Risen for Redemption

by Panthermonspartner

What if Starkiller was able to come back to life? What if because of this, the whole future of the galaxy was changed? His real name is Galen Marek, and this is his story.

2. Chapter 1 A New Beginning

Chapter 1- A new beginning
Galen POV
I opened my eyes and saw rubble. Either I had only been "dead" for a little while or they had just not bothered to move my body. I pushed the metal support beams off of myself and stood up. Now to get away from this horrible place. I force pushed the doors open, ready to take out any stormtroopers waiting on the other side. But there was no one. I ran at a normal pace through the complex, always tense and ready to fight. But no one attacked me. "It's empty." I whispered to myself. I came to the main hangar and all the main ships were gone. Wait, not all, just most. I sensed a large metal object hidden in the corner. I walked over and laughed at my sheer luck. A small ship, capable of holding no more than two. Was just sitting there, like it was waiting for me. I smiled and started it up. As I flipped various start-up switches and pushed buttons I smiled. "Looks like you were right for once Kota. The dark side did mess up Vader's mind." Now where to go? I could try and find Juno and the others, or I could just start searching for a Jedi to train me. Maybe the force could tell me? I closed my eyes and tried to meditate. I felt my force connection jump and I heard a voice. "Find your pilot first. She will help you very often in the long run." "Master Ti?" I asked. She appeared, but was not fully there. As though she was a hologram. She smiled and winked at me, before disappearing. I opened my eyes and sighed. Now that, that decision was made where to look? I took a deep breath. Juno, being the women she is would likely want to honor me or something. So she'd probably go to "Kashyyyk." I set the navicomputer coordinates and meditated while I was in hyperspace.

Juno POV
Kashyyyk as beautiful as it is holds too many sad memories for me. I wish we could have chosen a different planet to create the rebel alliance. This planet made me think about him. He was born here; it was the place where his first mission as a Jedi took place. I sighed and said to myself "Why did you have to do it? You could've been here right now helping them, and me." Someone put their hand on my shoulder. "You know why he did it, but you are still upset at that reason." Kota said. "Yes I am." I breathed. "I loved him, and now he's gone." "He is with the force now, which is the destiny of every Jedi. No matter if they were only on the light side for a short time." I smiled and said "Thank you Master Kota." The sunset over the trees was beautiful, but it still didn't make me feel better. Only he could do that.

Galen POV
I flew into the atmosphere and I immediately felt her sadness. Juno was here all right. There was a house of some sort down in a clearing. The force was telling me she was there. I landed the ship and lowered the ramp. I walked out to see Kota's lightsaber and a few blasters all trained on me. "Impossible." Senator Organa said. "Boy is that you?" Kota said. "Yes, it's me. Where's Juno?" She stepped past a few people and looked at me. "But how?" she said. I walked down the ramp and over to her. I took her hands and said "Apparently I didn't actually die. So I came back." She smiled and kissed me. Instead of like last time I kissed her back. "I need your help." I whispered. She looked into my eyes and said "Anything." I smiled and said "We're searching for Jedi." She smiled and whispered "Are you sure you're not bringing Vader's enemies to justice?" "I'm sure; this is for a much better reason." She nodded and said "The Rouge Shadow is around the back of the hut. I'll start her up." I smiled and said "I'll be there soon." She walked away and I turned back to the rest of the rebels. "I can't stay. I need to finish my training and become a real Jedi, like my parents." "Are you sure? We could really use your help." Princess Leia said. "I'll come back when I'm finished, and maybe I'll have another Jedi to help us." Kota slapped me on the back and said "Good man, I'll keep them alive for you. You go become a Knight." I smiled and said "Thanks Kota. Good Luck to all of you and May the force be with you." "And with you." Kota said.
