you...for not turning Padmé and me in to the Jedi Council." Anakin didn't look back, bowing his head some. "I never did thank you enough for anything, did I? I mean, you put up with me for how long?"

Obi-Wan's mind flashed back to a time years ago, something Anakin had not yet experienced, and emotion clogged his throat.

I want to apologize, Master, echoed in Obi-Wan's mind, bringing him momentarily to the past as he was reminded of that specific conversation.

"I didn't put up with you Anakin—putting up with you implies that I thought of you as a burden, and I never did. Besides, I knew how you felt...to a degree. I've been in love a few times myself." Obi-Wan sighed and sat down besides Anakin. "I just wish you would have told me. If you needed any help...and I think you did, in those last days...all you had to do was ask. There were many times I knew you were struggling with something, but...I gave you space and waited for you to come to me. I figured you would whenever you were ready, though...I did wait in vain more often than not."

Anakin looked at his best friend and father-figure. "I don't know what happened to make us drift apart. I couldn't fathom what, since we were doing just fine when I left."

Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "I don't know either, really," he whispered. "I never found out. I think it was...stress with Padmé's pregnancy and the certainty that with Luke's birth you'd be kicked out of the order and Padmé would lose her place in the senate. And there was...rising tensions between you and the Council to say the least. There was more, I'm certain of it, but...I never knew what."

Anakin frowned deeply. "Do you think I'm here to figure out how to prevent...whatever happened?"

Again, Obi-Wan suffered from flashbacks, although this time they were not nearly as pleasant.

I hate you!

You were my brother, Anakin...I loved you...

"I sincerely hope so, Anakin," Obi-Wan told him, taking ahold of his arm in a fatherly manner. "Maybe with foresight of what some choices and actions could cause, you can make a difference. I know for a fact you'll be in a position to do just that, and I have complete faith that you will manage to change it for the better. If not for the galaxy, or for yourself, than at least for your family."

At the mention of his family, Anakin was once more plagued with doubts and insecurities.

"Stars, Master...how can I be the father Luke obviously needs and wants?" Anakin fretted, fidgeting heavily. "I'm not father material...and I know nothing of parenthood. And now Luke is all grown up! At least back in my time I would have had nineteen of Luke's nineteen years to figure it out!" Anakin clenched his hands. "I know nothing about him Obi-Wan, and yet I love him...but then I realize that he's had a life I would have never wanted for him..." Anakin ran a hand through his hair. "I...I just don't know..."

Anakin shrank into himself and continued in a small voice. "What if I can't live up to my son's expectations? What if...what if I fail him?"

Anakin sighed, his self-confidence at an all-time low. "Padmé would have made the perfect mother, you know that? She's everything I'm not...Patient, kind, even-tempered..."

He eventually ran out of fears to rattle off, thought he was still deeply worried about how he could come to be the man Luke needed.

"Anakin, he doesn't need the perfect person, and he doesn't even want the perfect father. It's you that he wants, that he needs; just you as you are. You didn't think you were ready to take on Ahsoka either, if I remember correctly. No one's every ready, and from what I hear, you never really get used to being a parent either." Obi-Wan sighed, shifting in place. "You and Luke share so much more in common than physical appearances, as scary as that thought may be. You already know about his love of flying, and I'm sure you've sensed how strong he is in the Force, but he loves to work with machines like you do—he's got a knack for it as well, although he hasn't been able to have nearly as much experience as you. He's got insatiable curiosity and determination, and a knack for getting in trouble."

Obi-Wan turned his gaze back upon his wayward Padawan, seeing the little nine year old boy from Tatooine instead of the twenty-three year old man only a few months before his fall from grace. "Luke dreamed of a father out flying among the stars that would one day take him far away from Tatooine on an adventure for just the two of them. It sounds like a rather accurate description of you if you're asking for an outside opinion. You are what he's wanted Anakin, just you, exactly as you are. You don't need to worry about impressing him; he doesn't want to be impressed. There's no need to be afraid, Anakin; you love him, and...well, Luke's always loved you. And now you can teach him what you know and give him a life he's always longed for. I know that you will give him everything he needs and wants, and then some, even if you don't realize it. He's already happier than he's been in a long time seeing you, even with everything else that's been going on."

Anakin rarely let other see him cry, but Obi-Wan was one of the very rare exceptions. And to hear the vote of confidence and advice from the man he had looked up to as a father...it was more meaningful to Anakin then he could express in words.

Nevertheless, Anakin gave Obi Wan a nod and a small smile he knew the other would interpret as a thank you.

"I'll do my best..." Anakin vowed. "But there is one more thing I'm afraid of."

Obi-Wan, who still had an arm around Anakin, offered the open support he probably should have voiced a long time ago. It had always been there but...perhaps all Anakin had needed was for Obi-Wan to voice it out loud, because apparently he hadn't noticed. With years of Jedi Training, Obi-Wan was able to resist frowning at Anakin's words. "And what would that be, Hero With No Fear?" Obi-Wan asked with a small smile.

"I'm afraid to get close to Luke..." Anakin admitted, leaning slightly into the embrace. "Because I assume that at some point I'm going to go back to my rightful time. And what then? What will it do to Luke to lose me then? And...how will I take it? How will I look to the Luke I know here versus the one Padmé has yet to give birth to?"

