Chapter Text
Vader leads Luke into the Emperor’s throne room on the Second Death Star, triumphantly. Luke glares at the man who is biologically his father but has no claim on Luke. He lost his right to be his father the moment he chose the Dark Side over his family. When Vader bows to his Master, Luke struggles to drown his hate.
“Welcome, young Skywalker. I have been expecting you.” Luke peers at the hooded figure defiantly. The Emperor then looks down at Luke's binders.
“You no longer need those.” He sneers. Luke rubs his wrists, pondering his moral dilemma: should he kill the Emperor now, or wait until provoked? The Sith are the mortal enemy of the Jedi, but he doesn’t want to become one of them to defeat them.
When Luke hears the Emperor tell the guards to leave, he decides that he will wait.
”I'm looking forward to completing your training. In time you will call me Master." the Emperor proclaims.
"You're gravely mistaken. You won't convert me, I’m stronger than my father ever was.” Luke defies. The Emperor gets down from his throne and walks up very close to Luke. The Emperor looks into his eyes and, for the first time, Luke can perceive the evil visage within the hood. "Oh, no, my young Jedi. You will find that it is you who are mistaken… about a great many things.” The Emperor says.
"His lightsaber.” Vader extends a gloved hand toward the Emperor, revealing Luke's lightsaber. The Emperor takes it. "Ah, yes, a Jedi's weapon. Much like your father's. By now you must know your father can never be turned from the Dark Side. So will it be with you.”
"You're wrong on both counts. He is not my father; he lost that right. Also, soon I'll be dead...and you with me."
The Emperor only laughs at Luke, while Vader doesn’t react at all. "Perhaps you refer to the imminent attack of your Rebel fleet." Luke looks up sharply.
"Yes...I assure you we are quite safe from your friends here." The Emperor states.
"Your overconfidence is your weakness." Luke spits.
"Your faith in your friends is yours." replies the Emperor cuttingly. "It is pointless to resist, my son."
"You don't get to call me that, you monster!" Luke screams. This man killed his mother. This man is the reason that the Jedi fell. This man is the reason that he and Leia weren’t raised together. Everything is Vader’s fault.
The Emperor turns to face Luke. "Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design. Your friends up there on the Sanctuary Moon..." The Emperor says. Luke reacts. The Emperor notes it. "...are walking into a trap. As is your Rebel fleet! It was I who allowed the Alliance to know the location of the shield generator. It is quite safe from your pitiful little band. An entire legion of my best troops awaits them." The Emperor continues. Luke's look darts from the Emperor to Vader and, finally, to the sword in the Emperor's hand.
"Oh...I'm afraid the deflector shield will be quite operational when your friends arrive." The Emperor mocks. Through the round window behind the Emperor's throne can be seen the distant flashes of the space battle in progress. "Come, boy. See for yourself."
The Emperor is sitting on his throne, with Vader standing at his side. Luke moves to look through a small section of the window. "From here you will witness the final destruction of the Alliance and the end of your insignificant Rebellion."
Luke was in torment. He glances at his lightsaber sitting on the armrest of the throne. The Emperor watches Luke and smiles, touches the lightsaber. "You want this, don't you? The hate is swelling in you now. Take your Jedi weapon. Use it. I am unarmed. Strike me down with it. Give in to your anger. With each passing moment, you make yourself more my servant."
Vader watches Luke in his agony. "No!" Luke yells. "It is unavoidable. It is your destiny. You, like your father, are now mine!"
That was the final straw. Luke calls the weapon into his hand, ignites the emerald blade and takes a defensive stance. “How many times do I have to tell you that he is not my father?!”
The Emperor only smiles, knowing that calling Vader Luke’s father only angers the boy further. "As you can see, my young apprentice, your friends have failed. Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station. Fire at will, Commander."
“No!” Luke cries, attempting to strike the Emperor. Vader's lightsaber flashes into view, blocking Luke's blow before it can reach the Emperor. The two blades spark at contact. Luke and Vader are engaged in a man-to-man duel of lightsabers. Vader is forced back, losing his balance, and is knocked down the stairs. Luke stands at the top of the stairs, ready to attack.
“Good. Use your aggressive feelings, boy! Let the hate flow through you." Luke looks momentarily toward the Emperor, then back to Vader, and realizes he is using the Dark Side. He steps back, turns off his lightsaber, and relaxes, driving the hate from his being. “Obi-Wan has taught you well," Vader says. Luke’s eyes snap open at that and he glares at Vader with righteous fury. “Yes, he did. And I will use my training to defeat you.”
Vader walks back up the stairs to Luke. “You are unwise to lower your defenses.” Vader attacks, forcing Luke on the defensive. The young Jedi leaps in an amazing reverse flip up to the safety of the catwalk overhead. Vader stands below him.
Luke runs along the length of the catwalk, into the maze of the ship, away from both Vader and the Emperor.
“If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny.” Vader throws the laser sword and it cuts through the supports holding the catwalk, then returns to Vader's hand. Luke tumbles to the ground in a shower of sparks and rolls out of sight under the Emperor's platform. Vader moves to find him.
“Good. Good." The Emperor cries. Vader stalks the low-ceiling-ed area on the level below the throne, searching for Luke in the semi-darkness, his lightsaber held ready. You cannot hide forever, Luke."
Vader pauses and turns his helmeted head, looking for the young Jedi. “Give yourself to the Dark Side. It is the only way you can save your friends. Yes, your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong. Especially for..." Vader stops and senses something. Luke shuts his eyes tightly, in anguish. “Sister! So...you have a twin sister. Your feelings have now betrayed her, too. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the Dark Side, then perhaps she will." Vader continues.
