Chapter 2: Rise of a Sith

As he said the words, Luke felt a rush of power surge through him; he could feel the Dark Side coursing through his veins, spreading throughout his entire body like a fiery drug. As he rose to his feet, Luke glanced over to his father who was struggling to remain on his feet as his suit continued to shut down system by system. Pitiful. He stared at the weak man, studying every line, every scar, and hating him more with each passing heartbeat. A sneer spread across his face. Luke's eyes narrowed and flashed with a dark glint.

"You were right all along, Father," he proclaimed, taking a few steps toward the dying man. "I didn't know the power of the Dark Side. It's…indescribable. I can feel the Force more powerfully than I ever could before. I feel as though I have my finger on the pulse of the galaxy itself."

"D-don't, Son," Anakin sputtered. "Don't tread down th-the same path I did." Each hoarse word seemed to cause him agony. "You w-will spend your l-life a servant, to the Dark Side and to h-him." He coughed as he meekly pointed toward the Emperor. "He will whisper lies in your ear," Anakin wheezed. "He promise you things, but," he struggled for breath, "but he will never allow you t-to become a threat to him. He-he promised me the power to save her. B-but she died anyway."

"She didn't die!" Luke raged. "You killed her! How can you blame him for her death when I watched you choke the life out of her?" He gave Anakin a look that could melt durasteel.

"Y-you don't understand," Anakin sobbed. "He promised me the power to save her from my visions! He p-promised. The things I did…the things I did, I did to save her! And when I pledged myself to him, h-he," Anakin coughed, a deep wracking cough, "he admitted that he d-didn't have the power. But he swore we would work together to save her!"

"And you murdered her before we ever had a chance," Palpatine reminded him. "I had no hand in that. You never could rein in your emotions; it's why the Jedi never trusted you."

"But you," Anakin was interrupted by another coughing fit. His breathing was coming shallower and shallower; his scarred lungs wouldn't last him much longer. "You planted th-those visions," he accused the Emperor. "I-I always suspected," he wheezed, "even then."

"It doesn't matter!" Luke cried out. "His visions didn't close my mother's throat until she collapsed. You did. She was pregnant!" he roared. "You-you nearly killed me and Leia along with her!"

Anakin's eyes were glassy with tears. "I didn't mean—" he choked out.

"You killed her," Luke spat. "It really doesn't matter if you meant to or not."

"I'm s-sorry," Anakin whispered coarsely. His voice was gravel in his throat. "Please, you must forgive me, Son," he pleaded. "Please."

"I don't think I do, Father," Luke replied coolly.

Anakin tried to respond but was struck by a violent coughing fit that sent him to his knees. Small flecks of blood, shockingly bright red against his pale skin, flew from his lips, spraying the air with every hack. The end was very near now. Luke moved toward him, as if to assist. As he did so, he reached his hand toward the ventilation shaft to Anakin's right. Anakin cringed at the gesture, fearing another attack. He relaxed when no attack came.

A faint whistling sound began emanating from within the deep shaft, mixed in with the steady thrum so that it was almost inaudible. But as Luke moved closer, his arm still outstretched, the sound grew louder. Suddenly the whistling stopped and an object soared up out of the shaft and into Luke's waiting hand. Vader's lightsaber, lost with his mechanical right hand, sat firmly in Luke's grip. Without missing a beat he ignited the saber and plunged the crimson blade into Anakin's chest up to the hilt.

Anakin's chest plate sparked and crackled; there was a smell of burnt plastic and a sick sizzle of cooking meat. His face contorted in a mixture of surprise and pain. Anakin's ice-blue eyes widened and his jaw worked as though he were trying to speak. Spots of blood were drying on his lips. Already on his knees, he nearly collapsed fully to the ground but Luke held him steady. Luke knelt down; he wanted to look his father in the eye.

Luke and Anakin locked gazes. "I have met my destiny, Father. Meet yours."

With one brutal gesture, Luke wrenched the blade upward, burning through Anakin's chest until it sliced through his shoulder. No longer able to support himself with such a grievous injury, Anakin slumped backward and collapsed onto his back. He cast fading glances first toward his old master and then up at his son, the man who had dealt him his mortal blow.

Luke stood over him, breathing hard but saying nothing. The station rumbled on. Anakin continued to gasp lightly, reaching up for assistance he would never receive. He tried to say something but only managed a gurgle. His suit was shutting down. The saber had fried the remaining functional circuitry and irreparably damaged the organic body underneath it all. Anakin stared up at Luke, his face a mixture of pain and peace. With a final shudder, he lay his head down, unmoving. The legacy of Vader had ended; Anakin was dead.

Luke hovered over his father's body for several minutes. Though Anakin was dead, Luke's anger had not subsided. With a final primal yell, Luke, fueled by the Dark Side, cast his father's corpse down the ventilation shaft with a violent sweep of his arm. He could hear the periodic clanks as Anakin hit the sides of the shaft on his long journey down into oblivion.

"You have done two things here today which I never thought possible," the Emperor said, breaking the tense silence. "First," he said, nodding the rumbling abyss, "you have defeated the most fearsome apprentice I have ever trained. He was once known as the Chosen One by the Jedi, the most powerful being ever born into the Force."

"And the second?" asked Luke dispassionately, uninterested in hearing about Jedi legend or his father at the moment. He tossed away his father's saber and called his own to his hand. He caught it and clipped it back on his belt.

"You have impressed me," said Palpatine frankly. "Very few being in this galaxy have ever had such an honor. Both your mother and father, however, were among those elite few. It is little surprise, I suppose, that you are as well." Palpatine stepped over to his new apprentice and again placed a bony hand on Luke's shoulder. Luke could feel the power coursing through those old hands.

"Come." Palpatine turned and walked away, retrieving the twisted black cane resting beside his throne with a subtle gesture. He bade Luke to follow. The two crossed the length of the audience chamber to the turbo-lift. Luke allowed himself one last glance at the ventilation shaft which had swallowed up the once-powerful Dark Lord. He vowed never to be so weak. He would serve the Emperor better than any had before. He would make a difference. And he would never again betray those who had placed their trust in him.

The solemn pair entered the lift; the Emperor's cane clanked dully on the durasteel floor. He opened a small control panel and entered a seven-digit code. The lift immediately began to descend. The two made the trip in silence. It was during this time that Luke realized he was no longer overwhelmed by the Emperor's presence. In fact, he drew strength from it now.

"Where are we going?" Luke asked as the door slid open. "Master," he added hastily, remembering his place.

"We are going to see your friends," the Emperor replied. "They are being interrogated and I believe you could be of some assistance." He turned to his young apprentice. "You will also be required to relinquish all rebel information you contain, of course."

"Why question them when I hold the same information?" Luke asked, suddenly concerned for Han and Leia and Chewie's wellbeing. His decision to accept Palpatine's training didn't change the way he felt about them; they were still his friends and he didn't want to see them harmed. "It seems unnecessary."

"Because they may know information you do not," the Emperor said simply. "If they do, your closeness to them could be useful. You will recognize if they are lying or if their stories begin to sound unusual.

"They are still ignorant in the ways of the galaxy," continued the Emperor as they wove deep into the bowels of the battle station. "They are no longer your friends. You have learned your place and so must teach them theirs," he explained. "You are a rancor among wamprats. Never forget that." The Emperor turned to look his apprentice in the eye. He gestured toward him with a pale withered finger. "You are now the second most powerful being in the galaxy, my boy. Use this to your advantage."

Luke tried to ignore the stares he got from the Death Star crew as they approached another bank of lifts. He could scarcely imagine what they must think of this disheveled boy walking with the supreme ruler of the galaxy. They entered a lift and again the Emperor entered another personal code. They were taken even deeper into the station's interior.

The Emperor spoke on. "Show the universe the true extent of your abilities as you did just now," he said. "You are far more important than you ever imagined. Your farm boy days are over, my Apprentice. Your destiny is with the Sith."

The lift stopped. The door slid open and as Luke went to step out he was stopped by one of the Emperor's bony hands grasping his arm. "Weakness," he said with grave seriousness, "is death."

Luke nodded. The Emperor exited the lift and Luke followed his master into the corridor. He reached out with the Force and felt Leia nearby. She was in a state of shock. Luke surmised that she had been informed of the Rebellion's failure and Endor's destruction, probably as a means of demoralizing her and making her more likely to give up vital intelligence; after all, if the Rebellion had effectively ceased to exist, what harm could there be in giving up its secrets? He took special note of a dark rage simmering in her core; though she kept it in check, he was amazed at the power there. I shouldn't be, he chided himself. We are twins after all. If she could be turned…

She was the most important of the captives. Luke knew the Rebellion had trusted her with secrets known only by a handful of other members; even Luke wasn't so trusted as that. He knew that she would need to be turned or destroyed. Leia was too dangerous to the Empire, to the peace the Empire was attempting to forge. She must turn. I can't lose her, but neither can she be allowed to carry on spreading chaos. If only I can convince her of the destruction we've caused, show her that it hasn't been worth it.

"Tell me more of the Chosen One, Master," Luke said suddenly. "That's what you called Vader, isn't it? What was he?"