Obi-Wan sighed, remaining silent as he chose his words very carefully. "I am assuming that when you go back...this time will cease to exist if you manage to fix what went wrong all those years ago. And when you do, don't think that you're losing Luke...focus on the fact that you're giving him the life that you want for him instead of this one you'd never want him to be thrust into. Think of the fact that you're getting the chance to give him a good life with his family and...keep in mind that you're not losing him, not really. You've seen the man he'll become. You're getting the chance to know him before he's born, and to see all the years that you're missing now. You never know, maybe one day...he'll remember this timeline, maybe he won't...maybe you can make the time you spend here bedtime stories you tell your son that one day he realizes were all true. We won't know for sure until that day comes, but we don't need to be sure. You can be grateful for this opportunity you have now, and you can keep it with you throughout the rest of your life. Don't take advantage of it, and don't throw it away. I know the Force is trying to warn you of what could happen, and I'm sure that while you're here you'll discover what you can do to change it, though I don't know how long you'll be here...however long it takes, perhaps."

Obi-Wan eased himself into a more comfortable position, glancing back in the direction of the lounge. "He's still young...and rather innocent considering the galaxy he's grown up in. Full of life and energy, hope and idealism..." Obi-Wan shook his head. "I'm not going to be able to keep up with him while I'm still around. You're going to have to keep an eye on him. As soon as he's out in the open, all eyes in the Empire are going to be turned on him, and that's before his name's known. Darth Vader, the Emperor...they'll all be coming for him. He'll need someone to watch out for him."

Anakin felt a sense of protectiveness he'd never known before, and it surprised him in its potency.

"He will be secure so long as I have a say!" But Anakin had the feeling that if Luke had inherited the Skywalker luck, he'd get into scrapes Anakin wouldn't be able to keep him safe from.

"Well, I'll do my best anyway," Anakin amended. "Is he really that innocent? He doesn't have much experience off the farm, does he?"

Anakin bit his lip. "I don't want people to take advantage of him or anything just because he's a little green."

"No..." Obi-Wan said softly. "And the experiences that would have hardened him...he doesn't remember, or I managed to keep him out of harm's way...I'll admit I've had a few close calls. He tried going after a band of thugs that were robbing the farmers of their water during a drought, alone, at night...he almost was...sold...but I managed to intervene before they could make off with him. That's about the worst that he's been through, and he hit his head on a rock and doesn't even remember going after the thugs."

Obi-Wan knew that he'd just brushed across a nerve with Anakin, and so he continued on. "A little naivety and innocence can be refreshing in a galaxy like this...You'll find that out soon enough. He's a breath of fresh air and can give people hope again...a light in darkness...but he will have his own experiences to learn from, to make him stronger. But he's still smart; he's not by any means stupid...though probably brash. That does run in the family," Obi-Wan teased him.

Anakin smiled with a sheepish shrug. Then he registered the statement Obi-Wan had subtly slipped into his long speech of encouragement.

Turning sharply out of Obi-Wan's one-armed hug, Anakin threw the other an accusing look.

"What did you mean by while I'm still around?" He demanded roughly, the emotion returning to his voice. "Where are you going?"

"Look at me, Anakin; I'm old, and I've seen far more than I want to." Obi-Wan stared off into the distance. "I've seen everyone around me die—everyone. I saw the Jedi Temple coated in blood and blaster marks and lightsaber marks and more bodies than I've seen in all my years, my own men turned on me on Utapah, the Republic went down in flames while those of us who'd stood for democracy were helpless to do anything...I was there when you died...when Padme died...when Luke came into a dark world where he was an orphan in mere minutes..."

Obi-Wan let out a long, tired, shaky sigh, taking a moment to contain the emotion that welled up inside of him. "I think I've earned a nice...long rest. Don't get me wrong, I do not want to leave you to all of this...but I feel my path isn't going to last much longer, whether you were here or not..."

Anakin's heart leapt into his throat, and he jumped to his feet.

"Don't say that!" he cried. "You're not...you're not going anywhere!"

Obi-Wan stood up as well, smiling sadly as he placed his hands on Anakin's shoulders. "You're right, I'm not. I'm still alive and well in your time, and I will still be here through the Force, but...I've already accepted that my time here in the physical world is coming to an end." Obi-Wan shook his head, hands lowering to lightly grip Anakin's arms. "Don't worry about me, Anakin, I've done all I was meant to, and I've almost done all that I can. I won't leave you entirely alone; Master Yoda taught me a...trick of sorts so that I will still be around even after..."

Obi-Wan went silent for several long moments before he spoke again. "I didn't think it was fair to not tell you if I knew it was coming." Obi-Wan looked away. "I may not have been the most...open during the years I trained you but...I was always there for you, Anakin, you always had my support even if you didn't see it. I just wasn't the best at voicing it out loud, and most of what I did I did it without a word...but I was there for you. Always when you needed me, and I will be even if you can't see me, even if you don't think I am."

Anakin couldn't stem the flow of hot tears, and he grabbed Obi-Wan into a fierce, desperate embrace.

"B-but you can't leave me..." he said plaintively. "You're the only father I've ever truly known." He felt like his nine year old self again, but he didn't care. "You've always been there..."

"I'm not leaving Anakin..." Obi-Wan promised him softly. "You know those who pass on are always with us through the Force and...you may find that I'll still be hanging around to annoy you, if not physically."

Obi-Wan smiled weakly at his attempt of a joke even though he knew Anakin couldn't see him before he sobered. "You've always been my brother Anakin..." he said, his voice choking on emotion. "And you should know I've always loved you like a brother...Always...even now, after all of these years, after everything...I still do."

Anakin whispered something in that moment he'd never said to anyone save Shmi and Padmé.

"I love you too..."

Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes shut against the tainted memory of...Vader on the shores of Mustafar, tightening his grip on Anakin and allowing the hug to last a little longer before he pulled away. For the thousandth time in the conversation, Obi-Wan sighed, glancing around. "I'm going to tell you now, Anakin...I'm not telling you everything about this time. There are some things I'm...leaving buried for a reason. Maybe you'll find out in your own time, maybe not, but if you do...just know I kept it from you and Luke to protect you two...to give you time to grow and keep you from the burden as long as possible. I'm leaving it buried for everyone's sake." He glanced back towards the lounge again. "And I can't burden a soul like Luke's with that knowledge either. He's not ready for it...and no, neither are you," Obi-Wan said pointedly.

Anakin merely nodded, trusting Obi-Wan. He wiped his face dry and straightened his tunic, offering Obi-Wan a small smile.

"I guess it's not really goodbye if I'm going back to my time." He allowed a flicker if amusement to lighten his gaze, and he nudged Obi Wan in the shoulder. "And just think of all the stuff I can tease you about when I go back."

Obi-Wan huffed in mock irritation. "You can't tease me about it if it hasn't happened yet," Obi-Wan chided him before he smiled. "Now...I believe we have someone waiting anxiously for our return. We should probably rejoin them now."

Anakin hesitated. "You go ahead; I'll be there in a minute."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Don't take too long."

With that, he left Anakin alone again, his mind a blend of painful memories and a sense of peace that he'd finally been able to say the things he'd wanted to say long ago.

******************************************************************************

Luke was leaning against the wall behind Threepio and Artoo, watching them play dejarik. He kept shooting distracted glances towards the hall Ben had disappeared down, and was relieved when Ben appeared again. However, he frowned when he saw his father was still not with him. Ben smiled tiredly at Luke's questioning expression. "He'll be here in a moment. But for now, I want to start your lessons..." 

******************************************************************************

 Anakin waited until Obi-Wan was out of earshot before he sank back to the floor, resting his back against the bulkhead as he began to sob in earnest.

Obi-Wan...gone?

Anakin's heart, despite his earlier words, was heavy with sorrow as he tried to accept the impending loss of yet another loved one.

Because Anakin hadn't been lying when he'd told Obi-Wan he looked up to him as a father. True, Qui-Gon Jinn had freed Anakin, but it had been Obi-Wan who raised and taught him.

Obi-Wan had been the one to put up with Anakin's oftentimes difficult disposition, though most of it had been brought on by his very different upbringing. Whereas all Jedi Initiates and Force Sensitive children looking to be Jedi had been taken from their families, Anakin had grown up with a loving mother for nine years.

That had made it difficult for Anakin to just turn around and accept the Jedi's way. No emotion? Anakin just couldn't do that, even now.

He'd at first been at odds with Obi-Wan, because his master had been trying to transition Anakin from one life to the next. It hadn't been until years later that Anakin had really begun to see how much Obi-Wan cared.

Even if his master and best friend wasn't the best at putting things into words, that was okay; Anakin knew Obi-Wan loved him.

Anakin didn't know if he could stand to lose Obi-Wan, different timeline or not, so soon after the horrible death of his beloved mother.

Anakin's mind drifted to the sad, pained person the Obi-Wan of Luke's time was when compared with the much happier and at ease version Anakin was used to.

What, exactly had happened to Obi-Wan aside from the massive Jedi hunt to cause him such turmoil of the soul? Because while the loss of the Jedi Order and Republic were huge things, Anakin wasn't a fool.

He knew Obi-Wan well, and he knew that the deep-set anguish was personal. Obi-Wan was more than capable of handling outside sources of strife, but when it was a personal matter...the man became withdrawn and it showed in the depths of his expressive eyes.

So something deeply personal had hurt Obi-Wan in a profound way. Something that was on par with when he had lost Satine, which Anakin also knew of.

Just as Obi-Wan had claimed to know Anakin and Padmé's feelings, so too did Anakin recognize that in his master.

Anakin pursed his lips. Obi-Wan had just been tender with Anakin after telling him that he'd not be around forever. He would miss Anakin too.

But Anakin was...what? Dead? Missing?

Anakin suspected that whatever had happened to him in this Obi-Wan's past to be the culprit of Obi-Wan's inner turmoil.

And yet...Obi-Wan had looked after Luke like the youth was his own son. He'd been there for Anakin's child when Anakin himself wasn't. And he was still a gentle giant, Anakin knew.

He was always kind and respectful, but he could play with fire when he needed to. It was something Anakin had always appreciated and loved about Obi-Wan.

It was a comfort to know that at least that hadn't changed between timelines.

Anakin finally ran out if tears and he simply sat there, thinking of what Obi-Wan could possibly mean by not really going away. He'd said he would still be there to bug Anakin, but how?

Anakin decided that it didn't really matter, and he also realized that this ability Obi-Wan had would make the process of letting him go easier.

That fact alone lightened Anakin's emotional burden, and he found the strength to carry on.

Now he just had to allow himself to get closer to Luke. Anakin vowed to do his best to be a good father, and he smiled at Obi-Wan's comment that he could remember Luke as he was now.

Bedtime stories indeed.

Taking a deep breath and wiping away all traces of his tears, Anakin stood with a new sense of purpose and strode back to his son.

Luke was wearily eyeing the floating remote in front of him, lightsaber at the ready when Anakin re-entered the lounge, momentarily distracting Luke from what he was doing. Luke was about to ask where he'd been when suddenly—simultaneously, in fact—Anakin and Ben both paled. Anakin stumbled into the wall, leaning heavily against it for support, while Ben clutched at his heart, slowly making his way to the nearest chair and gasping for air. Alarm raced through Luke as he deactivated his lightsaber and the remote, approaching the two but unsure which one to check with first. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Anakin was able to answer Luke first, though he was no less disturbed than Obi-Wan.

