First of all I apologize this took so long, I had one of the worst things that could happen to me happen and I got a virus on my computer...I had to put it back to factory settings and re-download everything, including Microsoft Word. I have been slaving away to update this every opportunity I got at school haha. Anyway, next chapter! I wonder what will happen next...
PLEASE review this chapter, this is one of the chapters I'm proud of that I really want feedback on. If its a little choppy, I'm sorry, I wrote this piece by piece over this past week and a half. Enjoy!

(Alternate Timeline)

Luke crept cautiously along in the shadows of the canyon walls, taking great care to remain unseen. He had arrived on Korriban not too long ago, and was currently about two hours into his search. He'd figured his father would move away from the Valley of the Dark Lords, though with increasing anxiety Luke was beginning to fear that this hadn't been the case. The closer he drew to the tuk'ata infested area, the more restless he became, unable to help the dark thoughts that were coming into his mind. Thoughts of what he would find floated towards him, and the possibility of being too late seemed to suffocate him whenever he was not quick enough to push such thoughts away…

He shook his head, dispelling the thoughts before they could take root and plague him once more.

As he walked he was taking such care to be soundless that he was even stepping to avoid kicking any rocks; the last thing he needed was to alert some bloodthirsty beast on this planet that he was here. That is, if he hadn't already been spotted by one.

Luke scowled his grip tightening on his lightsaber just slightly. Such happy thoughts…

Something on the canyon wall next to him caught his eyes, and he paused, looking closer. He raised a hand, brushing it swiftly across the mysterious dark red substance that was caked onto the rock. He pulled his hand away, rubbing some of the crusty substance between two fingers.

Blood.

Luke felt sick as he glanced at the cave he had been planning to skip around on his way down the wall. If his father was in there…if this was his blood…

Luke's grip tightened on his lightsaber and he quietly slipped inside of the cave. His eyes scanned the area around him, and the first thing he noticed was the two dead tuk'ata laying by a den hole. He frowned, inspecting their corpses. They seemed to have been killed by some other clawed life form on the planet; perhaps he'd been wrong and the blood on the walls was not his father.

Despite the logic he could see in the thought, Luke couldn't help but feel that the blood was still probably his father's. Seeing that Anakin was not here, Luke hastily left the cave, loath of the thought of being trapped in there by something he would rather not come across. Despite himself, Luke continued to follow a trail of blood along the canyon walls, a growing sense of worry and unease spreading through him as he progressed on. Whatever had left this blood trail was badly injured.

He stumbled across yet another dead tuk'ata, though this one seemed to have died by a bite to the throat. Luke crouched down and studied the ground in front of him, taking in the signs of a struggle. There was a larger amount of blood here, and it seemed whatever had lost that blood had taken a moment to get back up before progressing on.

Luke frowned, shaking his head a little. He wished the wind had not blown away any tracks that had been left by whatever wounded thing he was following. He didn't want to think that it was his father that had left this disturbing blood trail, but at the same time, if he was following some random beast's final trail, he wouldn't be too pleased at wasting his precious time. He tried not to think of where the blood trail was leading him, keeping his mind elsewhere instead.

He couldn't help but stiffen a little as he rounded the corner that lead into the Valley. I'm here already? I must have been moving quicker than I'd thought...

His eyes flicked from side to side, keeping a watch out for any tuk'ata that might decide they wanted to make him their next meal. He didn't particularly feel like becoming some beast's snack right now.

A low growl resounded from a doorway ahead of him and off to his left, and Luke spun towards the noise, instinctively pulling his lightsaber out almost immediately. He stood at the ready, face set in concentration, ready to attack at the slightest hint of movement.

Out of the crumbling ruins of some tomb, a tuk'ata emerged, slinking under the partially collapsed doorway as it growled menacingly at him. Luke felt if he tensed up any more he would snap in two as the creature came closer, bright blue eyes meeting disturbingly intelligent black eyes.

Wait…black? I thought tuk'ata eyes were red…

The tuk'ata's growls subsided a little, and the creature cocked its head at Luke as if inspecting him. Luke didn't lower his lightsaber, afraid that the creature would pounce on him the moment he lowered his defenses.