“Never!" Luke ignites his lightsaber and screams in anger, rushing at his enemy with renewed frenzy. Sparks fly as Luke and Vader fight in the cramped area. Luke's hatred forces Vader to retreat out of the low area and across a bridge overlooking a vast elevator shaft. Each stroke of Luke's sword drives his foe further toward defeat. The Dark Lord is knocked to his knees, and as he raises his sword to block another onslaught, Luke slashes Vader's right hand off at the wrist, causing metal and electronic parts to fly from the mechanical stump. Vader's sword clatters uselessly away, over the edge of the platform and into the bottomless shaft below. Luke moves over Vader and holds the blade of his sword to the Dark Lord's throat.
The Emperor watches with uncontrollable, pleased agitation. “Good! Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny and take your father's place at my side!"
Luke pauses and looks in horror at his own mechanical, black-gloved hand, and realizes how much he is becoming like Vader. He makes the decision for which he has spent a lifetime in preparation. Luke steps back and deactivates his lightsaber away. “Never! I'll never turn to the Dark Side. You've failed, Your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my Masters before me."
The Emperor's glee turns to rage. “So be it… Jedi." Luke stands still, as the Emperor reaches the bottom of the stairs. The Emperor's laughter has turned to anger. He raises his arms toward Luke and snarls, “If you will not be turned, you will be destroyed." Blinding bolts of energy, evil lightning, shoot from the Emperor's hands at Luke. Even in his surprise, the young Jedi manages to deflect with his saber. His arms shudder at the strain, but he stands strong.
Distracted by the Emperor’s assault, Luke didn’t notice Vader sneaking up on him until his saber was struck out of his hand. With his only defense against the lightning gone, Luke attempted to deflect the lightning with the force with no success. He crumples to the metal ground, writhing in pain.
“Young fool...only now, in the end, do you understand." Luke is almost unconscious beneath the continuing assault of the Emperor's lightning. He clutches a canister to keep from falling into the bottomless shaft as the bolts tear through him.
“Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the Dark Side. You have paid the price for your lack of vision." The Emperor says. Luke struggles on the floor in unbearable pain and attempts to rally his strength, to focus on the Force. He can feel it flowing through the room, dark and crackling with malice. It seems centered around his two opponents, shrouding them in veils of shadow. There are no shreds of light in their auras, only his own, which he can see in his mind’s eyes is flickering weakly.
He has no choice; it’s self-defense.
Luke reaches out with his hand weakly towards Vader and gathers all of the Light Side that he can manage. He launches it at Vader like a battering ram, sending the cyborg careening into his Dark Master. Sidious screeches in surprise and the lightning goes wild as he and Vader tumble down into the abyss in the center of the Throne room. Their bodies spin helplessly into the void, arcing.
Finally, when the bodies are far down the shaft, they explode, creating a rush of air through the room.
Luke slumps weakly on the floor, trying to rally his trembling muscles. His vision waivers and pain makes it hard to think. Vaguely, Luke notes chaos around him. He realizes for the first time, the space station is rocked by explosions as the Rebel fleet, no longer backed against a wall, zooms over, unloading a heavy barrage. Imperial troops run in all directions, confused and desperate to escape.
Luke struggles to his feet, limbs shaking and unwieldy. He stumbles his way towards the hanger, unnoticed amidst the maylay. He staggers aboard the first shuttle he finds and slumps into the pilot’s seat.
He can barely see straight, but he has no other choice to escape this space station and fly directly into battle.
Steeling himself, Luke fires up the sublight drive and zooms out into the chaos.
“Rebel Cruiser, this is Luke Skywalker, I repeat this is Luke Skywalker. I have commandeered an Imperial shuttle and require immediate assistance. Does anyone copy?” Luke broadcasts his message over the secure Rebel channel that he plugged into the comm console.
“Commander Skywalker, this is Admiral Ackbar. Prepare for Tractor Beam,” a crackling voice responded. The ship lurches a bit when the beam locks on, but now that he was safe, his adrenaline faded.
Luke feels all of his pain from his lightning burns and bruises and scrapes demanding his attention. Luke grimaces.
Luke sinks lightly into the Force, determining the extent of his injuries. He’s going to need a dip in bacta, but there’s nothing life-threatening, thank the Force.
Now in a healing trance, Luke lets his mind wander. Once he’s all healed up, maybe he can start looking for other Force-sensitives to train, starting with Leia. Maybe he should take a closer look at Han, too. No one has luck that good…
Anyway, it shouldn’t take too long to clean up the rest of the Empire now that the Emperor and Vader were dead.
Luke hoped he had made his Masters proud.
-SW-
At the party on Endor, Luke is still moving a little gingerly. When all the noise began to give him a migraine, Luke steps away to the edge of the party where he leans back against one of the giant trees.
When he looks up again, he sees Obi-Wan and Yoda standing before him, hazily outlined in blue.
“Masters!” Luke smiles.
“Hello, Luke,” Obi-Wan replies with his own smile.
“Hmm, done well you have, Young Skywalker,” Yoda praises, “defeated the Dark you have.”
“You did very well with your emotions, Luke. Well done,” Obi-Wan adds.
“Thank you, Masters. I just did what you taught me.”
“Well, yes, but you did what we could not,” Oi-Wan insists.
Luke bows his head to hide his blush. “Thank you. But what do you want me to do now?”
“Start afresh, you must. A new Order, better than the old. Get things quite right, we did not,” Yoda proclaims.
Luke looks over his shoulder at Han and Leia dancing together; at his family. He smiles.
“I will. I promise.”