A/N: Based on the June Challenge at the Skywalker-Jade Revival Society to write Luke's opening scene in Episode VII including an opening crawl. I've decided to expand to a full fic using the casting announcements and treating the EU as non-canon, but available for source material/adaptation.
Peace has been restored to the galaxy. The GALACTIC EMPIRE has fallen and a NEW REPUBLIC, led by LEIA ORGANA SOLO, has ensured freedom for all citizens.
Jedi Master LUKE SKYWALKER has rebuilt the Jedi Order to once again become guardians of peace and justice within the Republic. However Skywalker has sensed a disturbance in the Force, an unseen threat that may cast a shadow over everything he and Organa Solo have achieved.
Skywalker has dispatched his Jedi across the galaxy to discover the source of this threat and ensure continued peace in the galaxy…
The space above Coruscant was always crowded. Luke Skywalker had once imagined that if there was a bright centre of the universe, his home planet Tatooine would be where it was furthest from. Not even in his wildest dreams had he imagined actually visiting that bright centre of the universe, let alone making it his home. Luke still remembered the first time he had seen Coruscant, its surface covered by one, immense city; a million lights mirroring the tightly packed stars in the sky.
Luke reflected on this as he pulled his X-wing out of hyperspace above the planet, the sight still incredible to him, thirty years later. Yet this time a sense of unease permeated him, and Luke scanned the horizon, reaching out through the Force to discern the cause. Numerous Republic-Class Star Destroyers and smaller, naval frigates were stationed around the planet, which was not unusual. As Capital of the New Republic, Coruscant's airspace was tightly monitored, however all that was required to land was a simple Republic vehicle registration.
"I have a bad feeling about this," a crisp female voice came over the comm. It was his wingmate, Kara Ravenlok, and Luke saw her X-wing hover in his peripheral vision.
"I feel it too," Luke confirmed. He noticed a cluster of unfamiliar ships ahead, and observed a squadron of snub fighters being launched from the primary Star Destroyer. Clearly, these ships were unregistered and needed to be disabled on the chance they posed a threat.
"Unidentified vessel," a voice hailed him over the comm. "This is Republic Star Destroyer Defender. Please transmit your registration codes immediately."
"This is Luke Skywalker," he advised them, and punched the button which would transit his codes. They would allow him to pass, but Luke was curious as to the situation "Callsign Red Five," he added. In a recent bought of nostalgia, Luke had taken to using his first codename as his private signal which would ensure his presence was brought to the attention of the ship's commander.
"Copy, Red Five," the voice answered more warmly. "Please hold for Admiral Antilles."
"Luke!" Wedge's rich voice flowed over the comm after a few moments. "Good to hear your voice."
"Yours too," Luke answered with a smile. "What's going on?"
"Probably nothing," Wedge said, but Luke could hear the uncertainty in his tone. "Nestiin pirates, maybe," he continued.
"Need a hand?" Luke asked, grinning. He and Ravenlok had just spent a few supremely uneventful weeks on Dathomir, and he was itching to get back into the fray. Adventure. Excitement. A Jedi craves not these things. Master Yoda's words came back to him, and Luke smiled to himself. He didn't crave those thing, he rationalised, he just was not adverse to them.
"Help yourself," Wedge answered with a chuckle.
"Kara?"
"You know me, Master," Kara answered, a hint of humor slipping through her formal Coruscanti accent. "Ready for anything."
"Alright," he grinned. "I'll take point." Luke maneuvered his X-wing closer to the unidentified ships, and tried to hail them on the open comm. "This is Jedi Master Luke Skywalker," he said. "Please respond or I will disable your ships."
The only response was from the ship's guns, which began to fire on him. Luke swerved the shots easily and remained on course. "Don't fire," he ordered Kara and also sent the message to the Republic snubfighters. NR Navy was disciplined, but wouldn't be too concerned if they blasted those ships out of the sky rather than disabling them as was policy. For Luke, it was a simple task.
All it took was a barrel roll and one proton torpedo and he'd knocked out the largest ship's weapons and sublight engines, leaving the gravity and life support intact. Kara's X-wing soared overhead and did the same to one of the smaller vessels. In a few moments Luke had disabled the final two, leaving all four dead in space.
"Unidentified ships," Luke hailed them again. "Your weapons and engines are disabled. Please wait for collection by New Republic Navy." He smiled to himself. "Have a nice day."
"Thanks Luke," Wedge's voice came through the secure channel. "It's always good for the newbies to see how it's done."
"No problem," Luke answered easily, keeping his voice casual. "I'd be interested to hear what the pilots of those ships have to say for themselves."
"I'll keep you in the loop." Wedge promised him.
Luke's unease hadn't lessened with the disabling of those ships, if anything it had increased. A few months previous, he'd had a vision which continued to haunt his dreams – the Force had sent him a warning, he was sure of it. But Luke hadn't had much luck deciphering the vision, only that it signalled danger to the New Republic, the Jedi and the galaxy itself. And now pirates were trying to infiltrate Coruscant? It hardly seemed like a coincidence.
