He swore to himself he would never return to this place. So much of his day to day life was lived through pain, he didn't need to add to it by coming here. And yet he found himself inexplicably drawn.

Oh, he had convinced himself at first that it was all a matter of following up on leads. That the decision to come here was less... personal. The official reason was that there were rumors that Obi-Wan was here. He almost believed it. But after the news from Coruscant broke, there was no denying it. He had known that Kenobi wouldn't be here at this time. Now he found himself staring out over the cityscape of Theed. His true purpose for being there already in motion.

"Lord Vader?" the even voice of Piett came behind him.

"What is it Captain?"

"We have just received a transmission from Imperial Center. The Emperor commands that you contact him immediately."

"Display the transmission from here and leave me," Vader said.

"As you wish my Lord," Piett bowed dutifully and began relaying the orders.

Vader approached the view screen and felt a twist in his gut. How many times did she stare at this very same screen in this very same throne room? Before they had even met, her duties as queen would have necessitated she her using it countless times...

Knowing the transmission was about to begin, Vader took one knee and bowed his head. The audio receptors in his helmet picked up the white fuzz of static just before the signal was received and a dark glow cast itself upon him and the floor just in front of him. Even light years away he could feel his Master's cold stare upon him now.

"What is thy bidding my Master," Vader breathed, each syllable heavy.

"You are to return to Imperial Center at once."

"Obi-Wan will not be there by the time I arrive," Vader looked up.

"Yes I know," the Emperor snapped. "You are being recalled to make an accounting as to how he could have thus far eluded you and come here today!"

"You have tasked me with fighting the rebels here in the Outer Rim," Vader said. "Had I been present in the Home System Obi-Wan would not have infiltrated the planet as he did."

"And yet he has bested you at every turn," the Emperor sneered.

"He is one Jedi supported by the rebels." Vader said, his teeth grinding at his Master's comments. "Even now my probe droids scour the Galaxy to locate their fleet. With the Rebel Alliance destroyed, Obi-Wan will not have-"

"Silence..." the Emperor merely spoke the word but he may as well have shouted. Vader again bowed his head in supplication. "I do not want excuses Lord Vader. You have had two years to end Kenobi. After all this time I would have expected results from my Dark Lord of the Sith."

"Yes Master," Vader said, the fist that lay across his knee trembled slightly as he forced the words out.

"In fact, I am beginning to think I will need to pull in more... diverse resources to deal with your former teacher as you seem to be incapable of doing so."

"I can and will defeat him my Master," Vader said. "If you but reinstate my authority over the core fleet-"

"So that you can expend our resources on locating Skywalker's offspring?" The Emperor's eyes narrowed and Vader could feel them searching his soul even across the holonet. "No, you must earn my trust again my old apprentice."

"I will my Master," Vader said. "And Kenobi will die by my hand."

"We shall see. You have your orders Lord Vader. I shall expect you here shortly to make a full accounting and to lay out any future plans you have to deal with this irksome Jedi."

"As you wish."

The transmission ended but Vader remained on his knee, his fists grinding so hard against his palms that he could hear the whine of the servos in his bionic joints. The throne behind him abruptly pulled itself from the floor and hurled into the very viewscreen Vader had been conversing through.

The various devices in his chest and helmet that monitored his vitals clocked into overtime as his rage boiled over. Two years of searching openly for Kenobi and two years of searching covertly for his son and still nothing. All the while the Emperor kept him further and further from his goals. All the while-

"L... Lord Vader..." Piett's voice came from the comm-unit in his helmet.

"What is it Captain?"

"Forgive me my Lord, but you had better get down here... we've run into something... unexpected."

All in all... it had been a lousy twenty four hours for Prince Xizor. The Emperor was on some sort of rampage, convinced that the Black Sun had in some way aided Kenobi in his infiltration, Sunrider had eluded him, some of his best men were killed by members of the Rebel Alliance, and to top it all off... one of his few operatives that had managed not to get killed, brought Guri back in pieces.

His engineers currently worked on the droid searching for anyway to properly reconstruct her. Sunrider and his allies had done quite a job on her. His chief engineer predicted that they would not succeed without the cooperation of the droid's original designers... and they worked for the Empire. It would take time for the Emperor's ire to cool before he could attain their cooperation.

