Disclaimer: Any characters/places/anything else that has a place in the Star Wars universe according to George Lucas and company is not mine. I think you'll be able to figure it out just fine on your own, yes?

Feedback is welcomed with open arms, as usual. (^^)

He had found it. A spaceport on the other side of Coruscant from Imperial City, and it was bustling, too. He lingered in the shadows outside the entrance, carefully brushing against passing pedestrians' minds to see what their destinations were.

A blue-skinned Twi'lek walked toward the entrance, his Whiphid companion trotting beside him. Both looked rather nonchalant, dressed in almost outrageous clothing, strolling along without hurry, though not as if they had all the time in the galaxy.

He furrowed his brow and probed lightly. The Twi'lek's thoughts dwelt on his ship, on the cargo they had received an hour ago, and the rendezvous near the Dantooine system…

Pirates? He frowned, considering his other options, then gathered himself and strode up to meet them. With any hope, they would look past the rangy figure with longish, unkempt hair and beard.

The Whiphid noticed him immediately and tapped the Twi'lek's shoulder.

He nodded at them respectively. "Good day to you, gentles. Might I borrow a moment? I'm looking for a ride to Alderaan; how does four thousand sound to you?"

The Twi'lek looked somewhat surprised. He's not used to being approached by hitchhikers, especially not beaten-down, emaciated hitchhikers that offer four thousand for a comparatively short ride.

The Twi'lek tapped a fingernail against his jawbone, his lekku twitching sporadically. "Five. We're leaving in a hurry."

He considered, then nodded, thankful for the brief bargain. "Deal."

"Right," said the Twi'lek, seeming relieved for the same reason. "We're taking off in less than an hour, so if you'll follow me. Introductions when we get there."

His Whiphid companion kept a suspicious eye on him, as if he was an Imperial spy or something equally ridiculously far from the truth.

Obi-Wan nodded, and followed along, attempting to project an innocuous aura which worked better on the passers-by and Imperial custom officials than it did on the Whiphid.

The Twi'lek's small shuttle rested in a bay close by. The boarding ramp slid open, and the blue alien gestured for Obi-Wan to enter, the Whiphid leading the way. "Please. Sit and make yourself comfortable; we'll meet my orbiting ship in a few minutes."

The inside of the shuttle was lavishly decorated. Obi-Wan sat on one of the velvety chairs, keeping his posture erect despite his fatigue, afraid he might fall asleep if he were to lean back.

The Twi'lek headed for the cockpit, leaving the Whiphid to keep an eye on their presently anonymous passenger. Besides the hulking alien, a Twi'lek child was positioned on an identical chair, his bright green eyes staring at Obi-Wan. The youngster's blue coloring made Kenobi guess that he was the son of their pilot.

The shuttle rose easily and exited the bay. Obi-Wan remained alert to the Whiphid's movements, checking periodically for any hostility from his surroundings, as was his habit.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" said the young Twi'lek, his expression blatantly curious, swinging his short legs back and forth.

"Yes," Obi-Wan admitted.

"I thought so," said the child. "We're going to have lunch when we get up to my dad's ship."

Obi-Wan smiled faintly as he realized the child's presence was unusually strong; he was sensitive, mildly at least. "Can you often tell when people are hungry?"

The little Twi'lek frowned and tugged at one of his lekku, draped over his shoulder. "I guess so. But nobody except for me knows when I'm hungry."

"You're a bit hungry right now," said Obi-Wan.

The child's eyes widened as he stopped swinging his legs. "How do you know?"

"The same way you do."

A grin spread across the young Twi'lek's face. "Neato. Can you tell how hungry Narha is? I think he's hungry."

Narha, the Whiphid, shifted uneasily. Obi-Wan knew their species could often be quite superstitious; perhaps he could dispel suspicion by making it a game. If the child was on good terms with him, chances were it would rub off on the father. Besides, it looked as if the kid could do with a little entertainment. "He's ravenous, all right," said Obi-Wan with a wink. "And I think your dad could do with some food, as well."

The Whiphid relaxed a little as the child's grin grew wider.