"Your father allegedly fit the description of a figure in Jedi prophecy called the Chosen One," Palpatine explained. "They claimed that he was the most powerful being within the Force that would ever be born into this galaxy. And I believe he actually was. He was allegedly conceived by the Force itself; he possessed no biological father, only a mother. When he was discovered by the Jedi he was nine or ten years old, too old, the Council said, to be trained." The Emperor glanced over at Luke as they walked. "I understand you had somewhat the same trouble with the Jedi. Too old for the training. Anakin, however, had the support of an exceedingly stubborn and arrogant Jedi Knight by the name of Jinn," he said. "Qui-Gon Jinn, the master of your own master, Obi-Wan Kenobi." They entered another lift and Palpatine tapped in a pass code.

"Your father was rescued by the two Jedi and brought to Coruscant to stand before the Jedi Council." The Emperor suppressed a scoff of derision as he mentioned the Council. "It was there that I first met him and sensed his great potential. Before I could approach him, however, the Jedi took him on a mission. My apprentice was killed during the mission, but he took that fool Qui-Gon Jinn with him. As the Jedi lay dying, he made Kenobi promise to train your father, with or without the Jedi Council's approval." They exited the turbolift and headed down a long hallway.

"How do you know this, Master?" Luke asked. It was the kind of adventure story he had always fantasized about at home on Tatooine. He could hardly believe his father had lived it.

Palpatine chuckled lightly. "I did not witness the events if that's what you're inquiring. No," he said, "I attended the Jedi's funeral. I heard the entire account first-hand from the Jedi Council itself. I had very recently been elected Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, you see. I had the full support of the Jedi and I had set into motion events which led to the start of the Clone Wars and the eventual rise of my Empire.

"One thing I had not anticipated, however, was Anakin Skywalker." The Emperor paused a moment, reflecting on those early days. "For ten years I watched his career," he went on. "I advised him, counseled him, gave him what he desperately needed; a person with whom he could be completely honest about his feelings. All the while, I imagined the Chosen One, savior of the Jedi, becoming my Sith Apprentice. The irony!" He laughed again, a dry cackle. "Although the process was long, he was easy enough to set on the path to the Dark Side. When he was still just a boy, nineteen or twenty, his mother was killed by Sand People. He confessed to me that when he found them, he slaughtered their whole camp, men, women, and children all. I felt his rage from the Capital." Palpatine closed his eyes as he relived the sensation. "He had such raw power," he mused.

"Tuskens?" Luke interrupted. "My grandmother died on Tatooine?"

"Your father grew up on Tatooine," the Emperor said with a nod. "He and your mother were slaves." He continued before Luke could interrupt again, "He was constantly angry, frustrated, full of rage. It took very little effort on my part to show him the true path. In truth, he probably would have found it on his own. I merely directed his energies onto more constructive avenues. I promised him power beyond anything the Jedi would allow. In the end, he saw that only I could offer him the ability to achieve greatness and he accepted his apprenticeship."

The two rounded a corner and finally stopped. They stood in front of a door simply labeled T1-HX138 in block lettering. A small keypad protruded from the wall next to the door; above the keypad was a security monitor that displayed a live feed from inside the room. As Palpatine entered the proper clearance codes, Luke expanded his Force senses and swept the room. There was a single presence, weak but still alive. He stifled a gasp as he realized he recognized the presence. Han was in that room.

Interrogation had left his friend near death. Luke was certain Han would never give up Alliance secrets, however. His smuggling past made him a valuable asset to the Rebellion. It was possible that, like Leia, Han had been privy to secrets Luke himself had not been. Those secrets would have to be extracted, for the good of the galaxy. Luke steeled himself.

"He is an agent of chaos," Palpatine said softly. "He is no longer your friend. Never forget that. You are a Sith. You bring order to chaos." The Emperor offered him a smile. "You are destined for greatness, boy. This is your moment."

Luke nodded and stepped into the room, which sealed shut behind him. The room was large but sparsely furnished; the three meter high walls extended back ten meters and were simple unadorned durasteel plates. They gleamed under the bright lights, which were recessed into the ceiling. Various devices and instruments of interrogation hung from the walls in a perversely organized fashion. Han was strapped into a simple metal chair bolted to the floor in the center of the room.

He looked weak and broken. Luke instantly felt overwhelming sympathy for his friend but he quashed it before it could take root and affect his decisions. He hated to see Han like this but he couldn't compromise the lives of millions because of his own personal feelings. He took a deep breath and released those feelings, purging them from his mind. He may hate himself for it later, but right now he had a job to do that was greater than any one person and his emotions would only hinder him.

Han's head hung down, his chin rested on his chest. His once white shirt was torn and blood-stained from what looked like a broken nose. His face was a ruin of cuts and bruises, all swollen and purple; Luke could hardly recognize his friend except for the familiar scar on Han's chin. His hands were bound behind him to the backrest of the chair. His breathing was shallow and he appeared to be unconscious.

"Come to pump me for more infor…" Han said suddenly. He broke off as he raised his head and saw Luke through badly swollen eyes. "Kid?" he asked weakly. "Y-you're still alive! You—you gotta help me. Leia's in the other room there," he motioned vaguely at a far wall and winced at the pain of the movement. "Help her first. They killed Chewie, Luke. They just shot him. I think he was trying to protect Leia and…"

Luke listened but didn't respond. Chewie. Dead. If he had only cooperated! He should have known better. He got himself killed by being stupid. Han should have stopped him! One of his friends was already dead. Luke tried to suppress his anger but he couldn't fight it. The Wookiee's death had been pointless! Luke had to protect others from succumbing to the same fate. Disregarding his emotional attachment, Luke clasped Han's throat with the Force and held it tight.

Han gave a jolt of surprise. "Luke?" he choked out, confused. "Luke, what're you doing?" He was gasping for breath, wrenching his head from side to side in an effort to fight the invisible grip.

"Listen to me, Han," Luke started slowly. He despised himself but he pressed on. "I don't want to hurt you, but I need you to answer my questions. Please, Han." He tried to give Han a cold stare but wasn't sure how believable it would be. The expression on Han's beaten face tore Luke's insides to shreds. He looked so utterly broken and betrayed. Soon, however, his face twisted in anger.

The smuggler summoned up his courage. "If you hurt Leia…" he wheezed, "I'll kill you." He gave a choking cough. "You hear me, Farmboy? Hurt her and I'll kill you."

Han's unwavering dedication to Leia made Luke feel even worse about what he had to do. "I would never hurt her," Luke assured him, trying his best to maintain an unreadable tone. "We have plans for her. I only hope she doesn't hurt herself. She needs to cooperate. It's the only way she can save herself." Luke couldn't bear to lose the sister he only just discovered he had, but he knew that she would not be permitted to live unless she gave up her secrets and swore fealty to the Emperor.

Han shook his head as if trying to clear it. "What do you mean 'we'?" he gagged, coughing. His voice was hoarse and gravelly beneath the pressure of Luke's Force grip. "What plans? Luke, this isn't you. Snap out of it, kid! C'mon! This isn't you!"

"You're wrong, Han," Luke told him. "This is me. My whole life I was nothing. I was weak, always looking to the future at my big plans that never seemed to get any closer. I was nothing more than a farm boy from Tatooine. Do you know how many of those ever make it off Tatooine?" he asked. "But now, I'm a part of something great," he continued. "I am something great." Luke released his hold on Han's throat and the smuggler gulped sweet air into his lungs.

"Luke," said Han, his eyes locked onto Luke's, "What has the old man done to you?"

"He has made me!" Luke cried out. "For once in my life, I've found someone who isn't going to lie to me or tell me to forget my dreams, to get my head out of the clouds. The Emperor wants me to be great!"

Han scoffed, still breathing heavily. "Yeah, you're real great now, kid."

Luke glared down at Han. "You don't understand; you can't understand."

"Why?" Han asked. "Because I don't have the Force? You think you need these big fancy powers to be great?" He coughed and sucked in a big breath. "The folks in the Alliance, they're great. Ordinary people fighting for what's right. You," he shook his head. "You've got delusions of grandeur. It ain't the power that makes you great, kid. It's how you use it."

"The Rebellion is gone, Han," Luke responded sharply. "It's over. It was doomed from the beginning. I see that now. You should too. We weren't great, we brought chaos and death and war to the galaxy." He moved right up to Han and kneeled so as to look him level in the eye. "You were once an Imperial officer, Han. You could be again. You're a good man; the Empire needs men like you. You only need to cooperate." He stood back up. "If you don't, I won't have any other choice. You'll be executed for treason."

Palpatine observed his apprentice over a security monitor. He was impressed with the boy's handling of the situation. He could sense the conflict within the boy, but there was resolve there as well. Luke did not want to kill his friend, but he was resigned to do so if it came to it.

Apprentice, the Emperor said through the Force. You must execute him. We do not give mercy to terrorists and seditionists.

There was a brief sense of reluctance from Skywalker. I understand, Master, Luke responded. Palpatine could feel the boy tamp down his sorrow and disassociate himself from his emotions.

The Emperor left the monitor room and made his way toward Leia's cell, which was located immediately adjacent to Solo's. It was important that she bear witness to what was to come.

