STAR WARS:

REIGN OF THE STARKILLER

Having completed his Jedi training on Dagobah, Luke Skywalker now knows his full history, and his mission: to confront his father, Darth Vader. Returning to the Rebel Alliance, he has followed Yoda's instructions, and trained his sister Leia Organa in the ways of the Jedi.

Meanwhile, the Alliance has received information from Bothan spies that the Empire is building a new Death Star, twice the size of the original, above the forest moon of Endor.

As the Alliance mounts a desperate attack on the battle station, Han Solo and his team struggle to destroy the Death Star's shield generator, while Luke and Leia surrender to Darth Vader, and he takes them before the Emperor …

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PROLOGUE

Stepping out of the elevator, they walked straight into Leia's vision. She shivered as Vader motioned them forward, and the chair before the viewport rotated slowly to reveal, just as she'd seen him, Emperor Palpatine. She looked across at Luke, caught his eyes. He looked calm, prepared. She tried to make herself appear the same way, keep her cool, not think of what she'd seen, remember only what Luke had told her, that it was just one among many possibilities. She swallowed, hard.

The Emperor leaned forward in his chair, smiling sickly. "Greetings, Lord Vader," he rasped. "And who do you bring to see me today?"

Vader knelt on the steps, bowing his head. "These are my children, my master."

Palpatine stood up, passing Vader on the steps as he approached the two Jedi. "So dear Padme had twins," he said quietly. Leia inhaled sharply at the sound of her mother's name from his mouth. She fought to control herself, breathing deeply, reaching for a calm place as the Emperor moved closer to her. "You," he said, pointing at her with twisted fingers. "I know you. Who are you?"

She met his eyes steadily, unafraid. "I am Leia Organa Skywalker," she said. "Daughter of Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo, and the Jedi knight Anakin Skywalker." She felt herself standing straighter, taking strength from the knowledge of her true identity. "I was a member of the Imperial Senate until you dissolved it."

"Ha!" It was a humourless laugh, a laugh that laughed at others' misfortune and had forgotten how to laugh any other way. He turned away from her, back toward Vader. "Obi-Wan deceived you well, Lord Vader, did he not? To hide the child on Alderaan, in the royal house, and still you never knew. Where did he hide the boy?"

"Tatooine, my master."

Again that laugh. "Your own home planet! I begin to doubt your insight, my servant."

Vader moved forward, stood in front of the Emperor. Luke and Leia watched as he towered over Palpatine, though the old man showed no fear. "Your insight was not so great that you could tell me of their existence," the Sith Lord growled, his anger emanating through the Force like a heat haze. "You thought she died on Mustafar …"

The Emperor chuckled, made no direct reply to Vader. "But now …" He turned, looking again at Luke and Leia. "Reunited with your children, you bring them before me. Why?"

"They came to me," the Dark Lord replied. "They foolishly believed they could turn me back from the dark side. I told them that was impossible."

"They are Jedi," Palpatine snapped, contempt in his voice. "Jedi are traitors to the Empire, and therefore must be destroyed."

"We are ready to fight," Luke said quietly. "We did not come here to die."

The Emperor looked at him, as if noticing him for the first time. "Then fight, Jedi. Fight with your father."

He gestured to Vader, who ignited his lightsaber and stepped forward.

Luke took a step backward, shaking his head. "No," he said. "I will not fight for your amusement. My father doesn't want to kill me, and I will only fight in self-defence. I am a Jedi."

"Lord Vader - " The Emperor gestured again, and Vader began to advance on Luke, his saber held ready in front of him. Luke stood firm, mentally daring his father to harm him, sure he would not. Leia, however, did not share his certainty. She watched with wide eyes as the Dark Lord proceeded toward her brother. At the last possible moment, when it seemed that all was lost, Luke leapt backward, out of range.

But Leia had panicked. In place of Luke's, it was her saber that met their father's.

"No!" Luke exclaimed. "Leia!"

But the fight was already joined. The Emperor cackled with pleasure as their sabers clashed, Vader's greater size and strength initially overwhelming Leia and giving her no chance to get away, no other option than to devote all her energies to simply keeping her feet. Luke began to edge closer to the fight, hoping for a break in Vader's onslaught, a chance for him to help her. Leia fought bravely, but eventually stumbled, losing her grip on her saber. As Vader stepped forward, Luke moved, and Leia rolled just in time to see Luke's saber block his swing.

"Get away!" he called at her over his shoulder. "Move!"

He felt her foot brush his leg as she turned to regain her feet, but then she suddenly stopped. He felt a momentary wave of shock through the Force.

"What is it?"

"I can't move." She spoke tensely, but without fear. "I can handle it. Don't worry."

He frowned, but found almost immediately that his attention was taken away from her by the necessity of defending himself against Vader. They circled away from Leia, toward the platform before the viewport.

