Empire in the Sky
(Fantasy AU) Amongst the magical floating islands of the Empire, Prince Luke is on his way to be coronated after the death of his father, Emperor Palpatine. There are concerns about Darth Vader starting a civil war and whispers of islands falling out of the sky.

AN: This is for Spell-Cleaver and Severnlight and beta'ed by HeartofStars. All three of which are amazing SW fic writers, especially if you like Luke and Vader stuff. I wouldn't have met these amazing writers and gotten to know them if it weren't for my Star Wars Fan Fic Writer's discord. It's for more than just writers. It welcomes readers, RP'ers, artists, and casual fans of Star Wars. [ discord .gg / Z3fgVMx ](Take out the spaces)

Ilum twinkled in the purple dusk and blended in with the growing stars in the sky. Massive ice crystals and snow-covered peaks made up most of the floating island though in the center carved into a cliffside was the Temple of the Sky Walkers, the most sacred place in the Empire. It was here the first Emperor was crowned, and ever since then, one hundred and eight Emperors had been crowned here as well. With his father dead, not only was Luke Palpatine about to join their ranks as the one hundred and ninth Emperor but he would do so as one of the youngest. There had been younger ones. One of whom was crowned the day they were born as the previous Emperor had died while the child was still in the womb. But at twelve years old, Luke was still quite young to take the crown.

He grabbed the edges of his thick furry white cloak and pulled it tighter around him. It was cold here. Far colder than he had ever experienced, then again not like he had experienced much. It was odd that he was to be the Emperor of the vast multitudes of floating islands of the Empire, yet the number of places he had actually been to he could count on one hand.

"Your highness," a stern voice called out over the wind.

Not your majesty. Not yet at least. He hadn't been crowned yet.

"Your highness," the voice called again.

Luke gave one last look at the approaching island and turned around. His eyes didn't go to the large double doors of the viewing platform. Instead, he looked to the side to see the massive star destroyer airship, the Executrix. It was sleek, angular, and made of light grey metal that almost seemed white. Over the wind, he could just make out the sound of large propellers at the back of the ship that pushed it on.

But eventually, his gaze traveled to the open doors and the man standing there. Governor, Grand Moff, and Regent Apparent Wilhuff Tarkin. He stood tall with his hands clasped behind his back and wore the grey military uniform of the Empire. He wasn't one for decoration, even though with his rank he could embellish his uniform more. He said nothing to Luke, merely stepped aside, and looked towards the door. Luke understood and went inside.

Though it was warm and quiet inside, it was still made of hard metal and harsh angles to match the outside. The viewing room sat at the top of the command tower with a roof that was glass and gave an impressive view of the purpling sky. The room had a few officers, government officials, and other high-ranking Imperials talking in soft voices. A few gave Luke a curious glance as he walked in. Even less gave him a respectable bob of their head; he noted those who did in his head.

"Tarkin!" a loud voice called out.

"Admiral Ozzel," Tarkin said in a clipped voice.

"So this is Ilum, eh?" Ozzel said as he walked over carrying a glass of wine in his hand. "You know rumor has it Shu-Torun is going to petition you for mining rights."

Luke's throat tightened. Mining? On Ilum? It was one of the most sacred locations in the Empire. Perhaps Tarkin had noticed the color drain from Luke's face as he was watching the young prince closely.

"The veins on Jedha and Lothal are still running strong. We have no need to turn to Ilum yet." Tarkin said.

Ozzel took a long sip of his glass. "But we will," he said. "If you wish to preserve the might of the Empire. We will. Especially with Vader . . ."

Vader. Darth Vader. Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy. He had been the Emperor's right-hand man and enforcer. A vicious attack dog kept on a thin leash. Luke was far more familiar with Vader than any other member of the Empire's elite. He could almost hear his father's laughter as Vader used the Force to choke Luke. Luke's grip on his fur cloak tightened as he chased the memory away.

There were a lot of rumors about Vader circling around the room. Some, like Tarkin, believed Vader was behind the airship explosion that killed the Emperor. Even those who didn't believe that they were fearful Vader wasn't going to bend a knee to Luke. People feared a civil war was coming.

Luke turned away from the two men and looked out the windows to see Ilum was growing closer. The only structures on the island were the temple and the landing docks. Those who were attending the coronation would be housed on their own airships. Already, the air around the island was surrounded by ships. There were quite a number of Imperial naval ships including a few star destroyers like the one Luke was on. There were some that were steam-powered with trails of white clouds coming out exhaust tubes and others kept afloat by large balloons or in the dirigible style.

