He was wrong. He was not prepared for this. His eyes widened and his mouth went slightly agape. For a few seconds, he could not utter any word, but kept on staring at his master.

His thoughts were empty, nothing could be processed about this information. His eyebrows scruntched up and his mouth moved.

"Explain," he spoke, in a rather harsh tone. The revealed sentence felt like it had no depth; it had to be false, even if Obi Wan had no time to be joking around.

"Try to remember your time as a child," his master replied, and gestured him to sit down, and meditate.

Luke obeyed with a sigh. He crossed his legs on the floor and closed his eyes. He searched for such memories in his mind and easily found them. There was nothing much, only Jedi youngling training.

"The usual," he said, whilst his eyes were still closed. "You were there, showing me the teachings of the Jedi."

Obi Wan nodded. "Well then, describe Nar Shaddaa, where you spent five years there."

"I...I guess, it's populated? Full of skyscrapers, and ships, and refugees..." He tried looking for more information about that moon of the Hutts, but found nothing else, except for what was told to him. He was lost, and imagined his own happenings. "I heard that...I was there...and I..."

"It was where you killed," Obi Wan bluntly answered, since the conversation was going nowhere. "At least, your other self did."

Luke opened his eyes and shook his head. He could see the melancholy in Obi Wan's face when he mentioned his original self. No wonder, he had always been detached. His master's thoughts were always on him.

It can't be, right? He was clear that he had no memories from his childhood, no wonder he felt empty. Perhaps he was born to be this: an empty shell. He was just a clone, a duplicate, a replacement, nothing. His eyes were blank and his lips maintained a straight line.

Despite all these feelings, he mentally slapped himself to get rid of them. Clone or not, Jedi he was. He had to suck it up.

"What...what happened?" he asked, aggressive curiosity fueled his question. "Where is he? My other self?"

He created thoughts and hypotheses, wondering where that man was. The vision and that dark side version of himself came his mind. Surely, he was coming for him. He was confused as to what action he must take. This was on a whole new level. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

His master looked at him, with a soft expression. His lips couldn't move; he was afraid to tell him this tale. What if...?

Obi Wan had frequent waves of disturbances and distress. He hated the master's lack of guts, but then again, Jedi do not take risks. However, he didn't care if it bothered his master or anyone else, he must know, even if it would hurt.

"I will share this information through the Force, if you still wish to know," he stated, folding his arms.

The boy nodded.

"The events will be explained as we go along. Keep your concentration, this is gonna take long."

He sat across the young Jedi. They faced each other, wordless for a while. Luke's fists were tight, his body trembled from the nervousness, but his mind was kept calm. He could hear Obi Wan's shaky breath as he pointed. They both closed their eyes and dived into the depths of the Force...

"Nar Shaddaa, teeming with life. It is like Coruscant, a planet so alive, yet 'dead', full of machinery."

"To track a Jedi who hides among billions of people, difficult it will be."

"Fourteen years have passed since then. Nine have passed since we arrived on Nar Shaddaa."

"Luke, shield your thoughts. Put up a barrier to hide yourself."

"I think...I think I got it."

"I can still sense you."

"Damn it!"

"Discipline yourself, young one. Concentrate, dwell in the Force. Camouflage yourself using it. To put it simply, disguise your signature as someone else."

"Is this fine?"

"Hmm... Well done."

"That smile of the fourteen year old brought me pride and joy." Obi Wan smiled at the distant memory. "However, that day, it disappeared, never to be seen again."

"You, monster!"

"What can a brat like you do anyway?"

He gritted his teeth, and unsheathed his hidden vibroblade.

"I'll show you how worthless your life is, scum."

He attacked. The stormtroopers were unprepared.

Death. Terror. Fear. Hatred. Chaos. The Dark Side of the Force grew.

"What have I...done?"

That was the thought he had on his mind, as he went home.

"That day was one of his darkest days. He returned home covered wholly in blood and I could feel his pain, his heartache."

"You gave into the Dark Side. You must learn to resist the power your father took. Remember, there is no emotion."

"There is peace..."

"Remove your passion. Remember the code, always."

"Yet he was distressed, guilty and dirty. He carried that guilt for days. It was my mistake to ignore it. I...I couldn't counsel him on that topic."

"That probably stems from the fact that the Jedi ignore their emotions." The two turned towards the Arkanian woman. She joined their mediation session and sat on the floor, leaving her wheelchair at the corner. "I wish to know what transpired too."

"Very well," the Jedi master sighed, while the padawan shifted uncomfortably at the presence of the Oracle.

"After that, we received a transmission from an ally, regarding Luke," he continued. "There was...a situation on Dantooine."

"Why Dantooine out of all places?" she questioned, putting a finger to her chin.

"There was a cloning facility used by ancient Jedi."

Luke flinched and blinked faster than usual. He tilted his head towards his master, who avoided eye contact.

"I see where this is going," she mused, and pulled her hood to cover her eyes. "Continue."

"I could still remember his scream of terror..."

"Why...why?" He collapsed on the floor, trembling in shock. The sight of another him inside that tank was abhorrent. He couldn't stand the disgust. It made him want to puke.

"Who could have...?"

"These droids overlook the construction of clones," he noted. "We should shut the droids down and destroy them. We can't allow anyone to perform such a horrid thing in the future."

Luke composed himself and nodded in reply. He proceeded to do as he was told. A Force signature similar to his emanated from the clone and it sent shivers to his spine. He wanted to get rid of it and forget this ever happened, but every living being deserves a right to live. He could sense the life within it.

