The shuttle left early during Endor's morning. Luke was expecting (and privately hoping) to be taken to the Death Star. Instead, they boarded Vader's Super-class Star Destroyer, the Executor, which he found out wasn't even in the same system as the rest of the Imperial fleet.
Luke thought the situation was somewhat peculiar, but he had other things to think about,...such as finally meeting the evil Galactic Emperor face to face.
Luke was trying to control his fear and keep his breathing normal, as he was sure that the Emperor would greedily feed off it. It took a lot of effort, but he somehow succeeded.
Quietly, the young Jedi Knight walked at Vader's side through many long hallways, and they finally entered a large room and somewhat sinister room. The Emperor was at the room's focal point, sitting upon a rather big dark chair which seemed to merit the title "throne."
A small part of Luke's mind wondered if every Imperial ship had such a room, just in case the Emperor happened to visit it.
In the shadows next to the Emperor stood a young woman with fiery red-gold hair and piercing green eyes that seemed to bore into Luke's soul.
Luke shivered.
"Welcome, young Skywalker," Palpatine said in a low voice. It might have been a welcome, but it certainly wasn't a warm one. "I've been expecting you." Palpatine gestured at Luke's hands. "You'll no longer need those." The cuffs came off Luke's hands as if they had a mind of their own, and Luke looked at them in a way that he sincerely hoped was emotionlessly. "Guards," the Emperor ordered, "—leave us."
To speak was to give the Emperor power, so Luke figured he'd best keep his mouth shut.
The Emperor's Royal Guards obeyed, but their body language signified that they would rather be here to protect their Master from Luke Skywalker, a Jedi Knight and their mortal enemy.
"I'm looking forward to completing your training...In time, you will call me Master," he hissed. "Just like young Mara Jade here." Palpatine gestured towards the girl beside him. "She wisely joined us in using the Dark Side years ago."
"You're gravely mistaken. You will not convert me like you did my Father," Luke insisted, not even addressing the issue of Jade.
There was no doubt in Luke's mind now; he would not give in.
He couldn't afford to.
The Emperor stood up and moved towards Luke and Vader, looking a bit perturbed that he had been defied by a mere boy. "Oh, no, my young Jedi. You will find it is you who are mistaken—about a great many things."
"His lightsaber," Vader said, holding out Luke's saber with a certain degree of pride. His son had made it without an instructor looking protectively over his shoulders.
The Emperor took it, "Ah yes. A Jedi's weapon. Much like your father's...By now, you must know your father can never return from the Dark Side. So will it be with you."
Indignantly, Luke spoke, "You're wrong. Soon, your Empire will be in shambles, and you will have nothing to turn to in order to protect your power...Then you shall be destroyed." Luke suddenly wished they had gone aboard the Death Star, wondering yet again what had stopped Vader and the Emperor from taking him there. Didn't the Emperor wish to gloat over his enormous "indestructible" battle station?
As if reading his mind, Mara Jade gave him a venomous glare, eyes glinting.
"Perhaps you refer to the imminent attack of your Rebel fleet..." Luke tried to cover his surprise, and the Emperor continued, "Yes, I can assure you, my Fleet is quite safe from your pitiful little friends." The Emperor turned and started walking back to his chair with the air of victory about him.
"Your overconfidence is your weakness," Luke shot, lacking anything better to say.
The Emperor swirled around threateningly and hissed, "Your faith in your friends is yours." He then continued to his destination, angry that a Light Sider had tried to belittle him.
Luke felt like spitting in the malicious ruler's face, but he knew it would only make matters worse.
Vader looked at Luke. Surely, he would stop this charade before long. "It is pointless to resist, my Son."
Palpatine sat down. "Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design. Your friends on the sanctuary moon are walking into a trap. As is your Rebel fleet..." He gave an evil grin. "It was I who allowed the Alliance to know the location of the shield generator. It is quite safe from your pitiful little band." The Emperor sneered, "An entire legion of my best troops await them...Oh, I am afraid the deflector shield will be quite operational when your friends arrive..."
The ex-senator turned on a viewscreen, watching it with malicious glee. Mara Jade also studied it from his side, but she did so in a cool and calculating manner...It reminded Luke of the Falleen that used to head the fallen Black Sun...Prince Xizor.
The viewscreen showed the battle taking place above Endor.
"Come, boy, see for yourself," Palpatine suggested malevolently.
Luke walked up to the image of the battle, dreading what he would see.
It was even worse than he had imagined; the Rebel fleet was slowly being crushed by the Imperial forces.
"From here, on your father's flagship, you will witness the final destruction of the Alliance and the end of your insignificant little Rebellion." The Emperor was smiling sinisterly, seeing the inner conflict play across Luke's face. The boy was his.
Luke's right mechanical hand clenched and unclenched. His friends could, and probably would, die. All so that this man, this, this fiend, could have control over the entire galaxy. Anger bubbled up in his chest. He looked at Palpatine and then at his lightsaber, sitting unattended next to the tyrant. His eyes flicked momentarily to the red-head, who gave him a warning look.
"You want this, don't you?" Palpatine touched Luke's lightsaber invitingly. "The hate is swelling in you now. Take your Jedi weapon. Use it. I am unarmed. Give in to your anger."