His eyes lingered on one of the star destroyers. There were no balloons or massive sails to keep it afloat. It was kept afloat by kyber crystals, the very heart of the Empire. Kyber crystals had a power to them, a magic, called the Force. All of the floating islands had hearts of kyber in them, and now the newer Imperial ships did too. That had been his father's doing to mine the crystals and use them for airships. It made the airships faster and larger, and since they didn't need fuel they could for much longer.

Before Sheev Palpatine took the throne there had been the Holy Order of Jedi Knights. They not only protected the kyber crystals but also the Empire. They were peacekeepers established by the first Emperor long ago. They had turned traitorous against the Empire by creating a war and when Luke's father revealed the masterminds, the Jedi were hunted down and exterminated. With the knights gone there was no one to protect the crystals.

Apparently, the mining of the crystals was quite a hot topic though Luke had never imagined they would mine Ilum. During his father's funeral, when Luke thought he had finally escaped Tarkin's gaze, he was approached by two representatives. One was Bail Organa of Alderaan and the other was Mon Mothma of Chandrila, who both represented very large, prosperous, and powerful islands.

"Have you considered your policy on the mining of kyber crystals?" Representative Mothma had asked Luke.

"I . . . uh . . ."

The two representatives shared a sad look, one Luke had seen hundreds of times over the last few days. One of pity.

"Please do consider it, your majesty," Bail said. "We don't want another island falling."

"Falling?" Luke asked.

Again the representatives shared a look of silent communication.

"You haven't heard?" Mothma asked.

"No- no."

Bail leaned in close. "The island of Soria, your majesty. It disappeared a few months back from it's known flight trail. It was found two weeks ago crashed into the Barrens Below."

When Luke had asked Tarkin about it he only scoffed. "Do not believe everything people tell you. Those two are old Jedi sympathizers and are suspected of harboring Jedi criminals. Of course, they are against the mining of kyber crystals and are being overdramatic. Soria did fall, but it was surprisingly a natural and slow descent. It did not simply just fall out of the sky and crash."

But why had it been a surprising descent? It was possible for islands to fall, but it was rare. Very rare. It usually happened due to a catastrophic earthquake or a war or two islands colliding with one another. They very rarely sank on their own. It was something he wouldn't mind looking into, but he couldn't worry about that right now. His focus was on the coronation, on becoming Emperor and keeping the Empire together by avoiding a civil war.

But the honest truth was Luke was powerless. He may have the rightful claim to the throne, but he had nothing beyond that. Tarkin would be named regent and he would run the Empire until Luke was of age . . . if he ever came of age. The line of Palpatine wouldn't be the first royal family line to end tragically. Several different bloodlines had ruled the Empire over the centuries. Palpatine was only the latest, and Luke's father had been the first to rule after he had ousted Emperor Finis Valorum. Perhaps the next family to claim the Empire would be the Tarkins or . . . the Vaders.

The Executrix was approaching the landing docks as the ship passed large towers of ice crystals. Luke gasped as he noticed a carving on one. He hurried over to the windows completely oblivious to the stare and disapproving huff from Tarkin and placed his hands on the glass as he stared.

Etched into the ice was a beautiful bird almost as long as the star destroyer.

"A star bird," someone said behind him. He looked up to see an older woman in a military uniform standing beside him. Her grey hair was pulled up into a bun. "A sign of the First Emperor."

Luke nodded. He knew the origin stories of the Empire and secretly loved reading them. Long, long ago humans had lived in the Barrens Below. Back then the lands still flourished some but were quickly turning to the wastelands they were now. The humans looked up at the floating islands with lush forests and sparkling waterfalls. Somehow they needed to get up there.

Then one day a man came down from the sky on brilliant wings made of light. His name was Akash who would become the first Sky Walker and his grandson would become the first Emperor. Legends claimed that a great star bird descended upon Akash one day and transformed into wings of light allowing the man to fly to the islands. Eventually, he found Ilum and discovered the magic of the kyber crystals. He brought them back down to the people living below and realized some people resonated with the crystals. They could use the Force like him, and they would become the Jedi Knights and lead the people into the sky.

But the line of Akash had long since fallen centuries, though there was a prophecy that claimed one day they would reclaim their throne. A Skywalker Emperor would rule once more and bring forth a new age of peace and balance to the Empire.

But it was just a story.

The royal Skywalker family was long dead and gone, and the name was now very common throughout the Empire. There were those who every couple of decades came forth claiming to be the long lost great-grandson of Akash's descendants. One had even managed to claim the throne three centuries ago for three generations, but those years were filled with strife and war. They clearly weren't the Skywalkers the prophecy spoke of.

