Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Star Wars universe at all, not the characters, places, or situations.

Now that that's over with, let's talk a while. The idea for this AU came to me while reading Dark Empire and reading about Mysteries of the Sith. Needless to say this AU puts the Star Wars galaxy in huge peril. In fact, in the original planning stage (back when it was supposed to be a SWd20 campaign) I had actually code-named this "The Galaxy Is Screwed." Well, is it? You'll just have to read and find out… And yes, I messed with the timeline a little.

Dramatis Personae

Ackbar; Supreme Commander, New Republic (male Mon Calamari)

Carnor Jax; Royal Guardsman (male human)

Chewbacca; copilot, Millenium Falcon

Corran Horn; Pilot, Rogue Squadron (male human)

Han Solo; pilot, Millenium Falcon

Jan Ors; Intelligence Agent (female human)

Keyan Farlander; Pilot (male human)

Kir Kanos; Royal Guardsman (male human)

Kyle Katarn; Dark Jedi (male human)

Luke Skywalker; Sith Lord (male human)

Lumiya; Dark Lady of the Sith (female human)

Mon Mothma; Chief of State (female human)

Palpatine; Sith Lord (male cloned human)

Wedge Antilles; Leader, Rogue Squadron (male human)

Prologue

The Eclipse silently orbited the planet of Da Soocha, a scene of peace compared to the violent power struggle occurring inside of the great ship. The crash of the blue and red lightsabers echoed throughout the room as the two combatants slowly circled each other. Leia Organa Solo brought her lightsaber down to deflect the red blade aimed at her midsection. The attacker never relented, sending another slice towards her legs only to see his opponent step away from the attack.

A cackle filled the room as the middle-aged Palpatine watched as his new apprentice remained on the offensive against the intruder. Luke Skywalker continued his attack on his sister; the rage of the Dark Side filled his mind. He easily blocked one of the few offensive slices that Leia was making and countered with a barely intercepted overhead attack that nearly sent his sister's blade into her own body.

Leia cautiously sent her lightsaber towards her brother's legs, attempting to merely incapacitate him, only to have her low slice blocked by the red-bladed lightsaber that she had never seen before.

"Luke, don't do this. Break yourself free of his control and come back with me."

Leia's plea was met by silence and another strong lightsaber slice that battered her sword arm down to the ground. A terrible burning pain erupted throughout Leia's body as a follow up slice tore through her right forearm. Without her presence, the lightsaber switched off and fell to the ground. The hilt rolled to the feet of Emperor Palpatine, who quickly used the Force to bring the weapon into his hands.

Leia knelt on the ground, clutching the stump of her wound with her remaining hand, and silently cried from the pain. The unsettling laughter of Palpatine filtered throughout the room, seemingly echoing as he slowly walked closer to her. The black boots of Luke Skywalker stood in front of her, almost mocking her failure as the dark figure came closer.

The cloned Emperor smiled as he watched Leia writhe in pain as he got closer. Through the Force he could feel her distress, and the distress of her unborn child. It was a pity that she would never join him and her brother, a pity that such a child strong in the Force would never be born and never fulfill his true calling as a vessel for his spirit. Another grin crossed his face as he somehow felt the events that transposed across the galaxy. Yes, all was going right. Two traitors would die today…

The darkened temple walls were bathed in the yellow and purple light as the two combatants circled each other. The man with the yellow blade charged toward Mara Jade, eyes blazing with anger and his lightsaber swinging wildly towards his opponent. With a calm precision, Mara quickly blocked her master's wild swings but was forced backwards by each one. A left hook from Mara caught Kyle in the chin and sent him back about half a meter, giving Mara a chance back away and swing her lightsaber in a low arc towards Katarn's legs. The yellow blade quickly intercepted Mara's purple blade as Katarn quickly recovered from the punch.

Katarn sent a diagonal slash towards Mara's left shoulder, only to have his powerful attack stopped by the violet-blade of Mara Jade's lightsaber. He slowly began pushing his own blade down, causing the locked blades to inch slowly towards Mara's shoulder. The yellow blade came ever closer to Mara's shoulder, the light of their locked blades played over their faces. Mara was struggling to break the lock and prevent both blades from ripping into her flesh, sweat from the jungle heat and the exertion of the duel ran down her face. She slowly moved her leading right leg behind Katarn and then quickly pulled it towards her. Kyle hit the ground hard after Mara's trip attack, and heard his lightsaber roll across the floor as his grip loosened around it.

Mara rushed to her fallen opponent, ready to finish the unarmed Kyle Katarn off. His right hand quickly reached out towards her. She felt a powerful force throw her off her feet and she hit the ground hard three meters away, she skidded another half of a meter before finally coming to a stop. By this time, her opponent was already up and reaching for his lightsaber. She quickly kipped up and once again charged towards him. His left hand reached out towards her and blue-white arcs of lightning raced out to meet her. The purple blade met the lightning, forcing the white arcs to wrap around the blade and die on it. She slowly advanced, lightsaber in front her, trying to slowly advance against the powerful force shoving against her. The lightning continued to flow, and continued to be deflected by her saber as she was now less than two meters away from her opponent. He made attempt to back away from her, and continued to fire at her. He felt himself begin to grow weary, and he knew that this stalemate was soon going to exhaust him. With a snap-hiss, his yellow bladed lightsaber ignited and headed straight towards her blade. The yellow blade intercepted the purple of Mara's lightsaber over the lightning and battered the protective beam away from her. The lightning hit her straight in the chest, and propelled her several meters into the hard stone walls of the temple. Her lightsaber once again skidded into the darkness.

She slowly stirred, burning pain sent alarms throughout her body as she tried to force air back into her lungs. She tried to regain her footing, but a bout of dizziness sent her back onto the ground. She could hear his footsteps getting closer to her as once again she attempted to get back on her feet. One final push from the Force sent her back into the wall, and then he was standing right next to her. In her last thoughts, she wondered just what had happened on this planet to make him fall to the Dark Side, and if there was any possible way to stop him. A last flash of yellow from his lightsaber was her last sight as the blade severed her head.

Palpatine felt the death of his former servant and smiled. One less Jedi to deal with, and a potentially powerful ally had been born. He looked towards the wounded Leia Solo as she continued to clutch at her wounded arm.

"Good, Skywalker, good. Now, finish her…"

Luke seemed to hesitate for minute, looking over his sister. He never heard the desperate pleas from the spirits of Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker as they attempted to reach him.

"As you wish, my master."

Luke raised his left hand and soon brought his index finger and his thumb together. Leia felt her trachea close and her feet raise off of the gray floor. With her remaining hand, she desperately reached to her throat to free her self from the hand that wasn't there, her legs kicked futilely trying to reach the ground. Luke walked over to his immobilized sister and ignited the red-bladed lightsaber that Palpatine had given him. He waved the blade in front of Leia's face, taunting her in what would be her last seconds. Then with a sinister smile, he plunged the blade into Leia's midsection. He left the blade on, and watched as she died.

The body fell to the ground as he released his grip on it. And at that moment, almost every Force-Sensitive in the galaxy awoke from an extremely powerful disturbance in the Force, unable to pinpoint what exactly had happened. The shroud of the Dark Side had once again fallen upon the galaxy.

But one woman knew, and she gazed towards the Galactic Core with a sense of dread in her evil heart.