Synopsis: The young Jedi Luke Skywalker dreamed of going to the stars only to get more than he ever hoped for when he met a smuggler, his Wookie friend and a princess. Pursued by Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, and his apprentices, he joins a brave alliance of freedom fighters to battle the tyranny of the Galactic Empire and is plunged in a conflict that will change the Galaxy's fate.

Notes: This story takes place during the time of the Original Trilogy. While most of the characters are the same and I have retained some of the events, a lot has changed and so it will not follow the canon.


A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

STAR WARS

A New Hope

Once upon a time, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy. These noble warriors defended the Republic for a thousand generations and inspired the people with their deeds of bravery. Alas, peace was not to last. A Dark Lord schemed and manipulated his way to the top of the Republic. Declaring himself Emperor Palpatine, he labelled the Jedi as traitors. His Clone Army treacherously gunned down the Jedi with the aid of a Jedi traitor, Darth Vader. All hope vanished. A new dark age dawned; the Age of Empire...

Chapter 1 - Assassins

Outside the cave, the wind howled and it was raining. The cave mouth was of impenetrable blackness. Small, loose stones littered the floor. The cave eventually led into a room. The flickering orange glow of torches illuminated it. There was only a wooden table on the right side of the room and two blue mats. An old man was sitting on one of the mats. The old man was wearing a long brown robe, was bearded and had a few wrinkles on his face. Ben Kenobi was his name. Once renowned across the galaxy, now it had been forgotten by everyone. Ben got up and walked to the left side of the room. There existed a wooden door that led to another room. Ben knocked the door.

"Luke! Wake up!"

The young man opened his eyes. He was lying on his wooden bed, covered by a white sheet. He was tall and lean, had blond hair and a handsome face. He was nineteen years old. He immediately got up from his bed. "I am coming!", he said. He then proceeded to dress up. He wore a long white robe and rushed out of his room.

"Greetings!", Luke respectfully said.

Ben smiled. "Go wash your face and have some tea. Today I want you to show me if you have mastered the lightsaber form I taught you yesterday."

Luke walked to the table. Upon it was a bowl filled with fresh, cool water. He washed his face with it. He then sipped a cup of hot, strong green tea. Its aromatic fragrance overpowered every other scent that lingered in the room.

"I am ready.", Luke said.

Ben threw at him a lightsaber. Luke grabbed it and activated it. It emitted a bright green glow. He then performed intricate and fast movements. The whooshing sound of the lightsaber revealed the great strength put into each move. One attack came after another in quick succession.

"Good.", Ben commented. "Now I will test your knowledge on the Makashi Form."

Makashi was a lightsaber form that was best suited for battle against other lightsaber users. It made use of precision cuts, thrusts, parries and feints, and relied on a linear mode of footwork. Luke at once began performing this form. His movements were precise and subtle. They relied on wrist control and body movement which bordered on dancing.

"Excellent!", Ben said. "You have indeed made much progress."

Luke had been training under Ben for seven years. When he was first brought to this cave to begin his training, he was only twelve years old. He still remembered how clumsy he was with the lightsaber. It took him almost a year and a half to learn the basics. Although at first it seemed that he would be a slow learner, Luke made up with his diligence and hard work. As years passed, he became more skilled with the lightsaber. His mastery of the Force too was impressive.

All those years, Ben was like a father to him. He taught him not only lightsaber techniques and how to use the Force, but also how to be an honorable and just person. Luke could recall when Ben first taught him the Jedi Code; "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force." Ben had also explained to him the deeper meaning behind this code; "Through freeing oneself of emotion a Jedi becomes a being of peace. Emotions lead to the Dark Side. No one is ignorant, the path a Jedi follows is a path that brings forth knowledge. As to the Jedi, the Dark Side is a path of those unwilling to learn this knowledge. There is no passion as it is a form of attachment which leads to the Dark Side. There is only serenity and calm. Jedi do not create chaos or destroy, they seek balance in all things. Jedi become one with the force when they die, so they don't see it as death."

Ben rubbed his beard. "Your training will soon be coming to an end. I do not have much left to teach you. You will have to leave this cave and gain some experience in the real world. While training can prepare you for many situations, only by gaining experience by yourself will you be ready for the fight against the Empire."

Luke grinned. "I will be leaving the cave?"

Ben laughed. "You remind me of myself when I was young. I too was excited when I was sent away from the Jedi Temple for my first mission. I wanted to see the world outside of the temple and meet new people."


The rain poured down outside the cave with a roar. The howl and beating rain was loud as was the gregarious boom of thunder. Ten Stormtroopers, holding blaster rifles on their hands, were being led by a tall man wearing a long black robe. A dark hood hid his face. The man and the troops walked into the cave. As they stepped inside, their shadows dissolved into the surrounding darkness. They were able to see where they were heading only thanks to their night vision.

"Our sensors pick up something!", a trooper said. "They must be nearby."

"Ready your rifles!", the man clad in dark said with his deep voice. "They are Jedi; they are not to be underestimated."

Every single one of those troops was hand picked specifically for this mission. They were all elite riflemen with years of battle experience in some of the most deadly battlefields in the entire galaxy. They had been fighting with rebels and other enemies of the Empire for years and had survived some of the most lethal conflicts in living memory. Despite having to face Jedi, or rather 'sorcerers' as they were known to the soldiers, none of them was even a little bit afraid.