The ship shuddered as the anchor lines were tied and the ship was pulled tight to the landing docks. The sky had now darkened completely, but Luke could make out the golden glow of the many airships and beyond them the small twinkling lights of the stars. The coronation would be in the morning when the dawn light entered the temple.

Luke Palpatine had one more night as a prince. Tomorrow he would be Emperor, and he wondered how long that would last.

Luke stood on the raised dais at the end of the large Temple sanctuary. Behind him, the morning light came through a wall of clear solid crystal that caused small bursts of light and rainbows to dance around the room. Lining the walkway up to the dais were island governors, government officials, nobility, and a few others. Lining the walls behind them were stormtroopers. Noticeably absent was Darth Vader.

Would he show up? Once Luke was crowned, the island governors would bow on one knee and swear their loyalty to the new Emperor. Vader was technically a governor as he owned the Mustafar island, but more importantly, he was a high-ranking military and government official. The only other person on par with Tarkin. The only person who was considered for regent, but Vader had not shown up to the High Council meetings when the regency was discussed. Plus, very few supported him, especially over Tarkin.

Luke was dressed in all white as was the custom for the coronation. It was a symbol of the holy light that glowed inside of kyber crystals; a symbol of the Force and the magic that created the floating islands and the Sky Walkers. The Emperor was supposed to be the only one wearing that color, but Tarkin was also wearing an all-white outfit.

It caused Luke's heart to sink each time he looked over at the old man.

Mas Amedda stepped up to the dais. He held a white velvet cushion in his hands, and a single small kyber crystal sat in the middle. After the speeches and Luke swearing his oath to the Empire, his final act would be to take the crystal. If it changed color, it would foretell what kind of reign Luke would have. His father's crystal had turned red. Red for blood, dominance, war, and power. The crystal had spoken truly of Sheev Palpatine.

What color would it turn for Luke? Would it even turn a color at all? It could stay white, which could mean things would continue on how they were or simply the crystal did not know.

When Luke had been practicing the ceremony, Tarkin had rolled his eyes when it came time to accept the crystal.

"It only changes color if you are Force Sensitive," he had said. "Any Jedi of old could have grabbed it and it would have changed. It doesn't foretell anything."

That meant that Sheev Palpatine was Force sensitive . . . but he wasn't a Jedi. He had ordered the deaths of the knights and had the Holy Order destroyed. But if he was Force sensitive . . . was Luke? And if his crystal changed color how would the others in the Temple react? Would he be labeled a Jedi? Is that how Tarkin planned on taking the throne?

Luke's focus was on the crystal. He was only vaguely aware of Mas rambling on about the history of the great Empire and the honor one had of becoming Emperor.

But everything stopped as the large double doors at the other end of the sanctuary slammed open, and everyone turned and looked as Darth Vader strode down the walkway. White armored stormtroopers marched behind him. People gasped and stepped away as Vader passed them, but he didn't look at them. His eyes were on the dais and the Emperor-to-be. Luke could feel the gaze on him though he couldn't see Vader's eyes behind the black glassed lenses on the mask he always wore.

"Darth Vader," Tarkin said, taking a step forward. "Here to swear yourself to the new Emperor?"

"Do you mean swear myself to you?" Vader asked. His voice was deep and booming and Luke flinched upon hearing it.

"I will be named regent, so in swearing yourself to the Emperor you will be swearing yourself to me."

"Why be regent when you can be Emperor?"

"You dare excuse me of stealing the crown?" Tarkin asked, clearly offended.

"You wear all white as if you are the Emperor," Vader said with a wave of his hand.

"If you will not bow and swear your loyalty, then you will be labeled a traitor and dealt with accordingly."

Silence. It lasted a beat. Then another.

No one talked or moved except to glance between Vader and Tarkin.

"Perhaps," Vader said slowly. "I will show mercy to you, Tarkin, if you bow to me."

A few gasps echoed around the room. Tarkin sputtered as his face turned red.

"You dare try to claim the regency now? It is too late for that Vader," Tarkin spat. "You missed your chance."

"Regency?" Vader said. He raised his gloved hand and curled it into a fist. "No. I will be Emperor."

A heavy weight fell into Luke's chest as the color drained from his face and a chill washed over him.

"Traitor!" Tarkin shouted and he pointed his finger at Vader. "Arrest him!"