"The Force, Luke," Anakin explained, wondering how Luke hadn't felt it. "Something terrible just happened and we felt it."

"It was as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced..." Ben added, staring at a spot on the ground before he shook himself. "You best...get on with your exercises," Ben eventually said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to regather himself. Luke hesitantly drew back, slowly turning his attention back to what he'd been doing but also still keeping an eye on the two. Once Anakin and Ben seemed to be mostly recovered, he remembered his question about the same time that he activated the lightsaber and remote.

"Where've you been?" he asked Anakin curiously, though regretted his distraction the next moment when the remote fired while he wasn't paying attention, getting Luke right in the shin. He hissed, jerking back on instinct with a small scowl before returning his attention back to the droid.

"Focus, Luke," Ben told him calmly, nodding to Anakin as Anakin approached Ben.

"Oh, just doing some thinking," he replied softly before he hid a smirk at Luke's misstep, knowing exactly what the youth was going through. But he didn't want his son to think he was laughing at him, so he reigned in his humor.

He did watch, however, as Luke struggled with his grip on the hilt of his weapon. So when the remote fired again and Luke awkwardly swung the lightsaber, Anakin stepped forward.

"You need to hold the lightsaber correctly in order to get the most out of it." Anakin gently adjusted Luke's grip for him, then took his own blade and showed Luke how he held it, too.

"Find something that feels natural and that you can relax into," Anakin instructed. "You don't need or want a tight grip because your hands will get tired much faster, but you don't want it too loose or the blade will get knocked from your hand when it gets hit."

Luke was watching with rapt attention, and Anakin ached to show Luke what could be done with the lightsaber, but he didn't want to step on anyone's toes.

Luke mirrored his father's movements, holding the lightsaber just as he'd shown Luke before he returned to the troublesome remote. Anakin stepped away, watching with analytical eyes every movement Luke made. Luke ignored any other sound in the lounge, straining his ears for the telltale hiss before the machine moved.

Han entered the lounge around that time, grinning from ear to ear. "Well, you can forget your troubles with those Imperial slugs; I told you I'd outrun them." His grin slowly faded when no one responded, morphing into a scowl. "Don't everybody thank me at once..."

He turned to the control station he was sitting at, messing with a few of the controls as he spoke a little louder for everyone to hear. "Anyway, we should be arriving at Alderaan in oh two hundred hours."

Luke tuned Han out again about that time, successfully blocking one of the little bolts that shot towards him before immediately going back on the defensive. Ben shifted in his seat, leaning forward and watching Luke intently. "Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him."

"You mean it controls your actions?" Luke asked curiously, somehow managing to keep his attention on the remote.

"Partially; but it also obeys your commands," Ben informed him. No sooner had the words left Ben's lips did another bolt get Luke, right in the side this time. Luke yelped, and Han started laughing at his seat by the controls.

"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, Kid" Han said with a smirk. Anakin frowned, but waited to see what Luke would do. Luke frowned as well, deactivating his lightsaber and gesturing towards Han.

"You don't believe in the Force, do you?" Luke asked. Han heaved a tired sigh.

"Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other, I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one all powerful Force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field controls my destiny. It's all a bunch of simple tricks and nonsense."

Ben listened patiently to Han, laughing quietly to himself before he stood up and placed a helmet on Luke's head. "I suggest you try it again, Luke. This time, let go of your conscious self and act on instinct."

Luke laughed—albeit a little nervously—gesturing towards the blast shield on the helmet. "But with the blast shield down I can't even see, how am I supposed to fight?"

"Your eyes can deceive you—don't trust them," Ben replied simply.

Luke sighed, activating the lightsaber again as the remote came back to life. "All right..." he muttered under his breath.

Luke could hear the remote zipping in the air, could hear the sudden hiss, but he didn't know where to put his lightsaber, and he was met with a sharp sting on his shoulder. Luke hissed, rolling his shoulder to try and dispatch the pain.

"Stretch out with your feelings," Ben instructed him. Luke sighed, closing his eyes behind the blast shield and taking a deep breath, finding his calm center. And as he did so he felt...something different.

Anakin spoke up in a soft tone meant to instruct without disrupting the student.

"Trust yourself, Luke; trust the Force and your connection to it."

Luke raised the lightsaber in front of his face, calm, complacent, feeling this strange new sensation he thought might have been the Force starting to do just as Ben had said and flow through him. He heard the hiss of the remote and instinctively moved his lightsaber to the left. There was no shot though, so Luke remained calm, investigating this new feeling and finding himself a little further inside of it. Suddenly, he could almost...see the remote in front of him, his father standing not that far off to the side, and Ben back at his perch by the controls. The remote he saw in his mind's eye moved and fired seconds before he heard the hiss of the actual remote, and Luke moved his lightsaber where this feeling—where the Force—told him to, perfectly on time and perfectly placed to deflect the three shots that sailed towards him. Up high on the left, a little lower to the right, and then down low on the left in rapid succession, though it seemed to happen so slowly that the movements were effortless for Luke. He heard the audible snapping sound of the little lasers meeting the blade, and excitement soared inside his chest as he straightened up and deactivated the lightsaber.

"You see," Ben said as Luke pulled off the helmet. "You can do it."

"I call it luck!" Han said skeptically off to the side, still staring at Luke with a strange expression on his face while Luke grinned confidently back.

"In my experience there's no such thing as luck," Ben responded calmly.