***

The pirates' ship was even more massive than Obi-Wan had estimated. It looked like an old troop carrier, heavily modified with quite prohibited weaponry, some of which he hadn't seen for years, and only on some of his most dangerous missions.

The Twi'lek introduced himself as Shena Hinn, captain of the ship, which had kept the name Vendetta's Companion. Obi-Wan presented himself as one Orlan Ytho, the name on his false identity card.

Hinn's son, Kadeq, led Obi-Wan around the ship after the meal, acquainting him with the quite unrefined inhabitants of the Companion. Obi-Wan half-wondered if Kadeq thought he was there to stay, so eager was the youngster to show him around.

While Captain Hinn was not particularly amiable, he was generous in accommodating Obi-Wan, allowing him to eat in the mess hall with the rest of the crew and giving him his own room.

Kadeq insisted on sitting with "Orlan" at each meal, giggling outrageously as they related to each other the hunger of the individuals sitting at the next table.

Obi-Wan was sitting in the common room, telling an old story to Kadeq, when Captain Hinn walked in and seated himself, listening as Obi-Wan drew the tale to a close and turned to face him.

"You're looking better, Ytho," commented Hinn.

"Thanks to your generosity," said Obi-Wan. "I'm very grateful."

"But," continued Hinn, "I think you still owe me for this ride. You seem to be good at telling stories; mind telling me how you got this way?"

Obi-Wan glanced down at his hands, his knuckles still standing out despite the substantial meals. "The Empire didn't take a liking to me. I've been on the run for a while now."

Hinn nodded. "I know the feeling, though there wasn't much difference for me between the Republic and the Empire."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "At least the Republic accepted non-humans."

"Yeah, well, human or not, we still got beat up from time to time. But this is supposed to be your story, not mine."

Obi-Wan sighed. "All right. I suppose I'll start at the point where I killed an Imperial after he murdered my only son."

Shena looked at Kadeq, who was listening raptly.

"I'm sure you can sympathize, being a father yourself," continued Obi-Wan wearily. "For months I was in hiding, trying to find a way off Coruscant. Or Imperial Center, as it's known now. The only reason I'm alive now is that I managed to find a few friends who gave me what they could."

"How about your wife?" asked Hinn.

"I've never had one. I adopted my son, but sometimes you might have fooled me." Obi-Wan shook his head, closing his eyes, knowing his analogy was very close to the truth. "My father set the boy free from slavery but died soon after, so I took him as my own. It was the only thing I could do."

Hinn's expression was grim. "Why did the Imperial kill your son in the first place?"

"He wanted to recruit my son to their forces, but my son refused. He understood the heart of the Empire and wanted nothing to do with it. He never could have accepted. So that's why I'm heading to Alderaan; it's where my sister lives."

"Well," Hinn reasoned, "at least you're not one of those Jedi. I never thought I would, but I pity them. The way things are going, they're not going to last much longer."

"They still have a chance," said Obi-Wan, thinking of the twins, "slight as it may be."

Hinn laughed. "I can't see how they do. Do you ever watch the news? They're at the top of the Empire's hit list."

"Yeah, but it would take some kinda bounty hunter to turn one of them in," piped up Kadeq. "I saw a documentary on them. They have these laser swords that can deflect blaster bolts, and they can really fight."

"Mysterious sentients, aren't they?" murmured Obi-Wan, silently thanking Kadeq for the unknown encouragement.

Hinn shook his head. "You got that right."

***

He had been told that they would arrive at Alderaan in less than half an hour. Obi-Wan headed back to the quarters that he had been given, took out a datapad, and began to write a message.

Kadeq. This is very important, so I want you to read carefully, and keep this message secret. Remember when we looked at someone and could tell whether they were hungry or not? Very few sentients have that sort of ability. I want you to keep it secret from now on, from everyone who doesn't know about it so far. And if you ever start to know anything about someone besides hunger, keep that to yourself as well, from even your father. You will understand why, someday, Kadeq. Goodbye…

Obi-Wan paused.

…and may the Force be with you.

From your friend Orlan.

He recorded it, erased everything else on the datapad, and stowed it in his pocket, then went outside to meet with Kadeq one last time.

***

The cloak was black like pitch; it completely enveloped its wearer, masking his identity. But only visually.

