Family Dispute

He sat on the Imperial Throne on Coruscant, the proud Imperial Capital, watching the luminous city that covered the entire planet, and waited for his guest to arrive having sensed her sneaking through the hidden passageways to the Throne Room. It was no real surprise to him that she would find a way to the heart of the Imperial Palace since they were siblings and both were they are Father's children in the ways of the Force.

"Its been a long time hasn't it...little sister," said the voice of the current Emperor on the Galactic Empire.

"Brother, I've come here to end this," said the woman wearing Jedi robes and Lightsaber in her hands that had yet to be ignited.

"Of course you have. I have seen this moment between us in my meditations. It's clear you've seen it too if you're way through the hidden passageways running through the Imperial Palace are any indication...Leia," said the Emperor, as his throne slowly turned to face the former Princess of Alderann staring back him, and saw she was not happy with this situation.

Not surprising considering what happened at the Battle of Endor.

"Luke, my brother. I don't want us to be like this. Please denounce your embracement to the Dark Side and being a Sith," said Leia, as she wanted her brother to return to the Light Side, and be the Jedi he was meant to be in her eyes.

After the Battle of Endor was over, Luke had changed drastically over what happened between himself, Vader, and the Emperor on the Death Star. No one knew why that was, as many were celebrating the death of the two Sith, and only one person aside from Luke knew why the Jedi Knight was saddened by the loss of one of them.

Vader had killed the Emperor to save his secret son. To show his love that was stronger then his hate. He had died in Luke's embrace while showing his son the suffering the fallen Jedi had endured for over 20 years of his life while in the service of a cruel Master. Soon after, Luke told his sister everything about the event, but at the time, Leia did not care about Darth Vader dying, in fact the younger sister of Luke Skywalker had hated her biological Father so much she was rather pleased to know he wasn't among the living, and preferred his death over to living.

It was only later did Leia finally realize her mistake, as the signs of Luke falling were all apparent from her silent cruelty, and by the time she came to terms with her Father...it was too late.

Luke had fallen too far.

By that point in time, politics took over more of the Alliance operations, and were now pressuring Luke to be more active in their operations if just to use him as a symbol of the Alliances hopes. They used the story of him killing Vader and the Emperor to bring hope to oppressed Imperial worlds in order for those planets to fight the severely weakened Empire.

What it did was anger the young Skywalker to the point where he isolated himself from everyone around him, as he only had R2, C3PO with him to run errands around the bases he was stationed on. At first, many thought he was trying to act more like a Jedi, as they were known from the older members of Alliance High Command to be secretive, and not share things unless it was absolutely necessary.

It was only much later did they realize things had spiraled out of their control.

At one point, Luke had left an Alliance base without authorization to one of the planets on the Outer Rim, and came back several weeks later acting like nothing was wrong. When brought before Alliance High Command, Luke told them what he did was none of their business since they had "no business meddling in Jedi affairs", and his business in leaving was one of them.

Several Generals disagreed and pushed for Luke to be punished by being demoted along with being detained while his room was searched with his possessions were seized for study by their techs. Luke's reaction to the suggestion was both surprising and frightening to Leia, as she saw her brother rip apart a massive amount of the room with fury filled eyes that she didn't think he could possess.

Looking back on it, Leia realized how wrong she was, and how wrong she had been with her brother in regards to their Father. Luke had loved his Father so much because he did not have one in his life while Leia had Bail Organa and to have his own sister denounce their Father after proving his redemption was cruel.

The demonstration of power Luke showed had frightened Alliance High Command so much that they decided to let the incident go without further probing, but they did wish to keep a close eye on him more, and monitor his actions better. The end result was certain Alliance personnel watching Luke having unexplained accidents that resulted in them being treated in the infirmary for those injuries. When questioned what happened, the assigned watchers over Luke's actions simply froze up, as if to answer would cause them unimaginable pain, and that silence was the more merciful course.