I went to where Juno was and smiled when I saw my ship. Juno had kept it in perfect condition. I walked on and she said "Perfect timing, I was just ready for launch." I closed the door and said "then let's go captain." She lifted the ship and we went up into space. Then she stopped, "Where to?" "Well we are searching the galaxy for a surviving Jedi. Then when and if we find one I have to convince them to train me. If we don't then we head to Coruscant and the Jedi temple to see how much I can learn from there." "So you don't know." I smiled and said "Yet." I sat in a meditative position and closed my eyes. I focused on Master Ti, I needed her help. Juno gasped and I opened my eyes. "Congratulations Galen, you have discovered one of your extra force powers." Master Ti said. Her ghost was standing in front of us. I didn't know how long it would last so I said "Where do we look Master? Vader had me kill all the Jedi." "Not all, just most. There is a strong force presence on the mid-rim planet of Cerea. Go there Galen, you will find a force user. But be warned, I do not know if the user is a Jedi or a Sith." I nodded and said "Thank you Master Ti." Her ghost faded away and Juno said "How did she? I though you killed her?" "I did, but while I was 'dead' I found her and she told me what I had to do. She was able to do that because she said an old friend of hers taught her how to use the force to communicate even in death. But as for the new force power I have no idea." Juno nodded and programmed the navicomputer. "She called you Galen, is that your real name?" I nodded and said "I met my parents as well; my true name is Galen Marek, son of Jedi knights Kento and Mallie Marek."Juno smiled and said "Well it's very nice to meet you Galen." "The pleasure is mine Captain Eclipse." She chuckled and said "Well our ETA is in about three standard hours, so tell me all about what dying was like." I laughed and sat next to her, retelling my story.
Three hours later
"Oh we've arrived." Juno said. The green and blue landscape of Cerea came into view as we pulled out of hyperspace. "It says here that Cerea is a planet that is against all forms of technology and pollution. They are extremely connected to the environment. It was a neutral planet during the clone wars but a major battle resulting in about one million civilian casualties was fought in 21BBY. Now it is an isolationist planet, with at least a few natives working for the empire. Other than that, the empire has completely ignored the planet." Juno told me. "Making it a perfect place for a Jedi to hide out from the Empire." I added. "Take us down." She switched on the cloaking device and in a few minutes the ship was on the ground in a small clearing. I leaned against a tree, delving into the force to search for the force presence.

3rd person POV
After an indeterminable time leaning against the tree, Galen started to sense the entire forest getting jittery. Narrowing his eyes, he let his feelings drift in order to discover the source. Instead, it seemed that everything within his range exuded some portion of the emotion except for a single patch directly in front of him. "Juno, stay in the ship." He whispered. Juno nodded and took her seat in the cockpit. "Someone's watching." He said to himself in concern, "If it's a sentient species I should try to contact it." He straightened up and walked slowly towards the tree line, a hand near his light saber, when a figure appeared in front of him out of nowhere. It was taller than he was, and clearly female, wearing a form fitting, brown shirt and pants that covered the entire body. In addition, the figure had a brown hood that completely concealed her overly large head. Galen's skin prickled as he stared at her and she stared back. There was something…predatory about the stance, leaning forward on her toes, the arms held at the ready without a thought. Through the gloves he could see the fingers curled into claws. What presence, he thought, I think it's the Force I'm sensing, but it's like it's sleeping. Not concealed, not even weak…just difficult to get a hold on. He swallowed and said, "Do you speak Basic?" The figure laughed quietly, ironically, before it relaxed in an instant. The feet fell back into an ordinary stance, and the arms were put down at her sides, the fingers straightening out. "Do you?" The voice was mellow, flowing. It washed over him in a way he had never felt before. Or perhaps he had…when he first met Juno had been something similar. "That's a relief," he said, not quite believing it himself, "then we don't have to fight." It was not the Jedi way to fight without reason, Galen had been doing his best to refrain from attacking earlier. "Yes," she said sardonically, "It is true you don't need to have your ass handed to you." But then she twitched, as if something told her that she shouldn't have said that. He blinked. "I have a request, good sir," the mysterious woman continued with the same deeply sardonic—but now polite—voice, "could you step out of the light so I may see your face?" "Why?" he asked without thinking. She stared at him for a moment, as if listening, before saying, "Because your connection to the Force is so strong that I know only one person that you could be…I want to determine whether or not you