He stood by the young one, who was recovering health in the bacta tank. This one was like no other; the suffering he had endured would have killed a lesser one of his kind. But he was stronger, he was destined to bring balance…the Emperor would see to that prophecy.

He stirred slightly, the pain from his burns firing up in what remained of his skin. Palpatine had felt his anguish in the pit; it had not been long, but it had been extremely damaging. This one would be permanently scarred, and would need to carry a life-support system if he would live. And he would. He was tenacious as any other Jedi. He would make it through the wreathing agonies, both physically as well as mentally.

But what Palpatine needed most now was reinforcement. Dooku was dead, as well as his former apprentice, Maul, and the same Jedi had destroyed them both.

And, in a way, had destroyed Skywalker. Kenobi should have never become a teacher; he was far better as a general, unfortunately. Or fortunately, depending upon one's point of view, Palpatine decided, in a mocking parody of the Jedi Master's philosophies.

That was something that would have to be dealt with eventually. The Sith's apprentices were dead; Kenobi and the whole coterie had searched for the master. Him, Darth Sidious. But if things went as he planned, the hunters would become the hunted.

The youth in the bacta tank was slowly embraced by consciousness. He kept his eyes shut as he became aware of his immediate surroundings, and reached out with his main power to discover the lone watcher, the one who had remained to recover him, his master.

Palpatine allowed himself to briefly touch the discomfort of his new recruit, almost as a consolation. Kenobi had not understood, but here was a master that related to the pain of life and would be willing to accept Skywalker's failures. He was human, after all.

The youth twitched. The dark presence was oddly familiar in a way. He probed more closely then withdrew in sudden surprise. Chancellor Palpatine?

The Sith yielded a smile. Yes, and no.

The youth tensed for a moment, then relaxed in the confidence that he was under real power, now. He was no longer straddling the fence; he embraced his full potential as an apprentice to, he was sure, a Sith lord.

Palpatine paused, then exited the room to leave him to contemplate his new position.

***

The youth felt a new evil.

He was the new evil.

He smiled, but the dark pleasantry quickly died as the scar tissue stretched almost to the point of breaking open. A wry thought passed through his mind: he would look the part, as well, if he ever got out of the bacta tank alive. It was fortunate that he had managed to focus enough to keep his head mostly out of the pit.

He reached out for any more thoughts of solace from his new master.

Instead, through his bond that still had not been completely torn, he accidentally caught the attention of his old Master, far away. And winced. The grief that threatened to swell into a thick rage was overwhelming. For Kenobi, to lose an apprentice to darkness was far worse than to lose one to death. Accusation passed through the distance between them in an enraged wave. Righteous anger, thought Vader bitterly. He wouldn't have minded having his Master join him to exploit the anger of the dark side. But Kenobi was too much of a blind fool, too loyal to the light to look down and see the best way of dealing with things. Blinding light, thought Vader. So bright it prevents you from seeing anything else.

The analogy pleased him; he thought it befitting, and sent the thought to the hollowed Master…

…Who received the idea with anything but agreement, and shut his former Padawan from his mind, durasteel door slamming down, cutting their bond.

Vader created mocking mental laughter directed at the commissionless general, though he would no longer feel it. Ha! Fool. Listen to the last name I once had. Skywalker. I shall walk the skies, I shall tread on the atmospheres of countless worlds and beat them into submission. I will make it so much more than they can possibly bear. I will turn on you and destroy you and all you've ever stood for. And when I am finished, there will be none left of your kind. Only me.

Satisfied with the declaration, he sank into sleep.

Shallow, restless sleep.

***

Their round eyes were a deeper blue than the depths of any of Alderaan's oceans, though the little girl's would change in time.

The boy's mouth hung open in concentration as he tried to grasp his small round toes, hanging mysteriously in the air above him. His twin sister was content to lie not far away, watching him in his endeavors.

Their mother was seated on a chair next to the wide bed, gazing at both of them. To the casual observer, she was just inattentively looking on, but for one who knew her, her expression held a note of longing, of sorrow.

And right it should, Obi-Wan thought, standing by the window, Master Yoda beside him. "I don't want to let go of either one any more than you do, but I'll be there if he needs me."