To Luke's utter shock, the Sith Hound let out a whine, lying down in front of him in what appeared to be submission and staring up at him expectantly.

Bewildered, Luke slowly uncoiled, putting up his lightsaber. The tuk'ata did not move, apparently waiting for…something. Awkwardly, Luke crouched down, keeping his distance still. "Um…good boy?"

The tuk'ata snarled a little, alarming Luke for a fraction of a second before he realized that the creature seemed…insulted. "Good girl?"

The snarling stopped and the tuk'ata resumed its submissive state, eyeing him expectantly. Shaking his head in wonderment that the tuk'ata could understand him, Luke crept forward a little. "I'm Luke…Luke Skywalker…" he said softly, stretching out a hand hesitantly.

The tuk'ata raised slowly, rubbing her head against Luke's hand. He took the hint, gently starting to stoke the creature's head. I thought these things only understood the Sith Language?

The tuk'ata crept cautiously forward, allowing Luke to run a hand down her back. When she met his eyes again, Luke spoke, hoping she would understand what he was about to say. "You wouldn't happen to know where my father Anakin Skywalker is…would you?"

As soon as Luke said his father's name, the tuk'ata suddenly stood at full alert, pulling away to whine and pace in front of him impatiently. Luke got to his feet rather quickly at the sudden anxiety displayed by the mysterious female tuk'ata. "You do, don't you? Where is he?"

The tuk'ata bounded behind him, and for a moment Luke was going to turn around to follow her; however, she started to push him forward with her head from behind, towards the tomb that she had emerged from. Luke felt a pit of dread wedge its way in his chest as he approached the collapsed entryway, letting the tuk'ata venture in ahead of him. Her whines seemed to increase in intensity as Luke ducked into the dark, crumbling structure. Almost immediately he noticed the hole in the ceiling where the stone seemed to have randomly caved. It seemed that they had just recently fallen too. Luke just wished that the collapse had let in some sort of light, though apparently the tomb had two stories, because he could only see up to another level looking upwards. Perhaps the structure had just gotten too weak in that spot.

The tuk'ata's anxious whimper drew Luke from his thoughts, and he focused on her once more. She stood on the large mound of freshly fallen stone, digging at it feebly for a moment before looking back at Luke almost pleadingly.

Luke felt a cold terror grip him as he hastily stepped forward to start to dig through the rubble, trying not to think about what might be underneath.

Perhaps there's just a trap door or tunnel that leads to an underground chamber and the stone's blocking the exit, his brain started to rationalize. Luke cut the thought off before it could progress any further. The icy feeling that had settled over him left no room for excuses.

Using the Force, Luke moved the larger pieces aside, setting them down in a corner as the tuk'ata pawed at the smaller pieces to help him. The only sound was the sound of shifting rock for a few moments as Luke felt his calm control slip further and further away with each passing moment. There was so much rubble…

A gap appeared in the rock in front of him, and he spotted something brown at the bottom of the rubble, out of place among the gray stone and hardly noticeable among the black darkness. Without even realizing it, Luke's digging gradually picked up, chunks of rock flying away with the Force and echoing around the tomb before he became much more frantic and started to dig through the rubble with his bare hands, tossing the rock desperately to the side. Slowly, his father's deathly pale, still form came into view.

"Father! Father!" he found himself saying over and over, gradually increasing in volume as he tossed the remaining rock out of his way and kneeled by his father's side. Anakin made no move, seemingly dead to the world.

Don't think like that, Luke tried to scold himself, though he thought it felt more like a plea. Desperate to find some sort of reassurance, Luke started to check over his father, praying that he wasn't too badly injured.

Anakin had a deep bite on his arm, a gash across his stomach, a cut down the length of his leg, deep gouges from claws in his sides, and a long gash down his face from another claw. Luke felt sick, sure that he had been following his father's blood trail this entire time now. He choked back a sob, checking over his father's head. It seemed he had hit it really hard, though Luke wasn't sure if his skull was cracked or not. Blood matted Anakin's hair in two places; one on the top of his head and one on the back.

Tears blurred Luke's vision as he took in the full extent of his father's injuries and his pale complexion. He looked as white as death itself, and his breathing was shallow and raspy, so much so Luke had hardly realized his father was still breathing. Fearfully, Luke reached out to his father through the Force, praying he'd find better results through their strong bond.

