About 8 years later, somewhere in Namibia, Africa...

He would kill Palpatine. He would kill him, if it was the last thing he ever did!

Luke chanted this over and over again in his head as he made his way over the tops of the dunes, headed in the direction where he knew the closest town was. The sun scorched down upon him, his black suit soaking in the rays of heat. Numbly, he wished for about the thousandth time since the truck he'd stolen from the destroyed, lonely base had run out of gas, that he'd own something that wasn't so darkly colored. He didn't remove any of the clothing however. Exposing even more of his skin to the sun would only put him in a far worse situation. He could make the best of dehydration (although not very much). It would be impossible, however, to fight dehydration and sun sickness.

He couldn't die. Not now. Not after he'd finally realized just how much of a monster Palpatine truly was.

The thought of the man, the man he had grown to idolize over the years, made him clench his teeth in pure hatred. The Force flowed through him, wanting to be released, but…he was in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing he could do with it except maybe cause a sandstorm. There was literally nothing but sand everywhere he looked...as far as his eyes could see. He only knew that he was heading in the right direction because he'd extensively studied the area before he showed up a few days before. And now…

Everything was gone. Everything, all that he had, all that he had believed in, it was all gone. He was alone in the world, with a vow to hunt Palpatine down and kill him with his own lightsaber, the same lightsaber that hung from his belt, thumping against his leg. He paused for a moment, pulling out his canteen, uncapping the lid and going to take a drink.

Empty.

Luke cursed, tempted to throw the now useless item down the sand dune, but he wasn't an idiot. If he did manage to find water (unlikely) before he hit the town, it would be wise to have something to collect it in and ration it out with. He had enough control over himself not to make rash decisions like that.

Well. Usually.

He hadn't been rational a few days ago, when his whole world had fallen apart and his master, the man who had saved him from certain death, had betrayed him. He snarled and continued forward.

Hours went by. Despite having had rigorous survival training, there wasn't much he could do without water and being in one of the hottest deserts in the world. And the dunes, the tallest in the world, weren't exactly easy to stay on top of either. One wrong step and he would trip and roll down one of these immense piles of sand, or his leg would sink into the side, filling his boot with sand, essentially trapping him. The sun beat down on him, drenching him in sweat. He was losing water too fast—how long before he got to town? He wasn't sure anymore.

Force. He was really starting to hate sand.

Soon, as he stared determinedly off into the distance, images began to form. He had enough sanity to know that they were just mirages. Most of the time they were of great, cool lakes, beckoning him to hurry and come swim in it. He ignored the temptation to break out into a run to get to it. It wasn't there. There weren't lakes here, so it would be a waste of precious energy.

But soon, the mirages began to take other forms. Palpatine, and that stupid, deceptively kind smile of his. Luke had always known that Palpatine wasn't as kind as he portrayed himself to be, but he hadn't realized just how much so. "I will kill you,you bastard," Luke snarled at the image, "Just you wait, old man. I know how to find you!"

The image faded, as if Palpatine could sense that Luke was coming for him and was going into hiding. The real Palpatine most certainly was already on the move, after what Luke had done to the Namibian base…

Another image replaced it. His mother, smiling, beckoning to him with arms outstretched and open wide. An old, familiar pain suddenly swelled in his chest. "Come home, my son," she seemed to say, "Come home." Except that home for her was now within the Force, where her spirit had gone when she'd died. After everything, that offer might have been tempting, and if he didn't find the town soon, he could end up unwillingly "going home," but he couldn't. Not while Palpatine was still out there, gloating…

"Sorry, Mom," he said, not for the first time since he'd accidentally killed her. He could feel her necklace, the one he always wore hidden beneath his shirt, brushing uncomfortably against his sweaty neck. "I can't. Not yet." The image of his mother disappeared, replaced by…

Her.

He stopped, breath hitching in his throat. Dark hair falling elegantly down her back like a midnight waterfall. Tantalizing gray eyes that drew him in. Olive skin that seemed to glow in the sunlight. Lips that were full, that he knew were soft, gentle…

She smiled, revealing laugh lines around her eyes and mouth. She was perfection. She was…

"Fireheart," He breathed, and paused. That had been her name under Palpatine's Inquisitors, the name they'd called their…unique organization. He hadn't known her real name until recently, and now that he knew it, it came to his lips, spoken with reverence. "Talia."