"It doesn't seem right," she murmured, so low that Obi-Wan had to project some of the sound waves in his direction to make it out. "They deserve better than this."

Little Luke subconsciously felt the Force ripple and let out a long "a-a-a-a-a-h-h-h."

Leia, his sister, squealed at the noise and they both giggled.

Obi-Wan had recently been trying to rid himself of his cynicism, looking at the better aspects of life. He felt it was all he could do, under the circumstances. And with this new attitude, he had found something worth holding on to. At least Master Yoda approved, who was keeping silent and watching the twins, who were nearing six months.

Now he would keep an eye on the progeny of his apprentice, the ones who had unconsciously helped him with his discovery.

It was his duty; their mother was fading.

The Force operates in mysterious ways, he reminded himself. Perhaps she would heal; perhaps she would not. His view of the future grew hazier by the day. Emotional difficulties like this were sometimes so much harder to deal with than physical. But while he was concerned about her, he was not thinking of his own former instability.

Padmé turned to look at him. "You will take him tomorrow?"

He looked down at Luke. "Yes. To wait any longer presents a great risk."

"Leaving tomorrow I will be, as well," Yoda confirmed.

She nodded as if satisfied, but he saw through the diplomatic training. He closed his eyes, then laid a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be safe with me."

Her stare was vacant. That was what worried him.

***

The transport was filling rapidly by the time he arrived.

He glanced down at the child in his arms. Luke waved his hands restlessly, then sighed as Obi-Wan tried to pacify him through the Force.

He had taken care to disguise himself (perhaps as an excuse for some grooming), and change his identity card. His face had been all over the holos during the recent Clone Wars, to make things worse. He was less recognizable without a beard, and he had grown out his previously shorter hair long enough to pull back, dying it a dark brown along with his eyebrows. The shape of his nose had been altered slightly with subtle prosthetics, enough to make him appear different. To appear now as a Jedi was far too dangerous, but if word got out that there were two of them, and one a child…

He pushed the thought from his mind. His charge was far too receptive; Luke had somehow sensed his unease and started squirming again.

He jostled him a little as the line moved forward.

The transport was typical to the ones he had been in so far; not exactly all the comforts of home, but Obi-Wan had been trained to adjust to spartan conditions. It was Luke he was concerned about. He would not have chosen this means of transportation had it not been necessary to keep them both hidden from the Empire's wrath.

Luke had fallen asleep by the time Obi-Wan was assigned to his cabin, so he put his charge down on the pillow and settled in to wait out the infant's slumber.

***

Padmé was as close to satisfied as she'd ever be. She had discussed her situation with Bail Organa and he had agreed to assist her with Leia, and take over her parenting should the need arise. Leia was the daughter of a professional diplomat; he had assured her that the girl would be as well-trained as her mother, and would grow up a fine delegate, a convincing representative that could possibly assist him to counter the recent turn of events.

However, Padmé was still troubled by the fact that she had no otherworldly connection to her daughter like Anakin might have had, and would have no control should Leia unconsciously announce her presence to the rulers of the rising Empire. She had relayed these concerns to Obi-Wan, and he had dispelled them. Leia would mature with no knowledge of her abilities, and would not be found out.

But that didn't mean Padmé had to like it.

***

Luke woke up. It was cold and dark, and he became afraid. He was accustomed to the warm presence that he knew as Mother, and she was not here. Neither was his sister, another that he had a strong bond with. He did not know what had become of them. He wanted to see them again; he was so used to it. And he didn't see the other person, the man that had brought him here. His small mind was overwhelmed and he inhaled deeply to let out a burbling wail.

***

Obi-Wan woke with a start as Luke's cry registered, and he realized he'd dozed off. He leaned over and picked up the squirming little form lying not far off.

Luke's cries didn't subside.

Obi-Wan sighed and felt around in his bag for the infant formula he had taken along. Finding it, he withdrew the liquid and pushed the end of the canister into Luke's rosy mouth. He knew the baby was hungry, but not only for food.

"I'm the only companion you'll have for a little while," he whispered as Luke sucked away noisily, bathing in the attention and warming thoughts that Obi-Wan sent to him.