Luke tried to force a smirk but the result was more of a grimace. "Han, my Master needs to know what you know. I know there are things about the Alliance that I haven't been given access to, things that you may have been." He moved behind the chair and kneeled, resting his gloved hand on Han's shoulder. "Han, cooperation is really in your best interest." Luke gave Han's shoulder a squeeze with his prosthetic hand. He had to fight back a shudder of revulsion as Han's collarbone snapped wetly. Han winced and gave a sharp cry of pain. Then he showed Luke exactly how cooperative he intended to be. The smuggler spat out a mouthful of blood, narrowly missing Luke's scuffed boots. Luke stood back up, furious.

"Alright, Han," he growled angrily. "If that's how you want it to be." He glared fiercely at his former friend and saw a look of unyielding defiance cross his face.

"Go suck a missile tube, you—!" Han's insult was interrupted by a scream of agony, his own. His chest was constricted in an iron Force grip that only tightened more with every exhalation. Another wet snap and a blinding flash of pain in his side heralded a broken rib. There was an abrupt escape of air and an instant shortness of breath and he knew the rib must have punctured a lung. The pain was unimaginable. Luke's grip constricted tighter and tighter. Han tried to look at the kid but could barely make him out through the nauseating pain and the bright flashes of oxygen deprivation. It felt to Han as though a Hutt had planted itself squarely on his chest.

Luke hardly seemed to be concentrating. He watched his friend die with a cold emotionless countenance, so unlike the passionate, enthusiastic kid he had smuggled off Tatooine four years ago. What had made him into this—? His vision slowly faded to black and finally the pain ended. Luke released his grip and allowed Han's body to slump in the chair.

After what seemed a long time staring in disbelief as his friend's limp form, Luke left the room. When he didn't immediately see his master, he reached out to him through the Force. Master? I've failed. He died before he yielded any information. I'm sorry. He felt a strange sense of grief and disappointment. He had killed his friend, but he had done so with the intent to ultimately protect others. Was it worth it? His mind was a jumble of confusion.

It is of no concern, Apprentice, the Emperor responded. He would not have betrayed the Alliance. I need you to stay where you are. I shall join you momentarily. Only together can we hope to turn your sister.

Palpatine arrived moments later. "Come, boy. You must convince your sister to become one of us. You must show more strength than your father did. His unwillingness to destroy you was his downfall."

"I understand, Master," Luke assured him. "I won't make the same mistakes as my father. He allowed his compassion for me to cloud his judgment. I won't allow that to happen to me. I promise."

Leia was dangerous. If she could not be turned, the Emperor would see that she was terminated. Luke swore to himself to do everything in his power to avoid that if at all possible.

Palpatine stood before the sealed door to the interrogation room from which Luke had just come. "Master? I was just in there. You said we were going to see Leia."

"You still have much to learn, young Apprentice," the Emperor scolded lightly. "Reach out with your feelings, learn to trust the Force, not your other senses," he instructed. "What do you feel now?"

Luke did as he was instructed. He sensed the open space of the room, he felt Han's lifeless body, and he felt—Leia! But how had she gotten into the room? Luke was sure that—

The Emperor read Luke's expression correctly. "Yes, there is only one door, Skywalker, I assure you." The Emperor smiled. "These two interrogation rooms," he nodded to an identical door several meters further down the corridor, "are connected. A section of the wall is no wall at all but rather a ray shield with a holographic emitter. When activated, it seals the rooms from one another and appears every bit as solid as the rest of the wall."

"I still don't understand, Master," Luke admitted. "What's the point of it?"

"The hologram can be switched off from either side," Palpatine explained. "Allowing one room to view whatever may be transpiring in the other."

"But not the other way around," Luke said as he realized what the Emperor was saying. "She saw what I did to Han." Suddenly he began to feel ill. Leia would never forgive him. He may have lost her after all.

"I thought witnessing the death of her mate would push her just that much closer to the edge," the Emperor confirmed. "I've known her a long while. She angers quickly and does not forgive easily. I wanted to use that. I seem to have miscalculated her, however," he admitted. "She has gained considerable control of her emotions since I last saw her. Her reaction was not quite so dynamic as I would have hoped. She will need further—encouragement—if she is to be turned." Luke watched on the security monitor set into the control pad as Leia sat childlike on the floor cradling Han's still form. She had been let into the room and had evidently freed him of his restraints. Luke felt her rage, but she kept it contained, refusing to succumb to its control. His master was correct; it would take the both of them to turn her.

The Emperor unlocked the door and it opened with a hiss. Leia's head snapped up as she watched the pair enter the room. She was still clothed in the dress made for her by the Ewok tribe, which was now ripped and scorched and stained with blood. Her hair, once finely braided with bits of twine, was now ratty and tangled, falling across her face. She gently set Han aside and rose carefully to her feet, her eyes locked onto Luke's. He could see the anger in those eyes, and the hurt. The softness that once resided in them was now gone entirely.

"How could you?" she rasped in a whisper made hoarse from crying. Her eyes welled up with fresh tears. "How could you?" she roared and lunged at her brother like an animal. "He was your friend!" Her hands were splayed like claws, reaching for her brother's throat. A murderous howl burst from her very core.

Luke reacted instinctively. He caught her with the Force and held her fast, immobilizing her mid-leap.

"He was weak, Leia," he forced himself to say. Even he was shocked by how cold it came out. He wanted nothing more than to hold her and comfort her, but he couldn't. There were more important things at stake. Someday she would understand. She would be made to understand. "He was bravely fighting a losing battle. We all were. I gave him a way out, Leia, and he refused it. I didn't want to kill him." Luke moved away from his master's side and approached his sister. He placed a hand on her cheek. She tried to cringe but she still remained tight in the firm hold of the Force. Luke gently caressed her face. "You are strong, Leia," he told her. "You could be great, if only you'd see. The Force runs deep in your blood, as it does in mine. The power is within your reach, you only need to want it. Use your anger and your fear. Let it fuel your power. I feel the anger in you. Release it and fight my hold." When nothing happened, he decided to try another tactic. He turned his back to her, stepping back to the Emperor. As he did so, he released his grip on Leia. "Perhaps we were wrong, Master. She is too stubborn to be turned."

Leia rushed her brother again as his back was turned. She was thrown backwards to the ground, as though she had slammed into some invisible wall. The Emperor looked down at her and laughed

"You may be correct, Apprentice," the old man said. He turned to leave. "Pity," he said, glancing back. "She had such potential." The thick material of his robes scraped the floor as he moved back toward the door. He gestured for his apprentice to follow.

Unbridled rage erupted from the princess like a fountain. A powerful wave of hatred was launched at the Emperor's back. The blast impacted against the bulkhead beside him, crumpling the metal like it was paper. Without missing a stride, Palpatine added, "Though she may yet be of use to us," and left, his apprentice close on his heels. Alone now, Leia dropped to her knees and sobbed in frustration and anguish. As the door sealed, Luke saw her crawling back to Han's body.

"What will become of her, Master?" Luke inquired.

"She will remain here, for now," the Emperor said, pausing to speak. "I believe, in time, she will turn. She has lost everyone and everything dear to her. The Dark Side calls to her, willing her to embrace it. You are all that she has left. If she wants to keep you, she must turn. Imagine," he said thoughtfully, "with the offspring of the Chosen One, order will again be brought to this chaotic galaxy. Peace will be restored and those responsible for disrupting it will be punished." The Emperor began walking again. "Come, we must procure you sleeping quarters. I trust Lord Vader's will be sufficient. We shall be leaving in a matter of hours on a mission of great importance. You will need your strength."

They made their way to one of innumerable command stations located around the Death Star. The officer on duty fumbled to attention when he saw the Emperor approaching. He gave Luke a queer look. "Your Majesty," he sputtered. "I wasn't told you would be performing an inspection."

"You should be prepared at all times, Commander, for anything that may occur on your shift." The Emperor spoke coolly and dangerously. The commander's face drained of color. "However, I am not here for an inspection. Skywalker requires quarters and this was the nearest security post. Give him clearance to all levels of this station and the command codes for Lord Vader's personal chambers."

"But, Your Highness, will Lord Vader not need his chambers?" the commander asked stupidly.

Luke spoke up. "Lord Vader is dead and no longer in need of his quarters. I am." Within minutes, Luke was making his way to his new chambers, a flimsiplast map and code sheet held in his hands. The Emperor had returned to his throne to meditate until their journey. He told Luke that he would be sent for at 1300 hours, giving him just four hours to rest. Luke still didn't know what this journey was, only that the Emperor had said it was of great importance. He decided to take the Emperor's advice a get some much-needed sleep.

Vader's quarters turned out to be surprisingly spacious. The room was entirely bare save for the enormous black hyperbaric chamber, which took up a large portion of the space, and a simple cot nestled into a far corner, which Luke suspected had only been added in preparation for his arrival. He supposed the remaining open space was set aside for lightsaber drills; he couldn't imagine what else Vader would have used it for. When Luke sprawled himself out on the thin mattress, he was asleep almost instantly. He did not dream.

The Force was a curious thing. Luke had struggled in the beginning of his training. The simplest actions exhausted him. And even after four years of training, there were times that he found himself straining to maintain control of his powers. But the moment he had given himself over to the Dark Side, everything just became simpler. It was exactly as the diminutive Jedi Master Yoda had explained it to him; the Dark Side was faster, more easily accessible. Luke had found his abilities instantly heightened and the well from which he drew his power seemed deeper than ever.

Thanks to his now heightened powers, he was woken several long heartbeats before the chime rang at his door. "Come in," he called, sitting up and stretching his muscles. His shoulders were on fire after his battle with Vader.

