AN: Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions about the apprentice issue I raised last time. I really appreciated all the responses I got.

Shadow of the Force

Chapter 21

-Han Solo-

Gulping nervously, Han walked alongside Chewie through the halls of what had once been the palace of Jabba the Hutt. Had being the imperative word as the planets new lord had fried each and every Hutt on the planet that hadn't bowed to his new rules. Good news was at least it meant he didn't have a bounty on his head anymore. Bad news was his gut said it would be best to get on the good side of the guy who got rid of Jabba lest the man once known as 'Darth Vader' decide the debt was just 'under new management.

"He's in here." Bobba Fett scoffed, the man eyeing him as if he wanted to blast Han to pieces on principle. Given how often Bobba had been chasing him for the bounty it probably wasn't all that far off as a possibility.

"Very good Captain." The Sith Lord wasn't sitting on a throne like Jabba, or the Emperor was known to. Hell, Han couldn't even see a throne in the room anymore. The man was at a map table, looking at various reports while finishing with the call from a soldier loyal to him. Standing scarily in the back was a droid that watched his movements with far more intensity than he'd like, and a woman with green that seemed to see through Han.

"Bobba Fett, is there a reason you brought them in here?" Vader didn't even look up from his reports, the clinical disinterest would normally have Han get annoyed or mock the speaker but he was too terrified to do so.

"He said he wanted to speak with you. Business related." Fett shrugged, "He's a smuggler that pissed off Jabba more than once."

"That so?" the man looked up, his eyes a hypnotic swirl of intense yellow and calm blue, "Tell me then smuggler. What business do you have with me?"

"I'm gonna be honest here, I'm looking out for my own skin." Han gulped. He'd been alive before the empire, he'd lived during the Clone Wars so he was well aware of what an ex-Jedi, and more specifically this ex-Jedi could be capable of.

"Is that so?" The man who'd once been known as 'The Hero without Fear' studied him, eyes making Han shiver.

"Jabba had a hell of a price on my head. A price that's only gone now that you killed him." Han was trying to remain as honest as he could. He'd heard rumors growing up that Jedi could read minds and he did not want to find out that was true the hard way by lying "I figured I'd come and see if you needed anything in my skillset now before you decided any of Jabba's debts passed over."

"And what exactly is your skillset?" the self-proclaimed Emperor raised an eyebrow but seemed more curious than bored or dismissive so he'd take the win.

"Like I said, I'm a smuggler. My ship is the Millennium Falcon, it made the Kesler Run in less than twelve Parsecs." Han tried to sound confident without arrogant, a balance he wasn't used to. Pausing, he continued somewhat hesitantly "Also I…think I met your kid." That boy from the Cantina did possess more than a passing similarity to the man before him after all. A man who was suddenly studying Han much more intently.

"Tell me everything." The command brokered no argument as Han told the little that he knew of the local kid he remembered turning down his deal, and the much more information he had on the captain who the kid had left with. He just hoped this intel would be enough to ensure he didn't have a new bounty on his ass.

-Palpatine-

Hiding his scowl, Palpatine studied the two underlings he'd brought forth before him. The first was the strongest of his hands, Mara Jade. A formidable assassin who'd long coveted the title of his official apprentice. The second was the Grand Inquisitor, the head of his force hunters.

"You called for us, Lord Sidious?" the Pau'an inquisitor asked, kneeling subserviently. The man knew his place, knew he stood no chance of besting Sidious in combat or through the force.

"Yes." Palpatine rose, the force aiding his aging body that had long since been weakened since his fights with Yoda and Windu, "You are both of course aware of the Treason of Darth Vader." It wasn't a question as only a fool wasn't aware at this point.

"You wish for us to end him, Master?" Mara Jade's eyes burned eagerly, the girl having long desired to kill Vader herself.

"In due time." Palpatine smirked as he studied the two, "For now I have other concerns. One of the Rebel factions," and the fact that there were now three of the damn things was both amusing and infuriating "has several force users who may train new disciples. Vader himself will no doubt take an apprentice of his own." Or more, he certainly had. He also saw, to his amusement, that both of those here had their own ideas on why they'd been summoned but were too nervous to risk speaking up lest they upset him.

"I refuse to remain idle and allow a greater threat to grow under my nose. I require both a new apprentice, as well as for the Inquisitors to swell their ranks." Palpatine didn't trust an entire order of fully trained sith not to betray him or fall to infighting over his Empire but more trained hands were distinctly needed.

"You two are the strongest as well as my most loyal." Or at least Mara Jade was loyal. He knew the current Grand Inquisitor was a spiteful and ambitious man, which were admittedly traits that would be perfect for a Sith Lord, "I shall take one of you as my apprentice. The other is to lead the Inquisitors in hunting down the force users and other significant members of the enemy factions. I trust I won't have to worry about you trying to do something so foolish as to kill each other either, right?" he made sure his tone carried the implied threat of his words at that, pushing down on both of them with the force as the two gulped and nodded, pale and fearful of his wrath. Good, that was as it should be. And if he had both alive then there was a backup apprentice already prepared. And they could push each other to improve out of desire to take or keep the title of apprentice.