Luke's panic only increased as he felt his father's faint, nearly non-existent Force Signature. What little light he received from his father hummed in agony, stating to Luke that even in unconsciousness it seemed his father could not find relief from the excruciating pain he was in.

Something broke in him, and Luke felt the tears stream down his face as he suddenly clutched desperately at his father's dirtied and bloodied tunic. "Please wake up! Please! Don't leave me, stay with me!"

When Luke got no reply he pounded angrily but feebly on his father's chest, desperation and hopelessness overwhelming him. Distantly, he heard the female tuk'ata whimpering next to him. "Please, don't die, I need you, I can't lose you!"

As Luke curled up on his father's limp form sobbing, he felt the dark side brush against his conscious, slowly starting to curl around them. Luke hardly noticed its suffocating presence because of the smothering sorrow he was slipping into. However, he did realize with growing disgust and agony that the dark side seeming to laugh at him as it tugged him deeper into its endless depths of misery. He couldn't find it in him to resist, almost able to see the light fading away with what little hope he had possessed coming back to this planet. There was no way his father would survive long enough for Luke to find him the medical help that he was obviously in need of.

"Father, please..." Luke choked out.

The tuk'ata beside him started to growl menacingly, and Luke whipped around, survival instincts kicking in as his eyes scanned the darkness around him. His tears dried as an unexplainable fear gripped at him.

"Who's there?" he called, feeling a flash of pride when his voice didn't waver.

From the shadows emerged a young man. His fiery red hair was slicked back and his blue eyes seemed to shimmer with twisted excitement for a moment before they met Luke's. The man had a concerned look adorning his features, one that Luke would be convinced of if some part of him hadn't suddenly started screaming at him to run as fast and far as he possibly could. Instinctively, his hand went to his lightsaber, though he didn't activate it. He simply clenched it, tense and ready to go on the defensive if he had to. He hadn't forgotten that there was a wielder of the dark side lurking in the planets shadows. Now, though, he was beginning to wish that Galen and his father had told him something about what they knew. He'd just known they were in danger when they left, and Galen hadn't bothered to fill him in afterwards. Luke did his best to smother the spark of anger that flashed in him at the thought of Galen trying to shepherd him from place to place like a child.

"Who are you?" Luke asked cautiously, taking a step back as the man took a careful yet confident step forward.

The man gave him a grandfatherly smile, one that made Luke a little more edgy about him. "I can assure you my boy that I am no threat to you."

Lies! All lies, don't listen to him! A small voice in the back of Luke's head seemed to scream at him that he was in danger, though Luke couldn't see how…yet.

The red haired man gestured to his father's motionless form at Luke's feet. "He would not let me help him, otherwise I would have, and he would not be in such bad shape right now. When the ceiling collapsed on him, that tuk'ata would not let me near him either."

Luke glanced at the tuk'ata, coiled to spring at any moment at his side as she snarled at the man. With a little hesitation, Luke turned away from the red haired man, kneeling down at his father's side once again and checking his father's weak pulse once more. "Father, please…stay with me…" he whispered.

Luke didn't see it, but behind him, the man smirked at his pain.

Luke steeled his resolve, deciding that he was going to try and beat the odds and take his chances with getting his father some medical help. Very carefully, Luke started to gather his father up in his arms, hoping he was strong enough to carry Anakin back to the ship.

The red haired man peered at him curiously. "What are you doing? He won't make it through a trip for help, let alone a trip to Coruscant if that's what you're planning."

Luke grunted a little as he got a good grip on his father's limp form. "I can't give up on him…I have to try."

The man was silent for a moment, watching Luke closely for several heartbeats before he spoke again. "You know what my boy…I like you, and I do not want you to lose your…father, I believe? I would have given him this had I been able to come anywhere near him…though it seems that tuk'ata will allow you near your father, so…"

Luke turned to him, trying to figure out what the man was rambling about. From the folds of his black robe, the man pulled out a syringe filled with…something. He couldn't tell what it was just by looking at it. "What…" he started to ask.

