Flanking the turbolift on both sides stood the Emperor's crimson-garbed sentinels, his royal guards. Armed with far more than the evident ceremonial force-pikes at their shoulders, the statuesque men paid the two no heed.

Across the short railed walkway that overlooked the frightful reactor core, and up the three meter staircase, sat a motionless, wicked throne that resembled a three-fingered clutching hand, turned to face the raging external star battle by way of a large circular view port. With no sound between the two, save for the tell-tale wheezing of the lord Darth Vader, the father and son ascended the way to the throne as it swiveled to face them. There, resting like a deadly arachnid in the web-like viewport, sat the zeyd-cloth robed Emperor Palpatine—a powerful Sith Master in his own right. When the two were standing before him, his apprentice genuflected to his master.

"Welcome young Skywalker," The vile master of the dark side greeted. "I have been expecting you."

Luke peered at the hooded figure defiantly, offering no words. Palpatine took no offense with the breech of etiquette and merely looked to the young Jedi's binders, saying, "You no longer need those."

He motioned ever so slightly with his finger and Luke's binders fell away, clattering to the floor.

Skywalker looked down at his own hands. They were now free to reach out and grab the Emperor's neck, but he fought to control his emotions. It was not the time too move against the foul old man—yet. Luke bided his time.

Now the Emperor dissolved his gaze on the boy and focused now beyond him, to his loyal protectors. "Guards, leave us."

With crack obedience, the two did an about face and disappeared into the nightmarish shadows of the chamber.

Looking back to Luke, he began, "I'm looking forward to completing your training. In time you will call me master."

Skywalker stared back in defiance. "You're gravely mistaken. You won't convert me as you did my father."

The Emperor came down from his throne and began to walk up close to Luke. "Oh no, my young Jedi. You will find that it is you who are mistaken," He looked into the boy's eyes and, for the first time, Skywalker could perceive the evil visage within the hood. "About a great-many-things."

"His lightsaber," Darth Vader spoke, extending a gloved hand.

His master received it. "Ah. A Jedi's weapon. Much like your father's," He said. "By now you know he can never be turned from the dark side…So will it be with you."

Luke gazed at Vader, then took in the Emperor with assurance. "You're wrong," He glanced at the view port towering behind them, but quickly returned to Palpatine. "Soon I'll be dead…and you with me."

The Emperor laughed. "Perhaps you refer to the imminent attack by your rebel fleet."

Luke looked up sharply.

"I assure you, we are quite safe from your friends here." He ended with a sneer, then turned back towards his throne.

Vader looked at his son.

"Your overconfidence is your weakness." The Jedi snapped.

Palpatine stopped and turned back to him. "Your faith in your friends is yours."

"It is pointless to resist, my son." Vader told him.

"Everything that has transpired as done so according to my design," Palpatine said angrily from his throne. "Your friends—" He threw his finger behind him, "—up there on the Sanctuary Moon are walking into a trap. As is your rebel fleet!"

Luke was startled.

"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." The old Sith Master leaned forward and mockingly added, "Oh…I'm afraid the deflector shield will be quite operational when your friends arrive." He leaned back, regaining his composure. "Come boy. See for yourself."

Through the circular window distant flashes of a vicious space battle in progress became evident. The rebel fleet of Nebulon frigates and Mon Calamari Star Cruisers was severely outnumbered by the overwhelming mass of Star Destroyers, the Super-class Star Destroyer, Executor, and the mighty skeletal berth of the uncompleted Death Star. There was no hope for the Alliance against those numbers.

"From here you will witness the final destruction of the Alliance and the end of your insignificant rebellion."

Luke, in utter torment, turned to see his lightsaber resting on the armrest of the throne, just waiting to be called to life and be used against the Emperor. The old Sith watched him and smiled, touching the weapon.

"You want this, don't you." He tempted. "Of course, the hate is swelling in you now. Take your Jedi weapon. Use it. Strike me down with it. Give in to your anger."

