people than we’ll ever know She gestured to the red planet outside the viewport and added Do you have any idea how many Chubbits died on Aridus because of Vader Luke knew a great deal about the unfortunate Chubbits but he remained silent As Leia gazed into space she said It seems everywhere everywhere we go we find more of Vader’s victims more evidence of his horrific service to the Empire She shook her head Why would I even want to think about that monster Because our father wasn’t just Darth Vader Luke said He was also Anakin Skywalker a Jedi I’ve tried to tell you what happened on the Death Star at Endor how he saved me from the Emperor and Saved you Leia said Luke as I recall Vader delivered you to the Emperor She sighed I know you believe that Anakin Skywalker returned in the end and if that’s how you prefer to remember him as the Jedi hero who destroyed the Emperor that’s your decision But you can’t expect me to do the same because my father Bail Organa the man who raised me he died on Alderaan I’m sorry Leia Luke said I just thought You thought wrong Luke Leia said I have more important things on my mind than this In case you haven’t noticed the Empire didn’t die with the Emperor We don’t know how many Star Destroyers are still in 2
service Moff Harlov Jarnek has blockaded Spirador Hundreds of planets still need our help She moved away from the viewport Now if you’ll excuse me I have a meeting to attend The Chubbits are justifiably cautious of offworlders but I’m determined to convince them that an alliance with the New Republic is their best defense against the Empire She turned and walked for the meeting room’s exit Alone in the room Luke returned his gaze to Aridus He’d visited the desert planet before Except that it had a single sun he’d found it very similar to his own homeworld homeworld Tatooine So much had happened since the day he’d left Mos Eisley Spaceport with Ben Kenobi on the Millennium Falcon Back then his greatest desire had been to have adventures on other worlds He’d never imagined that he would eventually encounter the father he’d been told was dead discover that Princess Leia was his sister or become a champion of the Rebel Alliance But despite his accomplishments and many good friends Luke sensed there was something missing in his life as if part of him were somehow incomplete The Empire had destroyed nearly all the records of the Jedi Order including any information about Anakin Skywalker leaving Luke with many questions about his place in the universe Can I avoid my father’s mistakes Are all the other Jedi Knights truly gone 3
How can I be a good Jedi when I know so little about them father Despite Leia’s apparent lack of interest Luke believed it was important for him to find out more about the life of Anakin Skywalker How can I know myself if I never really knew my He had no idea whether gaining such knowledge would make him feel wiser or more fulfilled All he knew was that he still felt alone and out of place just as he’d felt when he was a little boy growing up on a desolate moisture farm in the desert wastes of Tatooine 4
CHAPTER ONE Is someone seeing me Aunt Beru Luke asked Beru Lars was standing in her kitchen making biscuits She glanced at the four-year-old boy her husband’s husband’s stepbrother’s son who sat on the hard white steps that led up to the dining alcove and said Your aunt Dama will be seeing all of us She should be here any time now Luke frowned No I don’t mean Aunt Dama I mean is someone watching me Beru smiled You’re right here with me so I’m watching you The boy shook his head No Not you or Uncle Owen I mean someone else Someone I can’t see Beru almost dropped the spoon she had just picked up She set the spoon down beside a bowl with a gray mixture in it and tried to keep her voice calm as she asked What makes you say that Luke 5
