My eyes are closed, my mind focused on the One who is approaching…I can feel him getting closer…he is strong, yet I can sense his fear, his apprehension. He has no idea what he about to face…no idea of where his true destiny lies. All will be revealed to him soon enough. I hear someone enter the service elevator beneath the floor of the carbon freezing unit…he is here….

From below the floor a lone figure emerges, his back to me at first. I stand there simply and look at him. He is small…blond…with a slim build. I had tried to imagine what he would look like- but the image of my own face, as it once was, is unclear to me now- and her face is one I will not allow myself to visualize…though my dreams are haunted by it constantly…the boy turns, glances down at the blaster in his hand and puts it away after a moment's consideration. That's right, Luke, that will do you no good now…

"The Force is with you, young Skywalker," I say at last as he turns to me. "But you are not a Jedi yet."

Luke climbs the steps to meet me face to face, affording me the chance to examine my boy up close.

I can see my mother in his face…the thought of her painful to me. Before I can examine him further, he ignites his lightsaber and assumes an attack position. So this is how it's to be… I reflect. If you insist upon making this difficult for yourself, then so be it. I ignite my own weapon, and meet his blade with my own. He parries me with a crude move, making up for what it lacks in finesse with passion. He hates me…I can feel it in his heart, see it in his eyesmy mother's eyes… that makes his hatred sting even more…he makes another feint and I push back at him with one hand, shoving him to the floor. Determined not to be bested, he gets to his feet quickly and attacks me once again. I give ground to him, letting him push forward, allowing him a brief feeling of confidence.

"You have learned much, Young One," I comment.

"You'll find I'm full of surprises," he retorts coldly, coming at me once again.

Yes, and I as well… I reflect as I knock the saber from his hand easily and watch it tumble down the steps. I bring my blade to the floor beside him, and he rolls out of my reach, tumbling down the steps. At the bottom he jumps to his feet. I jump the steps easily, landing in front of him. He is unarmed now, and I sense his fear, despite his best efforts to control it.

"Your destiny lies with me, Skywalker," I tell him, advancing toward him. "Obi-Wan knew this to be true."

At the mention of Kenobi's name, the hatred in him flares up again and he glares at me. "No," he snaps back. I push forward again, and he falls back into the carbon freezing chamber in the floor.

"All too easy," I say, using the Force to activate the device. I am disappointed, expecting a much greater battle with him. "Perhaps you are not as strong as the Emperor thought."

From above my head I hear something and look up, surprised and secretly delighted, to see Luke hanging from one of the many ducts that run into the chamber.

"Impressive!" I declare, slashing at the hose he's clinging to. "Most impressive." Luke aims one of the pressurized hoses straight into my mask, and I stagger back. He then uses the Force to bring his lightsaber to his hand and takes advantage of my surprise to press forward, bringing his saber to mine. I meet his parry with my own weapon.

"Obi-Wan has taught you well," I tell him as our blades meet. "You have controlled your fear, now release your anger! Only your hatred can destroy me."

Luke's face betrays his anxiety for a moment- clearly he doesn't like what he hears, and pushes me back until I reach the edge of the platform and fall, surprised and humiliated; yet strangely proud that my boy has managed to get this far. Of course, I ponder as I make my way to the control room; I haven't exactly been trying. He has yet to really see the true power I have at my command, the power of the Dark Side. Once he has, he will be mine…

I take advantage of the break to summon my strength. I will need all of it to show Luke the true nature of the Force, the glory of the Dark Side. I sense him approaching; he is cautious, his heart racing. I sense him as he tries to reach out with his mind to find me. Not yet, my son…but very soon you will master that skill, of that I have no doubt…soon will we be of one mind in the Force, you and I...and together we shall rule the galaxy….

Slowly I approach him, watching him back away, his lightsaber, my lightsaber, held out in front of him, his hands clenching the hilt tightly. He comes at me, strikes out with a move that I easily deflect. Our blades meet again, and then I step back. Time to show him what he's up against...Using the Force I rip instruments from the wall, from the floor, and hurl them at him. He tries valiantly to deflect them with his lightsaber, but he is too weak, and I am too relentless. I pummel him, his body jerking this way and that as he is attacked from all sides by the projectiles as I stand by calmly and watch. Now he's truly scared…now he knows…

Suddenly a large metal case shatters the large round window behind Luke, and he goes flying out along with all the debris. I hold onto the metal column beside me, my cloak flying around in the wind, until the room is stabilized once again. And then I walk over to the window, and see my son hanging for dear life onto the catwalk that leads out from the gantry. He manages to pull himself to safety. He is exhausted, terrified, and discouraged; yet in him I still sense the need to finish this, to make his stand. I am proud of him for not giving up despite the enormous odds against him. I retreat back into the control room, giving him a few precious moments to recover his strength and his nerve. He will need them for what I have in store for him…

Luke makes his way back into the control room; his face battered and bruised, his step somewhat less sure than when we first encountered one another. This time it is I who attacks first, and I come at him with relentless aggression. Strike after strike I bring down upon his saber as he retreats back out onto the gantry. This is the Force, my son…this is the Darkness that you will soon embrace…Luke stumbles and falls. I step closer and bring the tip of my crimson blade to his throat. "You are beaten," I tell him. "It is useless to resist! Don't let yourself be destroyed as Obi-Wan did!"