A Month later, when it was clear his presence was no longer considered friendly among the members of the Alliance, Luke took off in his ship, and was tracked surprisingly to Coruscant where the son of Vader had wrestled for control of the Empire away from the current ruler. The name of that ruler was Imperial Director of Intelligence Ysanne Isard, who had soon been forced into submission by Skywalker using his powers, and the other people within Palpatine's Inner Circle secretly plotting for control. After several weeks, Alliance spies had discovered Luke had killed most of the Inner Circle, leaving Ysanne Isard alive at her post, but under a much tighter leash then the previous Emperor, and spent very rare times in Imperial Court where the previous Emperor had entertained various blue blooded individuals since the rise of the Empire. Even then, the people in the Imperial Court found seeing new Emperor was difficult, as his face was hidden by Sith robes, and hood that kept his face covered in darkness. Even seeing his body was difficult on account of the red robed Royal Guards on either side of the thrown assigned to protect him at all times when ordered to by the Sith Lord.

Sometime later, the newly crowned Emperor of the Galactic Empire had announced his parentage to the Galaxy, stating with the old Emperor dying on the Death Star that Darth Vader took over as the new Emperor if only for a brief time, but died from the strain of injuries the man suffered in silence with, and thus his son was the only one left to take the throne with the might to back it up. During his first public speech during his coronation, Luke announced changes would be made to the Empire to further stabilize it after the loss of the second Death Star, and the Imperial Fleet stationed there.

Another thing Luke announced was he was giving himself the additional title of Dark Lord of the Sith with a new name Darth Nova, which would be his new name to address him by when in public, and that a new era in the Galaxy was at hand. Soon after, the HoloNet had been overflowing with information of the new Emperor's decreed changes to the Empire, including a new military reform where nonhumans were allowed into the Imperial ranks, and negative actions against nonhumans was at an end. Further action involved the restoration of the Imperial Senate since it was clear the Moffs were not fully competent to manage their respective territories like the previous Emperor had hoped they would.

Those among them that thought they could oppose the new Emperor soon met their ends after being in his presence under false pretenses of working out some form of negotiation for more power.

Still, even with all the good Luke did, when certain planets opposed the Empire openly, and wish to rebel against its rule...the new Emperor showed he was indeed a Sith at heart like his Father. The new Dark Lord of the Sith and Emperor used his manipulation of the Force to attack the core of those planets making them explode.

It didn't take a genius to know it was Darth Nova, who was responsible for it, and that the more people on any additional worlds opposed his rule...the more he would be angered by their actions.

"Why denounce it, when all it has done, is make me stronger, and complete inside," said Luke, as he gazed into his sister's eyes behind his hooded face, and ignite her Lightsaber showing a blue blade like their Father had when he was a Jedi.

"Then I am left with no choice," said Leia, as she raised her Lightsaber into fighting stance, and saw Luke looking at her with a cruel smile.

"Neither do I sister," said Luke before snapping his fingers and the room came alive with droids not seen since the Clone Wars.

IG-100 MagnaGuards that were once in the service of the Separatists, but found by Luke during his travels in secret, had them repaired, upgraded, and reprogrammed to serve him without question.

"You won't face me yourself?" said Leia, as she saw him look at her with sad eyes, and for a moment the younger sister of Darth Nova thought he would reconsider this.

"I don't want to fight you sister. I want you to join me. However, since you won't do the latter, I have no choice, but to see to it that your threat to me is removed, and these droids were designed for it. They once served the Separatists and were quite efficient in killing Jedi during the Clone Wars. I thought it would be a waste to let such wonderful creations like these simply collect dust in an abandoned droid foundry and not be put to good use. Weren't you surprised not to sense any living life forms outside of myself in this room and that you were allowed to enter the Imperial Palace so easily without any resistance?" said the Emperor, as he saw Leia look at him in surprise, and he smiled while letting out a laugh at the expression.

"So you plan to kill me. Your own sister no less," said Leia, as the army of MagnaGuards now surrounded her, and prepared to strike the woman down.

