They stood at complete attention, their flowing red robes and faceless red helmets concealing whatever they might have been thinking. Some debated whether or not they were even human. Their discipline was stronger than any other branch of the Imperial military, but despite the rumors, the Royal Guards were, indeed, human. They felt emotions as strongly as anyone else. They were the best of the best, pledged to protect Emperor Palpatine with their lives.

The two guards on duty at the moment had been so for nearly twelve hours. Normally they changed three times a day in eight-hour shifts. But their ranks had been shrinking of late. Now the rotated only once every twelve hours. The longer shifts wore on them, but this was their purpose in life. They believed in the strength of the Empire as much as any patriotic Imperial did. They regarded Palpatine almost as a kind of demi-god. He was not to be questioned nor crossed, because his will was just.

This did not mean that Palpatine was not feared. Everyone feared him, just as they had feared his turncoat second in command, Darth Vader. The fear of Palpatine ran deeper. It hung about the shriveling dictator like the hooded black cloak he always wore, sometimes curling around his gnarled cane in tendrils, sometimes being forcefully broadcast over half the galaxy. The chill that hung about his personal quarters ran deep, and no amount of artificial heating could drive it away.

The Sith lord was quiet at the moment. He sat in his cushioned throne, hands steepled beneath his pasty chin as he soaked his mind in dark thoughts.

The disturbance he had been feeling in the Force was growing. It had been small at first...no more than the ripple of a pebble dropped into a still lake. Lesser beings, ones who were not true masters of the Force- like those pathetic Jedi -would have missed it. This ripple, as it were, meant someone in the galaxy had been newly awakened to their Force sensitivities. As their Force usage grew, so did the disturbance.

For a time, Palpatine had puzzled over who this person was. Then the answer was obvious...Vader had another child. Skywalker had a sibling.

Now it was different. That little ripple had grown to a large, sustained splash. Palpatine recognized the tone of the disturbance now. It was stronger...more controlled. It could only mean this new Force user was being trained...but by whom? The Jedi were extinct. Kenobi had died nearly four years ago, and that meddlesome little elf Yoda was surely gone by now. Palpatine had ceased sensing the diminutive Jedi Master not long after the construction of the first Death Star had begun. He deducted that Yoda must have died of wounds sustained during their fight.

Little coward, sneered Palaptine. The fall to the base of the Senate building had not killed him, so the green creature had fled like a kicked dog, tail tucked and head hanging.

So, who was training this new Jedi? Skywalker? Impossible! He's no more than a boy. His own training has been pitifully abbreviated. And yet, the evidence was there. He was the only one left to train his sibling. Perhaps he is more powerful than I thought.

Surely Skywalker had potential. Anakin had been conceived by the midichlorians themselves, and had more Force power than anyone in history until that unfortunate event on Mustafar. His children had to have much of the same power. All they needed was the proper guidance.

Turning Anakin's offspring to the Dark Side would not be easy. The boy had already resisted the pull of his own father, and in fact had turned the tables. He knew his power and was growing quite skilled. It would take something powerful to turn him.

Skywalker's sibling, on the other hand...Palpatine's thin lips curled into a leering smile. Yes...the sibling...even here, I feel their anger. Now, there was potential. Untrained they were useless...even dangerous. But with minimal or no training they would be far easier to turn, to mold, to carve into an apprentice who would truly be worth the effort. The Rule of Two must be continued.

The way to turn them was simple. Young Skywalker had proved that the one thing he cared about more than anything was his family. Put one of them in dire straits, and he would come running. All Palpatine had to do was capture the sibling...perhaps torture them a bit to make Skywalker sense pain and fear. As surely as his father had, Skywalker would do anything to keep his sibling from dying. Then they would be under his control.

Training two new apprentices did not bother Palpatine, even if it went against the Rule of Two. He would simply sit back and wait to see which sibling became more powerful and let their subsequent hunger for power drive them to fight.

All beings wanted power. It was the nature of the universe.

The victor would, of course, become Palpatine's future apprentice. Their first task would be to find Anakin and kill him.

There was danger in this, Palpatine knew. Training more than one meant the two apprentices might gang up on him and kill him. The Emperor knew they were capable. Anakin could have killed him if he had wanted to. But his solution there was simple. All he had to do was monitor them closely for signs of rebellion. If they persisted, Palpatine would kill the weaker of the two himself.

The Emperor's leer became a feral grin. Soon, the scale would once more tip in his favor. Soon, the Rebellion would die.

And soon...very soon...Skywalker and his sibling would be under his control.

It was a very happy thought, indeed. Palpatine couldn't help but laugh. His cackle echoed about the room, bringing with it the bone-deep chill of the Dark Side.

Outside the door, both Royal Guards gave an involuntary shiver, though neither knew why. All they knew was how cold they suddenly felt.

A/N: So many apologies on everything taking a long time to update. Those of you who want action, be patient. It will come soon. And to those of you who want more character pov's, sorry. This is a Skywalker story through and through, and will be focused mainly on them. Speaking of which, we'll get back to Luke and Leia in the next chapter. Stay tuned!