A/N- I'm sorry for leaving you with a cliff hanger and then not updating quickly. Jedi Master "Writer's Block" got in the way. He's such a fatty. *laughs* Anyways, I don't own Star Wars, and this story is being done for fun.
Mara Jade did not particularly like Bast Castle. It was dark and dull, though she would gladly reside here in place of the Imperial Palace-it was over decorated, showing off Palpatine's great wealth. It was no secret in the galaxy that Vader held a vast amount of wealth, so it confused the former Hand as to why the Sith Lord didn't spend at least some time making this place feel lived in. Then again, Vader was all about getting the job done with the least amount of distractions. Perhaps he believed that décor was useless to him, that it would only get in the way. She wasn't certain and didn't plan to dwell on it.
Her attention was pulled away from what little décor was in the Castle when she sensed a presence that was new to this place, but certainly not new to her. Vader's Force signature was something she knew-it was dark and mysterious. Luke's Force signature was something that she was able to identify without effort-it was light and filled with potential. This new Force signature was something she wished was not here. It was cold, cruel, and seductive. She could not believe that the Emperor was here. How could he have found them so easily? Surely if the man planned to come here for a "visit," Vader would have known about it. Now was not the time to focus on that though. She had to get to wherever it was Palpatine was before he would have the chance to get to Luke. The young Jedi was the center of their plans to overthrow the Emperor. If the Galactic Ruler got his hands on Skywalker, it would be all over.
Luke was trapped. He knew this as he stood rooted to his spot, looking from the Emperor to his father. The Rebels had abandoned him, and now he was facing the man he wished he would never have to meet. There was no way he could ask his father to get him out of this situation, for the man had no choice but to comply with his Master. The young Jedi wished that there was some way that his father could defend him, could find a way so he wouldn't have to be handed over to this monster of a man. If this man had never come to power and taken his father as his apprentice, perhaps none of this would be happening. The galaxy could be living in peace, and he could have known his father his entire life. His life had been ruined before it even began as a result of the Emperor.
The elder Sith Lord smiled, his yellow eyes glinting as he picked up on the young Jedi's thoughts. This would be all too easy, turning the boy to the Dark Side. Just like his father, the boy had weakness that could be exploited to bring about his fall from the Light, and all it would take to do so would be to give the child a little history lesson. The boy did deserve to know the galaxy's most guarded secret; it was because of him after all that such a secret even existed.
"Now child, your thoughts betray you. Why would you blame me for something that was beyond my control? Your father came to me for help and willingly joined the Dark Side. He wanted the power to prevent the one he cared about from dying, your mother. He took to the Darkness quite well, if all of the Jedi Younglings he killed are any indication." The Emperor began to weave his tail. He had the boy's full attention now and that of his apprentice's as well. The anger drifting off of Vader only served to fuel him. The Skywalkers made this all too easy for him. Both father and son allowed their emotions to control them far too easily. Perhaps that was what made seducing Anakin to the Dark Side so incredibly easy.
"Your father had the power to save your mother from death, but the power became too much for him. He wanted more of it and no longer cared who he had to harm in order to gain it. Your mother tried to stop him, but your dear father did not want to hear it. He killed her." Palpatine continued in his little story. The thoughts that were running through the young Jedi's head were music to the dark man's mind. With what little training he had, it would not take much for the boy to go over the edge and succumb to his base feelings. "Yet, you managed to survive. Would you not like to avenge the mother you never knew? Avenge for yourself the life you never had the chance to know." The bait was now there. All it would take was Luke going for it. The Jedi would fall, just like his father.
The young Jedi looked at the black mask of his father, of the man he knew so very little about. This man had caused nothing but suffering in his life. The man had harmed his friends. He had tortured Leia, and it was because of him that Han had been taken by the bounty hunter. Vader was the driving force behind the Imperials. While orders did come through Palpatine, it was not the Emperor killing and torturing those who opposed the Empire. The Jedi had been told not to underestimate Palpatine, but perhaps it was worse that he had underestimated Vader. The man claimed to be his father, but Luke now wanted nothing to do with the man. He had destroyed any chance he had at a normal life. The man had killed his mother, wanting nothing more than power from the Dark Side. Anger began to fill him as he turned away from Vader, turned his back on the man. He would do as the Emperor said; he would have revenge on his father.