Boots tapped softly on the permasteel below them while the corridor seemed to stretch on indefinitely in front of him. His pace quickened and he risked a glance behind him. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone was there, but there was nothing. No officers. No stormtroopers. Nothing. It was eerily quiet with even the sounds that always accompanied a spacecraft muted.

Luke turned back and found an old, familiar door, though its usual red guards were lacking. He pushed through it and was emptied into the Emperor's throne room. The Sith Lord was standing at a window and inclined his head ever so slightly. "Come, my boy, and see the might of my empire."

A chill swept through him at the words, but Luke didn't dare deny the direct command. Dread settled in as he approached the window, and though the room looked just the same as it did on Coruscant, stars filled the viewport. There was a planet there as well. Naboo. His mother's home planet.

Then the muted noise roared back into existence, the floor beneath his boots trembling under the strain, and power buzzed through the air. Luke watched in horror as it gathered, the tributary laser-stream gathering and flashing out through space straight at the planet. He'd heard stories of the early days of Imperial rule when multiple Star Destroyer were brought together to lay waste the the surface of a planet, but as the beam ate through the atmosphere and then the layers of bedrock as if the planet were nothing, those old attack methods that had terrified so many into submission were put to shame. He could hear them screaming in the split second they had to see the fire racing towards them and then nothing.

Nothing but Luke's own uneven breathing and a soft, terrible chuckle as Palpatine focused his golden gaze on what was now little more than an asteroid field where a planet had been. "This is my Empire. Did you think you could hide anything from me?"

He'd killed them all. He'd kept a secret from him, and Sidious had killed them all for it.

The anger flashed as hot and bright as the Death Star's weaponry and Luke's lightsaber flew to his waiting hand. He swung, every inch of him ready to cut his father's Master down, but he never made it. Sidious' fingers flicked at his side - barely visible for his long robes - and every muscle in Luke's body froze at his command. He struggled against it, but he could barely drag air down into his lungs, much less take his intended killing swing at the man that had just destroyed his mother's homeworld.

"Foolish boy. And now, do you understand? There is no choice you can make. There is only destiny. And yours -" Palpatine tilted his head and Luke was driven to the floor, his knees hitting the unrelenting surface hard enough that he would have cried out if he'd had any breath left in his lungs - "is on your knees before me."

The words echoed even as Luke jolted back to wakefulness. He lay there for a long moment, gaze fixed on the ceiling of his Coruscant apartment he rarely used as he tried to gain some control over his breathing. Even as he gulped in breaths, he couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't alone in the room. His hand flashed out, triggering the switch and all the lights flooded on at once to illuminate the empty apartment.

A shiver ran up his spine and he could still feel the nightmare clinging to him. It wasn't the first since he'd chosen to let his mother's family go on Naboo, though at least this time Mara wasn't curled up next to him to awkwardly try her hand at comforting him. For all the time they'd spent apart over the years, she'd been close the last couple of months. If she was worried about his emotional state or his loyalty following the event, there was no way to know, but he trusted her. She wouldn't betray him.

Luke fell back against the pillows on the bed, his gaze fixed on the ceiling again as he let the nightmare creep back into his thoughts. As far as he knew, he hadn't inherited his father's somewhat unreliable gift of foresight, but every breath - or lack thereof - had felt so real. It was the same chill Palpatine's presence always brought with him and the same ache that accompanied an attack of that caliber. He could have sworn his father's Master had been in his mind, emphasizing the lesson.

You are mine.

He flew up, crouched on the bed and staring at the still-empty room with no enemy to fight, even if his lightsaber had come when subconsciously called. He was alone. There was no one there. He had met with the Emperor the evening before and would leave as soon as the Aeres finished some minor repairs. No one but he, Mara, and his father were the wiser, and the latter had been right. He needed to focus.

Luke drew in a steadying breath, then another. He let the intake of air calm his tattered nerves as he reached under the pillow to retrieve the disk Sola had left to him. He flicked it on and Padme Amidala seemed to smile right at him. He watched the looped image play through, his thumb caressing the disk, and he pushed one more breath out.

Focus.

Smiles and laughter. Joy and peace.

Focus.

A different time. Before the betrayal. Before the purge.

Focus.

A time he didn't know. A time that couldn't help them achieve their goal and it certainly wouldn't help him protect those closest to him.

"I'm sorry," Luke murmured to the smiling image. "This is the only choice I have."

And then he shut it down, not bothering to turn off the lights as he curled up on his side and squeezed his eyes shut against his raging thoughts.

—-

The throne room was eerily quiet as Mara entered, the Red Guard silently opening the doors for her so that she could make her way in. Her Master sat on his throne, eyes closed and chin tilted down. He seemed to be deep in a meditative state that left a physical chill in the air around them. She stood back, waiting and watching for what felt like an eternity before his golden eyes slipped open and she saw a smile that was hardly comforting stretch across his thin lips. "My child," he greeted. "Tell me, what news do you have for me?"

