Well, this is the first fanfic I ever wrote that I posted at Fanfiction.net.
I'm rewriting it to give it more of an emphasis this go around on Luke and
Mara and wanted to see what everyone thought so far. :)

Title: Shadows of the Past: The Second Imperium
Author: Arikel
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Kerr, Alya and Nevik are mine, everybody else is part of the
Star Wars universe, and I'm making no money off of them. Please R&R.

The Second Imperium
Episode one: Black Aurora

Chapter I

Kerr had been staring at the bottom of his tumbler for the past hour. He
was just a little tipsy and rather belligerent. His father once said that
once you hit the bottom the only place you can go is up. Kerr smirked at
the thought that his father left out the fact that if you have a shovel you
can always start digging.

Kerr's life was shattered when he was 12 years old. His father, Moff
Aranid Dorgan had spent his entire career following the great man that was
Grand Moff Tarkin. Aranid was with him at every victory, every conquest.
He was with him when Tarkin destroyed Alderaan, and he was with him at
Yavin. Kerr was devastated by the loss of his father and swore vengeance on
the Rebels who killed him. He enlisted in the Imperial Naval Academy the
same year that Emperor Palpatine was "killed" on the second Death Star. His
zealousness and intelligence saw him into Imperial Intelligence under Ysanne
Isard in a short time. Under her rule on Coruscant, Kerr grew to dislike
the Empire and started to feel that the father he saw now wasn't the man he
admired as a child. At age 20, Kerr left the Empire and went into
smuggling. He fell into the clutches of Jabba's fragmented syndicate and
started his career in debt. He purchased a Corellian HT-2200 medium
freighter which he named the Shatter Starr, after his mother Starr Dorgan.
After a year, Han Solo, who was offering local smugglers New Republic
shipping jobs, approached Kerr. Kerr recognized Solo as one of the Rebels
responsible for his father's death and would have killed him right then and
there if it hadn't been for his new perspective that the Rebels may have
done the galaxy a favor by ridding it of men like Tarkin and his father. So
instead, he left and refused Solo's proposal. After the whole Thrawn
ordeal, Kerr was approached by NRI who offered him a job. He initially
refused, but eventually joined up. But with SpecForces rather than
Intelligence. He worked as an Infiltrator during the time of the reborn
Emperor, using his knowledge as a native of Coruscant to keep his team
alive. After this, he was promoted to Sergeant and moved to Taskforce Shen
where he worked as an Infiltrator and the primary pilot for the troop
transports. It was during this time that he met First Lieutenant Vu Nin. A
native of Alderaan, she had joined the Alliance before the destruction of
her homeworld and requested a transfer to SpecForces after its destruction.
In spite of her tragedy and fierce hatred of the Empire, Vu always managed
to keep a generally cheerful attitude, making her the most popular of the
taskforce officers. Kerr and Vu quickly fell into a passionate love affair
that was cut short after the Camaas Document uproar. Kerr decided to resign
his position, seeing the war had finally come to an end. Vu, however,
didn't see things quite as clearly. She kept her position and continued to
serve in the military. Not even a marriage proposal from Kerr could get her
to give that up.
So Kerr left her and sought consolation in alcohol. He took up the life of
a smuggler again and made enough money to keep himself stocked with food and
liquor. And so it was that he arrived on Brentaal, looking to drown himself
in his sorrows, that Kerr's life would take another 180-degree turn.

Kerr stumbled out of the Morning Rose Cantina and headed for his ship to
crash for the night. He had spent all the credits earned on the last run
from Yag'dhul and didn't have enough for a room in the local hotel. Holding
a hand out to the side of his ship to steady himself, Kerr looked down the
hallway to the cause of some commotion. A couple of docks down at a
Corellian Gunship that he recognized as the Renegade, three men were
struggling to haul some guy who was dressed from head to toe in black into
their vessel. What caught his attention was the fact that he had a gash on
his forehead and Kerr could swear he knew the man from somewhere.
"Hey," Kerr paused to steady himself and to appear a little less
intoxicated. "What's going on down there."
One of the men, a Trandoshan, stepped away and laid a hand on the blaster
at his side. "None of your business, skrig."
Kerr moved his hand to where his blaster used to be and sighed. "Oh.
Okay."
He watched for a moment longer and then stepped into the Shatter Starr. It
wasn't really any of his business. Probably owed them some money or
something. Pausing only for a few minutes to think hard about where he had
seen the man before, Kerr slowly lapsed into unconsciousness.

