The Moment of Balance

By Tycalibur

This story chronicles the internal thoughts, feelings and conflicts of Luke Skywalker, the Emperor and Darth Vader in the final moments of the well-known confrontation in the throne room of the Second Death Star. It mainly focuses on Vader, but offers an insight as to what was running through the minds of these three beings as these all-too-brief but powerful moments in the Original Trilogy came to pass. Its focus lies more on the internal fight than the physical fight.

Chapter 1 - Palpatine: Observance

"If you will not turn to the Dark Side, then perhaps she will."

Even as the words began to escape Vader's lips, Emperor Palpatine felt Luke's signature in the Force ripple with uncontrolled rage and explode. Palpatine was beside himself with delight; he had not felt such a sudden wave of violent emotion in the Force in someone so young since the day the teenage Anakin Skywalker lost his mother. Back then, however, Palpatine had been many parsecs away. This time, he was very close and very unprepared for the pure power that his old apprentice unleashed in the young man.

The Emperor was further startled when Luke screamed, then jumped out of his hiding place and lunged for his father.

"Never!"

With this one single word, Palpatine felt hot from excitement. Then a chilly wind rushed through him, along with a violent Force-generated tremor that would have shaken an ordinary Force wielder off his throne.

Palpatine also felt something else at that moment.

Cold fear was coming from the proud warrior whom Palpatine resurrected from the ashes of the former Anakin Skywalker. Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith, who had turned to the Dark Side and who had destroyed all known Jedi in the galaxy, was very afraid.

Despite all the years of service, loyalty and friendship Vader had shown him, Palpatine always suspected there was a part of Vader, buried very deep within the Dark Lord's heart that was weak and tortured. Vader was the Emperor's conditioned killing machine, the enforcer of his will. This is what I trained him to be. Most of the time, Palpatine observed that Vader simply followed his Dark Side teachings, and managed to convert these weak emotions to rage and destroyed anyone who invoked them within him.

With the Dark Side as his ally, Vader tracked down and destroyed any and every known Jedi, sometimes even provoking them into a brief Dark Side fury, causing them to go against their nature. It was one of Vader's greatest talents, one he had learned well from Palpatine. A Jedi who employed unintentional rage in a misguided effort to do good was always undone by the emotion. Rage would always unbalance a Jedi in combat, and then Vader's blade would assuredly find its mark. Any Jedi who had stood against Vader that did not turn to the Dark Side simply could not hold ground against Vader's power.

Now Vader was using these methods against his own son, but he had no idea of the power his words would unlock.

Nor did Emperor Palpatine.

Palpatine's mind flashed back to a moment he had shared with Vader in the throne room only a few days ago. "I wonder if your feelings on this matter are clear, Lord Vader," Palpatine had said.

He had detected no hesitancy from Vader when the Dark Lord quickly and calmly replied, "They are clear, my Master."

Palpatine searched through the Force for an answer about the future. He remained confident when he told Vader that Luke's compassion for Vader would be his undoing. Still suspicious of Vader, Palpatine made sure that father and son were both brought before him this time. He wanted to personally oversee this event.

In opening his mind to Luke to probe his thoughts, Vader had unknowingly opened his own mind to his Master. Vader was too preoccupied with the rage that boiled up within his son to notice that Palpatine was sensing his thoughts, and that his inner soul was being shed. But now, as Vader's naked thoughts emanated from his mind like a cosmic wind gone wild, Palpatine's fears were confirmed. Vader wanted Palpatine dead; he had for many years, in fact. Vader wanted to replace him as ruler of the Empire. The Emperor trembled with rage, but also hope as he watched the events quickly begin to unfold before him.

Over the years, Palpatine had known this could happen at any time with Vader, or with any apprentice. But, he was always prepared to deal with such things. For an apprentice to occasionally rise up and slay his Master was the way of the Sith. Though Vader never revealed himself, Palpatine knew Vader was up to something during the asteroid field pursuit of the Millenium Falcon when Vader recommended Luke be turned rather than be destroyed.

Treachery, he thought to himself now, in the throne room. Palpatine realized Vader's real plan was to destroy him, and to take control of the Empire. As much as he hated to ever admit that he made a mistake, Palpatine thought to himself, The naive young Jedi was right. Palpatine's overconfidence was his greatest weakness.

Trusting you to turn this boy was a miscalculation, one that will correct itself momentarily. You sentimental fool, I knew I could not trust you to follow through with what I expected of you. You actually care for this child. Palpatine knew what Vader really wanted to accomplish with Luke.

Palpatine began to think about his overconfidence in the former Jedi Knight, Anakin Skywalker. Anakin's feelings for those he loved a lifetime ago were his greatest weakness, and that made him easy to turn. But now, Palpatine realized that it was actually Vader's compassion for Luke that would be his undoing! This was what Palpatine really foresaw. The Emperor sensed Vader's mind was distracted, confused, conflicted, just as the boy accused him of being moments before. Before Luke even activated his weapon, he knew Vader was going to be too weak to overcome this torrent of emotions to fight the boy.

Preoccupied or not, the Emperor pondered, he is still going to try and turn Luke on me.

The Emperor almost stood up then to destroy Vader himself, but he smiled and sat back in his throne. He relaxed himself in a comforting thought...

I will let the child try and destroy this fool.

Palpatine now pinned his hopes on the boy from Tatooine, Vader's son, and the most recently revealed prospect, the boy's twin sister. Vader was useless to him now.