"I've met with Colonel Yularen to verify the adjustments to the ISB's security protocols. Former Agent Kallus' intel is officially outdated. Yularen believes he'll be of little use to the Rebels now."

"And you?"

Mara considered that for a beat longer than she really needed to. "If Kallus was clever enough to be able to defect under Grand Admiral Thrawn's command and siphon intel to them, he will have predicted what adjustments would be made after his escape."

"If given leeway, what would you recommend?"

"Yularen took all but one of my recommendations, my Lord."

"And the one he did not?"

"Prison transfers. While the ISB does not necessarily oversee transfers, they have access to the information."

"And is there any sign that the former agent accessed the information?"

"Not directly, but he has been known to use other's credentials to cover his tracks."

She heard his sigh, a strange sound coming from the one that raised her. "Yes yes. And tracking him down has clearly been beyond the scope of those it was tasked to."

"If it pleases you, my Emperor—"

"No. I have use of your skills elsewhere."

There was something about the statement that didn't sit well with her. "I'm at your command," she said anyway.

"Conflict still eats away at our young Lord Natus after Naboo. I know how you feel about the boy. I know that if given the choice, you'd see him at my side rather than his father."

Mara ducked her head at that. "They both serve you, my lord."

"And yet only one will in the end. Surely you understand this as clearly as they do. There are only two, after all." There was a long moment as the meaning hung heavy between them.

"Natus will not betray his father, even if it means he would serve as your Apprentice."

"No, but if given the proper incentive, he will be able to surpass Lord Vader."

If something unfortunate were to happen to his father. If the man who'd raised him - who Luke loved - were to die, it would be the final push into darkness that would forge him into a true Sith Apprentice. Mara wondered what Palpatinevhad taken from Vader to push him over the edge.

"It is what he longs for, even if youth has clouded his vision. You can help guide him and I will allow it."

Mara opened her mouth to voice a question she knew the answer to: but what if Luke chose a different path? She swallowed that question. There was no choice to be had in it. Palpatine had made up his mind. He wanted Luke. His father's son with all the power and none of the limitations put on Vader by injuries.

Gold eyes slid closed. "He will come to you. Seeking guidance. You must lead him to me." Those same eyes slid back open and Mara felt like she'd been run through by a lightsaber with the way he looked at her. "If you do not, it will be his doom. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my Master," she answered, ducking her head low again.

This is what Luke had always feared. This is what caused him to hesitate and to always keep his loyalties carefully cultivated.

"Go, child," her Master breathed as he settled back into his throne a little more. "Your time runs thin."

—-

When he'd earned his command of the Aeres, Luke had assumed that meant that it would run on his schedule. And it did. For the most part. The Dreadnaught had been docked for what they had thought was fairly routine maintenance when its commanding officer had been summoned by the Emperor, but the mechanics had discovered an underlying issue with the shields that could, eventually, amount to a serious issue in battle. That left the young Lord Natus with a rare day with nothing on his schedule. He wasn't sure he could remember the last free day he'd had that hadn't involved some sort of injury or travel.

He had no idea what to do with himself.

A night interrupted by nightmares left him with anxious energy that he couldn't work off his though training, so instead he'd taken to the streets and followed wherever his feet led him.

Coruscant never truly slept. At night the neon signs lit the sky and during the day the sun never ceased to beat down on the permacrete and buildings. With trillions of beings packed in together, it was never particularly cool in the city, but as the sun crept up, its rays peeking through the stretch of tall buildings, it was pleasant enough for the brisk walk through the city streets with his whirling thoughts to keep him company.

He'd always known that he and his father had walked a dangerously thin line when it came to their loyalty to Palpatine. It was rarely spoken, but the understanding had hung over them as far back as Luke could remember: there were only two Siths, and if once his training was complete, Palpatine would have his pick of apprentices between two of the most powerful Force wielders left in the galaxy. It wasn't a promising future for the one left behind and, despite assumptions made, father and son had little interest in facing off with each other.

But with Palpatine's new weapon, fewer would be willing to cross him. The loyalty that he'd worked so hard to build in the last few years would be less than worthless next to the survival of home planets and every last being on them. For the first time in a long while, Luke felt like he and his father stood alone. Worse, separated and alone. For now, the only viable option they had was to press forward as they had been doing and keep their heads down. He'd have to be careful, even around those he hoped he could trust. He couldn't risk it when loyalties remained as tangled as they were.

A spark of awareness danced through the air and Luke slammed to a stop on instinct, just managing to avoid colliding with a petite figure with her dark gaze fixed on a datapad. Those same dark eyes darted up, blinking in surprise, and Leia Organa, Princess of Alderaan, looked up in surprise. "Oh. Natus."