Chapter II
Six months earlier

"Master Horn says that you have completed your training, Nevik."
"If he says so Master Skywalker. I feel there is still much that I have to
learn."
Luke smiled at the man's humility. He had come from a home that was broken
by the Almanian dictator Kueller. Nevik joined the New Republic when that
same dictator took Luke captive about five years ago. Nevik was a hot shot
in the X-wing, much like Corran, and the future Master and Apprentice met in
Rogue Squadron. With the signing of the peace treaty, Corran dedicated
himself to pursuing his destiny as a Jedi. During his time in Rogue
Squadron with Nevik, Corran had sensed something strange about the new
recruit and talked to Luke about it. Luke approached Nevik about a year
before the Camaas affair and discovered that he too had a strong Force
potential. Two years later, Nevik was preparing to be released upon the
galaxy.
Nevik saw Luke's smile widen and heard someone come into the room with him.
Mara Jade Skywalker came up to her husband and kissed him on the cheek.
Luke smiled and to some unspoken question answered "No, that's all right."
Mara smirked and sauntered away from him. A short laugh erupted from her
and Mara called out "Yes, Master."
Nevik managed to suppress a grin as he saw a pillow from the nearby sofa
fly across the room and smack her in the back of the head. She let out a
startled exclamation and glared at the back of her husband's head. The fire
in her eyes took on a mischievous light as the pillow levitated back over to
where Luke was standing.
Unawares of this new danger, Luke continued with his conversation.
"Are you familiar with Alya Shadar?"
"The Beryllian?"
"Yes. She is currently on Coruscant, having just finished her training
under Cilghal. I intend for..."
This time Nevik failed to suppress the grin as a hundred white feathers
fell over the form of the Jedi Master from the torn pillow hovering over his
head. Luke closed his eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh. Shaking his
head and swiping at a feather on his shoulder, Luke looked back up to his
newest Jedi.
"Women."
Nevik smiled and politely waited for the revered master to continue.
"As I was saying, I intend for you and Alya to patrol the south quadrant.
It is unprotected, and I intend for you two to fill that hole. I am
confident that you are both ready for this responsibility."
Nevik swallowed the lump in his throat and bowed his head. "Thank you,
master."
"The Ardent Venture is a small ship but it will suit your needs. I will
send a message ahead to Cilghal to have Alya expecting your arrival. May
the Force be with you."

Luke stood there for a minute more and absent-mindedly ran a finger through
his hair. Pulling a white feather out, his mind drifted to a particular
redhead. Reaching out for her presence, Luke made his way to the top of the
temple. Mara was standing close to one edge and looking out at the stars,
her arms wrapped tightly around her body in an attempt to block out the
nighttime chill. Luke wrapped his arms around her waist and wrested his
chin on her shoulder.
"It's cold. You should be inside."
"I know. I've just had some stuff on my mind."
"A credit for your thoughts?"
Mara smiled and turned in his arms. A retort died in her throat, as she
became lost in his gaze. Her eyes slowly, reluctantly, drifted away to
encompass his face and his hair, the temples of which were starting to go
gray. The smile returned as she reached out to pick another white feather
from his hair.
"Been playing with the birds again?"
Luke grinned and sealed her mouth with a kiss. Only the lack of oxygen
pulled them apart and Mara pushed Luke back so she could see him clearly.
"I don't want you going tomorrow."
Luke sighed and lowered his eyes. "Mara, I have to. The attacks in the
Tatoo system has hurt the New Republic severely, and NRI believes those
responsible are operating off of Tatooine. Since I..."
"I know. I know the reasons. It's just... I... I just have this feeling that
something isn't right. That something bad is going to happen."
Luke considered her words for a moment. He smiled and met her gaze. "Jedi
hunch?"
Mara returned the smile and gently caressed his face. "Could be. Or maybe
I'm just going to miss you terribly. And you better not be getting back
into your old ways of trying to save the galaxy by yourself. Y'know, the
right person for the job? Or do you need that lecture again?"
Luke smiled and pulled her closer to him. "I am the right person for the
job. And I've committed that lesson to memory. Y'know, short-term memory
techniques and all."
Mara leaned back and adopted a look of mock surprise. "Is that a little
Jedi humor from the wise master?"
"I try. I'll miss you too, but I'm not leaving until tomorrow morning.
You have me for the rest of the night, Ms. Skywalker."
"That's good, because I'm not letting you out of my sight, farmboy."
Luke took on a mask of mock resignation. "Well, I guess that means I'll
have to see my other girlfriends later."
"Two jokes in one night?!? Do you need to sit down? I know this is your
first time and all. It can be a little painful at first, but it gets
better."
Luke chuckled and shook his head. "You kill me, Jade."
"I just might."
Silence took the two lovers as they became lost in each other's warmth,
their bond and their own memories. Luke finally ended the pleasant reverie.
"C'mon. Let's get back inside before this cold kills me and denies you
the pleasure."
Mara stole one more kiss from her husband before acceding to his
suggestion. The couple strolled arm in arm back inside the confines of the
great temple.

The next morning, Mara stood on the pad watching Luke's ship leave the
atmosphere. A cold dread began to sink into her stomach and worry had her
heart pounding. About a week later that dread became a numbing pain when
she felt the bond that she had with Luke severed. She soon got a message
that Master Skywalker's ship had been destroyed.