She reached out…and then she too began to disappear.

That's when he did something idiotic. Then again, she had always had a knack for causing him to do the stupidest things. If he hadn't let her into his carefully constructed defenses, perhaps he'd still be serving under Palpatine as his apprentice.

He burst into a run, chasing the mirage as it faded. "No," He gasped between dry, ragged breaths, "No!" It didn't take long before he'd tripped over his own feet, and he went falling, rolling, down, down the steep side of the dune, sand coating his sweat-drenched skin, the inside of his mouth, getting in his eyes...

Oh, yeah. He hated sand alright.

When he finally stopped tumbling about halfway down, half of his body submerged in the sand, he groaned, lifting his head, looking back in the direction he'd last seen her. There was nothing there. Just more blasted sand. He cursed at his own stupidity and lay there, trying to get the energy up to get back on his feet and continue his way across the unforgiving desert.


KKKKKKKK

Finally. Civilization...well, sort of.

The town he reached was small, not even small enough to get regular speeder traffic, or any traffic for that matter. The only aircraft that flew in the town's skies above him were freighters and sky buses, although sky buses were rare, as he found out when he managed to find a bus station. Ground buses were even rarer. Just his cursed luck. He knew that Palpatine would immediately have branded him a traitor, and would have sent other Inquisitors to look for him. The first logical place to look would be the closest town. So, Luke knew he needed to get out of town - quickly- before he had a fight on his hands.

Without any money, he mind-tricked the ticket agent for a ticket and went looking for a place to wait. A large, junky-looking freighter flew overhead, practically drowning everything out. Luke looked up at it longingly—he could remember a time when the skies only had planes. Even though planes were still common, there was just about an equal use of personal flyers and regular cars these days.

Although Luke hadn't exactly had as much time to think about the mechanics behind the craft's technology over the last eight years, he still couldn't help but admire them. There were some things his father had passed down to him that he just couldn't ignore - or change. His love of mechanics and technology being one of them. He scowled at the thought of him, and entered a run-down bar.

At this time of day, there weren't many patrons, thankfully. Even though Luke was only sixteen, the drinking age for most countries on the planet was much lower than the United States, so no one tried to ID him or kick him out as he approached the bar. However, those who were in the room, looked him over anyway. He had to admit...he did stand out. He was a pasty white, blonde-haired teenager with bright blue eyes, dressed all in black. There were, of course, white people in Africa, despite what most of the world thought, so when the bartender approached and, in heavily accented English, asked Luke what he wanted to drink, Luke made sure to slip into a local accent when he asked for a simple glass of water.

The accent seemed to cause people to lose interest in him, and they went back to their mugs. Luke made himself comfortable as the bartender set the glass of water before him. Luke tried not to look too eager as he gulped the water down, but failed miserably. "Too much fun in the sun, eh, boy?" The bartender asked with a smirk.

Luke cracked an easy smile. "Something like that." The bartender laughed, shook his head, and poured him another glass of water.

In the far corner of the bar hung an old, outdated television. The picture wasn't clear, but it was tuned in to the local news station. Having a few hours to spare, Luke kept an eye on it as he drank, the water soothing his parched throat. Most of the news settled around the country's internal affairs or the affairs of other surrounding African countries. Luke only had a general knowledge of such things, so he tuned most of it out.

That is, until the world news segment came on. That caught his attention immediately.

The newscaster's heavily accented English filled the space, talking about NASA and their recent goal to send mining droids to Jupiter. NASA was no longer just an American organization. It had become an international organization for the entire world, with funding and staffing personnel from a myriad of nations. It was still based in Houston, Texas, though.

There were colonies of humans on Mars now, with only a few hours of travel now necessary between the two planets. Though the organization brought back painful memories for him, Luke couldn't help but still take an intense interest in it. His dreams were full of space flight…

"…Yesterday's inauguration of the new head of NASA, Anakin Skywalker…"

Every muscle in Luke's body tensed as the image of his father addressing a rapt crowd of people filled the screen. Luke barely had time to notice that his father, though beginning to gray ever so slightly at the temples, had aged very well for being, what, in his late thirties now? Luke didn't remember exactly, and he really didn't care. The Force, having been barely kept in check since the destruction of the base a few days before, lashed out, coated in darkness in anger, and…

Glasses behind the bar shattered. The TV cracked and caved in on itself in a shower of sparks. Cries of alarm erupted around him, and the bartender ducked for cover. Luke forced himself to take deep breaths, controlling his anger until things stopped breaking, and stood up. It wouldn't do to stay around after he'd destroyed a bar, and if anyone was out looking for him in the town, they certainly would have felt his surge of power through the Force.