"Leia," Luke greeted, her name riding out on a breath as stared at her. A couple years older, she'd grown up as he had, though she'd grown to look even more like Padme Amidala. From her rounded face to the colour of her eyes, and Luke struggled to remember if her smile was the same. He thought it should be. He shook himself out of the dangerous thought. "What are you doing here?"

"The Senate is in session," she answered as if that were something he should know. Maybe he should have.

"So you're here with your father?" Adopted father.

"Yes. And you?" She glanced around. "Are you here with yours?"

"Just me this time. I was summoned by the Emperor and now I'm waiting on repairs on my ship."

Her lips twitched upward in a small, hesitant smile. "The Emperor? There are a few of us in the Senate that would love some time to discuss the state of his Empire with him."

Luke snorted a laugh. "Does he even go to the Senate floor anymore?"

"He hasn't been there once since I started attending with my father," Leia huffed and her expression fell. "Not that anyone would be there if he showed up."

"So how do all of the judiciary decisions get made?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, but if you ever hear of some back room where the other planets are getting heard, let me, won't you?"

"Or you could just ask Vader's son to relay a message," Luke answered, matching the levity she'd had in her own voice.

Leia stared at him, her brows drawing together. "I don't think I should owe you anything," she said, her voice suddenly deadly calm.

Luke pushed a breath out through his nose. "You won't. I have a pretty good idea from a military standpoint what would make sense to pitch to him and I have time to kill. Let me buy you a cup of caf."

"I don't drink caf."

"Now I know that's a lie. C'mon. You'll be working for the betterment of Alderaan."

She glanced down at her datapad, up and around, and her gaze finally landed on him again. "Out of the goodness of your heart?" she deadpanned and he laughed again.

"Let's not take it past the realm of believability, Princess. You get my ear and maybe an idea or two that can be taken up the chain and I don't have to wander aimlessly around the city I grew up in waiting for the mechanics to give us the all clear."

Leia quirked a single dark eyebrow. "So I'm just here to keep you from being bored?"

"Anyone ever tell you that you have severe trust issues?"

"Only with Siths."

He flashed her a wide grin. "I'm not a Sith yet. Shall we?" He motioned across and down a street, waiting for her agreement. Finally she sighed and nodded, letting him lead the way.

—-

It had been over two years since she and the young Lord Natus had found themselves faced with the moral crossroads that had left them with one tiny Youngling being shuffled off to his next port of safety and his protector dead at Vader's son's hand. Leia hadn't slept well for weeks following the incident. Between the thoughts of the Youngling's protector being cut down under her protection and the possibility of Natus double crossing her and arresting her - and possibly her whole family - for her part in whisking the child away…. Leia had known little peace following the incident. But days had passed, then weeks, and then years. The Empire had never come for them. Her father had continued to serve even after his only true ally had been forced to flee for her life. Now, as Mon Mothma built up her own Rebel faction, the brunt of the judicial heavy lifting fell on Bail Organa. Gone were the days of the Riyo Chuchi or Padme Amadala of the Old Republic. Even voices like Naboo's Ryoo Naberrie had gone quiet in the wake of her homeworld's unrest. Leia's father never gave in though. Even as he'd been training her as his replacement in the Imperial Senate, he was hardly retiring. It would give him the mobility he needed to aid Mon Mothma and bring factions together.

And here she was, sitting at a little cafe with Darth Vader's son, desperately trying to sell him on trade routes.

Natus' eyes squeezed shut, his face wrinkling up in a silent laugh and he tilted his head back as he gulped in a lung full of air. Leia crossed her arms irritably at the reaction. "Exactly what is so funny?"

"If this is what you people talk about all day, it's no wonder Palpatine directed my father into the military rather than politics. He'd have thrown a ruplseorpod across the room at someone the second time it came up."

"You asked what was important to Alderaan and I told you," Leia huffed.

Natus' amused look subsided only a little and with what looked like with a great deal of effort. "I'm sure it's an important point, but it's not one Palpatine will listen to."

"I'm sorry, but we don't have any rebellions for him to come crush," Leia groused, slouching a little in her seat. "We're a peaceful planet. And wealthy. It's what has kept us in his good graces over the years."

"I know quite a bit about your planet," Natus said, taking a sip of his caf. "Renz - the captain of my ship - is Alderaanian."

Leia perked up just a little at that. "Is he?"

"He accompanied my father when we visited. He was the Commander on the Executor. Now he's the Captain of the Aeres."

She shot him a withering look. "I can't help but think you want me to ask you about your ship with as many times as you've mentioned it."