The troops behind Vader didn't move to grab him. Instead they pulled out their heavy iron blasters and aimed them at the crowd. People screamed and pushed each other as they scrambled for the exit not wanting to get caught in the crossfire as the guards along the walls snapped up their own blasters aiming at Vader and his band of traitors.

Thi was all happening in Luke's peripheral vision. He was watching Vader, who had pulled out a small knife. He ripped off his glove and threw it to the floor. His flesh was pale white as if it hadn't ever seen the sun. Vader slid the knife across his palm, red blood instantly ran out, and he curled his hand into a fist. Blood seeped out between his fingers and dripped on the floor.

"By my blood!" Vader shouted. His voice roared over the screams and commotion. "Heed my call! Come forth, star bird!"

What? What was he doing? Star birds weren't real. They-

A loud caw silenced the room. It came from behind Luke, who slowly turned to look at the clear crystal wall. The sun still shone brightly through, but now there was something new. Lines started to glow and grow and connect until they formed a drawing of a star bird like the one Luke had seen last night. There was another loud caw . . . it was coming from the crystal, from the drawing!

The glowing lines changed to red and slowly the rest of the bird filled in with red as well. There was a third loud caw and an explosion of light. Luke crouched and shielded his eyes with his arms. The caw came again, but this time it wasn't from the wall but from above. Luke lowered his eyes and rapidly blinked to restore his vision. When he could see, he saw a large red bird circling the ceiling.

But . . . but it wasn't . . . wasn't a real bird. It was made of light. Luke could see right through it! His mouth hung open as he realized this was a star bird. A true star bird.

The bird circled around once more before it folded its wings and dove straight for Vader. Claws came out and it gripped both of his shoulders. The bird started to glow and change. Its head and body shrank away until all that was left were glowing red wings coming out of Vader's back like the legends of the first Emperors. Like a true Skywalker.

"You dare to claim this throne now?" Tarkin snarled. He hadn't moved an inch.

"So you knew . . ." Vader said slowly. "Like Palpatine, you knew of my true heritage and thought to keep me from it."

Then he jumped. The wings pushed him high into the air, far higher than a normal person could ever jump. While still in the air he unsheathed a glowing red sword. A kyber crystal sword. It wasn't that surprising. Everyone knew he had one. Everyone knew Vader could use the Force; that he used to be a Jedi. The one true and loyal Jedi to the Empire, though Vader no longer used that title instead called himself a Sith.

With a streak of red and a loud thump, Vader landed directly in front of Tarkin. Tarkin's left arm fell to the ground as Vader straightened up and stood tall and proud over the older man. Tarkin had grabbed his bleeding stump as he glared up at Vader.

"Unlike Palpatine, your death shall be slow," Vader growled.

"I knew you were the one who had killed him," Tarkin said with a slight waver in his voice.

"My only regret is I had not done it sooner."

There was another streak of red and Tarkin's other arm fell to the floor with a scream from the old man.

Luke didn't wait to see what happened next as his self-preservation had finally kicked in. He turned, ran, and jumped off the side of the dais. But there wasn't anywhere to go. The only exit to the sanctuary was at the other end of the room. A panicked crowd and troops shooting at each other were between him and the doors. Could he make it if he ran into the crowd?

He had waited too long to act.

"Grab the prince!" Vader bellowed.

Luke spun and saw the Sith approaching him holding with his sword at his side as it dripped fresh blood. Luke let out an undignified squawk of terror. He turned and ran. He didn't even know where he was headed, he was just trying to get away from Vader. He slammed into something hard and it took him a few seconds to realize it had been a trooper. The trooper grabbed his arm.

"No!" Luke shouted as he tried to free himself. He pulled and yanked, but he slipped on some fresh blood. He didn't fall; the trooper caught him and pulled him up to his feet.

"Bring him to me," Luke heard Vader command.

The trooper's grip tightened as he pulled Luke back towards the dais.

"No! No!" Luke cried as he tried to get free. Tried to slow down the trooper, but despite a hitch in the trooper's step when Luke kicked him, he moved steadily on.

Soon Luke was dragged up the steps and thrown at Vader's feet. He put his hands down flat to push himself up but noticed the warm puddle of blood. He looked to the side to see Tarkin's dismembered body. His face was permanently frozen in terror and a silent scream. Luke gasped and scrambled backward. He would have gotten to his feet, but Vader was there crouching in front of him.

He no longer held his sword. It was gone or perhaps sheathed, but both his hands were free. The one with a glove grabbed Luke's arm, while the gloveless one with the cut on it grabbed Luke's chin. The grip was tight, but not painful. It tilted Luke's face this and that as if Vader was examining him.