The double doors slid apart and a man stepped through. He was on the short side, rather thin with drooping cheeks and graying brown hair. The man wore the insignia of Fleet Admiral.

"Sir," he said with a Coruscanti accent. "I am Admiral Firmus Piett, commander of the Executor. I am at your disposal should you need anything, sir. The Emperor sends for your presence. He says that you are to meet him in shuttle bay SB-0793 immediately."

"Thank you, Admiral," Luke said, standing and rubbing the last vestiges of sleep from his eyes. "That is all."

"Sir." Admiral Piett gave a minute nod, turned on his heel, and strode out of the room.

Luke retrieved his lightsaber and hung it on his left hip. He yawned and stepped through the open doors into a deserted hallway. He consulted one of the convenient maps that were installed seemingly all over the station and searched for the shuttle bay. The readout showed him a map with the route to the hangar superimposed in red. He memorized the route and rushed off to meet his master and learn more about this mysterious mission they were to go on.

Within fifteen minutes Luke was maneuvering around the shards of the now broken Endor moon. He needed to get clear of the debris field before he could engage the Imperial shuttle's hyperdrive. Though the moon no longer existed, a significant portion of its mass still did. Entering hyperspace for more than a few seconds in the presence of a gravity well could severely damage the hyperdrive engines, even destroy the ship. The destruction of the moon had created a gravitic anomaly, throwing some sensors off. Luke dodged a particularly large chunk of rock, many times the size of the shuttle. It didn't matter. He could easily navigate the newly formed asteroids and be out of the gravity well by the time the navicomputer finished plotting their hyperspace coordinates. Their destination: Korriban.

Seven hours later…

The starlines abruptly reverted back to pinpricks as the shuttle exited hyperspace in the Horuset system around its sole world. Filling the forward viewport was the mottled red and brown planet Korriban, ancestral home to the Red Sith species according to the Emperor. Wispy clouds swirled around the upper-atmosphere of the barren world and Luke had a hard time picturing any sort of advanced civilization taking root here. Though the same could be said for Tatooine.

As he brought the shuttle in closer he could see a large atmospheric disturbance towards the south pole; bright flashes of brilliant blue and green illuminated the sky for a hundred kilometers. The northern latitudes were mostly clear, however, and it was there that he had been instructed to go. Near the equator was a vast scar in the planet's crust that stretched for dozens of kilometers. Dubbed the Valley of the Dark Lords, it was home to the highest concentration of Sith tombs in the galaxy; Sith Lords had been interring themselves in the Valley for millennia. The result was kilometer after kilometer of stone temples, statues, mausoleums, and crypts; the Valley was also a nexus for Dark Side energy, a concentration of the Force powerful enough to be felt from orbit.

Luke sat in the pilot seat. His master had refused to allow an Imperial pilot to fly them. The Sith planet's location was a carefully guarded secret. Long ago, during his earliest days as Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, Palpatine had quietly had Korriban erased from official stellar maps. As far as the rest of the galaxy was concerned Korriban did not exist. Luke gazed down upon the seemingly lifeless and ostensibly unimportant orb with awe. Down there, he knew, were Sith secrets old before the formation of the Republic; older than the Jedi.

Jedi, he thought. They felt threatened by the Dark Side. I did, too. I was a fool. They feared it, so they tried to destroy it.

The Emperor had used the seven hour flight to begin instructing his apprentice in some rudimentary Dark Side skills. Luke had already proved his talent with the Force on the Death Star. Palpatine merely sought to teach him the intricacies of the Force, to expand upon the training he'd already undergone. He had been pleased to discover Luke's inherent ability to make telepathic contact with him. It wasn't an ability shared by all Force-users and was a precious gift to possess. With it, they could contact one another regardless of the distance that separated them. He had also taught Luke the Sith Code, which must be learned by heart:

Peace is a lie, there is only passion.

Through passion, I gain strength.

Through strength, I gain power.

Through power, I gain victory.

Through victory, my chains are broken.

He also related a mantra that was a personal favorite of his:

I am the Heart of Darkness.

I know no fear,

But rather I instill it in my enemies.

I am the destroyer of worlds.

I know the power of the Dark Side.

I am the fire of Hate.

All the Universe bows before me.

I pledge myself to the Darkness.

For I have found true life

In the death of the Light.

Luke had been repeating the words over and over in his mind, taking each line to heart. Verse by verse, he became stronger. He began to fully comprehend the futility of the Light Side. The real power was found in Darkness. How was any lasting change to be brought to the galaxy without power to back it up? It wasn't possible. The Jedi had tried.

The Emperor had explained to him that, though the Sith teachings far predated the Jedi, the modern Sith evolved as a direct result of rogue Jedi fed up with the Light façade of power and the corruption which existed within the Jedi Order like a cancerous mass. These rogues tried to act as the tools with which the mass could be excised. The Jedi Order was afraid of these so-called Dark Jedi and their power and so exiled them from the known galaxy, eventually finding their way to Korriban, where they ruled over the primitive Sith race as gods. They rallied behind them an army of Force adepts, recruited without the typical Jedi age bias, and waged war on the Jedi who had cast them out.

The war carried on for millennia, at times even slowing to a stand still. During the climax of the war, entire star systems were obliterated. The war finally dwindled some thousand years before the rise of the Empire. It ended on the far-flung and little-known world of Ruusan, where the Brotherhood of Darkness, led by Sith Lord Kaan, met with the Army of Light, led by Jedi Lord Hoth. Seven terrible battles were fought and the Sith lost all but two. Lord Kaan's army was decimated, whittled down to a bare tenth of its starting size. Seeing the impossible odds that faced him and his Brotherhood, Kaan led his remaining Sith Lords into vast underground caverns, where they performed an arcane ceremony to pool their Force into a "thought bomb" of volatile Force energy. The next day, Master Hoth led a troupe of Jedi to confront the Sith in the caverns. Kaan triggered the thought bomb, causing a massive explosion that instantly vaporized all Force-users in the radius of the blast. The Sith were extinct. Or so the Jedi believed.

A single Sith Lord had survived the war, Darth Bane, who had secretly orchestrated the final events which resulted in the annihilation of the remaining Sith, leaving him the sole worthy heir to their power and knowledge. He rewrote the standards of the Sith to better suit his own vision of the Order. No longer would the Sith flourish in great numbers, calling undue attention to themselves in a vain effort to openly oppose the Jedi. Only two shall there be, he decreed; one to wield the power and one to crave it. And so for the last thousand years, only two Sith existed at any one time, a Master and an Apprentice. Luke was taking his place in this ancient tradition and felt honored to do so.

He took the shuttle into Korriban's atmosphere, watching as the planet grew to fill the entire viewport. He flipped on the intercomm. "Master, we'll be landing in under ten minutes. I'm going to circle the Valley to find a safe place to land." He rerouted extra power to the fore shields for atmospheric entry.

"Good. Land near the outskirts. We will enter on foot," the Emperor responded, his voice an inhuman croak over the comm speakers.

"On foot, Master? I'm sure that I can find a suitable area within the Valley itself—."

"You will land on the outskirts," the Emperor repeated sharply. "You will not question me again."

"Yes, Master. I didn't mean to question you," said Luke, stung by the reproach. "I've located a safe zone two kilometers from the Valley."

"That will do." Palpatine sighed. The boy would soon learn his place. The naming ceremony was the most important day in a new Sith's life. It is the day they are reborn, put on their path to fulfilling their destiny. It is the first step on a long journey, but the destination holds power and knowledge beyond the furthest stretches of the imagination.

Palpatine had meditated long about what to name his pupil during the long voyage, listening to the whispers of the Force. The name was very important. It stood for all that the individual Sith was and would become a word most feared by his enemies and his followers alike. It was the last step in becoming a Dark Lord. Palpatine had settled on a name only during the last hour of the flight. His apprentice would now be known to the galaxy as Darth Arisin. It combined two Ancient Sith words, Aristros, "to fall," and Sintra, meaning "star." Arisin literally translated to, "Fallen Sun."

The Emperor read over the ancient texts. It had been many years since Vader's formal naming ceremony. The text was written in the harsh glyphs of the Sith, the race from which the Dark Masters took their name. The ceremony was written on thousand year old parchment by the hand of Lord Bane himself. He had blessed it with the Dark Side, ensuring its survival through the centuries. Although Palpatine had procured this particular document early in his career as a senator, he had first laid eyes upon it at his own naming ceremony. He could still hear the powerful words spoken by his master…

…Et manu Korribanos caton Mastus.

Heli Sithu ponus Darthae Sydyus.

Su mi quat ne hotem e pulis…

He closed his eyes and laid back his head, smiling in remembrance. Though he had proctored three naming ceremonies before, his own would always stick out in his memory.

He and young Skywalker had very much in common, more so than either of them may have previously understood. When he was a child, Palpatine was sickly and weak. At the age of four, he was stricken with a disease which left him bedridden until he was nine. His parents were simple Naboo farmers, living in a rural home on the flat plains outside the capital city of Theed where they farmed oats and grains. They could not afford the expensive treatment which he required and were forced to tend to him themselves until the illness had run its course.

