Since the death of Chancellor Palpatine thirteen years ago, a new wave hit the galaxy. It was a wave of change. Was it the change that Palpatine wanted? Who knows, he's not around to comment at the moment. But for those who know the difference between the Jedi and the Sith—the very very few people that actually understand the difference—can attest that there was a great disturbance in the Force. This disturbance grew stronger year by year for thirteen years until a certain Force-sensitive individual decided that he did not want anything to do with it anymore. Some people just can't handle change. How ironic, because once he decided he no longer wanted any part of it—whatever "it" is—he unintentionally changed the entire direction of his life.

CHAPTER ONE

The cantina was chosen for its perfect milieu—dim lighting, the noise of cutlery banging against each other, the quiet conversations on each table. No one would suspect two criminals sitting on the edge, discussing a job.

The old Duros sat at a side table, awaiting his guest. He rubbed his wrinkly, old blue hands together in anticipation.

A boy donning all-black and a pair of sunglasses pulled out the chair directly across from the alien Duros and sat across from him, "Cad Bane?"

The Duros frowned, "Isn't it past your bedtime, boy?" he said in his raspy voice.

The boy rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses but said nothing.

Bane smirked, "Alright. But it's not my responsibility if you get arrested on the job…or sent back to your room."

Some of the nearby customers chuckled, overhearing the bounty hunter's pipe at the boy's age. It was clear that this boy was out of place.

The blonde boy had had enough; he pushed his chair back and stood up.

Bane chuckled, his arms outstretched, "Sit down, sit down! It's all in good humor."

The boy sat down and folded his arms across his chest, not amused with this alien old man. Cad Bane—the blue-skinned alien that this boy would not have given a second glance to had he not heard about his outrageous adventures during the Clone Wars. But then again, that was thirteen years ago. "If you're so concerned with age, why don't you go do this yourself? Or have you lost your touch, old man?"

A few more chuckled echoed around the two's table. Cad Bane narrowed his eyes at the boy, "Alright, touché. I have a job and I need it done right. Besides, I've heard promising things about you."

The boy shrugged at the compliment.

Cad Bane nodded slowly, "What kind of ten year-old has the art of smuggling mastered so young?"

"I'm thirteen," the boy said, his annoyance clearly conveyed by the tone of his voice. "Just show me the target."

Bane removed a data pad from a pocket inside his jacket. He activated it, and it revealed a holographic image of a skull. "It's a crystal skull. Only three of them exist. My…employer…already possesses two of them. This last one is located in the Galactic Museum, here on Coruscant. It is heavily guarded."

The boy nodded, "Not a problem. When do you need it by?"

Before Bane could answer, a waiter arrived at the table. "Would you like refills?"

Bane sighed impatiently, "No, leave."

The droid turned to look at Luke, "Excuse me, Sir, we have a strict rule of no minors past midnight."

"You will allow it this time." The boy replied, not looking at the droid.

"I will allow it this time." The droid agreed, and hovered away.

Bane frowned at the mysterious blonde boy, "What did you say your name was again?"

"I didn't." The boy answered, "Again, when's the deadline?"

Bane readjusted his sitting position, shrugging. "A week shall do it."

"I can get it to you by dawn. Outside this restaurant."

Bane choked on his drink. "Fine, agreed."

"I want half."

Bane frowned, "Half of what? The skull?" He cackled, "No way!"

"Half of the money." The boy gritted his teeth.

Bane scoffed, "I wasn't paid yet, and even when I am, you get only a third. No more."

"I can tell when you're lying," the boy claimed. "You got half of the money before the job. I want all of your pre-payment. All five million credits."

Bane stared at the boy in a questionable manner, "What does a ten year-old plan to do with five million credits?"

"I'm thirteen," the boy repeated.

Bane crossed his arms, "I will give you four million."

"Five."

"Four million, plus an—"

"Five."

Bane sighed impatiently, "Five million it is."

The boy nodded, got up, and walked out of the restaurant.

Cad Bane remained in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. "This boy better be worth the trouble," he muttered to himself.

Han Solo remained at his post, exactly twelve blocks away from the restaurant that his partner and best friend would be at, picking up their next assignment.

Han noticed his friend walking down the sidewalk in his rearview mirror. He unlocked the passenger door and watched as his best friend Luke got in and sat down.

"Was he real?"

Luke nodded, "He was real."

The two had been worried that, when they heard the famous Cad Bane was seeking them out, he would be an impostor.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, simply watching speeders drive by in the Coruscant night sky. The two teenage boys had been on their own, on the run, for several weeks now.

