Notes: This is the sequel to Under the Shroud of Shadows and Omen of the Future. It would be a good idea to at least skim both of those stories or you might be confused. This is the first, full-fledged novel in the An Era of Twilight series. Another thing, this is AU so many things are not as they are in the books. The time frame is fifteen years after Under the Shroud of Shadows. Also, for this story, Starkiller is older than Luke by two years. I hope that you like it, including all the changes I made, and reviews are much appreciated.

An Era of Twilight:

Dawn of the Rebellion

"Every revolution begins with a spark."

-The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Movie Tagline

Orders and Memories

His orders were simple. Find Jedi, inform Master, kill Jedi.

His Master simply wanted him to prove himself to her, prove that he was worthy of his training, prove that he was strong enough to stand at his Master's side when she finally confronted her Master and assumed the title of master. However, that was still a long time in coming and he knew he still had time to gain more experience, hence why he was sent on missions that involved him fighting Jedi. Already, he had killed two Jedi; Rahm Kota and Kazadus Paratus.

However, despite the accomplishment, his Master Darth Xea was not yet proud of him. She criticized him when he returned and she declared that she didn't want a weak apprentice at her side when she finally defeated her master, Emperor Palpatine. From what he knew about her, Xea has been trying for twelve years to prove that she was worthy of being his apprentice. However, he knew Palpatine constantly reminded her that she was only second best, unworthy, and nothing compared to his first choice. He had overheard Xea rant about that, she had the tendency to talk to herself when she thought no one was listening, three years earlier.

Nevertheless, her determination to prove that she was worthy and that her master was wrong about her being only second best was what drove her. The continued dismissal of her progress made her temperamental and brutal in her dealings with others including her apprentice. She was also a perfectionist and always pointed out every fault she could see. This included in his reports to her. She constantly insisted that those faults needed to be fixed if he was ever going to be strong enough to be at her side.

Hence, why he was traveling through space in search of another Jedi following only a single clue from his Master; she had said that there might be a Jedi on Felucia but she left finding the Jedi to him. She rarely ever did the work for him; Xea insisted that he had to learn how to accomplish tasks without being handed everything he needed on a silver platter.

He was kneeling down in the meditation chamber, lightsaber resting on the ground in front of him, as he attempted to reach into the Force beyond the hull of the Rogue Shadow and find something that could hint where the Jedi might be on Felucia. This task was tedious but he knew it had to be done as his Master had said. However, he figured he wouldn't get any hints in the Force until he neared Felucia but it wouldn't hurt to—

His senses alerted him to the arrival of someone. His lightsaber was in his hand, ignited and already blocking the slash aimed at his side as his droid, PROXY, moved forward into the chamber. The droid was currently mimicking the image of one of the Jedi his Master told him was still alive; Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Soresu, he thought remembering what he learned when he studied up on the fighting styles of many Jedi. He had learned much about each of the seven forms and he knew the weaknesses of most of those forms. What he had learned was that Soresu's greatest weakness was its lack of offensive capabilities. Shifting into Ataru, he launched an attack at the Kenobi replica. He has dueled this program before and knew of when and where to strike while also not letting the seemingly impenetrable defense get to him. The Force was also a good asset in the duel. After parrying away a few attacks, he managed to break through the Kenobi replica's defenses and stab his blade in the chest.

Sparks erupted and the hologram disappeared to be replaced by his droid, PROXY, who collapsed. "I am sorry, Master," he said. "I failed to kill you again."

He smiled a little. "Maybe next time, PROXY," he said helping the injured droid up.

"Yes, perhaps next time," the holodroid said. "I have a message for you too, Master."

He nodded and PROXY's face shimmered to reveal the hooded form of his Master, Xea.

"My apprentice," the message began, "You have new orders. Forget the mission to Felucia for now. I want you to travel to the Outer Rim planet of Tatooine. I have learned, from a reliable source, that there may be more than one Jedi on this planet. Keep an eye out, blend in, gather information but do not engage. Report what you discover to me as soon as you discover it."

The holoimage disappeared to be replaced by PROXY's face and the holodroid rested its head on the durasteel wall of the meditation chamber. He, wondering why his Master wanted him to gather information rather than take out the Jedi who may or may not be on Tatooine, got to his feet. If anything would prove to his Master that he wasn't weak then it would be taken out two Jedi at the same time rather than one. However, he had his orders and he would follow them.