During the five years he was confined to his bed, his window was his only contact with the outside world. From his window, he could see the far off palace of Theed, perched on a cliff high above the wide plains, which stretched on for two hundred kilometers. He would stare off at the palace every day, sometimes for hours at a time. It was a symbol of strength to the ill child, a symbol of power. And he knew that one day, he would be strong enough to live in a palace even more grand than the one in Theed.

To fill those long bed-ridden hours, the boy used to read anything he could get his hands on. Though his family was poor he somehow always managed to have a stack of tattered old paper books beside his bed. He read adventure fiction and tales of ancient heroes, but he was drawn most to the history books, some of which read like the most fantastic fiction. His favorite stories were of the Great Hyperspace War, which served as the catalyst for the Sith War a thousand years later. When he became Supreme Chancellor many years later, he even had a frieze depicting a battle from the war installed in his outer office.

One day, as he pored over the titles of a fresh stack of books provided for him by his father, he came across a big leather-bound tome, a collection of stories called The Golden Age of the Sith. Although this was not the first time the tales of the Sith had crossed his path, it was the first time their Order had been glorified. The other histories all spoke from the perspective of the Republic and their Jedi guardians. But Golden Age told some of the same tales, and even more new ones, from the eyes of the Sith and their Empire.

That book had always been his favorite; he must have read it ten times at least. But he was always furious by the end. He always sympathized with the Sith. They were exiled from the Republic for their beliefs and tended to themselves for thousands of years. It always seemed to him that the Jedi had no right to drive them off the way they had. It wasn't fair. He thought the Jedi deserved to go to war with the Sith. He only wished the Sith had won. Could they have really made the galaxy any worse than the Jedi? Where were the Jedi to protect children like him from diseases too expensive for their parents to treat? The Sith spoken of in that volume took care of their people.

Palpatine had always cherished that book; he still owned his boyhood copy, kept safe in his office in the Imperial Palace. Indeed, that was one of the few remaining ties to his previous life. When he became Supreme Chancellor, he had had his family's land, including his childhood home, transformed into an automated grain processing center. For all intents and purposes, he had no past.

It had been many years since he had thought of his past. He did not prefer to dwell in the past, but rather to look into the future. Triumph lies ahead, never behind. The past was over; it could not be changed. But the future…the future he could mold to his will.

"Master," called Luke from the cockpit. "We're coming up on some turbulence. Restraints are advised." On cue, the shuttle jolted hard to starboard. The Emperor could hear air rushing past the ship at many hundreds of kilometers per hour. After a particularly hard jostle, the repulsors hummed to life and the ride quickly smoothed out.

He could sense the Valley nearby. It was imbibed with the energies of a thousand generations of Sith Masters. Much wisdom was stored there, if one knew where to look.

Piloting through the turbulent atmosphere in a ship with such a high profile as the Lambda took all of Luke's skills. Just like Beggar's Canyon back home, he thought to himself. Home. Tatooine. Luke had listened intently as the Emperor told him more of his father's life; he was a slave in Mos Espa and was the only human to ever compete in and win a podrace. It surprised him how alike he and his father were. Both were good with their hands, they both had aspirations of leaving their world behind and making it in the galaxy. Both had had their families taken from them tragically. Neither wished to return home but both did in order to save someone they loved. One difference separated father and son; Anakin had failed. He failed to save his mother just as he failed the Jedi Order and the Sith after that. Luke had rescued Han and Leia from Jabba the Hutt. He had succeeded. He hadn't let down the ones he loved when it mattered most. And he never would.

He brought the shuttle down to a cruising altitude of fifty meters, skimming the surface at a blinding speed. The rugged terrain rushed by underneath them in a mottled blur of reds and browns and grays. As Luke surveyed the planet's landscape, he noted how utterly barren it was. The ground cover consisted mostly of rocks and low-lying shrubbery. No trees, no flowers, no large animals. The life sensors could pick up nothing. Fitting, he thought. A world of the dead is itself lifeless.

The navicomputer indicated that he was coming up on the designated landing zone; it was a relatively flat area just at the mouth of a large canyon. Sensors indicated breathable air with somewhat higher than normal concentrations of oxygen and helium. The gravity was one-point-four times that of Coruscant, so moving around would take a bit more effort. Luke had studied the geological readout of the planet as he piloted toward the Valley. It seemed that the world's electromagnetic field was weaker than most habitable worlds' and Korriban was prone to large and often times very violent electrical storms originating high in the atmosphere. Solar radiation was a minor concern, high enough to possibly explain the lack of large life forms, but not so high as to be harmful to him or his master during the short duration of their stay.

Within a matter of minutes, they had reached the landing area Luke had chosen. He circled the zone twice before dropping down. The landing gear lowered as the downward-pointing fins that gave the shuttle its characteristic shape folded up and the ship set down gently like an enormous winged insect. He undid his restraints and moved into the passenger compartment. He would need to change into the ceremonial robes before they could depart.

The Emperor looked up as Luke entered; their eyes locked, yellow and blue. "Can you feel the power of this place?" he asked. "The Dark Side permeates every rock, every blade of grass. Simply being here again is…intoxicating." The Emperor basked in the power of the Dark Side, which hung like an invisible cloud of malevolence over seemingly the entire planet.

Luke nodded. "It's a little overwhelming," he admitted. "I've never felt so much power concentrated in one place before."

"Nor are you likely to anywhere else," Palpatine said. "This is a special place. There are other such nexuses of the Force spread across the galaxy, but none so potent with the Dark Side as Korriban. None that I have discovered, anyhow," he added. "Go," he commanded. "You must change so that we may begin your journey. You have much to look forward to, my apprentice."

Luke stepped back into the shuttle's 'fresher, where his Sith robes had been hung. They were fairly nondescript, made from the same thick, heavy material as his master's robes. They were charcoal black, hooded, and long, lacking any pattern or distinctive features. They extended far past his feet and hung on the ground. The sleeves went five centimeters past his hands even with his arms outstretched, making him feel like a child who had tried on his father's coat. He flipped up the hood. It hid his face in deep shadows. He made certain his lightsaber hung securely at his left hip before belting the whole thing together with a sash made from the same heavy fabric. He fastened the cloak at the neck with a simple tarnished silver brooch. It was an ancient Sith symbol, a circle with three prongs sitting horizontally to either side like a sunburst. To Luke it looked like a Dark eye, staring deep inside the wearer, searching for their power. It will not be disappointed, thought Luke. He finished dressing and pulled on a pair of heavy black leather gloves. It was time.

Luke came out of the 'fresher and returned to the cabin where his master waited for him. The Emperor stood and looked over his apprentice. "You are about to take your first steps into a world far greater than you could possibly imagine," the old man croaked.

Ironic, thought Luke. Obi-Wan had said almost the same thing to him when he agreed to become a Jedi. He failed to deliver.

The Emperor stepped over to the control panel and lowered the boarding ramp. Coolant steam hissed from the hydraulics as the ramp extended. Korriban's atmosphere rushed into the cabin. The air was dry and dusty. It was not cold, yet Luke noticed himself pulling his robes tighter around him. The ramp touched down with a light crunch of dirt. Luke took a deep breath and descended to the planet's surface. The Emperor followed close behind.

When Luke took his first step onto the Sith world, he instantly felt the power of the planet increase ten-fold; it was as though an electric current shot up through his body, energizing him. The air practically buzzed with the energy. The Emperor appeared behind him.

"You begin to understand," he said, "the power this place can offer you, just from physical contact." He closed his eyes. "You can almost see it, taste it, hold out your hand and grab it for yourself." He seemed to be feeding off the Dark energy the way a plant feeds on sunlight.

"Yes," Luke replied. The wind tugged lightly against his raised hood. "I feel it. It's incredible, Master. It's in my blood, my bones. I can feel myself drawing strength from it just by being here."

"Lead us, Apprentice," Palpatine instructed suddenly. "Your journey begins here. Let the Force guide you. It will show you the path you seek."

Luke looked back at his master for a moment, then turned slowly, examining the landscape all around, not just with his eyes but with the Force. Abruptly, he stopped. He was pointing north east of the shuttle.

"There," he said confidently. "I sense something in that direction, like a beckoning voice." He was pointing at a nearby range of low-lying mountains. He dropped a hand to his him and felt the reassuring weight of the lightsaber at his belt and started off in the direction he had divined.

He was startled when he peered back over his shoulder to ensure that the Emperor was following and saw—nothing. The Emperor had vanished.

Master? Luke called to him through the Force. Master, where are you?

There was no reply. The Force instructed him to press on, that all of his questions would be answered somewhere in those mountains just outside the Valley of the Sith.

Steeling himself for whatever was to come, he set off toward the mountains, toward his destiny.

The longer he trod upon the planet's surface, the more connected to it he became. He could sense every rock, every shrub around him. He felt the air currents changing far above. He sensed a predatory insect on the prowl somewhere close by, consumed by hunger and instinct. Everything was an extension of his own body. He felt like he was the planet. Korriban had an aura unlike anything Luke had ever felt, almost like a living organism. He wondered if that was why the great Sith Masters had chosen this as the eternal resting place for the most powerful beings in the galaxy or whether it was a result of countless generations of Darksiders practicing their arcane magicks. It was as though something about this world naturally amplified his already strong Force sensitivity.

He decided to conduct an experiment as he walked.