"I don't want to Leia, but you still oppose me along with the rest of the Alliance after I did so much to end the conflict between our two sides, and keep pushing me to do what I don't want. Almost everything the Alliance has wanted, I have given, and yet you still hate the Empire. Why?" said Luke, as made a hand motion to stop the droids, and hear his sister's reason.

"Because the Empire is still wrong. There is still injustice, corruption, and suffering that you ignore from your position on the throne," said Leia, as she saw Luke raise a single eyebrow at her, and was clearly unimpressed by the answer.

"That's it? That's your excuse? My Empire is none of those things, which you would have seen by looking at the people on the streets below, talking, laughing, and loving every single moment under my rule. You think I am unaware of what goes in my Empire dear sister? I know everything that goes on. My Empire is a far better one, then the what the previous ruler had, and the Alliance know its too. They are jealous. They are jealous over the simple fact, I have done what they could not, and don't like being upstaged by me," said Luke, as he let out a chuckle, and rose from his seat on the throne.

"That's not true!" said Leia though deep down that wasn't the case.

The assassination attempt on his life less then a year ago by an Alliance strike team had proven that fact already.

"You know I kept our connection in terms of family a secret knowing what it would do to your relationship in the Alliance? I would think after all the attempts to kill me after taking the seat of power, you would thank me for it, and actually join the Empire," said Luke, as he had done quite a bit in regards to keeping that connection a deeply buried secret, and was still contemplating on whether to change that in the next few years.

"I can't. My principles won't let me," said Leia, as she heard Luke laugh like his sister had just told a funny joke, and began walking down the steps from his throne.

"Principles? Don't you mean your husband and children won't let you leave?" said Luke, as saw Leia become tense, and raise her Lightsaber with the MagnaGuards once again preparing for an attack.

"Leave them out of this!" said Leia defensively to her brother.

"I have no intention of dragging our family through the mud Leia. I'm just pointing out the obvious fact. If you leave, then they suffer, and it's a well known fact regarding our family bloodline that a Skywalker is not to be crossed on that level," said Luke, as his voice became dark, cold, and spoke of a frightening power that had could destroy worlds.

A power that had destroyed worlds.

"Han and our children just want to live happy lives away from the war," said Leia, as she saw Luke at her now, and it unnerved the woman greatly.

"I know Leia. Who do you think has been secretly protecting your family living in secret in the Mid Rim? Who's been keeping assassins from hurting your side of the family? The Alliance? They want nothing to do with your retired smuggler and General of a husband. Though your children are another story entirely," said Luke, as he had his own spies, and third party network keeping an eye on Alliance activities.

"What?" said Leia, as she now feared for her children, and what Luke was implying about her family.

"They know you are strong in the Force after you started finding out about your potential Leia, as I felt your power slowly grow over the years, and from a personal standpoint I am very proud of you for embracing our family's legacy in that aspect. However, what you don't know, is the Alliance has been trying to find your children knowing they will possibly inherit your Force potential, and seek to mold them into their own view of what a Jedi should be," said Luke, as he reached the base of the stairs, and now stood a couple feet just outside of Lightsaber striking distance from his sister.

"You lie!" said Leia, as she didn't want to believe Mon Mothma, General Madine, and even Admiral Ackbar himself would think of using her children in a means to fight their secret Uncle of an Emperor.

"Search your feelings Leia. You know them to be true. Surely you've sensed it? At your last meeting with Alliance High Command, you must have sensed their desire to know where your husband was knowing he would be with the children, and when the right time to take them," said Luke having used the Force to enter the mind of his spy, and see what his spy was seeing.

"No! I don't believe you!" said Leia, as she tried to fight back against the ever present truth in Luke's words, and yet the Force was telling her there was no lie in the Sith Lord's words.

