I do not own Star Wars. I'm just playing in George Lucas' sandbox.
A/N - To understand this, you need to read Alternate Ending Episode Three, one of my other fics.
Parry, parry, duck… Yes! He's open! What? How can he do that flip? I couldn't even attempt that… Oh, Force… Something's wrong…
Leia Skywalker stopped and closed her eyes in the middle of sparring with her friend, Tarj Rihara, as she felt a disturbance in the Force. The boy stopped, concerned, and deactivated his training saber as she sank to her knees, head clutched in her hands. "Oh, Force, Luke…" she murmured.
It felt… dark. Couldn't Tarj feel the ripples? Something was amiss. The eleven-year old girl felt the Force swirl around her, building in intensity until it finally reached its peak. The Force was screaming at her, telling her to get to Luke, her brother.
The small initiate raced through the Temple halls, swerving to avoid colliding with the many beings on their way to training, meditation or just some well-needed relaxation. Leia was distantly aware of Tarj's running after her.
"Leia! Come back! What's wrong with you?" Tarj shouted as he followed the distraught girl. He didn't know what to think. It had been a normal day, and Leia had seemed fine. Then, all of a sudden, she had collapsed, saying something about Luke and dark ripples in the Force. He hadn't felt a thing, but, then again, no one was as strong in the Force as the Skywalkers, except for Master Yoda.
Leia finally reached her brother's room. The initiate was about to throw open the door when she was stopped by Tarj's hand on her shoulder.
"Leia, stop. Tell me what's going on." her friend calmly said.
"Get out of the way, Tarj!" Leia protested, but she could tell by the steely glint in Tarj's eyes that he wasn't going anywhere without an explanation. "I felt a dark surge in the Force, okay. It told me to go make sure Luke's OK! Now please! Move!"
Tarj still refused. "What do you mean, 'the Force told you to?" I don't understand."
"I dunno, Tarj, but let me by! I have to help my brother!"
Leia, without waiting for an answer, shoved Tarj aside with the Force and opened the door. The two Jedi initiates cautiously entered the room.
Luke sat on his sleep couch, eyes closed. He seemed to be meditating, but something was amiss. His face, Leia decided. The lips that naturally curled up into a hint of a smile were set and pursed, the brow furrowed. His face looked pinched and drawn, and he was so pale one would think he had no blood in his face. Suddenly, Luke seemed to sense the familiar presences in the room. His eyes flew open, and it was then that Leia saw the biggest change of all. His eyes were the golden eyes of a Sith.
"Luke! What's happened to you?" Leia asked, scared.
"I am not Luke," the boy said. "Luke Skywalker is dead. I am Darth Filius."
"N-no!" the girl cried in shock. This has to be a joke… A childish prank… Luke can't have turned… There was no warning…
Darth Filius laughed as he read her thoughts like a book. His sister had never had strong mental shields, and in times of stress or fright, they were nonexistent. "You know, big sister, you really need to work on shielding your thoughts from your enemies. And there was all the warning in the galaxy, really."
Pacing, Filius continued. "I'm sure you've heard the story of our dear father? Your friend there hasn't though, has he? The Council keeps it all secret. They seem to think that if they keep everything hushed up, the darkness our family was meant to bring to the universe would just disappear."
"Darkness? Leia, what's he talking about?" Tarj was confused.
Filius chuckled. "Allow me to enlighten you on some of my family's history. My father was a Jedi Knight. Anakin Skywalker was his name – before he turned. He shed his weaknesses and faults and became Darth Vader. You've heard of the Great Jedi Purge, I assume?"
Weakly, Tarj nodded.
"All his doing." Filius' face shone with pride. "But the Force-forsaken Council apprehended him and executed him. Our family was meant to destroy the Jedi. It was my father's destiny, but he failed, so it has become mine."