"I'll be back to fix that," he said to PROXY gesturing to the wound in the holodroid's chest. "For now, I have to tell our captain of the change in plans."

"Yes Master," PROXY said.

He stood up before making his way out of the meditation chamber and toward the cockpit where his captain, Juno Eclipse, was. Juno was the first pilot of the Rogue Shadow who knew, at least partially, of his orders from his Master though she never mentioned it. She merely stated that she was ordered by Xea herself to drop him off wherever he needed to go and pick him up and not ask any questions.

He was still wary around her though but since PROXY was his only company for the longest time before he was sent on his first mission that was to be expected. Though wary of her, he didn't mind her company since she was a very capable pilot. From what he learned about her from PROXY, Juno graduated a year early from the Imperial Academy and served briefly as leader of a squadron of starfighters in Xea's fleet before she was chosen to be his pilot three months earlier.

Stepping into the cockpit, he looked toward the captain who was running her fingers across the console, headset resting around her neck as she focused on her task. She lifted her head upon hearing him enter the cockpit. Though she didn't say anything, he could feel her curiosity especially since he rarely entered the cockpit unless they were near their destination.

"We have new orders," he said. "Plot a course for Tatooine."

"Tatooine? May I ask why?" Juno said as she dropped the Rogue Shadow out of hyperspace, retrieved the coordinates for their new destination from the navicomputer and jumped back into hyperspace.

He simply gazed at the mottled lanes of hyperspace. "It's a different type of mission from the ones I'm normally given," was all he said.

Thankfully, Juno said nothing about that. Instead, she said, "Our ship will stand out no matter which spaceport I land in but I know enough about Tatooine to know the residents aren't likely to question it. It's the Imperials I'm worried about."

He nodded; the Imperials would notice that the Rogue Shadow was different from many of the other ships that landed because of its advancements. No one knew about the Shadow; everyone who helped with the Shadow's construction had been killed to keep the ship a secret. As his mission was an information gathering mission, he knew he couldn't draw attention to himself. Blending in would be the easy part so long as he could get in without being noticed by the Imperials.

"Drop me off away from one of the spaceports then," he said. "I will go in on foot."

"That might be best."

The rest of the journey to Tatooine was done in silence.

Darkness reached out fiery claws. He could see yellow eyes peering out of dark smoke that rose up to clog the air. He could feel the heat of the glare; the fury, the hatred, all mingled to where one cannot be distinguished from the other. The eyes simmered like the agonizingly hot surface of a sun.

The smoke grew thicker until he found it hard to breath. He saw forks of lightning tear through the darkness and a scream so filled with anguish that his heart constricted. He could see the prone form, the lightning cascading upon his lithe body, the pain and despair that glistened in his eyes.

Father, please!

Anakin Skywalker sat up sharply, a gasp escaping his lips as shafts of moonlight drifted through the small opening in his room. The homestead was silent and Anakin found that he could feel his heart pounding in his chest like a turbohammer as the dream, however quick and fleeting it was, replayed itself in his mind.

It was no dream; it was a nightmare, one that has been haunting Anakin's mind for the past fifteen years. He had thought when he chose the Jedi over Palpatine, the nightmares associated with the future his son, or rather a future version of his son, had told him about would go away. Qui-Gon warned him that he would remember what the future version of his son told him whether he wanted to or not but he had hoped that, at least, the nightmares wouldn't continue to torment him.

Rolling onto his side, Anakin gazed across the room toward where his fifteen-year-old son was sleeping peacefully, sprawled on his stomach, arms flung in odd angles and gentle snores emitting from him as he slept. Gently, Anakin used the Force to reassure himself that he wasn't still dreaming.

Fifteen years had gone by and yet his decision and the repercussions of his decision were still on the forefronts of his mind. He had thought that choosing the Jedi over Palpatine would end everything; Palpatine would be defeated, Padmé wouldn't die in childbirth, Darth Vader would never come into existence. And yet, out of all three of the things Anakin wanted to happen when he refused to go to Palpatine's aid, only the latter two came about.