Han was quick to recover. "Look, good against remotes is one thing; good against the living...that's something else." His head whipped around when a small alarm started to go off on the controls, and he stood up. "Looks like we're coming up on Alderaan..."

As everyone started to file out towards the cockpit, Luke approached Ben and his father. "You know, I did feel something, I could almost see the remote," he told them sincerely.

Anakin patted Luke's shoulder proudly. "You did great for your first time. Much better than me, actually."

Luke beamed at his father, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth while Ben added his own opinion.

"That's good; you've taken your first step into a larger world," Ben said with an approving nod. They collectively started towards the cockpit, but something struck the Flacon and they all lurched, hearing the faint sounds of alarms and hurried orders from the cockpit.

"What was that?" Luke asked in confusion, regaining his balance.

Anakin knew very well what that lurch meant; something had just physically struck the ship.

"Something hit the ship! Probably space debris or an asteroid!" He was already racing for the cockpit to confirm his suspicion, Luke and Obi-Wan close behind.

Sure enough, there was some sort of debris field right in their path.

"It's an uncharted asteroid field," Han announced before anyone—most likely Luke—could pester him about it.

"Well did you put in the right coordinates?" Luke tried.

"Of course I did," Han snapped. "These are the coordinates for Alderaan, but there's no Alderaan!"

"What do you mean, where is it?" Luke asked.

"That's what I'm tryin to tell ya, Kid, it ain't there! It's totally blown away..."

"What? How?" Luke exclaimed, unbelieving.

Ben chose that moment to speak up. "It's gone. Destroyed by the Empire..." he whispered, a look of horrified realization falling across his face.

Anakin jerked his head around. "What? No, that's not possible!"

Han also whipped around to voice his skepticism, siding with Anakin for once. "The entire starfleet couldn't destroy the entire planet, it'd take a thousand ships with more firepower than I've..." Han trailed off as a high pitched, rapid beeping suddenly came from one of the screens on the control panel. He checked the monitor and then grew tense. "There's another ship coming in."

"Maybe they know what happened," Luke offered.

"It's an Imperial fighter," Ben announced grimly.

Anakin grimaced when Solo agreed with Anakin and Obi-Wan didn't try correcting him. Apparently it was possible for the Empire to destroy an entire planet...but how? There weren't any ships out here...

Another alarm started to sound, and the cockpit was suddenly rocked by laser fire from the fighter, which passed by the cockpit a few seconds later to reveal it was in fact a TIE fighter.

"He's followed us!"

"No, it's a short range fighter," Ben corrected him.

"There aren't any bases around here, where'd it come from?" Han challenged, coming up fast behind the fighter.

"It sure is leaving in a big hurry—if they identify us, we're in big trouble!" Luke told Han urgently.

"Not if I can help it," Han declared. "Chewie, jam it's transmissions."

"It'd be as well to let it go, it's too far out of range," Ben tried to reason with Han. Han, predictably, wasn't listening.

"Not for long," Han growled, pushing the ship to go faster.

Anakin, with his plentiful experience in fighters needing mother ships, had to wonder where its flagship was. Anakin saw no hyerdrive on the fighter fleeing from them.

"That ship has no lightspeed capabilities," Anakin stated. "So unless it got left behind, their flagship has to be in the system somewhere."

There was only a few moments of silence before Ben shared a thought that sent a shiver of premonition down Luke's spine.

"You're right; a fighter that size couldn't get this deep into space on its own..." Ben mumbled.

"He must have gotten lost, been part of a convoy or something," Luke tried to reason.

"Well, he ain't gonna be around long enough to tell anybody about us," Han said with a tone that said the conversation was over; his mind was made up, and he was taking out the fighter no matter what anyone said.

"Look at him, he's heading for that small moon," Luke announced, tensing up in anticipation.

"I think I can get him before he gets there—he's almost in range..." Han muttered.

Anakin's gaze riveted on the moon Luke had spotted among the stars, feeling a deep foreboding settle upon his mind. Something wasn't right here...

Beside Luke, Ben took in a sharp breath, tensing, his eyes going wide. "That's no moon...it's a space station."

"It's too big to be a space station," Han argued, though his expression and tone held a note of doubt, especially when they were close enough to see that the moon was...too oddly shaped to be a moon. Luke felt dread flood through him, as well as something from that same sense he'd had earlier that chilled his blood.

"I have a very bad feeling about this..." he whispered, eyes locked on the growing shape in front of them as he paled slightly.

"Turn the ship around," Ben ordered sharply.

"Yeah...I think you're right..." Han murmured, his hands already a blur as he moved to turn the ship the other way. "Full reverse, Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power!"

The ship hummed, picking up speed as they approached the giant space station faster still instead of slowing down. Luke could feel his panic rearing its head again.

"Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power!" Han ordered again, his voice strained.

"Why are we still going towards it?" Luke finally blurted out, his panic evident in his tone; especially when his voice broke when he reached a rather high pitch.

"We're caught in the tractor beam; it's pulling us in," Han replied, still stressed.

"There's gotta be something you can do!"

"There's nothing I can do about it, Kiddo, now that all our power's shut down. But they're not going to get me without a fight!"

Anakin placed a calming hand on Luke's shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Luke." He gave a light squeeze. "Whatever happens, trust the Force."

Suddenly, Ben spoke in a calm tone, surprising them all. "You can't win...but there are alternatives to fighting."

Ben leaned in towards Han. "Do you have any smuggling compartments on board?"

Han gave him an odd look. "Yes...why?"

"How big are they?" Ben asked, a determined light in his eyes. Understanding slowly started to dawn across the others, and Chewbacca gave a few low growls as Han stood up.