The Black Prince let out a grumble as he poured himself another glass of Alderaani Spring wine. Right now seemed as good as any to imbibe such a rare vintage. His private chambers commanded a stunning view of the Imperial City. From there he sipped his wine and conjured images of the many intimate ways he would torture Sunrider once he caught the whelp.

And perhaps this day wouldn't be a total loss. It was unlikely that Kenobi had yet escaped Coruscant just yet. If he could apprehend the Jedi, it would go a long way towards currying favor with the Emperor. Even if Kenobi escaped, Xizor would consider tasking his men with his capture offworld.

Setting his goblet down, Xizor crossed the room and activated his comm system, intent on contacting the new leader of his forces. Until he had Guri back, Xizor would have to make do with men like him. The Corellian rebel had shot the previous one off some great height. But if Xizor intended on catching the Jedi before he fled the planet, he needed to act now.

But when the Black Prince hit the activator, all he got was dead air. He called out his security cheif's name but there was no answer. Being no fool, Xizor opened up a panel on the wall and slipped a hold out blaster into his waiting fingers. No sooner did he do that then the door opened. Xizor turned to fire but the blaster was knocked out away. Moment's later a blaster carbine leveled in front of his face and Xizor glared at his assailant.

"Boba Fett! How dare you-"

"Shut up!" Fett latched a gloved hand around Xizor's neck.

But even without the blaster, the Black Prince was not defenseless. He had some of the finest martial arts trainers in the Galaxy at his disposal. Xizor lashed a clawed hand out in an attempt to break the bounty hunter's hold but the next thing he knew he was face first against his polished floor.

"Now listen up," Fett growled, his boot pressed onto the back of Xizor's neck. "I don't want to be here but I've been sent to give you a message. Stay away from Sunrider and stay away from the Rebels. You were given your first warning when they sent you your men back dead. This is the second, cross them again and you will see your palace burn around you with you in it. Understand?"

"So... so it's true! You really have turned coat for the Rebels!" Xizor grunted but every time he moved Fett's boot pressed harder against his neck.

"I said, understood?"

"You had better kill me now Fett. I swear that I will come after you with everything I have if you don't!"

"Don't tempt me!" Xizor felt a blaster jam against his back. "The only reason you're not dead right now is because the one that sent me thinks it would draw too much attention. Now you either say 'understood' or I tell my employer that there were... complications."

Xizor was many things, vain, egotistical, vindictive, but he was no fool. He knew perfectly well who he was dealing with and what sort of position he was in. He knew exactly what a 'complication' was. And he just so happened to be without his chief body guard to provide complications of his own.

"Understood."

"Sunrider is off limits. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Glad we could have this talk your highness."

Instantly the pressure from the bounty hunter's boot disappeared. Xizor rolled over to see him calmly exiting the balcony. The crime lord eyed his discarded blaster and thought to reach for it, but Fett had already thrown the balcony doors wide open.

"Sunrider may be out of bounds," Xizor growled, inching toward the blaster, trying to keep Fett long enough to make it worth the effort. "But you are not. You'll pay for this insult Fett! I'll place a bounty on your head so large... you'll want to turn yourself in for it!"

Fett did not stop. He did not even look back. Even as the crimelord grasped the weapon, the only thing the bounty hunter did was to inch his head slightly his direction.

"Try it your highness, see what happens."

Before Xizor could figure out if Fett meant the bounty or the blaster, the mandalorian's jet pack burst to life, firing him into the air in a blaze of fire, leaving a thick smoke gushing into Xizor's quarters.

Moments after the bounty hunter's exit, the doors behind him opened and his security team finally rushed in. Xizor's lips curled at the sight of them, his worthless men that had already utterly failed to do their jobs. One in particular caught his smoldering eyes. One of his lieutenants that had helped capture the rebels meant to lure Sunrider out of hiding. He, of all people, dared show his face now?

Ignoring any bruises or pains Fett may have inflicted on him, Xizor lunged at the craven fool and shoved him against the wall, jamming the blaster into his neck. His claws broke the idiot's skin as Xizor prepared to pull the trigger.

"Give me one reason I should not execute you as an example to the rest of these men for failure!" Xizor hissed. "One reason!"

"I'm sorry your highness! I'm sorry! We did not expect the Empire! We had no idea that Skywalker could call them like that!"

Instantly Xizor's finger pulled away from the trigger. "What did you say?"

"He managed to bring the Empir-"

"No. Not that. You said Skywalker."

"T... that was what Sunrider called himself! He said his name was Luke Skywalker!"