are that person." Galen's eyes widened, she not only called the Force by its' proper name, but as well as told me that she knew exactly how strong I was! Whoever she is, she's scary. As he stepped to the side, he glanced down to the ground in order not to trip. He was certainly not expecting to see a flash of russet at the base of his strange visitor's pants. There was also an odd bulge at her waist he hadn't seen before. The woman took in a harsh, shuddering breath and said, "Skywalker." Galen looked at her, the beginnings of fear starting to appear. From what he knew, his old master, Darth Vader had once gone by the name Skywalker. "How do you know that name?" He asked. "You will understand in a moment," she said as her hand settled by the bulge as subtly as if she hadn't put any thought into the motion, "You're too young to be him, but I must make sure: would you mind having a duel with me, Jedi?" Galen was breathing harshly himself now, having all his secrets exposed by a stranger within moments unnerved him. He slowly gripped his light-saber's hilt and said, "I'd be open to that." "But first," she said with friendly smile in her voice, "you should calm yourself. You'll do terribly if you aren't looking at this situation analytically." "What do you—," he began to say before the woman revealed the source of the bulge…. A light-saber. In a flash of instinct, Galen whipped out his own and activated the blade before the blow landed, but the speed and strength behind her upward strike was incredible: he hadn't even seen the blade trace a trail, it had simply lit up and then landed the blow in the single instant it took him to activate his own light-saber. He stared at his opponent's deeper, forest green blade as it hummed against his own, aquamarine blue one. The only thing he could see in the brown, hooded face behind the blade was a pair of intensely blue eyes, piercing him with their gaze. He shivered at the immense amount of unknown emotions within their depths, all tempered with serenity to the point that he felt peace in his own heart as well. They separated and leapt away from each other at the same time. His opponent relaxed into a different light-saber stance, so that she was standing the same way as him. The stance causes the blade to actually point behind you in your right hand. "Good instincts," she said, nodding to him and someone else he couldn't sense. It disturbed him how she always seemed to be talking to two people instead of one. Then she continued, "You are almost never caught off-guard, I see. Next I would like to test your offense: please, attack me." He flushed slightly at her tone, but still reeling from the effects of the eye contact, Galen willingly charged at her. However, no matter how many times he struck, he couldn't get past her guard. Damn she's good! He thought, How did a Jedi—or Sith, or whatever—this good get lost in an area this remote? "My turn," the woman said, and suddenly he was hard-pressed to keep up with her blows. He had to rely on the tiny twists of the wrist in order to get there on time, but eventually she still looped her light-saber around his own and rested the point barely an inch from his throat. "You aren't going to use Force Speed?" she asked curiously, "You shouldn't underestimate me." Galen could have smacked himself. Of COURSE that was why he was being outclassed: he hadn't sensed her using the Force to enhance her own speed, so he had instinctively let his own Force Speed drop away in the hopes of a fair fight. With a shrug, he corrected that mistake. Although he still couldn't see her face, he could sense her approval. What followed was, as he would realize later, the perfect training session. Every move he used was blocked perfectly, each strike against him required his utmost focus to be neutralized, each time he felt that a pattern was emerging, the opponent threw in something entirely new. He was still outclassed, but not by so much as to humiliate him. He paused for a breath and saw that she paused as well, the tip of her light saber quietly humming behind her head. Almost without realizing it, he was grinning. "You're out of breath too, huh?" he asked. "Somewhat, yes, but I have also gathered what I need to know." Galen's eyebrow almost exceeded his hairline as she continued, "I had to make sure you were truly with the light side of the Force." At the mention of light side, he tensed slightly. He watched with bated breath as a russet-colored hand appeared from the sleeve and pulled back her hood. He saw red skin with white patterns, great horns, and three lekku that were white with blue stripes. "You're…a Togruta." Galen said in surprise. She grinned widely, flashing large canines, and nodded an expression that Galen had never expected to see on the face of a swordsman with such skill. "What tipped you off?" she said wryly, "My markings, lekks or montrals?" "W-why aren't you on Shili?" he asked. "I haven't been there for over 4 decades," she said with a sidelong look at his face and a small smile, "many lifetimes ago." Galen was ready to ask more, but the Togrutan raised a hand and said, "My story is too long to tell here: we should retire to my homestead, where I can answer all of your questions." There it was again, the sense that she wasn't just