"Would I really lie to you about something like that? I cherish our family Leia. I always have ever since I lost our Father on the Death Star. You weren't there with him when he died Leia. It hurt to see him without that mask on his face, to see the scars his body had, and what our Father had to endure for 20 years of his life serving his cruel Master. I told myself that from that day forward, I would never let anything happen to my family, even if you wouldn't acknowledge our Father as one, and accept he had suffered enough. If you wouldn't find a means to protect our family, then I would have to in your place, and for that reason I came here to Coruscant to become Emperor to make things right. I have brought stability to the Empire, which Father wanted from the start, and I have brought back the Senate like our Mother would have wanted to support the people. However, it is because of your Rebel Alliance that I cannot achieve true peace, and further create more bloodshed," said Luke, as he saw Leia was distracted at the moment, and knew his words were reaching her.

"We just want the Republic back," said Leia, as she tried to center herself, and her mind from what Luke had told them.

"A Republic that became corrupt from within? A Republic where the politicians have power and use it for their own means to gain more while the people they represent lose theirs? The people don't need a Republic. They don't even need an Empire. What they need is a body of government with the single purpose of protecting its citizens and all it asks in return is they're loyalty to support the body. My Empire does that, which I have proven time, and time again. You don't want to see it because you've been with the Rebel Alliance for long, its all you've known, and to leave it now would mean you were wrong. That the Alliance is wrong in what its doing now, as it's become the very thing it seeks to destroy, and has shaken your faith, hasn't it?" said Luke seeing Leia shake her head no and take a step back from him.

"No! The Republic was grand. It last for over a 1000 years," said Leia, as she needed to focus on the task at hand, and not the threat of losing her children.

"Nothing last forever Leia. The Republic was always meant to fall just as one day my Empire will collapse long after I am gone. There is nothing wrong in switching sides, as long as you believe it is right, and can make a difference in the process. Join me Leia. Join me in helping make the Empire truly great. It is as much as your birthright as it is mine," said Luke seeing Leia look at him right in the eyes.

"I can't join you Luke. Your way is not the Jedi way. I'm sorry brother, but I have to stop you, and the way of the Sith," said Leia, as she raised her Lightsaber against him, and saw the disappointed look on his face.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I really wanted you by my side Leia. Brother and sister working side by side to make the Empire just as great the Republic was in its time. But if there is one thing I have learned since I was once a Jedi and then later on being the Emperor of the Empire is...we cannot always get what we want," said Luke taking several steps back and the MagnaGuards moved in front of him with their Electrostaffs ready to fight his sister.

"If I'm struck down, my children will know, and Han will know too. He will come after you," said Leia seeing Luke walking back up the steps to the throne and stopped before turning back to face her.

"I'm counting on it dear sister," said Luke, as he sat back on his throne, and watched his MagnaGuards come at Leia like they had been programmed to during the Clone Wars when fighting Jedi.

The battle lasted for over an hour, as Leia pushed herself in repelling the droids around her, but eventually she was defeated by the MagnaGuards, and then struck down by multiple strikes from multiple foes. In the Force, Luke sensed his sister's children crying in sorrow at the loss of their Mother, and Han mourning at what his three children had felt knowing what it meant when they felt this pain. Internally, Luke was sad too by this, as he had foreseen this event happening for sometime now, and if he was honest with himself...so had Leia.

They were children of the Darth Vader after all.

Taking her Lightsaber into his hands, Luke put it down on the side arm of his throne, and let out a heavy sigh at seeing his twin sister die before his very eyes. Looking to his right, Luke saw his lover, Mara Jade Skywalker entered through the same labyrinth of hidden passageways Leia did not that long ago, and she smiled up at him before walking up the steps of the throne.

Not easy for a woman clearly pregnant and with his child no less.

It was times like this Luke understood his Father's need for secrecy with his marriage and only entrusting such information to a small handful of people.

"Were you able to see into her mind my love?" said Luke, as he stood to meet Mara, and kissed her passionately on the lips.

"Yes my Emperor. I have the location she told her husband to go with the Wookiee in the event she died while here in the event you located their current residence with the Force. The new location was heavily shielded when she first arrived, but after your conversation about the Rebels hunting down her children to be used for their benefit, I was able to slip through, and see where she wanted them to go," said Mara, as she breathed in his scent, and he did the same.

