Hi! Here it is! I bring you THE CHAPTER! The one where fates are decided!

Enjoy!

Chapter 12

Just as Furan had said, the security code for the Emperor's personal shuttle was transmitted. Even now, the pristine hull of said ship could be seen gleaming in the dark void of space as it neared the Executor's main hangar.

Focus Luke, his father's mental voice urged, We are not out of the woods yet, the Emperor will expect things of me… Things I am not proud of…

At this, Luke glanced up from his binders to meet his father's gaze.

No matter what happens in there… I want you to know that I care more for you than anything in the world, despite anything I or the Emperor will do or say otherwise… They cyborg drifted off, the arrival of the galactic monarch settling on them in the Force. The immense darkness and smothering weight seeming to crush all life from the room.

With baited breath, Luke knelt beside his father, following his example as hundreds of Stormtroopers stood along each side of the room, stock still, as if they themselves lacked a life source.

You can do this… Luke encouraged himself, his pulse quickening with every clack of the Emperor's cane.

"Rise Lord Vader," the wizened Imperial motioned, the cyborg following suit.

Grasping my son by the shoulder, I play my part.

"As you can see my Master, the Executor has been completed right on schedule."

"I can see that apprentice," Palpatine spits back, "Now I assume this young man is the son of Skywalker I warned you about."

"I have done as you commanded my Master," I continue to reassure Luke with a soft squeeze to his shoulder, "He was easy to find… Untrained in the Force as he is, he was a beacon in the night."

"Good… Good…" He purrs in satisfaction as we reach the acting throne room. Royal guards positioning themselves on either side of the door, Luke, myself, and an Imperial officer followed the Emperor into the chamber.

Smugly, the wizened Sith settled into the awaiting throne, a gigantic observation window forming a starry backdrop to our meeting. Hands clasped thoughtfully, he turned to my son.

"So tell me young Skywalker… What do you know of your father?"

Luke doesn't even flinch, he is ready.

"I know that he was a noble Jedi, a General of the Clone Wars, and a hero of the Republic." Bravely, he locks his gaze with Palpatine, "Someday I hope to follow in his footsteps, and be a hero to others."

The galactic Emperor simply smiled at the boy's words, his yellow eyes briefly meeting my obsidian lenses before he replies.

"Oh my boy…" He shakes his head lightly, "You think he died a hero? I am afraid you are mistaken! He is in this very room…"

"What do you mean?" Luke steps forward, performing his lines perfectly, the Emperor relishing every word.

"What I mean," he replies lazily, "Is that the elder Skywalker is not as heroic as you'd like to think... He did not die as a Jedi." Palpatine's eyes flashed dangerously, "He was the one that led the slaughter."

"No..." Luke breathed, taking a step back, he bumped into me. Instinctively, I allow my hand to rest upon my lightsaber hilt as he turns to face me, horror donning his features.

"Yes young Skywalker... Look upon the truth of my words... Darth Vader is your father."

Pale as a ghost, my son begins to shake violently in denial. Stepping towards me, he attempts to get into my face. Unnoticeably, a battered lightsaber switches hands.

"You're lying! My father is Anakin Skywalker!"

"Child," my synthetic baritone rumbles, "I am Anakin Skywalker."

"No!" With this cry, Luke ignites his saber, the blade a shimmering blue in the darkness of the throne room.

Without a word, my saber roars to life, casting a blood soaked light about me as we lock blades.

"Good... Good young Skywalker!" Palpatine jeers from his throne, pleased that he had succeeded in provoking the boy. "Feel your anger! Let it flow!"

At this, Luke intensifies his attack.

"Cease your struggles young one," I admonish, flinging him back with a flick of my wrist, "The Dark Side is the only way."

"Never!" My offspring rushed me, knowing I was backed up against Palpatine's seat of power.

No sooner had he reached me, was he disarmed, the silver of his saber hilt spiraling into my grip. Without pause, I spin towards the Emperor and drive both sabers through the throne.

"...Very clever Lord Vader..." The shriveled man looks up, seemingly unconcerned at the smoldering blades protruding from his chest. "Unfortunately, you realize this failure marks you as an unworthy apprentice and a traitor to the Empire..." Silently, the corrupt head of the Empire fades into nothingness.

Kriff.

Concerned, I make to retrieve the sabers from the throne, the longer I was unarmed, the more dangerous things became.

"Dad! NO!"

Luke's scream falls on deaf ears, as I can feel the icy burning in my chest that only one thing in the galaxy can produce.

Lightsaber...

Luke could only stare in horror at the scarlet blade protruding from his father's chest for the smallest of moments before the cool metal of a blaster barrel made itself known at his temple.

"That's right buddy," it is the crisp voice of the Imperial officer that slithers into his ear, "Now you're going to behave in the presence of His Majesty."

"No!" Luke struggled to break the officer's iron grip, to no avail.

His face twisted in contempt, the Galactic Emperor turned from his handiwork, the Dark Lord now collapsed on the floor.

"Now my dear boy," his oily voice carried deceptively quiet through the deadly silence, "There is no traitorous cyborg to stand in our way as I lead you down the glorious path of the Dark Side. It will become your greatest ally, your most trusted confidant..."

Pain.

It has been the very definition of my existence for nearly twenty years. This is nothing new.

My vision clouds slightly, I can no longer distinguish the separate voices in the room as I attempt to move without attracting attention.

