A Demon's Light

Prologue

Luke Skywalker stared at the young boy of fifteen for quite some time. He kept a watchful eye over him ever since he showed signs of residing the Dark Side in him. Fear of him falling from the Light made Luke question his sister's and best friend's decision to have him train their son. It was becoming clearer that he lacked enough ways to pull a padawan so lost back to the Light. It didn't matter what he said, what he did in their training; the boy simply couldn't see the Light. He had it in him, that was definite, but it was fading.

And fading fast.

The old Jedi Master sat on a bench just outside the academy. Though it's so large and fitting for hundreds of students, he had very few to train. But all had great potential. Especially Ben who now wore a dark robe that was not of the academy, but of a cult he wasn't sure he knew.

As if the boy heard his uncle's thoughts, he looked over. Luke didn't turn away from being caught staring, he merely stared into his nephew's eyes; searching for the Light, willing him to know that he was loved in ways he couldn't ever imagine. But none of this was enough, for Ben turned away from his uncle's loving stare with a rage burning in his eyes. Not because of Luke, but because the Dark Side taught him that anger was stronger than compassion.

The boy stalked off, his tall figure disappearing around the corner of the academy. Luke rubbed his temples, praying to the Force something miraculous would happen to save him. This was his nephew. His one and only child he sometimes saw as even his own son.

He could now feel it in the Force...The Dark Side. How did Luke not feel it sooner, for now it was much too late.

There were cries and screams echoing around him. The Jedi Master quickly stood, not even making a move for his lightsaber. Instead, he walked sorrowfully around that corner, knowing exactly what he was going to see, but still wanting to see for himself just how much he let his family fall.

Right in front of him was an army of darkly cloaked men. They each had their own weapon of choice, long sticks, blasters, chains, an unstable looking red lightsaber. Their own torture devices, ready to wreck havoc and steal lives.

The children who were playing in the field, ran inside in terror at their menacing Force surrounding them. Luke stood between the academy and the men.

"We do not wish to have quarrels with the likes of you," Luke said calmly. "Leave this place. We have no business with you."

The man in the middle, though masked, Luke knew precisely who he was, took a step forward. When he spoke, the helmet distorted his voice, but it was still faintly recognizable to anyone who was close to him. Ben.

"The only business I have come here for, Luke Skywalker," Ben began, his voice robotic and menacing, yet pronounced and light, "is to rid you of all your grievous students."

"Ben. This isn't where you belong or who you belong with. You are more loved with me and on your parents' side than you will ever be with the Dark Side."

The boy activated his lightsaber, anger at the mention of his parents flowing through him like bubbling, boiling water. "My name, old man, is Kylo Ren." With that, he moved his lightsaber to Luke's neck, threatening to slice his head off at the first sign of movement.

The rest of the men moved forward at Kylo Ren's command, storming the academy and slaughtering everyone inside. Luke stood there at Kylo Ren's mercy, unable to do anything.

"Pathetic, old Jedi," he said, his voice low. "If only you hadn't been so blind in the Light, you might have seen this day coming. You might have seen me as someone powerful instead of weak."

"This is the weakness; the Dark Side are for those who are weak, not the Light."

Without Kylo's knowing, Luke easily used the Force to push him to the ground, lightsaber falling out of his grasp. Luke took this time to walk into the academy as swiftly as he could. When he made it, he felt chills run down his spine and a hollowness overtake him. It was silent. Completely, utterly silent. There were no more screams or cries for help. There was just the soft creeping whisper of death looming around him.

"Master Skywalker," a voice said, interrupting his mourning. She was distraught, tears streaming down her face as she had walked among the dead younglings around them. "There's something you should see."

Luke gestured the woman, Lacey, to lead the way. She was no older than twenty-five, but very skilled at what she does indeed. She assisted the Jedi Master's Force with her ability to use technology to find new younglings to train as Jedis. After little less than fifteen years of searching the galaxy, it was plain that Luke's father had done a fairly good job in attempting to extinguish the existence of them.

Lacey hopped into her chair, typing and pressing buttons on her screen in a frenzy. Time was limited. Neither of them knew when Kylo would walk through that door to finish both of them off. A droid sat in the corner beeping wildly in panic. R2-D2 felt their distress. Lacey expanded the image to fill the room of a map of the galaxy through R2-D2's lense once he was a bit calmer. There was a single planet glowing bright red with a small blue, radiant dot. He had been shown something similar to this only six times, but none of the other younglings had produced a dot on the map so bright.

"Forest Moon of Endor. I haven't been there in years."

"There must be two or three together there, Master Luke. The Force is strong in that area, it can't be just one youngling."

Luke examined the dot on the planet further. He closed his eyes, feeling the Force through the galaxy. He searched for these younglings' Force, hoping that with such strength on the scanner, it would be easy to find them. And it was. There were images running through him now of a girl no more than ten years of age, roaming with the Ewoks. She laughed at something one of them said. Another Ewok was braiding her hair, tugging curiously at it. Then the images faded.

"Lacey," Luke said sternly. He didn't want to have to repeat his orders twice. As Lacey watched him put something inside the blue droid next to them, he continued. "You will take R2-D2 and fly away into the Hosnian system. You will find that youngling. She is with the Ewoks. She is no more than ten. There is only one girl to be found. You will take her to Maz Kanata along with this."

Lacey stared at the item he was handing her. Her eyes went wide. She was longing to resist; to insist that she truly did need him and to be alone was unthinkable to her, but she obeyed. She took the Jedi Master's saber with reluctance, and beckoned R2-D2 to come with her. Just before she walked out of the room, Luke gave her one last thing.

"This letter is for Maz as well. Give this along with that saber to her and deliver the girl. When you are finished with all of this, go to the Resistance. Go to Leia Organa and tell her what has happened and that I am sorry for having failed her son. Listen, Lacey, this girl on Endor is important and right now, you are responsible for her safety and delivery."

Lacey nodded once, rushing out and to her ship. There were no signs of any kind of the men in dark cloaks. For that, she was thankful. R2-D2 was also thankful, but still beeping rapidly, talking to himself and her in a panic. Just as they got onto the ship and she began to flip the switches for take off, R2-D2 stopped beeping.

The woman put the ship on autopilot, rushing over to the droid. She did everything she could to turn him back on for a bit of company, but nothing was working. It was like he was just an empty shell, never having any wiring to operate.

She was now alone.

With much sadness in her heart, she found the will to keep forward and fly to Endor, searching for the girl of Light.