Luke glanced over at Han, who contemplated the job that Luke had described to him earlier on the comm. Han Solo was only a year older than Luke, but that did not stop him from deciding that he was already an adult. Han Solo was sick of the cards that he had been dealt with on his home world Corellia. When he had told Luke that he was going to run away, he had expected Luke to talk him out of it. But instead, ever the good friend, Luke went along with him.

Han shrugged, smiling to himself, "We gonna do it?"

Luke nodded, "Why not? Five million credits."

Han chuckled, "That's enough to take us to the other side of the galaxy, first class, and build a mansion."

Luke nodded and looked over at Han, "We could disappear forever. Let's do it."

Han laughed triumphantly, igniting the engine of their speeder. In a moment, the two boys were speeding off into the night.

Cad Bane remained at the same restaurant as he monitored police activity in the region. He had all kinds of radars for this type of observation. He wanted to know if this boy could actually pull off the ridiculous assignment Cad Bane had suggested to him or if he would get caught by Coruscant police first.

The restaurant had several screens of the HoloNews on their walls. All of a sudden, the original programming had shifted to breaking local news.

Bane's lips curled into a smirk as he watched the reporter on the screen broadcast a recent robbery at the Galactic Museum. Apparently, all that had been stolen was an ancient crystal skull from the pre-Republic era. The reporter showed footage of several police speeders parked around the museum—but no arrest had been made.

Cad Bane rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Perhaps he had underestimated this boy. Perhaps this boy was everything that his employer had told—and warned—him about.

The blue Duros alien stood outside the same restaurant that he had been in all night. He waited patiently as the same boy had come back, but this time with a paper bag clutched in his fist.

Luke held out the bag to Bane.

Bane took the leather bag, inspected its contents, and then nodded. He tucked the bag inside of his jacket pocket.

Luke cleared his throat expectantly.

"Don't worry, I did not forget about our agreement." Cad Bane took out a sack filled with the desired amount of money and gave it to the boy.

"Good work, ah, what's your name again?"

Luke narrowed his eyes at the old smuggler. He tucked his money away, turned around and walked away.

Bane, smirking to himself, took out his comlink.

As his device connected to his employer, he took out the crystal skull and laughed at it.

A small blue holographic image of a young man sprang up from the comlink. "Yes, Bane?"

Bane, still smiling, just disposed of the priceless artifact in his hand in a nearby garbage dispenser. "I found the boy you are looking for."

A/N: This chapter was written in 2011...and I'd like to believe that my writing style has greatly improved since then. For those of you wondering if it's worth it to continue reading, here are some (non-spoiler) excerpts of later moments in the story:

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Leia narrowed her eyes, looking between Han and Luke. She turned to Luke, "Why are you friends with a criminal anyway?"

Luke scoffed, "I'm not friends with Cad Bane!"

"No, I mean him." Leia jerked her head towards Han.

Han raised an eyebrow, "Oh, I'm not sitting right here or anything," he said sarcastically.

"Why do you think Han's a criminal?" Luke asked, slightly amused.

Leia shrugged, "I saw him at the PD one time."

Han frowned, "You were there? Hold on, who are you?"

"Leia. And the reason I saw you at the prison was because my dad worked there for a short time."

Han's eyes bulged out, "Your dad's a cop? Luke, why are we trusting the daughter of a cop?"

Luke shrugged, not looking back at Han. "Her dad doesn't scare me."

Leia laughed. (Ch. 27)

.

"You're a liar." Windu said.

Luke's eyebrows were raised, and he actually felt scared of Master Windu. He looked over at Yoda, almost pleadingly. Yoda was solemnly quiet.

"Whose lightsabers are those?" Windu asked, pointing at the weapons in Luke's hands.

Luke bit his lip.

Master Windu nodded, as if he was right all along about Luke. "You're coming back to the Temple with us."

Luke frowned, "I swear, I didn't do anything to hurt—"

Windu abruptly turned back to Luke and held out his hand. Luke stared at his open palm for a moment and then realized that he was requesting the lightsabers. With a sigh, Luke surrendered the weapons.

He was in big trouble. And worst yet, there was nobody to defend him. (Ch. 48)

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Han shrugged, "Luke saw Vader's vision for the galaxy as a way of spreading ultimate peace in the end. He never ran away with the intent of joining the other side." He chuckled, "He kind of feels like he was bullied into it, as a matter of fact." (Ch. 60)

.

"He hates me," Luke stressed once more, "which means he probably hates you all, too."

"He's not a Jedi if he allows hatred to administer his behavior," Anakin told him.

"Then I guess the only Jedi here is Padmé," Luke replied lightly. (Ch. 77)