"Let them take us in Chewie," Han told him, his eyes never wavering off of Ben. "Come on, old man, I'll show you."

Han pushed past Anakin and Luke, who immediately fell into step behind Han. Ben was behind them, a small smile gracing his lips. As they passed the lounge, Anakin got the droids to come with them, and soon Chewbacca rejoined them as well, just as they reached the hall by the landing ramp.

Anakin leaned over to Obi-Wan. "This will only work for so long, you know," Anakin murmured. Obi-Wan simply smiled.

"It will last long enough."

When Han crouched down to get a good grip on the floor panel below him, Luke leaned down as well, helping him to lift the panel to reveal a compartment large enough to hold three or four people. Ben smiled. "All right; get in."

Han scowled and was about to complain when Luke jumped down into the compartment, cutting off Han's reply with a sharp remark. "It's either we get captured and probably killed by the Imperials, or we hide in the compartments until they're done searching the ship; your choice."

Anakin smirked at Luke's comment, sliding down into the compartment with him while Han lifted the panel off of another compartment with Chewbacca's help. Wordlessly, Anakin patted Luke's arm before helping get Artoo into their compartment as well, causing Luke to feel a rush of pride. Moments later, Han joined them in their compartment and slid the panel back into place, signaling that the other three were in the other compartment.

A Wookiee, an annoying protocol droid, and a wise old Jedi...interesting combination.

"This had better work," Han mumbled, and they all felt the ship coming to a gradual stop. Luke shushed him when he spoke, shooting the man a pointed look he knew the other man couldn't see in the darkness. His father's comforting hand was on his shoulder, keeping him calm and reassuring him that they would be fine.

The ship lurched a little when it landed, and Luke was put off balance, stumbling into his father, who steadied him but didn't let go as they heard the sound of the ramp lowering.

Anakin held his son tightly and protectively to his chest, tense and listening to every sound that reached his ears. As the ramp finished lowering, he heard the rush of heavy boots hastening up the ramp. The footsteps broke off in two directions, one headed right while the other went left right above where they were hiding. Anakin could feel Luke tremble just slightly below him before the young man got ahold of himself. No one even breathed as they listened to the sounds of the soldiers searching the ship, praying they wouldn't somehow discover the hidden compartments, hearts beating so loud they could swear the person standing right above could hear...

"There's no one on board," came a muffled voice above them and, one by one, the footsteps left. Luke let out a long sigh of relief as they started to leave, but Anakin stiffened. He felt something, something...wrong, something cold and dark. Instinctively, Anakin pulled his presence so tight to himself he disappeared from the Force, safely hidden from whatever the...thing was. The presence faded not long after the last pair of footsteps left the ship, though they all waited for several more moments before they raised the panel off of the compartment.

"That was close," Luke exclaimed as he hefted himself up. Han was next.

"I've used these compartments for a lot of things, but I never thought I'd smuggle myself in them."

Anakin didn't immediately leave the compartment he was in, caught between uncertainty of what he'd felt and the need to do something about it.

What had that been? Anakin recalled then how Count Dooku had always felt cold and calculating in the Force. Was this, then, another Sith Lord? Could it be...what had his name been? Darth Vader?

Anakin wasn't afraid of Vader; he had faced down Count Dooku without fear more than once. Vader would be no different. But as for Luke...

Anakin determined to stay close to Luke at all times while they were here. With that in mind, Anakin at last climbed from where he sat, noting Luke's concerned eyes on him.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked as Han and Ben started to bicker.

"...not to worry, I've got a plan," Ben was saying.

"Damn fool, I knew you were gonna say that," Han growled in response.

"Who's the more foolish, the fool, or the fool who follows him?" Ben retorted. Luke snickered but then ignore them, helping Artoo up while he waited for Anakin's response.

Anakin looked to Obi-Wan, who was busy buffing Solo—something Anakin also found amusing. Then he returned his gaze to Luke, took his arm gently, and led him away from the others.

"Luke, promise me something."

Luke frowned, worried about how serious Anakin suddenly was. "Of course...what is it?"

"Listen to whatever the Force tells you while we are here, understand?" Anakin hesitated then.

Did he tell Luke what he suspected and burden the youth? Or did Anakin let the boy remain unaware and hope he didn't meet the dangerous presence Anakin had felt?

Finally he chose to continue being honest with Luke, knowing that it was better to be prepared.

"I sense a dark presence here," Anakin told Luke in a low tone. "Just stay close to me, all right? If we get separated, please be careful."

Luke's eyes widened in surprise but he nodded. "Yeah...yeah, I can do that," Luke replied.

"Hey, Kid," Han suddenly interrupted, giving them an odd look but not asking what they were doing. "We're going to need a hand."

"Sure," Luke told Han, though he hesitated. A thousand questions spun around in his head, including a question over whether Anakin thought that perhaps he'd sensed Darth Vader, but he kept the questions to himself.

Stepping carefully, Luke approached Han, who was pressed flat against the wall just beside the landing ramp, blaster in hand. Han gestured hurriedly for Luke to get on the other side with Chewbacca, pushing him hard enough to still be gentle but get him on the other side. Chewbacca put a furry paw on Luke's shoulder, bringing the youth behind his massive bulk while Anakin drew even with Han on the other side. Behind Luke, Ben put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

A few seconds later, footsteps came up the ramp, and before the two Imperials carrying some large case could register what was happening Chewbacca and Han both grabbed the Imperials with Han hitting his Imperial hard over the head to knock him out and Chewbacca backhanding his Imperial with so much force the poor man didn't stand a chance. Luke stifled his curse at how quickly it happened while Han called down the ramp.

