Two days later.
Emperor Palpatine was in his Palace Chamber on Coruscant. He was sitting at his throne looking out a window down at the city. He saw an Imperial shuttle landing on a docking bay near the palace. Suddenly, there was a crackling sound out of the intercom on the arm of his throne, and a voice came out.
"Your Highness, Lord Vader has returned from Bespin."
"Is young Skywalker with him?"
"Yes, your Highness."
"Excellent! Send them both to me immediately." The Emperor shut down the intercom.
Excellent! Young Skywalker is mine! Now I have a new Apprentice. But I must be careful. Darth Vader is still a power to be reckoned with. There is no doubt that he will try to have Skywalker as his own Apprentice. That cannot happen. The dark side has blessed me with immense power, but I cannot defeat both Darth Vader and Skywalker together. As a single power, they could steal my universe. I will have to show Skywalker who the true Master is!
Suddenly, the door at the far end of the Chamber opened and entered Darth Vader alone. The Emperor spun his throne around to face his former student. "Greetings, my friend. So you were successful in bringing me Skywalker. Where is he?"
"He will be brought up shortly. My Master, when shall he be told?"
"Patience, my friend. He shall be told when the time comes for him to know."
----------------------------------------
Cold. So cold. Pain. Alone. Warm. L-Light. Bright light? Dead? No...
Luke felt warmth return in his body and a long nightmare finally came to an end as the carbonite melted away from him and he fell to the floor. He heard some noises of people walking away, but he couldn't tell who they were or where he was.
Luke's eyes began to clear as he staggered to his feet. He was suddenly startled to see that he was in a completely different room with Darth Vader, but also with his Master, Emperor Palpatine.
They stood in silence for several minutes, before the Emperor spoke. "I must say, young Skywalker, you have proved to be very powerful at such a young age. I'm looking forward to seeing how much stronger you will grow after you have completed your training as a Sith Lord."
Struggling to say his first words after coming out of the carbonite, Luke managed to say, "I'll never let you be my Master."
"Why? Obi-Wan is dead....Master Yoda will be dead very soon....Who is left? Your training is incomplete. I will be your new Master." The mention of Master Yoda sent a chill over Luke's body.
How does he know about Yoda? If he knows he's still alive, does he also know where he is? Did I somehow give something away in my mind? Luke couldn't think of a time when he felt more confused and alone. "Obi-Wan will always be with me."
"Really? Where is Obi-Wan now, when you need him most? When you were fighting Darth Vader? Where was Obi-Wan? When you were frozen in carbonite? Where was Obi-Wan? He has abandoned you Luke. He has lied to you since he met you."
"Obi-Wan was the only one who didn't lie to me. He told me the truth of what I really am. He told me where I really came from." Luke turns his head to focus on Darth Vader. "He told what really happened to my father."
Darth Vader broke from his silence. "And just what was it that he told you?"
A tear formed in one of Luke's eyes. "That you betrayed my father and killed him."
"I did not kill your father, Luke...I am your father."
Something seemed to tear inside of Luke's chest. His breathing became rapid. He struggled to speak, but it felt as if his tongue had doubled in size. All that came out was, "No...no...that's--that's not possible."
Darth Vader walked up to Luke and looked him in the eyes. "Search your feelings, Luke. You know that this is true."
Through the Force, Luke searched in his mind and heart for the answer. Please, tell me that this isn't true. Give me something to disprove it...The cave. When I cut the head off that 'Phantom Vader.' The helmet split to show my own face. I never fully understood that lesson until now. That him and I are connected...He's Darth Vader...my dark father.
At once, Luke knew this was the truth. He began to feel a collage of emotions running through his mind: shock, abandonment, shame, denial. But only one managed to break to the surface. Anger.
Luke screamed, "NO!" He pulled his lightsaber from Darth Vader's belt, and with as much strength as he can, shoved him into the air with the Force and he hit the ground with strong enough impact to shake the floor beneath them. Luke turned on his lightsaber with a snap-hiss and charged after Darth Vader. He held up his hand Luke ran into an invisible wall of the Force. He stopped in his tracks and felt an grip go around his throat and cut off his air. He began to gasp and fell to his knees.
The Emperor sighed, "Enough of this. Lord Vader, let him go. He's our new Apprentice." Darth Vader looked to his Master, then let him go. Luke fell the rest of the way to the ground and let in a full breath of air.
The Emperor approached Luke and said quietly to him, "Did you see how far you threw your father when you used your anger? And that's only the beginning of the power the dark side can give you! We both know that there is no other way for you to become a Jedi Knight. Join us!"
I can't join the dark side. Obi-Wan and Master Yoda instructed me well enough to know that. But I'm not strong enough to beat Darth Vader yet. I'm not ready for this yet. Why didn't I listen to Master Yoda and stay on Dagobah? There's only one thing I can do. Let the Emperor think that I'm joining him. It'll buy me some time. And...scientists found out that a disease can be cured by injecting a small amount of it into the patient. Maybe it's the same way with the dark side. In order to defeat it, you must let it penetrate you and learn its secrets.
"Yes. I'll join you...Master."
"Good! Very good! Guards, show Skywalker to his new quarters!" The door opened and the lead guard walked in. The Emperor brought his attention back to Luke. "Get your rest, my young Apprentice. Tomorrow, you start your new life with power beyond even you could ever have imagined."
As Luke began to walk out of the chamber, he heard a voice in his mind. Some day, you will rule universe at my side. It took Luke only a second to realize that this was Darth Vader and the Emperor speaking to him at the same time.
Luke suppressed a smile. Good. They'll both be spending so much time fighting each other, they'll never realize that they're 'puppet' is the one pulling the strings.
