Okay, I totally heard the dramatic music that time! Something about the way Vader said the kid’s name sent a chill up my spine—in a good way. And hey, was that a first name to go with that last name I’d never heard of? This was definitely super-important information, and he was sharing it with yours truly.

Score one for Team Me. I was slowly but surely gaining his trust.

Vader cut a striking figure, ebony as the night sky against the interminable blaze of the twin suns of Tatooine. He faced the horizon, his black cape flapping in the driest of winds. Honestly, now I could sort of see the full effect of the cape—sure, it was over the top, but that was the point. It brought the drama.

Triple-Zero, Beetee, and I hovered in the background—trying to simultaneously stay out of the way and stay ready in case our Dark Lord needed anything.

But…his utter silence was becoming more frustrating by the minute, so I turned to study the structure he’d brought us to—supposedly, it had once been part of a thriving moisture farm. It was squat, beige, unremarkable. Just like the rest of the planet.

I decided to take my chances and interrupt all the broody staring…

APHRA:

What are we looking for?

The place is dead. It’s been dead for weeks. No one alive. Nothing inside.

DARTH VADER:

Skywalker lived here, in this exact spot. He left when his family was…

slain.

TRIPLE-ZERO:

Slain? Oh my, and no organics left in the vicinity…yet another opportunity I missed while my consciousness was locked away in that horrid vault!

BEETEE:

BLEEEEEEEP!

TRIPLE-ZERO:

Yes, Beetee, that would have been fun!

APHRA (narration):

We moved inside the overwhelmingly beige structure, where Vader continued his broody exploration. The inside was about as boring as the outside: bits and pieces of old farming equipment, torn scraps of clothes. The detritus of once vibrant lives cut short.

There were some leftover droid parts that were intriguing—if I’d been on my own, I would have salvaged what I could. Maybe built some more mega-droids. Upon closer inspection, it was clear the place had weathered a fire. Scorch marks everywhere, and all that detritus had a depressing gray cast about it.

And there was something else—

APHRA:

Hmm. Imperial blasters beneath the burns…

Your lot were acting covertly here, my lord? Still a little twitchy when the Senate was just fresh in the ground?

DARTH VADER:

I do not require your commentary, Doctor.

APHRA (narration):

That was more of a question than a comment—but I knew better than to say so. Though I was learning how to be strategic with my queries to Vader, sometimes still couldn’t help but blurt out potentially… provocative questions at possibly inopportune moments.