"Hey, could you give us a hand here?" Han turned to Chewie. "Get 'em out of sight!" Han hissed as the Wookiee pulled the Imperials around the corner. No sooner had Chewbacca dropped the two Imperials did two Stormtroopers appear over the ramp. Han tackled one of them to the ground, but Chewbacca was at the other end of the hall, and that left one more Stormtrooper.

Luke reacted before he even had time to think about what he was doing.

Luke tackled the other Stormtrooper to the ground from behind, wrestling with the trooper for a moment before he managed to get the gun away from the soldier. He flipped the trigger on the blaster to stun and fired just as the Stormtrooper was lunging at him, sighing in relief when the Stormtrooper fell on his face, unconscious.

"Hurry, get the suits off—Chewie, take care of these guys, too," Han ordered, already taking off some of the armor and placing it on himself. Luke dropped the gun and scrambled to do the same, pulling off the helmet of the soldier he'd tackled. No sooner was the helmet in his hands did a warped voice come across the headset inside of the helmet.

"...why aren't you at your post?"

Luke looked up in a panic, and Han dropped his soldier to help Luke get the armor off the stormtrooper and onto himself as fast as possible. "Hurry up!" Han pressed him as Luke rushed to put on as much of the armor as possible, situating the helmet on the head. "Go out there and pretend you have a bad transmitter," Han ordered as he put the armor on one of Luke's arms while Luke pulled on the boot.

This plan is crazy, it's going to get us all killed, Luke couldn't help but think.

Anakin lifted an impressed brow when Luke took down that trooper, and then stayed near Obi-Wan while Luke exited the ship.

Han, now in his get-up, turned toward Anakin and Obi-Wan.

"Aren't you two going to need armor too?" Han queried.

Obi-Wan smiled at him, a twinkle in his eye. "No, we'll be fine without it," he told Han vaguely. Jedi were masters at stealth, and if they were spotted it wouldn't be that hard to perform a simple mind trick. "Besides, I believe Anakin is a little too tall to pass as a Stormtrooper.

"Guess you have a point," Han muttered.

"Hurry up, no one's looking," Luke suddenly hissed from the foot of the landing ramp.

"Chewie, are you done over there?" Han asked as Obi-Wan and Anakin rushed down the ramp. Chewie growled softly in response, putting the panel of the smuggling compartments back in place. "Well then come on, you big oaf!" Han retorted, rushing after Obi-Wan and Anakin. The group sprinted to the control station, Chewbacca somehow in the lead.

Just as Chewbacca and Anakin reached the door—the two of them being the ones in the lead—the door hissed open, and everyone sprang into action once again. Chewbacca threw the officer who had been standing in the doorway so hard across the room with a roar that when the officer, hit the wall he crumpled to the floor, unmoving. Han whipped out his blaster and shot the second officer by the controls before the man could draw his gun, holstering the weapon with a satisfied nod as he walked into the room.

Luke, who had been in the back of the group, shut the doors with a scowl, yanking off his helmet to snap at their two pilots.

"You know, between his howling and your blasting everything in sight, it's a wonder the whole station doesn't know we're here," Luke snapped, setting his helmet aside with a sharp clatter. Han looked indignant, approaching the younger man with an offended look on his face.

"Well bring em on! I'd prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around," Han declared, glancing around the room with his own helmet in hand.

"We've found the computer outlet sir!" Threepio was telling Ben in the meantime.

"Plug in—he should be able to interpret the entire Imperial network," Ben told them.

Luke, meanwhile, set his blaster aside, blatantly ignoring Han and running a hand through his hair to get it out of his face. Those helmets sure were stuffy...

Anakin hid a smile behind a cough as he surveyed the hangar from the viewing window. Luke and Han both had valid points, and he could personally agree with both.

However, after several years fighting the Clone Wars, Anakin had finally been making strides towards the more patient approach to things. He knew Obi-Wan was happy with that, and he was too, though his impulsive streak still showed itself frequently.

And to now see that in his son...He wasn't sure if he should be amused or chagrined.

He listened as Han continued to make his snide remarks while Obi-Wan conversed with Threepio. Anakin tuned back in when Threepio told Obi-Wan how to deactivate the tractor beam.

"...a power loss at one if the terminals will allow the ship to leave."

Anakin turned around silently to see the diagram Artoo had up on the monitor. Obi-Wan stared intently at it before coming to a decision.

"I don't think you boys can help."

Anakin frowned, but Han didn't give anyone a chance to speak.

"Whatever you say; I've gotten more than I bargained for on this trip already." he muttered, coming to stand beside Chewbacca. Luke, however, stepped into Ben's path, concern plain in his features.

"I want to come with you," Luke told him fervently.

Ben smiled slightly. "Be patient, Luke. Stay and watch over the droids."

"But he can—" Luke started to say, gesturing towards Han before Ben cut him off.

"They must be delivered safely or other star systems will suffer the same fate as Alderaan. Your destiny lies along a different path from mine," Ben said sternly, already moving to open the door. His words invoked an almost immediate reaction from Anakin

Anakin also stepped forward, grabbing Obi-Wan's arm and leaning close to speak with him in semi-private.

"You're not going to do anything I would, are you?" Anakin asked, fighting between smirking and frowning.

Ben smiled weakly. "Oh no; no one could cause chaos better than you Anakin. I won't even try to do that," Obi-Wan joked lightly. His mood grew somber, and the only reason he didn't embrace Anakin was because he knew it would worry the others. Instead, he settled for clasping Anakin's flesh arm in a brotherly manner, staring Anakin straight in the eyes as he spoke in a low voice. "Keep your son safe, Anakin, but don't do anything stupid trying to keep him safe either. Trust the Force, and remember our conversation in the Falcon. I have faith you'll do what's right."