talking to him. "Then you ARE a Jedi, and not a Sith?" She looked outraged at the suggestion, her eyes once again become intense, cerulean orbs, as she replied, "Of COURSE I'm a Jedi! I could never see myself going to the Dark Side…not after all I've seen of what it does to people." She caught herself, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Sorry," she said quietly. "Okay…," Galen shook himself to clear his head, "Please excuse my impertinence," Why am I being so polite? He thought before continuing, "But none of the Jedi I knew were so free with their emotions. How can I be sure you are what you say? You could be the Light Side's version of Dark Jedi, for example." The Togrutan raised an eyebrow, "I'm not so sure what you're trying to say: wouldn't that be a Jedi? Or are you saying I could be like a race allied to that belief, but not having the full powers? The Khil, or my own race?" "Well," Galen said, "yeah." She grinned again, "Nope, despite what you may hope, I am a Jedi. Trained, Apprenticed and Knighted just like you." "I haven't really been trained as a Jedi or anything else and well, I don't want to leave my ship behind…." "Then we'll bring it," she said simply, and stretched a hand to the Rogue Shadow. It rose from the ground with only the slightest hesitation and started to follow her as tamely as a pet when she approached the trees. Galen huffed slightly at how easily she rendered all his hedging useless. "Eclipse to Starkiller, what's going on out there?" Juno's voice said through his comlink. "Who is that?" The Togrutan women asked. "My pilot, could you let her out before we go please?" He replied. She nodded and the ship dropped carefully. "Juno come out here, I met someone who might be able to help us." "Copy Starkiller, I'll be right there." The ramp lowered and Juno walked out. She looked in surprise at the other women. "Starkiller? Where have I heard that before?" The Togrutan asked herself. She gasped and said "You're Darth Vader's apprentice!" Her lightsaber was once again out and ready for use. "H-How…," he stuttered. "Was Darth Vader's apprentice, was. As far as he knows, I'm dead." She sighed and the blade disappeared. "So he didn't give up like I had hoped." She said softly. "What do you mean? How do you know Darth Vader?" Galen asked. She looked at the sky as she said, "I guess that's one answer I can give now…my name is Ahsoka Tano, and I know your name because you were one of the few things Obi-Wan would talk about in his last transmissions to me." Somehow, the strange double-talk had disappeared and Galen sensed that Ahsoka was finally speaking from her heart of hearts. But that didn't matter at the moment. "You knew Obi-Wan Kenobi?" he said in shock, "How do you…WHY do you know all this?" "I already said," she said with a slightly wicked, teasing smile, "I'll tell you when we get to my house." She stood up, lifted the Rogue Shadow again and started walking to the trees. "While we travel," she said, still grinning slightly at her fortune, "you must only step where I step; never touch anything that I haven't touched, and keep your voice to a bare minimum: EVERYTHING is deadly here." And she slipped into the forest, followed by Galen, Juno and the Rouge Shadow. The plants glared at them in brilliant reds, purples, yellows, oranges and greens as they bounded from giant root to giant root. There were no rocks to prove a safe zone, but Galen got the distinct feeling that what few rocks WERE here were just as dangerous. If Juno was having trouble, Galen gave her a little force help to make sure she stayed with them. They had jumped from a particularly vast trunk to a blanket of green, spongy material when Galen first dared to comment, "This doesn't look as dangerous as you say," Ahsoka quickly turned, "Don't step anywhere…," she began, but as Galen's shoe had immediately begun to steam, he had returned it to Ahsoka's own footprint. "What was that?" He asked the hairs on his neck prickling. "Acid Moss," Ahsoka said wryly, "It developed the acid in order to eradicate anything that might block its' sunlight. There are, of course, patches that fail to produce the acid, but step anywhere else and you'll lose a foot." Juno shuddered, "Now I see what you are getting at." She whispered. Ahsoka smiled, "you did, however, last a lot longer than my students." "STUDENTS?" Galen said incredulously. Ahsoka laughed quietly, but hard, "Are—are you pouting?" She said through her fit of giggles. "No, I," Galen tried to explain, Juno laughing as well didn't help but Ahsoka shushed them, "We have a stalker," she explained, "right over…there." Galen hadn't seen anything, but he barely felt something. But Juno had to ask, "Sorry…where?" Ahsoka sighed "You are not force sensitive are you?" Juno shook her head. "Vader picked me himself, to be Galen's pilot." Ahsoka nodded before saying "He did that on purpose, that way your force abilities wouldn't be challenged and you could remain on the dark side." She chuckled and whispered "But obviously it didn't work, Skyguy's plans only worked sometimes." "I suppose so," Galen said in surprise, not having heard Ahsoka's last sentence. "Then relax, close your eyes, and don't tense up no matter what you feel." As it was very similar to the simple meditation Kota had