Palpatine was not defeated. He actually got the better of Mace Windu, defeated him and nearly killed him. Then he drove the Jedi Order to the edge of extinction with the execution of Order 66. The clone troopers that Anakin and the entire Order had fought side by side with during the Clone Wars had suddenly turned on them, on every single Jedi out there even the younglings and yet not against him. Anakin knew that was only because Palpatine still wanted him.

Anakin could still remember that day though he didn't like remembering it. It was one of the memories he didn't want to relive like he kept reliving the memory of seeing a future version of his son get electrocuted by Palpatine. And yet, he relived it; the massacre at the Jedi Temple as well as across the galaxy. Jedi getting killed left and right, causing such disturbances in the Force that felt like a physical blow to Anakin. He knew he wasn't the only one who felt that way; everyone who survived Order 66 likely felt the same way he did.

It still hurt even though it's been fifteen years. He could still remember feeling the lives of the innocent younglings he and Obi-Wan hadn't managed to get out of the Temple getting cut short by the clone troopers.

Anakin rested his head on his hand still gazing at Luke's sleeping form though the memory of his nightmare clung to his conscious. He stood up before walking across the room to where Luke was asleep. As the homestead wasn't that big, it was decided that Luke and Anakin would share a room. Neither of them minded; it gave them the privacy they needed so Anakin could train Luke as much as he could in the use of the Force.

Anakin's stepbrother, Owen Lars, refused to have any Jedi business in his home. However, Anakin had told him stepbrother that Luke needed to learn how to use the Force; the longer he remained untrained, the more in danger he was likely to be. Anakin wasn't sure if that was true but it did convince his stepbrother and he, reluctantly, agreed. He did say that Luke couldn't learn lightsaber combat though and, though that irked Anakin, he agreed. At least, he agreed to not train Luke in lightsaber combat around the homestead. That was usually when he and Luke would travel to Obi-Wan's hut beyond the Jundland Wastes to train.

Kneeling down beside Luke's bed, Anakin stretched out his organic hand and gently ran his fingers through his son's hair. Luke shifted onto his side but did not wake up. He was as deep a sleeper as Anakin was. Anakin was positive that the loudest sandstorm on Tatooine wouldn't be able to pull Luke from his sleep.

It's a good thing you aren't that grouchy in the morning. You must get that from Padmé, Anakin thought gently brushing the back of his hand on his son's cheek. His son was his angel; his son was the reason why he was able to resist the darkness though he didn't know it.

Anakin gazed at the boy before he leaned forward and gently brushed his lips to his son's forehead. The boy didn't stir and Anakin stood up before making his way out of the room; he knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep.

He walked out of the homestead before gazing up at the clear sky above his head. Stars winked gently against the black backdrop and the desert was cool. The wind was calm and gentle and the moon was a crescent in the sky. The suns wouldn't rise for another few hours but Anakin didn't mind; the tranquil night gave him the peace he needed to meditate. During his apprentice years, Anakin disliked meditation so much that his former master, Obi-Wan, had to sometimes drag him to meditate. Now, he only meditated whenever he had a bad nightmare that he couldn't get out of his mind through other means; recently, those nightmares either dealt with what a future version of his son told him or with his mother's death.

Anakin sighed softly gazing at the sky above.

I want to be the first one to visit them all.

Anakin remembered when he uttered those words to Qui-Gon back when he first met him just before the Battle of Naboo. He smiled a little at his child-like determination; he never did get to visit all of the star systems n the galaxy but he did visit a lot of them. He had to wonder if he would ever get the chance to visit some of the worlds he loved with his son like Naboo.

Naboo. Anakin could still remember the happiest memory he had of Naboo; his and Padmé's wedding.

I wonder how Padmé and Leia are doing, he thought. He hoped they were all right though a part of him knew that they were.

"Dad?"

Anakin opened his eyes before turning his head to find his son standing in the doorway of the homestead gazing at him with concern in his azure eyes. "What are you doing up, son?" he asked. "You were asleep when I left."

Luke walked over to join him before sitting down at his side. "I felt your fear," he admitted.

Anakin put an arm around his son's shoulders before drawing the short, lithe form of his son close to him. Resting his head on top of Luke's, he said quietly, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. What happened? Was it another nightmare?" Luke knew of Anakin's constant nightmares because sometimes they were intense enough that they got past Anakin's shields and Luke felt whatever Anakin was feeling even though he never saw what Anakin saw.