Emperor Palpatine was in his Palace Chamber on Coruscant. He was sitting at his throne looking out a window down at the city. He saw an Imperial shuttle landing on a docking bay near the palace. Suddenly, there was a crackling sound out of the intercom on the arm of his throne, and a voice came out.
"Your Highness, Lord Vader has returned from Bespin."
"Is young Skywalker with him?"
"Yes, your Highness."
"Excellent! Send them both to me immediately." The Emperor shut down the intercom.
Excellent! Young Skywalker is mine! Now I have a new Apprentice. But I must be careful. Darth Vader is still a power to be reckoned with. There is no doubt that he will try to have Skywalker as his own Apprentice. That cannot happen. The dark side has blessed me with immense power, but I cannot defeat both Darth Vader and Skywalker together. As a single power, they could steal my universe. I will have to show Skywalker who the true Master is!
Suddenly, the door at the far end of the Chamber opened and entered Darth Vader alone. The Emperor spun his throne around to face his former student. "Greetings, my friend. So you were successful in bringing me Skywalker. Where is he?"
"He will be brought up shortly. My Master, when shall he be told?"
"Patience, my friend. He shall be told when the time comes for him to know."
----------------------------------------
Cold. So cold. Pain. Alone. Warm. L-Light. Bright light? Dead? No...
Luke felt warmth return in his body and a long nightmare finally came to an end as the carbonite melted away from him and he fell to the floor. He heard some noises of people walking away, but he couldn't tell who they were or where he was.
Luke's eyes began to clear as he staggered to his feet. He was suddenly startled to see that he was in a completely different room with Darth Vader, but also with his Master, Emperor Palpatine.
They stood in silence for several minutes, before the Emperor spoke. "I must say, young Skywalker, you have proved to be very powerful at such a young age. I'm looking forward to seeing how much stronger you will grow after you have completed your training as a Sith Lord."
Struggling to say his first words after coming out of the carbonite, Luke managed to say, "I'll never let you be my Master."
"Why? Obi-Wan is dead....Master Yoda will be dead very soon....Who is left? Your training is incomplete. I will be your new Master." The mention of Master Yoda sent a chill over Luke's body.
How does he know about Yoda? If he knows he's still alive, does he also know where he is? Did I somehow give something away in my mind? Luke couldn't think of a time when he felt more confused and alone. "Obi-Wan will always be with me."
"Really? Where is Obi-Wan now, when you need him most? When you were fighting Darth Vader? Where was Obi-Wan? When you were frozen in carbonite? Where was Obi-Wan? He has abandoned you Luke. He has lied to you since he met you."
"Obi-Wan was the only one who didn't lie to me. He told me the truth of what I really am. He told me where I really came from." Luke turns his head to focus on Darth Vader. "He told what really happened to my father."
Darth Vader broke from his silence. "And just what was it that he told you?"
A tear formed in one of Luke's eyes. "That you betrayed my father and killed him."
"I did not kill your father, Luke...I am your father."
Something seemed to tear inside of Luke's chest. His breathing became rapid. He struggled to speak, but it felt as if his tongue had doubled in size. All that came out was, "No...no...that's--that's not possible."
Darth Vader walked up to Luke and looked him in the eyes. "Search your feelings, Luke. You know that this is true."
Through the Force, Luke searched in his mind and heart for the answer. Please, tell me that this isn't true. Give me something to disprove it...The cave. When I cut the head off that 'Phantom Vader.' The helmet split to show my own face. I never fully understood that lesson until now. That him and I are connected...He's Darth Vader...my dark father.
At once, Luke knew this was the truth. He began to feel a collage of emotions running through his mind: shock, abandonment, shame, denial. But only one managed to break to the surface. Anger.
Luke screamed, "NO!" He pulled his lightsaber from Darth Vader's belt, and with as much strength as he can, shoved him into the air with the Force and he hit the ground with strong enough impact to shake the floor beneath them. Luke turned on his lightsaber with a snap-hiss and charged after Darth Vader. He held up his hand Luke ran into an invisible wall of the Force. He stopped in his tracks and felt an grip go around his throat and cut off his air. He began to gasp and fell to his knees.
The Emperor sighed, "Enough of this. Lord Vader, let him go. He's our new Apprentice." Darth Vader looked to his Master, then let him go. Luke fell the rest of the way to the ground and let in a full breath of air.
The Emperor approached Luke and said quietly to him, "Did you see how far you threw your father when you used your anger? And that's only the beginning of the power the dark side can give you! We both know that there is no other way for you to become a Jedi Knight. Join us!"
I can't join the dark side. Obi-Wan and Master Yoda instructed me well enough to know that. But I'm not strong enough to beat Darth Vader yet. I'm not ready for this yet. Why didn't I listen to Master Yoda and stay on Dagobah? There's only one thing I can do. Let the Emperor think that I'm joining him. It'll buy me some time. And...scientists found out that a disease can be cured by injecting a small amount of it into the patient. Maybe it's the same way with the dark side. In order to defeat it, you must let it penetrate you and learn its secrets.
"Yes. I'll join you...Master."
"Good! Very good! Guards, show Skywalker to his new quarters!" The door opened and the lead guard walked in. The Emperor brought his attention back to Luke. "Get your rest, my young Apprentice. Tomorrow, you start your new life with power beyond even you could ever have imagined."
As Luke began to walk out of the chamber, he heard a voice in his mind. Some day, you will rule universe at my side. It took Luke only a second to realize that this was Darth Vader and the Emperor speaking to him at the same time.
Luke suppressed a smile. Good. They'll both be spending so much time fighting each other, they'll never realize that they're 'puppet' is the one pulling the strings.