Luke finished and wrinkled up his features, almost looking like a miniature human version of Yoda. Obi-Wan smiled at the thought and gently began rubbing Luke's back. He had never played nanny before, and he was quite sure this would be the last time.

The pocket of air made its way up and Luke burped loudly, then giggled as if reading his caretaker's thoughts.

Obi-Wan lifted an eyebrow. "Are you finished?"

Luke responded by sighing again and going limp in his arms.

Learning nursery songs had never been a priority in his training, so the Jedi hummed an improvised tune, making sure the key was major, not wanting to unsettle the infant.

Luke yawned widely, his toothless mouth gaping. Obi-Wan thought of laying him back down on the mattress, then decided against it and leaned back against the wall, feeling the vibrations of the ship on one side and the warmth of the infant on the other.

***

The call for the meal was much sooner than Obi-Wan expected, jolting him out of his meditation. He blinked the gummy feeling out of his eyes and headed for the cafeteria with Luke in his arms. The mess hall was only half full; not many people wanted away from Alderaan, but some people, like him, suspected it would become a political target sooner or later, if not a military one.

Luke had not yet been weaned, so he watched his guardian eat curiously.

Obi-Wan caught the infant's eyes and they locked gazes for a moment.

A startling revelation occurred to him: here he was, a renowned general and Jedi Master, transporting the son of a Sith and senator to a pair of moisture farmers. He marveled at how ridiculous it all sounded when he put it into words. But the feeling faded at the truth of the situation. The twins were at peril, and so would the galaxy be if they were found. Luke and his sister were yet as clay, to be molded by whatever hands they happened upon.

I will be there, he promised silently. I will protect you. I will wait until you are ready, then you will know the truth of it.

Luke stared back at him, as if believing every word.

Then the first test arrived.

Obi-Wan could not believe his misfortune. The security droid was an Imperial model. He hoped the Force was only testing him.

He released thoughts of panic as he exhaled, then focused on the moment and pictured his features pinching and drooping to form the face of an older man, and distorted Luke's features as well, just in case.

The security droid passed without alarm. Obi-Wan relaxed and let the visual pretense drop while Luke burbled with excitement. He had no idea of the danger, and thought it all fun that his guardian would suddenly change into an old man, then back again. Obi-Wan jostled him a bit, then finished his food.

Back to the cabin. He didn't want to spend any more time out in the open than necessary.

He sighed upon arriving; the cabin was just as he'd left it. Settling down, he opened himself up again to scan the transport.

Sentient after sentient had no idea of his relevance.

Good, he thought.

Luke wriggled and babbled loudly, amusing himself with his vocal cords.

The Master's eyes twinkled; he held Luke out with both arms, then gathered the Force around him and let go. Luke squealed delightedly as he levitated over the bed. Waving his pudgy arms, he babbled down at Obi-Wan, who promptly began to slowly rotate the floating child. He smiled and let Luke drop back into his arms, not far away. Luke squinted and yawned.

The Master settled back for meditation, the baby for sleep.

***

Vader began his healing exercises.

At first, every movement brought pain as his taut skin protested the tension, but as the hours progressed, the bacta tank did as it was supposed to, and his muscles luxuriated in returned motion. He channeled any pain to fuel his anger, which he turned to use in the dark side.

It came more easily now that he had practiced in his dormant hours. His body might be scarred for life, but his mind was new in its onset against the galaxy.

At least Palpatine approved. But then, of course he would. He would approve of any course of action that was pursued with the dark side as an ally…

Vader smiled grimly, stretching the skin.

***

The ship's shudder brought Obi-Wan back. He sat up straight, wondering why they had come out of hyperspace this early.

Pirates?

But why would pirates attack a simple refugee transport? There would be almost nothing to gain…unless they were here for slaves.

He drew in a deep breath and refocused, locating the area of the ship with the most disturbance. It was close to his cabin, where one of two main entrance ports was. Whoever it was, they were preparing to board.

He centred his focus upon the intruders. They moved like a single mind, intent on…on what? He couldn't say. But they were determined and grim. Not like pirates.

His heart sank. Imperial troops were the only likely answer, and would be intent on searching the transport.