Yeah, they would show up here soon enough.

He turned and left, casually striding out into the street where he began to wander. Perhaps he could find a grocery store or somewhere he could buy water…but he didn't have money. He had resorted to trickery to get his skybus ticket. That trick wouldn't always work, though. He could always steal what he needed: His expertise hadn't been in stealing, but he knew how to do it effectively if it came down to it.

No, his expertise had been in taking people down, killing them, a veritable assassin…people he had thought were the enemy, but now…He stopped.

He had sworn to hunt Palpatine down. He knew that he could do it….it would take time, yes, but he could do it. No. He would do it. But, how? He had nothing left. Everything, everyone, was gone. Perhaps…

Leia.

Unlike some people in his family, he didn't hate Leia. She hadn't paid very much attention to him, hadn't really cared about him, but she wasn't ever cruel to him. Or, at least, she hadn't been, the last time he'd seen her. Palpatine would likely expect him to go to her for help, but if he could make contact, very carefully…

That still left the problem of running into him. Another wave of hatred, and his hands clenched into fists. No, he couldn't try contacting her. If his father found out, he'd come after Luke and try to kill him again. Palpatine hadn't needed to lie about that. Besides, after he'd killed their mother, Leia probably wouldn't want to help him anyway.

No. He was on his own. He'd have to find a way to make money while not deviating from his hunt for Palpatine…

Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck stood up as a tingle of warning flashed through the Force. Concentrating, Luke reached out with the Force, searching for the source. Sure enough, there were two Force-sensitives in the area. They must have not cared if he sensed them, because neither one was covering their presence. One of them was creeping towards him, while the other was headed quickly after the other one. Luke frowned. Partners weren't supposed to leave each other behind, not alive at least. They clearly weren't very well trained. Why would Palpatine send un-trained Inquisitors after him?

That made no sense...and wasn't his style.

Nevertheless, he didn't feel like waiting around to find out. He began to move, quickly, but not so quickly that he drew attention to himself. As he did so, he cloaked his presence. He would work around and come up on them from behind. He would take care of them quickly and quietly. They would not stop him from his revenge. No one would.

He felt one of them halt, hesitating, probably searching for him. He made sure to hide himself even deeper in the Force. As he moved, ducking down alleys and empty streets to double back, he made sure those who passed by him didn't notice him by diverting their attention away from him. As far as anyone knew, he was a shadow, a ghost. It wouldn't work on strong-minded people, but most of the people who wandered aimlessly around these streets would fall prey to his tricks.

He reached an empty, slightly overgrown courtyard. He could feel the presences on just the other side. One of them paused, while the other seemed to be sneaking up on the other. Luke frowned. That couldn't be right, but he intended to find out what was going on, on his terms. He moved himself into position, making sure that neither of them could loop around and try to ambush him from behind, and released his presence back into the Force.

The lead presence perked up, and began to run down the alley that would lead them straight into the courtyard. Luke pulled out his lightsaber, waiting, tense and ready to fight, like a panther ready to spring. He didn't have to wait long. Soon, an older man came running into the courtyard, breathing hard, acting as if he didn't care that Luke had chosen an obvious ambush point.

Luke didn't bother to question it though. He'd learned to attack first and ask questions later if he wanted to live. Stepping out of the shadows, Luke reached out with his hand, using the Force to physically grab the man and lift him into the air. The man panicked, flailing, and though that was not the reaction of an Inquisitor, Luke didn't let him down. "S-Stop!" the man begged, "I n-need…"

"You need to keep your mouth shut." Luke calmly said, though his voice was laced with menace. He could feel the other Force presence approaching, feel it pause just at the mouth of the alleyway. He ignited his lightsaber with his other hand, the crimson blade glowing brightly. "I know you're there. Show yourself!" He called impatiently. There was still that slight hesitation before the figure stepped out of the shadows.