He nodded slowly. "It's all right though, son. Are you planning on going to Anchorhead tomorrow with Owen?" He asked changing the subject.

"Probably though Uncle Owen is only going to be buying a few things. I just want to get out of the homestead even if it's only for a little while."

Anakin smiled. "Can't say I blame you," he said.

Luke rested his head against Anakin's chest before gazing up at the stars. "How many star systems did you visit during the war, Dad?" he asked.

Anakin chuckled. "I lost count during the first three or so months," he admitted.

"What system do you remember the most then?" Luke asked.

Anakin smiled fondly in remembrance as the memory of his wedding came back into his mind. "Naboo," he said quietly, "I can still remember the day your mother and I got married. It was a small ceremony and yet it was memorable."

"I wish I could meet her."

"I know, Luke. Perhaps someday but right now, you're safer here."

Luke sighed. "Safe or not, I still can't stand this dustball of a planet," he muttered.

Anakin chuckled. "We definitely agree on that. I've never liked this planet even when I lived here though my mother—" He broke off as sadness surged through him but he pushed it away and said, "—she always had a way of making things better."

"I wish I had known her."

"So do I. She would have loved you, Luke." Anakin wiped a stray tear away and immediately pushed the memory of his mother's death, and the event that occurred right after, away from his mind. Luke knew of what happened; he had asked Owen what happened to his grandmother three years ago and Owen told him to ask Anakin. Though he was reluctant, Anakin didn't want to lie to his son so he told him the truth, the entire truth. He had expected his son to get upset with him, to hate him for committing such a heinous act, but the sheer compassion, love and forgiveness that Luke had projected—it was definitely not what Anakin was expecting.

Luke may have Anakin's looks, his recklessness, his love of mechanical things and flying but his compassion—Anakin wanted to say he got it entirely from Padmé but Obi-Wan pointed out that he was compassionate to a fault himself.

"I'm not surprised by how compassionate Luke is considering who his parents are. He got it from both of you, you know," Obi-Wan had said when Anakin told him of how Luke had accepted what happened after Shmi Skywalker's death.

"...coming with us?"

Anakin blinked before looking at Luke. "What?"

"I asked if you were coming with Uncle Owen and I to Anchorhead tomorrow, well later on today I should probably say."

He smiled at his son. "How much does Owen have to get, Luke?"

"Oh." Luke flushed when he realized there would be no room for three people to go.

"When you and Owen get back, I'll take you to Ben's place," Anakin offered.

Luke grinned. "Okay. Do you think I can begin constructing my own lightsaber?"

Anakin chuckled before standing up and Luke stood up as well. "I'll ask Ben though I think you're ready. Come on, Luke. Let's get inside. Maybe we can surprise Beru by cooking breakfast for everyone."

"I should probably do the cooking. Aunt Beru's been teaching me and you nearly burned down her kitchen the last time you tried to cook."

Anakin scowled but Luke just chuckled as they reentered the homestead.

A/n what do you think?

Blaze: and that is the first chapter of Dawn of the Rebellion. As I said at the beginning, this is the sequel to Under the Shroud of Shadows, which has a prequel oneshot entitled Omen of the Future.

Darth: and this is an AU version of The Force Unleashed set in Blaze's An Era of Twilight universe

Blaze: right now, the stories set in my An Era of Twilight universe are, in order, Omen of the Future and Under the Shroud of Shadows.

Darth: this is also the first full-fledged novel in this universe, it will have chapter titles and, like she mentioned at the beginning, Starkiller is two years older than Luke in this story

Blaze: I had to make it that way because I didn't want it to take place too close to A New Hope and I didn't want Starkiller to be too close to Luke's age

Darth: only Starkiller's age is different. Hopefully, Blaze hasn't made him too OOC

Darth: and Blaze disappeared again

Blaze: (at Dairy Queen) sorry, I got hungry

Darth: obviously. Another thing, Blaze hopes that you like this beginning but the action won't begin for a couple more chapters and she will not be able to update because she will be losing internet access for as much as two weeks. If she can get to a library then she might be able to update sooner. This goes for ALL of the stories she is working on.

Blaze: so please review. They are GREATLY appreciated.