Chapter 15- The Walls Have Ears, And He Who Argues Disappears

Piett had considered a change of career many times, but he had never been so tempted to jump ship- quite literally- than at this present moment.

The bounty hunters had returned from Alderaan with nothing to show for it, except for a severed wrist. They seemed far too confident that the Emperor would not only spare them, but reward them for the information they had gained. Piett personally thought they were on a suicide mission, and that he was now being dragged unwillingly into it.

As if that wasn't already bad enough, he was knowingly undertaking Lord Vader's orders behind the Emperor's back. He had been as subtle as possible in sending their spies to Alderaan without the Emperor's knowledge, but as they approached the Emperor's throne room, he felt that the Emperor would find out anyway. He unnerved Piett more than anyone- which was saying something, as he worked directly for Lord Vader.

'The bounty hunters Dengar and Swift have returned from Alderaan, Your Majesty.'

Piett stepped to the side, hoping that would keep him out of the line of fire.

'We have news that will please you, Your Majesty. It is undoubtable that the boy is the Prince, and the Princess of Alderaan is his twin sister, masquerading as the adopted daughter of the Organas,' Swift bowed.

The Emperor smiled faintly.

'My suspicions were indeed true, then. However, I believe I asked for them to be brought to me, yet you are here empty handed.' He pointedly eyed the bandaged wound.

'We underestimated them, Your Majesty. Someone has been training them in lightsaber combat, and they weren't alone,' Dengar said.

The Emperor raised a thin eyebrow.

'Oh?'

'I was about to end Bridger, then an old man in a hooded robe appeared out of nowhere and chopped off my hand-'

'End Bridger? My instructions were to bring them to me alive.'

'Well, I had the Prince, Dengar had the girl-'

'The girl? I did not request the girl. This was to be a covert mission. Surely even you two must realise it would make the galaxy headlines if the Princess of Alderaan were to go missing.'

'Yes, Your Majesty, but we thought why not bring you both twins instead of one? We almost succeeded but Dengar was chased by kriffing Solo and a Togruta- '

Palpatine raised a hand, his eyes narrowing.

'A Togruta? How old?'

'Late thirties, maybe. She had two lightsabers.'

The air in the room was becoming stale.

'I-I did manage to put a tracking chip in the boy, Your Majesty, when I sedated him. No one will know it's there.'

He held out a datapad with a small flashing dot, that Piett passed to Palpatine.

'I see. Did you acquire any more information?'

'Yes, Your Majesty. The Prince is extremely strong in the Force- even I could feel it from a distance. I also learned that Bridger was a servant boy in the royal palace; it was he who helped Prince Luke escape on the night of the attack. He cares very deeply for the Prince- I believe he would do anything for him. However, the Prince is unaware of all this.' Swift smirked maliciously.

Well. That was unexpected.

Palpatine cast his mind back to that night. He had caught the young Prince in conversation with a common servant boy. A dark-haired boy who had the nerve to look him in the eye with anger, defensive of the Prince, his fists clenched. He had been strong in the Force.

So.

That was why the signature felt so familiar, so strong. That same arrogant serving boy was Ezra Bridger.

And the foolish child had not only befriended the Prince. He had fallen in love with him.

Palpatine smiled, his mind already set in motion with the newest phase of his plan.

This was too easy.

'Have we not pleased you, Your Majesty? We gathered all the information we could.' The contemptible pair of bounty hunters looked greedily anticipatory.

'Indeed, you have both been most helpful. Alas, this is where your usefulness ends. You did not bring me what I asked for.'

The Emperor's eyes turned a sickly golden colour, and the two men stepped back in fright.

'B-but I put a tracker in him! There'll be nowhere safe in the galaxy for him now!'

'Yes, that was most ingenious, and for that I shall make your deaths quick.'

Palpatine looked disinterestedly away from the shrieks of the dying men, feeding his rage through the excruciating lightning that erupted from his gnarled fingers.

Ahsoka Tano and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

It was confirmed. True to form, Kenobi was interfering with the Emperor's affairs like the cursed menace he always had been. And Anakin's old padawan was aware of the identity of the twins too. How had she survived the Jedi cull in the first place?