A woman. Or really, a girl, no older than he was. She was just slightly shorter than his own 5 feet 8 inches, with pale skin and fire-red hair. She frowned, taking a really good look at him, and he thought he saw recognition in her intense emerald green eyes. She certainly didn't dress like an Inquisitor: She wore tight black pants with a belt holding a lightsaber hilt, with an elbow-length cream shirt with a black leather, zipped up vest over it. She had an over-the-shoulder gun holster with two guns resting within easy reach to the sides of her chest. Though she was armed to the teeth, she didn't attempt to pull her weapons on him. She didn't even go for it. She just…stared at him, like she knew him, somehow.

Well. He certainly didn't know her. He would have remembered someone who looked like her. His mouth went dry and he felt a wave of goosebumps sweep over him.

"P-please, don't t-turn me over to her!" The man in the air wailed, and Luke was tempted to crush his windpipe. It wouldn't take much adjustment in the Force. It was easy to do. After all, he'd done it before. Often. Luke ignored him instead, shifting his lightsaber so that it was between her and him. If she attacked, he would kill the man then move to engage her in battle.

But, she didn't move. She just continued to stare at him.

"You don't look like Inquisitors." He glanced back at the man—in fact, the man was too old to be one. He was a full grown adult.

The man seized on this, begging. "No, I sensed you through the Force! She's trying to kill me! Please protect me!"

Luke scrunched his face up in disgust. "Are you a Jedi?" He didn't dare turn the blade from the woman. He had a feeling she was the bigger threat to him. But, the man… Luke reached out through the Force, putting pressure on the man's esophagus.

The man panicked more. "No! I swear!" He managed to gasp out, his face turning red.

So, a renegade Force user. There were plenty of them around, some of them more aware of their abilities than others. If they weren't picked up to join the Jedi, Palpatine had ordered his own forces to bring them in for questioning. Had Luke still served Palpatine, he would have done so with this man.

That still left this mysterious girl though.

"Stop choking him." Her voice, though clear and melodic in quality, was hard, commanding. He looked back at her. She had stepped forward, but she still hadn't gone for her weapon. Her jaw was clenched in determination, and she kept looking from him to the red saber he held in his hands, her eyes flickering between recognition and confusion. "I need him alive."

Luke scoffed. "Clearly, you're not an Inquisitor either."

"I don't know what that is." She growled, though it was half-hearted.

"And what about the Jedi?" Luke countered with a disbelieving arch of his eyebrow, raising his lightsaber a little higher. A warning for her to stay where she was.

"I'm not a Jedi." So, she knew of the Jedi, or at least she'd implied that she had. Slowly, Luke released his grip on the man's throat, listening to the man sputter as he still dangled in the air.

"If you're not a Jedi and you're not an Inquisitor, who are you and what the hell are you doing out here?" Luke demanded coolly.

She indicated the frightened man with with a flick of her wrist. "He's got a huge bounty on his head. I'm here to collect."

That spiked Luke's interest. A bounty, huh? He looked at the man, wondering vaguely what he did to achieve a bounty. It didn't really matter, but it was intriguing. A bounty meant money…sometimes, really good money, he knew. He'd run into bounty hunters enough to know the sort of money they collected. It would certainly be enough of a sum to get the resources he needed to go after Palpatine. Furthermore, many of the people he would need to interrogate to get Palpatine's exact location had bounties on their heads…dead or alive bounties. Perhaps…

"I don't think so." He grinned. "I'm pretty sure I'm the one who is going to collect."

She opened her mouth, obviously about to protest…and then stopped, a peculiar expression passing over her face. "I'm the one who chased him out of hiding. You wouldn't have caught him if it weren't for me."

Luke shrugged, smirking. "So? I'm still the one who has him in my grip."

"O-Or, neither of you turn me in, and I pay you back!" The man interrupted.

Luke glanced at him again, and then turned back to the young woman. "How much is his bounty, anyway?"

He didn't actually expect the woman to answer, but she surprised him. "Twenty thousand."

Luke stared back up at the man. "Well? Do you have more than that?" By the man's sudden silence, Luke knew the answer. "Looks like you're getting turned in, pal."

"I told you, I was the one who flushed him out, I…" The woman started, but Luke interrupted her.