"Just . . . just kill me," Luke whimpered. Tears threatened to form, but he blinked them away.

"I will not," Vader said. His deep voice seemed to rattle Luke's very bones.

"You're- you're a Skywalker," Luke said in a hushed voice. "Like the-the prophecy. The true Emperor."

"I am. But so are you, young one."

Luke's eyes went wide. What? He- There was no way.

"I'm a Palpatine," he said.

"You were not born one," Vader growled.

His hand left Luke's chin and he pulled out the small knife from before. Luke tried to pull away, but Vader's grip on his arm prevented that. The gloved hand slipped down to Luke's wrist and pulled the hand towards Vader and the knife. Luke tried to wiggle away.

"Cease," Vader said as he placed the cold blade to Luke's palm. Luke winced as the blade sliced slowly into his skin. Vader withdrew the knife as soon as there was a small bleeding cut on Luke's palm. "Say the words," Vader demanded.

"Wo-words?"

"By my blood. Heed my call. Come forth, star bird."

"But-"

"Say them."

"By my-my blood. Heed my call. Come forth, star bird."

Luke hadn't shouted it as Vader had. It was barely more than a whisper that trembled in fear. It wasn't going to work. Luke wasn't a . . . He was a Palpatine!

There was a caw.

It was different than the one before; it was higher pitched. Luke looked up at the crystal wall and watched as glowing lines slowly formed a second star bird. This one was smaller than the first, and the lines didn't change color. Instead the inside of the bird filled in with white before it burst out of the wall. It cawed proudly as it circled around the room before it dove directly at him.

Luke ducked his head into his arms; Vader chuckled softly, but nothing happened. Luke slowly uncurled and looked up at his shoulder. A small white star bird was perched there. Its head tilted and it let out a short caw. A deeper caw answered, and Luke looked up to see the large red star bird was now perched on Vader's shoulder.

". . . how?" Luke whispered.

How was this possible? How could there be a star bird on his shoulder?

"My . . . mother was of the bloodline of Akash, thus so am I . . . and . . . so is my son."

Vader had a son? Luke didn't know that . . . Wait.

"Your son?" he asked.

Vader said nothing. He only tilted his head towards Luke.

"Am I . . . Am I your son?"

A large gloved hand was gently placed on Luke's head and Vader ruffled the blond hair.

"You are," Vader confirmed.

"But . . . why was I . . . a . . . a . . ."

"Palpatine?" Vader's tone had changed. It was sharp and dangerous and sent a chill down Luke's back. "Your mother . . . was . . . pregnant when she died. I thought you were lost with her. I had no idea the baby had survived, but I was lied to by Sheev Palpatine. He stole you and paraded you around in front of me knowing the entire time you were my son. When I discovered the truth of my lineage, I also learned the truth of yours. Realizing Palpatine's deceit, I . . ."

"Killed him," Luke finished.

Vader nodded. "I . . . am sorry, little one. If I had known . . . when I . . . "

"Hurt me?"

". . . Yes. When I looked at you, I saw myself. You look . . . so much like me . . . and your mother. It angered me. Why were you alive when my child was not? But . . . I will right this, Luke."

Vader sat up straighter. His star bird flapped its wings but stayed on his shoulder. He held out his hand and soon Luke noticed a small item floating across the dais. It was the kyber crystal, the one from the velvet cushion that Luke was supposed to take at the end of the coronation. Instead of going into Vader's hand, it floated towards Luke.

"Take it," Vader said.

Cautiously, Luke grabbed it; the crystal felt warm in his hand. He looked down at the white crystal and noticed it was starting to glow brighter. The star bird on his shoulder let out a loud caw. The crystal glowed so bright he had to shut his eyes, but soon the glow went away. When he looked down at it the crystal was now blue. The star bird cawed; Luke looked up at it. Like the crystal, the bird was now blue.

"Blue," Vader said. "Your reign will bring peace and balance."

"My reign?"

"As Emperor. When you are old enough, I will abdicate to you. Enjoy being a prince, young one, a little while longer."

Luke looked back down at the crystal. Peace and balance. The prophecy had stated that one day a Skywalker Emperor would rule once more and bring forth a new age of peace and balance to the Empire.

Vader stood up and held out his hand to his son.

"Rise, Prince Skywalker," he said.

Luke's fist curled around the crystal as he accepted Vader's hand. The little blue star bird let out a caw, and the large red star bird responded as they heralded the return of the Skywalkers, the true Emperors.