"I'll make a deal with you: this is a stabilizer. The tuk'ata seems to be fine with whatever you do, so I will give it to you to give your father. There's just enough for him to last the trip to Coruscant, where I'm sure he can receive the help that he needs."

"What's your price?" Luke asked immediately, his desperation thick in his voice. If there was any chance for his father to survive, he would take it, no questions asked. He couldn't bear the thought of losing his father. Gently, he laid Anakin back on the floor, the female tuk'ata whimpering in confusion beside him. Luke ignored her.

"I've grown rather lonely on this planet…it would mean a great deal if you would be willing to stay here with me, and I will train you in everything that I know. You can send your father ahead in the ship you arrived in with its pilot: I can assure you that he will make the trip. You won't have to worry, your father will be fine," the man said smoothly.

Luke hesitated, standing right in front of Sidious, his hand paused mid-air, in the middle of taking the syringe from the man's outstretched hand. Chills seemed to be going through him, as well as a sense of overpowering danger. That small voice in the back of Luke's mind had reappeared to voice its opinion as well.

Don't listen to him! He can't be trusted! Don't do it!

"I do like you my boy, but this is the only deal I will offer you, and I can assure you it is the only way your father will survive," the man said, his voice sounding just slightly sharper. "And, because of experience I have with people turning on me, I would ask that your pledge yourself to my teachings so that I know that you will not simply take the stabilizer and leave. That's all I ask: a student to pass my knowledge onto. In return you receive my wisdom and your father lives. You lose nothing my boy, I can assure you that."

The entire universe seemed to be holding its breath in anticipation of Luke's answer. The only sound in the tomb was the tuk'ata's growls reduced to whimpers.

"…stayed on the planet to hold off the tuk'ata pack and give Luke and me a chance to escape and deliver the message."

Galen stood straight in the center of the Council room, eyes facing forward as he delivered his report. He knew his exhaustion and worry showed in his eyes, but he still kept up his façade of being perfectly fine. He could feel Master Kenobi's gaze riveted to him with a higher intensity than the gaze of the rest of the Masters.

"If young Luke left with you, why did he not arrive with you?" Shaak Ti asked.

Galen closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath before he spoke. He didn't miss the fact that his hesitation caused the other Jedi's anxiety to spike. "Luke and I crash-landed on Centares, and I was able to find us passage to Coruscant with Ms. Eclipse, but Luke refused to come. He found his own transportation back to Korriban to rescue Anakin, despite the fact that Master Skywalker told us to come back and deliver the message as soon as possible."

Obi-Wan cut in, holding Master Yoda's gaze. "This is not a good thing Master, if Anakin is right and Sidious is truly on that planet, as well as both Anakin and Luke…I have a bad feeling about it. They are both in great danger if this is true."

Yoda nodded, studying Galen with his unnerving attentive gaze. "Verify Master Skywalker's suspicions could you, young Marek?"

Galen shook his head. "I wouldn't know. The man we saw from a distance…he seemed very young…but when Master Skywalker told me he left no room for doubt in my mind. He knew it was him; I do not know how, but he knew, and I do not doubt him Masters," Galen said respectively.

Yoda sat back, his hand resting thoughtfully on his chin. "Troubling, this matter is. Tread carefully, we must: very carefully." There were a few moments of silence as everyone waited to hear what Yoda would say. The little green Jedi master nodded slowly, gazing around the Council Room. "Send a rescue team after the two Skywalkers, we should. Alone, young Luke might be unable to help Master Skywalker."

"If they truly are in trouble than we cannot afford to wait," said Obi-Wan anxiously.

"I agree with Master Kenobi. If Sidious really is on Korriban, he will stop at nothing to destroy them both," Master Windu said slowly.

"Master Kenobi; willing, I am sure you are, to lead the rescue party?" Yoda asked the openly anxious Council Member. Ever since the attachment rule had been lifted, Obi-Wan had been a lot more open about his feelings about his former Padawan. Everyone knew they were as close as brothers.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Of course Master."

Yoda nodded. "Take with you Galen, you will, as well as your Padawan. Young Mara Jade too, perhaps? Enough to search for the Skywalkers on Korriban, that should be."

Yoda turned his attention back to Galen. "Get ready to go, you should. Need your help, your friends will."

Galen nodded and bowed. "Thank you Master Yoda."

