Someone always pays the price

Chapter One

AN: Fourth in the series of Stand the Hazard.

He dreamed.

They were in bed. A cool breeze coming through the window and the lakes of Naboo seen from the balcony. Padme lay next to him, curled up tight and he breathed her in, enjoying the clean smell of her, the flowered scent of her hair from the shampoo that she always used when they were in Naboo.

"Ani," she breathed, turning to him. Her lips sought out his skin, pressing to his shoulder, then his neck and then-

A baby cried in the distance and she groaned into him. "She has your appetite," Padme complained and he laughed before he pressed a kiss to her head and rolled out of bed.

He padded down the hallway and into their daughter's room where his daughter lay, crying. She was fuzzy in his mind, a baby and perfect, but her features were indistinct and blurred. He scooped her up and into his arms-

She simply wasn't there anymore.

When he turned, the room was a mess, blaster marks dotting the wall. The room didn't look as if it had ever been completed and it wasn't the right room and he turned, not sure what he was seeing even as words blurred in the distance.

He turned and saw Luke in the distance. Almost hidden, but there and he reached-

Then the force, weak and feeble as the connection had been, collapsed away from him and his wrists ached and burned. He opened his eyes to see them taking away the old binders and there were new ones on his wrists.

He stared at the figure in front of him who stared down with a triumphant smile. "Thought we wouldn't notice you fiddling with 'em, eh?"

Anakin pushed himself up to his knees, panting as his mind struggled to adjust. The brief reminder of the force, of what he had been used to made him remember the pain of not having it again. The difference was overwhelming.

"Stand."

The order was emphasised with the whip being activated. The thing looked like a string of liquid gold and Anakin stared at it for a moment before he forced his shaking limbs to obey. It was harder without the force and he'd never realised how much strength normal people had when they couldn't rely on the force to help them.

Molec smirked at Anakin as he circled him. It was hard to keep himself straight and staring ahead but he'd learned how to play this game If Molec wanted to beat him, he would.

And one day, Anakin would wrap that krifin' whip around Molec's neck and watch him electrocute to death.

"She'll be punished," Molec warned. "Your apprentice. And she doesn't enjoy the favouritism that you do."

Favouritism?!

Anakin restrained the urge to snort at that. If he had any say in the matter, he'd never be on the receiving end of the Queen's favouritism.

He had his own cell. The Queen called it a room, but it was a cell, he'd been in enough to know one when he saw it. Locks on the door, his inability to fill it with anything other than what she allowed. There was a window that allowed some light to come through and for him to look out at the slave square below, but even that was its own form of torture.

If time travel was an option he'd go back and storm the place as a Jedi. He'd always been kept away from such places by the order, probably because Obi-Wan had understood that he'd never be able to deal with slavers in a calm and rational manner. But Tatooine had nothing on the Zygerrians. Tattooine was about trade and profit and work and it was foul and disgusting but anything more than that was rare. This was about pleasure and ease and the power of knowing that someone's life was in your hands. It was about labour and entertainment and easy pleasure and that the Jedi had allowed such an empire to grow was heinous.

A rough clawed hand grabbed his chin and Anakin forced himself not to respond.

"She'll bore of you," Molec promised. "And then I will take great pleasure in watching you suffer."

Anakin couldn't help but glance at the man before smirking and looking away.

It was worth the blow he received.

xxx

Kaller

Leia was baffled by the puddle.

It had been funny at first. But Luke sat watching her jump into it for what had to be the twentieth time and then look around as the water splashed up and sunk into the ground around her. She'd almost created something that looked like a swamp in the metre square she was obsessed with.

"Luke," she said, pointing. Though he wasn't sure that she wasn't saying look because his sister was nothing if not bossy. "Splash," she announced with glee.

"Yep," he agreed. "Same as it has the past hour."

She nodded and looked down at her feet, shaking each one daintily as if to try and get rid of the water, before placing the foot back in the puddle.

Everyone said his sister was clever for her age. He was pretty sure that was only because they didn't see half the dumb stuff she did. A little bored, he pressed the end of the stick he was holding into the ground and then watched as the mud welled up, starting to fill the hole instantly.

"Rain?" Leia asked, squinting up at the sky.

"It doesn't come on command," Luke muttered.

"Want rain," she said in a voice that sounded like she was trying to be reasonable. He sighed and looked up at the sky and then shrugged at her.

She watched him for a moment and then toddled over, abandoning the puddle to stand between his knees where he was sat on the edge of a tree stump. Wide brown eyes stared at him for a moment and then she scowled and touched his hair. "No."

Yeah, he didn't like it either. But Mom had dyed his hair because apparently that made it easier to hide them. His hair was now darker then Leia's and his Mom's but it would fade a little in the sunlight, Mom had said.

She'd reapplied it three times since they'd left Jedha. It was enough to make him want to go back.

