The Emperor had his own tower, heavily-guarded from both the outside and inside. The Empire had taken good care to ensure that its leader was well-protected. However, even though he looked frail, there was no denying that he was incredibly powerful and strong with the Force, as the dark energy radiated from him.
The elevator opened, and the captured Rebels were led out. Luke walked calmly next to his father, not showing any signs of fear or anger. However, Anna had put up more of a fight, and was being held by her elbows by two royal guards. She was giving them deadly glares as they half dragged her up the stairs, slightly behind Vader and Luke. Every so often she threw her arm up to try and shake their grip, but to no avail. Luke could only hope that she was able to keep her emotions in check, but knowing her, it would be difficult. It seemed to be her downfall, even with her Jedi training.
The throne room was devoid of almost all light. Only a dim blue glow from the consoles accented the black fixtures around the room. The entire room spoke loudly of darkness, with the only light coming from Luke. It was definitely something that the dark side would be associated with, not taking into account that it harboured the most powerful man in the galaxy, who happened to be a Sith Lord.
The Emperor had his back to the elevator, seated in his throne. He turned to face the two Jedi as Luke and Vader stood before the throne. The dark lord bowed, but Luke stayed standing. He refused to look back as Anna was brought up behind them. The Emperor was silent for a moment.
"Welcome, young Skywalker," he said, his voice making Anna shiver. "I've been expecting you."
He then looked behind Vader and his son to see a feisty brunette being held his guards and smiled. She stared him down angrily, knowing that this was the man that had caused her so much pain, had been the reason she associated herself with hardly anyone. He lifted a hand from his throne.
"And you," he said. "I have heard about you."
She said nothing, even though she would want nothing better than to seize the man's neck and watch as the life faded from him. He must've felt her sudden spike of anger, because he stood up.
"Come here," he said, his voice smooth. She did not move, but watched him carefully. He seemed to fully anticipate her move, and signaled to the guards holding her. They tightened their grips on her arms and pulled her forward. She tried to pull back, but it was no use. She was brought right in front of the throne, and the guards forced her arms upwards in order to reach the grappling equipment that was located above. Her bound hands were locked into the restarts, and the Emperor smiled once again. She was moved off to the side slightly so that he could still see Vader and Luke, who had just watched the vent quietly, however Luke was visibly bothered by her proximity to the Sith Lord. He gave her a soothing look, but she ignored him. The Emperor turned his attention back to Vader and Luke.
"You no longer need those," he said, lifting his finger, and the binders around Luke's wrists fell, clattering to the floor. He began to massage them as his hands were released, but made no move toward the Emperor.
"Guards, leave us," he called, and the guards in the room all tuned to walk behind the elevator. His attention returned to the young Jedi in front of him.
"I look forward to completing your training," he said darkly. "In time, you will call me 'Master'."
"You're gravely mistaken," Luke answered, with complete calm, his voice quiet. "You won't convert me as you did my father."
"Oh no, my young Jedi," the Emperor said, standing up. Anna turned to watch the powerful man with fearful eyes, as the minimal distance between them had dissolved her anger and turned it into fear. He walked over to Luke slowly. "You will find that it is you who are mistaken. About a great many things."
He was very close to Luke, but the Jedi showed no signs of anger. However, he was able to see the Emperor's glowing yellow eyes, and feel the dark, evil energy that was contained under his hood.
"His lightsaber," Vader said, extending it out to his master.
"Ah yes," The Emperor said, taking it. "A Jedi's weapon. Much like your father's. By now you must know your father can never be turned from the dark side. So will it be with you."
"You're wrong," Luke said, his voice still calm. "Soon I'll be dead. And you with me."
The Emperor laughed, and Anna turned her head around her arm, trying to get a good view of what was happening. "Perhaps you refer to the imminent attack of your Rebel fleet," he taunted, and Luke's head shot up. The Emperor had clearly struck a nerve, and he made note of it. "Yes, I assure you, we are quite safe from your friends here."
With that, he turned to walk back to his throne.
"Your overconfidence is your weakness," Luke stated softly. The Emperor turned around.
"Your faith in your friends is yours," he retorted.
He walked back to the throne, and made sure to look Anna right in the eye as he passed her. She tried to avoid him, but her restraints were holding her steady in her place. She saw Luke tense out of the corner of her eye.
Please don't do anything that he can use against you, she thought to herself. This man didn't need anymore power than he already had.
He sat down and re-assumed his powerful stature. "Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design," he said. "Your friends up there on the Sanctuary Moon are walking into a trap." Luke flinched as the Sith Lord mentioned his friends. Anna winced and shifted her weight in her restraints. "As is your Rebel fleet. It was I who allowed the Alliance to know the location of the shield generator. It is quite safe from your pitiful little band. An entire legion of my best troops awaits them."