Luke was awake, and restless. Obi-Wan calmed him with a few soothing thoughts, his mind working rapidly.

What was a possible way to avoid them? The Force-masking wouldn't work again; he couldn't hold it up that long. The intense concentration would wear him out after a few minutes. They would scan for life forms after the cabins had been emptied; he couldn't hide Luke inside the refresher. And he most certainly couldn't go out as if nothing was wrong.

Or could he?

He set his jaw, collected his things, and stuffed them back into the bag. His first priority was to protect them both from discovery. If he was positively identified as General Kenobi, the infant would be assumed as important to him. They knew he wasn't a family man.

But, he thought, a little convincing would assure them a continued safe passage to their destination. Yes. That would be difficult, but would work nicely.

He heard troops moving down the hall, commanding all the sentients to move to the mess hall for examination. He knew they wouldn't be enforcing retinal scans, fortunately; that would take far too long with so many refugees. This was likely a random search, to keep the public on their toes. And any hidden Jedi that might just have been foolish enough to take public transport.

He slung the bag over his shoulder and cradled Luke in the other arm, and exited the room. They were greeted by a mass of bodies, most excited interlopers, the rest orderly troops.

Obi-Wan had been ready the second he walked out the door. He carefully projected satisfying thoughts, that everything was in order, nothing was amiss, none of the refugees in his area were suspect, including him and Luke.

The troops passed without a hitch. Relief flooded through him, but he knew it wasn't over yet.

The assembly in the mess hall was more orderly than he expected. He joined the end of a line, at the start of which was an Imperial officer checking IDs.

He rooted around in his satchel and pulled out his new false identification, again thankful for the disguise Padmé had provided him with. The line moved fairly quickly and within fifteen minutes he was facing the officer. He held out his identification as per orders and received a suspicious look.

Obi-Wan blinked, looking bewildered. "I'm not the one you're looking for, I know that." He subtly waved his hand toward the officer, who appeared to be a young lieutenant.

The officer nodded. "You're not the one we're looking for. Stay at the other end of the room until you're notified that the search is over."

Obi-Wan complied. The Force was with him today, he knew. "We're fortunate," he whispered to Luke, not really knowing why he took such comfort in relaying messages to an infant.

Luke had been thoroughly roused by all the action around him and kicked for a moment.

Soothing thoughts. He had to focus on soothing thoughts, without broadcasting them to the galaxy. Fear was not an option, and it never had been. He knew how to deal with it, but this time was somehow different. He had on his hands the possible saviour or demise of the galaxy, one who he could only control by convincing thoughts, and even that didn't work on occasion. Luke was unpredictable, though it wasn't as if his father hadn't been as well, even as an adult.

He sighed despite himself. It had been those unanticipated actions that had brought about so much of this. If only he had seen it, he might have intercepted…

No. He couldn't dwell on the mistakes of his past. He had to be alert and ready for any present happenings.

A line of stormtroopers pushed past him, and would have knocked Luke to the floor had it not been for his quick reflexes. Luke fussed in his arms. Obi-Wan thought of Padmé and slipped the image gently into Luke's mind, and the infant quieted.

The search was carried out and nothing suspicious was reportedly found. All passengers were ordered to return to their cabins for the jump back into hyperspace. He noted with lacking amusement that the captain sounded rather irked.

***

He was back.

The life-support system was a cause of annoyance to drag around, but he was glad to be out of the bacta tank, even if he would have still needed the treatment.

Realistically, he could spend his entire life in one and still not heal entirely. The thought was not pleasing, but he might as well make the most of what functions he had left.

Both arms and both legs were scheduled to be amputated, so severely had they been damaged. He was almost pleased with the thought of having four cybernetic limbs; they would not tire or cramp or bleed. And he had been promised a suit that would provide him with his missing functions.

He had been getting tired of floating in bacta, however; companionship was lacking. He had always had someone to talk to, to relay trust to, and now that was gone.

A necessary sacrifice, he told himself. Attachment corrupts strength.

And he could no longer afford to have any weaknesses. Not now, when his future held so much. The only person he could trust was himself…

What of Padmé?

He squeezed his eyes shut. NO, his mind shouted. NO ATTACHMENTS!

None. She would be dead to him.