"My brother better not have gotten himself in too much trouble this time."

Leia, Obi-Wan, Galen, and Mara all stood together in the hanger, almost ready to leave for Korriban. At the moment, they were all discussing what had happened, getting everyone on the same level.

Obi-Wan put a hand on Leia's shoulder. "I wish I could say differently, but I think Luke might have put himself in a very bad spot. I have a bad feeling about all of this."

Mara shook her head. "I know I haven't been around him as much as the rest of you, but I am very worried about him. I too have a bad feeling about this, like Master Kenobi."

Obi-Wan smiled a little to himself and turned to address Galen. "You should probably know that Mara is well aware of what's happening between the two timelines. She came to me the other day about nightmares and visions, and I explained to her what I could."

Leia sighed at the mention of the timelines. "Yes, that…it's been a challenge for me…it seems my other half has a lot of contempt for Father, and her feelings keep leaking through…it's all very confusing for me," Leia said with a sigh, crossing her arms over her chest and shaking her head.

Obi-Wan gave her a sympathetic look. "Just focus on your feelings for your father and why you love him: I'm sure that the other you will come around eventually."

"Can we focus on the problem at hand right now though?" Galen asked, a note of desperation in his voice. When the others said nothing else, Galen continued. "I think that Luke might be in more danger than we all think: with a planet like Korriban so strong in the dark side, and with Luke as angry and desperate as he was when he left, I'm hoping he doesn't succumb to anything."

Leia stuck her chin out defiantly. "Luke's too strong to fall to the dark side, just like our father. It runs in the family."

Obi-Wan frowned a little at her statement, but seemed to decide otherwise about commenting on it.

Galen noded a little. "It's not Anakin I'm worried about as much as Luke. Your father's very strong willed and very skilled: I'm sure he'll be just fine."

"I agree. From what I've seen and heard, Master Skywalker won't have any problems surviving on a planet like Korriban," Mara chipped in.

Galen, however, still seemed to have a little bit of worry, and he shared a look with Obi-Wan. Apparently they were both sharing the same worry for Anakin.

There was the familiar sound of a gimmer stick striking the stone floor, and the four turned to see Master Yoda gradually making his way towards them. There was a grim look on his face, a grim look that Obi-Wan was more familiar with than he would like to be.

"Master Yoda, is something wrong?" Obi-Wan asked as the ancient Jedi Master reached their small party. Yoda leaned on his gimmer stick, locking eyes with Obi-Wan.

"A great shift I sense in the Force. Fear something terrible has happened, I do."

Immediately the three younger Jedi started to speak at once, asking the same question in different ways.

What could have happened?

Is it Luke?

Is it Anakin?

Obi-Wan held up a hand, silencing them almost instantly. Yoda nodded his thanks before he continued. "Sure, I cannot be. However, arriving soon, someone who can shed light on this disturbance, I feel, is arriving soon."

As if to confirm the wizened Master's words, Galen noticed a ship coming towards the Jedi temple, drawing his attention almost immediately. He pushed in front of the others, who noticed the object of his distraction, joining his side in awaiting the ships decent.

Sure enough, the ship made a hasty landing in the hanger, the engines shutting down almost the minute that the ship touched the ground. All of their eyes were drawn to the lowering ramp as a scruffy, shady character stepped out. He had a heavy coat on, goggles, no neck, and a tangled mess of black hair that hid most of his face. The little they could see of his face was flushed red and sweaty. None of them recognized him. Obviously, he wasn't a Jedi, so what was he doing here?

As they group started to approach, the man spoke, his gravelly voice booming across the hanger towards them. "I need help! I've got someone on here that needs immediate medical attention!"

That caused most of the party to hurry their pace to a brisk jog onto the ship. Almost immediately they came to a shocked stop in the doorway.

Galen registered the scene first. There, on a lone cot off to the left against the wall in front of them, was Anakin. He didn't move, didn't respond. His skin was waxen, pale, and Galen had to look very closely to see the slight rise and fall of his chest to confirm he was breathing. There was a few hastily wrapped bandages here and there, one around his head, another on his arm, and another patch on his abdomen. He looked as if he was teetering on the edge of death.