"They would have done that without question Mara. I looked into the different futures Leia would have in the event her heritage our Father was discovered and I saw what they planned if they ever had her children in their hands. I will say this for Han, he may not have the Force, but the man has good instincts, and knows what I knew should he have kids with Leia," said Luke, as he seen the experiments they would perform, the study of his niece's, and two nephews' bodies in order to understand the Force.

"I sent a Noghri team to head over to the planet your sister wanted them to go. They have orders to stun only if they have to," said Mara, as she knew how her lover would want to keep things painless, and only use force should it be required.

"It's funny how things have turned out for us. One moment, I'm a Jedi Knight, and you are the Emperor's Hand. The next...," said Luke, as he laughed slightly into Mara's mouth before kissing her, and she returned it.

"And the next, you are the new Emperor of the Empire, and I am your lover. It's strange all things considered how I was suppose to kill you on your predecessor's orders," said Mara, as she had heard the Emperor's command, and then was soon thrown into a cell thanks to Ysanne Isard before she could carry it out.

Then Skywalker came into her life, took over as the new Emperor, imposed his will upon the Inner Circle, and the Imperial Director of Intelligence was given a lesson in humility before the new Emperor freed Mara from her prison. She didn't know who he was at the time of her freedom, but at the time it happened, Mara didn't really give a damn, and had accepted the offer to continue her role on a much different level. When she did find out, Mara instantly tried to kill him, but Luke was far more powerful then anyone she had ever fought before, and knocked the woman down after multiple attempts to kill him failed. While she was unconscious from her defeat, Luke had entered her mind, seeing the source of the reason behind the desire to kill him, and then used the powers he possessed in the ways of the Force to crush the false image the previous Emperor had burned into Mara's mind.

It had taken awhile for the two to be in each other's presence, more so for Mara due to the command to kill Skywalker being removed, and was slightly frightened by his power. The only two Force Users in the whole Galaxy capable of making her feel afraid was the now late Darth Vader and of course the Emperor since the latter of the two had taught Mara personally in being his Hand. When Luke explained his parentage to Mara, it all clicked into place for the redhead, as she realized her previous Master's command of revenge wasn't to destroy Skywalker for defeating him, but more along the lines of getting even with the young man's Father, and destroy the family bloodline for what the Sith Master believed would be forever.

It was then Mara had to make a choice.

Stay by the new Emperor's side or leave to the Galaxy at large to do whatever it took to survive in it with no real connections to stay in one place with some credits and clothes she had on her?

She decided to stay and didn't regret the decision one bit.

Plus, Ysanne Isard was no doubt grinding her teeth at night wishing she was at least a decade younger to seduce the new Emperor, and remove Mara from play entirely. An action Darth Nova would clearly frown upon and make sure the Imperial Director would regret ever trying, and the Galaxy as a whole would also know that loss too.

If there was another thing Luke inherited from his Father, it was to lash out at others for the loss of family, and the Emperor deeply loved his secret lover carrying his child.

Something Ysanne Isard apparently knew all too well from knowing of Darth Vader's legendary temper that caused quite a bit of carnage and like they say...like Father like son.

"Strange indeed, but it's not without benefits," said Luke, as he smiled at Mara, and let a hand travel down to the woman's stomach to the life growing inside of her.

"I love you," said Mara with a kiss.

"I know," said Luke before kissing her back further.

The Light Side of the Force had created a Galaxy filled with darkness and the darkness had in turn created a whole new spectrum of light.

That was what the Prophecy spoke of when it foretold of the Force coming into balance.

That was what Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who eventually became the Sith Lord Darth Vader had fulfilled through his offspring, and seeing that they lived to fulfill their own destinies.

(A/N: I hope you all like this. This was just something I had running around inside my head that I felt I needed to just get out before my mind went completely crazy. Until next time...PEACE!)