The name of Obi-Wan again spurs him on, and he pushes my blade away angrily with his own and then gets to his feet. I slash at him and miss as he ducks, giving him an opening. He takes advantage, and delivers a blow to my right shoulder. The pain is intense, and I shout angrily. The fury in me rises quickly, I feel it fill me utterly and I have to control myself or else I will slay my son where he stands. I slash out at the instrument panel instead, slicing it asunder, channeling my anger in order to prevent myself from killing him. But by now I'm finished toying with him, I'm tired, the pain in my shoulder is excruciating. It's time to end this. Effortlessly I draw him into defensive error, and he leaves his right hand, his saber hand, unprotected. I bring my blade up and slice through his wrist, sensing his agony even before I hear his scream.

"There is no escape," I tell him grimly as he backs out onto the ledge, a mere 20 centimeters in width. He cradles his injured arm, glaring up at me, the hatred burning in his eyes. "Don't make me destroy you. Luke, you do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power. Join me and I will complete your training. With our combined strength we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy!"

"I'll never join you!" he spits back at me.

"If you only knew the power of the Dark Side," I reply. Time to claim him as my own…time for total truth...

"Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father," I continue. The mention of his father intensifies his anger.

"He told me enough!" he shouts back. "He told me you killed him!"

"No, I am your father," I say simply.

A thousand emotions flash through my son's mind, reflected in his eyes. Disbelief, confusion, betrayal, horror, anger….yet the intensity of his reaction tells me that on some level he knows…

"No, no…" he cries, "that's not true! That's impossible!"

"Search your feelings, you know it to be true!" I retort, challenging him to look inside himself, to face what he already knows to be the truth.

"NO, NO!" cries Luke in agony.

"Luke, you can destroy the emperor, he has foreseen this, it is your destiny! Join me and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son!" I hold out my hand to him, inviting him.

Luke looks down at the gaping chasm below him, looks around, and I know he is weighing his options. Finally he looks back at me, expectantly.

"Come with me," I say, reaching out to him once again. "It is the only way."

Making sure I am watching, he lets go and falls. He wants me to know that he chooses death, of that I am certain; I can see it in his eyes just before he plummets.

I am exhausted by this point, emotionally and physically. Bitter disappointment fills me. The hatred I felt from him is staggering, and it strikes at my heart. What did you expect though? I ask myself as I walk back into the control room. He has believed you killed his father all this time…thanks again to Kenobi…

My shoulder throbs with each step I take, worsening my mood as I reach the main corridor of the central part of the city. I am met there by a handful of my men.

"Bring my shuttle," I snap, thoroughly miserable by this point. On the way over to the Executor I learn that Organa has also escaped, along with that double-crossing opportunist, Calrissian. Could this have gone any worse? I wonder dejectedly.

Piett is waiting for me on the bridge. I hope he has good news.

"They'll be in range of our tractor beam in moments, Lord," he tells me, almost as if he knows I need to hear something promising.

"Did your men deactivate the hyperdrive on the Millennium Falcon?" I ask.

"Yes, milord," he replies.

"Good, prepare the boarding party and set your weapons for stun," I reply.

"Yes, milord. Lieutenant?" says Piett, turning to the young officer at his elbow.

"Yes sir!" returns the young man, rushing off at once.

I turn away from Piett, wanting to be alone with my thoughts. It all happened so quickly, I hardly had a moment to reflect, to absorb what was happening. My son…I have finally met him face to face… he surprised me with his strength and his courage…he's his father's son…I turn my mind outward, searching for his in the vastness of space between us. Slowly I feel myself draw near to him- his Force presence is unmistakable, like a bright new star, glowing with newness, with raw energy…I sense so much in him: defeat, disappointment, exhaustion, confusion…I want to tell him so much, want to reassure him that everything he knows is wrong, that he can trust me, I will not lie to him the way that bastard Kenobi did. I reach out to him, hoping that he is sensitive enough to hear my call…

Luke….

Father?

Son...come with me... it is an entreaty, not a command. An invitation, one that I feel certain in time he will accept.

I back away, let him alone for a moment. He is utterly confused, feeling completely overwhelmed by what he has just learned. He believes me…of that I am certain…I reach out to him again.

Luke…it is your destiny… I tell him. He makes no reply this time, but I can feel the agony he is going through as he struggles to understand why he was lied to in such an insidious manner. I will never lie to you Luke…not like that bastard did…never…

"Alert all commands," orders Piett. "Ready for the tractor beam."

No sooner do the words leave his mouth then the Falcon disappears into hyperspace. I stare at the spot where it had just been, seconds ago. He's gone….

Tension fills the bridge as all the officers and men await my reaction. Who will be dead momentarily? They all wonder. Who will be blamed for this latest blunder? But I am not in the mood to kill anyone…which surprises even me. Instead I leave the bridge, anxious to be alone with my thoughts.