Luke gazed out of the aptly bleak throne room towards the distant space battle over the forest moon of Endor. His friends were in grave danger, he could sense it. Han, Leia, and the others had walked into a trap, all because he'd played the hero and foolishly accompanied them to the shield generator, right into Vader's gloved fist.

His father's breathing... no, Vader's breathing rang out as the Sith Lord stood by the throne of his Master, the sinister Emperor Palpatine. A dilemma racing through his mind, Luke glanced back at the emperor who was leering at him through his yellow eyes.

"You want this, don't you," teased Palpatine, "I can feel your anger. Give into your hatred. Take your Jedi weapon and strike me down with all of your hatred!"

Luke's eyes moved to the shining lightsaber that he'd constructed, sitting on the arm of the Emperor's throne.

He tried to keep in him the teachings of his Jedi mentors Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda. A Jedi must use the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.

He was dangerously close to giving into his hatred, his hatred for the Empire and the man who had brought terror upon the galaxy.

Vader's mask remained expressionless as he studied his son, waiting for his next move. Vader himself faced an internal conflict. What if Luke should strike at the Emperor. Should Vader defend Palpatine or allow his son to fulfill the mission he had invited his son to join him on? Would he be punished if Luke tried and failed to kill Palpatine?

Luke stepped backwards from the throne, towards the stairs leading to the elevator where Palpatine's Red Guards stood at attention, armed with deadly pikes. Even if he had to lay down his life, Luke would not betray the rebellion or his friends. He would die believing in hope, hope that would continue through Leia and the alliance under her command. She would be strong in the Force like he had been.

"Never," he breathed, bracing himself to pay dearly, "I'll never turn to the dark side." Luke's confidence grew as he spoke, staring down the Emperor right into his evil, soulless eyes. "I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

The Emperor glared back at Luke, analyzing the young man carefully before reluctantly accepting that he could not convert Vader's son to replace his apprentice. "So be it, Jedi."

Vader stepped forward, his aura in the Force unreadable. Luke gazed into his father's soul, behind his mask of iron, detecting the same conflict as before. Anakin Skywalker was in there, trying to break out of Vader's shell.

"If you will not be turned, you will be destroyed," Palpatine snarled.

Luke took in a deep breath as the old Emperor raised a spidery hand, unleashing a web of dark energy.

Luke could not help but scream as the agony came all at once, knocking him onto his back and sending jolts of burning through his veins, his bones, his organs.

The Emperor stepped forward and cackled from under his cloak of masquerade. He sent out another jet of lightning, tearing through the Jedi before him.

Luke tried to summon calm and peace as the energy tormented his body, his very existence. He wanted it to end, he wanted to die now, before his suffering was prolonged.

But that was the Emperor's revenge, to make Luke pay in more than death for rejecting the dark side. The boy would die knowing nothing but pain and sorrow, with anything else a bitter memory.

Vader watched the proceedings, lost in his own damaged head as Luke cried out horribly, echoing throughout the Death Star's north tower. The Emperor was busy, entirely focused on his victim before him.

Vader had no moral qualms or reservations about ending his master's life, it had always been a matter of timing. And now that he had his son here, taking in the power of the dark side in full, Luke would be at the perfect stage in turning fully to fight at his father's side.

But would Luke really betray his Rebel allies so easily at this point. There was only one way to find out, and either way, there was no reason the Emperor needed to stay alive. It would be a great risk, especially if the attempt failed, but Vader knew that there would never be a better chance.

By this time, Luke's breathing had almost ceased and he could barely feel himself as the intensity of his pain brought him on the brink of unconsciousness. He let out a groan as Emperor Palpatine released a final, fatal Force lightning assault.

But at that moment, the sound of a lightsaber blade snapped to life, and the nightmare was over. Luke's senses began to gradually return as the red rod of plasma stabbed through the Emperor's cloak.

Standing in front of Vader, the Emperor's mouth opened in shock as he looked down at the lightsaber drilling through him. Then, Vader pulled his lightsaber out of the Emperor and Palpatine's body came crashing down onto the staircase with a thud.

Luke finally found the strength to get up from his back, gaping in amazement at his father.

The red glow of his blade illuminating his black face visor and body armor, Vader was already looking past Luke at the red guards who were advancing, eager to avenge their fallen master.

Without further heaitation, Luke summoned the Force to him and reached for the lightsaber still sitting on the throne.

The green blade hummed to life as it found its way into Luke's hand. The young Jedi had to quickly turn to parry a blow from the nearest guard's pike as it clashed against his lightsaber.

Retreating towards the throne, Luke blocked the strokes as both guards were upon him.

Vader suddenly charged forward, his cape waving behind him as he raised a gloved hand and used the Force to seize one of the guards.