But it had also been confirmed, as he had already known, the boy was extremely strong in the Force, as was Bridger. He cradled the glowing red prism hidden under his robes. He had not informed Vader of its equally powerful twin that lay undiscovered in the ruins of the Jedi temple. It was unclear whether the girl was as strong as her brother in the Force, but regardless it would be easier to get hold of Bridger and the boy. Not only would he hopefully find a worthy apprentice in one of them, but they would help him find the Jedi holocron in the crumbling remains on Coruscant. He would make them open it, and with the combined knowledge of the two holocrons, he would unlock all the secrets of the Force he had not yet pillaged. He would finally be all powerful- no more pitiful rebellions, no more planets that could slip from his control, no more disloyal followers that threatened his eternal reign.

'Admiral, summon Lord Vader for me.'

Vader totally ignored Piett as his image solidified through the holoprojector. Piett thought that was probably for the best- not only were they deceiving the Emperor, but Lord Vader was displeased that the spies Piett had sent had so far communicated no new information on the Force sensitives.

Vader kneeled before the Emperor.

'What is thy bidding, my master?'

Palpatine considered him thoughtfully.

'There has been a great disturbance in the Force.'

Vader knew it would look suspicious to deny he had noticed the obvious tremors.

'…I have felt it.'

'We have a new enemy. Or should I say, an old one. Obi-Wan Kenobi.'

The room was instantly suffocated with grief and immeasurable rage.

'He should have stayed playing dead until he perished. What has he revealed himself for?' Vader hissed venomously.

'I believe he is after the Force sensitives I have felt, either to turn them to his side or kill them.' He paused. 'After some investigation, I have no doubt that one of them is the son of Anakin Skywalker.'

Vader's helmet shot upwards. Even the monotone of the vocoder could not disguise his shock.

'How is that possible?'

'Search your feelings, Lord Vader. You will know it to be true. The Force is strong with him, as it is with you.'

'But all this time I believed Luke- them both- to be dead. Why would the Force hide him from me? And what about…Leia?' It was painful to utter their names out loud after all these years.

'I have not yet discovered the whereabouts of your daughter, though I believe her to be alive. There are numerous possibilities; perhaps Kenobi has had possession of them all this time, and is now keen to destroy them since they have seemingly escaped. It would explain why they have been absent from the Force.'

Vader's rage was now a palpable thing, a frenzy in the Force that churned like a dangerous current about to engulf unsuspecting waders.

The Emperor inwardly smiled at his imaginative falsehood. It wouldn't do to rush the massacre- Vader was quick to anger, but he was at his most magnificent when his fury was prolonged. He purposefully hadn't mentioned the small fact of Ahsoka Tano being alive to Vader, not wanting to encourage old feelings of sentimentality and attachment. He must first ensure that Vader eradicated Kenobi and retrieved the Prince. However Vader chose to deal with Tano after that had been achieved, was not Palpatine's concern. Once the Prince was immersed in the dark side, the full extent of Organa's treachery could be made public- treason and kidnapping did not bathe him in a favourable light- and Vader would finish him off personally, with the full sympathy of the galaxy behind him. That would be the death blow for the wretched Rebel Alliance, as aside from the leader of the rebellion Mon Mothma and her mysterious right-hand man, Organa was the key figurehead. After his execution, if she was not already spoiled by Organa's rebellious ways, he would have the Princess join them. It was clear that separating the twins would yield the fastest outcome to this end.

'What are our next steps, my master?'

Vader did not disclose that he knew the Force sensitives- including his son, his very much alive son- were on Alderaan. If the Emperor's plan was not to his liking, he would simply go there himself and reclaim Luke.

'The current situation there is…delicate. I will make a public statement to the galaxy, informing them that the Prince and the Princess are alive, and offer a generous reward for their safe return. That will be the fastest way. The boy must of course be restored to me, before Kenobi can get to him.'

'He will not have my son,' Vader growled lowly.

'Rest assured, Lord Vader, your son will be with us very soon, and your daughter not long after that.'

The announcement with a reward of five million credits per royal sibling would not only put immense pressure on Organa and limit his activity with the Alliance, it would mean that almost every citizen would be desperate for that prize, and would therefore be hunting down Luke Skywalker and his twin. That idiotic bounty hunter had been right- there was nowhere in the galaxy he could run to now.

Vader made no reply.

'Do you not trust me after all these years, Lord Vader?'

They both knew the real answer.

'I trust you eminently, my master.'

'Then you must continue to trust me. We are aligned in one objective after all, are we not my boy? To smite every remaining Jedi from the surface of this galaxy. Now, let us address my citizens.'