"Always in motion, the future is!" Leia quoted Yoda. "Stop, before it's too late! Luke, please –"
He cut her off. "I am Darth Filius!" Filius knew exactly what to do to prove his point. He had never done it before, but in the heat of the moment, with the Dark side of the Force swirling around him, Filius felt absolute power. He pointed at his sister and blue Force lightning shot from his fingertips, engulfing her. Filius enjoyed her screams.
"NO!" Tarj yelled, but all his outburst earned him was a taste of the Force lightning for himself. The Twi'lek boy collapsed on the floor, head pounding, nerves on fire.
"You see know the extent of my power? You see?" Filius was beside himself, going crazy with rage. "Stupid, worthless, weak, but honorable Jedi, servants of the Force! The Force is my servant, now, and I will never be its again!"
"You really have turned…" Leia said faintly.
"That's right, sis, and you've got a choice. Join me, and help me to rule the galaxy, or… you can always die. It's all the same to me."
"Never," Leia spat. "What is right comes before family. This is why Jedi are not supposed to form attachments."
"Very well, then," Filius sighed. "You leave me no choice." He ignited his lightsaber. Green – for the last time.
Weak as they were, Leia and Tarj stood and activated their training sabers. They assumed classic Jedi defensive positions as Filius attacked.
Filius ran at them, staying low to the ground. The first swing was aimed at Leia's feet, but the initiate leapt over the blade and swung at her brother's head. His block was so strong, it knocked her off-balance, and she stumbled. Leia was aware of a strike coming at her, but Tarj blocked it, giving her a chance to regain her footing. The three were locked in a graceful but deadly dance that put to the test everything they had learned in the Temple. Leia reached out to the Force and felt it envelop her. She put her whole being into the dance. The Force warned her about Filius' next move before it happened, and she knew where Tarj was going to be.
As skilled as Leia and Tarj were, Darth Filius was stronger. Gradually, he backed the two into a corner. With the Dark side open to him, he felt he could do anything. He could sense his opponents tiring, and he pressed his advantage. Leia faltered for a moment, and he struck, burning her leg.
Leia hissed in pain. Sith, this hurts! she thought. She could tell that the wound was not bad, though, and she kept fighting, trying to give herself up to the Force. It was no use to fight with lightsabers, she realized. Filius was just too skilled. But she had always been able to best her brother at hand to hand combat.
Leia exchanged a look with Tarj, and she could tell that he had had the same idea. Alright, then. Hand to hand combat it was. But how to disarm Filius?
Leia struck with her saber, aiming for the base of Filius' saber, right near the hilt. She succeeded in hitting it, and, just as she'd hoped, the force of impact knocked Filius' weapon out of his hand. Before he could pull it back to him with the Force, Leia delivered a sound roundhouse kick to his shoulder. She came at him fast and furious, and this time, it was she who had the advantage. Filius could barely keep up with blocking her attacks, and she eventually got him in a solid arm bar.
Leia and Darth Filius were close together now. Leia tightened her grip on his arm, but let go as he delivered a knee strike to her stomach. The attack was followed by a flurry of punches and strikes before Filius called his lightsaber to him. Once he had his weapon, though, Filius leapt across his quarters and attacked Tarj, who, alone, was no match for the Sith.
Before Leia could cross the room to help her friend, a strike made contact with his wrist, cutting his hand off. Leia ran to Tarj's side, allowing Darth Filius a chance to escape.
I will kill her someday, Filius thought. Just not today. He slipped out the door and fled the Temple, stowing away on a departing ship. He didn't know where he was going, but he desperately wanted to get away from the horrible Jedi and their precious Temple.
This one's going to have multiple chapters. OOOOOOHHHHHH… For those of you who are awesome and take Latin class (like me!) you know that Filius is the Latin word for son. I figure since Vader means father in Norse, Luke's Sith name should mean son! Clever, huh! No? Pooh. *Sulks* Well, at least review. If I don't get reviews, you don't get chapters. Yes, I know that's blackmail. No, I do not care.