The guard dropped his pike as he rose off the throne room steps, choking for air as Vader crushed his throat. Luke ducked as the other guard swung his metal pike towards his head and rebuked with a lightsaber strike to the leg.

The green blade cut into the guard's shin, and a howl followed. Luke came up, then felt a terrible pain hit him in the stomach. He was backwards by the guard, who was wounded by Luke's lightsaber.

Vader finished off the second guard with a lightsaber sweep that cut him in half. Disoriented, Luke struggled on the railing to his feet as he switched off his blade.

His menacing breathing ringing in Luke's ears, Darth Vader likewise deactivated his saber as he scanned the bodies along the throne room.

Wasting no time, Luke raced back to the window, where the Rebel cruisers were doing battle with the Imperial Star Destroyers. He sensed Leia on Endor, still alive and fighting. Han was down there too, and Chewbacca, and the droids...

"Father, you can still call off the fleet. We can end this battle now."

Vader didn't reply right away, but continued his ominous breathing as he approached his son and gazed out into the silent battle amid the vacuum of space. Luke felt an involuntary chill as the towering dark lord came up behind him.

Luke turned to look up at the helmeted, caped

figure next to him. "Father?"

Vader's silence was more threatening than any Force choke or lightsaber attack. As he subtly probed into his father's mind, Luke was shocked and horrified at what he sensed.

The death of Emperor Palpatine had not brought out the good Skywalker that Luke had hoped, but rather, Darth Vader relished in the dark side more than he ever had as a Sith Lord. He had achieved his main goal for the second half of his life and he now faced no obstacles to crowning himself as ruler of the galaxy.

"It is done," Vader said at last, "Palpatine is dead."

Luke turned away from the window, facing Darth Vader directly.

"We can end the war, right here in this room," Luke was now trying to make a desparate appeal to his father, searching for an inkling that maybe not all hope was lost. "You have command over the fleet and the Death Star. You can save thousands of lives."

Finally, Vader spoke after an eternal, hellish silence. "The only way this war can end is in victory for the Empire. We must crush the Rebellion once and for all today, in this battle. The lives of your friends depend on it, the smuggler Solo, the Princess of Alderaan."

Luke cringed, despair replacing the strong perseverance that had carried him this far. If he was too maintain his Jedi ideals and protect the Rebels and his friends, there was no turning his father back, at least not now.

He wondered then whether Vader knew about Leia and the family connection they shared. Had he known when he'd tortured her on the first Death Star, or on Bespin when he'd taken them all prisoner?

Now was a better time to determine the answer than ever. Clearing his throat, Luke spoke up without further reservation.

"There's something else you need to know, Father. The Rebel leader Princess Leia, she's my... twin sister." There was no beating around it. Now that Luke had spilled the secret, he remained on edge with anticipation for his father's reaction.

Vader scanned Luke's mind in the Force, as well as his heart and his deepest emotions. He detected the truth to those words in that moment. So he had not one but two children that the treacherous Obi Wan had kept secret from him. He had never felt such hatred for the Jedi Order and his deceased former Master.

"So, you have a twin sister," Vader replied, deliberately injecting a taunt in his words, "Obi Wan was wise to hide her from me."

Luke backed away and side stepped, not daring to avert his eyes from the tall Sith Lord before him. The battle grew closer as the Millennium Falcon, piloted by Lando Calrissian, led the counterattack on the Star Destroyers.

"Now his failure is complete," Vader persisted in his goading, intending fully to draw out his son's inner anger, "if you will not turn to the dark side, then perhaps she will."

This caught Luke right in the heartstrings. Leia was the last hope for the Jedi, for the rebellion, for the galaxy. Losing all reason, he ignited his green blade of poison and screamed, "Never!", lunging at his dark enemy.

Vader was prepared for this offensive, raising his hand and pushing Luke against the throne room wall.

Thrashing in fury, Luke struggled against the grip his father was keeping him in, slashing his lightsaber up

and down, wanting to make Vader pay for daring to touch Leia.

Concentrating with all the will of the dark side, Vader restrained Luke as he stood a safe distance away, pinning the boy against the wall.

As he found himself unable to advance, Luke once again allowed himself to be filled with calmness as he summoned the Force to him.

Using not his hate but his loyalty to his friends and allies, Luke raised his flesh hand while gripping his lightsaber hilt with his other hand, pushing against Vader's might.

Luke's body strained as he resisted against his father's power. Vader grunted as he was pushed back slightly, staggering. Luke at last managed to come forward, pushing against Vader with the power of the Force.

His energy was once again draining from him. Luke concentrated with all his might, resisting intensely against his enemy.

At last, Luke found himself slipping away. As he collapsed on the floor of the Death Star throne room in exhaustion, he saw Vader flying backwards as well. Then everything went as black as the throne room's interior.