taught him, Galen found it easy to do so. However, he almost lost his concentration at the incredible feeling that greeted him. "Yes," he heard Ahsoka sigh, "You see that the planet is alive with more than Flora and Fauna." Indeed, the very atmosphere and soil carried a vivid life to it that made the visible forms pale in comparison. However, he could also sense certain…clots…of energy that either stayed still or moved with a purpose. One in particular seemed quite large, and was shifting slightly to his left and front. He opened his eyes slowly, as if out of a deep sleep. "That felt…incredible." He said sincerely. "I felt the same way when I first arrived," Ahsoka said, "And if you give it time, you will eventually even be able to sense the Aing Tii colors." "The what?" he asked. Ahsoka chuckled once again. She really was the most humorous Jedi he had known…though to be honest he had only actually known two and a sith lord. And the first had seemed insane for a while. "Yet another thing I can tell you when we arrive," she commented. "There is something watching us." Galen said. "Yes," Ahsoka replied idly, "I know there's a beast here. We call it the 'Irecat' and as long as we're confident it won't attack." Seeing that Galen was curious, she turned to him and said, "it senses the emotions of prey items with exceptional precision and only attacks those items that show debilitating emotions like fear or grief. This entire planet, in scientific terms, is teeming with midichlorians." "Midiwhat?" he asked, embarrassed. "Are you sure you trained?" Ahsoka asked, "Vader would surely have told you of Midichlorians…especially since it's an effective way of finding force sensitive's." Galen flushed, "Actually, he only taught me how to manipulate the force, and use a lightsaber. He never wanted me to identify Force users, only take them out." "Ah yes, he always was the kind to ensure the basics before the unnecessary. And he probably wanted you capable as fast as possible." She turned to him with narrowed eyes, "I'm afraid your training has left gaps in your knowledge. That and I've learned a lot more about the Force while in exile." "Hey," Galen said indignantly, "I am capable of using a lightsaber." "But you're only capable of using the fourth and fifth forms," Ahsoka said quietly. "Er, there're forms? I thought they way you fought differed because of your stance?" he questioned. Ahsoka covered her eyes and groaned, "Yes, there are forms. You only know the Shien and Ataru. Or at least you didn't change forms whenever I changed forms. I specialize in those two, and there are a total of seven major forms. I know most of them." "So," Galen said in an effort to regain control of the situation, "Could you tell me more about this Irecat? Or the Acid Moss? Why are they even capable of doing these things?" "All right," Ahsoka replied as she stopped walking, "I can give you a little more info to appease you until our arrival. The Acid Moss produces acid in direct proportion to the amount of shade that covers it. No shade equals no acid, because there are no longer plants blocking it from it's' life source. That's why you were safe on the patch you landed on. The Irecat senses emotion through something completely different from body language or pheromones like creatures from other planets do. Instead, it senses the flow of midichlorians within them. Midichlorians, by the way, are the microbacteria that allow species to manipulate the Force." She smiled, "this is where the Irecat gets its' Godlike knowledge of the opponent: it simply knows from the pattern of the Force whether a target can survive its' attack. It's almost like the Irecat can see the future of any battle that it might get involved in. Unfortunately, that means that its' midichlorian sense becomes more accurate with enemies that are stronger with the Force." Galen shivered and Ahsoka once again chuckled. She looked to the trees and brushed a finger against a small blue fruit. "This planet has evolved with midichlorians at its center. Everything is designed to take advantage of the Force's presence…and it all starts with this little fruit." Galen stared at it in surprise. Just that little thing? He thought, what wonders are on this planet, even beyond Ahsoka? After another couple of minutes the first rock Galen had seen on this planet appeared. It was nestled among small trees and contained a large hole in the front that Ahsoka entered, waving him to follow. Immediately, he and Juno were ambushed by a flurry of little wings. "Ack!" they said as they waved away the little beasts. They squawked angrily at the two flashing little teeth until Ahsoka whistled. "Calm down, you guys," Ahsoka said, "It's a friend." In reaction, the wings resolved into two small, four limbed beasts that chattered in agitation. With a nod and a smile, Ahsoka allowed them to settle on her shoulders. She raised a hand and the giant rock clogging the inner entrance rolled aside as easily as a normal door. She set down the Rogue Shadow and gestured for them to enter. Inside there was a basic house setting. A table with a few chairs, some shelves that held different books and items, and a few glowing balls that were meant to be a light source. Ahsoka sat down and motioned for Juno and Galen to do the same.