"Good." Palpatine smirked, revealing his yellowed teeth, "Then we shall start with a little…test."

-Luke-

Yawning, Luke stepped out of his room aboard the Citadel, spotting Leia chatting with Marris and Merrin. "Morning." He grumbled, moving over to grab his own cup of coffee, the girls nodding his way.

"Well, you certainly look tired." Leia frowned in concern, the two having grown closer since Ben told them the truth of their family.

"I pulled double duty watching the scanners last night." Luke yawned, still feeling exhausted but unable to get any more sleep "Need to make sure nobody's sneaking up ya know?"

"Fair enough." Leia nodded, "I've been working with Merrin to go over the list her husband Cal gave us."

"List?" Luke glanced at the papers on the table confused, vaguely remembering Ben returning with Merrin and a few others, saying that a couple of them were former Jedi.

"My husband possesses a rare gift." Merrin nodded proudly, "He told me the Jedi referred to it as psychometry. The ability to sense the history of objects or people he touches through the force. I saw him once pick up an instrument he'd never seen before and play a song created by its owner that he had never heard. During his mission when we first met, he discovered a holocron containing a list of force sensitive children, now teenagers I suppose, in the galaxy. While he destroyed the Holocron to keep the Empire from learning its contents, his gift still imparted the knowledge unto him."

"That's incredible." Luke breathed wide eyed before wincing "And sounds like he'd learn a lot of things he'd rather not know." Given Merrin's laugh he hit the nail on the head with that one.

"You would not be wrong." Merrin nodded amused, "Regardless. Now that we have a stronger force it would be wise to start finding these young ones. Both to ensure they are trained to use their gifts and to ensure the Empire does not find them."

"For now, could you take this to the boss?" Marris gave him a grin that turned his ears red as he caught the data pad, she tossed his way "Has the first stops to start finding new blood."

"S-sure Marris." He nodded, hurrying out before he risked putting his foot in his mouth around the pretty Zabrak. Given the snickering he heard as he left, Leia was having fun with the situation.

Following his gut, or the Force hard to be sure, Luke made his way to the training room. Opening the door, he jerked to a stop, gaping at the sight inside. Harry, Galen, and the newcomer Cal Kestis were a whirl of blades as they sparred. Harry and Galen, both preferring to use two sabers, had copied Cal's saber design and Luke was struggling to ever keep track of the three in the mad flurry of practice saber swings.

They were striking, flipping, parrying, dodging, and more. Marris had said that Harry and Galen were monsters before, and this certainly didn't do anything to disprove that. Slowly, Luke expanded his presence in the force to get the three's attention without startling them, not wanting to get accidentally hit by any number of those saber.

"Ah, Luke." Harry nodded as the three stopped their bout "Did you need something?"

"Marris asked me to bring this to you." Luke tossed the data pad that the Captain caught with the Force, "Said it was the list of the first people to find from Cal's list."

"Ah, very good." Harry nodded pleased, "This handles one issue. As for the other, I've been thinking we need a secure base. The old Rebel locations won't work, not since Mothma is still after us. I did have an idea where we could go. A planet that might even bring further allies if we liberate it."

"Oh?" Luke couldn't deny he was exceptionally curious.

"I hear Mandalore is lovely this time of year."

-Marcus-

Panting, Marcus slowed from a jog to a walk, doing a cooldown lap on his exercise while Susan Bones panted beside him. They'd started talking after her aunt got him back to Hogwarts and she'd even been eager to try out his training regimen. The fact that she stuck with it was icing on the cake.

"Good hustle out there you two." Shacklebolt, one of the aurors assigned to guard the castle, gave them a thumbs up, "Looking forward to seeing you two at the academy one day!"

"Thanks Shack!" Susan waved at the large man, clearly knowing him from even before joining Hogwarts, "How much longer are we allowed outside?"

"You have thirty minutes before you both need to head inside." Shacklebolt's expression turned serious. The year had barely begun in earnest before new trouble started. Filch's cat petrified, a threat written in blood on the walls, and someone calling themselves the heir of Slytherin threatening not just the students, but threatening to do even more horrors if the school was closed and students sent away.

The newly seated Minister Bones had rapidly sent for Aurors to guard the school along with Magical creature experts to figure out what the monster attacking students was, Curse breakers to try and find the Chamber of Secrets, and Exorcists to purge what they were positive as yet another Voldemort possession, given Quirrell from last year.

The students were all being encouraged to come forth with any leads or thoughts they might have on the culprit or locations for the Chamber but so far no luck. Marcus himself was positive there was something, the pieces just hadn't clicked into place yet.

For now, though, all he could do was train.