Xizor released the man, who fell to his knees in fealty. A million fires lit up in Xizor's mind. The bounty of a secret he and few others knew. Except for now, that secret treasure held the promise of becoming even richer. If what this minion said was true.

"You may very well have saved your life," Xizor said. "Tell me everything about your encounter with 'Luke Skywalker'."

The security checkpoint loomed ahead of them. Recorder droids hovered like gnats and the requisite security personnel stood at their posts, scanning luggage, id's, and faces. It was a scene that played out similar to the one they'd seen the morning before, except now the security had been doubled and planetary interceptor craft as well as anti-air guns flanked every transport. But oddly, this wasn't what made Leia nervous.

Well, those made her nervous too, but Imperial armament was something she was used to.

No, it was the circumstances surrounding this trip to the space port.

"It's gonna be alright," Han said from behind her. "He didn't mean anything by it."

"He said he'd see us at the space port," Leia said.

Chewie grumbled something and Han nodded.

"It's like Chewie said, it was just a bad choice of words," Han said. "He's crazy, but he's not that crazy."

"Oh I do hope you're right Captain Solo," C-3P0 said. "We've had quite enough excitement for one day with out General Kenobi showing his face here today."

Behind the golden droid, R2 hooted an agreement. Leia just shook her head and kept her eyes on the enhanced security and the guards checking id's. Unlike the day before, when they seemed nearly overcome with boredom, their eyes narrowed with suspicion at the slightest hint of an irregularity. With no sign of Obi-Wan near she could at least focus on their own potential problems getting aboard their transport. Their falsified id's worked well enough on arrival, she just had to hope that they would continue to do so now.

Still, she slowed her pace so it would be easier to get near R2, who stashed their weapons for them should things go south. Leia spied through the crowd of fellow passengers, at once wondering how they tolerated this constant barrage on their freedoms and also searching for any signs of her Jedi Master. There were bleary eyed humans, having woken up early to get to the transport, a group of dugs pushing over one another to get in line, and a rather shabbily dressed moisture farmer, but no Obi-Wan. Leia focused on a rather tall Aqualish behind them and wondered if it was him in disguise but quickly dismissed it. The smell was too authentic to be anything but genuine.

"I am not worried about the general," Winter said from the back. "But I do think that perhaps I should not have abandoned Luke."

"Nobody abandoned anybody," Han said. "Luke gotta do what he's gotta do. Even if he is a little out of his mind."

"Cody will look after him," Leia said, hoping that if she said it out loud, she would believe it would all be okay. After everything that had happened in the last twenty four hours, she didn't like the idea of any of them staying on Coruscant for the foreseeable future.

Only a few passengers away from the security checkpoint, Leia fished her id out of her pocket and pressed it tightly between her fingers. The chip inside would fool the facial recognition scanners just as before and the disguise she wore, complete with a memorable, but entirely fake scar would keep any of the human troops from recognizing her on sight. Besides, unlike Obi-Wan, nobody was looking for her here on Coruscant.

"Oh my... this can't be good," she heard C-3PO mutter.

Following his line of sight, Leia held back a gasp when a small contingent of stormtroopers marched out onto the landing platform, blaster rifles held dutifully at their chests. Han's fingers suddenly pressed against her shoulder while he beckoned R2 forward to the center of the group.

"I got a bad feeling about this," he muttered under his breath as the stormtroopers approached the security checkpoint and began conversing with the detail posted there.

"We need to be ready to make a break for it," Han muttered.

"Perhaps it would be a good thing if the General were to arrive after all," Winter nodded.

"It will be alright," Leia said, again looking about for the Jedi. "They're probably just relaying orders."

As if to specifically prove her wrong, the conversation between the security personnel and the stormtroopers seemed to end with the security guards leaving their posts and the stormtroopers taking their place. Apparently security on this port was receiving yet another upgrade.

"We're doomed." Threepio muttered.

"Shut up," both Leia and Han said at the same time, though Leia found herself working not to agree with the droid.

They were only a couple of passengers away from the checkpoint themselves. She considered taking Han's advice and having their entire group make a quick exit. They could return to the safehouse and try again in a couple of days when security would likely have calmed down.

"If we all leave now as a group, it will look suspicious..." Winter breathed, apparently having considered the same thing. "... you should go your Highness. You and Chewbacca."

Chewie snarled something down at Winter but Han grabbed the wookiee's arm.

