Had some stuff come off so I'll be offline for a little while. Next chapter should be up around March 2018.
To clarify, the events of the last chapter happened over the span of two days. Also, the 'prequel' events are going to be based off of information given in the OT so they align better.
CHAPTER SIX
Imperial Center
Staring out at the skyline, Luke was amazed by the orderliness of the traffic and the planning of the city-planet. Tatooine was far from either of those, and and the Rebellion didn't stay in one place long enough to be so regimented. Yet the civilization before him could not stop his mind from wandering back to what Palpatine had said about his father. He had learned more in two days from the Emperor than he had learned from Ben in a lifetime. How the Jedi Council had forcibly separated his parents, and caused her death. How the pacifist approach of the Jedi had allowed other groups to threaten the Republic, and it was only the Empire that was strong enough to get them under control. Luke learned how his father had progressed faster than he had under any of the Jedi's teachings, only to be held back and told he was not good enough.
Luke knew the Emperor had his own bias, yet still something didn't sit right. He knew the injustices the Jedi had committed, and had plenty of access to Clone Wars historical documents, but still the Emperor's actions had seemed so, extreme. But in the thousands of years of history of the Jedi, dozens of Sith Orders had been wiped out by Jedi. It seemed to be an endless cycle of violence, one that would never be resolved.
Shaking his head, Luke retreated back into his suite, ready to look up more information on his father. Perhaps if he found out more details about his life, before and after the Clone Wars, then things would make more sense.
Suddenly Luke's abdomen exploded in pain, causing him to fall to his knees, gasping in breath. The sensation left as quickly as it had come, leaving only an ache behind. Puzzled, Luke closed his eyes, somehow knowing the Force was behind it. Concentrating, he focused on himself, working his way outwards. Gradually he expanded beyond the palace, and eventually the planet, which seemed to be covered in a sort of haze. Attributing it to the untold billions of life-forms on the world, Luke pushed through. The further he reached into the Force, the greater the pain became. Slowly, a fuzzy image began to appear in Luke's vision, the face of a woman. Puzzled, Luke focused trying to pinpoint it's source. The room looked familiar, as the picture gradually came into focus. As the image became clearer, Luke realized with horror he recognized the surroundings.
The Falcon, Leia, Ben, he thought, anxiety coursing through his veins. That's who had reached out to him in the Force!
The distraction caused him to lose his place, casting him back to the palace. Scowling in frustration, he stood up sharply, grabbing his bag. Whatever had happened to Ben was enough to cause Luke pain on Coruscant, and no matter how Luke felt towards the man he had called a mentor, he couldn't ignore him when he was clearly reaching out to him. In the brief moment of clarity the Millennium Falcon was easily recognizable, meaning they were on a journey somewhere. But that didn't make any sense, they were on Hoth, which had fully-capable medical facilities.
A lump forming in his throat, Luke picked up the pace, trying to remember his way back to the landing pad. His ship should still be there, and if not he would scour the palace if he had too. If Ben and Leia were on the Falcon that meant Han was with them, and Chewie. Four of the people he was closest with in the galaxy, on the run in the Falcon.
"Halt. Where are you going?" a stormtrooper asked, blocking Luke's path.
"I'm going to my ship."
"You don't have authorization for that."
Authorization? Thinking back to Tatooine, Luke waved his hand, speaking in a slow, hypnotic tone.
"I have authorization."
"Let me see your orders," the stormtrooper said, unyielding. Taking a deep breath, Luke tried again, focusing on his words.
"I have authorization."
"You have authorization," the stormtrooper echoed.
"You will give me directions to the landing pad."
On the other side of the palace, Sidious sensed a disruption in the Force. More than a disruption, the Light Side. Not wasting a second, the Emperor rose from his throne, moving quickly down the hallways. He had sensed the boy's emotions the past few days, noting with pleasure they were growing more and more turbulent by the day. But moments ago they had suddenly steadied out, torn between grim determination and compassion. At first, Sidious had thought the boy was finally torn between the Light and Dark, and a few more dinners would settle any qualms he had about the Dark Side. But it was not what he had imagined, as he could sense the boy's purpose growing, as if bringing a candle into a cavern that had not seen light in a millennia.
Blowing past the stormtrooper who had been foolish enough to let the boy pass, the Emperor unleashed a storm of Sith lightning, stopping the stormtroopers heat instantly. The Jedi would not swindle him of an apprentice, not for a second time.
He entered the hangar where Luke was boarding his ship, putting on an air of concern.
"I hear you will be leaving us," Sidious said, his voice bouncing off the hard, polished surfaces.
"My friends are in danger, something is wrong," Luke said hurriedly, not looking up from the controls. Silently, the Emperor made his way across the hangar, closing the distance between them with surprising speed.
He was so close to the boy's ship, nearly there, when the engines fired up. Howling, the Sith Lord raised his hands, his mind focused solely on keeping the ship in place.
The engines were rumbling, but the ship was barely moving. Puzzled, Luke inspected the indicator lights, looking for some sort of malfunction. Not finding anything, he pushed the throttle as far as it would go.
Sidious was vaguely aware of a shout, and opened his eyes to the sight of an X-Wing barreling towards him. Abandoning any pretenses, the Sith Lord leaped away with the speed of a shadow.
The Millennium Falcon, Anoat Sector
"I have failed you, I have failed the galaxy," Obi-Wan mumbled, sweat dripping down his face. Calmly, Yoda took the human's hands in his own.
"No failure there is, on the side of the Light. Only perception of," Yoda said serenely.
"Luke is gone because of my actions," Obi-Wan rasped.
"Did what you must, to save yourself, to save the galaxy. Or dead, you would be, and hope as well," Yoda said reassuringly. "Terrorize Luke, Vader would."
"What are we going to do, Yoda?"
"Train another, we will."
"What other?" Obi-Wan asked. Either he was becoming delirious, or Yoda was losing his mind.
"Another Skywalker, there is," Yoda said simply. At first Obi-Wan said nothing, realization slowly dawning on his face as he processed what the Grand Master had said.
"Rest you must," Yoda said with finality. He placed his hand on his fellow Jedi Master's forehead, sending the man into a deep trance.
Thank you for all the support! And don't forget to review!