He gave a gentle nudge with the Force, just enough to create a small plume of dust. Were he on any other world, it would have been a small plume. On Korriban, however, his supercharged power lifted a quickly rising column of swirling dust twenty meters into the air. Without thinking, he instinctively reached out with the Force again, this time in an attempt to clear the air. His gentle breeze manifested itself as a gale-force wind, which tore at his robes and pelted him with dirt and small rocks and sending up a wall of dust a hundred meters tall. He immediately squelched his use of the Force. The wind stopped. Dust hung thick in the air around him, obscuring his way and choking his lungs. If he wasn't careful, he'd wind up stirring up a dust cloud big enough to cover the entire region of the planet. Until he calibrated his power to Korriban's levels, he felt it best to avoid the more physical powers.

Luke reached the mountains fairly easily, taking only a quarter of an hour. The increased gravity was definitely noticeable but didn't become an issue until the terrain began to rise and the grade became steep and rocky. Judging by the sun's position on the horizon, Luke knew nightfall was soon to come. He was nowhere near his destination and would need to find shelter within the next half hour. After ten minutes of searching, Luke found a cave that offered a suitable cover for the night. He settled down barely a quarter hour before the sun fell quickly below the far off horizon, painting the sky with brilliant splashes of purple and crimson and gold. Growing up in a desert, Luke knew that when the sun fell on worlds such as this, so too did the temperature. In order keep warm, Luke experimented with a sort of heat ball by rapidly accelerating the air molecules directly in front of him. After his initial experimentation on the open plains, Luke felt moderately confident that he could control his enhanced Force powers. And thanks to theplanet's natural amplification, he could maintain the ball of heat indefinitely, even during sleep, with virtually no exertion.

He was awakened hours later by a deafening crash. His initial impression was that the area was undergoing aerial bombardment, so fierce were the explosions. He put his hand to the smooth cave wall. There was another crash, but Luke felt only minimal vibration. Were it a turbolaser blast or any other conventional weapon striking the surface, the impact would have been felt from anywhere within earshot. Whatever it was, it wasn't hitting the ground. He rose to his feet and moved through the cave toward the entrance, using the Force to boost his vision in the dark tunnel. As he neared the mouth if the cave, he immediately felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Flashes lit up the inside of the cave like daylight. Luke stared out at the sky. It was alive with the discharge of a violent electrical storm. He stepped outside and stood watching this fantastic display of nature's fury with awe and fascination. He doubted he was in any danger; the storm would pass before long.

He stood watching, absorbed, for nearly half an hour before he decided to try something. He wasn't sure what inspired it, the Force perhaps. He lowered his hood and raised his hands to the sky. He drew upon the Force, reaching down deep, not just into his own store but the planet's as well. He wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but something guided his actions and he knew it would work. He closed his eyes and in his mind he saw the forks of energy bending and twisting to his will, traveling along the paths to which he guided them.

He opened his eyes and reached out with the Force to grab hold of the lightning, manipulate it, command it where to strike. He directed it into a large boulder which lay several meters in front of the cave mouth. Bolts of electricity, vividly colored blue and purple and green, altered their paths and struck the rock. Bolt after bolt hit home, shattering it and melting it into slag. Luke released his exertion of the Force. One final strike hit the ground beside him, leaving a glowing five centimeter wide impression in the dirt.

Luke instinctively leapt back, coming down four meters away and clumsily striking a boulder as he landed. Winded, he rolled over and got to his knees. Then he started laughing.

"Well," he said aloud to himself. "It worked."

The power of the lighting had reduced the boulder to a blob of molten glass, which poured out onto the sandy ground in glowing orange streams of fire. The heart of the blob still glowed yellow, quickly cooling to red in the frigid night air. He got to his feet and moved as close to the slagged rock as he could before the heat radiating off it stopped him in his tracks. There was something special about it, he knew. The Force had directed him to do this for a reason. He looked at it, studied it. Finally, he knew what he had to do.

He found himself reaching deep down inside and summoning forth devastating Force lightning. With his left hand extended before him, he directed it into the still glowing rock, melting it further, refining it, scorching away the impurities. The planet's natural magnification increased the power greatly. The rock became soft and malleable again under his assault. It bubbled and spewed liquid stone like a volcano as gas trapped within the rock superheated and escaped. He quenched the outpouring of deadly energy, satisfied with the results. The heat was great from a meter away, but he ignored it. He crouched down on his haunches and began to meditate. He would soon have his answers.

For three hours he sat like that, as still as if he'd been forged from duranium. He stared out at the cooling rock but didn't see the rock; his eyes gazed into the rock, beyond it. He forged a connection with the stone, poured himself into it, surrounded it with the Force, with the Dark Side. He let the Force flow from his body into the rock, becoming part of it, altering it in subtle ways. By the time the sun peeked over the far horizon, it was finished.

His legs burned, still locked in a squatting position. He stood, ignoring the ache. He approached the newly formed glass lump, inspecting what he had done but uncertain as to what he was going to find. He wasn't sure exactly what had happened while in his trance, but he knew something had occurred. As Luke ran his bare hand over the smooth surface of the now cool mound of opaque glass, he sensed more than knew that it was a hollow shell. He grabbed a fist-sized rock from beside him and used it to smash the crystalline bubble without hesitation. Inside, he found what appeared to be a gem. No, he thought. A formed lump of this glass. A crystal.

He reached inside and retrieved it. It was about the size of a data chip, barely larger than his thumb in the palm of his hand. It was deep red and perfectly clear, perfectly formed. The Force had forged this gem in the heart of the molten blob, using it like a blast furnace to combine the elements into this. As Luke held it, he felt the power it contained. It was infused with the Dark Side. He knew at once why the Force had guided him to create it. He was meant to use it; this would be the focusing crystal for his new lightsaber, which he would construct it after he and his master left Korriban.

Master. His mind returned to his mission. Quickly getting a sense of his surroundings, he regained his direction. He placed the gem safely within his robes and set off back on his path.

Following the pull of the Force, he contemplated just what would be in store for him at the end of his journey. He considered the new lightsaber focusing crystal the Force had instructed him to create and how quickly the Dark Side seemed to be growing within him. He ruminated over everything he'd accomplished, everything he'd experienced in the mere hours since he'd given himself over to the Emperor's teachings. He could scarcely believe it had been less than a Standard day since he stood defiantly before the Emperor on the Death Star, vowing to him and Vader both that he would never turn to the Dark Side. But that was before he saw the truth, the truth about the Rebellion, about his father, about Obi-Wan. Before he saw the truth about the Jedi and their way.

He'd only been walking a short time when he entered a high-walled ravine and sensed a strong presence somewhere behind him. Instinct and the Force guided his reflexes and he managed to duck and roll just as a large rock shot through the space his head had occupied a heartbeat before. He completed the roll and sprang up to face his opponent, drawing his lightsaber as he did so. He gazed up, surveying all around, his emerald blade humming through the air. Another rock flew at him. He caught it easily on the edge of his blade and the two halves flew harmlessly past him. He expanded his sphere of awareness, hoping to locate his assailant. On this planet, his range could be easily several hundred kilometers. Although he was unable to detect a physical being, he could still sense a powerful Dark presence nearby. Whatever it was, it was strangely diffuse, seeming to fluctuate in intensity like a flame.

"Show yourself!" he demanded, his voice shouting back at him from the high stone walls. He pressed onward slowly and the ravine began to widen. He extinguished his blade but kept the hilt gripped firmly in hand. The ravine bent sharply, widening to at least a hundred meters. "Are you a coward?" he called out, trying to sound as confident as he could. "Cowardice is a weakness, and weakness is death, on this planet more than any other," he said, remembering the wise words his master had told him.

Deep booming laughter echoed down off the sheer rock walls. It wasn't coming from anywhere, but everywhere. "You are very brave, boy. Or very stupid," the voice rang out with the same omnipresence the laughter had. It seemed to surround Luke, to come as much from within as without.

"Who are you?" Luke asked firmly. "Why have you attacked me?" He was thrown backwards by a strong Force blast.

"Impetuous young fool! Who are you to question me?" As the last word was spoken, a figure appeared before Luke. It was a Human man. He had broad shoulders and a square jaw and stood easily a head taller than Luke himself. His long hair was tied back and hung loosely over one shoulder. Ancient symbols adorned his combat armor, which showed numerous scenes of battle and carnage. A thick bronze medallion hung from his neck. From his belt hung a lightsaber unlike any Luke had ever seen. Though barely longer than that of an ordinary hilt, he noted a second blade emitter sprouting from the end of it.

"I am Luke Skywalker, apprentice to Emperor Palpatine." Luke looked up into the man's black eyes, which seemed to burn through to see the core of him.

"Skywalker? No, Skywalker was the name of the last Apprentice," boomed the man.

"Yes. Anakin Skywalker was my father," Luke confirmed. "His dedication to the Order was found wanting. I've killed him and taken his place." Luke still did not know who this man was, only that he was once a powerful Dark Lord.

"Lord Sidious took a new Apprentice much sooner than many would deem appropriate," said the man. Luke was momentarily puzzled before realizing that "Sidious" must be the Emperor's Sith name. "He has also lived far longer than most Sith before him. The Humans, anyhow. How are we to know if you are truly worthy of the honorary title Dark Lord of the Sith?" He narrowed his eyes at Luke. "You will be Tested," he told him. "It will prove your worth. Or destroy you should you prove undeserving."