"She's right Chewie," He said. "Artoo should go too. That's a small enough group that as long as we keep them distracted, they won't notice."

"We're not splitting up," Leia said. "If the Empire knew we were-"

"You there!" one of the lead stormtroopers called out. "Don't hold up the line!"

Leia turned her attention back to the checkpoint and blinked. The passengers ahead of them seemed to have all but disappeared. At least at first, she spotted them a moment later already boarding the starcruiser. How quickly had the stormtroopers checked them through?

Han gripped Leia's shoulder even tighter but she made herself step forward. Any bickering had to be done with now. Either their disguises and their electronic forgeries would work or they wouldn't. Running was out of the question.

Leia took a deep breath as she handed over her id and focused on the emotionless face of the stormtrooper helmet, trying in vain to gain some sort of insight as to the thoughts that lay beneath. It was only then that she recalled her experience of the past day. She had affected someone's mind with the Force then... perhaps she could do so now if needed.

Concentrating on the stormtrooper, she reached out, touching his mind... only to find herself shut out. But that wasn't what shocked her. Before she could react, the stormtrooper shoved her id back into her hands and waved her off.

"Move along," he said, his accent suddenly breaking through.

Leia found herself stumbling away from the checkpoint, not sure if she should laugh or scream. Han, Winter, Chewie, and the droids were similarly ushered past with only the barest of security checks. They seemed similarly surprised, though not to the extent that Leia was.

"What just happened?" Han said. "They barely looked at us!"

"That's because that stormtrooper is-"

"The General!" Winter broke in with a loud whisper, only barely daring to nod her head at the line they'd just exited.

A smile might have crawled up Leia's face if she wasn't so shocked at what she saw. Obi-Wan had been standing just a couple of passengers behind them the entire time. She could kick herself for not seeing past the moisture farmer outfit. But then again, she had to remind herself that she'd never seen him without the beard.

"Does he really think he can fool the facial scanners just by shaving?" Han muttered.

"He must have a scrambler like us," Winter said.

"No," Leia shook her head and a smile finally appeared. "He doesn't need one."

Obi-Wan passed through the check point with ease. Han may have suspected a Jedi Mind Trick, but there was no signs of the tale-tell hand waving. Instead they all realized it at the same time they overheard the stormtroopers converse with the barely disguised Jedi Master.

"Hope you enjoyed your stay on Coruscant Sir," one said, with the exact same mandalorian accent as the one that took Leia's id.

"Force willing we'll be patrolling in your sector soon sir," another said.

"Sir, I just wanted you to know..." said still another. "It's an honor to see you again after all this time."

"Commander Cody has been busy it would seem," Winter let out a small laugh. "That's one more clone trooper he's recruited than I knew of before."

"That sneaky murglak," Han shook his head as Chewie chuckled behind him.

"Excuse me... there's been a malfunction with your ship's RX pilot unit," yet another familiar voice said, this one came from the ships loading ramp. Leia pulled her eyes off Obi-Wan and could scarcely believe the sight she saw. But Winter's audible gasp confirmed it.

There stood Biggs, decked out as an official Star Tours emergency pilot. He smiled broadly at the group but his eyes fixed on Winter, the girl he hadn't seen in quite a long time.

"I'm afraid there will be no time for the RX unit to be repaired, so I will be piloting the ship. Please board in an orderly fashion and be sure to send any complaints to the Imperial Transit Authority."

Winter practically ran to board the ship and Leia forced herself to keep a straight face as she looked from the Alliance pilot and then back at her clean shaven Jedi Master, still being "checked out" by security. Not only had he found a way to get off Coruscant, but she suspected that once their voyage was concluded, the Alliance would have absconded with a Star Commuter 2000, perfect for flying in and out of Imperial worlds undetected. Had he planned this all?

Obi-Wan finally left the security checkpoint, but not without one of the disguised clone troopers "breaking character" and shaking his hand. The former general let out a small laugh and a respectful nod before leaving the troopers behind and making his way to the ship. On his way, he of course had to approach Leia and her group.

"You really are something else," Leia shook her head as he neared.

"Well hello there random traveller," Obi-Wan said, barely containing the mirth in his voice. "I'm afraid we haven't quite met. I'm Ben."

The machines that had long been burrowed into his body kept constant read out on his vitals and regulated it as necessary. If his breathing grew to strained, it compensated, if the suit heated him too much, it cooled him, if his blood pressure spiked too high the machinery normalized it.