Skywalker resisted and turned away, back to the loosing battle outside.

"With each passing moment, you make yourself more my servant."

Vader silently watched Luke in his agony.

The Jedi faced Palpatine again. "No," He defied.

"It is unavoidable." The Emperor assured. "It is your destiny. You, like your father, are now mine."

Horrified, Luke watched the battle fireworks from the mammoth window. Another rebel ship exploded against grossly impenetrable deflector shield.

"As you can see, my young apprentice, your friends have failed. Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station." Palpatine hit a button on his armrest and tilted his head to speak into the encased comlink. "Fire at will, Commander"

The Death Star's mighty superlaser powered for a titanic blast aimed a rebel cruiser. The green beam of planet destroying energy found its mark and completely de-atomized the Mon Calamarian battleship. There was a great disturbance in the Force as the brave rebel crew howled in fear before they were suddenly silenced.

A dark ripple had emerged in the Force, a whole that could never be filled. It made Luke's stomach churn.

"Your fleet is lost. And your friends on the Endor moon will not survive. There is no escape, my young apprentice,"

Skywalker stared hard at his lightsaber. His desire for it was almost palpable. With one smooth motion, Luke could have the weapon and vanquish a great evil force in the universe. He fought off the feeling and instead looked to his father in desperation. Vader gave a curt nod in agreement to all his master had declared.

"The Alliance will die…as will your friends." The Emperor added.

The young Jedi stared at his lightsaber once more. He almost couldn't resist striking the man down where he sat, if only to end his incessant taunting.

"Good. I can feel your anger. I am defenseless. Take your weapon. Strike me down with all your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!"

Luke tried to resist, but could stand no more. With one swift motion he called the saber to his hand, unleashed the yellow-green blade, and struck.

The Jedi was quick.

Vader was quicker.

With scarlet and green blades clashed before him, the Emperor let out a haunting laugh in triumph. He had won. Young Skywalker was now his to command!

After a moment, father and son began their fate-filled battle that would decide who was weak and who would stand beside the Emperor as he crushed the rebellion. Green and red lances of energy swooped and spun and twirled and crashed, turned sharply and struck more.

Palpatine reveled in the sheer entertainment of the duel. It served to show him that after all the decades of control, he was still the master of the dark side and no one could oppose his will. Anything he commanded would be so—no matter how grandiose. His cackling laugh continued.

Luke delivered a strong side kick the chest of his father, sending the Sith Lord plummeting down the dark staircase.

"Use your aggressive feelings boy!" Palpatine ordered. "Let the hate flow through you!"

Darth Vader stood upright and looked to his son. The Jedi nodded, and then turned to face Palpatine.

"The hate does flow through me, your highness," Luke began. "And it is hatred for you, Palpatine."

The Emperor was confused. Why did not the boy destroy his father? Vader was the enemy—not him.

The Sith apprentice ascended the stairway as he spoke, "For over three decades you planned the downfall of the Old Republic and the destruction of the Jedi Order," He came to rest next to his son. "As master of the Sith, Darth Sidious, you succeeded where others had failed. The galaxy rightfully belonged to the man who indeed was the master of guile."

"But you have become complacent, Palpatine," Skywalker revealed.

Vader continued, "In your rise to power, nothing escaped your attention and everything transpired according to your design. You single-handedly orchestrated both sides of the Clone Wars, all to weaken the Republic and build your own private army. But that was all the work of Darth Sidious—a man that died the same time as Anakin Skywalker."

Palpatine could not believe what he was hearing. They were turning against him! Blasphemers! He gathered up the dark side and prepared to destroy them both.

"You are old and weak Palpatine. It is time that a stronger, more powerful ruler takes your place." Luke told him.

They had planned this whole thing, Palpatine realized. The entire time Skywalker was merely acting, buying his time until the two could destroy him. The old Sith would have nothing of the sort.

"It is time I became the master and you became no more." Vader said.

Father and son raised their weapons and methodically approached the decrepit emperor.