"Yuck," he said, reaching out and tugging a strand of her hair. But Leia giggled at that and pulled his hair too, radiating joy at the silly game.

A flicker of surprise crossed his awareness and he startled, staring at the village. The Kallerans were going about business as usual while Mom sat in with the elders. He wasn't sure what had caught his attention but there was definitely something.

Then he spotted it.

In the corner, a boy was staring at him. A human male, older than Luke and dressed as a smuggler. Luke tilted his head, trying to work out where he knew him from…

The temple.

It was a flickering memory, one that he had mostly forgotten, but the force compensated the memory. Luke, seven years old and holding Dad's hand tightly as they walked out after a session with Master Yoda. A boy five years older was practising with a lightsabre and Luke remembered being fascinated by it. And then Dad had noticed him watching and had tucked Luke in close, pulling him up to sit on Dad's hip.

"Look fun?" Dad had asked.

Luke had hummed, then tucked his head into Dad's neck.

But it was definitely the same boy.

A jedi youngling.

Luke stood, and Leia let out an annoyed noise as he placed himself between her and the boy, regardless of that fact that the boy was on the opposite side of the village. He didn't react as the boy walked closer to him, but was suddenly very aware of where Leia was.

"I know you," the boy said as he got close. "From the temple…" he blinked down at Leia, then turned to where Mom was having her meeting before his eyes widened. "You're-"

Luke flapped his hands and, miraculously, the boy shut up. But he didn't stop staring.

"My master thought you were dead," the boy whispered. "Or had been found by a sith lord. And with the purge-"

Shrugging, Luke ducked down to lift Leia into his arms, just in case. "Mom's taking care of it," he said. Then took a breath. "So you know who I am-"

"Luke," Leia announced in a gleeful shout that made Luke want to roll his eyes. "yes," he agreed with his sister, glaring at her. "But who are you?"

"Kanan," the boy said after a moment. "I go by Kanan now."

Xxx

"A jedi Padawan?" Mom asked as they ate in the cabin that night. "He would have been very young to be a Padawan."

It wasn't as if he knew enough about being a Jedi to comment on that. "His master died here," Luke relayed. "He was taken in by one of the Kallerans. I don't think he's used the force since."

Mom sighed. "I wonder how many more there are like him." She rocked Leia who was almost asleep in her arms, eyes fixated on the flames they were gathered around. "You said you remembered him?"

"In passing," Luke said. "In the temple when Dad…" he trailed off and then looked at her. "I guess he remembers me because of who I was with. Must have been the only Jedi gossip they had."

Mom raised an eyebrow but didn't correct him. Then she shook her head. "As long as he's safe. Perhaps I can mention it to Bail. See if a Jedi can come and see him, check if Kanan would like to leave."

Sounded reasonable.

"Are they going for it?" Luke asked. "The Kallerans? You said that they used to complain that there was no difference between the separatists and the republic."

"Yes, as they have reminded me. They seem more interested in taking praise for being oddly right in a way. I…I think it will take more time than I have, but at least they are aware of us. They key to this seems to be not pushing." Mom shifted Leia again who mumbled something and turned fully into her. "Not my speciality."

Luke grinned at that.

Xxx

The next day, Mom kept hold of Leia which was a relief to both of them because it meant Luke was free to explore and that Leia wouldn't end the day drenched in mud. And so, Luke stood at the edge of the hill that led down to the village and took in a breath. As much as he loved Jedha, he'd missed the feel of water and trees and seeing the lush greenness that made him smile. And here, it was easier to feel the humming life of everything that was connected to the force, to feel his part in it and sink in slowly.

"You know I could teach you how to meditate in the Jedi way?"

Luke blinked and then turned to Kanan. "What? Close my eyes and count to a hundred? Why?"

"You don't-" Luke tried not to grin at the exasperated sigh. "That's not how it works," Kanan said as he stepped up next to Luke.

"This works for me," Luke said, shrugging. "Besides, aren't you like a smuggler now?"

Kanan looked away, clearly torn about something. "Your Mom's looking for you," he said, nodding down at the village.

Sure enough, Mom had come out of her conference that she was holding and had shielded her eyes to look up at him. The 'come here' gesture was clearly being waved at him.

Maybe she hadn't meant the forest was included when he'd asked if he could have a look around the village.

So he stuck his hands up in the air and mimed ten at her, then turned to Kanan. "Guess we'd better head back."

He couldn't help but sneak a look at the older boy as they walked together. It was the first time in a long time that he'd been able to talk to a boy that might understand all of what Luke dealt with and they'd barely had a chance to speak. And at least Luke had Mom and Leia and Gregar and Satine when he saw them. Kanan had barely anyone.