"My master believes me worthy," Luke said angrily. "I don't need to prove myself to you. You haven't even told me who you are."

"I am the Dark Lord Exar Kun, the greatest Sith since the Lord Naga Sadow before me," the Sith said dramatically.

Luke momentarily dumbstruck. During the journey to Korriban, the Emperor had filled him in on key points in the history of the Sith. Lord Kun's exploits were legendary. He died on Yavin IV four thousand years ago, supposedly trapping his spirit within the massive stone temples erected by his Massassi Sith slaves.

"But—" Luke began, puzzled.

"You wonder how I am here," said Lord Kun, reading Luke's thoughts. "When I am supposed to be haunting the ancient pyramids on the fourth moon of Yavin. Yes, I do possess them. My essence was confined there when I died, a gift from a blasted Jedi called Sunrider," he spat. "However, through the unending power of the Dark Side, I am able to simultaneously inhabit this glorious planet." He motioned all around him with both arms. "This is enough meaningless conversation," he boomed. "You will be tested now. Prepare yourself." Without warning, he dropped to his knees, pressed both hands palms down on the ground. Dark energies poured from his fingertips in the form of purple lightning, which disappeared straight into the ground.

He then brought his hands over his head, much as Luke had done the night before, and with a thunderous clap, a bolt of pure Dark Side energy flashed down and penetrated the dirt, blasting up huge chunks of flaming rock. The ground trembled and split where the bolt hit and an enormous clawed hand shot up out of the hole; blue energy crackled between its bony fingers. As the opening gaped wider, the creature began to pull itself free of its rocky prison, first the other hand, then a leathery armored shoulder.

Luke looked on in confused silence as the creature let out a bellow that was all too familiar. The monster hoisted itself out of the hole and showed itself to Luke in full. It stood eight meters tall on stubby legs, with a hunched back, and disproportionately long arms. Its spidery fingers ended with wicked claws. Its mouth was a nightmare of crooked meter-long teeth and it stared down at him with a pair of beady black eyes. It was a fully grown rancor.

"But how?" Luke gasped, completely perplexed. Fear flooded his veins like ice water. "What kind of illusion is this?"

"Oh, it is no illusion. That creature," Lord Kun gestured to the waiting rancor, "is quite real. In fact, you chose it. This is your test; a confrontation between you and one of your greatest fears." Kun began to laugh. "Very nice choice, young Skywalker. I'll enjoy this one, I think." He levitated himself up to a rocky outcropping thirty meters up and glared down with perverse glee.

"I am Sith," Luke called out, rallying his courage against the tight ball that sat heavily in his gut. "I have no fear!" He kept his eyes locked on the monster which stood waiting twenty meters away.

"Your thoughts betray you," Kun yelled from his new location. "This test delves deep into the subconscious and manifests something which you fear greatly. It cannot be fooled and it cannot make a mistake. Even the Sith are not without fear," he told the young Sith apprentice. "Only a fool fears nothing. However, a Sith does not turn away from what he is afraid of. He draws strength from it. 'There is no fear, there is power'," he quoted the Sith code. "Turn your fear into the power with which to defeat it." Kun sensed Skywalker's potential. With some instruction, he may just have it in him to become a great Sith Lord. Perhaps Lord Sidious was not as senile as he previously thought.

As soon as Kun finished speaking, the rancor gave a tremendous roar and charged.

Luke closed his eyes, feeling the deep vibrations of the approaching monster. He harvested the fear growing inside his gut and transfigured it into hatred for the beast. He opened his eyes, wrapping the Force around himself like a protective blanket. He threw his arms out as if to block the charging behemoth; instead he unleashed a powerful Force blast that hit the rancor square in the chest, knocking it off its feet. The rancor toppled to the ground, hitting with enough force to dislodge rocks from the high walls around them. Recovering quickly, it roared again with unbridled rage and took to all fours, coming at Luke with incredible speed.

Luke channeled the Dark Side again and sent another Force blast, but this time the beast was prepared. It stopped and braced itself, using its long arms to anchor itself firmly to the ground. It hardly flinched as the wave overtook it and moved on. The rancor resumed its attack, reaching Luke in seconds. He jumped and somersaulted over the creature's head, momentarily escaping its field of vision. Using this opportunity, he drew his lightsaber.

The blade extended with a snap-hiss and he charged at the monster's back. The rancor, hearing the saber ignition, turned to meet this new noise. It saw Luke as a blur just before the saber blade slashed across the back of its leg, biting into the monster's flesh. While its thick hide protected it some, damage was done. The cauterized wound was not serious but it opened a gash a meter long and several centimeters deep, exposing the dark red muscle underneath. It roared in pain and swiped at that which had wounded it. The powerful claws, any one of which was easily capable of shearing Luke in two, missed him by mere centimeters as he dove out of the way. The talons dug deep troughs in the sandy floor of the ravine. It dislodged its hand from the ground and went after Luke again.

Luke felt one with the Force. It warned him of impending danger and allowed him to react before the beast attacked. It seemed to slow time, to allow him to weigh all of his options before acting. In perhaps a futile gesture, he lashed out with Force lightning. The dark energy scorched the rancor's hide but otherwise seemed to cause it no real damage. As long as he could continue to evade it, however, it would tire and Luke could move in for the kill. If only I had a big heavy gate I could bring down on its head, he thought bitterly. But this was no pet monster. This was a wild, feral rancor. He doubted very much that it would be so easy to kill as the Hutt crimelord's had been.

He began to formulate a plan, but he would need to draw the creature back toward the hole it had crawled out from in order for it to work. He led the rancor toward the fissure, now a hundred meters ahead. Using the planet's natural Force enhancement, he began ripping up great chunks of dirt and rock, enlarging the hole as he did so. He then reached deep inside, calling on his anger and his hate and his fear of the creature which had nearly killed him on Tatooine not so very long ago. Extending his left arm in front of him, he hurled Dark lightning as powerful as the Force and this planet would allow into the sheer rock wall beside the pit, now at least fifteen meters deep.

Timing was critical; if he didn't work fast enough, he'd be killed himself. The rock began to shatter; red-hot chunks tumbled down rock face into the pit. Not enough. Use everything to your advantage. He commanded the Dark Side, calling upon nature itself to assist him. Dark energy rained down from the sky and poured into the wall, an imitation of the events the night before. Now the rock began to melt, oozing freely into the hole. Luke approached the lip and leapt, clearing the twenty meter span with some help from the Force. He tumbled in mid-air and landed on the opposite side, facing the oncoming rancor which bellowed angrily as it propelled itself along with tremendous speed. He used every ounce of power he had to increase the magnitude of the lightning, feeling himself begin to tremble with fatigue. Molten rock pooled at the bottom of the pit and was filling it rapidly.

The rancor had reached the edge now and leapt for Luke, its form warped by the intense shimmering waves of heat which rose off the pool of liquid rock. The beast would have cleared the pit had a well-placed Force blast not slammed into it midway across. Its forward momentum lost, the creature plummeted like a stone straight down. It howled in pain as its legs plunged into the molten rock, instantly bursting into flames.

The rancor thrashed and roared in agony as its body was burned away. It clawed at the edge of the pit, desperately trying to climb out. But it proved futile. The monster's head was soon sinking below the bubbling rock and the thrashing stopped. Luke watched as the rock began to cool. The rancor was dead, completely encased, save for one clawed hand, which thrust up out of the now solidifying rock like some macabre tree stump, blackened and smoking.

Luke had passed his test.

Lord Kun applauded loudly atop his perch. "Very good, Skywalker!" he called down. "Your ingenuity is impressive. Strategy is important when the Force is not enough, as you have just demonstrated. You have convinced me of your worth. I wish you well on the rest of your journey. That which you seek is not far. Trust in the Dark Side to guide you and you need never be disappointed." With those departing words, he vanished into nothing. The outcropping upon which he had stood was left empty; were it not for the still smoldering pit before him, Luke might have thought he'd imagined the whole thing.

"Thank you, Master Kun," he breathed heavily to empty air. Without pausing to rest, Luke set out to finish his quest. Lord Kun had said it wasn't far. He would soon be reunited with his master.

It took Luke less than an hour to reach his final destination; the path he had been following suddenly blossomed out into a large semi-circular clearing. The path terminated in a sheer rock wall rising hundreds of meters straight up. At the base of the wall was the entrance to a cave, barely three meters by two. Weathered glyphs spelled out an incantation of some sort around the edge of the opening; the harsh Sith lettering may have been a welcome or a warning, but its meaning seemed clear to Luke all the same. Great power could be found within. Whether it be to the individual's favor or detriment remained to be seen.

As he approached the gaping black maw, two torches flanking the entrance burst to life, burning with unnatural black flames. When he entered he noted that the cave's interior was lined with the same black-flame torches, whose silent tongues flickered endlessly, casting eerie purple light. More Sith hieroglyphs covered the walls. He couldn't even begin to decipher their meaning. He noticed a patch of writing that was clearly different from the rest. It appeared to be scorched into the rock wall, as if by a lightsaber, perhaps. The cave floor was well worn; Luke was not the first to journey through this cave. Quite the contrary; hundreds had taken this path before him.