Said machinery found itself working overtime as Vader made his way through the lonely streets of Naboo. The first thing he had done upon arrival was establish a curfew. While not as zealous as Alderaan's had been, Naboo still harbored sympathy for the rebellion.

He did not run, but neither did he walk. This was far too important for him to move with his usual authoritative gait. This was why he had diverted to Naboo in the first place. Two years he had waited for this opportunity, a chance when he could come here without the spies the Emperor had hidden in his ranks from knowing.

It had taken this long to ferret them out, or send them on various missions so they would not know his location. All the while he had told the spies, the Emperor, and himself that it was for Kenobi. But the time had come and his loyal men had discovered... something.

For two year, Vader had known that he had a son, yet he had spent the previous nineteen believing that Padme had died at his hand. Another lie fed to him by his Master. Luke had reported that she died in childbirth. While the boy was ignorant of his true past, Vader suspected that much was true. If Padme still lived he would have found her by now. But he had to know for sure. He had to know what trickery his Master, or Obi-Wan had performed to hide Luke from him.

Then there would be a reckoning. Obi-Wan had hidden his child, of that he had no doubt. And the Emperor, through Mara Jade, had discovered the boy first. Had Vader not learned the truth on the Death Star, he might never have known Luke existed.

His destination came into view and Vader felt his life support system kick into gear yet again to calm his beating pulse. He could almost feel it himself. Her sepulcher. Her tomb. So many years ago he had watched mere moments of the holo of her funeral, only to turn away; unable to bare the pain of seeing her haunting beauty in death.

He'd never come here in person. He had hoped to not have to during this visit to Naboo. But the truth had been obscured from him for too long to turn back now. Answers lay just behind the stone doors. Doors his stormtroopers now guarded and Captain Piett stood in front of dutifully.

Upon approaching, Vader noticed a strange nervousness. Something in that tomb had shaken the man. Vader narrowed his eyes at this. Piett knew only the scantest of details. He had no idea the true reason why Vader wanted Padme's body examined. Or his connection to the long dead Queen.

"My Lord..." Piett bowed. "... We have done asked you asked and entered the tomb-"

"What was the result of the scans Captain?" Vader said. "Did she die in childbirth?"

"That is... you see my Lord... I am not sure how to tell you this. There was a... complication."

"Complication?"

"It's just... the Senator... when we opened the tomb... it... it's empty."

"What?!"

Vader did not wait for the naval officer's response. Casting his hands forward the massive doors ripped themselves from their hinges and toppled to the ground. Piett and the stormtroopers barely had time to duck out of the way. Vader stormed into the rotunda, where her tomb lay in the center.

The coverstone hung half over the top of it, left that way when the officers had made their discovery. With a wave of his hand it slid all the way off leaving a resounding thud to echo through the chamber.

Just as Piett had reported, the coffin lay empty. No Padme resting peacefully, no remains to haunt him. Just an empty coffin. Empty save for one thing. Vader's life support mechanisms burned hot against his chest as they attempted to compensate, but no amount of chemicals and treatments would sooth the furor that threatened to erupt inside of him as he reached into the coffin and removed the one thing it contained.

The japor snippet he had given her as a child. Either discarded carelessly or purposefully left behind as the cruelest of taunts. Vader did not know what this meant. An empty tomb, something to at once tease and torment him. Obi-Wan came back... could it be... and if not that... who had taken her body?

Vader gripped the necklace tightly in his fist and about faced. There were more answers to be had yet.

"Send in a search team Captain Piett... I want to know when this tomb was last entered or exited."

"Yes my Lord."

Vader ignored him and made his way from the tomb, more determined than ever to find his son. More determined than ever to kill Obi-Wan. More determined than ever for his impending confrontation with his Master. He had lost everything nineteen years ago. Nothing would stop him from getting what he wanted now. Not the Rebels, not Obi-Wan, not even the Emperor himself.

A/N: Thanks to everyone that's stuck with this story from the beginning. I never intended for it to take this long! As for further adventures... I will be working on the "Lost Knightverse" version of the Empire Strikes Back from here on out, but don't expect an update soon. I still have a lot of plot points that need hammered out and I don't want to start posting until I have a few chapters in the tank so I can be sure the story is heading in the right direction while I still have the ability to course correct if I need to.

Once again thank you all who have read this fic and especially to those that dropped a line and let me know what they thought! May the Force be with you!