But then, he was older. He was sixteen to Luke's eleven and Luke had to crane his neck to look up at him. He was really tall now. And his hair was pulled back into a ponytail as if he were trying to look a bit rakish.

Well, that was what Mom had muttered with some amusement. Luke wasn't entirely sure what the word meant, but Leia had started to babble the word to anyone who would listen and wasn't that gonna be annoying?!

"Did you ever hear from anyone?" Luke asked curiously as they walked down the path. "The Jedi?"

Kanan shook his head. "I guess they figured I'd died with my master." He slanted another gaze at Luke. "You sure you'd want me to tell you? Your Mom doesn't seem all that keen."

"She worries too much," Luke muttered, kicking at a stone. Then he risked a glance at Kanan again. "Do you know why?"

The teenager nodded. "They think you'll start something new. End the Jedi and the Sith."

In his mind, Luke could practically feel the pleasure that Vader felt at the idea. He looked away and resisted the urge to close his eyes in case Kanan knew what he was doing.

Instead, he showed Vader the image of blast proof doors in as pointed a way as he could manage. His father retreated slightly after a warm brush across his mind and then vanished from Luke's awareness.

Well, hid.

Luke could never quite figure out how he felt about it all.

"The Jedi are gone and the sith are…" Luke shrugged. "Not sure it'd be that hard to replace them. Everyone seems to have their own idea about what each mean."

Kanan actually nodded at that. Then stopped, poised.

There was something… Luke looked around, halting as he sensed something. Like a flash of movement out the corner of his eyes, it was enough to tell him that something wasn't right, but he couldn't figure out what.

Kanan reached out a hand and pulled Luke close, hand reaching for his blaster.

"We're being followed," he whispered.

Luke twisted around, trying to listen and reach out. "Wait," he said, turning in the direction he felt a sudden flutter come from. "I think-"

The stun blast was the last thing he saw.

xxx

He'd been stunned. It was the first conscious thought he had as he swum back to awareness within the confines of his own mind.

Being stunned kinda hurt!

"Yes," a deep voice rumbled. Vader sounded as unhappy about it as one could be.

Shape formed in Luke's mind. He recognised Coruscant, the view. They were stood on a balcony that he sort of remembered and sometimes he could almost feel Mom's presence there, as if Vader had captured her at some point.

He kept his distance, just a little bit. Instead, he stepped close to the balcony edge and stared out at the city planet he had once called home.

"What did it look like?" Luke asked quietly. "When it was Imperial Centre."

He could feel the hesitation from Vader. Then there was the echo of a sigh and the view changed. The balcony changed and it was no longer the apartment that Mom had owned when Luke had first turned up in the past. Instead, they were at a military base and everything was far more uniform. Humans seemed to be the predominant species and the symbol of the empire was everywhere.

Luke stepped closer without realising it and then startled when he realised how close he suddenly was to Vader. The figure didn't move, and seemed almost to be frozen.

Luke turned his attention back to the view, a welling sadness building up within him. That was what it was like now. It wasn't right. He wanted it to still be the place that Mom had shown him with a gentle smile and detailed explanations about the things that were important to everyone. Where Ahsoka had snuck him food from every planet imaginable and played sith versus Jedi with him.

Where Dad had walked him along the streets and everyone had known his face. And Dad had pointed at the stars and whispered to him about where they would go and explore when the war was finally over.

He could feel Vader's mood plummet and, for a second there was lava and screaming and bodies and pain-

Luke tried to pull away, but the usual paths weren't working and he wasn't opening his eyes.

Then they were on Mom's balcony again.

"I'm not waking up," Luke whispered.

"You were stunned," Vader said without inflection. "I imagine you have also been injected with something for transport."

Transport?

"Where am I going?"

Vader tilted his head. "I do not know," he said, and there was a burning frustration in his words. "They were…"

Luke glanced up at him when he trailed off. For a moment he saw it all again, the forest and Kanan turning and the faintest glimpse of an odd shaped shadow in the depths of the forest shadows.

Then he was somewhere else. In the Jedi Temple of Courascant as it had been but not in his own memory. Instead, it had to be Vader's. And Dad and Ahsoka were talking and there was a holo up with Trandoshans-

Vader's anger almost overwhelmed him and Luke gasped feeling any protection that he'd had start to waver. He backed away, trying to find somewhere to hide, but Vader controlled this part of his mind and it was impossible to stand against that storm.

He woke to a body that wasn't ready to wake. His limbs wouldn't obey him and his head felt fuzzy and heavy. Muffled by the dimmed awareness of his body. A cage swum before his eyes and it took a few minutes for him to work out that the cage was one that surrounded him rather than one in front of him.

Double bars in his vision confused him for longer until he realised it meant that there was another cage. Another body.

His mind swum, rebelling against his attempt to force himself awake and away from Vader's fury. The world blurred once more and this time, he fell into darkness.