Galen was startled out of his stupor as Yoda pushed past him, approaching Anakin's cot. However, he stopped abruptly as a low and threatening growl suddenly echoed around the room, causing them all to look around in alarm.

Galen's eyes narrowed on a dark mass that shifted underneath Anakin's cot, and his heart skipped a beat as a young tuk'ata emerged from underneath the cot, snarling at the group. Its intelligent black eyes took in the small group, and behind him Galen heard Obi-Wan curse under his breath.

"That thing hasn't let me near him this entire trip: it bites at me as soon as I get near him," the captain complained.

"If you couldn't get near him because of this tuk'ata, then how did his wounds get treated?" Leia asked the captain coolly.

The captain sighed. "The boy did it. The thing would let the boy near him for some reason, but it won't let anyone else near him. It's been skittish throughout this entire trip."

Galen spun around to face the captain, getting toe to toe with him. "Luke? Where is he? Why isn't he on this ship?" Galen was stretching out his senses in search of his friend, but couldn't sense him anywhere on the ship.

The captain shrugged. "How should I know? All the kid said was that he made a deal and he had to honor it, that he wouldn't be coming with me. The kid did say to leave the thing alone because it would protect him," he grumbled, waving his hand at Anakin's limp form. "It's protecting him a little too well if you ask me. I can't even check on him."

Galen felt ice rush through him at the captain's words, but turned away, back towards Anakin and the snarling tuk'ata. Simultaneously, Obi-Wan and he stepped forward. To their surprise, the tuk'ata shrunk away, its growls lowering as they approached. Its eyes, when on them, didn't seem so threatening; they seemed more pleading and confused to Galen. They advanced a little more, and the tuk'ata started whimpering, slinking back into the shadows under Anakin's cot. Galen kneeled down in front of the tuk'ata while Obi-Wan hurriedly began to check on his former Padawan.

Don't they understand the Sith Language?

Galen frowned, staring into tuk'ata's eyes. "It's all right…" he told it quietly.

Obi-Wan was startled, glancing down at him in confusion. Galen blushed a little for speaking in the Sith Language in front of the Jedi Master, but didn't stop, seeing that the tuk'ata was listening to him.

"We're friends…we're going to take care of him…and you too if you will let us," he reassured the tuk'ata.

The tuk'ata seemed to hesitate, and Galen smiled a little. "I'm Galen."

As he said his name, the tuk'ata suddenly rose from its spot under the cot, slinking out from the darkness and sitting at his side. The tuk'ata rubbed against his arm, suddenly very calm. Galen chuckled a little. "Good boy."

It snarled at him lowly, and Galen immediately corrected himself. "Girl. Good girl."

He was sure that if she could, the tuk'ata would roll her eyes.

He turned to grin at the rest of the group, realizing they were all staring at him, dumbfounded. He shrugged indifferently. "I apparently was a Sith in another life," he said quietly. "And hey, tuk'ata understand the Sith Language: it came in handy."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Come on you guys, help me with him. Someone go get the Healers, we need to get Anakin there right now or he's not going to make it. I'm not sure what's wrong because there's too many different things wrong."

Mara nodded. "I'll get them," she said hurriedly, taking off.

Leia moved to her father's side, her face white. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"I don't know," Obi-Wan said truthfully, a slight crack in his own voice.

Obi-Wan watched the Healers take his closest friend away, the younger ones following and the strange tuk'ata staying under the medical capsule that they hurriedly carted Anakin away in.

He would be with them if Yoda had not held him back momentarily.

"What could have happened Master?" Obi-Wan asked Yoda weakly.

Yoda leaned heavily on his gimmer stick, watching as the small group disappeared out of the hanger. "The dark side's hand in this, I fear. Found him first, Sidious might have."

Obi-Wan glanced at him. "So you really believe that he's back Master?"

Yoda nodded grimly. "Becoming clearer, that much is."

Obi-Wan had an icy pit in his stomach he couldn't ignore. "And the deal that Luke made…Master…you don't think that could have had anything to do with the shift in the Force? I mean, he wouldn't…"

He trailed off, doubts and facts eating away at him. Yoda simply shook his head.

"More like his father than any of us have realized, it seems Luke is. Ensnared by the dark side, I fear young Luke has become."