"No! Get back!" He ordered as they came closer. "Get back! I command you! I command you both!"

They refused.

Emperor Palpatine raised his hands and called upon the dark side of the Force to materialize in his hands. White-violet energy began to form at his fingers, but the hard crimson of Vader's lightsaber sliced through the dark side master's wrist with great ease.

Palpatine howled. "Death to you both!" He cursed. "Death to you—"

But before he could finish, Luke drove the point of his saber through the old man's chest. He mumbled a name as he spoke his last words, then gagged and fell from the throne, dead.

Darth Vader extinguished his lightsaber and replaced it at his side. Luke followed suit.

The Sith Lord, now the Sith Master, took his rightful place on the throne of the emperor. "You have done well, my son." He complimented.

Luke bent down on one knee and lowered his head in subordination. "Now you truly are the Dark Lord of the Sith." The fallen Jedi spoke.

"And soon you will take my place as Sith apprentice and heir to the Empire, my son. But first the rebellion must be effaced, once and for all."

"As you command, Dark Lord." Luke told him. "It will not be long until the rebel fleet is destroyed and Leia, Han, Chewbacca, and the droids will be captured. But…"

Vader waited for him to continue.

"As I told you before, I wish to give the rebels a chance to surrender before we destroy them, father. Killing the Emperor is one thing, but the Alliance…They're my friends, misguided as their efforts are—but still people I care about."

Darth Vader was silent for a moment save for his breathing, then replied, "As you wish, my son. But if they do not surrender, you will destroy them. It is your job to protect this station from your comrades now. "

Luke took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and then replied reluctantly, "They will submit or die."

"The shield is down! Commence attack on the Death Star's main reactor," commanded the stern voice of Admiral Ackbar over the open tactical comm of the Millennium Falcon.

The Corellian YT-1300 stock-light freighter was under the control of Lando Calrissian, with a stout Sullustan named Niem Numb as the copilot.

"We're on our way," Lando replied. "Red Group, Gold Group, all fighters follow me."

The dark skinned man turned to his copilot with a joyous chuckle. "I told you they would do it!"

The Falcon, followed by several smaller fighter craft, raced to the unfinished superstructure of the Death Star. They skim across the battle station's uncompleted axis, narrowly avoiding the pounding of twin turbolaser turrets as the ships make for the superstructure. Hot on their tails, two trios of TIE fighter and TIE interceptors dived down after them with blazing speed.

"I'm going in," Wedge Antilles reported from his X-wing.

"Here goes nothing," Lando said to himself.

Three X-wings, headed by Antilles, lead the way through the ever-narrowing shafts; the Falcon and four other rebel fighters followed close.

The TIEs dropped in after them, firing with all their abilities to score a direct hit and destroy one of the attackers. Lights imbedded in the structure flash wildly over the polished black helmets of the Imperial pilots.

"Now lock onto the strongest power source. It should be the power generator." Lando ordered over the broad shielded channel.

"Form-up and stay close," Wedge added. "We could loose space in here real fast."

As the groups veered around a precarious turn, one TIE fighter pilot did not have luck of his side as he smashed into the reinforced piping of the Death Star.

A TIE locked on to one of the X-wings that had fallen behind and blasted into space dust. It gave a brilliant flash of light that none of the pilots had time to notice.

"Split-up and head back to the surface," Calrissian ordered the fighters. "See if you can get a few of those TIE fighters to follow you."

"Copy, Gold Leader," the A-wing pilot replied as the ships peeled-off.

The TIE fighters followed them out, but two interceptors stayed behind to harass Lando and Wedge.

Calrissian had concentrated hard on just flying through the tunnels without crashing into the sides. But suddenly, he made a miss calculation and brought the ship too high. There was a loud thump from the dorsal hull of the Falcon.

Niem Numb yelped as the freighter's rectenna was smacked off.

"That was close," Lando gulped, dreadfully thinking back to his promise to Han not to get even a scratch on the ship. That was much more than a scratch.

Sorry, Old Buddy.