And now he saw it in Luke; when he held firm before those outbursts, undaunted. When he stood unyielding against Palpatine just as he did with his father... Tempered though; contained and directed in a way that Anakin never could. As Vader had once said to his son, Luke was equal parts Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Naberrie.
What would Padmé have said had she been here now; seen what was happening to her son. What Vader had allowed to happen... what he had instigated. A wave of guilt washed through him at that - at what he was doing to his son... what he was making him become - the path he was knowingly locking the boy in to.
And yet... his son's destiny shouldn't be his own bleak existence; the boy still embodied the power Vader had long since lost. He had a chance to step beyond his father's fate... if only he would reach out and take it.
If only he would challenge Palpatine.
How could he not want such power- complete dominion; over the Force, the Empire... everything. The galaxy turning on his decree. Vader had come so close... so close to that power- but the Fates had stolen it away and twisted the knife by leaving him alive to serve the one who gained it.
But his son - his son could take that power and make it his own.
If only he would challenge Palpatine.
Yet he remained in the Emperor's shadow, as discontented and as disillusioned and resentful as Vader was, poisoned by Palpatine's manipulations when he could so easily step beyond them.
If Vader but knew the reason he held back... whatever it was, he would correct it. Give Luke the chance at dominion that he had never had; ascendancy. He owed the boy that. He had placed him on this path, had locked him into this fate. If he could only discover what held him in check he would eradicate it.
Whatever the cost, he would remove it.
He owed the boy that... for himself and for Padmé.
.
.
.
Palpatine stood to the far side of the long, empty Reception Hall in his Council Chambers, waiting... considering;
Was this the right path?
He remembered again the vision- he had seen it so many times now that it was etched into his mind. For two decades he had seen the wolf in the darkness; fleeting glimpses, hidden in the shadows; pale, feral eyes in cold moonlight...
Then eight years ago the vision had shifted; the Death Star had been destroyed and for the first time the shadow in the darkness had come closer... closer every year as the facts of why fell so perfectly at his feet, until when he turned, it was there beside him, kneeling silent and still. only it was no longer the wolf; it was the boy whose very existence he had been unaware of; Skywalker. Palpatine's wolf.
And then the vision changed; subtly every time, the smallest details, the finest increments, some points fluid, others fixed.
Always, his wolf stood and held out his hand - and always the same thing was in it; a lightsaber. Vader's lightsaber.
And here subtle variations whispered - for years the boy had said just two words to his Master; "Take it."
But as time passed he had said more... "Take it- or it will kill you."
Undoubtedly the vision had changed as events had done likewise.
Mara's revelation that Vader had been in contact with Skywalker was unexpected... and unwelcome. Vader had always held the ambition to rule, Palpatine knew that. But his duel with Kenobi on Mustafar had ensured that he never had the power to back up his desire, and Palpatine's complete control, instilled in childhood, had guaranteed that he never had the resolve.
Unlike his son. Skywalker had the ability and the audacity to challenge Palpatine, yet not the desire. The boy despised the Empire and all it stood for, Palpatine knew that. He remained only because the Emperor had ensured that he detested the Rebellion with equal zeal and because Palpatine had invested great time and effort in taming his wolf, instilling in it the knowledge that to leave would bring down his Master's wrath on all about him... and by ensuring that his wolf had quite simply no-where else to go.
But combine those two spirits, one with the desire but not the ability and one with the ability but not the desire... and together they could form a real threat-
And that was unacceptable.
He simply couldn't afford to keep them both any longer- particularly with the boy's burgeoning power.
Of course, Palpatine knew that his work with Skywalker wasn't finished yet, though he had already devoted long years to creating his perfect Sith advocate - as he had done with the boy's father until Kenobi had robbed him of his new apprentice. Or rather, of the apprentice Palpatine had anticipated... by limiting Anakin's contact with the Force.
Strange that Palpatine hadn't known that when he had poured those years of careful manipulation into Anakin- hadn't predicted Kenobi.
But then, one's ability to read the future was often clouded by the presence of even a single Jedi; they were, by their very nature, facilitators of change... and sometimes the Force flowed to its own ends...
Yet in the final analysis it had been for the best, though Palpatine wouldn't have believed it at the time- so perhaps the loss of Anakin had indeed been guided by the Force. Because Palpatine still had his Empire- and now he had Anakin's son, who was all that Anakin would have been and more, because he was a greater challenge to control; to bring to heel.
And therein lay the attraction.
Recognizing with Anakin that this line deserved a more measured, less hasty initiation, Palpatine had used whatever was available to bring his plans to fruition. In his Sith alter-ego of Darth Sidious, Palpatine's actions were carefully measured to manipulate Anakin over an extended time period. Now it was Vader, whose actions - his very presence - were always so easy to exploit when moulding Skywalker.
And patience, of course. Like a piece of art, the joy was equal parts creation, appreciation and ownership.
And in the meantime, Skywalker was now stable enough to take his rightful place. He knew the boy now; felt confident that he could accurately predict his reaction, which would be extreme, but manageable. As with all his apprentices, the art was part knowing when to make the decisive moves, and part perceiving what those moves should be.
"Take it" His Wolf had said time and again of Vader's saber; "Take it or it will kill you."
.
As Amedda opened the tall doors at the far side of the expansive room to announce Lord Vader's arrival, Palpatine searched his soul for any trace of regret, but found none. Nor did he derive any excitement from the knowledge of the upcoming duel; not even satisfaction at being able to move so decisively against one who had betrayed him...
Instead, he found his whole mind given over to eager anticipation of the manipulations required to contain his new Sith on his return...
.
.
Vader strode confidently forward as the heavy door swung closed behind him, the Emperor awaiting him at the far side of the sombre hall, his back to the room, not turning to acknowledge his acolyte as Vader stepped down into a low bow. Resolutely setting aside all personal thoughts and sentiments to focus his attention on the present situation, Vader paused on bended knee for long seconds...
And felt something in that moment- a susurration that buzzed through his senses in the charged atmosphere; something unsettling in the Emperor's stillness.
"Have you spoken with your son today?" Palpatine asked absently without turning away from the tall slim windows.