Authors Note: This is my first Starwars fan fiction, short as it is, so reviews are very welcome!

Whisper

Brief "Return of the Jedi" Snippet

Why did I block his attack?

The thought flitters through my head, even as I shift my lightsaber to parry another of the rebel's blows. I can't understand my own actions. Previously, I offered the rebel – Luke – my son – a chance to join me, to rule the galaxy together. At the time, it all seemed so simple. I would turn Luke to the dark side, and we would destroy the Emporer. But now...

If I had let that first angry strike fall, my desires would have been realised. The Emperor would have died, and Luke would have become my apprentice. All I had to do was not act in my master's defense.

So why did I give up such an opportune chance? I feel no loyalty to the Emporer. We both know that our alliance is merely convenient, a more effective means of dominating the galaxy, and we would turn on each other at a moment's notice.

So why, then?

Even as I taunt Luke, even as I goad my son, trying audibly to sway him over to the dark side of the Force, a small part of me whispers something to the contrary. The part that still speaks in the voice of the Jedi that Anakin Skywalker had been, and now the father I never had the chance to be.

Whispering that I don't want my son to suffer the same fate I did, I don't want for him the same darkness that weighs so heavily on my damaged soul. Whispering that I'm proud of the Jedi he has become, and want him to rebuild the order that I destroyed. Whispering that maybe, just maybe, the son of Skywalker can succeed where the chosen one failed, and restore balance to the Force.

It is just a whisper. A small voice in my head, so quiet that I barely hear it at all, much less heed its words.

But the whisper grows louder.