Luke and Kara descended onto Coruscant and landed their X-wings in perfect formation on the main landing pad of the Jedi Temple. Ground crew scurried around them, removing Artoo and Kara's own R6 unit from the ships. Luke pulled off his helmet and gratefully inhaled the cool Coruscanti air which had become as familiar to him as the dry heat of Tatooine had once been. He ran a hand through his hair, a touch shaggy after the weeks he and Kara had spent on Dathomir. Kara pulled off her own helmet, her dark features alight with a charming smile as she handed it to an aide who had appeared to assist her with removing her flightsuit. Kara wore her hair short – practically shorn - and Luke ran his fingers through his own hair again ruefully.
An aide appeared at Luke's side as he removed his own flightsuit and took the proffered Jedi robe, folding it around him in a comforting shroud. When Kara had put on her own robe, the pair travelled across the landing pad together, Kara's perfect posture accentuated by the lift of her chin as she walked.
She had been the granddaughter of an Imperial Moff and had an aristocratic bearing of the Ravenlok House, an ancient Coruscanti family. But she had been born after the Empire fell, and like Luke's own children, like Leia and Han's daughter, Kara had only ever known times of relative peace. She had been Luke's padawan before she'd been knighted several years ago, but they still made a good team. It wasn't easy to find another Jedi with the same affinity for X-wings as Luke had, but Kara was a gifted pilot with a particular fondness for Rebellion history.
Luke smiled to himself. To someone like Kara, the Death Stars, the Alliance, the Empire, Emperor and Darth Vader were all distant history, something her generation had studied in school and watched holofilms about. Luke had lived it. All too well, he remembered a time when there had seemed to be little hope and no justice in the galaxy. His generation had been raised during war; he was determined to ensure that younger generations would continue to live in times of peace.
"You are uneasy, Master Skywalker," Kara observed as they walked. "Those were not ordinary pirates," she continued.
"I do not think so," Luke answered evenly. "We cannot afford to treat any disturbance as coincidence." He sighed. "But we can ruminate on that later, when I make my report to the Jedi Council. For now, it is good to be home." Luke could not keep the grin from his face as he saw two women at the entrance to the Temple, waiting for them.
Both were pale-skinned, but that was where the similarities ended. The younger of the two, barely out of her teens, was dark-haired with a petite, heart-shaped face and a lopsided grin; his niece, Jaina Solo. And the other – Luke's heart leapt when he saw her, as it had done every day since they had met. Her red-gold hair, accentuated by a few streaks of grey, glinted in the sunlight and when she saw Luke approach a wry smile graced her lips, her green eyes alight. She wore the outer brown cloak of a Jedi out of deference, but refused to wear the cream-coloured tabard and surcoat as the rest of the Jedi did, complaining that the coarse fabric made her skin itch. Instead, she wore dark trousers, knee-high boots and a slim-fitting tunic; a smuggler's ingenuity beneath a Jedi's bearing.
Mara Jade had been raised in the very heart of the Imperial regime, by the Emperor himself. She had been groomed to become his most trusted assassin, to carry out his every will while being kept blind to Palpatine's true, evil nature. Her final order had been to find and kill Luke Skywalker, and she'd been fully committed to fulfilling that mission even after they had met.
Naturally, Luke had fallen in love with her.
"Mara," Luke said as they approached, wanting desperately to take her in his arms but having some sense of decorum. "Jaina," he greeted his niece warmly. "It's good to see you both."
"I'm so glad to see, you, Uncle Luke!" Jaina exclaimed with the exuberance of youth. "I mean," she corrected herself quietly and cleared her throat. "Master Skywalker." She smiled at Kara. "Jedi Ravenlok."
But Luke wasn't bothered with formalities, and pinched Jaina's cheek playfully. "Miss me, huh?"
Jaina looked sheepish, the same look Han had given him a million times. "Aunt Mara always takes it easier on me when you're here," she admitted and beside him, Kara laughed quietly. Although she was Jaina's senior by several years, the two had always been close friends. "The longer you're away," Jaina continued. "The more bruises I seem to get in combat training."
"I thought padawans were supposed to respect their Masters," Mara said, although there was nothing but affection in her tone, and she tugged on Jaina's padawan braid playfully.
"Has everything been okay here?" Luke asked, changing the subject. Ever since his vision, he'd sent out pairs of Jedi to search for anything which may be the cause of the disturbance in the Force. However Jaina was still a padawan and Luke would not allow her to leave Coruscant. That decision had the added advantage of leaving Mara in charge of the Jedi Temple and Academy, and there was no one he trusted more to keep the Order running smoothly in his absence.
"As well as can be expected," Mara told him. "Master Horn and Jedi Zekk have reported nothing suspicious on Naboo, and Master Durron and Jedi Ka have made inroads into a pirate ring on Hapes, but found nothing which would indicate the Dark Side."
"I know there's something out there," Luke said almost to himself. "We just have to find it."
"We will, Luke," Kara said resolutely. "I can go through the Archives again for new leads," she suggested.
Mara was excellent at concealing her emotions, but no one present noticed that she blanched at the idea of them leaving again so soon.