"No." Luke turned back to the viewscreen, feeling helpless. If only he could warn Han and Leia about what was going to happen...If only he had been taken aboard the Death Star instead...
But "if only's" were going to get him nowhere. He would have to reach down deep inside for his inner strength...Or what shreds of it that were remaining after his fear and growing animosity had slashed ruthlessly at it.
"It is unavoidable...It is your destiny. You, like your father, are now, mine." Palpatine gloated. Jade still stood quietly in the shadows at his side.
Why is she here? Luke wondered distantly in the back of his turmoiled mind. He reluctantly continued to watch the battle that was happening a few systems away, his hatred for the inhumane beast beside him building. A thousand words to describe the Emperor, some that would cause his Aunt Beru to roll over in her grave, flashed through his mind.
"As you can see, my young apprentice, your friends have failed. Now, witness the firepower of my fully armed and operational battle station." Palpatine pressed a button, and a few seconds later, a hologram appeared of an Imperial officer. "Fire at will, commander," he ordered, throwing a wicked look over at Anakin Skywalker's son.
Luke tightened his fists again. There must be something he could do...He turned and faced Palpatine, his blue eyes flashing with anger.
"Your fleet is lost, and your friends on the Endor moon will not survive. There is no risk, my young apprentice." The Emperor had no humanity left in him, only a lust for power.
Luke looked at Vader, as if pleading for him to do something. But Darth Vader was motionless.
"The Alliance will die, as will your friends...Good." Palpatine smiled. "...I can feel your anger. I am defenseless. Take your weapon, strike me down with all of your hatred, and your journey towards the Dark Side will be complete."
Luke looked back at the viewscreen, tempted despite his knowledge of the consequences if he took Palpatine's advice...He couldn't give in. He couldn't...
But his friends...
He took in a deep breath, then he shot around, and the lightsaber jumped into his hand. He slashed down towards the Emperor's head—
—and was blocked by Mara Jade.
The Emperor grinned with a sinister type of joy. "Good, young Jade."
Vader stood by. He understood that the Emperor wished to test both of his apprentices, but he didn't trust that girl as much as his Master did.
Luke's face betrayed his blossoming rage, and he slashed fiercely with his green lightsaber, Mara elegantly blocking his slashes with the blue lightsaber the Emperor had equipped her with. Due to Luke's savage attacks, which were intensified by the fact that he had nothing to lose, even the talented Emperor's Hand was forced to remain on the defensive.
Blue eyes and a green saber sparked brightly, as green eyes and a blue saber returned the fiery blows.
Luke's saber was buzzing angrily as he violently thrust and slashed, and it was all Jade could do to parry his blows.
It was perfectly clear who was the better dueler, and just when it seemed that Luke was about to finish the Imperial agent off, his attacks began to slack off. He was slowly realizing what his anger had almost cost him. It wasn't long before Jade gained the upper hand and smoothly switched gears to offensive.
While he was blocking her feints and thrusts, he used the Force to sense which way she was going to attack to protect himself, and he tried to mull over something that was bothering him. Since he had more experience, or perhaps since he was just better at saber dueling, it didn't take too much concentration for him to split his focus. Luke concentrated on studying the saber's handle (which she was tightly clenching in her hands) while blocking all the blows she threw at him. It looked like—no, it couldn't be...
But it was.
It was his old lightsaber.
Anakin Skywalker's old lightsaber.
Luke's father...
Vader sensed that, as Luke began calming down, something crucial was happening inside his mind, though the Emperor, who was not closely connected to the young Jedi, assumed that Luke was merely getting tired.
Darth Vader moved a little closer to his son, the Emperor not registering the move because he was caught up in observing the battle.
Luke sighed and switched off his lightsaber. He would not use their own methods to fight them. If he fought fire with fire, he would be the one to get burned.
Mara slashed at Luke's head—
—and was stopped by Vader, who had turned on his own lightsaber the moment he saw his son conceding defeat.
The red lightsaber buzzed angrily against the blue one. Bad against good. But the irony was, for Luke in this case, the red was good, and the blue was bad.
Mara Jade glared at the Sith Lord, who sent, in return, a penetrating stare through his mask.
The Emperor looked slightly displeased at Vader's intervention, and he spoke with a sigh. "Switch off your lightsabers and bring Skywalker's to me. Mara Jade, you have done well. Vader, take young Skywalker and...convince him."
Vader nodded an affirmative, went up to his Emperor, bowed, and relinquished the lightsaber to him.
The Emperor looked at the young woman beside him. She looked like she was just barely keeping her tongue in check, and Palpatine told her, "You may go with him."
Mara Jade bowed her head, "Thank you, Master."
The cuffs floated back to Luke and placed themselves around his hands. He looked down at them, then back up at the Emperor with a stubborn set to his chin, but inwardly, shock was still rolling around at what he had almost done, and the price he would've had to pay if he'd furthered his walk down that dark road.
Author's Notes: As I'm sure you noticed, much of the dialogue in this chapter is from "Return of the Jedi." Basically, the dialogue which does not have to do with Mara and which does not have to do with my slight change to the meeting place is from "Return of the Jedi" and therefore belongs to Lucas, not me.