What's the point… You have a gaping hole in your chest Anakin…

Luckily, my respirator is still functioning… For now. Dizzily, I can make out the stars beyond the window.

Window!

Eagerly, I muster what strength I have and channel it into the Force. Like a pick, I drive it into the transparisteel before me.

"…The Dark Side will grant you powers immeasurable! Become my apprentice Skywalker… And with my guidance, you will become even more powerful than your traitorous father!"

"What would I be sacrificing though?" Luke grits out, his arms still pinned behind him, "I've seen my father in the Darkness, and he was empty… He told me himself that having me in his life made him realize just how wretched this side of the Force really is! Feeding off you, making you its slave!"

Now, it is the Emperor's turn to feel anger.

"Foolish boy! Your father was weak! He never truly understood-"

A horrid cracking shatters the monarch's words as a spiderweb of fractures spread throughout the window. Looking down at the motionless form of Lord Vader, Palpatine's eyes widened in realization just as the final push occurred.

Abruptly, the fractured glass caves under the pressure and everything is thrown to chaos. Everything around them screamed in agony as the pressures changed, twisting and deforming everything in the room.

Blinded from the howling wind coursing into the void of space, Luke did not see the Emperor's final moments. His gasps for air, the freezing of his corpse as it hit the frigid vacuum beyond.

He saw only darkness. Heard only the screeching of metal as various pieces of equipment and decoration were sucked out along with the monarch.

As soon as it had occurred, the gaping hole was shielded, restoring the atmosphere in the process.

"Whoa… That was some stuff right there…" A familiar drawl sounded from behind Luke, the pressure of a blaster barrel nonexistent against his skull.

Recognizing the voice, Luke turned around to face his captor. Without the hat, it was much easier to identify.

"Clancy?!"

"The one and only!" The Imperial 'officer' bowed, tossing his blaster aside, "Apologies for the whole blaster-to-the-head thing… I was Vman's idea… If anything were to happen, that I should protect you."

"Protect me?!" Luke fumed, "How was holding a blaster to my head protecting me?!"

"Well, it kept you from rushing the Emperor and getting yourself killed didn't it? Not to mention my magnetized boots kept you from getting sucked into space when your dad blew out the window!"

Dad...

Realizing there was still a chance, Luke scrambled over to where he had last seen the cyborg.

Nothing.

Frantically, Luke searched for any sign of his father. Seeking any scrap of cloth or chunk of armor among the twisted shapes littering the room.

"Dad! Where are you?!" Luke pleaded, even in their short time together, he had seen the man behind the machine of Darth Vader, and it was something he would not give up on. Not now, not ever. "Dad!"

A sickly, unnatural sound coming from near the window catches his attention.

Terrified, Luke follows it to the source, the signs of the worst growing more apparent the closer he got...

Over here... The voice is weak this time, soft and tired as it ripples across his mind. By the window...

Luke could clearly feel the fading presence in the Force, as if someone had pulled the stop in a drain, and a heavy darkness succumbed to the pull of it.

Finally, he could make out the silver glint of aged prosthetics, their durasteel fingers entrenched in the softer material of the floor... The slick shine of blood against ashen flesh and lacerated synth leather catching his attention as well.

Again, the sickly sound emanated from this broken and battered form...

Is that his breathing?!

"Clancy-!"

"I'm right here Luke," the mechanic assured, coming up beside him, "Now let's get Vman out of here, shall we?"

Nodding in agreement, Luke crept up beside his father.

"Dad?"

The cyborg merely moans softly in reply, finally releasing his death grip on the flooring.

"... G-get... Medic... C-Clancy... Knows..." Every word is a struggle as he attempts to lift his head.

"Don't move Milord," Clancy orders, lying his hand softly on the barren prosthetic forearm, "I'll get her down here." Without another word, he is gone, leaving father and son alone in the quiet.

"I-I'm sorry..." The unexpected words come and go quickly in the flickering light of the force field.

"What?" Luke looks down, concerned at the gasped words.

"F-for... Everything... If... I h-had k-known..."

"Quiet, just focus on breathing for me, okay?" Luke admonished, he didn't want to lose his only living parent to their need to gain his forgiveness... As far as he was concerned, his father already had it.

It seemed like ages had passed in the five minutes they waited for Clancy to return.

"Sorry for taking so-"

"WHERE IS HE?!" The shrill voice of an older woman drowns any attempt Clancy may have made at explaining himself as she stormed through the doorway, hover stretcher following close behind.

"Right here Aelynn," Clancy motioned with a free hand.

Without another word, the tiny hooded figure made quick work of inspecting the Dark Lord's injuries.

"Agh!" A synthesized scream pierces the air as the medic digs into the flesh and wires within his chest.

"Sorry Vader, I'm doing the best I can here..." The small woman explained, "A lightsaber to the chest is not your typical injury... You're very fortunate that it didn't hit any more vital areas than it did…"

In silent agony, Vader clenches a fist at his personal medic.

"What is the damage?" Luke inquires, his pulse slowing back to a normal pace with the doctor's arrival.

"Well," the cloaked figure leaned back on her knees before turning to bind up some of the lesser wounds, "Lord.. Er… Emperor Vader here has suffered dozens of lacerations, and most notably, severe plasma burns to his spine, lungs, and various cybernetic components… I'm afraid there's not much holding him together." Solemnly, she called over the hover stretcher, "Clancy, if you'd assist me with getting him on the stretcher? The sooner we can get him into a stable environment the better."