"It will take a few days, of course," Kara added quickly, giving Mara an apologetic look. "Perhaps I should get started," she suggested. "I'm sure you and Master Skywalker have much more to…er…discuss," she added awkwardly.
Mara seemed amused and almost smiled, and Kara responded with a grin as she bowed and took her leave. Mara looked at Luke keenly, but he was aware of Jaina hovering at Mara's elbow, ever attentive to her master. But whilst Luke was deciding on the most delicate way to ask his niece to leave as well, he saw a dark-skinned young man in Senatorial clothes approach, intently tapping on a datapad.
"Hello, Zeb," Luke greeted him.
Zebula Pavish looked up and nodded. "Greetings, Master Skywalker," he said formally, and Luke suppressed a smile. He had known Zeb for many years, ever since Leia had taken the orphaned boy with a keen mind and political aptitude under her wing. He was now her protégé, and however amiable he was in a familial setting, Zeb took his official duties very seriously. "Chancellor Organa Solo has requested an update on your mission," he added purposefully.
"No luck," Luke answered grimly. "The clans I spoke to have sensed nothing, and there is no evidence of Nightsister resurgence. I will make my full report to the Jedi Council," he added. "But tell Leia that I'll come and see her straight after that."
"I will inform her." Zeb nodded. His attention then drifted to Jaina, who had grown very interested in her boots ever since Zeb had arrived.
"Hi, Jaina," Zeb grinned, but there was an undercurrent of nervousness to him, his formality falling away as Jaina looked up at him. Luke didn't miss Zeb fidgeting with the datapad in his hand. Jaina didn't either, but pretended not to notice.
"Hey, Zeb," she said, smiling and biting her lip. "Good to see you."
The two began on conversing quietly about the supremely safe topic of that day's Senate meeting, and Mara tugged on Luke's robe and tilted her head. He followed her with relief into the Temple, noting that she did not remove her hand from the sleeve of his robe. Luke quickly located a deserted corridor and pulled Mara purposefully into a small alcove.
As soon as they were hidden from sight Luke crushed Mara into his embrace, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair as her arms went around his neck, clutching him tightly.
"You miss me too, huh?" he chuckled into her hair, running his hands down her back.
"You know I did," she said as she pulled back slightly. His retort was swallowed by her lips pressing against his, and Luke pulled Mara tighter against him, kissing her passionately. There had not been a moment during their separation that he had not thought of her and now that she was in his arms he didn't ever want to let go. And yet even his exquisite joy was tempered by the knowledge that he would have to, that they both had duties which they could not, and would not, shirk from.
Mara pulled away and sighed contentedly. "What's this?" she asked playfully, stroking the greying whiskers on his chin which he had let grow out over the past few weeks. "Run out of vibrorazors?"
He rubbed his beard sheepishly and shrugged. "Dathomir isn't exactly a health spa."
"Hmph," Mara dismissed, but she kissed him tenderly and ran her fingers down the side of his cheeks and jaw. "Come on, Skywalker," she pulled away and tugged the sleeve of his robe. "Your son is scheduled to comm in."
"My son?" he called after her as he followed her to the communications room.
"Yes," she answered playfully. "He's says he might of found something, but wouldn't explain until you were back. When he's being mysterious and stubborn, he's your son."
"As opposed to when he's being irascible and rude, then he's your son?" Luke asked playfully.
Mara laughed. "Yes." She took his hand as they sat down at the comm unit together and coded in Ben's frequency. It took a few moments to connect due to the distance but they were soon patched through to Ben's ship on Tatooine. Luke had wanted to investigate his home planet himself, but Ben had begged for the assignment and Luke couldn't deny him.
After a few moments Ben appeared in miniature, shaggy ginger hair falling into his eyes and a grim expression on his face. An extremely tall woman with close-cropped, blonde hair stood next to him – Ben's former master, Eren Pax.
"Master Pax," Luke greeted the pair. "Ben."
"Greetings, Master Skywalker," Eren answered in a measured tone. "Master Jade."
"Good to see you, Dad," Ben said with visible relief.
"And me?" Mara needled him, one eyebrow arching.
"Of course, Mum," Ben smiled, his Coruscanti accent tempered with a lilt and informal vernacular he'd picked up somewhere in his youthful travels. "I just…" he trailed off, and looked at Eren, who shook her head almost imperceptibly. "Never mind."
"What's troubling you, Ben?" Luke asked, concerned. Ben had Skywalker blood, had the same deep connection to the Force all of his family did, and Luke wondered whether he'd seen a vision of his own.
"I'll tell you when you get here," Ben said firmly.
"Oh?" Luke asked, trying to keep his voice light, and he felt Mara's hand tighten on his leg. "I'm coming to Tatooine, am I?"
"I think that you should, Master Skywalker," Eren said seriously. "The result of our investigations have been disturbing."
"What is it?" Mara asked.
"I'm not sure but…" Ben took a deep breath, his gaze darting about, unwilling to look directly at the viewer. "I felt something…"
"What?" Mara asked again anxiously, because it was unlike Ben to be so unnerved.
Ben looked up at them, his expression grim. "A Sith."