Liquid could be heard dripping from somewhere deep in the cave. Luke wound through the labyrinthine tunnels, following the pull of the Dark Side, trusting it to lead him true. At times the ceiling dipped so low he was forced to hunch over to avoid hitting his head. The scraping of his boots echoed all around him, betraying the massive scope of the hidden tunnel system. The Sith symbols had ended some time ago, but the torches continued, bathing everything in their Darklight. The floor had been sloping upwards from the moment he entered the cave and after thirty minutes, he figured he had to be nearing the top of the mountain.

Finally, as he rounded a sharp corner, he was contacted by his master.

Apprentice. The Emperor's voice rang loud in his head.

Master! I've made it. Where are you? A flood of relief washed over Luke as he reached the end of his journey victorious.

I am not far, Apprentice. This moment belongs to you.

Yes, Master. I'm ready. Luke quickened his pace, eager to reunite with his master and receive his name. Within moments he spied a glow fifty meters down the tunnel. This glow was the yellow-orange of natural light, not the flame of the Dark Side.

He sprinted the last thirty meters, unable to wait any longer, but slowed as he neared the opening of a chamber. With a deep breath, he stepped inside.

The chamber itself was a circle about twenty meters in diameter. Its ceiling was high, lost in the dancing shadows cast by countless flickering candles spaced around the circumference of the large room. The smooth stone walls curved up slightly and he guessed they met somewhere in the shadows to form a dome. Elaborately woven tapestries lined the walls, depicting ancient battles, personal coats of arms, and what appeared to be a number of Sith spells and ceremonies. The thick hangings were incalculably complex; every last detail was painstakingly embroidered into the rich fabric.

Across the room, directly opposite of the entrance, sat a grand throne atop a short stone dais. It was there that his master sat in wait.

The throne itself was carved out of a rich wood and covered with inlaid gems which, to Luke, appeared as though they were imbued with the Dark Side. They each glowed dimly with their own internal light. As he stepped towards the dais, his master rose to greet him.

"Congratulations, my apprentice," the Emperor greeted him. "You have been Tested and you have passed. And if I may say so, you handled yourself better by far than your father did when he was Tested." He stepped down to the floor. "His Testing was almost too much for him. But your character is much stronger." The Emperor's words struck Luke as completely genuine.

Luke bowed his head in respect. "I knew I wouldn't fail, Master. I wouldn't allow myself."

"I know, child. Sit." He gestured up at the throne. Luke stepped up onto the dais and sat as he was instructed. "You shall sit here whilst I perform the ceremony. It is very important that you do not step down," Palpatine warned. "Otherwise, the ceremony shall be compromised and may never again be performed for you. You would never be Named."

"I understand, Master. I'm ready," he proclaimed confidently. Luke rested his head against the back of the throne and wondered how many others had sat in that very chair just as he now did. He closed his eyes, clearing his mind completely, just waiting to be transformed into the man he was always meant to be. His eyes snapped open in surprise when a sharp pain flared across his left palm.

The Emperor held a ceremonial dagger carefully as he collected his apprentice's blood in a golden chalice. "The ritual requires blood," he explained. "Yours," he said, cutting into his own hand, "and mine." He allowed his blood to mix with Luke's. He then ran the blade first over Luke's cut, then his own. Both healed almost instantly. Luke felt the Force binding the wound, knitting the skin closed.

Palpatine walked across to the chamber to a stone alter, upon which sat a shallow clay bowl. He poured the contents of the cup slowly into the bowl, all the while speaking the sacred words:

"Et manu Korribanos caton Mastus.

Je Lordo Darthae Sydyus hameh.

V dapota e Mastus a Masti.

Palimano eh Skiwokar des notans

er mis.Bostne mi tonda el."

The words echoed loudly in the chamber. He continued:

"Et manu Korribanos caton Mastus.

Je mis un pecto e Talio vi

Luexo manu es Sithu. Mi Lueme

v nixt e stapani der Luexo hort.

Mi Sithu."

As the words were spoken, a cold breeze began to blow; the candles flickered and the tapestries began to sway. The Dark Side permeated everything. Palpatine raised his arms before him:

"Et manu Korribanos caton Mastus.

Ste ne Tamid di e quaro Luexo

E mis v Luemo Stert ex."

Luke closed his eyes against the wind, which now bit at his face. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it died away. Luke opened his eyes and was shocked to see the chamber full of at least a dozen standing figures all staring right at him. No, he thought. They're staring into me. He looked around at all the faces, finally finding one he recognized.

"Lord Kun," he said firmly, breaking the silence. "I thank you again for the lesson earlier. I won't forget it."

Lord Exar Kun nodded slowly, arms crossed over his muscular chest. "You've the greatest potential I've felt in a millennium. You may yet bring the Sith back into the nightmares of the galaxy. The Order will again see glory. Though you should watch yourself," he said, turning his attention to Palpatine. "Lord Sidious has been through four apprentices thus far. His first lasted only weeks."

Palpatine bowed respectfully before the Lord, taking the offense in uncharacteristic stride. "Through no fault of my own, I assure you, my Lord. The first few losses were—unfortunate," he said, carefully choosing his words.

"And the last?" asked another Dark Lord. Elaborate tattoos scrolled across her face; her long black hair was adorned with various beads and bits of metal and what looked suspiciously like tiny bones.

"Necessary, M'lady," Palpatine responded patiently. "He was plotting to destroy me. I have yet to pass on my knowledge. Luckily," he gestured at Luke, who now stood atop the dais, "the situation was resolved better than I could have imagined. Had he been worthy of the mantle, would Lord Vader not have emerged victorious?" He paused but when he received no argument, he went on. "Now, my Lords, may we continue with the ceremony?"

"We shall begin the Recognition!"

A loud voice boomed out. It seemed to issue from everywhere at once, just as Lord Kun's had earlier in the day. This one, however, carried with it an inherent air of power and authority, much more so than Lord Kun's had. A figure appeared standing before Luke. He was very large, over two meters tall. He wore simple leather gauntlets and thick hide boots. A heavy black cloak concealed the rest. His two large, gloved hands rose and lowered his hood, chasing away the shadows which had completely obscured his face. As the light shown upon the man's features, Luke could not help but be amazed. He was not rugged, as many of the Masters were. In fact, many females of various species would likely find him mildly attractive. His face was strong, sporting a broad, square chin. His head was devoid of a single strand of hair. His complexion was light, but not pale. Vivid yellow eyes stared out from their deep sockets.

"I, Lord Darth Bane of Apatros, recognize Luke Skywalker to be the sole Apprentice of Lord Darth Sidious. May he be purged of the Light and truly become the Fire of Hate."

Luke gulped. Darth Bane had created the very tradition the young Sith was upholding. So wise was he that even Sith from before long Bane's time were participating in support of his revised doctrine. The honor of his attendance was great.

Lord Kun spoke next. "I, Lord Exar Kun of Yavin 4, recognize Skywalker to be the sole—and last—Apprentice of Lord Sidious." He gave Sidious a look.

The Sith woman who spoke before now stepped forward.

"I, XoXaan of Dathomir, recognize Skywalker as the sole Apprentice of Lord Darth Sidious." Luke noted her strangely accented Basic.

This continued until every Lord had formally recognized Luke as a Sith Apprentice. He couldn't hold back his smile as pride swelled within him. He silently vowed to each one of them in turn not to let them down.

Lord Bane spoke again. "Lord Sidious, you have chosen a name?"

"I have," said Sidious, giving a nod.

"Then you may proceed with the ritual." Lord Bane stepped aside and Lord Sidious took his place before Luke. Their eyes locked. Luke lowered himself down onto the throne and waited to be Named.

Sidious spoke a final verse in the Ancient Sith tongue:

"Et manu Korribanos caton Mastus.

Heli Sithu ponus Darthae Arisin.

Su mi ne hotem e pulis."

"Lord Darth Arisin, so shall he be Named!" shouted Lord Bane.

"So shall he be Named!" repeated the other Lords in unison.

"Rise, Darth Arisin," Sidious instructed.

The newly christened Lord Arisin did as he was told. He had been Named and felt more powerful than ever. He had cast aside his former self and had been reborn in the fire of the Dark Side.

"We must now begin the Purge," Lord Bane called out to the others. He brought his hands together in a thunderous clap and a strong wind blew about the chamber, snuffing out the candles and leaving only the glowing gems in the throne for light.

He could see the spirits of the Dark Lords begin to dissolve into the wind as if they were made of nothing more than sand. They grew translucent and swirled together to form a glowing vortex of Dark Side energy. This unnatural funnel moved toward Arisin, who stood his ground firmly. It halted before him, looming over him and growing larger. Suddenly, a tendril shot out and speared into his chest.

Arisin squeezed his eyes shut and threw his head back, gritting his teeth against the agonizing pain. Another tendril shot into him. Then another, and another. As the swirling wind grew more intense, so, too, did the pain. Just when he felt as thought the pain were about overtake him, it ceased.

He dropped to his knees, exhausted, and slowly opened his eyes. The vortex had disappeared and all save one Lord had vanished with it. Lord Bane again stood before him.

"You have been Purged; your Light is extinguished. You are Sith." Lord Bane faded before Arisin could utter a sound.

A hand came to rest on his shoulder. His master stood beside him. Lord Sidious helped his apprentice to his feet. Arisin turned to him, breathing hard.

"I've done it, Master," he said proudly. "I did it."

"Yes, Lord Arisin," the Emperor replied. "Welcome to your destiny, my son."