Was he blushing? She thought she saw a tinge of red on his cheeks as he ducked his chin to his chest. "Sorry. It's just… I've always loved flying, and now I get to command my own Star Destroyer."

"Do you get to fly it?"

"One man can't fly a Star Destroyer."

"Not even a Sith?"

"I'm not —" He stopped and stared at her. "You're teasing me."

Leia flashed him a bright smile. "Just a little. And a Jedi could."

He quirked an eyebrow. "You've clearly never been on the bridge of one. There are dozens of people that—"

"My father told me the story of a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker once. He was trying to break a blockade and save an entire planet of people. It was hopeless, but he didn't give up. Instead he kicked everyone off the damaged ship and rammed into the blockade. He flew it all by himself, so it is possible."

Her smile faltered when she found him staring at her. After a long moment he seemed to gather himself. "It sounds like your father is a really good man."

"Oh, that wasn't him. I mean, yes he is, without a doubt, but it was a Jedi in the story."

"Yeah," he breathed. When he met her gaze again, she felt her own breath catch at the intensity. "Something real, Princess. Something meaningful. Not trade routes or something any low-level bureaucrat could put together for you if you're willing to give him what he wants. If you could have anything for Alderaan, what would it be?"

"Freedom." The word escaped Leia before she dared give herself permission.

"You have your own electorate, your own rulers. Isn't Alderaan free?" Natus asked quietly, his expression genuinely confused.

Leia thought on it a long moment, her better sense giving way to her intuition. "Are you free when those you elect are forced to give up their choice to a single man?"

To his credit, he considered her words for a moment. "Do you think the illusion of freedom is better than no freedom at all?"

"No," Leia answered automatically. She couldn't help herself. His expression was so open and raw. Searching. She couldn't imagine how it could be put on. "It only lures you deeper into slavery than you might have been able to tolerate otherwise."

"I'm not a slave."

The statement was so abrupt, so forceful, that Leia sat back a little in her seat. She contemplated it a moment before answering. "Can you walk away?"

"What do you mean?"

"Can you leave? Would he let you, if that were your choice?"

A moment ticked by. Then another. Leia didn't flinch and Natus stared deeply into his mostly empty cup of calf. She could almost feel the whirlwind in his mind, as if someone had broached the question of freedom for the first time. He looked torn. He looked terrified.

A comm buzzed in his pocket and he startled out of his trance to look at it. "I have to go."

"Of course."

He stood, dropping several credits on the table to cover both cups, and looked at her again. "I'll see what I can do about your trade routes."

And then he was gone.

Of course that was all he could do. Emperor Palpatine didn't just set people free. Not Alderaan, and perhaps not even Vader's son.

—-

There was a typical flurry of action in the hangar bay as Luke made his way to the shuttle that would be waiting for him to take him out to the bay that housed the Aeres. He didn't stop to chat with the mechanics or any of the pilots that were coming and going. Instead, every ounce of his focus was on not thinking about the unexpected turn in his conversation with Leia. But what was the old saying? If you tell someone not to think of a pink rancor, that's all they'll be able to think about. So, instead, he had to settle for shoving his thoughts as deep as he could beneath the layers of mental protections that he'd developed over the years. No one could know, and thank the Force he was about to put some distance between himself and Sidious.

"Going to leave without saying goodbye?"

Luke slammed to a stop at the sound of the familiar voice and Mara flashed him a teasing smirk from where she was leaned against a cargo ship. "I didn't know you were still on planet."

The smirk faded and she tilted her head a little bit. "I've been at ISB headquarters trying to help them staunch the bleeding of intel with the whole Kallus debacle. I never could figure out how he couldn't shut down one Rebel faction that kept coming back to the same base. I guess now we know."

"So it's taken care of?" Luke asked, hoping that wasn't another piece of information he should have known.

"As taken care of as it can be without the man in custody," she answered with a shrug. "You get the all clear on the Aeres?"

"They'll be wrapping up in the next few hours. I'm just going to get things ready to go as soon as we're released."

"Where're you heading?"

He tried for a small smile, her familiar presence helping to unwind some of the tension he felt. "Why? Need a ride?"

"Depends on where you're heading."

"The Mustafar System."

She flashed him a grin and a quick wink. "Then I need a ride."

Luke pulled in a deep breath, letting a smile curl his lips. "Good."

And he meant it. There were a lot of choices that weren't his to make. He wasn't sure if Leia was right or not, and at least for a few moments it didn't have to matter. One thing he could choose was Mara. Everything else - everything he didn't want to think about - could wait for another day.

TBC

Notes: It's been a very long day, but the chapter is finished, edited, and since you're reading it, posted! Things are about to get wild for Luke (and everyone around him in turn)!

Next Time: Luke looks for a way to insulate himself and his father from the danger Palpatine's newest weapon poses.