He squeezed Anakin's arm slightly, then turned back to Luke and offered the concerned youth a smile of assurance. "The Force will be with you...always," he said gently, glancing pointedly between the two.

Anakin let go of his best friend's hand and watched him go with Luke at his side until Luke silently shut the door.

For Anakin, there was a sense of finality to it that had his heart aching deeply, and he knew then that Obi-Wan would not be walking away from this station. Firmly reminding himself that this was a future Obi-Wan, Anakin bid him farewell and then turned to Luke.

His son was looking at him as if to say what now?

Anakin opened his mouth to speak to Luke when Chewbacca growled.

"Boy you said it, Chewie," Han agreed, staring at the pair by the door. "Where did you dig up that old fossil?"

Luke turned to rebuff Han but Anakin was faster, sucking in an incensed breath if air and crossing the room before anyone could blink.

He had Han up against the wall by the scruff if his shirt instantly and they were nearly nose-to-nose.

"You will respect Obi-Wan, do you hear me?" Anakin shouted.

When the Wookiee moved to intervene, Anakin lifted a hand and held him with the Force. As for Han, he looked both angry and afraid.

"Obi-Wan has been through more than you could possibly imagine," Anakin growled dangerously, looking back at Han. "And if you ever speak of him like that again, I will take your ship and sell it for spare parts while you watch." Anakin leaned forward to emphasize his point. "Do I make myself clear?"

Han swallowed, but nodded. "Yeah...Ah, sorry; I didn't know he meant that much to you."

Anakin felt Han's sincerity and released both Han and Chewbacca.

"He was the father in never had," Anakin whispered, retreating to stand by Artoo.

It didn't slip his notice how Luke was now staring at him, and he wondered what was now going through Luke's mind.

Luke watched Anakin warily, put off by Anakin's outburst. His mind flashed back to what Ben had said about Anakin being volatile.

Indeed, Luke mused. There was a stark difference between Anakin and Ben, and Luke was wondering which role model to follow more. Besides, when Anakin got angry like just now he felt...wrong; different. Luke didn't like it. He'd have to see if he could find a way to ease his father's temper...

Luke was distracted from his musings and the tension in the room when Artoo started to tootle and whistle excitedly.

"What is it buddy?" Luke asked him.

Threepio dutifully translated for him. "I'm afraid I'm not quite sure, Sir. He keeps saying I found her."

Anakin made a mental note to be more careful around his son and turned his attention to Artoo just as Luke approached.

"Well...who, who's he found?" Luke asked as he approached the little droid.

"Princess Leia."

Luke reacted so fast almost everyone in the room jumped. "The princess, she's here?" Luke exclaimed, eyes suddenly alert.

"Princess?" Han asked in confusion.

"Where, where is she?" Luke demanded.

"Princess; what's going on?" Han snapped, irritated at being ignored.

Anakin lifted his brows, wondering how the princess had ended up here. But the more he thought it over, it made sense. If the Empire was to destroy Alderaan, why not make its princess be there to watch? As morbid as that sounded, it felt right. And if it was true, he felt sorry for the princess.

"Level five, detention block AA23. I'm afraid she's scheduled to be terminated," Threepio replied.

"Oh no, we've got to do something!" Luke said urgently, finally turning his attention back to his companions with fiery determination in his eyes.

Han was already avidly shaking his head no.

"What are you talking about?" Han asked, well beyond irritated.

"The droids belong to her, she's the one in the message; we've got to help her!" Luke said in a rush.

Anakin watched the exchange with open interest, deciding to let the boys figure this one out on their own and see how things shook out. Luke was all hot and ready for action, while Han, though claiming to want action, really wanted to just lie low.

If nothing else, Anakin decided that this would be amusing.

"Now look, don't get any funny ideas, the old man wants us to wait right here—"

"He didn't know she was here—will you just find a way back into that detention block," Luke told Threepio as Han sat down.

"I'm not going anywhere," Han said stubbornly with a shake of his head.

"They're going to execute her—look, a few minutes ago you said you didn't want to just wait here to be captured, now all you want to do is stay?" Luke snapped at him.

"Marching into the detention area is not what I had in mind!"

Anakin bit back a short laugh. The smuggler had a point. But then again, he didn't know Skywalkers very well.

"But they're going to kill her!"

"Better her than me!"

That got Anakin's attention once more, and his humor swiftly vanished in the face of Solo's open selfishness.

Luke turned sharply away in irritation, scowling towards the wall. Anakin also looked rather angry, and he was already starting for Han again. Before he could reach the smuggler though, Luke splayed a hand over Anakin's chest, an idea dawning on him. A mischievous light in his eyes, Luke leaned over towards Han and spoke in a low tone of voice right in Han's ear.

"She's rich."

The reaction was almost instantaneous.

"Rich?" Han asked.

Luke nodded, a smile curling across his features. "Mhm, rich, powerful—listen, if you were to rescue her, the reward would be..."

"What?" Han asked sharply, swinging around in his seat.

"Well, more well than you can imagine!"

"I don't know I can imagine quite a bit!" Han snapped back.

"You'll get it."

"I better!"

"You will!"

There was a long pause as Luke waited in anticipation for Han's answer. Finally, he spoke. "All right, Kid, you better be right about this."

Anakin nodded, impressed at his son's quick wit and use of what some might consider blackmail. When Luke turned back around, Anakin caught his eye and gave him a proud smile.