"What should we do with this clone?"

"We should take him to the Alliance. I just hope this isn't the work of the Empire."

"Ah, I see you've discovered my handiwork."

The two Jedi ignited their lightsabers, the Force warning them of the danger the mysterious man posed. They circled each other wary of this abnormality. His Force signature was the weirdest. He possessed none in fact. He was dead in the Force, but he was very much alive, standing before them.

"Where are you taking my creation?"

"He isn't yours, he's me."

"Boy, how stupid can you be? He's a different being entirely."

"What are you going to do with him?"

"The mind of a Jedi is too narrow to understand such purpose." The man removed his cloak, and revealed his identity. He was as old as Obi Wan, and looked like a normal human being. "Let me enlighten you through death."

"He was powerful and was a difficult opponent. He knew the techniques to take out a Jedi. It was like fighting Vader, except that Vader was like the heart of the Force and that man was a vacuum of the Force. In the end..."

"Ah!" the boy screamed. He had the young padawan pinned to the wall by his throat.

"Luke!" Obi Wan yelled out, unable to do anything since he had been immobilized by an adhesive grenade.

"You have potential. I can see it through your movements, through the Force." He slammed him onto the floor. "But it is wasted in the hands of a Jedi."

"Go to hell." Luke spat on his face, despite his weakened state.

"This is not how a Jedi behaves." He stepped on his stomach, causing the boy to spit out blood. He turned to the Jedi Master. "Are you sure you've been teaching him properly, Kenobi?"

The Jedi only glared at him, using the Force to remove the adhesion that trapped him. Luke was unconscious and suffering, he must help him. His promise to Padmé must not be broken this easily. If he loses Luke, he would not only lose the only hope for the galaxy, but also the one thing that kept him going.

"I admire his determination and the fire in his spirit; something I lack. He'll do." He carried him on his back. "Why did I even spend resources on this cloning trash?"

"Luke! No, don't take him away!" He desperately clawed against the sticky material, some digging into his nails. He reached out a hand towards them and tried to Force pull them towards him. He must not let him escape, but his Force powers were exhausted.

The kid was his pride, his joy, his only reason for his existence. Padmé relied on him, the galaxy was dependent on him, the future of the Jedi was in his hands. All of that slipped from his hands, just as the figure slipped into the shadows of the sub level.

In just a timespan of a few seconds.

He let out a cry on anguish, and collapsed on the ground from the guilt. No matter how much he wanted to, he did not allow tears to leak. He was still a Jedi. There is no emotion...there is...there is...

Was there any point? He remained there for two hours, waiting for the adhesive to dissolve.

He eyed the tank where the clone slept seemingly. A baby, in the form of a fourteen year old, like Luke. Peaceful and innocent, prepared to explore the world outside. He needed someone to look after him.

Getting up from the floor, he placed a palm on the glass. "You'd want to live, wouldn't you?"

The clone moved his fingers in reply. A tear streamed down his cheek, as Obi Wan smiled. He wiped his face with his sleeve and released him. As much as he hated replacing his apprentice, he must do it. He will train this one into a full fledged Jedi.

...there is peace. 

"I remained on Dantooine and gave you the identity of Luke, his memories and responsibilities."

"My first true memory was on Dantooine; waking up in your arms." He covered his mouth at the realization. This whole time Obi Wan was distant and detached and he knew the reason why. "You treated me as a replacement, no more than a weapon."

No reaction from the Jedi master. His face was void of any emotion, his breathing calm and head lowered. He looked to be deep in thought - ignoring him. Luke felt the rise frustration in him.

He sighed to calm himself down. "I understand your position," he said, when he had a clear mind. "You had just lost your 'son', so you locked yourself up in your barriers, but that did not give you an excuse to treat me as that, even though I may just be a clone." He softened his voice at the end of his sentence.

"From my experience, there's no point holding this against you. I know you're sorry, and that's fine."

Obi Wan was left wordless, staring at the floor as the boy exited the room.

He was wrong. There was darkness in the boy, but it never consumed him — he had attained balance. It was balance, but not entirely the balance he expected to be.

"He is forgiving that one," the Arkannian remarked, folding her arms under her sleeve. She turned to the Jedi master. "Kenobi, I have news I have been waiting to deliver."

"What news?" He raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of the atmosphere.

"There is another threat emerging, a threat greater than the Sith," she informed, facing him with a serious facade.

"That man?" he guessed.

She nodded. "He is called Uewatsu. I do not know of his plans, but the Force tells me he must be eliminated."

"I understand, we must rebuild the Jedi Order as quickly as possible then."

Her eyebrow twitched slightly once she heard his statement. Still the Jedi refused to acknowledge the other side. If this continues, they would be certain to fail. The Force assured her that it was not yet time. She should take it slowly. Believing in the mystical energy, she obeyed.

"Disaster is near, since the one who could challenge him; the Emperor, is gone."

"We must be ready then."

"I also suggest that you watch over that boy. Something about him...is unsettling."

****

This chapter is not so great (editing exists, I know, I know, but that comes later.) The cause of this drop in quality I because I am experiencing severe writer's block. I had forced myself to write this chapter.

I apologize in advance. I'm sorry. I need to take a break and refill my creativity.

God be with you in these hard times. Look forward to the next chapter that's coming in a few weeks; I never said that I am quitting.
_____

“Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.” (Proverbs 10:12)