Luke glanced around the room, his eyes finally coming to rest on his lightsaber that was nestled in the Emperor's hand. He was trying his best to keep his emotions under control, but he could feel himself slipping. The mention of his friends, his sister, the destruction of the entire Rebellion… Still, he had to remain strong. He couldn't let himself become seduced by the dark side.
The Emperor leaned forward slightly in his throne. "Oh and I'm afraid the shield generator will be quite operational when your friends arrive," he taunted, then smiled. Anna looked over to Luke, trying to find any sort of answer, but he was blank. His eyes turned dark as the Emperor made a move toward Anna with his hand, and she flinched away from him, wanting to keep as much distance between the two of them as possible, but it was difficult considering her situation.
"And what of you, girl?" he asked, turning his throne so that he faced her directly. She turned away from him, trying to find somewhere, anywhere else to look instead of into his cold yellow eyes. She tried to keep herself from shaking but it was difficult.
"Tell me," he said. "When you decided to join the Rebellion, who was it that told you to stay?"
No one, she thought to herself, but kept quiet. It was true. She had stayed on her own accord, but the main reason she had joined was standing fifty feet away. She glanced over at him, and the Emperor noticed. "Ah, I see what's going on now. I didn't believe it at first, but I supposed love finds a way."
She turned sharply to look at the Emperor, some of her fear transforming into anger. Luke too was bothered by it, but he was much more subtle about it than she was. The Emperor laughed.
"It's too bad he was the one you fell for," he said, his eyes moving slightly in Luke's direction. "I don't envision him breathing for much longer. Just as I see with you."
Anna really wanted to say something, but kept her lips sealed. Raw anger smouldered under her skin, not because of the threat at her, but at Luke. She did not fear death, but she did fear failure. She felt as though she needed to return Luke back to the Rebellion safely, even if he didn't believe he'd make it back. Still, she bit her tongue, refusing to say anything to the Sith Lord. The last thing she needed was to put anyone else in a tough spot. She would willingly trade her life in order for the Rebellion to succeed, a thought that, over a year ago, would have never even been considered by her. She had been neutral in the war, no matter what the Empire had done to her life. They paid her well, and the Rebellion would often get in the way of that, but she didn't grow to detest one side or another. Now, she was face to face with the man who had been indirectly responsible for it all, the pain after her Force-sensitivity was discovered, the seven hear it took for her to escape the planet she was from, the seven year since when she had been smuggling and traveling the galaxy, frequenting Coruscant's Undercity in order to get the best-paying jobs. Even if he didn't know it, he had destroyed every aspect in her life he found enjoyable, that was, until she met Luke. Now they both stood at the mercy of the Sith Lord.
The Emperor seemed to sense her turmoil, and he reveled in it. She closed her eyes, letting the anger subside. Off to the side, Luke was able to breathe a bit easier. The Emperor turned back to face the father and son that stood before him.
"Tell me, my young Jedi, how was it that you found this girl?" he asked.
Anna turned slightly to read the emotion on Luke's face, but he was calm. "Why are you asking me a question you already know the answer to?" he asked boldly, and Anna felt the old man's irritation echo off of him. She watched him, a flicker of fear crossing her face, but she was able to suppress it when she saw him make no move. His control of his emotions greatly overpowered her own ability to do so.
"I will have to teach you respect," the Emperor said, a hint of anger in his voice. "Surely, you want this girl to survive. I can see it in your face, no matter how much you try to hide it. I can assure you that speaking to me like that will not end in a way you want for her."
The threat got Luke's attention, and he dropped his gaze. "She crash landed during my training on Dagobah," he stated. "I have no idea how she even survived, but she did. I could feel her presence in the Force, getting weaker, so I went out looking for her. She was almost dead when I found her."
The Emperor leaned back in his throne. "And now, we will complete your training," he said, a sinister lilt in his voice. "But first, I want to see your true power."
Anna shifted in her restraints, watching as the Emperor leaned forward, and raised a hand, then held it toward her. In an instant, Luke realized what he was about to do, and his eyes went wide. Just before Anna felt the air around her cease to exist, Luke lunged for her.
Second update in 24 hours? I've hit another creative patch since this is probably my favourite part of this story, so much happens. I finally was able to get this chapter up to a decent length! I try to aim for 2k words for each one, but I've been struggling to find my writing voice again so the chapters are a bit bare. I tried focusing on emotions in this one, hopefully it's not overkill.
Quick timetable; I expect to finish the chapters by the end of the month, but I won't have any internet connection until the beginning of June. I might do a mass upload (all remaining chapters at once), two a day, something like that, I haven't really decided yet.
We're getting so close to the end oh my god