She watched them for a moment, then focused her energies on fighting the block Palpatine had put on her. Following what Luke had taught her, she analysed the problem first. It wasn't like being paralysed, she could feel she still had the ability to move, but every tiny movement was like pushing against impossibly heavy weights, like doing loops in an X-wing without inertial dampers. So she made herself light. Rather than pushing against the resistance, and thereby adding to it, she simply slipped past it.

Palpatine watched in surprise as she slowly uncurled her body, stood, and called her lightsaber to her hand. "You are strong, young Jedi," he told her. "Your power is great. Greater perhaps than your brother's."

Leia looked over to where Luke and Vader stood, their sabers locked, before the viewport. "I don't want to fight you, father," she heard him say.

"Enough, Lord Vader," Palpatine's voice came from behind her. "Our Jedi can fight. Now I have something to show them. Come here, girl."

Leia followed him up the steps to the throne as Luke and Vader deactivated their sabers. Luke reached out to her as she got to the top of the steps, and she took his hand. "I'm sorry, Luke," she said softly.

He shook his head. "It was bravely done." Their eyes met, and for a second they took strength from each other. Then Palpatine's voice cut in again.

"Oh, brave Jedi," he taunted them, "why have you come here? To see your father? To turn him back to the light? What are your friends doing, down on the Sanctuary Moon?"

He shook off their confusion, ignored their attempts to deny they had any friends there. "I know they are there," he told them. "But what could be their purpose? Perhaps to attempt to take down our defensive shield? But what would be the use in that?" His voice grew lower, his tone cunning, and his eyes watched them sharply. "Unless, of course, there is an attack already planned on this battle station?" He feigned surprise. "But we are totally unprepared for such an attack!"

Leia grew suddenly cold, Senator C'hor's words echoing in her mind from the last meeting of the Alliance General Council. "It could just be an elaborate trap, and if it is, we are all about to walk straight into it." Palpatine's mocking laugh pulled her back to the present. "Totally unprepared," he chuckled, "except, of course, for the legion of my best troops on the Sanctuary Moon, and the fleet of Star Destroyers waiting on the far side of Endor. If your Rebel fleet does not smash itself on the shield, it will be destroyed by Lord Vader's fleet. Is that not so, my servant?"

"Yes, my master."

The Emperor smiled again, thin lips revealing blackened teeth. "When do they arrive?"

Luke shook his head. Leia's thoughts yearned for Han, but she blocked him from her mind, determined not to let the Emperor sense her feelings and use them against her.

Palpatine sneered. "No matter. We can watch the whole battle from here. It should prove interesting." Vader moved to flank the throne, as the Emperor made an expansive gesture toward the viewport, as if inviting them to an elaborate entertainment. "Join us, children."

Luke and Leia turned together to look out at the starfield, the moon in the distance. Luke found himself fighting a growing feeling of frustration. He thought of Han, the man he'd come to think of as almost an older brother; he was down there on the moon, locked in battle, perhaps even a prisoner by now. Luke hoped that fate was the worst that could have befallen him. He thought of Wedge, his friend, who'd survived the first Death Star with him; he was about to emerge from hyperspace with the rest of the Alliance fleet, to meet a battle the ferocity of which they'd never anticipated. And he and Leia were stuck here, powerless to help anyone, unable to do anything but wait and watch from a safe distance, with the Alliance's most hated enemies. One of whom was their father. They'd come here to confront him, turn him away from the Emperor, but even that seemed hopeless now. All he could do was hope that the Alliance's mission to destroy this station would succeed.

And they would all die together.

"You should not underestimate the Alliance," he told Palpatine quietly. "We have overcome seemingly insurmountable odds before. We can do it again."

The Emperor's face twisted with perverse amusement. "I would not be so sure, my young Jedi," he said. "I think you will find we still have some surprises left."

"Luke!" He looked around, following Leia's gesture toward the viewport. The fleet was arriving, and the shield was still up. It did not bode well for Han's mission, but it was even worse news for the ships heading straight for the shield. He grasped her hand tightly, watching tensely as the fleet grew closer. At this distance, it wasn't possible to see in any detail, but he could at least see where the ships were, and the big Mon Calamari cruiser was easy to pick out. He watched Home One, using it as a guide to how the other pilots were behaving, willing them to see through the trap, to pull up before it was too late.

He held his breath. Then slowly, but unmistakably, Home One began to turn. He heaved a sigh of relief, feeling Leia do the same, as the fleet just managed to avoid the outer edge of the Death Star's shield.

"Lord Vader!" Palpatine snapped. Vader headed for one of the comm stations as the Emperor turned in his chair to look back at the two Jedi. "The fleet have their orders," he told them. "Your friends will not escape."

"The shield will come down," Luke said calmly. "This station will be destroyed."

"A true Rebel," the Emperor sneered. "Willing to die for the cause. But you will not enjoy that luxury today, my friend."