"Sorry. But, I'm pretty sure it's whoever catches him and brings him in is the one who gets the money." He shot a sarcastic grin at her. "So, unless you plan on fighting me for him, I'll be on my way. I have a bounty to collect." He had no idea who to turn him into, but he was pretty sure he could get that information out of the man's head rather easily. He clearly wasn't trained to do anything with his Force abilities.

"Or," the red-headed woman, folding her arms across her chest and cocking her hip almost nonchalantly, said as Luke reached into the Force and sent a silent command to the man to go to sleep. He did, going limp in the air. "We could bring him in together and split the money."

Luke had begun to set the man down on the ground, but that suggestion gave him pause. He looked at her again, sizing her up, wondering once more why she hadn't attacked him. He had a sneaking suspicion that she normally wouldn't put up with this behavior. So, why was she not only not attacking him, but also offering to split a bounty with him? He found himself fascinated and intrigued by her, despite himself. "Now, why would I want to do that?" He asked suspiciously.

She shrugged, almost too casually. "With our combined efforts, we captured him. It's only fair." Since when were bounty hunters fair? "Besides," it was her turn to cast him a mocking smirk, "you don't know where to turn him in at. But, I'll give you a hint: It's not in Namibia."

That did present a problem. Luke didn't even have his own transportation, and, judging by the position of the sun in in the sky, he had likely missed his skybus pick up. Even if he hadn't though, it wasn't exactly inconspicuous to be dragging around an unconscious criminal by levitating him with the Force. "So, What?... are you offering to give me a ride?" He asked sarcastically.

"Actually," She said calmly, "That's exactly what I'm offering, in exchange for half the bounty. Deal?" She looked pained at the suggestion, which once more made him wonder why she was offering. "I've got a couple of friends who help me with my…business. They're smugglers, so they've got a place to stash him until we arrive." She paused, staring hard at him. "They fly a YT-1300f Light Freighter."

She said it as if that should spark some recognition in him. He blinked at her. "I know the model," he said warily. In fact, he was pretty sure he'd seen one fly overhead earlier that day. It hadn't been a very popular model of ship. "As long as it can get us to where we need to go, it doesn't really matter what model they're using, does it?"

Something like disappointment flashed over her expression. "Right." She said softly, "Well, the offer still stands." He stared at her, holding the lightsaber out defensively between them, deciding if this was some sort of trick. When he reached out and probed her presence, however, she seemed like she was telling the truth.

"Do you…know me from somewhere?" He asked, his look pensive and cautious. He was certain he'd never seen her before, but she seemed to know him for some reason.

An unreadable expression flashed across her face, gone before he could identify it. "No. I'm just suggesting the logical." What she was suggesting wasn't logical for most bounty hunters, but…something in the Force seemed to whisper for him to take her up on her offer, against his better judgment. Something…

"Alright," He said, deactivating his lightsaber and returning it back to his belt. "I accept. Let's get this guy back to meet your 'friends.'"

She didn't object, but she did continue to look at him strangely, as if he were a ghost. "My name is Mara Jade."

Again, another expectant look.

Well. He'd definitely have to keep an eye on her for as long as they were sharing the same personal space. "Luke." It had been so long since he'd given that name out to anyone but...He dropped that thought.

"Luke Skywalker."


I'm going to say this again: I've had this part of the story intricately planned since before I ever planned the first part of this story. I also mentioned a long time ago that I was combining the first part with the second part, mainly because I didn't want this story spread into separate, multiple parts. I like having my fanfic in one place. So, since this is the second part, obviously there's going to be a shift of focus and tone. I have big plans for this, but I will of course listen to suggestions and implement ones that I think could work in what I have planned. I have incorporated multiple reviewer's ideas throughout the story. However, I can't make every single idea work, and I'm not going to include things that I don't think make sense.

Luke is NOT fully Dark Side. I will revisit what happened in those years he was in Palpatine's control, but I don't think Luke could ever be fully brought over to the Dark Side. We shall see what happens. Why does Luke hate Palpatine so much? Why did he ditch him? Who are the 'friends' Mara Jade mentioned? (Although if you know the model, which you should, you already have that answer). Stay tuned!

The song for this chapter was A Thief's End from Uncharted 4.

Review!

Love,

Sarah