Luke was lying on the ground, resting after the training. He had closed his eyes and allowed himself to be lost in his memories. He was reminded of the time when he was still a kid, before he had met Ben. He was living with his uncle and aunt. Aunt Beru was a talented cooker. He remembered rushing to the kitchen to eat the cookies she would bake. Their delectable aroma would pervade the air- a melange of honey dew, orange preserves and dabs of crackling nuts. Uncle Owen would be sitting on a chair and smoking his wooden pipe. Grand puffs of smoke would curl around his head. Ever since he had gone away with Ben, he had never seen them again. His uncle told him that he would have to leave; both for his own safety and for that of the galaxy. Back then, being a child, he could not understand what they meant. Now, he could. The Empire was stepping up its efforts to track down the remaining Jedi and force-sensitive people. It was too dangerous for Luke to remain to Tatooine. So he left, leaving behind family and friends to live in a cave in a remote planet in the outer regions.

"Luke!", Ben said. "I feel that something is not right."

"What happened?"

"I feel a tremor in the Force. There is suddenly a strong presence of the dark side. I can feel its coldness. You have to leave."

"But Master, I am not afraid!", Luke protested. "Besides, I cannot just abandon you here if danger comes."

Ben took a pouch from his robe and gave it to Luke. "Take it. It has enough money to help you find a ship to transport you off this planet. Go to Dagobah System. There, you will find Master Yoda, the Jedi Master who instructed me. He will complete your training."

"But I canno-"

Before Luke could finish his sentence, the two Jedi heard the sound of footsteps. They ignited their lightsabers at once. Suddenly, they came under intense fire. The Stormtroopers fired at them with everything they got. Ben and Luke used their lightsabers to deflect the enemy fire, but they were on the verge of being overwhelmed by their rapid fire. Luke somersaulted, leaving himself open to enemy fire, and landed right in front of the troops. He stabbed his lightsaber through the chest of a Stormtrooper, killing him. His blood spilled on the ground. He then waved his hand and two Stormtroopers were forced pushed against a wall, losing their consciousness. The rest of the Stormtroopers concentrated all their fire on Luke. The young Jedi leaped backwards. One of the Stormtroopers threw a plasma grenade at him but Luke used the Force to direct it back at him. As the grenade exploded, the entire cave shook and the blood of Stormtroopers splattered all over the place.

"It's not over yet.", Ben said. "I feel the presence of a great evil."

It was at that moment that the man clad in dark appeared in front of the two Jedi. He took off his hood, revealing his face. His face was deathly pale and awfully scarred; it was as if every bone on his face had been cracked and mended back together a thousand times. Blood dripped from his eyes. His mere presence terrified Luke. He had never seen someone as terrifying before. His face became ashen white. He was trembling in fear. His heart beat fast; he could almost hear its tumultuous thudding.

"I've come for you, Jedi!", the man said.

"Who are you?", Luke asked.

"I am Kremryhl, servant of the Emperor. But enough talk!"

Kremryhl unsheathed his lightsaber and activated it. Its red glow brightened the cave.

"I will attack him.", Ben whispered to Luke. "You should use this chance to leave."

"I will not leave you here alone!", Luke protested. "I am not afraid of him."

Before Ben could reply, Kremryhl was already charging at them. Ben parried his attack but was forced to take a step back.

"You are weak, old man!", Kremryhl said.

Ben simply smiled.

Kremryhl roared and charged at Ben. When Luke tried to stop him, he simply Force pushed him away. Ben, however, did not even move his feet. His lightsaber flickered and stabbed Kremryhl's shoulder. Ben then moved agilely and slashed his lightsaber across Kremryhl's right cheek. Blood poured down.

"Go!", Ben shouted at Luke.

Before Luke could say anything, Ben used the Force to push him away. "You have to leave! If you do not, all hope for the revival of the Jedi shall be lost! Go!"

"But..."

"There is not 'but'. I am your teacher, you should follow my orders. Leave!"

As Luke rushed out of the cave, Kremryhl attacked once more Ben.

"The boy may have left, but you will not escape!", he barked. "You shall taste the power of the dark side."

Kremryhl lunged. A lightning feint and slash made Ben dodge backwards. The old Jedi simply smiled and calmly awaited for the darksider's next strike.

"Kill me and I shall become more powerful than you can even imagine."

The darksider brought his lightsaber down, seemingly cutting his elder foe in half. Ben's cloak fell to the floor in two parts, but Ben wasn't in it. Kremryhl then calmly made his way out of the cave, followed by two Stormtroopers, the only ones that had survived the grenade's explosion.


The storm was still raging outside. Luke had rushed to the forest. The trees offered no shelter, droplets of the size of almonds smashed their way through the foliage above. It was so dark that Luke was barely able to see where he was going. The narrow path, which was made uneven by the knotted roots that crossed it, branched at intervals. Luke had walked in that forest many times before, so he was at advantage over his pursuers.

Luke rushed to a speeder bike which he had left in the woods. In the past, Luke would use this speeder bike to go to the nearby spaceport, Draesdhe, and buy goods. He did not go there often, so as to not attract unwanted attention, but he knew how to handle it. With a swift move, he jumped onto the speeder bike and lunged forward, leaving behind the dark woods and the cave in which he had lived for so many years. His eyes had become glazed with a glassy layer of tears but he knew that he could not stay.