"You will find we are all willing to die, if it is necessary," Leia told him quietly. "You will not have won. You cannot rule through fear."

"Brave words, Senator," he taunted her. "But there is no Senate to listen to your bleeding heart now. Tell me, how does this Death Star compare to the last one?"

She blinked, wondering at the purpose of the question, but gathered herself quickly. "I only saw the detention block and a hangar bay."

"Now, your highness," he admonished, wagging his finger at her like a schoolteacher, "you saw the observation deck as well, did you not?"

She inhaled sharply, not wanting to think of it. "Yes."

"I suppose the view was better than we have here, yes?"

She nodded mutely.

"A shame. But it is adequate." He pressed a button on the comm unit built into the arm of his chair. "Commander. Stand by."

Luke looked at Leia in confusion, but she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were wide, fixed on the view outside. "No," she whispered. With a ghastly sensation of familiarity, she became aware of an almost inaudible hum, an almost imperceptible vibration through the deck plates. Though she shook her head, she knew what it meant, as certainly as she'd ever known anything.

The Emperor laughed, a sound that sent chills down Luke's spine. "What is it?" he asked Leia, but she couldn't reply.

"Fire at will," Palpatine said into his comm.

Just as before, Leia tried to turn away. Last time, Vader had held her, made her watch. But this time, no force was needed. She stood frozen, unable to avert her eyes, watching with nightmarish fascination as the superlaser beam lanced out and incinerated one of the Alliance ships.

Only then did she react.

She gasped, suddenly realising she'd been holding her breath. "The superlaser … is functional," she whispered, barely able to speak through her horror. Luke reached for her hand again, and she felt his touch on her mind, trying to help, sending her calm. She fought to relax, but all she could see was Alderaan, happening again and again, countless planets blown to rubble, countless billions of people murdered. She knew she was shaking, but was powerless to stop it. Dimly, she felt Luke take her in his arms, holding her close to him. "Take it easy, Leia," he whispered. "Don't let him panic you." But she could barely hear him over Palpatine's taunting laughter.

"Where is your Jedi strength now?" he jeered. "Your extraordinary resolve, your power in the Force?"

She turned to face him, her vision blurred with tears. "It doesn't matter," she told him, her voice cracking. "All that matters is that this station will be destroyed. And it will be. I know it."

"You know nothing," Palpatine told her curtly. "The superlaser will be recharged, and every last one of your ships will be destroyed. Your friends will all die. And so will you."

"So long as you go with me," she snarled.

The Emperor smiled. "Are you angry with me, little Jedi?" he asked, his voice suddenly becoming soft, wheedling. "You would be justified. Release your anger, then. It is the only way to win."

Luke watched her in surprise as she stared, then suddenly laughed aloud at him. "Do you think me an idiot?" she asked, giving him a pitying look. "I will never turn to the dark side."

Palpatine's lips set in a thin, hard line. "So I see," he said, his voice furious. "Then you are of no use to me."

He stood, raising his hands in front of him. His anger was almost palpable in the atmosphere of the room. Then he made a small movement. Tendrils of brilliant blue lightning shot from his fingers, contacting Leia's body and throwing her across the platform and halfway down the steps.

Leia screamed, and Luke staggered too, feeling her pain through the Force. Vader merely stood by the throne, watching impassively. "This," Palpatine said coldly, "is the fate of those who choose to defy me."

She screamed again, as pain the like of which she had never known or even imagined coursed through her body, making her muscles spasm and her bones ache as if they were breaking apart. Luke edged closer to Vader. "Father, do something," he begged quietly. "She's your daughter. There must be something you can do. Please."

The Sith Lord looked at him, at Leia, and then deliberately turned his back on them, to face the viewport again, watching the battle outside. Desperate, Luke looked back at Leia, at the Emperor.

Leia no longer had the energy to cry out. She knew it was over. Not even the Force could help her now. Burying her head in her arm, she thought momentarily of Han, hoping he at least would be able to complete his mission. Then she just waited for the inevitable.

But suddenly, the pain stopped. She gasped in shock, and blinked to clear her eyes. For a moment, she was unable even to lift her head to see what Palpatine had planned for her next. She desperately called on the Force, trying to gather some strength to meet whatever it would be. Then she managed to look up.

In front of her, prostrate on the platform, lay the Emperor. Slowly, through her confusion, she realised he was dead. Above him stood Luke, his lightsaber in his hands. Weakly, hardly able to believe what she saw, she spoke his name. He turned to look at her, and she saw the dark side glowing in his eyes.

"No!" she cried. "Luke!" It had happened, just as she had seen it in her vision. He had turned. She had lost him. She tried to drag herself back up the steps to him, but she was too weak, and Vader had already noticed what he'd done. He walked toward Luke slowly.

"Well done," he said. "It is just as he foresaw it - the Skywalker has destroyed the Emperor."

His voice faded with her vision. She couldn't hold on any longer.

***