Luke Skywalker felt the burning pain in the spot where his right hand once was. He felt the pain from being blasted by Force lightning so many times. He felt the pain of the Dark Side.

He felt nothing but pain.

"Very good, my... apprentice." said a deep voice.

Despite all the pain he was in, Luke still was able to lift his head to look at the monster in black and silver armor. The monster that murdered Ben Kenobi. The monster that possibly murdered his father. The monster that cut off his hand. The monster that tried to kill his friends.

The monster that turned him to the Dark Side.

This monster was known as Starkiller. The Rebellion had some information on him, but not much. He presumably killed and replaced Darth Vader and became the Emperor's new apprentice several years ago. Leia had told Luke about him; about how when the Empire attacked her ship to recover the plans to the Death Star, he boarded her ship and interrogated her for information. Luke had also sensed Starkiller's presence once before this. When he was about to fire the proton torpedo that would blow up the Death Star, he could sense Starkiller piloting the TIE fighter behind him as he flew through the trench of the space station.

"You seriously think I would join you? After all you did to me and my friends?" Luke said in anger, "You KILLED Ben Kenobi! You cut off my hand! Why would I ever join a Sith?!"

"You have already turned to the Dark Side; that much is obvious from the color of your eyes." said Starkiller.

Luke grabbed his lightsaber and looked in the reflection of the hilt and gasped when he saw that he did, in fact, have yellow eyes now.

He looked back up at Starkiller.

"I'm still never going to join you. You're going to pay with your LIFE." Luke said as he switched on his lightsaber.

"You really think you can kill me? I've already taken away your hand, and I can take away so much more... such as your friends." Starkiller said.

Luke's eyes widened from these words. Terror began to grow in him.

"They may have escaped in that old bucket of a ship, but my spies can easily track them down. And when they do... they're deaths will be slow and painful." said Starkiller.

"N-No..." Luke said in horror.

"But... I will spare them if you join me. Become my apprentice, and together we will destroy the Emperor and bring order to the galaxy." said Starkiller.

"I... I..." Luke tried to find the right words.

"You are incredibly strong in the Force. Besides myself, the Emperor, and Darth Vader, I have never encountered someone so powerful before. You know this is the only way to stop Palpatine." Starkiller said.

Luke contemplated this for a few moments. He wanted to kill Starkiller and the Emperor more than anything, and he also wanted to protect his friends. He realized this may be the best way to do all those things. He could earn Starkiller's trust and discover his weaknesses; and once they killed the Emperor, he would kill Starkiller and free the galaxy from the Empire's rule.

"Yes... My master." Luke said.

Starkiller smiled sinisterly underneath his mask.

"Very good. Now let's get you to my ship and get you a new hand." said Starkiller.

As Starkiller and Luke left the Rebel Hoth base, Luke noticed a number of Rebel troopers being taken prisoner by the Imperials, and some of them even being killed.

The Rebel Alliance had fallen.

"Luke!" called out a voice.

Luke turned around to see his close friend, Wedge Antilles, being taken prisoner by the Imperials.

"Wedge?" Luke said.

"What are you doing with him, Luke?! What happened to you?!" Wedge said as he noticed Luke's yellow eyes and missing hand.

Luke took a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry, Wedge. But I have no other choice." he said.

"Luke... how could you?" Wedge said before an Imperial hit him in the back of the head with the end of his blaster.

"Quiet, you Rebel scum. Keep moving." said the Imperial as they took Wedge away.

Luke turned his head to Starkiller.

"Please promise me Wedge will be spared." Luke pleaded.

"Of course. He's only being taken in for interrogation. I'll make sure he lives." said Starkiller.

After that, the two of them went to Starkiller's ship: The Rogue Shadow II. Starkiller entered the ship, but right before Luke did, he heard a familiar voice.

"Luke..." said the voice.

Luke turned around to see the ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi standing there. His face saddened.

"Luke... what have you become?" Obi-Wan said.

"I'm doing what needs to be done, Ben. This is the only way I can protect my friends and kill the Emperor." Luke said.

"This isn't the way to do things, Luke. Please don't follow the path of the Dark Side like your father did." Obi-Wan pleaded.

Luke's eyes widened in anger and he clenched his remaining fist.

"So, it is true! My father WAS Darth Vader! You lied to me, Ben!" shouted Luke.

"I only did it to protect you, Luke! But please, don't make the same mistakes your father did! Go to the Dagobah system and find Yoda! He can guide you back to the Light!" the old man begged.

"No. The Dark Side has made me stronger than I could ever imagine. I will use the darkness within me to destroy the Emperor and bring peace to the galaxy. I won't end up like my father... or like you." Luke sneered.

That last comment cut Obi-Wan quite a bite. In sadness, he vanished.

"Are you coming?" Starkiller said, as he was standing in the doorway of the ship.

"You heard all that?" Luke said.

"Of course I did. That old man is nothing but a ghost now. If he comes back again, I'll kill him a third time." said Starkiller, "Now get on board."

"Yes, my master." Luke said.

Luke boarded the ship and they went into the cockpit; Starkiller then took the controls and they took off. Once they left the planet's atmosphere, Starkiller put the ship on autopilot.

"Follow me." he said to Luke.

Starkiller brought Luke into a room with a bed and a few other things.

"These will be your quarters. The Emperor cannot know about you until the time is right. You will live on board the Rogue Shadow II and train here. Now let me bring you to the infirmary to give you a new hand." Starkiller said.

They went into an infirmary where a medical droid was. The droid gave Luke a cybernetic hand that had synthetic skin around it, making it look like a human hand.

"The hand is designed to be compatible with your Force lightning." said Starkiller.

After that, Starkiller brought Luke into the training room.

"Now for one more thing. You need a different lightsaber. The one you have is a Jedi's weapon... and you are no Jedi." said Starkiller as he unhooked one of the many lightsabers he had on his belt and held it out to Luke, "So, here. This was your father's lightsaber that he used during his time as Darth Vader. May you use it to show no mercy to your enemies."

Luke took the lightsaber with his new robot hand and, after a few moments of silence, switched it on. He gazed at the red blade. After gazing at the blade for a few more moments, he turned his attention to Starkiller.

"What happens now?" Luke asked.

"Now your training begins. Don't get excited. It will be painful and intense; but it will make you stronger. And when the time is right, we will strike at the Emperor." said Starkiller.

Luke smiled. He was beginning to like the power he was feeling. But deep down... he still could feel a bit of the Light Side in him.

"Yes... My master." he said.

Thx for reading.